Chapter 204: Red Robin

The seconds before the astonishing comeback of Cliff in successfully striking a guarded Empress, several events occurred on the respective battles the others were facing.

Gardo gazed at the towering Titan that readied its massive weapons that brought forth Hellfire Technology.

Gardo retreated as the canon shot its first wave. The blazing fire was almost like lava. It wasn't just pure heat but had a thick watery form. Gardo retreated quickly and even employed his unique ability and exploded off backward.

Upon retreating, several Exoskeletons took advantage of Gardo's retreat and emerged from their forcefield and started shooting Gardo's ally.

"AGH!" One explosive round struck the area near one of Gardo's men.

"Efren!" Jane called out as she rushed a barrage.

Gardo immediately stopped retreating and started shooting the enemies that emerged out of the shield.

"Get back in!" The Admiral ordered, which made all the Exoskeleton's rush back in. Yet in those few seconds, seven Exoskeletons were killed.

"Superb shooting. What technology is he using?" The Admiral mumbled.

"I'm alright!" Efren reported as he grunted and moved towards Archie.

Suddenly, a powerful green wave enveloped the entire area. 

"What?" Gardo frowned at the sudden pressure that restricted his movements.

His entire body felt resistance in the smallest of movements.

"Origin Wave? I guess the Empress is serious. The Admiral laughed and noticed that the Realm around him was making the heated cannon cool down faster.

"Looks like I can shoot longer now!" The Admiral laughed.

"Sir! We can't-"

"I know! I feel it too!' Gardo shouted back.

Gardo stood his ground and noticed that the Titan had aimed his cannon once again.

"Stand your ground and get ready to shoot!" Gardo shouted his orders.

He knew that he couldn't retreat. If he did, the enemies that stayed behind the field would attack and may end up shooting and killing his allies. 

"Once that man is roasted, attack his allies." The Admiral ordered as well as he aimed his canon once more.

The Hellfire canon had one weakness: it couldn't be used continuously. 

Yet now, the Admiral was determined to roast Gardo and his allies.

Gardo knew that the next attack would be risking the weapon itself. Even then, Gardo glanced at the Hellfire cannon, and disregarding the common sense of man; he stepped forward.

"He's attacking?" The Admiral frowned and immediately pulled the trigger.

The heated flames could be seen emerging out of the canon. In Gardo's perspective, time suddenly slowed down.

Gardo's entire body grew hotter and hotter. The theory was in his head, and though it was sane, it was still crazy. Gardo smirked and moved forward and threw his handguns towards the top of a nearby structure. 

His entire body heated up, and his right foot exploded out as he ran. At that moment, the flames had appeared.

The blazing flames of Hellfire raged through. Gardo's theory was simple. If he moved fast enough, he wouldn't feel the heat. Like someone swiftly moving his fingers through fire and not get burned, this same theory was the one that Gardo believed to have worked. Primarily since he used the compressed Eradication energy to burst forth, making his entire body hot. By increasing his temperature, he assumed that it would add as a layer of protection to zoom past the burning flames.

"Fight fire with fire!" Gardo laughed. His suit was specially made to withstand the heat his body generated and would even conduct it outwards.

The tidal flames of Hellfire were like lava. Time slowed down so much that Gardo could even see the milliseconds.

Slowly, memories of his life appeared.

"A Life Review? But why? I won't die here." Gardo smirked.

Then Gardo recalled the discussions that made him confident in his reckless charge.

During the eight hours delay, Gardo had talked in detail with Cliff to learn more about the Unlocking.

"Wait… You're telling me she could explode?" Gardo asked.

"Yeah. Originally, she could only create a flash bang that was so bright. But soon, she managed to have this fiery ability." Cliff replied casually.

"But how? How can she not be consumed? Won't the explosions she create harm herself? How can a grenade explode and remain intact?" Gardo pressed on. Of all the impossible discussions they had, this was one of the most crucial for Gardo, who had a body that was roughly similar to Gardo's.

"It's her cells. Seeker explained that to an Unlocked, the cells are interlinked. So it won't harm itself."

"But what about explosions? The force of the explosion should cause great strain to her!"

"Arthur said that it's because of Realm." Cliff sighed.

"Realm? I read about those on the reports you gave. They said that the Realm could create stuff. In an extreme example, it was the Dragon's Fang lead assassin, Typical. Can you do Realm?"

"No. I can only do Realm Somatotopy. Only Typical and Lynd can create Realm that alters the physical stuff of the area. As for Meryl, her Realm simply protects her. But even she can't explain how it happens. Disgusting Believers." Cliff complained.

"But how does it happen?"

"From Seeker's explanation, it can only happen when the Unlock can produce it. Typical and Lynd can. But Lynd's weaker. Seeker can, but it's because of his memories. When we fought the last, he used it to make our movements slow. I lost a leg, Lynd an arm, and Meryl got stabbed on the stomach. It was horrifying. I hated that sensation!" Cliff shivered.

"Sensation?"

"Typical can sort of concentrating their Realm in a single area. With it, he can create great needles and blades. Lynd could copy Typical, but it's weak. Meryl's Realm is sort of a defensive mechanism that protects her from harming herself. Any explosions she creates don't affect her. Seeker and the other Overcomers… they're scary. They can cover an entire room with Realm. That's why I hated training with them. It's like your fighting inside a haunted house, and Seeker is the haunted house!"

"How does that even work?" Gardo asked curiously.

"I don't know. That's what Lennox has been trying to develop recently. A Realm without an owner."

"That's possible?"

"I don't know. Lennox says it's difficult to make. But if something like that were to be made, and Unlocked can immediately tap on to it. Realm is something that only an Unlocked can sense. Its probably because our perception is different. The problem is, creating a new Realm is practically impossible right now. But if we can create it, it'll be easier."

"How is it easier?"

"It's kinda like swimming. Lennox theorized that if he can create a new or ownerless Realm, we can experience what it feels like. If we can experience it, we can probably learn how to create it. Being exposed to other Realms is useless because it's like experiencing being with another person. It just doesn't work that way."

"Oh. With my physical body, and with the Unlocking, I can dish out more damage. My cells are different. If I can get my hands on the cells of that babe, Meryl, our family could complete their study and create a super-soldier with Eradication tech." Gardo sighed.

"That babe?"

"Yeah. Isn't she like some super-hot white princess?"

Cliff didn't know how to react. She's seen Meryl, and the memories of the former Meryl somehow made Cliff unable to see the new Meryl.

"The only issue is being able to withstand our destruction. My body can generate enough power like that of a Pangean Eradication grenade. But I'd be hurt from my explosion. I wish that Realm would soon appear." Gardo sighed.

And his prayers were answered.

The Origin Wave created a vast Realm. It was not controlled by a person but was like a programmed tool. Yet because it had no ownership but only acted on command, Gardo felt that he could manipulate it. 

Eradication technology was the science of keeping atoms and molecules in constant movement. Through a particular means, the energy that they could create wasn't just hot; it was grinding. The effect was so profound that Eradication bullets could kill a person or destroy an Exoskeleton if the bullet coated with Eradication technology wasn't removed.

The constant movement of his body allowed himself to generate heat. Every cell in his body was constantly at motion. Gardo's body was an ongoing experiment. The Dalisay's did not publicize the results and fruits of their study on all of their clansmen. The science that has been passed down for decades would all be instilled on the body of one man.

After decades of research, Dalisay's technology now created a super-human body that could generate heat and expel it safely. Of course, if the user makes such a powerful energy and strikes something, the explosion may damage themselves.

Gardo pierced through the flames. He did a quick spin at the end to quickly throw off any fire that would have remained on his suit. He had no metal equipment's on him, so the electro-reactive field didn't activate.

The slowing down of time allowed Gardo to push his heat on his right arm quickly.

All that was left was to punch out.

Gardo took his gamble. He hadn't any of the faintest ideas of what Realm was. But because of the Origin wave, it was as if he was granted big training wheels that allowed him to simulate what it was to have a Realm.

"I guess it's too soon to call this Hawk?" Gardo chuckled.

"Red Robin!" Gardo punched out an explosive fist of compressed energy.

BOOM!

The powerful punch exploded out.

Gardo was thrown back from the force, but as he was flying backward, he somersaulted and landed on his feet. He immediately dashed towards the area where he threw his guns.

"I'm alive! That hurt, but that Realm thing worked! Whoever did it is, thank you so much!" Gardo was extremely excited about the success. The explosion was suppressed, and instead of facing the might of a massive bomb, he met the shockwave that threw him backward.

The Titan's shoulder was smashed, and a fist-sized hole could be seen. The devices that created the electro-reactive field was damaged and could not create more.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Gardo's team members started to shoot. It was difficult to attack as their movements were prolonged.

Stanley had been busy attacking the Turrets that surfaced nearby. Finally, he completed his task and was now assisting Gardo's team by shooting down the Exoskeletons that approached. Because he was still wearing the Exoskeleton made by the WGP, he was unaffected by the Origin wave and could move quickly.

Gardo moved faster and faster. The Realm around him somehow lost its resistance. But as he jumped, a resisting force appeared near his stomach, and he lost his balance and tumbled down pitifully on the ground.

"Boss! Are you alright?" Jane asked.

"How do I control this damned thing?" Gardo was now complaining about his lack of control. It was then that he noticed a significant change in the skies above.

"What happened? Why is the force field destroyed?!" Gardo stared at the heavens.

"It was a lightning bolt! It struck there!" Archie reported and pointed to the direction where the Covenant fought.

"If that's the case, then the Covenant should be fine. Let's clean up the enemies here and support Cliff!" Gardo ordered as he began attacking the Exoskeletons that were now fleeing.

Several Armor's were approaching and launched massive attacks.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Stanley and Gardo worked together and shot the rockets.

"That's crazy! They no longer care about the Kraken!" Archie cursed in freight. The attacks these Armors used would have left some damage on the Kraken.

"They're getting desperate! Let's kill them!" Jane smirked excitedly.

"Wait! Don't! I'll handle them!" Gardo called out and excitedly rushed forth.

"Bo-boss!" Even the very trusting Jane called out in panic as Gardo rushed forth.

"Don't interfere! I'm training!" Gardo laughed. The first thing he did was cause his legs to explode out.

The explosion was terrifying, and he was thrown like a rocket.

"Ugh! That still hurt… But its an improvement!" Gardo smiled as he prepared a powerful punch.

The Realm around him was to his advantage. For in the unthinking, un lifeless form of this Realm, the Empress gave simple commands. And of these commands was one that greatly aided Gardo. The power was to restrict and contain explosions.

Gardo's potential as the head of a family that was one of the Progenitors seeds had long taken root. And now, with the Unlocking, it was as if individual pieces of the puzzle that would spur him to greatness had been unsealed.

As Gardo approached the first Armor, an alarming thought surfaced.

"Wait. If my first punch is Robin, and this punch would be stronger, what would I name it? If the final form is Red Hawk, do I increase the bird size using Red Hawk as the final form? What's bigger than a Robin? A parrot? What do I name this? Ugh… No time to think about this! I must take advantage of this strange Realm and practice!"

And so, begrudgingly, Gardo gave his unnamed punching technique that created an even more powerful explosion.

This time, Gardo was not sent flying but the explosion but only took a few step backs.

"Maybe I should change color… Yellow Robin?" Gardo muttered, seeing the Armor that stumbled back with a large opening on its stomach.