Chaos erupted across the battlefield as the Gadgets let loose volleys of blue beams from their central masses. The drones themselves proved to be little more than cannon fodder against the Mahora student body’s skills and weaponry.
Wodan was another matter entirely.
One of the tall students, Kaede, raised an eyebrow slightly as she watched her kunai and shuriken bounce off of Wodan’s armor or his blade.
So she changed plans, as he engaged Signum, Vita, Fate and Setsuna in melee combat, she aimed for the gaps in his armor and defense.
There were few, but her eyes caught them and she flung her blades towards them—one striking underneath his armpit. It appeared to stick, but Kaede realized that it had only penetrated the fabric and not his skin before the blade fell loose from its position. The same fate befell the multitude of blades Chrono sent towards Wodan—deflected or even bouncing off his armor. A few stuck in soft spots, but none deep enough to be considered damaging.
With one mighty swing of his colossal blade, Wodan then threw back his four close-range attackers several yards back. They landed soundly, but Wodan still sneered.
But others were waiting for just that opportunity.
From all around him, cries of various attacks went out—be it from the force of the attacks themselves or the throats of his attackers.
Wodan had underestimated them, and now he was surrounded—and out in the open.
Mana, seemingly from nowhere, pulled out a six-chambered grenade launcher and let loose several shells towards Wodan, only to see him use his blade to block each one. He did not even flinch as the shells detonated.
“As expected from a top Millennium Agent,” Mana said, as she readied a second volley. Over the din of battle, however, none of her allies hear her utterance.
“Your attacks are meaningless against Wodan Ymir!” he shouted before he charged towards the group—but in the next instant, he was completely enveloped in pink light to the cry of “Divine Buster!” from Nanoha.
When the light dispersed, he stood firm, his sword raised to block the bolt, smoke rising from his entire body.
“That...actually hurt,” He snorted and changed targets—to Nanoha, who was floating mid-air. Throwing his sword directly at her.
“Flash Move!” Raising Heart announced as Nanoha sped out of the way.
Wodan grinned.
The next thing Nanoha knew, there was an explosion and she was staring at Wodan’s face, with a great pain in her chest, with the pink lights of her shielding scattering and falling around Wodan’s large fist.
Wodan scoffed as he landed, “Set up so easily.”
Fate screamed as Nanoha began to fall, her barrier jacket’s primary defensive layer disintegrated.
Nanoha fell into unexpected arms—those of the field commander of the Wolkenwritter: Signum. Fate having just missed the interception.
A tense stare shot between them.
“My master,” Signum began, “would want no one to die under our watch.”
Fate blinked.
“We have two dedicated healers here,” Signum continued, “Keep Wodan from harming anyone else. I’ll back you up shortly.”
Fate had little choice but to trust her. She turned, to face Wodan as he knocked aside Kaede—or, what she thought was Kaede, as the one Wodan hit exploded in a puff of smoke.
Kaede appeared again, her fist holding a sphere of glowing energy, which she slammed against Wodan’s back.
Lighting coursed through his body and he shook uncontrollably. But when the seizure stopped, Wodan swung around with his fist towards Kaede.
She dodged, but only just. Wodan’s fist tore so close to Kaede that her clothes and even her skin were torn as his fist brushed against her stomach.
Releasing powder from her palm, He put as much distance between herself and Wodan as she could.
Wodan moved to press his attack through the smoke—only to be struck from behind.
Fate’s scythe slashed against Wodan’s back, and as he spun, she darted out of the way to slash from another side. Wodan growled expecting a third strike from her scythe, only to be struck by a powerful fist so hard that he stumbled—and the armor around the area she struck cracked and split apart from the force.
“Eeeeiiii---yow!” a female voice said as Wodan turned to face his attacker—the Chinese girl.
“You bypassed my armor!” Wodan yelled.
“I think I broke my hand!” The girl answered in Chinese.
Wodan moved to kick her, but she back flipped out of the way as his foot rose—but the force of it created a mild shockwave that caused her to stumble.
"Schlangenform!" Signum's sword announced as it seperated into a long, chain whip that was quickly surrounded by flames.
"Hyriu Issen!" Signum shouted as she wrapped Wodan in her whip-like blade and pulled it off him, causing him to spin and raking the blades across his form. Wodan actually let out a pained roar as she did so, but did not fall.
“Who this guy?” Ku-Fei asked aloud in Japanese to the others as Signum attacked.
Wodan slammed his foot into the ground, creating a shockwave that knocked over the less athletic students, but caused the others to stumble, as well as knocking away Signum's segmented blade.
The eyes of the Chinese girl, Ku-Fei, widened as she realized what Wodan had done.
“You are not the only one well versed in Ki, mongrel.”
“Then--" Negi realized, “You haven’t been using Ki or Magic before in this entire battle!”
Wodan stood firm as he retrieved his sword.
“I will cut you all to ribbons!” Wodan shouted as he took a stance.
Negi drew several cards from his back pocket and brought them to his forehead. Several of the girls nodded and took action.
Asuna charged Wodan, slashing at him with her sword. He effortlessly and casually blocked it with his own sword.
He also casually back fisted Negi as he rushed against his side, but Negi rolled with the blow and rolled on the ground towards Wodan—placing a single hand on him.
White ropes of light entrapped the giant, to his surprise.
“Un-incanted?” He muttered, but knew they couldn’t hold him for very long.
“Everyone!” Negi shouted, rolling back to his feet, “Short out his armor!”
The group nodded those that could prepared to attack, and Wodan realized that he couldn’t break out fast enough.
With two swift motions, Chrono summoned a multitude of blades. “Control, Please” his device asked before he let them fly with the pronouncement of “Stinger Ray!” into the joints and mesh portions of Wodan’s armor—they stuck loosely, but they stuck nonetheless.
“Ougi!” Setsuna held her sword aloft, lighting channeling, “Raimeken!”
With a slash of her blade in the air, she sent a bolt of lightning towards Wodan that struck the knives sticking in his flesh and traveled through his body, burning his body as it went and leaving him convulsing uncontrollably.
With a wave of her hand, Fate called up a circle or runes. Electrical energy gathered in the center of the circle as Bardiche called out, “Plasma Smasher.”
With a swift strike, Fate send the beam forward, striking Wodan full in chest, Wodan fought the urge to fall with all his might, but it mattered little as he was held up and in place by the bonds.
Kaede gathered power once again into a sphere in the palm of her hand. She made a hand-sign in front of her face and created 3 shadow-clones of herself. Each one carrying a sphere of electrical power.
She and her clones took positions around Wodan. They rushed him with their electrical spheres with such force that they appeared to pass through him as their movements shaped a cross.
Kaede and the clones leapt away as four odd grenades from Mana’s arsenal landed at Wodan’s feet. They let out bursts of electricity as they detonated, cascading more energy over Wodan.
The joint motors with Wodan’s armor began to short out and even burst. Wodan just gritted his teeth and stood straining against the bonds and the power that held him in place.
“Ras tel Ma scir Magister,” Negi incanted, “Come forth from the void, O Thunder, and cut down my enemy! Axe of Lightning!"
At his command, a massive ax-shape lightning bolt followed the downward motion of his hands and struck Wodan with surprising force.
Wodan’s armor finally gave out and nearly shattered from the waist up as the magical restraints followed suit. Wodan fell to his hands and knees. When the dust settled, Wodan stood with only a few burns, frizzled hair and smoke rising from his frame. Small, shallow cuts covered his body, but they were almost completely obscured by the dust and smoke the area exuded.
{{Battle Mastery Earned}}
“NO WAY!” The small white Ermine hiding in the back with Nodoka said, “Is he even human?!”
“Not by miles” a voice boomed, gathering the group’s attention. Alucard and Evangeline stepped out of the darkness.
“You!” Wodan shouted.
“Oh, so you know of me,” Alucard smirked, “Should I be flattered?”
“All of Millennium knows of you, Alucard,” Wodan spat, “And I’ll gladly take your head to my master to show my strength.”
“Oh,” Evangeline scoffed, “Like that would kill him now.”
Evangeline lightly flicked her hand to the crowds, “Stand back, Children. You’re about to get a lesson in team combat. So, Negi—take notes.”
“Yes Master!” Negi answered, to Evangeline’s amusement.
“You’ll die by my hand before—“
A shot rang out, cutting off Wodan’s speech—a sphere enveloped him and held him in place. Negi recognized it as the same shell that held the ancient demon from Kyoto in place before Evangeline destroyed its physical body. The source of the shot was Chachamaru, whom Negi spotted as she put the large anti-tank rifle down: her mission complete.
“Are you sure you’re up to this?” Alucard asked Evangeline quietly.
“It’s going to be a stretch, but I’ll manage,” she answered with a smirk, “Besides, there is no overkill.”
“Only ‘Open Fire’ and ‘I need to reload!’” Alucard roared as he raised his hands and focused on Wodan, boxing him in his line of sight with his fingers like a Hollywood cameraman preparing a shot, “
Cromwell Restriction System override in 3…2…1… RELEASE!”
“Lic Lac La Lac Lilac!” Evangeline incanted.
“These hands of ours are dripping red!” Alucard roared
“With the blood of the guilty--” Evangeline raised a hand into the air and clenched it tightly.
“--And innocent alike!” Alucard added, following in suit, but with the opposite hand.
Standing next to each other, the hands furthest from Wodan clasped together as they shouted together, “Twin Fangs!” And gathered power in their clenched fists only to bring it to their interwoven hands.
“Your life,” Alucard smirked.
“…becomes ours,” Evangeline completed.
Bringing forward the black energy they had gathered with a massive thrust of their clasped hands, they shouted: "
Vampiric Embrace!”
The power shot towards Wodan like a tsunami, the tip of which eventually split into a jagged-toothed maw of darkness with a horrific screech that shook those present to the core. They had heard that shriek before, be it on the news or in person from another monstrous nocturnal predator, the fruitful and voracious kaiju known as the Gyaos.
The horrible maw bit down and enveloped Wodan before spiraling skyward like a massive waterspout of evil before flowing back into the vampires.
Evangeline breathed the power in deeply, nearly standing on her toes as she did so—while Alucard just let it wash over him.
“Delicious,” Evangeline purred as Wodan fell—but landed on his knees, alive and angry, “And look, it still thinks it can fight--how cute.”
Evangeline turned to Negi, who reflexivly started clapping at the display, "Well? What did you think?"
"Amazing!" Negi answered.
Evangeline smirked as Wodan steadied himself, preparing for a counterattack--but a second figure dropped from the skies directly next to Wodan.
His black armor was more plate-like than Wodan’s, with larger, thicker pieces covering almost every inch of his body. The corners of each segment were sharpened into points or hard angles on the limbs and boxed off at the shoulders. On his back were two wing-like structures held folded against his back. It reminded Mana of a Steel Clan robot, but it appeared to be a copy made from observations and recovered parts. The face was highlighted by a pair of straight demonic horns on either side of the head as well as a large central, green jewel over the “Third Eye”. The non-solid bits of armor were tipped with bits of gold and red in various locations, with a dark blue underlying the plate armor. The insignia ont he shoulder, however, clearly alerted herself, Alucard and Evangeline to its true source: Millennium
“Wodan,” The figure said, “It appears you were going soft on them.”
“I apologize, Prime,” Wodan answered. Nodoka made note of the name as she heard it—but was horrified by what she then saw.
“I understand, wanting to test the TSAB—and the son of the Thousand Master,” Prime smirked, “I have finished my appraisal. I do not think this site will be of use to us.”
“I hate to interrupt,” Alucard growled, aiming a massive pair of pistols at the pair, “But I should insist that you stay here and die.”
“Look, Wodan,” Prime gritted his teeth, “It’s trying to speak to me. I should teach them all a lesson.”
Wodan smiled—but in the next instance the cry of “Divine Buster!” shot out, and both were enveloped in pink, the ground around them burned away as the beam from Nanoha’s staff shot forth. She stood firm, fully recovered from Wodan's attack thanks to the Wolkenwritter and Konoka.
When the light faded, Wodan was slightly charred and on his knee, whilst Prime floated where he once stood—one hand extended flat against where the blast had come from, a round shield of magic radiating out from it.
“How dare you!” Prime scowled, “Do you have any idea who I am?!”
Prime drew a sword from his waist, held it in front of him, hilt up and tip pointed to the ground and began to glow with a sickening black and red aura.
“There is only
one person on this planet worthy of truly fighting me,” Prime growled, “And when I meet her, I will beat her into submission and
take her.”
As spoke, a green beam from the jewel on the center of his forehead, burning off Alucard’s arms. This merely annoyed the vampire, who quickly began growing new arms, but before he did, prime shouted: “Embrace the Inferno!” And a sickeningly black and blue light radiated from his sword and quickly enveloped all before them.
Inside the darkness, the Wolkenwritter huddled together to maximize their shielding---but they had aid to their surprise. A tall, blue haired man in a white suit and mask that only had red eyes as conforming features.
“This battle will not go well for you,” the man said, “Flee while you can.”
“Who are you?” Signum asked.
“And why the hell should we listen to you?!” Vita added.
“I’m a friend, and as to why you should listen,” The man held out a linker core ready to be harvested, glowing green as it floated in the palm of his hand “consider this a peace offering.”
Signum gritted her teeth as she debated her actions, but when the black dissipated: Wodan, the Wolkenwritter, the man in white and Prime were all gone.
Negi Springfield lay on the ground, pale. His students quickly gathered around him—wondering what had happened in a near panicked state.
These kinds of things need a damn good explanation, and even if you have it, I simply reserve the right to be skeptical even after I hear it.
