88 Forge Versus Bustion (2/2)
The Governor flew forward, still appearing completely uninjured to the untrained eye. However, that was far from the truth. The flames had died down to the point of barely covering his body. His eyes were red as he panted from exhaustion. The constant bombardment from steam cannons and steam tanks had nearly exhausted his mana. Ed never would have been able to do it alone, hence why the Governor had tried to turn the fight into a one versus one.
”Not looking so good there are you?” Ed jeered.
”You're one to talk, calling the kettle black.” The Governor calmly replied.
Indeed, Ed was in a much worse state. His arms hung at his sides, dangling like worthless accessories. Burns covered his entire body, with much of his clothing destroyed as a result. Even his Harmony mask had been chipped, revealing his burn-scarred eye.
'All according to plan.' Ed thought to himself. Unlike his opponent, he still held spades of mana within his deck. He could heal these injuries whenever he desired. However, he wanted to lull the Governor into a false sense of security. 'One is most likely to make a mistake when success is just within their grasps.' He forced himself not to grin and mock the enemy.
The Governor walked forward, leaving imprints of golden flames within the concrete street as he went. He stopped just a dozen meters or so from Ed. He lifted his arm, causing flames to snake down towards his hand, forming a giant globe of golden flames. He smiled. ”I think I'll keep my distance. Who knows what little schemes you're hatching up.”
'Damn!' Ed ground his teeth. His plan had been to hold Bustion down forcefully, preventing any chance of Flair's attack missing. He truly looked helpless to everybody now. 'To think the Governor would be this careful.' He sighed to himself while shaking his head.
”Goodbye Edward. It's been fun.” The globe of golden flames shot forward, the ground beneath it melting as it passed by.
...
Flair stood near the edge of the city. A giant metal contraption sat atop some railroad tracks next to her. Looking through her binoculars, she watched the fight between Ed and the Governor. Soon, Ed slammed into the ground where he had planned. There was a clear line of sight between where he stood and her own position on the edge of the city.
”Push it forward a few meters!” She ordered towards dozens of nearby chimeras.
The chimeras grunted as they pushed the ridiculously heavy machine forward. It was as big as a warehouse. They had to use a steam train just to haul it here. It wouldn't even fit through the city tunnel entrance, so Terra had to widen the tunnels first. This machine was truly one of the most impractical weapons of war ever created. Perhaps it would serve better if it was mounted on a ship, but as for now, it barely qualified as scrap metal. Of course, these chimeras weren't aware of the true destructive force the machine was capable of releasing.
”Good! Stop there!” She waved towards them. She stood next to the machine and measured the angle, adjusting it slightly using a lever. 'It's almost time.' She squeezed her hand around a red lever, ready to pull it and fire at a moment's notice. Sweat covered her hand as she trembled from nervousness. Even someone as astute as her would get nervous in this scenario.
She frowned as she watched the Governor stop walking towards Ed, choosing to instead make a globe of golden flames. 'Am I still supposed to fire now?' She wondered. 'No.' She shook her head. 'I can't take the risk.' Ed's orders were to fire after he was struck, which is exactly what she intended to do. As for whether Ed managed to grab ahold of the Governor at the current distance? That wasn't of her concern or responsibility.
She watched as the globe of golden flames tore through the air towards Ed. Suddenly, something jumped in front of the golden flames to attempt blocking them! Her eyes widened in shock as she watched. Was she still supposed to pull the lever? Technically, Ed hadn't been struck. However, her nervousness answered the question for her as she pulled the red lever down.
BRRM! An odd sounding boom echoed as the railgun fired its light mana-powder warhead projectile.
...
Ed watched as the golden globe of flames grew larger in his eyes. He prepared to dodge and rush forward. 'I'll grab ahold of him before the railgun's light mana-powder shell slams into us. I'll take extremely heavy damage as a result, but my body should hold out. I'll just have to fix myself afterwards.'
He bent his knees slightly as he prepared to charge. Suddenly, a yellow blur appeared in front of him. 'Ochre?!' His eyes widened in shock as Ochre created several earth walls to block the fire. But it was of no use. The golden globe of flames easily burned through the walls and slammed into Ochre's body, the flames rapidly swirling around him.
”The hell?!” Bustion yelled in surprise. Even he hadn't expected such unnecessary interference at the last moment.
A tearing sound ripped through the air. Both Ed and Bustion turned to look, seeing the railgun projectile flying towards them. Seeing was one thing but reacting was another.
'No time to charge the Governor.' Ed thought as he held his arms up defensively, melting the concrete below him as he crouched into the molten ground.
The Governor wasn't slow either. However, he did not melt the ground and hide within it. He had a natural tendency to take things head on, for the strong were not used to avoiding attacks. This was because they simply had no need to do so, as it was rare to ever face someone or something stronger than themselves. The golden flames grew larger than ever before as they formed a defensive wall. The wall was so dense that it was hard to tell it was made from flames.
The light mana-powder warhead slammed into the wall of flames. Things were eerily silent as white light instantly spread out to over 300 meters in all directions, forming a large sphere of light. The light vanished just as quickly as it came, revealing the results of the attack.