'Nyx, how close to the portal?'
/Just a bit more. Give or take a few minutes!/
Nyx's response was more than enough for Riku to let out a sigh of relief. While it would be impossible for him to defend this ship, at least they'd be out of harm's way once they entered the portal. Or at the very least, they'd get a small period of time to rest and recover before the Stephen and Astra caught up to them. And speaking off...
"There's no escape!"
Riku raised a brow as he began to feel his feet begin to slip off of the cabin roof. It wasn't much, but it was getting more noticeable by the second the closer the enemy yacht came to their boat. The twin Jupiters driving their speed was starting to get close enough to affect them by their combined wells of gravity, and he could only assume that their speed would suffer quickly the longer this went on.
Thinking quickly, the former assassin aimed the tip of his knife right in between the two Jupiters. It wasn't ideal, but he had no other choice if he wanted to delay their inevitable capture.
"[Chaos Ladder]."
With a flex of his power, the tendrils of Chaos itself erupted from the tip of his knife, the unholy ladder shooting out and through the gap between the two massive planets. The force of the ejection was so great that Riku had to use two hands to brace himself as he felt his ladder hit Stephen right in the chest, knocking the enemy Champion off his feet and giving them some valuable time to think of something without the threat of projectiles exploding on them.
"Anytime now, Shizu!" he yelled at his partner. "We're starting to get sucked in!"
At the sound of his voice, the fortune teller quickly opened her eyes, her deck starting to glow as she quickly climbed back up to his side. She looked determined now, a faint power glowing around her as she placed her palm over her deck. At the same time, Stephen had recovered with even more planets starting to orbit around him.
"You'll pay for that, Champion of Nyx!" the astrologer shouted in rage.
Riku gritted his teeth as he felt his feet starting to slide forward even more. Even worse, the volley of planets continued with their paths now even becoming more unpredictable than ever before.
"I hope you can pull something out for us, Shizu," the former assassin humorlessly chuckled as he began swatting away at the exploding planets.
"I'm ready," Shizu breathed out with a nod. "[Diviner]!"
At the shout of her spell, a green glow enveloped Shizu as her eyes glowed a bright green. From there, her hands moved quickly as she drew and threw cards out nonstop like they were nothing. Her aim was true and precise. It was almost as if she was seeing a few seconds into the future with how much she led her shots forward knowing that the projectiles would be there by the time her cards would arrive.
"So you're actually using a Trump against me," Stephen cackled. "Clearly, it's a weak one if that's all you can manage!"
Riku narrowed his eyes as he took his spot in front of Shizu, crouching down as he provided an impenetrable wall of defense for Shizu's growing offense. There was no sound or grunt coming from the woman; only sheer concentration shining through as her hands flew like lighting to throw card after card at the projectiles.
Still, this was no solution to their problem.
/We're not moving anymore!/ Nyx alarmed him through his mind. /I think we're even moving backwards now!/
The former assassin hissed at the alarming news. He would've wanted for them to escape this overwhelming pull of gravity by now, but it would seem that they were too late. They were locked in now unless Shizu had something up her sleeve that could get them out of this mess.
"Do you have something that can help, Shizu?" he asked calmly through his teeth, trying to conserve energy as his ladder swung back and forth at the offending planets. "We can't keep this up forever."
"What do you think I'm doing?!" Shizu hissed back, card after card flying off her hands at a machine gun pace. "I'm looking for the right card right now, but my dumb luck isn't giving me what I want!"
Riku couldn't help but chuckle at that hilarious stroke of fate. It would seem that he wasn't the only one that wasn't being given the proper due by lady luck at the moment.
"I'll buy us some more time then."
With a resigned sigh, the former assassin took another look at the offending yacht keeping them looked in place. The twin Jupiters were the ones keeping them locked in place. They weren't close enough for the ship to be touching them, but it was enough that gravity was getting wonky on its hold over them.
It would be a pain getting past them, but he had to try.
'Keep moving forward, Nyx,' he advised his goddess as he stood up. 'Shizu and I will get us out of this.'
/As if I have anything else to do./
With his resolve set, Riku narrowed his eyes at the target of his ire. Getting on the other ship meant getting passed the two massive planets in front of him. He really didn't want to get sucked into either of them, so he had to be right on his trajectory for this.
"Shizu, tell me when you have the card you want."
"Got it."
Aiming his knife below him, Riku angled his aim to his satisfaction before flexing his power once more. Bracing his arms, he felt himself jolt upward as the ladder that shot out of his weapon collided with the cabin roof, sending him flying up into the air toward the direction of the yacht.
"What are you playing at, Champion of Nyx!?"