Chapter 11
Crossing blades.
Ceil handed Zero a small silver disk, "What's this?" "It's a portable transserver, when your ready just send me the word and I'll transfer you back, Kay?" Every one began walking into the transserver room, leaving Ceil and Zero alone. Ceil rapped her arms around Zero, in remembrance of the week and half that they had spent nearly inseparable, "Be carful…" Ceil looked up sorrowfully into Zero's eyes. Zero rapped his left arm around her. "I'll be fine, so don't worry Ceil." Zero walked forward into the transserver room, and in a flash of white light he and 20 other Resistance solders disappeared.
Zero could see the security depot as soon as he reappeared at the transfer point. The only thought he could some up with was voiced by a solder behind him. "Damn…" there were hundreds if not thousands of pantheon drones patrolling the outer security walls, and the grounds around the facility. Zero whipped around, "Set up the emergency transserver, and the prisoners holding cell… be prepared for emergency evac, and for prisoner transport!" Zero then darted off towards the Security Depot.
Copy X watched in amazement at his own great abilities, as the strangely pale, teal haired, winged replode girl sat on the floor near the Acadian throne. The crystal crown on her head held a strange green stone with an overly decretive W mark engraved into its surface. She spoke in a cold sad tone. "Darling X where is my Brother?" Copy X thought he heard a slight undertone of anger in her voice. "Dark Elf, I swear to you I am doing all I can to find him now." The Clone lied. The Dark Elf 's glowing red eyes locked on to Copy X, thin in a tone of pure malice and hatred, "Be sure that you are…" her voice made the pantheon drone that guarded the room grab their skulls before falling to the ground, their neural processors fried. "Oh I will my Dark Elf, I will." Copy X sang just barely able to control his fear, and joy.
Zero had made his way past the first Security wall easily enough. "Ceil were is the air duct?" "It's about 20 feet up from you current position, and a little to the right." Ceil's voice softly hummed back over his com link. His eyes scanned the wall above… "Got it, thanks Ceil." Zero waited for the guards to pass before leaping up a few creates that were under the duct. Why in the world would some one make an air duct that a tank could fit thought? Zero mused to him self as he jogged down the duct.
A few fans stood in his way, but a single slash took care of them. "Zero your directly above the control room, If you can find a vent covering to jump down…" Zero began to look around. "Thanks" He leaped down a moment after finding the vent covering. Zero walked over to a terminal, and began to power it up. The message that followed made Zero cringe.
Prepare to die enemy of Neo Acadia….
Zero jumped backwards colliding with another replode. "Very good Zero… I wouldn't have expected any one else to be able to stop me like that." Zero activated his sword and took defensive sword stance. "Who are you?" The black and white replode that stood before him, "I am The 1st Guardian of Neo Acadia General of the shadow army, the Phantom Shadow." Phantom took a stance that Zero thought he recognized, but didn't have time to think about it because Phantom charged forward striking with a long mettle sword.
Zero dodged the blade by stepping to the right and then slashing up at his foe, who nimbly back flipped away and attacked form a different direction. Zero took an offensive stance, and struck at Phantom's legs Phantom jumped in a effort to bring the steel sword into Zero's head only to be meat with Zero's blaster in his face. Phantom barely dodged the plasma blast, falling to the floor and rolling away. "Very good, my Master is right to fear you." Phantom stood "but no mater, You will still lose to me." Phantom began to charge Zero again, but this time his body began to split apart creating three other Phantoms. They spoke in unison as they attacked Zero, "You will fall, to my blade.
Zero barely dodged the four sided barrage. The Phantoms disappeared as the true Phantom backed away. "Be for I kill you, I must know, is Ceil truly alive?" Zero fell back into his combat stance. "Yes…" Phantom nodded his head. "Then I will kill you quickly, for freely giving me this information. The emerald crystal in Zero's helm began to glow as Phantom began to split apart again. Analyzing enemy combat data… Data analyzed, Zero began to block the barrage of cuts, slightly faster then the last time. Enemy combat speed analyzed at 20% greater than this molds, begging to fix upgrades.
Zero felt a kick cornet with his jaw, the force of the kick sent him flying backwards through the air. "Come now Zero, a legend shouldn't fall for such cheap tricks!" phantom taunted. Zero twisted just in time to land on his feat. Phantom began to charge forward again. Zero thrust the Z- saber into the ground causing a wave of energy to fly across the ground and collide with Phantom. Upgrades complete… unit currently at 60% original power. Phantom staggered backwards form the attack.
"Damn… I didn't think you would use an attack like that…" Phantom began to charge but this time, instead of splitting into four Zero saw what really happened, Phantom began to move at his full speed coursing the other three Phantoms as motion blurs. Zero waited for the last second to move, Zero found he could dodge Phantom's attacks easily. Zero punched Phantom's chest, causing the Ninja replode to fly back howling in pain.
"Damn….Damn…Zero… this is the end…of you…" Phantom tore the red scarf from his neck, the gauntlets form his arms, the grieves from his legs, and the plate from his chest. All of which fell to the ground with a unbelievably loud clang. "Long ago Zero, I was tasked by Master X to defend Mistress Ceil, and in doing so I studied your sword, every move you ever made, I became the embodiment of your perfect fighting style… And now I will kill you with your own power." Phantom disappeared form Zero's vision, Zero felt the Blade of Phantom's katana sink into his right arm. "You can not win now Zero." Before Zero could fully turn to block the attack the katana cut into Zero's left leg, he saw then sent skidding across the floor form a kick form Phantom. "So you're not as slow as I thought you were." Zero wiped the red cooling fluid from his mouth, he stood up slowly, but before he could move Phantom moved in and kicked Zero's head.
Zero's helmet sped across the ground, Ceil's eyes widened in horror as she watched Phantom began to systematical cut Zero apart over the camera mounted in Zero's helmet. "Zero!" Ceil gasped in terror as Phantom began to stab down at Zero's heart. Please don't die! Please don't die! I can't stand to someone else close to me, please Zero Come back! Ceil prayed to as she watched the blade fall thought the air, every heart beat felt like an eternity. "ZERO!" Ceil couldn't hold her scream back as the blade of the Katana sank into Zero's heart.
