Chapter 53: All For Nothing

The battlefield was a frozen wasteland of destruction, but Section 6 stood unwavering as the monstrous wyvern loomed before them. Its spectral blue and black glow pulsed ominously, the ethereal core in its chest beating like a war drum. The floating Dharmachakra on its head turned with a series of metallic clicks, as if judging them.

Miyabi took the lead, her odachi crackling with frost as she dashed forward, her blade cutting deep into the wyvern's flank. The ice spread from the wound, freezing its scales on contact. Yanagi followed suit, her naginata crackling with electricity as she delivered precise, arcing slashes, sending bolts of lightning surging through the creature's body. Ellen, moving like a predator in water, lunged with her massive scissors, carving deep gashes into the wyvern's hide, leaving trails of frost that slowed its movements.

The creature roared in pain, swinging its massive tail in a desperate counterattack. The trio ducked and weaved, narrowly avoiding the lethal swipe. From a distance, Harumasa provided cover, his bowstring humming as he released a volley of lightning-infused arrows that exploded against the wyvern's wings, destabilizing its aerial capabilities.

Mira and Soukaku flanked the beast, working in tandem. Mira's legs were encased in ice as she delivered a powerful spinning kick to the wyvern's hind leg, sending a shockwave of cold through its body. At the same time, Soukaku planted her Oni Blade Banner into the ground, summoning a vortex of icy wind that swirled around them. With a heave, she swung the massive weapon, smashing the wyvern's side and sending shards of frozen scales scattering.

Despite their relentless assault, the wyvern still fought back with terrifying ferocity. It snapped its jaws at Miyabi, who barely managed to deflect its fangs with a well-timed frost-coated parry. Ellen intercepted a massive claw strike, using her enhanced strength to hold it back just long enough for Yanagi to land another electrified slash across its face.

The creature bellowed in pain, staggering under their combined strength. It was weakening. Victory was within reach—until the Dharmachakra began to glow.

A deafening click echoed through the battlefield. The wheel spun, faster and faster, and in an instant, the wyvern's wounds began to close, its broken scales mending as if time itself was reversing. A shockwave burst forth, knocking all of Section 6 backward. They hit the ground hard, momentarily stunned as the wyvern's body pulsed with renewed power.

Then, its entire form ignited with an eerie, fiery blue hue.

The beast reared its head, its maw opening wide. Energy coalesced at its core, gathering into a blinding mass of raw Ether. Miyabi's eyes widened in realization.

"Scatter!" she roared.

In the next instant, the wyvern unleashed a beam of energy, obliterating everything in its path. The blast barely missed them, thanks to Miyabi's quick warning. The force of the attack carved a deep trench into the battlefield, molten rock sizzling at the edges of the impact site.

As the dust settled, Section 6 regrouped, their breath heavy but their resolve unshaken. The wyvern, now seemingly entering its second phase, let out an ear-splitting screech. Its flames burned brighter, its movements faster, more erratic.

Miyabi tightened her grip on her odachi, her blue flames flaring to match the beast's intensity. "Looks like we're in for round two."

Ellen cracked her neck, spinning her massive scissors. "Then let's clip its wings for good."

Yanagi smirked, electricity dancing along her blade. "Time to show this thing why we're called Section 6."

They braced themselves, ready to engage once more. The battle was far from over—but neither was their determination.

The battle raged on as Section 6 engaged the wyvern once more, but something was different. Whatever the turning of the wheel on its head had done, it had altered the creature. It moved with greater speed and agility, its once reckless attacks now honed into calculated strikes. It anticipated their movements, using bursts of wind from its wings to force them apart and its glowing blue breath to split the battlefield.

Then, the wheel on its head glowed again, spinning with a deafening clink. The wyvern's body rippled as it spewed a thick black liquid across the field. The foul substance bubbled and twisted, forming into grotesque shapes—Ethereals of varying sizes, some hulking and monstrous, others quick and nimble. But three among them stood out.

Three figures emerged from the darkness, their forms identical to Harumasa, Soukaku, and Mira. Their bodies, wrapped in a shadowy aura, bore the exact likeness of the real ones, save for their eerie, lifeless eyes. The real Harumasa, Soukaku, and Mira froze in disbelief as their doppelgängers locked onto them and, with terrifying speed, attacked. The impact sent them flying, separating them from the rest of Section 6.

Ellen and Yanagi immediately turned their attention to their respective daughters, their instincts to protect overwhelming their focus. "Mira!" Ellen's voice cut through the chaos.

"Soukaku!" Yanagi shouted, gripping her naginata tightly.

The wyvern took advantage of their distraction. With a low, guttural growl, it reared back and unleashed a concentrated beam of searing blue energy directly at them. Ellen reacted on instinct, throwing herself in front of Yanagi and conjuring a massive ice barrier. The force of the attack slammed into it, cracks forming rapidly as the frost barely held.

"I'm fine! Focus!" Mira's voice came through their earpieces, strained but steady.

"Yeah! Don't take your eyes off the enemy!" Soukaku added, the sounds of battle in the background.

Miyabi's eyes locked onto the wyvern. With its attention on Ellen and Yanagi, this was her chance. Her grip tightened around the hilt of her odachi, blue flames licking along its edge. She crouched low, Ether surging around her like a roaring inferno. Then, she moved.

In an instant, she was a blur, fire trailing in her wake as she closed the distance. The wyvern barely had time to react before a massive eruption of flame and frost exploded around it. Miyabi shot past the beast, her odachi slicing clean through the air. Silence followed.

Then, an explosion of blue slashes appeared across the wyvern's body and the surrounding Ethereals. The cuts radiated with icy flames, burning deep into their forms. The wyvern let out a deafening, agonized roar, its massive body convulsing as it collapsed to the ground, unmoving.

Miyabi exhaled slowly, sheathing her blade with a sharp click. "Regroup," she ordered through the earpiece, eyes never leaving the fallen beast.

Harumasa's voice crackled through the comms. "A little busy here! This thing is adapting to my fighting style—I don't know how long I can keep up!"

Mira and Soukaku echoed similar concerns. "We'll handle our own fights," Mira assured. "Don't let that thing get back up."

Ellen, Yanagi, and Miyabi regrouped, catching their breath for a moment. But then, a loud, mechanical clink echoed through the battlefield. Their heads snapped towards the wyvern.

Its body twitched. Smoke billowed from its maw, now sparking with blue and black electricity. The Dharmachakra on its head spun once more, its glow intensifying. The creature's muscles pulsed, its form shifting as arcs of lightning danced across its scales.

Slowly, it rose.

A deep, rumbling growl filled the air, followed by the crackling of energy as its body surged with power. The battlefield trembled beneath its feet. Then, with one beat of its massive wings, a surge of force blasted outward, scattering debris and sending shockwaves through the air.

The wyvern lets out a deafening roar, and as if answering its call, the sky darkens. A storm gathers above, and heavy rain pours down in thick sheets. Thunder rumbles ominously, and lightning crackles, striking the battlefield with violent energy. The beast unfurls its wings, sending a gust of wind that nearly knocks the team off their feet. In one swift motion, it sweeps a wing outward, unleashing an arc of searing lightning toward Miyabi, Yanagi, and Ellen.

They barely manage to dodge as the energy scorches the ground behind them. Yanagi, without hesitation, surges forward, her blade crackling with electricity of its own. Time itself seems to slow for everyone but her as she dashes through the wyvern in a flash, piercing through its massive form like an arrow, rebounding, and cutting through it again. In rapid succession, she strikes, each impact leaving trails of burning energy in her wake.

She halts, catching her breath, as the world remains in slow motion. Then, realization dawns—whenever the wheel on the wyvern's head spins, it adapts to whatever is thrown at it. They have to finish this fight before their attacks become meaningless.

Determined, she dashes forward once more, but just as she is about to land another devastating blow, the wheel glows and spins sharply. Yanagi's eyes widen—she notices it too late. The wyvern, frozen in time just moments ago, suddenly moves. Its piercing gaze locks onto her like an predators eyeing it's prey. Energy builds in its maw, and in an instant, it unleashes a shockwave of pure lightning.

Yanagi is blasted back, tumbling across the battlefield. The force of the attack knocks the rest of Section 6 off their feet, and time resumes its normal pace. Slowly getting back up, Yanagi's face is twisted in a mixture of shock, awe, and fear.

"Impossible…" she mutters.

Miyabi and Ellen rush to her side. "What is it?" Miyabi demands.

Yanagi swallows hard. "I can control time—to a degree. I slowed it down so I could overwhelm the wyvern and finish it off… but it still reacted. It moved."

Miyabi and Ellen exchange tense glances.

"The wheel," Yanagi continues. "Whenever it spins, it adapts. But now… now it can react to time manipulation. If it can do that, then we're in far more danger than I thought."

The wyvern watches them in eerie silence, its eyes glowing with an otherworldly intelligence. It is analyzing them, learning, waiting. They know this next clash will determine everything. If they do not finish it now, they never will.

Miyabi tightens her grip on her blade, flames flickering around the edge. Ellen's frost-covered scissors gleam in the storm. Yanagi steadies herself, her body surging with renewed energy.

The final battle is upon them.

Yanagi takes a deep breath, her eyes narrowing as she surveys the battlefield. "We can't strategize aloud anymore. That thing is intelligent enough to understand us. We move in sync, trust each other, and when we see a chance, we strike without hesitation."

Miyabi and Ellen nod, understanding the urgency of her words. Without another second wasted, they scatter in different directions, their movements sharp and precise. The wyvern snarls, its burning blue eyes tracking their motions. Its wings unfurl, sending out crackling waves of electricity as it counters their assaults with sweeping strikes of its claws and deadly bursts of fire. But the team is relentless. They dodge, weave, and protect each other whenever needed, their attacks becoming increasingly rapid and vicious.

Ellen, dodging a claw swipe, thinks to herself: There has to be a limit. It can't adapt infinitely. Otherwise, it would have done so already to finish this fight immediately.

And then, as if on cue, the wheel on the wyvern's head begins to glow and turns once more. Its wounds vanish in an instant, and a shockwave erupts from its body. This time, however, Section 6 is ready. They brace themselves and stand their ground, resisting the force that would have otherwise knocked them back.

The wyvern snarls in frustration, and then its mouth begins to glow. A ball of Etheric energy forms within, growing larger and larger, absorbing the remaining Ethereals around the battlefield. Lightning from the raging storm above is drawn into the sphere, crackling with violent energy. The massive orb pulses as the wyvern condenses it, compressing all of its power into a single, devastating attack.

With a deafening roar, it fires the sphere at them.

The team barely has time to react before the attack makes impact. The explosion erupts in a blinding pillar of energy, destabilizing for a brief moment before collapsing into itself, creating a black hole. The ground quakes as the void pulls in debris, flames, and even the storm, swallowing everything in its radius.

When the black hole finally dissipates, all that remains is a massive, smoldering crater.

In the distance, Mira and Soukaku are seen kneeling, battered and bloodied, holding an unconscious Harumasa. Their voices ring out, desperate and strained, calling out for their teammates. But there is no response.

The wyvern turns toward them, its body still crackling with residual energy as it starts to approach.

Then, without warning, massive jagged shards of ice spear through its body, pinning it in place. The wyvern lets out a guttural snarl, its gaze shifting upwards. There, above it, Yanagi hovers, her naginata pointed downward. Her body is alive with surging lightning, her entire form glowing like a thunderstorm given shape. She had absorbed as much lightning as she could, becoming an embodiment of the storm itself.

With one final exhale, she dives, her weapon aimed straight for the wyvern's exposed core.

At the same time, on opposite sides of the battlefield, Miyabi and Ellen prepare their final strikes.

Miyabi stands low, her blade engulfed in roaring blue flames, her stance as sharp as an arrow ready to fire.

Ellen surges forward, her speed reaching inhuman levels, her scissor's encased in frost so cold that the very air around them crackles and snaps. She is nothing more than a blue blur, tearing across the battlefield with lethal intent.

Together, they strike.

Yanagi's naginata pierces the wyvern's core just as Miyabi and Ellen unleash their final attacks. The battlefield erupts in an explosion of light and power so immense that reality itself bends and warps.

The storm above ceases. The battlefield goes silent.

And then, the wyvern lets out one final, deafening roar—before everything is consumed by the explosion.

The explosion from their final attack sent Ellen hurtling through the air, crashing into the side of a nearby mountain. The impact sent rocks and debris tumbling around her as she groaned, pushing herself out of the rubble. Her massive scissors, once her trusted weapon, were shattered beyond repair. Her clothes were burned and tattered, revealing wounds that were already slowly beginning to heal thanks to her biology.

Brushing off the dust, she activated her earpiece. "Miyabi? Yanagi? You two alright?"

Yanagi was the first to respond, her voice weary but steady. "Yeah... just tired. That last hit took a lot out of me."

Miyabi chimed in next, her tone matching Yanagi's. "Same here. I can still move, but I won't be swinging my sword anytime soon."

Ellen exhaled sharply, turning her gaze toward the battlefield. The crater they had created from the explosion was deep and scorched, the ground warped from the sheer force of their combined power. In the center of it all, only a single remnant of the wyvern remained—it's wheel, still faintly glowing, alongside a small, bubbling puddle of black goo.

"We did it," Ellen confirmed over the earpiece. "The damn thing's finally dead."

A collective sigh of relief came from the team. Slowly, they regrouped at the crater's edge, exhaustion written all over their faces. Harumasa sat down heavily, clutching his side where he had sustained a nasty wound during his battle. Mira and Soukaku, though bruised and cut, were in relatively better shape. They immediately got to work patching up Harumasa, while Ellen and Yanagi helped steady Miyabi.

Just as they began the long trek back to the outpost, a suffocating wave of pressure crashed down on them. The air grew thick, heavy with an overwhelming force. A sharp clicking sound echoed through the battlefield, sending a cold shiver down Ellen's spine. She turned swiftly, her battle instincts screaming at her, and then—

She locked eyes with something.

A figure stood atop the remains of the battlefield, bathed in the eerie light of the storm. It was tall, slightly taller than Ellen, with a distinctly feminine frame. Its body was draped in a flowing black cloak and scarf that billowed in the wind. Two massive wings, dark as the abyss, extended from its back, with smaller, twitching wings beneath them. Each wing was riddled with unblinking eyes that fixated on Ellen, watching her every move. The upper half of its face was concealed by a smooth, expressionless mask, and above its head, spinning in perfect synchronization, was the same wheel that had adorned the wyvern.

Ellen barely had a moment to react before the figure moved.

A fist slammed into her stomach with devastating force, the impact so overwhelming that it lifted her off her feet and sent her flying. Agony tore through her body as her half-healed wounds reopened, blood splattering against the rubble as she crashed into the ground. Before she could even gasp for breath, she heard the sounds of her team being struck down just as swiftly.

One by one, the others were felled, unable to keep up with the sheer speed and power of the being before them. By the time Ellen forced herself to move, the figure was already standing over her. Its gaze, hidden behind the mask, bore into her soul. Then, with a deliberate, almost casual motion, it materialized a massive scythe, the blade curved and wickedly sharp, gleaming in the dim light.

Ellen spat out blood and forced herself onto her feet, legs shaking but steady. She clenched her fists, eyes locked onto the creature before her.

This thing wasn't just strong.

It was something else entirely.

And she was going to fight it.