Defeated

The battle could have gone on forever for all Ali knew. But, as they were humans, all had their limits to their energy, and this splitting headache was helping no more than Viktor, the goddamn double-crossing traitor. What he did was ten times worse than Jenny. 

Ali spun in a large circle, flying into the air with the help of his aeroboots as he went. Once he was several metres off the ground, he shot his yoyo straight at Iris. But Iris merely only moved his head an inch to the side, and his yoyo missed. At the moment, IRIS was having great difficulty predicting what would be Iris' next move. Ali rather felt frustrated by it, seeing how it's 2.0, but it was no better than predicting Iris' movements precisely at all. 

Just when he was in the middle of a furious, multiple yoyo attack, he heard a high-pitched scream behind him. He whipped around. 

Laying unconscious against the wall was Iman. She did not even stir as Viktor came to a threatening distance to her. 

"STOP!" Ali screamed. Next thing he knew, he was storming towards the raven-haired boy, making sure to stomp his feet as hardly as he can. Viktor turned sharply in his direction, but Ali was neither intimidated.

Yelling out a war-cry with sheer desperation at only wanting him hit, Ali hurled his yoyo with all his might towards Viktor. Viktor looked around when the yoyo was quite near him, but he still managed to grab a dart across his chest and throw it at the incoming yoyo, misdirecting it. Instead, the yoyo flew towards General Astor and Uno.

Unfortunately, Uno has spotted this a split second earlier and had jumped away, leaving General Astor to be unprotected.

Ali realised this almost immediately. He pulled as hard as he can on the string of his yoyo, though too late. Even as the yoyo retreated a bit, General Astor was still in the range. With a click followed by a blast of wind, the General was hit on point. And he did not get up.

"Oh no..." Ali whimpered, as fear flooded his face. There was only him left. 

"There's no use anymore, Ali..." Uno snarled. In a beat of a heart, he was behind him and had sent him falling onto the cold ground. Ali was so scared he did not look up. He was afraid of seeing what he would be witnessing if he did. Somewhere nearby, he could feel a radiating something close to his unprotected neck.

"The Chief Pillars will pay for what they had done," said Uno's sneering voice above him. "They will regret ever trying to kill me off...they will regret ever pushing me aside...I will make sure they regret every. Single. Thing."

There was a swishing of steel, and Ali's eyes widened. 

Uno's Azurium sword came swinging towards him, but he was too stunned to move. He was so shocked his voice had abandoned him, not even allowing him to scream. All he knew was that he had nowhere to run, Ali knew this would be the end of his life. 

But then-

There was a clash of steel and Uno's sword went spinning away in dizzying circles across the air. All gazes followed the blue sword as it clattered a few feet away and deactivated, simply becoming  a sword's hilt. 

"What the-" Uno stammered, whipping around to face Viktor. But it wasn't Viktor. 

It was Rudy. 

"Sorry, but I cannot allow you to kill him," Rudy said coldly, then, in a higher tone, "Iman!" 

Iris turned his head right on time to see Iman lashing out her scarf at him. He gasped in shock, but still was able to dodge Iman's attack before it reached him. 

"Hurry up and get up," Rudy added irritably at Ali, as he shot two of his metal cuffs at Uno, who failed to notice it when he looked around for Iman and was forced to be shackled to the ground.

To say the truth, Ali was still recovering from the shock he had received when he thought he was about to die. His brain could hardly work and he seemed to be rooted to the spot. He barely registered the two fights that was going on in front of him. Only then did a scream shook him out from his trance.

"Argh!" came a scream. This time more realistic.

"Iman!" Rudy shouted. 

Iris had shoved his sniper roughly at Iman's chest. Iman stumbled, but didn't collapse. Though she held her chest tightly afterwards and her expression was one that described a most silent anguish. As Iris held his sniper higher, Rudy came up behind him and made to chop his neck. 

IRIS immediately told Ali Rudy was in danger. But all he could say was, "Be careful!", and it was too late when he did. 

Iris had spun about instead and shot Rudy on target with his sniper. Rudy emitted a loud grunt, and next, he was flying across the room. Ali watched in horror as Rudy hit the wall with a ground-shaking crash and slid down the wall. Unmoving, a crackling blue hole in his suit, defeated. 

"Rudy!" Iman cried, who was still clutching her chest. 

To his most outright dreadfulness, Rudy's shackles had released Uno and had soared right into Iris' outstretched hand. Iris examined it almost curiously.

"Thanks," Uno grumbled. He picked up his fallen sword, twirled with once in his hand, and activate it once more.

"Now it's your turn, shawl girl," Iris said coldly, turning on Iman.

Ali must do something. Anything. But Uno was advancing on him. He wanted to help Iman, but what could he do? What could he do that could stop Iris? 

A phrase, one which he had been told by Rizwan three years ago, echoed in his head. "Now you must learn how to control IRIS."

That was it. He has to control Iris. It was his only chance to stop it.

So, focusing with all his might, and trying to ignore the approaching menacing footsteps of Uno, he concentrated. IRIS 2.0 targeted on Iris, whose Azurium sniper was gaining energy, about to blast-

'Stop.'

With a sudden clatter of metal, the sniper dropped. Uno turned to look, befuddled, at Iris, whose muscles had suddenly seized up and was incapable of moving.

"What the-" Uno started. He looked around to find the source of the this weird phenomena, and found the IRIS boy focusing with all his might at Iris.

Uno narrowed his eyes. "Oh no you don't-" 

But even as he used his super speed to get at Ali, something had came between them before that and he was forced to stumble a few steps backwards, quite dazed from the impact. 

"Don't you get near him," General Astor sneered, holding up his bow with its two sharp claws at the end as his weapon.

Uno can't help but be angry at him. If Iris was down, he surely would stand no chance against the Chief Pillars. They were about to be here soon. And yet Astor was blocking him.

"Iman!" Ali said, his voice very strangled, as he was pressing on IRIS' temple very hardly and was still concentrating on holding Iris off with everything he had got. "Attack him!" 

Iman, though still weak, took in a deep, shuddering breath, for she knew her next few actions would involve great movement and required the highest resistance of pain she could muster, and grabbed her dagger-ended shawl from behind.

She eyed Iris very carefully, analysing which part would be the best to hit now he's in this position-

"Do it now!" Ali screamed. 

Ensuring a tighter grip on her shawl, Iman jumped aside, giving a better distance between them, smashing her dagger-ended weapon on the floor as she landed, and flung the glowing blue, drilling death dagger straight towards Iris. 

The dagger hit Iris with full impact. The humanoid being was forced to double-up, despite his thick hide, the drilling dagger had managed to drive through him within a matter of seconds. From Iris' body came out a shower of sparks. His mouth was open, eyes wide, as though in surprise. He still did not move, however, as long as Ali was keeping his concentration. 

Iman's dagger did not stop there, though. It had clashed with the opposite wall and, because of its strong momentum, bounced off it, went in an large, graceful arc, before zooming back down and forced its way dynamically through Iris' head. 

Iris' arms limply fell to its side. His knees buckled, his head drooped, and he went crashing to the floor. Sparks flew out from his body and his limbs were twitching uncontrollably, giving him the look of being electrocuted. Finally, Iris was destroyed. 

They surely had won. 

Iman had barely moved another step forwards when something had crashed into her, sending her toppling across the smooth floor. She looked up angrily to see who had done it, but her face instantly whitened so pale that she appeared sick when she saw who it was.

"A-Ali..."