93 Penance

Ed ground his teeth in frustration. "Why not?!" He shouted. "I'm a talented esper, and I already control most of the state. What have you got to lose?"

"Well, to start, you're a traitor." The President replied calmly. "You caused the deaths of tens of thousands of Florida soldiers. Not to mention the explosions you caused in New York and Georgia. We've collected quite the large file on you."

"As if you care about any of that!" Ed protested.

"As a matter of fact, I do." The black threads that made up the President's body began to unravel, soon disappearing into thin air. His voice echoed everywhere. "We may be in power, and we may suppress the citizens, but politics is a game, and you must play by the rules of the game."

Dozens of threads appeared from nowhere and struck Ed from all directions, penetrating his shoulders, legs, arm, and stomach. He groaned as he clenched his teeth. The pain only felt like a slight pinch, but every time he shifted his body he could feel the sharp threads digging in deeper. 'It's not corrosive?' He wondered. Most dark attacks had a corrosive property, so this was an unusual phenomenon. It was common knowledge that the President was a mysteriously strong dark figure that used threads, but that was the full extent of the publicly available information. It wasn't something that would be included in the information on Florida espers he bought from Nexus.

"You're actually quite lucky." The President's voice echoed. "The reports of your little skirmishes in Florida have already been reported. The media is calling you the terrorist of the century. However, there are certain groups of individuals that look up to you, wishing to join your cause. Simply killing you would turn you into a martyr for these people, so I'll just arrest you instead. You'll be sent to the cage and await your public trial. We'll use this time to vilify you, making those groups lose all their delusions they hold towards you."

"Why bother telling me all of this then?" Ed questioned. Internally, ideas for escape were flashing through his mind. 'I need someone to interfere to get these threads off me! My power isn't working on them, and the President is watching me like a hawk.'

"Why indeed." The voice replied. "I suppose I've taken an interest in you. It's rare for someone to break up the monotony of my day-to-day governance. It's about time I head back though." The threads began to tug on Ed's body, controlling him like a marionette.

"FORGE!!!" A voice yelled through the streets. Ed glanced to his left and saw the Cleft mech pointing the manullium rifle towards him, He didn't even have time to blink before it fired a bright white ray of light towards him.

"Humph." The President snorted as hundreds of threads weaved together into a shield in front of Ed. A blinding flash of light spread 100 meters in diameter.

'Now!' Ed thought as he activated his powers. He still couldn't affect the threads at all, so he did the next best thing. He melted his own flesh and fused it back together as he went. As soon as he escaped the threads, he flew into the skies, putting as much distance as he could between the President and himself. He yelled orders into his mana-radio. "Orlando espers. Get over here immediately if you want to live!"

"Oh?" The threads reformed the Presidents body. He was still completely unharmed. "You really are interesting." He turned towards the Cleft mech which was being piloted by Gunther. "I don't wish for any interference."

Dozens of threads shot towards the mech, intending to entangle it. However, the mech used the manullium rifle to hold the threads at bay. Whenever a thread contacted the manullium, it simply vanished into thin air.

"Tsk." The President clicked his tongue. "This is why manullium should stay in Government hands."

Ed regrouped with Gunther, feeling much more confident in their chances. 'Is this all his ability has to offer?' He wondered. 'Honestly, Phantom was stronger and scarier.'

Suddenly, ten espers appeared in the skies, flames trailing behind them. They all landed next to Ed. They had mana collars implanted within their skulls, and discontent was visible within their eyes. They stared warily at the President, knowing they were meant to fight him to the death.

Next, Ray and Husky appeared, also landing next to Ed. Terra and Ash, along with some other chimeras ran over on the ground. Last was Eli and the other superhumans, who traveled over in a single large group in the sky. Now, Ed was surrounded by his full forces. The rest of the soldiers were ordinary or had powers unsuited for combat.

"Looks like your core forces are all here." The President slowly pointed towards them. "That'll save me some time from eliminating them individually." Thousands of threads snaked out, jigging and jagging within the air as they shot towards Ed's group.

"Fire!" Eli yelled towards his flying superhumans. Flames bathed the sky and ground red as they collectively fired. The raging inferno radiated heat so intense that the windows of buildings over a hundred meters away melted. However, the President's threads remained undamaged and unimpeded.

'Damn!' Ed frowned. 'He probably isn't even using much mana based on the way the threads stay concentrated and keep returning to him.' He and Ray both shot blasts of plasma, also failing to slow the threads. Terra raised a large earth wall, but the threads easily penetrated it. Finally, it was Gunther that saved the day. He fired yet another round of the manullium rifle. The white light annihilated most of the threads, saving everyone.

''Light element it is.' Ed thought as he charged forward. White light covered his fist as flames shot from his feet. He threw a punch towards the President, who refused to even dodge. Ed's fist sank into the President's head, but it felt as if he was punching silk. His fist soon bounced back. Only a slight trace of damage remained as a few threads making up the President's head became frayed, but they healed almost instantly. "Gunther!" He yelled into his mana radio.

Almost immediately, another ray of light fired towards them. This time, the President created a simple shield, easily blocking the attack. He chuckled. "You're doing a lot better than I expected."

"I don't need the sarcasm!" Ed snapped back, rage burning in his eyes.

"That was not my intention." The President replied calmly. "Anyways, it's time to finish this." Tens of thousands of threads sprang up, waving menacingly through the air. They were so numerous that it would be more accurate to describe it as cloth as opposed to threads.

'Fuck, fuck, fuck!' Ed glanced back towards his men, trying to think of a plan. The threads were growing closer, casting a shadow overhead and blotting out the sun. His body trembled as he felt sweat drip down his back. He knew the order he had to give. "Orlando espers, charge forward. Kill him no matter the cost. All other forces are to abandon the fight."

He blasted backwards, flying away from the President's cloth. The ten enslaved espers looked at each other, melancholy visible within their eyes. They charged forward, hoping they could pull off a miracle. Surprisingly, nearly a dozen enraged chimeras ignored orders and followed behind them. Scales covered their entire bodies as they grew faster and stronger.

Ed glanced at the chimeras and sighed. He had no time to help them right now. He gulped as he gave the last order he never wished to give. "Attention to all Harmony forces. You are to abandon Orlando and head to all other occupied cities. We lost. All forces are to stand down and go into hiding. Resume your lives as ordinary citizens. We will have to launch the resistant from the shadows in the future."

"But Forge?!" Several higher-ranking officer voices rang back. Ed crushed the mana-radio and tossed it aside. The orders had been given, and it was up to them to follow it. He held no further responsibility towards their actions.

'I need to buy time for the evacuation.' Ed glanced at the battle. The first of the enslaved espers had been captured by threads. Ed reached into his pocket and pulled out a remote device with multiple switches. He flipped a switch. BOOM! The ground trembled as an explosion of light mana annihilated many of the President's threads. When the light faded, the enslaved esper was nowhere to be seen. 'It really was worth it implanting the light mana-powder in their bodies.' He smiled.

The nine remaining espers got closer, lobbing flames, lightning, water, and more towards the President. Despite their 2nd awakenings, most of these espers were still ordinary. However, there was one exception. A young man amongst them had gained the power of switching. He could easily switch places with anyone nearby. He could also switch the locations of people with other people or objects. It was an odd power considering it didn't even have any size requirements for what he shifted around. It was basically watered-down teleporting. By itself, it was a pretty tame and useless power. However, the mana-limbs had given this esper greater strength. He had also united the enslaved esper team to create the greatest synergy, allowing them to block and avoid attacks they normally couldn't.

Slowly, the nine enslaved espers enclosed the President, preparing to launch their final attacks. They weren't strong enough to kill him with their powers, but maybe the suicide bombings would do the trick. At least some of them might survive if they succeeded.

Ed frowned as he saw none of the enslaved espers were willing to take the final leap. He flew near them and shouted, "You're up, number 9!"

The esper designated as 9 frowned, his face growing dark.

"Get going!" Ed yelled. "If you don't, you'll still die. At least this way you might save your comrades and earn their freedom!"

The man glanced up at Ed and gave him the middle finger. Then he charged towards the President.

Ed happily flipped the switch, creating another explosion of light. To his surprise, another explosion of light followed. It appeared that Gunther had not followed orders either and still intended to fight.

The light slowly faded, revealing the President hiding within a cocoon of threads. It quickly unraveled, revealing his unharmed body within it.

"Damn!" Ed frowned. "Numbers 6, 7, and 8! Go!"

The espers hesitated a moment before charging forward. In truth, they had prepared themselves for death ever since they were captured. They could be considered lucky to have even survived until now. Three more light explosions followed.

Once again, the light faded. Ed's eyes widened in surprise. The President had actually taken damage! Nearly half of his head was missing. The threads moved slower as they struck towards the remaining enslaved espers. Clearly, the attacks were working! "Numbers 5, 4, 3, and 2. Go! Gunther, fire the last of your remaining ammo!"

Unsurprisingly, the remaining espers refused to charge forward. At this point, more of them would be dead than not. What was the point of helping their enemy?

"Switch!" Ed yelled towards the esper he designated number one. The man nodded as his powers activated. The espers numbered 2 through 5 were transported against their will, appearing right next to the President. Small rocks appeared where the espers were originally located. Ed flipped the switches and four more light explosions engulfed the president. This was followed by the final shot from Gunther, creating a total of five light explosions.

The collective force of the light mana expanded out to over 500 meters. The light faded, revealing a large crater. The President was nowhere to be seen.

'Did I win?' Ed wondered. His question was quickly answered as his eyes widened in surprise. Dozens of black threads appeared from thin air, twirling together into a spike. The spike impaled the last of the enslaved espers, ensuring that no more location switching would occur.

The threads reformed the President's body, which now looked rather ragged. The threads were uneven and frayed, making him lose some of his previous mysteriousness. "Good! You did really good!" His deep voice yelled in anger.

Suddenly, a black portal appeared in the air. World Walker stepped out from within it, standing between Ed and the President. He had a complicated expression on his face as he glanced towards the threads. "Brother, isn't this enough by now?"

"Brother?!" Ed stared stupefied at Bolin, as if he was looking at a complete stranger.

The President turned towards Bolin. "Tsk, tsk. If it isn't the black sheep of the family. I heard you even went and became a slave."

"True." Bolin nodded. "It'll be quite troublesome for me if you capture Forge. He does hold the key to my life in his hands after all."

The threads making up the President's head indented inwards, forming something resembling a frowning face. "Don't even think of interfering! I'll remove the mana collar, so stay out of it!"

"As if I'd want to owe you of all people a favor." Bolin rolled his eyes. He walked towards Ed and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Let's go. He can't stop us from running away no matter how badly he wants to." A black portal appeared in front of them.

Ed had a complex look in his eyes as he sighed. 'In the end, I still lost.' He nodded towards Bolin. "Let's go. You can tell me about your family later. For now, the war is-"

"Not so fast!" The President yelled as uncountable numbers of threads spread out like cloths. The cloth quickly shot forward, entangling everyone except for Ed and World Walker.

"The hell is this?!" Ray yelled as his body glowed with silver plasma, but he was completely unable to escape. Soon, the cloth covered him completely. Not even his screams could penetrate through the cloth.

Husky struggled even more fiercely, his body repeatedly shrinking and growing in size. Ash completely lost himself in rage, using his crocodile tail to try and escape. Terra and Eli seemed to calmly accept the situation, though sorrow was visible within their eyes. The cloth slowly covered all of them, hiding their bodies from sight.

"Shit!" Ed yelled as he spun away from the portal, preparing to fight again. "Just what the hell is his power?!" He questioned Bolin.

"It's usually mistaken for some type of corrosive thread." Bolin sighed while shaking his head. "However, it's far more similar to my power than that. It's space manipulation. Every single one of those threads making up the cloth is a piece of space itself."

"Space?!" Ed's eyes widened in shock at the answer.

"Truthfully, we stand no chance." Bolin continued. "He hasn't even gotten serious yet."

"What?!" Ed replied.

"He's telling the truth." The President grinned. Suddenly, the threads making up the cloths began to shake. It was as if the world itself was shaking. The space surrounding the threads repeatedly shattered and healed, destroying anything that existed nearby. The nearest chimeras and superhumans that had been captured simply vanished as their bodies were devoured by the void.

"Let's go." Bolin pulled Ed towards the portal. "We've lost. You'll have another chance as long as you survive."

The President frowned as he saw them leaving. "Wait!" He yelled. "I already promised to take you alive, Forge. Do you really want to abandon your men? I'll kill every single one of them. Will you ever be able to raise your head again knowing that you left them behind today?"

Ed's body trembled as he stared at his captured comrades. They had started out as mere tools for his conquest, but over time he had grown close to them. They were his most trusted subordinates. If the heavens fell, then they trusted him to hold up the heavens for them. If he declared war against the heavens, then he trusted they would stand behind his back the entire time.

"Turn yourself in." The President ordered. "I'll send you to the cage where you'll await your trial. In exchange, all of your men will be spared. They'll still be hunted down later on, but this way they'll at least have a chance of survival."

"And how can I trust your word?" Ed scoffed.

"I swear it on the Walker family name." He replied while glancing at Bolin. "Just ask your subordinate there. He can vouch for me."

Ed looked towards Bolin, hesitation and confusion visible on his face.

Bolin sighed while nodding. "My brother is a man of his word if nothing else. I've never once seen him break a promise. Our family is very strict about honor and such, which I never really cared for. That's why I left. But keep in mind that no one has ever escaped from the cage before. Not once in its entire history."

Ed hesitated as he looked over his comrades. 'Again, I'm forced to make such a decision.' Memories flashed by as he thought of the past few months. When thinking of Ash and the other chimeras, he remembered Ochre sacrificing himself for the cause. He remembered saving Terra from Captain Fang, which ironically might have ended up giving her a tougher life. 'She probably would have been happier being sent to China and not fighting in a war.' He sighed to himself. He looked towards Ray and Husky, who were covered in the black cloth. He had fought side-by-side with them only a few days ago. Now, they both appeared so helpless.

"What will it be?" The President questioned as his threads began shaking space once again.

Ed glanced back-and-forth between Bolin's portal and the President. If it was a few days ago, he probably would have abandoned everyone, choosing instead to bide his time. But for better or worse, he had changed during his recent fight with the Governor. Ed's eyes hardened with resolution as he stepped forward. 'No one's ever escaped the cage, huh? Well, I'll be the first. It should hold some of the strongest espers in US history within it. Where better to recruit what Harmony is lacking the most?' He slowly walked forward, ignoring the various threads as he went. He stared into what he perceived to be the President's eyes and nodded. "I surrender. Let my men go."

"A wise decision." The President smiled. His threads vanished, releasing the hundreds of hostages.

"Don't do it!" Ray yelled now that his mouth was free. His plasma trailed behind him as he shot forward.

"STAND DOWN!" Ed yelled as he clenched his hand, his entire body trembling.

"We can take him!" Ray protested, intent on fighting to the end.

"We will fight another day." Ed replied calmly as he looked up towards the sunny blue sky, feeling the rays of light warm his face. He knew today might be the last time he ever saw it. "I will return." He said confidently, trying to convince himself more than the others. "And then we will fight again."

"But!" Ray shouted, trying to change his mind.

"I WILL RETURN" He shouted again. "All Harmony forces have received their orders. Leave!"

An awkward silence enveloped the area. The President's laughter interrupted it. "Ah, I do love a hearty farewell. Let's go." His threads covered Ed's body, and the duo vanished without a trace. The Harmony forces watched quietly with complicated looks in their eyes. Begrudgingly, they slowly started following their orders. They prepared to inform their allies in other cities. Soon, Harmony would disappear from the public eye, existing only within the shadows.