The final battle in Delta Ridge was completely centered in Echo City. Blair's timely arrival stoked the ire of Aiden, who used the Golden Knight Gear to chase her down in the city. She was getting them away from the collateral damage of the others in the Resistance, plus she needed the space to truly go all out. Blair was hopping across buildings while Aiden was in hot pursuit. "Don't think you can run away from me!" Aiden said while raising his hand, the Golden Knight Gear lifting its blade to bring down on her.
"I'm not running away. I just need space." Blair responded while looking over her shoulder. She could see the incoming blade and she jumped into the air, avoiding the mighty slash that split the ground and several buildings in the process. She sucked her teeth in annoyance and landed on the blade, now sprinting along the blade towards Aiden.
"I don't know what Vanessa was doing, but she should have killed you when she had the chance. But I've always had to clean up her messes!" Aiden pressed a button, causing multiple missiles to fire from the Golden Knight Gear's back and towards Blair and she approached.
"What a happy marriage you must've had!" Blair spar, eying the incoming missiles that came her way. Aiden also lifted the sword up, flinging Blair into the air to give her no space to dodge. "Tch!"
"Let's see you dodge this, monster!" Aiden grinned!"
Blair spun around in the air for a bit before a glow appeared around her body, making use of Rebecca's Cat Leaper that she consumed. She had no idea of it's true properties, just that it was a speedy Ether Gear. Combined with the blades in her gauntlets, she unleashed a burst of wind that allowed her to 'walk' on air, landing on the first of incoming missiles. She used her gauntlet blade to slide through them as she moved across them. Multiple explosions occurred in the air and at the final one, Blair lunged at Aiden, rearing her leg back as flames surrounded her leg. "Rising Phoenix!" She swung her blazing leg at the Golden Knight Gear, cutting across its 'face' and causing it to stagger backwards.
"GAH!" Aiden grunted, a cut appearing along his cheek as the Life Link he shared with this Knight Gear caused him to sustain the same damage it did. "You little!"
"You're not really good at fighting, are you?" Blair said with a mocking tone. "Doesn't matter to me. You'll make for a mediocre meal." Her Therion arm started to let off an ominous aura, which meant she was starting to suck away the Ether from anything and everything in range. This is why she was seeking space: to not get anyone caught up within this except her target.
"You're getting ahead of yourself!" Aiden grunted. "I'm not allowing anyone to stop these androids from ruling the universe as it should be!" He then slammed his sword on the ground, the force of this maneuver causing a shockwave that knocked Blair into the air. Before Blair had a chance to recover, Aiden then slammed his fist into her, knocking her from the sky and into a building which collapsed. "A monster like you has no right to intervene between a matter of androids and humans."
Blair was buried under some rubble after an impact like that, but she pushed it off of her, bruised and bloodied from the hits she just took. It was at this moment she was reminded she was fighting a gigantic mech that was bigger than her, so of course its blows were going to hurt. This Knight Gear gave the Eden's Zero trouble, so of course it wasn't going to be easy for her…but this was fine. Her Therion instincts enjoyed the thrill of this hunt. "I don't care." Blair spat up some blood. "There's only one thing on my mind at the moment. It's not even getting rid of you or ending this war. My target is that witch you barely call a wife. You're just…in my way."
In the way!? Blair wasn't even taking him seriously? The audacity of this…this…! "How dare you!" Aiden drew his arm back, the shield of the Golden Knight Gear gaining spikes and revving like a chainsaw. He hurled this shield towards Blair with the intention of slicing her in half.
Blair firmly planted her feet on the ground and narrowed her yellow eyes. As the spiked shield came her way, she grabbed it with her Therion arm, sliding back a great deal. She was sliding back so much, she was crashing through buildings as the spikes dug into her Therion Arm, but she grit her teeth and slowly came to a stop, now holding the spinning shield in her arm that she then flung it back at Aiden!
"What!?" Aiden's eyes went wide. This woman grabbed something that sharp with what was essentially her bare hand!? And she threw it back!? Aiden had no choice but to bring up the Golden Knight Gear's sword in a defensive positon as the shield clashed against it. It took him a few seconds, but he was able to deflect it towards the Communication tower. In the time it took him to do this, Blair was already in front of him. "…!"
Blair thrusted her blade gauntlet forward, using her immense power as a Therion to empower the incoming strike. "Mega Sonic Thrust!" The blade ejected an incredible raw force struck the Golden Knight Gear in the chest, causing it to fly back and fall onto the ground.
"GAAAAH!" Aiden was flung around in the cockpit from Blair's power.
From a distance, the others of the Resistance could see the Golden Knight gear being flung around. "Whoa…she's really that strong…?" Medi said with wide eyes.
Blair landed on the Golden Knight Gear's chest, taking a swipe at the cockpit with her Therion Arm. She completely destroyed the head and part of the chest, exposing Aiden in the process. Naturally, Aiden was screaming out in pain since he felt this pain. "Is that the best you can do?" Blair said while looking down at Aiden, glaring.
"50% ether power remaining." The automated voice of the Golden Knight Gear said.
Aiden was panting heavily. Just being near Blair was draining him and his Knight Gear of life and Ether. This woman was…so dangerous! But…he took a quick look at her and noticed how she looked a bit exhausted as well. Could it be that this power of hers comes at a price…? Of course! Aiden gave Blair a wicked grin as several missiles fired from his shoulders, but not at her…toward the Resistance.
"What…!?" Blair's eyes widened. She was his opponent, why was he aiming for them!?
"Incoming…!" Stella weakly exclaimed.
"I got this! Steel Creation: Dome!" Tristan took to action, protecting everyone by creating a dome of steel. The missiles exploded against the dome, but his defenses held on.
"What the hell is going on over there?!" Sister grunted in annoyance.
"What's your problem-?" Before Blair could finish, her Therion arm was grabbed and used to hoist her into the air. "Gh…!" This was draining the Golden Knight Gear, but she also couldn't move it.
"I remember what Vanessa told me about Therions." Aiden said while standing back up, suspending Blair in the air. "They require an incredible amount of Ether to sustain their appetite. You look like you haven't eaten much, even after that one attack you absorbed for Stella's sake. You must be running on fumes this whole time? A little frightening if you're this strong…but you're at the end of your rope, aren't you? You haven't been eating enough for one reason or another…and it's slowing you down."
Blair grit her teeth, her silence confirming Aiden's suspicions. "I'll eat this Knight Gear and feel right as rain." Even as she was draining it and Aiden of their Ether and life, it just wasn't enough to keep her full.
Aiden had a wicked grin on his lips. "It's a shame you had your last meal. You can't eat without that arm, so enjoy a full serving!" Blair was flung into the air against her will once again, but she wasn't able to defend herself since she was slowing down. Aiden pursued and the sword of the Golden Knight Gear had a bright golden glow. "Golden Sword!" This blade was slammed onto Blair's side with as much force as the Knight Gear could muster, slamming Blair into the ground so strongly a crater formed deep in Echo City. Aiden then landed on the ground and scoffed, mildly exhausted. One person did this much damage to his Knight Gear, whereas whole ships could barely scratch him…Therions truly were dangerous. "If it were anyone else, perhaps they would be more threatening. But you hold yourself back for one reason or another, thus making you the least threatening Therion she ever could've conceived. What a shame."
Blair was face down in the dirt, unmoving and unresponsive. "…."
"You exhausted far too much of my power as it. But this should still be more than enough to…" Just as Aiden was about to turn and walk off with his Knight Gear, his radar detected a spike in Ether. "Huh?" It…it was coming from Blair…..
Blair's body was surrounded in a green and black aura, which caused her cape to flutter in the wind. "….."
"Oh, Aiden! I had a curious thought about Therions!" Vanessa's voice in Aiden's mind rang out. It was a memory of something long ago. "You are aware of the Overdrive state, correct? When something's Ether reaches critical mass? Well…I don't think it's impossible for Therions to be able to reach that same state. After all, they consume Ether."
"No…." Aiden's eyes went wide.
The black and green aura continued to swirl around Blair, growing more and more intense with each passing second. Blair's eyes then snapped open in a flash of green light as that aura completely covered her. With a loud scream that bordered on a roar, the aura exploded outward and Blair was back on her feet, but in a completely different state. Her hands and feet both resembled wolf claws, while her cape twisted slightly in such a manner that it looked like a tail. Her eyes turned from yellow to green and she bared her fangs at Aiden. "RAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Blair was indeed holding herself back. Therion instinct was always a hard thing for her to pull back. But in a battle like this, that instinct released itself from her hold and now…the real power of a Therion was about to be unleashed…..
.
.
Max was standing across from Ano and Hermit with a grin. He cornered the easiest prey after seeing through their ruse. The Goldstones completely uprooted the plan and everything was going wrong. Max pointed a gun forward and fired at Hermit and Ano to take them both out. "Bang!"
"Firewall!" Ano said, extending his arms out to block the shot. It was still strong since he was nearly sent sliding back as a result. "Agh! This guy…a single bullet nearly broke my barrier."
"Focus on hacking the system. I can take him." Hermit said while stepping forward. Max was a roadblock in their plan, but that didn't mean they could overcome him.
"You?" Max said while lifting a brow. "I don't think I've seen you throw a single punch in the time you've been here. Aren't you more suited for support or hacking?"
"That's what you think." Hermit said while standing in front of Max. There was a glow around her body as it started to change, much to everyone's surprise. Hermit's body and her assets grew larger and she had a figure similar to Rebecca and Sister. "Did you think I was just some helpless android?" She asked while standing in her Overdrive.
"…" Ano had no words, but he was going to take Hermit's advice and focus on hacking the Tower's security protocol to shut everything down.
"Well, well…" Max was mildly impressed with this reveal. "I wonder if you're just all talk, though." Multiple guns appeared in the air above him, all of them raining bullets down on Hermit. "Devil's Wheel!"
Hermit stared at the guns that appeared. It was an overwhelming about but… "Ballistic Simulator." With her processing speed, she could instantly run a simulation about the firearm's trajectory. Just as the guns began to fire, Hermit moved, also increasing her reflexes with her Overdrive's capabilities to avoid the bullets.
"No way…" Max was surprised. Homura was able to block bullets, but Hermit was the first being he ever ran into that actually avoided so many of them!
Hermit flipped and twisted around with ease, avoiding all of the bullets before closing the gap between herself and Max within seconds. "Logical Kick Blast!" It happened so fast, Max had no time to react. Hermit's foot collided against his cheek and he was sent spiraling backwards until he hit the floor.
"She hit him…!?" Ano gasped.
"You hit me…" Max sat up and rubbed his cheek.
"This actually isn't the worst case scenario…" Hermit said smugly. "Since there's nowhere to hide in this room, you can't hide and snipe us from a distance. It's a lot easier to deal with a sniper when you can see them, and you aren't the first one I've fought either. I can predict the trajectory of your bullets before they even fire."
"Hah…" Max laughed. Androids always were interesting opponents. "So that's how it is, is it? You think you've already got me cornered?"
"I can corner you quite easily." Hermit said while rushing Max again. Just as she was about to kick him, he vanished. "…!"
"Did you also forget I can teleport to my guns!?" Max's voice came from above, where there were plenty of stationary guns lingering in the air. Max fired a bullet from above, which Hermit flipped to dodge, but that bullet then vanished…only to reappear behind Hermit and strike her in the thigh.
"Agh…!" Hermit winced.
"I have plenty of tricks I haven't had to show you just yet! But props to you for making me unleash them!" Max grinned while teleporting to the gun dropped behind Hermit. By the time she realized he was there, he kicked her in the back and she staggered forward. She turned to swing, but he teleported to a gun scattered elsewhere across the room.
"I see…" Hermit shook her head. She could still see Max...but what she didn't see was a bullet aimed for the control panel Ano was working on. She realized it too late. "Ano, watch out!"
Ano was working fast, already at 50% in the short span Hermit was dealing with Max. When he heard Hermit shout, it was too late. The bullet struck the control panel, causing it to explode and knock Ano back slightly. "Gah! No no no!" The young hacker panicked. "Shit! It's totally fried now…!"
"Just because you can see me doesn't mean you know where my bullets are going to strike." Max said with his own grin. "All I had to do was stop you two from hacking into the system, and you can't do that now that your only access point is completely totaled. We all have different objectives here."
"Why are you doing this?!" Hermit clenched her hand into a fist.
"For the money." Max shrugged. That wasn't the answer Hermit wanted to hear, but it was the truth. "Now then, how about we wrap this one up...can you dodge this many bullets!?" The guns Max created were by the dozens, all of them pointing towards Hermit. They all began to fire upon Hermit and despite her efforts; she had no chance to dodge that many bullets from so many angles.
"Hermit…!" Ano was sweating, because this was bad. Hermit looked like Max's worst matchup, but with sheer power he could just…! Wait…Hermit wasn't there anymore. There was no trace of her whatsoever. She vanished?!
"Wh…?" Max was confused as well.
"That version of me was just a hologram." Hermit's voice came from behind Max. She had placed her hands on one of his guns that was closer to the ground, using this as a hacking point to the rest of his guns, taking full control of them. "I can dodge that many bullets. But…can you?" All of Max's guns were now aimed directly at him, and despite his efforts…he had no control over them.
"How-!?" Max's eyes went wide.
"GUNS HARVET!" Hermit exclaimed, coating all of the bullets that were shooting at Max in ether to make them non-lethal. The sheer amount of bullets unleashed were enough to take down any person and it showed as Max fell to the ground, his eyes pure white.
"Whew…" Hermit exclaimed as her body turned back to normal. She took out a Goldstone! "That…wasn't so hard, actually. Looks like his attempted ambush was his mistake. Thanks to all the combat data I got from the previous encounters everyone had with him, I was able to prepare in case he did show up." Hermit said while walking back over to the destroyed control panel. "This is a bigger problem…"
"Yeah, he completely stopped the hack in its tracks." Ano grunted. "I can't access anything like this…"
BOOM. A shockwave caught their attention. The pair immediately turned around, only to see Max standing back up. But his body was different. His muscles grew larger and his eyes were still pure white. He wasn't unconscious, however…. "…Do you know why I use guns?"
"He's standing back up!?" Hermit gasped. She immediately reverted back into her Overdrive, She already used a considerable amount of power, but Max wasn't done yet.
"Because my Sisters told me to." Max said while on his feet. There were no lines on his body, but it was clear that he was in some state of Overdrive with the aura emanating from his body. "Every operation we had was too bloody because of my fists. They forbade me from using my strength and I haven't needed to ever since. But Athena gave me permission for today in case things went south."
"That may be, but your body is still exhausted…!" Hermit charged at Max, aiming to overtake him with her speed. She reared her arm back and thrust it forward. "Logical Arm Blast!" She aimed to punch Max in the face, but he caught her wrist with ease. "…!?"
"I should thank you, Android." Max said while applying pressure to Hermit's wrist, until he crushed it in his grasp. Hermit cried out but Max didn't let her go. "It's been such a long time since I got to unleash my true strength. I'm going to enjoy this."