Hi again.
If you're reading this and thinking 'what's going on? I'm totally lost' then go back and look at chapter 28. I uploaded it a while ago, replacing the author's note I made. That's my mistake. Since all I did was replace, it didn't send out all the emails and stuff. So I guess no one got notified.
Or maybe I'm just insane. Who knows. Anyway. Check out the last chapter if you haven't read it yet.
(Macas P.O.V.)
There's others?
My mind is still reeling from the fact that we aren't the first. That others have gone before us… that they might still be out there!
"Suicide or not, we're still going to be the last battle you will ever face." Ulrich says firmly, drawing me back from my thoughts. Xana looks at me firmly, as though reading my thoughts.
"I know that expression Macas. You're hopeful. You think there are others out there who can help you in your cause." My eyes go wide, unfortunately showing him that he's right.
"And I can say truthfully that there are not. They are all dead from one thing or another. Good thing I was able to take control of the time reversal sequence and make it seem as though they all died of natural causes." He looks at me with an evil smirk, showing for the first time that he is not just some gentleman. He is a cold, ruthless, heartless being. I close my eyes and try to mask my anger. Anger leads to rage, and rage clouds your thoughts and feelings.
"How many. How many were there?" Xana gives another humorless laugh.
"Why do you care? They're all dead."
"I still want to know."
"Two in the first group. A 16-year old computer savvy boy and his girlfriend. They weren't nearly skilled enough. Don't worry, I killed them off painlessly for their sakes." I flinch with this new knowledge.
"And the second?"
"Five. All of them between 23 and 25 year olds. They had been friends ever since elementary school. They put up a good fight, but not nearly good enough. They found sector five faster than you did though, and they went straight for the core of Lyoko. If they had managed to destroy it, it would have been lights out for me. But they didn't quite make it. Two of them died falling into the digital sea together, one in an attempt to save his girlfriend from my polymorphic specter, and the last one that I killed died from simple gas poisoning in the lab."
"That's only four. What happened to the fifth?"
"Ah, you're quick. I spared her. I figured seeing her boyfriend die in the attempt to save her would ruin her life, and I was right. She committed suicide a 27 days later, jumping off the bridge in front of the factory. She was the last to go, about three years before Jeremie discovered the lab."
"You've killed seven people? How could you do such a thing?!?" Aelita yells out, obviously frustrated.
"Yes I did. They stood in my way, so they needed to die. It was as simple as that."
"Calm down Aelita. We all know what Xana is capable of." Yumi says putting her arm in front of Aelita as if to protect her.
"You're going to die Xana. And we're going to make you feel pain for each individual life that you took." Ulrich says, drawing his sword. He holds it out in front of him, a plain challenge to Xana, who doesn't move an inch.
Well, actually, he does. He puts his hand up to his mouth and yawns.
"Oh, must we fight? Couldn't we solve this in a more rational way? After all, there's seven of you, and only one of me. I'm greatly outnumbered."
"You're fighting, Xana. Whether you want to or not." Xana gives an exasperated sigh.
"Oh fine, if we must. But I make the rules here." Xana says with a smirk. "First, it will be a one-on-one battle. I will fight each of you in turn, using your weapon of choice, except dear Aelita and Karyssa, of course. And it will be on my turf." We all look at each other and nod.
"Deal."
"Then let the games begin."
In the blink of an eye, we've been teleported to a large, open room. Not as big as the last one, but still large enough to have plenty of room for whatever we want to do. No windows, no doors, the walls are all solid white. The room is brightly lit, although there's no visible source of light.
"Alright then. Who shall go first?" Xana asks, looking bored.
"I will." Ulrich says, stepping forward.
"Very well." The entire room seems to shimmer brightly, and the white walls become distorted. They take on color, and inexplicably, form, as they glow brighter and brighter. Suddenly they vanish and give way to a large open field, freshly cut grass and all. Trees line the entire border, but no path exists out at all. A blue, nearly cloudless sunny sky has appeared above us, feeding us warmth from the sun.
Xana himself has also changed, unnoticed in the scenery change. He has taken on Ulrich's exact clothing form, save for the symbol on his chest and the colors. Every single piece of clothing is a variation of the colors black and gray.
"Ah, the samurai outfit. I haven't done this one in a long while." Xana says cheerfully. He's acting as completely calm, as if we were all friends engaging in a friendly bout. Instead of mortal enemies out to kill each other.
"Oh, so you've been a samurai before?" Ulrich asks just as cheerfully, matching Xana's tone in an obviously mocking way. Xana seems completely unfazed.
"Oh yes. It's one of my favorites." Xana exclaims. He draws his sword, which is identical to Ulrich's, and flings it into the air. It spins twice perfectly before he catches it deftly and sheathes it again.
"So. I've made it so that every element of this game is fair for the both of us. Our swords are identical, the grass beneath our feet is uniform in a perfect circle around us until the trees. Don't bother trying to go into the trees, you can't. We will both start at an equal distance from the middle, while the others watch from a platform above us, so as to not get in the way. The platform won't cast a shadow…. anyways. Every single element of this little match here is completely equal. Your sword can kill me, if you can manage it. So this is down to just skill, to see who is better. Sound like fun?" Xana says, stunning us all. We figured Xana would cheat at least in some way.
"How do I know everything is equal?" Ulrich asks, eyeing Xana suspiciously.
"It is. If I cheat in any manner whatsoever, your friends there can converge upon me all at once and kill me. But if any of you leave that platform in an attempt to help Ulrich, I will kill you." Xana says, looking up at us and smiling at the thought.
"Okay, deal."
"Then let the game begin!" Xana exclaims. Suddenly I find myself on a platform along with everyone else except for Xana and Ulrich. The platform we're on is just barely large enough for us all to sit down comfortably, and the entire thing is transparent so we won't miss a thing. Without any visible steering, the platforms begins to circle Xana and Ulrich, who walk to the middle of the field and take up their stances.
(Ulrich P.O.V.)
I draw my sword and hold it out in front of me, holding it with one hand at about a 45 degree angle. My other hand hangs relaxed by my side, and my feet spread slightly apart.
"I'll give you a fair warning now Xana. I was the top of my class, beaten only by my instructor. Out of the 15 levels there are in Penchak Silat, I am level 14. The only way to get to level fifteen is by having fifteen years of experience, and I have only eight."
"Ah, I see. You obviously have quite a bit of talent, I've seen what you can do against my monsters. You could actually prove to be a tough battle." Xana says, calm as ever. He holds his sword in an odd position, out in front of him and held reverse grip. His feet held slightly apart, just enough bend in the knee to change his center of gravity to the center. A very odd position, but I'm not complaining. It'll just make it easier to take him down.
"Okay then. When you hear the buzzer, you are free to attack me." After a couple of seconds, a buzzer similar to a scoreboard for a basketball game sounds. I begin walking slowly towards Xana and to the right. He does the same and we begin to circle slowly.
I have a favorite opening move. I lunge forward, appearing foolish. My opponent will often take the bait and strike down, attempting to finish it quickly. Since I can predict their move, I can dodge their blow and strike quickly and precisely. Usually, that ends the fight quickly, on my side instead of theirs.
In any fight, the key is to make the opponent overconfident, then take advantage of it.
On the third circle, I give an exasperated sigh and lunge forward quickly, striking out with my sword toward Xana's chest. As expected, he dodges and moves to strike down. I quickly recover and twist my sword towards him, aiming to connect with his torso and finish him off.
I can already feel my victory, having killed Xana in an instant, being the champion and saving the world forever.
But it's all gone in an instant. I don't know how Xana reacted so fast to my attack, but my sword is blocked an inch away before it strikes. Xana somehow blocked me! Before I can even react, My sword is down by my side and I'm on my back, Xana's blade hovering above my throat.
"Does this mean I win?"
Nope, no talking this time. See you all next chapter!
