Trascender : The Fourth Gust

Chapter 16 : Clash Of Worlds

[ENTER: Multiversal Conflict Arc]

The void between galaxies felt colder after Khoseph's defeat. Shinji hovered beside Merus, the God of Creation's pearlescent suit still bearing cracks from their recent battle. Before them, space rearranged itself. Not torn, but seamlessly parting like dark curtains to reveal Amado. The drowned-moonlight blue of his skin seeming to absorb starlight. Eyes like frozen event horizons fixed on them.

"Hello there, Lord Merus!" Amado's voice was calm, conversational, yet vibrated unpleasantly in their bones. "Long time, no cosmic discourse."

Merus stiffened, creation energy flickering defensively. "Amado? What the hell are you doing here? Scavenging Khoseph's failure?" His glacial eyes narrowed with deep suspicion.

"Merely delivering a proper greeting," Amado replied, offering a slight, lipless smile that didn't touch his frozen eyes. "Courtesy in the void is rare. Best to maintain it."

"Hey," Shinji interjected, stepping slightly forward. The utter lack of warning from his Danger Sense who was going wild is profoundly unsettling; quieter than near Yamato's hearth. "Who's the blue guy? Feels... empty."

"Saganbo's primary hand," Merus hissed, his voice tight with ancient dread. "Amado. Don't let the calm fool you."

"I see..." Shinji murmured, scrutinizing Amado. "Still weird. Feels less dangerous than a startled rabbit."

"See?" Amado stated, spreading his hands slightly. "Harmless observer."

"So why breach the void now?" Merus demanded. "Your master's intent is clear."

"To formally declare war," Amado announced, the calm tone belying the enormity. "As Lord Saganbo decreed."

"Declare?" Merus scoffed. "We've been at war!"

"A skirmish. A retrieval effort," Amado corrected gently. "This is different. Lord Saganbo has decreed open hostilities. Now, the entire cosmos is your enemy."

PING! PING! PING! PING!

Four searing points of agony exploded across Shinji's back; high-powered energy slugs impacting with star-core force. "Ouch! Damn it!" He whirled around, ignoring the sizzling holes already sealing in his shirt.

Floating amidst scattered debris, grinning like a shark who smelled blood, was Shirou. His custom rifle smoked slightly. "Yo, Immortal Folk! Fancy meeting you in the scenic void. Again."

"Shirou?" Shinji growled, Act 3 energy flickering around his fists. "What the hell? Still chasing bounties in the apocalypse?"

"Biggest one yet!" Shirou chuckled, reloading with practiced ease. "Blue guy over there promised 1000 Space Dust if I bagged you. Seems redundant since he could sneeze you out of existence, but hey..." He shrugged. "A contract's a contract. And 1000 Dust buys a lifetime of quiet."

"Apologies for the ambiguity," Amado interjected smoothly. "Direct physical engagement is... currently proscribed. Procurement via subcontract remains optimal."

"Whatever," Shirou leveled his rifle. "My job just says 'acquire'. Doesn't specify how."

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

Hypersonic slugs, superheated plasma streams, and micro-gravitic imploders spat from Shirou's rifle in a devastating, overlapping barrage. Shinji moved with transcendent grace, a blur of gold and green. He flowed between the projectiles; ducking under a searing plasma beam, twisting past a slug that warped space where it passed, his Danger Sense painting trajectories a fraction of a second early. He was a leaf in a hurricane, untouched.