Chapter 67 Symphony.
As the beam of her proton cannon hit the ground Zero Five spread her wings and headed for the site even though the explosion had yet to die out.
She pushed against the air pressure and heat trying to get there even one second earlier, however the resistance she faced disappeared all of a sudden.
The dome of light that had formed in the distance, swelling and swallowing everything it came by, had vanished without a trace. There was no sign if the mushroom cloud that would normally follow such explosion, only a large crater showing the area that had been eaten by the beam.
A window appeared in front of Five showing her the center of the crater.
There was a humanoid female figure, the limbless Torso they have been fighting so far. It was no longer limbless, with two long arms stretching from its shoulders and legs that matched bent as it crouched on the ground.
The limbs were purple in color just like the clawed hands it created with each song it sang, however something about these felt different.
[You two, be careful.] Five said, sending the footage to her fellow Valkyries. [Something has changed.]
[Understood.] Nine replied.
[Only one diamond left.] Zero Three reported. [I’ll be joining you shortly.]
The Torso didn’t make a move, still crouching down. The moment she was in range Zero Five deployed her drones surrounding the Calamity preparing isolate its voice the moment it starts singing.
[Huh? Are those… horns?]
As she got closer Five noticed that something was slowly forming on the Calamity’s head. It was a pair of large horns, purple in color just like its new limbs. They were thin and sharp bending backward like those of a goat.
Sensing her presence, the Calamity looked up even though it had no eyes. Its gash like mouth twisted into a horrifying grin causing the Valkyrie to feel horror even though she isn’t supposed to.
As if by instinct Zero Five charged her force field to its limit while activating her drones at the same time.
The Calamity didn’t open its mouth. It didn’t sing or make any voice. It spread its arms wide, in its right hand a large needle like object formed. The Torso waved it lightly and in the next moment the world was filled with another melody.
It wasn’t the singing voice the Valkyries had grown used to. No, this time it was different. It was the sound of an instrument, a violin to be exact. Hearing the sound shook the three, even the young Valkyrie who was still a long distance away felt the danger.
[… The earth…]
Zero Five’s barrier should’ve isolated the sound. Even if it’s possible for the soundwaves to travel through the ground, it’s shouldn’t be possible for them to come out so strong and clear.
One after the other more and more instruments joined the play. Soon enough it was an entire orchestra filling the world with a composition foreign to human kind.
[Five! Weren’t you supposed to isolate it!!] Three shouted.
[It’s impossible!!! The sound is traveling underground, I can’t do anything about it!!!]
[Be careful, Five. I doubt it’ll be just arms this time.] Nine warned.
Just then a familiar scene began to take place in front of the ponytailed Valkyrie. Small purple squares and rectangles began to flicker into existence one after the other. It was the same creation process as the Evil Eye, however unlike the Calamity that gave them the most trouble since their creation the Torso didn’t scan anything making its creation was a mystery.
[Don’t let it finish!] Nine shouted the moment she arrived at the scene.
Her atomic canon barely had enough energy to shoot another large beam however it still could shoot her usual bullets.
Getting broght back to reality, Zero Five stretched her arm commanding the drones to deliver another weapon to her. The proton canon has yet to cool down so she settled for another halberd, one that is several times sturdier than her usual weapon with the ability to enhance itself with its own force field without her having to extend hers to it.
[Nine, focus on the right. I’ll take the other one.] Five instructed, her wings spreading as a large halo appeared behind them.
[On it!] Nine turned her canon to the second cluster of flickering squares and began showering it with bullets. Five flew towers the other one, swinging her weapon and tearing through the creation with as much force as she could muster.
The Calamity continued swinging its arms, looking like a conductor guiding the orchestra as it played the melodies of doom.
The creations began to gradually take form. They were giants reaching eighty meters tall, humanoid in shape with long sharp horns extending from their heads much like those of their creator. From afar they looked like larger versions of the Torso. It didn’t take a lot to know they were trouble so the Valkyries found solace in the fact that there are only two of them, doing their best to slow their creation even if by a little.
[I’ve arrived!!!] Zero Three announced, flying beyond the speed of sound with her lance pointed forward turning herself into a missile, however no matter how much she accelerated in the end she was still unable to pierce through the Calamity’s invisible barrier.
[Damn it! Why. Won’t. You. Break!!!!]
She continued the attacks desperately trying to break through, however the barrier stood strong causing her weapon to bounce off each time.
The Calamity didn’t pay the young Valkyrie any mind continuing to play its symphony leisurely.
The purple giants were starting to take solid shapes. No matter how many times Nine’s bullets pierced through, no matter how many times Zero Five slashed with her halberd, the creations kept on regenerating rendering all the damage the two Valkyries dealt into nothing.
[Five, I think we should rethink our approach.] Nine said, sensing that their efforts were meaningless.
[I know.] Five said, gritting her teeth in frustration. [We have to take down the source first, but…]
No matter what they did they couldn’t pierce that barrier. Soon enough Three began to grow tired of the continuous failed attempts. She retreated to where the other two were intending to ask them what their next move would be. Just then the symphony came to an abrupt stop. The two giants were completed.
The three Valkyries could only watch as they began to move. Their heads twitched, cracks ran through their joints like stone statues that hadjust came to life.
The humanoid figures bent slightly. The faint sound of a violin reached the Valkyries alerting them of the upcoming attack. But there was nothing that could be done.
[DAMN IT!!!] Zero Three cursed, crouching over one of her drones as she prepared to engage one of the giants.
[Five, I have one shot left.] Nine said, her voice tinged with concern. [I might be able to take one of them down, but I’ll be useless after that.]
[…]
Zero Five was lost for words. The giants regenerated as fast as they are damaged. The Torso is practically immune to damage. They needed to rethink their approach, but time was running out. The second symphony has already started.
[… Nine, let’s focus everything on the Torso.]
As she spoke, Zero Five tossed her halberd. At the same time a number of drones came forward delivering her proton canon.
[Everything!?]
[Yes. We will isolate the explosion using my barrier and Three’s drones. If it survives all of that then I’m afraid there is nothing we can do about it.]
[… understood.] Nine nodded.
[Three, did you hear what I said?] Asked Zero Five.
[Would it really work?] The young Valkyrie shot back.
[I dont know, but we don’t have much choice.]
Sadly the Calamity didn’t intend on giving them the time to execute their plan. The symphony erupted turning into a fast paced play followed by the sky color changing to a bloody red. The giants split their mouths open. Strange symbols blinked into existence forming large circles in front of them as particles of golden light gathered to form sun like orbs that radiated pure destruction.
[Mo-]
The Valkyries’ voices faded as a pair of golden beams launched drawing two lines across the ground erasing everything in their way. Plains, lakes, mountains everything was incinerated in a moment ending with a large explosion that shook the entire continent.
[… this can’t be…] Zero Three murmured, watching as the second sun rose in the distance.
[… Doctor…] Nine muttered, her eyes wide with horror as she realized what the two giants were aiming at from the beginning.
[NINE!!!!]
Failing to keep her calm, Zero Five turned her weapon toward the Calamity in a fit of rage. She was about to press the trigger when a strange voice reaches her ears.
[Wait wait waaaaaiiiit!!! Don’t fire yet!!!]
Three long cylindrical objects flew past Zero Five heading straight for the Calamity. They pierced the ground around it with equal distance between each of them forming a triangle that became clear after their tips opened up linking each of them with a golden beam of light.
Tendrils of lightning sprung out from the three pillars ignoring the invisible barrier and hitting the Torso directly. The Calamity tore its mouth open screaming in agony as the lightning ate at its body.
[NOW!!!] The voice shouted giving the signal.
Zero Five squeezed the trigger shooting her proton cannon however to her surprise three other beams launched at the same time.
They were three Valkyries she had never seen before each firing a weapon of the same caliber as hers.
[Reinforcements…?]