Chapter 11: The Power to Slay Gods

-Just off the Southern peninsula of Yurashia, 4:34 PM-

Metal Sonic moving almost light speed slows just enough to solidify and swing a kick aimed at a charging Shadow. The leg is caught by Knuckles as he teleports out of the way of a full downward axe swing from Mecha Knuckles. Shadow rolls out into a spin and collides with Metal firing him forward only to appear in front of him. He swings a kick across but Metal extends its hands and manages to pole vault over it. Off balance, Shadow is spin-dashed in the side and skipped across the beach.

Mecha flies low toward Knuckles. Without waiting, Knuckles warps above it and lands a hit hard enough to pierce the chaos enforced metal sending his fist through the face from the back of its head. 'At least that bought me a few seconds. All that teleporting nonstop to keep the upper hand has me running on fumes. Shadow hasn't even done it once since we started this round.' Knuckles breaths are haggard as he tries to draw in more energy. "Need… to focu-" Knuckles' attempt to draw in energy is thwarted by the impact of Shadow crashing into him after having been ricocheted multiple times by Metal's attacks.

Without missing a beat Metal catches the Echidna unaware with a straight kick to the back sending him plowing into the ground below as Shadow in flung aside by the force of the blow. Metal shoots down from above in a spin-dash aimed at Knuckles. With barely enough time, Knuckles gets his hands up and holds the rapidly spinning robot at arm's length as the momentum continues to grind him through the sand bar. Mustering as much strength as possible, he manages to redirect Metal's attack only to be caught by a falling meteor punch from Mecha. The impact generated a crater spanning the size of the small island and was deep enough to cover the whole thing over with water. Still reeling from the hit, Knuckles barely managed to teleport away before Metal's follow up laser of a kick connected. Mecha moved in close and swung with the left but its fist was caught mid swing. Knuckles swung back with a left and connected sending his robotic doppelganger off just in time to evade another kick from Metal. The two began attacking repeatedly, the shock waves leaping out cleaving the ocean beneath up into the air. Mecha flies through one such wave splashing through and swinging in on the two immersed combatants. The punch is stopped by one of Knuckles own. He pushes off trying for distance but the two sinister machines approach from both sides and the exchanges of attacks becomes a desperate high speed defense. Blocking and dodging as best he can, the strain on Knuckles already drained powers begins to allow openings. Hits break through his guard and graze him, slowly gaining in accuracy. Finally Knuckles takes a direct kick from Metal. Before the attack is retracted, he grips Metal's leg and swings him into Mecha. After the hit Metal swings its other foot and catches Knuckles in the face. Knuckles pulls the machine in closer and slams his fist into its body launching it at an angle into the sea. Mecha recovers from the hit as Metal is cast away and strikes Knuckles jaw. He retaliates with a left straight body shot leading into a downward right hook. The blow forces it into the sea. Knuckles breathing is heavy as he struggles to maintain his transformation. Able to stabilize, he sinks into the ocean. Seconds later both Metal Sonic and Mecha Knuckles are floating in the air looking around and waiting for an attack.

'Under water and out of sight for the moment; if those things have sensors for chaos energy this spot isn't going to buy me much time. I can still feel Shadow's presence. He's building up energy while they're preoccupied waiting for me to make a move. I guess any sensors they'd have wouldn't work right now anyway given all the chaos energy they're putting off. I need to build up energy faster and think of a way to destroy those things once and for all. Kinetic energy won't put these guys down for the count when they can just rebuild. Probably nanites putting them back together. In super form those things are a pain in the ass. I need to break those two down including the nanites, but how. Wait, break them down. That's it! I can use chaos energy to combine kinetic energy with light speed vibration. If Sonic can speed up his molecules to become intangible, then I should be able to take it a step further and break them down into atoms. Then the laced in kinetic energy should shatter the bonds between them. If anything gets back up from that I'm throwing in the towel. Breaking down something with chaos energy isn't new to me; been on both sides of it. But making it work on a super form is going to require a lot of power. Then after I have enough to form it into a beam, I have to hit them both. I may not get another shot.'

'Shadow can you hear me?'

'Yeah.'

'I need you to draw their attention and keep them distracted while I build up for an attack. They aren't going to wait for me to move much longer.'

'You have a plan?'

'Yeah.'

'Wanna let me in on it?'

'It'll take too long to explain, already spent enough time working it out. Just know that it should dead these things indefinitely.'

'Should?'

'If you've got something you haven't tried yet I'm all ears.'

'This doesn't feel like a conversation one would have before winning.'

'Hope for a new trend. How long can you hold out?'

'Three minutes is the limit right now at best.'

'Their moving!'

Shadow warp spin-dashed into Metal tearing and pushing its metalic form across the sky. Mecha met them in their flight path with a straight left. Teleporting behind Mecha as the hit smashed into Metal, Shadow whipped around with a spin kick but was blocked by a raised arm guard. Mecha swung around with a heavy jab but was evaded. Shadow unleashed a torrent of kicks and punches as the two figures traded attacks. Shadow's hits were landing at first but Mecha quickly began analyzing and countering his attack patterns. Shadow still managed to evade counter hits but was not landing his own anymore. To engaged in evading Mecha, Metal came in from below with a spin-dash. Shadow pulled back to avoid it but was left open as Mecha landed a full strength hit to the gut. Shadow careened through the sky trying to regain control only to be crashed into from above by Metal. It grabbed him and sped toward a small plot of island rock jutting up out of the water. The split second before impact Shadow vibrated his molecules and escaped. Metal crashed causing enough force to throw Shadow back. He managed to rotate his body enough to avoid Mecha's incoming swing and he took the chance to put some distance between them.

'Are you ready yet? I can't keep this up for long.' Mecha flies across trying for a close line. It then spins around and begins swinging, slowly pushing Shadow back as he could only manage to evade. Metal spin-dashes in from behind. Shadow pulls to the side but is side swiped as Metal is caught by Mecha and released back at him almost instantaneously forcing him to teleport to avoid it. 'They'll see me again any second. I'm almost spent.'

'Ready now we just have to get them close together. If I miss one then it's game over. We won't have the chance to try again.'

'Yeah, because we'll be dead. Here they come.'

'I'll be waiting for a chance, be ready to teleport away.'

Metal made it first and began circling around Shadow at light speed. Above, below, and around forming a golden sphere with the light it trailed behind. From the lower left it came in with a kick. Shadow used his own kick to redirect it and spin off of it to send it away. Mecha used the distraction to get in close and tried for an uppercut glancing Shadow's jaw. Shadow swung with his right into the robots eyes as it rose during its attack. Having blinded it momentarily he diverted his attention back to Metal just in time to avoid the serrated orb as it shot toward him. Eyes restored, Mecha darts forward with another punch. Shadow moves to the outside to avoid it but falls for the feint and is struck when its fist swings backward across the side of his face. The hit is light and is followed by another as Mecha rotates its body for the angle and momentum. As the attack comes in, Shadow brings up his guard and blocks but is sent flying. Metal appears flying paralle above him and swings a kick down as Shadow tries to pull away from it. A shock wave rings out as Metal is sent flying by Knuckles who warped in front of it punching straight, and partially caving in the top of its head. Shadow stops himself and spin-dashes an incoming Mecha pushing it back. Knuckles follows it and slams into its side with a heavy hit before locking his hands together low.

'Teleport Metal into the sky quick!' Knuckles then swings up with a side axe handle driving Mecha into the air with a sonic boom trailing it. Shadow warps Metal into its path and teleports away as they collide. Knuckles puts the palms of his hands together in front of him, "Chaos Break!" The beam of emerald light fires up and engulfs the two mechanical forms with the sound of a jet engine. Their bodies are slowly vaporized as they are caught and pushed upward by the blast. The strain is evident on Knuckles face as the energy flows out of him.

"Just a little more! Whatever you're doing, it's working."

Feeling his strength fading, Knuckles steels himself for one last push and amps up the beams power and concentration level. With almost all of his remaining chaos energy used at once, the two robotic doubles are eviscerated completely taking the soul quaking hum of the beam along with it. With barely enough energy to maintain his transformed state, Knuckles lands on one of the few remaining small islands.

"Finally those things are gone. It was irritating destroying them over and over not making any progress." Shadow says as he sets down on the island as well. "Looks like Tails' idea about finding an energy that works paid off."

"I hear ya." Knuckles grabs his forehead, "As soon as I gather enough juice to open a portal we need to get back to New Mobotropolis and help the others with Robotnik's army."

"They're under attack there as well?"

"Yeah, I've heard Julie-Su and Sally calling for me to help them. Things have been bad for a while now and are still getting worse it sounds. Nobody expected Robotnik was planning a full scale invasion. The battle likely started right after everyone left for Angel Island."

"I should have seen signs of him readying his army. I could have alerted New Mobotropolis during my transmissions. They would have had time to prepare for the attack."

"Worrying about it now won't get us anywhere."

"Doesn't make it any less annoying, but you're right. I need to focus on destroying Robotnik and saving Rouge and Omega."

"And the sooner the better, for our friends and for us. Staying in these forms for so long after exhausting so much energy over and over is putting great strain on our bodies. Normally these transformations only last fifteen to thirty minutes and end with us revitalized. But we've already gone past that three times over. You can feel how slowly we're drawing in chaos energy right? Unlike my chaos state, these transformations are meant to be brief. I don't know what kind of shape we'll be in once we release them."