Hey guys!
Chapter 11 is finally done and i'm gonna soon start working on chap 12, there was more things I wanted to add in this chapter however i think that I'll add them in the future. Like I said previously there's still some stuff I need to figure for this story so I need to make a choice for the future.
And also THANK YOU for 100 followers on this story! Like seriously how?! I never expected people to be interested in this story but somehow you guys are! That's why I want to thank you guys for all the support this story have!
Anyways enjoy and I'll see you guys next time!
2B was having a hard time keeping up with Erebus as she kept evading both of his swords. She couldn't remember when was the last time that she had to face someone with a two handled sword fighting style. His movement were slowly becoming hard to read while her movements were becoming sloppy which made her even more stressed as she tried to keep herself alive, however there was another thing that lingered on 2B's mind. It was the fact that Erebus still hasn't spoken a word since he had emerged from that giant flower, instead he kept grunting and snarling like a wild animal and his eyes were devoid of any emotions. Normally 2B wouldn't care about his sudden personality change however she began wondering if his current state wasn't making him even more dangerous then before, each cut that she had successfully landed on him were almost instantly closing up on their own. These details only made 2B's suspicious correct, in this current state Erebus was more durable and unpredictable then ever.
2B ducked her head down as she avoided Erebus great sword from coming close to her neck, but to her surprise he quickly followed up by thrusting his smaller sword towards her chest which she instinctively deflected it. He then instantly teleported behind her and brought his larger sword down at her, 2B dodged it with a backflip before quickly charging at him. Erebus growled as he kept repeatedly thrusting her with his smaller sword however 2B gracefully kept evading each hits until she landed in front of him, however as she was about to counter attack Erebus caught her off guard by bringing is other sword to her side which she quickly parried it before slashing his chest open, fresh blood soon began dripping in abundance before his wounds immediately started to heal up. This caused 2B to scowl at him before instinctively tilting her head back as his blade narrowly missed her jaw by a couple inches, she put some distance between them by jumping back and took the opportunity to catch her breath.
''Ma'am, I don't understand how you are able to keep up with him. But what you just did was truly amazing.'' 4S said in awe as he quickly run behind his white haired superior.
''The only reason why i'm able to keep up with him is because he has lost his sanity. If that machine was still conscious of his actions, things wouldn't go so smoothly for me.'' 2B stoically said while keeping her eyes on Erebus, it wasn't that she didn't appreciate her comrade praise however she couldn't afford to let her guard down in those critical situation.
''O-oh well yeah, i guess...''
''Do you have any recent news on the squadrons that we were supposed to meet here?'' 2B asked while steadying herself.
''No unfortunately...However before I talked to this machine earlier, i managed to directly send our current location to the Yorha squadrons before the communication was cut.'' 4S said while looking at the sky, after hearing this 2B allowed a faint grin to appear on her lips.
''That's good to know, this means that I have to last long enough for the resistance members to come including our squadrons.'' 2B said with resolve clear in her voice.
''Please let me help you in this fight ma'am!'' 4S said while preparing to summon his sword however he stopped as 2B's hand haltered him from moving.
''I appreciate your help however it's best that you leave this fight to me, don't take this the wrong way but this machine is very dangerous and you as a scanner unit wouldn't last long fighting him. I can't guarantee your safety if you chose to fight, do you understand?'' 2B spoke in a matter of fact tone that left no room for argument, upon hearing that 4S lowered his sword and stared at her bruised back.
''Alright but if things gets out of hand then I'll step in, it's best that we both fight him rather to let one of us die.'' 4S said as he slowly backed away from his superior.
2B wasn't foolish enough to fight Erebus head on without formulating a proper strategy to defeat him, while they were fighting each other's she took the time to analyse any potential weakness that could possibly play in her favour. Sadly she didn't spot anything that could possibly help her defeating him however during their fight her eyes glanced back and forth on his strange wings, it was hard to describe what they exactly looked like expect that they were decaying from the looks of it. But what was even stranger was the two small flowers that could be seen on the center of each wings, many thoughts were running through her mind as she tried to figure out what could they possibly represent. 2B wasn't sure but something told her that these flowers had something to do with his sudden transformation, however there wasn't anything she could do about it. What truly matters for the time being was neutralising him at any cost, and for that to happen she needed to be smart about it and not let her emotions get the better of her. A sudden realisation came to 2B's mind as she thought about her current fight, each time 2B fought Erebus in the past, she had always let her emotions take over her which had nearly costed her life as well as being tormented, tortured and humiliated by him. This epiphany caused her to be ashamed of herself, she knew better than to let her emotions get out of control. However this would be the last time that she would allow a machine get the better of her, because now she definitely was ready to end things here.
2B took a deep breath before slowly walking towards Erebus who had finished healing his deep wounds, 2B heard him growling and immediately prepared herself. Erebus came running towards her while aiming for her head with his larger sword which she dodged it by side stepping, he then quickly bought his other sword directly at her side. This forced 2B to evade a multitude of mixed up strike that came towards her, the white haired warrior then jumped in the sky before rapidly coming at her with the intention of impaling her to the ground. 2B instinctively dodged his attack by jumping back before landing on her feet, she wasted no time and grabbed her pod by its arms and pointed at him.
''Fire now!'' 2B shouted at her floating companion, the pod obeyed and immediately fired a blast towards Erebus but shockingly he dodged the blast by jumping above it until he landed on a truck. She reluctantly kept assaulting him with her pod but to her frustration he kept bouncing from objects to objects until he landed on tree, 2B grinned to herself as she rapidly fired at the tree branch where he was standing. This caused him to lose his balance and fall down but he caught himself at the last moment using his wings and flew towards the sky, 2B cursed him under her breath before shooting a multitude of blast in the sky while hoping to strike him down. Her frustration was becoming bigger as he kept dodging them until he came down towards her with his sword at an alarming speed, 2B eyes widened for what was about to come and quickly threw herself out of his way however it was to late as his sword had pierced her abdomen open.
''Shit...'' 2B wheezed out weakly, she couldn't believe that he managed to injure her once again. Her back was profusely bleeding as she tried lifting her body from the ground, but she suddenly heard someone slowly approaching her. 2B was to scared to even lift her head but nonetheless did, she didn't need to properly look up because she knew exactly who it was by the sound he was making. 2B slowly started to accept her fate, that once again she had lost to him, normally she would've been infuriated by this but now she couldn't help but to chuckle at herself. She had already learned her lesson and wasn't going to give Erebus the satisfaction of seeing her frustrated by this outcome, even in her last moment's. But the sound of footsteps rapidly sprinting towards her made 2B realise what was about to happen.
''Get away from her!''
''No! Don't do this 4S, stay were you are!''
Her warning were futile as she saw 4S running behind Erebus before trying to stab him in the back, however Erebus didn't bother to acknowledge 4S as he slapped the sword out of his hand with his wing before finally turning around and instantly piercing 4S stomach with his smaller sword. 2B could only watch in horror as she saw 4S body slowly falling to the ground as he clenched his stomach.
''4S!'' 2B yelled as she desperately crawled towards his body however Erebus growled as he positioned himself in front her and lifted his sword while his red dull eyes were staring down at her frightened face, 2B then looked up to him with hatred in her eyes as she saw him bought his sword down at her. 2B could only stare at the tip of the blade as its slowly came towards her face, but that's when someone suddenly jumped over her limp body and kicked him into his neck which caused Erebus to fall down on his back. 2B could only stare at her mysterious saviour in shock, wanting to know who had saved her she squinted her eyes towards whoever had come to help her and was utterly surprised to see the figure of a woman with long white hair along with a bruised and damaged body that was barely covered. 2B eyes widened in disbelief as she instantly figured out who exactly this mysterious woman was.
'...A2?' 2B mentally thought to herself as she saw the long white haired women turned her head to look down at her, 2B couldn't understand why someone like A2 would save her from a machine. After all they were enemies and they would always be, every time herself and 9S encountered her it always ended with both of them dying at her hands. However her attention was bought back when she saw A2's body was bleeding from everywhere which made her believe that she was the one that Erebus was strangling before she threw her spear at him, but that didn't mean she would just allow herself to trust a fugitive wanted by Yorha.
''Are you finally going to stand up? Or do you want to keep staring at me?''
''...Why did you help me?'' 2B sternly asked as she pushed herself from the ground before leaning on a tree from behind her, A2 merely spared a glance towards her before looking back ahead of her.
''Don't get your hopes up, we're enemies however it's oblivious that you're not strong enough to beat him on your own.'' A2 said in a detached tone, normally she would have never considered siding with a Yorha unit but she knew this machine was way to dangerous for herself to kill in her current state.
''Still it doesn't answer my question, i want to know why are you helping me.'' 2B protested as she carefully pushed herself from the tree and slowly walked behind the Yorha fugitive. She wasn't naive, she knew better then to accept anything from a wanted fugitives such as A2.
''...My reasons are none of your business, we have a common enemy and I'm temporarily offering you my help. Take it or leave it.'' A2 said as frustration crept into her voice before summoning her sword and pointed it at 2B which caused her to frown as she stared at A2 with anger in her eyes before finally giving her answer.
''Very well, but remember once this is over I'm personally coming to kill you.'' 2B said in a tone that sounded more like a promise to herself as she took a fighting stance besides A2.
''A mindless soldier like you will never be able to kill me.'' A2 retorted back as she ignored the hateful glare that was send towards her, she narrowed her eyes towards Erebus who had finished picking himself up before snarling at the both of them.
''What happened to him? Why is he acting like this?''
''After 4S pulverised him, a giant black flower appeared and he crawled out from it. Ever since he's been acting this way.'' 2B briefly explained to A2 as they both stared at him, they were both confused and disturbed by Erebus sudden change however that didn't mean they would show him any mercy.
Both Yorha soldiers looked at each other's and nodded before running towards Erebus, each one went to the opposite side while gripping their sword until they were both close enough to him. Erebus grunted as he thrusted his larger sword towards A2 in a attempt to stab her, A2 reacted by evading his hit and quickly followed with a cut at his stomach which caused him to grunt. But before Erebus could attack 2B rapidly came to his opposite side and successfully sliced his leg open by piercing through his armour, both were startled as Erebus snarled at them. Both Yorha units immediately evaded each hit that Erebus threw at them with both of his sword, after a while the Yorha duo blocked each hits that were coming at them before going on the offensive. Both were now striking him from every angle, their movements were perfectly synchronised as they kept striking him side by side. To say that they were shocked would be an understatement as Erebus managed to block every hit with both of his sword, A2 and 2B both gritted their teeth as they blocked each sword.
Both understood that they wouldn't last if they didn't unite their strength, the duo looked at each other's before pushing him back and both quickly kicked him into his stomach at the same time. The strength behind their kick were enough to send Erebus flying back towards a building wall, they saw him hit the ground before slowly getting up on his feet. A2 wasn't going to let him catch his breath and quickly sprinted towards him, Erebus growled he as rapidly thrusted his sword towards her however A2 dodged his blade by gracefully jumping on it before landing behind him. Just as Erebus was about to turn around 2B rushed towards him and summoned her virtuous treaty however she threw her virtuous contract halfway through, just as expected Erebus narrowly dodged her sword by side stepping. But what he didn't anticipate was that A2 caught 2B's sword from behind him and immediately sliced off his wings before stabbing him in the back with both swords, Erebus cried out in agony and was about to attack back but didn't have the opportunity when 2B dashed forward while thrusting her virtuous treaty into his stomach.
'This is it.'
Both androids couldn't believe what that they had accomplished successfully, they both managed to stab him. They were expecting Erebus to resist and break free but surprisingly he didn't. Both androids were confused to see him unmoving which made them wonder if they had finally killed him, but their hopes were discarded as they saw that he still hasn't let go of his sword. If there's one thing they both learned through their previous encounters with Erebus was to never let their guards down when fighting him even when the odds are on their side. A2 and 2B nodded at each other's before savagely pulling their swords out of Erebus body and stepped back from him, they watched him slowly falling to the ground. Now they would make sure he would never get up, A2 understood what needed to be in order for them to conclude this fight. Wasting no time she positioning herself in front of Erebus who still hasn't said a word for quite a while now, A2 eyes were staring down at him just like a predator gawking over his prey. A frown could be seen on her bruised face as she saw Erebus's body shaking in a unusual manner, in a way A2 almost pitied him. Who possibly would've thought that this machine beneath her was not so long ago a powerful opponent to be feared but now was reduced as a mindless defective mess, A2 absolutely despised that monster with all of her core but she couldn't help but to feel a slight ounce of respect towards him for all the trouble he managed to put her through. However it was time for her to end his suffering and to finish this fight, A2 positioned her blade above Erebus neck.
''Time for you to be gone from this world, farewell.'' A2 said as memories of her deceased friends crept to her mind, which she brushed aside as she was about to conclude this fight, yet something unexpected made her stop.
2B silently watched A2 front behind and saw her hesitation, she sincerely hoped that A2 hadn't changed her mind and decided to killer her instead. Currently she wasn't in any position to protect herself which made her quite nervous as A2 still hadn't moved from her spot, she was about to question her motives when a dark fog slowly began surrounding Erebus body. 2B eyes widened as she saw the fog was rapidly expending towards A2 feet and slowly towards herself, Never in her life had she witnesses something like this which made her slightly scared of what was about to happen. However it soon became clear to her that Erebus was responsible for this strange fog, still they absolutely needed to be careful or else this might be their last moments.
''Get away from him!''
A2 didn't needed to be told twice as she wasted no time and immediately backed away from Erebus body, but before they could question what was currently happening both androids watched in horror as they saw their common enemy getting up from the ground once more. A2 couldn't believe what she was witnessing, this machine was still able to move after having three blades implanted into his body, nobody could've survived what this machine endured however she should've known better then to get her hopes high. They weren't dealing with a powerful machine anymore but rather a mindless monster. The two white haired androids prepared themselves for another merciless battle when they saw something that made them petrified. A strange transparent shaped figure detached itself from Erebus body and walked in front of him while taking a fighting stance besides him. 2B and A2 were both confused of who this mysterious person might be however the dark fog soon began vanishing. Both white haired androids were mortified as they saw what looked like a clone of Erebus with a red glowing body.
''Another one of him?!'' A2 eyes narrowed as she looked at the clone in disbelief.
''Its a clone of him...just like in the desert.'' 2B deduced as she gazed at their new opponent.
Both white haired androids gripped their swords as fear could be seen in both of their eyes, they intensely kept staring at the Erebus and his mysterious doppelganger. 2B took a better look at the clone and saw he had his wings intact while also holding onto the same swords that Erebus had, while seeing this she couldn't help but to accepted that her chances of survival were nonexistent. However A2 hasn't handling the situation any better as she wasn't able to keep her emotions in control, despair slowly took over her mind as her hands were uncontrollably shaking and her breathing was becoming heavier with each second. A2 was tired of fighting in this cursed war, whatever choices she made it didn't change the outcome of her fate. That she was destined to die at the hands of those machines, the only thing she could hope for was a miracle to happen but deep down she knew it was futile to even think about this concept. A2 glanced at the trees and buildings that surrounded them, before looking at 2B. A glimpse of surprise could been seen on A2 face as she saw the Yorha battle type shaking in a similar manner to herself, which made her think that perhaps they weren't so different after all.
''They're coming, prepare yourself.'' 2B said while staring at the duo monsters that were approaching them.
''I'm always prepared for these moments, the real question is are you prepared to die?''
2B didn't know why but something in A2 words made her mind go blank for a moment before she decided to ignore A2's statement and remained silent as she focused her attention towards Erebus and his clone. Which A2 did the same after not hearing a response from her partner. Both Yorha androids were caught off guard by Erebus and his clone suddenly teleporting close to them and swinged their larger swords down at them in synchronisation, thankfully both androids managed to evade their blade taking some distance between the duo. While the duo androids were catching their breath, 2B eyes couldn't help but to glance towards Erebus at every opportunity she got. She didn't know why but seeing him in such a deplorable state made her question why was she so afraid of him? After their first encounter she had spend days in her room questioning her self worth, questioning if she was too mentally fragile to continue fighting in this war. She absolutely loathed him for the pain and torture he put her through, for being alive while many of her fellow kind died at the hands of machines like him. Never had she wished death on someone however for the first time in her life she wished for him to feel the same pain that every androids had to her endure through the years. She promised herself that she would put an end his existence by any means necessary even if her life depended on it. 2B furiously charged towards Erebus and swung her sword at him, this caused A2 to curse her companion reckless attitude before also charging towards the machine clone.
8?? A.D
Inside of an old abandoned church could be seen a person holding a black flower while sitting in front of a decaying marble statue, it has been years since anyone had stepped inside the church after the last massacre that happened from a unknown group of worshippers. At first nobody had noticed anything abnormal as people regularly used to come and pray inside the church, however over the months many people began to disappear before their body's were found dismembered. After these horrible events, many people began fearing this place and started to stay away from this church, perhaps they thought this place was haunted or maybe they were afraid of to become the next victim of these groups of heretics. Erebus grey eyes were glued on the flower that he was holding in his palm until he heard some strange movements from behind him, this caused him to frown as he averted his eyes from the flower and looked at the dark figure that was standing behind him before glancing back at the decaying statue. It didn't take long for Erebus to figure whoever had come to disturb him.
''How awfully nice of you to come to me, did you make this decision on your own or perhaps someone had to put a couple of coins in your hand for you to do so?'' Erebus questioned in a bitter tone while staring at the statue before him.
''I'm not afraid of you Erebus, each lord of the lands and myself will everything in our power to stop you. You'll never be able to control all of us.''
''You're more delusional then ever if you think that a mercenary like you have what it takes to stop me, and as for the lords of lands if they truly value their lives along with their precious kingdoms then they will have no choice but to obey me.'' Erebus said as smirk slowly crept to his lips.
''Delusional? This is coming from a tyrant who's obsessed with a blasphemous flower and is willing to kill anyone who doesn't follow your wishes, that arrogance of yours will be your downfall.''
''It isn't blasphemy!'' Erebus growled as he got up to his feet.''Someone like you couldn't even begin to comprehend what lies beyond our world, the flower has revealed to me of what kind of fate awaits us. Sacrifices are necessary in the name of grand ambition.''
''By ambition do you mean sacrificing countless of people?! By turning your loyal knight into mindless monsters due to your fear of betrayal? Or by destroying every monarch in your path so that you can rule over everything as you wish?!''
Erebus looked down at the flower in his palm that had began to vanish into dust. Taking a deep breath he finally turned around to face the person he had started to resent for quite some time. The man or rather the elf who was standing before him made Erebus more frustrated then ever, the elf had short black hair along with bright blue eyes. Both of them were glaring at each other's, both of them firmly disapproving of each other's methods. The tension was thick as they kept locked in each other's eyes for some time until Erebus finally decided to express his thoughts.
''I'm trying to save humanity by using the powers of the black flower, to prevent any disastrous incident to come into this world.'' Erebus said in a quiet voice while looking at the person he once considered a friend.''But it would seem like nobody wants to accept that, which is why i must carry on this duty. To ensure that this world will remain protected from the beings that are trying to enter it.''
Erebus waited for his friend to respond but was only met by silence and a disapproving frown that told him everything he needed to know, Erebus didn't know why he even bothered explaining his motives since nobody was willing listening to him but he still nonetheless tried to convince his friend with one last attempt.
''Please Listen to me, with the black flower in my possession i could change the whole world. I could bring a new age of peace and prosperity, nobody will have to lose someone they cared ever again in this war. I can control the flower with enough time given, if you would just have faith in me.'' Erebus extended his hand towards his friend in a desperate attempt to change his mind.''This could mark the beginning of a new era, which is why I need to know if you're with me...or against me?'' Whatever hope Erebus had were shattered as he saw the black haired elves pulling his sword from his back and pointed directly at him.
''Are you even listening to yourself?! The Erebus i once knew wouldn't never considered trusting this accursed flower nor committed the terrible acts that you've done, this cursed flower has corrupted every part of you and you're not even aware of it. It's deceiving you by making you believe that you are the one in control however it's the opposite, it's the flower who's controlling you. I should have seen it coming many years ago but there's nothing i can do about it except to stop this madness.'' The elf said while staring at Erebus with pity and sadness in his eyes. Upon hearing that Erebus couldn't but to chuckle to himself before also taking his sword into his hand.
''How interesting! Because the old you would have never betrayed me but...it doesn't matter anymore, what matters is that I achieve my goals even if I have to kill you.'' Erebus coldly said while staring at his sword before looking back at his current enemy.
''So that's how it's going to be then?'' The elf said while hardly accepting that what was about to happen.
''You've bought this upon yourself!'' Erebus shouted before lunging towards the black haired elf who blocked his sword. Both of them were ready to settle this conflict once and for all, they both knew that one of them would have to die this night.
