Ambition of the Illuminous: Lands of War

Episode 4: The Moonlight Shade

Chapter 4: For a Brighter Day

The two Guardians stopped at the large set of doors where they could feel a presence of someone strong. Giving each other a swift nod they kicked down the doors to see a man sitting down in his chair idly like he's been waiting. He's stoic face turned into a vicious smirk as he got up.

Howzer walked slowly around his desk to meet the two Guardians opposing him...

"My children are contaminating the system, choking the flow of life and destroying the land and structure of what once was. After what you see lying around you, you seriously think that you can defeat me?" A small smirk appeared on his wrinkled features. He took a few steps towards the two Guardians that forced them to raise their weapons.

"What do you have to prove Howzer?" Rayokarna said while slamming his Axe into the ground emphasising his anger. This made the smile on Howzer's face bigger.

"You seriously think that someone like you can over throw me?" Sierra almost crushed the holder for her whip in her iron grip and took a step forward.

"I will never give your dead carcass a second look once I decapitate that head from it and hang it in my room. I will never forgive you for almost making me kill my best friend after all we have been through." Sierra said in a dark tone narrowing her eyes in a deathly glow of vivid anger. Howzer slowly approached them causing Rayo and Sierra to back up a bit.

"Your time of judgment is here. There is no support for you, no help from allies, just skill and your desire for survival." Howzer raised his right arm in a stopping action but yet nothing happened then Sierra's eyes widen in realisation.

"Rayo! Take Cover!" Sierra tried to jump back but it was too late. The unstable wave of unstable nuclear photonic energy hit both her and her partner knocking them off their feet and throwing them a few metres from where they were standing. Sierra looked to her partner to see that he was pinned slightly to the floor due to the weight of his weapon. Sierra struggled to move as her body didn't respond to her command. Howzer was pacing slowly at an extremely dangerous rate.

"Shit..." Was the only thing Sierra could say in her defence. Howzer was only inches away from her prone body and placed his hand millimetres from her face.

"Time to take back what's mine..." Rayo tried to move but could only scream her name.

"Sierra!"

"Sierra!"

"Sierra!" Sierra's eyes flew open as adrenaline instantly pumped through her body to snap her out of her daze. Kicking away from him she rolled backwards and use swung her whip around so the photon rope hooked around Rayo's arm and with one great tug she pulled him back on to his feet to have him right next to her.

"Thanks for that." He said quickly as he regained his balance.

"Don't mention it."

"It seems my project and her little friend still have some fight left in them." Rayo backed up a little and took a defensive stance.

"He doesn't look so bad…" Sierra took one of her own.

"You're scared shitless aren't you…"

"Yep."

"Alright, let the final performance begin…" With that a second shockwave was emited from him knocking them back through the door they came through. The attack had enough force to send them down the stairs. Thinking on his feet, Rayo hooked his arms around Sierra and flipped himself and his partner around so he landed on his feet with Sierra in his arms.

"That's a fast payback system you have." She thanked quickly as he set her down on her feet.

"Yeah I know, it's just one of those days." Hearing loud footsteps from above, the two looked up to see a transformed Howzer leap at them. They just about had enough time to roll out of the way as he came down with crushing force.

"I see you've picked the same graveyard as your pathetic friends. Be careful not to trend on them." His smile made them cringe a little.

"Right here is the plan, I'll distract him, and you go for his Nano-Transer." Rayo just looked at her.

"What?"

"And go!"

"Wait Sierra…" But she was already in his face with her light Blackheart drawn. Taking the fight to the tyrant, She leapt and dodge over and through his frenzied swipes as she landed the occasional blow to his legs or body. Rayo watched on as he devised a plan to deactivate the device on his back. "It's gonna take a lot of force to kill that thing or even damage it…" He quickly scanned anything around him then and then locked eyes on the balcony on the floor above them.

With narrowing eyes "That might just work. Thanks for the inspiration Blitza…"

"Why do you choose to rebel knowing that you stand no chance?" Sierra skidded back and charge at him again. Leaping at him, her slash connected with his chest causing him to flinch.

"It's because I hate you basically." Jumping at him again, her stab was blocked by his forearm. Seeing this as his chance, he reared his arms back and then let loose a barrage of foie blasts in her direction. She quickly casted Regrants to absorb the fireballs while avoiding damage.

"You silly girl, you cannot deny me victory." Sierra tensed as she was forced back slightly from the power of his attacks.

"This is far from over…" She wheezed as she was forced back a little more. Howzer's laugh could be heard over the roar of the two attacks.

"We'll see how long you can keep this up." Sierra growled when she pushed more pure power into her spell. She was slowly getting fatigued because of her spell and Regrant's side effect however she couldn't break it while it was still going. "Where do you think you're going?" Suddenly Howzer's attacks stopped as it seems Rayo got his attention instead.

"Now's my chance." She whispered as she used a quick trimate then charged at her distracted target. Meanwhile Rayo was knocked off his feet by the power of one of Howzer's swings even though he blocked and was now crawling up the stairs backwards. Putting all the weight behind her thrust she embedded her saber into the side of Howzer making him howl in pain.

"Thanks Sierra as always." He mumbled as he scampered back on to his feet and bolted up the stairs.

"How dare you!" He roared as he spun around sending Sierra on to her back before she rolled back on to her feet. Taking no chanced with a Dimate, she ran back in and summed her ground Blackheart instead.

"This day will not continue you with you alive, I can guarantee you that" She called at the dictator.

With Rayo, he stumbled out of sight as he ran along the balcony of the second floor with heads up view of the battle below him.

"Right, I have to make sure it's within a decent distance of him…" Switching to his Ank Zagza, he quickly calculated the distance that he could leap down with maximum force. "Ah here!" He looked down to see if any of his fallen team members were there before he kicked a part of the railing away so he could have the edge.

"I only have one chance at this to get it right." He switched Photon Arts on his axe and got himself ready. Taking one more look below he could see that Sierra has latched on to his shoulder with the use of her saber causing him to flail in place. "Perfect…" Rearing his axe back, his back arched and his stance dropped when his knees bent. "Anga…"

Just as Sierra was wrestling with the grip on her saber to hang one she saw something leap from the corner from her eye. "JABROGA!" Suddenly, she ripped her saber from out of him and rolled away. Split between two different targets Howzer first looked at the CAST flying through the air then his attention turned to the Newman getting out of the way and then back to the CAST…

IMPACT

Rayo firmly embedded the key like blade of his axe into the Nano-Transformer section on his back with incredible force. The attack resulted in a photonic shock wave which pulsed throughout the entire complex. As Rayo flipped off him and retreated back to Sierra's side, he looked at the Newman to see that she had a look of a weight has been lifted off her shoulders.

"Did that do the trick?" The Acrotecher nodded. She casted a quick Resta spell as he embraced the light based photons healed any wounds he had. "I guess it did."

"Right, I'm going to revive everyone, can you keep him busy?" Rayo nodded, he would be pretty pissed off right now and he was scared but she had a job to do.

"Yeah you can count on me." She leaned up and gave him a quick kiss on the side of the helmet.

"Don't die on me." With a quick Shifta and Deband to protect him, she was off to help get everyone back on their feet. Rayo slowly advanced to the giant SEED-mech Howzer while he was on his knees holding his back in pain.

"So, where were we?" Howzer's voice had nothing but deep, dark hatred left.

"I will take you apart with every bit hatred for this world I have for this world. I hope you understand the fate you have resigned yourself to." Rayo just looked on as he switched weapons to his Crimson and Viper.

"You don't decide my fate, but you're more than willing to try." The tyrant slowly stood up as his body tensed.

"I don't intend on trying you simple computer." Rayo pointed his handgun to Howzer's head.

"Simple computer or not, your game ends here, this truly is your last performance." He laughed before getting ready to charge. Rayo clutched his handgun in a tighter grip and fired at him as soon as the former terrorist leader charged. Star shaped photon bullets bounced and ricocheted off his body as he came towards him. Side stepping the first shoulder tackle, Rayo slash across catching him in the arm. Howzer jumped back on reaction and threw a punch which Rayo barely avoided.

"You will not win!" The roar didn't faze Rayo as ducked under a punch and countered with an upward slash. However he was just a little too slow in moving back as Howzer's left arm came flailing across and knocked him off his feet and to the ground. Flipping himself over, he was welcomed with Howzer's forearm once again coming across him. Trying to deflect the attack with his saber, the clash of attack and defence was quickly finished as Howzer was still able to overpower him and knocked the saber clean out of his hand.

"Crap…" Looking at his weapon slide across the ground for a second took his eye of the tyrant as he rammed him to the ground. Shaking off the wave of dizziness, he tried to get up but sees an amused Howzer looming over him.

"Well so much for you then…" He clicked his enormous knuckles audibly and smirked wickedly. Rayo was about to panic until he saw a welcome sigh just beyond Howzer's shoulder.

"I should say the same thing to you." His actions stopped in confusion.

"Grenade him down!" Several volleys of photonic bombs struck Howzer in the back causing him to stagger forward.

"What on Gurhal's name?" He turned around with Sierra pointing towards Howzer with the Foretgunners and Protransers armed with Grenade Launchers aimed directly at him.

"Fire at will!" A barrage of photonic shells rained down as Rayo rolled back to avoid assault. As he stumbled back Chiyoko and Blitza looking like they had a full recovery caught his arms and pulled him up.

"Let us take it from here." Blitza told him as he cracked his knuckles and nodded towards the female beast. With a burst of light, the two beasts transformed and advanced on their target. While Howzer was taking a beating from the covering fire, Chiyoko while using Adaka Val punched the former terrorist leader to the ground with an earth moving impact. As soon as he the ground, Blitza using the same Nanoblast form leapt into the air with his only goal of crushing Howzer with his pure size and body mass.

"Guys, do something now!" The CASTs that were in the group all surrounded the floored Howzer and raised their arms.

"Don't you plan on joining in Rayo?" Scarlet asked while winking. Almost hesitantly the male CAST raised his arms. The familiar feeling of connecting to the out of space server to use the CAST race trump card flowed through him. The energy was almost too much as every circuit in his body came alight as the sky turned blue, getting ready for the incoming attack.

"Paradi..." The CASTs chanted the ground began to rumble. Howzer struggled to move as his damaged left arm reached out.

"I will not be denied..."

"Cateract!" Then suddenly the waves of energy rained from the sky impaling the dying tyrant multiple times. He screamed in anguish as his body gave way to the pressure of the attack. Try as he might, he attempted to move but the attack stayed resilient, practically nailing his body to the ground. After the seemingly endless beams dissipated and resided, the body of the enemy began to quake.

"Shit, what's happening?" Blitza blurted as the floor of the mansion started to follow sporadic shakes of Howzer.

"I think he's going to self destruct." Scarlet only sighed.

"This is so fucking typical."

"Alright everyone, let's get out of here!" Karen ordered as the members of the team started to bolt for the door.

"Don't have to tell me twice." Ethan mumbled as he took the Maiden's hand in his and ran. The extended group left the mansion in a hurry, as the insides of their battleground started to crumble Just as he headed through the door; Rayo looked back at the seemly dead corpse and sighed.

"Oh how very different it could have been..."

"Come on X, get going!" Sierra's shout of panic quickly Snapped X from whatever he was thinking causing him to follow the others. Finally at the safe end of the bridge, the group let out a collected breath of relief.

"Thank the Maiden that is..." In the background other squads of the Guardians came into view from the cavern entrance.

"We're over here!" Laia shouted as she waved her arms in the air to signal what seemed to be the recovery team.

"President Laia, sorry for the delay, there was difficulty getting the teams down the canal."Laia nodded but was pleased.

"Good work for getting here, once the tremors have stopped, get the investigation teams to find anything from the rubble, Recover Howzer's body if you can" The human general saluted.

"Yes President! Men, get yourselves ready!" With that he left with another set of Guardians to wait by the entrance of the bridge.

A couple of metres away, Rayokarna with Sierra, Eugenic and Blitza sat down by the wall to catch their breath.

"Ray?" The CAST unclipped his helmet and threw it to the side.

"Hmm?" Blitza raised an eye brow.

"We're not doing this again unless you and Sie are in." Rayo looked at him questionably.

"We're doing this again?" His sarcastic comment caused Blitza to laugh and Sierra to giggle.

"Fair enough."

"So, what do we do from here?" Eugy asked.

"Business as usual I guess." Sierra answered as she looked to the sky.

"I'm going to do a bit more time then gonna work as a mechanic after." Blitza shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm retiring."

"Seriously?"

"Yup." Blitza only laughed at his friend's decision, which is typical of him.

"Well I don't blame you, you quitting as of right now?" Rayokarna then huffed as he goot up and started to walk towards the teams bring briefed by Laia.

"No, got too much paper work to do." With that the team burst out laughing.

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