An eerie chill went down Ky’s spine as his final step placed him at
his destination. Or...that which seemed to be his destination. In
front of him was the steel bolted door to an extremely tall tower,
just outside the town of Fuzhou. Ky took a second look at the
tournament invitation he had been given just a few hours ago. This
whole situation seemed so...unusual.
Ky had left Jam’s place a few hours ago. But before he left, a strange
man appeared before him. The strident man donned very unusual clothes
of someone in China. A monocle over his eye, a living cape and a pipe
in the corner of his mouth...but what bothered Ky was the latent
strength he felt within that man. Ky really could not explain it
but...he felt a power inside of that mysterious man that was near
overwhelming. He offered Ky an odd invite to a fighting tournament at
an arena in the clear grasslands outside of Fuzhou. Ky was at a loss
to explain why he had been given this invite, but deep down a part of
his noble soul wanted a test for his skills.
A suitable test before his inevitable confrontation with Sol.
That was part of the reason why Ky was so adamant about competing in
this tournament. If his fighting skills were to keep their razor edge,
then the French knight had to find a worthwhile challenge.
But then as Ky looked at this elevated tower, it seemed nothing like
he had pictured it in his mind. The place was...dark in a fairly
simplistic term. Thick cracks streamed across the walls, climbing up
to the higher levels of the tower. Dark grey clouds filled the night
sky, streaks of lightning crackling with a thunderous beat.
That however, was not the thing that bothered Ky. What bothered him
was that this place did not look anything like a fighting arena. It
seemed...barren. Then Ky got the feeling that this whole thing could
have been an elaborate trick. A fool’s idea of a good joke.
{I do not believe...} Ky started. {That I was foolish enough to trust
a total stranger about a tournament...}
The shame of being tricked by someone with such a bad sense of humor
struck into Ky. This was a waste of his time. But as he turned to
leave abruptly, the steel doors barricading the tower’s entrance
slowly opened up.
“What?”
The movement of the loud metal doors came to an end, and Ky looked
over his shoulder at them. The doors were around eight feet tall and
around fifteen inches thick, but inexplicably they were open. Ky
peered inside. Within the tower was a large hall, more or less empty,
devoid of literally anything, but at the far corner was a large
stairway. And as Ky looked up to see where it led, his crystal blue
eyes widened at the sheer magnitude of their height. These stairs
seemed to climb up for a long distance, maybe even to the top of the
tower. Ky stepped in the hall to better inspect this place.
Something just didn’t feel right about any of this. Why was this large
building empty? Why did the doors open when no one seemed to be in
here? It was his conspicuous sense of curiosity that kept Ky within
this tower. He was going to get to the bottom of all of this. Ky’s
eyes scanned the hall for any shred of life, but nothing appeared
before him whatsoever.
{Somebody must be inside this tower.} Ky thought. {I will find out who
this person is...}
With a quick tightening of his grip on the mighty Thunderseal blade,
Ky walked over to the flight of stairs at the other side of the room
and began the journey upwards. Kliff’s successor climbed flights upon
flights of stairs, slowly inching his way to the top at a snail’s
pace. The spiralling stairs just seemed to go on and on forever, like
a stairway to heaven or something...
Ky sighed as the staircase ascended to new levels again and again, but
breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that his efforts were
reaching a well-received conclusion. Around a half an hour later, the
staircase finally reached a new room. Ky stepped into the room
breathing a sigh of relief, and his blue eyes scanned this room over.
Like the grand hall below, there was nothing of any noteworthy
significance to mull over. But Ky did see a second flight of stairs
that when straight up. Ky was incensed by the idea of making a second
pitch up the spirals of this tower, but then realized something.
{This feels...familiar somehow...I feel like...I’ve been here
before...something about this whole situation seems...}
Ky cut off his own thoughts when he looked up. There was a flat
ceiling to the room that showed the tower was at its final epoch.
Feeling that a finale would be reached soon, Ky rushed over to the
stairs and climbed up. Before long Ky ascended to a whole new room
that was nothing the previous one. Unlike the previous rooms, this was
the last area to the tower. It was open, no walls or ceiling, the
clouds screaming out with lightning and cool night air filling Ky’s
nostrils as he stood. However Ky’s anxiety over this whole situation
was not unfounded...his thoughts became more urgent as he looked
around this place.
Marble-like rubble beleaguered the dusty floor. A blood red carpet was
draped over a hundred-step stairs leading to two broken gates. Gears
were encased like ice within the surrounding area...the most
noticeable of all was the body of a young woman, brandishing a pair of
wings...
Ky was hit with the deepest feeling of reminiscence seeing this whole
setting. This was all just like...
The knight gasped. “Oh my God...”
Ky’s diamond blue eyes widened his pure shock as he took a better look
at those two broken gates. Standing before them...was someone that was
supposed to have died nearly a whole year ago...
Shock bled through Ky’s bones. “...It is not...possible...”
The back of the Gear King was turned, but he knew full well who had
just arrived. His senses were as sharp as ever. “Salutations, young
knight.”
Ky was still frozen by astonishment. “...J-Justice...? It cannot
be...he is...”
“Dead?” Justice filled in. “But yet, here I stand before you. On a
grand stage laid out by another. I must say they have done an
excellent job. Everything seems to be as it was one year ago. What
nostalgia I feel.”
Ky’s eyes narrowed. “You cannot be alive.”
Justice’s head peered over his shoulder to inspect Ky, his young
incarcerator. “Your eyes...they still reflect the woes and malignant
joys of the battle. But...not the truth it seems. Do you realize that
this is the forth time we have faced each other in battle?”
Justice chuckled darkly. “Your tenacity is almost as splendid as that
of your master’s. It is strange. The Crusades seem so long ago. Things
were simple back then, were they not? Battling each other relentlessly
was so simple. We spilt each other’s blood and felt the passion and
bliss that emanated from such feverish combat. And yet...times have
changed greatly. The concentration is on life not fighting. Combat is
straightforward...it is living that is difficult. Perhaps that was why
the Crusades lasted so long. Mankind seems to be comfortable within
the battlefield. To take a step in the dark and love one and other is
too hazardous for them. So maybe that was why they revived me. As a
bringer of what human nature desires most. Absolute destruction.”
Ky was angered. Pretender or not, this creature infuriated Ky just as
much as Justice had done one year ago. “What are you babbling about?!
I will hear no more of this!”
Again, Justice laughed and looked away. “You see. Your anger gives
rise to an extremely quick desire to take up arms against me. Even
when it is more than obvious that the scenario is playing out in the
exact way someone desires it to be.”
Ky’s muscles trembled. This *was* Justice. Ky didn’t even realize that
he had raised the Thunderseal in his hand. The Gear commander always
had the frightening power of omniscient perception.
Ky lowered the Thunderseal a little. “What do you mean...playing out?”
“That is irrelevant.” Justice crossed his arms. “Regardless of the
reason...I exist once again. My duty must be fulfilled.”
This was Justice all right. Nobody else had that blatant streak of
annihilation in their system. “Your duty?!” Ky bellowed rhetorically.
“The destruction of humankind?! You are just as insane as you were one
year ago! How can the obliteration of an entire race be so casually
accepted by anyone with any real sense of obligation?!”
A calm wind blew through the stairway to heaven. “You still do not
understand. I do not wish to crush humanity. Only the dark path that
lies before them. You realize how much of a danger I am to your kind,
don’t you? Yet humans used prohibited technology to author my
unexpected revival. Is that the act of a deserving race? A race that
will secure the future of the earth?”
“...I...” Ky was at a loss of words to counter that statement. If
someone took that perspective, it would be no surprise that Justice
would follow this path. But Ky could not accept that. Mankind may have
free will, but it had the choice to exorcise it in a righteous way. It
was humanity’s decision to direct itself towards God’s path.
Ky constricted Thunderseal with his vice grip. “I will not allow you
to enforce your own personal brand of justice on the world! You have
no right to disarm the autonomy of human desire!”
“Is it not humans that currently control the earth? How am I at fault
when your breed rips this world apart day by day? I am doing nothing
more than what your kind created me for. What is your excuse?”
The wielder of the Thunderseal scowled at Justice’s words. “Excuse?”
“Do not feign puzzlement. You know exactly what I speak of. Look at
the history of your kind. It is written in blood. The tears you shed
on the battlefield may show your guilt...but they cannot justify,
compensate or amend your crimes. The only thing that will protect the
interests of this planet are the deaths of the ones who enslave it. I
am a weapon that was designed to kill humans, and so I do. My
assignment is the purification of humanity. I only follow that
command. That is the true essence of my existence.”
Ky could not believe what he was hearing. “Damn you, Justice! You are
not God!”
Justice’s arms untangled his arms and his powerful eyes cast over his
human enemy once again. “Enough. Satisfy your blind hatred. Strike me
down. We shall see which of us is more deserving. Only the winner will
ever know the truth.”
**********
“What?! Dizzy’s been kidnapped?”
June gasped, shocked by what she had just learned from Johnny and May.
She was upstairs at the time, but it seemed that Justice, or some
clever pretender who looked like him, burst through the walls of the
Inn she and the others were staying at. He knocked May and Johnny away
as if they were nothing at all, and stole Dizzy. Now she was missing,
and there was no trace of her.
Johnny sighed. He and June were setting nervously at the couch in the
lower room. The glaring hole made by the King of Gears was dented into
the wall. It was shocking, to see the raw brutality and strength that
a Gear could muster. It gave Johnny sullen memories of the Crusades.
Luckily, he was able to keep the majority his crew from experiencing
the true horror of the Crusades. But now...that bloody war could be
re-ignited with vengeance. Johnny was not confused though. The world
had only sustained peace for around six years. Even Johnny was not
optimistic enough to have believed that the current peace could have
lasted. But...he could not help but feel disheartened. If Justice was
alive...that meant that even more innocent lives would be lost...and
more guiltless children would be orphaned as a result.
{That bastard.} Johnny thought sternly. {I swear he won’t get away
with this. I won’t stand back and watch like I did six years ago.}
June took note of the stern look on Johnny’s face. The cook of the May
ship could see that Johnny was holding back a lot of anger.
“Johnny...” June was cautious in addressing him. “Are you okay?”
Johnny closed his eyes. “Don’t worry about me, June. Go check on May.
I think she is really broken up about Dizzy’s capture.”
June scolded herself. {Oh no! I forgot about May!}
June was just about to ask the captain of the May ship about May’s
whereabouts, but he seemed to pick up on her thoughts and saved her
the trouble of asking. He pointed to the gigantic hole made in the
wall. Outside was May, standing solitarily on the street, surrounded
by the wreckage of Justice’s wrath. Quickly the cook stood up, and
walked over to check on her friend. June was seriously worried about
May’s reaction to all of this. Even May herself didn’t realize how
much she cared about Dizzy. If anybody made a comment about Dizzy that
was in the least bit derogatory, May would be down there necks like a
lightning bolt. May was very protective of Dizzy and now...
June stepped through the massive tear in the wall, and walked up to
May. The cook had a concerned look on her face. May was shivering. But
not from the cold.
“May?” June tried to make contact. May would say nothing.
June tried again, putting a sympathetic hand on May’s shoulder.
“Are...you...how are you doing?”
May managed to speak, but her voice was breaking. “I...couldn’t
protect her...”
“Don’t blame yourself for this, May. It’s not your fault. You-“
May scowled and tugged her arm back from June’s touch. “Yes it is!
That was the whole reason I came on this trip to China! To look after
Dizzy, and I couldn’t even do that! Now she’s out there with some sick
maniac and I can’t do anything about it...she should be here...with
me...its all my fault!”
The anchor girl fell onto her knees, weeping and sobbing into her
gloved hands. June felt her own eyes tearing up from seeing this. May
was always so strong and brave. But here she was, crying. It was scary
to say enough. June had always relied on May’s confidence and strength
for support.
“May...” June stressed. She had to be May’s strength now. “...This
isn’t your fault...stop talking like its over. We can find Dizzy if we
keep it together.”
May shifted outside her own feelings of despair to recognise that.
June was correct. Dizzy wasn’t gone. No way. Not unless they gave up
on her. She had to keep it together...there was no other way. The
pirate girl rubbed her marble eyes free of her tears, and stood up off
the ground.
May managed to turn around and face June. “You...you’re right.
Thanks...June.”
June said nothing as she pulled May into a hug. The Jellyfish Pirates
were a family, and a family look out for each other. That was the
beauty of the love that friends share. They will go out of their way
to console one of their own.
Johnny walked up to the hole Justice had created and stared at a teary
eyed May.
{Don’t worry, May.} Johnny thought. {We’ll get Dizzy back.}
**********
Baiken gritted her teeth as her eye slowly opened up, and focused on
her surroundings. The last thing she remembered was her unfruitful
charge on Justice. That battle was a complete write-off. Never before
had Baiken actually felt such a significant gap between her power and
the power of another. She was out of her league. And that thought was
the one that tore apart Baiken’s heart. All of the time and suffering
it took to master her powers, to learn the way of the sword. And in
the end it all amounted to nothing. What was it all worth, if she
could not avenge her people?
In her lament, Baiken tried to ignore the pain in her body to mumble a
few words. “I...should have...died alongside my people...”
“Well now, I wouldn’t have said that, sis!”
Baiken’s eye shot open at the sound of that voice... “Anji Mito?”
The Japanese colonist smiled and took a seat next to Baiken on the
chair next to her bed. “Hey. Look what happens to you when you’re out
of my protection for so long.”
Baiken grimaced, as tough as that was to do. “What are you doing
here?!”
Anji smiled generously. “Where ever there is a trace of That Man,
there I shall be. I can sense his hand in all this. Can’t you?”
“This is none of your...arrgh!” Baiken yelled in pain as she tried to
heave herself off the bed. The Japanese woman collapsed back when the
pain overpowered her.
“You better not try moving for a little while.” Anji said concernedly.
“A lot was taken out of you. You might worsen the injuries you have if
you try to put strain on them.”
Baiken groaned a little as she lay down. Everything was going haywire.
First Justice rears his ugly head even though he should have died a
year ago, now Anji appears out of nowhere. Nothing about this
situation made any sense.
Baiken looked at Anji. “Where...am I?”
“This is a small house I rented. I was actually just passing through
Fuzhou to get to Mainland China. I’m looking for someone. But then I
heard about an explosion in the city, so I left to investigate the
situation. Then I ran into you and your friend.”
“My friend...?” Baiken’s memory was fuzzy. “You mean, Millia...?”
Anji nodded. “I think that’s what her name is. Anyways, she was
hesitant to let me near you, but I explained that I knew you, and she
allowed me to take you back to my place to recover.”
Baiken looked around. “Where is she?”
Anji just shrugged. “I don’t really know. My guess is she went after
Justice. She seemed pretty angry.”
{Damn! Millia can’t fight him alone!} Baiken struggled to pull herself
up from the bed. Her injuries were too painful to overcome, but she
had to help Millia. In an instant, Anji stood up to prevent Baiken
from leaving.
“You’re in no condition to be fighting right now, Baiken. It would be
better for that girl if you weren’t there. If you go, that would be
another thing for her to worry about.”
Baiken hated to admit this, but Anji was right. If she did go there,
Millia would be at a disadvantage. She hoped that Millia wouldn’t do
anything rash though. Despite how powerful she was, Millia had very
little faith or respect for her own power.
The ultimate paradox of Millia’s situation was that her powers were
designed to kill. Yet Millia did not have the heart to follow a life
of murder. Baiken could accurately predict Millia’s future. It
wouldn’t end happily unless Baiken could do something for her.
Baiken leaned back onto the bed. “I...suppose you are...correct.”
“Don’t worry, Baiken.” Anji said confidently. “I think your friend is
strong enough to take care of herself.”
**********
This was it. The time for talk had passed.
Feeling that time was right to strike, Ky charged up the hundred steps
leading up to the gates to heaven. And the leader of the Gears. Ky
darted towards Justice, who himself had full notice of Ky’s power.
Human or not, Ky was extremely gifted.
As Ky reached Justice’s proximity, the valiant knight leapt into the
air, soaring above the hundred steps. Justice looked up at Ky. He had
no idea what this boy was going to do. But Ky answered that question
himself.
The blue-eyed officer crossed his arms over his body, closed his eyes
and focused his attention on the Thunderseal blade. All of Ky’s focus
empowered the blade in his hands, streaks of sapphire lightning
passing along its finely crafted edge. Seeing that the time was ripe
to strike at his enemy, Ky spread his arms out evenly, and a crescent
shaped wave of compressed lightning shot down at Justice’s direction.
Type 01 smiled at this attack. In his battles with Ky he had come to
be very familiar with this sort of technique. The Gear King scurried
to one side of the wave, and Ky’s attack easily carved into the
carpeted steps of one hundred. Justice avoided it so easily that he
began to question Ky’s abilities on the battlefield. Until he looked
up to see that Ky was no longer airborne.
Justice was confused, and looked around for any trace of the sacred
knight. But his questions were answered when Justice looked below his
current field of sight. Ky skated along the ground with his long left
leg branched out, and struck Justice’s knees. Justice staggered
forwards, caught off guard by Ky’s strategy, and was thrown back as Ky
made a lightning tinted slash at his legs. That was the one that got
to Justice. He stumbled backwards, and toppled to the ground, his
massive weight too much to sustain balance.
Ky covered his face as a wave of dust clouded up from Justice’s
descent, but he did not let that get in the way. Again, Ky launched
himself into the air, and centred his mind’s eye on the fallen
Justice. This time the Stun Edge would be for real.
Ky crossed his arms across his body again, concentrating his power
into the Thunderseal, then branched out his arms accordingly. The
motion produced a second wave of thunderous, hemispherical shaped
energy that smashed into Justice, shocking his body with the latent
power of the sky.
Satisfied with the outcome, Ky landed from the air and maintained his
fighting position. Slowly the electrified dust around Justice died
down, to reveal his magnificently designed Gear body getting back onto
its feet. Justice stood up and formed a curious chuckle of approval.
“Brilliant strategy.” Justice said. “But you didn’t actually expect
that level of attack to finish me, did you?”
Ky smiled also, not dropping his guard. “No. If things were that
simple, the Crusades would not have lasted so long. You cannot fool
me, Justice.”
Ky then gave Justice no time to respond as he charged at the Gear.
Justice would probably have another way of countering a third
projectile, so Ky chose to meet his Gear enemy face to face. Ky
expertly swung his sword at Justice’s chest area, whereas Justice
thrust his claw sharply at Ky. Thunderseal and Justice’s claw clashed
with epic proportions, sparks of static electricity splaying around
them.
Justice pressed hard on Ky’s sword. He was finding the challenge of
this man to be more serious than he first realized. With his blade in
a fierce power lock with Justice’s claw, Ky forced more pressure via
his wrists. But the more he tried, the more he realized that he was
gaining no ground. In fact, Ky felt his feet sliding backwards slowly
from Justice’s awesome strength.
“Argh...” Ky tried desperately to hold back Justice’s claw, but it was
not working in the manner he expected. In a desperate bid to prevent
Justice from landing a blow, Ky crudely shoved Thunderseal forwards,
and dashed backwards to escape an impending blow. The black talon of
Type 01 thrust into the ground with fierce force, a force that Ky
counted himself lucky to escape.
But Justice gave Ky no time to gather his bearings, and drew back his
arms to the left of his body. In a powerful motion, Justice swung his
arms around his techno-biological body, giving birth to a circular
blast of curvaceous blue energy. Ky was totally unprepared for such a
method, and breathed out a gasp of shock and pain, as the wrath of
Justice’s Michael Sword attacked cracked into Ky’s body.
The young Frenchman was thrown back by Justice’s attack, crashing into
fragmented pieces of rubble dotted along and around the stairway to
heaven. Ky gritted his teeth as the demolished stone scraped along his
back. Still, Justice rushed towards Ky, drew back his fist and
prepared to strike. Ky’s sky blue eyes widened at the incoming attack
and he desperately rolled away to avoid it. Justice’s dark fist came
crashing into the rock that Ky had been knocked into, and upon impact
the rock shattered into thousands of shards of chipped rock.
Ky recklessly rolled along the steps, just barely escaping the
authority of Justice’s fist. Something had to be done soon, or Justice
would claim dominance over him. Ky steeled himself for a new attack.
The former leader of the Sacred Order clamped down on the hilt of his
Thunderseal sword, and jumped into the air. Ky swung his magnificent
blade around his body as he somersaulted at Justice, a sequential
trail of lightning coloured blades. The sharp edge of the Thunderseal
came screaming towards Justice’s head, but that did not intimidate the
King of Gears. As the blade descended, Justice bolted to one side in
order to avoid it, and Ky’s attack slashed into the ground, creating a
wave of static shock in its wake.
Ky growled at the failure of his newly crafted Greed Sever. However
Justice was not as ashamed of its performance. Justice could tell that
Ky had been improving his skills since their last battle. For such
commitment, Justice would gladly show Ky a first-rate portion of his
power.
Justice glided towards Ky, letting out a cool laugh of appreciation
for this fight, then brutally back flipped, spinning his gigantic body
backwards. The force of his tail slicing through the air caused an
electric chain of static to blast up into the air, and Ky yelled out
in with pain as the static flare jolted and propelled his unprepared
body into the air. This was the perfect set up for one of Justice’s
new attack abilities. Justice swerved his body to the side, and
projected a small, slow travelling ball of golden light. The ball
leisurely travelled over to a now falling Ky, and Justice smiled as Ky
body came into contact with the Nitro Bomb.
A huge explosion boomed around the ears of Ky, explosive fire searing
his body and charring his uniform. Ky collided with the dusty ground,
particles of that dust filling his senses. Then in a blinding flash of
truth, Ky remembered just how powerful Justice really was. During the
Crusades he was ranked as the most powerful fighter ever. And now Ky
was trying to defeat him on his own. But he could not give up. No way.
Justice took no notice of the hardening of Ky’s resolve, and the
hubcaps on the back of Justice’s shoulders reversed backwards. They
charged up with energy and provided enough force to push Justice off
the ground. Like magic, Justice flew through the air and projected
himself foot first at Ky’s grounded torso. But Ky was aware of that.
Screaming a yell of momentum, Ky thrust himself into the air, swinging
the Thunderseal over his head, creating a trail of thick, powerful
lightning energy. Justice was unaware of such a response to his
movements, and crudely defended himself with both arms. It was enough
to put some space between Ky and Justice, as the force of the
collision knocked both fighters back.
Ky’s feet slid to a stop, and he realized the truth. Justice was far
too powerful. Unless he did something soon, Ky would die. Ky then shot
out another blast of crescent shaped energy that cut through the air.
However Justice was well prepared for this, and crossed his arms
mockingly, bringing his tail over his head. The Stun Edge bounced off
Justice’s tail, and reflected back at Ky using a lethal accuracy. Ky
was shocked. He hadn’t seen an evasion of that skill in years. To
nullify his own attack, Ky fired another wave of thunder energy that
crushed his previous blast. A flash of lighting streaked along the
ground and the air, emulating the bolts of lightning crackling in the
skies above.
Now Ky was worried. Justice seemed to be even more powerful then
before. Something had to be done. Something extreme. Ky stood still
for a moment, letting his senses fall out of focus. For a brief
moment, let all of his anxieties go. He remembered the things Kliff
had told him about concentration and attentiveness. That was the key
to obtaining immeasurable power. Ky let these memories envelop him,
and unbeknownst to Ky, streaks of ferocious thunder energy snaked
along the floor, signalling the severity of Ky’s resolve. Even Justice
saw this for what it was, and prepared of something big.
As the maelstrom of momentum reached its peak, a perfectly clear
sphere of crystal-like lightning energy instantly surrounded Ky. This
sphere was delimited by four other globular shaped energy balls, and
Ky yelled out ‘Ride The Lightning!’ as he was propelled forwards at
The King of Gears.
Justice was shocked at the amount of power that Ky could muster in
such a short period of time, and covered himself as Ky’s thunderous
barrier of energy pressed against his defences. Ky held nothing back
from Justice, enforcing all of his strength and power into this one
last attack. And Type 01 growled in fury as the chest plate of his
armour-like body was chipped under the sheer force of Ky’s power.
Now he was actually angry. Justice had been driven to anger by this
human. Nothing could push Justice away from that scathing thought. The
human would pay for this...as Ky’s ultimate attack continued to drill
into Justice; the hubcaps over his shoulders opened up and gathered
energy. The Gear had qualms about using this much power when he really
did not need to, but the insolence of Ky scraped at his mind. The
energy in these compartments gathered up quickly, and as it reached
its peak, Justice let loose a blast of utter devastation. Ky screamed
in torture as the force of Justice’s supremacy made itself known. Ky
was blown back like nothing at all and Type 01’s beam cut through the
knight’s spherical barrier with ease. As the energy dissipated, Ky
tumbled down the hundred steps, and came to rest in an awkward pile.
The blonde man groaned and wrapped his hands around his waist. From
the feeling, it seemed like Ky had broken a rib. Then he looked up the
stairway to heaven, and saw Justice standing there once again, with
that condescending laugh.
Ky coughed. “...J-Justice...”
**********
Johnny sighed. Things didn’t seem right about any of this. The good
captain was leaning on the inner wall of the wrecked Inn. The owner
and the other people living there had all scampered away for fear of
their lives. It was understandable. A disaster like this would
frighten anyone. Thankfully, Johnny had become accustomed to this
level of destruction. May and June were sitting at the couch across
from Johnny. May was in a bit of a state, but June was there to cheer
her up. That was the key thing about this situation. To support each
other and stay calm. If they acted irrationally, Dizzy would be put in
even more danger.
June looked over at Johnny. He was deep in thought, but a plan had to
be drawn out, and quickly. “Johnny...?”
The blonde man looked up. “Okay, guys. I’ve thought about this. This
is what we need to do. We are going to search for Dizzy. High and low,
it doesn’t matter how long it takes, we’re gonna find her.”
June nodded. “Yeah. Lets get started.”
“No, June.” Johnny said firmly. “It’s gonna be me and May who search
for her. You’re going back to the ship.”
June looked shocked. “But...I can help. I wanna help.”
“I’m sure you can. But sweetie, you can’t fight. Wherever Dizzy is,
she’s likely to be with Justice. If you come with us, you’re bound to
get hurt. I don’t want anymore harm to come to any of my crew.”
“But Johnny-“
June was cut off by a stern look from May. “Johnny’s right, June. It’s
better if you go back to the ship. Anyway, someone needs to tell April
and the crew about this situation. We’ll be okay.”
She understood the message but June still looked at Johnny of
conformation. The look that Johnny threw back was all she needed.
The shoulders of the cook slouched in defeat. “Okay. I’ll go back to
the ship and tell the others.”
Johnny made a grunt of approval. “Good. Now...the only problem is,
where do we begin the search...Justice can’t have gone too far. They
have to at least be near Fuzhou.”
“I think I can help with that!” Johnny, June and May all looked over
to the left as a cheerful male voice called out to them from the
savage hole Justice had blown into the wall.
And Johnny was surprised at who he was seeing. “Axl?”
The happy British Bulldog tapped his dual kusari-game on his shoulder
and smiled at Johnny and his crew. “From the looks of things, I’d say
you’ve had a pretty big party! Any unexpected guests?”
Johnny adjusted his shades. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.
What are you doing here?”
“Well...” Axl started. “I have a few things to iron out. Lets just say
it’s a debt I own to someone in the near future. I’ve come to tell you
the location of the girl you’re looking for.”
May was the first to address this. “You know where Dizzy is?”
Axl nodded. “Uh huh. Everyone could use a helping hand every now and
again. That girl is at a large tower in the southern grasslands
outside of just outside Fuzhou. It should take you about a hour to get
there by foot.”
The flame of hope within May’s heart just got that little bit
stronger. “That’s where she is? Thanks, mister!”
“No problem. Like I said it’s a debt I owe to someone. Just make sure
you get there as soon as you can. Ciao!”
Just as Axl turned to leave the Inn, Johnny called out to him. “Hey,
Axl! I find it strange that you’re this willing to help us. What’s
your real angle?”
Axl shook his head. “I haven’t got one, my friend. Just make sure you
find the girl. More things depend on her then you realize...”
With that last mysterious statement, Axl disappeared into the deserted
night streets of Fuzhou. And the three pirates were left with a
renewed faith in recovering Dizzy from Justice’s clutches.
Johnny smiled at the two girls. “You ready? Lets go.”
**********
Ky struggled to keep himself on his feet, using Thunderseal for
leverage. His knees were shaking and faint droplets of blood were
speckled across his Holy Order uniform. Ky could not believe it.
Despite all the improvements that he had made to his technique, Ky was
still being beaten. Even more shocking was the fact that Justice was
even more powerful than he had been one year ago. His strength was
incredible. And Ky had to admit...he would have held a deeper respect
for that power if Justice were not such a monster.
The King of Gears looked down upon his fallen adversary. A worthy
match. Ky seemed to have developed somewhat since their last battle,
but the young man was still no match for Justice’s raw Gear strength.
“Your skills have increased, young knight.” Justice said respectfully
to Ky. “I see you have not let your powers wither away with time. It
is a respectable accomplishment.”
Ky wiped the trail of blood from the side of his mouth. “Don’t
patronize me!”
Justice crossed his arms arrogantly, much to the annoyance of his
human rival. “It is as I said all those years ago. Humanity possesses
techniques that are far greater in potential for fighting than Gears
do. That is the strength of your kind. Kudos.”
“Silence!” Ky screamed, barely able to hold himself up. “I...will not
allow you...to sacrifice my fellow man for your...sick ambition.”
This was it. Do or die for Ky. After a massive strain of effort, Ky
somehow managed to stand up on his own two feet. Ky gathered up the
last bit of energy he had left in his body, and prepared his final
attack on the King of Gears.
“S-Stun...E...uhhh.”
Justice looked at a weakened Ky. That was it. That was his limit. With
a sad groan of tire and fatigue, Ky’s destabilized body slowly toppled
onto the ground. Ky hit the ground with a loud grumble, dust blowing
along the floor from the pressure. And slowly...ever so slowly, the
ex-knight turned police officer faded into an unfathomable
unconsciousness.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Where...am I?”
Ky looked around...he seemed to be within an endless void. Nothing but
drifting space and dust. But then, just as it seemed like Ky was the
only existence within this strange universe, and dark shadowy figure
appeared before him.
Ky was shocked. Not at the indistinct man specifically, but because
this man possessed a striking resemblance to himself...
A darker version of Ky smiled at his counterpart evilly. {Greetings,
brother.}
“Who...or what,” More correctly, “Are you!?”
{Is it not obvious? Face the pool of life and see the reflection it
casts. The reflection is of you. And I am a paralleled depiction of
that reflection.}
Ky was still confused. “You are I?”
The darker Ky nodded. {Yes. In a way. We are similar...but different.
As different as the night is from the day. We are twin souls, you and
I. You feel what I feel and I see what you see. A somewhat shared
subsistence.}
“I have no idea of what you speak of. But I need to defeat Justice!
The current peace depends on it!”
Dark Ky chuckled. {Even though you know you cannot win?}
“That will be for God to decide!” Ky said sharply. “His wishes are
those that move the earth. I will not stand by and let a Gear defile
the desires of God!”
{...You think Gears are evil?} Dark Ky asked.
“With beings like Justice stalking the land once again, can you hold
me to scorn for my feelings?”
Dark Ky shook his head. {You have learned nothing, have you? A machine
is only as useful as the person that creates it. A weapon is only as
destructive as the one who wields it. Tell me, what does that say
about us?}
Ky was again being angered by such talk. “What are you talking about?
I follow God’s path! The correct path!”
{God...God?} Dark Ky seethed with a cocky smile. {Come now, Ky! Your
God is nothing more than a fictional apparition. The culmination of
centuries of disillusionment and fear...}
“That’s enough! Blasphemous heathen!” Now that did it, with unbridled
anger, Ky slashed at his dark double with Thunderseal. But before Ky’s
blade could even get near him, Dark Ky’s body dematerialised and
reformed to avoid the attack.
{Fool!} Dark Ky bellowed. {Accept reality. Your beliefs and ideals are
only a safety net. A meaningless tool designed by humanity to trick
them into believing they have some significant importance over life
itself. You know as well as I do that the ideas of God and religion
serve only human desires. The bloodshed and wars fought by humanity
show that human will is drawn to destruction. The only reason we
fought the Gears so fiercely was because humanity finally met an enemy
that could transcend our own power.}
“...T-that’s not...true...”
{Do not walk away from the truth. Accept it. Accept the actualities
that it gives to your heart. The Gears are the creation of us humans,
Ky. Yet you blame *them* for the state that the world is. If you
cannot see the erroneous nature of that, then you are either
incredibly pathetic or foolishly ignorant. You call violence and crime
disgusting yet you are prepared to slay thousands of living beings for
benefit of your own race. Tell me; is that God’s word? Killing one
group of people is okay because they do not follow His will?}
“...” Ky could say nothing.
However Dark Ky would not let up. {Everything you’ve ever believed in
is a lie, my brother. An enormous lie tossed to and devoured by the
blind cattle of humanity. You consider yourself to be a brave crusader
do you not? But in truth...you are just a delusional child fed from
birth with the deceitful lies of your own people.}
“How dare you make a mockery of everything that I hold dear?! Are you
telling me that the protection of my people is wrong? That it is
unjustified? You are as twisted as Justice is!” Ky’s tone was strict,
but his resolve was faltering.
{Maybe not...but is your perception of justice and truth universal? Or
does it apply to humanity alone? You can ponder that, as we flow
deeper and deeper into the darkness...}
“No!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Justice kneeled down to pick up an unconscious Ky. The King of Gears
gripped Ky by the collar of his uniform, and observed the young
knight. His face was contorted in anger and terror. Justice brooded
over his adversary’s thoughts. It was always a fascinating experience
to delve into the human mind. The depth that existed within the skull
of a human was unparalleled.
“Goodbye, young knight.” Justice brought up his claw to finish off Ky
once and for all. Until a commanding and gruff voice called out to the
God of Destruction.
“That’s enough.”
Justice chuckled, looking over that the figure across from him. His
arms were crossed and a chain of fire blustered around his body,
whipping his ponytail of chestnut brown hair up into the air. With no
further use for him, Justice tossed Ky’s inert body to one side. The
battle of one year ago...was coming back to life.
“So...” Justice said tranquilly. “We meet again...Corrupted Flame...”
**********
Kaiser’s Afterthoughts
----------------------
* Whoa! Here we go! Now Sol’s in the mix, eh? What will happen in the
upcoming fight between Sol and Justice? Will May and Johnny free
Dizzy? And how will Millia get involved? Wait for my next chapter to
find out!
* I’ll get cracking on Loop the Loop as quickly as I can, but you may
have to wait a while for an update. Sorry about that.
* Sorry for any errors, and Nova, before you start cackling at your
impending victory, let it be known that I will not give up! I’ll close
that word gap, damn you!
* Chibi-chan seems to have gone off somewhere, so if anyone else wants
to write a GG fic with me, then feel free to get in touch with me. I
might be a little busy though.
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