Platinum Skies (The Manifests Series #2)

({[45]}) Forced Shutdown

The skies heavily rained of steel and ash once more, turning the cold ruins of Miryang into a freezing hell of fire and ice. Destroying both organic and inorganic forms of matter all across the area, it left the already fallen city into a state of utter desolation.

Yet amongst the onslaught of rocks, ice, and metal that poured down on the city, four wielders persisted, and gave their all in their goal of ending this madness.

CLASH!

Salt and steel collide, and with it, vaporizes several meteors along the way.

The Koul'in General Platina barely resisted a solidified slash made of mineral salt, as she plummets down on the ground, face first. She angles herself a bit and with concentration, crushes the whole thing altogether with her armored hands. Yet, even so, she gets tackled by an unstoppable force, slamming her to the ground and sending debris flying all over the place.

It was Yejun, wielder of the salted boomerang Aethersalt, who unleashed hell upon her in a frantic display of his now recovered strength.

He was pissed. His body language, his movement. Even the twitch of his eyes scream rage.

But he wasn't pissed over the fact that he almost lost his life. He was pissed at himself for being ignorant about Platina's goals and tricks. Now, he isn't holding back.

Part of becoming the best is to commit mistakes and make assumptions. But he wasnt about to do the same mistake this time.

Platina, finally down on the ground, suddenly disappears like an illusion in a blink of an eye, and reappears behind Yejun, about to punch him with her armed, icy fist.

A furious, shining light intercepts however, thwarting Platina's advance as she forced herself to defend.

CLANK!

Giant scraps of steel and crystalline sparks fly as Platina's arms and Jihyo's Seraphim clash. Gritting her teeth, the now indomitable leader of TWICE manages to level her strength with the Koul'in General.

Her arms quiver, not due to fear...

But due to adrenaline.

There was this type of courage now coursing within Jihyo's blood, as if each and every cell of her body knows that she can finally keep up with the enemy at hand. For a moment, she felt like she was yet again evolving, just like when she had faced Khera before.

But what makes her easen up more is that she is not alone in this growth.

Out of nowhere, Yejun spins his body and retaliates with a punch of his own, towards Platina's face. Unable to dodge the blow, the General's face gets smashed by a rock-solid fist, and is sent flying in mid-air.

But she gets on her bearings immediately, landing quick on her feet to prepare for a countermeasure. Raising her head, she sees a flattened car flying towards her. She slices the car perfectly in half, but a looming, flaming shadow suddenly appears behind her.

"He's behind me already?! Ho---"

Before she could even turn and react, Zeke strikes her from behind with a gigantic, pyretic blast of rockets and firecrackers using his pipe wrench, razing her armor and her skin.

I am already capable of doing better, Zeke thought, thanks to Sanghoon's dedicated sacrifice. It's as if he was coincidentally granted a better shot at winning, much like how he was able to pull off victories since Vesper arrived at Daelsong Park.

Sanghoon will not be forgotten. He will make sure he will make him feel this victory, wherever he may now be.

Platina lunges backward and extends her arm to unleash a powerful energy blast at Zeke. However, the filipino wielder is faster and throws his flaming pipe wrench at her, effectively disarming her attack.