Chapter 281: Doppelgangers (1/2)

Chapter 281: Doppelgangers

Windbreaker was struck dumb with surprise. He was ready, waiting to strike the killing blow on Thor. But when he arrived it wasn’t Thor in front of him, nor any explosion from the collision of their two powers. Instead it was the deflected breath weapon of his own companion heading straight for him. Before he had time to react, the strike rammed against his own shield of compressed air. Thor, now separated in to two identical images, simply went around.

In short, both Thor and Bahamut were assaulting the beleaguered Windbreaker.

But that palm strike…

How was it that Bahamut’s breath weapon could be so easily deflected? Controlled? It was the primary question running through Yu Honghu’s mind as he helplessly watched the interaction.

Thor would not be answering his question. As for his strike, it already reached a target, just not the one he wanted.

However, Windbreaker was not your average pilot. Twentieth on the aggregate power lists, he was among some of the most talented pilots there were. That’s why, in the face of such sudden and dangerous changes to the field of battle, he kept his cool. Suddenly, a white light erupted from the mecha and surrounded it, as the brunt of Bahamut’s attack struck it head on. Wave upon wave of compressed air rushed out to meet it, and the resulting shockwave succeeded in deflecting the dangerous energy away.

Windbreaker’s entire metal frame had, by this time, become a brilliant titanium white, blazing with the power of a small sun. The atmosphere around it warped and distorted uncomfortably.

This was a powerful skill unique to Windbreaker: Airburst. It was a maneuver that was simultaneously offensive and defensive in nature, with the capability of creating a powerful single-front shield and obliterating anyone too close to the blast radius. It was an effective martial tactic. He’d used it once in another god-ranked battle after grabbing his opponent. The resulting, violent explosion left nothing remaining of his competitor. Considering the situation he faced now, Windbreaker undoubtedly made the right decision.

The most upsetting revelation was how quickly Thor turned the two of them against each other. It was two on one, but even a trade of Thor for one of theirs wasn’t something they could afford.

But while he released the Airburst, Windbreaker’s face changed sitting there in the darkness of his sim pod. Thor still hadn’t attacked directly, coaxing the two mirror images around him like a stone in a river. He fused back in to one once he’d passed windbreaker’s sphere of influence, and rushed directly toward Bahamut.

“Beautiful! A flawless deception against Windbreaker by Thor, giving him a chance to take on Bahamut one on one. Now he’s got the path open for a charge.” Mo Xiao cried her expert analysis rapidly over the scene.

Yu Honghu, upon seeing Thor revert back to one suit and charge his way, was understandably alarmed. It was all he could do before Thor arrived within melee range.

In no time at all, Thor had turned a two on one encounter around so he had the upper hand. No one had expected it to happen, especially so fast. Zeus; display wasn’t just of power, but of experience, intent and control as well.

After the last fight, watching his brother’s remarkable sacrifice, Zeus was ready to give it all he had. The experience coaxed him to reveal every bit of ability he possessed.

His hand speed soared to over ninety CPS. Creating doppelgangers as Thor just had looked easy, but it was impossible for anyone with a hand speed under eighty-five. On the lists of fasted hand speed, Zeus sat at number four. But that list didn’t take in to account his most recent improvements.

Thor’s lightning spear, appearing now in its hands, lashed out. The strike spawned countless shadow images, creating a forest of deadly strikes aimed right at Bahamut.

The dragon mecha’s specialties lay in battlefield control and local support. Relying on his mobility and powerful standard attacks, Bahamut was an integral addition to support his allies.

However, one on one he wasn’t so powerful. Of the four other members of his Star Alliance team, he was certainly weakest in this regard. Thor was right on top of him, so even with his speed advantage he didn’t have the time to employ it. All he could do was face what was coming.

The two dragon’s heads began to spurt plumes of energy. The red emulsion swept around the suit and congealed to form a light shield, in the hopes of deflecting Thor’s melee onslaught. Bahamut’s powerful strikes were long-ranged, and not calibrated for close-combat. Windbreaker’s first priority had to be making sure Thor didn’t get too close.

Thor appeared to rgow denser as Windbreaker watched, and the myriad spear strikes all melted in to one. Zeus’ massive mecha suddenly erupted with color of its own, disappearing in a golden orb and stretched cone-shaped as Thor launched itself forward. Like a golden comet, the towering mecha collided viciously with Bahamut’s shield.

“Boltcutter!” Mo Xiao exclaimed.

Much like Thor’s Hammer, Boltcutter was one of Zeus’ unique abilities. Its purpose was to break through, like a hardened ballistic missile.

Bahamut’s shield parted, offering little more protection that a shell of warm butter, like it was hardly there at all. The dragon mech wrenched itself to the side, and brought its long tail over like a hammer.

But Thor was ready, once again displaying his mastery of the craft. He anticipated Bahamut’s defense, and his response dropped the jaws of every onlooker.

Once again, Thor split in to two Instead of splitting left to right, however, this time it was above and below.

“Staggered doppelgangers! Wow!”

Creating the doppelganger illusion one on top of the other was particularly difficult, even when compared with the traditional left-right formation. This was due to the powerful weightlessness the pilot felt while performing it. The physical cost and hand speed required were on a different level.