Translator

Copen versus ZedΩ

Ready?

STRIKE!

Their declarations to fight announced, both man and adept start the duel with a barrage of projectiles thrown against each other. Every arrow made of fire is met with a bullet made of plasma, yet the warming up phase does no real damage to anyone as both opponents are too occupied measuring each other's strengths and weaknesses.

"Hydro-Zapper!" Copen and Lola were the ones to make the first shot, sending out long beams of water from orbs that follow the former's acrobatic movements and gunslingery which he can only afford due to the latter handling the ex-weapon.
Their rapid fire-offensive something only two partners in synch can achieve.

"Come on now, show me more! Look alive!" ZedΩ taunts from the heavens during their attack, his flight casual and relaxed yet still of impressive speed as he bobs and weaves pasts the high-pressure water lasers that try to pin onto where he was a second ago. "You're the one who decided to fight, so at least give a challenge!"
He taunts while summoning flaming firebirds that swoop down on them in an arc.

"…" Copen doesn't say anything in response, instead fully focusing on not getting overwhelmed with frantic dashes left and right to avoid arcing birds, shooting plasma fire to dissipate more flurry of arrows that prove too numerous to dodge and after seeing an opening amongst the projectiles, he dashes into the maelstrom of fire!

"Hail-storm Blade!" Lola turns blue as blades made from ice appear right behind her partner, serving as weapon and shield to deflect and cut down birds of flames like they're mere insects and his weapon the swatter. His boots let out a ferocious roar of blue light as he closes the distance between him and the adept with a bullit dash. Forcing the latter to brace himself for the blades that go through him as he flashes red, parts into various red after-images and backs off with a smile, saved by his evasion.

"Hah! Too slow!" ZedΩ quips while summoning a rapid-fire bow. "No normal attack could ever pierce through my Vibratio! (Evasion in other words)"

"It's what makes me as untouchable as the sun!" hence short of hitting a weakness, nothing will harm him.

"Tsk, so ice isn't his weakness and Hydro Zapper is too slow for him to be caught by…"
Copen frowns as he quickly recharges his boots, does a dodge roll to barely evade the flurry of arrows that could have turned him into a pincushion and shoots back plasma shots while brainstorming about a way to actually damage his opponent. "If so…no."

For a moment the idea of using Greed Snatcher bullets came to mind, but it's quickly rejected due to their slow fire-rate and the consequences of his foe learning about it.

For if he does, then ZedΩ would most likely stop playing around and fully focus on exterminating him, if not work on making a countermeasure against it later like Gunvolt did with his armor. Copen still doesn't know how that blond-haired fool managed to get something that could block the worst effects of it, but he doesn't want a second time. Besides Copen swore to never rely too hard on them.

And he's not even in a real fight to the death! At least not his from foe's part.

But from his own? Definitely.

Regardless ZedΩ must have a weakness and he just has to find it, but what is it?

"What's wrong?" ZedΩ notices his ruminating and promptly calls out to him, "Are you considering a surrender? If so, I'd gladly stop, nor will I look down on you for it." Despite those words, the adept doesn't stop any of his attacks, half-aware that Copen is the stubborn type that won't stop until their own body outright forces them to.

"You know, I'm aware your opinion about us Adepts is strictly negative." ZedΩ continues, knowingly spouting the understatement of the year. "But surely a man of your intellect knows that even if I had the heart to LET you win, I would simply leave and send an army. Of droid-controlled robots mind you, I'm not going to lose good men to your claws, ahem. But anyway, even if you win, I could just shoot down your spacecraft and wait for the desert to drain away all your strength, you know?" he points at the ground to emphasize the number of arrows that have attached themselves to the top of the flying vessel. All of them grown into golden flowers digging their roots into the roof, but somehow not close enough to truly harming it short of needing to put on a new face-paint once the fight is over, for now that is.

"It'd be quite an easy thing to do, but I didn't. Can't you see I'm trying here?" he concludes with a smile. "So, just give up already. All this fighting won't achieve an- "

"Do you want a medal for being the adept of the year?" Lola spits out, the main pod providing cover fire and wielding the ex-weapons for Copen. "If you want to stop fighting, then how about YOU give up? Because me and the boss never will!"

"Lola, start protocol S4 in 15 seconds. We need to break that evasion." Copen ignores the adept's claims and focuses, normally one's evasion should have a limit, or at least the Azure Striker did. But even so, he has no choice but to change strategies lest he will lose the fight through endurance and possibly find himself waking up inside a cell.

"Over here!" Proving his point, ZedΩ quickly rainbow-warps to a feather he left elsewhere when his evasion does run out, taunts fired all the while. "Too slow! Come on, catch me!" making it clear that despite his 'genuine displeasure' he still finds fun in this. Perhaps this is what he wanted all along and everything else was just courtesy.

It's no wonder to say that Copen doesn't feel the same. He's sweating heavily due to the heat surrounding the projectiles and he's spent most of his stamina already. It takes an intense feat in willpower for him to move about as nimbly as he does and an even greater aim to be able to shoot a moving target while dashing about himself.

"Is that all you have?" ZedΩ fake-asks with a smile of pure joy, in contrast to the look of frustration coming from the Slayer's glare who then swiftly jumps into a blue hole.

"No." And suddenly appears from above to smash the back of Zed's head with the underside of their gun, leaving an x shaped mark on it. Or it would have if the latter's evasion didn't proc again, making Copen smash the ground instead in vain.

"Well…" ZedΩ rubs his chin in fake-thought, "I hope you pick up the pace then, cause I'm not impressed." then puts his hands in the air as if to display mass-disappointment.

There's nothing more annoying than a foe who can't be hit due to a one-pony trick.

"Let's change that, Lola, S4 now!" Copen shouts while shooting a barrage of curving lasers towards Zed, ones who again are of no threat to him. Instead, Zed raises an eyebrow while wondering what this special attack could be about, patiently waiting.

He doesn't have to wait for long. As Copen's robot buddy, Lola changes form from a basic red pod into a green coloured one with sharp looking green wings and bits.

"Wide Circuit!" after a dramatic name-call, various parts of said bits align themselves into a vertical manner aimed at him, out of which comes what he can't call anything else but raw lines of emerald data with the intent to impale him most likely or worse.

Sadly, they're a bit too fast to dodge due to his gawking at the curious technology. But all is fine for his evasion protects him as usual, "Hmph, yet another failed at-."

"-Laser!" he doesn't get to finish his sentence as two blue portals appear above and beneath him that shoot out a continuous yellow laser that he must avoid by constantly moving around, for more and more portals open where he once stood. "Ok, th- "

"Flesh Eaters!" This time he's interrupted by grenades thrown his way that shoot out swarms of onyx-coloured insects that try to rend his flesh but can't due to his evasion. Even so they're not discouraged and surround him from all sides, blocking his view.

"Useless!" ZedΩ proclaims with a burst of fire that rends them to ashes. "I have to say White Tiger, I'm a little disappointed. Don't you have anything be- "

"You won't be disappointed." Copen interrupts him as Lola, now purple releases a beam of light that she's been charging while he was distracted. "Take this!"

"Wha- "the words die in ZedΩ's throat, for that matter all sense of touch does. As if he's been entombed inside a stone coffin invisible to everyone else, completely vulnerable, and unable to defend himself for an amount of time he doesn't know.

"So, there is a limit after all." Copen comments with a hint of relief. The plan to distract ZedΩ long enough for Gorgon Gaze's to be fully charged a complete success.

"Even so, it's now or never! Come on Lola!" With a jump in the air and one hand against his face while the other point towards his foe, Lola's p bits rotate around him, spinning faster and faster until enough energy is gathered to release a special attack!

May claws shatter chains
Of those who traipse in my wake
Begone, you impure!

SHRED STORM!

Like claws made to shred all evil, the bits race around the sky at mach-speed. Slashing and smashing everything that comes in it's path like a calamity, ZedΩ's paralyzed body takes severe damage as flesh is bitten into and deep cuts carve their x-shaped mark.

All the stone surrounding him shattered from the impact, the adept is forced to a knee.
"Ah, am I…bleeding?" He's shocked at the pool of blood forming under him. "Oh…"

"Off your high horse yet?" Copen taunts, letting slip how much this battle has truly annoyed him. "If so, then…" he moves closer and presses his gun to ZedΩ's forehead.
"Pray to whatever god you believe in, before I send you straight to the hell myself."

"Hmm." ZedΩ hums in response, still fascinated by the sight of his injury. His shock turned to curiosity and no sign of fear in him even though he can clearly feel the weapon.

"Boss? What is he doing?" Lola glances from Copen's shoulder at the sight, then looks back at the boss, wondering why he hasn't taken the silence as an answer and shot yet.

"Adept." Copen speaks up with a harsh tone, "You're going to die, any last words?"

"Oh? Oh." That gets ZedΩ's attention back. He glances at his two foes and gives them an apologetic smile. "Sorry, would you believe it if I said that this is the first time in a long time that I've been injured? By a human I mean, it's quite an occasion and frankly, your combat prowess is vastly above what the rumours proclaims, bravo." He raises a hand to give a slow clap, zero worries whatsoever about his current situation.

Lola tilts her whole body in confusion, "Uh…I'm sorry what? Do you want to die?"

"Of course not." ZedΩ raises an eyebrow, as if she's the one being bizarre. "I've got plenty of things to live for after all. And not only that, but my demise would also grief many."

"How lucky I am to not be part of them." Copen's finger goes for the trigger.

"Of course not, because you won't kill me." ZedΩ declares.

Copen's hand goes rigid at the statement, then after a second has passed his 'resting bitch face' turns into a heavy glare as he lets out a hiss. "Oh, won't I?"

"More like you can't." ZedΩ clarifies with one fist on an empty palm, like it's a quiz.

"Elaborate." Copen hisses back immediately while Lola looks confused by the mood.

"This whole fight was nothing more than a courtesy really." ZedΩ shrugs as if to say 'boys will be boys' before continuing with his usual smarmy charismatic way of speaking.
"I don't want to kill you because of the reasons I've already said, and you want to kill me for various reasons, or maybe just one who knows, but you won't. Because I know way too many things that would take you lots of time to learn by yourself if I'm dead, not to forgot how my entire organization would hunt you down for the rest of your life. But most importantly, you can't kill me because if you do…well, just please don't?"

"…."

"What if I say pretty, please?"

A long moment of silence passes between the two opponents. Only a few minutes had passed during this fight but if one could speed up time through effort, then the sunrise would have already revealed itself by the end of it. For Copen is completely exhausted.

But still, in the end it is his gun that is pointed at the adept's head, so he won.
So, all he has to do is pull the trigger and send a ticket of death through ZedΩ's skull.

It is at exactly this moment that Copen realizes he dislikes ZedΩ with every fiber of his being. Not only because he's an adept, but because the bastard got into his head. He's had plenty of adepts that thought they could dodge a bullet or that he wouldn't finish them off, hell some even tried to bargain for their survival. But this guy? The way's he's sitting upright gives Copen the visual of someone who just enjoyed a picnic.

He doesn't like that confidence, that aura that's saying that no matter what decision he makes, the adept has already a countermeasure in mind. Like an adult trying to appease a child, Copen can tell that the smug snake is trying to make a show out of the possibility that he won't shoot him and thus the option of cooperation would still be open later.

"I understand if you believe the worst in us." ZedΩ starts to speak, most likely to blab a speech about overcoming one's 'prejudices' or 'differences' to accomplish a greater goal, but Copen doesn't bother listening to that. Instead, mentally deciphering the pros and cons of just shooting the guy and then moving about his day.

In the end, he makes his decision. "If you want to live, then do me a favor."

The adept stops talking and perks up, their attention grabbed. "Yes?"

"Leave me alone or this will be your grave." Copen demands.

"I can't. -"

BANG!

"Okay, that's just rude." The adept shows a pout as evasion saves the day, AGAIN.

"The stalker doesn't get to complain." Copen replies, ready for a round 2.

ZedΩ just warps back to the middle of the field, arms crossed in disappointment. "Haaah, I expected you to be a lot more reasonable, but if it must end like this…"

Tired of the fight, ZedΩ concentrates as a golden aura surrounds him, his septima power rapidly reaching a critical point as all of it is focused in one special attack to end it all.

"Then I'll just end it. You've shown me a grand spirit, but this is where we part!"

Luminous swords point toward heaven
Regret cannot stop their revelation
Accept your righteous ruin

REX CALIBUR!

Hundreds upon hundreds of golden swords fill the sky, each one of them bearing designs worthy of master craftsman. To create an object with one's septima requires absolute mastery, and to make so many of them at once? In such a condition?
Only a prodigy could do it! Like rain, their numbers would be too many, too fast to properly dodge and with their heat and size getting hit would guarantee the highest degrees of burns after being hit if not outright death. No spacecraft, tank or even an army would be able to withstand this, for if this attack were to be aimed at a country.

The entire land and its inhabitants would be obliterated, the only trace remaining being the sand that covers this desert. ZedΩ is confident that he has just won.

"Boss this is bad!" and he's not the only to think that, seeing how Lola stiffens in shock. "If we get hit by that, it's game over! And even if we don't. The Cosmo Copen can't- "

"Calm down, Lola." Copen replies, trying to look unaffected but the slight widening of his eyes is proof enough that he feels the same. "There's always a way out, a way to-"

"Surpass the odds, is that what you mean to say?" ZedΩ finishes the sentence for him, a small snort comes out of him which makes him wince when his chest hurts. "I concur, as in I don't agree with that, the fight is over so give up and let us- "

"Never." Copen states firmly. "I will never give up." No matter the situation he finds himself in, he will always find a way out, if only he more than one bullit then he could simply take the hit and use the small window to force the adept to stop his attack.

"Also, what I was about to say was: There's always a way to-smoke bomb!"

Lola immediately obeys, turning into a grey pod that has its bits shoot out a smoky substance that quickly covers the surroundings, making them both no longer visible.

"What? Really? That's it?" ZedΩ replies in flat tone, very disappointed. "You think because I can't see you, that you won't be hit? Please, you'll just run into of my shots anyway and that said, here's your rain of swords!" he points downwards and like rain, all of the blades smash down, intent to simply destroy everything hiding in the smoke.

Only to discover that both Lola, Copen and the Sabertooth are no longer there when it has dissipated. For a short moment, this surprises ZedΩ but he quickly passes it off as them using camouflage. So he commands the swords to destroy the area with random patterns, for even if they're invisible, to dodge so many would be outright impossible.

The sound of metal being ripped apart, and the view of a ship on fire crashing down confirms his theory. The Slayer tried to risk it all on a tactical withdrawal and lost the bet. ZedΩ sighs in relief and halts his attack, simply watching the craft smash down the surface, create a large trail of sand as parts of it break and finally stop outright.

Then he waits still on guard in case there's yet another surprise waiting for him. The mere chance of his opponent dying in the crash an outright impossibility to him. The human and his drone are far too resilient to suffer such an anti-climatic fate and besides if they did, it'd mean he's gone ahead and wasted a lot of time for nothing.

When nothing comes, ZedΩ takes in a deep breath, tends whatever is left of his clothes and swiftly descends to the crash-site to check upon the two. The ship's hull has been cleaved in half due to his handiwork and the wings cut off, with a flick of his finger he banishes the flames surrounding the wreckage and goes ahead with his extraction.

It takes him only a moment to kick down the door and find what he wants, namely the White Tiger attached to his chair with a seatbelt and clearly knocked out if the blood on his forehead and the way he's slumped down isn't outright shouting it out loud.

"Oh, that makes things much easier now. Though I hope he doesn't have a concussion." ZedΩ says as he takes another step towards him.

"Don't touch him!" only to be met with a red pod who's called Lola if he recalls correctly staring him down and putting herself between the two. Like a hound protecting their master he bemusedly observes. "Go on, back off weirdo!"

"Easy now, I mean no harm." ZedΩ says in an appeasing tone as he holds up both of his hands, he also quickly continues before the pod can reply with a sarcastic comment or anything else that would make this conversation longer than it needs be. "Your friend has taken quite a fall and from what I see you do not currently posses the measures needed to treat a possible concussion, broken bones or any other injury he might have taken after our little spar. But I do, in fact, I could quite easily bring us to the highest rated medical bay in all the country and guarantee his survival!" he mentally notes the irony of having to convince someone to take treatment while he's injured himself, but in hindsight it's not funny at all and he just wants this done with.
"So, how about we stop these hostilities and you let me show the first helping hand?"

"I'll show you a helping hand!" ah, great, she's the feisty kind of person.

Fine, in that case. "Understood, have a good day then." ZedΩ turns around and moves to leaves, not saying another word or looking back as he slowly but surely moves out of the ship, takes a few steps in the sands and starts counting the time.

1.

2.

3.

"Wait!" bingo, the pod calls out to him, their voice filled with mixed feelings.
"If you really mean well then….don't you dare reveal it's a trick at the end!"

"You have my word." ZedΩ puts a hand to his chest, a smile on his face. Internally glad that he can finally take a proper rest after all this effort. "Oh, by the way...before we go on any further, what is your name? Your master called you by one but I feel that it would be rude to just do the same without asking for it first." He tends a hand too.

Which is again left unshaken, "Lola." The pod replies with caution and then swirls up and down in impatience. "Anyway, you've won! So, hurry up and go kidnap us!"

"Understood, in that case, let us be off." With a simple swing of his arm, he covers everyone under a crimson feather, which turns them all into rainbows and voila!

They're gone, leaving the destroyed wreck as sole proof that this fight happened.