[Meanwhile in the Upper World, Arizona, U.S., Ouroboros H.Q.]
As Roshan, Barry, and Kaizer walked with Kira to the Lounge, Kaizer's behavior seemed peculiar.
"Oh, yeah, did I say the Lounge? I meant she's in the bathroom. Yeah, she said she really had to pee." Kaizer smiled widely.
Barry shrugged. "Oh, okay then. Hey, did you let her look at the lab? I'm sure she'd be impressed!"
Kaizer peered his eyes. "Uh… is this a test?"
Barry laughed. "No, Kaizer, I'm just asking, 'cuz if she's anywhere near as nerdy as me, I think she'd like it."
"Oh, well then, yeah I showed her some stuff."
"Kaizer!" Roshan and Barry both scorned.
Kaizer threw his hands up. "Hey, I asked you if it was a test."
"Where is she, Kaizer?" Barry said anxiously, waddling around the hall opening and closing doors as he went. "Kaizer, where is she?"
"Kaizer, where is she?" Roshan said, judging me slightly with a hand.
"I don't know, man, back off," Kaizer scowled, shrugging Roshan off. "She's a grown woman, she does what she wants. And she has manners, I don't think she's gonna be a problem."
Suddenly, a loud sound of metal clanking echoed from the laboratory. The three ran to the Lab, and there she was. Kira stood, adorned in a Blood Tech A.R.M.S.… but not Kaizer's. She seemed to have found another secret chest in the wall. The Arms already connected to her genetic code, changing shape and materializing as an expression of her Magic Core, surprising everyone.
Shining silvery armor adorned her from head to toe, accented with gold plating. Dainty wings of warm light protruded from her back, and she wielded a daunting sword ablaze with light.
Kira grinned ear to ear, holding the sword up and taking on a surprisingly good British accent. "For the Queen! Yah! Yah!" She playfully stabbed at Kaizer, who dodged with exaggerated swagger. Laughter filled the room until Barry intervened.
"Are you two done?" The room fell silent.
Barry looked at Kaizer. "First of all, why is Kira Kurokawa wearing the Blood Tech Armored Muscle Suit? How did she know the code to get into the walls?"
"She… may have been the one reminding me what those said code words were for about… well, the whole time we've been friends…" Kaizer's voice trailed off awkwardly. "I get amnesia, alright? Those experiments take a toll on me, guys."
Barry scoffed, and Roshan shook his head. "I can't believe this," his deep voice seemed somehow deeper now.
"Well…" He examined Kira. "It fits."
Kira beamed, looking at Kaizer with sparkling eyes. He smirked back.
"But there is one thing that I need to know," Barry said, waddling to the computer. "If you're gonna wear the suit without my permission, we might as well make a lab out of it. Kira, come sit down here in this chair, please. I'm going to de-encrypt your blood and figure out what genetic code is causing this surge of magical energy."
Kira cooperated, walking over to the chair near where Barry sat behind a monitor, staring focused at the screen.
"Roshan, plug her."
"Already on it," Roshan said, plugging in the final cords required from the computer to the muscle suit.
"Okay. De-encrypting your blood data now…This machine, the Arms, you have to understand — it's sentient. It biologically connects to the user's DNA, as well as their psyche, and everything it does is a function connected to the bond between the suit and its wearer."
"Interesting…" Kira nodded. "I think I get it. Saw something like this in an anime once. Kaizer, you know the one." She pointed at Kaizer.
He nodded, smirking as he leaned back against the wall, knowing exactly what she meant. They had binge-watched plenty of anime together during their time in Japan.
"Hm… that can't be good," Barry said, his tone becoming soft as he tapped away on the monitor.
"What? What do you mean? Is something wrong?" Kira said, still dawning the Arms, her eyes becoming slightly concerned.
"You're in no danger, Kira, I promise, but…" Barry waved me and Roshan over and pointed with a fin at the screen.
Decrypted Data:
Blood Type: O+
Magic Core Consistency: Faith
Magic Core Durability: High
Magic Core Power: Extremely High
Magic Core Reserves: Infinity
Magic Core Frequency: Low
Primary Ancestral Coding: Angel ://ERROR://_null_Seraphim__
Primary Genetic Coding: Human
Natural Hair: Brown
Natural Eye Color: Brown
Height: 5'8
Weight: 139 lbs.
Present Age: 21
Kaizer's jaw dropped, and he covered his mouth. Roshan rubbed one of his tusks in thought. "You don't say…" he said, looking at Kira. "Kira. Do you know what you are, dear?"
Kira still sat on the chair, her eyes looking from Kaizer, to Barry, to Rashon in bewilderment. "Wh-what? I'm-I'm a Human being. What do you mean?"
Kaizer smiled. "Says here you're an angel."
"Wh—wha?" Kira replied, shrugging, still confused.
"Your ancestral coding is Angel. It's right here, look," Barry said, waving her over. Kira yanked out the plugs from suit and rushed over to look at the monitor.
"This is the data in your blood, Kira," Roshan's deep voice came from behind us.
"I have a Magic Core? What's that? Can I do Magic?" Kira squealed.
"Perhaps… it's a possibility," Roshan replied. "That suit you're wearing… it is our first prototype, the suit we made before we made the improvements with Kaizer's. It still functions the same, although not as flashy, and there isn't a Warlock Mode or an Amplifier."
"I see… kinda perfect for a rookie then, huh?" Kira smirked, holding her glowing sword in the air in front of her.
BOOM!
Suddenly, a force burst through the wall, and shadowy tendrils collided with their bodies, sending them sprawling onto the lab floor. Scuffling and shifting ensued as everyone tried to figure out what had happened. To their surprise, it was Asher, the Vampire mercenary who had arrested them, standing clad in a third Arms suit. Purple magical energy seeped out from his suit like waves of mist as he executed magically charged blasts with a few punches into the air.
"This thing can really do the job!" Asher exclaimed, executing a backflip.
"You're not supposed to be here! How did you get that on!? Roshan, that's the second prototype!" Barry yelled, struggling to get his hefty seal body up. "I honestly thought I left the Extra Lab locked this time!"
"Arrgh!" Roshan charged the intruder, tusks bared.
"Ahh—whoopsie-daisie," Asher said as he sidestepped Roshan's charging tusks.
"Arrgh! Rgh! Nrrgah! Nnagh!" Roshan threw his elephant fists at Asher, putting all his force into every punch. Swiftly, Asher weaved around the punches like a graceful dancer. He laughed as Roshan threw a mighty right hook. Dodging the hook, he sent a charged punch to Roshan's gut, shooting him across the room and through the wall, crashing into the Main Control Room.
"Oh, this is just too good to be true." Asher whistled, flexing the cybernetic muscles of the suit with confidence. "Thank you, Chrono-Disruptor. No need for Blood Magic, or any other Magic really, if I have this."
"Leave him alone, Asher."
Asher paused, slowly turning around at the sound of Kaizer's comment. His smirk remained. "Yeah? Or what, kid? You gonna freeze me?"
"I might."
Asher's grin widened, and he outstretched his arm towards Kaizer. His voice echoed through the HQ. "Might wanna run, buddy."
"Kira, Barry, run."
Concentrated beams of purple energy shot towards Kaizer, Kira and Barry, and Kira and Barry both bolted through the giant hole in the wall, out of the room and to the building's exit, in the lobby. Kaizer charged towards Asher, no suit, just raw strength, and tackled him to the ground. They struggled, and then Asher sent a shockwave through his palms that blasted Kaizer into the wall. Kaizer fell to the ground but landed on his feet, his eyes ablaze with determination. Asher circled him, attempting to flank.
In the heat of battle, Kaizer confidently uttered "Chronos Art: Time Lapse," standing tall as time itself slowed. Observing the temporal distortion, he expertly anticipated Asher's moves, executing a precise strike with his blood katana before time resumed. Asher, propelled through many walls, collided with the front desk in the Lobby, emitting a pained grunt.
As Asher recovered, Kaizer swiftly input the code (763888) into the Lab's wall terminal, having memorized Barry's input. "Sorry, Barry, but I'll use this," Kaizer declared, revealing a mysterious black metal gauntlet. Upon donning it, the gauntlet transformed into the black Arms suit, and as he activated Combat Mode, it enveloped Kaizer in red-tinged armor, complete with a menacing red visor and a glowing long katana. He took a few idle steps to test out how the suit felt, swinging the katana and nodding.
Kaizer smirked. "Red and black. I like it."
WOOSH!
In a rapid dash, Kaizer materialized before Asher as if from thin air, his eyes glowing an ominous red. Peering down at Asher, who sat against the front desk wearing the prototype Arms, Kaizer remarked matter-of-factly, "You're clueless about handling this. Snatched it when you arrested us, huh? These new Ascended Vampires seem lacking in intelligence, and you're feeble."
Asher's scream reverberated with a faint hum, a side effect of the Arms. "You don't know me!"
With a classic Vampire upturned nose, Kaizer retorted, "I know you're weak. Take off the suit."
Asher slowly struggled to his feet, surveying the Lab's wreckage and the chaos he caused in the building. A smirk played on his lips as he looked back at Kaizer.
"You don't want your big secret to get out, hahah," Asher said. "Secret base in another dimension? Just that kind of info alone would make me a big buck. Not only that, but say I exposed all of this? What then? Maybe I'd be famous."
"This isn't up for discussion," Kaizer responded, the glare in his obsidian eyes unwavering. Kaizer's long, unkempt black hair intrigued Asher, prompting his taunts.
"So what, are you a girl or a boy? You need a haircut, man," Asher said, changing the mode of the Arms to Defender Mode. The transformation portrayed Asher as a vagabond knight, adorned with a bright, glowing, purple crown, wielding a fiery great sword, and sporting a purple visor over his eyes.
"I warned you," Kaizer stated. "Chronos Art- Ti—"
Abruptly, Asher swung his great sword, interrupting Kaizer's spell. Dodging with grace, Kaizer outpaced Asher's magically charged attacks, always a step ahead.
Damn, he's elusive, Asher thought. Who is this guy?
"Damn, you're sure good at running away!" Asher taunted, raising his greatsword.
Attempting a vertical swing, Asher's Shadow Magic rippled through his blade, but Kaizer vanished, reappearing behind Asher with a whispering hiss from his Armor.
"You interrupted my spell," Kaizer softly chided through his helm. "Have some etiquette, will ya?"
Bending his knee, Kaizer delivered a clean diagonal strike, cutting through Asher's Armor and inflicting a precise injury. Despite the pain, Asher retaliated with a roundhouse kick, which Kaizer expertly evaded with a duck, countering with a Bloodfire uppercut.
"Aughhh!" Asher cried out, attempting to evade further attacks with a back step.
Seeing an opening, Kaizer invoked Time Configuration. Once again, time froze, capturing Asher mid-back step, suspended above the ground.
Kaizer grabbed two things from Asher: the suit, which had now reverted back to a gauntlet, and the Chrono-Disruptor, which had been stored in the pocket of his sweatpants, underneath his suit.
Kaizer surveyed the aftermath with a stoic, emotionless gaze. "Damn, he kinda did a number, though, didn't he?" His attention shifted to Rashon lying on the ground, down the hallway. "Roshan!"
Rushing to Roshan's side, Kaizer knelt down. "Roshan. Are you gonna be okay?"
Roshan nodded slowly, his eyes fixed on the ceiling. "Of course. You think that measly, test-tube Vampire could kill me? I will be fine, I am just… resting."
Kaizer nodded and gestured toward his own body. "Well, as you can see, the suit works."
"I can see," Roshan repeated.
"I'm not gonna keep wearing it like this, though. I want Barry to finish it. It's his project, after all," Kaizer explained.
Roshan sighed, nodding. "You're a good kid, Kaizer."
Kaizer looked down at Roshan, his glowing red visor casting a faint glow on Roshan's face in the darkness of the Main Control Room. Speechless, Kaizer remained kneeling, absorbing Roshan's words.
"Your Father… was a brave man. A brave man, indeed. I believe you inherited that bravery," Roshan continued, smiling. "The blood you carry, the Pact of Cratos… it traces back so long ago. Your father's fire is a result of Cratos's Pact…but his Serpentine blood, that which made him immortal, was a result of consuming the blood and the Magic Core of a god, which Grant slew on behalf of Cratos's instruction."
"What?" Kaizer reacted with surprise, his armored body recoiling at the revelation. "So… that's what Xoltor meant," Kaizer murmured.
"Who?"
"Xoltor. The Leviathan I met in the Shadowed Depths," Kaizer explained. "He said he smelled Godblood in me."
Roshan sighed without a visible reaction. "I fear that in the end, your father's decision to consume Bahkruhthu might be a curse on his bloodline."
"Bahkruhthu…" Kaizer repeated.
Just then, Kira and Barry entered the Main Control Room.
"Kaizer! It's not finished!" Barry scolded.
Kaizer shrugged, smiling underneath his helmet and standing up. "Hey, at least I got our intruder."
Kira laughed. "Yeah, I saw him."
Kaizer joined the laughter, and Roshan, now standing with his powerful elephant form, suggested, "Let's clean up this mess. Kaizer… I am trusting you to take care of the trespasser."
Kaizer nodded. "Sure thing, I'm on it. But… there's a problem that needs solving. You see, Darcia used some kind of device to get to this realm, and when we were arrested, Asher took it. That's how he used it to get here." Kaizer held up the Chrono-Disruptor.
"Give it to me, I will keep it secured," Barry said, taking the Chrono-Disruptor.
Roshan paused, leaning and eyeing Asher, who was still frozen in the hallway.
"Do you actually freeze them?" Kira asked curiously, also looking.
"Well, no, not completely. I can't freeze time, but I can slow it down so slow that it feels like it's frozen." Kaizer chuckled. "He's actually still moving right now."
Kira awed. "Wow, that's so cool."
"I want him out of our HQ. Kaizer, what are you waiting for?" Barry pressed. His bifocals had cracked in the commotion.
"Jeez Louise, calm down, I'm going," Kaizer replied, smirking and walking out of the room. "I'll take him to the Veiled Caverns. Can't exactly drop him off at Bloodguard, considering I'm the Vampire who broke out. Later."
"Kaizer! Wait, I'm coming too!" Kira called after.
"Excuse me, young lady," Barry interjected, looking up at Kira with stern, seal eyes. "No, you are absolutely not. It is too dangerous in Sanguine. And now that I have discovered that you too possess a special blood encryption, I'd rather keep you alive. I need you for more testing."
Kaizer turned around and gave a peace sign. "Don't worry, Kira! This'll only take me a minute."
The group watched as Kaizer grabbed Asher out of the air and hauled him over his shoulder. He turned and gave a cheeky wave goodbye, then closed his eyes. His lips moved, then he was gone in a flash of light. And just like he promised, he returned just as quickly, reappearing in front of them.
"See? Told ya." Kaizer said, smirking.
"What did you even do, Kaizer?" Barry criticized.
"I dumped his body. He'll wake up and be fine, the city's not too far. And he has no way to get back here, so we're in the clear." Kaizer assured."
Barry let out a sigh of relief. "Now that that's taken care of…"
They all silently looked around at the damage Asher and Kaizer had done, which spanned throughout the entire building.
"I'll call the repair people," Barry said, waddling off.