CH. 26 - Keep Trying

On the observation deck where both the Representatives and the teachers are seemingly frozen, they watch as the chaos unfolds before them. As they watch, Professor Nobody slowly begins turning. His eyes sharp and intense as Teach does the same, slowly moving as their bodies get intense.

Professor Nobody, still posed as if in the middle of turning around, lifts his hand with a finger pointed outward in a very specific direction. In an instant, as he seems totally turned around, a black ball of what seems like an empty void, no larger than the the tip of his finger, suddenly fires off and blasts through the walls of the Reigndome without any restraint or hesitation.

Outside, on the same path as before, the same man stands with a smile on his face. He lifts his hand and makes the same gesture as before.

"Suppose we should-"

Suddenly, his eyes grow wide as the black ball blasts straight towards him with physics defying speed. It grows and grows, giving him no time to react as it tears through everything. In an instant, it disappears. The man simply smiles a wide smile as black blood begins to fall from the corners of his mouth.

"I think it's time to leave."

He says as it reveals his entire left arm, along with most of his chest and body, to be gone as if a perfect circle was simply removed from existence, before he just disappears entirely with a whoosh of wind. Nobody simply clicks his tongue in frustration before he hears shouting.

"Professors! Someone is attacking the Academy! The androids are attacking to kill!"

Cole shouts from the base of the observation deck. Nazuna looks over to see Teach already gone, rushing in to help. Nazuna sweats before shouting to the others.

"Reps! Go make sure the students are safe! I'm going to check on Wither!" She shouts as the Reps jump over the railing and Nazuna bolts towards the control room.

Cole watches as they all take action before he lets out a breath of relief, leaning against the wall behind him and catching his breath, revealing him to be more worn out than he originally let on. Nobody then rushes out into the arena with concern clear about his body.

'Seeing all this.. Wolf might be in serious danger.' He thinks as he rushes in to find her.

In the forest area, large booms are heard and even large explosions burst out in quick succession from the woods. Wolf jumps back swiftly over and over as the RD-x7 attacks again and again, its six eyes red and body twitching with sparks bursting out. Wolf is bleeding from her head and has scratches and bruises all over.

Eventually, she slams her back foot down as the android slams upon her its large, extending arm. She blocks the attack as the ground beneath her crushes. She growls and grits her teeth as she struggles to hold back the android. It pushes harder before twisting and slamming one of its three fingered hands into Wolf's face sending her flying back. She smashes into a large boulder behind her as she yelps in pain.

'What the fuck happened?.. It just suddenly went ballistic!..' She thinks as she catches herself, looking at the android sharply. 'I don't think this is intentional. It looks like the android can hardly handle what's happening to it already.'

She thinks as the dark metal of the android creaks and bends with the amount of energy and force it is exerting. Wolf smirks and readies herself.

"Fuck it. Let's go."

She says before dashing straight at it. It pulls back its large arm and strikes forward, colliding with Wolf's own fist. Her arm cracks a bit as the metal groans from the impact. Wolf grits her teeth in pain but holds strong as they push against each other for a moment before shoving each other back.

The android then swings at her twice as she dodges swiftly and sharply only to need to block the heavy left hook it throws, slamming against her arms. She gasps from the impact but holds as it slams its arm against her a couple times before uppercutting her with its other arm.

Blood flies through the air from her nose but with only a moment of hesitation, she swings her head back down with harsh force, slamming into its face. It stumbles back as the ballistic glass on its face crumbles away a bit. Its eyes flicker as it looks at her before swinging at her even faster this time.

Again, Wolf keeps up with the dodges until it lifts both its arms up and slams them into the ground with shocking force. Wolf jumps back up into the air to avoid the shattered ground and large cloud of smoke. Her eyes widen as a large boulder is thrown at her from the ground. It hits her directly as she falls to the ground, smashing into it head first.

She gets to one knee while coughing a bit as three more boulders are jetted at her. She smashes her way through the first one before dashing around the other two and slamming her fist into the chest of the android. She then quickly follows up with a combo of punches to its chest as the android slides back from the attacks. Wolf almost looks in pain while striking it but her eyes stay determined.

'Damn. The thing's so hard it's like I'm smashing my fists against solid lead..'

She growls then shouts as she drives a heavy uppercut to the android, sending it flying into the air. 

"I'm not getting through..!" She says with a strained look. 

Over by the control room, Nazuna approaches the door only to find it sealed shut from the outside. 

"I can't… get it open!" She says, trying to pry the door open. After a moment, she steps back and focuses sharply. Her hand glows a hot temperature before she thrusts her sharp, melting hot hand into the lock system of the door. She then flings the door open with a concerned look.

"Wither!" She shouts. They all look surprised and relieved as the door opens.

"Nazuna! The android's are being corrupted and attacking the students!"

"I know! Have you made any progress on getting them back under control??"

"We're trying but the system's fried. I don't think there's even a way back into them from here, they're just full gunning on autopilot!" Wither says with a worried look. Nazuna's anxiety only increases.

"So there's nothing we can do from here?" She asks clear but concerned.

"Most of them have gone completely off line meaning they've either been destroyed or simply shut down. Only a few remain, one of them being The RDx." Wither says, running diagnostics on his system.

"Can't we just surge the entire floor?" Nazuna asks. Wither quickly evaluates the option before responding.

"That might destroy most components in the Reigndome but the RDx is Hollowforged. And running at this capacity, it'll probably just tank the damage." He says, frustrated, trying to keep damage to a minimum while being concerned for the students. Nazuna looks even more worried as she turns to the arena. 

"Then we better find our students!" She says, jumping the railing by the control room and into the arena with haste.

Back in the fight, Wolf is beaten back and forth across the face before she blocks one of the large hooks from the machine and punches it hard enough to send it sliding back. She then jumps into the air and flips fast until she slams her leg against the android's head.

"If I were Tadashi…"

She then jumps back avoiding an attack before dashing off a tree and punching it across the face.

"I'd just make a sword and cut the damn thing."

She says with a smile before kicking in its leg causing it to fall to one knee before she front kicks it again in the side of the head causing it to stumble over. It quickly turns to face her but she's already flying through the air and lands on the android's back.

"Woah, this looks important!"

She shouts before shoving her fist into the neck area behind the android's head and grabbing ahold of some components. She struggles to tear anything out as the android's shoulders readjust and strike her heavily across the face a couple times but she holds strong and succeeds in tearing out some parts in the android's neck.

She falls to the ground on the back before being kicked and sent flying face first into another boulder. She yelps in pain before the android grabs her by the head and smashes her face into the boulder, crushing it. Its head then spins entirely around over and over in a moment as it stumbles back. Wolf smirks a bit.

"Guess that'll work."

She says as she leaps off the rock and slams her entire body into the android, sending it flying back, smashing into a couple trees. She pants as she takes a moment to catch her breath. 

"Okay… This thing is too hard for me to just punch out… So what do I do?.." She thinks for a moment before fluffing up her hair in frustration. "Ah! I don't know!"

She sighs and looks forward as the android gets up and stomps towards her, twitching and sparking.

"Whatever. I'll just use it. I'll stay in control this time. I'll pour all my power into it but I will stay in control."

She thinks about her blast mist attack from when she fought the Stranger, the moment she almost lost control. She focuses for a moment as she pulls her arm back.

"Come on…"

The android then charges at her at full speed and just a moment before it strikes her, her eyes sharpen as the black mist comes pouring out of her fist and she blasts her arm at the android's chest. 

"Shot!" She shouts as the android's body cracks from the impact force. Her eyes widen. "That wasn't enough.!?"

She says as the android is sent hurtling through the woods, smashing through everything. It lays on the ground for a moment as its cracked chassis sparks then its entire body convulses. Wolf stares at her fist with shock.

"What? That wasn't-"

She looks up with an intense gaze as her thought is interrupted. The android blasts at her, smashing its fist into her face. She falls back but before she can react, it drives another punch into her face sending her flying into the air.

It then grabs her leg and slams her back into the ground before stomping over her and slamming its piston metal fists into her over and over again. Wolf lays on the ground with her arms up trying to defend from the barrage of heavy punches. 

'At first it was not enough control… Now it's too much?.. Why can't I just get it right?!.'

As she takes the beating, she growls before shouting loudly and blasting off another black mist punch to its face, sending it flying back. She gets up, beaten and panting but her eyes stay focused, filled with frustration and disappointment. The android lands and immediately charges Wolf with a huge punch that she catches with an open palm, black mist bursting out. 

"This time!"

She shouts as she drives in a heavy black mist punch to the android's body but just like before, it lacks power. Wolf's eyes widen with anger and frustration as the android slams down upon her head. She growls and maintains her footing despite the heavy blow. 

"What's wrong with me..?"

She grumbles. The android then pulls back and tries to strike her but she falls backwards out of the way, anger all over her face.

"I had no problem then…" She thinks about the time she exploded, hurting Alston. "But when my friends need me…" She thinks about the Stranger attack and how she couldn't protect her friends. "I just can't do it… I'm so pathetic…"

She clenches her fist as the android tries to stomp on her face. She suddenly disappears with a burst of black mist, standing behind the android with an upset look.

"I came here to get stronger… Not to keep failing… And there's only one way to do it…"

She says softly, taking a breath. The android gives her no time and bolts for her again as Wolf lifts her head with determined eyes.

"I have to give it my all!" She shouts, turning around and charging the android as well. 'I will protect my friends! I will gain control!'

She pulls her arm back, preparing to deliver another huge black mist punch but instead, something else happens. As she clenches her fist, purple lightning starts to burst from it over and over, black mist nowhere to be seen.

"I am Wolf Anderson!"

She shouts as she drives her fist into the android's chest once again, this time with lightning bursting out on impact before blasting into a huge purple bolt, taking the android with it. It hurdles through the air and slams into the large stone walls of the Reigndome, completely obliterated into many pieces.

Wolf's eyes widen when she realizes what just happened. She pants as she looks at her open hand, little sparks of purple electricity fizzling out. Just then, Nobody comes running out of the tree line with a concerned look on his face.

"Anderson, you alright?"

He asks. Wolf pays him no attention at first and doesn't answer. Instead, she says something else.

"I just… shot lightning from my hand."

Wolf says, slowly looking at him with an intense look on her face. One filled with confusion and bright excitement in her eyes. Nobody calms a bit as his eyes sharpen ever so slightly.