Athena Goldstone had Rebecca, Happy, Pino, Sarisse, Stella, Lluvi, and Asuka surrounded in front of the warehouse. Athena was the only Goldstone present; however she had a number of Skeleton Army and Delta Ridge androids. Inside the warehouse wasn't only the generator they needed to shut down, but an injured Jinn was being held captive in there as well. Rebecca stared down Athena while in her Overdrive, prepared to take on the eldest Goldstone. "I think I'm going to enjoy this." Athena said while looking towards Rebecca.
"Don't get so ahead of yourself!" Asuka said while bumping her fists together. "You've got plenty of us to take on this time!"
"Oh, you again?" Athena rolled her eyes at Asuka. "I don't have time to play with kids. That's why I've gone ahead and prepared something for you." She snapped her fingers and instantly, something broke through the second floor of the warehouse, causing everyone to jump. A large, snow ape dropped down, beating his chest while letting out a loud roar. "This is Yeti Blizzard! An android we developed as a prototype for a new power source."
"Prototype?" Stella asked.
"RAAAH!" Yeti Blizzard roared. There were black sparks emitting form his body.
"The ether coming off of that thing is insane…" Lluvi muttered.
"I've seen that before…" Rebecca said.
"As I'm sure you're all aware, a wonderful power source of ether dropped from the sky not too long ago." Athena explained. "The Black Moon Star has fallen into Prometheus and Pandora's hands, and they've been using its power to increase the strength of Ziggy's army. Most of those poor androids exploded from the surge of power, but this is the first successful one! The order to do this came from Ziggy himself."
"This is bad…" Rebecca said to herself. The crew of the Eden's Zero were worried that Ziggy would catch wind of the Black Moon Star, and it turned out he was more than aware. In fact, a piece of it practically fell into his lap.
"So you all get the pleasure of being the first test subjects of this new process!" Athena smirked and held her arm out. "Yeti Blizzard, you have full authorization to use lethal force! Go wild and kill them all!"
"Orders received! It's time for a cold winter!" Yeti Blizzard exclaimed while leaping forward, swinging his arms ahead. This prompted a thick, heavy blast of snow to attack Lluvi, Stella, Sarisse, Pino, and Asuka. "Yukidama Fall!"
"Ooooh that's not good!" Stella said with a sweat drop.
Blue lines formed along Lluvi's arms. She activated her Ether Gear at last. A blue ether barrier appeared around her and the others, shielding them from the incoming snow that Yeti Blizzard launched at them. The snow curved around the barrier, and despite its intensity, Lluvi's barrier held strong. "Your attacks won't be getting past me."
"Whoa…!" Asuka's eyes lit up. "Barrier Ether gear!?"
"I'm dubbed the Blue Barrier in the Eclipse Ark." Lluvi said confidently. "You can see what my ether gear does. I won't fold to any kind of attack!"
"Incredible!" Stella clasped her hands together. But it was too early to celebrate, because Yeti Blizzard pounced on Lluvi's barrier, using his large fists to pound on it. This made Stella jump slightly. "Eep!"
"Looks like we have no choice. Get ready, everyone!" Sarisse told them.
.
The noise outside had Jinn's attention. There wasn't really much he could do in this moment since he was tied down, but that wasn't the problem. He was injured. There was some kind of fight going on, but he could tell if he attempted to intervene, his injuries would slow him and anyone else down. "There must be something I can do…"
.
Rebecca grabbed Happy as soon as she could, and the android turned into an assault rifle. The two of them were going to take on Athena with her speed. "Happy, Assault Rifle Mode!"
"Bringing a gun to a fight?" Athena said casually, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "You better make those shots count."
"You bet we will!" Rebecca said while sprinting forward, using her speed to her advantage. She circled around Athena while firing off shots from Happy. These ether bullets came from all angles and all at once. She knew Athena's shield was strong enough to block one of Shiki's punches, so she opted to attack from everywhere so that shield couldn't be used!
"Interesting idea, but do you take me for a fool!" Athena said while her shield began to shine. She thrust it forward against the air, and a barrier of light formed around her entire body. This barrier easily shrugged off the ether bullets, meaning that Rebecca wasn't doing any damage. "I'm a professional. I've seen it all."
"No damage…" Rebecca had to switch up her plan of attack. She came to a halt, and then pushed forward again. Just when it looked like she was going for a kick, she instead propelled herself into the air and flipped, now coming down with a leg extended. She planned to drop down on Athena's head to knock her out cold in a single blow. "Haaaah!"
Athena just grinned and held her shield up. Rebecca's speed, momentum, and gravity led to a powerful impact. One that Athena's shield was capable of sponging quite easily. "Ricochet."
"…!" Rebecca realized what she had done too late. She forgot that Athena's shield was capable of bouncing back impacts, and she learned when the force she delivered came back to her twofold. She was knocked away with a grin of pain, tumbling along the ground before she came to a halt in a crouched position. She didn't have time to relax, because skeleton androids attempted to jump her in that moment! She aimed Happy at them and took them down with ease, but they only served as a distraction. When she turned her attention to Athena, the Goldstone was already on top of her, backhanding the B-cuber with her shield, causing her to tumble again. "Agh!" Rebecca managed to spring up, spitting some blood to the side. "I forgot that it's not just her…"
"What's the matter? Can't keep up?" Athena said while swinging her hand forward, sending numerous blasts of light towards Rebecca. Rebecca sucked her teeth in annoyance before running forward, easily slipping past the beams of light with her speed. She spun around, aiming another kick towards Athena's chest. This one was blocked by her shield. "Don't you learn?"
"Yes." Rebecca said with a smirk. Just as the Ricochet was incoming, Rebecca was fast enough to pull back before the counter wave. While Athena was stuck in this motion, Rebecca circled around to her left with Happy charged up. "FIRE!" She clicked the trigger and Happy released a gigantic Ether Bullet that exploded against Athena's side for a direct hit! "Got you!"
The blast completely tore through Athena's dress at the sight of impact, and her skin was slightly burned. Instead of grimacing, she just smiled towards Rebecca. "Impressive. That one actually hurt." While there was some legitimate praise, Athena's mocking tone made it hard to tell. "So, let's see how you handle this." A mark appeared on Rebecca's body, tagging her. Athena then fired off numerous blasts of light from both hands, these blasts honing in on Rebecca.
"This again…" Rebecca recalled seeing this happen to Shiki, but she remembered how he avoided it. She sped off towards a few trees nearby, swiftly evading the blasts that she could. They were extremely close to hitting her, but she was able to direct them into some skeleton army androids instead. When two blasts were closing in, she used the tail her Overdrive provided her to her advantage. She hooked it around a tree branch, flipping over the two blasts as they collided, and she positioned herself on said branch. "Take this!" She fired another explosive shot from Happy.
"That's not going to work a second time!" Athena said while holding her shield outward. The blast exploded against the shield, but the impact looked different this time. Athena didn't have time to do anything else, because in the time it took for her to block that attack, Rebecca closed in from behind, kicking her in the back and causing her to stumble. "…Ngh?!"
"Don't blink! You don't want to miss what's coming next!" Rebecca fired another explosive shot towards Athena, which she blocked…and proceeded to kick her back again. This was a loop, Rebecca keeping Athena trapped for a moment or two. When she thought she racked up enough damage on Athena, Rebecca went in for the finish. "This is the end!" She aimed a kick at the back of Athena's head, but to her surprise…Athena swayed to the side, completely avoiding it. Rebecca's eyes widened as it all played out in slow motion: Athena evading her attack, and then slamming her shield into Rebecca's chest.
"Release." Athena uttered that single word and an explosion occurred on Rebecca, sending her through a tree or two from how powerful it was.
"Ngh…" Rebecca was on her back, grimacing from that harsh impact. "W-What was that…" She was attempting to stand up, but her ears were ringing.
"Did you really think you had me trapped?" Athena said with a scoff. "I could've blocked all of those shots with my Shine Barrier if I wanted, but I would never draw you in close that way. My shield can absorb impacts and hold onto their effects for as long as I want…and the effect stacks. I just had to bait you until you thought you could finish me off."
"She's dangerous…" Happy told Rebecca.
"I know…" Rebecca said while shaking her head, standing back up. "But we're not going to let her win!"
"I think I understand how you tick now." Athena said while sauntering slowly. Sure, there was conflict going on in the background, but she was solely focused on Rebecca right now. "You're all speed. You have absolutely no power on your own, and your little accessory can only pack a half decent punch. Still, that's no reason for me to underestimate you. If I'm not careful, you may very well be given an opening to land a decisive blow. But that's only if I allow it." She then opened her hand and placed it on the ground. Ether symbols began to spread out from her palm and soon, a barrier of white light formed around Rebecca and Athena.
"W-What is this?!" Rebecca asked. They were trapped in a dome. She reached out to touch it, but she stopped when she saw a few Delta Ridge androids try. The light completely burned their limbs, which melted and fell to the ground. "Ah!?" The woman yelped while taking a step back.
"A light barrier. From this point on, you're stuck with me. Nobody gets in or out without my say so." Athena said while standing up. "As you saw with those androids, nothing pretty happens if you touch it. Nobody gets in, and nobody gets out without my say so." A malicious smile crept up on her lips. "And now it's my turn to join you. Light Speed!" The ether lines around her body spread to her back, which created two angelic wings composed purely of light. "Shall we continue?"
"Ngh…" Rebecca grit her teeth. She could really use Pino right about now, but she was busy with the others fending off Yeti Blizzard. "Fine. I can do this!" Rebecca took a step forward, and the moment her foot touched the ground…Athena was already beside her. "…!"
Athena didn't say a word, but her leg did slam into Rebecca's face, causing her to fall back on the ground. "You're not the only one that can move superfast. However, unlike you, it's not tied to my legs." She raised a hand, light forming into a scepter which she attempted to stab into Rebecca's ankle. Rebecca gasped, but she was fast enough to flip up and over Athena, attempting to land an axe kick on her in the process, but her shield blocked that.
Rebecca landed and immediately pointed Happy forward, but Athena wasn't in that spot anymore. "What?! She can't be that fa…!" Before she could finish her statement, Athena slammed her palm into Rebecca's stomach, a condensed blast of light sending her backwards again. "Kyaaah!" Rebecca bit her tongue, flipping to land and catch herself, but Athena was already on her once again. This time, Rebecca was prepared. Her tail wrapped around Athena's wrist, the one holding the shield, so it would not be in the way of what was coming next.
"That works-!?" Athena didn't see Rebecca's use of it earlier. She assumed the tail was just for show, but she was proven wrong.
"Full power, Happy Shot!" Rebecca pointed Happy right in Athena's fast and clicked the trigger, a potent ether bullet exploding against Athena at point blank range. This was enough to send the Goldstone flying back towards the edge of her own barrier.
But she came to a halt just before she would hit the light. Athena let out a soft exhale. "That was an impact. Did you think my own barrier would hurt me, though?" To prove her point, she placed a hand on the light. Where it would've burned anyone or anything else, she was just fine.
"Darn it…" Rebecca was panting softly. She was feeling the exhaustion creep in both physically and in terms of her Ether. She wasn't going to be able to hold her Overdrive for much longer, and Athena wasn't giving her many openings for a decisive hit either. If Happy's power wasn't enough to take her down…
"Don't tell me you're feeling exhausted already." Athena said as her wings vanished, meaning that the Light Speed technique was over. She slowly and carefully sauntered towards the exhausted Rebecca. "I was just starting to have fun." The sounds of conflict outside the barrier could be heard, which made her smile.
"…Even if I can't win this battle, I'll make sure we win this war." Rebecca narrowed her eyes. She took a deep breath and focused, crouching down a bit before blasting forward. She was making a beeline straight for Athena, preparing to strike when…
CLAP!
Athena was in front of Rebecca. She quite literally teleported in front of the woman, clapping her hands together in front of Rebecca's face. The frequency emitted from this clap, and the range, completely stunned Rebecca's senses. "Gotcha."
"…!?" Rebecca couldn't move or make a sound. Her eyes widened and her pupils shook as her brain briefly shut down. That stunner clap technique completely stopped her body and her mind was racing ahead. "W-what just happened…I can't…move…"
"I can tell you're wondering what just happened to you." Athena said with a coy smile. "A simple technique, anyone can use it. It's called the Stunner Clap. When your opponent is extremely agitated or focused, emitting a high frequency noise in front of them like this completely stunts the brain for a little bit. If I spent this entire fight trying to keep up with you, I'd run out of steam before long. I just can't do that." Athena then spun around, aiming a roundhouse kick for Rebecca's liver. A swift, but powerful hit to a sensitive area of the body was enough to make Rebecca topple over sideways.
"GAAAH!" A hit like that hurt a lot. All Rebecca could do was fall, dropping Happy in the process. Before Happy hit the ground, Athena knocked the assault rifle to the side, causing him to bounce off the barrier of light.
"AAH!" Happy returned to normal, collapsing on the ground with some severe damages.
Rebecca hit the ground, unable to say or do anything as Happy got hurt. But that was the least of her worries. The ground underneath her began to shine brightly and soon, a sphere of light struck her stomach, causing her to rise into the sky. "Guh…!?"
"I'll make sure you get a flashy finish!" Athena said with a wink as Rebecca was lifted into the air. She opened up the top of the barrier, allowing Rebecca to fly through that before she snapped her fingers. "Celestial Fireworks!" A brilliant white explosion occurred in the sky with Rebecca as the center of it all. It truly did look like a fireworks display with all the numerous pops of light bouncing out in the night sky, surely noticeable to all for a large distance. Whatever sounds of agony Rebecca let out were completely drowned out by the explosions.
Rebecca fell back into the barrier and it closed. She landed on the ground, back in her regular form, her clothes tattered and her skin bruised from the impact. She was barely conscious after that, looking up with blurry vision to Athena who was slowly walking over to her. "Ngh…."
Athena straddled Rebecca, leaning down with a coy smile. Their faces were very close, but that hardly mattered since Rebecca was fading in and out of consciousness. "You put up a wonderful fight, Rebecca. But you were outclassed from the very beginning. It's a shame, too…because I'm such a big fan. But you know what they say? Never meet your favorites…you never know what might happen." She placed one hand on Rebecca's cheek, while the other one began to charge up some light….
.
.
Just a few kilometers off from the warehouse, the Blue Bomber was rapidly approaching. He could see a large explosion of light off in the distance from his target destination. He narrowed his eyes and continued to fly forward. "I hope I'm not too late…"