Battle Of Planets

Chapter 29: The Mysterious figure on the rooftop
Captain Barnes took the punch directly to his helmet, the impact echoing down the corridor as Dex let out a maniacal laugh, his eyes blazing with chaotic energy. He was losing himself in the fight, enjoying every moment of the battle as if it were some twisted game.The clang of metal on metal reverberated, and without hesitation, Captain Barnes twisted his hand and countered with a crushing blow to Dex’s face, the sound of their metal-clad bodies colliding sending a shockwave through the air.

Dex staggered back slightly but quickly recovered, grinning like a madman. ”This is fun,” he jeered, his voice filled with insane enthusiasm as he took a few steps back to rally his subordinates, who were clashing with the Rangers in a desperate attempt to break through their defenses.

”We can’t hold much longer, Captain!” a Lieutenant shouted from near the President’s side, his voice strained with urgency. ”We’re outnumbered! We need to get out of here!”

”We will,” Captain Barnes growled, taking a step back from Dex, who was now grinning in sheer delight. Barnes could feel his adrenaline surging through his veins. The rogue was a loose cannon—unpredictable and dangerous. But Barnes couldn’t afford to waste any more time with this madman; he had to secure the President.

”Come on, Barnes,” Dex taunted, bouncing on the balls of his feet, his armor gleaming in the flickering lights of the corridor. ”What are you afraid of? Let’s see if you can keep up with me!”

Captain Barnes clenched his fists, the heavy metal armor of his own suit creaking under the pressure. He charged forward, closing the distance between them in a blur of motion. Dex met him head-on, and the two clashed with a brutal force that shook the very walls of the building.

The fight turned into a brutal exchange of hand-to-hand combat. Barnes landed a solid punch to Dex’s chest, only for the rogue to retaliate with a spinning back fist that caught Barnes square on the jaw. The metal armor absorbed much of the force, but the shock of the blow still rattled his skull. Dex smirked, enjoying the physicality of the fight, but Barnes wasn’t backing down.

Barnes blocked a series of punches aimed at his torso, twisting his body to avoid the heavy blows. With a swift move, he seized Dex’s arm and yanked him forward, using his own momentum against him. He landed a knee on Dex’s gut, causing the rogue to stagger back, winded. But Dex was far from finished. He growled and lunged, delivering a powerful kick that Barnes barely managed to deflect with his forearm. The force of the kick still sent a shiver through his bones.

Dex laughed maniacally, his grin widening as he taunted, ”You’re good, Captain, but you’ll need more than that to take me down.”

Captain Barnes tightened his grip on his gauntlet, feeling the weight of the battle settled into his bones. Every second counted—he couldn’t afford to waste time. His mind raced as he calculated the best way to neutralize Dex. Protecting the President was the only priority now.

”When is the rescue chopper coming?” Captain Barnes demanded, his voice steady but laced with urgency.

”In five minutes!” a Ranger shouted back.

”Good, that’s more than enough time to deal with the likes of him,” Barnes smirked, his nano-particles surging within his gauntlet, forming and shaping his fist as flame-like substance wrapped around his fist.

Dex paused, eyeing the Captain with new interest. ”Is this what you call aura?”

Captain Barnes remained silent, his greenish-colored aura swirling around his fist, radiating with power. ”I’m not an aura master yet, but I’ve just crossed fifty power points... and that’s more than enough to deal with you.”

Dex smirked, but his eyes sharpened, sensing the shift in Barnes’s power. He had underestimated him, but the Captain’s growing strength was evident.

With a sudden change in Dex’s stance, Barnes saw an opening. He sidestepped, using his superior agility to lock Dex into a joint lock, twisting his arm behind his back with a controlled motion. Dex let out a grunt of pain, clearly feeling the difference in Barnes’s newfound strength.

Realizing he was nowhere near the aura masters’ level, Dex pushed back with a burst of energy, forcing Barnes to release the hold. They both staggered back, each eyeing the other with wariness.

”Indeed, that made you stronger,” Dex sneered, cracking his neck. ”But how can a few points make such a difference in your ability?”

Dex huffed, still feeling the lingering pain from Barnes’s move. He had pushed his body to the limit, nearing 45 power points, yet he was nowhere near capable of being Captain ranked Ranger of Elria. It frustrated him that despite his training, he couldn’t match Barnes’s raw power.

Captain Barnes stood tall, shaking his head. ”You’re reckless, fool. And that’s your biggest mistake.”

Dex smirked. ”You know how careless I can be,” he taunted, dashing forward with a reckless charge.

Barnes remained calm, stepping back as the aura around his fist coiled and grew stronger. With a swift and clean strike, he hit Dex square in the midsection, sending the rogue flying across the corridor with a resounding boom.

The impact echoed through the hallway, and the remaining rogues—once so confident and aggressive—paused, taking a few steps back, visibly shaken by the raw power they had just witnessed.

Captain Barnes ignored the others, his gaze fixed on the sky above. He couldn’t afford to focus on anything else right now. Every wasted second brought the President’s safety into further jeopardy. The first priority was getting him to safety.

”What about General? Have you informed him?” Barnes asked, his eyes still scanning the sky.

”No, Captain,” a Lieutenant replied, his voice tense. ”It seems something is interfering with General’s side.”

The President shook his head, disbelief in his eyes. ”Could it be... Kyle knew this from the beginning?”

”I don’t think he would stoop that low,” the Captain muttered.

”We don’t know yet,” President spoke grimly. ”I just hope my family is in safe hands.”

The President paused again weight of the situation settling over him. They all turned their gaze to the sky, hearing the faint buzz of the approaching chopper.

”We’ll get out of here first,” Captain Barnes commanded, his voice resolute. ”Secure the area while the President heads for the chopper. Move!”

The Rangers snapped into action, each one positioning themselves to protect the President as they made their way toward the chopper. There was no room for failure.

The sound of the approaching chopper grew louder, its rotors slicing through the air. The rescue team, still on edge, kept their focus on securing the perimeter. But then, something else caught their attention.

From the street below, the chopper began its ascent, slowly making its way toward the rooftop. The sun glinted off its metal surface, reflecting a dim golden light that seemed to add a weight of inevitability to the air. But as it rose, the view shifted—revealing a towering figure.

There, standing on the edge of the building’s terrace, silhouetted against the sky, was Coco.

The moment seemed to freeze. The chopper hovered, its blades whirling, but it was Coco’s presence that stole the scene. His purple metal-suited form, sleek and imposing, looked almost like a statue carved from the darkest steel. His arms were folded behind him in an air of cool arrogance as if he’d been waiting for this moment all along. The wind billowed through wildly around him but he remained perfectly still, his eyes narrowing slightly as he locked onto the chopper.

His posture was deliberate, radiating an aura of a man who knew no fear. Coco stood tall, towering above everything below him, as if daring the world to challenge his dominance. The very air around him seemed to hum with tension, like the calm before a storm that was ready to unleash its fury.

The chopper’s pilot hesitated for a moment, a cold shiver of unease crawling down his spine. It wasn’t just the figure’s imposing size or the sleek, menacing suit of armor that unsettled him—it was the sheer calmness with which Coco stood, as though he had already foreseen and welcomed the chaos that was about to unfold. His head tilted slightly, a thin, almost predatory smirk curling on his lips as he observed the unfolding scene.

”Finally,” Coco muttered, the words barely audible, as if everything leading up to this moment had been orchestrated exactly to his liking.

In a single, fluid motion, a whip-like weapon materialized in Coco’s hand, the air around it crackling with energy. The whip’s tip shimmered menacingly, crowned with what looked like five razor-sharp blades, each poised to strike with deadly precision.

The chopper, now directly above him, seemed to shrink in comparison to the weight of Coco’s presence. His aura of control and malice was palpable, a dark force that threatened to crush any resistance in its path. It was clear now—no one, not even the mighty Rangers, could stand against him.

”it’s my turn”