Despite the struggle of communicating through loudspeakers within a battlefield full of noise like bullets ,energy blasts and explosions, Serah and Stella found themselves coming up with a daring plan: the mighty Mother Goose tossed Atty like a Frame-shaped javelin, followed by stomping through a building as if it were a mere sandcastle in its way, crumbling it to pieces. The small Frame bravely launched across the sky after being thrown. It’s target: Electric Dragonfly. In response, Atty was struck with a thunderbolt from the latter’s Arklight Thunder system, eliminating the last Energy Wing as it fell out of the sky like a clipped wing. But even without wings, the red Frame started on a downward curve, it’s plasma blade held as energy began coursing through it in bright light. As Atty was locked on by Sleeping Thunder, it dodged the Markerlight shots from Dragon, and even the Slag Cannon shot from Griff’s Shiva as he charged into defend the Tevranian: Serah had achieved a level of synchronization never seen before from True Synchnorizity, as she flipped and spun through enemy fire like an acrobat.

But then, Atty was hit by Shiva’s Markerlight. Atty barely managed to dodge the spear thrust that came alongside the shots, but it carved a line across Atty’s side. In doing so, she was unable to dodge the final attack: Shiva’s Trillium Blade swung upwards, bisecting Atty vertically. However, even then, it was too late for Electric Dragonfly, as the half of Serah and Atty still holding the energy blade, inspired by Astolfo’s words to push beyond the impossible, penetrated through Shiva’s Shining Fingers, the intense energy of the raging plasma blade cutting past the parry, already strained by a parry from the last turn. This resulted in the Shining Fingers malfunctioning, the energy now blinking like a dying lightbulb. Then, Atty passed the imposing Frame, and stabbed the plasma blade right through Electric Dragonfly’s chest, followed by a detonation of pure plasma from Atty’s unstable core from the violent impact: in the crater that ensued, only smoldering remains of both Atty, and Electric Dragonfly, were left.

[Serah disconnected]
[Rhylaen disconnected]

Shiva and Angel Zero, due to proximity, also incurred minor damage, melting and bleaching the bright red front armor of the former Framewerk white. It also destroyed the cloaking system of the latter as plasma energy overloaded the cloak matrix, resulting in the black Framewerk coming to view amidst blue arcs of harmless electricity due to the malfunctioning system. 

Sleeping Thunder received a bit of bleaching on it’s front legs, but the colossus had enough distance not to receive structural damage from the detonation. It set it’s aim towards Zel-Ghin and his Squid, and there was a reckoning: Zel was able to partially redirect the Moonbreaker shot upwards, and it created a groove on the ceiling of the Frame as it cut through the armor, managing to avoid destruction. The pilot attempted to flee behind the Bastion. But what little hope the arrogant pilot had left of surviving, as the crippled Frame struggled to turn with partially broken legs, was dashed as the battlefield once again shook from the unforgettable sound of a Particle Cannon being shot: the shot, even with upwards curving from the Stargazer, was still large enough in volume that it punched through the center of the Frame, instantly killing Zel-Ghin and causing the Frame to explode in a spectacular display, and the pilot with it.

[Zel-Ghin disconnected]

As Electric Dragon fell, so did the jamming field from the battlefield, and team Mango’s communications came live. So did Guinevere’s drone’s allowing Sparks to properly survey the battlefield and make his next move, taking cover towards the east. There, he was met with Cockroach, and given an offer. If Sparks were to accept, he would be able to control his drones even if Guinevere was out of range if Cockroach was in range instead.

On the eastern front, the situation was coming to a head, as the battle revolved around a lone Elora and his crippled Frame. Despite her attempts to deter Minerva from approaching, the Olympian cared little for her weak bullets, the Argo charging in like greased lightning, the golden claw of the goddess held forward, ready to rip and tear.

Elora closed her eyes as tears drifted down, ready to accept her virtual death, when suddenly, she saw the battlefield transform: in an instant, Frames had congregated to rescue her, and even team Banana had decided to join their cause, his Combat Drones having taken positions to pour a barrage of lasers on Argo. However, the Frame dodged and weaved through the red rain, and the shots that connected were either intercepted by the Hornet Nest Point Defense System, or failed to melt through the very heavy-esque armor on their own. Still, with three drones shooting, it had delivered minor damage to the armor plating, melting it at some spots.

As the Ripper Claw came closer, Elora saw as Raptor swooped in. Mema-Ka shot the Rocket Anchors in an attempt to strike Argo, only for them to be deflected by the Hornet Nest Point Defense System. As a result, Raptor missed the flying kick, Argo having ducked under it while only slightly slowing the momentum for the killing blow.

But just as the goddess of the hunt was to claim its quarry, Horst had slammed an L-shaped Bastion Wall right in front of her with an earth-shaking slam, providing a few quick shots of the Heavy Assault Gun, missing. But even against a barrier made of the sturdiest alloy in the galaxy, the Ripper Claw managed to punch it’s long golden claws through the thick material. But in doing so, it lost enough power to puncture Logic Diver, only the very tip of the longest claw having dented the armor. Pulling away, two claws scraped an X-shaped scar over Logic Diver’s front before Argo took a tactical retreat behind the building.

As the incident passed, so did Elora’s moment of confusion, and Logic Diver used it’s body-mounted thrusters, managing to turn upright, and readying a reaction shot with the Automatic Battle Rifle resting on the broken Bastion.

“Thank you!” Her voice could be heard over the comms, no longer scrambled by jamming. “You came to save me! Arrish, Mema-Ka…And Banana too!”

However, unbeknownst to Elora, Lucius, a rookie pilot, was about to receive a reminder of what it meant to face a veteran like Ava.

Lucius took aim, and the Moonbreaker sang, it’s deadly song launched towards Argent Wings. Ava Lane, using her Synchronized Agility, dodged the shot. But then, Lucius realized that something strange had happened [Humanity’s Potential]: he was again in the moment of aiming the shot, the Argent Wings having somehow gone back to where he originally took the shot, as if time itself had wound back a couple of seconds itself. Was it a bug in the VR, a vision of a failed alternate timeline, or something else? Lucius had no time to ponder such questions, and shot again, this time knowing how Argent Wings would dodge. As a result, Ava was forced to parry the shot using Argent’s Shining Fingers.

By the time the parry was made, Ava had already closed the distance to Rex Artus, and swung with the Vibroblade, ignoring the Combat Drone that now shot at the Frame, partially damaging the Cloaking System in the process. Lucius then felt strange again, as [Clairvoyance] now showed him a future where he was bisected in half, and dodged to the side. But then, Ava saw as time slowed down for her [Humanity’s Potential]: she saw the direction Lucius would be dodging, and from years of experience adjusted the trajectory of the blade, delivering a bisecting blow that separated from right shoulder to left hip…And the Black Frame was destroyed in twin explosions killing Lucius in the virtual space.

[Lucius disconnected]

The pilots who had disconnected woke up in their assigned VR seats, the helmets having been automatically lifted off. Lorenzo was there, his hand resting on his walking cane, accompanied by Liisa.
“First blood, huh…As punishment for dying earlier in the mission, you will now observe the rest of the battle. Perhaps you’ll learn something by watching how other pilots fight,” he spoke, and then resumed watching from the large display screen installed on the central pillar of the VR chamber. In the distance, they could hear Ritsu angrily ranting to some hapless scientist, and could only sigh in relief that they were not the recipient.

[img]https://i.imgur.com/y1ct2lf.png[/img]