The week passed quickly, although it was torture for Kiran that the nurses made sure that he didn't exert his body beyond walking. He finally removed his bandages at day ten when his limbs accepted the liquid again and their recovery speeded up. He zipped his duffel bag as he slung it over his shoulder before leaving for the hospital entrance. As he signed the discharge papers the nurse reminded him, "Remember, for these two days you are not allowed on field duty."
Kiran nodded his head as he exited the hospital. He then looked at the paper given by Nanoha on how to get to the Asura's docking place. He entered the train station and bought a ticket that would last him forty minutes. He sighed at the long journey ahead.
---
As Kiran entered the Asura, he immediately looked for the training ground. He was desperate to work on anything, the two weeks of doing nothing unnerved him. The forwards and Ginga should be with the commanders so he hoped that he could join them. As he was about to open the door, the alarm blared throughout the ship.
"Everyone to the helicopter now!" commanded Nanoha as she burst through the door. "Oh Kiran, you're here. I'm sorry but you are to go to your room since you are excused from field duty." They ran past him as Ginga gave an apologetic look. He groaned as he returned to the room and put down his bag. He felt the light in the room dim as energy was diverted to the engines. He wondered if he should work out in the room but decided against it as the ship kept rocking. Left with nothing else to do, he sat on the top bunk practised his hand movements.
---
"Ni, are you sure that you want to do this?"
"Tre, you focus on my mission and I'll do mine. I've failed too many times so this time I will make sure I complete the mission with my life." Ni then blew a hole into the Asura, causing the whole ship to sway to one side. Tre rushed in, knocked the housekeeper out and took Vivio to the Saint's Cradle.
The explosion that Ni caused flung Kiran out of the bed and onto the floor. "Evasion," Watch called as Kiran's legs turned into his water jets and blasted against the floor, making him land on his legs softly.
Hayate's voice could be heard throughout the ship. "Members of the Asura, the ship is currently under attack by an unknown force. Since all weapons that were on this ship were removed, you have no method of fighting back. Although you will be unable to support us any further, for your safety I'm ordering the ship back to base."
"That's it! I'm not staying useless any longer!" he shouted as he ran towards door while activating his communicator. "Commander Yagami, please allow me to stop the unknown attacking the Asura. The members aboard are providing important information relays to the forces outside aren't they?"
Hayate, who was providing artillery fire against the gadget drones quickly weighed her options. For such a force to rip open the hull of the Asura, Kiran would have to load the breaker to stop it and he hadn't recovered fully from the last time. Unless…
"Kiran, I allow you to do so and help the forwards after that but I must tell you something first. When your body underwent the scan at the hospital, they discovered that there was a limiter on you."
"A what…?" his tone filled with disbelieve.
"We don't know who or what put it on you but it seemed to have cracked. It might have been the reason why you survived the breaker after all. Its power seeped through and strengthened you a little. After some rough calculations we estimate that you will be at the same power as you are now with a breaker active. However, we cannot remove it. It has the name "Hageto" on it. Do you know what it means?"
"Hageto? I don't know who that is but I have to get someone by that name to say "limiter release" to unleash my power?" The moment Kiran said "limiter release", he felt the same sensation as when he loaded the breaker. He was appalled by this and slowly reached for the communicator. "Commander Yagami, the issue has just been resolved although I have no clue what just happened."
He reached the hanger and started to build the steam jets. "Lightning 5, Kiran Aora, launching!" As Kiran flew through the hanger door to meet his opponent, he couldn't help but wonder what "Hageto" meant.
---
Ni charged up another flare eruption and sent it towards the Asura. Her eyes widened as it was punctured by a trace of ice and dissipate harmlessly. She turned to the source and saw Kiran forming his ice shard into an ice sword. "You again! I don't have time to deal with you know so get out of my way!"
"Can we skip the chat? I know you won't give in and you know neither will I."
"Why you…" she stopped when her left eye had just completed its scan. "How is it possible that your body isn't feeling any strain? The last time you had such power you were putting it through hell. Speaking of which, how are you even alive?"
"Aren't you alive and kicking as well?" Seeing her eyes demanding an explanation, he let out a sigh and continued, "I don't know why, but I had a limiter on me and now it's removed. It was also partially because of it that I didn't die."
"That won't stop me! The doctor has edited my programming, at the cost of my life. This will be my final battle." With that, the two forces clashed with ferocious intensity.
---
"Ni, your time is almost up. Why isn't the riot force six ship down?" asked Otto telepathically.
"I'm sorry, but that person just showed up again and somehow he's matching my power and stamina. I'm at my limit, aren't I?"
"I see… Charge your Phoenix Burst and clash with him. Try to do so with his back facing me. I'll charge my Ray Storm to one shot him. He won't see it coming."
"Rodger." Ni then crossed her blades into the "x" formation again as they fused. Kiran recognised it and also formed his Crystalline Avenger. They flew directly at each other and the energy battle was on. Blue bursts were erupting from Kiran's feet as red bursts erupted from Ni's feet.
"Fire." The Ray Storm filled the air as it charged towards Kiran. It looked like it was going to hit it's mark until Watch beeped and Kiran flew straight up and back flipped to gain some distance. "What? I aimed at his blind spot!" cried Otto in disbelieve. The next thing she knew, Shamal's binds were holding her and Zafila appeared.
Ni was also staring at Kiran in disbelieve. "How… did you dodge that…?"
Not wanting to talk, he gave her a look which read, 'Seriously? We're in the middle of a battle and you care about my techniques?' The response was a face which responded with, 'Yes, I do.' He took a breath before answering, "When you have to spend two weeks lying in bed ideas start materialise. "Evasion" detects any forces from hostiles and directs my body away from it. It's similar to "Protection" you know on most devices."
Both of them then had an incoming transmission, news of Otto's capture. Ni's eyes widened as Kiran asked Watch to scan for the forwards' and Ginga's device now that Otto's barrier was gone. Seeing Mach and Blitz Caliber together with the one signal that was recovered from Goyoth made Kiran shift slightly backwards.
"I have to end it here…" he said darkly as Watch loaded a cartridge and more ice encased his limbs. Ni's right eye scanner went haywire as his power increased by 50%. Kiran then appeared right in front of her and brought down the Crystalline Avenger which smashed through her Phoenix Burst almost effortlessly and sliced her arm off, sending her crashing to the ground. Watch then used conversion and he took off.
"Master, the concentration of the liquid has reached a point where a build for the head is available."
"Understood. Keep all the liquid to my legs; I have to get there first." Watch beeped in understanding as Kiran flew even faster. 'To think that she would appear here and now…'
---
Ginga walked through the smoke as raised her revolver knuckle. "Destroy until out of commission and then recover."
"Gin-nee!" Subaru cried as Ginga accelerated towards her, left hand posed to strike. Ginga's eyes widened as she saw her revolver knuckle clash with an ice cannon. The two of them jumped back as Kiran landed in front of Subaru.
"Kiran?.! I thought that you weren't allowed to battle until the day after tomorrow? And you're using the breaker?.!" Subaru asked, still kneeling.
"I know, I don't really know what's going on either. Just know that this is authorised and my breaker mode then is my standard mode now. Are you hurt anywhere?" Kiran questioned as he turned towards her with his hand glowing.
"Focused internal skill," beeped Watch as Kiran placed his hand close to Subaru's body, healing any bruises.
"Wow… when could you do that?" she asked as she stood up, feeling as though she and Ginga never fought.
"When I was younger. It's not as effective as healing magic though." He then showed her the scan with Cross Mirage surrounded by three unknown devices. "Go to Teana now, she's in a pinch, you wouldn't want to lose her would you? I'll take care of Ginga. Believe it or not, I know that someone has taken over her and I just have to knock her out with magical damage to force the intruder out."
"But your magical points are…"
"Almost naught. Close to zero but not zero. I'll use hand to hand combat until I'm sure I can get the shot in. After all, you can't bear to use that, can you?" Subaru nodded as her revolver knuckle loaded three cartridges and unleashed her Gear Excellion and took off. Kiran then turned to faced Ginga.
"You seem to know a lot about me…"
"Of course, what else do you expect after you killed my father?"
"Who? I've killed tons of people."
"Doesn't matter. Once you're out of that body I'll make sure you suffer a similar fate."
"Wow, that's some confidence you got there. I know that you were on par with this body but I've improved its power tremendously. Stopping me will take a lot more than you can muster."
"I don't know how dated your information is, neither am I going to ask," he responded as other hand formed the base for the ice cannon/shard but not producing the actual weapon. Kiran then boosted over, jabbing and kicking as Ni dodged almost effortlessly. 'Darn it, I haven't practised for two weeks, I'm getting slow,' was his thought as Ichi backed off and faked a yawn.
---
As Subaru raced on her wing road to Teana's location, she started to formulate a plan of attack. She had the element of surprise on her side. However, she would lose it if she came through the front door of the building or smashed down a wall to attack. 'My only ranged attack strong enough to knock someone out is Divine Buster, but I'll have to strengthen it if I have to blast through a wall…'
"Buddy, do not worry about me."
"Mach Caliber?"
"You said I am your partner who runs with you. I have failed you once, but this time I am suited for your best. If I am hindering you all the time, I am not fit to run with you."
"…Thank you, Mach Caliber."
---
After a few minutes of observation, she used Ginga's revolver knuckle to slam into his right shoulder, nearly dislocating it and sending him back as he winced in pain.
"You're not that hard to fight. A little better than the girl before but I can tell you're dying to use your weapons. Come on then, show me your true power."
"You're right, I shouldn't be holding back. Especially not now. Watch, load cartridge and catalyse the head build." Watch emptied the cartridge as smoke sprouted from him and ice shards surrounded Kiran's head, covering his whole face except his eyes and nostrils. Ginga then rushed forward, her hand formed into a drill and trust it towards Kiran's head. He tilted his head a little, dodging the impact and bringing his left elbow to collide with her shield.
This build, its accelerating the rate my brain processes information. 'I can see all her movements clearly, as though they're in slow motion… My limbs are also reacting faster…' He thought as they continued to clash. He then landed a punch while broke through the barrier and Ginga blocked it with her arms, sending her back and panting.
"You're good, I'll give you that. But according to my data, you only have ten more seconds in that state."
"Which is why I'll finish this now," Kiran said as he formed his ice cannon and smashed it into the ground, sending a shockwave which made Ichi jump to the sky and use wing road. What she didn't see was Watch casting conversion and Kiran appearing behind her, using his steam jets to increase the speed of his kick, breaking through her active protection and slamming her upwards. He then called forth his magic into his hands, materialising a lance of energy.
'Its base power may be at F rank only, but I can accelerate it's speed to the point where it hits like an A rank!' he shouted in his mind as he trust forward, impacting Ginga's linker core with the lance. Ichi flew out of her as Blitz Caliber regained its intelligent functions and used Wing Road to catch Ginga and Kiran.
The moment he did that, the cartridge's effect wore off and he fell to his knees, clutching his head and screaming. It was the same experience every time he tried a new build. Pain would ravage the limb after a while and he wouldn't be able to use it for a while. With his brain under such torture, he couldn't move at all and was close to passing out. Ichi then popped out of the building she crashed into and flew over to him with a dagger in her hand.
"So, it's come down to this. I thought you would kill me? Say goodbye!" she yelled as she drove the knife down, only missing his neck when his right leg faltered which shifted his body. Blood was gushing out of his left shoulder as Ichi pulled the knife out to strike again. She was so focused on Kiran that she didn't hear Ginga loading a cartridge and speeding towards her. The only indication she got was when a metal fist contacted her head, knocking her out instantly.
"Kiran! Are you alright?.!"
"What… do you… think…?"
"Sorry, kind of rhetorical. Although, that magical attack you used, it really packed a punch. I can't gather any more energy for my revolver knuckle. Blitz Caliber still has some magic left, I'll take you to Shamal now," she said as she lifted him up telepathically located Shamal.
---
Wendi, Nove and Deed noticed that the barrier masking their position went down. They cursed as they closed in around Teana who had two Cross Fires charged in one gun and the other in dagger mode. Her eyes darted from one target to another, waiting for them to make a move. Finally they had enough and charged towards her.
Teana let loose the Cross Fires, making Nove and Wendi stop their attack to dodge. She then fired a shot into Wendi's board to overload it and raised both guns, now in dagger mode, above her head to block Deed's swords. From the upgrades Wendi's board underwent, the shot was stopped but didn't cause an overload. The Cross Fires made their loop and crashed into Wendi, knocking her out. The other headed towards Deed but Nove extinguished it by firing her Gun Shooter. Deed then reared back one of her swords, preparing to strike a shocked Teana.
---
As Subaru neared the site, only one thought ran in her head. 'Tea, I'll be sure to protect you with this power I was blessed with, no matter the cost.' She then raised her revolver knuckle and emptied all the cartridges left inside. Overloading her linker core and then going into combat cyborg mode would have massive backlash, but she didn't care. Rotating her arms to form the sphere, she bellowed, "Divine…"
---
"Buster!.!" The blue stream smashed through the wall and collided with Deed, sending her flying through multiple walls. Nove spun around to see Subaru rush in through the hole, her eyes turning amber. "Oscillating Breaker!" Nove spun to her right to avoid it only to have Subaru charge another in her left hand. When she fired it, the left sleeve of her barrier jacket was blown off by the unconcentrated force. Not knowing the skill could be used without Revolver Knuckle, Nove was caught off-guard and tripped over herself when she dodged the second attack. Teana seized the opportunity and tackled her to the ground, her daggers at the cyborg's throat.
"Subaru, capture the one you blew through the wall, I've got this one." Subaru acknowledged and skated off. Teana then spoke to Nove about being human although she was a cyborg and it was possible, since a living example just showed herself.
---
After restraining the defeated cyborgs Teana stumbled and fell to the ground as Subaru caught her. "Tea, your leg…" Teana started to push Subaru away when she saw a stream of blood trickling down Subaru's left arm, diverging at her knuckles.
"I'll be fine. As for you," she started, her voice growing, "using Divine Buster and Oscillating Breaker twice in such quick succession while Gear Excellion is active?.! Especially the one where you didn't use your Revolver Knuckle to do so! Don't you know how much strain you're putting on your body?.!"
"Tea… I just didn't want to lose you!" she cried as she hugged Teana, tears forming in her eyes.
Teana wanted to scold Subaru an idiot and hit her but after her near-death experience she couldn't find the strength to. Finally she broke down as well, leaving the two of them to cry in each other's embrace. Shamal spotted this from the helicopter and told Vice to slow down their descent. When he asked why, she brought him Storm Raider's scope and said, "Let's give them a few minutes."
---
Vice saw Ginga approaching and opened the back door. As she went through the door, she collapsed on the floor with an unconscious Kiran. "Gin-nee! What happened to the two of you?" Subaru cried as she jumped off the motorcycle and to her sister's side. Shamal then came in and attended to Kiran, trying to wake him.
"I think… that cyborg damaged my linker core… by using a relic… to boost her power… Subaru… take Blitz Caliber with you… I can't do anything with her… at the moment…" she handed Blitz Caliber to Subaru who took it, nodding.
"Tea, we still have a mission to do." Teana nodded as Subaru's Wing Road materialised all the way to the Saint's Cradle and they took off, leaving Shamal with two unconscious people.
2012-06-04, 16:59
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