Chapter 147: Connections

  The battle for inside the Living Mountain began not with a word, but with a shockwave.

  Tanvir moved like a landslide. He launched himself into the air, his boots cracking the crystal floor as he ascended. In his hands, the condensed earth hammer—a mass of stone larger than his own body—swung downward in a lethal arc. The air screamed as the weapon displaced it, aiming directly for the glowing red sensor in the center of Silas's metallic face.

  "Die!" Tanvir roared, the sound echoing off the cavern walls.

  Silas did not move. The machine simply watched the approaching death with a cold, digital indifference.

  CLANG.

  The sound was not of stone hitting metal, but of force meeting an immovable object.

  Tanvir’s eyes widened. His hammer had stopped abruptly, frozen in mid-air just inches from Silas's face. The momentum of the swing, having nowhere to go, rebounded violently, sending a jolt of pain up Tanvir's arms that rattled his teeth.

  "Wha—?" Tanvir gasped, suspended for a fraction of a second in disbelief.

  "Boring," Silas scoffed.

  Before Tanvir could process the invisible barrier, the air in front of him shimmered. A brutal, unseen force slammed into his face with the sound of a cracking walnut.

  CRACK.

  Blood sprayed from Tanvir’s nose. The impact was devastating, lifting the burly man off his feet and hurling him backward like a ragdoll. He tumbled through the air, crashing into the ground near Raito and skidding across the jagged floor until he hit a crystal protrusion.

  "Hey! Old man!" Raito shouted, his eyes darting from the machine to his fallen companion. "Are you alright?! You suddenly got sent flying!"

  Tanvir groaned, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the cavern floor. He grabbed the handle of his hammer, using it as a crutch to haul himself upright. His nose was crooked, bleeding freely, but the fire in his eyes hadn't dimmed.

  "Something hit me," Tanvir gritted out, wiping the blood with his sleeve. He glared at the empty space in front of Silas. "Something I can't see."

  "No, no, no," the distorted voice of Silas tutted, the sound grating like metal on bone. The machine uncrossed its metallic tentacles, the red eye pulsing with a condescending rhythm. "As a Lord... as my creation... I expect better from you. Otherwise, everything would have been meaningless."

  Tanvir stiffened, his knuckles turning white on the hammer's haft. "I am not yours," he growled, the vibration of his voice shaking the loose pebbles around his feet. "You took us away. You stole our lives!"

  "I did," Silas admitted casually. "And I made you better."

  The machine simply look at Tanvir, the metal legs clicking sharply. "All that power you possess... the earth that bends to your will... it is all because of me. You should be grateful. I even let you roam around Calvenoor as much as you wanted, playing your little roles."

  Silas’s voice dropped an octave, becoming jagged with aggression. "But lately... all four of you have been naughty. Trying to fight back against me? Your creator? Even using loopholes from that old relic, Iskandar, and that... doll."

  The red light flared brighter. "That treacherous, broken doll."

  Raito’s head snapped up. The confusion in his face vanished, replaced by a sharp, protective anger. "He has a name, you know."

  "What?" Silas paused, the head tilting mechanistically. "That doll? The defective prototype that couldn't even finish the simple task it was made to do?"

  "Yes, that one," Raito stepped forward, his hand gripping Koenka so tight the leather wrap creaked. "He may be a failure to you. But to me... to us... he was someone."

  Raito’s mind flashed back to the quiet moments—the struggles for identity, the loyalty, the humanity found in a heart made of artificial parts.

  "He found his own voice," Raito said, his voice rising to a shout. "And let me remind you of his name!"

  Raito burst into motion.

  "His name... is EMILE!"

  WOOSH.

  Crimson flames erupted from Koenka as Raito drew the blade in a blur of motion. The fire wasn't just heat; it was rage made manifest. He thrust forward, a spear of fire aiming to pierce the machine’s core.

  THUD.

  Once again, the attack stopped.

  The crimson blade halted in mid-air, blocked by the same invisible wall that had stopped Tanvir. Sparks flew as the fire licked against nothingness, revealing a faint, warping distortion in the air.

  "So what?" Silas sighed, sounding bored. "That doll tried to play human and ended up being a pile of scraps."

  Raito gritted his teeth, pushing against the invisible resistance with all his strength. "As far as I remember... didn't that same 'pile of scraps' manage to badly damage your construct? Didn't he give the Lords the extra freedom they need?"

  Raito sneered, his face illuminated by the dancing red flames. "Doesn't sound like a failure to me. In fact... he might be better than you."

  Silas froze. The red sensor narrowed to a slit.

  "You!" the machine hissed. "Just because you are my brother... doesn't mean you are free to insult me."

  The metallic arm raised. "I will show you some…. familial punishment."

  Silas swiped his hand through the empty air.

  Raito’s instincts screamed. It wasn't a sound or a sight; it was the raw sensory input of his heightened awareness—the same instinct that had he developed after the meeting with the void within him. The air pressure shifted to his left.

  He didn't think. He dropped.

  WHOOSH.

  Something massive and unseen swept over his head, the wind pressure alone messing up his hair. If he had been standing, his head would have been taken off.

  "Tch!"

  Raito didn't retreat. From his crouched position, he pivoted on his heel and swung Koenka upward in a rising slash, aiming for where the invisible limb must have come from.

  CLANK.

  The blade didn't slice through air. It struck something solid.

  The impact jarred Raito’s wrist. Koenka was wedged against something hard, invisible, and cold. It wasn't a forcefield. It felt... textured. Like scales.

  "What is this?" Raito questioned, staring at the empty space where his sword was stuck.

  "Boy, do you see something?" Tanvir called out, hefting his hammer again. "What are you fighting?"

  "Not see... it's completely invisible," Raito said, straining as he pushed his blade against the unseen object. "But I sense it. Something is here. A big and hard one."

  "Come on, brother," Silas goaded, the red eye flickering with amusement. "I know you have far more than this."

  "Stop calling me brother!" Raito shouted in frustration, jumping back to create distance. "I don't think I have a familial connection with a machine!"

  "Perhaps," Silas laughed, a jarring, metallic sound that grated against the crystal walls. "But we have something in common, though. Something deeper than family or whatever you mortals call it."

  CLANG.

  Tanvir didn't wait for the monologue to finish. He threw his earth hammer with the force of a cannonball. It spun through the air, whistling with concussive force, only to slam into the invisible wall again.

  "Not even that worked!" Tanvir grunted in frustration as his weapon fell uselessly to the floor.

  "Foolish. You two are foolish," Silas tutted. "Even with all that power, you are still doing things the way mortals are. My direct creations should be capable of so much more... like this one over here."

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Silas gestured with a twitch of his head. Another metallic tentacle shot out from his back, the tip glowing with malicious purple light. It plunged deep into the pulsating pink flesh of Tur'uga’s heart.

  "Stop!" Raito screamed, lunging forward to slice the invisible wall, but his blade bounced off harmlessly.

  Outside

  The beast roared.

  It wasn't the silent, mechanical march of before. This was a sound of agony—a guttural, tectonic scream that tore through the sky. Tur'uga, the Living Mountain, began to thrash.

  The massive leg that Yukari had pinned down jerked violently.

  CRACK.

  A spiderweb of fractures appeared on the silver-steel ice.

  Yukari grunted, her knees buckling under the sudden surge of force. Sweat beaded on her forehead, freezing instantly in the cold aura she projected. Her focus didn't wane; she grit her teeth, her ring flaring as she poured every ounce of her will into the spell.

  "Raito... please quick," she murmured, her voice trembling. "What is going on in there?"

  Inside the Beast

  The thrashing of the mountain was amplified tenfold within the chamber. The floor lurched violently, throwing Raito and Tanvir into the air. They levitated for a second before gravity slammed them back down hard against the crystal floor.

  "What did you do?!" Tanvir roared, trying to find his footing as the entire world shook around them.

  "Just something extra," Silas said calmly, swaying perfectly with the chaotic movements of the room. "This one has also been misbehaving. Rejecting me."

  "This beast is innocent! Let it go!" Raito shouted, steadying himself with his sword.

  "Is it though, brother?" Silas asked, the red eye focusing on the pulsing heart. "Based on my memory bank... that is what you said earlier. But this beast has a connection to a particular human. Your other half's father."

  Silas laughed again. "Why do you think that man is the way he is now? Isn't that right, little Tur'uga?"

  Silence followed, heavy and suffocating. Then, a voice echoed—not from the machine, but from everywhere. It was deep, resonant, and filled with infinite sorrow.

  "Ye... yes..."

  Tur'uga's voice vibrated through their bones.

  "I did it... I just wanted..."

  "Silence!" Silas shouted.

  The machine drove the tentacle deeper. A surge of purple energy flooded the heart, drowning out the beast's consciousness.

  "You are mine now," Silas declared.

  "Let him go!" Raito demanded, stepping forward despite the shaking ground.

  "Or what?" Silas challenged. "He just confessed that he did something to that girl's father. He admitted his guilt."

  "Maybe," Raito said, his voice low and dangerous. "But I want to hear it from this thing's mouth. Errr, voice. Whatever way this thing can talk."

  "You are just in the way," Silas dismissed him. "And with the way things are, you are endangering everyone in Zarateph by dragging this out."

  "Everyone here is my creation, brother," Silas scoffed. "No one is truly in danger. I can always just make them new."

  "That twisted reasoning..." Tanvir spat, disgust etched on his face. "What gives you the right?"

  "I am GOD!" Silas declared, spreading his arms. The purple energy in the room surged in response to his voice. "I don't need rights."

  The machine turned its gaze back to Raito.

  "If you are going to stand in my way... brother... then I ask you... what are you? A hero, like in those fairy tales?"

  Raito looked down. He thought of the alleyways of Ruhong. He thought of the mop bucket, the trash, the filth he had cleaned up for years while the 'heroes' flew overhead.

  "No. Never," Raito said softly. He looked up, and the brown in his eyes was gone, consumed entirely by the abyss. "I am not suited to be a hero."

  "I am just a janitor," Raito said, gripping Koenka. "Here to clean up a mess."

  The crimson fire on his blade flickered and died. In its place, a heavy, suffocating darkness erupted. The black blaze roared to life, not burning with heat, but with a cold, devouring hunger.

  "Shame, brother," Silas waved his hand once more, a casual gesture of dismissal that carried a lethal intent.

  He signaled the invisible presence.

  "For the last time... I am not your brother!"

  Raito dropped into a stance, his senses dialed to the maximum. The world around him slowed. He could hear the hum of the crystals, the frantic beat of the beast’s heart, and the displacement of air particles as something massive moved towards him.

  There.

  The attack came—a silent, crushing force aiming for his ribs. But this time, Raito was ready.

  He didn't block; he flowed. He stepped into the attack, Koenka sweeping up to meet the invisible limb.

  CLASH.

  Sparks of black and gold flew as the dark flames collided with the unseen entity. Raito gritted his teeth, the impact vibrating through his bones, but he held his ground. With a roar, he pushed back, sliding the blade down the length of the invisible arm and striking vertically at where the chest should be.

  SKREEE.

  A screech of metal on metal echoed.

  "Did you get it?!" Tanvir shouted, watching Raito fight the empty air.

  Raito jumped back, his chest heaving. "No... I think I just grazed it."

  "Alright, no more charades." Silas waved his hand again, and the air next to him rippled like water.

  The invisibility cloak dropped.

  Standing there was a nightmare of engineering. It was a humanoid machine, sleek and predatory, but its surface was covered in shifting, adaptive scales that mimicked the environment perfectly. It had long, razor-sharp claws and a tail that whipped behind it with lethal grace.

  "Meet my newest creation," Silas declared, pride leaking into his distorted voice. "Chameleoroid. As I call it."

  The machine hissed, its eyes rotating independently.

  "Now. Kill them both," Silas ordered.

  The Chameleoroid vanished instantly, blending back into the crystal walls so perfectly it was as if it had never existed.

  "Kid!" Tanvir yelled, scanning the room frantically. "You are the only one who can sense it. I don't know how, but you can!"

  Tanvir hefted his hammer, turning his gaze back to the main threat. "You have to take care of that machine. I, meanwhile, will deal with Silas itself. Got it?"

  Raito nodded, his abyss-black eyes tracking a disturbance in the dust motes across the room. "Got it."

  "Go!" Tanvir commanded.

  Raito didn't hesitate. He broke into a run, sprinting away from Tanvir. He couldn't see the machine, but the intent was loud and clear—a murderous pressure spike in the air.

  He made a sharp left turn, skidding on the crystal floor, and then suddenly stopped, leaping backward with a burst of black flame.

  CRASH.

  Invisible claws gouged deep furrows into the stone inches from where he had just been standing.

  "There!" Raito shouted, looking up toward the ceiling.

  He swung Koenka upwards. An arc of black flame, cold and consuming, shot towards the spot he had pinpointed.

  BOOM.

  The flame exploded against the ceiling, scorching the rock, but there was no screech of metal.

  "Missed," Raito cursed under his breath.

  Suddenly, the entire chamber lurched sideways. Tur'uga roared again, the sound vibrating through the walls like a physical blow. Raito stumbled, nearly losing his footing.

  "Kid! This is inside the beast! Remember that!" Tanvir shouted over the din.

  "Right, almost forgot!" Raito yelled back, regaining his balance. "But then... it would be bad for us! That thing can attack me anytime it wants!"

  He jumped sideways, narrowly avoiding another invisible strike that shattered a crystal pillar next to him.

  "But I can't hit it!"

  "Just cut it up when it gets too close!" Tanvir advised, his voice strained.

  "Easy for you to say!" Raito shouted, parrying another strike that sent sparks flying into his face.

  Tanvir, meanwhile, turned his full attention to Silas. The main machine was still attached to Tur'uga's heart, pumping the purple corruption deeper into the beast.

  "Now that your guardian is busy, I can do whatever I want," Tanvir smirked, though sweat was trickling down his temple.

  He brought his earth hammer up, muscles bulging with the strain, and swung it horizontally with the force of a wrecking ball.

  "Haaa!"

  DONG.

  The hammer stopped dead. A dome of translucent purple light had materialized around Silas, absorbing the blow with a hum of energy.

  "Once again, you are a fool," Silas scoffed, the red eye glowing with amusement behind the barrier. "Do you really think I have no other method of protecting myself?"

  "Arrgh!" Irritated, Tanvir roared and began banging his hammer repeatedly against the barrier. CLANG. CLANG. CLANG. Each hit sent shockwaves through the room, but the barrier held firm.

  In the middle of the chaos, a sound broke through the noise of battle. It wasn't loud, but it was clear, resonating directly inside Raito’s skull.

  "I know... I shouldn't have done that... I'm sorry..."

  The voice was different from before. It was less deep, less ancient. It sounded like a crying child, filled with guilt and confusion.

  "Who... who are you?" Raito muttered, his eyes darting around the empty air, looking for the source while his body instinctively ducked under a lethal swipe from the Chameleoroid.

  "I'm kinda busy right now!" he shouted out loud, gritting his teeth as he parried an invisible claw, the force of the blow jarring his shoulder.

  "It's me, brother... it's me. Tur'uga... as they call me..." the voice whimpered in his mind.

  "Right, the turtle beast. Tur'uga. That is your name, got it," Raito said, breathless, jumping back as the stone floor where he stood exploded into dust. "Please do not talk to me right now! Really not helping!"

  He grunted as something heavy—an invisible tail—slammed into his side, pushing him down. He flared his black aura, burning the air around him to force the attacker back.

  "Please... I need to confess..." Tur'uga pleaded, the mental voice trembling. "Brother, you are the only one who can listen. Before it's too late..."

  "Can everyone stop calling me their brother for one second, please?!" Raito shouted angrily, pushing the invisible weight off him with a burst of strength.

  He counterattacked, swinging Koenka in a wide, desperate arc, but he hit nothing but air. The Chameleoroid was more nimble than expected, mocking him with its silence.

  "Why is everyone calling me brother?!" Raito yelled in frustration, his back hitting a crystal wall.

  "Because, brother... we are all children of the Void..."

  The voice distorted, static creeping into the telepathic link like a bad radio signal.

  "Or..."

  "What?" Raito froze for a fraction of a second, shocked.

  "You... me... and Silas...," Tur'uga proclaimed, the sorrow in its voice profound. "But more so you. You are the Prime. I should not exist... and Silas is a thief."

  "What do you mean?" Raito asked, his guard lowering slightly in his confusion. "A thief?"

  "Please... free me... and I will confess everything. And all about Harrison..."

  "Hoo..."

  Silas’s metallic voice cut through the room, dark and menacing. The machine on the heart turned its head slightly, the red eye flashing.

  "This turtle is trying to talk... not on my watch."

  The pumps on Silas’s back hissed. A massive surge of purple energy was forced into Tur'uga’s heart.

  THUMP-THUMP-THUMP.

  The heart began beating erratically, faster and faster, like an engine redlining.

  "Argh!" Tanvir yelled, swinging his hammer again. CLANG. But it was useless. The barrier didn't even crack.

  Raito was forced to juggle the fight for his life and the dying mental whispers of a mountain.

  Outside the Beast

  CRACK.

  The sound was final. The silver-steel ice that had held the mountain in place shattered into a billion glittering shards.

  The beast roared, its foot crashing down onto the floor with earth-shattering force. The momentum returned. The Living Mountain began its stride once more, unstoppable.

  "No..."

  Yukari collapsed. Her legs gave out, her stamina drained. She fell forward into the ground, gasping for air, her ring dark and lifeless.

  "I... I did the best I could..." she whispered, her voice barely audible.

  "You did enough," a firm voice said.

  Zhu Lihua was there instantly, catching Yukari before she hit the ground. Zhu looked tired, covered in dust, but her eyes were clear. She looked back at the valley. It was empty. The last wagon had just disappeared over the ridge towards Kah-Kamun.

  "The evacuation is done," Zhu said softly, supporting Yukari’s weight. She looked at the unconscious Harrison strapped to her back, then at the retreating titan. "We need to recuperate. And re-strategize."

  Yukari nodded weakly, her eyes drifting to the massive footprint left behind in the ground. "Raito...."