Welcome back everyone! Last time, Nu has been introduced to Es and Touya's group and is given a warm welcome while the Metal Man and Haruki have met up with Wendy Kazehaya, a wind mage who wants revenge on Mei and Kuon!
With the enemy luring out our heroes, how will the first confrontation between the forces of good and evil go down and more importantly, who is the Metal Man's true identity? All of that will be answered now.
First, let's learn a little bit about Wendy before we begin...
Wendy Kazehaya
Age: 19
Blood Type: AB
Height: 173 cm
Weight: 53 kg
Likes: Wind, Friends and Technology
Dislikes: Liars, Murder, Awful Weather and Lightning
Hobbies: Wind Surfing and Flying
Magic Affinity: Wind
Restricted Ward
It was 5:30 PM as Es, Touya, Mei, Kuon, Nu and Avenge made it to the Restricted Ward, they stopped by the entrance to the ward as Es left for a moment to 'prepare' herself. By now, the wind has died out completely, proving Mei's theory correct. The tornado was just meant to lure them out into the open.
"Whoever the wind Mage is, they're definitely got a lot of explaining to do!" Kuon said as she crossed her arms in frustration. The others understood as she had to deal with Sechs, Acht and Drei in the past for all three were respected mages with Sechs being her older brother. Never mind the fact that their plan to return the world to thr Seithr was insane...
"Which is why you and I will deal with the mage while everyone else will fight the Metal Man. While it's true we don't know what the Metal Man can do, it's best that the two of us deal with this mage." Mei explained to the others of how they're going to split in facing these foes.
"Mei is correct, we don't have a clue of how this machine will fight, but we might have a better chance to find out a weakness and it is indeed best to let mages deal with other mages." Avenge said in agreement as the others, minus Nu, nodded in agreement.
"Nu, can you scan where they are in the Restricted Ward?" Touya asked Nu as the Robotic Maiden nodded in confirmation. With that, Nu stood before the entrance with her visor glowing brightly as she looked side to side and top to bottom. Aftera couple minutes, she turned to the others.
"An metallic humanoid... is in the middle of a clearing... within the Ward and... a human female is around... an elevated level on... top of a building." Nu said to the others, allowing them to process what Nu detected in the Ward. They're too far split from each other... why would they do that? Are they overconfident in their abilities or do they think they're being clever? Either way, this just looked strange.
"Doesn't this sound off? If they're in cahoots, wouldn't it benefit them to work together?" Touya chimed in, wondering the same thing the others are thinking until Kuon had a look of realization on her face.
"The tornado! Think about it, that must have taken a ton of Seithr to create that giant tornado, she needed to rest after that stunt! Plus, if she's up there, the mage can disrupt those of the ground fighting the Metal Man!" Kuon explained to the others as it set in for everyone else. Soon after, they heard clicking from a set of heels as it approached them. They turned to see Es, but she's wearing a different outfit from her regular Overall Dress and has her braid tied behind her head again.
"It would appear they have a more coherent strategy then we expected. Their aim is to divide and conquer. However, underestimating our resolve to protect this city and our loved ones will be there undoing." Es explained to the others in regards to her thoughts on the enemies plans in addition to their shared resolve and comraddere. The outfit she's wearing is an exact spare of the outfit she wore during the Embryo Incident. It was one the the outfits Unomaru had Es wear, due to Unomaru's eccentric love for cute things, including these type of lolita dresses. Touya and Mei could only stare as Kuon pulled herself together.
"Y-yeah, we have people important to us here and this city is important to us too. I'm sure we can beat them!" Kuon replied in agreement with Es, snapping Touya and Mei of out their staring to look at Kuon in agreement.
"R-right. Let's head over to the specific point in the ward before we split off." Mei said as the others walked into the ward. Touya walked up to Es, wondering why she's wearing clothes back from her days as Unomaru's obedient soldier.
"H-hey, Es. Don't take this the wrong way, but why are you wearing those clothes again? Didn't Unomaru give you that dress?" Touya asked nervously to the Azure Maiden while trying not to offend her. Not that if offended him to be honest. It was very nostalgic seeing Es in this dress again. He remembered when he first saw her, she look so beautiful in this dress. Granted, it was off-setted by Es beating a Union into unconsciousness, but the point still stood.
"Y-yes, it was true these clothes were given to me by Unomaru, however these clothes are familiar to me and they offer confort to me. A-also... if there's one good influence Unomaru had on me, I genuinely like this type of clothing..." Es explained, blushing in embarrassment all the while that her taste in clothing is the one good thing she got from Unomaru. Touya couldn't help but smile at her, but also felt sad about how things were so bad between her and Unomaru. While it's true that Unomaru created Es, Touya started to think that made Unomaru the closest thing Es has to a father, yet he just saw her as nothing more than an object to be used and that upset him. The fact that Unomaru had an influence on Es' preferred choice of clothing could have been a sign of care, but it was just wishful thinking.
"I understand Es. But know that it's your choice to wear those clothes again. Not Unomaru." Touya said to Es with words of encouragement with the Azure Maiden giving him a warm and thankful smile. Mei overheard the conversation as she lagged behind a little to listen, and while she understood what Es and Touya meant and yet...
'Es' taste of clothing... is the one good thing she learned from Unomaru? Oy vey... well, considering how her clothes are usually a lolita style and has frills since she started buying her own clothes, it makes sense...' Mei thought to herself as they slowly made their way to their destination.
Restricted Ward [Near the Mitsurugi Agency HQ]
As they got to the HQ around 5:45 PM, the six of them stopped with Nu looking up at the top of the building...
"The female is... up there on... the HQ building." Nu notified before point forward to a massive claering a couple miles away.
"And the Metal Man is over there... alright everyone, this is it! Kuon and I will detain the Mage. Kagari, you, Es, Nu and Avenge will capture the Metal Man. So far, he hasn't killed anyone, so detaining him is preferable. Only destroy him as a last resort." Mei said to the others, going over the plan of attack. The Shrine Maiden wants an idea of what the Metal Man's purpose is and who made him. She just hoped it wasn't one of Unomaru's pet projects.
"Roger. Es, Nu, Avenge, follow me!" Touya replied before signaling his group to follow. As they headed off to the clearing, Mei and Kuon turned to each other with affirming smiles.
"You trust me, Witch?" Mei said with an air of confidence raising a hand up.
"Anytime, Mei." Kuon replied as she clasped her hand with Mei, understanding that the Shrine Maiden intended to use a form of levitation magic to get them up to the top of the building. It was strange that they used to not stand each other, but now they trust each other like sisters would.
"Hole on tight!" Mei said as she chanted a spell and with that, the two mages began making their way to the top of the building.
Mitsurugi Agency HQ [Rooftop]
While on the roof of the Mitsurugi Agency HQ, Wendy has recently finished catching her breath as she stood up and looked down from where she's at to see four people heading toward the Metal Man. Squinting for a moment, Wendy pulled out a pair of binoculars to get a look at them. She then saw Touya, Es, Nu and Avenge heading toward her ally's destination. Wendy began to feel uneasy after seeing the brown haired boy and the blonde hair girl.
"Those two... are Embryo Storage and the Original Grimoire...? But they're... high school students..." Wendy said with some hesitation. Granted, the object of her vengeance is a high school first year, but still, those two had nothing to do with her friend's murder, so Es and Touya are especially innocent in her eyes despite Touya being responsible for Sechs death. While she respected Sechs, she instantly lost all respect for him when he murdered his father and ran away with Acht and Drei in tow...
'Acht... why did you and that meathead go with that murderous scumbag? If you hadn't, you two wouldn't be dead right now...' Wendy thought to herself as she felt a slight change in the air. She stepped near the edge, showing no fear at all. If anything, she enjoyed the thrill of being near the edge thanks to her mastery over the wind, flying high above the city like a bird. Then she heard some sounds behind her...
*Swoosh!*
*Clink*
*Clink*
The sound of air cut with the sound of heeled shoes and boots landing right behind her. Wendy turned slight to get a peak at the unknown sound and right behind her was the Shrine Maiden, Mei Amanohokosaka, the object of her vengeance. The other person however, was the last person she ever expected to see...
'Kuon Glamred Stroheim!? But, I destroyed the boat!' Wendy thought to herself in shock as she recalled destroying the boat that leads to Shin Yokosaki while making sure the captain was off the boat when it happened. It happened after it left some time before it came back and when the captain wasn't looking before she flew over to Shin Yokosaki City herself.
'Ah, she was on the recent boat to the outsode world... makes sense... still, she's responsible for Acht's death too, so I may as well kill two birds with one stone...' Wendy though to herself with a coy smirk as she waited for one of them to say something before she faces them.
"Are you the wind mage who summoned that tornado? First of all, if that was your doing, I'll admit that it was impressive, but you should know better then to freak the living shit out of people like that!" Mei said as she praised and scolded Wendy for her tornado stunt. On one hand, Wendy had to admit the tornado was something she never did, so to be praised was something, but to be scolded for it? She never intended to hurt people with it, but she did understand why though.
"Yup, that was me, Mei Amanohokosaka." Wendy said to the Shrine Maiden, prompting a look of surprise that this wind mage knew her, but through her slight peak, Kuon's face changed to a look of shock.
"Wait, that voice? Is... is that you Wendy!?" Kuon said in surprise as Wendy turned around to face the two mages face to face with an air of confidence. Wendy did a little twril before taking her hat off and bowing like a showman before placing it back on her head.
"Indeed, Kuon Glamred Stroheim! It is I, Wendy Kazehaya, the Mistress of the Wind! It's been a while, hasn't it?" Wendy said with a wide smirk as she eyed the Fire Empress. However, Mei just stared between Kuon and Wendy before turning to Kuon.
"You know her?" Mei asked Kuon, although it was a redundant question considering the Fire Empress knew the name of the so-called "Mistress of the Wind".
"Yes. She's my senior at Ishana, only two years older then me. In addition to specializing in wind magic... she was also my former roommate before Elise became my new roommate." Kuon explained to Mei, causing the Shrine Maiden to look on in disbelief. This eccentric mage was Kuon's previous roommate!? However, before Mei could say anything, Wendy beat her to the punch...
"Yeah, how's Elise doing by the way? Still trying to get into your bed like usual..." Wendy followed up with a cheeky grin, knowing it was the best way to mess with her former roomate.
"She's doing fine and no she has NOT tried to do that! I would kick her out if she did! Besides, you know I don't feel that way about Elise!" Kuon said with some semblance of anger and embarrassment. How many times does she have to say that she's straight to people!?
"Anyway, what are you doing here!? Don't tell me your in league with the Metal Man!?" Kuon asked Wendy, prompting her to tilt her hat down with some semblance of regret.
"I am." Wendy admitted after a moment or two passed, prompting Kuon's anger to boil after letting those words sink in for a moment.
"Why!? That thing is trying to hunt down and murder my friends, Es and Touya!" Kuon shouted in disbelief that Wendy would side with this mechanical being. This hurt Kuon more than she's willing to admit. However, Wendy gritted her teeth before speaking...
"Like your one to talk... especially since your all buddy-buddy with this murderer here..." Wendy replied in such a cold tone that Kuon's anger vanished for a moment before it flared back as she called Mei an ugly name.
"What!? Why would you call Mei that!?" Kuon shouted back as Mei kept silent, although the Shrine Maiden wondered what she did to upset Wendy. Was it a Union she and the others had to put down that was connected to Wendy in some way?
"Because you and that Shrine Maiden... killed a friend of mine a year ago..." Wendy said as her voice cracked in sadness. This cuase Kuon's anger to cease, only to be confused.
"What do you mean? I would never do that to you..." Kuon said in confusion and a hint of sadness of such accusations, with Mei deciding to step in in hopes of defusing the situation and to hopefully make amends...
"You... you might need to clarify that. If... if it was a Union that you were close with... then I'm sorry for what happened, but... we had no other option." Mei apologized to Wendy, understanding that she may have hurt her, however Wendy's eyes now flashed open, burning with anger.
"It's true she was a Union based on what I learned... but if you think that a mere apology will bring my friend back, you better think again! You two murdered Acht and I will never forgive that!" Wendy yelled in anger to the two girls before her, causing Mei and Kuon to stare in shock.
"You were friends with Acht!?" Kuon asked in surprise. While she knew a good deal about Wendy, she didn't know about her connection with Acht and it suddenly clicked. A year ago during the Embryo Incident, Kuon and Mei fought Acht, who was turned into a Drive Union by Sechs, and defeated her by pushing her into Phase Six, causing her to turn into Seithr. When Kuon returned to Ishana, she presented Acht's crystal as her remains and was the only one given a proper burial as there was nothing of Sechs and Drei to burry.
"Yes... Acht was my best friend and she was like a sister to me! And now because... of you two... s-she's dead! You should've known this was coming Kuon!" Wendy said as tears started falling from her eyes as she pointed her staff at them. Mei and Kuon took their stance, realizing that Wendy is now emotionally volatile and is preparing to attack as she slam some wind on the spot they were at before the two dodged the attack
"Listen Wendy, do you really think we wanted to kill Acht?!" Mei said as she avoid another gust, causing Mei to stumble onto her knees as she dodged the attack.
"She was trying to kill us and help Sechs destroy the world, we had no choice!" Mei shouted at Wendy, trying to talk sense into her.
"SHUT UPPPPPP!" Wendy cried out in anger and sorrow as she fired another gust of wind sending Mei to the floor before she charged at Kuon and started swinging her staff to attack the Fire Empress. Kuon did nothing but dodge the Wind Mistress as she hesitated to fight her friend.
"Please Wendy! I don't want to fight you! She was losing her sanity when we fought her and she did it all for Sechs! I didn't want to hurt either of them, but they decided to do those awful things!" Kuon shouted as she kept dodging the wind mage, but she had no intention to listen until eventually Wendy hit Kuon dead square in her stomach, knocking the wind out of her, making her back up and fall to her knees.
"I won't believe your lies! I'll make sure the two of you will suffer the way Acht did and the way I did! Once my ally takes out Embryo Storage and the Original Grimoire, that will be the end of it!" Wendy said in anger, before realizing she let it slip about what's happening. Kuon paused as she got up to her and Mei looked up in confusion at what Wendy said.
"Y-you said Embryo Storage and Original Grimoire? How do you know about Es and Kagari's connections to that?" Mei asked the wind mage as that's personal information only shared between their group.
"Let's just say the Metal Man is dying to see them for what they did to him... and as I shred you both to confetti, your final thought is that I avenged my fallen friend! NOW DIE!" Wendy shouted at the top of her lungs as she lunged toward to the two. Mei and Kuon quickly got up and dodged as they knew they had no choice but to fight back as she was out for blood, their blood. As Wind, Fire and Lightning flew around the building, Kuon and Mei can't help but wonder why the Metal Man is eager to see their friends and for what purpose?
Restricted Ward [Clearing]
Es, Touya, Nu and Avenge ran across the wide clearing in the Restricted Ward and as they closed in to the clearing, the four came to a stop until they saw him... the Metal Man, standing before them.
"The Metal Man..." Es said softly as she and the others stared as him. True to what the information they obtained showed them, his whole body was indeed made of metal and is a full on robot. His glowing eyes were cyan and he wore a light blue scarf. His body is thin and had some armored pieces around his arms, legs and torso. His feet appeared to have pads on their soles and the head is purly spherical. The notable thing about the Metal Man is that his body is silver in color and shines brightly underneath the moon as it's nearing 6:00 PM.
"It is... a mechanical... being. It also... possess weaponry... proceed with... caution..." Nu said as she scanned the Metal Man from top to bottom while keeping her blade up.
"He may not look like much, but remember this machine might be more durable then it looks." Avenge said as he drew his knives and lowered his hood as he got into a combat stance.
The Metal Man stared down his opponents as he got a look at them.
'Embryo Storage and the Original Grimoire... at long last! I've waited for this moment...' The Metal Man thought as he glared at them. He then looked at Nu in co...
'The last Es-N Unit I made... still functioning well I see... but not it's... malfunctioning... it's acting human like Embryo Storage and it's already bonded with Mei, so even if I were to capture it, my orders are no longer absolute. A shame that I will need to scrap it...' The Metal Man continued thinking as he now intends to kill Nu before turning to Avenge...
'To think Avenge would now assist them of all people. To think Mei would hire a Bounty Hunter help out the Mitsurugi Agency. A mistake I will correct.' The Metal Man continued thinking before he spread his legs out slightly and got into a fighting stance, raising his lower arms up and closing his hands into fists.
"What is he doing?" Touya asked the others as the Metal Man lifted his right arm up and gestured the four of them to 'Come at him!' as Touya assumed.
"I think he wants us to come and attack him. I feel that he intends to guage our combat abilities." Es theorized as she kept her guard up with Murakumo.
"Then I will go first!" Avenge said as he ran off first and started to swing his knives at the Metal Man, with the robot dodging some of the swings before blocking one with his hand and grabbing Avenge's other hand before kicking Avenge away, taking his knife and playing around with it.
"Huh... you're fast and smart for a machine..." Avenge said with a slight smirk. Aside from Ripper and Drei, most enemies don't give him trouble right away. The Metal Man then toss the knife back to Avenge, giving him a fight chance at least. Then Nu appeared behind him and took a swing down but before the blade can connect, the Metal Man turned around and fired a repulsor blast from his hand to reflect her attack.
"Attack failed..." Nu said monotonously as she stared the Metal Man who wagled his fingure in a mocking gesture. As he did so, the rooftop as the Mitsurugi Agency HQ was suddenly alit with Wind, Fire and Lightning, as the three elements clashed and erupted across the the skyline.
"Mei! Kuon!" Touya shouted as he saw the conflict fro, where he's standing. He didn't even know who's doing well and who's not. He then felt Es grab his shoulder.
"Touya... we must have faith in them. They defeated Acht, took down three of Unomaru's Es-N Units and helped us defeat Freaks. They can... they WILL defeat the Wind Mage!" Es said with a brave smile and a reassuring tone to her beloved. Hearing this calmed his anxiety and he turned to her.
"Yes, you're right. I do believe in them. We can do this!" Touya said with a thankful smile with the Azure Maiden returning it with a smile of her own before the two chared the Metal Man and proceed to double team him. The three clashed as the Metal Man began using a thruster pack on his back for flight and maneuverability as he used his arms and legs to fight. As he fought Touya, he fired a shot at Es.
"Hyah!" Es shouted as she angled he sword just right to deflect the shot back at the Metal Man, hitting him in his shoulder, causing him to lose his balance.
'What!? Es deflected it!?' The Metal Man thought to himself at the damage he took, but then he looked back at Touya as he delivered a swing at him across his chest, sending him flying into some rubble.
Mitsurugi Agency HQ [Rooftop]
As the Mages continued their Two on One magic duel, the three u leashed some of their most strongest spells as Kuon and Mei tried to detain Wendy. Wendy on the other hand is throwing everything she's got to bring her friends killers to their knees.
"Shikigami Thunderstorm!" Mei shouted as she fired off a barrage of electricity at Wendy, hoping that one of the lightning blasts will hit her.
"Flame Lichtstrahl!" Kuon shouted as she u leashed a giant fire ball toward Wendy, hoping that the blast will knock her down and make her stop.
"Bushido Aeroblade!" Wendy shouted as she used a condensed blade made out of air to slice away the fireball, blowing it up as it caused some of the electric blasts to fly off course, but one magaed to hit Wendy in the process through the smoke.
"ARGH!" Wendy let out in pain as she fell to her knees, trying to catch her breath as the smoke cleared with Mei and Kuon trying to catch their breathes as well.
"S-she's tough..." Mei reluctantly admitted to Kuon as this battle reminded her of her duel with Kuon a year ago.
"That nickname she gave herself, the 'Mistress of the Wind'? That isn't just for show... she knows I'm at a disadvantage here. If she wanted to, she could have made the whole fireball explode. But thay would've have gotten all three of us killed and she knows it." Kuon explained to the Shrine Maiden as the Wind Mistress stood up, using her staff as a crutch.
"Damn... since when did you get so strong?" Wendy asked Kuon as she didn't recall the Fire Empress being this strong before.
"I've been training under Lady Zwei in hope of becoming one of the Ten Sages if that answers your question." Kuon answered the Wind Mage, prompting Wendy to look on in surprise before breaking down in laughter.
"Ahaha... ahahahaha... AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Wendy belted out a loud hearty laugh before simmering down as Mei and Kuon looked on in concern.
"Do you know how much I wanted Acht to teach me something? A lot... it's funny how you got your idol to teach you while Acht only taught me the basics and only one of her spells... it's so funny... she even told me about a boy she liked so much... your brother Sechs... I was planning to tell you about it until they left..." Wendy admitted as more tears escaped her eyes, but before Kuon or Mei can say anything, the three of them noticed the dust cloud occurr beneath them. Mei, Kuon and Wendy could only wonder what's happening down there...
Restricted Ward [Clearing]
As the four of them walked up to the smoky area, Touya wondered if he either incapacitated or destroyed the Metal Man. He had used more strength then intended due to how fast the Metal Man was, but it looks like they got him.
"Nice moves." Avenge praised the two teens as he looked at where the Metal Man crashed.
"We just got lucky I guess." Touya said while scratching the back of his head in embarrassment while Es fiddled with the air where her braid would be on the side nervously.
"Not luck. It is... our comraddere... that makes... us better..." Nu chimed is with a small smile, something that surprised everyone present as they never seen her smile before. It was something that they will cherish. However, that moment of happiness faded when they heard something...
"Hehehe... hahahaha..."
The four heared what appeared to be laughter with a synthetic voice as the Metal Man walked out from the rubble. Aside from the nasty slash across his chest, which let out some soarks of electricity, the Metal Man was largely unfazed.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Comraddere!? Don't make me laugh!" The Metal Man laughed insanely before belittling what the Nu said. Es and Touya tensed a bit when they saw that the Metal Man can speak.
"The Metal Man... spoke..." Touya replied in shock as he thought the robot was incapable of speaking. He then recalled that Akira said the Metal Man was asking around for him and Es now thay he remembered.
"Of course I can talk! But to think you actually landed a hit on me, not to mention you double teaming with Es while using a Drive Ability! One that doesn't make you progress Phases no less!" The Metal Man said while praising Touya for using a tactic the Metal Man himself didn't consider using.
"We have trust and faith to pull us through! Since you can talk, why don't you tell us why your tracking me and Touya down!?" Es raised her voice, wanting to know what this machine wanted with them.
"Patience is a virtue dear Es. I mean granted, getting this body to it's most optimal setting was... difficult... but you and Kagari were worth it... after all... how else can I achieve prosperity for all of mankind?" The Metal Man replied as he said something that instantly sent a chill down Touya and Es's spines. "Prosperity for all of mankind?", why would HE say that? There was one person who once said that to them. A person who died a year ago, a person who treated them both like dirt, a person who was willing to sacrifice ANYTHING if it meant controlling the world he saw fit. To bring about his definition of "World Peace". It then dawned on Es as sweat trickled down her face, just as Touya flared in aner when they fought Freaks.
"It cant be... you... you're...!" Es said as she flashed her sword in anger at the Metal Man, now knowing who he is based on what the Metal Man said and recalling the goal of a specific person. The Metal Man began to spoke in response to Es' anger.
"About time something got it! Indeed, I have returned from the grave to lead mankind once more! I am...
... Souichiro Unomaru!"
To Be Continued...
And done! With that, the Metal Man is revealed to be Souichiro Unomaru, a supporting character revealed major antagonist of the XBLAZE duology and one of my most hated characters in Video Games!
For those who deduced the Metal Man's identity, you have good eyes and deserve a cookie 🍪! For those who didn't see, I hope you were surprised. Anyway, Unomaru is the Main Antagonist of 'A New Start'.
While I hate the guy, I'll admit it's fun to write and role play as him. It's like with how people love to hate Hazama, Terumi and Relius, but unlike them Unomaru's not even a love to hate character in my personal opinion.
So, now with his identity revealed and with Wendy's goals out in the open, how will this battle go going forward? Stick around for the next part!