Chapter 196 Single Target.



The black armor felt different. For one, it looked rather ancient, lacking the polished form of anything created using modern technology. Its bulky appearance seemed to be carved out of stone, its edges sharp and uneven, spikes jutting out of the shoulder guards and gauntlets.

A single horn decorated the helmet, polished like the blade of an obsidian knife stabbing the night sky, its surface reflecting the light from the forest below.

A long gash made up the single opening of the helmet's visor. Deep inside, two flames burned with an oppressive red color, glaring down at the world that dared to defy their owner.

B3 felt the ice cold glare even from the depths of her fortress. She moved to reload her arsenal preparing for a third bombardment, however it didn't seem like Atropos, clad in her obsidian armor, had any intention of allowing the same thing to happen once more. She slowly raised her arm, her palm facing the Scarlet Citadel. The white disks moved along the motion, splitting into numerous parts that spread to surround the fortress.

The drones hovering above switched targets, firing their lasers at the small parts, however their size and fast movements made it exceptionally difficult to hit. With each passing second the danger grew more and more, then came the blue lines, crisscrossing around the fortress and forming a complex web, their appearance announcing that the Valkyrie had run out of time.

"World Cleaver."

An instant later thin walls of blue light shimmered into existence. They followed no pattern, each of them positioned at a different angle resulting in a chaotic mess as they all crossed one another around one point.

The Scarlet Citadel, being at the center of it all, was divided into hundreds of pieces. It held in its place for a few moments before it slowly began to disintegrate into small particles, flowing along the wind before vanishing from this world.

"I'm rather impressed." Came a voice from the obsidian armor. "At first I thought your only talent is your exceptional creativity with the 23rd dimension. I've been to many worlds and this is the first time I met someone who's able to create such complex constructs."

Down on the ground, B3 was panicking. Everything she created using her halo, she couldn't feel any of it. She could do nothing to stop the fortress walls from disintegrating, and no matter how much she tried, her halo refused to draw more of the Nameless Element to repair the damage that has been done.

"I never noticed when you did it." As she spoke, The obsidian armor began to fade away revealing Atropos' figure, clad in a tight black suit, her hair tied into a single long braid. "Was it when you caught me the first time? You think you would literally put a target on my back to make sure your aim would never miss."

The Olympian was referring to B3's unique ability Single Target. Just as the name suggests, the Valkyrie is able to place a mark on someone or something allowing her to track its location and movements. This way, no matter how fast her opponent moved or if they were to teleport, her artillery would always be able to track them down increasing her chances of a sure hit.

"It is quite curious. The reports I received mentioned your side having specialized halos, but I never expected you to reach the Gamma Rank in your control over the 23rd dimension alone. If your comrades are on the same level then I might need to adjust my approach to-"

Atropos halted and two of the white disks moved to create a box around her. A moment later a violent tremor spread across the surroundings as something crashed into the blue wallsI think you should take a look at

"... You…" Atropos' eyes narrowed as she glared at her attacker. "You're the one Hylas was handling…"

JX9's armored fist ground against the isolating barrier, the six propellers attached to the back of her purple armor exploding with raging flames turning her into an unstoppable force pushing against an unmovable object.

The anger and hatred she felt toward the Olympians for using the Calamities at the start of the battle was now gone. Her focus had shifted completely when she saw the danger her comrades were in so she rushed to provide them with her support. Sadly, with B3's Scarlet Citadel failing to inflict any damage on the Olympian leader, nothing the Valkyries could do had any chance of defeating her.

Atropos' cold glare seemed to pierce through JX9, reminding her of the fear she felt seeing the Nephilim queen for the first time. However the Valkyrie welcomed the feeling with open arms. It took her mind off the fact that the girl standing in front of her was almost an exact copy of one of her comrades, allowing her to see nothing but an enemy that she needed to fight.

"Lady Atropos!" The caucasian man soon appeared. His right arm was crushed into a bloody mess and his body was bruised all over. His regeneration ability was struggling to catch up but despite that he still held on to his sword, his face twisted into a pained grimace as he rushed to aid his leader.

"Stand down, Hylas." Atropos said, glancing at the man briefly before returning her gaze to JX9. "I will handle everything from here."

Heading her command Hylas came to an abrupt stop, staring at Olympian girl in disbelief before lowering his gaze and gritting his teeth from the frustration he felt.

Another white disk descended from above, splitting into four parts that surrounded JX9. Sensing the danger she quickly moved away avoiding being split in half. She wasn't about to give up however. The blue box might be impenetrable, however it appears that it can't be moved once activated, and it doesn't seem like teleporting out of it is possible. As long as she kept attacking, the Olympian would have no choice but to remain in the same spot. That would buy enough time for the others to regroup and hopefully for Five and CS to return.

Having decided on her next course of action, JX9 clutched her gauntlet clad fists until they made creaking and cracking sounds. She took a deep breath and ignited her wing like propellers, vanishing for a moment before causing a sonic boom as she broke the sound barrier.

The blue box was fast approaching. She increased the output of her force field and braced herself for the impact, but the moment her fists touched its surface, the impenetrable barrier suddenly vanished.

"Too reckless…"

As she spoke those two words, Atropos elegantly sidestepped the charging Valkyrie. Time seemed to slow down and JX9's eyes gradually widened. Before any thought could cross her mind, the crimson blade moved up in a diagonal slash, cutting right through the purple armor, the force field offering no resistance at all.