Chapter 26: That Better Not Be What I Think It Is!

Arlic was currently floating in the skies of [Planet M-2], his [Hard-Light Scanner] showing him the locations of all incoming [Machine Mutants]. Raising his hands toward the oncoming horde of enemies, he prepared for the slaughter he was about to enact. Hearing a woman's voice call out to him, Arlic chose to ignore it, as he didn't often get the chance to let loose. With a large smile plastered across his face, Arlic spoke a single word, while placing the middle finger of each hand over his index finger. "Perish!" Red and black light coalesced at his fingertips, soon after, Arlic unleashed his [Colossal Bullet Blitz].

Beam after beam of red-black light flew from his fingertips, each one piercing a [Machine Mutant]s metal body. What followed, where a series of explosions above [Planet M-2]s capital city. Pieces of metal began to fall upon the city's landscape, while the people watched on from whatever shelter they could find. After a few minutes, Arlic ceased his attack, as all enemies had been destroyed. At least, that's what he thought. A large shadow fell upon the city, noticing this he looked upward. What he saw made him realize something important. "I really don't have any luck with aircraft, do I?" That was what was flying straight at him, an airplane of some kind.

His eye twitching, Arlic sighed. The aircraft was at least the size of three large blimps put together, and it was currently approaching him from the outer atmosphere. Arlic could tell that it didn't belong to this world, so he couldn't help but wonder where this spacecraft had come from. Shaking his head at the enemy's attempt to kill him, Arlic sent a call over his [Scouter]. "Rasin!" Responding quickly, Rasin spoke. "Yes, Lord Arlic?" Peering at the incoming craft, Arlic gave Rasin an order. "I sense [Ki Signature]s aboard the incoming craft, lock on to any life signs and initiate a mass teleport. Move them to a secure area aboard [The Sanctuary] and begin questioning them." Arlic continued to observe his surroundings in case this was a trap.

Sensing the incoming ships [Ki Signature]s disappear, Rasin contacted him. "It is done, my lord!" Nodding his head, Arlic turned his attention to the falling craft which was about three miles from reaching him. Flickering, he disappeared, reappearing on the ground below. Taking a deep breathe, Arlic began to gather his energy. He was going to destroy it, to do that he would have to put some oomph behind his next attack. Indeed, ships like this one were designed to be sturdy, it might even have a shield. If Arlic wanted to destroy it completely, he would have to use more power than ever before.

Placing both palms together almost as if he was praying, Arlic's eyes never left his target. His palms parting, a small white ball of energy formed between them. Soon after, Arlic moved both palms' forward. The small ball of energy shot forward, black and red energy began to swirl around it. Reaching the aircraft, the ball of energy had grown to the size of Cooler's [Supernova]. The impact vaporized the craft in a flash of blinding red light. Seeing this, Arlic shook his head. The power wasn't near what it should be. He called this technique the [Colossal Nova], and it was not yet complete. Looking around, Arlic began to search for any remaining enemies.

He knew that an attack on this scale would not be carried out upon a single front. The local citizens would most likely be targeted as well. Taking flight, he searched from the skies. Finding two of the [Machine Mutants] terrorizing some of the locals, noticing that they had already killed three people, Arlic quickly dispatched them before turning away, returning to his search. Dead or not, he needed to cement his willingness to help in the hearts of the people of [Planet M-2]. To accomplish that, he had to save as many citizens as possible. Besides, the dead would soon rise to live again. Realizing that he couldn't cover enough ground alone, Arlic used [Cloning], a technique which he had learned from Elder Pybara.

It was essentially the same as Tien Shinhan's [Multi-Form] technique. There were differences of course, being that Arlic's version utilized [Spirit Control]. That meant that unlike Tien's, his clones would have the same strength as the original. Tien's version couldn't do that, as each copy required him to split his power among them. That split in power also meant that Tien could only create so many copies, something that Arlic's [Cloning] technique had no trouble with. This fact was proven when a small army of Arlic's appeared around the original. With smiles on each of their faces, they all dispersed throughout the capital city in search of those who needed aid.

The original Arlic eventually found himself inside of what appeared to be a large community center. There were soldiers fighting off [Machine Mutants] that was attempting to kill a large group of civilians, the soldiers were doing well, all things considered. Arlic didn't think that would last however, as there was a blue skinned woman watching them fight. A woman that had no energy signature. Arlic concluded that she was like the soldiers that had attacked him when he landed, though looking closer, she seemed a bit more advanced. Seeing the woman turn towards him and observe his actions, Arlic smiled. He waited, curious to see what actions her programming would compel her towards.

He didn't have to wait long, as the petite woman soon disappeared. Before Arlic could even activate his [Hard-Light Scouter], she had already appeared above him. One of her arms had morphed into a sharp metal blade, which she swung downwards with such speed that Arlic had trouble seeing it. In that split second, Arlic knew he was facing a strong opponent. Unfortunately, he had no time to face her, as he needed to save the people before him. Dodging to his left, his eyes glowed with a bright white light, a full second later the woman froze in place, surrounded by a fluctuating white-blue light.

Wiping the cut she left on his cheek, Arlic wore a stoic expression on his face. In that one second she had swung three more times; he had failed to completely evade her last swing. Her speed was impressive, still though, speed meant nothing if she couldn't move. Arlic had used a spell called [Temporal Bind], it literally froze her in time. While active, she couldn't harm anyone and in exchange, nothing could harm her, but it wouldn't last long. It would, however, buy him the time he needed, with that in mind he turned towards the [Machine Mutants] still attacking the soldiers, quickly making his move.

Utilizing [Instant Transmission], Arlic appeared beside one of the soldiers, raising his hand he unleashed his [Colossal Bullet Blitz]. Destroying the group of [Machine Mutants], he turned his attention towards the soldier at his side and spoke in a commanding tone. "Evacuate the civilians. I will buy you the time to do so." Walking forward without worrying about the soldier's reaction, Arlic faced the now unfrozen woman. She was watching him with eyes bereft of all emotion, as she slowly walked towards him. Arlic noticed that her other arm had formed into a second blade. He couldn't stop himself from smiling, choosing to meet her gaze, he spoke softly. "Show me that speed, again!" His smile turning maniacal, Arlic charged forward.