Chapter 1674: Unwilling Sacrifice
"Nooooo!" Serena screamed as Copper took the fireball to the chest.
Zhen Liu on the other hand, looked wide-eyed and confused.
Goldie, Silver, and Copper should’ve been under the protection of Screamira and Hurricroak.
So how the fuck did Copper get the opportunity to make a self-sacrifice play without any resistance from the others?!
Thankfully, Logos and Pathos were able to provide him a playback of the events that had occurred leading up to that moment.
’What the fuck happened?!’
<=He jumped without warning!=>
’What?!’
...Flashback time...
[Oh man, this is bad!] Goldie observed as the flaming silhouette continued to lash out at everyone and everything. [How are we supposed to beat that thing?]
[Not sure,] Silvie answered. [I just know we can’t handle it at our current level.]
[I don’t think that means we need this much protection, though,] Copper grumbled.
[Yes it does,] Screamira and Nepherage commented as the two of them knocked away some of the fireballs that got too close for comfort.
[The moment one of those fireballs hit you, you’re going to get your nascent personalities destroyed and replaced by whatever fucked-up personality composes this flaming fuck,] Nepherage explained while kicking away a burning tendril. [It’s like a virus or worse.]
[Mental hijacking is no joke,] Screamira concurred before using a power scream to extinguish a fireball.
[Hmm.]
Despite their complaints, the precious metal trio of protokaijin did as instructed and slowly backed away from the battle.
At this point in time, most of the mortals and the hostages had already vacated the premises, but the kaijin and protokaijin were still in the danger zone. However, it should be noted that Zhen Liu and Serena were still in the room.
"Ah!"
[Lady Serena!]
Unfortunately, this was also when tragedy decided to strike.
Off to the side, the trio saw their beloved mistress suddenly trip and fall due to an errant step behind them. This fall was then immediately followed by the [Flame of Ambition], jumping on to the opportunity with fervent fury as it unleashed a barrage of fireballs and tendrils in her direction.
Whether the aim of this was to destroy her or just knock away the [Heart Tender Trio] from her grasp so they could steal it, didn’t matter to the protokaijin trio.
All they knew was that their lady was in danger, and they needed to get to her before anything bad truly happened.
[What do we do?!]
[We can’t block those fireballs, otherwise we’re going to—]
[Fuck all that noise, I’m coming milady!]
[Wait, what?!]
[No!]
But before Goldie and Silvie could stop him, Copper proceeded to rush forward, use an aether art for the first time in their existence, and intercepted the fireball that was meant to hit Serena.
After that, well...tragedy ensued.
...Back to the present...
[Grk! Gah!]
"Copper! Copper, what’s wrong?!" Serena asked, desperation plain in her voice. She knew what was going to happen, but she desperately hoped that this wasn’t a worst case scenario.
"Stay back," Zhen Liu ordered as he moved to pull Serena away from the protokaijin that was slowly transforming into someone else. "This next part is going to get ugly."
The damage done to Copper’s body was superficial at most, but the damage done to his nascent self was significantly more severe.
The silhouette of the [Flame of Ambition] seemed to laugh over this fact and already made moves to inhabit its new host, transforming into a wisp.
[Oh no you don’t!]
[Get his ass!]
[You will not take over his life before he has a chance to live it!]
Now that the fireballs were no longer a problem, the kaijin attempted to intercept the flying wisp and snuff out the bastard before it had a chance to take over Copper.
Unfortunately, the wisp turned out to be an incredibly elusive SOB.
The first to try and take out the wisp was Screamira, who used a powerful yell to try and snuff it out. The wisp, however, managed to dodge the scream.
The second was Razorstella, who attempted to slice apart the wisp with a timely kick of her legs and spin of her claws. Unfortunately, the wisp avoided her blades like it was a plastic bag in the wind and was on its merry way.
The last to try was Frosttusk, who attempted to block the wisp with a wall of ice and absorbing the thermal energy that composed it. The wisp, however, proved to be hotter than anticipated, as it melted through the ice wall with surprising speed.
[No!]
By the time the other kaijin got close enough to try something else, the wisp had already made contact with Copper and begin the metamorphosis.
[RAAAAAAAAAHH!]
[Ack!]
[Gah!]
The transforming protokaijin released a surge of power that knocked away the kaijin, Zhen Liu, and Serena with enough force that they were all sent airborne.
The kaijin were able to correct themselves in the air fast enough to prevent crashing into the walls, but Zhen Liu and Serena were a touch slower so they were a bit further away from the transforming protokaijin.
Although, at this point, it wasn’t Copper standing there anymore.
[So...this is what a body feels like...no...this is what my body feels like! Ahahahaha!]
As the [Flame of Ambition] ravaged Copper’s corporeal form, it began to make changes to it that better suited its whats and needs.
Copper himself was a bulky protokaijin, resembling a rotund knight or a golem that had very simple features, with this air around him that suggested he was a sturdy fellow that couldn’t be knocked down no matter how hard someone punched him and a shining emerald in his chest.
The [Flame of Ambition], didn’t want any of these traits though.
Under the intense heat, Copper’s body was remolded until it was more akin to a sculpture, a fasimilie of someone at the peak of the human physique. The once gentle, featureless face, was replaced with one sculpted to perfection and carried with it the height of arrogance and pride.
The emerald in his chest took on a dark hue, as if the natural color had burned away, and the air around the copper statue began to felt less like a reassuring presence, and more like an overwhelming dread.
The overwhelming heat and pressure eventually subsided, leaving only a copper bodied man with flaming hair and features that were almost angelic.
To the kaijin, though, this face was the equivalent of a demon crawling out from the uncanny valley.
[Ah...this feels fantastic! I have never felt more completed in my life until this moment, I must thank you, Kaijin Lord. Truly!] The copper man said with a bow and a flourish. [You really know how to make a good body.]
Zhen Liu was about to tell this copper-plated lighter to go and fuck himself, but someone else beat him to the punch.
"Oh, go fuck yourself you arrogant firestarter," Serena shouted in uncharacteristic rage. "What the fuck did you do to Copper?!"
The burning statue of a being looked pensive for a moment before releasing a small exclamation of realization.
[Copper? Ah! So that’s the name of the being who gave me his body. What a delightfully simple name! Well, if you must know, he is still inside this vessel. I couldn’t outright destroy him or else I would lose this wonderful body. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he stays alive...mostly.]
Zhen Liu could feel the kaijin getting angrier by the second as the [Flame of Ambition] kept running his artificial mouth.
This rage was comparable, possibly even greater, than what they felt when they saw the Grafted for the first time.
Those were the abuse of stolen remains from their predecessors, this was the abuse of a life yet to be fully created.
Every instinct told them to rip this fucker apart...but they didn’t.
Aside from their own rage, they could sense that Serena and the other two protokaijin were even angrier.
[Give him back, you fake flame!] Goldie cried as they readied their lance. [Or we’ll break him out of you!]
[I think you mean kill,] Silvie corrected as they drew their swords. [We’re going to kill you.]
[First of all, I am the Flame of...wait, I should probably have a name now that I have a body,] the copper bastard said as he scratched his chin for a moment before snapping their fingers in realization. [You can call me...Infernola.]
"Edgy motherfucker!" Zhen Liu bursted out in regards to the name that the [Flame of Ambition] gave itself. This outburst, however, was ignored.
[And don’t get your knots all twisted,] Infernola sighed. [You make it sound like I killed another of your siblings.]
"...what did you just say?"
As if what he said was as insignificant as swatting a fly, Infernola explained himself.
[Ah, right. I suppose since Hulna and Feroxxa already confessed to their involvement, I might as well confess to the actual deed. I was the one who killed your sister. I am the reason why the Emperor of the Erupting Dawn Empire is still waging war.]
[...]
"..."
After that confession, none of the kaijin waited anymore.
They just went on the attack.