Kid stood at the bow of the steel ship, staring sternly out into the endless ocean ahead of them. The wind whipped through his hair carrying the unmistakable scent of saltwater. The skies above were calm with only a few scattered clouds. The ship bobbed up and down slightly as it cruised through the cerulean waters.
His thoughts focused on the battle ahead. The DWMA had mustered all of its forces for this. They had even called in favors from the navies of several countries. Such a fighting force hadn't been assembled since the fight against Asura on the moon those several years ago. Every available death scythe was present for the battle, along with the members of Spartoi, innumerable two and three star meisters and even some of the younger witches who had pledged their help as well. Kid hoped it would be enough.
Although he was loathe to admit it, Kid's plan to defeat Pantheon basically boiled down to storming their base and somehow trying to steal back the medallions. And if that failed, preventing access to the soul forge. Even with the advice of multiple generals and tactical officers, that was their best bet of winning. It was simple enough in theory, but actually accomplishing their goals was going to be no small feat.
He glanced over to the port side and saw the rest of the fleet of destroyers and aircraft carriers following their wake. Satellite imaging had shown that Pantheon was heavily fortifying the island. Ships carrying the insignia of the Red Fist organization were bringing personnel ashore as well as machinery, ammunition, and other assorted crates. Pantheon was gearing up for a full invasion, which was what Kid was planning to bring to them.
Elsewhere on the same ship, Blackstar sat in deep meditative concentration. The door to this bunk was closed and the only light came through the port hole on his right side. Tsubaki sat outside the room, crouched down and staring at the medallion in her hands. She traced its insignia with her thumb, feeling the cool metal. She could faintly feel the madness contained within. It felt like a well, or a lake. It seemed deceptively shallow but she knew if she were to tap into it she would quickly find herself drowning. She leaned her head back and pulsed her soul wavelength. She sat in silence for a moment before she felt a reply from behind her. Blackstar's wavelength was chaotic and swirling but it always managed to calm her down and reassure her.
On another ship, Maka was also peering into her medallion. She reasoned that if there was ever a time to try and glean knowledge from her medallion it would be now. She had surreptitiously toyed with it before, testing it out and seeing what it could do. Mostly she had been unsuccessful. What information she did gain from it had been random and irrelevant. There had been one instance where Soul had caught her reciting digits of pi without realizing.
Now though, she was actively searching for something. Any knowledge that would be helpful in their upcoming battle. She tried to remember Eibon's words. That wisdom was the only thing that could temper knowledge. She closed her eyes and focused on the medallion. She felt a rush of useless information fill her head. She squinted her eyes and ignored the random data assaulting her. She tried to focus on Pantheon, their identities, weaknesses, strengths, their goals, any ambushes or traps they may have set. That didn't seem to work either as she only seemed to get in depth info about things they already knew. Maka sighed and let the medallion go.
She found Soul staring at her from the bulk head.
Maka averted her gaze downwards again. She still hadn't forgiven him for the stunt he had pulled with Lung. But she was mostly upset with herself. She was just so frustrated that no matter what she did she always seemed to lag behind the others and was unable to protect others. Her fingers clenched tightly around the black pearl she had received from Crona. She still was uncertain what it was or what it was for. All she knew was that she could faintly feel a sense of warmth and reassurance from it when she focused on it. That alone was enough to give her courage and steel her resolve.
Kid turned from the deck railing and headed back towards the operations deck. As he did so he passed numerous sailors, soldiers, and meisters who saluted him. He dismissed each with a solemn nod. He soon found himself inside and ascending the steel steps of the command tower. His footsteps echoed within the metal stairwell. Eventually he found himself on the bridge of the ship where the admiral and tactical officers stood waiting for him.
"Island is in sight Lord Death." The admiral spoke. He was an older man with a neatly trimmed white beard. His chest adorned with the many medals and accolades befitting one of his rank.
He spoke the truth, from the vantage point on the bridge Kid could see Xanadu Isle looming on the horizon. The many view screens around them were lit up with pictures of surveillance and data read outs. Satellite imagery depicted the beach of the island replete with obstacles and embankments. Troops emblazoned with the insignia of Red Fist were strategically placed just beyond the tree line and spilling out onto the beach. Kid had expected more, judging by the number of troops on the beach they would easily be able to storm the island.
Kid raised his hand, palm extended, into the air. "Ready artillery." The call sounded. The whirring of gears and shifting of heavy machinery was heard through out the hull as the ship's cannons aimed towards the island. On the other battleships the cannons echoed the motherships.
"Fire!" Kid ordered with a swift downward chop.
Cha- Booom!
The thunderous cacophony of firing cannons filled the air. A volley of mortar and artillery shells shot into the air one after another. The crews aboard each ship watched with baited breath. The shells arced through the air and began to descend on the beach. Suddenly, beams of bright white and blue light shot forth from a ridge further inland. The beams impacted nearly every shell, causing a premature explosion mid air. A cloud of smoke lingered after each explosion.
"Lord Death, the enemy appears to have anti-air defenses." A crewman shouted. Kid frowned. This wasn't unexpected but it still would be a nuisance. "Aim artillery for the ridge, prepare ground troops to storm the island." Kid called out. All of a sudden, the full grip of battle took hold. Crewman began to rush around the bridge calling out orders. Meisters and weapons began to pour from the deck to the barges that would take them to the beach. Sirens blared and lights flashed, indicating to all on board that the battle had commenced. The cannons shifted once more and shot volley after volley at their distant targets. Laser beams flashed through the sky to meet the missiles. The clash of explosions and smoke ripped through the skies above. Soon the vessels began to disembark the battle ships, carrying the ground troops. But as the battle commenced above, few noticed the seas below begin to churn.
"Sir, radar is picking up a bogey headed towards us." A sailor shouted. "What?" The Admiral exclaimed confused. Suddenly the entire ship rocked as though hit by an explosion. Outside, massive black and violet tentacles lurched upwards from the ocean. The tentacles crashed down onto the ships, seizing and crushing anything they could. The tentacles writhed and twisted through the air, flailing about and causing as much damage as they could. "What is that? A Kraken?" Called out one terrified sailor. Kid gritted his teeth. "No it's Lung." He said tersely. Kid ran off the bridge, weapon partners in tow and headed towards the deck.
As he reached the outside Kid's eyes squinted as they adjusted to the light and sea breeze. He quickly assessed the situation. The Kraken was attacking a majority of the battle ships and making it difficult for troops to go ashore. In the skies above, the bombardment of the island continued to be interrupted by an array of lasers. In but a mere matter of moments, the surrounding area becomes chaos as the tides of battle crash against each other. Explosions ring through the air, nearly drowning out the cries of the many sailors and soldiers being swept up by the massive arms of the kraken.
Kid reaches the ship's deck and quickly and calmly surveys the battle scene before him. He takes in the discordance and sorts through it like only a god of order could. With his battle plan set he begins issuing orders.
"Listen up Spartoi!" He calls out. "I need the B team fighting off the tentacles here. Lung's in the water so use Harvar and Thunder to exploit his weakness. Maka and Blackstar, you two get on that island and halt the artillery. We can't get our troops on the island so long as Pantheon has that kind of fire power!" Kid ordered.
Like a well-oiled machine, the Spartoi unit set about their duties. Ox and Harvar immediately set out to the bow of the aircraft carrier they were on and joined the other meisters who were currently fighting off the barrage of tentacles. The sound of cracking steel echoed off the port side of the ship where a tentacle was smashing down on another ship. Kim and Killik exchanged glances and nodded. An understanding that could come only from years of working and fighting together. Jackie transformed into her weapon form and Kim launched into the air soon after with Killik gripping onto the shaft with his gauntlets already prepared. The group quickly shot out to the other ship in distress, leaving a plume of smoke and fire in the air.
Similarly, Maka and Blackstar turned their focus to the island ahead of them. Maka gripped Soul's weapon form, which had already sprouted wings in preparation for their flight. Blackstar sheathed Tsubaki's weapon form as he ran to approach his friends. His grumbling however, did not go unnoticed by Maka.
"Man this is so lame. Flying in on the back of my friend's ride is no way for a god like me to make an entrance." He muttered under his breath. Maka huffed, exasperated.
"Really? That's what you're worried about right now?" She asked incredulously.
"Hey this is the climactic final battle! As the main star I deserve a grand debut!" He said defensively.
"Dude we can worry about that later. Just hurry up and get on!" Soul complained. Blackstar crossed his arms before reluctantly hopping on behind Maka. With a flap of massive ethereal wings, they rose into the sky. With incredible speed and agility Maka piloted them between the exploding projectiles arcing through the air. However, just as they were nearing the beaches, a barrage of missiles came flying down from above them. Maka veered left, narrowly avoiding the incoming rockets. But as she looked back she was surprised to find the missiles turning back around to follow them. She angled Soul upwards and ascended higher into the sky. The rockets chased after them gaining speed.
"Blackstar." Maka uttered with a side glance. The Ninja nodded.
"I got it." He said unsheathing Tsubaki. With the katana's blade held out in front of him, the meister held his breath waiting for the perfect moment. The rockets continued to gain on them even as they rose almost straight vertically into the air. Suddenly Blackstar swung his sword out with a powerful swipe. Tsubaki cut through the air like a razor and the resulting shockwave collided with the rockets, taking them out in a large fireball. Maka evened out and they hovered above the island. Suddenly a voice called out to them.
"Well I must say I certainly didn't factor in your pea-brained friend there into my equations." The familiar electronic voice carried out to them. Maka and Blackstar looked ahead of them to find Dr. I slowly floating up toward them. His trade mark jet packs were emitting blue flames from his back, an aura of blue energy was emitting from circular glowing yellow ports on his feet and lower torso. But Maka was most surprised by the physical changes she saw on him. Unlike his previous robotic body which seemed almost streamlined and futuristic, his current upgrades seemed combat oriented. His torso and chassis were broad and had multiple panels and glowing lights. His limbs also were enlarged, with thick gray cables serving as muscles. His fingers seemed sharp like blades and Maka could easily tell that this new body sported a much greater variety of weapons then previously.
"Blackstar…" Maka said not breaking her stare from Dr. I's floating form. "You go on ahead. He's mine." She said seriously.
"Yahoo! Now we both get our own spotlights!" He called out enthusiastically. He stood up, balanced on the back of Soul's handle. "Make sure you come find me when you're finished!" He called out before diving straight down over 200 feet to the beach below. As soon as he was out of sight, the two enemies dashed forward at full speed towards one another.
Back on the decks of the command ship, Ox was weaving and dodging in between the tremendous strikes of Lung's tentacles. Their enormous size meant that Ox would have no luck parrying or blocking the attacks, so he was left only with dodging and counterattacking. He baited the appendages with light jabs as they blindly flailed about. As he saw one raise in preparation of a downward strike, he increased his resonance rate with Harvar. Ox could feel the electrical energy thrumming beneath his fingers. The tentacle crashed down in front of him just as he had expected. Before it could raise again, Ox lifted his spear high into the air and stabbed down at it's tip. A spurt of blood gushed from the inhuman limb as it squirmed and writhed, trapped in place by the spear. "Royal. Thunder!" Ox called as they launched their resonance attack. Sparks of electricity surged into the tentacle, racing up along the limb and down into the water. The tentacle undulated wildly as the electricity caused it to spasm. When the attack ceased the limb laid silent and unmoving. But Ox's victory was short lived as another tentacle swiped at him, forcing him to lift his spear and dodge. The moment the spear was free, the damaged limb slithered back into the ocean depths.
On the other adjacent ship, the battle against the Kraken continued just as valiantly. Killik and Kim teamed up in a fierce fight. The Kraken's monstrous limbs swayed and struck the steel hull of the ship with terrible strength. The duo hurled volleys of elemental attacks at the creature, but Lung's slimy tentacles were quick and avoided them with ease. Multiple times Killik lunged at them, intent on landing devastating shockwaves. But each time he did, the tentacles recoiled as if touching a hot stove. What's more, the appendages were too slick for him to grip onto.
"We need to pin one of them down so I can get a good blast at it!" Killik called out. As soon as he called out, the surrounding meisters and their more conventional weapons heeded the call. Swordsmen and Spearmen gathered around, assuming a tactical formation. The tentacles continued to flail blindly, no longer sensing the resistance from the fighters. The groups of meisters baited a single arm, using light jabs just as Ox had done on the other ship. The appendage responded by batting away several of the meisters before a concerted effort was made to stab at the writhing beast. The warriors pierced the fleshy tentacle and used all their weight to force it still to the ground.
"Now Killik!" Kim called from the side as she began casting buffs on the wounded desperate soldiers. Killik rushed forward with a shout. The tentacle continued to writhe, desperately trying to break free of the meister's hold. Killik jumped gracefully over the heads of his fellow meisters and delivered a lightning powered punch to the beast. The impact of metal against flesh made a sickening squelch before the crack of thunder drowned at all noise. The electric energy surged up the arm, with the meisters withdrawing their weapons lest they too be caught by the jolting power. The other tentacles began to spasm wildly as Killik's thunder energy flowed along the arm and into the ocean waters. When the convulsing stopped, the enormous tentacles began to slip slowly back beneath the sea.
With the threat of the kraken retreating, the meisters on board the ships cheered in triumph. Suddenly several loud explosions sounded off in the distance. Plumes of smoke and fire bloomed from the ridge of the forest above the beach. The lasers which had once filled the air began to stop.
"Blackstar must have destroyed the enemy's artillery." Kid said to himself. He turned to the bridge and waved down a sailor outside. "Prepare all troops to rush the island!" Kid ordered. The sailor nodded and ran off, parroting the command to all the fellow sailors. In a matter of minutes, the order was transmitted to all ships in the fleet. Sailors rushed to their stations. There was a rush of orderly activity as all the weapons and meisters piled into the personnel carriers. The seas soon began to fill with landing craft vessels, transporting the meisters and their weapons to the shores of the island. The open topped transport ships were crammed with fighters, all preparing to bravely face the enemy. Kid turned to his weapon partners before bringing out his communicator. The screen flashed for a moment before the face of Yumi Azusa appeared.
"I'm heading to the front line of the battle." Kid declared. "Yumi, I'm leaving you in charge of Tactical operations." He finished. The Deathscythe nodded. "Understood. Good luck Lord Death." She replied. The communicator screen went dark again. Kid unveiled his trusty Beelzebub and hopped aboard, gripping his twin pistol weapon partners. He flew off into the distance towards the raging battle.
Back aboard the bridge of the command ship, Yumi stared coldly at the various displays around her. A aged voice interrupted her thoughts. "Will Shinigami sama be alright?" The normally stern voice of the admiral said softly. Yumi turned to look at him and adjusted her glasses. "After all he doesn't even have any of his Deathscythes with him." He followed up. Yumi muffled the urge to sigh. Of course she was worried about Kid. Despite his status as the lord of death and god of order, he still hadn't quite gotten over that annoying obsession with symmetry. And his weapon partners, although highly capable, were still nowhere near the level of power he could achieve with a Deathscythe. But despite her own misgivings, she could not allow herself to show doubt in front of the Admiral, or any of their other troops. To doubt Kid now would be unthinkable to their side's morale.
"Shinigami-sama will be fine. He is stronger than any of us." Yumi said boldly and confidently.
"Of course, in this case it doesn't matter how strong he is." Said a suave voice from hidden in the corner. The sound of mechanical clicking, and the odor of cigarette smoke filled the air. "If he were to use his madness of order he could end this all rather easily." Stein continued to venture. "However, our opponent has his own madness of order to contend with. I believe in the end it will all boil down to whose madness is stronger." Stein said cryptically before taking a drag of his cigarette.
Yumi and the Admiral regarded him curiously. Yumi's head tilted down, and she pushed her glasses back into place to catch the glare of the fluorescent lights from above. She began to speak, in that eerily calm tone of voice that belied the sleeping rage within her.
"Stein…. Aren't you supposed to be fighting alongside the landing party right now?" Yumi asked seriously. Stein regarded the Deathscythe neutrally. He gave his trademark screw a few twists before answering.
"Yes." He answered simply.
"Well then why aren't you there?" Yumi asked trying to contain her rage. Stein hummed thoughtfully.
"Well, I suppose we've gotten lost on our way to the deployment area." He finally said.
"How?!" Yumi asked.
"Well, I was just following Marie." Stein said simply.
"Marie?!" Yumi exclaimed.
"Yuuuuumiiiiii!" came the baleful cry from the fellow Deathscythe. Marie came barreling into the room, eyes bawling and clung to Azusa's clothes before looking up at her with round watery eyes.
"Yumi how does anyone find their way around here? This place is so big and confusing and none of the signs make any sense and we've been wandering around for so long and I can't understand anyone's directions and…" The Deathscythe babbled.
"Ugh Marie get a hold of yourself! This is no time to be childish! Petty officer!" Yumi yelled at a nearby sailor who stood to attention so fast he nearly hit his head on the low ceiling.
"Escort Mrs. Mjolnir and Professor Stein to the loading bay on the double." She commanded.
"Aye, aye sir!" The officer replied without even realizing his mistake. The married couple followed the petty officer out with Marie still sniffling. Yumi sighed, exasperated as they left before returning her attention to the tactical displays around her.
