Cyberknight: One Path (original novel)

"When Audrey asked me,' Would we win if we all fought Jagger together?' I responded,' Nah, we'd lose.'. Yet, I'm here, fighting against all odds to win against the agent of hell before me. Was my previous response simply a lack of confidence on my part? My answer is no. 

Although Jagger has shown himself to be inept in terms of power and skill compared to Mike, the fact that he can still conjure 1st Dimension with perfect mastery shows that there could still be a deadlier shadow waiting to be let out of its confines. Simply put, Mike is a completely different breed compared to any of us with more than just one Existential Judgement type technique. 

I can make a pair of hands made of knives do more than its intended purpose just as Mike had taught me. However, knives are still knives and they can't fly or become fuel for an engine. But for Jagger, he is armed with a drawing board with endless possibilities. Eventually, the time will come for when he finds something I can't adapt against.

A giant on its knees is still taller than a man standing. "

Thought Athena as she fought Jagger in the air.

In a swift movement, Athena pressed her earpiece while keeping Jagger at bay with her attacks. 

[Athena] - "Kadyn, McCree, I want you to leave the area now! Get out of sight and hide! If I don't return soon, it means I have fallen in battle. "

Said Athena in a grim voice.

[Kadyn] - "Huh? What are you saying, Athena? We can't leave without you! "

Said Kadyn, shocked by Athena's words.

McCree turned around, shocked by what he heard over the radio as well.

[Athena] - "Fucking obey what I say, you dumb anime-ass bitch stuffed full of Botox! If I fucking survive, do you think someone of my calibre would need to worry about a ride back home? Just fly the fuck away from this place. "

Yelled Athena in a passive-aggressive voice. 

Athena ensured that her voice was extra loud so Jagger could hear it as well. Although Jagger tried to hide his anxiety, Athena felt the panic in Jagger's heart as his attack became more rushed and uncoordinated. 

[Kadyn] - "Damn it, Athena, you cheap witch of Oz knock-off, we have to make sure to see you get out of there alive too. "

[Athena] - "Just fucking trust me and stop being so difficult, you worthless tailless fox-girl. Get the fuck out of here so I can go full ham on your abusive boyfriend here or are you too addicted to domestic abuse to let him die? "

Said Athena in a sarcastic tone. 

Kadyn frowned her brows in anger at Athena's joke and slammed on the throttle herself before McCree could react. 

[Kadyn] - "Then call your ex to pick you up later! Oh wait, I forgot, you never managed to get with Mike, so it's too bad I suppose. "

As Athena's ship began to rise into the sky, Jagger immediately panicked and reached out to try to prevent the craft from leaving. 

[Jagger] - "No! Where the fuck do you think you are going? "

Yelled Jagger as he used his ability to grip around the ship. 

Meanwhile, Jagger activated 1st Dimension to try to hold back Athena as he pulled the ship closer toward him. Suddenly, Athena's abdomen turned purple before her pelvis was also broken under the pressure of Jagger's attack. Despite his relative success in inflicting heavy damage on Athena, Jagger's focus remained on pulling Kadyn back toward himself. 

[McCree] - "What the hell is going on? We are not moving! "

Yelled McCree in confusion.

[Kadyn] - "No, it's that bloody bastard pulling at us using his ability! "

Said Kadyn as she looked at the rear-facing camera feed. 

[Athena] - "Just as expected, he not only fell for my trap but also broke eye contact with me as well. The number one rule of a duel between crystal users is the importance of absolute focus on your opponent's moves and actions. "

Whispered Athena as lightning began to wrap around her arms.

It was a brilliant set-up by Athena as she used Kadyn's departure as a way to distract Jagger while allowing herself to take some serious damage in order to free up some of her power for an offensive action. In his panic, Jagger not only diverted his power but also his attention toward something else than his opponent, thus allowing Athena to finally play her joker card. 

[Athena] - "Maximum conditions! Existential Judgement: Doom of Mortal Hubris! "

Whispered Athena as sparks of lighting began to leak out of her eyes as well. 

In an instant, an invisible orb encapsulated Jagger before divine hands descended upon him. Immediately, Jagger was wrapped in one layer after another of hands overlapping each other in perfect synchronization to form the perfect inescapable prison. As soon as the first part of the attack was complete, Jagger immediately felt the immense pressure around his body as he was crushed under the gravity of several Earths. 

As Jagger finally turned around to look at Athena, all he saw was a blue flash emitted by the electricity surrounding her body. Usually, Jagger should be diverting all his power to defend himself but the thought of allowing Kadyn to escape kept him from letting the ship in his grasp go. By this point, Athena had already conjured a massive electric spear in her hands which contained so much power that the walls and the entire underground city began to melt into steam and lava with her immediate surroundings glowing in a pure white light. 

[Kadyn] - "Bloody fucking hell! "

Exclaimed Kadyn as she saw Athena's channeling on the screen. 

Moments before Athena released her attack, Kadyn jumped in and pushed on the throttle for maximum afterburner capacity. Meanwhile, Athena held her spear in her hand steadily akin to the stance of a Spartan warrior. 

[Athena] - "αποτέφρωση! " (Cremation!)

Said Athena as she launched her spear. 

The ground shook violently as if hit by a huge meteor before a massive explosion blew the underground city wide open. In an instant, the ship was freed as it raced against the debris trying to catch up to the craft. Although Kadyn and McCree outran most of the destruction, hypersonic particles from the blast still managed to reach them and deliver severe damage to the ship's systems. 

With a crash imminent, Kadyn stirred the ship to a flatter terrain where they crashed luckily into the relatively safe embrace of a golf course. As soon as the ship came to a stop, Kadyn extended her wrist blades and slashed an x shape on the cockpit window before kicking it open with her foot. Without wasting a second, she helped McCree get out of the burning wreck before she forced him to jump with her into the small pond. As soon as they submerged under the water, the bright flash of an explosion rocked the ground before burning debris began to fill the pond and the surrounding area. 

[McCree] - "Oh God! Son of a bitch! One second too late and we would've been burnt toast back there. "

Cursed McCree as soon as he emerged from the water.

[Kadyn] - "Sigh! What's more troublesome is the fact we just lost our only means of transport. "

Said Kadyn, frustrated, as she emerged from the water.

[McCree] - "Hey, I ain't complainin' about a bit of walkin'. Just glad to be alive, ya know. "

Said McCree as he pulled himself up from the pond. 

[Kadyn] - "So much for getting to safety. We are at most a few dozen kilometers from our departure point. "

Said Kadyn as she looked toward where they fell from. 

[McCree] - "So what do we do now? "

Said McCree as he pulled Kadyn out of the pond. 

[Kadyn] - "I suppose we can only wait and see if Athena can fetch us a second ride. "

Said Kadyn with a look of concern on her face.

Meanwhile, Athena stood alone like a small dot in the middle of a massive crater illuminated bright orange by its wall made from lava. As the silence endured, she became convinced that Jagger had finally been defeated. However, just as she was about to leave, a sound suddenly broke the calm before a pair of charred mechanical hands emerged from the lake of lava. 

[Jagger] - "AAAAHHH! "

Yelled Jagger in broken gargles. 

Slowly, a blackened skeletal structure crawled out of the sea of lava with flesh almost charred to the bones and only a single cybernetic eye remaining in its skull. In this tortured form, Jagger yelled in agony like a creature straight from hell. The sight horrified Athena to her core as she froze with her mouth agape. 

[Jagger] - "Athena! Save me! Please, my friend, save me! "

Pleaded Jagger as droplets of viscous blood escaped his mouth. 

Athena remained frozen in shock and terror as Jagger tried his best to impersonate Mike's tone. It was one thing to see Jagger desecrate Mike's body but it was a completely different experience as she realized that she had reduced Mike's body to such a pitiful state. The body of her dear master who she had shared so many memories was just now turned into an unrecognizable creature characterized solely by pain and hatred.

[Athena] - "I'm sorry! I'm sorry, Master Mike! I wish it didn't have to end this way! It's my fault for letting you suffer like this! "

Cried Athena as she covered her mouth while tears streamed down her cheeks. 

[Jagger] - "It's ok, I forgive you! You had no choice after all... "

Whispered Jagger with a compassionate look in his eye. 

These words broke Athena as she fell down to her knees while sobbing in a sea of sorrow. However, that was a mistake. Athena allowed her emotions to get the best of her while forgetting that the man before her was not Mike but an evil creature full of malice. Jagger might have been walking on the edge of death but he used his ability to sustain himself. If he wanted to strike a decisive blow against Athena in his current state, he would need a perfect opportunity to do so and fortunately for him, he got it by exploiting Athena's heart. 

[Jagger] - "...Because like Mike, you lacked the apathy to elevate yourself beyond your sorry state. "

Said Jagger as the compassion in his eye vanished like a candlelight under the wind.

Although Athena immediately tried to react, it was already too late for her. Jagger was past the point of trying to preserve his image as he was backed into a corner of desperation. 

[Jagger] - "Existential Judgement: 2nd Dimension! "

Whispered Jagger under his breath.

There was a long silence as a tear slowly rolled down Athena's cheek while Jagger watched without a hint of emotion in his eye. 

In physics, the second dimension is described as a plane of existence determined by a triple axis consisting of X, Y and Z. The best illustration of this dimension is the comics and mangas you've probably read through your life at least once. They have all these three vectors, yet they lack the axis of time which makes us 3D beings while the drawings remain motionless on paper. 

For 2nd Dimension, a technique developed by Mike, the attack reaches its target on a molecular level, causing molecules and atoms to adopt unusual geometry and gain imaginary orbits supported by the spacial manipulation from Mike's crystal. When molecules and atoms adopt different geometry, they break the structure they are a part of, thus breaking down DNA and other fundamental building blocks of human anatomy and other targetted objects. On the other hand, when molecules gain imaginary orbits, an atomic structure which is normally an orb will become other shapes such as triangles or rectangles, thus causing them to become incompatible with other elements as long as the technique is active. 

Despite Athena's best efforts to protect herself using her divine hands, the right side of her body below her neck was instantly reduced to a red paste before falling into the lava below. Her divine hands might be able to stop Jagger's previous attacks because they were macro strikes aimed at a general area of her body. However, the attack against her atoms was just too precise and concentrated for her ability to intercept. Just like how a pillow can prevent you from taking damage when you are hit by a blunt object but can't do anything to protect you when it comes to a bullet. 

[Athena] - "Heh... Hahaha! "

Laughed Athena despite her fatal injury. 

[Jagger] - "What's so funny? You lost after all. "

Athena's gaze slowly met Jagger's as she smiled with blood leaking through her teeth. 

[Athena] - "You held this ability back because it would expose... Your weakness. If Mike used this attack, he would've finished me off, unlike you. What a sloppy job. "

Mocked Athena while she felt her life slipping away.

[Jagger] - "It doesn't matter to me if you saw my weakness. You will die with my secret. All that matters is the final victory. "

[Athena] - "Heh! It matters because it means you are free game. There are monsters in this world that only Mike can tame. Without him, the moment you peak your head, they will mercilessly tear you to shreds. Not to mention, Mike's legacy lives on. If not by the monsters' claws, a worse fate will await you. "

Whispered Athena while drawing the last of her breaths. 

[Jagger] - "I'll be ready then. I'll kill those monsters and enslave Kadyn. You better believe I won't rest until this world is but a mere footrest for me. "

Said Jagger in a vile tone.

[Athena] - "Existential Judgement- "

Upon hearing those words, Jagger recoiled in fear while letting out a frightened scream. However, Athena was cut off before she could finish her sentence as her body finally gave up. In truth, she lacked the power to strike at Jagger but damn did she have fun scaring him to death using the last of her strength. In her last moment of consciousness, she saw Mike standing before her with a proud smile on his face. 

[Mike] - "You were the best bloody cyberknight I have ever known. If I ever have to mentor another apprentice, I'd choose you again. I'm forever indebted to you for what you did today, Athena. Stand proud, you opened up the sky using nothing but a knife! "

[Athena] - "Thank you... "

Athena showed a proud smile as her eyes lost their shiny colours. With her death, her divine hands also collapsed as her lifeless corpse dropped into the sea of lava below. As she slowly disappeared into the glowing liquid in a fiery funeral fit for a warrior of her calibre, the cloud in the sky roared with the same fury that burned in her heart. While the sky wept, Zeus himself honoured the female Spartan with an orchestra of thunder for her sacrifice. 

While a piece of Dunhill's incinerated clothes drifted in the wind, Dunkel arrived at the edge of the crater with her men. 

[Dunkel] - "Quickly! I see him! Get him out there now! "

Yelled Dunkel while looking into her binoculars. 

Following her orders, the men quickly called for Baron-class hovercrafts to fly toward Jagger's location in the crater. Using the stretchers lowered from the side doors, the soldiers swiftly evacuated the severely burnt Jagger from his lava bath. 

Meanwhile, as Kadyn waited for any sign of Athena, Mike's voice suddenly appeared in her mind. 

[Mike] - "Athena is sadly no longer with us. You need to leave with McCree and get yourself out of this place now! Jagger survived the fight and you must quickly hide before he finds you. "

Alarmed by this sudden voice in her head, Kadyn jumped before looking around to try to find Mike. However, she found no one else but McCree in her proximity. After carefully considering Mike's words and their current situation, she decided to listen to his advice.

[Kadyn] - "McCree, we need to leave now! "

Said Kadyn as she began to walk.

[McCree] - "Huh? Ain't we waiting for Athena to finish with her business? "

[Kadyn] - "We need to find our way to safety first. "

Said Kadyn in a blunt voice. 

[McCree] - "What's with this sudden change of plan, damn it! "

Cursed McCree as he followed Kadyn into the bushes.

[Kadyn] - "I had a bad feeling. She said she could find her way home by herself, so she probably assumed we made out safely by now. We are better off not being sitting ducks. If we are discovered, things might get ugly and difficult for us and her. "

[McCree] - "Sure, I guess. Seem to make sense to me. "

Said McCree with a shrug. 

While they walked, Kadyn could feel that something bad had happened to Athena in her heart. However, it didn't take long for them to discover the truth as they moved through a small town for some supplies and shelter. On the news, Dunkel had announced the death of Athena who the Allies labelled as the main culprit of the Appalachian Disaster. Then, to Kadyn's horror, Dunkel announced Jagger's condition as critical but stable, meaning that Jagger survived the encounter. 

[Dunkel] - "Rejoice, people of the Allied Empire, as our lord and saviour Emperor Jagger had brought peace to our nation. The lives lost at the Appalachian Disaster had been at last avenged with the death of the monster which caused it. With the death of this disgusting beast, we will no longer live in fear and worry and we shall- "

Kadyn abruptly turned her head away from the television screen inside the bar. A mixture of anger and sadness washed over her as she smashed her fist against the table. 

[Kadyn] - "All this... because of me. You guys should've just let me die there. "

McCree closed his eyes before rubbing his face with both his hands. 

[McCree] - "It's not your fault... please. "

[Kadyn] - "Say, McCree, are the other alright? You know, Audrey, Senju and Oltevin. "

A disturbed expression appeared on McCree's face as he looked away from Kadyn in shame.

[McCree] - "You might want to prepare for this. A lot happened during your absence... "

Said McCree as he pushed Audrey's recording device toward Kadyn.

Hours passed by as McCree explained everything to Kadyn from Audrey's death to his own actions to Athena's plan to rescue her from Jagger's clutch. By the end, McCree expected blame from Kadyn's part but she simply stood up and began walking away. 

[McCree] - "Wait! Where are ya going? "

Yelled McCree as he chased after Kadyn into the streets. 

[Kadyn] - "To someplace where I can disappear. "

[McCree] - "I know you are mad at me but we need to- "

[Kadyn] - "No! McCree, don't you understand? I caused all this! If I had just let go of Mike, none of this would've happened. All these deaths are because of me. My obsession led to Jagger and in turn, caused the death of those good people! So now, tell me, McCree, is this still not my fault? "

Yelled Kadyn as she abruptly cut off McCree mid-sentence.

McCree stayed silent as Kadyn stared at him with tears in her eyes.

[Kadyn] - "Tell me! "

Yelled Kadyn in a broken voice. 

[McCree] - "No! It's not your fault! "

Whispered McCree with his head lowered.

[Kadyn] - "Liar! "

Yelled Kadyn in a feral scream. 

A long silence ensued between the two before Kadyn turned around.

[Kadyn] - "Don't try to find me, McCree. It goes the same for the others who are still alive. I have caused enough misery for a lifetime. Erase my name from your memory, forget the one responsible for fracturing this team and discard the story of the woman who indirectly caused so much misery to people who didn't deserve it. "

As soon as Kadyn finished her sentence, she entered acceleration and disappeared out of view. By the time McCree reached out to speak to her, she was already gone from his sight. As Kadyn walked, she never noticed how the crystal on her chest had reverted to its original shade of blue where neither the little campfire nor Mike existed within. 

Days later, in the Allied Empire's new headquarters, the surgeons finally finished working on Jagger's burnt body after 3 days of intensive surgery. Though his burnt body can no longer function on its own, they modified him with cybernetic organs and implants. Finally, a layer of fake metallic alloy skin was installed on top of his removed dead skin as a replacement. With a new look, a new face and a new body, Jagger no longer lived in Mike's shadow as he is now fully just Jagger himself without a hint of Mike left both mentally and physically. 

To be continued...

*EXTRA

- Profile: Athena

- Ability: [Existential Judgement: Doom of Mortal Hubris]: "An ultimate ability which instead of cooking its target like Greek Kitchen, used the target as an electric conduct. After the initial imprisonment of the target within a multitude of layers of divine hands, Athena will channel an electric spear charged with an astronomical number of volts before launching it at the target. Once hit, electricity would want to travel through a conduct toward the ground but the target's body is the only existing conduct. Under these conditions, annihilation is almost guaranteed as the attack heats up the target at over 40 times the temperature of the core of the sun. "

- ABILITY STATS:

Power - S

Speed of ability - A

Speed granted - None

Range - A

Durability of ability - C

Durability granted - S

Precision - A

Potential - A