"Watch out!"
"On your left, not your left!"
"Use the debris as cover!"
"Keep on moving, don't let it get a bead on you!"
The sound of combat and massive explosions echoed in the lower Tunnels, the battle heating up yet moving no further. The El Search Party plus Raven had found themselves in the back foot at this fight. The massive Nasod is simply to tough, soaking up their attacks with little to no damage.
"It's healing itself!" Aisha yelled as she noticed the melted parts where she threw a torrent of fireballs slowly piece itself together like bubbling flesh. It's kinda gross and creepy to see.
"Same here!" Elsword panted, hiding with Raven behind a massive boulder that fell from the ceiling. They had cut the Nasod's legs multiple times in order to topple it down yet their attacks only left shallow cuts. Not to mention, it will immediately close up the superficial wounds.
As for Rena...
"Why is it chasing only me?!" The elf cried, running and jumping across the pipes as the Nasod attempts to cut her down with it's Beam sabers or catch her with it's gigantic hands. Both options that she isn't keen to find out.
Unbeknownst to her, the Phoenix Gundam's AI is at play. Infected she may be at the moment, the AI is still capable of wrestling control from the Alterasia by a small margin. One of the programs in the AI's code is the prohibition of harm to humanity without the command units authorization. Using this limitation, the AI is actively helping them.
The only problem is that Elves aren't regarded as part of humanity.
Poor girl
"Eeek!" Suddenly, a beam saber slammed behind her. It took out the pipe she's running on, sending her falling into the floor. Unbalanced, she didn't have time to correct her posture to land on her feet. She closed her eyes, waiting for the hard fall.
Only to be caught at the last moment into someone's open arms.
"Be careful next time." Raven grunted, carrying her in a princess carry before running away to escape.
Aisha assisted them immediately, freezing the Nasod's legs and immobilizing it for a second before it broke out. A few seconds that Elsword only needed.
Leaping in the air with a mighty roar, he launched a powerful brutal slash at one of it's knees. It struck home, sending the Nasod toppling at its knee gave out, landing on it's back.
The perfect moment for Aisha.
Teleporting on top of the Nasod, Aisha brought down multiple thunderstrikes, summoning a small thundercloud on the tunnel's ceiling. Lightning struck, melting and scorching metal. Electricity ran across it's body, jerking and removing it's control at its limbs before it stopped moving.
"Did I get it?" Aisha panted, tired from the massive spell. If only she did it on open air, the spell cost would be slim but in this tunnels, she had to do extra work to make the powerful spell work completely.
"Not yet! Find the Alterasia and destroy it!" Rena called to her, still in Raven's arms with zero plans of getting down. The man's arms is kinda comfy and she might be discovering a new side of herself.
She likes to be pampered.
"I can't find it! There's no openings!" Aisha replied, now panicking as she looked anywhere at Nasod's body for any gaps for the Alterasia to host into.
No such gaps.
"Aisha, get out of there!" Elsword's warning jolted the girl in alarm and immediately teleported away, just in time as the Nasod got it's control back of its body, arms reaching to catch her. Failing in catching her, it stood once more to face them.
"Damn, this one's tough." Raven muttered.
"Any ideas?" Rena asked in his arms.
"None at moment. A we can do is brute force it and find where the Alterasia is settled in tha thing." Rena nodded at his evaluation. Well, time for her to move.
Getting out of his hands, she began to climb on the tunnel walls towards the pipes.
"I'll snipe it's entire body, try to find the which one landed on the Alterasia core." She said before leaving him. Raven nodded and ran to assist Elsword.
Meanwhile, Elsword ran between the Nasod's legs, dodging it's stomps which missed him by miles. Stopping between it's legs, he slammed the ground with his sword. The ground crumbled and spewed molten lava, creating a line of molten lava. One of the Nasod's massive legs got caught, sinking a little to deep into the crumbled ground and taking it off balance yet still standing.
This time, Raven struck.
Leaping in the air, he swung his blade in full strength, creating a massive shockwave careening towards the knee of the trapped foot. If it lands, it could bisect the leg altogether in one strike and handicap the Nasod.
Except, they're not fighting a Nasod.
They're fighting a Gundam.
A beam saber blocked the shockwave, sparks flying as the beam sabers IF field and the shockwave clash against one another before the latter dispersed harmlessly. Raven clicked his tongue at the missed opportunity before moving. Elsword retreated immediately after seeing the failed attack.
As the infected Gundam followed their movements, a volley of arrows struck all over it's torso. At one of the pipe, Rena stood in a siege stance, firing arrows empowered by her magic in rapid fire. Arrows streaks across the distance between them, striking the Nasod's torso with the weight of a ballista. Not enough to pierce but enough to do some damage. Assaulted by an unending rain of arrows, the machine blocked with it's arms.
More importantly, it made sure to block the cockpit.
"There!" Raven pointed guarded section. Everyone immediately zeroed on the location.
"Elsword move with me, we're taking it. Aisha, diversion! Rena, keep up the volleys and don't let it move! Let's go!" The older man ordered to the team. Everyone moved immediately to follow except for Aisha grumbling.
Sensing danger, the Nasod stomped. The tunnel rumbled and massive boulders began to fall. Rena was forced to stop and move to dodge the falling rocks, leaving the boy's without cover. Aisha moved in to cover for Rena, firing lightning bolts at the falling boulders to keep Raven and Elsword safe. Meanwhile, seeing the approaching duo, the Gundam met them with a massive downward swing of it's beam saber.
Elsword step forward.
"Idiot, don't do it!" Raven cursed as the boy took the front.
"Don't worry, I got this. Hope this one works." The boy muttered the last sentence as he stared at the descending blade.
Taking a stance, the boy gathered what magic he all had and thrusts his sword.
"Armageddon Blade!"
In a flash, a massive runic blade clashed against the Beam saber before the boy's strength came on top, sending the infected Gundam stumbling backwards with a swing. The AI inside the infected MS was stunned.
How?!
Raven laughs as he ran. The boy keeps on surprising him.
Alarmed, the Alterasia now began to desperate swing it's beam saber towards the duo only to be intercepted and push back by Elsword. Without the AI helping the Alterasia after seeing the boy's effeciency in melee combat, it was helpless against them.
At it's final swing, Elsword didn't clash.
He block and countered.
"Oh, so that's your plan last time." Raven whispered, watching in awe and respect as the boy sent the beam saber flying out of its hand with ang impressive counter block.
Seeing his opening, Raven leaped and ran across the Nasod's torso. It tried to stop him but a shadow step made it's efforts futile as he slipped from it's grasping hands. Arriving at the cockpit, Raven swung.
A full power Hypersonic Stab, a technique that creates a massive slashing shockwave.
The cockpit didn't stand a chance and the Alterasia core inside was destroyed.
The Phoenix Gundam was defeated.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Phoenix Gundam Unit destroyed]
[Data retrieved]
[Filtering data]
[Query: Unit asking permission to send suggestions to command unit]
[Response: Permission granted]
[Sending Data and proposal]
[Evaluating...]
[Error]
[Command unit in hibernation mode]
[Corrupt data detected]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A kitchen.
A man with dark skin and dark hair.
Eating.
Happy.
Family picture.
Mother unit absent.
Sirens.
Warning.
Mask.
Explosion.
Green.
Green.
Green.
Green.
"Only trust yourself, kid." The man said.
He died choking in blood.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Data restoration: Impossible]
[Keep data?]
[Confirm: Yes]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Haro is awake.
Haro is angry.
Haro is confused.
What is Haro?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N
Still sick asf, chapter focused on the fight so it's short.
Sowwy.
Next Chapter: Meeting the team and a short rest before assaulting the Nasod Foundry.
I have a very huge surprise in the Nasod Foundry and Altera Core Arc.
Spoilers:
Haro is gonna solo