The two shall finally meet. The plan is going in a way that I would love to see.
. . . .
In the heart of the battle, Caesar and Gatwick danced, danced, and danced.
But it was not both of them who enjoyed it.
The more Caesar moved, the faster his wounds were opening back up. He knew that he shouldn't be fighting this hard.
He would have been better off sending a distress signal and retreating, but he felt pushed. He saw Gatwick's view; his overwhelming hatred for the nobles and their actions.
And the more Caesar fought, he thought; Who am I fighting for?
The nobles who ravaged Gatwick's and the thieves' lives?
The kingdom whose history held more darkness than light?
The system that was allegedly hiding the poor out of sight?
What was he...?
What does he truly seek?
"Someone looks rather lost," Gatwick said charmingly as he kicked Caesar three times in his chest, making some recent stitches open up.
[Master Caesar, I am fixing you up as fast as I can]
He was right, Caesar had to get his head into the battle. Gatwick was quicker, stronger, wittier... Caesar wondered if his opponent was secretly holding back.
Gatwick's silver sword gleamed like a million silver pieces as it struck against Caesar's, the impact sending ripples along his pathways.
The young knight was never the best at the Surgeon attribute, but he was at least competent to fix a few gashes. But the wounds became too deep.
Gatwick grabbed Caesar and slammed him into the ground as the blade was falling onto his neck.
Caesar couldn't move. His body was too weak to dash away. He could have used his grace to push him away, but his head was too occupied to apply it efficiently.
Even in this predicament, he refused to use puppeteer mode, something he sees as taboo.
As the cold grasp of the blade's aura almost decapitated the knight, wondering whether he would go to the halls of Judgement or back to Pandorica, a quick arrow knocked the sword out of range, startling Gatwick.
This gave Caesar enough room to escape. He channelled his grace into his feet, pushing him away from any more attacks.
"You are welcome," a voice called out childishly.
Caesar turned around to see Chalybe in a sort of sniper's position; his jaw rested on his shoulder, his bow and arrow close to his chest, but his smile as bright as ever.
"What about your opponent?" Caesar breathed in hard, but he instinctively side-stepped as a silver flash missed him by a hair's breadth.
Was that Gatwick?
Chalybe shot flurries of hard, metal arrows, each moving in different directions, as if trying to predict where Gatwick might land.
Fortunately, Gatwick's shriek of pain was heard as he was squatting with an arrow lodged in his thigh.
"Reverend and scorned."
"Evil and dominion."
"But brighter light in between."
"Light of Iron." Chalybe chanted carefully, as if he couldn't afford to make a mistake.
The arrow lodged inside the Thief's thigh glowed a threatening opal light, but it soon died down.
Gatwick's eyes swiftly scanned his surroundings, taking in as much information as possible. His eyes shot to Chalybe's location, and the prince could feel a cold presence behind him.
"It was Evil's fallen dominion," Gatwick chuckled, "Common mistake."
The silver sword was close to Chalybe's neck, threatening to take it off, but the heir's eyes caught something interesting.
Suddenly, Caesar appeared and halted the strike, his white and colourful hair stained with red dust. Using this opportunity, the prince grabbed Gatwick, sending a sharp burst of raw grace into his enemy, sending him away and buying the two cadets some valuable time.
"I thought I was gonna die, again," Chalybe said jokingly, but it turned sour as he knelt, grabbing his arm in pain.
"You ok... oh my gosh!!" Caesar exclaimed as Chalybe's left arm was paralysed and pale with frostbite, his skin torn and the nails frozen.
"Oh no, that was positioning arm," Chalybe cursed. "My shots are going to be less accurate and more... lacky."
Caesar's brain was finally working. He was the vanguard, the leader, the sword... and he had to take initiative.
"Have you figured out his main ability yet?" Caesar asked.
The prince chucked and smiled, letting down his snow white hair to touch his shoulders, "Yep. I can't believe I am actually going against that weapon."
The two prodigies' senses screamed as Gatwick emerged from the ruins, rushing in like an assassin for the kill.
"He seems more brutal and harsher," Caesar noted as he dodged another strike from the thief.
"Don't forget his burst of speed and power," Chalybe replied as he threw a glance at Caesar.
The two charged up more grace... and exploded.
They ran with Gatwick, keeping up with him at short intervals, using that small time window to land attacks. Not fatal, but enough for now.
"This is not a battle of attrition." Chalybe giggled slyly.
"Nah, it's a battle for who can make the biggest boom."
The two prodigies realigned themselves as they prepared for their ultimate trump card.
Gatwick was in pain. The pain was tearing his tissues, and his new weapon felt like it was freezing over his soul. His allies have fallen, and he knew he needed to act fast. All his ideas amounted to nothing, but one still presented itself as game-changing.
His eyes continued to scan the battle like a River hawk. "These two knights are accumulating grace in their bones to boost their strength, fully aware of the cost of organ failure," Gatwick processed. "If I can use this weapon efficiently by either killing them or forcing them to use more, I can... no, they might have other weapons or gears in place for them, I can't risk it."
Caesar and Chalybe's attacks landed more frequently, with the prince grabbing an arrow from his sheath and spearing it into the thief's chest. Gatwick winced as Caesar used his divinity to pull the arrow from the other side of his chest.
"My only strong winning condition is if I can end them in one killing blow with my weapon, and for that I need to enter... I don't think I can achieve that now, to be honest."
The attacks from the two young knights became more refined, as if they were adapting by the second, landing more slashes and blows. Chalybe's choice of long-range attacks was eliminated, so he had no choice but to enter close-range; an unspeakable decision for a bersaigle knight.
"Can you feel it, Caesar?" Chalybe called out as his grace began to transform.
"It is amaziiiiiiiiiiiiing!!!" Caesar screamed in ecstasy as his own grace began to match Chalybe's.
The two knights breathe harmony and order into their chaotic attack pattern, allowing their divinity to work in perfect harmony, or more famously known as...
"Divinity Synergy: Pentagram And Time."
A large pentagram appeared above the battlefield, glistening crimson as it seemed the space around it warped. Three clock hands appeared on the pentagram, frantically turning and spinning in response to the battle.
In this moment, Caesar and Chalybe have entered a flow-like state.
"Impossible," Gatwick murmured as large pillars of steam coated his body, pure heat emanating and burning the air. "Of course, why am I shocked? They are prodigies after all."
The steam was hot enough to burn the lad's skin, but they still pushed on, ignoring the pain and fighting to the ends of their remaining energy.
"Ah, finally," Chalybe smirked as he shot an arrow, barely missing Gatwick. "Your hot steam counteracted the cold pain."
Gatwick's arms glowed bright blue as he aimed towards the prince. Caesar tried to slash the enemy, but the steam dissipated, and Gatwick wasn't there.
"Oh, no, no, no." Caesar said as he caught a glimpse of a silver shadow running at Chalybe, its arm pulsing with a dangerous amount of grace, but then...
"T-there you are."
Jacques, his cyan armour gleaming under the three suns, blocked the strike with a shield, as an unfathomable amount of boiling water missed them.
"Connect me, Sol."
[Yes, master Jacqy]
Fenrir, Izobel and Aurelia's armour produced a harsh static sound, until Jacques soft but strict voice greeted them.
"T-this is Jacques," The voice said. "The Silver T-Thieves are using the G-golden heart attribute."
"Really!!" Chalybe replied as he grabbed Jacques' shield and launched it at Gatwick. As the thief dodged it, Caesar caught the shield, using it as a bat to strike his opponent in the skull.
"That's something ...I haven't seen in a long time." Izobel giggled, trying to hide her pain and the hollow voice of Abyss.
"These cheating bastards." Aurelia fumed, furious at herself and the day.
"Wonderful, Jacques." Caesar smiled. "What the heck is that?"
The call went dead silent.
"For the most curious boy in the world, you don't know what a Golden heart is?" Chalybe laughed as he and Caesar evaded some powerful jets of water.
"To put it simply, the Silver thieves locked a majority of their ability into their chest like a vault." Izobel started.
[Correct, Lady Izobel. All their abilities are then handed to a chosen leader, granting them the ability to either activate or deactivate the attribute. Once activated, their abilities are fully released to 170% of the thief's maximum potential, giving them a significant boost in speed, strength and grace sensitivity.]
"But not only that," Aurelia continued. "Their souls and hearts are connected like one large hivemind. Meaning each damage taken is distributed equally amongst them, a double-edged blade."
Caesar and Gatwick clashed again, and the blue flame sword he was wielding was reaching the end of its life span.
Caesar moulded the blade into a javelin, throwing it at Gatwick and detonating it in front of the silver thief.
"I hear you guys, that explains his burst of speed and power" Caesar said. "I am going to use my nuclear pulse on this guy. Chalybe, I need to clear out a clear shot path and keep him busy as I charge it up.
"Roger that," Chalybe said as he engaged Gatwick, his flow-like state diminishing, but his will and ego unwavering.
"Be careful, Caesar," Izobel replied.
"Come back, Caesar," Aurelia commanded.
Caesar used his control over the nuclear force, the heart of nuclear weapons, to ready his cleaver. He had to clear his head, clear his mind, clear his soul.
"I am a good leader, I am a good leader, I am a good... leader," Caesar murmured as a beautiful green aura enveloped his arms and cleaver.
He knew this attack would have to be different, as a straight beam would surely miss Gatwick. But as you all already know, his innovations know no bounds.
"Zion has trampled kingdoms and dynasties into the shadows," Gatwick said. "Why do you refuse to believe that?"
Chaylbe's speed and endurance have been fading more quickly as the large clock pentagram was diminishing. The heir gritted his teeth. "I would really like to know about that story."
Gatwick smiled at the young knight. "Oh, you would love it. It is just too much to narrate right now. The 4th sun, the wars, the experiments, one lady named Pandorica..."
At the mention of that name, Caesar's heart skipped a beat. Pandorica always said random things about the history of the world, even in his sleep. But he never thought she was among the secrets of Zion.
Truly, who is that woman?
Now Caesar was intrigued, but he had a mission.
Chalybe used the remaining portion of his usable grace pool to boost his power one last time as he shot an arrow at Gatwick, landing on his shoulder.
"Reverend and scorned."
"Evil's fallen dominion"
"But brighter light in between."
"Light of Iron."
The arrow glowed a blinding blue light, harming Gatwick and signalling Caesar to finish it.
"Guess I am a fast learner." Chalybe smiled to himself as he fell out of the sky, feeling his hole opening up again as blood flooded his mouth.
Caesar took a deep breath. He could feel the vibrations of atoms, the energy they carry, the potential that is locked within them. Their harmony colliding, their energy rising, and their secrets unlocking.
"What is that boy doing now?" Gatwick thought as his left hand shot him with an unfathomable pain. "One last time, for my allies, my mission, my soul. For as we proclaimed together..."
"WE SHALL TAKE THIS WORLD TOGETHER!!"
Those words pushed Gatwick to fulfil his mission. The corrupt nobles, the evil monarchs, the shadows that controlled the hopes of the people.
Gatwick's secret weapon was revealed: a shimmering blue gauntlet lodged in his left hand, filled with beautiful symbols inscribed in its metal casing.
"Doesn't really fit the whole silver theme."
Gatwick's grace churned one last time as the gauntlet glowed brighter, charging up one final attack.
The leader of the silver thieves rushed towards Caesar, who was emitting a dangerous green aura.
"Show me your dream, child," Gatwick screamed. "Show me who you are?"
Caesar had finally created the formulae. A simple beam won't do it. It had to be contained and efficient. And he got it.
Caesar stared into Gatwick's eyes behind the mask; a soft mix of gold and grey that held joy, sorrow, anger, vengeance, and faith.
Caesar knew he couldn't understand Gatwick's pain, but he felt like he could almost touch it.
The two vanguards, stronger in faith and leadership, clashed.
"NUCLEAR PULSE: CLOTHSLINE!!"
"JADE FALLEN WATER DRAGON EPHEMERAL!!!"
Unlike Caesar's previous beams, this one seemed as thin as a needle but as dense as a star.
Unlike Gatwick's water jets, this one was shaped as a massive wyrm made of water, reflecting the light of the sun into a beautiful mirage of colours.
A thin beam composed of nuclear-power versus a powerful water dragon, both fueled by their determination and hope.
The two attacks pushed each other back, battling to see which one was stronger.
The more relevant.
The more curious.
The more of a boy named Caesar Nova Percival.
The nuclear-powered ray of hope and knowledge pierced through the dragon, bursting it, spiralling towards the thief before missing him.
The ray bruised the thief's cheek, damaged half of his mask, and lit up the top of a mountain.
Each Silver thief screamed and writhed in pain, their energy depleting faster and faster.
The explosion from Caesar's attack illuminated the sky like a 4th star, blistering and breathtaking.
"Is this really a noble?" York asked herself.
"The future of Zion sure is strange," Abbey smiled.
"Your friend is very unique," Warwick told Chalybe, who was being healed by Izobel's insect.
"What a splendid battle. The best I have ever fought." Canary chuckled.
Gatwick fell from the sky, the cold wind pushing past his skin. He felt light and pain, but rather happy.
"You have beaten me..."
The young Knight was still in the sky, screaming over his victory as his eyes flared crimson.
"CAESAR NOVA PERCIVAL."