Cyberknight: One Path

⁕ Sea of Broken Shards (part 6)

Said Danica, unbothered by McCree's threat.

Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced through McCree as he noticed a blade buried inside his abdomen. Behind him stood a man with a wicked grin on his face who thrusted the blade further into his back. As McCree tried to strike at the man, he only felt the kinetic energy of his attack being returned to him as a searing heat across his arm.

[Danica] - "The new world order belongs to those blessed with the power of the divine. It's not up to you to accept it or reject it. "

[McCree] - "Ya confident little snake... You play God, where those who can judge us for our actions can't see. You think you are darn invincible when you are nothing more than flesh, like those you consider below you. "

Said McCree firmly, despite the pain radiating through his body.

As noon approached, the sun was right above the depot, illuminating the inside through the row of windows on the ceiling. At that moment, McCree's entire body was bathed in the sunlight as it had once illuminated Athena's ascension into knighthood. As the righteous fire of justice burned inside McCree's heart once more, he gained a newfound respect for Athena.

Despite her power, despite what she could've become, she chose the path of nobility. Athena fought Jagger and paid with her life when she could've been playing God with the people like Danica. Now, McCree will do the same. In the light, he no longer feared Danica's power, nor would he doubt his own power.

[McCree] - "If you can't be judged for your actions, then I will. I am here today to bear the words of the knights who accepted their destiny wholeheartedly. I am no cyberknight, but you bet yer damn heart I will apply to become one if it means killing bastards like you! "

Said McCree with determination in his voice.

Danica laughed out loud, amused by the ridiculously nonsensical speech McCree made. With an arrogant smile, Danica opened up her arms and invited McCree to strike her down. As McCree held the pipe tightly, knowing this was his only chance, he knew it was also an uncertain gamble. He didn't know if his plan would work, but unlike before, he was calm and steady despite his fear.

[Danica] - "Then prove me- "

Suddenly, Danica stopped mid-sentence as breath-breaking pain shot through her chest. Looking down, Danica noticed nothing but the pipe segment in McCree's hand pointed at her. However, the sight of blood flowing freely from her heart confirmed to her that she had been mortally wounded. As Danica clutched her chest, she could feel the rough shape of a rusty pipe, but could not see the object itself.

Danica's blood slowly flowed down the completed pipe until it pooled in McCree's hands. While Danica remained still in a state of complete shock and disbelief, McCree abruptly raised his pistol and shot the swordman behind him. There was no hesitation on McCree's part as he was confident that Danica's ability was no longer active.

[McCree] - "Welcome to the true man's world. "

Before Danica could utter another word, her arms fell limp as she slipped down the reconstructed pipe like a ragdoll. As McCree disengaged his ability, Danica swiftly fell into his waiting arms. Carefully, McCree extracted one of the cyberknight symbols fused to her armour before raising it into the sunlight. The lost warrior has finally reclaimed the path that was his. No longer will he be haunted by his past as he moves forward without doubt.

Later that evening, McCree returned to Ivanovich and showed him his reclaimed honours in the form of the cyberknight rune. True to his words, Ivanovich provided McCree with the financial aid he requested, along with the proper connection to leave Jagger's Empire for Asia.

The next morning, Popey and Margot received a bank card with access to immense wealth, enough to give them a comfortable life until they passed. Though they missed their son, they knew the life of a farmer wasn't for him. Quietly, the old couple watched the sunrise while wishing for their son's safety.

Meanwhile, McCree was driven to a private airport where he was escorted to board a cargo plane. To avoid detection, his seat was placed amidst a sea of cargo. As he watched the plane take off, he knew his mission was still far from over. Athena only left him with blurry details of his comrades' whereabouts. As the land below slowly faded away to the sight of the endless blue sea, McCree placed his hand longingly against the window.

[McCree] - "Goodbye, Pa, Ma. For now, my mission is far from over. However, I promise I will return home one day. "

Said McCree as he quietly pressed his head against the window.

With his other hand, McCree gently held the cyberknight rune now proudly pinned to his chest. It comforted him to know that he was walking a path forged by his own heart and hands.

To be continued...

*EXTRA

- Profile: Danica

- Ability: [Forgeworld's Hunger]:

"An ability which precisely casts a protective layer around objects or people of her choosing. Then, anyone caught inside the veil will be subjected to energy reversal, where any attack originating from the veiled target will return to the attacker in the form of heat, kinetic energy or compression. As a bonus, the distribution of heat is uniform; thus why anyone firing at Danica will be burned evenly across their body. Also, anyone afflicted by Danica's ability will carry the curse of the veil until Danica herself removes it from them. However, the ability can only block physical attacks, and cannot block anyone from using their ability. As a trivia, McCree's fatal strike against Danica didn't trigger the ability because McCree manifested the rest of the tube instantly, thus it was not considered a strike as it carried no energy. "

- ABILITY STATS:

Power - None (dependent on the enemy)

Speed Granted - E

Ability Speed - A

Range - B

Durability Granted - E/S (depending on attack type)

Ability Durability - S

Precision - A

Potential - B