Earth: The Second

A Virtual Battlefield

Adma is able to move his fingers again after some period of time, but he can’t see his companion anymore after Serpentia moved him to somewhere else. Right now, he is in another empty white space.

“Damn it, what should I do now?” asked Adma as he looked around. He remembers that Serpentia, his enemy, whispered his actual plan that involving the million-year-old beast machine.

“I will awaken the rightful ruler of this world,” he said. But Adma still does not understand, what the ruler means. Is Serpentia is actually serving someone? or those are just plain figures of speech for the actual plan that involves the politics of this country?

Just when Adma thinking about that, a screen appeared beside him. 

“Much apologized to have you split up with your friends again, Adma,” a mask covered almost all of that screen, looked like Serpentia did watching over him from another place. Presumably, the same place where the rest of his companions got imprisoned.

“Damn it, just watch me, I will get out of this place and destroy you myself,” said Adma.

“What a spirit! You always amuse me with those fighting words, Adma. But for now, there is something more important for you to do,” said Serpentia.

Across the room, Adma could see another tunnel that was formed by computer data appeared. From it, Boss appeared with his weapon and armor, battle-ready.

“To proceed the second phase, I need to obtain as much data as possible, about the type of behavior that I would inject for Orochi. Previously, I have injected it with all the data from the base. But it’s not enough. This creature must be fierce! Relentless! and beastly as much s possible.”

“And then you need the data of two people fighting to achieve that?” asked Adma toward the screen.

Serpentia clapped his hand satisfied. “I have read destinies, and knowing that our fates will be crossed at this moment. Boss harbor a strong feeling as your rival. He would gladly remove his title, jobs, and anything else, to overcome you, Adma,” said Serpentia. As he speaks, Boss walked closer and unsheathes his giant sword that has similar in length to his own body.

Boss slammed that sword to the ground again, creating craters even though they are still in Virtual Space.

“This is a rematch, Adma!” shouted Boss. His face looked very happy, with a wide grin that appeared from his mouth. Adma on the other hand glaring at him intensely. He thought to himself how naive he is to swallowing Boss’s stories, and to think that they have something in common after all.

“Once a bad guy, always a bad guy. You played me right into your trap, Boss,” shouted Adma. Boss just answers it with a smile.

Adma then closed his eyes. Previously, he can’t see Navigators transferred together with him. Adma hopes that the channel they secretly make would connect and they could speak to each other.

“Connection established,” said Navigator inside his head.

“Finally, Navigator, where are you?” asked Adma.

“I’m at nowhere. Spaces between servers where I can freely move. The technology in this place is not as advanced as I am, and now I have control of all the computers.” replied her.

Finally, Adma gets the good news after a while. It is quite astonishing too, that Navigator could do that without getting noticed by Keeper. 

“That’s a good thing, but I’m going to take control over combat for now. Can you functioned fine without it?”

“Sure,” replied Navigator. Her sphere forms the shrinking, while on the other side, Adma can feel a surge of knowledge about combat on his entire body. He knew that in this Virtual Space, he is able to manifest weaponry that he wanted, as data that could damage another data.

“Have you prepared your defeat, Adma? Or are you prefer to use cunning way, and waiting for a miracle to happened?” shouted Boss. Adma clicked his tongue, he stretches out his hand and imagines a spear with axes as its head. Seconds later, a halberd has been formed next to him out of nowhere. 

Adma catches it with both of his hands and spinning it around like an acrobat. His mind telling him everything techniques he could do with that spear-axe. While it might can not hold Boss’s giant sword, the most important thing, is Adma could inflict damage to his body.

“You’re pissing me off, you know? At this moment I would not even care if you are going to bleed to death,” replied Adma angrily.

“Ha ha ha! Let’s just see for ourselves, who will beat who!” Boss jumped in the air with his sword swinging downward. Adma sees that moves just fine, and he only needs to take a sidestep to avoid the impact of that massive steel.

“Not over yet!” shouted Boss, suddenly, a short sword materialized beside him. Boss catches that sword mid-air and swung it to Adma who is standing beside him. 

Surprised, Adma lifts his left hand to protect his face from the attack. The short sword did give a clean hit to Adma, and he realized the cutting sensation on his hand. 

Adma stepped backward right before the short sword is managed to cut his hand completely. 

When Adma realized this, his left hand is already hanging motionless. There is only a bit of meat that holding that hand together.

“Argh…” grunt Adma. Again, he feeling pain, even in this world that is supposed to be virtual.

“The sensation in this world are just simulations made by my own brain. The truth is, every hurt receptors are set at minimum,” said Navigator. 

Adma let go of his weapon and moved his almost-cut hand to the other half-part. It then automatically fixes itself, and Adma could move them again just fine.

“And this place can do this thing either,” utter Adma.

“That’s right!” suddenly, Serpentia that has been watching from the other side is laughing. “In this eternal virtual battlefield, two gladiators are fighting to corner each other for a single long round. Every time their limbs are cut out, they can obtain it again, as long as they are able to obtain it again!” shouted that mad man.

“Which mean, we are going to fight until either one of us can’t regenerate aren’t we?” muttered Adma.

“Finally you get it!” said Boss. He dragged his giant sword with his left hand and short sword on his right. “This is the perfect place for ME! I can you in half, and you’ll still be alive. I can destroy your feet, but they will still be fine. This is the world where I can fight anytime I wanted!” shouted him. Adma put on a disgusted face, he can’t believe that his man once makes him sympathize with his past as a slave.

Boss does not need an answer to swing his left hand. As this place does not have the law of the outside world, Boss is easily moving the weapon that is supposed to weigh around dozens of kilograms. 

Again he slammed it to Adma, making him moved to the site. But Boss’s right hand had prepared with a shortsword, to give him a thrust attack. Adma grunting, and he lifts his halberd. The timing is right, Boss’s blade is hitting the outer side of his staff, and slipped outside Adma.

Adma makes use of this chance, to counter him, but because his left hand is not fully healed yet, Adman is only able to hit his head with the wooden part of his halbert. He spins Boss around, so he would fall behind.

“Not enough yet!” shouted Boss, now, two short swords are materialized beside him, and he used them as twin blades. Boss swung those swords aggressively with only one objective: Tearing his enemy’s head off.

While Adma dodging them, he is finally healed, and able to fight back. Adma lifts the halberd with both his hand and drives it straight toward Boss’s chest.

The pointy part of the weapon is stabbing right to the man’s chest. Making it more lethal, Adma pushes it forward, and pierce it straight to his back.

“Not bad! Not bad!” Boss is gritting his teeth at first, blood that is made out of data is oozing out from his wounds.

“Caution!” shouted Navigator, “Highly electromagnetic signal coming from the subject. apparently, his brain can not take the wound simulator, as he doesn’t have an artificial receptor suppressor!” add her.

“Make it quick already! I’m in the middle of the battle here!” shouted Adma.

“It means that Boss’s brain, can not take more damage, or the virtual-diver equipment that he wears will melt his brain!” said Navigator.

Adma glanced at his enemy. Boss is still standing on the ground even though he is impaled. He clearly has a beastly expression, and both his hand still holding on to that sword firmly.

“Give it up! Don’t you get it!? This wound may not be inflicted in real life, but your brain is still feeling the pain!” shouted Adma. another side of him said that it does not matter if Boss is dying. But that cyborg chooses to pick his humane side.

“You think… This small wound… Feel anything to me?” mutter Boss. The weight of his body is leaning forward, letting the halberd’s eye stab even further to his back.

“Damn it! You madman! I would not give a damn about you anymore!” with all of his strength, Adma spin that halberd. the blade that nesting inside his chest then moving to the right, causing the left side of Boss’s torso to be destroyed when Adma pulled of his weapon.

At first, Boss’s body seems wobbly, and he could fall anytime, but suddenly a maniac screams coming out from his mouth.

“CHANCE!!!”

He moved his right hand that was still fine. At the same time, he materializes huge iron from the giant sword that he used to bring. Adma’s eyes widen up, the movement of his enemy is too surprising, together with the sword that appeared so suddenly.

It takes only a centimeter for Boss to reach Adma, and he is too slow to dodge. Eventually, that blade manages to strike on the side of his body. It slashed diagonally, and only in one attack, Adma’s body is cut in half.