They were crouching in the wheat field.
"What are they doing?" Ticey Phenyl asked.
"They don't seem to be doing much of anything." Chiffon said.
Indeed the fifteen L class NOVAs were just slowly moving about without any sort of direction or purpose. They were not in any sort of formation and were spread out. As they watched strands of wheat were flattened beneath them as they levitated a few inches off the ground.
"I read once," Ticey said. "That in America, about fifty years ago, they used to have strange crop circles appear in wheat fields like this one. Maybe that's what they're doing."
"Why would NOVAs come here just to draw circles in wheat fields?" Elizabeth asked in a tone that would chill wine.
"I don't know, it's just a theory."
"It's like they're confused," Chiffon said frowning. "It's like they don't have orders and don't really know what to do."
"They wouldn't come here without some sort of plan." Elizabeth argued. "Especially not in such insane numbers."
Chiffon turned to her. "Well then can you explain what they're up to?"
Elizabeth's mouth twisted but she had no answer.
Just a few feet behind her Kazuya was kneeling in the wheat field. He, along with more than two hundred other students were waiting to begin. The closest NOVA was a little over a hundred yards away. It and the others were completely oblivious to their presence. Not even facing in their direction the NOVA was just slowly drifting to its right without a care in the world.
The enemy, Kazuya thought. The ones who took Kazuha away from me.
For four year he had given everything to make himself a weapon that could fight them and make them pay for what they did. His body was trembling in eagerness. Every sense told him this was what all his sacrifices had been for.
The time for revenge had come around at last.
I don't care if I die so long as I can pay them back.
"Let's get ready to attack." Chiffon said.
That was all Kazuya needed to hear. He slapped his hands together. "One strike maximum spread."
A large ball of bluish silver energy formed right in front of him.
Chiffon, Elizabeth, and everyone else turned startled eyes to him.
"Kazuya! What are you doing?" Chiffon called out.
In the field before them all the NOVAs suddenly stopped and turned towards their direction. As one they began to move. The nearest NOVA began approaching them.
"I'm attacking as you ordered." Kazuya said and spread his hands out. The volt sphere shot out straight and true. It hit the nearest NOVA in the middle of its 'chest.' It detonated with a loud and satisfying explosion. The top half of the NOVA's body was blown to bits. Pieces of silicon were sent flying through the air as the lower half of it fell over lifelessly to the ground.
Kazuya's heart throbbed with joy and he called out happily. "That was for you Kazuha."
The remaining fourteen NOVAs came together and formed a 'V.' As a single unit they headed towards the spot where their compatriot had just been destroyed.
"There's no time to organize!" Chiffon yelled out. "Everyone form Ereinbar sets! Pandoras forward! Limiters support them!"
At the Genetics Academies the first two years were primarily focused on developing individual skills. The third year curriculum was based on teamwork between partners and with units of squad size and larger. The fourth year was devoted almost completely to military training and the tactics and strategies to be used in the field against the enemy.
Pandoras and Limiters had field exercises and played 'war games' from freshmen year on. These however only taught the basics of team work. It wasn't until their senior year that students worked on fighting a battle as a single mass unit. So while many of the Third Years were prepared for this as far as individual skills went they had not practiced their roles as part of a field army yet.
They would charge the enemy and fight individually.
Except for Kazuya Pandoras and Limiters were forming Ereinbar sets; that special connection that would allow them to share their senses and which permitted Limiters to use Freezing.
Elizabeth quickly made a set with Andre before turning to Kazuya. "Please focus on using your Freezing. I will use my volt weapons; I need you to cover me."
Kazuya gave her a quick nod. Though he wanted to attack some more he understood that a Limiter's primary role was to protect his Pandora. He would settle for assisting in their destruction. "Yes sempai." He stuck an arm out. "Freezing!"
He pushed out his freezing field as far as it would go. His area of effect was at least three times larger than anyone else's.
Andre who was used to being the strongest was stunned to see his area dwarfed by Kazuya's. Even more impressive, the four NOVAs who entered Kazuya's Freezing stopped moving and were held perfectly on place. Normal Freezing could only cancel out a NOVA's Freezing effect; it could not in any way restrict the NOVA itself.
Incredibly though Kazuya was able to do exactly that. Four NOVAs were trapped like flies in amber.
"I think I see why madame was interested in him." Andre said under his breath.
Elizabeth activated her volt weapons; two crystal tetrahedrons. They both split open and fired a beam of concentrated volt energy at two of the frozen NOVA. She expertly sliced them both right down the middle. They split apart and perished; their cores neatly sliced in two. They did not topple over though; Kazuya's Freezing effect held them in place.
Too easy, Elizabeth thought with satisfaction. Together we truly are an unbeatable pair! "The NOVA core is in the upper cone, the chest." Elizabeth called out.
"Got it!" Annette shouted.
"Understood," Ingrid called out.
Individually each of Elizabeth's companions took on one of the other NOVA being held by Kazuya. Annette's scythe and Ingrid's swords easily cut through the silicon skin of the NOVA's chest to reveal the crystal core inside. Neither girl hesitated a second before smashing it to pieces.
The instant the cores were destroyed the silver blue light coming from the 'heads' blinked out and vanished. The corpses remained upright and arms held out. As soon as Kazuya saw all four destroyed he ended the Freezing effect to conserve his strength. The four silicon bodies crashed lifelessly to the ground.
XXX
As this was going on the other Limiters and Pandoras were also fighting.
The L classes activated their Freezing fields. They were surprisingly weak; they extended no more than twenty yards or so. The Limiters had no trouble neutralizing them; though unlike Kazuya they could do nothing to disrupt the enemies' movements.
Despite their odd construction the L classes were surprisingly fast and mobile, and their long thin arms gave them an extended reach. The arms did not have joints and could flex and twist about like whips. One Pandora found this out as running past to perform a strike from behind. The NOVA's head turned about as though on a swivel. One arm lashed around from the other side of its body and the unfortunate girl was caught about the neck.
She had barely time to let out one startled squawk before her head was ripped from her shoulders.
Her Limiter screamed as he felt her sudden surprise and fear vanish along with their connection.
"Watch out for their arms!" Chiffon shouted. Her steel gauntlet ripped out a chunk from a NOVA's body. "Their armor isn't very thick! Finish them off quickly!"
The battle was a single mad rush as over a hundred Pandoras swarmed over the remaining ten NOVAs.
"They're not so tough!" Attia exclaimed as she bashed in the side of an L class wither her morningstar.
The NOVAs swung about with their rope like arms punching or grabbing at their enemies. Each though was being swarmed under by at least six Pandoras. With sword and axe and fist their thin armor was ripped apart and their cores exposed. One after another the NOVAs died until only two were left.
As the final two were being torn apart a hum began to rise from them and their bodies began to glow.
Chiffon was the first to realize what was happening. "They're going to detonate! Everyone run!"
XXX
When the Ereinbar sets were active the Limiters gained enhanced strength and endurance that made them the equals of Olympic athletes. They could run faster and farther than most human beings. They could not however use Accel of other Pandora techniques to convert volt energy into physical speed. The Limiters could never move as fast as their Pandoras.
As the Pandoras all used Accel to escape as quickly as possible most of them grabbed hold of their partners first.
Realizing what was about to happen Kazuya had just started to run when in a blur he was grabbed from behind and tossed over Elizabeth's shoulder. Moving at such a blinding speed Kazuya could barely breathe never mind talk.
As the Pandoras fled the two L class NOVAs detonated behind them; vaporizing everything for a two thousand yard radius.
Including seven Limiters.