Arc II: “Universal Threat”
Chapter II: “Mythical Kaelithian”
Episode V: “Phantom Ship”
Leo returned to his natural state. He, Asuka, and Zane fanned out to encircle Kyte.
Malek and Rayon were fighting the last of the criminals with the UFA officers and Cosmic Guardsmen who were on the island.
“It’s over. Your master abandoned you, and now we’re going to defeat you!” Zane said confidently.
“Hmph,” Kyte let his guard drop and stood tall.
He closed his eyes and gathered his aether. A low hum rippled off Kyte’s skin; the air tasted metallic.
“Hm!”
His muscles tightened, and his teeth sharpened like fangs.
“Is this another Kaelithian power?” Asuka asked.
Kyte was prepared to take them all on at the same time.
“This guy is crazy,” Leo said, “How can he be so confident when we’re all trying to fight him?”
“Because… he knows he can— and that he can still win,” Zane said.
“Then I won’t hold back… First Threshold: Balance!”
Leo’s aether swirled around him in a whirlwind before calming like a tranquil sea after a storm.
“Me neither… I’m going to push my limits! HAAAAA!” Asuka yelled, unleashing Spirit Ascension; a double-layered, creamy-white aura wrapped her body as her yield spiked.
Asuka and Leo tag-teamed Kyte while Zane fired from range.
The three of them clashed. Kyte went through a cycle of evading and blocking their attacks while simultaneously sending his own attacks at them.
“There’s no way he can handle both of them and still dodge my attacks!” Zane grunted, keeping up his barrage.
Kyte started overwhelming Asuka and Leo.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Dammit, there’s no reason why he should be so strong! Leo thought.
Above them, the ship finally launched, angling toward orbit.
“No! They’re getting away! We have to finish him fast and stop them!
Second Threshold: Renewal!”
A channel opened in Leo’s meridians, a fresh current of Natural aether surging through. The ache behind his ribs cooled to a bright, steady burn.
No, not enough! I have to crush him now if I want to reach the ship in time. Just one more time! I just have to push myself one more time!
“Third Threshold: Singularity!”
Another channel opened, the overwhelming flux of aether causing a shockwave to burst out from around his body.
Leo Aether-Skipped above Kyte and hammered him into the arena.
“Vector beam!”
Zane poured a continuous stream of energy at Kyte.
“Go, now!”
“R-right!” Leo flew after the ship as fast as he could.
Zane kept firing— unaware Kyte had slipped free and reappeared behind him.
“HA!”
Kyte expelled a cone of aether from his mouth, shredding the suit.
“D-dammit,” Zane staggered back before falling to the ground.
“Woah, he got even stronger again!” Asuka shouted
Kyte’s aura ballooned, darkening into a deep umber.
That isn’t the same Spirit Resonance he was using earlier. Is he trying to conserve his strength?
“What, you don’t think we’re worth your full power!?” Asuka said, charging at him.
“Stand down,” Kyte boomed, “I don’t want to break you.”
“Demonic Base Form!”
Asuka’s pearly white eyes turned violet as her creamy aura adopted purple highlights.
She attacked him, but she wasn’t able to stop him for long.
Leo kept flying in desperation.
“No!”
The ship was out of reach.
Just as his fingers grazed the hull, the ship camouflaged— starlight bent, the hull blurred; then bled into the sky like wet ink vanishing into the night.
“DAMMIT!”
Before Leo could react, Kyte appeared above him. He returned the favor, slamming him from the sky into the arena.
“Berserker Blast!”
He spiked a green-and-violet aether orb into the ground, detonating Leo.
Then Kyte rushed Asuka.
“Heavy Combo!”
A blizzard of strikes sent her crashing into the stands.
“Asuka!” Rayon shouted.
Rayon and Malek finally mopped up the remaining criminals.
Kyte started flying rapidly away from the island.
“Dammit, you won’t get away with this!”
“Wait,” Malek said, catching his arm. “The two of us can’t beat him alone. We regroup.”
Rayon clenched his fists. “You’re right.”
[The Utopic Plane]
An empty white void swallowed Akira whole. Weightless, breathless— it pressed like cold silk against his skin.
There was no sense of up or down, left or right; his body simply floated in the empty space.
“Where am I?” Akira groaned, waking up.
“Wait, I’ve been here before. Spirit? Where are you?”
“Hello again, Akira. It’s been a while since we met face-to-face. You haven’t needed my power in some time.”
“Yeah, well, it seems I did this time.”
“Yes, I see. I agree. Your current form is not adequate to combat against your new adversaries. Frankly, your abilities are sub-par.”
“Ouch. Is there anything you can help me do about it?”
“Hmm… yes. During your time here, you will learn to manipulate Divine aether.”
[On board the A.S.S. Gang’s ship]
Sikira carried Akira on her back as she walked through long corridors on the ship.
Normally, the corridors were packed with scoundrels— jeers, catcalls, and boot-scuffs echoing off metal.
Finally, she arrived at the brig.
“You! Aren’t you Akira’s friend?” Riella was in one of the first cells, blocked by a laser gate.
“Oh, it’s you. You’re the Cosmic Guardswoman that Akira met, right? Great. Now you two get to be neighbors.”
Sikira dropped Akira in a cell next to hers.
The cell’s aether lattice hissed as it sealed—hair-fine lines weaving a hard light gate.
“Why… why would you betray your friends? And why work with the A.S.S. Gang of all groups!? Don’t you know how awful they are?”
“Shut up. I have my own circumstances. Life isn’t black and white… You of all people should know it isn’t all sunflowers and roses.”
She looked down at her hands.
“Shit’s not pretty,” she whispered.
[Next Time on Lyte of Utopia]: “The Chase”
[Yield Levels]:
Leo: 1t
- T1: 10t
- T2: 100t
- T3: 1qd
Asuka: 50b
- SR: 5t (Physical)
- SA: 10t
- SA + DBF: 20t
Zane: 3b
- MKII: 1.5t
- Laser Cannon: x10
- Vector beam: x100
Malek: 800m
Rayon: 1b
- Spirit Bloom: 500b
Kyte: 5t
- Primal Boost: 50t
- SR: (Restricted MSR): 250t
- Berserker Blast: x2
- Heavy Combo: x5