Chapter 13: Titan's Sword

Meanwhile, in the the front side of Terri's base:

-Phew...I guess we're done here, right? I can't even believe Terri didn't even hire any cute lady soldiers. That's sexism if I ever saw it.- Gee grunted, putting his sword away. He wiped off a layer of sweat from his forehead and turned to Rye, who had also finished up his share.- Ain't that right, Rye? Maybe they only hire them for assassination jobs, like infiltrating fancy parties and stabbing the target after a kiss or placing poison on his wine. Yeah, I'd like that too...

Rye sighed and shook his head at his partner's laid back attitude. At their feet lied the bodies of many unconscious Order soldiers who, up until a few seconds ago were trying to kill them and Gee only thought about women.

-Well, at least I'm glad to know that you're not hurt to the point of stopping your endless blabbering, Gee.

-Of course! A master BladeMaster like me never gets tired, so I can focus all my energy on making sure all the ladies are properly swooned! For that effect, I do wish I could have gone with Lucy, though. Now that I've got good relations with Angel's Crow and Cidy as my wingwoman, I can begin to thaw out that icy heart---

BAM! A gunshot echoed through the sandy area as Gee fell to the floor, clutching his forehead, smoke rising from it. Mercedes stood a couple meters from him and was giving him a furious look.

-What did you call me? And since when was I your wingwoman?-she asked, her voice darker than her uniform.

Gee sat up, gritting his teeth.

-O-ouch! Why did you shoot me?! I know those aren't lethal on their base power, but those bullets still really hurt, Ci---

Gee sat up, gritting his teeth.

-O-ouch! Why did you shoot me?! I know those aren't lethal on their base power, but those bullets still really hurt, Ci---

BAM! And an odd high-pitched squealed escaped Gee's mouth as he collapsed again. Cidy cursed under breath. Her silver handgun shone in the harsh sunlight, smoke drifting from its nuzzle. Sure, her shots were only as lethal as a BB's shots but they could still pack quite the punch if shot in succession, like she had done to the soldiers who dared to attack her when they raided the base's front door. She released her weapon and sighed, looking over at her brother, who cleaned the blood off his uniform. At her request, he had spared the soldier's lives, but that didn't stop them from giving them quite the beating. They sure wouldn't dare to participate in the war any further. Thankfully, the base's security wasn't as heavy as they expected from the military commander of the Order, but they weren't half bad. At least they served as a mild distraction.

After the groups split off, the warriors had traversed the desert road until they found Terri's base and boldly attacked it from the front. The base's security acted immediately, sending dozens of BladeMasters to kill them, but they were easily dispatched. It was only a diversion so Noah and Lucy could sneak from the back and catch Terri by surprise. And it seemed to be working as the Order Elite hadn't shown up yet to finish her grunt's work. Mercedes had her doubts about Noah's ability and chances against Terri but she wasn't one to discuss Lucy's orders. They were at war and who better than the Grim Reaper to guide them through it? She shrugged that uncertainty off, pretty sure that Noah already had his butt royally kicked in by Terri and that Lucy pitched in to finish to job in one strike, like always. So, it seemed the mission was a success.

As the group was about to walk inside the building though, a series of explosions and crumbling sounds were heard from very far away, probably from beyond the back of the base. Mercedes gulped. Could it be that the battle was getting too rough? Maybe she had underestimated Terri's ability. She was an Order Elite, after all...

After a couple moments, the girl sensed two sources of incredible soul power coming from the place where those sounds were heard. Was it...Soul Crash? She looked over at Eldus, who was joining them from his safe spot, away from the skirmish.

-Mr. Eldus! That was...!

The Sage nodded.

-Yes, two powerful Soul Crashes were activated right now. The battle is about to reach its climax. We should go to the site post-haste.

Gee jumped up.

-All right, time for another of Eldus' super awesome teleportation thrill rides! I love those!

Eldus' cane smacked Gee on the head.

-My teleportation powers are not for your personal amusement! And it's too risky to use it now. We could get caught in the crossfire.

-What should we do then, old man? Are you suggesting we navigate the base and reach the arena by foot?- Merceny said, with scorn coating his words.

-Quite so, boy. We have to check for any possible resistance from the security anyways. I trust Lucy and Noah to take care of business while we're getting to their side.

-Don't you mean just Lucy, though?- Mercedes asked- Noah's a nice guy and all, but let's be real, Lucy must have been joking when she picked him to go fight Terri. Even Gee would be a better option!

-It's MASTER Gee, Cidy! But thanks for the compliment~.

BAM!

-It wasn't a compliment.- she said, releasing her handgun yet again.

Eldus ran his fingers through his aged beard.

-Mercedes, you'd do well to not underestimate Noah. I read his soul and I can see his potential.

-Sure, but he's still too green to fight and Elite,Eldus! It's suicide!

Eldus gave her a smirk.

-Oh really? Is it that hard for you to disregard your fellow BladeMaster just because he arrived at Soula a mere month ago? I thought you were smarter than that, girly.

-H-hey, what do you mean by that?-she exclaimed.

-Heh...let us see when we get there. The result might surprise you.

And with this, he made his way towards the base's front door. Mercedes let out a grunt and followed suit, the rest of the group going after her.

*

Both Blades clashed at an astounding speed, both BladeMasters zipping around each other, in an effort to seize an advantage over the other. Even with his Soul Crash activated, Noah still had trouble withstanding her Blade's massive raw power and would have rely on his quick footwork to try and use some kind of blind spot against her. But said task was proving very difficult. Terri's Soul Crash had made the speed of which she brandished her Blade much larger and he was having trouble getting in on the key point-blank range needed for him to hit her. If this kept up, he wouldn't be able to maintain Soul Crash for long before his stamina ran out.

After dodging her last swing, he jumped back and decided to change up his strategy. He reached out his hand in her direction and at his command, an array of stone pillars emerged of the ground towards her. Well, "pillars" was the wrong word to use. Soul Crash was upgrading his mastery of Tera and the crude-looking rectangular pillars from before had turned into full-on fists.

Terri grunted and swung her sword an handful of times. Instantly, many shock waves destroyed Noah's rocks and he was forced to use a rock spring like the ones he used before to escape them. Terri didn't give up on that approach and kept releasing more and more shock waves towards the boy. He was forced to keep running to the side, using more springs to jump out of the way. He rose his arm upwards and a pathway of stone rose towards the sky and he ran atop of it while Terri's shock waves kept getting closer and eventually hit the pathway, making it crumble. Noah then used the road's end to form another spring and soared into the sky.

-I got you now, boy!- Terri said as she arched her Blade back with both her hands and swung, releasing an even more powerful wave towards the airborne Noah. If he didn't act soon, he'd be sliced in half. Terri was quite the fierce opponent indeed, packing many resources and strategies into her fighting style.

But Noah had his resources too. He moved his arm, in a beckoning motion towards him and a giant hand exploded out of the floor, zooming towards Noah. The hand then grabbed him and coiled around him like a cocoon. Inside his shield, Noah flinched at the shaking Terri's attack made against the rock and held on as the hand fell to the floor. He then got out through the crack the shockwave made against the fist and got back into his stance, panting lightly. Soul Crash was no joke and his body was starting to feel the toll. He couldn't waste any more time. He start sprinting towards Terri, who kept launching more waves at him. He then extended his palm towards her and a giant arm erupted from beside him, the palm placed in front of the boy, shielding him from the waves. As he kept running the arm kept extending, allowing him to become a Tera battering ram against Terri.

-Oh no, you don't!- Terri's voice sounded from beyond his fist, which was immediately cut in half. The only problem with Noah's strategy was that he couldn't see anything at all behind the hand, so he didn't know that he had entered Terri's usual range, so it was so surprise that Terri's Blade cut through his shield like hot butter. What he didn't expect was to be launched through the air as his opponent's attack released a gigantic force that pushed him across the arena. Noah hit the ground hard and rolled upon himself, trying desperately to get back up, to keep the momentum going.

He eventually stopped sliding like he was covered in soap and got up, his legs shaking wildly. But he could still fight. That was what mattered. He looked over at Terri, drops of sweat dripping down her chin, and panting heavily. It seemed that she wasn't the only one reaching her limit.

-You...you're way better than I ever expected, Noah...-she panted- Like I said, even the tiniest sparks can start an inferno. Such potential should not go to waste. I ask you...one more time: do you want to join the Order? You could go so far as to become an Elite like me.-she extended her hand towards him, in a gesture of offering.

Noah didn't answer, instead pointing Warrior's Heart at her.

-I see...that is your answer. A fitting answer for a warrior, indeed. But also the last words of a dead man. You leave me no choice!-she exclaimed.

Suddenly the ground around Noah, no, the whole arena started to shake violently. The boy looked at Lucy, who was sitting atop of pieces of rubble and saw her biting her lip, her eyes glued to Terri. She had quite the nervous expression, so Noah knew he couldn't count on her for advise on the cause of the shaking, for it seemed that she didn't have a clue either. He felt an enormous pressure crashing down upon him. The soul power Terri was releasing was incredible! He looked at her, her expression rigid, in deep concentration. She took a deep breath and then stabbed her Blade into the ground, burying it until nothing remained but the handle. She knelt next to it and grabbed the handle with both her hands, launching a final look towards Noah.

-May the gods have mercy on your soul for this is my final resource!

"Mer-cy...? Final resource? What is she planning?!" he thought.

-Ultima Soul! "Titan's Sword" !!!- she shouted, her voice rising above the crumbling and pulled the Blade's handle towards herself, standing up as she pulled from the ground yet another nightmare.

*

-This room's clear. How about you, Mercedes?

-This one is also clear, Mr. Eldus. Did they really send all of their staff to fight us? It's almost ridiculous how empty this place is.

-Well, this is a temporary base, so it's not that big of a surprise.

Eldus and Mercedes were finished checking out their assigned rooms and soon joined the rest of the group in the base's cafeteria. They had all split up to find any stragglers left behind and a way to get to the arena to support Lucy. But didn't have such luck for everyone else didn't find nothing at all.

-Ok, so we can assume this place is empty, aside from Terri, right?- Gee asked, scratching his head. -Me and Rye found some rope in a storage room so we went back outside to tie up the soldiers we beat up, but aside from that, we didn't find jack. Are you sure you didn't find a way to the arena, Merceny?

The boy grunted, his arms crossed.

-No, I didn't. This is bullshit, I wanted to find Terri so I could finally fight her and prove my worth to Lucy, but there's no door anywhere...!

-How about we go around the building?- Mercedes suggested.

-Yeah...we should've done that sooner, don't ya think, Eldus?- Gee asked.

-No. That won't be necessary.- he answered.

-Huh? Why do you say that?- Rye asked.

Eldus reached inside his robe and took out a rolled up piece of paper, which he spread on a table. It was a map of the base. It featured a detailed print of the base they were in, including the arms storage room, the common areas, the dorms, but no arena was attached as a division to the base. Instead...

-See this circle over here?- Eldus pointed a circle drawn on the corner of the map, away from the base's building.

-Is that...the arena?- Mercedes asked. -But it isn't attached to the base's building...! In fact, it's quite far from here!

-What...? Didn't the soldiers you interrogated say that the arena was close to here, Merceny?- Rye asked.

Merceny looked confused too.

-Y-Yeah, they even gave said that the arena was pretty close by to the base and if someone would go southwest from Soula, that we'd find it with no problem, so I thought it was pretty close by...

-So, why aren't we getting caught up in the fight?- Gee asked.

-No...I get it now...- Eldus muttered.

-What do you mean, Mr. Eldus...?

-It was all a trap...!- he exclaimed and bolted out of the cafeteria. The others traded looks of shock and followed him outside the base.

-W-what do you mean, a trap?!-Gee asked.

-There was never an actual arena joint the base! The place where Noah and Lucy are must be a custom arena built by Terri herself! She was born under Tera, so it'd be no problem for her to do such a feat, and even build a way to get from here to the base!

-Why would she even need to do that?!- Gee asked again.

-To buy herself some time. She knew that Lucy wouldn't come alone so she planned to lure her to the arena by giving her soldiers fake directions to give Merceny so that she could split us up, fooling us into thinking the base and the arena were close by, but instead, trapping Lucy and Noah away from us!

-What?! Then what was that huge soul power we felt when we were done fighting the soldiers?- Mercedes asked.

-That still is Terri's Soul Crash. Her soul power is so grand that when it burst, even we could feel it from over here, but can you feel it now,Mercedes?

She went quiet for awhile as the group followed Eldus throughout the sand, with no apparent destination.

-N-no, I can't...

-That's right. Even if her Soul Crash is still active, her soul power is now stable enough that it won't be felt from so far away. That means there is no way a normal BladeMaster can trace it back to her location.

-Then what do we do?! Lucy and Noah might be in danger!

Eldus looked back at her with a smirk.

-You forget that you're talking to Soula's very own Sage, Mercedes. I won't be so easily outsmarted. I was naive to have not done this sooner, so it seems that my warfare tactical skills are still a bit rusted but no more.- he directed his gaze upwards.

Mercedes looked up at Eldus's staff. The crystal sphere on top of it shone in small intervals and it seemed to be speeding up or slowing down, depending on which direction Eldus waved the staff at.

-Wait, you're tracking down Terri's soul power!- Mercedes brightened up.

-Yes, this staff also works as a soul power detector and it's picking up on a strong signal.

Gee looked around as they ran.

-But I can't see anything! All I see is sand and more sand!

-Terri's arena must be farther away than we thought. She's quite the tactician, I must say, but she won't beat me..! There!- he pointed to an apparent normal spot on the sand, but when reached it, he swung the staff, the sand flying away like dust revealing what it was hiding: the lid of an underground hatch.

-Is this...?- Rye asked.

-Yes, it is the path that leads to the arena. No one in their sane mind would traverse such a harsh desert like we did everyday, so Terri must have built this tunnel to go between the arena and the base with ease.- he then opened the lid, revealing a hole with some stairs going down. He beckoned the group to quickly follow him as they went down the stairs. After a while, they were in a dark long tunnel. A cool breeze greeted them.

-This is quite the structure... I fear what might happen if we leave those two at the hands of such a fearsome opponent. Let us proceed posthaste!- the Sage exclaimed as they started running down the tunnel.

Yes, they might have figured out a way to reach Noah and Lucy but would they get there in time? Eldus bit his lip at the thought, running as fast as his old legs would let him.

"You better not be doing something stupid, Lucy. We're coming for you!!!"