Fall of HTG (1)

--Ali's Perspective--

I quickly ran down the path to HTG, which was directly behind MTG, a blockade for the Rubeki territory.

This was another inconsistency! We didn't pass through here last time when I traveled to go get Sky. That meant she was getting even sloppier, but why?! Why of all times, now?!

It was because I knew something I shouldn't have. Illya was being pushed into a corner, leaving me with an advantage over her plans to turn Sky into a Deity. Today was the day, this was the day my son surpasses me.

Getting to HTG, I realized they were already losing. The Rubeki were running through another fork in the road to reach MTG, and HTG's forces couldn't hold them down. I ran right past the sign, "High Training Grounds - Home of the Rubeki Defense Force" sign and immediately kicked down a Rubeki, then slashed him with my sabers.

"Ali Asterio has arrived! We're saved!" I heard from one of the students. I looked in his direction and nodded, asking him where they were flooding in yet. I couldn't get a clear picture, but the Rubeki were swarming the dormitories. If I could stop the Rubeki at the entrance, I could save these innocent lives!

A thick, black layer of smoke covered everything in sight. Everything I could see had a Rubeki on top of it. They were killing, and they were relentless, not stopping no matter what happened. They were killed, but so were HTG's students. This battle of attrition would end in our loss! I have to find her...

Providence!

I killed more Rubeki, slashing through their stomachs and putting my saber into others as I pushed forward. They tried to swarm me, but my control of strands encapsulated me in a dome that couldn't be penetrated.

Don't make me go all out here! This isn't enough to do it!

I continued my assault. Fighting the Rubeki was nothing!

Slashing and cutting through Rubeki of all types, of all species, of all levels of intelligence. The students behind me were rooting me on, but I yelled at them for it.

"If you have time to cheer me on, you can go kill more Rubeki! Plug all holes! It is our mission to defend humanity from this species, do not lose your resolve to watch me work! Get your asses on this frontline!" I yelled at them. They quickly sharpened into shape and followed with me in killing Rubeki.

I jumped off of various obstacles, such as broken handrails and fallen bricks from the dorms. Blood was starting to pool near the fountain in the courtyard. Considering MTG and HTG were designed the same, that meant the students in the middle of the battlefield must've all been dead.

Shit... where was Providence?! If I can kill her, I can end this!

But can I do it alone? The only reason I got close before is because of Lucas. After all, I'm not the true strength of the two of us. He holds around 80% of it... can I even defend MTG here?

I felt lost in thought and watched a Rubeki jump right past me. I retaliated by grabbing onto its hind legs and slamming it into the ground, performing a front flip over it and slashing it twice in the stomach, then landing back on my feet to run deeper into Rubeki territory.

I had to pace myself... but I need this area clear.

I summoned the Golden Strands on my sabers and enlarged them as far as my body would let me. Then, in a spinning motion, I spun as fast as humanely possible, using my ability to strengthen the strike behind each saber. Hundreds, maybe even thousands, of Rubeki turned into nothing but smoke.

The Golden Sabers didn't stop as I burst forward, even deeper into Rubeki territory, and continued the assault. The sabers were connected to each of my hands with an elongated strand, so I spun it around as fast as I could, turning it into a blinding, golden, whirling blade that stopped all in my way.

I cut through vacant buildings and rocks all around the area, splitting trees in half and decorating the area with black smoke as I proceeded forward.

The Rubeki that knew how to dodge couldn't get close, as I used my Eye of Providence to track their movements and kick them down as I continued my combo on their kind.

I slashed at the ground and kicked up rocks, hitting the rocks with my handles and sending them into the Rubeki. The last few Rubeki around me were hit with rocks and slashed through to make it look like the rocks I threw were stuffed with grenades. Everything around me had died in the most gruesome way possible. That's when I stopped for a moment and spotted it.

About a mile west I could see it. An intelligent Rubeki that made eye contact with me. Usually, intelligent Rubeki can't see you from that far away, which meant this was an Advanced Intelligent Rubeki. An AI Rubeki.

It had a red glow about it, and it wasn't made of smoke like the others. It had a humanoid shape. Where did it learn that shape from? Rubeki can't mimic anything they haven't killed, and last time I checked, a mile to the west was new territory that HTG students haven't gone upon. That meant he was planted by Illya. And, if he was planted that far, then he's looping around to MTG!

I shot over to him, slashing and killing over eighty Rubeki on my way before I stopped him in his tracks with a slash that cut him in half.

He reformed his body and summoned a great sword, just as I could summon my sabers, and he planted it into the ground. The Rubeki around him gathered around and everybody stopped moving to look at the Red Rubeki standing in front of me.

"You're the one named Ali Asterio?!" He asked me.

"Scary lady..." He mumbled.