⁕ A Needle To Bring Down A Storm

The gentle wind blew through the peaceful and quiet night. Mike remained awake while Kadyn slept soundly clutched to his arm. As the clock approached 2 AM, Mike gently used a pillow to quickly replace his arm from Kadyn's embrace. Then, silently, Mike snuck out of bed and used his ability to discreetly fly all his clothes to him. However, just as he was about to leave, a hand suddenly grabbed him and held him back.

[Kadyn] - "At least tell me if you are going out. "

[Mike] - "Didn't you say you wanted to pretend? Now, go back to sleep, it's all just a dream. "

Said Mike in a comforting voice as he turned to face Kadyn.

[Kadyn] - "I just want to say... I can't stop you from being who you are. After everything, I want to trust you again. That part you said about this being your home and me being your one and only, will you hold on to your words? "

[Mike] - "Ain't dealing with unruly bastards just what I'm born to do? Just see this as another day at work and I'll be back on time for dinner. "

Said Mike with a confident grin.

[Kadyn] - "Go be the Mike I love and know that... "

Kadyn suddenly leaned in and kissed Mike on the cheek.

[Kadyn] - "...You are not alone out there. I'm fighting alongside you. "

Said Kadyn in a caring voice.

Unable to resist his wife's cute look, Mike abruptly grabbed Kadyn and shared a passionate French kiss with her.

Meanwhile, a few hours ago, CR-455 and his two henchmen were confronted by the most powerful Blue Guards the Allied Forces can offer. One of the guards immediately attacked War as he was using a massive tornado to tear up an Allied facility. The guard used his ability to lift massive rocks off the ground before turning them into streams of lava and hurling them at War. However, with the simple snap of his finger, War instantly caused the guard's attack to cease as his lungs were filled with water.

As a massive raincloud was shoved inside his body, the guard quickly choked on water before his whole body imploded like a water balloon. Finally, to War's complete apathy, the guard exploded in a pool of blood and guts as a white cloud escaped his body. During this time, another three guards charged Death with their abilities active. This time, as Death tried to fight back with conjured projectiles, the guards were easily able to shrug it off as one of them provided the rest with protection.

[Death] - "Fools... Your mortal struggle is nothing but a particle of dust in the grand scheme of things. Your ignorance is the result of your hubris. "

Said Death as his voice echoed in the air.

With a single wave of his hand, the three guards were immediately muted on a cellular level to unrecognizable beings with no appendages or senses. Like a few blobs of sentient flesh, the guards fell to the ground and began crawling away like scared animals. Finally, the strongest of the Guards was sent after CR-455.

At first, he charged at CR-455 and launched a few good exchanges against him. Since CR-455 was fighting for the first time in a long time, the unnamed guard gave him a quite hard time as he fought relentlessly against him by constantly pummeling him with punches or sneaking powerful attacks against him. However, after becoming frustrated with his opponent's resilient nature, CR-455 let out a scummy smirk as he activated his ultimate attack.

[CR-455] - "Puppet Courtroom: ... "

On the guard's side, he only heard CR-455 murmur something before a hand was driven through his chest. To his surprise, CR-455 was already behind him and had landed a fatal strike on him before he could even react. It felt as if his opponent had suddenly teleported behind him. As the guard tried to fight back with what strength remained in him, his arms suddenly fell from his shoulders as they were cut off before his brain could process it.

[CR-455] - "You stood in the way of the wrong man. You will now die for disrespecting your God! "

Said CR-455 with a malicious smile.

With one swing of his hand, CR-455 discarded the last guard and allowed him to free fall to his death. Now, with nothing standing in their way, CR-455 looked at the horizon, knowing that everything in front was for him to conquer. The trio's rampage was swift as they left nothing but destruction and death wherever they went.

Later, as Mike arrived at the aftermath of their rampage, he could only find entire cities decimated with almost no survivors remaining. Mike, followed closely behind by Dane, strolled through multiple ghost towns devasted by the trio's passage. The more time they passed through the devasted landscapes, the more worried Dane became.

[Dane] - "No offence, Mike, but shouldn't we be at the frontline where the son of bitches are? "

[Mike] - "I know all the carnage isn't easy to stomach either it be the aftermath or the ongoing situation but if we jump in without a proper plan or knowledge about our enemies, the ensuing catastrophe could put my life and the lives of everyone still alive in danger. "

Said Mike as he quickly took note of his surroundings.

[Dane] - "What's the darn plan and why are we observin' the result of their carnage? "

Said Dane as he started to lose patience.

[Mike] - "It's been a hot minute since I last fought a proper battle against opponents like this. From the pattern of the attacks to the direction of their advance, all are useful knowledge for ensuring a proper victory. "

Said Mike as he tried to compile everything he had seen so far in his mind.

On the Southern side, the destructions were indicative of a natural disaster; Likely a storm, a flood or a massive shift in temperature resulting in an artificial ice age or an artificial volcanic eruption. Toward the Mid-Western side, Mike noticed a pattern of pestilence attacks or biological attacks which either killed through powerful pathogens or lethal instantaneous genetic mutations. Finally, in the Northern towns, a pattern of devastations with no distinct correlation to each other was observed by Mike.

[Mike] - "Hmm... Alright, I got it. You can go now, Dane. Do you want to return to the Allies or do you have anywhere else to go? "

Said Mike as he turned to face Dane.

[Dane] - "I want nothin' to do with them savages. The Allied Forces are as immoral as them enemies they are fighting against. I know a fellow partner who set up a base in Antarctica, and I wish to go there. "

Before Dane could finish, Mike immediately took Dane to the skies and flew to Antarctica within a few seconds. As they landed, Dane was still in a state of confusion as he wasn't used to travelling this fast.

[Mike] - "Which side of Antarctica? "

[Dane] - "Holy Jesus, what the fuck is going on? "

Yelled Dane in a panic as the freezing wind blew against his face.

[Mike] - "Come on, Dane, we got people to save. Spill the bean within 10 seconds top. "

[Dane] - "Damn it, West side, just drop me off at station Beta 8. "

Soon, Mike dropped Dane in front of a massive research station covered in snow.

[Dane] - "Sweet mother of Christ, what about my equipment and belongings at the old lab? "

Said Dane as he trembled in the cold.

[Mike] - "I'll have them delivered to you later. Also, consider my debt to you paid. After this whole affair, my wife and I will be moving to another place. "

Said Mike as he generated a shield which protected them both from the elements.

[Dane] - "Right... Look, Mike, they went after me. It was never my intention to expose where you and Kadyn lived. "

[Mike] - "Sigh... Whatever the truth is, I intend to stay hidden this time. "

Said Mike as he brushed the snow off his coat.

[Dane] - "I reckon this might be where we part way, partner. If you require my help in the future, you know where to find me. "

Said Dane as he extended his hand toward Mike.

Mike quickly shook Dane's hand while giving him an acknowledging nod. As soon as Mike let go, he immediately disappeared into the air like a flash of lightning.

[Dane] - "Good luck! "

Said Dane as he saluted the sky.

Meanwhile, War arrived atop a building overlooking the city of Marseille. With an activation of his ability, the sky abruptly went dark as rain poured down upon the city like a waterfall. Then, the calm ocean began to rock violently before a wave measuring upwards of a few hundred metres materialized in front of the beach.

While thousands ran for their lives, Mike suddenly appeared amidst the crowd and headed in the opposite direction. The wind blew violently against his hair while the wave blocked all daylight by casting its shadow upon him. Without an ounce of fear in his eyes, Mike activated his crystals and illuminated the darkness with a bright shiny blue glow.

[Mike] - "What an amateur attack. "

Mocked Mike as one of his blue eyes turned amber.

In an instant, the massive wave was pushed away from the beach before being pushed back down into the ocean. As he turned around, he noticed the rain which was flooding the city.

[Mike] - "Echoeing Verdict: Stormkiller Needle. "

Said Mike as he mimicked a pistol with his fingers.

In an instant, the entire storm cloud was pushed out of view by a massive expanding force in its middle. Without delay, all the rainwater rushed out of the city toward the ocean and curved around Mike as 500 million litres of water passed beside him. All the while, Mike wasn't even phased as he literally undid War's entire attack against the city.

As Mike landed atop the building where War stood, he was surprised to find his enemy waiting for his arrival.

[War] - "When I saw you clear my attacks with such ease, I knew I was dealing with an enemy worthy of my respect. "

Said War as he caressed his horse's neck.

[Mike] - "You were a guardian of the crystal cave if I remember correctly. What compelled you to change your profession to a terrorist? "

Said Mike as he slowly marched toward War.

[War] - "I simply follow what instruction fate has for me. When I was awakened by CR-455, I simply allowed things to happen. I don't make the decision, I'm merely following the rules. "

[Mike] - "Yeah, Hitler's generals said the same bloody thing at their trial. "

[War] - "Yet, it's my conscious decision to spare those who do not deserve wrath. CR-455 ordered me to conquer cities, so I manipulated my attacks to only target military installations and personnel. While I can't save every innocent, I try not to kill indiscriminately. Therefore, I'm no terrorist, I'm simply a warrior abiding by my orders. "

Mike thought back at the towns and cities left by War's advance and realized how most civilians were still alive with only partial damage to their houses and infrastructures.

[Mike] - "You do not lie, I applaud that. "

[War] - "If you are here to stop me, then let's settle this at a more desolate area. "

After both arriving on an empty field populated only by potato plants and trees, both War and Mike stood a mere few metres away from each other. While Mike showed confidence, War didn't show fear either considering how unmatched he is in this situation.

[Mike] - "Call your brother and your master. No chaos is allowed while I'm present. "

[War] - "They were already alerted. "

[Mike] - "Good, I will be done with you before one of them arrives. "

Said Mike with a grin.

War immediately launched a lightning strike against Mike but before the bolt of electricity could reach him, another event was already in motion.

[Mike] - "Existential Judgement: First Dimension. "

Mike's attack was instant and deadly but with War's quick reaction speed, only one of his legs alongside his hands were annihilated before he defended himself. By filling the space in front of him with water, War managed to halt Mike's attack as compressing water is an insanely difficult task which requires a lot of energy. While the water slowed the attack down, War used all of his power to push himself away from Mike's attack. Finally, when the lightning bolt finally struck Mike, War was already bleeding heavily and exhausted. To add insult to injury, Mike wasn't even scratched by the bolt which passed right through him.

[Mike] - "Looks like you are more resilient than you appear. "

[War] - "You aren't just a normal crystal user... Your powers are beyond what I could imagine. Just who are you? How can you remain so relaxed while opening a gate to the likes of hell? "

Said War as he struggled to catch his breath.

[Mike] - "I'm just some guy who's been forced to save the world when he just wants to enjoy life with his family. You see, I might look quite alright, but trust me, I'm really fucking pissed right now. "

Said Mike in a half-sarcastic, half-serious way.

War quickly pulled himself together and began conjuring another attack. However, he didn't realize that Mike wasn't joking as he was seriously getting frustrated with the drawn-out one-sided fight.

[Mike] - "I would just let myself die if I were you earlier. The only price you will win now is pain I wish upon no one from a technic even I'm not a fan of. "

Said Mike with a serious tone in his voice.

[War] - "If I were to perish, so be it. Fate has every one of us chained and my fate is already predetermined no matter what choice I make. "

Said War as he showed no sign of backing down.

As powerful jets of compressed water rushed toward him, Mike's only expression was that of pure focus with intent to kill.

[Mike] - "Existential Judgement: 2nd Dimension. "

The second dimension stipulates that lines be drawn from the initial point from the first dimension. Basically, the best demonstration of the second dimension is the characters inside a manga or comic book. Their illustrations are all done with the drawing of lines from one or multiple departure points while confined within the X, Y and Z axes. Under Mike's 2nd dimension attack, particles and molecules gain random geometry and size as random theoretical lines emerge from them.

In an instant, War's water streams evaporated into thin air as hydrogen atoms and oxygen atoms were pushed apart by their new size and geometry. Following this, War felt an abrupt pain across his entire body as cuts and openings formed on his flesh. At that moment, War might not realize it but he was being torn apart on a molecular level by Mike's attack. To conserve his energy, Mike stopped his attack right when War passed out before smashing him into a small hill. As rocks and debris finally fell, Mike took one look at the state of his enemy and knew that War was done for.

However, there was simply no time for rest as Mike felt another presence around him. When he turned around, he saw Death standing not far from him with a smirk on his face. However, the sight of Death was not what worried him but it was instead CR-455's absence as he is a much bigger threat with Sniper's ability at his hand. An air of paranoia set in as Mike remembered how much of a struggle it was when he fought Sniper.

[Death] - "What are you waiting for, young warrior? Come at me. "

To be continued...