Arc III.5: “Zero”
Chapter I: “Before the Fall”
Episode II: “Kaelithian Invaders!”
“Whoa—!” Raida yanked the controls.
The patrol ship tilted hard, and Kukito slammed shoulder-first into the console as a needle-fast Drift Sphere knifed past them.
“Ugh, what happened!?”
The Sphere didn’t broadcast a code. Didn’t request docking. It cut through their lane as if it had already decided Utopia's rules didn’t matter.
“We’ve got intruders!”
Another Sphere streaked by—Raida didn’t hesitate. The ship’s emitters snapped, and the Sphere burst into a bright, silent bloom of debris.
“Ha, I got ‘em!”
“Are you sure that was a good idea? What if they were friendly?”
“Nah, with the speed they were going at, they weren’t planning to stop at the Space Station. Besides… the design of those Drift Spheres… they must be Kae-”
A shadow flew out from the smoke of the destroyed Sphere. The other Sphere slowed down, and another shadowy figure exited.
“Let’s go,” Raida said, putting his hand out to help Kukito up and signaling to go outside the ship.
The two of them flew outside the ship to face the intruders.
No wind. No ground. Just micro-corrections—ankles, hips, fingers—every movement paid for in momentum.
Surrounded by the dark void of space, they waited for the smoke to clear and reveal their opponents.
They’re women! Kukito noticed.
“That armor…” Raida’s jaw tightened. “You two are Kaelithians.”
Kaelithians? Kukito had heard the name only as rumor—an old warrior lineage spoken about like a storm you didn’t summon twice.
“What are members of an ancient warrior race doing all the way out here?”
“Hmph,” the more intimidating Kaelithian woman started, “What’d you think? We’re here to capture this planet.” Her grin sharpened. “We’re here because Acier wants to know what your ‘paradise’ is worth.
“Conquest,” she added, like she was reciting a script. “Or leverage. Same thing to him.”
“They sent two women to capture an entire planet? I find that hard to believe. You do know where you are, right? This isn’t some backwater world.”
“Don’t underestimate us.” She glanced at her fellow Kaelithian, then looked back at Raida. “My name is Carrie, an elite Kaelithian warrior! I could conquer your planet by myself if I wanted to! Everyone knows that after the Cosmic War, all the strong Utopians died out. Even the supposed ‘God of Utopia’ himself died in the war. Now’s the perfect time to capture this planet.”
Carrie paused, glancing at both the Sages. “So, what’ll it be? Are you two gonna try and stop me? Or are you gonna call for help?”
She squeezed her fists, preparing to do battle.
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“Hmm….” Raida thought to himself. “Mr. Kukito.”
“Yeah?”
“You sit back and watch. I’ll take her on.” That other woman doesn’t seem like much of a threat… I don’t think she’ll get involved.
“Alright.”
“Oho? You’re that confident in your strength? You sure you don’t want to at least have your buddy there fight me with you?”
“Careful,” Raida warned, shoulders settling. “Utopians are skilled in aether control.”
Raida’s Flux spiked—aether threading through his meridians in a clean, controlled rhythm. His presence jumped so sharply it felt like the air itself flinched.
Carrie’s eyes narrowed. “So, you were suppressed.” She smirked. “Damn. You got me.”
Both of them took up their stances, ready to fight. Neither one made a move.
Waiting to see what I do first, eh? Carrie thought. “Alright, I’ll make things simple for you!”
She snapped a wide, curving aether-crescent and rushed in behind it, using the blast like a curtain.
He shifted to dodge the blast, then managed to block her punch with both his forearms.
Heavy! And she’s fast!
With her fist hitting Raida and the rest of her body extended out in a straight line, she whipped around to kick Raida in the head.
He barely dodged her first kick, then braced himself to block the second kick, which sent him flying back a dozen meters.
Blood didn’t fall. It beaded into red pearls and drifted between them like accusations.
She has me outclassed in hand-to-hand combat. She’s way too fast, and her punches are heavy. But our Yield outputs are about the same, so I should be fine as long as I don’t let her land too many direct hits.
While Raida was analyzing the situation, Carrie dashed towards him again.
Damn! He thought.
She feinted a left hook, then quickly spun her body to the left and used her heel to hit him with a high kick to the temple.
“It’s over. I can tell from the way that you were taking your time, you’re one of those guys that likes to use tactics and smarts to fight,” she said as Raida fell backwards, seemingly unconscious, “but that won’t work against someone that’s significantly faster than you.”
“Mr. Raida!!” Kukito got ready to fly forward to catch him.
As a surprise to everyone, Raida’s body began glowing, then burst into a brilliant flash of light—an afterimage left behind like a discarded skin.
“W-what!?” Carrie shouted as she was unexpectedly blinded by the light.
Raida reappeared above all of them, holding an orb of bright yellow energy in his hands.
“You like that? That was my Radiance Clone Exchange. Now, eat this—Ultraviolet Beam!!”
A thin line of concentrated light—so fast it looked like the universe blinked. His swift beam landed a direct hit.
“Argh!!” Carrie staggered. “Not bad,” she smirked.
“You can still fight after that? You’re tough…”
“Heh, it’ll take a lot more than that to slow me down!”
Kukito’s eyes tracked every movement. Wow, he’s more impressive than I thought… I believed that I easily outclassed him, but that may not be the case. I need to refine my Arts if I want to contest against opponents this skilled!
Raida and Carrie entered an intense trade of fisticuffs. Raida tried to avoid her attacks and create distance between them, but she wouldn’t let him escape.
“Now that I know you have powerful techniques, I’m not gonna give you the chance to use ‘em!”
She advanced, her attacks coming in one after the other.
Kukito swallowed. Not good, she’s pushing him back. He won’t be able to use his beam again like this. And I doubt she’ll fall for the same trick twice… should I step in?
“Don’t even worry yourself, Mr. Kukito!” Raida said, sensing his unease. “I’ve got this well under control!”
Raida parried one of Carrie’s punches, then used that chance to land his own hit.
Kukito's eyes widened.
“C-Carrie!” the other woman shouted.
“Calm down, Mizuka,” Carrie said as she backed away, holding the side of her abdomen where she was struck.
Raida took a deep breath.
As long as I maintain focus, I can handle her. She’s not fast enough to overwhelm my eyesight. And for the most part, her attacks are straightforward.
He breathed outwards. I can win! His eyes sharpened, and he dropped his hips as he raised his fists.
Carrie took notice of the change of attitude around him.
Impressive! I thought I had him on the ropes, but he’s managed to reverse the lead. It seems this won’t be as easy as I thought. Should I let it loose—?
For the first time in the entire battle, Raida made the first move, dashing towards Carrie.
W-what!? She was startled.
“Now you’re the one lost in thought!”
He unleashed a series of combos on her.
She managed to dodge or block most of the attacks, avoiding serious damage.
Damn! I wasn’t expecting that! And now he has better positioning! She squinted as she looked towards him.
Raida was hovering before her, the Utopian Sun shining from behind him.
“Ultraviolet Beam!”
“Dammit!!” She shouted as she raised her guard.
Mizuka lifted a trembling hand— thin bands of pale aether forming—uneven, shaking—like a shield she didn’t fully trust herself to finish.
She blocked the attack, a plume of smoke rising from the collision. She let out a sharp sigh—then froze when Carrie shot her a look.
Raida moved closer to Kukito and their ship, panting as he wiped his sweat.
The smoke around the Kaelithians cleared, revealing Carrie to still be alive, but battered.
“Seriously?” Raida whispered with irregular breathing.
Carrie stared at the blood on her knuckles like it belonged to someone else—then she let out a big smile.
“You know what?” She shrugged her shoulders, “I don’t even care anymore.”
“Huh?” Raida, Kukito, and Mizuka all said.
Carrie wiped blood from her lip and laughed once—sharp, tired. “That bastard Acier can go screw himself, I’m done. I’m not dying for his pride. C’mon, Mizuka—we’re landing. I’m starving—and I’m not staying out here long enough for this blood to dry.”
“A-are you sure?” she said passively.
The two of them started flying to the nearest check-in point to enter the planet.
“H-hey, wait!” Kukito reached out towards them.
Raida blocked him. “It’s fine, let them go.”
“But—”
“It’s alright, they won’t be a threat. Trust me. And if they do cause a problem, I’ll take responsibility.” What really bothers me is that it seems like they were hired for this… to think a Kaelithian would walk away from a fight like that…
A stream of blood ran down from Raida’s temple as he watched the two women leave.
[Elsewhere]
Cataline watched the sky the way gamblers watched cards—like she already knew the hand and only needed the turn.
[Next Time on Lyte of Utopia]: “Ryoda”
[Yield Levels]:
Raida: 20,000
- Suppressed: 2,000
- Radiance Clone Exchange: x1z (Blinding)
- Ultraviolet Beam: x200
Kukito: 15,000
- Suppressed: 1,500
Carrie: 20,000
Mizuka: 2,000