The Dream Shifter

Chapter 195

Through the rubble standing in a field of knee high grass, Yuki bore his fighting clothing with a faint glow about him. His arm remained extended out in front of him. An eager smirk rose on his face with his freedom granted. "Time that I put an end to this!"

Antipas staggered for a moment as he realized what must have happened. 'He's activated his field! I can't let him move!' The walls destroyed by Yuki disappeared. The young Atlantean took several steps forward closing the gap with Yuki a little. Immediately, the entire maze disappeared and four new walls appeared around Yuki. Behind the new walls more re-enforcement surfaced along with a thick ceiling. The thickness of the walls prevented the sounds of all of the automatically triggered traps from behind heard. 'I've got him!'

Suddenly, a deep rumble erupted from the earth. The walls surrounding Yuki vibrated and shattered in an instant from all sides. A new cloud blasted out from Yuki kicking debris over the area. Masked by the smoke, a dark figure began to emerge. "Don't think such an attack will work on me!" Yuki stepped out of the gray clouds carrying a narrowed face. He raised his fist up fortified with his determination.

"It's not possible!" Antipas exclaimed, taking a step back. The unease of the situation settled into him. Nothing stood between him and Yuki anymore. "Those were double thick walls! Even if he broke a single layer…" Another step in approach from Yuki ran an uneasy chill down his back. A reluctant realization slowly began to surface for Antipas. "…can't be…"

Yuki stared down across the mixed field of grass and stone finally seeing his opponent unhindered for the first time. The Atlantean was young, in appearance and seemed not much older in age than Yuki. It made Yuki wonder how much difference there might be in their years. He had shortly cut light brown hair matching in length to his jaw line and hanging tightly. 'A trench coat? With metal plating? Looks heavy…' Yuki did not understand why he wore such a heavy looking coat coated with rectangular strips of metal along most of the surface. Even with the coat on it looked very thick, almost baggy as though it was not the only layer of clothing. It hardly seemed suited for close-ranged combat, a thought that Yuki found fortunate.

The more that he stared at the soldier and field of his, it made him understand something. 'The mazes and traps… along with the heavy cloths… he never got close and even now is keeping his distance…' Yuki narrowed his eyes a little to keep up his stern appearance in the lull between rounds. 'So does that mean he's the type that isn't good at close-range combat? He's trying to use his field to keep me away and injury me. This could be better for me…'

Tension tightened up inside Antipas. His hand squeezed harder, pressing and scrapping. 'How… how… The reports described his law as being effective against organic matter, but not having destructive power…' Antipas looked around at his field, the stones arrayed before him. His eyes asked a question that had no answer. '…and the escape…did he manage to activate his field inside my field somehow?' So many questions filled his thoughts and Antipas no longer knew what to think of his foe.

"You seem confused," commented Yuki, a little confident grin appearing on his face.

Antipas' eyes widened for a moment. He understood Yuki. 'The soldiers from Skoupa had remarked the use of a foreign language, an Asian language…they believed…' There was no doubt in that he spoke perfect Atlantean. '…a language law, why didn't they use it before…' The questions seemed to pile on top. "Who are you? And how did you escape?"

"So many questions!" The slightly flippant tone Yuki carried only made Antipas' features narrow more. Yuki easily noticed it, a little disappointed at not having the mood lightened. He gave him a little dismissive hand wave. "Fine, I guess it can't hurt to answer. Name's Yuki Hayashi." His foot tapped against the grass covered earth casting a quick gaze to the stone field. "The other question's a little more involved."

Yuki raised his hand up to his head with his index finger pointed against his head. "You really had me going around inside that maze of yours. Couldn't think straight, but I eventually realized that was your purpose, wasn't it." A knowing stare aimed down at Antipas.

The keen observation set Antipas a little off balanced. 'That shouldn't be too surprising…he should figure that out eventually…' Yet his question remained unanswered. "That doesn't answer how you escaped though."

"I'm getting to that," Yuki quickly replied. He waved his hand down with the palm faced to the ground. "So impatient…" His eyes scanned the area taking in the view of the surroundings. A few moments earlier walls covered the area and he desperately tried to escape. "As I said you weren't giving me a lot of time to think. So it took me a while, but I came to a realization. You were able to track my movements and make it so that I couldn't escape. You set me in circles. With that field of yours you can manipulate the walls any way you want, right?"

Another correct deduction sent a spark through the soldier's left leg. "That's basic field manipulation, that isn't surprising."

A slight grin pulled up on Yuki's face. "But there's something else. During one of the traps that I evaded, I suddenly understood something. You can't actually see me, physically anyway. I thought you might be sending the poison fog after me watching or have it automatically seeking me. But it isn't. You do control where it goes. Yet you can only watch me from the ground."

"What are you getting?"

"The way you are able to track me is by my contact with the ground. Probably a weight or contact sensitive floor. You probably use some map to display the feedback like radar."

Antipas eyes widened in shock. He could no longer hold back his surprise and stepped back feeling the support in his legs giving. 'Impossible! No one's managed to figure out how my field works the first time I use it!'

Yuki threw out a casual hand wave. "After that it was pretty easy. I just climbed along the walls and while you frantically searched for me I waited for an opening to appear. And poof, I'm here!"

'He climbed the walls?' Each answer became more improbable. Yet it all made sense, something that he hated to acknowledge. 'If he actually did that…then that would mean that he's strong and athletic to achieve that…intelligent and skilled…a dangerous combination, Captain…'

Crossing his arms, Yuki leaned a little forward. "Since I've taken the time to explain things to you… You ready to fight now? I've got to get back to my friends. So I can't waste any more time with you." Yuki narrowed his eyes and hardened his features, no longer carrying the casual attitude from before.

The quick change in atmosphere wound an invisible cord around Antipas' back. Each second that ticked away tightened on his spine. While he had technically been engaged in combat against Yuki earlier, the situation changed with Yuki freed. This would be the first time that he actually faced off against another MP user that was not a training match. He may have fought with other MP users in the academy, but their training focused on dealing with a normal human. It was a rare occurrence to have to deal with a rogue MP user. Even the most experienced soldiers that wore the white uniform may only have a few engagements against a MP user, if any.

Antipas knew that he could not make any excuses. Yet he could not help the uncertainty that overwhelmed him. His eyes met with Yuki. 'The look of fearlessness and confidence… his eyes…they've seen fighting…' Antipas shook his head and tried to pull his focus back in. 'I can't let him get to me… I've got justice behind me! He's disrupting order! I can't lose!' The weakness in his legs vanished and the strain on his back released for Antipas. He had to fight, to protect.

A raised hand summoned up numerous stone walls to be placed between them. He added strength to the walls remembering how Yuki broke through so easily before. Additionally, he sharpened his traps, all set to be automatic and constant. Defense could not win, he knew. Pings echoed around the walls from his traps hitting or releasing. Only a few seconds later the nearest two walls to Yuki exploded with the third wall taking the hit.

Even though his defense held, Antipas was not certain if the walls had actually slowed the damage or if it was just because of getting closer to the core of his field. In the end, neither question mattered to him. He had to strengthen his defenses or Yuki would reach him. 'Such destructive capabilities… I've got to keep up with him!' More walls broke the floor to halt the progress of Yuki's advance.

None of the walls managed to slow down Yuki for long as they all mysteriously crumbled before Yuki. Antipas kept his vision blocked by the walls. So he had no view of what Yuki had for laws. He just kept the walls moving.

Sudden flashes of light appeared across all before it crumbled to debris. Following in series, all of the walls before Yuki collapsed. He marched through the debris filled earth and billowing clouds. "I could have run around all of this by now, but I'm giving you the chance to realize this is a pointless. Run now before I actually strike in earnest." All of the remaining walls ignored by Yuki suddenly exploded with flashes of light before turning to rubble.

Taking a step back, Antipas tried to withhold his surprise. 'None of the walls can stop him! And the traps aren't doing anything to him! Why can't I touch him?' A thin stroke of panic painted his face before he raised his hands up towards Yuki. Two stone square pillars rose in front of Antipas. From the faces of the pillars that looked at Yuki stone extruded from the surface.

Yuki's face lowered a little darkening out his eyes. He ground his teeth together and opened his hands with energy rapidly amassing. Two semi-transparent swords formed in mere moments. Yuki charged forward breaking some of the ground where his feet started. It put him ahead of the two converging stone rams. He stabbed the blades of his swords into the elongated structure letting them run through the length for a few steps before disappearing from his hands. The stone grew lines of light along the sides weaving around until shattered to chunks of debris.

Crumbling in front of him, the pillars disappeared as his last line of defense. Antipas jumped back with the ominous approach of Yuki. 'What is that strange light? Is that his law, the power that defeated Eusebios?' The choking feeling in his spine resurfaced along with a frightening chill.

"Understand now? Escape and I won't pursue you."

Antipas leaned back a little feeling how serious Yuki was in his words. However, he fought to straight out his back and level a determined glare towards Yuki. 'The Captain said not to die, but these people…they're…' He tightened his hands into fists and pushed himself back forward. "I'm a soldier of Atlantis! I won't back down when you destroy and spread fear!"

A twitch in Yuki's eyebrow responded ahead of his words. "How blind can you be? You caused more damage to your own country than us!"

"It was your invasion! We're just trying to live in peace! We don't want anything to do with your world!"

Yuki skin wrinkled around his eyes and nose. 'So stubborn! You're the ones trying to kill me when I just want to live in peace! You hurt my family and my friends!' The nearly invisible glow around Yuki shimmered brightly for a moment becoming a little opaque. "Fine! No more talk then! You're going down!" His hand shot up straight aimed at Antipas with the energy that surrounded him glowing and becoming more opaque. Before it became solid, it disappeared and a sudden explosion impacted Antipas' shoulder.