Translator

Hundreds of feet up in the air.
-
{Sky Arena}

Looking down is a bird bearing the Sun's name.
Its arrogant radiance blinds all mortal men.
Will the avenger's (revenger) aim remain steady?

"Will this really be all right?" Lola asks with a hint of nervousness.

She has good reason to feel that way, seeing how both she and Copen are now only a few dozen feet away from the giant fireball in the sky while using the Sabretooth itself as a platform. The light of the ball is bright as ever, yet the close proximity does no harm.

"We will be okay." Copen says confidently while holding his gun raised and ready for any sudden dramatic appearances. "This isn't even close to the level of an Azure Striker."

"Oh my, that's quite the insult. Should I take offense?" a charismatic male voice replies.

"!"

"!"

A feather falls in front of the ball of fire, which is quickly followed by a rainbow trail out of which comes a sparkle of light showing….a young possibly late teenager male with tanned skin, green eyes and long red hair wrapped up in the back with some strands loose with green ends.
Donning a mostly black coat decorated with golden adornments, a white suit underneath with a turquoise jewel near his neck and feathered earrings. The young man also dons a pair of loose black pants, tied up with red wrappings working as a belt, along with a pair of boots with a golden section around the ankles. In short, the unknown adept looks absolutely regal.

"I'll have you know…" the young man makes a click noise with his left hand. Which causes the sun behind him to scatter into an array of golden feathers fluttering around him, returning the night sky back to its normal state with stars aplenty painting themselves in the horizon.

"My septima is nothing to sneeze at." He concludes as he flicks his long hair back, his whole face glowing amongst the glittering light like he's the protagonist of some girly manga.

"…. Are you trying to impress me?" Copen replies deadpan, then hunches over as he keeps his gun aimed at the opponent, putting on a defensive posture instead of striking right away as he could tell that this opponent would be trouble even if he was in his best condition and outright a serious threat in his current one. "Or did you wait for an opportunity for an easier fight?" he wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. And mentally scolds himself for letting it happen.

Lola on the other hand starts to panic, bouncing up and down around Copen as if she was a cartoon character desperately trying to fly without wings. "Wait, boss! That guy's septima is trouble! I can detect traces of radiation on him, he's not our average flame septima user!"

"To answer those questions." The young man pipes in, "They'd be yes, no, and indeed my Septima 'Golden Trillion' is one that gives me the power of a thousand suns."

"The power of nuclear fusion." Copen narrows his gaze even more now. "Which means we should already be dead, what are you scheming at here?"

"Huh, what do you mean boss?" Lola puts a hand over her mouth in shock of that statement. At least she mimics the gesture if she could. Which she can't. So just imagine it.

"Evaporating everyone in the vicinity with immense heat or simply emitting dangerous radiation to kill someone in a painful way is what I assume the Slayer means." The adept replies with their usual confident tone but makes a visible motion to let out a sigh of displeasure as they rub their forehead. "Still…that wouldn't do at all for me!"

A fan of the dramatics, the adept raises one hand in the sky as a wing of fire appears behind.
"My power is a golden light that one must avert their eyes from, a sun that illuminates us all! Using such cheap tricks would be counter to everything I represent and besides, I don't mean any of you harm. Me coming here personally is an omen of my honesty!"

Before Copen can scoff at his words or Lola make an exaggerated motion, the adept slowly floats down and lands on top of the spacecraft that's being used as the impromptu boss area.
In response of which Copen grips his gun harder but still doesn't attack yet while Lola moves behind him, both ready for any suspicious movements or sudden attacks. Which doesn't come.

"But where are my manners? It's been a long due time for introductions." The young man gives a formal bow, before looking at the two with a kind smile as he moves back up.

"My name is ZedΩ , leader of ATEMS. It is my pleasure to meet the both of you."

"What terrible timing!" Lola shouts as she mimics his mannerism to a T. "The moment we take down one Messiah wanna be, another one immediately pops up! It's like they're on sale!" a loud silence follows her statement as ZedΩ looks at her with surprise and Copen shrugs it off.

As a reference, this ZedΩ happened to be the FIFTH adept to meet these qualifications.
Thus, Copen and Lola have learned by experience that the world is filled with crazy people.

"What do you want from us?" Copen asks with a hard edge in his voice, the only reason he's staying civil to an extent being because he's buying time to find a plan and fishing for info. Pure hatred was still coursing through his veins, it's what gave him resolve where others gave up, but it also meant that whatever ZedΩ wanted, he would sooner die than try granting.

"Nothing terrible, at least nothing you'd actually have to do for me. I know your type." Zed says while waving one hand in appeasement, "In fact, I've come to give you a warning- "

"Threats won't do anything to me." Copen immediately hisses with vitriol.

"Now, now, please don't just interrupt people." Zed allows himself to raise an eyebrow, as if he had predicted this level of hostility yet wasn't fully braced for it still. "I'm not going to tell you to stop what you're doing. But at least hear me out, will you?"

Copen and Lola give each other a glance, that mere look seeming to convey a lot of words that they don't need to say out loud. Before Copen nods and Lola says, "Go on…"

Letting out a small clap, Zed goes for a dramatic pause and then finally says.

"Tell me Slayer, have you heard the prophecy of the primal dragon?"

"The Christopher Walken Movie?" Lola asks.

"No, just…allow me to narrate it then." And so ZedΩ does.

Prophecy of the Primal Dragon:

Once East and West retreat into darkness,
A primal dragon is then born in its wake.
Moonlight descends on all blessed with life.
The beginning of the end.

Only the song of the butterfly
Can forestall the primal's rise.
If North and South do not unite.
And the Center does not shed its feathers.
Time, space, hell, heaven, all shall die.

"These words have been foretold by many of our sooth-sayers." ZedΩ continues after having finished his storytelling. "A phenomenon I'm sure you can describe as unusual for like people that dream, to share the exact same details amongst many is rare if not impossible."

"But it is exactly because it's rare that we must take this seriously!" he does yet another extravagant gesture as he speaks with not a layer of doubt. "Slayer, you clearly represent the White Tiger of the West and I am the Vermillion Bird of the South. Our part in the prophecy now clear, it is ATEM's duty to save you from darkness! From the primal dragons!"

ZedΩ tends his hand towards the two.
"So join me and bring light to the future!"

Perhaps in a perfect world, Copen would have already found who he is and accepted the offer.
That world would have had a wonderful friendship and a very powerful alliance. For Copen's mind and genius combined with ZedΩ's charisma and resources would make them…
Unstoppable!

But this is not a perfect world.

Thus, the gesture is not returned by Copen. The red pod stays still in the air, only shaking for a moment as the words make her think for a while, then with confidence she tries to shrug it off. "Y-yep, he's a loony all-right. What now boss?" as she glances at Copen for the next step.

The Adept Slayer's aim and gaze have remained steady the whole time his prey was chatting on, reading their body-movement for any sign of weakness, doubt or even lies. He finds none.
"…." Which is why he doesn't rebuke the adept as mad and moves on, he's seen too many things for him to simply dismiss things like that. So instead, he mentally deciphers it all.

"Boss?" Lola repeats, seeing how Copen is staring a painting into Zed and staying silent.

If he's the west and Zed the south, then the remaining three representatives should be the Azure Dragon, who can't be anyone else but Gunvolt. And the other two are the Black Tortoise and the Yellow Dragon who represent North and Center but who they are is a mystery.

He could ask the adept if he knows, but to do so would be to announce that he believes the man's words and that in itself is a disadvantage. Yet is that really true? Is the cost of it knowing that its words have affected him and thus have swayed his actions to a more predicable scope worth the information of knowing who the other two key-players are?

"Have you approached the others the same way you did me?" he decides on yes and phrases the question in a way that he'll at least gain one more answer than the adept does from him.

"No, I have not. I couldn't find the Turtle since they've last contacted me and the Yellow Dragon's identity is a mystery to me as well." ZedΩ answers, pauses, then puts a hand before his mouth as he makes an 'ah' expression. "Not that I wouldn't have gone for you first had I other options! It's just that you're the easiest and frankly the only one I could for now."

'He thinks I'm easy to approach?' Copen's expression does not change at the admission.
"Why not approach the Azure Striker then?" he asks and though he can already predict that it would be because he's located in a barrier-protected Japan, more info could still be revealed.

ZedΩ pauses for once, rubs his eyes in discomfort, brushes his hair to gather his words and finally looks straight at Copen, his gaze heavy and weary. "Because he'll destroy the world."

"What?! You mean that guy who keeps prattling about coexistence and peace? That Gunvolt?!" Lola is completely surprised by such an announcement, sure she didn't know the Azure Striker that well, having only met him like two or three times but he gave off the impression of someone who really only fought to protect the ones he loves. "Boss, I knew this guy was crazy, but this is just another level! He's clearly trying to trick us into killing him!"

"Lola, you're getting agitated. Take three long breaths." Copen tells her to calm down.

"But I don't have lungs!" she shoots back, still the opposite of calm.

"Try breathing anyway." Copen replies and when she looks like she's about to speak again, he simply silences her with a stern look. Before looking back at ZedΩ "Is what she said true?"

"…no." ZedΩ says as he starts tangling with his hair. "Preferably we'd like to find a way to prevent him from turning into a primal dragon and spreading chaos around the world."

"Before you continue." Copen stops him with a flat palm in the air. "Tell me what you think is going to happen in the near future." Not that he couldn't figure it out himself.

"Gunvolt being the world's strongest adept, will most likely undergo a transformation that cause his powers to go berserk alongside those of other adepts. He will be so powerful that unless we all work together to take him down, he will destroy the world and all we hold dear."
ZedΩ says the words with an intensity that cannot be faked, truly fearing that kind of future.

"Your path will lead you to abject misery. And you will take with you all you hold dear."
Copen winces at the intruding thought but as usual quickly gets over it. Had he a sense of humour then he would have snickered at how much déjà vu he's feeling at the moment.

Regardless, he's heard enough and has to decide. The majority of him revulses at the mere thought of allying with someone he should kill on sight. The minority ponders about what resources ZedΩ has and concludes that he could just accept the offer and simply leave the moment the mildest shady thing is revealed to him. It is the world that we're talking about.

Yet a tiny voice amongst the sea of thoughts cries out 'why him? Why Gunvolt?'

Burying said voice so that it will never see the surface again, Copen has made his decision.

"Lola, deactivate the weapons off the Sabertooth." Copen lowers his weapon.

"Boss? Does that mean you believe him?" she asks, still suspicious herself but obeying his order, having faith that whatever decision he makes he'll known what he is doing.

"I do." Copen confirms, then slowly backs away, never leaving the adept out of his sight as he makes his way back into the Sabertooth after Lola goes in. Or at least he intended to do that.

"Wait, where are you going?" for ZedΩ stops him or tried to by grabbing onto his arm, something that is prevented by Copen raising his gun again. Which makes him reconsider his options, though he still doesn't want them to just leave. "You haven't told me yes or no, yet!"

"You ask a lot of things, adept." Copen turns to face him, face-to-face. His own showing pure hatred while the other shows pure resolve. "I believe you, which why I haven't shot you yet."

ZedΩ blinks at that, and then begins rubbing his chin, buying time as he looks it all over. Finding whatever it is he's looking for, he straightens up, smirking confidently again.
"I'm glad you see reason then, to be honest. My servants have heavily discouraged me to attempt to speak with you, stating you to be a 'wild beast' or 'determined genocider' yet what I see before me is a man I can relate to, one not bound by the possibilities of the world and one that's willing to do what's necessary even if it against their own beliefs. An admirable quality."

ZedΩ tends his hand again.

[Copen and ZedΩ! A prince and a foooool!]

Is a sitcom that won't ever happen.

Copen just looks at the hand, realizes the adept completely misunderstood him and promptly corrects him by slapping his hand away. "I'm not joining your little friend club." He hisses, "I believe the information you've given me and so, will go make sure if it's accurate by myself. I won't be helping you and the next time we meet may be your last. But if you don't get in my way…then I'll try not to be in yours, now get out of my sight." Copen turns to leave already angered by the level of restraint he's showing, but foolishly attacking here won't help.

A shame ZedΩ doesn't get the hint, or maybe he did get it and warps to block his path simply because he wants to be shot. "In that case, I can't let you leave. Do reconsider it a bit."

"There is nothing to consider. I am a hunter, and you are an abomination. That is all."

Copen can tell by the way the adept's smile is faltering is that he's reaching the end of their patience. The man visibly takes in a deep breath, considers his options, and then widens his eyes as if he gained an amazing idea. "So, you hate me because I'm an adept?"

'Are you messing with me' Copen stares holes into the man, as if he just asked if 1+1 equals 2 which in hindsight he totally did. "…. yes." that doesn't make it any less surprising.

"Ah, and so if we were at the same place at the same time, you would try to shoot me then?"

"Yes."

"Okay!" for some reason, ZedΩ seems pleased now, as if he solved the whole problem.
"In that case, you're free to shoot me any-time you want. That would make it okay, right?"
He can deal with such a thing, he's already got a knight that joined him for a similar reason and since hatred is not that far from love, he's confident he can with time, obtain the Tiger's loyal-

Copen picks up his gun, changes the bullet-type to plasma ones and shoots ZedΩ with a draw-speed worthy of a western spaghetti movie. The latter surprised that an adept-hating gunslinger would actually shoot him, an adept. (Who knew?) Has only enough time to jump back, making it so that instead of the chest, he's hit straight in the knee and falls on his back.

"Youch, agh!" surprisingly the body-part hasn't outright been ripped off, some red shield adorning ZedΩ's body lowered most of the damage, leaving instead a black mark as proof it has burned his flesh but not destroyed more. "Wow, okay. You shot me, you actually shot me."

"Indeed, I did." Copen agrees and then points his gun at him again. "Why are you surprised?"
If the adept though of himself as some special case, then he should know where the line is.

"Well…" ZedΩ trails off, waiting for his foot to heal as he stands up by simply flying. Noting the irony that he the vermillion bird got burned of all things. "I meant that you could shoot me any-time you want during our alliance and were I fall to that, then that's what I was worth."

"Why would you think that would sway me in anyway?" Copen lets out genuine confusion.

"Because it…. worked before?" in hindsight, it mostly worked because ZedΩ is an absolute charismatic snack, and the target was a female assassin who was about to kill herself if he didn't make the offer to in a way recognize her talents and give her something to live for.
Copen on the other hand is not female or desperate for acknowledgement in any way.
"…Never mind, consider it an honest mistake. Still, White Tiger, at least consider it."

"I will, I have." Copen visibly turns his back to ZedΩ while keeping him in eyesight. "Still no, so leave." He's got no reason to trust the adept and he doesn't look the secretive glances he gave towards Lola during the whole time she was there, making it clear he's still got some secrets.

Considering the conversation over, Copen calls out to Lola as he moves to join her in the ship. "Lola, set our destination to Japan!" but before he can even say the last part.

He quickly dashes to the left the moment he sees something flicker in the edge of his eye, which is the right call, for otherwise he would have been impaled by a flurry of flame arrows.
"Lola!" he shouts with urgency as he aims his gun at ZedΩ who's face holds a sorrowful glare.

"I'm sorry it has come to this, I truly am." ZedΩ says with genuine displeasure, Lola uses the opportunity of him talking to move to Copen's side. "But if you refuse to cooperate with me, then I'm afraid you're a liability. Which is why you've left me no choice."

Copen grits his teeth in anger, "So you've finally shown your true colours then." So, the adept will try to eliminate him then? Good, that only means he gets to take him down sooner!

"I ZedΩ wielder of Golden Trillion, have no choice but to take you by force!" he announces his intent to kidnap Copen and dramatically rises in the air, "You may not agree now, but I'm sure that given time and support I can save you from the darkness that'll be your fall!"

"The only thing you'll take here are injuries." Copen squints his in annoyance and Lola rotates her p-bits around him, flash shield and prevasion ready for any attack. The two of them completely in synch as they already know what to do in battle, now to hope they can win.

'Use greed-snatcher bullets to get rid of his semi-prevasion. Use Hail-Storm Blades to close the distance if he prefers ranged attacks or Hydro-Zapper if he does the opposite…in a way this isn't that much different from fighting Gunvolt, though instead of azure, this time it's gold.
Still I have to be careful, having only one bullit dash means I can't rely on my own prevasion and any dash I mess up will make me a sitting duck. The circumstances couldn't be worse! '

Copen's thoughts are racing wildly while looking up to ZedΩ, the latter still has their confident aura around them as if they expect the coming fight to be an easy one, all advantages theirs.

'So what? Even if the odds of victory are close to zero, that won't stop me from fighting!'

Resteeling his resolve, Copen takes in a deep breath and makes the first shot!

"Time to take down the lightshow!"

"Illuminate the world, Golden Trillion!"