I'm really, really sorry for the long update. I've been in the middle of a move so my life's been really chaotic lately. I'll try to do better to not make you guys wait so long.
Chapter 10- The Yellow King
"You bastard!" Scarlet Rain shouted in outrage at the Yellow King. "You set this up, Yellow Radio! This was all you!"
Yellow Radio simply chuckled in amusement. "What's this? Why if isn't the Red King. What a pleasant surprise."
"Don't play all innocent with me!" Scarlet Rain shouted, her tone not changing. "You were lying in wait for us!"
"Scarlet's right," Black Wolf thought to himself. "One second in real time is nearly seventeen minutes here. There's no way you can run into other players like this unless you plan ahead of time."
"There must be some misunderstanding," Yellow Radio passed off in mock innocence. "I'm only here because one of your members has been attacking my subordinates, stripping them of all their Burst Points. That's a violation of the Non-Aggression Treaty. Someone must take responsibility."
Black Wolf gritted his teeth in anger as he connected the dots in his head. "I get it now. Yellow Radio must have kept a piece of the Armor of Catastrophe after Black Lotus killed the last Chrome Disaster. Then he gave it to Cherry Rook to lure out Scarlet Rain and ambush her."
Yellow Radio looked impressed. "Wow, for being Black Lotus's mutt, you sure are perceptive," the Yellow King said arrogantly. "However, without any proof, those are just claims."
"What did you just call me?!" Black Wolf retorted angrily. For a brief moment, Black Lotus could've sworn she saw a spark of purple lightning emit from her protégé's right sword.
"In any case, do I need to remind you of what the treaty states, Scarlet Rain?" Yellow Radio continued. "In the event that a legion member has their program forcibly uninstalled due to an attack that directly violates the treaty, that legion is given the power to choose any player from the offending legion and ensure that they meet the exact same fate. And it just so happens that the person we picked for the punishment is you, Scarlet."
The Red King clenched her fists in frustration.
"This isn't some punishment for violating a treaty," Aqua Sniper spoke up quietly as she clutched her Hecate tightly. "Yellow Radio must be doing this so he can take down Niko so he can reach level 10. Remember, in order to reach level 10, you need to take down five level 9 Burst Linkers. If the Yellow King kills Scarlet Rain, she'll lose Brain Burst and he'll be one step closer to reaching the highest level in the game."
"That lousy snake," Scarlet Rain muttered bitterly before speaking up. "So you're just following the rules, huh, Radio?"
"Exactly," Yellow Radio replied. "I'm glad you understand."
"Yeah, but the treaty also states this. You can choose anyone you wish for revenge, except in an instance where the Legion Master themselves has punished the offending player by stripping them of all their points."
"Very true. But there's a little rumor going around that you tried to do that and failed spectacularly."
The Red King scoffed.
"Of course, you're free to try again," Yellow Radio added, not even trying to hide his condescending tone. "But when will the culprit we speak of appear? And when will you actually punish him? If you can't do it immediately, then I'm afraid we have no choice but to make do with you."
Black Wolf observed the members of the Yellow Legion and gritted his teeth as he couldn't find any opening for them to exploit.
"There's too many of them," the Silver Aegis said. "Is it possible for us to log out so we can get away?"
"Afraid not," Graphite Edge said in disappointment. "In order to log out of the Unlimited Neutral Field, you need to go to specific leave points. And the only ones near us involve us going through the Yellow Legion."
"Damn it. I was afraid of that."
Argent Flash tightened her grip on her rapier. "What are we going to do?" she questioned.
"Relax, Asuna," Scarlet Rain reassured. "We still have a chance at winning this thing."
The rapier-user eyed the Red King curiously. "Really? How?"
"You see, the crew that bastard made was built to hunt me down," Scarlet Rain explained. "He didn't expect me to bring help, much less from another King."
The former Alfheim Warriors gasped as they remembered that their Legion Master was also a King. Unfortunately, Yellow Radio caught on to that as well.
"It's been quite a while, Black Lotus," the Yellow King said smugly. "I'd appreciate it if you'd kindly step aside on this one and enjoy the show that's about to unfold."
Rather than take his advice, Black Lotus pointed her right bladed arm at him. "You must be joking, Yellow Radio!" she rebuked. "Why should I bother going along with one of your silly little games?"
"My goodness, so rebellious," Yellow Radio replied, his voice containing an arrogant tone in it while he pulled out a yellow card from his outfit. "And after all the trouble I went through to prepare this little gift for you." He tossed the card into the crater, where it landed in front of the Black Legion and Scarlet Rain. As soon as it touched the ground, it produced a hologram containing the Seven Kings of Pure Color. One of which was a red Duel Avatar that resembled a cowboy.
"That's Red Rider, the first Red King!" Scarlet Rain realized.
"No way, that's him?" Black Wolf questioned in disbelief. He then noticed his guardian begin to tremble in fear.
"My fellow Kings," Red Rider said in the recording, "I ask you again, is this really what we want? Betraying and killing each other all for some stupid goal. It's not right. Yes, we lead legions and fight one another, but that's because we consider each other to be worthy rivals, not enemies."
The first Red King turned towards the Black King, who was right beside him. "Lotus, I have a great deal of respect for the way you fight," he continued. "It reminds me so much about the stories of the Darkness Duo, otherwise known as Marth and Kirito, two people that I admire."
Both Black Wolf and Graphite Edge gasped as they heard their names, something that Scarlet Rain noticed.
"You mean you actually believe those stories, Rider?" Purple Thorn said bitterly. "There's no way they could have existed, especially that Marth guy."
Red Rider turned towards his girlfriend and said, "The Demon War was real, as well as the SAO Incident. If those events actually happened, then it's possible that both Marth and Kirito existed, including their allies." He returned his focus to the Black King. "Anyway, Lotus, I bet if we were to meet in the real world, we'd be friends. In fact, I'd like that. That's why I have no desire to fight you in a sudden-death duel. Come on, I know you feel the same."
That seemed to tick off the Purple King. "Are you flirting with that woman in front of me, Rider?!"
Naturally, Red Rider was taken aback by the accusation. "Whoa. Easy there, babe," he said sheepishly. "I-I didn't mean it like that. Sorry."
"You're right, Rider," Black Lotus, (the hologram one), said, catching him by surprise. "Just as you, I also admire the Darkness Duo and believe that they existed. I even tried basing my fighting style on theirs with some degree of success. Anyway, just as you respect me, I respect you as a King."
If Red Rider had a mouth, Black Wolf assumed that he would be smiling right now. "Of all people, Lotus, I knew you'd understand." Red Rider reached out to shake the Black King's hand, but quickly remembered about her bladed limbs.
"Oh, my apologies," Black Lotus said. "Let's try this instead." She proceeded to wrap her arms around Red Rider's neck, almost like a hug.
"Uh," Red Rider said nervously, but Purple Thorn looked furious. However, Black Wolf got a bad vibe since he knew his guardian's Duel Avatar did have hands.
"You little bitch!" the Purple King shouted angrily.
"I-it's okay, Thorn," Red Rider said with a stutter as he tried to calm his girlfriend. "Don't get mad. It's just her way of shaking hands."
Suddenly Black Lotus's eyes flashed purple from under her visor. "Death By Embracing!" she exclaimed.
The viewers gasped in shock as they watched Black Lotus decapitate the Red King with her blades, much to the other Kings' disbelief and Purple Thorn's anguish. The recording then faded away.
"Unbelievable," Aqua Sniper said in shock. "Was that really how the first Red King died?"
Yellow Radio then let out a cynical laugh. "The good old times."
"Stop it," Black Lotus said desperately, causing her legion to face her. "Stop it. Stop it." The Black King's silver crystal began flickering as despair overtook her.
"Kuroba!" Black Wolf said in worry.
"Marth," Black Lotus said slowly as she eyed her protégé. She let out a whimper in sorrow. "No. Don't look at me." Suddenly the Black King collapsed on the ground as her crystal went dark.
"Kuroba!" Black Wolf exclaimed as he hurried to his Driver before he cradled her in his arms, causing both Lunara and Solaris to drop to the ground. "What's wrong?! What happened?!"
"Zero Fill," Scarlet Rain said grimly. "Lotus… I had no idea."
Suddenly Yellow Radio could be heard cackling madly. "I thought that betrayal might still weigh heavy on her," the Yellow King said arrogantly. "And to think someone as weak as her was aiming for level 10. What a joke. Hahaha!"
"Shut up!" Black Wolf shouted in anger.
"Huh?"
Purple electricity began emitting from Black Wolf's body, but it didn't seem to bother him or Lotus.
"You took advantage of Black Lotus's past for your own benefit," the Aegis said bitterly as he threw a death glare at the Yellow King, which made the latter flinch. "I'll make you pay for that!"
Yellow Radio could sense an abnormal power coming from inside the level 4 Burst Linker. "This power… How could such a low-level player have such power?" He shook his head to calm his nerves before raising his right arm. "Prepare to attack!"
The Yellow Legion readied their weapons and aimed them at the group.
"Tch," Scarlet Rain said. "Fine. Bring it on! Enhanced…"
"No, don't do it, Niko!" Argent Flash spoke up quickly. "If you activate your weaponry now, you'll be stuck here."
"Asuna's right," Graphite Edge agreed. "Our best option is to retreat and head for the Sunshine City Leave Point."
The Red King grunted in annoyance, realizing that they were right.
"Marth, me and Asuna will act as cover," Graphite Edge. "You take care of Kuroba."
"Are you insane?!" Black Wolf argued. "Have you forgotten that your element is graphite? Your defenses are abysmal. If you take too many hits, you'll be torn apart."
Graphite Edge gritted his teeth in hesitation. "I know, but if they defeat Niko, then they'll definitely go after Kuroba next. No matter what, we can't let that happen!"
Black Wolf grunted in frustration as he sheathed his swords before picking up his guardian, bridal style. "Fine."
Yellow Radio then swung his hand down as he shouted, "Get them!"
Suddenly the Yellow Legion began to attack by launching projectiles at the group, prompting them to run. Thanks to her small size, Scarlet Rain proved to be very nimble and managed to avoid all the attacks thrown at her. Both Argent Flash and Aqua Sniper managed to avoid getting hit as well. However, while Black Wolf was fast and had a high strength stat, he was still held down by carrying Black Lotus and got hit in the shoulder by a stray energy blast, damaging the armor around it.
"Gah!" Black Wolf cried out as he felt an enormous amount of pain from the attack. "What the…?"
"Be careful, Marth!" Graphite Edge exclaimed. "Our pain sensitivity is doubled while we're in here."
Suddenly multiple missiles suddenly descended towards him and Scarlet Rain. Aqua Sniper tried to take them out with her Hecate but there were too many and some of them managed to hit the duo.
"Crap!" Aqua Sniper cursed. "Are you guys okay?!"
Scarlet Rain looked just fine, however Graphite Edge wasn't so lucky as his chest armor looked cracked and was on his knees.
"Kirito!" Argent Flash cried out in worry.
"I-I'm okay," Graphite Edge replied. "Just keep moving."
The group then continued moving towards the edge of the crater while trying to dodge more projectiles.
"Just a little further, then Kirito and I can fly everyone out of here," Black Wolf thought as he and the black metal-type summoned their wings.
Yellow Radio then let out a cackle. "Oh, no you don't. Silly Go Round!" Suddenly the Yellow King formed a clear sphere of energy in his hands before the Black Legion and Scarlet Rain found the crater to be spinning.
"What the hell is going on?" Black Wolf questioned as a merry-go-round appeared around the group.
"The field's spinning!" Aqua Sniper exclaimed.
"It's not!" Scarlet Rain replied. "It only looks that way. This is an illusion that Yellow Radio created. You just need to close your eyes and run!"
"Look out!" Graphite Edge jumped in front of the Red King and used his body to shield her from a volley of missiles, which badly damaged his armor and his helmet before he fell to his knees again.
"Kirito!" Argent Flash shouted in worry.
"I-I'm fine, Asuna," the metal-type struggled to say.
"Hang in there, Graphite Edge," Scarlet Rain said. "Radio's special move will be over in thirty seconds. Just stay strong and last it out."
"Gah!" Graphite Edge cried out in pain as he found himself impaled in the stomach by a large blade before being lifted off the ground by a green avatar.
"Ha, ha, I heard you were strong, Graphite Edge," the avatar mocked. "But it seems that was nothing more than talk. Remember this before you die, the name of the player that beat you was Sax…"
The black-eyed dual wielder let out a groan. "I don't care what your name is," Graphite Edge declared as he dropped his swords before grabbing the end of the blade and forcing himself off it, ignoring the pain he felt from the action, and crashed on the ground.
"Kirito!" Black Wolf shouted.
The metal-type looked his best friend in the eye with a resolved face. "Marth, Asuna, Sinon, the rest is up to you, now go!" Graphite Edge quickly grabbed his swords before activating Vorpal Strike with his right sword, killing the green avatar, however, the avatar was able to strike him in the chest, taking out the rest of Graphite Edge's HP as well.
The Black Legion members were stunned as they saw two avatar respawn marks appear where the two dead avatars were.
"No," Argent Flash said in disbelief.
Black Wolf gritted his teeth before looking down at his guardian, who was still unconscious in his arms. "Come on, Kuroba," he said desperately. "Why won't you wake up?!"
"It's no use, Black Wolf," Scarlet Rain said. "She's in Zero-Fill state right now. The signal her soul generates and transmits to her avatar has been shut down and zeroed out. When a Burst Linker loses their will to fight, they can't control their Duel Avatar. If you're not strong enough to face your own emotional scars, then you won't even have the strength to stand up. That's the kind of game Brain Burst is."
"Emotional scars?" Black Wolf said. He found his thoughts focusing on his time in SAO, but quickly dismissed them because he knew that if he didn't, he'd end up in the same state as the Black King.
"You guys should get out of here," Scarlet Rain continued. "I know Kirito sacrificed himself to buy us time but running from a fight has never been my style."
Black Wolf smirked. "Me, neither. Besides, it's wrong for me to leave a friend behind just to save myself."
"Did you just say 'friend'? You've got to be kidding me. Just how naïve are you?"
"Less than you think," Aqua Sniper said as she readied her Hecate. "I say we take a stand. Now that Yellow Radio used up his special move, all we have to worry about is his minions, which we should be able to handle."
The Red King simply shrugged. "Suit yourselves." She then pointed directly at the Yellow King. "Yellow Radio, I'm guessing you pretty much exhausted your special move gauge, which means it's my turn to put on a show. And remember, if I destroy you, then you will be banished from here forever!"
Yellow Radio gasped in surprise as he took a step back.
"Let's go. Enhanced Armament!" Suddenly a red fortress appeared around the Red King. It had multiple cannons and exhaust vents. "All right, Black Wolf, Argent Flash, Aqua Sniper, take care of the close-range combat fighters who like to climb up my ass. And if they defeat me, I want you guys to take Lotus to safety."
"Got it," Argent Flash replied.
Most of the Yellow Legion began to panic as they saw the red fortress.
"What are you so scared of?" Yellow Radio spoke up. "That's just one big, immovable fort. Get close enough and it's nothing more than a hunk of iron. Now stop being afraid of it and attack!"
That speech seemed to do it as the melee Yellow Legion members began to enter the crater and charge at the group while the ranged ones began to open fire at them.
Scarlet Rain simply chuckled. "Get ready, you little bastards, because you're about to find out what it's like to suffer the wrath of the Red King!"
She promptly fired a volley of missiles at the melee fighters, injuring most of them, but two of them managed to avoid them, only to die from a laser attack from her fortress. The Nega Nebulus members watched as the Red King fired all her weapons at the Yellow Legion, leading to a series of explosions.
"Does she really need our help?" Aqua Sniper questioned.
"I'm a little more concerned that Niko seems to be enjoying this a little too much," Argent Flash said before eyeing the dual wielder. "You ready?"
"Yeah." Black Wolf then set his guardian down but didn't draw his swords. Suddenly a dark aura surrounded him as he let out a howl before unleashing a blinding light. When the light died down, it revealed a metallic black wolf in his place. It had white markings around it and Black Wolf's Core Crystal could be seen on its chest.
"What the…?" Yellow Radio said in shock.
"Now I know why he's called Black Wolf," the Red King mused. "Interesting."
The Nega Nebulus members then split up to cover multiple spots. One avatar with a magnet foolishly charged at Black Wolf to try and draw the wolf over to him but was shocked when Black Wolf simply disappeared from sight. The player then flinched as he heard something snarling behind him. He turned around and paled as he saw Black Wolf behind him, barring his teeth at him.
"Uh, nice doggy," the player said nervously. Black Wolf simply pounced on him and bit into his neck, severing his head and killing the player.
"Care to remind me what Marth did again?" Aqua Sniper questioned, making sure Scarlet Rain didn't hear despite being an ally, as she switched to a bow and arrow so she could hit more targets at once before firing a few arrows at enemy players. "My memory's drawing a blank right now."
"It's called Wolf Heart," Argent Flash said as she knocked a player with a drill off of the Red King's fortress with Linear. "It allows Marth to change into a wolf at will, increasing his attack power and speed at the cost of his defense."
"I see. That does sound about right, but I feel like Wolf Heart does something else for him too."
The archer watched as Black Wolf was fighting an avatar with large fists. Aqua Sniper was worried for the wolf since his physical defense was rather low. In fact, she was about to knock an arrow and aim at the player her teammate was fighting when Black Wolf fired a blast of purple lightning from his mouth, vaporizing the player.
Scarlet Rain chuckled in amusement. "You really are mysterious, Black Wolf. I've never seen a Burst Linker like you before."
Black Wolf simply chuckled. "You could say that."
The Red King noticed another barrage of missiles heading towards them, prompting her to fire her own to intercept. However, a sonic wave filled the air, causing her missiles to trail off, allowing the enemy missiles to continue towards the group, unhindered. The Nega Nebulus members somehow managed to avoid getting blown up while Black Wolf switched back to his human form.
"Damn it," Scarlet Rain cursed. "They've got a jammer. Find them! It's most likely a yellow-color Linker."
"Got it," Black Wolf said. He was about to go looking for the jammer when suddenly a cable wrapped around his ankle, causing him to trip and fall.
The cable was attached to an enemy Burst Linker, who promptly said, "Electric Therapy!" Suddenly an electric current began running through the cable and began to electrocute the dual wielder.
"Marth!" Argent Flash exclaimed in worry. She tried going to his aid when suddenly she found herself bound by ropes from another Burst Linker.
Aqua Sniper, on the other hand, found herself surrounded by enemies. "Crap. If only Kirito and Kuroba were here right now."
The player that was electrocuting Black Wolf cackled in amusement. "Why don't you just stay down for a little bit, kid? At least until we're finished stripping the Red King!"
True to his word, the other Yellow Legion members were beginning to swarm Scarlet Rain's fortress and were starting to tear it apart.
"Shit!" the Red King cursed as they were too close for her to take out.
Meanwhile Yellow Radio seemed to enjoy the sight he was seeing. "What a pathetic and unseemly sight!" he mocked. "There's not even a shred of royal dignity. I suppose that's what you'd expect, though, from an upstart and three weaklings."
Despite feeling incredible pain from the electricity, Black Wolf managed to gather his thoughts as part of Scarlet Rain's fortress was slow getting torn apart. "This is bad," he thought to himself. "At this rate, the Yellow Legion will kill Niko and Kuroba. Wait, Kuroba!"
Somehow, Black Wolf managed to turn his head towards his guardian, who was still lying unconscious on the ground. "L-Lotus! We could really use you right now!" he shouted desperately. "Are you just gonna let this happen?! Let it all end like this?! Answer me! Didn't you tell me you wanted to reach level 10? Sure, you did something bad, but are you really going to let it stop you from achieving your dream?! All because of one thing?! You swore to me that you would meet every obstacle face-on, that you would take down every opponent and keep pushing on until you were the last one standing! Come on, Black Lotus, wake up!"
Suddenly a loud humming could be heard, catching everyone's attention as they turned towards the Black King. Black Lotus's body was then surrounded by a purple aura and her Core Crystal flared to life as her body picked itself off the ground and her eyes opened. The Black King had returned, much to Yellow Radio's shock.
"Kuroba?" Black Wolf said slowly.
Black Lotus turned to her protégé and gave him a warm smile. "Thank you, Marth," she said as her aura faded, but her core's light didn't die down. "You made me realize that I can't allow the past to keep affecting me. If I'm going to move on, then I'll have to face what I did head-on. Now are you gonna keep lying there or are you gonna get back up?"
Black Wolf chuckled in amusement. "So you knew about that move too? All right. Thor's Fury!"
Storm clouds began to gather in the sky, letting out bolts of purple lightning.
"What the?" one Yellow Legion member said in fear. "Did that guy just summon a storm on his own?!"
One bolt managed to strike Black Wolf, but it didn't hurt him. Instead, it restored his HP and used the cable as a conduit to short circuit the enemy player's special move.
"Oh, crap," the player said in shock.
"Think you can handle the rest on your own?" Black Lotus asked as the dual wielder picked himself up.
"Yeah, I think the others need some help."
"Very well. Good luck." Black Lotus charged towards the player that was binding Argent Flash. The player tried to grapple her too, but his ropes were severed by her limbs.
"Sorry," the Black King said. "But grappling moves really aren't the best tactics to use on me." She easily killed the Burst Linker, freeing Argent Flash.
"Thanks, Lotus," the white Duel Avatar said. "It's good to have you back."
"Marth is pretty persuasive," Black Lotus added. "Do you think you can help Sinon out?"
"Sure. I think the Red King might need a little help though."
The two girls split up to help their comrades, but Black Lotus found herself surrounded, which caused her to smirk. "I harbor no grudge against you," she said confidently. "But that said, if any of you tries to fight me, I can pretty much guarantee that at the very least, you'll lose a limb or two." Black Lotus activated her bladed arms, causing them to extend to the length of Lunara and Solaris. "And on top of that, it'll be twice as painful on this field. But it's too late to back down, isn't it?"
The Black King sprang into action and cut down her opponents with ease before hurrying to Scarlet Rain. Argent Flash managed to get to Aqua Sniper, and they began tag teaming the enemy that surrounded them. Meanwhile Black Wolf had sheathed his swords and was swinging the player that electrocuted him by his cable.
"Time out!" the player cried out desperately as the black avatar was swinging him like a rag doll. "I'm in the middle of charging my battery!"
"Does it look like I care?!" Black Wolf shouted as he threw the player far away.
"Not really!" the player shouted back before crashing into a building that was far outside of the crater, which most likely killed him.
Black Wolf then turned and watched as his guardian cut down anyone that dared to get in her way with incredible speed. "She really amazing," he thought. "She almost reminds me of…" Black Wolf suddenly found memories of Yuuki flood into him, nearly causing him to tremble as the guilt and grief resurfaced. It took all he had to not Zero-Fill like Black Lotus did.
Meanwhile, Yellow Radio looked shocked at the Black King's assault. "Why?! Why are you doing this, Black Lotus? You've been hiding all these years, so why appear now and get in my way?!"
Black Lotus turned and stared at the Yellow King in silence.
"Have you already forgotten what you've done in the past?" Yellow Radio continued. "You betrayed our friend, Red Rider, by beheading him!" He let out a fake sob. "Oh, that poor man. What do you suppose he's doing now? Could he be sitting somewhere, yearning for the world that he can no longer return to? Or maybe he curses the person responsible for his misery. I know that's something I'd never be able to forget. It might have been easier to take if it had been a fair fight, but a sneaky surprise attack?"
"Clearly you didn't pay attention to what I said earlier," Black Lotus retorted as her protégé moved to her side. "I said that I have to face what I did to Red Rider and I won't let it stop me from protecting my friends. Besides, there's one important factor you're missing, Yellow Radio."
"Oh, really. What's that?"
"You're assuming that taking your head will bother me as much as taking Red Rider's. But it won't. And here's yet another thing that you have failed to completely comprehend." Black Lotus pointed her right arm at the Yellow King in a threatening manner. "Ever since we've first met, I've hated you!"
Yellow Radio let out a grunt in fear as Black Lotus charged at him at high speed.
"Rain, use your remaining ammo on the enemies around us!" Black Lotus ordered. "Wolf, Flash, Sniper, cover her. Radio's mine!"
"Damn it," Scarlet Rain cursed. "She makes sound so easy. Sniper, can you take out that jamming signal?"
Aqua Sniper switched her bow and quiver out with her Hecate. "Leave it to me. Wolf, Flash, cover me!"
The blue avatar scanned the area through her rifle's lens while her allies kept the enemies' attention on them. Aqua Sniper quickly traced the signal to a player with a satellite dish, prompting her to immediately open fire with Fatal Bullet. A loud bang echoed in the air as Hecate's bullet soared its target's head, killing them and cutting off the jamming signal.
"You're good to go, Scarlet Rain," Aqua Sniper said as she removed the empty casing.
"About time!" Scarlet Rain exclaimed. She was about to unleash her remaining ammo on the Yellow Legion when she noticed the storm Black Wolf created hadn't dissipated yet, in fact it seemed to be getting stronger as a strong wind blew into the crater and purple lightning danced through the air. Rain soon followed along with sounds of thunder. Curiously, Black Wolf seemed to be fighting even harder than before. His reaction speed and attack speed were much faster, and he seemed to hit even harder.
"What the? It's almost like the storm is powering up Marth, but how?" Scarlet Rain chose not to finish her thought as she chose to rain down hell with her remaining ballista, killing most of the remaining Yellow Legion members.
Meanwhile Black Lotus had made it to Yellow Radio, where she severed a part of his jester hat with her bladed arms.
"Lotus!" the Yellow King exclaimed in rage as he summoned a staff that matched his color scheme. He then swung his weapon at the Black King, who blocked it with her right arm, causing sparks to fly.
They then proceeded to clash several blows at high speed while the Black Legion and the Red King watched in awe. The storm seemed to let up too. The battling Kings then separated before they quickly resumed fighting at high-speed, making themselves yellow and purple blurs respectively, making it nearly impossible to follow.
"Man, they're moving so fast," Argent Flash commentated. "I can barely make them out. What about you, Marth? Can you tell who's winning?"
Black Wolf paused before answering. "I can see them, but it's too soon to tell who's winning or losing. They seem to be about even for now."
"So this is what a fight between two level 9 Burst Linkers looks like," Aqua Sniper said.
"Watch carefully, guys," Scarlet Rain advised. "It the first time in the history of Accelerated World that two level 9 players have gone at each other in full-out battle!"
Black Lotus was pushed back, but she quickly recovered and swung her bladed arms at Yellow Radio, aiming for his chest. Radio was able to block with his staff, but the collision created a small crater beneath them, followed by a shockwave that nearly blew the surviving Yellow Legion members away.
"You're stronger than I remember, Lotus," Yellow Radio mused as they tried to overpower each other. "Care to share how you've gotten so powerful."
"I have noticed that my fighting skills have increased recently," Black Lotus thought. "Could it be because of Marth and his tutoring?"
"I don't have to tell you, Radio," the Black King retorted. "And even if I did, there's no way you'd ever understand it."
"Really, now you've got me interested. It wouldn't have anything to do with that silver crystal on your chest, would it? Why, I noticed a similar one on your protégé's chest too. In fact, I bet if you put the two crystals together, they'd fit perfectly. Maybe I should try it to see what happens."
Black Lotus's eyes flared with anger. "I won't let you go anywhere near Wolf!?"
Yellow Radio cackled in amusement. "Oh, have I touched a nerve?"
The two Kings resumed their battle, but Black Lotus was fighting more aggressively than before.
"Calm down, Kuroba," Black Lotus heard her protégé say in her head. "Radio wants you to get angry, so you'd screw up. Don't let him get to you!"
"I won't, Marth. Just stay back and watch."
"They're almost there," Scarlet Rain said, catching the other Nega Nebulus's members attention. "Each of them is about to have their special move gauge at full charge. That's when the real battle begins!"
As if on que, the two other Kings backed off from each other as their special gauges reached their peak.
"The special move from Lotus will probably be some sort of direct attack," the Red King predicted. "And I bet Radio will use some kind of illusion. Lotus only has one shot. She has to get to Radio before his special move comes into play. It's the only chance she has."
Black Wolf found himself feeling uneasy as the air grew tense. "What are you gonna do, Kuroba?"
Suddenly Black Lotus's right arm-blade began glowing purple when she positioned it by the left side of her waist. "Snake Bite!" she exclaimed as she activated one of the skills Wolf taught her.
The other Kings were shocked by this. "What?! When did she have that move?" Scarlet Rain cried out in disbelief.
Yellow Radio let out a hesitant grunt before he said, "Fatal Fortune Wh…" He never got a chance to finish as he let out groan in pain as he found himself impaled through the chest by a large red sword.
Everyone was speechless, even Lotus, who cancelled her special move. They turned towards the sword's wielder. The avatar looked to be made of chrome and had a demonic appearance. He also had a large red jewel on his forehead, the latter shaped like a dragon.
"It's," Black Wolf said slowly, "Chrome Disaster!"
To be continued
Yeah, another cliffhanger, but this chapter was getting really long already. So Chrome Disaster has finally shown himself. Things are gonna go a little differently than in the anime, mainly because of Marth, Asuna and Sinon being present, but will they, Kuroba and Yuniko be able to defeat this version of Chrome Disaster? You'll have to wait to find out!
Snake Bite- A two hit sword skill, one from left to right, immediately followed by a second hit from right to left. Due to the speed of the sword skill, the two hits appear as if done with two swords instead of just one, and only one sound of impact is released with the skill. It can be powered up by using thirty percent of the user's special gauge. Users: Black Wolf, Black Lotus, and Graphite Edge.