93 Penance (1/2)

Ed ground his teeth in frustration. ”Why not?!” He shouted. ”I'm a talented esper, and I already control most of the state. What have you got to lose?”

”Well, to start, you're a traitor.” The President replied calmly. ”You caused the deaths of tens of thousands of Florida soldiers. Not to mention the explosions you caused in New York and Georgia. We've collected quite the large file on you.”

”As if you care about any of that!” Ed protested.

”As a matter of fact, I do.” The black threads that made up the President's body began to unravel, soon disappearing into thin air. His voice echoed everywhere. ”We may be in power, and we may suppress the citizens, but politics is a game, and you must play by the rules of the game.”

Dozens of threads appeared from nowhere and struck Ed from all directions, penetrating his shoulders, legs, arm, and stomach. He groaned as he clenched his teeth. The pain only felt like a slight pinch, but every time he shifted his body he could feel the sharp threads digging in deeper. 'It's not corrosive?' He wondered. Most dark attacks had a corrosive property, so this was an unusual phenomenon. It was common knowledge that the President was a mysteriously strong dark figure that used threads, but that was the full extent of the publicly available information. It wasn't something that would be included in the information on Florida espers he bought from Nexus.

”You're actually quite lucky.” The President's voice echoed. ”The reports of your little skirmishes in Florida have already been reported. The media is calling you the terrorist of the century. However, there are certain groups of individuals that look up to you, wishing to join your cause. Simply killing you would turn you into a martyr for these people, so I'll just arrest you instead. You'll be sent to the cage and await your public trial. We'll use this time to vilify you, making those groups lose all their delusions they hold towards you.”

”Why bother telling me all of this then?” Ed questioned. Internally, ideas for escape were flashing through his mind. 'I need someone to interfere to get these threads off me! My power isn't working on them, and the President is watching me like a hawk.'

”Why indeed.” The voice replied. ”I suppose I've taken an interest in you. It's rare for someone to break up the monotony of my day-to-day governance. It's about time I head back though.” The threads began to tug on Ed's body, controlling him like a marionette.

”FORGE!!!” A voice yelled through the streets. Ed glanced to his left and saw the Cleft mech pointing the manullium rifle towards him, He didn't even have time to blink before it fired a bright white ray of light towards him.

”Humph.” The President snorted as hundreds of threads weaved together into a shield in front of Ed. A blinding flash of light spread 100 meters in diameter.

'Now!' Ed thought as he activated his powers. He still couldn't affect the threads at all, so he did the next best thing. He melted his own flesh and fused it back together as he went. As soon as he escaped the threads, he flew into the skies, putting as much distance as he could between the President and himself. He yelled orders into his mana-radio. ”Orlando espers. Get over here immediately if you want to live!”

”Oh?” The threads reformed the Presidents body. He was still completely unharmed. ”You really are interesting.” He turned towards the Cleft mech which was being piloted by Gunther. ”I don't wish for any interference.”

Dozens of threads shot towards the mech, intending to entangle it. However, the mech used the manullium rifle to hold the threads at bay. Whenever a thread contacted the manullium, it simply vanished into thin air.

”Tsk.” The President clicked his tongue. ”This is why manullium should stay in Government hands.”

Ed regrouped with Gunther, feeling much more confident in their chances. 'Is this all his ability has to offer?' He wondered. 'Honestly, Phantom was stronger and scarier.'

Suddenly, ten espers appeared in the skies, flames trailing behind them. They all landed next to Ed. They had mana collars implanted within their skulls, and discontent was visible within their eyes. They stared warily at the President, knowing they were meant to fight him to the death.

Next, Ray and Husky appeared, also landing next to Ed. Terra and Ash, along with some other chimeras ran over on the ground. Last was Eli and the other superhumans, who traveled over in a single large group in the sky. Now, Ed was surrounded by his full forces. The rest of the soldiers were ordinary or had powers unsuited for combat.

”Looks like your core forces are all here.” The President slowly pointed towards them. ”That'll save me some time from eliminating them individually.” Thousands of threads snaked out, jigging and jagging within the air as they shot towards Ed's group.

”Fire!” Eli yelled towards his flying superhumans. Flames bathed the sky and ground red as they collectively fired. The raging inferno radiated heat so intense that the windows of buildings over a hundred meters away melted. However, the President's threads remained undamaged and unimpeded.

'Damn!' Ed frowned. 'He probably isn't even using much mana based on the way the threads stay concentrated and keep returning to him.' He and Ray both shot blasts of plasma, also failing to slow the threads. Terra raised a large earth wall, but the threads easily penetrated it. Finally, it was Gunther that saved the day. He fired yet another round of the manullium rifle. The white light annihilated most of the threads, saving everyone.

''Light element it is.' Ed thought as he charged forward. White light covered his fist as flames shot from his feet. He threw a punch towards the President, who refused to even dodge. Ed's fist sank into the President's head, but it felt as if he was punching silk. His fist soon bounced back. Only a slight trace of damage remained as a few threads making up the President's head became frayed, but they healed almost instantly. ”Gunther!” He yelled into his mana radio.

Almost immediately, another ray of light fired towards them. This time, the President created a simple shield, easily blocking the attack. He chuckled. ”You're doing a lot better than I expected.”

”I don't need the sarcasm!” Ed snapped back, rage burning in his eyes.

”That was not my intention.” The President replied calmly. ”Anyways, it's time to finish this.” Tens of thousands of threads sprang up, waving menacingly through the air. They were so numerous that it would be more accurate to describe it as cloth as opposed to threads.

'Fuck, fuck, fuck!' Ed glanced back towards his men, trying to think of a plan. The threads were growing closer, casting a shadow overhead and blotting out the sun. His body trembled as he felt sweat drip down his back. He knew the order he had to give. ”Orlando espers, charge forward. Kill him no matter the cost. All other forces are to abandon the fight.”

He blasted backwards, flying away from the President's cloth. The ten enslaved espers looked at each other, melancholy visible within their eyes. They charged forward, hoping they could pull off a miracle. Surprisingly, nearly a dozen enraged chimeras ignored orders and followed behind them. Scales covered their entire bodies as they grew faster and stronger.

Ed glanced at the chimeras and sighed. He had no time to help them right now. He gulped as he gave the last order he never wished to give. ”Attention to all Harmony forces. You are to abandon Orlando and head to all other occupied cities. We lost. All forces are to stand down and go into hiding. Resume your lives as ordinary citizens. We will have to launch the resistant from the shadows in the future.”

”But Forge?!” Several higher-ranking officer voices rang back. Ed crushed the mana-radio and tossed it aside. The orders had been given, and it was up to them to follow it. He held no further responsibility towards their actions.

'I need to buy time for the evacuation.' Ed glanced at the battle. The first of the enslaved espers had been captured by threads. Ed reached into his pocket and pulled out a remote device with multiple switches. He flipped a switch. BOOM! The ground trembled as an explosion of light mana annihilated many of the President's threads. When the light faded, the enslaved esper was nowhere to be seen. 'It really was worth it implanting the light mana-powder in their bodies.' He smiled.

The nine remaining espers got closer, lobbing flames, lightning, water, and more towards the President. Despite their 2nd awakenings, most of these espers were still ordinary. However, there was one exception. A young man amongst them had gained the power of switching. He could easily switch places with anyone nearby. He could also switch the locations of people with other people or objects. It was an odd power considering it didn't even have any size requirements for what he shifted around. It was basically watered-down teleporting. By itself, it was a pretty tame and useless power. However, the mana-limbs had given this esper greater strength. He had also united the enslaved esper team to create the greatest synergy, allowing them to block and avoid attacks they normally couldn't.

Slowly, the nine enslaved espers enclosed the President, preparing to launch their final attacks. They weren't strong enough to kill him with their powers, but maybe the suicide bombings would do the trick. At least some of them might survive if they succeeded.

Ed frowned as he saw none of the enslaved espers were willing to take the final leap. He flew near them and shouted, ”You're up, number 9!”

The esper designated as 9 frowned, his face growing dark.

”Get going!” Ed yelled. ”If you don't, you'll still die. At least this way you might save your comrades and earn their freedom!”

The man glanced up at Ed and gave him the middle finger. Then he charged towards the President.

Ed happily flipped the switch, creating another explosion of light. To his surprise, another explosion of light followed. It appeared that Gunther had not followed orders either and still intended to fight.

The light slowly faded, revealing the President hiding within a cocoon of threads. It quickly unraveled, revealing his unharmed body within it.

”Damn!” Ed frowned. ”Numbers 6, 7, and 8! Go!”

The espers hesitated a moment before charging forward. In truth, they had prepared themselves for death ever since they were captured. They could be considered lucky to have even survived until now. Three more light explosions followed.

Once again, the light faded. Ed's eyes widened in surprise. The President had actually taken damage! Nearly half of his head was missing. The threads moved slower as they struck towards the remaining enslaved espers. Clearly, the attacks were working! ”Numbers 5, 4, 3, and 2. Go! Gunther, fire the last of your remaining ammo!”