Chapter 9 – Caught in the Crossfire

"M-Marianna?!" yelled Green Heart in surprise as the ongoing battle in the background echoes within the woods.

"Uh..yes, that is my name." replied Marianna while confused. "But how did you know my name?"

Green Heart was about to approach Marianna when…

"There you are."

And as Green Heart turned around, she was able to parry a sudden attack from a woman who wields a scythe. "As expected from a CPU. Quite fast reflexes."

Turns out that this woman was the same woman Green Heart encountered when she met little Yuu.

"Heh. I was expecting you to appear here." Replied Green Heart with a grin while trying her best to repel the woman's attack. "And I haven't got the chance to get your name. Care to…introduce yourself." Green Heart added sarcastically.

"Want to get acquainted, I see." Said the pink-haired woman. But before she answered, she took a glance at Marianna from behind Green Heart. When Marianna noticed, she could only flinch at the sight of the woman's intimidating yellow eye while her right eye was covered in some sort of eye patch.

"Hmpf." Breathed out the woman before breaking away from combat with Green Heart and landed just a few feet away from her. She then flicked her long hair which are worn up in pigtails before uttering words in a monotone. "I am called Magic. I embody the desire of the Legion's leader to spread the ideals and words of our beloved Goddess Arfoire to the entirety of Gamindustri. And I also embody ASIC, Arfoire's Syndicate of International Crime."

"So you are the leader of this group." Declared Green Heart. "And quite a fitting name for a group, for you are nothing but terrorists and pirates altogether!"

"All done for the sake of reviving our beloved Goddess who will in turn revive our true leader." Magic replied in her usual monotone voice while preparing to attack once more. "All those who wishes to worship and follow her, we accept with open arms. And those who oppose or disgraces our Goddess are eliminated from existence with no hesitation. We do not tolerate infidels and other infidelity towards our Goddess Arfoire."

"Sorry, but your goddess has no room here in Gamindustri." Green Heart retorted back before making a dash towards Magic to attack her with her spear, which Magic quickly parried.

"And we don't plan on giving up against you, CPU." Said Magic calmly before kicking Green Heart in the body to break away from her and fly up.

"Tch…you are not getting away this time!" shouted Green Heart after immediately recovering from the kick.

"Who says I'm running away?" said Magic sarcastically before she surrounding her weapon with dark energy and made a slashing movement in the air with her scythe. And almost instantly, the ground between Green Heart and Marianna got sliced open before exploding. It took Green Heart by surprised while Marianna, being nearest to the attack, got thrown away by the explosion.

"Marianna! No!" yelled Green Heart.

"*Cough, cough*, I'm fine." Replied Marianna within the smoke from the explosion. "A bit shaken, but fine."

"Oops. Did I hit your friend instead?" said Magic with sarcasm. "I deeply apologize for it was unintentional."

But for Green Heart, Magic's words were clear that what she did was intentional. She intends to inflict harm on Marianna.

"Why you…!" sweared Green Heart as she dashed up towards Magic and engaged her in a spear – scythe combat.

"I can see the fury in your eyes, CPU." Muttered Magic as she exchanged blows with Green Heart.

"Marianna, run away while I hold her off!" Green Heart yelled at Marianna while fighting off Magic.

"I…okay, I will!" replied Marianna. "If only I didn't went all out in using Khalara earlier, I could assist her in this battle." She thought to herself. However, as she backs away to run…

"Do not move. If you value your life, remain stationary."

Startled by this, Marianna slowly turned around to see who is threatening her this time. When she looked, she was greeted by a large, flaming sword pointed at her. And when she looked up further, she saw that the large sword is being carried by a giant robot that seemed to look like an oversized children's toy robot, complete with gun-metal colored wings that looked like it came from a jet plane.

"I do not wish to harm an innocent person who only got caught in the middle of a crossfire." Said the multi-colored robot to Marianna. "But I must offer to you that you should join our cause. Be a follower of our great Goddess Arfoire and be assured a life free from restrictions."

"Huh? Are you serious?" uttered Marianna in confusion.

"Yes. However, if you refuse, I will be forced to eliminate you." Warned the robot. "As much as possible, I do not wish to dispose any life from anyone, so I offer them to join us so as not to waste their lives."

"Hmph… you truly are a valiant being, Brave." Muttered Magic while still exchanging weapon blows with Green Heart. And when Green Heart looked down to see who Magic was referring to, she saw Marianna being threatened by the giant robot.

"Marianna!" Green Heart was about to dive in and help but Magic attacked her once again to prevent her from moving away.

"Where are you going? I'm your opponent, CPU." Said Magic as she pushes her scythe blade harder on Green Heart's spear.

"I have to help her! Get away from me!" argued Green Heart. "Sikkim Bind!" Green Heart created a whirlwind to surround her and Magic.

Hehehehe. Is this all you've got to throw at me, CPU?" laughed Magic.

"Heh. Of course not."

Green Heart added more strength to the whirlwind surrounding the both of them. Magic tried to maintain contact with Green Heart but it was no use and she got thrown away. And as that happens…

"In-between Spear!"

Green Heart summoned multiple spears from her magic circles and fired all of them towards Magic who was still hurtling away because of the whirlwind.

"Hmph."

Magic stopped herself from going any further and repelled all of the incoming spears. However, she failed to notice the spear made from energy that appeared in-between the repelled spears and it came hurtling towards her.

*BOOOM!*

It was a direct hit. And the attack made Magic hurtle toward the trees below in an uncontrollable dive.

"Good riddance." Breathed out Green Heart before looking down to find Marianna. And there she saw her backing away from the robot. It seemed the robot is about to attack Marianna.

"Not good.… Sylhet Spe-"

*BOOM!*

"Gaaahh!" yelled Green Heart in pain as an unexpected wave of dark energy hit her at the back and exploding on impact. When she looked back, she saw Magic in the air again, damaged from her spear attack but seemed unfazed by her damage taken

"Please don't make me jealous, CPU." Muttered Magic in a monotone. "I told you, I am your opponent. And you only look into me and to no one else."

"Tch." Breathed out Green Heart as she endures the pain on her back caused by Magic's attack on her. "Darn it. I can't get to Marianna." Green Heart thought in her mind. "I have to save her. But how do I do that if this woman keeps me occupied? I don't want Marianna to experience that again. I don't want to abandon her again! So please, anyone, save her. Save her for me!"


Meanwhile, down below…

"So, you refuse to join our cause then?" declared Brave as he slowly approaches Marianna, with flaming sword in hand.

"Why would I join your twisted cause anyway?!" yelled Marianna. "Not good. If only Khalara had enough powers, I could fight this guy with no problems." She thought.

"I see. I was hoping that I can convince you. That is too bad." Concluded Brave. "You are the same as the others. Nothing but infidels who thinks lowly of our goddess. And so to my deepest regret, I must end your life here."

"Tch." Breathed out Marianna as she prepares herself to dodge the enemy's attack.

"This will be swift." Declared Brave as he swings his burning sword towards Marianna with great agility.

*CRASH!*

The sword hit the ground. Fast the attack may be, Marianna was lucky enough to be able to jump back away from the attack.

"Gaaaaah!" But the end of her dress got caught on fire from the sword. It took her a couple of seconds to turn off the fire on her dress using only her hands.

"Hmph. You have quite the agility, after all." Brave noticed. "You are no ordinary woman in distress."

"Grr…you ruined my dress." Muttered Marianna in frustration.

"Isn't it already ruined thanks to all that dirt and…blood?" Brave can't help but mention.

"Those can be easily removed, but now you burned it! Uuugghh!" yelled out Marianna, unable to contain her frustration.

"But you won't need to worry about that once I've taken away your life." Brave mentioned before swinging his sword once more towards Marianna.

For minutes, all Marianna could do is dodge against Brave's attacks. Hiding behind trees and rocks within the woods didn't seem to help because Brave's sword could easily break and slice through any obstacles. And as her struggle continues on, she grows tired.

"Curse this. I'm already a half-dead human and yet I still get tired?!" she thought in frustration as she hides behind a thick rock to catch her breath. "But just a few more. A few more time and I can use my Fury again."

*CRASH!*

"Gaaaahhh!" yelled Marianna as she got thrown away after Brave smashed the rock where she was hiding.

"It is end of the line for you, human." Declared Brave as he closes in to deliver the final blow to a fallen Marianna. Then slowly, he raised his sword to strike her down.

"Tch." She breathed out before closing her eyes to brace for impact. "I just hope this half-dead body of mine could survive this attack…." She thought in her mind.

"Hiiyyyaaaaaahh!"

*BOOM!*

"Aaaaarrrrggghhh!"

"Huh?" Marianna wondered what happened. And when she opened her eyes, she saw Brave holding on to his face which was smoking. And even though he looked like a full-blown machine, it seemed that the damage he got hurt him.

And moments later, a person landed just in front of Marianna. And when she looked up, she saw that it was a blue-haired girl wearing a black jacket and that she wields a red bladed sword on her right hand and a silver handgun with a bayonet on her left hand.

"You okay, miss?" asked the girl to Marianna.

"Uhm…yeah. A bit shaken but I'm alright." Marianna replied before standing up.

"Good to hear." Said the other girl.

"Are…are you one of the warriors of Leanbox?" asked Marianna.

"Somewhat." Replied the girl. "I was about to back up Lady Green Heart in her battle but she asked me to go and look for you instead. I'm glad I made it in time."

"I see…. A warrior from the enemy force arrives…." Grunted Brave as he gains his composure once again to prepare for battle. "With you, I have nothing to hold back on."

"Oh, by the way," the girl started as she looked back at Marianna. "the name is Nitroplus. Nice to meet you, miss Marianna."

"Wait, you know my-" but she didn't continued what she was about to ask because she already guessed where Nitroplus got to know her name.

"Now then," Nitroplus started."En garde, mister robot."

"With pleasure." Replied Brave.

And with that, Nitroplus and Brave engaged in a sword fight, with both wielding flaming swords. However, Marianna couldn't help but feel ashamed to herself. In her mind, she could easily deal with Brave had she not exhausted all of the powers of her Fury. "But how should I know that the place I've landed into will be their battlefield?" she thought to herself. For now while she wait for her powers to replenish to usable levels, she can only watch Nitroplus go head to head with the enemy who is thrice as big as Nitroplus. But in turn, Marianna can't help but admire the way Nitroplus fights. Brave may be agile for his size, but it was still no match for Nitroplus' smaller form and better agility. All Nitroplus did was do some short slashes with her red sword on Brave while avoiding his sword slashes or the waves of flame he creates. Then after doing those short slashes, Nitroplus distances herself from the enemy and starts firing her handgun at him, much to Brave's annoyance.

"Aaaagghh! Fight me with your sword if you truly are a warrior!" argued Brave as he struggles to avoid Nitroplus' hit-run-hit-with-ranged technique.

"And as you wish." Replied Nitroplus. As she did so, she ignited her red bladed sword and made sure that the flames it produced were big enough to deal huge damage. And it seemed that Marianna noticed the characteristics of Nitroplus' weapon.

"Wait, are you a Fencer?" she asked to Nitroplus.

"So you noticed. Yes, I am a Fencer and I wield this elemental Fury which I named Raw Meat." Replied Nitroplus.

"R-raw Meat?"

"Yeah. Because it is as red as fresh meat."

"I-I see." Was all Marianna could say, not bothering to argue as to why Nitroplus named her Fury of such.

"Are you two done talking?" interjected Brave.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Replied Nitroplus casually. "And now…taste the power of my noble sword! Hiyyyaaaahh!"

"Ghhhh…!" Brave may have parried the attack, but Marianna could tell that Nitroplus' attack made quite an impact on Brave for he got shoved back by at least two or three feet away from where he originally stood.

"I am also a fire elemental, just so you know." Brave informed Nitroplus as their weapons crossed. "You did noticed that how most if your attacks do not harm me so much."

"Oh, I am quite aware of that." Replied Nitroplus. And as their weapons are still crossed, she lets go of one hand from her sword, pulled out her gun and started rapid firing at Brave's body.

"Aarrrrggh!" yelled Brave as the attack from her gun inflicted some damage on his body. "You…you're quite a deceiving fighter."

"Meh, all the more to defeat you quickly." Said Nitroplus. "Now let-"

But before she could complete her words, Brave suddenly made a dash and attacked her with rapid sword strikes. Fortunately, Nitroplus was in a stance where she was able to easily parry the attack. But Brave didn't settled for strikes, he is bashing Nitroplus' defense with his burning sword with rapid succession.

"Enough of your tricks!" yelled Brave as he swings his sword upwards, making contact with Nitroplus' defense. The impact was so great that it lifted Nitroplus from her feet and stumbled her down the ground.

And before Nitroplus could get up, Brave stomped her down with his huge robotic feet. Fortunately, Nitroplus was able to stop Brave from crushing her by using Raw Meat to push away his feet. But in her current stance, she noticed that she is vulnerable to Brave's sword attack.

"Now, to end you once and for all." Concluded Brave as he raised his sword to strike it down on Nitroplus who was still underneath his feet.

"Now, time for you to pay for what you've done to me and my dress! Discharge!"

Suddenly and immediately, Brave got electrocuted on the spot.

"Aaaaarrrrrrrrrrggghh!" yelled Brave. It was obvious that the electric attack was very effective on him, enough for Nitroplus to easily push away Brave's feet.

And still smoking due to the electric attack, Brave slowly falls down with a large thud on impact to the ground like a tree that has been chopped down.

And when Nitroplus looked for the source of the electric attack, she saw Marianna with a magic circle on the palm of her stretched out left hand which was pointing at Brave's location. Nitroplus also saw that she was holding a long, black sword with a dark violet blade.

"So, you're a Fencer as well, huh." Nitroplus mentioned.

"Yeah, I am. Sorry it took me long to assist you." replied Marianna.

"It's alright. But why did it took you long to summon your Fury, may I ask anyway?"

"Well, I already did a battle of my own earlier before I got caught in this crossfire. And i…somehow went all out on the enemies. But can you blame me for going all out when I am fighting off a fleet of at least two hundred enemy soldiers coming towards our home?" explained Marianna.

"Y-you fought all of those by yourself?!" asked a flabbergasted Nitroplus.

"Yeah I did." Answered Marianna confidently. "It wasn't easy really. It did drained all of Khalara's powers so I decided to land here, because it is nearest, and rest. But I really never expected that this place would be your battlefield. I mean, everything was quiet until I settled in place and you and their side started firing on each other."

"Well…, apologies to you, I guess." Said Nitroplus.

"You seemed scratched up a bit, miss Nitroplus." Marianna noticed. "Why don't you rest up for a while before heading back in the battlefield?"

"Nah, I'm good. I can still fight with ease." Replied Nitroplus. "Well, shall we deal with this-"

Nitroplus stopped with her words because when she looked to find Brave, he was nowhere in sight. He like vanished into thin air.

"He's gone?!" said a confused Marianna. "But I didn't even see him move or leave."

"No worries. This has happened before on a different encounter." Explained Nitroplus. "It looks like they get recalled back to their base of operations once they get defeated. And it's a pretty convenient and annoying feat if you ask me."

"I see."

"Well, miss Marianna, you better retreat now while you still can. Especially now that you've regained some of your powers back." Nitroplus suggested.

"No, I think I'm gonna help you guys out for a while." Marianna concluded.

"Are you sure about your decision?"

"ASIC is my – no, our enemy as well. And fighting them here may assure that they are unable to step in to our homeland."

"From where are you from anyway, miss Marianna?" inquired Nitroplus.

"I'm from…the city of Dorfa, a city in the East continent."

"You're from the east, huh."

"Yes." Breathed out Marianna. "So..., gonna let me fight alongside you? I assure to you now that I've regained enough power to fight."

Nitroplus gave it some thought at first before arriving on a conclusion. "Very well, then. If you are sure that you can properly fight. We could use another Fencer to assist us."

"I will not be a burden like…earlier, that I assure you now." Said Marianna a bit embarrassingly.

"Okay then. Let us be off. Lady Green Heart might need our assistance. She is fighting against a formidable foe as we speak." Nitroplus mentioned.

"Okay. Let us go." Marianna agreed.

And as they set off towards the battlefield, a thought was running inside Marianna's head….

"I wanna know how their CPU knew my name. And…, the CPU's voice. Why is it so…familiar to me? It's been bugging me ever since I met her so I must find out…straight from her."

To be continued….