Chapter 18

After rescuing Mermaid and sheltering her at the Spectre base located in the Hialeah district, Claudia and her team moved to quickly prepare for the next phase of Operation Overthrow. The sooner they got through this step of their operation, the soon they could move forward with the exchange. Keeping Beodulf locked up was becoming dangerous the longer he remained a prisoner. They had managed to procure more of ambassador Jiang's serum to keep Beodulf from unleashing his fiery ability, but soon that wasn't going to be enough. Beodulf was already beginning to somehow overpower the serum's effect with maddening willpower. He was already able to create a single fireball, albeit a miniscule one.

Now, Claudia made her way through Imperial Square, Obex walking by her side. She had managed to finally convince the Guardian to join Spectre and play his role for the infiltration. Having William show off his power the previous night had helped massively with the convincing part. Obex had at least accepted that with William on their side, Spectre had a potential shot at actually succeeding in finally ending the Lord Ruler tyranny.

"I don't understand," Obex said, as he and Claudia neared a bench at the center of the square. "When you attacked Beodulf, why not have your brother take part in the fight?"

Claudia had remembered the battle that took place that day. It was the day Spectre had officially stepped out of the shadows and into the light. The day that they had made themselves public. The move had shocked the Royals, but hadn't even raised an eyebrow from the Lord Ruler himself. According to Lady Ada, the Lord Ruler still didn't consider Spectre an actual threat. But he will, Claudia thought, he most definitely will.

"Because," Claudia said, in response to Obex's question. "At the time we wanted to keep our cards close to our chest. We wanted to show the Royals our strength without needing our ace. Thought in hindsight, maybe we should have. If it weren't for you and our secret player on the inside, I don't think we could've done it, shameful though it may be. We had years to prepare and yet…" Claudia sat on the bench, watching the crowd move about, not wanting to finish her sentence. Obex did the same. They both wore the white Spectre hoodie, covered by a thin jacket, their masks hidden inside their pockets. They were waiting for Hendrick's and Arlong's arrival before making their move. 

"I see." Obex said, and ended the conversation there. Claudia took the time to listen to the gossip and chatter around her. Passersby who spoke loud enough to be heard. What she was hearing was quite pleasing to hear.

"Did you hear? The Vigilante Lord is working with Spectre."

"I heard the Royals are secretly scared of Spectre because of it."

"Do you think a Royal is helping Spectre?"

"What will the Lord Ruler do now?"

Claudia smiled. Hearing people call her brother a Vigilante Lord was amusing. The title had gained popularity mainly through the media, after watching him fight and overpower Royals every time they fought. People, mostly those who weren't Royals, were starting to get passionate about Spectre's action, and Claudia was beginning to believe that if asked, they could rise up in a rebellion, something that could prove very useful during their final attack on Imperium. Once Operation Overthrow reaches its final phase, they were going to need the people's help in ending the Hierarchy System.

Claudia caught more chatter.

"I hear people are looking to join Spectre, do you think it's true?"

"Who do you suppose is stronger? Lord Ruler of the Vigilante Lord?"

That last one had Claudia wonder the same thing. If it came to a direct confrontation, who would win? Though the Lord Ruler's ability wasn't public knowledge, she didn't think it mattered when William could just copy it. She'd seen him use the Royals' own ability against them, and having one's own ability used against them wasn't something you ever experience. Claudia had the experience because she had trained with William many times in the past, and no two of the abilities could exist at the same time. That's how it's always been since Lunam's gift of Aura.

"Seems the people are starting to believe it's possible." It took Claudia a moment to realize that it was Obex who had said that, but she had been lost in her head to fully understand what he was talking about.

"What do you mean?" She said, checking the time on her cellphone. Hendrick should be arriving any minute now.

"I mean that if the time comes when a full on rebellion breaks, then Spectre will have many allies in the form of the Commoners. Though they will be fighting out of desperation, really."

"Let's hope so." Claudia said., then she pointed. "Hendrick's here."

Hendrick walked up to them at the bench. Unlike them, Hendrick wore casual clothing. His role didn't involve publicity. He was accompanied by Arlong, and they looked like they had just finished discussing something. Claudia had an idea, more of a suspicion really, but she had prepared for any eventual betrayal. Still, the signs had been starting to become clear, Hendrick was planning to betray Spectre. Claudia understood his motivation though, no one wanted their abilities gone, and once the dome is gone then so are all the abilities inside it. Everyone who had the fires of Aura burning within them will lose it.

"Ready?" Hendrick said, looking to Claudia, then to Obex. 

They nodded. 

"Good." Hendrick pointed towards a nearby building a block away from Imperium. "Then let's head for the rooftop of that building. I'll launch you from there. Narika and Klaus are already in position. They only await our signal."

***

Once at the rooftop of the building Hendrick led them to, Claudia looked up at Imperium. The towering building was massive in size, ranging over 40 floors. But it was at the top floors that she focused on, those floors were the ones Arlong was to search and inspect during his infiltration. And it was within one of those floors that the secrets of the dome were hidden.

"You know your role in this, Guardian?" Hendrick was saying to Obex as they prepared. "You must make the Royals believe that this is an attack, not an infiltration. They can't suspect there's more to this than that, understand?" 

The plan was indeed simple: Hendrick was to use his ability to launch Obex and Arlong at Imperium's restricted floors, then Obex would play the role of a superhero wanting to challenge the Lord Ruler, fighting their way through the building's top floors. Meanwhile, Arlong would stay hidden using his ability which allowed him to remain invisible from every form of detection, except Lady Ada's eyes, who possessed the same gift as William's. To see Aura. But Claudia made sure she was aware of Spectre's plan so as to provide a measure of aid as Arlong explores the building.

Obex nodded. "Make it believable, yes." He activated his ability and formed a barrier around himself and Arlong, encasing the two in a golden bubble. Arlong did the same, activating his ability and disappearing from view. "Whenever you're ready." He said.

Hendrick placed a palmed hand on the Obex's barrier and then raised the other towards Imperium's top floors. His ability, as Claudia understood it, worked like magnets, able to tether two objects in his mind and force them to attract each other. In this case, he was going to tether Obex's barrier to one of Imperium's windows. 

"Claudia, give the signal." He said, nodding at her.

Claudia returned the nod, pulling out her cell phone and sending a message to Klaus and Narika, both of whom were waiting by Imperium's main entrance. Claudia was able to see them through Aura enhanced eyes from where she was. Just like her, Klaus and Narike wore Spectre's white hoodie, their faces covered by a mask.

The message was a single word; "Now."

Claudia saw Klaus check his cellphone, then after a brief moment, "ROYALS!" He yelled, drawing the attention of everyone at Imperial Square, Royals and non-Royals alike. "SPECTRE SENDS A MESSAGE! THIS IS OUR DECLARATION OF WAR!"

Claudia looked over at Hendrick, nodded, then the golden bubble was sent flying towards Imperium like a cannonball, only Obex was visible inside the barrier, Arlong hidden under the effect of his own ability. They crashed through a window sending glass and a few pieces of debris flying, falling. Everyone at the Square, and all who had heard the noise looked up, gasping and yelling. Claudia pulled up her hoodie and put on her mask. "I'm going." She said to Hendrick then jumped down the building rooftop, landing in the ground with a crash. Though she felt a slight pain from her leg bones cracking underneath her weight, she also felt her Aura quickly worked to heal the damage. It took a second, then she proceeded to dash towards the Square, running with Aura enhanced speed. But that wasn't enough for her. She used her time manipulation ability to make herself run faster through time, further increasing her speed. In a matter of seconds she joined Klaus and Narika, who were already fighting a Royal Elite in battle, a tall woman with dark hair. The Royal was currently fighting Narika, matching her skill in hand to hand combat. Klaus was yelling something about Spectre's plan to put an end to Royal rule. Around them some people stood watching, Royals, evident by the golden bracelet they wore. Others ran, non-Users and likely a few Royals who wanted none of the conflict.

Claudia was about to help Narika when a flash of lightning exploded in front of her. A Royal. Electricity crackled through his body.

"Hello there." He said, smiling. "Sorry, but we gotta fight. Lady's orders."

"What?"

"That, and I've been meaning to test my fighting skills against a skilled Aura User."

Two more Royal Elites appeared, and they teamed up against Klaus. Narika was busy fighting the Royal woman, their skills evenly matched. 

Claudia focused on the opponent in front of her, his lightning based ability familiar to her. She recognized this Royal as one Lady Ada's knights, but why has Lady sent her men to fight Spectre? Could she- No. Claudia shook her head, pushing her doubts aside. Lady Ada was cunning and calculating, but she had been honest with Claudia since their meeting days ago.

"Come then, Time Witch." The Royal said, doing that gesture with the hand. Claudia remembered his name was Elek. The man had fought William that night and was hospitalized for it.

Claudia took on a fighting position.

Elek's smile widened, then he charged. Claudia had fought Lady Ada's Knights once before, though the one she fought was the one named Wren, and he proved to be a decent challenge for her. Elek, however, wasn't as skilled. Less experienced. His speed was lightning fast, but Claudia was slightly faster. When it came to speed, she had yet to find one that could match time itself. Elek's punches and kicks were easy to dodge and block. He followed one of his kicks with a straight punch to her face. Claudia slapped his fist aside and countered with a kick of her own. It connected. She felt the weight of her blow crack a bone, sending Elek stumbling back a few steps.

"Shit, you're good." He said, holding his side. "I like it." He raised both his hands, up towards the sky. "Let me show you something I've been working on." There was a massive flash, followed by a lightning strike. Claudia felt its shock as it struck her, too fast to dodge. The searing pain in her shoulder was excruciating. It only lasted for a second though, she instinctively used her ability to rewind time on herself and heal the wound. Another flash, followed by a second lightning strike from above. This time she was expecting it and managed to narrowly dodge, sidestepping it. She looked up. The lightning was coming from a ball of electricity hovering above them.

"Not bad." Elek said. "But we're not done yet." He charged at her, smiling all the way.

Claudia increased her speed further, feeling time around her slowing down. It was enough to narrowly dodge another lightning strike. Elek came at her with a barrage of lightning fast punches. With her speed increased to such an extent, Elek's speed seemed normal, slowed even. She dodged with relative ease, then countered with a swipe of her feet, tripping him. Elek fell. Before he could recover, he froze, caught in Claudia's time freeze. The same move she used on Heimdal to keep him frozen in time and unable to move. It was a move that required the use of a large amount of her Aura, but for all intents and purposes, it was quite overpowered.

"That's enough." She said, walking over to Elek. The ball of electricity that was hovering above disappeared. "Tell Lady I'll be expecting an explanation." Claudia didn't want to send the poor man to hospital, but she also didn't want him getting up again. She made sure to deliver her blows with enough strength and power incapacitated Elek, knocking him unconscious. By the time Claudia's time freeze wore off, Elek had already lost consciousness. 

"We need to go!" Claudia heard Klaus yell. He was fighting two Royals, and two more were walking out of Imperium. 

"We must retreat, now!" He yelled.

***

Johnathan looked out through the window of Imperium's 22nd floor, watching the fighting taking place by the main entrance. Spectre had made their next move, directly attacking Imperium, a hit and run tactic that served as both an open declaration of war against the Lord Ruler and his Royals, while also disguising an infiltration. Johnathan had seen the Guardian earlier, surrounded inside his golden barrier, fly and crash into the upper floors.

Now, down below, Spectre was retreating, running from a losing fight, two more Royal Guards chasing after them. To the Lord Ruler, and no doubt his Royal supporters, it would look like just another failed attempt at attacking Imperium.

"Why would Spectre do this?" Johnathan heard Mila say, she was also looking out through the window watching the event below. "It doesn't make any sense. They must know that a direct attack on Imperium will fail."

Johnathan had always been impressed by Mila's deduction skills. She had always been the one he would turn to when trying to debunk conspiracy theories that sought to undermine the Lord Ruler's reputation. Working with her has always been the highlight of the experience. Now she barely spoke to him. That bothered him more than he'd like to admit, but he couldn't tell everything. Not yet.

"It's a declaration of war." The Royal standing next to her said, a co-worker and Johnathan's employee. The studio had gathered by the window to watch the commission. "You know, make it official."

"Still…" Jill said. "Something doesn't add up. I think there's more to this attack."

"What does it matter?" The Royal said, shrugging. "Spectre will lose in the end."

Johnathan wasn't so sure about that. But hearing that meant that Spectre's plan had worked. The Royals don't suspect anything.