The storm persisted in the crimson-lit city like a deliberate veil, blinding heaven to the horrors of this earth below. The filth and ugliness of the city have corrupted the mind of an angel, who, now clad in her dark armour, sought retribution against the devil responsible for all this suffering. In a flash of lightning, the golden shine of the cyberknight symbol was contrasted with the pitch-dark shade of her clothing. There she stood, Kadyn, the dark angel of vengeance, the champion of the slaughter sanctioned by the divine powers to cleanse KD-554's heresy against the human race.
Standing before the government tower, Beth represented the last obstacle standing between Kadyn and reaching her target. Despite her human body, there was little humanity left inside Beth's scornful stare. To her, nothing, even her own body, mattered. She had accepted that she and KD-554 are the same: remorseless killers who were freed of the confines of a human facade. There was no reason for Beth's hatred toward Kadyn, a woman she had never known personally. However, to a follower of true human nature like herself, hate is simply a fundamental tool of survival. Only through equal, unrelenting hatred toward all could one achieve dominance and absolute victory in a world that only valued the strongest.
[Kadyn] - "Get out of my way. This entrance isn't large enough for the two of us, ya bloody whale. "
Said Kadyn before slamming the butt of her Guandao against the ground.
The loud crack on the floor from the impact caused the guards around Beth to shudder in fear. Having witnessed Kadyn's battle prowess firsthand from her feats in the city earlier, none of the guards seemed eager to make a move. However, Beth wasn't fazed, as her unflinching eyes remained fixated on Kadyn, the ultimate trophy to prove her worth to her master.
[Beth] - "What the hell are you mumbling about? You have already dug your own grave the moment you showed up before me. "
Said Beth while an unhinged smile appeared on her face.
Preparing herself, Kadyn activated her Guandao, its liquid metal blade forming up at its edge in an instant. Then, pressing her hands together, Beth ignited her crystals, which glowed brightly in the rain.
[Beth] - "Trial Access: Queen's Gambit! "
As soon as Beth uttered her ability, lines formed all around Kadyn, trapping her in a 2x2 meter area while more prisons of similar designs formed around her. In the end, Beth's ability constructed 64 cases of such dimensions, one next to the other, forming a giant imaginary chessboard. As Kadyn swung her blade at the invisible barrier around her, she was surprised that her attack did not damage the barrier.
[Beth] - "You are but a puny bio-engineered freak trying to fight against the peak warrior of humanity. I'm a cyberknight, while you are nothing but disposable junk! "
Said Beth before raising her pistol and firing upon Kadyn.
However, with a lightning-fast reaction, Kadyn easily parried all the bullets shot at her. By the time Beth realized that she had run out of bullets, she had already been clicking her empty weapon for a few seconds. Enraged, Beth slammed her gun on the ground before cursing under her breath.
[Beth] - "Useless piece of shit! Fucking useless piece of shit! "
Yelled Beth before kicking the weapon away.
Looking at Kadyn, Beth knew her prey couldn't escape, but she couldn't simply wait for KD-554 to come claim her either. After all, how weak would she appear in the eyes of her master if she had simply admitted defeat without even trying to at least tear her prey apart? However, by herself, Beth lacked any type of physical power or ability capable of harming Kadyn in any way.
Meanwhile, Kadyn quickly realized that she didn't seem to be able to move inside the prison with only external sources capable of accessing targets inside the ability. For instance, the bullets shot by Beth and the rain seemed to be capable of reaching her without issue.
[Beth] - "You, go in there and deal with her! "
Yelled Beth as she forcefully pushed a guard into her ability.
To Kadyn's shock, the poor guardsman was trapped as soon as he intruded on the ability. With no way to escape, the guard banged on the invisible wall while crying for help. Despite his pleas, with a swing of her hand, Beth moved the guard inside her ability by controlling his position like a pawn toward Kadyn's location.
[guard] - "Noooo! Help me! Help meeee! "
Yelled the guard in pure terror.
As the cases had finally pushed the guard into the same cell as Kadyn, the man simply backed against the wall in fear. To be face-to-face with the monster that had recently taken down an entire mercenary organization and a Storm-class titan, the guardsman knew he was seeing his own demise inside Kadyn's glowing red eyes. However, Beth was getting impatient as she took the rifle from another guard and aimed it at the terrified guard's back.
[Beth] - "Fight that freak of nature! Fight her! "
Yelled Beth as she shot the ground beside the guard.
Looking back, the guard could only whimper as he faced death on both sides. At that moment, even Kadyn seemed less like the monster despite her previous actions. Instead, the guard's fear was now directed at the bloodshot eyes behind the rifle, which threatened to kill him if he refused to kill himself. Meanwhile, Kadyn's eyes were no longer on the poor guardsman as she stared at Beth with disgust and horror. Slowly, the guard stood up, his choice clear as to what fate he chose for himself.
[Guard] - "I'd rather die by the hands of a human than that of a monster. "
Said the guard before raising his gun at Kadyn.
As he fired, Kadyn swiftly swung her blade forward, cutting off the man's arms and weapon without finishing him off. However, despite Kadyn's merciful act, Beth was having none of it. Before Kadyn could react, Beth let loose a hail of gunfire at the guard, shredding his back to a bloody pulp.
[Beth] - "Die, die, die, you useless coward! "
Yelled Beth as she held the trigger with ice in her eyes.
Even Kadyn was horrified by the scene before her, as so far, she had yet to encounter this level of depravity among her enemies. Horrifyingly, Kadyn noticed that the man was still alive despite his grievous injuries, with bubbles of blood still emerging from his mouth. In an act of mercy, Kadyn lifted her Guandao and ended the poor man's suffering with a stab through his skull. Upon raising her eyes, she was even more shocked to notice not an ounce of remorse on Beth's emotionless face.
[Kadyn] - "What kind of monster are you? Why don't you fucking come down here and fight me yourself instead of forcing your men to die pointlessly like this? "
Yelled Kadyn in anger while pointing accusingly at Beth.
[Beth] - "Because this is my nature! I like using others and pushing them in the dirt. My whole life was lived this way, and recently, I've learned to accept this. Why deny yourself? Haha! Why pretend to be human when you had just slaughtered your way through an entire city? "
Responded Beth while grinning with a psychotic gleam in her eyes.
Beth's words caused Kadyn to briefly reconsider her previous actions in the city. However, after coming this far, wrath and senseless violence were no longer what Kadyn was thinking when it came to her actions. The city was an ugly place, devoid of humanity and filled to the brim with violence and injustice.
With a deep breath, Kadyn noticed that tonight was the first night when the city was truly quiet. For all her time spent inside this place, tonight was the only night without screams or the crackling of weapons. For once, there was peace as all the tormented souls terrorizing the city had met their end at Kadyn's hands as their savagery and greed drove them right into damnation. This was the moment Kadyn realized that there was something more to her wrath tonight.
[Kadyn] - "For all this bloodshed, I'm probably the most deadly person in this entire world by direct kill count. For the entire night, I wondered when will this carnage ever end, when will people ever learn to feel compassion and treasure their own lives. They know they will die charging at me, yet they do it anyway! "
Whispered Kadyn before slamming her Guandao against the ground in frustration.
[Beth] - "Because this is human nature. All are violent monsters by nature. How naive of you to think otherwise after all you have done? "
Said Beth as she showed the scars left on her arms and face by KD-554.
Seeing how far gone Beth is, Kadyn has finally gotten the last puzzle to her purpose.
[Kadyn] - "No! Because some people are too far gone. Some people don't speak words- they speak bloodshed and violence. So no, at times, I don't feel like the monster when I'm knee-deep in bodies. The only way to make people like you understand is to beat the absolute shit out of you! So, my true purpose tonight? Be the real monster that eats those who merely think they are the monster. "
Said Kadyn with a murderous look in her eyes.
Kadyn's final words sent fear down the spines of the guards and even Beth at a certain level.
[Kadyn] - "Enough talk! I know KD-554 has been waiting for me. So if you can't deal with me, then let her come to me herself. "
Yelled Kadyn with a stern look on her face.
[Beth] - "Are you saying I can't kill you? Are you saying I lack the resolve to end you myself? "
Said Beth through her teeth in anger.
[Kadyn] - "I've fought dogs with more martial prowess than you. If you want me to even take you seriously, maybe start by not losing to a fucking inanimate object. "
Said Kadyn as she pointed at the gun Beth had kicked away in rage.
There was a feral rage inside Beth's eyes as she stared at Kadyn with drool escaping from between her teeth. Beth's ability was not suited to deal with the likes of Kadyn, yet her situation did not allow her to simply admit this fact. Neither KD-554 nor her own pride would allow Beth to simply call it a day and hand Kadyn over without trying to at least brutalize her.
[Beth] - "Get me Konrad the Brute! "
Yelled Beth to one of her men.
Upon hearing her request, it didn't take long for a pair of glowing eyes to appear from the shadow. Meant to be a backup line of defence for the main entrance, Konrad was a massive man protected by heavy power armour. Employing state-of-the-art electro-magnetic reactive armour technology, anything that can penetrate his armour will be reduced to steam through high voltage conductivity.
[Konrad] - "Heard you needed my help, Beth. "
Said Konrad in a mechanical voice.
[Beth] - "Things were not going according to plan. Though I'm not one to share glory, I need you to deal with an issue. We'll split the reward afterward. "
Said Beth with a bitter look in her eyes.
[Konrad] - "I saw you have caged a valuable target. However, I demand 70% of the reward for my trouble. After all, I'm the one risking my life while you sit around doing nothing. "
Said Konrad in an arrogant voice.
Beth's eye twitched at Konrade's comment, but she quickly pretended to smile and agree.
[Beth] - "Of course, Konrad, we can even share a room afterward. You deserve an extra reward for your bravery. "
Said Beth while putting on a nice face.
[Konrad] - "I knew you were a woman of reason. If you could offer me a decent time with your body, I might even consider giving you a better offer. "
Said Konrade, satisfied with how smoothly the negotiation went.
Unbeknownst to Konrad, however, Beth's hands were shaking with anger behind her back. As Konrad turned away, Beth dropped her facade and immediately began to grimace out of hate.
[Beth] - "Yeah, bring her to me, you piece of shit. You won't be alive enough to claim your share of the reward once you get into my room tonight. "
Whispered Beth with a psychotic smile on her face.
Though both Konrad and Beth were confident that Kadyn was done for, she had already concocted a plan while the two spoke. Kadyn had already determined the proper way to end the fight easily in her favour. However, getting herself out of Beth's ability is the true challenge in this situation. If Konrad were to be killed, Beth could simply detain her continuously without issue.
As Konrad arrived in the same cage as her, an idea suddenly appeared inside Kadyn's mind. With a quick analysis of Konrad's armour, Kadyn's battle director immediately identified several connection points in his suit where she could make incisions without triggering the conductive mechanism. With these weak points identified, Kadyn's focus was especially concentrated on the gap between his helmet and neck. With a swift spin of her Guandao, Kadyn retracted the blade of her weapon and threw it away on the ground. Then, without a word, Kadyn took off her coat and threw it to the side alongside her guns, leaving her only dressed in the bare minimum.
[Konrad] - "Looks like you are making my work easier here. "
Said Konrad with an amused smirk.
[Kadyn] - "Tsk, you aren't even worth the effort of using my other weapons. EMRA are good against infantry on the battlefield, but a- "
Before Kadyn could finish her sentence, Konrad attempted to tackle Kadyn, only for her to easily slip under his massive arms and emerge on the other side.
[Kadyn] - "Against me, it's but a false sense of safety. "
Continued Kadyn as she backed a few steps off.
Inside the small cage, Kadyn had little to no place to maneuver, but somehow Konrad's massive hands and body didn't seem to inconvenience her in the slightest. To Konrad and the rest watching, Kadyn seemed to be toying with her opponent, but in truth, she was waiting for a specific circumstance.
[Konrad] - "How long do you think you can keep this going, you insect? I can do this all night if I need to! "
Yelled Konrad as he attempted to block Kadyn's path, only for her to slip under his legs and emerge behind him.
As he backed into the wall, hoping to crush Kadyn, she simply jumped over his head and landed in front of him.
[Kadyn] - "With your size, you could've probably crushed me with your fists. Yet, you are somehow missing all your chances. How embarrassing. "
Taunted Kadyn while casually brushing the rain off her hair.
[Konrad] - "Aaargh! "
In a fit of rage, Konrad leaned forward and collapsed both of his fists toward Kadyn from both sides. Finally, that was the moment she had been waiting for. With a look of terror, Kadyn froze and stood still until the fists were brushing against her neck. However, the damage would never land as even the rain around Kadyn suddenly became nearly motionless in the air. Immediately, Kadyn wiped the terrified facade off her face before leaping out of the way onto Konrad's shoulders. Then, like streaks of silver lightning in the night, her wrist blades extended forward from both of her arms.
[Kadyn] - "Thanks for the jailbreak card, dumbass. "
To the normal eyes, it appeared as if Konrad had landed a decisive strike on Kadyn, splashing her body all around the place like a bloodied mess. Even Beth was surprised at the abrupt end that was brought down upon such a dangerous enemy. Upon a closer inspection, Beth and her men were shocked to see the gory mess left behind, with internal organs and blood coating the walls of the prison.
[Konrad] - "It's done! Now let me out of this bloody place. "
There was a tense moment as Beth stared bitterly at Konrad, resentful that he had stolen her supposed kill. However, Beth quickly swallowed her hatred and pretended to congratulate Konrad by clapping her hands for him.
[Beth] - "Of course, my hero. What would I do without you? "
Said Beth as she deactivated her ability.
Strangely, instead of walking away, Konrad's first instinct was to feel if the barrier was still up with his hand. Then, with uneasy steps, Konrad arrived in front of Beth and stared at her with unusual silence. Suddenly, he reached out and grabbed her hand with his massive armoured palm.
[Beth] - "Well, you are quite eager for your other reward, big boy. "
[Kadyn] - "No, it was just to see if you were playing any trick. "
Said Kadyn behind Konrad's helmet.
Before Beth or anyone could even act or react with shock, Kadyn was already walking toward her discarded belongings with a thin layer of blood coating her wrist blades. As the idea of surprise finally reached Beth's mind, she was already gasping for air as blood spilled out of the massive gap in her neck. As soon as Konrad's empty armour collapsed onto the ground and slipped down the stairs, Beth and her men also met the ground with their backs while pools of red surrounded them.
[Beth] - "How... "
Gargled Beth while blood pooled inside her throat and mouth.
In truth, earlier, during her acceleration, Kadyn had cut apart Konrad's neck joint and ripped his head clean off his body. Then, with brutal efficiency, Kadyn splattered the rest of Konrad's body in a fashion which made it look as if his remains were hers on the ground. Finally, jumping inside the suit with her having already shed her heavy equipment and clothing, Kadyn pretended to be Konrad as he supposedly smashed Kadyn's body to shreds, thus successfully tricking Beth and her men.
[Kadyn] - "I've been waiting for nine fucking years for this moment. Hah... I've carved my bloody path through the entire city worth of shit you pricks could throw at me. I've seen people fight with their hearts and still lose. You fought with your empty husk devoid of a soul. What makes you think you can stop me? "
Said Kadyn in a disgruntled voice.
Kadyn quickly picked up Mike's coat and cleaned it respectfully before snuggling herself into its warmth. After picking up the rest of her gear, Kadyn stepped before Beth and stared at her with a disgusted look in her eyes. Then, she noticed the pendulum around Beth's neck with the cyberknight symbol in gold.
[Kadyn] - "No honour, no dignity, no humanity, a machine corrupted to be just like KD-554, yet you call yourself a cyberknight, the supposed defenders of humanity. The monster you serve ruined innocent people with her hate, yet you zealously defended her palace. "
Said Kadyn with anguish in her voice.
Kadyn abruptly crushed Beth's cyberknight pendulum with the butt of her Guandao, causing Beth to shudder in fear. With a deep breath, Kadyn remembered her sisters and Poppy, all victims of KD-554's actions.
[Kadyn] - "I carry the words of the Grand Knight with me. I'm an extension of his justice, and the dark angel of retribution! May my humanity be the bane of all this city's monsters. You have lost your way and reduced yourself to such lows; die like the monster you claim to be. "
Said Kadyn in a condemning tone before walking past Beth toward the entrance.
While Beth could feel the life soon being drained completely from her wound, she quickly activated her ability on her throat, preventing further blood loss. However, she was out of the fight for good due to her previous bleeding. As the rain slowly washed away the blood surrounding her neck, the near-death experience bred a sense of clarity back into Beth's mind. For a moment, she was not thinking about violence or manipulation, but only her survival.
As she thought back on the words thrown at her by Kadyn, her mind was also finally unclouded enough to realize the cyberknight insignia on her coat. And indeed, Kadyn was wearing a coat with the unmistakable rank of the Grand Knight on its collar. This sudden realization shook Beth as Kadyn's words suddenly gained the weight to shatter her zeal. It felt as if the Grand Knight himself had lectured her about her actions.
She felt as if the skies had sent her to beat some sense into her broken psyche like some kind of divine intervention. Thinking back on her previous mindset and actions, Beth could only cry silently in disgust at what she had become.
Meanwhile, inside the underground laboratory, KD-554 smiled with delight while Dane finished the last few adjustments to her new body. However, the reason for her joy was beyond the prospect of her new body or of her upcoming fight with Kadyn. Instead, something else was tickling her mind- the thought of a malformed creature sleeping inside the gestation tube of her other laboratory.
To be continued...