The two snuck back into the hidden basement while the doctor and Rose still slept, and they too slept, too tired to talk. Jez did not glare at Zack, but he did look disappointed as they fell asleep. Zack rarely dreamed, so all he remembered when he awoke was just being awake one moment and then waking up just now. They all woke at the same time, but not by instinct. It was a loud, ringing alarm that made them all jolt awake, and Rose got to her feet first, "What's that?" she asked. "That's the war siren. It alerts everyone when an enemy is approaching," Jez answered, also getting to his feet along with Zack and the doctor. "The United State Alliances must be approaching," Zack realised, "This could be our chance to rescue the Spectres!" The doctor nodded and indicated to the ladder, and Rose, Zack and Jez rushed to it.
***
"Why the hell is the Kernel leaving us behind while everyone goes to war?" one Zodiac asked another in the early hours of the morning, and the other shrugged, "I'm not sure. We did almost allow the Spectres to escape remember?" the first sighed, apparently frustrated by the decision of their superior. "Why do these Spectres need guarding anyway? They can only escape from the outside, and the fugitive has been scared off!" persisted the first, and the second groaned. "I don't know, alright! Just suck it up and keep quiet!" as the two argued, a Zodiac strode down the dirty path towards the main gate, and the second sighed, turning to the man and greeting him. "Hey...you seem familiar," the second said, recognising the man's face, but not knowing where from. "I just have one of those faces," the Zodiac replied smoothly, but the second was not so sure.
"I've seen you before..." he muttered, glancing over his shoulder and seeing the sign posted on the side of the small outpost station, the Zodiac's face on it with the words underneath saying: WANTED FOR TREASON. The second turned back to the Zodiac, raising his gun with wide eyes, "Stay right where you are!" Zack suddenly lunged out from the side of the building, grabbed the Zodiac, and retreated out of sight. The other Zodiac, who had not been paying attention, suddenly turned to Jez, stepping forwards and saying, "It's you!" Before he could shout anything else, Zack lunged, kicking the Zodiac in the face and sending him across the ground, unconscious. "Good work," Zack said as he and Jez kicked down the door to the outpost, and the Zodiac inside already had his hand over the button, and he pressed it, the gate sliding open.
Jez shrugged as the Zodiac shivered in fear, turned to Zack, and he muttered, "Tie him up. I'll meet you outside." Zack nodded and approached the Zodiac while Jez stepped outside and turned to see over twenty Zodiacs standing on the dirt road, wearing white masks that covered their mouths instead of the traditional black ones. Jez clenched his fists, ready for a fight, but then the doctor hurried through the group, "Jez, don't! These are my friends! They're here to help." Jez looked at the Zodiacs in shock, not expecting anyone to want to help them, and the closest took off his white mask and said, "We have always thought the Zodiac Empire was in the wrong. Killing innocent people for sport is wrong. It is time to stand up for what is right." Jez nodded, shock still etched onto his face as though he were carved of stone.
"Right then, are we ready?" Zack asked excitedly, exiting the admin building, glancing at the white Zodiacs, and then he stepped towards the many Spectres, over fifty of them, as they made their way nervously towards the open gate. "Ready for what?" one of them asked, and Zack looked at each one in turn, or tried to, before saying, "We need to get you home safely. Then my friends and I are going to fight back the Zodiac Army." However, the Spectres did not seem to like this idea, because they all stepped forwards with fists clenched. The one in front of the rest seemed to speak for the united Spectres, because they all nodded when he shouted, "We want war too!"
***
Inside the grey tent, on the rough sand, Trae and Jade sat side-by-side, their backs against the fabric wall of the tent as they both looked at each other hopelessly. "I...don't believe we are actually going to do this," Jade whispered, and Trae nodded, "I know what you mean...it's too early to go to war!" Jade took Trae's hand in hers, and then they both turned to stare into one another's eyes. "Do you think we can do it? Destroy whatever it is after all this time?" Trae asked, his voice low, and Jade shrugged. "We need to try." Before any more could be said, the tent opened, and Richards stepped inside, a grave expression on his face. "It's...time," he muttered.
***
The United State Alliances marched across the sandy battlefield, their boots crunching upon the hard grains as they all moved forwards as one, Richards, Jade and Trae leading them forward. They were almost there, all they had to do was reach the top of this large mound, and then they would be able to see what the Zodiac Empire was guarding so desperately. They marched uphill, sand kicking up behind them. They had left firearms behind, mainly because the Zodiac Empire had stopped their own usage of the weapons. Therefore, each member of the United State Alliances carried a single sword, sheathed to their sides as though their lives depended on it. They reached the top, and the three leaders stopped, too shocked to do anything more. "No...there are too many of them!" Jade breathed, staring at the twenty lines of Zodiacs in front of a large cave opening, over one hundred in each line.
The Kernel and General were both standing before their Army, looking at the enemy as they stopped. "We can't turn back," Trae murmured, looking down at the many, many Zodiacs, his fists clenching out of anger and fear. "If we turn back, we lose," Richards murmured, confliction in his voice at what to do, and then a voice Trae had not heard in days came from behind. "Need help?" Slowly, daring to believe it, Trae turned, seeing Zack standing behind him with a Zodiac besides him. Trae stuttered in surprise, and Zack stepped forwards to shake Trae's hand, "Good to see you again, friend." Trae said the same thing in reply, his eyes flicking constantly toward the Zodiac, and Zack chuckled. "Don't worry, he is with me. As are they." Zack and Jez parted, revealing the Zodiacs dressed in white who stepped forwards, Spectres right behind them.
"How the hell did you find them?" Richards asked, staring at the Spectres, and this time Jez stepped forward. "There was a prison near where the Zodiacs have been hiding. We rescued them from there. We wanted to take the Spectres home, but the insisted on joining us." Richards nodded, apparently happy with the information, and then he turned back around to stare at the Zodiac Army, the added numbers to his own Army making him feel taller and more powerful than before. "I think we all know what happens next," Richards whispered, and Zack joined Trae's side, Jez taking up the other side beside Jade, the five leaders making an arrowhead shape in front of the United State Alliances. Across the sand, in front of his own Army, the General stepped forwards, a menacing grin on his face as he stared up at the opposing Army.
He turned back to look at the Zodiac Army, taking in a deep breath before screaming, "OUR TIME IS NOW!" The Zodiac Army cheered at his words, and when the voices died down, the General continued. "WE HAVE BEEN SUPPRESSED AND TORMENTED FOR FAR TOO LONG! THAT ENDS TODAY!" Yet again, the Zodiac Army roared at his words, fuelled by his anger and bitterness as if he were a king. "OUR GLORIOUS EMPIRE WILL ONCE AGAIN BE FEARED BY ALL! THEY CANNOT STOP US! WE WILL DESTROY THEM!" The General withdrew his rapier sword and pointed it at the United State Alliances, and his Zodiac Army charged forwards, withdrawing their own swords as they raced towards the hill. "Better now than never!" Richards shouted, taking out his sword, as well as everyone else in the United State Alliances, and they sprinted to meet the Zodiac Army, roaring and screaming, the only ones without weapons being the Spectres and defective Zodiacs.
The two Armies crashed together, swinging and slashing their swords through the air at their enemies. Zack passed through the violence alongside Jez, Trae and Jade, Rose has chosen to stay behind with her mother. The four stopped as they came face-to-face with the General, who was dressed in his battle armour, and his two Elite Guards, one being the Black Knight, of course. "This madness stops right here," Zack said through gritted teeth, sword gripped firmly in his right hand, and the General chuckled, "I couldn't agree more." The General lunged forward, and Zack did the same, both of them driving their swords towards each other whilst Jez and the Black Knight began fighting, and the other Elite Guard, who had his sword drawn, went after Trae and Jade. The General blocked and slashed at Zack, the two in the middle of the mass fight.
They locked blades and stared into each other's eyes, "I'm impressed," the General whispered, grinning as Zack grunted. "Your father would have given in by now." Fury flashed through Zack, and he pushed the General back, swinging his sword wildly through the air, and seconds later the General's weapon flew away. Zack raised his sword and jabbed at the General, but the General moved aside and kicked the sword away, Zack stumbling away as the sword landed several meters away in the sand. "So you really want to do this?" Zack asked, raising his fists as the General took several wealthy steps backwards, an evil leer on his face. He then reached behind him, withdrew a pistol, and aimed carefully as Zack ran forward. It happened in almost slow motion.
There were two bangs, Zack ducked his head, something shiny flying over him, and then he skidded along the ground as a second bullet went straight over his head. Zack placed his hand on the ground and got up from the sand, ducking yet again as a third bang cut through the air, and then he threw his fist forward, punching the General's hand and watching as the gun flew away. Nearby, Trae and Jade had lost both their weapons but were still facing down the Elite Guard. Trae ducked and Jade dodged as the Elite Guard slashed, and then Trae was suddenly in front of his enemy, delivering a powerful blow to the Guard's stomach and then a hard uppercut to their head, making the Elite Guard stumble backward. The Guard spun on the spot and slashed through the air, both Trae and Jade moving aside, and then Trae punched the Elite Guard in the gut before Jade spun and kicked him in the same place.
The Black Knight struck at Jez on the other side of the battle, slashing forward three times and missing Jez with every slash. When the force of a slash from the Knight made him spin away from Jez, Jez raised his fists and punched with his right fist, then his left before finally his right, punching the Black Knight across the face thrice. The Black Knight stepped back, seemed to recover himself, and then swung dangerously through the air, his sword missing Jez the first time and then slicing into the sand at Jez's feet on the second. Zack and the General were on their toes, throwing punches at one another as though their lives depended on it, which, of course, they did. Zack managed to land an uppercut to the General's face and then punch with his right fist, but the General blocked the second blow and struck back, his fist landing straight on Zack's face.
The General dodged aside as Zack struck several more times, and then he finally caught Zack's right fist, kneed him in the stomach, forcing Zack to drop to one knee, and then the General spun on the spot, kicking Zack in the side of the head as he went. Zack fell to the side, stars bursting before his very eyes, and the General towered over him, ready to deliver the final blow. "LEAVE HIM! OUR WEAPON IS READY!" a voice screamed over the sounds of battle, and the General turned to see the Kernel in the mouth of the cave, pointing towards a yellow glowing light that seemed to be pulsing inside, and the General nodded, picking his sword from the ground, murmuring "Until next time, Spectre," and then hurrying away towards the cave. Zack lay panting on the ground for several more moments, caught his breath, and then got to his feet, picking up his sword as he did.
Jez and the Black Knight were almost killing each other. The Black Knight jabbed at Jez several times, with Jez barely able to dodge the lethal blows, and then Jez finally managed to duck behind the Black Knight, raise his leg, and kick him straight in the back. The Black Knight sprawled forwards, dropping his sword onto the ground, and Jez retrieved it within seconds. "Jez, please, have mercy," the Black Knight said as he rolled onto his back, watching as Jez towered over him, and then he suddenly shouted out in pain as Jez stepped onto his shoulder. "I've run out of mercy for the moment," Jez muttered, and then he stabbed the sword downward, watching as it pierced the Knight's chest. A choking sound escaped the Black Knight's throat, as though he were fighting for even breath, and then his head dropped, eyes suddenly staring and glass-like.
Jez coughed and panted, looked around, and saw Zack running through the crowd of fighters, pushing and slashing his way forwards and headed towards the cave. Jez sighed, held the Black Knight's sword firmly, and followed, knowing whose side he had to choose.
***
Inside the cave, the Kernel and General looked over the edge of the cave, down to a mini pool that had formed from the yellow water that dripped from the edge, and which seemed to continue to several other small pools below before finally erupting into a waterfall. "Are we sure that he is ready?" the General asked worriedly, and the Kernel nodded, a small smile on his face. "He is ready to rise again." There was some sort of form in the water, a really pale and smooth form in the shape of a human, face down and apparently dead. "That's not going to happen," a voice said, and the two turned to find Zack standing in the entrance to the large chamber, bloodied sword in his hand. "Ah, come back for more I see," the General said, stepping forwards, but then Zack suddenly dropped his sword as a golden tip appeared at the base of his throat.
Jez stepped around Zack, blade still pointed at the Spectre's throat, and the General sighed. "I see you are betraying him," he said, and Jez chuckled. "If I wanted you dead father, I would have killed you in our last encounter. I have been waiting for this moment to reveal myself. I will not let you down." The General seemed to consider this, staring at Jez with something like astonishment, and then he bowed his head as eight Zodiacs stepped into the room, four of them holding swords, one with a large hammer, one with two short swords, one with an axe and one with a spear. The ones with the axe and spear stepped forwards to Zack, and Jez slowly stepped away, taking Zack's weapon and handing it to the Kernel before sheathing his own. The General took a seat against one of the rocks, still staring at Jez.
"I must admit, son, I thought I had you figured out," the General declared after several moments passed, only the sounds of the battle outside barely filling the silence inside. "It turns out you are incredibly hard to predict. I would never have guessed your true motives until tonight." Jez stepped forwards and stopped beside the Kernel, who had sheathed Zack's sword to his right side and seemed to be lost in thought. "You can always trust traitors to be traitorous," Jez said, surprising his father even more, "But it is the truthful ones who always show allegiance you should keep an eye on," Jez continued. "Why is that?" the General asked interestedly, and Jez sighed. "Because they are the ones who will always betray you." He shot hit right hand out, grasped the hilt of Zack's sword, and pulled it away from the Kernel as he kicked the Kernel in the chest, sending the man stumbling back.
Jez spun and tossed the sword to Zack, who snatched it from the air, stepped away from the two guarding him, and immediately slashed the sword through the air, killing the one holding the axe instantly. The General watched, his expression faltering, and then he switched back to Jez, who drew his sword and jogged forward. The General drew his sword quickly, moved away from the rock as Jez slashed down, and then raised his sword to block as Jez spun around and collided their swords. Back outside, Jade and Trae dodged as the Elite Guard slashed through the air. Jade ducked as he stabbed out, and Trae took the opportunity to kick him in the gut, forcing the Guard back. The Elite Guard stared at the two of them in hatred, and then he jumped up, kicking out with both legs and spinning through the air.
Jade slipped and stumbled back as Trae rolled aside, but when the Elite Guard landed, he instantly kicked out behind him, catching Trae in the back and throwing him forward. The Elite Guard turned to look at Jade as Trae rolled to a stop beside a small pile of rock. The Elite Guard began his approach, lifting his sword over his shoulder, and then something hard smashed into the back of his head, killing the Elite Guard instantly as he fell forwards. Jade looked up and let a small smile appear on her face as she saw Trae stepping forwards, clearly just having thrown the rock into the back of the Elite Guard's head. They did not say anything as the battle raged around them, they just leant forwards, and their lips found each other, kissing furiously.
Inside, Zack kicked away the Zodiac with the spear and raised his sword to catch another Zodiac's sword, quickly swinging it away and then slashing the Zodiac through the gut like butter. The Kernel, his blade drawn, ran forward and struck at Zack with surprising speed and energy, but then he stumbled aside as the Zodiac with the hammer launched at Zack, and Zack took the chance to dodge and quickly knock the Kernel away. Jez and the General, meanwhile, fought on the edge of the chamber, the wet rock dampening their boots as they battled for both balance and victory. "You have betrayed me too many times for my liking!" the General grunted, his sword flashing through the air as Jez did everything he could to parry the assaults. "I would have thought that if you don't like betray so much, you shouldn't have betrayed me in lying about mom," Jez snarled back, and suddenly he found himself on the floor as the General towered over.
"You cannot beat me!" he insisted, sword raised, and Jez rolled aside as it bounced off the rock where he had been milliseconds before, quickly raising his own sword and swiping at the General. The tip of his sword sliced through the General's shoulder, and the General groaned loudly before ducking a second assault from Jez and then impaling the tip of his sword through Jez's left side. Jez gasped loudly and stumbled back as the General withdrew his sword, holding his bleeding side and staring at his father with pure, cold hatred. "I meant to kill you!" the General growled, surprised he had not succeeded, and against the pain, Jez laughed. "We both know you will not kill me." The General snarled, raised his sword, and slashed at Jez, who blocked the blow and moved steadily back, sword slashing through the air.
Zack ducked as two swords passed over his head, and he quickly spun on the spot and flung out his sword at the same time, cutting down another two Zodiacs. There were still three left, one with a sword, one with a spear and one with a hammer. He caught all three of their weapons with his swords and pushed them back, holding his sword ready as they came at him from three different angles. Zack kicked away the one with the sword, dodged the one with the spear and finally stabbed the one with the hammer, grunting as he withdrew the body and pushed the corpse aside. The one with the spear and the one with the sword trapped Zack's sword above his head forced him against a rock wall and then stabbed their weapons into place, not letting Zack's sword go.
Zack struggled to pull his sword free, and then the Kernel charged forwards, sword raised and a menacing expression upon his face. Zack looked around, kicked the one with the spear in the gut, rolled aside as the Kernel slashed into the wall, and then he spun and stabbed the one with the sword through the back. The Zodiac spat blood as he fell to his knees and then collapsed, and Zack backflipped away as the Zodiac with the spear jabbed at him, he and the Kernel standing side-by-side as Zack stared at them. Someone ran forwards, letting out a battle cry as they jumped up, kicked the Kernel across the face, spun on the spot and stabbed two short swords straight into the Zodiac's stomach. The Zodiac grunted as he fell, lifeless, and the figure turned. "Rose?" Zack asked, bewildered to find Rose holding two swords and looking battle-ready.
"I thought you could use a hand," Rose replied, flipping the swords up and catching them, looking incredibly experienced with the two weapons. Zack and Rose turned to watch as the General and Jez duelled, their swords slashing dangerously through the air as they fought, both threatening to end the other within seconds. There was a loud rumble, filling the cave and even shaking the walls. Jez and the General did not seem to notice, too engrossed in their fight to notice the pale, slightly webbed hand grasping the edge of the floor. Something with an incredibly pale face, black eyes and a stretched mouth emerged, only wearing a set of brown trousers. Scars ran across the man's neck and stomach, but the most noticeable was a large, stretched scar across his chest, looking the most recent. "Robert?" Zack whispered, shocked as Robert stared back with blank eyes.
"You know what to do! Engage!" the General screamed as he saw Robert over Jez's shoulder, and Robert's eyes were no longer misty, becoming focused and aware of the world around him. "You go...I have this one," Rose muttered, and Zack nodded, seeming to hesitate before stepping aside and letting Robert and Rose lock eyes. "You," Robert said, even his voice was different, now it was smoother and more deadly than ever before. "Father...what have they done to you?" Rose asked, stepping forwards nervously. "They remade me. I am reborn. I am the Prodigy," Robert replied as though on command, and Rose laughed loudly in disbelief. "My father isn't someone's puppet!" She held out her two blades, staring at Robert with something like pity in her eyes. "That is disappointing, I was hoping you would stay at my side," Robert replied coolly, and Rose smirked, "I know my father...your rebirth is flawed."
Robert growled, held his right hand above his head, and a Zodiac from nearby tossed a long sword towards him. Like a magnet, it flew to his hand, and Robert lowered his arm, revealing the double-bladed sword. "I see I need to kill another traitor," Robert replied, taking the double-bladed sword out before him, spinning it through the air so fast it was silver and brown blur, and then he charged forward. Rose spun away as Robert slashed through the air several times, and then she raised both her own swords to parry and block Robert's multiple, ruthless attacks. Robert leapt up, flipped over Rose's head, landed behind her, and turned on the spot to slash through the air, only to find Rose had ducked and now kicked out behind her, catching Robert in the shoulder and spinning him away.
"Not bad," Robert hissed, rising from his crouch and darting forwards, sword spinning in front of him as both blades barely missed Rose. Rose ducked and moved back, managing to flip over Robert's sword, land easily, and block another four slashes. Robert growled loudly as he parried one of Rose's blows, elbowed her in the chest and pushed her back. Rose stumbled, found her balance, and then sprinted towards Robert. Robert looked surprised as his daughter charged, and then Rose leapt up, spinning through the air. "JEZ!" she screamed, throwing her right sword through the air as she landed behind her father and caught a blow from him. Jez turned as his own sword was knocked aside, and he reached up, catching Rose's sword, spinning around to face his father, and then thrusting it forwards. The blade pierced the General's gut, and the General gasped, staring at Jez in shock before falling backwards and pressing his back against the rock wall behind him, gasping and panting.
"You did it," he whispered, "You won." Jez stood over his father, also panting, and then he crouched beside the General, "I'm sorry, father."