2024-07-12 - Double Down Into The Fire, Unstoppable Force
- Log: 2024-07-12 - Double Down Into The Fire, Unstoppable Force
- Cast: Leila Misakiyama, Kaworu Nagisa, Yuliana Kafim, Liam 7-020, Qivi, Rikka Takarada, Akane Shinjo, Luanova Luckwright, Crisis Alexis, Chise Asukagawa
- Where: Nouvelle Tokyo
- OOC - IC Date: Jul 12 0099
- Summary: A local girl's emotions boils over, bubbling into the forefront without warning or care. Something that'd be par and parcel for those coming to smite a Kaiju, were it not for the (re?)appearance of someone innately familiar.
<Pose Tracker> Leila Misakiyama has posed.
It was such a good day before then.
"Lousy bastard talking crap about kids and about the good old days again-" Her words are continual, unending, muttering and stewing to herself while stomping down the city streets. A gaze occasionally cast behind towards where that relic of a conbini resided. Miserable prick. Damn bastard. Who does he think he is, talking about how the 'world was better at his age' and 'kids just need to step up to the plate' and 'I saw it all, so listen to them' when wanting a simple bento box.
Bastard. The hell does he know.
Into the apartment. Of course it's only her tonight. Figured. Slamming the bento box on her desk, pulling a chair up and- "Oi! I know you're not sleeping." Slapping the turned off monitor to the side, that sneer of annoyance curving into a smile. "We're doing it."
The monitor glows red, a figure fading into a grim silhouette.
--
"Here's the ideas." A piece of paper laden with scribbles, markouts, eraser marks, and more scribbles. The streaks of a pencil eraser faded the lines on the page.. A section of that piece is missing, crumpled and tossed to the trashcan. It meets the empty bento box; It was decent.
"..."
"Somewhere open? The plan? You think I have one? I'm getting back at an idiot who needs to learn about his own idiocy."
"..."
"Shut up. There's a park nearby. Do it there."
"..."
"Which one- What's that first one? Bullton? Yeah, yeah, bulldoze the bastard!"
"..."
"Fine, I'll let them know. They can watch the show."
"..."
"Extras? I don't- No, fine, sure."
"..."
"So? Can you?"
"..."
"Hah? Do it."
"..."
"Fine."
One more slap of the monitor before pushing away from the desk. Lousy thing. Now, what sort of getup would fit this role...
The embers keep burning inside. This, this, this, that, and this...
--
"Right there?"
The winds whisper over the building rooftop, a not-so-slight distance away from where the paper laid: Buried in that park with the slightly defunct vending machine, only a few centimeters of dirt on top to ensure it didn't flutter away with the evening breeze. Leila sat on an A/C unit that adorned the rooftop, one of the many buildings that adorned the skyscape of flourishing urban development.
A breath in. A breath out. "Let's do it."
"INSTANCE-" And from that page filled with words and ideas, a red glow sparked to life, equally vibrant lines of energy surging upwards through the crust.
Nouvelle Tokyo is seemingly silent as it always was, the din of the city working as dusk turns into twilight, lights flickering on for the blood of the city to trickle about.
BGM - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlMmcU_8rZY - all this monster 2023 - Shiro Sagisu
And just as suddenly, the aberration of a Kaiju disrupts it all. A gigantic, 60-meter meteorite peppered with raised cylinders slowly rolling along a central vein of the city, idly moving with a destination in mind. Rolling, rolling, rolling, rolling, nonchalantly cracking the asphalt, cars, bicycles, and anything underneath it in its apathetic wake. Feelers occasionally slip out of those holes, lightly grazing the sides of the concrete jungle as it moved.
"It...worked!"
"..."
"Yeah! Come on! Bulldoze that damn konbini!"
"..."
"Go, go, go!"
The perfect outfit for the occasion. Ripped jeans pockmarked with holes, black leggings underneath. A dimpled white belt to hold against the waist, half-overshadowed by the red shirt equally pockmarked with holes, black undershirt similarly covering the skin underneath. A pair of shimmering silver bangles around the wrist, sets of black and blood-red studs up and down the outer ear. All paired with a winning smile and amethyst eyes lighting up with pure glee.
And Bullton forges on, unrelenting, unceasing, unstoppable as it carves itself through the complex miasma of a living, breathing city.
KTS: Rikka Takarada's RX-90 Mu Gundam <Red Umbrella> has been disabled. KTS: Rikka Takarada has deployed in RX-90 Mu Gundam <Red Umbrella>. KTS: Leila_Misakiyama has deployed as a Boss for 6 opponents. KTS: Yuliana Kafim's Muse Malu 4 has been disabled. KTS: Yuliana Kafim has deployed in Muse Malu 4. KTS: Akane Shinjo has deployed in Galactron Mk3. KTS: Will Barrier activated! (But will not apply until relevant Morale threshold.) KTS: Luanova Luckwright has deployed in MFW-1 Myrmecia. KTS: Will Barrier activated! (But will not apply until relevant Morale threshold.)
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
Even when kaiju appear out of nowhere to rampage in the oft-beleaguered Nouvelle Tokyo, even with the formation of NUNE meaning changes in who's appropriate to go where, there are defenders who will come to help handle it.
For instance...
Tokyo-3 is not far at all from Nouvelle Tokyo. Consequently, even though the Bullton literally rolls into town without warning, word is send to NERV HQ, and trains are sent to help dispatch units to help defeat it and protect the city. One such unit is Evangelion Unit Beta, who rises from her car with a slender champagne-colored hand and white hair asway as her pilot announces her departure calmly. She rises, slow and stately; for as huge as Bullton is, she rises even over him at about 75 meters. (It's unclear if the pylons count or not.) From the next car, she picks up her Heat Rapier, then steps with care through the streets.
Iridescent orange light sparks at her heels as she goes. Contrary to Bullton's bulldozing, not even a slight imprint is left behind.
Directing her from within her entry plug, Kaworu smiles his faint smile and takes in the sight of Bullton as he and Unit Beta approach. "Hmm..." His gaze turns towards a girl grinning from atop an A/C unit not so far away. "It seems this scenario is already beginning to repeat."
He doesn't try to address Leila, though, nor does Unit Beta turn her faceless mask towards her. Instead, she sweeps the Heat Rapier down, around, and up before her mask armor, then points it towards the kaiju with clear intent. One foot back, the other bent forward--and she launches, point-first, to drive an assessing thrust of her inactivated blade towards the creature.
KTS: Kaworu Nagisa: Will Barrier Activates. KTS: Kaworu Nagisa targets Leila Misakiyama with Forward Stab!
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.
OST: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDCxE3F5Uqw Nobuo Uematsu - The Gigantipede
"Is this really a good idea, Kapitan?" Parminder asks, leaning back in the Captain's Chair. He's the Captain, now, so he's taken to mocking her with the Zaftran translation. It's an elaborate game of chicken.
"My wife was thrilled by the model!" Yuliana insists, as the Salamis Kyo-class cruiser soars high in the air. It looks a little like a Salamis Kai -- but it could never be mistaken for one. The 'Shandor' has been upgraded with several tentacles across its bow, great frills fanning up and down to either side of it. It's half-ship, half-kaiju -- and zero good news. "The only thing better is to show her how the real thing operates! There's bound to be trouble somewhere. Don't tell me you haven't been stirring it up in your spare time! I can TELL when you're lying!"
"Nah, you can't," Parminder grins, as he taps on his console. "Buuuut... do we got anything?"
One of the very few humans staffing the Shandor looks up, from the comms console. "We've got movement in Japan," she reports. "Looks like there might be something near Nouvelle Tokyo."
"Bin~go~!" Yuliana lilts, as she turns on a heel, and hurries off out of the bridge. "I'm going to go prep the machine, so just get us there!"
"Yeah yeah, ETA TBA," Parminder waves her off.
"Why do you let her talk to you like that, Captain?" His weapons operator asks, turning back to him. "I know she's the Queen on High, but when we're out here..."
"DWAI," Parminder says, even though saying the words would be just as easy. "We cool."
...---...
It's a little while after Bullton starts raging -- that a new threat drops from the sky. A cruiser with tentacles, which drops off a strange, coiled myriapod wanzer... and lifts back into the sky.
The myriapod uncoils, thirteen metres long, but only a scarce four metres tall and wide -- painted green, its face is full of unsettling holes, too, many and many of them in the plates like its eyes. (They're not eyes. Its camera is in the middle of its forehead.) A strange cannon rests atop its back, while beam rifles are mounted to its sides, and its tail separates into two long, club-like bashing sections. It has fully forty-eight legs, which is, for those keeping track at home, too many.
It looks quite a lot like the Muse Malu 3, if not for being a little more compact, and a little more sinister.
"Stay back and let me handle this," Yuliana transmits, privately, to her getaway car. "But run continual sensor readings on this thing. It looks interesting... I'm sure Elya will be interested in it."
"Hai, hai," Parminder says, but his pronounciation is SO bad that it doesn't even get universally translated. (He's doing that on purpose.) "I'll take lots of pictures, don't worry. Go have fun! Kill a guy! It's a party!"
Yuliana switches to general communications, to helpfully inform the wider populace: "I know how our arrival must have looked, but I'm not on that thing's side, before you ask. I was in the area, and I thought I'd lend a hand...! It's been a while since Japan was hit by a kaiju, wasn't it? Here -- would you like to see my dear wanzer's Active Disruption System? I'm sure you'll find it useful!"
Those holes about its eye-panels weren't eyes; they were MISSILES. The Energy Charge missiles she shoots into Bullton are designed to disrupt and overload him... though, they were designed for electronic systems.
KTS: Yuliana Kafim targets Leila Misakiyama with Jam L2! KTS: Leila Misakiyama fails to engage Guard against Kaworu Nagisa's Forward Stab! KTS: Leila Misakiyama's EN Barrier activates, negating 1000 base damage. KTS: Best Defense! Leila Misakiyama successfully reacts to Kaworu Nagisa's Forward Stab, taking 1875 damage! KTS: Kaworu Nagisa begins a Formation attack! KTS: Leila Misakiyama accepts Yuliana Kafim's Jam L2! KTS: Best Defense! Leila Misakiyama successfully reacts to Yuliana Kafim's Jam L2, taking 0 damage!
<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.
A second, bulkier unit takes the field after Unit Beta. It's about as big as the Eva, but the lines are all different--like an Arm Slave grown to colossal size. The Type-4 Akashima strides down a main artery towards the target, taking great care to step around the buildings and cars.
Urban combat has always been difficult for Liam, as a soldier. Too many terrible, traumatic memories.
"<GGG response team, this is pilot Liam of NERV. We're here to assist in containment and eradication. Do you have any idea what that thing is?"> It looks like some primordial echinoderm, blown up to massive size. Its movements seem instinctual to him.
What is it? Why is it here?
Then a familiar eldritch-green ping lights up Liam's board, and his heart twists in his chest. "<Void signature,>" he transmits, to Kaworu and the others. "<Coming in low, and-->" And Liam's jaw drops as he catches sight of the Salamis Kyo. He recognizes the design. His jaw moves, mutely, as it deploys the comparatively-dainty Muse Malu 4.
"Understood." Liam's voice is a little clipped as he responds to Yuliana. "Commencing bombardment." The Akashima takes a knee, bracing its right arm with its left. The massive machine gun built into the limb spins up, and spits a volley of lead down the street at the rolling kaiju. Liam keeps the recoil under careful control, and watches where the casings fall.
KTS: Liam 7-020 targets Leila Misakiyama with Akashima Arm Cannon Shot! KTS: Liam 7-020's Tactical Intelligence activates Strike! <Pose Tracker> Qivi has posed.
Qivi had been in Nouvelle Tokyo for unrelated reasons.
Or maybe semi-related reasons. She'd made the decision - with Nova's approval - to join GGG, but as it turns out joining an organization like this meant paperwork, and official security checks, and a bunch of other things. And while she could do a lot of them on Orbit Base, she couldn't do all of them.
Not that she minds coming to Earth. She misses it when she's away for too long, and - having spent over a year a long way from home - she was very glad to have some time to just be in Japan when she wasn't on work-related activities.
She is actually *in* one of the GGG buildings, in a mechanical bay and talking with an engineer who she's been asking questions of lately, when there's an alert. Last time there was one, she wasn't able to do a whole lot about it. This time...
Qivi is in a tank top. She doesn't have a sleeve to push up dramatically. But the impression is there that she would if she could. She's reaching for something that's more a bracer than a bracelet, fitting over most of her lower arm, in white and blue and gold. There's a socket, currently empty, but she doesn't need that part.
Except...
"Hey," she says, her eyes lighting on a piece of equipment in a rather oversized charging rack. "Can I borrow that?"
A few moments later, and there is a Giant of Light barreling down Nouvelle Tokyo's streets.
This one is less well-known than some of the more established members, though a few people have seen it around Huffman, now and again. She's not an Ultra*man*; her build is female, though there's not much of an obvious difference in helmet style or face mask. Said helmet is completely covering, with faintly golden eyes and a raised Slugger-style crest, backswept and higher in back than in front. Her primary colour is red, with silver markings; down the sides and over the chest and hips, mostly. The colour timer, a crystalline structure set midchest, is shaped like an eight-pointed starburst, currently a steady light blue.
Also she's carrying what looks like a giant nailgun. Actually it's not quite the right size for her; it is a little small in Nova's hands, though that just means she's holding it more like a pistol than the steadier grip that you're supposed to use construction tools with. What's it going to do, recoil out of her hand?
Qivi tries to whistle to get Bullton's attention. This absolutely does not work - it makes no noise at all, as Nova doesn't really breathe and also has a helmet, or face mask, or whatever it is that doesn't exactly have lips. She pulls up short instead, hesitates momentarily at Evangelion Unit Beta because she isn't sure what to make of it, then ducks low and attempts to literally wrap her arms around Bullton and pick it up. Maybe she thinks she can just move it somewhere less dangerous? That or she's really holding it still for everyone else. Pick one.
Also, the whole time she does this she stares *directly* at the Muse Malu 4. She either knows who Yuliana is or is personally offended by a wanzer with so many legs (or both).
KTS: Qivi targets Leila Misakiyama with Ultra Grapple! KTS: Qivi's Opportunist activates Alert!
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Night falls, and peace settles over Nouvelle Tokyo. ...A peace that soon finds itself broken by the arrival of a kaiju, rolling through the streets with disregard for anything in its path.
Rikka runs through the streets, phone to her ear as she pulls on her coat - the black and gold of a 3G Chief.
"It came out of nowhere! We're running analysis now." A voice speaks from the other end, and Rikka nods.
"Right. Get an emergency evacuation team ready. Take a couple of transports... Make sure they're equipped with spotlights, too - be ready to look for survivors." Rikka replies. She frowns for a second, as she thinks her next step. She takes a deep breath. "...And, send me the Mu Gundam."
She runs to the nearest open space. A light flashes from above - and soon, it descends.
The Mu Gundam... she has a lot of history with this machine. She had it fixed up and repainted - white and blue with some splashes of red, here in there, particularly in the currently-closed umbrella-shaped funnel rack, rather than its original monochrome - and has run it through some tests...
...But this will be the first time she deploys it in active combat since... Well.
Rikka stares up at it for a moment and then... she climbs aboard. She settles into the seat, turns on most of its systems. One remains firmly locked. That one she doesn't touch.
"Mu Gundam online. I'm going to try to get its attention! Do we have any data the kaiju?" Rikka asks. She shuts her eyes for a moment, gathering her thoughts - centering herself - and then... with a leap and a burst of its flight unit, the Mu Gundam takes to the air. It accelerates to the kaiju's last known location, and Rikka watches as it rolls through the city.
"...Where is it going...?" She murmurs to herself - and then with a frown she swoops in. She gets close - but then flies around it, head vulcans blazing with beamfire toward the kaiju's shell.
"This is Chief Rikka Takarada of 3G Red! Please get out of here as quickly as you can! If you can't evacuate under your own power, people will be along to help you!" Rikka calls out over the Mu Gundam's external speakers. She hopes everyone's already made it out - but an extra bit of urgency always helps.
There's movement nearby - Evangelion Unit Beta is here, too, engaging the kaiju directly. The pilot's most likely...
"Kaworu... Good to see you." Rikka greets. And Kaworu isn't alone - Liam is here, too. "Glad to have you, too, Liam."
Her attention soon turns back to the kaiju. Though, beyond it... she spots Leila. Why isn't she evacuating? She makes a mental note of her - they'll have to be careful not to catch her in crossfire.
Also here - a rather unsettling looking ship, dropping off a centipede-shaped wanzer. Rikka stares. Are they connected to the kaiju...? They're not ready for that kind of fight yet - but Yuliana says they're not on the kaiju's side.
"...Alright. Thank you." Rikka replies with a nod. They can hardly turn down help at this point - not when lives are at stake. What happens after that... they'll have to be careful. But now isn't the time to get caught up on infighting.
Nova's arrival, meanwhile, gets far less surprise. Rikka expected her, of course - but that doesn't mean she's any less glad to see her. The Mu Gundam offers Nova a grateful nod of greeting before turning back to the fight.
KTS: Leila Misakiyama fails to engage Block against Liam 7-020's Akashima Arm Cannon Shot! KTS: Leila Misakiyama's EN Barrier activates, negating 1000 base damage. KTS: Best Defense! Leila Misakiyama successfully reacts to Liam 7-020's Akashima Arm Cannon Shot, taking 2625 damage! KTS: Rikka Takarada targets Leila Misakiyama with Covering Fire! KTS: Leila Misakiyama fails to engage evade against Qivi's Ultra Grapple! KTS: Leila Misakiyama's EN Barrier activates, negating 1000 base damage. KTS: Best Defense! Leila Misakiyama successfully reacts to Qivi's Ultra Grapple, taking 2250 damage! KTS: Qivi anchors Leila Misakiyama, preventing her from Evading the next attack! KTS: Leila Misakiyama fails to engage Guard against Rikka Takarada's Covering Fire! KTS: Leila Misakiyama's EN Barrier activates, negating 1000 base damage. KTS: Leila Misakiyama moderately reacts to Rikka Takarada's Covering Fire, taking 2340 damage! KTS: Rikka Takarada continues a Formation attack!
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
It's final exam week -- or, well, it was. Akane has finished hers, at least, and she's relieved. She feels like she had a solid performance in all of her classes, though not a perfect one by a long shot. College seems to be a little more her speed than high school was, at least.
She's at work now, where she has a few things to check in on... but things don't quite work out that way.
"... Well, here's hoping this works," Akane murmurs to herself. They'd discussed the possibility of treating Galactron as a potential asset once Akane showed the capacity to control it, and Akane has managed this under trial conditions... but it's still scary to consider doing it in a fight.
Then again -- if Rikka can take the field in the Mu Gundam without the past consuming her... Akane can manage, too.
It's her best shot at being able to forestall some of the rolling Bullton's violence.
She heads up a series of catwalks at a jog, rapping on the red core of Galactron once, twice, thrice -- and it lets her in. Cables enwrap her arms gently, and --
Galactron comes forth from Bay Tower. With shaking hands, she approaches the field of battle. (She moves through the areas with the best shelter procedures, of course; it's important to watch where she's stepping.)
As NERV's machines arrive, Akane transmits, "It's good to see you guys." Since 3G and NERV parted ways, Akane's had more mixed feelings about seeing their pilots at an incident... but more help here isn't bad. The arriving Wanzer snags her attention as well; when Yuliana assures them that she's not on the kaiju's side, Akane affirms, "Understood. ... Thanks for the assistance."
Moving in, she decides to start with a probing strike. A thin blade pushes forth from one of Galactron's arms, and she drives it for Bullton's... Bullton-ness. It's a quick, noncommittal movement -- one that she tries to slip in without disrupting Nova's ability to attack.
KTS: Akane Shinjo: Will Barrier Activates. KTS: Akane Shinjo targets Leila Misakiyama with Galactron Epee! KTS: Akane Shinjo's New Order activates Valor! KTS: Leila Misakiyama engages evade against Akane Shinjo's Galactron Epee! KTS: Leila Misakiyama's EN Barrier activates, negating 1000 base damage. KTS: Leila Misakiyama successfully reacts to Akane Shinjo's Galactron Epee, taking 1600 damage!
<Pose Tracker> Luanova Luckwright has posed.
Kaiju attacks are good business. A goodwill gesture from the New United Nations Earth that the safety of the populace is in their hands. An uncontroversial enemy that serves as a good punching bag to highlight the fighting model's dynamic output. Easy to justify the defense budget expenditure. On contract with NUNE, private defense contractor Foresight again sends its next-generation wunder-wanzer to the fray!
MFW-1 Myrmecia, as usual, deploys by high-velocity insertion from the Orbital Ring, yet another shooting star engulfed in the flames of atmospheric entry. This wanzer does not land and crash into the city, but arrests its fall in a sharp stop that defies physics, the flames of entry washing off in a wave, but abruptly snuffed out at a short distance. Eight meters tall, but with none of the length of the myriapod. Sleek surfaces, curved armor scales embellished with inner lighting, lanky arms and legs, and a single glassy globe projecting a cycloptic 'face' at the top front of the unit.
<"This is Myrmidon in MFW-1 Myrmecia, on contract with NUNE defense forces for civil defense and fumigation."> A synthesized computer voice to anonymize the pilot, but it still manages to communicate the emotion behind the pilot's next reaction. <"Excuse me? Is that who I think it is?"> The insane witch-bride thinks she's here to do public service? Is that really who that is??
Myrmecia, it seems, is only one of a few units keeping a wary eye on the Muse Malu. "You've got to be shitting me," Lua Luckwright murmurs to herself within the cockpit, reluctantly turning her unit on the Bullton. Some kind of... alright, Lua's not very familiar with the Ultras, but that's probably one holding the Bullton down for the moment, so at least that's something she shouldn't be asking any questions about. The wanzer keeps pace in the air above the action, until Lua sees an opening and it alights, a gentle blue wash of gravitic jets illuminating one of the rooftops. There's somebody up on the rooftop, and Lua is able to keep a graceful berth to avoid landing on top of Leila Misakiyama. <"Excuse me. Just stopping by. Nice view, isn't it?">
Myrmecia bends a knee and places its hand gently upon the rooftop's surface, and something within the globe spins and whirs, mapping the particles down the structure, to the foundation and the Nouvelle Tokyo pavement, across to an evacuated open street in the path of Bullton's rolling rampage. <"Setting up safety blockade!">
The globe glows, and then the pavement of the street implodes, filling the breadth of the street with an impromptu sinkhole large enough to try to trap the rolling Bullton. Ahead of the sinkhole, the displaced asphalt and concrete twists into chunks and towers, a wall several meters high vaguely in the shape of an open-palmed hand, fingers and all. As Bullton approaches, the traps actually reach for it, the sinkhole walls pulling from below, the hand moving in to grab and hold it down.
KTS: Luanova Luckwright has activated the Spirit Spirit Command. KTS: Luanova Luckwright: Will Barrier Activates. KTS: Luanova Luckwright targets Leila Misakiyama with Transform Battlefield! KTS: Rikka Takarada has activated the Trust Spirit Command targeting Akane Shinjo KTS: Luanova Luckwright has activated the Spirit Spirit Command. KTS: Rikka Takarada has activated the Trust Spirit Command targeting Qivi KTS: Leila Misakiyama engages evade against Luanova Luckwright's Transform Battlefield! KTS: Leila Misakiyama's EN Barrier activates, negating 1000 base damage. KTS: Critical Hit! Leila Misakiyama poorly reacts to Luanova Luckwright's Transform Battlefield, taking 3600 damage! KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Luanova Luckwright's Soul A Knife activates, causing Nullify!
<Pose Tracker> Leila Misakiyama has posed.
Kaworu's strike rings true, a split feeler sprouting out of a hole to manifest a psychic field in an attempt to halt the motion. Failing to properly dent the speed of the thrust, scoring a hit against the rock-hard armor of the meteorite...
One that it uses to propel itself away, rolling for a few moments to settle down. It shifts, turning in place as hellfire rained down on it.
The electronic warfare of the MM4's missiles help to set Bullton up to stop in place, feelers probing out of every hole to attempt to halt the incoming fire. The only thing the psychic fields it sets up succeeds in doing is slowing down the firepower ever so slightly, lighting up the night with explosions denting Bullton. Gunfire. Headfunnel fire. Pinging, denting, chipping at the Bullton before it gets picked up.
It squeals at that, the feelers whipping about for a moment, allowing Akane's stab to strike true. Squealing, whipping, the meteorite-appearance vibrating for a moment-
It pops out of Qivi's hands.
It appears nearby without a pause.
It starts rolling again, away from the crowd meant to pursue. Rolling, rolling, rolling...and pausing for a moment.
Enough time for the sinkhole to swallow it whole to mash and gnash at its skin, the squeals echoing out once more at a lower pitch. Twitching, tossing, trying to free itself-
It pops out a few blocks away without warning, a sudden teleport without fanfare or notice. The protruding cylinders of the Bullton seemingly bristle, a singular feeler sticking straight up. It spins, spinning in the air with a bluish-red glow, waves of energy baselessly, ceaselessly pouring out with yet another squeal. To smack and dissuade, to weigh down and push back by sheer force.
Another feeler rises. A singular speartipped one jutting at an angle, spinning, spinning, spinning, a ring of bluish energy tinged with red forming before its tossed out in a single line towards the Myrmecia, lashing and smashing against anything in its path.
Its wrath known, it turns again and rolls, less careful than before. Rolling north, pinging, smashing against buildings and using the momentum to slowly change course.
It squeals.
The orchestrator watches on, fingers tapping against the hollow metal of the AC unit while watching the stage make itself known. Seeing those massive units make themselves known (though, one did not. Strange.), eyes trying to take it all in. One with a sword. Another using its arm (Interesting. Built-in? That's something), another...That's an Ultra, isn't it? With a gun. Pfft.
"Huh? The hell's that one...Centipiede? Wazner? Why the hell- "EW." It's a reaction of visceral disgust; Nothing should have that many legs, even if it looked like that!? "Who the-" No, don't dwell on it (ew ew ew ew).
There's a small squirm, the smallest spark of anticipatory glee as the sounds of kaiju echoed out in the city. The loudest sounds of the deep rumbles of the earth, admiring the complex ball of feelings. Where was it? Where was it, where was it...A bit to the north, rumble two stations north, follow the street, a few blocks down, a few to the right...There. In the mind's eye, there was where it was. That damn konbini owner.
The sentence of evacuation from Chief Takarada is heard, understood, and promptly disregarded. 3G, figures. That one's NERV, who knows what the hell that centipede (nicknamed) was, and the others...A gundam, and...Her eyes narrow, staring hard. That's. That's. "...Galactron, huh?" That makes...The mental count in her head is off, but she can't complain! Not in the slightest about this outcome if it dragged people out.
"Eh? Stopping by? You? Now? What sort of idiot are you?" Lua's question is rebuked, a look of annoyance mixed with disgust at having her massive personal space bubble intruded on, scooting a bit away fro that hand. "Don't you have something better to do than say hi!?"
More pressing matters at hand. "...Stop running away, you..." Fingers grip at the A/C unit, pressing in with a mutter. Crossing legs, fishing out her phone, pressing straight into her ear. "I thought you said this was a good one! It's just running towards the Konbini! Shouldn't it fight!?"
"..."
"Agh, just get here and help! You can't just run!"
"Yes, yes. Do give me a few moments, Leila-chan!"
"About time."
The silent phone remained black.
KTS: Leila Misakiyama has activated the Rouse Spirit Command. KTS: Leila Misakiyama targets Akane Shinjo, Rikka Takarada, Qivi, Liam 7-020, Yuliana Kafim, and Kaworu Nagisa with Four-Dimensional Barrier Wave! KTS: Luanova Luckwright's Force of Will activates! KTS: Leila Misakiyama targets Luanova Luckwright with Four-Dimensional Willpower Shot! KTS: Kaworu Nagisa engages evade against Leila Misakiyama's Four-Dimensional Barrier Wave! KTS: Kaworu Nagisa's Will Barrier activates, negating 2500 base damage. KTS: Kaworu Nagisa poorly reacts to Leila Misakiyama's Four-Dimensional Barrier Wave, taking 500 damage! KTS: Rikka Takarada engages evade against Leila Misakiyama's Four-Dimensional Barrier Wave! KTS: Best Defense! Rikka Takarada moderately reacts to Leila Misakiyama's Four-Dimensional Barrier Wave, taking 0 damage! KTS: Yuliana Kafim has activated the Alert Spirit Command. KTS: Yuliana Kafim engages evade against Leila Misakiyama's Four-Dimensional Barrier Wave! KTS: Best Defense! Yuliana Kafim moderately reacts to Leila Misakiyama's Four-Dimensional Barrier Wave, taking 0 damage! KTS: Akane Shinjo engages parry against Leila Misakiyama's Four-Dimensional Barrier Wave! KTS: Akane Shinjo's Will Barrier activates, negating 500 base damage. KTS: Akane Shinjo successfully reacts to Leila Misakiyama's Four-Dimensional Barrier Wave, taking 1375 damage! KTS: Luanova Luckwright engages charge against Leila Misakiyama's Four-Dimensional Willpower Shot! KTS: Luanova Luckwright's Will Barrier activates, negating 1500 base damage. KTS: Best Defense! Luanova Luckwright successfully reacts to Leila Misakiyama's Four-Dimensional Willpower Shot, taking 2025 damage! KTS: Qivi engages guard against Leila Misakiyama's Four-Dimensional Barrier Wave! KTS: Qivi poorly guards Leila Misakiyama's Four-Dimensional Barrier Wave, taking 2700 damage! <Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
"Oh, Yuliana. It's been some time," Kaworu says amiably. Liam might be fully on edge, but Kaworu is as unruffled as ever. He doesn't so much as bat an eye at that be-tentacled cruiser, much less the far tinier Muse Malu 3. (He does watch it for a moment, even before Liam announces the Void signature, until Yuliana opens communications. But the communications themselves are met with a smile.) "I don't mind your help, but do be mindful of the civilians, would you please?"
Unit Beta moves out of the way of both Liam's Akashima's careful gunfire and Ultra Warrior Nova's charge. Nova's confused stare--and attempt to just pick up Bullton and hold him--gets a courteous, faceless nod. "Nicely done, you two," he transmits.
When the MFW-1 Myrmecia flies in, he replies to its pilot, "Thank you for your assistance." (Kaworu is, after all, the ranking person of the local NUNE defense forces. He leaves it to someone else to confirm that Yuliana is who Myrmidon thinks she is.) He watches it go with interest as it flies over towards the roof where Leila is, and with even more interest when it bids the street rise up to trap the Bullton, but his attention splits soon.
Namely, when Rikka greets him from within her Mu Gundam and Akane chimes in from within Galactron, he smiles their ways. "It's good to see you as well, Rikka; Akane. I apologize for our presumptuousness--" he means in NERV deploying to a GGG city, "--but I see you don't mind." To Akane, he adds, "It seems like you've gotten used to that one quickly."
NERV does at least let GGG Red take charge of evacuations, though they offer their assistance where needed; NERV is very used to these protocols, and can only help it go along that much more smoothly. Rikka, as the Chief of 3G Red, is the person in charge, though. Hopefully most people have indeed already gotten out of the area. Nouvelle Tokyo, like Tokyo-3, is used to this sort of thing.
The Bullton pops out of Nova's grasp then, rolling away before extending feelers and then--teleporting--and sending power wavering through the air with force. Unit Beta's A.T. Field absorbs most of it, but there is a certain atonal quality to its squealing that sets Kaworu and Unit Beta's hands twitching as they both bend in pain for a moment, a grimace on--Kaworu's lips, anyway; Unit Beta can't mirror him there.
But the waves pass, and the Bullton rolls on, and the girl watching over it yells a lot. "This feels familiar," he muses. "Doesn't it, Akane?"
At his bidding, Unit Beta leaps up, twists in midair, and aims to land in front of the Bullton, cutting off its escape (approach?). Once again, iridescent light sparks at her heels, and she lands lightly, leaving no destruction in her wake... save, of course, for another thrust of her Heat Rapier--this time sharper, more incisive, with the power of her A.T. Field behind it--to attempt to pierce clean through the kaiju. She doesn't try to pin it; hit or miss, she draws her weapon back and away from it.
KTS: Kaworu Nagisa targets Leila Misakiyama with Penetrating Stab! KTS: Qivi has activated the Spirit Spirit Command. <Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.
Yuliana's haughty sniff is audible, when the Myrmecia crashes in. "And who do you think it is?" She asks, testily. "Yes, I'm Yuliana Kafim, and if you'd like to waste time trying to capture me instead of dealing with the monster currently destroying half of Tokyo, you just go right ahead." It's an ultimatum. How rude! "At least most of these people know better than to spurn some honest assistance." (Well, maybe Ultra Warrior Nova over there would have something to say about it, but luckily, Yuliana doesn't speak Ultra Miming.) To Kaworu, she assures: "Of course I have no desire to harm the civilians here!" And she hasn't stepped on anything important, notably.
She switches over to private communications, though, to send a message to the friendlier Kaworu. "Ah, that's you, Kaworu, dear? I hear you've been a good friend to my wife." She asks, her smile audible. "You have my gratitude. It's good for her to have people to speak to..."
But now, with Bullton --
"Fascinating," Yuliana says, on public communications again. "Is it phasing in and out of this reality? Short-wave transportation... it's not so different, really." Not so different to what? She doesn't say. The Muse Malu 4 directs its attention to Qivi, as she calls: "Ho, Ultra! I don't suppose you have any reality anchors in your pockets?! This lovely little creature hasn't committed to existing here and now, I think!"
(Of course she knows how to fight her Dragons' dimensional warping.)
She's able to evade that horrible wave of energy, skittering away on far, FAR too many legs. (They all move in a wave pattern, and it's awful.) True to her promise, she moves around the parts of the city which have clearly been evacuated, to avoid any unfortunate collateral damage.
"But if it hasn't committed to physicality... that's no problem for me," Yuliana says, as her horrible little myriapod climbs over a building, and the light Fold Cannon on its back unfurls. A horrible black energy builds at its tip, and fires --
It's not a beam, though it might, at first glance, look like one. It is laced with a shade of green deeper than space, and the magical assault blasts into one of Bullton's many holes leading into itself.
KTS: Yuliana Kafim targets Leila Misakiyama with Light Fold Cannon - Sabotage Shot! KTS: Leila Misakiyama fails to engage guard against Kaworu Nagisa's Penetrating Stab! KTS: Leila Misakiyama moderately reacts to Kaworu Nagisa's Penetrating Stab, taking 5040 damage! KTS: Kaworu Nagisa completes the Formation attack! KTS: Leila Misakiyama fails to engage Evade against Yuliana Kafim's Light Fold Cannon - Sabotage Shot! KTS: Best Defense! Leila Misakiyama successfully reacts to Yuliana Kafim's Light Fold Cannon - Sabotage Shot, taking 4275 damage! KTS: Yuliana Kafim begins a Formation attack! KTS: Yuliana Kafim bypasses Leila Misakiyama, preventing her from Guarding the next attack! KTS: Liam 7-020 engages evade against Leila Misakiyama's Four-Dimensional Barrier Wave! KTS: Liam 7-020 successfully reacts to Leila Misakiyama's Four-Dimensional Barrier Wave, taking 2700 damage! <Pose Tracker> Qivi has posed.
Honestly, Qivi was not familiar enough with Bullton (by which we mean 'at all') to have any idea what it can do. She hefts it up with a mental 'hup', straining because it's pretty damn heavy actually, and takes one step with it -
And then it vanishes from her grasp, leaving a ripple in space behind.
Suddenly relieved of a whole lot of weight, Ultra Warrior Nova stumbles one step forward before the blast of force washes over her. It drives her back, skidding as if she was caught in a terrible wind; if she had hair right now it'd be blowing out behind her. As is she trails sparks of light as she pushes back, blue and pink mingled together, and it takes a couple moments more before she catches herself, looking around to see where it could have gone. During this she sees Galactron, which gets a surge of... worry? anxiety? from Nova, and a renewed desire to keep an eye on it. Akane or no.
Ultra Warrior Nova gives a big thumbs-up when people call to her, though she hasn't yet mastered the ability of 'speaking' telepathically. She's a lot more receptive than she used to be, though, which may be why she's avoiding fighting in too close to Yuliana. Though it's not like she can't hear her...
Dimensional anchors, huh?
Qivi does not have a dimensional anchor. But she has the next best thing, in this GGG-built nailgun. She raises it, fussing with it and making some quick adjustments. How do you use this, anyway? she thinks to herself. She's never had the need to. But eventually she figures it out, raises it, and begins to shoot.
Not nails, though. It shoots staples; enormous metal staples, aimed at the rolling Bullton to try to pin some of its weird tubes against the street (Qivi isn't reckless enough to try to nail it to a building). She doesn't even need to, though; if she can get them around the cylinders even in midair, like a thrown horseshoe, it's enough. This wouldn't ordinarily stop it at all, obviously; it's already demonstrated it can teleport.
But this is the Fastening Launcher, made by GGG. It distorts space too, though it has the more visible effect of twisting gravity, attempting to lock it in place by stapling it to nothing at all; every time it tries to roll, it's dragged back toward the anchor points.
Or that's her hope, anyway.
KTS: Qivi targets Leila Misakiyama with Gravity Shackle! KTS: Qivi's Opportunist activates Trick! KTS: Leila Misakiyama engages evade against Qivi's Gravity Shackle! KTS: Leila Misakiyama successfully reacts to Qivi's Gravity Shackle, taking 4680 damage!
<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.
Yet another familiar signal--this one far more welcome than the Void--drops into the battlefield, literally. "<Good to see you, Myrmidon,>" says Liam. The Akashima stops firing, and the barrels of its autocannon spin to a halt. "<Got a live one here. No sign of a controller, if there is one.>"
Smoke wafts up from the weapon's muzzle. Yuliana protests, and Liam's face twists into something that's not quite a scowl. He glances down at the feed from the camera pointing at Yuliana's machine...
Wait, that's not Da Xukong. What is that? And wait, is that the Galactron? Akane's in the Galactron?
Before Liam can put much thought into either of those revelations, Bullton shows off its own trick. The squeal earns a wince from him; surprise follows a heartbeat later as the kaiju vanishes. Liam's eyes dart back and forth, tracking the signal rather than the visual. "<We need to pin it down,>" he says, "<it's out of control, people could get-->"
Liam sees the wave of force rushing at him, and hits the foot pedals. The Akashima's float engine roars to life, picking the massive machine up with speed and grace. The wave slams into its right thigh, glancing off--the armor crumples inward from the force, but it's meant to take it. The whole robot shakes around him, but Liam holds the sticks firm and sets down on another street.
"<Closing in,>" Liam says, and the Akashima lumbers forwards, drawing something from its shoulder. The Progressive Blade is longer than the ones the Evas use, but no less dangerous. As Qivi tries to staple Bullton to the fabric of reality, Liam drives his own weapon for the kaiju's center of mass, trying to cut through that shell and then twist for greater damage.
KTS: Liam 7-020 targets Leila Misakiyama with Progressive Blade Twist! KTS: Liam 7-020's Tactical Intelligence activates Strike!
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Galactron arrives on the field. Rikka watches carefully to make sure everything's alright. They're both taking careful steps forward, even with the past trying to chain them down.
"Akane." Rikka greets. "Looking good. We can do this."
It might not be easy for them - but they'll face it, all the same.
Next, there's a computerized voice.
"Understood, Myrmidon. Thanks for your assistance." Rikka replies. Kaworu apologizes - and Rikka shakes her head.
"When it's kaiju... it's fine. It's the people's safety that matters." Rikka replies with a nod. Structures can be rebuilt, but lives can't. That's always been the case, even back in the early days of Tsutsujidai.
But as for the kaiju... it's a strange one. Teleportation? Disappearing and reappearing... This one is a problem.
And it spins, violently, unleashing waves of energy - and the Mu Gundam darts out of the way, avoiding the waves pouring off of it.
"Careful!" Rikka warns. "That energy... This is a tricky one."
A tricky one, indeed, but Yuliana has an idea. Reality anchors... That's something the Grand Glorious Guard has, but not prepared for deployment right this moment. Fortunately, Qivi has an idea.
"Good thinking." Rikka says with a nod to them both. And as Nova opens fire with the Fastening Launcher, Rikka moves in to capitalise on it - she reaches for her shield, drawing out the defense rod stored within. Liam is moving in, too - and as he comes in for the attack Rikka moves in on the other side. Electricity crackles to life along the defense rod, and she thrusts it toward Bullton in a stunning strike.
Familiar, though... That girl...
"...Who is she...?" Rikka asks, mostly to herself.
KTS: Rikka Takarada targets Leila Misakiyama with Stunning Blow! KTS: Akane Shinjo's Awakening activates! KTS: Rikka Takarada has activated the Enable Spirit Command targeting Akane Shinjo KTS: Rikka Takarada has activated the Enable Spirit Command targeting Luanova Luckwright KTS: Rikka Takarada has activated the Trust Spirit Command targeting Yuliana Kafim KTS: Rikka Takarada has activated the Trust Spirit Command targeting Liam 7-020 KTS: Rikka Takarada has activated the Trust Spirit Command targeting Kaworu Nagisa <Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Akane decides to try something risky when she sees that wave of force building up; meeting barrier with barrier, she thrusts both arms forward and pushes much of it aside. Galactron still wobbles -- but it remains upright, nevertheless.
Her gaze tracks down, at last, toward Leila -- toward the girl Lua parked by. ... Wait, is that the girl she saw at the Taraba stage show...? Why's she still --
A moment later, Kaworu draws her attention to her, and to the situation, again. "... yeah, it kind of does," Akane admits, shaking her head. (... that one feels weird with cables in her ears.) Her mouth presses into a flat line.
It's strange, being on the other side of it. Despite that, she feels a little bit adrift.
She looks to the Mu Gundam for a moment, then to Bullton again. "... Rikka, let me know if you need someone to run interference, okay?" she asks, as she plans her next attack. Even if so much about it has changed, it's still the Mu Gundam -- and that leaves Akane worried about Rikka.
Yuliana suggests anchoring the creature to reality, and Akane has to take a second to figure out if she can do that. The Galactron was able to warp reality enough to move around, but...
... It seems like for interacting with the world, all it can do is attack. Maybe they can use its movement technology to formulate a counterattack for this later -- but right now, all she can do is her best, and hope Qivi -- Nova -- manages.
Bringing the Galactron unit's hand up to its face, Akane pulls forth the command horn and extends the blade within. ... It feels familiar in her hand. Is that just because it made use of the weapon while she was inside it, or...?
... she can't dwell on that, either. Keeping the dagger in a parrying stance, she makes use of the one weapon she does have that strikes between reality layers. Red beams issue forth from all across Galactron's body, reaching out toward Bullton in irregular arcs; should they hit, Bullton will seem to flicker red for several moments before abruptly taking significant damage. (In truth, the assault allows the Galactron unit to damage Bullton on multiple layers of reality at once.)
KTS: Akane Shinjo targets Leila Misakiyama with Galactron Etincelle! KTS: Akane Shinjo's New Order activates Trick! KTS: Leila Misakiyama fails to engage Charge against Liam 7-020's Progressive Blade Twist! KTS: Leila Misakiyama successfully reacts to Liam 7-020's Progressive Blade Twist, taking 5580 damage! KTS: Liam 7-020 completes the Formation attack! KTS: Leila Misakiyama fails to engage react against Rikka Takarada's Stunning Blow! KTS: Leila Misakiyama moderately reacts to Rikka Takarada's Stunning Blow, taking 4185 damage! KTS: Leila Misakiyama fails to engage Block against Akane Shinjo's Galactron Etincelle! KTS: Critical Hit! Leila Misakiyama poorly reacts to Akane Shinjo's Galactron Etincelle, taking 5720 damage! KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Akane Shinjo's Stimulation activates, causing Designate L1! <Pose Tracker> Luanova Luckwright has posed.
<"The kind that's in a magic robot,"> Myrmidon answers Leila's question from the unit's speakers. <"And I just said what I'm doing. Deploying safety barricade. See?"> The robot goes as far as to physically point at the sinkhole and the hand.
That doesn't last long. A ring of... purple is searing their way, smashing through stone and concrete as it goes. <"Look out!"> The Myrmecia leaps off the building and bursts forward through the air to take the attack before it comes shearing in Leila's direction. Lua clenches her fists within the cockpit of the unit, holding the unit's integrity together through raw psychokinetic reinforcement as the attack traumatically blues its way into Myrmecia, her Awakened will soaking in the strike to keep it from progressing further.
The dash takes her past Yuliana as the Muse Malu keeps its distance from the attacking Bullton. <"I didn't say I'm gonna chase you off. I just can't believe the gall is all. You don't feel at least a little hypocritical about this?"> Her tone to the other respondents, Kaworu, Liam, Rikka, is friendlier. <"Feeling a little in over my head here. I have no idea what a reality anchor is. But if you folks can get that covered, there's one thing I do know...">
That blue and red backwash is still rolling over her when her dash takes her on a collision course to the Bullton, in the wake of Galactron's reality knives. Myrmecia lands upon the back of Bullton, and digs its heels in, grabbing it by one of its cylindrical protrusions to briefly ride it like a bucking bull. <"Severe internal trauma."> The Myrmex Engine spins up, calculating millions of intricate subatomic vectors. That direct physical contact allows Lua to resolve the quantum foam along those vectors within Bullton's body. Again, Myrmecia doesn't appear to do anything outwardly other than squeeze, but within, spears of force originate inside Bullton's alien metaphysiology and invert its internal space, an implosion from within that Myrmecia keeps going as long as it can before being bucked off the space-folding bronco.
KTS: Leila Misakiyama's Smouldering Spirit activates! KTS: Luanova Luckwright targets Leila Misakiyama with Twist Space! KTS: Leila Misakiyama fails to engage Guard against Luanova Luckwright's Twist Space! KTS: Critical Hit! Leila Misakiyama poorly reacts to Luanova Luckwright's Twist Space, taking 5808 damage! KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Luanova Luckwright's Soul A Knife activates, causing Nullify! KTS: Luanova Luckwright bypasses Leila Misakiyama, preventing her from Guarding the next attack!
<Pose Tracker> Leila Misakiyama has posed.
"Just do what you need to do, stranger. Come on, come on..." The heel of her combat boot strikes impatiently against the metal, Leila watching, refusing to turn her eyes away from the wide-open stage of the cityscape before her. Camera app opened; Picture after picture snapped. No reason to take video, just something to remember these moments by, for worse and much, much better.
Even the surge of energy heading her way didn't dissuade her lackdastical nature, those lips only tweaking up as she watched Lua. To watch it burrow and score inside someone. "Heeeeh, you'd go that far?" Someone to mentally assign.
To kick her legs in glee as the sounds and falloff of the battle rage on, the price of anger paid in destruction as Bullton charges ahead. Rolling forward without hesitation, to try and stick its feelers out to halt its advance once more...And failing that, pierced clean through in a single thrust. Halting, twitching, a few moments frozen in place before it continues, bullrushing Kaworu's Eva Beta to steamroll it whole, those same feelers twitching to force the ground underneath it to open, to swallow that unit to the waist and claim victory by pure weight.
Rolling. Rolling over, rolling under, a complete straightaway as it tries another tact; to roll into a side street for a few, taking a slower, more direct path before the Muse's Beam fires in, forcing yet another wordless squeal out of the meteorite. To expunge such energy by venting it out, the buildings in the vicinity visibly warping with the sudden expulsion of dimensional energy. Taking advantage to push on, to leap into the strangeness of its own design and warp through, phasing through a few buildings, the next, the next, the-
Staplers cease that motion, Bullton halting in place as its reality is asserted; Culminating in the cascade of the building it was in the middle of crumbling in on itself, tons of debris smacking against the meteorite.
It squeals.
Feelers pop out once more, swinging wildly as it asserts itself; Reestablishing its own self, reestablishing the nature of itself as a being of its own nature. The staplers keep it pinned down, resisting the pull before taking another tact: Vibrating, sinking into the ground to escape the staplers' grasp, though not enough to avoid Liam's blade, a strike that scores into the kaiju.
Enough for it to spin for a few before trying to bulldoze the Akashima, ramping off of it in the increasingly moonlit sky.
A desperate tactic that allows for Akane's and Rikka's attacks to strike true, electricity coursing through as Bullton shimmers, flickering in, out, in, out, in, out, glitching and twitching, various feelers flickering into arms, limbs, eyes, tails, tentacles, claws, spikes, before phasing back into regular feelers.
It screams in its squeals of annoyance and pain, further amplified as Lua's contractions strike true, internal space fighting the dimensional cracks scoring within. Squirming in place, burrowing, tossing up dust, debris, flailing like the animal it was, feeler extending, trying to assure itself of its own reality, thrashing.
"Tch-" It's frustrating. To see ideas destroyed before your eyes. Leila's eyes of awe turning, shifting into anger, bitterness, spirali-
"Ah, don't make that face, Leila-chan! Everyone knows an idol can't fall, right?"
"...About damn time, idiot."
<Pose Tracker> Crisis Alexis has posed.
BGM - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCU01Vuz3NE - The Fear of God (Arrange) - Shoji Meguro
Out of the shadows steps a figure steeped in red. The broad, spiked shoulders establishing a 215cm frame, faded-red flame radiating off of the angled head, spiked googles outlining the silhouette of a face with lights where a mouth should be. Twinkling, blinking, a random cacophony of squares as he speaks. His body obscured by a muted red clock cascading down to the floor, the wind sending the matte material fluttering. Red wires sprouting from those very same shoulders, red metal chains on the inside of those spikes, a formal outfit for a very formal person.
"Aaaah, but its finally good to be out here, isnt it? Hello. Hello hello. Hello hello hello. It is a pleasure to meet you all, to make your acquaintances. Do not mind me!" An arm extends out of that cloak, similarly dyed in various hues of red.
And he regally bows to the stage, the audience member facing towards Bullton proper. "We're all working hard on our own fates, aren't we? Let me be the gentlemen I am and help the one I love. Ahaha, it's such a joy to see creations run amok!"
The world thrums as Bullton lies on the ground, twitching, the cylinders slowly tweaking, thrumming, energetic lines of red scoring along the surface of the kaiju.
"On three."
One. Two.
"INSTANCE-"
<Pose Tracker> Leila Misakiyama has posed.
"-REALIZATION!"
BGM - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CskOa1EYpI - Realization The Earth Battle - Mitsuharu Fukuyama
Bullton thrums, those lines of energy spreading about, coating the meteorite in a similar shade of red. Shimmering, twitching, phasing, before the now-studded meteorite twitched for a moment.
And space folded in on itself, feelers poking out with specks of inverted space, barely held balls of dimensionally-augmented gravity holes forcing nearby light to warp in towards them. Twitching. It flashes red.
The personal gravity of one's world flips. Lua's, Akane's, Rikka's, Liam's, Qivi's, Yuliana's, Kaworu's, all to feel a push up as if (or maybe, it has) personal gravity flung upwards....and to fall upwards to the ground, having only fallen the length of three regular cityscape buildings. The feelers twitch again, Bullton pinging out of space for a moment before setting itself down nearby, giving one more fling.
It squealed.
No.
It roared.
"...Aha. Ahahaha! That's what I wanted to see!"
KTS: Leila Misakiyama has activated the Focus Spirit Command. KTS: Leila Misakiyama has activated the Focus Spirit Command. KTS: Leila Misakiyama has activated the Wall Spirit Command. KTS: Leila Misakiyama has activated the Enable Spirit Command. KTS: Leila Misakiyama targets Luanova Luckwright with Four-Dimensional Willpower Cool Trick! KTS: Leila Misakiyama targets Akane Shinjo with Four-Dimensional Willpower Cool Trick! KTS: Leila Misakiyama targets Rikka Takarada with Four-Dimensional Willpower Cool Trick! KTS: Leila Misakiyama targets Liam 7-020 with Four-Dimensional Willpower Cool Trick! KTS: Leila Misakiyama targets Qivi with Four-Dimensional Willpower Cool Trick! KTS: Leila Misakiyama targets Yuliana Kafim with Four-Dimensional Willpower Cool Trick! KTS: Leila Misakiyama targets Kaworu Nagisa with Four-Dimensional Willpower Cool Trick! KTS: Rikka Takarada engages charge against Leila Misakiyama's Four-Dimensional Willpower Cool Trick! KTS: Best Defense! Rikka Takarada successfully reacts to Leila Misakiyama's Four-Dimensional Willpower Cool Trick, taking 4575 damage! KTS: Akane Shinjo engages guard against Leila Misakiyama's Four-Dimensional Willpower Cool Trick! KTS: Akane Shinjo poorly guards Leila Misakiyama's Four-Dimensional Willpower Cool Trick, taking 5490 damage! KTS: Kaworu Nagisa engages evade against Leila Misakiyama's Four-Dimensional Willpower Cool Trick! KTS: Kaworu Nagisa successfully reacts to Leila Misakiyama's Four-Dimensional Willpower Cool Trick, taking 5490 damage! KTS: Yuliana Kafim has activated the Dash Spirit Command and has gained proficiency bonus. KTS: Luanova Luckwright engages block against Leila Misakiyama's Four-Dimensional Willpower Cool Trick! KTS: Luanova Luckwright successfully blocks Leila Misakiyama's Four-Dimensional Willpower Cool Trick, taking 3355 damage! KTS: Yuliana Kafim has activated the Alert Spirit Command. KTS: Yuliana Kafim engages guard against Leila Misakiyama's Four-Dimensional Willpower Cool Trick! KTS: Yuliana Kafim moderately guards Leila Misakiyama's Four-Dimensional Willpower Cool Trick, taking 5185 damage! KTS: Liam 7-020 engages guard against Leila Misakiyama's Four-Dimensional Willpower Cool Trick! KTS: Liam 7-020 successfully guards Leila Misakiyama's Four-Dimensional Willpower Cool Trick, taking 5185 damage! KTS: Qivi engages evade against Leila Misakiyama's Four-Dimensional Willpower Cool Trick! KTS: Best Defense! Qivi successfully reacts to Leila Misakiyama's Four-Dimensional Willpower Cool Trick, taking 0 damage! <Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
Of course Yuliana has no desire. But Kaworu does see she hasn't stepped on anything important, and that she continues to skitter around away from any still-p. ...Though the Muse Malu's steps are significantly smaller than most everyone else's here.
"Yes, it's me," he replies back to her on that private line. "I'm glad I was able to help her some. Friendship is a treasure everyone should be able to have a chance to hold."
As Yuliana then goes on to share her familiarity with a tenuous relationship with space vis-a-vis the Bullton, Nova and Liam go on to nail the kaiju down with Rikka following up with her shield to capitalize on it. Kaworu smiles to see it, not just for the action itself, but the fact that Liam identified a specific danger and took counter-action, rather than waiting for orders. He's growing into himself well.
But then Liam asserts that there's no sign of a controller, and Kaworu gives him a curious look--but then, Leila looks normal, doesn't she? He remembers her, even, from the live broadcast of the Sheryl Nome songwriting contest winners. Leila Misakiyama--the first place winner. It's the circumstances she's placed herself in that are strange.
Akane agrees. "I'll leave it to you and Rikka to decide what to do about her," he tells the two of them. "If she's in a similar position as Akane was..."
He doesn't finish the thought. He doesn't need to. Ultimately, it's as Rikka says: it's the people's safety that matters. And Leila, too, is a person... more or less. Probably.
To Myrmidon, he says simply, "That will do." They have plenty of people on top of the reality anchors or things like it.
But then--
When the Bullton charged Kaworu at first, attempting to erase the ground at Unit Beta's feet to sink her deep in the city, it was easy enough to evade. 'Evade' is not really the word, not fully; she simply continued to stand where she was when the ground fell out from underneath her, and sidestepped as the Bullton bullrushed. But then a hauntingly familiar figure, stained in red, appears at Leila's side.
Kaworu's smile doesn't often drop away. But it drops now as he gives that Alexis-alike, standing now at Leila's side, a long stare.
Very familiar indeed. And as he shoots Akane a sharp look, the Bullton too shines bloody red, and gravity inverts at the distortion of space on lines of Instance-Realized energy. Unit Beta goes flying up, only to slip through space and land on the ground she'd rebuked only moments ago. This time, the ground crumples beneath her, windows shattering in a nearby skyscraper. Fortunately, by now, the people are all gone.
"I'm afraid I must mind you," he tells Leila's new companion. It may or may not be through his Evangelion's comm systems. "Who are you, exactly?"
Unit Beta pushes herself upright, one hand still gripping her sword. It's not that blade she uses against the kaiju, though.
It's the shining gleam of an A.T. Field wielded like a vast scalpel, slicing through the air and selectively separating the molecules in its path. Organic matter, local architecture, allied units--none of them are harmed. But the Bullton might suddenly be missing a piece of itself in just a moment.
KTS: Kaworu Nagisa has activated the Enable Spirit Command. KTS: Kaworu Nagisa targets Leila Misakiyama with Separation! KTS: Qivi has activated the Trick Spirit Command. KTS: Qivi has activated the Trick Spirit Command. <Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.
"You really don't know me very well if you think I'm being hypocritical dropping in to help normal people," is what Yuliana says, to the Myrmecia, with passing irritation. "You've built your assumptions based on one fight and some rumours, haven't you? A pity. You'll learn the nuances eventually."
Her lips curl, and her spite drives her on. "But I'll give you one spot of advice, Myrmecia pilot -- don't accuse the people helping you of having an overabundance of gall for protecting a city, unless you'd like to goad them to destroy it instead. Would that make you happier, dearie? Would that validate your beliefs, nice and neat and tidy? Hmph."
Of course it hurts her feelings that she'd be cast out for finding a battle where she can help. Does it matter that she was looking for any kind of a fight at all, and what she dropped in on might not have been as uncomplicated as this? Surely not. She's here! She's helping! Isn't that enough for these people?!
Imagine getting pigeonholed into villainy. Having a reputation is frankly unfair.
At least the Ultra Warrior listens to her. "A stapler?" She wonders, as she sees Bullton pinned down. "Haa... if it works, it works! The principles are the same!" It tries to dig down to escape, though, and Yuliana warns them: "Keep it on the surface! The shelters will be down there."
She does care about them not getting crushed by a weird shell, apparently.
But something shows up on her sensors -- which distracts her from those warnings entirely. Her head turns, though most of her overhead display is held over her helmet. "Alexis?!" She barks, and evidently she's familiar. "But -- you're gone --"
Her hands and her tentacles tighten, around four separate sticks. "I really do not care for the back-and-forth right now, I know you couldn't stand me, I know you wanted to get into my head, I know you were scoring points." Of course she's sorted through it in therapy; it was a useful thing to throw into Dr. Kimura's path when she was sick of him targeting her wife. "And now you've fallen in love, have you? Tchah--"
Her sensors run a finer scan, and that's when she sees her.
"HER?!" Yuliana barks, her voice raising in offence. "For God's sake, Alexis! THAT IS A CHILD!" And then the radio picks up a sharp, violent THUD. That's Yuliana banging her fist into the controls. "When we met, I was sick! I'd just got my brain scrambled, and then I fell into your God-damned reality pocket and everything was wrong! So what's YOUR excuse?!" She --
She's actually mad about Alexis being in love with a teenager.
She's so mad that she falls up and -- no, that's Bullton. That's worse.
"Fuck --" can be heard, over the radio, as Yuliana has to adjust on the fly to reality inverting. Give her credit -- she does; the Muse Malu 4 undulates as it twists from one axis to another, such that when it craters back to the ground, it's still on its feet. That doesn't stop her from sustaining significant structural damage, though; unlike the Da Xukong 0, the Muse Malu 4 cannot operate in the air.
It's not even much of a jumper. It just kind of... climbs.
"Fuck that!" She yells, still heated, as she fires another magical shot from her Fold Cannon, the horrific warping magics of the Void now designed to weigh Bullton down.
KTS: Yuliana Kafim targets Leila Misakiyama with Light Fold Cannon - Oppression Shot! KTS: Leila Misakiyama has activated the Wall Spirit Command. KTS: Leila Misakiyama has activated the Wall Spirit Command. KTS: Leila Misakiyama has activated the Focus Spirit Command. KTS: Leila Misakiyama fails to engage Evade against Kaworu Nagisa's Separation! KTS: Best Defense! Leila Misakiyama successfully reacts to Kaworu Nagisa's Separation, taking 3600 damage! KTS: Qivi has activated the Valor Spirit Command. <Pose Tracker> Qivi has posed.
Not just a stapler, but a stapler gun!
...Look, Qivi didn't design the Fastening Launcher. It does its job, at least, though Qivi had no time to grab any reloads, so that may be the last time it gets used for its purpose today. She doesn't have a holster either (it's not like they come off the shelf for someone her current height) so she has to carry it.
Fortunately, she *did* think ahead and there's a loop she can use like a shoulder strap. It dangles in a kind of annoying way, but she's got her hands free again.
And it really did work! Qivi is pleased, because she didn't have much practice or testing time with the thing. She starts to advance, then, on the hopefully-immobilized Bullton.
Now, neither Qivi or Nova noticed Leila, really. She hadn't done anything to draw attention and she'd been otherwise occupied. Nor has Qivi, unlike some of the others, actually met Leila before. But that was then, and this is now - before Alexis, who Qivi recognizes perfectly well, shows up and starts talking.
You're dead! she thinks, startled out of her approach. She knows Alexis is. She *saw* him defeated and destroyed. This confusion - and anger - is all on Qivi, none from Nova, who does not recognize Alexis at all.
Speaking of Bullton, it makes a thrumming sensation that Nova feels more than hears and launches her into the sky. This would be more of a problem if Nova could not fly, and if Qivi's reactions weren't battle-tested and trained; she turns the impromptu launch into a deliberate take-off, then lands again, thumping down. More damage to the road; no damage to Nova.
They need to get rid of the kaiju before they deal with Alexis, Qivi thinks. It's just like before, that way -
Nova brings up her arms, holding them in a particular configuration familiar to anyone who has seen an Ultra; her arms crossed over each other to make an X, left arm almost horizontal, right almost vertical. Her right hand shimmers, ripples with a distinct pink -
The beam it emits has a distinct 'head', a bright frontal crest in pink studded with sparkling blue. The rest of the beam gets progressively less pink, and more blue and white, though it never loses all its pink; the bright streak of a distant galaxy, formed into a finishing blast!
But as soon as she's launched it, Nova angles her head until she's looking at Alexis. He's the one she wants to shoot. She just can't - not where he's standing, unless she wants to destroy everything around him while he teleports away, and not now. She can't leave Bullton to make a mess!
She speaks instead. It echoes, though it's just noise - though it is aimed, mostly, at Akane and Rikka. She can't imagine what *they're* thinking right now - but she's on their side, now.
No matter what.
KTS: Qivi targets Leila Misakiyama with Kisorium Beam! KTS: Qivi's Opportunist activates Focus! <Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Akane is worried about her. Rikka isn't surprising. Climbing into this cockpit that's done so much to her... Rikka would be lying if she said she was completely fine, but for right now, she can keep going.
"Thanks, I will." Rikka replies. "...Same to you, alright?"
Myrmidon says she has no idea what a reality anchor is. ...Rikka doesn't blame her - it's not the sort of thing people usually have to learn about. It might become more and more immediately relevant, though.
Yuliana gives a warning - keep it from digging down, to where the shelters are. Rikka nods.
"Right. Then we can't give it any time to dig." She says.
Kaworu says he'll leave what happens to Leila to her and Akane.
"If we can talk to her..." Rikka starts, trailing off. It's never that easy, is it? She's concerned - but maybe her concerns are unfounded...?
A figure appears out of the shadow. Familiar, all too familiar, but blazing red rather than cloaked in black. Rikka stares for a moment, aghast. That face, and those words -
"Is this some kind of sick-" She starts, her expression twisting - but doesn't get the chance to.
Instance Realization.
Bullton thrums, space folds in - and gravity inverts.
The Mu Gundam rises down, and then falls upward - slamming into the streets. It's only quick reorientation that mitigates the damage - but it's still enough that it takes some effort to force the Mu Gundam back onto its feet.
"...That's not him. That can't be him. We were there - we saw Gridman take him away personally." Rikka forces out, with some effort. "You're not Alexis Kerib... You can't be. Who are you?"
Bullton still demands attention, though - and so Rikka's forced to tear herself away. She breathes in, and out. She has to focus. She draws on her senses, and thinks on Bullton's patterns so far. The place danger is most likely to come from next is...
She tightens her grip on the defense rod, and lunges in -
And if the kaiju tries to teleport away, it'll find that the Mu Gundam is already there, driving its baton right toward it.
She hears that echo of noise from Nova. There are no words, but she can feel that support. She appreciates it.
"Akane..." Rikka murmurs. She keeps a close eye on her - ready to lend her own support, if needed.
KTS: Rikka Takarada targets Leila Misakiyama with Foresight! KTS: Leila Misakiyama fails to engage React against Yuliana Kafim's Light Fold Cannon - Oppression Shot! KTS: Best Defense! Leila Misakiyama successfully reacts to Yuliana Kafim's Light Fold Cannon - Oppression Shot, taking 0 damage! KTS: Yuliana Kafim anchors Leila Misakiyama, preventing her from Evading the next attack! KTS: Leila Misakiyama engages guard against Qivi's Kisorium Beam! KTS: Leila Misakiyama successfully guards Qivi's Kisorium Beam, taking 4800 damage! KTS: Leila Misakiyama fails to engage Guard against Rikka Takarada's Foresight! KTS: Best Defense! Leila Misakiyama successfully reacts to Rikka Takarada's Foresight, taking 3384 damage! <Pose Tracker> Chise Asukagawa has posed.
Bright red boots run through twisting streets. "Of all the DAYS!!" a girl with red-black gradient hair shouts impotently at the skyline. A car behind her floats 10 feet off the ground and then reasserts itself with an alarmingly conclusive-sounding WUNK.
Chise Asukagawa looks back with worried blue eyes, breath coming fast and heavy. One of the hubcaps rolls merrily away before flying up into a third story window. "Kinda pretty close, huh," she says to herself like she were talking to somebody else. "But..." Her lips split in a big grin. "Even if the gang's not here to do anything, this is too major to miss!"
And so, in clear defiance of all evacuation protocol, Chise runs out into full view on an overpass bridge, past a handy and perfectly serviceable for shelter bus stop, and proceeds to flip her phone up into full 'taking video of the monster' position. "It's some kinda freaky meteor!" she announces, in the fashion of needless video commentators the world over.
Then the Bullton explodes into red light. "Oh, hey, I like the colors," she says to nobody.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
That does seem to work on the creature -- and in spades. Akane makes a note of it; the array needs time to cool down before trying another attack like that, though. They might be able to address that with a GaoMachine...
Gravity inverts, though -- and the Galactron unit was never designed to cope with that. Getting swung around rings her bell as well as Galactron's -- while she's hooked into it like this, they share everything. She wants more time to get her bearings, but for the moment she'll have to --
-- have to --
Her sensors pick up a new presence, wreathed in salmon-tone flame and...
and...
It -- can't be him. The color is wrong. Did he get away from Gridman? Did something change him...?
Her eyes widen, and she pulls at the wires of Galactron's inner space. "Alexis?! I thought you were gone. Are you up to the same old junk again?" she asks, trying to keep her tone casual despite the fear welling up in her gut. "Do you just have a thing for girls with some pink in their hair?"
... She wants to reach out further to Leila -- but she can't as long as the kaiju stands. Akane looks down for a few seconds, then over to Kaworu and his Evangelion. "... actually saying it's 'love' out loud is kinda new, though." She shudders to think what emotional realizations Alexis has had since they last talked, if that's the case.
As Galactron scrambles back to its feet, Akane starts to cut through the fog of fear. "Not the first time he's screwed around with a kid," Akane points out, before rounding on Galactron again.
Bringing that blade around, Akane brings Galactron into a forward sprint. At first, it looks like she's going for a slash -- but she ducks the blade low at the last second and thrusts it into the irregular kaiju instead.
... there's got to be a way to reach Leila -- but to do that, Akane would have to know her as more than a casual Taraba fan.
"... Rikka," Akane murmurs quietly, as she closes the distance. "We'll -- talk about it later. On the flight?" They do have their Obon getaway still, assuming they survive this.
KTS: Akane Shinjo has activated the Rouse Spirit Command. KTS: Akane Shinjo has activated the Enable Spirit Command. KTS: Akane Shinjo targets Leila Misakiyama with Galactron Poignard Stab! KTS: Akane Shinjo's New Order activates Strike!
<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.
Liam's temple throbs as the spat on the radio continues. His hand swipes across the radio controls, and a moment later, a tightbeam opens to Myrmecia. "<It fucking sucks,>" Liam says, in solidarity. "<But better she's doing this than whatever horrors her wife is making her do.>" If nothing else, his recent 'talk' with Elisa and Yuliana showed him exactly who has the lion's share of power. It fucking sucks.
But right now, Bullton is the bigger threat.
Unit Beta looks sideways at the Akashima, with that eerie body language that only got eerier when Liam found out what Evas really looked like.
"<What?>" Liam transmits back, flicking over to broadband. "<Did you see someone?>" On that rooftop. He'd thought that was just someone who made the mistake of trying to climb rather than getting underground, but now he sees what Kaworu sees.
And worse: he sees the figure standing next to her. "Alexis?!" he roars, half in confusion, and half in rage. Did he get out? When did he get out? Is he--
Red light erupts from Bullton, and gives Liam something more immediate to worry about.
Alarms blare in the Akashima's cockpit, and the world goes topsy-turvy. For a heartbeat, Liam feels sickening vertigo, but then the stabilizer implants in his inner ears tamp down on the neural signal. He's nowhere near as good with complex manual controls as Yuliana. He pulls in on the sticks, and the Akashima's arms whip inwards, crossing across its torso. Its legs tighten, staying as still as they can. The Akashima 'falls' up, and then crashes to the ground. When it rises, its right arm moves stiffly, as if something were pinching the joint housing, tight. (The rear armor is an absolute mess, all tattered, crumpled metal thanks to Bullton's powers.)
"<Right,>" Liam says, his voice tight. "<Finishing this, then. Clear my forward arc!>" The Akashima wrenches its damaged right arm into place, gripping it by the forearm. The barrels spin up more slowly this time, but the volley of fire that ensues is nothing short of awe-inspiring. Lead flies downrange to pepper Bullton, and once that part of the ammo feed is done with, Liam switches to the incendiaries. The rate of fire slows--just enough to keep Liam in control of the gun, to cut down on the chance of hitting the backdrop--but each bullet is packed with a volatile chemical cocktail. It is not going to be pleasant for Bullton, to say the least.
"<Hang in there, you two,>" Liam manages to say to Akane and Rikka, via tightbeam.
KTS: Liam 7-020 has activated the Valor Spirit Command. KTS: Liam 7-020 has activated the Valor Spirit Command. KTS: Liam 7-020 has activated the Strike Spirit Command. KTS: Liam 7-020 targets Leila Misakiyama with Akashima Arm Cannon Full Fire! KTS: Liam 7-020's Tactical Intelligence activates Focus! KTS: Leila Misakiyama fails to engage Guard against Akane Shinjo's Galactron Poignard Stab! KTS: Leila Misakiyama successfully reacts to Akane Shinjo's Galactron Poignard Stab, taking 5040 damage! KTS: Leila Misakiyama fails to engage Evade against Liam 7-020's Akashima Arm Cannon Full Fire! KTS: Leila Misakiyama successfully reacts to Liam 7-020's Akashima Arm Cannon Full Fire, taking 5670 damage!
<Pose Tracker> Luanova Luckwright has posed.
Space folds on itself. It's a terribly disorienting feeling, which allows Bullton's realization to knock Myrmecia against the ground, Lua holding the machine together and focusing cushions of counterforce. She feels the world around her, and the trembling of the quantum foam. The second fling goes better. She applies counterforce against the rise through the air, and counterforce again on the way down, gravity-shearing jets slowing the artificial fall to prevent another full collision.
Yuliana rambles. "You literally tried to destroy the world," Lua sputters in her cockpit. She has the presence of mind not to actually transmit that. In fact, around 'I'll give you one spot of advice,' she's flicking a mute switch on the Muse Malu's transmissions. She's not worth engaging with. <"I'm turning her off, I'm not listening to this,"> she tells Liam over the personal tightbeam.
This, of course, leaves her deaf to Yuliana's outrage at this week's obnoxious mysterious figure, who she does not recognize as Alexis or anyone else. Red caped person. Might as well be the same person from The Company with the bird mechs. Just show up out of nowhere, taunt without context, do something shitty and leave. <"You guys really like the sound of your own voice,"> is all Myrmidon says to that. It visibly turns its back on the red-caped person. Just handle the kaiju. They're not worth engaging either.
Myrmecia holds back to clear the Akashima's forward arc, and then, in the wake of the strikes from the Mu Gundam and Galactron, Myrmecia is on Bullton again. This time isn't to take it for a ride. This time is raw and simple. Myrmecia grabs hold of one of the realized 'horns' of the entity several times its size, and this time lifts it straight up over its head, invisible sheets of psychokinetic force heaving it aloft and stable. The little wanzer crouches and then somersaults into the air, spinning Bullton around itself. It spikes the giant into the ground, and then, gravity shearing blue in its wake, Myrmecia accelerates downward to overtake it. Curl a fist, thumb outward to reinforce the knuckles. Rear arm back. Time the strike. At the moment of impact, a single right straight for the center of mass.
The shockwave produced is deafening. Dust briefly blinds the battlefield, particles curling in strangely beautiful patterns under the influence of gravitic backwash from both Bullton and Myrmecia.
KTS: Luanova Luckwright targets Leila Misakiyama with Gigantic Impact! KTS: Luanova Luckwright has activated the Daunt Spirit Command targeting Leila Misakiyama KTS: Leila Misakiyama engages charge against Luanova Luckwright's Gigantic Impact! KTS: Critical Hit! Leila Misakiyama poorly reacts to Luanova Luckwright's Gigantic Impact, taking 6600 damage! KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Luanova Luckwright's Soul A Knife activates, causing Nullify!
<Pose Tracker> Leila Misakiyama has posed.
The heart beats quick when under duress, and this situation was no exception. Idol-work, school-work, this...Even so, the smile on her face is genuine, barely turning to face the grand statue of the partner beside her. The chest is puffed, the arms are crossed, and she's certain that the konbini won't survive the fallout. That's what matters, no? The singular goal, though...She should make sure.
"Ahaha...Aaaaah, I needed that tonight. Thanks."
"Don't thank me. It's a job to make things interesting, you know."
"You're still an idiot."
"I'm many things, and that may be one of them."
Bullton twists for a few, rolling side to side as spear-feelers stick out at an angle. Coalescing energy rings preemptively, one flinging off into nowhere, scoring a bright red streak barely tinged with blue crashing elsewhere. The only intended victim of this brazen attack: A konbini store.
Kaworu's question. "You do? I'm afraid that's a good question, boy. If you can answer that, I'd love to know, aha! But. I came up with one. A name." His head swivels, looking at Unit Beta as it forces the A.T. field against Bullton's armor. The swing scores true, slicing through a part of Bullton- The insides swarming with strange, amorphously foreign swirls of something before feelers lash out at the inside from one side of the missing slice to the other, haphazardly forging a brazen suture before more could be seen.
Retaliation is swift; Split-feelers popping out to swing and swirl, tips glowing red for a moment before a hole opens up off the street, swallowing a few buildings for a moment before another portal opens up behind Eva Beta, gravity assisting in hurling those wonders of engineering for a new purpose.
"Me? Gone? What do you mean by that? I just got here. If your head is as interesting as you say it is, we can still have a nice discussion. Tea? Coffee? Boba?" He pauses for a moment, mulling over Yuliana's assertion. "I need an excuse? My memory is not the best, so forgive me! But, this is the same world that worships Amuro Ray for what he did. My memory may be scattershot, but if I remember this world's history correctly...Ah, that's no justification, is it! Ahaha." So jovial with no hesitation.
"But this world puts me in the right with your logic."
"Just a kid, they say." Another idiot in a creepy as hell suit, if she's placing voices correctly.
Bullton is long gone from the building's new trajectory, winking into the next street over. It rolls the opposite direction, shifting about as it angles itself around a few more streets, a few more blocks, a feeler popping out and facing the MM4. A simple swirl of the air for a portal to somewhere manifesting, swallowing the beam whole...For a moment, the warping energies of the corrupting void sending a pained squeal before its holes erupted in hasty green smoke, a few feelers separated and crashing against the ground, stained in that same corrupt green.
A noise akin to retching, anchored into place by the sheer disgust of tasting the Void. Twitching, shuddering, green steaming from the suture on its side. It's a perfect opportunity to what Leila recognizes from Nova, a sharp intake as that beam Skyrocketed towards Bullton, smashing in with nothing but feelers manifesting fields again. In, in, in, the massive blast sending another few feelers flying, steaming as they crashed against the building, the asphalt, twitching and glitching.
"When did I become so popular?" A roll of his shoulders, conveyed with the lightest tilt of his head. Rikka's question feels faint. Something is hitting inside. "Alexis Kerib? Hmm, that does ring a bell."
"Kerib? Never heard of it." Aaaah, there it was, losing again.
After all, Bullton was clearly struggling by this point. Infested from the inside, the missing slice clearly disadvantaging it as it tried to teleport again. To wink once, twice, thrice, all its trickery failing as Rikka's Gundam hits true, baton donking against pure armored hide, enough to cave the surface in before it winked again. Crashing down into another block, trembling.
"Another person?" Akane's question is met with odd curiosity, the long-heaved sigh of someone exasperated with the repeat questioning. "My memory truly is terrible, but this has to be another level. Amnesia? Is there no other term for it? Dear me, I may need to see a doctor."
Galactron strikes true, grousing or not. A click is heard from Leila, drumming fingers against metal as Bullton squeals. Its turned from entertaining to annoying. It squeals, it squeals, it squeals, it squeals, and what does it do?
"Oi."
"Mhm?"
"Scrap it."
"Yes, yes!"
The kaiju barely manifests a single feeler from inside, barely trying to stop the Akashima's chemical concoctions from being doused on Bullton. To swing, swerve, groan, scream, yell, feelers popping out one by one, the repeated damage slowly slowing Bullton down...
Lua's hit strikes true. Hit. Lifted. Swung. Feelers sprouting, trying to manifest red light to resist, to push the Myrmecia away. Failing at that, spiked onto the ground...And hit.
The ground cracks. The ground splits. The vibrations course through Bullton, kickstarting its own internal engine of spite and malice, dust continually raised as it pushes, burrows.
Its final feelers pop out through the holes on top, all its strength pouring into one final gasp of defiance. Spears, split-ends, spirals all coursing with energy...And smashing into the ground, sending dimensional waves through the outer crust, directed waves to send the ground shotgunning upwards at each and every enemy that tried to eliminate it.
The figure seems to tweak an eyebrow upwards, before erupting into good-hearted jolly laughter. "Where are my manners today? I should have led with that! A name makes the person, alive or dead. Ahem! I have named myself Crisis Alexis. Alexis Kerib, if you find him, do let me know. My brother loves getting into trouble! Once again, it is a pleasure to meet you all on this stage."
The Earth spews out Bullton's final message of retaliatory rage.
KTS: Leila Misakiyama has activated the Detonate Spirit Command, reducing the Gimmick Type Kaiju to 1 HP! KTS: Leila Misakiyama has activated the Focus Spirit Command. KTS: Leila Misakiyama has activated the Focus Spirit Command. KTS: Leila Misakiyama has activated the Focus Spirit Command. KTS: Leila Misakiyama has activated the Enable Spirit Command. KTS: Leila Misakiyama has activated the Focus Spirit Command. KTS: Leila Misakiyama targets Qivi with Four-Dimensional Willpower Special Trick! KTS: Leila Misakiyama targets Luanova Luckwright with Four-Dimensional Willpower Spray! KTS: Liam 7-020's The Hound activates! KTS: Leila Misakiyama targets Liam 7-020 with Four-Dimensional Willpower Spray! KTS: Leila Misakiyama targets Yuliana Kafim with Four-Dimensional Willpower Cool Trick! KTS: Leila Misakiyama targets Kaworu Nagisa with Four-Dimensional Willpower Special Trick! KTS: Leila Misakiyama targets Akane Shinjo with Four-Dimensional Willpower Burst! KTS: Leila Misakiyama targets Rikka Takarada with Four-Dimensional Willpower Burst! KTS: Akane Shinjo engages react against Leila Misakiyama's Four-Dimensional Willpower Burst! KTS: Best Defense! Akane Shinjo successfully reacts to Leila Misakiyama's Four-Dimensional Willpower Burst, taking 0 damage! KTS: Yuliana Kafim has activated the Dash Spirit Command and has gained proficiency bonus. KTS: Rikka Takarada engages react against Leila Misakiyama's Four-Dimensional Willpower Burst! KTS: Rikka Takarada successfully reacts to Leila Misakiyama's Four-Dimensional Willpower Burst, taking 4185 damage! KTS: Yuliana Kafim has activated the Dash Spirit Command and has gained proficiency bonus. KTS: Yuliana Kafim engages evade against Leila Misakiyama's Four-Dimensional Willpower Cool Trick! KTS: Best Defense! Yuliana Kafim successfully reacts to Leila Misakiyama's Four-Dimensional Willpower Cool Trick, taking 0 damage! KTS: Kaworu Nagisa engages block against Leila Misakiyama's Four-Dimensional Willpower Special Trick! KTS: Kaworu Nagisa's Will Barrier activates, negating 2500 base damage. KTS: Kaworu Nagisa successfully blocks Leila Misakiyama's Four-Dimensional Willpower Special Trick, taking 2310 damage! KTS: Qivi engages guard against Leila Misakiyama's Four-Dimensional Willpower Special Trick! KTS: Qivi poorly guards Leila Misakiyama's Four-Dimensional Willpower Special Trick, taking 6030 damage! KTS: Luanova Luckwright has activated the Spirit Spirit Command. KTS: Luanova Luckwright engages react against Leila Misakiyama's Four-Dimensional Willpower Spray! KTS: Best Defense! Luanova Luckwright successfully reacts to Leila Misakiyama's Four-Dimensional Willpower Spray, taking 0 damage! KTS: Liam 7-020 fails to engage react against Leila Misakiyama's Four-Dimensional Willpower Spray! KTS: Liam 7-020 successfully reacts to Leila Misakiyama's Four-Dimensional Willpower Spray, taking 4836 damage! <Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
There's no need to answer Liam; he turns and sees for himself what Kaworu sees. Liam at least takes it relatively well; Yuliana, as is her wont, goes absolutely ape. But she isn't wrong to, all considered. Whatever is going on with Leila and her companion, it's surely no less toxic than the relationship Akane and Alexis had.
Akane points out it wouldn't be the first time Alexis Kerib has messed around with a young girl, even. "Unfortunately true," Kaworu says. The red Alexis shares the name he chose for himself, that there are issues with his memory--but that Alexis Kerib is his brother, and he has called himself Crisis Alexis.
Is that really true? There's no way to confirm it right now, though. Kaworu, for all his knowledge, simply doesn't know.
The pressure from Myrmidon's attack sends a gust billowing through Unit Beta's long hair, though her A.T. Field disperses the shockwave before it could affect her. She sweeps to one side to get behind Bullton. This, surely by pure coincidence, places her--and her A.T. Field defenses--in between the kaiju and Chise Asukagawa. It's in time for Bullton to retaliate by portalling several buildings into her. She grabs the first one, her grip strengthened by the light of her heart, and uses it as a massive shield against the next incoming structures. It's effective--at first. The weight slows her down, though, which leaves her open for the dimensional waves that follow from below and erupt with force to shatter the ground and send the pieces flying up like buckshot into the Evangelion.
The force and impact rocket into her armor, leaving massive pockmarks and snapping joints in deeply unpleasant ways where they strike. Unit Beta and Kaworu curl in pain from the battering, a hitch in his breath that bubbles up through the LCL. Then he gently sighs it out and raises his head.
Unit Beta spreads her arms. The remains of the wrecked buildings that Bullton had thrown at her, then later wrecked with the ground explosion, float in formation around her. Indeed, though the ground beneath her is fairly destroyed, her footing is not affected. She seems to be... floating?
Her pylons arch out, and great iridescent wings spread from the generators on her back. As they flare, Unit Beta crosses her wrists, and the wreckage that halos her now rockets towards Bullton like a deadly meteor shower--but with such precision that they strike only Bullton, and even those that might miss due to space-time deconstruction land on the other side with a whisper, not a crash.
KTS: Kaworu Nagisa targets Leila Misakiyama with Distance! KTS: Kaworu Nagisa has activated the Enable Spirit Command. KTS: Kaworu Nagisa has activated the Resupply Spirit Command targeting Luanova Luckwright
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.
Yuliana doesn't know that Luanova isn't listening, any more. It's so easy not to listen to someone, vicious and spiteful as they sink into their miasma of coercion and abuse. Perhaps it's better... for people who are in the thick of pressure and influence themselves.
After all, Yuliana isn't the only one with expectations at home -- is she? Whether it's showing off your new wunder-wanzer, or demonstrating the virtues of the real thing after your model was received so well, a kaiju attack is such a good punching bag.
Rikka says that can't be Alexis, after he appears, and Yuliana supposes that one of the primary thorns in his side would know. But then, there's one of his prior projects, and she sounds quite convinced on it all. "Tch," she spits, when Akane points out it's not the first child he's hurt. "He didn't pop over to tell us not to interfere with this one."
(Which might explain why Yuliana never bothered Akane all that much. Leila, apparently, has no such... protection?)
It takes her a moment longer before she remembers to ask Akane, still over open channel: "Should you be here? There's no shame in falling back if someone like that's appeared again. I'd retreat just the same, if Dr. Devi slipped her bonds and stepped into the battlefield."
..................................... isn't Dr. Devi dead?
Yuliana doesn't stop to explain.
"What?!" She snaps, her anger returning in force when Alexis keeps talking. "Are you brain-damaged?! What kind of a response is that?! Don't you play nice with me, I'm mad at you!" At least she can make Bullton scream, even if this amnesiac(?) Alexis is annoyingly chipper.
She clicks her tongue, realising what the seismic data coming through her sensors must mean, and snaps: "It's coming up from below!" One too many teeth bite her lip, and she focuses in through it, cranking one lever even as she's engaging a second clutch, turning a wheel, pushing a fourth lever in. The Muse Malu 4 skitters on its forty-eight legs, to move in a smooth arc and curl around the ground as it shotguns upwards; it sends the machine rolling, but the earth doesn't spear her straight through.
Tragically, the Muse Malu 4 can right itself when it's knocked onto its back, which means that isn't a design flaw they can exploit for long.
"Your brother," she spits, as she works. "As if I'd believe that load of garbage! If 'Alexis' is really your last name, wouldn't it be Alexis Crisis, anyway?!" The linguistic inconsistencies really aren't the biggest problem here, but Yuliana cares about them.
"Tchah... whether you're this or that, you're pissing me off! I'm just gonna break your shit!" She calls Bullton Crisis Alexis's kaiju, and not Leila's, because...
... well, because Alexis Kerib made sure Yuliana didn't meddle with his personal project, probably. She doesn't exactly have experience, here.
"But it's tough..." She adds, as she looks down at a panel on the console, the green fold crystal at its centre calling out in invitation.
"... my Elisa installed these... for just this purpose, didn't she?" She asks, and perhaps she doesn't realise her radio is still on, now, her tone more contemplative. She lays her palm against the panel, and invokes: "Muse Malu 4, I offer myself freely to you -- that we might wrest the power to destroy this foe. Take it!"
And the machine flashes with green light, for one, horrible moment. Once her hands are on the controls again, the Muse Malu 4 plants all forty-eight legs as the Light Fold Cannon unfurls again, a horrible energy building in its barrel. When it unleashes its full power, it is exhaustive; the force drains the wanzer's systems, as much as it might destroy Bullton's.
But it is, by the same, token, destructive.
Only through meaningful sacrifice is the greatest strength gained.
KTS: Yuliana Kafim has activated the Alert Spirit Command. KTS: Yuliana Kafim has activated the Strike Spirit Command. KTS: Yuliana Kafim has activated the Dash Spirit Command and has gained proficiency bonus. KTS: Yuliana Kafim targets Leila Misakiyama with Light Fold Cannon - Destruction Shot!
<Pose Tracker> Qivi has posed.
Qivi still isn't entirely sure how Alexis is back. She thought he was gone forever, and seeing him back - well, she was never quite as deep into his swamp as some people, but she was affected by him too, enough that she's worried.
Hearing that it's his brother, or claims to be, with his new love - she looks over at Leila with that, more than slightly concerned. That's a problem, too!
But as mentioned, there's not much she can do directly against Alexis. Qivi wants to run over and punch him but Qivi is being restrained. As an Ultra, she *can* run over there and punch him (who's going to be able to stop her, and more importantly, who'd want to try?) but it wouldn't work, and she's increasingly frustrated about it.
Ultra Warrior Nova clenches her fist so hard that, if Qivi had visible skin, her knuckles would be white. But she sticks on Bullton, who she can reliably deal with. She's a brute; she knows it. She can handle the physical problem.
But there's a bit of an issue, now. Qivi has never used Nova's Kisorium Beam in real combat before, and she put a little too much into it. The eight-pointed star on Nova's chest, formerly a friendly glowing blue, is now a darker pink-red, and beginning to flash. Not especially fast, yet, but it's doing it. She's low on energy - and everyone can see it.
Worse: Nova might have been able to fly, and thus was not especially worried about having gravity flipped on her. That was a mistake, because while she can right *herself*, a geyser of rocks and asphalt is a lot less controllable. She vanishes in the cloud raised by the exploding earth, which erupts high enough to even mostly hide the giant silhouette of the Ultra Warrior.
She reappears just a moment later, rushing in hard and fast. She's still got that fist balled, and she drives it directly at Bullton, half-punching and half-tackling the weirdly blobby kaiju. The light flashes faster, like a heartbeat of someone exerting themselves - she can't keep this up for very much longer but she can at least solve the problem that looks like it can be solved by hitting it very hard.
Qivi did not miss problems she can't solve by hitting it. Unfortunately, that's most of them. But at least there's one.
KTS: Qivi targets Leila Misakiyama with Surging Blow! KTS: Qivi's Opportunist activates Wall!
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Akane speaks. Rikka can tell she's trying to remain casual. Of course she'd be afraid... This is a nightmare made reality.
"...Yeah. We'll talk." Rikka replies with a nod. The Mu Gundam nods thanks to the Akashima as Liam, too, offers reassurance.
That figure who looks so much like Alexis speaks - and even as he speaks, Bullton continues to fight.
He believes he's in the right...? Rikka frowns. And, 'Alexis Kerib' sounds familiar...
Bullton demands her attention again. Rikka tries to avoid, the Mu Gundam darting in and out to try to avoid it - but this time, the waves are all-encompassing. They slam into the Mu Gundam and Rikka grits her teeth as she braces against them.
"We have to finish it now! Its putting too much stress on the ground..." Rikka calls out. And even as this happens, the Alexis in red introduces himself.
Crisis Alexis... Alexis Kerib's brother?
This really is a crisis. One of them was bad enough. She doesn't know if she believes that... but he's here, and that's something she can't deny.
"...Nice to meet you." Rikka manages. Her tone is dry, but she tries to keep the venom out of it. She assesses Leila for a moment, again. She wants to say something - but what can she even say? She doesn't know her. Anything she could say... it'd just fall flat.
Right now, there's only one thing she can do.
The central pole of the Mu Gundam's funnel rack extends upward, and the ribs unfold out. It's like an umbrella, offering protection overhead - except instead of a covering to protect against rain, it bears a series of funnels. They come in two distinct shapes - one plain, designed only for combat, and the other with a more whimsical, toyetic design.
"Launching funnels!" Rikka announces. The funnels detach, and race off. Despite the disconnect in appearance, however, it's clear that the two work in sync - each pair opening fire in a way that covers angles potentially left open by its partner, a focused, united barrage to pin down the enemy while avoiding collateral damage.
KTS: Rikka Takarada has activated the Attune Spirit Command. KTS: Rikka Takarada targets Leila Misakiyama with Together as One!
<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.
Lua gets an affirmative grunt. "<Do what you need to. Good hunting.>" She needs to focus, like everybody else--maybe even more, due to how Myrmecia works. Liam is no exception. He takes a deep, square breath, and relaxes his grip on the sticks. It feels like the same thing, all over again. Did Alexis promise this girl another Tsutsujidai? If not, what--
"<Your brother,>" Liam says, rage and dull horror in his voice. It's happening again, isn't it? Nothing ever changes. Deep breaths, he reminds himself. Deep breaths.
That final barrage doesn't quite finish it. Bullton might be grievously wounded, but it's not dead, just yet.The Akashima sinks into a crouch, anticipating an attack from below--then the ground at its feet erupts into a spray of cement, alloy rebar, piping, and cable, all accelerated to railgun-like speeds. It's like a shotgun blast at point-blank range, but on a massive scale. Heavy armor splits and cracks under the barrage. A few chunks of plating fall to the street as the Akashima steps forward, and plants its feet.
He sees a blinking light on the Ultra's chest. He knows what that means.
The Akashima sidesteps, striding down a side-street as it gets a better angle on its quarry. Again, it raises its arm, and bracing joints deploy to keep it steady. Liam takes his lip between his teeth, well aware that stray shots could hit Nova, or worse. The last rounds in the feed slide into the chamber.
This Akashima fires in short, controlled bursts, each one aimed at Bullton's exposed core. Each bullet burns with chemical fire designed to wound Angels.
Rikka's right. Not only are the surface buildings in danger of collapse, the shelters are at risk, too. The shelters, with people inside.
KTS: Liam 7-020 has activated the Strike Spirit Command. KTS: Liam 7-020 has activated the Strike Spirit Command. KTS: Liam 7-020 has activated the Valor Spirit Command. KTS: Liam 7-020 targets Leila Misakiyama with Akashima Arm Cannon Fluorinated Incendiary Round! KTS: Liam 7-020's Tactical Intelligence activates Trick! <Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Concern for Akane comes from an unexpected source. Her eyes widen -- should she retreat? Certainly they seem to be getting Bullton under control, but...
"... I'm kinda thinking about it," is all she can muster. Her heart wavers -- at least until Crisis Alexis explains, and introduces, himself.
Crisis Alexis... a 'brother'. Things start to click into place, and Akane calms... slightly. At the very least, this means that Alexis isn't free -- that the one who hurt her remains gone, no doubt still in Gridman's custody.
It's cold comfort, though; now she knows there are others -- that there could be millions of Alexises, each with their own 'Akane,' their own 'Leila.' Her heart sinks to know it.
... the first order of business is simply to stop the kaiju -- but Akane isn't sure she has it in her.
As red meets red, the two dissipate; Akane defends herself from Bullton's dimensional strangeness with her own. It'll have to hold just a little longer.
"... Don't attack 'Crisis,'" Akane transmits, coolly. "It won't help." If Gridman were here, perhaps he could do something to fend off this doppelganger -- but for now, they can only wait and see.
It... feels difficult, to be on this end of the situation -- to see something like this from the outside, with the benefit of experience behind her.
As others press forward, Galactron... backs off. Akane's trust in her own judgment with a Hyper Devil in play remains shaky at best -- and what's more, she's not entirely sure it's a great idea to redouble her efforts with Galactron while her heart is wavering.
"S-switching to dimensional analysis," she stammers out, as she takes another step back.
KTS: Leila Misakiyama accepts Kaworu Nagisa's Distance! KTS: Critical Hit! Leila Misakiyama poorly reacts to Kaworu Nagisa's Distance, taking 6490 damage! KTS: Leila Misakiyama has been defeated! KTS: Kaworu Nagisa begins a Formation attack! KTS: Leila Misakiyama accepts Yuliana Kafim's Light Fold Cannon - Destruction Shot! KTS: Leila Misakiyama successfully reacts to Yuliana Kafim's Light Fold Cannon - Destruction Shot, taking 5904 damage! KTS: Leila Misakiyama has been defeated! KTS: Yuliana Kafim roots her unit, coming to a standstill and leaving her vulnerable. KTS: Yuliana Kafim completes the Formation attack! KTS: Leila Misakiyama accepts Qivi's Surging Blow! KTS: Critical Hit! Leila Misakiyama poorly reacts to Qivi's Surging Blow, taking 5060 damage! KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Qivi's Unbreakable activates, causing Sparkle! KTS: Leila Misakiyama has been defeated! KTS: Leila Misakiyama accepts Rikka Takarada's Together as One! KTS: Critical Hit! Leila Misakiyama poorly reacts to Rikka Takarada's Together as One, taking 6960 damage! KTS: Leila Misakiyama has been defeated! KTS: Leila Misakiyama accepts Liam 7-020's Akashima Arm Cannon Fluorinated Incendiary Round! KTS: Leila Misakiyama poorly reacts to Liam 7-020's Akashima Arm Cannon Fluorinated Incendiary Round, taking 6000 damage! KTS: Leila Misakiyama has been defeated!
<Pose Tracker> Luanova Luckwright has posed.
Lua flicks the switch to mute Crisis Alexis's transmissions too.
Bullton erupts from the crater of the Gigantic Impact, otherworldly energies spilled around. Everything is very red. Myrmecia sidesteps through the prismatic spray, untouched. Having a good day today, Lua thinks to herself. Holding nicely together. Starting to get the hang of this thing's tricks. Gravity manipulation, quantum foam, it's a step into Lua's instinctive wheelhouse. It's like a dance, closing back in on the flailing Bullton, through waves of chemical fire and unholy green light aimed upon a much larger target.
And the Ultra just punching it. Lua respects the punch. Was that the little wanzer giving a thumbs up for a moment?
Myrmecia catches Bullton falling back from the momentum of Nova's punch. First with a single punch of its own, with enough momentum to send Bullton skidding backwards again, what might be a sort of stagger if the entity had more recognizable morphology. Then a rolling series of punches that escalates in speed to a machinegun rhythm, beginning to mix in kicks, the momentum of the strikes alone beginning to lift Bullton back up into the air. The long flurry of blows is capped with a high axe kick with enough momentum to send Bullton back airborne again. At this moment of connection, though, in the midst of Lua's adrenaline, she feels the quantum foam within Bullton's interior. All at once, it collapses inward, a massive implosion, as if the axe kick were a pin breaching the skin of a balloon.
A combo counter tallying the number of hits does not appear, but a girl can dream.
KTS: Luanova Luckwright targets Leila Misakiyama with Meteor Crash!
<Pose Tracker> Leila Misakiyama has posed.
Leila's settled down by now, the adrenaline continuing to course through her body as a giggle escapes her body. For first time in a few months, she felt free. An assertion of herself, a mark of herself on the world. Stupid system, stupid mandate, stupid everything. Try to reject this.
"Dear me, I really should see a doctor about all that. Someone specialized, of course. If you're mad at me, hmm. You haven't given me an answer. That is your own fault." Yuliana's attack is processed, understood, and promptly discarded. "It wasn't me who decided to do this! So don't blame me for her movements."
He keeps listening. "Semantical. Names can change however they want. We do live in a place free to do such, I hope! Alexis Crisis feels too informal, so no thank you. As for my stuff...Ahaha! None of it was me, I just helped! It's a beautiful thing, isn't it? Hard work, care, love...Who wouldn't be proud to call it their own!?"
"...At least attribute it properly."
"Yes, yes. This was her idea."
Rikka receives no acknowledgement. He did introduce himself!
Kaworu's attack strikes true. Bullton is peppered with the weight of humanity's engineering, crushed under its might as the stones of manufacturing ingenuity propelled by divine whim makes themselves known.
Yuliana's attack strikes true. The massive cannon fries the armor, sending the kaiju's body into a bubbling, amorphous mass, the final feelers falling down to the ground.
Qivi's attack strikes true. A simple punch, a simple tackle, a simple end as the kaiju is sent rolling with the force of the blows, patches of the kaiju flinging off, colliding, denting into the buildings and asphalt before the material of Bullton begins to glitch and phase.
Lua's attack strikes true. Again and again, pummeled into the air from the force of the punches alone before being kicked to the side. Flung, material flying out, the air itself infesting with the light glitching of dimensions and strangeness.
Rikka's attack strikes true. Bullton tries to writhe on the ground, the glitching reaching a cascade as beam after beam burrows into the meterorite, the armor sloughing away to reveal the strange mixture of dimonsional fluid underneath.
Liam's attack strikes true. One shot of chemicals. Two. Three. Four. Multiple bursts shatter inside, the discarded, once idealized kaiju heaving, trying to move, to retaliate.
Akane's attack never comes. It doesn't need to, nor does there need to be one.
Bullton heaves a final breath, bubbling, squirming. Its role over, Leila watching from afar next to Crisis Alexis. Aaaah, this was refreshing in its own way, watching the corpse quiver...And explode fantastically, satisfying the prototypical conditions for a Kaiju. the debris flies far and high, harmless rubble flung upwards before each and every bit glitches out, fading into nothingness as the manifestation returns to the Earth from where it came.
"...It's over, isn't it~? I can't believe it worked." Muttering to herself, a crooked gaze cast over. It did work. The page did work. She could feel the emotions inside, writhing, twisting itself in a never-ending ouroboros of complicated feelings.
BGM - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqM6-Lm1BTw - Tokyo - Ryota Kozuka
Inspiration.
"Ha! That it did, Leila-chan. That it did. I may be wanted for questioning. I am not keen on it."
"Yeah? Go on. We'll catch up later."
"Of course! I wonder..."
"Hmm?"
"Where is my brother?"
"Hell if I know."
"And what about-"
"Didn't you get the message? Fuck. Off."
"..."
And Crisis Alexis moved towards the shadow, towards a security camera stationed in the building's interior, hidden from the outside. Searching for him would prove futile.
Leila stands up, streeeetching with a happy hum. Good job, good job! There's only the cheery, unabashed wave towards everyone, mouthing a 'Thanks!' before turning on her heel and heading inside the building. She'd have to lay a bit low for the night, sure...
Ah, but the possibilities. The feelings deep within swelling, as equal as the systems that made such a thing! Catalouging, understanding, assimilating the information from this uniquely personal variant of Bullton crafted from words on a page, manifested, destroyed, and having something take it all in!
Leila's first Canto, screamed out to the world!