When the clock reached 11:05, they reached the Megafloat shipping facility. It was out in the Pacific Ocean. Most of the footholds were floating crates. Sometimes there was the occasional round metal pillar structure to break the lines of crates. Halfway to the megafloat, the group was stopped by a new mech.
"Again!? Didn't we just fight one in the desert!?" Zeno complained.
This new seaplane looked nothing like a plane. It had two lights that acted as "eyes" and were neon cerulean. It had neon cerulean highlights, red interior material, silver and gold metal plating, a face, two cerulean antennae and two wings.
"Ain't that their new Hornet Seaplane?' Zeno asked.
"It seems it's already out of control." Copen commented as he took a shot at the mech. With everyone assaulting the seaplane, Gunvolt used Voltaic Chains as the final blow. This caused it to explode and crash into the stormy sea below.
"Well thank goodness that's over." Zeno remarked as he saw the facility was only four meters away.
Once they entered, everyone noticed multiple pits.
"Great, I thought we were done with the deadly drops." Zeno groaned.
While dealing with the chasm crossing, there was ATEMS solderis in green bodysuits with laser guns that launched red plasma blasts. Robots that seemed to target enemies and were wheel shaped happened to be present as well. While crate jumping, Zeno noticed some ice in the surrounding area. Some fire was seen further into the facility.
"Since when did that happen?" Zeno muttered.
Copen facepalmed himself.
"There was fire pretty much as soon as we entered, Zeno." Copen growled.
While trekking through, Zeno suddenly got a chill.
"Huh? Wasn't it freezing outside? And there was fire before." Zeno grumbled.
"It appears that we may be dealing with a pair of Adepts." Copen guessed.
"Do you think Viper and Tenjian are back? They may have teamed up to kill us this time around." Gunvolt supposed.
"We'll find out once we get to the Brand's location." Copen assured.
As everyone proceeded forward, they noticed a rocket launching tank that featured homing rockets.
"It seems Sumeragi doesn't know the meaning of the word "improve" or any of its variations." Copen sneered.
Some ATEMS soldiers were standing on crates with laser guns which didn't help their mission. Nor did the green and silver cylindrical shooters that raised up and shot two green orbs when someone was near it. When everyone saw the first massive pit, nobody knew what to do. Until the crate showed up.
It seemed that at least half of the facility, if not more, was currently experiencing a malfunction. The crates only moved forwards and backwards, not just forward like they were supposed to. Atari looked into the distance and saw more crates moving like the one in front of her.
"It looks like they just keep on going forever. Their code must be stuck in a loop or something." Moniqa muttered.
Luckily, the group defeated all the enemies and safely reached the platform. Once he got to the shipping tube, Gunvolt noticed icicle spikes.
"I always imagined icicles as swords rather than spikes." Gunvolt commented.
"You'd better not jinx us or anything man." Zeno snarled.
The crates seemed to be rigged this time around. Both crates in the first line were two feet from reaching the ceiling spikes before anyone realized what was going on. The following row of five crates proceeded to do the same. Lola looked in the distance and noticed the shipping tube was having the same issue.
"I wonder why the vertical cargo lifts were working fine then." Gunvolt pondered.
There was a mech that "trhew" a shield forward and called it back. Its shield was purple while its base was yellow and the rest silver. Three lasers similar in appearance to the suddenly appearing ones at the Grave Pillar showed up. The group saw doors to storage units with packages stored based on address. All the units were frozen shut.
"So this must be where Santa keeps all his gifts 'till Christmas." Zeno joked.
A couple of annoyed groans were heard in response.
"Is it just me or did those mechs shooting pink lasers look exactly like the ones at the media tower?" Gunvolt wondered.
"Well, they are Sumeragi mechs. And this is one of their facilities." Copen remarked.
A little more walking showed another wall of ice spikes and more boxing moving to jump on. While on the fourth crate, Moniqa saw something a ways ahead on her monitor.
"All of those packages aren't moving." Moniqa noticed.
"It seems like the system either shut down for maintenance or to prevent further damage." Copen theorized.
Luckily, a pressurized steel door was hiding the Hexapyle. Upon reaching the next area, they all knew the fighting and terrain was about to get tougher. Especially since ATEMS had stationed a missile launcher near the giant Sumeragi logo on the wall. Once the team got near the ive crates frozen in a row on the floor, cold icy air blew on the third box.
Looking up revealed the source was a spring loaded fan mech. It would spring into action and unleash a freezing blast of air upon anyone nearby. Everyone waited for it to fall back into place and recharge before moving forward. Another rocket launcher was standing before four crates stuck together.
The area behind the rocket launcher was on fire. Two cold fans were encountered along with a hot fan below. Another rocket launcher was at the platform the floating crates stopped in front of.
"Man, I'm gettin' real sick 'an tired of all these rockets." Zeno complained.
A drone and another rocket launcher were seen five feet away.
"I think you jinxed us Zeno." Copen retorted.
Another line of four green crates ahead was stuck together and only a one fire fan was a foot below the crates path. The crates took a short stop a foot above the platform of flames the same width as the crate line. Another platform was on the right, with a spring loaded flame launcher on the left of it. Copen was it with the most blunt force of the flame.
Gunvolt had some difficulty, Zeno could feel the heat and Atari finally warmed up. As the crates went up, Atari got blasted by one of the spring loaded ice launchers from behind. She took it out with her fan while Copen shot the blue drone in front.
"It looks like Sumeragi hasn't changed. The only difference is the drone has blue highlights and releases tracking orbs." Copen remarked.
A fire launcher below and ice launcher above had to be destroyed before the team could return to solid ground. Three more drones preceeded a green 4 in a row missile launcher that was a little over six feet in height. Everyone now had to find a way to share three crates without somebody falling off. So, Atari and Zeno stood on the left, Gunvolt stood in the center and Copen was on the right.
In the order of right to left regarding the fire and ice launchers as they went up was: Fire, ice, another ice launcher on the left, two fire launchers on the right and an ice launcher on the left. Suddenly, the two back crates rose into the air. The crate in the middle was exactly between where the first crate stopped and third crates height started. Copen was hit by the blast of a fire launcher as the crates formed a vertical line.
Four feet after they stepped on frozen terrain, Copen shot at another ice launcher. Atop more frozen crates, a two-wheeled robot with a red light for an eye and red siren atop its head rolled back and forth. Another one behind it was defeated as well. When those robots were relinquished of their existence, the heat was back on.
As was the immense dificulty of trying to balance on three crates with a four member crew. In the order of right to left here was an ice launcher and two fire launchers on the left. The crates positioned themselves to make a diagonal line like the ones before them. Three fire launchers lined the floor.
Two were on the right side of the wall on the other side of the room, an ice launcher on the left, another fire launcher on the right, both types of launchers directly next to each other, a fire launcher on the right and an ice launcher directly above it on the opposite side. Near another big Sumeragi logo on the wall was the last Hexapyle. In the room behind the final pressurized steel door was a woman with bright chestnut hair, which had a shaft of it covering her right eye, which was reddish pink in color. She wore pearl white ball earrings.
For her outfit, she wore a creamy white open tailcoat suit with pointed ends and black buttons, an inner white shirt, a blue scarf around her neck, and coal black trousers with matching high heels. On her right sleeve wass a simple red bracelet, and on her left sleeve a smaller black bracelet with a single gold feather.
"Found you, ATEMS brand burglar! hand it over right now!" gunvolt ordered.
"Oh my, what's the matter, little kitten? Are you lost? Ah, I see now... You must have come to witness the magnificent Prado's glorius victory with your own eyes! Welcome, welcome!" Prado cheered.
"Uhh... What's your deal?" Zeno wondered.
"Be on your guard, Zeno. I can tell she's no ordinary Adept." Copen warned.
"Hehe, you honor me with your praise, Adept Slayer! My Septima is "Hot and Cold"! A rare breed, born of two innocents together in pure paradox!" Prado explained.
"A Septima with two elements...?!" Copen gawked.
"Precisely! Inside this power lies potential that the Azure Striker or even my exalted sir Zed does not possess! That's why I alone have the power to bring about the new world order!" Prado declared before initiating combat.
Prado transformed using the brand. Prado's sclera turned black, and she uniquely gained dual colored pupils; her right eye was blue, while her left was red. It also applied to her armor; alongside the usual grey, white and black color scheme, her red and blue colors were split between each side, referencing her Septima, with right being blue and left being red. She also gained a metal ring with gold segments that floated behind her which constantly emitted fire and ice, as well as housing a single sword holster at the bottom.
Prado's transformation resembled a typical suit of knight armor. Prado ran forward to stab Atari with her flaming sword before jumping into the air and jumping down to be in front the left wall. The Dual Knight jumped midair as a purple horizontal line shone from her icy blade. Seven large icicles hung nine inches above everyone's heads.
Prado landed once the icicles were destroyed. She was near the right wall when her second gauge activated. Prado thrust forward three feet with her fire sword in front of her. She jumped up to where her head was nine inches from the ceiling.
After jmping down, the icicle of a sword created two tall ice pillers and two shorter ones on the outer sides. Prado thrust her fire sword to the left as she was left with her final gauge. With the "Waltz of Twin Elements" Prado swung her swords, first ice then fire. The first slash unleashing a wave of frost while the second left ash in its wake.
A giant sword, a mix of fire and ice was seen. Once it disappeared, sparkly ice particles were seen. It was in that moment when Gunvolt and Copen decided to use their Sepcial Skill attacks which defeated Prado. The woman was transported elsewhere, along with the brand.