“Shut your mouth, Lucifer.” Cuki dusted the dirt off her shoulders. “I’m fighting for...” She paused when the angel questioned her motives, refusing to answer any further. “Hmph! What are you doing to help us anyway?” Cuki’s tone was cold and harsh, at least in comparison to her sincerity when speaking to Xy’pher Panich. “Scared to get your hands dirty?”
“He seems to be an observant type. Typical... A snake that exploits one’s vulnerability.” As a white mist began to surround the trio, emerging from it was a figure that rested his chin on Cuki’s head. “A mark of one’s cowardice and lack of strength, fufufu.”
Cuki swatted at his misty apparition. “Hush, Byakko. Focus.”
“Oh phooey! Can I not joke?”
Lucifer’s comments struck a nerve in her, but she quickly shook it off. She turned her attention to Vegetto. Since his exit long ago, this is the first time they saw each other again, so Cuki was scrambling for the words to say, but couldn’t anything meaningful. She was a little concerned that Vegetto approached Lucifer with such seething rage. She barely knew Lucifer compared to the Breakers, and while they were unpleasant experiences, she could not understand the Fusion’s rage. She raised a brow when Vegetto spoke of a new deal, not aware of the context behind the proposal. Regardless of whether Cuki wanted to say anything to the Potara fusion, Vegetto stood there like a statue with a blank expression. Seconds later, Lucifer easily tossed him away like a statue.
“Wh-what did you do?” Cuki asked with worry.
Byakko narrowed his eyes. “Mm.”
“What did he do, Byakko?”
“An illusion. Nothing special.” Byakko’s eyes locked onto Lucifer. “Muscle-Head didn’t realize he got caught in an illusion the moment he approached Lucifer. Pfft!”
Cuki frowned and ran to the edge of the hill to see Vegetto falling into the sea of Xy’phers below. She turned to Lucifer, seeing his devilish smirk that he always held. Something about that smirk sent a shiver down her spine, as if something ominous was awaiting her. At the same time, it awoke a latent anger in her small body, one she was unaware she harbored towards the fallen angel.
“I liked him better when he was a baby,” Byakko snickered. “It suits that childish personality more.”
“Byakko.” Cuki turned her back to the angel. “Let’s go.” Without hesitation, she jumped down to chase after Vegetto.
“You’re no fun.” Byakko sighed. He turned to Lucifer one more time. His eyes filled with judgment, then revolt in contrast to the prideful angel before following quickly behind Cuki.
Falling from the sky, Cuki noticed a swarm of Xy’phers climbing on top of each other to attack Vegetto. She needed to get there as quick as possible, since the Potara’s guard was completely wide open.
No...! I’m not going to lose you again!
Tensing her muscles, Cuki let out a powerful roar that sounds like a ferocious tiger. By forwarding her arms, large metallic spikes burst out of the ground rapidly and pierced through the vital points of many Xy’phers. Some managed to dodge the deadly attack, climbing onto the spikes to positioned themselves.
Xy’phers opened their mouths and gathered intense energy. Cuki narrowed her eyes, seeing their intention. She pushed herself, falling faster to Vegetto; she’d bear hugged him and spun forward so she can properly land on her feet. Upon landing, huge amounts of smoke kicked up due to impact, flooding the area to blind the Xy’phers from seeing her. There were a few seconds of silence afterward until a rainbow burst of energy appeared around her and fire.
“Crap!” Cuki crouched down, now carrying Vegetto on her back. Moments before the energy attacks collided against her and Vegetto, she dashes forward in breakneck speeds. Like a bullet, she tore and shattered through every Xy’pher that got in her way easily, but some were still barely alive to feel the devastating aftershock of pain.
“Curious, hmm?” Byakko turned to the trail of broken Xy’phers behind. “Even blinded, they’ll still attack. It’s as if they had extra eyes in the battle.” He paused, without even looking forward. “There’s a big one coming, by the way.”
“I’m aware.” Cuki deadpanned.
A giant Xy’pher appeared before them, cocking its punch and launching forward. “Get out of my sight, scum.” Her tone grew grim as she effortlessly held out her hand to stop the punch. The youngster slowly lifted her face to glare at the Xy’pher before her fingers dug into the fist of the giant Xy’pher. Cuki took a deep breath as she blocked out the surrounding noise, all while gracefully releasing the Xy’pher’s fist. Without warning, thousands of metallic spikes erupted from the Xy’pher, causing it to fall on its side. As it fell, Cuki was able to see Zenta holding onto Bernkastel.
“I see Master and the others.” Cuki said as she stepped over the twitching Xy’pher. “Is Bernkastel still stuck in that trance for that spell?”
“Seems like it!” Byakko chuckled. “If you don’t hurry, she’ll get herself and that disgusting mutt killed.”
Numerous Xy’phers were riddled with bullets thanks to Cayde and his clone army. Tons and tons of shattered crystals flung up that nearly covered the red sky with a rainbow tint for a few moments.
“Simply… amazing.” Nia was impressed by Avalon’s quick thinking and Cayde’s adaptability to understand the situation. A deadly combination between the two if used correctly. “I’ll do my part as well!” She said out loud when it's not really needed.
A crystal projectile pierced through Nia’s shoulder, causing her to drop Cayde and his army towards the ground, the Xy’pher falling right after. She slammed against the ground, and instinctively reached for her shoulder to feel the dagger-like crystal. “W-what?!”
A portal appeared in front of Nia, from it emerged Xy’pher Walter. “The Red King specifically ordered for your head to be served to him on a platter. Don’t resist anymore.”
Nia swung her arm, using psychic powers to lift the debris of fallen Xy’phers at him. Walter let himself fall to easily disappear into a portal. “Damnit—ahh!!” Another crystal blade embedded behind her back. She turned, only to see that Walter already left, then proceed to get stabbed through her torso. Walter did this repeatedly until finally, he appeared in front of her and kicked her through one of the portals.
Soon after, a portal appeared in front of Cayde. Nia shot out and crashed onto the android, Walter quickly emerged from the same portal and looked above. Suddenly, Atomic Flare landed not far from where he stood. Seeing Spina hurling down with an attack, his eyes returned to Atomic Flare, confused at the strange expression on her face. Excitement. Excitement that was strikingly like what Gravita and Eleki held.
“Atomic Flare. Stop messing around and kill him. Our king demands it.” Walter clapped his hands together and placed them through the two portals that formed in front of him. “Please die.” Hundreds of tiny portals appeared around them, firing off hundreds of crystal daggers at rapid speeds.
Nia forwards her arms, forming a barrier between Cayde, a dozen of clones, and herself. “Multi-Barrier!” She shouted. It was a stronger barrier compared to the previously one, but it takes tons of concentration and power to keep it up. And the amount of impact behind each crystal projectiles, she wasn’t sure she can keep it steady. “Cayde, I can’t hold the barrier for long!”
“Damn that portal guy…” Avalon pondered on what to do next. He wanted to jump in, but that would only put them and himself in harm’s way. “How to counter something that can portal anywhere?”
Suddenly, he had an idea after seeing Nia getting toss into the portal. “Why not use his own portals against him…? Wouldn’t they all go back to him? It’s worth a shot, but I need someone to help with me…” He looks around, looking for anyone. Berserk was near Zenta and Bernkastel and didn’t want to risk getting caught by the Red King’s psychic power. “I need someone—”
Avalon’s eyes narrowed, sensing something below Walter, Cayde and Nia. “Spawn…? Ah!” He tapped the paper bird. “Bring me down there, buddy! Quickly!”
Red King was not amused for whatever tactics they were planning. As a horde of Xy’phers stormed to jumped on the trio, the Red King focused his psychic power on Bernkastel, pointing his robe-arm at her. A red hue appeared around the Witch with the intention to twist her in different places, especially her neck. The Witch quickly lifted out of Zenta’s arms and floated directly to the King, where he stared deep into her lifeless eyes.
“Perish.”
“Stop!” Zenta shouted, ripping through the horde of Xy’phers apart with ease as he rushed to her side. “Lady Bernkastel!”
Strangely, no matter how much force the Red King put on the Witch, she did not bend at all. Not even a fickle of her hair was affected by the immense power of the Red King’s psionic energy.
“Hmm…?” Red King was slightly confused. “What trickery is this?”
In that brief moment, Zenta saw an opening.
“Berserk, Bara, May!” He shouted. “Attack him now, while he’s distracted!”
Zenta flung his arms to the side and unleashed a powerful shockwave of energy that blew away and destroyed every Xy’pher on either side of him. It gave Bara, Berserk, and May a clearing in order to reach the King with full force. The beast elegantly skipped on the flying rubble, trying to get closer to Bernkastel.
