Protector of Chaos - Chapter 3

Protector of Chaos - Chapter 3: Blazing Limits

Omega prepared his offenses the second Eggman gave the Cyborg Ifrit its order. The battle robot quickly reconfigured its hands into missile launchers and locked-on to the beast, firing several homing missiles at it. The Cyborg Ifrit noticed the incoming missiles and exhaled a stream of fire from its mouth to incinerate the missiles. However, the missiles curved around the blast and struck the Cyborg Ifrit on its abdomen, producing a cloud of smoke in the aftermath. Once the smoke cleared up, Omega saw that the Cyborg Ifrit was completely unmarked.

Omega thought of trying a different approach. He used his jet boosters to quickly accelerate behind the beast, then fired several fireballs at random locations on the mechanical dragon's body. His attacks had done nothing. Dumbfounded, Omega stopped moving and lowered his weapon.

"Ho ho ho!! What's with that expression, Omega? Don't tell me you thought those pitiful attacks would do any harm to the Cyborg Ifrit!" Eggman taunted.

The Cyborg Ifrit swooped down to try to crush Omega with its body, but Omega jumped up and used his jet boosters to extend the jump, landing perfectly on the Cyborg Ifrit's back. The mechanical dragon yelled with annoyance as Omega started blasting pellets at its back while holding on tightly.

"Umm, shouldn't we be helping him?" Rouge asked to Shadow and Alter.

"No," the hedgehog responded. "Omega would not allow that. This battle means a lot to him. If he succeeds, then it'll feel more victorious when he takes the doctor's head."

Eggman grinned at that statement.

"I hope you all are enjoying the show as much as I am! Metal Sonic here seems to be bored."

"Haha, I didn't think robots could get bored. But with the whole emotionless demeanor, it's not much of a surprise," Rouge said.

The scientist's glasses started to glow with villainous intent.

"Uh-oh, he has that look in his eyes, or erm, glasses," Rouge alerted.

Eggman turned to his robotic minion. "Metal Sonic, go play with the Mobians," he ordered. "And by 'play', I mean DESTROY!!!"

Metal Sonic faced his targets and began to analyze them. "Mission: Acquire the Chaos Emerald. Override. New mission: Annihilate Shadow, Rouge, and the new foe!"

"Well, that can't be good," the bat said while stepping back.

"Is it ever?" Alter remarked.

"Get ready!" Shadow warned, assuming his battle stance.

Metal Sonic jumped in the air, then dived through the roof, puzzling the Mobians. He soon emerged below Shadow, launching them both into the air. Shadow managed to break free just as the Cyborg Ifrit passed under him, landing on its back. Omega was still holding on with all his might, blasting the mechanical beast continuously as it shrieked in pain. Metal Sonic landed on the Cyborg Ifrit's back too, then resumed where he and Shadow left off.

Alter and Rouge both took flight – Alter using an ice platform and Rouge flying naturally with her wings. The Cyborg Ifrit spotted them approaching, then launched a massive fireball at them. They both managed to dodge it, however, the intense heat of the blast caused Alter's platform to melt and he began to fall back down to the roof. Eggman grinned malevolently at the thought of Alter's demise, until Rouge quickly turned back to help him. The bat grabbed his hands and landed them both back down carefully. Eggman did not approve.

"Cyborg Ifrit!!" he called out towards the beast. "Initiate program ESP on the bat!"

Behind the mechanical dragon's helmet, its red eyes began to glow green as it focused on Rouge. The bat suddenly fell to her knees, holding her head as if it was in intense pain. Her eyes were closed shut.

Alter crouched down to her. "Rouge??"

Her eyes suddenly snapped open, then she attempted to punch Alter, who sensed the attack coming and grabbed her fist in time. Rouge snarled with anger, her eyes also glowing green.

"It's controlling you..." Alter whispered to himself.

Rouge caught him off-guard and kicked him hard on the side, sending his body flying. Alter quickly recovered by using the palm of his hand against the ground to stop the momentum. Rouge charged after him, preparing another attack. The wolf reluctantly stood his ground against her, getting in a battle stance. Once the battle started to get heated, Eggman retreated to a distant corner of the roof, but still kept an eye on the mayhem.

Meanwhile, Metal Sonic and Shadow were going full-out. Shadow was already glowing red in his Chaos Boost state, sending deadly Chaos Lances towards the robot. Metal, however, dodged them all with his hyper speed and kicked Shadow from behind who got knocked into Omega, causing the battle robot to stop his attack briefly. Relieved of its constant bashing, the Cyborg Ifrit turned its head towards its back and let loose a stream of fire. Omega was forced to jump, using his jet boosters to hover down carefully. Metal Sonic protected itself by using its black shield. Shadow evaded the attack by using Chaos Control to warp back down to the roof, where he witnessed Alter's brawl with Rouge.

"Rouge!" the ultimate lifeform called out. "Snap out of it!"

"Ho ho ho!! It's no use!" Eggman said from the other side of the roof. "The Cyborg Ifrit's hold on her is too great for words alone!"

Omega landed next to Shadow and analyzed Rouge.

"In order to bring Rouge back to her senses, I must complete my challenge," the battle robot said.

"You'd better do it quickly, Omega," Shadow replied.

The hedgehog skated towards the combat, but was quickly intercepted by Metal Sonic, who began using rapid punches to attack Shadow, followed up with a homing attack, knocking Shadow to the ground. The hedgehog quickly got back to his feet, then charged up his Chaos energy. He skated towards Metal Sonic. Just before he got in front of the robot, he disappeared, displaying hyper speed of his own. Metal Sonic was swooped off his feet as Shadow reappeared below him with a drop-kick. While the robot's body was still falling, Shadow continued the motion of his drop-kick, causing a black tornado to appear.

"Alter! Heads up!!" Shadow warned as he kicked the tornado towards Rouge.

Alter ducked as Rouge made an attempt to kick him, then the wolf phased through the roof's floor just as the tornado captured Rouge. Alter resurfaced with his back to Shadow, arms crossed. The hedgehog spoke.

"Knowing Metal Sonic, that tornado won't hold those two for long," Shadow said. "I'll take it from here. You should help Omega get back on top of the Cyborg Ifrit so he can finish this."

"Right," Alter said.

He ran up to Omega who was examining the Cyborg Ifrit's structure in hopes of finding a weakness.

"The Cyborg Ifrit is a formidable challenge, but it is not invincible," Omega stated as Alter approached him. "Sensors indicate that in order to eradicate the Cyborg Ifrit, I must obliterate its helmet and strike its swelling. This is my current objective."

"Let's make it happen, shall we?" Alter said while clasping Omega's shoulder.

Alter created a platform of ice under the two, then raised it into the air. The Cyborg Ifrit saw them approaching and immediately replicated its last tactic: spitting a ball of fire at Alter's platform.

"That won't work this time," the wolf said, withdrawing his Chaos Emerald. "Chaos Control!"

Time came to a complete stop, but the platform continued its flight. Omega too, remained unaffected from the cessation of time. Alter curved the platform around the fireball, which was trapped in time, and over the Cyborg Ifrit's back. Omega jumped down and began firing a focused beam cannon at the Cyborg Ifrit's helmet. Soon, a large crack started to form on the helmet's exterior.

"I have breached the helmet's defenses," Omega alerted Alter. "Initiating manual cleaving."

Alter watched from his platform as Omega jumped up to the mechanical dragon's head and morphed his hand into a power drill. He then began to penetrate through the crack he had formed. Just as Omega started to tear the helmet apart with his claws, time began to flow again. The Cyborg Ifrit roared in pain as it swirled its body in an attempt to cause Omega to lose his balance. Instead of Omega falling, Alter's platform was hit. It broke apart and shattered into many pieces. Without any support this time, the wolf began to fall. Eggman once again smiled as Alter fell faster and faster.

Shadow, meanwhile, was fending himself from the combined forces of Rouge and Metal Sonic. He saw Alter falling, but he couldn't get a second in to help him. Omega was also occupied, blasting the Cyborg Ifrit with pellets to weaken it a bit. What happened next made everyone stop fighting. Alter moaned in pain as a dark feeling began to overcome him. His body began to glow in a dark, sinister aura, giving off a purple hue. The glowing green designs on his jacket, shoes, and gloves, as well as his eyes, started to invert, becoming purple. The wolf let out a maniacal laugh as his fall continued. Alter gripped his hands in fists, dark energy encircling them. His fall suddenly began to lose speed. He hovered down to the roof's surface and grinned at his new power. As he landed, a black mist swirled around his feet and with every step he took. He turned to Shadow, Rouge, and Metal Sonic, all were paralyzed at how much power he was exerting.

What's happening to him? Shadow thought to himself.

"Heh heh heh...! Kneel to me!!!" the wolf said, his voice echoing a dark undertone.

Alter dashed towards Metal Sonic with nightmarish speed, his fist already charged with power. He impaled the robot's chest with a single punch, making both Shadow and Rouge stand back in surprise. Alter laughed psychotically as Metal Sonic's irises faded out. The wolf grunted in disappointment from the ease of Metal Sonic's defeat, then retracted his fist from the robot. Metal fell to its knees, its body sparking. Eggman's eyes widened behind his glasses. The doctor felt his throat go dry with consternation. He knew exactly what was happening to the wolf, and it was hard to take in.

"Oh no...!!" the scientist said with fear in his tone. "Cyborg Ifrit! Ignite the whole area!! QUICKLY!!!!"

"W-what?!?!" Shadow and a hypnotized Rouge said in union.

Alter smirked with excitement.

The Cyborg Ifrit made a powerful sway with its body, managing to shake Omega off its back. However, the battle robot made a quick reflex and grabbed the beast's tail. Finally at ease, the Cyborg Ifrit took aim on the roof. A massive, fiery twister erupted, spiraling wildly. Shadow and Rouge shielded their bodies from the burning flares seething through the ash-filled air. Before the twister got any worse, Alter aimed both of his palms at its base. A dark void appeared at the very center of the tornado, absorbing the fiery twister from the inside. Within seconds, the tornado became so diminutive that only a single ember and a large scorch on the roof remained of the conflagration. The black hole faded away. Everyone had their mouths wide open at what they had just witnessed.

"T-that was... its most powerful attack...!" the scientist uttered between breaths.

Alter opposed the beast, arms folded, eyes fixated at its face.

"Humph. Is that all you can muster? Is this your limitations?? I was expecting a 'challenge'. Instead, you give me that futile attempt of a fire storm. You're a disgrace."

The Cyborg Ifrit was insulted. The mechanical dragon altered its objectives. It fired a fireball at Alter who simply cocked his head to the side as it passed. The fireball hit the roof instead which caused waves of ember to spread all throughout the roof, covering anything that was connected to the floors. Shadow protected himself and Rouge by creating a black tornado around the two, clearing out the embers that were quickly approaching them. Alter jumped in the air and created an ice platform under his soles. He decided to take the Cyborg Ifrit head-on, despite Omega's wishes to defeat the beast on his own.

Smirking, the wolf took flight in the sky while dodging a cluster of incoming fireballs. As Alter drew near the mechanical dragon, he fired multiple ice shards wrapped in dark energy at its body. Despite the heat that the Cyborg Ifrit's body was emanating, each place that the ice shards hit surprisingly started to freeze in solid ice. A closer inspection would reveal that the dark energy was strengthening the freezing effects of the ice shards, making it more difficult to melt, and more difficult for the Cyborg Ifrit to move. Omega found it much easier to climb back on the Cyborg Ifrit's back.

"Remain on stand-by, Alter. I do not require your assistance," Omega said while aiming at the helmet.

"Heh heh heh, you can't have all the fun to yourself!!" refused Alter. "Besides, what good is this challenge if it's already completed?"

Before Omega could question Alter's statement, the wolf began to form a massive ice spear above the Cyborg Ifrit's helmet. Alter had both of his hands focused on it. Just as he was about to send it crashing down on the helmet, the wolf suddenly passed out due to overuse of his abilities, which had taken a huge toll out of him. Alter fell forward a bit, but was caught by the robotic arm of Omega. As the wolf closed his eyes, the color of his attire and eye color returned to normal, and the dark aura faded. Without a guide for the ice shard he had manifested, it sloppily slanted a bit and ripped the Cyborg Ifrit's helmet off, then pummeled to the roof's surface where it shattered into many pieces.

With the swelling finally exposed, Omega fired a variety of explosives at it, then jumped off the beast's back while carrying Alter on his arms and using his jet boosters to poise down carefully. The Cyborg Ifrit shrieked in undeniable pain and agony, and began to fall down to the roof , unconscious and defeated.

"Urgh!!! My creation!! How could it be bested by that rusted pile of bolts?!?!" the scientist complained.

Rouge, who was being held by Shadow firmly to prevent further assault, was finally relieved of her mind control.

"You can let go of me now!!!" the bat said in frustration.

"It's about time," Shadow said, willing to oblige. "It's time to send this beast back to where it came."

Shadow stepped up to the motionless body of the Cyborg Ifrit and withdrew his Chaos Emerald.

"Chaos Control!!" the hedgehog shouted, creating a portal to the Ifrit's dimension.

The portal pulled the Cyborg Ifrit through it and closed just as Omega landed down with Alter still out cold. He laid the wolf on the ground.

"What happened to Alter???" asked a concerned Rouge.

"There is no time to elaborate," Omega quickly responded. "The challenge has been met and overcomed. I must now commence with Doctor Eggman's destruction."

"Gah!! N-no!! Don't!!!" Eggman cried out.

"Resisting is not an option," the battle robot said, reloading an ammunition and targeting his creator.

"NOOOOOO!!!!!!"

Just as Omega fired the rounds, a wall of ice rose up from the ground and defended Eggman from the attack. The ammunitions pierced the ice, but not fully. Everyone turned to the only person who was capable of doing that. Alter was conscious again, resting on one knee, and panting from exhaustion.

"Alter???" everyone recited.

"Don't... kill him... yet..." the wolf said through heavy breaths. "I demand to know... what happened... to me...!!"

"You heard him, Doctor," Shadow agreed, also interested on the matter. "Start talking."

Eggman growled, but knew he had no choice but to provide an explanation. "Very well... It was the–"

Before Eggman could begin, police sirens could be heard and seen flashing at the lower level of the building. Helicopters had their spotlights centered on the group. Troops were making their way up to the very top of the building to apprehend and question anyone they could get to in time.

"Ugh, the law..." Eggman said grimly. "We'll continue this another time, boys! And Omega?" the doctor said, turning his attention to the battle robot. "This challenge did not prove that you are the ultimate E-series robot. YOU succeeded in proving that you are the ultimate... Well done, ol' chap. Well done. However... You are light years from even comparing to Metal Sonic's standards! HE is my ultimate creation!!"

"Are you talking about that scrap bucket over there?" Rouge teased.

Eggman muttered curses under his breath and flew away, abandoning Metal Sonic, just as the troops barged their way to the roof.

"Freeze!!" they all said, aiming their guns at Alter.

"Me?!" Alter said, pointing to himself in confusion.

"Of course you!" an officer responded. "We know agent Shadow and agent Rouge weren't responsible for this vandalism!" the officer said, referencing to the large scorch from the Cyborg Ifrit's twister. "What do you think did this?? A dragon???" he joked.

"But, sir," Rouge began.

"You don't need to speak for this juvenile, miss Rouge," another cop said. "We're taking him in!"

The cop got behind Alter and handcuffed him tightly.

"We're taking you to headquarters where you will be fingerprinted, charged, and sentenced by a court of law for your actions here tonight. Don't try any funny business. You have the right to remain silent."

"You know, that all sounds really cool and all, but..." Alter phased through his handcuffs. The troops watched as they hit the floor. One of the cops pointed at Alter, shaking with fear.

"G-g-ghost...!!!"

All troops and men in helicopters screamed at the top of their lungs, then fled the scene. Shadow shook his head with a smile on his face as Rouge laughed her head off, literally on her back.

"For some reason, I was expecting them to blame Omega," she said. "But Alter?? That is just rich! Wait 'til Topaz hears this one!!"

"Before I forget, I think this belongs to you," Alter said, tossing Rouge her communicator while walking away.

The bat caught it. "Oh, thanks!"

Alter nodded, then turned to leave, but he started to get a strange sensation, as if someone was watching him. The wolf turned his head at the source of the sensation. Standing at the top of a building from the other side of the roof stood a mysterious hedgehog. The hedgehog's fur was black, and he had twelve quills penetrating from his head. Two quills, located at his back, pointed downwards and were striped blue. Four quills, that greatly resembled a crown, stood out from the rest. They were located on the hedgehog's forehead and silver-white in color. He wore gray gauntlets on his arms and legs, each containing teal orbs at the center. His gloves were white, as were his shoes, but his shoes had teal stripes and were black at the heels. His yellow eyes were emotionless and reptilian, unlike most hedgehogs.

Alter and the hedgehog kept their eyes locked to the other, glaring, both refusing to blink. The hedgehog's eyes darted off to the side, showing his loss of interest in the wolf. He turned with his back facing Alter and began to dematerialize at a quick pace. Before the hedgehog fully dematerialized, Alter heard a voice in his mind.

You are a puppet, the stern voice whispered clearly.

Once the hedgehog completely vanished, Shadow walked up to Alter.

"Who was he?" Alter asked without turning to him.

"You'll find out soon enough," Shadow replied. "Whenever he's around, it's not to goof off, that's for sure. It may have something to do with the form you took during the battle. Either way, he appears to be interested in you. Expect to see him again, sooner than you think."