Chapter 21: Knight & Demon
19:09 PM (Japan Time), Thursday July the 6th…
"… You came, Demon!"
"Tell that to Twilight, who's in love with SMT3…"
Sigma met Axe Man in an area decorated like a Middle Ages battlefield.
Blood, human corpses, horse corpses and weapons were scattered.
Crows were flying over the area, crying.
It was sunset, but the Sun was hidden by clouds.
"Come at full power!"
Sigma challenged him, assuming a fighting pose and brandishing his sword.
"Axe Raider!"
Axe Man jumped off the ground and swung his axe.
Sigma brought his sword up and blocked the attack.
He glanced at his opponent's chest emblem.
"Demon Laser!"
"What!"
Sigma's eyes flashed red.
He projected two red beams which hit the chest emblem and damaged it.
Axe Man tried to punch the spheroid on Sigma's chest.
He was deflected by a hexagonal barrier.
Sigma jumped and kicked Axe Man's face.
He plunged his sword into the upper torso.
A slight crack formed on it.
Sigma jumped back before Axe Man could hit him with one of his swords.
"I'm faster than I look!"
"Sword Dance!"
The eight swords appeared and flew towards Sigma.
He grabbed one and used it to deflect the other seven.
He ducked and hit the earlier crack.
The borrowed sword shattered.
Sigma jumped away from the opponent.
"Did you really think that I'd design my weapons to be able to hurt me!?"
"That sounds like a rip-off from General Grievous!" Sigma grinned.
"Hell! Sword Rain!"
Eight swords fell from the sky towards Sigma.
He hovered and punched their hilts to change their landing points.
He aimed his left forearm at Axe Man.
He built up energy on it for some seconds.
"Demon Rings!"
Four energy rings flew forward.
Axe Man tried to block them with one of his swords, but it broke.
The four rings bombarded him.
Sigma used the distraction to punch the crack on the foe's upper torso.
"Warp Attack!"
Sigma warped and dropped down from above.
He held his sword parallel to the ground.
The hit made Axe Man roll forward.
He stood up and hissed under his breath.
"Forward Strike!"
Axe Man ran towards him, aiming a spear atop his axe at Sigma's chest.
He let him get closer, and he tossed an Ice Cannon Ball to the ground.
It froze and the loss of friction made Axe Man slide across the ground.
He crashed against a blank tombstone and became half-stuck there.
Sigma drew a Super Vulcan.
"Super Vulcan!"
The rounds hit Axe Man from behind.
He groaned as he tried to break free.
He shattered the tombstone and faced forward.
"I'll slice your neck! Come! Dead Spirits!"
The "Dead Spirits" surrounded Sigma.
They were colorless standard Navis with mail armor.
They yielded lances, swords and shields.
There were about ten of them.
They were aiming their lances at him.
They ran forward and hit Sigma, but he didn't care.
"Spinning Attack!"
He spun upon his axis while lowering his sword.
It cut through the chest of the "Dead Spirits" Navis and deleted them.
He hovered above the air and formed an Air Hockey.
"Go~!"
The Air Hockey travelled across the frozen floor.
It bounced off the corpses and stones, increasing its speed.
It hit Axe Man from different angles.
He tried to intercept it but it hit him from an unexpected angle.
Axe Man roared and hit the floor with the axe.
It cracked and was restored to normal.
He rushed for Sigma, who used his left palm to hold the weapon at bay.
He kicked the stomach area to disorient him.
He used his head to attack the crack, which worsened.
Axe Man managed to hit Sigma's upper torso with the axe.
It became embedded there.
Sigma shrugged and calmly pulled it out using the left forearm.
The black spots came out and repaired the wound.
"Enough, Axe Man…"
"Sir!"
"Annihilator Chip, Slot In!" He commanded.
The usual white glow appeared.
"Get ready, Titan!" Annihilator Man challenged.
"Come at full power!" He challenged back.
"Catapult Dive!"
A medieval heavy catapult appeared.
Axe Man jumped on its canister, and it shot him across the air.
He built kinetic energy.
He crashed where Sigma was at, but a cloud of smoke formed.
Four shuriken rained down.
He rolled across the ground to dodge them and stood up.
"It's about to rain Stormtroopers!" Sigma taunted.
"Very funny! Iron Fists!"
Axe Man jumped across the air and tried to hit Sigma with both punches.
He used his head to hit the cracked segment of the armor again.
He grabbed the right forearm to whip Axe Man around.
"Fly!"
He tossed him towards a puddle.
He fell there and soon stood up, looking for Sigma.
Sigma dropped from above and hit him with the sword.
He then set him in flames.
"No math will save you, Sigma!"
"For math, ask Number Man about it!"
"Take this! Sword Cross!"
The eight swords formed four pairs of two.
They shot as if they were scissors towards Sigma.
He tossed them away with his left forearm.
He flung a Magma Seed at Axe Man's feet, and he sank on it.
"Area Steal!"
He managed to escape.
But he landed upon a patch of ice and slid across it.
He was being met with a volley of punches to his upper torso.
The castigated armor finally gave in.
Sigma dropped a Giga Count Bomb inside of it before jumping away.
The large explosion greatly damaged the opponent.
Axe Man collapsed into his knees while panting.
"Come at full power!" Sigma taunted.
"Why, you…!"
"The end!"
Sigma tossed a Grass Seed at Axe Man's feet followed by a Magma Seed.
The combination inflicted further damage as he tried to escape the pool.
His armor's integrity was clearly deteriorating by now.
"Come!" Sigma taunted.
"Cursed Axe! Purple Meteors!"
Meteors bombarded the area around Sigma.
Axe Man hit him with the axe on his chest.
Sigma calmly knocked on his forehead to dizzy him and then jumped away.
"Be cursed!"
Axe Man tried to bring down the axe to aim for Sigma's forehead.
He grabbed it and hit Axe Man's chest emblem.
It glowed with a purple light, and he had to step back while clutching it.
"Not yet! Purple Meteors!"
The meteors rained down again.
Sigma bounced some of them off around the area.
Axe Man tried to hit him with two swords.
They shattered upon trying to hit Sigma and he shrugged.
"That's not your best shot, is it?"
"No!"
Sigma gasped as invisible objects hit him across the body.
He thrust his left fist forward to knock Axe Man away.
He warped and reappeared some meters away.
He shook his body, and the objects dropped to the ground.
Their camouflage malfunctioned, revealing that it was 8 axes.
"Fine! You want little tricks! I'll give you big tricks!"
He brought two fingers to his mouth and whistled.
A "Ride Star" came flying in and he jumped atop it.
"Try to catch me! Galapagos Turtle!"
Axe Man merely observed how Sigma drew an arch in mid-air.
He formed an energy rope linking his fist and his blade.
He flung it towards Axe Man, who formed a shield.
The blade pierced through it, but didn't hit Axe Man.
Sigma pulled it back and spun it around himself.
His spin attack bounced off another wave of flying axes.
It was followed by a wave of spears and halberds.
Sigma flew across the area, dodging or blocking the attacks.
Axe Man formed a jetpack and began to chase him, too.
Crossbows flew before him and shot burning arrows.
Sigma performed a "barrel roll" and ended behind Axe Man.
"Old Pippin told me that useful advice! Star Wolf!" He laughed.
"… I fail to see the logic…" Annihilator Man muttered.
"Equally…" Present muttered.
"Fine, fine…!"
He formed Guts Man's punch over his left hand.
"Rocket Guts Punch!"
"What!?"
He shot the punch at Axe Man, who faced forward.
He swung his axe to slice it in half.
However, it exploded and knocked him away.
Sigma used the chance to speed up and draw closer.
Axe Man formed the halberd and thrust it forward.
Sigma slightly changed his position.
The thing hit the left of his core, becoming stuck in the armor.
Sigma punched the face but shattered an invisible mirror.
An axe hit the shield that he'd deployed over his back.
"This is becoming intense!" He chuckled.
He gasped when he saw an army of knives flying for him from the front.
"Salamander!"
He was wrapped in flames and flew through the attack, melting them.
He suddenly hit an invisible pillar and became partially stuck there.
"Aren't you becoming too desperate, Mr. Big Boss?"
He grumbled and warped out of that location.
He reappeared at a lower height and some meters away.
Axe Man was flying towards him, followed by his spears.
They flew for Sigma, who dodged or blocked them.
Axe Man sped up and Sigma also did the same.
They both drove their weapons through their upper chests.
"Sir. You're about to hit the limit of accumulated damage…"
"… You're right, Present. I was too caught up on the battle…!"
"Same over here…"
"Why don't we settle it as a stalemate?" Present offered.
"Fine. It's not like it's about winning or losing…"
Both combatants landed on the ground.
"But proving that we can grow and adapt!"
"Naturally…"
"Same over here, Mr. Big Boss…"
"Plug Out!"
Present retrieved Axe Man.
Sigma waited as his systems healed the wounds.
"By the way. There are more foul birds apart from crows…"
"No surprise… I detected them before the battle began…"
"Who's a foul bird!?"
Swallow Man dropped in from above, annoyed.
"That's what Mr. Freeze was saying…"
Swallow Man hissed.
"Have an issue, tell it to his face…"
"Damn it!"
He beat his wings and rushed skywards.
He drew an arch and dived for Sigma.
"Swallow Cutter!"
"Sonic Boom!"
Sigma swung his blade to counterattack.
His attack bounced off Swallow Man's one.
The latter had formed an RPG-7 missile launcher.
"I'll blow you up like that ugly Tyrant freak!"
"Interesting. Bring it on!"
Sigma flung his sword and hit the grenade, shattering both.
He thrust his left fist and shot five needles from there.
They hit Swallow Man's upper chest, and he groaned.
Swallow Man managed to land a couple of meters behind Sigma.
He managed to pull out the needles, but he was shaking.
"Shit! I'll remember this!"
He escaped and Sigma reformed his blade.
"I added a program to make them sluggish!" He chuckled.
"Perfect to tame fools that overestimate their skills…"
"Present. You can pull out now…"
"Roger. Farewell!"
The sound of his motorbike igniting echoed.
"This is Sigma. I'll come to the HQ to submit the data…"
"This is Omega. Good job out there…"
"Aye, aye! Thank you, sir!"
"Make sure that that bird isn't trying to stalk you…"
"Good point, sir. I'll ready decoys, sir!"
"Wise move. Will be waiting for you…"
"Roger!"
19:53 PM (Japan Time)…
"… Sorry for the sudden call, but…"
"You wanted to tell me something, Tamashita?"
"Y-yes. You see… Well…"
"I can infer what it's about…"
"R-really?"
Nelaus talked with Tamashita through a videoconference.
Tamashita was nervous, but Nelaus was calm.
"You were spying on me the other day, weren't you?"
Tamashita gasped.
"And you feel guilty at it, right?"
"That's…"
She sighed and averted her sight.
"I do… Because I poked my noses into your private time…"
"If you're aware that it was a bad idea, then I won't chase it further…"
"N-nothing odd will happen, right?"
"No. That was a duel. No more, no less. It's not dangerous stuff…"
"That's a relief…!"
She sighed in relief.
"Because it looked like a man of a biker gang, and…"
"Not everyone who uses rider suits is part of a biker gang…"
"That's… True. It was a bias…"
"Besides, he didn't care who it was. He only cared for the duel…"
"But why…?"
"Why he hid his face? Don't know, and I don't care…"
He shrugged.
"Maybe it was for dramatics, maybe he wants to remain anonymous…"
"I see…"
"I probably said it before, but I'm rather good at Net Battles…"
"Yes. Isaac was very skilled, wasn't he?"
"He was custom-made with Net Battles in mind…"
"Sure. But it's not like we want to brag about them, either…"
Isaac joined the conversation.
"We avoided bringing up the topic…"
"Did someone suggest to you that stalk me, Tamashita?"
"No… It was but an impulse of curiosity…"
"All humans have a right to privacy, no?"
"T-that's… Naturally! But… Sometimes… Well…"
"Impulses take over rationality?"
Felicia sighed, not too surprised.
"Well… Yes…" Tamashita admitted.
"Anyway. That's all that there is to it. Any other questions?"
Tamashita crossed her arms, as if thinking about it.
"Not really… Nothing comes to mind right now…"
"Fine. I hope that you've learned the lesson, Tamashita…"
"I did! Again, I'm sorry for that!"
"Understood. Not like I was angry or anything…"
"Now that I think about it…"
"What is it?"
"Lately… I've felt like something's out of place…"
"Can you be more specific?"
"I feel like something is missing…"
"You lost an item?"
"No. More like… I have odd blanks…"
"Blanks?"
"When I check my weekly schedule, something doesn't add up…"
"Why? It's always consistent…" Felicia argued.
"I feel like I'm doing something else and can't remember what it is…"
"Strange…"
"How about you check visiting cards or such?" Nelaus suggested.
"Why not…"
She walked out of the camera's field of view.
"Here's my wallet…"
She returned to the chair and began to check her wallet's contents.
"… Psychological consultant… Cia Ward… Ward…?"
She suddenly acted like she'd felt a jolt.
"Are you alright!?" Felicia asked, surprised.
Tamashita brought a hand to her forehead and closed her eyes.
"… Saturday or Sunday afternoon… What's in the schedule…?"
"Nothing special…" Felicia replied.
"That's strange… Then what were those meetings…? A dream…?"
"Meetings? With whom?"
"This person, Ms. Ward…"
"Never heard of her before…"
"What's in your memory files?"
"That you use that time to study, play games or watch videos…"
Tamashita frowned, visibly puzzled.
"… I'm searching for references, but…"
Isaac had been browsing for information.
"Can't find any such consultant anywhere…"
"What a strange tale…" Nelaus muttered.
"Is there a contact number?" Felicia asked.
"No… And no physical address, either…"
"Then how did you meet her? How did you receive this thing?"
Tamashita groaned and brought both hands to her forehead.
"I feel a headache…! I need an aspirin…! And talk to Mom…!"
She managed to stand up and left the room.
"What a strange tale!" Felicia muttered.
"Say. Check the call logs of the PET. Maybe there's a hint there!"
"Why not…"
Felicia checked the list of phone numbers and frowned.
"There are phone calls on those days, but the numbers are hidden…"
"Hidden?"
"A black bar covers them. As if they were censored…"
"Strange. Was there such a feature?" Nelaus asked.
"No… I checked our PET and there's no such thing as that…"
"Looks like it can be removed by inputting a password…"
"Any hints?"
"The Canvas Witch That The Pink Demon Feared…"
"What kind of "hint" is that?" Nelaus sighed.
"I'll ask Sigma, since he loves puns and memes and that stuff…"
"OK…"
"Sigma. Does this fancy title ring a bell?"
"Pink Demon? That's Kirby of Nintendo… A witch and canvas…"
Sigma replied and figured out part of the meaning.
"Touch Kirby, known overseas as Kirby: Canvas Curse…"
"And there's a witch?"
"The final boss, Drawcia…"
"Wait a minute. Drawcia. Cia Ward… Ward Cia… Draw Cia… Drawcia!"
Isaac gasped as he realized the meaning of that name.
"The password is valid! And the phone number is visible!"
"Don't call it! Send that data to the Net Police! Right away!"
"Sure! It reeks of some dangerous tale!"
"Tell Tamashita that it's a new form of scam and to be careful…"
"Will do that!"
"A witch…! Does that mean that it's…?" Sigma gasped.
"Anaya…!" Nelaus hissed.
"Devil! Was right under our noses the whole time!"
"No time to waste. Tell Zataki and Oozono to start searching for her!"
"Right away! Devil and thunders!"