Chapter 25
Varen took a step forward holding a hand out towards Julia. She hadn't moved an inch since they encountered her. The calmness that seemed to surround her unnerved him more than anything. He also noticed that even Chiffon sounded a bit nervous to be facing her. No one was above Chiffon, but that didn't mean the Pandora they now faced was any less dangerous. Chiffon could beat her, but if she could fight on Chiffon's level then it was possible that before Chiffon could bring her down, she would kill everyone else.
"Julia, listen you need to understand why…" Varen trailed off as the sleeve on his shirt ripped open with a spurt of blood. Pain erupted from the wound as he fell to a knee holding his arm against his chest.
"Varen!" Chiffon yelled kneeling next to him pulling his hand away to see the deep gash along his forearm. Julia still hadn't moved from where she stood staring coldly at them.
"Surrender." She said as Arnette gripped her scythe hard and took a step forward.
"No, don't!" Chiffon yelled stopping the red haired Pandora before she could take another step.
"It's ok, go back and use the service hallway. It should get you to command quick enough. We can handle this." Cassie said stepping forward putting her hand on Chiffon's shoulder.
"Cassie…you're ranked below her." Chiffon answered.
"I know, I'm the weakest out of all of us, but I can at least buy you the time you need." Cassie answered.
"We got this." Kyoichi agreed.
"Thank you." Chiffon said helping Varen to his feet and turning everyone back the way they came.
"You owe me a cool uniform Ms. Fairchild!" Cassie shouted smiling.
"You got it!" Chiffon answered before they went through a doorway and out of sight. Cassie turned back towards Julia and took a deep breath.
"Where's your Limiter?" Cassie asked.
"Not necessary for this." Julia answered. Cassie inclined her head and turned towards Kyoichi.
"Stand down on this one. No matter what happens, let me handle this alone ok?" She asked and Kyoichi shook his head.
"She's alone we have the advantage Cassie!" He argued but her expression did not change.
"Stay out of it, or she will kill you. Understand?" He deflated hearing her words.
"I understand." He conceded and took a step back. She gave him a wink and faced Julia again.
"It's been a long time since we did this hasn't it Julia?" Cassie asked setting her feet apart.
"The end result will be the same now as it was then. The only difference is I will not go lightly." The dark haired Pandora responded.
"Good to hear." Cassie answered as lights danced down her arms. A single long blade covered her forearms reaching out ahead of her fists. She moved her arms into a ready stance and balanced her weight evenly on her feet. She closed her eyes and took one last breath before pushing off and diving towards Julia.
"They are herding us you know that right?" Attia said as they ran through the hallways.
"Doesn't matter keep going!" Chiffon answered.
"Oh no…" Ticy said as they pushed through a set of double doors. A group of Chevalier Pandora blocked their path. The doors had opened into a room where maintenance supplies were kept, but large enough that about a dozen Chevalier Pandora spread out facing them.
"We're so close…" Amelia said in despair.
"Then go." Arnette said drawing a curious look from Amelia.
"But…" She started, but Varen interrupted her.
"We'll hold them here. Go Amelia." He said. Rattle and the other E-Pandora stepped forward standing beside Arnette and Varen.
"We will help, get out of here Amelia. If anyone can get that data, it's you. Go!" Rattle shouted.
"Don't try it!" One of the Chevalier Pandora commanded holding a lance out in front of her body. Chiffon's claws manifested around her arms as she calmly walked forward towards the Pandora blocking their way. The E-Pandora summoned volt weapons into their hands and looked around nervously as Amelia turned and ran.
"Thank you!" She yelled over her shoulder.
"Follow your captain." Varen ordered and they all broke into a run behind Chiffon.
Cassie coughed breathing hard on her hands and knees. A slow stream of blood fell from her mouth pooling on the steel floor. Her whole body was in pain from a multitude of small lacerations. East Genetics uniforms were nearly identical to West. Deep purple with white trimming. Now, nearly every section of white was stained red from her blood.
"Don't!" She cried as Kyoichi took a step forward towards her. Julia was called the Maverick for a reason. More often than not she preferred to work alone than with her Limiter. She also shared the same cold, emotionless demeanor that Chiffon adopted whenever she entered combat. The difference was that outside of combat Chiffon was a normal, happy girl. Julia, on the other hand never showed emotion. Even now she still stood where she had been since they came across her expressionless. Cassie had so far been unable to get within striking distance without feeling her skin slashed apart by invisible forces.
"I can't just stand here and watch this!" Her Limiter screamed back.
"Don't you move Kyoichi!" She ordered crawling back to her feet. Julia would not hesitate to tear him apart if he dared to try and activate his freezing ability. She wiped her mouth with the sleeve of her uniform and spit out another bit of blood in her mouth. Forcing herself to stop shaking she settled into another stance preparing to charge again.
"Surrender." Julia repeated. Cassie looked down seeing the blood pool around her. Soon, she would be disabled from pure blood loss. Every injury she sustained came from somewhere she couldn't see. Regardless of how fast she moved Julia was able to repel her before she could close the gap. She let her stigmata synchronize with her body a bit further growling as she forced it to bend to her will without taking over her body.
"Quadruple acceleration!" She screamed flying forward with an enormous burst of sound that shook the walls.
"Your acceleration is impressive; I'll give you that." Julia commented waving a hand nonchalantly. Cassie's eyes widened as she was thrown backwards. As she flew back she watched her left arm bend awkwardly in a way it shouldn't be able to bend. The shower of blood that sprayed shortly after made it clear that Julia had severed it cleanly. Cassie screamed rolling on the floor grabbing at her bicep where her arm once was.
Two small devices appeared above Julia's head rotating lazily in the air. Visible pulses of wind echoed off each one as the Pandora stood, staring down at Cassie. Everything made sense now that her volt weapon was visible. Stigma satellites similar to Elizabeth that used compressed sonic energy as opposed to focused light energy that Elizabeth wielded.
"You are the fastest Pandora in the world. No one has been able to achieve Mach 2 speeds through acceleration. That is until you did it." Julia said as Cassie continued to cry out. Kyoichi dropped to his knees beside her and pulled her close.
"The energy my volt weapon utilizes moves at Mach 3. To put it simply, you are still not fast enough. Even at your top speed I simply send a burst of energy ahead that moves faster than you. At your current limits you cannot avoid it." Julia continued.
"Current limits?" Cassie said through labored breaths. She leaned on Kyoichi using her right hand to push herself back up to her feet. Her Limiter looked on in fear as she waved him back once more. Her skin had gone pale and the hallway around her was stained red with the large amount of blood she had already lost.
"Who said anything about me using my current limits?" Cassie said furiously shifting her right foot back. Julia rotated her hand slightly sending the satellites spinning.
"Surrender." The dark haired Pandora commanded again. Cassie's hair whipped around her face as she let her stigmata force more energy into her body. She bit down on her lip drawing more blood as she danced on the line between control and losing herself to the stigmata. The energy pulsed off her body fluttering her clothes wildly and her teal hair vertically above her head.
"Quadruple acceleration!" Her voice sounded like a freight train followed by the explosion of sound in the wake of her speed. Julia flicked her wrist and the satellites released waves of sonic energy arcing throughout the hallway towards her. The look of boredom on Julia's face disappeared as Cassie vanished from her sight
"This is divine speed." Cassie said and Julia now saw the teal haired Pandora crouched down directly in front of her. Cassie's right arm raced up in an uppercut slicing through Julia's arm at the shoulder sending her onto her back screaming. The stigma satellites disappeared as she clutched at her shoulder. Cassie fell to her knees and slumped to the ground.
"Stigma amplification…" She said to Julia who stared back at her tears streaming down her cheek. "Let's call it a draw." She finished, smiling at the dark haired Pandora before she fell unconscious.
Arnette bent backwards letting a sword pass a few inches over her nose before righting herself and countering with a swift slash of her scythe. The Pandora she faced maneuvered the blade back into an interception path slapping the blade of her scythe away. Nearby Attia twirled and flipped through the air twisting the meteor hammer and chain around her body to push another Chevalier Pandora's spear aside.
"They're strong!" Attia called out as Arnette flipped her scythe upside down using the pole to catch the Chevalier sword deflecting it.
"Little bit!" Arnette answered.
"You're only students. We've had years to master being a Pandora!" The soldier Arnette faces said angrily.
"Duck." Attia said casually to which Arnette instantly dropped low. The chain from Attia's weapon flashed through the air where Arnette's head had been connecting with the Chevalier Pandora's face sending her crashing backwards. Arnette threw her hands forward with the butt of the pole catching the Pandora who was focused on Attia in the stomach doubling her over.
"Keep practicing." Arnette said sarcastically rolling her weapon upright again.
On the other side of the room Varen and Chiffon rotated around one another parrying the attacks from four of the Chevalier Pandora. If anyone could have taken the time to watch they danced seamlessly working in unison to defend not only themselves, but each other from every strike that was aimed at them. Varen had initiated the Ereinbar Set with her linking their minds making it possible to rely on each other's senses.
"Up!" Chiffon called and Varen bent over letting her roll across his back slashing her claws out forcing one of the Pandora back. Chiffon noted the look of terror in her eyes having narrowly avoided being disemboweled.
"Stay in control Chif…" Varen said to her and she nodded once. He slashed his blade high deflecting a sword aimed for his neck and brought it up and over angled down behind his back. It caught a second sword that had come from another Pandora hoping to bring him down from behind. He cringed as the blade of an axe swooped across on his flank unable to free his blade.
"Too close!" Ticy shouted diving in front of the weapon pushing it aside with her zanbato blade.
"Thanks!" Varen said spinning to release his blade and raised the sword in an upward arc forcing the Pandora back a step. A few of the E-Pandora had been incapacitated knocked unconscious or unable to stand from wounds inflicted. They were nearly as strong as Pandora with the Mark 3 serum, but lacked actual combat experience. As such they were only able to hold their own for so long.
"Please hurry Amelia." Arnette silently prayed as the Chevalier Pandora charged them once more.