Chapter 94 - ERROR
I cast my eyes across the vast, echoing coliseum, letting them linger on every detail—the towering steel walls, the cold, rigid pillars, the glint of overhead lights bouncing off tallic surfaces.
The rows upon rows of audience seats stood mostly vacant, with only a sparse cluster of students—my classmates—filling about ten percent of the arena. The rest was silence and empty space. It was safe to say this place was a ghost town now.
The last ti I stepped foot in here was during the Licensure Examinations Tournant. Back then, I fought alongside Myrrh. Now, the thought that I’d be fighting her felt surreal, like a glitch in the story.
I turned my gaze to my current opponent. Myrrh stood confidently, posture flawless, hands resting on her hips like she was born to dominate arenas. Her chin was tilted up, soaked in arrogance, and her eyes—icy blue and dancing with anticipation—sparkled like twin blades in the sun. Beside her, her support partner Kian, handso and as smug as ever, wore a casual smile, like he already knew the outco.
“I’m sorry, darling,” Myrrh cooed, her voice dripping with smug superiority. “I’m pretty sure I’ve got this in the bag. But hey, if you want—I can give you a handicap. Want to go easy?”
Her cockiness scraped every nerve in my body raw. In that mont, the near-perfect image I had of her shattered into glass. I was such a fool for ever feeling even a flicker of infatuation for this smug little nace. I’d forgotten how much she infuriated when she wasn’t on my side.
“‘WaNt tO gO eAsY?’” I echoed, contorting her words with a mocking tone, practically spitting them back at her. “Please. This’ll be easy-peasy for and Fei.”
"Ohoho!" Myrrh laughed—softly, sweetly, like a proper lady at tea. It would’ve been charming if it didn’t sound so loaded. Behind that dainty chuckle, I could see it—her sharp, simring intent. Her playful smile didn’t reach her eyes.
“Alright then,” she said, the corners of her mouth curling. “Just rember—you asked for it. This’ll be your funeral.”
“Oh, this will be a funeral, alright,” I snapped back, my voice low and sharp. “You’re going to die a second ti.”
Myrrh rolled her eyes and let out an exaggerated hmph, flicking her long greenish-blonde hair over her shoulder like a diva walking off a runway. “Beating up a hooligan like you?” she said, lips curling in a condescending smirk. “Please. That’s just a basic skill. Like breathing.”
In the background, Fei and Kian—exchanged weary glances. Both wore the kind of stiff, polite smiles reserved for bystanders caught in a dostic disaster. I caught Fei muttering under her breath, barely audible.
“I hope we’re not caught in the middle of their private love quarrel…”
Kian gave a dry chuckle in response, murmuring just loud enough for to hear, “Yeah. These two lovebirds seriously need to chill.”
Lovebirds? The word hit like a slap to the face. I wanted to scream, We are not lovers. Never were. Never will be. I’d rather be exiled to the moon than be romantically linked with Myrrh and her overinflated ego. No—what I wanted was simple: to see her pride shatter, to watch her crack, even just a little. Maybe cry. Maybe realize that she wasn’t untouchable.
A sharp voice cut through the tension like a blade.
“Okay, kids.” Professor Chaldeas strode forward, finally interrupting the silent war between and Myrrh. His coffee cup was empty now—dangerous. His tone had gone from sleepy to fully caffeinated drill sergeant. “Now, WAIFUs, step up to the red starting line. Support Units, onto the platforms.”
Without a word, Kian and I moved to our respective platforms. The tallic floor humd beneath our boots as the lift chanisms activated, carrying us thirty ters into the air. The wind rushed past as we ascended, giving the arena a sense of high-stakes finality.
On the ground below, Myrrh and Fei faced off at the red line. The mont their boots touched the edge, both drew their morphers with crisp, practiced motions. Sparks of energy crackled at their fingertips. Their eyes locked—not a single word spoken, but a thousand intentions exchanged in that one, electric stare.
“Show what you got, Fei. I’ve been waiting so long to fight you,” Myrrh declared, her voice ringing with confident anticipation.
Fei smiled and clenched her fist with a burst of energy. “Got it! I might not be as strong as you, but I’ll do my best!”
Professor Chaldeas raised one hand into the air. His expression sharpened with caffeine-fueled alertness. Then, without warning, he brought the whistle to his lips and let out a piercing tweet that echoed across the coliseum.
“Let the battle begin!”
Both WAIFUs instantly raised their morphers to the sky, their bodies already surging with power.
“Fra Unit, Awaken!” they shouted in perfect synchronization.
In a flash of light, Fei was consud in a swirl of orange and white. Energy spiraled around her like a vortex as her human form expanded and armored up, tal locking in with hydraulic precision. Her Fra Unit—twenty ters tall and glowing with sharp orange lines over sleek white plating—landed on the arena floor with a heavy, thunderous boom. Steam hissed from her leg vents. Her visor flickered on.
Myrrh followed suit—her body enveloped in radiant gold. Her Fra Unit erged like a divine statue awakening, tall and majestic in polished white and gold. Filigree patterns pulsed along her limbs. The crown-shaped crest on her forehead glead as she extended her arms with a dramatic flair.
Right then, I triggered my WEEB system.
[Weaponry Enhancent Engineering Bios]
[Clearance – Level 8]
[Level 1 - Laser Sword]
[Level 2 - Beam Rifle]
[Level 3 - Light Shield]
[Level 4 - Jetpack]
[Level 5 - Ultimate]
[Level 6 - Buster Sword]
[Level 7 - Rail Cannon]
[Level 8 - Rollerblade]
As soon as the hologram interface flickered across my visor, a thunderous THUD followed by a sharp tallic CLANK snapped my attention back to the battlefield.
I looked down—just in ti to see Myrrh’s Fra Unit lashing out with a sudden, vicious roundhouse kick. Her white and gold ch twisted with frightening speed, leg slicing through the air like a guillotine.
Fei barely managed to intercept the blow. She raised her reinforced left arm just in ti—the impact sent sparks flying as steel collided with steel. The ground trembled beneath them, and a heavy clang echoed across the arena walls.
Not bad.
I hadn’t really fought alongside Fei before. But Myrrh? I’d fought her countless tis. I knew her patterns, her arrogance, her speed. She was aggressive—fast, precise, and relentless. If Fei was going to survive this, we’d need to outmaneuver her, not overpower her.
Ti to compensate.
I pressed my palm against the first weapon icon on my WEEB interface. Golden circuitry lit up across my skin, humming with raw energy.
“Rollerblade, Equip!” I commanded.
In response, a pair of sleek, motorized roller skates materialized onto Fei’s boots in a flash of light. The wheels spun to life with a chanical whirrr, and Fei imdiately dropped back, skating away in a burst of speed that kicked up dust and debris in her wake. Her Fra Unit skidded in a wide arc, creating distance while keeping her arms raised in defense.
On the opposite platform, Kian’s voice rang out. “Beam Rifle, Equip!”
His arm surged with glowing blue circuits as he selected the loadout. A cybernetic summoning circle ford in front of Myrrh’s Fra Unit, and a high-powered beam rifle constructed itself piece by piece from thin air, locking into her ch’s hands with a sharp click.
Without hesitation, Myrrh raised the rifle and took aim—her targeting sensors flashing red as she tracked Fei’s evasive path.
This was about to escalate—fast.
Green lasers tore through the air, raining down on Fei like a deadly storm. But she held her ground—skating across the scorched soil with calculated finesse, every movent deliberate and razor-sharp. Her Fra Unit ducked, weaved, and glided just ahead of each searing beam, wheels hissing against the dirt.
She was keeping her shit together. And damn, I was glad I invested in her mobility—because that was the one area where Myrrh used to dominate. Not today.
But dodging wasn’t enough. I needed to hit back—hard.
I tapped the next weapon on the WEEB interface. My hand lit up with golden circuits as I stretched it toward Fei.
“Rail Cannon, Equip!”
A massive cybernetic sigil appeared in front of her. From it, the colossal weapon erged—twice as long as her own ch’s arm, humming with condensed kinetic power. Fei gripped the rail cannon with both hands, locked in her target: Myrrh, standing tall about sixty ters ahead.
She was just about to fire—when Kian’s voice cut through the comms.
“Light Shield, Equip!”
A shimring shield materialized in front of Myrrh’s Fra Unit, summoned from a gleaming blue circle. She grabbed it effortlessly, lifting it into position without breaking eye contact.
And then—BOOM.
The rail cannon fired, releasing a sonic boom that cracked through the sky. The slug tore through the battlefield in a blur of destructive force. But just in ti, Myrrh angled her shield—not flat, but tilted just enough. The projectile slamd into it with a deafening crash, sparks and energy exploding outward.
Rather than piercing through, the slug ricocheted—veering off-course and detonating against the ground beside her in a blast of earth and fla. The ground quaked beneath her, but she didn’t flinch. She stood there, gleaming, frad by fire and smoke like so invincible ch goddess.
Typical Myrrh.
I gritted my teeth. I knew it wouldn’t be that easy. She's too damn good at adapting under pressure. Fine. If she wanted serious—I’d give her serious.
No more playing around.
I slamd my hand down on the [Ultimate] icon of the WEEB System. Golden circuits flared across my arm, pulsating like a living thing. I aid my glowing palm straight at Fei’s Fra Unit.
“Divine Fist, Activate!” I shouted, thrusting my arm forward like I was casting a spell in so final battle.
Fei kicked off with a burst of power, her rollerblades igniting the soil beneath her as she charged. With a sharp twist, she jettisoned her massive rail cannon behind her—letting it crash into the ground with a tallic clang. Her fists lit up, blazing with radiant gold. Energy surged through her arms like solar fire, her gauntlets glowing hotter with every second.
She was ready to throw hands. Divine ones.
“Then let’s answer an Ultimate with an Ultimate!” Kian roared, slamming the [Blade Wing] command on his HUD.
But instead of activation—a giant red [ERROR] sign blinked across his WEEB System.
“Huh?”
“I’m not using it,” Myrrh said flatly, not even looking back at him.
Kian blinked. “Wait—what? Is this so kind of glitch?” He tapped [Blade Wing] again. Another [ERROR] popped up.
“I said I’m not using it,” Myrrh repeated, a little sharper this ti—still calm, but with that unmistakable Myrrh-style bite in her voice. Irritated, but… weirdly cute.
Kian frowned. “Why not? We could end this right now! What are you doing?!”
“I told you I’m not using it right now!” she snapped.
Then—BOOM.
She stomped the ground with her Fra Unit’s massive foot, shaking the entire arena. A crater cracked beneath her, sending a gust of wind in every direction. Her body language scread defiance. Her stance widened. Her hands clenched. She wasn’t bluffing.
She was pissed—and more importantly, she was doing things her way.
Hearing Myrrh’s tsundere voice again... God. I hated to admit it, but damn—I was so into it. There was sothing weirdly addictive about the way she sounded when she was just mildly pissed. That soft bite in her tone, that self-righteous pout woven into her words…
Yeah. I think I was falling for her voice all over again.
“I will not permit Blade Wing to be used, especially against Zaft!” Myrrh barked, crossing her arms in full-on dramatic fashion. Her Fra Unit’s visor even glowed a little brighter—probably from pride. “That Ultimate was my mother’s. I won’t let Zaft associate it with anything bad. Got it?! I’m planning to go easy on them anyway!”
Oof. She really said that out loud. To the whole arena.
Kian deflated visibly. “U-uhuh… Fine,” he mumbled, shoulders sagging like a kid who just got scolded by his older sister. Or girlfriend. Or terrifying tsundere war goddess. Honestly, all three.
Myrrh planted her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest. “Now go ahead and choose a different weapon, sothing less dramatic! We’re just here to beat them up, not annihilate—”
“HOREYAAAAAAH!!”
Fei’s war cry sliced through the air.
Before Myrrh could even finish her sentence, Fei’s blazing golden fist exploded into a right hook—slamming straight into Myrrh’s tallic faceplate with bone-rattling force.
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