Vyran
I gritted my teeth as several more upper-rank Titanos soldiers arrived. Their bodysuits shined under the harsh fluorescent lights, a stark contrast to my allies' worn-out armor.
"They keep crawling out like rats," Zane muttered.
A guy in a green bodysuit scoffed as he rolled his eyes. "Says the dirty rebel," he retorted, his voice dripping with disdain.
I tightened my grip on my gun, my eyes scanning the room for any potential escape routes. We were outnumbered and outgunned, but we couldn't afford to back down now. The mission was too important.
"Focus, Zane," I said, my voice steady despite the adrenaline surging through me. "We need to hold them off until our backup arrives."
"Don't count on it," Varia said as she kept fighting my doppelganger. She gritted her teeth and pushed back against his energy weapons with her own.
I felt a pang of insecurity creep up on me. Was my Titanos counterpart stronger than me?
Zane nodded at my sis, his jaw clenched. "Got it."
The Titanos soldiers advanced, their movements synchronized and precise. The guy in the green bodysuit smirked as he drew his own sleek, high-tech blade. "You're outmatched, rebels. Surrender now, and maybe we'll show you mercy."
"Mercy?" Zane said, a bitter laugh escaping his lips. "Coming from Titanos? That's rich."
Kaeii nodded as he swung his spear to knock back several mooks.
Without another word, the battle erupted. Zane and I moved in tandem, our attacks coordinated and relentless. The clashing of blades and the crackling of energy blasts filled the air, a chaotic symphony of violence and determination.
The green-suited leader was a formidable opponent, his movements fluid and deadly. He parried my strikes with ease, his eyes gleaming with sadistic pleasure.
"Is this the best the resistance has to offer?" he taunted, his blade slicing through the air.
"Huitzilo, don't underestimate them!" my counterpart warned.
I gritted my teeth, refusing to be intimidated. "You haven't seen anything yet."
As the fight raged on, I noticed Kaeii struggling against two Titanos soldiers, their combined attacks pushing him to his limits. I knew I had to help him, but Huitzilo was relentless, his attacks forcing me to stay on the defensive.
"Kaeii, hang in there!" I shouted, hoping he could hold out a little longer.
"Leave him to me! I'll help him," Zane said, slipping past Huitzilo's attacks.
I nodded and kept fighting the Titanos lieutenant. The more I stared at his face, the more familiar it felt. He looked like Arare and my cousin. Was he their Titanos counterpart? If so, he was bound to be dangerous. My cousin was at the top of the academy back home. Although, he was a lazy guy, often skipping lessons. Uh, not that I was really one to be throwing stones at him.
"I'm the prince of Titanos, I won't lose to you!" he roared, kicking me in the gut.
Wait, he was a prince of Titanos? Why was a prince fighting on the front lines?
Suddenly, my counterpart winced. "T-that was weird."
Did we get into some sort of quantum entanglement or something?
"Sis, try not to hurt him too hard," I muttered.
"I'll try not to," Varia said as she swung for his head.
Yikes. Was she trying to get me killed too?
Sis smiled. "Don't worry, I won't kill him. I just plan to press my advantage!"
My counterpart scoffed and blocked Varia's attack with a swift, precise movement. The force of their clash sent ripples of energy through the room, causing the fluorescent lights to flicker.
"Press your advantage all you want," he growled, "but you won't defeat me."
Varia smirked, her eyes narrowing. "We'll see about that."
As they continued their duel, I kept trying to keep Huitzilo at bay with my cosmic radiance. His movements were fast, each strike intended to exploit any weakness. I could feel the weight of the battle pressing down on me, but I couldn't afford to lose. Not now.
"You're strong," Huitzilo admitted, his voice begrudging. "But strength alone won't save you."
"Maybe not," I replied, deflecting another of his blows. "But it's a start."
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Zane and Kaeii working together to fend off their attackers. Their teamwork was impressive, a seamless blend of offense and defense. It gave me hope that we might still turn the tide of this battle.
Huitzilo's blade flashed toward me, and I barely managed to parry it in time. The force of the impact sent a jolt through my arm, but I held my ground.
"Why fight for Titanos?" I asked, trying to understand my opponent. "Do you really believe in their cause?"
He sneered. "Titanos is my universe of origin. It brings order and strength. The resistance is nothing but chaos and weakness."
"Order through oppression isn't true strength," I countered, pushing back against his blade. "True strength lies in freedom and unity."
He hesitated for a split second, a flicker of doubt crossing his face. But it was enough. I seized the moment and knocked his weapon aside, sending him stumbling backward.
"Your words are meaningless!" he shouted, regaining his balance. "We Titanos will crush you all!"
Before he could launch another attack, the ground beneath us trembled violently. The walls cracked, and debris began to fall from the ceiling. The entire base seemed to be on the verge of collapse.
"What's happening?" Zane yelled, his voice barely audible over the rumble.
"Doesn't matter," I shouted back. "We need to get out of here, now!"
Varia and my counterpart paused their battle, both of them looking around warily. "This place is coming down," Varia said, her voice tense. "We have to move."
I nodded, motioning for Zane and Kaeii to follow. "Let's go!"
As we made our way toward the exit, Huitzilo and the remaining Titanos soldiers regrouped, clearly intent on stopping us. But the structural integrity of the base was failing rapidly. The ceiling began to cave in, and support beams buckled under the strain.
"Forget about them!" my counterpart shouted at Huitzilo, hoping he would see reason. "If we don't get out now, we'll all be buried alive!"
For a moment, it seemed like he might listen. But then his eyes hardened, and he charged at us with renewed ferocity. "I won't let you escape!"
Before he could reach us, a massive chunk of debris fell between us, cutting off his path. He glared at me through the dust and rubble, his expression one of pure hatred. "This isn't over, rebel!"
I didn't waste any more time on him. We sprinted through the crumbling corridors, the sounds of destruction growing louder with each passing second. It felt like an eternity, but finally, we burst through an emergency exit and into the open air.
The fresh night air filled my lungs, and I took a moment to catch my breath. Zane, Kaeii, and Varia stood beside me, all of us battered but alive. The Titanos base behind us continued to collapse, a testament to the chaos of the battle we had just endured.
"We made it," Zane panted, a mixture of relief and exhaustion in his voice.
"Yeah," I replied, my gaze fixed on the ruins. "But this is just the beginning. Titanos won't stop until they've crushed us completely."
Varia nodded, her expression determined. "Then we'll just have to hit them even harder. We can't let them win."
As we regrouped and prepared to move to a safer location, I couldn't shake the feeling that our fight with Titanos was far from over. My counterpart, Huitzilo, and the rest of their forces would be back, stronger and more determined than ever. Not to mention, the others were still inside...
Varia sighed as she stared at the half collapsed base.
"Vyran, Zane, Kaeii, Varia, you're alright!" Sarudei yelled as she emerged from hiding in the forest.
I smiled as soon as I saw her and ran over to hug her. "Great, at least someone else made it out."
"Where's the Titanos Commander?" Varia asked.
Sarudei sighed as she stared at the base. "He went back to help Arare. The latter is still fighting Tira. My guess is, she's the cause behind the sudden collapse of the western flank of the base.
I gulped as I stared at the wreckage. Hopefully, those two and the brothers had gotten out of that mess.
"I'm gonna go back in," Kaeii said.
"Eh? Are you nuts? We barely made it out alive," Zane said. "Those guys might return with their mechas this time."
I gasped and stepped back. "Actually, Zane's right. If we stay here, they might pursue us."
Varia hummed. "If the situation calls for it, I can activate my battle suit."
"Don't. In your chip's current state, it'll drain you. You would end up as tired as Deros."
She sighed. "I said if it called for it. That said, maybe I should contact Deros. Just in case a mecha battle breaks out. I'll have him bring Valkyrie and the commander's mecha too."
With Valkyrie, I could maybe handle them. My eyes went to my hand. Alone, my cosmic radiance wasn't much. But when using it with my mecha, I could split the sea in half.