The Nature of Battle

Over the skies of Montreal...Nur sat with three of the Gen 3 Novas, on their way to the Canadian city, of Montreal. They were to meet up with the French and Canadian Guardians who were already engaging the child of Atlas and her army.An explosion trembled the world around them and shook the shuttle, as it got closer to the battle site. One of the world's busiest cities was now in shambles, as people scrambled to safety. The sound of fighter jets whizzing overhead, shuddered the shuttle even more, before the android piloting them, switched on exterior soundproof. Making everything seem calm.Nur noticed Maria, a Gen 3 with exceptional talent, trembling out of anxiety for the mission. It's not as though, she had completely killed her fear, of fighting in space, but compared to the first time. She felt she had changed, just a bit. Enough for her to reach out and gently comfort her."It's gonna be alright. You'll know what to do when you're down there."Maria nodded back and put on a brave smile, trying to hide her anxiety. "Right. We'll save everyone, while the First Gen are gone and show them how awesome we are when they come back!"Nur smiled. She remembered when she first met her, after her training session with Runa, Tai and Nate. A group of the Gen 3 crowded at the stands and murmured to themselves, as they watched them. However once they were done, they rushed to talk to each of their favourites. Most of the guys, immediately rushed Tai and Nate, as a majority of the girls, moved to crowd around Runa.It seemed as though at first, that she had been left alone. However, suddenly behind her, she heard a quiet voice. "Umm... Excuse me."Nur looked back and saw a timid woman, around her height, along with two more nervous Novas behind her. "Umm... Sorry for bothering you, but..." She looked back at her friends who just glared back, to finish her sentence. "Can we please have your autograph?"She handed her a poster of the Novas and different things to sign, leaving Nur stunned. "Your fight against Catoria had me at the edge of my seat. I'm so glad you stayed." Maria began to tear up. "...And the Nova Arrow was incredible!"Nur wasn't too surprised to have fans, since many had followed her on social media, ever since her debut. Yet, seeing someone inspired by her, and looking up to her that way, elevated a new type of confidence within her, that she didn't know she had.She signed some of the other items and stayed behind to give them pointers and tips. Now fast-forwarding in time, she hoped the Novas were now ready to face what was truly out there.Saphyra's instructions were clear, find and eliminate all Cerian troops roaming around the city. However, Nur's instructions were different."Victory rests on you. Call to abort, if things get rough." She spoke to her, in private at her office.Nur looked at her, with complete confidence. The others were fighting monsters abroad. She wanted to personally make sure that there would be something to return to."That won't be necessary.""Very well... You'll hold primary command on the mission I'll assist as another pair of eyes.""Roger."Now, present time...The shuttle stopped, hovering above a disaster site near the middle of the city. The Novas could feel, enemy troops and three guardians down below, with one fading. The largest and most menacing presence they felt, was the princess'.Yet, without hesitating, each of them dove out of the shuttle and free fell, as Nur gave them instructions. "Assist Aaliyah in pushing back the invaders, then regroup with me against the main target.""Right." Her juniors spoke in unison, then streamed off in different directions, to assist the Canadian Guardian.She watched them go off, then directed her attention towards the largest power. She caught herself on a platform of ice, then glided past a damaged building, before dropping down and interrupting a battle.One that seemed to be over, by the looks of it. Kyrianna, the 102nd princess of the Cerian Empire, had completely caved in the face of the second Canadian Guardian. While the French Guardian started to back up.They had thrown, everything they had at her, but the monster, just wouldn't budge. The princess stared at him, wondering what he would do, but then decided not to find out and raised her fist along with the lifeless corpse still hanging from it. Then, shot out a beam of lava, lasering towards him, while her attachment, fell off from the heat.Instinctively the Guardian, raised his hands and called forth an avalanche of ice, escaping his palm, but were melted away, as soon as they collided, with the princess' attack.Before he was tragically engulfed, Nur managed to pull him out of harm's way. He looked back at her and thanked her. She nodded back in response, recalling his name may have been something along the lines of Joël."No!"Both of them, immediately turned their attention, toward the princess. She had started to walk towards them, with an angry look on her face. Contrary to her demeanour, she was stunning, with dark skin and silver hair, like her father. Piercing them with a gaze, were cold red eyes, that seemed to radiate complete authority and no tolerance."He was supposed to die there. What makes you think, you can interfere with the path of life?" Her question was directed at Nur, with complete hostility, as if the Nova had done something wrong."What the hell are you even talking about? What makes you think you can kill people?!" Nur reported back.Kyrianna shook her head. "This overpopulated place, filled with despair, has long been overdue thinning and I was chosen to be the butcher."As she finished, speaking, she clutched her hand, as sharp metal blades, manifested underground, right below Joël's feet, and sprung up, like a flower trap. Aiming to slice him apart, however, Nur was quicker, and had him in the air, before it reached him. He followed up by shooting spikes of ice and raising, frozen cars to throw at her.The princess jumped through the cars and chased him, while Nur switched into first gear and flew after them. They zipped through the city, as Joël tried to swerve and juke his assailant in midair and around buildings. However, he got way too close to one, allowing her to explode the glass windows and throw him off course.She caught him by the neck, and smiled, as they rocketed down into the ground. Instinctively, he frosted his body all over and braced for impact. However, Nur could sense other intentions."No!" She yelled after them, unable to keep up. The Nova reached her hand out to them just as they landed and shook the city.Joel managed to survive but was knocked out by the impact, but the princess didn't stop there. Nur tried to layer his body with more ice as Kyrianna continued to hold her grip on him tightly, then a bubble of magma wrapped around him and her wrist, and began cooking him alive, before sinking him deep below.She cut her wrist off just before, then spun around to the horrified Nova and spat. "There goes your ideals."Nur gripped her fists to her side, angrily, before reciprocating the princess's charge, as they exchanged fists of determination, aiming to bring each other down. However, in moments, Nur had started to get overpowered, as the princess used a dirty tactic, in the middle of their exchange, and completely poked out her left eye, then kneed her gut and knocked the wind out of her. Pushing her dozens of meters back, before the princess socked her once more through, several buildings.Kyrianna walked, into the Nova's landing spot, seeing her groan, with her brown hair, sprawled all over her face. A metal rod had impaled her, through her appendix. The force at which Kyrianna had hit her with, was greater than any she had ever taken in her life. Even from Amaara and Norah, she thought, as she tried to laugh to ease the pain.She knew she was going to die.The princess looked down at her disappointed. "I've heard about you Novas. A force trying to maintain a new order, with justice, but they forgot one thing."She squatted, and looked Nur deep in her eyes, while the building she had landed in, crumbled down, however, the damage unnaturally avoided their vicinity."Order comes with strength, which therefore determines justice. Therefore it is my right, to pass down judgement on you all." The princess stared to her, as if it, were a fact.Nur laughed out loud, to her face. "I'm not saying I'm ever qualified or worthy of anything, but you're just metal and blood, welded to a loud mouth, who the hell would pick you for anything?"The princess stood back up and scoffed. "Hilarious." She looked around her as all became quiet, once everything had settled down, except for the blaring ambulances and police sirens in the distance."Well, let's see, what you think, after I-"She was cut off as a versillium bullet, made its mark, on her forehead. Sent by a sniper, two and a half kilometres out. It was the only way, to avoid her senses from picking it up. The rifles were developed specially for combat against the children of Atlas, to have faster and more power than any other rifle on Earth.Handling them, were Saphyra's clones, spread out in key areas around them. Half a second in, Hector and Zaiden two of the Gen 3, Nur had sent to handle things in the city, had landed in front of her. Then, struck the princess with fire & electricity, away from the vicinity and into a large parking lot.Once she was there, rays of light surrounded her, before an ever-pouring beam of laser fire, razed down on her. Then drones raced overhead, dropping missiles, followed by Zaiden, clearing the smoke with a slice of electricity and everyone repeating the bombardment. The Canadian Military along with Beyond Forces set up positions to aim at her from all around the area and fired, once it was their turn. The princess was completely surrounded.Soft footsteps landed near Nur, as Maria rushed to her side and helped her off the rod, impaling her. "You shouldn't have come here." Nur rasped, shuddering in pain, but holding herself together.Maria, was in shock, the attack on the city and what she had been witnessing on the way here, was beginning to take a toll on her mind. "I'm not letting you die." She denied the truth, but seeing blood gush out of the wound she was trying to close and the Novas eye, demoralized her even more.She injected a syringe into Nur's thigh and then frosted over all of her wounds while healing her as much as she could. Nur watched her, amazed at her strength and reminding her of how she was when she first debuted with Norah.It gave her the strength to raise her hand and lend her some energy. Her wounds started to close up as the fire and explosions in the background, had started to die down. It seemed as though everything would be resolved quickly and that the princess would be eliminated with ease.People around the world, sighed in relief, seeing real progress against such threats. The drone footage hovered above Kyrianna barely a torso, with part of her head missing, yet still reforming back.She laid in the middle of a scorched and flaming crater, as constant shots, continued to sail into her. Then, in a moment, almost too quick for the camera to catch, but a figure dropped down on her, causing a 7.1 magnitude earthquake in the blink of an eye. While, ripping electricity and an electromagnetic shockwave across, a major part of the city.Everything for kilometres was flattened as buildings, roads, trees and cars were uprooted and destroyed. The prince, stood above his reforming sister growling."Why didn't you call me?" He asked her angrily."Because I knew you would do this." She replied back, spurting blood, as her throat fixed itself back into place.His face shifted into the most devious and heinous-looking expression you could expect out of someone. "Xyrisa touched down. Do you know, just how long I've been waiting!" He put his hands to his face, with two fingers apart on his left eyebrow and the middle on his nose, while smiling in an unhinged manner. "There's no one here that can stop us, this is the perfect hunting ground."He continued while spinning around and looking at the destruction he caused. "I've just received word that the Kirosian fleet may be invading soon as well. Prince Dacaari and Princess Thyra may be leading the operation."Kyrianna's eyes grew wide open. "The royal brats!"The prince laughed, as he started walking back to her. "I don't think they're brats anymore. Anyways, why did you allow these worms, to shave away half a million of your lifespan.""I was teaching them despair. This is roughly the amount of pain, I was about to return to them." She replied back.The prince shook his head and sighed. "Kyri, you're still doing that thing, with feeling their pain, before giving them mercy.""It is the least I could do, before granting them salvation. Tamun, do you mind helping me up?" Her knees had just reformed back, placing her at nearly 70% recovered.Tamun reached his hand out, about to grab hold of her hand. "Sure, I'll top you off on life as well, there's enough for me to eat-"He was cut off by a sniper knocking Kyrianna back down. Then a loud megaphone-like voice, echoed, across their vicinity. "Step away from the target and lie down with your arms behind your back!"The prince veered back, looking off into the distance then smiled. A stone shot into his hands with the help of static electricity, then charged it, till it could no longer be seen among the swirling energy. He aimed, far off where the shot came from, as another nearly struck the back of his head, before he ducked, then spun to to throw his stone at lightning speed.A wave of electricity ripped the landscape before, ending at a collapsed building where the sniper was stationed. Tamun looked back at his sister, completely ecstatic. "I'm going all out."She grunted, as her cheek closed up again. "Leave me the eyeless one and make her watch."The prince smiled, as electricity cracked all around him, before blue veins coursed through his, pale greyish skin, bringing out his cold storm-like eyes. His hair flowed the way his father's did, but something about him made him more unhinged than the rest of his siblings. "Anything for you, my dear sister."The princess rolled her eyes. She knew she was only a second thought to him. A wire of electricity connected itself to her, from the soles of his feet and filled her with energy.One of the Saphyra's drones noticed and called out. "Fire the Sky Hammer!"A laser beam of light surrounded the two siblings as the prince looked around surprised them smiled realizing what was happening. Before it bared down with laser speed, he thrusted one hand to the sky, while pulling together a purple sphere of electricity. Violently crackling with intensity, before he released it and yelled out to the world."Those of you who are watching! I am the 97th Prince of Ceria, Tamun, the Great! Revel at the might of my strength!" As he finished his sentence, his beam had just managed to match the output of the satellite's laser, holding it back from touching the ground, as it sliced apart the areas it got through."Aah!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, as his beam overtook the laser and made it to its destination. Causing a dim quiet explosion to those below."Ahahaha." The prince laughed, once it was all safe. "Incredible, now what else do they have in store for me?"With a flash he disappeared, as electricity trailed him, to the first sniper, then the rest, as the camera struggled to follow his movements. Several soldiers had just gotten back up on their feet from his first descent. Many had gone to help aid the others, as well as resume back to their positions.However, none were able to see him coming. He used the most efficient way possible, whether it was snapping their necks, by tilting their chins on his drive-by or impaling them with his bare hands. He relished the freedom.He stopped when he noticed Hector and Zaiden glaring at him, as they injected themselves with syringes. He smiled, as he started walking closer.Saphyra's voice blared down on them once again. "Novas evacuate immediately. I repeat, Novas, please evacuate immediately."Hector was shaking, frozen in fear, as he ran through his options. Then, he heard, Zaiden yell out, as he struck himself with electricity and brought his energy to its limits.Zaiden looked back at his comrade, then nodded. "Static: Final Bolt!" He yelled as he zipped towards the prince, with incredible speed. The ground ripped up beneath his feet, as clouds trailed behind him.There wasn't a moment for him to reflect on anything as the prince passed through him, with speed the Nova could not fathom. As the prince stopped, the blood, from his opponent whipped off him, and splashed across Hector's cheek as he shuddered even more.Deep heaving in fear, then lost himself to rage, as he charged at the monster in a fiery rage to avenge his friend. Tamun razed the ground, from the friction, of him spinning in place, quick enough to kick Hector completely out of the city. Sending him right after his comrade, as the prince continued, looking for who was left.Maria screamed, witnessing two of her generation, murdered in front of her. Nur groaned as she brushed off stones, burying her. She was in an immense amount of pain but had just started to gauge what was going on.She watched as the prince walked up to Maria nonchalantly, as he terrified her. "What's wrong? Wait, you didn't like what I did there?" She heard him say, as he grabbed hold of Maria's head like a ball, ignoring, the volleys and spikes of ice she frantically struck at him.Nur struggled to get up and get a running start. She couldn't let what he intended, occur. A path of ice trailed from her hands, as she fell a second time, however it was melted apart, by a sudden crevice of molten lava manifesting and stopping her. Then, titanium and steel restraints rose up from the ground and held her standing in place, helpless as Maria continued to struggle against the prince.She turned her head slightly, seeing Kyrianna, walking towards them with one palm up facing her, as the other was still reforming and her head slightly still bent. "Witness true salvation and accept reality.""No! Wait!" The Nova struggled against her restraints, as they clanked against themselves, yet held fast. She looked over at Maria, who had just given up and reached one hand out to her."Save me." Her final words, before he instantaneously clutched his hands together and pressed her eyes in, while using an unnecessary amount of electric force. Blood splattered all over the prince and covered Nur's face stopping short at Kyrianna's foot, just as the princess got to her.Tamun took the blood on his hands and rubbed his eyes to his face with it, while Maria's headless body fell to the floor. "Ahhhh, Yes!" He looked out at one of the sky drones, as it focused in on his face, while it kept tabs on him. "That's the stuff."An uproar resounded across the world, as people were enraged, by the horrific killing. Phones at Beyond and Government offices blew up, but there were no answers, as all they could do was watch on, hoping someone would do something.However, at the moment, Nur knew the only person, anyone could count on was her. Unfortunately though, at the moment she knew she was the worst person to have been chosen for this power. A ghost memory, of her cousin's corpse floating amongst flotsam, in the tsunami's water, haunted her as she looked at Maria's body.Emotions, she could not explain, coursed through her, freezing her still in shock, however, her rage burned her mind clear. Cutting into her reality, was Saphyra tuning in on her comm. "Nur, if you can cause a distraction, I have a team on standby to pull you out. We'll try again soon, once we recover."Nur trembled as her vision settled on the prince. "Not while he's still alive... I'll never forgive you."Snow had started to fall at a blizzard amount, all around them. Lightning struck through the ominous dark clouds, as a miniature heat wave, had started, to develop around the Nova.Then a voice, that seemed to echo with joy & vigour, yelled out to her from within. Then, began shifting her vision to an ethereal realm, as she caught a glimpse of his silhouette and environment. "Thank the stars! My search has come to an end! I have finally found one who might be ready to face them!"