Arc III: “Return of Darkness”
Chapter II: “Lady Soap”
Episode II: “The Humanoid!”
“That must have been Cataline,” Leo said.
Kyoto and Reito relayed everything as the three cut through the night sky toward New Woodberry, city lights flickering like embers far below.
“She’s the only one with power on that scale… and that orb—had to be the Dark Heart.”
“Yeah… that would explain her aether. She’s in a completely different class compared to Head,” Kyoto said. “We need to hurry and stop her before she brings the others back. Reito, any luck?”
“No… I haven’t been able to sense her or the Dark Heart, so I won’t be able to make a portal.” Reito’s jaw worked. I’m still wondering what her goal is, though… why did she stop resurrecting them and let us beat her army? Was that just a distraction? Does she have a bigger goal?
“What’s she up to?” Kyoto asked Leo.
“Well, considering that she was able to create multiple immortal soldiers, we have to consider the possibility that she might be able to bring back the dead.”
“Is there anyone on Earth that she would be so eager to resurrect? That assassin, Ronin, maybe?” Reito asked.
“I’m… not sure yet. But for now, we should keep heading back to New Woodbury. Once we get there, Fevee should be able to help us find Cataline. Using the Dark Heart is sure to give off a lot of energy.”
[The Southern Region]
“Are you sure it was down here?” Akaza asked.
“Yeah, that’s what the news reporter said. The sightings of the gray humanoid were on a small Southern island. So, if we keep flying around, we should find him eventually.” Kazuma said.
Akaza sighed as he scratched his cheek. “…Alright. But I still think we should have told Kyoto about this.”
“Eh, it’s alright. I don’t think this guy is that strong if he’s just going around killing regular civilians. And it’s not like we can just let him do as he pleases.”
They quartered the archipelago, island by island, surf roar steady beneath their flight.
[Several hours later]
“Where the hell is this guy!?” Kazuma shouted, his voice snatched by the wind.
“That’s what I’d like to know,” Akaza said. “Since you already dragged me out this far, I at least wanna see what all the fuss was about.”
“Hey, it’s not my fault! People could be in trouble, Akaza!”
“Yeah, yeah, I heard you the first time.” Akaza looked over at a small island they flew past. “Hey… there!” He pointed towards the island.
Kazuma looked over, too, and his face lit up as he immediately noticed what Akaza was referring to. “That’s him! It must be him!” He quickly stopped his momentum, then began flying back towards the island.
“Hey, wait up!” Akaza followed him.
Kazuma plummeted into the sand, forming a small crater beneath his feet. Akaza touched down a beat later, teal sparks skittering off his boots.
“There you are! We’ve finally found you! You’re the menace that massacred everyone on that island, aren’t you?!”
The humanoid stood blank-faced and featureless—gray clay of a man—head tilted as if listening to a distant tide.
“Just what are you?” Akaza asked, eyes narrowing at the smooth, featureless face. Now that I’ve gotten a closer look… yeah, this guy doesn’t even have a real face… and why is he just standing around like that? He hasn’t even reacted to our presence… “Hey! Anyone home up there?” Akaza snapped a pebble with two fingers, nailing the smooth face dead on before dropping into the dust.
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Despite his efforts, not even that could interrupt its stillness.
“What’s wrong with this guy?” Kazuma asked.
“I don’t know… but this thing isn’t ordinary. Get back, Kazuma. We shouldn’t underestimate it.”
He waved his hand signaling to move back, and the two of them jumped into the air and drifted backwards.
Alright… let’s see if it’ll react to this! Teal arcs braided down Akaza’s arms as he gathered his aether. “Take this—Celestial Judgement of Alectryon: Lightning Star Destroyer!” He unleashed a powerful beam that tumbled through the ground before him.
As it bored a trench in its wake, the teal aether blossomed into a massive explosion—water sprayed into the air as a crater gulped up the shoreline.
“Whoa! You beat him with one move!” Kazuma shouted.
“No…! It’s not over yet…” Akaza scanned from side to side, looking for the humanoid. Where is it?
A shadow stuttered—then the humanoid Aether-Skipped into him, hammering Akaza out of the sky and into a geysering wake.
“Oh no, Akaza!” Kazuma shouted towards the ocean below him. Then he turned to the humanoid, his brows furrowed. “Grr… you bastard! I’ll get you for that!” Kazuma’s viridian-colored aura flared up around him. “This is it for you! Celestial Rend: Verse of Falling Stars: Star Destroyer!”
He fired the yellow beam at the humanoid, yet the gray form ate the beam and pinwheeled into the island’s basalt spine.
“Ha! Stupid man!” Kazuma stuck his tongue out and pulled the bottom of his eyelid.
“Watch out!!” Akaza yelled.
“Huh?” Kazuma flinched, turning his head.
Just before the humanoid could slam Kazuma into the ground, Akaza zoomed out of the air heel first, kicking it back.
“You alright?”
“Y-yeah, thanks, brother.”
“I told you not to let your guard down.” Akaza turned towards the mountain, frowning. “Hey, can you feel its energy?”
“No, I can’t feel anything from it. You’re the only one I can sense right now.”
This confirms it, though… either this thing is really good at hiding its aether… or it doesn’t even have any for us to sense. Not to mention, it seems like it keeps getting stronger. Of course, I can’t actually tell since I can’t feel its yield. At the very least, I think it’s starting to take this fight more seriously… “Kazuma, let’s go all out. We shouldn’t underestimate this guy.”
“Right!”
Suddenly, both the boys ignited Spirit Resonance—their hair lifting from the pressure of the creamy white aether bursting out from their bodies.
They both blitzed the humanoid at high speeds. Akaza went high with a sweeping kick, while Kazuma sent a strong left hook from below. The humanoid flowed like wet silk: leaning under the kick while simultaneously wrapping its legs around Kazuma’s arm. Without skipping a beat, it rapidly unraveled its legs—sending Kazuma flying. Then it rolled into a rising wheel-kick that clipped Akaza’s jaw.
Dammit! He keeps moving faster and faster! Is he holding back, or is he continuously improving…? Alright… one more chance… I’ll give it one more chance before we have to use it. “Alectryon’s Step: Lightning Flash!”
Akaza became a teal bolt, strobing a ring of after-images until an opening presented itself in the humanoid’s guard.
Now! “Aster-Volt Canticle: Storm Lance of Teal Dawn,” Akaza bellowed as he gathered his lightning, aether sparked out of his hand as he raised it over his head. “Lightning Bolt Spear!!” He cocked it back as it slowly took shape as a spear of lightning, then with one swift swoop, he drove it straight through the humanoid’s core.
It roared as teal fire and lightning spiderwebbed its frame.
“Did that do it?” Akaza panted as he shifted back into his Natural State.
Kazuma, who was dozens of feet away from the two of them, slowly got off the ground, rubbing his eyes as he tried to see what was happening. He, too, reverted to his Natural State after briefly losing consciousness. His eyes grew large once he was finally able to see Akaza. “Brother! Watch out!”
“Huh?” Akaza turned his head to look towards Kazuma, then quickly turned back to where the humanoid was. Where’d he go?!
While Akaza believed the humanoid had vanished, it charged up a lightning-based attack in the air.
“Above you!” Kazuma yelled.
Akaza frantically looked above him, but his eyes couldn’t believe what they saw… that’s… impossible! How is it able to do that!
Above, the humanoid had copied the spear—size, cadence, even the teal tint—perfectly.
“AKAZA!!”
Dammit, no time to dodge!
The humanoid released the spear, sparking a colossal outburst of lightning aether.
“D-Damn you!” Kazuma grunted, fuming. A fiery white aura surrounded him as he reignited Spirit Resonance, viridian light veining his skin. He blindly rushed towards the humanoid, with seemingly no regard for his own life.
The humanoid easily pivoted around his attack and was going to chop the back of his neck… but suddenly, the strike passed through as an ominous green light shone, like it was touching a ghost.
Kazuma turned around and landed a serious blow on the humanoid. He unleashed a flurry of blows before the humanoid could react to his attacks. Then, he finished it off by charging a large blast of raw aether over his head and detonating the humanoid.
“Is it over?” Kazuma said as he flew into the air above the explosion.
“Not yet! Keep your guard up!” Akaza yelled from behind him.
“Brother! You’re okay!”
“Yeah… barely.” I had to activate Lightning Cloak in addition to Spirit Resonance at the last second to survive that attack… “That was a good hit, Kazuma, but it’s probably not over yet.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah… we should use Convergence,” Akaza said with a sharp glare.
“Really? If we work together, I’m sure we could—”
“Kazuma! This isn’t up for debate.”
Kazuma looked at his brother, a frown growing on his face. “Okay…”
Hovering side by side, the two of them pressed their fists together. Utopic aether began flowing between them at a rapid rate. Their bodies began to glow, giving off a blinding light. It continued getting brighter as sigils braided between them—then, the light collapsed inward, leaving a single silhouette standing in the surf-mist.
“Alright! If they couldn’t get the job done, Akuma will! HA!” His aura flared from Spirit Resonance—teal lightning braiding around one arm, a viridian light glowing around the other.
The humanoid was still climbing up to its feet in the crater, which was revealed once the dust settled.
“Oh, you’re still there? Then this will be easy!” Akuma blitzed the humanoid, leaving a trail of lightning in his path. “Off to Hell!” Akuma blasted it with a dense wave of aether, leaving no trace left but glassed sand and steam.
“Hmph.” Akuma folded his arms as the haloing sparks faded to a hush.
[Next Time on Lyte of Utopia]: “Resurrection”
[Yield Levels]:
Leo: 10 quadrillion = 10 – 5z
Kyoto: 350 trillion = 350 – 4z
Reito: 300 trillion = 300 – 4z
Akaza: 30 trillion = 30 – 4z
- SR: 30 trillion (Physical: 3 quadrillion) = 30 – 4z (Physical: 3 – 5z)
- SR + LEC: 300 trillion (Physical: 30 quadrillion) = 300 – 4z (Physical: 30 – 5z)
- Lightning Star Destroyer: x100
- Lightning Flash: x10
- Lightning Bolt Spear: x300
Kazuma: 20 trillion = 20 – 4z
- SR: 20trillion (Physical: 2 quadrillion) = 20 – 4z (Physical: 2 – 5z)
- Star Destroyer: x1.5
- Energy Phasing (Full Body): x1 (Intangibility)
- Charged Blast: x1.1
Humanoid: 1 quadrillion = 5z
- Aether Absorption: x???
- Post Lightning Star Destroyer: 4 quadrillion = 4 – 5z
- Post Star Destroyer: ~5 quadrillion = ~5 – 5z
- Post Lightning Bolt Spear: ~455 quadrillion = ~455 – 5z
- Post Charged Blast: ~460 quadrillion = ~460 – 5z
- Lightning Bolt Spear: x300
Akuma: 600 septillion = 600 – 8z
- SR: 600 septillion (Physical: 60 octillion) = 600 – 8z (Physical: 60 – 9z)
- Aether Beam: x1