37: Downfall

Rocco and Machi teamed up against the three captains and Mira wondered what that was. The fast speed of movement. It didn't seem or even read like Rocco's teleportation, so it worried her a lot, wondering how they'd combat against it. "Hey, Mira, kinda need some help!" Karma yelled as she defended against the Dragurs without her sword. She was able to utilise ki rather effectively, channelling it into her hands and body to increase her already inhumane level of strength.

Something irked her. "They're not the same strength as the ones Machi fought."

"No shit," Karma yelled and Mira tossed her back her sword that flung across the arena. That was a terrifying and worrying thought to Mira. It gave her a rather harsh reality check, that the level of dragurs were at was unreachable to them in their current states.

*

'Sonus is scary.' Machi said as he narrowly avoided Luis' attack. Unable to rely on Rocco for now, seeing how they were easily able to separate the two, he created distance between the captain before him. "It seems you have good fighting skills. But do you possess experience?" Luis asked as he pointed his spear towards Machi.

Tilting his head, Machi wondered why he'd ask such a question. Luis seemed like the type, from that question, where he valued a good hard battle rather than winning the war, which, confused him. But, as per usual (in Rocco's very valid opinion), Machi was, not shockingly, distracted from the battle before him, by his own mind.

'Hey, Carbine, a question,' Machi asked as he dodged the attacks, 'all of my powers, rift, ice and all... they're not my natural given ability are they?'

'...'

Machi wondered why the silence. "Oops!" He hopped from one wall to another and lost balance. 'You're in a fight and you're thinking about that?' Carbine asked. As someone who hasn't been around Machi for a long time, he was shocked by his ability to be easily distracted by his own mind, surroundings no, his mind, definitely.

'I'm curious... if I'd gain another ability. Having... what? 5 different sources of power.'

It was a curious thing. 'It would be a tale for the books.' Carbine chuckled. 'Behind you.' Even in consciousness form, Carbine still had extreme sensing abilities.

Blocking with just his hand, Luis was quite shocked and noticed a strange energy encompassing his arm. 'I'd want it to be passive. Something that can amplify my abilities - not a whole new power to learn.'

Rocco noticed that look. The look of 'I'm heavily distracted.'

Teleporting to him, Machi felt a kick across his back and he yelped. "Focus." Rocco warned. "You're fighting at half for some odd reason."

"I'm fighting at half because I wanna." Machi huffed. "Focusing on one of my powers won't help me in the long run. I've got rifts down. Gotta get the other 4 powers I have at my disposal to the same level otherwise it's pointless. And don't kick my back again, geez you don't skip leg day."

'He's at half?' Maria questioned. 'He's pushed us back... at half?'

"Ice?" Rocco asked, and Machi looked down at the trapped Eternals in the arena who weren't able to leave yet was unaffected by the sky battle that was occurring, and Mira and Karma kept the dragur battle within the arena so no one was getting injured by the battle.

"Down below would suffe--" Being blown back by an arrow, Machi was too slow to put up a shield of ice to defend, causing his body to react naturally and fall back, losing balance and falling off the ice.

Noticing he was heading in the direction of the defenceless crowd, he unconsciously opened a rift and quickly appeared on the nearest structure he could within his eyesight. Looking up at Maria, who seemed like she was about to rage and destroy everything in her path, he contemplated releasing his other limiter when 4 figures appeared before her.

"It's one thing to attack the kokai, but another when you disregard the public's safety Maria, you go against everything we stand for.

It was a small thing. Machi dodged and avoided the crowd. But this was the excuse the four captains needed to outwardly fight without punishment from the King. Within their laws, Maria wasn't doing anything wrong, a kokai was seen as a criminal due to their unwanted presence and ability of destruction to their home, but what wasn't allowed, against their laws, was the purposeful harm to their citizens they've sworn to protect. And with the Eternals unable to leave the arena, it could be seen as though Maria didn't care for their safety and put them in danger from that attack.

"Kid you good?" Shale asked and Machi felt like he broke some bones. Shale helped him out of the pillar's roof which was made of some sort of extra durable concrete, and Machi groaned. "Why's she hell-bent on killing me?" Shale softly chuckled and Machi dusted off his clothes while the captains decided to reformulate their plans. But it was one shock after the next. No one saw it, and Machi could only feel it.

Machi felt like he had died.

Feeling his body rip in two, no one understood how she did it. Watching him fall down, bleeding profusely from his wounds, it took a second for everyone to realise what just happened. Shale, who was just staring, didn't even sense any sort of movement in their direction, and Machi was already falling, down towards the crowd and unable to remain conscious.

"What... what was that?" Karma asked as Rocco quickly teleported to his friend. "What the fuck was that?"

Shale watched as Machi bled out and Maria was smiling like she had just won a prize, excited, thankful, and relieved she finally was able to incite the death of Machi, the kokai. Running past her eyes, however, was a black-haired vice-captain. Even with her foresight, she was faster.

Silver jumped down and looked at Machi's wound, the blood profusely leaking yet also his eternal side putting in extra work to keep him alive. "Give him to me," Silver said to Rocco and he nodded before handing him to her. Maria zoomed across the arena to ensure Machi died right then and there, knowing that her blow would be the blow that would kill him. But, Silver wasn't the Vice Captain to the strongest captain in Everlastings for no reason.

"Maria is reaching. There's a reason Silver has that dreaded nickname - according to her - for a reason. Quicksilver." Windsor said and the King just watched the battle unfold, watching his captains fight, and wondering what the outcome would be.

Well. He knew. The moment Shale, Astra, Jin and Xox entered the fight, he knew. Everlastings remained safe, and he would remain as King. It was now just fact, reality. Maria lost, and she had to accept that, Machi was to live and tell the tale of how he was sliced in half, she would be captured and interrogated as to why she staged this whole battle, and King Yuma would then have to pick 4 new captains to fill the gaping hole his previous chosen decided to leave.

Using the same skill sonus, Silver hopped into the air, and Rocco noticed how she had gone into a deranged state.

"He has to die! Why are you saving that?" Maria asked and Silver gave her a cold hard stare, wondering why she was even after his death, before dodging her next blow. However the third was blocked and not dodged.

"Shale Châtilart-Bezac." Maria spat. "Of course, you're helping him." Her eyes seemed to turn black, uncaring how her power affected everyone around, and Silver just watched as her captain defended her. Shale, like Mira, didn't unsheathe his sword but was able to release extraordinary amounts of power from it anyways.

"Silver. Get him out of here. Now." Shale ordered and she, bowed, before quickly disappearing from the arena, leaving Shale to handle Maria.

"Maria," Shale sighed and took one step, "his Majesty is not an idiot or as blind as you took him for. Your want, your need to disrupt Everlastings was noticed many moons ago. We all knew you'd act this way."

In fewer movements than words, Rocco watched as it took little effort for Shale to bring Maria to her knees. Astra and Xox dealt with Luis and Willow... and he wondered what. What they had that made them so superior.

*

Arriving at the second compound, Silver quickly placed Machi in a chamber in hopes he had enough spiritual energy to survive. His blood contain Eternal power, eternal blood in it, and she didn't know how but she knew it did, otherwise the machine wouldn't work on him.

Watching his body heal, it left a lasting scar and Silver sighed in relief. "I see he got bested by the weakest." Turning around, she guarded the chamber and saw a deathly familiar green haired man.

"Machi Harkness could have fought them three off without any help." He chuckled. Appearing by his chamber, he noticed the centipede digging into his arm and he chuckled. "No matter, one day, this kokai will be the downfall of everything ever known."

Watching him disappear, Silver shook it off and knew that. Her captain had the same observation. The same feeling.