The clash of blades marked the beginning of the battle, a singular thunderous note that resonated through the air. The marine army's relentless advance left no room for retreat.
Tarot found himself encircled by a contingent of gunners, his gaze sweeping the battlefield with a calm demeanor. He stood poised, his grip steady on the spyglass, flanked by Joker and Kyora.
"Looks like I'm gonna have some fun! Leave 'em to me!" Tarot shouted, his voice brimming with excitement at the sight of the numerous enemies he would face.
The gunners unleashed a barrage of bullets, slicing through the previously serene air with blistering speed.
Displaying the prowess of a seasoned warrior, Tarot deftly spun the spyglass in his hand before flinging it behind him. He then took a deep breath and exhaled forcefully, conjuring clouds from his breath. These clouds swirled and solidified, forming identical copies of Tarot, each landing beside him in varied combat stances, ready to confront the oncoming threat.
Without a second thought, Tarot and his three copies dashed forth, each rushing in a different direction across the battlefield. They maneuvered through the hail of bullets with agile precision, evading them like leaves caught in a swirling wind.
The copy furthest from Tarot leaped through a storm of bullets, dashing with impeccable speed toward the marine squad to the east. He struck swiftly with a duplicate spyglass, delivering blows to their heads, causing others to stumble, and smashing the stomachs of the remaining foes.
The other copies, attacking from the north, west, and south, swiftly cleared their respective areas of marines. Though some of them were hit by bullets and dissipated into clouds, they managed to significantly thin the ranks of their enemies.
Tarot took a deep breath, transforming into a smoke-like cloud. In a swift, fluid motion, he swapped places with a marine's fallen gun, leaving the weapon in his previous spot. His physical form reappeared amidst the group of enemies. With a powerful rotational sweep of his spyglass, he knocked out a significant number of marines in one fell swoop.
Marine officers fell one after another under his assault, though many continued to engage his allies. Kyora, a master of close combat with her staff, defended against the slashing attacks of the frontline officers. She skillfully blocked the first attacker and then swept her staff into his face, knocking him out cold.
As more marines advanced, she ducked beneath razor-sharp blades and lifted the front of her staff, slamming it into a marine's jaw and flipping him backward. Despite her agility, more enemies came at her from behind, attempting to catch her off guard. Unfazed, Kyora summoned a gust of wind around the tip of her staff and swung it behind her. The powerful wind knocked several marines into various buildings, clearing her immediate vicinity.
Meanwhile, Joker stood his ground, unfazed by the sheer number of officers before him. He swung his hand forward, displaying several cards held between his fingers. "Let me remind you all, my cards are far more accurate and deadly than your bullets..."
As the marines fired their shots, Joker threw his cards with precision. The cards cut through the bullets, splitting them in half and causing them to miss Joker entirely. In an instant, the cards reached the marines, attaching themselves to their rifles and rendering them inoperable. Seconds later, the cards beeped and exploded, disabling the guns and forcing the marines to surrender.
"Now... let's play a game," Joker exclaimed, grabbing a dice from his pocket. "I'll throw this dice and gamble. The results are simple: you have a 73% chance of falling asleep from the sleep gas, and a 27% chance of experiencing the poison gas. But don't worry, the poison isn't lethal. Try not to worry too much."
He dropped the dice, watching it bounce and roll on the ground between the marines. When it finally stopped, he grinned. "Aw, looks like you got lucky." White gas erupted from the dice, enveloping the marine officers. One by one, they inhaled the gas and fell asleep, collapsing like dominoes.
But the true battle raged on the town's rooftops. Codey relentlessly attacked, sending a barrage of slashes at Elliott with his boomerang. His aggressive assault left Elliott no chance to create any distance between them.
Codey swung the bladed boomerang diagonally, aiming for Elliott's neck. Fortunately, Elliott's impressive agility saved him as he ducked under the initial slash and then leaped to avoid the follow-up attack.
Elliott struggled to find an opening, unable to activate his abilities. He was continually pushed back, forced to evade Codey's relentless onslaught without a moment's respite.
As the relentless assault continued, Elliott's mind raced for a solution. But Codey gave him no quarter, his attacks unrelenting and precise. Elliott ducked and dodged, narrowly avoiding the deadly swings of the boomerang, but he could feel his energy waning.
Codey's aggressive strategy left no room for error. Every time Elliott thought he found an opening, Codey was already there, slashing with deadly intent. He swung the boomerang in a vicious arc, forcing Elliott to leap backward. Yet, even in retreat, Elliott could feel the sharp edge grazing the air inches from his skin.
Elliott's agility was the only thing keeping him alive, but he couldn't keep up this dance forever. He tried to activate his abilities, but Codey's pressure was too intense. The boomerang whistled through the air again, forcing Elliott to twist and turn to avoid a fatal blow.
Codey pressed his advantage, his eyes gleaming with determination. He swung the boomerang with brutal efficiency, forcing Elliott to the edge of the rooftop. With a final, powerful strike, Codey managed to clip Elliott's side, drawing a sharp gasp of pain from him.
Elliott stumbled, his footing unsteady on the narrow edge. He looked for any chance to turn the tide, but Codey was relentless, his next attack already in motion. Elliott had no choice but to continue evading, his mind frantically searching for a way out of the deadly predicament.
With no respite in sight, Elliott's situation grew increasingly dire. Codey closed in, each swing of the boomerang driving Elliott further into a corner.
Codey's unyielding attacks left Elliott with no room to breathe, let alone counterattack. But with a burst of desperation-fueled agility, Elliott managed to find a brief opening. He leaped backward, using his lightning speed to put some distance between them.
However, Codey was far from finished. With a calculated smirk, he began to throw his boomerangs, each one slicing through the air with lethal precision. Elliott dodged the first few, his movements a blur of lightning-fast reflexes. But then, something strange happened. As Codey threw another boomerang, time around Elliott seemed to slow down.
Elliott realized, too late, that Codey had altered the flow of time around him. His lightning-fast speed was now countered by the oppressive weight of slowed time. Each of his movements felt like wading through molasses, while Codey moved with his usual deadly grace.
Taking full advantage of this temporal manipulation, Codey closed the gap between them in an instant. His boomerangs continued to fly, each one an extension of his will. Elliott, caught in the slowed time zone, could only watch as the boomerangs circled back to Codey's hands, ready to be thrown again.
Codey's first punch landed squarely in Elliott's midsection, the force magnified by the slowed time. Pain exploded through Elliott's body as the boomerangs acted as conduits for Codey's relentless attack. Each strike was precise and powerful, pummeling Elliott's torso and limbs, leaving him no room to counter or escape.
Elliott's attempts to activate his abilities were futile; the slowed time nullified his lightning speed. He could only endure as Codey's blows rained down, each one driving him further into a state of helplessness. Codey's smirk never wavered, his confidence unshaken as he methodically dismantled Elliott's defenses.
Finally, with a devastating uppercut, Codey sent Elliott sprawling across the rooftop, gasping for breath and reeling from the relentless onslaught. The time manipulation began to fade, but the damage was done. Elliott lay on the rooftop, struggling to rise, his body battered and bruised.
The boomerangs flew back into Codey's hands as he vanished into thin air, reappearing above Elliott's battered body. Elliott clutched his wounds, struggling to breathe from exhaustion and pain, his hands pressed against his hips and stomach.
High above, Codey hovered in the sky, arms crossed, his boomerangs growing in size. "Dead or alive... I think l'd prefer to see you dead and gone..." he declared, the wind swirling around him, tousling his curly hair in the gust.
Yumiko watched in horror as Elliott, typically the superior fighter against Codey, found himself overpowered. Codey had evolved into a formidable adversary, his intentions and abilities transformed.
He had become a warrior whose strength now surpassed all expectations. The curse that had befallen them marked Codey as an enemy, committed to capturing and neutralizing the Phoenix Pirates.
Yumiko felt the stress weigh heavily on her, sweat beading on her brow as she witnessed Elliott's vulnerable position. She desperately sought to intervene, to save him from potential death. Yet, Xasha's relentless aggression kept her engaged in their own fierce battle, denying her any opportunity to break away and assist Elliott.
Struggling against Xasha, Yumiko sustained wounds in their skirmish. She could only watch helplessly as the large boomerangs flew with deadly precision through the air towards Elliott.
She could only watch helplessly as the large boomerangs flew with deadly precision through the air towards Elliott.
Her cry of fear echoed in the chaos as she deflected Xasha's incoming strike, preparing to lunge towards Elliott's rescue. But in a cruel twist of fate, a sharp object suddenly pierced through her back, immobilizing her and causing blood to flow from her wound.
Time seemed to freeze as Yumiko realized there was no chance left to save Elliott. She could only imagine the boomerangs slicing through Elliott's skin in agonizing slow motion.
Moments later, the unexpected happened. An unknown card soared in front of Elliott's immobilized body, expanding and transforming into a large mirror.
As the boomerang hurtled towards the mirror, it was abruptly sucked in. Suddenly, red cube-shaped particles engulfed Codey, pulling him into another dimension.
This new realm was a bizarre space adorned with mirrors, reminiscent of a casino. Codey found himself standing in the center of a colossal roulette wheel.
"What the hell?"
To be continued...