Legend of Mautau: Angelorum Lux

Ch 16: Open Wounds and Broken Hearts

        “Go find somewhere safe to hide Amy!” Scott said, and with one last glance at the battle unfolding between Grey and Alexander, Amy quickly ran for cover. His aura surrounding him, Scott charged at Alastor as he scraped his staff across the ground, and as crackling electricity erupted around Scott’s staff he swung it upwards from the ground at Alastor. Striking Alastor’s air pressure barrier, EDE clashed in the air around them as Alastor said, “I see… You use static electricity as a base, and then you amplify and control it using your EDE. To think such a cheap trick has gotten you so far, I pity the Special Forces…” Scott glared at him as he continued to push against the barrier in spite of the futility of his efforts, and he said, “I don’t wanna hear that from someone who hides behind a barrier of air pressure created through a similar method!” Alastor raised a hand and channeled EDE into it, saying, “Touché, however I have far more up my sleeve.” Jumping back, Scott channeled EDE into his hand as well, and spinning his staff in the other hand so the ends scraped along the ground, he replied, “I don’t care if you’re the leader of Altera Veritas or even some Dark God, you won’t get away with what you’ve done to Matt!”

        Facing his hand at Scott, Alastor fired a sphere of violent wind at him, numerous arc shaped blades of wind bouncing around within it, all waiting to be released. Scott raised his own hand and drew electricity from his staff to fire a lightning bolt in response, and as the attacks met and exploded, Scott found himself dodging and deflecting with his staff as the wind blades rained out across the area. Alastor rushed through the dust in the air stirred up by their attacks, and before Scott could defend himself, the villain sent him sailing with a jumping pressurized spin kick. Raising a finger at Scott as he struggled to get up, Alastor channeled EDE into it as he said, “I’m really somewhat disappointed Mr. Matthews, I expected more than this from someone with your reputation. The Special Forces has only had thirty years to learn how to develop an energist’s powers though, so I suppose it can’t be helped. Farewell, Thunderfury Energist.”

        Scott jumped to his feet and ran down a row of graves as Alastor began firing beams of dark energy at him from his finger. Scraping his staff on the ground as he went, Scott thought, “He can amplify the air pressure to the point where it’s an unbreakable wall, but he can’t keep it up all the time or he wouldn’t be able to attack. He must raise it once he knows the attack is coming, and probably only in the area he thinks the attack will land. Also, I can use EDE interference against him by charging the air with my own EDE using my lightning. Any ability that uses already existing elements can be negatively affected if that element becomes saturated with EDE from another EDE user. I’ll show him the real power of a Class S!” Looping around graves as he evaded Alastor’s beams, Scott charged at Alastor. He pulled a small rectangular object with holes in it from the pouch on his utility belt, and continuing to dodge side to side to avoid energy beams, Scott pressed a button on the object and hurled it at Alastor. It bounced off the air pressure barrier, and as it clattered to the ground, Alastor started to say, “Well… That was effecti-”

        He broke off as suddenly the object spewed a pepper spray smoke from the holes in it, and as Alastor was engulfed by a cloud of pepper spray, Scott channeled EDE into his staff and stabbed it into the ground before leaping high into the air. Blowing the smoke away with a burst of wind from his hand, his eyes burning, Alastor did not realize what had happened to Scott. Then the staff suddenly started spewing lightning from itself in all directions, and he remained distracted as Scott gathered EDE in the air, landed a short distance behind him, and turned to fire a bolt of lightning from his hand. Struck in the back, Alastor was knocked forward off his feet, falling on his face as electricity ran through his body. He struggled up on one knee, still shaking somewhat even as the electrify running through his body subsided, but then as Scott charged up behind him, Alastor aimed a hand back and knocked him away with a burst of wind generated from his hand. Standing, he turned to Scott, who was rising as well, and said, “Not bad. You realized my barrier’s one flaw and took advantage of it, distracting and disorienting me long enough to launch a surprise attack. However it would have been much more impressive if you’d struck with a killing blow. I won’t be so careless again Mr. Matthews…”