Chapter 4 - Legendz of The Ten Islands: Volume IV

11. Freezing Field

Sir James Frost was about to intercept Jia Hao from charging into Zi but a grenade stopped him in his path. "Hey Frost, your fight is with us." Kenneth yelled. "Gladly," Sir James forged multiple icicles in mid-air and launched them at Kenneth's direction. Two swipes from Kenneth's lightsabers took care of the icicles sent at him. Kelvin took the opportunity and closed in on Sir James. Sir James used the same move as he did before, a wall of icicles burst forth from the ground. Kelvin anticipated that and propelled himself over the obstacle by manipulating the air before sending two balls of fire down onto Sir James. An igloo surrounded Sir James and blocked Kelvin's assault. Kenneth tossed two plasma grenades at the igloo before taking cover behind a pile of log. Two explosions shook the ground, filling the air with snow and dust. Julee on the other hand rushed to Cindy's side when her friends started engaging. She wrapped Cindy with vines and dragged her away from the battlefield. Chris and Jason who were freed from their cuffs joined the fight with Jia Hao right after they got their weapons out. Their attacks were pretty coordinated unlike those of Kelvin and Kenneth which seemed to lack synergism. They cornered Zi just after a few minutes, her ghost form that she used to dodge Cindy's attack had no effect on Jia Hao and his friends. With a swing from the staff of his scythe, Jia Hao knocked Zi to the ground and Jason handcuffed her with the very same handcuffs she used on him. Zi felt the effect of the handcuffs mere moments after it was put on. The Spirit World standard-issue handcuffs diminish one's energy the moment it was put on in addition to being a physical restrain. Sir James tried to help Zi when she was being overwhelmed by the trio but each attempt was intercepted by Kelvin, Kenneth and Julee who later joined in the fight after bringing her friend to safety. Plasma grenades, heavy boulders, fire balls, psionic waves, poison darts and all sorts of projectiles were thrown at Sir James's way to prevent him from reaching Zi. Multiple walls made of earth and also large carnivorous plants were summoned, isolating him from his ally. Their moves were pretty plain and inexperience but they worked nevertheless, buying enough time for Chris, Jason and Jia Hao to capture and restrain Zi. Another prickled vines came from the ground at Sir James, trying to grab and pull him under but Sir James waved his hand like he did before with all the other futile attempts they made to attack him. The vine immediately became frozen solid and shattered, just like all the projectiles they threw at him. Sir James's face was that of a pissed man when Kenneth summoned a giant hand made of earth to crush him. Suddenly, the ground in front of Sir James fissured and water geysered towards the giant hand. The hand made of earth crumbled under the high pressure water, leaving behind a mountain of wet dirt. "This is what I get for trying to be nice! Don't blame me for getting hurt really bad!" With a roar, the ground shook as if an earthquake had struck the entire place. Everyone was thrown off balance and was either on all four or just lying on the ground. Six pillars of geysers shot forth from the ground; flooding the ground and forming a thin mist at the same time.

Sir James stood on top of a spurting geyser, with a bird's-eye view of the entire battlefield. Kenneth was the first to recover from the tremor. He elevated the earth to form stepped pillars so that he could use them to reach Sir James. As he approached Sir James with his dual lightsabers, he noted from the corner of his eye that water from two of the geysers were being diverted directly at him. Kenneth raised two giant boulders to block the incoming torrent but he was suddenly snatched by a strong gale and lost control of the boulders. He found it to be Kelvin's doing and yelled. "What gives?" "Look!" Kelvin pointed at Kenneth's boulders and earth pillars. They were instantly covered in ice the moment the water made contact. "What the hell?" Kenneth lowered himself gently onto the ground near Kelvin. "Those are supercooled water, they will freeze anything that they come into contact with." Kelvin explained. "Max sure taught you well," Sir James said. Chris, Jason and Jia Hao came at Sir James at all three directions in a coordinated attack formation. "A feeble attack like that won't work on me," Sir James said as the three boys began closing in on him. Their movements were suddenly slowed the moment they got closer to him. Sir James's image blurred and reappeared before Chris. Chris turned into ghost form to try and avoid any physical attack but Sir James saw right through his moves. Sir James's jab hit home, sending Chris crashing to the ground. "That silly trick only works with first timer!" He said and glided towards Jia Hao. Jia Hao tried to retreat but he couldn't, even turning around felt like an impossible feat. The air around Jia Hao and Jason was so dense with water vapor that even breathing was difficult. As Sir James got closer, a strong gust came his way and took away the heavy and unease atmosphere that surrounded Jia Hao and Jason. Sir James cursed and turned to face Kelvin. "You're proving to be a real pain in the ass!" Jia Hao and Jason escaped from their entrapment and regrouped beside Kelvin. "Unlike the others, you do have some skills, Kelvin. I'll give you that." Sir James said. "Oh, you ain't seen nothing yet!" Kelvin replied. "Good, amuse me!" Sir James said and rushed forward at Kelvin and his friends with three pillars of water following close behind him. Kelvin raised his hands at two different geysers and unleashed waves of fire from his palms, causing steam to smokescreen the entire area. Sir James continued charging at Kelvin's direction despite the poor visual. He used Kelvin and his friend's energy signature to pin point their locations. "I can still see you guys you know?" Sir James said. "Then feast your eyes on this!" Kelvin shouted in reply. The steam around them were suddenly blown away by Kelvin's manipulation of the air. Kelvin ducked down and closed his eyes when his opponent started slowing down to a stop. Sir James was probably taken aback by the giant sunflower behind Kelvin, a similar reaction from Kelvin when he first saw it. The flower glowed brightly and emitted a powerful beam of light that would instantly blind anyone who stared at it. Sir James's yelling and cursing were all they that heard when the light began to dim down. Kenneth followed up the surprise with a dual lightsabers strike, aiming for the neck. However, his swings were deviated by the sudden appearance of a globe of liquid surrounding Sir James. Cutting through the liquid was like cutting through a thick gelatin with something blunt. Kenneth stared at his lightsabers that were stuck in the globe of clear fluid and decided to force pushed them after a momentary pause. He drove the two lightsabers through the liquid and into Sir James's back. The globe of water lost its shape and joined the multiple puddles that accumulated on the ground. Sir James's body dropped to the ground, splashing water in all directions. Everyone sort of breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Sir James's body lying motionless. But suddenly, the body melted and merged with the pools of water on the ground. All that was left behind were the twin lightsabers that sent steam into the air as their blade vaporized the water.

"You didn't think it would be that easy did you?" Sir James reappeared on top of a geyser, sitting on the spurting water as if it was a chair. "I must say, it was a good try. You almost had me there. However…" He manipulated the water to slowly lower him to the ground. All of a sudden, the geysers stopped spurting water, leaving only fissures on the ground. "This is game over." Sir James added. The sky suddenly started darkening with ominous clouds. Then, it started snowing. Before they even realized it, the temperature around them had dropped significantly. The puddles of water on the ground started to freeze and the snowfall grew heavier. Fortunately, there was no strong gales to add to their demise. "Gather round, it's a Freezing Field!" Kelvin ordered. All seven of them managed to regroup despite the snow that had piled knee-deep. The giant sunflower that Julee had summoned withered and died as its roots became frozen solid. "Try as you might but the difference in our power is just too great!" Sir James said with an evil smirk on his face. "He's making us burn our energy just to stay alive. If this keeps up, we'll run out of energy eventually and freeze to death!" Chris pointed out. "Stay close alright! This will save us some energy but I can't keep this up forever." A small hemisphere was formed and enclosed the seven of them. "Interesting ability. I can see why they say you resembles Max. However, your skills are still ten years too young!" The snowfall grew even heavier and buried the entire hemisphere. "Thanks, it's freezing out there." Kenneth said. The temperature inside Kelvin's Universal Barrier was regulated close to room temperature, keeping everyone inside warm. "We better figure something out because this ain't gonna last forever." Kelvin reminded them. "I guess we can try to use one of my lesser ability. It's not the best ability but in a team, it's great. However, I hardly practice it since there isn't much use for it." Jason suggested. "Great! Let's hear it. Anything that is a surprise to him would be better than what we have done so far. That guy is insanely strong!" Kenneth said. "My ability is called Syn. It allows me to synchronize my allies' energy no matter the elements and amplifying them at the same time. That way, we can overcome our differences in energy level and close the gap between us and him. Then, we'll use the combined energy to power Chris's spear and aim for a devastating blow. Kenneth can momentarily freeze Sir James to ensure accuracy." Jason explained. "I say we go with that," Kenneth replied. "Yeah, me too." Julee followed. "Guys, whatever you are planning to do, now is the time!" Kelvin's face was drenched with sweat despite the cold weather surrounding them. "Go for it Jason!" Chris said. Jason's hands glowed in a white light, drawing energy from everyone and concentrating them on the tip of Chris's spear. Before long, the barrier shattered completely, exposing them to the extreme cold once more.

Chris's spear shot forth like a rocket the moment the barrier went down. It was fast but Sir James had anticipated the attack the moment he sensed vast amount of energy building up from inside Kelvin's barrier. Kenneth failed to use his ability to immobilize Sir James and the spear missed by only a few inches from hitting Sir James's chest. The spear only managed to graze through his left shoulder tip. "Shit!" Kenneth cursed. "We're not done yet!" The spear suddenly changed direction and accelerated at Sir James's back. "Kenneth, now!" Kenneth used what remained of his energy and locked Sir James in suspended animation before he could attempt to escape. The protective globe of water that he used previously reappeared around him again. However, the spear that sparkled with energy at its tip pierced right through it like a hot knife through butter. Sir James didn't foresaw that the first attempt was a trick and he fell for it. Kenneth's Freeze ability prevented Sir James from moving, making him an easy target for the spear. Sir James made a last attempt to reinforce his water shield but it was no match for their combined energy. Chris's spear penetrated Sir James's scapula and went through his right lung and finally jutting out through his rib. Sir James bled profusely from the injury his sustained, painting the snow that he levitated above red. "Why you fucking little..." Sir James coughed blood and clutched his right hand at the tip of the spear. The snowstorm died down by a notch but the temperature was still fairly cold. Julee and Cindy both fainted from exhaustion while Jia Hao had to use his scythe as a clutch to support himself. Jason and Chris didn't look too good either, Chris was half kneeling while Jason slumped onto the ground with both his hands for support; they were both panting heavily. Even Zi who was handcuffed and left beside the piles of lumber were not spared from the cold. She too succumbed to the chilly weather and fainted. Kenneth was exhausted as well but he forced his body to move and retrieved his closest lightsaber. Kelvin dragged his heavy feet along as well, to finish the fight. "You think you won?" Sir James's voice was muffled by the blood in his mouth and his punctured lung. The wound on his chest stopped bleeding, it was covered by a layer of ice; freeze drying the wound. "Just give it up, James. End this madness." Kelvin spoke while taking heavy breaths. "Never!" Sir James's eyes were full of killing intent. He then gave a loud roar and stomped the ground. "Die!" Walls of icicles began emerging from the snowy landscape. The icicles then detached from its base and were launched into the air like missiles. They rained down onto Kelvin and his friends. "Julee!" Kelvin yelled as a few icicles were closing in on her. Kelvin wanted to save his friends but his tired body couldn't do what his mind tells it; in fact, he might need saving himself. Suddenly, a portal opened before Julee and pulled her into it. The same thing happened to everyone else including Kelvin and Zi. The icicles ended up hit nothing but empty spaces. "It's over James!" Erik appeared before Sir James and pointed a dagger at him. "I can still fight! C'mon!" Sir James taunted, he was clearly becoming delirious from the blood loss he suffered. "Very well then, we'll end this." Erik replied. Icicles pierced through the ground where Erik was standing but they caught nothing but air. Erik teleported in front of Sir James and stabbed him in the heart. With one hand on the hilt of the dagger, he used his other hand to choke Erik but his grip was weak and it grew weaker as the world around him faded. Moments later, Sir James's grip on Erik's neck loosen and his hand dropped limply to the side. His pupils dilated and his head lolled back. Erik pulled his dagger from the stiffen body and gently lowered the corpse onto the snowy ground. After cleaning the blade, he opened a portal to rejoin the boys and their friends; leaving the body covered in deep snow.

Mr. Mednik shoved the newspaper towards Count Fleming during breakfast. "I think today is the most likely day for them to strike. The conditions they needed to break the first seal are all in place." The headline of the newspaper read 'Massive Protest over Communication Down'. "There's going to be a rally in front of the Celestial Tower, a huge mass of about fifteen thousand people were expected to be there. From what I heard, the authorities had done nothing about the communication problem and did not gave any feedback to the public despite multiple queries. The city councils even ordered people arrested for probing into the matter. What the hell has the mayor been doing all these time?" Mr. Mednik said. "Yup, that's exactly what he needs. With that huge mass gathered there, it will be much easier for the mind control to work due to proximity. This maybe all part of Lalkarz's grand scheme, to provoke the public to go on strike like this by taking control of the higher-ups." Count Fleming said. "So what is your plan count?" Lady Christina asked. "I think cutting the power source to the Celestial Tower is our best option. It will shut down the Rift Breaker and the Psionic Amplifier. But no doubt Lalkarz had already set a trap for us there. Still, we have no other choice but to walk through it." Count Fleming answered. "That's a good plan." Mr. Kato commended. He was rarely seen inside the Alfonzo Hotel since he was tasked with the security around the safe house. Count Fleming had called everyone to gather because the operation that they were going to attempt needed all the help they could get. "I'm just curious, count. What are the conditions for opening the seal anyway?" Calvin asked before stuffing a piece of bacon into his mouth. "There are three seals guarding Narakiya's eternal prison. Once the rift is opened, the first seal will be visible. The conditions for opening the seal were deliberately set to be odd so that it would be difficult to be broken. The first seal is known as The Blood Maiden. To open that seal, they need blood from nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine females, not one more or one less. They only need a drop of it though." Count Fleming explained. "Wow that is odd alright." Lenny commended. "So, what happens next?" Lenny added. "Behind every seal lies a guardian designed to fend off any intruders. The first guardian is The Abomination. If you heard of the movie King Kong, then you have probably seen the first guardian." Count Fleming answered. "The Abomination is a giant gorilla?" Calvin asked. "Technically it's not a gorilla but it is a species of primate. They were commonly seen in the battlefield as front liners back in the days. They are ferocious creatures when equipped with the right weapon. Standing at a hundred and fifty feet tall, they would make anyone tremble from their sheer size. They were used by both sides for war and because of that, most of them are now extinct. The guardian however was not your ordinary abominations. It was equipped with a classical armor made of titanium covering its torso, shoulders, arms and thighs. It also wore a bronze helmet that is resistant to mind control and psionic attacks. And finally its weapon, a fifty feet long stainless steel club with spikes at its end." Mr. Mednik said. "That is a freaking monster!" Alex exclaimed. "You can say that again. I really think they had gone way over the top even with the first guardian." Mr. Kato said. "That is also one of our main concerns because even if we were able to stop Lalkarz's devices, if he's able to break even the first seal, then this city is in big trouble. The abomination will go on a rampage and tear this city apart!" "No shit! If it is as scary as you described, then we better stop Lalkarz fast." Alex said.

After going through the plan with everyone, they were brought to the safe house's very own armory. It wasn't huge like that of the Freedom Fortress but it was definitely more advanced. Calvin browsed through the shelves of weapons that he had only heard of from his classes on advanced weaponry but never got the chance to use them. "Put these on, it's the latest energy suit from Gaea. It's specially made for electric element users like us." Alia passed a cardboard box to Calvin. "It includes the force field belt, visor accessories, energy packs and also gravity boots. The energy efficiency is at 70%, state-of-the-art." Alia explained. "Wow," Calvin opened the box to inspect the suit and its accessories. Alex on the other hand was more interested in an eight-barrel rotatory Gatling gun with a cannon in the center. "Hey, how come it's so light and there isn't any ammo belt to feed in?" Alex asked Alia. "Because that's not a Gatling gun although it looks similar to one. That's the G13-plus. A modern Gatling-type laser gun with a central plasma cannon. It shoots laser beams from its eight barrels and also capable of firing a powerful plasma cannon at the same time. It has three modes of firing which are single shot, burst shot and rapid fire. In single shot mode, only the top barrel will fire, it's not much used though; kind of redundant if you ask me. As for the burst mode, all the eight barrels will fire at the same time and for the rapid fire mode, the barrels will rotate and deliver a maximum of eight thousand shots per minute. You can switch between modes using this button and the other two are the trigger buttons for the laser gun and plasma cannon." Alia pointed at the buttons while explaining each of their function to Alex. "As for the ammo, it uses energy cells like these." Alia withdrew a few of the energy cells and showed them to Alex. "At rapid fire mode, it consumes the energy cells at an alarming rate, so just pay attention to the energy remaining." Alia pointed at a small monitor on the gun. "Thanks, I think I get it now. It looks damn cool, ha-ha-ha." Alex gave a silly laugh and began loading the gun. He also placed some spare ammo packs inside his backpack together with some side arms and grenades. Alia spotted Lenny who was the only one among the boys not looking for any weapons and gadgets. "Do you need any help?" Alia approached him and said. "Nah, I'm good. I'll do fine with my lightsabers and katana. Thanks." Lenny then walked towards Alex who had just opened his dimension storage portal and was busy sorting his stuff inside. "Hey Alex, do you still have that weapon?" Lenny asked. "What weapon?" Alex turned to look at his friend. "You know, the rusty sword, that weapon." Lenny said. "Oh, it's at that corner over there. Why do you need it anyway?" Alex replied and resumed his task. "There is something I'm curious about. I'll be taking it then." Lenny walked towards the corner that Alex pointed. "Sure, go ahead." With the rusty sword that Lenny used to decapitate First Sergeant Rashed, he went to search for Master Shin.

Lenny found his master meditating in the common room and interrupted him. "Sorry for the intrusion sensei, there's something I want to ask." Lenny knelt and sat on his heels, one of the Japanese traditional formal ways of sitting called 'seiza'. Master Shin opened his eyes and said. "What is it that you seek?" Lenny showed him the rusty sword and said. "Do you know anything about this sword?" Master Shin's expression changed suddenly, he seemed to be surprised. "Where did you find it?" He took the sword from Lenny and inspected it closely. The sword was a European style longsword, double-edged with a cruciform hilt and a pommel at the end. The cross-guard was engraved with the symbol of a raven on both sides. And the image of an eye was seen on the pommel on both sides as well. "I stumbled upon it by accident in the old storage facility. It saved my life during the fight against Sergeant Rashed. This rusty sword did what even my lightsabers couldn't, piercing though his Armor Skin." Lenny explained. "There's no mistake about it. This is the Demon Edge. It used to belong to my master, Master Johannes. This was his most prized possession, it was said that this was the only sword he carried around during his lifetime. After he passed away, many sought the sword but failed to find it. He never did any ceremony of succession like he did with his other swords and so the sword became nothing but legend after many years." Master Shin said. "That explained the rust on the blade." Lenny replied. "That's not true actually. The rust is there because it had not been activated properly since its last owner died. Like all Great Swords, this one has a keeper. If you're deemed worthy to bear it, the rust will fall off by itself. No matter how hard you try to grind or polish it, the rust wouldn't go away if you're not worthy of the blade." Master Shin explained. "Oh, I see now. Then why don't you have it master?" Lenny offered the blade to his master. "If it's faith that brought you to it, you should keep it. Besides, I already have the Lotus Blade and the Golden Leaf. Keep it. Despite its looks, it's the sharpest blade among all the Great Swords made by the nameless black smith." "In that case, I'll try my best to be worthy of it." Lenny took the sword and left. Everyone was busy preparing for the upcoming conflict but little did they know, their time had already ran out.

12. The Brewing Storm

Kelvin appeared in a big lawn with a greenhouse nearby and also a beautiful bungalow to his left. He spotted Kenneth who was also getting up and asked, "Where are we exactly?" "I don't know. But whoever did this, we ought to thank him. We would have died if the fight continued." Kenneth replied. They found that each of their friends who was fighting with Sir James a while ago were all transported there including their foe, Zi. Everyone was dead beaten but they were very well alive. "Didn't you have something that you wanted to say to me?" A voice came from the direction of the greenhouse. They turned to see Erik walking towards them. "Thank you! You totally saved us man!" Kenneth said. "Yeah, but how did you manage to find us?" Kelvin asked. "When I was at the Spirit World yesterday, someone sabotaged the Ptolemy Gate after escaping into it. The Ptolemy Gate is a device that allows the transport of objects or living things in ghost form to anywhere on Nirvana. I was at the scene when the incident occurred. The perpetrator had two captives with her when she escaped using the gate before blowing it up with a powerful explosive. I recognized one of the captives as Jason from the file the Elders of the Spirit World showed me. So I traced the location of the last destination from the Ptolemy Gate system file to track her down and get some information from Jason. Then, I met you guys." Erik explained. "The Ptolemy Gate is destroyed?" Jia Hao asked. "Now it'll take us forever to get back!" He added. "It's under repair as we speak and the old gate is still operational." Erik said. "Did you ask for reinforcement from the Elders, Lieutenant Jacob?" Chris asked. "I did. The reinforcement will be heading for Celestial City. The Elders sent their best after they heard that Lalkarz was involved. However, with the gate under repair, it'll delay their deployment unless I help out." "Then you should go. We can meet up in Celestial City later." Kelvin said. "But how will you get there?" Erik asked. "We have a trailer parked beside the expressway." Jia Hao replied. "Take us with you, Lieutenant. We have to take Zi into custody as well." Jia Hao added. "Alright then, I'll bring you guys back to the Spirit World after I send them to their trailer." Erik said. "I think I'll go with Kelvin, you guys go ahead and take Zi back." Chris said. "That's alright." Jason replied. Erik opened a portal to the parking lot beside the Erdo Expressway and led Kelvin and his friends outside. "Thanks Erik, for everything." Kelvin said. "That's the least I can do after dragging you guys into this mess." Erik said. "What do you mean? Didn't you bring us here for that exact purpose? To save Nirvana?" Kenneth said. "I did but not now when all of you are mere kids and lack proper training and experience. We're practically sending you guys on a suicide mission if you only have a month of training. This was supposed to be an exposure only, nothing serious and no violence. You're not expected to be participating in hardcore battles and missions but yet, here we are. This is truly our failure, I'm sorry." Erik apologized. "But Chris is of the same age as we're. And he gets to do battles and go for missions. Why can't we do the same? That's just unfair!" Kenneth protested. "That's not entirely true Kenneth," Chris joined in the conversation. "We as junior operatives of the Spirit World have got at least twelve months of training before we get sent to tag along our senior operatives in fieldwork. I started my training since I was ten years old during the multiple long semester breaks. And I have also been tagging along for at least two months now and yet I'm still a junior operative, all three of us are. We're not allowed to engage in battles unless there's no other choice. Our job is only to assist in exorcism, fight evil spirits, and other miscellaneous small stuff. Even though we have the training to do combat, due to our experience, we aren't allowed to. So you shouldn't complain, what Erik said was for your safety's sake." Chris explained. "I see����� Sorry Erik," Kenneth realized his mistake and apologized. "That's okay, it's partly my fault anyway." Erik said. "Don't go too hard on yourself Erik. You didn't wish for this to happen, none of us did. We should all be grateful that all of us are still alive and kicking. We can't change what happened in the past." Kelvin said. Erik patted both boys on the shoulders and said. "Let's all do our best and put an end to this! I'll see you guys in Celestial City then." Erik entered his portal and waved them goodbye.

Kenneth, Kelvin and Chris approached the front of the semi-trailer while Julee and Cindy entered through the rear. "Can I drive? I've always wanted to drive a truck." Kenneth said. "Do you even have a license to drive?" Chris asked. "No, I'm too young to apply for a driving license back on Earth. But it doesn't matter here right?" Kenneth replied. "Ah what the heck! Just give it a try, I'll show you how." Chris said. "In that case, I think I'll be sitting at the back." Kelvin said. "Oh come on! I couldn't be that terrible. Just get in!" Kenneth ushered Kelvin into his seat before entering the driver's seat. "Alright, let's go!" Kenneth yelled excitedly as he released the break and jammed the accelerator. The semi-trailer suddenly shot forward and entered the expressway. "Slow down Kenneth, you're driving too fast!" Kelvin warned. "Relax! There is hardly anyone in front of us," Kenneth pointed out. "That's not the point!" Kelvin yelled as Kenneth sped up the trailer even more. "Don't worry Kelvin, I had the speed limit on so he can't go any faster than ninety kilometer per hour." Chris reassured. "That's not fair!" Kenneth protested. "Quit whining and keep your eyes on the road!" Chris said. "Yeah and try not to get us killed!" Kelvin added. "Alright, alright." Kenneth replied impatiently. After just forty-five minutes behind the wheel, Kenneth's tiredness started kicking in; all his excitement about driving for the first time was washed away by the drowsiness. Chris stopped Kenneth and took over the wheels when he noted Kenneth dozing off and nearly collided with another vehicle. Kelvin on the other hand had already slept. Thirty minutes more on the road took all the concentration Chris had on him. He stopped the trailer and woke Kelvin up to have him take over the driving duty. Kelvin reluctantly took the driver's seat and had the trailer on the road after a few quick tips from Chris. It was late afternoon when the semi-trailer passed a roadside diner and encountered a massive traffic jam. Kelvin stopped the truck and woke Kenneth and Chris up from their nap. "What's going on?" Kenneth said while rubbing his eyes. "There's a massive jam ahead, should we go check it out?" Kelvin explained. Julee and Cindy had also awakened from their nap when the truck stopped. All of them left the trailer and went along the crowded road in search of the source of the stagnant traffic. Most of the other drivers and passengers preferred staying in their vehicle and waiting while some left their vehicle unattended; they probably headed to investigate the cause like the gang did. After walking for only fifteen minutes under the blazing heat, they encountered a group of people seemingly returning to their vehicles. They got news from the group that the Story Bridge was destroyed, making it impossible to get to Celestial City from their current route. Story Bridge was a bridge that connected Celestial City's northeast entrance to the Erdo Expressway, the usual route taken by the supply trucks from the Fire Clan. The gang didn't just take their word for it, they walked another few miles before confirming the truth from a distance. They saw that the bridge was truly disconnected at its center with dark smoke rising from a fire at the side of the bridge. The damage was severe and would have taken days for repairs to be done. After witnessing the destruction, the gang turned around and walked back to the trailer. They decided not to attempt getting through the congested traffic and across the broken bridge with the limited energy they had. Instead, they walked back to the trailer and drove to the diner.

The heat of the day had ebbed following the setting sun as they made their way into the crowded diner. They managed to secure a table despite the crowdedness. The noise level inside the busy restaurant was high; most of the conversation was about the broken bridge and its conspiracies. They overheard that many drivers were planning to turn around and take the mountain pass across the Erdo Range and enter the city through its south gate. They also heard that repairs were underway and the bridge would be fixed in three days. As the gang was chatting among themselves, Kenneth made a sudden realization. "Who's gonna pay for the food?" That got most of them quiet but Chris broke the silence and said. "Relax, I'll foot the bill. The Spirit World to be precise." "So the Spirit World covers all your expenses here?" Kelvin asked. "Not only that, they also provide us compensations for our missions. It's basically like a part time job, too bad the money I earned here is worthless back on Earth. You guys can just order whatever you like, the boss lets me claim back all of the expenses if they're reasonable." Chris explained. "Won't this seems like a luxury to your boss?" Kelvin asked. "Nah, I've been to fancier restaurants with my seniors but those were special occasions though. The organization is very well funded so just forget about your worries and enjoy the meal." Chris reassured everyone. "In that case, I'm ordering another dessert!" Kenneth browsed through the menu with a happy smile on his face. "Count me in," Julee followed. "Knock yourselves out." Chris said. "I couldn't help but wonder, what are the currency here like anyway? We've been here more than a month now but the adults do the paying all the time, so we didn't really get to know much about the money thing." Kelvin asked. "Oh, there are many types of currency here just like back on Earth. The most widely used currency would be the Zenny. Other than the Water Clan branch and the Fire Clan who produce their own currency, the other parts of Yume all use Zenny as the predominant currency." Chris explained. "I see, so who owns the Zenny then?" Kelvin with another question. "That would be the Solomon Corps founded by the Solomon family since a century ago. They started as a merchant guild which later grew into a financial powerhouse. It is said that they control half the wealth of Nirvana and growing. Because of that, their currency is the most widely used since they rarely depreciate. Even a saying was born out of it – gold and silver tarnish, but Zenny shines forever." Chris answered. "Wow, they sure are a rich bunch." Kelvin said. The food they ordered soon arrived and the gang kept on chatting regarding the history and culture of Nirvana while enjoying their meal.

Everyone was set to depart for the Celestial Tower when Lucy suddenly interrupted them in the common room. She came to inform that Mr. Fulmo, leader of the Thunder Clan branch and Master Jefferson, leader of the Water Clan branch had woke up from their hypnotic coma. "Where are we?" Master Jefferson asked. "Like I told you, we're in Celestial City." Mr. Fulmo replied. "How can you be so sure?" Master Jefferson replied skeptically. The team who was about to go for their mission went to the medical bay when they heard the news. "He's right, you're in Celestial City," Mr. Mednik was the first one to have entered and overheard their conversation. "See, I told you Jeff. I'd recognize this dump of a place with my eyes close!" Mr. Fulmo's face portrayed a look of disgust when he saw Mr. Mednik entered the room. "You should be grateful that we risk our lives to save your sorry ass!" Mr. Mednik raised his voice. "Why, I think I should be very grateful. Thank you!" Mr. Fulmo replied, his tone full of mockery and insincerity. "Are you trying to pick a fight? We could pick up from where we left off!" Mr. Mednik raised his fist. "C'mon!" Mr. Fulmo taunted. "That's enough!" Count Fleming shouted. "This is not the time for us to fight among ourselves. That's exactly what Lalkarz wants us to do, to self-destruct!" Count Fleming and the rest walked into the room. "So you knew?" Master Jefferson asked. "Yes, we figured it out after the incident at the Yume Summit." Mr. Mednik replied. "Then you must know his plans to free Narakiya." Master Jefferson said. "We did. And we're about to go and stop them when you two woke up." Mr. Kato said. "Oh, in that case, let us help you. As payment for saving our asses from the Yume Summit and also breaking us out of his hypnotic spell." Master Jefferson said. "Are you sure you're fit for battle?" Count Fleming asked. "I've been locked inside my own mind ever since that meeting with Lord Moto. Do you have any idea what it feels like to see your body move against your wishes? To be unable to control what you do? It's worse than death!" Master Jefferson said and got off the bed. "Yeah, it's an awful experience. We should definitely get rid of that guy for good this time." Mr. Fulmo added. "Alright then, you two should get dress and go to the armory for some weapons before we move. And be quick about it, we're running out of time!" Lady Christina said. Master Jefferson and Mr. Fulmo headed to the changing rooms with the light armor and new change of clothes that Lucy brought them while the rest chilled at the common room. "By the way, did something happened to the communication system? I couldn't reach my members here." Mr. Fulmo asked while changing. "Yeah, the Celestial Tower have been under their control ever since the incident. They have blocked all mode of communication except the short frequency waves." Mr. Kato who was waiting outside the changing room answered. "Well, that explains it." Mr. Fulmo replied. The two leaders did a quick browsing of the available weapons and gadgets and made their decisions in split second. Within ten minutes, they were ready to roll. "I've managed to get in contact with my members in Celestial City. It seems they're at the rally as well, do you all want to see the situation there?" Mr. Fulmo told everyone else in the common room. "Sure, go ahead. Whatever more info we have is definitely helpful." Count Fleming said.

Mr. Fulmo projected an image from the scene around the Celestial Tower, it was an aerial footage of the area taken from a drone. "The division leader here, Miss Jessie is on the ground with most of her members. She can offer her help if it's needed." "You have your men here as well?" Mr. Mednik was caught off guard. "Sure. Why not? This is a free city right? It isn't illegal to own a club here right?" Mr. Fulmo replied sarcastically. "The Water Clan also have a club house here but I don't think I can reach them though." Master Jefferson said. "Wow, that's a huge crowd! I never imagined that fifteen thousand people would look like this." Alex said. "Yeah, we'll have a tough time getting through all of them," Lenny added. "So what's the plan count?" Master Jefferson asked. "We'll be splitting into two teams, most of us will be going to the main power plants of the city to shut down the power. That is the only way we can prevent dragging all the innocent civilians into it. The second team will be deployed to the Celestial Tower area as reconnaissance and to intercept Lalkarz's operation if necessary. Mr. Mednik will show you the locations of the major power plants we're after. We'll split into further individual teams to target each power plants respectively." Mr. Mednik projected the map of the city onto another wall. Their target locations were marked with red circles. "No doubt there will be security at the target locations but we just have to deal with it." Mr. Mednik said. "I don't think we have much time left, Count. The device is almost fully charged!" Lady Christina reminded all of them as she showed them the sphere they got from The Merchant. After a few quick instruction from Count Fleming, they all then went their separate ways. Calvin was given the contact channel of Miss Jessie by Mr. Fulmo so that they could recruit her help when they get near the tower. As Lenny sped past the main street in the MPV, he noted that there weren't any humanoid robots patrolling the street like they did the other day. The closer they got to the city center, the heavier the traffic grew. After ten minutes of stagnant traffic, they decided to proceed on foot. They split into a team of three with Lenny, Iris and Master Shin heading for the high-rise building east of the Celestial Tower. Calvin, Alia and Mr. Mednik would be positioned on top of a forty-story-high office building west of the Celestial Tower. Their remaining members Alex and Chen went for another high-rise southeast of the tower. It was tough getting through the crowd and with the weapons and equipment they were carrying. Most of the civilians who saw them with their weapons and armor just turned a blind eye or simply walked away. None of them ran into any of the security robots though. "Team Alpha in position," Lenny reported through the intercom connected to his helmet. "Team Beta in position as well," Calvin reported. "Team Gamma ready," Alex said. "Hey, the static on the channel is kind of heavy Calvin." Chen commended. "Yeah, I noticed too. Alia is working on it. We'll try patching the channel through Jessie's drone. Maybe that'll reduce the noise level." Calvin said. "Who's Jessie again?" Chen asked. "She's one of Fulmo's men." Mr. Mednik replied. "How's things on Count Fleming's end?" Master Shin asked. "I'm trying to get through to him but somehow I can't. The jamming here seems to be worse than back in the base." Mr. Mednik said. "That explains the static," Calvin stating the obvious. "Should we let Jessie in on our channel? To facilitate better communication." Calvin suggested. "Even though I hate the idea of working with those Thunder Clan scumbags but in this situation, that's not a bad idea." Mr. Mednik said.

Another fifteen minutes passed by without any conversation on the channel before a new voice was heard. "Testing. Hi, this is Jessie here." The channel became much clearer but there was still some noise. "Hi Jessie, we hear you loud and clear. This is Mr. Mednik speaking, how's the situation down there?" Mr. Mednik said. "Oh, hi Mr. Mednik." There was a hint of surprise in her voice. "We've picked up additional jamming signals coming from the tower, effectively shutting off almost all communications in the five kilometer radius. The crowds are growing restless and I've seen a few violent crashes through the drones. It's just a matter of time before this place turn into a war zone." Jessie reported. "Yeah uh, this may seems kind of a stupid question to ask but if the communications are jammed, how come we can still hear each other?" Alex asked. "That's because my drones are capable of picking up and transmitting signals like a satellite, bypassing most of the jamming. Anyway, my men just came in with a new intel. It seems that they have even erected an Arc Net covering the entire area." Jessie explained. "Shit!" Alex silenced the channel and cursed. "That could be a big problem for Alex. By the way Jessie, do you think your drones can help patch me through to Mr. Fulmo or Count Fleming?" Mr. Mednik asked. "Sure, I'll try. But under this kind of jamming, I can't guarantee anything. They won't be reachable if they're too far from here." Jessie replied. Another fifteen minutes of radio silence later, Mr. Mednik spoke. "Guys, I'm afraid we have some bad news," "What is it?" Master Shin asked. "It seems Lady Christina and Mr. Fulmo's teams are both engaging in intense battle with the Fire Dragon Squadron. They won't make it in time to shut down the power plants. And Count Fleming, Mr. Kato and Master Jefferson could not be reached." Mr. Mednik replied. "What should we do then?" Chen asked. A momentary silence followed before Mr. Mednik spoke again. "I think we should go in and cut the power from the inside. I have seen the plan of the building before. There are two power relays located on the level five basement and the fortieth floor respectively." "But how do we get in?" Lenny asked. "I have an idea, we can use the crowd as a diversion for the security while you guys swoop into the building from the top." Jessie suggested. "That's a good plan. So what do you think guys?" Mr. Mednik asked. "Let's do it! I'm getting bored waiting here all day!" Lenny said excitedly. "Master Shin?" "I agree, we should go." Master Shin replied.

On Jessie's cue, Alex fired two shots from his long-range plasma cannon at the group of security droids. His action sparked a riot between the protesters and the droids. Suddenly, the windows on one of Celestial Tower's floor shattered and hundreds of humanoid robots took to the air! "They can fly?" Alex watched as part of the group of robots descended upon the crowd while a troop of them headed his way. "They're not your usual patrol droids, those are military droids! They're armed with lethal weapons, destroy them before they get to you!" Jessie warned them. Alex took aim and started taking down the incoming threats one by one. However, more and more of them came and took the place of the fallen ones. "Aim for the chest, it's where their power source lies." Jessie said. Alex abandoned his plasma cannon that has a low rate of fire as more droids swarmed in. He then pulled his dual laser pistols out of their holsters and continued shooting. Chen on the other hand was busy crushing droids using his telekinesis with one hand while shooting wooden spikes with the other. More droids close in on the duo, leaving them no opening to escape. Team Alpha and Team Beta seized the opportunity to infiltrate the Celestial Tower. Iris and Lenny boarded the hover boards and propelled themselves towards the tower while Master Shin manipulated the air and followed behind. Upon closing in on the tower, Lenny shattered the windows using a few ice shards and then they made way inside. Calvin was still not good at using the hover board so he tagged along with Alia again. He clung close to Alia's back as his fear of heights forced him to close his eyes the entire journey. Calvin wrapped his hands tight around her waist as the wind rushed past his face. Mr. Mednik followed them by activating his rocket propelled boots and glided across. The trio entered the Celestial Tower the same way Team Alpha did, by brute force. Alex activated a force field to repel the incoming laser projectiles when the droids completely surrounded them. "We've gotta move!" Alex shouted over his shoulder as he took down another droid with his laser pistols. The two boys had their backs to each other as more droids swarmed to their location. All of a sudden, a strong psionic wave was felt by everyone within the vicinity. The device had been activated!

13. The Return of King Kong

The entire center business district of Celestial City turned silent the moment the psionic energy was released. No longer could the voices of the shouting mob be heard. The yelling, the clashing of metal on metal and the sound of explosions all faded away. The only noise that remained in the background was the humming of the various machines that drove the heart of the city. The psionic wave hit hard even with the protective helmet Alex was wearing. It caused a very severe headache that made Alex dropped to all four while squeezing his head with both his hands as if it could remove the headache. "Make it stop! Make it stop!" Alex yelled in agony. "What's wrong?" Mr. Mednik asked through the intercom. "The psionic protection on the helmet isn't strong enough. Alex is feeling the residual effect." Chen said. The energy on Alex's force field belt began plummeting rapidly as the droids began raining laser beams on Alex. "The ringing, it's too much!" Alex shouted on top of his voice as he struggled to get up. Chen's hands glowed and shot beams of light that sliced through the droids' armor like a lightsaber, clearing out the nearest droids. He then created a barrier around him and Alex to deflect the incoming attacks. "Get up Alex! Get up or we're both gonna die!" Chen used his psionic energy to create a shield around Alex's head while ushering him to his feet. "Hey, the headache. It's more bearable now. What did you do?" Alex got to his feet and picked up the pistols he dropped. "This is no time for that! We have to move!" Chen said while taking down another few droids with his glowing hands. Alex grabbed his friend's hand and they both vanished into thin air, leaving behind two plasma grenades in their place. The two boys made their way into the crowd of people who stood still like poles moments after two explosions went off on top of a skyscraper behind them. "That's the maximum distance I could go, the Arc Net prevent me from teleporting any nearer. We'll have to go on foot." Alex told his friend. "Alex, how are you feeling?" Calvin asked. "The headache is more bearable now but the ringing is still there, annoying as hell! Don't tell me none of you felt it?" Alex replied. "No, we didn't feel anything apart from the massive amount of energy being released." Calvin said. "The building, it must have some sort of psionic shield built into it. That way Lalkarz won't end up controlling his men as well. That's the only theory I can come out with." Mr. Mednik explained. "I see. So that means if we bring all these people inside the tower, they will snap out of the mind control?" Alex asked. "Worth a shot," Mr. Mednik replied. "Alright then, who should we bring inside?" Chen asked Alex. Alex stopped running to think for a moment. "Hey Calvin, do you think you can pin point Jessie's location for me on the map? It's impossible to find her in this crowd. Plus we don't even know how she looks like!" Alex said. "I'm tracing her location now. Why don't you all try getting inside first?" Calvin said. "We'll, after we find her and bring her with us." Alex replied. Suddenly, a huge gash appeared in the sky above them. It was as if a knife had sliced it open. Something could be seen appearing from the darkness of the gash. More cracks appeared around the gash and the sky fell apart like pieces of a broken mirror. A mosaic altar with the statue of an angel replaced part of the shattered sky. The angel was holding a grail with both her hands. "That's the first seal!" Mr. Mednik informed. "Calvin, are you done yet?" Alex asked impatiently. "There, it's on the map." Calvin replied. Alex and Chen immediately rushed towards Jessie's direction. As the two boys made their way towards Jessie, the females in the crowd began raising their right index finger towards their mouth. "What are they doing?" Chen asked while running. "I think they're going to bite their finger till it bleed. To complete the ritual." Alex replied. "There, I think that's her… Oh my god! She's so fat!" Alex blurted out loud. Jessie was a plump lady in a loosely fitted one piece dress, she was holding some sort of device on her left hand while her right index finger was inside her mouth like the many others. "How are we supposed to drag her inside?" Alex complained. "No time to think about it, look!" Chen pointed at the sky. A dozen or so military droids could be seen flying towards their location. Alex grabbed Jessie's right shoulder while Chen had her left. Then the two boys dragged her towards the Celestial Tower main entrance with all their might. "Her voice is totally out of sync with that body of hers!" Alex said between rapid breaths. "Hey, that's not very nice!" Chen replied. "Damn it! She weighs a ton!" Alex cursed. "Hey, how come they're not shooting at us?" Alex pointed out. "I think they don't want to risk hitting their sacrificial lambs." Chen replied. "Alright, now's our chance!" The two boys sprinted through the remains of fallen security robots and made their way into the tower.

Alex and Chen temporary lowered Jessie onto the floor while taking quick and heavy breaths. They looked back outside and saw that the droids were still after them. They had landed among the crowd and were heading for them. "Man, those tin cans are persistent!" Alex said. "The ringing… It's gone!" Without Alex even realizing, his headache and the ringing in his ears were gone. "No time to idle, there they come!" Chen pointed out. The two boys slung their arm underneath Jessie's armpits and began dragging her further into the building. "Shit! The elevator's dead!" Alex cursed and looked around for solutions. "There, we can jump to the first floor through that balcony.��� Chen pointed upwards. "Can we even jump that high? Carrying her?" Alex looked at Chen and then back at Jessie. "I'll go into hyper drive mode and carry her there myself. You have your grappling hook?" Chen said. "Seriously? All by yourself?" Alex gave his friend a look of disbelief. "Just help me get her onto my back will you? And stop giving me that look! I carried much heavier load than her during training." Alex helped Chen to move Jessie onto Chen's shoulder for a fireman's carry. "Man, she is heavy!" After lifting her up, Chen concentrated his energy in his thighs before launching himself upwards. The leapt was a powerful one, leaving two craters on the floor where Chen's feet were standing. Alex shot a grappling hook at the guardrails of the balcony and let the retracting steel wire pulled him to the first floor. Not long after they got onto the balcony, they heard the sound of glass being shattered. The two boys turned to see the droids that were pursuing them had entered the building. "You try to wake sleeping fatso here up. I'll take care of the droids." Alex couldn't seemed to stop insulting the lady's bodyweight. "Hey, that's really rude!" Alex ignored Chen's commend and unstrapped the G13-plus from his back. Alex whistled loudly to draw the attention of the droids that just entered the building before unleashing hell onto them. The barrels of the gun rotated and blurred, sending thousand shots of laser beam at the unfortunate droids. As the soft whirring of the gun came to a stop, Alex glanced over the balcony to see the carnage he caused. Dozens of droids laid motionless on the mosaic floor that was full of potholes. Most of the droids' body were damaged beyond recognition. "Alex, above you!" Chen warned. Alex glanced upwards and saw part of the ceiling crumbling down. He rolled sideways to dodge the falling debris. Alex then lifted the G13-plus and squeezed the trigger button hard as more droids came at him from above. "Jeez! How many of them are there?" Alex yelled. After shaking her shoulders a few times, Chen gave up on trying to wake Jessie up. He went beside Alex and helped him picked off the remaining droids that survived.

Master Shin's team entered onto the thirty-ninth floor, a floor completely lined by office cubicles. Unfortunately, they encountered resistance the moment they made their way inside. "Master, look out!" Lenny warned. "Father!" Iris watched as a bright light charged towards her father the instant he stepped into the building. Master Shin was forced out of the building. The bright light turned out to be Professor Dexter Robinson. He had 'gone elemental', a term elemental power users use when they surround themselves with their elemental energy, trying to become one with the element. However, it was neither easy nor a possible thing to achieve, not entirely anyway. The two masters took their fight in mid-air, some distance away from the Celestial Tower. Lenny tried to get onto his hover board to help his sensei but was stopped by flaming projectiles hurled at his direction. Lenny dodged and joined Iris behind an office cubicle, taking cover from the attack. "He'll be fine. We should take care of ourselves first!" Iris told Lenny. The Fire Clan's people had been waiting for them inside the building the entire time! They had just walked right into a trap. Lenny looked around for a way out but there were no clear opening in sight, just more office cubicles. Lenny wanted to bolt for it but Iris stopped him. It was a bad idea because they could neither see their enemy nor know where they should be heading. Their enemy on the other hand kept firing projectiles at them, forcing them to hole up behind the cubicle. Iris returned fire blindly while Lenny tried to figure out their location by referring to the blueprint Mr. Mednik uploaded. The two of them were completely cornered. It didn't take long for the entire floor to be caught on fire and triggered the sprinkler system. The resulting steam clouded the entire floor. Lenny gathered the water from the sprinklers and directed them at the cubicles behind him. The water tore through the partitions and everything inside of them, cleaning a path for them. "Now's our chance! I think the elevator is that way," Lenny and Iris dashed forward despite their enemies' constant firing. Their flame projectiles were weakened by the water and extinguisher fluid, making them easy to deflect. Their aiming were also off due to the smokescreen created by the steam. "Look! There's the elevator." Iris pointed out. Lenny went for the up button but soon realized that the elevators were not working. "Screw this shit!" Lenny cursed and sliced the elevator door open with his lightsaber. As the sprinklers began to die down, Lenny could clearly see his assailants; there were a dozen of them, all in Fire Clan army uniform. Iris and Lenny then leapt down the elevator shaft and busted another elevator door open after descending a few floors. More fiery projectiles followed their way down but they managed to get out of the elevator shaft unharmed. "Ah-h, that was close," Lenny helped Iris to her feet. "Lenny, duck!" Calvin yelled. Lenny immediately launched himself towards Iris without hesitation. He grabbed her by the waist before turning in mid-air towards the direction of Calvin's voice. He caught sight of a wall of fire heading his way and a few people firing at Calvin. With the twist of his hip and the flick of his left palm, he manipulated the air to propel his body forward. They landed a few feet from the elevator door with Lenny on top of Iris. The flame scorched the wall and everything around it including the two adjacent elevator doors. "Thanks," Iris said. Lenny moved away from Iris's body while keeping his body close to the ground to avoid being seen. From the corner of his eyes, he clearly saw Iris blushing. Lenny kept his own flushed face hidden and pretended nothing happened. "Are you two alright?" Calvin asked over the intercom. "We'll live." Lenny replied. "How's Alex and Chen doing?" He added. "We're busy at the moment!" Alex sounded tense and the sound of a soft whir mixed with the sound of falling objects could be heard over the earpiece. "We'll talk later!" Chen seemed to be under pressure as well. "How many of them are there?" Iris asked. "We spotted five of them but I'm pretty sure there are more of them hiding somewhere over the next room." Alia replied. "So what's the plan?" Lenny asked.

Mr. Mednik made it to the fortieth floor through the elevator shaft. He took out all the security that stood in his way. They were either knocked out cold, electrocuted or just plain dead. But before Mr. Mednik had the chance to destroy the power relay, the power to the entire building was shut off, including all the skyscrapers around it. The whole center business district fell into darkness all of a sudden. Just then, the entire building trembled, bringing everyone to their knees. The tremor was so great that it caused most of the glass on the panel to break, allowing the strong current outside to enter the building. Alex finished off the last of the droid and tossed the G13-plus aside. All the power cells he brought had been emptied, along with his grenades and laser pistols. He hurried to the nearest window after Chen, wondering what could have caused such a strong tremor. They looked outside and saw the thing that casted the long shadow over the crowd. It was as terrifying as Mr. Mednik had described it to be. A giant covered in black fur, a bronze helmet, shiny breast plate and a club with spikes at its end. It did resemble King Kong in every way apart from the armor and club. The two boys stared intensely at the beast, wondering what it would do next. Some of the people among the crowd had recovered from the psionic mind control and were waking up. The beast raised the club and rested it on its shoulder before unleashing an extremely loud roar. The high decibel roar brought the two boys to their knees and their hands to their ears. Shouts and screams could be heard from the crowd along with the sound of glass shattering. Those who had awoken panicked and started running away from the beast, trampling over those beside them; desperately trying to escape. The club went down hard onto the crowd, smashing all those who were unlucky enough to be in its path. Brains, bones, blood and other bodily fluid splattered all around the kill site. The walls, broken windows, roads and the people were all painted red. Part of the two boys' visors and armor were also stained. More shrieks rose from the crowd. "Alex, what the hell are you doing?" Chen shouted at his friend who leapt out of the building and towards the crowd. He tried teleporting in mid-air and succeeded in closing the distance between him and a group of people who seemed too terrified to even move. They were shocked by the bloody scene and some had broken down in tears. "Grab on to everyone you can!" Alex ordered. "We're gonna die!" One of them yelled. The beast lifted its club and made another swing towards Alex and the group of people around him. "Hurry up!" Alex yelled. Despite the panicking situation, most of them did as they were told, holding on to the person closest to them. In the blink of an eye, Alex and those around him vanished just as the club touched the ground. They reappeared on the roof top of a high rise some distance from the Celestial Tower. Alex dropped to his knees out of exhaustion. He glanced around at those around him, there were at least forty of them at first glance. Most of them hugged and kissed, some were praying; relived to have escaped the club of doom. Alex did not stay for the praises and thanks but got to his feet as fast as he could and teleported back to what remained of the crowd.

The Celestial Square was a blood bath! Body parts and blobs of human remains were strewn all over the place like garbage. Soft wails and cry of agony could be heard all over the place. The Abomination had turned its back to him and was chasing a flying object towards the far side of the street. Chen was seen helping a middle-aged man to his feet. There were blood dripping from the stump of his left arm. The stump was wrapped with part of his torn clothes to tourniquet the bleeding. Jessie seemed to have recovered from the hypnosis and was dragging a lady away from the mangled pile of human remains. Both her legs were severed below the knee, showing tendons and jagged ends of bones. Blood trailed behind her as she was being dragged along. Her consciousness seemed to have faded as she kept on mumbling incoherently with her eyes closed. The entire place was an awful sight, full of the dead and dying. A fight between the beast and the crowd seemed to have taken place when Alex was gone. There were still traces of energy lingering around along with the charred granite tiles on the ground. Unfortunately for the people who stood up against the beast, they were all beaten to pulp, literally. The ground trembled again when Alex was surveying the death and destruction left behind, hoping to find signs of life. The footsteps grew louder and before long, The Abomination was seen running towards him and chasing after the same small flying object. "Mr. Mednik?" Alex said. "Get out of the way!" Mr. Mednik ordered as he flew towards Alex. Just then, Alex caught a glimpse of movement on the side of the road. It was a little girl crying beside a pile of rubble. When Alex teleported beside the girl to get her out of The Abomination's path, a hand was seen protruding from the rubble. The poor girl must have lost her family due to the falling debris. Alex lifted the girl off her feet and teleported her to safety just in time to avoid being crushed underneath the beast's gigantic foot. Just as Alex reappeared on the opposite street overlooking the Celestial Tower, he saw the huge club being hurled towards the tower. "Everybody duck!" Calvin shouted when he noted the giant club flying towards the floor he was on. They were busy engaging with the Fire Clan army when the club was hurled at Mr. Mednik who dodged it with a powerful leapt to the side. The huge club bulldozed its way through the steel frame of the window panel, the concrete floor, furniture and everything else that was on that floor as well as two floors above it. The incident got everyone that was fighting to stop and head for cover. Those unlucky ones who ducked a moment too late was decapitated by the bulldozing missile. The beast did not retrieve its weapon but continued to pursue Mr. Mednik down the main street. A new voice was heard over the intercom that instructed Mr. Mednik to lure the beast towards the city's northeast entrance.

Calvin got to his feet as soon as he could after the club crashed into the building. It brought down pretty much everything on the two floors above him and created a barricade between him and Lenny. Calvin's ears were still ringing from the impact when he called Lenny through the intercom. "Lenny are you alright?" There was a momentary pause before someone answered. "Lenny and I are fine but wish we could say the same for those Fire Clan lackeys." Iris replied. Calvin searched around the rubble for Alia and spotted her near the edge of the collapsed window panel. A strong gust outside the thirty-seventh floor sent debris flying after the protective window frames collapsed. Calvin hurried over to help Alia after he spotted her. Just as he got close to Alia, a ball of fire hit him square in the chest. He was knocked off the building and was plummeting feet first towards the ground when a hand caught his right forearm. He looked up and saw Alia grabbing onto him with both her hands. Calvin stared at the ground beneath him, it was a long way down. Beats of cold sweat began forming on his forehead as his acrophobia kicked in. Suddenly, Calvin felt Alia's grip on his forearm tightened followed by a loud shriek. He looked up and saw a man in Fire Clan uniform standing on top of Alia's back. He was stomping her back and shooting flame at her back. Despite the pain she was enduring, her grip on Calvin never loosen. "Alia let go!" Calvin demanded. Another heavy kick to her side made her shuddered slightly but she never let go. "Let go or you're gonna die!" Calvin insisted. "No, I won't lose you again!" Alia was persistent. "Again?" The thought disappeared as Calvin desperately searched for a way to help his friend. His fear of height was buried deep into his subconscious when his eyes darted around for solutions. Alia's scream grew louder as she continued enduring more beatings and burn injuries. Calvin caught sight of a dangling steel cable nearby and manipulated it to twirl around the man's ankle. The man was unaware of the steel cable around his leg. He seemed too absorbed in torturing the poor girl. Calvin then used his left hand to snap the other end of the cable and drew it into his left hand like a magnet. With a minimal amount of energy, he unleashed a small electrical charge with his right hand, paralyzing Alia's muscles and forcing her grip to loosen. The man was pulled off the building and started plummeting to the ground after Calvin. Calvin magnetized his entire armor while he was falling, causing him to adhere to the steel frame of the window panel, stopping his free fall. He then threw the end of the steel cable he was holding onto inside the building through the shattered window. The steel cable melted and merged with the two metal cabinets inside the building. With his magnetism, Calvin moved a metal rack inside the building and slammed it onto the man's head, knocking him unconscious. A loud cracking sound was heard from below as the man's femur was detached from his hip when his free falling was halted by the length of the cable. The force was so great that the man's thigh got completely separated from his hip, bone, tendons, muscles and skin altogether. The man fell to his death after that. Calvin didn't bother look down at the mess, he just focused on getting back up to Alia. When he finally reached the thirty-seventh floor, he saw Alia lying on the floor on her belly. Her arms were still outstretched over the edge of the building. The armor on her back was completely charred and her back was badly burned. Calvin did a quick scan around the rubble for any signs of enemy to prevent another ambush. There was none, in fact, there were no signs of life besides Alia. Calvin took off his armor and removed his shirt. He then tore the shirt and wrapped it around Alia's back to cover the wound. Calvin noted the bruises all over her right flank while he bandaged her. She moaned and repeated the name 'Dimitri' over and over again before she was completely out cold.

14. From Shadow to Shadow

The sun was already high up in the morning sky when Kelvin was awoken by the wave of psionic energy emitted. Everyone else in the trailer felt it. They had a good chat about practically anything that came to mind the night before. After that, they slept soundly, partly due to the fatigue from the fight with Sir James earlier. The road side diner was closed during the day and all the trucks that were there the night before had all left. The place looked as deserted as it could be. "What was that?" Cindy asked. "I don't know. But it came from the city," Kenneth replied. "We should go take a look," Kelvin said and started the engine. The road towards the Story Bridge was completely void of vehicle, a drastic contrast to the day before. As they approached the corner which led up to the bridge, a man was seen standing in the middle of the road behind barricade. Kelvin stepped on the brake and brought the vehicle to a sudden stop. "Hey, that looks like Dr. Sanjit," Julee said after taking a closer look at the monitor. "Doctor who?" Kenneth asked. "Dr. Sanjit, he's Aunt Mary's right-hand man. Let me get down and talk to him, he'll let us pass." Julee replied and exited through the back door of the trailer. "Dr. Sanjit!" Julee waved while running towards the man behind the barricade. Dr. Sanjit was a tall and muscular man of Indian origin; he was wearing the Sleeping Forest official uniform and was unarmed. "Julee? What are you doing here?" The look of surprise was portrayed on the doctor's face when he saw Julee. "We got separated from Aunt Mary during the Summit. Is she with you right now?" Julee explained. "Yeah, she's at the bridge with the reinforcement." Dr. Sanjit replied. "Do you think you can let me and my friends pass through?" Julee asked with a warm smile. "Sure, just tell your friends to be careful on your way to the bridge, the road is filled with debris from the explosion." Dr. Sanjit lifted the barricade and stepped aside. Julee hurried back into the trailer and they continued forward. Chris and Kelvin gave Dr. Sanjit a quick salute before proceeding forward. The gang stopped the semi-trailer before they got close to the bridge as there were simply too much rubble on the road for the truck to pass through smoothly. They met Lady Mary and her men on the edge of the broken bridge. Some of her men had already crossed over to the other side. "Girls! It's so good to see you again! Are you hurt?" Lady Mary wrapped her arms around Julee and Cindy for a warm embrace the moment they met. "Aunt Mary, you're alright! Thank goodness!" Julee kissed her aunt on the cheek. "We're both well, master." Cindy replied. "Greetings Lady Mary, I'm Christopher from the Spirit World." Chris introduced himself. Lady Mary approached Chris and gave him a hug. The gesture took Chris by surprise and also left faint pink tinge on his cheeks. "You don't have to be so formal with me young man. Just call me Aunt Mary like the rest of them." Aunt Mary said. Chris was out of words and only nodded in return. "So Aunt Mary, what's the plan now?" Kenneth asked. "Well, my men are still trying to reach Count Fleming or Lady Christina. I was supposed to meet with Erik here at the bridge but somehow, he's nowhere to be seen. Or he's late I supposed." Lady Mary replied. "We met Erik yesterday. He went back to the Spirit World to help transport the reinforcement since the Ptolemy Gate had been sabotaged." Kenneth said. "Okay, that explains a lot." Lady Mary replied. "Aunt Mary, how's General Max doing?" Kelvin asked. "His condition is stable and he's under the best medical care Yume has to offer. I'm sure he'll recover soon." Lady Mary squeezed Kelvin on the shoulder. Suddenly, a faint tremor could be felt emitting from the city. "What was that?" Kenneth asked. "Boss, it's Count Fleming," One of Lady Mary's men gave her a communicator device. "Mary, we managed to cut the power but not before the first seal was broken. Now the Abomination is on the loose!" Count Fleming reported. "What! How bad is it?" Lady Mary asked. "Mr. Mednik is keeping it distracted. However, it had already caused massive civilian casualties and the death toll will keep on rising if we don't do something about it!" Count Fleming's voice sounded tense. "Are you in the middle of a fight?" Lady Mary asked. "Pretty much. The Fire Clan reinforcement had arrived. Why don't you try and talk to Mr. Mednik and see what you can do." Count Fleming cut off the communication before Lady Mary got the chance to reply.

"Mr. Mednik, do you copy?" A new voice was heard over the intercom as Mr. Mednik struggled to dodge the giant club. "Mary?" Mr. Mednik replied. "Yeah, it's me. How are you holding up?" Lady Mary asked. "Not good!" The sound of shattering glass and a loud roar could be heard in the background. "The city is going to fall apart if we don't stop this gorilla." Mr. Mednik added. "Do you think you can lure it to the northeast gate? My men will set a trap for it there." Lady Mary suggested. "Alright, I'll try my best. Will update you later." Another loud crash could be heard before Mr. Mednik killed the line. "Alright people, listen up!" Lady Mary's face was all serious, without a hint of that kindness and affection she showed awhile back. "Mr. Mednik will lure the beast to the bridge and we'll set a trap for it right here." She pointed at the Egi River below the Story Bridge. "So we're gonna summon that is it?" One of her men asked. "Yes we're." Lady Mary replied. "Aunt Mary, is there anything that we can help with?" Julee asked. "There is. You guys can help get your friends and the casualties to safety. Leave the fighting to us." Lady Mary said. "Before you go, take these," One of Lady Mary's men handed each of them the keys to the hover bikes parked beside them. "I'm sure you're familiar with these?" Lady Mary pointed to the bikes. "Oh yeah! It's been weeks since I last ride one of these." Kenneth said. "It's quite a distance from here to the Celestial Square. So I reckon you guys to take these, it'll be much faster." Lady Mary said. Kenneth grabbed the key with an excited look on his face; he always has a thing for motorcycle. The hover bike looked just like a regular motorcycle except it has no wheels. It had two thrusters at the place where the wheels were supposed to be. The bike levitated off the ground the moment the ignition button was activated. "One last reminder, do not engage with Lalkarz, just run. Leave him to Count Fleming and the Spirit World Elders. And do not stare him in the eyes, it's how his hypnosis works." After giving them the final piece of advice, Lady Mary went back to join her men. Kelvin and his friends crossed the gap on the broken bridge with their hover bikes. As they made their way through, Kenneth noticed huge air bubbles rising from the Egi River. Something big seemed to be rising from the depth of the river. However, he did not stay to watch what the Sleeping Forest members were conjuring. With light pressure on the acceleration paddle, Kenneth's hover bike burst forth; chasing after his friends that had gone ahead of him.

Alex released the little girl from his embrace and put her onto the ground. "There, there." Alex caressed the little girl's forehead but that didn't seem to help, it just made her cried harder. "Please stop crying little girl!" Alex who had neither siblings nor any experience comforting a crying child was out of ideas. "I'm not a little girl! I'm nine!" The girl held back her tears and protested. "Sorry about that. I'm Alex by the way, what's your name?" Alex said. "It's… Yui," The little girl replied between sniffles. "You hang in there alright. I've got to go check on my friends." Alex turned away from her and stared at the damaged Celestial Tower. "Calvin, are you alright?" Alex asked. A long pause went by before Calvin finally answered. "I'm safe. But Alia is injured, do you think you can get us out of here? All exits had been blocked by the wreckage." "I intended to. Can you wave your hand at the edge of the collapse or do something flashy so that I can see where you're." Alex requested and turned his attention back to the building. A metal beam was seen spinning like a windmill on the exposed part of the tower. "Alright, you can stop that now." Alex said and vanished. He reappeared in a room surrounded by debris that collapsed from the floor above. Calvin was seen sitting at a corner with Alia lying on his lap. "Was that flashy enough for you?" Calvin asked sarcastically. "Not what I expected but it caught my attention anyway. How's she doing?" Alex knelt beside Alia. "Her back was badly burnt. She is out cold now." Calvin replied. "Let's get her out of here then." Alex's eyes wandered around as if searching for something. "Where's Lenny and Iris?" Alex asked after scanning the room for his friends. "They're over the other side of this rubble." Calvin pointed. "Never mind then, I'll get them later." Alex put his hand on Calvin's shoulder and they teleported to where Yui was. Yui startled when she saw them suddenly appearing beside her. "Relax, they're my friends. This is Calvin and she's Alia." Alex said. "Calvin, this is Yui." Calvin gave the girl a warm smile and offered a handshake. Yui took Calvin's hand and bowed her head slightly. "Lenny, do you copy?" Alex walked away from his friends to have a closer look at the other side of the tower where Calvin said Lenny and Iris were. "We're alright but kind of trapped. Do you think you can come and get us?" Lenny's reply was almost instantaneous. "Who do you take me for? A taxi driver?" Alex jokingly replied. "Oh come on!" Lenny whined. "Alright, alright! Quit whining, you're making my ears sore." Alex replied. "Can you do something flashy outside the window? That way I can know where you are exactly." "Flashy as in how?" Lenny asked. Suddenly, a bright orange flame flashed across the sky beside the Celestial Tower in three quick succession. "Whoa, I don't know you can wield flame as well," Alex said and teleported onto the floor that emitted the bright flame. "It wasn't me," Lenny pointed at Iris who gave Alex a silly grin. The three of them later reappeared beside Calvin and Iris. Yui was still there, apparently waiting for Alex's return. "What should we do now?" Lenny asked. "I don't know but I do need a breather," Alex sat on the granite tiles beside the main road, taking heavy breaths. "Are you alright?" Yui asked, she seemed worried about him. "I'm fine. I'm just tired. Never knew teleportation could drain so much," Alex removed his helmet and wiped the sweat off of his face with his sleeve. "Jessie, are you there?" Lenny spoke into the microphone embedded in his helmet. "Yeah, Jessie here. Anything?" Jessie replied almost instantly. "This is Lenny speaking. I'm with Iris, Calvin, Alia and Alex on Star Street 6. Is there anything that we can help you with?" Lenny replied. "That's not necessary. Most of the survivors had recovered from the mind control and are currently helping out. Chen is here too. There really is nothing much left to do. Did Mr. Mednik or Lady Mary gave you guys any instructions?" Jessie said. "Who's Lady Mary?" Lenny said, out loud. "She's Julee's aunt, head of the Sleeping Forest." Iris explained. "Oh-h…" Lenny murmured to himself. "What's that Lenny? I didn't quite catch what you said just now," Jessie said. "Nothing. Uh-h… I meant we didn't receive any word from them." Lenny replied after a short pause. "I see. I think you guys should just stay put or get to some place safe. Let Count Fleming and the other pros deal with Lalkarz. If you happened see him, you should just run alright?" Jessie said. "Yeah, I think we'll do just that. Bye." Lenny said and hung up. "Hey, did someone just walked by?" Alex asked, his gaze was fixed on the bloody footprints on the tarmac road beside them.

Alex and his friends turned their attention to the bloody footprints and traced it to a man in tuxedo suit. He was walking slowly towards the junction. "Did anyone notice him before?" Alex asked, surprise in his voice. "No, but I could have sworn there was nobody there." Calvin replied. "Then how did you explain the footprints? That guy was practically beside us just now and nobody noticed him?" Lenny was taken by surprise as well. "Hey, where're you going Alex?" Alex already teleported behind the man before Lenny could finish. Alex grabbed the man's jacket from behind and said. "Hey, mister. Mind if I talk to you for a second?" "Didn't you heard Jessie asking you guys to stay put just now?" The man replied without turning around. "How-w did you…" Alex's voice trailed off the moment he made eye contact with the man's gaze. He could no longer feel his limbs or control his voice. However, his body seemed to be standing fairly well on its own without his conscious control. It felt as if his consciousness was locked inside of his mind. "Man, you guys are a real pain in the ass, you know that?" The man took his gaze away from Alex and directed his attention to a girl and two boys that were running towards him. Alex's friends chased after him when they saw him approaching the stranger. "Alex, are you alright?" Lenny shook his friend on the shoulder from behind. At that moment, all three of them caught sight of the stranger's eyes and felt their consciousness slowly drifting away. "Don't worry about it. I won't do anything to harm you people. After all, I need you to deliver a message to Count Fleming for me. You'll deliver the message, won't you?" The man said, out loud. He then broke into an evil laugh and said. "What the hell am I doing talking to puppets," The man stopped laughing when he caught sight of Yui who wrapped her arms tight around Alex's waist. She started crying when the man saw her. "Who do we have here? Ah-h, so this boy saved your life. Don't worry, I won't do anything to them. Just stop crying." The man touched Yui's forehead lightly with his left index finger. Yui's eyes suddenly grew heavy and she began to fall asleep while standing. "This is what I want you to convey to Count Fleming: I know what Connor did in Grimsey. And I'll not stop until the truth is out! That's all." The man pulled his fedora hat down slightly and gave them a nod. All of them tried their best to make their body move but their effort was futile. All they could do was stared blankly with their expressionless face as the man disappeared into the corner of the street. Alex and his friends ended up standing like mannequins in the middle of the road for the next half an hour; under the sudden downpour that came out of the blue. "Was that who I think it was?" Lenny was shivering all over. "Yeah, I think it's him too. We need to tell Count Fleming that he had possessed a new host." Iris replied, her voice was trembling as well.

Professor Dexter and Master Shin had been going at each other's throat for the past fifteen minutes. Master Shin seemed to be the one on the defensive most of the time. Their battle stopped momentarily as a new figure appeared behind Master Shin. "Reinforcement?" Professor Dexter's expression clearly depicted that he was looking down on Master Shin. "No. He's a messenger. A moment please," Master Shin replaced the Golden Leaf back into its sheath. Professor Dexter lowered his arms and sat on top of a roof nearby, waiting for Master Shin. The messenger glided closer beside Master Shin, almost touching him. He then placed his head close beside Master Shin's ears and whispered a few quick words before taking his leave. "Leaving already? What was that all about?" Professor Dexter levitated back into the air. "Nothing you should concern yourself with," Master Shin replied. "Then I'm sure you don't mind me asking what the Trial of Mist is all about?" Professor Dexter said with a smug on his face. "You really should have just mind your own business, Robinson." Master Shin replied. "He speaks fast but I did catch a few words here and there. Even if you don't tell me, I can always find out." Professor Dexter said. "I really don't want to do this but you shall have your wish granted." The dark clouds that surrounded the two grew thicker and blocked all vision from the outside. "You're familiar with the succession of the Water Clan right Dexter?" Master Shin's voice was clear as day despite the loud crack of thunder around them. "The ceremony which decides the successor is known as the Trial of Mist. Each faction of the Water Clan including the Ice and the Mist will send their best candidates to compete for the throne. It's only fair that way since water exists in all three states naturally." "Wait, you're telling me that you're one of the candidates?" Professor Dexter interrupted. "That's right. In fact, I'm one of the last two candidates remaining." Master Shin answered. "You've got to be joking right? You're able to become the finalist with that level of skill?" Professor Dexter asked. "I'll take that as a complement. As the representative of the Mist, laying low is one of our core values. You might be surprise what hides behind the mist." The air around them grew colder and the clouds thicker. "I'm starting to take your word for it Master Shin. Your energy, it's on a completely different level than before. However, that won't change a thing!" Two bright yellowish spheres of light manifested besides Professor Dexter. "Oh-h, when was the last time you use them in battle?" Master Shin asked. "There hasn't been an opponent worthy of them," Professor Dexter answered. Massive amount of electric charges were being unleashed from the professor's body and the two creatures beside him. Sparks flew as lightning struck the walls of buildings around them. "How long do you plan on hiding?" Professor Dexter taunted. Suddenly, the clouds cleared as Master Shin charged head on towards Professor Dexter. Both his swords were secured in their sheaths when he confronted his opponent. The sphere of water around Master Shin boiled as it made contact with the high voltage emitted from Professor Dexter and his two pet goats. Once again the battlefield was shrouded in water vapor. Master Shin retreated into the smokescreen after the direct confrontation. "Not bad but an elemental attack like that only puts you at a disadvantage against me," Professor Dexter said. "You're right. May be I should do what you did," Master Shin's voice echoed around. "The fire fox? They're no match for my Lightning Capra." Professor Dexter replied. "This just goes to show how much you don't know about me." Master Shin appeared before the professor with a tidal wave that formed out of nowhere! Professor Dexter sent forth a bolt of lightning to try and vaporize the incoming tide. However, the tidal wave suddenly changed direction and circled around the professor, creating a prison of ice around him. His pet goats managed to escape from the trap before it was form. They waited obediently outside the crystal-like structure for their master's command. "Pff! What a cheap trick!" Professor Dexter snorted and began melting the structure made from supercooled water. Through the gaps in the structure, he caught a glimpse of Master Shin's shadow and ordered his minions to go after him. Two sharp bleats could be heard in the distant soon after the professor's pets disappeared into the fog after Master Shin. Their energy signatures could no longer be detected by their master. "What have you done to them?" Professor Dexter demanded as he broke his way through the ice wall. "Don't worry, you will be joining them soon." Master Shin replied.

Energy sparkled when high currents were being discharged at the direction of Master Shin's voice. Nothing happened after two bolts were fired apart from the smell of charred cement. The water vapor still remained dense, clouding Professor Dexter's vision. He glided cautiously towards the direction which he attacked and was greeted by a giant hand made of stone. Professor Dexter tried to retreat but found his entire body below the waist encased by sheets of ice. The giant hand grasped and crushed the professor's hands, leading to a loud agonizing scream. Professor Dexter used all his remaining energy to melt away the ice but it didn't work. He tried attacking the hand by channeling his energy through what remained of his hands. But that didn't seem to do anything. In his desperate attempt to find a way to escape, he caught sight of the symbol on the back of the giant hand. A cold chill went down his spine and his heart went numb. No longer could he feel the pain from his crushed hands. He also did nothing when another giant hand approached him from the side, enclosing its huge fingers around his body. It was as if Professor Dexter had lost all his spirit in trying to stay alive. "Where did you get it from?" Professor Dexter asked, his voice full of despair and his expression gloomy. "Well, there's no point in hiding secrets from a dead man." Master Shin appeared before his foe. The mist cleared when he made his appearance. "It's Atlantis, that's where I got it." Master Shin replied. "I see…" "Is that it? Any final wishes?" Master Shin added. Professor Dexter remained silent. "It's sayonara then." The grip on Professor Dexter's body loosen before he was pancaked between two giant stone palms. A heavy downpour rained over Celestial City, washing away the bits and pieces of organic debris on the stone hands. Three blobs of flesh laid on the tarmac road down below. The road was painted crimson red as the heavy rain mixed with the organic remains. The mist was gone, so were the giant hands. Master Shin's gaze went northeast before he too vanished in the pouring rain.