Thanks to Luxion, who piloted the Armor on Leon’s behalf, Arroganz finally reached Arcadia’s reactor. It was tucked into the deepest reaches of the fortress, housed in a chamber that encircled it, and was shaped like a pillar. Many entrances along the outer walls led out to a number of corridors.
The reactor was enormous, just like the room it occupied. It was black, and red lines similar to veins ran across its surface. They pulsed almost as if the reactor had a heartbeat, weak at first and then stronger, lighting up with each throb.
Luxion peered at the reactor from the threshold of the corridor. As he observed and analyzed it, the outer ring of his lens hummed. “So, this is the reactor, the mechanism Arcadia uses to produce demonic essence.”
Old humanity had struggled for decades to breach Arcadia’s depths and take the fortress down, but never succeeded. Yet here he was, accomplishing what they couldn’t. It might’ve been an emotional moment if Luxion hadn’t been preoccupied with other concerns.
“Master, are you feeling all right?”
In the wake of the neutralizer Luxion had administered, Leon’s face was deathly pale.
“No. I feel like crap,” he said honestly. He was covered in perspiration, a new wave of it beading on his skin. Even one injection of the performance enhancer had taken a substantial toll on his body. Without the neutralizer, he probably couldn’t even have spoken.
“You have been falling in and out of consciousness for some time. This is a considerable improvement,” said Luxion.
“Yeah. That’s lucky, since this is the exact part I need to be awake for.” Leon leaned forward, fingers circling the control sticks, and launched several missiles from Arroganz’s rear container at the reactor. The drones accompanying him soon joined in, but both their fire and the missiles were deflected by a magic barrier protecting the reactor.
Leon grimaced, his brows drawn together. “Should’ve known it wouldn’t be this easy.”
“I recommend a close-quarter attack,” said Luxion. “Apologies, Master, but you will have to bear that on your own. I can only offer the bare minimum support due to interference from the demonic essence.” As much as he wanted to control Arroganz in Leon’s place and do the deed himself, all he could do was maintain a connection with his mobile unit. Leon would need to do this.
So long as Leon could land an attack powerful enough to penetrate the barrier, Luxion was sure they’d manage to destroy the reactor. Both it and its barrier were built to withstand a lot, but a direct attack from Arroganz would be sufficient to finish this mission.
“We’re out of missiles,” said Leon. “Let’s switch containers first.”
“Very well.”
Leon spun around to swap his container for a fresh one. Purging the previous container, he took position for a drone to transfer its cargo to him.
“Master, an enemy!” Luxion cut in. “An enemy is fast approaching us!”
“So he’s finally here.”
Before Leon could finish securing the new container to his back, an enemy had flown in, attacking the drones and causing several to explode. Fortunately, not all of them had been destroyed, which meant a container transfer was still possible. The bigger problem was their enemy’s identity.
“It’s been a while,” said a voice all too familiar to Luxion.
Brave had dropped in on them from the ceiling. He was noticeably bigger than the other Demonic Suits they’d faced, and lightning crackled across his surface. The fact that he was already unleashing his magic made it clear how seriously his pilot, Finn, was taking this battle.
Leon forced a smile through the pain. “I was hoping to see you, Finn!” He sped backward as quickly as he could, hoping to gain time to finish transferring the new container to his back. He’d need a weapon if he was going to fight Brave. But that retreat would be difficult to manage successfully, especially since Finn immediately realized what he was doing.
“Likewise,” Finn said, voice thick with sadness and regret at the conditions that had brought them here. As soon as Arroganz tried to complete the transfer, he interfered, unleashing his lightning and destroying the drones Leon was using.
“You’re really getting in my way!” Leon snapped.
“I won’t be pulling punches,” Finn said, unperturbed. “Not with you. I’m sorry it has to be like this, but I can’t afford to lose!”
Luxion began his calculations as Brave charged toward them. “Master,” he said quickly, “preparations are complete.”
“I knew I could count on you.”
“Of course. Please do not compare me to someone as unreliable as Brave.”
Overhearing their conversation, Brave exclaimed, “I’m the more reliable one between us!”
Leon knew they couldn’t finish the transfer as long as Finn had any impact on it. The hatches on his drones’ rear containers cracked open.
“Eat this!” Leon bellowed.
The drones launched a barrage of missiles; they also began firing with the guns they held. The blasts and bullets covered nearly every inch of the corridor. It was sufficiently spacious for easy travel but not wide enough to accommodate an Armor and Demonic Suit locked in battle.
Brave couldn’t run anywhere. Instead, he wrapped his wings around himself for protection. Still, he was unable to brace himself against the force of the blasts, which knocked him back through the air.
Arroganz took the opportunity to whiz past him, reaching toward one of the fallen drones. A battle axe had dropped from its container, the edge of the blade sinking into the floor. Leon yanked the weapon up and charged toward the reactor, but Finn wasn’t about to let him get away with that.
“You really think you can throw me off that easily, Leon?!”
Spinning, Finn flew toward Leon, who caught the sword swinging downward with his axe. An earsplitting scream of metal against metal pierced the air, both weapons vying to overpower each other.
“Luxion, do something!” Leon shouted.
“Yes, Master.” Luxion knew exactly what he needed to do.
One of the surviving drones aimed its rifle at Brave. The bullet couldn’t pierce Brave, but it was enough to break his stance.
“Yowch!” Brave cried.
“That’s not enough to break your skin, is it?” Luxion grumbled, frustration bleeding through his electronic voice. The bullet would’ve pierced any other Demonic Knight, but not Brave.
Luxion had known Brave was a threat, but it was frustrating to realize he’d underestimated just how formidable he was.
Brave lashed out with electricity, destroying the drone that had attacked him, then promptly refocused on Arroganz. He glowered at it with narrowed eyes.
“Apologies, Master,” Luxion said. “That was the perfect opportunity, yet I wasn’t able to take Brave down.”
Leon shrugged, as if he’d never expected anything to come of it to begin with. “If he was that easy to beat, we wouldn’t have struggled so much to get here in the first place. Now, how will we handle this?”
Brave swung forward with his longsword, which Arroganz readily parried with its battle axe. Each time they clashed, Brave’s blade chipped away at the edge of the axe, until it finally cracked and shattered completely.
“Leon, I’m going to end this right here, right now!” Finn said.
Electricity crackled along the length of his longsword, wrapping it in light. When the charge came crashing in his direction, Leon leaped back, but the electric shot kept racing through the air toward him. Even if he evaded Finn’s sword, that magic was inescapable. It was lucky that they’d prepared for this fight ahead of time with full knowledge of Brave’s attacks, allowing Luxion to fashion special plating that defended against electricity magic. Still, the lightning was powerful enough to singe Arroganz’s thick outer armor.
“It would be dangerous to continue. We should withdraw for the moment,” said Luxion.
Leon shook his head. “He’ll cut me down if I turn my back on him. No, we’re going to do this.” He tossed the battle axe aside, ready to face Brave barehanded.