139 137: A Company of Fools: Operation EVOLUTION II

"It transformed? Your evo can fucking transform!" Sin yelled then flinched when a bolt of lightning struck the ground near us. "And what the fuck is up with all this lightning…oh shit your mana overload!"

"It's…fine…" I said sluggishly even though I was anything but fine.

That mana overload was more severe than the one I had back at Tolapo village, only this time I didn't have people around me to off load the extra mana to. I honestly should have been dead with all the injuries to my internal organs; my brain included; the only reason I was still alive was my body started using that extra mana to heal my injuries as they happened but with the severity of them the best I could do was keep the injuries was keep me from dying. Now that I was no longer getting injured my mana was rapidly healing my injuries.

"Alpa!" I called out. Alpa'nagia looked down at me and scooped Sin and I up with two of his hands.

"Star shaper are you alright?" Alpa'nagia asked. I nodded and stood in his palm then looked to the direction of Draco and his draconis.

"We need to take that thing out Alpa! This area is mostly deserted but if this fight drags on people could end up killed!" I told him. Alpa'nagia nodded then looked to the draconis and scowled.

"As you wish Star shaper! With the power of your blessing I will destroy that evo!" Alpa'nagia hissed proudly as another lightning bolt struck his horns.

"Boss, what about Adellah?" Sin asked.

"Alpa'nagia and I will take care of Draco and his evo. It'll be up to you to separate your sister from Draco. However even if you managed to do that she won't turn back to the girl you remember. She's changed in the time she's been with him, hell this could just be the real her she hasn't shown anyone for all we know." I said.

"That's no…!"

"Sinner I'm not arguing about that, I'm simply telling you what could happen! Focus on your job is. Separating your sister from Draco!" I snapped interrupting Sin.

Sin scowled at me but nodded then turned to look at Adellah. Even as far away from her and Draco as we were I could clearly see the look of distain on her face at the realization that we were still alive.

"Let's go!" I yelled. Alpa'nagia snapped his wings open and with one flap, shot into the air. Raising several hundred feet in an instant before inhaling deeply and letting out a sonic scream that sent shockwaves strong enough to destroy buildings at Draco, Adellah and the draconis.

The draconis covered it's face with its wings right before the shockwave slammed into it and sent it skidding back a few dozen feet. It snapped its wings open and roared angrily. Draco and Adellah were still on top of its head.

"Get in close and throw Sin at his sister." I ordered Alpa'nagia.

"On it!" Alpa'nagia replied.

"Wait what?!" Sin exclaimed. Alpa'nagia grabbed Sin by the waist with his third arm then dashed forward, flying fast to quickly close the distance between us and our enemy.

The draconis reared its head back then inhaled deeply, readying another burst of its fire breath. Alpa'nagia scoffed in response and held his forth hand out and snapped his fingers. Three bolts of lightning shot down from the storm clouds and stuff the draconis in its side and back. The draconis head shook violently and snapped its jaws shut as it's body shook and jerked violently from the lightning.

Alpa'nagia saw his chance and spun in mid-air, throwing Sin like a major league pitcher at Adellah as she and Draco were flung off the draconis head.

"SON OF A BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII…." Sin screamed as he went soaring.

Sin crashed into his sister mid-air and held onto her as they both went flying towards the rubble of the warehouse. Alpa'nagia snapped another finger and a small tornado quickly formed from the clouds above and sucked them up before they hit the ground. The tornado carried them away a few blocks before setting them down gently in the middle of a relatively untouched street.

"Good job Alpa!" I exclaimed as I looked up at the evo. Alpa'nagia smiled sheepishly and ribbed the base of his neck.

"It is only because of you Star Shaper that I can accomplish such feats!" He replied.

"YOU BASTARD!!!" Draco bellowed. I turned back around and looked down at Gang leader. Alpa'nagia stopped about a half a block away and hovered above Draco and the draconis.

Draco had landed on the destroyed remains of the street near the draconis feet and judging by the way his remaining arm was drooping he'd dislocated or broke it. The draconis was down for now, not dead but unconscious.

"Look there is no way I can let you go, especially after all the people you killed! Plus you seem like the type to coke back later for revenge or some shit." I said. Draco looked at me for a second then threw his head back and laughed.

"All the people I killed?! In one day you've killed over a hundred of my men, and you have the audacity to talk about all the people I've killed! Talk about hypocrisy!" Draco snapped.

"Yeah, you're right, but you see the difference between you and me is, you fucked up." I said.

"And what pray tell did I do to fuck up?" Draco asked. I pointed several blocks down in the direction Sin and hos sister were.

"You kidnapped Sin's sister. If you hadn't done that then he wouldn't have had a touching sob story that warmed my cold dead American heart and convinced me to help him take you down." I explained. Once again Draco started laughing.

"Take me down? You talk as of you've already won you shitty brat!" Sin exclaimed.

"How dare you insult the Star Shaper!" Alpa'nagia hissed.

"Well color me surprised a talking evo. After I kill you I'll take that as a prize as well!" Draco snapped then started casting a offensive spell sigil.

I held my hand out channeled void attribute mana. Draco shot a large fireball at me but it slammed into the small screen of shadows that formed in front of my hand and was quickly-broken down into mana and absorbed. That brought me up to fifty-five percent.

"You seriously thought that would work on me? After you saw me stop all of Adellah's attacks earlier?" I asked incredulously.

"No, not really but let me tell you a little secret…."

[BOSS MOVE!] Bone-lasher roared through the mental connection.

I saw something coming towards me out of my peripherals, I turned my head in time to see a massive chunk of ice flying directly at me. I didn't have time to react as it slammed into my stomach and knocked me back with enough force to knock me out of Alpa'nagia's hand.

"STAR SHAPER!" Alpa'nagia yelled as he reached a hand out to catch me.

At that moment the draconis woke up and jumped to it's feet. It lunched at Alpa'nagia preparing to chomp him in half. However Alpa'nagia's body became wrapped in lightning and with a sudden burst of speed he grabbed my out of mid-air and dodged the draconis attack then flew high into the storm clouds for cover. I felt a slight shock when he grabbed me but the sensation reminded me of how my body felt when I channeled volt attribute mana.

"Star Shaper! Are you alright?" Alpa'nagia asked as he looked me over.

"Peachy…" I wheezed. Thar ice chunk had done some real damage to my ribs but my mana was already working to heal the damage. My mana reserves were now down to forty percent. "…lesson learned. Stop talking to the villain and just kill him."

[Thanks for the warning Bone. I was too slow reacting.] I thanks Bone-lasher. I felt a wave of shame and concern come from him.

[Prey is coming!] Bone-lasher warned then shared his vision with both Alpa'nagia and me. The draconis was flying now towards us with Draco on its head. Despite its massive size it was quick. [Protect boss lunch meat! I'm useless in air!]

[That goes without saying!] Alpa'nagia replied then snapped his fingers.

Two more thunderbolts fired down from the cloud at the draconis, one missed but the other stuck it dead center in the chest. The hit slowed the draconis down but it didn't stop it.

[Alpa can you kill that thing?] I asked.

[I'm faster in the air! By fang, poison, or lighting I will strike it down if you command it!] Alpa'nagia proclaimed proudly.

[Then I'll leave it to you! Use the storm cloud to hide your movements then attack it from it's blind spot! I'll take care of Draco while you have his evo busy!] I told him. Alpa'nagia nodded.

I channeled float attribute mana throughout my body and jumped off of Alpa'nagia's hands and floated in the air in front of him. The Transcended wrapped its body in lightning then jetted across the sky before nosediving back through the clouds and passing the draconis. He then shot back up and rammed into the Draconis underbelly hitting it with a massive shock.

I stopped channeling float attribute and changed to blast attribute. Channeling it into my hands and and feet I propelled myself through the clouds and zeroed in on Draco who was hanging onto the draconis head for dear life as it was now thrashing widely in the air.

"SURPISE MOTHERFUCKER!" I bellowed as I tackled Draco off his evo.

The two of us went into freefall with Draco desperately clinging onto me while trying hos hardest to punch and kick me. I held onto the remains of his shirt tjen head butted him and followed with several punches to the face.

"Fuck your extortion! Fuck your kidnapping! Fuck your human trafficking! Fuck every asshole and his mother who followed you!" I yelled, every word point was accentuated with a punch to the jaw. I finally popped my claws and channeled incinerate attribute into them. "AND FUCK YOU!"

With one wide slash I cut his other arm off at the shoulder. He let out a deafening scream and failed his nub and legs.

"FUCK YOU! YOU YANKEE PIECE OF SHIT!" Draco bellowed as a spell sigil formed over his mouth and a fireball formed in front of it.

"Oh shit!" I exclaimed and tried to switch to void attribute mana but he'd already launched the fireball by the time my attribute started to change. The fireball slammed into my chest with such force it knocked the wind from my lungs. The feeling of my clothes and flesh being burned off me was so intense my eyes rolled back and everything went to black.

***

[STAR BOSS!]

[BOSS! BOSS!]

[STAR SHAPER! WAKE UP!]

[MY LORD WAKE UP! WAKE UP!]

I heard multiple voice screaming at me through the pitch darkness. They were too loud, coming from too many directions to understand what was going on. I felt weightless, like I wasn't touching the ground. I felt a strong urge to just give up and let this weightless feeling take me, when suddenly a singular voice broke through the cacophony of others.

[FOR THE LOVE CREATION PRETENDER! WAKE UP! IF YOU DON'T ALL YOU ARE GOING TO DIE! ALL YOUR EVOS ARE GOING TO DIE!]

My eyed snapped open as my ears were assaulted by the rapid whistling of wind. I was still free falling only the ground was a lot closer and I had really bad second and third degree burns on my chest and face. My mana was working to heal it but just helping the burns on my face had dropped it down to thirty percent and the chest burns were taking more mana to heal.

My star crystal glowed as a crystalline structure formed in front of it then shot a few feet above me. I spun around in time to see it shatter and the gravegyle emerge from it. It let out a mighty roar as I nosedived to catch up with me.

[PRETENDER!] It roared through the mental link it's long talons outstretched to grab me.

"FOURS!" I yelled in reply as extended my hand and gripped his talons. Fours pulled me into his chest and snapped his wings open slowing us down slightly while he tried to pulled up, leveling out just before we slammed right into the ground. He glided down the destroyed city road for several hundred feet before he flapped his wings and ascended into the air.

"WHOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOO!"

As we rose through the sky I saw a bright flash followed by thousands of lightning bolts gathering in one singular point above the draconis before shooting down all at once as a beam of solid electric energy that engulfed it.

Alpa'nagia floated in front of the beam with all four of his arms outstretched and his head lifted to the clouds like a holy man summoning Devine judgement on unworthy sinners. When the beam dissipated there was noting left but a giant smoking crater in the ground.

Fours flew over to Alpa'nagia and I noticed right away that he was exhausted. His upper body was drenched in sweat and he was panting heavily.

"Good job Alpa!" I exclaimed.

"Star shaper!" Alpa'nagia gasped. "Thank the stars you are okay! I lost my temper when I sensed you were in danger and unleashed that attack. I wanted to end the fight already and save you but then this one said he'd catch you."

"Thank you for thar by the way." I said looking back at Fours. He huffed and looked away from me, I felt a wave of embarrassment come off him and smirked.

[You're not like the other pretenders…you actually care…] Fours said.

"STAR BOSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!" I heard Grimm-Guard bellowed.

Fours, Alpa'Nagia and I all turned towards the sound of his voice and saw the massive Millitanto flying straight towards us as max speed. On closer inspection I saw Bo, Jade and Nate clinging to his back.

"GRIM SLOW DOWN!" I ordered. Grimm-Guard complied and managed to bring himself to a stop before he crashed right into Alpa'nagia.

"Star boss! Are you okay! I sensed you were in danger!" Grimm-Guard said.

"I'm fine Grimm…." I replied then looked at the trio on hos back. "You three good?"

"I'll live." Jade replied with a sigh.

"That was so fun! Let's go again!" Bo exclaimed.

"NO! NOPE! NEVER AGAIN!" Nate cried.

"Where's Sin? Did you manage to kill Draco?" Jade asked. My eyes widened and I looked down to the ruins of most of the bronze city.

"SHIT! SIN AND DRACO!" I exclaimed.

"Down there." Alpa'nagia pointed to a small body moving slowly across the rubble that had fallen into the street.

Fours flew down with me in hand to take a closer look, Alpa'nagia and Grimm-Guard followed closely. The figure that Alpa'nagia had seen was in fact Draco. He was slithering across the rubble on his belly like a snake, which was fitting considering. He wasn't going very fast since he now only had half an arm to pull himself with.

Fours landed next to him then stopped him dead in his tracks by stepping on his back with one foot. He set me down softly and I walked around to take a look at Draco. Draco looked up at me with equal parts distain and wonder.

"How…? How are you still alive? How do you not have a scratch on you? That attack could kill a titan in one hit and you took it with no damage! Who are you? What are you?!" Draco exclaimed.

Alpa'nagia and Grimm-Guard both landed a ways away and the former helped Bo and his parents off of Grimm-Guard's back. The three of them rushed over and caught the butt end of Draco's rant.

"Chase Kingston. Owner and operator of Sho'lajah artifact company, student in Baset Paragon's advanced class at Andromeda College, Child of the Tolapo tribe and major pain in the ass. Nice to meet you asshole." I replied then popped my claws one last time and pressed them at the top of his skull. "Any last words?"

"Yeah. I didn't tell you my little secret. I never kidnapped Adellah. She came to me of her own free will after Sadiq killed her and Aduin's parents. She was the one that came up with the blackmail plan to get Audin into the red dragons. She's been my right hand woman this entire time…"

"What?" I gasped.

"LET HIM GO NOW!" A voice commanded from behind me. I spun around and saw Sin slowly lumbering forward with his hands tied behind his back and multiple deep gashes all over his body. Adellah was leading him along with a long sword made of blood in her free hand.

"SIN!" Nate, Jade, Bo, and I all exclaimed. Alpa'nagia, Fours, and Grimm-Guard all assumed defensive stances and hissed, growled and chittered at Adellah. Meanwhile Draco laughed manically.

"Did you think separating us would make her suddenly come back to Audin's side as his little sister? She hasn't been hos sister for years! You imbeciles!" Draco gloated.

"Shut the fuck up!" I snapped and kicked him in the temple. That earned a snarl from Adellah and she pressed her blood blade to Sin's throat.

"Let him go right now or I kill Audin!" Adellah threatened.

"You kill him I kill Draco and then they…." I held my hand out and Bone-lasher jumped from my crystal and landed beside me, I only ment to summon him however the Divine gold qolitz that I had taken earlier jumped out of my crystal as well and landed on Draco's back. It spread it's tail feathers threateningly and pressed a long curved talon onto Draco's neck next to his carotid artery. "…will kill you."

"C-chase…no please…" Sin pleaded weakly. "…S-she's my sister."

"Oh shut the fuck up Audin! You sound just like dad with all that family and honor crap! What the fuck did all that get him? Gutted in his own home too weak to save his wife!" Adellah snapped then kicked Sin in the nuts making him groan loudly and drop to his knees.

"STOP IT!" Bo yelled.

"Stop it! Oh grow up little boy! This is the real world! Pain and power are the only things that anyone respects around here!" Adellah mocked him.

"Don't you talk to my Son like that you demented bitch!" Jade spat.

"You about you let go of my husband before your boy sees what it looks like to butcher a full grown man!" Adellah threatened.

I looked down at Draco and saw him looking up at me with a smug look on his face. I looked to the farm crystal on his back then looked at Adellah and started channeling flesh attribute mana into my left hand. I knelt down and placed my hand over his crystal. It started to glow a odd green color before Draco started screaming bloody murder.

"AHHHHH! AHHHHHHHHH! AHAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" He cried.

"STOP IT! STOP IT OR I KILL AUDIN!" Adellah ordered. I ignored her and kept channeling mana into his farm crystal. I only had about ten percent left so I had to make it count.

After a few seconds a crack formed on his crystal and that made him scream even louder followed by tears and pleading.

"STOP! IT HURTS! IT HURTS! I'LL DO ANYTHING!"

"Suffer…" I said coldly. The crack in his crystal grew bigger until it shattered completely. Draco thre his head back to scream but no sound came out. He passed out on the ground and I looked up at Adellah to see her still holing a blade to Sin's neck but seemed less sure about using it. I stood up and turned to face her and slowly walked forward.

"Here's what's going to happen, you are going to let Sin go, you are going to take your 'husband' and you are going to leave this city tonight for good. You have my word that no further harm will come to you as long as Sin is alive and you never show your face here again." I said coming to a stop in front of her.

"Why should I trust you? How do I know you won't double cross me? How do you know I won't double cross you! We can always come back with more men and hint you down!" Adellah threatened.

"To answer your first question, your brother. I'm not going to kill you in front of him and as long as you leave tonight there is no chance of me bumping into you again. To answer that stupid question, fear. You saw what I can do tonight, me and my evos killed over a hundred of his men and we'll only be stronger next time. In the very near future I will have kings and queens vying for my favor. Hell even the Pharaoh himself will want an audience. Powerful leaders who would do anything to please me and wouldn't even think twice about sending a small army to wipe you out should you cross me. That's why." I explained calmly and in a cocky matter of fact voice.

Adellah locked eyes with me like she was trying to find the lies in my words but I only told her the truth. After a moment she sucked her teeth and dispelled her blood blade.

"Fine." She said bitterly.

"Smart choice. First one you made in a while." I said then snapped my fingers. Bone-lasher, Alpa'nagia, Grimm-Guard, Fours, and the Divine gold qolitz all stepped aside. Adellah rushed over and checked on Draco. She dragged him away from my evos then summoned a steed from her farm crystal.

With great effort she lifted him onto the back of the steed then climbed up and rode off. Everyone watched her ride off, especially Sin. The expression on his face was heart wrenching. Using my bone claws I cut his bindings off then patterned him on the back.

"Thank you for not killing her…" Sin said softly.

"She deserved to die but I'm not going to make you watch that, especially since the whole point of all this was to save your sister." I said the sighed heavily. "Plus I know how it feels to have a sibling stab you in the back…"

"I'm sorry to hear that…does this pain ever go away?" Sin asked and rubbed hos chest absent-mindedly.

"Nope. It gets dull but it's always there. Betrayal is a bitch." I said as Adellah faded from view.

"Sin! Chase!" Bo exclaimed as he and his parents rushed over. Jade and Nate hurried over and started checking out Sin since he was the one who was still bleeding from multiple gashes. He had a few that looked like they would need stitches.

"Let's get you two somewhere safe so we can patch you up." Nate said with a broad smile.

"Yeah…let me just…recall my…ev…o…."

My eyes rolled back and I felt like a ton of bricks fell on my back. My mind crashed into a wall of pure darkness and I descended down into an abyss.

'Fuck…used too much mana again…I really need to stop passing out…'