Chapter 13 (Into the hands)

The green robot dashed towards Zeya wielding his hammer. The golden female robot disappeared. Knowing their moves, Zeya dodged left and rushed backward afterward. The golden robotess appeared where he last stood, charging her sword. They dashed towards him again and disappeared.

Zeya had to dodge either left or right at first. Then, he rushed in another direction. He had to dodge twice as the phantom robots teleported where he moved first. In this way, he had to keep on avoiding the phantom robots with invisibility.

Meanwhile, Saw Nan Mon had also been dealing with the cyborgs. She had to protect the weakened ones from them. As her snakes did not work on the cyborgs, she had to rely solely on her swords and flames. She made her swords produce flames whenever she swung, thus illuminating a glorified glow.

The phantom robot raged towards Zeya, wielding their weapons, and disappeared again. That time, Zeya stayed at the place for a second and suddenly stuck to the ceiling. He hid behind two bars on the ceiling connected to the lighting system. The robots appeared right below him. Zeya used his hands and hit their faces each other. They were stunned for a few seconds. Zeya used this opportunity and kicked them in their faces. Just then, they disappeared.

But all of a sudden, they reappeared beside him, wielding their weapons. This time, Zeya dodged no more and kicked the belly area of the golden-faced robotess. He barehandedly controlled the hammer of the giant robot and broke the handle. Then, the two disappeared again.

As their assaults on Zeya had become more unlikely to win, they changed their aim towards Saw Nan Mon. At that time, Saw Nan Mon was dealing with the army of cyborgs and paid little attention to them. The green robot appeared behind her and tried to break her neck.

Zeya felt a sudden shock down his spine upon seeing the robot behind Saw Nan Mon. His hair rose, and his heart rushed. It was as if his nerves sent a wave of shock. His body stimulated him to quickly respond. At a speed faster than a bullet, Zeya rushed toward the robot and punched its back.

“Bam!” His fist pierced through the body of the robot and appeared back from the chest. Zeya’s hand was injured during the attack. The robot was stunning in the air with waves of electricity emitting. Then, it shut down.

The golden-faced robotess appeared between Zeya and Saw Nan Mon and attacked them with swords in both hands. She used each hand to attack the duo. Saw Nan Mon used one of the swords to stop the robotess’s sword and another to cut its hand. Zeya grabbed the sword holding hand and ripped it apart. After losing both of its hands, the robotess could no more teleport or disappear. The duo shut her down by ripping other parts apart.

After shutting them down, both of the robots emitted a radiant green glow in the form of humans. Then, they both disappeared.

After all the cyborgs were gone, the duo had to continue drawing the magic circle for transportation.

“Bam,” “Bam,”

U Agga arrived with another legion of cyborgs. As the number of cyborgs had not drained much yet, Zeya had guessed how many cyborgs U Agga had and also how many young men were turned.

Zeya dashed through the cyborgs and rushed toward U Agga. But, from the edge of U Agga’s robe, a mysterious black fluid emerged. It sprayed toward Zeya as if it came from a nozzle. It coiled around Zeya as a snake and turned into solid. Zeya knew what it was. It was none other than the mutant he took from the planet of Tatera. He tried to control it, but it was in vain. It was then fully controlled by U Agga.

“Thy little fluid pet doesn’t listen to thee now, huh? That thing was wandering in the woods, so I kept it,”

U Agga used the mutant to hit Zeya with the ceiling.

“Thy psychic power is incomparable to mine,” U Agga said and controlled some part of the mutant to turn into liquid and surround Saw Nan Mon too.

Although he could not use his power upon U Agga, Zeya controlled the ceiling above him and caused them to fall upon U Agga. But the ascetic managed to dodge it calmly. Later, spikes appeared from the mutant and stung Zeya as it restrained. It was more than a thousand needles piercing through the body. Because of the pain, Zeya could use the psychic power no more and fall.

Then, U Agga calmly pressed a button from a remote in his hand.

“Bang!”

A young man implanted with pieces of machinery suddenly exploded. His body parts separated, and the blood painted the floor red.

“Science and Magic differ due to the lack of the ability to unify them. With great skill, their union can be formed easily,”

Because of rage, Zeya stood against the pain and tried to attack him again. He tried to get the remote via power. Then, U Agga pressed more buttons.

“Bang!” “Bang!” “Bang!”

More than a dozen of weakened young men exploded. The floor had turned crimson, and the body p@rts had filled the room. Some body p@rts were on the face of other weakened persons. Yet, they had no strength to clear them on their face. It was a living hell, a testament of cruelty. Zeya was raging with anger. His eyes could not resist and cried tears of rage and empathy. Still, U Agga stood as if nothing had happened.

Zeya blamed himself for the suffering of young men. He assumed that he had brought them into the valley of misery. He also worried about the fate of the twenty-village alliance. Without him and the young men, there were none to protect the village. The imperial army could raid them in no time. Just then, he had realized that there was no chance of going against U Agga.

“Young man, with the combination of our power, we can have access to all the magic and skills of my ancestors. Then, we shall rule the empires greater than Ava. My boy, I have learned thy tale. Thou have set foot on a developed planet. Thou hate the feudalism that makes man to bow other men. With thy power, ye shall finish this system. With me and thee, we shall make a system better than this. A system for us to rule. Now, to save thy people, unite with me,”

Zeya had no faith in U Agga’s words. Still, he had no other thing to do but to keep silent.

Meanwhile,

“Ti..Ti..Ti…”

“The upper chambers are burning!! The soldiers are there, Master,” a white robe rushed and sent U Agga the message. He was furious. By capturing Zeya and Saw Nan Mon via mutant, he rushed towards the upper chamber.

…

A few soldiers, led by Mingye Yan Naing, escaped the ambush of the garrison troops. They took shelter in the woods and reassembled. The ambush was because the spies of the queen consort informed the king that Mingye Yan Naing had eaten tea leaves together with Zeya. It was also by the accusation of other generals that Mingye Yan Naing had plotted to rebel. After the ambush, Mingye Yan Naing reunited his troops. They also met with a Shin Ye Htut and a troop of young men who escaped from the attack of magicians. The two forces united and attacked U Agga’s monastery.

U Agga commanded his cyborgs to defeat Mingye Yan Naing’s soldiers in the cruelest ways. The soldiers were no match to the cyborgs. They were like wild beasts. With their metallic limbs and attached weapons, they ripped, bit, and smashed the soldiers with no emotions. They burnt whoever they saw alive with their flamethrowers. But Mingye Yan Naing had no thought of retreating and had determined to destroy U Agga’s base to ashes.

“Hey, Zeya, I’ll give thee a chance. Obey me and persuade Mingye Yan Naing to retreat. Or else, my cyborgs will end them,”

Zeya was stunned. Mingye Yan Naing was truly a stubborn man. He could persuade but if so, it would be obeying U Agga’s words. But, he could think no longer and flew.

“O minister, please retreat. He has held hostages!” Zeya spoke to him in trembling words.

“O, ye weizza, aren’t thou capable of saving them?” Mingye Yan Naing answered back.

“Pardon me, for he can kill all hostages within a blink. Now, without thou, my lord, the twenty-villages alliance will be left uncovered. They have no strong man to protect. Please, save them. I will save the hostages,”

Mingye Yan Naing sighed upon seeing his comrades getting ripped apart and burnt alive by wild robots. He could bear no more screaming. He could make them resist no more. With his hushed voice, he yelled,

“Retreat!!”

With a weary soul, Zeya flew back to U Agga. He saw a robot capturing Shin Ye Htut.

“O, ye, wicked ascetic, Have not I persuaded Mingye Yan Naing to retreat as thee saith? Why have thy robot captured this boy?”

“He has the faith to be a king,” U Agga answered back.