Hell broke loose immediately, fragments of sharp glass and fire spewed forth. Kazuki wrapped his arm around Eliza's body - pulling himself out of the centre of the room, and onto the floor. Archius dragged them both up. A fireball smashed down, sending heat and sparks all around. Bodies flew, and people were knocked into the walls.

"KAZ?!" Eliza shouted, covering her face from the embers that blew past them. Her glasses were in tatters. Shit... what was going on?! Kazuki shot a lookup, and metallic objects entered from up above.

Bombs? No, too large. Drones. They were drones.

Kazuki dragged himself back with Eliza, as Archius bolted to the side, narrowly avoiding a string of incoming bullets. An explosion knocked the two back down.

Eliza shouted, "The hell is going on?!"

Archius ducked under another bolt, picking both of them up. "FUCKING STAND!"

"Drones," Kazuki said, as the trio took cover behind one of the turned-over tables. Fer-Charelota ran over, Kazuki dragging him forward to avoid a lethal shot.

Pulling his own pistol, he fired up at the drones as they descended. Knights, guards and even Obadiah's retinue fired back at the drones, as civilians quickly fled from the room, escorted by small teams of Imperial Knights.

He does not see Yuki.

Shit... his sister. Where was Yuki? Lady Antiar sprawled into action, drawing the fire of a dozen drones with her body-shield deflecting bolts from all vectors. Kazuki turned and began to scan across the room whilst moving... "Archius. Get Eliza out of here!"

"This is less than ideal!" Fer-Charelota shouted, moving behind one of the pillars, as scrapes of marble were shot off.

Archius nodded, helping Eliza up. "And you?!" They asked at the same time.

Kazuki peeked out of cover, looking at Cyrus across the room. Nihara and Václavos were with him.

"KAZUKI?" Cyrus shouted across the room, rolling the table closer to him, whilst Nihara and Václavos warded off the approaching drones.

Archius started to drag Eliza away from danger, using his bulletproof waistcoat as a shield.

"Stay safe," Kazuki muttered, before running out of cover. His mind crackled with a bout of energy. His exospine clicked into place. Kazuki ducked underneath bolt and plasma, side-stepping and stopping before each lethal strike.

Throwing himself into cover, Kazuki drew his pistol. "Cover me," he ordered Cyrus. The giant gave a firm nod. Kazuki rushed out of cover, firing into the mass of steel that poured down.

There were tens of drones... All armed with old rifles and pistols. Small teams of guards and Knights held them back, but they were outnumbered a dozen to one.

Fuck it... they really should have embedded the 'DO NOT KILL HUMANS' part into the whole machine learning algorithm.

Kazuki's head twisted around, seeing Nathan across the room, fleeing into one of the exits. He was carrying Yuki... For a moment, Kazuki's mind calmed. Yet his calm quickly turned to panic. His eyes glanced at a stray bolt Václavos and Nihara covered them, as well as Archius and Eliza, before disappearing through the doors. The lot of them.

Kazuki glanced towards Lady Antiar and Fer-Charelota, taking cover a bit away.

"MOVE. GO." Kazuki shouted at the Marquis. The Marquis nodded and started to run. Lady Antiar started to move with Fer-Charelota, covering his flight. Any rounds meant for the Marquis met Lady Antiar's body-shield, deflecting off with little effect.

"I'll organise the evacuation!" Fer-Charelota barked at Lady Antiar. "Hold them off with Kazuki!"

Lady Antiar nodded, slicing through the drones with her ancient Vesarian Longsword, whilst gunning down any drone clever enough to fly away.

A suicide drone rushed her, only to be pelted away by an explosion. Lady Antiar emerged from the smoke, the jewels on her head and gloves glowing. This was the true fury, Kazuki. This was the Blade of the Knights.

Glowing with amber fury.

The Champion's Blade, the first Vesarian reinforced weapon.

Kazuki looked around... Where were the Jara-Jins?! He began to run across the ballroom, dealing with any of the drones in his way. He ducked, dived and dodged beneath every bolt, plasma charge and grapple they sent towards him.

His eyes saw two ginger figures hiding behind pillars. Rushing over, Kazuki grabbed a table, kicking it over and providing himself cover, rolling it on its side towards the Jara-Jins. Cake spilt out onto the floor... It was probably second-rate anyway, Kazuki thought.

Nathan's brother can bake better.

"Irya. Kantos. Get the fuck out." Kazuki rolled the table to their location, bolts harrying the underside of the table.

"WE'RE A BIT PINNED HERE!" Irya shouted back. Both had their blades out of their sheaths.

Kazuki shook his head at the sight. Did they really intend to fight the drones? Here? Now of all times? No. He cannot allow that. "I'll cover you two!"

A drone curved upwards, firing down at Kazuki. He shifted the table upwards, a heavy beam splintering the table into wooden shrapnel. Weaving out of the way of the beam, Kazuki shot upwards, disabling the drone.

His head twisted back towards the twins, seeing a drone fly around the pillar. Its screen was covered in blood, raising a muzzle at the twins. Kazuki activated his exospine, triggering an adrenaline boost as he rushed forward, shoving his pistol upwards.

Kantos saw the threat clear as day, the muzzle flashing brightly at both twins. He made a split-second decision and tackled Irya to the side. Kazuki destroyed the drone with a well-placed shot.

"Shit... Kantos, get your brother out of here!" Kazuki shouted, leaning against the pillar. He peeked out, seeing a tug-of-war between the security forces and the drones. Dozens of bodies polluted the waters, turning the clear blue to a misty red. Dammit… Answer him! "KANTOS!?"

"He..." Irya trailed off. Kazuki looked down. Kantos had a large scorch mark across his chest, his hand still holding onto the black blade.

Kazuki's expression didn't change. Looking down at his hands, he could see his muscles slowly wither away with fatigue and exhaustion. They were shaking.

He shoved his pistol beneath his arm, shovelling pills down his throat. More... He needs to focus. His mind sharpened as the Halolazil kicked in, a multitude of effects slowly getting him high on death itself.

Kantos was dead. Strangely ached a bit…

He gave Irya a small nod, before dragging him up. "My... Kaz... what do we—"

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Kazuki ripped his own shield from his wrist, and the projector flickered on as it opened up. He slapped it onto Irya's wrist, picking up his brother's blade and forcing it into Irya's free hand.

"Run. Now. That's an order. I'll cover you."

Irya nodded, before turning to his brother.

"NOW!"

Irya snapped out of it, rushing out as Kazuki pushed into the middle of the room, bolts flying by. In a dance of both blood and steel, Kazuki found himself narrowly avoiding bolts with each movement.

He ducked, weaved and burdened each shot against his armoured suit. Brutal efficiency was key, no point in showing off.

These drones won't remember it, because Kazuki was an amalgamation of steel and flesh, manifesting in a creature not human - but not machine.

However, with each dead drone, Kazuki hoped that if someone was on the other side, they'd see him. They'll his dreadful face, primed to behead them.

A large security robot crashed down onto the dance floor, a whole story in height. Kazuki gave it a cold glance, grabbing and crushing a drone whizzing by after Lady Antiar.

Looking up, Kazuki could see that the outermost glass ceiling was unbroken. The drones were coming from the maintenance shafts… And beyond that was endless space…

"Lady Antiar," Kazuki said.

Lady Antiar glanced up from her fighting, as she finished a group of drones. She ducked underneath a beam sent by a nearby drone, slicing it into two. "Contract-Breaker?!"

Kazuki scowled at the name. Of all times to call him that, now? The robot was starting up, its gears moving in an unorthodox fashion, empowered to kill all those in front of it. It was one of those security robots from the assassination. But this one was different. It was larger, with parts welded onto each other.

The steel amalgamation let off a metallic screech. Various pieces started to come together, their components whirring to life.

It was massive compared to Kazuki. "We'll take that together," he said, seeing Irya escape the carnage through a side door.

Lady Antiar looked at the robot, as it was finalising its assembly. She immediately drew and fired at the machine, her bolts flicked off.

'Cyrus...' Kazuki started. 'Cover me and Lady Antiar. Make sure no drone gets any of us.'

'Already on it,' replied Cyrus, long lines of bolts from security and the drones creating a miniature arena within the ballroom.

Kazuki started to move, as the robot stepped forward, it had a mark on its chest: Security-Mark-9. Behemoths.

The arms of the robot slammed downwards, cracking the floor beneath it, as two massive barrels projected out from its back. It curved up, aiming at the two. It powered up and fired two large beams. Kazuki threw himself out of the way, with Lady Antiar weathering the attack with her shield The bright lights stopped, and both remained intact.

Better to finish this quick, Kazuki thought. He lunged forward, exploding another burst of adrenaline into his body.

His exospine crackled with blue and gold hues. It sent him forward, directly at the robot. Kazuki drew a line of grenades from beneath his suit.

Lady Antiar joined in the attack, barreling forward, as heated scars opened up on the robot. A barrage of plasma beams spewed forth, forcing her to duck and weave to the side. Kazuki kept going, using his unshielded arm to barrel through the pain.

Plasma and bolts flicked off Kazuki's suit and trousers, along with blood. Each step forward sacrificed more blood and pain. Splattering across his face. He rushed towards one of its arms, as the robot shuffled backwards, preparing to karate chop Kazuki from the side.

Not close enough. He had to get closer. 'Ambush it from the side,' Kazuki said. 'I'll draw its attention.'

'You're doing more than that!' Lady Antiar remarked back at him.

The robot's muzzles spewed forth. Kazuki kept side-stepping the bolts, as its hand came crashing down. Should he Overclock? If he survives, Eliza might nag at him... His hand was ready to flick the switch. He could do it.

No… he stayed his hand. This was no place to die, he thought. These halls painted with gold were too classy, too filled with greed and power for his liking.

And he huffed another puff of his exospine. Steam burst from his mouth and power port. His hands tensed up, as he rolled beneath the attack, weaving past a stray bolt. Ripping his grenade belt off, he primed one of them and lobbed it into an open slit within the machine.

Explosions rippled across the floor, with Kazuki thrown off his feet backwards.

'NOW.' Kazuki looked through the smoke, at Lady Antiar.

She rushed through the dazed smog. The robot was damaged, moving slower than usual. It reeled forward, trying to get out of the blast, as a fire started within its chest.

Lady Antiar sliced one of its arms off with her Vesarian blade, before parrying the next attack with her own explosion. The clashing forces created a powerful cacophony. Both Lady Antiar and the robot crashed backwards, with the robot slamming into one of the pillars and statues collapsing it.

Stabbing her blade into the marbled floor, Lady Antiar came to a scorching halt, energy rippling around her.

'Use your Hazard on one of its slits,' Kazuki told Lady Antiar. 'Buy me time!'

She shook her head, snarling at him with a scowl, 'You don't order me around, Contract-Breaker, best to remember that.'

Kazuki rolled his eyes.

Blood dripped off him, as more steam expelled out his exospine. He could hear each mechanism clock into place.

Breaking into a sprint, Kazuki decided to force Lady Antiar's hand. They will attack.

The robot got back up, slowly, sending a thousand projectiles out in all directions. Smoke, missiles, rockets and bolts were shoved down the ballroom.

A few guards and squires were caught in the crossfire, but none of the experienced Knights.

An explosion rippled past Kazuki's head. The deafening shockwave silenced his left ear. He continued onwards.

Lady Antiar rushed forward again. Then was checked as a flurry of missiles slammed into the ground. A field of fiery water and debris separated them/ It must think she's the deadliest one out of the two of them - being a Hazard Shard User.

Its calculations were correct, Kazuki thought. But everyone always underestimates the 'kid'.

He was just a child, after all, a now twenty year old man playing the old people's game.

This was what he was.

Kazuki emerged through the smoke as the robot slammed its fist down at him. Kazuki didn't have a Hazard, nor does he have anything too fancy. But he has grit. Determination. He exploded his exospine. He demanded more from it, seeping the energy through his nerves.

As the slam came down, Kaz drew his blade.

The black steel ripped upwards. In a single motion, Kazuki parried the heavy fist slashing down upon him, sliding forward.

He was beneath the belly of the beast. All of his assets had been ascertained and accounted for. Nothing was left out of the equation.

And because of that: Kazuki drew his railgun.

Aiming at the torso, he pulled the trigger. A golden line erupted from the muzzle, and a noise beyond an explosion crackled with each second.

The robot couldn't dodge, or tank it. It landed. Flat in the middle. The robot did not have any advanced shielding or armoured layering.

Its 'torso' ceased to exist.

Circuits and wires melted away. Coolants boiled. The robot was ripped to shreds... A large hole replaced any remaining combat effectiveness.

It was wide enough for light to pass through.

The robot fell. A moment of calm entered the room, as Kazuki approached it. The fusillade of bolts from all around had died down, for a moment.

The guards were catching their breaths.

'Kazuki, we've dealt with the drones...' Cyrus said. He emerged from the smoke, carrying an SMG. He looked at the large robot drone.

Lady Antiar slugged over the debris, appearing out from the smoke on the other side.

Kazuki ignored them both, slowly climbing up onto the drone's body. He looked at its head... Its screen visor was projecting something. It was scanning. Looking beside the robot was a brooch… Kantos' by memory. Hmm?

'Contract-Breaker... you fight well,' Lady Antiar said, dismissively.

His eyes grew wide open. The robot's scanning beams were scanning Kantos' brooch. The Transfer Shard. Just then, another batch of drones slammed through the doors, as the gunfire started again.

'Shit.' Cyrus burst back into the fight, with Lady Antiar rushing up to Kazuki. She punched him on the arm lightly.

She cried at him, 'What the fuck are you doing? There's more!'

"It scanned the Transfer Shard," Kazuki said. He turned to her. She understood what it meant immediately and nodded.

Lady Antiar rushed to the side, holding back the wave of drones pouring in now. 'We'll hold them back. You know where Irya is?!'

"Doesn't matter," Kazuki said. He climbed off the robot. "I'll find them."

His mind raced with simulations as he broke into a sprint. He had to get to Irya. This was a diversion...

Kazuki's mind was flushed with thoughts of hate and vengeance. He left the ballroom, traversing the blood-stained halls. In a full sprint, Kazuki needed to arrive at wherever Irya was before the drones did.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.