Chapter 128: Believe in me
The aircraft groaned beneath the strain of two monsters struggling inside its already battered frame.
Every violent movement sent another tremor racing through the cabin as warning sirens wailed without pause, sparks burst from overloaded control panels, and loose pieces of metal skidded wildly across the floor. The pilot fought desperately to keep the aircraft level, but every second became more difficult than the last. Outside, the sky blurred past at incredible speed while Playmore burned beneath them, its streets consumed by fire, collapsing buildings, and endless explosions.
The Boss refused to remain restrained. With a furious snarl, he threw his elbow backward with enough force to shatter concrete.
WHAM!!
The blow slammed directly into Daito's ribs.
A sharp crack echoed through his body as pain exploded through his chest, forcing blood from the corner of his mouth.
Still...He refused to let go.
GRIIP!
Instead, Daito tightened his grip even further, locking his hands together beneath the Boss's shoulders until every muscle in his arms trembled from the strain.
The Boss growled in frustration before attempting something else. An unnatural pressure suddenly gathered around his body.
The air distorted.
Whatever strange ability he intended to activate had already begun.
Daito reacted instantly.
Without giving him the opportunity to finish, he jerked his head backward before driving it forward with everything he had.
CRAAAAACK!!
Their heads collided with a sickening impact. The Boss's head snapped forward violently. The aircraft lurched again as the force of the collision echoed throughout the cabin.
For the briefest of moments...his ability disappeared.
Daito breathed heavily, his vision swimming as fresh blood rolled down his face, but his grip never weakened.
Not for a single second.
Across the cabin, Fah-jin and Nyx stood with their weapons raised, Savage Power surging around them as they searched desperately for an opening.
HUMMM!!
WOOSH!
Blue energy danced across Fah-jin's weapon. Dark dimensional energy flickered around Nyx's hands.
One clean shot...that was all they needed but there wasn't one.
Daito remained directly behind the Boss, using every ounce of strength to keep him restrained.
If either of them attacked...there was no guarantee Daito would survive it.
Fah-jin grit her teeth so hard they almost cracked.
"Daito, move!"
His answer came immediately.
"I can't!"
"Then what are we supposed to do?!"
For a brief moment...nobody had an answer.
Then...the Boss laughed. It began quietly, a low chuckle.
"Hahaha!..."
Then it grew louder and louder.
Until his laughter filled the entire aircraft. It wasn't the laughter of someone cornered. It wasn't the laughter of someone desperate. It was the laughter of someone completely certain that victory already belonged to him.
The sound alone sent a chill through everyone inside the cabin, even Nyx hesitated.
Something about that laugh...it felt wrong.
The Boss slowly lifted his head, a wide grin spreading across his bloodstained face.
"You people..."
He chuckled again.
"...actually think..."
His smile widened.
"...this was my real objective?"
Silence.
His words hung heavily inside the aircraft.
For the first time since the battle had begun...Daito's eyes narrowed. He stopped listening to the laughter. Instead...he started thinking.
His mind raced through everything that had happened since the Boss appeared.
Every attack. Every movement. Every decision. Every opportunity the Boss had ignored.
'Why had he chased the aircraft so relentlessly?'
'Why hadn't he simply killed them when he had countless opportunities?'
'Why did he seem so calm even now?'
The answer...didn't come.
Not yet, but one thing became painfully obvious, the Boss wanted them distracted.
Whether he was bluffing or telling the truth...it didn't matter. Because they had finally done something that had seemed impossible.
They had caught him, right here and right now. If they allowed this chance to disappear...there might never be another. Daito's grip tightened once more.
Then he spoke.
"Nyx."
She looked toward him immediately.
"What?"
His voice remained calm despite the blood running down his chin.
"Open a gate."
For the first time during the entire battle...the Boss's smile faltered.
Only slightly and only for an instant.
But Daito noticed, that tiny reaction confirmed everything he needed.
He was right.
Nyx stared at him as though she had misheard.
"...A gate?"
"Send us through."
The aircraft fell silent, even the Boss stopped laughing.
Nyx immediately shook her head.
"No."
There was no hesitation in her answer only fear, like real fear.
"Daito..."
Her voice trembled ever so slightly.
"My power doesn't work like that."
Behind her, faint dimensional circles began flickering into existence before fading away again like unstable reflections.
"They're dimensional gates."
She looked toward the space behind her where fragments of dark energy swirled.
"They connect to monster dimensions."
Her breathing became uneven as memories she clearly wished to forget resurfaced.
"There are places beyond our world that were never meant for humans."
She slowly raised one trembling hand toward one of the unstable portals.
"Everything comes out of those dimensions."
Her fingers curled into a fist.
"...Nothing goes in."
She looked directly into Daito's eyes.
"If I send you there..."
Her voice became almost a whisper.
"...there's no guarantee your body will even survive crossing the boundary."
The Boss couldn't help laughing again.
"Listen to the singer."
His grin returned.
"She's much smarter than you are."
Daito ignored him completely, his attention never left Nyx.
"Believe in me."
Nyx stared at him in disbelief.
"Believe in you?"
She pointed toward his battered body.
"Look at yourself!"
Her voice finally broke.
"Champagne nearly killed you!"
She pointed at the blood soaking through his clothes.
"You're burned."
"You're bleeding."
"Your shoulder was only just put back into place."
"Your ribs are probably broken."
"And your Traditional Blade..."
She hesitated.
"...Aerin still has it."
Every word she spoke was true.
Daito looked as though he had already fought an entire war. His body was covered in burns left behind by the Mystic Dragon.
His breathing had become heavier, his vision blurred every few seconds, and his muscles screamed every time he tightened his grip.
Yet...his eyes never wavered.
He slowly turned toward the black Stimuleigh briefcase lying inside the aircraft.
"If he gets that case..."
His voice remained calm.
"...it's over."
No one argued.
Because deep down...every single one of them knew he was right.
The Boss was already powerful enough to plunge an entire city into chaos. None of them wanted to imagine what would happen if he succeeded in obtaining the Stimuleigh.
Daito continued quietly.
"If I fail..."
He smiled faintly.
"...then I fail."
His grip tightened around the Boss once more.
"But if I don't even try..."
He looked toward every person inside the aircraft.
"...then every one of us loses."
Silence swallowed the cabin once again as Nyx lowered her head.
Her hands trembled, and Her heart told her not to do it.
Every instinct she possessed screamed that opening such a gate would condemn Daito to certain death.
But...Another part of her remembered every impossible thing he had accomplished since the day they met.
Every time everyone believed there was no hope... Daito had found one.
Slowly...she closed her eyes and took a long, steady breath.
"...Fine."
The moment the word left her lips...the atmosphere changed.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
An overwhelming surge of dimensional energy erupted from her body, shaking the aircraft so violently that every remaining light shattered at once.
Darkness flooded the cabin.
Then...an ancient light began to bloom behind her.
Something enormous...was going to happen.
to be continued...