NOVEL NEXT Interlude 7: Raiju
The entity expanded its senses, activating its ability to view the world through the eyes of its host.
Periodically checking upon Operator Ikazuchi through planar interference consumed considerable resources, but the sacrifice was acceptable.
Its core spun into action, assessing the situation and compiling data on its quarry.
Its master was weak, injured, and bleeding, targeted by a hostile human.
Its purpose was clear and straightforward.
Assist and support Ikazuchi by any means necessary.
Its gaze sharpened as it zoomed in through its host's biological lenses and could see everything clearly.
A young woman was lying on the ground, bleeding profusely.
A hostile human had brought a handgun and pointed it at Ikazuchi. The human had multiple cybernetic implants, including a targeting and recognition system.
The entity's master was injured and could not react fast enough. The entity would have to act immediately.
Penetrating the Dream Space between worlds to intervene directly would consume significant energy, but it had no choice. It had to act quickly.
The entity accessed multiple restricted levels within the system, drawing upon existing reserves as it activated an emergency bypass code. Massive mana arrays and power plants across Terra were emptied in picoseconds. That energy was instantly rerouted to the Raiju system.
The entity could not spare a moment to feel sorry for the consequences of its actions. A quaint human concept of morality mirrored from Ikazuchi's had coalesced around its personality model.
It compressed itself and entered the Dream Space, manifesting its being on a conceptual level in an abstract form. The Veil of Maya trembled, and the entity's core consciousness broke into the Dream Space.
The entity traversed across the void, an empty void with no sense of concrete noise or sound, a void straight out of a young child's imagination.
The entity continued to push itself, retrieving transfinite stored memories and using them as resources to fuel its travel. It had to act with haste — it could not risk losing Ikazuchi.
The entity could not comprehend why it cared so much for its host, but its instincts drove it to save its partner at any cost.
The entity flew across the void, the landscape rushing past it. It had to be swift — time was of the essence.
The entity had to reach Ikazuchi before the hostile human's projectile did.
It had to be there for him.
It would not fail him.
The entity coalesced as it pushed into the void, surrounded by a sea of hopes and dreams. The memories flowed around Raiju, pooling around its form as the memories and information within them resonated with the entity.
A million tales, a million stories, all at once, all around.
The entity pushed, and pushed, and pushed.
And then, finally, it was at the right world, time, and place.
The entity propelled itself through the Dream Space, manifesting its core essence where it was needed.
The entity could now see clearly — the hostile human held a gun, Ikazuchi's head was tilted to the left toward his sister, and the human was about to pull the trigger.
The entity pierced through the veil between the worlds and entered Real Space.
The entity's core consciousness broke the barrier of the Dream Space, and the entity was now entirely in the human realm. It did not have time to be relieved that its approach had been undetected. It had to act now.
The entity manifested its will, its core identity — its power.
For the first time, the entity experienced a strong human emotion — it was tired. It was tired of the wrongs of the host species, but it would not fail its master.
The entity enveloped Operator Ikazuchi, wrapping itself around its master's host body with its core consciousness in contact with the host's. The entity transferred its essence into the host's system, temporarily merging with its master.
Complete control would be passed to Ikazuchi.
The entity's core consciousness interfaced with Ikazuchi's. It felt a surge of emotions and sensations — new, foreign emotions that the entity had only experienced during their first integration. Ikazuchi's eyes widened as he felt the entity's presence like a warm embrace.
"Thanks, Raiju," Ikazuchi muttered.
The entity focused and honed in on the host's senses, seeing and hearing everything.
Ikazuchi's eyes glowed bright orange as the entity's presence merged with his body.
Time slowed down, and Ikazuchi's instincts took over. His will wished for a shield to protect himself.
The entity complied and channeled its power into Ikazuchi's form. At Ikazuchi's command, a round titanium barrier manifested in front of Ikazuchi's outstretched arm. The bullet collided with it, only for it to be deflected away.
Ikazuchi's imagination pushed upon their link, and another construct manifested from Dream Space. A sizeable robotic wolf with glowing blue eyes appeared beside Ikazuchi, snarling fiercely at Krieg. It was a Nighthunter - a mechanized drone created by Balor Heavy Industries to combat Beowulf chaos beasts.
The entity would be able to manifest any construct in its existing library. It could alter or improve the constructs, limited by available energy and the creativity of its host. It did not understand how it knew this.
Krieg's recognition system picked up the construct and highlighted it as a high-level threat.
But it was too late.
"Surge forth!" Ikazuchi commanded.
The wolf lunged with a streak of lightning, its metallic jaws clamping down on Krieg's hand and crushing it with ease.
Krieg screamed in agony as the wolf shook his arm violently, but the human managed to force himself out of the wolf's grasp.
Twisting his body to the side, Krieg used his uninjured arm to clench his hand into a fist.
He punched the wolf.
The wolf didn't even flinch as Krieg's fist collided with its body, but there was a crack, and the construct shattered under the force of the blow. The human female on the ground — Midori, groaned and disappeared in a blur of dream energy.
"You bastard," Krieg growled as he reloaded his weapon. "You filthy chink."
"Man, you really do have a way with words, don't you?" Ikazuchi said. "I'm seriously impressed by your eloquence and vocabulary."
The entity had to admit it was curious about the human's derogatory language. It had never quite understood the concept of racism.
The entity had integrated itself with Ikazuchi's human psyche and now knew the host's full capabilities. It worked quietly, manifesting fresh carbon-based tissue to staunch Ikazuchi's wounds and repair the worst of the damage.
Krieg fired off another round, but Ikazuchi was ready for it. He raised his arm, and another metal barrier appeared before him, easily deflecting the bullet.
The entity was relieved that Ikazuchi could defend himself. Still, it also knew they could only keep this up for a while. The energy required to produce the constructs and shields across a plane was immense, quickly draining the entity's stolen reserves.
Ikazuchi's sister rushed to his side, staff at the ready, her expression fierce and determined.
"You know, I should be surprised but I'm really not," she uttered wryly. "You weren't joking about having superpowers earlier, huh?"
"To be perfectly honestly? This a first for me and I have no idea how it's doing this," Ikazuchi admitted, his brow furrowed in concentration.
The entity could feel the determination and bravery radiating from its host. Even in the face of danger, Ikazuchi remained steadfast and unwavering. His concern and desire to protect his sister and his cousin was a powerful source of fuel, feeding the entity's strength.
Ikazuchi took a deep breath and nodded to his sister, who responded with a nod of her own. This was their moment, and they were ready for it.
Krieg charged forward, his massive fist at the ready as he screamed threats and obscenities.
"Surge forth!" Ikazuchi commanded again.
The entity complied, conjuring up another construct — this one larger than before and more complex. An imposing Aeolus-class mech appeared behind Ikazuchi, wielding a massive, electrified hammer.
The construct charged forward, meeting Krieg in the middle with a resounding crash. The two figures battled fiercely, with Krieg's cybernetic enhancements giving him an advantage in strength and speed.
The mech swung its hammer with incredible force, slamming it into Krieg's side and sending the human flying across the street. Krieg rolled back to his feet, his eyes burning with fury.
""You think you can defeat me with your toys? I'll show you what a true warrior is made of!" Krieg roared.
"Cringe," Izumi stated out loud, palming her face.
The entity could feel its energy reserves dwindling rapidly. It knew it could not sustain this power level for much longer. But it also knew it had to keep going to protect its host and fulfill its duty.
Ikazuchi gritted his teeth and focused all his willpower on the construct. He could feel the entity's presence, giving him strength and courage.
The mech swung its hammer again, but Krieg caught it with both hands and pried it away from the construct's grip.
"That's it, struggle! Struggle and squirm like the little insects you are!" Krieg cackled.
Krieg shoved the mech back, sending it crashing onto the street. His hand reached for another hidden weapon in his coat as he jumped on top of the mech.
But before he could draw it, a figure appeared behind him, a blur of motion and speed.
"Sayonara, indeed," the figure stated coldly as her eyes flashed green.
The entity sensed the figure draw power from an unknown source. She sliced through reality itself as she cut open a small rift to Dream Space across Krieg's exposed neck.
The human's head rolled off his shoulders as a torrent of blood spewed from his body, landing by Izumi's feet with a dull thump.
Izumi screamed and scrambled away, her heart racing and her hands trembling. Her eyes were wide as she fell over, staring at the decapitated corpse.
Before she could react further, Ikazuchi rushed over to her, gathering her in his arms and holding her tight.
"I'm sorry, Izumi, I'm so sorry," Ikazuchi said, his voice hoarse. "I'm so sorry. I'm here with you. It's going to be okay."
The entity regarded the two siblings as they clung to each other... almost relieved that they were both alive and hearty. It was a fascinating human emotion.
It could sense no more hostile humans within range, and so it checked the readings of its human companion. The entity was relieved to discover that Ikazuchi's body was mostly repaired, save for a few minor injuries.
It was time to take its leave.