Chapter 13

Roxanne vaulted over a broken piece of wreckage and crouched down grabbing the arm of a Pandora struggling to stand. She helped the girl to her feet noting the trail of blood dripping down her side. Her uniform showed she was from East Genetics and although her eyes were cloudy they still showed life.

"You're good hang in there Pandora!" Roxanne encouraged. The girl nodded gripping her weapon a little tighter.

"Yes Ms. Elipton." She said between breaths. Roxanne nodded once and ran ahead finding Cassie and Ingrid. They both moved towards her behind the coalition lines to catch their breaths.

"How we looking?" Roxanne asked looking ahead at the thousands of people locked in combat.

"They are more trained than us. The military adds a level of danger with gunfire we can't focus on defending against. We're losing on the ground, but Captain Lane is winning the skies. There's just not enough of us on the ground with experience to beat them." Ingrid responded.

"We'll lose from attrition before long. Willpower isn't enough to see this through." Cassie added looking over her shoulder.

"Where's Varen?" Roxanne asked and Ingrid looked back shaking her head.

"Don't know he's out there somewhere." She answered. Roxanne nodded slowly.

"Charles and Julia came." Roxane said and Cassie forced a smile.

"Yeah, they did. I'm so happy to know they are here with us. Shi-Jing too." Cassie responded. Roxanne looked away and matched her smile.

"He's an idiot, but…when I find him I might just kiss him." Roxanne admitted. They all laughed and turned walking towards the battle once more. Roxanne's gauntlets appeared on her arms as well as Ingrid and Cassie's weapons.

"Just buy enough time for Varen and Arnette to kill Royal Blood." Ingrid said.

"Think they can?" Cassie asked.

"They have to." Roxanne answered as they charged forward once more.

"Fast!" Ticy thought to herself spinning away from the katana that raced towards her chest. Charon was unbelievably fast her movements little more than blurs that Ticy had to focus all her attention simply to defend against. Around her she could hear the explosions from ordnance and Interceptor's falling from the sky and she knew with each sound more Pandora and Limiters died.

"Pandora shouldn't kill Pandora." Varen's words came to the front of Ticy's mind. All around her the very thing he didn't want to happen was occurring. Countless Pandora and Limiters were falling to volt weapons, explosions, and gunfire. It became clear to her that humanities greatest threat wasn't the Nova, it was themselves.

Ticy braced her hand against the flat of her blade sliding backwards in the mud from the impact of one of Charon's attacks. Her arms vibrated from the strike going so far as to make her teeth chatter. Everyone had opened a space for them to face one another not daring to interfere and Charon stepped forward once more spinning her katana nimbly before thrusting it for Ticy's neck. She twisted away narrowly dodging it and barely kept her footing in the process.

"You are West Genetics student president are you not?" Charon asked slamming her blade against Ticy's pushing her backwards once more.

"What of it?" Ticy growled leveling her blade again to deflect Charon's. They locked together pushing into one another. Her speed wasn't the only inhuman thing about Charon. Her strength pushed Ticy to her limits biting down hard to push back against her.

"You're tiring. I can feel it. How could someone like my sister see you as an equal?" Charon answered shoving Ticy away freeing their blades.

"She was my friend!" Ticy screamed running forward trying to gain offensive momentum. Her sword battered against Charon who spun and ducked away from each strike holding her katana behind her back not even needing it.

"She was my sister. I am her equal, not you." Charon answered sending her knee into Ticy's stomach doubling her over. She coughed violently stumbling backwards a few feet.

"Don't speak of Chiffon like you knew her!" Ticy yelled dashing forward once more ignoring the pain. She spun rapidly letting her sword reach out to push Charon back a few steps. Mid rotation she brought her offhand up grabbing Charon's wrist and used the momentum to bash her shoulder into Charon's faceplate. The girl slid back a bit and stared at Ticy in surprise.

"So there is some fight in you after all." Charon laughed renewing her assault on Ticy.

Only a few seconds passed before Arnette could no longer see Varen. A group of genetics students from various schools converged on him to help battle through the Chevalier lines towards Ticy's position. She cried out as a blade sliced along her shoulder cutting through the black cloth of her uniform drawing a thin red line on her skin. The butt end of her scythe rammed into the face of the attack staggering her back and away

Everything was falling apart she realized. She was separated from Varen unable to utilize their Ereinbar Set effectively. Even with their numbers now heavily bolstered by the other genetics schools they simply couldn't outfight the Chevalier forces. Many of the combatants on their side were first or second years barely holding enough training to summon their volt weapons. Nonetheless they came to West Genetics aid and were dying for their cause. Even with their morale at the highest possible point it could be they were losing.

She turned throwing her left hand up in front of her face as a cord wrapped around her wrist. She gripped it in her hands holding firm refusing to budge. She let her gaze follow it to where it originated held in Claire Fairchild's hand. The silver armored girl held the whip in a test of strength against Arnette neither conceding any footing. Arnette rotated the scythe blade up between them and Claire flicked her wrist releasing the cord from Arnette's wrist before the blade could cut it.

"Good…I would be disappointed if you died the same way your friend did." Claire said coldly from under her faceplate.

"When you lay dead at my feet then I'll be willing to die." Arnette spat in response. Claire snaked the whips back and forth along the ground near her circling Arnette like a predator.

"The Justicar cannot keep up with us and he is Novaborn. What could a simple Pandora like you hope to accomplish against one like me?" Claire asked toying with Arnette.

"How's your side? Still hurt? What about your face where Attia smashed you against the wall?" Arnette asked.

"Dance Crimson Queen." The girl said flicking her wrists sending the whips racing forward towards Arnette. She couldn't use her weapon to defend in fear of having it torn from her grasp so she had to rely on her speed alone to dodge each whip. Claire's arms moved in a steady rhythm along with her body movements to keep the twin whips accelerating at Arnette in a flurry of strikes. Arnette jumped sideways rolling through the air to avoid an attack before planting her feet and activating her stigmata.

"Quadruple Acceleration!" She screamed propelling her body forward with an explosion of sound. Claire flipped the handles around extending the thin rapier blades from the bottom. The blade of the scythe connected with the rapiers sending Claire and Arnette sliding along the ground locked together. Claire turned her body driving her elbow into the side of Arnette's head before flashing her offhand rapier forward piercing through her torso.

"Ah!" Arnette backed a few steps grabbing her side and looking at her hand seeing blood cover her palm.

"How's your side? Hurt? What about your face?" Claire asked sarcastically flourishing the rapiers forward settling into a duelist stance. Arnette rotated her shoulders flicking the blood from her hand and ran forward at Claire who waited to accept her charge.

Ticy's chest rose and fell quickly from labored breaths as Charon paced back and forth ahead of her. The katana in her hand was held low, but Ticy knew the girl was fast enough to bring it up at any moment. Her own hands shook slightly as she adjusted her grip on the handle of her sword. Charon's black hair plastered the sides of her face from the rain. Strands fell over the faceplate as well making her appearance more terrifying let alone the power she had.

"To be fair, you aren't bad. Probably the best Pandora I've ever fought." Charon said.

"I'll do anything for my friends." Ticy said exhaustedly. She placed her lead foot forward centering her weight and held her sword ahead of her body waiting. Charon brought her katana up in front of her faceplate saluting Ticy before accelerating forward. This time was different and Ticy knew it. Her eyes widened as she could see what Charon was doing before she even did it. All her time with Chiffon learning about her and who she was had to be why she could see Charon now.

"Illusion Turn…" Ticy thought to herself as Charon's body began to dissipate, her katana held high. Chiffon had shown her this ability many times and she knew how it worked. Before the katana came down she turned placing her back to Charon and raised her sword high. The Charon behind her disappeared and materialized in front of her the katana clanging loudly against Ticy's sword. The two stood facing each other for a moment before Charon's faceplate disappeared revealing her face.

"You will do anything for your friends? Then die for them." Charon said softly. It was only then that Ticy saw the katana locked against her sword was held in Charon's main hand. Her left hand was extended wide a second katana now held in it.

She looked down seeing a pool of red forming at her feet. She reached a shaking hand up unable to breath. Ticy looked up at Charon as she fell to her knees, her throat cut cleanly. The girl stepped back watching Ticy as the light in her eyes began to fade. Charon's eyebrows raised questioningly as Ticy held her sword up in her hands as if offering it to Charon. There was no regret or fear in Ticy's eyes as she bled out on her knees holding the sword aloft.

"Kill her…" Ticy managed to choke out feeling a strong hand wrap around hers taking the sword from her grip. Charon backpedaled a few steps as Ticy toppled over to the ground.

"Yes…Ticy." Varen growled holding her sword in his offhand. Blue flames erupted along the edge of the swords in his hands. Charon's faceplate reappeared over her face as Varen screamed and charged her.