I blocked one of the white robots' claws with Beastbain, preventing it from slashing my face. I applied more force behind my block, watching as the skin on my arms darkened and bright yellow lines formed.
I pushed the robot back with a scream of effort, breaking its balance and cutting into its chest shortly afterward, creating a shower of sparks and metal splinters. The robot's eyes went dark and it fell forward with a thud.
"On your left!" Jekyll shouted.
Looking to the side, I saw two white robots approaching, running on all fours like rabid dogs. I held my sword in front of my face and waited for them to approach.
The first one jumped after gaining enough momentum and tried to cut me with its claws, but I ducked at the last second and swung my sword, cutting it from the neck to the stomach, almost splitting it in two.
I heard the sound of the robot hitting the ground behind me, but I did not turn around as the other one still approached.
The second robot tried to cut me in the stomach, but I stepped back, dodging the blow and slashing its chest. However, the robot remained standing and fighting, delivering a vertical blow shortly afterward.
I blocked the blow with my sword and stepped forward, dragging the blade down the robot's arm and parrying the limb to the side. I took advantage of this opening to decapitate the robot.
Unfortunately, the metal turned out to be stronger than I thought. This allowed the robot to use its remaining hand to cut me in the shoulder.
I gritted my teeth, holding back a scream of pain, and tried to finish off my enemy. My skin darkened again and the robot's head flew away.
I watched as the robot's head rolled across the floor before focusing on my surroundings. There were no white robots around, but I could hear the sounds of fighting just ahead.
"Leave it with me." Jekyll spoke and I watched as a dark mass came out of the cuts on my shoulder and healed the wounds, before disappearing into my body.
"Thanks!" I thanked the Gestalt as I looked at my arms, which were slowly returning to normal.
"Curious to know how you did it?"
"Yes, you didn't help me this time, unlike when we opened the bank vault."
"It means you are getting used to the superhuman abilities that my presence grants you. Soon, you will do what you are doing without thinking."
"I just hope you don't leave all the work to me." I replied, spotting a group of white robots turning the corner and approaching.
"I wouldn't dream of it…" Jekyll replied, removing his hand from my body while holding his axe, swinging it shortly afterward, and sending a slash of darkness towards the white robots.
The slash collided with the robots, creating a dark explosion and revealing a pile of destroyed metal as the smoke cleared.
"…But you still have a lot to learn." Jekyll replied, amused.
I frowned at this display, then held Beastbain with both hands and concentrated, causing flames to envelop the sword, but they soon went out.
"Damn it!" I exclaimed frustrated.
"Patience, you will improve with time."
"I know, but I can't help but think I'm being left behind every time you throw one of those fancy attacks of yours." I replied, staring at the sword in my hands.
"I didn't master the use of MASO overnight; it took years of frustration, successes, and mistakes. It's irritating, I know, but you can't let it shake you."
I took a deep breath, calming myself and focusing again, I tried to remember what I felt when I trained with Jekyll, and then the feeling of something running through my body and floating around me returned.
I heard the crackle of the fire and slowly opened my eyes, grinning from ear to ear as I saw the flames engulfing Beastbain again.
"Thanks for the encouragement, Jekyll!" I exclaimed swinging my sword and observing the trails of flame left in the air.
"You're welcome, Hyde!" Jekyll replied excitedly.
"Let's see if you will keep the same attitude after I become stronger you."
"Hump! You speak as if you are sure of it." Jekyll spoke arrogantly.
"Because I am, but changing the subject, where is Zon?" I asked, looking around.
BOOM!
"WWWOOOWWW!"
The giant red explosion and cheers in the distance answered my question.
"No need to answer, I already found him." I said, sighing tiredly.
"HAHAHA!" Jekyll laughed at my suffering.
Leaving the Gestalt's laughter aside, I ran towards the explosion, turning corners and passing through the alleys between the buildings of the military base, observing the destruction around me.
Walls and floor covered in smoking holes and claw marks, along with dozens of black and white robots destroyed in my path, the white ones pierced and the black ones cut.
Although the number of black robots destroyed outnumbered the white ones as we got closer to our objective.
"They don't seem to be winning." I spoke while running.
"It was to be expected, they are repeating the same failed mission for two hundred years. We are not here to make a difference to something that has already happened, but rather to pick up the cargo at the station and leave."
I nodded at Jekyll's words, they may seem cold, but we cannot do anything about the crazy AI.
I put that train of thought behind me when I heard the sound of something moving above me. Looking up, I saw three white robots jumping off the roof and falling towards me.
I ran to the side, allowing the robots to land in a crouched position with their claws stuck into the ground. I rushed forward soon after with my sword engulfed in flames and cut the neck of the nearest robot.
The metal offered no resistance this time and the head separated from the body, leaving an orange, slightly melted stump behind.
I raised my sword quickly and swung it above my head, intending to decapitate the second robot, but both remaining robots moved faster and jumped out of the way, I did not allow them to get too far away and continued my attack.
The robot on the left tried to block my strike with its claws, but Beastbain's flames easily melted the metal, separating the claws from the hand.
Then the robot used its remaining hand and tried to cut my face, but I ducked, allowing the cut to pass over my head, and attacked as I stood up, severing the robot's arm at the elbow.
I took advantage that the robot was unarmed and raised my sword above my head, bringing it down towards the robot's head, cutting it in two with a single blow.
Sparks shot out from both halves of the robot's head before it fell forward, lying motionless on the ground.
I quickly switched my focus to the second robot, getting out of the way of its claws in time, but I received a slight cut on my side that Jekyll healed soon.
"You need to pay attention to your surroundings; I won't alert you to danger all the time." Jekyll scolded me.
"I know, but some warning would have been nice." I replied while exchanging blows with the robot.
"Why? You have shown yourself to be more than capable of dealing with these robots." Jekyll spoke proudly.
I would have blushed at the compliment if I had not been busy with the killing machine in front of me.
I stepped to the side, dodging a blow aimed at my neck, and jumped back when the robot opened its arms and tried to hug me with its claws.
I made a quick cut now the arms closed, cutting off both of the robots hands in the forearm region, and cut the robot at the waist immediately afterward, severing it in two.
The upper part of the robot fell to the ground with a loud thud and black liquid leaked from the cut area. Meanwhile, the legs took a few steps forward, spurting out the same black liquid before falling to the ground.
With the robots finally destroyed, I returned to following the trail of destruction as I ran towards the sounds of fighting and explosions in the distance.
The cuts and holes in the floor and walls gave way to craters and trails of still-hot molten stone. I soon found the remains of the white robots, mostly melted to the point of being almost unrecognizable.
I arrived at an open area and passed next to a gigantic crater with a mass of molten metal inside, probably what remained of the robots. I believe this is the result of the explosion we saw earlier.
As if that was not enough, most of the buildings near the train station melted, with holes running through wall after wall.
"Zon doesn't know how to hold back." I commented as I ran towards the station.
"As far as I know, Zon can only fire powerful energy blasts, which combined with his explosive temper, can cause abundant destruction, but he uses all his energy too quickly because of this." Jekyll explained.
I remember when we almost drowned in Atlantis due to Zon getting tired, and now the bastard is destroying everything in front of him, I just hope I do not depend on the book for help in a life-or-death situation again.
I turned a corner and passed through the dark alley between two buildings with sunlight shining from the other side, passing through the light, I found myself in the courtyard in front of the train station, and the place looked like a battlefield.
Claw marks, holes, and piles of destroyed robots on both sides of the battle covered the ground, with some of the piles being on fire.
The few black and white robots that remained fought furiously, in a cacophony of gunfire and cracks of metal hitting metal.
I let out a string of insults upon seeing the red book floating in the middle of it all, laughing at the top of his non-existent lungs as he cursed and fired powerful magical attacks toward the robots in his path, leaving lines of molten ground and boiling craters behind.
"ZON!" I screamed as I ran towards the book.
"Brat, where were you? You missed all the fun!" Zon shouted happily as if nothing happened.
"Where I was?!? Where were you?!? You floated away as soon as we arrived!" I exclaimed, pointing to the book.
"The oil slick and you were taking too long talking!"
"Listen here, Zon, we have to work together, but we can't do that if you jump into the middle of a fight every time you get the chance!"
"I don't know why you're worried, we're winning!"
Suddenly, a horde of white robots burst out of the train station, running through the main entrance and jumping out of the windows and roof. It was as if fate had heard Zon's words.
"You had to open your mouth." I mumbled emotionlessly.
"HAHAHA! Bring it on, you bunch of rust!" Zon shouted opening his pages and flipping through them as magic energy surrounded him.
The air boiled and the grimoire fired a powerful magic beam towards the approaching robots.
There was a blinding flash of light followed by a crash as the attack hit its target, and when the dust settled, I saw a trail of molten ground ending in a crater.
"You can complain about Zon's methods, but not the result."
"Not now, Jekyll!" I exclaimed, running towards the station with Zon and the black robots beside me.
I ignored the magic beams and projectiles passing by me and fought the robots that stood in my way.
I ducked as I ran, dodging a slash aimed at my neck, and slashed at a robot's waist, ripping out wires and slivers of metal, then spun as I stood up and slashed at the robot's back, sending it hurtling toward the ground.
A second robot lunged toward me with its claws extended, but I thrust Beastbain forward and pierced its neck.
The robot thrashed at my blade, but I engulfed my sword in flames again, melting the robot's neck and separating its head from its body.
"Look at you! You don't even need my help to fight!" Jekyll spoke like a proud father.
I smiled as I realized Jekyll was right, I am fighting better than before. I received some light cuts around my body, but nothing compared to the near-death situation I suffered in Atlantis.
Eventually, we destroyed all the robots in our path and entered the train station, analyzing all the trains in our path.
"Which car did Mars say the cargo was in?" I asked, looking around.
"I have the perfect solution for that, break into each one and see what's inside!" Zon exclaimed, preparing to fire another magic beam.
"No/No!" Jekyll and I scream simultaneously.
I ran towards the floating book, closed him, and held him under my arm, stopping his attack.
"Let go of me, brat!" Zon screamed, trying to escape my grip.
"Only when you calm down!"
"But I'm already calm!" Zon exclaimed, shaking even more.
"Of course, and I'm a foul-mouthed floating magic book!" I responded sarcastically.
"Hyde stop, this is our train! Train A7J492BTID82NVLS9!"
I did what Jekyll said and saw a train with this series of letters and numbers painted on its side.
I went from car to car, trying to find out which cargo was stored. The one that seemed more reinforced caught my attention, as it had a metal door on its side instead of a padlock.
I finally released Zon, allowing the book to slip from my grasp, and received a series of insults in return. Leaving the book aside, I looked for a way to open the car.
"Looks like we'll have to use brute force."
"Can you help me with this?"
"With pleasure!"
My arms darkened to the point where they seemed to be made of darkness while glowing yellow lines ran down my body. I grabbed the door with both hands, digging my fingers into the metal, and pulled it back.
The metal creaked audibly as it bent. Sparks flew from the corners of the door as I slowly pried it from its frame. I used the side of the train to support one of my feet as I pulled, grunting with effort and sweating profusely.
Then…
CLANG!
…The door gave way with a final yank; I put my foot down quickly, avoiding falling backward as the door flew over my head, landing right behind me with a crash.
I entered the car without wasting any time, finding myself in a dark and cramped room, dimly lit by the light of strange devices around me.
There was a cubic glass container on top of some sort of black pedestal, surrounded by wires originating from the devices.
In addition, what was inside that container surprised me.
"Well, I didn't expect that one." Zon commented his arrogance and anger completely gone.
There was a book in the container, immaculate white, with a theater mask on its cover, representing a serious and determined face, and four shields around it, one at each corner of the cover.
"That's…" I mumbled.
"…Another Grimoire." Jekyll completed.
"How do we get him out?"
"Just break the glass, there is no terminal to use my access card."
I nodded at Jekyll's words and lifted Beastbain, engulfing the sword in flames and removing the top of the container with a quick cut. Then I carefully lifted the Grimoire with both hands, looking at its details.
"I never thought I'd see you again." Zon muttered mysteriously.
"We got what we wanted; time to get out of here!"
"You don't need to say it twice." I replied, putting the book in my bag and leaving the car, but I stopped as soon as I saw a group of black robots staring at me.
"You did good, soldier! The mission was a success! Commander Mars will be happy with this, now hand over the cargo to us so we can return to base." The robot leading the group ordered, stepping forward and extending its hand.
Damn it! This was too easy!
"Hm… They won't let us leave with the Grimoire."
"This is obvious. We need to find a way out." I replied, taking in my surroundings.
"What are you waiting for, soldier?" Give me the cargo!" The robot demanded, getting even closer.
I stepped back, out of reach, but the robots behind the leader aimed their weapons at me.
"What are you doing, soldier?"
"I'm sorry, but I can't deliver the cargo to you." I replied.
"Keep him talking; I already know how to get out of here."
"Are you disobeying my orders?"
"No, I would like to deliver the cargo to the commander, personally."
"That won't be necessary, hand it over."
"No."
"This is turning into treason, soldier. Do you want to go down this path?"
"Time to go!"
"What can I say? I was never part of that little group of yours!" I shrugged.
"Trait…"
Jekyll removed his hand from my body before the robot finished and reached up, grabbing one of the ceiling beams and pulling us up, with Zon following close behind.
"Quickly, to the other side of the station!"
"FIRE, KILL THE TRAITOR!" The robot screamed.
I ran across the rafters with all my strength, dodging the barrage of projectiles fired at me.
"See you next time, suckers!" Zon made a point of shouting at the robots below.
I crossed the station through the rafters, approaching a stained glass window serving as decoration on the other side as the robots tried to get me.
Jekyll sent a blade of darkness towards the window, destroying it in a hail of glass. I jumped through the hole left behind as Jekyll grabbed the edge of the hole, stretching out his arm and slowing our fall.
I rolled forward as I hit the ground and ran away, hearing the footsteps and screams of the robots approaching me.
"All done, back where we came from, Hyde!"
"No need to say it twice!"
"I have no idea what you two are talking about, but it's probably stupid. That aside, the day was great; I had a lot of fun destroying the tinheads!" Zon laughed, floating next to me.
I resisted the urge to scream and ran away.
-XXXXXX-
"Commander Mars, I have something to report!" A robot exclaimed, saluting as he entered the underground base's command center.
"At ease, soldier, tell me what happened." Commander Mars replied, looking away from the various screens in front of him.
"Our troops were successful in recovering the cargo until one of them revealed himself as a traitor and fled with it."
Commander Mars showed no reaction, and just remained silent for a few seconds, pondering what his next steps would be.
"Send in the Crusaders." Commander Mars responded.
"Yes sir!" The robot spoke before leaving the command center.
Then, Commander Mars returned to staring at the screens in front of him, the red light in his eye intensifying as he saw the would-be traitors running across the surface.
-XXXXXX-
I smiled with relief when I saw the small building that led to the stairs just ahead, all we had to do was go down that infernal staircase, go through the tunnels again and we would return to Aerie.
Nevertheless, my smile disappeared and I frowned in frustration when I saw three black robots standing next to the small building.
However, they were different from the others, they were taller and bulkier, wearing full armor similar to knights, but painted a deep black that glowed slightly.
Strangely, they did not wear helmets, but had smooth humanoid heads with no facial features, resembling a completely black mirror that reflected sunlight.
The robots carried hand-to-hand combat weapons instead of those that fired projectiles. The one on the left carried a spear, the one in the middle a great sword larger than his body, and the one on the right had an ax in each hand.
"These guys don't give up?!?" I shouted in irritation as I lifted Beastbain.
"We stole what they tried to get for two hundred years, it must be extremely frustrating."
"It's frustrating how many times I've fought for my life in the last few days!"
"What was the saying again? Is it better to live a short, emotional life than a long, boring life?"
"The person who invented that saying didn't know what he was talking about, I prefer to die as an old man surrounded by my children and grandchildren!"
"If the idiots are done wasting time, how about we focus on the robotic crusaders in front of us?" Zon spoke, catching our attention.
"Crusaders? I remember you mentioned this before."
"Yes, but this is not the time for history lessons. Better get ready, boy, because we've got a tough fight ahead of us if these cans were based on real people." Zon replied seriously.
I gasped at Zon's unusual seriousness; if he is worried then I believe he should be too.
The Crusaders raised their weapons and took up fighting positions. I also did the same, a few tense seconds passed in complete silence, both sides waiting for who would make the first move.
The Crusaders were the first to act, closing the distance at blinding speed.
The one with the spear was the first to attack, thrusting his weapon toward my chest, but Jekyll came out of my body with an ax in hand and delivered a powerful blow, hitting the spear's handle with a metallic crack and pinning it against the ground.
Zon fired a powerful magical beam toward the crusader with the axes. The crusader stopped his advance and jumped away, dodging the bright beam that melted everything in its path.
The crusader with the great sword was the last to arrive, I noticed that he moved slower than the others, probably due to the weight of his weapon, but that didn't stop him from jumping and falling towards me while swinging his sword.
"Holy crap!" I shouted in surprise when I saw the gigantic sword approaching.
I ran to the right, dodging the blow that cracked the ground with a bang and kicked up a cloud of dust. Nevertheless, the crusader continued attacking, twisting his body as he dragged his sword across the ground, tearing away chunks of stone and earth.
There was no time to dodge, so I raised Beastbain and tried to block the blow, but I screamed in pain as I thought my bones would break while I flew away, bouncing like a stone on the surface of a lake.
I got up groaning in pain and coughing, trying to catch my breath, but I saw the crusader advancing toward me again.
Looking around, I saw Jekyll exchanging blows with his opponent while the dark line connected our bodies, and Zon firing magic beams towards the other crusader.
Well, it looks like I am alone in this. Come on, Hyde, focus, you can do it! These cans are nowhere near the level of Neptune! I engulfed Beastbain in flames as darkness and lines enveloped my arms again, and then I charged toward the crusader.
The crusader held his sword in both hands and thrust it forward, using it like a spear, but I stepped to the side mid-run, allowing the sword to pass inches from my arm, and launched my attack.
The crusader cocked his head to the side, Beastbain's flaming tip drawing a scorching line across his nonexistent face, and stopped his advance as soon as we passed each other.
I turned quickly, just in time to duck and avoid decapitating by the gigantic sword, and delivered a vertical slash as I stood up. The crusader leaned back, receiving another simmering line from his waist to his chest.
The crusader regained his balance and swung his sword, and I did the same with mine, but I saw a bright red light approaching from the corner of my vision.
The crusader noticed it too, as we both jumped in opposite directions, dodging the magic beam that passed between us.
When the lightning disappeared, I saw the crusader with the axes standing up next to us. The front of his body was extremely melted and sparking, but still ready to fight.
"Are you alive?!?" Zon shouted in the distance.
"What the fuck were you thinking? You almost killed me!" I shouted back.
"Shut up, you're better than me!" Zon replied.
I focused my vision and noticed the deep cuts on the cover of the red Grimoire, with pieces of paper falling to the ground. I guess when magic bolts are the only thing you can do, you are bound to have a hard time with a more prepared enemy.
The axe-wielding crusader rushed towards Zon, throwing one of his weapons towards the book, but the Grimoire easily melted the weapon with a magical attack.
I also glimpsed Jekyll acting like a liquid and contorting his body to impossible levels to dodge the spear thrusts of the crusader he faced. He seemed to be the only one who had no difficulty facing the Crusaders.
These thoughts stopped as I saw Jekyll sinking to the ground and returning to my body through the line that connected us.
"Sorry about that, Hyde, but I've reached my limit; I can't stay in sunlight any longer without hurting myself." Jekyll apologized ashamed.
"Don't worry, Jekyll, you were doing better than Zon and I." I responded, seeing the damaged lancer crusader approaching.
"Thanks, but these three are a lot of work. I suggest we get this over with."
"Just like what we did with Neptune?"
"Exactly!"
"Bring it on." I sighed.
The wonderful feeling of Jekyll strengthening my entire body returned. I held Beastbain in front of my face and watched as darkness and lines covered my skin, leaving only two glowing yellow eyes behind.
"Remember, Hyde, we can't stay like this for long!"
"Yes, I know." I responded disinterestedly, taking advantage of the power that coursed through my veins. I felt so strong, I felt invincible.
I manifested the darkness-shrouded Vile Ax in my left hand, and engulfed Beastbain in flames in my right hand, then charged towards the spearman crusader and the one with the great sword.
The crusader I faced earlier swung his sword and tried to cut me in two, but I blocked the blow with Beastbain and felt my feet sink into the ground.
However, that did not stop me; I let out a growl of effort and slashed the sword to the side in a shower of sparks, leaving a trail of flames behind. Then I struck with the Vile Axe, cutting off the crusader's right arm with a clean cut.
The crusader spun his body as he dragged his sword, trying to hit me as I ended my attack, but I moved faster and swung Beastbain fast as lightning.
There was a deafening crack followed by an explosion of flames, and then half of the crusader's great sword flew away, breaking his balance.
I stepped forward, taking advantage of the opening, and decapitated the crusader with a swift blow from the Vile Axe. The metal offered no resistance and broke, leaving a dark cut in the air that soon disappeared.
The lancer crusader finally closed the distance between us, but I did not allow him to get any closer.
I raised the Vile Ax above my head and swung it down, sending a blade of darkness across the ground, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.
The spearman tried to block my attack with his spear, but his weapon was broken in two as he flew away.
I rushed towards him with a burst of speed, piercing his chest with Beastbain and slashing upwards, splitting the crusader into two flaming halves.
My God, that was incredible! So much, power in my hands. What I cannot do with it?!? I can… I can…
"Enough!" Jekyll screamed and the feeling I felt disappeared.
I felt a mixture of discouragement and despair at the lack of power coursing through my veins. I wanted more, I watched in disappointment as the Vile Ax disappeared and Beastbain's flames went out, damn it.
"Hyde, are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm just tired." I lied because I missed that addictive energy.
Leaving that aside, I saw Zon finishing the cross with the axes. The grimoire fired a powerful magical beam, destroying the crusader's upper part and leaving a pair of smoking legs that fell to the ground soon after.
"Can we leave this shitty place?!?" Zon exclaimed, approaching us.
"I agree with you for the first time in my life." I responded sarcastically.
"Ha, better get used to it!" Zon spoke arrogantly.
"Do not push your luck!"
Then I ran towards the staircase that led towards the tunnels, getting closer to returning to Aerie.
-XXXXXX-
"Commander Mars, the Crusaders have failed!" The same robot from before reported, returning to the command center.
"Hm… I'll have to solve this myself."
Commander Mars responded seriously, pressing a button on a control panel near the monitoring screens and exiting the command center, the rhythmic sound of his metallic legs echoing through the base's corridors.
-XXXXXX-
I smiled with relief when I saw the light at the end of the tunnel; soon I would be out of here and in my home, having my well-deserved rest.
Suddenly, a crack echoed through the tunnel and the strange devices on the walls lit up. Simultaneously, a section of track in front of me moved with a click and pointed towards a tunnel to my right.
"What now?!?" Zon shouted in frustration.
Then, a deafening noise echoed through the tunnel, followed by a bright light and a metallic cacophony. Looking back, I saw a train approaching at full speed, and on top of it, Commander Mars, with his red eye shining brightly.
END OF CHAPTER