Rival

Hikaru started flying to the right while avoiding the shadows of the clouds. Mega changed course immediately.

'He's tracking me too easily... Radar?'

Radio detection and ranging is a system for the calculation of a distant object's position, distance or other significant characteristics. It works by sending out periodic radio waves from a transmitter.

All radar systems have clocks that record the length of time required to travel to an object and back by a wave. The further the distance, the more time it takes for an echo to come back.

Information about the form, size, material and direction of an object can also be revealed by characteristics of the reciprocating wave.

Moving objects, such as airplanes, can be detected by radar.

A transmitter in Mega radiated waves in 360 degrees and since radio waves are electromagnetic waves (light waves) they travel at the speed of light.

Thus, no matter how fast Hikaru was unless he was moving at a speed of three hundred million metres per second, he could not avoid coming into contact with the radio waves.

The radio waves echoed off Hikaru and were received by Mega's radar.

Mega's microchip, essentially his second brain and calculator analysed the data and projected a 3D hologram in his virtual HUD. It showed Hikaru's silver wings and body without the black pigment as radio wave echo revealed that it was a metallic structure.

Hikaru was undoubtedly made of flesh and blood. He must have secreted a metal coat to block out the IR light from within his body. Mega's records didn't show any trace of Hikaru using this strategy.

He was worried that Hikaru improvised it because of his involvement. He was already affecting the spacetime continuum.

The worst-case scenario is that things will be worse than they were in his past, in this world's future.

'No that can't be!'

Mega was determined to destroy Hikaru as soon as possible to minimise the damage he was causing to the timeline.

For that, there have to be some casualties...

Mega switched to heat vision but kept using radar. A radar hologram of Hikaru was overlayed over his current position. This allowed him to track him as if he was visible. The hologram of silver Hikaru was soaring down and picking up speed.

Mega was now on top of him. He raised his right arm and fired his incineration cannon. A straight stream of flame headed towards Hikaru's back.

Hikaru dodged to the right by lowering his side without looking back. The flame continued down for a while before being dispersed a hundred metres above the houses below.

Mega fired again this time following Hikaru's flight pattern.

Hikaru leaned to the left which the blaze followed and then he brought his wings up 90 degrees to the direction of travel for a second. The wings dragged against the air, decelerating him immediately causing him to fall behind Mega.

Before Mega could react, pink whips wrapped him up, binding his arms and legs together like a boa constrictor. Mega began falling.

While flipping over, his palms and feet were pointed towards Hikaru who was trailing 30 metres behind but closing in fast. Flames propelled from his feet and palms.

Hikaru dodged the flames shooting towards him by moving his body above the flames using the whips attached to Mega.

Hikaru pulled himself in by retracting his whips. He landed on top of Mega. It looked like he was riding Mega like a rad surfboard. Hikaru's arm flesh turned red inside his silver angel suit and he smashed Mega in the face.

Mega's face was still as handsome as ever as he nonchalantly stared back at Hikaru.

Hikaru pulled back his arm and inspected it. The metal around his fist was flattened and deformed along the arm. His hand bone was smashed inside but had quickly repaired it.

"Tsk" Hikaru clicked with his tongue.

Whatever metal Mega was made of, he could not penetrate it.

After seeing Hikaru's reaction, Mega spoke.

"After being broken a couple of times, I was built to be stronger and my weaknesses, weaker. When I was broken by you. I was rebuilt so that I would be the one crushing you."

***

Mega's body fell to the ground, leaving his head held up by a hand.

An older looking Hikaru positioned Mega's head almost levelled to his eyesight and tilted it so that Mega was looking up at Hikaru.

After Mega had confronted with Hikaru in private about his secret, this was the result.

Smiling, Hikaru looked down at Mega with pitying eyes while Mega looked back apathetically, almost looking depressed.

"When you get back to the lab, tell them to despair. That I, Hikaru will be coming for them first."

"You're not going to kill me?"

"Hm, no," Hikaru answered casually. "That would be too boring." He grinned.

Mega blinked in surprise.

"After I begin my conquest of this world, I'm going to need a bit of a challenge. Let's say... a rival. Survive... Rebuild, become stronger and come after me again. Maybe you'll make it a little less of a drag KILLing you ALL."

Mega narrowed his determined eyes. There was a living fire inside those bionic eyes.

Satisfied, Hikaru tossed the head at a pile of rubble on the side and Mega rolled down back onto the middle of the road. He watched Hikaru walk on until he disappeared in thin air, leaving a ripple in space that appeared momentarily.

The thought of Hikaru killing Dr Keno and Hokona made his blue eyes turned red.

***

Hikaru summoned a spear with a black tip which was all of the black substance he had absorbed from Botan. He called it xenoxium. With both hands gripped onto the spear, he plunged it into Mega's chest.

The shockwave rattled his body and made his hands go numb. The xenoxium spear was able to make a 1 cm dent on his chest. It wasn't effective but it did some damage.

Hikaru was about to stab him again until Mega's eyes glowed red and his body began to light up. Bright orange light began radiating from the core in his chest and trenches over his body, that looked like veins where the energy flowed through.

Radiation blasted out from him like an intense heatwave. Hikaru's whips lighted on fire and disintegrated while the black coating on him melted, revealing a silver suit that was turning orange from the heat.

Hikaru fell back screaming as his skin was being scorched.