Chapter 1271: Game Initiated
Silence.
Perhaps this was the best answer to give in a situation where no one knew precisely what to say.
Ciara had just proposed an interesting game, but no one dared to take the bait.
That was because they knew of its callous nature.
'If we decide to play the game, it's going to draw this confrontation out for even longer, which means more time on her end...' Kuzon thought to himself as he analyzed the situation.
'Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like she's giving us much of a choice here...'
As long as they had Inverse Energy on their side, Ciel could ensure they dragged out the fight for longer than necessary.
'If we pick them off one by one, we have a better chance of swiftly eliminating them and proceeding to the target.'
Right now, Ciel was in control. She could see everyone and everything around her, and there was no way they could pull of a universe-destroying attack without her notice.
In the end, they had to take her—or at least, most of the adversaries—out before proceeding with the crux of their objective.
'The ideal situation is for Serah, Edward, and I to quickly eliminate our adversaries and reach the goal.'
Fighting Ciel could also be the most optimal strategy, but knowing her, it was a risky venture to attempt.
Since they were the key players—the arrowhead of their mission—Kuzon knew it would be ill advised to tackle Ciel.
'We can have the other strong or intelligent members of our team handle her. As for the three of us, it's best we handle the weaker ones so we can swiftly end it and move to the real thing."
Conserving energy was something that crossed his mind, but since they had the full backing of the Constellations this time, he didn't think it would be a problem.
'Right now we need to be decisive. There's no room to hesitate any longer.'
Kuzon didn't care if he was playing Ciel's game or not.
What mattered was that they beat her at it.
'Ana and Maria, you handle Ciel. The rest of you... pick your opponents!' Kuzon sent his mental message to everyone in the team.
'Serah and Edward, make sure you pick weaker opponents so it's easier to defeat them and advance!'
Right now, efficiency was what mattered most.
~UNDERSTOOD!~
The response of the majority echoed in Kuzon's mind, though one person was yet to respond.
~I'm taking Gerard.~
Serah's response to Kuzon's instruction made him sharply turn to her.
'Are you being personal right now?'
~Don't worry, it won't jeopardize the mission. After all... ~
Serah smiled, her eyes seeming more distant than usual.
~... He's weaker than I am.~
Once she established this, exuding all the confidence one would expect from someone of her caliber, Kuzon sighed and nodded in agreement.
'Very well. Let us begin.'
Right as Kuzon concluded his thought, Ciel was just finishing her second suggestion.
"... I'll choose for you!"
~WHOOOOOOOSSSHHHH!!!~
At that split moment, Maria and Ana rushed towards Ciel as the rest of the group charged at whoever they chose as their targets.
In no time, the once well-orchestrated confrontation...
~BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMM!!!~
... Devolved into an all-out war.
********
"Hahahahahahahahaha!!!"
Ciel's maniacal laughter echoed as she freely dived into the vacuum of space.
She was being chased by Maria and Ana, and based on the expression they both had, they were deathly serious about eliminating her.
"To think you would choose two children to fight me..." She chuckled to herself.
Her words rang dripped with both malice and amusement as she turned to stare at the two women who actively chased her.
Maria was currently in her Archangel Drive, and from what it seemed like, she also had her Original Magic activated.
As for Ana, she was currently shrouded in energy, but her body was covered in machinery that boosted her speed—enough so she could barely keep up with Maria's speed.
"The both of you are too slow, you know?" Ciel laughed as she freely flew further away from the cocoon.
"Is that so?" Ana smiled, her tone much calmer than one would expect, given the situation.
The chase continued, until the cocoon was already far from sight.
"Why are you drifting further from the cocoon? Isn't that detrimental for you?" Ana asked.
"Not really. I can still pretty much see all that is happening there right now. Besides, it won't be easy for any of your friends to defeat their adversaries."
Ciel's response caused Ana's smile to fade away, and even the emotionless Maria deepened her glare.
"As for you two... I could say the same."
Ciel finally stopped her free dive, ascending high above Maria and Ana.
The two also stopped shy of catching up with Ciel, and though they kept a short distance from her, they elevated themselves to the same height she occupied.
"I think this is far enough. We can have an honest fight here." Ciel muttered.
It would be no exaggeration to say that her words shocked Ana and Maria.
"An honest fight? Surely you jest." Ana chuckled slightly.
There was nothing about Ciel's personality that indicated anything honest.
She was a liar, a manipulator, and a downright psychopath that would do anything to achieve her goals.
That was why, even now, Ana and Maria were still on their toes with her.
"I know the two of you simply want to keep me occupied. You'll try to turn this into a battle of attrition, doing your best to ensure I am incapable of interfering with your buddies when they are ready to destroy the cocoon." Ciel said.
"Wow. To think our plan was so obvious..." Ana's sarcastic response echoed in the vastness of the space they occupied.
It rang hollow, however, as the tension got deeper.
"There's no need to feign bravado. I should probably tell you this, but I plan on killing the two of you." Despite uttering such bone-chilling words, Ciel maintained her smile.
"If you do not take this fight seriously, you'll die. That's probably the best alternative, but... you know..."
Pink hues began to appear on Ciel's face as she tightly held her cheeks with both her hands.
"... I want you to struggle so much..."
Steam proceeded from her lips as she obsessively stared at Maria and Ana, her tongue dripping with saliva.
"Agonize. Suffer. Cry. Plead. Despair."
Every syllable she let out carried a heavy weight of purpose.
And the more she spoke, the more power within her swelled.
"In the end... I want to watch all of you suffer demise in the most excruciating way possible!"
Ciel licked her lips, and before long, her expression returned to the way it was before.
The calm, unassuming smile.
"So, yes... an honest fight."
Maria and Ana were already revolted by Ciel's display, to the point where they had both taken combative stances.
"You're sick." Ana said in disgust.
"I get that a lot." Ciel shrugged. "Thanks for the compliment."
At this point, the exchange of words was meaningless.
Ana and Maria glanced at each other and nodded in agreement.
This was no longer the time to be holding back.
They had to use everything at their disposal!
"True Fusion..." They both whispered.
"... [Constellation Regalia]!"
*
*
*
[A/N]
Thanks for reading, everyone!
Time to see how strong the girls have become.
Just so we don't underestimate Ciel, she's pretty strong too!