Stubborn Resolve

Antipas staggered for a moment as he realized what must have happened. ‘He’s activated his Field! I can’t let him move!’ The walls destroyed by Yuki disappeared. The young Atlantean took several steps forward, closing the gap with Yuki a little. Immediately, the entire maze disappeared and four new walls appeared around Yuki. Behind the new walls more re-enforcement surfaced along with a thick ceiling. The thickness of the walls prevented the sounds of all of the automatically triggered traps from being heard. ‘I’ve got him!’

Suddenly, a deep rumble erupted from the earth. The walls surrounding Yuki vibrated and shattered in an instant from all sides. A new cloud blasted out from Yuki kicking debris over the area. Masked by the smoke, a dark figure began to emerge. “Don’t think such an attack will work on me!” Yuki stepped out of the gray clouds carrying a narrowed face. He raised his fist up fortified with his determination.

“It’s not possible!” Antipas took a step back. The unease of the situation settled into him. Nothing stood between him and Yuki anymore. “Those were double thick walls! Even if he broke a single layer…” Another step in the approach from Yuki ran an uneasy chill down his back. A reluctant realization slowly began to surface for Antipas. “…can’t be…”

Yuki stared down across the mixed Field of grass and stone finally seeing his opponent unhindered for the first time. The Atlantean was young, in appearance and seemed not much older in age than Yuki. He had shortly cut light brown hair matching in length to his jaw line and hanging tightly. ‘A trench coat? With metal plating? Looks heavy…’

The more that he stared at the soldier and Field, it made him understand something. ‘The mazes and traps… along with the heavy clothes… he never got close and even now is keeping his distance…’ Yuki narrowed his eyes a little to keep up his stern appearance in the lull between rounds. ‘So does that mean he’s the type that isn’t good at close-range combat? He’s trying to use his Field to keep me away and injure me. This could be better for me…’

Tension tightened up inside Antipas. His hand squeezed harder, pressing and scrapping. ‘How… how… The reports described his Law as being effective against organic matter, but not having destructive power…’ Antipas looked around at his Field, the stones arrayed before him. His eyes asked a question that had no answer. ‘…and the escape…did he manage to activate his Field inside my Field somehow?!’

“You seem confused,” commented Yuki, a little confident grin appearing on his face.

Antipas’ eyes widened for a moment. He understood Yuki. ‘The soldiers from Skoupa had remarked on the use of a foreign language, an Asian language…they believed…’ There was no doubt that he spoke perfect Atlantean. ‘…a language Addendum, why didn’t they use it before…’ The questions seemed to pile on top. “Who are you? And how did you escape?”

“So many questions!” The slightly flippant tone Yuki carried only made Antipas’ features narrow. Yuki easily noticed it, a little disappointed at not having the mood lightened. He gave him a little dismissive hand wave. “Fine, I guess it can’t hurt to answer. Name’s Yuki Hayashi.” His foot tapped against the grass covered earth casting a quick gaze to the stone Field. “The other question’s a little more involved.”

Yuki raised his hand up to his head with his index finger pointed against his head. “You really had me going around inside that maze of yours. Couldn’t think straight, but I eventually realized that was your purpose, wasn’t it.” A knowing stare aimed down at Antipas.

The keen observation set Antipas a little off balance. ‘That shouldn’t be too surprising…he should figure that out eventually…’ Yet his question remained unanswered. “That doesn’t answer how you escaped though.”

“I’m getting to that.” He waved his hand down with the palm faced to the ground. “So impatient…” His eyes scanned the area taking in the view of the surroundings. “As I said you weren’t giving me a lot of time to think. So it took me a while, but I came to a realization. You were able to track my movements and make it so that I couldn’t escape. You sent me in circles. With that Field of yours you can manipulate the walls any way you want, right?”

Another correct deduction sent a spark through the soldier’s left leg. “That’s basic Field manipulation, that isn’t surprising.”

A slight grin pulled up on Yuki’s face. “But there’s something else. During one of the traps that I evaded, I suddenly understood something. You can’t actually see me, physically anyway. I thought you might be sending the poison fog after me watching or have it automatically seeking me. But it isn’t. You do control where it goes. Yet you can only watch me from the ground.”

“What are you getting?”

“The way you are able to track me is by my contact with the ground. Probably a weight or contact sensitive floor. You probably use some map to display the feedback like radar.”

Antipas eyes widened in shock. He could no longer hold back his surprise and stepped back feeling the support in his legs giving. ‘Impossible! No one’s managed to figure out how my Field works the first time I use it!’

Yuki threw out a casual hand wave. “After that it was pretty easy. I just climbed along the walls and while you frantically searched for me I waited for an opening to appear. And poof, I’m here!”

‘He climbed the walls?!’ Each answer became more improbable. Yet it all made sense, something that he hated to acknowledge. ‘If he actually did that…then that would mean that he’s strong and athletic enough to achieve that…intelligent and skilled…a dangerous combination, Captain…’

Chapter 121 – Stubborn Resolve

Crossing his arms, Yuki leaned a little forward. “Since I’ve taken the time to explain things to you… Have you finished shitting your pants enough to fight? I’ve got to get back to my friends. So I can’t waste any more time with you.” Yuki narrowed his eyes and hardened his features, no longer carrying the casual attitude from before.

The quick change in atmosphere wound an invisible cord around Antipas’ back. Each second that ticked away tightened on his spine. While he technically engaged in combat against Yuki earlier, the situation changed with Yuki freed. This would be the first time that he actually faced off against another MP user that wasn’t a training match. He may have fought with other MP users in the academy, but their training focused on dealing with a normal human. It was a rare occurrence to have to deal with a rogue MP user. Even the most experienced soldiers may only have a few engagements against a MP user, if any.

Antipas knew that he couldn’t make any excuses. Yet he couldn’t help the uncertainty that overwhelmed him. His eyes met with Yuki. ‘The look of fearlessness and confidence… his eyes…they’ve seen fighting…’ Antipas shook his head and tried to pull his focus back in. ‘I can’t let him get to me… I’ve got justice behind me! He’s disrupting order! I can’t lose!’ The weakness in his legs vanished and the strain on his back released for Antipas. He had to fight, to protect.

A raised hand summoned up numerous stone walls to be placed between them. He added strength to the walls remembering how Yuki broke through so easily before. Additionally, he sharpened his traps, all set to be automatic and constant. Defense couldn’t win, he knew. Pings echoed around the walls from his traps hitting or releasing. Only a few seconds later the nearest two walls to Yuki exploded with the third wall taking the hit.

Even though his defense held, Antipas wasn’t certain if the walls had actually slowed the damage or if it was just because of getting closer to the core of his Field. ‘Such destructive capabilities… I’ve got to keep up with him!’ More walls broke the floor to halt the progress of Yuki’s advance.

None of the walls managed to slow down Yuki for long as they all mysteriously crumbled before Yuki. Antipas kept his vision blocked by the walls. So he had no view of what Yuki had for a Law. He just kept the walls moving.

Sudden flashes of light appeared across all before it crumbled to debris. Following in series, all of the walls before Yuki collapsed. He marched through the debris filled earth and billowing clouds. “I could have run around all of this by now, but I’m giving you the chance to realize this is pointless. Run now before I actually strike in earnest.” All of the remaining walls ignored by Yuki suddenly exploded with flashes of light before turning to rubble.

Taking a step back, Antipas tried to withhold his surprise. ‘None of the walls can stop him! And the traps aren’t doing anything to him! Why can’t I touch him?!’ A thin stroke of panic painted his face before he raised his hands up towards Yuki. Two stone square pillars rose in front of Antipas. From the faces of the pillars that looked at Yuki stone extruded from the surface.

Yuki’s face lowered a little darkening out his eyes. He ground his teeth together and opened his hands with energy rapidly amassing. Two semi-transparent swords formed in mere moments. Yuki charged forward, breaking some of the ground where his feet started. It put him ahead of the two converging stone rams. He stabbed the blades into the elongated structure letting them run through the length for a few steps before disappearing from his hands. The stone grew lines of light along the sides weaving around until shattered to chunks of debris.

Crumbling in front of him, the pillars disappeared as his last line of defense. Antipas jumped back with the ominous approach of Yuki. ‘What is that strange light? Is that his Law, the power that defeated Eusebios?’ The choking feeling in his spine resurfaced along with a frightening chill.

“Understand now? Escape and I won’t pursue you.”

Antipas leaned back a little, feeling how serious Yuki was in his words. However, he fought to straight out his back and level a determined glare towards Yuki. ‘The Captain said not to die, but these people…they’re…’ He tightened his hands into fists and pushed himself forward. “I’m a soldier of Atlantis! I won’t back down when you destroy and spread fear!”

A twitch in Yuki’s eyebrow responded ahead of his words. “How blind can you be?! You caused more damage to your own country than us!”

“It was your invasion! We’re just trying to live in peace! We don’t want anything to do with your world!”

Yuki's skin wrinkled around his eyes and nose. ‘So stubborn! You’re the ones trying to kill me when I just want to live in peace! You hurt my family and my friends!’ The nearly invisible glow around Yuki shimmered brightly for a moment becoming a little opaque. “Fine! No more talk then! You’re going down!” His hand shot up straight aimed at Antipas with the energy that surrounded him glowing and becoming more opaque. Before it became solid, it disappeared and a sudden explosion impacted Antipas’ shoulder.

The force of the impact nearly knocked Antipas off his feet and covered his shoulder in a small cloud. However, the smoke disappeared almost immediately, blown away by a strong force. A similar explosion blew up on Yuki’s arm sending him back forced to his knee. “Huh?!” Yuki caught his arm with his other hand feeling blood trickling down over his fingers. ‘Broke through my defense? How?’ He looked back at Antipas in search. The shoulder he hit no longer held the rectangular metal plate and the trench coat cloth burned away, but underneath was another layer of clothing. A little green of the material broke through before all of it regenerated including the metal. ‘He took my attack? But the attack he just made on me…’

Walls surfaced again in front Yuki. Antipas regained his stance and worked on entrapping Yuki once more. ‘It was a big risk, but looks like I finally stopped him! Just need to capture him for the Captain now…’ The last of the pieces slid into place for him, but the familiar light appeared again. Knowing the next step, Antipas stepped away as his walls fell away for Yuki. “Still have some strength? I’ll wear that down too!”

Even more walls than usual appeared around Yuki. His still good arm tightened back and lowered touch into the grass of his Field. The blades of grass shined for a moment before all of the stone shattered. Yuki stepped back up and walked forward. “Enough of these weak attempts…” Wall continued to come up, but Yuki kept walking. The closer he approached they began to vanish. Yuki continued to move towards Antipas until one stubborn wall remained. He rammed his fist into the wall shattering it to pieces.

“Impossible!” shouted Antipas staggering backwards. His eyes widened in shock to see Yuki unhindered by any of his moves.

“Don’t you get it?! You’re too weak for me! I can neutralize your Field by just moving towards you!”

The answer for Antipas that came only made his eyes widened more and pupil’s shrink in size. ‘How can he be that strong?! I’m not weak!’ Antipas tried to keep from shaking before Yuki. “That’s impossible! You can’t be that much stronger!” Confusion and panic pumped into Antipas. He blindly charged for Yuki. “Justice will triumph!”

Yuki narrowed his eyes and raised his hand up, shooting out another blast at him from his palm. The force from it knocked Antipas off his feet, already unstable. Immediately after falling, the location where Yuki hit blasted back into the sky disappearing at the edge of his Field. ‘…thought so…’

Antipas pulled himself back up to his feet. His chest heaved with the panting from his shortened breath. While the damage to his clothes disappeared, he still felt the physical force it struck with on his body. He took two hits and his body already shook. One of his eyes winced in pain slightly blurring his view of Yuki. “You might be stronger…but…you can’t break my last…defense…”

His good hand remained held out towards Antipas. Yuki’s determination remained unchanged. “Your defense means nothing to me!” A quick shimmer around his hand highlighted the signs of a new attack. However, the air sparkled rather than a larger gathering like before. Shards of light sped towards Antipas striking his trench coat. All of the metal glowed brightly before disappearing and returning a hail of light back at Yuki. Ripples echoed over Yuki’s transparent armor before another response of larger pellet sized blasts rained down on Antipas.

The blasts ripped through the coat and ate down into his deeper layers. Antipas flew backwards, lifted from the ground by the numerous impacts. His body skidded across the stone of his Field slowing him down. The morning sky lightly covered in clouds presented to Antipas’ eyes as the last thing he saw. ‘…too strong…’ Stone faded away giving way to grass.

Yuki approached Antipas, kneeling down at him. A faint gaze of sadness filled his eyes seeing the soldier. He released his Field and placed his good hand on the young man’s chest. A green glow came from Yuki’s arm surrounding Antipas. Once Yuki finished he stood up and scanned the battlefield. He saw Yumi and Seiji’s battles had already ended, but his surrounded friends back at camp. “I’m coming, everyone!”