Part I
The first strike split the air.
Melissa MK-2 descended from the platform like a crimson meteor.
The Unity team moved at the same time.
Titan attacked first, charging forward with all his strength.
His fist smashed into the ground as the replica slipped aside with impossible speed.
Specter appeared behind her.
His blade cut through the air—
But Melissa MK-2 was already gone.
Chrono activated a temporal distortion around her.
The time field flared to life.
Yet she passed through it as if she knew exactly where its weakness was.
Echo shouted from the rear.
“She’s anticipating everything!”
Astra clenched her teeth.
“She has our files.”
Melissa MK-2 spoke for the first time.
Her voice was cold.
“Complete combat records.”
“Unity team patterns analyzed.”
“Outcome: predictable.”
In an instant she appeared in front of Titan.
One strike.
Titan was launched across the battlefield, crashing into a metal structure that collapsed under the impact.
Specter moved to intercept again.
But Melissa MK-2 twisted and slammed him into the ground with brutal force.
Chrono stepped back.
“This is impossible…”
Blue stepped forward.
Her eyes glowed.
“Then I’ll do it.”
Her body shifted.
Battle mode activated.
Lines of blue energy surged across her frame.
Her speed increased instantly.
Blue moved like lightning.
Her attacks came in rapid succession.
For the first time—
Melissa MK-2 stepped back.
Once.
Then again.
Titan lifted his head from the rubble.
“That’s it!”
But Blue wasn’t smiling.
She was thinking about Melissa.
The real Melissa.
I have to free her.
Another strike.
Melissa MK-2 blocked.
Another.
And another.
But slowly…
The pressure began to change.
Melissa MK-2 adapted.
Her movements became sharper.
More precise.
Blue began stepping backward.
“No…”
Blue pushed harder.
But Melissa MK-2 caught her.
A sudden twist.
A violent motion—
And—
CRACK
Blue’s arm was torn from her body.
The metal limb crashed to the ground.
Blue screamed.
“BLUE!”
Gerard rushed forward.
Desperation drove him.
He struck Melissa MK-2 with everything he had.
The impact pushed her back several meters.
“Leave her alone!”
Gerard attacked again.
And again.
For a moment it looked like the balance might shift.
Titan stood again.
Specter rejoined the fight.
Chrono attempted to stabilize the time field.
But Melissa MK-2 turned.
One movement.
Gerard was thrown violently into the ground.
The pavement shattered beneath him.
For a moment—
Everything went silent.
The fight seemed lost.
Then—
A shadow crossed the sky.
A massive impact.
Melissa’s cage exploded apart.
Metal fragments scattered through the air.
Melissa fell to the ground.
And slowly stood.
Something in her expression had changed.
Something none of them had ever seen before.
Rage.
Pure rage.
Melissa looked at the crimson replica.
And without saying a word—
She struck.
The blow was devastating.
Melissa MK-2 was hurled through the air.
She crashed through a structure before stopping.
Eclipse began to laugh.
“Interesting.”
He looked at his daughter.
“But I made your replica stronger than you.”
He smiled.
“You’ll have to try much harder if you really want to accomplish anything.”
Eclipse folded his arms.
“Though you could always stop resisting.”
His voice was calm.
“Come back to me.”
“I won’t harm you.”
“You will be welcomed again in Nexum.”
Melissa was breathing heavily.
Her hands trembled.
“You…”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“You ruined my life.”
Eclipse watched her quietly.
Melissa continued.
“And no matter how much I loved you like a father…”
She shook her head.
“I can’t follow you anymore.”
Eclipse smiled faintly.
“The offer does not expire.”
At that moment—
Melissa MK-2 returned.
She descended like a falling star.
The impact shook the entire battlefield.
The fight resumed.
But now it was different.
Melissa and her replica clashed with terrifying force.
Each blow shattered pieces of the environment.
Each impact echoed across kilometers.
The Unity team tried to assist however they could.
But the difference in power was overwhelming.
Shockwaves spread through the city.
People miles away could feel the tremors beneath their feet.
It was the fiercest battle the nation had ever witnessed.
And if one simply stood still…
And listened carefully…
They could hear it.
Far away from the battlefield…
In a quiet cemetery.
Birds suddenly scattered into the sky.
Startled by the vibrations traveling through the earth.
One of them descended, searching for shelter.
It landed on a grave.
The tombstone was simple.
Old.
The bird settled on the stone.
And the name engraved upon it read:
Luna.
Story by Gerard Leaf and Blue
