Chapter 14: Autobahn
Before I start this chapter, I'd like to apologize to all my viewers who were patient enough to wait for this. I have been dealing with quite a bit, and it's been tough to make time for this. Well, without further delays, here's the semi-final chapter!
The entire battlefield erupted with noise as the elite NEXT pilots began to fight in intense combat. Blades, missiles, bullets, and energy were flying in the valley as each duo of pilots battled it out.
Silver quickly sidestepped away from Nemilos as he came charging at him with his white blade sizzling and shining. Silver pulled a 270-degree turn and swung his blade at Nemilos, who sidestepped as well, dodging Silver's white blade. Both pilots glared at each other as their blades recharged. Nemilos attacked again, this time barely missing as Silver backed up, the blade's light reflecting on the Retribution MKIII's core. Silver boosted to the side, then forward in a chain-boost, swinging his blade at Nemilos' core. Nemilos barely dodged, his Latona arms being scraped by the white blade coming from the Moonlight weapon. Nemilos snarled as he launched at Silver again, blade drawn. Silver spun around, barely avoiding the blade as it passed by him. The Retribution jumped upward, then cut off all boosters for a second, landing heavily on the shoulder of Nemilos' NEXT. The quad-legged mech flipped over Silver, spinning violently through the air. Silver faced where Nemilos was going and swung. Nemilos tried to grasp his bearings, and swung, barely blocking Silver's swing at him. Nemilos came to a sliding halt on the ground, as his NEXT happened to land on its feet heavily. Nemilos could hear the stabilizing pistons in the legs creak with the force as he landed. Silver took this moment to strike, as Nemilos was more worried about his NEXT's condition. Nemilos looked up just as Silver launched into the air. He backed up, trying to avoid a swing, but Silver didn't swing. Instead, he boosted forward and landed on the two front legs of the NEXT, crushing the joints. The lightweight mech lurched forward. Silver kneed the NEXT with his Aaliyah legs' spikes, ramming through the head. Silver then swung his sword down, cutting off his opponent's left arm, then he slashed sideways, cutting the pilot and NEXT in half. Silver jumped backwards as the NEXT's insides started to glow, and it exploded into a roaring inferno, the wolf emblem on it left arm gleaming in the fire.
A loud cackle echoed throughout the battlefield as Nineball charged at Salire. Salire could hear him coming, and turned around, firing her sniper cannon. Nineball had his grenade cannon ready and fired to counter the heavy shell. Both exploded in the air, a large flaming radius expanding outward. Salire covered her eyes as the blast drew near, nearly blinding her. She moved her hand to see Nineball launching out of the flames, Moonlight blade drawn. Salire switched to her Dragonslayer blade and countered the heavy blade. Since both blades were almost equal power, neither blade passed through to cut the cores. Nineball boosted backwards, firing off his assault rifle. Salire started strafing, firing off her rifle and switching to her cannon. Nineball did the same, but in the opposite direction, so they were circling each other in the middle of the battlefield. After a few seconds of exchanging fire, Salire barely hitting Nineball due to his evasion, Nineball launched up to her, swinging his Moonlight. Salire aimed her cannon at Nineball's head, but the sizzling blade promptly cut off the barrel tip.
"Can't damage me now, girly!" Nineball laughed, raising his blade again high in the air.
Salire snarled and swung her blade quickly, cutting into Nineball's Aaliyah core. Nineball yelled in pain and lurched backwards.
"How dare you touch me?" He lurched back forward, blade at the ready, only to be punched by Judicium across the head. Nineball was confused for a second, but was hit again by another punch. Judicium had dropped everything besides its blade and was fighting Nineball like a boxer now. Nineball's systems were spazzing out. The irregular movement wasn't something he had considered, so he was trying to think up a way to counter this new tactic, but every time Salire clocked him across the head, his system froze for a split second. Salire then jumped in the air and slammed Judicium's heel down on Nineball's head, slamming him face first into the ground. She then knelt down on his back and rammed her blade into his head and started yanking it down his spinal area. All through out this time, Nineball was screaming in pain since his entire body was merged with the NEXT. He felt everything the NEXT was feeling until Salire finished slicing him in half, at which time he stopped making noise and moving. Salire took it as him being defeated, and she got off of him, starting to walk away.
She heard a loading sound behind her and turned to see Nineball's grenade cannon pointed at her. She ducked as the blast fired and the grabbed her assault rifle, firing at the ammo bay of the cannon, consuming Nineball in shrapnel and flames.
Yin charged at Incandescent, his dual blades flying at Mark's NEXT. Incandescent sidestepped and boosted back, watching for Yin's next move. Yin did the same, staring down Incandescent. Both NEXTs stopped, glaring at each other with their red eyes. Then, both NEXTs moved at each other, blades swinging. Incandescent came up short and Yin continued moving, digging its blade into Incandescent's core and left arm. Mark boosted to the side. This, however, caused the left arm of Incandescent to be ripped off. Mark gritted his teeth as his cockpit began to glow red, alarms going off about "uneven Primal Armor" and overheating due to the discharge of energy. Mark glared at Sangue, launched Incandescent in a chain-boost at Yin, slashing as he got within 200 meters. The lightweight NEXT boosted backwards, barely missing the blade of the mid-weight NEXT. Yin slashed forward, only to miss as Incandescent boosted backwards. Mark smirked and slashed forward, clashing with Yin's blade. Both NEXTs pushed forward, the blades crackling as the collided continuously. Then Incandescent sidestepped, making Yin lurch forward, and Mark slashed again, cutting of Yin's right arm at the elbow. Yin boosted to the side, and turned, facing Mark. Both NEXT glared at each other again, then began charging Kojima particles behind their boosters. Soon after, both NEXT launched at each other, blades drawn. They passed each other and skidded to halts.
For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then Incandescent's other arm slid off the shoulder connector. Mark sighed, feeling his end near, but Yin didn't move.
When he saw it seem to move, the top half slid forward, cut clean off from the Moonlight blade on Incandescent's arm. Both NEXTs had collided at the same time, but because of Yin's maneuverability, the swing left the already activated Moonlight blade open to cut the core in half. Mark sighed as he leaned back in his cockpit relieved his mission was over.
The Behemoth stopped down on the ground as Nirvana pulled its blade out of a weaker NEXT. Neo turned to face Maebure, his weapons at the ready.
The Behemoth started to unfold its Overweapon, the flaming blades spinning as they encompassed the NEXTs right wrist. Nirvana unfolded its grenade cannon and aimed it at the monster NEXT. Once both weapons were ready, movement erupted from the two. Nirvana fired its grenade cannon and the Behemoth boosted sideways, then charged heavily at Neo's NEXT, brandishing the massive Overweapon. Neo boosted backwards, then to the side, trying to avoid certain death. Maebure simply adjusted her boosters and followed Neo. Neo flinched and fired his rail gun at the NEXT. The bullet barely scratched the armor and Neo pulled a 180-degree turn, activating his Overboost. He lurched forward, and once he was a far enough distance, he switched to his missiles and fired off a few sets of missiles at his enemy. The NEXT simply took the hits, not letting them slow her down. Neo gritted his teeth and decided to try a radical maneuver. He charged at his opponent, brandishing his own energy blade. When he got within ten meters of the meat grinder, he boosted to the side, but continued moving forward, sliding on the ground on Nirvana's heels, sweeping his blade at the Behemoth's core. The blade barely dug in, but left a gaping hole in the core. Maebure snarled and whirled around, swinging the spinning blades violently, but Neo wasn't near by. His sliding had given him enough room to fire off a grenade blast from a distance. The Behemoth lurched backwards a meter or so, and then began charging Kojima particles behind its back. It then lurched forward at amazing speeds, aiming the blade at Neo. Nirvana suddenly launched upward and then fell down, slashing its blade as it passed above the speeding NEXT. The blade cut off the cooling units on Maebure's back near the boosters. Nirvana then aimed its cannon into the open gap in the NEXT's back. The NEXT's inner core was consumed in flames, but the NEXT could still move. Maebure turned it around to launch at Nirvana again. Maebure ignored the warnings of overheating around her and continued using the extremely heated Overweapon.
"If I go down, I'm taking you with me!" She yelled, charging at Nirvana. Nirvana didn't move as the Behemoth neared, but slowed down with every second.
Maebure began to feel her body overheating in the water in her core. Her breathing was irregular as she skidded to a halt near Nirvana, her slowing meat grinder barely outside of range of Nirvana. "No… No… NO!" She yelled as her NEXT began to burst into flames, the water in her cockpit boiling her alive.
Aozora fired off her assault rifle and machine gun at Malzel as he fired his dual assault rifles at her. Both NEXTs were engaged in intense combat as all the over NEXTs circled around them, all of them Collared members.
Malzel noticed this and switched to his grenade cannon, firing it off at Aozora.
"Weaklings. All of them! But I am strong! No one can stop me!" Malzel yelled, switching to his heavy missile launcher and activating his extra missiles, firing desperately at Red. Red simply fired at the missiles at point blank, blowing them up in Malzel's face.
Malzel growled and launched himself at Red, Overboost engaged. Red folded over its laser wings as Malzel neared. When Malzel was close enough, his Primal Armor started glowing bright green and white, and then exploded outward. The entire field was covered in white light. No one could see what had happened until the light died down.
There Opening stood, right in front of Red, with its head blown off and fire erupting from the neck of the NEXT.
Malzel began laughing. "So… this is my time…? I had a good run… Too bad you couldn't help us, Thermidor." Malzel grumbled before his NEXT erupted in flames. Red slowly walked away as all of the Collared pilots began cheering.
The war was over. Collared had won. Malzel and his army were gone. Peace had finally been restored to earth.
Now the Cradles could float without fear of destruction, and the Collared could begin making the planet suitable for life.
No, this is not the final chapter, although it seems like a "cliché ending" kind of thing, but it's not. Stay tuned for chapter 15, "Curtain Fall". Be sure to read and review! The next chapter will be coming maybe tomorrow or later today!