The Greatest Fight [progression cultivation isekai]

Operation Fireworks

"Twenty-five yachts, forty-four police boats, three large army ships, six helicopters, and many Shadows," counted Thero upon its return, as Madame Waters and Master Vesper reached the beach.

The machine lit up, revealing a hologram showing images it had taken from its intelligence-gathering flight.

"How many Shadows?" asked Roa.

"I do not have a definitive answer." The robot paused as its aura flickered. "Most were hidden. I could not gauge their auras or locations with sufficient precision—there are anywhere between fifty and two-hundred" the robot continued, in its usual monotone way.

Rosso pressed his hands to his face and took a deep breath.

"I have also captured images and videos from around the city. Would you like to view them now?" explained Thero, as the bluish hologram switched.

"Yes," said Roa.

On the streets of the city, Fulvix, now emboldened by his successful break into the prison, joined his brother on motorcycle. Flanked by the other members of their gang, their engines roared as they harassed the police and army, now deployed in full force on the streets. The people of the city stuck their bodies out of the windows of the buildings, using whatever they had available to make noise, as they chanted angry words, throwing things onto the officers below.

"Whose streets? Our streets!" they shouted.

Meanwhile, the Free Woman named C-Saw started the diversion downtown, pushing her way to the chained fences of the governor's office. Sparks began to fly when metal and metal touched, to the sound of the girl's almost maniacal laughs. Her chainsaw rattled, as the crowd cheered behind her, swaying back and forth, like an angry river about to overflow. When the thud of the broken chains was heard, the crowd stormed in without even giving her enough time to move.

"You're welcome!" she said shaking her head, as they bumped into her.

Forcing their way inside, the protesters barricaded themselves as the riot police surrounded the building. Chairs, couches, and entire desks went flying out of windows, documents and all, exploding onto the ground into thousands of pieces.

"What a beautiful, absolute mess," C-Saw said with a big smile on her face.

The swarm of officers slammed against the doors, but stacks of furniture and a sea of furious people held them at bay, leaving them stranded outside to witness the chaotic upheaval unraveling within the government building.

"We thought about it, long and hard," shouted the Jumper as she sat with one leg out of a second-story window, with a cigarette in her mouth, "and we are not too happy with your performance as rulers." Rolling her hand, she then reached inside, and threw a computer down, smashing it in front of the police. "So, I think that we will now absolve you of your duties," she grinned as she fired up a Molotov cocktail and launched it, lighting up the dark night for a moment. "You see, since this circus we call society is supposedly a democracy and all—well, we decided to just rule ourselves, instead."

Thero's video stopped. The Jumpers were discussing the situation when several figures rushed toward them, their faces masked by bandanas that fluttered with each labored breath.

"The boats are ready to go at the port, but we can't get the big oil tanker to move. None of us can figure it out. There are too many security controls," one of the women said, her piercing eyes crossing Roa's.

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"Damn it—we need that ship to let the smaller boats through the blockade," said Rosso, his voice tight with frustration.

"Thero, you said that your mother programmed you to hack Ultracorp's systems, right? Would you be able to commandeer the ship?" asked Roa.

"Correct—I believe so," it said as it flew away in the direction of the port.

"Damn it—what is taking the robot so long? It's 11:11 PM. We should have left by now," Roa glanced at a clock on the side of an abandoned rail station. "We can't wait any longer. Let's go to the port, or the plan is done."

Protesters blocked the way into the harbor, keeping the armed forces out for now. Theya and Vesper grabbed the other two, and used Pan's Gift to fly to the top of the oil tanker.

"Holy Mother of Humanity, you're heavy, boy. You should have meditated some more, instead of complaining so damn much," the teacher grumbled as the red-cloaked man held on.

"Maybe if we didn't spend weeks gardening—" blurted out Rosso.

"You're as sharp as a spoon, son."

They rushed to the bridge, but were met by the enemy as soon as they landed on the ship. A Shadow appeared out of thin air, grabbing Theya who was slammed against a metal wall with a deafening clunk. The dark being lifted his vibrating, glowing white fist, and released it at her. Before the blow could land, Vesper roundhouse kicked him, just in time, forcing him to let go, allowing Madame Waters to avoid the deadly strike at the last moment. The sheer force of the punch tore the metal wall, as if made of aluminum foil.

"The Brute Force Gift," thought the Sunflower, analyzing the enemy's movements—learning as he fought.

The woman in the bathrobe swung her baseball bat in the opposite direction, anticipating the enemy's next move. The weapon landed precisely onto the Shadow's chest, as the long, rusty nails sank deep into his flesh. He let out a loud groan. The enemy launched a small ball of light that morphed into a bird, but the old man appeared in front of it, destroying it with the back of his hand. Roa shot forward. He punched the enemy with immense force, rendering him unconscious with a single blow, as the others stared, speechless.

"I never taught you that move," said Vesper, smiling, as surprised as the rest.

"What was that blue bird you caught?" asked Rosso.

"They're called Blurrs. They're bits of aura that can be used to transfer telepathic messages from one person to another. He was going to let the other Shadows know we are here. He was calling for reinforcements," explained the elderly man, as he massaged his arm, his body still in pain from the brutal interrogation he endured at the prison.

"In here—Thero's in the control room," said Madame Waters, as they ran inside the bridge.

"What's the hold up?" asked Roa, noticing the robot connected to the computers of the ship.

"Nothing anymore," it said as the ship jolted forward at last. "I could not hack the system with the enemy trying to catch me."

The smaller fishing and merchant boats activated once their captains noticed the tanker budging forward. There was a strange mix of fear and hope in the air that night—one of those moments when history teeters on the edge, ready to veer wildly in one direction—or another. The helicopters circled above, as the ragtag flotilla moved towards the middle of the lake.

"Time to head out. Stay close to the water, and if you see anything flying, dive deep, moving as far away as you can. Suppress your auras the entire time—or we will be found," Roa said, as he took out the magic iron the teacher had given him.

"Not that ridiculous, dangerous thing again," Rosso sighed.

"Do you have any other ideas?" laughed the boy. "I got a better handle of it now, don't worry."

"I guess the old man is right—you should've meditated more," joked Theya.

"As we get closer to the yachts, I will try to pick up on Mattina's aura," the teacher said in a serious tone. "We will enter the ship where she is first. I have been picking up a faint signal for days now. She must be there, somewhere," Vesper's clenched jaw jolted back and forth after he spoke, grinding his teeth.

"Sneak in, get Mattina, and capture at least one of the oligarchs—all before the fireworks show at midnight. Got it?" asked Roa, peering at the expanse that awaited them, as the others nodded.

The Jumpers shot into the darkness, the only break in the void being the full moon, glowing brightly above. Rosso gripped the Sunflower's jacket tightly, as the magical iron yanked them forward, his eyes flicking up at the moon with a look of concern.

Roa turned his head and saw that the fishing boats had reached the floating army of armored vessels. Fishermen, merchants and protesters taunted the enemy, screaming and throwing things.

"Move away immediately—or you will be detained for disturbing the peace, and for endangering others," the police said over a crackling loudspeaker.

Unable to get the people to disperse, inflatable boats filled with men armed to the teeth surrounded the small vessels and began boarding them. The tanker caught up, at last. Using its size to its advantage, it rammed its way through the enemy blockade, pushing everything apart. It didn't take long for the authorities to swarm the ships, boarding them on all sides, pummeling the protesters with batons. The lights from the helicopters circling above, revealed an intense battle in the darkness of the night. The rioters put up a good fight at first, but eventually began to be overwhelmed.