The Mech Beast loomed over the trio, who were still sprawled on the ground.
Cane's Innate Luck was indeed powerful, but it could only do so much. In such a situation, unless one was a favoured Son of Heaven, they definitely wouldn't make it out alive.
"You know, guys... My dad always used to remind me of the importance, to sacrifice myself for others." It was Abel. His voice sounded hesitant, as if he was unsure. But then, his voice hardened. "I never understood him before. After all, how could someone else be more important than myself?"
The Mech Beast lifted its remaining arm to strike at the three. It was at this moment where Abel's eyes narrowed, and, with a deep breath, plunged a syringe into his leg.
"AARGGHH!!" Abel yelled in pain. The injection he'd put into his leg quickly spread throughout his body, causing him to swell and grow in size. His muscles bulged and his eyes grew a ferocious red. Quickly, he injected another syringe into his leg.
Abel's body shrank slightly, compressing his muscles and size. His eyes became clear again. This entire process had only taken a fraction of a second.
The Mech Beast's arm swung down, hard - but Abel caught it. Holding the Mech Beast in one place, he continued. "But now I know! What's the point of being alive, if you have no one to be with! MY purpose in life, is with others!"
Abel swung his other arm, knocking the Mech Beast backward a few steps. "I... I don't want to live, if I can't live with my friends any longer."
ROAR!
The Mech Beast lunged toward Abel, and he caught the machine. His feet slid backwards from the force of the Mech Beast. The two began to exchange blows.
Abel might've temporarily gained the strength and power of a Master, but he had never fought in hand-to-hand combat before. Simply put, he was outmatched in skill. Furthermore, the Mech Beast had twice the strength of a regular Master.
Simply put, he was outmatched in strength as well. Abel was still managing to hold on, only due to the fact that the Mech Beast was one-armed. The other had been ripped off, which Abel took advantage of by staying on that side of the Mech Beast.
Abel swung his arm at the Mech Beast, to which it dodged. As Abel's arm continued travelling forward, the Mech Beast retaliated with a lunging bite. Abel took the bite with his outstretched arm, pulled the Mech Beast close, and began to repeatedly pummel the machine with his elbow.
The Mech Beast pushed against the ground, jumping into the air. Abel was yanked off the ground by his arm, flying into the air as well. The Mech Beast, being heavier and jumping lower, landed on the ground first. As Abel fell, the Mech Beast smashed its arm into the ground, raising a jagged metal spike - which pierced Abel's leg.
"AARRGGGHHH!" Abel let out a hoarse cry at the pain. He took out three syringes, shoved them in his mouth, and began to chew. The glass cut at his mouth, but the ensuing liquid began to work wonders on him.
Abel once again grew in size, once again compressed. His wounds began to close up, and he quickly removed the spike in his leg before the one in his leg closed up. Holding the spike in his hands, Abel charged at the Mech Beast with greater speeds.
The two were now evenly matched in strength. They resumed their fight. As they fought, Krouse also interjected here and there. His shields were pathetic compared to the fight between the two titans, but it was distracting enough that Abel could still hold ground against the Mech Beast.
They soon got into another lock, pressing against each other and shoving.
Watching the two, Cane suddenly spotted a sign hanging on by an unbroken wall. It read, "See Beyond Your Eyes... Call Us At Daydream Inc."
Eyes... EYES! Cane turned to stare at the Mech Beast, activating Divine Treasure Eyes. There, he spotted a bright, round sphere which was constantly shifting throughout the Mech Beast's body.
"Guys! I need you two to hold him down for a few seconds!" Cane shouted. "I think I can use Steal on that machine's core, I just need some time!"
Abel and Krouse nodded after hearing Cane's shout. Krouse directly conjured a shield to press on top of the Mech Beast's head. Though the strength was pitiful, it broke the deadlock, allowing Abel to clasp both hands and swing them into the Mech Beast's head, resulting in a devastating CLANG!
Another shield hit the Mech Beast's hind leg, causing it to trip slightly. Abel took the opportunity to push the Mech Beast into the ground. Krouse began bleeding from the eyes and nose as he created a shield which wrapped around Abel's body, similar to armour.
Slowly but surely, the Mech Beast was pressed into the ground. Cane then shot forward. Because he always used Steal unconventionally, he wasn't familiar with using it as Heaven intended. Cane kept his Divine Treasure eyes following the Mech Beast's core.
Steal!
It failed. Just as Cane used it, the core had already shifted positions. Furthermore, due to the high value of the core, it'd take longer for Steal to activate against it.
Cane tried again.
Steal!
It failed once more. The Mech Beast began to struggle violently, almost throwing Abel off. Cane knew he only had one chance left, so he prayed for better days.
3... 2...
1.
STEAL!
As Cane activated Steal once more, Innate Luck activated too. In that moment, all of Cane's abilities upgraded. The clone of the Mech Beast's core appeared in Cane's hands, which he then swapped with the real one.
Cane then dissipated the clone, leaving the Mech Beast empty. He'd finally used his skills just as Heaven intended.
After a short pause, Cane ranked up to Apprentice Combatant!
A new skill began to form...
[Hidden Strength]
Pick a target within 50 metres of your location. Whenever they can't see you, your physique doubles, giving you twice the strength, speed and durability than you normally would.
Wow... Cane was shocked at the skill. This is an amazing skill...
But Cane didn't have time to savour it. The core in Cane's hands began to glow red. He was still checking his skill and hadn't noticed yet. Abel rushed toward Cane with a yell.
"Cane, your hands!" He shoved Cane, sending him flying. Meanwhile, the core exploded, directly in front of Abel.
Splat!
The ensuing shockwave enveloped Krouse as well, crushing every bone inside of his body and sending him crashing against the remaining wall.
Where Abel stood, there was only a pool of blood. Cane stared in abject horror.
The loss of Chuck, and now Abel, had failed to catch up to him fully. Cane could only feel a sense of emptiness. Cane looked over, seeing Krouse's crumpled body buried underneath rubble.
Krouse... is also dead? He thought of the ever-cheery child, who always had a smile on his face. Cane thought of the dependable Chuck, who'd patiently explained to him all the concepts which Cane had been unfamiliar to. Chuck was the one who'd introduced me to the team. To... my friends.
And Abel. Truth be told, Cane hadn't gotten much of an impression of Abel. He was always quiet, in his own world. Thinking about things that none else had privy to. But Abel, who had always been present, always smiling, had given his life for Cane.
Tears began to stream down Cane's face, though he did not cry, nor did he make any noise. Noelle... is she dead too?
Cane didn't know. But he also knew, that such a commotion would definitely have attracted the government by now. Because Cane wasn't a citizen, technically, he knew he had to leave.
Cane stared at the battlefield once more, turned, and left.
If anyone is still alive... no. Even if you are all dead, I promise.
We'll meet again.
...
Noelle gradually regained consciousness. As she did so, she noticed something. Well, more like a lack of something.
A lack of people.
"Guys? Krouse? Abel, Cane?" Noelle tentatively called out in the air. But she found no one. Only a dead, charred Sky Serpent. And a broken Mech Beast, seemingly out of power.
There'd been a trace of a huge explosion, too. Could it be...
Noelle instantly broke into a sob, at the thought that everyone had died. Unlike Cane, she'd been with the team all her life.
Their deaths weighed upon her, more than her father's death did.
"NO! GOD DAMN IT, I WAS SUPPOSED TO PROTECT EVERYONE!" Noelle screamed into the sky. How? How could I have gone unconscious, while the everyone else was still vulnerable!!!
"I... I'm the strongest. I - was - the strongest. I should've died." She muttered, hollow. "It should've been me."
I'm sorry. Sorry, Chuck. Krouse, Abel. Cane. I've failed you all, and now you're all dead.
She could almost feel their gazes, angry, disappointed.
Wincing in pain, she slowly limped off. She couldn't stay - everyone had died while she slept, and plus. She'd killed her father, a general. If the government caught her, they'd execute her.
As she left, she only had one thought.
If anyone is still alive... no. Even if you are all dead, I promise.
We'll meet again.
...
"So... Everyone's died again." Krouse's body slowly lifted itself up, the bones still reforming.
As his body healed, Krouse smiled in joy. Though he felt none.
"I guess it's like always, haha! Everyone always dies. Just like in the orphanage! Just like now." Krouse smiled to himself. "Maybe it'll be like this forever. Do I want to make friends once more?"
Every time Krouse found a family, made a friend, they always seemed to die. Krouse was the happiest, saddest person alive.
"Where am I gonna go now? I don't wanna stay... if the government finds me, they'd probably put me back into the Personality Experiments."
Krouse began to drag himself away, making squelching sounds with every step as his body healed.
He smiled. And thought to himself.
If anyone is still alive... no. Even if you are all dead, I promise.
We'll meet again.
...
"Oh my heavens. I've screwed up." The Wanderer could only say these words, as he blankly stared at the Border.
What the HELL did I miss?