- Aerial Battle

Hyunji looked back at Jade, who was limping toward her and Min-jun. Her arm was wrapped around Min-jun, pulling him along.

"The ship's on the way," Kenji yelled from behind them.

Hyunji glanced back at him with confusion. He was speed walking, holding Sofia with one hand. "What're you talking about?"

Kenji held up his other hand, which held a small device. "It's coming directly to our location. Hopefully Vaas doesn't shoot it out of the sky. If they do, we're screwed."

As if on cue, another fighter began descending upon them, its engine screaming loudly through the air.

"Get down!" Hyunji screamed, pulling her brother to the ground.

The gunfire followed just a moment later, and Hyunji squeezed her eyes shut, preparing for the worst.

It never came.

Hyunji opened her eyes and watched as the fighter jet split in half and flew in opposite directions. She looked at Kenji, who was holding his katana. His arm was shaking, as if he was holding something that was hundreds of pounds. A drop of sweat dripped down his face, which was tight with tension.

"Did you just…did you just cut that ship in half?" Hyunji asked, astounded. But he hadn't been close to it. The fighter had been hundreds of feet in the air. It was impossible.

"You're welcome. The ship's here. I have a bad feeling. We need to go," Kenji said.

Hyunji watched as Kenji's ship arrived, levitating in the air. Its engines began to quiet and it descended to the ground. They dragged along toward the base of the ship, where the side door was already opening. Kenji began pulling everyone on board, telling them to move with purpose.

Hyunji felt the ground rumble slightly. Vaas' ships were probably landing. That was the only explanation. Taking one last look at Elendir, she stepped into the ship and pulled the door closed. Jade was already seated and buckled, looking out the window worriedly. Dante was leaning over Sofia, fumbling for her seatbelt. Sofia began to tilt forward, almost falling out of her seat.

Hyunji reached out a hand, placing it gently on Sofia's shoulder, pushing her back into the seat. Dante looked up at her. "Thanks."

She didn't respond. Instead, she looked over at Kenji, who was preparing the ship to leave. Suddenly, the engine stalled out and shut down.

They noticed as Kenji walked toward the back of the ship "Come on Galeion," Kenji said, jumping up and down. "Please."

The ship's engine began to whir and the ship started back up.

"That's my girl," he said happily, walking back to the cockpit. "Let's get back to Earth. We should have enough fuel."

"Should?" Hyunji asked.

"Just sit down, Pumpkin. Buckle up. I'll get us there."

The ship began to take off, and Hyunji leaned back into her seat as the ship angled itself toward the sky. Vaas fighters were raining down all around them, firing machine guns. Bullets pattered the outside of the ship and Kenji growled. "If only I could have my cloaking on when flying. We're just a massive target."

There was a rumbling from below, and for a moment, Hyunji thought the engine was giving out again. That was when she noticed that the darkness of the atmosphere had begun to brighten.

"What the hell," Kenji said. "This is the planet of eternal night. Why is there a star in the sky?"

Jade gasped as he stared out the window. "Tsunami."

"What?" Hyunji asked, unbuckling her seat belt. She pushed her way over to Jade and looked out the window. Far below, large waves kilometers high were crashing down on the city. She watched as the streetlights began to disappear as the waves rushed over the buildings.

Then, the water began to pull back, revealing hundreds of crushed buildings. Hyunji felt fear. Thousands of people had just died. Crushed like ants.

It could've been them. If they had stayed moments more, they would've been destroyed. She breathed a sigh of relief.

But it wasn't over.

A shadowy figure appeared in the water as tendrils moved swiftly across the shoreline, pummeling through the ground. Some tendrils came to a stop, burying themselves deep into the crust of the planet. Green leaves began to protrude as the tendrils grew vertically.

Trees, Hyunji realized. The tendrils were made of wood.

"Shit. Shit. Shiiit! Fucking goooo!!!" Hyunji screamed.

"I'm trying!" Kenji said through gritted teeth. "What's going on down there?"

"A…a tree…is, I don't know, taking over the planet?" Hyunji said, struggling to explain what she was seeing. The trees continued to grow, taller and taller, branches reaching out toward the sky. "It's…coming toward us. Fucking hurry!"

Kenji growled. "That's it. Pumpkin, take the wheel. Drive it as straight as possible."

Hyunji moved toward the cockpit, grabbing onto the wheel. "What're you gonna do?"

Kenji smiled. "Stall it."

*******

Their branches grew downwards, sprouting roots deep into the planet's core. There was an energy down there, an energy that Kalyx wanted to consume. The Order willed them to do it, to consume and grow.

Kalyx had an octillion number of trees spread throughout the universe. While they sometimes experienced setbacks with fires, natural disasters, and other gods causing destruction, Kalyx's numbers were always growing. Always flourishing.

This ripe harvest would ensure growth on millions of planets.

*******

Kenji put on his mask, which clamped down around his ears. Oxygen immediately flowed into his lungs. One minute. That was all he had before it ran out. Opening the exit door, he carefully climbed out. His boots magnetized immediately, sticking to the outside of the ship. Slowly, he stepped his way to the top of the ship.

The planet below was finished. One look was all it took. Cracks had begun to form on the surface, and there was a groaning as if the planet itself was in pain.

Hyunji was right, the branches were coming toward them. "A god," Kenji said, laughing. This wasn't possible, yet it was happening. "Just me against a god." His hand moved to his katanas at his sides.

Taking in a deep breath, he forced himself to concentrate. Nothing around him mattered. Vaas didn't matter. The ship beneath his feet didn't matter. His own life…it didn't matter. He shifted all of his focus to the enemy. To the branches climbing toward him.

He waited. Waited until the last possible moment.

Drawing his katanas, Kenji slashed upward, severing the branches that had been just inches from his face. More followed just seconds later, and Kenji sliced them with everything he had.

It wasn't working. The branches weren't stopping. He watched as one of them began to wrap around the bottom of the ship. Using all of his energy, just as he had done for the Vaas fighter earlier, he slashed both of his katanas through the air. The energy poured off the katana and flew downward, cutting through the branch.

That was it. That was all he had. He could feel his heart rate beginning to slow, and his head felt dizzy. The oxygen was running out.

But the branches weren't growing anymore. They had stalled out, and only the distance between them was growing. It was over.

Sheathing his katanas, Kenji stepped back toward the door, pulling himself in. The door closed behind him and he removed his mask.

"What did you just do?" Hyunji asked, glancing back.

"I just won a battle against a god," he said.