Stand Your Ground

Selvin didn't hesitate, as he powered up the laser, within the Prime's palm. "Kaletor!"

The prince looked up, annoyed to be distracted by the horrid scene he was creating. However, the beam erupted out of the mech's palm at frightening speed. Forcing Kaletor to instinctively, raise the platform he was standing on, as a shield.

Holding it together as the laser pushed him several kilometres away and into a massive mountain before it dissipated. The platform, crumbled to dust, as he breathed out a sigh of relief.

"I didn't know he was capable of producing such energy. I will have to take him out first, before playing with the other ants." He advised himself, seeing the Prime racing towards him. Then grinned, while raising dozens of golems, hurdling through the sky, to welcome the challenge. "Aerial Stone Raid!"

Selvin raised the Prime's right arm in front of him and let loose a shower of machine gun fire, shattering several of the golems apart. However, some outmaneuvered the downpour of bullets, then crashed onto the Prime and latched on.

Before long there were too many weighing down the mech and forced it to crash down near the prince, as Selvin tried grabbing hold of them. Managing to only rip some off, before he opted to let off a large, electric shock to crumble down the rest into pieces.

The Prime turned to face Kaletor. "You'll pay for what you have done!" Selvin yelled, through the microphone.

The prince grinned in response. "This is war! Why are you mad? Soldiers die all the time!"

Selvin had the Ultra reach for its sword, sheathed on its back. "No, I've been through many battles. I can see it in your eyes. You get a kick-off of this, don't you? Harming those, that can't harm you back... You make me sick." The general spat, disgusted.

Kaletor chuckled. "Big words, coming from a little man in a tin can. I would have crushed you, within your own suit already, but some foreign energy seems to be protecting you."

Selvin made it crouch into a stance, sword clenched and held behind its back, ready to swing at a moment's notice. It started to shrink, while still maintaining mass and bulking up.

An immense amount of power piled up within the Prime and redirected into the sword. Electric currents started racing along the giant blade, as the Prime's suit steamed, ready to go, like a charging bull.

Kaletor noticed what Selvin was trying to do, and gathered energy as large tremors echoed across the land. "Stone Titans!"

A massive stone golem, larger than the Prime, but denser than the golem he made before, rose out of the ground violently and lunged, with frightening speed. Simultaneously, while another same-sized golem, creeped out of the ground, aiming to grab the Prime Ultra from the back.

Selvin was pinched, however he wasn't worried, as he released the throttle and had it shoot forward like a rocket. Leaving cloud trails and smoke while incinerating the golem behind it.

The golem in front was obliterated in less than a second, as the Prime passed through and bulldozed it while targeting the prince. Kaletor leaped forward into the air, unsheathing his versillium longsword and reinforcing it with iko and iron, the toughest material he could pull from the earth.

To Selvin's surprise, his strike was cancelled out, leaving carnage all around them, from the impact of their swords colliding. He had the Prime hop back to make some distance, as the prince used the momentum to land back on what remained of the mountain.

"Now Saphyra! Activate the Sky Hammer!" Selvin, yelled out, as a massive laser, appearing faster than Kaletor could react, hit him dead center as he landed on his feet. The Prime was pushed back from the force and winds caused by the constant fiery beam of death, raining from the skies above.

Sarah and Saphyra had tweaked around with the Sky Hammer satellites, making them more efficient and controlled by drones under their control. Breaching many International laws, which she ignored or put on hold, on the premise that she was responsible for the fate of the world. Prompting Selvin to notice more and more that she had started to become more human.

As the smoke cleared, the general scanned deep within the massive crater, carved away by the Sky Hammer. There was no sign of life. He raised his hand in the air, celebrating his victory. Too early as the Prime started to rise, being grasped by two massive stone and iron hands. A fate too late for the mech to escape. The prince appeared, in front of Selvin, while gasping for air, as he leaped out of the ground.

His body was having a hard time reforming over 40% of his body back. "I will relish this!" He yelled out to him.

Mary spoke up, blaring warning signs. "Selvin! You have to get out! Eject now!"

Kaletor grasped his hands together. "Iron Grasp!

The hands clasped, signalling the demolition of the Prime Ultra, while a small figure ejected itself out of the back safely. Selvin tried not to panic, watching the massive hands drop the remains of his mech back down.

He noticed the left arm was still intact, as it stuck out when he got captured. He cut his parachute, then broke his fall rolling over, while immediately drawing out his trusty eagle and dagger, both modified by Sarah, for space combat.

His Nova Lite suit, drew strength from his life and the environment around him, releasing the limiters, Sarah had put in place. They were updated to the maximum potential of Tobi's current basic strength, it was the only hope he had of not being killed instantly.

The prince dropped down out of the sky, kicking up a ring of smoke and dust. "Like a bug, you survive. You have no power, yet you dare defy those superior to you. Who do you think you are!"

The Nova Lite suit protracted a protective helmet from the neck of the suit and over his head. Selvin emptied his clip, watching his bullets fly off Kaletor, then switched it to its laser mode and continued firing.

The prince shook his head while blocking the laser fire with stone and iron barriers, as his body finished reforming. "They never learn..."

Two iron golems rose out of the ground, reaching for him. He fired at them, aiming for their joints without success, as one of them continued to slap his gun, out of his hand.

"Gah!" Selvin recoiled but didn't hesitate to drive his dagger across its chest, with a surprising impact, as it was sent hurdling back a couple of meters.

'What was that?' He thought to himself, but his attention was quickly cut, by the golem grabbing him from the back.

He struggled at first, but then the golem's arms cracked and blew apart, as he freed himself.

He turned around and punched it in the chest, watching it break into pieces. 'Where was this strength coming from?'

He looked at his arms, noticing blue glowing veins, pulsing across his suit and body. He had ascended.

Mary spoke up while signalling warnings. She had been transferred to his suit. "Selvin the suit is at %150 capacity. Your life expectancy is dropping. You have to end this fight quickly and seek medical attention."

The General shifted into a fighting stance, facing his opponent. "I will Mary, just be ready."

Kaletor could not believe his eyes. "How can you wield such strength? Who gave you all of those gimmicks!"

Selvin smiled, then gritted his teeth getting serious. "You asked who I am? My name is Selvin, One of the Generals of Beyond Space Force and I'll be the last person you'll ever see."

Kaletor was completely annoyed at this point. His anger was visibly boiling over the top, however, he just laughed. "I won't miss this time!" He raised his left hand and gripped it in front of him. "Titan's Grasp!"

Iron and stone hands rose around Selvin enclosing him in. Seconds later, after a series of tremors, an opening crumbled and he leaped out, lunging at Kaletor. However, a golem rose in front of him, to intercept his charge, but it didn't deter him. Instead, Selvin placed one hand on its head and flipped over it. Drop-kicking the prince on the head and into the ground. He used the momentum to gain more air-time to drop one more strike into his back, breaking up the ground around them.

"Ahhhk!" Kaletor yelled out, in excruciating pain.

He winced and quickly twisted himself, tripping Selvin over. Then grabbed his foot, while reinforcing his grip with clay and stone, then threw him toward the remains of the Nova Prime.

Selvin landed rolling over into the Prime's crumpled back. He got up, coughing blood and felt dizzy. No human should be thrown that fast.

He hurled, then sidestepped quickly as Kaletor whizzed past him, crashing into the Prime's remains. Selvin regained his composure, as he looked towards the prince's direction, warily.

Seeing the most bloodthirsty expression written on his face. "I see... You're borrowing the strength of the Rennayans. That's why it was difficult to absorb you back there. Whatever..."

He started making his way towards Selvin, reinforcing himself with a light iron armour. "The old-fashioned way would still be as satisfying."

Selvin knew he should be running right now. He could feel the fear, at the back of his subconscious, but it was as if, somehow it was being pushed to the side, by newfound courage.

For a split second, he first claimed it as a hallucination, but beside him, replicating the same fighting stance, he was holding, was a Rennayan soldier. Moreso one with a decorated uniform, which Selvin could only conclude, that it was someone with the rank of a General.

The man smiled at him, his hazel eyes shimmering with kindness. Then he vanished, as time resumed again.

They leaped at each other, fists colliding, matching blow for blow. However, Selvin was faster and had much more experience with martial arts, overpowering Kaletor and kicking him flying near the Prime's Torso.

Kaletor got up, furious and confused. "This can't be happening! There's no way I should be struggling with a mere insect! I will kill you!"

Stone and rocks started to rise, up above them. Casting an ominous shadow.

Selvin didn't take his eyes off Kaletor for a second, but he started to back away. "Mary... Anytime now."

Mary buzzed in his ear, speaking in a hurried tone. "Just a sec, almost done. Hang in there!"

Selvin started running, flanking in a circle so that Kaletor would not move out of position. He dodged the first few barrages of rubble, running faster than he ever had in his life.

However, moments later, his arrogance caught up to him, as a pitfall appeared out of nowhere. Forcing him to skid to a stop, then leaping to safety.

Only to be surrounded by a barrage of rocks and stones. Instinctively, he raised his hands up, letting off a massive laser beam, as he spun around using up the remainder of his strength.

The laser blew the rocks and stones in front of him to smithereens. He dropped to the floor, coughing and covering his eyes. The cobalt blue veins, along with the rest of his suit, flickered off, powering down.

Kaletor grinned and started making his way towards Selvin. "You underestimated us, Human. We, children of Atlas, are the ones who have been chosen, to lead all creatures closer to God. It is the only way."

Selvin laughed out loud, shaking his head and wiping away a tear. "I don't have a damn clue... About what you're talking about. All I know for sure is that, we're not going to hold back against you guys and I'm pretty sure, you're the one that is underestimating us." He sighed. "Right, Mary?"

Hopping near the Prime's torso, was its arm. Moving with the help of nanites, as it structured wires to funnel power from the Prime's undamaged fuel cell.

Sarah had given, each body part of the Prime the ability to control itself, through a primary host chip. This way it could be repaired, used or act on the user's will, without the need of the entire suit operating.

The arm had already depleted the entire capacity within the Nova Prime, by the time the prince had noticed. He looked back at Selvin, who was smiling.

Immediately, four iron walls rose out of the ground within a second, burning away the little lifespan, Kaletor had been conserving, just as the beam escaped the arm. Ripping through the walls, smoother than butter and burning him alive, faster than he could speak.

Selvin got up and dove for cover, as the remains of the Prime Ultra exploded from the point-blank impact. He groaned out loud to himself as he laid over, clutching his wounds.

"Sarah is going to kill me."