Chapter Eight: What if the seal was broken?

As she thought, the machines in front of them are different—advanced and tougher than Angelica in times of self-warning. So it took them so much time trying to fight the human machines. It's like fighting rocks that don't fall, they have more speed than anyone in her allies force. 

It was as if they were fighting an opposite rival to them. "Val! They can penetrate our attacks, it's like they scan our attacks and copy our moves so they can learn it! We can't hold it, they'll destroy our system if we don't hold them down."

Lyrica tried to warn Valerie but all she could think of was "how?" It's like Valkyrie fighting Valkyrie. It's not a human but a robot, copying every move they can make. The only thing they can do to defeat them is to use unpredictable moves every 10 seconds, or use the same move in a faster way so they can't scan it. 

Just like an old race car and a new mobile race car. To defeat them, one must be unpredictable in their next move—do not compete with them, upgrade to a level you can be faster than them. That's why old rusted race cars don't have a chance to get a newer version of it. 

The only difference is that—this is the digital era for humanity. They must have sacrificed something to make them look stronger. They can't seriously improvise just in a span of time, that's ridiculous. 

They might have taken down an enormous amount of resources or functions to achieve this kind of achievement. So every machine has its weaknesses, but where?

"Valerie! Can you hear me?" After losing her thoughts and coming back to reality. Lyrica's scream almost broke her mortal ear drums. 

She smirked. "I told you to stop screaming, and I do hear you."

"I was briefing you that the enemies machine have it's weak spot, I've recently notice after Cassandra had few battles with them."

She clearly thinks that this is annoying but nonetheless she thinks it's useful. She then looked in front where everyone was holding the human machine up—the only problem, they aren't 10, they are almost 20 and it really seems that they've multiples using some function they call copy. 

"What do you want me to do?" She asked. 

"Quite simple actually, can you give me a hand? Try to fight them, I think with no technique nor proper movement, they'll be stunned, I am not too sure so give me a hand here."

Valerie growls. "Sure, major."

She breathed out and equipped her weapon. Then she looked at the enemies pulling Cassandra down, before she accelerated in front of the enemy. The enemy was too focused on Cassandra that an upcoming attack didn't warn her, however, at the last minute, she dodge to avoid Valerie's attack.

She thought of being attacked but what surprised her was. Valerie was only standing beside, she wasn't moving her weapon nor catching her up. The enemy scanning device made an error, and because of this a light beep on her neck. 

Soon the machine recklessly attacked whoever's in front of it. "Good, Valerie! You did it!" Even though Valerie was confused as to why the enemy was acting like this, Lyrica might know something about it. 

"What did you mean?" She coldly asked. 

"I realize that her eyes scans anything it sees, but when the eyes are distracted and the machine isn't capable of sensing it fast—the machine will literally break and an error will commence, this way they will lose their ability to scan."

It's yet complete so it is bound to have weak spots. She nodded and looked at the machine as it growled. "She didn't sense it so when she avoided the attack, it also caused damage?"

"Yes."

"When they have become vulnerable, use this to penetrate their armor and destroy them," said Lyrica. 

Valerie nodded. "Roger, major."

She ran towards the enemy where she was stunned by the machine, instead of being vulnerable, it defended itself and blocked her attacks. The enemy was growling and moaning yet she could still sense the attack in front. 

This time though, Valerie did attack her with a sword. She could use a gun but a machine can be self-destructive, so she uses a sword to fight them. The enemy in front tries to run, when she finds an opening to escape Valerie's sword. 

Valerie was faster than the machine, that is why her escape attack didn't work, instead Valerie randomly attacked the machine brutally. However, she was lured and Valerie got trapped in a bait where five machines got her centered.

It was too quick for her to see, the others were busy fighting nutshell machines, so she didn't think someone would help one of them. The machine didn't hesitate to equip their personal gun rifles and shoot Valerie in front.

To avoid the bullet, she must at least be away from them. "Val, look out!" Upon the late warning, the enemies threw her a grenade which made her twitch.

She exploded almost too fast to see. The Valkyrie was stunned to speak at the event in front. No one moves an inch, neither the enemies or the allies. As if everything went slow. 

Something had broken—not ribs, nor bones, but something more than body or bones—it was a devil. 

"Shit, get down Valkyrie!" Lyrica's radar can see another presence appearing on the radar. 

The smoke from that spot suddenly disperse. From the smoke, a sudden strike had sliced the enemies from its core—Valerie stood there unscathed, as if being blown didn't happen, the grenade didn't do a thing.

That's because, before the grenade exploded, she was able to activate a shield which protects her from the explosion. If she doesn't, her whole body will become a meat in an instant as she's a mortal in flesh and blood. Despite the differences between humans and mortals, they both have flesh, bones and blood. 

That could kill her—thankful that is... She breathed out and smirked. "I feel heavy suddenly, they played dirty too."

Lyrica gives an annoying look and then she gives up and smiles. What would happen if her seal had been broken? Was the only question she had in mind. She thought the seal would literally break, good thing they upgraded her Esper so it can detect danger to protect Valerie.

As long as the force field is programmed and upgraded in Valerie's Espers, she will never break her seal—that is because the force field was made enough to stabilize her Aria while inside of it, so while the force field is activated, the seal won't be broken. 

"That almost scared me, wrap it up ladies! We need to send them back—"

"What a messy welcome," Lyrica's voice suddenly was covered by a cold and hard voice coming from a man. It was so low that it made Valerie stiffened.

It's been awhile since Valerie heard this voice, but rather than being familiar, she felt as if it's lower than before. She stiffened her wrist and lifted her head. 

"Lukas?" She blurted out. "Your voice?" She asked. 

Lukas was inside the operating room where Lyrica annoyingly gave him a look. "So, while we we're detecting unknown presence, that was you?"

"Yes, Ares opened the portal, I couldn't say no. Beside," he looked at the big screen where Valerie was seen standing and her heels stepped on a dead machine's body. "I was told to take you home, Valerie Smith Zafri-ne."

It wasn't a mistake, it was really Lukas—of all people. "I really want to burn you."

She still hates his guts, even though two years have passed. He looks like the kind of man she wanted to burn, because he once beat her and embarrassed her around the Valkyrie. She can never like him anymore. 

"Oh, did this Heartless Mongol react? I thought she's a doll!?" Lukas mockingly asked Lyrica. 

"Watch your mouth, Lukas. We don't want another war while we're in battle with humans. Take the time off and rest, we will send Valerie once we've dealt with this problem."

It's better to get rid of Lukas for now, they won't want Valerie flying here just to fight Lukas in a battle which causes this island to fall down. Now, it's the wrong time for such a thing to happen. 

Lukas looks at Lyrica, even though it's not seen, he truly knew how to consider the Valkyrie's emotions and not get them involved with his problem with Valerie. He didn't want them to think they were fighting nonsensically, so he accepted defeat and sighs. 

"Fine," he mumbles and looks at Valerie before turning around. "Hey, frozen heart, don't die there."

---⌜•••⌟---

Once they found the weakest point of the machine, their job became easier and they destroyed the human machine as easily as they could. The only thing left is the admiral hiding in his chambers, and the demon inside of it. 

Lyrica looked at the map and nodded. "Only one remains," she paused and looked beside her. "Let the girl finish this fight first, Lukas. Won't you stop staring at me like that, why the hell did you come back?"

Lukas shook his head. "Hostility is written in those rotten eyes of yours, are you trying to threaten me right now?"

"Tsk," Lyrica clicked her tongue. Then she looked at the monitor and thought. Even if she fights him off, she'll lose or even if she and five Valkyries fight him—they'll lose eventually. It's useless fighting him right now, their condition won't last long. 

"So, what do you want?"