Canis landed hard against the rocks behind him, groaning. The glowing orb that had slammed into him didn't vanish—it calmly drifted back, hovering over its master's head like a silent sentinel.
Admiral Marc Atomic stepped down from the rocks, every footstep deliberate. The orb floated loyally behind him like a deadly pet. His eyes scanned the scene with thinly veiled disgust as he approached the AIA agent Canis had nearly flattened.
Standing over him, Atomic sneered.
"What is the AIA garbage doing here?"
"A-Admiral... Atomic..." the agent stammered, still on the ground.
"I thought some pirate scum was stirring up trouble in my territory—but no. It's you lot, sneaking around, stirring chaos, then disappearing before the dust settles. We're always the ones left to clean up your mess."
Atomic wasn't yelling—his tone was cold, cutting, laced with contempt.
"What is it this time? Chasing down some stray cat?"
"That's none of your business."
"Oh? Acting tough now, are we?"
Atomic grabbed the agent by the collar and yanked him up like dead weight.
"Listen well. I don't give a damn about your petty politics. I don't care if you're licking Gargantua's boots or Pigeos'. What I do care about—what I won't tolerate—is you getting in my way. Got it?"
"You can't do this! We're under the same flag!"
Atomic's grip tightened. "You questioning my patriotism now?"
"If you're so patriotic, maybe you should be glad. Cleaning up trash for the motherland is a noble act, isn't it?"
That smug jab pushed Atomic to the edge. His nostrils flared, but he held back.
"You're lucky I'm in a good mood."
"Of course. Lucky me," the agent muttered.
Atomic dropped him without grace. As he stepped back, he shoved both hands into his coat pockets. The light orb slowly sank into his back and vanished without a trace.
"Tch... thanks to you, I just wasted a kill on someone I never even saw."
"Not so fast," the agent muttered, nodding toward the smoke.
Out from the dust and rubble rose a figure—bloodied, battered, but very much alive.
Canis.
Atomic's eyes widened slightly. Few ever stood back up after taking that kind of hit.
Who is this guy? Why don't I know him?
"Interesting…"
Atomic's fingers twitched. The glowing orb reappeared from his back, hovering again. He gestured sharply, and it launched toward Canis a second time.
But this time, Canis' eyes blazed gold through the smoke. His fist shot up—
CRACK!
—parrying the light orb cleanly.
"Not again. That first one was hurt enough."
His invisibility armor shimmered, cracked from the earlier impact.
That was close. One second slower and I'd be dead. This guy... he's a real deal. Where's Aron? Is he hiding?
Good. Easier to fight without him in the way.
Nearby, behind the corner of a partially destroyed building, Aron crouched with a weapon in hand, watching from a safe distance.
So that's the real Admiral Atomic... Oh God, he's even scarier in person. Big bro's still alive though. I've gotta find a way out of this for us.
Hope this plan works...
Back on the battlefield, Atomic raised a hand.
"Apologies for earlier. I'm Admiral Marc Atomic, Chief of Staff of the APF Navy."
"Yeah, that's nice of you. Even after trying to kill me"
Canis flipped him off, which wiped the calm right off Atomic's face.
"like i said, i apologize. But who are you really? You are not ordinary after surviving my attack"
"I don't care. I Will make Pay for this, jackass"
"Alright"
---
"Kanuragan: Crystallization."
A crimson, double-edged energy blade burst to life in Atomic's hand. It gleamed with deadly grace—slim, balanced, and gleaming with raw power.
"Try and block this."
He swung. A red arc of force cut through the air, slicing clean through everything in its path.
Canis raised one hand. "Help me out, Guardians."
In a flash, two ethereal Guardian Spirits appeared, intercepting the arc with their own weapons. The air crackled with their power.
"What the hell are those?" Atomic muttered, genuinely surprised.
"Good job. Hold him for a second," Canis told the spirits. Though they could've done more, he needed just a sliver of distraction.
With Atomic's focus momentarily divided, Canis darted forward silently. He leapt—fists primed.
I can't beat that blade. Not with Kanuragan alone. I'll have to overpower it—physically.
From ten meters away, Canis punched the air, sending a concussive shockwave barreling forward. Atomic blocked it with ease—but didn't see the real threat.
Canis appeared right in front of him, barely half a meter away. His fist—shrouded in golden Kanuragan smoke—rocketed toward Atomic's face.
BAAM!
But just before impact, that cursed orb blocked him again.
"This damn thing!"
Worse, two more glowing orbs appeared and rushed toward him.
"Guardians!"
The two spirits jumped in front of him, catching the new orbs—but that wasn't all.
Two more orbs materialized, flying in low.
Sht.*
They struck him square in the stomach, hurling Canis through the air. Blood flew from his mouth as he hit the ground, hard.
The Guardian Spirits faded, their link broken as Canis' energy dropped.
Damn it. If I was even half as strong as I used to be... I could've ended this. But now? Now I know for sure—
This fight is unwinnable.
"Sh*t…"
Atomic strode toward him, sword in one hand, five orbs swirling menacingly behind him.
"You held out longer than I expected. Guess I've been going easy."
"Heh... maybe. You really did a number on me."
"You really think you'll get another shot at this?"
Canis wheezed. "Yeah… guess that was naive of me."
Still lying on the ground, he clutched his stomach, trying to breathe through the pain.
"But… I could spare you," Atomic said. "If you agree to one thing."
"Oh yeah?" Canis rasped. "And what's that?"
"Be my servant."
{Chapter 9 End}