⁕ Symphony of destruction

Martial music, a type of music played by professional field musicians in an army. It can convert a sense of pride in the army and boost soldiers' morale but it can also be the voice of conquest when heard from the opposition. With every song, Conquest spread the seed of terror across the expanse. Every instrument is a tool of destruction, every symphony is a step closer to the cold embrace of death for his enemies and every last note of a song will be followed by the absolute silence of oblivion. 

As Conquest moved further into hostile territories, every Allied ship which overheard the tune of Conquest's violin slowly became a soft fluid-like object like the watches inside Salvador Dali's famous painting "The Persistence of Time". Bit by bit, people began to melt as well alongside the ships until the battlefield fell silent without a single shot being fired. 

Despite the immense power wielded by Conquest, he seemed to not possess a generator anywhere on his body, unlike the other crystal users. His crystals, embedded in his chest, seemed to function without needing a source of energy. 

[Conquest] - "Those who oppose the prophecy will perish under the chant of its worshippers. All of you, infidels to the grand authority of the chosen one, shall suffer for your ignorance. "

The news of Conquest's rampage quickly reached the Allied central command. With casualties mounting, the supreme Allied command convoked Admiral Jack "76 strong" and Doctor Dunkel for a meeting. The two arrived in the middle of a large circular room surrounded by a massive row of desks. Presidents from the previous major world powers all sat inside the room while staring at Dunkel and Jack. 

[US president] - "You two know the reason for this meeting, I assume. "

[Dunkel] - "Of course, sir, I have been briefed about the situation. "

[Admiral Jack] - "We are ready to receive your orders. "

[President of China] - "The council has decided to deploy our newest superweapon. Doctor Dunkel, you will make sure our ultimate weapon works as intended while Admiral Jack, you and your 7th fleet will support the effort. "

[President of Russia] - "That's all, please make haste. The fate of the Allied Forces depends on this gamble. "

The admiral and the doctor nodded their head in acknowledgement before heading out of the council's meeting room. It wasn't long until the 7th fleet encountered Conquest by the edge of the Mexican-Guatemalan border. A terrifying scene met them as they saw the gooey remains of what used to be two whole Allied fleets consisting of over 100,000 personnel and soldiers. 

While many of the crew at the bridge of Jack's command ship began to weep or grieve the death of their fellow men, Jack and Dunkel were both unbothered by the grim reality in front of them. 

[Jack] - "Dunkel, are you sure it will work? My career depends on this, you know. "

[Dunkel] - "Mine depends on this too. Even though he isn't the Mike who defeated Sniper, our Arthur is still in possession of God's power. "

Said Dunkel with a sinister smile. 

[Jack] - "Launch it then. Let us not wait any longer. "

As Conquest prepared to launch his attack against Jack's fleet, like a flash of lightning, Arthur abruptly appeared in front of Conquest before launching a punch toward him. Conquest gave Arthur an unfazed look as the fist stopped right in front of his face. A loud crunch filled the air as Arthur recoiled back with the distinct marking of a horse saddle on his chest.

[Conquest] - "Do not fight what you don't understand. Especially when your power isn't comparable to your opponent's. "

With a swift gesture, Conquest switched his instrument to a portable synthesizer before moving in front of the heavily wounded Arthur. Although Arthur was able to use Mike's ability, he lacked the experience and mind power to use it to its fullest potential, being able to utilize only one-fourth of Mike's original powers.

[Conquest] - "The end is near, let the trumpet of rapture devour you. "

Since Kadyn and her team were stationed not far from the scene of the combat, they were quickly alerted to the presence of a massive Allied armada. As people from the base rushed out of cover to see what was going on, they were quick to spot the sparks that emanated from Arthur's clash with Conquest. 

[McCree] - "What in the lord's name... "

Said McCree with a confused expression as he looked through a pair of binoculars. 

[Kadyn] - "What's going on? "

[McCree] - "I reckon they deployed that boy to fight some imperial cyberknight. "

Said McCree as he passed the binoculars to Kadyn. 

Kadyn remained silent as she looked through the binoculars with worried breaths. After looking for a while, the anger on Kadyn's face was clear as day as her whole face turned into a deep shade of red. 

[Kadyn] - "Those bastards... Those bloody shit-eating bastards! "

Whispered Kadyn through gritted teeth. 

[Kadyn] - "Reviving him and using him as a weapon... What did he do to deserve this? What kind of cruel world is this, even a dead man can't rest in peace. "

Said Kadyn as she wiped the tears off her eyes. 

McCree glanced at Kadyn and felt empathetic to the pain she felt. Although he didn't understand Kadyn's pain, he at least acknowledged how immoral it was to desecrate a corpse and make someone fight against his will. 

Meanwhile, as Conquest approached Arthur, Arthur abruptly rose up from the ground and used his ability to collapse two giant pieces of the ship's hull on Conquest. With a single punch on his synthesizer, Conquest generated a distorted note which sent both Arthur and the pieces flying.

With the flip of a few switches, Conquest started to generate the sound of a harp which created a massive cut on the ground beside Arthur. Arthur immediately engaged his defences but another melody sliced right through his defence and caused a large bloody gap to appear on his chest.

[Conquest] - "Justice will be served for those who stand in the way of the chosen one. Do not resist the melody which complements his authority. All shall fall in line as that's the only way humanity will survive. "

[Arthur] - "What the hell are you talking about? "

Said Arthur as he held his hand over his wounds.

[Conquest] - "My actions are not out of malice or sadism, they are of justice and necessity. Why fight me when you can join our cause? Why not join the side that wants the best for humanity as a whole instead of serving a coalition founded on greed and corruption? "

[Arthur] - "My duty is to the Allied Forces! I live and die for the true liberators, not your empire of crooks and psychopaths. "

[Conquest] - "So be it then. I offered you a chance and did my duty as a just and merciful horseman. "

Said Conquest as he readied his instrument for an attack. 

"I need to balance my attack and defence... I need to defeat him or the Allies are done for. "

Thought Arthur as he spat out the thread of blood hanging by his mouth.

Arthur got up and charged toward Conquest with his fist raised. In response, Conquest cracked his finger before going ham on his synthesizer. While Arthur attacked with a barrage of fists, Conquest defended with a rapid-fire of musical notes. All of a sudden, Conquest swiftly flipped over Arthur before humiliating him with a kick in the face. 

[Arthur] - "Ugh! "

Grunted Arthur as he met the floor.

With a confident smile on his face, Conquest pressed his foot against Arthur's face and proceeded to break his nose. Arthur quickly tried to fight back but was stumped on the back by Conquest's horse. When Arthur tried to stand back up once more, Conquest simply knocked him down with his foot with barely any effort. 

On the ground, Kadyn lowered the binoculars with a distraught expression on her face. Not only did they revive Mike's corpse as someone else but that someone is also a bad parody of Mike. Arthur was just a far cry from Mike in Kadyn's eyes, who remembered Mike as an unbeatable fighter with the fury of a tiger and the reaction of a viper. After seeing the sorry state in which Arthur lingered, Kadyn passed the binoculars to McCree.

[Kadyn] - "I can't watch it anymore. It's humiliating for him and me... It feels as if a fool is puppeteering Mike's body. "

Said Kadyn while trying to hide the bag of emotions she was holding. 

[McCree] - "I'll let you know when it's over. "

Said McCree in an understanding voice. 

Meanwhile, on the ship's bridge, Dunkel and Jack observed Arthur's dire situation with worried eyes.

[Dunkel] - "It seems like the enemy's attacks are sound-based. "

[Jack] - "You got a suggestion on how he can defeat him? "

[Dunkel] - "Let's work from the source then. "

Said Dunkel as she leaned forward on the intercom to speak with Arthur. 

The weakness of every conquest is the supply line of the army. Conquest's ability is sound-related, so to cut off the lifeline of his ability, it would require the inhibition of sound.

After receiving Dunkel's instructions, Arthur quickly created a zone of vacuum around Conquest. Without air molecules, sounds cannot travel. However, instead of panicking, Conquest simply smiled as Arthur prepared to deal the finishing blow. Suddenly, like a raging storm, the wind that was blowing around Arthur punched him in all directions. As Arthur struggled to defend himself, Conquest stumped on the ship's hull below which created a vibration that travelled through the structure. 

The subsequent vibration quickly reached Arthur and sent a massive shockwave through his body which caused him to vomit blood. What Arthur didn't know is that Conquest's ability is indeed linked to sound but in his case, any sound would suffice to activate his ability. Whether it is the howling of the wind or the sound of footsteps, everything sound-related can be used as a weapon by Conquest. With these attacks, Arthur quickly lost his focus and allowed air to surround Conquest once more.

[Conquest] - "You sure have a versatile ability but you lack the necessary intellect to finish this battle in your favour. After you, I will deal with the rest of the Allied forces. "

Like a coward, Arthur began to crawl on his back while trying to get away from Conquest. Meanwhile, Kadyn couldn't help but glance up when she saw Arthur crawling away on all fours like a battered dog. With an angry frown, Kadyn immediately jumped to action. After all, she wasn't going to let them kill Mike a second time.

After realizing Kadyn's absence, McCree quickly began to chase after her. Upon finding a parked jet on the runway not far away from the base, Kadyn rushed past the ground crew and crawled into the jet's seat. Before anyone could intervene, Kadyn pushed the throttle to full and took off into the sky.

[McCree] - "Kadyn! Kadyn! God damn it, what the hell are ya doin'! "

Yelled McCree as the engine blasted his hat off his head. 

[CK] - "What happened? "

Yelled CK as he arrived on the scene with the rest of the team.

[McCree] - "Kadyn took off with one of our jets. "

[Senju] - "See? I knew she was a traitor! "

[McCree] - "She ain't goin' anywhere. That gal's goin' straight into danger. "

Yelled McCree with worry and frustration.

McCree and his team watched as Kadyn's jet inched closer to the scene of the battle. Everything happened in a flash as Kadyn smashed the jet onto the ship's hull before activating her spinal accelerator. Like a scene straight out of a Fast And Furious movie, Kadyn smashed through the sparks and fire while everything around her seemed to move in slow motion.

With a swift stab, Kadyn punched her knife through Conquest's heart before he could set up any type of defence. As Kadyn raised her other blade toward Conquest's neck, his ability finally activated. Suddenly, a massive shockwave sent Kadyn crashing against one of the ship's gigantic gun turrets. 

[Conquest] - "By the curse, what kind of sacrilege... "

Gasped Conquest as blood pooled inside his mouth. 

Despite the sensation of pain that radiated through her body, Kadyn pushed herself off the ground and began to limp toward Arthur. Meanwhile, Conquest crawled toward his horse and began to fumble for something that could heal his injury. 

[Kadyn] - "Do something, you fucking moron! Don't just bloody sit there, stop that bastard! "

Yelled Kadyn as Arthur was still trying to crawl away. 

[Arthur] - "Wha- what do I do? "

[Kadyn] - "Freeze him or something, I don't fucking know! "

With his hands on his synthesizer, Conquest prepared to brew a healing melody until he suddenly noticed that there was no noise coming out of his instrument. He quickly looked down to see his hands coated in ice. Before he could do anything, the nitrogen and oxygen around him quickly became small solid crystals that fell on the ship's hull.

Conquest soon realized that he even lost his voice as the water in his throat also froze with the insanely low temperature. He opened his mouth with the intention to scream but no voice managed to escape his mouth. Before long, Conquest and his horse became frozen statues without any possibility for movement. With the total incapacitation of the treat, both Arthur and Kadyn breathed a sigh of relief. 

[Kadyn] - "You're lucky I showed up to save your butt. "

[Arthur] - "You again... what the hell do you want? "

Said Arthur with a frustrated voice.

[Kadyn] - "Is that how you talk to the person who just saved your ass? "

Said Kadyn as she crossed her arms.

[Arthur] - "How about you stay the fuck away from me. I don't even know who you are! "

[Kadyn] - "Of course you know. I'm Kadyn, Mike, please, just try to remember! "

Said Kadyn as she inched closer toward Arthur and looked him in the eyes.

[Arthur] - "For the last time, I'm not whoever the fuck is that Mike person! Will you fuck off from me, you crazy bitch! "

Arthur's aggressive tone forced Kadyn to back off in fear. However, after overcoming the initial shock, Kadyn frowned with anger before she fearlessly approached Arthur. 

[Kadyn] - "Who you are calling a bitch? Isn't you the bitch who was begging for your life earlier? "

Yelled Kadyn with a fiery voice.

[Arthur] - "You better watch your tone when speaking to me. You are nothing but a worthless nobody while I just saved the entirety of the Allied Forces. "

Said Arthur with a smug smile on his face. 

[Kadyn] - "You? The one who was crawling away like the fucking coward he is? "

Out of the blue, Arthur slapped Kadyn in the face and sent her to the ground. 

[Arthur] - "I can slap you and no one will care. Just like this battle, everyone will know me as the hero while you will never even cross people's minds. "

[Kadyn] - "Look at you... they turned you into a coward and a hypocrite. "

Whispered Kadyn as she held her bruised cheek. 

[Arthur] - "Don't ever show your face around me again. The Mike you are looking for isn't me, so stop bothering me with this bullshit you are spitting. I have been an Allied agent my whole life and never have I met a crazy bitch like you. "

Said Arthur with a cold-hearted stare before walking away. 

At that moment, Kadyn gripped her hands into fists while rage filled her heart. She raised her spiteful stare toward the ship's bridge while her irises turned crimson red. 

[Kadyn] - "You bastards will pay for this! I will make all responsible pay with their blood. "

To be continued...

*EXTRA

- Profile: Conquest

- Real Name: Unknown

- Ability: [Seven Trumpets]: "The ability is bonded to any sound present in Conquest's environment. When a soundwave travels in the air, the ability will automatically overcharge the soundwave with a massive amount of energy and release that energy when the soundwave comes in contact with an object. The different instruments played by Conquest will cause different effects to be applied to the soundwave. For example, the sound generated by a harp will apply a slicing effect to the soundwave while the sound from a drum will apply a shockwave effect. Conquest's ability also applies to sounds from his environment but unlike his instruments, he can only apply the energy to the soundwave but not control in a direct manner the direction of the attack. "

- Ability stats:

Power - None to B (Varied depending on the source of sound)

Speed of the ability - B

Speed granted to the user - None to B (Varied depending on the source of sound)

Range - B

Durability of the ability - A

Durability granted to the user - None to B (Varied depending on the source of sound)

Precision - E to A (Varied depending on the instrument or source)

Potential - A