CHAPTER VIII
The vehicle continued to surge forward, leaving a trail of dust as evidence of its passage. Moving at full throttle—powered by an engine that could self-repair and fuel that replenished itself the moment it ran out—the car occasionally went airborne as it hit the uneven terrain.
In the driver's seat, Kyle remained focused, gripping the steering wheel while flooring the gas pedal without pause. He stared intently ahead to ensure the safety of their path; there were no turns to make, as actual cities no longer existed. Every building had been leveled, with only small fragments of foundations remaining. Dianne gazed at the surroundings from the front passenger seat; after switching positions with Kaizo, she now enjoyed an unobstructed view of the horizon. Meanwhile, in the back seat, Alisa was fast asleep on Kaizo's lap. Kaizo looked somewhat bothered by this, mostly because Alisa had a snore that was surprisingly loud and heavy. "Doesn't match her face at all," Kaizo thought to himself.
Kaizo moved his right hand toward the door handle, noticing a button that controlled the window. He pressed it gently. The window slid down, allowing a rush of wind to enter and cool the temperature inside the car. Kaizo rested his elbow on the window frame, propping his face up with his palm, while using his other hand to stroke Alisa's head. Feeling the heat rise inside the car as the morning grew brighter, Dianne and Kyle opened their windows as well. Everyone enjoyed their own moment of quiet. There wasn't much left to discuss; they needed to reach the edge of the European continent as quickly as possible to cross the ocean. The other two Arkae Towers were located in the Americas.
Lost in thought, Kyle debated with himself. He felt it might be futile to focus solely on the towers. He wondered if they should instead be looking for clues about the nature of the impending apocalypse. He shared this thought with Dianne. It made more sense to find the sequence of events leading to the end of the world rather than just questioning those connected to it. Dianne agreed, but noted they couldn't simply ignore the towers. Finding records on Earth was nearly impossible; who would focus on carving stones during a nuclear war? Most books from that era had likely been reduced to ash.
Kyle tried to contact Charles. Unexpectedly, a woman's voice answered the radio. Dianne and Kyle were startled, while Kaizo continued to enjoy the fresh wind hitting his face.
"Madam President?" Kyle asked.
"Yes, I'm here. Is that you, Kyle?" Mariabelle answered. "Don't be afraid—I'm on your side. Charles is busy with something. I wanted to see him, but he wasn't at the news office. I thought he was in his room, but it turns out he's attending a meeting with the high officials."
"Madam—I mean, Mariabelle, could you look for a record about the apocalypse in the library? Or perhaps in Charles's room?" Kyle requested.
"Wait a moment," Mariabelle said before cutting the call.
Dianne was confused as to why the President's wife could access their secret radio frequency and whether she was truly an ally. Kyle nodded and said, "Mariabelle is on our side. I've known her since high school. She's easy to get along with—not just because of her beauty, but because she's a brilliant orator. If the President hadn't come along, perhaps she and I would be living a peaceful life together on Olympus right now." Kyle smiled but immediately slapped his own face when he saw Dianne scowling.
"How can she be in Charles's room? Every home requires a specific ID for access. Does the President's wife have that much authority?" Dianne asked.
"Honestly, I don't know. Charles will have to answer for that. As far as I know, only officials with a warrant can enter a residence without permission. Even the President can't do it without a formal order," Kyle replied.
"Hmph, she's probably just cheating on the President. It happens all the time," Kaizo chimed in from the back.
"Kaizo, don't be like that. Actually, say whatever you want, but I'm uncomfortable when you talk—your stomach vibrates too much," Alisa muttered, lying on her side against Kaizo's midsection.
The radio buzzed back to life. Mariabelle began reading from a book she had found.
"I found a book titled Turmoil of the Final Days. Want to hear what it says?" Mariabelle asked.
"Just summarize it," Kyle replied.
"Alright. It says that in the beginning, a thick smoke will cover the world, killing anyone who doesn't hide from it. The first chaos arises with the arrival of a 'Liar' who saves the survivors. This Liar has the power to grant a heaven to his followers while leaving those who hate him in a hell. Simultaneously, 'all-consuming creatures' arrive in numbers of a hundred for every human, depleting natural resources just by passing through. From there, the good and bad among humanity will be revealed. The 'good' are those who stay in hell—the ones kicked out of Heaven and those who fight against it. The 'evil' are the inhabitants of Heaven—those obedient to the Ruler of Heaven and the inhabitants of Hell who rebel against the leader of Hell. Finally, the trumpet sounds, and it all ends."
"What kind of story is that? How bizarre," Kyle remarked.
"This is just one version," Mariabelle continued. "There are other stories about the arrival of angels, arrows falling from hell, God descending to Earth, the dance of the Destroyer God, and the battle between gods and humans. Do you want to hear those too?"
"No, that's enough. I can't take any more of it. Thank you," Kyle said, ending the call.
Eventually, they arrived at the coastline. Everyone looked out at the vast ocean, contemplating how to cross it. Crashing waves and strong sea winds greeted them. The Symbiotes didn't just live on land; many inhabited the sea. Their forms were horrific—tentacled parasites that hijacked the bodies of marine life. If they infected a blue whale, it would be catastrophic.
Kaizo picked up a stone and threw it into the air. The stone fell behind him, giving him a new insight. Kyle asked what he was doing, but Kaizo only smiled and nodded. Kyle guessed correctly—Kaizo was about to create a new vehicle. Once again, Kaizo moved his hands and began to manifest objects. Engine parts, steel plating, and large blades assembled themselves. Kyle watched with excitement as a practical flying vehicle—something long unseen—took shape. Kaizo had created a massive helicopter capable of carrying them all.
"Kyle, can you fly a helicopter?" Kaizo asked.
Kyle gave a small, embarrassed laugh. "Hehe, I've flown one before, but honestly? You guys won't be able to sit comfortably during the trip."
Alisa stepped forward, stretching her fingers. She removed the red cloth from her shoulders. "Kaizo, take my cloak. I want to be useful too," she said. Kaizo took the cloth and wore it exactly as she did. Dianne simply shook her head with a smile. Kyle approached Dianne and whispered, "Are you sure she can be trusted?" Dianne just laughed and pushed Kyle into the helicopter.
Kaizo pulled out an old map showing a world that was once green and beautiful.
"Where did you get that?" Kyle asked.
"From my teacher. He took it from the past before I was sent here," Kaizo answered.
Armed with the map and knowledge of sea winds, they prepared for their aerial journey. Alisa took the controls and prepped the systems. "Ready? One, two, three—if you're happy, let's do this!"
"DO IT!!!" everyone cheered.
The blades spun, faster and faster, blowing dust and sand everywhere. The roar of the helicopter drew nearby Symbiotes, but before they could attack, the craft lifted high into the sky. The monsters didn't give up; they began stepping on one another, stacking up to create a horrific living mountain, desperately trying to reach the helicopter. Their screams were drowned out by the engine as the crew laughed from above. Kaizo manifested his sword and attacked the massive pile of monsters with glowing blue energy slashes. Explosions shattered the Symbiote formation, sending some crashing down and others plunging into the sea.
The persistence of the monsters was remarkable. Kaizo hung from the helicopter's landing gear, watching as half-fish, half-octopus creatures leaped from the water to attack. The sky was equally dangerous; hundreds of Sky Pierchers flew straight at them like living missiles. Kyle and Dianne began shooting them down one by one. Seeing that his slashes were becoming less effective, Kaizo leaped from the helicopter and stood on the air itself, manipulating air molecules to harden them. Using explosions at his feet for thrust, he zoomed forward. He dove down and decapitated a Symbiote whale, splitting it in two, then grabbed its tail to swing it like a club against other monsters. It was a magnificent sight as Kaizo flew through the sky, defying gravity.
Kaizo created assault rifles for Kyle and Dianne; they could now fire continuously without worrying about ammo. While Dianne handled long-range cover, Alisa handed her plasma sword to Kyle, signaling for him to help Kaizo. With a strong mental connection, Kaizo returned to the helicopter to create a super-jet thruster pack for Kyle. Now, with Dianne guarding the craft, Kaizo and Kyle flew out to protect it.
Suddenly, dozens of massive tentacles surged out of the sea, reaching toward the helicopter's altitude. A giant creature emerged from the depths—a humanoid behemoth with an octopus head, a mockery of the Cthulhu from old fiction. Smaller Symbiotes had merged their bodies to form this massive organism. On Olympus, Mariabelle and Charles watched the feed in stunned silence.
Dozens of Sky Pierchers linked their bodies together to form a giant missile. Fleshy bone structures protruded irregularly, but their stingers merged into a single, massive, pointed cone—looking like a lance used by knights of old. Kaizo signaled to Kyle. Understanding the plan, Kyle sped forward and grabbed Kaizo's feet. They spun rapidly in the air, making Kyle a bit dizzy, before he threw Kaizo with all his might toward the Symbiote lance.
Kaizo performed a legendary move from the superhero shows he loved.
"RIDER KICKKKK!!!" Kaizo shouted with a spirited grin. His right leg extended toward the living lance while his left leg tucked in to provide more power. Blue flames erupted from his foot. The Symbiote lance collided with Kaizo's kick, resulting in a massive explosion that rained Symbiote blood in every direction. That swarm of Sky Pierchers was instantly wiped out.
Kyle dove toward the water, supported by cover fire from Dianne. The Cthulhu-like monster tried to punch him with a massive fist, but Kyle spun his body and slashed in a circular motion, carving a spiral pattern from the monster's hand all the way to its shoulder. Not to be outdone, Kaizo charged in with another kick. He then backed away and signaled for Kyle to retreat. Kaizo crossed his arms in the classic style of Ultraman. He used his power to focus heat and light, making it look exactly like a finishing move.
"KAIZO'S BEAM!!!!"
A brilliant white beam of light shot from Kaizo's hands directly at the giant monster. None of its tentacles could withstand the attack. The beam sliced through the tentacles and the arm Kyle had already damaged. The monster was left in shock, only for Kyle to dive down one last time. His plasma sword grew to an inhuman size, looking as if a god's blade had descended. With one final sweep, Kyle decapitated the monster. Its corpse vanished beneath the waves.
"Sublime! Super! Stylish!" Kaizo shouted enthusiastically.
The battle ended as quickly as it had begun. Kaizo and Kyle shared a high-five to celebrate their victory and flew back to the helicopter. They could now continue their journey to America in peace.