Ryonara

The War of the Three

More like a counter attack.

The War of the Three

Don't forget Shizuka is nearby too. She's actually just hiding for a good chance to do a sneak attack.

The War of the Three

@Banana Yes. Shizuka has one, Hibiki has another, Artoria has the last.

@KoL@Ryonara Both of you guys completely failed to acknowledge what happened with Mephila's desperation attack, what happened with that?

@The 42nd Gecko

I kinda thought Shizuka's digging to the floor below her would imply she's avoiding the attack, though in hindsight I should specify that.

The War of the Three

Hibiki & Shizuka

Everything was lined up. It wasn't a perfect plan, but Hibiki was certain that nothing could cause the plan to fail. But what Hibiki had forgotten was that she fought gods. And as much as she'd struggle, it was nearly impossible to fight against the will of God. Honolulu felt magic surround her body as Ceil used her magic to teleport behind Hibiki, even if Hibiki was invisible, the teleportation barrier, and even the Anti-Magic field. Time felt distorted. Did Ceil teleport behind Hibiki, or did she use her magic to simply stop time to appear behind her? Either way it seemed that time slowed to a crawl as Ceil talked to Hibiki.

What Ceil asked did get a bit of a chuckle from Hibiki however. As time remain still the tip of Hibiki’s rifle still glowed, holding onto a charge. ”I understand your concern. We humans are a weak people. Most of us don't have magic powers like the demons and angels and our lives are so short we never really learn from our past mistakes. But the strength of us humans, and the Machina, has always been our unity.” Taking a sharp breath Hibiki felt a sharp pain in her right leg. Hibiki chuckled again to hide the pain. ”My queen is the strongest in the world. Our hopes and dreams are etched into her body, transforming the infinite darkness into light! Unmatched in Heaven, and Earth; one machine, equal to the gods.”

Shizuka stood defiant, clutching Seier tightly in her left hand. Even as blood dripped from the stump that was her right arm, she was still breathing which meant she could still fight. Melphilia still lived but was critically wounded, just as Shizuka was. She released an intense blast of black fire that got a chuckle out of Shizuka. "How much energy does she have?" But Queen Eos would not leave it to Shizuka alone to deal with these two monstrous demons. Shizuka felt a surge of energy flow through her body and it appeared as though time slowed. Shizuka knew she, just like Mephilia, were reaching her limit. But she couldn't just go all out right now, not while there's still so much to do.

”Do the impossible, see the invisible,”

Shizuka begin to form another barrier, but not one to attack the demons or protect herself. Not quite. This barrier was formed with holy light and alloyed steel, forming together to create a crude mechanical arm for Shizuka. The moment Queen Eos gave Shizuka the signal, Shizuka dug her blade into the ground and with a single spinning slash, cutting a hole through the floor that would allow her to avoid the chaos in this hall. And for those who think they could follow, they'd find that Shizuka used her new arm to reseal and reinforce the floor, preventing the enemy from trying to copy her escape route.

@KoL@Lmpkio@floodtalon

The War of the Three

@Ryonara

Hey uh, just a heads up but Henrietta isn't actually attacking yet. She's kinda just standing off to the side and waiting to see how the Eos clones did before she attacks. Just sayin.

And wow guys, holy shit did I miss a lot. I'm flattered you guys think of Henry as being the strongest character despite the fact he has won a grand total of one battle lol.

@floodtalon

Ah, sorry. I thought when she took out the Cheater's blade she was also going to attack, or at least that she did something to help Mephilia. I'll edit my responds when I get home.

Also the only reason henry has lost so many times is because everyone can see the threat of his power. I think he's the only original generation character who possess the eye powers who still consistently in play. Much like Victorie, if no one takes them out soon they'll snowball into a menace.

The War of the Three

Posted. Sorry for any delays. Hibiki's plan to assassinate Ceil finally went off and Shizuka used a desperate attack to try to take out Mephilia and Henrietta at once. I'm no sure if Shizuka's arm survived her gauntlet exploding, but even with Eos's defensive buff Shizuka basically sacrificed her arm.

And I'd rather not get into the discussion about power level and fairness. I've never liked taking part of things like that. But I will say that regardless who my opponents will be my Mecha Maids will give it their all even if it's not enough. I know it sucks to always loose and never feel like you've earned your victory. But you'll never win if you don't fight. So do whatever it takes, even if all you can do is point your gun at the enemy and pull the trigger or grab tight and blow yourself up. I'd rather lose knowing I took the shot than to give up because I know I'd miss.

The War of the Three

Hibiki & Shizuka

The sheer shockwave of the attacks threaten to stop Hibiki dead in her tracks. Even after activating the plasma barrier there was no stopping the force of the Leviathan's attack as it blasted apart parts of the factory, flooding the area with a torrent of water. Death was rained from above as Ceil cause all the debris she ripped from the factory to fall from the skies like a meteor shower, destroying even more of the facilities. She could hear cries for help over the communication cut short as she saw the factory take a beating, a few buildings going up in flames to the to damage from the forces of Heaven or acts caused by the demons from Hell. It reminded Hibiki all too much that she was just a small piece in this grand game in the Nexus. She could have all the fancy titles she could carry, but in the end she's still just human. A single human trying to face off against these... Acts of god. Forces of nature. Against a world actively trying to kill her.

Shizuka lowered her guard. That was her mistake. Shizuka barely had time to see Mephilia (Formerly Mephilus) strike Shizuka into the ceiling and the floor above. Shizuka wasn't even a moment's breath when Mephilia came at her with renewed fury, forcing Shizuka to go on the defensive. She raised her shield to block the attacks but Mephilia was attacking too quickly for Shizuka to counter. The moment she tried to throw a punch she saw Mephilia's blade aimed to an opening, forcing Shizuka back on the defense. But in one moment Shizuka was too slow. Shizuka tried to parry a strike from Mephillia's sword, but the blade cut into the gauntlet. While Shizuka's real hand was unarmed, the blade managed to cut through the gauntlet's power core, critically damaging it. If Shizuka tried to use it now she couldn't be certain it'd work if it didn't simply blow up on her arm. Shizuka couldn't defeat Mephilia if all she did was defend. But she threw her strongest attack at the demon, and she not only survived, but came back stronger. Not only did this demon shrug off Shizuka's holy infused storm of bullets, but a punch empowered by the High Queen herself. What hopes could someone like Shizuka have against someone like that?

It seemed to be a regular thing for the two sisters to face insurmountable odds. They put on a brave face and said courageous words, but time after time they fall short. Whether it was to defend Bastion at the Eliticor, to win territories in Rutharia, accomplish tasks mission in Alt Signia, or even just surviving Arcadia. They had to be brave for their soldiers, and to keep their vow to the queen, but as both commanders and soldiers neither Hibiki nor Shizuka seemed to have earned any victories to match their resolve. As if it couldn't get any worse for the two, Hibiki saw Ceil effortlessly summon a new monstrosity to lay waste to the Machina forces. And Shizuka not only had to deal with an empowered Mephilia, but Henrietta too. Shizuka already had to put everything she had to defend herself from Mephilia, she couldn't do the same for both her and Herietta at once. The two sisters were quietly accepted their fate knowing that once more they would be defeated before they could even begin.

"Nova 1, this is Nova Squad! We're in position!"

"Avoid the shield and focus on attacking the armor's weak spots."

Despite the odds, the rest of the soldiers Hibiki had recruited survived Ceil's steel rain. Each one were in a clear position to take a shot at Ceil, utilizing either cunning or cover to protect themselves from the falling debris. Without the roaring winds possibly altering their shot the soldiers could easily hit Ceil even with all the hazards falling around them. Shizuka heard Eos speak directly to her, the first that has ever happened to Shizuka. Coils of light lashed out towards Mephillia, slowing her attacks down considerably. In a flash it felt like time slowed down for the two sisters.

Defeat always almost seemed like a forgone conclusion for the two of them. They'd get their mission, say something inspirational, go to battle, and fail to do anything but run around and lose miserably. It was a painful feeling. But even though it happens time and time again, they're still here. They could have easily given up a while ago. They could just stay back at Hyperion and serve as the Queen's personal servants instead of her commanders. They'd at least deserve that much. But no, neither Hibiki nor Shizuka would accept that. Neither of the sisters were perfect. They were not strong. They certainly aren't as smart as they think they are. But they made a promise to win. And the Mecha Maids keep their promises.

Hibiki dodged and weaved between the falling steel walls and boulders. Visions of her training flashed before her eyes as she sped past obstacles and through obstructions. She could see her target as clear as day and knew exactly what she needed to do. Activating her cloak Shizuka vanished from sight as she drove faster and faster. The mud gummed up the wheels of Hibiki's bike, but she simply shot the wheels off and activated the hover jets, causing her to move even faster with the momentum. Hibiki even deactivated the barriers so that the feedback from the barrier melting through the landscape didn't slow her down. It was at that moment a building fell right between her and Ceil. But that didn't stop Hibiki for one moment. Seeing an opening Hibiki drove right through it, pressing the throttle as hard as she humanly could. She drove past dead bodies, desks, doors, collapsing walls, and even avoided the ceiling falling from behind her as the building crumbled into dust and Hibiki was airborn hundreds of feet above Ceil.

"Open fire."

Each soldier fired their grenade towards Ceil. Suddenly there was a deep chill in the air around Ceil as all magic was cut off, if only for five seconds. A flash of light brighter than a nuclear flare followed by a blast louder than a volcanic eruption exploded just twenty feet in front of Ceil. Electricity scattered around her in a dome as teleportation in and out of the area was blocked off. A great weight was put down onto her body and everything else in a twenty foot radius around her as all flight was grounded. And last, Hibiki a hundred feet in the air upside down, aiming her rifle right at Ceil. The tip of her rifle glowing with charged particle beam that was shot out as faster than light as it homed in right towards Ceil's heart.

With a twist of her body Shizuka raised her shield Gwynn to parry the Cheater's blade. Shizuka knew that Henrietta's sword could cleave right through her shield, so instead of blocking it Shizuka would knock the blade aside. At the same time she intercepted one of Mephilia's slashes with her gauntlet, allowing the demon to damage the gauntlet further. But Shizuka allowed this because she only needed the gauntlet for one more attack. As Shizuka parried Henrietta's strike she allowed the force of the blow to push her closer to Mephilia. As Shizuka moved a slot opened on her gauntlet and a dagger shoot into Shizuka's hand. It was a long, thin blade known as Seier. There was just a few milliseconds before Shizuka's rotation was finished and she needed to use ever bit of it before these demons tear her apart.

"Requiem aeternam. Dona eis, Domine."

Clenching her hand into a fist Shizuka aimed her right arm towards Henrietta. A Barrier was formed, but not to block anymore of Henrietta's attacks, but to channel all the force of Shizuka's gauntlet into a single point into Henrietta's chest. And just as Eos had advised, Shizuka aimed Seier at the weak point of Mephilia's armor. Even though her armor had shifted with her change, Shizuka could still see the cut where her wire had stopped him, just a small chink that opened after Shizuka punched it with all the force in her gauntlet. In that moment between the attacks from these two mighty demons, Shizuka struck. The energy charged through Shizuka's power gauntlets, overloading it with power that created a violent explosion towards Henrietta, cracking and even breaking Shizuka's barrier, but not before being funneled towards Herietta's heart. This explosion propelled Shizuka forward and in an instant, Seier grew from a slender dagger to a great blade taller than Shizuka herself as it was being plunged into Mephilia's chest through the chink in her armor.

@floodtalon@KoL@Lmpkio

Heroes of Beacon - the Next Chapter

@Crimmy

Sorry. I didn't forget, life's just been shitty. I'd understand if you don't care for excuses though.

The War of the Three

Hibiki & Shizuka

Hibiki and her soldiers rode to the battlefield. Along the way she made a check on their inventory. They still had one MIRV left, as well as the plasma cannons each soldiers had equipped on their bikes. Their force field as well. Each soldier carried fairly standard issue mass-accelerated assault rifles with a pistol sidearm, as well as heated plasma knives. Their combat armor would be effective against solid weaponry, but more importantly magical attacks. Assuming the enemy didn't simply drop rocks on them or stab them with a huge sword, they ought to be able to survive a fireball or two. That would be important because Hibiki intended to maintain mobility.

Her first objective was to stop this hurricane tearing apart the fortress. It was fairly easy for her to pinpoint Ceil's location, but getting to her would be a challenge. Hibiki and her bikers could avoid stray debris easy enough, but if Ceil focus's her attention on Hibiki, she wasn't so certain if the bikers could keep up with Hibiki. And if she lost the bikers, than Hibiki could be bombarded by ranged attacks too large for her to simple out maneuver. She needed to strike hard and strike fast. "Our objective to to eliminate Ceil the Stargazer, one of the Heaven's top soldiers. She is the cause of this massive hurricane. Despite her powers however, she is still human and will die as easily as one. Her magic however will ensure that won't be easy. Our plan will be to limit her visibility and mobility. Lock her down and make sure she doesn't know what hits her. Thus we need to coordinate out attacks."

Hibiki started handing each of the soldier a specialize rifle grenade she produced from her satchel. She gave each a total of two, so their shots had to count. "You two, Nova 2 and Nova 3, Hibiki motioned towards her forward riders. "Will cut off her escape route. Each of you have one rifle grenade to cut off teleportation, as well as another that creates a gravity field. This will ensure that Ceil cannot rely on teleportation to escape or be saved. The gravity bomb will ensure she can't fly away either. Be aware of these winds; calculate your shots and remember that even the tiniest grain of sand could throw off your aim." Hibiki then handed her rear two riders some bombs as well. "Nova 4 and Nova 5, you both have a flashbang and a Anti-Magic grenade. Make sure the flash is right in front of her face, which will not only blind her, but the sonic explosion will deafen her as well. Make sure that you aren't too close when it goes off, because it's not pretty. The Anti-Magic ought to be able to pause her ability to control her spells. I doubt my bomb is enough to immediately cut off or dispel whatever magic she has going on right now, but even for just a moment, neither she nor her allies will be able to cast magic within area of the explosion. Once all these things happen at once, I'll move in for the kill."

That would be the difficult part. Ultimately even if all these attacks hit, Hibiki had to be able to land the killing blow. Right now simply shooting her wasn't going to be enough. And there were many varitables that could go wrong as well; no doubt whoever shot her would be chasing Hibiki down, and the rest of the Angel's forces will be on her tail too. Fortunately, a familiar voice rang into Hibiki's headset. "Endian? That's... Unexpected." Hibiki quickly looked up on her battle map for the current position of her allies and enemies. Thanks to Queen Eos's song, she was easily able to track each foe, be they Machina or Demons. There were too many demons inside the facility for her liking, but Shizuka would have to take care of that. "Unit Endian I'm sending you coordinates where you should arrive. I need you to do what you do best: be a distraction. I don't care what you have to do, but whatever is you do, make yourself the biggest threat you can." Hibiki sent Endian to arrive between the no-man's land of the Machina forces and the oncoming Heaven army. There wasn't a lot of space left before the forces of Heaven reach their walls, so Endian needed to act fast.

Afterwards Hibiki looked towards the others. "High Queen Eos herself has taken part of this battle. Do not fail her. Begin operation!" With that, the other four riders broke off from Hibiki to get into position. Hibiki activated the bike's plasma barrier as she rode towards battle herself. She would have to keep an eye on each of her squad members as well as her enemies, on top of everything else she's juggling. But Hibiki had no doubts. She was the perfect maid after all.

"Idia dita alita lia!"

Shizuka swept her massive shield above her, to ensure that the force her her strike is channeled downwards. At the same time, the invisible thread became a fortified wall behind Mephilus so that he could not run away. He would be boxed in from above, below, and to his sides, with the only other path would be the one Shizuka was standing. And if he wanted to get to Shizuka, he'd have to go through her fist first. Shizuka's powerfist was quickly formed into a massive gauntlet at least the size of Shizuka's own torso, thundering with energy. Shizuka had no idea what sort of magic imbued Mephilus's armor, but even the mightiest angelic steel or the most powerful demonic armor would not stand against the Machina's might. The energy surrounding Shizuka's gauntlet will disrupt any solid matter on a molecular level, rearranging their physical make up until the field passes, leaving nothing but a ruptured and broken form behind. And empowered my Queen Eos's song, the power of Shizuka's punch was increased beyond even Shizuka's expectation. An explosion ensue.

@Lmpkio@Lucius Cypher@The 42nd Gecko

The War of the Three

@KoL

Okay. My post is nearly done then.