Translator


Somewhere in the Middle East.
-
{Sandy Wilderness}

Sand and flesh joining hands.
A demon of red crosses through.
To slaughter his prey hiding under.


Dust and wasteland. It was all that was left after the Adept Slayer had found and smashed his way through yet another hidden base where remaining followers of Eden were lurking. Deprived of any hope after the death of their false goddess, the foul beasts fled and hid all around the globe, hiding in mountains, forests and deserts, any dark place where they could lick their wounds and await the day when they can spread their fangs out once more. Perhaps one of them would rise and proclaim words of vengeance, that their dream of paradise mustn't die! Frightened and desperate, all of them do nothing more but pray for a messiah.

But the only one that answers is him. Like a devil in red, Copen tracks the clues they leave behind, stalks the snakes back to their nests and destroys all chances of them ever gaining a quasi-army once more. All for the sake of humanity is what he tells himself. All for the sake of finding answers he believes, but deep down inside he already knows the truth.

'This isn't leading anywhere.'
Copen thinks to himself as he takes a step over the broken parts of a stolen Sumeragi Tank.

Looking back at his surroundings littered with destroyed mechanisms and many, many dead soldiers for as far as the eye can see. The young man's red armour basks in the sunlight while his bullit-fuelled boots-jets send him flying with blue flames through the desert like a noble hawk, only diving down once or twice to bounce against another surface to keep up the momentum. Despite the acrobatics and fast movements, the man's high-tech gear did not seem to slow him down in any way, yet the hunter's face holds a grimace, as if his current speed is sub-par or perhaps, he's simply in a great hurry.

"Oh, cheer up, boss!" A peppy voice speaks up, belonging to a green-haired girl with wings like a phoenix. Who's holding up two fingers against her cheek to motion a smile. "I know you're beating yourself over up about how you could have done better…I mean you always do- "

"Lola." Copen warns with a curt tone, a classic frown on his face as he keeps moving. "Don't."

"But believe me when I say- " She doesn't listen, pretending that the music blaring from her built-in mics is being too loud, it being her go to excuse that hasn't failed yet. "Even you can't predict what some nutty wanna be messiah could be thinking and that's a good thing!"

Copen bites in a retort and lets out a small sigh instead. Then takes a moment to concentrate on the sensation of the music empowering him, trying hard not to recall what happened.


"Why... Why...," the fallen adept said with fear and disbelief, the very sight of their own blood a grim evidence that they are not as godly as they boasted. "I was... supposed to be... the new messiah...," Copen aims his gun. "How can this be... possible... I was supposed to revive...hope."

Copen halted before his fallen foe with his weapon still aimed, ready to bring it down for one last shot, only sparing a moment to indulge his opponent's last words, for adepts love to blab.

"No…hope still lives in the…future." And blab the Adept did, though he has several bullet holes in his chest and is missing his arms and legs as he bleeds out, the monster still has it in him to give the Adept Slayer a defying smirk. "You hunt our…kind, slayer. Yet even you must have realized already…" the smirk turned into a full-toothed smile. "

That our numbers are growing! And may i-agh…take ten or one… hundr-nghh… years, a day will come where we will be the ones hunting you." The insect stopped to gasp for breath, their message delivered.
Though the Slayer may still live, they can hope that someone someday will stop them, whether that's his own successor or the trials of time. One day, all adepts will rule this planet.

Copen paused for a moment, as if considering those words. Then he darkly chuckled.

"Why…are…you laughing?" The adept spat out, confused, and enraged.

"I've just remembered something...out of all my foes, none were as naive as you are," The hunter said in a calm voice. "Did you think I don't know that?" He had no reason to share any info even to a dying animal, other than indulging his dark emotions and paying the monster back for the collection of wounds that they managed to give him. Actually, that's reason enough. Never mind. "It doesn't matter how many there are, or how strong they'll be."

"As long as adepts live, so will I." he confesses, "Until their existence becomes a past myth."

Does that include your sister or a certain azure striker? hypocrisy asks back. He forced away the intruding thought as his glare towards the adept beneath him remained filled with conviction.

"You monster!" the adept snarled in horror. "You'll never leave this place alive, Slayer," the battered body of the fallen prey said with pure conviction. "I'll take you with me. It would be fitting for me to take you along for one last ride... but this is one way, demon."

Those mysteriously unfamiliar blue eyes shut themselves in a satisfied way and Copen had no choice but to hurry and leave when Lola detected a sudden surge of septimal energy building within the adept. An obvious sign that they planned to take down everything in one blast.

He leapt over the chasm that was created when the adept transformed into some weird angel-robot hybrid that the adept's followers liked to call their…well Copen didn't actually know what they called it and nor did he really care. What mattered then was to get out immediately.

Copen could not remember how he managed to escape the core of Hidden Underground Pyramid, but he could remember a sudden call to his private comm from an anonymous source, urging him and telling him which way to go. Naturally sceptical, it was only at Lola's urging that he withheld his doubt and surprisingly was going the right direction. But once Copen reached the exit, the final blasts caught and tossed the Adept Slayer into the sky.


"It's only thanks to your Anthem that I'm still alive, Lola." Copen admits, the memories having flashed back to him anyway. "I should have twin shred him the moment he was down..." he made a mistake, one even a child could have seen through and even if he didn't mind falling in combat if it meant the death of one more adept. Lola should not have to go down with him.

"Stop talking like that!" Lola gives him a small slap on the back of the head, letting out a huff off exasperation. "When you act like that, it's no wonder everyone thinks you're gloomy."

'Define everyone' Copen does not say, instead staying quiet. Fully aware that when Lola talks like that, adding anything in would only fuel her even more and make the chat last longer.

"And by everyone." Lola continues, as if she read his mind. "I mean I, me, and myself. And believe me, they know what they're talking about. After all who's the beautiful girl that's still following you around during your world-wide crusade? That's me, so, instead of speaking in a begrudging manner, why don't you instead say 'Thank for the save, Lola. You're so reliable'."

Copen remains silent. Wondering how she can make things sound so positive.

"You always become silent when you can't deny something." The winged girl replies with smugness, now laying on her back in the air as if what she said was pure genius.

"Even so, had I acted better." Copen tries to reason. "We wouldn't have- "

"But you didn't. Get over it." Lola interrupts, then pauses for a second. "Ah, not to be harsh of course but come on, sure you messed up. But you're still alive now and can only get better!" she orbits around him for a bit to really help set the vibe, before stopping next to him to poke his cheek. "So, turn that frown upside down, be glad the job is done and praise me for the clutch save!" and ends it all with a smile of her own, as if the sight could infect one on him.

Eyeing his comrade with a raised eyebrow, Copen lets out a small sigh, some tension leaving his body. "Fine, I'll stop thinking about it." That pleases Lola immensely, but he's not done, for he uses his left-hand to move his cheeks up in the impression of a smile. "Thanks for saving me, Lola." He says with no sarcasm or obvious humour in his voice, "And for cheering me up."

"Well…" Lola holds in a giggle, rubbing her chin instead as she thinks of something. "If you're that grateful, then let's visit some nearby town! I want to hear the music of this place before we have to go again. Oh, and see the sights too, it'll be like a real vacation!" her eyes sparkle at the thought as she trails off about similar topics, Copen half-heartedly listens to all of it.

"I'll think about it." He declares once she stops rambling for a second, then holds in the urge to roll his eyes when his muse lets out a shocked gasp off overblown proportions soon after.

"Boss!" Lola says with her arms held against herself, as if she is facing a fiend. "How could you say something so devilish and deceptive?!" Copen just gives her a flat look, which prompts her to accusingly point one finger at him. "Don't look at me like that! I may just be a humble BCD (Bit Control Device) but even I can tell that when people say, 'I'll think about it' they truly mean various cruel things that aren't even remotely close to the answer 'yes'!"

"State five then." Copen challenges her, more out of a sense of humouring her and to pass the time than any true interest in what he knows is just her being her usual chatty self.

"One: When someone is in a new relationship, having one of the guys or girls say, 'I'll think about it.' Translates to 'Not a chance in hell do I want to go another date with you, now stop texting me and go pound SAND'. After which the recipient of the message will be 'ghosted.'"
Lola explains in an overly robotic tone, which is just really her speaking like a wise ass.

"I doubt it." Copen contests back. "Perhaps the person needs time to consider their options."
Though he's not much of a social person, he believes that right now, Lola is just exaggerating.

"Yeah, but when it is YOU. The answer may as well be no! Sure, you'll think about it. And then after a minute or two decide that it's too dangerous to hang around or that we're too busy hunting adepts, honestly boss." Lola lets out a sigh and her voice becomes a bit heavier.
"…. A full year has passed already. And not once, not once did you- "

"I get it." Copen speaks up, already seeing where she's going with this. "And you're right." That statement alone is enough to silence her, due to shock and joy? Something like that. "We're in no condition to do another mission any-time soon. And it's been a long due to indulge you."

"Aw, thank you boss!" The muse throws herself against Copen, latching onto his shoulders and hugging his back. Unbothered by the g-force of his uninterrupted air-manoeuvres. "Let's visit their seas and their temples and oh, I definitely want to see what an elephant looks like!"

Copen just nods his head as he stays focused, truth is he was planning to stay here for a while the moment that anonymous caller revealed their presence. Whoever the person was or why they helped wasn't much of an interest to him. What did matter is that they knew he and Lola were there and what they were capable off and that shouldn't be possible or be let be.

Sure, he didn't wear a helmet or mask his voice. But the Slayer always made sure that any footage featuring him was deleted or even better, have Lola disable all cameras in the vicinity after successfully hacking their way through the area's network. The same rules applied to his enemies because nobody can spread tales of his appearance or skills if they are not there to tell it. And there's a good reason for all that caution. If his foes know his appearance then he can be tracked down or hunted, if they know his skills, then he can be countered. Copen can't have that; Copen won't allow it. So, the mystery caller must be found and taken care off.

"We've arrived." Lola announces, making him realize that he's stopped flying already.

Before the two of them, lies a giant, white, stone structure of a temple. Engraved on the side of a sand-stone cliff. The true name of this archaeological monument is Muslati, but that doesn't make it special or unique, in fact there are several of these all around the dessert and each of them contain small chambers where animal bones were once found. Painting these structures as sacrificial chambers that came from an older era. Out of respect for whatever historical significance they had, these places were completely untouched by modern scifi-structures and technology which meant that the hunter duo can safely rest here with no chances of a hidden camera or a patrol finding them for a comfortable duration of time.

But Copen's real goal is the small spacecraft stationed next to the entrance, barely hidden by it's camo function. Without it one would see a small ship very similar to the standard ones belonging to Sumeragi with it's grey hull, four wheels on the floor and four wings like any flying craft has. The unsaid part is how the wings are sharp enough and the hull durable enough to survive the bizarre idea of slashing apart other crafts with straight-forward melee attacks. The boosters underneath it give it full capabilities to suddenly dash in any direction and it's camo functions are advanced enough to automatically adapt to its surroundings and much more.

In simpler words, the sabretooth is the ultimate spacecraft for infiltration and extraction. The only downsides it has is that there's only enough space in it for one pilot, two people at the most if one were to hide in the back case, but that isn't much of a problem to Copen and Lola.
Seeing how the latter is a tiny ball and all. It's annoying nickname is 'Cosmo Copen'.

Having already found their way inside it, Lola takes command of the ship comm's and navigational system to locate the nearest town while Copen heads to the nurse corner of the ship. Taking out a med-kit to properly handle his injuries out of storage closet on the way.

Taking a seat, he turns to a full body-mirror to properly look at himself.
And what he sees is a young man with white hair and red eyes, who's face and head is covered by dust and grime. Some scratches and bruises adorning it as well. He'll need some water and icepacks to take care of that, but for now he focuses his sight on the rest of his body.

His body is covered by the same armour he wore back during the Eden Days. A white armour with red and blue highlights that's got the occasional red cross on the chest, gloves and boots.
The boots have a battery-pack attached to the backs of them to fuel their jet-propulsion and on his back and shoulders lie attachments that allow and stabilize his ability to fly.

Barely a few centi-meters from his sides lie two floating shields with a similar red-white pattern, two large crosses on their centres. Called the 'Duo Leon' the shields obvious function is to automatically defend and lessen any attack that Copen's skills or prevasion failed to avoid. But it's true merit lies in its ability to serve as storage for any backup ex-weapons that Lola has no space to hold and how they can attach to the Border II to greatly increase its firepower.

Though that's at the cost of any defence they could have granted. Regardless, Copen look at his improved equipment with a frown, not because he's disappointed in what he's created.

But because of their condition, the armour has cracks everywhere as if it's a single good hit from breaking away. His boots batteries have been damaged to the point he can only do one bullit-dash at a time (Even though Anthem should have given him infinite dashes). And his shields may as well be flying pieces of scrap metal right now for all the use they would be.

As he removes his armour, he's not sure if the rest of his body is any better. He can move his arms and legs just fine and doesn't feel any pain, but the latter is only because of Anthem's power still fuelling him with enhanced stamina. So, for all he knows he might as well have a few broken ribs or bones. Just to make sure, he calls over Lola to go give him a full body-scan.

She gladly does so, and whatever discomfort one might feel from being scanned like a super-market product. Copen did not have, there's no more sense of shame concerning Lola. Though he stills calls a limit the moment she changes her form into that of a nursing mode he's certain he did not create himself. How she managed to make a magical nurse outfit is beyond him.

Regardless, this and that happened. And after a few hours and a conclusion that his injuries are nothing major, Copen is back at the pilot seat and ready to ride the Sabertooth off into the sunset. Lola by his side, now as a red pod as her humanoid form cannot be kept on forever and eventually has to recharge for a long time.

"Hey, boss." Lola speaks up the moment the Sabertooth rises in the air. "So, I went ahead and tried to track the source of our mystery caller…."

"Okay. So did you find where it leads?" Copen says while focused on overseeing the flying.

"Yeah, I did. But the location doesn't make any sense or at least I don't think it does."

"What is the location?" Copen naturally asks back.

"Uh, right above us."

"Huh?"

"The signal says that our mystery person is several hundred feet in the air above us." Lola repeats and then motions to the blue sky that has nothing in it, except for the sun.

Copen squints as he looks where Lola is pointing. Indeed, it doesn't make any sense whatsoever but the more he thinks and the more gears grind in his head, something brews within him.

"Lola, what time is it?" Copen asks.

"Mhm? Oh, I think it is 3 am." Lola dutifully answers.

"That's not the sun then." Copen quickly concludes and immediately commands the Sabertooth to rise closer towards it and has the ship charge all its weaponry.

"What do you mean?" Lola senses there's something wrong but wants in on the know.

"The sun doesn't rise until 3 more hours. So that up there must be the product of a Septima." Copen eyes narrow at the sight of the giant heat-ball of death looming in the sky, yet to be thrown their way as if it's some display of power. "And whoever made it is a show off."

Lola's eyes, if she had any in her pod form. Would be widening in surprise right now.
"Oh, but, how? Ah. Wait, are we going to fight someone like that?"

The pod was not afraid per se, she had no doubts her boss could beat any adept. No matter how powerful they are, but their tired condition combined with their inability to use Anthem now really promised that any fight that comes would be an extremely tough one.

"Yes." Copen replies as if it's the most natural thing in the world. "Even if a retreat would be a safer option right now, our opponent has been waiting for us already, so it isn't an option."

"Besides…" he trails off, his gaze fully focused on the shining night sky.

"I've never run from an adept, and I never will."