Kael stood atop a building overlooking the street where Light had just spotted Jane. A Bluetooth device rested in his ear as he spoke to Veylor, who was watching everything unfold from a large monitor inside his laboratory.
Veylor: "An uninvited guest?"
Kael: "He's down there. Can't you see him on your screen?"
Veylor leaned closer to the monitor, adjusting his glasses.
Veylor: "He's too far away... I can't see him clearly..."
His eyes suddenly widened.
"...That's Light!"
Down on the street...
Light: "Everyone! Evacuate this area immediately! It's not safe to stay here!"
Kael: "Let's warm up with him."
Veylor: "No! Don't waste your energy on him. Wait for Hikari and Lothar to show up. We need your suit's power at its fullest."
Kael: "Come on! He's weak. It'll just be a warm-up before the real fight starts. Besides, I'd really love to kill a prince of the Voltra Hybrids."
Veylor: "He's weak, but not in the way you think. It won't be easy for you to kill him."
Kael: "Relax! Everything will be alright."
"NO, YOU IDIOT!" Veylor shouted.
Kael ignored him and jumped down onto the street.
Light looked at him and said, "This isn't a Kaiju!"
He was about to speak to him...
Kael: "Now you're probably going to ask who I am. So let me tell you this first—I won't answer that. And as for why I'm here, I'm not going to tell you that either. So, without wasting any more time..."
Light drew his sword and charged at Kael.
Kael released Voltra through his suit, shaping it into a sword, and blocked Light's attack.
Light: "Alright then... if that's what you want."
Kael blocked Light's attack with his Voltra sword, then kicked him away.
Light: "Ghh...!"
Veylor (to Kael): "Attack the citizens! Killing Light won't benefit you in any way."
Kael: "What?! Have you lost your mind? You want me to attack innocent people? I would never hurt them!"
Veylor: "Don't worry, they won't get hurt. Light will save them. Just fire a few beams at them. Create enough noise and destruction for the Kaiju Combat Team to detect it. Then they'll send Hikari and Lothar."
Kael: "Fuck..."
He raised his hand toward the citizens and began charging a beam.
Light got back on his feet and saw Kael targeting the civilians. Among them, he noticed Jane.
Without hesitation, he rushed toward them to protect them.
Kael fired the beam.
Before it could reach the citizens, Light stepped in front of it. The beam struck him directly in the back.
Jane's eyes widened.
Jane: "Light?!"
After taking the attack, Light collapsed to the ground.
Light: "Ghh..."
He looked at Jane.
"Jane... get out of here!"
Light lost consciousness.
Jane rushed over to him.
Jane: "Light! Are you alright? Hey...! Open your eyes!"
She looked at him, her voice trembling.
"I don't understand... Why do you always come to save me?"
Kael: "Hmph. He's much weaker than I expected. You said it wouldn't be easy for me to kill him."
He then started walking toward Light.
Kael (to Jane): "Move away, girl. I don't want to hurt you."
Jane: "You don't look like a Kaiju. Who are you? Why are you doing this?"
Kael: "I said move away, or I'll have no choice but to eliminate you."
Jane: "I won't let you touch him."
Kael: "You're a Voltra Hybrid too. Alright then... die with him!"
Kael fired a beam at them.
Someone stepped in front of them and countered the beam.
Smoke spread across the entire area.
As the smoke cleared...
Kael's eyes widened.
Kael: "That's... Lothar!"
Lothar: "Hikari, did you evacuate the citizens?"
Hikari appeared, hovering in the sky.
Hikari: "Yes. The area is clear."
Kael: "What?! She evacuated all the citizens in such a short time?"
Veylor (to Kael): "Kael, you'll have to fight more carefully now. Especially against Lothar... he's dangerous."
"And if you feel like you can't beat them, just retreat. Do you hear me?"
Kael didn't respond to Veylor. His eyes remained fixed on Lothar.
Without hesitation, Lothar rushed straight toward him.
Before Kael could dodge or counter, Lothar appeared right in front of him and punched him across the face, sending him flying.
Lothar didn't waste a second. He immediately fired a Voltra beam at Kael.
Kael dodged by taking flight.
Kael: "He's fast."
In an instant, Kael fired a beam back at Lothar.
Lothar dodged it and flew toward Kael, aiming another punch. But Kael released Voltra from his suit, forming a shield.
Lothar's punch slammed into the shield.
Kael then swung the shield upward, smashing it into the arm Lothar had used to punch.
Lothar: "Ghh...!"
Kael followed up by slamming the shield into Lothar's chin.
Then he grabbed Lothar by the throat, drove him toward the ground, and slammed him down with tremendous force.
Blood spilled from Lothar's mouth as the impact knocked him unconscious.
Light slowly regained consciousness.
Hikari stopped healing him.
Hikari: "Light, are you alright?"
Light: "Um... yeah."
He quickly looked around.
"Where are the citizens?"
Hikari: "They're all safe. Don't worry."
Light: "There was a girl..."
Hikari: "The girl who was protecting you?"
Light: "Huh? She protected me?"
Hikari: "Yeah. While you were unconscious and the enemy was coming after you, she stayed by your side, protecting you."
"But then we arrived, and while I was healing you... I don't know where she went."
Meanwhile...
Kael stood with one foot on Lothar's chest.
Kael (to Veylor): "You told me to be careful against him. Hmph... just look at the state he's in now."
Veylor (to himself): "Don't get cocky, Kael... You still haven't won this fight."
Light: "Where's the enemy?"
Hikari: "Lothar is taking care of—"
As she looked toward Lothar while speaking...
She froze.
Kael was standing with his foot on Lothar's chest.
Hikari: "LOTHAR!!!"
End of the chapter!