92 US Presiden (1/2)

Ed charged forward, flames covering his fists. Each collision with Phantom sent shock waves outwards, pushing both men backwards.

Ed frowned. 'He's equal to me even with my chimera strength and mana-batteries.' Suddenly, a fist came pummeling towards him. He hurriedly stepped to the side to dodge. However, the first quickly faded away, a new one replacing it where Ed had stepped. ”Ugh!” He groaned as the punch landed squarely on his stomach, causing him to almost throw up.

”You never were much of a match for me, Edward. I'm more of a long-range fighter, but I'm just as good at close-quarters combat.” Phantom swung a kick towards Ed, hurling him backwards several meters.

The attacks continued. More and more injuries slowly built up on Ed's body. He grinned as blood poured down his head. 'He really has almost no mana left. If I were him, I'd probably just be keeping a small amount in emergency reserve. It's now or never.' He charged forward as all seven mana-batteries within his left arm activated. His arm shook as it glowed with seven colors. The mana was so strong that even the surrounding air distorted backwards in waves.

”DIE!” Ed yelled as he threw his left arm forward. The seven elements within his arm mixed, causing a violent explosion. His arm burst into thousands of pieces as the explosion was directed towards Phantom's chest, sending gore everywhere. When the light faded away, nothing remained of Phantom's body except for a large bloodstain on the ground.

The backlash of the explosion had slammed into Ed's body, causing severe burns all over it. His scales were torn to shreds as a result. Blood formed a small pool beneath him. ”Ugh.” He groaned in pain as he hurriedly used his powers to fix up his own body. He glanced at his missing left arm and sighed. 'I'll have to wait until later to fix it.' With those thoughts in mind, he closed his eyes. Multiple layers of his power snaked out to cover his entire body, as if he was waiting to defend against something.

...

A couple of days before the final battle. Ed stood within his lab, working on the ten enslaved espers he had captured previously. He gave each of them a pair of flame mana-battery limbs, and then instructed Eli to train them to fly. The only difference was that the enslaved espers had to use mana to power their batteries instead of manullium, which actually made their training more difficult.

”Forge.” Gunther called as he waited patiently outside the lab. It was nearly an hour before Ed answered, inviting Gunther inside. The two sat down at a table, sipping some tea and coffee.

”Have you gotten used to the new weapon?” Ed questioned.

”Mm.” He nodded. ”I think I should be ready.”

”Good.” Ed smiled. ”Here's the plan. You'll watch the fight from a distance. As soon as you see me defeat or kill Phantom, I want you to fire the manullium rifle right at me.”

”What?!” Gunther questioned in shock as his mouth hung wide open. ”Why would I do that?”

”Because that's when Phantom will strike.” Ed replied calmly. ”If I'm right, then he'll save the last of his mana to make me think I've beaten him. At that moment, he'll put everything he has into striking me. That's when the shot from the manullium rifle will hit both of us. However, I'll still have mana to defend myself, though I'll likely suffer heavily injuries. As for Phantom, he'll finally die.”

Gunther had a hesitant expression on his face as he furrowed his brows. ”What if you're wrong?” He asked.

”Then Phantom will have probably died already, and I take some injuries for nothing.” Ed grinned. ”A pretty good risk to reward ratio if you ask me.”

Gunther sat silently for several moments before nodding. ”I'll do it.” He said with determination gleaming in his eyes.

”Good.” Ed pulled out a map and spread it out on the table between them. He pointed at a spot south of Orlando. ”We'll plan an ambush here. There's a chance I'll fail to lead him there. In that case, you'll just have to head over to me...” He continued to explain the finer points of the plan in detail.

...

Back in the present. Gunther sat in the 10-meter-tall Cleft mech. He was crouched several football field distances away, watching the battle through a scope on the manullium rifle. He watched as Ed fought valiantly against the worn-out Phantom. Finally, Ed landed a decisive blow, killing Phantom at the sacrifice of his left arm.

'I hope Forge is right about this.' He sighed as he squeezed the trigger. A bright burst of white light fired from the rifle, traveling forward at incredible speed. It was heading straight towards Ed!

...

Ed stood silently, waiting for Phantom to reveal himself. Suddenly, the old man appeared out of thin air, a sword in hand. He lunged forward, stabbing it directly through one of Ed's three hearts, causing him to spit out a stream of blood.

”You didn't think I'd let you win so easily did you?” Phantom smiled as he twisted the blade, causing agonizing pain for Ed.

”Of course not.” Ed grinned as he looked up at Phantom, blood dripping down the side of his lips.

As soon as the words were said, a bright light covered the duo, exploding outwards in all directions. A 100-meter sphere of white light devoured them, annihilating everything in its path. When the light faded away, it revealed a bloodied Ed gasping heavily for air. Phantom was collapsed on the ground, not a shred of skin remaining on his body. He looked like a monster from a horror film.

Ed's chest rose and fell rapidly as he felt himself on the verge of losing consciousness. 'Damn.' He frowned as he saw stars and spots of black in his vision. He shook his head, forcing himself to remain awake. He sent his right arm crushing downwards, penetrating through Phantom's skull. When he pulled his arm back, he held a seven-colored mana-core within his hand. ”So the bastard was the same as me. No wonder his powers were so damn ridiculous.” He complained as he pocketed the core.

”Good job, Gunther. You just won us the entire war.” He said into his mana-radio.

Ed's mana chugged slowly as he forcefully made use of it to control his mana-batteries. Flames blasted from his feet as he flew towards Orlando. He stumbled forward several steps as he landed, forcing him to support his body against a nearby building. Many of the patrolling soldiers looked towards him with confusion on their faces. They hadn't been aware of any deadly battles going on.

”Forge?” One of the soldiers questioned hesitantly.

”Mm.” He nodded. ”Call Dupe. We're having an emergency meeting.”