Arc I: “Apocalypse”
Chapter III: “Armageddon”
Episode I: “The Third Child, Tub!”
[Apocalypse’s Castle]
The ruins loomed over the black?sand island like the skeleton of a forgotten god.
Once a grand Utopian cathedral known as the Sanctuary of Caelestis, it had been warped by time and Dystopian corruption — its spires jagged, its shattered stained glass replaced by open wounds bleeding crimson twilight.
The air was heavy with dense, oppressive aether, warping the climate and keeping the southernmost island unnaturally warm despite its polar position.
Inside, defaced murals of the Spirit of Utopia and the God of Utopia lined the cathedral walls.
Braziers of crimson flame burned beneath vaulted ceilings, casting a hellish glow over broken pews and a desecrated altar.
Once a holy place of worship, it was now Apocalypse’s throne — a deliberate insult to the faith of his enemies.
“It’s time! Oohoho!” Tub hopped excitedly on the cathedral’s altar?turned?throne steps, wiping his muddy shoes across what was once a place of worship.
His childish frame belied the sadistic grin stretching across his face.
“I want to see the look on the vessel’s face when he finds out we’ve been using his little god’s house for games.”
“Patience.” Bowl’s deep voice echoed through the desecrated hall.
He stood like an unmoving pillar, arms crossed, his strong frame bathed in crimson light.
“The vessel will reveal himself soon enough.”
“Urghhh, but if I break his little friends first, he’ll come running!” Tub whined, flopping theatrically to the floor.
“Listen to big brother, Tub,” Cette purred from a broken pew, her beauty as dangerous as her tone.
“You don’t want to disappoint Father so soon after being given permission to hunt.”
[UFA Mainland]
“I’m sending you two after the Generals,” the headmaster ordered, his voice sharp and commanding.
“Rikito and Asuka are already in the field. Aid them. Survive.”
“Right!” Darc responded without hesitation.
“Yes, sir,” Rayon added, calm and collected.
As they departed, the headmaster’s gaze lingered on the horizon.
These children are the pride of the UFA… but pride won’t save them. Apocalypse is not the only monster out there.
[A few weeks after Rikito and Asuka defeated the 6th and 7th generals]
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
Rikito and Asuka sat by a low campfire in the barren Western Wastelands, the embers casting faint orange light against the endless dunes.
“Feeling better now?” Asuka asked, tossing him a canteen.
“Yeah. I’m back to full strength.” Rikito took a long drink, then stared at the fire.
“Do we need a plan for the next General?”
“Hmph.” Rikito stood, adjusting his new arm braces. “The plan hasn’t changed. Find them. Beat them. End of story.”
[Yield Levels]:
Tub (suppressed): 50m
Cette (suppressed): 100m
Bowl (suppressed): 105m
Darc (Aether Resurgence: Surge): 30m
Rayon (Aether Resurgence: Surge): 50m
Headmaster: 5m
Rikito (Aether Resurgence: Surge): 10m
Asuka (Aether Resurgence: Surge): 5m
[A couple of days later]
“Hehehe… there you are,” Tub whispered, crouched atop a shattered stone pillar.
“Ohhh, you’re even smaller than I imagined. This’ll be fun.”
Rikito jolted upright. What is that? “Asuka. You feel that?”
“Yeah,” Asuka said as her hand hovered over her mouth. “That’s… huge. And it’s coming fast.”
“Must be the next General,” Rikito said grimly.
“Good. Saves us the trouble of hunting him. Get ready. This one’s gonna make the last two look like kids.”
“Yup! That’s meee!” Tub’s voice sang like a twisted nursery rhyme as he suddenly appeared behind them, wagging his finger.
“And you two look soooo scared. Should I tag you first… or her?”
He pointed at Asuka with mock innocence, then licked his teeth.
Rikito quickly jolted his neck around as sweat ran down his face.
What!? When did he get behind us? I thought he was still a few miles away. Did he clear that distance in just a few seconds?
“Hehe! You blink so slowly.”
Tub leaned so closely that Rikito could see his reflection in those crimson eyes.
“But don’t be too impressed. I haven’t even shown you my fun tricks yet.”
Dammit, this guy is no joke. There’s no need to hold back! I’ll take him on right now.
“Demon Form!”
Rikito powered up and charged at Tub.
“Ooo, not bad.”
Tub blocked or dodged every one of Rikito’s attacks.
“But you’ll have to be a little bit faster than that, HAHAHA!”
Rikito lunged, chaining Deep Crash into a flurry of strikes, then blasting Dark Demolition Cannon point?blank.
Tub swayed lazily, giggling between dodges, letting some blows land as if humoring Rikito.
“Ooo! That one tickled!”
Tub laughed after Rikito’s Black Lightning slammed into his torso, the smell of scorched flesh rising.
“Stop laughing!” Rikito snapped, aura flaring hotter as he closed the distance again.
Tub tilted his head.
“Aww, don’t be mad. I like watching you try.”
He suddenly dropped low, sweeping Rikito’s legs out from under him, then popped up to drive a casual kick into Rikito’s chest, sending him tumbling through the sand.
“See? You look funny when you fall!”
Rikito growled, digging his hands into the ground to stop his slide.
“You think this is a game?!”
“Of course it is!” Tub grinned, hopping from foot to foot in mock rhythm. “But I’m the only one having fun!”
With no warning, Tub darted in erratic, unpredictable zig?zags.
He first appeared on Rikito’s left, then right, then suddenly perched on Rikito’s shoulder like a child on a parent’s back.
“Hey, big brother! Can you carry me too?”
Rikito snarled, elbowing behind him, but Tub vanished, reappearing at Asuka’s side.
“Or maybe I’ll play with her instead. Ooo, you’re pretty. I think I’ll break your arms first.”
“Try it!” Asuka snapped, aura flaring.
“No.” Rikito Aether?Skipped between them. “Stay back, Asuka. Save your strength.”
“Aww, how cute!” Tub clapped mockingly. “Big brother protecting little sister. But what happens when big brother can’t keep up?”
Tub swung his leg high in the air, knocking Rikito back several meters as he blocked with his forearms braced.
Tub bounced up and down, drooling with anticipation.
“C’mon, I know you can do better than that! At this rate, I won’t even have a chance to stop holding back!”
He’s not even at his full natural yield yet? And he’ll still have demon forms to use after that!
“Demon Form Level Two!”
“There you go. Now I can at least try against you.”
Rikito dashed towards Tub.
He managed to catch him with a fake and then get a clean blow to his stomach.
However, Tub was unfazed, and he counterattacked with a punch of his own.
What the hell… this guy must be as sturdy as the Third General. No… he’s probably even sturdier.
“Alright then… that’s enough testing the waters. Let’s start the real fight now.”
“Oh?”
“This is… Spirit Resonance!” Rikito declared proudly as he transformed.
“Tsk. That damn race… such a disappointment that father went and had another wife. You seem like you would be capable of achieving that, like our older brother. But, since you’re not a true Dystopian, you’ll never be able to reach it.”
“…? What are you talking about. Achieve what?”
“Nothing! Don’t worry about it!” Tub said, hiding his face behind his hands. “Besides, you won’t be able to use it, and it’s not like you’ll get past me to ever fight Bowl anyways…”
“Hmph. I’ll just force you to tell me once I’ve beaten you. Brace yourself.” Rikito entered his fighting stance.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself, little brother.” Tub transformed into his Demon Form.
Rikito ran towards Tub. He fired three aether blasts, then Aether-Skipped.
Tub canceled them all out using his hands, then turned to predict where Rikito would appear.
Sure enough, Rikito appeared where Tub had predicted. Tub already had a counterattack ready, but Rikito was able to block it just in time.
Then he tried to create distance by dashing backwards while firing aether blasts.
Damn… just as I thought, this isn’t going to be easy.
I want to use my Abyss Breaker and see if that could damage him, but that move takes too long to charge in a one-on-one.
I must find another way to get an opening!
[Next Time on Lyte of Utopia]: “Rikito vs. Tub”
[Yield Levels]:
Rikito: 10m
- DFL1: 50m
- DFL2: 100m
- SR: 1b (Physical)
- Deep Crash: x1.1
- Dark Demolition Cannon: x1.5
- Black Lightning: x5
Asuka: 5m
Tub: 100m
- Suppressed: 50m
- DFL1: 500m