"Now then, the game officially begins. The winner's prize is the Gaia Memory in my hand." Genm raised his hand, waving it slowly as he spoke to Pierce and Frank.
Pierce turned his head to look at Genm: "I'm certainly going to get that Gaia Memory in your hand, but I won't obediently follow your arrangements or play any games. Though, defeating this guy isn't exactly a troublesome task for me.
However... no one controls my actions!"
As he spoke, he raised his hand and directly released several powerful bolts of lightning, flames, and hurricanes toward Genm.
Genm merely waved his hand casually, directly erasing the powerful attacks Pierce had unleashed.
Seeing this, Pierce's heart tightened slightly, and he looked at Genm with newfound caution.
"No need to be so angry, because anger is useless. Since you have entered the Game Area I designed, you naturally need to follow the rules of the game." Genm seemed completely indifferent to Pierce's earlier attack, his tone remaining light and cheerful.
"What exactly is this 'game' you're talking about?" Frank asked in a cold voice.
"A two-player fighting game." Genm snapped his fingers.
A huge virtual screen suddenly appeared in mid-air, displaying two characters fighting in a classic arcade style. The two characters went back and forth, attacking and defending until one side's health bar hit zero and the game ended.
The screen flashed with a large "GAME OVER."
Frank gave Genm a deep look and took a breath: "I'm asking—what is this space?!"
Although Frank hadn't played games before, he understood the basic rules of a fighting game; he didn't need an explanation on that.
Genm let out a light laugh: "So that's what you were asking. This is a Game Area constructed by the Bugster Virus, a place where the game can proceed without outside interference."
"Just as I thought!" A glint flashed in Pierce's eyes. It was no secret to him that S.H.I.E.L.D. had obtained a Game Gashat from Tony Stark.
"The game ends when one of you loses the ability to fight and cancels their transformation. That determines the winner," Genm said in a distant, solemn tone.
Pierce snorted and turned toward Frank: "It seems I have to knock you down first before I can get my hands on that Memory."
Intimidating lightning and flames began to dance in his hands.
After confirming that his attacks currently posed no threat to Genm, Pierce decided to try defeating Frank first to end this so-called game.
Frank met him head-on. The Driver at his waist, shaped like a motorcycle speedometer, ticked rapidly, emitting an engine roar like muffled thunder. His entire armor burst with a brilliant red light.
After both had accumulated enough power, they charged forward simultaneously, colliding with massive energy before bouncing back.
The Weather Dopant's superior defensive power gave Pierce the upper hand in this brief exchange, successfully forcing Frank back. However, Pierce wasn't entirely unscathed.
Looking at the red burn marks on his arm, Pierce's mind shifted. The power of the Weather Memory surged, erasing the marks. The power of the Accel Memory Frank was using had strengthened again.
"Once I beat you, I'm going to see who exactly you are," Frank said. The Accel Memory at his waist glowed slightly, dispelling the lingering electricity on his body.
Pierce sneered: "You think that's enough to contend with me? Next, I'll show you the true power of the Weather Memory."
"Heh." Frank gave a short laugh and raised his sword, charging at Pierce once more.
"The Weather Memory possesses the ability to manipulate meteorological phenomena. In other words, with this Memory, I am the Master of the Weather," Pierce spoke solemnly.
"Lightning, rainbows, searing flames, rain, and frost—all are powers under my control."
With a wave of his right hand, red lightning immediately descended from the sky to strike the charging Frank. Simultaneously, Pierce released thunderclouds to surround and trap him.
Although Frank avoided the lightning strikes from above, the intangible thunderclouds were impossible to evade. Once the clouds enveloped him, they began a continuous electrical discharge attack.
Frank could only grit his teeth and tank the electricity, rushing out of the cloud's range at maximum speed to strike Pierce before the clouds could encircle him again.
Watching Frank rush toward him, Pierce opened his arms wide, looking as if he were resigning himself to death.
Though slightly surprised, Frank didn't hold back at all. He swung his Engine Blade with full force toward Pierce.
However, just as the blade was about to hit, a tornado suddenly erupted around Pierce, shielding him. The powerful wind force directly repelled the approaching Frank.
Pushed back by the gale, Frank regained his footing. Looking at the tornado surrounding Pierce, he considered whether to bypass the wind from above to attack.
Suddenly, a torrential downpour began. Frank cursed inwardly—the sudden rain was clearly part of Pierce's weather manipulation.
Despite being on guard, the dense curtain of rain was impossible to block. Even using the Accel Memory to release intense heat wasn't enough to evaporate such a massive amount of water.
After a moment's thought, Frank decided to press the attack. The Weather Memory had too many varied and versatile abilities; the best response was to end this quickly before Pierce could cycle through them all.
Just as Frank was about to move, a sudden hurricane whipped up, drawing in the rainwater to create a massive water pillar, trapping Frank at its center.
Frank immediately tried to break out, but the rotational force of the water within the pillar was immense, making escape difficult.
Pierce didn't just stand by while Frank was trapped. He immediately released a massive amount of lightning into the water pillar.
Trapped inside and assaulted from all sides by electric currents, Frank was in a wretched state. He struggled to defend himself, and the brilliant red light of the Accel power visibly dimmed.
"It's over." Finally, seeing Frank half-kneeling on the ground, unable to bear the pressure, Pierce smiled inwardly. He released a blast of freezing air, turning the entire 20-meter-tall water pillar into a pillar of ice.
Locked in ice, Frank managed one last burst of energy to shatter the pillar before collapsing weakly to the ground, his transformation canceling automatically.
"Against me, with the Weather Memory, you are still too weak," Pierce said, delivering his victory speech with smug satisfaction.
Frank clenched his fists, his eyes full of unwilling frustration.
"I have won. The game should be over now, right? Hand over the Gaia Memory," Pierce said, turning back to Genm.
Genm clapped his hands and laughed: "A truly magnificent duel. You have won the game; the prize is naturally yours."
With that, he tossed the Ice Age Memory directly to Pierce.
(End of Chapter)