In the five years since the end of the war, Edgar had taken steps to prepare himself for personal combat. His association with the Tazir Supremacy wouldn't last forever, after all, and he had to be able to defend himself until the ti ca to pass on the baton of the future. Even so, he himself would be the first to admit he didn't really have a head for fighting -- those five years of training had served only to turn him from an amateur into a novice.
Against Bieshu del Mar, that alone wouldn't be enough.
Bieshu del Mar's Aether ability, True Flow, was neither a power boost like Beast Crown or ti control like Chronodissonance. Instead, it enhanced the efficiency of Bieshu's movents. Even as Ruri stabbed at her again and again with her combat knife, moving beyond the limits of human flesh, Bieshu just happened to already be in the right position for the lightning-fast blows to barely miss.
Edgar observed carefully, perched on a girder above like a bird as Bieshu and Ruri danced below. Yes, a dance was the right word for it, at least for one participant. Bieshu's movents were fluid and graceful, exceedingly relaxed -- whereas Ruri was frantic, desperate, seeking to end this battle as quickly as possible.
How did it work, this True Flow…? If they wanted to win this, they had to answer that question. Edgar considered it.
Ruri was moving at her current full safe speed -- ten tis that of a fully infused Aetheral warrior. That essentially made her invisible to the naked eye. Edgar held Bieshu in high esteem as a fighter, but he doubted that even she could react to speed like that, again and again, without getting so much as a scrape.
So sort of autopilot, then, her ability controlling her body directly? Or was it precognition -- was Bieshu viewing this battle from several seconds in the past and moving according to her visions?
Either answer spelt trouble. If Bieshu really was capable of seeing the future, then the question was how far she could see ahead. Whatever the answer, they would need to launch an attack that Bieshu couldn't possibly avoid in that amount of ti.
But no… even as Edgar's mind began to walk down that path, he doubted his destination. Bieshu's behaviour in this and past battles didn't exactly match up with soone who had precognition. It was hard to believe she'd even fall into a trap like this, for one.
Perhaps precognition was an elent of True Flow, but it wasn't the full picture. Further experintation and observation was required.
In that case… there was no reason not to leap into the fray himself.
Edgar launched himself off of the girder, the enhanced infusion of Beast Crown shattering the frawork behind him as he zood down towards Bieshu and Ruri. He'd tid this well. Ruri had just been engaging Bieshu in a particularly ferocious attack, one that should have demanded her full attention. With Edgar striking from her blind spot like this, she should have no way of --
-- Bieshu spun on the spot, swinging one of her scimitars directly at Edgar's face.
I see. So there is precognition.
Tapping into all the speed Beast Crown permitted, Edgar tilted his head back, allowing the scimitar to sweep just past his face. Bieshu wasn't done with just that, though. There was no pause in her movents -- the mont her first strike missed, she spun on the soles of her shoes and slashed at Edgar's torso from the opposite direction with both of her weapons. It was only a lightning-fast jab from Ruri that stopped Edgar from being bisected then and there.
So. Edgar had cards he could play here. The biggest of those was ti-based, but he was starting to doubt he'd actually be able to bring it out.
These attacks were becoming more deadly, after all. During that initial clash against Ruri, Bieshu had been dodging and blocking more than anything, only striking to create so breathing room. Now, though, she was definitely aiming to kill with every attack.
It wasn't just that Edgar was an easier target, even though he certainly was. Since the mont the fight began, Bieshu's already exceedingly efficient movents had been becoming more efficient, more perfect. Was that the essence of True Flow, then? It beca more effective the longer it was in use?
If that was the case, then they couldn't afford to rely on tactics that required this battle to drag out. There was a good chance they'd be dead before that could happen.
They'd already discussed their tactics beforehand. Just like Bieshu, Edgar permitted no break in his movents. He leapt back, out of her range, and landed just as Ruri appeared next to him. He whipped out his pistol and began firing at Bieshu -- not to kill, but to slow her pursuit -- as Ruri planted a hand against his shoulder.
Chronodissonance!
Usually, when Ruri used her ability on another person, it was in an offensive capacity -- aging the target into dust or sothing like that. However, there was nothing stopping Ruri from conferring the combat benefits of Chronodissonance onto other people, allowing them to match her impressive speed. To tell the truth, Edgar felt that the true potential of Chronodissonance lay in its ability to support a large group of combatants, but he'd never said that aloud.
The blue filter fell from Edgar's vision.
In order to allow Ruri's infusion to affect his body, he needed to release his own -- but it wasn't like he couldn't just re-engage Beast Crown whenever he needed to. The speed from Chronodissonance was far superior to what the current Beast Crown could provide, anyway. Pink Aether surged around Edgar's body as he charged in yet again…
…and straight away, he noticed it.
Bieshu's response to his approach -- a spin of her scimitar that would have shredded his arm -- was just a fraction slower than it had been before. It was just the tiniest bit more response than prediction -- the kind of swordsmanship she'd been displaying against Ruri before Edgar had first attacked. In short, there was now sothing about Edgar that made True Flow treat him as Ruri.
His pupils shrank in satisfied understanding.
You are a tricky one, Bieshu del Mar.
It was the Aether. It had to be. There was definitely a part of True Flow that responded to mundane muscle movents and the like -- otherwise it would have been useless during the revolution -- but at least so of it was based on reading the opponent's Aether. Had she seen this coming even back then -- the day when her enemies would be her fellow Aether-users -- or was it so kind of happy accident?
Ruri's Aether coating Edgar's body had introduced confusion into True Flow regarding what to read, reducing the efficiency of Bieshu's movents. Only information from Ruri's consciousness would flow into Ruri's Aether, after all -- Edgar's wouldn't, even if it was enhancing his body.
The confusion wouldn't last long. Given what Edgar had observed of True Flow already, he was certain it would adapt to this discrepancy quickly.
Bieshu surely realized that too. As such, she kicked off the ground quickly, zooming towards Edgar with a sweep designed to slice his legs away. She knew that he wasn't used to Chronodissonance's speed yet -- Bieshu wasn't the sort of person to let such an opportunity go. Against her, the first mont of weakness would be the fatal one.
Which was why it was ti for Edgar to play his first card.
Two Months Earlier…
"This is it," said Roderick Gallan proudly, scratching at his wild red hair. "Lem tell you, it was a real pain in the ass to bring down. Killed a few of my n."
The piracy business was experiencing a wonderfully indulgent childhood after its true birth with the conquest of Azum-Ha. Any ship that traveled through Tazir Supremacy space without a proper escort basically had a 50/50 chance of being attacked at this point. Azez had been dealing with the issue personally, and more than a few pirate fleets had been reduced to dust as a result, but Roderick's Fla-March had managed to escape the attention of their Supre so far.
That was, of course, because they had help on the inside.
Edgar crouched down, looking at his prize, inspecting it for signs of damage. Needless to say, it would need so repairs before he could put it to work… but it was surprisingly intact for the sort of fight that must have taken place.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
He ran a hand down the tal. Even with the sweltering heat of the warehouse, the steel was cold as ice. Sohow… that felt right. That felt proper. It was deactivated for the mont, but once it was reprogramd Edgar couldn't imagine there being much of a problem bringing it back online.
This thing and its fellows had mostly disappeared following the revolution, only resurfacing in so stray reports the Blindman's Hunt provided. When Edgar had heard that it had been spotted in the Dranell system, he'd had the Fla-March head there imdiately. They owed him more than a few favors.
"You've done good work," Edgar finally said. "Have it loaded on my ship. You'll receive your paynt through the usual channels."
Needless to say, Roderick and his people now needed to die, but there was no sense doing the deed here and now. All Edgar had to do was lift the protection he'd been providing -- and make sure the location of the Fla-March reached Azez's ears. They'd be debris drifting through space before they could speak a word of this.
It agreed, buzzing at the back of his head. It didn't know much yet, but it had enough sense to know to cut off loose ends. Edgar smiled faintly at that tiny achievent.
The bridge to the future was being assembled, brick by bloody brick.
Ding.
The vibrations of that sound, coming from the elevator just as their clash passed it, were completely outside of True Flow's calculations. That was why.
That was why Bieshu del Mar's eyes widened.
That was why Bieshu del Mar's pupils shot over.
That was why Bieshu del Mar… was just a second too late to react.
The Fool's mace slamd into the side of her face, sending her flying across the room. As soon as Bieshu was in the air, Ruri appeared next to the Fool in a flash of pink -- she was already infusing it with her Aether, enhancing it with Chronodissonance. Edgar smiled to himself as he stood beside his two colleagues -- the automatic known as the Fool lumbering out of the elevator to join them -- and watched as Bieshu hit the ground with a hard thud.
This was not a two-versus-one. From the very beginning, it had been a three-versus-one.
"At least part of your ability involves reading the Aether of others," Edgar said aloud, voice echoing through the isolated space. "Their intent soaks into their Aether, and so you can react to it beforehand. When there's a mismatch between the person providing the Aether and the body being infused, however… it introduces hesitation." He waved a hand in her general direction. "Like so."
Bieshu picked herself up, blood already pouring down the left side of her face. From the look of her, Edgar would be very surprised if the eyeball on that side was intact. He supposed that it made sense for a person with a dodging ability to have poor defenses when struck. Perhaps that was why she'd developed True Flow in the first place?"
Even so, her pride wouldn't allow her to show it. She just spat bloody spittle onto the floor as she gripped her scimitars tight, preparing for the next bout.
Edgar cocked his head. "I'm curious, though. If you'd tried to escape this place from the start, I think True Flow would have given you a pretty good chance -- and that would have put us in a very bad position. Instead, you're insisting on trying to fight us directly. Why?"
Bieshu wiped the blood from her mouth. "You've proven your true character…" she said, voice low and hoarse. "...both of you. I can't trust you around Azez anymore."
"Azez is the reason we're doing this," Ruri said firmly, gripping her knife tight. "It doesn't need to be like this, though. Just… submit. We can make it quick."
Bieshu raised her remaining eyebrow. "Are you seriously telling to just roll over and die?"
"That seems to be what she's saying, yes," Edgar smiled. "Don't worry. I don't think for a second that's an offer you'd go along with. Shall we resu?"
"Edgar!" Ruri looked at him, aghast.
"Shall we resu?" Edgar repeated, ignoring her.
Bieshu answered with her blades. She rushed forward to et them. She rushed forward to kill them. They responded in kind.
It was Bieshu del Mar's masterpiece. Her, alone, wounded, taking on three warriors moving at ten tis the peak of human potential -- two of them thoroughly hardened by the battlefield. A normal person would have lasted only seconds against them -- but Bieshu del Mar and her True Flow could have dragged the battle on for years.
That was why Edgar's plan had never been to overwhelm this woman with numbers.
The golden mont ca as Bieshu was avoiding two attacks at once. She was spinning in the air, passing between a stab of Ruri's dagger and a swing of the Fool's mace. At that mont, there was no way she could avoid a third attack as well.
Edgar darted in, whipping a seldom-used sword out from within his cloak.
He'd observed the gap in True Flow's armour thoroughly by now. The key was in mixing and matching Aether infusion, but Edgar doubted that would throw Bieshu off again. She was far too smart for that. Instead, to deal the final blow, he would take a page from the Fool's book.
With a burst of blue, Edgar banished Ruri's Chronodissonance from his body… and then deactivated his own infusion as well.
Edgar's guess was that there were three aspects to True Flow's operation, three things it analyzed in order to chart out its autopilot and protect its user.
The first was Aether. By reading the intent in the Aether of its enemies, it could predict their next move.
The second was muscle movent. By reading the flow of their current actions, it could predict their next move.
The third was the past. By reading what they had done previously, it could predict their next move.
Edgar was releasing his Aether entirely -- and such a suicidal move was unthinkable based on his past actions. As such, he'd taken out two of True Flow's three pillars in one fell swoop. The guidance provided by the sole remaining pillar wouldn't be enough to avoid this.
He swung his sword --
-- and his arm went flying off.
Oh, Edgar blinked.
He'd forgotten. Even without her Aether ability… Bieshu del Mar was pretty damn good.
Tazir would die tonight.
In the end, he hadn't fallen in battle. He hadn't even been cut down by a traitor in their camp, soone who disagreed with his plans. He'd taken the smallest breath of sothing he shouldn't have -- so experintal weapon -- and that had catapulted him to his life's end.
At the end, the only ones with him were Azez and Bieshu. The rest of their camp had already moved on, relocating as dictated by their distant Gene Noble master. Any notions of escaping Mar, as Tazir had planned, had been abandoned along with him.
Within a few hours, a horde of pavorhounds would sweep through this area and reduce it to dust. By all rights, Bieshu and Azez should have left this place already. But they couldn't just leave him.
For Azez, he was the commander that had saved his life countless tis.
For Bieshu, he was the hero who had saved her life just that one shining ti.
For both of them, he was soone irreplaceable.
By the end, most of his limbs had already rotted away, and mushrooms had already sprouted from his eyes. They'd thought the ti for thinking, let alone speech, had long since gone. But even then, even on the final threshold, blind Tazir was able to reach out with his ravaged hands and seized both of his wards by their collars.
First, a choking noise.
Then, a hollow rattle.
And only then ca words.
"All of this…" Tazir rasped. "Make it an sothing…"
What he ant by that, he couldn't say…
What he wanted them to do, he couldn't explain…
…for those last words were the sa as his last breath.
Ti seed frozen, even without the effects of Chronodissonance.
Edgar watched, in that mont before pain, as his severed arm flew away, droplets of blood hanging in the air. Even without True Flow, Bieshu was skilled enough to counter an Aetherless novice with one hand. The advantages Edgar had piled up had made him overconfident.
Yet another reason he wasn't suitable for the grand task ahead.
Edgar stumbled backwards, biting back a scream as his right arm landed on the ground with a wet splat. Bieshu didn't let such a pri opportunity go. The mont she landed, she lunged towards Edgar again, thrusting a scimitar forward to run him through clean.
Ruri and the Fool wouldn't be able to stop that perfect stab, guided by True Flow, but that was fine.
The ti had co, after all.
Beast Crown.
The blue crown-visor returned -- and this ti, it was nearly three tis as tall as Edgar's face.
Edgar had made sure he would be heavily involved with the celebration going on far above. He'd been very particular with the schedule especially -- and so, two seconds ago, the lee had begun. Legions of Aether-users, clashing for the approval of their Supre. Sparks of many colours filling the air.
Beast Crown was an ability that could have only been made by soone with a superior understanding of Aether. Beast Crown siphoned off the tiniest bit of Aether from every user in the surrounding area -- a fraction of a fraction, not even noticeable -- and channeled it to Edgar instead. Because his body wasn't the conduit through which the Aether was entering the world, there was no risk of burning, and he could use power far beyond his ans.
Like so.
Edgar waved his remaining hand -- and the resultant air pressure was enough to send Bieshu flying away, her back slamming against the wall with such force that blood flew from her mouth. Even Ruri and the Fool, who'd been on the edge of the gust, were sent skidding back across the floor. Edgar cracked his fingers as he took a step forward.
True Flow was aningless if it was facing a power that Bieshu's body simply couldn't respond to.
Are you watching, Prince? Edgar readied a fist. This is how humans kill each other.
Reviews
All reviews (0)