Arc II: “Universal Threat”
Chapter II: “Mythical Kaelithian”
Episode VII: “Confrontation”
[Rocky Wastelands – Southern Ocean]
“Are you sure it was this island?” Leo asked.
Leo, Malek, Draig, and Asuka flew through the midday sky on a path straight toward Kyte’s last known location.
Rock glass crunched under crosswinds as the team cut across the island’s jagged ridges, salt haze peeling off the Southern Ocean.
“Yes, I’m confident.”
“Where’s that other guy— Rikito? Isn’t he your brother or something? He’s a Kaelithian too; I don’t expect him to run from a fight,” Draig asked.
“He’s… probably off somewhere training,” Asuka said, pouting. “He said he’ll wait until Ronin shows himself again.”
“What about Rayon and his friend?” Malek asked.
“Darc left on UFA business after the tournament, but they should both be on Kona Island right now— the UFA and the Cosmic Guard have a lot of people stationed there.
Lian and Zane said they’d stay put for now; they’ll come later.”
“Later, huh? By then, I’ll have already defeated Kyte,” Draig said without a doubt in his mind.
Asuka sighed.
Why do Kaelithian men always have to be so arrogant?
She frowned as she thought about Sikira.
[A.S.S. Gang’s Ship]
Down the corridor, old metal sang— pipes ticking, vents sighing; the brig’s aether lattice hummed like trapped bees.
Sikira walked into the brig carrying a tray of food.
“How’re you doing, Ms. Guardswoman?” she said to Riella.
Riella stared at her blankly.
Akira was still unconscious in his cell.
“You should check on him. He might need medical attention.”
“Oh, he’ll be fine. He’s a Kaelithian after all. And the Spirit of Utopia will take care of him.”
“You sure? You wouldn’t want your master’s pet to break before he gets to use him.”
Sikira stared at her.
She put the tray of food down in front of her cell, then stood in front of Akira’s.
She hovered a thumb over the release; the panel’s rune-glyphs flared, and her finger stilled at a hair’s breadth from the switch. Then her finger flinched— stopping before it hit the button.
“Ha, you really thought you could trick me like that? As if.”
Sikira put the tray of food in her cell and then started walking away.
Tsk, Riella gritted her teeth.
“Hey!”
Sikira stopped moving.
“What does he have on you?”
Sikira froze in silence.
Still standing with her back to Riella, she whispered.
“My sister…”
[The Rocky Wastelands]
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
Kyte was sitting on a rock in an open area on the island. He opened a small packet of rations and started eating.
Then he suddenly looked up towards the sky and threw his half-eaten rations to the ground.
They’re here.
Kyte stood; aether bled like heat mirage from his shoulders, scoring the air with a low hum.
What? Why can I feel his power now? Asuka thought.
Of course.
Asuka slapped her head.
I was so distracted from controlling my own energy that I didn’t notice Draig!
“Draig! What are you doing!?”
“What?” he asked.
“We were supposed to sneak up on him! But now he knows we’re here because you’re letting out all your aether.”
“So? It’s better this way anyway.”
Draig sped up and flew off on his own. Now that he knew where Kyte was, he was excited to start fighting.
“Ugh!”
“Hehehe, I guess it’s as they say. Kaelithians are battle-hungry,” Malek laughed.
The three of them flew after him.
“Hey! Kyte! Face me!” Draig said, quickly descending before Kyte.
“Hmph. So, you’ve decided to follow me to your doom…”
Kyte felt their signatures.
They’ve gotten even stronger?! I suppose that two of them are Kaelithians… but still.
Kyte transformed, channeling his Restricted Soul Resonance.
“What? You scared? Don’t worry, the others won’t intrude on our fight,” Draig said.
Draig dashed at Kyte— his fist splitting the air with a dry pop. However, Kyte caught it one-handed, the impact shivering dust off the nearby rock.
Despite the ease of blocking it, Kyte was shocked by the speed and weight of the blow.
“Don’t get scared yet!”
Draig continued hitting Kyte. The two of them fought an even battle.
“Woah, he’s actually keeping up with Kyte by himself!” Leo said.
“Yeah…” Asuka agreed.
She looked down and noticed his rations.
Kyte probably hasn’t had much time or facilities to recover.
“Berserker Blast!”
The orb hit; violet-green fire gnashed against Draig’s palm before he peeled it aside thanks to the fact that he unleashed Spirit Resonance.
The blast scythed into the hillside— a deep rumble echoing as the debris coated the area in a wave of dust.
“Come, let’s get serious. Show me that special form of yours!” Draig said.
Kyte indulged him.
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes before his power rapidly expanded.
“That’s not your strongest form, is it? You must not be taking me seriously! Ashen Flame!”
Draig hit Kyte with a direct attack.
“Ha! How’s that!”
Kyte stood there in the heart of the flames. Draig continued blasting him with attacks, but Kyte simply stood there and blocked them.
“What’s wrong!? What happened to the mighty beast that we fought the other day?”
Draig continued mocking Kyte.
“RAHHHHHHHHHH!”
Kyte’s roar rolled the flames away, pebbles skittering in all directions as his aura kicked outward in a ring of pressure.
Shit!
Out of instinct, Draig used Spirit Ascension.
But that didn’t stop Kyte from appearing behind him and slamming him into the ground.
“Power Strike!”
He drove him deeper into the ground with his fist.
“U-ugh…”
Kyte picked his head up with a single hand. He proceeded to punch him in the gut several times.
Asuka and the others were about to step in when Draig stopped them.
“No! I-I’ll handle this myself. Until I’m dead, don’t you dare intervene!”
Draig started fighting back.
“Dragon Drive!”
His flame aura rose once again.
He knocked Kyte back, which allowed Kyte to focus. He closed his eyes once again to control his energy.
Now’s my chance! Draig thought.
“Ashen Fist!”
He blitzed Kyte and hit him with an attack while he tried to transform.
“Ha! I’ve found your weakness.”
“Hmm?”
“Every time you’re about to transform, you close your eyes and focus your aether inwards. As long as I notice that I can stop you from transforming. In other words, this fight is over!” Draig said confidently with a smile.
Can he actually win this by himself? Asuka wondered.
Kyte closed his eyes again.
“Ashen Flame!”
“Argh!” Kyte took a direct hit.
“It’s useless! Give up!”
Kyte closed his eyes again.
“Hmph! When will you learn!” Draig went in for another attack.
This time, Kyte instantly opened his eyes and grabbed Draig by the neck midair.
“W-what!?”
Then, without closing his eyes or pulling his aether inward, Kyte transformed again.
What!?
“You can transform without it?”
Kyte smiled.
“You were almost right. I do have a habit of closing my eyes and drawing my power inwards to help me focus when I transform. But that doesn’t mean I need to.”
“S-so, you were just playing with me this entire time!?”
“Hmph.”
Kyte snapped Draig’s neck with a vise-grip— the crack reverberated across the island.
“Oh no!” Asuka shouted.
Kyte threw him to the side, then got ready to fight the others.
Asuka ran over to Draig, trying to heal him. Her hands flared green— knitting vertebrae with a hot sting of aether.
Leo opened his Third Threshold and took his fighting stance. Malek Focused his energy.
But it was too late.
Kyte ran through them before they were fully prepared.
He hit Leo in the stomach with his knee, then elbowed his back into the ground. He blasted Malek, then hammered him back.
“Argh! Leo! I need you to stall him for a moment!”
“R-right!”
Leo got up.
I have to fight him myself… I don’t think Malek will be able to keep up in this fight… and Asuka is healing Draig. It’s up to me!
Leo took a deep breath.
“Fourth Threshold: Dominion!”
A red aura surrounded Leo’s body.
Now, let’s see if it will work!
Dominion of Gravitas: Locus Seal!
“Gravity Blast!”
Leo launched two strange bluish-gray blasts of aether at Kyte.
The first orb pattered out against Kyte’s guard; the second buried itself in the dirt, leaving a dull, throbbing hum behind.
Yes! It hit him! Leo smiled and pumped his fist.
Kyte was confused as to why he was celebrating. He powered up further and then rushed at Leo. His power was now too much for Leo to handle.
D-dammit. I hope this works!
Leo thrust his palms— space seemed to lurch, and Kyte whipped backward as if yanked by an unseen tide.
Dominion of Gravitas: Edict Bind!
“Attraction!”
What the hell was that!?
Does this have something to do with his attack from before? He said ‘Gravity Blast…’ Is he controlling my movement somehow?
Before Kyte could figure it out, Leo used another ability.
Dominion of Gravitas: Edict: Burden!
“Gravity Shift! Increase!”
He pointed two fingers at Kyte, then flicked them skyward.
A weight like a falling storm was stacked onto Kyte’s shoulders, the ground cracking into webs under his boots.
What is this!?
“Three Vast Seas!”
Malek attacked while Kyte couldn’t move. He already invoked his Heavenly Spirit to boost his power.
“Nice job, Leo!”
Leo gave him a thumbs-up.
“Eight Bowls of Noodles!”
He replenished Leo’s energy and stamina.
“I’m not sure what you did, but I’m sure it’s exhausting. Don’t worry, I can fight now.”
“Thanks!”
“Ten Heavenly Bodies! Nine-Tailed Spirit! Seven High Mountains! Five Raging Elephants!”
I’m going to have to push myself!
“Sun God Mode!”
Malek ignited— a corona of orange glass-light wrapped his frame, shadow edges turning razor bright.
What is that!? Leo wondered.
“I wasn’t sure I could control this during the tournament, and I didn’t want to hurt anyone, but now my hand is being forced! Come, Leo! Let’s defeat this monster here!”
“Yeah!”
Kyte is still much stronger than us… but Leo is weakening him, and I’m boosting our powers with my Heavenly Bodies. Once Asuka and Draig join us, it’s over!
[Next Time on Lyte of Utopia]: “Juggernaut”
[Yield Levels]:
Leo: 10t
- T3: 10qd
- T4: 100qd
- T4 + THB: 200qd
- Gravity Blast: x2
- Gravity Shift (+): x0.1
Malek: 800m
- Focus: 8b
- HS + F: 800b
- HS + F + SGM + THB + SHM: 16qd
- Three Vast Seas: x100
Draig: 10t
- SR: 1qd (Physical)
- SA: 2qd
- SA + DD: 20qd
- Ashen Flame: x500
- Ashen Fist: x100
Asuka: 1t
Sikira: 10b
- Aether Resurgence: Surge: 100b
Riella: 500m
Akira: 2b
- Unconscious: 5
Kyte: 5t
- SR: (RMSR): 150t
- SR: (MSR): 2.5qd
- SR: (MMSR): 25qd
- SR: (LBMSR): 5qt
- SR: (LBMSR) + GS: (+): 500qd
- Berserker Blast: x2
- Power Strike: x10