《Shift (A Shounen Battle Series)》 Chapter 1 - Stained Sand Rumble, a shake, perhaps an earthquake, everything shook violently. A void covered all in a thick blanket, immovable and heavy. Unknown pressure crushed inward threatening bone and muscle alike. From every direction, the world leapt into the air. It heaved like a wave, fluid and rippling, yet unnatural. Earthquakes were a far too common experience for him. Each shake felt distant and close at the same time, as though separated from his body. Could it have been an out of body experience? Did his soul escape with a partial tether attached to his mortal coil? The earthquake bounced him. Bounced? ¡®Bounce isn¡¯t the right verb in this context¡­¡¯ The supposed shaking came from two other small bodies bouncing on his bed. ¡°Alright you two, I¡¯m awake.¡± Fairly promptly the bouncing ceased, though he felt their sudden movement closer to him. Just before they considered maybe jumping more, he sprung up with a playful roar to a well planned and clearly masterfully executed scare. ¡°Morning!¡± chirped Ken, stone cold in reaction, but still beaming with energy only a ten year old could still manage. Without a verbal reaction of his own, Jun clapped to provide that as his morning greeting. A slight blank vacant stare came from the youngest brother, but still managed to share something close to Ken¡¯s energy behind his soft blue eyes. Jun came off more like an explosion contained tightly in a high energy shield, safe and not escaping, but no less full of vigor. ¡°Already used to that, huh?¡± Such a poor reception left him sweating a little as they tried to bore holes into him with their over eager eyes. ¡°I think I hear Momo calling. Let her know I¡¯m awake, okay you two?¡± ¡°OK! Let¡¯s go tell sis we did a good job!¡± Ken took Jun¡¯s hand and guided him off the bed. It only took one foot on the ground before they sprinted like rival mechs down a city street to exit his room. The stacks of manga and light novels buildings to be dodged, hopefully. Stretching out his hand to the escaping two, his mouth barely opened for a warning before it was already too late. They grazed a couple of already poorly stacked books near the door. Slowly falling with them, it made for a fairly dramatic scene as the door threatened their exit strategy. The two young siblings squeezed through the closing door in time for the movie climax finish and left the room in a bit more of a mess. Chapter 1 - Stained Sand After breakfast and morning routines, he stopped by a small memorial shrine. Within the small simple wood box frame were two frame portraits of an adult man and woman smiling. Closing his eyes, he pressed his hands together giving silent morning greetings to the two. For but a moment, the constant light positive smile lowered from his lips, repainted in a thin pinched line. Ready, he walked out of their house on the corner, a modest sized four bedroom two story modern Japanese home. Brush strokes of sun drew down through the few trees that still remained within the urban concrete jungle of metropolitan Japan. A quick jog past the well worn potted plants and simple flowers of their small front property sent him on his way to school. A light hum escaped his lips as he walked with a small bounce in his step, a school bag slung over his shoulder hung in place by three fingers. Cool winds blew through his not quite shoulder length hair pulling his gaze up to the clear blue skies painted soft gradients down to the skyline of downtown. It would have felt more like spring with pink blossoms raining down like a star shower splattered over the azure canvas, but he lived with the imperfect view. Behind him, a distant voice called to him. Their familiar voice cleared up his dream fog. ¡°Yuki! Wait up!¡± He turned around to find two female classmates and childhood friends approaching at a brisk pace. ¡°Ayumi! You¡¯re doing well keeping up with Saki.¡± A rough smile stretched over her cheeks as the sweat managed to stay hidden by her long tan toned hair. She paused a couple meters from Yuki, slightly bent over attempting to keep her lack of exercise from his sights. Slowly recovering herself, she straightened back up letting her hime style hair fall on her shoulders. Small crochet lotus blossom hair pins tied the strains of hair in front of her to each side kept out of her sight. ¡°Sorry, we¡¯re late!¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s alright, Saki. I guess I got lost in thought and just started walking.¡± Saki suddenly stretched out her hand grabbing at something on his head. ¡°And through trees apparently,¡± she remarked, giving him a sakura pedal. ¡°Huh? But there¡¯s no sakura trees around here.¡± Double checking the neighborhood of his childhood, his memory didn¡¯t lie to him. ¡°Weird¡­I wonder where it came from¡­¡± ¡°Just keep your feet firmly on the ground for the rest of the walk.¡± Reaching school, Yuki separated from his friends. He took an outside path towards the back of the school grounds. Just ahead of him, past the sports fields, stood the library. But before he could take another step, his feet became sluggish. ¡°Huh?¡± Yuki noticed sand covered everything in front of him. Turning around, he looked at the surroundings and the distance. The sand rose up in mounds like dunes, it nearly looked like a painting being so picturesque. However, a cold creeping sensation ebbed through the air. ¡®I know this feeling¡­someone¡¯s watching¡­they¡¯re looking for blood¡­it¡¯s so thick in the air¡­¡¯ He swallowed slowly, the weight of the air constricting his throat. ¡®This isn¡¯t normal¡­¡¯ Stating the obvious. ¡®Shut up, narrator¡­¡¯ Yuki backed away to where the sand ended. The contrast of sand to grass came sharply. It looked as if an invisible cylinder held it up. ¡°The hell? I really wish things would start making sense soon. It¡¯s starting to feel like a really elaborate prank.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not the only one¡­¡± A bored slightly deeper voice came from above him and back towards the sand. The sand suddenly moved, no revealed more of itself. It was as if two worlds overlapped and the circle exposed one. Worse for him, the sand swallowed up his legs. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. An unknown man stepped down out of the sky about three meters above him. Yuki didn¡¯t even know where to start. The fact that a man somehow walked on air like it was stairs. Or perhaps, they weren¡¯t Japanese, but instead American and not even in style for them. It felt like they walked out of a fantasy novel wearing white robes draped over his body. And they spoke perfect Japanese as if a native. The stranger landed on the sand finally and stared down at the trapped Yuki. ¡°I could¡¯ve killed you a dozen times over at this point watching you flail about.¡± ¡®Kill? Why?!¡¯ ¡°For someone supposedly so gifted, I had hoped you were just hiding your abilities secreted away here in Japan. But this has been quite the disappointment. I guess that¡¯s why I was sent, rather insulting if you think about it.¡± Pulling on his leg, Yuki felt it give a little, but it would take more than he feared the talkative man planned to allow. ¡®I¡¯ve got to keep him talking¡­I need to escape¡­¡¯ Yuki roughed up his hair a little, putting on an embarrassed fake smile for the man. ¡°I tend to have that effect on people.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t have a very high opinion of yourself.¡± ¡°What can I say? I¡¯m a high school student.¡± ¡°For a student, you¡¯re pretty calm.¡± Twisting and nudging, a little of his leg freed up. ¡°Not the first time for me. Well this specific situation, this is very much a first time. Like who goes around seeing sand appearing on a daily basis? Besides you.¡± ¡°Besides me.¡± ¡°Yeah you get it.¡± ¡°I do. Also you can drop the pretense. Just get yourself free already, I¡¯m tired of waiting.¡± ¡°You¡¯re an honorable one.¡± ¡°Call it a code.¡± ¡°I can respect that.¡± No longer keeping it subtle, Yuki knelt down and grabbed his leg pulling out of the weight and suction of the sand. The impatient stare from the stranger rushed him a little. Once the sand gave up his legs, the ruined plan returned to his mind. ¡®There¡¯s no escaping this guy. Who is he?¡¯ Yuki straightened himself out trying to figure out any options for himself. ¡°Before you start with the killing. Anything more concrete you want to impart to me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not how this works.¡± ¡°Yea, figured as much. If you were actually a book villain, I¡¯d have your whole plan and motivation at this point. I don¡¯t even know why you¡¯re attacking me, besides being an order.¡± ¡°Last chance to actually put in some effort.¡± ¡°Oh trust me, I can put in the effort!¡± He rubbed his hands together to paint a brave front. ¡®I say to a guy that I watched walk on air and I¡¯m guessing create this sand and completely upend my concept of what reality is!¡¯ Panic soaked through his bones. Thankfully, he still felt he could move. What did he have to prepare for? Suddenly, the sand rose up near the stranger¡¯s right foot. A mound became a pillar and stretched up to his hand emitting sand. The moment he grasped it, the sand crystalized and hardened becoming a metal sword. It had simple artistry with just a couple of emeralds embedded in the hilt, an otherwise clean functional blade. Yuki took a step back having thought he prepared himself for anything and still came out surprised. ¡®How is any of this working?!¡¯ He frantically looked around for anything that might work for defense, but sand covered everything. ¡°I thought we were having a fist fight!¡± ¡°I¡¯m ending this, since you¡¯re not willing to be serious.¡± ¡°Serious how? You made a sword out of sand and walked on air, what fantasy do you even come from?!¡± ¡°Enough talk!¡± The stranger dashed forward covering the short distance with grace and speed. Yuki only had a moment to react with anything before the sword would be in striking distance. Still holding onto some sand from when he pulled his legs free, he tossed it into the air at the charging stranger. Blood sprayed through the air and painted the sun soaked sand crimson arcs. To his surprise, nearly the moment that he released the sand it all just disappeared. With his hand out in reach, the sword¡¯s blade found his fingers and stole half of three of them. Screaming flooded through his arm and around his body in a way he had never experienced. ¡°Shit!¡± Yuki clinched his fist tightly in an attempt to staunch the bleeding. He knelt down, biting back the pain. ¡®This is all real!¡¯ It seemed obvious, but part of him still hoped for a dream or prank. He forced his eyes back open after blinking tightly. His teeth ground together pushing himself to focus. ¡°You really didn¡¯t think I had a Law for that?¡± Catching sight of the foreigner taking another step towards him, Yuki braced his hand on the sand and kicked out his leg in a large sweep. The surprise strike bought him enough time to get distance and with any luck escape. Forcing himself to his feet, Yuki sprinted to the edge of the sand as he remembered it. ¡°You¡¯re not escaping!¡± groaned the man with a spear in hand already moving to throw it. He pushed for the border as he tilted his head back. In a tight window, Yuki turned at the edge while the spear flew through the air. Leaning back just enough, he lifted up his hand in weak defense as the spear vanished nearly upon hitting his bloody palm. ¡°Tch! Luck seems to be your only weapon.¡± While Yuki looked to exercise his options, the foreigner changed the situation once more. The previously well defined border expanded out revealing ever more sand. ¡°If you¡¯re not going to fight back, I don¡¯t need to keep a tight rein on things.¡± Eyes narrowed and sword in hand, he bore murderous intent. Frustration and disappointment dropped like weights on his back. ¡°Sort of figured that might happen¡­dammit¡­¡± With the added sand, it showed further dunes completely blocking out his view of the field behind him. A straight path closed off. A pair of voices suddenly crept into his ear. He turned, worried his attacker had some other trick up his sleeve. The answer became much worse. Two students unknowingly stepped into the man¡¯s territory. ¡°What the hell is all this?¡± ¡°Is that Hayashi?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t look away from me!¡± The foreigner charged at a distracted Yuki. Unlike with Yuki, the sand did nothing to slow or hamper his steps as though he ran over a hill rather than a dune. ¡°Run now! Get away from here!¡± His back turned to shield them as the sword came humming through the air. Yuki didn¡¯t even get to push them away before the blade pierced through his shoulder. Shocked expressions gripped tightly the two unfortunate students. Blood splattered over half of their faces. Screams of horror escaped as they fell back. They stared up at Yuki not even seeing the whole picture. Yuki coughed as pain washed over his body. Blood painted over his cheek. ¡°...run¡­¡± Sweat started to soak through his undershirt along with blood. ¡®I¡¯m really going to die!¡¯ Numbness in his mind dripped slowly down with eerie foreboding. When the sword pulled out Yuki twisted around as his legs folded. He barely caught himself from completely lying prone. The unknown attacker stood over him with the sword pointed straight at his face. New blood sprayed over Yuki¡¯s face with surprise carved into his eyes. Seconds peeled away as he realized it didn¡¯t come from himself. The attacker dropped his sword as the entire sand environment scattered into orange motes of light. Forcing himself to focus, he caught a glimpse of the one behind the man. ¡°Ayumi!? Why¡­¡± Chapter 2 - Hidden Shield Between him and one of his oldest friends stood a man dying, much like how Yuki felt like at the moment. Though it came as a hard view to take in. Which shocked him more, witnessing a man, a real person, dying in front of him or seeing a girl he had known to be innocent and sweet completely covered in the man¡¯s blood. Painted dark in crimson hues, Ayumi nearly looked like she walked off a horror set. If he had the strength he would have backed up a little. Confusion along with panic began to crawl over his body. What secret did his friend hide from him? Why did she have such a cold and dispassionate expression drawn over her face? Who attacked him? If she killed once, would she again? What did she want? Questions stacked in his head like reports delivered from a dozen assistants all demanding equal attention. Yuki doubted even one would get answered. ¡°...what¡¯s¡­Ayumi¡­¡± New flashes of pain reminded him that his life remained in danger. It jolted his limbs and sucked in air through his teeth. ¡°...I feel so¡­¡± Removing the Xiphos from within the chest of the assassin, Ayumi stepped back. Emptying her mind of the sword, it faded away along with the rest of the sand field. She promptly changed the law sets within her mind tasking it with two objectives. Eliminating any evidence of the attack along with the assassin and repairing the damage the mission objective sustained. She firmly marched around the soon to be corpse as a blue ripple shot out from her footsteps. Within moments faint blue particles of light rose up maintaining a tight formation around her body. The blood once soaking into the school uniform separated from the fabric. Absorbed into the particles, they evaporated into the air broken down into base atomic components to return back to the natural cycle. Kneeling down next to the wounded, she examined his condition and status of the repair. ¡®Bone on the fingers are already reconstructed and bleeding halted. Looks like the shock did more to him than the attacks.¡¯ While her field worked to restore his body and clean up the blood, she turned to the two civilians that accidentally intruded into the scene. ¡®This will be more problematic, but no other way.¡¯ ¡°S-stay away from me!¡± ¡°I-I d-did-dn¡¯t see any-ything!¡± Neither could escape. Manacles from the ground tied both firmly to their locations. With their voices unable to breach her territory, she had the time to consider her mission. Ayumi walked stoically towards the two. No hint of a menacing presence, yet they didn¡¯t need one considering what they witnessed. Both cried and pleaded for their lives. Slowly kneeling down between the two, she placed a hand over their eyes. ¡°You walked around the gym continuing to talk uninterrupted until you returned.¡± The flailing and screaming from the two quieted to a still silence. Released from their restraints, she left them alone. Confirming the assassin¡¯s body completely broken down, she returned to her objective. The wounds finished mending themselves. He would recover, though the shock probably would inhibit him. Ayumi reached out, grasping his arm and hefting him back up to his feet. ¡°Can you hear me?¡± A sharp bold voice echoed through the soup of Yuki¡¯s mind. It took a moment, but the voice acted like a wind on the fog that numbed his senses. Pulled back on the baited line, his consciousness leapt back into his body. The last few minutes currently missing as he stared at his friend. ¡°Ayumi? What are you doing here?¡± He slowly panned his vision around the back of the gym seeing absolutely nothing. ¡®Did I imagine it all?¡¯ Yuki searched out more carefully for anything disturbed. Nothing. No signs of a prank gone wrong, no bullies getting their laughs off, nothing. Conflicts between his memory, which slowly started to clear up the recent blurs, and reality fought a battle of duel brushes to assert the truth. He didn¡¯t know which to believe. And the lack of evidence carved doubt into his mind. Yet while he considered the offer to forget everything that reality attempted to barter, the truth slapped him with an objection. His knees buckled for a moment and he lost focus for a moment. A tight hand kept him from collapsing. ¡°Why do I suddenly feel so lightheaded?¡± Another pull of gravity rattled him. ¡°W-woah?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s the blood loss. I repaired the wounds, but you still bled out for a minute.¡± ¡°Blood¡­? So all that happened?¡± The last frames flashed back to him reminding him of Ayumi killing the man. It jolted him sober. ¡°What the hell¡¯s going on, Ayumi? How are you involved in this?¡± ¡®He¡¯s sharper than I guessed. Most don¡¯t have the clarity to already just make such connections after a near death encounter.¡¯ Scanning the sports team in the distance, she assessed the risk quickly. ¡°This is not the place for such a conversation.¡± ¡°What?! You can¡¯t¨C¡± She released his arm. It surprised him how much support she provided him as more than lightheadedness washed over him. Muscle fatigue and low energy slammed his body all at once. The high of adrenaline finally disappeared. For as familiar a feeling as the drop from the high was to him, he never felt so drained before. Looking to Ayumi for help, his childhood friend that he thought he knew just walked away from him. If Saki didn¡¯t run to his aid first, she would be next to him before he knew it. Yet she just showed an oddly tall strong back in silence that demanded he follow and on his own. ¡°Dammit! I want something to make sense!¡± Running to catch up turned out to just be a fantasy in his mind, his legs completely refused to give him anything more than a sluggish pace as if he were an old man. And to make matters worse, Ayumi just marched on pretending like he didn¡¯t just nearly die. Right, he almost died, he needed to circle back around to that as well. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Order of operations, answers from Ayumi came first, if he just caught up to her. ¡°Can you walk slower? Injured over here.¡± He hoped that would at least pause her for a response, but nope. ¡°You¡¯re not injured. You hardly even fought.¡± ¡°Not sure throwing sand counts as fighting, but daily bullies aren¡¯t actually trying to kill me. So my apologies for not being in peak physical condition to defend my life.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to want to fix that.¡± ¡°Fix what¡­ah dammit¡­¡± Hopping a little to force his body into motion, which it really wanted to decline, Yuki got enough brief momentum to carry himself into a light sprint. Each step reverberated through his legs. It all felt worse than he cared to admit to him. Rushing the distance caught him up, though he prayed the future didn¡¯t demand interest for the effort. He grabbed Ayumi''s wrist. ¡°It should be safe now. Ready to explain yourself?¡± Half a dozen possible plot theories filled his mind in just the walk, given time he¡¯d find tenfold more. Which trope and cliche made the foundation of her lies? The first bell sounded through the grounds cutting off any further words. Ayumi turned away heading to the side door. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious.¡± She paused, glancing back. ¡°Would you rather be late and raise questions from Saki? You obviously have many questions and for now the danger¡¯s past. When we won¡¯t draw unwanted attention, I¡¯ll answer you.¡± ¡°Dammit¡­¡± Immediately, his mind conjured striking imagery of Saki filled with panic running through the halls. ¡°She¡¯d probably shake down half the bullies in the school¡­ Against my better judgment, after school.¡± Chapter 2 - Hidden Shield Afternoon couldn¡¯t come soon enough for Yuki. Once his obligations to the class ended, he disappeared swiftly with Ayumi. Unfortunately, those delays cost him his moment. ¡°Hey Yuki!¡± called out a familiar voice. Tilting his head, Yuki confirmed Hiroshi hurried over with Kazuhiro and Tatsuya behind him. It completely slipped his mind that they would be meeting him today. He turned to his approaching friends. ¡°Right, it¡¯s Tuesday, Saki¡¯s got after school practice. We¡¯ll pick this up later.¡± Before Hiroshi got too close to notice anything, Yuki straightened up and pulled back up the usual smile he carried around for everyone. ¡°Hiroshi! You guys were able to find me!¡± ¡°You did sort of just ninja yourself out of the class. I thought you were on cleaning duty.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been practicing the art! Glad to see it worked!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about that, I still found you!¡± ¡°And here I thought standing out in the open was the perfect disguise!¡± ¡°It was the wind, you didn¡¯t take that into account.¡± ¡°Right, dammit! I¡¯ll get better next time!¡± The two laughed a little as the bit ended. ¡°Ready to go?¡± ¡°Just need to get my bag¨C¡± Suddenly, his bag dropped in his arms off screen. ¡°From class. Thanks, Ayumi!¡± He tried to sneak a look over to her to figure out if he had missed it on her. Clearly he was more blind than he realized. Or her secret turned out to be a magician, theory number thirteen. ¡°Y-you¡¯re welcome! I¡¯m surprised you forgot your books.¡± ¡°I was taking the trash out, so I planned to return.¡± ¡°Good to go then?¡± ¡°Would seem that way! What place you got picked out today?¡± ¡°You know I¡¯m gonna run out of new places to show you eventually, Yuki.¡± ¡°Not today though,¡± he grinned with excitement. Hiroshi stopped mid point and tilted his wrist a little admitting defeat. ¡°I guess that¡¯s true. This is one that Kazuhiro and Tatsuya discovered with me back in our crazy junior high days!¡± Quickly, he reverted to a casual walk towards the school gates. Dropped with such an interesting backstory detail, Yuki hurried along to keep pace with him. ¡°Oh will I get to hear about the wistful days of youth? Mistakes of good intentions and bad deeds! Tales of friendship and blood!¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re overhyping someone so average. You can save the dramatic tales for your books.¡± ¡°You¡¯re anything, but average, Hiroshi!¡± ¡°Coming from someone like yourself, I¡¯m not sure where that puts me.¡± A small smirk drew over his face as Yuki tried to peek a read of his expression. Just a disappointed pout in return for not finding a clue to if Hiroshi spoke the truth or not. ¡°Perhaps I¡¯ll share something with you after we¡¯ve been friends longer.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t wait!¡± Hiroshi thought, ¡®Between the rumors, those that went to his junior high and what I see next to me, I really don¡¯t know what to make of someone like him. If even a couple of the stories told about him are accurate, he¡¯s far more crazy than anything I¡¯ve done. Staying close seems the smartest thing for now¡­¡¯ Warm evening light painted orange highlights across the city. Low hums of traffic kept the view from being too perfect as the adults started leaving daily jobs. A different routine filled the city no longer dominated by the youth. Exchanging waves, Yuki and Ayumi saw off their friends. He watched the three boys make it to the intersection, before Ayumi¡¯s voice cut through even haze of the city noise. ¡°You¡¯re rather impressive. Keeping up that mask of yours the whole time.¡± The smile he always held dropped as Yuki turned to face Ayumi. Cold dark eyes with a heavy shadow painted across his face stared at the girl that became a stranger. Immediately, his gaze dug into her features and expression trying to pick out what was real and where the lies began. Memories contradicted reality, which was right. Who was Ayumi? ¡°Not nearly as impressive as a childhood friend hiding that they¡¯re a killer from everyone.¡± ¡°A soldier.¡± ¡°As much as I can appreciate the distinction, that¡¯s not really the matter at hand right now.¡± ¡°Fair enough. You want answers.¡± ¡®I¡¯ve had so long to think about what she would say, I don¡¯t really know what to expect or to believe. All I know is that something that should be completely impossible happened and this is all feeling like a dream.¡¯ ¡°Speaking plainly, you¡¯re a key figure in a political battle that will decide the future of my people.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the elevator pitch, give me the back of the book summary.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I was attacked by a man that could defy the laws of reality and physics!¡± ¡°He, like myself and you, are part of a group of people who can rewrite the laws of the world to create anything that our imaginations can come up with.¡± Chapter 3 - A Fantasy of Reality Stunned. Shocked? Flabbergasted! Searching for larger words did nothing to improve the mental state of Yuki. Even processing what he heard left him rewinding to confirm his own sanity, and her¡¯s. Which staring at Ayumi¡¯s face, didn¡¯t even bat an eye. Given that she lied completely unflinchingly to him about other things, could he really trust her face? He just needed a better explanation. ¡°Uh, what? If you¡¯re looking to pitch a manga concept I can point you to some offices.¡± An unamused scowl redrew Ayumi¡¯s face. She crossed her arms and stared back at him. ¡°I¡¯m being serious.¡± ¡°Think about what you¡¯re saying! I could probably easily find half a dozen manga with a similar setup! If you¡¯re going to just lie, try to be a little more grounded.¡± ¡°Are you denying what you said earlier?¡± ¡°I was expecting something that actually makes sense! We don¡¯t live in a fantasy, as much as the two of you seem to think I believe we do. This is the real world, save the tall tales for someone more gullible.¡± A dragged out sigh escaped her lips. ¡°This is more troublesome. For someone with their head in the clouds all the time, you¡¯re being very close minded.¡± ¡°Sorry for not believing super powers exist. What¡¯s the real story here? Flying machines and 3D projectors?¡± ¡°You would believe science can explain what you saw?¡± ¡°Smoke and mirrors is a classic. Technology is the more rational explanation.¡± Ayumi struggled to hold back the amount of frustration and disgust surfacing. ¡°...smoke. and. mirrors.¡± Checking the corners and street, people walked everywhere. It was getting to evening as she reminded herself. She weighed the responses against the mission objective. Nothing would proceed, especially not the goal, if he remained unconvinced. Committing to the course, she grabbed his wrist. ¡°If you need proof to properly listen to me.¡± She marched firmly between the restaurant they just left and the next door bookstore. A darkened alley gave her the secrecy she needed. ¡®Would it be any different if he still didn''t see me as a childhood friend?¡¯ He had a pretty clear sense of what she planned to do. Any effort he made to try to pull his arm free of her hold failed. Ayumi¡¯s fingers had turned into a lock completely incapable of being broken or squeezed through. ¡®I just wish she would make sense. As wonderful as something completely fictional as having super powers would be cool, that¡¯s not how the world works. So I don¡¯t know why she¡¯s going about this chuuni dream. I never knew she was like this.¡¯ ¡°This isn¡¯t the place for a full explanation, but this should hopefully convince you what is reality.¡± She released his hand and turned to face him with only a meter between them. Crossing his arms, he continued to have skepticism painted over his face. ¡°Show me your magic show.¡± A slight twitch hit her eyebrow as she fought to keep her composure with him. ¡°Just don¡¯t move.¡± At her feet the ground distorted into a series of ripples. Expanding outward for only a few meters, not even reaching the backs of the buildings, the asphalt surface returned to its rigid state. ¡°Jump.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Jump. Just humor me.¡± Yuki shrugged, confused by her request. However, there was no harm in it. Strange as the act seemed, it left him a little curious. Bending his knees a little to commit to something that bordered a serious attempt, he leapt. Nothing strange about the jump, at least in his mind. ¡°Now what?¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t noticed? You¡¯re not touching the ground.¡± Immediately looking down, he saw the ground beneath him, but a good quarter of a meter distance separated his feet and asphalt. Across from him, he could see Ayumi no longer meet his eyes straight. She had to look up a little. Kneeling down, he touched the air where his feet stood, but his hands went straight through the air as it should. Defying any concept he had on how air worked, he tapped his foot meeting resistance as if it were ground. A wrinkle carved through his brow trying to understand what happened. Under any number of stories he read, this made sense. Reality? He struggled to find a reasonable answer. ¡®I can almost feel the smugness from her. I don¡¯t know how this is possible. But I also didn¡¯t know how that sand guy did what he did. I just expected an answer that fit with the laws of reality.¡¯ Pensive stares at his feet only delayed his return to Ayumi. Closing his eyes, he returned to stand facing towards his friend, maybe friend, person of unknown origin. He delayed. No doubt, she knew it too. Still he did it regardless. Seconds into minutes. It became awkward in silence. A creeping itch at the back of his neck just taunting him to turn as if in a horror movie. The jump scare waited for him. Nothing would happen until he gave into the inevitable. Resist however he might, the truth remained. Or the lack of a truth he could find. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Exhaling suddenly broke the awkwardness. ¡°Fine! I don¡¯t know how you¡¯re doing it!¡± ¡®Despite that he still is refusing to accept what I¡¯m telling him.¡¯ It didn¡¯t take someone of her training to read that. He made no efforts to hide his continual denial. The stubbornness he displayed began to surprise her more than frustrate. This sort of reaction never came up in any of her forecasts. ¡®I guess there¡¯s still more I don¡¯t know about him¡­¡¯ With no ceremony, the force that kept Yuki in the air disappeared. While he recovered from the surprise she considered the next plan. Then she remembered something. ¡°Where do you think that sakura pedal came from that Saki found in your hair?¡± ¡°Sakura?¡± Yuki had to think for a moment. It then flashed through his mind the moment from the morning. Both an out of season blossom and one that should have been impossible to find in his neighborhood. ¡°You¡¯re saying that¡¯s the same thing?¡± ¡°It was a small hint of your power surfacing. Uncontrolled manifestations are common signs in those that have started to have it awaken. The subconscious has a strong influence on our power, which is why it must be controlled or it will become a threat to everyone around you.¡± Chapter 3 - A Fantasy of Reality Resting in bed, deep in thought, the distant playful sounds of Ken barely even reached his ears. All of his thoughts concentrated inward towards the echoing words. Ever since spoken they echoed within his heart, a pluck string that never ceased. Still rejecting Ayumi¡¯s claims, he returned home. Despite that, he found himself with a heavy oppressive weight surrounding him. A twisting and aching burning filled his stomach that made him lie down. Nothing improved the feeling. ¡®She¡¯s just getting in my head¡­¡¯ Repeated words. Each time did nothing to improve his growing discomfort. It only bothered him that it even troubled him to start. A completely fictional tale with him at the center, he¡¯d have to be completely disillusioned to believe it. Why did he even give it a second thought? What about it made him hesitate? Spinning like a top, it cycled around in his mind repeatedly. A turn asked the question only for the next turn to repeat it. Stuck in a loop, he laid in his bed inescapable and mute. An end would never be reached from where he sat. That much he knew even as such things were rhetorical. More impressive, it forestalled his desire to read. It didn¡¯t even come to him as a thought. Stray thoughts couldn¡¯t escape the tumultuous waves which crashed around the bulwark of his mind. Any attempt would need the titanic will to weave the labythrine chambers that connected between where he mentally lived and the external world beyond. Nothing could achieve such a feat. Everything suddenly popped like a soap bubble. Reality whipped harshly back as Yuki gasped with surprise. For a split second, he didn¡¯t even know where he was. The light in his room blinded him. An all too familiar bouncing in his bed eventually told him everything that he needed to know. Right, ten year olds existed. Ken stood on his bed frozen in position with Yuki staring up at his little brother. The expression he carried changed quickly from something closer to an animal caught in the act to one of happiness and excitement at a job well done. Even if that job did mean the rough waking of Yuki. Off to the side, safely and firmly rooted to the floor, Jun made his own personal effort to wake him up by shaking the mattress. ¡°I¡¯m guessing Momo sent you?¡± ¡°Yupper! She wanted help with dinner, but wouldn¡¯t let us!¡± Yuki looked over to Jun, seeing him silently nodding in agreement with Ken¡¯s conveyance of the situation. ¡°Yeah, probably for the best.¡± He pulled himself up and lifted Ken up to let him back down to the floor. ¡°She knows you only want to help, but you¡¯ll have to wait until you¡¯re a little older.¡± ¡°Aww, but I can reach the counter now!¡± he declared, bouncing up and stretching out his arms to demonstrate his reach. Getting out of bed, Yuki patted the two on the head. ¡°And Momo¡¯s very proud that you can. But you don¡¯t want to make your sister angry by not listening to her, right?¡± Both nodded quietly understanding the weight of the words. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, after we eat we can play! So be good until then.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± ¡°Run along.¡± Watching the two skurry off to their room politely gave him a bit of relief. Back to reality, he stared at the stairs down into the living room and pondered for a moment his sister at the end. The length to reach her seemed to stretch out as he thought about Ayumi¡¯s words. Shaking his head, he tried to carve out that part of his worry and compartmentalize that away locked in the vault of his mental bank. Slapping his cheeks, he jump started everything to paint over his face the smile everyone knew from him. ¡°Right. Back to reality.¡± The long stairs snapped back to their true length. Etched in with warm light, it provided some calm to him. Yuki walked down into the living room and turned the corner towards the kitchen. With an L-shape couch acting as the divider in the room, he approached the back third of the main room of the ground floor. A more open layout, the kitchen separated itself with ceramic tile and an island with stools on the far side away from the stove. Off in the corner, the dining table stood mostly empty with a few notebooks and papers left by their younger siblings. Sizzling and warm aromas of spices filled the air as he stepped into the territory of Momoko. Looking around at the current state, fish cooked on the stove top while a small array of greens laid out on the island still uncut. Momoko actively worked something in the deep pot slow cooking, likely for lunches tomorrow. Stepping in around her, he immediately went to work chopping up the green onion. ¡°I sent them off to their room to play.¡± ¡°Thanks, they were getting rowdy.¡± Pausing on the cutting, he turned back over to the stove and grabbed the cooking chopsticks pushing around and turning the fish. Stretching out his hand, Momoko handed over a small prep dish that he poured in shifting around the cooking food. ¡°All things considered, I think that¡¯s better than the alternative.¡± She stepped away from the pot and took over the chopping as they continued their cooking dance. ¡°Yeah¡­they bounced back quickly. Though I worry if that¡¯s a good or bad thing.¡± ¡°Not really sure we¡¯re qualified for that. But we just have to do the best we can. That was our promise.¡± A heavy sigh that carried an unspoken amount of weight came from Momoko. She continued to chop in silence as they worked together to finish the meal. Outside a kilometer away, two shadowy figures stood from the edge of the cliffside road down over the residential neighborhood below. The taller of the two spoke with a deep rich effortless timbre, ¡°The first attempt failed. Though you were expecting as much.¡± The short and softer spoken, but with a voice from deep within, figure answered, ¡°Yes, the plan remains unchanged. You better have more success. Time is not with us.¡± ¡°As you command. For our future!¡± Chapter 4 - Blood Tinge A new morning, but not the same morning anymore. A repeat would be welcome, preferred over what became of morning now. Fresh and new turned soured like rotting eggs. It needed to be scrapped and pushed away into a far away corner. Left out of sight preferably, disposed of or even incinerated. Anything that would excise the hint of the stain. Turmoil, tumultuous. Yuki stood planted firmly in the street. A heavily drawn shadow cast over his face toned his smiling visage with dire highlights. Yet only those with the purview of his thoughts would find such superfluous details to be more than a break of the norm. While he waited, he kept adjusting his uniform. A palette of pale blues and whites painted the plaid print pants. A curiously bold choice for uniform, but grounded by the more conservative black blazer. Matching blue stitches and lines penciled in the highlights of the blazer with the shared plaid print found on the exposed part of the collar breaking the solid painted black of the jacket. On the right breast pocket, the school logo, an embroidered triangle with mirrored shooting stars accompanied by a Japanese maple tree beneath. Around the corner, he glimpsed his best friend, Saki and the stranger, Ayumi. The two conversed as though long time close friends sharing everything freely. Should I tell her? Telling her would mean that I believe Ayumi¡¯s tale¡­ I don¡¯t even have any proof. I¡¯d look like an idiot.¡¯ Silence, for now at least, he required further time to consider. If only it made sense. Saki stopped as she came up to Yuki. ¡°Why are you waiting for us? Something wrong?¡± ¡°What?! I wait for you two.¡± ¡°No, you walk with your head in the clouds until we catch up.¡± ¡°Only sometimes.¡± She stared at him waiting for him to correct his understatement. ¡°Okay, most times I do. Hey, a good book is hard to ignore.¡± ¡°And when you wait for us, you want something or you¡¯re pissed about something you read.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not always books. Fine, yes it¡¯s always books.¡± ¡°Column B?¡± He nodded in agreement, lacking the determination for anything else. ¡°Column B. It was a terrible story. I couldn''t suspend my disbelief experiencing it. I didn¡¯t really get much sleep.¡± ¡°You do know that not every book you find is going to be good. No need to lose sleep over it.¡± The duality of their conversation made it hard to commit fully to her stance. All the while, he kept a corner eye out to see what Ayumi did. She remained disengaged, likely waiting to see what he did. Knowing that he kept the company of a killer gave him pause to any sort of action in front of her, regardless of her previous declarations. Even disbelieving the story, he did witness someone¡¯s death. Which should have left him with a heavier burden if she had not dumped a metric ton of random refuse upon him. As the conversation stalled out, Ayumi leaned in. ¡°We probably should start heading to school.¡± Accepting nods agreed to carry the conversation? Debate? Disagreement? One or all of the above things would be continued as they walked. Chapter 4 - Blood Tinge Walking through the hallway, Yuki continued to try to rationalize the finer points of daydreaming as a mental release of stresses that maintained his personal health. After a long walk to school only nodding compliance came out of Saki by this point. He stopped himself mid sentence to step aside a classmate. ¡°Morning Yumi!¡± Roughly similar in height with a shorter close haircut, a few long strains drawn back behind her ear, Yumi had a smaller frame compared to Saki, though against an athlete was probably unfair to Yumi. Quiet with a traditional, yet slight modern vibe, she politely stepped out of his way as well with her two friends staring intently at Yuki¡¯s overt friendliness. ¡°Good¡­morning Hayashi¡­¡± Her gaze darted towards him for a second and then down and to the right. Watching the stares from her friends, Kaede and Katsumi, he kept moving undeterred from his destination. Though as he went to look back to resume with Saki, his friend had a look for him as well, though different than the previous he just received. ¡°What? I¡¯m just being friendly.¡± ¡°Not everyone¡¯s so easy going with your openness like Hiroshi, especially with your history.¡± ¡°Which being history, is in the past. So let¡¯s just focus on the now.¡± ¡°Yuki¡­I really wish you¡¯d have a little more common sense.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, it seems pretty common to be friendly.¡± Kaede moved to physically place herself between Yumi and Yuki. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him, Yumi. It¡¯s better if you stay away.¡± Bright eyed with a bob cut that curved into shape around her face, Kaede held a stern expression to deflect anything from Yuki that might get through. ¡°All of the rumors from his past school,¡± cut in Katsumi, ¡°Something about him doesn¡¯t add up, like he¡¯s a fake. I wouldn¡¯t trust his kindness.¡± She was tilting a little between her friends and a little towards the half obscured Yuki. Darting her eyes around, she was searching for her words. ¡°But¡­he helped me¡­¡± Her voice was trailing off into silence as the rest of her words turned into vapor. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Even if he did, we don¡¯t know what he¡¯s thinking. You know how people can be.¡± Yumi froze up with bits of memory blinking in her mind. A soft slow nod came from her in agreement. She knew that they weren¡¯t wrong. Yet she looked around them still wondering if he was in the hall. She was too late. She was quiet. Silence turned to weights tying her down. Left unable to walk, she gave into her course. It was right. They were right. This was safe. Safe was best. Safe wasn¡¯t what guided Yuki at the moment. He ignored his surroundings and transitioned into retelling Saki about a scene from a recent book he finished. Painting a vivid image with his hands and arms, his voice definitely began to fight for control of the general ambient noise in the classroom. A few classmates began to grow quiet as his dramatic recounting continued. Yuki only made it about two minutes further into the presentation before the class rep and teacher broke things up to restore order. A stern,familiar reprimand later and he walked back to his desk with a few low chuckles. Not that affected Yuki in any manner. School continued out normally without attacks from assassins, which was how things should be. It¡¯d be pretty strange for that to be the norm. So normal was the everyday. No reason to think it should be anything else. Yet, something felt off. He never let on during class or the walk back with Saki and Ayumi. Waving off the two, he watched from the gate as they continued on up the road. Ayumi shattered his peace and upon reflection, he never knew what she did after leaving him. What sort of life did she have? How much of what he thought he knew about could be real? Was any of it real? Where did the lies end? It mattered little how real her story was. The facts were that the girl in his memory and the one that killed a man didn¡¯t match up. Any way he tried to paint the story in his mind it didn¡¯t fit into neat pieces. Every possible answer simply sounded like a book from his shelf. What was reality? Ayumi¡¯s reality? His? Turning away finally, Yuki opened the gate. Another night awaited him as he attempted to ignore the problem Ayumi. He didn¡¯t even get the door open before Jun pushed it. ¡°I¡¯m home, Jun!¡± Yuki gave a little pat on his little brother¡¯s head. In silence, Jun lit up with a warm glow in his eyes as he hopped back inside. Yuki followed him in soon greeted by Ken as well. They tug together on his arms dragging him away even while attempting to take off his shoes. He managed to maintain his manners in time, even if his shoes laid half turned on their side. He couldn¡¯t help smiling at their energy. Ken handed out a couple of the toy planes that they were playing with before. Yuki sat down with Jun flying around the fighter plane given to him. It only took a few seconds it seemed before Ken rushed back in with two more toys, a truck and a car, running them over the wood floor. They played for a few minutes before a shout from the storage room wound around. ¡°Yuki!¡± Momoko called, but it felt different. She had urgency and panic in her voice. He dropped the plane and stood up. An uneasy churning sickness crept into his stomach. His mind played terrible scenarios that doubled his heart rate. Before he even managed to take a step, everything suddenly changed to crimson. At first it looked like someone took dozens of paint buckets and emptied them over everything. The floor, walls, ceiling, couch even the toy plane he just held turned a dark unnecessary red hue. This impossible change where the surfaces literally seemed to birth an endless font of crimson icor flashed an disturbingly familiar memory. ¡®That sand guy¡­¡¯ ¡°What¡¯s this red water?!¡± exclaimed Ken clapping his hands against the surface. It strangely didn¡¯t stick to his hands when he played with it. Any splashing just dripped off him like the world''s best liquid resistant material. And yet that didn¡¯t seem to be the end of it. Just as Yuki started to adjust to the strange warping of reality, reality got more bizarre. Out of the walls, floor and even the couch came illustrations of nightmares and horror. He had seen similar imagery in his manga, but that didn¡¯t prepare him for something that had real form and sound presenting a vivid painting of grotesque life. Half formed humanoid frames of bones, muscle and sinew transitioned through any surface in his sight. Some had legs and a head, others arms and a chest, others were a frankenstein mix as if anatomy meant nothing. A mass of vaguely human limbs reached towards anything not like itself. Immediately, Yuki knelt down and put his arms around Jun and Ken only to find half muscle covered arms reaching out for them. With an unusual amount of agility, Yuki picked up both and leapt on the table and then couch. A quick skip and skip landed him up against the wall facing outside of their house. What little remained recognizable as a house steady distorted into a pulsing mess of flesh all covered in thick blood. Sweat beading up in droplets on his temple. Flashes of yesterday threatened to cuff him to the ground. Panic and fear didn¡¯t win though as his instincts to protect remained. ¡®I¡¯ve got to get them out of here. Somewhere safe¡­and Momo¡­¡¯ Tilting his head back towards the window, he remembered that the sand eventually stopped. But this already presented a completely different situation than before. ¡®Come on, where¡¯s the end?¡¯ Scanning quickly, he pulled up his brothers closer. The property wall made it impossible for him to see outside, but crimson painted everything in sight. The few seconds he spent near the wall finally caught up to him. Creepy baby and giant feet reached out to pin him down. ¡°Damn it! Sorry, dad, but I¡¯ve got to do what¡¯s important!¡± Yuki pulled free from the grab and sprinted to the end table. Spinning around swiftly, he kicked the lamp off the table and at the window. Shattered immediately, he bounded for the opening pushing through the limbs coming up to hold him down. Unlike the traction he expected, the blood didn¡¯t slip and he came to a quick and painful stop smacking his back against the wall, in an attempt to keep Jun and Ken out of harm. ¡°Shi¡­t¡­¡± He caught the confused stares of the two as they went through a whiplash of emotions, but empathetically figuring out the seriousness. ¡°Are you two okay?¡± ¡°Big bro¡­what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I promise you that I¡¯ll do anything to keep you safe.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t start making promises,¡± echoed a slick deep male voice. ¡°Yuki!¡± ¡°Ken?!¡± Snapped back to his brother, he saw both disappeared. Yuki craned his head back to Ken¡¯s voice seeing two limbs holding his little brother moving through the property wall away from his reach. He reactively took a step to save Ken, but looked the opposite direction to see Jun silently dragged away similarly. ¡°Jun!¡± Yuki ground his teeth at the choice as seconds wasted his efforts. ¡°Bastard, come for me!¡± ¡°In time, but the distractions must be removed.¡± Staring into the darkness of his home, the unknown challenged him with the impossible choice. Indecision froze him. ¡®Where are you Momo? I need help! I don¡¯t know how to get out of this situation¡­¡¯ Chapter 5 - The Cracked Seal A dusk sun burnt the edges of the blood coated environs. Painted in broad crude strokes, it had an otherworldly elegance. A juxtaposition of horror and beauty inscribed upon a pulsing canvas. Disturbing mounds of barely recognizable human forms crawled in waves. Each pulling away that which was important. Ken and Jun returned struggling and flailing to the house. Whoever wanted him this time didn¡¯t have the same approach. Yuki ground his teeth and clenched his fists. The wordless fear that clouded his mind for the last day finally materialized. An aching and gnawing uncertainty which never left him no matter his efforts to paint it over with his customary wit and flourish. Taunted by the unknown voice, Yuki made the only choice left to him. He jumped back inside through the broken window. Crouched upon the window frame, Yuki panned around the haunting living room. Mounted to opposite walls, Ken and Jun couldn¡¯t move with a large fleshy rib cage hanging them by their torso¡¯s with a multitude of hands strapping down their wrists outstretched. ¡°Big Bro¡­I¡¯m scared¡­¡± ¡°I know. This¡¯ll all be over soon.¡± ¡°I believe I said to not make promises¡­¡± Snapping his head towards the voice, he still couldn¡¯t find them. Their voice felt so near as if they stood next to him. ¡°Show yourself if you¡¯re so interested in me!¡± ¡°Yes, this little game has concluded itself.¡± Nowhere in sight did they appear. Yuki remained on guard by the odd statement. He felt like the man could come from anywhere. The voice lied about his location. Searching around for any hint of a stranger still didn¡¯t reveal anyone. No sounds of footsteps betrayed them. An unnerving still held sway over the very air as if the man controlled not just the walls of his house, but the air he breathed. What sort of trickery did he employ? Without another moment to question the defiance of Yuki¡¯s reality, a shadowed form finally appeared. He tried to get a glimpse of this invader, but it seemed like light itself couldn¡¯t touch him. An eerie depthless shape of a male appeared. Immediately, something else caught his eye when the man dragged something else with him. Flinging his unwanted company at Yuki¡¯s feet, a shocked gasp escaped Yuki¡¯s lips. ¡°Momo!¡± ¡°Big Sis!¡± ¡°She proved to be more trouble than her appearance told.¡± Cuts tore through her clothes. Blood dripped from swallow wounds along her arms and shoulders. Each looked defensive, protecting her vitals. Chapter 5 - The Cracked Seal Yuki pulled her up towards him to check on her breathing. A strong force of life still ran through her. But it didn¡¯t help that he had never seen her in such a state before. The strongest of the family and anchor, he held her tight. ¡°Dammit¡­this is all¡­¡± ¡°Yuki¡­are you safe?¡± ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t worry about me. You¡¯re the one bleeding everything!¡± ¡°Good¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not good! I need you!¡± ¡°This is between us. I¡¯ll accept no further interruptions.¡± Upon that declaration, the floor of blood under them birthed another mass of skeletal limbs. They grabbed at Yuki¡¯s arms, pinning him down even as he struggled. While restrained, the floor opened up like a mouth filled with fingers and arms rather than teeth or fang swallowing up Momoko¡¯s body. Yuki pulled tighter at the hands that kept him down. ¡°Stop it! Give her back!¡± ¡°The woman¡¯s a distraction. She¡¯s not the reason I¡¯m here.¡± She disappeared from sight only to surface on the wall nearby Jun on Yuki¡¯s right. Caged within a mass of bone and muscle, her arms and legs were pinned against the wall. At least she seemed safe. For now¡­. ¡®How am I supposed to deal with someone that can make flesh puppets to do whatever he wants? I hate to admit it, but maybe Ayumi¡¯s not lying about all of this¡­but how, why? There¡¯s so many questions to all of this¡­. I really could use her help right now¡­¡¯ He half expected her to just show up mysteriously like the last time. Yet that still hadn¡¯t happened. It was up to him. A normal human. Suddenly, the solid black that painted the man disappeared. For the first time, Yuki could see the face of his invader. Like the man before, they were a foreigner with American features, or maybe European. He honestly didn¡¯t know how to tell the difference. The only foreigner he knew was Saki¡¯s mother. And this guy had something about him that seemed a little different than her American mother. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Tall in stature, nearly a full two meters it felt, he towered over Yuki. Dressed in a white robe-like outfit, it hung loose over the shoulders with it crossed over and pinned up by a basic belt. Where the draping cloth ended a loose pair of pants continued. From his bare arms and what the robe didn¡¯t cover of his chest, the man was fit and well trained. Every sign and feeling he got from the man told him that he didn¡¯t belong standing against him. He defeated Momo with ease. The sand attacker proved more than he could handle. This new foreigner seemed even worse. ¡®What chance do I have?¡¯ His arms suddenly came free. The stranger placed him in a very different situation than the last. This man clearly wanted a fight unlike the other. Which gave Yuki an idea. ¡°Are you with that other guy? Because that wasn¡¯t me. It was someone else that killed him.¡± ¡°What happened to them is of no consequence.¡± ¡°It kinda is to me! He tried to kill me and I¡¯m getting that same vibe off you. And I don¡¯t even know why. It¡¯s all feeling like some really messed up prank. I¡¯ve got no interest in whatever is going on here.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have a choice in the matter.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my life! I always have a choice!¡± ¡°Your fate was determined at birth and that¡¯s you¡¯ve been marked for death.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not how things work! And would you stop being ominously cryptic like you¡¯re in the first act of a movie. Just tell me what¡¯s going on!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already said plenty. You won¡¯t get answers from me, only a warrior¡¯s death.¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess that would be too easy. But I¡¯m not a warrior, I read books.¡± The foreigner took a step forward with the passivity finally dropping. ¡°Everyone¡¯s got one in them. It just needs to be pulled out.¡± The man delivered the words with lethal intent. Purpose drove him with unrelenting conviction. A menacing aura bled off him. Yuki glanced side to side, picking up the meaning quickly. ¡°Don¡¯t! This is between us!¡± ¡°I have no interest in an empty fight¡± ¡°What the hell¡¯s wrong with you?! This isn¡¯t a fight, it¡¯s murder!¡± ¡°Enough talk. Show me what you can do.¡± Pressure surrounded him like at the bottom of the ocean. The very air seemed to breathe down on him, heating up his body making him sweat. Every part of him refused to move. Flashes of the attack trapped him. Yet the overwhelming towering presence of the man before him cowed his body. Nothing would move. Sudden screams erupted from around him. He jerked to his left hearing Ken¡¯s cries. The bones holding him up had tightened up squeezing against his tiny body. Dull shallow cries came from the right out of Jun panicked as the pressure wrapped tighter. The weights that bound him snapped finally freed from the mental bondage and Yuki staggered a few steps forward. ¡°Stop it! Don¡¯t involve children in this!¡± ¡°Then fight me!¡± He tightened the hold of his hostages further to drag out the fight he desired. ¡°Bastard!¡± Yuki charged straight at the man throwing his fist wildly at his gut to stop the foreigner. However, it did little to nothing to the man. All it seemed to do was disappoint the tall stranger. Grabbing Yuki by his school uniform jacket, he lifted him off the ground. ¡°Your sister put up more of an effort.¡± He cast Yuki back, throwing him towards the coffee table. Even covered in blood, it stabbed dully into his shoulder as he crashed into and broke it to pieces. Yuki coughed in pain pushing himself back against the couch. His body ached. He couldn¡¯t tell if it was bleeding. All that he could think about was their suffering because of him. ¡®I need to do something¡­I can¡¯t let him hurt them¡­¡¯ Pushing off the couch, Yuki stood again clutching his shoulder from the pain. The man wanted a fight, but he didn¡¯t know how he could give him what he wanted. If any bit of what Ayumi said was true, there was nothing that he had to compete with such things. It was an impossible situation. A strained groan came out of Momoko as the threat carried over. All three twitched in pain. Momoko fought through it and tried to break free. The bindings gave her no leverage to use her strength. ¡°Yuki¡­Yuki!¡± ¡°Momo? I¡¯ll get you out of there! I¡¯ll figure out something!¡± ¡°Yuki, listen to me! You need to stop¡­blaming yourself for it. You know he¡¯s right. You¡¯re stronger than this¡­. It¡¯s fine to fight for those you love. So don¡¯t be afraid of your past, Yuki!¡± Washes of emotions poured over him. Flashes of a bed with a blurry face creeped into the edges of his mind. Unfamiliar voices complaining about him echoed. Everything jumbled together into a chaotic stew. Confusion poured into him with only one certainty. ¡°No, it¡¯s my fault¡­I can¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°If you don''t, he''s going to kill all of us! Remember who you are!¡± ¡°...Momo¡­¡± Punctuating her plea to him came an arc of blood as a series of boney fingers pierced through her upper arms. Yuki¡¯s eyes widened in horror at his sister¡¯s suffering. Echoes of screams tortured his mind with his vision narrowing. Wicked imagery painted through his mind. ¡°Dammit! Stop it, you bastard!¡± Taunted with lost memories and the present pain, Yuki screamed internally until it released from his lips. The vault within him that held everything back began to show signs of cracks. He couldn¡¯t deny Momoko. He had to do something, even if it was the stained hands that he used. Yuki lowered his hand off his bruised shoulder. Pushing the pain away, he focused only one the one that had to matter to him. ¡®I¡¯m sorry¡­¡¯ Springing forward, his body surged with old memories. The motion of the body and tension of the muscles recalled with familiarity. The foreigner no longer stood still with an unguarded stance. His desired fight finally arrived. A small smirk came over him as he saw something. Charging forward ripples broke through the blood on the floor. For only a moment as Yuki¡¯s foot made contact, the blood disappeared replaced with grass. ¡®It¡¯s finally happening. His power is surfacing¡­¡¯ Chapter 6 - Subconscious Puddles of grass battled a sea of blood as Yuki charged. Each step echoed through momentarily cleansing, yet altering as well. Brief for only a blink and gone, no permanent change found purchase. All the foreigner needed was such a sign to finally commit. An easily telegraphed punch stopped with little effort. But the man raised an eyebrow and pushed back against Yuki with his open hand. Though Yuki slid away in an unnatural way as though something pulled him rather than force from the hand and merely acted as cover. ¡°I felt that punch, kid. Seems you¡¯ve finally got your heart in this.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t a game!¡± Yuki ground his teeth at his second attempt. He had to do more to be able to save everyone. ¡°Quite right. I¡¯m glad you understand the situation.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Pushing his foot against the floor, he jumped back. ¡®I need more¡­remember¡­more¡­¡¯ He had to let his body think. Closed away, it hadn¡¯t been long enough to forget. Leaping back into the fight, Yuki tried to think less about each strike and let the feeling flow through his arms. Each swing improved in form and strength, still lacking what he needed. Deflected and turned away, nothing broke through the man¡¯s defenses. He hardly seemed to try with Yuki. Judging from appearance, he had training in a far greater capacity than Yuki. A clear disadvantage not even counting the added wrinkle of a reality warping power. Which remained unused in the fight from all that Yuki could glean. Not that he even understood it. It could be doing everything for all he knew. ¡°You¡¯re going to need more than your physical body. Fight me with everything!¡± ¡°What?!¡± Yuki leapt back, his body¡¯s instincts noticing it before himself, but he wasn¡¯t fast enough. A quick counter blow to his gut kicked him back. Coughing as he dropped to one knee, it would have been worse. ¡®This isn¡¯t like what I¡¯m used to¡­but who¡¯s ever fought in an actual hellscape?¡¯ Chapter 6 - Subconscious Echoes of his siblings'' pain pushed him back to the fight. He dove in with greater intensity as if that were the only thing the man wanted from him. And yet in spite of it all, he hardly seemed engaged in the fight. Frustration built up in Yuki at a man that would use his own family just to get satisfaction. How did such depravity get fostered? A grin suddenly appeared on the foreigner out of nowhere. Yuki drew in a heavy breath pausing to understand what pleased him so after their latest exchange. ¡°Finally you¡¯re making things interesting!¡± ¡°What the hell are you going on about?!¡± ¡°You should pay attention to your surroundings.¡± ¡°Surroundings? What are you¡­¡± Caught up in his own thoughts, his mind hadn¡¯t been focused on the fight just going through the motions. He looked around, not finding anything out of place. Blood and flesh stretched out everywhere that he looked. Looking up at the ceiling he saw Jun and Momo. Nearby him in front of him, Ken laid on the floor. Ceiling? Floor? Finally everything sped up to his mind as the whole room rotated ninety degrees. Fixing his perspective of the living room, he knelt on the wall. Somehow. Down at his feet he could see a small circle of grass where he stood rather than blood, but the two battled in what almost looked like a glitch in a game where the two clashed. Blades of grass floated or stopped abruptly becoming blood in a shaking line. ¡°I don¡¯t under-¡± Before he could finish, the wall ceased to hold him. ¡°Ugh¡­thankfully it wasn¡¯t a far drop¡­but¡­¡± He thought back to the moment before to what he saw. Grass grew on the wall, about as strange as blood. Visually, it had more appeal. It reminded him a little of the park down the street. Stopping the old memories, he stood up needing to focus on the threat over nostalgia. ¡°Don¡¯t know what that was, but he seemed excited about it. It¡¯d be nice to use that again, I¡¯d be able to get a little more creative¡­¡± Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t know how it happened or if it was even him doing it. As little sense as it would have made, it could have even been the foreigner with how eager he acted. Yuki however just focused on what he could do. Such an answer turned out about as he expected though. His punches batted away and him being tossed. Yet Yuki once more found himself stuck to anything but the floor, this time the ceiling. But upon noticing it, he dropped again, though falling on the couch at least. ¡°Dammit¡­¡± It gave him a little more certainty. He jumped forward to the chair and then into the air against the man. As Yuki expected, a counter sent him back, but he landed on the ceiling. Jumping forward, he ran over the ceiling. ¡®It¡¯s working¡­¡¯ That moment, his feet lost their hold and he fell. However, he grabbed onto some limb and swung himself toward the man with a flying kick. Bracing the kick with his arm, the foreigner staggered a moment before grabbing Yuki. A quick swing threw Yuki¡¯s body against the wall, knocking the wind out of him. ¡°Is this all you¡¯ve got? Make it more interesting before I end this!¡± Yuki coughed and drew in a long breath feeling the stinging pain all over his body. Apart from the bullying, which never went this far, it had been a while since he tasted such pain. ¡°This is getting me nowhere¡­but what can I do?¡± This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Pushing himself back up to his feet, he felt a little comforted that his guy wanted a fight. ¡®If only I could take advantage of his cockiness¡­¡¯ Confusion suffused with desperation, Yuki charged in feeling the ticking clock on his family. Feinting with a strike, he slid past the man and under his counter. A quick sweep of his legs to the back of the man¡¯s knee gave a moment of stagger for Yuki to capitalize on. He leapt up landing on the ceiling and grabbed on the upper arms using the gravity that kept him attached to slam the man on his back. The moment he released the man, he fell once more back to the floor. Yuki dropped down with his foot to hopefully stun or knock the man out. However, a limb came up, a boney hand grabbed his ankle and threw him away towards the kitchen. Yuki caught himself on the island only feeling a little sting. There was something different in that last moment. Seeing the man stand up gave him all the confirmation. He no longer had the defensive stance and actually started to walk towards him. ¡®Seems like he¡¯s got what he wanted¡­now he wants to kill me¡­Momo, guys¡­¡¯ ¡°Don¡¯t slow down on me kid!¡± The foreigner clutched his hand as the blood on the island jumped out in all directions as hardened spikes. Sprays of blood arced through the air as Yuki dropped to the floor. Despite how it looked, he somehow managed to come out of it with only wounds on his arms and back. ¡°Not going to question luck now¡­¡± However, Yuki didn¡¯t get much time to think as he saw more spikes and jumped away. Continuing to back away, Yuki caught himself in the corner looking for an option. But more spikes jumped out at him. Nothing happened. No blood, no pain. Confused, he looked down to see that just like with the grass before, the spikes stopped near to where the grass appeared. The small circle around him seemed to have grown in size. ¡°Hm¡­ I think I¡¯m understanding some of this¡­¡± ¡°Impressive, kid! You¡¯re making this more interesting by the minute! Making me have to put in effort now!¡± Suddenly the spikes that were cut off materialized as the grass around Yuki¡¯s feet shrank to a smaller circle. Yuki jumped into the air latching onto the wall to escape the spikes. ¡°He got stronger?¡± Yuki looked over at the foreigner trying to put together the new information. More spikes jumped out at him. Some cut through and others didn¡¯t make it. Pain filled his body again as the tension started to rise once more. The pressure poured off the foreigner as a murderous intent built. His game ended now. He marched forward and the circle around Yuki¡¯s feet tightened up even further. The spikes dug deeper into his flesh. Yuki dropped down, losing his focus. Unguarded, the man grabbed his arm and flipped him into spikes. Blood sprayed up once more as pain ran through his body. ¡°Yuki! No!¡± ¡°Big bro! Stop hurting him!¡± His family¡¯s screams faded from his ears as the pain overrode everything. A dull mix of noises stirred around in his ears. Yuki groaned no longer sure how badly his body bled out. A shadow cast over him with the foreigner standing before him. Pulled up by his arm, Yuki hung loosely with his eye half closed in pain. His body suddenly bounced with more dull pain echoing through him. Yuki coughed up blood struggling to keep his focus. ¡®Am I going to die this time?¡¯ Cast off, Yuki¡¯s body flew through the living room and smashed against the window frame. Dropped to the floor, his arm caught on the window frame as he half leaned against the wall. Panting heavily, all he could hear was his heart beating out of his chest. As everything faded more, his mind went to this family. ¡®What will happen to them?¡¯ Disturbing imagery ran through his mind constructed from what already happened. It snapped him back to reality. Yuki coughed suddenly, feeling the acute pain clearly. ¡°Yuki! Run! Don¡¯t worry about us!¡± ¡°...Momo¡­¡± Pulling himself up by the window ledge, he fought with his eyes to focus. ¡°I can¡¯t abandon you¡­¡± ¡°Still got a little fight you, kid. I was worried you¡¯d disappoint being a soft boy in this safe peaceful land.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on here, but we¡¯re not going to let you do whatever you want!¡± Yuki felt his lungs burning. His chest barely contained his pounding heart. He was pretty sure only adrenaline kept him standing. Survival instinct and guts remained his last options. He prayed it would be enough. Finding his strength once more, he charged back around the couch for the man. Skating around, he evaded spikes and limbs. Yuki stopped around behind his opponent. Grabbing a chair, he flung it through the air. Blood spikes jumped up from the floor and ceiling catching the chair. Yuki leapt away as the chair slowly broke into wood shards. Bouncing off the floor and wall, he flung more objects as he jumped around. Yuki landed on the bone chest that held Momoko in place. He paused breathing heavily and dropped to the floor. Rolling over, he kicked the end table over at the foreigner. Yuki leapt into the air following after it. Kicking off the wall, he punched through the blood spike connecting with the jaw of the man finally. The follow through landed him back on the opposite side once more. The blood spikes around him thickened and destroyed all of the thrown objects. He turned to face Yuki rubbing his jaw as it turned purplish-red under the skin. ¡°That actually did some damage, kid! I¡¯m starting to like you!¡± Gathering up blood around him, it forged itself into a flamberge. He started to march towards Yuki. Yuki stood up preparing to charge straight into the danger. ¡°It¡¯s time!¡± He sprinted forward smashing through the blood spikes as they came up. From behind the man, Momoko slid in kicking the back of his knees and grabbing the man¡¯s waist to pull him down. The foreigner looked in shock to see her free, but noticed the play seeing Yuki charging in. Ignoring the clear signs, Yuki threw in his right arm as the flamberge swung, sacrificing it. While the sword pushed past him, he swung down his left into the ribcage down by the man¡¯s kidneys. Almost immediately, he coughed up an unusual amount of blood for a seemingly shallow hit. Yuki tumbled past both missing half of his right arm as blood poured out. The invader remained stunned, blood pooling in his mouth and starting to cover his face with Momoko trapped underneath. The house went silent. Chapter 7 - Inheritance Silence poured over the house. No one moved, painted with a heavy oppressive stroke. Blood covered walls slowly shrank away. The end finally arrived. Momoko snapped back to attention as the shock of everything drained away. She moved the body of the foreigner off her. His breathing remained strong, though clearly in pain. ¡°Yuki!¡± Looking around for her brother, she jumped over all of the debris of their furniture to get to his side. ¡°Yuki! Can you hear me?¡± Grabbing his body up into her arms, she noticed the bleeding right arm. Only the upper arm remained sliced cleanly off. Taking off her blouse, Momoko tore at the edges and wrapped it tightly around the stump. ¡°Yuki¡­¡± ¡°So they struck here too¡­¡± noted a slightly out of breath Ayumi. ¡°Ayumi?! What happened to you? You¡¯re covered in blood¡­¡± Momoko trailed off as the young girl marched in, sprayed in blood from head to toe, but clearly not her own. Ayumi knelt down beside her, completely unfazed by her shocking appearance. ¡°Do you have your phone on you? We need to call an ambulance immediately!¡± ¡°He¡¯s still breathing¡­¡± She glanced over to check on the condition of the enemy. Standing up, she marched over to the unknown man and materialized a blue transparent sword. ¡°You should have killed him. Finish the job, don¡¯t leave the enemy alive.¡± She plunged the sword straight into the skull of the man with the ease of a knife through bread. The moment after she released the sword and it disappeared. A blue ripple expanded through the whole house as the dead body slowly began to rip apart atom by atom. She returned back to Yuki¡¯s side and pulled off the makeshift tourniquet. Before Momoko could resist, the bleeding ceased and bone grew. In moments, his arm restored and the pulse in his body stronger, Momoko looked up to the girl confused about what she witnessed. While grateful, she wanted some answers as well. ¡°What¡¯s going on, Ayumi? That man attacked us and then¡­and then¡­¡± Suddenly, her eyes felt heavy. She couldn¡¯t keep herself upright. Sleep claimed her. Ayumi stood up staring down at the two and then across at the younger children. ¡°This is going to be even more trouble than I planned for¡­¡± Chapter 7 - Inheritance A dull hum slowly drained out of his head. Strength built steadily back into his body. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Yuki opened his eyes and stared blankly out at the ceiling. A few moments later, he snapped up. ¡°I¡¯m alive!¡± He looked around a little confused. ¡°You¡¯re awake!¡± shouted Ken jumping up onto the couch to sit on his brother. Taking a few more seconds, Yuki looked around trying to piece everything together. The living room looked normal, no blood, not even a broken table. The window he remembered specifically breaking, restored. Nothing out of place, everything was as he remembered before the attack. ¡°Was it a dream?¡± ¡°It was no dream, Yuki,¡± Ayumi answered, entering the room having heard his shout. ¡°You hit your head pretty hard coming down the stairs. Momo took you to the ER, while I watched over these two spiders.¡± Ken bounced and nodded vigorously. ¡°We played lots of games with Big Sis Ayumi! I won the most!¡± ¡°I swear your luck is like magic. Next time, I¡¯ll win!¡± She picked up Ken and put him on the floor. He crossed his arms over his hand. ¡°I¡¯m the gamemaster! You¡¯ll never defeat me!¡± ¡°Oh is that right? I¡¯m going to train and become the gamemaster!¡± She tickled him and then patted him on the back, sending him off to the kitchen. Jun grabbed Yuki¡¯s hand quietly, receiving an assuring nod before he followed. ¡°Let¡¯s go up stairs.¡± Everything moved so fast, he had trouble keeping things straight. His memory of the events before he passed out remained very clear. That tall foreigner attacked him, Momo injured, blood everywhere, none of it faded from memory. Yet Ayumi told a different tale. The fear he remembered in Ken¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t even seem to be a hint. He slowly nodded while looking at her. A sense that all would be explained drew over her face. Trusting the liar for answers, it gave him pause. Yet he still followed her as she already reached the stairs. No answers awaited in the living room. A secret. Invited into his own room felt strange, even if his mind said it hadn¡¯t been the first time for her. They navigated the spires of books on his floor. She closed the door while he went over to his bed to lay down, partly in anticipation and to rest his body. A blue ripple briefly expanded from Ayumi¡¯s feet, though nothing seemed to change as a result. ¡°We can talk now without eavesdropping.¡± ¡°Hitting my head?¡± ¡°A fabrication.¡± The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°And they believed that?¡± ¡°They believe everything, because that¡¯s what happened.¡± ¡°They believe a lie? What? Did you brainwash them or something?¡± ¡°Nothing so crude and unreliable. You¡¯re acquainted with it as well.¡± ¡°You did this to me?!¡± Yuki searched his mind frantically trying to figure out when or how it happened. Claims of falsehoods darted quickly through shuffling thoughts. Yet if even a piece of her assertion rang true, would he even notice? His body ran cold with such ideas. At least at first, he thought harder about facts and lies. ¡°Our entire childhood? Is anything about us real?¡± ¡°Impressive, you got there faster than I counted on. I figured you would have rejected it for longer without much proof.¡± ¡°Why all the lies and secrets? What¡¯s going on, Ayumi?¡± ¡°Going to listen with an open mind this time?¡± He felt the daggers from her eyes stabbing him. Reflecting back on the afternoon and the fight, even what he saw coming from himself, denial could no longer be an option. Yuki saw his world repainted before his eyes. After everything he witnessed, his only hope now was understanding. ¡°Can you honestly blame me? Lived all my life thinking I lived in a normal world where Shounen battle rules don¡¯t apply. It¡¯s a hard pill to swallow.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. Regardless, this is the truth of the world.¡± ¡°And it¡¯s just a massive secret that no one knows about? How?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because we don¡¯t live in your modern society, outside of some exceptions.¡± ¡°Like yourself?¡± ¡°To a degree. To be clear, this is my first time leaving my home and I¡¯ve only been here for a week.¡± ¡°A week?! But¡­the memories¡­they¡¯re so vague¡­¡± Like trying to hold onto sand, it all poured through his fingers. He knew it was sand and it existed, but the more he tried to hold it in his palm the faster it ran out. All that remained in his hand was enough to know that it existed and little more. Ayumi nodded. ¡°The memories I gave you aren¡¯t meant to be detailed. Focus too hard and the cracks will show, but the imprint is strong enough that unless someone forces you to think about it, the appearance holds.¡± ¡°And what have you been doing with all that time? Not killing every day I hope.¡± Her brow pinched again as he had witnessed before. ¡°I¡¯m not a killer. I¡¯m a soldier.¡± ¡°Child soldier¡­that¡¯s not grim¡­¡± ¡°Just listen to me.¡± ¡°Fine. Go on.¡± ¡°As I explained before, you¡¯re the key figure in a political struggle. My home was ruled by a strong and kind King. Unfortunately, poor health has claimed him and we are in need of someone to become our new King.¡± Watching her go into more details, Yuki could see a warmth in her face as she spoke. It cracked through the hard shell she gave him in every guarded moment. A similar expression when she wore her facade, yet unlike that one it didn¡¯t appear to lie. ¡°Publicly, the King had no heir. His wife died not long after he became King. Thus we all believed he had no offspring. His death has thrown our people into a panic. Unfortunately, though he was a good King, not all were happy with his rule. Within the court, there¡¯s a divide. The Loyalist, who want to maintain the work he began and the Traditionalist, who are tied to the past and tear down everything he¡¯s done. ¡°Having no heir, the Traditionalists pushed to elect a new King by vote from the Council. As is our tradition if this happens. However, after the King¡¯s death I was given a letter that a secret child did exist. While he was a good man, he wasn¡¯t blind to the corruption and made plans in secret.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m said clich¨¦ bastard child, huh?¡± He pondered everything she laid out for him. Part of him still wanted to believe that she made it all up because it was the sort of trashy, yet reliably enjoyable plotline that would be a fun read for him. ¡®There¡¯s still a lot of things that need explaining and I don¡¯t know how much more I can take. But if weird reality warping powers are real, I guess I have to give her the benefit of the doubt. Until I have reason otherwise to not believe her¡­¡¯ Rubbing his hand against his face, he sighed. His eyes stared up at the ceiling. A normal and calm image, a little comforting against the canvas of blood and melodrama that sought him. ¡°Accepting for now what you¡¯re telling me. Your plan is to have me become your new King?¡± ¡°Affirmative. If not, a puppet ruler will be put in place and the corruption will spread beyond the palace.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the timeline?¡± ¡°Then you will come with me?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not go that far. I need more information first. Not to mention what you¡¯re asking of me.¡± ¡°Of course. So long as those greedy men don¡¯t break with the traditions they claim to follow, we have six weeks before the crowning of the new King.¡± ¡°Six weeks¡­¡± Flashes of his friends and family, school and his home, it squeezed his heart a little. Even with the time to think about it, he didn¡¯t know what sort of answer beyond the obvious he would reach. Perhaps only a chance to say goodbye. Goodbye. ¡°Just about time for summer vacation. Good timing I guess.¡± Ayumi stepped forward to break his wandering gaze. ¡°There¡¯s one other thing you need to know.¡± ¡°Those two people that tried to kill me are from the Traditionalist Faction?¡± ¡°Affirmative. I naively made the mistake telling them about your existence thinking that it would silence them. Since you¡¯re untrained in our ways, unlike your father, they see it as the perfect chance to take control.¡± ¡°Typical bad guy behavior. Which means your plan is to protect me and teach me your ways?¡± ¡°Glad you pick things up quickly.¡± He shrugged and sat up, but regretted it almost immediately. The lightheadedness from blood loss dropped him back to the bed. ¡°Easy plot to follow. And since I¡¯m going for a bingo, my power is really strong?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Your father was the strongest one of us in centuries. It¡¯s my hope that you are.¡± ¡°Close enough to count it! When do we get started?¡± Chapter 8 - Routines Silence. A peaceful morning arrived. At least coming out of sleep. The early arriving sunlight broke through the curtains. Its warmth helped as much as the alarm to stir Saki awake. She reached her hand over to the clock. A simple small analog clock with just a single button. Saki slowly pressed it down to end its call. Her finger settled into the smoothed well used surface. The plastic cover for the clock hands marred with scratches and a crack a third of the way through. A bit of the outer plastic chipped away where it had fallen one too many times. Saki stretched a little before sliding out of bed. Her hand brushed back a few strands of hair, barely longer than a pixie cut. Cleaning up the covers, she glanced over at the other bed still deeply occupied. Once she finished making her bed, she walked over. ¡°Time to get up, Nori,¡± she spoke softly. It took a couple of calls before her little sister moved. Though as usual, it was just turning in her sleep. Taking a more direct approach, Saki petted her head, getting her to stir. Slowly coaxing her out of sleep took a couple minutes more. ¡°Mornin¡¯¡± A slow yawn came out of Noriko as she finally opened her eyes. ¡°Is¡­morning¡­now?¡± Sleep slurred her words adorably. ¡°Yup! Gotta wake up.¡± ¡°O¡­kay¡­¡± Saki stepped away. Early morning prep continued as she waited for Noriko to get up. By the time, Saki cleaned up and changed clothes, her little sister walked out of bed. The short nine year old kept rubbing her eyes. Helping her through their routine, Noriko finally had the energy to operate on her own. Saki sat down starting her stretches. Noriko returned in similarly designed casual shorts and a loose shirt, but in a pink and white pattern to Saki¡¯s black and blue. Dropping down, she eagerly began trying to match what Saki did. Unlike Saki, Noriko lacked the years of practice even being younger and likely more flexible. Saki guided the same as always when she failed. As Saki stretched, Noriko kept up her energy, as though it recharged her. By the end, she bounced around Saki. Saki tried to settle her down before they went out for breakfast. It didn¡¯t work. Chapter 8 - Routines The bouncing feet creaked the old wood in the hall. Saki walked with a lighter step seeing the table already prepared. Her father sat deep in a cup of coffee. Behind Noriko¡¯s cheer greeting, she replied as well. ¡°Good morning.¡± As they arrived, their father looked up. A young by appearance Japanese man dressed in a semi-formal attire prepared for work already. ¡°Mornin¡¯ you two! Sleep well?¡± He leaned over to help Noriko finish pulling in her chair. ¡°We did stretches!¡± ¡°Oh my, your commitment is encouraging!¡± ¡°Commit¡­ment?¡± ¡°Hard work.¡± He gave her a pat on the head and smiled. She grinned wide back swaying a little while waiting. Saki politely sat down on the opposite side. Hands in her lap, she waited for breakfast to come. She watched him dote on her little sister as time slowly passed. He turned over to Saki when it looked like Noriko had settled down enough. ¡°How¡¯s the new school? It¡¯s been a month already. Where does the time go?¡± ¡°Not much different.¡± ¡°I heard you join the track team. After all the time at the dojo, I was surprised you picked track.¡± Before she could answer, the food arrived. A simple fare consisting mostly of egg and bread. Behind the food, their mother stood with a stern expression. Shoulder length semi-graying dark rust colored hair tied back. Several wrinkles already began to develop along her eyes and mouth. ¡°It was just for self defense, Hachiro. After everything she went through, you can understand. Track¡¯s something more practical for her to pursue.¡± ¡°Naturally, if that¡¯s what Saki wants. I know you threw yourself into it.¡± He looked over to Saki for confirmation. She nodded briefly, cutting into her food. ¡°This is what I picked.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re having fun.¡± ¡°It¡¯s only been a week or two.¡± ¡°Be sure to enjoy yourself.¡± ¡°Yes, yes dear. You don¡¯t need to pressure her.¡± Their mother pushed the plate a little closer to him. He took the hint and stopped. Once their mother sat down, the breakfast carried on with relative silence. Saki finished quickly and moved to get ready for school. With some alone time, she stared at the mirror in her room. Thoughts strayed between past and present. Nothing held for long. Reflections ended when Noriko crashed the room. She hurried over to Saki¡¯s bed to get the ribbon for her. ¡°Thanks, Nori! Want me to help you get ready?¡± ¡°Yes, please!¡± She bounced up and down in front of her sister with her arms up. A small giggle came from Saki. When it came to exit their apartment, Saki heard from the kitchen the familiarly repeated phrase. ¡°Be safe and don¡¯t go near him!¡± ¡°Yes, mother! I¡¯ll be going!¡± A few blocks over in the neighborhood and early morning once more, there was a distinct lack of earthquake style bouncing. Not that in his sleepy state he would have been able to discern the difference. No, dreamland kept Yuki well comforted away from reality. Especially, a new said reality that sleep might be fending him from currently. Lack of bouncing aside, some movement or shifting was happening. In the borderline between sleep and reality, he made no sense of the difference. But what snapped his enchanting melody of fantasy dreams was the fact that it felt off, wrong maybe? For good or bad, his little brothers made it their habit to wake him up in the morning, most times before his alarm even got a chance (sad alarm noises). The different feeling this gave him sliced through his dreams. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Through those sliced dreams, his ears heard a soft voice whisper to him. ¡°Master Yuki¡­Master Yuki¡­¡± Yuki nodded his head, feeling the tickling of the breath, but rolled over to keep sleeping. ¡°Just a little longer, Sis¡­¡± Since it didn¡¯t sound as urgent clearly he had more time to sleep. Naturally. ¡°Master Yuki¡­¡± The voice persisted in his ear making it twitch. A sudden weight pressed on him, when calling out to him failed repeatedly. ¡°Master Yuki¡­¡± ¡°Momoko¡­Ken¡­why are you both¡­¡± He attempted to move around, but found it to be difficult. Normally, his little brothers, while great at making an impact, couldn¡¯t do anything yet to pin him down. Yet they managed it? Momoko did? He was really confused. That pulled him further into reality when the covers came away. With reality and his eyes starting to open, he picked up more of his surroundings. An unfamiliar sweet aroma danced in the air. Something that didn¡¯t make any sense for Momoko, at least in the morning. ¡°Momo? When you¡¯d start wearing perfume in the morning?¡± ¡°Master, you¡¯re awake!¡± ¡°And why are you calling me ¡®Master¡¯?¡± He stared through his blurry eyes at a face that he could only tell was a woman from the voice and long hair. He blinked once and wiped his hands over his eyes to clear his vision. Once sight had been returned, before him was a beautiful young woman in a maid costume straddling him staring only a few inches away from his face with a warm pleasing smile on her face. ¡°Oh a maid¡­¡± Of course it was a maid. A dime a dozen knock off from any anime or light novel that he could think of from the last three months. Nothing strange about seeing a maid. Nothing? ¡°What?! A Maid?!¡± He jumped back up, nearly crashing into the woman before pulling back breathing heavily. ¡®What¡¯s a maid doing in my room?¡¯ ¡°Master?¡± ¡°Y-Yes?¡± he said nervously trying to work through what was going on. ¡®I¡¯m still dreaming. This is just a dream. Y-Yeah and I just need to wake up.¡¯ Yuki pinched himself and looked up to find the results to be no different. He slapped his face and punched himself thinking he needed more pain to wake up, but nothing had changed. ¡°Master?¡± ¡°AH!¡± Yuki pulled back in his bed trying to put some distance between her and him. She continued to follow him until he fell out of his bed dropping his back painfully. A few books dug into his back now as he found himself in an all too commonly familiar scene. If it wasn¡¯t for the panic and confusion running through his whole mind and body right now, his young male adolescence might have actually enjoyed it. A long shining blade suddenly beamed over him touching his neck. The point of it was very real, making him cough cautiously. ¡°Yuki. As a samurai of honor I challenge you to a duel.¡± And the clich¨¦ scene suddenly flipped into non-sequitur. Yuki tilted his head over slowly to see a man standing before him standing in full samurai armor from the Edo Period. He began to sweat at the sight, as well as the katana at his throat. Dark panicked shadows painted over his face as this new threat. ¡®An assassin? In samurai armor? What¡¯s going on here?¡¯ The man pulled back his sword looking like he was waiting for a reply. Yuki took the opportunity to leap away from the woman and crawl into a corner away from both of them. His eyes darted quickly between the two of them watching what they did carefully. ¡®What¡¯s a samurai and a maid doing in my room?¡¯ ¡®...you are part of a group of people who can rewrite the laws of the world to create anything that our imaginations can come up with,¡¯ said Ayumi¡¯s voice in Yuki¡¯s head suddenly, remembering something. The words from her story pitch came back to him and he began to piece things together. ¡®Anything my imagination can come up with?¡¯ He looked at the maid and nodded to him. ¡®Yeah, she looks almost exactly like the maid out of I Quit My Dead-end Job When a Maid Fell into my Life.¡¯ The maid started to approach him again looking like she wanted to do something. ¡®I made her? Like a waking dream? Is this how it works?¡¯ He didn¡¯t know how it worked. The samurai stood getting impatient for a response, katana brandished in a demanding angle. ¡®What am I supposed to do? How do I turn it off?¡¯ Yuki closed his eyes hoping that it would disappear, but when he opened them again they remained. He shut his eyes once more. ¡®Turn off. Turn off. It¡¯s not working. What do I do?¡¯ Yuki began to become panicked again seeing the maid get closer to him with the samurai taking a frightening stance against him. He tried to think back to the night when he used his powers. ¡®How did I do it before? Focusing too hard on it made it disappear¡­¡¯ Yuki stared at the two really intently. They became the only thing in his vision. Unfortunately, the samurai apparently took umbrage with his stare and took two steps forward as though the challenge was accepted. ¡®T-this isn¡¯t working! Ayumi! I really wish you were here to tell me how to turn this off!¡¯ Crawling a bit against the corner of the wall, he stood up. ¡®It¡¯s mind powers. T-think! You¡¯ve watched and read so much anime, something in your brain¡¯s got to have an idea.¡¯ Rapidly Yuki did a mental file search through his media knowledge. Pressed for an immediate answer, he stopped the search at the first idea. He winced. This was not a good idea, but definitely an idea. And backed by an unquestioningly unhealthy consumption of anime carried some validity. It still made him pause. A loud crash followed next with a thud. Yuki lay partially unconscious on his bed, eyes turning into spirals dazed. Shards of the unfortunate lamp scattered around his sheets. His door opened showing an over eager Ken and Jun. ¡°Are you playing without us?¡± They rushed through the forest of books to his side. Snapping back to attention, his eyes darted over to where the samurai and maid were. Neither could be seen. A sigh of relief came to him as he pulled himself back up to greet them. ¡°I would never play without you two! I was trying to surprise you when you came in to wake me up! Did it work?¡± Chapter 9 - Troubled Joy Samurais and maids, if asked he would say definitively that he liked them, possibly even loved. Honestly, it was a mood thing. His enjoyment of such staples of literature culture ebbed and flowed, waxed and waned. At least, before today he felt that way. Now, he hated them both. Well maybe not hate, perhaps that was an over exaggeration spurred on by recency bias. One of them did just try to kill (maybe, harm yes) him. The other, he honestly didn¡¯t even know. He certainly hadn¡¯t read anything last night. So he could only guess what inspired the maid. And given the sliding scale of maturity, it could¡¯ve been anything. And he didn¡¯t really know if he was actually ready for the extreme side of that, even if the books he read might be considered wish fulfillment depending on the day. He groaned a little coming out of his room still reeling from the events. ¡®I can¡¯t believe that they just popped up in my sleep! How long were they there? Ayumi didn¡¯t say anything about this! I can¡¯t live like this¡­¡¯ Sitting down at the table, his mind still worked on clearing itself and his heart trying to slow down to a normal pulse. A tug on his sleeve grabbed his attention. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, Ken. Did you need something?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Jun.¡± ¡°Oh, right. Thanks!¡± He looked over to Jun who stared back quietly mute as ever. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Jun, I woke up with a headache. Oh nothing bad, thanks for worrying.¡± After the one sided conversation, he stood up and walked around the table patting him on the head before going into the kitchen. He pulled out the bread from the cabinet and put a slice into the toaster. A glance from Momoko inquired silently. ¡°Jun, he wanted toast along with breakfast.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t spoil him too much, Yuki.¡± ¡°I¡¯m only giving him one. He¡¯s looking forward to your breakfast!¡± He moved around Momoko stirring one of the pots as she tried to hurry and finish. Afterwards, he pulled down plates and bowls. ¡°Ken! Jun!¡± Quickly, two pairs of feet scurried with boundless energy at the summons. He bent down a little. ¡°Mind helping set the table?¡± ¡°Yes, please! Jun you get the bowls!¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± He watched them mindfully walk away aware of their delicate cargo while still looking like they were jittering bouncing balls locked in a cage. Yuki straightened out his back and went back to aiding Momoko, mind and body finally feeling better. ¡°You¡¯re gonna need to work on your Jun reading skills. I¡¯m not always going to be around.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just video chat with you. Image quality holds up over phones, right?¡± ¡°You lose that in person touch.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how you manage it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the wrinkles in the forehead and muscle tension in the neck. Each one is a letter or word by itself.¡± Momoko glanced over at him, hearing him matter-of-factly deliver it straight. A wide grin shined back for her. ¡°Honestly, no idea. I told you before, doesn¡¯t make any sense. I just hope it¡¯s something that he comes out of in time.¡± ¡°You and me, both¡­but it¡¯s already been a year.¡± Chapter 9 Troubled Joy By the time Yuki closed the gate, a deep simmering panic started to roll in over the back of his mind. One he vocally tried to shout away, internally. ¡®No maids, no robots, no brain stop it! Just stop it!¡¯ So much mental energy fought to keep all of his errant thoughts in check. He really didn¡¯t need a maid or something worse popping up in the middle of the street. However, when he began to walk into the street turning towards his school there was a heavy weight on both of his arms. He looked down and jumped back in surprise to find that both Ken and Jun had followed him. Yuki knelt down looking at the two with hopeful eyes. ¡°What are you two doing?¡± Jun remained quiet as Ken stepped forward as their voice. ¡°Jun wanted to walk with you. So we decided to go to school with you.¡± It¡¯d be even more endearing if it wasn¡¯t an obvious lie. Yuki couldn¡¯t help but give him a warm smile. He patted the two on the head. ¡°I don¡¯t mind you coming with me as far as the stop sign. But Ken, what have you told you about lying?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t lying!¡± He looked over to Jun for assurance. A small shy nod came in return. ¡°Jun can¡¯t speak.¡± ¡°Jun can answer yes or no to questions,¡± Ken said, looking a little too proud about the counter. A small chuckle came out of Yuki realizing the game Ken played. ¡°Alright, alright. Just try not to take advantage of your light brother too much, Ken.¡± ¡°So we can walk with you?¡± Yuki nodded and gave them both one of his hands. They bounced eagerly on the offer. ¡°Morning Yuki!¡± Saki said from behind him as they met at the usual spot in the path. When she came closer she saw his brothers with him as well. ¡°Oh, Ken and Jun are with you today!¡± She bent down pulling her skirt in as she lowered herself to their eye level. Saki gave Jun a pat on the head and a warm smile. ¡°Still as cute as ever, Jun.¡± A snappy turn had her facing Ken giving him a mischievous grin to match the one that was on his lips already. ¡°Tagging along with your brother, huh?¡± Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Yup!¡± Ken raised his left arm in earnest. ¡°Don¡¯t forget we¡¯re going as far as the stop sign. You¡¯ll be late otherwise.¡± The presence of Saki risked them forgetting everything. They already started to try to climb up and around her with little encouragement needed. ¡®I¡¯m relieved she still plays with them despite everything that¡¯s happened. I feel bad they don¡¯t get to play together anymore like before¡­¡¯ They walked down looking almost like a brother and sister taking their younger siblings to the park, which honestly if Ken made the decisions it¡¯d happen. Unfortunately for him, Yuki kept them on track despite how much fun Saki had with them. She put them both back down as they reached the stop sign. Saki knelt down patting them. ¡°You can walk with us again whenever you want, ya know.¡± ¡°Really? Hear that Jun?¡± Ken rose up both of his hands cheering and ran off down the other street with Jun running after him. They disappeared around the turn of the street leaving Yuki and Saki alone to resume the rest of their walk. Yuki stretched a little and turned to face Saki. Keeping his usual smile painted over his face, he greeted him. ¡°Good morning, Saki!¡± The moment his brothers disappeared, the panic returned twofold, noticing that he had dropped his guard. ¡°M-Morning. What¡¯s wrong Yuki? You feeling alright?¡± The sudden voice knocked her back a step. He waved his hand and arm together motioning off her worries. ¡°Yup! Just worried with Ken and Jun pulling you five different directions so early in the morning.¡± ¡®Something¡¯s a little off. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s lying, but hiding something else maybe?¡¯ Saki smiled back. If he had something else, she could wait until he was ready. ¡°They¡¯re fine. It¡¯s no worse than they used to do.¡± ¡°How¡¯s track been for you?¡± They began walking down the street. The focus of Saki gave him a little comfort. A mental strain still trickled through the filter of his mind. Leaning back a little as they walked, Saki pushed out the morning conversation. They had nothing to do with Yuki. ¡°Still getting used to it all. But I guess since I did all that self defense, it doesn¡¯t tire me out that much. They say I have good times for a novice.¡± ¡°Going to be the star of the first years before you know it!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. Not trying to win any medals.¡± ¡°Aw, you gotta shoot for the stars!¡± ¡°One of us is in the stars enough for both. I¡¯m happy keeping both feet firmly planted.¡± Yuki pouted to her disappointed in the lack of goals. ¡°If you¡¯re having fun.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­uh-huh¡­¡± Saki eyes grew small suddenly when she saw something next to Yuki that she could not explain. Her words were failing her at the moment as shock was overpowering anything that she was attempting to do. She could barely step back from him. ¡°Y-Yuki¡­ What¡¯s that?¡± Her arm raised up as her finger extended to point to something behind him floating in the air. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s gotten into you, Saki?¡± He could see that he was not going to get anymore out of her. It seemed like it was a miracle that she managed those words before she lost the ability to speak. Yuki turned around, curious to know what had gotten to her. ¡°It¡¯s a fairy!¡± he said matter-of-factly. Then a bell dinged in his head and he jumped back behind Saki in shock as well. ¡°What is that?!¡± ¡°A fairy? But those aren¡¯t real. It can¡¯t be!¡± Saki had found her voice, but only through the disbelief in Yuki¡¯s reaction after stating it so cheerfully. ¡®He¡¯s as freaked out as me. What¡¯s going on?¡¯ Confused, Saki blinked trying to figure out if it was real. ¡°So um¡­ Yuki?¡± ¡°Y-Yeah?¡± They both looked on at the blue winged tiny person hovering between them. A moment later, they exchanged questioning stares at each other. Then back and it was missing. Which only further freaked them out. ¡°Where¡¯d it go?¡± ¡°W-where¡¯d what go?¡± a familiar voice asked from behind them. They both turned again to find an awkwardly smiling Ayumi looking lost to what had them in a panic. She leaned in and then back. ¡°Is¡­is something wrong?¡± ¡°Oh Ayumi!¡± Saki sighed a bit in relief thinking the fairy talked to them. But now gone, she started doubting what she saw. She pressed a hand against her head in confusion. Yuki bounced over to Ayumi¡¯s side, happy to see her. He glanced at her trying to get a confirmation. Nothing but a quick stare that dropped the fa?ade only in her eyes returned. It gave him some relief. ¡°Oh sorry, we saw some odd bird for a moment! Flew right up to us and then darted away! Like it had never been there.¡± ¡°Oh? R-really? Sounds a little scary.¡± ¡°I-I guess it was, a little. Right, Saki?¡± ¡°A bird yeah, just a bird¡­¡± Underneath his smile, Yuki grimaced internally. ¡®I don¡¯t know how much she bought it¡­ I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m even hiding it from her. Though I¡¯d like to be able to tell her on my own terms, not my stupid brain playing fast and loose with it¡¯s imagination!¡¯ It just relieved him that it ended. School hadn¡¯t even started yet and his mind wanted a nap. ¡°C-class is going to start.¡± ¡°Wha!? We lost so much time with Ken and Jun!¡± Saki snapped fully back to reality. She looked down at her watch. ¡°We¡¯ve still got time, just no dawdling!¡± When they reached their homeroom class Yuki walked in ahead with Ayumi. Saki was coming up to the classroom entrance, but another student in the hall called out to her. ¡°Saki!¡± The girl rushed to Saki out of breath. A girl from the track team stopped in front of her bent over recovering her breath. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Hitomi?¡± Hitomi was one of the track members that ran in the relay race. She had only barely gotten to know the girl since she came from a different middle school, but they trained together after school. The coach said that they had different running styles and hoped that they would rub off on each other to improve overall. ¡°It¡¯s Takako. She didn¡¯t show up for morning practice. The coach was really angry, but her friends said that she had left already. Do you know anything?¡± ¡°Takako? No, I don¡¯t. She¡¯s always early to practice though.¡± ¡°Yeah. I think something happened to her.¡± ¡°She could be sick or something.¡± ¡°Maybe¡­¡± Panic built up in the girl¡¯s eyes. More than just a flu seemed to fill her ideas. She then looked back up at Saki quickly with a panicked worry and wrinkled brow. ¡°We need to do something!¡± Saki could see how worried Hitomi was about Takako. She remembered that Hitomi and Takako hung out together once or twice she saw both of them. She had seemed a little unapproachable with the other track members. It certainly did not make any sense to her for her to miss a practice. ¡®It¡¯s probably nothing, but if it calms Hitomi I should help!¡¯ Chapter 10 - Short One Saki doubted that it was anything serious that caused Takako¡¯s absence from practice. She didn¡¯t have many morning practices, so she didn¡¯t know much about the girls that only went in the morning. However, it was strange for Takako to be gone. Few minutes remained until class began. There was enough time, if she was quick. ¡°Let¡¯s go check her homeroom, Hitomi. She might have skipped for some reason.¡± Hitomi rushed up to Saki, unable to shake the panicked expression on her face. ¡°The first big meet is coming up. What reason would she have?¡± It was pretty clear that Saki didn¡¯t have an answer. If Hitomi had been thinking straight it would have been obvious, but it felt like a request. ¡°I don¡¯t know. We¡¯ll ask her reasons when we find her.¡± Saki stepped forward around the girl. She took her hand and hurried together. Chapter 10 ¨C Short One Saki¡¯s class, 3-A, was left behind at the end of the hall of the third floor. Along the floor were all of the first year classes with many of the students still hanging around outside of their classrooms. The classes ran the east side to 3-D with windows opposite. Past 3-D the hall widened with classes on both sides. The last of the first year rooms stopped with 3-J. Takako was in class 3-H near the opposite end of the building and through the crowded hall. Saki arrived at the front door for 3-H. Hitomi continued on to the back door. The panicked girl went into the class not fearing the students. Saki remained outside looking in. She stayed cautious about the number of students that she did not know. There were only half of the seats filled and several standing up talking. It made it difficult to look around. Plus, Saki barely knew Takako, the girl wasn¡¯t going to stand out to her immediately. Unfortunately, she could not see her in the room and Hitomi returned shortly afterwards. ¡°Any luck?¡± ¡°No¡­I couldn¡¯t find her and no one has seen her. I¡¯m worried.¡± ¡°Well class is starting soon. Everyone misses classes once and a while. After school we can check on her at her house. There¡¯s probably a reasonable explanation for it.¡± Saki began to walk back for her own class, but was stopped by a shaking hand on her arm. She looked back to see Hitomi¡¯s face wrinkled in worry, still not satisfied by the brief look that they had made for Takako. ¡°Hitomi, we¡­¡± ¡°We can¡¯t give up!¡± Saki''s face turned a little to frustration and pensiveness, still confused by the whole situation. She had been helping Hitomi out, because she was worried. However, this seemed to be going beyond just rational concern even for simple friends. ¡®There is something strange about the whole thing. Why is Hitomi so caught up by Takako missing one day? People do react differently, I guess, but this feels too extreme¡­¡¯ Rational thought didn¡¯t appear to be a top priority. A few more seconds was all Saki needed to see Hitomi wouldn¡¯t give up. Weighing her options, she could be cold and leave. Things would get weird between them during practice. Other paths went through her mind. A quick listing of her choices left her with one clear reality. She would be late to class either way. ¡°Let¡¯s talk to the teachers. Maybe they know something.¡± The new idea calmed Hitomi. A little of the fear that gripped her eased. ¡°Alright.¡± Saki helped Hitomi through the hall and downstairs to the teacher¡¯s office. Here all of the teachers stayed before classes would begin in the morning or if they didn¡¯t have a class for a period of the day. It was normally a place that students would avoid and stay out of without permission, but Saki needed something that would settle Hitomi down. This was the last chance that they had. Hitomi looked at Saki upon their arrival. ¡°Will it be alright to go in?¡± She stared at the door of the teacher¡¯s office as though it were an ominous creature that would attack if she so much as touched the door handle. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. We¡¯re just asking about a student.¡± Saki realized it would be up to her to take the initiative. She grabbed a hold of the door¡¯s indented handle pausing for a second. A wave of dread washed over her from knowing that this was not a place that she belonged. The moment passed quickly for her and she tightened her hand against the handle and pulled it open. The sliding of the door alerted a couple of the teachers. ¡°Is there something you need?¡± said one of the male teachers approaching Saki with a couple notebooks in hand. It was a teacher that she had not seen before, no doubt for one of the upperclassmen. Saki swallowed roughly suddenly feeling more out of place than she would have thought. She tried to bow politely in apology even in failing. ¡°U-Uh¡­I¡¯m sorry! We¡¯re looking for class 3-H¡¯s homeroom teacher.¡± The teacher pulled back giving Saki a comforting smile to try to not make her feel nervous. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re looking for Mr. Akutagawa. He¡¯s still here, but class is starting soon, you know.¡± Saki and Hitomi nodded quietly to the teacher, but remained at the doorway not wanting to enter any further. ¡°Well I¡¯ll go get him for you. What is it about?¡± ¡°Oh! It¡¯s about Takako Yamazaki. She hasn¡¯t showed up today and we were concerned she might be sick or something. If so, we thought she might need someone to deliver her homework to her, if she is sick.¡± Saki hoped it didn¡¯t look clear that she lied. Normally it wouldn¡¯t be something that bothered her. Lying to a teacher felt worse, but she just had to remind herself it wasn¡¯t that bad of a lie. ¡°Alright.¡± The teacher walked back through the aisles of desks towards one of the teachers whispering to him. Saki remained watchful while still trying to hold back the uneasy feeling. A minute later Mr. Akutagawa approached them. The class 3-H homeroom teacher was a young man in his late twenties wearing the usual suit that most male teachers did. He seemed kind from his warm expression. ¡°Hello. Mr. Shimomura was telling me that you were worried about Miss Yamazaki.¡± ¡°Yes, we¡¯re her trackmates and haven¡¯t seen her today and didn¡¯t know what happened. Have you heard anything?¡± ¡°I actually had just gotten off the phone with her mother. She is staying home today having come down with something. I¡¯m told it shouldn¡¯t be too bad. Just keeping her out of school for a couple of days.¡± ¡°Oh, thank you very much. That¡¯s very relieving. Are you okay, Hitomi?¡± Saki looked behind her to see what reaction that she was having from the news. It was nothing to be worried about, just a normal flu or something. There did seem to be some calm brought to Hitomi, but her face was still heavily covered in concern. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Mr. Akutagawa picked up on this quickly and stepped forward looking towards Hitomi. ¡°If you want, she¡¯ll need her homework taken to her. I would normally have someone from her class do it, but¡­¡± ¡°T-Thank you,¡± Hitomi said slowly, beginning to finally come to ease. ¡°Well then, you can stop by here at the end of school and I¡¯ll give you her assignments from all her teachers. You should be getting back to your class though. The last bell is about to ring.¡± ¡°Right! Come on, Hitomi!¡± An undefined relief came over her stepping away from the door. She pulled Hitomi along until she was able to walk on her own. Saki left Hitomi when they reached the third floor, letting her go to her classroom. She ran back to her own room hearing the bell ringing for her. The halls were empty for her, but that only signaled a deeper panic for her knowing how late she was going to be. She softly attempted to slide the back door to her class open to not pull attention to herself, but that turned out to be a futile effort. She cautiously drew her eyes forward seeing the cross expression of Ms. Kuniyoshi staring her down. The attempt at a sheepish innocent look had failed her just as quickly leaving her cornered. ¡°You¡¯re late, Miss Furukawa¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ms. Kuniyoshi!¡± Saki fled to her seat trying not to pull in any more attention to her than she had already drawn. The teacher glared a little longer at her and then continued on with roll call for the class, the reason that Saki had failed so miserably. She dropped her head down on the table exhausted from the morning already. Yuki leaned forward from his seat having watched the whole thing unfold and tapped Saki on her shoulder. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you at lunch.¡± He leaned back in his chair. His mind divided between holding his mind in check and pondering Saki¡¯s little adventure. The exhausted look made him curious to know what happened. ¡®Guess I¡¯ll wait then¡­¡¯ The lunch period came for everyone, a normal one this time (relatively, of course). Yuki and his friends walked up to the roof of the school. A few other groups shared the space when they arrived. The warm air and cool breeze made it enjoyable to be outside. They still had time before they could change to their summer uniforms as well, so it made things more bearable as well. Yuki pulled at his dress shirt¡¯s collar underneath to relieve a little stuffiness. Hiroshi sat down next to Yuki undoing all of the buttons on his coat and placed his lunch in his lap looking eager. On his other side Kazuhiro and Tatsuya sat down. Kazuhiro sat next to Yuki opposite Hiroshi sitting down slowly with Tatsuya following up behind him forming a semi-circle now. They both knew Yuki through Hiroshi and in part became like friends. However, Yuki remained the new guy in their group. Tatsuya remained a little cautious still with Yuki. It seemed a little weird how easily Hiroshi got along with him. The rumors surrounding Yuki, not to mention the constant people out for revenge, there was more going on than the smile Yuki always presented. But Hiroshi liked him, so he trusted his friend¡¯s judgment. Opposite of them were the girls this time it was only Saki and Ayumi. Only Saki in the group held an inwardly pensive look. Despite everything inside, Yuki kept up appearance like Ayumi did. Yuki slowly ate through his lunch before looking up at Ayumi and then to Saki. He remembered then that he had wanted to talk to her about the morning. ¡°Hey, Saki! You said you¡¯d explain what happened this morning.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah that was unusual for you since you¡¯re usually attached so closely to Yuki,¡± Hiroshi said with a mischievous grin that looked like he was asking for trouble. Saki nearly choked on her lunch pounding on her chest to get the food down. She grabbed a sip of her juice to push down the rest of the way. The look from Hiroshi knowing that he hit a nerve on her made her cross her brow. ¡°I was helping out someone from track. I ended up losing track of time.¡± She went back to eating, leaving her explanation to go no further. ¡°Oh I see. Makes sense.¡± Yuki continued to eat his meal as well watching Ayumi sitting quietly minding her own business looking innocent and lost. ¡®I guess for being a foreigner she knows Japanese culture pretty well. The food all looks pretty normal. Though I don¡¯t know what I was expecting to see.¡¯ Knowing about the lie, it made him watch the others more. He wondered if hints of cracks appeared in their face like stepping on thin ice. Nothing gave away any signs they doubted her presence. Apparently, her little jedi mind tricks worked as well as advertised. Honestly, he had to consider himself in that brainwashed equation. He knew nothing, just as them. When the end of school came for them, Saki was pulled away by Hitomi like a dog on leash. She had practice, so they had no plans, but the urgency felt a little strange. It just made him wonder further about what was going on that she was being pulled away. But he currently had more things juggling in his hands than he could manage. Curiosity had to sit out for the moment. He looked over to Ayumi, as she walked up next to him. She maintained her lie that they always walked home together. ¡°We need to talk about this morning, Ayumi.¡± Yuki started walking through the hall with her in silence. Fortunately, nothing more happened today. He didn¡¯t know if his focusing on not thinking worked or if he just got lucky. The whole superpower thing came as a new thing. Reading a library¡¯s worth of manga and light novels apparently didn¡¯t grant the user perfect mastery. Who would have thought that things didn¡¯t work like the books. Out on the city streets, Yuki broke his silence, now under the safety of noisy sidewalks. ¡°Thanks for that. You had excellent timing. You sense my power or something like that?¡± ¡°You read too much of that stuff you call ¡®Manga¡¯. It doesn¡¯t work the same way in the real world.¡± ¡°¡­real world¡­¡± ¡°Yes, something you¡¯ll be learning more about.¡± ¡°So no power sensing?¡± Her brow twitched with him still hung up on that part. ¡°No. In theory, you could probably create a Law that would serve that function, but that¡¯s extremely limited.¡± ¡°Limited? How?¡± ¡°Out in the streets isn¡¯t the best location for long explanations like that.¡± She scanned the horizon and environs for ideal locations. Nothing stood out. Shops risked too much eavesdropping. Sidewalks had variable safety. A mental check gave her a solution. ¡°The park two blocks west of here. Let¡¯s go there.¡± The plan had been track practice in Saki¡¯s mind. However, the moment Hitomi appeared that changed. Hitomi dragged her in front of the coach and begged for them to get the day off. She explained to him that she wanted to deliver Takako¡¯s assignments to her immediately before it was night and she would be out too late. The coach wasn¡¯t nearly as understanding as Mr. Akutagawa was about her concerns. Understanding however wasn¡¯t needed with enough pressuring. Tears helped too. Now dragged out to the west side of town, Saki felt out of place. She never traveled to this part of the city. And the money in the houses made it pretty clear why. Some almost looked like they were out of a TV show she had seen. It only increased her sense as a foreigner. Hitomi maintained the lead, marching with surprising purpose. A stark change to the girl Saki witnessed this morning. It made her wonder why she was even needed. But Hitomi insisted and went through all the trouble. Saki couldn¡¯t turn her away, even confused by the whole thing as she was. Maybe she hoped for answers. The deeper into the wealthy properties they went, Saki felt like she needed to leave. ¡°You sure it¡¯s this way? These houses are pretty expensive looking. I don¡¯t think she lives here.¡± Overbearing gates and lawn presentation made the neighborhood uninviting. She didn¡¯t know if Takako was rich, but it never seemed to come up. Hitomi didn¡¯t listen very well to Saki marching on looking at the paper that showed the address. ¡°This way.¡± She disappeared around the corner leaving Saki to catch up quickly before she lost sight of her. When Saki caught up to Hitomi she had already stopped staring up at the gate before them. ¡°This must be her house.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t been here before. Did you know she lived here?¡± ¡°Takako never mentioned it before, but she was usually pretty quiet about her family. I¡¯m going to ring the bell.¡± Hitomi leaned in pushing the button on the panel that was built into the brick wall that fenced off their property. An annoying buzz came from the button that sounded off until Hitomi released it. A minute later, a reply came over the speaker. ¡°Yes? We aren¡¯t interested in anything you¡¯re selling.¡± The voice was deep and old with a little crack in the speech. It made the two girls step back expecting that they would see someone rather than a voice. ¡°U-Uh¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± Hitomi searched for the courage to speak while Saki kept a placid face trying to look like she belonged. ¡°We aren¡¯t selling anything. We¡¯re classmates of Takako.¡± ¡°I see. Well Miss Takako is not here currently.¡± Hitomi looked back at Saki as though she was expecting an answer to explain what she was just told. It was plainly clear to her that the instant glance at Saki told her that she had no answers. She turned back to the speaker. ¡°What? But we were told that she was sick. We have her assignments for her.¡± ¡°You may leave her things in the box. I¡¯ll inform her of your visit. Thank you.¡± The voice ended and a clicking sound that seemed to tell them silently to leave. ¡°What does this mean? The school says she¡¯s sick and her family says she¡¯s out.¡± Hitomi looked back at Saki wanting something from her this time. She was at a loss as to what was going on, but there was something being hidden by someone. Saki had no more of a clue to what was going on than Hitomi, but it had been made clear to them that someone was lying. She did not know why they were doing it, but this was not going to be as simple as she thought anymore. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ Chapter 11 - Kasou-ryoku A small municipal park painted over with flowers. Offset north from the center stood a concrete fountain with simple lotus designs. Sidewalks fanned out from the focal point of the fountain to connect the corners. For a mid afternoon, few people occupied the ground. Just like she wished for, an ideal private place to talk. He looked over the scene of the park and back further to the small rising buildings. ¡°¡­real world¡­¡± The thought had almost made him laugh knowing how much of a strange and ironic statement that was to be said. ¡®Most wouldn¡¯t see it as a real world and until yesterday it was just a fake world to me. Strange to think my fantasies could be in the real world.¡¯ He took a seat on the bench and unbuttoned his jacket. There were questions that needed to be answered and he did not have a lot of free time. ¡°Good to talk here?¡± She scanned once more and focused. A blue ripple came out from her feet over the ground briefly. ¡°Now it is.¡± Ayumi had dropped all of her facades that she wore for the public. Yuki knew that he had countless questions for her, but he had to pace himself. One issue more than any presented itself and an immediate threat. This apparent real world needed some rules. ¡°What was that this morning?¡± Chapter 11 ¨C Kasou-ryoku Ayumi maintained a straight at attention seated position. A rigidity and discipline that he didn¡¯t remember from her before, for how much his memories meant anymore. ¡°That was a manifestation of your power. Though considering your current state, a subconscious one.¡± ¡°Current state? Are there stages?¡± ¡°Correct. There are three stages most of us go through. The dormant stage is how you were until yesterday. Though I guess considering the sakura blossom, you maybe have been out of that for longer. The next stage which you are at, is what we call the subconscious stage and the conscious stage follows.¡± ¡°Subconscious and conscious? You make it sound like the power is tied to mental conditions.¡± ¡°That¡¯s quite astute. Our power lives within our mind as such, that means the greatest influence over it is your mental state at the moment.¡± ¡°Based on the names, I¡¯m in some sort of uncontrolled condition where my passive thoughts are manifesting?¡± ¡°Correct. In the dormant stage, as it sounds our power isn¡¯t awakened. We¡¯re like any other normal human, nothing unique or special about us. Once you move into the subconscious stage, that¡¯s where training and control are needed. Most people can¡¯t just advance to the conscious stage without guidance. ¡°While in the subconscious stage, we are a threat to both ourselves and those around us. This is especially true for those with vivid imaginations and mental illness. That¡¯s why it¡¯s important to identify it early and get proper training.¡± ¡°Which you¡¯ll be providing me.¡± ¡°Yes. Your power has started to awaken and the more it¡¯s used it¡¯ll become a flood gate. Your subconscious will start tapping into that power more and more often. Until you learn proper control, your mind will control you.¡± He winced a little and the imaginary that came with that warning. ¡°Thanks for the nightmares. Um¡­can it make nightmares real?¡± ¡°Anything. I know of more than a few that died in their sleep.¡± His hands went through his hair feeling the stress of the dark world she painted. Such a world hit closer to home for him than she realized. ¡°How do any of you survive?¡± ¡°Dream manifestation generally takes a deeply progressed subconscious stage to occur. Given how recent it was for you, you will be safe for a while.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not completely encouraging. I thought superpowers were supposed to be fun.¡± ¡°Does that answer your question?¡± Yuki leaned back resting his head on the back of the bench staring up at the azure canvas half painted in with clouds. Pensive long breathes exhaled as he considered everything. The world she drew for him sounded disturbing and frightening, especially for someone like himself. ¡°Is there any way to remove this ability?¡± This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°It¡¯s part of our brain, any sort of tampering could cause damage or be lethal. If someone did such things, they would have been illegal.¡± ¡°Not that simple, figures as much. And you need me as I am. With this um¡­power, power¡­I can¡¯t keep calling it something vague and non-descript as power. What to call it¡­¡± ¡°It has a name, Mes¨C¡± ¡°Ryo¡­ka¡­no, something cool sounding.¡± ¡°We call it, Meso¨C¡± ¡°Hmm, English maybe? No, I¡¯m terrible at English, even if it does sound cool.¡± Ayumi stopped trying. Even if she did finish, he clearly heard nothing. So she waited with pinched brow at his fumbling around. ¡°Ryoku, huh, hm, maybe Kasou-ryoku, yeah let¡¯s go with that!¡± He tilted his head, still resting on the bench back, over to Ayumi for some feedback. All he got from was a flat expression, not clear if it was disappointment or annoyance. She hid the truth pretty well. ¡°Our power has existed for two millennia, we have a name for it already.¡± ¡°Oh, why didn¡¯t you say so?¡± ¡°Your ability to get lost in your head is¡­impressive.¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± ¡°Meso Prosecho is what we call our power.¡± ¡°MP for short?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°M-meso Pro-shesho? What language is that? Like Latin or something ancient?¡± ¡°Ancient, but not Latin. It¡¯s an offshoot of Greek.¡± ¡°Greek, that¡¯s going to be hard to follow. Can we keep to Japanese? I have enough trouble in my English class.¡± ¡°As long as you don¡¯t use Kasou-ryoku¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll translate.¡± ¡°Awesome! So what¡¯s the next step?¡± Ayumi paused to consider the circumstance. The mission hadn¡¯t changed for her. His progression remained unclear and most of all, his potential concerned her. If Yuki had anything similar to his father, the risk to more than just himself increased. ¡®I¡¯m going to have to be careful, but I can¡¯t delay long. He could move quickly and put everything at risk.¡¯ Risk analysis became even more critical seeing what he could do already. ¡°It¡¯ll be training to give you control over your power.¡± ¡°When do we start? This is only getting worse for me, right?¡± ¡°Indeed. I¡¯ll be ready soon for you. Time is not with us.¡± ¡°Right, deadline as well.¡± Yuki jumped up off the bench to stretch. The metal backing of the bench didn¡¯t exactly fit perfectly to his spine, but he was young. He looked at the park, seeing it no further filled than before. In fact, they had been lucky enough not to have anyone pass by them. ¡°Fortunately, no one passed by to interrupt us.¡± ¡°No one would have.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I made sure we had privacy.¡± Pondering the meaning and ramifications of that, he snapped back to her. ¡°Are you saying you have the power to control people?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not mind control if that¡¯s what you¡¯re thinking. It¡¯s just a Law that affects their decision making to dissuade them from picking the park.¡± ¡°Sounds like you¡¯re splitting hairs. But the park is not small, it¡¯s the whole city block, like what hundred meters?¡± ¡°Two hundred.¡± ¡°That sand guy could only do like ten meters maybe?¡± ¡®Impressive, he¡¯s picked up those details already. At least his observational skills are good. That¡¯ll be important.¡¯ Despite the amount of prep she did to investigate him before contact, a lot remained unknown about him. She found more new things about him than she expected, for good and bad. ¡°It¡¯s one measure of someone¡¯s strength, though it¡¯s not as reliable as you can assume.¡± New tidbits of information kept dropping for him. Now that he accepted it, his curiosity to understand the power system only grew. His mind continued to paint different ideas of how it worked compared to fictional ones he knew. Some correlations existed, but it remained mostly unknown to him. ¡°I see. Would you say it¡¯s a hard or soft power system?¡± ¡°What?¡± Visible confusion made it across her face. She still hadn¡¯t adapted to all of his different idioms. Much remained to learn. ¡°Hard or soft, you know like there are a lot of rules with a well defined structure or is it more fluid with the moment?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± She went silent as she never considered the perspective. A majority of her life, she lived with said power and training. Everything existed naturally for her in an unquestioned state. ¡°There are defined limits, but part of the growth is creative execution within those limits to still get results otherwise impossible.¡± ¡°Sounds more soft than hard, but I guess I¡¯ll know better as you explain things to me more.¡± The more she talked about it, the more excited it made him. Real or not, he had the same eagerness as finding a new manga or book to dive into and fully immerse himself. Though knowing Ayumi, she would hate the analogy to fiction, again. Still he had enough different pieces to craft an image in his mind. It sort of made him curious about what her homeland looked like with all of this power. Could it be some sort of sci-fi utopia, or a high fantasy with impossible structures? An endless possibility of creation seemed like a dream. He wondered what the catch to it all was. More happened than just the powers. The corruption she described, the rigidity of her when she stopped pretending. So many unknowns still that he needed to get a handle on. And the all important remaining question. Would he follow Ayumi back to become this King they needed? Chapter 12 - Dream Void A complicated mood filled Yuki after his park visit. Fear and excitement boiled around within his mind. Everything seemed to be expanding with each day. His personal world consistently kept changing in ways that he didn¡¯t know if he could keep up with soon. Pulling out the key to the front door, he unlocked the door. A step inside gave him a bit of a pause. Neither of his little siblings popped up. ¡®Something¡¯s off¡­they should be home already¡­¡¯ He listened for some pattering of feet, but nothing. ¡°I¡¯m home!¡± Then as though on cue, he heard a single pair of feet coming down to him. Stepping out of the entry, he saw around the wall, Jun ran down to meet him. And Ken suspiciously absent. ¡°Hey Jun! Where¡¯s your brother?¡± Silence came from Jun, not the usual sort, but actual silence. He just stood there looking a little anxious. ¡°Is Ken getting into mischief?¡± Jun darted his eyes away in guilt. A bit of panic and fear welled up in the tiny body. Before he could learn what trouble Ken got into, Yuki knelt down to Jun. ¡°At worse, Momo might yell a little, but it¡¯s probably nothing we can¡¯t fix. So let¡¯s go see what he¡¯s doing, okay?¡± He offered a hand to Jun. Chapter 12 - Dream Void A few steps in and a familiar sound of rummaging and metal clanging together slipped through into the living room. It quickly became apparent Ken hid in the kitchen. Though perhaps hid wasn¡¯t accurate, so much the island did well to provide cover. Yuki leaned down to Jun. ¡°Is Ken trying to make a snack?¡± More silence came from Jun, though enough visual language told him. ¡®It¡¯s not that aren¡¯t old enough¡­I don¡¯t want to treat him like he¡¯s a child, but he is, but he¡¯s ten¡­whatever, I need to see if he¡¯s doing anything dangerous.¡¯ Reaching the kitchen, he leaned on the island to look over to see what Ken might be doing without intruding. The young boy had about a dozen different boxes out on the floor, some not even snacks, but ingredients. Half of the cabinet doors were open and it seemed like he had to go tunneling through some with how many pots were pushed out on the floor. ¡®This isn¡¯t good¡­I thought we showed him where the ready made snacks were.¡¯ Jun hurried along around the island standing next to Ken with a jitteriness to him. ¡°What are you doing? You¡¯re supposed to be keeping him busy!¡± ¡°Keeping me busy?¡± ¡°Oh! Uh, hey Yuki!¡± ¡°Whatcha doin¡¯?¡± ¡°Would you believe looking for snacks?¡± ¡°You found four already.¡± ¡°Not the right ones.¡± ¡°Clearly.¡± Yuki moved around the island and came to the other side. He moved a few boxes around and sat down. Motioning with his hand, he tried to present less of a looming presence. ¡°I¡¯m not mad. Momo might be if she saw all this. So you want to tell me what you were doing?¡± ¡°Er¡­Jun¡­¡± Sheepishly, Ken looked back to Jun who stood next to him with a look to support him. ¡°You see¡­we wanted to make you a snack before you got home!¡± ¡°Oh? How come?¡± An unusual amount of silence came from Ken. He appeared to be thinking or maybe considering his words. Every few ticks, he looked back to Jun. There was a surprising amount of shyness that Yuki hadn¡¯t seen from him in a while. ¡°To cheer you up!¡± ¡°Huh? But I¡¯m not sad.¡± Ken shook his head quickly. ¡°No! You¡¯re different? Something¡¯s off. You¡­don¡¯t seem¡­yourself!¡± It took Yuki back for a moment. ¡®I¡¯m surprised he picked up on that. I thought I kept my stress under wraps. He¡¯s more observant than I gave him credit for¡­¡¯ He motioned over to the two of them and gave them a hug. ¡°Thanks you two.¡± The two youngest started weeping softly against his shoulder. A release of emotions and stress for them came all at once. He patted them on the head and smiled letting them rest for a bit. Once things calmed down, he looked around at the mess. It thankfully wasn¡¯t the worst he had seen. They had done quite the number on the kitchen when they were four and five, though he wasn¡¯t sure if they remembered it. ¡°What do you say? I help you clean things up here and then I show you something that you can make that¡¯s safe. And you can surprise Momo with it. Sound good?¡± They both nodded eagerly. ¡°Just remember Momo¡¯s rules.¡± ¡°Safety first! And clean up¡­your mess?¡± ¡°And ask for help if you can¡¯t reach something.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Now let¡¯s see about putting all these things back.¡± He picked up a couple of the pots. ¡°These are a little too soon for you guys. No fires yet and no knives without me watching you. Promise?¡± ¡°We promise!¡± ¡°This snack won¡¯t be with knives though, I need to teach you proper safety first. So let¡¯s clean up!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± After nearly an hour in the kitchen, they finished. Jun and Ken had their snack and what they made for Momoko chilled in the fridge. A yawn caught him by surprise. His brow drew up in a curl curious. He didn¡¯t think all that would tire him out. Then he remembered his day. ¡°I¡¯m going to take a nap. Can you two be good until Momo gets off from work?¡± ¡°Yes! Thank you, Yuki!¡± He smiled seeing them bounce off to the living room. His room felt oddly far away, but he trudged up there. A long morning proved itself to be a perfect prediction of what the rest of the day was going to be like for him. ¡®Maids and fairies¡­samurai too. What¡¯s tomorrow going to be like? Hopefully no maids waking me up¡­.¡¯ Yuki closed his eyes while resting on his bed. He still had a while before Momoko was back from work at the bookstore. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡®She¡¯s going to teach me about this power. I understand if there are others like that sand and blood guy, I need to defend myself. But is this power important for the King to have? She hasn¡¯t been very clear on how the two are connected.¡¯ There were still too many things that he did not understand. The power that he had was the worst of them. He had been safe during school for no outbreaks, but he didn¡¯t know how long he could keep it up. It exhausted him to keep his mind as empty of thoughts as possible. Vivid images painted his mind by habit. The stress of not knowing what stray thought could spawn something left his heart pounding in class. ¡®I don¡¯t know if I can keep this up. Is school or others too much of a risk until I control this? Is isolation the best thing?¡¯ He felt the black void of fear surrounding him leaving him alone and scared. This was more than he wanted. The power was beyond what he could control. He felt his leg slip on his bed suddenly, but pulled it back thinking that it had somehow wandered off his bed. Once again his leg fell away and he pulled on it. A third time made him lift his head and open his eyes to find that there was a large dark vortex in his bed that his body slowly sank into. His body jumped around struggling against the darkness that was like quicksand and holding like tar. He grabbed his legs with his hands when found that his muscles were not doing enough. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± The circle expanded further encompassing more than half of his bed, preventing his escape and leaving little room for him to hold on. His futile struggle with his legs only made them be devoured faster, losing everything below his hips to the black. Its voracious appetite threatened to eat him whole. He quickly retreated his hands back out while he still had them to take a hold of the nearest solid object, the frame of his bed. Soon after he found his anchor, he lost his waist bringing him firmly against his bed and the vortex. His head and chin rested against the edge of his mattress as a back up line of defense to support his hands. ¡°Did I¡­create this too? What is this?¡± Yuki fought against what felt like inevitability dragging him down. His eyes darted around the room looking for something that would save him. The edge of the expanding black circle had something written on it clearly labeling it for what it truly was. It had caught Yuki¡¯s eye as he searched. ¡°Black Void of Fear, trademark¡­really? My power has a sense of humor?¡± The almost ridiculous nature of what was eating him laid out in a nearly comedic manner would have made him laugh if it was not him being swallowed. Pulling on the bedpost, he tried to get a little of his body free, anything to give hope. ¡°My own worries are literally trying to eat me.¡± Yuki found a little extra strength to begin pulling back some of his body, but the substance of the void clung tightly on this uniform not willing to let him be free. ¡®She said it could kill, but I thought I had time! I¡¯ve got to get¡­free¡­¡¯ Yuki¡¯s hands were sweating badly and tired out from the constant strain to keep himself from being taken while pulling himself free. He could feel his fingers starting to slip free from his hold and pressure placed on his chin as the void took back what he had freed and some extra. ¡®Is it really going to eat me?¡¯ Yuki¡¯s mind started to spin around trying to think about what would happen to him. The deadly fear overwhelmed him. His strength began to fail him and time wouldn¡¯t last for him. Yuki closed his eyes struggling to keep his hands from coming free against the increasingly eager void. ¡®What do I do? I can¡¯t stop it. Am I going to die?¡¯ His fingers were coming free suddenly as the pull against him rapidly increased. He couldn¡¯t keep his hold any longer as his right hand lost its hold quickly followed by his left hand. Yuki clawed the bed to hold on longer, but his fingers could not take hold. His face slid roughly across his comforter making it burn. ¡®I can¡¯t let it¡­¡¯ A last futile effort from Yuki stopped his progress for a moment. He dug his teeth into his bed covers barely keeping from ripping the threads. However, his covers were not tightly held to the bed and he cursed his failure as the void won shortly. His chest was swallowed up, quickly dragging in his head and arms. ¡°Yuki are you still napping?¡± ¡°Momoko?! She¡¯s home and going to see everything! She can¡¯t know. But¡­¡± The door to his room was already being turned and panic returned to him pushing away the fear. He needed to hide it all from her, but that wouldn¡¯t happen. There was nothing that he could do to prevent her and the door was opening. He closed his eyes not certain how long he had left before it ate him, accepting what was coming and the screams to follow. ¡°Oh you¡¯re awake. I wanted to thank you.¡± Momoko leaned over looking at a confused and surprised Yuki. Yuki pulled back on his bed completely forgetting everything in the moment. She didn¡¯t react the way he expected. ¡°Momoko I¡­um, oh.¡± He nearly melted on his bed realizing the void disappeared. His life saved. The pounding in his chest started to ease. The puzzled look from Momoko snapped him quickly. ¡°Oh, right. Um, thank me?¡± ¡°Ken explained things.¡± ¡°Ah, that. I mean¡­well, he didn¡¯t need to, but I guess honesty¡¯s a good thing.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°Sure thing.¡± He straightened himself out and tried to fix the bed. Thankfully, the bed just looked like he had a rough sleep. He put a few things back in order and stood up. Secret remained safe. ¡°Feeling up to helping with dinner?¡± ¡°Yeah definitely! I napped enough for my needs.¡± He hurried along in front of her, still feeling a mean look from his bed. It all felt in his head, but then again his head did try to kill him. So being afraid of his head apparently was a thing now. He needed help. After dinner was over Yuki went to the closet in the living room. He pulled out his white jacket with blue stripes down the sleeves and put it on. Momoko called out to him before he made it to the door. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°I promised to help Ayumi with some class work.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t stay out too late!¡± ¡°Should only be an hour or two. If it goes long, I¡¯ll call.¡± He rushed out of the house closing the door behind him and ran into the street. Memory of his near death experience freshly fueling his feet. He did not stop until he made it down in front of a house, the Nishimura house. Though he didn¡¯t actually know if it was hers. She didn¡¯t live here, so how¡¯d she get the house? Not important. Yuki took a breath from the running and stood up straight. He stared down the house not knowing what he was going to be getting into. ¡®I know she said she needed time, but she¡¯s gotta have something to help! I need to learn how to control my power.¡¯ Chapter 13 - Dont Think ¡°Hello? Good evening!¡± Ayumi greeted the door in her usual cheerful manner, but quickly changed it when she saw that it was only Yuki. ¡°¡­Something happen?¡± She moved out of the way allowing him into the house. ¡°Come in.¡± Tonight she was wearing a long simple light green dress that tied itself in at the waist with her hair down. In his memory, he had been to her house before, yet he knew that to be a lie. He didn¡¯t know what to expect from the mysterious foreign girl. ¡°T-Thank you¡­¡± Yuki cautiously entered the house trying to ignore the wild spun tales of his active imagination to what her real life might be. However, the hall appeared mundane, if not spread a little thin on furnishing. He looked around slowly, taking his shoes off. Old memories surfaced breaking through the thinly painted veil constructed by Ayumi. ¡°Is it true, Yakuza used to live here?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Ayumi looked at him with genuine confusion for the complete nonsense question. ¡°Yeah, I remember like ghost stories about this house from other kids. No one bought this house because of all the weird stuff that happened. Some even say you can hear the voice of some girl shouting.¡± He caught a more intense glare for his ceaseless ramblings. ¡°It¡¯s just a story to scare kids. Your little Jedi mind tricks are playing havoc on my memory.¡± ¡°Just stop, or else¨C¡± Suddenly, a ghostly image of a black suited man with a gun appeared firing down the hall as a brightly pink figure dashing through. Ayumi sighed and a ripple came out of her feet. The figures vanished. ¡°I was going to ask, but I see why you came¡­¡± Chapter 13 ¨C Don¡¯t Think ¡°¡­again¡­¡± Yuki snapped quickly back with the disappearance. Just to be certain, he scanned the hall and adjoining room for the ghost. ¡°It happened again¡­ Dammit!¡± ¡°How many times?¡± ¡°That was the second this evening.¡± He faded out for a moment as the memory of being devoured by his power remained fresh. ¡®I feel like it¡¯s getting worse¡­¡¯ ¡°Yes, you¡¯re progressing faster than I forecasted. Perhaps it¡¯s due to the strength of your power.¡± She recalculated her assessment. Extra variables could be interfering with his power. ¡°Or it could be you¡­¡± Yuki searched once more to make sure the ghost remained vanquished, thankfully it did. He tilted back to Ayumi as she mentioned him. ¡°You mean my imagination or overactive in this case. Yeah, that was my fear as well.¡± ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s a blessing to have, but uncontrolled it¡¯s also a curse.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t need to tell me that¡­¡± Everything around the house appeared normal. He didn¡¯t know what to expect with her, maybe guns, swords, armor, perhaps that was too clich¨¦. Though the living room lacked most basic items. It had a single chair and no table. ¡°Not a socializer huh?¡± ¡°My objective is to keep you alive and save my people. So no, it¡¯s not on my list of necessities.¡± ¡°Keeping up appearances though.¡± ¡°Did you want training or discuss the inadequacies of my interior design?¡± ¡°Training, definitely training.¡± Small talk came off the table. Standing around the living room, he didn¡¯t really know where they would be training. Or even the sort that he needed. ¡°So where do we do this?¡± Nothing around them seemed like it would be useful, unless that chair was some ancient relic passed down in generations of her family. Ayumi motioned to him out of the living room. ¡°It¡¯s more or less ready now.¡± ¡°The reason you needed time?¡± ¡°Correct.¡± In the back side of the dining room, she tapped on the wood panels with her foot. A seam appeared in the previously smoothly painted wood. Traced in a square, the separate section lifted up with a jerk a centimeter before rotating. Every action moved in silence as though nothing happened. It created a nearly unsettling aura, otherworldly. He leaned around Ayumi expecting to see a ladder, as would be customary in this sort of setting. A secret underground training room where powers could be freely unleashed without negative impacts to the community. A classically familiar setup that gave him a bit of excitement. But instead, just another floor existed, metal this time. ¡°I thought we were going underground.¡± ¡°You were quick to deduce that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a commonly used device for training arcs.¡± ¡°More of your stories¡­¡± Ayumi stepped onto the metal floor. ¡°Get on.¡± A step forward, he nearly touched Ayumi. The entire cutout was at best a meter. It put him far closer to her than he wanted. He body flipped between being okay with it and uncomfortable, not sure if she was a friend or stranger. ¡°I forgot to brush my teeth¡­¡± ¡°Your dentist is crying.¡± She tapped her foot again and the metal floor dropped suddenly. Released from whatever locking mechanism, they quickly passed through the foundation of the home. Earth should have been around them, but a clean polished metal shaft hugged them. A few dozen meters later, it ended abruptly, opening out into a massive chamber. Ambient non-localized light filled the space, giving it a daylight appearance. All of the walls were covered in metal with strange patterns carved deeply into the surface forming intersecting circles and arcs. The floor seemed to be made from hardwood panels in direct contrast to the metal. The ceiling matched with the walls along with a massive array of intersecting and concentric circles and a strange language that looked like Latin (Greek!). ¡°That¡¯s a lot of digging¡­I¡¯m going to guess you don¡¯t have a permit.¡± ¡°Hence the time.¡± ¡°Yeah, man, it¡¯s bigger than the house! What, a hundred meters?¡± ¡°Hundred and fifty square.¡± ¡°Damn¡­you work fast for a week.¡± ¡°You required a safe location to practice in.¡± ¡°Yeah about that. I don¡¯t really get a lot of it quite yet, but you can use it to make changes to surfaces up to a range, right? Won¡¯t that have an impact on this place?¡± Pointed out the carved patterns all over every surface. ¡°These reject any change by our power. It doesn¡¯t negate your ability to use your power, but you can¡¯t alter the surfaces just create on top of it.¡± A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°So there is something that can¡¯t be changed. Interesting¡­¡± As he pondered the mechanical reasons for that, Ayumi already began to send the lift back along with the support structure that brought it down. Yuki didn¡¯t even realize she cut them off until it made it halfway. He could only watch as it disappeared into the ceiling and the panel closed completing the carvings. A warm yellow glow came from the carvings. Stimulus overload began to hit him. His mind tried to piece together all of the new elements presented, yet he lacked necessary parts to understand the elements. It was a puzzle with no connecting pieces found yet, just a vague sense of an image. ¡°If this rejects your power, how does this all exist? You didn¡¯t buy a bunch of lumber and metal did you? Or did you steal it?¡± She glared at him a little for him thinking that she stole anything. ¡°No, I made this all. As I explained before, our powers alter reality, but can¡¯t apply lasting change. To get around this limitation, I can create machines that alter and process the environment to my needs.¡± ¡°A loophole then.¡± ¡°Correct. As I mentioned, that is the core of our power. We are normal humans with limitations like anyone else. But through creativity, we can work around them.¡± ¡°I see, set¡¯s some interesting boundaries.¡± It was an unusual power system for Yuki, but not unlike others that he had read before. Part of him wanted to dive into it and learn more. Another feared what it contained, having already almost died once. ¡°Your lessons begin now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m here.¡± Yuki walked away from the wall and towards Ayumi, meeting face to face with her. He tightened his hands steady at his side recalling what had happened throughout the day to him. So far the things he created only risked his life, which was bad enough. A dozen doomsday scenarios played in his mind, each a real fear. She motioned him to stop. They were now a few footsteps away from each other near the center of the room completely devoid of anything aside from the chair she had before. ¡°Lesson 1, the Apati Agros¡­Illusion Field.¡± Ayumi closed her eyes and exhaled a breath that suddenly became visible with the drop in temperature around her body. The outline of her body began to glow blue like more than a few characters he read in manga. A moment later, all of the light around her body pushed into the floor and expanded outward beyond her feet. Snow covered over top of the wood floor. Like with the sand he witnessed before, it ended abruptly. Though now not under pressure, he could see that a circle of snow lay around her. Yuki stepped around the snow a little surprised hearing it crunch underneath his feet. Thick and wet, a pure white sheet of freshly fallen snow stretched out like a painting. It reminded him of the time he went to Hokkaido. He bent down in the snow, touching it with his hand and taking some in his hand. Cold to the touch and wet, it melted into water. ¡°It¡¯s so real.¡± Yuki expected it to remain snow with the power not being that sophisticated. Yet it followed all the rules he expected. ¡°This is our power. We make an illusion into reality or a lie into truth. What you see around me is the Illusion Field. When our power is activated an Illusion Field is created as either a reflection of the person¡¯s subconscious or as an intention. Most will allow it to remain subconscious in order to save on mental concentration, but it can be anything you want as well.¡± Ayumi closed her eyes, letting the snow field disappear. A ripple came out from her feet again. Cold air changed immediately to dry scorching heat making Yuki back away until he felt comfortable. When Yuki stepped out of the field the wood floor erupted into tall flames. Yuki stared in panic and fear, at the solid column of fire in front of him that glowed brightly in his eyes. He knew that Ayumi was inside and had to be hurting from this. ¡°Ayumi! Ayumi!¡± There was no reply back to him, but the fire suddenly surrounded him. The heat was in his throat burning the water from his body and scratching his skin. He patted his clothes frantically trying to keep the fire from spreading on him. It felt like the very sweat burned from his pores in the heat. It would suck him dry. The fire suddenly disappeared leaving only the wood floor again and Ayumi standing in front of him unaffected. Yuki stood straight up while looking around feeling off balance from the experience. ¡°I can make it fire as well if I so wish, but most importantly I can make it real or an illusion. As you can see the snow you could touch and melt, but the fire had all of the properties tied to sense associated with fire without any of the physical properties. It was just a very vivid illusion. That is important to remember. The strength of the Illusion Field will depend greatly on your mental state, concentration and strength.¡± She turned her field back on bringing the snow back to the ground surrounding her. ¡°As you can see from my Illusion Field it is a complete circle around me. This is the second thing to remember about the fields. It will always be projected around the person at the same distance from all sides.¡± The circle increased in radius around Ayumi. ¡°The size can be a good estimation of someone¡¯s strength, but it¡¯s flexible. Commonly, the larger the field the more powerful. Our power also weakens the further away from our core. The change can be so much that an attack made close up is lethal while the edge may only scratch you.¡± Ayumi stepped away from Yuki making the snow disappear from around him and be revealed behind her. ¡°And it follows with your core.¡± She raised her up hand and on command a simple generic straight sword appeared out of the snow held up by the snow. ¡°I can create within this space.¡± Ayumi picked it up and showed it to Yuki. ¡°However, anything I create can¡¯t exist beyond my field, where the snow ends.¡± She threw the sword straight at Yuki making him panic and dodge out of the way. He had closed his eyes, reacting instinctively to someone throwing a weapon at him. However, when time passed for him and he was not bleeding or in pain from the wound that it would have caused he opened his eyes. He looked around seeing that the sword was gone. ¡°Hey! Ayumi, don¡¯t scare me like that!¡± ¡°Hrmph¡­I was making a point. You were outside my field and thus can¡¯t be affected by my powers. That is the limit we all have. Understand?¡± Yuki stared silently for a while, taking it all in trying to comprehend all that she had said. Most of what she had told him was close to what he had figured out during his first two encounters with the assassins. She filled in and confirmed assumptions he made. ¡®Hearing it from her is a nice confirmation.¡¯ It meant that he had a long way to go before he could even think about working at the same level as her if this was just the basics. ¡°Conceptually I get it. But you haven¡¯t told me how this works into my training.¡± ¡°This will be your goal creating an Illusion Field. I wanted to give you a clear objective so you knew what you needed to achieve.¡± ¡°Alright, what¡¯s the first step then?¡± Ayumi stepped forward to Yuki releasing her field as she moved closer to him. ¡°Our power lives in our mind. A clear mind with a focused image is paramount. Remove all stray thoughts or images in your head. Clear out all of the fantasies and dreams. If you have anything in your mind you¡¯ll become distracted and lose focus.¡± ¡°Clear my mind? That¡¯s a tall order for me¡­¡± Yuki closed his eyes after seeing the demanding eyes of Ayumi as if staring would be enough to laser out all of his thoughts. The last image of Ayumi was in Yuki¡¯s mind leaving him unnerved and he could not concentrate correctly. Fears and ideas churned around his mind. ¡®I don¡¯t know if that is even possible for me to do. Even when I was holding back all of the ideas to keep from accidentally triggering it I was still thinking of things. It¡¯s impossible for me to remove everything from my mind there¡¯s too many things. I can¡¯t do it!¡¯ He opened his eyes, having begun to sweat from the distress that was blanketing him. ¡°¡­I keep thinking of something¡­¡± Yuki looked up at Ayumi to see what her reaction would be to his failure. ¡®Not surprised. I¡¯d be more surprised if he had been able to do it. He might have a great potential, but there is no refinement to his mind.¡¯ Ayumi closed her eyes fixed into a pensive expression. The room had become eerie during her peaceful break as though it seemed to know and became prepared for what was going to be happening soon. Yuki stood waiting on what Ayumi would do next. He was hoping for a piece of wisdom that might give him a helpful hint to being able to clear his mind. Her people had to have tricks to silencing their thoughts. Others had to be like him. However, as he waited longer he became uneasy by the change in mood of the environment. He didn¡¯t know what it meant. It almost felt like electricity leapt through the air. A heaviness settled around him. Yuki took a step forward to reach out for Ayumi stretching his hand out, but stopped mid-motion when she snapped her eyes open. ¡°Ayumi?¡± The look in her eyes was different from before and he did not know what it meant, but there was a chill that went down his spine. The air in the room became cold quickly, making Yuki¡¯s breath visible. This prelude was the only warning that Yuki had before Ayumi charged blue shortly after turning the area around her to snow. A cloud wrapped around her from the vapors in the air and spun tightly concealing her from view. Yuki¡¯s heart began to pound as his body knew before his mind what was coming. Enough reading told him exactly what came next. It made him sweat in the cold. A sword¡¯s blade appeared from the clouds dispersing it in a swing as Ayumi charged forward at Yuki transformed into her battle clothes. ¡°Ayumi, I didn¡¯t ask for a real training arc!¡± Chapter 14 - Learning by Error The space between them was disappearing quickly. There was no more time for him to be asking questions, for she was not letting him have another moment. The blade of the sword had nearly reached striking distance eliminating any remaining time he thought that he might have had. Yuki jumped out of the way rolling to the ground just in time to only have the ends of his hair clipped. Ayumi came to a stop from her strike with her sword held down from the swing. She looked over her shoulder towards Yuki as he came to rest on one knee. Yuki stared at her trying to judge what she might do next. He saw only cold emotionless eyes set on him with a single purpose. ¡°Ayumi¡­ That was a little much for training! You nearly took my head off!¡± She stood back up, turning to face Yuki with her sword held at her side. ¡°If you can¡¯t clear your mind, then I will force your mind to use its power.¡± Ayumi raised up her sword bringing the point to bear on Yuki bridging the distance. Chapter 14 - Learning by Error That confirmed what he figured, not that it made it better. ¡®This is like in those stories. The hero is pushed to the edge to realize their power by their master. But this isn¡¯t a story!¡¯ He pushed himself up off his knee to stand and face Ayumi. His legs were shaking knowing that he was in danger. ¡®But still the master only made it look real. She wouldn¡¯t really hurt me. It wouldn¡¯t help her.¡¯ The efforts to calm his nerves down slowly began to work as he stopped shaking. Ayumi pulled her sword back, entering into a charging stance. ¡°You¡¯ve stopped shaking in fear. You need fear if you expect to learn!¡± She charged towards Yuki swinging her sword again at him in an arc at his chest. ¡®She¡¯s not going to hit me. Just need to keep on my toes and watch her.¡¯ Yuki managed to dodge the swing of Ayumi¡¯s, but stumbled finding that the reach went deeper than he expected. He slid back on his shoes. A questioning stare crossed to her as some doubt lingered in his mind. However, he had no time to think as Ayumi was on the attack again. ¡®Keep moving and I¡¯ll be safe. She¡¯s not going to hit me.¡¯ Another swing from Ayumi was avoided with a thrust followed up before Yuki saw it. He fell back hearing the ripping of his clothes in his ear as he hit the ground. Yuki winced in pain from the impact of the ground underneath the snow of Ayumi¡¯s Field. The snow had not been enough for him to be cushioned. ¡®She nearly cut me with that last attack. But she didn¡¯t.¡¯ He felt more certain about what was happening now. However, he was not given more than a moment of rest as Ayumi came at him with even fiercer attacks making Yuki roll through the snow just to keep going. ¡®The attacks are getting more accurate.¡¯ Yuki continued to roll on the ground until he was far enough away to get back to his feet. He confirmed his suspicions from his clothes that had several more cuts left in them. While he examined himself Ayumi did not skip a beat of her offensive, taking him off guard. The sword cut through his right sleeve and into his skin drawing up blood soaking into the cloth. Yuki yelped in pain and surprise, stumbling backwards to step away from Ayumi. He felt how deep she had cut him with her blade. It left his entire arm feeling numb and difficult to move. His left hand clutched the wound tightly streaming more blood over his fingers, unable to hold back the bleeding. Yuki looked down at his arm and back at Ayumi still in shock that she cut him so severely. ¡®This isn¡¯t how it¡¯s supposed to go!¡¯ He caught the glow of her blade in his eyes as she raised it up with his blood dripping from the tip staring him down. ¡°What are you doing? You nearly took my arm off! This is going too far, Ayumi!¡± ¡°Not yet. You need to learn. You need to remember that feeling of your power.¡± ¡°Learn? Remember? All you¡¯re doing is making me bleed!¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you aren¡¯t afraid yet. You think I won¡¯t hurt you because I¡¯m supposed to be training you. You couldn¡¯t be more wrong. I¡¯ll do whatever it takes to make you learn and right now you need to remember fear to draw out your power.¡± Ayumi tightly held the hilt of the sword, stepping forward. A step that drew tension through the air. ¡°I might die from shock or something before you stop!¡± ¡°This is the real world, not some story of yours. We tried it the academic way. This is the other option. I can heal any injuries you sustain.¡± ¡®She¡¯s serious!¡¯ Yuki¡¯s mind froze on Ayumi¡¯s words not understanding until then how determined she was to make him use his power. It was immediately afterwards that he felt the shaking in his legs resume once more. The shaking went beyond his control as his body became re-familiarized with fear. The cold stare of death from his opponent was something that he wanted to forget, but she was forcing it on him with a feeling that his body would never forget. Yuki attempted to get his arms to move, but found them just as immobilized as his legs. ¡®¡­I-I can¡¯t move¡­¡¯ He stared at Ayumi seeing what her next move was going to be. Ayumi stepped forward slowly, narrowing her eyes at the changes that were happening to Yuki. ¡°That¡¯s the feeling. Fear me and call on your power!¡± She no longer held back her strike and leapt back into the attack coming for Yuki. Yuki could see her coming, but he could do nothing about it. He remained paralyzed by his own fear and inability to protect himself. His left hand was still clamped on his wound, unwilling to let go. ¡®Ayumi¡¯s¡­she¡¯s¡­would she?¡¯ The sword slid across his left upper arm and shoulder cutting nearly as deep as before flowing blood from his new wound. Yuki stumbled backwards again, biting his teeth against the pain. ¡®She¡¯ll kill me at this rate!¡¯ His strength in his legs finally returned, turning him away from her as fast as he could. The room was large enough for the two of them to give chase, but never to run away or hide. It gave safety to Yuki. He managed to evade the next series of swings from Ayumi, but not without having his clothes cut up more. Wherever he went blood dripped from his arms into the snow field following him as he fled through the room. Yet he was running out of strength in his legs. Each of her strikes came closer to him. He couldn¡¯t keep up the pace much longer. When he tripped, it became a clear sign of his failing. He scrambled to his feet, unable to use his arms and nearly fell down again in the process. ¡®I can¡¯t get hit again¡­¡¯ Yuki mustered up strength in his legs to hold together long enough to get him away, managing to avoid getting slashed in the back. He came to rest against the wall of the room breathing heavily from fatigue. A constant pressure from her bore down on him. Yuki had to keep moving if he wanted to live. Her plan of fear wasn¡¯t producing results. It simply bled him. The sword pierced through air commanding all of his attention. His slow reactions left a deep wound in his ribs. Yuki coughed up blood feeling the copper metallic taste in his mouth. Panic flew into his mind. Ayumi retracted her blade and spun around connecting her leg with his shoulder, dropping him to the ground. She held her weapon at her side walking towards him seeing the twisting uncontrollable fear in his eyes. ¡®Still not yet¡­either he¡¯s stubborn or still doesn¡¯t think I¡¯ll kill him somewhere deep inside¡­¡¯ The snow advanced on Yuki as she came closer to him, drawing the dark aura behind her. ¡®¡­he must use it soon or this will kill him¡­¡¯ This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Yuki barely rolled over in the snow with his body starting to give out. ¡®¡­am I going to die here? I want to save myself, but I don¡¯t know how! Please¡­¡¯ He pushed against his weakened arms, pressing even more blood from them as he felt waves of pain snapping over his body. Yuki sat up to see Ayumi still pressing on, but unable to do anything. ¡®¡­should be soon¡­just a little more¡­¡¯ Ayumi raised her sword up, placing it at her back. A sheath for it materialized from the particles in the air taking hold of the sword for her. She clasped her hands together creating a spark of light that surrounded her hands drawing on sudden bits of energy in the air. The energy gathered together as her hands separated forming into an orb of blue energy. Light from the energy painted the snow and Ayumi pale blue as she manipulated it in her hands. She pulled her hands back with the sphere becoming larger than her hands. The energy reached critical mass for her and she grabbed it in her hands pulling it back to her before thrusting it forward providing the necessary momentum to reach the target, Yuki. For Yuki, there was a mix of awe and fear at the sight of Ayumi charging up an energy attack (gathering up was more accurate). If he didn¡¯t feel like he was dying, it might have brought a tear to his eye. ¡®¡­got to move¡­not enough time¡­¡¯ He couldn¡¯t even move when the energy sphere hit him in his stomach exploding on impact. The force of the energy cut in arcs of lacerations along his clothes and skin. Blood sprayed up from the explosion coating the snow. He flew backwards from the force hitting the wood floor and sliding along its polished surface. ¡°Ugh¡­I¡­¡± Yuki could not feel his body anymore. His clothes were in pieces barely hanging together by pieces of threads left with numerous rips. ¡®I can¡¯t move¡­Ayumi¡¯s going to¡­¡¯ Ayumi marched towards him, drawing up the snow around him to keep him in place. She grabbed her sheathed sword from her back pulling it free preparing for her final strike. ¡®This is it¡­¡¯ ¡®This is it... she¡¯s going to kill me now¡­ All because I can¡¯t use my power¡­¡¯ Yuki closed his eyes recalling images of the maid, samurai and fairy that he had made without thinking. Their existence frustrated him knowing that he had the power and was using it. He was simply unable to reach it. It laid there for him to use, but he did not understand it. ¡®I came here to learn how to use it. I need to know! I can¡¯t die yet!¡¯ Yuki screamed in despair to the ceiling. A reaction occurred in Yuki sending out waves from his body nearly instantly changing the entire room into grass and rocks. All around Yuki¡¯s body large rocks came around him protecting him from Ayumi¡¯s attack leaving her to step back. ¡®¡­finally¡­¡¯ She lightly skipped back as the earth heaved around him layer after layer. She landed on the ground. Below, she noticed the majority of her field disappeared, overtaken by the raw power of Yuki. The walls of the room, even the idea of it being a room, was gone, left with nothing, but a field of grass and rocks. ¡°Impressive. His field¡¯s finally released. This room isn¡¯t large enough for him. I guess this is to be expected of the King¡¯s Power.¡± She approached the rocks that protected Yuki from attacks and passed through them forcing her field through his own. ¡°The lesson is over. You need to turn it off.¡± Risk analysis quickly started in the back of her seeing what his potential could be. Yuki breathed heavily, looking like a scared child desperate to defend himself. ¡°Stay away!¡± His mind actively worked on its own, throwing up rocks to halt Ayumi¡¯s march to Yuki. Panic raced through him finding that none of it was working against her. ¡°Don¡¯t come any closer!¡± She continued towards him, though it seemed to be getting harder for her to press through the layers of rocks. Ayumi narrowed her eyes from the strain put on her to forcibly enter his defenses. Sheer raw power made up for the lack of skill in the barriers. ¡®I need to reach him to stop this. I can¡¯t believe how much natural talent he has. I can barely¡­I might need to¡­¡¯ She had hit the last of the barriers and the closest to him. It proved to be nearly impenetrable for her. Regardless, she pressed forward. A glow shone through as her field battled with his for superiority. ¡®Even focusing all my strength around me to increase the density is barely enough.¡¯ ¡°Leave me alone! I don¡¯t want to be hurt anymore!¡± Yuki¡¯s mind continued to pump into his field acting as the bulwark. He could not move his body or fight what was happening to him. Everything went blank. The rock barrier forced her hand back, leaving her unable to break through to him. Quick solutions started to run low. ¡®I¡¯ve got to reach him. Break his concentration somehow. I just need a little more.¡¯ Ayumi pressed her hands against the barrier again. ¡°Yuki! Can you hear me? Yuki!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t come near me!¡± ¡°Yuki! ¡­You¡­ Yuki¡­¡± Ayumi paused seeing that she was not making any progress and at a loss. She changed her tone back to her school and public persona. ¡°Y-Yuki? A-are you in there? I-I-I can¡¯t see you!¡± ¡°¡­Ayumi¡­¡± ¡°It hurts, Yuki! S-stop, please!¡± ¡°¡­Ayumi? I¡­¡± ¡®That¡¯s it. There¡¯s enough interference for me to break through.¡¯ Ayumi forced her hands in again. Waves of light from the barrier flashed in protest, but no longer held her back. ¡°Yuki! Please, help me!¡± Her entire body put weight against the barrier feeling the struggle to keep something so large out. Every time that she would speak to him a little more of her was let free to go in. The last shreds of the barrier breached, she discovered Yuki unconscious on the ground speaking to her unknowingly. ¡®This is going to be harder than I thought. I can¡¯t knock out someone already unconscious.¡¯ Military training never prepared her for such things. However, other training that she received benefited her now in Japan. Ayumi went to his side keeping her softer persona speaking to him. She lifted him up into her arms letting his back rest against her body holding him tightly. ¡°Yuki¡­ I¡¯m here for you. You¡¯re safe now. You don¡¯t need to be afraid anymore.¡± The soft voice from Ayumi eased Yuki¡¯s mind, washing away the pain and wrinkles on his face. A calmed expression showed through the fog of fear in Yuki. ¡°¡­Mo¡­ther¡­¡± The barriers came down quickly returning the room back to the original appearance. Yuki woke up on the hardwood floor looking around the room no longer certain where he was or what happened. The last thing he remembered was the fight between Ayumi and him, rather the attack by her. However, he could not see her anywhere in the room. When he looked down at himself he saw that he was no longer bleeding, though his clothes were worse for wear. He jumped up in surprise at how ragged they looked. ¡°My clothes! They¡¯re all torn and destroyed. How am I going to explain this to Momo?!¡± While he panicked over his clothes Ayumi heard the noise created as she descended into the underground room. ¡°I had to prioritize healing over repair.¡± ¡°Ayumi! Um, I¡¯m alive! But I look like I¡¯ve been through a paper shredder.¡± ¡°You burned through nearly all of my energy. I didn¡¯t have a lot left to heal you.¡± ¡°Energy, like chi or something?¡± ¡°No, mental energy. You really need to stop relating everything to pop culture.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a shorthand, makes communicating faster.¡± ¡°Communication¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re out of juice? But you look out.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a mental fatigue. My body may be fine, but I¡¯m not able to do much else.¡± She presented him with a change of shirt. ¡°Oh! Thanks, Ayumi!¡± Yuki pulled at his shirt to take it off, but found that it fell off on its own. Apparently, hopes and dreams held the thing together, and that faded fast. ¡°Heh¡­Oops¡­¡± he said laughing sheepishly at the sight. The leftover pieces were quickly removed from his body and he took the new shirt in hand. He pulled it on over his head finding it to be a little tight, but it managed to fit him (a little too well actually). Yuki looked down at the red shirt with the English word ¡°Fancy¡± written on it. ¡°Umm¡­Ayumi?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Is this one of your shirts?¡± ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t own boy¡¯s clothing.¡± Yuki tried to smile and nod not saying anything more to her about it. ¡®I must look like one of the weird male pop bands. How can she wear this? It¡¯s so tight.¡¯ ¡°Well it¡¯s almost midnight. You should be getting some sleep for class tomorrow.¡± Ayumi returned to the lift waiting for him to join her. ¡°What?!¡± shouted Yuki panicking, running over to Ayumi quickly. ¡°Did you say midnight?¡± Ayumi nodded to confirm her last statement for him. ¡°I told Momo I¡¯d call if I was going to be late!¡± He shifted around on the balls of his feet. Once the lift reached the dining room, he jumped up and hurried for the front door. The layout wasn¡¯t complicated, so he knew the direction to go. He passed through the empty living and a Momoko seated on the single chair. ¡°Momoko, hey! Momoko?! What¡¯re you doing here?¡± Momoko politely set her tea cup back on the table before she stood up to face her brother. ¡°Falling asleep in the middle of work. You feeling okay, Yuki?¡± ¡°M-Momoko I-I can¨C Work¡­¡± He looked back towards Ayumi, who slowly walked into the living room. A silent oddly reassuring stare came from her. ¡°I guess if I¡¯m being honest, I haven¡¯t been sleeping well lately. Been tired a lot.¡± ¡°You¡¯re pushing yourself too hard.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not the only one in the family. It can¡¯t be easy for you either.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re still growing.¡± ¡°Somewhat, I think my height¡¯s stalled.¡± He looked down at the shirt again, finally picking up on the stifled smirk from Momoko. ¡°Right, this¡­¡± ¡°He knocked over his soda. I¡¯ll return his shirt once it¡¯s cleaned.¡± ¡°Thank you, Ayumi. Sorry for the trouble.¡± ¡°No trouble at all, he helped me a lot. He gave me plenty to think about.¡± Ayumi glanced over at Yuki once more. The unleashing of his field and the barrier played back in her mind. ¡®He¡¯s pushed through one wall, but it¡¯s only made it easier for his subconscious to access it. Unfortunately, he¡¯s a greater risk than ever before¡­¡¯ Chapter 15 - All Short One His morning walk missed someone. An unplanned absence, morning track, the question spun around. Each step planted to the school expected them to show up and nullify his question. The left foot became heavier. The right turned to lead. Over the school gate, an ocean dragged his limbs. Saki was missing. Chapter 15 ¨C All Short One The school felt busier than usual in spite of missing someone. Students talked between each other as they walked into the school stopping at the shoe locker taking a pause. Girls ran their hands through their hair or tidied the mess up from the windy morning. The boys chatted about the latest show or magazine. Some pushed frantically through trying to make morning meetings with the student council. However, when Yuki stepped into the school it did not feel crowded to him and a nagging feeling at his side made him think Saki was next to him the entire time. Yuki left the shoe lockers once he was finished and went straight to class. He managed to ignore the bullies in the hall that were looking at him strangely. The classroom filled slowly with students in his homeroom, but the more important matter for him was answered. ¡®She¡¯s not here either.¡¯ He looked around a second time to be certain and still found nothing. Hiroshi had been standing around at the window watching the students coming in when he noticed Yuki with a pensive expression. He walked over to his desk from the window. ¡°Hey, Yuki! You look like you got something on your mind.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­huh?¡± Yuki tilted up from his chair seeing Hiroshi was standing next to him. ¡°Hey, Hiroshi!¡± Hiroshi wasn¡¯t going to let it end simply at the greeting like the distant Yuki seemed to be thinking. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Yuki pulled out his books from his school bag and flipped through some papers. ¡°I didn¡¯t see Saki this morning.¡± ¡°Yeah, neither have I,¡± He looked around the classroom for a second look to make sure that she hadn¡¯t suddenly appeared on them. ¡°There¡¯s still a few minutes before class begins.¡± ¡°I know, but it¡¯s not like Saki to be late and she didn¡¯t say anything about practice this morning. I wonder if those bullies from the other day stopped her.¡± ¡°Saki¡¯s a big girl, Yuki. She can handle herself, a lot better than you can.¡± His body rattled a little under the weight of the painfully obvious remark. It was no mystery that Saki was strong and that Yuki was helpless when it came to a fight. ¡°Thanks¡­Hiroshi.¡± ¡°Hey, sorry man. It¡¯s not your fault that you¡¯re bad at sports and fail in P.E.¡± A second and third weight pounded on him with the continued teasing. The tired exasperated look from Yuki was enough to stop Hiroshi joking, though he was already satisfied with how far he went. ¡°But seriously, man. You¡¯ve got nothing to worry about. If she ran into trouble she can take care of them. Besides, she¡¯s probably just sick and staying home.¡± Yuki let the weight go from him and straightened up to look back at Hiroshi. ¡®He¡¯s probably right. Don¡¯t know why I¡¯m so worried about it.¡¯ He painted a smile back on his face to reassure Hiroshi that he felt better. ¡°Thanks Hiroshi. I guess I¡¯m so used to having Saki nearby that it¡¯s weird when she¡¯s not.¡± The front door of their classroom slid open allowing Ms. Kuniyoshi to enter walking to the front of the class. The class representative called on the class to come to order and rise for the teacher. Hiroshi gave an understanding nod to him before rushing off to his seat hoping not to have the attention. ¡°All be seated,¡± the class rep said. Ms. Kuniyoshi began taking attendance for the class with peace restored. Yuki dragged his eyes forward to see that Saki¡¯s seat was still empty. ¡®Where are you, Saki?¡¯ Class for everyone went on without Saki, it was only Yuki that seemed to think to the contrary. However, he tried to push it to the back of his mind and focus on his class. He had expected to see her just simply appear sometime during homeroom late and get yelled at by Ms. Kuniyoshi again, but that did not happen. Saki never appeared the entire day at school. After school ended Yuki left with Hiroshi, who insisted on going with him, to visit Saki¡¯s home to learn what had happened to her. Ms. Kuniyoshi had no answers for them other than she was reported as sick for the day. Yuki wanted to know what had happened. Even with their situation, she would have let him know. The creeping ache dug up through his feet into his chest painting its seed deep. It refused to leave until he got answers, even a mundane one. But it had to be from her. It was an unexplainable nagging that never went away during class for him no matter how much reassurance that he had. The feeling was pounding even stronger inside him now that he was getting closer to the apartment building. The five story apartment building stood before Hiroshi and Yuki as they gave a moment for pause before going to the front door. When they came to the main hall and the stairs in front of them Hiroshi turned to Yuki. ¡°Where is their apartment?¡± ¡°It¡¯s on the fourth floor apartment 403.¡± Yuki started up the stairs alone with Hiroshi looking at his back in a little disbelief. They had walked from school to Saki¡¯s apartment building (which really isn¡¯t a long distance from the school) and now it was three sets of stairs to reach their floor. Hiroshi let out a fatigued sigh and went up the stairs catching up to Yuki before he made it to the second floor. From the street it appeared old, painted in a bit of rust and carved out stains of damage. The interior view up the stairs made the age worse. There was no elevator in the building or at least one that worked. All of the walls were lined with cracks or plastered over and painted cracks poorly maintained. It was from the reconstruction era of Japan after the war when everything was built up quickly and the building showed its age under an owner that did not have a very caring eye for it. The main stairs ran through the middle of the building with a narrow set on the opposite ends that all groaned under the weight of any person no matter the size. However, the building might have been old and falling apart in appearance, but it managed to be sturdy. That old fashion stubbornness and hard work kept it together (and probably some hope). Yuki and Hiroshi made it to the fourth floor. While Yuki walked forward without much concern for his safety, Hiroshi hung to the edges where the wood did not make as much noise. He was slower in reaching the destination leaving Yuki to stare confused at him as he eventually reached the door to Saki¡¯s apartment. On the door it was clearly labeled ¡®403¡¯ in a rusting metal with splintering wood for the door itself. Yuki straightened up, beginning to feel nervous about meeting the Furukawas again after the last time that he visited. He gave a firm knock to the door and stepped back waiting to see what was going to happen next. Hiroshi looked back to Yuki, who was now further from the door than Hiroshi, wondering why the sudden change in courage. ¡°You look a little pale, Yuki. Like you expect something to grab you when the door opens.¡± He stepped over to Yuki¡¯s side coming between the door and him placing his hand on Yuki¡¯s shoulder looking for an answer. ¡°Yuki?¡± ¡°N-No, nothing¡¯s wrong. I¡¯m just b-being p-polite.¡± He tried to give a comforting smile to show that he was not nervous, but it was a futile effort when his arm was shaking. That wouldn''t convince anyone. Hiroshi placed his other hand on Yuki as well, not letting this go. ¡°Polite? Then why are you shaking?¡± ¡°I¡¯m giving them room. Don¡¯t want to crowd the door, right? And I¡¯m not shaking.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Hello?¡± said a voice from behind Hiroshi. Hiroshi turned his head over his shoulder while still holding on to Yuki. It was a middle aged woman with longer graying hair tied back that was dry, but kept. When Yuki came into sight of Saki''s mother her curious and open expression quickly disappeared for a narrowed viscerally angry one. ¡°What do you want? Thought I told you never to come back here. I don¡¯t care how much my daughter tells me that you¡¯ve changed.¡± Hiroshi was unable to say anything taken back by the woman¡¯s sudden verbal assault on Yuki. Yuki placed his hand on Hiroshi¡¯s arm gently, giving him a steady smile as though he knew what he was doing before stepping around. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for breaking my promise to you, Mrs. Furukawa. I needed to ask you if Saki was feeling alright. She didn¡¯t show up for class today and I was worried.¡± Saki¡¯s mother went quiet after Yuki stopped speaking as though she was considering whether she would say anything to him. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s sick. Now leave before I call the police.¡± She closed the door behind her sharply on Yuki kicking his hair back from the force. The door was enough to tell him that he was not welcome and should not press his luck any further to get information. Yuki walked away from her apartment making it down the stairs and to the street before Hiroshi caught up to him. He grabbed Yuki by his arm, preventing him from continuing on. ¡°What was that all about?¡± A buried past. The happier times burned down. One single act to change everything. Flashes of moments turned page by page in his mind. A painted over history. Should he give an answer? ¡®I guess it was eventually going to happen. If it was to be anyone Hiroshi should be the one to know.¡¯ He turned around to face Hiroshi directly, making it clear to Hiroshi that he wasn¡¯t going to be trying to run away. Hiroshi let his arm go free. Yuki changed his cheerful expression to a serious narrowed one staring back at Hiroshi. ¡°How much do you know about me before high school?¡± Hiroshi had to think about the question, but quickly knew that he had nothing. ¡°I¡¯m familiar with the rumors that fly around school about you. But none of you talk about it, so I don¡¯t take much stock in it.¡± ¡°Saki is a childhood friend and I used to go to their apartment frequently when I was younger. However, I¡­¡± Yuki hesitated on the memories that were coming back to him. The time was painful for him as he looked back at a side that he wished to forget. A time before the second tragedy. ¡®Saki had been the only one that stuck by me back then. None of my friends could deal with me any longer. I had arguments with all of them driving them away. They all knew what happened, but friendship is only so strong. They left me alone and all I could do was fight more. But Saki was at my side. She never left me even when¡­¡¯ It was the fall a year and half ago and the school day had just ended. The air was cool with a strong breeze blowing through the school grounds. Their junior high school was further away, forcing them to travel for more than half an hour to reach their neighborhood. A sour mood filled Yuki, but that was his perpetual state now. Most times it came from a fight (which he usually started). Saki walked alongside him looking cheerful, enjoying the fall air. ¡°Hey Yuki?¡± Saki ran up ahead of him and turned around to face him. ¡°What?¡± He had a gruffer tone with his uniform looking dirty from a fight. ¡°Want to go here and get a snack for the walk back?¡± She pointed to the convenience store behind her that they regularly passed by on their walk each day. It was a normal stop for them when they were hungry and wanted a break or rather when Saki wanted a break. Yuki never brought it up. He dug his hands into his pockets walking a little stiff, annoyed by the stop. ¡°I guess.¡± He stayed outside letting Saki go inside to shop for him. Saki knew what he would like to eat. Yuki stepped away from the store for a moment to stare up at the sky out of the overhang of the building. The atmosphere around the street suddenly changed when three boys in school uniforms from his school appeared, their jackets of their uniform unbuttoned showing off their undershirts. The three boys marched towards Yuki with vengeance in their eyes. The two following up the middle one were tightening their fists looking ready to start something immediately. ¡°You Hayashi?¡± the middle boy asked, coming just outside of punching distance. Yuki turned his tilted back head over to look at who spoke to him with an unimpressed look in his eyes. ¡°What you weaklings want?¡± He had put his focus back towards the clouds quickly losing interest in a bunch of babies that could barely swing at him. ¡°Weaklings?!¡± The boy on the left leaned in only being held back by the boy in the middle. ¡°You beat up my brother pretty good. I¡¯m here to make you answer for it!¡± Yuki no longer gave them acknowledgement of his eyes and spoke to the sky. ¡°And you think ganging up on me will make your revenge come true? I¡¯m already in a foul mood and I don¡¯t like weak babies staring at me. Leave my sight before I feel like changing my mind.¡± The boy on the right was unable to handle being talked down to by Yuki and charged around the middle. He threw his fist wildly at Yuki, striking him across the cheek with great surprise and shock to the boy. However, the punch did little other than darken Yuki¡¯s face and bring his focus down upon the student. Yuki pulled back and released his fist quickly, putting it through the boy, who otherwise looked like a model student that got decent grades. The boy was flattened on the ground immediately with a bloodied lip and deeply bruised nose. ¡°I¡¯m more than willing to make the cement drink your blood.¡± The boy on the left began to shake seeing his friend dropped without hesitation or a chance to fight back. He considered running away seeing that his chances for coming out alive narrowed. The middle boy charged forward to Yuki in a rage of anger planning his revenge. However, the boy was unable to place a punch on Yuki. Yuki spun around landing his leg in the side of his ribs knocking the wind out of him. Yuki followed it up with a sharp fist to the side of the face, laying the kid out with a painful groan to cement and blood dripping from the cut. Yuki turned to the boy that shook trying to back away not wanting to fight anymore. He began to walk over to the student flexing his hand to loosen it up. Saki came out of the store with two plastic wrapped buns in hand looking around for Yuki, who was no longer against the doorframe. ¡°Hey Yuki! I got our snacks!¡± She turned to the grunting from the two boys on the ground and saw Yuki moving towards a defenseless student that was panicking trying to back away. ¡°I-I-I d-don¡¯t want any trouble! Let me go, please!¡± ¡°Too late! You three started this!¡± Saki dropped the snacks and ran towards Yuki hoping to stop him before he hurt another. ¡°Yuki! No¡­!¡± Yuki¡¯s fist was already up in swinging motion when Saki started running and the boy backed away. He was determined to break something on the boy for being too cowardly to even back up his friends. It was cowards that he hated more than weaklings. His fist flashed by on target to the boy¡¯s face, but Saki stepped in the way at the last second. He couldn¡¯t pull back in time. The punch collided with Saki¡¯s cheek and jaw making an awful noise on impact streaming blood through the air splashed against the boy¡¯s face that she just protected. Saki collapsed to the ground not moving with her eyes empty of light. Yuki dropped to her side immediately shocked at what had happened. ¡®I hit Saki¡­she stepped in my way¡­¡¯ The boy fled when he realized that he was spared his life leaving his friends behind. ¡°Saki! Can you hear me? Saki! Wake up!¡± For all of the shaking and shouting that he did she wouldn¡¯t wake for him. Confused and scared, he picked her up. He walked the entire distance back home. When he brought her unconscious back to her mother there were too many questions for him to answer. All he heard was screaming dulled in his head as he stared at Saki. Her mother wasn¡¯t able to hold back in front of Yuki. ¡°My daughter is hurt because of you! All you do is pick fights. You¡¯ll never be able to do anything else! Never go near my daughter ever again! If you so much as touch her I¡¯ll call the police! I knew I shouldn¡¯t have ever let you into this family! Get out of my home!¡± Yuki stepped away, constantly getting pressed out by Saki¡¯s mother. He couldn¡¯t say anything back to the tirade that assaulted him. He knew that she was right. When the yelling came to an end he simply stepped away. ¡°You won¡¯t see me again.¡± Yuki stood up from the spot that he had been resting at for his story. He looked back at Hiroshi who seemed stunned by the revelation from Yuki. The release of the tale didn¡¯t bring any comfort to his heart. He wasn¡¯t sure what he expected to happen from sharing it with another. There was no forgiveness that he could expect from relating it to Hiroshi. ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had to hear that.¡± Hiroshi snapped out of his glazed over appearance and turned towards Yuki. He still worked to take everything that he heard in, but he felt like he had to say something before the moment was lost. ¡®But what do you say to something like that? I still can¡¯t believe it.¡¯ He placed his gaze on Yuki trying to find a connection or an answer. ¡°Wow¡­ Yuki, I¡¯m not sure what to say. It¡¯s a little hard to believe. You being some angry punk beating up people.¡± ¡°Now you know the rumors are true. I¡¯ll understand if you don¡¯t want to be friends¡­¡± ¡°Hey, wait! Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean it like that. I mean the Yuki I know is a hyper happy guy that has a little too vivid of an imagination and a little crazy about your manga. That¡¯s the Yuki I know and who¡¯s my friend. The other Yuki is the past. He¡¯s not you anymore, right?¡± ¡°Uh¡­yeah¡­¡± ¡°So, then there are you! It¡¯s in the past. Don¡¯t worry about it then! You found out that Saki was just sick. So nothing to worry about. Let¡¯s go home!¡± Hiroshi slung his arm around Yuki¡¯s neck and started to drag him down the street giving him a rough time. ¡®Hard to imagine him hurting anyone¡­¡¯ ¡°Alright¡­¡± Yuki and Hiroshi walked down the street starting to come near the intersection that led to his house. Hiroshi started cracking a joke to start warming Yuki back up. A few steps, things started to feel a little normal. Things would be better again. However, as they made it around the corner of the street a dark figure stood in front of them. The shadow swayed back and forth in the shade of the tree coming towards the two. They nervously stepped backwards. Neither knew what was happening until the person came out of the darkness into the sunlight. A dirty and messy Saki, in her school uniform, collapsed in the road in front of them. ¡°Saki!¡± Yuki rushed to her side. Chapter 16 - The Broken Watch A million questions ran through his head trying to understand what was wrong with her. ¡®I thought she was at home¡­ What¡¯s she doing here? What¡¯s going on?¡¯ He grabbed her up from the street letting her rest against him in a seated position. ¡°Can you hear me, Saki?¡± Chapter 16 ¨C The Broken Watch Hiroshi felt the flood of emotions and panic wash over him. As Yuki went to pieces, he felt he had to stay calm. Yet even he found it difficult never seeing Saki so thrashed. It had looked like she was in a fight and badly lost it with the bruises and dirt that covered her. Even her clothes were ripped from something or someone. ¡®What did she get herself into? If they did this to Saki¡­¡¯ Glancing around the street and neighborhood, it felt like eyes watched them from a distance. He placed his hand on Yuki¡¯s shoulder to grab his attention away from Saki for a moment. ¡°Yuki. Yuki!¡± ¡°She¡¯s¡­¡± Flashes of his past haunted him. A younger Saki overlaid in his mind looking down at her. ¡°We should get her out of here to rest.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­you¡¯re right.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll help you¡­¡± Hiroshi started to move to the other side of Saki to give Yuki aid, but found that his assistance wasn¡¯t needed. Yuki had already put his arms under her legs and back, lifting her up in his arms. He held her close to his chest and began to walk. Hiroshi stood with his mouth agape watching Yuki walk away from him hardly missing a beat. ¡°I guess you don¡¯t need my help.¡± It took Hiroshi a moment to catch his mind up that he was being left behind by Yuki to hurry to his side. ¡®I guess he¡¯s stronger than he looks. Maybe there¡¯s more truth to that story than I gave him credit for.¡¯ When he reached Yuki¡¯s side he looked over to him seeking an answer. ¡°Where are you going? Her apartment is behind us.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t take her to her mother looking like this.¡± ¡°But she¡¯ll figure it out eventually. Saki¡¯s missing right now.¡± ¡°All the more reason to find out what happened before her mother does find out. My house is just up the street. She¡¯ll be safe there.¡± Yuki guided Hiroshi to his house trying to keep his mind focused and far from fearful thoughts that tried to explain what happened to Saki. He didn¡¯t want to consider what it was or jump to conclusions (although he had already jumped too many before even touching Saki). From further down the street Ayumi came walking towards the two of them. She had already changed out of her school uniform into a simple red dress. When she saw Yuki carrying someone in his arms she hastened her pace to reach them before they made it to the threshold. ¡°I-Is everything alright, Yuki? Is¡­Is that Saki?!¡± She ran around Hiroshi meeting up with Yuki at the doorway looking down at Saki. ¡°What. What. What ha-happened to her?¡± Yuki turned his head away trying to hide the rising emotions of regret, failure and anger away from her. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Hiroshi caught up to Ayumi and pulled her away from Yuki, letting him have room. ¡°It¡¯ll be alright. Saki¡¯s strong.¡± He held her back by her shoulders, keeping her close. The panicked girl pulled against him, but he kept her back. The pounding that Yuki slammed against the door was finally answered in slow fashion by his younger brother, Jun. It only took him a split second to change from a blank expression to a panicked one that was quickly melting into uselessness. Jun ran away a moment later, disappearing into the house. Yuki shook off his stalled confusion and pushed through into the house quickly making his way to the living room. He knelt down to ease Saki onto the couch. Grabbing a pillow, he placed it under her head. ¡°Saki¡­ I-I¡­¡± Hiroshi and Ayumi stepped into the living room keeping a safe distance away. Yuki turned back to them, coming to meet eyes with Ayumi and piercing through her mask trying to see if she would be able to help. None of them knew what was wrong with Saki and even less about what needed to be done. Yuki stood up walking away from them looking up the stairs. ¡°Ken! Where are you, Ken?¡± A few more shouts finally revealed Ken behind him coming from the back of the house. Ken peaked around the corner of the stairs along with Jun. Fear shook through the boy, never witnessing his older brother acting so distraught. He tucked back away. The scared look on his little brother made him pause. Yuki breathed out and knelt down a little. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for yelling. Saki¡¯s not feeling well. Can you help me?¡± They both nodded looking like a little color started to return. ¡°What do you need?¡± ¡°Hiroshi!¡± He motioned over to the stairs. ¡°This one my friends from school. Can you show him to the blankets and first aid kit?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got this, man.¡± He gave Yuki a pat on the arm and joined the two kids on the stairs. ¡°Where¡¯s the bathroom?¡± ¡°Thanks, Ken.¡± With a connected mind, he stepped back into the living room. He stood next to Ayumi while staring at Saki. ¡°Can you help her, like you did me?¡± ¡°Probably, though it¡¯s a question if there¡¯s anything physically done to her. I wouldn¡¯t have time for anything more.¡± ¡°Do whatever you can.¡± ¡°You¡¯re overreacting. You need to calm down and relax.¡± The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Can you or can¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Probably, but you can¡¯t always be dependent on my power or your power. Just remember, this isn¡¯t a cure-all.¡± Ayumi marched over to the couch. A slow scan visually gave little external signs. Beaten and torn up, the examination showed few hints to what happened. Ayumi closed her eyes and concentrated quickly to provide a fast aid to her that would be as quiet as possible. A soft faint almost invisible blue glow came around her that faded away immediately drawn in thin threads on to Saki¡¯s body seeking out any injury to mend. ¡®Most of what she has are just surface bruises, nothing deep. There¡¯s not much I can do aside from pushing along the natural healing process.¡¯ Yuki watched over Ayumi¡¯s shoulder. He clinched his hands together squeezing them tightly. ¡®Saki¡­ please be alright¡­¡¯ The tap of feet and whining boards from up stairs grew louder as Ken, Jun and Hiroshi drew to the steps. Yuki placed his hand on Ayumi''s shoulder alerting her to their presence. ¡°They¡¯re coming back,¡± he said under his breath. The faint light that Ayumi was emanating from her disappeared to vapor. She stood up, regaining her usual face heavily wrinkled in worry. She stepped away letting Hiroshi hand over the blanket to Yuki. Once Saki was covered up and allowed to rest they retreated to the kitchen to keep an ear out for when Saki would wake. Yuki leaned over to Ken and Jun giving them comfortable pats on their shoulders. ¡°Saki needs to rest for a bit. Think you two can play in your room quietly so she¡¯s able to sleep?¡± A slow and nervous nod came from both. They still didn¡¯t get what happened. Yuki held himself together and that seemed to help their worry. He watched the two hurry off quietly. Once footsteps hit the stairs, he turned around to the island glancing over at Hiroshi and Ayumi. ¡°What should we do? I¡¯m worried about Saki, but¡­¡± ¡°Hey man. It¡¯ll be alright. Like I said before Saki¡¯s strong. A little rest and she¡¯ll be up kicking me into the pavement for making bad jokes.¡± Yuki choked on a laugh at Hiroshi¡¯s joke, breaking into a smile that felt painful. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± ¡°D-do you know what happened to her?¡± Details remained limited when she arrived. Hiroshi stepped in seeing that Yuki was not able to respond. ¡°We don¡¯t know much. We found her barely walking in the street before she collapsed. What you see is how we found her.¡± ¡°Saki¡­what can we¡­¡± Ayumi''s voice began to break up with the bubbling emotions rising up pushing tears. She tried to wipe them away quickly, but could not work fast enough to keep them at bay. The stream of tears from Ayumi made Hiroshi panic. Floods of emotions suddenly poured into the room. He looked over to Yuki for hope. ¡®Great¡­first Yuki and now Ayumi¡­ Yuki just better not start crying¡­¡¯ Hiroshi tried to give a reassuring hand to Ayumi, but caught out of the corner of his eye that Yuki was starting to lose it. He let out a long sigh. He didn¡¯t have enough hands for this. Retrieving the stools, he placed them for the two. Hiroshi stepped out of the kitchen becoming a little embarrassed by the scene developing (especially since Ayumi was faking it). Words weren¡¯t going to help. So he granted them time. In the living room it was quieter, though Saki¡¯s presence made the room feel heavy. Hiroshi took an uncomfortable seat in the end chair that gave him a view of Saki. ¡°Can¡¯t believe this happened to you¡­ You¡¯re always charging in beating up bullies for Yuki. And now you¡¯re lying here¡­¡± Hiroshi dug his face into his legs as he drew up closer. ¡°¡­Yu¡­ki¡­¡± Her body started to move slightly and her eyes flicker open. The low groans and sounds from Saki caught up to Hiroshi pulling his head up to Saki. When he confirmed that he wasn¡¯t dreaming it, he turned to the kitchen. ¡°Yuki! Ayumi! Saki¡¯s awake!¡± Saki already tried to sit up, but a pained bite across her lips pulled Hiroshi back. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t overdo it. Just lie down.¡± ¡°Yuki¡­¡± ¡°Saki?¡± Yuki stood at the edge of the living room before he sprinted over to her side. He dropped to the floor to meet with her eyes. ¡°Saki! I-I¡­¡± Relief and joy overcame his words, choking them before they could get out. He reached out his hand resting it on her hand needing to have the contact to remove any thought he could be dreaming. ¡°Saki¡­¡± Hiroshi stepped in between the two seeing that Yuki was too buried in his feelings to be able to talk properly. ¡°I think what he¡¯s wanting to say is ¡®how are you feeling?¡¯¡± ¡°Where am I?¡± Saki looked around from her position, but her body felt stiff to move. All the sudden attention drew her back into the couch. ¡°You¡¯re in my house.¡± Making another attempt, her body didn¡¯t resist her as much. She gave him a comforting smile to ease his concern that she could read so easily. ¡°Easy. You were banged up pretty good,¡± Hiroshi offered his aid to Saki where he could. ¡°What am I doing in your house?¡± With enough slow movement and comfort adjustment, she sat upright. The blanket rested in her lap, the whole scene feeling a little uncomfortable. She was getting looks from the others like she was an invalid. Yuki, Hiroshi and Ayumi turned their heads to each other in silent stares as though they were communicating to each other without words. When they finished their telepathy Yuki leaned in, elected the spokesperson. ¡°Well we were sort of hoping that you could tell us. We found you down the street barely standing before you collapsed in front of us. We brought you back here so that you could rest.¡± At the end of Yuki¡¯s words they lean in a little towards Saki awaiting an answer to the mystery. Saki pulled back from the ganging up that she received. Her mind still worked to catch up to what happened to her immediately. She had not thought about why she was in the state that she was. ¡°I collapsed? Outside¡­¡± Various images caught in the filters of her mind slowly pieced together. ¡®What was it¡­ I was¡­¡¯ Saki tried to go back to the start when it happened. ¡°I was¡­ doing something¡­ important I think¡­¡± The gears turned in her head, but it dragged their feet. Saki pressed her palm against her forehead pushing for the memories. ¡°Important? What were you doing?¡± Having Hiroshi in her face made her angry almost instantly. She threw her other hand out hitting him on the top of his head with her fist. ¡°Stupid, I¡¯m trying to remember. So shut up!¡± The assault was enough to quiet Hiroshi and turn him a little pale. ¡°Guess she¡¯s feeling better¡­¡± ¡°Did it have anything to do with why you were late to class yesterday?¡± Yuki remembered she got pulled away to help someone. ¡®Yesterday¡­ Hitomi!¡¯ A light in her mind turned. It began to reveal how all of the pieces fit together. Yesterday flooded back with overwhelming pressure. Saki took a heavy breath propping herself with her hand. She played through the images that became memories. ¡°Saki!? Are you alright?¡± Yuki placed his hand on her¡¯s looking up at her, unable to hold back the wrinkled panic that was enveloping him. ¡°You should lie down.¡± Saki pulled herself back up having caught her breath and leaned against the couch. ¡°No¡­ I just remembered it too quickly. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°So you know what happened?¡± Saki evened out the blanket on her lap before she began her story. ¡°After school I was with Hitomi, from track. She was worried about a friend of hers who had gotten sick. She wanted me to go with her to Takako¡¯s house¡­¡± Her mind went back to the day before walking through the steps that lead up to what happened. Chapter 17 - Forgotten Child Yesterday jumped back into her mind with clarity. She had followed Hitomi into the wealthy neighborhood where Takako lived. On the excuse of delivering the day¡¯s work, Hitomi hoped to learn what happened. A reply came over the speaker. ¡°Yes? We aren¡¯t interested in anything you¡¯re selling.¡± The voice was deep and old with a little crack in the speech. It made the two girls step back expecting that they would see someone rather than a voice. ¡°U-Uh¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± Hitomi searched for the courage to speak while Saki kept a placid face trying to look like she belonged. ¡°We aren¡¯t selling anything. We¡¯re classmates of Takako.¡± ¡°I see. Well Miss Takako is not here currently.¡± Hitomi looked back at Saki as though she was expecting an answer to explain what she was just told. It was plainly clear to her that the instant glance at Saki told her that she had no answers. She turned back to the speaker. ¡°What? But we were told that she was sick. We have her assignments for her.¡± ¡°You may leave her things in the box. I¡¯ll inform her of your visit. Thank you.¡± The voice ended and a clicking sound that seemed to tell them silently to leave. ¡°What does this mean? The school says she¡¯s sick and her family says she¡¯s out.¡± Hitomi looked back at Saki wanting something from her this time. She was at a loss as to what was going on, but there was something being hidden by someone. Saki had no more of a clue to what was going on than Hitomi, but it had been made clear to them that someone was lying. She did not know why they were doing it, but this was not going to be as simple as she thought anymore. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ A dead end front of her, Saki started the long walk back to the train station. Hitomi rushed over to Saki¡¯s side when she saw that she was no longer near. The worry was still heavily plastered on her face unwilling or unable to be pulled away. The contradiction that they faced only made it more difficult for Hitomi to be brought to ease. ¡°What should we do, Saki? None of this makes sense. Saki?¡± Saki had become cornered in her thoughts. Her trackmate wanted an answer, which Saki couldn¡¯t provide. The facts were too few to work with and they were cut off at every chance. They were left with little to nothing. ¡®If only there was some way or someone that would listen and be able to get the answers for us. Heh¡­if it was that easy I wouldn¡¯t be out here. Wait¡­that might be it¡­¡¯ It came to her that she did have a solution. ¡°We can talk to my dad. He¡¯s a teacher, he probably knows someone. So he should be able to get some answers for us.¡± ¡°Really? He¡¯d help us?¡± A hopeful shine came across Hitomi. It seemed to brighten everything up in her features. Saki nodded back to her. ¡°Yup! It¡¯s probably too late to find him at school, but I¡¯ll talk to him when I get home. Alright?¡± Worry dug deeper for Hitomi. Saki thought quickly and held her hands to console her. ¡°I¡¯ll call you after I talk to him. It¡¯ll be alright.¡± ¡°Thank you, Saki. I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m causing you so much trouble.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Now let¡¯s get back to the station before it gets too dark.¡± Saki started taking Hitomi along with her. She walked together with her until Hitomi seemed to go on her own. They slowly made their way through the narrow streets keeping the train station in their view as a marker. Saki was glad that Hitomi had calmed down, but feared what sort of answers she would get from her father. Hitomi began to get ahead of Saki until she suddenly tripped. She had managed to catch herself before it was too serious, but bruised her palms. Saki rushed over to Hitomi¡¯s side to help her up. ¡°What did I hit?¡± ¡°Probably just a crack.¡± ¡°I think¡­ I think my leg¡¯s caught...¡± Confused and a little panic sank into Hitomi. She looked back at her leg. A thick vine had caught on her ankle. ¡°My leg won¡¯t¡­come free¡­¡± She pulled again on her leg to break free, but the vine was stubborn. Saki helped her, but still did not make any progress. Saki went to the source and grabbed the vine trying to break it, but it grew spontaneously wrapping around her arm. ¡°My arm! It¡¯s too strong¡­¡± ¡°Saki!¡± Hitomi screamed as more vines came up from the ground wrapped around Hitomi tying her to the ground. Terror took over as she tried to reach for Saki, but vines immediately grabbed her free arm. ¡°Hitomi! Agh!¡± The vines quickly began tying Saki up too. Her arm managed to break free before it completely trapped her. However, her victory ended quickly as several even thicker vines grabbed her and tied her down to the street tightly. As she struggled to get free a purple flower grew from the vine around her neck. The flower bud grew to nearly half the size of her face before it stopped. It slowly opened facing towards her. Once fully open, it released pollen into her face. Saki coughed and felt lightheaded. ¡°Hitomi¡­¡± Before Saki lost consciousness she caught a shadowed figure staring down at her. Her eyes lost focus, unable to see who it might be. Chapter 17 ¨C Forgotten Child ¡°You saved me, Yuki! Thank you!¡± a young Saki said to a young Yuki in the middle of a park playground. Three slightly older boys, a year older, laid in the grass bruised and slightly bloodied from an altercation with Yuki. Saki had tears in her eyes and covered in dirt from behind thrown around by the boys. Yuki grinned partly with pride and partly embarrassed by the praise. He patted Saki trying to comfort her and keep her from crying. ¡°I promise¡­¡± The fog around Saki¡¯s head began to clear, making her start to sense her surroundings. She attempted to budge from wherever she laid, but everything felt stiff to her. All of her body barely responded to her, unwilling to move to her requests. Saki was forced to stay on the hard cold floor. Her senses steadily warmed up. It left her with a deep solitude that she hadn¡¯t felt for a long time. The old forgotten feelings came over her. Slow crawling uncertainty and concern lurked in the unknown. She hated those emotions. She thought they remained behind with that little child. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡®I promise¡­¡¯ said the little boy Yuki, ¡®I promise that I will always protect you. So you don¡¯t have to cry anymore.¡¯ ¡®Yuki¡­¡¯ Saki wondered why memories of her past suddenly began to flash in her mind. The room began to become clear to Saki as her vision returned to focus. She could see where she was finally, no longer in a void of confusion. The cement floor that she laid on stretched out for the entire room. Calling it a room undersold it. By her best guess, it appeared to be a warehouse. A single large interior for her perspective. Around her, iron bars caged her off from the rest. Though hers wasn¡¯t the only cage. It looked repurposed, but sturdy. She could see cracks where the frames were driven. Crate or stray machine cropped up as she searched. She saw other cells like hers lined along the wall and in another row across from her. At least twenty similar cages in her immediate view before she stopped counting. A few of the cells held other strangers. Some old, others young, they had no commonality. ¡°What is this place? Who are all these people?¡± Saki took a chance to move again. She noticed her legs started feeling normal. Her legs were slow to move for her as if she had never used them before. Some persistence got them working. As she began to stand up her head quickly lost balance feeling light. She fell back against the iron bars. Her hand tried to recover herself causing an uneasy rattling through the bars that echoed through the room alerting the others to the new resident. Back pressed against bars she ground her teeth in resistance. Pressing her arms back, she forced herself back up. She ignored the bruises and firmly planted her. Determination rolled across Saki¡¯s face as she cautiously walked, rather dragged, herself over to the edge of the cell. ¡°Hello?¡± Saki called out to the person that was her neighbor. When she looked closely she recognized that they were wearing a girl¡¯s school uniform from Monou High School. Upon seeing this Saki pressed against the bars trying to see better. ¡°Hello? Can you hear me?¡± There was a slight movement from the girl, but Saki kept trying to get her attention. Eventually, the girl turned over revealing to be bruised and battered as though she had been dragged behind a car through the dirt. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± ¡°Excuse me¡­ Huh¡­ You go to Monou High School right?¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± The girl¡¯s hair covered most of her face, preventing her from being recognized. Saki gave a sigh of relief to know that there was someone that she might know. The scanning of the room hadn¡¯t revealed Hitomi yet. A hopefully familiar face came as a relief. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± ¡°N-n-no! No!¡± The girl suddenly backed away pushing herself across the floor with her hands into the opposite corner of the cell away from Saki. ¡°P-p-please! N-no more! I¡¯ll do¡­any-anything¡­please¡­¡± The girl tried to bury her face in her legs making herself as small as possible. She could not look at Saki for more than a second before she ran away. Her entire body shook against the bars making the bolts rattle. ¡°Please¡­no¡­¡± ¡°But I¡­¡± Saki stretched out her arm through the bars knowing that it could not reach, but hoped that she could calm her down. When she saw that it was only making matters worse for her she drew back looking down pensive. ¡®She is so scared of something¡­ what happened to her? Was it that dark shadow I saw before?¡¯ Saki walked away letting the girl have peace from her. The vast interior stared back at her with soulless eyes. Eyes drained of hope. They looked like they were just waiting to accept their end. ¡®What¡¯s going on? Why am I here?¡¯ All the room felt like it was quietly screaming. A scream that slowly drained away the chance of escape. It built chains around each person. A sound of something being unlocked far to the distance bounced through the warehouse. It snapped everyone to attention. Immediately fear washed over each of them, whimpering. Saki watched the people crawl into the corners of their cells away from the door as much as possible. The door far at the end of the warehouse opened and complained to be oiled. Out of the entrance two shadowy figures appeared to block the light that was being cast. ¡®Everyone¡¯s terrified¡­ who is this person?¡¯ Saki stared from the middle of her cell as the dark figure came closer into the pathway between the two rows of cells. As they approached it became clear to Saki that one was being carried or dragged along when they were unable to keep up with the leading figure. When the large figure finally revealed their face under a pool of light, Saki tried to trap her gasp of surprise. From the shape of his body, she guessed it was a male beneath the vines and flowers veiled over him. The moving plants wrapped around his head leaving only small slits for eyes. Along his shoulders the vines thinned out undulating along his body. Each draped with a life of their own slowly migrating over the surface of a white robe and pants. A thick vine wrapped around the man¡¯s left arm extending behind him covering up the other almost beyond recognition. Continual movement over the person¡¯s body changed his shape and revealed different parts. She stared away at the dragged figure. ¡®That¡¯s our school uniform!¡¯ Saki saw enough to jump to her own conclusions. Her eyes focused, waiting for the vines to move enough. ¡®Hitomi!¡¯ Saki rushed to the edge of her cell. Several cells still divided the two. Pressed against the bars, she tried to see her condition. Once Hitomi was within reach of Saki she stretched out her arm through the bars trying to get to the unconscious Hitomi. ¡°Hitomi! Can you hear me?¡± Her actions drew the attention of the vine covered man. He turned his hand towards her. An outstretched hand guided vines towards Saki. She drew back, but not in time to avoid all of the vines that grabbed at her. The plants took her by the arms, tying them together and picking her up by the waist. A meaningless struggle ended with her body flung to the back of the cell. Released, she dropped to the floor, coughing and dazed. ¡°Hitomi¡­¡± The man continued on dragging Hitomi behind him with her unable to keep up the pace. When he came to an empty cell the vines opened the door for him. The veins that held her tossed her inside unceremoniously. She slid without resistance across the cement coming to a stop after faint ripping of cloth. All that left her lips was a dull cough as though she was not awake. The cell door closed behind and the man left. Saki dragged herself across the floor closer to Hitomi. She struggled lifting her head up to see Hitomi, but she felt a little better seeing that Hitomi was still breathing. ¡®She looks so drained. What did he do to her? Did he do this to all of them? What is with those vines¡­it''s like he can control them¡­¡¯ But that would be impossible. Yet her eyes didn¡¯t lie. Hitomi¡¯s health gave her some comfort. Biting through the pain, Saki forced herself back to her feet. She gripped one of the bars to shake. It barely gave under her strength. ¡®There¡¯s got to be a way out¡­¡¯ Nothing made sense, but she needed to escape and free everyone. ¡®I feel like I¡¯ve entered into one of Yuki¡¯s books¡­¡¯ The stray thought reminded her that books weren¡¯t his first hobby. Her mind dragged her back into memory. A time before junior high when their roles were different. ¡°You should really stop picking so many fights, Yuki.¡± ¡°Whatever¡­¡± ¡°Yuki!¡± Saki narrowed her eyes in frustration knowing that he was ready for a fight and just needed a reason. Several older boys from the neighboring junior high stood in the sidewalk blocking their path. Saki stopped becoming hesitant from the looming glares that were etched across their faces. It was clear that they were looking for trouble. Yuki, however, continued on past them as though they were not even in his way. She hurried along not wanting trouble. ¡°Hey! You¡¯re that tough kid from Nayoi aren¡¯tcha?¡± The boys became frustrated at being ignored by Yuki. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m talking to you!¡± Yuki continued down the sidewalk not even twitching. ¡°You can¡¯t ignore me!¡± The boy charged from the group with him going after Yuki with his fist held out. The fist had hit Yuki hard in the back of his head. It knocked him to the ground, forcing his school bag to fly into the air. ¡°Huh? Not so tough?¡± The boy kicked Yuki in the ribs, getting a painful groan from him that seemed to draw out great pleasure for the junior high student. Saki tried to run through to help Yuki, but she was stopped by the other boys. ¡°Yuki!¡± The boys grabbed her arms holding back as she flailed. Yuki just stayed on the ground looking almost disinterested. Pain wrinkled Saki¡¯s face watching him getting beat up. Hesitation came from her. She knew what to say, but held her words. The dull thunk of his body hit echoed in her ears. Saki lowered her head, giving in. ¡°Help me, Yuki!¡± Tears started to drip down her cheeks. The words made it to his ears as he lay on the ground and his eyes snapped open wide. The boy¡¯s leg that was going for another swing suddenly stopped. His hand tightly holding it in place. A tormented tearful smile came over Saki as she watched him stand up. In moments, he had all of the boys bruised and sore collapsed on the sidewalk. He walked over to check on her. Her head looked away from him. ¡°Why? It¡¯s always like this¡­¡± ¡°I promised you. I would protect you.¡± They returned home. Resolve burned in Saki¡¯s eyes. She would change. ¡°What?! Are you sure, dear?¡± Saki¡¯s mother said, shocked by Saki out of the blue announcement. Saki stared up at her mother determined and not willing to back down from what she had decided. ¡°Yes! I want to take self defense classes!¡± Pulled back to the present, Saki tugged on the bar again. Nothing. She looked around the floor for anything to get leverage. From the far side of the warehouse wall the door unlocked and opened. The man covered in plants appeared once more walking down the aisle of cells. He came to stop in front of Saki¡¯s cell staring at her with a hollow glow from the darkness behind the vines that covered his eyes. Saki stared back, holding on to her resolve. There was some uncertainty still in her, but she was ready. ¡®I don¡¯t need you to keep that promise anymore. I can stand on my own. Yuki.¡¯ She fortified herself for what would come. Chapter 18 - Waking the Courage ¡®¡­Yuki¡­¡¯ Saki stepped forward towards the man unflinching. She hoped some answers would come out of this madness. ¡®I have to get Hitomi out of this¡­¡¯ When the cell door opened and the vines came to grab Saki she stepped forward letting them wrap around her arm and waist. Unlike Hitomi, he didn¡¯t cover her in vines. Saki walked out of the cell on her leash and stood next to him waiting for him to move. She felt like maybe she gained a bit of respect from him. As they walked, she saw fear and confusion in the other prisoners. ¡®¡­I¡¯ll come back for you¡­¡¯ Chapter 18 ¨C Waking the Courage The creaking sound she learned to be a heavy steel door at the far end of the warehouse. The man of vines pulled the door open giving Saki the lead for the moment. He followed behind her bringing the door to a tight close and placing the thick locking mechanism into place. The room behind the door was bright from an exposed bulb hanging from the ceiling by only the electrical wiring. It was accompanied by several other bulbs attached at the walls of the room dowsing all of the surfaces in a bleached white. The amount of light made it difficult to see details or judge the scale of the room. At the center of the room, there were two chairs. One of the chairs had straps at the armrest and back of the chair as well as where the legs would lay. The other was a simple metal chair just offset out of the main light. Heavy metal scrapping snapped her attention back to the door as it locked. She tried to look around the room in the short moments that she had, but it proved to be futile. ¡®It looks like an interrogation with all of the lights and the chair. I thought he was a kidnapper.¡¯ The man passed by her, keeping the vines wrapped around her. He went to the chair that would be for Saki. He arranged the straps attached to the chair, getting it prepared for use. Once readied, the vines pulled on Saki forcing her to walk towards the chair. She didn¡¯t need the nudge to know where she should go. Cooperation brought her so far, no sense stopping. Even so, it gave her a moment of pause. ¡®What¡¯s he planning to ask me?¡¯ She sat down in the chair allowing him to tie her down. It felt a little unnecessary for a questioning. He released the vines from Saki when he was finished with her. Afterwards, the man walked over to the second chair sitting down. The stranger stared through the void of the black gaps in the vines at Saki. A minute of silence passed before a light shined between them turning into form. Out of the ground came a rectangular box that slowly morphed into a rounded smooth surface that attached itself with a bolted leg to the cement ground. The still changing form soon became a monitor screen and panel with several holes along the back pointing towards Saki. It had a semi-organic appearance in the strange object that was made from plastic and metal. The man leaned forward placing his hands on the panel. It lit up upon his contact glowing from beneath. In front of him, a static filled screen shined in his face awaiting an image. His fingers tapped across the panel making a series of low noises before a final louder beep. The last signaled confirmation. Out of the holes came wires with a life of their own flying towards Saki. Staring at the animated wires, she withdrew as much as the chair allowed. The wires expanded at the end into flat circles that attached themselves to Saki¡¯s forehead and face. ¡®What¡¯s going on? What¡¯s he going to do to me?¡¯ Saki did not feel any pain from the wires, but the strange sense that something was about to happen. She heard beeping sounds from out of the thick light that surrounded her. The light prevented her from seeing beyond her immediate surroundings. Uncertainty grew to fill her entire body, weighing her down and making her start to sweat. ¡®I can handle this¡­¡¯ The static on the monitor warped for a moment and cycled starting to warm up in preparation. The final commands were input into the machine by the man. The screen sharply snapped to an image of Saki along with data and vitals running across the bottom. A jolt from the machine sparked through into Saki shaking her body. Her eyes widening in shock suddenly as she felt like a needle stabbed in her eye. The stabbing pain pierced through scrapping along her mind. Each twist and tear made her pull and turn in the straps trying to get through the pain. ¡®It feels¡­like¡­something is¡­invading me¡­I can¡¯t¡­stop it¡­¡¯ The first wave of pain came to a stop giving Saki a moment to breathe. She leaned against her bindings panting heavily trying to recover herself knowing that it would not be the end. ¡®What was that? What is he doing to me?¡¯ Saki could feel the sweat over her body soaking into her clothes. It had only been a few seconds, but it was the most excruciating pain she had ever felt before. ¡®I feel it returning¡­¡¯ Saki grounded her teeth together making them whine under the pressure and drip blood. The next wave was like dozens of needles all stabbing into her from different sides. Each probed deeper into her brain and twisted uncaring through each corner ripping up everything as it passed. She tried to hold back her voice, but the pain was overcoming her threshold to withstand. On the monitor were displayed grainy images to the man that poorly lit his eyes hid behind the vines. Each of the images did not last for long, but showed a young Yuki playing as well as Saki¡¯s mother. There were pictures of a classroom filled with elementary students. An annoyed twist in the vines rolled across his face as he began to manipulate the panel. The images began to gray and blurred suddenly rapidly changing. Striking pain racked through her head pushing deeper fighting against Saki¡¯s weakening resolve. The surge that struck her broke the last efforts she had to hold back in silence. Tears and screams slowly dragged out of her. ¡®I can¡¯t¡­take this¡­my head is¡­being pulled apart¡­¡¯ Saki tried to pull at the chair to get free from the invasion, but it was too strong for her. It was too much for her to endure anymore. It had to stop or she would die. The images on the screen slowed down once more becoming clearer showing an older Yuki and classroom from her high school. A pleased roll in the vines poured out as the monitor flipped through images into the depths of Saki¡¯s mind reaching closer to the present. The monitor went through pictures quickly. Then everything came to a stop suddenly sitting on an image that had Yuki and Ayumi walking in a school hall together. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. All of the pain came to an abrupt end. Saki slumped over with the straps being the only thing keeping her from falling over. ¡®Is it over? I can¡¯t feel¡­anything¡­¡¯ Saki tried to pull herself together, but nothing was moving for her. She couldn¡¯t even feel the sweat that was thinly coating her entire skin. Every nerve ending on her body was raw and ringing. It was as though static was flowing through her. ¡®I-I¡­Hitomi¡­¡¯ After a minute in silence, the man stood up from his chair letting the monitor and everything with it retract into the ground. He walked to the chair that held Saki beginning to undo the straps on her. His vines surrounded her waiting until she was free to be taken away. When the last strap on her leg loosened Saki¡¯s eyes came into focus and summoned her body back together. Her leg ripped through the strap, already nearly freed, striking the man in the chest knocking him back. Saki stood up on the chair using it for height. The chair bolted to the ground gave her a perfect platform to leap into a flying knee. Her knee struck his chest following up through his chin. The stranger fell backwards over his chair to the ground. ¡®He¡¯s still awake¡­ got to hurry¡­¡¯ Saki came to a landing on the floor rolling into the wall. Nothing after the knee was planned. She tumbled around trying to recover. ¡®Anything I can use? This light is too bright¡­¡¯ Saki pulled herself up while she scanned the room trying to get a better view, but still only seeing the bleached walls. She ran her hands over the walls feeling out for anything that she could find until she discovered glass. Saki ran over to pick up the metal chair that the man had been using and threw it. In the blinding white void, glass shattered to a pleasing tone. The hole breathed fresh cool air into the humid room and gave her an exit. Saki climbed up without a second thought. She made it halfway through the window before her leg stopped. A vine wrapped around her ankle. ¡®No! I gotta get out!¡¯ Saki struggled against the plant. Her waist pressed against the broken glass tearing into her school uniform. She braced her arms against the outside wall putting all of her weight against the leg. The strain felt like it started to stretch slightly like it would pop out on her. She bit through the pain knowing it paled in comparison to what she had already been through. The leverage and weight pushed her centimeter further. A sliver of hope reinforced her strength to keep going. Through half closed eyes she saw the ground just in reach. The grass and dirt felt like a haven. Her vision came into focus. A reflective surface bounced light on her face. ¡®A broken shard of glass!¡¯ It gave her an idea. She lowered her arm down fighting against the strain on her. Her fingers rolled over the edge bringing it a little closer to her grasp. A bit more stretching was all Saki needed. A tap and scrap, she snapped up the shard. Saki bent up to the window. Bracing with her shoulder, she balanced her body. She reached in with the glass shard wielding it like a knife. The outer skin of the vine resisted her slice. A couple more crude tears broke through. Frantically, Saki rubbed the edge ripping through until it snapped. The sudden release threw her out the window. A swarm of vines burst through the window in search. She rolled over and sprinted up demanding her legs not stop. The man pulled the vines back from the window looking out from the hole watching her disappear into the street. There seemed to be a satisfied and uncaring noise coming out of him as he turned away and walked to the door of the main interior. Saki concluded her recounting for the three. ¡°And I ran until I heard the train and got on it, taking it back here. I was trying to get to your house, Yuki. Someone I could trust with such a crazy story.¡± Saki leaned back against the couch, becoming a little tired from her story. The memories of what happened to her still were fresh and familiar. Her body still stung from the attack by that man. Hiroshi coughed to himself and stood up stretching his legs out. ¡°Well that was quite the tale. All a little weird, but sounds like a serial kidnapper to me.¡± ¡°O-oh dear¡­¡± Ayumi leaned in on Saki with tearing up eyes as though she was able to feel the pain that she was feeling. ¡°You¡¯re so strong, Saki¡­ I-I-I don¡¯t know if I could have been so brave.¡± Yuki couldn¡¯t help but be a little impressed with the vivid commitment to her act. She painted a convincingly strong emotion. ¡°You should get some rest, Saki.¡± Saki looked away from Ayumi to Yuki. A distant, yet surfacing intensity began to take over the glow in his eyes. ¡®He¡¯s going to go¡­¡¯ Worry, fear, pride, emotions stirred tightly in her heart watching him. Yuki stood up from the front of the couch looking around the living room for something. He stepped around everyone leaving them a little puzzled as his mind turned. A pad of paper on the shelf on the wall disappeared into his hand and he returned to Saki¡¯s side. ¡°Do you remember where the warehouse is?¡± ¡°Yuki?!¡± Hiroshi reached out for the pad to stop him. ¡°You can¡¯t be thinking that you-¡° ¡°No¡­¡± The soft features of his face carved away into sharp narrow reliefs. It was enough to stun Hiroshi. He fought against his hand from breaking the pencil that he was holding. A low boiling heat rolled over his body, an old familiar feeling. A snap of reality, he saw Hiroshi and smoothed out his face looking at Hiroshi with a smile. ¡°You think I¡¯m going to go try to get that guy that kidnapped and hurt Saki, right? I wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against a criminal like that. I¡¯m too weak to do anything directly. But I can still call the police and give them directions. It¡¯s the least that I can do. Right, Saki?¡± Yuki looked down at her, keeping his gentle smile. She had seen that smile before and it would have calmed her. However, she could see past it to his eyes. ¡®He¡¯s fighting it. He¡¯s going to go.¡¯ Saki smiled back at him nodding in agreement. ¡°Right, Yuki. Hitomi¡¯s still there. She needs to be rescued along with all of those other people.¡± Yuki nodded back to her and took down what Saki could remember of the location of the warehouse. It wasn¡¯t exact, but it would be enough. He put the pencil on the table and stood up. ¡°Thanks. I got it. I¡¯ll give the police a call now.¡± Yuki walked away from the center of the room, but stopped turning back to everyone. ¡°Hiroshi?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have enough in the first aid kit to treat all of the injuries that Saki has. Could you run down to the store and get some more supplies? Ayumi, can you watch Saki?¡± Hiroshi stared at Yuki for a moment in silence and then nodded back to him. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll be back as fast as I can!¡± Ayumi agreed to Yuki¡¯s request, allowing Yuki to go into the kitchen. Hiroshi rushed to the front door and left the house running down the store. Once Saki had laid back down, Ayumi walked into the kitchen catching Yuki tearing the paper out of the pad and shoving it in his pocket. ¡°Another one of your countrymen?¡± ¡°Correct, based on her description. I don¡¯t know what they¡¯re thinking taking hostages.¡± ¡°We¡¯re a step ahead this time. But bringing innocents into this political game...¡± The warmth poured out of his features. Yuki walked back into the living room staring at Saki resting on the couch. He burned the image into his mind to keep as a reminder. ¡®I¡¯ll make him pay for doing this to her!¡¯ Yuki walked to the front door where he was greeted by Jun along with Ken at the top of the stairs. Jun clung on to Yuki¡¯s school uniform with a concerned expression plainly planted on his face. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Jun. I¡¯m just going out to the store to get things for Saki. Can you keep an eye on her for me?¡± Jun narrowed his eyes as though he did not agree with what Yuki was doing. His small hands pulled tighter on Yuki¡¯s clothes, wrinkling them. Yuki knelt down looking Jun in the eyes directly. ¡°Hey¡­it¡¯s alright. You don¡¯t need to worry.¡± He could see that Jun was still not willing to let him go. ¡°Jun, please. I need you to watch Saki for me. This is important to me. You understand? I need you to do this for me, okay?¡± Jun fought the conflict that beset his mind and voice. However, Jun let go of Yuki looking down at the floor. ¡°Thank you, Jun. I¡¯ll be going now. Watch Saki for me.¡± Jun nodded to Yuki not keeping eye contact with him. Yuki stood up as Ayumi opened the door for them. He waved to his brothers and walked outside, closing the door behind him. Saki laid on the couch with her eyes closed with a cross frown on her face hearing Yuki leaving. ¡°Yuki you idiot¡­¡± Ayumi waited for Yuki in the street. When he met her she turned looking down to the city that was visible from the hill of the road in the neighborhood. ¡°Ready?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯ll make him suffer for hurting Saki! This is supposed to be between him and me. He¡¯s dragging in innocent people that have nothing to do with this. I can¡¯t forgive him for that!¡± Chapter 19 - Promises The directions that Saki gave him were fairly vague, but he could not fault her since she had been trying to escape from the place. Based on the description and the general location, Ayumi narrowed it down for them. The entire area was quite lacking much life at all with most of the buildings being abandoned or only used for storage. It made a perfect location for them to use their powers without being seen by the public. However, it could also be a perfect setup for a trap, a matter that Ayumi attended to now. Yuki watched from a distance half distracted as Ayumi searched the area in advance. His mind weighed heavily on Saki and what she had to go through from this assassin because of him. ¡®I said I would make him pay, but that¡¯s said so easily. Can I actually do it? My power doesn¡¯t work on command¡­¡¯ Ayumi walked back to Yuki having completed her task. ¡°Everything is clear now. There were a few traps, but they were poorly done. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Right...¡± Yuki pulled at his leg dragging it forward to follow up by Ayumi¡¯s side as she marched onward. He could still feel the aching thump in his heart spreading through him like a spider laying a web. ¡®¡­Saki¡­¡¯ Chapter 19 ¨C Promises Hiroshi returned to Yuki¡¯s house knocking on the door expecting to see Yuki. However, when the door opened for him it was Jun standing vacant and distant as he usually did. ¡°Hey, little man! I¡¯ve got some bandages and ointments for Saki¡¯s injuries.¡± He lifted up his bag of supplies to show Jun. Jun stepped out of the threshold to the side of the door nearly hiding behind it. Hiroshi walked through into the living room hearing the door shut behind him. When he searched the room there were no signs of Yuki or Ayumi anywhere in sight. He looked back at Jun seeing him walk around to Saki¡¯s side. ¡°Hey¡­ Where¡¯s your brother Yuki?¡± Jun turned to look at Hiroshi and paused for a moment long enough to get a few words out. Then he turned back, remaining silent the entire time. He turned his head slightly away sweating a little not certain what the look was supposed to mean. ¡®What¡¯s with Yuki¡¯s little brother. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve heard him say a single word the entire time I¡¯ve been here.¡¯ Hiroshi scratched his head a little puzzled and tried again with only the same results. ¡°¡­Hmm¡­ This is getting me nowhere.¡± ¡°Jun doesn¡¯t speak¡­¡± Saki said slowly as she opened her eyes. She pulled herself up from the couch looking a little better than she had before. ¡®You won¡¯t find Yuki, though.¡¯ ¡°Hey, should you be moving like that?¡± Hiroshi dropped the bag and came over to Saki¡¯s aid. Saki pulled the blanket off of her, dropping it onto the couch as she stood up on her own feet. She was tired of being an invalid that needed to be tended. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m feeling a lot better now.¡± For reasons she didn¡¯t understand, the stinging long left her. Only fatigue tied her down, even that faded. ¡°You don¡¯t look it,¡± He gestured generally to her appearance of a torn and dirty school uniform. All of the dirt on her face and body had been washed off, but it left the bruises that she had taken in order to get out. There was even blood soaked into her clothes from the glass. She looked down at herself. Shifting her body gave her a good look at her state. The movements were not slow or pained like she had remembered before. ¡®Probably not perfect shape, but I can do what I must like this.¡¯ Saki looked up at Hiroshi, stepping towards him. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I look worse than I am.¡± ¡°You need to lie down.¡± Hiroshi put his hands on her shoulders pushing back to the couch. He searched around the room trying to figure out where Ayumi went, who was supposed to be keeping Saki from doing anything stupid. Hiroshi struggled with Saki in getting her to sit on the couch, but managed to succeed eventually. After panting from the effort, Hiroshi bent down and picked up the bag showing it to her. ¡°See, I¡¯ve got medicine for you. It¡¯ll make you better.¡± ¡°I already told you that I¡¯m fine. I don¡¯t need it.¡± Saki looked at the bag quickly noting that there seemed to be an excessive amount of bandages. ¡®I¡¯m not that badly injured. Come on, Hiroshi. Use that small brain you got to think.¡¯ Hiroshi dropped the bag on Saki¡¯s lap staring down at her. He gave her a completely serious stare, which was a little atypical coming from him. ¡°Listen here. I¡¯m not letting you go anywhere. This is the police¡¯s job, not yours. And besides, you¡¯re injured. If I can beat you in a contest of strength then it¡¯s clear that you¡¯re in no condition to be moving.¡± Saki stared down at the bag having listened, grudgingly, to Hiroshi''s argument. She narrowed her eyes, becoming frustrated with her condition. ¡°Fine¡­¡± Yuki and Ayumi stared at the door of the warehouse. Yuki had been trying to open it and look a little more useful, but made no headway. Stoic features held for her, even if it started to embarrass her to watch. She waited until he gave up and slid down the front of the large sliding door that was meant to let in trucks for unloading. ¡°Done?¡± Yuki glared back at Ayumi not liking the tone in her voice. ¡°Looks like it is locked from the inside.¡± He stood up facing the door getting a few steps away while lifting up his hands straight at the door. ¡°Guess it¡¯ll have to be taken down. HA!!¡± He tried to summon up his power thinking that he could blow apart the door. Ayumi had come to her limits of humoring him. She marched forward knocking him on the head with her hand. ¡°Stop your screaming. You need to stop reading that manga of yours. We¡¯re trying to get in quietly and not alert the enemy to our presence. Which we probably lost by now.¡± A bit of disappointment washed over him when a ki blast or other form of energy attack didn¡¯t miraculously pop out of his palm. So much for clear images like she told him. The expression quickly changed to narrowed eyes and wrinkled brow. ¡°But the door¡¯s locked. We can¡¯t get in. And wouldn¡¯t he already know that we¡¯re here with how long we¡¯ve been standing around? Why do we need to be quiet?¡± ¡°Use your head for once. We don¡¯t know where all of the people that he¡¯s kidnapped are. Blowing up the door could get them injured or killed. And I don¡¯t want to be broadcasting our entrance to him, even if he does know where we are. Being quiet is better.¡± As his military superior, he couldn¡¯t deny the logic. He hadn¡¯t considered the consequences. ¡°Well how do you plan to get in without making noise? You going to pick the lock?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ayumi positioned herself in front of the door and closed her eyes. A blue wave pushed away from her feet. In addition to snow appearing, her clothes transformed. The red dress was painted over with white. A brief flash popped the dress into a pale blue and white kimono, but rather than fully reaching to the snow it cut off shortly after the waist. White shorts covered the rest of her thighs with simple boots for protection. The snow field expanded around her, filling out into the grass covering it all in a few centimeters of snow as well as the door in front of her. The snow covered and went through the door finishing in an arc that equaled the range of her field. She pressed her hands up against the hardened snow and pushed it through what used to be a solid metal door. The snow cracked and crumbled around her arms that pierced the wall. Her arms pulled out with her hands taking some of the snow with it leaving a gaping hole. Soon after she placed her hands back at her side as the cracks in the snow grew from the weakness that she created causing it all to crumble into a pile on the ground producing a wide archway into the warehouse. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Once it was over Yuki pulled his jaw back up, closing his mouth and ran around to Ayumi¡¯s side turning glossy eyed at her. ¡°Wow, Ayumi! That¡¯s so cool! Didn¡¯t know you could do that!¡± Ayumi sighed in disbelief at his reversal in attitude. ¡°Creativity. Remember that.¡± She stared at him for a moment realizing that little was getting through his head from being so excited by tearing down the door. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go. The enemy is somewhere inside.¡± Ayumi marched cautiously inside scanning side to side.. No interior light limited her sight. Only the windows and hole she made provided light. However, all the cells Saki reported being occupied were now empty. All of the cells on the far side of the warehouse were left with their doors open. ¡®What¡¯s going on here? Where are they?¡¯ Yuki snapped out of his excitement when he caught up to the changing events. He rushed inside with Ayumi stopping well in front of her looking around the room. The view in the warehouse made it difficult for him to scan the room making it nearly impossible for him to find the assassin that was responsible for everything. ¡°Ayumi, where¡¯s the people that Saki talked about?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°I let them go,¡± a muffled smooth voice said from the far end of the warehouse. The man approached from the shadows protected by the darkness. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Yuki still didn¡¯t understand this assassin¡¯s motive. He gave up his leverage. The man slowly marched closer to them. His footsteps started to ring clearer. ¡°There¡¯s no need for them when I found what I was searching for.¡± ¡°What were you searching for? You knew where-¡° Yuki was suddenly cut off by a sudden blur in front of him that became Ayumi standing between the two of them. ¡°What were you doing with the people you took?¡± The man came to stop at the edge of the light only letting the sun¡¯s rays travel up to his waist highlighting his white pants. ¡°Hmm? Oh¡­Ayumi is it? Changing your name, huh? I didn¡¯t know you cared about these strangers?¡± He caught the thin glaring eyes of Ayumi nearly letting out an amused laugh. ¡°Alright. You took out the advanced scouting team before they could report back on their location. So I was sent out to find you and let them know.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Yuki leaned around Ayumi as she seemed to take everything directed at him. ¡®Advanced scouting team? Does he mean those two assassins?¡¯ ¡°Seems giving them the orders to kill and report back if impossible, proved to be a mistake on the higher-ups part. You proved to be more trouble than we planned for.¡± ¡°Enough wasting time, what were you doing with those people?¡± Ayumi stepped back into the conversation not wanting to be ignored. The angered expression on her face was something new unseen before by Yuki. ¡°I was getting to that. So impatient¡­Ayumi¡­¡± said the man, getting an amused tone again by saying her name. ¡°I interrogated them for information.¡± ¡°You raped their minds!¡± ¡°Tsk¡­such a crass word. Memories don¡¯t lie like people do. It is the most certain way to learn the truth. I let her escape when I found her memories. That scared little girl proved excellent bait to deliver your friend to me. Seems like I calculated correctly. She ran back to you and brought you to me without needing to leave.¡± ¡°You let Saki go?!¡± Yuki said surprised that it was planned out. He started to become angered by the casual manner that the man talked about what he had done to Saki and the others. The man turned a smile at seeing the reactions that he was getting. ¡°Of course. You think I would be that easily escaped if I wanted to keep her. I just had to make it look convincing enough and here you are now.¡± ¡°So there¡¯s no one but us in here?¡± She had been holding herself back the whole time, but could not stand to listen to the self-important man anymore. ¡°Most of them at least. Some of them were too afraid to leave.¡± ¡®Damn¡­it¡¯ll have to do.¡¯ Ayumi stepped forward bringing her field into contact with the man seeing that it battled part way to him. ¡®His field¡¯s already up.¡¯ She knew that she had to end this quickly, but his powers were unknown to her. It would have been beneficial to have meant him, knowing his Law set. His advantage appeared to be at range, given how Saki described him. Such a target would be difficult to eliminate. She needed to learn his style to build a plan. ¡®I need to see his mental strength.¡¯ Ayumi raised up her hand as the snow under it drew up to her palm floating just under it. The snow gathered quickly stretching out to the length of her arm and hardening becoming ice. The ice sharpened to a point that launched itself as a projectile towards the man. The man didn¡¯t move to avoid the attack from Ayumi. He seemed to be confident in it not affecting him. A vine came up from the ground grabbing the ice spear just before it hit the man. The shard was wrapped up completely by the plant coiling around it like a snake and tightening its grip until it shattered to pieces. ¡°Hrmph. Testing me are you? Glad to see you aren¡¯t underestimating me.¡± He stepped out of the shade into the light from Ayumi¡¯s hole revealing his vine covered face that Saki had described during her story. He raised his right hand up as a signal that released several vines from the ground that shot out at Ayumi. The speed of the attack took Ayumi a little by surprise as she pulled her hand back forcing up snow into a thick wall. Vines slammed into the solid with an unseen thud to signal her safety. She exhaled a warm breath in the cold air as she prepared for her next attack. Her hands clasped together bringing her focus, but stopped suddenly when cracks could be heard in her wall. Ayumi drew her attention down to the ice, seeing green plants crawling over the interior of the ice tunneling through slowly. She had to dodge out of the way as one of the exposed vines shot out at her, narrowly missing. ¡°Ayumi!¡± Yuki rushed to her side after seeing the attack. He tried to help her up to her feet, but she pushed him away with her arm. ¡°Ayumi?¡± Ayumi stood up with her back turned to Yuki. ¡°Go find a place to hide! It¡¯s too soon for you.¡± She walked forward breaking down the wall ice. His vines retreated after the attack. They hovered at his feet awaiting a command to strike. ¡°I won¡¯t let you touch him!¡± Yuki slowly stepped back. He turned his head down looking at his hands hearing Ayumi charging towards the man. The battle between the two had begun and he was left out. ¡®Go find a place to hide!¡¯ Her words pounded against his head knocking him again. ¡®I¡¯m useless¡­ All my anger and commitment, empty¡­ Ayumi¡¯s out there protecting me from that man trying to kill me. I-I¡­¡¯ His hands shook knowing already without needing to be said. ¡®I¡¯ve already tried! I want to help, but I can¡¯t! It won¡¯t work! Why¡¯d I think I should have come¡­¡¯ A pained groan from Ayumi snapped Yuki out of his internal dilemma. He looked up, seeing Ayumi bleeding from her right arm, taking a shallow hit from a vine that she had been unable to cut down with her sword. It did not seem to be slowing her down as she charged forward again using the ice to block vines coming at her as she cut away those she could not. ¡°Ayumi¡­¡± Yuki stepped forward a little, but held himself back when he realized that he could not do anything to aid her. ¡®She would only scold me again. Ayumi¡¯s in there fighting and getting hurt because of me.¡¯ He tightened his hands into fists frustrated by his inability to control his power. ¡®I don¡¯t want to be helpless. I have to do something!¡¯ Yuki closed his eyes trying to remember the feeling that he had before when he had his power and clear out his mind of thoughts. ¡®I must. I¡¯m sorry, but I have to break my promise, mother.¡¯ He focused on when he was desperate before, when his family was in danger. Yuki shouted up to the ceiling in blind desperation. ¡°Hey! What do you think you¡¯re doing screaming? It¡¯s killing my ears!¡± a high pitched voice to Yuki¡¯s left said before it kicked him in the face. Yuki rudely snapped out of his trance and blinked his eyes looking over to what had hit him. ¡°What?!¡± When his eyes finally focused together the fairy, from before that he had summoned accidently with Saki, floated in front of him looking very annoyed. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know you called me.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Yuki widened his eyes and stepped back in disbelief. ¡°No I didn¡¯t! I was trying to use my power!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t shout at me, mister!¡± The fairy kicked him in the face again leaving a second red mark. ¡°Stop kicking me! If I summoned you, don¡¯t kick me!¡± He leaned in on the fairly losing any manners of decency that he had before. The fairy pressed up into his face, not pleased by the loud obnoxious treatment that she received from Yuki. ¡°You can¡¯t order me around. I¡¯ll kick you as much as I want!¡± Upon which, she kicked him again to prove her point to him. Yuki held his sore cheeks in his hand glaring at the annoying little fly. ¡°Get back in my mind now!¡± He grabbed the fairy in his hand and threatened to do exactly that. However, before he was able to do anything Ayumi shouted at him. ¡°Yuki lookout!¡± Yuki turned his head. The foreigner changed targets away from her. There were several vines flying straight at him and Ayumi was caught up by some other vines keeping her from being able to intervene. His eyes widened in shock as he knew that he wasn¡¯t going to be able to get out of the way in time. All he could do was protect himself with his arms bringing them up to take the hits with the fairy flailing in his hand panicking. Blood and the slicing of flesh echoed around Yuki¡¯s ears as he was knocked to the ground losing his hold on the fairy, which flew away to safety in the rafters. Yuki took a moment, but realized quickly that he wasn¡¯t hurting. He opened his eyes seeing Saki in front of him with her arms bleeding from being hit by the vines. ¡°Saki!?¡± Yuki leapt to his feet to get to Saki in time, but she put her arm out stopping him. He was taken aback by her endurance to be standing still. ¡°Yuki¡­ I made you a promise. I¡¯m not about to break it now!¡± Saki narrowed her face, staring down at the man in vines ready to challenge him. She wasn¡¯t going to let him hurt Yuki anymore. Chapter 20 - My Brothers Keeper The pain in her arms sharpened her attention. It reminded her that she had someone to protect. ¡®Hitomi¡­Yuki¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Hiroshi.¡¯ Saki felt her leg muscles tighten on her preparing for her to spring forward, already warmed up from the sprinting that she had to get back to the warehouse. A burst from her feet sprung her into the combat that Ayumi was already engaged with the man of vines. Chapter 20 ¨C My Brother¡¯s Keeper ¡°Saki!¡± Yuki tried to move his body, but it wouldn¡¯t budge for him as though it seemed to know something that he did not. He couldn¡¯t stand seeing Saki out there getting hurt because of him. Yet there was nothing that he had been able to do to change it. It was like this for him all the time. ¡®Why can¡¯t I move? She can¡¯t fight this sort of person. He¡¯s not normal. Move legs! Saki¡¯s going to get killed out there!¡¯ Ayumi pulled her focus back on the assassin after the sudden arrival of Saki to protect Yuki. She cut away the vines that got in her way. An annoyed expression came over her as she dealt with the vines like they were beneath her. The sword tightened in her hands glowing off the light behind her as she readied her assault. Saki didn¡¯t wait for any word from Ayumi as she charged straight for the man without any consideration for her safety. She put up her arms to take a couple vines. Blood sprayed into the air as she pushed on to her target. Nothing stopped her as vines attempted to take hold of her, but missed getting a hold. The speed of a sprinter gave her an advantage that the assassin was not expecting from Saki. Closer to the man, more vines came up to stop her slicing at her clothes trying to put up a wall to stop her. Single minded focus drove her deeper. Ayumi extended her snow up, freezing the vines in place. This gave Saki a hurdle to jump over. Lifting off from the frozen platform, she used all her momentum to throw herself into the air. Recklessly, she flew in feet first to her target. All the vines grasped at the air as she sailed through landing her feet directly in the chest of the man. The impact knocked him back, kicking the air out of him. Stunned for the moment, Ayumi took her opening and followed up as Saki came to a rough landing in the snow. The sword in Ayumi¡¯s hands hung down against the snow as she charged forward drawing it up in an arc. A flash of the blade against the assassin ripped through staggering the man backwards. Saki returned to her feet, ignoring the tears to her school uniform, staring down the assassin. She couldn¡¯t tell if they ended the fight. She waited. Ayumi leapt back after finishing her attack. The vines had broken free from her ice and threatened to attack if she pressed a kill. ¡®Not dead yet¡­ And his vines seem to have a mind of their own. Explains a few things.¡¯ The moment to breathe was coldly welcomed by Ayumi as she turned to Saki next to her. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing and attacking so recklessly too?¡± Heavy breathing from Saki had held back her words as she caught herself and brought her body¡¯s rhythm back under control. ¡°Can we debate this after we defeat him?¡± Saki pulled her hands up sliding herself into an offensive stance ready to strike at the slightest movement. All of her training at the dojo was going to be put to the test. ¡°What do you mean ¡®we¡¯? This one¡¯s mine. You don¡¯t stand a chance against someone like this. You¡¯ll only get in my way.¡± ¡°I just kicked the guy. I¡¯m not defenseless here. And last I checked, you don¡¯t have any martial training.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not who¡­ No, that wasn¡¯t enough to kill him.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t really have the time to debate this. From my perspective I just helped you. So until that stops being the case, I¡¯m staying.¡± Ayumi caught the change in demeanor from Saki seeing the serious look in her eyes. ¡®There¡¯s no convincing her.¡¯ A sigh came out of Ayumi¡¯s mouth as she looked down at the ground. Around the snow laid the remaining vines still focused on by the man. She lowered her off hand to her side as the snow pushed aside revealing a narrow length of ice. The ice rose up until it came into contact with her hand. Her hand grasped the end of the ice breaking it free from the ground and whipped it sharply through the air. In a blur it cleanly morphed into a basic straight sword. ¡°If you¡¯re going to fight, take this. It¡¯s lighter than a metal one, but about as strong and sharp. It shouldn¡¯t slow down your movements.¡± Ayumi tossed the ice sword over to Saki, being caught quickly. ¡°Just don¡¯t leave the snow or it¡¯ll disappear.¡± Questions that should have been asked went silent. In the heat of battle acceptance won over. Saki gave Ayumi a short smile and nod in understanding. She looked down at the sword, seeing partly through the semi-opaque blade. It was cool, but not freezing to her hand nor did it even melt. She had never felt ice like this before. ¡°Right! A little different from what I¡¯m used to.¡± They drew towards the shade where the man began to move again with the vines surrounding him putting up a net like barrier. Out of the darkness came a smooth, nearly sweet and kind voice that seemed amused. ¡°You¡¯ve come back for your revenge? This should be interesting.¡± The man stepped forward bringing the plants with him reaching the edge of the light. A green light suddenly burst from him altering all of the ground around him into a green field of grass and vines with flowers interspersed throughout. The Field collided with Ayumi¡¯s snow melting and shifting fighting over dominance. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. The barrier around him dropped away with the vines returning into the ground whispering in wait. The man revealed himself to be surprisingly handsome behind the vines taking the two back a step. He had a fair face and soft light blue eyes that matched with his voice that made him appear younger than he truly was. Medium brown hair finished off his young appearance kept short and close to his face accenting his shape. His white uniform was replaced by loose green pants that tied at the ankles with red tape. A matching green short trench coat cut off just a little after the thighs. Cuts in the cloth at four sections covered around him except for the middle section in front of him. The coat buttoned half way up with a long strip of material wrapping around from the right side of the coat over and behind snapping into place at his back. Underneath his coat was a red tank top kept neatly in place. A red sash tied in around his coat at the waist keeping all of the excess from being free. Along his right sleeve there were several red strips wrapped matching in color for the bordering that went around the coat. ¡°Getting serious now?¡± Ayumi narrowed her eyes, not certain how much of a change this would be now that he had pulled out his full power. ¡°Indeed. It seems that I must, now that it is two on one,¡± he said with a pleasant smile on his face. He grabbed a vine that was slithering along his shoulder and ripped in two taking the length of it. The two girls moved slightly, adjusting their stances defensively, uncertain by the act. ¡°So cautious.¡± In his hand the vine appeared to wither and die turning brown thinning out. It slowly turned leathery in texture until it became a whip that he coiled up in his hand. ¡°Shall we?¡± He turned himself a little adjusting his stance with the whip staying further away. ¡®He¡¯s enjoying this¡­¡¯ Saki shifted her defense to adjust for the change. Out of the corner of her eye she monitored Ayumi¡¯s movements planning to time her actions in step. The intensity in the air increased with Saki feeling the lethality. She planted herself firmly, she wouldn''t turn away. The man¡¯s vines lunged forward out of the ground at the both of them with his hands giving orders to increase their reaction time. Ayumi and Saki leapt out of the way to evade only to be immediately countered with more plants changing direction almost instantly. Arcs of blades danced through the air. The two landed on the ground a moment after with the drop of the pieces of plants in the snow. Saki used her leg strength to get into striking distance while Ayumi worked to slow the progress of the plants with her ice. The man brought up the whip in his hand that suddenly gleamed like a razor slashing at the ice sword in Saki¡¯s hand. The blade snapped off without challenge as the whip followed through slicing through the cloth on her shoulder and skin as well throwing blood up. Saki rolled out of the way quickly, seeing that her attack failed. Once stopped, she stared questioningly at the sword. The blade suddenly restored its lost shape, growing out to return to its normal length. She turned her head over her shoulder catching Ayumi''s gaze. More questions filled the back of her mind. ¡°That sword will never do you any good at this distance.¡± ¡°I guess we¡¯ll see.¡± Ayumi pushed closer, breaking the vines away held frozen in ice. She cut away a strike of vines trying to make ground towards the man. New vines surfaced to block her way. Some flowers suddenly grew with the vines making her cautious. Buds popped up on the vines as well opening into small flowers of red and orange. It was only moments before needles launched from the opened buds. Ayumi reacted by raising up snow to take the hits. Yuki watched from the back with his fingers biting into his palms frustrated with his inability to help. From his view he could see Saki getting hurt because of him repeatedly. He knew that she was losing blood and had to be losing her strength, but there was nothing that he could do. ¡®Why can¡¯t I help her at a time like this? Aren¡¯t I supposed to gain strength from seeing her hurt? Aren¡¯t I supposed to find my power and save her? Why?¡¯ He dropped to the ground pounding his fists against the cement ignoring the pain. ¡®I want to help! Saki needs me! I need to do something!¡¯ Yuki coughed, feeling a pain stabbing at him from the wounded sounds of Saki echoing through him. She was visible to him even if he did not look at her. It was clear to him what was happening and every injury she took cut deeper in him. ¡®Saki! Please¡­ Saki¡­¡¯ Saki tried to evade the swing of the whip, but her legs were slowing down. She held up the sword hoping that it would take some of the impact away from the whip before it sliced into her. The amount of small cuts she had taken started to add up draining away her life through the blood that dripped and soaked into her clothes. The sword held against the whip this time as it spun around the blade catching both of them a little off guard. However, while Saki tried to understand, the man seemed to know almost immediately. ¡°Focusing on this sword now too, Ayumi? Divide your attention too much...¡± Ayumi dropped to the ground throwing her fists into the snow producing a shockwave in the snow. The nearby snow altered its state into ice daggers. A moment later, they flew out in front of her ripping through the plants. They came to a halt at a second layer of vines acting as a barrier to the man. ¡°You talk too much. Start fighting and stop with these games.¡± ¡°Did I wound your pride?¡± The barrier lowered, spinning quickly around him. They changed their state, sounding almost like a saw blade as the edges became narrow and razor in form. ¡°Very well. If you wish for me to be serious it is your funeral.¡± The whip in his hand changed again. Still wrapped around Saki¡¯s sword, barbs of metal grew out of the leather. It pulled on her sword threatening to break her stance until the weapon disappeared from her hands. Only for an instance, but long enough for the whip to drop and the sword re-materialize. Saki tried to step back, but felt the kicked up gusts from vines spinning behind her. She didn¡¯t realize she had become caught in his trap. ¡®So many of these things are beyond me, but I¡¯ve got to focus on what I know and can do. However, Ayumi keeps baiting him into being serious. I don¡¯t know how much more of this I can take.¡¯ She clinched her hands around the hilt of the sword tightly using its stability for her own to give a foundation as she stared down the foreigner. Blood continued to slowly pour down her arms, wetting her hands and the green ground underneath. Out of the spinning vines came hundreds of needles that Ayumi blocked with her ice wall. However, the attack was not over as dozens of vines launched at her shattering the wall. The destroyed ice wall and array of needles knocked her back. ¡®The strikes are faster and sharper than before¡­ My usual tricks aren¡¯t going to stop him anymore. Will I have to¡­¡¯ Ayumi bit through the pain as needles dug into her skin and thick vines ripped through her clothes drawing blood. Saki suddenly felt the sword melt in her warm hands as though the state of the water had just changed. However, she did not have a chance to question it as the barbed whip came at her shattering the blade into dust. A quick follow up, hit her across her chest and back as it wrapped her around. The metal barbs dug into her skin forcing her to grind her teeth together just to bear with the pain. Her pain did not cease as the man sadistically pulled the whip back. As it returned, it tore through her flesh and clothes, ripping her skin open. Blood sprayed over the ivy under her as she collapsed screaming. The pendulum of battle swung back. Chapter 21 - Pieces that Remain A perilous balance wavered. Plant life and snow intermingled in a strange scene of a vibrant green winter. Yet crimson painted in arcs and splashes stained all. For the moment, the tense struggle between dueling aspects of nature remained even. The advantage swung back to plants in the last moments. ¡°Saki!¡± Yuki snapped back his head hearing her screaming through the barrier. He didn¡¯t know what happened to her, but seeing Ayumi laying on her back bleeding into the snow gave him enough of an idea. ¡°Saki!¡± His fingers dug in his palms drawing blood as his eyes widened and pupils shrank in fear and anger. ¡®I¡¯ve got to do something now! Saki¡¯s in pain! Saki!¡¯ Yuki¡¯s eyes suddenly flashed for a moment before fading away as he pounded the ground again having not received the power that he needed to save them. Ayumi was struck again with vines before she could pull up defenses piercing her while Saki screamed from repeated attacks. ¡®Damn¡­ he¡¯s poisoned the tips of his plants too. I can¡¯t feel my body anymore.¡¯ Her field weakened. She felt his field encroaching on her, strengthening his attacks each time. Everything slowed down, sluggish, for her as she attempted to pull away from the next assault only to fail and receive even more vines piercing through her body. She bit through the pain as her lips tasted blood from internal injuries. In the distance, it seemed like Saki had grown quiet. No longer visible over the spinning vines, her body occluded by that which protected the man. Another wave of vines came after Ayumi to finish her off. The plants flashed at her leaving Yuki screaming for her knowing that she couldn''t take anymore. The strikes hit with snow being kicked up, clouding everything around Ayumi. Seconds ticked by as the snow cloud hung in the air around where Ayumi collapsed. When the cloud finally cleared the vines were stuck in the ground, but Ayumi stood on her feet having evaded the strike. Yuki blinked in shock and relief to see that she looked better suddenly. Ayumi sliced away the plants with her sword starting to move towards the man with restored determination in her eye. ¡°Yuki¡­¡± Her voice barely reached beyond her. Too much pain and injuries weakened her body, left to be ripped apart by the whip. It felt like her life drained away. All of her clothes were soaked and barely hanging together. The barbed whip lashed out going for her throat to end it. A dull pinging rang out as the whip came towards Saki revealing the sword in her hand having returned. Saki narrowed her eyes, suddenly restoring her spirit. Piercing and scathing pain calmed. The assassin stepped back having been unbalanced by the strange resurgence of the two girls. He scanned Ayumi and Saki trying to find his answer, but was drawn away from either of them. His vision became centered on the boy on the ground away from them all. ¡°I see. I understand now.¡± The man looked back at the two seeing the wounds that they had sustained mending themselves and restored vitality back to them. ¡°I thought he was just dead weight, but you kept him back there on purpose. He¡¯s healing your wounds for support.¡± Subtle green particles floated down through the air barely noticeable, they hadn¡¯t been present before. Ayumi continued forward, throwing her ice around to break through the vines. She steadily built into a march cutting a path. ¡®I wish I could say that I planned it. Unfortunately, that is not the case. He¡¯s useless still. You give him too much credit.¡¯ ¡°Yuki¡­¡± Saki looked over at him through all of the plants that were between them. So much flew past her understanding. All that she seemed to grasp was Yuki did something. More questions. ¡®If only I was stronger I could keep my promise. Yuki¡­¡¯ Saki focused her eyes on the assassin before her. ¡®I made that promise to him. I¡¯ve got to keep it so he doesn¡¯t have to fight anymore.¡¯ The assassin began to have trouble keeping back Ayumi who threw everything at him. Ice ripped into the spinning barrier. None of his attacks were getting through and every time that she barely got cut it healed almost immediately due to Yuki. Saki used the distraction to charge at the man throwing her sword at him. Vines reflexively stopped it from reaching the target. However, Saki didn¡¯t end the attack as she used the sword as a ledge to jump off. Turning her leap into a flip, she connected her feet into the man¡¯s face knocking him off balance. Defensively, the remaining vines pulled back instinctually to protect. Ayumi marched through with the distraction to tear down the rest of the vines. The man was finally exposed. Saki landed on the ground and shrank sliding to the ground as vines slashed at her. She extended her legs out, spinning her body around to hit the vines back at him. The foreigner staggered back from the quick follow-up. Off balance now, Saki pulled her legs back towards her. Pushing off with her hands, she launched like a spring. A much taller figure than her, she used one of her lessons for dealing with larger opponents. She wrapped her legs around his neck using her weight to pull him down. The vines scrambled to claw and break her free, even as she healed. ¡°Ayumi!¡± She leaned back, toppling the man in her pin. Vines surrounded her on the ground even as she refused to release him. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Ayumi already prepared an attack, recognizing Saki¡¯s plan. Ice spikes from her field grew and flew at the assassin. Each dug into the enemy piercing him in several locations on his body, quickly dripping blood from his mouth. The life in his eyes was starting to fade as the plants and field vanished into the air. Yuki leapt up to his feet running into the both of them suddenly finding his strength. ¡°Saki!¡± He dove down fighting through vines regardless of the pain, even as the plants started to fade away. Ayumi walked over to the dying assassin looking down at his bleeding, soon to be, corpse with her sword up ready to finish him off. The man did not seem to have any fear or surprise, but more peaceful in spite of having lost. ¡°They already know. There will be¡­no hiding any longer.¡± ¡°You told them where to find him before we arrived. I won¡¯t let them kill him.¡± A painful laugh came from the man until Ayumi ended his life with the sword through his heart. The assassin quickly stopped soon afterwards as the blood continued to pour into the snow. Ayumi dropped her field and collapsed to one knee panting heavily to get her breath. ¡°He pushed me to my limits¡­¡± ¡°Ayumi?!¡± Yuki tilted his head in surprise as he lifted up Saki to check on her. He looked back at Saki and again at Ayumi, not certain what he should do with the two girls. ¡°Saki? Are you¡­¡± He did not know what happened to Saki after the vines had grabbed her. He hoped that his fears were just being exaggerated and she would open her eyes, but she remained motionless. ¡°Saki¡­ please¡­¡± Saki still features held firm against Yuki¡¯s pleads, but it was all shattered by a brief coughing. Yuki lifted Saki up so that she was sitting to give her a more comfortable position. ¡°Yuki¡­¡± She coughed again feeling out her body that was quickly returning back to her. The pain that she felt across her muscles drained away with all of the wounds that she took from the spiked and bladed plants last desperate attack. ¡°Yuki¡­¡± Chapter 21 ¨C Pieces that Remain ¡°Saki! You¡¯re alive!¡± ¡°Yes¡­ somehow¡­¡± Confusion and relief came over her as she looked at herself. It surprised her that she succeeded against the kidnapper. So many strange occurrences and near death experiences added to the pressing questions. ¡®My promise remains, Yuki. I¡¯m glad.¡¯ ¡°You¡¯re an idiot¡­¡± Ayumi marched over to the two of them, appearing perfectly healthy. Fatigue gripped her words and eyes despite appearances. Saki grinned sheepishly at Ayumi knowing that it was the truth. ¡°Sorry. You feeling alright? You look fine, but you sound terrible.¡± Ayumi dropped to the ground roughly as though she had been barely holding herself up the entire time. ¡°My body may be perfect due to Yuki¡¯s field, but no amount of healing can restore mental energies that I spent during the fighting.¡± She hung her head down still drawing up long breaths like she had run for miles at her hardest. ¡°Fighting? What do you even call that? Yuki¡¯s field?¡± As the adrenaline of the battle cooled, reality began to catch up. The need for questions rose quickly. Yuki looked over at Ayumi, concerned because he had never seen her look so fatigued. Though he also hadn¡¯t seen a real drawn out fight between two powers. He turned back, chiming in for an answer. ¡°She¡¯s talking about this power that the two of us have!¡± Blinking, she stared checking for the joke. Yet he delivered it with cheer and enthusiasm. That really didn¡¯t help answer anything. ¡°Power? Yuki, is this another one of your book dreams?¡± ¡°What?! No, this is real, as weird as that sounds. Er¡­um, hm, well how to¡­¡± Exhausted and a little short on patience, Ayumi pushed herself back up. She stared at the two. ¡°This isn¡¯t the right place for that conversation. Turn off your field, Yuki and let¡¯s get out of here.¡± ¡°What field? It¡¯s not on, well maybe it is, there was that fairy, I guess. Is it?¡± He leaned over to Saki for confirmation and she just blankly shook her hand staying out of it. ¡°Subconscious still¡­¡± At the moment, she was just glad it didn¡¯t come in the form of the rock defense. ¡°You have a field on right now, Yuki. You just didn¡¯t realize it.¡± ¡°Huh? When?¡± The whole powers thing remained new and unknown to him. It didn¡¯t have a feeling like he thought it would. A glance down just found concrete. If a field was up, like Ayumi explained to him, there would be a change. ¡°I thought you said there would be a visible change.¡± ¡°A field doesn¡¯t need a visible component to be active, I believe I said that before. During the fight, you activated it. There were no visible signs of it, but the effects could be seen. You created a healing field that provided high-speed restoration. That was how we were able to keep fighting after all of those injuries.¡± Ayumi paused for a moment to breathe again, not feeling any better and knowing it would not change for some time. ¡°Even now it is still on, that¡¯s why neither of us have any wounds.¡± ¡°That¡¯s was Yuki?¡± All this mystery started to make some weird bit of sense to her. It still left her with a million questions. But she had to accept things for the moment. ¡°Then all of that¡­¡± She looked down at her arms and body remembering the wounds that she had taken. ¡°How do I turn it off if I don¡¯t know it¡¯s on?¡± The maid and samurai came to mind once more. He looked with pleading eyes to Ayumi for a better answer than the one he found. Anymore and he might get brain damage. Her lack of an immediate response started to panic him. Saki didn¡¯t follow it all, but leaned to look at Ayumi for the answer as well. ¡°Well Ayumi? What do you suggest?¡± Ayumi could not stand up on her own still and watching Yuki freaking out was only making her feel even more tired. ¡°Just give him a good hit to the head. That¡¯ll work.¡± Such a basic answer surprised Saki. That couldn¡¯t be the right answer, right? ¡°You sure?¡± She looked at Yuki who quickly started to turn pale. A bit of sweat started again as she watched her friend transition through panic and fear. However, no further answer came from Ayumi. As much as Saki stared for a reply, she just got a silent confirmation. She turned to Yuki, who looked like a baby deer caught. Swallowing slowly, she had to accept the solution. Tightening up her fist, she noticed like Ayumi said, her body felt fine. Some fatigue and low energy pervaded her body, but no pain. It all felt like a dream, a phantom of something worse. So little of anything made sense. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Yuki¡­¡± Resigned to his fate, he tilted his head forward for her. ¡°No, no, this is the way¡­¡± The longer she waited the worse it would be for him, and her. Saki took one last breath and swung quickly, like giving a flu shot. A swift strike, she knocked Yuki to the ground stunned. Immediately, she bowed and apologized. ¡°Did that¡­um¡­work?¡± ¡°Probably.¡± ¡°What do you mean? Don¡¯t you know? Can¡¯t you sense if it is on still?¡± Ayumi became a little frustrated by the assumptions that people around her made. ¡°I wish everyone would stop thinking of this like a TV show. I can¡¯t sense powers. It¡¯s more than likely enough. Let¡¯s get out here.¡± Chapter 22 - Return with Answers A long pause ran between the three, helped that Yuki was stunned at the moment. The two women stared at each other making evaluations of the other. More than a few new problems came up as well. It helped having a clear mind to think. It also made things so much worse. ¡°Who are you?¡± Ayumi actually paused as she was in motion to leave. The realization that Saki didn¡¯t know and the threads holding the lie together finally frayed. ¡°Ayumi, something wrong?¡± ¡°I know who Ayumi is, you¡¯re not her.¡± Yuki began to come around from his stun hearing the raised voice of Saki. He shook his head remembering what happened the moment before. ¡°Ow, ugh¡­ I knew I¡¯d hate that¡­ Why are you yelling?¡± ¡°Yuki, do you know who this girl is?¡± ¡°Huh? Ayumi, why?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t be the crazy one here, that¡¯s not the childhood friend we know!¡± He glanced over at Ayumi, who gave him a silent answer. ¡°Ah, she figured it out. Well the games up.¡± A determined look came from Ayumi that Yuki realized quickly. ¡°Don¡¯t even try it. There¡¯s no point in wiping her memories. I planned on explaining things the next time I had a free minute, this saves me a lot of convincing.¡± ¡°She¡¯s not involved, it¡¯s a bad idea.¡± ¡°And it¡¯s a worse one hiding it. Trust me, I¡¯ve read those stories, I don¡¯t want that stress. Besides, she¡¯s clearly more useful than me at the moment.¡± ¡°Very well, but this could be something you come to regret in time.¡± ¡°Possibly, but she¡¯s my best friend, if I can¡¯t trust Saki, who can I? So add it to the list of things we have to explain once we¡¯re out of here.¡± Ayumi reluctantly agreed and began to march back to the opening she made. However, Saki turned to look at the cells to see if there was anyone remaining. ¡°Wait, we need to get anyone else out before we leave!¡± Chapter 22 - Return with Answers Splitting up, they all searched out through the warehouse for anyone that remained behind. As the foreigner explained earlier, he released them leaving most cells empty. A few stayed behind in unresponsive states or worse. Saki immediately went to the cell where she remembered Hitomi being. ¡®Please be gone¡­please¡­¡¯ Unfortunately, she did find her trackmate laying unmoving in the cell. ¡°Hitomi!¡± No reaction. She hurried over stepping into the cell. ¡°Hitomi?¡± Carefully, she lifted up the teen into her lap to get a better look at her. ¡°Hitomi¡­¡± Placing a hand on her cheek, warmth still filled her. A little hope, Saki checked for a pulse to confirm she was just out. ¡°Did he do the same thing to you?¡± She brushed her hair out of her face. Her fingers tried to clean away from the dirt. The feeling of helplessness grew stronger as her mind tried to invent ways things would have been different. Saki hugged her tightly. ¡®I need to do better¡­¡¯ After the reflection ended, Saki pulled Hitomi up and carried her out of the cell. The others continued to help and move people out of the cells. They all met outside continuing without an answer of the next part of the plan. Each silently knowing, there was no plan. Placing Hitomi down, Saki almost started back when a small groan escaped. She looked back to see Hitomi coming around. ¡°Hitomi! Can you hear me? Are you alright?¡± A few moments later, Hitomi opened her eyes looking up at Saki, a little confused. She jerked back suddenly as though she had seen something that frightened her. ¡°Hitomi! It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s safe now.¡± Her hands hovered over Hitomi tried to find something useful. The girl panicked and tried scurry away, but against the wall she stalled. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be afraid anymore.¡± ¡°S-S-Saki¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s me, Saki!¡± Saki let Hitomi have some room after she had calmed down. Hitomi looked around the outside, taking in everything still wrinkled in uncertainty. ¡°The bad man is gone.¡± ¡°The vines? Vines¡­¡± Hitomi started to panic again from the images that were being summoned up on her mind. Trying to provide comfort, Saki reached out to hold her. ¡°So many¡­ Get out! Stop!¡± Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Hitomi! It¡¯s over! Hitomi!¡± Saki regretted saying anything now with the state that she was in. She didn¡¯t know why she had managed to get through without the side effects everyone else had. Saki wanted to cry seeing Hitomi and helpless to aid her. The emptiness of her position sank in deeply. ¡°Hitomi¡­¡± While Saki dropped to her knees Hitomi sank deeper into the madness that enveloped her. The screaming persisted for minutes and pounding until Hitomi exhausted herself and collapsed to the ground, panting no longer able to keep focus. Her mind began to drift away and other thoughts came to the surface. ¡°Saki¡­Takako¡­ S-Saki¡­we have to¡­ find Takako.¡± The words pulled Saki back to reality, coming to Hitomi¡¯s side to listen. She had all but forgotten the whole reason that they had first set out the other day. ¡°Takako, that¡¯s right! We were looking for her. Hitomi¡­¡± ¡°Find¡­her¡­¡± Saki jumped to her feet to look at the rest Yuki and Ayumi helped out. None of them wore their uniform or looked like Takako. ¡°She might still be in there. I¡¯ll go look for her!¡± She hurried back into the warehouse. ¡°Yuki? Ayumi?¡± Yuki appeared around the far side and sprinted over. ¡°Something wrong?¡± ¡°You find anyone else here wearing our uniform?¡± ¡°Yeah, I was heading back for them now.¡± ¡°Take me!¡± ¡°Sure.¡± He turned around and headed off, guiding Saki to the cell. Around the corner of the aisle deep in the back, he pointed out the remaining person he had left. ¡°There. Someone you know?¡± ¡°Probably. Sort of¡­¡± Ignoring the confusion on his face, she ran over to check. In the back of the cell laid a teenage girl wearing their school uniform. Slowly stepping inside, Saki went to check on their face. She only met the girl once or twice, so she wasn¡¯t sure she¡¯d recognized the girl. ¡°Takako?¡± No movement like with Hitomi, but still alive like everyone. Brought back outside, Saki rested her down next to Hitomi. ¡°Hitomi, is this¡­¡± ¡°Takako¡­ It¡¯s me, Hitomi from track.¡± Hitomi reached out, picking up her hand. Slowly Takako began to stir awake. ¡°Leave me¡­ No more¡­ ¡­plants¡­¡± Sadly, the same state repeated for her as it had the others. The girl stopped responding to anything from Hitomi. She didn¡¯t even look up, leaving her hair to cover over her entire face and hang over her knees. Hitomi fell to the ground next to the girl, starting to cry as she put her arms around her. ¡°Takako¡­¡± She had set her head against Takako¡¯s trying to comfort her. As Saki watched she felt like she was seeing herself over again. She couldn¡¯t look any more and stepped back in searching through the warehouse for others that needed help. All told, they found eight people inside. The three of them gathered away from the rescued. Each looked at the other with different thoughts running through their head. But the same question filled each of their minds. ¡°What do we do about this? Call the police?¡± asked Yuki. ¡°And try to explain that a man wielding plants kidnapped and scrambled everyone¡¯s minds?¡± ¡°Well when you say it out loud¡­¡± ¡°I can remove that part and just leave it as a kidnapping and some PTSD.¡± ¡°Will the police buy that?¡± ¡°If the victims don¡¯t have anything more to give, who¡¯s going to tell them otherwise?¡± ¡°Ayumi¡¯s probably right, Saki. Not a good idea to let this go beyond us. At least this way they¡¯ll get proper professional help and treatment.¡± A quick nod in agreement gave Ayumi the go ahead. ¡°So going to let me in on your secret?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that. She¡¯s the one with the real secret.¡± Yuki paused to consider his words. A few passes at the speech he planned to give Saki had been run through his head the last couple days. It didn¡¯t really prepare him for the moment. ¡°The back of the book summary is that I found out a few days ago that I¡¯m the heir to Ayumi¡¯s people leader. Her people and me too, have this power to rewrite the laws of reality. And she wants me to come back with her to rule. But there¡¯s a group that doesn¡¯t want that to happen and are trying to kill me.¡± ¡°...right¡­I¡¯d hit you again if I hadn¡¯t seen all that back there. Probably for the best you didn¡¯t tell me until now.¡± ¡°Yeah, I hadn¡¯t figured out how to convince you without looking like a crazy person.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still crazy, just a different sort.¡± Ayumi marched back up looking even more tired than before. ¡°It¡¯s done and I put in an anonymous call to the police. It¡¯s time to leave.¡± A long train ride back, the three returned to Yuki¡¯s house. Before they even got to the door, it opened with Hiroshi staring at them. A mix of relief and anger filled him. Yuki smiled sheepishly back hoping to wash it all over. Jun and Ken pushed Hiroshi aside, busting through the door. They latched on to Yuki slowing him down. Even inside and sitting on the couch, they clung closely to him as though he¡¯d fly away. Yuki gave them reassuring hugs as Ayumi and Saki collapsed into chairs much like on the train. ¡°Want those bandages now?¡± The torn up state of Saki¡¯s clothes worried Hiroshi. They all managed to walk through the door, but how much of a front did they put up. ¡°No, I¡¯m just tired. It was all close calls, no injuries.¡± ¡°New clothes then?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get you something from my room, Saki.¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± Hiroshi sat down on the edge of the couch near Saki. The amount of stress he felt while they were gone was unlike anything he felt before. Exams didn¡¯t compare. ¡°I¡¯ve seen and done my share of stupid stuff, but this really takes the cake, Saki. What were you thinking?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t let him go alone.¡± ¡°Always about Yuki?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that¡­¡± Her mind drifted through her past. Words and actions floated in her mind. So many events that lead her to the point she lived now. ¡°I¡¯m too tired to explain right now. Just know it¡¯s promise I made to him. One I won¡¯t ever break.¡± ¡°I get it.¡± He leaned back and rubbed his stomach again. The pain from where she slugged him still lingered. ¡°Dammit, all this time you¡¯ve been pulling your punches, Saki! You¡¯re a scary woman.¡± She smiled back, teasing. ¡°And never forget it.¡± Chapter 23 - The Watcher The jungles of Yuglaovia weren¡¯t a place for man to be trespassing, but he didn¡¯t know fear. Stories of the man eating plants that grew out of the trees and hung like vines didn¡¯t even make an impression on him. Wild beasts that hadn¡¯t been seen by the eyes of humans for thousands or millions of years were only further enticement for him. As for the ancient ruins where the rumored Yugla people were said to still inhabit due to their god granting them immortality to protect it from anyone that dared to plunder the riches, they were simply an adventure waiting to happen. However, even all that being said he still had to deal with getting there first. The jungle air and normal plants stood in their way before any of the real dangers would even begin. It was a deep jungle and there was still time before the risks were going to appear. At least that is what everyone thought. He remained alert, but his companions were too relaxed. They were warned to be ready for anything and never let their guard down, but their confidence was their undoing. The man carrying their supplies disappeared first and no one even knew until the native aiding them called their attention to it. Unfortunately, they were too late and the native was gone to a trap that left him bleeding out from dozens of holes. He was angry and saddened by the loss of two people already, but there was the hint of excitement tempting him on the edge of his tongue like a sweet perfume. The woman explorer looking for her first adventure and historical find was the next to fall to quicksand. He lunged for her trying to save her before she was completely out of reach of him. The others grabbed onto his legs keeping him from sinking in as well. She tried to reach for him, but only continued to sink deeper as she struggled more. ¡°Yuki!¡± she shouted to him as her hands were just out of reach of his. Chapter 23 ¨C The Watcher ¡°I¡¯ll save you, Sarah!¡± Yuki shouted standing up from his chair in his Japanese History class. Ms. Kuniyoshi broke her chalk on the blackboard as Yuki disrupted her class. She turned around immediately, flinging the jagged end at Yuki like an arrow hitting him square in the forehead stunning him. Staggered by the surprising accuracy, he dropped into his chair, head knocked against the desk behind him. ¡°How many times do I have to tell you to stop sleeping in class, Mr. Hayashi!¡± The other students in the class continued to laugh at him for his daydreaming. The unfortunate soul with a dazed Yuki head on their desk was Ayumi. Panicked and muttering soft words to not get in trouble, she flailed around trying to prop him back up. His weight however proved too much for her fumbling hands and kept banging his head against the desk. ¡°I-I-I¡¯m so-sorry, Yuki!¡± The entertainment for the morning ended and lunch had come. Yuki rubbed his forehead absentmindedly as he stood up. Everyone started to grab up their lunches before going to the roof again. Hiroshi grabbed Yuki by the back of the neck with his arm slung over him as they went into the hall. ¡°So who¡¯s Sarah?¡± A playful grin drew up on his lips. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Who were you dreaming about in class? Some beautiful babe, huh?¡± ¡°W-What¡­ Wait! Hiroshi, it¡¯s not-¡° ¡°Yuki¡¯s not like you.¡± Saki popped in like a ghost from a horror movie staring at the two. Hiroshi turned a little pale and squeezed on Yuki reflexively as Saki¡¯s presence threatened him. Across the classroom, Katsumi stared on at the troublemakers clique. ¡°Can you believe him? He acts like a clown in class and looks like nothing happened now.¡± She stood next to Yumi as they prepared to find a place for lunch. ¡°Yeah, nothing but trouble since the first day.¡± Kaede finished getting her boxed lunch so they could walk out. Along with Katsumi, they nudged Yumi outside. Yumi shyly looked between her two friends trying to think of what she was going to say. A month in the new school still left her anxious and worried about everyone else. The only thing that calmed her nerves was her two friends. ¡°He¡¯s not a bad person¡­¡± Repeated words, but she had nothing else. They made it halfway down the hall to the stairs. Katsumi took the steps down first. ¡°But he¡¯s always causing trouble in class and sleeping.¡± Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°And there¡¯s all those guy¡¯s out for revenge. It can¡¯t be for no reason. He might seem nice, but look at those around him. They get caught up in all of the chaos too¡± ¡°I guess one good thing is that he¡¯s caused so much attention, no one¡¯s talking about junior high.¡± ¡°Y-yeah¡­¡± Her mind flashed brief memories of junior high rocketing up her stress. Yumi clenched tightly to her lunch. As she made it down to the second floor, her nerves calmed. Unfortunately, that didn¡¯t last for long as whispers and chat in the halls reawakened her old memories. A few groups hung around the halls when they became still as a familiar second year boy walked through. The quiet clambering of voices exchanged between the groups was an all too familiar sight for Yumi. They stopped abruptly at the stairs, alerted to Yumi. He briskly approached her. ¡°...brother¡­¡± Her heart raced as her anxiety mounted. She shrank between her friends. Kaede immediately reached out a free hand to Yumi. She could see Yumi shaking quietly. ¡°President Yori Mizuno! Going to lunch? We can get out of your way.¡± He raised his hand, declining her. ¡°No, you¡¯re no trouble. I just wanted to speak to Yumi for a moment.¡± The moment he spoke several more eyes drew over to him with great interest. Yori, a second year, stood nearly a head taller than his sister, when she wasn¡¯t shrinking away the distance was much less. A dark earthy warm tone filled his hair with a bit of shine matching well with his bright tan color eyes. Fit and handsome, the eyes watched for many reasons. His sister nodded quietly to him. She glanced up softly. ¡°Y-yes?¡± ¡°Were you free today for lunch?¡± ¡°Lunch?¡± His sister darted between her friends. ¡°W-well¡­I-I¡­¡± Yori then noticed the lunches already in the three girls'' hands. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for interrupting you. Go spend time with your friends, Yumi.¡± ¡°Yes¡­brother¡­¡± He smiled politely to the girls and continued on past them. His wake left many staring for a little longer, clear they tried to figure out what the Student Council President was doing. But the interest quickly disappeared, relieving them of the burden. ¡°Yori¡­¡± Yumi stared at the ground confused by her brother¡¯s sudden appearance. ¡®He had something he wanted to talk about¡­ But what?¡¯ Katsumi leaned in providing a supportive hand seeing how rattled she became. ¡°How are you feeling, Yumi?¡± A slow comforting hand gave Yumi reassurance. She nodded back to Katsumi. They hurried off down the stairs. Lunch for Yuki was never boring when Hiroshi and Saki were around him. He had a pleasant smile painted on his face not looking like he had a care in the world. The truth was he was distracted again with daydreams and slowly eating his food. He stared at the clouds that slowly moved through the sky, picturing what they could be in his mind. They started out simple, animals like a rabbit or a dog or a dragon, but quickly changed into a spaceship and giant robot. Ayumi watched quietly, maintaining an innocent aloof smile. Underneath the placid expression, her eyes focused tightly on Yuki. After the training and encounter with the recent assassin, risks mounted for her. Her job became different than planned. The mission started to escape her grasps. She started to become familiar with that wandering gaze of Yuki¡¯s. It immediately put her on the defense. ¡®He¡¯s not concentrating¡­ the idiot!¡¯ Ayumi was quick to expand her field out to blend in with the roof and remove it from sight of everyone when it changed into skeleton warrior. The physical image that he summoned changed so fast that she was not able to react to it in time to keep it under control. ¡°Hey you hear something?¡± Tatsuya asked, looking over to Hiroshi. He held his food that he was about to eat to look around. However, there was, naturally, nothing for him to find but the normal roof with a fence around the perimeter. ¡°Huh? What you talking about?¡± Ayumi jumped up in surprise, sending her mostly empty container flying through the air landing on Yuki¡¯s face. Yuki fell back stunned. He slammed his head into the ground, roughly dazing him. She immediately jumped up in a panic over the mess. ¡°Y-y-yuki! I¡¯m so-so-so sorry!¡± Ayumi dropped over to his side, picking him up and shaking him to hopefully get through to him. She darted her eyes around to his friends that were pulled in by her act. Glancing through them to the background, Yuki¡¯s Illusion Field disappeared. ¡®It¡¯s all gone now and they don¡¯t seem to have seen anything.¡¯ While she was getting Yuki back to normal, her eye caught someone in the distance looking at them. ¡®Did they see something?¡¯ Carefully watching them, she considered her options. They looked away, returning to their own business. Safe, she hoped. ¡°Ayumi? What¡¯s going on? Why? Why am I all sticky?¡± Yuki glanced around at his hands and clothes, seeing bits of food around. He started to piece things together a little. It all happened in a blur. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry! I-I-I didn¡¯t mean to spill my lunch on you. Are¡­are you feeling okay?¡± A bit of a nod from him, she walked back to her spot. Before she sat down, she noticed down by the gate some standing looking around. ¡°Ayumi?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± She turned away to Hiroshi, but glanced back to see the stranger gone. Her mind immediately started calculating scenarios. ¡®Disappeared¡­ Who were they?¡¯ Something for the back of her mind, they wanted her attention. ¡°W-what did you say?¡± ¡°Never mind, joke¡¯s already ruined.¡± ¡°For the best you didn¡¯t hear it. Don¡¯t need to listen to his crass humor.¡± ¡°Just a little teasing between friends, Saki.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t mind it!¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you don¡¯t mind anything.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a little hyperbolic.¡± Yuki finished picking the food off of him and returned the ruined lunch box to Ayumi. Sniffing the air, he realized he still had some leftovers on his face. Wiping it down, he recognized it, though it felt a little different. ¡°Oh your soy¡¯s got a funny taste to it!¡± Hiroshi grinned to himself hearing the comment, but knew better than to say anything. On the opposite side, Saki shook her head and sighed. It would be a long day for a few of them. Afternoon drew a cool breeze and soft warmth of sunlight painting with orange highlights. Distant murmurs of students leaving filled around them. It gave all the right energy for him to have a good day. The rare alignment of the stars finally happened. Momo didn¡¯t have work early and Saki didn¡¯t have practice. His friends were all free. The rare opportunity for him to spend time with everyone together. Saki and Ayumi stuck to his left with Hiroshi, Tatsuya and Kazuhiro opposite. A great walking away from the sun poster art burned into his mind. No assassin (fingers crossed), not much homework and a couple of hours free to be teenagers, he couldn¡¯t ask for more. So he beamed ear to ear, with not even the stress of superpowers on his mind (not a good thing). A moment to destress, he needed it after the week he had already. As they walked out of the school gate they were all stopped by a shout towards Yuki. ¡°Yuki, I challenge you!¡± the voice said, but no one had any time to react as a fist already flew through the air towards Yuki¡¯s face in a flash. Ayumi and Saki caught it a moment before knowing that Yuki was going to be flattened in an instant by the sudden attacker. ¡°Yuki!¡± they both shouted. Chapter 24 - Not So Divine The classic clich¨¦ of time slowing down, life passing before your eyes, blissfully seeing the ghosts of the departed as they greet you into your new home, none of that applied here. At least for Yuki that is, the onlookers, they definitely were going through some well worn tropes. However, clarity filled Yuki, not resolve or determination, just a sight through everything. To everyone¡¯s surprise, the arm stopped and Yuki remained unmoved. It wasn¡¯t immediately clear why, until Yuki¡¯s hand could be seen stopping the fist. Everyone took a step back trying to figure out how the school¡¯s punching bag caught a fist. A darkened shadow hung over Yuki with the hand up near his face. The heavy tone etched into his features snapped like a balloon though when Yuki pulled up his head. ¡°Is that¡­ you? Seiji!¡± The tall teen retracted his fist, satisfied with the results. Yuki leapt forward grabbing onto Seiji¡¯s waist making him spin around. Ayumi narrowed her eyes on the moments of happiness from Yuki. ¡®For an instant he had the look of a wild animal¡­ What was that? I¡¯ve never seen Yuki look like that before.¡¯ She held back to the outside of the group still trying to sort through what she had seen a moment ago. Saki had nearly the same expression on her face that Ayumi did, but for a different reason. ¡®No¡­ I thought he was gone for good¡­ I haven¡¯t seen that look on Yuki in a while¡­dammit Seiji!¡¯ She quickly changed her look into a half scowl as Seiji stepped closer to her. ¡°Hey, Seiji¡­¡± ¡°...Saki¡­¡± ¡°What are you doing here, Seiji?¡± Her words ran cold as she stared at him. ¡°Yeah! I haven¡¯t seen you in like a year, Seiji! What have you been doing?¡± Yuki was almost clinging on to Seiji with the excitement of an eight year old getting a present. It left all of his friends staring still in shock at the whole thing. None of them knew what to make of the very tall stranger from another school, judging by his traditional white and black uniform. Seiji stood much taller than Yuki or anyone else around and had his shoulder length dark brown hair tied back in a short ponytail. His uniform jacket was left open with the dress shirt underneath showing. He had a wild look in his eyes while his face seemed to have a calm stoic appearance. Hiroshi recovered first stepping around on the other side, keeping his distance from Saki. ¡°Judging from Yuki, you seem to know each other. Did you go to the same junior high together?¡± ¡°Hell no, if you can believe it! We¡¯re old friends! Though damn, if it hasn¡¯t been quite some time!¡± Seiji seemed to gain a softer expression and a smile like he was recalling fond memories. It still left everyone a little confused. ¡°What¡¯s with the fist then?¡± ¡°Oh that? It¡¯s just something between us.¡± ¡°Yeah, Seiji likes to kid around like that. Sorry for the scare guys.¡± Yuki stood up on his own looking a little embarrassed about what had happened before. Seiji apologized for his misunderstanding earlier, smoothing out things, but the uncertainty did not leave the air. Saki remained staring cautiously at Seiji the entire time that they were talking. ¡°I was actually hoping to catch up on old time with Yuki, but I didn¡¯t mean to interrupt you and your friends.¡± ¡°Interrupt, you nearly dropped Yuki to the ground with your interruption.¡± Seiji rubbed the back of his head trying to brush it off. ¡°Damn, I said I was sorry already, Saki. Old habits.¡± ¡°Old habits?¡± Her expression became tight and thin, no longer as intense, but still holding a commanding presence. Arms crossed and standing undaunted to a boy built nearly twice the size of her. ¡°What do you want?¡± Yuki remained hanging on to Seiji, though his cheerful expression dropped a little from seeing Saki glaring eyes at the two of them. Seiji held his calm demeanor in front of Saki not fearing her like the others normally would when she entered defense mode. ¡°I told you before that I''m hoping to catch the hell up on old times with Yuki. I¡¯m not planning on stealing him away from all of his friends.¡± Despite the positive energy coming out of Seiji, the tension remained in the air. The bystanders started to look a little nervous about where things were going. Yuki stepped in between the two finally. ¡°Don¡¯t you trust Seiji, Saki? We¡¯ve known him since junior high.¡± He turned to face her trying, though failing to obscure Seiji¡¯s form from sight. ¡°Besides, he¡¯s a Shinto Priest. How can you not trust that?¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Shinto Priest?!¡± the bystanders all asked with varying levels of shock. ¡°The hell, man?! I thought I told you to keep that to yourself. You¡¯ll ruin my image!¡± He quickly hurried in, putting a hand over Yuki¡¯s mouth to attempt to cut off the damage. Chapter 24 ¨C Not so Divine ¡°A-are you really?¡± The confusion on Ayumi¡¯s face came from genuine curiosity. She glanced around the group gauging the others. Saki stepped in between Seiji and Ayumi looking over at her. ¡°No, he¡¯s not. Yuki¡¯s overstating things. He¡¯s in training, his family runs one of the shrines in town. The one on the hill up in the north.¡± ¡°Aw¡­ Come on, Saki.¡± Yuki tried one last time to get Saki to see his side including sorrowful eyes to add to the pressure, but it did not work. She tried to nudge in towards Hiroshi, but he resisted. ¡°Saki!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go, Yuki. We already had plans today.¡± Saki continued to push on Yuki. She hoped that Hiroshi or someone would help her, but they remained confused or stunned. They didn¡¯t understand. ¡®I can¡¯t risk it! I won¡¯t let you turn him back!¡¯ As Yuki put up more resistance, she used her strength no longer being polite. ¡°He¡¯s been gone for more than a year. That¡¯s not a friend for you.¡± ¡°No, Saki!¡± He sidestepped away from Saki, moving towards Seiji once more. Her odd behavior fueled him to drop his usual smile. ¡®Why is she acting so strangely?¡¯ Part of it he understood well enough. The length and intensity she went painted everything with a completely different tone than he expected. This wasn¡¯t the Saki he knew. ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you, Saki? Seiji¡¯s a friend.¡± Saki''s eyes widened almost immediately at the rejection. ¡°But Yuki! He¡¯s¡­ How can¡­¡± She tried to grab for Yuki once more, but he stepped back before she had a chance to even get close to him. ¡°Yuki?¡± ¡°I¡¯m staying. I know you have your problems with Seiji, but you need to be more understanding. This isn¡¯t like you, Saki. I¡¯m allowed to spend time with who I want. Please respect that.¡± Witnessing such a serious and well spoken version of Yuki brought more rounds of shock. That quickly dampened as the string that bound the two started to unravel before them. The wisest action they all made kept them as bystanders and taking an extra step back. It hit Saki hard. Harder than she expected. Was that it came from Yuki? Perhaps because it was true? Emotions started to drown the uncertainty. Her body did the only thing it could see as a solution. Saki ran away. Seiji stepped forward with a long face stopping at Yuki¡¯s side looking down at him. The emotions packed into the air weren¡¯t missed on him. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t worry about it, man. I¡¯m not trying to step in the middle of anything.¡± He placed his hand on Yuki¡¯s shoulder for reassurance. ¡°But still¡­ She shouldn¡¯t have said that to you.¡± ¡°Hell, I¡¯ve heard much worse! It¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Seiji.¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t apologize to me, man! That¡¯s not like the Yuki I know.¡± ¡°The Yuki you know is gone¡­¡± Yuki stepped forward from Seiji¡¯s reach, keeping his back to him. He was certainly happy to see Seiji again, but Seiji was a part of his past that he buried away. He didn¡¯t know how to process the myriad emotions that suddenly came over him. ¡°I know¡­¡± Seiji walked around to the side of Yuki staring forward with him. ¡°Well as much as I like the gloomy air this should be a pleasant time. Where the hell do you wanna go?¡± Yuki looked over at Seiji, a little surprised to be hearing those words from him. Hiroshi and Ayumi, followed distantly by Tatsuya and Kazuhiro, chased after Saki, who was being difficult to catch due to her natural talents. ¡°I thought¡­ sprinters¡­ were only supposed¡­ to be¡­ good at short¡­ distances¡­¡± He was a little surprised that the frail Ayumi was keeping up with him, but Hiroshi was hardly an athlete. ¡°Do-do-do you¡­ think we¡­sh-should go after¡­her?¡± Ayumi stared over at Hiroshi at a loss to what occurred. It was the problem with the lie she made. Each day, she learned how much history she technically should know. ¡°Yeah¡­ I don¡¯t want to leave her alone like that.¡± Making a quick nod to his friends, Hiroshi gave her an inviting motion as they ran off after Saki. About a block into it, the realization hit that they were chasing after someone on the track team. Gloom fell over them while forcing themselves forward. All they could hope to do was not lose sight of her. Dodging around strangers and panting on burning lungs, they struggled forward a second block. They were going to have to chase her over the whole city. At least that was the fear in their oxygen starved mind. To their bodies'' relief, Saki stopped a few blocks ahead. The third and fourth block, they pretended to keep up pace, but stamina gave out long ago. But Saki remained still, slouched over a little as they slowly approached. Ayumi approached while the others recovered their voices. She reached out for Saki. Upon contact, she stepped away and turned to the wall of the nearby building. Saki dropped her back against the wall half sliding down, but propped up enough not to collapse. ¡°...Yuki¡­¡± Once he had recovered enough to speak without pausing, Hiroshi leaned in to Saki trying to get a better look at her. He was surprised to see such emotions painted so deeply into her face for someone that was always so tough. ¡°Saki, what¡¯s going on? Why did you run away?¡± Saki remained quiet with her head held down while Ayumi moved to help Hiroshi. ¡°S-saki? You can talk to us. If-if you don¡¯t want to say it to Yuki.¡± It didn¡¯t seem like much was getting through to her, but Yuki¡¯s name widened her eyes once more like it was a trigger within her. Saki stood up and tried to start running, but Hiroshi was able to grab a hold of her arm. Quickly, he stepped in front of her to keep her from leaving. ¡°We¡¯ll listen¡­¡± Hiroshi felt the weight of Saki on him, though it was less like she was trying to knock him down and closer to needing the support to stay on her feet. He pulled Saki back by the shoulders and arms away from him to look at her. An empty almost soulless eyes made Hiroshi question more closely what was going on. It only continued to make him confused by what was spinning around in Saki¡¯s mind. ¡®Did Yuki¡¯s words hurt her that seriously?¡¯ He looked over to Ayumi for some help, but saw that she was becoming affected by the mood pouring out from Saki. ¡°Why don¡¯t we go over there and take a break.¡± A restaurant across the street presented itself as a comfortable environment. ¡°Everyone could use some rest.¡± ¡°Yeah, definitely,¡± Tatsuya said, finally recovering his breath to speak. A soft whisper of voices filled the restaurant as they found a seat. Silence hung around everyone until the waitress arrived for their order. It signaled enough courage to break the atmosphere. Once they were alone again, Hiroshi made the first effort. ¡°So Saki, you going to let us in on who Seiji is and why he¡¯s got you so upset?¡± Tatsuya and Kazuhiro both looked over at Hiroshi¡¯s brave move and left uncertain about how Saki would end up reacting to Hiroshi. They knew Saki to be more violent and willing to throw her fists than talk about personal things, but today was much different for her. Saki remained quiet still for some time. It was not until their drinks and food arrived that Saki even looked up from staring at the table. ¡®What¡¯s the matter with you, Saki? Seiji¡¯s a friend.¡¯ Yuki¡¯s voice echoed in her mind, stunning her again as it had before. She gripped her hands together tightly as they rested against her skirt. ¡®I¡¯m staying.¡¯ The events from before were repeatedly playing through her mind. ¡°¡­Yuki¡­¡± ¡°Saki?¡± Ayumi slapped her hand over Saki¡¯s face, shocking everyone. ¡°Get a hold of yourself, Saki! This isn¡¯t like you to be depressed like this! Snap out of it!¡± Chapter 25 - Faded Echoes The raw stinging and pulsing lingered long after the slap. False memories struggled with her emotional reaction. It felt so out of character for Ayumi to even be bold enough. That¡¯s how it should be. Yet Saki knew better. Yuki¡¯s explanation revealed the former friend¡¯s secret. Pulling herself out of her head, Saki looked over at Ayumi. ¡°Ayumi¡­ I-I¡­¡± All of the thoughts on Yuki had been shattered and she finally realized that she was in a restaurant as she looked around. Ayumi glared back at Saki making sure that Saki was really awake this time. The change in demeanor from Ayumi had the boys at a loss for words. ¡°Yuki¡¯s allowed to do what he wants, Saki. You can¡¯t be protecting him his entire life.¡± Words failed her for the moment. Saki stared at the mid distance between Hiroshi and the entrance of the restaurant. Repeated memories of Yuki flipped through her mind. ¡°I¡­I¡¯m aware of that. That¡¯s not what this is about¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s about this friend, Seiji? What¡¯s his deal?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­Seiji¡¯s got history with Yuki. He¡¯s¡­problematic.¡± ¡°The guy sorta looks like a delinquent, but he¡¯s a priest in training? What¡¯s going on there?¡± Chapter 25 - Faded Echoes She had to think about the answer. It had been a year since the last time she even saw him and her interactions with him were limited even before. ¡°I mostly kept my distance when Seiji¡¯s involved. But Yuki mentioned something about Seiji¡¯s rebelling.¡± ¡°Ah the image thing he mentioned before. It does seem a little odd to have someone our age be training to be a priest. Sounds really old fashioned. I can¡¯t imagine too many would want that sort of life.¡± ¡°That whole thing is besides the point.¡± ¡°Right, you¡¯ve got a beef with Seiji. What¡¯s the issue?¡± His question closed Saki back up. Her mind turned back to the school gate and Seiji. Different alternatives played out what could have been done differently. A better solution, the right answer had to be there. Saki exhaled, noticing herself caught in the loop. The mistake already left her behind. Acceptance would be the only option now. ¡®...Yuki¡­I thought you didn¡¯t want anything to do with your past¡­¡¯ In her return to silence, Ayumi leaned over once more. She received a cautious glance from those on the other side of the table. ¡°Saki? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Some relief relaxed Hiroshi as he returned to his seat. ¡°What happened back during junior high between you three?¡± ¡°Junior high?¡± School popped up in her thoughts. Quick flashes of Yuki and Seiji sprinted through. ¡°That was merely the time when Seiji appeared. He didn¡¯t even attend our school. It was all just luck. An accident.¡± Hiroshi became curious already knowing some of the pieces of Yuki past first hand from Yuki, but it still left a lot of blanks in his past. He had many friends, but Yuki definitely surpassed them all for his mystery and unique situation. It honestly just made him want to ask a dozen questions. He kept to one. ¡°What was this accident that brought them together?¡± For being so near to her, it seemed such a distant memory. Saki tried to recall the day and the events. Nothing came to her. The image of Seiji just always being stuck as her answer. Then she remembered why. ¡°He just sort of appeared one day with Yuki as though it was the most natural thing in the world. Seiji was always an aggressive guy, ready to fight, but there¡¯s something about him that I just can¡¯t explain. If I had to find a word for it, he knows how to fit in.¡± ¡°Fit in? That doesn¡¯t really make a lot of sense.¡± She sighed thinking more about Seiji. Her pressure increased a little. ¡°It¡¯s just something you have to see and then you understand it. He makes sense as much as he doesn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Err¡­right. I guess you would know better than me.¡± He gave up trying to wrap his head around the riddle. ¡°Let¡¯s move past that, since it¡¯s not as important I¡¯m guessing to the subject matter.¡± ¡°Yea¡­¡± Saki looked around at everyone at the table. She needed the moment and to remember who sat with her. It was more than just Ayumi and Hiroshi, Tatsuya and Kazuhiro joined them as well. They were about as much of an outsider as Hiroshi in this matter. And she couldn¡¯t forget about Ayumi either. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°I don¡¯t think Yuki¡¯s said anything about this past to any of you.¡± ¡°He explained a little bit of it to me.¡± That bit made her pause. ¡®I¡¯m surprised he was willing¡­¡¯ Part of her wanted to remain quiet as it wasn¡¯t her right to explain, but it seemed he wasn¡¯t keeping it a secret. ¡°The brief explanation is, contrary to how Yuki asks now, he used to fight, a lot.¡± ¡°So all those rumors?¡± Tatsuya said, leaning in on the table. ¡°A few are accurate, the rest are blown out of proportion. Though he wasn¡¯t always that way.¡± ¡°Ok, that was something I wanted to know, but he didn¡¯t explain. And given the time, I didn¡¯t feel it was right to push for a better answer.¡± ¡°You probably won''t get an answer. He keeps quiet about it.¡± The waitress suddenly appeared to check on them. Everyone leaned back and went quiet. For those left hanging, each second the woman interrupted them felt like an hour. Even their stomachs held their urges. Once they left them in privacy again, Hiroshi ignored his food. ¡°So what was it? What¡¯s caused these changes?¡± ¡°Before junior high, Yuki fought only to protect me. Both Momo and him took lessons at a local dojo. It was something their father insisted on. But when his father died, he stopped going to the dojo. That¡¯s when things changed. And once he reached junior high it steadily became worse until Seiji appeared.¡± ¡°His dad¡¯s dead? I guess I didn¡¯t see him around the house, just the two brothers.¡± ¡°His mother died as well about a year ago, which is when the Yuki you know now appeared.¡± ¡°Damn, both parents. How¡¯d it happen?¡± ¡°His father died in a car accident and his mother to illness and overworking.¡± ¡°How is he so positive and cheerful? What caused that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. He mostly acts like his past never happened, but he remembers. And Seiji is an element of that. One best kept buried.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like a healthy answer, Saki.¡± Saki¡¯s fist tightened up, recalling it all. ¡°You weren¡¯t there! You don¡¯t know the Yuki I do! He can¡¯t ever go back to the child he was, but you don¡¯t want the alternative either. None of us want that.¡± ¡°He needs help.¡± ¡°He went for a while, but he¡¯s learned to hide it very well. He needs to be able to move forward and he needs time. That¡¯s why Seiji¡¯s nothing, but trouble for him. It¡¯s a past he needs to move past if he¡¯s going to heal.¡± Hiroshi paused listening to Saki''s perspective. With a better picture, her reaction made sense now. Though he didn¡¯t know if she made the right call. ¡®I¡¯m not sure what I would have done in her shoes¡­¡¯ For an after school snack, this turned out far heavier than he planned. ¡°The two seem pretty friendly, minus the whole fist to the face greeting.¡± ¡°The type of friendship was punching other people. And before that each other.¡± ¡°Yuki fought that guy?¡± He recalled how small Yuki looked compared to Seiji. Picturing the two fighting each other felt impossible to imagine, like a mouse fighting a cat. ¡°That¡¯s how they met. Seiji came looking for a fight and Yuki gave it to him. Despite his size, Yuki¡¯s never lost to Seiji.¡± ¡°Now you¡¯re joking with me.¡± ¡°Size isn¡¯t the most important thing in a fight. Yuki knew how to use his body and people have been underestimating because of his size his whole life.¡± ¡°...right¡­¡± Just more added to the growing pile that was Yuki¡¯s mystery. Hiroshi leaned back in the booth realizing that he hadn¡¯t started on his food at all. Saki¡¯s plate looked much the same. ¡°You¡¯ve given me a lot to think about.¡± ¡°Now you know.¡± Saki returned to her silence and started in on the food in front of her. A clear message that she finished recounting what she knew. It left the others to ponder what they would do with the information. The sun lowered enough to start coming into the window by the time they were ready to leave. Awkwardness filled the air between them. It persisted as they walked out and at Hiroshi¡¯s departure. Saki and Ayumi remained alone, first Saki reminded herself. They began walking back home. The dead conversation carried over with Saki lost within her thoughts. Though rather than Yuki on the mind, she focused on Hiroshi and his friends. She only told them so much because Yuki seemed to trust him with it before. Yet she still wondered what he would do. ¡®He didn¡¯t seem to reject Yuki¡­so maybe it will work out.¡¯ ¡°Saki. What¡¯s this Seiji like?¡± ¡°Huh? He¡¯s like I said before. It¡¯s been a year so he might have changed, but he appeared the same as I remember him. Are you wanting something more specific?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think this is the first time I¡¯ve seen him.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I spotted someone that looks like him several times outside the school. The most recent today from the roof during lunch.¡± Saki turned to look back in the direction of the school. She tried to recall if she saw the same thing, but missed it. Seiji wasn¡¯t someone that she could easily miss. The guy stood out clearly on height alone and his presence. No, she never saw him. She thought back the first time they met. ¡°He¡¯s always had his sights on Yuki for as long as I¡¯ve known him. I don¡¯t really get the connection.¡± ¡°They both like to fight.¡± ¡°In the past, that¡¯s not Yuki anymore.¡± ¡°Are you afraid of Yuki fighting? Is that why you protect him?¡± ¡°I made him a promise! We promised¡­¡± Her hands tensed up with the rising emotions. A little lean and pressure towards Ayumi reacted instinctually. Nothing happened though. Ayumi wasn¡¯t like Hiroshi or the others. She wasn¡¯t like that fake image of a friend that would have started crying immediately. This was a stranger. She didn¡¯t know this stranger. None of them knew her. She wanted Yuki. Everything he told her about the situation Ayumi confirmed, yet it was just a story. The powers, they had proof, she couldn¡¯t reject it. The rest so far was just perspective. The assassins had an agenda. So many pieces and a puzzle that didn¡¯t fit the way she felt it should. ¡°Why are you here? What do you want?¡± Chapter 26 - Echoes of Nothing Wooden torii stood tall before them. A gateway to the shrine and threshold for the stairs gave a welcoming presence. Faded paint, stone stairs and a surrounding pocket of a forest covered the hill in a rustic atmosphere. For only being a year, it felt longer by how witnessing it drew up memories. Yuki could see the two of them racing up the stairs. He delved into the forest with bold curiosity. A different sort of peace discovered within the hurricane of life and emotions. Seiji¡¯s family, the Tsuji, was a long line of priests and priestesses that watched over the shrine for generations. The Tsuji Shrine was of great pride to them, drawing back connections to the emperors of the past before their decline. They were now more groundskeepers at times than Shinto Priests, even though they focused on their traditions just as much. Family and duty went before everything. A duty that haunted Seiji like his shadow. The two boys walked up the long stairs. Trees isolated them from the city. It almost felt like they had stepped into the past and a simpler time. A warm smile drew over Yuki with the day¡¯s stresses melting away. Troubles disappeared in the embrace of nature. ¡°Yuki!?!¡± a young boy¡¯s voice said from a distant unseen corner of the grounds. The shout was followed up by an old voice scolding the other. Then out of the side of a small detached structure from the main shrine a young boy popped out running towards Yuki. ¡°It is you!¡± ¡°Shoji?¡± Yuki questioned his sight and memory for a moment, almost not recognizing him for how much he had been growing. Shoji leapt up into the air before coming into a collision path with Yuki. He knocked Yuki down to the stone tiles, nearly sending him down the stairs. ¡°You¡¯ve¡­gotten bigger¡­¡± ¡°Hey Yuki, it¡¯s been so long since you visited. Did you bring him, brother?¡± The little boy looked up from Yuki towards Seiji. ¡°Is this what you meant the other day about ¡®Finding what you had lost?¡¯¡± Seiji twitched his eyebrow and then turned away not wanting to answer the childish question. ¡°I-I just bumped into him and we found our way back here.¡± Shoji looked a little disappointed, but quickly got over the lack of an answer. He stared back down at Yuki with wide-eyed excitement. ¡°Hey, you got any new moves you can show me? Seiji won¡¯t teach me anymore.¡± Yuki''s eyes went wide for a moment with realization and then lowered. Behind Shoji in the distance a darkened figure glared daggers at him. ¡°Afraid, I don¡¯t. Sorry.¡± ¡°Aw, but you¡¯ve got to have-¡± ¡°Shoji, let Yuki go.¡± Seiji went down to pick up Shoji. Shoji pulled away starting to pout in front of Seiji making him a little frustrated. ¡°If you do, I¡¯ll¡­show you something.¡± ¡°Really?!¡± Shoji stood up immediately, tilting his hand back to look up at Seiji. Seiji reluctantly nodded back to him as he ran off back around the wall he had appeared from. Seiji looked down at Yuki offering him a hand up. Back on his feet and alone once more, Yuki met stares with Seiji. ¡°So what did you want to talk about?¡± Chapter 26 ¨C The Echoes of Nothing Seiji took a step forward, breaking the standoff between them. He had a long pensive expression that looked unnatural for him. It was that aura that made it easy for Yuki to read him. Seiji resumed walking in front of him towards the stairs of the main shrine. The wood of the shrine was well polished with a reflection of the surroundings bouncing in it as Seiji stepped on the old boards. Yuki followed in step and made their way to the back of the shrine around the outside. A small groan from the back steps released as Seiji took a seat. Yuki leaned up against the supporting pillar of wood looking down. Silence carried him so far, but Seiji knew it had to end. Changing the complicated emotions into words troubled him. ¡°So¡­ Yuki¡­ The past year?¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± Happy as it made him to see his friend again, he couldn¡¯t dismiss the same questions Saki had. It made him increasingly curious, especially since he didn¡¯t remember Seiji acting like this before when they were close friends. Silence poured in again for a moment as Seiji searched for his words that continued to slip through his fingers. ¡°What I mean¡­ How has the year been for you?¡± Seiji tried to paint a friendly and happy face on, but failed in the attempt. Yuki slipped from the pillar in surprise, but eventually righted himself back up. ¡°Wha?!¡± ¡°Well I haven¡¯t seen you in a while. What have you been doing?¡± This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. The near matter-of-fact attitude continued to puzzle Yuki as he stared at his friend. He slowly pulled himself back and blinked once to smooth out his disjointed feeling. ¡°Well I¡¯ve been going to school and started high school.¡± Seiji lowered his eyes a little annoyed by the easy answer. ¡°Yeah, I know that. Besides school.¡± ¡°I uh¡­¡± Yuki tried to think about what he had been doing, but found it all pretty ordinary and uneventful, besides one thing. ¡®I can¡¯t tell him that I¡¯m an heir to some strange land that I¡¯ve never seen and have powers that defy reality. And that I¡¯m being hunted by a corrupt group of people trying to take control forcibly from the rightful ruler.¡¯ The gears turned in Yuki¡¯s head trying to come up with anything that worked no matter how small. ¡°I ate Takuyaki!¡± It was Seiji this time that lost his grip and fell down the stairs landing on his back upside down staring in disbelief and utter confusion at the response. Seiji recovered quickly and leapt up to the stairs glaring back at Yuki for giving such a ridiculous answer to him. ¡°What the hell sort of answer is that?! I didn¡¯t ask what the hell you ate!¡± ¡°Well I did!¡± Yuki leaned back trying to re-enforce that he was being honest, even though it was a random answer. Seiji grabbed Yuki up by the collar of his uniform and stared at him for a minute without words. Emotions took command over everything. ¡°Dammit! That¡¯s not what I¡¯m asking!¡± ¡°At least you¡¯re sounding more like yourself now.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Taken aback, Seiji released him and stepped away rubbing his head. He surrendered. ¡°If it was a year ago you¡¯d never have even said a word. Guess that¡¯ll do.¡± Yuki pulled down his jacket to straighten it out and made it down a couple steps. ¡°You know that I¡¯m not the same, right? I¡¯ve put the past behind me. Was this a test or something, Seiji?¡± ¡°A test? Hell no, I know without a test¡­ I guess I¡ª¡° ¡°Yuki!¡± Shoji yelled from the shrine as he threw open the doors on their skids without concern. The young boy leapt on Yuki¡¯s back, hugging him tightly as Yuki had early to Seiji. ¡°I¡¯m all finished with my training. So we can play, Yuki!¡± ¡°Shoji! You¡¯re going to hurt, Yuki!¡± Seiji rushed to Yuki¡¯s aid to pull off his hyper-active little brother. He struggled with Shoji a little, but eventually managed to pull him off sharply with a bonk to his head. Shoji looked up at Seiji, rubbing his head. ¡°What did you do that for? Yuki¡¯s strong.¡± ¡°Well I¡­¡± ¡°It''s fine.¡± Yuki patted Shoji on the head. ¡®I don¡¯t remember him being like this before¡­¡¯ He wanted to go over to Seiji and talk straight with him, but that seemed to be impossible. When they so often painted scenes with blood and conversed through fists, a normal chat came off as unnatural. A creaking of the boards signaled another visitor to the back of the shrine. It was the grandfather of Shoji and Seiji and the head of the Tsuji family. He was the one that taught the passed down traditions. As to be expected, he wore the standard vestments of the Shinto priests without compromising any of the modernism that was slowly trying to seep into their world. In his age, he was almost completely bald with only a ring of hair around the base of his head that hung close to his very wrinkled and dotted head. However, in spite of his appearances, he had the fierceness of anyone half his age and refused to acknowledge age as a weakness. ¡°Seiji, you missed your training again. At this rate, your brother will pass you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve told you countless times, I don¡¯t care about any of that. Why can¡¯t you leave me alone?!¡± Seiji turned away from his grandfather, starting to have anger shaking his arms. ¡°But it¡¯s fun!¡± Shoji ran from Yuki over to Seiji grabbing his hand to keep him from leaving. ¡°Please. You¡¯re much better than I am.¡± Seiji ripped free his hand and started to walk from the shrine towards the protected woods below. ¡°I told you. I don¡¯t want your tradition!¡± ¡°Watch your tongue, boy!¡± The old man stared from the porch of the shrine down at him. Seiji paused for a moment before he continued walking away. Stairs quickly hid Seiji as he stomped down, his steps echoing through the forest. Their grandfather turned to Yuki looking at him through his deep set eyes and dry lips. ¡°I thought you might have changed him in the past. I thought you might drive him back to where he was meant to be, but I was wrong. You were only a negative influence that encourages his rebellious side. I see that hasn¡¯t changed.¡± Upon the final words, he turned and entered the shrine fading into the shadows. Shoji looked down the path and up at his grandfather before to Yuki. It was painted heavy on the young kid¡¯s face how confused he was now. The boy sought two paths, but couldn¡¯t pick. ¡°Yuki¡­¡± For a brief thought, he questioned his decision. Perhaps Saki had been right. The sight of Shoji¡¯s expression swept away the doubt. He knelt down and patted his head. ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything wrong, Shoji.¡± ¡°I wish they¡¯d stop fighting all the time¡­¡± Shoji collapsed to his knees grabbing onto Yuki¡¯s pant leg. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. Your grandfather and Seiji have different lives. It¡¯ll lead to fighting, but I think if you tell them your feelings and don¡¯t give up¡­ You¡¯ll reach them.¡± Shoji wiped away his tears, but still had an uncertain questioning look for Yuki. ¡°My feelings will reach them? If I don¡¯t give up?¡± He nodded with a smile. ¡°It¡¯ll take time. But yes, I promise.¡± ¡°Really?!¡± Shoji seemed to return back to his cheerful self. He jumped up and hugged Yuki quickly before running off down the stairs in the direction that Seiji had left. The grounds were empty once more leaving Yuki standing in the wind that blew through. Emptiness made him awkward like he had already overstayed. He slowly made his way to the front of the shrine to put him back on his path. ¡®If you don¡¯t give up huh?¡¯ Yuki stared down at his hand, still confused about his power that was locked inside him. ¡®I guess I can¡¯t do this half assed either.¡¯ The forest killed all the damnable sounds of the city. Though barely any of the calm ass nature or creatures filled it. It was hella annoying just sitting in silence. But he had been used to such shit. ¡®Finally shut out that damn coward¡¯s voice only to piss away the whole thing. Damn old man! Damnit! He¡¯s probably left now too¡­¡¯ A long frustrated sigh left him. Seated on the rough ass rock, he braced his head against his palm. Seiji stared out the long ass distance through the trees at nothing. Nothing out there but his shitty thoughts. Footfalls snapped him out of the hell of his mind. Tilting back, it was Shoji meekly watching him. Seiji turned away from the forest. Quickly, he forced down the rage and anger. ¡°Shoji? What are you doing here?¡± ¡°I-I came to find¡­you.¡± ¡°Oh right¡­you found me pretty quickly.¡± ¡°It''s pretty easy when you pick the same spot.¡± Seiji glanced around the forest. It completely went past him, but Shoji was right. The whole area looked familiar. ¡°Bad habits, I guess.¡± His alone spot found, Seiji got up and walked over to his little brother. ¡°Were you needing something?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go back¡­please¡­¡± ¡°...Shoji¡­¡± ¡°Please, brother!¡± He paused hunting for the words. ¡°You promised to show me one of your moves!¡± Roughly swallowing, Seiji looked at his hopeful, pleading brother. Down the long stairs back to the shrine darkened a bit as he thought about the old man. But Shoji stood next to him. A firm nod, he checked his emotions at the tree. ¡°Right! I did! Just remember to watch!¡± ¡°Thank you, Seiji!¡± Shoji bounced up renewed with energy. He hurried over to the stairs eager to see his brother in action. Joining his little brother, Seiji took a swift look up at the canopy. A little of the sky crept through. ¡®I guess I¡¯ll have to try again¡­ Maybe next time I can talk properly to Yuki¡­¡¯ Chapter 27 - Against Logic A calm or routine began to fall into place. It started as just something penciled in, but the reality required it to be inked. For a relief, the lethality of said reality remained distant, a fearful memory to bury. Yet like the undead that rise, its shadow loomed dark and ever stretching over each facet of his life. Haunting fingers poked at the back of his mind. One week down, five remained. His deadline approached, but still slowly for now. The perception of time didn¡¯t burden his back so far. It meant he could focus on his studies, perhaps training. Ayumi certainly was of one mind about it. And daily practice became the standard. Chapter 27 ¨C Against Logic ¡°I can¡¯t do anymore¡­¡± he said, wiping away the sweat on his face while holding a pencil in his hand. Yuki stood up, throwing the pencil at Ayumi¡¯s feet. ¡°It¡¯s too much for me!¡± A restrained sigh came out of her. She bent down clutching the pencil. ¡°It''s just a Sudoku. It¡¯s not that hard.¡± She marched a step forward and turned the pencil in her hand towards him. ¡°I still don¡¯t feel it expanding my mind like you said it would. Like I¡¯m okay at math, but this isn¡¯t really math.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t going to see improvements immediately. It lets me gauge where your potential currently is as well as working to refine your cognitive skills.¡± ¡°Yeah, you explained it as some sort of test for remembering things.¡± ¡°Your Illusion Field isn¡¯t the only factor that impacts your performance. You need a clear image of what you want and maintain that image or it disappears. This is a good test of retention on something well defined and not complex.¡± ¡°I get that, but to make me solve the whole thing in my head before filling it out. That¡¯s impossible!¡± Ayumi pulled over the paper book and twirled the pencil into place. Swift movements, she filled in the whole Sudoku uninterrupted. The same puzzle he had tried to do for the last hour. ¡°You¡¯ve seen that one already.¡± She flipped the book randomly to the back end and stared it for a quiet moment before repeating the same feat. ¡°Fine, it¡¯s impossible for me.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t be eventually.¡± A blue ripple expanded from her feet. No snow field appeared, but a dozen swords materialized around her, hovering. ¡°This is your goal.¡± A moment later, they all disappeared as though nothing strange happened. ¡°Since we¡¯re taking a break¡­¡± He nodded to her silent order. ¡°I¡¯ll try again after.¡± ¡°The other half of the Illusion Field is the Field Law, or Law.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve heard that mentioned a few times.¡± ¡°The Field Law is tied closely to your ability to define and retain data. The reason I can even make swords is because I overwrote the reality within the Field with a new Law. That Law stated that swords could be summoned.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± ¡°Logic and reason aren¡¯t required. You¡¯re inventing a new reality, it¡¯s governed by whatever you say. As long as it¡¯s clear in its function the why doesn¡¯t matter.¡± ¡°Now that sounds story breaking. But you said they could be summoned, does that mean I could have while in your field?¡± ¡°No, because I made it so only I could do it.¡± ¡°But you could change it?¡± ¡°Not while it¡¯s active. That¡¯s one of the limitations, you have to turn off the Field and rebuild it if you want to change the Law.¡± ¡°I guess it¡¯s not so easy to change it on the fly.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not possible to alter it.¡± She saw the doubting look from Yuki. ¡°As far as I¡¯m aware it¡¯s never been achieved. Any attempt destabilizes the Field and it collapses.¡± ¡°But if you rebuilt it as you said, you could make it so others could create swords?¡± She paused at the question, pondering it. ¡°Technically, you¡¯re correct. But it¡¯d be to your disadvantage if the enemy figured out how your Law worked.¡± Almost immediately, she could tell the answer sent his mind into a flurry of ideas. The fact that he accepted things pleased her. ¡°What are you thinking?¡± ¡°Not a lot at the moment. Since I still can¡¯t actually consciously create a Field. But this is good to know.¡± ¡°I warned you, it¡¯s a bad strategy to leave holes in your Law that the enemy can exploit.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know!¡± ¡°One final thing, since you¡¯re thinking about this. Our power, the Law and Field doesn¡¯t affect the user. You can¡¯t use it to change anything about your physical or mental make up.¡± If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°But the healing you¡¯ve done.¡± ¡°External, I direct it, but I¡¯m not imbued with that capability. That¡¯s why I said before that we''re completely normal and a good defense will keep you safe.¡± ¡°Definitely some shortcomings.¡± ¡°Now back to work.¡± A sigh drew out of Yuki this time. ¡°I know¡­¡± Back to the cliff wall that was Sudokus. Perhaps in time, she¡¯d let him do something more exciting, like crosswords. Sigh. The next day was a cornucopia of fruitful events. If said juicy sugary events included the spontaneous growth of grass over the whole classroom floor. That might be sweet, were that your pleasure. Or may haps the walls morphed into gelatinous material, the consistency of flan. Something like could be more your style. Pleasure or style, neither were the two girls¡¯ choice. Their answer came in the sudden need to admit Yuki to the nurse¡¯s office for passing out in the middle of class. It required some convincing, Yuki did have a habit of sleeping in class. A similar debate happened in the nurse¡¯s office, seeing how a very clear bruise appeared on his head. For two strangers, they tag teamed the nurse well enough to wear them down. Their victory gave Yuki a bed to recover and hopefully not cause more public disturbances with his power. Saki stepped outside the office with Ayumi. She leaned against the wall looking at the opposite side. ¡°Going to give me a straight answer today?¡± Maintaining the persona, Ayumi fidgeted on the other side of the entrance. Her weight shifted back and forth with each passing moment. ¡°I told before, it¡¯s the same as we explained.¡± ¡°Showing up, implanted false memories, strange attackers and a convenient need for Yuki.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you tell you. It¡¯s the truth.¡± ¡°I guess call me a skeptic.¡± ¡°Then that¡¯s your problem, not mine.¡± Frustration for no more of an answer, Saki returned to silence. The same answer as last night didn¡¯t help. Something about it felt off and she¡¯d find out what that was somehow. However, Yuki came first. Yuki threw up the covers of the nurse¡¯s bed looking around a bit confused. ¡°Wasn¡¯t I in class?¡± He darted his eyes around realizing where he was. ¡°We brought you here after your accident.¡± ¡°Accident? Saki? Why does my head feel like it¡¯s split?¡± Saki glanced over at Ayumi with a look to pass the blame. A deflected stare rejected her attempt. She shrugged off the denial. ¡°How bad does it hurt?¡± Walking over to him, she pulled down his jacket to hand over to him. ¡°Thanks. Mostly just a ringing and fuzziness.¡± The jacket slipped back on with ease. He buttoned it up feeling it turn a bit into a throbbing. ¡°I don¡¯t like saying it, but I might be getting used to it.¡± That remark gave him a bit of an eye from the nurse. He flashed a sheepish smile. ¡°I¡¯ve been a little accident prone recently. Bad luck probably¡­¡± It didn¡¯t dispel all the suspicions the nurse had, but he gave Yuki the benefit. They didn¡¯t hold him longer. All three of them took it as a positive sign to leave on such terms. Out in the hall, Saki leaned over quietly to them. ¡°Why is this happening?¡± ¡°Because he has no control. His mind runs his power.¡± Yuki nodded with her answer. Even accepting the truth, it still took a bit to not immediately lean on the fantastical and fiction. Each moment her mind tried to doubt it. ¡°How long will this keep happening? For now, I think the others in class aren¡¯t noticing or believing they¡¯re tired. But it¡¯s not going to last.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m training. But it¡¯s not easy.¡± ¡°It¡¯s his active imagination. For others it wouldn¡¯t be so readily an issue, but combined with the strength we have a rare situation.¡± ¡°I see. So the solution is knocking his lights out?¡± ¡°Please no!¡± ¡°I try to cover it up, but you change your mind so fast I can¡¯t keep up.¡± ¡°Sorry¡­¡± Yuki slumped over a little as they finished their walk back to class. This wasn''t a routine that he wanted to pick up. It did serve as a repeated painful reminder that he got complacent. He needed to focus more on his thoughts. The rest of the day went better for everyone other than Yuki. His mental state reminded him of the first day it started. Exhausted and raw on nerves, he walked out with Ayumi and Saki. He didn¡¯t notice how on edge they were in his current condition. Everything went inward. However, he felt something suddenly stop him. It pulled his mind out from the pits and to the courtyard of the school. Ahead the gate filled with students leaving. Yuki looked down to see Saki¡¯s arm blocking him. ¡°Saki? Something wrong?¡± The severe expression on her face ran fear down his back. Another assassin? Yuki looked where she did and then his eyes opened brightly. He hopped around her arm and dashed over to the gate. ¡°Seiji! You¡¯re back!¡± ¡°Damn right!¡± A bit of a grin, part of a smirk came over him as Yuki greeted him. Seiji kept his eyes away from the scowling presence. ¡°Whatcha doing here? Class end early for you?¡± ¡°Nah, probably ended the same time for you.¡± ¡°Ditching again?¡± Yuki caught himself in a little nostalgic grin that crept through his energetic smile. After being ignored, Saki appeared before the two. She remained silent for the moment. Her eyes flipped between the two working out their intentions. All the while her mind battled with the past conversations. Hesitation weighed on her. Seiji took a half step towards her, no longer able to pretend she didn¡¯t exist. ¡°Look, I¡¯m not here to start a damn bit of trouble. I¡¯ve some unfinished business.¡± ¡°Business? After a year?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t expect you to understand, Saki. But I¡¯m doing this!¡± The mounting tension tightened as Yuki tried to put his arms between the two. It felt like someone hit replay on history. ¡°Please, both of you! Seiji hasn¡¯t done anything to make you doubt him, Saki.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t trust him.¡± ¡°Saki please, this seems important. Let him do what he¡¯s come to do.¡± Exchanging gazes with Yuki softened her emotions a bit. Yet a bit was all it took for her to step back. The knife edge resolved itself. ¡°Fine. But I¡¯m watching you.¡± ¡°I hope the hell not, this is a private matter.¡± Taking another look at Yuki, she gave up the ground. Her hands balled up and opened as she tried to release the pressure. Every part of her fought with another. Conflict and doubt surrounded her. Saki could only give Yuki his request. She slowly nodded before stepping away. Granted leave, the two made their way back out of the school grounds. Despite the insistence, silence covered the air between them. Awkwardness painted through Seiji, troubled by a yet undeclared dilemma. Yuki watched and read his friend¡¯s expressions allowing him the necessary time. All that time took them deep into the shopping district east of the school. A popular choice for students as they packed around the sidewalks. They held onto their uncharted course through the city until something stopped Yuki dead in his tracks. ¡°Yuki Hayashi, I¡¯ve come for you¡­¡± Chapter 28 - Shattering Earth Nobody appeared with the voice as it echoed through the alley. It halted Yuki instantly, paralyzing his entire body. Even as unfamiliar, the malice laced through the words rang clear. Another assassin tracked him down. ¡®Another so soon¡­and no Ayumi¡­¡¯ Without hesitation or thought, Seiji charged straight into the alley. A natural first response, what other action could there be. He made it ten steps in before thought caught up to action. ¡®Doesn¡¯t sound like the punks we used to smash into the dirt. What¡¯s he want with Yuki?¡¯ The deeper he went in darkness blanketed everything. A blink and Seiji already nearly disappeared from his sight. Yuki ran in after Seij as dark, negative thoughts taunting him. It hurried his pace to push his legs hard. He needed to catch up. Seiji couldn¡¯t go in alone. This wasn¡¯t like they used to deal with. Seiji didn¡¯t know. ¡°What the hell?¡± Yuki arrived just behind Seiji as he stopped in a large opening. The alley became almost like a chamber with multiple passages all leading to the same spot. And before them, a behemoth of a man towered over them. ¡°Damn! Who the hell is he, Yuki?¡± Chapter 28 ¨C Shattering Earth White pants with a draped robe-like style, it confirmed everything Yuki already expected. ¡®It¡¯s another one¡­I¡¯ve got to get Seiji out of here!¡¯ Yuki stepped out in front of Seiji hoping it would move attention away. Moving past the shock, this foreigner came in a little shorter than Seiji, but broad like a mountain. Thick trunks for legs and tense beams of steel for arms pulled in by broad shoulders and chest. Their uniform on past assassins looked fit, but loose, while with him it looked ready to burst. Muscles bulged around fabric taut and formed. He nearly looked like he stepped out of one of Yuki¡¯s manga panels. Oddly silent now as though, he simply spoke just to draw them inside. The muscular stranger took a heavy step forward. He presented an openly aggressive posture without attacking, making them slide a step back in caution. While his body sweated with the growing tension, Yuki looked over to Seiji with worry. His only relief was that Seiji wasn¡¯t already throwing punches. ¡°This is bad, Seiji. He¡¯s way out of our league! We¡¯ve gotta run!¡± ¡°What? Hell no! Guy¡¯s a little unnerving, but damn if I¡¯ll turn my back!¡± ¡°Dammit, Seiji! You don¡¯t understand¡­ You can¡¯t take him!¡± Seiji stepped forward in defiance of Yuki¡¯s wishes. A quick tilt of his head delivered a satisfying soft pop. ¡°No¡­¡± The tone of his voice changed, no longer the loud overbearing bass. Not quite soft, but a lighter rhythm carried through. ¡°I get it. I know¡­ I ran when I knew and I hate it every damn day!¡± ¡°Seiji?¡± A wry smile came over him. ¡°She knew and made the correct choice, no wonder she hates me, the coward.¡± Seiji stomped his foot down planting an answered posture to the brutish man. ¡°I¡¯ll handle this in her stead and maybe be a better man!¡± ¡°This is crazy, Seiji! He¡¯s got¡­¡± The words disappeared as the assassin appeared to have accepted Seiji¡¯s reply. He saw him sidelined once more. Darkness fell over his eyes. Matching eyes with the man, Seiji fixed him with a grizzled steely stare. ¡°My you¡¯re the polite sort, ain¡¯tcha?¡± ¡°You done talking?¡± Seiji gave him a grin to show that he was ready for the fight. Fire burned in his muscles with vigor. Eagerness filled him for an unknown challenge. ¡°Hell yeah! Ready whenever¡ª¡° Seiji was interrupted in his words by a heavy fist to his face. It knocked the saliva out of him and cut a little blood from his lip, sending Seiji to the ground with his eyes wide. ¡°Seiji!¡± Yuki began to run towards him, but stopped. ¡°Yuki!¡± He coughed a little, taken by surprise with power behind the fist, but he pushed himself back up. ¡®Yuki¡¯s no longer that sort of person. I¡¯ve accepted that and now I have to hold myself to that!¡¯ He brushed away the blood that dripped from his bruised and cut lip to stand even with the man once more. ¡®He¡¯s faster than I¡¯d thought for his size. This¡¯ll be harder than I thought¡­ but now that I know¡­¡¯ Another fist flew through the air for Seiji¡¯s face again in a flash. Yuki was left uncertain what happened. Seiji leapt backwards after having evaded the fist narrowly. The man seemed to be a little surprised, but continued on the offensive taking swings at Seiji as he dodged out of the way. Seiji kept watching the man¡¯s movements trying to read him, but struggled to size him up. In the moments of swings Seiji had been trying to counterattack the man, but the thick muscles proved too difficult to penetrate. Even when he had tried a strike inside, the man¡¯s defenses were solid, bringing in the other arm to block. ¡®Dammit! I can¡¯t get through¡­ This guy¡¯s built like a tank¡­ But I¡¯ll find away because¡­ because¡­¡¯ His thoughts faded back on old memories. ¡®Yuki¡­ I haven¡¯t known you for long¡­ Hell, I hardly knew you! Back then I loved to fight. I don¡¯t know why. Damn stupid itch! But you changed things. You made me look forward to each day! Each bruise, each cut, I loved it all. You''re the closest person I could call a friend, that probably would say it back to me!¡¯ Seiji, thirteen years old, ran down the street as he did every afternoon to make his usual match with Yuki. However, as he charged through, a large arm reached out from the shadows knocking him to the sidewalk painfully. ¡°What the¡ª¡° Seiji rubbed the back of his head before he looked up to see a hand grabbing him by his uniform and dragging him into the alley. The older student threw him up against the wall of the building knocking him back to his senses. Seiji rammed his knee into the kid¡¯s stomach, getting him off of him. It gave him the moment to gather himself. A minute or a second, he couldn¡¯t tell anymore. The whole fight turned to a blur with the last punch draining everything that Seiji had left in him. He laid on the damp alley concrete getting his face pressed into the ground by the kid standing over him. Stunned and confused by the unfamiliar feeling, Seiji felt rough concrete scrapping against him. This wasn¡¯t how it was supposed to be. Only one person could beat him. So how did he lose? Through blurry vision a figure appeared to interrupt the beat down. A new target pulled his attacker away, thinking the small boy would be a simple punch. Yet in two blinks, Seiji saw the guy he struggled with flat on his back locked in groans and shock. ¡°Just going to keep bleeding on the ground?¡± Yuki offered Seiji a hand to stand back up. Seiji gave Yuki a narrowed glare and then a smirk as he took the hand. Yuki gave him a shoulder for support and walked him back to the shrine to rest. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡®You changed me, Yuki¡­ You did what no one else did. And how¡¯d I repay you¡­ Today and each day now will be different! I¡¯ll walk into hell!¡¯ Seiji evaded another close call from the assassin. He attempted a daring move to counter straight for the man¡¯s face. He had read enough of his moves to get a feel for his style, but it was still a risk that could backfire. He pushed around the thick arm of the man in the motion of swing and used the size for leverage to get inside the man¡¯s defenses. Seiji spun around with his free arm going straight for the chest knowing that it would be blocked. Quickly, he followed through with a rotation on his body getting his leg extended to launch straight at the man¡¯s head. The moments paused for Seiji as he saw his leg connect and suppress his excitement for the follow through, but the man grabbed his arm and swung him around into the wall. ¡°Seiji!¡± It happened once more. Yuki clenched his fists demanding his mind stop holding back. ¡®Why can¡¯t I use my power? Work dammit!¡¯ Every attempt to use his training failed. Each punch he watched another hammer down of his lost effort. Defenses broken, the impact against the wall knocked the wind out of him. Unconsciousness taunted his mind. ¡®Yuki¡­ I can¡¯t give up for him.¡¯ The assassin turned away, seeing Seiji lying on the ground unable to move anymore. He began walking towards Yuki, the real target of his intent. ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡± However, Seiji wasn¡¯t finished. Seiji slid back up to his feet with his vision starting to blur and his legs shaking from the last hit he took. Over the assassin¡¯s shoulders, Seiji¡¯s smirking look of determination stared down the man until he turned back to look at Seiji. ¡°That¡¯s enough Seiji! You don¡¯t have to fight anymore!¡± Seiji could see the large shadow being cast over with the intention of putting him down for good. ¡°Yuki¡­ it¡¯s alright. Fighting is all I¡¯m good for and all I¡¯ve ever known. Let me do this for you.¡± ¡°Seiji!¡± Yuki was forced to watch his friend get pummeled by the assassin dropping blood with every strike. Seiji refused to fall even though Yuki knew that he couldn¡¯t take anymore or even defend himself. The assassin raised up a final arm to put Seiji down through his defiant grins. ¡°Seiji!¡± Yuki ran to Seiji screaming in the seconds before the fist came down. In the brief moments before Yuki could see the grin still on Seiji¡¯s face. Seiji was laid out on the ground with blood dropped everywhere around him. Yuki came into Seiji¡¯s side grabbing up his unconscious body screaming his name hoping that it would wake him up. ¡®Seiji¡­ We fought so many times. I hadn¡¯t seen anyone more stubborn before that I had fought. I never knew why you stuck around me when everyone else abandoned me. It didn¡¯t seem to matter to you how many times I beat you up, you just came for more. And then you started fighting with me. You enjoyed fighting as much as I did then.¡¯ Yuki stared down at Seiji trying to keep from crying knowing that it would not do anything and Seiji would not want it. ¡®Seiji¡­I changed and you disappeared¡­ but you still even now¡­ Why can¡¯t I do anything?! Why must I keep watching my friends get hurt!? Why?!¡¯ Yuki let Seiji rest on the ground and stood up looking at the assassin holding tears along the edge of his eyes. He blinked once to clear away the blur and narrowed his features. ¡®I can still fight without my powers, even if it has been a long time¡­ I can¡¯t worry about promises when my friends are being hurt. I hope you can forgive me¡­¡¯ ¡°So you done mourn¡ª,¡° A sudden swift knee strike interrupted the assassin. Yuki delivered straight to the chest, breaking through his defense. Yuki leapt backwards before the man had closed his hold around him. The hit appeared to do little to the man. Built like a house, he came after Yuki with a heavy swing. The speed continued to surprise. He missed. Yuki lowered into an offensive stance with his arms out in front ready to move at a moment¡¯s chance. ¡°I¡¯ve seen your moves already from your fight with Seiji. This isn¡¯t going to be the same fight!¡± Yuki charged in, seeing a flinch in the man¡¯s movements as a sign of attack. He evaded the swing and slid over to his flank with a wild look in his eye. His body threw everything into the punch at the man¡¯s stomach. The assassin stepped back a half of a step from the blow, but seemed largely unaffected still. Yuki pulled back seeing that it was only a feint by bruiser. It was meant to have Yuki drop his guard with the foreigner¡¯s arms coming in to grab for him. He was able to retreat to a safe distance as he shook his hand feeling the sting from the impact. ¡®It was like¡­I was hitting steel¡­¡¯ The next attack came in taking Yuki to the defensive for several strung together attacks that he hadn¡¯t seen previously. The spinning backhand took him off guard forcing him to block and jump to make the weight behind it send him back without knocking him down. Yuki slid to the ground ignoring the stinging bruises on the sides of his forearms. ¡®I still have it¡­ I thought being buried would have dulled it, but I can¡¯t let it control me¡­ I¡¯m fighting for someone and not myself¡­ Seiji¡­¡¯ ¡°Seems I won¡¯t settle this without Meso Prosecho,¡± the behemoth said as he began to glow brown, issuing forth waves from his feet. Dust, dirt and debris from the unkempt alley kicked up and blew away as the man¡¯s Field expanded to Yuki and beyond. When the dust settled the man stood looking unchanged, but a little larger, if it was actually possible. Surrounding the man, all of the concrete changed to rock or earth like something from a desert mountainside. The earth Field affected all of the building¡¯s walls as well turning to solid stone with distant echoes of people screaming. ¡°You can¡¯t hold back any more.¡± ¡®He wants a fight with powers...I would have done so already if I could. Dammit, I don¡¯t know what Law he¡¯s using. It¡¯s like Ayumi said, I¡¯ve got to learn in the fight and find a counter. But without a power¡­¡¯ Yuki was suddenly reminded of something that Ayumi had told him the night before as he stared down the hulking mass. ¡®Even with his powers he¡¯s still as vulnerable as before. She said they¡¯re just normal humans. Saki and her beat that plant guy.¡¯ Yuki returned to his previous attacking stance waiting for a move from the assassin. He wasn¡¯t willing to go blindly into the lion¡¯s den not knowing how sharp his fangs were. ¡°You think you can beat me without your Field?¡± The man charged towards Yuki taking a swing at him that seemed to be a little slower than before. Yuki was able to dodge it, but the man followed through with his other fist with Yuki already against the wall from the last. He evaded, but the man¡¯s fist continued through pounding into the stone wall of the building making it crack and crater a little. Yuki rolled out of the way, but was assaulted from a hail of stones. When the storm cleared Yuki stared in shock at the crater left in the building. ¡®What¡¯s going on? How can he have that sort of strength? Ayumi said it¡¯s not possible to increase strength, but then how did he leave that crater!?¡¯ The foreigner slowly recovered, giving Yuki an opening. Focusing himself, he took the chance to strike while he was wide open. He threw his body into the punch aimed straight for the man¡¯s face hearing a crack from the impact. The sound pleased him, striking through his defenses. However, he suddenly felt a sharp pain through his entire hand. He jumped back holding his hand to look at it. Purple and red, his hand barely moved, bloodied and bruised. ¡®What?! I know I hit him, but¡­ Damn!! My hand! It¡¯s like I was hitting stone! I think it might be broken¡­¡¯ The assassin stood towering over Yuki looking down at him. ¡°You see the difference now? Now use your Field before I grow tired of humoring you.¡± Yuki stood up and ripped open his school uniform pulling his dress shirt free. He tore a long strip from his dress shirt and wrapped it around his broken hand. When he finished he stared back at the assassin giving him his silent answer. ¡°I see¡­¡± The man threw his fist again with Yuki dodging it, but surprised Yuki when his knee came up in mid-movement, knocking the wind out of Yuki and spraying saliva from his mouth. The assassin grabbed Yuki by the leg and swung him around against the building walls as they changed in form to spiked points of rock that pierced through his back and chest dripping blood in lines on the wall. Pealed off the wall, they dropped Yuki to the ground. Yuki slid roughly bloodied and torn up. His body bumped into Seiji finally stopping. His uniform in tatters and coughing up blood, the sensation felt too familiar again. Yuki tried to find the strength to get his legs to move. ¡®I¡¯ve got to protect him. He protected me!¡¯ He pushed himself up to one knee in front of Seiji. Short of breath and throbbing in pain, Yuki balled his fists up to focus with whatever he had left. ¡®It takes me back¡­ Just the two of us¡­ I would have liked to have done that one more time. Seiji¡­¡¯ Dust suddenly kicked up around Yuki as he began to glow green pulsing waves from his body as he looked around in surprise. The waves pushed back the stone cracking it as grass pierced through blowing a wide field of grasslands over all of the ground, but leaving the buildings as they were. Yuki stood up with a determined look in his eyes as a simple white keikogi, the traditional clothes he wore at the dojo, replaced his school uniform. A haze surrounded him, slightly distorting the environment behind him. ¡°I¡¯ll protect him with my life!¡± ¡°I thought that was my line, Yuki.¡± ¡°Seiji?¡± Yuki turned with shock to see Seiji standing once more. Like him, Seiji no longer wore his common black school uniform. In place of his uniform, long traditional robes of the Shinto Priest draped his body. Flowing forms of white over a soft blue like Yuki saw from Seiji¡¯s Grandfather. ¡°Seiji?!¡± Chapter 29 - Dropout Priest A wind crawled its way through the alley blowing around the field of grass that used to be a typical alley corner. For the moment everything was still, the confusion in the air left everyone holding their positions. In the edge of the widened alley was the massive assassin with barely any of his earth field still holding against Yuki¡¯s field. Yuki took a step back and blinked several times checking his eyes to see if they were playing games on him. Seiji hadn¡¯t yet been clued into his change being more focused on being conscious once more. He didn¡¯t know what Yuki¡¯s problem was, but he stepped forward to get around Yuki. ¡°What¡¯s with that look Yuki? We¡¯ve got someone¡¯s ass to kick!¡± ¡°Huh¡­right!¡± Yuki rubbed his fists together and stepped forward next to Seiji. Even with both of them back in the fight, it didn¡¯t feel so assured as Seiji acted. His hand still killed him with a throbbing biting pain that was only being held back by adrenaline. ¡°Let me handle this, Seiji. You can stay back this time!¡± Yuki charged forward, trusting in his mind to have delivered. Seiji tried to reach out for Yuki, taken aback by him suddenly being willing to fight. ¡®What¡¯s gotten into him? And what¡¯s with all of this damn grass?¡¯ The assassin took a cautious defensive posture with Yuki finally committed. A clean strike with his good hand slammed into the thick forearm. Barely any movement came from the hit. Nothing changed with his fist halted. He didn¡¯t really know what to expect, but hoped for something. Confused covered him with Yuki making no noticeable impact on the guy. Everything felt a little off in ways he couldn¡¯t figure out, but it seemed like Yuki should have done something. But the stranger remained a brick wall. ¡®Did Yuki always look so blurry? How the hell can he just tank hits like that from Yuki?¡¯ Chapter 29 ¨C Dropout Priest Yuki leapt back to assess the situation. ¡°Tough as stone¡­¡± Backed away, he suddenly noticed an odd crack or two along the forearm where he struck. ¡®A crack? Is he actually made out of stone? But Ayumi said it can¡¯t change you¡­so what¡¯s he doing to get this effect?¡¯ ¡°Can you keep going?¡± Seiji offered a hand to Yuki. Yuki grabbed on to Seiji feeling a bit of strength flowing into his body. ¡°Thanks.¡± Everything felt a little sharper. The dull movements disappeared as though somehow restored. ¡°Let me take a whack at him, Yuki.¡± Despite how the last time went, his body told him he had a chance. None of it made any sense, but he was not about to turn down a chance to go toe to toe again. ¡°Wait, Seiji! His defenses are too strong. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll make sense, but I think he actually has rocks on his skin protecting him.¡± Seiji didn¡¯t question what probably should have been a red flag. However, being told that hadn¡¯t changed his instinct. ¡°I can¡¯t explain it, but I know I can win.¡± Knowing Seiji, he immediately wanted to pull him back. Yet there was something different about him now and not just the new clothes. His confidence felt genuine, even if he didn¡¯t know where it came from. ¡°I¡¯ve got your back.¡± Seiji nodded with a grin to Yuki before turning to look down at the unassailable tower of a man. He pounded his feet against the earth getting a boost to his sprint. His body glided through the air as if he dropped twenty kilos. ¡®What is this feeling?¡¯ As Seiji came into range the man threw out a fist, but Seiji dodged it taking a step to the side. Rather than throwing a punch, his hand extended out launching papers from his long sleeves of the robe. ¡®He¡¯s coming again!¡¯ Another fist from the other arm came in forcing Seiji to roll away to safety, but found that he was being attacked by more than just an arm now. Out of the man¡¯s fist came spikes of stone and rock flying at him. Out of instinct Seiji dropped to one knee and slammed his hand against the grass and dirt. The daggers of earth struck at and around him breaking up grass and earth making a cloud around Seiji. ¡°Seiji!¡± Yuki ran in a few steps uncertain about his friend. But the air ran thick like electricity charged through. He paused to see what would happen. Around Seiji a dome of cool blue light surrounded him. Kanji symbols ran in lines along the surface in a complex array of geometry and calligraphy. Behind the barrier, Seiji remained unharmed. He looked back up at their attacker unfazed. He stood up, releasing the barrier to charge back into melee. Dodging around and going for counter strike, Seiji worked to find a weakness. Like with Yuki, each blow did nothing. The man really seemed to be built like a tank. A lucky blow forced Seiji on the defense, blocking with his whole body. The power pushed him back with his feet ripping through the grass and dirt. Seiji shook off the slight numbness as paper ash fell to the ground. ¡®This is so weird.¡¯ Seiji moved in continuing his patterns of evading and throwing papers with the man. ¡®It¡¯s like I act on reflex only with no thought.¡¯ He flipped over the man landing behind him, placing his palm to the earth before jumping again in time. ¡®What am I doing?¡¯ The moment he landed his hand touched the ground and rolled himself out of the crushing assault of the man. The man seemed to be growing impatient with his attacks. When Seiji jumped back the man crossed his arms producing large spikes from his elbows that broke free propelling towards Seiji. There was no time for a barrier as Seiji waved his arm in an arc in front of him, producing a series of papers in a line following his hand. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. The moment later the spikes collided with the paper mutually disintegrating on impact. Yet the assault wasn¡¯t finished as more spears of earth were launched at Seiji. Many papers remained in the air catching the flood of projectiles. As the defense thinned, he produced more with the barrage continuing. A minute was bought for him as he brought his hands together. He interlaced his fingers together with the right hand¡¯s index and middle finger held straight as he began to mutter something. As the last of the papers floating in front of Seiji were taken out, five pillars of light burst up around the man showing papers at their base. On the ground, light weaved the earth connecting each pillar in a circle as the pillars bent inwards hitting the man. A moment later all of the papers that Seiji had stuck to the man¡¯s body suddenly began to glow brightly. ¡°Yuki! Kick his ass!¡± ¡°Right!¡± Yuki sprung into action pulling back his good hand for one final punch. Caught in the light, the brute braced with his arms. The distortion effect around Yuki shot out at the point of impact through the forearms and into the chest. The moment hung still with no clear sense anything happened. Brief disappointment came over Yuki. A snap bubbled up triggering Yuki to focus. Cracks raced out from the contact widening out as though he split the man¡¯s arm. Chunks of earth tumbled away as the armor shattered. Beneath the unbroken skin a deep purple quickly surfaced. Then along the broad chest cracks formed. Blood coughed up in sprays as the Field shattered. The monster of a man lost balance leaning back to crash into the grass. Deep red bruising appeared over the chest and arms as he lay unmoving. Yuki came to rest in front of the bleeding assassin that lay on the ground unable to move from the injuries. The wild look from before was breaking through him as he had been attacking, but he blinked to bring himself out of the trance. ¡®Did I¡­ Did I?¡¯ As Yuki looked closer, the man was still breathing strong, but would not be able to move for some time. The wounds were deep, but not immediately life threatening. Seiji walked up to Yuki patting him on the shoulder to get his attention from the fight. ¡°Shit man! We won¡­¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Yuki turned away from the scene and looked at Seiji staring down at him. It was then that his curiosity kicked in changing his expression again to confusion. ¡°What¡¯s with the clothes, Seiji? I thought you hated¡­¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Seiji¡¯s face twisted a little in confusion, but Yuki pointed at the clothes to direct his eyes down. When Seiji gave into Yuki¡¯s questioning and looked, his eyes widened in shock making him jump back. ¡°What the hell am I wearing these stupid clothes for?!¡± Seiji began to pull at them, checking to see if it was real and where his school clothes had gone. It was sadly very real and very missing. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m asking. When you woke up you were wearing them. I didn¡¯t say much then because we had other matters.¡± Yuki¡¯s mind ran through the events that led up trying to figure out what happened since it became very clear to him that Seiji was in the dark. ¡°And what¡¯s with those papers? They look like charms or something.¡± Seiji wasn¡¯t able to keep up with the barrage of questions, still trying to deal with the clothes. ¡®Why the hell didn¡¯t I notice this before? And what¡¯s Yuki talking about paper charms?¡¯ It required Yuki to grab Seiji¡¯s hand and show him what it was that he was holding the entire time. ¡°You were throwing them around all over the place like out of a manga I read. Honestly, you looked pretty badass¡± ¡°Huh? Wait¡­these are Ofuda, the hell? The talismans that we use at the shrine? But why do I have them?¡± Seiji attempted to replay what he did before, but it became a blur. Everything was all reflexive like he had done it before and just knew without needing to concentrate. ¡®What the hell happened to me? What¡¯s this strange feeling I have? What the shit¡¯s going on?¡¯ Yuki had a ton of questions left, but he suddenly knew that he should not be sticking around any longer than necessary. Unfortunately, he was still in a problem. ¡®I can¡¯t turn it off again. Damn¡­wish I knew how to work this.¡¯ Yuki walked over to Seiji trying to look as serious as he could. ¡°Hey Seiji, I need a favor.¡± ¡°Wha¡ª¡° ¡°We probably should stick around any longer, but I need you to whack me in the head hard.¡± ¡°Huh? Why?!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll explain later, just hurry!¡± Seiji didn¡¯t understand what Yuki was getting, but the dead serious look in his eyes told Seiji enough. He took a moment and pulled back his arm tightly letting it go flying through Yuki and dropping him flat on the alley concrete once more. All of the grass, clothes, everything faded away before Yuki touched the ground. ¡°Not sure I understand, but this is getting complicated.¡± He looked around at the alley seeing the few areas of damage caused by the fight. However, Seiji couldn¡¯t dawdle too long and with Yuki unconscious it made his task harder now. Seiji bent down and lifted Yuki up over shoulder. He glanced over at the still body of Yuki. ¡°What the hell¡¯s going on Yuki¡­¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Yuki snapped back to reality. He sat on a large semi-flat stone in the back of the shrine that Seiji had carried him back to. Yuki wasn¡¯t sure if he was welcomed by their grandfather, but that didn¡¯t seem to be the immediate issue. Someone stared at him with great intent. They wanted answers. ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®huh¡¯ me, Yuki! You seem to know something about that giant Russian brick shithouse!¡± ¡°That¡¯s some colorful use of language.¡± Seiji leaned in on Yuki as if it would help get him answers. They had left the alley so quickly after defeating that strange guy that Seiji did not have any time for answers. That and he carried an unconscious body while trying not to look suspicious. Yuki swallowed slowly knowing that this was coming. He knew that he was going to have to explain it when Seiji refused to run away. It was inevitable now. ¡°Well I¡¯m not sure where to start, its kinda complicated.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s start with that guy that attacked you. He seemed to be out for more than just a few drops of your blood.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± After Saki gave him practice, the explanation came out smoother. And Seiji quietly, mostly anyway, absorbed it all. Both Saki and Seiji took the revelations far better than him, though given the circumstances it made sense. At the end, Seiji rubbed his head still rolling it around. ¡°Damn, man¡­ What¡¯s the plan?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I guess I¡¯ve been in a little bit of denial hoping it would pass over in time. But Saki and now you¡­ I can¡¯t run from this anymore. But it¡¯s not like I can go into the lion¡¯s den as I am. It¡¯s still a waiting game for now.¡± ¡°Where is this place? You going to be close by?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I¡­I just realized I never asked Ayumi about that.¡± He laughed a little at his absentmindedness. ¡°I guess with everything going on, it didn¡¯t seem that important.¡± ¡°Not important? It¡¯s your homeland.¡± ¡°Japan is my home, not wherever that place is and Momoko, Ken and Jun my family.¡± It hit him suddenly saying it to Seiji. The weight of the words felt heavier than he realized. ¡°I get that. So who the hell¡¯s this Ayumi?¡± ¡°Oh right, she didn¡¯t know about you so your memories weren¡¯t altered. You saw her the other day when Saki yelled at you.¡± ¡°That tiny little girl? Huh¡­shit¡­oh shit!¡± ¡°Seiji?¡± He leaned forward and jumped up getting in front of Yuki. Seiji grabbed him by the shoulders with an intense stare. ¡°All that stuff, what the hell was that shit? Was it your powers?¡± ¡°Huh? What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Ya know, that shit!¡± Seiji started to gesture with his hands, pointing at himself as if that helped. ¡°The light¡­¡± He trailed off into whispers without anymore reaching Yuki. His eyes darted around the shrine grounds. More than a little confused, Yuki tilted his head. It took a few more gestures for it to click. ¡°Oh the Shinto¨C¡± Immediately, Seiji slammed a hand over his mouth. ¡°Quiet, man!¡± A very serious glare from Seiji fixed on Yuki. He refused to back down until Yuki agreed. Slowly Yuki nodded his head looking bewildered. ¡°Good¡­shit¡­¡± Taking a breath in, Yuki could speak again, but kept it quiet. ¡°You talking about the shinto powers? Yeah, you looked great, straight out of a movie!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t breathe a word of that to anyone!¡± ¡°I mean who¡¯d believe me?¡± ¡°Yuki¡­¡± ¡°Okay, okay, I¡¯ll keep it a secret. It¡¯s not like I even know how it happened.¡± Thinking back on the alley, he tried to imagine what the trigger had been. He knew vaguely enough how the powers work to know what he needed. Yet he didn¡¯t know how or why it happened. His subconscious continued to govern his life. ¡°Given Seiji powers¡­what more can I do with this power?¡¯ Chapter 30 - The Warning Unease and nerves twisted every feeling. The ambivalent atmosphere of students passing through the halls made the uncaring worse. No one noticed the change. In a way, that was the best outcome. Invisible was better. But loneliness crushed any possible warmth. An empty classroom with leftover desks pushed to the sides. The room was part of the reserves for clubs. It made for a private place to have a conversation. The subject of which remained unknown. Across from her at the small table sat Yori, partially through his lunch. While his sister remained only a couple of bites through her rice. She kept waiting for whatever it was that Yori called her for to come up. Halfway through his lunch gave her enough courage to speak. ¡°What¡­did you want¡­to talk about, brother?¡± Yori finished the food in his mouth before answering. ¡°I¡¯ve been hearing some troubling stories about your class.¡± ¡°My¡­class?¡± ¡°Yes, there are some troublemakers from what I heard. I wanted to make sure you were safe.¡± She paused to think about who he might be referring to. The obvious suspects came to mind. ¡°It¡¯s not¡­that bad.¡± ¡°Yumi. Yuki Hayashi is said to be disruptive in class and fights everyday. Saki Furukawa attacks students for little cause. And those around them are apparently nearly as bad.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± It was hard to deny what often happens. But he didn¡¯t know the situation. Or maybe he did know. Yori could be talking to her because everything he knew. Or maybe he just heard rumors and worried. ¡°The class¡­is safe¡­¡± ¡°Safe? Fights in the halls! You could be hurt if things get out of control! I¡¯ll talk with the teachers about the two of them.¡± Chapter 30 ¨C The Warning Panic immediately crashed through her body. She dropped her chopsticks, focusing wide eyed at Yori. ¡°The teachers? You¡¯re not¡­going to get them¡­suspended? Are you?¡± Yori put down his chopsticks, starting to gesture with his hands. ¡°Everything I¡¯ve heard about those two is bad and hurts the reputation of the school. It¡¯s more surprising that they haven¡¯t been suspended already.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Yumi, I want you to promise me you will stay far away from them. I can¡¯t always be around when you need me.¡± ¡°I know¡­brother¡­I¡¯m safe¡­¡± ¡°Yumi, promise me you won¡¯t go near those two.¡± Hesitation blocked her words. She should agree immediately. That was the right thing. But Yuki didn¡¯t do anything wrong. But Yori didn¡¯t know anything. Agreement was the right course. ¡°...brother¡­I¡­¡± He watched his sister shrink in the chair. An all too common sight he knew. Yori stretched out his hand as an offering on the table. ¡°This is for your protection. I know you don¡¯t want to get into trouble, Yumi.¡± His sister shied away her gaze. Silence returned to the room. A few awkward moments passed until Yori pulled back. He granted her space and picked up his lunch. Folding the cloth over to contain everything, he looked walked to the exit. ¡°You¡¯ll see. This is the right choice.¡± Left in silence, alone, Yumi stared down at her largely uneaten lunch. The words of her brother echoed in haunting tones within her mind. She clutched her hands to the sides of her tray. There were no answers to be found for as long as she stared. After a long wait, she returned to her class, lunch largely untouched still. Ten minutes remained of the lunch break. Only about a quarter of the students returned, or maybe never left. Yumi quietly took her seat in the back. No one seemed to notice her. Time moved slowly forward. She was sitting within her own world as lessons continued. Only half of her paid attention. Her brother still lingered on the fringes, inescapable. The best solution was to listen to him. But she was in no danger like he thought. She was safe. Maybe she was wrong. No, he wasn¡¯t. ¡°But the galaxy¡¯s in danger¡­¡± Yuki declared to the classroom. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. The rest of the class began to laugh while the teacher only became more frustrated with Yuki''s lack of focus. He managed to keep his composure with Yuki. ¡°Well the galaxy can wait until after my class is done, Mr. Hayashi.¡± ¡°¡­Al-right¡­¡± Yumi smiled watching him bow and sheepishly try to sit down. She watched Saki scold him for falling asleep and other things she couldn¡¯t hear. Ayumi flailed about trying to calm things down. All the while Yuki beamed with warmth. She only knew him as a classmate and briefly at that. Yet she couldn¡¯t help but find him curious. ¡®How does he do it? It seems so easy¡­natural for him¡­ I wish I could thank him¡­¡¯ Yumi quickly threw that idea out. The worlds that separated them were too great. Watching was the only thing to do. After school ended, Yumi stayed behind for her cleaning duty. Two others from the class helped in hurried fashion to try to return to their afternoon. She wiped down the board and cleaned up around the front. Halfway through, Katsumi and Kaede walked into the classroom. They joined her in taking out the trash. The empty hall felt freeing. No pressure slammed around her. ¡°So Yumi, what your brother want?¡± asked Katsumi. ¡°He¡­um¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not bad is it? Are you okay?¡± ¡°Did something happen, Yumi?¡± They both stared at her questioning her silence. She blinked and hurried up with the trash. Not quite a run, but close enough that it gave her a lead on her friends. But, as expected, they caught up to her outside at the dumpster. ¡°Yumi¡­you don¡¯t need to run away from us.¡± Leaning against the dumpster, her head down, she was staring at the concrete. ¡°I¡­know¡­I just¡­¡± ¡°Yumi? What is it?¡± She turned around and faced her friends. They hugged Yumi giving her the needed support. Another couple of breaths, Yumi gathered herself. ¡°I think my brother¡­is going to report¡­them.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°What Hayashi?¡± ¡°And¡­Furukawa too.¡± ¡°Her too? I guess that makes sense, she gets into fights consistently.¡± ¡°The real problem is Hayashi though. The fights wouldn¡¯t happen if he wasn¡¯t stirring up trouble.¡± ¡°And did you hear him in class today? Sleeping again! He¡¯s going to fail the exams at this rate.¡± ¡°What are the teachers doing?¡± ¡°Honestly, a little peace would be welcome.¡± ¡°Yeah, Yumi, don¡¯t be worried about what the President does. It¡¯s not going to hurt you. Even without the distraction of Hayashi in class, we won¡¯t let anyone do anything to you.¡± Yumi was nodding. They were right. Her brother was right. Nodding was the correct thing to do. There was no risk. No danger presented itself to her. Her life would remain the same. Everything that she wanted would stay. This was right. ¡°...but¡­¡± ¡°Yumi?¡± This was right. She kept nodding for them. A weak smile came up to thank them. Yumi walked back with her friends. She was walking the right path. After her time with her friends, she returned home. Yumi entered and looked to see no other shoes present. ¡°I¡¯m home.¡± Slipping off her shoes, she sat them to the side and walked into the hall. She stopped at the kitchen to look into the dim space. Unwashed dishes from the morning remained in the sink. A few plastic containers scattered the counter. The chairs were out of place. She silently made notes of everything before passing on. Yumi continued upstairs to change into casual clothes, a simple fitted shirt and jean shorts with her hair pulled back. She returned to the kitchen and started tidying things up. It only took thirty minutes and she could resume her studies. Another hour or so later, she heard the distant sound of the door closing. She knew by the timing, Yori arrived. Her mind focused back on her work. When she finally finished, she stretched her arms out. The clock read quarter past seven. It was time. She walked down stairs picking up the smells of dinner. With each step, a hand squeezed on her heart. Pushing forward, Yumi reached the threshold to look inside. Yori moved around quickly, finishing putting together three plates of food. When he turned around, holding two plates, she froze up. Yori smiled over to her. ¡°Good timing, Yumi.¡± He placed down their food leaving the third to cool on the counter. Slowly she was drawn into the kitchen. Her brother was already seated waiting for her to join him. A slow nod came from her before she hurried herself. Silence hung around them as she found her seat. The polite gratitude for the meal were the only words spoken. Awkwardness filled in the air making it difficult for her to breathe. She poked at her food still by the time Yori finished. He stood up and put the plate in the sink. Testing the third plate, he held his hand over the food and nodded. He wrapped up the meal and placed it in the fridge. Afterwards, he then walked out of the kitchen. ¡°Yumi, when you¡¯re finished let me know and I¡¯ll take cleaning duties.¡± His footsteps then disappeared in the distance. Air finally escaped from Yumi. She slumped over in the chair pushing the plate away. ¡°I couldn¡¯t say¡­anything¡­¡± Yumi pressed her hands to her face trying to bring her pulse back down. Five minutes left in circles, Yumi pulled herself out of the chair. She grabbed the plate and emptied the rest of dinner into the sink. The disposal drilled out all of her thoughts as she stared. Her eyes simply watched the food disappear. The water spiraling down felt almost hypnotizing. Yumi stared longer until her body shook randomly out of the glazed state. She flicked off the disposal and returned to her room. Dropping on her bed, she stared once more. ¡®I can¡¯t do anything¡­¡¯ Chapter 31 - Unbroken Bonds The town was busy with activity crowding the streets and sidewalks leaving the noise to plow through everything around. Near to the neighborhood of Yuki and many of his classmates was a shopping district within walking distance that provided much of the after school entertainment. It left the sidewalks filled with students just off from classes. Yumi arrived in front of the local bookstore that she had found through the school. She opened the door, getting the familiar whiff of paper. At the front desk, the owner waved to her. ¡°Good afternoon, Yumi!¡± Politely smiling back, she gave him a short bow before hurrying on to the back. In the employee break room, she placed her bag down. A locker with a sticker in handwritten kanji, Yumi, stood on the far right. She pulled up the latch and retrieved out the slacks and purple polo. With the clothes in hand, she stepped over to the small bathroom. Once changed, she left her school uniform in the locker and returned to the front of the store. ¡°I¡¯m ready, sir!¡± Chapter 31 ¨C Unbroken Bonds The owner, a middle aged man, approaching his fifties, pulled up a cardboard box from behind the counter. He patted his hand on the side. ¡°I need you to stock these, Yumi. These were a late shipment. You¡¯ll find the rest on the cart.¡± ¡°Understood!¡± She pulled on the box feeling its weight and tugged harder. It slid into her body as she got an arm under it. Thankfully, it appeared to be only half packed. She smiled to herself, the focus giving her peace. On the far side of the store, she found the cart stacked deep with books and boxes. She set down the box on the floor. Her eyes scanned over anything that jumped out at her. There was a lot to reshelf. Two stacks into stocking, she paused on a children¡¯s book. The cover had a simple cute design with a happy family. A mother and father walking with their two kids. Her hand passed over the image. Echoes of the past tore up to the surface. Yumi blinked and started hearing the familiar voices. ¡°That¡¯s amazing, Yori! You¡¯re so smart!¡± Their mother patted a young Yori on the head. His test held tightly in her other hand. Yumi looked in from the hall at the scene, holding most of her behind the wall. She stared on in silence watching it play out. The moment Yori looked her way, she hid behind the wall. Their mother noticed immediately and walked out to the hall. She knelt down next to Yumi. ¡°Yumi?¡± Following the glances to Yori¡¯s paper, their mother folded it up. ¡°It¡¯s alright, dear! You don¡¯t need to hide.¡± Yumi pulled herself back a little, catching the warm comforting smile from her mother. She stood in the threshold of the doorway hanging her head down trying to hold back her tears. ¡°¡­Mom¡­¡± Her entire body was shaking ready to run away. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Yumi? Why are you crying, dear?¡± She raised up Yumi¡¯s head to look at her, seeing the tears that hung in her eyes. Then she looked down, catching a paper in Yumi¡¯s tiny hands wrinkled from her tight hold on it. She gently took the paper from Yumi to look at it and then set it aside. ¡°Is this what¡¯s got you upset? Don¡¯t worry, Yumi. You¡¯re still my precious daughter. Your grades won¡¯t change how I feel!¡± Yumi jumped into her mother¡¯s arms and held out for her, unable to stop the crying. ¡°¡­Hrmph¡­¡± Yori said, turning his head away walking out of the room leaving them behind. Late into the night, the distant sound of the front door woke Yumi up. A little hazy, she leaned forward from her sheets to listen. It took until then for her to realize that her father had finally come home. She jumped out of bed and hurried to the door. Yumi pulled the door open cautiously. Muffled voices of her parents caught her attention. A smile came with her excitement and she ignored the fear rushing into the hall. To her surprise, when she arrived at the stairs Yori stood down staring at their father. ¡°Yori?¡± She hid against the corner sensing the tone. ¡°¡­doing here¡­¡± a muffled voice of her father said. ¡°I know¡­ ¡­playing around¡­¡± ¡°¡­just a child¡­¡± The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°NO! I¡­ ¡­mother knows¡­ ¡­waits for you each¡­¡± The voices suddenly became raised and much clearer to understand. ¡°You don¡¯t have any right to talk to your father like that!¡± ¡°And what right do you have to make mother cry every night when you don¡¯t come home and knows what you¡¯re doing!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you talk back to me, child! This doesn¡¯t concern you!¡± ¡°It does when my own father doesn¡¯t seem to care about his own family!¡± ¡°Watch your mouth! I¡ª¡° The shouting became louder. Yumi panicked and fled back to her room. She buried herself under her sheets as the dull sounds bounced around her room. Yumi pulled her focus back to her work in the store. Her mind had been absent for long enough leaving the books that she was supposed to stock still resting. When she realized how far behind she was on her work she panicked and flailed her arms. The books were eventually finished and she was about to take the box back when she was called forward. It was the woman that was the only other full time worker at the store apart from the family that owned the store. Yumi would see her in almost every day working behind the counter most days. ¡°Yes, Miss Momoko?¡± ¡°Hey, Yumi! Could you take this to the back for me?¡± ¡°Sure!¡± There was someone else there with his back turned to her handing over a bag to Momoko. ¡°You can just give it to her, Yuki.¡± ¡°Oh right! Sorry!¡± Yumi froze instantly seeing Yuki standing before her. ¡®What¡¯s he doing here? Why is¡­¡¯ Her heart could barely handle the surprise. It leapt into her throat stopping her words. Yuki stepped forward to her holding out the bag for her to take as she stepped back. ¡°¡­Hayashi¡­¡± Her body remained frozen still with her face getting warmer by the second. Flashes of Yori came over her followed by her friends. Whispers told her what to do. She couldn¡¯t move her body. ¡®What do I do?!¡¯ Yuki took a step forward, developing a confused look on his face for the odd reaction from Yumi. He tried to hold out the bag for her again, seeing that it was out of reach for her to take, but even being closer did not make a difference. ¡°Yumi?¡± ¡®What should I do?¡¯ Glancing over at Momoko, Yuki tried to get a read of the situation. The limited interactions with Yumi, he didn¡¯t really know a lot about her. ¡°Is she okay?¡± Momoko leaned over the counter touching Yumi on the shoulder. ¡°Yumi? You feeling okay?¡± ¡®Yori! Yuki!¡¯ Yumi¡¯s mind suddenly went into a spin hearing the echoing voice of her brother in her mind reminding her of his feelings. She needed to listen to him. That was the correct thing she should do. Yet he stood in front of him. ¡®He¡¯s here now. I can¡¯t avoid him¡­¡¯ The faded voices didn¡¯t quite reach her fully. It took a little shake from Momoko to bring her back to reality finally. Gasping for air, Yumi flipped her head back between the two. Wide eyed and uncertain, she tried to guess how long it had been. The looks didn¡¯t give her a positive answer. ¡°Umm¡­sorry! Right!¡± She grabbed the bag from Yuki. ¡®Be normal!¡¯ Not even thinking, she recalled the last thing from Momoko and hurried towards the back room. However, her shoulder crashed into the bookshelf knocking back. All at once, everything slammed into her and lightheadedness overtook her. She dropped to the floor clutching the bag, while atop a few scattered books. ¡°Yumi?!¡± Yuki rushed over to her side looking to see if she hurt herself. The store polo looked to have survived. Perhaps she only tapped it and bruised herself. He knelt down next to her, offering a hand. To everyone''s surprise, a low growl came from Yumi that even Momoko could hear. Red flushed over Yumi¡¯s cheeks as she pressed her hands to her stomach. A laugh burst out of Momoko soon followed by Yuki. She weakly grinned praying nothing more came from her belly. Yuki rubbed his eye and looked back at his sister. ¡°You running a slave ship here?¡± ¡°Only in the house! You better listen to your Cap!¡± ¡°Careful or I¡¯ll stage a mutiny with the dwarf twins!¡± Exchanging grins, Momo reached behind the counter and pulled out a plastic bag. ¡°Help her to the back!¡± She tossed it over to Yuki. An easy catch, he passed it over to his left hand while offering Yumi his right. ¡°You¡¯re not hurt are you?¡± Shaking her head, she pushed off the floor to get back to her feet. ¡®Oh the books!¡¯ Yumi quickly started picking up the books she knocked down. A few slipped out of her hands, still also carrying the bag from Yuki. Momoko motioned to her from the counter. ¡°Go, Yumi! I¡¯ll clean up. Get something inside you before keel over!¡± ¡°Y-Yes, Miss Momoko!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t notice.¡± ¡°N-no, it¡¯s not¡­your fault!¡± Yuki took the books from her and placed them loosely on the shelf before escorting her to the back. Things quickly spun beyond her control. Not that she had any control. She could only sit down at the table while Yuki pulled out a sealed plate and some smaller baggies. When she realized what laid in front her, she attempted to stand up. ¡°I can¡¯t! This is¡­her food!¡± ¡°Yumi! It¡¯s alright. Momo gave it to you. She wouldn¡¯t have done it, if she didn¡¯t want you to have it.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Please, eat.¡± ¡°Thank you¡­¡± Swallowing the guilt with the food, Yumi quickly tried to get through the food. The back of her neck felt warm with Yuki so close to her. All of the voices making orders for her faded out. A cough stopped her as she had to pause eating. Yuki pushed over a plastic water bottle. She downed a third of it before taking a breath. ¡°Thanks¡­¡± ¡°Pace yourself. I would have given you my lunch at school if I knew you were so hungry.¡± She shook her head. ¡°No! I¡¯m sorry! I¡­It¡¯s not¡­Or I¡­¡± Yumi stopped herself before she attempted an explanation. Looking at Yuki, this was a different person than the class knew. This was the one she saw just once. There were sides the others missed or ignored. She wanted to know more. A new path, a different path forked from her road. Staring down the fork, she no longer knew which was right and which was wrong. What path was safe? Which should she follow? ¡°Can I ask you something?¡± Chapter 32 - Matter of Self A quiet and small chat around the table, Yuki didn¡¯t imagine this to be how he¡¯d talk to Yumi for the first time. Well properly for the first time. Outside of school they had never crossed paths. Though given the situation, it seemed inevitable. ¡°Uh, sure, I don¡¯t mind. What is it?¡± ¡°How do you¡­pick?¡± She noticed he only gave her a head tilt. ¡°The path¡­you follow¡­¡± He leaned back in his chair. ¡°That¡¯s a lot¡­heavier sort of question than I was expecting. I figured it was going to be Momo and me.¡± ¡°Momo?¡± ¡°Yeah. Oh I guess it¡¯s Momoko around here.¡± ¡°Oh Miss Momoko! I¡¯m so sorry!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t mind breaking script, it¡¯s a little refreshing than the same explanations.¡± ¡°Script?¡± He smiled back trying to brush past the confusion. ¡°The path I follow, huh? I think that¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve been asked that. Read it a lot of times, got lots of answers.¡± Yuki returned his gaze back to a completely lost Yumi. ¡°None of which are what you¡¯re looking for. You¡¯re not looking for a cheap line from a five hundred yen light novel.¡± Was that supposed to be more comforting for Yumi? Chapter 32 ¨C Matter of Self Putting questionable preambles aside, Yuki had to consider the question. It felt random. But the look she gave him told him otherwise. Something weighed on her. She wanted help. ¡°I haven¡¯t exactly been alive long enough for great life experiences, so you¡¯ll have to forgive me if it doesn¡¯t come out super sage like.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­okay¡­¡± ¡°The path I take is filled with so many regrets and failures. I made a lot of mistakes. I still do! But I keep going forward because I made a promise¡­¡± He drifted off again. The sound of beeping of medical instruments tapped on the back of his mind. Pain coughing wormed into his ears. Shallow breaths drawn out with a struggle gripped his arms. ¡°Promise?¡± Yumi¡¯s voice snapped him out of his haze. ¡°Oh right, right! It¡¯s what guides me. It makes me want to do better. To not focus on my past that I can¡¯t change, but towards my future which still can be different.¡± He rubbed his hands together. ¡°That probably sounds pretentious coming from a fifteen year old!¡± A rough laugh came out of him. ¡°What teenager knows about real pain and regrets, right? They¡¯d probably yell at me!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so!¡± ¡°Yumi¡­¡± Yumi carried a surprisingly assertive expression. She leaned in, pressing her hands together. The depth behind his words went over her, but she felt his words all the same. It was familiar. She understood them. ¡°We might be¡­kids, children still¡­but we can still¡­suffer too!¡± ¡°You¡¯re right¡­¡± He laughed again, fixing up his fa?ade. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to get into such heavy topics. Not sure if that answered your question.¡± ¡°It did¡­¡± The words from Yuki eased her mind. Turmoil and doubt started to become like a fog, something traversable now. She walked back through the memories of her past. They didn¡¯t feel like chains for once. Yumi sat at the kitchen table alone. The lights remained off in the house as it no longer felt familiar. She held her head down on the table with her hair covering up her face. Unnoticed by her, Yori returned home from elementary school. He walked around to her side trying to see what was wrong with her. When he called out to her she didn¡¯t answer, remaining in silence. He placed his hand on her shoulder hoping that he could get her attention. ¡°Yumi?¡± However, he was not expecting what happened. Yumi jumped up from her chair grabbing Yori by the waist and plunging her face into his shirt crying. He was taken aback by her reaction and collapsed to the floor not certain what to do next as his sister couldn¡¯t stop crying. ¡°She¡¯s not here! She¡¯s not here! I want to see mom!¡± ¡°¡­Yumi¡­I-I¡­¡± Yori held Yumi in his arms as she kept crying. ¡°¡­I want¡­¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know¡­I¡­won¡¯t let you be alone, Yumi!¡± A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. She paused in her tears for a moment pulling herself away to look at Yori. The words had given her a little strength to be able to break through the emotions. ¡°Yori? You¡­¡± ¡°I promise you, Yumi! So you don¡¯t have to cry anymore. I¡¯m here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not alone?¡± Yori helped her get back on her feet and clear up her tears. It was obvious to him how upset she still was about the matter. ¡°Let¡¯s make something to eat. You¡¯ll feel better!¡± He started to walk her over to the kitchen looking back at Yumi, he was holding on to her hand to give her something stable. ¡°Can you cook?¡± ¡°Sure! And you can help me!¡± ¡°But I-I don¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. We can make something for mom as well.¡± So many of the memories clung to her, yet they lost some of the weight. Yumi stood up from the table, finding energy back in her body. ¡®I need to talk to him¡­¡¯ A confident smile came over her. She nodded internally over matters. She found herself walking over to the locker, but stopped when someone called to her. They came from behind her, Yuki of course. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°You going somewhere?¡± Blinking, she remembered where she stood. Yumi looked down at her store uniform and back to the door. Miss Momoko stood on the other side. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I got distracted.¡± She turned away from the locker. ¡°If you have somewhere you need to be, I¡¯m not going to stop you. I can tell Momo¨C¡± ¡°No! I¡¯ll finish¡­my shift.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re sure.¡± Yumi walked back to the table to clean up. ¡°I am.¡± With his job done, Yuki started to slip away from her. It wasn¡¯t until she finished wrapping everything up in the bag that she even noticed. ¡°Um¡­Thank you!¡± She smiled with some relief. There seemed to be more to it. He tilted his head a little trying to search out what he felt. Nothing would be found. ¡°You¡¯re welcome! I¡¯m glad I was of some help.¡± Yuki nodded to her and opened the door to leave. The shift at the bookstore finally ended granting her the chance she sought. Excitement and eagerness surrounded her in ways that were unfamiliar. She accepted the feelings, focusing on the ride home. Leaving the bus stop, Yumi saw her house at the far end of the street. Those feelings began to drain away some as the moment approached. She still managed to walk up to the house and open the door without pause. Shoes at the entrance told what she already wanted. ¡°I¡¯m home.¡± By the time she left her shoes behind, Yori appeared out of the kitchen. ¡°Welcome home.¡± There was something a little off about Yumi. He narrowed his eyes trying to read her for the answer. ¡°Did something happen?¡± ¡°Yes, do you have time to talk?¡± Yori raised his eyebrow with curiosity. He leaned back into the kitchen hearing the bubbling of the pot on the stove. Quickly, he jumped over to get dinner back under control. ¡°Give me a minute.¡± She nodded, having followed him into the kitchen. While Yori set the food to a lower heat, she took a seat at the table. The bus ride did little to prepare her. In fact, none of her thoughts went towards any sort of plan. Now in the moment, that felt like an oversight. ¡®I hope I can speak as clearly as Hayashi did.¡¯ With dinner safe, Yori sat down with his sister at the table. ¡°What did you want to talk about, Yumi?¡± ¡°I thought about what you said.¡± She focused on Yuki¡¯s words for direction. The path to take held at the fork. She had to make a pick. ¡°I¡­understand where you¡¯re coming from.¡± ¡°Yes, because they¡¯re trouble. It¡¯s simple to see.¡± ¡°Please, brother¡­¡± She waited to see him nodded slowly. Once he was listening, she continued. ¡°I¡¯m grateful for everything that you¡¯ve done.¡± Her mind wandered between her friends and Yori. The past loomed in the background tied to them. A past like Yuki mentioned. A past not to be controlled by. ¡°You¡¯ve done so much for me. And Kaede and Katsumi too. When things were bad for me, I had them for support. You¡¯ve all supported me so much, I couldn¡¯t be happier to have you. But I want to be able to make my own choices now.¡± ¡°Yumi?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need all the protection. I¡¯m not a child anymore. I want to stand and walk my own way. I want to make my own mistakes and fail.¡± ¡°What are you saying?¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t interfere with my class. If my classmates cause trouble, please let the teachers handle it. I¡¯ll be fine. If something does happen, I have Kaede and Katsumi at my side. You can be your own person, brother. You don¡¯t need to keep protecting.¡± ¡°Yumi¡­I¡­please¡­I¡¯m doing this for you.¡± ¡°Because I needed you when I was younger. But I want to¡­I need to walk.¡± Yori clinched his hands together as he pressed his weight against the table. New emotions rose to the surface for him. He struggled to understand what they were. Each popped and replaced with another. And across from him, his sister sat there facing him directly. It didn¡¯t make any sense. What was happening? His sister watched the different expressions roll over his face. She hardly knew what went through him. All of the murk that bound her seemed to have transferred. Watching the sight left her in silence for a while. Each second hoped for the understanding she wanted. ¡°Please, brother. I¡¯m not turning you away. I just want to find my own experience.¡± He shook his head, clearing everything out. ¡°No. No! Yumi, nothing has to change. You can do that and still¡­¡± ¡°Please understand. I¡¯ll still ask you for help when I get lost. But let me look.¡± ¡°If you still need me.¡± ¡°Of course, you¡¯re my only brother. We¡¯re family.¡± ¡°Thank you. You¡¯ll not do anything to push for their suspension?¡± A slow and distant nod came from Yori. He agreed, though it seemed like other thoughts haunted him. His fingers rubbed against the glass on the table. It was a different sight than she was used to seeing her brother in. Nothing further came out of him. She could only leave him to his thoughts. Yori would understand in time. That was certain. Yumi walked out of the kitchen. She picked the right turn in the hall. A warmth covered her as she saw something new and different in front of her for the first time. It looked exciting. She wanted to know what was ahead. But that was part of the experience. ¡®Thank you¡­Yuki¡­¡¯ Chapter 33 - Those Above Chaos and madness, that felt about right as descriptors. The battle for normalcy smashed against what qualified as reality for him. Rejection disappeared as an option the moment he started turning his world into meters of grass. Which of the options he¡¯d seen so far, definitely a good pick. But it really begged the question. How did this all end for him? A walk to school wouldn¡¯t be answering it. However, a different answer seemed to be following him. When he turned around there was Ken and Jun smiling up at him. ¡°What are you two doing here?!¡± ¡°You walking to school together today?¡± Ayumi said cheerfully as she arrived from down the street. Jun nodded to her and Ken jumped up holding on to Yuki tightly. ¡°Yup! Saki said we could at any time.¡± ¡°Just remember when you need to turn for your school.¡± ¡°We will!¡± They had all decided to walk together and Ken and Jun took up sides on Yuki with Ayumi smiling quietly to the side. However, as they came to the intersection in the road Yuki came to a stop. Saki came up from the street and he hesitated for a moment, but changed quickly to a smile. ¡°Hey, Saki!¡± Chapter 33 ¨C Those Above Saki briefly looked at Yuki before away. ¡°Hello.¡± She walked into line alongside Ayumi, eyes forward. With the teenagers distracted, Ken squeezed out more time with everyone bouncing. However, it was half way down the next street he noticed. He pulled away from Yuki and ran over to Saki, grabbing her hand. ¡°Are you sick?¡± Saki broke stride for a moment. ¡°What? No, I¡¯m fine.¡± Ken stared at Saki, narrowing his eyes up at her. ¡°But you¡¯re wrong!¡± ¡°Wrong?¡± This moment halted Saki from her course and stopped. She glanced over at Yuki for some help. He looked down at his little brother and back to Saki. The silent demands from Saki rushed him over. ¡°Um, Ken, it''s fine.¡± His little brother gave him a rejecting look. ¡°Everyone just has off days. You know, you don¡¯t always feel like playing everyday after class, right?¡± ¡°No!¡± He hopped over to Yuki pointing a finger. ¡°It¡¯s you too! You¡¯re both wrong!¡± Saki and Yuki exchanged cautious looks at each other. ¡°See! Something¡¯s wrong!¡± By then, Yuki figured it out along with Saki. It made the awkwardness between them increase further by turning away. ¡®I was just trying to give her space after everything with Seiji.¡¯ He knelt down to look straight at Ken. ¡°Thank you for worrying about us, but it¡¯s just something that needs time. I did something that upset Saki.¡± ¡°Why would you do that? Saki¡¯s your bestest friend!¡± ¡°Well¡­um¡­¡± A quick look up at Saki saw she had no more of an answer than him. ¡°Yes, but even friends can disagree.¡± ¡°Are you still friends?¡± ¡°Of course! Nothing like that would break the bond we share, right?¡± Saki felt the tug of Yuki¡¯s words kneeling down next to him looking at Ken as well. She nodded softly while the words struggled to form. ¡°Y-yes. It¡¯s a normal thing, Ken. Thank you.¡± ¡°If you promise!¡± ¡°Definitely!¡± Ken bounced over to Jun grabbing his hand. ¡°See! They¡¯re still friends!¡± Silently, Jun agreed. The two then darted off from the group back up the street to the intersection. They waved back at the three before darting on to where they were supposed to go. Standing up, Yuki crossed his arms looking a little embarrassed. ¡°So they knew¡­¡± He looked back over at Saki who started walking ahead. ¡®But it¡¯s never that easy, Ken¡­ She¡¯s got stuff to work through.¡¯ With Ayumi at his side, they pushed their step to catch up. A quiet walk to school ended with the late arrival of Yuki and Ayumi. He didn¡¯t manage to go unnoticed with the creaking door. Their teacher glared at him. Yuki smiled back innocently. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m late, Miss Kuniyoshi!¡± She looked him up and down, taking a read of the situation. ¡°Were you in a fight, Hayashi?¡± Yuki backed away from the teacher¡¯s accusations. ¡°I slipped and tripped on the stairs rushing to class.¡± ¡°Tripped?¡± ¡°Uh huh!¡± ¡°Tripped?¡± Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. He smiled nervously. ¡°I tripped and fell back down the stairs. A lot of stairs. I¡¯m sorry!¡± His hand started brushing the sleeve and parts of the dirtied uniform. The rest of the obvious marks couldn¡¯t be so easily removed. Yuki just laughed it off. Miss Kuniyoshi¡¯s brow pinched watching him fidget. All she could do was sigh. ¡°If you insist. Ayumi walk with him to the nurse¡¯s office to make sure he gets there.¡± ¡°Y-Yes! I¡¯m sorry, I couldn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°I know¡­ I¡¯ll mark you two as present.¡± ¡°Thank you, teacher!¡± Ayumi lightly pushed on Yuki, whispering to him as they left the classroom. The injured sight of Yuki ran as a murmur through the students. In the middle, Saki sat at her seat with a wrinkled expression matching the teacher. She stared at the closed door. ¡®Why did I do that? I should have stayed¡­¡¯ Fingers scratched through her hair shoving it around. ¡®Dammit, Seiji!¡¯ ¡°Hey, Saki¡­¡± Hiroshi leaned over in his chair a little. His eyes watched carefully the teacher. ¡°Were you at practice?¡± Leaning on her hand, she glanced over at him. ¡°No.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Ask me later.¡± She looked back to the front. Hopefully her focus could remain on the teacher. As the day passed, things fell into the usual routine. Rogue powers, lectures and quizzes, those were all normal school activities. Yup. The out of control aspect increased dramatically today making Ayumi work for every minute. When school ended for the day, Yuki stood at the entrance for Saki to finish with cleaning duties. Ayumi hovered around quieter than normal. The door suddenly opened, snapping Yuki back. ¡°Hiroshi? I thought you already left.¡± He glanced in and nodded to himself, but then looked back at Yuki. ¡°Not helping?¡± ¡°She insisted.¡± ¡°Yeah, that checks. Why did you go on ahead, Ayumi looks like she¡¯s about to collapse.¡± Yuki flipped between the two, noticing just now she did seem to be getting worse. ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, man. Besides, maybe talking to me will help her.¡± ¡°Please. This whole Seiji stuff is eating at her still.¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Supporting Ayumi, he guided her out of the classroom. ¡®She¡¯s more exhausted than I¡¯ve seen her before¡­¡¯ He glanced back one more time praying that Hiroshi could succeed where he failed. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Ayumi¡­¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± She blinked and tried to force herself back awake. It didn¡¯t matter how many times mental fatigue hit, there was no escaping its effect. No training or coffee could fix it. She kept a hold of Yuki as they walked, feeling her legs like lead. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. My mind wasn¡¯t focused today.¡± ¡°Clearly¡­¡± ¡°But you look really bad. Do you need to sit for a bit?¡± Gesturing with her arm half hearted to keep marching, she looked forward to the end of the day. Then she remembered that training. A bit of gloom fell over her. It was a bad day. ¡°Is there a time limit for how long you can keep it up?¡± ¡°It''s¡­a variety of variables. I can go longer, but¡­I had to switch constantly. Plus staying constantly on alert¡­¡± Yuki nodded, taking it all in while slowly walking through the hall. But they only made it down to the second floor before Ayumi buckled. He found the nearest chair for her. ¡°I¡¯ll go get you some water or tea.¡± ¡°Fine¡­¡± Ayumi dropped down into the chair and leaned her head back. Watching her briefly, he smiled before turning to head to the vending machine. ¡®For being a military hardass most of the time, it¡¯s sort of comforting to know she can be normal and not be acting.¡¯ Small comforts aside, he snapped himself back to focus on his mind. No Ayumi meant his power could do anything and he wouldn¡¯t be able to stop it. He returned with bottled water and green tea, player¡¯s choice. But as he approached, there was a voice he didn¡¯t recognize coming from Ayumi. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Aw, come on, don¡¯t you want to come have some tea with us?¡± As Yuki came around the corner, he spotted three boys, older, crowded around Ayumi. She made no efforts to escape or push them away. ¡°P-Please¡­¡± Yuki dropped the bottle and can. He ran down the hall focused only on Ayumi. No plans came to mind. He wanted to slide in between them, but two of them grouped tightly together stopping him. Instead, Yuki stumbled in bumping against them. ¡°Hey guys! Looking for directions?¡± The two he tapped glared back pushing him away. ¡°Get lost kid.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t want to be lost. Could you be?¡± ¡°You¡¯re getting on my nerves. Beat it.¡± Suddenly, there was a large shadow cast over everyone grouped together. As everyone looked back behind them all they could see was a dark figure with gleaming eyes of a demon staring down at them. The boys all fell backwards against the wall. The demon leaned forward piercing them with an intense aura. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing? The girl doesn¡¯t want you bothering her, understand?¡± ¡°Y-y-yeah!¡± They froze in time caught by the looming presence. A stamping of their foot snapped their paralysis away. Quickly, all three bolted for the stairs. The dark figure leaned in offering a hand out to Ayumi with the shade breaking through revealing the person to be a female student and a third year by the uniform. ¡°They shouldn¡¯t mess with you anymore. Are you alright?¡± Ayumi cautiously accepted the hand getting pulled up to her feet. ¡°T-thank you¡­¡± Back on her feet, the height difference became all the more apparent. Whomever her rescuer was, they were the tallest Japanese person she had seen, limited as that might be. She had very long dark brown hair down to the edge of her skirt, working in contrast to her green eyes. ¡°Umm¡­¡± Yuki turned to look up feeling smaller than usual. He tried to recall if he had seen them around. Someone so notable should have stood out, literally. ¡®She¡¯s tall! I think she¡¯s even taller than Seiji! Is she really a student?¡¯ ¡°Uh¡­thank you!¡± Ayumi bowed quickly to the girl. Though she found herself staring longer into her eyes. Her voice snapped her out of her haze. ¡°I¡¯m just glad you¡¯re safe. No thanks is needed.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Ayumi Nishimura.¡± ¡°Oh, well I¡¯m Fumiko Terauchi. It¡¯s nice to meet you.¡± Fumiko politely bowed back to them. ¡°Thank you for helping, Ayumi. Oh, Yuki Hayashi!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had to deal with that, Nishimura. I¡¯ll report them to the Student Council when I get back.¡± Fumiko nodded to Ayumi to give her reassurance. Flashing a dashing smile, Fumiko bowed once more to Ayumi. ¡°I¡¯d advise sticking with your friend and not walking alone as much as I hate to say that. But if you¡¯re ever in trouble I¡¯ll be there to protect you.¡± ¡°¡­uh¡­al-al-right¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry for taking up so much of your time.¡± Fumiko stepped back quickly, letting Ayumi go. ¡°My club is meeting today, so I must be going.¡± She turned around and rushed off down the hall disappearing as fast as she appeared. Yuki blinked, still processing everything that happened. Then he jumped over to Ayumi remembering her state. She already sat back down. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, I didn¡¯t imagine that would happen.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine¡­¡± He remembered the drinks and ran back. Alone once more for the brief moment, Ayumi stared down at the empty hall. The oddly gallant image of the senior fresh in her mind still. ¡°¡­Fumiko¡­Terauchi¡­¡± Chapter 34 - Far Enough A whirlwind of events flew by Ayumi. It wasn¡¯t until she sat back down that the fatigue reminded her of the situation. Lingering images of what occurred hung in her mind. She tried to shake them off. The senior clouded her focus on the mission. Ayumi squeezed her hand, taking her mind to something else. ¡®Not the time¡­¡¯ ¡°Ayumi?¡± ¡°What?¡± He held out the options of water or tea. ¡°Just haven¡¯t seen you distracted before. You¡¯re always so military and serious.¡± Once she picked the water, he handed it over. Downing some of the water immediately, she closed her eyes in thought. ¡°I¡¯m human like anyone else.¡± ¡°I know. It¡¯s sort of refreshing to be reminded.¡± He smiled to her, then leaned against the wall. ¡°That Fumiko though, I guess it¡¯s only been a month since school started, but how did I not see her before?¡± ¡°Yes. Remarkable¡­¡± Yuki looked down at Ayumi as she seemed lost in thought again. ¡°Piqued your interest?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Want to see her again?¡± ¡°I have a mission.¡± ¡°Not hearing a no.¡± ¡°Stop.¡± He smiled again and shrugged while drinking the tea. The questioning glance came up to him. ¡°Just happy to see other sides of you. I like learning about my friends.¡± Silence followed as they drank to pass the time. Chapter 34 ¨C Far Enough A slow trickle of students steadily meandered through the polished wood and plaster halls. Clubs already gathered and sports activities dominated the outdoors. The comforting quiet of the well worn school interior stood as the clear pick. Peace and tranquility made for a happy environment. It just needed a dutiful guard to provide succor in times of distress. Fumiko hurried with hushed footfalls through the hall. The unplanned side quest, while very critical, did make her tardy. She eased her gate to a more customary pace upon breaching the second floor club wing. Part way into her trek through the hall, she saw most of the doors began to close. She traversed by other students not bound by an urgent agenda. Fumiko exchanged welcoming smiles and nods. Her destination came up near the middle of the hallway. A simple wood plate sign hung from above, Fantasy Literary Club. Further down, the Classical and Science Fiction could be seen as well. She couldn¡¯t visit them today, at least at the start. Routine had to be forewent today. When she opened the door, two of the students immediately turned to look. A polite greeting from her picked up the attention of everyone else. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m late!¡± ¡°Rescuing underclassmen again, President?¡± ¡°Guilty!¡± She dropped her school bag on the table. Opening it up, Fumiko spilled out the contents. Half a dozen paperbacks cascaded followed by two notebooks. A pencil case along with some loose papers fell out last. ¡°Any issues to report?¡± ¡°She¡¯s safe. I just need to let the Student Council know.¡± Her thoughts faded off to far too near raven tinted emotions. It was a cycle and she loathed seeing it. There would be peace for a bit, but then it¡¯d resume all over again. Even if it was a never ending conflict, she was one she intended to wage. ¡°They aren¡¯t going to do anything. It¡¯s the student body.¡± ¡°Doing nothing is worse.¡± Fumiko walked over to the desk and pulled out a stack of papers. She passed them around the table to the five other students. ¡°Fighting everyone all alone?¡± She took a seat at the end of the table, pulling her things out of the way. ¡°There¡¯s plenty of ways to fight. You just need focus.¡± Distant thoughts spun around her head making Fumiko drift away. Haunting whispers echoed in her mind. Each crawled deeper attempting to breach her. The moment it looked like progress had been made, she snapped out of it, forcing reality. ¡°Focus is what¡¯s important.¡± ¡°Prez?¡± ¡°Focus, right.¡± A small bounce in her chair pulled her forward to the club. ¡°Did everyone get to read up to chapter five last night?¡± Slow nods came from everyone as the club began its usual activities. Late afternoon finally arrived, though the sun remained beaming in the window, it wouldn¡¯t last. The club room emptied a few minutes ago. Fumiko cleaned up the last few details before closing up as well. She stared wistfully at the window. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Alone the voices returned stronger than ever before. Stabbing and poking, they chewed on her defense. Her hand clenched onto the handle of her bag. Blood pressure rose as did her breathing. Strength sapped from her knees as she braced herself against the table. Echoes twisted around her ears. She slammed her eyes shut. ¡°No! N-no-no! Get a hold of yourself!¡± She pulled up her bag and hurried out the room. Quickly, she made it down to the ground before pausing. Fumiko dug through her bag to pull out a book from her personal stash. Her finger easily found its page and focused down for the walk home. Once the breeze hit her face, her mind already disappeared into the world of magic and heroes. Images of dark mountains and dragons excited her far more than the plain concrete beneath her. Where she left off in the story, a sinister assassination plot became exposed to the party. They sought to track down the villains, but remained a step behind. While a common enough plot, she enjoyed the character interactions and world. Each word bounced off the page filling her with images. Lost in her book, Fumiko turned at the school gate and nearly missed the little girl standing around. Immediately, the book came down and Fumiko focused on the child. No more than maybe ten, they stood looking around. She didn¡¯t recognize them. ¡®Someone¡¯s sibling?¡¯ Fumiko knelt down next to the girl. ¡°Are you looking for someone?¡± The kid quickly took a couple steps back clearly startled. Rather than keep pressing, Fumiko sat down to reduce her presence further. Her height wasn¡¯t always in her favor. ¡°It¡¯s okay. See I have the same uniform? Are you looking for someone that goes here?¡± A quiet pause fell over the two. The little girl still tried to decide, a trait that Fumiko could admire. It was better to be cautious of strangers than trusting. So she just waited for an answer. ¡°Y-yes¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s pretty late. Do you think you could have missed them?¡± A vigorous shake refused Fumiko. That made her think for a bit. ¡°This isn¡¯t the only way out of school.¡± Another emphatic head shake denied that option as well. ¡°Well if you¡¯re certain. It¡¯s pretty empty by now, so if you want¡­ I can help you look.¡± That gave the child pause once more, an understandable reaction. Fumiko searched around in her mind for ideas. ¡°Oh, I should have thought of this first. Do you have a phone or a number we can try?¡± ¡°No¡­we don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Odd¡­but I guess everyone¡¯s different.¡± This required a little more thought. The school had extensive grounds. She needed a way to narrow things down. ¡°Do you know if they¡¯re in a club?¡± The girl looked down, likely trying to remember. It didn¡¯t take long for an answer at least. Time was burning. ¡°Maybe? I¡¯m not sure¡­¡± ¡°Hm, no luck¡­ Perhaps someone from the Student Council¡¯s still around. What¡¯s their name?¡± ¡°Ayumi Nishamura.¡± Immediately, the name sounded familiar. Fumiko tried to think why she knew the name. She pensively searched the day¡¯s event until it came to her. ¡°Oh her! But I know nothing about her¡­ Student Council, it is then.¡± Standing up, she offered a hand down to the little girl. The girl still had some hesitation, but finally accepted Fumiko. Fumiko smiled warmly to the girl. ¡°If she¡¯s still in the school, we¡¯ll find her!¡± The school became even more dead by the time she returned. Only a few students still lingered in the halls, a positive sign. Reality questioned that hope, but Fumiko counted on optimism instead. She kept her eye out for signs of Ayumi, but naturally there was none to be found. At the Student Council door, she looked back at the girl. Cautiousness and fear filled her eyes. An unfamiliar space filled with strangers no doubt frightened them. Fumiko gave her a comforting pat and squeezed her hand. ¡°They aren¡¯t scary.¡± Fumiko knocked on the door. ¡°Is anyone still here?¡± No sound immediately came out of the room. It seemed like a reasonable chance someone remained behind still. But she might have to send the girl home, after all Ayumi probably was there. The sound of a chair scraping over the floor changed her mind. It straightened out her stance in preparation for someone opening the door. Slow footfalls approached. The door opened slowly to be greeted by Yori of all people. ¡°Oh, President Mizuno! I didn¡¯t know you were still here.¡± ¡°Fumiko Terauchi¡­¡± He noticed the second person next to her quickly. ¡°What were you needing?¡± ¡°I was trying to find someone for this girl. They were waiting for a first year, Ayumi Nishimura. Do you know if she¡¯s in a club? I thought we might check there.¡± ¡°Nishimura? The name doesn¡¯t sound familiar, but I can check. Have you already tried calling her?¡± ¡°No phone.¡± ¡°And relation?¡± ¡°Oh, I guess I didn¡¯t check. I just assumed they were family.¡± Fumiko looked down at the little girl for an answer. ¡°Ayumi Nishimura is¡­?¡± ¡°My big sister!¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± Yori went back into the room. In the corner, a computer sat with a spreadsheet currently up. ¡°Does she have any identification?¡± He sat down starting to type away on the keyboard. ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­check¡­¡± ¡°I applaud your willingness to help, but you need to confirm the story.¡± ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right¡­¡± While Yori ran the search for her, she knelt down. As always, he remained level headed and logical. They were traits that she could admire. The oversight of basic checks shouldn¡¯t have happened. ¡°Do you have an ID on you or your school bag?¡± The girl pulled away a bit, but then looked back towards Yori. Her reservations relaxed and nodded back to Fumiko. She turned around and showed the red school bag she wore on her back. A bear charm hung off the corner of the otherwise simple bag. Opening the flap, Fumiko looked at the name on the ID. ¡°Chiasa¡­Nishimura¡­¡± Everything for emergency contact was printed on the card. A school to reach along with parents and home address, anything the police or someone helping her would need. ¡°Nothing out of the ordinary.¡± Yori approached the threshold, his search complete. ¡°That¡¯s good. Always best to be careful. I couldn¡¯t find a club for her. So she¡¯s probably not still around.¡± A dejected down turned head said everything they needed about Chiasa. Fumiko leaned around to look back at her. ¡°Was she expecting you today?¡± ¡°No¡­I wanted to surprise her¡­ I wanted to spend time with her¡­¡± Fumiko checked Yori quickly, who shook his head in silence. ¡°She¡¯s probably on her way home then. But you can come another day. I¡¯m sure she¡¯d be happy to see you.¡± ¡°Tomorrow?¡± ¡°Um, yeah¡­¡± Her mind went through all the steps from today. The usual methods were off the table. ¡°How about this, Chiasa¡­ After school finishes I¡¯ll bring her out to you. That way you don¡¯t miss each other this time! How does that sound?¡± ¡°I like that!¡± Chiasa nodded, taking both of her hands to hold onto Fumiko. Chapter 35 - Lost and Found The promised hour approached. A little bit of excitement sparked to mind from a happy family moment. It was hard not to look forward to it. A long desired wish granted always felt like a dream. Even if not all wishes could be granted, she would see as many that could be. That was her duty. That was why she could take another step. With the end of classes, Fumiko hurried out of the room. She forewent departures to classmates and the teacher. Because the Student Council didn¡¯t have personal details, she knew nothing about Ayumi, just that she was a first year. That meant a trek to the third floor. Searching the halls as it began to fill in with students proved a little more challenging than she expected. But so far at least, it wasn¡¯t too many. ¡®There¡¯s so many to check¡­wish I had stayed to ask more questions. But that¡¯d be creepy. Mind telling me what class you¡¯re in? Yeah no, I just will have to deal with this¡­¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s the balance of slice of life with action! You know it¡¯s like ¡®oh let¡¯s have tea and cake, it¡¯s a wonderful bam assassins from the roof¡¯!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think¡­ I¡¯ll get it¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s comedy! Eh, comedy is subjective anyway, but it¡¯s a really funny read.¡± ¡°May¡­be¡­¡± Fumiko turned, recognizing the voices behind her. ¡°Nishimura? Nishimura!¡± Yuki perked up hearing a voice calling to them. ¡°Ayumi? Is that?¡± A very tall teenager hurried towards them. If he didn¡¯t know who they were, he¡¯d probably be back away. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re Fumiko, right?¡± ¡°Glad I found you!¡± ¡°You were looking for us?¡± ¡°Nishimura actually. I ran into someone yesterday that wanted to see you before you left. Are you free?¡± Ayumi stared at the girl reading her expression and stance. Questions immediately rose up. The situation appeared suspicious, almost insultingly. She didn¡¯t see any hints from Fumiko. It troubled her even more the lack of deception. ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°They wanted it to be a surprise.¡± Yuki leaned in a little towards Fumiko. ¡°We can keep a secret. Couldn¡¯t you tell us?¡± ¡°Please, Nishimura.¡± ¡®At least I know it¡¯s a trap¡­better to trigger it now than where I can¡¯t control it.¡¯ She turned to look over at Yuki. Before she even opened her mouth, the expression told her everything. This wasn¡¯t something she was allowed to do alone. ¡°Okay¡­¡± Chapter 35 ¨C Lost and Found Uncertainty followed them out to the school grounds. The safety of the school disappeared, increasing the unease about the situation. Yuki started looking around everywhere in paranoia. Random sounds made him snap to attention. Fumiko glanced back curious to what bothered him. ¡°Something wrong?¡± ¡°N-no! I¡¯m just a little¡­accident prone. So I¡¯m just a little on guard.¡± ¡°All the sports practice in a different part of the school.¡± ¡°You¡¯d like to think that¡¯d be enough.¡± He laughed a little leaning on a different truth for his lie. A demanding stare from Ayumi told him to calm down. Yuki attempted to relax, but the knowledge of another assassin made it difficult. In both a hurry to see the tension break and dreading it, Yuki walked on a little behind Ayumi. ¡®I know she¡¯s prepared and I¡¯m useless still, but Fumiko¡¯s here.¡¯ He looked around again trying to feel assured in their safety. Nothing. Yuki rubbed his arm out of nerves. ¡°So Fumiko¡­do you have a club you¡¯re a part of?¡± ¡°Hm? Oh, yes, one of the Literary Clubs.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± A bit of genuine interest leaked into his words. ¡°Are they meeting today?¡± ¡°Yes, they¡¯re probably starting to make their way now.¡± ¡°We wouldn¡¯t want to keep you from your club. If you tell us where to meet them, we can make it there on our own.¡± ¡°It¡¯s only a few minutes. We don¡¯t start immediately.¡± He rubbed his fingers down his forearm. Another check of the surroundings came up empty. By all signs, they headed to the front gate. They didn¡¯t need Fumiko anymore. Yuki felt his heart starting to pound. ¡°What are you reading?¡± Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°For fun. I happen to read my fair share and I¡¯m always looking for new suggestions.¡± ¡°I mostly just read fantasy.¡± ¡°Then you must have some good suggestions! I sort of read a bit of everything. So the more niche stuff I end up missing. Any good recommendations?¡± The question finally made Fumiko stop to think. While she was distracted, Ayumi took the opportunity to start going on ahead. Yuki remained behind to keep feeding her questions. Ayumi marched to the gate monitoring the entire area. Only students filled the grounds as expected. The number made it troubling for her. The assassin could easily hide among them to strike. She stayed on defense as she continued forward. Still no one appeared. No hints of an enemy. They had to be somewhere. This was a very different game than the others. Ayumi wondered who the Council might have sent. The old men finally saw it as a real threat and sent someone skilled. ¡®Did they send an Omega?¡¯ Even as the investigation continued, she tried to prepare contingencies. Yet as she stood out at the gate, nothing still appeared. Students as far as she could see. Across the street no one out of the ordinary, not that was a mark of anything. They could pretend to be anyone. Even the students could be suspects, yet none of them moved for her. One final look around, she saw no one. ¡®Perhaps this isn¡¯t the meeting location? Or¡­¡¯ Ayumi looked back towards Fumiko. Staring long at the teenager, new questions rose up. The distraction finally broke as Yuki leaned around Fumiko, seeing nothing happening. Fumiko turned around surprised to see Ayumi at the gate. ¡°Ah crap! I completely lost myself!¡± He smiled back. ¡°It¡¯s my fault. I sort of get lost in my own world when it comes to books!¡± ¡°Yes, I know what you mean. You thought about joining the Literary Club?¡± ¡°Well I¡¯m¡­¡± ¡°Dammit, look at me recruiting! We should get back to Nishimura!¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Yuki jumped up to get a little ahead of Fumiko. Without words, he exchanged looks at Ayumi hoping for some answers. Best he got from her was no assassin. Her answer put him even more on edge to what came next. ¡°Where are we going?¡± ¡°Oh just to the gate! She¡¯s waiting outside for Nishimura.¡± Fumiko hurried her pace to catch up with Yuki. However, they looked around together and found no one. ¡°Odd, she said she¡¯d wait here for you.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s waiting for me?¡± ¡°Well I¡­¡± Fumiko searched around again for Chiasa, but it was no use. Just like Ayumi, she found nothing but students. ¡°She didn¡¯t run off did she?¡± ¡°Fumiko?¡± ¡°I guess it would help if you knew. You¡¯d probably spot her faster than me, since she¡¯s your sister.¡± Yuki jumped back towards Ayumi immediately going on the guard. He desperately sought out their stranger. The last confirmation was all he needed to know without a doubt they walked into a trap. But where were they? Why hadn¡¯t they already attacked when Ayumi was alone? Doubts mixed around in his mind about the situation. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You¡¯re looking a little odd¡­¡± Nothing still. He looked up to the roofs in hopes of anything. ¡°Ayumi doesn¡¯t have a sister, Fumiko. She¡¯s an only child.¡± ¡°Huh? What are you talking about? I saw her and her ID!¡± Fumiko walked closer to Ayumi wanting some answers. A strange tension she didn¡¯t understand surrounded them. This was meant to be a happy moment for sisters. They were ruining everything. ¡°Nishimura¨C¡± Out of Fumiko¡¯s chest came a long sword that glowed yellow sending out a burst of energy from the tip towards Ayumi. Ayumi¡¯s eyes had widened in shock as the entire area was blinded by a flash with blood spraying everywhere. Yuki turned in horror to see both Fumiko and Ayumi pierced with the sword. Pools of blood already began to gather on the concrete. It came up at a low angle through Fumiko¡¯s waist straight into Ayumi¡¯s heart. A stunned look remained painted on her face with life quickly starting to fade. And behind it all a small ten year old child equally soaked in the blood of her targets. ¡°No! Ayumi! Fumiko!¡± He reached out to Ayumi as the sword ripped back out, tearing through flesh. Fumiko coughed up an unsettling amount of blood already starting to shake. The strength disappeared from Ayumi¡¯s body collapsing into his arms. ¡°How¡­we were¡­¡± He looked over at the child sensing the murderous intent. It should have been a disturbing and unsettling image, an elementary school child soaked in blood holding an oversized weapon. Perhaps his media consumption or special powers numbed it, but all he felt was fear. This wasn¡¯t how it was supposed to play out. Ayumi couldn¡¯t be dead. Before he could spare another thought to what happened, a familiar looking sword flew in piercing the child through the heart as well. He couldn¡¯t even go into shock at this point. ¡°Ayumi?¡± It was her sword. He looked down, but the body was gone. Out of the air, Ayumi looked to materialize or be revealed depending on the perspective. She had a narrowed expression, worn many times before. ¡°Be careful, they¡¯re still out there. It was just a fake.¡± ¡°But¡­everything¡­you¡¯re not dead?¡± ¡°No, but the girl is at risk.¡± Ayumi stood a little down the sidewalk seeking out the assassin. They remained well hidden still. ¡°I¡¯ll draw their attention away, heal her or get medical attention!¡± She turned away and ran down the sidewalk to hunt. Yuki looked around, still checking up. The assassin remained unknown and yet Ayumi just left him. All he could do was hope she had more of a clue than he had to their location. But she was right about one thing. A thud next to him drew him back to the present. ¡°Fumiko!¡± Collapsed in her own blood and shaking, the teenager coughed and gasped on air. Panic filled her eyes with an experience she never knew. Yuki recognized the fear and grabbed onto her hand. ¡°Fumiko! It-it-it¡¯ll be alright! Just listen to-t-t-to my voice!¡± He tried to reach out to the power that existed in him, always hiding, always at a distance. It had to come to him now. It always picked the extreme. There wasn¡¯t any change in Fumiko. No signs of lights or motes of energy like before. He squeezed her hand praying deep inside that his mind would answer his call. This couldn¡¯t be the time that it failed him. It wouldn¡¯t let this happen to him. He refused to believe it. Seconds slowly ticked away upon the bleeding canvas around him. Yuki closed his eyes, fighting against his mind and emotions. The tempest of his thoughts fought out a reoccurring distance battle. All his worries stuck in the back of his mind never focused upon finally came true. The cost of his life, his secret, it stared back at him. Chapter 36 - The Little Things Regret, guilt, fear, he had lost count how many times they appeared in just the span of a week. It felt like a never ending torrent of negativity designed to crush him under heel. Like he was merely god¡¯s play thing. He was no protagonist from his stories that would go punch said god in the face. Super powers or not, the truth remained that he was just a scared kid in a world he couldn¡¯t comprehend anymore. Life and death were just concepts that heroes gave speeches about. Death was something that he cheered for when the villain got what was coming to them. Cried when a hero fell before their time. Smiled at the beauty of life painted on a two page spread that he would talk about for the next week. All stories, all fiction and none of it real. His own mortality felt real, but someone else. It was different. People that were supposed to be his enemies he couldn¡¯t even find the sorrow for even as his stomach twisted and rejected everything. But not like this, an innocent fading before him. That beautiful life, a painting torn to shreds. ¡°¡­is¡­she¡­safe¡­¡± Fumiko coughed deeply, spilling blood from her lips. It snapped Yuki out of his fears for the moment drawing him towards her. Yuki leaned close to her trying to understand what she was saying. ¡°Do you mean Ayumi?¡± ¡°¡­the little¡­girl¡­¡± His eyes widened when he heard her worrying about the safety of the little girl. He tightened his fist that rested against the ground feeling the shaking pain in his chest. Tears from his eyes were streaming down his cheeks uncontrollably. ¡°¡­Yes¡­she¡¯s safe now¡­¡± ¡°¡­good¡­¡± she said with a weak smile forming on her face. ¡®¡­why¡­she did nothing and yet¡­I have to do something! I have to save her! I can¡¯t let this keep happening and do nothing, but cry!¡¯ Yuki rubbed his sleeve over his eyes to get the tears out of his face and stood up. He looked down at Fumiko not sure how much time was left. ¡®There¡¯s no time to second guess myself. I know what I want¡­that should be enough.¡¯ Yuki closed his eyes, concentrating on his singular wish. There was only one thing that he wanted from his power right now. Nothing else mattered to him. ¡®Give me the power to save her life!¡¯ The wind suddenly blew up around him as waves pulsed out of his feet making the grass blow away from him. All around him light began to appear from the grass and cement around him gathering at his hands. Opening his eyes, he looked down to see thin strains of energy being drawn towards his hands. He knelt down at Fumiko¡¯s side not completely sure what he had to do, but instinctively placed his hand on her wound. The strains of light flew up into the air blowing in the breeze digging into the skin and wound of Fumiko. All around the injury green light shone between Yuki¡¯s fingers. Yuki held tightly to Fumiko as more strains grew up, attaching to Fumiko slowly closing up the wound from the inside until the skin was sealed up. Yuki pulled his hand away looking through the cut in the uniform to see that there was nothing but blood left where the wound was. He smiled in relief and fell back on his legs. Fumiko groaned and coughed as she opened her eyes. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Fumiko pulled herself up looking around, no longer certain what was happening. The cold feeling of the void that she had felt was no longer surrounding her. A warmth carried through her giving her the reassurance that she was still alive, contrary to a minute ago. ¡°How am¡­ Is this heaven?¡± Yuki laughed a little, wiping away the newly forming tears in his eyes. ¡°No, you¡¯re alive still.¡± ¡°Alive? But the pain¡­the wound!¡± She looked down at her uniform seeing all of the blood that had soaked in her clothes and around her. It confirmed for her that she had not dreamt of the injury. She remembered feeling the blade going through her and yet now there was no longer even a scar on her stomach. ¡°It¡¯s gone!¡± ¡°Yes, I healed you.¡± ¡°Healed? How?¡± As relief settled in, it broke the focus Yuki had. His awareness of the world around him struck back as voices of students poked in. He looked around to see they managed to draw a big crowd. People confused or taking pictures. ¡°I can¡¯t explain here. You okay enough to move?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Yuki jumped up, waving his hand for an opening. ¡°She slipped and cut herself on the gate! It looks worse than it is, but I¡¯m going to take her to the clinic nearby. Let us through!¡± ¡°What was that strange light?¡± ¡°Was it his phone?¡± ¡°There¡¯s so much blood¡­¡± He grabbed a hold of Fumiko¡¯s hand and rushed through the crowd in the direction Ayumi ran off. They made it past the school and down the corner between two buildings. ¡°Not sure how much of that they bought, but without evidence, it should just be crazy rumors.¡± ¡°What was all that, Hayashi? And how am I still standing? I don¡¯t even feel pain.¡± Her legs buckled for a moment before Yuki caught. ¡°Ok, maybe a little lightheaded. So it¡¯s all real¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s complicated. I¡¯m sorry you got involved with all of us. I tried to keep you uninvolved once I realized¡­¡± ¡°Why is this all starting to sound like one of those trashy light novels?¡± His face went through several different emotions, almost not sure which to pick. ¡°Finally someone that thinks like I do! But, hey¡­ I guess it sort of does. No, that doesn¡¯t matter right now! I need to go find Ayumi. You should be fully healed, so you can return to school.¡± Yuki turned to make a run only to get stopped. ¡°I¡¯m going with you!¡± ¡°What?! You can¡¯t, this isn¡¯t something you can handle. It¡¯s best to just forget about all of this and return to school. Knowing Ayumi, she¡¯ll make you forget anyway¡­¡± Fumiko pulled on him, getting Yuki to look at her again. She pointed at her uniform, bloody and with a hole. ¡°I can¡¯t go back to school like this. They¡¯ll think I came out of a horror movie!¡± ¡°Good point¡­but you can¡¯t follow me either!¡± Chapter 36 ¨C The Little Things No one around her made any moves. If they were hidden in the crowd they were extremely patient. She followed the trail to the intersection, checking in subtle ways with her field. Faint snow hung above out of most people¡¯s sight and cut off abruptly to the east. They were nearby, but moving away. It was her only clue. Two streets later, she stopped at a park. ¡®They¡¯re waiting inside¡­this¡¯ll be less clean up¡­¡¯ She lowered her Illusion Field briefly before restoring it once more. Snow stretched out everywhere over the park, except for a large circle near the center. ¡°There¡¯s no hiding.¡± The same child as before appeared in view as though a curtain opened in reality. ¡°I¡¯m not hiding, unlike you, Eudokia. Playing your games in a high school?¡± She rested the nearly meter long blade against her shoulder like it was cardboard. She caught the narrowed look in Ayumi¡¯s eyes. ¡°Oh that¡¯s right. You¡¯re going by Ayumi these days aren¡¯t you? Having fun playing a Japanese school girl for that boy?¡± Ayumi stared at the girl, continuing to be cautious of her movements. The real fight had yet to start. They had her at the disadvantage with their identity concealed. ¡°I¡¯m keeping a low profile.¡± ¡°Making good use of your skills. But you really have fallen, breaking away¡­¡± Sensing the shifting tides, snow whipped around Ayumi¡¯s body quickly. Her school uniform changed out for her battle attire. She held out her blade towards the girl. ¡°I¡¯m still loyal, unlike the rest of you!¡± The girl smiled at Ayumi and held out their own sword. ¡°Not taking this seriously?¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t being serious in the form.¡± ¡°I guess not,¡± said the girl shrugging, acting like she did not have a care in the world. The girl swung the sword down from above her head launching an energy beam from the tip of the blade. Snow came up blocking the attack. Ayumi sliced her sword through the wall of snow creating ice projectiles. The assassin swung her blade horizontally. A trail of energy traced a thick line in the air that widened quickly. All of the ice impacted on the semi-opaque wall of energy causing small waves as they were vaporized. Ayumi sprinted forward to close the distance with the girl with her sword held back. The child matched Ayumi¡¯s movements. Metal clashed together echoing through the park grounds. Ice and energy sparked around their collision. ¡®I¡¯ve got to end this quickly, but¡­¡¯ Ayumi summoned up her ice to go after the legs of the girl, but she pushed back on Ayumi. The child created space as Ayumi¡¯s ice attack approached. They swung in a smooth motion, cutting off the advancing ice. The girl jumped back a step throwing out another energy beam from the tip of the sword. Ayumi knelt down, placing her hands in the snow to reinforce a barrier. Even with the strength that she provided, it carved through the snow burning over her shoulder narrowly missing. On her back, Ayumi pressed her hands into the snow. Spikes of ice extruded out of the snow. One shot out in counterattack, followed by more in sequence. The girl dodged and cut off the spikes, but it soon grew to exceed her capabilities. The ice attacks forced her back as she was cut through her dress, avoiding a wound. The tearing cloth flew through the air as she came to a safe landing. She effortlessly drew the sword through the ground erecting a light field from the energy that the ice impacted on. Ice assaults continued as she could see thin pieces of the ice making it through. ¡°Well if you¡¯re getting serious¡­¡± Suddenly the ten year disappeared from the assault. Ayumi scanned around the park looking for the real body. ¡®I knew it was a fake still, but I couldn¡¯t pinpoint the real body.¡¯ From where the girl had been was a colored mist that pulsed outward. It fell into the ground expanding to change the grass and cement into a pool of liquid-like multi-colored energies. A mark of her strength, the Field covered a vast area, exceeding the park limits. The changes eliminated everything in the park. Anything on the edge of the Field was carved out like an arched cross section. Ayumi watched her own field disappear further than previously. It ate through more of her snow field reaching dangerously close. The change made her tighten her grip on the sword. Tension mounted in her body with the appearance of the real assassin. Out of the fading mist came an adult woman with blonde hair and medium blue eyes. She had a surprisingly calm and gentle expression on her face. She had strains of hair from the side of her head twisted and pulled back to be tied behind her keeping her medium length hair in place. Covering her entire body was a gray body suit that matched her figure completely. She stood taller than Ayumi and the sword that the little girl had been using looked almost small in her hand now. ¡°Ready, Eudokia?¡± A small gasp escaped Ayumi as she recognized the woman. She quickly controlled her reaction and narrowed her eyes. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect they¡¯d send you¡­¡± ¡°You did kill everyone else they sent. Naturally, the Council would turn to the one that knows you best.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not the same girl you knew.¡± ¡°No, you¡¯ve become quite famous since the last time I saw you.¡± The woman raised up her sword to point it at Eudokia. ¡°But come, stop hiding behind this lie. I might have taught how to do it, but it¡¯s wasted energy.¡± Ayumi pulled herself together, narrowing her eyes and controlling her features. She raised her sword up releasing the chakram from the hilt in her off hand. ¡°I have everything I need to kill you, Dareia.¡± Chapter 37 - Secret Lives A cold stand-off between two familiar fighters rested amongst snow and a multi-colored pool. Both waited for a move, but also Dareia still offered Eudokia an opportunity. The clear view of power between the two put Dareia at a decided advantage with the snow field largely eroded away. ¡°Overconfidence isn¡¯t like you, Eudokia. You know you can¡¯t be holding back against me.¡± ¡°This will be enough.¡± She focused on her Field concentrating deeply on it. The maximum radius of the snow began to shrink revealing the park once more. As the Illusion Field tightened, the contested line between their Fields moved. It pushed slowly a meter further away and then another. The new line halted close to the equidistant point between them. However, the slight advantage remained to Dareia. ¡°It would seem that stubborn streak remains.¡± Chapter 37 ¨C Secret Lives Eudokia breathed slowly, maintaining her focus. ¡®I can¡¯t let Yuki near¡­ I need to end this quickly, but as I am, that¡¯ll be difficult¡­¡¯ She materialized the chakram in her right hand with a chain linking to the pommel of her sword. All the snow in the Field suddenly shifted to ice. A wry smile came over Dareia watching Eudokia prepare. ¡°Baring fangs, but not your claws. Let¡¯s test that stubbornness of yours and see how long it lasts.¡± She swung her sword in an arc in front of her, generating a glow. Like before, energy shot out of it in a white arc. Without reaction from Eudokia, the ice shot up as pillars of hexagons. Unlike the barrier she made before, this held tight until the energy faded. Eudokia leapt into the air to land on an outstretched chunk of ice. The moment her foot landed on the ice, it stretched out rapidly. Despite the ice appearance, her feet gripped the surface effortlessly as it sent her towards the enemy. With her momentum, Eudokia jumped from her platform bringing down her sword upon Dareia. Their clash rippled sparks around them. Ice from her Field flung at the woman. Small blasts of energy radiant out from the assassin¡¯s sword. Each danced around evading or deflecting away secondary attacks. Clouds of ice and liquid dyes rained around them in minor explosions. No clear advantage settled between them yet. Pushing Eudokia back with her sword, Dareia made a little room for herself. ¡°Fair enough. I¡¯ll put in more effort.¡± She stamped her foot into the liquid Field. Red colors coalesced together. They quickly separated into orbs that hovered in the air. Four in total gathered and sped towards Eudokia at inhuman speeds. Only her automated defense of ice saved her. Yet it wasn¡¯t halted, it shattered into smaller particles that sank into the ice like acid. It slowed down enough that she could react by drawing up more defenses. ¡®Dammit, she¡¯s keeping me at bay while she changes modes. I wanted to stop her from utilizing her Field. Despite the time I spent with her, she had little opportunity to use her power in combat. So I know nothing about what every color can do, just the function of the Field¡­¡¯ Once the time had been bought, the assault ended. Dareia revealed her sword upgraded to a bastard sword length, though wider and with a blue tint throughout the metal. Her previous body suit was coated in a green pattern of geometric symbols and shapes. It almost looked like a magic array had been painted over her, but it morphed constantly into new shapes from second to second. Eudokia swept her arm out, clearing away all of the ice. ¡®An new offense¡­¡¯ She mentally prepared her Field for whatever might come. It had been a while since a fight required her to put in the effort. Not an unwelcome experience, she would need to be stronger. Rather than swinging the sword, Dareia thrust it into the earth. She dragged it through the pool of liquids stirring up the colors. A tear through the surface erupted dividing everything. Like an invisible ribbon, it stretched out towards Eudokia, cutting ice. It spiraled out to wrap around her. Invisible forces closed in. Testing out the attack, Eudokia slashed her sword through the air only for it to be diced up. She stepped back and looked around to see the divide almost completely trapping her. A slight groan came out of her teeth as she pressed them together. Eudokia discarded her weapons, focusing fully on her Field. The spirals closed off any escape quickly. Locked within, the bastard sword spun up in the air, light as paper. Another invisible attack brushed against the snow moving quickly. It shattered through ice defenses effortlessly. Each destroyed wall brought it closer to Eudokia. Within the last meter, she threw up her hand raising one last pillar of ice. Shards of ice rained down covering the area in a fine powder of particles. However, the pillar remained standing carved deeply into with a clean slice. She exhaled with some relief. ¡®It worked, but I won¡¯t be able to use that trick again¡­¡¯ Dareia stared carefully at the results. Her analytical mind absorbed all the details and checked against the facts. Scanning the environment, her eyes widened a touch with revelation. ¡°Clever. I see you¡¯ve improved your tricks!¡± Beneath her, the ice Field of Eudokia hovered surprisingly close with frost still clinging to her legs. ¡°You really are a special talent, flipping your Field and dragging me away just enough to weaken my attack.¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. The woman picked up the bastard sword from the air and snapped it sharply in an arc. A faint crack echoed through the air as the spiral carvings disappeared. ¡°Perhaps this is enough for you.¡± Ice around the assassin disappeared. The entire Field morphed turning into mounds of rolling hills. Eudokia planted her feet into the ice as it sealed around her boots. The sword and chakram reformed in her hands as the ice dragged her body forward. She closed in with Dareia. The ice mounds pull her up and around making quick hit and run strikes. Despite the size of the bastard sword, it maneuvered well to parry or defend. Sparks from the metal sang out as they exchanged blows. Before a rhythm could be found, Eudokia changed up her pace and movement. The Field morphed with the ice growing out to become sheets suspended in air. All logic or physics ignored with her new intent. It gave her new surfaces to slide along that wrapped around and upside down. The sword fight no longer stayed two-dimensional. Her body spun around on the ice rotating wide becoming horizontal. Blades rattled and screamed through the park. She fought upside down and on the flanks, whatever would keep the fight from settling into something adaptable. Despite her best efforts, any appearance of a hit glanced off. The constant assault largely kept Eudokia safe, but no head way was made. She only had guesses to the nature of the green patterns on her body. It provided protection, clearly, but she needed more information. Each attack sought to answer her question. Dareia shifted her focus and deflected with her sword. The blade sliced through the sheet that Eudokia rode. With a spiral, it shattered through the rest. She grabbed Eudokia by the forearm and threw her to the ground. Stabbing the sword down at her, she rolled away in time, but the spirals chased after her. Eudokia sank half her body into the ice and slipped away forcefully before the attack could capture her again. She coughed and gasped a little recovering from the sudden pull. ¡®Dammit, not a scratch¡­¡¯ ¡°All that talent you built just for the King. It¡¯s a shame that you¡¯ve tossed it all the way on a childish dream. I thought I trained you better.¡± She pushed herself back to her feet. Her body came out a little bruised, but nothing that could stop her. ¡°At least I¡¯m still serving something honorable.¡± ¡°This is tradition. Regardless of your feelings on the matter, this is the way things go.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t see his dream fade and be destroyed by those corrupt bastards!¡± ¡°It¡¯s the way it goes sometimes. I thought I taught you that. The world isn¡¯t a clean and orderly place. I taught you to survive.¡± ¡°And I will and see our people to a better path!¡± A sigh came from Dareia. ¡°It seems you¡¯re set to this path then.¡± ¡°I am.¡± ¡°Then you better be more clever than this!¡± Drawing in a breath, the park ran silent for a moment. Focusing within herself, the liquid Field suddenly took over most of the ice. The sword shrank down to a dagger size now tinted red. A bit of sweat dripped down Eudokia''s forehead seeing the real strength of Dareia revealed. ¡®Is she going to force my hand? He¡¯s still not shown up¡­ If I¡¯m alone, then perhaps I can¡­¡¯ The entire pool shifted red. It rippled outwards becoming larger waves. Repeated waves echoed deeper building stronger until it became the consistency of an ocean. Rising higher and higher, a three meter tall wave crashed down over the remains of the ice Field. Ice walls rose up from the Field in hexagon shapes once more. Each attempted to stave off the liquid, but shattered immediately. Another even greater wave slammed down against Eudokia. The pressure pinned her to the ground. Nothing could move even a centimeter. Her Field failed to hold off the surge no matter her focus. ¡®I can¡¯t¡­ I didn¡¯t think she was this strong¡­¡¯ Whatever the liquid was made of, it started to burn away at her clothes and skin. Completely submerged, it all just dissolved into the wave. The erosion of her body screamed throughout her mind. She held her mouth shut fearing what it would do inside her. Her heartbeat quickened. The stress tightened through her mind. If her body sweated it disappeared immediately. Cornered, Eudokia felt the reminiscent sting of her mortality. It seemed almost poetic that it came from Dareia. As a last defense, she pulled in all the ice she could to encase herself. It provided a brief respite, but the corrosive liquid didn¡¯t stop. She needed a better plan than defense. Eudokia searched through her memory for anything about the woman she could use. Nothing came to her and the cracking ice didn¡¯t help her focus. Buying time, she tried to move herself with the Field again, but the pressure held her in place. ¡®I can¡¯t overpower her¡­¡¯ Focusing harder on her Field, she tried to squeeze out just enough. She felt a small tug on her as the liquid didn¡¯t hold her so tightly. It wasn¡¯t enough to escape. Above it all, Dareia stood on the wave maintaining the strength. Slipping a little more, she suddenly got caught on something. Moving the ice away, a utility hatch laid underneath her. Fighting her mind¡¯s concentration, she forced her Field tighter. The strain on her mind felt like she would burst. It however gave her enough to expand the ice out enough to get the hatch open. Eudokia dropped inside quickly and released her Field back to normal strength. She looked around the now ice covered interior of the shaft. Very little light managed to make it even reflected off the ice surface. Feeling her way through would be the only chance, but escape wasn¡¯t the goal. She bought herself time to plan. She sat down catching her breath and examining her body. Blood streamed down her arms and legs where exposed. Her clothes had dots of soaked material. ¡°As I am, I¡¯m not going to be able to match her strength. And I have maybe one focused Folding left in me. I can¡¯t waste that¡­but I need to make an opening.¡± Above the sound of waves drew her attention up. The dark metal grate covered in ice hid the unknown threat in almost taunting fashion. ¡°Even with a plan I¡¯m going to need to escape first. I don¡¯t know if she¡¯s figured it out yet.¡± Focusing on her attire, it repaired itself and hopefully provided some bandaging for her wounds. As she finished, an unnerving crunch echoed through the shaft a few meters away. Suddenly, light started to pour in along with liquid. ¡°You can¡¯t hide from me, Eudokia.¡± ¡°Damn, I¡¯m out of time¡­¡± Chapter 38 - Gushing Imagination Red liquid poured quickly into the ice shaft. Time disappeared from her clock. The pounding of her heart returned. Pressure slammed on her body. A decision had to be made. No time remained for planning or guesses. Eudokia braced herself against the paneling behind her. Closing her eyes, she focused tightly on her Field. Ice everywhere disappeared allowing the fluid of Dareia¡¯s Field to rush faster towards her. Seconds ticked by as it gathered around her boots burning once more. Then finally her ice Field returned driving back the enemy Field. ¡°Only one chance¡­¡± Chapter 38 ¨C Gushing Imagination With Dareia carving out chunks of the park, ice pillars shot up out of the utility shaft. The now red and green liquid Field shrank away with the expansion of ice. Standing atop the pillar, Eudokia looked down with weapons in hand once more. Dareia turned to face her now holding a halberd tinted green. Sweeping the weapon through the air, an entire half meter chunk of the ice pillar disappeared instantly following the motion of the halberd. Ice remains started to fall when it stretched out into a ramp straight for Dareia. Sliding down like before, she hurdled towards Dareia with even greater speed. She threw the chakram in motion. Chain attached, it stretched out adding new links as the disk weapon wrapped itself around Dareia''s leg. The weapon froze to the ground sending frost up the assassin¡¯s leg. It wasn¡¯t enough to completely catch her off guard, but the sword pierced her shoulder. However, Dareia still had one unhindered arm and swung the halberd down. It sliced through Eudokia, erasing half her body from shoulder to hip diagonally. Blood splattered everywhere released from the container of her body. The ice Field remained. Realizing the trap, Dareia looked quickly around to locate the real Eudokia. The chain around her leg suddenly re-forged in a different direction. It pulled taunt forcing the sword along with Eudokia speeding back to the chakram. The woman couldn¡¯t move in time as the sword pierced her heart spraying blood over the liquid Field. Dareia coughed and staggered on her feet. Eudokia''s sword ripped up through her chest and shoulder, hastening her end. ¡°So you did find a way¡­good girl¡­¡± The woman fell back into the shattering Field as ice took over everything. Eudokia panted collapsing to her knees, the battle finally over. ¡°Goodbye¡­¡± Everything went numb for her. Her body fell over as the world went dark. A dull shaking woke her mind back up. The pain scouring her body had disappeared with only fatigue left. ¡°Yuki¡­¡± she whispered, opening her eyes. Her mind still pieced together the gap in time. ¡°Ayumi? How do you feel?¡± ¡°Better¡­¡± She leaned on Yuki getting back to her feet. Ayumi looked around at the state of the park. It didn¡¯t make it unscathed this time from her fight. ¡°Should you be standing?¡± Fumiko immediately went around to the other side helping her. Ayumi nodded to her looking over at Yuki like she had something on her mind. ¡°His power healed me. All that¡¯s left is rest.¡± She scanned the park for a second check before breaking away. Limping over to the body, she stared down at Dareia. ¡°This the real assassin?¡± ¡°Yes. You¡¯re going to need to step up.¡± A nod in agreement came from Yuki. He wanted things to be different. The sidelines wasn¡¯t his idea of how to participate. ¡®Perhaps things are improving, I was able to heal Fumiko without too much of a struggle¡­¡¯ It gave him a little hope that Ayumi¡¯s lessons made a difference. Suddenly, the dead woman disappeared, making Fumiko jump back to hide behind Yuki, which didn¡¯t really work in practice. ¡°Where¡¯d she go?¡± ¡°Ayumi removed the body. It¡¯s like I said, this is all a big secret.¡± Ayumi¡¯s expression narrowed from tired to serious. ¡°You told her everything?¡± ¡°Well she got stabbed, nearly killed and then healed. Not going to start trying to lie at that point.¡± ¡°She looks really scary, Hayashi. Nothing like the girl I saved from those boys.¡± ¡°Yeah, Ayumi¡¯s like that. This is the real her.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± Fumiko looked between the two for things to make more sense than just things being magic or some such thing. That didn¡¯t happen. ¡°I¡¯m not going to pretend I understand any of this. This whole power system seems a little too convenient.¡± ¡°See Ayumi! She gets it! But I know right? It¡¯s like really OP, but it¡¯s got all these rules at the same time. So it can be really glass cannon-y, but also not.¡± ¡°Feels like something you¡¯d give a villain for the hero to fight against.¡± ¡°Yea-yea-yeah!¡± ¡°But what¡¯s stopping you from just like erasing breathable air?¡± ¡°Honor I guess, though, since the assassins use the same power. It wouldn¡¯t work against them, their Field would cancel the effect. But I guess if you were overwhelming the other person maybe?¡± Ayumi sighed, not feeling up to the nerdy energy of Yuki and not being hit in stereo. She looked through half closed eyes over at Fumiko. ¡°Can you just knock him out already?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Fumiko stepped back, becoming confused by her request. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Fumiko. It¡¯s normal at this point¡­ Just hit me hard.¡± She panicked even more with Yuki being on board with it. ¡°What?! This isn¡¯t one of those things is it?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh! Oh! N-no-no, it¡¯s not like that. I¡¯m still learning. So while I can activate my power¡­I can¡¯t deactivate right now. And it interferes with Ayumi¡¯s power.¡± This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°Right¡­¡± Fumiko looked back and forth between the two of them. They were both looking completely serious and earnest about what they were asking her to do. Ayumi was hardly in the shape to be doing much physically. ¡°Forgive me¡­¡± She closed her eyes as her arm went flying hoping it would all work out. ¡°It¡¯s ok,¡± said Yuki as she launched her fist at his face. The impact bounced his head around a little, but it went by otherwise unnoticed. Yuki looked over at Ayumi for confirmation, but only got a head shake. Fumiko opened her eyes looking at her hand still touching Yuki¡¯s cheek, but he looked a little disappointed. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry!¡± ¡°You need to hit me harder than that.¡± Yuki sighed a little to himself trying to think of another way of doing this seeing that she probably didn¡¯t have enough strength to knock him out or get anywhere close. But she went to hit him several more times with the same effect all while keeping her eyes closed. ¡®This isn¡¯t working¡­¡¯ He started to move thinking that he had an idea when there was suddenly a shadow over his head giving him a sinking feeling that something bad was about to happen. Yuki turned his head towards what was casting the shadow to see a school bag flying through the air at him. ¡°No! Wait!¡± Yuki flailed his arms at Fumiko trying to get her to stop, but it was already in motion and slammed in his face loudly dropping him to the grass. ¡°Oh no! I hit him too hard! Hayashi!¡± Fumiko ran over to him checking to see if he was still alive, flailing her arm about at Yuki¡¯s lifeless body. ¡°Hayashi! Stay alive! I¡¯m so sorry!¡± Yuki coughed and began moving revealing a large red mark on his face from where the bag hit him. ¡°Ugh¡­I¡¯m still alive, Fumiko¡­¡± ¡°Oh! I¡¯m so sorry. I¡¯m so sorry, please forgive me!¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright!¡± Yuki stood up slowly pushing back on Fumiko a little to let her know that he was fine. He pressed his hand against his head feeling the soreness and cracking his neck feeling a little better. ¡°What you got in that bag? Bricks?¡± ¡°Just all of my fantasy books I read and a textbook,¡± she said, showing him the contents of her bag. ¡°Oh awesome! I¡¯ve heard of that one! Is it any good?¡± ¡°Definitely, I¡¯m re-reading it right now! I love how the main character bravely faces down the ugliness of the world. Fighting the temptations of morality and struggling with black and white binaries! And the wizard!¡± Left out of the nerd talk, Ayumi watched them lose several minutes. ¡®I thought she might be different, but it seems she¡¯s just like him¡­¡¯ Processing her own emotions took a bit for Ayumi. Eventually, she returned needing to hurry things along. ¡°I¡¯m glad you two are all friends now, but I need to erase your memory now.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Yuki was quick to move his feet getting between the two of them. He had seen this with his family. ¡°Stop! She¡¯s accepted what she saw. You don¡¯t need to erase her memories!¡± ¡°Anyone that sees can¡¯t be allowed to remember. It¡¯s for their safety as well as yours.¡± ¡°But Saki already knows. Can¡¯t you make an exception?¡± ¡°The more that know the worse this will get. It¡¯s bad enough half of your class is probably suspicious or questioning their sanity each time before I wipe them.¡± ¡°I know...¡± Fumiko watched the two argue over her leaving her uncertain about what was happening. She stepped forward around them looking at Ayumi directly. ¡°If you want to erase my memory, fine. But I can keep this a secret. I won¡¯t tell anyone. It¡¯s not like anyone would believe me anyway, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the problem. People are after him and anyone around him is at potential risk. It¡¯ll be better this way.¡± A ripple came out from where she stood. Ayumi raised her hand towards Fumiko and a brief flash of light washed over her face. ¡°You helped me meet my little sister. Afterwards, you returned to your club content with the outcome.¡± A dazed Fumiko stood still until they started escorting her back to the school. They left her a little inside the gate to match with her new memories. The third year walked on auto-pilot for a stretch until everything came back to her and she hurried off. ¡°You could have left the friends part.¡± ¡°Like you need any more influence for your powers to manifest. I saw the way you two acted.¡± He pouted a little walking back to the gate. ¡°What about that big hole in the park?¡± ¡°I patched it up enough, but the city will have to do the rest.¡± ¡°Not worried about people figuring that out?¡± ¡°We both used Laws that prevented outside observation, so it¡¯ll just be an unexplained mystery. I don¡¯t have the energy right now to repair everything.¡± Yuki caught a directing eye from Ayumi, which turned his head towards the track field. ¡°¡­Saki¡­¡± He straightened up and tried to shake off the nervousness. A usual fake smile came over him for her. ¡°Yuki¡­ Another assassin?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± ¡°You seemed to keep it private.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Saki.¡± Yuki could feel the uneasiness in his stomach from before, but it wasn''t holding back his words this time. ¡°¡­Saki¡­I¡¯m¡­I¡­I know that you never liked Seiji¡­¡± Part of him hoped that Hiroshi smoothed things over for him. She seemed to be talking to him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Saki. I know that I must have hurt you¡­¡± ¡°Yuki¡­just stop¡­¡± She could see the confusion in his eyes. Some comfort came from his words. Each line of their argument had echoed through her mind. It left her in an unknown place until now. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Yuki. I know. You don¡¯t have to say anymore.¡± ¡°But Saki¡­I-I¡­ I don¡¯t want to lose you because of Seiji.¡± ¡°Yuki!¡± Her words needed to stop him before she placed yet another boulder to his burden. ¡®That smile carries so much¡­¡¯ She stepped forward, reaching out to stop him shaking. ¡°Idiot¡­ Our friendship¡¯s stronger than this, Yuki. I¡¯ve stuck it out with you through it all and this isn¡¯t going to break me. I¡¯m sorry I over reacted.¡± ¡°No¡­I¡­Saki¡­¡± Yuki hung his head down feeling some relief, but sad as well. Saki looked down at him, developing a little smile to see that they were finally able to talk and get the air cleared between them. ¡°Just promise me, Yuki.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Yuki began to lift up his head. ¡°Promise me that you¡¯ll stay the same. I know you can¡¯t help it with assassins after you, but don¡¯t let it consume you please. Promise me not to fight because you want it.¡± ¡°¡­Saki!¡± Yuki''s eyes widened as memories came flooding back to him that he tried to forget. Of painful times that were in his past. ¡®Promise me¡­Yuki¡­¡¯ Chapter 39 - Shattered Thoughts Stifling quiet hung through the halls. Only the tap of feet echoed around her. Hospitals were already uncomfortable places, but she didn¡¯t feel like she belonged here. While other students enjoyed their after school activities, a heavier matter weighed on Saki. She was on the twelfth floor of the west wing of the Konomoka General Hospital, the psych ward. This had been a matter that had been weighing on her and trying her emotions since the incident with the assassin. She hadn''t known Takako as well as Hitomi had, but she felt a connection with her knowing what she had to have gone through. Hitomi visited her every day after she recovered from the trauma, but Takako hadn¡¯t been so fortunate. Saki wasn¡¯t clear on all of the medical words that were tossed out. They made one thing clear, they were unable to do anything for her. It was all in her mind beyond the physical injuries that they were able to treat. She wasn¡¯t sure if it was an improvement over how she had been where even getting near would send her into a panic attack. The nurse in the psych ward looked up from her papers at the desk as Saki¡¯s shadow cast nearby her making her presence announced. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Uh¡­excuse me, I¡¯m here to see Takako Yamazaki.¡± ¡°Yamazaki¡­oh she¡¯s been restricted visitors to only specific individuals. What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Saki Furukawa¡­¡± The wait for Saki seemed to last forever. She knew that she was on the list, because Hitomi had told her that she was given permission by the family. Even wiped of the events, Ayumi said she could not fix the mental damage. Hitomi, at least, had recovered from the experience quickly. All anyone knew was that Takako, Hitomi and Saki had been kidnapped. An unknown criminal caused the whole incident, but the police caught them. Saki didn¡¯t know of how Ayumi made it all happen, but managed. This left everyone involved with mental trauma. Takako¡¯s family pushed for privacy in the matter. ¡°Ah here you are! I¡¯ll show you to her room.¡± The nurse stood up from her chair. She pulled down some keys from the wall before coming around the desk. The woman smiled pleasantly to Saki waiting for her to catch up to her. Ahead, large polished metal doors with wire reinforced glass and dull echoing of voices created an ominous aura. It permeated through the doors ready to grab at her if she made a step towards it. Chapter 39 ¨C Shattered Thoughts Saki had a lot of images in her mind of the ward. Each only helped to make her feel like running away. The only thing that kept her going was the guilt. She wasn¡¯t certain if she could do anything to help her, but it was something that she felt she had to do. The doors opened for her with the nurse following at her side just a step in front of Saki. All of the other patients in the ward were in a varied state of insanity or solemn peace, but every single room was filled that she passed. Saki could not help but look to the nurse for an answer. ¡°Um¡­is there normally this many¡­um¡­¡± ¡°Hmm? No, not really. This has only happened in the last two weeks. Normally, we only keep a few cases here that require specific medical treatments, but we are actually helping out the local institution. They¡¯ve reached an unusually high number of cases that they weren''t able to keep them all. So we are helping them.¡± The nurse looked around through the windows of the rooms as they passed the doors. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but there¡¯s been a lot of mass cases of people hallucinating repeatedly. It¡¯s gone largely unreported, but no one knows what¡¯s going on or why it¡¯s affecting so many people. If it keeps up we won¡¯t be able to treat everyone.¡± A thud against the door snapped Saki towards it. A face appeared in the window of a half mad middle aged man that had not shaved for a week. ¡°The end is coming! Save yourself!¡± shouted the man half muted by the glass and metal. Regardless, it knocked her back into the wall behind her. ¡°It¡¯s coming! I¡¯ve seen it! Hell¡¯s on Earth now!¡± The nurse rushed over to Saki immediately checking to see if she was hurt. ¡°Miss, are you alright?¡± Saki was quite unable to speak to the woman as she pulled her away from the wall. ¡°Are you hurt anywhere?¡± As Saki started to come back to her senses, she could hear the nurse speaking to her. She shook her head, not able to speak yet. ¡°You want to go back?¡± It was all a little more than she prepared to face. She couldn''t be certain, but the unexplained increase probably had a source. ¡®How many times has his power gone wild with us knowing... Yuki¡¯s¡­he doesn¡¯t know¡­¡¯ Saki swallowed poorly, getting back to her balance. The woman looked a little unconvinced even with her smiling. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I just got surprised.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. The nurse remained concerned. However, she continued on as Saki insisted. They managed to make it to the room for Takako without further incident. Saki looked through the glass into the room. Takako sat balled up in the corner of the room wearing a hospital gown in a padded cell. Saki looked over to the nurse. ¡°I thought she stopped having outbursts.¡± ¡°She did, but the rooms are all the same. Don¡¯t be upset if she doesn¡¯t acknowledge you. She¡¯s been like that for the last few days.¡± The nurse unlocked the door, not opening it just yet. ¡°Not even her parents.¡± The woman turned on a smile and happy voice as she entered the room looking over at Takako. ¡°Good afternoon, Miss Yamazaki! You have a visitor!¡± She turned her head and nodded over to Saki signaling her to enter the room. ¡°Hey, Takako! It¡¯s Saki from track.¡± Saki took a few cautious steps forward to Takako, but it was as she had been told. Takako remained still holding her head down against her knees with her legs pulled up and her arms wrapped around. ¡°Takako?¡± The nurse placed a hand on Saki¡¯s shoulder to comfort her. ¡°Well I have some rounds to make, but there¡¯s a camera monitoring the room and an emergency button at the door. Just push the button if anything happens or when you¡¯re done. I¡¯ll check back on you in a few minutes.¡± The woman turned and left the room, locking the door behind her. Saki made the bold move to walk over to Takako. She sat down next to her against the wall. Nothing came to mind. If she brought up the kidnapping and torture she might relapse. She put her arm around Takako¡¯s back leaning against her and resting her head on her shoulder. ¡°¡­it¡¯s alright, Takako¡­¡± Nothing happened for Saki or Takako in the way of words, but Saki came out of the visit feeling heavier. She looked back at Takako one last time before the nurse escorted her back down the hall. Saki kept her mind focused and forward away from all of the other patients in the ward. Her mind still sifted through questions and thoughts. ¡°Thank you.¡± Saki politely bowed to the woman before heading to the elevator. ¡®¡­I wonder if there are others from the warehouse with the same problem¡­¡¯ She stepped into the elevator alone barely hearing it ding away the floors. ¡®¡­I know what she went through, but that doesn¡¯t seem to help me¡­ Why was I able to recover and Hitomi too? She didn¡¯t even know Yuki¡­¡¯ The elevator opened letting her walk into the main lobby. ¡®¡­could it be because she didn¡¯t know? Did he torture her even more trying to find something that wasn¡¯t there? But Hitomi didn¡¯t know anything either¡­¡¯ Saki didn''t even know that she had left the hospital. The sun hit her in the face, breaking her thoughts. A loud noise from across the street in a park pulled her focus. She tried to look into the park, but a brick wall surrounded the park. She started to ignore it like everyone else, but there was another loud noise. This time she was listening. It sounded like something metal and heavy crashed into cement. ¡®What¡¯s going on in the park? Could it be an assassin?! Is Yuki fighting? He¡¯s supposed to be in the bookstore still¡­¡¯ Those thoughts were enough to send Saki down the sidewalk. Both of the intersections were too far away. She looked for an opening in traffic. A gap came up in the cars making it her opportunity to sprint. Cars honked at her and slowed down in her reckless move. ¡®...please be safe¡­¡¯ A scene started developing outside of the park. She ran up on the sidewalk and weaved through the small crowd. ¡®¡­this is a public place, why here?¡¯ The noises continued to get louder. They began to be coupled with voices. It came from deeper into the park, but soon Saki could clearly hear a young girl¡¯s voice shouting. They yelled out to another person that was assumed to be Yuki. ¡°Get back here!¡± Saki followed the voice. ¡°Stop your running! Are you just a coward?¡± She was starting to feel like she was correct that Yuki was the one that was involved. ¡®I¡¯ll be there soon, Yuki¡­¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m really getting tired of your attitude! Fight me!¡± The wake of Yuki and the girl became more present. Trash bin laid overturned. There was broken glass spread across the area. She found trampled flowers and broken branches. Saki no longer needed the voices. All the voices did was give her a sense of distance. Her legs carried her through the bush breaking through with twigs and leaves snagged on her. ¡°Yuki!¡± An extended leg intended for Yuki appeared in her sight. They forced her to bring up her arms to block and push away the attack protecting Yuki. The attacker, as Saki discovered, was a young girl. If the uniform was to be judged, a local junior high school. ¡®Why is a junior high schooler attacking Yuki?¡¯ She didn¡¯t look like an assassin, but there was the one pretending to be a child she learned about. Saki wasn¡¯t going to take any chances with this girl. She pushed the leg off of her making the girl jump back to reassess her position. ¡°Yuki¡­¡± Saki turned around to face him. However, her voice stopped when it wasn¡¯t Yuki, but a stranger wearing her high school¡¯s uniform. ¡°You¡¯re not¡­¡± Saki jumped back taking a position away from the both of them. ¡®What¡¯s going on here? This isn¡¯t an assassin¡­ So why is a junior high schooler picking a fight with someone that is three times her size¡­¡¯ The boy hardly looked like one, if appearances were to be judged. A little short, but broad and thick with muscle, the high school could¡¯ve been an adult. The girl on the hand was significantly shorter. She looked about what Saki expected from someone her age. A surprising strength appeared to lie with the tiny frame. It was just one kick she took, but the measure didn¡¯t come from an amateur. The situation didn¡¯t make a lot of sense for Saki. A well built teen boy fled from a pintsized girl. Saki felt like some context was missing. ¡®Is the girl stronger than she looks or is it the guy?¡¯ Further questions were shut down with a new attack. The little girl went straight for the teen again. However, Saki couldn¡¯t let the fight continue. He wasn''t making any sounds, but their intentions were clear enough. ¡°Stop it! Stop fighting!¡± Saki hoped that it would get the girl¡¯s attention, but it was only brief and in the middle of her next attempt. ¡°Don¡¯t get in my way! He¡¯s mine!¡± Saki was also not going to take ¡®no¡¯ for an answer. She stepped in between the two taking the high kick pulled down and blocking it with her arms crossed. The girl jumped back interrupted again. It knocked Saki¡¯s balance, but kept her footing. ¡®The girl¡¯s got strength and speed¡­¡¯ ¡°What¡¯re you trying to do?¡± the girl shouted venomously. Saki lowered her arms still feeling the sting from the kick. ¡°Why are you picking a fight with someone that doesn¡¯t want to fight with you?¡± ¡° ¡®Cause he¡¯s strong!¡± Saki blinked and took a moment to repeat it in her head. ¡®Unbelievable, she¡¯s picking a fight with a stranger based on looks.¡¯ Little more cause was needed for Saki to step forward. ¡°What?! You can¡¯t be serious!¡± The look changed in the girl¡¯s eye like something in her mind had just switched tracks. She took an offensive stance staring down Saki. A serious glare declared her intent. ¡°You look like someone that¡¯s strong! Let¡¯s see how strong you are!¡± The girl leapt into the air with her leg already in motion bearing forward on the surprised Saki. Chapter 40 - Strength to See The girl launched herself at Saki so fast that Saki didn''t know what to think. She wanted to shout out to the girl, but it was already beyond words at this point for the girl. There was only one intention with her. The stranger pulled her leg around from behind adding spin to it as she turned. Saki lifted her arms up to block the incoming kick, bracing for the impact. Chapter 40 ¨C Strength to See Saki was able to take the blow, keeping her head safe. It did still manage to knock her off her feet into the bushes from before. The girl landed on the ground lightly watching and waiting to see what became of Saki. ¡®I didn¡¯t even do anything!¡¯ The bush poked and stabbed at Saki while she laid back. She held her position for the moment trying to find a way to deal with the problem. The junior high schooler had attacked the boy without mercy. This meant it¡¯d be no different for her, but she didn''t understand the reason. It seemed so pointless to want to fight just for the sake. ¡®¡­Yuki¡­¡¯ The word rushed her head recalling memories and feelings forcing her back to her feet, hair a little worse for wear. ¡°What¡¯s your problem?¡± ¡°What¡¯s your problem? I can tell that barely even hurt you and yet you lay there in the bushes wasting my time.¡± The girl threw a straight, easy to block, punch. Now she tested her rather than trying to do harm. ¡°You know how to fight, but you¡¯re wasting it defending yourself. Fight me for real!¡± Saki felt the punch vibrate through her arm even though she blocked it with an open palm. She shook her head at the girl in disappointment. Afterwards, she lowered her body down and used her shoulder to push the girl back, clearing the distance between them. ¡°You don¡¯t understand the meaning of having strength!¡± The girl slid and stepped back as she was thrown free of Saki. She sprinted back launching a high kick towards Saki¡¯s head. ¡°No, you don¡¯t get it! Strength is wasted if you don¡¯t keep it sharp! You have to push your limits!¡± Saki blocked the kick and grabbed her leg, keeping her from going anywhere. However, the battle hungry girl wasn''t taking it as a failure. She pushed herself into the air, throwing her body into Saki. This brought up her arm to strike down at Saki¡¯s face. A tilt of her head evaded the punch, but Saki still felt the sting. Following, it partially released the girl from her grasp. . ¡®The girl¡¯s crazy and completely closed minded. She¡¯s as bad as Seiji!¡¯ Saki let the momentum of the girl¡¯s body carry her. She threw the girl into the grass, but the spry girl landed on one knee staring back. The mix of anger and pleasure from a challenge seemed to be interwoven on the girl¡¯s face. Across the street in that bookstore, Yuki reached for his wonderful haul. The cashier finished clearing the transaction. ¡°Thank you, sir!¡± He smiled back and nodded, lifting his books up a little to get them back into position on him. ¡°No, thank you! I¡¯ve been looking for several of these in tankoubon, but they¡¯ve been sold out.¡± Yuki left the store with a very wide grin on his face, pleased with this week¡¯s reading. However, he looked around the sidewalk looking for an angry, upset Saki and found none. They were supposed to meet outside of the bookstore ten minutes ago, but he lost track of time in the store. When he realized that he rushed to get his purchases, but now she was nowhere to be found. ¡°Where¡¯s she gone? She said to meet here I know¡­ She didn¡¯t get tired of waiting and leave did she?¡± Yuki looked around the sidewalk and across the street once more with no more luck in finding her. ¡°No, she wouldn¡¯t leave. If anything she¡¯d just barge into the store and pull me out by my collar without letting me pay.¡± The image of Saki looking impatient and angry storming through the bookstore played through his mind. It made him laugh a little to himself knowing how often he lost purchases due to that. Unfortunately, the mood turned sour when he pictured himself getting dragged out of the store losing all of the manga that he had in his arms. He tightened his hold on his books reflexively. ¡°¡­scary¡­¡± Yuki took a few steps around the bookstore trying not to go too far away. ¡°Saki! Saki!¡± However, he wasn¡¯t finding any sign of her nearby. ¡°Where¡¯d she go? Saki?¡± Yuki stood around for another minute thinking to himself and weighing the choices that he had. The decision soon came when he was distracted by a noise and murmuring of a crowd. Across the street everyone stopped to look at the park. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s going on over there?¡± He shifted the weight of his manga and made his way to the crosswalk nearby at the intersection. It was a longer way around, but he didn''t want to run across the street with the precious cargo in his arms. When he arrived the crowd had shrunk, but it was still gathering people with curiosity. He leaned over to a businessman that had stopped for a while looking confused. ¡°Do you know what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°No, there¡¯s just some strange noises coming from there like someone¡¯s breaking the park.¡± ¡°Have the police come?¡± ¡°No, not that I saw.¡± A woman that had been there longer corrected the man speaking up to Yuki. ¡°I saw a teenage girl go in there a while ago, but I haven¡¯t seen her since.¡± Yuki became increasingly curious about what went on as another loud crash of metal echoed out. He looked at the other onlookers through his books questioningly. The adults seemed only interested enough to listen. Their lack of civic duty (or maybe curiosity?) made Yuki a little frustrated. ¡®I wonder if the girl they saw was Saki¡­ Only one way to know¡­¡¯ He readjusted himself with his books once more and pushed through the remaining thin crowd to get to the entrance of the park. ¡°I¡¯m going to find out what¡¯s going on.¡± The others looked back at each other confused about what he expected for them. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Everywhere he walked he could see things thrown about the park. It looked like someone had emptied all of the trash bins in the park and spread the contents. Then as though unsatisfied with just throwing junk around they drove a motorcycle or bicycle through destroying all of the flowers and half the bushes. ¡°Saki?!¡± He hoped for a response, but there was nothing. ¡°What happened here?¡± As he went deeper into the park there were even more than just clashes of metal and things breaking. He was certain that he was hearing girls'' voices shouting and grunting, but he didn''t know why. ¡°What the¡­¡± Yuki pushed on walking with some caution in his step as he approached closer to what he believed to be the source. The noises became louder along with the voices becoming clearer to him. ¡°Is someone fighting back there?¡± ¡°Are all you going to do is preach to me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to fight you!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not letting you go!¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s Saki!¡± Yuki recognized her voice. It pushed his feet forward a little faster to get through the distance. He appeared around the foliage with Saki jumping away from a girl attacking her. ¡°Hey Saki!¡± The junior high schooler caught Yuki¡¯s voice by reflex and turned her head over to him. There wasn''t even a moment¡¯s thought as she charged for a loaded down Yuki. Yuki stepped back, not certain what he had gotten himself into now. She sprinted for him with a look in her eye that he was all too familiar with. Saki had slid back to keep her distance from the girl, but that immediately changed when she noticed the change in target. The Yuki Protection Meter jumped to an immediate five and Saki burst into a full sprint to close the distance in time. Her mind was no longer thinking. The thoughts of staying out of the fight and being peaceful vaporized with a narrowed look in her eye. The girl was in mid-air pulling back her arm for a quick punch, but Saki covered the ground with remarkable speed. Using the already built up momentum, she brought up her leg horizontally as she leapt. It connected her thigh to knee with the girl¡¯s stomach. The strike knocked the wind out of her and coughed up some saliva. Her sudden change in speed and direction bent her over and around Saki¡¯s leg. An instant after, she flew her away into the bushes, disappearing with only her legs sticking up. Saki came to a sliding landing on the cement, rotating around to check Yuki. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°Wow, Saki! That was an awesome kick!¡± Saki twitched a little hearing that as his reaction. She marched over to him glaring at him a little annoyed. ¡°I asked if you¡¯re hurt!¡± ¡°Oh uh? Yeah I¡¯m fine. Not even a scratch.¡± Saki looked Yuki up and down trying to get through the wall of manga that he carried. ¡°I thought you were only getting a few today?¡± Yuki¡¯s face turned red looking embarrassed. He almost lost control of his books, but salvaged them in time. ¡°Well I found some that I¡¯ve been looking for a while for.¡± He blinked, catching the moving, twitching leg of the girl left in the foliage. ¡°Who¡¯s the girl?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet. I¡¯ve been trying to calm her down.¡± ¡°By hitting her? She looks like she¡¯s in junior high!¡± Saki snapped her head over at Yuki. ¡°What?! No, she attacked me!¡± ¡°But look how hard you hit her. You probably knocked her unconscious!¡± Yuki set down his books, realizing that they were getting in his way. He walked over to the bush looking in and then away getting a little embarrassed from the sight he caught. ¡°How could you be so mean?¡± ¡°What?! But I didn¡¯t¡­¡± Saki swung back and forth between anger and guilt. She didn''t even realize that she was being defensive with Yuki. ¡°I was protecting you!¡± ¡°Well you didn¡¯t have to hit her so hard, she¡¯s younger than you.¡± ¡°She was attacking me and that other guy! Why you treating me like the villain here?¡± He leaned into the bush trying to find something safe to grab onto the girl. ¡°Just teasing a little, I know there''s a rational explanation. But first, help me get her out of the bush, Saki.¡± There was silence from behind him as he looked around for an arm amongst the leaves. He thrashed around with his hands going between the branches trying to keep free and not get scratched up in the process. ¡°Hah!¡± He finally located the arm. When he went to grab the girl¡¯s arm he felt the bush shift and move suddenly. Yuki looked over at the girl to see if she was trying to get out. However, he saw that it was Saki who exchanged Yuki¡¯s slightly confused face for a begrudging assistance. ¡°Saki¡­¡± It took her a moment, but they finally had the girl by the arms. Yuki counted the time down with Saki to pull together. They freed the girl and set her back on her feet, bracing her for support. Yuki let her go making sure that she didn''t fall over while she was still unconscious. ¡°Umm¡­little girl? Are you alright?¡± He put his hand on her shoulder hoping to be able to get her to wake up with a little shaking. ¡°You hit her pretty hard, Saki¡­¡± Panic and guilt ran over Saki as she tried to wake the kid up. ¡°H-hey-hey! You okay? She was pretty lively, sort of surprised that was enough.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t really hold back there.¡± ¡°I did!¡± Yuki gave her a questioning look. ¡°Half¡­maybe two-thirds, but I didn¡¯t go all out! She¡¯s a kid!¡± ¡°Hm¡­um, can you look for identification?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°We need to find out who she is and try to get her to her parents.¡± Saki looked back at him with a confused look. ¡°You really think it¡¯s a good idea a teenage boy¡ª¡± ¡°Yes, right! I¡¯ll do it.¡± Saki knelt down staring at the girl. The matter of finding identification was going to be difficult for them if she didn''t have it on her. She couldn''t find any school bag or pack that she might have been carrying, leaving only her school uniform. Saki swallowed slowly, not sure what she felt about having to help this girl. The search had to wait. Their new friend started to move on her own slowly looking up. It only took a moment, as though it was programmed into her, for her to leap, taking a safe distance away from a still kneeling Saki and going into an attack stance. Yuki jumped in between the two. ¡°Woah! We aren¡¯t here to hurt you! It¡¯s alright Miss¡­¡± He offered his hand out to her as an invitation. However, she just stared at him almost with disgust. ¡°I¡¯m Yuki.¡± The girl didn''t change her stance towards the two of them. She checked out of her left eye to see the muscular teen was still nearby keeping his distance from any of them. His silence nearly made him seem invisible, contrary to his size. ¡°I was mistaken¡­¡± Saki stood up from the grass looking around Yuki at the girl. ¡°So you¡¯re apologizing for attacking us?¡± ¡°I thought he was a worthy opponent, but he¡¯s just a weakling.¡± Saki couldn''t help but flinch a little from the unexpected response. She stepped around Yuki towards the girl. ¡°I¡¯m Saki! What¡¯s your name?¡± The tiny girl still looked narrowly at Saki, but finally backed off her stance standing normally. She looked disappointed or frustrated. ¡°I¡¯m Chiharu¡­¡± Saki looked over towards the boy from their school hoping to finally get a word out of him. However, he remained quiet, not quite staring, but more just watching them. They were interrupted by the sound of something breaking under foot. Chiharu immediately snapped, turning towards the noise in a prepared stance. Saki rushed over to Chiharu putting her hand on her shoulder hoping to ease her down. Out of the exit of the park, or entrance in this case, came three boys with rough trouble seeking looks. They stopped just inside the park taking notice of the four students. However, as Yuki looked around, the center boy, wearing a different high school uniform, pointed to Yuki. ¡°Hey boys, looks like we got lucky! Wait¡­You¡¯re Hayashi aren¡¯t you?! I¡¯ve got some payback for you!¡± Chapter 41 - Trouble in Different Packages Yuki stared for a moment at the three punks that were looking for a fight with him. He looked over at Saki, catching the look in her eye as she stood with Chiharu watching the boys. ¡®I thought I was through with those days¡­¡¯ Chiharu didn¡¯t leave her stance, not willing to let Saki calm her down. ¡°You know these boys?¡± ¡°Not so much,¡± Saki said with some reluctance in her voice. She had hoped to get out of the current situation, but it seemed that fate had other plans. ¡®This is something I need to take care of¡­¡¯ She walked around in front of Chiharu, putting herself between the boys and her. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with them.¡± Chiharu had no intention of letting someone take away a fight from her and grabbed Saki¡¯s wrist. ¡°Are they strong?¡± The look in her eye was the same that had been there before. It was the eyes of someone eager for a fight and new challenges. ¡°Probably not.¡± ¡°Weaklings huh?¡± Chiharu''s look suddenly faded away in an instant like she had just lost her favorite toy. The deflated expression in her eyes made her sink back, turning almost to a pout. ¡°Well if that¡¯s the case I don¡¯t care. I only want strong opponents.¡± She turned away, throwing her hand back at the boys, dismissing them and giving them to Saki to deal with. Chapter 41 ¨C Trouble in Different Packages The punks took that about how one would expect and moved up several steps glaring at the back of her head. The boy on the right was the first to pipe up in disgust for her tone. ¡°What cha¡¯ say, girlie?¡± Saki narrowed her eyes not liking the direction that things were going. She tried to move a little to get in the way of Chiharu, but that wasn''t enough to stop her. Still standing away, Chiharu mouthed off to them uncaring of their hurt egos. ¡°You deaf as well as weak? Said you aren¡¯t worth my time!¡± Those words were the last straw for the boys as they charged past Saki, knocking her away. They stood over the tiny Chiharu glaring down at her. She turned around and leaned in glaring back at them, returning the attitude. The four of them growled and exchanged more insults between each other. Saki pulled herself up off the ground, a little embarrassed by the scene that was developing. ¡®So much for keeping her out of it¡­ Doesn¡¯t have tact¡­¡¯ She began to walk over to the four planning to take care of the problem herself, but that quickly seemed impossible. ¡°Say that again shorty!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not short! You ugly sack of bricks!¡± ¡°Ugly?! I¡¯m gonna!¡± The boy on the left went to grab Chiharu by the hair trying, having lost any patience he might have had before. However, Chiharu didn¡¯t let the kid have a chance as she slapped his hand away. The boy turned defensive and threw a punch at her, but Chiharu was too fast for them. She ducked out of the way and leapt into the air after he finished spinning around. Her foot and shin dug into the necks and faces of the three boys in sequence. They dropped to the ground just after she landed. She then walked off. Saki pressed her hand to her face seeing how little Chiharu held back against them. Even Saki knew how to restrain her strength against someone (are we sure about that?). Yet she just let them have the full taste. It knocked them out almost immediately and left them a little bloodied in the grass. ¡®Great¡­ Well hopefully they won¡¯t be looking for Yuki any time soon¡­¡¯ As everything started calming down finally, Saki turned back to look at Yuki to make sure that everything was fine. However, they were interrupted by a storm of men in black suits and sunglasses covering the entrance and exit. They seemed to come out of everywhere restraining Saki, Yuki and the strange boy¡¯s arms. The looks in their features, the clothes and the organization made it clear they were serious. Yuki didn¡¯t try to fight the two men holding him very much, stretching at his arms trying to find the missing Chiharu. ¡°Saki, can you see Chiharu anywhere?¡± ¡°No! I can¡¯t see her!¡± ¡°What did you do with Chiharu?¡± Yuki started to strain at his kidnappers. He tried to get his arm freed from their grasps, but they had leverage against him as well as strength that he didn''t have. These were trained adults and not amateurs like the school punks he was used to seeing (though there are the assassins too). ¡°What did you do with her?¡± A lone man, from the exit of the park, entered with a path being made for him. He walked towards Yuki with the same look as all of the other men. The only difference was the age with wrinkles across his face and his hair was half graying and tied back in a ponytail. ¡°Come quietly and we won¡¯t have to get rough with you,¡± the mature man said in a clear voice that cut down Yuki¡¯s struggling. Yuki turned to look over at the man, getting the feeling that he was in charge by the way the others acted. ¡°Just tell me what you did with her!¡± He had stared down death too many times in the last two weeks that an old man with a rough voice wasn''t going to scare him at this point. The man cracked a smirk from his tired lips, finding the glare from Yuki to be interesting to him. ¡°You¡¯ve got a look in your eye. I like that look, however the girl¡­is another matter. Everything will be explained in time.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t hurt her?¡± ¡°No.¡± The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Yuki couldn''t see his eyes, but the tone of the words and the impression that he got from the man told him that he could believe him. He leaned back letting his captors be eased up from his struggling. ¡°Fine, but one thing.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Could you grab my manga?¡± ¡°Yuki?!¡± Saki shouted at him in surprise and shock. She couldn''t believe that he would say that in front of these people. ¡°How can you care more about those books than your life?!¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t read them yet! Well most of them anyway¡­¡± The old man jerked his head silently to signal for the three students to be taken away. Yuki had his head turned trying to look at his manga that sat there lying on the grass still. However, the men were quite insistent on him moving, taking the three of them out to the side street next to the park. On the street were several parked black luxury cars looking like something the government or someone a lot more important than a bunch of students would need. The two men at the doors of the car opened both car doors allowing them to be tossed (man handled in the case of the large student) into the car. Saki landed on Yuki, who was left on the floor of the car. The car had enough room to move around hunched over and gave them plenty of places to sit. It looked like there were places for glasses and bottles, but it was empty. As Saki got up from Yuki, she looked about the car feeling like they had gotten themselves into something terrible. She couldn''t even see the driver through the solid panel that blocked him from their view. ¡°What¡¯s going on now? What have we gotten ourselves into?¡± Yuki gave Saki a momentary shrug of his shoulders as they took a seat feeling the car moving. He sat pensive with his hand to face thinking to himself. ¡°They must be yakuza!¡± ¡°How did you come to that answer? And why do you look happy when you say that?¡± ¡°What?! I¡¯m not happy about this¡­¡± Saki stared at him further, not believing what he was saying. He pulled away from Saki. However, he coughed into his hand and tried to turn the subject. ¡°Well they¡¯re probably yakuza. The black suits and organization, the cars and secrecy. Who else do you think it could be?¡± Saki¡¯s narrow eyes stared at Yuki still not buying into what he was saying, but she didn''t have any better ideas. ¡®He¡¯s just enjoying this because he thinks yakuza are cool from his manga¡­¡¯ She crossed her arms together still needing some convincing. ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe some private company or military research firm.¡± ¡°And they¡¯re working on robots sanctioned by the government and we were caught up in some testing grounds!¡± A sigh escaped Saki¡¯s mouth listening to Yuki going on. ¡®I¡¯m not sure if he is mocking me or getting excited¡­¡¯ She decided that it would be best to keep her mouth shut for the rest of the trip. They were already in enough trouble that they didn''t understand. She didn''t need Yuki making matters even worse for them. The car ride remained mostly calm for the passengers. Yuki was the only vocal one as he infrequently moaned about his missing manga and hoped that they were not stolen. When the car came to its final stop the locks on the doors popped and the doors were opened. The men looked into the car staring at them giving off intimidating looks. Yuki exited first, followed by Saki and last by the still unknown male student. They all took a moment to take in the view from outside the car, which had tinted glass. Yuki, naturally, was the first to make a response. ¡°Woah, it''s huge! This must really be a yakuza¡¯s base. It¡¯s all traditional looking!¡± ¡°Yuki!¡± Saki said, placing her elbow into his side to shut him up quickly before he made a mistake. She gave a weak embarrassed smile trying to cover up Yuki¡¯s loose lips. The tension from the men in suits felt heavy, almost oppressive. ¡°What you do that for?¡± In spite of Yuki¡¯s comments though, he was correct about the appearance. It was a traditional looking estate that had a very old fashioned Japanese presence. There was a tall wall that surrounded the grounds along with several houses neighboring the large main house. A very large open grounds surrounded it all with thick trees in the back and garden in the front. All of the technology and men in suits made them stand out in a place that suggested the common clothing attire to be a kimono. The men escorted them into the main house with Saki keeping Yuki¡¯s comments to a minimum. They were left in an empty lightly furnished room with a guard posted at the door. There was only a short table to sit at with a window looking out into the grounds. ¡°Pretty cool place huh?¡± Saki didn¡¯t hold the same opinion as Yuki, getting an unsettled sense of dread. She didn''t know what was going on or why they were taken to some place out at the edge of the town. ¡°Cool or not, it still doesn¡¯t explain why we¡¯re here.¡± The door opened to the room turning them both. However, all they found was another man in a suit that carried all of Yuki¡¯s manga. Yuki eagerly took it from the man with a polite bow. He rushed off the table with his treasure. Saki tried to start a conversation, but just as her mouth opened the door slid close again. She looked back at Yuki, disappointed by his relaxed nature. ¡°See! They can¡¯t be so bad. They brought my manga and didn¡¯t even damage it!¡± Yuki was already poring through a book, starting to lose track of what was around him. Saki couldn''t decide which made her more upset, that he cared more about the manga or didn¡¯t worry about the kidnapping. She marched over to the table bending over to stare down at Yuki casting her shadow over his pages. ¡°How can you read at a time like this?¡± ¡°I need something to do.¡± ¡°But you don¡¯t know why we¡¯re here!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll find out soon enough.¡± Saki''s shoulders fell, turning into a semi-circle becoming exhausted by Yuki''s nonchalant attitude. ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Here, just sit down and read something. I¡¯ve got shoujo!¡± A vein popped up on Saki¡¯s forehead as she became insulted by Yuki¡¯s attempt to give her something. ¡°I don¡¯t want any of your crap! What sort of girl do you think I am?!¡± Unknown to the two of them the door slid open to the room and someone entered the room. After being ignored for long enough a voice piped up from behind them. ¡°Why are you wasting time on that weakling boy?¡± Saki paused in her glaring at Yuki just noticing someone in the room. Yuki¡¯s frazzled appearance was quick to change as he looked around Saki to see Chiharu standing in the room. ¡°Hey! Chiharu! You¡¯re safe!¡± ¡°Of course I am.¡± Yuki jumped up in front of Chiharu showing his relief and excitement to see her. Chiharu¡¯s disdain for the attention and feeling of being trying like a child made a vein pop up on her forehead. She disappeared from Yuki¡¯s sight, appearing behind him twisting his arm making him fall to the tatami mat in pain. ¡°H-Hey?! What I¡¯d do?!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t treat me as though you¡¯re familiar with me.¡± ¡°What?!¡± She twisted his arm further to exercise her point, making yelp in pain. ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°And don¡¯t treat me like a child.¡± ¡°B-But¡ªAlright! You¡¯re not a child!¡± Saki stood up from the mat having recovered from the surprise of seeing Chiharu. She still had a number of questions and she hoped that Chiharu had few answers. ¡°What are you doing here? What¡¯s going on with us?¡± Chiharu let Yuki go kicking him to the mat and turned to Saki. She looked up at the older girl feeling a little anger in her stomach, but also begrudging respect. ¡°I¡¯ve been ordered to bring you before the head of the house.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Saki and Yuki said in surprise. Saki looked over at the door, seeing it open with the men in suits for escort. Yuki pulled himself up from the mat holding his wrist. ¡®Head of the house? The head of a Yakuza group. Sounds like fun!¡¯ He walked toward the door along with the male student. Chiharu waited on Saki as she took a moment longer. ¡®Why are we seeing the head of the house? And why is Chiharu doing this? What¡¯s going on?¡¯ Saki could feel the insistence of Chiharu¡¯s look. She reluctantly agreed in silence and joined the others. The walk through the inner halls of the house made Yuki glow with excitement. Saki managed to keep him quiet, but they were soon brought into a large central room with much of the room partitioned off by bamboo blinds that were rolled down. It presented the room as a more narrow passage. The light held dim in the room from the candles and lanterns about the space. At the end of the room, seated on a raised section of the floor, in a dark brown casual kimono, was an elderly man. His eyes looked closed, but seemed to be aware of everything. ¡°Welcome guests to the Chinen Estate. I want to thank you for taking care of my granddaughter as well as to apologize for her behavior.¡± The old man moved his hand to show that he was referring to Chiharu, who stood next to him looking embarrassed and annoyed. Saki and Yuki¡¯s faces both widened in shock at hearing that Chiharu was a part of the family. Neither of them knew what to say. They simply stood in shock letting the moment pass through. Chapter 42 - Stranger Still Yuki and Saki could only manage shock at hearing that Chiharu was the granddaughter of this elderly man. ¡°Granddaughter?!¡± they said together. Chiharu was visibly bothered by the attention as well as the reactions. ¡°Grandfather! This is none of their business!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be rude, Chiharu! They¡¯re our guests.¡± The stunned reaction for Yuki was quickly passed by his own realization of a fact that he found too amazing to ignore. ¡°So this house is yours, Chiharu? That¡¯s so cool!¡± Saki was quick to snap out of her paralysis when she heard Yuki acting like his usual self. She stepped in and elbowed him again to get him to be quiet. ¡°Saki!?¡± The elderly man smiled and laughed, finding the scene to be enjoyable. ¡°My, you have some lively friends, Chiharu.¡± ¡°They aren¡¯t my friends! I would never associate with that weakling!¡± Chiharu¡¯s grandfather continued to smile and turned to look down at the young students. ¡°Well let¡¯s begin this properly. I¡¯m Masahiko Chinen.¡± Chapter 42 ¨C Stranger Still Yuki snapped back to reality seeing that there was a need for introductions. He stood up next to Saki looking straight forward to the old man. ¡°I¡¯m Yuki Hayashi, sir!¡± ¡°Saki Furukawa¡­¡± They looked over at the still silent boy putting all of the attention on him hoping that the pressure would make him speak. However, the efforts didn¡¯t seem to be necessary as he willingly gave his name, finally. ¡°Haruo Yoneda¡­¡± ¡®Haruo, huh?¡¯ Yuki thought as he was glad to finally have a name to his face. Saki turned her head back towards the front taking it in. ¡®Haruo Yoneda¡­ He¡¯s got our school uniform, but I don¡¯t recognize the name. I guess we do have a large school though¡­¡¯ She had hoped hearing a name would have sparked something in her mind to know who the boy was, but he remained a mystery to her even now. Masahiko nodded as he heard the names and smiled back. He gave them a warm voice keeping with the kind grandfather appearance that he projected. ¡°All fine names. Well then. As I¡¯ve said you¡¯re our guests for the evening. I would like to apologize for the manner in which you had to be brought here, but our family is well known and wealthy making us the target of many enemies. Considering how you met my granddaughter, we had to be cautious, but any suspicions have been dropped. So as recompense for your troubles I welcome you to my home and have a fine dinner prepared for you.¡± ¡°Dinner?!¡± Yuki said with his eyes growing wide and immediately being drawn in by the idea of having a banquet feast in a fancy mansion. Saki sighed knowing that it would be his reaction to the idea of food. He had already forgotten or forgiven everything that happened. ¡°That¡¯s such a gracious offer, but¡ª¡° ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry, Miss. We already contacted all of your families letting them know of what has happened. I spoke to them personally to assure them of your safety and that you¡¯ll be our guests for the night. You¡¯re welcome to call your families as well.¡± It had seemed that the old man had planned out everything in advance. Saki stepped back, feeling her footing being taken out from underneath her. The way that it was being presented to them it didn''t seem like he was going to take no for an answer. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Saki? He said he already talked to our families. So there¡¯s nothing wrong with relaxing. It¡¯s Saturday so we don¡¯t have to worry about school either!¡± He was almost too excited to contain himself, but he could see that Saki was still having a difficult time with everything. This was a much more exciting time than they could be having somewhere else. ¡°Come on, Saki!¡± The whole heavy handed manner didn¡¯t sit with her very well even with the nice grandfather look that he had. Saki couldn¡¯t get rid of the unsettling feeling that she had about the house and the Chinen Clan. ¡°Fine¡­¡± Yuki jumped over and hugged Saki. They were escorted out of the chambers by Chiharu. She led them back to their room where they would wait. Only Masahiko remained, but out of the shadows of the wall behind Masahiko entered the aged man. Masahiko didn¡¯t turn, but seemed to already know that he was present behind him. ¡°So Tamotsu, what are your impressions of our guests?¡± The kind gentle expression faded away as more wrinkles seemed to develop in a stern look. ¡°They¡¯re quite¡­energetic¡­¡± ¡°And the Hayashi boy?¡± ¡°He seems normal, but¡­¡± ¡°Yes, I couldn¡¯t tell anything from looking at him. Either he¡¯s a good actor or he¡¯s a simple high school student. However, something about it reads too perfect. Everything that you expect to be there is, like it¡¯s guiding you. At a glance, it looks normal, but I sense there¡¯s something more to his story.¡± ¡°You think he¡¯s from another Clan?¡± If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Unclear, what I¡¯m sensing as training could just be a normal child. For now it¡¯s only a groundless gut feeling, no sense overreacting yet¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll monitor him from a distance, sir.¡± Tamotsu disappeared into the shadows of the chamber leaving Masahiko alone once more with a now pensive face. He raised his thin fingers to his face trying to understand his dilemma better. When the dinner was ready for them they were called out with escort by Chiharu, still very much bothered by the whole affair. It was very traditional with them all sitting on the floor along a long dark oak table covered in a wide assortment of traditional Japanese food. The dinner went as expected with Yuki at the table. It was shared with Masahiko and Chiharu, but the others that they had seen were not present. Yuki returned pleased from the dinner dropping on the mats with his stomach filled. He leaned his head back to look over across the floor at Haruo. ¡°So you¡¯re Haruo, huh? What class you in?¡± It hadn¡¯t taken Yuki very long to recognize the uniform, but the boy remained unapproachable the entire time that starting a conversation proved to be difficult. The difficulty continued with Haruo remaining quiet in the corner. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Let him be, Yuki. ¡± Saki sat down at the table with very little to do. However, that quickly changed as the door slid open with the aged man, Tamotsu, at the entrance looking in at them. Saki was the first to stand and approach him, needing to do something. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Mr. Chinen would like to inform you that the baths have been prepared for you. You will find clothes present in the rooms after you¡¯re done. Please leave your uniforms to be cleaned.¡± The door began to close as Tamotsu was leaving when Yuki jumped up no longer looking fatigued from the meal. ¡°Who¡¯s going first?!¡± He looked around the room checking the reactions, but he seemed to be the only one enthusiastic. Tamotsu returned back to the entrance, briefly hearing Yuki. ¡°I should let you know it is divided by gender and large enough for all of you.¡± He departed the room¡¯s threshold disappearing into the halls. ¡°Well come on! Let¡¯s go then. It¡¯s no surprise that a place like this would have a huge bath.¡± Yuki grabbed up Haruo and dragged along Saki both protesting (one more loudly than the other). Their escort at the door showed them the way to the bath. As they had been told it was divided with a clearly marked sign on both doors. Yuki waved to Saki as she entered, leaving the two of them to go on by themselves. Saki couldn''t help the weird feeling that she was getting as she undressed. There was a modest yukata left on the counter that she noticed. ¡®What¡¯s going on? This seems to be a little much for an apology. Though Yuki would probably say that he is just a really nice old man that wants to be generous. He¡¯s lost in the excitement¡­¡¯ She grabbed a towel holding it close to herself feeling like she was at a public bath. However, when she stepped out into what she thought was going to be a bath she found that she was outside instead. She checked around suddenly feeling a little exposed, but saw the tall bamboo fence that gave the entire area privacy. In front of her was what looked like something she would find in a hot spring rather than a bath. Saki stepped forward feeling cautious and nervous knowing that this was someone else¡¯s house. ¡°Who¡¯s there?!¡± a young voice said, disturbing the water as they turned upon hearing Saki approach. Saki jumped back, almost dropping her towel. She felt put on the spot being expected to give an answer to her intrusion to the girl that she could not see. ¡°Umm¡­I was told that the baths were prepared for us and¡­¡± ¡°Oh it¡¯s you,¡± Chiharu said, coming out of the shadows. She entered into the middle of the pool of water staring at Saki. ¡°Chiharu, I-I¡­¡± Saki froze on the spot, feeling the glaring look from Chiharu. She normally wouldn''t have had a problem with Chiharu staring at her, but she felt more vulnerable at the moment. It didn''t help that the glare felt like she was checking her out. ¡°You going to come in? You¡¯ll catch a cold standing out in the night air¡­¡± ¡°Oh! Right!¡± Saki nodded and entered the water feeling the heat coming off of the surface as her legs got the immediate taste. She eased herself in still feeling like she was an uninvited guest from the stares. ¡°Umm¡­this is an impressive bath.¡± Saki tried to smile and change the mood that left a thick tension in the air. Chiharu settled down into the water resting at the edge of the bath. ¡°Grandfather had it put in wanting to imitate an open air hot spring that he visited.¡± ¡°Oh I see!¡± Saki couldn''t help but feel some of the impressive awe that Yuki showed by how wealthy her family had to be. ¡°Your family must be very wealthy. What do they do?¡± It was as though a taboo had been spoken. Chiharu¡¯s look narrowed and tightened up, turning away from Saki. She sealed her lips not saying a single word. After that it didn''t take a hint. She choked on her words trying to find something that would be safe to talk about. ¡°Umm¡­You¡¯re pretty strong, Chiharu¡­¡± ¡°So? What¡¯s your point?¡± Saki tried to smile, becoming uncomfortable and embarrassed with the flow of their chat. She couldn''t remember how long it had been since she had this much trouble talking to someone. ¡®If it was Yuki he¡¯d just start saying whatever and manage to drag out a response¡­¡¯ She focused back to Chiharu. ¡°Who trained you?¡± ¡°Grandfather.¡± ¡°Your grandfather? He must be really strong!¡± ¡°Yeah¡­but I¡¯ll beat him one day. I promise you!¡± Saki could see a slight glow in Chiharu¡¯s eyes as she talked. She had found something that was easy to talk about. ¡°What¡¯ll you do when you beat him?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll look for someone stronger!¡± ¡®Sounds like a typical response.¡¯ Saki couldn''t help but grin a little at hearing the simplistic answer from Chiharu. She had her drive, Saki couldn¡¯t deny that. Chiharu shifted in the water and threw her hand up dismissively. ¡°Well I guess I¡¯ll take over as head of the clan, too.¡± ¡°Head of the clan? That sounds like a lot to place on you¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m the only heir to the clan. It¡¯s my chosen duty¡­¡± Saki felt a little confused and sorry for Chiharu. She didn''t realize that she had such a weight that was placed on her at such a young age. However, there was something that still bothered her. ¡°But what about your family? Your father and mother? Can¡¯t they lead the clan?¡± ¡°They¡¯re both dead.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care. It happened a long time ago.¡± Chiharu¡¯s voice was so cold and empty when she spoke about her parents. It almost seemed unnatural leaving a jarring aura through the bath. There was no caring in her voice, but Saki held her words for a minute as she stared. Holding her words, Saki saw the maze ahead of her. The young girl held more mysteries and triggers. ¡°You¡¯re very strong, Chiharu. I don¡¯t know if I could ever be the same¡­¡± Saki¡¯s voice trailed off as her mind suddenly flashed to Yuki making her choke up. She closed her eyes regretting where her thoughts traveled. ¡°I¡¯ve been trained to not have emotions. So it¡¯s not a big deal. Besides, I hardly remember them.¡± It sounded like some clich¨¦ from an action movie when Saki heard Chiharu say it. She couldn''t really believe that it was true. The fact that Chiharu had some difficulties with people was clear, but not to allow emotions. ¡®What sort of training is that?¡¯ She stood up part way. ¡°You can¡¯t just get rid of them like they¡¯re a possession! Emotions are necessary!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need them! They just make you weak!¡± ¡°They make you human!¡± Chiharu narrowed her eyes at Saki. Uncertainty rose up through the tension as they held eye contact. She then broke it off and stood up from the water. ¡°I¡¯ve had enough of the bath for tonight¡­¡± The door of the bath slid open and closed quickly leaving Saki alone in the water to her thoughts. The night passed on in solitude as Saki returned back to their room. Yuki and Haruo were already back waiting for her. They had been given sleeping arrangements and provided Saki with another room next to them for privacy. Yuki read his manga and Haruo remained his usual quiet self. Saki was left quiet, weighing her conversation with Chiharu on her mind. It made it difficult for her to sleep into the late hours as she stared at the ceiling. ¡®There¡¯s a lot that I¡¯m missing about this family. That feeling still hasn¡¯t gone away¡­¡¯ Saki was finally getting sleepy and ready to close her eyes when there was a disturbance that brought her to her feet. She heard several people running by the room. Curiosity brought her to open the door of her room. ¡®The guards are gone¡­¡¯ She looked over to see that the noise had gotten Yuki up as well as he opened the door staring at her. Suddenly Chiharu came running through the hall with an unmistakable look of shock on her face. Saki and Yuki agreed to themselves and followed behind her. They didn¡¯t recognize most of the place, but eventually they came to a room that was stained with blood on the doors. Yuki and Saki had become more than accustomed to the sight that it barely fazed them until they looked in the room. ¡°Grandfather!!¡± Chiharu ran to Masahiko¡¯s bedside where blood was pooling out from his lifeless body. Chapter 43 - Shadows that Scream ¡°Grandfather!¡± Chiharu hung over his dead body, unable to do anything but hold his head in her lap. Saki and Yuki kept their distance at the entrance of the room. After a minute Tamotsu came over to her side pulling her away wrapping his arm around her back for comfort. He walked out of the room whispering something to her. They left Saki and Yuki unattended and staring in confusion and worry. Saki had only met the man earlier, but she still felt some sadness for his passing. However, it concerned her the face that she saw on Chiharu. ¡®There were no tears¡­ She just lost the most important person in her life and she didn¡¯t cry¡­¡¯ She looked over at Yuki and then ran off down the hallway. ¡®¡­what¡¯s she thinking?¡¯ Yuki didn''t know what was going on anymore or why someone would want to kill the kind old man, but the look on Saki¡¯s face was familiar to him. He had seen that determination before and he was not about to let her out of his sight. ¡°Wait for me, Saki!¡± Chapter 43 ¨C Shadows that Scream Yuki traced Saki¡¯s shadow through the halls into even more unknown and darker areas of the mansion. The further that they went the stranger things became, making Yuki even start to question what sort of family this truly was. His answers would come soon enough as he found Saki stopped at the entrance for a room. ¡°Saki?¡± Saki had arrived shortly after Chiharu and watched the two debate on a matter that she couldn''t hear. The uneasy feeling that she had been getting from the home the entire evening suddenly felt like it had gathered together in concentration. It made her stomach churn and her eyes narrow. ¡®I¡¯ve got a bad feeling about this¡­¡¯ She didn''t even notice Yuki getting close to her or speaking to her. ¡°Saki?¡± Yuki tapped his hand on her shoulder trying to get her attention. However, the reaction wasn¡¯t as he had hoped. Saki was taken completely off guard by it and nearly screamed before she cut herself off, but not before they knew she was outside. ¡°Who¡¯s there? Show yourself!¡± Tamotsu shouted from the room pulling out a pistol aimed at the door. Saki covered up her mouth and tried to cover up Yuki¡¯s when he spoke again, but got entangled. Panic ran through their bodies upon being noticed. They lost their balance and fell over with Saki hitting the ground and Yuki landing on top of her. Their heads and part of their shoulders exposed to the doorway. ¡°H-hey, we got lost?¡± ¡°Going with that clich¨¦?¡± ¡°Now¡¯s not the time!¡± Tamotsu¡¯s eyes twitched a little in annoyance at the children, but seeing that they weren¡¯t a threat he returned his pistol back to his side. ¡°What are you two doing here?¡± He started to walk towards them seeing that they were ignoring him. ¡°Shut up!¡± Yuki and Saki were quickly silenced, petrified by the loud voice and Tamotsu staring down at them. It was enough to turn their faces pale. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Tamotsu?¡± Chiharu asked, stepping out from mid changing her clothes. Yuki turned his head away quickly when she saw her bare legs. ¡°W-what¡¯s going on here? And where are your clothes?!¡± ¡°I was changing¡­ Tamotsu, what are they doing here?¡± ¡°I was trying to find out, Lady Chiharu.¡± He glared down at them, making them crawl away out of sight. Tamotsu followed them out into the hall as they stumbled over the other to stand up. ¡°You two¡­ I¡¯ll have my men escort you back to your rooms. You¡¯ll remain there until the morning when we¡¯ll return you home. Understand?¡± Yuki nodded quickly in agreement, willing to leave on his own if Saki didn''t grab him by the collar. Saki stepped forward regaining her composure and stared back at Tamotsu. ¡°There¡¯s been a murder in the house and you just expect us to ignore it?!¡± ¡°You will.¡± The tone in his voice was commanding and firm. It was a voice that was used to ordering around others. He demanded those that he commanded to follow without question. Saki wasn¡¯t one of his men though and she stared back at him unimpressed by his demeanor. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving here without some answers.¡± She could tell that she was starting to get to Tamotsu. ¡°There¡¯s something strange about this family! What¡¯s going on here?¡± There was a long pause between Tamotsu and Saki as they glared at each other. Yuki kept himself behind Saki knowing that she wasn''t going to let him get away now. However, it was Chiharu that broke the staring contest between the two as she stepped out into the hall covered in all black clothing. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Tamotsu. I¡¯ll tell her.¡± ¡°But Lady Chiharu!¡± Chiharu glared back at Tamotsu making him back off from his protest. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Chiharu stepped forward meeting stares with Saki looking ready to speak, but Yuki pushed down over Saki¡¯s shoulder getting his head in between them. ¡°You¡¯re a ninja! Aren¡¯t you?¡± The glow and excitement on Yuki¡¯s face made everyone a little dumbfounded. Chiharu looked like she was pouting a little with her secret revealed before she could even speak. ¡°The weakling¡¯s correct¡­¡± Saki pushed back on Yuki while looking over at Chiharu. ¡°My family, my clan has been assassins for hire for many generations and in the past our heritage traced to the ninja. We still keep that pride today.¡± Chiharu hung her head down for a moment, paused. She quickly turned her head up and looked forward. ¡°And I¡¯ll restore my family¡¯s honor by getting revenge on those that killed my Grandfather!¡± Saki and Yuki froze when hearing those words from someone so young. Chiharu pushed the two of them aside to be followed up by Tamotsu. It took time to process and accept it, but Saki moved quickly to catch up to Chiharu grabbing her by the arm. ¡°What do you mean revenge? You can¡¯t kill someone!¡± Chiharu snapped her arm free and in the process slapped Saki back with a venomous look. ¡°I¡¯m the last of my clan! I have to avenge my clan!¡± The slap stung more with the words. She grabbed back at Chiharu. ¡°No! You can¡¯t do this! You¡¯re just a child!¡± ¡°Get the hell away from me! I thought of all the people you¡¯d understand, but it seems that I was mistaken.¡± Chiharu spun around on her feet. She stretched out her leg, kicking Saki with the back side. Yuki caught Saki being thrown to the floor, dampening the impact. He stretched out his arm futilely trying to stop Chiharu. ¡°Chiharu! You shouldn¡¯t kill someone!¡± Chiharu was getting further away from them, but Yuki wasn''t going to give up on Saki¡¯s fight. He recognized that look. The emotions felt all too familiar. ¡°I know how you¡¯re feeling! Chiharu stop!¡± It seemed to hit a nerve with Chiharu as she paused in her step. ¡°The rage and anger inside you is too much to contain. It speaks to you telling you this is right. That you must do it. There¡¯s no other way. If you don''t, it won''t be at peace.¡± Chiharu turned part way looking back at Yuki. Her fists tightened at her side and shaking. ¡°Is that all you can do, talk?¡± ¡°It feels uncontrollable doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s no use, Yuki¡­¡± said Saki, pushing herself up from Yuki walking towards Chiharu. Yuki jumped up to his feet trying to catch up to Saki, confused by her change. ¡°Saki?! What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going with you!¡± Everyone paused a little shocked by Saki¡¯s declaration. Yuki closed the distance between them and grabbed her shoulder. Saki ripped her shoulder free and finished walking the distance to Chiharu. ¡°I¡¯m not letting you go out there alone!¡± ¡°Lady Chiharu won¡¯t be alone, I can assure you.¡± Tamotsu stepped around Chiharu to intercept Saki. However, Chiharu waved back Tamotsu to step towards Saki with a change in her eye. ¡°Lady Chiharu?¡± ¡°Let her come¡­¡± A grin started to appear on Chiharu''s face. ¡°Tamotsu give her some new clothes too. I¡¯ll be waiting for you.¡± Chiharu marched off with an over-confident stride as she left the three behind. Tamotsu turned to look back at Saki with a disapproving look. However, he said nothing and walked past her back to the room they had been in before. He expected Saki to follow him as she did with Yuki trailing behind. Saki was directed to a locker that held clothes that would fit her while Yuki just stood back waiting from a safe distance. ¡®Why¡¯s she doing this? This isn¡¯t our fight.¡¯ Yuki hadn¡¯t known Saki to act like this before. She was willing to protect and defend someone, but to help in someone¡¯s revenge. It didn''t feel right to him. There was a piece he missed. ¡®¡­fine¡­¡¯ Yuki walked over to Tamotsu looking at him, he had stepped out while Saki changed in privacy. ¡°You got something I can wear?¡± Tamotsu looked into his eyes, seeing the look of determination from before. ¡®He¡¯s a strange one. A fool one minute and fearless the next¡­¡¯ He walked over to the opposite side of the room pointing to Yuki a locker. ¡°This should fit.¡± A few minutes later Saki stepped out from her place only to find Yuki staring back at her in the same ninja garb that Chiharu ran off in. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing, Yuki?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not letting you go out there alone, either! Besides, my abilities might have some use out there.¡± She exchanged looks for a moment with Yuki, but could see that he was going to go with her regardless of what she said. ¡°And can you use them when you need?¡± ¡°Well¡­no¡­but just in case!¡± ¡°Whatever¡­Mr. Tamotsu show us the way.¡± Tamotsu nodded silently and walked out. The quiet walk left them plenty of time to think about what they were getting into. Answers to the mystery of Chiharu came, but with darker implications. Saki stewed in her questions about the murder and Chiharu. Chiharu waited for them in what looked like a hanger below the mansion, but with the cars parked it would have been more accurate to call it a garage. There was a door open on one of the cars that she stood by. Once she saw that they had arrived she entered the car waiting for Saki and Yuki to catch up. Several cars pulled up alongside. The hunt started. Yuki waited until they were taking off from the underground garage. ¡°If you¡¯re a clan of ninjas¡­why are you using cars?¡± Saki sighed out loud looking away while Chiharu looked narrowly at him. ¡°Because the enemy is on foot within our grounds. But we won¡¯t be able to catch up to them without an advantage.¡± He took the answer though was not too pleased by it. ¡°Seems like cheating.¡± ¡°We can only run so fast!¡± ¡°Sorry!¡± Yuki said, jumping a little. ¡®Sharp ears¡­¡¯ He decided to wisely keep quiet the rest of the time in the car until it came to a rough and sharp stop. The panel between the driver¡¯s seat and the back of the car opened up. The driver kept his eyes forward, but spoke back to them. ¡°Lady Chiharu! Reports from the house say that they finally got the sensors to pick up the intruders. We are ahead of them now.¡± ¡°Very good!¡± Chiharu exited the car running out into the forest that surrounded the back of the estate. The road that they followed ran through the forest and around it. It placed them within intercept distance of the intruders. All Yuki and Saki could do was follow as they caught glimpses of other black silhouettes coming out of the neighboring cars. Chiharu knew where she was going, leading everyone from the sounds of the enemy. ¡®They¡¯re making far more noise than I would have expected. But they¡¯re very close.¡¯ Once she was in range of them, she ordered her men to spread out. Yuki and Saki stayed behind Chiharu waiting for the moment. Chiharu held, grinding her hand against the hilt of her short blade strapped to her back. She fought the urge to charge in knowing that her vengeance was in front of her. In the end, it was Saki holding her back that kept her from moving any further. However, in the distance the noises came to an end. ¡®They¡¯ve stopped! Why? Did they discover us?¡¯ The answer for Chiharu came soon as she heard sounds of screaming. It was of men being killed. ¡®Is it them or my men? Did they kill my men, just like Grandfather?¡¯ Her eyes narrowed and power applied to her muscles as Saki couldn''t stop her any longer. Chiharu leapt from their hiding and charged straight for the noise. ¡°Damn girl! Come on, Yuki!¡± Saki rushed to her feet following after Chiharu. They arrived quickly behind her as she had already stopped finding a dead body. It was one of Chiharu¡¯s men from the house. They found another next to him. Chiharu ran off into the dark of the forest leaving them behind. ¡°Chiharu! Don¡¯t go alone!¡± Chiharu''s eyes could only see revenge. They had killed her Grandfather and now her men as well. She would have them die for what they had done. She kept running to where she believed the enemy to be. However, her foot tripped on a wire trap sending her to the ground completely open. A masked shadow leapt out of the nearby brush with a blade held high to make the strike. ¡°The Chinen Clan dies tonight!¡± Chapter 44 - The Beast in the Forest The forest seemed to grow very still as Chiharu collapsed to the ground. Enough time was given for her to turn her head in the moments that slowly passed to see the moonlit stained blade rise. Surprised, all she could do was look on in shock at the trick she had fallen for. Chapter 44 ¨C The Beast in the Forest Chiharu could only see the black form of the man engulf her as he drew closer to her. Everything that surrounded her faded from sight. She couldn''t even feel or see what happened next. Blackness came over her eyes as the sound of blood sprayed through the air. The dull sound of a blade penetrated flesh. ¡®¡­Grandfather¡­¡¯ Paralysis held for the moment as Chiharu simply lay where she was unable to move. A branch snapped and plants shifted from someone walking. The noise alerted Chiharu immediately, restarting her body and snapping her back up to her feet. Realization didn¡¯t set in for another second. She saw one of her family¡¯s dogs standing over a bloody man. Her mind replayed the events coming to the conclusion that the dog had jumped in killing the man. They were trained to hunt and track with them. ¡®But we didn¡¯t send out the dogs¡­ they weren¡¯t found¡­ where were they?¡¯ Another footstep rustled the plants nearby, spinning Chiharu around with her short blade held up ready to strike. ¡°Your pets seemed restless¡­¡± said a voice from out of sight that had a familiar sound to it. The noise came even closer to Chiharu until it appeared in front of her. Out of the shadows of the forest came Haruo wearing the kimono that he had been given after the bath. Chiharu narrowed her eyes with concern, but relaxed her muscles. ¡°I thought you were still sleeping¡­¡± ¡°¡­I was¡­¡± Alongside Haruo came another one of Chiharu¡¯s dogs keeping at his side as though it seemed natural for the animal. The scene left her off balance getting a strange feeling from him. Unlike when she tried to fight him, he looked committed. ¡®He couldn¡¯t have left when we did. He¡¯d have to have gone before or during the attack. What¡¯s going on?¡¯ Chiharu tightened her hand on the hilt of her blade, becoming suspicious of the boy. However, both of their attentions were drawn away by a scream. Haruo ran past Chiharu with the dogs keeping pace. Chiharu stood frozen, unable to move for a moment. ¡®¡­I¡­Grandfather¡­¡¯ ¡®¡­Chiharu!¡¯ ¡®Grandfather?!¡¯ Her eyes blinked and she could feel her body moving again sprinting through the forest. It became clear to her that there was someone running followed by a second possibly third person. She tracked the sounds into a small clearing in the forest. The dogs already leapt into action as she arrived. Saki stayed ahead of the two men that chased her. However, they cornered her in the clearing. It was the dogs, with Haruo, that rescued her. Yuki arrived slowly behind them holding his arm with a shallow cut. ¡°Chiharu!¡± they called, as she came out of the forest. The two men beat off the dogs, sending them yelping to the ground. They pulled themselves together into a defensive stance with the changing tides. In a better light, it became clear to them that they were dressed in similar attire as Chiharu. They both had medium length katanas drawn. Chiharu saw the two men and couldn''t wait a moment longer. She charged towards them. ¡°Die assassin!¡± Her short blade rose towards the first man, who parried her strike. Force from the charge was sent through the clash rattling the blades as they sparked. Chiharu jumped back and dodged around them as the second man came in for support. Her eyes were pulled down with her brow in wrinkled rage as she yelled with each strike she made. The fight between the granddaughter and her murderers began. Saki and Yuki watched, hesitant to make a move. In a fast paced exchange of blades, they were both out of their element. As an athlete and a brawler, this fight left them out of their depths. Yuki rested his hand, from holding his wound, on Saki¡¯s shoulder to give her some reassurance. ¡®Saki wants to help¡­ but knows there¡¯s little she could do.¡¯ Yuki watched on the edge of his toes. He had seen Chiharu briefly fighting with Saki to know how skilled she was, however what he was seeing now went beyond it. It felt as though her rage and anger drove her to be faster. ¡®She can¡¯t see, but her instincts are sharp enough to make up for it. It¡¯s the only thing keeping her alive.¡¯ Rage fueled screams drowned out the clashing blades. Chiharu struggled to keep her ground against two targets. The two ninja worked together to strike in quick succession. The man playing back up for the moment came around striking. He forced her to parry unevenly. Off balance from the strike, she turned away from the incoming strike from the other. She was unable to get away quickly holding up her metal guard on her forearm to catch the blade. The katana¡¯s blade sparked off the metal cutting into it a little. It scraped by in the thrust to cut into the upper arm of Chiharu. Wounded with a shallow cut and bleeding, Chiharu nearly tripped over her feet to back up into a defensive position. Pain heightened her awareness starting to cut through the fog in her head, but it was working to dull her instincts as well. She flipped backwards out of the way the next strike while leaving herself open for the second attack from the back up. The blade ran shallow along her back missing for being out of range. ¡®She¡¯s going to die at this rate!¡¯ Saki couldn''t take the sidelines any longer and pulled free from Yuki. She sprinted forward to quickly close the distance. Chiharu was left completely open from the last series of attacks. ¡°Chiharu!¡± The two ninja swarmed her to push their advantage. Saki was still out of reach and Chiharu could not defend herself quickly enough. The two swords came down upon her. Two streaks flew by the two ninja knocking their swords from their hands. Surprised, but not finished, the two ninja went for their secondary weapon. Several more streaks flew from the shadows, this time digging into the men. They were kunai that were thrown at vital spots to disable their arms. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Saki came to a stop. Caution moved her out of the way as she saw someone silently come out of the shadows of the forest behind Chiharu. Covered in black with only his eyes seen, he looked down at Chiharu. He made no move to help or hurt her, but simply stared at her in silence. Chiharu blinked slowly before she returned to her feet. She stared down at her blade in her hand and back to the disabled ninja. This wasn''t how her first kill was supposed to be. It wasn''t how it was planned. She pulled up her blade and reached out with her free hand to grab the man by his garb. Her hand held the blade trying to keep from shaking as she pulled back. ¡®¡­they killed Grandfather! They killed him! I can¡¯t show¡­¡¯ ¡°¡­Chiharu¡­¡± Masahiko knelt down to help up a six year old Chiharu who had fallen. The rigors of training exhausted her and all she had was frustration and anger. ¡°You can¡¯t let your emotions control you, Chiharu.¡± ¡°I know, Grandfather!¡± Chiharu said, narrowing her eyes looking ready to continue. He shook his head as he looked down at his granddaughter. ¡°You recite that, but you don¡¯t understand. You can¡¯t show emotions to your enemy. You can¡¯t feel emotions when you¡¯re fighting. They cloud your eyes and weaken your strikes. Emotions are weakness.¡± ¡°Weakness!¡± Masahiko stood straight up in front of Chiharu. ¡°A ninja can¡¯t have weakness. A ninja kills the weakness inside. You are nothing but a weapon! A weapon breaks if there is weakness! A broken weapon is useless!¡± He threw out a punch at Chiharu knocking her to the wood floor. ¡°No anger! Stand up!¡± Chiharu coughed weakly, taken back by the attack. She crawled, in spite, to her feet standing up to look back up at her grandfather. The look was still in her eyes and he swung at her again, sending her back to the floor. When she stood back up with tears in her eyes she was beat down again. ¡®¡­I-I¡¯m a weapon¡­ Weapons can¡¯t have weakness¡­ I¡¯m a weapon¡­¡¯ Chiharu repeated the words to herself as she heard them from her memories. She pulled the blade in her hand further back still feeling the shaking in her arm. An empty stare in her eyes began to form that steadied her hand. ¡°¡­I¡¯m a weapon¡­¡± Her arm released, finally pulling down the blade for the killing strike. ¡°Chiharu!¡± Saki shouted, but was overpowered by Yuki shouting out to her. It had been enough to halt her hand just before piercing the neck of the man. Saki was relieved to see her back away, dropping the blade. The man that had rescued Chiharu turned away and quickly executed the two men. Chiharu disappeared into the forest with Saki chasing after her. Yuki stared at the man left standing still unknown with his face held behind a mask. A narrowed glare from Yuki connected with the man. ¡°You¡¯re strange, old man. Giving her the kill after saving her, but killing them anyway. You knew she couldn¡¯t do it and yet you tried anyway.¡± Masked behind the cloth there was almost certainly a smirk or grin on Tamotsu¡¯s face as he looked back at Yuki. ¡°No more strange than a teenager that doesn¡¯t flinch at the sight of death while acting innocent. You could¡¯ve saved her as well, but didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Perhaps¡­¡± Yuki didn¡¯t like the knowing feeling that he got from the old man. They barely knew each other and he had already seen so much into Yuki. ¡°Not going after her?¡± ¡°Age has taught me when I¡¯m needed¡­¡± ¡°¡­I see¡­¡± Chiharu ran through the forest still hearing the echoes through her mind. They were like ghosts haunting her. Each shouted words of disgust and disappointment. She couldn''t escape them however fast she ran. ¡®¡­Grandfather¡­ ¡­I¡¯ve dishonored you¡­ ¡­I couldn¡¯t¡­¡¯ The forest seemed to grow darker around her, blackening out everything from her. An empty void caught her plunging the remains of the world in utter darkness. There was no ground making her fall endlessly as she heard the shouting of the voices out at her. She screamed to drown them out, but they reached her ears perfectly to be heard. Her hands clasped against her ears to prevent the voices from entering, but it was as though she was doing nothing. Slow paralysis worked over her as she continued to fall helpless. ¡°You¡¯re a failure!¡± ¡°Worthless!¡± ¡°A broken weapon!¡± ¡°You couldn¡¯t even avenge his death!¡± ¡°Shut up! Leave me! I didn¡¯t¡­ I-I¡­ I¡¯m not!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t even convince yourself!¡± ¡°You¡¯re weak!¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re human¡­¡± a new voice said, breaking through all of the others around her and bringing silence to the chaos. Chiharu looked up with shrunken eyes seeing someone pierce through the void. The silence was welcoming, but Chiharu shook her head at the new voice. ¡°No! I¡¯m not weak!¡± ¡°Yes, you are weak! All you have is weakness!¡± said the taunting voices once more. The figure entering the void remained without color yet held a calming tone. ¡°¡­It¡¯s alright to feel weak¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need them!¡± ¡°Yes, the only way not to be weak is to throw them away!¡± ¡°¡­They¡¯re closer to you than you realize. It¡¯s with you¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t listen! You don¡¯t need them!¡± Chiharu¡¯s body started to accept the soothing feeling coming from the space. It made the voices feel more distant bringing her peace for once. The void began to fade away as the voices tried to fight to be heard. A blanket of warmth wrapped around her easing her heart. She couldn''t remember the last time she felt so relaxed, it almost made her want to smile. Saki held Chiharu against her with her arms wrapped around her slowly rocking. She had found her collapsed. ¡°It¡¯s alright to be scared. You lost the most important person to you tonight.¡± Chiharu was half awake listening to the calming voice of Saki. When she heard her mention her grandfather her eyes opened quickly. She could see images of him in her mind from her past. All of the training that he had put her through played for her. He had always been there since she could remember. ¡°¡­he¡¯s gone¡­¡± ¡°¡­yes¡­ ¡­You don¡¯t have to be afraid anymore¡­¡± Saki put her hand up against Chiharu¡¯s head as she felt her body starting to tremble. ¡°You don¡¯t need to hold back, Chiharu. It¡¯s just us here.¡± The forest was empty for them. No one was around. ¡°Alone?¡± This realization started to sink into her. Her eyes started to water up almost out of nowhere. ¡°Yes, just me here. You haven¡¯t cried in a long time have you?¡± Chiharu did not completely take in what Saki had said. All she could think about was her Grandfather. ¡°Grandfather¡­he¡¯s¡­¡± She couldn''t hold back the tears at that point. Chiharu wept. Chapter 45 - Child No More Silence lingered in the forest as Saki held on to Chiharu. No words were spoken. All the training broke, releasing a wellspring of emotions. Time drained away slowly letting things run their course until Chiharu was ready. Saki kept her eyes on Chiharu watching her as she stayed with her. ¡®¡­she never gave herself the chance to grieve¡­¡¯ It was clear to her that vengeance was almost instinctual for Chiharu. A troubling mindset drilled deep into her. ¡®¡­she couldn¡¯t allow herself that moment¡­ just like with her parents¡­¡¯ Saki rocked slowly back and forth with Chiharu just letting her be. Her thoughts spun question after question in her mind trying to understand the family. ¡®¡­what did they do to her to make her like this? She needs time to be a girl, not a killer for hire¡­¡¯ Chapter 45 ¨C Child No More Chiharu pulled her head up, still running with tears, but looking a little stronger than before. She pulled away from Saki with no resistance. There was a small distance between them as she looked straight at Saki with a long face. ¡®¡­how could¡­I¡­I felt¡­safe¡­¡¯ Her eyes lowered a bit as her hands moved to try to wipe away the tears with her. Freely running emotions still poured through her even as she tried to close the door. ¡°Grandfather¡­he¡¯s dead¡­¡± Saki reached out her hands to place them on Chiharu''s hands for comfort. The tension and uncertainty could be felt the instant she touched her. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Chiharu¡­ You¡¯re allowed to cry¡­¡± ¡°But I couldn¡¯t¡­¡± She choked in her words as she paused. Instinct framed her life. ¡°¡­avenge him¡­¡± ¡°¡­Chiharu¡­¡± It became clear that she was having trouble speaking, but it was something that felt necessary. Every time that she stopped she was pushing herself to keep going. There was something that would not let her stop. ¡°They were right¡­in front of me¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to Chiharu.¡± Saki tried to lean over, but Chiharu became more adamant. She threw away Saki¡¯s hands and stood up, turning away. Chiharu stared down the thick trunk of a tree feeling uncontrollable frustration channeling through her. She had failed. ¡°¡­in front of me!¡± Her fist ran into the bark of the tree making a low dull thud as it did not give. ¡°They were there! I could have¡­¡± Saki ran over to Chiharu hoping to calm her down again. ¡°Chiharu please¡­ Don¡¯t¡­¡± Chiharu snapped back at Saki, turning and throwing her leg out to kick her, missing widely. ¡°NO! You don¡¯t know!¡± Chiharu turned back, throwing her fist once more against the tree. She wrenched her eyes closed trying not to think of her grandfather. It was a haunting image in her mind that she could not shake. ¡°They were right there! They killed my¡­¡± ¡°¡­Chiharu it¡¯s fine¡­¡± ¡°But they killed him! ¡­killed¡­¡± The words continued to pound in her head repeatedly. She collapsed to the ground, her hand sliding down the tree as she fell. ¡°Dead¡­ He¡¯s dead¡­¡± Words started to fail Saki. All she could remember was what had happened with Yuki when his parents had passed away. But the way that Yuki handled it was completely different. He isolated himself after his mother and barely seemed to acknowledge when he father did. It only seemed to make him angrier. ¡®¡­I¡¯m helpless¡­¡¯ ¡°I¡­failed him¡­I couldn¡¯t¡­do it¡­¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m sure he wouldn¡¯t have wanted you to do this¡­¡± She tried approaching again, but her words hit the wrong nerve in Chiharu making her lash out. She pushed back Saki, failing to find strength for more. ¡°Don¡¯t pretend like you know! You don¡¯t!¡± ¡°¡­Chi-¡° ¡°What do you know!? Nothing! You don¡¯t know me!¡± She took a wide and wild swing at Saki with her fist lacking any coordination. It was easily caught, but she was forced to look at an unyielding Saki. ¡°You don¡¯t-¡° Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°No¡­¡± Saki found her determination. ¡°I don¡¯t know you! But I know that look! I could see it in your eyes! You didn¡¯t want to kill! You couldn¡¯t kill!¡± Chiharu¡¯s eyes had widened in surprise not expecting to hear something so piercing. It made her want to back away. She was being pressed back and seen through, naked. ¡°You let it control you, but in the end you were stronger than your desire to kill!¡± ¡®¡­control me? No¡­ I wanted it! Me! I wasn¡¯t being controlled!¡¯ She shook her head. Frightened like a child, she pulled at her hand trying desperately to break free. However, her mind suddenly flashed back to the hallway in the estate when Yuki confronted her. It made her freeze up hearing it again, so close to the truth as though he had been through it. She didn''t want to hear anymore echoing through her head. ¡®¡­uncontrollable? NO! No! Me! Just me!¡¯ Chiharu snapped her wrist free from Saki, though it felt like it was given up rather than won. She started to run away. ¡°You did it because you¡¯re the head of the family.¡± Saki words had a cold tone in them as they stopped Chiharu in her tracks. The comforting tone that she had before had vanished while the determination still remained. ¡°An obligation. Because you want to be an assassin.¡± ¡°Yes! I¡¯m head of the family! But it¡¯s not because I¡¯m the head!¡± Chiharu was forced to turn around again to face Saki. ¡°I don¡¯t care about that! I don¡¯t care about being an assassin! They killed my grandfather!¡± ¡°That¡¯s quite the contradiction. Which is it? You want to be the head and want to be an assassin, but you don¡¯t want to be. You want to kill for personal reasons, but don¡¯t want to kill. Which is it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about any of it! It¡¯s revenge!¡± ¡°But you didn¡¯t get revenge, you ran away!¡± ¡°They¡¯re still dead!¡± ¡°But you didn¡¯t get your revenge!¡± ¡°Grandfather¡¯s killers are dead! It¡¯s done!¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not. It¡¯s not settled, but you didn¡¯t do it!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care!¡± ¡°Yes you do! But you still couldn¡¯t kill them!¡± ¡°Because I was afraid!¡± Chiharu came to a sudden halt when she heard the words. It made her eyes widen in shock. She wanted to take it back, but there was no way anymore. However, now that she had said it her legs lost their strength. They carried a heavy weight the entire time. It lifted now, leaving nothing. Chiharu collapsed to the ground, no longer certain what she was feeling or supposed to be feeling. Saki walked over to her, kneeling down at her side with a painful expression. ¡®I¡¯m sorry I had to do that to you¡­ but it was the only way¡­¡¯ She placed her hand on her shoulder trying to comfort her once more, but got no response or action out of her. It seemed like she was a statue completely gone from the reality around her. ¡®¡­I had to force you to confront it¡­¡¯ Saki picked her up and began to carry her back to the house. ¡®¡­let¡¯s go back¡­¡¯ Several guards greeted her when she arrived back, in the early hours of morning. She assured them that Chiharu was safe, but tired. Chiharu was carried back by Saki to her room. She quietly tended to her as the remaining men of the estate hovered outside. Tamotsu was the only one that remained inside with his usual loyal determination. After she finished Saki walked over to Tamotsu, his eyes said he understood. ¡°She wasn¡¯t able to admit the fear to herself, but now that she¡¯s heard it¡­¡± Saki turned her head down feeling guilty for the actions that she took that had left Chiharu in a lifeless state. It was her fault even though it seemed that no one was blaming her. Each look she received silently seemed to judge her. Tamotsu raised up his hands placing them on Saki¡¯s shoulders giving her a smile that she could not see. ¡°She just needs time to think in peace. It¡¯s been a long night for her and you. She¡¯ll come out of it when she¡¯s ready.¡± ¡°¡­I hope¡­¡± ¡°I know she will.¡± They finally made eye contact. The certainty in his words and the deep caring gave some comfort. ¡°Knowing her. When she does, she''ll want to challenge you again.¡± Saki choked a little at the joke as she could not laugh, but gave him a slight grin. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re probably right.¡± She stepped away to return back to her room. ¡°Thank you¡­¡± She blinked trying to keep from crying as she walked out of the room. Halfway to her room she started to run for a reason that she couldn¡¯t find. She wouldn''t stop until she reached the destination. Out of breath and sore, Saki stood bent over in front of the door waiting. She hovered outside, unable to move as she panted even heavier than she would have running. Nothing could stop it as it engulfed her trying to numb her body. The door slid quietly open as she stepped into the darkened room. She walked over to where the blankets were for sleeping. Her head hung down, staring at them paused once more. Tears slowly began to fill up in her eyes as she looked down at the blankets. She collapsed to her knees looking over the blankets seeing Yuki sleeping peacefully unaware of her presence. When she looked at him she couldn''t stop crying. ¡®¡­I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡¯ Morning came quickly for everyone, ready or not. The aura of the estate had changed from when they arrived. Chiharu still remained unchanged and Tamotsu stuck to her side. Her men took turns standing guard. Yuki and Haruo were loaded into the car as Saki dragged behind them. She tried to say something to the men, but nothing came to her. One of the men reached out holding her hands looking down at her with an eased expression. ¡°Thank you for protecting Lady Chiharu¡­¡± Saki tried to respond, but was left unable to, only feeling worse. The man walked around to the car getting into the drive seat as Saki stood outside the open passenger door. She looked back at the estate once more before stepping into the car. Tamotsu stood up from his knelt position next to Lady Chiharu¡¯s side. He stepped out of her room into the back porch that wrapped around the house. No guards went with him as he walked into the back courtyard going away from the house. He disappeared into the forest masking his presence. After ten minutes of walking at a slow pace he came to a stop. ¡°The plan was a success, sir,¡± said a shadowed figure in the tree as Tamotsu looked forward, not acknowledging the presence. ¡°Yes¡­ With him out of the way and someone as inexperienced as her in charge¡­ The next stage will proceed much more smoothly.¡± Tamotsu considered the pieces in play now. ¡®Those kids did a far better job than I hoped, cutting open her weakness. They¡¯ve primed Lady Chiharu for the next step¡­¡¯ ¡°I will make preparations, sir.¡± ¡°Patience. I¡¯ve waited a long time. I¡¯m in no rush. I have to steer in the correct course. I will signal you again when the next stage is ready.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Tamotsu closed his eyes, keeping a stern empty expression. ¡®¡­the time for her to die has not yet come¡­¡¯ Chapter 46 - Stranger Meetings A fresh week, fresh excitement, and eagerness filled the air. Though it did largely come from one person and may or may not be an Illusion Field. After a sullen weekend that lingered on, something needed to break that energy. At least that was the motive, for one such person. Everyone had different motives, some more questionable. But let¡¯s go with the positive one first! Yuki tightened his fists together, psyching himself up. He pushed away stray thoughts, and approached Saki with a pleasant smile. ¡°Hey Saki! You don¡¯t have practice after class, right?¡± It took a moment for Yuki¡¯s voice to reach Saki completely. She turned slowly to see that he was talking to her. ¡°Uh? Yuki?¡± ¡°Right?¡± The look on his face was warm and determined, making it difficult for Saki to ignore him. Unfortunately, Saki could only look clueless at him. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Ignored and dejected, Yuki slumped over. ¡°You didn¡¯t hear anything I said?¡± Her shaking head only made Yuki cry to know that all of his energy had been wasted. However, he wasn''t going to give up and straightened himself back up reinvigorating his determination. ¡°You don¡¯t have practice, right?¡± ¡°¡­yeah¡­?¡± ¡°Good! Then I want to go somewhere different today!¡± Yuki exclaimed, nearly jumping with excitement over the idea. Chapter 46 ¨C Strange Meetings Before Saki could even give an answer, even a confused one, Yuki bounced over. Half of the class still hung around, which meant everyone heard him broadcasting his plans. That meant Yumi and her friends as well, who Yuki noticed up. He appeared before them with a big smile, which might have seemed like a horror villain if he didn¡¯t look so genuine. ¡°Are you interested, Yumi? We¡¯re going for the group discount!¡± Kaede immediately put an arm out in front of Yuki. ¡°Hey! We were talking privately, Hayashi.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re not interested? I heard it¡¯s really fun!¡± Saki hurried over to grab him. ¡°Stop bothering your classmates. I¡¯ll go.¡± ¡°Really?¡± He jumped away like a kid following Saki. They returned to the nervous Ayumi with Hiroshi and his friends joining up. The distance between Yumi and the rest suddenly felt like a river. She stared deeply at the cheerful expressions from Yuki and the boys. The grounded Saki bonked Yuki to make sense, while Ayumi timidly flailed. ¡®They all look so happy¡­¡¯ She looked over at Kaede and Katsumi as they stood between her and the others. Yumi tried to open her mouth, but stopped. Her eyes darted around to her friends again. Watching them pushed everything away until she saw Yuki glanced halfway towards her. His words came back to her. ¡®To not focus on my past that I can¡¯t change, but towards my future which still can be different.¡¯ ¡®A different¡­future¡­¡¯ Yumi nodded to herself. She stepped forward a couple steps. ¡°Um¡­I¡­¡± ¡°Yumi? What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°You okay?¡± Her friends stared at her. She squeezed her hands. Their concern and protection made her happy, but she wanted something new. ¡°I¡­! Hayashi!¡± Her voice raised louder than she intended and she slapped hands over her mouth. It had been enough though for him to hear. ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Oh I¡¯m sorry, was he being too loud again? Apologize Yuki!¡± ¡°I was using my inside voice.¡± ¡°You never do!¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t now.¡± ¡°YukI!¡± ¡°I want to come too! If¡­the invite¡­is¡­¡± He immediately bounced around Saki. Yuki nodded rapidly to her and motioned her over. ¡°Th-thank you.¡± ¡°Hiroshi Kuroda. Tatsuya Mori. Kazuhiro Nanase. Saki Furukawa. Ayumi Nishimura. Everyone, Yumi!¡± As he introduced the group they politely welcomed her. She still hovered to the edge with her friends. ¡°Kaede Ayabito.¡± ¡°Katsumi Soseki.¡± With greetings passed, Saki pulled Yuki back in. ¡°So you going to explain this new thing?¡± ¡°It¡¯s this awesome place in town I heard about!¡± Yuki¡¯s eyes were glowing like a child¡¯s innocence and full of joy as it could be clear that he was imagining things in his mind. Saki slapped him in the head again, noticing that he was losing control of his powers. ¡°You¡¯re skipping the details, Yuki¡­¡± This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°Hey, quit hitting me!¡± Yuki dried up his tears from the pain and returned to his previous state, completely lost in the illusions. ¡°Details, alright¡­I wanted it to be a surprise¡­¡± He began to look down at his foot aimlessly fidgeting, becoming dejected. Yumi leaned in with curiosity to know what Yuki wanted to do. The sad expression that Yuki had immediately drew her towards him. ¡°It¡¯s alright... I don¡¯t mind a surprise. It might be fun!¡± A recharge from Yumi was all he needed to return his excitement. ¡°Let¡¯s go, everyone!¡± Yumi tried to smile and nod while her friends questioned their own involvement. Following in behind was Hiroshi with his friends looking a little mischievous. Walking only made it so far as the school entrance before they were interrupted by two short shadowed figures that came running in towards them. The short figures were faster than anyone could see being only a blur as they rushed for Yuki. Distracted in his excitement, Yuki was caught off guard by what happened until it was too late. The two blurs attached themselves to Yuki. A moment later, they shed their blackened cover with light illuminating their faces. Ken had climbed up on Yuki¡¯s back hanging off his neck. Jun silently held on to the edge of his uniform¡¯s coat staring up at him. Surprise knocked him back a step. ¡°Ken! Jun! What are you guys doing here? Shouldn¡¯t you be home?¡± Kaede and Katsumi leaned around curious about the elementary schoolers. Their energy came off infectiously making them start smiling. ¡°Who are you two?¡± Ken let go of Yuki seeing the girls close to Jun. He walked over to Kaede looking very confident. ¡°We came to see Yuki! I¡¯m Ken and this is Jun! Who are you?¡± ¡°Oh I¡¯m Kaede! Came to see Hayashi? How come?¡± ¡°He¡¯s our big brother! Our big sister let us go play!¡± ¡°They¡¯re so adorable!¡± Katsumi said, grinning to herself. Ken looked over at Jun giving him a smile with a mischievous sparkle along and victory sign. Jun pleasantly nodded in agreement with his brother. ¡°Operation Cool and Cute was a success!¡± Ken declared to his brother, words that went mostly ignored by the others. Yuki knelt down next to his brothers, rubbing their hair. ¡°I wish you¡¯d told me ahead of time. I¡¯m spending some time with my friends today.¡± The disappointment came clear over their faces. Yumi leaned down fighting her anxiety. ¡°Um¡­is where we¡¯re going¡­safe for children?¡± ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t see why not. You don¡¯t mind?¡± Some quick silent exchanges went between everyone. The mute agreement settled everything, two more joined the party. The large group of students, plus two elementary students, winded their way through the city. After school hours made the sidewalks their usually busy selves with students. It didn''t help that Hiroshi¡¯s directions forced them to travel through the busiest parts. ¡°This should be the last turn¡­¡± said Hiroshi as he checked the paper again. He turned his head side to side looking at the fork in the alley. ¡°This guy¡¯s been sayin¡¯ that for the last twenty minutes!¡± Ken said, kicking a bottle on the ground into the adjacent wall. Ayumi sighed heavily, developing a pouting lip on her face from being so tired. ¡°I¡¯m so hungry¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯re almost there, guys¡­¡± Hiroshi looked at the paper for a second time. ¡®I think¡­¡¯ ¡°Come on! Hiroshi said we¡¯re almost there!¡± ¡°You¡¯re the only one still excited¡­¡± a long voice said from Katsumi. Kaede¡¯s eyes were half closed with her eyebrows pulled down in stress. ¡°Where does all of his energy come from¡­¡± No longer able to wait with his excitement, Yuki took a turn and charged down the alley. Saki reached out for him, but had no strength for a real attempt. The group turned to look around at each other, but mostly at Hiroshi with an implying glare. Sweat dripped down his forehead as he tried to back away from the frightening looks he was getting. However, they were all interrupted by Yuki returning screaming with excitement. ¡°I found it!¡± No one seemed to be looking at Yuki with their gaze on Hiroshi. ¡°See he found it! I knew we were close, right?¡± Yuki waved at them before getting a dumbfounded expression on his confused face. Jun took Yuki¡¯s side quickly followed by Ken. Kaede and Katsumi¡¯s eyes were turned towards the two boys and they took to Yuki as well. The rest were quick to fall in place as Yuki eagerly directed them to the place that he had found. Yet when they reached the building everyone just stood still in disbelief. No one could say a word for what they were looking at shattered their preconceptions of what was thought to be possible. ¡°Pretty cool, huh?¡± ¡°¡­right¡­¡± Saki finally said, as though she struggled to pull it out from her mouth. ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t think it was possible¡­¡± replied Tatsuya as he tried to pull himself away from the sight. Kazuhiro nodded slowly, still wide eyed by the building. ¡°¡­unique¡­¡± ¡°¡­is that a skeleton?¡± Kaede tried to take everything in. Being called a nightmare of design would still be understating the appearance. The building, if all of the decoration was pulled away, turned out to be a simple four floor structure large enough for several rooms to fit inside on each floor. Drawing the eye though was the single marble column near the door next to the fake skeletal remains of a bizarre winged lizard-like animal. Opposite of the column and door was a clay surface with Arab designs and a metal wire mesh. All coated in the worst possible color combinations of purple, pink, red and orange. The door seemed almost embarrassed to be present among the rest as it was a simple Japanese wood sliding panel door. Yuki pulled back by the building, lifting his arm up in a presenting manner still ignorant of his friend¡¯s reactions. ¡°Ready to go inside?¡± All of them stepped back uneasy, including Hiroshi. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be caught dead inside that place!¡± Katsumi hid behind Yumi with Kaede behind her. ¡°Must be the wrong place, Yuki!¡± Hiroshi quickly pulled up his sheet of paper to look at it again. The others were nodding in agreement with him or whispering similar words. Amongst the discordant voices and distracted eyes the door to the shop opened and a woman in a beautiful green kimono stepped out. She went ignored by everyone other than Yuki, who was politely bowing to her. The students continued to leave her unnoticed until she finally spoke up in a soft traveling voice that managed to quiet them. ¡°Welcome to the Mi Hana Shop!¡± She was quick to gain everyone¡¯s attention, especially Hiroshi and his friends. ¡°Woah-um¡­I mean it would be rude to leave now that we¡¯re here.¡± Hiroshi tried quickly to reverse the decision. The young woman that greeted them filled out her kimono very well making it difficult for him to ignore. Saki still tried to get over the storefront and looked over at the storekeeper. Yuki had left them in the dark about the nature of the business. ¡°So what sort of shop is the Mi Hana?¡± ¡°We specialize in making your fantasies come true!¡± Chapter 47 - The Fantasy You Want The woman motioned with her arms towards the door inviting them into the shop. Her straightforward response to Saki¡¯s question was almost jarring. It felt like it said nothing, but implied too much. She admitted it made her curious, if not concerned. Teenage boys being boys, Saki recognized the glazed look in Hiroshi and his friends eyes. She quickly bonked them all immediately. It stunned Tatsuya and Kazuhiro, but had little effect on Hiroshi (who had developed some resistance). Saki then remembered Yuki who faded into fantasy as well. She snapped him out of it. Hiroshi rubbed his head a little from the strike. ¡°What was that for, Saki?!¡± She stepped into a lean against Hiroshi as he leaned backwards. ¡°Because I know what thoughts were going through your head!¡± No matter how much he tried to worm out of it with innocent looks, she stared back. Yuki rubbed his head walking over near Saki, oblivious to what she was doing. ¡°Why¡¯d you hit me, Saki?¡± ¡°Because I know what you¡¯re thinking!¡± He already made his own fantasies without help. Ayumi didn¡¯t need the extra work. Chapter 47 ¨C The Fantasy You Want ¡°We aren¡¯t going in there! I can¡¯t believe you thought this was a smart idea.¡± Saki grabbed Hiroshi by the collar. ¡°You¡¯ve taken this joke too far! What did you tell Yuki to get him to go along with this?¡± ¡°S-Saki! It-it-it¡¯s not what you¡¯re thinking!¡± An intense eye came from her. ¡°Well¡­it sort of is, but that¡¯s not the plan! It was just a little joke, Yuki said you were down recently. We just wanted to do something fun for you.¡± She released her hold on him. As more of the picture came into view, she sighed. ¡°Sorry, let my mischief run a little. But seriously, it¡¯s nothing bad.¡± ¡°You could¡¯ve led with that!¡± ¡°He wanted it to be a surprise.¡± Ayumi tapped her on the shoulder. ¡°Saki! Yuki¡¯s gone into the building along with Jun and Ken.¡± ¡°What?! Yuki¡­¡± A scan of the alley revealed the brother had disappeared. The kimono-clad employee pointed to the open door. ¡°I trust you enough to not have brought a couple of kids to a shady place. Let¡¯s grab the three of them and then you can explain things clearly.¡± Everyone walked into the shop. The employee continued to almost look uninvolved with the whole situation. A simple hand invited them. Inside the Mi Hana Shop, Saki looked around the front desk reception area for Yuki. The interior of the building presented far more normal and easy on the eyes than its exterior. There was a large wood counter with a stack of brochures advertising their product. Behind the count stood a middle aged woman dressed in a more subtle kimono of dark green. She pleasantly smiled, allowing Saki her moment to frantically search around the room. Once Saki, exhausted, came to a stop and walked over to the counter, giving into the failure. The woman looked over at her speaking in an even tone that held an old fashioned and refined accent that threw Saki off. ¡°Greetings young child. You appear to be seeking something.¡± Saki pulled back trying to work with the old Japanese and stiffly nodded. ¡®I can¡¯t believe anyone still talks like that¡­¡¯ The woman waited patiently for Saki¡¯s answer, but silence grew in pressure until it was a weight on Saki demanding her to act. ¡°W-Wel-Um¡­¡± There drew out another long pause as Saki stumbled over words needed to speak. ¡°¡­Have you seen a high school boy come through with two younger boys?¡± ¡°Yes, he said he had brought friends. I had my younger sister show him the rooms available. How many are in your party?¡± The woman looked down at the counter pulling something out from under the surface. ¡°Is this the rest of your party?¡± Saki tried to wave her hand to decline the woman. ¡°We¡¯re still deciding.¡° Hiroshi decided it was time to give up the secret. ¡°It¡¯s an augmented reality caf¨¦. At least that¡¯s how the ads sell it. Basically, you can order different preset environments and feel like you¡¯re somewhere else. If it helps, think of it like a karaoke caf¨¦ without the singing.¡± ¡°Do we offer karaoke!¡± ¡°Or not, apparently.¡± Yumi leaned over to the counter pulling up one of the pamphlets. A picture of Mount Fuji, an old temple and scuba diving all appeared on the front with happy anime-styled teens in each. She handed it over to Saki. ¡°S-sounds like fun¡­¡± Nodding, the paper seemed genuine. Flipping through the couple of pages confirmed everything Hiroshi said. Saki glared back at him again. ¡°I¡¯ll say again, you could¡¯ve led with this.¡± ¡°You¡¯re fun to tease.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s on me for not remembering the sort of guy you are.¡± ¡°Forgiven?¡± ¡°Probation.¡± A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°It¡¯s a start.¡± ¡°Hey, guys! I found a room for us!¡± Yuki appeared back with his brothers and a little girl wearing a bright light green kimono. The light girl had a mature look about her wearing the kimono. Though different from the woman behind the counter, the child had a glowing warm smile. ¡°I thought you said your younger sister was with Yuki.¡± The woman nodded, pleased to see that she remembered so well. ¡°Yes, you are correct.¡± ¡°Ugh! This girl¡¯s creepy lookin¡¯ and weird! I don¡¯t like her eyes!¡± Saki nearly fell back with the shift in tone. She checked with the adult who remained the model of manners. Yet the kid lost every piece of composure. If she didn¡¯t know better, she¡¯d almost felt like the child was channeling a street punk. ¡°Quiet! They haven¡¯t paid yet,¡± the woman said carefully under her voice. ¡°What?!¡± the girl yelped before choking on it as she looked around towards the potential (keyword) customers. She just as quickly turned back into the kind looking girl with a sweet voice. ¡°You have a very pretty face, Miss!¡± The stunned silence infected everyone. ¡°So will you be staying?¡± Yuki jumped to his feet and raised his arms into the air. ¡°Yes!¡± That quickly pulled most of the group back to attention. A group discussion followed before an agreement was reached. Their hosts waited politely for them to sort out the financial situation. A high school allowance only went so far. But it earned them a room for two hours. ¡°Thank you! My name is Hanabira,¡± the middle aged woman said, completing the purchase. At that moment the young woman and little girl were bowing politely thanking them as well. The little girl stood back up first. ¡°This is my younger older sister, Hana!¡± She pointed cheerfully to the young woman. She then returned the finger to point at herself. ¡°I¡¯m Ha! I¡¯m only eight years old!¡± The cute adorable expression of pride glowed across her face as she started to turn around to guide them to their room. Saki couldn¡¯t let things go and stopped them. ¡°Are you saying you¡¯re all sisters? That¡¯s impossible! There¡¯s at least a thirty year gap in your ages!¡± She pointed over to Hanabira accusingly. Ha turned her body half way, getting her head around most of the way. ¡°Thirty-four actually¡­ Got a problem with that?¡± The look in her eyes changed so quickly it left Saki stunned in surprise for a second. ¡°Come this way please.¡± The sweet voice from her lips jerked back into the previous personality. A little buyer''s remorse began to leak in for Saki. She looked around to the rest, who smartly stayed out of it. They moved through the hall directed by the child and the young woman towards a booth near the end. Hana ushered them into the room and slid the door closed once everyone was in. Inside the room, there was enough space for everyone to fit surprisingly comfortably. There were several couches placed around the walls and a couple tables as well. Behind them at the entrance was a computer panel built into the wall with a full keyboard and touch screen, as Katsumi found out from her curiosity. Upon her finger contacting the screen, it turned on presenting a greeting in Japanese and English. Above them a voice of a woman, that was not one of the three they had met, greeted them. ¡°Welcome guests to the Mi Hana Shop! The screen you have just touched is the computer where you can input any dream you wish to have fulfilled. Note: The Mi Hana Shop is a family friendly environment and as such there are restrictions. Please keep that in mind when you are making a request. Enjoy your stay!¡± The group divided out into the room. Everyone took a moment to absorb everything. Even with the information, they still had questions. Only pictures from the pamphlet pretended to explain what sort of experience the business offered. No one could picture what it meant. Jun and Ken jumped off the couch. They ran over to Katsumi by the screen looking eager to have some fun. They both tugged on her uniform to draw down her attention. Katsumi bent her legs to reach their level, becoming quickly enamored by them once more. ¡°You want to give it a try?¡± Jun nodded eagerly with Ken jumping up and down unable to keep his excitement under control. Yuki stepped over to join his brothers. He had a surprisingly serious face contrary to his display earlier. ¡°We should test it out first. We don¡¯t even know if it works or what to expect. So let¡¯s do something normal as a test and then go from there.¡± Rational thinking from Yuki made everyone come to a halt. Hiroshi exchanged stares with Tatsuya and Saki, getting very similar feelings. ¡°I¡¯ve seen everything now. Yuki being serious and reasonable.¡± Everyone nodded in agreement, including his brothers. ¡°Hey! I can be serious when I want!¡± Tatsuya smiled a little, shaking his head slightly. ¡°No, but that¡¯s what makes you fun!¡± ¡°Guys¡­¡± Saki lowered her hand from her face after she had finished laughing. ¡°But in all seriousness, Yuki does have a point. We should probably test it with something safe. We don¡¯t know what it is anyway.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s a game!¡± Ken said, trying to get them to skip safety. However, when he saw that Saki was gaining the support of everyone else he lowered his head in disappointment. Jun patted his shoulder to try to console him a little. ¡°What should it be then?¡± Hiroshi scanned the others for answers. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know¡­¡± said Saki. There was a long silence as everyone thought of something safe and normal to test. ¡°¡­A meadow¡­¡± Yumi said softly thinking that her voice went ignored, but in the silence it carried well. Everyone pulled their faces up looking over at her, making her embarrassed. ¡°That¡¯s perfect, Yumi!¡± Yuki looked over at Katsumi, letting her input the request. It ended up taking more than just the two words to get what they wanted out of it. Katsumi had to answer several questions about time, appearance and weather, but after a few minutes of stumbling through the form it accepted their request. When the computer beeped the entire room went into pitch blackness as though the power had failed. Everyone started to chime up with questions and confusion trying to understand what was going wrong. Katsumi tried to go for the door, but found that it had disappeared. Slowly building over the panicked voices was a hum that encompassed them bringing everyone to a pause of anticipation. Like a drawn out breath, the hum ceased followed by a new light appearing above everyone. They weren''t able to look at it in time before suddenly the black void wiped away. It revealed a lightly clouded blue sky with a large meadow of ankle tall grass overlooking the expansive fields of rolling hills as far as the eye could see. The vista left everyone in awe unable to speak for a minute. Ken was the first to run out from where they were willing to give into the illusion. Yuki tried to stop him thinking that he would run into the wall of the room. He failed, but watched Ken shrink away. ¡°It¡¯s unbelievable¡­,¡± Kaede said as she began walking out away from the group. A gentle breeze swept by everyone dragging along their hair. ¡°Even the wind feels real¡­¡± said Yumi pulling her hair out of her face. ¡°It goes on forever it seems,¡± Kazuhiro said, watching Ken get further away with Jun chasing after him. ¡°Yeah, I could easily relax and do nothing here for two hours¡­¡± Tatsuya said, sitting down in the grass. Saki knelt down towards the grass grabbing it by her hand pulling it free. ¡°It¡¯s pretty realistic for an augmented reality.¡± Yuki stared up at the clouds. ¡°This isn¡¯t augmented reality. It¡¯s more like virtual reality, but even this isn¡¯t possible. This is sci-fi, not reality¡­¡± He looked over to Ayumi who still seemed to be enjoying the sights. A glance that lasted only a moment between them showed a change in her eyes that seemed to give him the same unsettled feeling. ¡®¡­could this be an Illusion Field?¡¯ Chapter 48 - Running Wild Everyone was drawn in easily by the illusion and the surprisingly real sensations that it gave them. The thought of whether it was possible faded away. It was now and that was all that mattered. Time eased on by at a quick pace making it easy to forget what they were doing. A few hesitant moments from Yuki washed away before he was taken in by the landscape. Not until Ha entered into the fields did anyone question anything further. She approached in from behind Yuki, Saki, Yumi and Katsumi, who sat back in the grass. Ha crossed her arms, turning narrow in her face. ¡°Wow for teenagers you¡¯ve got a pretty lame imagination¡­thought at least the nerd would find something interesting.¡± The four students quickly turned towards the voice, more surprised than bothered. Chapter 48 ¨C Running Wild Hiroshi came up from behind Ha dropping his hand on her head, not so much grabbing her nor resting his hand. ¡°We¡¯re just testing it out first¡­kid¡­¡± He gave her a wide grin that hid his annoyed expression from being mouthed off by a little girl. The little girl pushed away his hand while getting out from under him. She quickly placed distance from him. ¡°Watch yourself! Kid!¡± After her gladly opening hostilities with Hiroshi, the two leaned in at each other exchanging intense glares. However, Kaede came up from behind the little girl grabbing her up and hugging her tightly. ¡°Hey! What do you think you¡¯re doing, girl!¡± ¡°Aww, you shouldn¡¯t be getting so upset. Hiroshi isn¡¯t worth the energy.¡± She held onto Ha through the tantrum. ¡°Just go back to the sweet little girl!¡± ¡°Stupid girls should be quiet!¡± Kaede wasn¡¯t stopping and Hiroshi seemed to be enjoying the shift turning him back to his usual self. The noise had started to bring the rest back in as Ha fought Kaede. They continued with their struggle as Yumi tried to separate her friend from the girl. It wasn''t until Hana stepped in behind everyone with surprisingly unintentional stealth. ¡°Oh hey Ha! Having fun with the customers? Can I join?¡± Using everyone¡¯s momentary stunned reactions to her advantage, Ha slipped out of Kaede¡¯s grasp. ¡°Did it look like I was enjoying myself? You stupid airhead!¡± Ha leapt up with tremendous height to whack Hana in the back of the head. ¡°But you were gone for so long, sis. I thought you were checking to see if they wanted something to eat?¡± ¡°I was until that stupid cow and her boyfriend started grabbing me!¡± ¡°Cow?! Boyfriend?!¡± Kaede shouted, making her way over to Ha very quickly. ¡°We are not!¡± Hiroshi and Kaede said together. Kazuhiko joined the group to get to the heart of the matter. ¡°What¡¯s with the rough attitude towards paying customers?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll show you rough!¡± Ha attempted to move, but Hana grabbed her. Hana laughed lightly in embarrassment trying to keep Ha¡¯s temper under control. Then in a swift motion, she lifted up Ha by her obi holding her off the ground. Her free hand raised up by her mouth as a distant, not quite vacant, look appeared as she was trying to think. ¡°As big sister Hanabira explained it, there is one type of little girl. The¡­what was it¡­stereotype! Yeah, the stereotype of a little girl is sweet and innocent. But she also said¡­¡± The twisted and confused look in her eyes was quickly shifting as she moved through her words. ¡°¡­that cultural¡­trends had shown that a new stereotype was becoming popular¡­the blunt rough sounding little girl that is supposed to play¡­in contrast to the typical running stereotype. However¡­it''s uh a stereotype too¡­so uh¡­it falls into uh¡­¡± Ha had had enough of Hana and broke free from her hold, dropping back down to the ground. ¡°Stupid girl, you aren¡¯t supposed to explain the plan to them!¡± ¡°Plan?¡± Saki stepped out from the rest. The little girl curtly crossed her arms staring at them. ¡°Simply put you get two clich¨¦s, a sweet innocent little girl and the brat that contradicts the other clich¨¦.¡± ¡°What?! You can¡¯t be serious!¡± ¡°Hey, this is a business of fulfilling fantasies and we get a lot of those weird anime otaku types.¡± ¡°I sort of wish this would just end¡­¡± said Hiroshi sorrowfully, still partially out of it. While the voice was low it seemed to trigger an effect in the room. An electronic beep sounded out followed by an explosion of light that drained away from sight. The room returned with everyone back packed in around the center. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Hey! Where¡¯d the grass go? We were playing!¡± Ken hopped up in frustration. His little brother asserted a firm nod. They both went over to Yuki to plead to him. Ken took his left and Jun his right, holding on the ends of his school uniform trying to beg with soft eyes. ¡°We want to play more!¡± Hana took to their complaints and started walking over to the door. The suspicious emotions in the air went by obliviously. It was simply her task to serve and keep the customers happy. She approached the computer panel in the wall starting to type before everyone realized what she was doing. ¡°I know something fun for everyone! It¡¯s highly requested!¡± ¡°No!¡± ¡°Wait!¡± ¡°Stop!¡± Tatsuya, Kaede and Saki rushed over to Hana trying to reach her before she did something. The entire room fell into darkness again as Hana¡¯s speed typing finished the request before they were able to even get close to her. ¡°There!¡± Seconds passed by as everything was beginning to be processed before revealing a sandy beach next to a water park. ¡°Oh this looks awesome!¡± Ken said, running out into the water as the waves broke against the shore. Jun followed along with his brother splashing water everywhere he went. The rest of the students all took in the moment before Ayumi was taken in by the moment heading to the water. It was then they realized she was wearing a bright pink and white bathing suit. They all looked around at each other noticing that everyone was wearing swimwear. ¡°Hey! What do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡± Saki shouted over to Hana, still in her kimono smiling like everything was good and right in the world. Ha stood next to her older sister with a wicked grin on her face, also enjoying the scene. Yuki noticed the huddling Yumi and approached her. ¡°Are you okay?¡± He offered her a hand up in addition to a warm smile. ¡°¡­but I¡¯m in¡­ah¡­a¡­b-b-b-b¡­¡± He looked back at the two employees. ¡°I think you two need to learn about consent.¡± His stern look dropped the smirk from Ha¡¯s face, though Hana remained clueless. Yuki looked back down to Yumi. ¡°I¡¯ll have them turn it off.¡± ¡°No¡­ It¡¯s just happened¡­so fast¡­¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°They¡¯re having fun¡­¡± He looked down at his brothers playing with Ayumi. ¡°Yumi, you don¡¯t have to force yourself to conform to others. You¡¯re allowed to be upset and different.¡± A slow nod agreed with him. She grabbed onto his arm and started to stand up. The initial shock faded away for her. ¡°I know¡­ But I also¡­don¡¯t want to be trapped¡­¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I never swam before. Can you help me?¡± ¡°Sure, if that¡¯s what you want.¡± She gave him a more determined nod. A bit of unease remained for him, but he accepted her request. They walked out to the idyllic beach. The cold ocean water washed against their feet. Once again, they had to remind themselves how real everything felt. Those that remained slowly peeled away embracing the rare summer event in spring. The beach came fully set up for anything one would want to do. Beach volleyball, animal floats and an umbrella laid nearby with more further out. Once more, time was forgotten in the playful expression of everyone. All of the stress that they had all been holding was finally allowed to be let free washed away. They could act like children without care or worry. It was a moment in time that they could smile freely, dropping their guards to enjoy the moment. Kaede and Katsumi sat under the umbrella on a break. They watched Yumi out in the ocean laughing with Yuki. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen her like that, Katsumi.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen that smile.¡± ¡°Maybe¡­you think?¡± ¡°¡­Perhaps¡­¡± ¡°Did we judge him too harshly?¡± ¡°So many were cruel to her¡­ But he¡¯s different.¡± Katsumi smiled watching Yuki and Yumi. As they continued to look on, Yuki came up out of the water. The sun glistened off his body highlighting his fit figure. ¡°Hey, Kaede¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Yuki¡­was he always that muscular?¡± ¡°You noticed too? There are the rumors he used to fight, but he acts like an airhead. I thought he was just a nerd¡­¡± Katsumi leaned forward resting her head on her hand staring out. ¡°Maybe there¡¯s more to him than what we see in class¡­¡± The time that remained ran out fast as an announcement by the machine¡¯s voice. ¡°Ten minutes remaining¡­ Ten minutes remaining¡­ If you wish to purchase more time please visit the front desk. Thank you!¡± Everyone looked around at each other feeling a little disappointed that they had already came to the end. Jun looked up at Yuki grabbing his attention. ¡°What, Jun? You want to try it out? There¡¯s only ten minutes though, Jun.¡± Jun reached out his hand grabbing Yuki¡¯s swim trunks giving him a serious expression through his eyes. ¡°Is that okay with everyone?¡± A quick majority vote handed the decision to Jun. ¡°Okay, if you want this to end.¡± It was at that moment that the entire world melted away. Everyone stood in the room with their clothes and completely dry. Yuki walked over to the computer with Jun looking down at him. ¡°Just tell me what you want and I¡¯ll put it in for you.¡± Jun tightened his hand on his school uniform making it clear enough to Yuki. ¡°Alright¡­¡± Yuki knelt down picking up his brother allowing him the height to reach the keyboard. Jun insisted on not letting Yuki see it or anyone else. It only seemed to take a minute and Jun was done with the computer accepting the input. Yuki stared down at his little brother trying to figure out his secret. The entire room went dark once more for a few seconds. Suddenly, the light exploded from the top as the sun beamed down on them revealing a seemingly generic looking neighborhood in Japan. It wasn''t just any neighborhood though as Saki and Yuki quickly realized. ¡°Jun, why did you want to make our neighborhood?¡± Yuki looked down at his brother once more. Out from the distance there was a woman¡¯s voice that seemed to clearly carry through the air. Jun was quick to turn and dart off towards the voice, but Yuki froze in his body. ¡®That voice¡­it sounds so familiar¡­¡¯ Saki looked over at Yuki seeing the reaction on his face. ¡°Yuki?¡± Another voice, this time a man¡¯s voice broke through the street they were standing in. This time Yuki heard them. ¡°Hey, Jun! How¡¯s my big man doing?¡± Yuki¡¯s body knew the voice, but his mind had not put it together yet. It made his heart pound and sweat crawl over his skin. ¡®Is it?¡¯ The thumping grew to echo in his ears as he was unable to control his own body as it reacted. ¡°Yuki?¡± Ayumi said, confused by his reaction from seeing the two adults with Jun. She, like everyone else minus Saki, didn¡¯t understand. Saki was finally pulled away from Yuki recognizing the voices and looked up at the house seeing the man and woman as they greeted Ken running up the sidewalk to them. Her eyes widened sharply as she immediately recognized them. She stepped back having difficulty believing what she was seeing. ¡°It can¡¯t be!¡± The woman looked out from Jun and Ken quickly catching her eye on someone in the crowd. She stepped down from the house with Jun holding at her side. She stepped towards them standing before Yuki, still paralyzed, looking down at him with such a gentle and warm smile. ¡°There you are, Yuki!¡± Yuki¡¯s eyes widened in shock, still not believing it. Even when he stared up at her face he had to reach out his hand to touch her just to know it was real. Before any words could come out of his mouth tears fell down his cheeks. ¡°¡­mother¡­¡± Chapter 49 - Never Forgotten Yuki could hardly manage a word trying to stop his tears. Jun got down from their mother¡¯s arms allowing her to hold Yuki. It had felt like eternity since Yuki had been able to feel her warmth. The soothing tone of her voice and calming eyes weren''t something he could ever forget. ¡°How¡­is this possible?¡± In spite of it, he wanted the moment to last forever. Chapter 49 ¨C Never Forgotten Jun walked back with Yuki and their mother to where Ken was with their father. From the view of their friends, they were able to watch. It felt different from any that they had seen before. They all knew Yuki to be a happy and excitable person, but there was always an intangible feeling of something underneath. It remained buried under layers until it could no longer be seen. However, that was completely different from the feeling that they were seeing. There was a genuine, near innocence, in his expression that was unlike anything they had seen before. ¡°¡­Hayashi¡­¡± Yumi said slowly, holding on to her friends¡¯ hands. Hiroshi stood next to Saki pulling his eyes away and caught a look that surprised him. ¡®She¡¯s crying¡­¡¯ It was strange for him to see Saki acting emotional. She acted tough and rough. He turned back, allowing her the moment alone that she wanted. ¡°One minute remaining¡­ One minute remaining¡­¡± the room¡¯s voice announced to everyone. On the solemn note, the room filled with an uncomfortable sense of urgency. Tension suddenly grew from everyone knowing. Hiroshi pulled back with Kazuhiro and Tatsuya walking down the street a short distance. Katsumi soon followed, taking Yumi and Kaede with her. The last to follow was Ayumi leaving Saki behind. ¡°¡­Yuki¡­¡± Her heart pounded fiercely making it difficult for her to keep everything in control. Even for Saki it felt like she had gone back in time. She felt as though she was a child once more looking towards Yuki for strength. The weakness that she had shed and never let her touch again began to weigh her once more. Yuki had difficulties finding a good-bye as the clock ticked away on his time. The dream was going to end and all he could think of was keeping it going. ¡°Father¡­mother¡­¡± Jun and Ken stepped back instinctively knowing how important it was for their big brother. The distant beeping that alerted the remaining time pounded on Yuki¡¯s shoulders as he looked back between them. All he could do was wrap his arms around the both of them as the world slowly faded away. ¡®¡­mother¡­I¡¯m sorry¡­¡¯ The last particles to hold on to disappeared leaving Yuki¡¯s arms collapsing in against him. They were all returned to the room left with a long silence that no one was willing to break. It wasn''t until the door to the room slid open. Ha stood in the entry glaring at everyone with the look from before. ¡°Time to leave¡­¡± She started out strong, but fell short as she picked up the atmosphere. ¡°What the hell did you guys do?!¡± Jun looked over at Ken with the same look in their eyes and marched over to Ha. ¡°Let¡¯s step outside,¡± Ken said as he picked up Ha¡¯s left side while Jun carried her right. They walked her out under protest as the rest of their friends followed along with them. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing you, brats?!¡± Saki and Ayumi stayed behind with Yuki, who still looked out of it. Saki rested her hand on Yuki¡¯s shoulder searching for the words that would help him, but finding none. Tension between the three grew tight as the two girls were uncertain of Yuki. His head was turned down heavily cast in a dark shadow over his face. ¡°¡­Yuki I¡­¡± Saki cut herself off, disappointed with her words. Hovering anxiety loomed until suddenly Yuki lifted his head up. ¡°Well that was fun! Where¡¯d everyone go?¡± The bright cheerful expression that Saki was so used to on Yuki¡¯s face had resurfaced. He looked around the room quickly trying to figure out where all of his friends had disappeared. When he saw the door he darted for it leaving behind Saki and Ayumi. A flat calculating look made a momentary reveal under Ayumi¡¯s innocent persona as she watched Yuki leave the room. ¡®Going back that quickly¡­ He¡¯s definitely more complicated than appearances would lead you to believe¡­ But how much does it affect him subconsciously?¡¯ Ayumi stepped forward ignoring Saki. Saki¡¯s strained eyes turned to helpless pain. She had seen the look from Yuki so often that she was used to seeing it. It should have been a happy reunion; a comforting moment that had eased her struggle. Contrary, she only felt worse than before in her heart. ¡°¡­Yuki¡­why can¡¯t you just¡­¡± ¡°Saki?! Everyone¡¯s starting to leave!¡± Yuki poked his head into the room. The look and his voice only deepened the sadness tying against her. She reluctantly stepped forward knowing that he was just going to keep staring at her. ¡°Alright¡­I¡¯m coming¡­¡± When Saki stepped out of the room she caught Ayumi out of the corner of her eye standing next to the wall. The rest were down by the counter waiting. Ayumi stepped forward looking at the two of them with the fa?ade dropped, while she only faced them. ¡°I think one of the sisters is like us.¡± He looked back towards the room. ¡°Yeah, I figured that it was a while ago.¡± ¡°So which of the sisters do you think it is?¡± ¡°The eldest sister. She¡¯s the only one that was not present while we were in the simulations.¡± Ayumi turned her head just enough to glance back at the counter as the three sisters were entertaining their friends. Her mind quickly went through tactics. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°It¡¯s actually none of them, Young Miss,¡± a woman¡¯s voice said from above and in front of them. Across from where they stood was a stairwell with a landing. Drawn out footsteps on the wood boards signaled the approach of the woman. The woman that appeared on the landing looked to be in her thirties and an ordinary businesswoman wearing formal pants and blouse with an open vest over. It was carried out in a calm scheme of tan, white and light blue. The distinct European features of her face and natural blonde hair gave her away as a foreigner. Ayumi and Saki quickly turned to give her their full attention as well as stepping forward in front of Yuki. ¡°My, such determined expressions. You''re a pretty lucky boy.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t let you near him!¡± Saki moved out in front more keeping her between them. She didn''t know what to expect from an assassin since they were all so different, but she kept slowly pushing herself forward. Taking them back some, the woman sat down on the landing with her legs resting on the lower steps. ¡°I think you misunderstood me, dear. I¡¯m not interested in the young man there.¡± She smiled pleasantly to them still holding her aura of calm. ¡°Then what do you want?¡± ¡°Simply to introduce myself. Welcome you to my shop! I¡¯m Phoibe.¡± Her hands drew out to her sides as she talked, taking ownership of the building. ¡°How did you enjoy my entertainment?¡± ¡°Entertainment?¡± Ayumi cautiously waited for the woman to change her attitude. ¡°What¡¯s the point of this?¡± Phoibe frowned upon hearing Ayumi¡¯s suspicious tone. ¡°I thought that was pretty obvious. I need money.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Saki stepped back confused by the reactions that they were getting from the woman. ¡°But don¡¯t you get support from your people?¡± ¡°Exiles have to live on their own.¡± The woman became serious. She pulled up her blouse exposing her stomach revealing an intricate cross shaped scar on her right side. Ayumi immediately reacted to it as her eyes widened for a moment. ¡°Seems the Young Miss understands.¡± Phoibe lowered her blouse, readjusting it. Ayumi relaxed her guard as Saki and Yuki looked to her for an answer. ¡°How long?¡± ¡°Nearly twenty years¡­¡± ¡°Ayumi?¡± Saki started to pull herself back from the front. There was a lengthened pause with Ayumi before she looked at the two of them. ¡°Depending on the crime and person we¡¯ll exile someone rather than kill or imprison them. When someone is exiled they are marked with a brand so that they are forever banned. It¡¯s rare, but it has happened with MP users. Though they are normally executed¡­¡± Ayumi looked over at the woman with a demanding look in her eyes. ¡°Why would they allow someone with such powers to leave?¡± The woman stood up and began down the rest of the stairs. ¡°Well I can explain that. In my youth I was considered a¡­deviant. I had one too many run-ins with the royal guard and so they had enough of me. However, they weren¡¯t strong enough to hold me for long and so I left.¡± ¡°You just left?¡± ¡°Always having to hide and look around your back gets exhausting. So it was easier to just leave. I let them brand me to save face and departed.¡± ¡°That¡¯s rather generous of you.¡± ¡°I kind of regret it now. Makes wearing a bikini impossible.¡± She ended with a bit of a teasing grin. The woman walked down the hall slowly. Yuki stepped out in front of them, but stayed behind Phoibe to keep his distance from his friends ahead. ¡°So you aren¡¯t after me?¡± Phoibe turned around looking across at him with a grin that was bordering on a smirk. ¡°My dear boy, I prefer men that are more experienced.¡± Phoibe turned letting her shoulder length blonde hair wisp around lightly in the air as she stepped out to greet the rest of their friends. Saki caught up with Yuki as Ayumi brought up the other side. She looked over at Yuki and Ayumi continuing on in her gaze. ¡°She¡¯s a little strange, but you think we can trust what she says?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t trust anyone, but for the moment she doesn¡¯t seem aggressive. I¡¯d suggest leaving.¡± Ayumi stepped forward, returning to her usual personality as she rejoined everyone in the lobby. Phoibe didn''t miss a beat with her leaving Saki and Yuki behind. ¡®I don¡¯t know, but I¡¯d like to think that there¡¯s not just assassins out there. There have to be good people too.¡¯ The whole conversation left him with an off balanced feeling that seemed very intentional. He wanted to trust her seeing that she had such a power and only using it to run a business. It gave him plenty of other questions. But for the sake of time, he agreed. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Saki!¡± Kazuhiro started chatting to the shop owner. ¡°Given the other two, what type is the eldest sister?¡± ¡°You¡¯re quite correct in what you¡¯ve been told. Though I¡¯ll have to get after Ha for spoiling the trade secret. But to answer your question the more refined palette desires someone more mature both in age and intellect. That is Hanabira. I do serve many different types of clientele.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve thought this out a lot I see.¡± ¡°I am a businesswoman. I have to keep my customers happy.¡± Several of them were already going for the door as Hiroshi was politely trying to excuse himself. ¡°Well it¡¯s getting late and it¡¯s a long walk through the alley.¡± The others were nodding to him, stepping back with him. Hana stepped forward still with her hands quietly held in front. ¡°If you turn left around our shop you¡¯ll be returned to the main street. It¡¯s much faster!¡± Everyone looked over at Hiroshi, suddenly becoming angry at him. He tried to back out of the building even faster as he was trapped. Kaede was the first to speak up for everyone¡¯s anger. ¡°You mean all that walking through the alley we did and we could have just gotten here from the street!¡± She pressed on, taking Hiroshi outside as the others followed leaving the owner and her hostesses behind still smiling. Hana closed the door and turned politely towards Phoibe. ¡°They were very pleasant customers, Miss Phoibe.¡± ¡°Yes¡­yes, they were Hana. However, I¡¯m feeling a little tired. So we¡¯re closing early.¡± ¡°Yes, Miss Phoibe,¡± the three sisters said softly. Phoibe stepped forward, locking up the door before turning around. All three of the sisters were gone leaving her alone. She ran her fingers through her hair, fluffing it up a little as she walked back. ¡°To think there¡¯d be another one. I wonder¡­¡± Their friends had left at the station leaving Yuki to walk home with his brothers, Ayumi and Saki. Saki left ahead with his brothers. Yuki continued his even pace with Ayumi. However, before he could finish his walk Ayumi stepped out in front of him staring at him with serious eyes. ¡°I hope that you enjoyed today, Yuki.¡± ¡°Huh? Ayumi? Why do you look so serious when you say that?¡± Yuki started to pull away, getting an unsettled aura coming off of her. ¡°I¡¯m telling you that because I¡¯m going to be working you harder in your training.¡± ¡°What¡¯s with this all of sudden? I still can¡¯t even control my power!¡± ¡°Exactly. You need to be able to control.¡± ¡°We still have a month right?¡± ¡°Correct, but the assassins are getting stronger. Those corrupt men aren''t going to keep holding back. There are far stronger and worse individuals they can send. Ones that might be beyond me. You need to be able to protect yourself!¡± Chapter 50 - Fading Light The bed creaked from the weight of Yuki¡¯s body to being tossed on it. He had just gotten back from Ayumi¡¯s house having received her new intensive training. Being called ¡®New Training¡¯ (Ayumi¡¯s words) was an inaccurate term according to Yuki and more important his body. His only progress came from accidents. It felt like they activated more frequently than ever. Would it ever end? He stared up at the ceiling trying not to think about his body, since it only made it hurt worse. ¡®How long will I be able to keep this up?¡¯ Yuki wrapped his arms around his head and rolled on his side. ¡®Then there¡¯s the fact that I only have a month left. She¡¯s expecting me just to leave all of this¡­ How can she expect me to become a leader of a place I¡¯ve never been to?¡¯ The echoes of Ayumi¡¯s voice whispered to him forcing him to remember. He wanted to remember what normal felt like. Chapter 50 ¨C Fading Light ¡°Yuki!¡± Momoko''s voice carried through the house and his closed door. Exhausted, Yuki rolled out of bed and scattered a few of his books. ¡°I¡¯m coming!¡± He quickly fixed the stacks and checked that he didn¡¯t accidentally fold any covers. They were safe. He reached downstairs where she stood waiting for him. ¡°What¡¯s up¡­¡± ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yeah, just a little tired from the day. What did you need? I need you to pick up a few things from the store. We ran out.¡± She handed over a list to him. ¡°On it!¡± He put on his shoes and light jacket before stepping outside. The cool evening air made him drop his hands into the jacket¡¯s pockets. It would be a long walk down to the neighborhood store to get what he needed, but it was a quiet night. Across the neighborhood Saki stared at a textbook and paper with a pencil in hand. Her family¡¯s apartment was fairly quiet with only the neighbors making a muffled shouting noise. However, the homework in front of her remained incomplete due to her mind wandering away. Yuki occupied much of her thoughts. During class he had been his usual self. The events at Mi Hana lingered for her. Each time she saw him after, she kept asking herself questions. The sight of him sent doubts through body. She tilted her head back against her chair looking behind her. ¡®I can¡¯t concentrate¡­ Yuki is normally like this so why should I be so worried? It¡¯s how he deals¡­ But still to be reminded of his parents¡­¡¯ Saki raised up her hands planting them in her hair becoming frustrated with herself. A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. ¡°Yes, mom?¡± Ever since the kidnapping, she dealt with frequent checks. However, this time was different. ¡°The strange man from the other day just called you.¡± ¡°Strange man?¡± ¡°From that rich family that you stayed at on Saturday.¡± The whole incident with Chiharu stirred up fears. It took some time that night to calm her down. It only took another second for Saki to connect the dots. She jumped out of her chair. ¡°The Chinens?!¡± Her mother gave her a slow nod, still looking a little shaken. ¡°Was it about Chiharu? Mom?¡± The slow drawn out words from her mom only furthered her tensions. ¡°Is she awake? Mom, please tell me!¡± The desperation that appeared on Saki¡¯s face made her mother step back. ¡°The man said that she had regained consciousness.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great news! Thank you, Mom!¡± Saki jumped up and hugged her mom tightly leaving her a little confused. ¡°¡­yeah¡­ He said he knew that you¡¯d want to know¡­¡± It had taken some time for Saki to recover, but she backed off. She looked a little embarrassed by the display of emotion. Her mind suddenly felt clearer and focused. ¡°Crap! I need to finish my homework! Thanks, Mom!¡± Saki darted back to her desk leaving her mother looking even more confused before walking away slowly. A smile crawled onto Saki''s face as her eyes focused on the paper. Yuki walked back from the store having gotten everything that Momoko had on her list. It was only a few things, mostly for breakfast and lunch. The quiet walk pleased him as it kept his mind focused. Even his soreness started to be something that he could manage. A stray thought came to him as he shifted the weight of the bag in his hand. ¡®I wonder what Hiroshi wants?¡¯ It pulled his mind back to lunch on top of the school when they were eating together with everyone. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Their lunch group had grown a little with Yuki having hunted down Haruo and insisted that he eat with them. Yumi and her friends decided that they would accept Ayumi¡¯s invitation. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves talking and laughing with each other. Yuki smiled to himself while listening when Hiroshi suddenly leaned next to him. ¡°Hey Yuki¡­¡± Hiroshi spoke softly so that only Yuki could hear him. There was a surprisingly stern, serious expression in his eyes. It gave him little trouble swallowing his food. ¡°Yeah? What¡¯s wrong?¡± There was a long wait in Hiroshi¡¯s next words as though he was having difficulty saying them. ¡°You got some time to talk after school?¡± ¡°Not today, but I can tomorrow. Is that alright?¡± ¡°Yeah another day shouldn¡¯t really matter.¡± Hiroshi motioned dismissively to Yuki. However, he had caught the suspicious attention of Saki. She pointed her chopsticks at Hiroshi staring at him. ¡°What you whispering to Yuki?¡± Hiroshi quickly flipped expressions to nervous and then to an uneven smile. ¡°Just a joke that I heard, right?¡± Yuki looked back and forth between the two of them, getting a strange look from Hiroshi. ¡°¡­yeah¡­¡± The pained look from Hiroshi at Yuki''s poor convincing agreement went by oblivious to him. Yuki returned to eating his lunch and Saki quickly gave it up. The memory faded away, still leaving him with a question. There had been an unusual seriousness in Hiroshi that had himi a little confused. Delaying it made him wonder if he was making a mistake. ¡®It sounded important to him¡­ Maybe I should just have listened to him¡­¡¯ A sound of something breaking trailed down the street from somewhere out of sight. It made Yuki¡¯s thoughts stop and bring his focus to the street. There was no one on the street that he could see and in the evening hours there were few people out. However, he heard another noise that hurried his feet to move. ¡®Is it a car crash?¡¯ Yuki ran towards the sounds he heard increasing in frequency. ¡®Can¡¯t be an accident¡­¡¯ The clashing of metal came from around a corner sending him away from his house, but curiosity would not let him go. It became stronger and clearer leaving an uneasy sinking feeling to develop in his stomach as it understood sooner than him. ¡®The temperature¡­why is the air so cold¡­¡¯ He felt the crunching underneath his feet that revealed snow covering the street concrete. Yuki had his answer. ¡®Ayumi¡¯s fighting!¡¯ His eyes were able to confirm it for him a moment later as Ayumi came sliding through the snow evading several projectiles. She countered immediately, charging forward. Ayumi threw out her chakram attachment, grabbing the enemy¡¯s arm in the connecting chain. Her sword followed through piercing the man through the chest. Once the sword pulled free she removed her Field and began cleaning the area with a new Field. A slow staggering Yuki walked forward not expecting to find her fighting. ¡°¡­Ayumi¡­was that another assassin?¡± ¡°Yes, I was able to intercept him before he reached you.¡± She finished her work and turned to walk away from the scene. Yuki was left without any words to say as she came towards him. When she passed by him she said something to him lowly. ¡°Rest.¡± Yuki tried to take it in, staring down at the empty street. ¡®She stopped the assassin before he got to me¡­ She¡¯s protecting me¡­ That¡¯s what she said she would do, but¡­¡¯ He faced away, but knew that Ayumi was within range of his voice. ¡°Was that the only one?¡± Ayumi stopped for a moment to answer him, not looking at him either. ¡°No, nor the last.¡± She began to walk away reaching the street intersection. ¡°Why?!¡± ¡°I¡¯d think that was obvious, Yuki.¡± Being cryptic wasn¡¯t something new for Yuki, but he wanted a straight answer. He turned around staring down the poorly lit street at Ayumi. ¡°Explain it to me.¡± His eyes narrowed and face wrinkled in frustration. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you telling me about these fights?¡± ¡°Would knowing change anything for you? Would it make you train harder than you do now? Would it make you more serious and committed?¡± She finally turned her head to look back at him. He answered with silence. Some canned cliche lines came to mind, but they felt empty. ¡°Your powers are random and unfocused. Luck has been your only constant and that¡¯s no way to fight. So I keep the threats I can at bay.¡± Yuki jerked back feeling stunned by Ayumi¡¯s words. This wasn¡¯t the first time she berated him about this ability, but it felt different this time. It felt less restrained. ¡®She¡¯s been taking on the assassins? Is that why there hasn¡¯t been very many? All this time¡­¡¯ Her eyes fixed on him making him feel uncomfortably warm. Her words echoed through his mind harder. Every encounter he relied on desperation to carry him. Things worked out in the end, but never the way he wanted. And always it was Ayumi carrying him or someone else. All he did was survive. He shook his head to clear his mind. ¡®No! I don¡¯t want this to be the way it is¡­¡¯ Yuki stared down at Ayumi searching for his resolve. ¡°If this keeps up one day you¡¯re going to be killed because of me! I don¡¯t want that!¡± ¡°Then get stronger. Control your power. Otherwise you¡¯re going to keep being helpless.¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying¡­¡± She read the changes in his expression. He was unusually transparent tonight. ¡°I can teach everything I know, but that¡¯s not going to give you what you want. There¡¯s something that is still holding you back. I don¡¯t know you well enough to say, but I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s whatever you¡¯ve been hiding from for the last year.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not hiding¡­¡± ¡°Yes, you are. It¡¯s textbook. If you were actually seeing a therapist like you should be about your trauma, you¡¯d realize that.¡± ¡°They weren¡¯t any help! They don¡¯t understand! You don¡¯t understand!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t because you haven¡¯t opened up to anyone about it. You¡¯re just running away. You¡¯re being a child.¡± ¡®Mother!¡¯ That had been the last straw for Yuki. Yuki ran through the street towards Ayumi with rage filling his eyes. All Ayumi did was stare at him with the same uninterested, nearly bored, expression that she kept the entire time. Never once did she raise her voice at him almost like he wasn''t worth the emotions. It only made him angrier as he charged at her. ¡°Damn you, Ayumi!¡± He raised his fist up only to get a flash of Saki to replace her. It locked him up. His body froze completely staring at Ayumi. ¡®What am I doing?! No, that¡¯s not me!¡¯ Yuki turned away, his body shaking. ¡°Still running away.¡± Her unflinching eyes stared at his back. When he made no further action, she marched down the street. Quickly, she disappeared into the night. Once she left him Yuki snapped out of his shock. It made him go wide in shock and panic dropping to his knees. ¡®¡­Saki¡­Ayumi¡­What¡¯s wrong with me?!¡¯ Chapter 51 - Black and Blue The very air that surrounded Yuki seemed to be unsympathetic to the problem that weighed on him. It pressed against his shoulders keeping him from rising. He had no will to stand at the moment. His head just held down brushing the side of his face with his hair. The streetlamp above him cast a heavy light that darkened his eyes until it just seemed like there was a void present. Yuki¡¯s mind was stuck as memories of the past flooded with the present transposed over the other. ¡®I almost hit¡­¡¯ His eyes widened when he heard the words in his mind. ¡®But she¡­it wasn¡¯t like¡­¡¯ Even with his eyes closed he could still clearly see the moment replaying in his mind. ¡®I didn¡¯t¡­no¡­I didn¡¯t¡­wasn¡¯t me¡­¡¯ He held his hands against his head trying to snap out of the images that were torturing him. However, there was nothing that he could do to escape the endless looping that worked to break his sanity. His eyes darted around quickly in his attempts to lose the hold, the feeling in his body started to go numb. ¡°A pathetic sight¡­Yuki Hayashi,¡± said a distant voice that rang clear through the air. A man slowly walked out of the shadows of the night into the pool of light from a streetlamp. He stared across the street at the turned away Yuki. His blue eye held an almost disappointed look while his other remained darkened with a brown eye patch wrapped around his head. Chapter 51 ¨C Black and Blue The words didn¡¯t reach him, but the voice seemed to tap into the corner of his mind that was still listening. He had a sudden uncontrollable fear pass over him that covered him in sweat. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ He began to be pulled away. Yuki stared at his shaking hands not understanding why he couldn''t stop them. He tried to warm his own body that had run cold as ice. ¡®This feeling is so familiar¡­why?¡¯ ¡°Come¡­face me, Yuki Hayashi,¡± said the middle aged man once more from the light. Everything was violently ripped away from him as Yuki heard the words spoken to him. His mind went completely blank with fear. Now the fear was understood. ¡®Another assassin already?! Ayumi just killed one! Are there that many after me?¡¯ Yuki slowly turned his head over his shoulder catching a look of the man that beckoned him forward. His eyes grew wide when he was able to confirm that it was an assassin. The man wore clothes like all of the others, that Ayumi had called their military uniform. However, there was something different about this man, age notwithstanding. Yuki felt compelled to turn and stand on his feet to face the man as though deserved it. There was a look on the man¡¯s face that seemed to recount innumerable experiences within each wrinkle, yet the man didn¡¯t appear to be weighed down by age. In fact, the man looked to embrace his life with a tall and proud stance. He towered over Yuki by more than a head, but it wasn''t the height that made him look like he was superior. ¡®His shirt thing is blue¡­ I¡¯m not sure if I like that significance.¡¯ He tried to evaluate the man before him. ¡®Why did he announce himself and just wait for me? He doesn¡¯t even have his Field up.¡¯ Yuki flexed his fingers trying to keep himself from getting stiff. It helped to break the paralysis over his body. ¡®Damn, my Field won¡¯t respond¡­ This guy doesn¡¯t seem like the rest that have come after me. I won¡¯t survive without it! Come on work!¡¯ The fading hope fell through his grasp, tightening the tension that strung around his neck and limbs. ¡°I¡¯m glad to finally meet you.¡± Yuki raised an eye, confused by the formal feeling and somehow casual speech from the man. ¡®What¡¯s this man¡¯s angle? Is he not that strong after all or maybe he¡¯s not here to kill me?¡¯ He held his lips shut, partially from fear. The part came from doubt as to what to say. The uneasy stare between them left Yuki feeling as though he was being told to answer back. Hesitation held his words longer drawing the awkward silence out. ¡°¡­Who are you?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t introduced myself have I? I am Demosthenes Alexander.¡± The declaration had a strong air of pride in it. He stepped forward keeping his eye on Yuki. ¡®He introduced himself? This is the first assassin to greet me and give me his name. Why?¡¯ Yuki took a half step back seeing the tall foreigner walking slowly towards him. ¡°What do you want?¡± Demosthenes came to a stop out of the light, disappearing slightly in the curtain of night. ¡°I¡¯ve come to see what the trouble is about. Thus far I¡¯m disappointed.¡± He began to walk again until he entered the light that Yuki stood under. His head tilted down looking at Yuki, but not making any further advances. Yuki took another step back feeling the urge to flee, but sensing that it would not make any difference. ¡°Do you always greet the person you¡¯re going to kill?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t give in to fear, child. It only weakens you.¡± It started to sound as though he was being lectured, making his eyebrows twist in confusion. The tone didn¡¯t approach as an insult, which was what really threw Yuki off. He almost felt like he had been advised. ¡®What¡¯s with this old man?¡¯ The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Now come! Let¡¯s see if you¡¯ve truly inherited the King¡¯s power. Show me your Meso Presecho!¡± Yuki didn¡¯t like the sudden change that the man had. He jumped back, going on the defensive. ¡®He¡¯s not going to like it when he finds out that I¡¯m not able to¡­¡¯ ¡°What¡¯s the hesitation?¡± The old man narrowed his eyes as he looked at Yuki reading him. After a moment he leaned back with an expression that changed to understanding. ¡°I see¡­I¡¯ll just have to force it out then!¡± Immediately following his words, a blue wave pulsed out from his feet altering the street into grass while leaving the houses alone. Once the field had been summoned the man no longer wore his uniform. In a medium blue, he wore a loose pair of pants and long sleeve shirt tucked in at the waist. The appearance seemed surprisingly modest when compared to some of the assassins that Yuki had seen. However, Demosthenes¡¯ look didn''t change, serious as always. In his hands was a long spear that he held prepared to fight. Next to Yuki was a straight long sword stuck in the ground. He looked at it out of the corner of his eye, but knew better than to take it. It would serve him no purpose to try to fight with their weapon. ¡®Come on, I really need you right now! I¡¯m going to die without you!¡¯ Yuki made his second attempt to bring out his Field, but the same result. He forced himself to step back to keep distance between them praying that he could hold out long enough on his powers. The old man straightened out his back standing up fully, resting his spear in one hand at his side. ¡°Take the sword. I don¡¯t fight unarmed men.¡± ¡®What?! Why is he doing this?¡¯ Yuki reached out cautiously with his hand toward the hilt of the sword. It felt like it would disappear the moment he attempted to grasp it. ¡®Is this a game to him?¡¯ He placed his hand on the sword¡¯s hilt, finding it to be solid. His fingers wrapped around the sword as his eyes stared up across at the old man trying to understand what he was thinking. ¡®Your powers are random and unfocused. Luck has been your only constant and that¡¯s no way to fight. So I keep the threats I can at bay.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m alone here¡­¡¯ It had been because of him that she had been forced into so many situations. ¡®It¡¯s because of me that she had to fight that plant guy and almost died because of me.¡¯ The images of the fight with the plant assassin came back to him. He just wanted to be able to help, but she had stepped in to protect him. ¡®I¡¯ve been useless¡­ She nearly died protecting me from the woman that attacked the school last week too¡­ She¡¯s been taking it all for me¡­¡¯ He felt a shaking through his body that built his hesitation. Every fiber of his body told him to run. The mere presence spoke volumes. He was out of his depths. His legs weakened under his weight as the sword became a crutch for him. All he could feel was the pounding in his head that threatened to move into his heart as it beat ever slower. ¡®¡­alone¡­¡¯ Yuki narrowed his eyes seeing the expression on the old man. He got a weird feeling from him again as though he was gently pushing him towards the sword rather than forcing him. ¡®¡­what¡¯s with him?¡¯ ¡®You¡¯re just running away. You¡¯re being a child.¡¯ It felt like she was standing next to him yelling in his ear. His hand shook just out of reach of the sword listening to Ayumi¡¯s tirade weakening his strength. ¡®¡­running huh¡­ ¡­yeah maybe¡­ ¡­but¡­¡¯ Yuki stepped forward pulling his hand forward to take a hold of the hilt. He quickly removed it. Across the length of the blade stood Demosthenes waiting. Determination in his eyes had resurfaced with the narrowing in his features. ¡®None of that matters right now¡­ I have someone standing before me! I have to take this on!¡¯ ¡°Glad to see you¡¯re ready.¡± Demosthenes returned his spear into both of his hands. The expression changed on his face. It was serious like before, but now a tint in his eye said that he was focused solely on Yuki. The look said only one thing, he would strike him down. And yet the emotion wasn¡¯t hatred or anger coming from him, rather almost a warmth of acknowledgement as only two warriors standing before each other could experience. This was the first time Yuki felt a sense that his opponent wasn¡¯t belittling him. ¡°Now let¡¯s begin!¡± Yuki charged forward with his sword in hand, meeting the spear with a spark. The longer reach on the spear meant that he would have trouble getting close. It felt like that was done on purpose to put him at a disadvantage. However, he tried to focus his mind as the next swipe from the spear came at him. He jumped backwards a step to avoid it. The sword Yuki had was a single edge blade allowing him to use his off hand to support the back of the sword when he took a strong blow from the spear. ¡®He¡¯s got good reflexes.¡¯ Demosthenes pressed the attack. The next several strikes were even faster, knocking Yuki off balance. Yuki quickly turned it around, rotating to try to bring himself inside the reach of the spear. ¡®¡­and he fast on his feet to think of a way to turn things around¡­¡¯ The counter from Yuki never made it to the old man using the back of the spear to knock him away. He followed up by knocking Yuki back with his shoulder. Yuki rolled over the grass to evade the next swings from the spear. While he was on the ground he tried to take a swing with his sword at the man¡¯s legs. However, the old man''s agile body leapt up using the spear thrust into the ground to stop him. Then as he came down he brought his leg across Yuki kicking him in the stomach. He tried to bring up his spear for a second strike, but Yuki rolled with his sword against him. The blade of the spear dragged along the sword sparking loudly. Yuki leapt back up to his feet pulling in his sword breathing quickly to recover himself. Demosthenes returned his spear back to his side in an attack stance. ¡®¡­alright¡­now I know the child¡¯s skill¡­¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m barely able to keep up with this old man¡­ What am I going to do?¡¯ Yuki tightened his hands around the hilt of the sword trying to keep his resolve to fight. The shaking in his muscles came not from fear, but reverberating from the strikes. While he looked like he was holding his own, each attack left him nearly dazed only held together by determination. The next moment the air suddenly seemed to change. Demosthenes¡¯ spear traced through in a motion that left it appearing to skip or jump ahead. All of the movements became faster and difficult to follow. Moving faster than Yuki thought a man his age could, he was nearly behind Yuki leaving him in awe. Yuki couldn''t even manage a turn before the spear came at him. It barely left him enough time to dodge a fatal strike. Blood sprayed into the air as the spear pierced through Yuki¡¯s side scraping painfully against his ribs. Yuki stumbled backwards, lowering one eye in pain. He pressed his off hand to his left side into the lengthy wound. ¡®He¡¯s so fast! I couldn¡¯t even follow him! Is this it?¡¯ The next deadly strike came in with the blood coated spear blade shattering the sword attempting to block. It had saved his life though, deflecting the spear away, but digging its hungry metal into his right shoulder. Yuki could feel the blood dripping down his arm and chest soaking into his clothes. His arm started to go numb as the remaining part of the sword fell from his hand. Yuki didn''t even know it had happened. A ripping jerk tore into his chest. The spear pierced his heart and lung dropping him to the ground quickly bleeding out. ¡®What¡¯s happening to me?¡¯ His eyes widened, shaking from the shock. He could feel almost no pain, but he couldn''t feel his body either lying in the grass. Yuki could not keep his eyes open any longer. ¡®I can¡¯t feel anything! I can¡¯t move! This can¡¯t be it! Over so quick¡­ I didn¡¯t stand a chance¡­ Momo¡­Jun and Ken¡­ I can¡¯t leave them alone! No!¡¯ His eyes snapped open quickly as he stretched out his hand trying to push himself back up. Blood was dripping out of his mouth as he coughed. He was so numb that he wasn''t certain if he was moving and simply acted on instinct. Demosthenes turned and looked down at Yuki. ¡°I respect your will to live, but will is not enough to make you worthy of his power.¡± He pulled the spear back up, raising it above his head to bring it down for the final blow to end Yuki¡¯s misery. The blade shined brightly as it sailed through the air spraying blood from the deep wound. The last breath of life was exhaled. Chapter 52 - Calm Before the Storm Crimson liquid flowed like a river from a shattering wet thump. Life was quickly extinguished at that moment, pierced through the heart with a long blade. The blood soaked blade left held out the front of the chest. Demosthenes¡¯ wide eyes were left frozen as he collapsed to his knees with only the blade of a sword keeping him from hitting the ground. The metal retracted from his corpse falling slowly to the street, the field fading away. Yuki¡¯s eyes were held wide open in shock seeing the man that had effortlessly beat him taken down by a sneak attack. Out of the shadows of night stepped Ayumi with a cold empty expression in her eyes looking down upon Yuki. ¡°¡­worthless¡­¡± Chapter 52 ¨C Calm Before the Storm Once Ayumi finished healing him, Yuki pulled himself back up to his feet. While his body had been completely repaired there was a hollow feeling inside him that he could not shake. It made his head hang, keeping a dark shadow over his eyes. He couldn''t look at Ayumi. ¡°¡­Ayumi¡­¡± There hadn''t been a single word spoken between them since she started to heal him. Even now he was finding it difficult to speak. All that his mind could do was recall the last minutes of what he had thought to be his life. They replayed endlessly for him, making his body remember the ripping pain. His hand laid upon his chest feeling the cold moist cloth soaked in his blood. ¡®¡­I should¡¯ve died¡­how many times now?¡¯ He painfully clinched his torn shirt with his hand. ¡®¡­I wasn¡¯t able to do anything¡­¡¯ A black void began to surround him, removing the world around him. Any awareness that he might have had still was quickly snuffed out as he retreated into his mind. ¡®¡­I wasn¡¯t able to beat him¡­¡¯ Like an old camera reel, the battle replayed for him. ¡®¡­he was just toying with me¡­¡¯ The clashing of blades pounded out of the imagery making his eyes twitch in reflex. He shut his eyes. ¡®¡­I was useless¡­¡¯ Yuki turned his head away thinking that he could escape it, while the video continued to play ceaselessly. ¡°Please save me, Ayumi!¡± Yuki¡¯s voice from the video said. Yuki''s eyes quickly snapped open in shock at hearing the words. He was forced to look towards the image to see how pathetic he looked. ¡®¡­I can¡¯t do anything¡­without her¡­¡¯ The words felt like massive weights stacked on him making it impossible to move. His eyes glued dully staring at the memories. It crushed him. He could not resist. There was no strength left in his body. The world seemed to be getting further away from him. Yuki was no longer willing to chase after it. A sudden loud noise boomed around the void cracking everywhere on the surface. It beckoned to Yuki. The boom occurred again even more violently than before, but this time he could feel something faint on the edge. Dull ripples became sharp and stabbing. The feeling had turned to pain spread across him unfocused and clearing away the darkness. ¡°¡­what¡¯s going on¡­¡± ¡°I see you¡¯re back¡­¡± Yuki couldn''t see what was going on, but had a strange feeling about him. When his eyes came into focus he found himself in Ayumi¡¯s house. It took him another moment to realize that he was in her room and lying on her bed. He quickly pulled himself up off of her pillow. ¡®¡­why am I in Ayumi¡¯s room?! And on her bed?!¡¯ Yuki connected eyes with Ayumi finding her to be surprisingly close to him, leaning in from the edge of bed at him. ¡°Ayumi! I-I¡­Why am¡­I?¡± Ayumi pulled back, relaxing into a tall stance with her arms crossed. ¡°I brought you back here.¡± ¡°By yourself?¡± Yuki couldn''t help but look her up and down, having trouble imagining her carrying him through the street. She gave him a quick nod, not changing expressions, as usual. ¡°I couldn¡¯t leave you in the middle of the street with blood covering your clothes.¡± ¡°My clothes!¡± Yuki looked down at his clothes, finally what changed. He had been so focused on his change of environment that he hadn¡¯t taken the time to notice them. One look had taken much longer for him as he was locked in gear unable to react. He looked blankly over at her. ¡°Got nothing in yellow?¡± ¡°Laundry day isn¡¯t until the end of the week.¡± ¡°And your powers couldn¡¯t make something?¡± ¡°Between covering for you at school and protecting, I¡¯m running a little short. Besides, it''s not worth the trouble.¡± Yuki turned a little in the bed showing off different sides of the white sundress Ayumi put him in. ¡°Do I at least make it look good?¡± ¡°I see you¡¯re fully recovered.¡± His hand absentmindedly rubbed his chest. ¡°I forgot to thank you for saving me.¡± Distant echoes of the fight pounded at the back of his mind. Their weight hung over him, waiting. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Ayumi stood up and walked over to the other side of the room. Leaning against the wall, she stared at him. A sigh escaped her lips. Nothing changed. ¡°I¡¯m just doing my job. You should focus on yourself.¡± Images of Demosthenes haunted him. The spear rammed through his chest before disappearing like a phantom. ¡°Even when I put in the effort, I get my butt kicked.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not about the effort. That fight didn¡¯t change anything. You¡¯re looking at the wrong lesson.¡± ¡°What lesson? I didn¡¯t run like you said I do.¡± ¡°You¡¯re missing the point. It¡¯s not a matter of standing your ground.¡± ¡°Then what is it?!¡± ¡°You¡¯re afraid to fight.¡± ¡®How could she?¡¯ Yuki felt the weight on him grow even more intense than before. He couldn''t hold his head up. Every part of him was shaking uncontrollably. Escape was all he could think about, but none of his muscles would even budge on him. It took everything that Yuki had to summon up breath to speak. He struggled and grasped at the tendrils of memories that threatened to tie him down. In a low voice with certainty he spoke, ¡°You¡¯re wrong. It¡¯s not fear.¡± There was a narrowed gaze from Ayumi reading into his words and body to understand the meaning. She missed something, but the words didn¡¯t lie. ¡°What is holding you back then?¡± The threshold had been broached releasing a taste of memories held behind a wall in his heart. It all came in a flash that shook his body making him sweat. An undesired past crept in his chest. He had to stop quickly before he was lost in the sea. Yuki clenched his fists fighting to keep himself. ¡®I can¡¯t say it¡­but she¡¯s not going to leave me alone¡­¡¯ There was a push that came from his body allowing him to look at Ayumi once more. ¡°¡­I¡­I made a promise¡­¡± ¡®¡­a promise? Why¡¯s this so important to him that he¡¯d rather die than break?¡¯ Ayumi stepped towards Yuki giving him her full attention. Curiosity wanted to know what it was that shackled him and prevented him doing what he needed. ¡°A promise? What was this promise?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t¡­I can¡¯t say anymore!¡± ¡°I need to know, Yuki! If you don¡¯t face this now¡ª¡° ¡°I said no!¡± Yuki pushed himself away and rushed past Ayumi planning to leave the room. However before he was able to reach the door the entire room turned to ice, sealing him. ¡°Thought you didn¡¯t have enough¡­¡± He rotated back looking at Ayumi¡¯s back. She pulled around to look at him determined to pry the secret from him. ¡°You¡¯re not leaving until you answer my question.¡± ¡®¡­this isn¡¯t right¡­¡¯ Yuki checked the door out of the corner of his eyes, seeing the thick ice that encased it. He had no chance of breaking it. ¡°This doesn¡¯t concern you, Ayumi!¡± ¡°We¡¯re partners, Yuki. I need to understand!¡± Each word backed further into a corner. There was nowhere to run or escape from her room. ¡°It was¡­¡± A dark room suddenly appeared in his mind briefly holding a foreboding feeling of familiarity. The beep of medical equipment crept into the fringes. ¡°¡­It was¡­I-I promised that¡­¡± There was a bed in the room with the curtains drawn. ¡°¡­I wouldn¡¯t hurt anyone again¡­¡± Resting in the bed was a covered figure darkened by the lack of light in the room. Yuki had spoken so broken and softly through his choking that Ayumi couldn''t understand him. ¡°What?¡± The flashes that he received felt like they were each placing weights on his chest making it impossible to breathe. He knew what he was seeing, but he couldn''t admit it. He would not admit it. ¡°I said I promised I wouldn¡¯t fight anymore!¡± Ayumi held her words simply staring at him leaving Yuki to the pressures he held. ¡°So now you know¡­¡± Yuki began to move back to the door with the expectation that he would be let go. ¡°Who?¡± The distance between them seemed to be growing in spite of it not physically changing. The question came as a strange one for Yuki as he didn¡¯t know the context. All he did was tilt his head back towards her. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Who?¡± Her question was repeated with the same tone as before to Yuki. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Your promise. Who did you make it to?¡± The room returned to his sight once more, making him blink. A frail hand was reaching out from the bed towards him beckoning him, calling him forward. Only the head and shoulders of the person in the bed could be seen weakly looking at him. ¡®¡­Yuki¡­promise me¡­¡¯ Yuki jerked away from the vision snapping back to reality. He was caught staring at Ayumi being left with nothing but to answer her question. ¡°¡­it was¡­my mother¡¯s last wish¡­¡± The ice faded away from the room returning it back to how it had been. Ayumi allowed Yuki to leave the room. He was quick in reaching the door, wanting to be freed from the atmosphere of the house that exhumed memories. The house¡¯s door was open and Yuki half way down the sidewalk before Ayumi stood on the threshold. ¡°You¡¯ll end up dead holding on to that promise.¡± Yuki stopped in his step, but refused to face her. ¡°I thought it was your job to protect me so I can save your people.¡± ¡°They¡¯re your people too. You don¡¯t belong here.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even know where they are. They aren¡¯t my people.¡± He started to walk away out to the street, but was stopped once more by Ayumi''s voice. It hadn¡¯t been the words that halted him; it was the weakness that trailed through her tone. Everything froze for him. He felt emotion coming from them like he was not familiar with Ayumi. ¡°How can you say that to them?!¡± Ayumi shouted back at him, nearly choking on her words looking like she was on the verge of tears. ¡°They¡¯re suffering! They need you!¡± He had become compelled to turn to face Ayumi. When he saw her face it left him stunned in shock to actually see her in such a state. There was never a moment that he had seen since he met her that he could feel such passion and emotion in her voice. ¡°A-Ayumi¡­I¡­¡± Yuki had to pause just to collect his words, not certain what he should say. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­my family, I can¡¯t leave them.¡± Ayumi came running down the sidewalk falling into him looking into his eyes. The pained look of rejection reflected in her eyes that stared at him. ¡°How can you say that?! You belong with us, we¡¯re your family!¡± Yuki didn''t know what to do any more with how hysterical she was acting in front of him. It was so out of character for Ayumi that Yuki was left paralyzed and started to have empathy for her. ¡°But Ayumi¡­they¡ª¡° ¡°They aren¡¯t your real family!¡± Ayumi shouted in desperation, no longer able to keep from crying into Yuki¡¯s clothes. Hearing Ayumi say that would normally have upset him, but he could not be angry with her seeing her now. He could only hold on to her in silence feeling so empty at that moment as though he was guilty of being uncaring and heartless. Across the neighborhood between the light of the streetlamps a darkened figure walked away. When they had finally stepped into the light it could be seen as Demosthenes. He casually left the neighborhood not looking back. ¡°¡­Eudokia¡­ This could be more difficult than I thought¡­¡± Chapter 53 - Family Matters The walk back from Ayumi¡¯s house was short, barely a minute, but the thoughts that spun through his mind made it feel like an hour. Yuki was no longer certain what to think. It hadn''t been the first time that he had heard any of it, but there seemed to be more weight in the words when he heard it this time. ¡®I haven¡¯t seen Ayumi like that before¡­she¡¯s usually so serious and composed¡­¡¯ When he finally reached the house a new weight dragged at his arm. It was the bag of food that he was supposed to get. Through everything it had managed to survive and still end up in his hands. The door opened nearly on its own as he stepped. He left his shoes there at the door. ¡°Yuki?¡± Momoko walked out to the living room to confirm. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s me¡­¡± ¡°Are you okay? It¡¯s been an hour.¡± Yuki sighed to himself thinking of the assassin and how he had nearly died once again. ¡®Verge of death and yet¡­coming home it¡¯s like nothing happened¡­¡¯ He hadn¡¯t heard Momoko walking into the hall. Distracted, he nearly ran into her before snapping partially out of it. ¡°Oh¡­here¡¯s the things you asked for¡­¡± Momoko had taken them from him uneasily. She stared at him in silence trying to figure out what had happened to Yuki. The mood he was setting made her even more uncertain. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± ¡°No, just a lot of bad luck.¡± ¡°Apparently, there a reason you¡¯re in Ayumi¡¯s dress?¡± ¡°Oh, right! Part of the bad luck. My clothes got ruined, so she helped me out.¡± ¡°Well don¡¯t forget to wash them before returning them to her.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± He turned to the stairs. His feet found the steps on auto-pilot as he slowly went forward. Pausing to watch him, the gloom hanging over him looked worse than his words claimed. ¡°You sure you¡¯re okay, Yuki?¡± ¡°I just need some time¡­¡± Chapter 53 ¨C Family Matters Upstairs, the solitude came to hug him. It had a firm grip, but didn¡¯t strangle him. Yuki dragged himself to his room and fell on the bed. The shouts from Ayumi whisper in his ear once more. ¡®They aren¡¯t your real family!¡¯ A heavy sigh exhaled painfully. After a few minutes, he pulled himself out of bed. Stripping off the dress, he pulled out a pair of blue jeans. Everything paused as his thoughts caught up. ¡®¡­Ayumi¡­¡¯ Yuki quickly grabbed out a green shirt. He dressed himself and walked over to his desk. Yuki dropped his glance at a very old photo of his family, when they were still a whole family. A reminder of the past that he was never able to throw away, but also the only possession from then that he kept. It had been the only thing that he couldn''t erase as much as he tried. ¡®Not real?¡¯ Until tonight, he didn¡¯t give the meaning to those words much thought. Now everything she ever said weighed on him. ¡®The Hayashi family adopted you from your true father for reasons that even I couldn¡¯t find. All I know is that they knew each other somehow and you became part of their family instead, never telling you the truth.¡¯ Like many of her claims, he didn¡¯t listen. He knew what the truth was. He thought he did. ¡®Adopted¡­me¡­¡¯ He knew that she had to be lying and never gave it another thought, until now. ¡®¡­could it be possible? But I¡¯ve seen baby pictures of me. They even showed me pictures from the hospital. I remember¡­I remember¡­ No!¡¯ As his thoughts tried to find the fallacies in her words the past threatened to invade him once more. Yuki shook his head bringing everything to a halt. It forced him to catch his breath pressing his hands into the blanket covering his bed. ¡®¡­have to keep focused¡­¡¯ Under control of his thoughts, a slow eased release in the tension came over him letting go of his grip on the blanket. Yuki backed away and dropped himself nearly slouching in the chair. The soft cloth backing on the chair gently soothed him. His hand stretched out for the wooden frame allowing him a closer look at the photo. ¡®¡­family¡­¡¯ Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. The picture had been taken back when he was only seven. His father and mother stood behind him at the ends of the picture holding Jun and Ken, still only one and two years old themselves. Next to him was Momoko, eleven, and smiling wide like he had forgotten. Even though she smiled these days, Yuki could tell it was no longer the same one that she had from then. ¡®¡­mother¡­father¡­you¡¯re my family¡­¡¯ He stared with a distant look at the picture. There was certainty in what he believed, but Ayumi had managed to hammer a nail in his wall creating a small crack inside him. The crack started to grow in size the longer that he stared. ¡®¡­no¡­this is my family¡­¡¯ Yuki placed the picture frame back on his desk and got up. He had to keep his certainty, removing any doubt from his mind. ¡®¡­got to stop thinking about it¡­¡¯ His fingers ran through his uneven hair. The ruffled mess of his hair sorted itself out, falling down smoothly showing off the dark blue color only in the highlights of his hair. ¡®Having no heir, the Traditionalists pushed to elect a new King by vote from the Council. As is our tradition if this happens. However, after the King¡¯s death I was given a letter that a secret child did exist.¡¯ Another echo rammed into him knocking him into his door making him start to sweat with his breath going shallow panting. Ayumi¡¯s voice would not leave him alone. His hand pressed against his face and forehead trying to keep himself together. ¡®¡­why¡­¡¯ It caused his heart to pound for a reason that he could not explain. Nothing was in his control as everything in his body seemed to be completely out of breath as though it had been sucked out of him. ¡®No! Stop it!¡¯ Yuki clung his hands to his head sliding down his door folding up against it at the floor. The pounding in his chest was becoming an aching pain that bound him. It was too much for him to withstand. ¡®¡­could it? Possibly?¡¯ The tension grew tighter, threatening never to release him. Sweat moistened his palms from him building panic. Small doubts were being allowed through the hole that had been made inside. ¡®¡­S-Stop¡­they¡¯re all¡­I¡­¡¯ In a fit, he threw Ayumi¡¯s dress across the room. It slowly floated down as he left it to fall on the floor in pain. However, there was a noise that alerted him as the picture frame on his desk was dragged down by the settling dress. It was half buried, but Momoko and his mother with Jun could be seen. Yuki¡¯s eyes grew wide as it snapped him out, clearing his mind and relieving him. It was gone. He stood up and went back to the picture, placing it back on his desk. ¡®¡­thanks¡­¡¯ Yuki turned away carrying a determined look in his eyes as he stepped out of his room. Momoko was still in the kitchen working with the food that Yuki had brought back with him. She chopped on the cutting board with the sharp thud from the knife leaving her to not notice that she had company. It took a pause in her chopping to get the feeling that someone was behind her making her nearly drop the knife seeing how close they were. ¡°Yuki?! Are you feeling better?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­it¡¯s coming around.¡± A pleasant smile pulled over his face. She couldn¡¯t help but tilt her head and eyes, finding the look to be a little suspicious. ¡°Were you needing something? Most of the meals are already prepared.¡± He handed over a couple of containers for her. ¡°I was thinking¡­wondering¡­can you still remember them? Clearly?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Mom and dad.¡± ¡°Yeah. I see them. Why?¡± Leaning against the island, he picked up a chopped radish. His fingers rolled it around pondering before eating. ¡°Nothing¡­¡± ¡°Yuki? What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s just getting hard.¡± The ghostly words hovered in his mind. No matter when in the house he went there was no escape. Momoko paused in the chopping and turned around to face him. He fidgeted and kept shifting about as though something poked him. It was the same sort of look when he returned. She hadn¡¯t seen him so exposed in a while. ¡°What about it is getting hard? Remembering them?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± A sigh escaped him in a mad dash. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s just doubts or fears. Things that¡¯ll never happen, but you convince yourself it¡¯s possible. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s real at this point.¡± ¡®He¡¯s not really making a lot of sense. But I¡¯ve never heard him talk like this before¡­ He¡¯s kept everything so close to the chest I never knew what he was truly thinking.¡¯ It made her wonder what suddenly brought all of this one. She wished that she had the therapist¡¯s number on hand that she went to. He stopped pretty quickly, but maybe they could help him now. She placed the knife down on the cutting board and moved everything back a little on the counter. ¡°I¡¯m here if you want to talk, Yuki. I know you¡¯ve normally handled it on your own. But sometimes it¡¯s good to lean on someone.¡± Hesitation continued for him. It should have been easy to open up to her, his own sister. Yet the nagging whispers of Ayumi pounded on the taps of his mind. She managed to change something that he never thought possible. He was scared. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m running away?¡± That raised an immediate eyebrow for Momo. ¡®I didn¡¯t expect such a direct response. How bad is it?¡¯ It was times like these that she wished she had picked a psychology or sociology elective in her first year. Maybe it would have happened. ¡°We¡¯ve all been processing it in our own ways. If I¡¯m honest with myself as much as you, we¡¯re probably both are.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve buried myself in one job after another. I tell myself and you guys it¡¯s so we don¡¯t have to always rely on our parents'' savings, but it¡¯s a distraction. It keeps me looking forward. Pretending everything¡¯s fine at home for Ken and Jun, when it¡¯s not. You put on a brave face for them as much as you do yourself I think. We were forced to grow up sooner than either of us wanted.¡± A passive nod agreed with his sister. Internally, he started realize that he never had a real talk with her. After their father died, he focused outward and with his mother everything changed. And Momo never questioned it. ¡®I guess she had her own troubles¡­after mom, I guess I became more ideal to manage. Bigger problems were in front of us.¡¯ Yuki pushed himself away from the island and started to pace. The voice of reason, Momo, battled the voice of passion, Ayumi. He shook his head a little wishing one would be quiet. ¡°At least you¡¯re doing something productive with your excuses. What am I doing? It¡¯s just festering inside me.¡± ¡°You think it¡¯s time to let it all out? Maybe you finally reached your tipping point.¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± The damned whispers never stopped in his ear. ¡®I can¡¯t exactly tell her that I think I¡¯m adopted and that my real family is some foreign guy we¡¯ve never met before¡­¡¯ So many secrets piled up for him. He rubbed the back of his neck trying to find his words. ¡°Maybe I have. A year of all this shit¡­smiling to everyone like nothing¡¯s wrong. Not explaining to anyone anything.¡± He sighed heavily looking back on everything that broke. Everything that he broke with his choices. ¡°The only constant has been Saki in my life and I damn near ruined that more than a few times.¡± ¡°Ayumi¡¯s been at your side too.¡± ¡°R-right, yeah. With everything going on it makes you doubt things, I guess. Little things that you don¡¯t think are a big deal turn out to be massive holes.¡± Yuki stopped in his pacing and stared out into the living room. Distant memories of his family filled in the empty seats. They laughed and played together. Good memories of the past held close to the heart. But Ayumi came in and cut out one piece of it. Was it still the same, a little emptier? ¡°Would everything still be the same without me?¡± Chapter 54 - The Sealed Vault Opened Momoko immediately walked over and grabbed his shoulder. She pulled on him a little to get a look at his eyes. ¡°What did you mean by that Yuki? You¡¯re not thinking of¨C¡± The panic in her eyes worried and confused Yuki until he realized. ¡°What! N-no-no, I didn¡¯t mean it like that. I¡¯m not thinking of killing myself.¡± The tense relaxed as she slumped a little. ¡°Don¡¯t scare me like that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing like that. I guess, I just wonder if things would have played out the same if I wasn¡¯t here.¡± She slapped him in the back of the head. ¡°Never say that again! I don¡¯t care what you think or believe or what guilt you think you have, but none of that was your fault. So don¡¯t even for a second think we¡¯d be better or mom be alive if you weren¡¯t here!¡± A bolt ran through him from that slap. He blinked with a little surprise, not expecting that reaction. Yuki opened his mouth to protest, but she glared at him. The intensity was something he grew familiar with when she used it on Ken and Jun. ¡°Sorry, I won¡¯t say it.¡± ¡°Yuki.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t think or doubt that anymore.¡± ¡°Better. No matter your feelings or concerns, we¡¯re a family. Never question or doubt that. We love you and there¡¯s no blame. Right?¡± He nodded slowly to her. ¡°I guess all that bad luck piled up and just got me in a bad place.¡± Everything felt fuzzy. Talking it out did nothing to make his mind any clearer. Ayumi still casted a deep shadow over everything. ¡®We¡¯re both running away¡­but¡­no matter what you say, I¡¯ll never be forgiven¡­you won¡¯t say it, but deep down you know like I do¡­ It¡¯s my fault¡­¡¯ Chapter 54 ¨C The Sealed Vault Opened Flashes of life with Momoko and his brothers went through his mind. All the facades were placed to hide and pretend. Each moment a lie that struggled for the promise. ¡®¡­I wasn¡¯t able to keep my promise¡­I wasn¡¯t able to do as you asked of me¡­mother¡­I failed you¡­¡¯ A black veil ran over him, passing things away from him. Peace could be granted for a moment. However, it didn''t last for long as a voice began to pierce through the darkness. He was being called. It woke him slowly, but eventually he wasn¡¯t able to keep his eyes shut any longer. Yuki woke up in his bed with the sound of his sister¡¯s voice pleading to him to wake up. He was still sluggish and groggy from the afternoon nap. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Momo?¡± ¡°Yuki! You need to wake up now!¡± screamed Momoko in a shaky voice that couldn''t keep herself from falling apart. The tears in her words punctuated her voice, clearing the fog in Yuki¡¯s head quickly. Kneeling at his bed was Momoko, age eighteen, in her high school uniform. Seeing the way his sister looked immediately pulled him out of his bed. ¡°What happened?¡± He grabbed her shoulders, lifting her up quite easily to her feet wanting some answers quickly. The way that she reacted gave him a deep foreboding. He forgot everything else. ¡°It¡¯s¡­It¡¯s¡­Oh! Yuki!¡± Momoko clung to him with her full weight, unable to speak what she needed. They fell backwards to the floor with her burying her face in his chest. She cried ceaselessly for what seemed like hours. Yuki could do nothing, but felt that she needed the time. He had just held on to her. Once it had seemed that Momoko recovered from her state Yuki pressed the issue again. He pulled her away from him so that he could look at her face. His eyes stared down at her hoping to give her the strength she needed. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Momo? I need to know.¡± Unfortunately, the moment that he asked she burst back into tears uncontrollably trying to bury herself once more. He shook her roughly trying to snap her out of it. ¡°Y-Yuki¡­I-I¡­can¡¯t¡­¡± It had been difficult enough for her to say those words to him between the tears. ¡°Please! Momo, you¡¯re scaring me! Tell me!¡± Yuki braced both of his hands up against her head forcing her to look at him to see his eyes. She tried to turn away, but he could not let her look away from him. He was going to have an answer. Momoko gave a slow uncertain nod to him, finally agreeing. She held back some of her tears building up her courage to speak. It was slow to work towards, but Momoko gained strength. ¡°Yuki¡­ it¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s¡­ mom¡­ ¡° Just saying that had been challenging enough for Momoko, forcing her to pause as she heard the words herself repeated once more. It nearly collapsed any resolve that she had if Yuki hadn¡¯t been there. She nodded to him once more seeing that she had to keep going. ¡°They say she collapsed at work¡­and she¡¯s¡­at the hospital! Yuki! I-I¡­¡± Yuki let his sister go and wrapped his arms around her allowing her the comfort that she was looking for. He didn''t know how to react at that moment. All he could do was be stunned by the words. Eventually, the emotions caught up to him and they stayed together. Time moved on around them passing the afternoon into the evening. ¡°I think we should go¡­¡± Yuki finally said. The sun no longer shone in through his window and the house had been very quiet, even with his brothers being home. She pulled away looking up at him, a little confused at the moment. ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°The hospital. We need to see her¡­¡± ¡°¡­right¡­¡± Momoko stood up wiping her eyes clear of the tears trying to pull herself together. Yuki joined her, working on collecting himself as well. She looked over to him realizing something. ¡°We should tell Jun and Ken.¡± This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. He looked down at the floor for a moment thinking to himself. Once he had turned back to her he spoke, ¡°How bad is it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, I feared the worst and couldn¡¯t listen to the rest the doctor said.¡± Yuki braced her with a hand on her shoulder seeing that she was starting to fall apart once more. ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s go to the hospital ourselves and find out. They¡¯ll be fine for a couple hours.¡± ¡°But how will we tell them, Yuki?!¡± ¡°¡­we¡¯ll figure it out when it comes to it¡­she might just be a little sick¡­¡± ¡°But we¡¯ve already lost dad! I couldn¡¯t bear it to lose mom, too!¡± ¡°¡­I know¡­¡± It was so unusual for him. Momoko stepped in to help out after their father died. Yuki hadn¡¯t seen this side of her in a while. ¡°Let¡¯s go and see her. I bet she¡¯s waiting to see you!¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Momoko quietly went to her room collecting her bag and the house keys. She joined Yuki downstairs. A long stare back at the stairs towards her brothers gave her a worried pause. The warmth of Yuki¡¯s hand was enough to steady her as she turned towards the door. ¡°¡­thank you, Yuki¡­¡± It became pretty clear how well off they had been when they arrived at the hospital to see such treatment being provided to their mother. At the time they didn''t know it, but the company hired the best specialists to look after her and spared no expense in trying to save her life. Yuki and Momoko were let into their mother¡¯s room with the other doctors and nurses departing to give them time. Momoko was the first to run over to her bed seeing all of the tubes that were connected up to her. Her face was still uncovered, but looked asleep until Momoko arrived. ¡°Mom! Mom!¡± She turned her head to Momoko. Their mother stretched out her hand, from resting on the covers, to weakly place her hand on Momoko¡¯s head, patting her calmly. She had a comforting smile on her face as though everything was going to be alright. It was unclear if she was already aware of her fading health and had come to terms. ¡°Don¡¯t cry, my dear. Everything¡¯s fine.¡± Over Momoko¡¯s shoulder she could see Yuki standing near the door still trying to look brave for her. It made her smile grow. ¡°Come over here, Yuki¡­¡± The welcoming tone of hearing his mother was all it took to crack his wall. He buried his head in her bed next to Momoko trying not to cry even though he couldn¡¯t stop himself. ¡°¡­mother¡­¡± Her gentle hand touching him only made it worse for him as he could not bear to look at her. ¡°It¡¯ll be alright, you two.¡± She started to cough the moment she finished. It alerted both of them to look up at her trying to come to her aid. Once she had calmed down she smiled down at them. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m just a little overworked. I¡¯ll be fine in a couple days.¡± An hour passed for them until they agreed to leave their mother¡¯s side. Yuki walked off down the hallway toward the first person that he saw with Momoko chasing after him confused. He looked up at the doctor coming out of a room forcing him to look at him. ¡°What does she have?¡± ¡°Yuki!¡± Momoko tugged on his clothes trying to get him to move on. ¡°We need to go home!¡± Yuki was too stubborn and strong to let her drag him away. He stared at the doctor, who was a little confused with a strange kid standing in his way. ¡°Tell me!¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Our mother¡¯s in the room!¡± He pointed down the hall towards the room. The doctor took a glance and slowly was able to put together the piece. ¡°Oh you¡¯re Tomiko Hayashi¡¯s children!¡± He flipped through the clip boards that he had in hand searching for something. Once he found it he quickly went through the pages. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure what to say.¡± ¡°I demand that you tell me!¡± ¡°Yuki! Please, calm down!¡± ¡°Momo, he knows!¡± The two siblings fighting gave him a brief moment to gather himself. He cleared his throat before starting getting their attention. ¡°From what we¡¯ve been able to do, we don¡¯t know. Her health is poor, but we don¡¯t know why. There¡¯s no signs of anything that would cause it. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Yuki had no intention of taking that for an answer and grabbed the man by his tie. He nearly choked him as he pulled him down to his eye level. ¡°The hell you don¡¯t! She¡¯s our mother. We have a right to know what it is!¡± ¡°Ugh! I-I told you I don¡¯t¡­know!¡± The man choked on his words feeling his tie becoming even tighter around his neck. Momoko leapt to the man¡¯s defense, grabbing on Yuki¡¯s wrist to try to free the suffering doctor. ¡°Yuki! Please, he doesn¡¯t know!¡± ¡°They¡¯re hiding it from us! Because we¡¯re just children in their eyes!¡± ¡°Yuki!¡± Momoko had gotten in his face at this point to try to calm him down. She placed her hands on his shoulders matching eyes. ¡°That¡¯s enough, Yuki. Don¡¯t hurt him, please! Think of mom!¡± Hearing the words from Momoko hit a cord inside him, making his eyes snap wide for a moment before narrowing in disgust. He tossed the tie back along with enough force to knock the man into the wall. ¡°Tch! Fine!¡± Yuki walked off towards the elevator ignoring the both of them. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry! Please forgive him, sir!¡± Momoko bowed deeply to the injured man. She turned around and ran after Yuki to catch up to him quickly. Yuki was already stepping into the elevator as Momoko arrived, barely sneaking before it closed. The long ride down was awkwardly silent between them as she could see Yuki¡¯s aggressive side surfacing. ¡°I-If¡­they can¡¯t find anything wrong with mom, then maybe it¡¯s just exhaustion like she says, Yuki!¡± ¡°Hrmph!¡± Yuki crossed his arms not willing to lose his frustration at the moment. Momoko remained quiet the rest of the way home. When they returned home they agreed not to say anything to their brothers since it seemed like their mother would be getting better soon. It was difficult for them to keep it between themselves and explain their mother¡¯s disappearance from the house, but they managed somehow. Unfortunately, Yuki got even more violent in the days that followed. He had been easier to provoke before, but he went out of his way looking for everyone and anyone to fight. It no longer mattered to him so long as there was someone lying on the ground afterwards. And each day he would visit their mother, as she slowly began to worsen in her condition. One night while visiting the hospital alone, Yuki overheard the nurses talking that were personally attached to their mother¡¯s room. He came around the corner and caught their voices making him pause to listen. ¡°Did you hear that she got another call from the school?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t they realize that she doesn¡¯t need the stress?¡± ¡°She¡¯s the only parent left and her son¡¯s such a bully!¡± ¡°She seems to only be getting worse too.¡± ¡°Especially after those calls.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if she¡¯ll be able to take another call in her state.¡± Yuki could only freeze next to the wall as fear gripped him like he had never known. He was paralyzed with his eyes wide in shock at hearing the nurses. He hadn''t known. She had never said anything to him about getting any calls. He couldn¡¯t think of anything else, but a single thought that echoed through his mind repeatedly, even today. ¡®She¡¯s sick because of me! It¡¯s my fault!¡¯ Chapter 55 - Strength of the Blind Yuki was checked out when he stepped out from the corner. His shadow covered eyes cast a dark stare. The two nurses didn¡¯t know how to react, surprised by his sudden appearance. All they could do was flee down the hallway away from him. He staggered forward towards his mother¡¯s room without a thought controlling him. Everything in his mind was echoing the same words over and over again completely crushing his body. The door was ajar causing him to shut out the light that crept into the room as he stood before it. It felt as though there was a wall that stood before him. A wall that couldn''t be shattered or climbed; it knew his weaknesses and was able to defy him at every attempt. There was only one way for it to be overcome. ¡°¡­Yuki¡­is that you?¡± Their mother¡¯s health had continued to decline despite her assurances. It had gotten to a point where her voice became empty and rough, distant from what it had been. However, Yuki would always know the sound of his mother. As though upon command, the door creaked open slowly. Yuki pressed himself into the entryway feeling a sense of dread crawling up into his legs. The lights were dimmed, as she had been resting, leaving the air to feel tight. It gave his mother a deathly appearance draped in the dark veils cast from the streams of lights from the machines that lined the wall. Yuki felt his heart drop into his feet from the sight. ¡°¡­mother¡­¡± ¡°¡­Yuki¡­you can come¡­in¡­¡± There was little strength left in any part of her as she simply lay in the bed. It took great effort for her to even move her hand. Yuki rushed into the room having been beckoned. She tried to pull herself up out of the bed for him. ¡°It¡¯s alright, mother¡­ I¡¯m here. You don¡¯t need to get up for me!¡± Watching her struggling sent needles all through his skin leaving it all numb. She eased back into her bed resting her hand on Yuki¡¯s hands at the side of the bed. She had managed a smile for him with her half closed eyes looking over at him. ¡°How are you¡­doing, dear?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m fine! Get some rest so that you can get better!¡± ¡°How¡¯s¡­school?¡± Those words had made him freeze stiff. The pounding of fear that had been starting to fade was renewed with even greater crushing strength. ¡°School?¡± ¡®Did you hear that she got another call from the school?¡¯ ¡®Don¡¯t they realize that she doesn¡¯t need the stress?¡¯ ¡®She¡¯s the only parent left and her son¡¯s such a bully!¡¯ ¡®She seems to only be getting worse too.¡¯ ¡®Especially after those calls.¡¯ ¡®I don¡¯t know if she¡¯ll be able to take another call in her state.¡¯ The words whispered through his ears continuously making him want to run away, but it had left his body too weak to move. All he could manage was to place his hand on his mother¡¯s hand for reassurance. ¡°¡­it¡¯ll be alright...mother¡­you don¡¯t have to worry anymore¡­¡± ¡°¡­Yuki¡­¡± His mother¡¯s eyes closed slowly followed by a long exhaled breath. It pulled him up on his legs leaning in towards her fearing that she would never open her eyes again. The shallow, quick breathing came to a rest as she opened her eyes to look back at Yuki. ¡°Please stay safe, Yuki¡­¡± It seemed to be getting more difficult for her to even speak, bringing her short of breath with each word. Yuki¡¯s hands tightened up wrapped firmly around his mother¡¯s. His fears wound with tension. Silent prayers muttered through his mind. ¡°I will! I will, mother!¡± He dragged in towards her feeling her hand suddenly become loose. It felt as though life slowly pulled away. ¡°Mother?! Please! I won¡¯t cause you trouble anymore, mother!¡± She coughed a couple times coming to a long quiet rest. Her half opened eyes looked at him softly. ¡°Yuki¡­please¡­don¡¯t hurt anyone¡­you¡¯re a kind boy¡­show them¡­¡± The labored breathing from her became further drawn out as her eyes closed once more. However, this time it did not seem like they would open. Tears came down his face as his fears were speaking to him, telling him what was happening. He pulled a little at her hand tightening his hands around her hand hoping for a sign. ¡°Mother! Mother¡­I-I¡­¡± His head hung low looking away from her. The words that she spoke to him spun in his mind. ¡°¡­I won¡¯t¡­I¡¯ll stop fighting! I¡¯ll stop if that¡¯s what you want!¡± The fading warmth in her body was able to smile softly to him. ¡°¡­th..ank¡­you¡­¡± A constant ringing filled the room. There was a moment of silence as Yuki froze. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. He snapped his head up towards her, breaking away the tears. ¡°Mother! I promise! I won¡¯t hurt anyone ever again! So please! Please¡­open your eyes just once more for me¡­¡± There was no response from her apart from the lasting smile. ¡°Mother! Please just once more¡­open your eyes! I promise! Mother!¡± Yuki''s head fell into the sheets weeping and screaming until his throat ran dry. None of the doctors or nurses dared to enter the room. After his voice had been lost and his tears dry, Yuki stood up and left the room in silence. It would be a silence that he kept for a month with no one able to understand what he was thinking. Chapter 55 ¨C Strength of the Blind The void began to pull Yuki away from the past. Remnants of thoughts remained as a distant echo through his mind. Emotions, questions, fears and thoughts merged together in a myriad chaos. ¡®I killed her! It was all my fault! I promised her! She wouldn¡¯t wake up! It wasn¡¯t my fault! I stole her away from them! It was me!¡¯ Yuki fell back into his body, nearly jumping out of his bed. He was panting heavily and covered in sweat. His hand pressed up against his face trying to calm himself back down. The nightmare that he had to endure left him completely exhausted. Yuki wasn¡¯t sure if he wanted to go back to sleep for the fear of having to relive any more of his past. The night brought too many things already. ¡°I need to clean up at least¡­¡± Morning arrived with a headache and dried out eyes. If it wasn¡¯t Ayumi¡¯s ghosts, it was his personal ones. Yuki left the house walking down the street hoping that the air would clear his mind. He rubbed his hand against his temples doing anything he could, while ignoring his surroundings. ¡°Yuki?!¡± shouted Saki from behind him, having already tried several times to reach him. It finally seemed to reach him though as he turned his head back towards her. He stopped where he stood, unable to do more than one thing at once. ¡°¡­Hey, Saki¡­¡± ¡°You going to move?¡± ¡°Something wrong?¡± Yuki stared at her puzzled by the question. She pointed down away from him to bring him to his situation. He was standing inside a parked car with half of it removed due to his Field being active. ¡°Wha-When?!¡± Yuki quickly jumped about feeling closed in with the cross section that he was seeing. Once he was outside the car and safe, Saki knocked his subconscious back into place. ¡°That was close!¡± Saki came up beside him looking over at him trying to examine him to know what was wrong. ¡°You don¡¯t normally space out that much, Yuki. What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Wrong?¡± Yuki turned away from Saki realizing how transparent he was being in front of her. He looked over his shoulder back at Saki working up his usual smile. ¡°It¡¯s nothing! Ayumi¡¯s just working me really hard.¡± ¡°Doing training still?¡± She knew about their after school sessions, but beyond knowing about it she had been told very little. It made her a little curious what it looked like, their training. All her ideas didn''t sound practical. Yuki gave her a nod. They began walking with him alert. ¡°She¡¯s pretty insistent on me learning how to control my powers.¡± He laughed lightly about the problem as though it was nothing. ¡°Well you do still let go out of control during school. I¡¯m always covering for you.¡± Her words turned to arrows that pierced on his weakness. ¡°And you can¡¯t turn it off on your own either.¡± A second arrow sank into his back making it even more painful. ¡°For someone who dreams and pretends all the time, this is the worst possible power you could have asked for.¡± The third and final strike dug into him making him pause for a moment. ¡°Thanks for the checklist.¡± ¡°I worry about you¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying, but it¡¯s not simple¡­¡± Yuki straightened himself up. ¡°I just have to stay focused!¡± He clenched his fists together trying to give himself confidence. ¡°Hrmph! I doubt that¡¯s possible, stupid!¡± said a high pitched voice from behind the both of them. Yuki had immediately turned to look at Saki, puzzled why she would say something so mean to him. However, she was looking back at him with an equally perplexed look of confusion. It then came to them to look behind only to jump away in surprise. ¡°What are you doing back?!¡± The fairy, which he hadn¡¯t seen for more than a week, floated in the air staring at the two of them with her arms on her hips. She seemed even more upset than the last time that he saw her. ¡°I¡¯ve come to torment you, girly.¡± A dumbfounded look painted over his face. That was far more direct than he expected. ¡°Seriously? Are you supposed to represent my self-deprecating part of me?¡± ¡°Well that¡¯s disappointing. I was hoping for a better response than that. You are really boring today.¡± Yuki looked over to Saki with both of them leaning towards each other to whisper to each other. ¡°Is it me or does she sound more irritated than usual?¡± Saki nodded slightly to Yuki as she looked back at the fairy, who was crossing her arms in disgust. ¡°Yeah, I was just about to ask you.¡± ¡°What should we do?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know it¡¯s your mind that created her!¡± ¡°I know but what can I do about it?!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ask me!¡± ¡°My head can¡¯t take more punches!¡± ¡°You two realize that I can hear everything you¡¯re saying?¡± The fairy was hovering a little closer to them staring narrowly at them. Both Yuki and Saki pulled back looking at each other quickly before staring sheepishly at the fairy. ¡°Just because I¡¯m small doesn¡¯t mean my hearing is too.¡± Further ahead of them, Hiroshi arrived at school. The early time threw him off. Yet it wasn¡¯t the only thing that bothered him. For a week, his head had been feeling loopy. Pieces of memories that he thought were real flashed to him, but they weren¡¯t. He couldn¡¯t remember it happening, but his body said otherwise. None of it made any sense. All his gut told him was Yuki had answers. He wanted to sleep peacefully for once. Tatsuya gave the oddly pensive Hiroshi a hardy pat on the back to snap him out of his uncharacteristic daze. ¡°Hey, man! What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Oh nothing much!¡± Kazuhiro joined in from the other side of the aisle made by the desks, having just recently arrived. ¡°Damn! Hiroshi¡¯s here before us? You trying to become an upstanding student?¡± ¡°Nothing like that, guys!¡± Hiroshi dismissively waved his hand to them. He pulled himself together and gave him a mischievous grin that helped to settle the minds a little. ¡°There¡¯s no fun to be had being a model student, you know that!¡± A need for distraction came to him as he began to look around the classroom searching. It was Tatsuya that provided it when he looked over at Kazuhiro''s school bag. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s that thing hanging from your bag, Kazuhiro?¡± Kazuhiro turned down for a moment, reacting with confusion. He lifted up his bag to bring it closer to their sight. There was a medallion hanging from a silver metal chain attached to this school bag. It had some strange letters carved into its surface along with a finely detailed impression of a bust of an unknown person. The craftsmanship on the piece was surprising, but hardly something that Kazuhiro would be carrying around. ¡°Oh this? I dunno. Some strange foreigner handed it to me on the way to school.¡± ¡°Foreigner? Why didn¡¯t you throw it away or refuse?¡± All he could do was shrug to Tatsuya. ¡°The guy was pretty insistent that I have it. Besides, if it¡¯s foreign I might be able to sell it. It looks pretty nice. Better than nothing, huh?¡± Hiroshi didn''t really give it much thought as he started to tune out what they were saying. He stared out the window down at the students walking around. ¡®Just another normal day for everyone¡­something feels off. Why am I getting such a bad feeling about today?¡¯ Chapter 56 - Splitting the Dream The dull blank feeling cleared up quickly the moment Yuki stepped into the classroom. Hiroshi watched him stroll in with Saki, a smile on his face as always. Everything he knew looked so fake now. ¡®How does he do it¡­ If I didn¡¯t know better, I¡¯d say it was genuine¡­ What¡¯s really buried under all of that?¡¯ A flash of another false memory jerked him off his desk. It overlaid on top of the entire classroom. Everyone was in their seats and then something scared them. Fear captured in their eyes spoke volumes. But the terror was missing. It was incomplete. Just a fake. Yet one constant, Yuki stood at the center of it all. ¡®What¡¯s wrong with me? Such a weird day¡­¡¯ Their homeroom teacher, Miss Kuniyoshi, arrived bringing the class to order. Hiroshi wasn¡¯t one to pay much attention to homeroom regardless of the day. However, he quickly began to zone out of the class, fading away into his memories. He wasn¡¯t certain what prompted the thoughts, but his nostalgia carried him back to his junior high school days. Chapter 56 ¨C Splitting the Dream It wasn''t much different for him being a first year junior high student than it was being a first year high school student. He had dealt with things in the same fashion. Joking and mischief were his tools. They allowed him to get through the days without becoming bored by everything. Hiroshi managed to keep himself barely above getting into trouble, knowing almost uncannily when to stop (a trait he always failed at with Saki). School life dragged on for him. His behavior gained him attention, but not friends. It never really bothered him greatly since he always felt like he had someone near to him. However, during the summer term in school there had been a lot of troubles between some of the students. It had been an unusually hot and humid year putting a lot of people on edge. Tensions got to the breaking point and things quickly spiraled out of control. During the lunch break on one of those summer days the entire first floor of the school was in an uproar. Hiroshi had been munching on some school bought bread looking bored when he heard a tidal wave of screams. They came from the far end of the hall and distinctly girls. He poked his head out of the classroom catching someone running away from the trouble. Hiroshi grabbed the boy with his free hand. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± The boy looked nervous like he knew, but didn¡¯t want to say anything. Which only made Hiroshi even more curious. A little pressure from a well placed lean and stare opened the boy¡¯s lips, but briefly. ¡°The girls in Class 1-E¡­¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± The boy flipped his head back and forth down the hall looking suspicious by the moment. He then leaned in towards Hiroshi whispering to the rest of it. Upon hearing what happened Hiroshi¡¯s eyes widened immediately in surprise. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious! That¡¯s enough to get you expelled!¡± The boy nodded to him. ¡°It¡¯s true! And I saw Tatsuya Mori and Kazuhiro Nanase coming out! Everyone¡¯s already saying that it was them!¡± Hiroshi roughly let go of the boy and marched off down the hall with anger building up on his face. ¡°There¡¯s a line that no man should ever cross! I¡¯ll show them where their stupid prank has taken them!¡± He stomped through the hall pushing everyone that got in his way. He found the two boys trying to flee from the screams only to bump into Hiroshi with the eyes of a demon staring them down. ¡°Where do you two think you¡¯re going!?¡± ¡°Who are you?!¡± Kazuhiro shouted as Hiroshi grabbed his uniform roughly to keep him from running away. ¡°We didn¡¯t do anything?!¡± Tatsuya pleaded as he was restrained as well. Normally not very strong, Hiroshi gained a significant surge that allowed him to pin both of them against the wall. His piercing eyes refused to turn away from them. ¡°What you did was unforgivable!¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t us!¡± ¡°Honest! I swear!¡± ¡°Disgusting you can¡¯t even own up to what you did!¡± His teeth began to grind together, staring at them with contempt. He pressed the two against the wall even more, having difficulty controlling his anger in front of them. Kazuhiro began to choke and cough under the strain. ¡°It wasn¡¯t¡­I think it was Minori Nakano¡¯s group!¡± ¡°Shifting blame now!?¡± Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Caught the creeps, Hiroshi?¡± said a girl behind him approaching from another classroom having heard the noise. Having heard someone speaking to him cut off the rage that boiled in him. He looked over his shoulder to the girl and nodded. ¡°Yeah, Sakura¡­I¡¯ll take them to the principal¡¯s office right now. Can you make sure the girls are alright?¡± ¡°Thanks, Hiroshi!¡± She smiled at him and ran off to see what she could do to calm everyone down. The talk with Sakura cooled him down enough that he was finally thinking straight. As he stared at the two boys his gut spoke to him. ¡®Something¡¯s off¡­¡¯ He hadn''t really been listening clearly to what the two said; he just reacted. Yet the longer he looked at them the more that he was uncertain about everything. ¡®He said something about Minori¡­wait!¡¯ His mind turned back for a moment when he ran through the hall. It had only been brief and he didn''t think much of it, but he had seen Minori with his three friends. ¡®In all the rage I didn¡¯t notice them, but they¡­¡¯ Minori wasn¡¯t strictly known as a troublemaker, but what he was known for was holding a grudge worse than the Yakuza. ¡®¡­something doesn¡¯t fit¡­¡¯ Kazuhiro and Tatsuya began to look at each other, feeling a little more comfortable in their confinement by Hiroshi. They were uncertain why he had suddenly stopped and looked deep in thought. However, neither could go anywhere left to Hiroshi¡¯s mercy. The moment disappeared though as Hiroshi¡¯s dark look returned and he dragged them away down the hall. ¡°You two are coming with me.¡± An air of doom came about his words. When Hiroshi came to pass Minori in the hall he exchanged a brief glance with him. There was a very smug look on his face. The boy looked far too relaxed for all the chaos. ¡®¡­I hate people like that even more¡­¡¯ Hiroshi presented the two of them to the principal, dropping them in chairs near the desk. While word had reached the faculty of the school, none of them knew much. The principal was at a bit of a loss to their presence in his office. Hiroshi quickly explained what he knew of the incident while withholding any names. ¡°I can¡¯t believe¡­are you implying that it was these two that caused this?!¡± Hiroshi stepped up to the edge of the desk looking closely at the principal. ¡°No! I dragged them along as witnesses. They saw who did it!¡± ¡°Then who did it?¡± Kazuhiro was about to speak up when Hiroshi stepped in. ¡°I did, sir!¡± He pointed to himself. Kazuhiro and Tatsuya both looked at each other stunned. ¡°I can see what I did now was wrong and regret doing it. So I¡¯m turning myself in.¡± The principal¡¯s eyes were twitching furiously. ¡°Are you serious?!¡± A determined nod came as a reply from Hiroshi not flinching. ¡°I can¡¯t believe this! In all my years¡­¡± The principal dropped down into his large office chair having to rest from his disbelief. He required a pause to collect his thoughts before looking back at Hiroshi. ¡°I respect your honesty, but regardless I can¡¯t allow you to stay in this school. You¡¯re here by expelled and your parents will be called.¡± ¡°I understand! I¡¯ll have these two escort me back to my class to take my bag and leave school. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Hiroshi bowed deeply to the principal and turned away. He pulled Kazuhiro and Tatsuya along with him to get them to move, both still unable to even react. Once they were out of the principal¡¯s office Kazuhiro stepped out in front of Hiroshi forcing him to stop. The cowardly look from before had disappeared. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because I believe you.¡± Hiroshi continued to walk around him. Tatsuya reached out grabbing Hiroshi¡¯s arm to stop him again. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t make any sense! Why would you stand up for us like that and take all of the blame when you did nothing?!¡± Hiroshi looked back at them giving a smirk like what he did was just a normal thing. ¡°I can¡¯t stand people that would do that. They have no pride just for a grudge. And this way he¡¯s failed at his revenge.¡± ¡°But how can you be fine with getting expelled?!¡± There was no reply to their question. He simply gave them a smile and walked away. A strange knowing look that said more than words could. While they weren¡¯t certain, something inside understood the meaning. They chased after him and followed quietly behind him as he entered the class, still in lunch. He left without a word and, for what they thought would be the last time. The next day Hiroshi showed up to class as though nothing had happened. He had been the talk of the entire school, the rumors that he confessed to the incident were well known. It made everyone uneasy about him still being in the school. Kazuhiro and Tatsuya heard he returned to school and rushed into his class, homeroom was still not starting yet. ¡°Hiroshi!? It¡¯s true then! You¡¯re back!¡± ¡°But what about what the principal said!?¡± Hiroshi leaned back in his chair with a devilish grin on his face. ¡°The principal called late last night apologizing to my parents. Apparently, Minori was actually the one that did it and ended up confessing to it late after school.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°What did you do?¡± The smile on Hiroshi turned innocent, almost frightening to be seen on him. ¡°Nothing.¡± In spite of his words, there was a sense of mystery behind them that implied more than he was letting on. However, Kazuhiro and Tatsuya weren''t able to get any more out of him and with homeroom starting they were forced to leave. During lunch, the halls felt much safer for everyone. Hiroshi walked down the hall catching sight of Sakura passing him. He gave her a knowing grin that she responded back with in kind. Nothing more was said on the matter, but the rumors fell away about Hiroshi when they learned he had been falsely accused. ¡®¡­huh? I fell asleep?¡¯ Hiroshi pulled himself up trying to not draw much attention himself, while figuring that everyone already knew. It took him a moment to figure out what class was being held at the moment. He quickly shifted around his books to look like he followed along while his mind felt a little drowsy still. ¡®Can¡¯t believe I was out for two hours¡­and the teacher said nothing.¡¯ His hand combed through his hair trying to straighten himself out a little. ¡®Kazuhiro and Tatsuya¡­I wonder what brought that on? It has been a long time. I guess at lunch I¡¯ll see if they want to hang out after school. It¡¯s been a while. Just need to talk to Yuki first¡­¡¯ A relaxed smile pulled up on his lips as some of the stress disappeared. He leaned back in his chair looking towards the window. ¡®Maybe it won¡¯t be such a bad day after all¡­¡¯ The pencil on the desk to his neighbor fell on the floor alerting him. He went to pick it up for them when suddenly books and pencils started all dropping on the floor. It didn''t take too long for him to realize what was happening. ¡°Earthquake!¡± The shouts from the students bounced around the room as everyone tried to go under their desk for cover, but it was too late. A massive crash of breaking cement and earth pounded through the room followed by shattered glass in all the windows. The ground literally felt as though it had jumped under them followed by repeating resounding thuds from neighboring rooms of classrooms falling apart from the sudden cracks in the structure. Outside a jagged cut sliced into the middle of the school from the split earth. A voice came through the air with clarity despite its distance. ¡°Yuki Hayashi! Come out!¡± Down at the school entrance stood Demosthenes staring up towards the school making his declaration to the entire school without any regard to secrecy. Chapter 57 - To Challenge Those That Threaten The school was still settling from the massive earthquake that ripped through the ground. It specifically targeted the school and nothing else, disappearing not long after the building. Dust clouds billowed out from the debris choking off the screams of students. There was a deep rip through the new and old sections of the school. For the moment, none of the students had anything more than minor injuries; however the collapsing ceilings and fractured structure made it unsafe to stay. Teachers started leading them out to the safety of the ground, most still not certain what happened. They believed that a real earthquake had struck. ¡°Yuki Hayashi!¡± Demosthenes¡¯ voice pierced through all walls. His repeated demands only confused the students further. Chapter 57 ¨C To Challenge Those that Threaten Yuki became paralyzed in fear hearing Demosthenes booming through the school. ¡®I thought he was dead! Didn¡¯t Ayumi kill him? Did he have a fake like the last one?¡¯ He tried to move his legs, but his body remained in his seat. As everyone else in his class had fled from the room, Yuki sat at his desk appearing unaffected by the threat. Saki quickly whipped around from her place. She stood alerted by the vibrations, when the school suffered its attack. The voice wasn¡¯t one that she recognized, but her mind immediately went to the one thing that she knew. ¡®An assassin¡¯s come for Yuki! During school?!¡¯ She looked down at Yuki seeing him frozen. It made her pause, getting the feeling that it was more than just fear that held him this time. A heavy lead weight grew in her stomach. She rushed over to the scattered windows hoping to see the assassin through all of the chaos. Hiroshi took refuge on the floor when the earthquake hit, but was left confused with the aftermath. ¡®Why is someone calling out to Yuki? What¡¯s going on?!¡¯ The other students tried to get him to leave, but it had left him stunned. Only Kazuhiro and Tatsuya stayed behind trying to pull Hiroshi up to his feet. They refused to leave him, attempting to drag him out by his arms. Yumi along with everyone else had been pulled along with the teachers. She wanted to stay, but couldn¡¯t disobey the teacher. The wave of students swept her away. Yumi saw Yuki left behind and tried to reach out with her hand towards him. ¡°Yuki!¡± Across the school on the lower floor Fumiko escorted students out of the school quickly. The lower floors started to crack and groan from the stress of losing the central supports. ¡®What¡¯s going on now?¡¯ A couple female students bumped into her, snapping her out of her momentary trance. ¡°Are you two alright?¡± She offered hands out to them. Ayumi acted frantically, trying to wake up Yuki. She yanked on his uniform futility until she collapsed to the ground. Tears were already starting to stream down her face. ¡°Yuki! Please, wake up!¡± The cries of Ayumi pulled Saki back into the class. She ran and hopped around the cracked floor. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Hiroshi. She expected that Yuki would have come out of his terror, but it was tightening around him. ¡®Yuki¡¯s what¡¯s going on? What¡¯s got you so scared?¡¯ Saki grabbed him up from his chair and carried him over her shoulder as she bent down to get Ayumi¡¯s attention. Yuki fell further into the void of his fears. ¡®It¡¯s really him! I know it!¡¯ Hundreds of spears felt like they sent through him each poisoned with a limitless horror. The pain crawled under his skin like snakes. He tried to claw at his own body to relieve his tortured shell, but nothing moved. ¡®I can¡¯t beat him! I don¡¯t want to die! He¡¯s going to kill me this time!¡¯ ¡®Yuki¡­please¡­don¡¯t hurt anyone¡­you¡¯re a kind boy¡­show them¡­¡¯ ¡®Mother!¡¯ His mother''s voice became distant from him. He could suddenly move his body, starting to chase after the fading image. His hand stretched out pleading for her to stay with him. ¡®Don¡¯t leave me! I promise I won¡¯t fight! So come back to me, mother!¡¯ ¡®Yuki¡­please¡­don¡¯t hurt anyone¡­¡¯ Yuki ran until his heart pounded and she was still fading away from him. He collapsed in the blank empty tunnel that he found himself in. His arms and shoulders were hung over with his back bent down. ¡®It¡¯s all my fault! She died because of me!¡¯ Yuki tightened his fists, pounding them into the ground. ¡®She¡¯s gone because of me! I killed her! I killed mother!¡¯ The world shattered around Yuki leaving only a black void to surround him as he went deeper away from reality. ¡®You¡¯re a kind boy¡­show them¡­¡¯ ¡®No, I¡¯m not!¡¯ Yuki clinched his hands around his head falling further into the ground. ¡®I¡¯m not kind! I only know how to hurt people!¡¯ ¡®You don¡¯t have to hurt anymore¡­¡¯ ¡®No?¡¯ ¡®I¡¯ll comfort you so you don¡¯t have to do anything anymore, Yuki.¡¯ ¡®Mother¡­¡¯ A warm glow surrounded him, providing peace to his troubled mind. All of his thoughts disappeared granting him silence. He did not want to leave. ¡°Hurry, you guys!¡± Saki shouted to Kazuhiro and Tatsuya, still struggling with Hiroshi. His zoned out state was uncharacteristic of Hiroshi. ¡®I can¡¯t carry them both and neither of them look that strong. Damn it, Hiroshi!¡¯ She wound up a fist. It did not take them longer to figure it out. Both dived for opposite parts of the floor as Saki whacked him hard in the face sending him through several desks. ¡°Damn you, Hiroshi!¡± ¡°Gah! I¡¯m sorry, Saki! I won¡¯t do it again!¡± Hiroshi jumped to his feet from the desk that he was laid out on. Kazuhiro and Tatsuya looked between each other, embarrassed not saying a word. It took another moment for Hiroshi to become confused and nearly angry. ¡°Wait! What¡¯s going on? I didn¡¯t do anything this time, Saki!¡± If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°You¡¯re daydreaming in the middle of an earthquake! You¡¯re making your friends worried!¡± Hearing it from Saki had made him step back in shock. He looked over at the two of them on the floor with relieved faces to see that he was back to normal. Hiroshi rubbed the back of his head. ¡°W-Well I¡­I¡¯m sorry, everyone!¡± Kazuhiro and Tatsuya picked themselves up off the floor and joined him. They were smiling, glad to have him back. However, the building suddenly shook again making them all fall to brace themselves. It felt as though another earthquake hit even stronger than the one before. Ceiling tiles began to fall down on desks with lights popping. The floor began to develop cracks even as far as they were from the center of the damage. There wasn''t much holding the building together once the second earthquake came to an end. ¡°Yuki!¡± Saki looked over to check on him with the building settling again. It caught her off when a wave pulsed out of him. There was only a second to react. She looked over at Ayumi just as the entire floor disappeared underneath them. A moment hung for them before they realized they were going to fall. However, the time never came and they all looked around at each other to find themselves slowly descending to the ground. ¡°Ayumi? What¡¯s going on?¡± Ayumi looked over at Saki narrowly as though she was considering her action. ¡°His Field is removing everything within its radius. It seems he¡¯s placed into it a low gravity Law as well.¡± She came to a graceful landing in the grass of his Field while his friends fell over, not prepared. The earth suddenly began to shake once more, but this time it came from Yuki. Stone and earth pierced through the Field surrounding Yuki before falling against each other in a rough pyramid. The ground still shook though as Ayumi realized that he wasn¡¯t stopping. ¡°Get out of here everyone!¡± Saki trusted Ayumi¡¯s words enough to flee. However, Hiroshi looked confused along with his friends leaving them stuck where they stood. Ayumi raced over to them as even larger stones rose up from the earth to cover on top. Layers upon layers were being summoned to encase Yuki with them losing ground fast. ¡°You three need to run now!¡± shouted Ayumi in a demanding voice that they had never heard before. They blinked for a moment before acknowledging her command and sprinted away. It was just in time as the earth underneath them was torn violently away with larger blocks of stone. Slowly the earth stopped shaking allowing the dust to finally settle. A massive pile of rock and earth, nearly half as tall as the school, stood where Yuki had landed. Most of the students were across the street keeping their distance. A hemisphere cut out of their school barely larger than the stone that surrounded him. Saki and Ayumi ran up to the edge. It appeared that the school and earth were almost merged together with how close they were to each other. Saki pounded on the stone trying to reach Yuki buried inside. ¡°Yuki! Can you hear me?! We¡¯ll get you out!¡± Ayumi grabbed Saki¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Ayumi, what¡¯s going on? Can you do anything?¡± ¡°This is of his own doing, Saki.¡± Ayumi thought back to the time that she was first training him. She had seen this defense used before. ¡®I don¡¯t know if I can¡¯t break this.¡¯ Saki turned around facing her, with Hiroshi unknown to her joining them. ¡°You can use your power to cancel this, right?! That''s how it works, right?¡± There was a pause in Ayumi¡¯s words, not the quick reply they were expecting. ¡°It¡¯s different this time. Normally, Yuki¡¯s Field stretches out to its usual length. However, it¡¯s barely larger than mine right now. He subconsciously focused his Field into a smaller area to strengthen it. His Field strength is already unnaturally high, like this he¡¯s made the perfect defense. I¡¯m not strong enough to cancel this.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Saki stared back at the stone mound. ¡®¡­why Yuki? What¡¯s wrong? This isn¡¯t like you¡­¡¯ ¡°You know what¡¯s going on don¡¯t you?¡± Hiroshi stepped up from the sidelines. A determined look filled his eyes expecting an answer from him. Ayumi raised her hand to Hiroshi¡¯s face. ¡°This doesn¡¯t concern you!¡± An explosion behind her took her by surprise, knocking her into Hiroshi and sent the three of them to the grass. The black cloud burst over them covering the entire school grounds. A dull ringing was left in their ears when everything passed. Ayumi turned over to see the stone unaltered. Her eyes narrowed for a moment in calculation. As the wind blew out the smoke an aged man in a businessman¡¯s suit stood on the school ground. Demosthenes made his appearance. She clicked tongue in annoyance at seeing him still alive. ¡°A fake¡­Should have guessed from someone like you.¡± Her snow Field was immediately released around her and sword in hand. ¡°Eudokia¡­¡± His grass Field appeared quickly covering a significantly larger radius compared to Ayumi. A spear formed in his hand, politely waiting. He rubbed his chest recalling what had happened before. ¡°I can admire your resolve to a quick battle, but you¡¯re not my opponent. I¡¯m only here for the false King.¡± Saki understood the way their powers work well enough to see that Ayumi was out classed by this new assassin. She ran up alongside Ayumi taking a defensive stance. There was a momentary look from the corner of Ayumi¡¯s eye at Saki. ¡°This one¡¯s beyond you. I¡¯m not about to let you do this alone. We¡¯ll protect Yuki together!¡± ¡°Hrmph¡­do what you want.¡± Ayumi ran over to place herself between Yuki and the assassin. Her sword held out challenging Demosthenes. ¡°He¡¯s the true heir! He¡¯s your King, our King! And I won¡¯t let you kill him!¡± ¡°Yuki¡¯s my friend! I won¡¯t let you hurt him!¡± Saki joined Ayumi at her side. While her words sounded sure her body questioned their resolve. It shook on instinct, knowing something she didn¡¯t. Demosthenes closed his eyes briefly carrying a warm smile to his face. He opened them and focused on the two girls that stood in his way. ¡°I commend your resolve and bravery. However¡­¡± The words trailed off as he sprinted forward with his spear in both hands. His eyes held firm with no mercy to be given. ¡®You¡¯re safe in here, my son.¡¯ ¡®¡­mother¡­¡¯ Yuki smiled warmly in the comforting arms of his mother. He felt completely safe with her. It came as inviting like nothing he experienced in the last two weeks. Nothing would be hurt by him. ¡®And I won¡¯t let you kill him!¡¯ whispered Ayumi¡¯s voice through the stone dully echoing in the tiny chamber. It sparked a moment of doubt in Yuki¡¯s heart. ¡®Yuki¡¯s my friend! I won¡¯t let you hurt him!¡¯ Saki¡¯s voice said weakly. Yuki turned his head up, his mother¡¯s arms still wrapped gently around his shoulders. Painted roughly on the wall was the scene outside. He could see Ayumi and Saki standing in front and between them Demosthenes further away running towards them. ¡°No! He¡¯s too strong for you! You can¡¯t win!¡± Yuki tried to stand up to reach out to them, but he was held back. ¡®¡­You¡¯re safe here¡­¡¯ ¡°I-I¡¯m safe¡­¡± He began to close his eyes once more, but was stopped by the sound of weapons clashing. Demosthenes exchanged several quick parries with Ayumi before he caught an opening in her and ran her through the stomach. Blood sprayed across the stone as she collapsed to the ground struggling to get to her feet. Saki was next with only speed keeping her alive, but only for a moment before she was cut down. A deep gash lined from her shoulder down across her chest. They were both taken down with almost no effort. Demosthenes stood finished looking through to Yuki. Yuki¡¯s eyes were shaking violently seeing them both lying there. ¡°Saki! Ayumi!¡± Ayumi fought to get back on her feet. She coughed up blood sprayed over her sword. It shook in her weak hand. Barely able to stand, Saki staggered forward with stubborn determination. ¡°No! Stop you two! P-please¡­¡± Yuki struggled against the arms that held him back trying to reach for them. All he was shown was a flash of the spear as blood sprayed through the air with both of them collapsing. ¡°NO!¡± ¡®¡­Yuki¡­¡¯ ¡°¡­mother¡­I-I¡­¡± Yuki collapsed to the ground with tears beginning to build in his eyes. The helplessness that he felt grew into a weight in his chest against his pounding heart. He couldn''t look anymore. ¡®You call yourself a man! Attacking someone already injured!¡¯ Hiroshi shouted dully through the walls. ¡®We won¡¯t let you hurt our friends anymore!¡¯ Kazuhiro declared standing next to Hiroshi. ¡®This stops here!¡¯ Tatsuya added standing opposite Kazuhiro. ¡°No! Guys stop! W-why?!¡± ¡®I-I won¡¯t let you hurt Yuki!¡¯ Yumi bravely said suddenly joining them. ¡®Right!¡¯ said Katsumi, smiling. ¡®Yeah! Yuki¡¯s our friend!¡¯ Kaede announced jumping in beside them. ¡®You¡¯re violence ends here!¡¯ Fumiko roughly spoke standing behind them and still being seen. They were soon joined by others from Yuki¡¯s class and other students. All of them gathered in front of the school standing to protect Ayumi and Saki who had fallen with Yuki behind them. Yuki didn''t know what was happening anymore, stunned by the sudden surge of classmates that were standing up for him. Everyone that he thought just ignored him. They were protecting him. He could not move. ¡°W-What should I do, mother?¡± Demothenes outside narrowed his eyes seeing the changing situation. He pulled back his spear letting it rest at his side. Then he closed his eyes, taking a long moment of pause. Those around him waited uncertain about what was going to happen next. The tension in the air slowly built as the man remained ever still. ¡°This is truly distasteful. I pray you can look away, my King, for what must be done. We¡¯re out of time¡­¡± He snapped his eyes back open staring into the crowd. ¡°For the King!¡± He thrust up his hand into the air snapping his fingers. The sound pulsed through the crowd. Suddenly, the charm on Kazuhiro¡¯s bag that hung at his side lit up before exploding violently in the crowd. ¡°NO!!!¡± Yuki screamed in horror. Chapter 58 - The Soul of My Brother Yuki screamed in shock pulling against the arms that bound him. He could only watch as his friends and classmates were all consumed in the explosion. His hands began to shake violently. The view was too much for him to look at and he turned his head away burying it in his knees. ¡°W-Why?! They were innocent¡­¡± At his side on his left appeared a faint image of him from a year ago. ¡®I killed her! It¡¯s all my fault! I killed mother!¡¯ Yuki dug his face further into his knees not wanting to hear the truth any longer. The images of his mother on her dead bed haunted him. Wrinkles along his eyebrows grew with the pain of hearing screams of his friends. ¡°I killed mother! And now I killed my friends too!¡± ¡®Everything¡¯s my fault! I¡¯m the cause of everyone¡¯s pain!¡¯ The ghost of himself was becoming frantic throwing his arms out. There was nothing it could do to save itself. ¡°All I do is take¡­¡± A slow resigned breath escaped his lips as he let the thought sink in. All he brought with him was sadness no matter how much he smiled. It had to end. Chapter 58 ¨C The Soul of my Brother ¡®That¡¯s right!¡¯ Another partial image appeared by Yuki on his right as a child from when he was younger. The view of the outside faded away from him leaving him in darkness with his two selves. ¡°They¡¯ll be better off without me¡­¡± ¡®Yes, they can stop protecting you!¡¯ ¡°Protecting?¡± Yuki thought back to the moments. As he recalled with each assassin that had come after him someone was always protecting him. ¡°Always protecting me¡­¡± The portal to the outside returned shining a bright light on Yuki forcing his gaze up towards it. However, unlike before there was no view of the school grounds with his friends. When the light faded away he could see a scene from his memory; the first assassin that attacked him had him cornered and would have killed him. Recounted memories showed Momoko beaten in their house. His body tensed up and a hand around his heart squeezed. Then Saki fought for him in the warehouse. Injured and exhausted, she battled the same as well. Weights pressed all around him. Even Seiji, gone for a year, stood up for him. And now his classroom, people that only saw him as a fool, the way he wished. And worst of all, Ayumi bloodied and battered every time because of him. Unknown battles in the dark played out to keep him safe. Everything to save his life. ¡°¡­Ayumi¡­you keep giving your life for me¡­what have I done¡­¡± He could feel his heart pounding fiercely no longer willing to keep taking it. ¡°I can¡¯t let this continue¡­¡± ¡°¡­I have been worthless¡­but no longer!¡± Cracks appeared along the arms that tied him. ¡°I can¡¯t just let everyone keep protecting me! I have to fight for myself!¡± It no longer felt impossible to breathe. A burning grew inside him. He had to change. ¡°No! You can¡¯t fight!¡± said the younger version of him from a year before. ¡°It was your fighting that made mother sick! She died because of the fighting! You can¡¯t fight!¡± ¡°¡­mother¡­I promised¡­¡± The child version of him snapped in suddenly silencing the boy. ¡°You can¡¯t even remember your promise clearly! It¡¯s become blurred by your guilt!¡± ¡°What?!¡± Yuki turned around facing both of his phantoms with confusion. ¡°I know what happened!¡± He leaned over toward the child. However, the child looked back at him holding a stare in his eyes that made him question it. ¡°¡­Yuki¡­is that you?¡± said a shallow voice from the room. Yuki could never forget his mother¡¯s voice and nearly became paralyzed hearing it. He turned back around towards the portal not certain what it was going to show him. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. She eased back into her bed resting her hand on Yuki¡¯s hands at the side of the bed. She managed a smile for him with her half closed eyes looking over at him. ¡°How are you¡­doing, dear?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m fine! Get some rest so that you can get better!¡± ¡°How¡¯s¡­school?¡± Those words made him freeze stiff. The pounding of fear that had been starting to fade was renewed with even greater crushing strength. ¡°School?¡± Yuki pressed himself into the entryway feeling a sense of dread crawling up into his legs. ¡°¡­mother¡­¡± ¡°¡­Yuki¡­you can come¡­in¡­¡± There was little strength left in any part of her as she simply lay in the bed. It took great effort for her to even move her hand. Yuki rushed into the room having been beckoned. She tried to pull herself up out of the bed for him. ¡°It¡¯s alright, mother¡­ I¡¯m here. You don¡¯t need to get up for me!¡± Watching her struggling sent needles all through his skin leaving it all numb. She eased back into her bed resting her hand on Yuki¡¯s hands at the side of the bed. She had managed a smile for him with her half closed eyes looking over at him. ¡°How are you¡­doing, dear?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m fine! Get some rest so that you can get better!¡± ¡°How¡¯s¡­school?¡± Those words had made him freeze stiff. The pounding of fear that had been starting to fade was renewed with even greater crushing strength. ¡°School?¡± The words whispered through his ears continuously making him want to run away, but it had left his body too weak to move. All he could manage was to place his hand on his mother¡¯s hand for reassurance. ¡°¡­it¡¯ll be alright...mother¡­you don¡¯t have to worry anymore¡­¡± ¡°¡­Yuki¡­¡± His mother¡¯s eyes closed slowly followed by a long exhaled breath. It pulled him up on his legs leaning in towards her fearing that she would never open her eyes again. The shallow, quick breathing came to a rest as she opened her eyes to look back at Yuki. ¡°Yuki smile for me just once more¡­¡± It seemed to be getting more difficult for her to even speak, bringing her short of breath with each word. Yuki¡¯s hands tightened up wrapped firmly around his mother¡¯s. His fears wound with tension. Silent prayers muttered through his mind. ¡°Mother! Please Don¡¯t talk like that!¡± He dragged in towards her feeling her hand suddenly become loose. It felt as though life slowly pulled away. ¡°Mother?! Please! I won¡¯t cause you trouble anymore, mother!¡± She coughed a couple times coming to a long quiet rest. Her half opened eyes looked at him softly. ¡°Yuki¡­please¡­¡± The labored breathing from her became further drawn out as her eyes closed once more. She struggled to open her eyes waiting for Yuki. Tears came down his face. He weakly pulled up a smile for her, fighting his emotions. A warmth filled her seeing his smile. It passed to him growing into a genuine smile just for her. Her eyes closed with a smile on her face. ¡°Mother! Mother¡­¡± His head hung low looking away from her. The words that she spoke to him spun in his mind. The fading warmth in her body was able to smile softly to him. ¡°¡­th..ank¡­you¡­¡± A constant ringing filled the room. There was a moment of silence as Yuki froze. He snapped his head up towards her, breaking away the tears. ¡°Mother! I¡¯ll keep smiling for you if you just open your eyes! So please! Please¡­open your eyes just once more for me¡­¡± There was no response from her apart from the lasting smile. ¡°Mother! Please just once more¡­open your eyes! I promise! Mother!¡± Yuki''s head fell into the sheets weeping and screaming until his throat ran dry. None of the doctors or nurses dared to enter the room. After his voice had been lost and his tears dry, Yuki stood up and left the room in silence. It would be a silence that he kept for a month with no one able to understand what he was thinking. ¡°No! That¡¯s a lie!¡± the boy shouted trying to deny the truth. ¡°It¡¯s the truth! There was never a promise! You made it with yourself!¡± ¡°It was me?!¡± The arms completely crumbled. He dropped down, staring at the middle distance. Shock claimed his body and mind. The self delusions began to strip away piece by piece. Fake memories and reality became clear. Everything that he twisted out of his guilt laid bare before him. A massive weight released for him and a new light shining that he had not seen in so long. A distant voice from his past whispered to him. ¡®You got into a fight again, Yuki? Remember your fists are to protect others. Promise me, you¡¯ll use them to protect the ones you love, Yuki.¡¯ The voice belonged to his mother when Yuki was still young. Yuki was able to remember how she had always scolded him about his fighting and that she made him promise that every time got into a fight. ¡®That¡¯s right! It was after father died and I started fighting anyone I saw. She would always make me promise even though I kept getting into fights. When mother got sick I blamed myself; I thought that it was because I hadn¡¯t kept that promise. But now I remember the truth!¡¯ He finally looked forward at the scene. ¡°I will, mother! I have the power to protect my friends and I will use it!¡± Yuki shouted up to the ceiling with the ground suddenly shining. Cracks began to appear in the earthen wall that protected him. Violent waves issued forth from feet with each coming faster than the next. An array of blue and gold appeared around his body. Partially broken already, it vibrated with the shaking waves. A thunderous quaking started to build from within him. The array shined brighter. In a flash of light, it shattered like glass. His personas watched on with their essences fading away. The boy held a worried look on his face before he faded away. The child faded away in silence with a sinister grin on his face. Outside, Demosthenes began to march forward, not waiting for the dust cloud to disappear. However, he came to a stop when he felt the ground shaking suddenly. Soon beams of light burst from the cloud followed by pulsing waves. ¡°Is it¡­¡± A wind broke from the epicenter pushing away the cloud. The stone fortress that had protected Yuki developed numerous cracks making Demosthenes¡¯ eyes narrow in concern. A moment later the entire field shattered to pieces vaporizing into the air as Yuki stepped out. The wind blew up again, spiraling around Yuki as a light covered him. Pulled into the center were particles that laid upon his body shining brighter until shattered away to reveal new clothes. He wore a distinctly more Asian inspired wardrobe that crossed between a formal robes and a fighter¡¯s gi. The old man re-examined the changes that came over Yuki. Demosthenes could almost feel the difference from the first time they met. The fear disappeared, replaced with resolve. ¡°He finally broke the King¡¯s seal¡­¡± Yuki had a new look in his eyes as he stared down Demosthenes with determination. ¡°I won¡¯t let you hurt my friends any longer, Demosthenes. I promise to protect everyone!¡± Chapter 59 - The True Awakening Monou High School stood in silence with not even a stone tumbling. A hush drew over the land for the moment that two fierce pairs of eyes exchanged looks. The sun high above looked down about the battlefield with anticipation as the two stood unmoved for seconds. A strong gust signaled Yuki to turn away from Demosthenes towards Saki. She laid on the ground still desperately fighting to stay conscious. He knelt down to lift up her head seeing her light blue eyes defiantly staring up to him. A gentle calm came over his eyes as he watched. ¡°It¡¯ll be alright, Saki. You can rest now.¡± She couldn''t answer him immediately, but through the pause gained some strength. ¡°¡­Yuki¡­please¡­¡± ¡°I know, Saki. But I can¡¯t stand by and watch my friends be hurt because of me. You know how much that hurts me.¡± Saki coughed before she closed her eyes momentarily in understanding. As she stared at him there was a different look that she hadn''t seen in such a long time. ¡®Yuki¡¯s willing to fight, but it¡¯s not because he¡¯s doing it to enjoy it. There¡¯s a kind, gentle look in his eyes like when he was much younger. Please stay like that, Yuki¡­¡¯ He laid her back down on the ground. Yuki stood back and closed his eyes for a moment. Green waves burst from his feet quickly expanding out beyond the school faintly disappearing. Particles of energy lifted up from the grass, sidewalk and wall filling the air with a dancing show of lights. The energy began to be drawn into groups as it hovered over students that lay on the ground and entered their bodies filling them with warmth. Wounds, scrapes and bruises were all quickly mended together restoring vitality to them. Voices were murmuring across the school grounds as the light faded away. ¡°Everyone listen up!¡± Yuki¡¯s voice carried across the Field. ¡°Once you can move, please run away from the school.¡± There was a pause in his words as he thought back to what they had all done for him to protect him. ¡°I¡¯m grateful that you protected me, but this is my fight to deal with now. I don¡¯t want anyone else to be hurt because of me.¡± Demosthenes watched on monitoring the skill of Yuki having become curious. He could clearly tell that he was no longer staring at the same child he had faced the day before. The change that he had undergone was sudden and drastic. ¡®If the seal is truly broken, he should have complete control. The last gift is finally gone¡­¡¯ Saki stood up walking over to Yuki once she had been healed. ¡°Yuki, let me fight with you!¡± She clenched her fists tightly trying to hold down the boiling emotions that were threatening to rage with her. ¡°This is his fight, Saki,¡± Ayumi said flatly as she approached from the opposite side. ¡°But I¡ª¡° ¡°Hey, wake up man!¡± Hiroshi shouted in panic as fear was woven through his voice. They all turned around running over to Hiroshi¡¯s side where Kazuhiro laid. Kazuhiro¡¯s still body was unmoved by Hiroshi¡¯s shaking. All of the wounds that he had suffered were repaired, but he still remained unconscious. Yuki knelt down next to Hiroshi staring at Kazuhiro''s emotionless face trying to find life. He turned back over to Ayumi looking for an answer from her. ¡°Why isn¡¯t he waking up? I healed his injuries!¡± Ayumi joined them on the opposite side examining his body before checking for a pulse at his neck. She looked up at Yuki once she had finished. ¡°He¡¯s dead.¡± ¡°What?! But I healed him, Ayumi! He should have been fine!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t bring back the dead, Yuki. You can fix his body, but not his soul.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Hiroshi looked between them. He held on to his friend¡¯s hand. Tatsuya had finally joined them hearing the worried voices. Hiroshi barely kept his voice from failing him after hearing Ayumi¡¯s declaration. Ayumi stood up and started to walk away from the scene. It wasn''t her place to be. However, Hiroshi grabbed her wrist quickly, holding her from leaving. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°Fix him, damn it! I-I¡­¡± Hiroshi¡¯s features were wavering under his emotions. His lips were quivering from the thought that his friend was really dead. ¡°I know, know you can do something! I don¡¯t understand it, but you can fix him!¡± Everyone froze when Ayumi loudly slapped Hiroshi across the face. ¡°Dead means dead! We aren¡¯t gods!¡± There was hidden emotion behind the words that she spoke with a meaning that only she could understand. Hearing the words had hit Hiroshi hard as he collapsed to the ground next to his friend. Tatsuya remained quiet trying to hold back tears. ¡°¡­Kazuhiro¡­¡± Yuki stared down at Kazuhiro¡¯s body feeling his own emotions raging out of control. They were causing his arms to begin to shake soon followed by his body. However, it wasn¡¯t fear that made him quiver. Anger boiled in his blood. He had been calm before thinking that he could save everyone and defeat Demosthenes, but it was different now. ¡®He killed Kazuhiro¡­ He killed my friend¡­¡¯ Yuki started to turn slowly away from them towards Demosthenes. His head tilted down with his hair hanging over his eyes blocking them for view. ¡®This was just supposed to be about me¡­ How could he¡­¡¯ His body felt warm as though a fire was burning in his blood. ¡®I can¡¯t let this continue any longer¡­¡¯ The pounding in his heart was all he could hear through the echoes of Kazuhiro''s voice screaming out to him. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Ayumi¡­Saki¡­¡± Yuki said softly through tremendous control that still was barely enough to keep the shaking from his voice. ¡°Take them away from here please.¡± ¡°Yuki! I¡¯m not leaving you!¡± Saki screamed, starting to run for him only to be stopped by Yuki. His head tilted over his shoulder with only one eye connecting with her. Deep despair surrounded by an immense fury glowed in his light brown eye. It had frozen Saki in her step. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Saki. I don¡¯t want anyone to see me like this.¡± The emotions that were being transferred through his eyes choked off her voice. ¡®He¡¯s struggling¡­that¡¯s why I should be here!¡¯ However, her own body wasn¡¯t acting as she wished, still paralyzed. ¡°You don¡¯t have to face this alone, Yuki! I know¡ª¡° ¡°Please!¡± He felt the flames in his body getting fiercer. ¡°I can¡¯t protect you like this¡­and I don¡¯t know¡­what¡¯ll happen right now. Ayumi¡­¡± Yuki appealed to her hoping that she would understand and grant his wish. ¡°I understand,¡± she said calmly. ¡°Ayumi?!¡± questioned Saki turning around. The snow Field had suddenly activated for her and raised a wall around her perimeter shutting off Saki from Yuki. Dull pounded from Saki could be heard through the semi-opaque ice barrier as it began to move with Ayumi forcing the others to move. They were soon out of sight having gone straight through the school. Yuki returned to face Demosthenes with waves of energy starting to pulse from his feet through the ground as an ill omen. Demosthenes patiently waited the entire time just simply watching. It made Yuki feel even more enraged as though he was just an observer rather than one that had actually killed his friend. ¡°¡­Demosthenes Alexander¡­¡± ¡°¡­Yuki Hayashi¡­¡± Chapter 59 ¨C The True Awakening ¡°So it seems you¡¯re finally ready for our duel. Prove to me that you deserve the title of King!¡± His Field had been up the entire time, but an intensity seemed to glow from it as a couple waves pulsed from his feet. He tightened his grip on the spear in his hands waiting for Yuki to summon his Field. A wind drew down to Yuki like a tornado sat atop him acting like a funnel on the clouds in the sky. It poured the clouds out into the ground rapidly to hit like an explosion. Pulsing waves issued forth stronger from Yuki¡¯s feet passing by Demosthenes and continuing beyond him. ¡®He¡¯s got a flair for the theatrical it seems, but his range¡­¡¯ The forced fed clouds hung like a fog creating an uneasy tension that concealed the raging torrent. ¡°No¡­¡± Yuki¡¯s voice pierced through the fog as it began to evaporate into the air. ¡°This won¡¯t be a duel!¡± Yuki¡¯s face was narrowed in uncontrollable emotions once he was revealed through the dissipating clouds. The pulsing waves became thicker as they were being released from his feet as though they were clumping together. Slowly vibrating earth beneath them seemed to be responding to his fury, barely being held in check by Yuki. ¡°You killed Kazuhiro! You killed my friend! I won¡¯t let you think this is a duel anymore!¡± Thin streams of tears poured from his eyes as he shouted the words. Then as though his declaration had been the final lock on the cage of his heart the earth leapt into the air. A literal wave of earth, broken apart by the unnatural bending, rose from Yuki shooting out like a shockwave at blinding speeds. Everything in its wake was completely altered as the wave didn¡¯t seem to stop. No buildings were left as far as the horizon could be seen, just a vast field of tall grass and infrequently placed trees. The old man had barely been able to defend himself from the release of the Field. It had only been his own Field strength that dampened it enough for him to brush it off as an illusion. He had no time to react. ¡®Such power¡­I can¡¯t see an end to his Field¡­it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen such power displayed¡­¡¯ Demosthenes reaffirmed his hold on his spear staring down Yuki. ¡°¡­Yuki¡­¡± Saki watched from what Ayumi had declared a safe distance. She still kept them from leaving, but allowed a clear barrier for them to be able to see. Ayumi narrowed her eyes in concern as she analyzed the scene. ¡®His Field is far larger than it¡¯s ever been¡­ There¡¯s something wrong with this Field¡­¡¯ Yuki stood in the grass unarmed still wearing the white pants of a gi that hung loose on his legs. The white formal appearing robes over the upper part of his body were separated into layers. A longer sleeve form fitting undershirt extended out from the robes to a little past his elbow. Held over top was the second layer to the robes held loosely to his body with a thick obi around his waist up to his stomach. The third layer of clothes fell over top of the two bound layers like a long vest-like coat. Laid out upon the silk material were pale organic designs stitched to produce a raised surface on the clothes. Across the grass in a lower cut grass Field stood Demosthenes with a couple spare weapons littered in his Field. ¡°You need a weapon for us to begin.¡± ¡°For this fight I don¡¯t need a weapon!¡± Yuki charged forward into a full sprint. Demosthenes could see that Yuki was serious about taking him on with only his fists and accepted his resolve. The spear sang through the air as he made a slicing swing once Yuki came in range, but Yuki evaded the attack by changing his movement. ¡®His reflexes are faster¡­¡¯ Another swing at Yuki was dodged as he was keeping him at a distance. A quick series of swings from the spear left them still unchanged. Yuki avoided any attempt, gaining barely any ground in reaching him through the range of the spear. The spear¡¯s tactics changed as an opening was found allowing him to thrust at Yuki. There was a dull ring of the blade¡¯s metal when the spear came to an empty stop. It caught the old man off guard seeing Yuki stop the tip of the spear with merely his palm. A faint wave echoed from his hand as it held back the spear at no more than a centimeter from piercing his skin. Their actions paused there as Demosthenes gauged what had occurred. The spear retreated back and took another swing down at Yuki with it being suddenly blocked by his crossed forearms. Once more the blade was held a short distance away from his skin, never making contact. Demosthenes continued to test out Yuki¡¯s defenses, never able to make it through to wound him. In the last thrust Yuki blocked the blade with his left hand coming in close to Demosthenes and gripped it bare. His right hand then rammed through the shaft of the spear, slicing it in two as he spun around. Catching the spear head, his left hand clasped the shaft rotating his body to run it into the old man¡¯s ribs. Demosthenes staggered back a step taken aback. He had been unable to make the spear disappear in time and now blood slowly dripped from his wound. The pain stabbed deep into his chest from the spear as he ripped it free from his body. Even through the pain his mind still tried to understand what Yuki was doing. ¡°You¡­You blocked everything. How?¡± Yuki adjusted himself to face the man still with rage filled eyes that had been staring at him the entire time. ¡°It¡¯s nothing that a dead man needs to be concerned with¡­¡± He raised up his hand with his fingers aimed flat. A moment later the tensed muscles released burying the hand in the chest of Demosthenes. Yuki pulled his hand out trailing blood through the air with his fingers coated. There seemed to be a release in his features as Yuki stepped back. The old man collapsed to his knees before falling over, shock still etched into his face. Yuki closed his eyes, taking in the moment. His mind was still holding images of Kazuhiro, playing repeatedly for him during the fight. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Kazuhiro¡­please forgive me¡­¡± A stream of tears fell down his shut eyes as he pulled his head back to face the sky. Cold wind suddenly blew through the area pulling Yuki¡¯s eyes open. There was something inside him that was telling him something was wrong. It broke through his sorrowful emotions trying to clear his mind. Yuki alerted himself. He scanned the area seeing nothing, but a large circle of shortly cut grass embedded in his own. ¡°What¡¯s with the grass here?¡± ¡°It would seem you¡¯ve found your strength,¡± a bodiless voice declared. It only took Yuki a moment to recognize the voice as Demosthenes. He turned back towards the body, but it was no longer there. The body had disappeared completely. ¡°Where are you?¡± ¡°Right here.¡± The source of the voice became visible as though a mirage had been lifted from the area. It was the old man standing completely unharmed by any of the attacks from Yuki with a renewed spear in hand. Yuki narrowed his eyes in confusion. ¡°Damn, the same trick you used before.¡± ¡°A test. If you couldn¡¯t defeat a weaker clone of myself, you wouldn¡¯t be worthy of my real strength.¡± He lowered his spear down into an attacking stance. ¡°Does that mean this is the real you?¡± ¡°Yes, the real battle can begin¡­ Show me if you¡¯re worthy to inherit the King¡¯s power!¡± Chapter 60 - Reborn A strong wind brushed through the field of tail grass with dozens of people spread out. They were all varying in age, but had one thing in common, confusion. All of their homes had disappeared suddenly without warning or explanation. Around them was only grass and some had begun to panic. Momoko had been preparing to go to her class at the college when their house disappeared. She had wanted to panic, but felt something inside her that she could not explain. It felt familiar to her in a way. ¡°¡­Yuki? What¡¯s happening¡­¡± Chapter 60 ¨C Reborn ¡°Enough about worthy! You murdered my friend!¡± Yuki slowly measured out his distance. His muscles tightened up with the emotions that still ran through his body. When he had thought that he had ended it with Demosthenes much of it had been finally released. Some had been returned, but his mind was starting to see more clearly than it had. There did remain an annoying sense that the old man wasn¡¯t being cocky with his declaration, but Yuki had difficulty seeing that from his opponent. All that was painted on his face was the serious stare he had had before of someone that took a fight in a very rigid planned manner. ¡°So you¡¯re saying that you¡¯re much stronger than that clone of yours?¡± ¡°Correct. Being further away from me, I didn¡¯t give it my full strength.¡± Demosthenes put his spear down in the ground and materialized a new spear that looked lighter. The purpose was clearly different from the previous spear he wielded. It was a spear meant for throwing unlike the former which was meant for close combat. Yuki narrowed his eyes seeing the new tactic. ¡®If that¡¯s true, how much stronger is he now? I shouldn''t tempt things right now¡­¡¯ The spear was launched into the air towards Yuki with surprising speed, wondering if there was some Law at work aiding it. Taking his own advice he stepped out of the way of the spear, but it disappeared immediately upon hitting the ground. However, he had no time to think about it as another was already inbound against him. Several more were followed in similar fashion with Yuki evading the attacks skillfully. ¡®He¡¯s not a ranged fighter¡­ This seems counter to his style, what¡¯s he doing?¡¯ There was little time for Yuki to try to understand Demosthenes¡¯ tactics as the spears became almost constant as a stream that he was forced to continue to evade, that felt as though they were locked on him. He was able to keep ahead of them, but they narrowed in on him with each attempt. Yet it wasn¡¯t the goal in mind as he reacted a moment too late. Demosthenes charged in at Yuki wielding his original spear taking a swing at him. Yuki barely managed to see it in time, but it was still not enough. The tip of the spear cut through the cloth of his vest coat and down to his robe underneath. He tried to leap out of reach of the spear, but found that he was suddenly completely surrounded by all of the spears that had been thrown at him. They nearly numbered into the hundreds it seemed. ¡®Trapped, this was his plan all along¡­¡¯ Something that Ayumi had said to him once came flashing back as Yuki began to understand the man¡¯s strength. ¡®A Meso Prosecho user¡¯s worth is judged heavily on how many objects that they can maintain in their field at one time and still be able to function.¡¯ The thought made Yuki give pause for a moment before he had to evade another attempt at him, but tripped up by the spears. ¡®If he can maintain all of those and still fight like this against¡­ Just how strong is he?¡¯ Yuki narrowly escaped another swing from Demosthenes, but became even more boxed in. ¡®The only thing keeping me alive right now is my reflexes and luck, but I¡¯m running out of both.¡¯ The next thrust at Yuki was unavoidable with his position and he was forced to take the spear against his shoulder cutting down to his skin to draw blood. ¡®He managed to get through my defenses! Is he stronger than the King¡¯s power I supposedly have?¡¯ Yuki evaded the next attempt, deciding to take to the offense. He tried to get in close past the spear, but Demosthenes rotated the metal shaft of the spear down as Yuki came underneath the attack. The end of the shaft slammed into Yuki¡¯s already wounded shoulder. He ground his teeth through the pain. It turned him away into a wall of spears that his back fell against. His moment lasted no more than a second as the spear was already coming in again, swinging. Yuki rolled across the grass to avoid it with the hopes of getting inside once more. His efforts weren¡¯t completely wasted. It pushed back the stage enough for Yuki. ¡®Hope this works¡­¡¯ As Demosthenes recovered in the moments after Yuki¡¯s counter, Yuki jumped back, getting to his feet. He spun around. His leg plowed through all of the shafts of the spears blocking him snapping off the wooden shafts. It gave him the room to escape his cage just as Demosthenes tried to restore the damage. Freed, Yuki immediately went on the counterattack coming around Demosthenes. There was an almost pleasing sound of Yuki¡¯s fist hitting inside his defenses and making his first connected punch. Demosthenes stumbled backwards. The pause to enjoy the moment became a liability for Yuki. He made the attempt follow through with his momentum, but Demosthenes already recovered making use of his thrown spears. All of the spears began to pull themselves free from the ground and turn themselves towards Yuki, which he caught out of the corner of his eye. ¡®Too many to dodge¡­¡¯ His hands began to lightly glow a soft blue as he fully extended his arms towards the incoming projectiles. It was just in time as the spears were almost upon him. They all halted in mid-air shaking violently trying to pierce the invisible barrier. However, the barrier wasn¡¯t enough to hold the spears. They began to push through with Yuki having to shift his position to avoid a couple that broke through. ¡®Even at this range?! I can¡¯t hold them back!¡¯ Around the spears, the air turned violet as red hues began to surface. It engulfed the spearheads first and transitioned on covering the shaft as behind the spears were disintegrating. Once it was over Yuki dropped his hand down at his sides before looking over at Demosthenes. ¡°Your mastery is certainly impressive for only just awakening¡­and you¡¯ve seem to have found a strange power to suit yourself,¡± the old man commented as he straightened himself out. ¡°I can still feel it on the inside, it¡¯s no mere punch and your defenses as well. I must admit my own curiosity.¡± Yuki watched the eye-patched man carefully, waiting for the next assault. ¡°It¡¯s just manipulating physical energies,¡± he said, willing to give into the break in the fight. ¡°Call it spiritual, magical or psychic. It makes no difference.¡± ¡°I see. You seem to understand the basics, however you¡¯re wasting so much of that power.¡± Demosthenes turned his head about to look at the environment. ¡°It¡¯s clear that your power is indeed on par with that of the King and yet I¡¯m still able to break your defenses. It¡¯s a question you¡¯re asking yourself now isn¡¯t it? You still barely understand the power.¡± Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. The words weren¡¯t something new to Yuki, but he had thought that the supposedly immense power of the King would be enough to make up the difference. It had been what saved him before. Yet there was a very clear difference between them. ¡°Are you even stronger than the King?¡± ¡°No, but you¡¯re wasting your strength on allowing your Field to be fully projected.¡± The short grass of Demosthenes¡¯ field suddenly expanded outward rapidly going far out of sight and was partially cut off by the natural strength of Yuki¡¯s Field. It had been a near perfect circle before that remained at a radius of twenty meters. However, Yuki was stunned by the sudden revelation that he could expand his Field. ¡°I can have a Field nearly as impressive as yours, but it¡¯s a waste. All you¡¯re doing is flaunting your power, it¡¯s unrefined. That¡¯s why I¡¯m stronger than you. And why you¡¯ll lose here.¡± The short grass Field swiftly fell back to its previous size as the tension in the air suddenly jumped. Yuki dropped into a defense stance recognizing the killing intent in the man¡¯s eye. The break was over as the next wave of spears being thrown forced Yuki to move. He wasn''t going to be caught in the same trap as before. Yuki kept moving forward, and always against the direction that Demosthenes was trying to lead him, to close in the distance while evading the spears. Once he reached the range of the spear in Demosthenes¡¯ hand, he was forced to keep dodging the thrusts and swipes. He had doubled the thickness of his protection. It dampened the blows that he was forced to parry with his arm. The spear¡¯s blade was still getting through, but it was left as only bruises rather than cutting him. ¡®I can¡¯t keep up with him anymore¡­I¡¯m being overwhelmed¡­ This isn¡¯t about power anymore, but experience¡­¡¯ Yuki was knocked back by Demosthenes, but he quickly returned to his feet using some awkward footwork to get around behind the old man. He tried to make a strike as the spear came around behind him. ¡®I don¡¯t think even at my peak I could have stood against him. He¡¯s a trained soldier¡­ He¡¯s so far out of my reach¡­¡¯ A mistake by Yuki¡¯s legs left him in a vulnerable position. The spear wasted no time in taking the opportunity and pierced through the defensive layers of energy to dig into Yuki¡¯s side just below his ribs. Yuki''s eyes grew wide in the shock with his teeth grinding through the pain. He stumbled backwards after the weapon had been removed. Yuki¡¯s chest took a long slash from a follow up swing by the spear. He collapsed to the ground panting heavily through the fatigue and sore muscles. ¡®Come on! Damn it! Move I refuse to let this be it! Not now!¡¯ ¡°This is over now!¡± Demosthenes brought up his spear, lunging it down at Yuki¡¯s heart for the final blow, but he met resistance. ¡°What?!¡± Yuki¡¯s less injured hand held back his spear. He tried to push in through the invisible force holding him back, but there was more than half a meter between it and Yuki¡¯s hand. ¡°I see, you¡¯re focusing all of your armor into a single area, but that won¡¯t be enough!¡± The spear began to make progress in penetrating the energy slowly digging. Across the field, Saki stared from inside Ayumi¡¯s barrier. ¡®¡­Yuki¡­¡¯ It had left her palms raw from the stress. The fight went badly for Yuki recently, making her muscles burn. She turned back towards Ayumi. ¡°Ayumi! Let me go now!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t, none of us are able to take him on. We have to believe in Yuki!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you care that Yuki is going to die!?¡± She charged for Ayumi with her fists raised up, but was brought to a stop by a wall of ice blocking her path. ¡°Let me go or I¡¯ll hit you so hard you¡¯ll be feeling it next week!¡± ¡°Anger isn¡¯t the answer. You¡¯ll just die!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care! Yuki¡¯s out there alone being killed!¡± Saki became distracted when ice tendrils came up to restrain her. It only made Saki even angrier. She broke the ice with her arms and turned back towards the barrier. Saki ran to the barrier her fists raised up. ¡°Let me out, Ayumi!¡± Her fists slammed the clear barrier echoing through the enclosed space. She kept pounding against the barrier. ¡°It¡¯s useless. It¡¯s far too strong for you to break.¡± She wasn¡¯t thinking anymore continuously pounding her fist against the barrier until it suddenly developed a crack. Her fist rammed into it again, increasing the crack. Ayumi was quickly alerted to the damage and sealed it up quickly. ¡®Impossible! No human could have the strength to break this!¡¯ However, it wasn''t enough as Saki¡¯s fist rammed into the barrier once more creating an even larger crack than before. Ayumi wasn''t fast enough as Saki¡¯s next punch completely shattered the barrier to her utter shock. ¡°Yuki!¡± It was then in that instance that Saki disappeared. The spear broke through the last of the layers and Yuki could no longer hold up his arm. It was the last of his strength that he had used to keep Demosthenes at bay. ¡®No!¡¯ A brief shadow sharply cast over him followed by a loud crunch and thud. The spear was no longer coming at him. In fact, Demosthenes was nowhere to be seen. Yuki fought to focus his eyes on scanning the area until he saw that Saki was standing in front of him. ¡°Saki?¡± Saki turned and helped him up to his feet. ¡°Where is he?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I searched, but I couldn¡¯t find him.¡± ¡°It would seem¡­ neither of us¡­ is in a position to keep fighting.¡± Demosthenes¡¯ voice echoed from all around them. The sound of his voice carried a disguised pain. ¡°I shall retreat for today. Come and face me in our homeland¡­ and prove to me that you¡¯re worthy to be our King.¡± Silence fell over the grounds leaving Yuki and Saki to guess that he had departed. ¡°He retreated? But why, I didn¡¯t defeat him!?¡± ¡°What did you do, Saki?¡± asked Hiroshi coming up behind them. Everyone with them looked out of breath from running the distance to reach them, while Saki looked as she always had. Ayumi was even breathing heavily from the run, but still tried to conceal it. Yuki looked at Hiroshi and then at Saki becoming even more confused. ¡°What¡¯s he talking about, Saki?¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know¡­ I just remember trying to stop that man from killing you and¡­¡± ¡°Saki covered the distance from us to you in less than a second and literally sent the man flying with a single punch,¡± Ayumi said, filling in the details for everyone. However, there was a hint of disbelief in her voice as it seemed impossible. ¡®How did she break my barrier and then run that fast that I couldn¡¯t see her? It¡¯s not possible!¡¯ Saki looked over at Ayumi and the others. ¡°I don¡¯t remember any of that. I¡¯m just relieved that Yuki is safe.¡± Her heart had finally stopped pounding and her muscles could begin to relax. ¡°But he needs you to heal him, Ayumi.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t over yet¡­¡± In the distance, their ruined school stood lined with cracks and shattered windows. ¡°Next time¡­ I will defeat him¡­ Demosthenes¡­¡± Along the first floor and foundation sat a small pile of debris from the created earthquake. The ground itself was whole as though it had never happened, but the building still stood as the reminder. ¡°Need me to punch you in the head, Yuki?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s already off.¡± His school uniform was back on him, though with blood and rips left in them from his battle. ¡°What¡¯re you talking about? No, it¡¯s not. There¡¯s still grass and trees everywhere, even in the streets. See?¡± ¡°I¡¯m certain it¡¯s off.¡± Yuki stood up feeling better, but weak. He could see the school and the neighborhood of houses and small shops all around. However, wherever he looked there was wilderness. The sidewalk, the roads and the gardens all of it was covered like his Field. ¡®Maybe I¡¯m mistaken. I guess there¡¯s only one way to find out.¡¯ He turned towards Saki with uncertainty. ¡°Whack me¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± Ayumi stepped forward stopping Saki mid wind up. She tightened up a fist and knocked him hard. It stunned him enough that it should have worked. Saki looked at her a little confused. ¡°Ayumi?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know yet, but your strength isn¡¯t human anymore. You might¡¯ve killed him.¡± While that shock ran through the crowd, she examined the environment again. ¡°His power is not active. This is permanent...¡± ¡°I thought it was just an illusion!¡± ¡°It is, but he¡¯s made it actually real.¡± ¡°What?!¡± ¡°Hey everyone¡­there¡¯s a strange broadcast coming in on the radio,¡± a male student said, pulling down his headphones that were connected to something in his uniform pocket. ¡°They¡¯re saying something¡¯s happened across Japan. That everything¡¯s been changed!¡± His words spread panic throughout the crowd as everyone began to whisper and talk between each other making wild speculation and guesses. A wave came out from Yuki¡¯s feet followed by him snapping his fingers. A TV summoned on the ground that was immediately broadcasting a news station. ¡°¡­in Ibaraki Prefecture. We only have reports for the Kanto region still, but early signs indicate that the entire country of Japan is no longer as we know it. Strange animals and plants have appeared in numerous areas. It has been described as though every work of fiction, myth and dream has suddenly become reality in Japan!¡± Chapter 61 - Living in the New World The incident at Monou High School left confusion throughout the entire country. No one knew what happened or how it happened. In an instant every single law of nature had been permanently rewritten. Things that couldn¡¯t possibly be explained by science existed as though it was natural. Panic and terror were the first emotions. People were left lost no longer certain what came next. It left the day as an unofficial holiday. No one was willing to do anything in the current state of the country. Connection to Hokkaido and the smaller islands had been completely lost. Nothing was known about the condition or if they were affected. It was determined that only Japan had been affected by the change. There were still many unclear or early reports from the prefectures, but it had already been confirmed that every single main island prefecture had been altered. The only consistency was that they were all different, though some similarities did exist. Several prefectures were altered to have futuristic or science fiction appearances. Even the buildings, vehicles and roads no longer looked like anything from the current level of technology. Robots and cyborgs walked the streets. In other areas, prefectures looked like they belonged to the feudal era and warring states period down to the homes themselves reflecting the period. Fantasy elements were found with even some people altered to fit with the new ¡®themes¡¯. Chaos was the only word that could be used to describe it. For Saki, she understood better than most, even if she still didn''t know why it had happened. Even Ayumi couldn''t give her an answer. They were forced to accept that it was the reality now. However, the cause, Yuki, had gone missing after they saw the news report on the TV. It hadn''t been until the TV disappeared that they knew he was gone. Saki and Ayumi looked everywhere for him, but were forced to give up late into the night. The search for him resumed for Saki the next day, which found her in the downtown area. It was the middle of the week, a school day, but school wasn¡¯t in session. Most schools in town were canceled. It would be a while before they could attend due to the damage that their school had taken. Much of the city took the day off like the rest of the country. It left the normally crowded noon streets of the downtown eerily bare of life. A few people walked around, those in their own way finding a way to deal with the extraordinary situation. Most remained in their homes or alone afraid of the outside. Saki could feel for those that were afraid. She walked downtown, but it was a strange sight for her. It was almost as though the apocalypse had occurred and nature was reclaiming the land. Everywhere in the town grass, flowers and trees were found and yet all of the buildings remained unchanged. It was the only place in the country that managed to remain mostly as it used to be. However, nature grew over everything. They covered a lot of the buildings. Unnaturally tall trees sat in the middle of the street. The town officials tried to clear out the growth, but there was too much to do. Almost no one helped in the work as well. Even if they cleared out the grass and plants they were still going to have to lay down new roads and sidewalks everywhere. It meant for Saki that she had to walk everywhere. Her search started to become wandering aimlessly with the hope that she would find Yuki somewhere. He had Momoko and his brothers worried, having never returned home. She promised Momoko that she would find him and drag him back, but she feared that with how things were that he might never recover. The wandering had brought her to an unpleasantly familiar place, Konomoka General Hospital. ¡°Takako¡­¡± Saki¡¯s mind wandered for a moment recalling her last visit. She was hesitant, but found that her feet moved themselves towards the glass doors to enter the building. Chapter 61 ¨C Living in the New World The interior of the hospital was still well lit. It was one of the strange things, electricity still worked uninterrupted along with any other utilities. Other parts of the country were not nearly so fortunate. Televisions in the lobby still played a local news broadcast. However, no one watched it, just left to run alone. Saki took the elevator up to the twelfth floor. She didn''t remember pushing the button just that it was moving for her now. It left her to her silent thoughts as low dings for the floors played out. ¡®What am I doing here? Should I even be doing this? She probably isn¡¯t even here anymore. The hospital looks empty, but what if they left her here in the confusion. Maybe she needs¡ª¡® The doors slid open cutting off her thought. To her surprise three tall men in business suits stared down at her. ¡®There¡¯s someone here?!¡¯ She stared up at them for several seconds, almost amazed to find another human being. However, the moment soon faded into uneasiness. They had a stern and serious look to their faces that seemed to speak more with their eyes than their mouths. The strangers exuded an unwelcome presence. ¡®What¡¯s with them?¡¯ The awkward minute held until the elevator cut them off by attempting to close the door. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. It was nearly allowed to close between them, giving Saki a sigh of relief, when an arm shot through the narrow gap forcing it open. Saki jumped startled by the sudden movement feeling cornered. Their staring would have continued if one of the men hadn¡¯t moved aside providing an exit for Saki. She gladly accepted. She quickly bowed to them from the side before trying to leave it all behind. ¡°That was weird and a little scary. What was that all about?¡± When she felt that she was far enough away she turned around quickly towards the elevator. ¡°They¡¯re gone¡­creepy¡­¡± She turned back and walked to the counter, surprised to find the nurse from before seated reading a book. The nurse looked up from her book with a smile. ¡°Oh you¡¯re back! Come to visit Miss Yamazaki, again?¡± Saki gave a small nod feeling uneasy about her presence as though she didn''t belong. ¡°Yes, is she still here?¡± ¡°She is,¡± the woman said standing up, going for the keys at the wall. ¡°She¡¯s quite the popular one today.¡± She walked around the counter joining Saki and leading her through the hall. ¡°Those men were here to see her?¡± ¡°No, Dr. Shiotani came to her. He¡¯s still with her.¡± ¡°Then who were those men?¡± ¡°They were with him, but he sent them down. I guess it comes with being part of the Aburakoji Foundation.¡± The name didn''t seem to be familiar to Saki. She gave a look over to the nurse. ¡°What¡¯s the Aburakoji Foundation?¡± ¡°It provides funding to this hospital as well as administration. I hear they support many hospitals across the country.¡± ¡°And Dr. Shiotani is part of that group?¡± ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s a top doctor in neuroscience and he was told about Miss Yamazaki¡¯s condition. So he came to visit her for an early examination to know if he could do anything for her.¡± They reached the door to Takako¡¯s room. The walk had been fairly quiet with none of the patients acting out as they did the last time that Saki visited. It was something that was mostly ignored by her with her focus being on Takako. ¡®It¡¯s mental damage though, can anything be done? It¡¯s not like her brain is broken or something¡­¡¯ She did want Takako to get better, but she wasn''t certain medicine would be able to do it. All of it seemed just to be a little barbaric to her. Though, she just had the images in her mind from movies and shows to go by. ¡°If he¡¯s still here I shouldn¡¯t bother him.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll mind,¡± said the nurse sorting through the keys, ¡°It¡¯ll be good for her to see a familiar face.¡± Saki took a step back feeling the urge to leave growing in her. ¡°Well I¡¯m not that good of a friend to her. We barely know each other. She probably doesn¡¯t want to see me.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be so hard on yourself, Miss. We should cherish all of the friends we have in this world, regardless of how well you know them.¡± Across the city with a residential neighborhood, like so many throughout the city, beautiful forest trees and vines covered everything. A heavy hand draped veils of greenery over every modern structure with the whimsical touch of a child emptying their toy chest. Nothing had a rhyme or reason, trees penetrated homes and strange flowers laid over sidewalks. ¡°¡­sister¡­¡± whispered Fumiko to herself. She had been staring at the picture on her table next to her bed for the last couple of hours. Since school was canceled she felt lost with no direction during the time that she normally was sitting in class listening to a lesson. There was more weighing on her mind than having no direction. Distant empty memories and the fantastical battle of titanic figures forced her to address reality. The impossible, the fictional converted into reality. It brought terrifying prospects, but she accepted it. Wild animals only found in artbooks and covers roamed the city. Panic spread to each corner. Even the house didn¡¯t feel like it would be safe. Their future charted a new course. It actually excited her, the thought of something new. Also, it worried her more how easy it was for her to accept the new reality. Her parents had more difficulty adjusting. They couldn''t use the car and no buses were running either. The train was stuck because the tracks had trees or other plant life growing through it. The entire transportation system was destroyed. They were suddenly forced to walk or pull out their old dusty bikes. It had left them going in circles at the dinner table while she remained in her room. Fumiko sighed before she finally lifted herself up from her bed. Her dark brown hair cascaded down around her shoulders and face hanging free. ¡°I¡¯ve got to do something¡­but what¡­¡± She looked over at her bookshelf that was unruly organized with countless books. ¡°The library¡¯s closed today and I¡¯ve already finished all of the books¡­¡± The early morning and last night had been spent reading through her stack of books. She had nothing to do so it made it easy for her to burn through them all quickly. Unfortunately, her motivation to re-read one of them wasn¡¯t in her. She leaned over to the bedside table and grabbed her hair brush. While she tried to think of something to do she slowly cleaned up her hair. ¡°¡­nothing¡¯s coming to me¡­ It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve been this lost¡­¡± Her mind had still been partially on her sister causing her to briefly flashback through memories. ¡°¡­Kimiko¡­¡± Fumiko stood up from her bed, still brushing her hair. She strolled towards the window. The view of her neighborhood was no different than anywhere else in the town. Trees grew in the street side by side with tall grass and plants. There was a strange looking tree attached to their neighbor¡¯s house that melded with the corner and bent over the roof to expand out to cover the entire lot as though it was providing an umbrella for the family. ¡°Was this all in Yuki¡¯s mind?¡± At the last moment before she turned away, she saw a young girl no more than twelve running through the tall grass almost buried by the height. There was a panicked look in her body that made Fumiko return to the window. A moment later there was a dark shadow that leapt out after the girl barely missing her. ¡°She¡¯s being attacked! I need to help her!¡± Chapter 62 - Staring Down the Beast Fumiko ran through the house quickly with the image of the girl still burned in her mind. The panic in her body pounded at her heart enough to make it burst. ¡®What was that? Was that an animal?¡¯ She didn''t bother closing the door as she turned wide to make it in the direction of the young girl. Once Fumiko made it in view she could see that the girl still ran screaming to anyone that might hear her. Unfortunately, everyone ignored her pleas, too afraid. Behind the girl was a blurred brown-gray mass that looked nothing like what Fumiko had ever seen before. It was significantly larger than the girl and ran on four legs; luck was the only thing that was saving the girl from the creature. ¡®Is that another one of Yuki¡¯s creations in this world?¡¯ The creature let out a deep roar that caused her to trip in her fleeing. Fumiko was still too far away from the two being forced to watch as the girl was cornered by the predator. While Fumiko was tall and had long legs she was hardly athletic, a fact that she was cursing now. ¡®I¡¯m too far away still! I won¡¯t make it!¡¯ Her shriek drowned out the roar, when the animal¡¯s claws ripped across the girl. It tore into flesh and clothes. ¡°Stop it!¡± Fumiko looked around quickly, still running, to find a palm sized stone in the tall grass. She picked it up and threw it at the animal without considering the consequences. There was a dull thud as the stone hit the back of the animal and bounced off almost unaffected by the weight. The animal turned its head a little trying to figure out what had happened. It had bought Fumiko enough time to finish the distance and slid around in front, putting her back to the beast. ¡°You¡¯re safe now.¡± The little girl coughed briefly, still trying to adjust to the new situation. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°You can just think of me as a Big Sister!¡± Fumiko spun around, narrowing her eyes in determination to stand against the beast that was nearly as tall as she. Chapter 62 ¨C Staring Down the Beast Her brave words only confused the girl further as she tried to collect herself. The girl crawled away on her back pushing with her legs through the grass away from Fumiko. A foul odor breathed out from the animal¡¯s mouth like a fine mist of tendrils. ¡°Pl-Ple-Please¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be alright.¡± She sounded confident in what she was saying. Yet Fumiko could feel the uncontrollable terror creeping through his skin. The thing before her was something that she could only imagine, and that scared her. This was not a simple bully or guy coming on too heavy. She faced a monster with pure carnal desires breathing down her merely held back by whim. The four legged beast pawed its forelegs at the ground throwing back grass. Its brown short fur that covered the entire body was interspersed with thick gray hair like strains that grew along its spine undulating about with a mind of their own. The first pair of eyes was set in front of the face while a second pair were at the side all focused on Fumiko. A quick sniffing of the air by its wide and elongated nose looked for the fear that she tried to conceal. The head of the animal was larger than half of her body with a mouth that looked like it could snap her in two with only one bite. Several large fangs, three times thicker than her even her thumb, in the front were pushed out and exposed giving a clue to what the rest of the mouth would look like. Fumiko slid a foot back as the seconds ticked away for her. She felt cornered knowing that she couldn¡¯t run and couldn''t fight with nothing but her fists. Unfortunately, time had run out as the creature ceased its hesitation and lashed out with heavy paws, claws already extended. She had only moments to react. Moving on instinct, she turned away from attack trying to get into the grass. Her waist took most of the claws dragging through her blouse and flesh quickly turning the blue cloth reddish violet. Fumiko let out a short yelp trying to hide the pain. The child stared up at her pleading with her eyes. She could only scream through her hands. Fumiko forced her eyes to focus on the girl already quickly becoming overcome by the pain. ¡®I wish Yuki was here¡­he would be able to do something about this¡­¡¯ The girl suddenly stretched out her hands towards Fumiko. It snapped her mind back narrowing on the problem before her. ¡®No! I¡¯m here and I have to do something!¡¯ ¡°Can you run?¡± The little girl gave her a quick nod with uncertainty. ¡°Good¡­ When I say to, start running to the nearest house¡­¡± The next strike for Fumiko came. She dropped herself down into the dirt. Missing surprised the beast for only a moment, but Fumiko was already turning around with a thick clump of dirt and grass in her left hand. She tossed the clump at the face of the animal. ¡°Run!¡± The animal let out an annoyed roar. Fumiko was hit by the back of the foreleg in the wild swings knocking her through the grass. The girl had stopped in her steps hearing Fumiko being struck. ¡°Big Sister!¡± ¡°No! Run away!¡± Fumiko struggled to get back to her feet, but the last hit she took had knocked the wind out of her as well as her balance. She dropped back into the grass as the animal¡¯s berserk rage drew close to crush her under foot. Disobeying Fumiko, the girl met with her kneeling in the grass. She tried pulling on Fumiko¡¯s arms to get her away from the animal. Fumiko tried to insist that she run away on her own, but the girl refused. ¡°Please, Big Sister!¡± ¡®Big Sister!¡¯ echoed a voice in her mind. Fumiko¡¯s eyes grew wide for a moment as she thought she saw someone familiar to her in place of the girl. The image faded away from her, but the encouragement from the girl was enough. It was just in time as the animal¡¯s out of control stomping thundered next to her feet. Fumiko made it to her feet and fled the area into a neighbor¡¯s property that became overgrown with vines. She paused at the corner of the house looking back towards her own house. ¡®I hope it doesn¡¯t follow us, but what if there are more of them around¡­¡¯ Fumiko turned to look down at the girl to check on her. The girl started to cry with one hand hanging tightly onto her torn blouse. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s the matter? We¡¯ll be safe now!¡± ¡°But you¡¯re hurt because of me!¡± Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Is that all?¡± Fumiko softly patted the girl on the head to try to ease her pain. ¡°I chose to help you, you didn¡¯t make me. So you shouldn¡¯t feel that this is your fault.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡° ¡°More importantly, how are you feeling? The monster got you once.¡± Fumiko knelt down to look at the clothes and to see how badly she was injured. The green and white one piece dress was only partially soaking up the blood. ¡°Does it hurt?¡± ¡°No¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re very brave. I¡¯m Fumiko, what¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Mieko¡­¡± Fumiko gave the girl a reassuring smile to try to comfort her a little. ¡°Alright then, you ready to go? We probably shouldn¡¯t stay here much longer.¡± ¡°Big Sister Fumiko¡­¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Mieko grabbed tightly onto Fumiko¡¯s blouse, her fear transferring through her hands. ¡°Is there anywhere safe?¡± ¡°If we can make it to my house we should be safe, but we¡¯ll have to go through the back. You up for that?¡± ¡°¡­yes¡­¡± Fumiko stood up and led her through the sidewalk around the house into the back. On cue it seemed, a pounding thunder could be felt through the earth as the creature came running down. It had put some urgency in their steps rushing to the back wall that divided all of the properties. Fumiko checked behind them to see the creature speed past the house. ¡®It¡¯s lost us¡­but we should stay in the back just in case¡­¡¯ Mieko was the first up on the wall with Fumiko¡¯s help. The height was less of an effort for Fumiko as she joined the girl. There was a narrow path on the wall mostly covered by plants or vines, but the house was only a few lots away from them. However, a familiar growl from behind him forced their gaze back. They were just in time to see the beast leap into the air clearing the wall effortlessly, three houses down, having rediscovered their scent. ¡®It found us?!¡¯ The two of them froze for a moment, unable to believe what they were seeing. A creature so large was able to move so smoothly through the air. ¡°R-Run!¡± The plant covered path threatened to trip them. Mieko had already been caught by Fumiko once from falling. However, when Fumiko looked back she saw that the brown-gray beast was getting even closer to them. It made her lose her footing and nearly sprained her ankle to keep herself up. She had to bite through the pain as they were almost to her house. In the last neighbor¡¯s back area was a shelf of potted plants that escaped being reclaimed. Fumiko slid to a halt at the shelf and bent down to pick one up. ¡®I¡¯m sorry, please forgive me!¡¯ She waited until the beast was about to leap again and threw the clay pot, less than a house away from them. Already enraged and on scent, the animal didn¡¯t try to avoid the flying object. It shattered instantly on its hard head covering its entire face with potting dirt and a large leaf plant. The blindness and shock prevented it from leaping, but all of its momentum remained and crashed into the wall. Fumiko sighed quickly, but it was soon. She could hear cracking just before the entire wall around the beast exploded into shards followed by the traveling earthquake-like force through the rest of the wall. Fumiko and Mieko were unable to keep their balance, falling backwards away from Fumiko¡¯s house while the beast continued to charge unhindered by the wall and collide with their family¡¯s wall. An exposed root in her back and Mieko safely on top of her, Fumiko wasn¡¯t certain if she should be sighing in relief that they were still alive. She lifted her head up to look down at Mieko. Her small frame could be felt shaking through into Fumiko without seeing her face. ¡°Everything¡¯s fine Mieko. We¡¯re still alive, right?¡± ¡°¡­mmhmm¡­¡± The deafening noise unseen on the other side of the wall was only heightening her anxiety. She could not see what was happening, but hearing it was making it seem even worse. It seemed hopeless. Fumiko lifted Mieko back up to her feet. She could only see smoke and debris from the wake of the creature. Being halted had only served to increase its anger. It moved once more and roared loud enough to rattle the windows. It felt as though it was piercing her down to her bones making them shake and crack from merely below. ¡®I thought being in a house would be safe, but a stone and brick wall wasn¡¯t even enough! What do I do?!¡¯ She turned around to look down at Mieko. ¡°Can you still run?¡± ¡°¡­I-I don¡¯t know¡­ We can¡¯t escape it! And there¡¯s nothing to protect us from it!¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be alright! You trust your Big Sister Fumiko, right?¡± ¡°¡­mmm¡­¡± The hesitation from Mieko made Fumiko try comforting her again. Mieko latched onto her quickly making it difficult for her to move around. ¡°I¡¯m scared, Big Sister Fumiko¡­¡± Fumiko gave her another pat on the head hoping to ease her. ¡°I¡¯m here to keep you safe. Nothing will happen to you!¡± Fumiko managed a warm smile for her to give her strength. The ragged little girl nodded more certain now. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here!¡± They escaped from Fumiko¡¯s house through the narrow path into the grass street. Behind them the thunder of the beast rose once more. Their head start didn¡¯t last as the beast barreled through the house they had just left, taking out a large corner of the home itself. Dust and debris settled behind it as it turned towards its targets once more. Fumiko had only looked back quickly at it to know how far away they were. ¡®I say all that, but I honestly don¡¯t know what we can do¡­¡¯ ¡®¡­Big Sister!¡¯ There was a distant tug on her arm that made her feel as though she was hearing voices again. Her heart pounded in her chest more from uncertainty and desperation than fatigue. She wasn''t used to all this running, but it didn''t seem to slow her down. ¡®I have to keep her safe¡­ But I¡¯ve never felt this¡­¡¯ The blood in her veins ran cold with her mind unable to get the images out of her of what she saw that thing do. ¡®¡­scared¡­¡¯ ¡®How am I going to get out of this?¡¯ Losing their distance Fumiko turned them down the new street hoping to gain some of their safety. Unfortunately, the large animal cleared the corner of the wall and actually put it even closer to them. ¡®¡­this thing wants blood! I can¡¯t stop it and I can¡¯t outrun it!¡¯ ¡°Big Sister!¡± Mieko cried as she tripped. Fumiko lifted her into her arms. She turned down the next street running close to the property wall. However, the beast ignored it and crashed through. Debris and greenery from the explosive impact of the animal flew up around them. All of the confusion threw up pieces at Fumiko with most missing her, but a couple struck her in the head and arm separating Mieko from her. ¡®Big Sister!¡¯ A faint image of another girl laid over Mieko''s flying body. Her eyes already started to lose focus before her head smashed against the edge of the bordering wall. It dropped her painfully like a doll face first in the grass and dirt hovering around consciousness. ¡®¡­Kimiko¡­¡¯ Fumiko tried to stretch out her arm in the direction that she thought Mieko was seeing a brownish blur moving away. ¡°Big Sister!¡± screamed Mieko panicked as she was being cornered by the animal against the wall. She looked around, settling deeply into fear when she saw Fumiko lying on the ground looking dead to her. ¡°Big Sister! Please help me!¡± ¡®Big Sister!¡¯ ¡°Big Sister!¡± ¡®¡­Big Sister¡­¡¯ The dull ringing in Fumiko¡¯s ears made it impossible for her to hear anything. All she could hear was an echoing familiar voice in her mind. ¡®¡­Kimiko? Sister¡­ Where¡¯s Mieko?¡¯ There were suddenly images flashing through her mind, all of them covered in blood almost impossible to see clearly. ¡®Sister! I promised I¡¯d protect you! Mieko?! I must¡­ I can¡¯t let another one down!¡¯ Fumiko pushed herself back to her feet struggling with blood dripping down the side of her face. She straightened up starting to stagger towards the animal with her eyes becoming sharper and determined. A glow appeared to reflect in her deep green eyes as her hair began to blow around her. ¡°Not again!¡± Her voice seemed to have a percussion affection on the area ringing out through the area. The walls that divided the houses developed cracks quickly expanding from her position as the windows were next, shattering to pieces. As though there was a force underneath the ground, the fragile cracking walls caused them to explode into debris flying up into the air away from Fumiko. The glow that had been in her eyes was expanding to cover her entire body in a light orange-green hue that slowly bled off her twisting into the wind above her. They became tendrils that played through the air leaving a trail behind. At first only a circle, but then two intersecting triangles before strange letters appeared accompanied by pictographs. It began to flash and glow moving to the animal unleashing a fiery column upon it. Fumiko didn¡¯t know what was going on trapped in the moment with her eyes growing wide in shock and confusion. ¡°Yuki?! Is that you?¡± Chapter 63 - The Dreamers Wish Fumiko tried to come to terms with what just happened. Everything froze for her at that moment. She had figured he would say something to her or be visible, but there was no one else. ¡®Where is Yuki? That was him wasn¡¯t it?¡¯ The smoke from the attack blew out into the area blinding the three momentarily. However, the beast turned in the smoke with its attention brought on Fumiko. A deep roar sounded through the smoke announcing its intention. Fumiko, still disoriented from her fall, took her a few moments to realize that the animal targeted her. ¡®It thinks I hurt it?! But I didn¡¯t do anything!¡¯ The smoke began to be pulled away in sheets. She started backing up nervously with the massive creature stalking towards her. ¡®It¡¯s almost like I can feel its killing intent! I think it would have let us escape before if we were too much trouble, but now¡­now it¡¯s not going to stop until one of us is dead!¡¯ Chapter 63 ¨C The Dreamer¡¯s Wish The beast clawed at the ground keeping pace with Fumiko¡¯s uneasy retreat. It was only caution that forestalled its attack. A deep wound burned into its fur and flesh in a circular pattern that still steamed. The animal dug into the dirt before charging towards her. ¡®¡­I¡¯m going to die! Why isn¡¯t Yuki doing anything?!¡¯ Instinctively, Fumiko put out her hands and closed her eyes with the creature speeding towards her. The impact occurred immediately with a heavy pressure surrounding Fumiko. All she could manage was a prolonged scream of pain as she was dragged along. Brick flew past her in an explosion of debris. The beast smashed her through several more dividing walls. Once it stopped her body continued through someone¡¯s house. Stunned, Fumiko laid on her back in some stranger¡¯s living room. All around her furniture tossed up outlining the path of destruction. Fumiko felt lightheaded from the tumultuous ride. She slowly opened her eyes trying to take in her new surroundings. ¡°How¡¯d I get in here?! Where am I?¡± Chaos flanked her. Ruin was sewn into each corner. ¡°How¡¯s this possible? I should be dead!¡± Fumiko cautiously walked over to hole verifying reality. A crumbling piece of wallboard suddenly fell, startling her. ¡°Am I dead then? Is this the afterlife? It can¡¯t be!¡± She turned her head around the room with a panicked expression nearly in tears thinking about being dead. ¡°What the hell¡¯s going on here?!¡± yelled a deep voice from an adjoining room. ¡°That you, Hajime?¡± Soon there were footsteps echoing from a distance as the owner of the house was coming to check on the noise. It was at that moment that Fumiko realized that she was in someone else¡¯s home uninvited. Everything on her froze in terror, her mouth still hung open. ¡®If I¡¯m dead they can¡¯t see me! Right?! Right?¡¯ Fumiko didn¡¯t know how to act as the middle-aged man stepped in staring at Fumiko like a thief caught in the middle of a crime. The two stared at each other only managing to blink. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°You can see me?!¡± ¡°Of course I can see you!¡± ¡°Ah?!¡± Fumiko jumped about the wrecked room becoming even more flustered by realizing it was all real. She turned down at herself, poking herself having to check reality one more. ¡°Seems real¡­and I still have feet, I must not be dead!¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s pretty clear, Miss.¡± The man started to become a little impatient with Fumiko as well as question her sanity. Fumiko pulled at her clothes trying to examine her body for any new injuries, but all she was feeling were the claw marks from earlier. ¡°What happened to me?!¡± ¡°¡­more importantly¡­my house!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! I went through the house!¡± ¡°You did this to my house?!¡± She turned back toward him in surprise realizing that she had trashed half his house with what she had done. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry, sir! I apologize for the damage that I¡¯ve caused to your house!¡± ¡°How¡ª¡° Everything was cut off as the beast burst through the house putting an even larger hole in and plowing through the rest of the house. Fumiko had barely managed to dive out of the way, knocking down the slightly overweight man with her. Debris slammed into her back covering her as the animal cleared through the rest of the house a second later. Once the house had settled into a creaking hum Fumiko pushed herself up out of the pile of broken wood, ceramic and wallboard. Destroyed furniture was collected on the exit hole of the house while broken pipes poured out water upon a cluttered floor. Along the walls exposed wires sparked among insulation and whining wood studs. A thin layer of dust left the house feeling foggy catching on the sunlight pouring through the exposed wall. The room that they laid in let out a loud groan that preceded the collapse of the remainder of an interior wall. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Are you hurt, sir?¡± ¡°My house!¡± He jumped out moving quickly about his house looking at the damage. Each part only made him even more depressed than the last. ¡°Sir! It¡¯s okay! You¡¯re still alive, but I think¡ª¡° ¡°What¡¯d you know?! You don¡¯t know anything!¡± ¡°But sir! It isn¡¯t safe¡ª¡° ¡°I only got five years left on the house before it¡¯s paid off!¡± His remarks stunned her for a moment. ¡°Your house isn¡¯t safe anymore! And that¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about?!¡± Fumiko started to pull on his arm trying to get him out of his house before anything happened. ¡°You¡¯re not a homeowner! You¡¯d never understand!¡± He threw her away from him storming back into the center of the house until another series of groans were heard around them. The situation was made even worse by the piercing growl of the beast outside of the house. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing out there you dumb dog!?¡± He threw a part of what used to be a chair through the hole at the beast, which it dodged skillfully. The fearlessness or perhaps the obliviousness left Fumiko staring blankly. She tried to make a run for the middle-aged man, but the animal leapt forward crashing into the house. It had taken her actions as a sign of attack. Fumiko debris came flying at her in a whirlwind with the large gaping mouth of the beast charging straight at her. It looked like it was trying to bite down on her as it was attacking her.. She couldn¡¯t help but close her eyes in fear. Fumiko held her hands out in weak defense of her body. A high pressure feeling surrounded again as she broke through walls. While it continued Fumiko began to question what was happening to her. She could understand that she wasn''t being hurt somehow. Fumiko tempted her fate just to see what was happening. A stunned gasp came from her lips as her face grew wide in confusion and panic. ¡°What¡¯s happening to me?!¡± Her body glowed a purple hue with a sphere enclosed around her. The sphere was rapidly being spun continuously by ribbons of light covered with deeply intricate lines and letters. When the beast could see that it failed to reach Fumiko it came to a stop once more. The momentum carried her through a stone wall before the sphere disappeared. She beheld the destruction behind the animal through several homes feeling for what had happened. The beast started approaching her, not sparing her time for sympathy. ¡°Is this not Yuki¡¯s doing?¡± It began to fit into place in her mind. ¡®That was¡­me? All of it?¡¯ Fumiko tried to search through her body. She moved around and flexed her muscles to see if anything felt different to her, yet nothing seemed to be out of place. ¡°It¡¯s not¡­possible¡­¡± Possible or not was not a question that the animal asked. Its roar alerted Fumiko to the incoming attack. The massive feet were extended out bearing the claws to go for a straightforward attack. In Fumiko¡¯s mind, she couldn¡¯t think as panic washed it all blank. She threw out her hands towards the bounding creature. ¡®If it¡¯s me then please¡­ Please! Attack!¡¯ A warm white glow from her hands burst forth expanding until it turned light blue. It drew from her body as thin threads of blue light spun around her arms like ribbons. The light gained form as a blue flaming orb wrapped tightly in ribbons of light embroidered with delicate designs of line work and characters. There were only moments left to spare when it launched from her palms. An explosion of light blinded Fumiko when the orb crashed into the animal¡¯s chest. The breaking and tearing of the nearby house came through the flare. Fading light allowed a shadowed figure to be seen being flung away causing an even louder crash. Fumiko blinked once, still trying to understand what had happened in that moment. A broken path of gouged dirt ran through the grass. In the distance there were low moans from the animal in pain. ¡°Is it over?¡± As Fumiko cautiously approached the loud wheezing of the wounded animal, the hind legs twitched quickly making her stop. Her anxiety mounted with her own breathing becoming shallow and quick following her pounding heart and sweating skin. She pursed her lips in hesitation. ¡®Come on, Fumiko¡­ Just a little¡ª¡® The thought was sharply cut when the body of the creature flung itself up. Blood poured out of its gaping hole in its chest showing off exposed bone. Seeing it was enough to make Fumiko throw up if terror had not gripped her. ¡°You¡¯re still alive?! What are you?!¡± Fumiko backed herself away slowly from the animal hoping that she could escape without drawing its attention. The hope was quickly dashed though as it caught sight of her and started into a full blind rage run at her. Fumiko immediately began to run away with only seconds of a head start. She threw her arm back towards the charging beast hoping that it would happen again. Nothing came leaving her in silent embarrassment. Running was the only thing left to her as she was able to dodge to the side of the charge in time leaving the beast to turn itself around. It gave her enough time to try again and fail. ¡°Dammit! Why isn¡¯t it working now?!¡± A strange game of chase and dodge began between the two as Fumiko¡¯s frustration increased. There were a few close calls, but she was somehow able to keep ahead of it. She pulled up her hand while she was fleeing and began to yell at it. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you working for me?! I¡¯m going to die here! Help me!¡± Silence only rang out at her as she came to an unfortunate realization (she was yelling at her hand). ¡®What¡¯s wrong with me¡­¡¯ The dire situation pressed her through the embarrassment and back to trying to make it work for her. She casted out her hand attempting it another time. ¡°Maybe I need to say a keyword¡­ It sort of looks like magic.¡± Her eyes narrowed seriously as she focused on it. ¡°Blue Fireball!¡± Nothing came. ¡°Fireball! Fire! Blue orb fire thingy!¡± Still nothing happened. Sweat quickly followed up as she panicked. ¡°Nothing¡¯s working!¡± Fumiko¡¯s panic was spreading through her body as the beast was catching up to her. It looked like it wasn''t going to miss her. The terror poured through her limbs making them feel like lead. Paralysis had set in for Fumiko. However, the beast suddenly turned directions away from her and fell over sliding through the grass leaving bent stems as it came to a stop. Fumiko had to blink and check herself to see if she was dreaming it. ¡°What happened?¡± She rushed over to a safe distance to look at the animal. ¡°It¡¯s dead? Just like that?!¡± Approaching the beast carefully, Fumiko could see that it stopped breathing. Away from it there was a long trail of blood. Once it was confirmed Fumiko collapsed to her knees with relief. ¡°Mieko!¡± She remembered the reason that she had done everything. It gave her the energy to move one last time and begin running down the grass street feverishly searching for the house that she had been left at. The sound of wood and metal collapsing pulled over Fumiko¡¯s eyes. A house coughed up a cloud of smoke revealing a darkened figure inside. ¡°¡­Big Sister¡­¡± ¡°Mieko!¡± Fumiko ran over to the smoke without thinking. The little girl fell over coming out of the gray cloud, an exhausted expression on her face. Panic subsumed Fumiko as she examined Mieko followed with relief finding she was just unconscious. Fumiko carried her back to her house. ¡®I¡¯m so happy that she¡¯s safe now!¡¯ The house seemed to be far more alive than when Fumiko had left. When she entered carrying Mieko with her both of Fumiko¡¯s parents were standing in the hallway looking across at her trying to hold back their fears. ¡°Fumiko! Are you okay?!¡± her mother quickly shouted in the process of running over to check her over. Fumiko held her back a little, making insistence that Mieko¡¯s care came first. They all moved over to an empty bedroom that was still lightly furnished. Mieko was given the bed to rest on while Fumiko¡¯s parents turned back towards Fumiko. ¡°What happened out there, Fumiko?¡± asked her father trying to keep up a stoic appearance. She turned away looking towards the corner of the bedroom looking guilty. Her hands were shaking at her side trying to keep herself together. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re hurt too!¡± Her mother tried to reach for Fumiko to help her. Fumiko forced herself back away from her parents. ¡°You have to tell us, Fumiko! Was it the strange plants outside?¡± ¡°¡­No! I don¡¯t know!¡± Fumiko¡¯s father stepped around to get in front of her, forcing her to look at one of them. She tried to turn from him, but his hand reached out for her. The stress that he felt pulsed through his palm connecting with her. ¡°We¡¯re worried about you! So please tell us what happened!¡± She walked around them going for the door before interrupted again. ¡°Please, you don¡¯t have to tell us, but at least let us tend to those injuries, Fumiko!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it myself!¡± Fumiko marched into the hall and to her room. The door slammed behind her as she dropped against the door. ¡®Why¡¯d you have to use her room?¡¯ She slid down the door until the floor stopped her. Tears were already streaming down her cheeks with her face being buried in her legs. Images of Mieko flashed through her mind as she remembered a new wound on Mieko when she carried her back. Part of her clothes had looked as though they had been burned away and the skin was blister severely from at least second degree burns. Fumiko dug her face deeper into her legs wishing for it to go away. ¡®¡­why me¡­ ¡­because of me¡­ ¡­I hurt¡­¡¯ Her hands tightened around her legs as she thought about what she was thinking. ¡®¡­Mieko¡­ ¡­just like Kimiko¡­¡¯ Chapter 64 - The Returning Departures There was little sound in the hall of the hospital building a thick atmosphere. It had already been tense with Saki and the nurse, yet their conversation only made it worse. The suffocating atmosphere left a silent wall around Saki that buried the deep panic in her mind. ¡®Why am I hesitating? What¡¯s this that I¡¯m feeling?¡¯ It felt like something invisible wrapped around her body. The nurse flipped through the loop of keys to find the one for Takako¡¯s room. ¡°You ready, Miss?¡± Saki¡¯s blank look went mostly unnoticed by the nurse. The door quietly swung open into the white padded room. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to intrude, Dr. Shiotani! Miss Yamazaki has a visitor.¡± Across the room near the opposite corner was a man crouched down distracted by the patient in front of him. He wore a white button up shirt and formal business pants. There was a sense of professionalism coming from him, but also an air of informality that preferred to be more hands-on. It was a conflicting image. ¡°Doctor?¡± the nurse repeated once more before starting to turn back towards Saki. ¡°Really caught in his work¡­¡± She returned to the hall where Saki waited. ¡°Miss? Miss Furukawa?¡± The nurse reached out to Saki, taking her hands softly to get her attention. It had been the physical contact that snapped Saki out of the crippling trance. ¡°¡­eh? I¡¯m sorry! I must have spaced out for a moment.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, Miss. This can be an unsettling place for people.¡± The woman moved aside, inviting Saki into the room. ¡°The Doctor is still examining her, but you can wait inside.¡± ¡°You sure it¡¯s okay?¡± The nurse nodded politely to her. ¡®What was with that before? It was almost tangible¡­¡¯ Saki eventually took the step and entered the bright cell. She had to adjust her eyes a little to the difference from the hall. The entire room was quiet. It gave her an awkward feeling like an intruder in someone¡¯s house. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for interrupting you, sir!¡± Saki had quickly bowed to the back of the man trying to make her presence known. However, there was no further response other than the empty out of place feeling. ¡°¡­I-I¡¯ll just wait here¡­¡± The doctor continued without any movement it seemed. She patiently waited and wondered if she should be doing this with Yuki missing. When the time finally came for the doctor to move Saki reacted quickly by standing up. The man turned towards Saki. Shiotani was a young man still from his appearance, but had a mature, experienced look in his eyes. The striped tie that he wore was pulled loose around his neck with the top button of his shirt undone. He looked worn or fatigued, but Saki couldn¡¯t tell which. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I bothered you, sir!¡± However, she soon realized that the doctor wasn''t even looking at her. He had probably not even known that she was standing before. Shiotani walked to the door before it seemed to fully register. Once he turned his eyes he came to a stop. He shifted himself back to face Saki, reading her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I didn¡¯t notice you.¡± ¡°Oh no, that¡¯s okay! You were doing something very important!¡± ¡°Still it was rude of me.¡± Shiotani began to run this hand through his hair while approaching Saki. ¡°You¡¯ll have to forgive me. I have a tendency to zone out while I¡¯m working.¡± A friendly smile grew on his lips as he looked a little embarrassed for admitting his weakness. Saki became a little flustered by the man¡¯s openness. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, sir!¡± For a brief moment Saki¡¯s eyes darted over to Takako before returning to Shiotani. He had picked up on Saki¡¯s concern. It was hard to tell that she was a healthy high school student only two weeks ago. ¡°A friend of yours?¡± ¡°Eh? Oh I guess you could say that¡­we¡¯re probably more trackmates to her than friends¡­¡± ¡°She must be important to you¡­¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Saki¡¯s mind began to wander. ¡®Is she important to me? Why did I come back?¡¯ She focused on Takako hoping for an answer. ¡®¡­I guess she is¡­¡¯ The presence of the doctor snapped her back and reset her thoughts. It was then that she jumped startled by a realization and bowed quickly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t introduce myself! I¡¯m Saki Furukawa!¡± Shiotani waved off Saki¡¯s formality, presenting a shy smile. ¡°It¡¯s fine Miss Furukawa! I don¡¯t mind!¡± He felt compelled to return the act though and bowed back to put her at ease. ¡®¡­Furukawa¡­so she¡¯s the Furukawa¡¯s daughter¡­eldest if I remember¡­explains a lot¡­¡¯ The air was still a little awkward between them, but he tried to turn his smile into a friendly one again. ¡°I¡¯m Doctor Masanori Shiotani, pleasure to meet you.¡± Chapter 64 ¨C The Returning Departures Across the town at the Tsuji Shrine things haven''t changed as much physically. The surrounding area looked like it went back into the feudal era with nature in control rather than man over the environment. It was like the rest of the town. Activity in the shrine increased since yesterday. Normally, light on business the entire shrine grounds were crowded with worried people. Many that had hardly ever been very devoted followers suddenly wanted advice and safety. The unknowns had frightened them and sought comfort. It meant that Seiji¡¯s grandfather was never allowed to rest. Shoji was too young and inexperienced to help in the same capacity as that of their grandfather, but he had found his own way to help. Whole families were on the grounds meaning there were numerous children running around. Shoji kept them mostly entertained playing with them using some of the things in their shed, which held all of the ceremonial tools. It was enough to keep them busy and quieter through the shrine. However, the one that should have been helping their grandfather was missing, Seiji. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Hrmph¡­¡± Seiji strolled down the thick ass grass pathway a few blocks away from the shrine. He left in the morning having had enough of the damn crowds. Doing the ¡®Shinto thing¡¯ was never for him, but could help a little. By morning his patience ran out and he needed to be alone. The solitude of the neighborhood was depressing as hell to see. All of the damn overgrown plant life got in his way. ¡°There really is no end to this¡­ Shit, it¡¯s almost too hard to believe¡­¡± He dug his hands into his blue jeans pockets and tried to shuffle on, but the damn nagging feeling in his head grew stronger. Seiji took a turn up the street, what used to be one, sending him further away from the shrine. The short walk up it ended with him abruptly coming to a stop. His eyebrows narrowed in frustration. ¡°No! No! ¡­NO!¡± He pulled at his legs to move forward, but he could only manage a few steps before he stopped again. ¡°Damn! Shit! I hate this!¡± Seiji turned around looking towards the damn shrine. ¡°Dammit!¡± Seiji marched up the steps of the Tsuji Shrine. He already heard the low murmurs of the crowds. The thought of having to listen to their stupid asses was already making him regret turning around. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m doing this¡­¡± His hand sunk deeper into his blue jean¡¯s pocket causing him to slouch a little. The further he went up the stairs the slower his walking became. Near the top, Seiji came to a stop staring up at the torii. Seiji turned his head away looking towards the stone steps. Near his foot there was a small ass rock, most likely dislodged from traffic. A puff of frustrated air came out of Seiji mouth before he kicked the rock away into the surrounding forest. ¡°¡­time to get an ear full from the damn old man¡­¡± The remaining few steps quickly finished and Seiji stood atop the hill. He already lowered his eyelids in annoyance from seeing all of the damn people. ¡°There¡¯s even more of them than before¡­ Man, this is a pain in the ass¡­¡± Seiji began to turn around back towards the stairs, reconsidering his decision. Unfortunately for him he did not have enough time. ¡°Boy! Where have you been for the last six hours?!¡± His grandfather¡¯s voice could pass through stone and still be hard clear. Once his voice had managed to entangle Seiji where he stood, their grandfather marched out from the smaller shrine off the side of the approach. Seiji made a slow and awkward turn towards the old bastard. He tried to convert his troubles into a mask of pleasantness, but it only partially worked for him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, old man?¡± A disguised sigh came from his lips calculating his next move. ¡°I just got back from escorting a family to their home. They were feeling uneasy about going back alone out there so I walked them back.¡± The lie was played and their grandfather measured it out. He searched Seiji¡¯s for hints of the truth. ¡°It took you six hours to walk them back?¡± The shitty test had begun. ¡°They lived really far away.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me you were leaving?¡± ¡°I did, but you know how busy we¡¯ve been today.¡± There was a hint of electricity in the air from their friction. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you in the robes if you were on official business?¡± ¡®Damn old man, persistent to the end¡­¡¯ Seiji rotated his arm a little like he was stretching. ¡°Those things are stuffy and annoying to move around in. If I¡¯m supposed to be protecting them I want to be able to move.¡± ¡°Watch your mouth, boy! You must follow the traditions regardless of your discomfort! Go and get back in them now!¡± Sparks were almost visible to the passing people, turning them away out of fear. Seiji crossed his arms and leaned over to his loud ass grandfather. ¡°I can do my work without them just the same, old man!¡± ¡°¡­why you¡­¡± The defiance from Seiji started to make their grandfather burn with anger. He may have been short, but his presence normally made Seiji back off. Unfortunately, Seiji stood his ground longer than usual. ¡°You¡¯re back, brother!¡± Shoji shouted across half of the shrine grounds. The noise disruption broke all of the low murmuring from the people visiting. It also drew their attention towards the fight. Gaining a lot of unwanted interest, they broke apart and cleared themselves up before Shoji arrived. Seiji knelt down to receive his kid brother, overjoyed to see Seiji. ¡®The old man¡¯s got him wearing the robes too now¡­ No, actually I bet Shoji begged to wear them¡­¡¯ The size was a little big on Shoji from Seiji¡¯s eye. ¡°How¡¯s it going, Shoji?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been tons of fun! I¡¯m finally getting to show off all of the training from Grandfather, Seiji!¡± Shoji''s face beamed with excitement simply talking about it. He bounced around in front of Seiji holding out the couple of tools of their trade. The most predominant was the baton with paper streamers. Seiji gave him a warm smile not wanting to upset his brother. ¡°I see!¡± He tried to start making more of an effort to not fight with their grandfather in front of him. Most of the items in his hand disappeared into his baggy sleeves, but some paper talismans remained. ¡°Hey Seiji, check this out!¡± Shoji held up a single talisman near to his forehead with his eyes closed. In a swift fluid motion the paper straightened out and his arm threw the talisman across the open grounds. It came to a stop on a pillar of the main house where it stuck firmly. Shoji looked back up at Seiji glowing. ¡°See! It¡¯s just like in those manga Yuki showed me one time! It took me all morning to get it to work!¡± ¡°That¡¯s impressive, Shoji!¡± Seiji gave Shoji a pat on the head. He caught a glance of their grandfather looking like he had just been split in two. In the old man¡¯s eyes Shoji was wasting their supplies by playing around and littering their home. The thought made Seiji laugh a little on the inside. ¡°I¡¯m going to go get changed. I think you have some new visitors, Grandfather.¡± Seiji distracted him to save Shoji from a lecture. Their grandfather had turned to greet the new visitors; Seiji walked off with Shoji. He sent Shoji back to play with the children while he entered the house. Inside their home was the only empty ass place in the shrine grounds. In his room were his clothes resting on a hanger waiting for him. Seiji may not have been a real Shinto Priest, but seeing him in the robes gave comfort to the patrons. Providing counsel wasn¡¯t his talent. He sure as hell made an extra effort to keep himself hidden from anyone that might recognize him (he had an image to keep). He reached out touching the linen and silk layers feeling some hesitation. It was only to stop the damn fighting. ¡®It¡¯s times like this when I wish you would have taken us with you mother when you left¡­ Shoji likes this sort of life, but I¡¯m more like you¡­ You could never accept it¡­¡¯ Seiji grumbled to himself trying to shake out the shitty past. A few minutes later Seiji stepped out of his room in full robes including the peaked hat. ¡®So uncool¡­really¡­old man¡­bastard¡­¡¯ The phrase ¡®wearing your emotions on your sleeve¡¯ couldn¡¯t have described him better. By the time that he reached the doors of their house he had a fairly placid look on his face (very much not Seiji). Seiji made a slow round through the grounds checking on anyone that looked worried or concerned. His fake expression and general roughness gave them an awkward feeling, but he was able to help most. Near the back of the grounds Shoji played with the children. He ran ahead of them still carrying around the talismans. Every few support columns or poles that they ran by Shoji would show off to them by throwing them. It was small entertainment, but they were kept happy. ¡®He really gets into it¡­¡¯ ¡°Excuse me, young priest,¡± said an elderly voice from behind Seiji. Seiji tilted his head back to catch the man that was addressing him. He was taken back a little forcing him to fully turn his body to face him. ¡®What¡¯s with the clothes?¡¯ The man wore a very formal attire, but no longer in style. In fact, they had not been in style for several centuries. The old man wore a confused yet gentle expression on his face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to trouble you, but could you help me.¡± ¡°¡­um¡­ye-ah¡­. What do you need?¡± ¡°See I¡¯m going to be meeting His Imperial Majesty the Emperor tomorrow, but it¡¯s my first time to the court.¡± The response made Seiji pause for a moment. ¡®The Emperor? Really? I guess it¡¯s possible, but it seems a little strange¡­¡¯ It seemed odd to pick their shrine when they weren¡¯t even in the same city. ¡°What will you be meeting about?¡± ¡°I¡¯m representing my village to ask for aid. We have a lot of bandits that keep pillaging us and we need some samurai to protect us!¡± The elderly man started to become a little hysterical as he seemed to be thinking of his village. There was desperation in his voice, but also the hint that he was hoping for a meeting rather than having an appointment. Seiji was able to pick up the intentions, but he used very arcane words. He was able to still understand him, however something was making Seiji feel uneasy about the old man. ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be¡ª¡° A foul odor blew in on the wind interrupting Seiji. He turned away for a moment feeling something strange in the air. His eyes caught a glimpse of the ema that clattered together loudly like a signal. ¡°What? This smell¡­is like death¡­¡± The air settled down and the scent disappeared leaving Seiji confused. However, he quickly turned back to the old man planning to apologize for interrupting him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡ª¡° When he looked in front of him the man was no longer anywhere he could see. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± Suddenly a woman¡¯s voice screamed a horrible ghastly sound. It wasn¡¯t the end though as more screams ran throughout the grounds. Seiji searched around from where he stood. Out of the wall of the small shrine next to Seiji appeared a pale and translucent woman with blood coating her clothes. The sight made Seiji¡¯s eyes grow wide in shock. ¡°A ghost?!¡± Chapter 65 - The Porcelain Stare Seiji stared in stunned shock that could have almost been awe if he was thinking straight. It had taken him a full minute to come back to his senses enough to back away with the ghost staring at him with a blank expression. The distant screams of the other patrons faded into the background as he was encroached upon by the ghost. The bloodied woman wore a fine silk kimono in white and pale blues with a floral pattern. Blood seemed to be soaked through the entire material and dried. It covered from halfway up the chest down to the legs, where the feet weren¡¯t present. Most of her light brown hair was tied up around her head with a couple brass hairpins. She floated in towards Seiji a little more when he backed away. A moment later the blank expression faded away into annoyed frustration, which Seiji never picked up on. ¡°Yes! Yes, I am a ghost. If you would stop staring at me, young man.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re a ghost!¡± The rest of him was still frozen as it was counting down until it had been completely and fully accepted. The woman gave Seiji a ruffled pouting look back. ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve covered that fact. Move on!¡± ¡°B-But you¡¯re¡ª¡° ¡°Ghost! Yes! Is that all you can say?¡± The timer had finally hit zero on Seiji¡¯s body and everything quickly transferred into wide eyed surprised realization before his eyes rolled back. Everything went pale on him as his legs lost their strength followed by the rest of his body. He collapsed unconscious on the stone tile path of the shrine within seconds. ¡°¡­ghost¡­¡± ¡°For such a tough looking guy he¡¯s surprisingly frail!¡± Chapter 65 ¨C The Porcelain Stare A fog hung around Seiji¡¯s head while a black empty world stretched out before him. He had thought he heard a soft voice, barely a whisper, penetrating into the thick haze. The voice started a ripple in his mind that broke through the fog. Seiji needed only a moment to understand that he was lying down. ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡± It was the same voice that he heard before, but it didn''t seem to be familiar to him. All he could tell was that it was soothing his spinning head. ¡°Eh? Mother?¡± He tried to look up, but his eyes had trouble focusing. The blur didn''t matter to him with the images of the ghost coming back, his arms shaking. ¡°That¡¯s right! There was a ghost! I swear I¡¯m not lying mom! I really saw one!¡± Suddenly, a blunt force had hit him in the head forcing him to snap up in pain. ¡°Now I¡¯m your mother?!¡± snapped the voice quickly chattering with anger. Seiji rubbed his hands over his head massaging the bump as he tried to focus his eyes again. He started to say something, but cut himself off as his eyes widened in surprise seeing the woman from before knelt down over him. ¡°Wait! You¡¯re not¡­¡± ¡°No! I¡¯m not!¡± She had her arms cross glaring at him looking like she had been insulted. ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± ¡°Hrmph! I happen to only be twenty! Even though I¡¯ve been dead for thirty years¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± The thought of her being a ghost had escaped him as he began to repeatedly apologize for the mistake he made. ¡®Wait a minute¡­ Why am I apologizing to a ghost?!¡¯ All of his features became very small at the realization. It was then that his rage took over and he jumped up towering over the still knelt woman. ¡°Why the hell am I apologizing to you?! You¡¯re just a damn ghost!¡± The woman stood back up to stare fairly evenly back at Seiji. She had even put a little lean in for extra emphasis that he wasn¡¯t frightening her. ¡°Yes! A ghost! But ghosts have feelings too!¡± ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be dead! You can¡¯t have feelings anymore! You¡¯re not alive!¡± It had been more than enough for the woman to take and she slapped him sharply for what he said to her. The fierce glare in her eyes burned stronger, but Seiji held his ground with her. ¡°Narrow minded! Prejudice! That¡¯s it! You¡¯re prejudiced against ghosts!¡± ¡°What?! I¡¯ve never met a ghost before!¡± ¡°So then how do you know we can¡¯t have feelings then?! Hm?¡± Seiji had to take a second with him suddenly being cornered by the ghost woman. It wasn''t a matter that he considered. He tried to avoid thinking about ghosts, period, regardless of feelings or not. ¡°You¡¯re dead! So how can anything be working still?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking right now! So I still have a voice!¡± ¡°¡­well I guess so¡­¡± As he thought about what she said a different fact came to him. It was a fact that made him shrink again in embarrassment. ¡°What the hell am I arguing with a ghost for?! You¡¯re not real! Ghosts don¡¯t exist! Period!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t exist, huh?¡± She had had enough of his disbelief and back talking. A thought came to her that turned her expression into a smirk. The ghost reached out and grabbed his hand, putting it on her shoulder. ¡°How¡¯s that for not real?!¡± Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. He went a little pale from a ghost touching him. ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± ¡°Real enough?¡± Nothing made sense anymore. Seiji¡¯s brain flipped into a loop. ¡°G-Ghost!¡± The woman could not help but sigh loudly upon hearing him. ¡°Back to that? Thought we already covered that fact! Yes! Ghost! Can we move on?¡± She dropped her hands back down to her hips and leaned over to Seiji, however it was more than he could take causing him to speed off. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it literally¡­¡± Half of the shrine was put between them before Seiji looked at his surroundings. Until that point he didn¡¯t know what was happening, having been almost in a bubble isolated from the world. Seiji slowed down when he finally started to take things in. ¡°What the hell is going on?!¡± Nearly surrounding him were more than twenty creatures of the undead. Seiji had never studied the undead or mythology behind it, but he knew they were more than just ghosts. There were some ghosts, but the rest were corporal in form. He even saw a couple of skeletons clattering along looking very lost. There didn''t seem to be any of the patrons around anymore confusing Seiji since it used to be too crowded. He looked around the grounds. No one alive remained in the area. Worse, it looked like more undead appeared. Unfortunately for him, the initial confusion started to wear off of him and he realized that he was being flanked by ghosts. These ghosts had a darker aura about them in purple with eyes that seemed to be glowing. Regardless of intent, ghosts were still ghosts and he quickly went into a dumb shock. ¡°¡­so many¡­ghosts¡­¡± Seiji checked the hell out. ¡°Is someone there?¡± a deep panicked voice called. ¡°Help me!¡± Seiji heard the man and came back alive. The call for help awakened his courage. He sharpened his senses to focus on the sound of the voice. ¡°I¡¯m coming! Hang on!¡± There were too many undead wandering forcing him to start pushing through them. It wasn''t until he began to make contact with them that they detected his presence. The closest to Seiji shifted their attention to him trying to grab him. He was strong enough to keep out of their grasp, but they refused to give up. ¡°What the hell¡¯s wrong with you?¡± The push through finally revealed a middle aged man lying on the ground with two undead creatures pinning him. There was an unnatural sense that he got from what the two beings were attempting to do to the man. It increased his urgency to reach the man in time. The middle aged man flailed about the ground trying to get free. One of the creatures pressed its horrifically disfigured face up to the man¡¯s own face. A strange white glow started to be emitted from the creature that slowed the man¡¯s movements down. ¡®There¡¯s too many of them!¡¯ Seiji stopped caring about trying to avoid or fight off the damn undead. He plowed straight through yelling from his lungs. The noise pulled in even more trying to drag down Seiji. A fierce glowing fury surrounded Seiji. He charged through colliding with the last few causing the undead to explode to powder. While he was still in motion Seiji transferred his strength into his legs and kicked the creature¡¯s head. The second undead immediately drew away to Seiji only to receive a crushing kick that cleaved vertically down the creature¡¯s body. A crumbling mass fell on either side of the man. ¡°Sir! Sir!¡± Seiji knelt down trying to snap him back to reality. A weak bony hand on Seiji¡¯s neck from behind changed his mind. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir¡­but there¡¯s no other way!¡± Seiji lifted the man up, throwing him over his shoulder and re-ignited his rage to start creating him a path. Running like an enraged bull, Seiji was unable to be stopped by the feeble attempts. Coming around the front of the shrine it began to clear out some. ¡°Big Brother?!¡± Hearing Shoji shout out to him stopped Seiji. ¡°Shoji?! Are you safe?¡± ¡°Yeah, Seiji! Come in here!¡± Shoji motioned to him quickly from the top of the stairs. He seemed to have avoided any harm from the creatures. Seiji nodded back as he fixed the man trying to slide off his shoulder. When he reached near the top of the stairs there was an electrical feeling that ran through him. It felt warm and inviting rather than painful leaving him a little unsettled. He didn''t let it stop him until he reached the spot next to his little brother. The moment that Seiji turned around, to see if he was being followed, a nearly transparent yellow screen with a small opening appeared before him. The hole didn''t last long as it closed up completing the screen that ran around the entire house perimeter. ¡°All done!¡± Shoji exclaimed before jumping up with excitement. ¡°I¡¯m starting to get a hang of it now, Big Brother!¡± He looked over to Seiji with a proud expression that Seiji could only return with complete confused shock. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on? That¡­that thing¡­ You did that, Shoji?¡± ¡°Yup! Pretty cool ain¡¯t?¡± ¡°How? What?¡± The words coming out of Seiji had to be kept short as he was having difficulty taking it, as opposed to Shoji (who thought it was natural). He had to let the man he carried down, resting against the outer supports of the house. ¡°It seems to be keeping those creatures at bay,¡± bellowed their grandfather¡¯s voice from the house. Once he had their attention, he opened the door the rest of the way, revealing the countless patrons behind him. He stepped out onto the porch that surrounded the house staring at his grandchildren. ¡°I don¡¯t understand fully, but it seems Shoji was able to erect a divine barrier using those talismans that he¡¯s been throwing around the shrine all morning.¡± Seiji turned towards their grandfather, still unable to accept things. ¡°How is that possible? None of this is possible!¡± It seemed to be completely beyond imagining, like a dream. He shook his head thinking that he just had to wake up. Then his mind suddenly jerked back to a memory that felt familiar to this situation. ¡®Yuki?! Is this Yuki¡¯s doing? Like before when he did that strange stuff?¡¯ Seiji looked around in the house quickly trying to check his theory. He stepped back out catching his family¡¯s strange looks. ¡°Either of you see Yuki this morning around here or in the house just before all of this?¡± ¡°No,¡± his grandfather said gravely as the name immediately turned his rough mood foul. ¡°Oh, so this is where you ran off to!¡± a soft voice said before appearing to hang onto Seiji. The ghost woman from Seiji¡¯s encounter returned. She was still grinning widely, enjoying how much Seiji was already being freaked out. ¡°What are you doing here?!¡± ¡°I was so lonely out there when you left me! That was very rude of you!¡± The woman poked him in the cheek as she pouted to accent her displeasure. Seiji grabbed her by the waist to rip her away from him and set her a more comfortable distance apart. She quickly ignored it and floated back up to him. ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m asking! How¡¯d you get through the barrier?¡± He had to stop looking at her to keep his fear from overrunning him again. Seiji turned down to look at Shoji and his grandfather. ¡°I thought you said this kept the undead out!¡± She jumped up on his back and leaned in with her face brushing up against the side of his head. There was a playful look in her eyes. ¡°Oh that little thing? I can answer you that, my fearful priest. You see that barrier only wards off spirits with negative emotions or intent. So I can slip on through like it¡¯s not there!¡± ¡°What?! All you have is negative intent!¡± ¡°The nerve of people!¡± Shoji came up behind Seiji and tugged on his sleeve. ¡°Hey Seiji¡­ Who¡¯s this pretty lady?¡± ¡°Oh my!¡± the ghost said, starting to blush at the compliment. ¡°Seiji you have such a cute little brother!¡± Seiji was caught between the two becoming conflicted on who to answer with the woman¡¯s responses becoming even more annoying to him. He had to turn back to deal with her first. ¡°Enough from you!¡± ¡°Is she your girlfriend, Big Brother?¡± The word girlfriend had hit Seiji hard enough to turn him a few shades of red. At his side the woman laughed loudly, having more fun. She moved in around the petrified Seiji and wrapped her arms around him looking a little seductive at him. ¡°Oh we¡¯re more than just that! We¡¯re lovers!¡± Anything that might have been holding Seiji together was gone as he shattered to pieces with the words echoing in his mind. ¡°Oh wow!¡± ¡°Hey! Wait a da¨Cminute!¡± He glared over at the woman, who was still hanging from his shoulders. ¡°Stop putting weird ideas in my brother¡¯s head! We¡¯re nothing of the sort!¡± A rumbling cough came from their grandfather as he forced himself into the conversation and interrupted it. ¡°I¡¯ll have a talk with you later about this Seiji¡­¡± ¡°Old man!? Not you too!¡± ¡°But we have a more important matter at hand.¡± Their grandfather raised his hand out towards the shrine grounds. There was a horde of undead amassing around them only being held back by the barrier from Shoji. ¡°We can¡¯t stay here forever, especially with so many people inside. This problem needs to be dealt with first.¡± The seriousness of his tone changed the entire mood and straightened up Seiji. It cleared his head, putting it to focus. Seiji stepped away from the woman leaving her forgotten behind him. ¡°Leave them to me, old man!¡± He pounded his hands together to get himself psyched up for the fight. His grandfather approached Seiji from his right giving him a questioning look of concern for his safety, knowing it was pretty much suicide. ¡°Worried about me, old man? I¡¯m touched, but I can¡¯t let you go out there with me. Can¡¯t have you breaking a hip with your age!¡± ¡°Hrmph¡­¡± ¡°Well let¡¯s get this party started!¡± Seiji shouted with a smirk pulling up across his face. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve had a worthy challenge!¡± Chapter 66 - The No Thinking Plan Seiji tightened his fists as he looked out among the horde of undead that was gathered in the front of the shrine. It seemed that they could taste the living hold up in their home. They weren''t going to be leaving until they made it inside. The sight that he faced made Seiji apprehensive. He had no clue what he was going to do and was pretty certain the whole idea was a mistake. Mistake or not though, Seiji had already committed to it. He wasn¡¯t going to back down now that he made such a big show in front of everyone. Their grandfather stepped out grabbing Seiji¡¯s wrist as he had begun to leave. ¡°What do you expect to do, boy? We don¡¯t understand what¡¯s going on or how something so unnatural is possible!¡± Seiji turned his head over his shoulders to look down at him. ¡°Hey old man, weren¡¯t you just saying something needed to be done?¡± ¡°Yes, but we need a plan! Going out there on bravado alone will get you killed!¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t know you cared so much about my well being,¡± Seiji sarcastically commented back to him. Hearing the way that Seiji had talked back to him made something snap in their grandfather. He stood in front of Seiji blocking his path. Seiji was about to go around him when he reached up and slapped him hard across the face. ¡°Never joke about family like that again, Seiji! You¡¯re my grandson!¡± It took Seiji back a step, surprised more by the way that their grandfather acted than the slap he received. He touched his hand to his cheek where the dull sting lingered. ¡®¡­family¡­that¡¯s a funny thing to say considering you¡¯re part of the reason mom left¡­¡¯ Seiji tried to push past the thoughts and emotions that were trying to surface. The threat they faced was more important. ¡°Well thinking things through ain¡¯t my style, old man! You sit here and think your brain dry!¡± Seiji stepped around his grandfather and approached the barrier that protected them. His fists pounded together to push away any fear he had. ¡°While you¡¯re doing that, I¡¯ll fight in my own way!¡± Chapter 66 ¨C The No Thinking Plan Seiji pressed through the barrier, not waiting for it to be opened. Before he had much time to consider his next action a swarm of undead charged for him. ¡°Like I said!¡± He threw out his right fist hitting what seemed like a zombie in the head sending it flying free from its neck. ¡°I don¡¯t need to think!¡± Next was his left fist connecting loudly with another zombie knocking it backwards into a couple more behind it. ¡°About my fighting!¡± Seiji took the next two in a charging tackle, dropping them both to the ground as he buried himself into the crowd. Watching from the safety of the house Shoji, the ghost and their grandfather couldn''t help but twitch a little at the sight. ¡°He really is all brute strength and no brain,¡± the woman commented. ¡°No one¡¯s tougher than my brother!¡± Shoji declared with pride. He had turned his eyes up towards the woman. She smiled back at him, sensing the bond between them. ¡°Think he¡¯ll be able to deal with them?¡± ¡°Definitely!¡± Shoji returned back to see Seiji barreling through the mass without being held back. ¡°Seiji can do anything!¡± ¡°Stupid boy¡­so head strong, just like his mother¡­¡± Their grandfather walked away from the stairs and back into the house. The door slid behind him with a punctuated slam. Seiji grinned to himself as he knocked down anything that stood in front of him. The thrill of the fight had been something that he had been missing for so long. Ever since Yuki changed, fighting had never been the same for him. It was always a release for him, a need to vent his emotions in the only way he knew how. Yuki had changed that for him. There was something that he felt drained away his anger when he was around Yuki. He felt like he had been given a purpose when he fought with Yuki, even if it might have just been an excuse. However, the purpose disappeared leaving him lost. He thought that he could just fight in Yuki¡¯s place, but he could never get close to him. An awkward wall had been built between them that left him abandoned without direction. The brief time he had in high school hadn¡¯t given him anymore purpose. A fight would easily break out for him, but it was an empty feeling each time. He would eagerly step forward for the fight seeking what he had lost. Each time he could never find it. Yet in the moment, while he was taking down the strange creations of Yuki¡¯s mind he felt something. There was a sense of drive in each punch and kick that felt so familiar to him. It started as a distant feeling that grew into an avalanche within his chest. A few minutes had quickly passed leaving an unsettling mess of various undead thrown about the front of the shrine. The last one in the area went down with a screaming punch. Seiji looked about the grounds feeling a little pleased with his results. He raised his hand up, throwing out a victory cry along with an accompanying victory sign. ¡°Oh yeah!¡± ¡°You do realize that there are ghosts still,¡± remarked the woman. Seiji¡¯s face turned into a blank expression when the comment made it through to him. The empty look hadn¡¯t lasted long as fear poured over him. He turned his head back like a rusty knob when he realized that ghosts started to close looking to feed off his soul. ¡°Ghosts?!¡± Seiji was gone from sight in an instant speeding away from them as they gave chase. The woman followed him briefly before stopping feeling embarrassed watching. ¡°¡­guess not¡­¡± She looked over at Shoji with a questioning look. ¡°What¡¯s with him and ghosts?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. He¡¯s never told me. I just know that he¡¯s scared of ghosts and doesn¡¯t like talking about it.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. The chase soon came to an end when Seiji found that he was outnumbered on all sides. Many of the unholy ass creatures he had thought that he destroyed were back. They had all seemed to be gathering together to deal with him. ¡°So you think you can beat me with shitty ass numbers, huh? You¡¯re all weak shits!¡± Seiji took out the first one that approached, but was forced to evade a skeleton wielding a heavy club. While the skeleton was off balance Seiji took the opportunity and yanked on its legs. The force was enough to dislocate the joints in the hip giving the entire left leg. A smirk came across his face as he saw that his idea worked. He hefted the bones up so that they were held firmly in both hands. Once the next undead creature came at him he swung the limb. There was a loud ass crack as bone collided into rotting flesh and struck bone itself. Seiji carried his momentum on through into the next wildly swinging at anything that came in range. ¡°Come on! I¡¯ll take all ya assholes on!¡± The woman poked her head out of the house, searching for Seiji, smiling a little before seeing the scene. ¡°He really just does whatever comes to mind¡­¡± She pulled herself out of the building. There were several ghosts moving in around him along with the countless zombies, skeletons, ghouls and other types of creatures. ¡°He¡¯s pretty single minded, doesn¡¯t know there¡¯re ghosts near.¡± A staggering zombie near Seiji caught her attention that was out of his sight. She bent over seeing a stone carving near her to grab, but when she tried to take hold of it her hands passed through. She tried again with no more luck than before. ¡°Why can¡¯t I grab it? I can touch him¡­¡± Out of the corner of her eye she saw that the creature was almost upon Seiji making her rush forward. ¡°Look behind you!¡± Seiji flipped his head around with his body barely catching the asshole zombie trying to whack him with a rock. He looked around once he was safe trying to figure out where it had come from. ¡°Hmm?¡± Unfortunately, there was little time for him to waste as they pushed in closer on him. Seiji fought through them desperately to get free, but more just continued to add on top with arms clung over him. They immobilized him leaving only his cursing voice to fend them off. When Shoji had heard his brother¡¯s shouts he ran around the porch to the side of the house following the voice. ¡°Big Brother! He¡¯s in danger!¡± Shoji didn¡¯t even think as he leapt over the railing through the barrier. He began to run to his brother¡¯s aid a white glow expanded around him. ¡°Let go of my brother!¡± He raised his hand towards the mob of undead huddled over Seiji. A sharp flash around his hand dispersed the glowing. Immediately after, a beam of light shot down from the sky crashing to the ground creating a dome of white light expanding outwards quickly. The expanding light turned the nearby creatures into dust continuing in a chain reaction until the light faded. Seiji pulled up his head looking around with surprise to discover that the area was clear. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Big¡­Brot¡­her¡­¡± Shoji smiled back at Seiji with his eyes half closed. The shine in his eyes had started to fade before he collapsed to the ground. ¡°Shoji?!¡± Seiji rushed to Shoji¡¯s side, not certain what had happened to him. ¡°Shoji! Wake up!¡± He pulled him up into his arms trying to figure out what was wrong with him. The stillness of his body sent a bolt through his body as fears over his thoughts. ¡°Hey! Come on, Shoji! Wake up! What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± He quickly checked for a pulse. The slow beat of his heart was still present, providing some relief to him. ¡°He¡¯s only unconscious, but what happened?¡± A deep moan from approaching undead pulled his attention away for a moment. ¡°There¡¯s still more of you?!¡± Seiji lifted up Shoji and carried him back over to the barrier out of the reach of the things that invaded their home. Seiji marched back out to the side of the house staring down at the massive horde still gathered. His head tilted down towards the ground blocking out his eyes. There was shaking in his arms as he simply stood there unchanged by the looming danger. ¡°You can hurt me all you want¡­¡± A wind suddenly blew up around Seiji pushing back leaves and dust towards the column of death. The burning presence that Seiji began to give off made them halt in uncertainty. ¡°But when you hurt my little brother¡­¡± White light began to build around Seiji. Small particles sparkled around him rising into the air slowly forming waves pushed around by the wind. ¡°I won¡¯t let you live to regret it!¡± All of the light exploded away from him shaking the trees. The force was enough to knock back the first row of undead. He raised his hand clenching it tightly into a fist. It soon began to glow brightly as his body shook with rage. Seiji charged into the mob throwing his fist at anything that moved. The moment it came into contact with one of the undead a sudden dark light grew over it until it vanished. He continued the process yelling like a berserker. The woman ghost appeared behind at a distance watching the scene unfold. She raised her hand to her chin thinking intently. ¡°For being a priest, he really doesn¡¯t act like one. Shouldn¡¯t he be using something other than his fists?¡± A thud of another zombie being clocked by raging Seiji made the woman sweat a little. ¡°It works I guess¡­¡± Seiji made quick work of most of the problems that wandered around the shrine leaving only dust to blow in the wind behind him. However, there were still some that weren''t being destroyed by his rampage. Left behind unaffected by all of his swings were ghosts and other non-corporeal beings. They still hunted after him with an intensified strength. The last of the physical creatures were being dealt with when three ghosts flew in after Seiji. In a heightened sense of awareness, Seiji picked up their incoming attack and turned to meet them head on (ignoring the fact that they were ghosts with his blind rage). Using the same tactics he had before he took several quick swings at the ghosts, but stumbled through them unable to land a single punch. ¡°You can¡¯t stop me!¡± Still watching Seiji from across the grounds, the woman could only raise her hand to her face in disbelief. ¡°¡­he¡¯s trying to fight ghosts with his fists too¡­¡± After he failed several times she couldn''t take the embarrassment anymore and floated over to him. ¡°They don¡¯t have physical bodies! Physical attacks won¡¯t work on them, idiot priest!¡± The scolding was enough to snap Seiji out of his tunnel vision. He focused his eyes in determination seeing the three ghosts regrouping for another attack on him. Seiji took a firm stance to prepare for their assault until he found a way to attack them, but they held their distance. The ghosts moved their arms out to point them at him starting to glow wildly before shooting out a thick purple beam at him. ¡°What?!¡± He had no time to react as he was taken off guard by the new attack. All he could manage was to cover himself up with his arms out in front to take the hit. In an instant, the beams exploded on impact blanketing the entire area in blinding light. Seiji disappeared in the blast leaving his condition unknown as the ghosts smirked at their success. Smoke began to billow out as the light slowly began to fade away. The woman strained to look for signs of Seiji in the dark clouds with no luck. ¡°Hey dumb priest! You dead?¡± A new light shined from inside the smoke alerting everyone around. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Once the smoke pushed out a flashing transparent light appeared through the remaining smoke cover. A small barrier protected Seiji. Safe from harm, Seiji looked very confused by the situation. He looked about his surroundings trying to understand what was around him until it faded away. A few thin papers fell to the ground. Seiji leaned down picking one of them. ¡°Another talisman?¡± ¡°Hey watch out!¡± Seiji looked up from his knelt position to see the ghosts building for another attack. Their anger fueled their power to increase its strength. ¡°That won¡¯t work on me again!¡± He charged forward making himself difficult to hit as the ghosts started firing at him. Their aim was good, but each blast only hit the ground creating small craters. Seiji was able to keep up dodging the attacks, but he had no chance at hitting them. ¡°Use those papers!¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Seiji kept ahead of the strikes through the distraction, but nearly tripped in the process. Once he regained balance he took a brief moment to glare over at the woman. ¡°Stop bothering me so I can figure out how to beat them!¡± Her temper got the better of her, making her turn away. Groans of pain from near misses echoed around her making her fidget. The blasts continued to get louder and more destructive as the moments passed. She could no longer take it and forced herself back around. ¡°Use the stupid papers they¡¯re charged with spiritual energy!¡± Seiji was slightly caught off guard by her shouting, but then he understood. ¡°Oh! I know what to do!¡± He slid around several beams and pulled himself back away from them. Once clear, Seiji extended his arms out fully as talismans flew out from inside his sleeves. The papers floated around his hands in front of him gathering in mass. Countless talismans began to glow white with energy as they resonated with Seiji. A spark ran through them, straightening out the material flat to hover around his hands. The talismans pulled in towards his arms wrapping around his hands and back up to his elbow covering any exposed skin. ¡°Right! I¡¯m ready now!¡± The ghosts looked a little confused by his action, but resumed their attack. Seiji caught sight and charged forward into the purple beams of energy. As they came into range he swatted them away with his talisman covered fists. The ghosts were taken back by their attacks having no effect and tried to retreat. Their escape was too late as Seiji quickly closed the distance and finally connected with them, shattering them to dust. ¡°Yes! It works! Time for the rest of them to say goodbye!¡± Seiji ran off, disappearing to the other side of the shrine grounds with renewed vigor. The woman ghost could only let out a heavy sigh witnessing Seiji¡¯s method of fighting. ¡°He is quite possibly the worst priest I¡¯ve ever seen¡­¡± Eventually, the shrine had been exorcized of the undead. She finally decided to search around for Seiji after waiting around for thirty minutes. He was found back in the corner of the grounds stretched out on his back breathing heavily from extreme exhaustion. She looked down at him holding her hands on her hip with a frustrated expression. ¡°You¡¯re fool!¡± Seiji grinned back at her. ¡°Maybe, but this fool took care of all those damn things.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand you.¡± ¡°It had to be done. What the hell¡¯s to understand?¡± ¡°¡­so simple¡­¡± She sat down next to him resting her head in the palm of her hand. There was something about him that she felt that she could not abandon him even if he was an idiot. ¡°I¡¯m Aoi Toyotomi!¡± ¡°Seiji Tsuji¡­priest in training!¡± Chapter 67 - Grave Intention ¡°I¡¯m Doctor Masanori Shiotani, pleasure to meet you.¡± Masanori held a friendly smile for Saki trying to make her feel a little more at ease sensing the awkwardness between them. Saki felt compelled to return the warmth shown. It made her feel a little better about being in the room, but the sense of being an intruder lingered with her. The thought of Takako pulled her eyes back over to her in the corner completely unresponsive. ¡®Still nothing after so many days¡­I guess it¡¯s not going to improve overnight, but still¡­¡¯ Saki looked back at the doctor with a seeking expression that bordered on pleading. ¡°Can you help her?¡± It had been a vague question and Masanori was still partially distracted. ¡°Miss Yamazaki, right¡­ I won¡¯t know until I do a thorough test and examination.¡± An uncertain answer wasn¡¯t what Saki had been looking for as Masanori could see the hope in her face starting to fade away. He tried to quickly recover from it. ¡°I was just checking to see if she would make a good candidate for our program.¡± ¡°Program? Candidate?¡± Some of the details from before had already disappeared on Saki, but hearing what the doctor said refreshed her memory. She had recalled the nurse saying something similar. Saki had unintentionally converted it into an immediate hope. Masanori gave her a slow nod while he tried to sort through how to easily explain it. ¡°We¡¯ve made some recent advances in neuroscience that may help Miss Yamazaki. The program I¡¯ve setup hopes to help recover patients from deep mental traumas through less invasive methods.¡± Even in spite of Masanori trying to simplify his words, Saki still felt very lost. ¡°What do you mean less invasive methods?¡± He rubbed the back of his head looking a little shy suddenly. ¡°Well¡­I guess you could call some of the things we do today for patients suffering from mental problems to be¡­a little barbaric perhaps? Our understanding is so limited in the way the brain truly works. It¡¯s my hope our new understanding can change much of that.¡± ¡°¡­I see¡­¡± Saki was a little confused that a doctor admitted to the conditions that patients were being treated. She had only been thinking it in jest before, but thinking that it could be true worried her. Yet for the moment he seemed to be making her feel like she could trust him with how earnest he sounded. ¡°You mentioned candidate before?¡± ¡°Ah! Yes, that¡¯s right. As I said our understanding is limited and so I¡¯m looking for patients with specific issues that connect with our research. So I was testing her responsiveness today for some preliminary work.¡± ¡°Is she a good candidate?¡± The doctor pulled out the paper that he had on him and began flipping through them slowly. He seemed to be intently focused on them, not even uttering a sound as several minutes passed in strained silence. Once Masanori was finished he looked up at Saki. ¡°I can¡¯t promise anything yet¡­but it does look optimistic.¡± Chapter 67 ¨C Grave Intentions Nearly outside of the city and completely surrounded by an overgrown thick green forest was the Chinen estates. Massive trees had grown up around a large Japanese mansion blanketing the entire area in shadow with its canopy. Most of the technology that they had had trouble working properly through the rapid reclamation by nature. For Chiharu, her life had only begun to return to normal the day before after waking up. The grounds were in chaos now trying to find ways of dealing with the forest that surrounded them. They were even being visited by the wildlife that found their home to be much more like a small dot. She was left with managing the heavy burden of the house and the new problems that arrived. No one knew why it happened so it left most of her men unsettled, however she refused to let it visibly get to her. She kept her men on task clearing away paths needed to reach the town. Chiharu walked barefoot down the hardwood floors to the underground level of the mansion. It was on this floor that they kept most of the things for their trade. Her purpose wasn¡¯t for equipment as she firmly stepped through the hall with a cross expression. The weight of her family was on her shoulders and her grandfather¡¯s death was still fresh in her mind. In front of her was a large metal door that waited for her to put in her code on the keypad to the right. Her fingers played across the screen quickly inputting the code. Inside, the room was well lit and lined with cupboards and cabinets that housed a different sort of tools of trade. This was the examination room meant for investigation into technology and biological matters. The sterile polished metal table on the right held one of the bodies from the men that they brought back. His companions were set on the other tables further back. Standing next to the naked corpse was Tamotsu. He tilted his head over to the sound of Chiharu¡¯s entrance. ¡°Good afternoon, Lady Chiharu.¡± ¡°Tamotsu¡­¡± She barely came up to the examination table that she approached. Her gray eyes traced the figure of the man drawing up images from the night she tried to kill him. Chiharu blinked once and turned her head up towards her guardian. ¡°You¡¯ve had five days. What can you tell me?¡± ¡°Yes, my Lady.¡± Tamotsu walked around the table and pulled out a computer tablet. He ran his finger across the screen bringing up the information. ¡°They had no immediate identification on them. Which indicates these were professional assassins. However, because there were three it meant that they were in a group so it was unlikely that they were hired. Of the known three man teams in the world none of these fit their description.¡± He flipped through more data pausing for a moment. Chiharu walked around the table, crossing her arms. ¡°You said no immediate identification. That means you¡¯ve found identification?¡± ¡°Yes, that is correct. After I exhausted my sources through hired channels I changed my search. As you know the Chinen Clan has a specific fighting style and training methods. Someone knowledgeable enough would be able to determine that from just examining either our fighting or our bodies. As such other groups have their own distinctions as well. It took some time but I was able to identify through their body¡¯s scars and definition that they are from the Higoshi Clan.¡± This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°¡­the Higoshi Clan¡­¡± Chiharu carefully measured out her voice to keep the anger from being caught. She was less successful in hiding it in her shaking arms and tensed hands. ¡°One of the three main families¡­they¡¯ve always clashed with us and now in our weakened state they choose to attack. They¡¯ll learn that it was a costly mistake to attack my family.¡± She marched out of the room with Tamotsu chasing her down. ¡°My Lady! Where are you going?¡± She turned around in her paused step causing her short hair to spin out rising in anger. Her eyes fiercely glowed from the restrained emotions. ¡°I¡¯m going to plan a counterattack!¡± Chiharu disappeared into the darkness of the hall, a plan starting to form. Evening already came with her focused on planning out a strategy for their attack. She listened to the repeated protests from Tamotsu about her rashness. However, she plowed through with single-minded determination for her revenge. It was all she could think about once she woke up. She felt as though she wasted her time before and the rest renewed and revived her spirit. Chiharu drove all of her men scrambling to keep up with her pace. While she had been unconscious it had left an empty lingering feeling of directionless actions for everyone in the household. There were none related to her by blood, but they had all been with the family for years and felt some sense of familial responsibility towards her. Without her presence to be felt they had no life; it was like death throughout the mansion. All of that had changed when she woke up. They all eagerly took to any work and welcomed her harsh and rough speech. Even more than being alive again, it seemed to many that Chiharu had a different light that surrounded her than before. It was one that they felt could be followed in the darkest of tunnels and surrounded by enemies on all sides with the odds against them, but never feel as though they could lose. It could only be called undaunted charisma. A door in a stretch of hall underneath the mansion opened allowing Chiharu to march out. An annoyed scowl firmly dug into her features. Behind her Tamotsu hurriedly tried to follow her. There was distress on his face. ¡°Lady Chiharu! Lady Chiharu, please wait!¡± ¡°I¡¯m done listening to your complaining, Tamotsu!¡± Tamotsu disguised his frustration and hurried his pace to catch up to her. ¡°I understand how you¡¯re feeling, Lady Chiharu! But¡ª¡° ¡°Do you, Tamotsu?¡± Chiharu had come to a quick stop and turned to face him back. The glare that he received from her was enough to make him hold his words. ¡°Do you really? He was my grandfather! The only family I¡¯ve known since I was three!¡± There was a slow swallowing of his words as Tamotsu tested and measured out his next words carefully. ¡°Lord Masahiko took me in when I had nothing and treated me like his own son. Lady Chiharu¡­I¡ª¡° ¡°Then you must feel the same desire to see those that ordered his murder brought the point of the Chinen¡¯s blade!¡± ¡°But what about the consequences of what you¡¯re planning! The three clans have not been enemies in centuries, Lady Chiharu!¡± ¡°I¡¯m quite aware of the history of the old ninja clans. It wasn''t us that broke the truce between the three clans, but the Higoshi Clan. Their arrogance will cost them gravely, Tamotsu.¡± Chiharu began to walk again with her temper fading to an even boil. Her pace forced Tamotsu to keep up through the underground until they came back out to the main level of the mansion. The smell of nature hung thick through the rooms despite the doors and windows being shut. He adjusted his senses before focusing back on Chiharu. ¡°The last time this happened it meant war. It is no secret the location of the clans, but they¡¯ve been competition and not enemies. This¡¯ll change everything, Lady Chiharu! Please rethink your plan!¡± ¡°I never knew you were so much of a coward, Tamotsu¡­¡± Chiharu continued through the mansion with Tamotsu coming to a halt. He stared at her back as she disappeared around a corner. Worry and frustration had blended on his face as he tried to search out for his place. ¡°It¡¯s not cowardice to be concerned about your well-being, Lady Chiharu¡­¡± One of the men in the mansion slowly approached Tamotsu as he witnessed the exchange between the two. He was a young man in his twenties and carried a healthy grin. ¡°Lady Chiharu is in good spirits today, sir!¡± Tamotsu tilted his head over to see one of her subordinates nearby. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m grateful that she¡¯s better, but her recklessness concerns me¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯ve always looked after her like a father, sir. The Lady may be reckless at times, but that¡¯s why we¡¯re here to protect her. Right, sir?¡± The man had a strangely comforting smile on his face that played at na?ve innocence while burying the dark jaded side that existed in all of them. It was an odd attitude for a killer. ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right¡­¡± A momentary break of his stern appearance allowed a warm smile to appear on his face. It was gone in an instant as he corrected himself and walked on dismissing the man. His mind remained in deep thought. Plans of his own were being created and trashed as he tried to figure out his own strategy. ¡®¡­however, what concerns me the most is the child. She took on the weight of the family without hesitation and her strategies are surprisingly intelligent. I didn¡¯t think she¡¯d cause my plans this much trouble¡­ I¡¯m still ahead, but this¡¯ll be far more interesting than I expected from her¡­Lady Chiharu¡­¡¯ In the right wing of the mansion, where most of the bedrooms were, there was a low echo from Chiharu¡¯s feet marching through the hall. Only a few men were posted along the path with many still trying to carry out the recent orders. Clearing the forest wasn¡¯t reasonable, but making a road out into the city was small enough. It still proved a painstaking task, however Chiharu¡¯s plans couldn¡¯t be put into action until there was a way out. She acknowledged the low pounding and grinding from her men outside working on the trees. Chiharu kept her stern expression for her entire walk until she came to a stop in front of her room. Two men guarded the sliding doors. Their expressions quickly changed stiffly as they noticed her approach. Her eyes narrowed immediately reading their complaints. ¡°Something wrong?¡± Both men became even more rigid than seemed possible. Sweat quickly began to build up on them as Chiharu leaned in to apply pressure, which actually was pretty difficult considering her age (fourteen year old intimidating two grown men). The slow breaking down process in their faces eventually came to loosen their lips. ¡°It¡¯s all really creepy, Lady Chiharu!¡± The guard on the left of the guard nodded in agreement with the other. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s like something unnatural is at work.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know I had such children in my ranks that they¡¯d be scared with a little tree growth.¡± ¡°But it happened so fast!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not possible! How can you not be unsettled by it?¡± Her two guards had completely lost any composure that they might have had before Chiharu. ¡°You simply accept it as reality. Nothing more, there¡¯s no point in thinking about something you can¡¯t understand. Once you realize that, it¡¯s not an issue.¡± She snapped at the two of them with a cold glare that put them back into their positions. The guards quickly opened the doors for her so that she could enter. ¡°We¡¯re terribly sorry, Lady Chiharu!¡± ¡°We¡¯re an embarrassment to the clan! Please forgive us!¡± Chiharu walked in ignoring the two. ¡°¡­and they say I¡¯m the child¡­¡± The guards closed the doors promptly behind her giving her privacy. ¡°It¡¯s amazing¡­¡± ¡°Lady Chiharu¡¯s so mature!¡± A sigh escaped her lips as she went further into the room. The poor sunlight made her room dark and thick. It felt small and wrapped around her as though every part was connected to her. It made it seem less empty and alone than she actually felt. There were men all over her home and yet despite that it always felt as though she was walking alone unable to find anyone. Chiharu slid open the doors to the back of her room. In the distance she could see a couple men making patrols. ¡®¡­so empty¡­¡¯ She turned back and approached a small table display with a picture of her grandfather at the center. Chiharu knelt down in front and brought her hands together quietly. ¡®Please watch over me grandfather. I won¡¯t fail you. I¡¯ll show you that I can lead the clan. Grandfather¡­¡¯ Night eventually came to the city. Chiharu¡¯s men had finally finished making a rough path out to the entrance. It was a stump filled mess of vines and broken greenery unceremoniously being flattened into the ground by roaring land rovers. Each of the off road vehicles carried a heavily armed squad of five men dressed in black. Riding at the head was Chiharu in the backseat running her fingers along the blade of her short sword uninterrupted by the bumps of the terrain. Next to her Tamotsu quietly sat with his eyes closed looking displeased. Chiharu sheathed the sword and tightened the belt on her pants. All she could do was run through her equipment waiting for the time to arrive for her. ¡®Tonight¡­we have revenge!¡¯ Chapter 68 - Blood Under the Wicked Moon The nightlife of the city was unusually dark and empty as the convoy of Land Rovers roared through grasslands of streets. Street lamps and electric powered signs still worked, but with most businesses closed almost none of them were lit. The lack of other traffic made it feel like they were out in the countryside of Japan, despite the buildings that lined the sides of the passages. Apart from the infrequent murmur from Tamotsu, Chiharu¡¯s ride remained uneventfully quiet for her. All of her gear had been checked ten times in her anticipation. After the tenth time she had been interrupted by Tamotsu, who tried to calm her nerves. ¡®We¡¯re almost to the mission start coordinates¡­¡¯ She turned her eyes towards the door¡¯s window catching a dim reflection of her own face. ¡®Can I do it this time? My test¡­¡¯ A home passed by her gaze suddenly changing the image in the window to her grandfather. His wrinkled stern eyes stared back at her as though demanding something of her. ¡®¡­grandfather¡­¡¯ She swallowed painfully trying to hold herself together. The nearby street lamp washed its brilliant light over the darkness of the car, momentarily blinding Chiharu. Once she focused back all she could see was herself once more. ¡®I¡¯ll show you, Grandfather! You can rest easy soon!¡¯ The vehicle came to a sudden stop shifting everyone forward a little. Behind Chiharu¡¯s Land Rover the others matched position filing in next to her. She opened the rear door and stepped out into the open night with only the moonlight as her guide. ¡®It¡¯s time¡­¡¯ Chiharu moved forward to the front of the row of vehicles quickly taking in her men that flanked her. ¡°Move out!¡± Chapter 68 ¨C Blood under the Wicked Moon Their starting location was set nearly an hour out from the Higoshi Clan¡¯s main compound. They could not afford to get too close to the grounds. It was Chiharu¡¯s plan to go in through stealth rather than charging in through the front door. Using the cover of night and the confusion brought on by the new state of affairs in the country, she hoped to catch them off guard. She figured there would be an increased guard patrolling, but once through the patrol the inner compound would have lighter resistance. There were five teams of five men with her all moving through from different positions to keep the defenses thin once they recovered from the initial attack. The Higoshi Clan was considered to be stronger than the Chinen Clan currently, but that was only due to the number of client orders that they received and completed. The overall numbers in both clans were fairly equal with direct family members held as the elite. So for Chiharu it was less of a numbers game and more of a tactical one. She had a small strike force, but they were not interested in wiping out the Clan, but hitting the family itself. Doing so would cause the same effect. On her side, she knew that she had the burning passion of revenge in her men that would give them the strength to keep fighting on. She knew that she could complete the mission so long as the teams were able to make their secondary objectives. A half hour into their mission Chiharu came to a stop. ¡°¡­a forest¡­this wasn¡¯t on the maps¡­¡± She looked over at Tamotsu to read his reaction. Tamotsu remained quiet for a moment taking in the environment and calculating. ¡°My guess would be that they had the same thing happen that we did at the estate.¡± ¡°Agreed, but this doesn¡¯t change the mission.¡± The small microphone communication set attached at Chiharu¡¯s neck and ear sent in notices from the other teams encountering the same situation. ¡°Continue the mission as directed.¡± She pulled out her short sword taking two clean slashes at the overgrowth of plants in front of her. As the tanto returned to its sheath, Chiharu gave a brief glance to Tamotsu as a signal to proceed. Traversing the forest slowed down their progress a little, but it still put them within Chiharu¡¯s time table for the next stage of the mission. The approach to the compound was halted by a low perimeter wall. It was originally decided to climb over it, but with the forest there was a slight change in the plan. Chiharu and Tamotsu climbed up the tree closest to the wall up to the lowest branch for clearance. ¡®Two guards and another two fifty meters away¡­poor lighting as well¡­¡¯ She nodded over to Tamotsu giving him a sharp signal with her arm. Tamotsu moved, acting as an extension of Chiharu''s body dropping down behind the two guards. He jerked his hands back revealing two bloodied kunai. The kunai disappeared back into his belt as the bodies of the guards collapsed to the ground. He already moved the bodies out of sight when Chiharu landed, holding in the dark shadows until the next two guards approached. Chiharu pulled two kunai preparing to throw them once her targets were close enough to insure lethality. Her fingers slid a little and flexed around the handle as the seconds ticked away for her. She tried to keep herself from sweating due to nerves, but it proved difficult to stay calm. ¡®Another second and¡­¡¯ Chiharu slowly raised up her arms as she prepared. Each moment pushed her closer to her test. The images of the guards being struck by her played through her mind quickly. Feeling the blood from the blade dripping down crawled against her skin lighting up each nerve to heighten its senses. Knowing that it would be her first spun in her mind endlessly. It slowly began to tie down her muscles. She strained against her unconscious will to keep moving. ¡®Got to¡ª¡® A dark blur flew by her vision in an instant and the two guards were down. Tamotsu turned back and pulled away the guards. The way had been opened for them into the main grounds. It was open terrain, but they would only be exposed for a short time. Night easily covered their approach to one of the wings of the mansion. Tamotsu leaned against the wall of the building slowly coming into sight of an open window. He barely tilted his head over to look inside. ¡®Only one.¡¯ His hand raised up signaling his findings back to Chiharu as she closed. Chiharu passed by him going for the sliding door. She kept her shadow out of sight of the paneled door and placed a hand against it. Tamotsu returned to her side opposed to the door reading her body for the moment to strike. The door was hardly pulled back when Tamotsu sprung into action. He sprinted through the opening and dug his blade into the back of the man, dropping him quietly to the ground. Chiharu walked inside, closing the door behind her. ¡°Status.¡± Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°Team Two entry successful¡­proceeding to third objective¡­¡± The other teams reported in quickly after with the same results. Everyone had made it inside the compound and began their individual objectives without any problems. ¡°Mission is still on track¡­¡± She looked over to Tamotsu, already finished hiding the body. ¡°Surprise is still with us, Tamotsu. Let¡¯s start!¡± ¡°Yes, Lady Chiharu¡­¡± She stalked over to the door for the interior pressing her ear checking for any noise. It remained still long enough that Chiharu was satisfied and slid the door open quietly. Her head fell into the hall enough to give her sight through the mansion. The hall stretched on empty for several rooms with no furniture. Only a few hanging picture scrolls decorated the well lit passage. Chiharu pulled back into the room and checked her watch briefly. ¡®It should be time shortly¡­cameras should be going down¡­¡¯ She checked on Tamotsu in her spare moments before returning to the door entering the hallway. Tamotsu followed at her side, passing through the hall mentally going through the layout of the mansion in his head. They soon reached an obvious choke point in the wing of the mansion. As such it was expected that there would be several guards. It would be where they would be forced to fight and lose their surprise. The next minutes would determine the success of the rest of the mission. ¡®¡­Lady Chiharu¡­¡¯ An intersection in the hall brought Chiharu to her planned location. She removed a small mirror from her gear pack and stretched her arm out to the edge of the corner. ¡®Four guards, about what I calculated¡­¡¯ Being interior guards they were dressed in regular business suits. The unaware would easily mistake them for just being staff rather than well trained bodyguards. Chiharu nodded to herself in reassurance. Chiharu shifted her weight as she judged her path ahead of her. She pulled back, tightening the muscles in her legs into a spring taking her around the corner and towards the guard post. ¡°Die cowards!¡± Her tanto drew out from its sheath at the small of her back. Its blade shined from the overhead lights in the hall glowing with a thirst for blood. The attention that she gained pulled in all four guards. They formed a wall across the gap closing it from her and reaching into their suits. Tamotsu watched from the corner and immediately recognized what happened and sprinted out for Chiharu. ¡°Lady Chiharu, look out!¡± A split second was all she had to react to seeing the guards going for guns. She threw herself against the wall in the moment that they opened fire with pistols. ¡°Don¡¯t you have any pride? Using a gun!¡± Chiharu¡¯s eyes burned fiercely as she taunted them. It didn''t change her situation as they fixed their aim for her. She was able to read them well enough to roll down to the ground just before they opened fire. ¡°You¡¯re too slow¡­¡± Chiharu leapt forward after the hail of bullets ceased a few seconds after her dodge. The sword''s blade rippled in the shining light as she sped towards the guards quickly gaining a lock on her. The men were ready to fire with Chiharu still too far away and almost no time to dodge anymore. Tamotsu charged forward trying to cover the distance in the wake of Chiharu¡¯s recklessness. It quickly became clear to him however that he wasn¡¯t going to be able to make it time. There were no more options left. Several steps away from guards, Chiharu stood up and came to a stop smirking. The men in front of her all collapsed to the ground trailing only small bits of blood. ¡°The path is clear now. Good job, Team Four!¡± She returned the sword back into its home. Tamotsu caught up to them a few moments later looking down at Chiharu ready to scold her. She gave him a glare in an instant that halted his intention dead. Team Four headed on to its next destination leaving the two of them alone once again. ¡°Lady Chiharu, you¡¯re being reckless!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t let you do everything, Tamotsu. How else will I be able to get real experience if my life isn¡¯t on the line?¡± ¡°Your life is too important to be throwing it away, Lady Chiharu!¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough, Tamotsu. We press on!¡± Chiharu turned away from him and focused ahead of her, sprinting forward expecting him to follow her. The layout of the mansion placed them near the central section where all of the wings linked together. It was a main pathway and expected to be heavily trafficked by guards. They slipped back outside into the grounds as they neared the main block. There were no guards in their way allowing them to return to the other wing unnoticed with their target nearly in sight. Security in the new wing was light and nearly non-existent. It made Chiharu concerned, but she pressed on to the chambers of the Head of the Higoshi Clan. The winding hall they followed ended in a widened antechamber like space, but it was too small to be considered a room. However, unlike the rest of the wing it was guarded by four men. Chiharu lifted herself back against the wall facing Tamotsu. ¡°This is the place and there¡¯s four guards to deal with. It should be easy dealing with them and then our target.¡± ¡°Be careful, Lady Chiharu.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all part of the plan. Nothing has deviated yet from my schedule.¡± Chiharu stepped out into the hall immediately drawing the guards¡¯ attention towards her. They prepared to move out, but hesitated with the lights suddenly turned off. It cast the entire hall into a pitch black curtain. Her short sword came out glowing faintly as it picked up the slight bit of light that managed to exist. It gave it a white appearance with a menacing aura. Tamotsu joined her about to move out when a message came across their earpiece. ¡°Team One under attack!¡± Chiharu narrowed her eyes expecting it to have happened eventually. ¡°What the hell?! How is that possible?! Team One un¡ª¡° The line was dead interrupting the broadcast. She took a glance over to Tamotsu not seeing him, but feeling his body¡¯s presence nearby. ¡°Team Five under attack! Hey, what are they using?! Retreat n¡ª¡° Her eyes widened in shock at hearing another one of her team going down. ¡°Team Thr¡ª¡° All of the teams cut off abruptly. Sweat began to build up along the side of her face trying to understand how her plan fell apart so suddenly. ¡®What¡¯s going on? I don¡¯t understand what¡¯s happening to my men!¡¯ Chiharu staggered back in the dark, suddenly feeling as though the walls were surrounding her. It was all closing in on her and crumbling away with no footing. Emergency lights flickered on renewing sight for everyone in the hall. However, there was a middle aged man standing behind the guards staring out towards Chiharu. He narrowed his eyes reading the situation and trying to learn the intruders¡¯ identity. Both Chiharu and Tamotsu¡¯s faces were covered up with only their eyes visible leaving them in safe anonymity. ¡°Having some trouble little girl?¡± the man sneered. Chiharu held her tongue as she tried to sort out the new development. The presence of the head of the family so close it made her job a lot easier. She didn''t hesitate in launching a kunai from her belt towards the face of the man. It looked like she was going to make it when it suddenly dropped in mid-air. ¡®What happened? There was nothing for it to hit!¡¯ ¡°Confused, child?¡± The man signaled one of his guards to step forward looking ready to attack. ¡°The world you knew is no longer the same. The rules have changed!¡± ¡°What are you blabbering about?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll understand in a moment, child!¡± The guard stood in front of the middle aged man and several steps from the rest of the guards. He raised his hand up to his suit and pulled at it sharply tearing the fabric. An instant later it was all removed and the man stood in black cloth, traditional ninja garb. The man clasped his hands together before slamming his right palm into the floor. Blue light shone around the man¡¯s body as it was succeeded by thin sparks. Chiharu took a step back, not certain what was happening. It was unlike anything she had ever seen. It was something impossible. Her mind went back to the radio broadcasts from her team. ¡®Is this what they were talking about?! What nightmare have I walked into?¡¯ She lifted up her tanto in reflex, uncertain how she was going to defend against whatever the man had in store. The light pulled away from the body of the man funneled into the arm and down into the floor. Sparks bounced from his fingers spreading rapidly out into the panels. Soon the walls were engulfed in sparks that turned to electricity. Lightning jumped from the gathered spot charging at a deadly speed towards an unprepared Chiharu, her eyes widening in shock. Chapter 69 - Blood Stained Shadow Chiharu stepped back as her mind went blank in complete confusion. She couldn''t understand what was happening or how it was possible. It froze her body with her tanto falling slightly from its previous defensive position. The electricity charged down through the hall at her slower than its natural counterpart, but still too fast to outrun. ¡®¡­grandfather¡­¡¯ An explosion of the lightning reached its target blanketing the entire area in white light before fading into a dust cloud. The scene was unreadable, but the Head of the Higoshi Clan still pulled up a wide grin in expectation of a bloody sight. ¡°I don¡¯t know who hired you, but it was your mistake to think that you could take the Head of the Higoshi Clan!¡± He gave a brief laugh, pleased with himself and the demonstration of their new power. The thick dust in the air slowly began to settle from the ignited state. All that could be seen was a thick spread of blood on the mats and walls. Chiharu¡¯s body was still masked by the stubborn cloud. It was enough for the middle-aged man to turn away in assurance that the threat had been eliminated. ¡°Weaklings such as you can no longer exist in this new world!¡± He walked back into his room leaving the mess to be cleaned up by his men. Chapter 69 ¨C Blood Stained Shadow Once everything had finally settled, the guarded ninja stood up straight from his attack. He had hit both of the assassins. Tamotsu laid over top of Chiharu and blood sprayed against the walls and floor. The man stepped forward moving to confirm his kills and if need be end their fading lives. There was not an immediate sign of life from the two bodies in his approach. However, he wouldn''t leave it to chance leaning down to check on Tamotsu. His hand reached out to the neck looking for a pulse, but an arc flashed in front of him taking him back. Another sudden arc lunged at him forcing him to jump away to safety. When he checked on his arm there was a thin line of blood from the initial strike. ¡°Still alive¡­¡± The body on top of the child began to move looking as though he was recovering. It pulled the ninja into a defensive stance watching the situation before making an attack, now questioning his options since it had not managed to kill one of the assassins. Soon his original assessment changed, seeing that the assassin was not so much moving as it was being shifted away. The child pulled up resting the other assassin on their back and leaned over examining the body. ¡°I see now¡­you were protected by the other one¡­¡± Chiharu spared a momentary glare for the guard that attacked them. ¡®I couldn¡¯t move¡­¡¯ She internally chastised herself while trying to see if Tamotsu was alive or not. There had been no more signals from the rest of her men. The thought of another death choked her throat. ¡®¡­Tamotsu, you protected me¡­ I¡¯m still so useless¡­ Grandfather and now you¡­¡¯ A dull cough shook through Tamotsu¡¯s body harsh enough to increase some of the blood flow spilling out of him. It gave enough hope back to Chiharu. She stood up and turned to face the guard, her eyes narrowed fiercely. ¡°I¡¯ll make you pay for that!¡± Chiharu¡¯s tanto was borne in front of her with the tip of the blade dripping blood that it had freshly tasted. The ninja smirked back, becoming amused by the scene. ¡°A child is threatening me? You should just run away now. This is no place for a child trying to play at ninja.¡± ¡°I¡¯m no child! I¡¯m a ninja!¡± ¡°Your words taint and dishonor its proud heritage. Stop now before you make me angry.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t talk of dishonor after what you people did!¡± Chiharu quickly made the man just as enraged as she. The man gave her a questioning stare for a moment before snapping back at her. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about, child! You¡¯re really starting to piss me off!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t deny it! I know the truth!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know anything, kid!¡± Chiharu became dragged into the man¡¯s denial. The thoughts of her grandfather only served to fuel her inferno that burned inside her heart. Chiharu¡¯s body began to move on its own, reacting to her emotions when something suddenly took hold of her ankle. She turned down to see that Tamotsu strained his hand to get her attention. ¡®¡­Tamotsu¡­¡¯ ¡°¡­it¡¯s pointless¡­to¡­argue with¡­him¡­they¡¯ll never¡­admit to it¡­¡± Tamotsu coughed through the cloth mask that covered his face. The pain from speaking was enough to send his body into convulsions. Chiharu leaned down to Tamotsu trying to look more closely at how serious his injuries were for him. ¡°Don¡¯t talk anymore, just rest.¡± She placed a hand on his shoulder. ¡®I don¡¯t know how bad he is, but I have to get him out quickly. I doubt that they¡¯ll let me leave so easily despite his attitude.¡¯ Chiharu rose back to stare down the man with the strange powers lifting her tanto back up into a defensive stance. ¡®I don¡¯t know what strange tricks he¡¯s using, but I won¡¯t be able to take another¡­ I¡¯ll have to keep him from using it again¡­¡¯ ¡°So the child has a plan?¡± The ninja held a very confident tone that could easily be mistaken for arrogance, which it perhaps was a little. He mocked her stance by taking a very weak offensive position. ¡°If he couldn¡¯t take my Clawing Lightning what makes you think you can?!¡± His hands began to move to press together when Chiharu suddenly released a kunai at the man forcing him to dodge out of the way. Another attempt was begun by the man to initiate his attack, but Chiharu sprinted to close the distance while he had been evading her first throw. ¡®Kid¡¯s fast and smart in reading my moves already¡­guess I can¡¯t take the child lightly¡­¡¯ He dodged effortlessly out of Chiharu¡¯s thrust with her tanto. Chiharu spun around expecting that her first attempt would fail and planned for the position that he would move to. The ninja came to a stop at his evasion, but was left in a momentary shock to see Chiharu fluidly following up her strike. ¡®I¡¯ve got him! I read him perfectly! This is it, grandfather!¡¯ There was a hint of a pleased smile that pulled across her face as her sword quickly came to striking. The blade left an arc through the man¡¯s entire midsection still holding surprising across his face. Chiharu straightened herself up taking a measured breath while her eyes began to turn for her next target. A flash of blood sprayed into the air as Chiharu staggered forward suddenly feeling a sharp pain in her shoulder. ¡®What¡¯s going on?! Is it the other guards?¡¯ While she struggled to recover her balance she turned her head trying to analyze the situation. Across the hall at the doors to the Head of the Higoshi Clan stood the same three guards remained unmoved. ¡®It wasn¡¯t them? Who?¡¯ Chiharu tripped her foot a little, still caught off guard by the pain. A swift breeze behind Chiharu formed into a shadowed figure. ¡°Confused, child?¡± ¡°What?!¡± Chiharu spun around only to be too late. Another quick flash dug into her lower back knocking her balance off and almost bringing her to the floor. Blood slowly dripped down her back gluing the fabric to her skin. ¡®How¡¯s he still standing?!¡¯ A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. The man appeared behind her once again. Chiharu had only a second to react to the impending blade aimed to pierce her through her back into the heart. His blade sank into skin drawing an annoyed disgusted expression from him. Chiharu stumbled away from the man slamming against the wall for support as she painted it with her blood. ¡®She¡¯s got good reflexes, shifting her body enough to avoid the fatal blow. No matter, she¡¯s at her limit.¡¯ He revealed his own short sword that he had been using with lightning speed and precision against Chiharu. ¡°You thought if you could keep me from using my Clawing Lightning that you could win didn¡¯t you? I don¡¯t need it to take someone like you. My speed will be enough.¡± Chiharu coughed in pain feeling the deep wound that penetrated into her back. She had been fortunate it missed both her lungs and heart, but it still howled greatly. Her labored breathing fought with the pain that she fought to remain in control. ¡°Speed? That another trick of yours?¡± ¡°No trick, child. It¡¯s natural speed. We told you the world was no longer the same. Normal humans haven¡¯t a chance!¡± He charged straight for Chiharu going for the final blow with his sword, but Chiharu rolled to the ground and out of the way. It didn¡¯t sway his move as his eyes followed her movement and reacted quickly changing his line of attack. An arch of blood sprayed from a shallow wound at Chiharu¡¯s thigh. She forced down her shock at the ninja¡¯s agility to keep herself going. All she could be allowed was a defensive position falling back with each swing made at her. Despite her best efforts every single attempt she made to avoid a wound failed leaving her littered with shallow wounds across her body. ¡®I think¡­I¡¯m starting to see his movements¡­somehow¡­¡¯ Chiharu rested on one knee from the most recent of the vicious assaults. The man narrowed his eyes as he took a moment to read the situation. ¡®I keep missing¡­how? It¡¯s just a normal child! Even trained, I should be faster, but my accuracy keeps getting worse!¡¯ Confusion started to settle into his mind as he grew frustrated with his continued failure. It started to feel like the fight became evenly matched the further he analyzed the movements. ¡®This child can¡¯t be my equal! It¡¯s not possible! It¡¯s just a kid!¡¯ Chiharu tried to calm her breathing that had become out of control. A prolonged battle wasn''t what she was accustomed to let alone real combat. It was going to have to end soon for her. ¡®I have to end it, but I don¡¯t know how. He¡¯s too fast for me to even land a blow.¡¯ Chiharu clutched the hilt of her tanto preparing for her final act. Both charged in with the man trying to use his speed to get around Chiharu for a back attack once more. Sparks flew from the clash of the two blades as Chiharu managed to catch up with his strike. He backed off and disappeared trying for her once again, however she was able to match him. It fell into quick and rapid collisions of metal sparking and chipping from the force being brought to bear with weapons not intended for such powerful strikes. Chiharu kept pace with the man and felt as though she could do a little better. She went for an offensive strike, but missed him, taken off balance by the increase in speed not accustomed to it yet. The man turned to prepare to strike Chiharu, but couldn¡¯t find her. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± He searched around through the hall desperate to find Chiharu with sweat starting to build in the mounting tension. Even if Chiharu moved quickly he knew that she had to come out eventually, but it concerned him that there had not been an attack yet. It felt as though she was nowhere in the hall. He started to back away trying to hold himself into a defensive position. ¡°Something¡¯s wrong here¡­¡± Everything was black. ¡®What¡¯s going on? Where am I?¡¯ Chiharu tried to look around the hall that she thought that she was in, but all she could see was endless darkness. It felt empty and yet too full for her to stay. ¡®Is this another one of that man¡¯s tricks?¡¯ She tried to move and felt as though her legs were acting while it didn''t change her position. Chiharu blinked her eyes, suddenly feeling like she was seeing a light. The light grew stronger expanding in front of her until an image appeared like a portal for her. She could see the man with his flank completely opened to her. The feeling that she had at that moment as she reached through was one that couldn''t explain. It was like a reflex or instinct. Her sword hand stretched out to the portal and pressed through. The whole moment felt distant like she was a third party watching as the ninja jumped away holding his side bleeding. ¡®He¡¯s panicked? Bleeding, but how? What just happened?¡¯ Chiharu tried to focus back on herself to break out of the disembodied feeling that she was having. The view that she had of the ninja suddenly changed looking up at him like she was on the ground somehow. Her instincts took over again and reached out towards the image. Another arc of blood came off the man from his leg as he leapt back looking cornered. ¡®Am I doing that? Is that me? How is this possible?¡¯ Chiharu started to panic, as she couldn''t answer any of the questions. The strange magic in front of her threatened to destroy everything she understood. Her rational mind couldn¡¯t accept what was happening. She tried to run towards the image hoping it was an exit. ¡°Is this that child¡¯s doing? Does the child have powers too?¡± He frantically searched for Chiharu, still confused. It all happened so fast that he was afraid she might be far faster than he could imagine. As he turned to check his flank Chiharu appeared coming towards him out of the wall with her tanto held out. In his state, he couldn¡¯t react quickly enough, forced to take the sword¡¯s blade through his chest. He slowly collapsed to the ground unmoving as Chiharu rested on him breathing heavily. Chiharu turned her head up and looked around quickly to get her bearings. ¡°I¡¯m back! And he¡¯s¡­¡± She looked down the hall towards the three remaining guards that appeared to be shaken from the sudden reversal in the situation. The sword jerked free unceremoniously from the man¡¯s body echoing through the corridor snapping the remaining guards out of their paralysis. ¡°The kid took down Takeo!¡± stammered the guard on the left that appeared ready to flee. The guard in the middle punched him in the face for his cowardice. ¡°It¡¯s our job to protect this door regardless of who it is!¡± ¡°Right and the kid¡¯s already injured!¡± It seemed to be their signal to pull out a fully-automatic machine gun each. The clicking from the guns flicked Chiharu¡¯s eyes up reading the situation. She disappeared the moment that the guards opened fire with a heavy stream of bullets. In the seconds after their guns sounded off the directions changed as blood sprayed out from their bodies before collapsing to the floor from multiple wounds. The last of the bullet casings bounced on the mats as Chiharu re-appeared facing the sliding door. Chiharu threw open the doors with her arms spread out. Her breath heavily paced still and her body only held together by adrenaline. Across the large lightly furnished room sat in a meditative position was the middle-aged man that she had been seeking. ¡°Yoshikazu Higoshi! I¡¯ve come to take your life!¡± ¡°Hrmph!¡± He barely opened his eyes towards her. The look of disinterest was heavily set in his face. ¡°You, a child, think you can kill me! Burn in hell!¡± His eyes suddenly glowed red sharply before the entire air in the room seemed to be blown out followed by massive waves of heat that burned across Chiharu¡¯s face. She felt as though there was a force pushing her back struggling to keep her balance. A moment later everything ignited at once into fire. The windows blew out with flames shattering them instantly. Immediately after, the roof over the room exploded upwards into the night sky destroying everything in the room. An enraged flame towered over the mansion pushing into the high canopy of the forest itself. Even after much of the initial blast calmed, there was still a threatening force blowing out from the epicenter as Yoshikazu Higoshi appeared unharmed. He looked about the settling flames that began to recede from their unnatural ignition. ¡°Escaped huh? Tch!¡± Appearing out of the ground deep in the forest was Chiharu with Tamotsu over her shoulder. She looked back at the fire that illuminated the dark trees. ¡°I failed tonight¡­ But this won¡¯t be the end¡­¡± Morning arrived for the Chinen Estates leaving a deafening silence through the mansion. The death of many of the men had left the remaining feeling uneasy. It was no longer certain if they would be able to defend from attacks. Their only comfort was knowing that their night raid had left the Higoshi Clan in disarray and at an equal loss of men, but there was still a third clan. The Kenkyusha Clan was the strongest of the three clans and with both of the weakened positions of the other clans the threat of attack from them was without question. Everyone feared a new ninja war. ¡°Tamotsu¡­¡± Chiharu, heavily bandaged, looked down at his body resting in his futon. She managed to only get him out safely from the failed mission. All of the men that she had lost were running repeatedly through her mind torturing her last nerves. Tamotsu stirred from his sleep and opened his eyes to see Chiharu next to him. ¡°Lady Chiharu¡­you¡¯re safe¡­¡± She nodded stiffly back to him. ¡°Yes, but the mission was a failure and I¡¯ve allowed my men to die and you to become injured because of my incompetence as a leader.¡± ¡°Enough!¡± Tamotsu coughed sharply from the strain, but forced himself to control his body¡¯s pain. ¡°You have failed no more than I have in keeping you safe from harm.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m still too weak to avenge my grandfather¡¯s, but I¡¯ll become stronger Tamotsu. Strong enough so that you don¡¯t have to protect me. Strong enough so that I can protect my men!¡± Chiharu¡¯s face hardened in determination as she looked down at him. There was an eased look that came across Tamotsu as he relaxed in his futon. Out in the forest of the Chinen Estates, two figures stood out of sight of the mansion and the perimeter guard. ¡°That¡¯s quite the show you¡¯re putting on, Tamotsu¡­¡± Tamotsu looked up flatly staring at the man. ¡°Those three are not the only ones to have discovered strange powers. I don¡¯t know why it¡¯s happened, but the stage has been set now. Both Clans are weak and ripe for invasion. War shall be coming soon.¡± ¡°Yes, the end of the Clans will be soon.¡± ¡°I¡¯m concerned about the power that the Head of the Higoshi Clan displayed. It could still prove a problem to the plans. Be sure to investigate thoroughly any new powers that develop within the Higoshi Clan. We¡¯ll need to know everything before the next move can be made.¡± ¡°Still being cautious¡­ This is our trump card¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a trump card if everyone has one though¡­ I won''t allow overconfidence and arrogance destroy the plan that we¡¯ve labored so long for.¡± ¡°Understood!¡± The man disappeared from the tree branch he rested on leaving Tamotsu alone once more. Tamotsu looked back in the direction of the mansion. ¡®I must see more of her power, it could be problematic¡­ She¡¯s still soft though¡­¡¯ He thought back to the previous night from the hidden position he held watching the entire scene play out with his marionette. ¡®She was unable to kill the men, still missing the fatal points on purpose¡­ I¡¯ll have to ensure I control her development¡­¡¯ Chapter 70 - That Which Has Been Forgotten It had been three days since the search for Yuki had begun. Little in the city improved from the chaos that he had brought upon it, but people started to become a little more accustomed to their new reality. People were no longer denying or hoping that they would just wake up from an illusion. There were still many that refused to do something, but as it was with most people the idea of doing nothing became too much to handle and so they ventured out into the unknown. Police, fire and other emergency facilities ran once again at full staffing. Most weren''t even in their respective buildings due to the high volume of calls being made. The wild animal threat had been discovered leaving injuries and fear to spread through a few of the neighborhoods. They were ill equipped to deal with the matter, but it seemed in the desperate times that some were learning the dark secret to what happened. People developed unnatural powers that seemed to be as impossible and fantastical as what had happened to the country. It spread a new panic through the city as there was no discrimination of who received powers. The wicked misused the new gifts while the innocent were left confused or in some cases tried to play local heroes. Change came quickly. The government didn''t even know how to respond to such problems. There was no one spared from the new gifts leaving even politicians to deal with the strange and weird. Those that had powers were viewed as possible dangers. The entire system threatened to collapse as resignations were being thrown around with more outbreaks reported. The new reality became clear. For Ayumi, it presented an even greater concern for her. Those that came into new gifts fell outside of Ayumi and Yuki¡¯s powers. The illusion powers that they possessed only created a reality within a space, but it wasn''t the same for everyone else. They were the reality and could possibly be far more difficult to defend against. When it came down to it even with her abilities, she was still a normal human relying on her mental reflexes and physical training to survive. She could never surpass what was considered within human limitations, however everyone else was no longer confined by such limitations. She feared what that would mean for her. Her search for Yuki remained fairly uneventful. She ran into the occasional wild beast that tried to attack, but was able to defend herself without coming to harm. Ayumi hoped it would remain that way until she found Yuki. Ayumi tilted her head up towards the sun overhead. It was a bit after noon and there was a sense of urgency in her step today. While she had been searching with urgency for three days, it was different today. ¡®I¡¯ve got to find Yuki soon¡­ I¡¯m going to be late¡­¡¯ She had made a promise to Saki that she would find him today. The brief moment of her wandering thoughts snapped as she realized her drifting. A whole block awaited her search. Yuki¡¯s entire neighborhood had been covered several times each day, thinking that he might wander back in by habit. Afterward, the search expanded into different directions each day. Today was a distant park on the outskirts of the downtown district of the city. Ayumi had already covered the park and much of the surrounding neighborhood. She had one last block neighboring the park before her search expanded further. ¡®I can¡¯t believe we haven¡¯t found him yet¡­ I know it¡¯s a big city, but even still¡­ Doesn¡¯t he know how much he¡¯s making the others¡­worry¡­¡¯ A thorough yet feverish pass on the street block brought her back staring at the park. The park, or what used to be one, looked more like the wild plains of the country. Wild grass grew nearly as tall as Ayumi only to be out stretched by massive trees with seemingly impossible spans that should break under such length. In a few places green and brown were painted out by wild flowers normally seen in the mountains, also with some only possible in stories. Ayumi began to turn back, planning to continue her search, when she noticed an elderly man sitting on a park bench at the edge of the wilds. He seemed to be unaffected or uninterested in what was surrounding him as though he had become used to its presence. If he had been any deeper in she never would have seen him. ¡®Wasn¡¯t he there in the morning when I first arrived?¡¯ It took her a moment, but she nodded by herself in agreement. ¡®Why hasn¡¯t he moved since?¡¯ Curiosity and a bit of suspiciousness drew her in making her walk towards the old man. Her eyes turned to the ground for a moment while she approached before watching the resting man. Even as she came closer there was no reaction from him. ¡®¡­hmm¡­¡¯ Ayumi stopped and sat down next to the old man taking up the other spot on the park bench. She looked forward towards one of the houses waiting out a moment. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking all over town for you¡­Yuki¡­¡± Chapter 70 ¨C That Which has been Forgotten The old man didn¡¯t react to Ayumi¡¯s statement. He simply continued to hold the distant, nearly departed expression that he had before. It was as though nothing around him was of significance to him. While the man seemed gone her words had made it into his ears. ¡°You seem to be mistaking me for someone else, child.¡± A smile pulled up on Ayumi¡¯s lips as she let out a momentary fit of laughter. ¡°It seems you¡¯ve truly managed to control that power of yours. It¡¯s no wonder no one can find you, Yuki!¡± She tilted her head over her shoulder towards the old man. Her eyes held a deep piercing stare focused solely on the wrinkled tanned skin of the man seated next to her. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ve got the wrong person,¡± replied the elderly man slowly. ¡°You can drop the act already, Yuki. I know it¡¯s you.¡± She continued to stare at him intently even though he remained looking out in the distance. The delay prompted her to lift up her hand towards him. ¡°Either you drop it or I¡¯ll make you drop it!¡± He finally looked back at Ayumi. ¡°Alright! Alright! I already have enough brain damage from you and Saki! I don¡¯t need anymore!¡± A flash of light burst from the top of his head extending downward as a flat line that made a transition between the old man''s visage and Yuki¡¯s real body. Once it was completed Yuki turned off his power. Yuki ran his hand through his hair checking to make sure everything was normal (had been holding the image for three days straight). He turned a little to face Ayumi. ¡°So how¡¯d you figure it out? I thought I had a perfect disguise.¡± Ayumi pointed her index finger to the ground. ¡°You still can¡¯t control your Field. So I could tell you were nearby with how much my own Field was affected. Anyone other than me would have never been able to find you.¡± Yuki let out an embarrassed laugh. ¡°I guess I still have a long way to go still, huh?¡± When Ayumi leaned in suddenly glaring at him Yuki winced and then shut his eyes preparing for the assault. However, when nothing happened to him and it was uneasily silent Yuki cautiously opened his eyes. She sat back normally looking at him as though there was something wrong with him. ¡°What¡¯s with the look?¡± ¡°Well I¡¯ve been gone for three days without any word causing you and probably Saki to go looking for me because Momoko asked you and or she was really worried. And because of that you¡¯re going to yell at me and other stuff for acting so childish to make you all worry.¡± Ayumi was a little stunned by the accuracy of his guessing, but tried not to let it show. ¡°Well if you understand all that then I don¡¯t need to do anything then, right?¡± She turned away from him while finishing her sentence acting casually with her eyes wandering about. ¡°Unless you want me to hurt you?¡± ¡°No!¡± There was still a little something that she could see bothering him. It was confusion buried under the relief. ¡°So what¡¯s the problem then?¡± Yuki looked away from Ayumi for a moment. When he looked back towards her he jumped a little taken off guard by how close she was to him. ¡°W-Well¡­¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Seeing that her being so close to him wasn''t helping him speak up anymore Ayumi backed off and sat back down. He began to poke his index fingers together fidgeting. After waiting another minute a fierce glare from Ayumi snapped him out and jump started his words. ¡°W-Well! Uh¡­well it¡¯s not really like you to be so forgiving to me! I¡¯m sorry!¡± Yuki quickly turned into a formal bow hoping to calm some of her wraith for what he was implying. A very long minute passed for Yuki as Ayumi stared at him. She waited until he finally dared to lift his head (a small hint of enjoyment at seeing him scared). ¡°I¡¯m not a violent girl like Saki!¡± She turned away from him for a moment feeling insulted, but caught the disbelieving gaze from Yuki. ¡°Alright! Maybe a little...some¡­fine! I do, but it¡¯s only because I¡¯m trying to toughen you up!¡± Ayumi leaned over to him looking a little threatening. ¡°Sorry! You¡¯re right!¡± Ayumi pulled herself away as though she was embarrassed by something that just came to her. She looked out forward so that she didn''t have to show her face to Yuki. ¡°I-I¡­I wanted to say¡­it¡¯s okay¡­¡± She tightened her hands pressing them into her lap reflecting her internal struggle. The awkwardness coming from Ayumi¡¯s words tugged Yuki to look at her. He knew her to be sure about everything she had to say without hesitation. ¡®Why¡¯s Ayumi acting so weird? It¡¯s not like her?¡¯ She looked the most human, when she wasn¡¯t acting. ¡°¡­Ayumi? What do you mean?¡± ¡°I wanted to say¡­that it¡¯s okay¡­¡± Ayumi realized that she was just repeating her rather than making progress. There was a moment of frustration with her before Yuki calmed her again. ¡°I mean it¡¯s okay¡­the way you must be feeling¡­ I wanted to say that I¡¯m not mad at you for running away. Uh¡­I was mad at first, but not anymore!¡± She could see that she wasn¡¯t making a lot of sense. ¡°While I was looking for you it gave me a lot of time to think and I realized something. I realized that I couldn¡¯t think how I might react in your situation. I could try to say, but I think I realized how scared it must have made you. So I may not understand how it feels, but it¡¯s okay. No one¡¯s going to blame you for what happened and they¡¯ll understand how heavy a weight it must be for you. So you don¡¯t have to hide away from us. Alright?¡± There was a moment while watching an embarrassed and shy looking Ayumi that he wanted to laugh loudly, but restrained himself. ¡®Is Ayumi trying to make me feel better? Is she feeling ill?¡¯ Yuki was caught a little off guard by her words. ¡°Thank you¡­Ayumi¡­¡± Ayumi nodded to him, still a little off balance from spilling her thoughts to him. It took her a moment, but a warm smile managed to rise on her face that was neither from the Ayumi fa?ade nor from the cold Ayumi. ¡°I just didn¡¯t know what to do when I saw that news report¡± He couldn¡¯t explain it, but it was the first time that being near her made him feel at ease and safe. ¡°I couldn¡¯t believe it at first. I didn¡¯t think that it was possible for a single person to cause so much damage, for me to be able to do that.¡± Yuki began to slowly recall the past days. He jumped up from the bench and stared off into the distance with his voice becoming a little empty. ¡°None of it seemed real. I mean ever since you told me I had this power none of it ever seemed real. I just expected that I¡¯d wake up sometime in class with the teacher yelling at me for sleeping. And that would be it. You know¡­¡± A moment of pause came to him as his memories passed through the last couple of weeks. ¡°Being attacked repeatedly and coming close to death. You¡¯d think it would have set in, but it still didn¡¯t seem to be real to me. I mean I live so much in a fantasy world already.¡± He turned around to look back at Ayumi. ¡°I may dream of a fantasy world away from my own life, but even still¡­even still I knew it was false. I understand that fact and could accept it. But this power¡­this power how could it be real? I could never make it work for me and because I¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­Yuki¡­¡± She reached out her arms cautiously at first, but seeing that he was accepting her, wrapping them around him letting her warmth comfort him. Yuki had initially been a little caught off guard by Ayumi hugging him, but he quickly leaned his head against her shoulder holding her tightly. ¡°He¡¯s dead¡­he¡¯s dead¡­I¡­¡± Tears had fallen before for Kazuhiro, but they had been in anger and rage. These deep sorrowful cold of the tears were different. He wanted to stay feeling Ayumi¡¯s embrace that seemed to be the only thing that melted away the pain. It was only something that two that had experienced loss so strongly could understand and share the weight. Chapter 71 - The Farewell Solace came as a brief moment shared in the park. Awkwardness extended between them as it ended. A side of true weakness from Ayumi took Yuki aback a little. It reminded him that despite being a hardened soldier, she was human. They soon left the park to return to friends. When they came to the former intersection of the neighborhood Ayumi took a different direction away from where Yuki lived. He rushed over in front of her when he realized what had happened. ¡°Hey Ayumi, our houses are back that way!¡± ¡°I know, but we aren¡¯t going home just yet.¡± She began to walk around Yuki resuming her pace until he caught back up to her once more standing in her way. ¡°We¡¯ll be late if you keep this up.¡± ¡°Late? Late to what?¡± ¡°There is somewhere we both need to be soon.¡± ¡°Which is?¡± Ayumi stepped around him, continuing in spite of his interruptions. ¡°You¡¯ll learn when we get there. Now hurry up!¡± The deeper rough tone came out in her voice echoing it as an order that Yuki couldn¡¯t ignore. The mysterious walk through the abandoned neighborhood streets of the city left Yuki plenty of time to think. None of it proved to be helpful for him, but since Ayumi remained quiet the entire time there was little left for him to do. However, the confusion that Yuki felt suddenly intensified the moment he saw where they had stopped. It mixed with uneasiness and a slow unwanted feeling of clarity. Yuki looked over at Ayumi, narrowing his eyes at her in a question. ¡°Why are we at a cemetery?¡± ¡°You¡¯re smart enough. I think you can figure it out.¡± Ayumi took a couple of steps forward entering the threshold of the cemetery. She paused and waited knowing that Yuki was not following her. It had been a while since the last time he had visited a cemetery. The images of the past from when his mother and father had died echoed through his thoughts. He couldn¡¯t keep the past away from him as much as he wanted to forget at that moment. This was a different cemetery, but it didn¡¯t make a difference to him. The memories were linked. Yuki wanted to back away and run, yet the reason for what it meant today appeared. It froze him immediately from being able to retreat or even advance. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ayumi, but I¡¯m not ready to see him.¡± ¡°No one is ever ready.¡± Ayumi kept her back to Yuki looking forward through the rows of headstones. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how much anyone prepares themselves for it¡­you¡¯re never ready¡­never¡­¡± The fading echo in her voice was piercing as though it came from inside holding a deeper understanding of the word¡¯s meaning. Chapter 71 ¨C The Farewell Ayumi reached back with her hand, still not looking at him, grabbing his hand and guiding him on. ¡®¡­Ayumi¡¯s hand¡­she¡¯s shaking, but why?¡¯ Yuki looked up towards the back of Ayumi trying to understand what he was feeling from her. Unfortunately, there was nothing that she allowed him beyond her hand. Several aisles of burials later Ayumi came to a stop abruptly. Yuki hadn''t been paying much attention to his surroundings, having been solely focused on Ayumi. So he didn¡¯t take notice of the company that fell in around him. ¡°Why did you stop, Ayumi?¡± ¡°I brought him! As promised!¡± Ayumi declared releasing Yuki from her hold very quickly under the stealth of her announcement. The tone in her voice quickly covered up any of the subtleties that had been leaking through her. Yuki took a moment to look at Ayumi, confused by who she could be speaking to, before examining those around him. It made him step back a little seeing that Saki, Hiroshi and Tatsuya were all standing in front of him. There was a long pause between them as Yuki quickly felt incredibly awkward and guilty. The depression and sorrow that he had thought that he had overcome began to overwhelm him, staring at them. ¡°¡­everyone¡­¡± ¡°Hey Yuki!¡± Hiroshi sounded a little too happy for the occasion. He stepped out from the others looking to greet Yuki back from his long vacation. A brief second waited while Hiroshi smiled at Yuki before his friend was greeted by Hiroshi¡¯s fist. It was enough to send Yuki to the ground and slide across the stone tile kicking up dust and dirt throughout the entire area. Saki reached forward and grabbed a hold of Hiroshi''s wrist. ¡°Hey! This is a cemetery! You can¡¯t be making so much noise!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t give me that, Saki! I know you were wanting to hit him just as much as me!¡± Ayumi ran off after Yuki to check on him. She found him on his back propped up against a headstone that belonged to a long deceased family. ¡°Hey you alright?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­I think so¡­¡± He looked up at Ayumi and then back over at his friends. She helped him up off the stone and back to his feet. Yuki marched back over to Hiroshi once all of the feeling was back in his body. He tried to ignore the pain in his face. ¡°What was that for? I thought we were¡ª¡° ¡°I thought we were friends, Yuki!¡± Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Huh?¡± Yuki blinked back at Hiroshi a little confused for being interrupted by exactly what he was trying to say. There was a sense that he was expecting it to happen from someone, but Hiroshi seemed like the last person that was going to punch him. Hiroshi moved forward closer to Yuki. ¡°You¡¯re not the only one that¡¯s hurting because of Kazuhiro! You think it¡¯s all your fault that it happened, huh?¡± Another step from Hiroshi moved him close enough to Yuki that Yuki backed away a little looking uncomfortable. ¡°Don¡¯t be so arrogant and self-centered. Kazuhiro chose to be there like we all did. It was that other guy that killed him, not you! That Alex guy, right?¡± He stared at Yuki under the expectation of getting a response from him. The expectation took a while for it to click with Yuki. Yuki gave Hiroshi an uncertain nod not knowing where all the yelling was leading. ¡°¡­yeah¡­¡± The hesitation and confusion in Yuki''s voice brought Hiroshi in towards Yuki even more intently than before. Yuki leaned away no longer certain what Hiroshi wanted from him. ¡°Right?¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± Hiroshi didn¡¯t seem any more pleased with Yuki response leaning in further at him. ¡°Yeah!¡± Yuki tried again feeling as though Hiroshi wanted him to repeat himself until he was satisfied. Hiroshi hadn''t backed off. ¡°Yes!¡± shouted Yuki loudly back at Hiroshi which startled the others around him, but made Hiroshi pleased. Hiroshi backed away and walked around to Yuki¡¯s side looking over at him. ¡°You thought that I would blame you for what happened. You thought we¡¯d all blame you for what happened with the school and everything else.¡± He stretched out his arm around Yuki''s shoulder, grabbing him firmly. ¡°We¡¯re all friends here, Yuki. It doesn¡¯t matter what happens or what you do. True friends would never blame you. I don¡¯t care what anyone else says about you, Yuki. We¡¯re friends and friends support and look out for each other. If you¡¯re not here then how are we supposed to support you and help you?¡± A drawn out pause from Yuki allowed him to take everything in. He became a little reminded of what Ayumi had told him. It made him feel a little better knowing that there were friends that would stand by him. The worst thing that he had feared was losing them all because of the mistakes that he had made. Yuki felt like he could smile looking from Hiroshi over to Saki and Tatsuya. ¡°Thanks, everyone¡­¡± Hiroshi dragged Yuki over to the grave that marked Kazuhiro''s resting place, the family grave. He looked down at his friend, losing a bit of the cheerful glow that had been in his face. ¡°Hey man¡­ I brought Yuki here like I promised¡­ We¡¯re together again so you keep an eye on him when we can¡¯t, alright?¡± Hiroshi roughed Yuki up a little, working up a smile again to lighten the air. ¡°Hey! This is a cemetery have some respect!¡± yelled Saki at him threatening to hit him. ¡°You¡¯re being just as noisy, Saki!¡± ¡°Hiroshi you¡­¡± Ayumi kept her distance from them, watching merely as an observer. It was a comforting sight to see them looking in better spirits. In front of the yelling was Yuki kneeling down towards the grave. Most of what he said was distorted by those behind him, however a little of what he said managed to make it to Ayumi. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m sorry, I tried to protect you¡­¡± A distant voice in the back of Ayumi¡¯s mind playing from the past echoed painful memories. ¡®I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m sorry, I tried to protect you¡­¡¯ They were far more recent memories than she wished to admit, but seeing Yuki before the grave unwillingly triggered them. She tried to ignore them and push them away, yet the emotions were too strong to be ignored. ¡®Come back! Please come back! Don¡¯t leave me alone!¡¯ Ayumi turned her head down covering her eyes in dark shadows as she fought with her emotions. ¡®I¡¯m sorry! Please don¡¯t leave me alone! I can¡¯t¡­¡¯ Crying between the shaking words became clearer in mind. The unwanted past filled her up. It was unavoidable for her. It was nearly two months before back in her homeland where she found herself in the same position as Yuki was today. Eudokia knelt before a grave unable to keep herself from crying though she knew her training told her it was a weakness. The one man that had been her support and changed her life had died, her King. He was gone, forever. All Eudokia would know once more was the emptiness of solitude. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be alone anymore! I can¡¯t go on without you! I don¡¯t want to¡­ I¡¯d rather wither and die here¡­¡± She hung her arms over the massive sprawling stone marker of her dead King. Quietly approaching from behind Eudokia was an aging man dressed formally in the military uniform of the homeland. He came to stop at the grave not looking down at Eudokia trying to provide a sense of respect and dignity earned by her position. ¡°Such words are too harsh on yourself, Eudokia.¡± Swollen and deeply red from tears, her eyes only briefly looked back already knowing who it was before. ¡°What are you doing here Demosthenes? Shouldn¡¯t the General of the Army be at the assembly?¡± ¡°They are in recess currently.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re with those jackals that didn¡¯t even wait for his body to go cold before declaring the Ritual of Succession to begin.¡± ¡°It is the law. You know as well as I do without a new King our home will fall into ruin. Without an heir a new King must be found quickly if we are to survive.¡± Eudokia glared over at him, finally looking up at Demosthenes. She bore him great venom for his cold and rational thought over the death of someone so important to her. ¡°He was your King too! How can you be so cold about his death! You sided so quickly with those politicians that have been trying to overthrow the King. You never cared for him! He never mattered to you!¡± Demosthenes took her shouting with measure and gave pause before responding knowing how much she would despise him. ¡°I¡¯ve always followed the law. The law is what has kept us alive these years. Following it will ensure that we continue no matter the path.¡± ¡°Bastard!¡± Eudokia spat back as she stood up from the ground. She gave him a piercing glare up into his eyes. ¡°You¡¯ll never understand!¡± Eudokia began walking away from him leaving the cemetery that was filled with the Kings of the past. ¡°The assembly is requesting your presence since you were the Captain of the Royal Guard.¡± She broke her step coming to a stop hearing the insulting words from him. ¡°I will not indulge cowards and backstabbers in their games for a power play. My King is dead and I will serve no other King. Tell them that!¡± ¡°You have lost someone important to you, Eudokia. But remember it is the duty of those that live to keep those that have gone alive within. You¡¯re never alone.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to be consoled by an old man like you that has already forgotten his King that he has served for so long.¡± Eudokia marched out of the cemetery leaving Demosthenes alone. Ayumi blinked briefly, catching herself from her emotions that were carried to the surface from her memories. She shifted her legs and weight a little to loosen up the stiffness that started to set in from her unmoved position watching Yuki and his friends. ¡®Perhaps here¡­perhaps I¡¯m not alone¡­¡¯ Chapter 72 - Rebuilding the Broken After Yuki finished his goodbyes to Kazuhiro, he returned home. Panic and relief passed in equal measures. All he could do was paint a good smile on his face for his family. A hovering sensation stayed like a rain cloud over him the entire time. The unasked questions were held at a distance. However, once Ken and Jun left, he saw that Momo wanted the truth. She had some trouble believing everything that he told her at first, but with what had happened recently she didn''t have much choice in accepting it. Yuki wanted to keep his brothers out of the problems and Momoko agreed with him. After he finished explaining everything and Momoko accepted what she had been told, she remained silent for a while deep in thought. When she was ready she looked back at Yuki. ¡°So what¡¯s going to happen to Japan?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Can you fix it? Undo whatever you did?¡± Yuki held his reply not wanting to answer it. It was an issue that he had questioned himself in the three days that he had been alone. There had even been points he had tried to use his Field to turn things back. He could make it like things had been before, but only within his field and even then it was only so long as his Field was active. The power that he had used seemed out of his reach. Once he had come to that answer he tried to bury everything. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°Yuki?¡± Momoko began to step towards him away from the kitchen counter she had been leaning against. She stretched out her hand wanting to place it comfortingly on his shoulder. There was a sharp flip of Yuki¡¯s head up towards her when he saw Momoko getting closer to him. ¡°I can¡¯t! I can¡¯t¡­¡± The incomplete words had been more than enough for Momoko. Momoko finished closing in the rest of the distance putting her arms around Yuki. She knew all she could do was be at his side. ¡°¡­Yuki¡­¡± Chapter 72 ¨C Rebuilding the Broken ¡°What am I doing here?¡± Yuki looked over to his two escorts, Ayumi and Saki. Neither allowed him to leave his house without their company. Ayumi smiled back at Yuki with an innocent look on her face. ¡°We¡¯re here to help! I told you that before we came, Yuki!¡± ¡°Yes, but that was all you told me¡­¡± The new tweaked version Ayumi took him a little bit of adjusting. ¡°And why are you wearing a hard hat?¡± Reacting a little self-consciously, Ayumi grabbed the bright yellow hat, catching it before it slipped off. She activated her power without the field suddenly appearing in blue jean overalls and a white tank top with her hair tied up. ¡°How¡¯s this better image? Do I look cute now?¡± Ayumi spun around for him quickly to give a full view of her newly made costume. Yuki nodded stiffly, not sure what to make of it. ¡°¡­uh¡­yeah¡­¡± ¡°Ah Yuki Hayashi. You made it,¡± called out a smooth voice from behind. ¡°Did she say cute?¡± There was a slow stunned reaction in Yuki that blocked him for a moment. Responding to the voice Yuki turned sharply, finding a high student aged boy in street clothes. ¡°Yes¡­I did, umm¡­¡± Yuki was still unclear about why he had been called out from his home so early to stare at his ruined school. ¡°I¡¯m Student Council President Yori Mizuno. You probably saw me at the entrance ceremony.¡± ¡°Mizuno?¡± ¡°Yes, you know my sister, Yumi.¡± ¡°Sister!?¡± Yuki took a step back when he saw her walking out of Yori¡¯s wake and standing next to him. She politely bowed to Yuki in apology before even speaking to him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I never told you, Yuki! I didn¡¯t mean to hide it from you! Honest!¡± Yuki quickly tried to catch her overly apologetic manner. ¡°N-n-no! It¡¯s alright! Nothing to be sorry about! I was just surprised!¡± When she finally stood upright again Yuki suddenly took note of many of the student body behind them gathered in a loose group. Confusion began to set in painfully for him as he looked around. ¡°So¡­what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°We¡¯re all very grateful for your volunteering to help restore our high school, Yuki!¡± Yori declared politely. It was difficult to tell whether he had ignored what Yuki had said or not, but he had left Yuki in little position other than to accept. There was a quick moment where Yuki turned to look over at Ayumi next to him. She simply smiled back at him looking like there was nothing wrong. Yuki sighed trying to adjust himself to the situation. ¡°Right! Volunteering! But isn¡¯t it dangerous for us to be going near the school? We¡¯re just teenagers and none of us know anything about construction.¡± A light pat on his shoulders came from Ayumi as she joined the conversation. ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re here!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°The student body won¡¯t be approaching the building. I can¡¯t risk their safety no matter how much they want to fix the school. I¡¯ll be directing the efforts to clean up the school grounds and clearing away what debris is safe for us.¡± Yori maintained a very polite and even tone throughout his words. Speaking was something that suited him. ¡°We¡¯ll do whatever we can to make it easier for you.¡± None of the words helped Yuki understand what he was supposed to be doing. He started to tire of listening to Yori speaking without getting to the point related to him. ¡°But what am I supposed to do? I don¡¯t know how to fix the school. Do you Ayumi?¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°Nope! But that doesn¡¯t matter!¡± ¡°You lost me.¡± Ayumi gave a disappointed sigh to Yuki. She had hoped that he would have picked up on what she was intending for him. ¡°It¡¯s quite simple. We use our Illusion Field and Law¡° ¡°I¡¯m still not getting it¡­¡± Trying to ignore Yuki, she continued on. ¡°¡­to create what we need to fix the building.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re going to do that, why not just make it all better with the Field immediately.¡± ¡°Because our power doesn¡¯t work that way and you know it. We can¡¯t cause direct change to the environment, but we can cause indirect change.¡± ¡°Even if I made a crane and construction equipment I still can¡¯t use it.¡± He didn''t understand what Ayumi was thinking that they could accomplish without any expert knowledge of construction. It was an impossible project. Ayumi narrowed her eyes at Yuki becoming annoyed by his simpleminded thinking. ¡°I thought you had a creative mind. You should be able to figure it out. You¡¯re thinking too narrowly. You need to broaden your scope.¡± Yuki crossed his arms, staring down at Ayumi. ¡°Too narrowly? I can¡¯t do construction! What aren¡¯t you understanding? The only way it¡¯d work was if you used some highly advanced artificial intelligence controlling all of the machines so that they did the work for us instead!¡± A slow pause came out of his mouth as he retraced his words. All of it was starting to fall into place and Ayumi¡¯s smug smile didn''t help him. ¡°See! Even someone like you can figure it out with a little help! Think of it as training!¡± Ayumi slapped him on the back and skipped off towards the school. It felt like he dealt with an unholy combination of the soldier version of Ayumi with the public version. His head hurt. After a moment he turned about to find the entire group of volunteers staring at him eagerly and wide eyed. It was like he was some animal in a zoo that was about to do a trick for them. The excitement in their faces became too much for him and he ran off for Ayumi. ¡°Wait for me!¡± Following the lead that Ayumi set for him, Yuki tried to mimic what she had created. The creation of Yuki¡¯s had a very advanced science fiction touch while Ayumi seemed a little larger and more practical, but still both were equally functional. Due to the Field range that Yuki had over Ayumi he could work over a larger area. She focused on clearing and support while Yuki managed the large scale physical work of actual construction. While the two of them focused on the school the rest of the student volunteers fanned out under directions from Yori. Yori already surveyed the entire block prior to the work and came up with a schedule for their work. Everyone was in good spirits, remaining enthusiastic about the work and saving their school. They all followed Yori¡¯s directions without question and were starting to make some progress by the time that lunchtime was rolling around for them. The group gathered together in Yuki¡¯s grass field that provided a little more tamed and ideal setting while they ate. He started to feel like he was being used as a tool of convenience whenever something needed to be done. However, Yuki didn¡¯t complain too much seeing how much everyone was getting along together and enjoying themselves. Ayumi sat next to him, catching a pensive look in his eyes. ¡°Something on your mind?¡± She took a bite out of the sandwich that had been prepared for everyone working. ¡°I was just thinking that I had been only focusing on the negatives of what I did. Seeing everyone here today made me think that maybe what happened hasn¡¯t all been terrible.¡± ¡°There are many sides to any problem. The more you see the better you¡¯ll understand it.¡± ¡°I guess so! Thanks Ayumi for bringing me out here today!¡± Yuki started taking a bite into his sandwich eagerly. The dread and unease that he had been feeling all left him. When he caught sight of Yori moving his way, making his rounds to check on everyone, Yuki quickly swallowed his food so that he could speak to him. ¡°Hey Yori! I was wondering something!¡± There was a split second of subtle emotions in Yori that stirred deep suspicion towards Yuki, but he covered it up quickly. The pleasant public face of Yori was shown to him as he approached. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I was thinking for a while, but are we allowed to do this? Won¡¯t the city get mad or something?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already settled the matter with the mayor.¡± Yuki¡¯s eyes widened and mouth opened in shock to hear that he actually could speak with the mayor of the city. ¡®He¡¯s just the Student Council President! How much influence does he have?¡¯ It took a moment of him blinking before he could speak again. ¡°You know the mayor?!¡± ¡°Actually the mayor¡¯s son is a third year at our school. So I was able to get a meeting very easily.¡± Yumi suddenly arrived behind Yori pulling away his attention to his sister. They began whispering to each other. The surprise in Yuki¡¯s face began to recover. ¡®That¡¯s a little scary¡­¡¯ Yuki tried to continue with his lunch, but Yori and her whispering were starting to become more physical as he grabbed her arm. She tried to plead with him to let her go, making Yuki stand up. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Yuki reached out between them looking to stop Yori from hurting heri. She quickly turned to Yuki pleading to him with her eyes nearly in tears. ¡°I need to go into the school!¡± ¡°What?! You can''t, it''s too dangerous in there!¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I told her, but she won¡¯t listen to me. Yumi please it¡¯s not worth getting hurt or worse.¡± Yori tightened his hand on her wrist, feeling her struggling against him. The strength of his hand began to make her wince and shake. ¡°Yumi, please!¡± Yuki could see that he was starting to hurt her and stepped between them. ¡°Yori! You¡¯re hurting her!¡± He reached out his hand taking hold of Yori, breaking his hold on her. Unfortunately with her freed she turned away and ran off towards the school. ¡°Yumi!¡± ¡°You idiot!¡± snapped Yori quickly losing his composure with Yuki. ¡°I knew this would happen if you got involved!¡± He pushed Yuki out of his way and ran off Yumi hoping to catch her before she got into trouble. Ayumi caught everything that happened and saw her running for the school. She jerked up trying to create a Field to stop her, but nothing happened. It was then that she realized that Yuki¡¯s Field was almost completely drowning her out. ¡°Yuki! Your Field!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Still confused by what just happened Yuki was too slow to act, putting her out of reach for Ayumi. He took a slap to the back of his head as Ayumi put him back into gear with his thoughts and sprinted off towards the school. ¡®She¡¯s too far away¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ Wait!¡¯ Yuki dropped his Field and focused his mind as he kept running. A wave of light darted out from his feet spreading grass out over everything and wiping away the school along with a very large portion of the neighborhood. ¡°Yumi!¡± With the school gone it gave them the time to catch up with her collapsed in the grass. Yuki panted a little as he came to a stop next to the siblings, relieved that he was able to prevent her from getting hurt. ¡°¡­Yumi¡­¡± She had been alone with Yori, unable to console her. When she noticed that Yuki had arrived her eyes turned and flared up with anger. ¡°Yuki!¡± yelled she in rage so foreign to her that it took everyone back. She leapt up to Yuki grabbing him by his shirt. ¡°Why would you take it away from me!? Give it back to me! Now!¡± ¡°¡­but Yumi¡­¡± Yuki didn''t know what to say to her, stuttering in his own words surprised by the ravaging look that she was giving him. He felt as though he could see the deep sorrowed pain behind her eyes that fueled her very strength. It made him want to give in, but knew that it would be too risky. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about myself! I have to get it! Nothing else is important!¡± Ayumi raised a hand and placed it on Yuki¡¯s arm. ¡°Yuki, let her go¡­¡± ¡°What?! Ayumi, why?¡± ¡°That look in her eyes. Nothing we say is going to change her and unless we tie her up permanently she¡¯s going to do this on her own. The very least we can go with her and make sure she¡¯s safe.¡± ¡°Ayumi!¡± Her demeanor slowly began to change back with the emotions falling out of her veins. She let go of Yuki quickly as her shy nature suddenly surfaced and checked her back into place. Yuki reluctantly agreed to Ayumi and restored the school. Yori demanded to go with them not wanting to leave his sister alone with Yuki. Ayumi and Yuki followed behind them keeping their powers at the ready for the moment that anything happened since activating their Fields. She rushed off into their broken classroom with Yori while Ayumi and Yuki remained near the entrance. Yuki looked over to Ayumi still feeling uneasy about what they were tempting. ¡°You know if this was one of my manga this would be about the time the floor collapses underneath us burying us in rubble.¡± Ayumi only turned her eyes to look at Yuki not wanting to give his comment too much attention. ¡°Then be glad this is the real world and not your story.¡± ¡°I found it!¡± She shouted, raising her hand. A loud crack echoed around her snaking towards the door. Her eyes widened for a moment as she took in the last moment to realize what was happening. The others didn''t have much of a chance to react as the ceiling crumbled like dominos falling. Weakening the structure even further the walls and floor broke up around them a second later beginning their three story fall. ¡°I told you SO!¡± Yuki yelled before being swallowed up by rubble and disappearing out of sight of the others. Chapter 73 - Dome of Safety Smoke blasted out from the school as the rest of the third floor classroom rammed into a fragile second floor below. It wasn''t enough to keep it whole and the walls exploded outwards under the sudden stress. Debris fell into the first floor covering everything in a mound under the mask of clouds. The blown out dust blanketed the entire school grounds alerting all of the students and washing out screams. Saki ran through the gray veil disregarding the danger until she tripped over a large piece of rubble. Her collapse drew in the hopelessness. ¡°Yuki! Yuki!¡± The particles in the air were drawn into her open mouth as she yelled, bringing her to a painful cough bent over. ¡°Yumi!¡± ¡°Yumi!¡± The voices that called out became muffled partly by the noise of the collapsing school. Saki tried to look through the layers of dust to find who else was nearby. It was still too thick of clouds masking everything out for Saki to know. All she could do was listen out for the voices hoping that she was getting close as they grew louder. Eventually, a slightly dark form in the smoke appeared to her and reached out for them. She carried them out of the danger as well as her sense of direction could manage. ¡°Put me down!¡± Saki struggled through getting kicked and slapped by the girls. ¡°I¡¯m trying to help you! Stop fighting me!¡± Unfortunately, among all of their shouting Saki¡¯s voice was drowned out. After another kick in her ribs Saki sighed heavily and just ignored them trying to get out as quickly as possible so that she could give them a piece of her mind. The feet of the girls appeared first out of the smoke followed quickly by Saki. Once Saki knew she was breathing normal air again she dropped the two girls down on the ground. ¡°Dammit!¡± She leaned in towards the girls bending over nearly to meet them in the face. ¡°What happened to being grateful for being protected!?¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t ask to be protected!¡± ¡°Yumi¡¯s still in there!¡± ¡°So is Yuki, but we can¡¯t do anything right now!¡± In the last exchange of words, they all finally opened their eyes to look at who they were yelling at. Kaede raised her arm in surprise to see that it was Saki and Katsumi followed a similar suit along with Saki. ¡°You?!¡± A final collapse of the section of the school pounded out through the ground. It pulled the three girls'' eyes back to the smoke covered school filled with worry once more. Many of the other students began to gather around them uncertain about their fate. ¡°Yumi¡­¡± ¡°Will they be alright?¡± ¡°Yuki and Ayumi are with them¡­I hope¡­¡± Chapter 73 ¨C Dome of Safety ¡°¡­ugh¡­Yumi¡­¡± Yori tried to find his sister in his confusion. He was completely covered in darkness, but there was the strange sense that he wasn¡¯t as badly hurt as he should. His head still rang from the collapse making it difficult for him to focus. ¡°Yumi?¡± Yori grasped around blind desperate to find his sister and praying that she was still alive. ¡®Is she even around here?¡¯ Not being restrained by debris he was able to search around slowly on his knees checking everything in his radius thoroughly before moving forward a little. His hand ran into something on the ground that Yori scrambled to check quickly. ¡°Yumi! Is that you?¡± A closer examination by his hands revealed it to be the flashlight that they had brought. The power had been cut in the school during the battle leaving the halls dark and the classrooms dim. He fumbled around for the switch to check to see if it still worked. When it flipped on he was suddenly blinded by the dull beam. Yori aimed it out into the darkness looking at his surroundings. Towards the center he found his sister lying face down unconscious. ¡°Yumi!¡± He rushed over to her side thoughtlessly tossing the flashlight away. Yori lifted her up into his arms being granted a little light to check her for any blood or wounds. ¡°Good no injuries¡­¡± He let his back bend a little as he sighed, relieving the tension. Minutes slowly passed for him as he held on to her and began searching around their room. The walls that surrounded them were the rubble from school, but he couldn''t tell a distance or shape from them. It seemed to almost be going on forever while being the exact same. He wasn''t sure if it was the headache that he had still that was screwing with his senses or not. As he examined the ground it began to come together in his mind. ¡°It¡¯s a perfect hemisphere, but how? It doesn¡¯t make any sense. Rubble doesn¡¯t just fall perfectly into a hemisphere¡­¡± Yori continued to take in his surroundings, finding that he was at the center of the space. The clearing soon exhausted itself of answers to the mystery leaving Yori to begin to question more about their situation. He ran another check on himself for injuries as well as on Yumi, but found nothing. In fact, it worried him that apart from the ringing headache he didn''t feel any pain. ¡°How¡¯s this possible? We fell three floors and were surrounded by brick and steel. We should be beat up, but I don¡¯t even have a scratch or bruise! What¡¯s going on?¡± This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Yori''s sense of curiosity got the better of him. He gently put his sister back on the ground and reached out for the flashlight. The first test he made was for the height of the space, which granted him plenty of head room and then some. It took him several steps to become in danger of hitting his head. Next, he tested the condition of the surface that could only be considered a composite of random debris from the school¡¯s structure. There were even a few chairs that he saw mixed in that were bent under great pressure and flattened conforming to the shape that they were in. Yori took a very cautious move with his hand towards the dome, retracting his hand several times before actually touching. ¡°It¡¯s real¡­¡± He measured his words out carefully with his breathing still fearing a collapse. ¡°It¡¯s almost like an arch where all of the pieces are held together by each other¡¯s force, but removing one piece would make it all crumble away. We could¡¯ve been buried if there had been one misplace stone¡­¡± Boldness was found within the reassuring touch of the wall. Yori ran his palm down the surface taking in the feeling. It was completely smooth with the only gaps or bumps where pieces were joined together. He had never seen such a construction. The smoothness almost felt as though it had been pressed, pounded, blasted and smoothed to be created. ¡®Something doesn¡¯t feel right about this¡­¡¯ There was a sudden uneasy feeling starting to build within him that realized it was impossible and had to have been created by someone. Yori feared who could have done it and for what purpose. ¡®Is this Hayash¡¯s involvement? Or someone trying to get to Hayashi through us? Another one of those strange foreigners? Yumi!¡¯ He rushed back to Yumi¡¯s side starting to feel the stress of his own questions weighing on him. ¡°¡­sister¡­¡± Yori lifted his sister back up into his arms checking on her condition once more trying to focus. For the time it was working for him, but it just exchanged one stress for another. As he focused his mind towards his sister, thoughts from the past began to stir. All of his concentration was on her that it almost felt natural. He became lost in the memories that sifted through his eyes. ¡®Today was the first time I¡¯ve seen her so determined, even angry. She¡¯s always been shy and a crybaby never telling anyone how she feels until it was too late¡­ It seemed to work very well when she was a child. So much that I couldn¡¯t stand it¡­¡¯ ¡°¡­Hrmph¡­¡± Yori turned his head away walking out of the room leaving them behind. He stomped off to his room leaving his little sister alone in the kitchen with their mother. ¡°I do well and mother is happy. She does poorly and cries about it and mother is happy! Why does mother pay her more attention?!¡± Little Yori, age eight, fell down against his bed slowly sliding to the floor. His hands balled up into a fist of frustration the more that he thought and pictured Yumi with his mother. ¡°Does mother like her better than me?!¡± The momentary realization froze him through his bones. It tightened his muscles and racked his chest as it lingered inside. Months passed in similar scenes. Until, Yori walked out of the entrance of their house passing the kitchen. He paused when he saw his mother sitting at the table with her head down resting against her hands. It had been a common sight for him to see her looking down. ¡°¡­mother¡­¡± She looked up from the kitchen very slowly, almost like she was dead. ¡°Could you check the laundry before you go upstairs? Let me know if it¡¯s ready to be dried, okay?¡± Yori gave her a slow nod and silently continued, not certain what else to do. The laundry room was a small attachment near the stairs buried by a closet. An even hum of the washer still running gave him the answer that he was looking for. He started to turn away when the sound of a phone ringing came muffled towards him. It wasn''t immediately familiar, not being the house phone, but he remembered that it was his father¡¯s cell phone. ¡°Oh he forgot it. Someone from work probably needs to talk to him. I should let them know!¡± Yori leaned over searching for the ringing through the clothes until he found it and picked it up. The phone was large enough that he had to juggle it with both of his hands. He found the call button and raised it slowly to his ear. Yori was about to speak when a woman¡¯s voice came through. ¡°Hey honey! Last night was great! You think you can get away again tonight?¡± It took a moment for it all to click with him, but the second that it did he dropped the phone in shock. Yori backed away from the phone not wanting to believe what he had just heard. The woman¡¯s voice continued to echo through the floor, confused and haunting Yori¡¯s mind. He stumbled back towards the kitchen looking at his mother suddenly with new eyes. She turned up towards him a little confused. ¡°Is the laundry ready?¡± Yori froze paralyzed for half a minute, not certain what to say to her. He could not look at her the same anymore, everything was different suddenly. Nothing made sense anymore to him. All he managed in the end was a shake of his head. ¡°¡­oh¡­okay¡­¡± Yori left back to the corner by the stairs staring down at the phone. He turned it off and put it back where he had found it. Afterward, he forced himself to walk up to his room. ¡®It was then that my entire world changed for me. I realized the pain that mother had been going through alone. I saw how empty and terrible my attention starved attempts were along with silent anger towards Yumi. I had no idea what I could do, but I was determined to change things¡­ I was going to make up for what I had done and felt towards Yumi even if she never knew¡­ I was going to be the brother that she deserved¡­¡¯ His sister suddenly moved in Yori¡¯s arms alerting him and startling her a little. Reacting to the fall still, she tossed about screaming for her life. In her flailing she hit Yori with the back of her hand. Eventually, she was forced to open her eyes from being shaken by Yori. She pressed away into Yori arms, taken aback that he was safe before realizing her own safety. ¡°Brother! You¡¯re alive still!¡± His sister jumped up out of his arms hugging him tightly to assure for her own sake that he was real and partly out of relief. After a few minutes reality soon began to hit her as she looked around in the poor light at their situation. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Where are we?¡± Since his sister felt better and calmed down he let her go to stand on her own. He took another look around the room as he prepared an answer. ¡°Best I can tell is buried under rubble from the school.¡± ¡°Buried? Are we trapped?¡± She choked the words a little when she began to examine the surroundings with him. Being inside a small place did not worry her as much as the confusion. She tried to focus on her brother hoping that it would stop the lightheaded feeling that she was starting to develop. ¡°¡­Brother¡­are you hurt?¡± ¡°No, nothing.¡± Yori turned around towards his sister suddenly feeling something in the back of his head whispering to him. ¡°Are you feeling okay?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± She tried to sound convincing for him, but her unsteady words were only the start of her failed attempt. His sister felt her knees buckle and then everything in her body went numb for a second like her brain had been completely cut off. She collapsed to the ground barely caught by Yori in time before it was too painful. Yori could feel her limbs shaking as he pulled her close to him. ¡°No, you¡¯re not!¡± It felt like she had become heavier suddenly in his arms forcing him to sit down before he lost control. Fear quickly creeped into his heart the longer he stared into her pale eyes. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Yumi! Where does it hurt?¡± The flashlight¡¯s beam seemed to be growing dimmer for his sister as darkness began to blanket her eyes. Lightheadedness turned into a dull pain at the front of her head. Lines of wrinkles drew in around her eyes from the stabbing sensation that forced its way inside her head. ¡°Brother?¡± She tried to lift up her hand, no longer able to see him. He grabbed on to her hand so that she could feel him still. ¡°I¡¯m right here! Stay with me, Yumi!¡± ¡°Yori? I can¡¯t see you¡­¡± She had at first felt him take hold, but even that feeling was starting to fade from her away. The numbness returned leaving her whole body dull like lead. Panic gripped her fast as the last threads of reality seemed to be falling away from her. ¡°I can¡¯t feel you, brother! What¡¯s happening to me?¡± ¡°Sister! Please!¡± HIs sister¡¯s eyes closed slowly with the last bit of her strength faltering. ¡°¡­brother¡­¡± ¡°No, Yumi! Stay with me!¡± Yori held on to her tightly shaking her as he could no longer feel her moving. He couldn''t stop because if he did he would have to admit his fear. ¡°Stay with me! Don¡¯t leave me alone again! Yumi!¡± Chapter 74 - The Sibling Link ¡°Yumi!¡± screamed Yori holding tightly onto his sister, too afraid that even loosening his hold. He dropped his head down as he felt his despair increasing its infection throughout his body. It numbed him and the world seemed to fade away from his peripheral. ¡°¡­Yumi¡­don¡¯t¡­¡± The more she seemed to get away from him the further his head fell until his forehead was touching her¡¯s. ¡®¡­I should have done more to stop her¡­¡¯ ¡®¡­I couldn¡¯t lose it¡­ I¡¯m sorry, brother¡­¡¯ whispered an echoing voice within Yori¡¯s head. He didn''t immediately recognize the voice. It was a different voice and almost instinctual that he had to respond. ¡®No, I could have done something! Anything!¡¯ ¡®¡­it¡¯s not your fault¡­ I made a choice, brother¡­¡¯ ¡®But you¡¯re gone because of me¡­¡¯ Yori became still as he was buried by his own guilt. It made it impossible for him to think clearly. He felt like he was having a conversation with him as it mirrored his own doubts. In his condition there was no questioning arguing with a voice that he was hearing. ¡®Yori¡­¡¯ ¡®¡­sister¡­¡¯ It had only been a reflex on his part, but that was all that was needed for him to open his eyes in confusion. The voice that spoke to him suddenly became clearer to him. His sister was definitely talking to him. He didn''t believe it completely at the moment. A test was needed. ¡®Yumi? Can you hear me?¡¯ ¡®Brother?! Why can I hear you in my head?¡¯ Yori gasped and pulled away in shock to have heard his sister reply to him. There was no longer any doubt in his mind that he was talking to his sister. She was still alive. He lifted her up hugging her tightly relieved. ¡®You¡¯re alive! I thought you died when you stopped¡­¡¯ A long pause followed him until he realized that there was no response anymore. ¡®Yumi?! Can you still hear me?¡¯ Panic quickly overcame him as doubt filled him up. Yori looked around and shook her, trying to figure out what had happened. The fear that he had been imagining it in a delusional state was becoming stronger the longer the silence lasted. ¡°What¡¯s going on with me? Have I lost it?¡± Nothing seemed to be working for him and choices were quickly running out for him. Yori sighed loudly as he considered giving up. Hope failing him he rested his head back down against Yumi at a loss. ¡°I really have gone crazy now¡­¡± ¡®Hey! Are you there?¡¯ ¡®Yumi?!¡¯ Yori drew back in surprise and panic having finally heard her again. However, once more as he waited there was nothing more. He slowly began to put it together and lower his head back down. ¡®Yumi?¡¯ ¡®Brother! I¡¯ve been calling out to you, but you stopped saying anything¡­ I was starting to worry¡­¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m sorry¡­ It seems we can hear each other when we touch our heads together¡­¡¯ ¡®Wah!!! Why are you so close to me?!¡¯ Yori sweated a little hearing his sister reacting so embarrassed despite not actually being conscious. ¡®It¡¯s the only way¡­¡¯ ¡®¡­So what happens now?¡¯ ¡®¡­I don¡¯t know¡­¡¯ Chapter 74 ¨C The Sibling Link Still unconscious or unable to move, his sister rested in Yori¡¯s arms. The initial unsettled feeling of hearing his sister within his own mind was beginning to pass for him. He tried to remain guarded with his thoughts. It wasn''t something that he was originally worried about, but as it became more familiar he realized the possible depths that could be reached. He hadn''t been able to hear anything other than direct conversations from her giving him the impression that it might not be possible to listen deeper. Despite that, he was not going to risk leaving stray thoughts if he could help it. Yori knew he had to find something to keep her mind off their dilemma until they were rescued. ¡®Yori?¡¯ ¡®Something wrong?¡¯ ¡®No¡­you were just¡­quiet¡­for a while¡­¡¯ Yori¡¯s arms tensed a little as he heard the fatigued words. ¡®I¡¯m here still! I won¡¯t leave your side!¡¯ He searched out the room, considering trying to do something himself for an escape. ¡°If I try to dig out, I might collapse the entire thing on us¡­ But Yumi¡­¡± Helplessness filled into his panic leaving him feeling crowded and conflicted. His eyes turned back to Yumi knowing that all he could do was keep her safe and stay with her. ¡®So what was it?¡¯ ¡®¡­huh?¡¯ ¡®The school, that you needed to get from the classroom.¡¯ She went silent for a while like she was thinking or possibly hesitating on answering him. Only through words it was difficult to know for sure until she spoke again. ¡®You¡¯ll laugh¡­at me¡­¡¯ Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡®No I won¡¯t, Yumi.¡¯ ¡®You will¡­¡¯ ¡®If it was important to you I won¡¯t. You can tell me.¡¯ ¡®It was that¡­star pendant¡­that you bought me¡­¡¯ An image of the pendant came to his mind as he recalled it. It was something that she carried with her either on her or attached to her bag. There was a bit of a childish gaudiness to it, but she didn''t care. ¡®I remember¡­¡¯ Yori''s mind got carried back quickly having not thought about it in a while. It seemed almost willing or eager to do so. Yori came out of the hall towards the entrance of the school where she had been waiting. When she saw him coming she jumped up cheerfully to join him. It had been the first time in a while that she had been able to walk with him, especially since he asked her. ¡°Big Brother Yori! All done?¡± ¡°I am¡­ You ready?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± She nodded, looking a little more honest in her happiness than before. ¡°Where are we going?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a surprise!¡± She hung on to his arm following him every step of the way into the downtown district. He had been so used to keeping her at a distance from him that it had felt a little strange for him, but he maintained his determination. While they walked together he felt a warmth in his arm from her that spread through him that seemed to make him want to smile with her. They arrived in front of the jewelry store that they always passed. She jumped up repeatedly, bumping into Yori a little. Yori had known that she had always wanted to visit. She would stare at the display windows until she was pulled along by their mother. This was something that they could do. Inside the store his sister already became glossy eyed at everything shiny. She quickly leapt in front of Yori looking up at him. ¡°Can I look around?¡± His sister seemed almost surprised that she was going to be able to browse when her brother gave her a nod. He watched her zip around the store entranced by anything that caught her eye. There weren''t too many customers shopping so her behavior was not too much of an interruption. Yori tried to calm her down a little so she was making less of a scene, but she had too much energy for him. The longer that he watched the happier it made him to see her looking more like her old self. When she seemed to have stayed in one place longer than normal he looked over shoulder seeing a cheap looking metal star pendant set on a short length of chain for keys or a bag. It was painted over with a lot of bright colors that seemed to clash with each other a little, but her eyes could not seem to be pulled away. ¡°You want it? I¡¯ll buy it for you!¡± She turned back to him for a moment, a little stunned. ¡°I couldn¡¯t ask you to do that, big brother.¡± ¡°I have a little saved up. I can see that you really want it.¡± Yori picked it up off the display tray; it was on the fairly cheap shelves so there was no need for it to be behind glass like the rest of the store¡¯s jewelry. He handled it over to her insisting that she have it. ¡°Let¡¯s go over to the lady and buy it for you.¡± ¡°You sure you can pay for this?¡± She had hopeful, yet hesitant eyes staring at him. He gave her another reassuring nod and pushed her a little forward to the cashier. Unfortunately, one of the adults in the store bumped into her knocking the pendant out of her hands. Yori caught his sister in the collision and glared back at the woman, who barely paid either of them any mind. He turned back to his sister to see if she was hurt and found her crying. ¡°Yumi? Where are you hurt?¡± ¡°The¡­star¡­it¡¯s broke!¡± Yori looked down to where she was pointing and saw the star pendant down on the store¡¯s floor broken in two pieces. He knelt down picking up the pieces . ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Yumi¡­¡± His hand hesitated in showing the broken star to her seeing how much she was already upset. Thoughts flew through him as he tried to figure out what he could do to make her smile again. Then something came to him. ¡°Come with me!¡± ¡°Where?¡± Yori didn''t give her an explanation. She got pulled up from the floor and dragged over to the counter by him. Her mind still focused on the star that she had wanted. ¡°Thank you!¡± Yori said politely to the woman behind the counter as he finished paying. The store clerk seemed a little reluctant to accept it. ¡°Are you sure? It¡¯s broken, we have something else to replace it.¡± ¡°No, this will be perfect. Thank you for helping me.¡± He turned back to his sister holding out his closed hand towards her. ¡°Hey Yumi, could you take a look at this?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± She looked up towards him confused until he opened his hand. In his hand was the broken star pendant, the two pieces lying next to each other with a chain attached to the other broken half. Yori handed one of the pieces over to her, putting it in her palm. ¡°Here this one''s for you.¡± He held the other from his fingers suspending the broken half from its newly attached chain. ¡°What do you see when you look at it?¡± ¡°¡­a broken star?¡± He smiled back at her warmly. ¡°I see a whole star without even the slightest hint of a crack. You know why? Because you have the other half. So long as I have this and you yours it¡¯ll never be broken. No matter how far away I am, it''ll always be whole because I¡¯m your brother. You¡¯ll never be alone.¡± There was a delayed reaction from her taking in what he had said before she started crying and thanking him for the gift. She promised that she would never let it leave her sight. ¡®I made a promise to myself that I¡¯d always do what I could to make her smile again, an honest real smile that she did not have to pretend to wear¡­¡¯ Something tapped Yori on the head, breaking his concentration of what he was thinking. He broke the link from her to look around trying to figure out what had happened. It didn''t hurt, but he knew that there had been something that felt like it had fallen on him. ¡°Just my imagination?¡± Once Yori decided to let it go he returned back to Yumi making sure that she was still with him. ¡®How are you feeling, Yumi?¡¯ ¡®¡­brother¡­I¡¯m scared¡­¡¯ Yori¡¯s eyes had widened as he tried to keep his body from reacting too strongly and panicking. The fatigued voice of his sister got even worse than before. There was something wrong with her and he couldn''t do anything. ¡®What¡¯s wrong?¡¯ ¡®¡­I¡­feel¡­so¡­tired¡­brother¡­¡¯ ¡®Yumi stay with me!¡¯ He grabbed her hand tightly hoping that she might feel him. Another poke on his head turned his gaze up. Around the room there were several more light dull echoes of small rocks hitting the ground. When Yori focused on the ceiling of the room dust sifted through pouring across his face like sand. Yori shook his head trying to clear his eyes. However at that moment, he felt a vibration through the entire room that made his whole body run cold. ¡°The dome¡¯s collapsing!¡± He turned back down to his sister. His only thoughts focused on his inaction. Yori squeezed on to her feeling the hopelessness begin to replace the empty cold sensation. ¡°I¡¯m her brother and yet¡­ Why does it have to be like this?! I can¡¯t do anything for her¡­ Yumi¡¯s going to¡­¡± He could feel the distant glow from his sister start to vanish. Larger pieces of rubble broke through crashing into the ground. Despair was the brush that painted the tears on his cheeks. ¡°¡­Yumi¡­¡± A light burst from her hand trying to escape through the narrow slits in her fingers. From underneath Yori¡¯s shirt a glow bathed the room in a pulsing red light. The two glowing sources began to resonate together, shining bright enough to appear faintly through their shields. Two halves of a star could be seen burning out. Yori suddenly felt as though he had a new inner strength within that pushed him to his feet. He couldn''t explain it, but it gave him the sense that there was nothing that could stand in his way. The rocks before him were mere toys to be thrown about. ¡°I can save you, Yumi!¡± He raised his free hand towards the wall in front of him concentrating on it, feeling warmth passing from his sister into him building in strength. ¡°Ah¡ª¡° Everything stopped for him, interrupted by the sun shining down on him. All was gone and he could see the students in the distance running towards him. He blinked confused, feeling as though his moment had been stolen from him. Yori turned back behind him, sensing something. Coming into focus was Yuki stepping out of where the school used to be, until he made it all disappear again with his field. Carried in his arms was an unconscious and blood soaked Ayumi. Yuki was equally covered in wounds and blood staggering out of the epicenter towards Saki that sped towards him. He collapsed into Saki, passing out almost immediately. Yori had taken the time to move before the school and debris was restored. He stood next to Saki looking down at Yuki developing an annoying pang in his chest. It quickly disappeared for him when he felt Yumi moving in his arms. ¡°Yumi!?¡± She slowly opened her eyes with her sight coming into focus. ¡°Brother?¡± She blinked a couple times feeling confused about her situation, but soon relieved seeing that Yuki had made it out. ¡°Are you feeling better?¡± ¡°¡­yeah¡­much, but¡­¡± Seeing all of the students gathered around her started to make her a little self-conscious about being in the center of the attention. She clutched tightly onto the half star pendant. ¡°Much better¡­¡± Chapter 75 - Spent Days of Youth Time¡¯s passage for Haruo had little meaning to him than it did for others. It was just another day to roll on through the path that he sat upon. He could see a long poorly managed tunnel ahead of him as he just sat in the grass on the bend of the road of his teenage years. The distance that he had traveled seemed fairly far, but now he simply sat. The tunnel wasn¡¯t something that scared him away; in fact he had no problem taking it. It was just that he had no interest in seeing what was on the other end of the tunnel. All he could see was a sheet of white no bigger than his thumb when he looked down at it. Nothing was visible and when he couldn¡¯t see what it was it gave him no motivation to find out. He knew the area around him well enough that it got him by on what he needed. The tunnel that faced him remained at his side waiting for him. At first it tried to call him, but he ignored the summons. It had given up on making an attempt. Now it just existed as it always had with its arms perpetually open in a silent invitation. An invitation that it wasn''t certain would ever be accepted. Chapter 75 ¨C Spent Days of Youth Haruo had a fairly poor concept of days, which was only held together by the fact of school giving him an anchor point. However, since his school had been damaged during the strange events that surrounded the student Yuki all of that had been thrown off. There was no school for him to attend so he wasn''t aware of the exact day any longer. The best he had was that it had been about a week since he stopped going to school. In his case, it was also a week since he no longer had a home. While no one in the school knew it, Haruo made use of the school for his shelter every night since he had started high school about two months ago. He wasn¡¯t certain how long he would be able to keep it up, but so long as he had shelter that was all that mattered for him. There was a way in for him after he finished his part time job that no one else seemed to know. It certainly helped that he didn¡¯t know anyone at school making it easy to avoid any questions. The school had some concerns about his address, but with the help he received he was able to keep them unaware of his actual living conditions. The nights outside weren''t as bad as he expected they might be for being in the late spring time. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was the changes that had occurred or just unusual weather, but it had been warmer than normal at night. There seemed to be very little temperature drop at all making it easy for him to just lie in the grass. Any of the monsters that roamed around seemed to ignore him. He wasn¡¯t sure why they were leaving him alone. It hadn''t bothered him for long though as it meant that he had less to worry about. The new environment was enough of a problem to adjust to for him. Everything still seemed to be the same, but his senses felt off in a way that he couldn¡¯t fully explain. He didn''t let it be too much of a focus for him. Life still continued as it had and he could simply wait. The morning routine for him remained the same regardless of the changes. He didn¡¯t have the advantage of the school facilities any longer, but he made do with whatever that he had available. It started with a jog to the nearest open convenience store. His part time job gave him enough money to get food, though nothing too fancy for him. He kept things simple with a bottle of milk and fruit. After the light breakfast he continued his jogging until he made it around the neighborhood several times. Haruo felt warmed up enough to begin his normal exercises. While he had a fairly large muscular body, which didn¡¯t seem to require a great amount of effort to achieve, Haruo still felt that he should maintain his workout. It seemed especially important in the current days with the danger that lurked around the town. During his morning exercises a few birds flew in perching themselves on his back while he was doing pushups. ¡®Hmm¡­they¡¯re still unchanged as well¡­¡¯ They hopped along his back lightly chirping as Haruo made no interruption in his activities. A couple more small birds joined them playing around Haruo not fearing his presence. Even when he changed his position suddenly for a different exercise nothing he did would startle them. Eventually, the birds played themselves out and flew away to their nests. Haruo pulled himself back up at the end of his routine exhaling a long breath. ¡®I guess it¡¯s about time that they opened¡­¡¯ He stood up and started to jog once more, however this time he wasn¡¯t sticking to the neighborhood. The path went out of the line of houses to a small stretch of shops sandwiched in together breaking up the pattern of homes. Most of the shops were two story makes, all being family owned with their own homes above the store itself. The little area functioned as the local strip for the residences providing a small restaurant, clothing store, bathhouse, dry cleaners, laundromat and a convenience store that was closer to a grocery store if not for the size. The first stop was the dry cleaners for Haruo. A wood slate at the top of the door announced his arrival to the family business. Behind the counter was a young woman with a white cloth wrapped around the top of her head keeping back her hair. In the distance, an elderly man and woman worked with clothes that had been dropped off. The black haired woman leaned forward into the counter towards Haruo with her apron folding a little on the wood surface. ¡°Welcome back! Come to pick up your clothes?¡± Haruo gave her a short nod before she turned back into the racks of clothes. The store looked a little sparse from the decrease in customers. She quickly came back carrying one hanger in her hand with Monou High School¡¯s uniform under the plastic. Haruo accepted the hanger and handed over the money as though it had become a ritual for him. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still wanting us to hold on to the rest of your clothes even though they are cleaned?¡± asked the woman while she finished ringing up the bill. All she received was a silent nod from Haruo. ¡°Well alright! We don¡¯t normally act as our customer¡¯s closet, but since we know you so well it¡¯s alright.¡± Since the school was no longer available to him he couldn¡¯t keep his uniforms with him. It left him with the only option of leaving it with the cleaners until he needed them. It did mean that he had to make daily visits, but without any other clothes to wear and no way to clean them himself it was the only option he had left. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. The new uniform draped over his back as he left and walked a little further down the line of stores. He came to the bathhouse silently leaving the regular fee on the counter. A middle-aged woman came out from the woman¡¯s bath as Haruo was making his way in. ¡°Hey, Haruo! All done exercising for the morning?¡± She picked up the coins that he left as Haruo disappeared into the men¡¯s bath. It was near the school and so he had become accustomed to using it even with the school closed. During the morning hours there weren¡¯t nearly as many people usually, but he seemed to notice a large crowd the last few days. He had come to the conclusion that with the strange events in the city people needed a place to reveal stress. A relaxing bath later, Haruo left the bathhouse in the fresh uniform and returned back to the cleaners. It had been going on for a week so they had accepted his new pattern. The chaos in the city had a lot of people changing and they just took it as something in his life had become difficult. They didn¡¯t inquire too deeply. Haruo finished his morning work and decided to sit down in the restaurant at the corner of the strip. He ordered another small meal to finish out his breakfast that would keep him full for most of the day, depending on his activity. The part time job made him fortunate enough that he could maintain a modest lifestyle covering meals out all the time. Cooking wasn''t something he was very good at and there were no opportunities to make use of the school. He tried to keep his existence to a minimum. As a high student paying for all of his own living expenses it left him with very little every month, but he didn''t have anything else to spend money on. So it wasn¡¯t something that really bothered him deeply. His breakfast finished and noon slowly arriving Haruo went out into the adjacent neighborhoods with little direction in mind. Every so often he would stop and allow the animals to visit him. A little of the food that he saved from his meal, for such an occasion, would be fed to them. He knew that they didn''t need much from him since they were making do on their own, but it was a bit of a habit he couldn''t really break. Once they went back to their own routines Haruo continued his walking. The lack of school had made him lose some of his focus. He had become very bored wandering the city, yet there was little else for him to do. Often he ended up at his job very early waiting for something to happen or allowing him to pick up a few extra hours. Haruo knew that he still had a long time to wait until he could even think about trying to go to work. In the distance, he heard loud noises that made him curious. ¡®¡­it¡¯s coming from that same area again¡­¡¯ He had been hearing strange sounds the last few days, but much further away than it had been today. It was partially because he had been staying away from the school. When he came closer he realized that it was the school where all of the noise had been coming from. ¡®Construction?¡¯ Still up a street but with a clear enough view of his school, Haruo could see several large machines working on the high school. The thing that confused him more was that he had never seen a couple of the machines. He was fairly certain that they were completely impossible. Haruo would have gone forward to investigate more, but noticed the very large pool of students around the grounds working on small tasks. ¡®What¡¯s going on? Are they fixing the school? A group of students?¡¯ The sight surprised him the more that he stared. He wasn¡¯t sure why they were all trying to work together. Haruo turned away from the school and started to walk back. ¡®It has nothing to do with me¡­ I¡¯ll just walk somewhere else¡­¡¯ Unfortunately, his path was suddenly blocked before he even made it out. A line of six dirty and worn down high school age boys stood in his way. The peaceful neighborhood was a stranger to the dark figures that stared on. ¡®This isn¡¯t their turf¡­what are they doing here?¡¯ A boy taller than the others in the middle stepped forward. His black hair was cut very short and spiked up with the ends bleached a little making it look brown to tan. If they were students it was unclear as they wore blue jeans and jackets with a few small chains or spikes accessorizing their otherwise falling apart wardrobe. ¡°Yo boys, looky whose we¡¯ve run in ta!¡± There was a low cackle and snickering from his sides as they all recognized Haruo immediately. ¡°It¡¯s Yoneda! I¡¯ve been missin¡¯ our daily warm-ups!¡± Haruo slid his foot back watching the situation developing. ¡®Takaoka¡¯s band¡­ He¡¯s pretty far from his gang¡¯s territory¡­ Thought they¡¯d have enough trouble with the new situation in town, but I guess they¡¯ve already adapted¡­¡¯ For him this was certainly not their first meeting or even second. Their history went back to junior high school as Takaoka¡¯s friends regularly picked fights with Haruo. While Haruo wouldn''t just let them hit him, eventually he would become trapped with no choice other than to take the blows. It was something that he had become used to dealing with, but preferred to avoid it when he could. Unfortunately, Takaoka had a certain interest in finding and causing pain to Haruo. Takaoka signaled to his friends starting to spread out and move in. It was typical of Takaoka not to make the first move, but wait until Haruo had been cornered. He was the strongest and most skilled in his band of street thugs. ¡°Let¡¯s mark our new territory in Yoneda¡¯s blood guys!¡± That seemed to get them excited as the five boys started flexing their hands readying for the fight. Haruo stepped back again and checked his rear. There was no one behind him, but the school was nearby. He knew that he had to keep the fight away from the school. He watched the two boys on the end of the line go after him first. They were out of sync with each other striking a few seconds apart. The first boy came fist raised going for Haruo¡¯s head. Haruo ducked down, stepping past the first boy so that he could dodge the second flying through with his leg. The opening round was his for the moment. The third charged in frustration with the failure of the first two. He went to try to tackle Haruo, but failed to even touch his uniform as Haruo side stepped him. The remaining boys stalked in a little on Haruo before joining together for a quick flurry of swings. Haruo backed away from their poorly executed tactic, but was caught by one of the recovered boys from before. He took a narrow sweep from the boy¡¯s shoe leaving only a little stinging across his skin. There was no time to think about the close call as two more came in trying to close the circle around him. Haruo was familiar with the strategy and saw it before they were able to start. He leapt back out of the three boys as the two others joined in. Thinking that he had made it safely, he took a calm landing. A sharp strike to his cheek buried into him and knocked him down to the ground leaving him staggered. ¡°Ya gettin¡¯ soft without yer daily beatens?¡± Takaoka mocked staring down at Haruo in the grass street. He tried to follow up quickly, but Haruo rolled out of the way of a slammed down foot. Haruo got back up on his feet and backed away a little from the school. Watching the boys resume their stalking, Haruo brushed the back of his hand over the sore spot on his face checking for blood. There was none. ¡®There¡¯s something a little different about them today¡­ They seem a little more organized and faster¡­ It¡¯s harder to avoid getting hit¡­¡¯ Haruo kept his breathing even monitoring the movements as they came closer to him. The longer he stared at them the more he developed an unsettled feeling. It felt like the air itself turned black from their menacing presence. He had seen the look in their eyes before, but never with the intensity that he had before. It was like they were starved. Haruo saw the next round of attacks coming at him even faster than before. He narrowly dodged an arm and leg only to be grabbed from behind by one of the boys. Another boy took advantage of his trapped state running him down with a series of punches. Laughter from the rest of the band erupted with Haruo captured. Takaoka stepped forward once the boy had finished his work on Haruo. He had a wicked smirk across his face. His index finger stroked the side of his jaw as his mind turned over one twisted thought after another. ¡°What¡¯s wrong Yoneda? Yer so weak!¡± He rammed his fist into Haruo¡¯s stomach, accenting his words at the end. Haruo coughed from the impact, receiving a short round of bemused laughter. Takaoka gave up a few more punches into the Haruo punching bag before he let up and gave his buddies a chance. Haruo struggled trying to break free, but otherwise remained in taking whatever they gave him, never letting out anything more than a cough. He knew that they would eventually grow tired of beating him up and leave. It was just a matter of waiting it out. Escape seemed impossible today. The ravaging looks were oppressive. ¡°Keep it up boys! He¡¯s still got that look in his eyes!¡± Takaoka continued to smirk at his entertainment, finding Haruo¡¯s face to always be very enjoyable to watch. He crossed his arms waiting for the moment that he savored. ¡°I¡¯m not hearin¡¯ anythin¡¯ break¡ª¡° Takaoka¡¯s words were suddenly cut off as two feet were planted in his face, knocking him over into the grass. ¡°Boss?!¡± a couple of the boys said, turning when they heard a very painful crack. The others looked back as a long shadow cast blanketed the figure in darkness. Burning eyes were the only thing that they could see as they started to tremble a little. The figure stepped forward cracking his knuckles. ¡°Sorry I got my party invitation a little late!¡± Yuki smirked darkly as he started towards the five boys. Chapter 76 - Repeated Words Yuki took his time walking towards the five boys letting the presence speak for itself. It made all of their minds turn wild with fears and ideas of what might happen. They had just seen their leader utterly defeated in a single attack. Knowing that had happened was more than enough to paralyze them all in their step. Yuki knew that he didn''t have to do much of anything with this type of opponent. He might have been past his fighting days, but street gangs were a very simple bunch for him to deal with. The need for powers wasn¡¯t required. Striking down the head and adding a little fear always had put what seemed imbalanced firmly in his corner. ¡®This is almost boring¡­¡¯ The grin on his face grew a little more painting panels of imagery in the boys¡¯ minds as what Yuki might be thinking. In the last few steps Yuki broke into a full sprint taking down two boys with a loud punch to their stomachs. Hearing their companions knocked down was enough to break the others out of their paralysis. They tried to surround him from behind to rescue their unconscious friends. Yuki tilted his head a little hearing their footsteps closing as expected. He took his left foot up spinning behind himself to smash his dirty sneakers through the cheeks of the three remaining boys. The boys dropped to the ground sharply out cold. A small sigh came from Yuki with a job well done. ¡°You¡¯re safe now!¡± He looked back over to the person that he had just rescued and blinked. The distance covered between them was in an instant putting Yuki staring face to face with Haruo. ¡°Hey! You¡¯re that guy from the ninja girl¡¯s place!¡± Chapter 76 ¨C Repeated Words Yuki stared on longer trying to remember his name (actually went to rescue an unknown person). Unfortunately, even looking closer at him didn''t seem to make the name come to him. When he pulled away Yuki¡¯s features changed suddenly as it seemed that the name was finally coming to him. ¡°You¡¯re¡­really quiet!¡± ¡®Still as carefree and clueless as the last time.¡¯ He straightened back up easily ignoring the previous blows. There was a more pressing matter for him. ¡°Why¡¯d you do that?¡± By the time that Haruo had actually begun speaking Yuki was already out of sight. The quiet words weren''t enough for Yuki to hear. Haruo looked around trying to find where Yuki had gone. He found Yuki behind him walking towards a property wall of a house with a boy in tow over his shoulder. ¡®What¡¯s going on? He¡¯s speaking to me one second and then doing something else¡­¡¯ Haruo followed Yuki out of curiosity when he picked up the next boy. He watched Yuki drop the kid gently down propped up against the wall. Once Yuki went back he could see that there were three others from the small band lined up together all unconscious. He treated them carefully. ¡®Why¡¯s he helping them? He just mercilessly wiped them out a minute ago looking like he was enjoying it and yet now he¡¯s showing them kindness¡­kindness that they never would show¡­ What¡¯s with him?¡¯ Haruo had to keep watching just to see what was going to happen next. ¡°Why?¡± Yuki turned his head a little, looking a bit surprised to see Haruo next to him. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Why did you help them?¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Once the question was made clear to Yuki he stared up into the sky for a moment. He pulled his head back down to look at Haruo directly. Yuki had a smile on his face as he spoke. ¡°Because they¡¯re people too! They might be bad guys, but that shouldn¡¯t mean that they should be treated poorly just because they¡¯re sleeping.¡± It appeared to be an honest answer and oddly na?ve for Haruo to hear. ¡°But they¡¯ll want revenge on you when they wake up.¡± ¡°Then I guess we should be somewhere else when they wake up!¡± Yuki said cheerfully as he ran around behind Haruo swiftly. He started pushing on Haruo to encourage him to move despite his own uncertainty and confusion. Haruo looked back at Yuki protesting, but all he saw when he looked back was the same pleasant expression as before. It was enough to make Haruo decide to walk without the push. ¡®Because they¡¯re people? It¡¯s true I guess, but nothing is that simply defined¡­ How can he treat it as such?¡¯ ¡°Haruo!¡± Yuki shouted so loudly it was difficult to actually determine the emotions attached. Determined or not, it was enough to rudely break Haruo out of his internal trance. ¡®What¡¯s wrong now?¡¯ Yuki looked back over at Haruo. ¡°I just remembered that your name was Haruo! It¡¯s been bugging me since I saw you. I was so relieved that I finally figured it out!¡± A twitch developed momentarily in Haruo¡¯s eye as he heard the empty excuse. ¡®He yelled that loud just because he remembered my name?¡¯ It became tiring around Yuki with his excitable personality. ¡®Empty frivolities¡­this is why I prefer to be alone¡­¡¯ After Haruo had been too quiet for too long (determined solely on a metric by Yuki) Yuki jumped in front of Haruo planning on getting his attention. ¡°You¡¯re a pretty strong looking guy, Haruo! How come you were letting them beat you up like that? I bet with those muscles you could lay them out flat easily!¡± This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡®You wouldn¡¯t understand¡­¡¯ Persistence was Yuki¡¯s only useful talent against Haruo. Haruo hoped that Yuki would just give up like everyone else. However, silence wasn¡¯t working on Yuki. ¡°Why did you stop them?¡± ¡°Do I need a reason? I did it because I wanted to help someone with a problem. That¡¯s what people do. When you can¡¯t do it alone there are others to support you!¡± Haruo had nothing to say back to him and even his mind was blank for a moment. Such a selfless answer wasn¡¯t what he expected to hear. The familiar sentiment gave him pause. ¡®Do I need a reason? I did it because I wanted to help someone with a problem. That¡¯s what people do. When you can¡¯t do it alone there are others to support you.¡¯ They might have been Yuki¡¯s words, but someone else¡¯s voice spoke it in his mind. The longer that the words hung in his mind the further back he was sent through his mind. He returned to a time when he was just entering junior high school and alone. It was a common life for him that he had known for as long as he could remember. Being alone was something that he had chosen for himself, it was preferred over what he had dealt with before. ¡®Junior high was supposed to be the start of my new life. That was what I had decided on doing when I left. I wasn¡¯t going to turn back and return to that, but I was too young to know what to do. That didn¡¯t stop me though. I was determined to do it alone and prove them all wrong¡­¡¯ Haruo, age twelve, sat in his homeroom class. It had only been a week since the school year had begun. The young students talked with each other before class began. Haruo kept to himself and would have gone unnoticed if he didn¡¯t look like he came from a trash dumpster. He was on his own for the first time so he was not able to do many of the things that were considered standard maintenance. The school had only given him a single uniform due to how he had entered, leaving him to make do with some hand-me-downs that he had got. Their size was too large for him, leaving it to hang poorly on him. ¡°Did you hear where he came from?¡± one boy said within earshot of him to the group. He ended up whispering it, passing on the info to the rest. A girl pulled back a little in surprise. ¡°No wonder. They must all live in a landfill!¡± ¡°We should get a little further away. I think I¡¯m starting to smell him from here again.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be surprised being a welfare case!¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± The door to the class slid open immediately silencing everyone. Mr. Asanuma, the homeroom teacher, set his notebooks on the desk before looking out into the children. He scanned the room making a mental note on the state of the room before speaking. In the back corner, he saw Haruo alone looking attentive, but totally isolated. Haruo¡¯s desk was even further away today than it was before. Mr. Asanuma narrowed grimly as he held speaking to the class further. When the end of the day came and the students started to leave Mr. Asanuma appeared outside of Haruo¡¯s class waiting, leaning against the wall. As he waited he could hear Haruo¡¯s classmates picking on him again while never hearing Haruo say a word. ¡°Afternoon, students!¡± he announced clearly in a loud voice that made all of the students jump a little in surprise. ¡°All packed up now?¡± He looked down over a couple of the boys. Some of the easily swayed boys had already hurried away and the girls followed. The last couple of stubborn boys turned to look at their homeroom teacher glaring back at him surprisingly defiant. ¡°Yoneda needs to leave. He doesn¡¯t belong here, teacher!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not for you to decide,¡± Mr. Asanuma said calmly, ¡°Everyone has a right to an education no matter their appearance.¡± ¡°But he smells bad!¡± ¡°And I bet you do as well after playing hard,¡± Mr. Asanuma teased. ¡°You should be going on along.¡± Both hurried out the class leaving the two alone. Haruo stood up carrying his bag with books over his shoulder planning to leave. Mr. Asanuma put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. ¡°Yoneda, you have a little time to spare? I¡¯d like to show you something, if it¡¯s alright with you.¡± Haruo looked up at the teacher in silence with a pensive look that seemed impossible to penetrate. ¡®I wasn¡¯t sure why he had done all that for me. No one ever bothered and I didn¡¯t think they should. I had planned to just turn him down and leave without a word, but there was something that made me a little curious. Perhaps I just wanted an answer, but I followed him.¡¯ His teacher led him out of the school and a few blocks away to his house. He offered Haruo his bath to use to clean up while he had his clothes cleaned. After a bath, there was food on the table where they remained in silence. Once finished Haruo considered leaving, but he still had questions. Haruo pushed the plate away from him. He stared across the table at his teacher. ¡°Why?¡± There was a serious deep expression on Haruo that had never known simple kindness. ¡°Do I need a reason?¡± his teacher quickly replied to Haruo. ¡°I did it because I wanted to help someone with a problem. That¡¯s what people do. When you can¡¯t do it alone there are others to support you.¡± He picked up the plates and put them over on the counter by the sink. Haruo stood up from the chair refusing to believe it was so simple. ¡°What do you want? No one does anything for nothing! That¡¯s not the way it works!¡± Mr. Asanuma smiled for a moment, pleased by something that Haruo could not fathom. ¡°I¡¯m pleased to hear your voice. I think that¡¯s the most I¡¯ve heard from you even in class.¡± ¡°You¡¯re weird.¡± ¡°Perhaps, but I don¡¯t think silence is your answer. You have a strong mind and patience. There¡¯s a lot you can do.¡± ¡°They aren¡¯t worth the time. Everyone¡¯s got selfish interests, it¡¯s best just to ignore them.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± His teacher became quiet once more, thinking deeply. It was several minutes before he said anything again. ¡°It¡¯s decided then!¡± ¡°What is?¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware of your situation. So I want you to stay here!¡± That was enough for him. Haruo narrowed his eyes and started to walk away. ¡°It¡¯s pity for you isn¡¯t it? I won¡¯t accept it. Everyone¡¯s the same. I¡¯ll do this alone.¡± He walked off back to the door starting to put his shoes back on. Mr. Asanuma gave a sigh and entered the hallway looking down to the door where Haruo¡¯s back was turned to him. ¡°I guess I shouldn¡¯t make decisions for you. How about this then? My door is always open for you to come and use my house whenever you need. If you need a bath it¡¯s here. If you need food to eat it¡¯s here. Come on your own terms, but you don¡¯t have to be alone.¡± ¡®I was determined. I thought he was doing it so that I owed him or for his own self satisfaction, yet he never asked or said anything. I found new uniforms at my desk in the morning that fit me. Eventually, I ended up returning insisting it was only for a bath since I had no money to afford it myself and he still said nothing to me. It was exactly as he said¡­ He was¡­my support¡­¡¯ Haruo shook off the memories looking back at Yuki. The words he still rang lightly in his ears. He let out a small sigh still not convinced of anything, but there was something that he was certain about. ¡°You¡¯re weird¡­¡± Chapter 77 - Alone in the Crowd Yuki simply smiled back at Haruo. There was something he felt upon the words. It was subtle, but it seemed like there was a connection made. Yuki could be pleased with that for the time being. A wind blew through them echoing the silence. The windows of the house that they rested near rattled a little with its attention not reaching anyone. There was a large tree that had clearly sprouted up from Yuki¡¯s imagination with it feeding around two of the houses and cement property wall. Its sudden growth hadn¡¯t cracked or destroyed the wall rather it was vivisected at the base of the trunk. The large extended canopy provided the two boys with ample shade from the unguarded sun. Chapter 77 ¨C Alone in the Crowd Nearby around the stretch of houses Yuki could hear the distant murmurings of voices from the students on their lunch break. It made him remember that he had left in the middle of his food. It had only been by chance that he had seen a group of boys. Ever since he cleared out the fog around his repressed memories he changed his decision. Fighting or taking the beating wasn¡¯t the issue for him any longer. He had the strength and ability to do something, but wasted it on fears and uncertainty. Helping those in trouble was paramount for him even if he had painted it over repeatedly with excuses and empty reasoning. He no longer needed to hide. The brief scuffle with the street punks made him feel good. Yuki discovered something new. It was different, but felt natural as well. He felt grateful to Haruo for the moment. ¡®I¡¯m going to keep trying with him. I think I might have a chance this time!¡¯ Yuki took a firm nod in affirmation before standing in front of Haruo. ¡°I¡¯ve decided!¡± Yuki''s excitement only managed to get a long and questioning look of annoyance from Haruo. ¡°We¡¯re going to be friends!¡± Haruo managed a bit of a twisted look of confusion as he became very still. ¡®He¡¯s decided?¡¯ He understood Yuki less the longer that he listened to him. The only thing that seemed to be consistent was the unexpected. ¡®Why? ¡­Friend?¡¯ The word hung in his mind like a haunting tune. Even Mr. Asanuma, he saw as a teacher or at best an acquaintance. Yuki¡¯s bold declaration confused him. There was something he couldn''t explain that seemed almost curious. The sensation was beyond his words to describe. ¡°So you hungry? I know I am! I was starting lunch when I came out to help you. Haruo?¡± When he figured out that Haruo didn¡¯t catch anything he said, Yuki reached out touching his shoulder. ¡°You in there, Haruo?¡± It took a moment for him to come around. ¡°You want some lunch? We¡¯ve got plenty back at school. I bet Saki will be surprised to see you!¡± The only response that Haruo gave was silence. It became a little colder after Yuki spoke about the school leaving Yuki a little puzzled. ¡®Haruo is certainly a man of few words. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen anyone this quiet before.¡¯ Yuki was going to get an answer out of him, that he was certain. ¡°You¡¯re pretty strong looking. You could probably help out with the school if you want as well. I was surprised by how many of the students actually turned out to help. What you say, Haruo?¡± Yuki stared over at Haruo with the expectation that he was going to get a reply. He had seen the school earlier and planned to avoid it. ¡®Why¡¯s he being so persistent about this?¡¯ Haruo tried to move out of the way, but Yuki countered him with each step. Eventually, it came down to the two almost glaring at each other hardening themselves to the standoff. Both were refusing to give up their positions. Haruo was used to having patience to outlast others, but this was the first time it was seriously being put to the test. ¡°¡­No¡­¡± It was such a brief answer that Yuki had nearly missed Haruo even speaking, being caught up in being a roadblock. ¡°Why?¡± Haruo refrained from speaking again, figuring that it would be enough. A part of him however started to feel like changing that after the way that Yuki was acting. Something reacted on its own, not even going through his layers of filters. ¡°Because I don¡¯t like being in crowds.¡± ¡°Huh? But you¡¯re at school anyway during the week. It¡¯s the same people!¡± ¡°I tolerate it while at school.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± The answer made Yuki come up with even more questions. ¡°How come you don¡¯t like crowds?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a long story¡­¡± Haruo replied, becoming a little distant like he was being distracted by something. Yuki looked around the grass street that they stood in. There was nothing he could find though. A thin light ring spread out from his feet that produced two wooden crates each placed behind them. Yuki sat down and looked up at Haruo¡¯s questioning stare. ¡°Thought you might want to sit. If you don¡¯t like the crate I can come up with something else.¡± A raised eyebrow was all that Haruo gave him. He knew what it was that Yuki was implying without having to ask him. He might have been a little too forthcoming with answers. Despite the feeling of being cornered for the story, he wasn''t really as reluctant about it as he thought. ¡°This stays between us.¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Haruo adjusted himself a little, catching the bordering excitement from Yuki. ¡°The reason comes from my time at the orphanage¡­¡± He had already been working on collecting his thoughts. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡®¡­I¡¯d been in an orphanage for as long as I could remember back then. It had been that way since I was abandoned by my parents, left alone. I was so young then I can¡¯t even remember their faces. I don¡¯t know if they¡¯re alive or dead and I honestly didn¡¯t care. They¡¯d left me alone.¡¯ The orphanage that Haruo was put into was in one of the poorer areas of the city. It had very little funding to support the number of children that stayed. Often they had to steal and beg just to get enough food for the day. It caused the children to band together to look after themselves. Katsu was a teenage boy about the age of fourteen. Haruo was only seven at the time. He had been running the orphans since Haruo had been in the orphanage. The only other boys that were closest in age were four years apart and that ended up meaning a large gap in strength. Katsu ruled by force and anyone that did not obey his orders learned not to make the same mistake a second time. Child Haruo came back one afternoon with several others of the boys his age. They all wore ragged pants and shirts covered in dirt, rips and stains. ¡®Having good clothes wasn¡¯t really something that we worried about. It was more important to be able to survive.¡¯ As with all days before it, that afternoon was no different for them. They came back with the day¡¯s earnings. It was like it was being called work even though they were just handouts or stolen. ¡®I stuck with just begging rather than trying to steal. I had seen what had happened to a few of the children that failed. It wasn¡¯t something I wanted to tempt.¡¯ The group that Haruo was in walked over to Katsu to hand in the money. Katsu leaned against the largest tree in what was considered the front yard of the two story brick orphanage. A fading brick wall surrounded the entire building with barbed wire on top. The front yard was littered with dead plants and trash. It proved to be an entertaining arena for the younger more imaginative children in spite of the danger. One of the ten year boys, who was the right hand man for Katsu, stepped out of the small group of orphans. He extended out a roughly patched together box meant to appear to be a chest. ¡°The money from today, Katsu¡­¡± The teenage boy looked over at the box and grabbed it quickly. He flipped up the lid and shook the contents a couple times to count up the money. The lid closed sharply with a whimpering dull slam. ¡°This is even less than yesterday!¡± Katsu glared down at the kid using his height and build to easily intimidate him. ¡°B-b-but there w-weren¡¯t many people out today!¡± Katsu raised his fist without stopping to punch the boy for speaking back to him. ¡°No excuses! Yer not getting any food today!¡± He hefted the box under his arm and walked away from the boy, who was knocked over into two of the smaller eight year olds. ¡°Maybe hunger¡¯ll give ya motivation to find a better location!¡± Haruo kept to the back when it happened, having learned to stay out of sight. Once Katsu was far enough away he helped the fallen up. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Katsu walking up towards the main door of the orphanage. There was an adult coming out as though he was on a schedule. Katsu met the head of the orphanage. The two briefly exchanged words before Katsu handed over some of the money earned. ¡®Katsu continued to help line the pockets of the adults working at the orphanage while we saw no change in the condition. It took me a while to realize that the money was just being pocketed rather than getting us food or new clothes. It was just the way things were; everyone was selfish. It was the only way to survive.¡¯ Night finally fell on the orphanage meaning that it was meal time for everyone. The meager servings were their second meal of the day. The only other meal they would receive was in the morning. If they ate anything else it was because they got it out in the city. Everyone crowded together in a single large room on the second floor; the first floor was exclusively used for the adults and Katsu. It was Katsu that gave out the food and especially tonight to ensure punishment was dealt. The crowded room fit everyone on the floor with barely enough space for their arms to move around. Only Katsu made sure that he had plenty of breathing room for himself. He watched everyone before starting to work on his large portioned meal that was still mostly just bread. Thinking that it was safe being crowded out, Haruo tried to give a little of his food over to the older boy. Haruo thought he had been secretive enough, but Katsu caught what he did in an instant. He was standing over a seated Haruo looking two or three times his size. ¡°Punishment means no food kid!¡± He quickly rammed his foot into Haruo¡¯s stomach knocking the wind out of him as well as some of the bread he had been chewing on. Katsu did the same to the boy Haruo tried to help until he dropped the bread. ¡°If ya givin¡¯ it anyway ya must not be hungry, kid!¡± The little food that Haruo had left was taken away from him and Katsu marched away leaving both of them hungry. Haruo nursed his stomach still feeling the stinging as he crumpled on the cold floor unable to move. The other boys turned away not wanting to make eye contact with Haruo. They understood punishment clearly enough. ¡®When we slept we had to share the few rooms available. We always crowded together and others just held on close. It was crowded wherever I went. Those were the lessons that I learned. I was young and na?ve not understanding what the true nature of people were, but I learned.¡¯ A twelve year old Haruo stood at the entrance of the orphanage that had been his personal hell for his entire life. It was spring and nearly time for the new school year. He looked back at the building in determination that hardened his features. ¡®I was certain that I had to get out of that place. Up until that point the orphanage had been my guardian and paid what little it tried for my elementary school. I was determined to go the rest on my own so I didn¡¯t have to return to that place. But there was one obstacle still in my path¡­Katsu¡­¡¯ Katsu blocked Haruo¡¯s way out into the city. It had only been on the last day Haruo had been at the orphanage that he told everyone that he was leaving. When Katsu found out he showed up. After Katsu was old enough he left the orphanage, but used all of the orphans through the force of his small street gang. In Katsu¡¯s mind Haruo still belonged to him. ¡°Where¡¯d ya think yer goin¡¯?¡± ¡°I¡¯m leaving¡­¡± Haruo responded almost empty of any feeling. The years had stripped him of most of his emotions and his determination was the only thing left. It removed any fear he had for Katsu. He stood up to Katsu ignoring the height difference. ¡°Looks like ya found a sense of humor, kid!¡± laughed Katsu, as two other teenage boys showed up behind him, both at least seventeen. The rough and cold look in their eyes made it clear that they were not above breaking a little kid. ¡°Yer stayin¡¯!¡± Katsu threw the first punch that Haruo took head on. It wasn''t enough to knock him down to Katsu¡¯s surprised, but he didn''t stop. The other two boys quickly joined in the fun until Haruo laid on the floor a bruised and bloodied mess. Eventually, Katsu believed he got his point across and left with his message given to Haruo. Haruo¡¯s defiant eyes stared out at the cloudy sky as he lay on his back. ¡®Nothing was going to stop me. I left that day and never returned. I was going to walk on my own. I needed no help any longer¡­¡¯ Haruo looked back up at Yuki with his tale coming to a close. It was like the floodgates opened, the words couldn¡¯t be stopped. ¡°I don¡¯t like crowds because it reminds me of the crowded orphanage and how selfish people truly are.¡± It took a few moments for Yuki to take it all in. ¡®I thought I just asked why he didn¡¯t like crowds. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d get a life story out of him. Was all of that necessary to tell me? But it certainly explains a few things.¡¯ Yuki stood up from his crate feeling his legs getting a little antsy. He stretched his arms and arched his back until he felt everything was worked out. ¡°But you know not everyone is selfish, Haruo. It¡¯s a little closed minded to make a generalization based on a terrible environment from your childhood.¡± Haruo remained quiet after Yuki¡¯s words. Yuki was never going to understand. ¡®It¡¯s time to leave¡­I¡¯ve said far more than I should have¡­¡¯ ¡°I found ya!¡± yelled a familiar voice laced with barely controlled rage. Takaoka stood half a block down the grass street with his boys from his gang along with several more shadowed figures behind them. Yuki could tell immediately that the guy had eyes for him, probably revenge. ¡®Seems they¡¯re back and with even more this time. Not that¡¯ll matter¡­¡¯ A new figure much older than Takaoka stepped out from the group, standing a few footsteps away. It was a young man in his early twenties with a slicked back hair style that ended at the back of his neck. He was dressed in a heavy leather jacket and dark blue jeans with a white and red shirt underneath. The way that the others in the gang acted he was important despite looking a little higher class than the rest of the mess. ¡°Long time no see¡­kid¡­¡± Haruo tilted his head over his shoulder feeling that the voice was distantly familiar. It only took a single second for him to immediately recognize the man. ¡°¡­Katsu¡­¡± Chapter 78 - Breakdown of Words A standoff began to form across the grass street. Most of everyone¡¯s legs were covered up in the sea of tall grass that billowed in the gusts that accented the developing scene. Clouds slowly moved into the sky dulling the sun¡¯s view down below. Shade thickened the mood between Katsu and Haruo¡¯s stare down. ¡°So his name¡¯s Katsu, Haruo?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He turned his body to confront the new threat. ¡°The one from your story you were telling me?¡± ¡°The same.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s a reunion, huh?¡± Yuki smirked as he rubbed his hands together looking eager. He was already prepared for whatever they might have to throw at him. A glancing eye over to Yuki had given Haruo all the clarification he needed. ¡®He¡¯s planning on fighting. It¡¯s not going to solve anything. They¡¯re here for revenge because they got beat. They aren¡¯t afraid.¡¯ Haruo stepped out in front of Yuki giving Katsu an intense stare to try to draw them to himself. Chapter 78 ¨C Breakdown of Words Yuki leaned around Haruo, becoming confused with Haruo¡¯s action. ¡®He¡¯s planning on fighting? There¡¯s an awful lot of them though. Too many, possibly even me and I can¡¯t use my power on normal humans.¡¯ There was some unseen tension that he picked up from the back of Haruo. ¡°There¡¯s too many for you to handle alone, Haruo!¡± Haruo lifted his right arm up to stop Yuki from coming forward. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Hey, what¡¯s wrong? You want to fight them by yourself?¡± ¡°I can see it in your eyes. You want to fight.¡± A moment of confusion overcame Yuki. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure they aren¡¯t here for a social visit. I¡¯m not going to start this, but I¡¯ll finish anything they begin.¡± Yuki hoped that his determination would get through to Haruo. ¡°That¡¯s not the point. They¡¯re here because you fought back.¡± Yuki thought for a moment to himself looking a bit absentminded in appearance. His eyes blinked when he was finished and focused back on Haruo. ¡°Yeah probably so.¡± ¡°It¡¯s revenge that they want.¡± ¡°So?¡± Haruo closed his eyes to take a breath. Haruo knew it to be an empty act. ¡°They only want revenge because you fought them. If you hadn¡¯t stopped them they wouldn¡¯t be here now.¡± Yuki pushed through Haruo and confronted him directly. His finger poked at his chest as he looked straight in Haruo¡¯s eyes. ¡°Listen and listen good! Those people over there were in the wrong!¡± Yuki threw his free hand back to point towards the gang of teenagers. ¡°You don¡¯t have to keep taking it from them! You¡¯ve got the strength to protect yourself! If you don¡¯t they¡¯ll just keep walking over you again and again!¡± He turned back around feeling better having gotten that out of him. Yuki stared over at Katsu, who had been waiting while they were talking. ¡°You said before that you were determined to leave that life behind you right? Well your past is staring you down right now. You going to let your past control you or are you going to control your past!¡± There was a long pause from Haruo as he thought over what Yuki had said. ¡®¡­maybe¡­my past is supposed to be behind me¡­ maybe he¡¯s right and it has been controlling me¡­¡¯ Some doubt began to fill up inside him as he fell deeper into questioning his motives and actions. ¡°So what¡¯s it going to be?¡± Haruo stepped forward putting himself back out in front of Yuki. ¡°This is my problem. I¡¯ll handle it.¡± He didn¡¯t look back at Yuki¡¯s smirk, but felt it a little. Katsu¡¯s eyes continued to stare at Haruo intently waiting when Haruo met his gaze. The silence and surprising patience from their neighbors in the street had Yuki a little confused. He addressed the adult, Katsu, who appeared to be their leader. ¡°You¡¯re being awfully polite to wait until we¡¯re done talking to start fighting.¡± Katsu opened his arms, breaking his stoic expression for a very casual feign at innocence. ¡°That¡¯s quite the assumption you¡¯re making there.¡± Being a little coy with the man, Yuki played along trying to get a read on him. ¡°So you and your friends over there are just enjoying a relaxing stroll in the afternoon to stretch your legs then.¡± The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Exactly! It¡¯s so warm these days for spring. It¡¯d be a shame to waste them trapped inside.¡± There was a sly grin crawling up on Katsu¡¯s lips as he began to enjoy his banter with Yuki. ¡°I couldn¡¯t agree more,¡± laughed Yuki. He was joined in bemused laughter by Katsu shortly after. Watching the two entertain each other with pointless chatter made Haruo a little annoyed. However, Haruo became bored by their empty talk. ¡°What do you want, Katsu?¡± Katsu turned his head back over to look towards Haruo, his eyes a little disappointed. ¡°Same as always, kid. Never able to understand the fine subtlety of foreplay.¡± ¡°If you want to talk then I¡¯ll just leave. I have no interest in your talk.¡± ¡°My, my, you really are quite the talkative one.¡± He started to walk forward towards Haruo. There was still a casual step in his movements. He was only warming up. Katsu towered over Haruo¡¯s short stature. A wicked grin still plastered on his face. ¡°No warm greeting to an old friend that you haven¡¯t seen in years?¡± Haruo kept his stance not intimidated. There might have been fear in him when he was younger facing Katsu, but not anymore. ¡°You were never a friend. I don¡¯t owe you anything.¡± ¡°Such sharp words, kid! You should be glad that your skinny friend over there got me in a good mood.¡± ¡°What do you want, Katsu? I¡¯m tired of your indirectness.¡± ¡°And you¡¯ve got an attitude to boot. My those years in junior high really must have changed you.¡± Katsu patted Haruo¡¯s head before roughing up his hair a little rigidly to try to shake him. ¡°I remember when you were just a little brat that feared my very voice.¡± He could see that he was not getting anything out of Haruo. There was not even a hint of anger for being mocked. ¡®He¡¯s just staring back with those defiant eyes. He¡¯s actually making me angry that he¡¯s not doing anything!¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m not the same child you used to know, Katsu. Nor am I the same person your friends saw a short while ago.¡± Haruo gave him a fierce look standing toe-to-toe with his previous tyrant. Katsu stared back almost in amazement. ¡®That¡¯s not the same defiant look I beat down when he left. That¡¯s not the same eyes that Takaoka gets his practice hits in on. What¡¯s gotten into him?¡¯ The sight of him only made Katsu more confused the longer he thought. It had set a fire to his anger tempting it to become a boil. The air between the two suddenly changed as though their mere proximity was freezing the air. It was cold and empty leaving no room for anything else. Wind dared not to trespass around them. The casual mood from Katsu had utterly vanished with the intent being clear from Haruo. Katsu stepped to the side of Haruo like he was sizing up his prey. ¡°Your scrawny friend over there is correct,¡± opened Katsu. He started his way back toward his gang of boys. ¡°I¡¯ve come here hearing that someone came to rescue you from my boys¡¯ practice. That was something I had to see for myself.¡± ¡°What are you getting at? You came for your revenge on the one that beat up your gang.¡± ¡°That part is true as I said. However, I can easily send people to deal with a simple matter like that.¡± Haruo¡¯s eyes narrowed in growing confusion. Evasiveness wasn¡¯t a usual tactic of his. It had been years since Haruo had seen Katsu so he had to grant the possibility that Katsu had done some changing of his own. ¡°So you didn¡¯t come here to fight?¡± Laughter burst from Katsu¡¯s lungs upon hearing Haruo speak. He turned his head back over his shoulder to glance at Haruo. ¡°No, I came to put your face into the ground. That you can be assured of. I wouldn¡¯t come out all this way and not leave without making sure of that. But I have to admit some curiosity to see who this person is that came to your aid. You, the most anti-social, loner and pariah in the entire city, finding a friend.¡± Katsu turned around, playing up the motion a little dramatically for everyone. ¡°That!¡± He had pointed over to Yuki, who had serious eyes now. ¡°I had to see. Just so that I knew what it was that I was going to be taking away from you. So that I might see those beautiful defiant gray eyes of yours finally fall into despair!¡± Haruo remained quiet after Katsu finished making his proclamation. Yuki, however, couldn¡¯t remain still listening to the ravings coming from him. ¡°Damn¡­you really see yourself as the villain don¡¯t you? You¡¯re nearly a clich¨¦!¡± He stepped forward a little, putting himself barely behind Haruo¡¯s right side. The comments from Yuki caught Katsu¡¯s attention, making him smirk a little to see some backbone from Yuki. ¡°I know what I want. It¡¯s simple as that, kid.¡± Yuki could see that the rest of the teenagers looked antsy. They looked ready to start something with only Katsu¡¯s word to be given. However it seemed that they were even reaching the edge of their patience. The taste for blood was in their eyes like a mad animal. ¡°We have to do something now, Haruo! The guy¡¯s made it pretty clear what he plans on doing!¡± ¡°Enough talking.¡± He took his position directly in front of Yuki to keep him to his back. ¡°You¡¯ve come here because of me. So leave him out of this.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe there¡¯s ever been a point when you told me what to do, kid! And today isn¡¯t any different!¡± Katsu motioned to his boys giving them the signal. The boys that hadn¡¯t been beaten up by Yuki were the first to move. They were fresh and undaunted. Those boys that had been the receiving end of Yuki¡¯s attacks were hesitant in making a move. Their waiting caused two groups to be unintentionally formed. In the attacking group, there were five boys all looking as rough and experienced in street fighting as the rest. They stalked in towards Haruo as he made sure to keep himself at the center of attention. Haruo steeled himself to prepare for the assault that was coming for him. ¡°Don¡¯t you make a move,¡± called Haruo over his shoulder to Yuki. ¡°What?! You can¡¯t be serious, Haruo! There¡¯s too many for you to deal with alone!¡± Yuki ignored what Haruo asked of him, but for being so large he proved to be agile enough to prevent him from doing anything useful. ¡°Haruo!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need your help. I¡¯m doing this alone.¡± There was no more time for talk as the five boys broke into a charge once they finished fanning out. Haruo firmly planted his feet into the earth trying to form the strongest position. The number of fights he had been on the wrong side of gave him an eye for judging attacks. However, he knew with Yuki making things difficult for him that dodging wasn¡¯t going to be an option. Haruo lifted up his left arm to deflect the outstretched arm. The group was forced to space their attacks, giving Haruo the timing to block each swing. Frustrated by failure, the boys kept close to him taking turns with kicks or punches with little success. Haruo managed to keep them from making any progress against him and slowly convinced Yuki to calm down. Once Yuki backed away a little it gave Haruo even more room to work his defense. He blocked two high kicks coming in together that tried to throw him. While he focused on the two boys in front the other three surrounded him from behind. They came in sequence charging with their fists to his hopeful blindside. Haruo noticed their absence. He turned to meet the first boy head on grabbing his fist. The boy became surprised and was taken off guard. His body followed forward in shock, jerking his arm at the elbow. The other two came up after crashing into the boy causing more damage to themselves than Haruo. Unfortunately, a successful block by Haruo wasn''t enough momentum. The two boys that he had just stopped before were now behind him. These two took advantage of Haruo¡¯s weakened position to lay into his back attempting to drop him quickly. One of the boys let loose with a flurry of punches to his shoulder blades and backbone while the other jabbed with his feet in the back of his knee. Haruo¡¯s well built body took the blows and buckled a little under the pain, but remained until he could escape with a well timed side jump. Their failures only further enraged them, forgetting completely that Yuki was still present. These teenage gang members weren¡¯t nearly as used to dealing with someone like Haruo as Takaoka¡¯s group. It gave Haruo the advantage. Katsu watched in annoyance seeing that Haruo was holding his own against five of his boys. ¡°Hey Taka! Thought you said he never puts up a fight.¡± Takaoka jerked his head over to Katsu in surprise. ¡°Yea, I donno what¡¯s goin¡¯ on with ¡®em, boss. The most he ev¡¯ does is dodge us. I¡¯ve ne¡¯er seen him defend himself.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Katsu looked behind him down towards the end of the grass street. He lifted up his hand and snapped his finger giving a signal to unseen gang members. ¡°Always good to have insurance.¡± Once they were in motion Katsu whistled to the group of boys trying to fight Haruo. The sharp piercing tune was enough to interrupt everyone bringing a pause to the fighting. Yuki narrowed his eyes trying to figure out what Katsu¡¯s plan was. In the distance, he could see a few figures walking towards them. He was half expecting some brute of a fighter that was supposed to turn the fight around for them. However, his guess proved to be misplaced when he saw a man in his late twenties or early thirties being escorted by three teenage punks. ¡®I¡¯m not liking where this is going¡­¡¯ Haruo caught a glimpse of the figures walking up to the rear of the mob of boys. His eyes immediately widened the moment he saw the man. ¡°Mr. Asanuma¡­¡± Katsu allowed himself a wicked grin and brief laugh. ¡°Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t know about you. You might have thought you were free from me, but you never were. And now that weakness in you will be your undoing. I¡¯d suggest stopping your defense if you don¡¯t want to see this man come to harm.¡± Chapter 79 - A Magicians Trick There was a drawn length of silence across the grass. A few cackles from the punks worked to punctuate the atmosphere. Haruo froze with the appearance of his junior high teacher. Yuki stomped a foot forward, mostly missed by the crowd. ¡°Bastard! You really don¡¯t have a shred of honor do you?¡± His voice echoed through the narrow street. He had been mostly ignored once the fighting started with Haruo, but Yuki just became the center of attention. His body was shaking with him having difficulty keeping himself in control. The shouting in vain from Yuki tilted Katsu''s gaze over to him, becoming amused. ¡°Now who¡¯s acting the clich¨¦? Honestly, did you think this was a street fight or something like that?¡± Katsu cracked his knuckles a little as he ground his fist into his palm looking excited. ¡°This is measuring out punishment and I make sure everyone deserving always receives more than their fair share of punishment. I¡¯m quite generous in that manner.¡± He smirked viciously as his eyes made his intentions very clear. ¡®He still sounds like more of a clich¨¦ than me,¡¯ Yuki stubbornly protested to himself. ¡®I need a plan and fast! They¡¯ve got the upper hand and are going to make a push with the advantage¡­¡¯ He searched around him for any ideas that might come to him to get him out of the situation. Unfortunately, the hostage prevented anything from being possible. Yuki tightened his fists, starting to rub the skin raw in his palm. He chastised himself for being unable to do anything. ¡®If I hadn''t listened to Haruo and acted I could have prevented this from happening¡­¡¯ A signal to the previously hesitant mob belonging to Takaoka had told them to move out. The other boys that had paused in their assault on Haruo soon resumed with Haruo no longer blocking in order to comply with the demand. It became almost savage with the boys venting their frustrations. Dull echoes of flesh being struck and hard strikes hitting bone increased the tempo. Blood sprays were its metronome. Looming shadows crawled up towards Yuki in the advancing boys that had picked him as their target. Being on the receiving end of a fist was certainly no stranger to him, but Saki was usually around to stop before it became too violent. Yuki knew that he wasn¡¯t going to have such luck. He was going to have to deal with it alone, somehow. ¡®Can I use my power on normal humans? I don¡¯t think I have any choice anymore¡­¡¯ Chapter 79 ¨C A Magician¡¯s Trick Yuki¡¯s mind frantically tried to cover everything that he had available to him. His mind was cluttered with more ideas than he could sort through. He never had to figure out his Laws on the spot before. Everything that happened with Demosthenes had been on instinct. But he knew it wouldn¡¯t save the teacher. ¡®Come on, Yuki! Think of something! They¡¯re almost on top of you!¡¯ His eyes glanced over breaking his fragile concentration. All of the teenagers eagerly approached him with no haste in their step knowing that Yuki wouldn''t be going anywhere. Any fear that they had before of Yuki had disappeared. It was simply six street punks marching gleefully to a beating. Takaoka led the group looking like he wanted some payback. He ground his hands together as he came to a stop only a few steps away from Yuki. ¡°Remember what the boss said¡­kid! Ya do anythin¡¯ other pretend tah be a punching bag an¡¯ the old man ends up in a worlds of pain.¡± Takaoka looked over to two of his boys. ¡°Take his arms, I like clean shots.¡± Laughter spread through their ranks at Takaoka¡¯s little joke. ¡°Yea, boss!¡± They took up opposite sides of Yuki. They pulled his arms out straight from his body leaving plenty of room for taking shots at his torso. Resisting was something that Yuki knew he couldn''t afford despite how much he despised such tactics. There was no pride to be found in such hollow victories. Yuki tempted a rough smirk as he prepared his body. ¡°Not man enough to take me alone?¡± He knew this was not going to be like the bullies that picked on him before. If he could buy some time for his thoughts it might give him a plan. It was certainly a gamble and he knew it. Takaoka responded to his taunting with a sharp punch to his stomach. ¡°I like seein¡¯ spirit in my enemy. Makes it more enjoyable to take it away.¡± He threw several more punches into his gut that made Yuki buckle a little. Yuki coughed roughly, catching his meager lunch being rudely stirred up. He managed to pull himself back together and straighten his legs back out to meet with the kid, who was about the same age as him. ¡°I see you¡¯re taking lessons on how to be a villain from Katsu.¡± The mocking tone from Yuki renewed the grin on Takaoka¡¯s face. He moved a little closer to Yuki taking hold of his shoulders for support as he rammed his knee into Yuki¡¯s stomach. The impact quickly made him slump down against Takaoka. After Takaoka returned his leg back to the ground he grabbed Yuki by his hair. He ripped his head back up by the hair to force Yuki to make his gaze. ¡°Resist a lil¡¯ for me. I¡¯ve ne¡¯er liked him when I was in school. Seein¡¯ him rollin¡¯ in pain would make me so happy.¡± Yuki pulled at his head finding his leg¡¯s strength to meet Takaoka¡¯s stare back. ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re going to have to suffer from depression then. I don¡¯t grant wishes to my enemies.¡± ¡°Either way I still get tah beat that defiance out of ya!¡± laughed Takaoka as he resumed his assault. Between blows Yuki continued to smirk back. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to work on that terrible punk accent if you want to be a real villain.¡± Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°Still got plenty of talk in ya huh?¡± A silent turn of Takaoka¡¯s head gave a signal to the other three boys that had been waiting in the wings for their chance to get back at Yuki. The three punks walked around behind Yuki and filled in around him. Each of them took up a different part of his body to take their frustration and revenge out upon. Takaoka grinned to himself before resuming his work once more. The situation was of little difference for Haruo aside from having less talking. The years of taking abuse and not fighting back gave him more resistance than Yuki. However even Haruo had his limits. He was eventually thrown back into a property wall of a house. A potted plant tried to fall over into the house¡¯s grounds, but had become attached to the greenery. Noise from the plant would have been on deaf ears regardless. There had been enough yelling and chaos from them that if any of the neighbors were going to act upon it they would have already. No, they were all too scared to do anything. Katsu took great pleasure in seeing his plan come together. The sound of Haruo and Yuki being pummeled sweetened his heart even more. It was a lesson that he took particular joy in teaching. In the case of Haruo, this was one class that he had long hoped to have. He would steal from him that small light that he naively thought he had found. ¡°I¡¯m not hearing enough bone breaking from the kid¡¯s friend, Taka!¡± It was music to Takaoka¡¯s ears to be told to go harder on Yuki. ¡°I understand, boss! Sorry to disappoint ya!¡± He grabbed Yuki¡¯s chin pulling him towards him after Yuki had a second of pause before taking several feet to his back. ¡°Hear that, kid? Time tah show ya true pain!¡± Yuki coughed and laughed a little while being cut-off by the three boys behind him. ¡°Good, I was starting to get bored with the kiddy punches.¡± ¡°Still got that smart mouth on ya!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t help it that you haven¡¯t hit puberty yet.¡± A vein popped in anger on Takaoka¡¯s forehead hearing the insult coming from Yuki. His smirk grew wide as he wound up his arm to put his full weight behind it. ¡°I¡¯m going tah enjoy this!¡± ¡°I guess it makes sense that you¡¯re the leader. As a kid you need others to do your job.¡± Yuki laughed again only to feel several stronger strikes digging into his back. It was enough to knock the wind out of him and make his shoulders feel like they would pop from their sockets. He tried to keep the pain to himself to maintain his bravado. Yuki watched in amusement as Takaoka grew even angrier listening to his taunts. It was nearly entertaining for Yuki seeing how easily he was getting under his skin. He knew it was only going to take a little more seeing how boiling Takaoka was already. Yuki turned his head towards his shackles and tried to look back a little. ¡°So which one of you changes his pants when he shits himself?¡± ¡°That¡¯s it! Get back guys!¡± Takaoka was almost a face full of steaming blood and veins listening to Yuki. He took a step back to take in his tightening muscles in anticipation. The three teens quickly moved out of sight leaving only the two holding Yuki to remain. Once he could no longer hold back his rage, Takaoka released it all in a scream as he charged at Yuki. In a surprising show of martial prowess, Takaoka spun around his leg and leapt sending his entire weight into the kick. The foot and a little of the leg had slammed painfully into Yuki¡¯s chest. Both boys were unable to hold on Yuki from the force that was driven into him. Their grips scrambled to keep hold, but only managed to scratch at Yuki while they lost. Yuki was sent flying backwards into the air a little before rudely being dropped into the grass falling out of sight apart. ¡®Felt that one for sure¡­¡¯ Mr. Asanuma struggled against his three captors when he saw Yuki being sent flying from an incomplete flying drop kick. ¡°Yoneda! Can you hear me?¡± Haruo barely heard Mr. Asanuma¡¯s voice amidst the attacks and yelling from the boys. He knew that he couldn''t respond to him. Silence had to remain if he was to stay safe. ¡®It¡¯s better this way.¡¯ ¡°Fight back, Yoneda! I don¡¯t care what they do to me!¡± Katsu reached out with his hand taking hold of Mr. Asanuma¡¯s neck. His fingers firmly wrapped partly around his throat. ¡°Showing some spine, Mr. Asanuma? But believe me when I say that I will cause you great pain if the kid does anything.¡± The teacher managed a brief moment of fortitude to hold together. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I can¡¯t let children be hurt because of something that¡¯s my fault.¡± ¡°Got a noble streak in you, huh?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing to do with being noble! It¡¯s the right thing to do! If I have to be hurt so that Yoneda isn''t, that''s fine with me.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re self sacrificing huh?¡± He stepped away from the small group as ideas began to swirl around. There were certain factors that he had to weigh against each other. He knew what he wanted so it was just a matter of doing whatever it took to get the results. Haruo tried to work himself around the teenagers that were assaulting him. He could do little, but he had to make his voice heard. ¡®I can¡¯t allow him to do this. It must only be me.¡¯ In the brief lull between attacks he managed to get an opening. ¡°Just stay still. I¡¯ll handle this. This is my problem, not yours Mr. Asanuma.¡± Even in the urgency Haruo had difficulty providing any emotion or volume to his voice. It barely was able to reach them. ¡°Two selfless acts, looks like you¡¯re in a stalemate. Guess it¡¯s up to me to break it.¡± Katsu turned towards the teacher and began to walk over to the three boys holding him still. He signaled the teens to give him a little room as he approached. There was well placed fear in the teacher¡¯s eyes as Katsu grabbed him by his shirt collar. ¡°Katsu leave him alone. He¡¯s not involved. I¡¯m the only one you need to do anything to.¡± Katsu held on to the collar, but turned to look over at Haruo. He grinned a little with a knowing look in his eyes. ¡°So na?ve still. The moment I grabbed him it stopped only being your problem. You should know that by now.¡± ¡°You said¡ª¡° ¡°Yes I did, but it wasn¡¯t a promise. I can change my mind at any moment I want.¡± He pulled back his free arm taking time to decide where he was going to make the first punch land. ¡°And I¡¯m changing my mind now!¡± Katsu let his fist fly the moment he finished. The grin was still painted heavily on his mouth taking great pleasure from what was going to happen next. A creaking of bone echoed around them as the fist plowed into the face. In the next moment it sent them to the ground laid out trailing a bit of blood from a split lip. Katsu looked very pleased as he pulled back, but that all changed when saw that Mr. Asanuma was unharmed. His expression instantly twisted in confusion searching for the person that he had taken out. Buried deep in the grass was one of the gang members that had been holding the teacher. ¡°What just happened?¡± Katsu glared back at the pale looking man. ¡°What did you just do?¡± Anger from having taken one of his own out charged his arm once more to strike the teacher. ¡°I did this!¡± mocked a familiar voice unseen like they were going about a demonstration. One of the two remaining boys collided with Katsu fist once more, laying the kid out quickly. Katsu frantically looked about becoming paranoid. ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡± ¡°Just some restless spirits!¡± A loud thud of a shoe hitting the remaining boy bounced from nowhere. The teen fell away leaving Mr. Asanuma freed. Katsu tried to make a grab for the teacher before he escaped, but felt an invisible hand take hold of his wrist. ¡°It¡¯s you, the skinny kid! Isn¡¯t it?!¡± He ripped his wrist free and stepped back trying to collect himself. In front of Katsu appeared Yuki grinning to himself. ¡°See this is why you¡¯re the villain, you figure things out quickly. Now that the old man¡¯s free we can get down to good old fashion street fighting!¡± Yuki shifted into an attacking stance staring down Katsu with anticipation. Chapter 80 - Tricks Revealed The entire field ran still for a moment when Yuki revealed himself out of the shadows. The three boys that had been taken out moaned about in the grass. Mr. Asanuma ran away from everything. The stunning reversal of the situation left everyone confused. Takaoka looked across the grass field utterly confused. He could see Yuki smirking a few steps away from Katsu. However, there was Yuki at his feet, bruised and beaten in the dirt. The other teens with him looked around at each other trying to figure out the two Yukis that were present. ¡°Which one¡¯s the real one?¡± One of the boys kicked the Yuki lying on the ground. There was a groan from Yuki as he took the blow and coughed from the pain. ¡°Uh, this one, boss?¡± ¡°He must be real!¡± ¡°Yea, he screams when hurt!¡± ¡°And we can kick ¡®im!¡± Doubt built in Takaoka as he stared longer. ¡°Then how¡¯d he take out our boys?¡± He stared over at the other Yuki seeing their hostage disappearing out of sight. ¡°It doesn¡¯t make any sense!¡± ¡°Maybe he has a twin?¡± one of the punks suggested. Takaoka reached out and whacked him in the head for such a stupid idea. ¡°Idiot!¡± ¡°Maybe they¡¯re both real, boss!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a trick¡­I know it!¡± Takaoka clenched his fist in frustration for being made a fool of. He became so distracted in his questions that he didn¡¯t immediately hear a punch being thrown behind him. It took him till the second punch and a groan from one of his boys to alert him. Takaoka turned around quickly. ¡°What the¡ª¡° Yuki¡¯s fist interrupted him before he could finish his stupid question forcing him back a few steps to catch his balance. The Yuki that had been on the ground took the time spared to him to recover enough to return to the fight. And since he was no longer restrained by the hostage there was no holding back. ¡°You should talk less and fight more! It makes you look stupid!¡± ¡°Bastard!¡± Takaoka charged back into the fray with Yuki. The remaining members of his gang regrouped to assist him. Chapter 80 ¨C Tricks Revealed The standoff with Katsu and Yuki held with Katsu¡¯s smug look having disappeared with his hostage. The kid was making a fool of him and his gang. A fact that started a slow burn in his body. Mounting frustration at his plan falling apart tightening his hands. He was very much beginning to hate the cocky arrogance of Yuki. ¡°What sort of mockery is this?¡± ¡°Oh! Mockery, huh? Pulling out the big vocabulary for me.¡± Yuki carefully watched the scene and the surroundings, specifically Haruo. It seemed that once Haruo realized that his teacher was safe the beating stopped. The fight had evened out. ¡°Guess that¡¯s why you make the big bucks as the villain, huh?¡± Katsu ground his teeth together, shifting his jaw in anger. ¡°You¡¯ve got quite the mouth on yourself¡­kid¡­¡± Yuki grinned, looking like he was enjoying the moment. ¡°I seem to remember you enjoying a lively banter!¡± ¡°So what are you?¡± Katsu demanded, trying to steer the conversation back. He narrowed his eyes trying to find any hint of what might be the truth behind what he did. ¡°Me? I¡¯m complicated.¡± ¡°That was more than a simple illusion.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right there.¡± Yuki raised up his hand with his index finger extended like he was checking the man a correct answer. ¡°Do you want to know?¡± This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. It made Katsu think for a moment as he got a piece of the puzzle to Yuki. There was only one answer. ¡°Are you one of those people with special powers that I¡¯ve been hearing about?¡± The clapping of Yuki¡¯s hands punctuated the tension building in the air. ¡°You¡¯re close. But if you think I¡¯ve just gained my powers recently like everyone else then you¡¯re mistaken.¡± ¡°Now you¡¯re lying kid! It wasn¡¯t until this city got turned into hell along with the country that people got powers.¡± Yuki shook his head back and forth slowly like he was disappointed in the man. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be calling people¡¯s liars when you don¡¯t understand everything.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just say I was carrying the hand basket.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Yuki¡¯s hand waved dismissively at Katsu. ¡°It¡¯s of little importance to you.¡± He might have been making light of the situation, but Yuki struggled with the words. A snap of his thoughts redirected his concentration to get his mind off the subject. ¡°You wanted to know how I did that little trick, right?¡± Yuki read the grinding of teeth from Katsu to see that had the tension wound tightly. ¡°How about I do it in the form of a flashback!¡± Katsu''s eyes had widened in surprise. He was taken off guard by the sudden change in mood from Yuki. ¡°No! Anything but that!¡± There was a moment of Katsu having broken out of his character looking unusually ridiculous, but he corrected himself. ¡°Besides¡­it¡¯d be a little strange to have a flashback of a minute ago.¡± Pretending to be absent minded, Yuki had looked up to the sky to think about what Katsu said. He turned back down, pulling away his hand that he was using to think from his face. ¡°Yeah, I guess you¡¯re right. Who¡¯d do a flashback of a minute ago, that is pretty silly. Well then guess we¡¯ll just have to talk it out.¡± Yuki grinned at Katsu. Yuki pointed across the grass street at Takaoka and his gang that tried to fight the other Yuki. ¡°It was because of your gang over there, you should thank them. You see, they were really easy to provoke.¡± He recalled the beating that he took from Takaoka before. ¡°I had a plan, but in order for it to work I needed to create a lot of confusion so they weren¡¯t concentrating too hard. I wanted to swap myself out with a fake, but doing it while being held down would have been very difficult to pull off unnoticed. ¡°It happened when I was kicked by your villain wannabe over there. So while I hit the grass and they thought I was just tumbling about I activated my power. I put a stand in for myself while I turned invisible.¡± Katsu wasn¡¯t like the story time by Yuki. He had figured Yuki for being an idiot kid with talent in fighting. He didn¡¯t like hearing that he was able to conceive a plan and execute it perfectly while being attacked. There was one problem though he had with the story. ¡°Even if you¡¯re invisible I would have seen the grass moving as you approached! It doesn¡¯t add up!¡± Another disappointing, doubting click came from Yuki. He let out a small sigh. ¡°How disappointing, thinking so flat. Bet you¡¯re used to fighting in dark alleys and large fields. So clich¨¦¡­¡± Yuki moved his hand to point over towards the property walls that bordered the street. ¡°It¡¯s pretty simple to avoid being seen if you¡¯re not on the ground. ¡°Can¡¯t see things behind you very well. After that it was pretty easy to do the rest, especially with the good timing by the old man. Figured I was just going to have to take them out myself, didn¡¯t think I¡¯d be able to use you to take out your own men. But thanks for the hand!¡± His self control was the only thing keeping him from launching into a full rage-charged attack. ¡°I don¡¯t care if you make a fool of my boys, but making a fool out of me¡­¡± ¡°Is pretty easy to do!¡± finished Yuki, not letting up from his taunting of the gang boss. He adjusted himself a little for his footing and got into a fighting stance once more. Yuki wanted to finish this off and end their reign. ¡°Done with the Q&A! It¡¯s time to see if you¡¯re any good with someone that fights back!¡± He charged forward quickly on Katsu over taking him to land a clean hit in the cheek. The gang members in the street paused for a moment in shock to see their boss being knocked down by the kid. The reversal in the situation shook their resolve. Haruo wasn¡¯t making it any easier to land any further hits. Takaoka¡¯s group continued in confused frustration in their own uncertainty of who it was that they were dealing with. Katsu began to recover from the blow he had taken. He sat in the grass, but wiped away the little blood from his split lip that Yuki gave him. A healthy bruise started to be colored on his cheek from Yuki¡¯s fist. ¡°That the best you got kid?¡± He started to rise up getting to his feet to dust himself off. The punch seemed to cool off some of the steam. Yuki narrowed his eyes, beginning to read the situation for his next move. ¡°I see you¡¯ve got your talk back. I¡¯d be a little disappointed if that was all a big gang boss had in him.¡± He shifted his weight and moved his position keeping an eye on his target. ¡°But don¡¯t worry. That was only a warm-up. I haven¡¯t even gotten serious yet!¡± ¡°Oh? I guess I¡¯ll treat that as my good fortune.¡± His eyes darted to his sides quickly examining the surroundings. ¡°But you really shouldn¡¯t have.¡± ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± Shadows from behind Yuki had burst out from the grass, taking hold of his arms and applied pressure to his neck. It was the three boys that had been holding Mr. Asanuma hostage. They looked a little worse for wear, but still had plenty of fight in them. ¡°Because that¡¯s why. You shouldn¡¯t hold anything back in a fight. You should go straight for the kill immediately without hesitation, kid!¡± Yuki struggled against his captors, but it was the tight hold of the arm wrapped around his neck firmly that made it nearly impossible. Every move he attempted to make only caused him to cough and choke. ¡°And only a coward needs to hold down their opponent to fight.¡± Katsu laughed heartily at Yuki for his spirit. ¡°It makes sure cowards don¡¯t run away.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t talk so badly about yourself.¡± ¡°Hrmph, still got that cocky attitude, kid. You need a lesson in knowing fear!¡± A dark grin pulled up on Yuki¡¯s face as he thought back to his past three weeks. ¡°Let¡¯s just say compared to what I¡¯ve experienced this is a summer afternoon stroll on the beach.¡± He connected his eyes with Katsu feeding him the honest deep gaze that read volumes of what he had been through. They only needed one look to see how serious he was. ¡°You talk a good game, kid,¡± the adult bluffed, trying not to be unsettled by the glare. ¡°However, I¡¯ve got something to show you. My own secret.¡± ¡®I¡¯m not sure if I like the sound of that¡­¡¯ Yuki worked on his arms to try to free them from the hold of the two boys. He had to prepare for whatever Katsu could be planning. They were past the point of boasting with empty threats. Yuki could tell that he had something serious planned. Katsu took a step forward, closing the distance between them. ¡°You see I wasn¡¯t entirely honest about something before.¡± ¡°I¡¯m crushed¡­¡± ¡°When I said I had heard about those people with special powers¡­¡± Suddenly the wind picked up around Katsu and the area around him. All of the grass rolled over waving in the gusts that were coming out of him. A distortion in the air began to appear around Katsu almost like a haze from heat. ¡°I forgot to mention that I happen to be one of them!¡± Yuki could only widen his eyes in shock as he felt a pain in his left shoulder burst. Soon a spray of blood arched into the air from the wound despite nothing having touched him. Chapter 81 - Biting the Hand that Feeds ¡®What was that just now?!¡¯ The shock from the wound paralyzed Yuki for a second. Blood painted across his left cheek stretching to his eye and mouth. Even if he had been allowed to move he would not have budged. His mind reeled through the events repeatedly. Each viewing didn''t give him any more clarity than the last. ¡®When did he attack me? I didn¡¯t see anything!¡¯ Yuki¡¯s eye darted about trying to focus through the pain back on Katsu. ¡®He¡¯s one of those superhumans I created!¡¯ It was that realization that something of his creation turned back on him that sank in deeply. Chapter 81 ¨C Biting the Hand that Feeds ¡°That¡¯s the look!¡± Katsu shouted with glee in his voice. A sinister laugh escaped his lips. It was a laugh that grew and fed off of the pain of Yuki. It had only seemed to get darker the longer that he continued reveling in the misery. ¡°Yes, the look of despair is one I truly relish.¡± ¡®¡­he¡¯s playing his part well¡­¡¯ Yuki forced his head up, which had been hanging low on his neck, to try to get a clear view of Katsu. He needed to figure out what power it was that Katsu had. All he could see was just the same haze surrounding him as before. A consistent wind seemed to be blowing against Yuki''s face. The cool air made the gash, which began in the front between the end of the collar bone and joint at the shoulder back stopping a little before turning down his shoulder blade, in his shoulder sting sharply making him wince in his left eye. ¡®¡­have to remain focused¡­¡¯ Katsu stepped forward, nearly coming in contact with Yuki with his proximity. The wretched grin on his face seemed to have developed into a permanent feature. He grabbed Yuki¡¯s face under the jaw to make sure they were eye to eye. ¡°I see you weren¡¯t lying when you said you had seen worse. A normal person would have been screaming tears after something like that. But you just grit your teeth and suck it up. Hearing your scream will be quite the pleasure for me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not interested¡­but I know someone that would take you¡­up on that.¡± Another laugh ripped from Katsu''s mouth. ¡°I¡¯m pleased to see you¡¯ve still got plenty of spirit left!¡± Katsu removed his hand from Yuki¡¯s jaw. He pressed his thumb into the wound, twisting it around waiting for a scream. The longer he was left not obliged the harder he pressed. A groan was pulled out of Yuki, but nothing more as he endured. Haruo from across the street watched everything. ¡®I can''t do anything to stop this¡­ He¡¯s become involved because of me¡­ I need to do something.¡¯ In between dodging attacks from the punks Haruo tried to get around them. He hoped that he could distract Katsu enough from Yuki to allow him to escape. Unfortunately, they weren''t making it easy on him. Two of the boys made another attempt to take hold of him, a tactic that seemed all too common for them. Both were simply avoided and put Haruo in the position he wanted to escape finally. ¡®Now¡¯s my chance¡­¡¯ Haruo broke from the group. It took them a few seconds to realize that Haruo was actually trying to flee away from them. ¡®Just have to reach Katsu now¡­¡¯ He pushed his legs as hard as he could to reach Katsu in time before anything more was done to Yuki. The torture became increasingly sadistic with each second that Haruo watched. He was still too far away. It had seemed like the distance was getting further away from him. ¡®Almost there¡­¡¯ A slightly muffled ripping of cloth alerted Haruo, but it was too late for him to be stopped. He felt a shallow sharp pain rising up his leg as blood dripped from a sudden wound. Haruo stumbled over falling into the grass. As he fell he felt even more slices along the right side of his body. Pain washed over him from head to toe making it difficult to restrain. ¡®What happened to me?! Did Katsu see me coming and do something?¡¯ The longer Haruo looked around the more he could see that Katsu was heavily engrossed in his torture of Yuki. An earthquake could have happened and leveled the entire place and Katsu would never have known the difference. ¡®No¡­it¡¯s not him¡­then what?¡¯ Haruo kept searching, seeking his answer in the grass. It had felt like the grass was sharp enough to cut him, but he knew that did not make any sense. The grass next to him blew about gently innocent to all of the savageness occurring. A single grass blade brushed against Haruo¡¯s cheek leaving a thin cut. He had barely felt it, but the slowly dripping blood along his jaw made it clear to him. ¡®The grass? But how?¡¯ Haruo backed away until he realized that he was bumping into more grass, as it surrounded him. However, this time it was not cutting him. He paused even longer trying to understand. ¡®Only some of the grass¡­ What¡¯s going on?¡¯ One of the punks that had been fighting with him appeared towering over his fallen position. He smirked at Haruo with a knowing look in his eye. ¡°Boss, didn¡¯t say he was tah only one with powahs!¡± Haruo narrowed his expression, feeling that this fight had suddenly turned much darker for him. ¡®A second one with abilities¡­but what are they? Turning grass into blades? That seems a little too specific to be right¡­¡¯ ¡°Name¡¯s Akihiro,¡± introduced the boy. The confident air about him was unmistakably thick. His entire attitude had changed from before. ¡°I guess since tah boss isn¡¯t holdin¡¯ back a¡¯ymore I won¡¯t either!¡± ¡®Holding back? But what is his ability?¡¯ ¡°I can see from yer dumb look tha ya confus¡¯d.¡± If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. In the time that he was being given to recover by Akihiro, Haruo was able to stand back up. The pain in his leg was still stinging him, but it was not too deep to keep him from being able to run. It felt more like he had paper cuts that were increased in sharpness. ¡®I should be grateful these guys enjoy hearing their own voice¡­¡¯ ¡°Ya see I can make a¡¯ythin¡¯ I want intah a razor sharp blade!¡± ¡®So he can make grass sharp enough to cut. That makes sense, but with so many things for him to turn into blades I won¡¯t be able to move¡­¡¯ ¡°And I dun have tah touch ¡®hem either.¡± ¡®Activated by sight¡­that¡¯s even worse¡­ I won¡¯t know when he changes it.¡¯ ¡°An¡¯ ¡®cause tha ¡®hole city fill¡¯d with grass! There¡¯s nowhere ya can run!¡± Haruo stared grimly at his surroundings. ¡®Hate to admit it, but he¡¯s right¡­¡¯ He had no certainty where there could be blades in the grass. The only fortunate part was that they hadn¡¯t been enough to seriously injure him. He knew that he could get past the pain with some effort. Akihiro stalked forward with a hungry look in his eye that seemed eager for the next round of blood. They had been savage before, but it was different from before. The man wanted only blood anymore. It was the thirsty eyes of death. ¡°So whacha gonna do?¡± In the break in the action, it had given the rest of the teens that had been beating up him the time to regroup around Haruo. There was little room left for him to go anywhere. ¡®If they¡¯re all around here though it¡¯ll limit how he can use his powers¡­ I just have to keep wearing them down¡­¡¯ ¡°Looks like he¡¯s thinkin¡¯ sumthin¡¯,¡± joked one of the other boys to Akihiro. ¡°Nah! That¡¯s just fear yer seein¡¯,¡± another teen spouted ignoring Haruo. ¡°Whacha thinkin¡¯ Akihiro?¡± questioned the third. ¡°I¡¯m thinkin¡¯ more blood less talkin¡¯!¡± ¡°I like that, Akihiro!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s have sum fun!¡± Haruo was forced to take the fist to the cheek, but as the teen followed through with his arm he over extended the reach. The motion easily flowed through by Haruo to send him off balance into the front line of the gang members. The ranks broke a little, but they simply pushed the stumbled kid aside to go after Haruo. He tried to back up, but razor sharp edges of the grass cut into his pants. ¡®He¡¯s made the grass behind me blades so I can¡¯t move¡­¡¯ Haruo changed into a hardened defensive position planning to take everything. The wave of attacks broke upon Haruo hard, but they only got blood from his previous cuts. They figured out quickly that Haruo wasn¡¯t going to move and unleashed everything to break through his defense. Eventually, the pressure became too much for Haruo. His legs fell first against the blades of grass. He collapsed on his bleeding back seeing the teenagers coming. There was a moment of clarity for Haruo through all of the delayed pain. ¡®He¡¯ll have to turn it off with them coming after me¡­ I can use that¡­¡¯ ¡°Dun think fallin¡¯ and getting¡¯ cut up¡¯ll be enough for us!¡± ¡®Have to move¡­¡¯ Haruo waited until they were close enough that Akihiro would not have the time to react. He took the first kick to the ribs and used some of the momentum to get him rolling out of the way until he could stand on his feet once more. ¡®I¡¯ll have a few seconds¡­¡¯ Haruo sprinted through the grass, soon feeling the blades cut into him again, but he was already at his target. The property wall near them in the fight would give him safety. He mounted the wall quickly with his hands before getting his feet up out of the grass. There was a moment that he could take to breathe and look at the situation. ¡®I¡¯ve got to do something about Yuki¡­ This is my problem and I need to handle it alone. He¡¯s involved because of me and I can¡¯t let that continue.¡¯ While Haruo was in thought he suddenly felt a stabbing pain in his leg. ¡°What?¡± He looked down to see a serrated silver blade protruding from the cement shelf on top of the wall. Haruo jumped back to get the blade out of his leg only to see another appear where he was landing. Several more blades of various design, size and shape burst from the surface at him forcing him to fall back into the property of the house. ¡®I thought he could only make edges sharp.¡¯ Akihiro stepped into the grounds of the house, breaking the gate down with a sturdy kick. ¡°Guess I forgot tah mention I can make blades from a¡¯ythin¡¯ even if it¡¯s just makin¡¯ my own!¡± He let out a low snicker as he took another step forward casting a shadow over Haruo. The other boys soon joined, looking down from the top of the wall. They all looked like starved vultures just waiting for their meal to die. ¡®¡­how do I survive against this¡­powers and abilities that aren¡¯t human¡­¡¯ The pain he had experienced in his leg from the real blade digging deep into his muscle was wholly different from everything else. He had been bruised and pummeled before even being cut and bled. However, they had always only been physical with him never bringing a weapon into the attacks. The feeling of the metal plunged so deep into his leg was only momentarily painful compared to the excruciating throbbing he was taking now. ¡®I have to do¡­something¡­¡¯ Akihiro¡¯s face darkened a little more as he grew more sinister. ¡°I guess since tha cat¡¯s outta bag I¡¯ll have my fun!¡± He raised his right hand pointing it at Haruo like he was reaching or directing something. A moment later a large blade the size of a bastard sword erupted from the ground piercing Haruo¡¯s leg. Blood sprayed up on the faces of the gang members making their hungry grins look even more wicked. Haruo coughed and released a dull, restricted scream as though his throat had never known a raised voice. The blade was soon gone from his leg, the tearing from it being forcefully removed hurting even more. He was grinding his fingers against the sidewalk tearing the nails and flesh apart from trying to endure the pain. ¡®¡­what can I do¡­I¡¯m powerless against this¡­ It¡¯s like they aren¡¯t human anymore¡­ Like they¡¯ve been possessed by¡­the call of the blood¡­¡¯ Haruo took another blade this time thin and narrow through his shoulder along with several short stabs in his back purposely missing vitals. His breathing began to become ragged and drawn out nearly exhausted from the unfamiliar pain he was forced upon. ¡®I need¡­to do something¡­but how¡­ I can¡¯t move and the pain¡¯s too¡­ much to bear anymore¡­¡¯ Haruo blinked his eyes, seeing things looking blurry. ¡®I¡¯m going to pass out? Am I dying?¡¯ Suddenly Yuki¡¯s voice echoed in his mind from earlier. ¡®You don¡¯t have to keep taking it from them! You¡¯ve got the strength to protect yourself, use it! If you don¡¯t they¡¯ll just keep walking over you again and again! You said before that you were determined to leave that life behind you right? Well your past is staring you down right now. You going to let your past control you or are you going to control your past!¡¯ ¡®I don¡¯t want to¡­take it, but I¡­¡¯ Haruo couldn¡¯t keep his body up any longer and fell flat against the ground. ¡®I can¡¯t fight back¡­ It won¡¯t solve anything¡­¡¯ Yuki¡¯s voice pounded in his head firmly again. ¡®I¡­I¡­¡¯ The blades penetrating his body were almost a distant feeling to him. Everything seemed to be dulled out to Haruo. ¡®¡­maybe¡­ but I don¡¯t have anything¡­ I need¡­ something¡­ anything¡­I don¡¯t want to be beaten down anymore¡­¡¯ Haruo clutched on to a broken piece of a pot that shattered from his fall. His hand tightened around it as he became desperate for anything. He wanted to put a stop to what was happening. It was his fight to deal with his way. Akihiro paused in his poking with his swords seeing Haruo beginning to look more lifeless. As he stepped forward to examine Haruo he felt a sudden invisible surge that pushed him back a little. He barely had a moment to look back at Haruo afterward when a light of pure white exploded from Haruo¡¯s hand. The entire area was bathed in the light blinding everyone. ¡°What¡¯s goin¡¯ on?!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t see anythin¡¯?!¡± ¡°Haruo?¡± Yuki said slowly confused through all of the pain he was forcing down. Akihiro stepped back by reflex. Near him he heard a blood curdling scream followed by a very sloppy splash. ¡°What¡¯s happenin¡¯?!¡± There was another scream leaving him panicked and confused. Akihiro frantically looked about in the blindness trying to focus on the screaming. ¡°Guys?! What is it?!¡± When the light finally came to an end, Akihiro could finally see the horror. Two of the teens that had been on the wall were missing and a blood spray was left on the wall. The next moment a low growl permeated the air setting everyone¡¯s hair on end. It was a primal growl that only knew the law of nature. A large transparent white tiger leapt over the wall and stood over Haruo in protection bearing its fangs at the boys. Chapter 82 - Emotional Control Haruo¡¯s body remained still slowly bleeding into the ground. Above him the white tiger let a low growl seep through its teeth. It was pure white seeming almost divine. Akihiro took an uncertain step back feeling an uneasiness in his skin. He looked at Haruo closer trying to see if he was dead or not. ¡°What¡¯s goin¡¯ on?!¡± There was no chance of getting near Haruo with the beast hovering as his guardian. ¡°It an¡¯ther ability of tha kid?¡± The remaining two punks on the wall were able to get a look at their companions having finally recovered from the initial shock of what happened. Unfortunately, the moment that they saw their friends they fell backwards running away from the sight. ¡°T-they¡¯re¡­¡± ¡°R-r-ripped tah pi-pi-pieces!¡± Akihiro narrowed his eyes trying to keep his composure. The fear already attempted to creep into him. The mere presence of the creature was enough to crack his resolve. ¡°If it''s from ya I¡¯ll just kill ya and it¡¯ll vanish!¡± Blades were summoned up from the ground once more around Haruo¡¯s body. Chapter 82 ¨C Emotional Control The tiger took hold of Haruo¡¯s uniform in its semi-opaque mouth and jumped out of the blades just in time. However, blood dripped from him in the air draining his life away. Akihiro tracked the beast, launching more blades at it from any nearby surface. ¡°Damn! Tha thing¡¯s fast!¡± Across the property in the grass street, Katsu took a momentary break from his enjoyment. He gave an unsympathetic glance to his frightened gang members and the blood that dripped eerily down the wall from where the monster had attacked. ¡°Seems like Hiro¡¯s having fun with the kid.¡± Yuki coughed a little and focused his eyes through the pain that he had been enduring. He gave a rough smirk to Katsu. ¡°Guess it¡¯s time I gave up on this strategy¡­¡± Katsu tilted his head to Yuki, becoming a little curious what he might be planning now. ¡°Oh? Still think you can get out of this?¡± ¡°Definitely!¡± ¡°You¡¯re copy is currently occupied with my boys and turning invisible won¡¯t help you here. You¡¯ve nothing you can do!¡± The teenager that held Yuki by his neck tightened his arm around in response to his confidence. Yuki coughed again, gasping for air until he adjusted. He gave Katsu a very assured look. ¡°I told you before¡­I¡¯m complicated!¡± Yuki turned his eyes over to his copy for a moment. ¡®I guess I can¡¯t worry about what it¡¯ll happen once it¡¯s gone¡­ Now or never!¡¯ Yuki¡¯s clone that was fighting with Takaoka and his gang suddenly came to a stop. He let out a final grin before vanishing. The real Yuki gave a cunning smile as a thin ring of light broke from his feet unnoticed by anyone. A moment later, the entire grass street became a massive inferno that stretched to the sky. The screams of those caught in the blast were nearly drowned out by the flames. Out of the wall of fire leapt Yuki landing on the bloody wall. He tilted his head back toward the fire. ¡°That should be enough for now¡­¡± He jumped down seeing the two bodies of the teenagers that he had heard screaming. His face turned grim seeing their mutilated bodies. Yuki dropped to his knees trying to keep his emotions in check. ¡°More deaths on my soul¡­I¡­¡± Suddenly one of the kids coughed shallowly alerting Yuki to him. A glimmer of hope returned to him as he checked the other boy. ¡°They aren¡¯t dead yet!¡± A distant roar pulled Yuki¡¯s face up towards the end of the property¡¯s grounds. ¡°Haruo!¡± Yuki''s eyes grew wide the instant he saw how badly Haruo was cut up. The animal slowly approached Yuki. The fierce merciless stare of its eyes never left Yuki. When it reached him it placed Haruo down in the grass. The beast¡¯s expression seemed to change, almost understanding the kindness in Yuki. ¡°You trust me?¡± Haruo coughed painfully from his numerous internal wounds. It broke Yuki from any questions or concerns he might have had about the situation. ¡°I¡¯ve got to heal them, but I have to take down the other field. I guess they¡¯ve suffered enough mental scarring. I hope I can do this in time.¡± Yuki closed his eyes concentrating on what he needed to do. Behind him the bright wall of flames evaporated into the air without a trace of having even been there before. An instant later a pale green glow was already coming from Yuki¡¯s hands as Haruo and the two punks were surrounded by the warmth. Wounds quickly closed up and fixed themselves. Katsu blinked as he had stopped screaming thinking that he had been on fire. The rest of his boys collapsed on their knees in shock. Most panted heavily from the realness of what had just happened to them. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± He turned his head around with his body trying to get a look at the area. Everything was exactly as it had been before with not even a blade of grass slightly singed for the blaze. ¡°It was an illusion?¡± This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Boss? What happ¡¯ned?¡± Takaoka asked, being the first one to stand back up on their own. ¡°Not completely sure¡­¡± He examined his hands still needed to have that physical proof that there was nothing wrong. ¡®The heat and pain all felt real! Is that another one of his powers? He some illusionist?¡¯ When he started to think about Yuki more he realized that he couldn''t see him anywhere. The harder he looked the less he liked the situation. There had been no sign of Haruo as well. ¡°Something¡¯s not right. Start looking for them!¡± Everyone moved slowly, still shaken deeply. Still out of sight for the moment, Yuki almost finished with the work on the three boys. He listened to Katsu and it made him anxious. ¡®I¡¯m not too well hidden, but I don¡¯t need much more time!¡¯ The two street gang members took more time to fix than Haruo. The wounds that they had withstood from the creature were far more grave and difficult to fix than patching up Haruo¡¯s cuts. A few low groans came from Haruo as he started to come around fully. The light that covered him faded away. He felt a little stiff, but surprisingly well. Haruo looked at his hands and then clothes, seeing all of the holes. ¡®I know that I was hurt, but the pain¡¯s all gone. How¡¯s this possible?¡¯ It had been the green light that he finally noticed Yuki. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why am I not injured?¡± Yuki gave Haruo a puzzled look for a moment. ¡°You sound disappointed. Would you rather be on death¡¯s door?¡± ¡°No, but how¡¯s this possible?¡± ¡°Because of me.¡± Most of the work carried on its own now that Yuki could afford a slight distraction. ¡°My power allows me to do anything I need. In this case fast healing. I replaced the blood that you lost as well up to a safe point. Anatomy isn¡¯t my strength, but I figured you lost enough that you make it difficult for you to focus or function.¡± Yuki paused his words hearing some noise coming closer. ¡°You¡¯ll need it to be able to survive this¡­¡± ¡°I guess I¡¯ll have to accept that for now.¡± Harou tested out his body a little while still keeping out of sight. He knew that even after what happened that Katsu and his gang would not give up until they found him. ¡®This has to be resolved¡­¡¯ He turned his head to take in the area and found the transparent tiger lying down next to him waiting, somehow ignored by him. When he finally realized what it was that was next to him it made him panic almost. However, in the moments after, there was an odd familiarity about the animal. He couldn''t understand it, but there was something about it that he knew that he could trust. It almost felt like it was a part of him, distant yet connected through an invisible thread. ¡°Is this¡­¡± Yuki looked over at the tiger and nodded to Haruo as he finished the last bit of the teens. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fairly certain that it¡¯s your power. Though you¡¯ve got me on how it works.¡± He shut down his Field and moved the two boys out of the way near the wall to sleep off their time. Once they were taken care of Yuki moved to look around the wall trying to take in the surroundings. ¡®Surprised we got this lucky¡­¡¯ Yuki pulled back from the wall and approached Haruo. ¡°They¡¯re more spread out, but we shouldn¡¯t have any trouble dealing with them. The one that I¡¯m more concerned about is that guy Katsu and his power¡­¡± Haruo stood up ignoring whether he would be spotted or not. ¡°This is my problem. You¡¯re free from his gang. I¡¯ll handle this alone.¡± The tiger that had been looking like it was almost sleeping rose up sticking close to his side. Haruo began to walk for the gate of the house, building his determination back. ¡°Hey!¡± Yuki reached out for Haruo¡¯s arm, but the tiger that had been ignoring him up till that point turned on Yuki. It gave him a deep growl, making Yuki back off. ¡°They aren¡¯t just planning on beating you up a little and calling it a day! They¡¯re out for blood now! You need my help to deal with them!¡± ¡°Just stay out of sight and keep yourself out of their hands. I don¡¯t need anyone¡¯s help.¡± Haruo pushed through the gate of the property. While most of the punks that could still hold it together were scattered off looking for them, Katsu stood in the middle of the grass waiting. ¡°I¡¯m here, Katsu,¡± Haruo said evenly. Haruo¡¯s tiger walked up behind him staying at his side looking ready to pounce. Katsu picked up on Haruo and turned to face him looking a little disappointed while also pleased as well. ¡°So it would seem. Though I¡¯m more interested in that friend of yours than you right now. He¡¯s made a fool of my gang far too many times already! Besides I¡¯m still waiting for that expression on your face when I kill him!¡± ¡°You¡¯ll have to settle for me. This is between you and me.¡± A sigh escaped Katsu¡¯s lips listening to Haruo. He shook his head disappointed with him. ¡°You don¡¯t get it. You can¡¯t pick who is and isn¡¯t involved! If they know you they¡¯re involved! It''s as simple as that and I will have my fun!¡± ¡°I guess it¡¯s a good thing I¡¯m so entertaining then!¡± Yuki inserted, appearing seated on the wall casually making himself seen. ¡®I¡¯m sorry Haruo, but I can¡¯t do nothing! I can¡¯t let you do this alone as much as you want too! This has gone far beyond a simple street fight.¡¯ ¡°Still can talk back with that wound huh?¡± Katsu grinned deliciously in anticipation. It took him another moment to realize that Haruo was all better. He had not actually seen most of what happened to him by Akihiro. ¡°Thought Hiro sliced you up good, kid?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got a doctor¡¯s touch.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve gotta scalpel ya can borrow then!¡± shouted Akihiro from across the property behind Yuki. A knife burst from the top of the wall near to Yuki speeding straight for him. When it was about to stab Yuki though the knife snapped in two flying away and embedding into the ground. The break caught Akihiro by surprise, but he insisted on trying again. This time he threw a dozen blades at him all the size of swords and yet none of them could touch Yuki. Each of the swords shattered just before impact and fell useless to the ground. ¡°What?! That¡¯s impossible!¡± ¡°Now there¡¯s some stock dialogue!¡± Yuki cheerfully jumped down from the wall. ¡°You¡¯re going to need to work on your goons some more. Even they¡¯re sounding like a clich¨¦ now!¡± He bared a wide smirk seeing how they were still trying to figure out what Yuki had done. Katsu became further concerned by the abilities being displayed by Yuki. The things that he was seeing were no longer starting to add up. ¡°You¡¯re more than just a really good illusionist. What are you?¡± ¡°I thought I told you to stay hidden and let me deal with this.¡± A brief shift of Yuki¡¯s eyes made it to Haruo when he spoke, but tried to stay focused on the real problem. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you like to know? As I said before, I¡¯m complicated. So let¡¯s leave it at that!¡± Yuki gave a secretive wink at Katsu to close the question off. Being shut down hardly fazed Katsu as he retorted with another one of his invisible attacks. The wind seemed to blow up with the attack pushing back their clothes just prior to Yuki¡¯s left arm being slice through, throwing blood behind him. Next to Haruo there was a shattering sound as the tiger suddenly turned into particles and disappeared from this side. Yuki gasped briefly in surprise to see that Katsu¡¯s attack made it through his defenses and Haruo¡¯s animal was defeated easily. ¡®He can still hit me?! How strong is he?!¡¯ Chapter 83 - Working Alone as a Team He knew that he had focused his defenses to block whatever that Katsu might have thrown at him. It may not have been as strong as he used against Demosthenes, but he didn¡¯t think that Katsu would have been so strong. ¡®I still couldn¡¯t even see the attack! What am I supposed to do?!¡¯ Across from Yuki out in the middle of the street unprotected, Haruo became more concerned about his position. ¡®The animal¡¯s just gone¡­ Was it my fault?¡¯ He tightened his hands trying to find a way to focus on what he had lost. ¡®How do I make this work?¡¯ ¡°Well if you¡¯re both going to stand there like idiots¡­¡± began Katsu just prior to another attack. Alerted to what was going to happen Yuki went into his backup plan that he had prepared. The problem was he didn¡¯t know where it was going to be hitting or how wide of an attack. All he had to guess on was the previous unseen attacks. ¡®I guess more is better than less!¡¯ A thick concrete wall grew out of the ground splitting the grass and earth coming between Katsu and Yuki as well as Haruo. Just in time there was a solid thud against the wall putting a little crack in the surface. He bought them a moment to take a breath. ¡°That was close!¡± Chapter 83 ¨C Working Alone as a Team Yuki leaned against the wall in his break, however another pound of an attack from the other side restarted his drive. ¡°How am I supposed to deal with an invisible attack?¡± There were several more strikes against the wall causing cracks to appear on his side. A pebble from the developing splits dropped on Yuki¡¯s head. ¡®This wall won¡¯t hold for long, but at least he seems determined to take it down rather than going around it¡­¡¯ The cut on Yuki¡¯s arm began to throb as the adrenaline started to fade a little. Yuki checked it to see how bad he was doing. ¡°It¡¯s pretty shallow, redirecting some of the energy should patch it up.¡± Soon the bleeding from his upper arm came to a stop leaving his bare arm with blood dripping down to his hand. A sudden sharp but weak strike to Yuki¡¯s head made him jump in surprise, nearly clearing the wall. ¡°I must have had bad luck running across the girly boy!¡± grumbled an annoying high pitched voice that was unfortunately familiar. ¡°Hey! What do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡± Yuki shouted back at the fairy not even noticing that it was the fairy until a moment later. ¡°Hey! You¡¯re¡­¡± It was then that he became a little depressed knowing that he was going to have to deal with her again. ¡°Pathetic as always¡­¡± Yuki grabbed the fairy quickly with his good arm and brought her close to his face to glare at her. ¡°All you ever are doing is putting me down! I don¡¯t have time for your attitude right now!¡± He tossed her aside. The more pressing matter for him was the power of Katsu. It was made all the more necessary with another blast carving out a corner of the wall. He stepped back to examine the wall. The last piece taken out looked clean and sharp. It was the same feeling he had from the wounds. They were always fast and straight with a lot of control. There was still one thing that puzzled him besides not being able to see the attack. Yuki stared at the wall for a moment trying to understand it. ¡°How can he break through the wall and my defenses so close to me? I know he¡¯s nowhere near the strength of Demosthenes. I should be stronger! How can his Field be overcoming mine?!¡± ¡°You really are an idiot,¡± commented the fairy again, having never left. She floated over Yuki¡¯s left shoulder letting her very long blonde hair swirl like she was underwater around her. ¡°Shut up! I don¡¯t need to hear it from you!¡± The fairy shrugged her shoulders at Yuki when he glared back at her. ¡°You¡¯ll never see it the way you are now¡­¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± The arrogance from the little girl started to get on Yuki¡¯s nerves. ¡®I¡¯ll never see it? What¡¯s she getting it? What aren¡¯t I seeing¡­his attacks? She can see his attacks?¡¯ Yuki shook his head trying to focus and get the fairy¡¯s words out of his mind. All she was doing to him was making it more difficult to concentrate as a large piece of the wall was cleaved away. ¡°Damn! Stop talking to me! I can¡¯t focus with your chattering!¡± Yuki turned back to the wall to give it his full attention. ¡®Why¡¯d she have to show up now?!¡¯ A restored focus slowed down the wall¡¯s destruction, but it still was only a matter of time. He had to hide in small parts as Katsu was continuing to chip away from it. The fairy still hovered around the area even in silence bothering him with mere proximity. ¡®I thought I had more control over my powers! She only appeared when I couldn¡¯t control it¡­ So she¡¯s here now? I know I didn¡¯t put it into the Laws¡­¡¯ He tried to drop her out of his field like he would anything else that he didn''t need, but she remained. ¡®She¡¯s a part of the world now? So she¡¯s just like all of the crazy stuff I brought into existence¡­ It¡¯s all real¡­¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s all real¡­¡± The words echoed in Yuki¡¯s mind as he spoke them. There was something that he had been missing. He could feel it now. ¡°It¡¯s all real!¡± Yuki jumped up looking at the wall and catching a small glimpse of Katsu on the other side. ¡°It¡¯s all real, even his powers!¡± He slapped his palm to his face in his grudging moment of clarity. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Told you were an idiot!¡± ¡°Quiet you! I¡¯ve been attacked by people with the same power as me up until now! I¡¯m not used to this where it is actually real!¡± ¡°Sounds like an excuse to me¡­¡± Another thought came to his realization in the next moment. ¡°I¡¯ve never fought anyone that doesn¡¯t have a Field!¡± There was a second where he feared that unknown realm. ¡®But I guess if I think about it¡­it just means I¡¯ll never have to worry about my attacks weakening from clashing fields! Though I won''t be able to dampen his attacks either¡­¡¯ The longer he thought about it the more fears that came into his mind. Haruo held down trying to understand his power through all of the confusion. The shattering sound that he had heard before when Katsu attacked his tiger played through his mind. None of it made a lot of sense to him, the supposed power he had or even what Katsu did. ¡®Was it some sort of ghost or incorporeal animal? But if it was then how could Katsu destroy it and how could it interact with the physical world?¡¯ He needed it to happen again, but he couldn''t remember how it had happened. ¡®...I¡­I¡­was just¡­so¡­desperate¡­¡¯ A faint voice or sound suddenly called out to him. He ignored it in the midst of his thoughts. However, the beckoning continued until it became a feeling that turned into a dull poking in his head. It wouldn''t stop no matter how hard he tried to concentrate. Haruo looked around him, sensing that there was something close by that was important. ¡®What is it? It¡¯s around here¡­¡¯ Down between the grass rested shattered pieces in the dirt was a part of a pot. ¡®Why is this familiar?¡¯ Suddenly the pieces glowed faintly a pure white light before disappearing. Haruo dropped the pieces sharply out of reaction, but an odd warmth seemed to persist in his palm. It felt like it belonged to him somehow. ¡®What was that? What¡¯s happening to me?¡¯ The concrete wall shattered even more from Katsu¡¯s assault, exposing steel that re-enforced it. ¡®I need to do something¡­ I said I would do this myself¡­but without this strange power I can¡¯t¡­¡¯ He tightened his hands with frustration, starting to dig his nails into his skin. Time was running out and he had nothing. ¡®I can¡¯t¡­I need it from before¡­please¡­¡¯ Thin beams of light burst out of both of Haruo¡¯s hands, easily seen from the other side. It made everyone freeze in confusion to what was happening. Haruo stared down at his hands, opening them up to see what it was that was causing the light to be created. Soon the light took on form growing out from hands expanding until a shape could be seen. ¡®Is this my power? But how¡­¡¯ As it grew larger and lifted out of his hand Haruo could see a faint shape. When the creation finished there were two animals transparent and bathed in pure white light. However, neither was a tiger this time. One looked like a dog, possibly a german shepherd and the other was a panther. They both sat obediently at his feet like they awaited an order from him. Haruo stared at the two animals, a little surprised having expected to see a tiger again. None of it made any sense. ¡®¡­what is that in the center? All of the light surrounding it is making it difficult to see¡­¡¯ There was a bundle of light that appeared to be almost woven tightly into a ball near to where their heart would be were they living creatures. Every few moments there was a gentle pulse from the light almost like a heartbeat. ¡®None of this makes any sense¡­but¡­I must act now¡­¡¯ After the next assault from Katsu, Haruo rose to his feet. Both of the animals responded to him staying on either side of him. Haruo was short, but even being short wasn''t enough to be protected by the crumbling wall anymore. He stared over at Katsu, who had taken a pause in his attacks. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing, Haruo?!¡± Yuki noticed he no longer kept down. His eyes shifted over quickly towards Akihiro recognizing the look in his eye. ¡®There¡¯s blades already coming out of the wall!¡¯ All Yuki could do in time was remove the wall completely. The blades disappeared with the wall. ¡°What the hell do you think you¡¯re doing giving them a target like that?!¡± ¡°Stay out of this.¡± Katsu grinned to himself watching the disagreement between the two. ¡°Trouble in paradise huh?¡± He raised his hands towards the two of them with a look that said he was planning to settle everything with one attack. The invisible attack unleashed swiftly at the two. Two fragile walls erupted up from the ground that shattered instantly, but managed to take the blow. ¡°Still playing with toys like that huh?¡± ¡®I¡¯ve got to get in close to him¡­¡¯ Haruo tried to figure out how he was going to stop the attacks. He started running towards Katsu with his animals keeping up the pace. There were minor explosions of the grass and dirt as he could feel the attacks narrowly missing him. ¡®I¡¯ve got to keep myself moving¡­¡¯ As plans came to him in his mind the animals seemed to be reacting. The panther leapt up going for Katsu¡¯s arm, but was knocked back as it came close to him with an invisible force. Haruo missed a step as he took a moment to see how the panther was after that. There was a strange white particle dripping out from its forelegs that had been cleaved off by Katsu. However, a second later both legs grew out of the stumps and the panther stood up charging around for another attempt. ¡®It¡¯s completely recovered¡­ So it¡¯s not wholly incorporeal, but not completely physical either¡­ And one hit from Katsu isn¡¯t enough to kill it like before¡­ I need to learn more quickly¡­¡¯ Haruo directed the german shepherd to Katsu¡¯s blind side, while the panther was distracting him. Yuki was forced to watch one of Haruo¡¯s animals get destroyed by Katsu in a failed attack. He had seen through the blindside strike. His mind worked through everything trying to analyze it all. Yuki¡¯s eyes had widened in a moment when he stared at Katsu. ¡®¡­I¡¯m so stupid!¡¯ It surprised him that the rest of the gang wasn''t doing anything anymore, but simply watching. He had to guess that as dumb as they seemed they were smart enough to know not to get in the way of Katsu¡¯s attacks. ¡®Haruo being too damn stubborn and with everything happening right now I can¡¯t get into the fight¡­ I thought I would fight with my Field to go against Katsu, but the danger is far greater than with the assassins I¡¯ve been hunted by¡­¡¯ Still keeping his distance from the fight, Akihiro kept waiting for his chance to attack. There had been too much movement and confusion caused by Katsu and Haruo that he didn''t have a clean shot. He also had to be careful not to catch Katsu in his attacks. The waiting finally paid off for him as there was a moment to snag Haruo and give Katsu an opening to finish things. Yuki barely caught what happened as Haruo tripped through the grass. ¡®It¡¯s that Akihiro kid! He¡¯s making use of the grass again! I can¡¯t hold things back anymore!¡¯ He closed his eyes, focusing for a moment and he pushed away the final threads of hesitation that he had. ¡®I wanted to avoid using my Field and keep this as private as I could, but I can¡¯t do it anymore¡­¡¯ Yuki saw the panther take a shot for Haruo to protect him from Katsu¡¯s attack and disappear from the sacrifice. ¡®¡­Ayumi¡­Saki¡­sorry everyone¡­¡¯ A brief white ring rippled through the ground from Yuki¡¯s feet. Several more rings pulsed from his feet in anticipation. A massive wave then erupted from his feet that warped the ground and all of the territory around it speeding out passing through everyone harmlessly. Behind the wave all of the tall grass was replaced by flat earth leaving nothing behind, but the gang members and neighbors, left frightened by their homes disappearing on them (again). Once everything else ceased the turbulent wind around Yuki exploded away from him casting off the dark gray cloud. As particles came to settle Yuki stepped out walking into the earthen Field he created. All those around stared on in shock and confusion. ¡°It¡¯s time this ends!¡± Yuki now donned his white fighting clothes. Katsu looked a little more serious in expression seeing Yuki stepping forward, but less than impressed with his display. He raised his hand towards Yuki and fired another attack, however to everyone¡¯s surprise it was visible and colored green. It looked like a crescent thin and sharp vibrating as it displaced the air around it speeding towards Yuki. Yuki didn''t even try to avoid it as the crescent shaped attack sped towards him. It impacted on Yuki¡¯s chest along his shoulder causing the loose dirt of the ground to be kicked up from the blast of wind. Everything happened so fast that no one was able to see what happened to Yuki after the initial hit. A second later Yuki marched out of the cloud completely unaffected by the attack. ¡°Your wind attacks won¡¯t harm me anymore¡­¡± Chapter 84 - Growth The effect of Yuki coming out unscathed left a deep and dramatic impact on everyone in the street. The sudden reversal soundly left a silent void. He already proved himself to be unharmed by Akihiro¡¯s attacks and with Katsu¡¯s invisible attack not even scratching Yuki the morale of the gang members fell apart. Katsu wasn¡¯t convinced of Yuki¡¯s declaration as it only made him more frustrated to see Yuki trying to feint his way through the fight. ¡°It¡¯s just another one of your illusions!¡± Determined to prove Yuki wrong, Katsu raised both of his hands. Two green glowing crescent shaped forms materialized in front of his hands. The distortion around Katsu shifted into a pale green hue that swirled and twisted around his arms feeding into the creation of the crescents. Yuki took a couple of steps forward even when Katsu launched the wind crescents at him. The visibility of the attacks made it significantly easier to dodge, but Yuki didn''t even bother. They sped towards him with razor edged sharpness and swirling with rapidly folding gales. Yuki snapped his hand up vertically, slicing through one of the crescents. Its bound torrents of wind unleashed and blasted the area with an explosion of gusts. The second crescent he allowed to simply graze off his shoulder and fall apart in the air behind him. ¡°Understand now?¡± Chapter 84 ¨C Growth A grim thinly pursed lip replaced the permanent smirk on Katsu¡¯s face. Knowing that it wasn¡¯t a trick made him start to run pale. ¡°I understand that you¡¯re a cocky bastard who¡¯s seen too much anime! What did you do to my powers?¡± The serious tone from Yuki hadn¡¯t changed. He no longer acted carefree and cocky with the gang. ¡°Once I understood your power it was simple enough to develop a countermeasure. Since wind is invisible I applied a Law stating that the wind you use will be colored. The rest is simply a matter of using equal and opposite force of wind to break apart your attacks before it can cause harm to me.¡± ¡°What the hell are¡ª¡° Katsu was unable to finish his question with Yuki having closed the distance. Yuki didn¡¯t give Katsu a moment to react, forcing him to take a direct punch into his stomach. Katsu stumbled backwards coughing up blood as he lost his balance dropping to the dirt. Even though Yuki had only punched him it had felt like his insides were torn up and screaming in violent agony. All of his boys ran forward to try to come to their boss¡¯ aid, but Yuki stopped them all with a sharp glare. Katsu continued to cough hoarsely, spitting up bits of blood intermittently. Everything waited as the grave condition of Katsu became darkly acute. Once he had managed to subdue much of the pain and involuntary coughing he turned his head up towards Yuki. His lips were coated with blood along with the sides of his chin. ¡°W-what did you¡­do to me?!¡± Katsu received nothing but a deep stare that spoke of his defeat, but Katsu refused to give in. He tried to form together his wind to mold into an attack with pale green threads appearing in mass. A faint shape of a crescent began to take form, but it suddenly shattered to pieces to his shock. ¡°At this proximity I can completely neutralize your wind with my own. It¡¯s useless.¡± Katsu glared back at him, feeling that defiant emotion that he had seen before from Haruo and Yuki. It was a bitter taste for him to accept. ¡°What the hell are you?!¡± Most of the gang members had already lost their will to stay. A few had fled from the scene while others were simply too paralyzed to react. Yuki took a hold of Katsu¡¯s collar, lifting him back up to his feet. The piercing stare from Yuki leveled at Katsu trying to break him down. It looked like the mental contest would never end until Haruo broke them off by getting between them. ¡°I already told you this is my problem to deal with. Stay out of it.¡± Haruo and Yuki locked eyes for a moment. He turned back towards Katsu, struggling to keep his legs straight. ¡°Back down or I¡¯ll bring out my animals again.¡± Katsu laughed, choking a little, even while he barely was able to keep himself together. ¡°You¡¯ve got pretty¡­full of yourself¡­kid!¡± Katsu tried to grin, but the pain made it difficult. Akihiro had been waiting and took the moment to make his attack on Haruo, knowing that he could do nothing to Yuki. A large sword blade burst from the earth, but as it reached towards the target it turned horizontal with the ground. He stared confused at it for a moment only to realize that the ground that it had been attached from was bent over. A sideways glance from Yuki jerked Akihiro back, making his blood run cold. It took him a second to pull himself back together. Thinking it would be different a second time another blade thin and jagged reached out for Haruo only to fail to reach. Katsu took the momentary distraction to force down the pain and make an attack. The desperation he felt fed into his power drawing on more than he had been before turning streams of pale green compressed wind around his body. A struggle for strength of the gales ensued between Katsu and Yuki, but with Yuki¡¯s concentration being divided the balance was upset. Most of the buildup had gone unnoticed by Yuki or Haruo. It wasn''t until it was too late that Yuki was alerted to the already developing attack. Unlike before, Katsu wasn¡¯t creating a crescent with the wind, but rather a sphere. When it reached dangerous proportions Yuki had little options available to him. In the final moments of the wind sphere being formed Yuki grabbed Haruo to shield him while throwing themselves away from the attack. Using a reckless thrust from his own wind, Yuki tossed them out of the immediate blast radius of the sphere. Upon impact, it released all of the confined wind mini-crescents shot out from the center in a wide spray covering everything except for behind, leaving Katsu and his gang safe. The blades of wind careened around them and bounced off of Yuki¡¯s wind. Despite the wind though, there were too many for him to stop leaving them to be cut up several places over his body with shallow wounds. Yuki ignored the pain keeping Haruo protected from harm. The two slid over the dirt coming to a slow and painful rest. Between Yuki¡¯s wind and the force from Katsu, they were sent a surprising distance away from Katsu. ¡®Ugh¡­I knew I was going to regret that¡­ my body wasn¡¯t meant for such crazy stunts¡­¡¯ He struggled to get his body back under his control. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Numerous screams and murmurs echoed around the empty Field from residents left in terror. They were already too afraid to do anything about the gangs outside of their homes, but there was no longer any protection for them. Some had even gathered together for strength and support in numbers. ¡°You¡­in one piece¡­still?¡± Yuki looked down to Haruo, who he was still laid over top of. A pensive pause from Haruo delayed his response to Yuki. His back had taken the brunt of the force during the slid, but despite that he didn¡¯t feel that he was injured. ¡®What happened? Why did he protect me? What does he have to gain?¡¯ Haruo pulled himself up from under Yuki. ¡°Why did you do that?¡± Yuki coughed as he tried to laugh. ¡°I guess¡­I shouldn¡¯t be surprised at this point¡­¡± He hesitated for a moment, uncertain if he wanted to tempt his body again. The spare seconds had given him enough to push himself over to lie on his back. ¡°I think Katsu¡¯s got a point about you¡­¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± Haruo leaned in, nearly breaking his flat tone. ¡°Guess there¡¯s still some emotion buried under there after all. You really are quite na?ve¡­¡± ¡°I had all of that burned out of me a long time ago. You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°I may not have known you for years, but I¡¯ve seen enough of you today to understand.¡± Yuki tested out his arms and legs while he talked, trying to make the most of his time. Even with Katsu as badly injured, they weren¡¯t going to stop. ¡°You¡¯ve seen so much of the bad side of human nature that you¡¯ve gone to the complete opposite end. You¡¯ve gone so far to that end that you found your naivety in a new form.¡± Haruo¡¯s eye twitched a little feeling cornered by Yuki. He had seen Yuki as a simpleminded kid that was too inexperienced about the world to understand. However, Haruo could feel him piercing through all of his walls. ¡°You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. You don¡¯t know me.¡± ¡°You¡¯re cornered and just repeated the same defensive lines.¡± The pain came in full force and he struggled to keep it from overcoming him. ¡°I guess it shouldn¡¯t be too surprising that you don''t understand when someone wants to help you. You gave me that same look earlier.¡± Haruo had found him curious before for saying the same thing as Mr. Asanuma. He didn''t like the feeling that he was sensing. ¡°I think the fall must have scrambled your head.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m thinking clearly!¡± He locked his eyes sternly on Haruo. ¡°You don¡¯t understand do you? You think you have to be alone and even now everything happening is reinforcing that idea, isn¡¯t?!¡± Harou didn¡¯t reply to him. He almost looked like he had been pushed back a few centimeters. ¡°You just don¡¯t get it! You¡¯re not alone! When you can¡¯t do something alone your friends support you! True friends forgive and accept you! And they protect each other! You can¡¯t do everything alone! You don¡¯t need to be anymore!¡± Haruo stared back at Yuki in silence, questioning him. ¡®Perhaps he really is simpleminded¡­¡¯ He had heard enough of the ranting from Yuki and stood up. ¡®Support¡­friends¡­ This is my way¡­¡¯ Into his palms light grew suddenly responding to him. Once more white spirit-like animals materialized at his side. A hound stood at his right with a primal stare prepared to leap into action. Taking position on his left was a cougar exposing its teeth like it was ready for a meal. Haruo stepped forward feeling reassured by the company of his pets. It was a strange power, but their connection made him certain. Katsu collapsed to one knee after trying to make it over in range of the two. The remaining gang members were surprisingly moved by their boss¡¯s resolve and rediscovered their own fortitude. They stepped up around Katsu, getting between Harou and him. Yuki couldn¡¯t help but look a little bewildered by what he was seeing. ¡®I guess they aren¡¯t as clich¨¦ as I said¡­it¡¯s a little weird seeing the bad guys acting brave and heroic¡­guess the world really has changed completely!¡¯ He stumbled to his feet attempting to shrug off his pain. The effort was starting to work, but he still had a long way to go. Yuki thwarted another attempt by Akihiro. ¡®My mind¡¯s still sharp¡­¡¯ Haruo sent the two animals out ahead of him to clash with the group of six gang members that still remained. Among them Takaoka had elected to try to take the hound on while another two tried to do something about the cougar. The rest decided to fall back into familiar tactics and charged for Haruo. The awkward fight between the hound and Takaoka was left with the dog having the advantage. It had managed to score a few bites on Takaoka¡¯s leg leaving him bleeding, but still willing to challenge the beast. Takaoka breathed heavily, sliding his foot back after the last exchange. The uncertainty of surviving began to rise in his head as another growl from the hound ran his body cold for a moment. ¡®I¡¯ve gotta protect tha boss! I can¡¯t let this stupid dawg beat me!¡¯ The pause broke with the dog leaping forward at Takaoka. He dodged the first attempt and took a swipe at it, but missed as it quickly turned and countered. Takaoka put up his forearm in defense, taking the full force of the fangs from the spirit beast. He fell to the earth holding his bleeding arm as the dog slid around recovering for a final strike. ¡°Damn! This can¡¯t be it!¡± Everything afterward for him seemed a blur. It wasn¡¯t until he heard a bit of a whimper that he opened his eyes. At his feet was the white dog surrounded by a flame that worked towards its core. He widened his eyes in surprise and caught a glimpse of a few traces of embers from his hand. ¡°I did that?!¡± Yuki stared with narrowed eyes, not pleased with the arrival of a third power. ¡®Fire, can you be any more clich¨¦?¡¯ He saw the kid throwing another fireball at the animal finishing it off. It had all seemed to be instinct. ¡®Clich¨¦ or not, it still can¡¯t be taken lightly!¡¯ His time for remaining still came to a sudden end. Takaoka turned his new found power on the cougar and managed to catch it in his flames with the first shot. He soon turned his hand on Haruo trying to keep his focus together. ¡°I¡¯ll end this!¡± Another fireball grew in his palm for an unprepared Haruo. It wasn¡¯t until there was a red glow that lit up his eyes that pulled him away. ¡®Fire? I can¡¯t¡­¡¯ There was no time to move for him as he was forced to accept it, but at the last second the burning cougar leapt forward taking the fireball for him and vaporized instantly. ¡®It protected me. Again¡­¡¯ The sight of the animal giving its life for him forced Yuki¡¯s words back into his mind. He tried to forget them and focus on standing on his own, but the echo only got louder. ¡®I-I can¡¯t¡­ support¡­ help¡­ friends¡­ No.¡¯ Haruo struggled to hold himself against the three boys. They seemed to be getting even stronger than before. ¡®The animal was a creation of mine. It only makes sense that it would protect me.¡¯ It gave him a small sense of peace allowing him to deflect an incoming punch. The next kick was a different story though as Haruo was knocked off his feet and sent into the dirt. He had barely seen the opportunist fireball coming in at him as he lay defenseless. ¡®Am I so helpless?¡¯ The fireball roared towards him covering him in its fiery glow. It threw away loose dirt in its wake, appearing even more intense than any of the previous attempts. Adaptive had proven to be a deadly ally for Takaoka already figuring out his power. There was nothing left. ¡°Giving up already?!¡± shouted Yuki over the roar of the impending fireball. He stood between the fallen Haruo and the fire attack that sped towards him. It had only been a few seconds to spare, but it was enough for him to give Haruo a quick grin before being engulfed in the explosion as the fireball ignited upon impact. Haruo watched stunned seeing Yuki disappear from sight. He didn¡¯t know what to think. Everything was spinning around in his head so quickly for him to be able to react. ¡®Why? Why did he do that?¡¯ Smoke from the fire¡¯s blast blanketed the area blocking out sight. ¡®He seemed¡­almost happy¡­ It doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡¯ Through all the clouds he tried to look for a sign of Yuki. He needed to know if he was alive still. Inside Haruo¡¯s head Yuki¡¯s words replayed for him as though to answer his own confusion. ¡®You just don¡¯t get it! You¡¯re not alone! When you can¡¯t do something alone your friends support you! True friends forgive and accept you! And they protect each other! You can¡¯t do everything alone! You don¡¯t need to be anymore!¡¯ As the smoke slowly began to clear Haruo stood up slowly. ¡®Friends support, huh? Protect¡­ I don¡¯t¡­¡¯ He emerged from the blast straightening himself out. All of the gang members stared on at him looking ready to strike once more. However, Haruo turned his head up towards them, locking eyes with them. The stare he returned made them all step back uneasy having never seen such a fierce look of determination and strength from him before. ¡°I don¡¯t have to be alone anymore¡­ I don¡¯t have to stand by myself¡­¡± He threw out his hands, tossing dirt into the air that suddenly burst with light. A moment later six massive tigers appeared in a circle around him shining with a divine light brighter than before. Chapter 85 - A Tigers Pride Haruo took a brief second to think about Yuki and the sacrifice that he had made for him. The cloud surrounding Yuki persisted. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I was so stubborn. It took your death to open my eyes¡­¡± He looked forward to the gang members that were still left. A step from Haruo pressed him closer and making the tigers encircling him let out low roars eager for action. ¡°I¡¯m not dead yet¡­¡± a weak voice from the cloud spoke. The dust around Yuki finally dispersed enough to reveal a burned and badly bleeding, yet still alive Yuki. Calling him worse for wear would have been understating how bad he looked. He let out a shallow cough that he tried to disguise as more casual like it meant nothing to him. ¡°Though the way I¡¯m feeling I think I wish I could be¡­¡± ¡®Still being so casual after everything that¡¯s happened¡­¡¯ There was no change in the situation though and Haruo knew that. ¡°Just stay where you are and let me deal with this.¡± Yuki became a little annoyed by Haruo''s bluntness. ¡°So you¡¯re just going to be a hypocrite¡­ after what you just said¡­ and try to do everything by yourself still?!¡± ¡°Hardly¡­if you could move I¡¯d accept your help, but you¡¯re in no condition to fight them. So just leave it to me.¡± Haruo marched out to meet Katsu and his gang, determined to keep Yuki safe from anything that they might be planning on doing. A stream of wind blew out from Yuki¡¯s arm putting up a gale between the two sides, primarily aimed at getting Haruo¡¯s attention. ¡°My mind is the source of my power. I¡¯m not as helpless as you believe.¡± Yuki gave him a serious stare when he finally looked back at him. Another confident grin appeared on Yuki¡¯s face like he was ready to take on anything. In the next second his expression darkened and changed as a small fountain of blood sprayed out of his wounded shoulder. No longer convinced by Yuki¡¯s act, Haruo turned to plain disbelief as he faced back at his problem. ¡°You¡¯re not going to be of any help to me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not useless!¡± Yuki retorted despite another stream of blood spurting out from a wound. ¡°Ack!¡± He fumbled around trying to patch it up with his energy field. ¡°They¡¯re coming¡­ Just protect yourself¡­¡± Haruo launched his tigers into action seeing the gang starting to come back together from their disjointed formation. Chapter 85 ¨C A Tiger¡¯s Pride There was a moment of hesitation from the teens seeing the massive tigers charging towards them. The animals were nearly as tall as Haruo when on all fours. When the animals approached nearer they released a bone rattling roar sending chills down their spines. If their legs had been working they would have all fled, but just stood sweating in fear. Two of the punks were taken down by a tiger each in a swift motion. It had left the others too stunned to react. The tigers quickly mauled the boys and leapt away. They were left within a thread of death and bleeding out into the earth. The numerous claw marks left in them set the mood for the gang members still standing. The normal non-special powers members fled the scene immediately, recognizing their mortality. They were chased down by a single tiger while the others turned towards the remaining three. Katsu stumbled to get back to his feet, still suffering deeply from the effects of what Yuki had done to him. He twitched his eye seeing the broken gang. Looking over at Haruo, he was able to detect a hint of confidence in what he was doing. ¡°Dammit¡­¡± He panted heavily trying to keep his body under control. One of the tigers charged him, having finally begun targeting the last of them. He fought to bend the winds to his will and launch a green crescent at the beast. A lack of control and size compared to the animal left his aim to only take off its legs dropping it to the ground sharply. ¡°Don¡¯t think you¡¯re my better, kid!¡± Takaoka summoned up his fire again, presuming that it would be effective. The tiger barreling after him was his first target. The wounds that he took made it difficult for him to move or even stand completely. All he could rely on was his powers to keep him out of danger. However, the fireball only managed to partially engulf the creature as it continued its charge for him. He was barely able to fall over to avoid getting burned by his own flame. ¡°What¡¯s it made of?!¡± Akihiro was as much of a target as before and the healthiest of anyone remaining. He had two tigers hunting him coming together at him. ¡°Ya won¡¯t beat mah!¡± He began running away from the animals and summoning up as many blades as he could manage. His own fear had poured power into his ability creating far more swords than he had ever done before. A literal jungle of assorted blades stuck out from the ground skewering the two tigers in their place. He stopped to see his success and grinned. Akihiro began to laugh at his victory until he realized that the two animals were still alive and ripping themselves free from their prison. ¡°What¡¯s with these things?!¡± The tiger that Katsu had cut down grew its legs back and stepped back up. Another tiger joined becoming a pair of hunters with eyes for Katsu. ¡°You think two will make a difference?!¡± Katsu formed more wind blades to throw at the tigers. They dodged most of the attacks while closing the distance. A few wind strikes sliced into them, but it restored any injury quickly. Burning slightly from Takaoka¡¯s flame, the tiger turned about to come to face him once more. All the fire did was create a more menacing appearance for the animal. Takaoka swallowed painfully knowing how little chance he stood against the threat. The fall that he had taken had left him in even worse shape with his leg not willing to respond for him. There wasn''t going to be another chance to dodge. He narrowed his eyes and pulled down his eyebrows in anger trying to steel himself. ¡°Ya want mah!? I won¡¯t go down easy!¡± The next fireball that he created grew larger and larger as though it was feeding off his own life force to become stronger. It became so powerful that he could feel it burning him a little radiating its bright red light. The beast snorted and accepted his challenge. It charged for him, blowing out the remaining embers from its neck. Takaoka screamed as he released the fireball, pitting his will against the spirit. The sphere of flame collided with the tiger only a few meters away. It disappeared in the blast as the ball erupted into a massive inferno. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Takaoka stared on watching to see what happened becoming more encouraged. However, the tiger suddenly burst from the flames completely doused in fire charging for him. He tried to turn away for any sort of cover, but the tiger was upon him. The animal slammed into Takaoka blasting him with the flames that buried the tiger. The fires caught Takaoka screaming from the burning skin as the tiger fell over slowly being consumed by the flames. A flicker of fear seeped deeper into Akihiro seeing Takaoka taken down by the tiger. He slipped up his concentration on his two foes allowing them to break through his array of weapons. One tiger broke out ahead of the other taking a shallow bite at Akihiro¡¯s hand as he tried to pull away. There was only a little blood dripping from a small set of tears and punctures left on his hand. Akihiro wiped the blood away from his hand and tightened his fists. The toll of his power began to crush his body. His breathing became ragged and heavy as it became more difficult to hold his shoulders up straight. The tigers growled lowly at him sensing the weakness. Akihiro straightened himself up quickly showing his defiance. ¡°Ya won¡¯t beat mah!¡± More blades shot up from the ground making the tigers leap into action. When it did not work he charged forward for the two beasts. ¡°I¡¯ll show ya I¡¯ve got mo¡¯ tricks!¡± There was a brief flash from Akihiro¡¯s arms as he passed between the two animals and ended his run a meter away from them. He tilted his head over his shoulder to see the two tigers. A moment later they split in two shattering into dust. ¡°Told ya!¡± The fifth step he took a massive shadow hung over him pinning him to the dirt an instant later. The tiger that chased after the runaways had returned and roared into his face with its heavy paw planted on his chest. The tiger didn¡¯t hesitate in biting down on his shoulders, splattering blood through the earth. Akihiro ground his teeth together screaming in pain trying to move his arms. He was pinned down, but was able to free up his right arm in time to thrust a blade from his palm into the heart of the tiger. It slowly fell to pieces on top of him leaving him heavily fatigued and unable to move. Akihiro passed out within the next second. Further away, another tiger spirit shattered nearby Katsu. Only one tiger remained. He had been barely holding himself together and keeping the animal at bay with his wind. All he felt was the urge to win and end it all. He had no care for anything else. ¡°Just because you¡¯re bigger doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re any better!¡± He sent out numerous mini-crescents. The tiger dodged most of them, seeming to have begun to learn from the battle. Those few that did manage to break through only left small slices in its outer layers of white fur. It managed to close in enough on Katsu that he tried to fire a wide spread arc. It cleaved a paw before digging partly into his shoulder and arm. Blood trailed through the air as it leapt onward, getting clear as Katsu unleashed a fierce round of wind attacks. ¡°Bastard! I won¡¯t be beaten!¡± He clutched his wounded shoulder feeling the blood wrapping around his fingers and down his forearm. He was the boss and they were still beating him. The kid that had been his toy was beating him. It was wrong. ¡°You¡¯re mine! I will see your beautiful AGONY!¡± Yuki and Haruo''s eyes suddenly widened in shock as they felt what seemed like a semi-truck colliding with them. It blasted away Yuki¡¯s energy armor sending him tumbling backwards. Haruo could only dig his feet in as he was dragged through the earth forcibly. ¡°What¡¯s this force and pressure?¡± While he struggled to keep his balance he focused towards Katsu seeing his tiger being flung apart into dust at a swirling mass of wind that surrounded Katsu. In each passing moment it seemed to only get stronger and wilder growing into the sky. A tornado formed around Katsu responding to his rage. It lashed out with tendrils of wind that licked and kicked at the earth. One of the green tendrils grazed passed Haruo and sent him flying through the dirt, dropping him only a few meters away from Yuki. The gale force winds didn¡¯t cease with Yuki struggling to pull himself up. ¡°His wind¡¯s too strong! He¡¯s been pushed to the limit. His power¡¯s responding to his desperation! His power¡¯s increasing with such force that it¡¯s creating a tornado! I can¡¯t even dampen the force anymore!¡± Another surge of wind pushed him back further still holding on to what was left of his armor. ¡°Damn! How¡¯s he getting even stronger?! This isn¡¯t supposed to be the way it works! Villains don¡¯t get new strength in the middle of a fight! How are we supposed to beat him now?!¡± Yuki paused for a moment as he realized what he was doing. ¡®Why am I doing the sideline exposition?! I¡¯m supposed to be the main character aren¡¯t I? Dammit!¡¯ Katsu¡¯s laughter could be heard through the freight train roaring of the wind. It was as though he found the perfect frequency to broadcast his voice to be heard clearly. ¡°So much power! Yes! Nothing can stop me now! I will see your suffering now!¡± Dirt exploded around the tornado as the wind shot out blasts of compressed wind from outer layers. The tendrils lashed out torturing Haruo with being throwing and tossed about like a doll. ¡°No one can surpass my power!¡± Katsu began to laugh again, enjoying the sight that he had of Haruo. ¡°SAKI DROP KICK!!¡± yelled a voice that nearly ripped the heavens in two. Yuki couldn¡¯t help but sound embarrassed hearing that, almost unable to believe it. ¡®Saki drop kick? Seriously?! Have we lost all credibility already!?¡¯ An instant later there was a streaking blur of color. If paused for a moment, there was someone launched in the middle of a two hundred meter long propelled drop kick. They rampaged through the earth leaving only a trench behind divided with such force to shatter the wind. The tornado exploded into a faint breeze as Katsu was seen flying away with the bone crushing echo of the impact. Even as the dirt settled down like rain, Saki appeared before Yuki holding an annoyed and disappointed expression. She hauled him up by his robes so that they were face to face. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing fighting?! And why didn¡¯t you tell Ayumi and me about it!? Don¡¯t you remember our promise!?¡± Yuki lost all of the strength that was in his body. His power quickly faded, restoring the neighborhood. They were fortunate enough to be in the middle of a nearby street a couple blocks from the school. ¡°I-I¡¯m injured right now, Saki¡­¡± She shook him a little, throwing a bit of blood about, frustrated that he wasn¡¯t taking it seriously. ¡°I know you¡¯re injured! You could have been fine if you had told us! I thought you agreed not to do things alone!¡± ¡°Slight miscalculation¡­they were just some normal street punks I thought¡­ If I had known they¡¯d have super powers I would have brought you¡­ But oh¡­I¡¯m feeling really lightheaded all of a sudden¡­¡± Yuki started to go a little limp in Saki¡¯s hold. ¡°Yuki don¡¯t you run away from me while I¡¯m yelling at you!¡± Saki was forced to set him back down in the grass as she realized that he was in more danger than she first thought. She turned about and grabbed Ayumi by the back of her dress and held her out in front of Yuki. ¡°Heal him!¡± Ayumi flailed about a little taken aback by suddenly being pulled like some tool from a bag. ¡°I¡¯m not a machine! I don¡¯t treat me like one!¡± ¡°Come on!¡± she snapped like she was getting upset with a broken instrument. She absentmindedly jerked Ayumi forward and back trying to figure out how she worked. ¡°Hey!¡± Ayumi whimpered, becoming flustered and embarrassed with how she was being treated. ¡° Stop that! Let me down!¡± She was dropped on the ground carelessly and nearly on her face. Ayumi rubbed her back side. She focused on Yuki before her and summoned up her field to start the healing. After a minute of healing Yuki opened his eyes and leaned up to look at the two girls. ¡°Ugh¡­thanks¡­Ayumi¡­¡± ¡°¡­Yuki¡­¡± Saki soon interjected into the moment and picked up Ayumi once more. Her arms began to flail once more as Saki started walking with her. ¡°H-Hey! What do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got another person to heal.¡± ¡°I can walk on my own! I told you before I¡¯m not a machine to be pointed!¡± Yuki couldn¡¯t help but smile a little in embarrassment seeing the two. He forced himself to turn his focus back to what he had to do. A new Field came out with a soothing and healing touch to everyone that needed it. He knew that Ayumi could deal with Haruo, but there were innocents as well as gang members injured. ¡®The very least I can do is give you back your health after everything that I¡¯ve done¡­¡¯ Once everything was settled Yuki joined Haruo standing back on his own feet. They gathered with Saki and Ayumi staring quietly around the circle. Yuki waited for Haruo, but nothing came. He started to return to his usual self. ¡°Want to share some lunch back at school?¡± Haruo turned away from Yuki and started walking away. He came to a sudden stop after a few steps. His head tilted back to Yuki. ¡°Perhaps tomorrow¡­thank you¡­¡± The brief words were all that he had for Yuki and then departed down the street. Saki stepped out in front of Yuki staring down at the disappearing Haruo. Her face narrowed and turned to a bit of a pout. ¡°That was a little rude¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright!¡± smiled Yuki, ¡°He¡¯s got a lot to think about.¡± ¡°Huh? Did something happen?¡± ¡°Nothing much!¡± Yuki started walking back towards the school forcing Ayumi and Saki to catch up on their own. When they reached the school block and the students began to gather around with questions Yuki remained back. He grabbed Ayumi¡¯s wrist to stop her from continuing on. His expression was serious and pensive like a heavy weight was placed upon him. ¡°I¡¯ll have your answer by the end of the week¡­¡± Chapter 86 - Longing Thoughts and Heavy Thoughts Afternoon at the school construction grounds caught a little dust blowing out with the wind. The noise echoed through the blocks breaking the otherwise calm atmosphere. Construction on the school came along smoothly with debris moved. They converted rubble back into new supplies to rebuild the broken parts of the school. Nearly half of the school was forced to be knocked down according to the engineering intelligence that Yuki and Ayumi created. It was coming close to the end of the week and the progress on the school had everyone very hopeful. There were still several classrooms that needed walls, being only beams and supports. Most of the classrooms further away from the damage had been repaired first. They were being finished up by smaller worker machines that Ayumi controlled. A couple days of work still remained on it until the school could be returned to working order, though the mayor still insisted on a city inspector to ensure the safety of the building before classes could resume. Which was certainly an understandable request given the unbelievable nature of their powers. Since the clean up outside had been completed that reduced the number of volunteers. Those that remained helped out in the opposite wing of the school that had already been fixed. There remained a large mess still left by the earthquake that needed cleaning or organizing. Yumi helped out, though against her brother¡¯s will. He had wanted her to stay in bed and rest after the fainting spell. She insisted on returning though after a day of staying at home. Yumi helped with cleaning and sometimes moving the odd broken item to the trash outside. Chapter 86 ¨C Longing Thoughts and Heavy Thoughts She turned back around from the dumpster holding the box gently in front of her and looked over to the tent. After the first few days someone donated a tent for the food and a place to rest. Since lunch already finished all that was left was snacks and cups with canisters of tea, juice and water. ¡°I haven¡¯t had anything to drink for a while and brother might want something. He¡¯s been working so hard.¡± There were three girls and two boys running things helping to serve those that rested. They were unable to help with the work so they offered their aid in what ways they could to repay those working so hard. Kaede was one of the girls helping out and Yumi went up to her. She waved out to Yumi calling her over. ¡°Hey Yumi! Are you busy?¡± It caught her a little off guard, but Yumi hastened her pace. ¡°I¡¯m free. Did you need something?¡± ¡°Oh thank you, Yumi! It¡¯s been a while since we sent some water for Ayumi and Yuki and I¡¯ve been trying to find someone.¡± Kaede looked exhausted and flustered from running around unable to find someone to help her. ¡°You know someone that could¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it!¡± She spoke up quickly, but then guarded herself in embarrassment. ¡®Oh why did I just say that out loud so fast without thinking?!¡¯ Kaede bounced up pleased. ¡°Oh thank you so much Yumi!¡± She grabbed a hold of her hands thanking her. ¡°You¡¯re a life saver!¡± After a quick round of gratitude, she handed over the bottles that she needed delivered. Yumi took them a little too delicately trying to overcompensate for her embarrassment early and tried to appear more natural. Unfortunately, one of the bottles didn¡¯t make it fully to her hands as a result and dropped on the ground. ¡°Oh no! I¡¯m so sorry Kaede!¡± She bent down picking up the bottle that was dent and dirtied from the fall. ¡°What am I going to do!?¡± She showed Kaede the bottle¡¯s damage. ¡°It¡¯s okay, we have plenty more!¡± Kaede swapped out the bottle and made sure that she had a good hold of it. ¡°Thanks again!¡± She waved Yumi off and smiled a little to herself. There had been a little bit of an excited glow in Yumi¡¯s cheeks that she had caught, making her sigh a little. ¡°That¡¯s pretty sneaky of you,¡± one of the other girls said, coming up behind Kaede having watched the scene unfold. Kaede returned her a mischievous grin. ¡°Sneaky?! I was just having my best friend deliver water. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± The female student stopped to stand next to Kaede watching Yumi very eagerly heading off to Yuki, who sat in front of the school concentrating. ¡°You accepted him pretty quickly.¡± ¡°He¡¯s different from before. I can trust him with her now.¡± ¡°You do realize she could not be interested.¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible. She needs more friends than just Katsumi and myself. But if it¡¯s something more, no sense not giving a nudge.¡± The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°As long as you¡¯re being realistic.¡± Yumi was rushing along towards the school until Yuki started to become very near and she suddenly became more self-conscious about her actions. She stopped herself immediately and tried to calm herself down before approaching him. ¡®He¡¯s right there! No! I need to calm down! I don¡¯t want to be out of breath and unable to speak to him! Can I speak to him? What should I say?¡¯ Her mind spun thoughts as quickly as they came to her. The only thing that saved her was Yuki noticing her. ¡®Oh no! He can see me and I¡¯m just standing here not saying anything! I must look so strange to him right now! I should just leave before I embarrass myself anymore!¡¯ Yuki had his eyes closed, but felt something behind him. He had turned his head over his shoulder staring at Yumi expectantly waiting for her to talk. The longer that he stared the more it seemed that she shook and looked like she wanted something. Eventually curiosity managed to save Yumi from self destruction. ¡°Were you needing something?¡± ¡°N-needing? Some-something?¡± The more that she stuttered the deeper she fell into regret for saying anything. ¡®I¡¯m talking to him, but I can¡¯t even say anything! What should I do!? What he must think¡­¡¯ Yumi fumbled over her hands with the bottles becoming increasingly nervous. One of the bottles of water slipped out of her hand and slid down her leg. She quickly scrambled to catch it before it hit the ground. Each second that passed for Yumi felt like an eternity of being the absolute center of attention of everyone in the world with them only possibly thinking how stupid she looked at that moment. She had completely frozen up. Yuki wasn¡¯t sure what happened, but got up to try to help her out. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡®I decided¡­ What do I do!? What do I do?!¡¯ Yumi was looking down at her hands trying to decide her action. It was then that the bottle in her hand suddenly reminded her of what she was supposed to be doing. She quickly jerked her hand forward not even looking at what she was doing, so nervous still, trying to hand off the bottle. ¡°W-water¡­bottle! I-I¡­¡± The attempt to hand it over failed a little as it bumped into his hand and went to the side out of reach. ¡°Thanks a lot, Yumi!¡± ¡°N-no-no! I¡¯m fine!¡± She was shifting and fidgeting on the spot. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for interrupting your work!¡± ¡°No it¡¯s quite alright!¡± ¡°I-I¡¯ll be going then!¡± ¡°Thanks, Yumi!¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome!¡± Yumi hustled off quickly fearing that she had overstayed her welcome. She turned her head a little back to look at Yuki one last time. He had already started to focus back on his work with the school. ¡®He seemed so distant when he wasn¡¯t talking to me¡­¡¯ Her mind began to dwell on the matter even more as she lost focus on the world around her. She could remember the last couple of days seeing Yuki. Each of the images that she could recall from memory had Yuki with a similar appearing distant look. It looked like he had a heavy weight on him always somewhere else in his mind. Calling it pensive didn¡¯t seem to cover how deep it seemed at times. The more that Yumi thought about it the more it bothered her. ¡®Should I ask him if I can help? But if he wanted help he would have asked me, right? Yeah, I shouldn¡¯t intrude! But¡­¡¯ There was a different image of Yuki that came to her suddenly. ¡®He¡¯s usually happy and expressive, but he seemed even more than normal¡­I think¡­ What¡¯s he hiding?¡¯ She was trying to think about how would be with her friends. ¡®¡­but would he talk to me? Doesn¡¯t he talk to Saki all the time?¡¯ Yumi caught out of the corner of her eye Ayumi walking out to meet with Yuki. ¡®Ayumi! I¡¯ve got her water! I can¡¯t believe I forgot it! I¡¯m so stupid¡­¡¯ She was beginning to walk over to meet her, but could see her already standing next to Yuki. When she had seen them talking it made her hesitate not wanting to interrupt them. However, she could not turn herself away. ¡®I wonder what they¡¯re talking about¡­¡¯ The longer that she was watching the more she could see that Ayumi looked like she had a brighter glow around her than she remembered. ¡®Did she always look that happy?¡¯ Yumi had suddenly felt a sharp pain in her chest that forced her hand up to press against the pain to comfort and relieve it. ¡®What¡¯s this feeling¡­why does it hurt so much all of a sudden?¡¯ The pain was growing stronger for her as Ayumi¡¯s expression grew while talking to him. She thought that she could see Yuki look like he was starting to respond with a natural smile not pressed down by the thoughts that clung to him. It was reaching a point that Yumi¡¯s hand was tightening around the water bottle for Ayumi, warping the plastic where her fingers pressed. Eventually, they separated and it felt like she had just been released from shackles. All the strength in her legs drained out of her and dropped her to her knees. The pain that had been stabbing at her chest seemed to have faded. ¡®Why do I feel this way?!¡¯ Yuki returned to concentrating on his work to keep it stable. From what Ayumi explained to him before, their powers were not meant to be used for extended periods due to the fatigue that would be caused to the mind. An individual would simply become so exhausted that they would no longer be able to stay conscious. So it had been a struggle for him to keep it going for hours at a time. He saw it as further training for him as he had realized that there was still a lot of refinement that he needed. Late afternoon arrived for Yuki quickly, giving him the end to his work day. He released his Field and began walking out to the tent to get a cloth to wipe away the sweat. It might not have been physical labor, but his body still seemed to get worked out as though he was doing exercise. Yuki looked around the school grounds taking note that most of the students were heading out as well. The first he met with was Saki, which frequently seemed to be the case lately. Yuki started to notice that she finished faster than others and typically out-pacing everyone else. Enough clues dropped for him to put together a good theory. ¡°Ready to leave?¡± Ayumi called out as she arrived a few minutes later. Saki and Yuki turned to meet her. ¡°Yup!¡± The walk back remained fairly quiet between them as Ayumi and Yuki didn¡¯t have much energy to hold a lengthy conversation. Saki became accustomed to the pattern and simply walked, not saying anything until the intersection brought her to where she had to leave them. Yuki broke from Ayumi at his house watching her walk away. As he stared his mind started up with his hesitations and fears that had been endlessly replaying for him. ¡®They aren¡¯t your real family!¡¯ shouted Ayumi¡¯s voice in his mind, recalled from the past. Yuki¡¯s hand tightened as he felt his chest squeeze in pain. He turned away from watching Ayumi hoping that he could forget what he had heard. His house was before him, but hesitation became too strong for him. Yuki forced himself to walk to the door and enter. Jun and Ken greeted them cheerfully. He accepted their insistence to drag him out into the living room. There were some cards spread out across the table from something that they had been playing. ¡°Let¡¯s play!¡± Ken said, speaking up for Jun. Jun gave Yuki an affirming nod and matched Ken¡¯s anticipating eyes. ¡°Alright, but I won¡¯t go easy on you!¡± ¡°Yay!¡± Momoko came into the room a few minutes later, having been watching from the kitchen threshold. She stared across the table down at Yuki. A few avoiding glances between them dragged out the silence. It reached a point for her that she could no longer ignore it. ¡°Yuki¡­we need to talk¡­¡± Chapter 87 - Unspoken Words A long silence fell over the living room with the eldest siblings staring at each other. After Momoko had spoken out she only held her eyes on Yuki. Jun and Ken gave the two a confused and puzzled look back and forth trying to understand. Jun tugged on Yuki¡¯s dirty shirt trying to break up the tension, but only seemed to touch the line receiving a dose of what was going between them. Abruptly, Yuki stood up from the table keeping eyes on Momoko. He looked down at his younger brother, giving him a warm smile. ¡°Why don¡¯t you and Ken play a little! Momo and I have some things to talk about quickly.¡± Yuki knelt down to Jun to pat him on the head. There was still some hesitation from him, but Yuki was slowly allowed to be let go. Picking their usual talking grounds, Momoko led the way to the kitchen. There was still plenty of unprepared food laid out for the planned dinner that Momoko had in mind. Momoko picked up the knife from the counter and began to chop the vegetables waiting. Yuki walked over to the island beginning the prep that she started. He waited in silence to see what Momoko had to say before he even dared a word himself. However, their continued silence forced his hand. ¡°What did you want to talk about?¡± Chapter 87 ¨C Unspoken Words There was a bit of pause in Momoko¡¯s chopping before she continued. ¡°You know what I want to talk about, Yuki¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s a little too vague¡­¡± ¡°Come on, Yuki. You¡¯ve been acting weird for the last two weeks on top of the crazy world change events. Even before you told me about the powers and Ayumi, you¡¯ve not been yourself all the time. What aren¡¯t you telling me?¡± He stopped moving as his sister hit nearly a bullseye. ¡®I knew this was going to have to happen before¡­ Doesn¡¯t matter, I was never going to be ready¡­¡¯ Yuki stared at the raw beef half cut. ¡°So much for pretending to be happy¡­¡± ¡°Yuki¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re good at hiding it, but you still slip up from time to time. I¡¯m going to notice.¡± The meal prep resumed. A thud of the knife gave him a rhythm and focus. ¡°It¡¯s all really complicated and I¡¯ve been trying to protect you from all of it.¡± ¡°So what¡¯s the complication?¡± A sigh came from Yuki pausing again. He looked up towards Momo, still trying to make the final call. ¡®I don¡¯t know what she¡¯ll say. I don¡¯t even know what¡¯s going to happen.¡¯ The hesitation eventually called her to face him. ¡°It¡¯s about the real reason that Ayumi¡¯s here.¡± ¡°You said there¡¯s people trying to kill you because they view your existence as a threat to their political standing.¡± He nodded, not able to summarize it better. With so many different versions of the story out, it became difficult to keep them all straight. ¡°Right. And I need to see a resolution to that so that I can live in peace. As much as peace can exist like this.¡± ¡°Is there a way to stop the attacks?¡± ¡°Probably. I don¡¯t understand the political system. If I give up my rights to the throne maybe they¡¯ll stop. I guess it depends on how paranoid these guys are.¡± Saying it aloud made him realize how many unanswered questions remained. ¡®In my indecisiveness, I didn¡¯t probe for more than I needed¡­it¡¯s probably time to start getting some clear answers.¡¯ Listening to him talk made her hand tighten up on the knife. A little shake began transferring down until she forced herself to put it down. ¡°You¡¯re leaving.¡± ¡°Ignoring it hasn¡¯t been the solution. I let Kazuhiro die because of my inability to act.¡± His voice rose in anger before cutting off harshly. Yuki pressed his hands against the island, resisting the urge to punch something. Momoko reached across the island to grab his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t¨C¡± ¡°Don¡¯t what?! Blame myself for his death? Be the one that put his head in the noose?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what happened. I wasn¡¯t there¨C¡± ¡°NO! You weren¡¯t! I saw him die! He¡¯s dead because of me, I killed him.¡± The familiar feeling of depression that he thought buried behind layers of fake happiness surfaced. His hand gripped the side of his head as violent imagery painted dark memories. A crooked laugh escaped his lips. ¡°I¡¯m just bad luck for people. Everyone around me dies¡­¡± She immediately marched around the island and whacked him with a chop to the forehead. ¡°We¡¯ve had this conversation before. Mom and dad weren¡¯t your fault and neither was Kazuhiro. You can¡¯t keep putting the blame on yourself!¡± ¡°He¡¯d still be alive if I acted sooner!¡± ¡°And could you have?¡± Yuki pulled away when the answer didn¡¯t come to him. The time at the grave only cooled the emotions. Turned out, he was a broken record skipping back in a loop. When nothing came after the waiting, Yuki broke away. He bolted from the kitchen and didn¡¯t stop until he left the house. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Hearing what Yuki just said took Momoko back. It made her close up her mouth and step backwards to lean against the counter. She did not have a response for him. Everything that was running in her mind had shut down. There was nothing that she could think of anymore. ¡°¡­Yuki¡­¡± Alone in the kitchen, she stared off blankly as the silence became a thick oppressive weight around her. ¡®Dammit! He¡¯s carrying so much on himself¡­worse I don¡¯t think that¡¯s even the main issue right now¡­ What¡¯s going through your mind?¡¯ Outside in the darkening sky, Yuki stiffly walked off into the grass street. He began moving slowly towards Ayumi¡¯s house, still feeling the fatigue from the work at the school. It had disappeared from his mind while he was fighting with Momoko, but it became acutely pronounced the moment that he had left the house. When he came to the gate of her house hesitation filled his heart. ¡®They aren¡¯t your real family!¡¯ ¡°I wish it was that simple¡­¡± Yuki turned away from her house. There was no place that he could go. He started walking away feeling lost. Everything seemed to be barking at him to stay away. Nearly thirty minutes of wandering aimlessly found Yuki nearing Saki¡¯s apartment building. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn¡¯t realize where he went. His eyes were totally unfocused. It had been his feet that had managed to guide him around the obstacles. It was another minute before he finally looked up. ¡°¡­Saki¡­¡± Yuki started to turn around knowing that it wasn¡¯t a place that he should be standing out for too long. ¡®¡­this isn¡¯t her problem and I don¡¯t want to make things any worse for her¡­¡¯ He began walking back down the street. ¡°Yuki!¡± It took a moment for him to realize that he was hearing a voice. It wasn¡¯t until they called out to him once more that he actually stopped. He glanced back in the direction of the voice already knowing who it was, but still having to turn to see. ¡®¡­Saki¡­¡¯ Yuki resumed walking away not wanting to bother Saki with his problems. ¡°Where¡¯d you think you¡¯re going?¡± Saki appeared in front of him, having previously been on the second floor of the apartment building several houses away from him. The sudden appearance of Saki in his path made him stumble back as well as startled his concentration. ¡°Saki?! What are you doing here?¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s pretty obvious! Talking to you!¡± A narrowed expression appeared on Yuki not pleased by the almost sarcastic tone that came to him. ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean! If your mom sees you talking to me you¡¯ll get in trouble! She hasn¡¯t forgotten you know!¡± There was a bit of a distant extension to his words as he finished as he reminded himself of the past. ¡°Like I care about that. She¡¯s been hovering around everything I do lately anyway. So this won¡¯t be any different.¡± Yuki gave her a disbelieving stare with how casually she acted about her mother. He wasn¡¯t going to be the cause of increased tensions with her family. He moved to walk around Saki trying to leave, but she grabbed him by the upper arm tightly. There were no words spoken between them, but a fast power struggle ran its course. He tried to break free and quickly learned that Saki¡¯s grip was far stronger. It had shifted sharply into a staring contest of intention with Yuki implying silently that he was determined enough to use his power. While Saki countered him with an even more resolved stare that would shatter anything he tried. After only a few seconds Yuki gave up flight. ¡®I remember protecting her years ago and now I can¡¯t even beat her¡­¡¯ Since they settled their debate Yuki gave a reluctant shrug to her fitting into his place. ¡°So where you wanna go to talk?¡± ¡°Since you¡¯re so concerned over my mom finding us we can move a little out of sight.¡± She escorted him several meters down the street until the neighboring homes made it impossible to actually see that they were outside. Once Yuki fell into a place leaning against the property wall of the house, Saki took the initiative. ¡°Fight with Momoko?¡± ¡°That obvious?¡± ¡°Well I could say a line like ¡®You always come to me after a fight with your sister¡¯ or something like that, but I know that¡¯s not true.¡± She could see the slight smirk on Yuki¡¯s lips from her joke. ¡°So what is it that you¡¯re unable to talk to Ayumi about?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I¡¯m neither blind nor jealous. But it¡¯s been pretty easy to see that you¡¯ve been going to Ayumi more recently for your problems. It makes sense with her having the same powers. It doesn¡¯t really matter to me who your girlfriend is.¡± There was a quick blush of red in Yuki¡¯s face before he protested Saki¡¯s accusation. ¡°She¡¯s not my girlfriend! I don¡¯t have one!¡± Saki grinned a little to herself. ¡°That¡¯s a pretty fast denial. I¡¯ve seen the way you two look at each other this week while at school. She understands what you¡¯re going through better than anyone, it makes sense.¡± ¡°Stop making assumptions. Besides, I don¡¯t think her interests are in guys.¡± ¡°Either way, tabling that. I¡¯ve seen you looking pretty distant the last few days as though you¡¯ve been thinking heavily about something. Considering the number of things that have been happening to you lately I don¡¯t know which of them is the problem. But seeing how much you¡¯ve been distracted by it I¡¯m guessing that it was also the reason you fought with Momoko. And it¡¯s important enough that you can¡¯t talk to Ayumi either, but you can to me. So what is it?¡± There was a long pause from Yuki as he took in what she had said. The intention had been the same as Momoko, but everything about the way that she spoke to him seemed so different from his sister. Perhaps he was done venting over the matter and a willingness to talk about it. It could have been that it was his sister and he wanted to protect her. Whatever the case, he found himself ready. ¡°Since when did you become so observant and convincing?¡± ¡°It¡¯s part of becoming a woman,¡± she teased. ¡°Right¡­well I¡¯m considering Ayumi¡¯s offer that she made to me the first day that she showed up at school.¡± ¡°This about her people?¡± ¡°She wants me to go back to her homeland and become their King.¡± Saki had widened her eyes a little with this new revelation to what had happened that day. They had told her about a lot of what was going on, but she had always felt that they had left out some details. The weight of what it would mean started to push down on her shoulders. ¡°So you¡¯re going to leave everyone behind?¡± Yuki hesitated in his response to her as his mind swirled with thoughts that he had been tossing around for so long. The words that Ayumi told him whispered to him as though trying to convince him that he did what was needed. Yuki looked up at Saki carrying deep sorrow filled eyes of regret. ¡°¡­they aren¡¯t my real family¡­¡± Chapter 88 - Intrusion of the Uninvited Saki couldn¡¯t believe what she was hearing from Yuki at that moment. She stood up in front of him and slapped him hard across the cheek without hesitation. There was so much disappointment and anger built up in her that she couldn¡¯t say anything to him. All she could do was to stare at him. It took a moment for it all to sink in for Yuki. Even after that the stinging sore mark on his cheek was all he really understood for a while. He wasn¡¯t too sure what had happened. It had all been so foggy in his mind. He tried to shake it free from his thoughts and focus back on Saki. ¡°What was that for Saki?¡± ¡°Why do I even need to answer?! You should know without me even telling you!¡± Seeing the lost and confused expression on Yuki only made it worse for her. It was aggravated even more by the fact that it seemed to be genuine. ¡°Are you telling me that your mother and father that loved you so much and that made you a wreck when they died are not your family?!¡± Yuki would have stepped back if he hadn¡¯t been leaning against the wall. All he managed to do was straighten himself up at the accusations from Saki. ¡°Huh?! What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t give me that!¡± Saki took Yuki up by his shirt, completely lost in her emotions. ¡°Saki?! Why are you so upset?!¡± ¡°How can you!? You¡¯re¡ª¡° The longer that Saki glared mercilessly at him the more her rational side started to resurface. ¡®Something wrong!¡¯ She could see that there was something missing from his eyes. It stirred an unbalanced feeling in her stomach that forced her anger back down. ¡®He honestly looks like he doesn¡¯t know what I¡¯m talking about¡­ What¡¯s going on?!¡¯ Saki slowly had to let him go, becoming confused with each passing second. Chapter 88 ¨C Intrusion of the Uninvited ¡°You alright, Saki?¡± He reached out to try to console her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Yuki?¡± Abruptly, her breathing turned shallow and ragged like she expended every part of her body. ¡®¡­is this another part of his problem or something else? Doesn¡¯t he remember what he said?¡¯ She looked into his eyes cautiously trying to read him for an answer. There was little to be found; it had been different than before. Pausing any more was just going to be a waste. ¡°Do you remember what you said just before I got mad?¡± He searched his thoughts, but shook his head. Saki made it seem like there should be a void, a black spot in his memory, but it was nothing of the sort. ¡°I said something? What did I say?¡± ¡°That they¡¯re not your real family.¡± Ayumi¡¯s voice echoed in his mind the moment Saki spoke. He rubbed his hand against his head feeling an odd ringing. ¡°Why would I say that?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I want to know!¡± ¡°I mean technically, it¡¯s not wrong.¡± She glared at him again. ¡°But they¡¯re the only family I know regardless of blood. I¡¯d never turn my back on them!¡± ¡®That¡¯s the Yuki I know. But¡­¡¯ Saki had to admit this wasn¡¯t new information. Yuki and Ayumi both opened pretty early with that bit. The meaning of the words never really settled for her. ¡°Is the problem you¡¯re trying to resolve your foster family with your obligations to a dead family?¡± ¡°You really are becoming more observant.¡± Another sigh escaped him as he tapped his head against the wall. ¡°Yeah, I want to just go kill Demosthenes and tell those old men to just shove it up their ass. And run back home¡­¡± He looked around the fantastical post-apocalypse forest-like setting of the city. ¡°Peace isn¡¯t the right word. I¡¯ve got bigger problems here than trying to rule some politically corrupt country I¡¯ve never seen before.¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°Ayumi. Looking at her, listening to her, when that soldier persona drops¡­¡± His mind sank back to the moment she found him. He saw something different in her eyes and her voice. ¡°She acts like this is all mission and duty, but it feels personal. I don¡¯t know what her connection with the King is, but this is important to her.¡± ¡°I see now. You¡¯re going to have to make a decision.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­that¡¯s the part I haven¡¯t solved yet. But¡­¡± The distant view of the city came back into focus. A reminder, like everywhere in the city, of the price he paid. It¡¯d almost be easier if he couldn¡¯t consider all the angles. A fast easy answer would be welcome, but punish him later. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Another¡­ I¡¯m guessing this is the reason for all the delaying.¡± He crossed his arms focusing back on his friend. Saki came off a little casual about it all, even though he could sense the grave seriousness underlining everything. ¡°I can¡¯t just leave all of this behind. A couple weeks ago I could just leave to deal with that and be fine with it. I¡¯m just out of school for a little while. Teachers would be happy. ¡°But I can¡¯t do that anymore. I literally warped Japan, Saki! My imagination, my dreams, my ideas, they¡¯re all out there right now threatening people that have nothing to do with any of this. And even if I didn¡¯t care about the innocents, I have my family¡¯s safety to think about and the friends I leave behind. This is my fault and I need to find a way to take responsibility for it.¡± Saki held back her gut response. ¡®Honestly, this is bigger than any of us, but who in the world could actually attempt to fix it? Could he even?¡¯ She looked around at the environment. Grass on concrete and massive hundred meter trees attached to homes, none of it made sense. And sure, their school was fixed, but they couldn¡¯t ask the two to physically go all over the country that way. However, an element that they couldn¡¯t fix like a building would be the people. As Yuki and herself witnessed with those street punks, it¡¯s not just the environment that¡¯s different. And knowing Yuki¡¯s crazy ideas, she didn¡¯t know if it just stopped with people. Can anyone even fix that? They didn¡¯t even understand the change. It went beyond her and even Yuki. Yet watching the way he tormented himself, she knew that didn¡¯t matter. ¡®I guess if he made it, it¡¯d stand to reason he might be able to undo it. But even Ayumi doesn¡¯t understand it, so what can we do?¡¯ She looked back to him, recovering her wandering thoughts. ¡°Just assure me you¡¯re not going to go turn yourself over.¡± He blinked looking at Saki. Yuki stepped off the wall with some shock. ¡°No! I¡¯ve read enough to know that¡¯s never going to be the solution. Realistic or fiction be damned, I wouldn¡¯t trust myself in the hands of government officials. As bad as that probably sounds.¡± ¡°Good. But it seems like we''re solving this on our own.¡± ¡°While innocents suffer.¡± ¡°Potentially.¡± ¡°Saki¡­let¡¯s not lie to ourselves. Even if I fixed this all tomorrow, my mistake has killed someone somewhere in Japan and likely lots of people if I''m being more honest with reality.¡± The problem came from the fact that it wasn¡¯t going to be solved tomorrow or even next week. Yuki didn¡¯t know why it happened. It could be years. That number scared him. ¡°You¡¯re just one person, Yuki. Trying to worry about the entire country is too much for you. Focus on those next to you.¡± He paced around her, rubbing his hair. ¡°I know what you¡¯re saying. But it feels selfish to only be thinking about those that I can see and ignoring everyone else. I can¡¯t save everyone. I don¡¯t think I can, but I can¡¯t just pretend bad things aren¡¯t happening if I can¡¯t see it.¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t pretend, just don¡¯t put that weight on you. You¡¯ll fix this. But crushing yourself isn¡¯t going to make it go smoother.¡± ¡°I guess you¡¯re right.¡± Saki stepped out in front, stopping his frantic pacing. His emotions all over the place and a thread barely held him together. She reached out and grabbed him, hugging him. ¡°Yuki¡­¡± For a moment, he tried to fight it, but the comfort, the warmth filled through his body. He didn¡¯t realize how cold it had been. ¡°Saki¡­¡± He buried his head in her shoulder. ¡°I''m scared¡­and I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m doing! I¡¯m just a kid¡­¡± It was so rare to see the wall come down. She had known for so long, but everything was always a mask. Fighting was a mask, reading a mask, goofy off, the jokes, each a facade he used to cope. Saki saw so many masks, the real Yuki almost felt like a lie. Was this the real one or just another lie hiding even more trauma? ¡°We¡¯re all scared¡­ But I¡¯ll be there for you, Yuki¡­¡± ¡°What if I can¡¯t fix it? What if¡­ What have I done¡­¡± She rubbed his back as he spilled all of his fears. Words no longer had the meaning or hope she wished. It felt empty that all she could do was give him comfort. ¡®He¡¯s been holding this all in¡­ It¡¯ll help clear his head¡­¡¯ After a few minutes of solitude and raw emotions, Yuki calmed down. Saki let him go seeing his strength returning. ¡°Feeling better?¡± ¡°Not really, but I guess in some way.¡± He rubbed his face, clearing himself up. His face dragged with guilt even afterward, but he sharpened his gaze. Yuki searched for his resolve. ¡°How about this? You don¡¯t decide. At least today.¡± ¡°Saki, I can¡¯t keep putting this off. Part of this is because I haven¡¯t committed to anything!¡± ¡°But you¡¯re still missing pieces right?¡± ¡°Well, yeah, I am¡­¡± ¡°Like what happens if you do become King?¡± He shrugged, obviously not having her answer. ¡°If you turn them down will they just let you go? There¡¯s a lot of guesses and hoping it all works out by just going with Ayumi.¡± ¡°Y-yeah, I don¡¯t really have a back up plan, no¡­¡± ¡°So look at this way. Who would know more about these powers besides Ayumi? The people that live there. Maybe we can find the answer. And nothing says you need to be King to fix the corruption.¡± ¡°Probably would be easier.¡± ¡°But not impossible.¡± Yuki took a moment to think about it all. If the problem wasn¡¯t seen in absolutes maybe he could find a decision. He nodded to himself with building energy. ¡°I guess you¡¯re right, Saki!¡± ¡°Right! So when do we leave?¡± A few thoughts ran through his mind for consideration. He knew that he was running out of time according to Ayumi. He did not even know where he had to go to reach the homeland or how long it was going to take. ¡®It¡¯s been about two weeks since she said I had a month left. So I don¡¯t have much time left.¡¯ Yuki gave it enough thought and looked back at Saki. ¡°I want to finish the school, but I think that¡¯ll only take another day. So the day after tomorrow¡­¡± ¡°Alright! School¡¯s still out for now so it¡¯ll be easy for me to get away!¡± Saki had already begun making preparations in her mind. There was a brief nod from Yuki as he did not fully comprehend what she had said. ¡°Yeah! I¡¯ll¡ª¡° The moment arrived that he realized what he was agreeing to with Saki. ¡°Hey! Wait a minute! I just noticed there¡¯s been a lot of ¡®we¡¯ talk!¡± When Yuki started to question her words Saki gave him a firm glare that said more than words could even manage. ¡°B-But it¡¯s dangerous, Saki!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already faced down an assassin with you! I can take care of myself! Besides, it is dangerous and you can¡¯t go alone into enemy territory with only Ayumi! I¡¯m going too!¡± He had wanted to protest further with Saki, but it was already a losing argument. Saki had already made the decision in her mind for what was going to happen and there was not going to be anything that he could do to convince her any other way. ¡°Fine, but it¡¯s just us. We leave in two days!¡± Chapter 89 - Invitation to Gather The marked day was hardly a long time away, but for Yuki it seemed to arrive much faster than he had wished for it. In part, his work at the school made the time pass quickly. There was also the fact that he had finally brought some calm to his mind that he wasn¡¯t focused on forgetting and resolving the problem. Everything that needed to be done was not going to be easy and it still made his heart tighten at times feeling the dilemma surface. He arranged with Ayumi to speed up the work a little so that the remaining construction would be finished within the day. The progress on the school moved along accordingly. It came together quickly bringing the final pieces of the wall up in the afternoon. From the exterior, the school looked whole and unchanged from two weeks ago. The only sign that anything had really changed was that the building looked newer and the grass was completely gone from all of the construction work. All that remained for the school was interior work left to Ayumi¡¯s machines. There was still going to need to be smaller work done to make the place usable. But for them the major task was completed. Yuki managed to keep his spirits high for his last day. Since he solved most of the troubles in his mind that made it significantly easier for him. Last night made it clear to him that how he had been acting was far more transparent than he wished. Changing back meant that he drew less attention and provided little concern to those that might be watching. He hoped it would blow over smoothly enough. Chapter 89 ¨C Invitation to Gather As the afternoon began to close, the finished school stood as their achievement. Yuki already left along with Saki and Ayumi, but Yori¡¯s sister remained behind with Yori. Yori still had a few things left for him to finish. So she waited for him at the tent. On the main table sat several water bottles waiting to be picked up and thrown away. There were a couple of the volunteers for the tent still around, but they were out picking up anything that might have remained on the grounds. She kept to the tent, mostly due to Yori¡¯s continued insistence. She picked up a couple of the bottles in her arms before she found herself staring at one of them. ¡®He seemed to be back to his usual self today¡­¡¯ She walked the empty bottle over to the trash bin. Her mind hung around Yuki trying to sort it out for herself. ¡®So did he solve his problem?¡¯ She dumped the contents of her arms into the bin. She paused, unable to return back to her work. ¡®But what was it? Why did he seem so troubled before?¡¯ ¡°Yumi?¡± called a familiar voice, one that had been trying to get through to her for some time. ¡°Huh?!¡± She jumped completely startled by Yori suddenly being next to her. ¡°B-Brother!? What are you doing here?¡± Yori, confused by her reaction, took a step forward to trying to calm her down a little. The movement, unfortunately, had the opposite effect. She stumbled backwards knocking over the trash bin in her frantic state trying to keep distance between them. ¡°Yumi?! What¡¯s wrong?¡± She looked around at the mess that she had caused and scrambled around trying to fix it. ¡®Look at the mistake I¡¯ve made!¡¯ ¡°Are you feeling ill again?¡± He was already on the ground helping her pick things up so that she did not over exert herself. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do everything yourself.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m so sorry! I-I didn¡¯t¡­¡± Once they cleaned everything up, she rushed off to resume what she had been doing. Yori followed her, still not satisfied with it just being an accident. ¡°If you¡¯re tired you should rest. You don¡¯t need to push yourself. No one will think anything of it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay! I was thinking about what dinner to make tonight and I got distracted. You just startled me.¡± Yori remained unconvinced, but he wasn''t going to push her. He figured that she would tell him when she was ready. However, he stuck by her side to help clean up the rest of the area around the tent. All of his work was finished already so he waited on his sister. The walk home left her no better off on her internal issue. She kept away from the problem interfering with her too much so that Yori didn''t suspect anything. However, even while she cooked dinner her mind couldn¡¯t give up the idea that there was something wrong. ¡®Does it have something to do with that man who attacked the school? Is he planning to go after him? But what about school and his friends?¡¯ Dinner ended fairly quietly between the siblings, despite her best efforts, it was very clear to Yori that something was wrong. He continued to keep it to himself, but watched her carefully for any health problems. When he found her outside of the house staring at the starry sky he knew that he couldn¡¯t hold himself back. ¡°¡­sister¡­we need to¡ª¡° She turned around quickly to face her brother. Her face revealed to be narrowed and serious, one that made Yori cut off his word. ¡°We need to talk, brother¡­¡± She folded up something in her hands making it disappear in the pocket of her work pants. ¡®What¡¯s with Yumi? I¡¯ve never seen her like this before¡­¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m going to help Yuki. I know you don¡¯t like him, but this is something I¡¯ve decided on my own!¡± Yori could see there was no talking her out of it. If she looked so determined about doing it there wasn''t going to be anything he could say. ¡°I¡¯m going too then.¡± ¡°What?!¡± She froze up with surprise. ¡®I thought he was going to say no and do whatever it took to make me stay!¡¯ This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°You¡¯re right. I don¡¯t like him. There¡¯s something about him I still don¡¯t trust. So I¡¯m going with you. Wherever you go I¡¯ll be there to protect you.¡± While their mother was still out the siblings left their house together with her guiding them. She held back on the reason that they were leaving, but insisted that it was related to Yuki. He was unfamiliar with seeing her taking such an assertive position. It pleased and troubled him to see this side of his sister surfacing, especially since it was Yuki that was drawing it out of her. They drew out of their neighborhood into the evening air of the city. A slight scent of dread hung in the air. Ever since the city changed travel at night was prohibited by the mayor. But not even the police dared to patrol, so it was an empty order. The dangers weren¡¯t lost on Yori, but his sister appeared uninterested in the unknown that might threaten them. The driven expression on her face revealed how together she kept herself. It was impossible to know if she was acting or every drop was real. She slowed her pace down once they arrived in one of the larger city parks. Considering the condition, being called a park became a matter of opinion and memory. Like the rest of the city, tall grass grew through with no care for order or design. Massive flowers sprouted throughout the field to provide color to an otherwise bland affair. A great tree that would have been considered ancient, if it had not been obviously grown two weeks ago, sat in the center pretending to be nature¡¯s skyscraper. The tree managed to dwarf everything around it including the buildings with a trunk that was easily as thick as a city block and a canopy that covered more than four times the size of the park, which was substantial itself. Any of the remaining trees became intimidated by its presence looking like saplings in comparison. The massive tree was the target of his sister. She strolled up the roots quickly, forced to treat them like steps and then cliffs to be climbed. When she came to a stop, she found a small mound of grass that seemed to divide the roots creating a comfortable little knoll. Around the small piece of earth was a source less light that illuminated the area in a warm glow. Yori arrived shortly after her, still not certain of the purpose. He looked about the area trying to find anything that might have been of significance to them. ¡°I didn¡¯t know this was here¡­¡± ¡°Neither did I¡­¡± She couldn¡¯t explain it, but she had a feeling since before Yori came out of the house. The feeling told her where she needed to go and that it was important. It seemed so vague and soft, yet natural and instinctive. She understood without having to actually know. ¡°If you didn¡¯t know about this place, how did you find it?¡± Her eyes were becoming distant for a moment as she tried to recall, peering out over the park. ¡°I didn¡¯t know, but I still knew. It¡¯s weird, but it was like there was a path laid out in my mind.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not making much sense¡ª¡° Nearby scrambling and scraping underneath them interrupted Yori. He immediately placed himself between his sister and the root foundation where the noises were coming from. ¡°Stay behind me¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, brother!¡± She stepped out from behind him and moved out to the edge of the grass. She leaned out over the wooden cliff to see a darkened figure coming into reach. His sister looked back at Yori to reassure him. ¡°It¡¯s safe. They¡¯re friends.¡± ¡°Yumi!¡± He grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her back. ¡°You can¡¯t be certain about this time of day with the way the city is!¡± ¡°But!¡± Another sound of fumbling on the roots bounced up to them. The uncertainty tightened Yori¡¯s hold on his sister pulling her back towards him. A struggling hand appeared up from shadows taking hold firmly on the roots. ¡°Dammit!¡± snapped a young, but rough sounding voice. ¡°Why the hell it¡¯d have to be like this?!¡± A few seconds later found the other hand to surface soon followed by the rest of the person. The faint unnatural light of the hill revealed the individual to be a young man with a wild look about him. He dusted himself off and looked back down at the roots that he had climbed. The man knelt over casually examining his route. ¡°Damn, I guess I should have taken the gentler sloop.¡± He threw off the concern and shifted his body back to face towards the siblings. She stretched out from Yori¡¯s still solid hold to greet the young man. ¡°Hello¡­did you receive a letter as well?¡± ¡°Letter?¡± Yori loosening his hold on her, becoming distracted. The man nodded back to her, being cautious. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you too?¡± ¡°Do you know Yuki somehow?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­I knew him from junior high. Why?¡± A letter slid slowly out of her pocket. She held it in her hand showing it while keeping the contents a secret. ¡°I believe the letter is related to Yuki in some way.¡± The teenager took a couple of steps forward becoming drawn in with questions. Her declaration made him consider several options quickly. There still remained some skepticism at his heart. ¡°Why are you so certain? The letter is pretty vague.¡± ¡°I know, but it¡¯s a feeling I have.¡± She tightened her hands a little reflexively, reacting to her acknowledging the doubt that others would have for what she said. Behind the self-consciousness, she stood firm in her belief. ¡°I can¡¯t explain it. I just know.¡± ¡°I have my doubts as well, but I¡¯m inclined to agree with her,¡± a new voice said out of the shadows. The voice carried a softer touch, one of a girl, but a slightly deeper in pitch than Yori¡¯s sister. She casually stepped on to the lit mound of grass joining the small gathering. The girl stood taller than the rest of them and appeared more mature in her face than the others. Once she reached the center, she looked around at the others that she joined. ¡°I see that I wasn¡¯t the only one with a letter or questions.¡± When she came upon Yori there was a moment of recognition. ¡°Student Council President Yori Mizuno?¡± ¡°He¡¯s a student council president?¡± the boy asked for a moment before quickly accepting it. ¡°He does have one of those pretty boy faces, so I guess I shouldn¡¯t be surprised.¡± The implication that Yori earned his position through looks struck him hard, but he kept it to himself. He held his gaze to the upperclassman taking a second to remember her name, as he knew it was familiar to him. ¡°¡­yes¡­ you¡¯re the head of one of the Literature Club branches, Fumiko Terauchi.¡± Interrupting the introductions, the rough edged boy placed himself between them to get the attention. ¡°The whole warm greeting is nice and all, but are you all saying that you know Yuki and that¡¯s why you got a damn letter?¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably because that weakling needs protection,¡± joined another young girl¡¯s voice to the party. The voice preceded the person by enough time to give everyone pause to search around. They found nothing despite it feeling as though the words had come from someone next to them. As though testing them the girl appeared suddenly behind the punkish teenager. He swiveled on his heel providing force and speed to his outstretched arm to strike at the shadow. His arm was skillfully blocked, but the weight behind his attack compressed the blocking arm. ¡°A kid? Dammit! Don¡¯t sneak up behind me!¡± He held his arm against her block pressing into a power struggle not willing to back down. The black clothed girl grinned with great interest in her discovery. ¡°A worthy opponent. Perhaps my whim will pay off.¡± ¡°Worthy?! Kids playing pretend as a shitty ninja should respect those older than them!¡± ¡°If one was pretending¡­perhaps¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± spoke a calm voice entering into the light of the hill. ¡°You¡¯re not here to fight everyone.¡± ¡°Shit, yet another one?! How many people got called out here? This is getting ridiculous, not to mention conspicuous.¡± ¡°Oh, the muscle head knows big words.¡± ¡°You looking for a fight now, kid!¡± Yori¡¯s sister watched the situation quickly fall apart. She didn¡¯t know what to expect when people started to show up. ¡°Shut up, everyone!¡± she roared in a voice that seemed impossible from the demure shell that she kept. To everyone¡¯s surprise, it happened to be enough to quiet them all. She looked around at everyone fixing them with a stare. ¡°We¡¯re all here because of Yuki. We should be working together and not fighting!¡± ¡°I still have my doubts,¡± remarked the boy. ¡°This is a strange band, I¡¯ll agree,¡± commented Terauchi. ¡°I¡¯m more interested in the purpose of this letter,¡± added the short boy. ¡°The shy girl¡¯s correct,¡± confirmed a very high pitched voice from above. Floating in the air, a fairy lowered herself down in the middle of everyone making her known to them all. Her presence held everyone¡¯s further interruptions. ¡°It was me, who sent you the letters. And yes, it does involve the matter of Yuki Hayashi¡­¡± Chapter 90 - Decision Time ¡°So how does this involve Yuki?¡± the rough boy said, stepping forward demandingly staring at the fairy. ¡°What the hell trouble has he gotten himself into?¡± The fairy spun around in the air to face him, not looking too impressed. ¡°Figured you¡¯d be the first one to speak up when it came to the girly boy. But I doubt I need to explain too much to you, wannabe Yakuza Priest.¡± ¡°Yakuza?!¡± a few of the others whispered becoming concerned about their company. ¡°You¡¯ve got quite the noisy mouth on you, damn midget!¡± ¡°Easily provoked as well. You¡¯re not going to last long against them¡­¡± The fairy hovered away from him, having become bored. She planted herself towards the far end of the knoll. He pushed through the crowd to get up in the fairy¡¯s face again. ¡°Where the hell do you think you¡¯re going? I¡¯m not letting you off so easily!¡± Yori¡¯s sister rushed forward to stand flanking the teen while still partially getting between them. ¡°Please don¡¯t fight! You want answers right? This fairy seems to know us somehow and it would be good to know why she¡¯s doing all of this. If you can calm your anger for the moment.¡± ¡°Tch!¡± He reluctantly dragged himself back in line with everyone else, taking more of a back seat. Chapter 90 ¨C Decision Time Once she averted the situation, she looked around to everyone. ¡°Perhaps we should introduce ourselves first and how you know Yuki. It might begin to shed some light on the reason. I¡¯ll start¡­I¡¯m Yumi Mizuno and I¡¯m a classmate of Yuki.¡± Everyone seemed hesitant to speak up. There was still some awkwardness in the air from the arrival of the fairy and trouble that she brought. Yori saw his sister staring at him after a few seconds getting the impression that she wanted him to pick up her lead. ¡°I¡¯m Yori Mizuno and I don¡¯t really know Hayashi, but through Yumi. I¡¯m here because she is.¡± ¡°Fumiko Terauchi. I¡¯ve only met him briefly when the school was attacked.¡± Fumiko stared down the black clothed ninja girl with the expectations. She grumbled a little, still considering it. A small sigh exhaled from her as she gave in. ¡°Chiharu Chinen and I don¡¯t want to know about that weakling.¡± She turned her head away in a huff having given all that she was going to give. ¡°Haruo Yoneda¡­classmate.¡± The reasons for him coming still remained a little uncertain for him as well. So he did not feel the need to provide a long answer to explain himself. After a long pause from Haruo everyone looked behind at the last remaining undeclared boy. The eyes locked on him made him aspirated. ¡°Seiji Tsuji, an old friend.¡± Seiji looked back at the rest with annoyed eyes, still bothered by the fairy. ¡°Well then, I guess you¡¯re wanting me to explain in more detail the purpose of this. You all know Yuki through some means and some of you even know the trouble that he is in currently. You may not understand it fully, but you know there¡¯s trouble. Simply put, Yuki is leaving in the morning to confront what he faces. I¡¯m giving you the decision on how you want to use this information, whether it is to give your goodbyes, try to stop him or join him.¡± ¡°Is he going alone?¡± inquired Fumiko. ¡°No, Ayumi Nishimura and Saki Furukawa will be going with him.¡± ¡°What is he confronting? Is it dangerous?¡± Yori¡¯s sister asked. She began to see the pieces coming together. Parts were still missing, but the way that Yuki had been acting recently could be explained. She had always suspected that the man that attacked their school had something more to do with Yuki. The fairy lowered herself a little in the air. ¡°Very dangerous. It¡¯s likely that he¡¯ll have many battles where he¡¯s going before he can resolve it.¡± Yori took a step forward ignoring the feeling that he was the odd man out. ¡°If it¡¯s so dangerous, why''s he going?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s something that he¡¯s decided he must do.¡± ¡°What the hell? Did he send you to ask us to come with him rather than doing it himself?¡± The fairy smiled a little smirking to herself. ¡°No, he doesn¡¯t know I¡¯m doing this. It¡¯s likely that he doesn¡¯t even know that you all have powers as well. I¡¯m doing this on my own.¡± ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± spoke up Haruo for once. ¡°Because I like to screw up what he had planned. Simple as that!¡± The fairy seemed a little rushed and cornered responding to Haruo. She floated back up a little putting some distance between them. ¡°Well I answered your questions and gave you what you needed to know to make your decision. I¡¯m leaving now!¡± The next moment the fairy flew up the massive tree disappearing out of the field of the light. The group tried to call out to stop her, but it was far too late. They could only stare around at each other feeling a little lost being given only twelve hours to come to a decision that would affect their lives possibly. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Yori¡¯s sister searched the sky a little trying to find the fairy before giving up the hope. She looked back around at the others. ¡°I think it¡¯s more than just trying to mess with Yuki¡¯s plans. She must be worried about him if she¡¯s asking us for help.¡± She knew nothing about the others, but hoped that she could convince them to seriously think about assisting Yuki. Fumiko nodded in agreement with her. ¡°Considering how much of a mouth she had on her and antagonizing others. Showing weakness or caring about what happens to others is not something that she would want to expose.¡± ¡°A denial to protect herself,¡± thought Yori out loud. ¡°Even still, we don¡¯t really know what he¡¯s gotten himself into.¡± Yori looked over at Seiji recalling what the fairy had quickly thrown out during the brief conversation. He hadn¡¯t made much of it at the moment, but realized there was possibly additional information within the group. ¡°You know something about the trouble he is in don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know a helluva very much, just what Yuki told me when I asked him. It didn¡¯t seem like he knew much about it, some girl named¡­Ayumi told him all of this.¡± When he caught the knowing looks of a few of them he realized that they actually knew who Ayumi was. ¡°I take it you¡¯ve met her. From what I understand Yuki is the heir to some place that lost their leader. A group of bastards that want control of the country for themselves are sending assassins to remove Yuki from the picture so there¡¯s no one that can take over. So I¡¯m guessing that Yuki¡¯s going to face them and more than likely take the position.¡± Panic struck Yori¡¯s sister upon hearing Seiji¡¯s words. ¡®He¡¯s leaving and not coming back!?¡¯ She took a step forward at Seiji with her eyes lighting up with fire light. ¡°He¡¯s planning on leaving us behind and everyone he knows and not telling anyone? How could he do that?!¡± The demanding stare from her set Seiji off balance a little. ¡°Hell if I know! I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going through his head! I¡¯m just figuring that if he¡¯s going there he¡¯s probably going to be staying! There¡¯s not a lot of point in going there if he¡¯s not planning on staying around.¡± ¡°Not necessarily.¡± Yori stepped into the conversation. ¡°If he stayed behind he¡¯d still be attacked by assassins if they saw him as a threat to their power grab. So he could be trying to go to the source to stop the attacks and hand off his position to someone else.¡± ¡®Could he just be doing it to end the fighting? And he¡¯s planning to come back?¡¯ Fumiko joined the group realizing that they still had a problem. ¡°Regardless of what Yuki¡¯s planning on doing, we don''t know where he¡¯s going to be leaving from or how he¡¯s getting to wherever he needs to be. The fairy didn¡¯t give us that information.¡± ¡°I know where his house is,¡± said Seiji. ¡°We can just get him there.¡± ¡°If he¡¯s determined to go this alone without telling anyone then it¡¯ll be too easy for him to just lose us at his house.¡± ¡°We can follow him then until it¡¯s too late for him to say no.¡± ¡°With this many people?¡± The debate going on behind Yori¡¯s sister finally reached her ears and broke through her own worries. She turned around to face them directly to settle their concerns. ¡°I know where he¡¯ll be! We just have to wait for him to arrive and force him to let us come!¡± ¡°How the hell do you know? Did the fairy tell you earlier?¡± She shook her head at him. ¡°I¡¯ve known somehow for a while. I can¡¯t explain it, but I know where he¡¯ll be. There¡¯s still some time before morning. We should take care of anything that we need to before then and meet back here at five in the morning. It¡¯ll take some time to walk.¡± She figured that everyone was going to need to sleep and pack anything that they might for the trip. None of them knew where they were going and there remained much to consider. Chiharu shifted forward unnervingly for everyone like a shadow. ¡°What makes you think we¡¯re even going? You¡¯re making assumptions that we even care about that weakling.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. I didn¡¯t mean to assume. There¡¯s still time to make your decision on what you¡¯re going to do about what we¡¯ve been told. Anyone coming can meet here at five.¡± A slight begrudged nod came from Chiharu before she stepped down. She hadn¡¯t expected the teen to handle her so smoothly as to fix and avoid the conflict all in one sweeping motion. Chiharu didn¡¯t like watching the frail girl acting like she was in charge. She hoped to expose the weaknesses that she saw in her as a poor leader, but was forced to retreat. Everything seemed to be settled with the group. She nodded to herself mentally checking that all was right before joining at Yori¡¯s side. ¡°We should be going now before our mother finds out that we¡¯ve been out!¡± She gave a quick wave to the stunned group and disappeared out of the light pulling Yori along with her. The rest of the party could not believe that she was worried about being out late considering what she was going to be doing. Once they recovered from their awe and pulled themselves back together they began departing company in their own ways. For Seiji, the decision had been made for him. He was the last to leave the mound and the first to arrive (he never left). ¡®I had my suspicions before I left¡­ This simply just confirmed it for me¡­ Besides, it''ll give me time away from the old man and that annoying ghost¡­¡¯ Seiji pressed into the grass disappearing a little in its height and closed his eyes. The starry sky offered more than enough for him. ¡®Yuki, are you going to start fighting again? I can¡¯t see Saki being very pleased about that¡­¡¯ ¡°I didn¡¯t think they would ever leave!¡± a young woman¡¯s voice said cheerfully. Aoi, the ghost woman, appeared in the light of the earth. Her previous haunting attire was no more. She wore a pure white evening kimono that would have been worn for bed. Seiji¡¯s eyes held tightly shut with his eyebrows shaking a little as he tried desperately to appear like he was sleeping and never heard a word from the ghost. The unfortunate matter of his fear kept it from actually being very convincing with the excessive amounts of sweat gathering on his skin. Aoi¡¯s lips caught a playful grin seeing the initial response that she got from him. Taking it another step further, she floated in passing through the grass silently to lie next to him. The mere proximity of her had him turning blue and red fighting over shades only to decide on a compromise of purple. She pressed towards his ear whispering delicately to him. ¡°You don¡¯t have to pretend for me!¡± The woman¡¯s voice sent a chill down his spine making him vibrate all around before his eyes shot open. If the tree had been closer to the ground Seiji would have latched onto it like a startled cat. He managed some cat-like reflexes to land on his feet left staring at the ghost. ¡°H-H-How-how¡­how¡­how¡­¡± She giggled with glee in her entertainment before her. ¡°You never get boring, sweetie!¡± Aoi gave the frightened teen a little more room, but that did not improve his speech any. All he could form in his mouth was ¡®how¡¯ and even then it was hard to understand at best. ¡°How did I find you?¡± She finished for him. ¡°That¡¯s quite easy! I just followed you! You seemed so focused on your letter that you never even realized it!¡± ¡°Y-y-y-y¡­F-Followed?!¡± ¡°There, there¡­ It¡¯s best to stick to one word for now.¡± She patted him on the shoulder providing mocking comfort to him. Aoi could see the hint of the fear starting to bleed out of him and return him to balance through the sheer annoyance. Her tone changed quickly, shifting the mood. ¡°Are you planning on leaving your family behind without a word?¡± ¡°The old man¡¯ll be fine,¡± Seiji said soberly. He had been glad people were no longer visiting so frequently. If they continued he didn¡¯t know how long he would have lasted, though a part of it was the cause of the ghosts showing up. Many of them couldn¡¯t trust going back to the shrine fearing it had been corrupted like everything else. ¡°The business has slowed down.¡± ¡°What about Shoji? He depends on you!¡± Seiji strolled across the small mound putting his back to Aoi. ¡°It¡¯s not like he needs a problem child like me around him being a bad influence on him.¡± She quickly glided around him to look at him in the face. ¡°You don¡¯t honestly believe that crap that your Grandfather spouts? Do you?!¡± ¡°What the hell do you know?!¡± He paused for a moment staring at her. ¡°You¡¯re just a stupid ghost that has nothing better to do than screw around with me!¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if I¡¯m a ghost or not! I can see well enough as I am!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to be gone for that long anyway! I¡¯m coming back and I¡¯ll drag Yuki back from hell if I must! When I get back I can apologize to Shoji¡­¡± His voice trailed off as he began to look away from her. ¡®If I see him I don¡¯t know if I could leave if he asked me not to go¡­¡¯ Aoi read Seiji for a minute frustrated by his stubbornness. She could see in him the determination that he had fortified and another reason behind his eyes. The look wasn¡¯t something that she could figure out, but it gave her enough to give up the fight. ¡°¡­fine¡­¡± She began to float away no longer wanting to be around him. ¡°I can¡¯t stop you from telling him anyway once I¡¯m gone¡­¡± The ghost paused hearing the words and the surprising subtext. It made her grin a little, feeling reassured. ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ We¡¯ll be waiting for your return!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a promise!¡± Chapter 91 - The Decision Midnight seemed far too close, yet it was still hours away from arriving. In the altered Japan the nights came heavier and darker. It left a deep foreboding for anyone that traveled under the unusual sky. This particular night proved to be even more pitch, though the stars poked through as vibrant as ever, possibly even stronger than before. Fumiko returned to her house trying to avoid being detected by her parents. Ever since the monster attacked her there was no dealing with how oppressively protective they became. Escaping the house to train proved a challenging feat. She wasn¡¯t about to let her parents know that she had gained a strange ability. What little freedom she had left would have been smothered. Minutes turned to an hour before Fumiko could move from her sister¡¯s room. ¡°What should I tell our parents, sister? As much as I would like to just go without a word that wouldn¡¯t be fair to them. They aren¡¯t going to be very understanding¡­¡± Fumiko pulled herself up out of the corner and returned the pillow carefully back to the bed. She reluctantly shuffled out of the room. The war room, as Fumiko had started to call the dining room, held a thick wall in the air making her approach tense. She didn¡¯t like speaking to them while they were worrying over adult matters, but there really was no other time that she had left. The notice she had was so sudden. ¡°Excuse me¡­ Mom¡­ Dad¡­¡± Her father immediately turned his head to Fumiko, already on edge. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± ¡°What is it, Fumiko?¡± ¡°Well¡­you see¡­¡± Fumiko shifted her weight back a little as a counter to avoiding fidgeting noticeably. ¡°I¡¯ve got somewhere I¡¯m going in the morning¡­¡± Both of her parents stood up from their chairs sharply. ¡°What are you talking about?!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t go outside! It¡¯s too dangerous to be out there!¡± ¡°Remember how it was last week when you were outside!¡± ¡°I know the danger!¡± She felt like she had already experienced the moment before. It gave her a strange disconnected feeling. ¡°But there¡¯s something important I have to do¡­¡± Her mother staggered a step towards her with a confused look on her face. ¡°What¡¯s more important than your life?!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got to help a friend¡­ I just found out a little bit ago that they need my help!¡± She quickly looked for pieces of truth to go along with her lie. ¡°It¡¯s because it is dangerous that I have to go!¡± ¡°But Fumiko¡ª¡° Her father tried to protest further. ¡°She¡¯s my friend and she¡¯s in trouble! I¡¯ve already decided that I was going to help.¡± The lie continued to grow on its own and filled the answers without Fumiko thinking about it. ¡°School¡¯s still closed so I won¡¯t be neglecting it. It¡¯s out of town so I¡¯m going to be gone for a little while.¡± ¡°What?!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be serious! That¡¯s completely out of the question! You¡¯re not leaving this house!¡± ¡°I¡¯m going and that¡¯s the end of it! I¡¯m not going to be scared of this world like you two are! I¡¯m leaving by four in the morning so if you want to say goodbye do it then!¡± Fumiko turned away from them and marched off to her room. She slammed her door closed and dropped to her bed feeling her legs shaking. Near the end it had felt like she was going to collapse at any moment. The strength in her body had been completely drained away. ¡®I can¡¯t believe I spoke to them like that¡­ What sort of person am I?¡¯ Chapter 91 ¨C The Decision Sharp thuds against a wooden target wormed their way through the grounds of the Chinen estate. The forest covering did a perfect job of trapping and reflecting noise. It made it nearly impossible to approach the main house as every sound seemed to be amplified. It worked well as a protection against intruders, almost as though it was done on purpose. Chiharu approached her tree target and retrieved the kunai. The spread of the blades was greater than she had wished. She felt that her timing had been thrown off. She planned to continue until it fit to her satisfaction. ¡°What is it Tamotsu?¡± Chiharu picked up the slightest change in sound from his feet. He had remained out of her sight, but pulled himself out of the shadows now discovered. ¡°Forgive me, Lady Chiharu! I didn¡¯t want to disturb you during your training!¡± Once announced, he moved himself in her vision. ¡°Enough with the formalities!¡± She threw a kunai at the tree sticking deeply into the trunk. ¡°What¡¯s on your mind?¡± ¡°It¡¯s none of my business, Lady Chiharu, but I was unable to find you on the grounds for twenty minutes. Some of the men started asking questions.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, Tamotsu. It isn¡¯t your business.¡± Another kunai stuck into the tree, missing her desired target by a few centimeters. ¡°I¡¯m the head of this clan and what I do is my prerogative. I don¡¯t need to ask anyone¡¯s permission to do something.¡± Tamotsu lowered his head a little trying to lessen his position to her. ¡°You¡¯re right, Lady Chiharu. However, the men look to you for guidance and leadership. You can¡¯t be the head of the clan if you¡¯re not here.¡± The third kunai hit shallowly and fell to the ground. A slight twitch from Chiharu was all she allowed. ¡°What good are men to me if they can¡¯t think and react on their own? I don¡¯t need mindless soldiers that fall apart the moment I¡¯m not around to order them.¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°You¡¯re right, Lady Chiharu. The men need more training.¡± ¡°¡­as do I¡­¡± she whispered to herself. ¡°Lady Chiharu?¡± ¡°Leave me now!¡± ¡°Right away, Lady Chiharu!¡± Tamotsu promptly disappeared back into the main house. Chiharu remained outside staring down at the remaining two kunai in her hands. The hand that held them shook slightly uncontrollably making her sweat a little. She flinched quickly and snapped herself back into a throwing position. Without even thinking she threw the two kunai together at the tree. They both had hit shallowly and dropped to the ground clattering against one another. Chiharu clinched her hand into a fist frustrated by her weakness. The walk back to their house remained fairly quiet between the siblings. Neither of them had much to say to the other. Yori remained mute waiting for any moment that his sister needed him. In the case of her, she held fast to trying to fully grasp everything that she was doing. The whole scene happened so fast for her that she was still processing it. She may have been acting consciously around the group, but it wasn¡¯t until after it was settled that it truly began to filter through her. The point that confused her still more than anything else was why the fairy had summoned her. She knew nothing about the others, but figured that if the fairy claimed they had powers it must be true. Except, she knew that she did not have any powers. Her confusion was managing to fill up the travel time nicely. When they arrived home their mother was already in the house. The hope to avoid suspicions was welling up fear in her. She became afraid of how much trouble it would be to convince their mother of what they were going to do. ¡®¡­Brother¡­¡¯ Yori saw the expression on his sister and took the lead. ¡°Did you find the dinner, mother?¡± ¡°Yori! I was wondering where you were. I didn¡¯t hear anything from you or your sister.¡± A moment later, she meandered into the doorway keeping to the back. ¡°There you are dear! Were you outside?¡± ¡°Yes, the school is nearing completion and so I¡¯ve had to meet with faculty.¡± The middle aged single mother checked through the kitchen still trying to act her part. She kept listening to Yori while examining the cupboards. ¡°Oh? You must be so busy with all of that responsibility that they¡¯re giving you.¡± Yori smoothly transitioned to her side helping with the dishes. ¡°Not at all.¡± They had dried already and needed to be put away. It made the conversation flow naturally that he didn¡¯t have to worry about it seeming out of place. ¡°I did volunteer for this. So I¡¯m only doing what is expected.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that. You¡¯ve always been such a hard worker, dear.¡± ¡°The next week or more I¡¯m going to be very busy though.¡± He handed off a dish to her to set up in the cupboard. ¡°There¡¯s still a lot of people I have to meet with to finish it. Considering how it¡¯s a bunch of high school students doing this work they have their doubts and concerns. So I¡¯m not going to be able to get back home as much.¡± ¡°Are you sure? What about your sister? She¡¯ll be lonely in the house without her brother.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He made a pensive pause as though he was thinking about her. A moment later, he came back with an answer for her. ¡°You¡¯re probably right. I can take her with me. It¡¯ll be a good chance for her to get to know some of the faculty members and learn about something new.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll keep her safe and watch out for her?¡± ¡°Of course! I won¡¯t let anything happen to her, mother!¡± ¡°Alright. Please at least call me each night so I know you¡¯re safe.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Yori stepped out of the kitchen with the choirs completed. She awaited his return in the hall. ¡°It¡¯s done.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had to lie to mom, Yori.¡± He placed his hand on her shoulder giving her a comfort smile. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I know this is important for you.¡± The hour became very late and morning threatened to arrive soon. Inside the Furukawa apartment, everyone slept peacefully except for one. She tried to be as quiet as possible to not wake anyone up. She felt a little sense of irony knowing that she attempted to do what Yuki had to her. However, she knew that there was no convincing her mother of anything. ¡®I¡¯m glad that I packed everything before I slept.¡¯ Saki opened her door listening to the painful whining of the hinges and praying that it was not too loud. She returned back to her packed bag lifting it to her shoulder. A slow rolling yawn spilled from her mouth despite her trying to force it back. ¡®I¡¯m so tired¡­ I hope wherever it is we¡¯re going I¡¯ll have a chance to sleep¡­¡¯ She had only been able to get a few hours of sleep after making sure that everything she needed was packed. Saki tipped toed out of her room into the hallway, eying the living room in sight. ¡°¡­sister?¡± called a young sleepy voice. A bolt of fear ran through Saki freezing her in her step. She appeared like a thief in the night that had just been caught in the middle of the act. Saki tilted her head over her shoulder trying to stay mostly in the shadows. ¡°Noriko? What are you doing up so late?¡± ¡°I had a dream that you were taken away from us. That bad men came for you.¡± Noriko rolled her hand against her eyelid trying to get sleep free so she could see clearly. ¡°You¡¯re not going anywhere right, sister?¡± Saki hesitated giving her an answer. She hated the thought of having to lie to her sister. The time she had ticked quickly away from her. The longer that she held her reply the heavier her heart felt. ¡®I can¡¯t tell her the truth, but what can I say?¡¯ ¡°There aren¡¯t any bad men are there, sister?¡± Noriko started to close the distance between them. She tried to reach out for Saki. Saki bit her lip staring down at her younger sister from the shadows. The cold hearted approach wasn¡¯t going to work she had decided. She knelt down to meet Noriko. ¡°It¡¯s going to be alright, Noriko. I won¡¯t let them take me away from you. But I have to deal with them, you see?¡± ¡°The bad men?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. But I¡¯ll beat them up and come back. So don¡¯t you worry.¡± ¡°Promise?¡± ¡°Of course! I¡¯m stronger and tougher than any bad guy, right?¡± Noriko nodded to Saki having some of the worry start to melt away from her face. The reassurance from her sister had warmed up her expression. ¡°Right!¡± She gave Saki a little jump of support for her to show that she was with her. ¡°What¡¯s going on out here?¡± echoed a new older voice that made Saki¡¯s mind run cold for a second. ¡®Mom¡­¡¯ Not even thinking about it, Noriko ran back to their mother, jumping with excitement. ¡°Big sister¡¯s going to beat up the bad guys!¡± ¡°What?!¡± The older slightly graying woman looked down the hall at her eldest daughter with a questioning look. An exchange occurred between them without words and she knew immediately. ¡°Noriko, you should be getting back to sleep.¡± ¡°¡­but¡­¡± Noriko tried to protest more, but could see the stare in her mother¡¯s eyes telling her to stop. She silently agreed to return to her room. Saki¡¯s mother stiffly walked a meter down the hall waiting until Noriko went into her room before starting. ¡°This is about that troublemaker isn¡¯t it?¡± The silence in Saki¡¯s voice was all that she needed to know that she was right. ¡°How many times do I have to tell you not to go near him?! Don¡¯t you remember what he did to you? Have you forgotten?!¡± ¡°How can I forget when you always have to remind me?! You never let me! Yuki¡¯s felt guilty about it for nearly two years even though he hasn¡¯t said a thing to me!¡± ¡°Feeling guilty isn¡¯t enough!¡± ¡°Then what do you want from him? He¡¯s lost his parents, his friends and his place! What more do you want from him?!¡± She tried to keep her breathing under control, but her emotions were getting the better of her. Her mother seemed a little silent after the last barrage of words. ¡°I don¡¯t care what you think. I trust Yuki and he needs my help. I¡¯m going now. I¡¯ll see you when I¡¯m done!¡± Saki turned away feeling her legs shaking a little as she strode out of the apartment and into the night. She paused for a moment at the end of the street to look back at the apartment building before continuing on. One stop before meeting with Yuki was on her schedule and it stood before her. The hospital looked even more eerie than normal in the dark light of the night sky. ¡°Takako¡­¡± She didn¡¯t know how long she was going to be away and felt it was important to see her one last time before leaving. At the nurse¡¯s desk Saki inquired for a brief visit, but was shocked by what the nurse told her. ¡°Miss Yamazaki was transferred out of the hospital a few days ago. I¡¯m sorry!¡± Chapter 92 - Second Meeting It took a minute for Saki to completely take in what the nurse had told her. The same nurse that she had met before wasn¡¯t present adding to the collapsing feeling that she felt. ¡®I know I¡¯m not family¡­ I guess I just thought I would have been told¡­¡¯ She didn¡¯t even know if Takako had recovered or if they figured out what was wrong with her. If Takako still was left trapped within her mind she worried how confused or scared she might be of the change. Shouting and pounding from across the room came behind the doors. The sudden noise nearly knocked Saki off her feet. She froze in place realizing that it was the people in the ward. Saki didn¡¯t remember it being so violent the last time that she had visited. All in unison though, it calmed down. Saki¡¯s hand clenched tightly to the counter trying to hold her weakened frame. The nurse came around the counter to help Saki back up realizing how much it had startled her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss. They¡¯ve been very noisy the last few days and I haven¡¯t been able to do anything to calm them down. Maybe it would be best if you left.¡± Saki shifted her legs a little, feeling like they had become heavy. The air compressed around her, feeling warmer than before. Anxiety built within her, pressing her forward. Saki leaned against the desk looking up at the nurse. ¡°¡­um¡­ Does it say why she was transferred?¡± It took the nurse a moment to sort through it. She was a little surprised to see that Saki held it together. The woman looked through the papers for an answer to Saki¡¯s question. ¡°It seems that there was a change in her condition that required her to be moved to a different facility.¡± ¡°A change in her condition? What does that mean?¡± The nurse read through the papers more thoroughly for Saki. When she raised her head up there was not much of a change in her features. ¡°I¡¯m afraid there isn¡¯t anything specific provided here. Miss Yamazaki was moved at the request of Dr. Shiotani.¡± His name alerted Saki immediately and recalled her meeting with him. ¡®He was examining Takako for his work as a candidate. Perhaps she passed and he¡¯ll be able to treat her¡­somehow¡­¡¯ Saki tried not to latch on to her hope too much when she looked back at the nurse. ¡°Did he say anything?¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°About being a candidate?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss, but I wasn¡¯t here when the transfer happened. I only have the report to go on. It¡¯s unusual not to leave more specifics when a patient is transferred, but I¡¯m afraid it does happen if they¡¯re in a hurry.¡± Saki nodded a little to the nurse trying to pull herself back together. Her hope hung around inside her shaking her body, but she drew herself back. ¡°Thank you very much. I¡¯m sorry for troubling you.¡± She bowed politely to the nurse and left the floor quietly. Any attempt to keep her thoughts under control proved to be futile. Chapter 92 ¨C Second Meetings In the intersection of the streets from Yuki and Saki¡¯s homes, two individuals waited. They had been waiting for a while for the last to arrive. The plan, which had only been briefly discussed, marked out a time and place for them to meet. ¡°What¡¯s keeping her?¡± Yuki inquired out loud rhetorically, knowing that Ayumi had no answer for him. ¡°She¡¯s the one that insisted on coming. I didn¡¯t think she¡¯d be late.¡± Ayumi watched the grass flattened around where he did his laps. She stepped out in front of his path so that he was forced to stop. ¡°Yuki!¡± He nearly ran her down before she interrupted the spiraling thoughts that consumed him. ¡°Finally¡­perhaps she changed her mind.¡± Yuki shook his head furiously in disagreement. ¡°No! Saki doesn¡¯t change her mind once she¡¯s made a decision! There¡¯s something wrong!¡± ¡°I doubt that there¡¯s anything wrong with Saki. She¡¯s pretty good at taking care of herself.¡± ¡°But I can¡¯t leave without knowing what happened to Saki! She could be in danger!¡± Ayumi closed her eyes for a moment trying to find a way out of the stalling. She knew how Yuki was about Saki. ¡°Are you forgetting that she did take out that gang leader? And she did fight one of the assassins. It¡¯s more likely that something is delaying her.¡± He had to give it a brief consideration when he remembered what she had done. ¡°Then we wait until she does show up!¡± A sigh from Ayumi made her regret hearing those words. ¡®This is just going in circles. We need to move¡­¡¯ She reached into her large packed bag for something. Paper appeared along with a pen that she quickly made use of. ¡°Then how about this?¡± Ayumi showed him the paper that had simple instructions on where to meet them. ¡°When she shows up this will tell her where to meet us, okay?¡± If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°But if we leave now how will she catch up to us? We¡¯ll just have to wait there for her.¡± Another sigh, though in disappointment, came from Ayumi. She searched around the area quickly for a safe place for the note before returning back to Yuki. ¡°How can you be so smart and so stupid at the same time?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± She pushed at his back to get him moving now that she had him more convinced. He held some of his stubbornness still, though mostly in confusion. ¡°Trust me when I say that if she finds it before we get there then she¡¯ll probably be waiting on us.¡± Yuki looked over his shoulder letting his feet get walked by Ayumi. He stared down at her trying to figure out what she was talking about. ¡°But you¡¯re not making any sense, Ayumi!¡± ¡°Just keep moving! I¡¯d like to be on our way before full light!¡± ¡°Hey! Stop pushing, Ayumi!¡± Under the knoll of the great tree Seiji and Fumiko sat waiting for the appointed time. Fumiko left home quite a bit earlier than she planned with her parents still not understanding. She thought they would calm down if she gave them time to think about it. The sour feeling in her stomach had remained through the entire night as she tried to sleep. It combined with her parents'' repeated yelling causing her to leave. She had used her window and escaped with the aid of her magic. The ache in her stomach continued to persist as she waited. She looked down at the bag that she had packed of clothes and a few other items that would have seemed like she was going camping. ¡®I hope I didn¡¯t pack too much or too little¡­ I don¡¯t know where we¡¯re going¡­¡¯ The closest idea she had of their destination was the old man that attacked the school. Unfortunately, the pieces that she remembered barely painted a picture for her. ¡®I wonder if I should have brought anything, he didn¡¯t¡­¡¯ Fumiko adjusted the bag nervously a little before casting it aside behind her. The rough looking teenager that slept across from her, Seiji, made her hope for some more answers. He seemed to know the situation better. ¡°Are you awake?¡± ¡°¡­sorta¡­¡± whispered Seiji, not moving himself to address her. Sensing a distant pushing attitude, Fumiko became more self-conscious of what she was doing. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for waking you up. I was just wondering if you might know where Yuki is going.¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The sound of shoes scraping over rough terrain pulled Fumiko''s attention away from Seiji. ¡®Someone else has arrived¡­¡¯ She stood up and approached the slope of the roots to help whoever came out of the darkness. Yori broke first followed by his sister a meter behind him. ¡°President Mizuno!¡± She sounded excited and relieved to see someone else, and someone that was more approachable. Yori nodded to Fumiko and sat his small bag down. He turned back quickly to Fumiko. ¡°We¡¯re not in school so I¡¯m not carrying my title. You can just call me Yori.¡± He was a little hesitant about having her calling him by his first name, but he knew that his sister would have insisted otherwise. ¡°And you can call me Yumi as well!¡± Fumiko gave them an uncertain nod of agreement. ¡°If you¡¯re sure¡­ You can call me Fumiko then!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry that we¡¯re so late!¡± Yori¡¯s sister looked around the hill to try to see who else had arrived. The sight of only Seiji saddened her a little. She turned back to Fumiko to check. ¡°Is this all who came?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Yori tilted his head over to her. He knew that she hoped for everyone to come, but that ideal was unlikely. It had been clear to him from the meeting. ¡°Considering how the little girl was acting towards Hayashi it¡¯s unlikely that she would be coming. I can¡¯t speak for the other one, but it is their choice to make.¡± She lowered her head a little working out the disappointment. ¡°¡­I know¡­¡± She hefted her bag up and fixed it to a comfort travel spot on her shoulder. The determination and certainty that she had before surfaced in her face as she raised herself up. ¡°Let¡¯s get going then! We don¡¯t want to miss him!¡± ¡°Right!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± piped in Seiji from behind suddenly. His appearance threw them all off balance thinking that he was ignoring them all. Seiji gave them all a confused look for their strange reaction to him being prepared. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Thought you were still trying to sleep¡­¡± Fumiko flatly replied to him. ¡°I was just conserving my strength. Don¡¯t know when the hell we¡¯ll be fighting so I¡¯m sure as shit not going to be wasting it.¡± Yori and Fumiko leaned over to each other and whispered quietly. ¡°So he¡¯s not completely simpleminded,¡± remarked Yori. ¡°But it is still about fighting though.¡± ¡°True.¡± Seiji broke in between their conversation, sensing that they were talking about him. ¡°What the hell are you two saying about me?!¡± Fumiko waved him off like it was nothing to be concerned about, but he was not convinced. Even when they began to walk off the hill he chased after them, not satisfied with them. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t just leave! You were talking about me! Weren¡¯t you!?¡± Yori¡¯s sister smiled to herself a little, feeling like the group that they had was right. However, when she realized that she no longer saw them she panicked and ran down for them. ¡°Wait for me! I know where we need to go!¡± Early morning arrived at the docks on the east side of the city. The eastern part belonged primarily to another suburb, but in the end both were all part of a larger whole anyway. The industrial sector of the city saw just as much change and possibly worse off for it than other parts. Factories and warehouses may have still functioned, but travel and outdoor maintenance became nearly impossible. Until the area could be reclaimed it was effectively shut down. No one roaming around made it easier for Yuki and Ayumi to navigate without dealing with unnecessary interruptions. Yuki wondered why they were going into the docks. He inquired with Ayumi about their destination during the walk, but she remained very cryptic about the whole thing. Their arrival in the docks made the mystery all the more thick. He kept his pace with Ayumi, but shifted his eyes to her. ¡°What are we doing in the docks? We going to steal a boat?¡± She ignored him for several more paces considering her response. ¡°You¡¯ll understand soon enough¡­¡± An annoyed scowl came from Yuki to reply to her vagueness. He dug his hands into his pockets keeping his bag firmly on his shoulder. Even for their trip she kept from him the details when he wanted to know what he should pack. He started to really hate being left in the dark about something that he was helping her. Yuki paused to check how far into the docks they had gone thinking about Saki still missing. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we stop soon so that Saki can find us?¡± Ayumi came to a stop, being interrupted by something ahead of her. She kept her back to Yuki having become tired of listening to his insistent worrying over the safety of Saki. There was no doubt in her mind that Saki was safe, but there was nothing in all the languages of the world that could convince him otherwise. She noted quickly to herself the obstruction before addressing Yuki. ¡°She¡¯ll be able to find us. Just like they have¡­¡± ¡°Huh? Who¡ª¡° He turned his head to look at Ayumi confused by her last words. However, she directed him with her finger pointing further ahead of them. In the front of them appearing to be blocking a very wide pathway stood four figures. It took him another moment to clearly see them. His eyes widened in shock and surprise while his mouth managed only confusion. ¡°How?!¡± Before any answers or greetings could be exchanged though, Seiji burst out of the line up and charged Yuki. Taken completely by surprise, he decked Yuki hard, nearly dropping him if that had been his intention. ¡°What the hell is the matter with you?!¡± Chapter 93 - Departure Yori and Fumiko managed to sweat a little surprised and stunned by his solution. ¡°Guess he really does only think with his fists,¡± commented Yori. ¡°Yeah, after all that about saving his energy. He probably only was doing it so that he could punch him¡­¡± Seiji snapped his head back at the two commenting on him. ¡°Stop with your commentary!¡± ¡°He¡¯s got good hearing¡­¡± ¡°Yuki!¡± screamed Yori¡¯s sister coming quickly to his aid. She tore him away from Seiji so that he couldn¡¯t be beaten up any further. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing!? Punching him isn¡¯t the solution!¡± Seiji looked down at the girl¡¯s pleading face, but held his ground. ¡°I know him better than any of you do! I know what¡¯ll get through to him!¡± Amongst the arguing Yuki pulled himself back to reality. The sore throbbing pain in his cheek told him that something happened. In his confused state, he tried to figure out why his face hurt so much. Eventually, he realized that Yori¡¯s sister and Seiji were standing in front of him yelling. The pieces quickly fell into place for him afterwards. Yuki pressed forward pushing at Seiji. ¡°You hit me didn¡¯t you! Why?¡± Yuki¡¯s voice pierced through the yelling. Seiji immediately turned to face him. ¡°What the hell do you think you¡¯re doing here? Planning on leaving without telling anyone?¡± Chapter 93 ¨C Departure The accuracy of his accusation made Yuki lean away from Seiji in hesitation. ¡®This is what I wanted to avoid.¡¯ Yuki remained quiet, not giving Seiji a response. ¡°You got anything to say?!¡± While Yuki held his lips shut, she uneasily watched them. As the seconds passed for her it became more difficult for her to keep quiet. She understood the reason for why Yuki left without a word. She was certain that Yori and Fumiko knew as well. ¡®There¡¯s nothing going to be gained from forcing Yuki to say it. I¡¯ve got to do something!¡¯ She stepped between the two boys locking stares with Seiji. He didn''t scare her despite the intimidating aura he amassed around him. ¡°I think it¡¯s pretty clear why Yuki did what he did! Beating him up won¡¯t change that!¡± Seiji started to protest, but Fumiko and Yori appeared at his side and started to pull him away. ¡°Just give him some room. Pretty sure you¡¯ll figure it out once you calm down.¡± ¡°Stop patronizing me!¡± Fumiko looked over to Yori and commented to him, ¡°The little ninja girl¡¯s right. He does know big words.¡± ¡°I have a name you know. I¡¯d suggest you use it in the future,¡± Chiharu ordered, quietly appearing behind Fumiko. ¡°You?!¡± Fumiko stumbled away from Chiharu and Seiji. The sight of the little girl before her had stolen her breath and a year of life, she was quite certain. It took her a while to recover enough for words. ¡°When did you get here?! I thought you decided against coming!¡± Chiharu narrowly glared at the tall girl like she was trying to make it seem like the height made no difference. She didn¡¯t even give an acknowledging glance to Yuki as she examined everyone that was present. A slight lowering of her eyebrow was all she gave. Once she finished she looked back at Fumiko. ¡°It¡¯s for me to decide what I do. An explanation to you is unnecessary.¡± Fumiko recovered enough by that point to become offended by the little girl¡¯s arrogant attitude. While she might have been using her height as an advantage, ninja being small made her fear her less than before. ¡°Now listen you!¡± ¡°See!¡± interjected Seiji, seeing a moment to find a comrade against his obnoxious foe. ¡°You understand why I can¡¯t stand her!¡± Haruo sighed to himself, already starting to regret his decision to follow them. The idea of a group of noisy kids made him want to turn around. ¡®Perhaps it would have been better to remain behind after all¡­¡¯ Through all of the confusion, Yuki happened to glance around noticing Haruo keeping to himself. ¡°Hey, Haruo!¡± he yelled out cheerfully, seemingly forgetting the fact that he did not want all of his friends around him. Yuki noticed the wincing Haruo, from being spotted, and he grinned. During the greetings, Seiji had a surprising moment of awareness and clarity. He threw his hand out pointing over at Haruo appearing to be accusing him. ¡°How did you get here? Were you following us the whole way?¡± A couple of the teens exchanged looks feeling equally curious to know how Haruo had found them. Yori¡¯s sister came out from around Yuki wanting to invite Haruo into the group, seeing out far away he kept himself. ¡°Is that true? You were following us? You could have just walked with us.¡± When he glanced at Yuki he received a look from him that tried to encourage him. Haruo got the feeling that Yuki wanted him to take the opportunity. He remained reluctant, but gave into the request. ¡°I was following about a kilometer behind.¡± This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°What?! A kilometer!¡± Seiji¡¯s incredulous reaction drove him over to Haruo needing more of an answer. He peered down at Haruo with a demanding expectation in his stance. ¡°That¡¯s impossible! You couldn¡¯t even see us in this darkness!¡± He pressed his position nearly invading the same footing with Haruo to get an explanation that made sense to him. Lacking the height against Seiji didn¡¯t make a difference for him. The rough exterior of Seiji had no effect on him either. Standing his ground unaffected made more of an impression than words. ¡°I tracked your smell.¡± ¡°The hell? My smell?¡± Confusion for Seiji dropped in first, but followed by something less expected. Rather than becoming angry for what could have been easily seen as an insult Seiji started to check himself. ¡°I don¡¯t know what the hell you¡¯re talking about. Just because I slept outside doesn¡¯t mean I smell! You some sort of dog?¡± ¡°No, I had my bloodhounds track you.¡± Seiji looked around Haruo trying to find the dogs that he spoke of, but failed. ¡°I don¡¯t see them. Where are they?¡± ¡°I released them. I don¡¯t need them at this moment.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough. You shouldn¡¯t keep pressuring him.¡± She saw that the half answers that Haruo was responding with finally started to get on Seiji¡¯s nerves. They had just begun to get along together and she did not want to jeopardize that so soon. The priest-in-training begrudged her the request. However, he stomped back over towards Fumiko. It didn¡¯t seem that he was finished yet. He hadn¡¯t forgotten about Chiharu. ¡°And what about you? You keep popping in out of nowhere like you¡¯re some sort of shadow! How¡¯d you get here?¡± ¡°I tracked you by your smell,¡± she mocked. It did not matter to her how much it was pissing him off. She allowed herself a small curl at the end of her lips being certain that she could see his face turning red with anger. ¡°You¡¯re an easy one.¡± ¡°Why you¡­¡± After one fire was fought off Yori¡¯s sister dragged herself in to prevent yet another one. She forced her body between them, separating them. ¡°Don¡¯t fight again!¡± She fixed them with a long glare each that actually seemed to work in making them back down. Yuki managed some awe-shocked looks watching her handling everyone with surprising ease. He leaned over to Ayumi while she finished up with them. ¡°What happened to Yumi? I don¡¯t remember her ever being this direct or commanding.¡± ¡°Perhaps she¡¯s showing off for someone.¡± ¡°Perhaps¡­¡± ¡°Does it really matter? She¡¯s keeping them under control. You should be glad.¡± ¡°Guess you¡¯re right. She actually looks pretty cool out there putting Seiji in his place.¡± Yuki became drawn in a little by the changing that she created before his eyes. He snapped himself back to reality quickly. ¡°I¡¯m glad to see everyone again, but why are you all here?¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s pretty obvious! Same reason as me!¡± Saki shouted from behind Yuki, arriving late. Yuki turned around surprised and glad to see Saki had finally come. A quick second of relief flowed over him before he ran over to meet her. ¡°Saki! You were able to find us!¡± She saw Yuki coming at her looking to give an overly excited hug. Saki took a swift side step, which blurred briefly, dodging Yuki¡¯s tackle. As Yuki began to trip from missing her, she reached out to stop him. ¡°You know I wouldn¡¯t leave you to go off into the unknown without me!¡± Afterward, she positioned him back into an upright stance. ¡°Thanks¡­¡± He looked back at the rest of his friends that were wrangled together. Seeing how many that showed up left him a little surprised. It certainly pleased him and worried him. The thing he feared the most if he had told anyone had happened. ¡®I can understand Seiji, but everyone else? Why? When it¡¯ll be so dangerous? Do they even know how dangerous it is?¡¯ Yuki swallowed slowly, still taking it all in. He checked back with Saki seeking some support. Unfortunately, Saki seemed to be fine with them coming and silently disagreed with Yuki¡¯s giving into his fears. It felt like they were all backing him into a corner; however he could not let it stand. ¡°You want to come with me? Do you even know what I¡¯m going to be doing?¡± Yori¡¯s sister made an acknowledging nod along with a couple of the others. ¡°We may not know everything, but we do know enough to make a decision. You¡¯re going to confront the people trying to kill you.¡± She held back on her fear that he would be planning on remaining. It was too early to try to start changing his mind. ¡°And those people are very dangerous. Look what one of them did to the school! There¡¯ll be plenty more like that where I¡¯m going. These aren¡¯t the sort of people that you can handle with conventional thinking.¡± ¡°If a weakling like you managed to survive the assassins, then there shouldn¡¯t be any problems.¡± The attitude that Chiharu had didn¡¯t surprise Yuki much, but he knew that she did not have any clue to what was actually happening. She was never around when he used his powers or any of the assassins. ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate them with a cocky attitude. They are nothing like the ninjas you¡¯ve faced. Chiharu attempted to bark back a quick retort, but Yori¡¯s sister cut her off. ¡°We understand the dangers. Some of us have seen firsthand what they can do. We knew before we decided and we still came.¡± Yuki took a step forward digging into his emotions for his counter argument. ¡°Besides Ayumi, Saki and Seiji are the only ones to have fought them and Haruo is the only one with special powers. This isn¡¯t something that you can do on determination alone!¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t make quick decisions about us without understanding us,¡± began Fumiko, speaking from the back and still being seen easily. She raised her hand up to the sky, suddenly being covered in thin threads. Highly detailed and intricate writing glowed like ribbons in the area wrapping around her arm building to a red light. Small flames cracked through the developing orb until it was completely consumed. Once it reached critical mass the ball of fire exploded away from her palm sent into the sky. ¡°We can look after ourselves and we are not without abilities of our own.¡± Saki stepped in before he made any further attempts. ¡°I think you¡¯ve lost, Yuki. I think the only one on your side is Ayumi at this point. We¡¯re all coming! Remember we can look after ourselves!¡± Yuki sighed as he gave into their will. ¡°¡­fine¡­ Hope there¡¯s enough room, Ayumi.¡± He checked on Ayumi, who had held herself out of the debate. She looked mostly unfazed by the decision. ¡°Yeah, there¡¯ll be enough room.¡± Yori declared himself with a step out of the group and addressed Yuki. ¡°Where will we be going?¡± It took a minute for Yuki to think over it trying to remember before he declared cheerful, ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Everyone staggered at his enthusiastic declaration of ignorance. Yuki gave them all a confused look for why they were overreacting for him answering honestly. ¡°How can you not know where you¡¯re going when you¡¯re planning on going?! That¡¯s the first thing you ask!¡± yelled Chiharu, recovering before the others. ¡°You¡¯re not just a weakling, but you¡¯re dumb too!¡± A nod came from Yuki agreeing with her. ¡°I guess I didn¡¯t really think about it too much. Knowing where they are isn¡¯t really going to change my decision on if I¡¯m going or not.¡± ¡°Somehow that makes perfect sense coming from him¡­¡± commented Yori, joining Chiharu and soon the others. Yuki turned excitedly and expectantly to Ayumi. A bit of a glow surrounded his eyes in eagerness. ¡°So what is your homeland called?¡± She held a minute longer increasing the suspense for everyone waiting in anticipation. ¡°Atlantis.¡± There was a mixed reaction of confusion and awe (mostly from Fumiko and Yuki), while Yori seemed more calculating than anything else. Yuki took the stage fueled by his own excitement. ¡°You mean like the legendary city of Atlantis? From Greek myth?¡± ¡°The city that sank into the ocean thousands of years ago?¡± added Fumiko. ¡°The same, though I assure you we are no myth.¡± Ideas and theories ran rampant through Yuki¡¯s mind. His reading selection provided him with enough material to come up with endless possibilities. The possibilities couldn¡¯t hold him. ¡°So is it like in some other dimension or something? Why are we at a dock? Do we need a submarine to reach the city because you¡¯re still living underwater?¡± Ayumi didn¡¯t know if she wanted to slap him or provide a legitimate answer to all of his questions. It required her to take a couple of breaths to settle herself down enough to deal with him. ¡°We¡¯re here for a boat. We¡¯ll be traveling by boat to the homeland.¡± Yori pushed into the conversation physically by stepping almost in front of Yuki. He grew tired of the childish questions and wanted a straight answer. ¡°If we¡¯re traveling by boat. Where is Atlantis located?¡± ¡°Antarctica.¡± Chapter 94 - A Blue View The Pacific Ocean breeze was stiff and cool for the morning. The further away from Japan the cooler it seemed to get until land was no longer in sight. Only a single luxury liner sailed the seas south that morning leaving behind everything. It remained skillfully undetected in its trip. Aboard the deck only a few strolled its polished wood floors. Having such a large ship to travel in had left some of the guests a little uneasy for the trip. They stayed cautiously towards the interior, which was vast and grand. Each room proved to be far more than they would ever need for the journey. The grandiose vision suited a happier occasion, which wasn¡¯t weighed down so heavily by the somber aura that lingered underneath false joy. Near the center of the over lit and sparkling dance ballroom sat Yuki in a semi-meditative state. The ringing clatter of shoes briskly walking towards him alerted his senses. He opened his eyes in the direction of Ayumi¡¯s approach. ¡°Hey Ayumi!¡± The lowered brow and strictly controlled breathing made her mood clear. ¡°Must you always indulge your fantasies in such frivolities?¡± She came to stop in front of him crossing her arms. Calling her displeased understated Ayumi¡¯s mood. Yuki became used to her stricter hand from all of the training he had with her. He slowly rose out from his position unfolding his legs to stand up. ¡°No greeting?¡± He tried to keep things light despite Ayumi glaring at him. ¡°I guess we have already seen each other today. So you don¡¯t need to greet me.¡± Her words became mingled with emotions that rattled at her control. ¡°You think this is a joke?¡± He leaned back a little from Ayumi¡¯s pressing. It certainly hadn¡¯t been the first time that he saw a crack in Ayumi¡¯s armor, but the frequency that he saw concerned him. ¡°N-No! Of course not! I just made the first thing that came to mind that I thought would be comfortable for everyone.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t a pleasure cruise, Yuki!¡± ¡°I know that! You don¡¯t have to remind me!¡± ¡°Do you really?! While you¡¯re here there is an entire country of people uncertain living in fear not knowing why their king isn¡¯t there! Not knowing if they¡¯ll be saved in time!¡± Ayumi''s voice cracked and weakened with her words. A slight shaking in her arms showed how much her discipline fought with her emotions. ¡°And behind me as well, believe me I know what¡¯s at stake.¡± He stepped forward looking into Ayumi¡¯s shaking eyes feeling the deep pain that sat within them. Only centimeters stood between them as he waited to make sure he was welcome. Yuki slowly closed the remaining distance, lifting up his arms wrapping gently around her. The fragile warmth of Ayumi overcame him. She reluctantly accepted his advance, putting her shivering arms up against his back. It almost made him freeze in surprise, holding her so close in such a defenseless and helpless state. He didn¡¯t know what more to think just letting the moment hold for as long as it should. ¡°Ayumi¡­I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°¡­thank you¡­Yuki,¡± whispered Ayumi, her head resting on his shoulder not quite burying herself. Chapter 94 ¨C A Blue View ¡°I really don¡¯t like this shit at all!¡± yelled Seiji over the deck as though he needed to be heard by everyone. Yori, Yori¡¯s sister and Fumiko all stared quietly at him. Ever since they left the docks, Seiji clamped tightly to the side of the railing. At first, it seemed as though he was just enjoying the youthful energetic pursuits of a free luxury ride at sea. Yori reclined in one of the plentiful sun chairs appearing to be very relaxed. ¡°I concur¡­ This is quite¡­unnerving¡­¡± ¡°Yes, I agree¡­it is quite unnatural!¡± Fumiko rested on the wide banister with her back to the ocean. Seiji pulled away from the railing in utter panic-stricken confusion. ¡°How the hell can you say that with the way you¡¯re acting!?¡± He threw his arms out, shaking them a little incredulously at them. ¡°No, it really is!¡± A cautious slit in his narrowed eyes looked at the two of them suspiciously. ¡°You¡¯re making fun of me again! Aren¡¯t you?¡± Yori dismissed the notion with a flippant hand jester. ¡°It¡¯s not as though you¡¯re a tough guy or someone that tries to maintain a certain image.¡± Two sharp strikes directly on target slammed into Seiji, cutting him down quickly. However, it quickly changed when he thought that he heard them laughing at him. Anger fueled a second wind to stand him upright and glaring down at them. ¡°How the hell can you not be freaked out by this dream crap?!¡± ¡°Yuki¡¯s not dreaming. He¡¯s just meditating,¡± Yori¡¯s sister added. ¡°Don¡¯t nitpick me! It¡¯s real, but not real!¡± Seiji froze up staring down as though he could see his words and they looked back with only questions. ¡°None of it makes the hell of any sense. Just sounds like a dream to me!¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°You¡¯re part right and part wrong.¡± Ayumi¡¯s undeclared arrival set Seiji on edge, hugging the railing. She stared at Seiji for a moment. ¡°As I explained before, it is a type of illusionary power. We create what we want with our mind to make it real within the boundaries of our Field.¡± The longer she went on the more it became clear to her that he wasn¡¯t getting it either distraction by irrational fear or too dumb to comprehend an explanation. Ayumi could only sigh. ¡°It¡¯s like playing pretend when you were younger,¡± Fumiko translated, ¡°Except what was pretend is now reality.¡± Ayumi bit her lip a little, holding back her frustration with her explanation being dumb down so much, feeling it as an insult. It became even worse when she saw that Seiji actually seemed to understand. She lost a moment of her composure in slack-jawed disbelief. It immediately followed up by the sting at her pride waking her voice. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you actually understand such a simplistic explanation as to insult our great tradition!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t help it if your explanations are too damn complicated.¡± ¡°¡­too¡­complicated!? Complicated?!¡± Yori¡¯s sister stepped in between them. ¡°No one intended to insult your tradition Ayumi. You should be glad that Seiji understands now.¡± ¡°¡­fine¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got a question.¡± Seiji directed towards Ayumi in bold fashion acting like everything that happened a second before meant nothing. ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re so powerful why not just make a plane or some instant teleportation device to get us there faster than a boat?¡± Yori sat up from his chair and leaned over his knees. He made a slight nod before re-enforcing Seiji¡¯s question. ¡°I was actually wondering the same thing as well. It doesn¡¯t seem like the most efficient method given what I¡¯ve seen you do.¡± The question turned Ayumi away from them, slightly looking a little cornered and reluctant. Her hesitation only made everyone lean and press in becoming even more curious considering her reaction. When she looked back, prepared to talk, to find them all much closer than before her doubt increased. ¡°It¡¯s because¡­I¡¯m trying to limit how much fighting we have to do while reaching Atlantis. Going in from the air is going to get us spotted.¡± Fumiko checked around with the others to see if it was just her. ¡°That wasn¡¯t a very convincing answer the way she said it.¡± ¡°For someone so confident that was pretty weak.¡± ¡°¡­my boat¡­¡± mumbled Ayumi, barely even audible to even herself. The sound of their whispers made her twitch. ¡°Fine! It¡¯s my boat!¡± ¡°Huh? Isn¡¯t it just a fake?¡± Seiji questioned leaning in around the others. Ayumi shook her head. ¡°No! My boat is inside the boat.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The blank stare from Seiji made it impossible for Ayumi. ¡°I make them as a hobby. Well it was the only one I finished¡­¡± Ayumi turned away, bringing herself up to the railing to rest her arms against. ¡°It was the first time that I had been able to leave the palace. I never was able to do anything with it locked up in a secret room.¡± A look of nostalgia began to surface on Ayumi. Yori and Fumiko shared confused looks with each other. Seiji was even worse off than them and Yori¡¯s sister did the only polite thing she could think of by approaching the railing. A rare honest smile came over Ayumi taking in the ocean smell. She glanced over at Yori¡¯s sister noticing her and brought her into her world. ¡°I always thought of the ocean when I worked on it. The feel of the breeze at your skin and salty taste through your nose and tongue. Open seas and boundless possibilities. I¡¯d create little pools with my power dreaming of it, but no matter how real it seemed I always knew¡­¡± By that point in the reminiscing the others had joined in around hoping for a straight answer about the boat. No answer seemed in sight and Seiji played the innocent victim. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s that got to do with not making a plane?¡± Ayumi¡¯s bubble broke and she turned back around to face Seiji. She tried to hold back her aspirated expression, staring at him. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll do the only thing that will get through to that thick skull of yours!¡± She marched off the deck leaving the others behind. After she didn¡¯t return they quickly voted on following her. In route a broadcast requesting all of them in the ballroom gave them their directions. They found her speaking to Yuki still confused about what was supposed to happen. She spun around to confirm that everyone arrived in the room. ¡°I wasn¡¯t planning on doing this for several more hours, but we¡¯ll be doing it a few times on the trip. So follow my instructions if you don¡¯t want to drift out to sea.¡± Ayumi motioned Yuki back a little and placed herself at the point that seemed to be the center. A white oval appeared suddenly, covering almost four meters in length and a meter wide. ¡°Stand anywhere within this white line I marked.¡± All she received was questioning and uncertain stares back. ¡°Just do it. You¡¯ll understand once we¡¯re done.¡± It took a minute for them to shuffle around in reluctance and feeling a little awkward. Once they finished Ayumi looked over at Yuki. The white line disappeared and a strange weightlessness came over all of them. ¡°Do it. Remain as still as you can and don¡¯t panic.¡± Suddenly, the cruise boat disappeared, exposing all of them to the ocean below them with about ten meters to go before getting wet. Beneath them a small boat about the size and shape of a lifeboat fell into the water in anticipation like it was going to catch them. As expected, no one held still starting to flail about helplessly suspended in the air. The siblings latched on to each other while Seiji and Fumiko wrestled for control of Ayumi as their life preserver. Ayumi coughed and choked on their struggling trying to hold her concentration. ¡°I said¡­don¡¯t panic!¡± Nothing was going to calm them down. ¡°Fine! Just stop trying to use me as an anchor!¡± Their landing in the boat came less than what Ayumi hoped for with most of them nearly being strung up by the edge of the boat. In the moments that they tried to recover themselves, Ayumi closed her eyes and they were all suddenly rising again. The boat disappeared and wood planks appeared under their feet molding into a large room distinctly different from the one before, simple and unassuming. Ayumi checked on everyone around her to see that they were all right, though quite shaken by the experience. She waited a bit before ending her explanation. ¡°We¡¯re traveling this way because when we have to switch, would you want to be only ten meters over the ocean or ten thousand if a mistake is made? And we can use the real boat as a temporary platform between Field changes. You understand now?¡± Yori finally caught his breath to look up at Ayumi. ¡°You know you could have just said that without having to explain about your boat hobby.¡± ¡°Uh?! I-I¡­¡± Ayumi''s eyes widened when she realized everything that happened. Her mind played through all of the events quickly through her mind as it sank in. A depressed look shadowed over her as she collapsed to the floor. ¡°I-I said all of that¡­why!? Have I become infected by his idiocy now!? What¡¯s wrong with me¡­¡± No one else said anything more, feeling at a lack of words. They watched her quickly break herself down falling into a deep hole to try to run away from her embarrassment. They decided to do the polite thing and leave to let her be alone until she recovered from the shock. Hours later Ayumi still mumbled words to herself left barely able to function enough to keep her Field up. Everyone found places to spend their remaining time until Yuki took back over. The boat wasn¡¯t nearly as fancy or over the top as Yuki, but it still functioned as needed. At the rear of the boat Yuki leaned against the railing staring out into the ocean. Saki arrived back having changed into more summer wear, as the equator started to arrive for them. She stuck to something comfortable and certainly less feminine than the other girls. It was a simple long white shorts and pale blue tank top with an off white jacket. ¡°Hey Yuki, are you going to get some sleep? Your shift starts in six hours.¡± ¡°Uh?¡± Yuki coughed absentminded. He turned back to look at Saki for a moment, but returned to the view. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll sleep soon¡­¡± Saki stepped up next to him placing her hands out in the air playing casually with the breeze between her fingers. She tilted her head over towards him. ¡°Thinking about it?¡± ¡°A little¡­¡± He shifted his weight on his legs suddenly feeling the awkward stiffness crawling up his knee. ¡°¡­a lot¡­ I feel like I¡¯m just running away from all of the hell I brought down on them.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not so certain it is hell to them. It might have seemed like that at first, but people are adjusting. I think it actually brought all of us together. We wouldn¡¯t all be here now if it hadn¡¯t happened. They have a way to be able to achieve what they want now because of what you did.¡± Yuki thought about it, having not considered Saki¡¯s perspective. ¡°So you think it¡¯s a good thing that happened?¡± He saw her giving him an encouraging nod to keep going. ¡°I guess it does depend on how you look at it¡­and things did seem to be settling down when we left. Yeah! By the time we get back life will be back to normal again and they¡¯ll be living happily and normally!¡± ¡°Exactly! So don¡¯t let it worry and weigh you down! They¡¯ll be fine while we take care of this!¡± Chapter 95 - The Looming Fog Late evening arrived on the ship. Yuki already replaced Ayumi, who slept mostly peacefully. The switch left everyone very much on edge and unable to sleep immediately. They stood on something technically not real, a single thought could change that reality. The other half proved less plain and more racking on their bodies. None of them had ever been away from Japan before and some never even left the city. They watched as they sailed away from their home and found foreign skies above them that gave less comfort to a sore soul. Like the rest, Yumi wandered the halls of Yuki¡¯s cruise ship unable to sleep. Her restlessness came less from the uncertainty of falling into the ocean like the rest. She trusted Yuki and that gave her strength against such fears. However, a different matter troubled her far more deeply. It kept her from being able to concentrate on anything. Her mind was fixed to one matter, Ayumi. She couldn¡¯t escape the thoughts in her mind and the squeezing pain that wrapped around her heart. It was tormenting her steps as she strolled through another random hallway. ¡®What¡¯s wrong with me? Why can¡¯t I stop thinking about it?¡¯ Each time it rose within her images of Yuki and Ayumi flashed through her mind. In the next hallway, Yumi found that she was approaching the ballroom where Yuki focused on keeping the boat together. ¡®Maybe talking to him would settle everything down enough to sleep¡­but what about?¡¯ Yumi hesitated before the door, not certain if she could make it into the room. Even her recently discovered strength wasn¡¯t enough to keep her heart from faltering upon the threshold. She had thought that she had changed. Yet it seemed that nothing had become different. ¡®I-I just need to¡­Yuki¡­I¡ª¡® A deep penetrating weight fell upon her heart dragging all of the air out of her. There were no thoughts, just the pounding in her chest making her go deaf. Soon her arms began to shake along with her legs. She felt ready to collapse at any moment. All Yumi managed then forced her to flee the scene until she made it to her room. She fell to the floor still feeling every part of her shaking violently. A hot boiling sensation started to grow within that converted the shaking into spontaneous anger. No thoughts controlled Yumi. Only simple emotions fueled her as she threw things across the room that decorated the space. Value or preciousness didn¡¯t matter to her. She demanded a vent to release the consuming emotions inside. Yumi froze in the middle of throwing a glass statuette at the wall. ¡®What am I doing?!¡¯ She jerked back as she looked around the room to see the shattered pieces of what she had destroyed strewn everywhere. ¡®What did I¡­¡¯ As her mind traced backwards through the hazy it became clearer to Yumi. ¡°Ayumi¡­why was she¡­¡± He meditated on his powers, but rolled up peacefully and defenseless was Ayumi on her side. She looked exhausted from holding together for half a day. Yumi looked around the room again. It made her drop to the side of the bed, hanging her head down. A tear streamed down her cheek prepared for the sorrow that welled up. ¡°I¡¯m losing¡­it¡­ I-I¡­ What¡¯s happening to me? What is this feeling?¡± Chapter 95 ¨C The Looming Fog Near the front of the cruise ship the restless gathered. Yori held off his uneasiness by focusing on problems that spun in his mind over the day. He hadn¡¯t asked for anyone to join him, but realized the continued company that he had throughout the day. Fumiko and Seiji frequently stayed nearby. The others seemed satisfied with keeping to themselves, a poor quality for a group. Yori noted to himself how far they had come. ¡®The speed that we must be going to have already passed the equator in a single day¡­ It¡¯s very clear that this isn¡¯t a normal vessel even if it does have the appearance of one. The flexibility that they have is staggering. Will they really need us to do anything with such overwhelming abilities?¡¯ He looked back at the others that stuck nearby dwelling on the thought. Seiji shifted his weight against the wall of the deck. He looked frustrated and exhausted. No one said anything in the last few hours. He was left with only his thoughts and that could only sustain him for so long before he became bored. ¡°Damn it all to hell! I can¡¯t take all of this silence! Are you all just asleep or something!?¡± The moment after he yelled the other two stared at him with an annoyed expression that made him regret running off his mouth. Yori turned his focus to Seiji. ¡°Didn¡¯t realize you were such a chatty individual.¡± Fumiko kept her eyes closed, while listening. ¡°Thought tough guys were all silent types except when in a fight.¡± ¡°How the hell can you all be so quiet?! Don¡¯t you have anything to say or talk about?!¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t an afterschool hang out.¡± ¡°I know that, but¡ª¡° Their words fully sat in his mind. ¡®What am I doing?! I have an image to maintain! I can¡¯t let this get to me!¡¯ Seiji straightened himself back up, appearing like he had shaken off his problems, but it only became more obvious to the others. ¡°Is the big tough guy getting scared?¡± whispered Chiharu into his ear as she appeared mysteriously hanging from the deck above. She gave him a wicked grin when he stumbled backwards startled by her entrance. He wiped his ear trying to get her out of him as his feet danced about. ¡°What the hell do you think you¡¯re doing? When did you get there?!¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°Only a moment ago. But I could hear your whining across the ship. It penetrates everything obnoxiously.¡± ¡°You really are looking for a fight!¡± Seiji charged Chiharu only to find his fist in pain for slamming into the wall. ¡°Shit!¡± Anger washed over any pain that he might have felt. He started to search the deck trying to figure out where she disappeared to. ¡°You too afraid to fight me head on? You¡¯re just a coward!¡± Chiharu stepped out of the shadows a few meters away from Seiji. ¡°I guess it would be boring to defeat you so easily.¡± She answered his fierce glare with a simple offensive stance that left too many openings. He read her stance and smirked to himself, pleased to see that it worked. Seiji charged her ready to strike with his fists, however he found himself flying through the air. A moment later, his back slammed against the deck. He blinked trying to figure out what had happened and heard a muffled laugh from the kid. This fueled his anger even more, setting him on his feet to hunt down Chiharu once again. It didn¡¯t take long for him to locate her as she stood in sight taunting him. The charge he made ended in the same results. Repeating the process started to become embarrassing and painful to watch as Seiji didn¡¯t show any signs of achieving ground against her. It made him tired. Chiharu shrugged her shoulders looking bored. ¡°You can¡¯t even give me a good exercise. Guess you¡¯re as disappointing as the weakling.¡± The stance she had suddenly changed, appearing to have had a new mood turned over with her decision. ¡°All you can do is talk!¡± Seiji charged the same as he had before for Chiharu. He went for a wide swing at her seeing leap away, but was prepared for it. ¡®Got her figured out!¡¯ His hand grabbed her ankle and spun her around to her surprise. When he finished he left her denting the wall and shattering the glass of the porthole window. Chiharu fell down to the floor having trouble moving. ¡°Not hot shit without your speed huh?!¡± Seiji grinned in triumph down at Chiharu. She glared up at him with defiance. It took her a while to get the feeling back in her body after being thrown so hard. ¡®He read my moves¡­ After all of that he can keep going¡­ Damn!¡¯ Chiharu refused to bow to him and forced herself back to her feet. However, before she could do anything a person¡¯s back filled her entire vision. ¡°That¡¯s enough Seiji! How can you pick on a little girl like that?! I thought you were a better man than that!¡± Fumiko turned around to check on how Chiharu was doing. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll protect you!¡± Chiharu felt Fumiko hand on her shoulder and turned away from the tall teen. ¡°Tch! I don¡¯t need you¡­¡± After those words she disappeared out of sight. ¡°Chiharu!?¡± Fumiko searched around the deck quickly and then ran off to hunt her down. Seiji was left confused and puzzled trying to figure out why he had become the villain. ¡°But¡­but¡­¡± Yori leaned at the railing knowing that there had only been two ways for it to have turned out. ¡°That is why you don¡¯t do that. You lose and you look like a weakling, but win and you¡¯re a bully.¡± He walked over to Seiji, patting him on the shoulder. ¡°It¡¯ll be okay, eventually.¡± However, Yori stepped back in surprise seeing that Seiji was completely lost. He sighed to himself. ¡®How are we going to be able to survive like this?¡¯ Travel to the south continued mostly uninterrupted. Ayumi swapped with Yuki in the morning and then again when evening came. It had already become very cold when the evening came and there weren¡¯t enough winter clothes to go around. Ayumi only planned on three and the others didn¡¯t pick for every weather condition. It kept them inside where it was still warm, but it soon became more of a concern navigating the ice that surrounded the continent. The cruise ship pressed through cracking the ice along the surface proving again that it wasn¡¯t to be taken for appearance alone. The siblings stood on the bridge with a view of their destination ahead of them and giving directions to the voice activated ship controls. ¡°If what I¡¯m seeing on the monitor is correct, the actual land is only a few miles away,¡± reported Yori. She looked out the window into the thick void of the night where no civilization existed. Only the moon and stars provided light to see by. ¡°Are there any lights we can turn on? Running into ice is one thing, but actual land is going to be too dangerous!¡± ¡°Would you like the searchlights to be turned on?¡± replied a soft male voice, the computer that took their inputs. ¡°Yes! Turn the lights on!¡± ¡°Understood. Activating search lights.¡± Across the front of the ship thick beams of light snapped on casting out pools of light over passing icebergs and floating ice debris. A faint glow of reflecting ice in the distance signaled the land that Yori spoke about. ¡°If there¡¯s someone out there they¡¯re going to see the lights. I think it¡¯s too dangerous to be alerting them.¡± She thought about it for a moment staring down at the flashing displays of information that she mostly didn¡¯t understand. ¡°If Ayumi¡¯s Atlantis is out there then we¡¯ve missed them. The coastline looks completely empty.¡± ¡°Ayumi¡¯s people aren¡¯t the only ones that I¡¯m thinking about. Antarctica is regularly used by scientists as well. We don¡¯t want them to accidentally see us and then have to explain ourselves to them.¡± She nodded agreeing with her brother. ¡°You¡¯re right, but we also need to be able to see. Can we turn down the brightness enough to see ahead while not being as easily seen?¡± ¡°The lights are adjustable. Reduce strength by 80%?¡± answered the computer. ¡°Yes!¡± The intensity lowered suddenly, cutting her vision down heavily. ¡®I guess I should be grateful that it¡¯s some science fiction computer that¡¯s smart enough to interpret questions¡­still very annoying all the same¡­¡¯ The door to the hall opened up letting in Ayumi. She took a moment to examine the horizon before speaking up. ¡°How long before landfall is possible?¡± ¡°A few minutes would be my guess. So long as there isn¡¯t any really thick ice to break through.¡± Yori flipped through the displays on the screen, starting to become accustomed to the computer. He pulled up their targeted land to show to Ayumi. ¡°You do realize that it is over a kilometer high. There are other places we can go that are closer to sea level.¡± ¡°Height doesn¡¯t mean anything. Keep us on course.¡± Ayumi walked out of the bridge returning to the hallway. The siblings stared between each other a little surprised by how uncaring she was about the conditions. ¡°She¡¯s got ice in her veins¡­¡± remarked Yori trying to ignore the bad pun that he had just made. He saw out of the corner of his eye his sister giggling to herself. It forced him back towards the monitor. ¡°We¡¯ve got two minutes before we run into the cliff!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let everyone know!¡± She sent out a message over the broadcast system informing them that they had nearly reached their destination. The plan gathered everyone in the center of the ship. Ayumi retrieved arctic clothing that she requested Yuki to include in his ship. Once everyone was dressed for the weather they went out on the deck, Yuki included. His addition made everyone a little nervous, but Ayumi assured them very bluntly that Yuki had range (if nothing else). ¡°We¡¯re going to hit the cliff soon!¡± yelled Yori looking around at everyone on the main deck in front of the ship. Ayumi nodded in acknowledgement and nothing more. The ship shook violently and most everyone began to panic as they floated in the air. ¡°We¡¯ve got a long way to go. I¡¯d suggest remaining calm.¡± Ayumi stared up at the faintly outlined cliff ignoring everyone. Minutes passed in almost complete darkness before anything could be seen. A glowing light spread out in front of them from the moonlight dancing upon the snow and ice that stretched out for endless kilometers. They found careful footing on the ice with their spiked boots digging giving them balance. Fumiko still managed to slip and fall, but there was enough padding that it wasn¡¯t as bad as she thought. She sat up not feeling certain about standing at that moment. ¡°What about your boat?¡± Her answer came quickly as a new Field made them feel very warm. After Ayumi prepared the Field, Yuki released his own Field forcing their arctic wear to disappear. Yuki created a new Field to cover her tasks. She focused on retrieving the boat from the ice down below. ¡°Antarctica¡­¡± Yuki whispered to himself, scanning the foreign continent. He had always imagined that leaving the country would have taken him to somewhere a little more alive and warm. It left him feeling a little odd thinking about it. However, he knew that he had to focus on the problem ahead of us. ¡°So where¡¯s Atlantis? I sort of pictured it being along the coast¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ve got further to go inland.¡± Chapter 96 - Seeking Atlantis Seiji stepped forward, working through the crowd to face down Ayumi. He looked to be in more control than usual when annoyed, but most of that was from having tasted the biting cold of the arctic. ¡°I don¡¯t see shit. It¡¯s just a bunch of damn ice. There¡¯s nothing here!¡± Ayumi refused to answer him. Her silence fueled the concerns everyone else had. Doubts grew among the group. Yori took the time to speak up, giving voice to the rest of the group. ¡°He does raise a valid point. Most of us have said nothing, but we¡¯re here and there are no answers. Scientists regularly visit Antarctica and have reported nothing of civilization. Do you have a reason for this Ayumi?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it a little late to be bringing up flaws in her information?¡± retorted Chiharu, being a surprising counterpoint. ¡°If you have doubts perhaps you should have mentioned them while we were still in Japan and not half a world away.¡± Fumiko straightened herself up. ¡°You haven¡¯t said too much to us about Atlantis or Antarctica. So all we¡¯ve had to go on is our imagination. It seemed like we¡¯d understand once we got here, but it is still just as mysterious. You don¡¯t have to explain everything right now, but something for us to understand.¡± ¡°They¡¯re right, Ayumi!¡± Yuki leaned in with a step of his foot. ¡°I¡¯m tired of hiding my head in the sand. My past indecisiveness made it easy to ignore or push important questions off. But if I¡¯m going to be helping you I need to know what¡¯s going on here.¡± Chapter 96 ¨C Seeking Atlantis ¡°¡­a brief explanation¡­¡± Ayumi stepped away and forced a stricter stance upon herself. She only blinked, but when she finished preparing her mind the entire scene had changed. Everyone gathered around her eagerly waiting to hear (except for Haruo and Chiharu of course). Ayumi pulled back even more, rising to one leg as she leaned away. ¡°Some distance please.¡± Everyone fanned out further away from her while still keeping close. A definite difference in temperature could be felt further away. Ayumi cleared her throat, forced to prepare herself all over. ¡°My, our, homeland lies towards the very center of the continent. The borders of the kingdom are about eight hundred kilometers in, maybe more. We don¡¯t exactly keep track since we normally stay inside our kingdom.¡± She thought about how much she could tell them. The previous problems with explaining complicated matters to Seiji proved to her that she had to pick her words far more carefully than she wished. She knew that the rest to be difficult to comprehend, even by those that lived in Atlantis. ¡°The rest you¡¯ll have to just trust me on. Atlantis is there, but is not visible to normal people. The world doesn¡¯t know about what it can¡¯t see. If I tell you anymore now it won¡¯t make any sense. It is just something you have to experience to understand fully.¡± Yuki held his hand to his chin appearing more thoughtful than was actually the case. ¡°I think that is the most straightforward you¡¯ve ever been with me. Though it still manages to have your usual vagueness.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t expect straight answers from something that doesn¡¯t follow the natural laws.¡± ¡°True enough. Though all this mystery is really hyping up the big reveal. It going to live up to expectations?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not the one setting expectations.¡± Saki stepped in between the two. ¡°Alright! We don¡¯t have time for this. Unless that boat of yours can transform into a snow truck or something useful. We¡¯re going to have to start walking.¡± ¡°No it doesn¡¯t transform, but we can make vehicles for travel. It¡¯ll still be half a day or more to get to the border, but it¡¯s faster than walking.¡± Once Ayumi told them the plan on how they were going to reach the border, a small meal was laid out from the bits of rations and food that everyone brought. It seemed only natural that Ayumi carried the most, knowing better than the rest the length of the trip. However, her supplies didn¡¯t have enough to support everyone. The others supplemented their food, but after two days it started looking very meager. They all knew if food wasn¡¯t found soon that fighting would be the least of their worries. While the rest of the group laughed and joked around, Yuki sat at the edge of the cliff with his legs tapping against the cliff¡¯s sheer surface. The lateness of the hour didn¡¯t matter much to him. Any exhaustion he might have had became drowned out by his thoughts. His eyes locked on to the distant horizon where he pretended Japan to be. ¡®I wish I had said something¡­ I just left without a word¡­¡¯ Staring at the night sky made him think back on that night he left. It had the same feeling of darkness and cold like the one that filled him. ¡®¡­Momoko¡­ I will be back¡­ Keep them safe until then¡­¡¯ Yuki tossed a piece of ice that broke off during their arrival. From behind him, a sharp smack came to Yuki¡¯s head. ¡°Still moping around, Yuki?¡± Saki leaned over the top of him a little with her hands on her hips. She bore down her piercing light brown eyes upon his head waiting for him to look up at her. However, he refused to meet her or even respond to the hit. ¡°Enough with the emo act. What happened to keeping up your fa?ade?¡± She waited until it became too exasperating to watch. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Saki ripped his hair back with enough force to lay him out flat. She stepped around him ignoring the fact that a cliff was only centimeters away from her feet. She dropped down straddling him around his waist getting a lock on his eyes. ¡°You can¡¯t ignore me now!¡± Yuki turned his head away from Saki, frustrating her further. ¡°What is it? I thought we agreed on the ship about leaving Japan?!¡± The lack of a response or even reaction made Saki lean and take hold of his shirt. ¡°If it¡¯s not that then what? Is it your family?¡± A flinch in Yuki¡¯s face gave him away. ¡°I thought you were going to settle things with them before you left? What happened?¡± ¡°¡­I couldn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t what?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Repeating yourself isn¡¯t helping me!¡± Saki saw that she wasn¡¯t going to get anymore from him. She played through her memories trying to piece things together and remembered it. ¡°Your fight with Momoko?! I can¡¯t believe you, Yuki! You knew you were leaving and you didn¡¯t make up with her before you left?! Now you¡¯re acting mopey because you¡¯re regretting it now!¡± Saki hauled him up after getting off of him. After Yuki returned to his feet she pressed her finger against his chest not shoving him with force. She pressed her position, not giving him quarter. ¡°You wait all this time to start worrying about it! When you need your head in the game! You made the decision and now you¡¯ve got to live with it! Stop wallowing and man up!¡± Saki paused to catch her breath and became further annoyed by the stunned, confused look that she received from him. ¡°Dammit Yuki! You¡¯re worse than an irrational girl sometimes!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not being irrational!¡± ¡°So prove it!¡± ¡°I will then!¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to do it that simply? Saying it doesn¡¯t make it happen!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not just saying it. I¡¯ll prove it to you!¡± ¡°Then stand on your own feet and keep moving forward!¡± Saki slapped him on the back, jerking him forward into their gallery of friends. She knew partly that she drew an audience, but it still unnerved her a bit. She forced herself not to show that it affected her pushing through them now that Yuki returned. Everyone saw that the show ended and tried to make themselves appear like they had something better to be doing. Yumi approached Saki from behind, keeping in her shadow. ¡°Violence doesn¡¯t solve everything. There¡¯s a heavy weight on his shoulders¡ª¡° ¡°I know!¡± The pain within his heart was something all too clear to her. She watched him for years knowing. ¡°But we don¡¯t have the luxury of spending the time letting emotions and regret run their course. We need his head in the game and a good fist to the face is sometimes what he needs to wake up.¡± Yumi tightened her hands out of worry. ¡°But we¡¯re only delaying it and pushing it back. This isn¡¯t resolving the problem. He¡¯s got to have the time to sort them out.¡± ¡°When he collapses it¡¯ll be up to his trusted partner to give him a shoulder to bear his feelings and support him. Until then I¡¯ll make sure to keep driving him forward to where he wants to go. That is my job as his friend¡­¡± Saki walked off having kept her back to her the whole time. Yumi stared at her tall proud back and felt like she saw something deeper unnoticed by Saki. ¡®Saki? Aren¡¯t you the one he trusts the most?¡¯ Yuki found his focus and everyone finished their preparations. Since Ayumi had the plan, she took the lead. A large vehicle materialized in front of her looking like a snow plow. It had enough seating for five as arranged. The girls partnered with Ayumi while the boys stuck with Yuki. A ride on the trucks, through the snow and ice across a wasteland, hung over everyone¡¯s mind. Trust in what Ayumi claimed continued to be a point of concern for some. They barely knew her and her continued mysterious nature didn¡¯t endear herself to them. Everyone gathered up in their truck. In the distance on the horizon, dark shining mountains stood surrounding them with vast stretches of snow covered ice. Ayumi took the lead knowing their direction and Yuki followed behind. He didn¡¯t have to worry too much about controls, letting it do most of the work. The hours passed in solitude with only the rumbling of the engine and treads bleeding dully into the cabin. Most of everyone slept having not had the chance since arriving so late and unable to sleep prior. Some comfort in the land beneath them gave them peace of mind, that and heavy fatigue. The endless scenery continued to pass them by with no sign of anything. Plentiful rest consumed their time, but it reached a point where even sleeping was impossible. Seiji unsurprisingly awoke the last from a slight stirring in the truck in a patch of rough terrain. He yawned deeply before working on his surroundings. The windows held a little fog to lighten up the darkness. ¡°Hey, it is morning or afternoon, right? Did I sleep through the whole day? I thought it was only supposed to take us half a day to get to her home!¡± Yori leaned back from the front seat to address him. ¡°It¡¯s only been about half a day since we started.¡± ¡°Then why the hell is it night still?!¡± ¡°Because when you¡¯re this far south during this time of the year it is almost always dark.¡± Seiji looked a little ruffled, but crossed his arms leaning back. ¡°This continent is annoying and weird.¡± ¡°Yuki! Make your Field smaller!¡± ordered Ayumi through the radio. Yuki glowered through the windshield at the back of Ayumi¡¯s truck. ¡°I¡¯m trying to, but it¡¯s not very easy as I said before!¡± ¡°Just do it unless you want to walk the rest of the way there!¡± ¡®I didn¡¯t miss the old Ayumi this much¡­I like the new her better¡­¡¯ The closer they came to Atlantis the more often that Ayumi yelled at him. Yuki grew tired of hearing her reminding him of something that wasn¡¯t possible for him. Another hour passed with Ayumi berating his failures. However, on the last message Ayumi¡¯s truck came to a stop. Yuki feared that her threats about walking turned serious. He stopped next to her vehicle and looked across towards the girl¡¯s truck for answers. The doors to their truck opened giving them the signal that they did the same. ¡°I guess we¡¯re walking the rest of the way,¡± Yuki tried to say cheerfully to the guys. He got a couple of uncertain looks back considering their situation. ¡°Well let¡¯s just find out what it is. We should be pretty close anyway.¡± Yuki hurried out of the truck not really wanting to face the looks further. Ayumi stood out in front of the group of nine staring deeply at the endless abyss of Antarctica. She knew of their suspicions. Their answers would come soon enough. She turned back around and finished confirming what she needed. ¡°So where is it?¡± Seiji stood looking around, still holding his arm crossed. ¡°I¡¯m not seeing anything but damn ice cubes.¡± ¡°As I said before it¡¯s not something that can be seen. But this is the land of Atlantis before you. Follow me and you¡¯ll understand.¡± Chapter 97 - Strangers in a Strange Land A barren wasteland of ice laid out for their view in every direction. The Field from Ayumi protected them from most of the elements. Even still, the wind dug through like claws and fangs to grope at the teens. It managed a cool chill that left everyone feeling as though they had been splashed with cold water. The words from Ayumi failed to provide any reassurance to the group. Seiji and the others that had strong doubts about the entire thing saw the lack of any proof to be suspicious. They went along with her vague explanations, but time continued to tick away. The emptiness they saw furthered their doubt. ¡°You keep saying to go further and further, but each time there¡¯s not a damn thing! I¡¯m thinking you¡¯re just stringing us along for the shits.¡± ¡°But Ayumi says¡ª¡° tried Yuki before getting cut off. ¡°She says helluva lot, Yuki! And we¡¯ve yet to have any damn proof anything she¡¯s saying is true!¡± Yori kept to his spot, still examining the situation. The number of pieces missed prevented him from understanding. ¡®It¡¯s almost like she¡¯s purposely keeping us limited and in the dark.¡¯ He knew that left alone Seiji wouldn¡¯t get them any progress. ¡°I think we all have our doubts, but only a few more steps is not too much to ask considering the distance that we have traveled. I assume there¡¯s a reason we can¡¯t see your homeland from here?¡± ¡°I certainly don¡¯t like being strung around,¡± Chiharu added, ¡°So there better be something good explaining things in these next few steps.¡± ¡°Seiji, if Ayumi says you¡¯ll understand soon then she means it,¡± Yuki persuaded. ¡°One thing I know to be true is that she tells the truth even to the point of being tactless.¡± The last word from Yuki gave him a chilling sensation down his back as though someone had just stepped on his grave. He refused to turn, afraid to see the look that Ayumi gave him. Saki stepped up, slapping Seiji in the shoulder blade hard. ¡°All you¡¯ve been doing is whining all this time. Thought you were a tough guy, not some pansy.¡± She gave him a mean smirk taunting him with her last words. He took the bait without thinking. Seiji leaned over to face Saki and got close enough to accidentally spit on her while he spoke. ¡°Oh yeah?! I¡¯ll sure as shit show you who¡¯s actually a pansy!¡± He shoved Saki aside into Fumiko and charged in the direction that Ayumi intended to take them. Ayumi tried to speak up to stop Seiji, but she didn¡¯t have enough time. She groaned to herself about dealing with children before throwing up a barrier. He smashed into it and nearly shattered it to her surprise. The barrier gave her the time to catch up to him and stood in front casting a heavy imposing shadow. ¡°I¡¯ll be going first. Follow behind me in any order that you wish. If you don¡¯t want to trust me then you can leave your trust to Antarctica.¡± After her words she stepped forward and disappeared from everyone¡¯s sight. Chapter 97 ¨C Strangers in a Strange Land The disappearance of Ayumi left the party stunned. It took them a while to react and approach the area where she stepped through. A few of them waved their hands through the space trying to see if part of them disappeared, but nothing happened. After the failed attempts they turned to exchange stares. Chiharu made the bold move to stand where Ayumi had been. She paused only long enough to check her surroundings one last time before diving into the void that Ayumi must have gone. Her body disappeared like Ayumi had before giving some certainty to the others. Seiji kept quiet after seeing two of them vanish before his eyes. He had no room left to complain and the procession of the rest gave him a slight indignant look. The next few in the group left, leaving only Seiji, Haruo and Yuki behind. He decided to take his turn to prove that he had no fear, though the muffled scream didn¡¯t help his case. ¡°See you on the other side!¡± Yuki waved with a cheer to Haruo before going next. The moment that Antarctica became a black void he knew that he had entered the space everyone else had before him. His connection to his body seemed to stretch out until it no longer felt as though he moved. A great and gentle hand reached out pulling him forward as though the void itself beckoned him. The call summoned him as though to greet him home from a long journey grateful in his return for his absence was greatly missed. ¡®I feel so warm and invited¡­¡¯ It felt as though all of his worries and fatigue melted away in the warm embrace of his homeland. He had never felt something that made him feel so welcome. It forced out any thoughts in his mind. Only a blank sense of bliss stirred within the gaps. He knew of only one time before that made him feel as he did at that moment. Yuki soon bathed in a bright light signaling the path. ¡®Atlantis is beyond here¡­¡¯ He reached out to take hold of the doorway. A yearning grew inside the closer that he came to the light. It felt so familiar. ¡®Why do I feel like I¡¯ve come home?¡¯ The void shattered like glass as he broke through smiling wide. Excitement pounded in his heart. Atlantis stood before him. ¡°Atlantis!¡± However, all of the preparation and thrill seeking fell short of the magnificent vista that lay out upon everyone¡¯s eyes. Even those ahead of him that had been there longer still stood in awe. A nearly cloudless sky of pristine blue hung veiled over boundless fields of grass and farmland. Warm soothing breezes comforted everyone. No sign of ice or the Antarctica everyone knew existed. It seemed impossible. ¡°Is this Atlantis?!¡± ¡°Impossible!¡± Seiji declared having appeared behind everyone. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°How is it possible for this to exist?!¡± Fumiko asked, looking over at Ayumi. Ayumi stepped forward and tilted her head over her shoulder to look back at them. ¡°I¡¯ll answer your questions later. Right now we have to move quickly.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± broke Seiji. Yuki stepped forward to place himself in front of her looking for an answer. They had just arrived. He didn¡¯t understand how a place that looked so peaceful presented a threat to them. The urgency to reach Atlantis for him still persisted, but a few minutes to gaze hardly seemed to be a problem. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Ayumi? Why do we have to leave so fast?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll explain later! We can¡¯t stay here!¡± The sense of urgency in her voice mixed with danger. It made things clear that something was wrong. ¡°Why can¡¯t we stay here? What¡¯s going to happen?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve entered the South Gate¡¯s territory and they¡¯ll know that we¡¯ve entered.¡± The rest of the group started gathering around them, sensing the seriousness of Ayumi¡¯s words. Ayumi led them away from where they entered. Their view back held a strange mirage of ice that looked more like water that had been poured around the world. The water pressed back by only the mere strength of the world¡¯s integrity. Further up away from the horizon filled the perfect sky becoming like a world trapped within a dome. Yuki tried to keep himself focused on leaving, but the world held him in constant awe. Saki dragged at his arm to force him to keep walking. ¡®We¡¯re here¡­the place where I face my so-called destiny!¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m¡­really¡­sleepy¡­¡± Seiji collapsed to the ground in a peaceful dream state. Yori looked back along with the others confused by what happened so suddenly to him. ¡°He¡¯s been sleeping for the entire ride and he¡¯s still sleepy?!¡± He rushed over with Yuki to get a better look at Seiji. A few shoves and hits did nothing to change him, but redden his skin. The fact that he didn¡¯t react to anything worried them. He fell too deeply into sleep to be normal. Yuki shouted ahead to Ayumi needing an answer. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him?! Is there something special in the air that makes it poisonous to outsiders or something?!¡± He worked with Yori to turn him over on his back for a better view. ¡°Nothing so hazardous or dramatic as that.¡± She stopped from her place and only faced them. The glare from Yuki demanded an answer and Ayumi sighed before relenting to his request. ¡°Pick him up and carry him with us. I¡¯ll explain as we walk. Time¡¯s still of the essence.¡± ¡°¡­fine¡­¡± Yuki looked back at his friend relieved, but still worried. The attitude from Ayumi bothered him more at the moment. ¡®It¡¯s like she¡¯s back to the way she was when I first met her. Why¡¯d she change so much when we entered Atlantis?¡¯ He cooperated with Yori to lift Seiji up to his back. Once Seiji¡¯s sleeping body¡¯s full weight pressed against his muscles he started to regret doing it alone. ¡°Man, he¡¯s heavy¡­¡± Fumiko and Yori¡¯s sister approached Yuki seeing the state that he was in after trying to lift Seiji. ¡°It¡¯s too much for you to carry alone, Yuki.¡± Yori¡¯s sister glanced over to Yori with the expectation for him to help. ¡°Yeah, Yumi¡¯s right, Yuki. You should let us help you carry him.¡± Fumiko already tried to get Seiji off Yuki¡¯s back. Yuki raised his hand to stop them. ¡°No, I¡¯m fine.¡± He tried to get to his feet again and failed. His knee jerked out, stabbing his leg. ¡°I could use some help getting to my feet though¡­¡± Through stubbornness and reluctance they brought Yuki to his feet. He still appeared unbalanced and staggered to the side even on his feet. They hesitated to let him walk on his own, but he insisted. After a minute, Yuki seemed to improve, finding his stride. A pace for everyone settled in pushing them away from the sky. Once they marched enough to be considered brief stares began to pop up. Each of the pairs of eyes focused on Ayumi. She needed to give an answer that they would accept. Ayumi shifted her sights around to take it all in while she filtered through what she had. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll start at the beginning. Around Atlantis is a barrier in the shape a large dome covering the land completely.¡± ¡°Is that why we were unable to see it from the outside,¡± inquired Yori. ¡°Correct. The barrier has a number of purposes all meant to protect Atlantis from the outside world. The first is making it completely invisible and creating an illusion.¡± ¡°But that doesn¡¯t prevent people from just walking in. There are bound to be scientists and explorers that have stumbled into here. And aren¡¯t there bases within here as well?¡± ¡°That is the second part and is a little more complicated. It also creates a false sense of space. So people are further to the coastline than they realize.¡± ¡°Are you telling me that everything that science has done here is inaccurate?!¡± Ayumi didn¡¯t seem to care about the larger implications of Yori¡¯s question. She answered him plainly as though it held no bearing for her. ¡°Only when speaking of distance.¡± Yori didn¡¯t believe what heard from Ayumi. It made him sweat a little when she looked back at him confused as to why he took it so seriously. The surprise he felt slowed down words. ¡°So casual¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see the big deal. No one¡¯s hurt and this is our land.¡± ¡°But you stay hidden from the world,¡± Fumiko commented. ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s time that you show yourselves? This won¡¯t last forever. Something¡¯s going to happen.¡± ¡°Third,¡± continued Ayumi, ignoring what Fumiko said, ¡°The barrier creates a sense of confusion when someone enters and is followed by deep uncontrollable sleep. Which is the reason for his condition.¡± She pointed over her shoulder to Seiji peacefully sleeping on Yuki¡¯s back. ¡°Why was Seiji the only one that was affected though? We all passed through the barrier.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because my Field protected you from the effects. The only way to enter is with someone that can negate the effects. He strayed too long inside the barrier realm before leaving. So he was affected while you weren¡¯t.¡± ¡°What happens to the people that wander in here?¡± questioned Yori¡¯s sister. ¡°The last part of the barrier and the reason why we must leave. The barrier is connected to four gates set across the perimeter. Any entry is registered with the closest gate. Unscheduled entries are declared to be intruders until established otherwise.¡± ¡°What happens then?¡± ¡°A border patrol locates the intruder, wipes their memories and sends them back out.¡± ¡°But Yuki and you are Atlanteans. Shouldn¡¯t you be able to get past the patrols with that?¡± ¡°No, Yuki is being hunted and as am I for trying to find him. All that would happen is getting captured.¡± A small forest and a brush ahead gave Ayumi hope for cover. She directed them into the bushes granting them rest for the moment. While they spread out, in such a disorganized manner as to throw away any sibilance of stealth, she peered out through cover to check their flank. ¡®Their response time is ten minutes at best. But I don¡¯t know how long we can evade them.¡¯ ¡°Is he awake yet,¡± Saki asked, not watching her voice. Yuki shook his head, concerned for how long he slept. They had entered the lion¡¯s den and that started to place a new pressure on his back. ¡®I didn¡¯t think we¡¯d have this sort of trouble just trying to get to Atlantis.¡¯ ¡°What are we going to do if he doesn¡¯t wake up?¡± asked Fumiko. ¡°We just leave the deadweight behind,¡± replied Chiharu softly, ¡°If they find someone they¡¯ll probably not try to pursue the rest of us further. They probably aren¡¯t expecting a group.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t do that!¡± ¡°Quiet!¡± Ayumi snapped back trying to keep her voice from rising too much. Her fears proved to be stronger than her hopes. In the distance, the shadowed figures of the South Gate border patrol appeared. Time ran out for them. ¡°The patrol is in the area. Keep down and silent!¡± Chapter 98 - The New Road The waiting drew out while the hunters sought a hidden prey. Minutes fell to hours as the hunters scoured everything within sight unwilling to give up. The longer they remained the more that arrived to aid in the searching. Afternoon light held strong over the lands of Atlantis for the hunters making it appear like only a matter of time before they found their targets. Ayumi struggled to keep everyone under control. She monitored everyone, keeping them all within her sight. ¡®There¡¯s enough hot headedness in several of the people here that I can¡¯t let my guard down for a moment. We just need a few more hours. This would have been easier if it was just Yuki and me. We¡¯re too big¡­¡¯ Chapter 98 ¨C The New Road Yuki strained while staring at Seiji. Both of them had their veins nearly popping out of their heads from the stress. They ignored any of it and focused intently on their task. ¡®Can¡¯t blink¡­ Almost there¡­¡¯ It felt like sounds should have been coming out of them, but they remained in silence. Not even a groan of struggle left their lips. Yuki felt at his limit. Everything he worked for stood on the edge of collapse. He forced himself on not acknowledging it. Just as his hope seemed lost a small light popped up displaying ¡®Level up!¡¯ over his head. Yuki raised his fist up at Seiji, taunting his success. He took a moment to breathe and accept the sweat bleeding down his face. ¡®Look at that Seiji! You can¡¯t beat me! My knowledge of manga is too vast for you to comprehend!¡¯ Seiji rammed his fist into the dirt out of frustration. ¡®Dammit! I can¡¯t believe in just a few hours you managed to grind up to level ten already.¡¯ ¡®Would you two stop with your childish games,¡¯ spoke Saki telepathically. ¡®It¡¯s really unnecessary to be so high level for just talking.¡¯ ¡®You¡¯re just saying that because you¡¯re already fifteen,¡¯ teased Yuki, ¡®You¡¯re trying even harder than us!¡¯ Saki glared back at them not about to let them get away with their insinuation that she let herself get dragged into their game just to show them up (even though it was totally what she did since she couldn''t let them beat her). ¡®Why don¡¯t you look at Yori and Yumi, they¡¯re in the fifties.¡¯ Yuki waved it off nonchalantly, not taking her misdirection. ¡®They¡¯re just weird. They began in the forties anyway.¡¯ ¡®But everyone knows it takes more experience to level up at higher levels!¡¯ ¡®Looks like someone¡¯s taking this game a little too seriously,¡¯ mocked Seiji, smirking silently at Saki. Saki rose up from her crossed meditative state looking to be barely holding herself back from charging straight for Seiji to deck him. Yori narrowed his expression a little disappointed that he had been dragged partly into their antics. ¡®They¡¯re all taking it too seriously¡­¡¯ ¡®That may not be a bad thing, Brother¡­¡¯ She smiled up at Yori when he looked back at her. His sister knew that despite their arguing that the waiting had them all on edge. ¡®Besides I think it¡¯s the way they play. They won¡¯t hurt each other.¡¯ Unfortunately, her timing proved poor when Saki flattened Seiji into the ground for his continued badgering. She forced his face through the dirt making a deep impression with him. ¡®¡­too much¡­¡¯ After watching all of them fool around Ayumi reached her limit of what she could stand. ¡®Would all of you shut up! This isn¡¯t a game!¡¯ She punched the three of them in the head leaving steaming sores from her impacts. For a moment, Ayumi looked like a mother dealing with misbehaving children. However, the time passed as she checked on the movements of the border patrol once again. Only a few moments were spared for it, but in that time Yuki, Seiji and Saki gathered around her. Yuki¡¯s attention focused on Ayumi while the other two looked ahead into the fields. ¡®Wow, that¡¯s amazing Ayumi! You can do telepathy too!¡¯ He saw a moment later examining her information the reason for it. ¡®You¡¯re level ninety-nine?! I didn¡¯t know you were such a hardcore RPG fan, Ayumi!¡¯ Ayumi rammed her elbow, not even looking, into Yuki¡¯s head. ¡®Enough with the jokes already and get serious. They¡¯re getting closer.¡¯ ¡°You¡¯re still talking telepathically, Ayumi. The joke¡¯s ended.¡± He grinned back at her as she blushed embarrassed that she fell into their game. Their moment shattered in the face of their approaching danger. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The mood completely reverted back to the tense atmosphere as a few of the men from the border patrol made their approach for their cover. It had gone through previous passes with the lack of a Meso Prosecho user, since Ayumi turned them invisible. However, Yuki and the others could see that the reinforcements that arrived held one. The difference between them as explained to them came down to the uniform. The white clothed uniform belonged to those with powers. The standard military used black. The style was identical otherwise. All queries directed at Ayumi revealed that it had ancient Greek influence. The lack of any real war also gave no need to change or improve the design, left stagnant in tradition. The man¡¯s white draped clothes stood out emblazoned brightly in the sun. He marched with an assured sense of confidence. The confidence came from repeatedly being successful without fail against almost childish odds. A normal unsuspecting human stood no chance against him, but he ignored that fact. Yuki didn¡¯t like the feeling that he had from watching the man approaching them. He wanted to do something, but knew that Ayumi insisted on keeping to her plan. ¡°We need to move.¡± ¡°They¡¯re too many of us to move. We¡¯ll wait it out.¡± ¡°I¡¯m getting tired of waiting.¡± Saki leaned up from being crouched. Her fists pressed together looking ready from action. ¡°These guys are pretty weak. We should all be able to handle them without breaking a sweat.¡± ¡°Hell yeah! I¡¯m with Saki on this!¡± Ayumi glared at Seiji narrowly, hardly surprised. ¡°Of course you are¡­¡± When Seiji made a move to stand up to join Saki, she grabbed his wrist tightly. ¡°We¡¯re staying right here. You¡¯re not ruining all of my planning with your hotheaded ideas.¡± Yuki tapped Ayumi on the shoulder to break her out of her reprimanding of Seiji. ¡°I¡¯m afraid Saki¡¯s already doing that.¡± He pointed to where Saki used to be a moment before. She disappeared from their sight only for a blur streaking across the field where she barely could be seen. An uncontrollable squeal came out of Ayumi as she had no other reaction left frozen. The rest of the group gathered around hearing the noise. Before a minute had passed Saki returned standing in the light away from the shade of the forest. She seemed very pleased with herself. ¡°It¡¯s done! I cleared out everyone I could find in about a kilometer around us!¡± Everyone stared blank faced at the feat. ¡°How did you do that?!¡± Yuki stood out from the brush. ¡°I couldn¡¯t even see you!¡± ¡°That¡¯s my ability. Speed and strength!¡± ¡°Huh?! Since when did you have that?¡± ¡°You should know that, Yuki. This isn¡¯t the first time I¡¯ve used it in front of you, you know.¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± Yuki¡¯s mind flashed back trying to figure out when he might have seen Saki¡¯s speed. ¡°That day with the street gang¡¯s leader!?¡± ¡°Yeah, but even before then.¡± She saw that he looked confused. Even that day it confused her. The awakening she had was sudden and not until later did it fully make any sense to her. ¡°It was a rough day for you. I¡¯m not surprised you didn¡¯t realize it.¡± The way Saki talked to him went around the truth while leading him forward stirred up something familiar. The reluctant memories surfaced for him making him understand. His eyes widened in shock when he knew. ¡°The first day?! At the school!¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Saki looked down at her hand held loosely together. ¡°That was how I was able to break Ayumi¡¯s barrier and send him flying. The speed and power of my fist wounded him, forcing him to retreat. That¡¯s why he left. He was gravely wounded by me even though I saw him trying to deflect me. I think it ended up being just enough to save his life¡­sorry I never told you Yuki.¡± She hesitated to see how Yuki looked. No words came from Yuki. He stood still as though frozen unable to think. Everyone around him didn''t know how he would react. The truth seemed to have a deeper impact on him than they thought. They waited to see what he would say rather than forcing him. Yuki pulled his head up and focused his vision back on Saki. ¡°I thought it was just a comedic gag being played. I didn¡¯t know it was for real!¡± He laughed at himself looking sheepish and embarrassed. ¡°Huh?!¡± Saki dug herself back up from the deep pit she made from her shocked reaction. The sight of him looking like he did before all of the trouble began made her feel a little better. She missed seeing the carefree attitude that he used to have, even if that was a cover. Saki gave him a wide smile, pleased to see Yuki. ¡°Yuki¡­¡± Ayumi leapt up with most of her face darkened out, but two glowing circles for eyes pierce through the mist. She staggered over to the two carefree souls. The air from her breath had an opaque quality almost like it could surround and choke the life out of someone. ¡°How can you two¡­just stand there¡­laughing?!¡± ¡°Oh hi Ayumi!¡± Yuki replied with a mere wave of his hand. The fact that Ayumi¡¯s face was the scariest he had ever seen went completely ignored by him. ¡°Now that Saki¡¯s taken care of the patrol we don¡¯t have to worry anymore!¡± ¡°¡­Yuki,¡± questioned Saki, drawing out her words slowly, ¡°How blind are you right now?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± He looked around confused by Saki¡¯s question. The riding heavy pressure from behind him threatened to completely enclose him. ¡°He¡¯s so afraid he¡¯s blown completely past terror and passed into denial,¡± commented Yori. Along with the rest of the group, he had recovered and maintained a safe distance away. Everyone else nodded in agreement and a little surprised. They all chimed in together, ¡°Impressive.¡± Yori¡¯s sister rushed over to them. Her efforts fell to deaf ears. However, Yori came up from behind calmly. ¡°If the enemy¡¯s gone we should probably start moving again, right?¡± His words somehow snapped in Ayumi bringing her back to reality. She discarded Yuki. ¡°Yes, we have to keep moving. All that this has done is confirm to them that there¡¯s a threat they must hunt down. Your efforts were wasted.¡± Ayumi stared over at Saki hammering down with the weight of her criticism. For a moment Saki knew that what she did caused them all problems. However, she didn¡¯t let it crush her down like Ayumi wanted. ¡°It¡¯s not like they didn¡¯t already know that. I did it your way until it became clear it was going to be a fight. We face them head on now and crush their will to follow us!¡± Seiji came up around Saki and slung a heavy arm around on her shoulders grinning with pride. ¡°Shit! I knew there was something about you that I liked, Saki! You¡¯ve got the right idea!¡± ¡°That¡¯s certainly a solution.¡± Yuki kept his voice soft, still working off Ayumi¡¯s frustration. ¡°It¡¯s a simple tactic, but it can be the most effective,¡± added Chiharu. ¡°From what I¡¯ve seen our goal is much further in. Running and hiding will only cause us to be slowed down and have numerous small battles along the way. Strike hard and fast so they can¡¯t follow seems like the best course of action for us.¡± Ayumi saw the winds changing against her. ¡®If they have their own plan I¡¯ll lose any control I have left. We can¡¯t delay.¡¯ The system that laid out over them was something that only she understood. ¡°We don¡¯t have the time!¡± She made her voice rise over everyone and to a volume none of them had ever heard from her. ¡°Huh?!¡± She calmed down with a deep breath. ¡°We are on a deadline. With all of the time spent we only have eleven days left before Yuki is unable to claim himself the rightful heir to the throne of Atlantis. I know those greedy politicians have already found someone to take that seat. They just have to wait out the time and then everything will have been in vain! Everything will crumble!¡± Chapter 99 - The Facade ¡°Eleven days?!¡± Yori exclaimed, confused with this sudden new piece of information. It had everyone a little off balance. Yori saw the pieces lining up from the actions that Ayumi took throughout the previous days. ¡°This is the first any of us heard about being on a deadline. You couldn¡¯t have mentioned this to us sooner? It would have saved us a lot of questioning.¡± Yuki raised his hand absentmindedly. ¡°I knew!¡± ¡°Then you¡¯re just as guilty as her.¡± He focused his efforts on Ayumi. ¡®I can understand a certain degree of privacy for personal reasons, but this seems like she¡¯s deliberately withholding important information only giving us more when we force her into a corner.¡¯ Not many times did Yori feel really angry with anyone, but Ayumi pushed him. ¡°Now I want some actual answers out of you about what¡¯s going on here and what we should be expecting. No more keeping us in the dark for your own convenience. That¡¯s how people get hurt.¡± Ayumi lowered her eyes contemplating her options. She focused her sight back on Yori. Her course left her with no other action. ¡°I¡¯ll give you the information you need when you need it.¡± ¡°Because you know what¡¯s best for us?¡± ¡°Yes, I do. This is my home and only I understand it. You forced your way to come with us. I didn¡¯t ask you. So I¡¯m not obligated to give you anything!¡± ¡°Still sitting on that high and mighty attitude of yours, I see!¡± His sister came up behind Yori touching his forearm. She knew that Yori needed to say what he did, but the limit came to arguing. ¡°Yori¡­¡± ¡°No, Yumi! This needs to be dealt with now. I can¡¯t trust someone that thinks of us as baggage.¡± ¡°He¡¯s right!¡± chimed Seiji. He stood up behind them adding his presence. ¡°Tch! Until I see a reason to think otherwise you¡¯re just trouble.¡± Ayumi tried to turn away, but caught a glimpse of Yuki over their shoulders. He gave her a piercing stare locking her down. It made her sigh to herself. ¡°You treat this like some school trip. Yet you fail to realize the seriousness of the situation. The moment they know Yuki is here this won¡¯t be about capture and throwing us back out. They¡¯ll kill all of us without a second thought. I can¡¯t allow them to twist everything my King has worked for and oppress my people! You just don¡¯t understand!¡± Yori¡¯s sister shifted around her brother to get in front to address Ayumi clearly. ¡®I can sense how passionate she is about this. It¡¯s like a struggle between discipline and emotions.¡¯ She did not know if she had the right words for the task. Yet to stop before she tried would leave them frozen. ¡°It''s a challenge¡­for you, isn''t it?¡± Ayumi staggered back a step, a little confused and shaken by the look that she got from Yumi. It felt piercing. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about!¡± She smiled with warmth knowing the correct path had been found. ¡°It¡¯s the endless struggle between your training as a soldier¡­and what you feel as a human. You¡¯re overcompensating¡­to cover up one with the other. You¡¯re in conflict, right?¡± ¡°How dare you speak like you know me!?¡± Ayumi found her feet stepping back at the girl¡¯s approach. It grew further unsettling for her. She suddenly felt the urge to run away, cornered. Taking the momentum to add his piece, Yuki came out of the sidelines to take a flanking side. ¡°She''s right, Ayumi. I¡¯ve seen it as well. You bury your passion.¡± Teamed up against, Yuki dug Ayumi back further. The face that he made at her made it difficult for her to resist. She ground her teeth frustrated and trapped. ¡°Dammit, you¡¯re so troublesome¡­¡± Chapter 99 ¨C The Fa?ade ¡°Let¡¯s get moving. I¡¯ll talk as we walk.¡± She looked around at the group knowing that she had to start making good on being more forthcoming. Her arm stretched out to the horizon ahead of them. ¡°There¡¯s a small border village a few hours by foot from here. It¡¯ll be where we can rest for the night and resupply since we¡¯re lacking enough food to make it to the Capital.¡± Seiji and Yori stared at each other a little confused by the whole emotional exchange that happened. ¡°What the hell just happened? I thought we were arguing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure.¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Fumiko joined them from behind looking a little amused by them. ¡°Humans are complex creatures.¡± She looked forward to Ayumi. ¡°Especially ones that are soldiers.¡± The tall teen stepped on through them to join those that began to move on. Both of them still felt lost. Chiharu from behind them with her arms folded up at the back of her head pressed through. ¡°She¡¯s saying you¡¯re idiots.¡± The ninja casually continued without missing a beat. Haruo had no words for them and passed on, keeping his usual distance at the back. Yori and Seiji gave up after a few more seconds of trying to figure it out. They rushed out to catch up with the party that had already put some distance between them. Once Ayumi saw that everyone had caught up to them she began her explanation. ¡°My real name is Eudokia Ismene, as you probably figured out Ayumi Nishimura and everything about her is a false identity.¡± ¡°Eudokia?¡± Yuki worked the foreign name through his head. ¡°My full title is Captain of the Royal Guard. I¡¯m¡­was¡­the King¡¯s personal guard and it was my duty to protect his life.¡± ¡°You knew my biological father?¡± ¡°Yes, very well. He was the strongest man I¡¯d ever seen and the most gentle as well. He could be strict and fair, but then loving and caring the next moment.¡± She began to drift in her thoughts away from what she planned. A distant longing appeared on her face as she traveled through her memories. While fond memories came to the surface an awkward pause developed making Eudokia self conscious. She cleared her throat trying to track back to where she had gone on a tangent. ¡°The King holds a very important position for us besides governing. The King maintains Atlantis and allows for the continued survival of his people.¡± Yori saw that she finally reached a point that explained the impossible reality that they faced. Atlantis defied all logic in existing in an almost tropical environment while being at the South Pole on a frozen continent. He had to know more about Atlantis. ¡°What do you mean when you say ¡®The King maintains Atlantis¡¯?¡± ¡°Atlantis is something that¡¯s impossible. You should have all realized that by now. Even terraforming the land would still leave it a block of ice.¡± She motioned out to the scene around them to make her point. At the end she pointed to the ground. ¡°We¡¯re walking on a permanent Apati Agros, an Illusion Field.¡± The news came as a bit of a surprise to everyone, but more awe. Fumiko admired the rolling green hills in the distance. She looked back over at Eudokia. ¡°You mean to say that this is all an illusion?¡± ¡°It works on the similar principle as our powers, but on a completely different level from what is possible.¡± ¡°You mean it¡¯s like Japan?¡± Yori inserted. ¡°Yes. The creation of Atlantis here is nothing more than legend and myth to most of us. Even those that believe someone was able to do all this could not explain how it was achieved. It is honestly beyond all of our understanding. I was never quite sure myself about how much of it could be true. I figured that stories embellished the facts to make them seem grander than reality.¡± She stared over at Yuki for a moment. The moments when Yuki awakened and unknowingly changed the country floated through her mind. Even when she saw it before it still felt impossible. The longer that it continued the more she knew better. Eudokia blinked and focused back ahead. ¡°When I realized what Yuki had done I knew that everything in our history was possible and real. What Yuki did and what our ancestor did was vastly different, but the results are the same. Both created permanent change without maintaining a constant Field. However, the range is significantly different from what Yuki achieved. The ancestor that must have created it had to be several times more powerful than Yuki. Even more so, it¡¯s said that it was a deliberate and controlled effort. Not an accident like with Yuki. Their knowledge of the Meso Prosecho powers far exceeds anything we have in the millennia of evolution.¡± All of the history lessons took a heavy weight on Yuki as he tried to absorb it all. He hadn¡¯t thought that someone else had done what he had and done so intentionally. It seemed like something impossible with the little understanding that he had of his powers. The thought that far more mysteries remained to be solved presented him with a long stairwell to climb. ¡®To be able to convert an entire continent almost with their field¡­ How far above me was my ancestor? Will there be a day that I reach their level? Can I undo what I have done once I learn all of the secrets? What more is possible with this power that I haven¡¯t considered?¡¯ ¡°Does that mean all of the Atlanteans are special as well, like in Japan?¡± asked Saki, after panning around the group. Eudokia shook her head. ¡°No, the majority of the people living here are normal. Only a tenth of the population is believed to have the MP powers.¡± A few thoughts ran through her mind about Yuki. She knew his approach differed greatly from what they achieved in Atlantis. Before, there had been glimpses of his unconventional thinking. She regretted never realizing the foreshadowing until it came too late. ¡°No, as I said before, what Yuki did and our ancestor here were very different.¡± She focused back on the grass to begin her explanation. ¡°The ground was converted from ice to fertile and rich land and that was the only change made. We were given all of the resources to build a new civilization, but had to do it with our own hands. Protecting our land is the barrier I spoke of before created at the same time. It also maintains the atmosphere and weather. And to protect us, there are the four gates, North, East, South and West Gates.¡± Acting unusually serious, Seiji lifted his hand up like a part of a classroom. He managed to catch her eye long enough to know that she was listening. ¡°I heard you mention it before. That we came through the South Gate, but aren¡¯t we already as hella south as it gets? You can¡¯t really go that much more south can you? So shouldn¡¯t it be north?¡± Everyone stared back at Seiji stunned by him saying something actually intelligent and purposeful (that and he actually seemed to understand everything that Eudokia told him). Yori took up the cue to explain. ¡°You¡¯re correct, but I¡¯d imagine having four North Gates would be quite confusing. It also probably provides a certain sense of familiarity and comfort in a location that only has one direction.¡± ¡°But how the hell do you decide which is north then?¡± The Atlantean sighed to herself seeing how it had become thrown off track again. The details that they debated over meant little in the grand scheme. However, they seemed set on figuring out an answer. ¡°North is the direction that we arrived from when we first settled on this land.¡± ¡°Oh¡­that makes sense.¡± She tilted her head away from them. ¡®I don¡¯t really know either¡­ I¡¯m just glad that they accepted the answer¡­¡¯ Behind them, now an hour past, arrived a new squad of soldiers to the remains of the ruined search party. Most of the soldiers still laid unconscious from the assault that they took. Those few that managed to come around had a fog that settled over them. They seemed confused more than anything and not even the arrival of the Captain of the South Gate improved their attitude. The Captain stood tall in a black uniform with gold embroidering along the seam to highlight his rank. The uniform covered up much of his muscular figure, but left well built arms and legs exposed. ¡°Report, Commander!¡± His second had led the search party personally. The failure to capture the intruders weighed on his shoulders making it difficult for him to face his superior. ¡°I¡¯m uncertain of what happened, sir. The best answer I have is that we were ambushed and instantly wiped out.¡± ¡°Any losses?¡± ¡°None, but most of the men are still out.¡± The Captain looked over the horizon to where the invaders must have gone. He calculated tactics in his mind quickly to form his strategy. Once he finished he turned back to his Commander. ¡°I shall go ahead to continue the search. Form squads out of those able to stand and spread out in flanking positions to my team. Stay behind until all of the men are back on their feet and out. After everyone is awake, resume the search as well.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± ¡°The honor of the South Gate Division is at stake. Never in the history of our people have we let intruders past the border villages and that will not change today! We¡¯ll capture these foreigners!¡± Chapter 100 - Rewind Back in time before all of the chaos that engulfed Japan, as clich¨¦ as it sounds, things were happier. The clock placed the time before Yuki lost his parents and before he knew anything of his destiny. Before he met Ayumi and lost a friend. Life was simpler for him, though the world remained as complicated as ever. At the end of another day in elementary school, Yuki exited the building alone. He smiled to himself with a single thought on his mind. Today was his birthday, his seventh in fact. His parents made sure to get off work early for him, promising a large party for him. The thought of presents and cake made him excited to get home. ¡®I can¡¯t wait! I wonder how big the cake is?¡¯ His daydreams drifted him off from reality for a moment before being rudely popped. A scream of a girl reached him from around the school. Yuki¡¯s eyes widened, recognizing the voice immediately. ¡°Saki!¡± He ran off in the direction without a second thought. In the back of the building by the trash dumpsters, he saw the backs of three older boys. Yuki charged from his position and rammed his head into the first kid. A little dazed, Yuki staggered around to get in between them and Saki. ¡°What are you doing picking on a girl?¡± The chaos Yuki caused threw them all off balance. The boy Yuki plowed into laid on the second, struggling to get to his feet. Only the third boy stayed out of harm. He reached out for Yuki, but missed when Yuki ducked down. The older boy glared down at Yuki, frustrated that a little kid gave him trouble. ¡°Get lost kid! This doesn¡¯t have anything to do with you!¡± ¡°Yeah, it does! You¡¯re trying to hurt my friend! I won¡¯t let you do that!¡± The other two boys finally made it back to their feet and snickered, feeling that they had the advantage. ¡°Whatcha going to do about it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got no problem beating up a little kid first!¡± The two boys grabbed hold of Yuki before he escaped and pinned him to the ground. The third boy grinned with pleasure as he raised his foot. Chapter 100 ¨C Rewind ¡°Why¡¯d you do that Yuki?¡± asked Saki, helping him off the ground. She waited until the boys left to come to his assistance. All she got in response was his grin like nothing was wrong. ¡°Why did you let them beat you up so much? They were bigger, but I know you could have stood your ground!¡± Yuki kept smiling to her, not letting her see the pain. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to embarrass them with my awesome martial arts skills!¡± He struck a quick pose for her. Saki sniffed back some tears feeling sorry for herself getting Yuki into trouble. ¡°It¡¯s my fault again! You¡¯re always rescuing me and getting hurt!¡± She tried to hold back her tears, but it seemed fruitless. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not your fault! It¡¯s my choice and you shouldn¡¯t feel bad about what I do, Saki! You¡¯re my best friend, right?¡± He reached out for Saki trying to focus her on him. ¡°¡­yeah¡­¡± ¡°And best friends stick together no matter what, right?!¡± ¡°¡­I¡­think¡­so¡­¡± ¡°So you don¡¯t have anything to worry about then!¡± He managed to get her to take his hand. Yuki gave her another smile encouraging her to smile as well. It took a little bit, but he saw his happiness start to break through her tears. ¡°Ready to go home?!¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± They ran out of the school laughing to themselves until they tired out. The walk back to the neighborhood gave them plenty of time to talk. They made their routine pass quickly with never ending chatter. The neighbors kept things pretty active so they never lacked something interesting to see. The path they took brought them to Saki¡¯s apartment building first. ¡°Hey, Yuki! Let¡¯s go up and get my mom to clean you up!¡± ¡°Oh ok!¡± He followed behind her up the rickety stairs and groaning floor boards. They jumped around as they ascended creating a playful chorus from the differently tuned wood. At the top, they both came down hard to accent their arrival bellowing out a deep base note. A few flakes of dust from overhead settled on their noses making Yuki sneeze. ¡°Made it!¡± Saki giggled and raced to her door. Already unlocked, she opened it slowly inviting Yuki in with her. ¡°I¡¯m home, Mom! I brought Yuki with me!¡± They managed to get their shoes off before Saki¡¯s mother appeared carrying Saki¡¯s baby sister in her arms. ¡°Welcome home, dear!¡± She kneeled down carefully to look at Saki at eye level. The sight of Yuki¡¯s bruising and dirt marks alerted her. ¡°Oh my, Yuki! What¡¯s happened to you?¡± ¡°I tripped playing with Saki on the way here!¡± he replied sheepishly. Being half Japanese, kids found all and any excuse to pick on her. Most commonly, her father taught at the school. An easy lie. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°You should be more careful, Yuki. You¡¯ve only got one life.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mrs. Furukawa! I¡¯ll be more careful.¡± ¡°Well let¡¯s see about cleaning you up so your parents don¡¯t worry about you!¡± She walked them into the main room that barely managed to be called a living room. ¡°Wait here and I¡¯ll be back in a minute. Saki, can you watch your little sister for me?¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Saki accepted Noriko from her mother and carefully set her next to her. Yuki and Saki played with Noriko until their mother returned. Most of the injuries he took from the bullies only looked worse than they actually turned out. He got away with only a couple of band-aids and the rest just cleaned up scraps. Down the block and around the intersection at Yuki¡¯s house a visitor came knocking in the middle of birthday preparations. The Hayashi house fluttered about with Momoko running around eagerly following their very pregnant mother with decorations for each room. Their father dropped the presents he carried at an end table to answer the door. He opened the door not checking who stood on the stoop. ¡°Hello? Oh!¡± When he finally looked at their visitor it took him back a step. ¡°It¡¯s been a while! Please come in!¡± ¡°Thank you, but I shouldn¡¯t,¡± an elderly man¡¯s voice protested, ¡°I came to deliver a present. I don¡¯t want to take up your time.¡± ¡°Nonsense! You¡¯re a friend. It¡¯d be rude not to invite you inside. Tomiko¡¯ll be pleased to see you as well.¡± He insisted lightly holding onto the old man¡¯s arm to invite him inside. A little more protesting gave up the struggle and Yuki¡¯s father closed the door behind them. ¡°Tomiko! You won¡¯t believe who showed up!¡± Tomiko handed off the decorations to Momoko and rushed over to the hall, curious what had her husband so excited. When she reached the hallway a surprised gasp escaped her lip. ¡°Mr. Alexander! I¡¯m so glad to see you again!¡± The old man bowed politely to Tomiko and let himself be guided into the house. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again as well. But you can call me Demosthenes, Mrs. Hayashi.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case then you have to call me Tomiko!¡± she teased. As they came into the living Ken came wobbling in followed by Momoko. They both looked up at the adults with curiosity at the foreigner. Momoko looked over at her mother. ¡°Who is he?¡± ¡°An old friend from work, dear! Why don¡¯t you take Ken back to his bed?¡± Momoko gave her a little confused look for a moment before agreeing. She picked up Ken and exited the living room. Tomiko looked over to her husband making sure everything was safe. ¡°This is quite the surprise. Right, Isamu?¡± Isamu motioned over to the couch. ¡°Why don¡¯t we sit down? I¡¯d imagine you¡¯re quite tired from your trip.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Demosthenes took a seat alone in the end chair while the parents joined together on the couch. He kept a calm and controlled expression on his face, while still maintaining a sense of friendliness. His hand dug into his trench coat retrieving a small box out, the present he promised. ¡°His Majesty sends his best wishes and a gift.¡± Tomiko accepted the present from him and rested it in her lap. ¡°Thank you! I¡¯m sure Yuki¡¯ll be very happy with it!¡± ¡°How¡¯s he doing?¡± Isamu inquired. ¡°He left so suddenly.¡± ¡°Sadly, his health continues to fail.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t there something you can do with all that you have?¡± Tomiko asked. ¡°There¡¯s no medicine, no matter how advanced, that can save him. It¡¯s a matter of life force.¡± She lowered her eyes down at the present. It was wrapped carefully and lovingly. She felt bad knowing that such distance sat between them. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Demosthenes.¡± The Atlantean lifted his palm flat out to Tomiko. ¡°There¡¯s no need. He understood the risks. This was important for him. He only asks that you keep your promise.¡± The thought of the promise that they made shook Tomiko a little. It seemed so wrong to her despite that it was his wish. She nodded along with Isamu to him. They agreed to the arrangement even though they had their doubts. ¡°If that¡¯s what he wants. But it just seems so cruel.¡± ¡°He has many enemies. This is the best solution.¡± ¡°I know, but¡­¡± She leaned into Isamu a little, having trouble with the memories that stirred. They all knew the situation too well. It only made it more difficult for them. ¡°We understand,¡± consoled Isamu, taking Tomiko into his arms. Demosthenes stood up from the chair and bowed to them again. He started to make his way out of the living room, but stopped. ¡°Sorry, it has not been my intention to cause you more trouble.¡± Isamu searched out for him while holding on to his wife. ¡°Sure you can¡¯t stay longer? Yuki¡¯ll be back soon.¡± ¡°It¡¯s best not to confuse him. Thank you for your kindness and hospitality.¡± The old man gave half of a warm smile to them and stepped out into the hall. While he retrieved his shoes Isamu and Tomiko joined him in the hall watching him. He tilted his fedora back on to his head and let himself out. They stared between each other considering what they wanted to do. Since they agreed to adopt Yuki, the whole matter became an oddly dark secret. Much remained unknown to them. They understood a little of the political climate that Atlantis was under, but it always felt too painful to know they never met even once. It was part of the agreement. Tomiko hesitated in looking up at Isamu. She thought about it frequently, but managed to normally quiet the voice that made her consider the idea. ¡°Perhaps we should tell Yuki, dear¡­¡± ¡°¡­we can¡¯t¡­ Besides, at his age he wouldn¡¯t be able to understand the full implications.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll have to eventually¡­¡± ¡°I know¡­and when that day comes he¡¯ll have to make a choice. One I don¡¯t want to force upon him.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± A knock on their door separated them and sobered them up. Isamu insisted that Tomiko rest herself from the excitement and answered the door himself. When he opened it, Yuki and Saki stood jumping up and down eager to greet them. ¡°Hey! Welcome home, Yuki!¡± ¡°Dad!¡± shouted Yuki, reaching up for his father to be picked up. He got hoisted up on his shoulders, hugging on to his neck. Saki quietly stared up at the two of them trying not to look like she wanted to join. He indulged her and lifted her up joining Yuki on his shoulder grinning back at each other. ¡°Good afternoon, Kiku!¡± greeted Isamu to Saki¡¯s mother. He invited her in along with the children. ¡°Good afternoon, Isamu! I hope Saki isn¡¯t being too much trouble for you.¡± ¡°Not at all! Right, Yuki?¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± he cheered, holding up Saki¡¯s hand with glee. They all entered into the living room with Momoko rejoining hearing the noise. Saki and Yuki got down and went over to look at his gifts that rested on the counter by the kitchen. Momoko hung around them leaving the adults together. ¡°How are you feeling, Tomiko? Must be getting close!¡± Tomiko rested a calm hand on her stomach. ¡°He kicks hard!¡± she laughed. She kept in good spirits for one of her best friends. Isamu kept nearby for support while they talked. Soon Saki¡¯s father arrived along with Noriko, having finished a few things at home before heading over. With the last guest, Yuki¡¯s birthday party could finally begin. Laughter and cheer continued through the evening celebrating Yuki¡¯s seventh year and wishing for another wonderful year. Chapter 101 - Uneasy Greetings The brisk march over the grasslands of Atlantis continued on with a slow history lesson. Eudokia explained the details about the barrier and Atlantis. Most of it probably unnecessary, but once she got started it seemed difficult to stop her from going on. A glow in her face and eyes sparked when talking about old traditions. After more than an hour of constant walking those required to be the pack mules of the group got tired. Seiji was the most vocal, physically halting, forcing the rest, helping to stop as well. ¡°Why the hell am I still carrying this damn boat of yours?!¡± Along with Seiji, Yuki, Haruo and Saki spaced out along the length of the boat carrying it over their heads. Most of the fatigue came from holding their arms above their heads rather than weight. Saki managed most of the weight effortlessly, the rest ended up being around most for balance (though Seiji was a matter of a male pride and not wanting to be shown up by a girl). She tilted back over her shoulder to meet with Seiji. ¡°I have a place to leave it. It¡¯s further ahead.¡± ¡°How much further?¡± Eudokia searched around the area, acting pensive for a while. She stayed silent seeking out landmarks. Eventually, she knew their position exactly. ¡°About fifteen minutes.¡± After those words she continued her lead, not giving them further chances for pause. Chapter 101 ¨C Uneasy Greetings The arrival of a plain location unremarkable left everyone confused. Seiji gladly got rid of the boat, but still had his questions. ¡°You just going to leave it out here in the open?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m going to be burying it.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be here for hours! I thought you said we didn¡¯t have time to waste on shit like this!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not. Just watch.¡± Eudokia closed her eyes and focused on drawing out rings of light from her feet. As her Field came alive her clothes floated in the air uninhibited by gravity. However, their surprise came when the ground under her began to crater. The boat rose up followed by her command and lowered with her as a clean invisible sphere cut into the earth making it all disappear. Before she left their sight a couple of them leaned over curious. In the bottom of the crater dug out revealed a metal case. The sphere carved through the case letting the empty space inside breath out. The boat they carried became positioned over and then in the opening. Once allowed to rest, she rose back up with the grass returning in her ascent. Eudokia exhaled shortly when she finished. ¡°It¡¯s stored now.¡± She received several blank stares in response to her method. Yuki watched the whole event carefully trying to understand how she managed it. He still felt confused by what she achieved. ¡°Hey, Ayumi¡­ I thought our powers couldn¡¯t go into the ground like that. I would have fallen through the Earth probably!¡± ¡°Or suffocated. It takes a certain level of concentration and focus to be able to achieve that. By default the surface of the Earth is where we stop.¡± The rough remark from Eudokia made Yuki swallow a little rough. He tried to ignore the thought and pass on casually. ¡°I sort of feel like that was all a little random. But that¡¯s all pretty convenient to work out that way for us, huh?¡± ¡°¡­yes¡­¡± Eudokia focused back on the horizon barely catching the light of a village. ¡®Almost there¡­ It¡¯s a huge risk, but we don¡¯t have a choice. The capital¡¯s still more than a week away on foot¡­¡¯ Bordering on the evening hours, the sun remained holding out for just a bit longer to give them the time they needed to reach rest. No more than a few minutes away from a small village, Eudokia stopped them. She looked more serious than previously, a difficult feat for her. ¡°Listen carefully, this is very important. When we enter the village speak to no one and look at no one. Don¡¯t linger. Just follow me to the inn.¡± ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Yuki searched around at the others. ¡°Why can¡¯t we talk to anyone? Shouldn¡¯t we be friendly?¡± ¡°Do you speak Atlantean Greek?¡± ¡°Of course not!¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t speak to anyone.¡± ¡°But my powers¡ª¡° ¡°Don¡¯t speak to anyone! Stay in the inn and let me do all of the talking.¡± The rest of the group started to become uneasy and restless hearing her talk to them as she did. Yori leaned forward a little to get her attention. ¡°Is there something we should know that you haven¡¯t explained to us?¡± She sighed not waiting to have to explain the obvious. ¡°You¡¯re all Japanese. It¡¯s very clear you don¡¯t belong here. Between not speaking the language and your appearance, you¡¯re only going to cause trouble in the village. We need to keep a low profile.¡± ¡°If we¡¯re going in I assume you have a plan for them not to be scared of foreigners entering their home?¡± This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°I was getting to explaining the plan. I¡¯m going to be using my power to change everyone¡¯s appearance. So long as it is up you¡¯ll look like an Atlantean. We¡¯re just going to be a vacationing group of friends from a nearby town.¡± She motioned to the entrance of the village, a modest gate lacking any walls. A simple road ran through it under the column and archway that made the gate. Further inside, the inn waited for them. ¡°I¡¯ll only leave it going until we get a room. After that you stay in the room and out of sight. I¡¯ll take care of the work of getting supplies.¡± Yori¡¯s sister took a step forward out of the group. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of supplies for our group. You¡¯ll need someone to go with you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s simpler if I go alone. There¡¯ll be fewer problems.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t it look strange that only one person from a visiting group is going out? I¡¯ll go with you.¡± She caught the look from Yori wanting to protest her going alone with Eudokia. ¡°There won¡¯t be any danger in the village, Brother. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Eudokia wanted to refuse, but knew that a further debate would delay them. ¡°Stay close to me. I won¡¯t be able to make it last for long.¡± The South Gate Captain paused in the middle of the field viewing the terrain. He knew the region well. All of the hiding places and shortcuts were no secret to him. Yet he remained cautious and concerned about his new prey. The enemy left the entire search party relatively unharmed and yet executed action quickly. ¡®They eluded my men for hours before making a move. An odd decision considering their success. What changed their tactics? Were they discovered?¡¯ While on their march he tried to get inside the mind of his prey to know the next move. Unfortunately, he found contradictions within his information. He lacked the whole picture of what happened, that he knew. However, he expected each action to follow a similar flow. ¡®We know it was a group of individuals. None of the researchers from the bases ever stumbled in such large groups. The actions make it seem like there isn¡¯t a leader or perhaps they don¡¯t have unity. That could be our advantage.¡¯ He rubbed his chin keeping to his statuesque figure. His team searched the area for clues to the path of their intruders. Only a few clues remained making it difficult to track and uncertain due to the high traffic from the patrols. A more important clue deduced from them worried him more than anything else. ¡®Most intruders fall asleep upon entering. Yet they did not. Even being lucky or careful wouldn¡¯t account for that. They must have had a countermeasure to it. If so they had to be aware of the barrier and its effects. This could be a deliberate invasion. But how? And who?¡¯ He only had speculation and supposition to rely on. Nothing could be proven yet, but the unease he felt persisted. When such a feeling lingered he knew to trust it. The Captain motioned out to his team to bring them back. ¡°We¡¯re moving out! Send out the signal to Delta Team!¡± The young soldier nodded and stiffly pressed his fist against his chest in salute. ¡°Yes, Captain! Where should I tell Delta Team to search?¡± A map of the region came out in his mind to plan his next move. ¡®They couldn¡¯t have gotten too far on foot. There¡¯s only two villages within the time that they¡¯ve had.¡¯ The border villages of Skoupa and Kapni rested within range of the break-in point. Both received much traffic from the soldiers on the border. They were used to their presence, but like the rest of the land knew nothing of the outside world. Intruders never made it so far before. The panic from foreigners in their village could give rise to new problems. He had to be swift. ¡°Send Delta to Kapni. I want to investigate Skoupa personally.¡± ¡°Captain? Wouldn¡¯t it be more likely they¡¯d go to Kapni? Kapni is closer to the border.¡± ¡°You¡¯d expect that of someone panicked and scared trying to find a new hiding place as quickly as possible. But not this foe. This foe is unlike the others. My gut is telling me they went to Skoupa. They know they¡¯re being hunted and expect us to search Kapni first. They have intelligence and calmness in their actions.¡± Seiji and Saki sneezed roughly in their room. The rest of the group looked back at them a little surprised by how loud they were. It took them a few moments to recover from the full body reaction. Saki and Seiji glanced up at each other feeling a little odd. ¡°That was strange.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad we got in without any troubles¡± Yuki dropped himself on the edge of the bed. Their room only had two beds, but enough room on the floor as Eudokia said. They had no plans on staying past the morning. Where their powers didn¡¯t strain and force them to remain awake. He welcomed the break. As planned, Yori¡¯s sister and Eudokia shopped for the group to resupply their nearly spent food. In all of the traveling and excitement, they had nothing to eat for the majority of the day. While no one said anything about hunger, everyone knew that it lingered on their thoughts. So they wasted no time going out while the rest waited. The waiting made it more difficult not to focus on the lack of food. Fumiko hung by the window though keeping out of sight. She saw a few villagers passing by carrying farming tools back from a long day of work. ¡°For being so legendary, the people seem pretty normal and average. ¡­it¡¯s a little disappointing¡­¡± Yuki nodded remembering their uneasy walk into the village. Everything that he saw up before the village gave a fantastic appearance. A barrier protected an entire people and kept them secret. The legendary city of Atlantis turned real. He expected to find something more akin to a fantasy setting. Yet the citizens looked no different than any other foreigner. Their homes shared nothing with an unreal setting, very practical in fact. They had a rustic and ancient appearance like from history books, but nothing out of place. ¡°Yeah I know¡­ I know Ayumi said most of the people were normal, but being Atlantis I just thought they would be really advanced in technology or magical something¡­¡± ¡°Considering the powers that some do possess, it is strange.¡± Yori sat on the floor with his back propped against the hand carved wooden dresser. ¡°I would have expected they would have made use of that, but I¡¯d dare say they are stuck in the past. It¡¯s like time stopped for them.¡± Chiharu spun a kunai around her finger leaning against the wall. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t underestimate them. It¡¯s exactly because they appear this way that we should remain cautious. Unlike Ancient Greece they are surrounded by the modern age. The citizens might not have much knowledge of the world, but I doubt the leaders keep a blind eye to the outside.¡± ¡°Caution is best for now. I doubt that we¡¯ve heard anywhere near everything about Atlantis yet.¡± From near the door, Seiji pounded his fist into his hand. He seemed to be psyching himself up. ¡°Well it doesn¡¯t matter all the hell much if they have sticks or guns. We¡¯ll deal with them the same way. We just have to stop whoever the hell is sending out assassins!¡± ¡°Simplistic as always¡­¡± Her voice managed to be picked up by Seiji''s unusually good hearing. She gave him a cold stare. The look only enraged him and triggered him to charge for her. Unfortunately, it proved impossible for him to catch her. The words that Seiji mentioned got to Yuki. ¡®¡­the assassins¡­¡¯ He hadn¡¯t given it too much thought since he decided to confront the problem. The focus required of him during the boat and snow plow made it slip away from him. However, whenever he saw Eudokia lately, hesitation began to build into uncertainty. ¡®She takes this all very seriously¡­ Can I tell her that I can¡¯t be the person she wants me to be?¡¯ Solitude wrapped around him, burrowing him further into his mind. ¡®I came for my own reasons, but I don¡¯t even know how I¡¯m supposed to fix it¡­¡¯ His reasons floated by him trying to provide strength. However, errant thoughts from the village came to him. He saw them hurrying around and most seemed to be acting normal, but he noticed a couple looking strange. When he saw them it got burned into his mind. ¡®I couldn¡¯t understand them, but they seemed unsettled and nervous¡­ The more that I saw them the more it felt like the whole village had an air of unease¡­like they feared something¡­¡¯ He tilted over toward the closed window. The villagers faded through his vision adding weight to his worries. ¡®She said the King maintains them¡­ What happens if there¡¯s no King? How much do they need a King?¡¯ Yuki tightened his hands, balling up the blanket of the bed into his hands. Across the room he found Saki silently waiting. She didn¡¯t meet his gaze, but it still felt like she looked disappointed with him. ¡®Saki¡­can I abandon them? Leave them alone? Do I have a choice? Is this my fate? I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t keep my promise¡­¡¯ Chapter 102 - Looming Uncertainties Only precious moments of light remained in the sky over the land of Atlantis. The village grew busier with the returning men and women from gathering, husbandry or hunting. They built a low stir of the atmosphere through the few streets of the village. Outside of the inn, where her new friends rested, Yumi and Eudokia searched around for food and supplies for their journey. Their request gave them a few strange looks from the villagers. Returning villagers already completed their shopping in the morning. Evening arriving signaled the closing of businesses. Anything found during the day took time to prepare. Family members that came back got welcomed and meals set out. Only the tavern or odd stall stayed open. Yumi was keeping mostly to herself just taking in everything she saw. ¡®I guess I never really thought too much about night time being a time to stay home. There¡¯s always places open and people enjoying the night time in Japan. But here every day is work and it starts in the morning¡­¡¯ The small booth they found still open seemed to be taking advantage of providing those that returned with a small snack before their dinner. A young woman that probably bordered on thirty managed the stall. Most of her table was filled with fruits and small baked goods that could be eaten by hand. In front of Yumi, Eudokia bartered with the woman over the food. She locked in focused on the task not letting anything distract her. The debate seemed to have drawn her in like she enjoyed herself. After the sale went through she turned around with her leather bag filled up. Eudokia motioned to Yumi to start moving away. When they had enough distance between them and the stall, Eukodia snapped her hand down at Yumi¡¯s hands lightly together in front. ¡°Careful with your mannerisms. You¡¯re showing as a foreigner.¡± Her hands jerked apart to slide uncomfortably at her sides. ¡°Sorry¡­ It¡¯s habit. It feels a little strange to just stand with them by my side when I¡¯m not walking.¡± ¡°Just be mindful. I gave you an appearance that won¡¯t make them suspect, but your actions will still show through.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try!¡± Another stall lined up for their shopping. Yumi was continuing to keep to herself while trying to mind her actions. ¡®Should I just do what the villagers do?¡¯ Each action she took became over-thought and self conscious. Nervousness was ruling her movements and made for stiff posture. ¡®What should I do? Ayumi¡¯s so calm right now even knowing the risks¡­¡¯ She was staring at Eudokia trying to find an answer to her questions. All her back spoke of seemed to be confidence. A self-assured sense of what she was doing was correct. ¡®She acts so cold¡­and yet I sense something deeper¡­something powerful and driven¡­¡¯ Yumi felt a little shaken, suddenly receiving a confusing sensation in her mind. ¡®What is this feeling?¡¯ Chapter 102 ¨C Looming Uncertainties Inside of the inn room, Seiji and Chiharu came to a bit of a lopsided stalemate. Only Chiharu called it a stalemate. It placed Seiji in the uncomfortable position of being exhausted and sat upon like a throw pillow. Chiharu rested atop her rough-around-the-edges teenager cushion. She had a satisfied look on her face though she tried to hide it, as though the score balanced out. Yori and Fumiko left the two to act like troubled siblings not having the energy to deal with them. All of the forced marching from Eudokia left them feeling fatigued. Long walks or any great amount of exercise didn¡¯t come naturally to them. Unlike the others in the room, they weren¡¯t built for such work. The pensive Yuki drew the attention of Yori. ¡®Something¡¯s on his mind¡­he seems to be a lot more withdrawn than I expected¡­not like what I¡¯ve heard¡­¡¯ He wondered if he might have to reconsider his view. ¡®I¡¯ll watch you until I understand¡­¡¯ His last thoughts to himself spurred a separate thought in his mind, another concern that he had about their trek. ¡®We¡¯ve only heard her side of things and not the whole story at that. I want to see what these people have to say on the matter. Invading and attacking an entire nation is a bad idea even being informed. And we¡¯re doing this completely blind¡­¡¯ Yori stood up coming to a decision. He approached Yuki waiting for a sign of recognition, which never came. ¡°Hayashi.¡± Yori saw that Yuki existed deep in thought making it difficult to reach him. He tapped him on the shoulder and that seemed to be enough to grab his attention. ¡°Hayashi, that power of yours can make anything right?¡± ¡°More or less¡­¡± Yuki hesitated, getting the sense that a request was about to be made of him. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I want you to make me a translator for the Atlantean language.¡± Yori¡¯s request drew the room¡¯s attention. Everyone perked up and focused over on the two of them. He figured that the others would end up taking an interest. However, Yori held his attention on Yuki wanting an answer. ¡°Why? Ayumi said to stay in the room.¡± ¡°I need to know more about what¡¯s going on.¡± ¡°But you can just ask Ayumi.¡± ¡°She¡¯s holding back too much. I can¡¯t trust someone¡¯s words when they¡¯re being that secretive.¡± The debate started to press Yuki into a corner. All the time that he spent with Ayumi told him very little about her, as he realized. Unknowns that concerned Yori were rational. ¡°But you can¡¯t talk to anyone. They¡¯ll know you¡¯re not one of them. That¡¯s something Ayumi wants to avoid and I don¡¯t think she¡¯s wrong. We don¡¯t want to start a panic.¡± A grim expression drew across Yori¡¯s lips seeing that he got more trouble from Yuki than he expected. ¡®He¡¯s so focused on her that he can¡¯t see anything else. There¡¯s still so much we don¡¯t understand here!¡¯ Yori took a step back to make his presence seem less demanding and oppressive. A new approach needed to be taken. ¡°I don¡¯t plan on exposing myself to the locals. I can learn from just hearing what they talk about. Considering the importance of the King and his death, there must be talk even out here.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye on him, Yuki,¡± said Fumiko, joining the conversation. She understood Yori¡¯s interest and had some questions of her own. ¡°We won¡¯t do anything reckless.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Think of this way. You¡¯re going to be King right? So this will just help you understand what life is like out here.¡± Yuki¡¯s eyes widened the moment that Fumiko mentioned being King. Shaking in his hand developed quickly and he tried to hide away from sight. Hesitation built up in his voice with uncertainty. ¡°King¡­well I¡ª¡° ¡°He¡¯s not going to be staying here dammit!¡± snapped Seiji from underneath Chiharu. The words spurred his strength and he effortlessly cast aside the ninja. He rushed into the group holding out his determined assured fist to anyone that disagreed with him. Fumiko backed away from Seiji not wanting to get him anymore excited. She remembered how he got when he heard about Yuki. ¡°It still remains that knowing the situation better would help us against the enemy.¡± Watching his friends eased some of the wavering in his heart and mind. He just hoped that Ayumi forgave him for using his powers for such a purpose. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll do it.¡± Agreeing to do Yori¡¯s request settled down the tension in the air a little, but heightened it for Yuki. The thought of Ayumi¡¯s reaction etched into his mind. ¡®I really don¡¯t want to keep up a field for the entire time¡­if I could just do it¡­another way!¡¯ Several waves of light pulsed from his feet over the wood flooring disappearing after a few meters. Out of the ground appeared a simple box with a couple of antennas. When it finished materializing a beam of light shot out between the antenna focusing in the center. The light gathered together and focused on the wood flooring. Sparkling dust like particles began to float up from the wood as it disappeared creating a perfect circle buried into the board. It grew deeper the longer the beam of light lasted. Another beam of light grew out from the centered mass on the opposite side of the box creating something on the floor. A pair of items soon took shape as the light continued its meticulous work. The light faded away along with the box leaving only two identical objects behind as proof. Yuki leaned down to pick them up, handing them over to Fumiko and Yori. In his hand, a matching set of simple studded earrings with a green gem set on the metal. ¡°Here you go, one for each of you.¡± Yori hesitated, feeling like part of some joke on Yuki¡¯s behalf to get back at him for making him do something he did not want to do. ¡°That¡¯s an earring.¡± ¡°Yes, it is! Pretty clever hiding it in an earring huh? You can wear it and it¡¯ll translate sounds going in your ear and no one will ever think anything of it!¡± It seemed that Yuki failed to grasp his problem. Yori¡¯s eyelids lowered a little, not impressed the way Yuki appeared about the accomplishment. ¡°I don¡¯t wear earrings!¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be fine! No one¡¯s going to care.¡± Fumiko stepped in taking the two earrings from Yuki hoping to cut off further arguments. She examined them trying to find the back clasp, but saw they came with none. ¡°Uh, Yuki¡­ I think you made a mistake. You can¡¯t put these on. There¡¯s no place to put them through a piercing.¡± ¡°They¡¯re special like that! I didn¡¯t really know if you had piercings and figuring for Yori I thought it¡¯d be easier if they were made without. You just touch the back of the earring to your ear and it¡¯ll stick until you take it back off.¡± ¡°That¡¯s pretty forward thinking¡­¡± She checked the earring out once again before pulling back her hair to place it on her left ear. Once she put it in place she cautiously backed away and checked to make sure it remained. ¡°You¡¯re right!¡± Fumiko handed the other one over to Yori insisting he take it. ¡°It¡¯s only for a little while. None of us will say anything!¡± A begrudged groan of disapproval came from Yori before he took the earring and quickly attached it. He tried not to think much about the fact of its presence, but part of his mind didn¡¯t let him forget. Yori caught a smirk from Seiji who found the situation very amusing. Rather than giving him further time to revel Yori marched off to the door checking on the hallway before exiting. Fumiko swiftly followed behind him to stick together. Dusk had set in fully with it waning into evening quickly. The last couple of stops they made filled up most of their bags that Eudokia carried as well as some of the ones Yumi carried. They brought nearly all of the packs from the group with them. Everyone would be carrying some of the food. The only concern ended up being how far it may last with the size of their group. Yumi calmed down, settling into a mindful awareness of her body and surroundings. It was easing her stress, making the time pass by smoothly. She continued to watch Eudokia to answer the main reason she went along with her shopping. Part of it certainly had her interests in keeping the group dynamics smoothed out, a taxing job she never intended to pick up. The other half of her motives lied in a deeper personal nature. Ever since the ship, the actions that Yumi found herself taking worried her. She began to piece things together and knew that she always got a tightening feeling in her chest whenever she saw Eudokia with Yuki. She kept her feelings within, but the sight of them made that swell. Yumi didn¡¯t want to admit it, she realized. ¡®It¡¯s jealousy isn¡¯t it? What I¡¯m feeling towards Ayumi¡­Eudokia¡­¡¯ Just the thought of it made her hands shake uncontrollably. She tried to keep it from showing by tightening at her sides for support. ¡®She can be open around him and let her guard down. She¡¯s so protected of herself, yet with Yuki¡­¡¯ The more Yumi thought about them the larger the problem grew in her head. It fed on her own fears quickly blowing up out of her control. ¡®¡­why¡­she¡¯s so rude and cold to everyone, but the way he looks at her¡­¡¯ Yumi shook her head a little trying to focus back on reality. She had let her mind go wild. The way she became absorbed and consumed by it scared her. The weight felt too much to bear. Each emotion seemed easy making it difficult to resist. Yet Eudokia¡¯s back jerked the uncertainties back into her. ¡®Is it because they are the same and I¡¯m not like them¡­powerless? It¡¯s not fair!¡¯ Yuki fell further out of reach of her with each moment. She saw Eudokia opposite of her, looking as arrogantly confident in her position. Yuki stood between them drifting slowly towards Eudokia. She didn¡¯t want to see another moment of it. ¡®Yuki!¡¯ The breaking point came for Yumi as she struggled to keep herself in control. ¡®I¡­¡¯ Yumi felt like she could see Eudokia almost laughing at her helplessness. She was going to steal Yuki away. She mocked Yumi knowing how insignificant of a challenge she gave. It made Yumi burn again with the same feeling she had before, but it felt stronger. Yumi raised her head back up to face down Eudokia, concentrating on haggling with the shopkeeper. Determination and resolve surfaced, Yumi¡¯s eyes drawing down focused. ¡®I¡¯m not going to lose to you! I¡¯m not helpless! I¡¯ll show you and everyone my strength! I¡¯ll show Yuki!¡¯ Time ran low for Yori and Fumiko in their efforts to gain useful information (useful being the important factor). All that they managed to discover ended up being everyday conversation and secrets that made them wish they hadn¡¯t heard them to begin with. Hiding around the inn presented them with a start and they thought they didn¡¯t need to venture further, but nothing came to them. Their failure in the inn brought them outside, a bigger risk for them. For Yori, it just meant he had to come back with something that made the risk worthwhile. He didn¡¯t know what he looked for, but knew that he would know when it happened. The insistence on playing safe from Fumiko kept him from doing anything too reckless, however he continued to push his limits. He needed to know. Fumiko tapped Yori on his shoulder from their hiding place in the shadows of the inn and neighboring home. ¡°Come on, Yori. We should be going back. If we get back after Eudokia and your sister they¡¯ll know something happened.¡± ¡°In a moment, I know I¡¯m close! I can feel it.¡± He honestly didn¡¯t understand it himself, but his gut told him to stay. An inner voice seemed to speak softly to him encouraging his actions knowing that it meant a pay off. Yori gave it no concentrated thought. He just followed it as instincts. ¡°Yori!¡± He noticed another two men passing by the street. ¡°Quiet!¡± A hopeful lean pressed his hearing as much as possible to eavesdrop on the conversation. ¡°The crops don¡¯t seem to be growing so well this season.¡± ¡°You noticed too, huh?¡± ¡°I¡¯m getting concerned that the yield might not be good enough if this continues.¡± ¡°The yield¡¯ll be the least of our concerns. Besides, I doubt it¡¯s a coincidence that the crops are poor this year.¡± ¡°When are they going to announce the new King? We¡¯re running out of time!¡± ¡°It¡¯s been centuries since a new King went this long unannounced.¡± ¡°And we¡¯re going to be the first to suffer!¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be like after King Theseus died! So many people died and so much land was lost!¡± ¡°Our homes will be destroyed!¡± The two men passed out of hearing range for Yori, but it had him spinning questions in his head. ¡®What was all of that about?! People died and land¡­just because the King died? Was it a war or something else? Why is it so important to have a new King? Is this¡­what¡¯s got Eudokia upset? What¡¯s going to happen?!¡¯ Chapter 103 - The Darkness of Innocence Yori leaned back into the shadow of the building feeling even more confused about their situation than before. Rather than finding answers as he hoped, new questions rose. Troubling questions that burned in his mind for want of solving. Eudokia¡¯s words whispered to Yori in his mind. ¡®The King holds a very important position for us besides governing. The King maintains Atlantis and allows for the continued survival of his people.¡¯ ¡®Yes, I do. This is my home and only I understand it. You forced your way to come with us. I didn¡¯t ask you. So I¡¯m not obligated to give you anything!¡¯ ¡®Only she understands,¡¯ thought Yori over her words. His thoughts tried to mull it over. A few possibilities came to him, but the lack of solid information left him debating his options. It made him want to listen around for more, but he doubted his luck would hold out. One truth became apparent from Eudokia and the townspeople, a history laid deep within Atlantis with its layers of tradition. Something guided all of the actions. ¡®She understands better than the rest¡­ She knows the meaning of what I heard!¡¯ ¡®When are they going to announce the new King? We¡¯re running out of time!¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s been centuries since a new King went this long unannounced.¡¯ ¡®We¡¯re going to be the first to suffer!¡¯ ¡®It¡¯ll be like after King Theseus died! So many people died and so much land was lost!¡¯ ¡®Our homes will be destroyed!¡¯ Yori slammed his hand to his face struggling with questions that tormented him. ¡®What is it? What isn¡¯t she telling us yet? Is it something she fears? Is she afraid like these villagers are of being destroyed? Is it because of those wanting control or is it because there is no King?¡¯ Fumiko felt only more confused by the words of the villagers. She thought with the answers from Eudokia she started to understand Atlantis better. More mysteries and uncertainties filled her heart. However, Fumiko focused herself realizing that they drifted too long. ¡°We¡¯re out of time, Yori. We should be heading back now.¡± Nothing reached his deep thought, appearing almost soulless. She grabbed a hold of his shoulder shaking back to reality. ¡°Yori, it¡¯s time to leave!¡± ¡°¡­r-right!¡± Yori turned his face back up to follow Fumiko, keeping out of sight. ¡®I¡¯ll find the answers. I¡¯ll figure out what she hasn¡¯t told us yet!¡¯ Chapter 103 ¨C The Darkness of Innocence The inn stood only a building away from them, but it seemed to become even further away. Out in front on the main street Eudokia and his sister hauled in everything they purchased. A significant haul for them considering how loaded down both appeared. It cut them off from the entrance of the inn. Yori and Fumiko stared at each other, calculating their situation and risks of anything they attempted. Yori looked back down the inn, seeing their only option to prevent being caught. He grabbed Fumiko¡¯s hand, guiding her along not thinking about a response. Behind the inn he came to stop under a raised window. ¡°Hey! Someone by the window?¡± Fumiko tilted her head up realizing that they stood next to their room in the small inn. They had no glass for any of the windows or shutters, just simple wooden frames. In such warm weather it hardly seemed important. ¡°Hayashi? Furukawa? Are you there?¡± Moments passed for them in tension with no words. The height of the window made it impossible for them to know if anyone stood around it. However, to their surprise, Haruo leaned out of the window looking down at the two of them. He realized what they needed and offered a hand out to them. Fumiko went first at Yori¡¯s insistence and then him afterward. Inside the room, Yuki and Saki joined them at the wall, a little taken back by their entrance. Saki checked on Fumiko to see that she wasn¡¯t hurt. ¡°What happened? Did you learn anything?¡± Fumiko and Yori glanced over at each other in silence pondering their response. Neither had the chance for an answer as Eudokia opened the door. She searched around the room with her eyes to check on everyone. The gathering by the window and uneasy almost guilty looking expressions on Yuki and Saki made her suspicious. Eudokia placed a couple of the packs casually on the table near the door and the rest on the bed as she approached the wall. She fixed Yuki with a thick stare not wanting any excuses. ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± Yuki shifted an uncertain glance at Yori before working up a pleasant expression. ¡°Nothing at all! They¡¯re just really tired from all of the walking today.¡± He hoped that she believed him and didn¡¯t press further. The pierce gaze of her eyes unnerved him, breaking down his mask. A calculating moment from Eudokia lengthened the tensions between them. Not a single word made the air thick around everyone. The others in the room watched, keeping to themselves with uninterested faces. ¡°Then you better help with the unpacking,¡± she declared pointing to Yori¡¯s sister flailing about with the weight of half of their load. Saki and Yuki wasted no time rushing over to help relieve her, bravely struggling to keep together. The moment they effortlessly pulled the packs from her arms she collapsed to the ground as though they had been the only thing holding her together. ¡°I thought my arms were going to fall off!¡± Yori¡¯s sister cradled her arms against her stomach working on getting feeling back in them. Everyone¡¯s packs laid about the room with some of the supplies overflowing from the tops. Yuki looked over at Ayumi, a little concerned that she bought too much. ¡°You sure you didn¡¯t go overboard? Do we have the money for all of this?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± she replied sharply, ¡°All of this is necessary to limit the number of stops we make.¡± ¡°And this?¡± he asked, pulling out a tunic from a pack on the bed. Underneath there were several more of varying muted colors. ¡°Shopping for clothes?¡± Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Your clothes stand out here! It¡¯ll be easier to fit in without my powers if you wear Atlantean clothes.¡± ¡°I guess so¡­they¡¯re kind of bland though¡­I won¡¯t pop off the page¡­¡± ¡°They don¡¯t need to stand out! Do you want to be caught?!¡± ¡°¡­no¡­¡± Yuki pulled himself away from Ayumi not wanting to be in her line of fire any longer. He caught the sight of food and remembered his own hunger. ¡°Hey food! Who¡¯s hungry?¡± The mention of food gave everyone energy, throwing the room into chaos. They argued and fought over which to eat and to save, even Eudokia managed little against them. Once food finally settled in them they calmed down and scattered. Hunger had been the only thing to keep most of them awake. So they started falling asleep around the room without much thought to location. Haruo laid out against the wall and turned away from the group. Seiji took his place at the door seated up with his arms crossed and head hanging a little low. Chiharu disappeared, unable to be found by anyone, though no one tried to find her. Saki sprawled out in the middle of the floor with little thought in mind to any surroundings. The siblings reclined in the corner next to each other. While, Fumiko rested at the foot of the bed, still managing to make it seem small stretched out fully. Left to the packs, Yuki leaned against the wall partly supported by the table. Eudokia turned about the room, still not completely clear what had happened. ¡°They were so full of energy a moment ago¡­ Hmm¡­¡± She eyed the bed taking it into consideration before turning away. Her back pressed against the backing of the bed presenting her with a view of the door. ¡®I guess we¡¯ll resolve the rest of the matters in the morning before we leave¡­¡¯ On the outskirts of the village of Skoupa, a small band of soldiers gathered with the Captain of the South Gate in front. The search drove them into the late hours of the night. The rest of the land slept while they worked tirelessly to keep them safe. A dark unknown fog cast over them in the face of the strange intruders. Each man stood on edge and resolute behind their Captain. Their honor rested upon their success. Two shadowy figures approached from the village, their black uniforms working well in the night. They came up to the Captain halting together in routine unison. ¡°Captain Simonides, initial perimeter search completed!¡± ¡°Report, Kalliope and Philon!¡± Kalliope, a twenty-five year old woman, nodded strictly to her Captain. ¡°No signs of strange activity around the village surrounding land.¡± She had a long service with the border patrol distinguished by several captures. ¡°If the foreigners are here they aren¡¯t hiding outside of the village.¡± Simonides gave pause to plan his next move. Skoupa laid behind the two soldiers sleeping with a great unknown. A village made searching difficult with the number of places to hide. The further lack of signs from them around the land had him questioning his previous decision. ¡®In the end, this will rule out a place if nothing else. We must be thorough.¡¯ The Captain focused back on his men dividing up tasks in his mind. ¡°We search the village! Leave nothing unturned!¡± The new orders brought all of them to attention with the expectation of commands. ¡°Kalliope and Philon take the south entrance and work towards the village square. Telamon you¡¯re with me on the north entrance. Eusebios takes the rest of the men and sets up a perimeter around the village. No one escapes, understand?¡± ¡°Of course, Captain!¡± snapped Eusebios and saluted him. The white uniform of the group, his powers came into importance once the enemies were captured. He directed the attention of the men motioning them into positions in the field to set up. Reaching the north entrance for Simonides meant circling around the village to the opposite side. His men waited on a delay under his plan. He calculated the time it took to make the entrance and scheduled the search to begin when Telamon and he made their position. The north entrance of Skoupa sat in front of them in anticipation. A few moments remained as predicted by him. ¡®It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve had to personally do a search like this¡­¡¯ His position meant that he often stayed behind at the South Gate while he issued commands to his men. This situation drew him out into the field. He gave the signal to Telamon to head into the village. Simonides followed behind him carefully watching everything in his field of vision. No intruders would escape him. Ahead the sounds of splintering wood and shouts told him that the south entrance team began their move. The first house, a small hovel, stood darkened before the two of them. He examined the exterior slowly checking for any unusual signs. Once the Captain felt satisfied he motioned to Telamon to make for the door. The twenty-three year old man from the northern region tightened up as he prepared. His black uniform went well with his dark brown hair cut cleanly around his neck. A toned and honed arm reached out to knock on the door. They were still citizens of Atlantis, so breaking down the door came as a second option. Telamon gave the door another firm knock that nearly turned into a pound. A man¡¯s voice came out of an adjacent room crawling through the window. The pounding came to an end hearing it received acknowledgement. Moments later the door opened revealing a half awake man in his thirties wearing a light tunic. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± the man asked not seeing who stood in his entry. ¡°Stand aside, sir! I must search your house by order of the Captain of the South Gate!¡± The title tossed out sobered up the man quickly. ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this?!¡± He refused to get out of the way of the soldier without a good reason. Telamon pressed his stance closing the distance and using stature to fill an imposing effect. ¡°Intruders from the outer world have been seen in this direction. We have to confirm that you¡¯re not hiding them knowingly or not!¡± He raised his hand up for the man¡¯s shoulder to cast him aside. ¡°Intruders?! Around here?¡± Panic struck the villager as he thought about the possibilities of a stranger in his village. While the soldier already let himself into the house the man gave way, dropping to the side leaning against the wall. Sounds of valuables breaking and shattering didn¡¯t matter to him. A soldier ripping apart everything in his house no longer meant anything. Outside Simonides coldly watched the home and neighboring homes for any stirring. A hidden enemy worried over their safety tended to flee when it came into jeopardy. He saw it play out often with the few that managed to survive past the barrier long enough. The only wish he had desired was a larger team to make the search more efficient. Unfortunately, he had cast a wide net with his men for maximum coverage. Preventing the further invasion of the enemy deeper into their territory came at a higher priority. Telamon came out of the house to report back to the Captain. ¡°Nothing to be found, Captain!¡± ¡°Very well, move on!¡± He watched the soldier rush over to the opposite side of the street to the next home. The polite knocking didn¡¯t receive a greeting and Telamon forced his way in with a well placed kick. A couple of screams from the back came before yelling for the intrusion into their home. Disregarding any complaints Telamon continued with practiced precision. ¡®They all act differently. This is for their own good though.¡¯ Towards the center of the village the inn rested untouched. However, the commotion from outside awoke the lighter sleepers, Eudokia and Chiharu (Seiji remained sound asleep). The two girls looked around the room before Chiharu silently sprinted to the window. The window faced away from all of the noise, but her features narrowed. She disappeared out the window before Eudokia had a chance to stop her. Eudokia picked up the screams and shouts of the villagers building in chorus. ¡®Damn, Simonides is faster than I thought. We¡¯ll have to escape now while we still have the advantage.¡¯ She turned back and rushed over to Yuki, stirring him awake. His sleepy eyes barely acknowledged her. ¡°Start waking everyone up! We¡¯ve got to leave now!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°There¡¯s soldiers in the village searching for us!¡± Yuki leaped up to his feet completely awake. ¡°What?! They found us!¡± ¡°Not yet, but we¡¯ve got to leave now!¡± ¡°Alright¡­I¡¯ll help you wake everyone up!¡± Getting most of them awake didn¡¯t take much effort, apart from Seiji. The greater problem came to dealing with the mess they had. They had to scramble around to put all of the food back into their bags. Eudokia insisted on them putting the new clothes on as well. It meant less to carry and easier to blend in with the rest of the villagers. Chiharu returned back into the room after her long disappearance. ¡°I count four in the village and another five around the village blocking routes for escape. It should be pretty easy to escape.¡± ¡°Only nine for the search party...¡± remarked Eudokia. ¡°That¡¯s a lot fewer than I thought. They must be spreading their forces thin.¡± She became pensive for a few moments. Her plans factored for a larger force knowing how they preferred to operate. The new developments pleased her. ¡°This¡¯ll make things a lot easier for our escape then. Finding a hole to escape through will be easy. The Meso Prosecho is outside the city?¡± ¡°Yes, I saw the white uniform to the north.¡± Eudokia scanned the room checking on the condition of everyone. A strange feeling came over her that concerned her. They seemed ready. The unsettling sensation grew stronger as well as the feeling she forgot something. She tried to focus on the immediate problem of getting out of the inn and village. ¡°Yuki, it¡¯s time to go!¡± Eudokia looked around for Yuki, no longer seeing him among his friends. ¡°Yuki?¡± She turned to the window, finding him staring out with a lost expression in his eyes. ¡°Yuki?¡± ¡°I can hear them¡­¡± He glanced back in the room, his eyes carrying guilt. ¡°They¡¯re destroying the village looking for me.¡± ¡°Yuki, no!¡± She saw where his words guided him. Eudokia rushed over to him, grabbing him by the arm. ¡°No! You can¡¯t!¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t do anything wrong, Ayumi! It¡¯s my fault! I can¡¯t let them suffer for something that isn¡¯t their fault!¡± Chapter 104 - Struggle by Threads Screams from innocent villagers burned into the night air. A stifling atmosphere hovered around Skoupa, one that mirrored similar events in other border villages. Nothing got spared in the search, especially if resisted. The barbarity of the border patrol was known and not uncommon during such times, but it still didn¡¯t mean those that suffered became used to it. Anything short of burning down the home to ensure no hiding place remained undiscovered occurred. The lateness of the hour made the search all the more difficult. Some villagers already ran off towards the center of the village seeking the mayor. Others stood out of their homes huddling together helpless at the sounds of their homes being ransacked by an uncaring soul. A few even helped in the search, falling into paranoia about the scary foreigners that might wander their village. All of these reached Yuki as cries and pleas that painted terrible pictures in his mind. It made his hands shake with guilt and helplessness. Each cry floated in his ears filling him with echoes ghostly and horrific amplified by his fears. ¡®It¡¯s all my fault, isn¡¯t it?! Because I¡¯m here!¡¯ His heart pounded in his chest loud enough for him to feel it through him. Eudokia fixed Yuki with a commanding stare. She knew the look that he had. ¡°Don¡¯t think for a second that this is your problem!¡± The distance between them closed and she latched on to his arm making sure he didn¡¯t escape from her. A moment later, ripples came from her feet announcing her activated Field. ¡°You¡¯re not going!¡± Little showed from the barrier that she erected. Chapter 104 ¨C Struggle by Threads Only a slight reflective sheen bounced back for everyone to realize what just happened. When she trapped them, it set the room on edge, no longer letting Yuki and Eudokia argue. Seiji and Saki appeared on either side of Eudokia ready to protest. However, before they did anything a trap set in the Field sprung. From the wooden floorboards, long tendrils of fluid light burst up to take hold of Saki and Seiji. Saki¡¯s speed gave her the ability to dodge. She vanished from the center of the tendrils, appearing suddenly on the floor sliding away into the wall as a second set of tendrils appeared significantly faster than the last completely tying her up. It took her a moment to realize what happened to her and that her escape failed. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing, Ayumi!?¡± Saki tried to make use of her strength to break free, but it only made it tighter for her. At Eudokia¡¯s side Seiji stood tied up and enraged by the act. She looked back at Saki with a flat expressionless face. ¡°You didn¡¯t think I wouldn¡¯t make plans to deal with the two of you, did you? I know how reactive you two are. No one is going. We are leaving nothing more.¡± ¡°Damn you!¡± shouted Seiji struggling with his bonds. ¡°You can¡¯t hold me down with this!¡± ¡°You won¡¯t be able to break them. I made it specifically to deal with your strength. It converts all of your efforts to break into strengthening and tightening the hold. So you¡¯re only making it hold you easier.¡± ¡°Ayumi!? How can you do this to our friends?!¡± Yuki leapt forward grabbing a hold of Eudokia. ¡°Let them go now!¡± Eudokia snapped her arms out of Yuki¡¯s grasp. After freeing herself from Yuki, she slugged him hard in the face. ¡°No. I¡¯m doing what must be done to ensure you get to the capital without trouble.¡± Yuki lifted himself off the floor a little. His eyes held a surprise that Eudokia struck. ¡°But we¡¯ve already caused trouble! The village is being sacked because of us!¡± ¡°They don¡¯t know you¡¯re here yet. They are only searching. This isn¡¯t the only village that¡¯s going to be searched. Don¡¯t think you can be everywhere and stop everything from happening. This isn¡¯t your fault.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s happening right in front of you! How can you not care about it?!¡± ¡°So just because it¡¯s in front of you have to do something? You can¡¯t protect a country with that weak thinking. You have to see everything, even what¡¯s not in front of you. Else you can¡¯t protect anything.¡± Hesitation cut into Yuki for a moment as he heard Eudokia¡¯s words. He turned his gaze towards the window hearing the voices of the screaming villagers getting closer. Each second to listen racked him completely. It felt as though it poured into him. They filled him until it burned like molten metal ran through his veins. He just wanted to close his ears, but his hands refused to move. ¡®Is she right? But I could help them¡­right?¡¯ Yuki¡¯s hand tightened up again, fighting with own instincts. A part of what Eudokia said reached him. As much as he hated the thought of what she said actually being true, denying it only made it more painful. Yet his actions had more significance than before. An entire people made the scales change. It no longer was just himself anymore. ¡®What can I do? Is fleeing the only option I have?¡¯ Yuki sought answers around the room feeling lost. No one in the room had an answer for him. They kept to themselves left in disinterest with the situation or uncertainty. However, one of his friends couldn¡¯t deal with it any longer. A light suddenly broke from within the room. It took a few moments to realize what happened and find the source, giving plenty of time to finish. The shattering of something like glass echoed through the room. Seiji gave a relieved sigh as he stood glaring at Eudokia, completely surprised that he managed to break through. She took a cautious step back to prepare herself seeing the way that Seiji looked at her. ¡®Impossible! I thought I accounted for his strength! Is he even stronger than Saki? And what was that light?¡¯ Eudokia readied herself for whatever Seiji might have planned as shallow as it undoubtedly would be. Seiji ground his teeth as he bled out seconds in mounting tension. Everyone in the room felt like he would punch Eudokia knowing how he acted. They waited to see what he did with uncertain anticipation. And he didn¡¯t disappoint their expectations, finally lifting up his arm already with his hand tightened up. In the next moment a painful crunch let out as he hit his target by surprise. Yuki laid back on the floor, which he became unwillingly accustomed to. ¡°What was that for?!¡± He rubbed the other side of his face where Seiji walloped him. ¡°I had to knock some sense into you, dammit!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Why the hell are you hesitating?!¡± ¡°¡­but¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s a simple decision! You don¡¯t need to think about it!¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not so simple!¡± Another punch to his face came in, again not expecting a second from Seiji. Yuki staggered, but it brought him to his feet to face down Seiji. ¡°What the hell¡¯s the matter with everyone punching me?! What happened to just talking?!¡± Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Words don¡¯t get through to you as well as a punch!¡± shouted Seiji, getting into his face. It made him sick to see Yuki being weak willed about taking action. The Yuki he knew didn¡¯t hesitate. Certainty filled every movement and action that he made, not the fear that poured over him as he saw from him at that moment. ¡°Do those people outside need help?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Yuki replied without question. ¡°Then there you have your answer!¡± ¡°What!?¡± Seiji brushed back Yuki going to the window. The barrier that Eudokia erected remained sternly still as the last act of defiance. He spared no moment for it or Eudokia slamming his fist through the transparent wall. Around his arm the field cracked out falling apart in pieces leaving a small hole. Seiji threw in his other arm, tearing down the barrier until he made enough room for the window. ¡°Let¡¯s go! Whoever feels that it is the right thing to do to help someone suffering follow me!¡± He jumped out of the window disappearing into the night. Only a few moments passed to reveal Yuki at the window. Eudokia reached out to him for appeal. However, his eyes fixed her with a determined stare. The resolve inside him had shifted, becoming strong and rigid. She lost her chance. Yuki hopped up on the ledge of the window staring out at the ground. His mind looked back at Eudokia with the look like she had given up cracking through her features. He tilted his head back into the room. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but he¡¯s right. This is just my nature.¡± ¡°¡­I know¡­¡± A second later, Yuki leapt out to follow Seiji. Taking up behind him, Yori¡¯s sister went to the window looking down at the distance that she had to go to make it. It felt further than it actually was, but before she made her attempt Yori grabbed her. She stared up at him. ¡°You coming with me, brother?¡± No pleading or doubt from his little sister made Yori step back. He didn¡¯t expect her to appear so focused. ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous for us to go out there, Yumi! We aren¡¯t like those two.¡± ¡°There¡¯s more than just fighting that we can do!¡± ¡°If they see us we¡¯ll be targets!¡± She narrowed her eyes, more tired of her brother making up excuses for them. Taking a page from Seiji and Yuki, she did something without thinking of the consequences. She already had the window in her back from Yori pressing. A little more effort pushed her out of the window using her back as an awkward fulcrum. Yori remained holding on to her getting dragged out the window roughly sending the two of them to the dirt ground below on their back. She let out a low groan feeling the dagger of pain cut through her. A bit of regret surfaced realizing how much it hurt. Yori¡¯s sister rose to her feet working on getting her bearings back. Screams in the distance still lingered and grew in volume. Homes invaded and broken softly played in the background. ¡°Where¡¯d Yuki go?¡± Still reeling from the fall and surprise that his sister acted so suddenly, Yori staggered to get to his feet. Once he managed to get some support from the building he focused on her, distracted by her search. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing, Yumi!? Do you know how reckless and dangerous that was!? You could¡¯ve been seriously hurt if you fell wrong!¡± His sister gave him a half sheepish knock on her head knowing how right he was. ¡°We didn¡¯t get hurt though! So everything worked out!¡± Yori sighed to himself, seeing that he had little left to reason with her. ¡®Is Hayashi¡¯s thoughtless heroics starting to rub off on her? I need to keep them further apart¡­¡¯ Across the village already running towards the source of the ruckus, Yuki and Seiji saw someone in military uniform standing out in the street. Around them villagers ran about in panic and fear yelling in a language that neither could understand. The few villagers that paid attention in their blind running realized that Yuki and Seiji faces stood out from the rest screaming even louder. The closer that they came to the figure the more everything seemed to divide before them. It was as though the man¡¯s presence made it so that the frightened souls unconsciously moved for his will. He slowly slid his eyes to them, picking up their arrival. Yuki felt an odd sense of unease from seeing the man. There was coldness in his eyes that he never felt from the assassins that sought for his life. ¡®What¡¯s this strange feeling? Like I¡¯ve seen it before¡­¡¯ The only time he remembered seeing such eyes was when Ayumi killed. An expression lacked any sense of remorse or regret only driven by purpose. ¡®So cold¡­ Why does he seem so commanding?¡¯ When they came within a house of the man, Seiji and Yuki stopped. The Atlantean spoke to them in a foreign tongue that left both of them confused. Seiji searched over at Yuki for a clue to what the man said to them. ¡°There¡¯s something damn familiar about his words, but I can¡¯t understand him!¡± A nod from Yuki agreed with Seiji, though he had a little better luck. ¡°It¡¯s familiar because I think he¡¯s speaking in English.¡± ¡°Huh? But I thought the girl said it was Greek!¡± ¡°Maybe he thinks we¡¯re American or something.¡± Seiji threw up his fist at the man in frustration. ¡°We¡¯re Japanese! Ja-pa-nese!¡± All he got in return was confusion. The same look of peculiarity that they gave the Atlantean a moment ago didn¡¯t make him any happier. ¡°Damn language! How are we going to tell him to stop?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± shrugged Yuki. ¡°I think fists will be the only answer at this point¡­¡± ¡°I like the way you talk, Yuki!¡± Seiji grinned eagerly, pounding his fists together to psych himself up. The arrival of a second man out of the nearby house made the numbers even. His sights turned to the younger man that just appeared. ¡°You can get the old man, Yuki! This new one¡¯s mine!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think the man¡¯s even in his thirties, Seiji!¡± ¡°What the hell do I care? He¡¯s older than me!¡± Yuki sighed, having forgotten how straightforward Seiji used to be from their old days. ¡°True enough, I guess¡­¡± The thought of standing side by side with Seiji in a fight made Yuki a little excited. A normal fight that came down to only strength of muscles and reflex felt right. He missed the feeling that it gave him. Yuki let out a gentle smirk marking down his target. ¡°Don¡¯t run too far, Yumi!¡± shouted Yori trying to keep up with his sister. Once they oriented themselves something triggered in her. She claimed that she knew where Yuki was in the village, but had no explanation other than a feeling. The same feeling from before when they met everyone for the first time. Yori did not understand it too well, but the accuracy that she had then made it difficult for him to doubt her intuition. ¡°Yumi!¡± His sister blew around a corner of a home with certainty in each step. All of the sounds of the village faded into the background for her. She let her sight from within guide her. ¡®I can feel him! He¡¯s close! Yuki!¡¯ The next corner disappeared and a few villagers crashed past her knocking her down. Her foot worked to get under her to rise back up. ¡®Look out!¡¯ shouted a voice from inside her. By reflex she jumped back roughly still not balanced on her feet. A wooden and stone shelf collapsed where she used to stand. Among the wreckage laid broken pottery and crates. She lifted her head up to see a young man in the black military uniform she saw before at the barrier. Her eyes widened in surprise to find herself standing so close to the enemy. Yori finally caught up to his sister, finding the soldier staring down at her. ¡°Yumi! Run away!¡± The soldier gave the two teenagers a perplexed look not understanding them. He turned back toward his comrade that joined him. Yori¡¯s translator gave a clear view into their conversation. ¡°Hey Kalliope, I think we¡¯ve found the intruders! But they¡¯re just kids. You recognize their language? It¡¯s not English or European like most of those we find!¡± The woman stepped out around him looking down at the siblings trying to pick out their words and features. Her hand rested on the hilt of her sword as though always prepared for trouble. She looked over at Philon. ¡°They sort of look like those from Asian countries, don¡¯t they?¡± Philon leaned over staring down at them trying to confirm the guess. He remained unsure, but pulled back to address Kalliope. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve never seen one before. Aren¡¯t most of their people by the north gate?¡± ¡°This¡¯ll make communication impossible unless you know the language.¡± ¡°You kidding? I have enough trouble with English. Such a pain learning foreigners¡¯ words just to use them so infrequently.¡± ¡°Well either way children or not we need to take them back to the Captain.¡± He nodded back to her and started to reach for something behind him. Yori looked over at his sister realizing that she knew nothing of what happened. ¡®I¡¯ve got to get her out of here. She¡¯s not ready for this!¡¯ He pulled on his sister to get her to move. ¡°Come on, Yumi! They¡¯re going to capture us if we don¡¯t move!¡± Her eyes appeared empty with her voice just repeating the fragmented thoughts from her mind. ¡°I-I¡­thought¡­Yuki¡­¡± She didn¡¯t know what to do anymore. Her mind ran blank in the face of real danger. The two soldiers started to make their approach for the scared teens. Yori tried to put himself between them and his sister, but they surrounded them quickly. It seemed that they had no choice, but capture. ¡®¡­sister¡­I need to do something!¡¯ Suddenly from behind him a burning ball flew past Yori and scattered the soldiers leaping out of the way. When the flame hit the ground it blew out in a shockwave of dirt and debris from the ruined houses. Out of the shadows stepped Fumiko lowering her hand back down. ¡°That was just a warning shot. If you don¡¯t want any more of this I¡¯d suggest you retreat!¡± Chapter 105 - Reception for the Uninitiated Fumiko rushed over to Yori and his sister. ¡°Can you two stand?¡± The blast of fire from Fumiko set the two soldiers on edge. Both drew their swords ready to defend themselves. Philon glanced over at Kalliope hoping to find an answer from her. Unfortunately, she seemed confused by what they just experienced. ¡°Another intruder, just how many of them are there!?¡± ¡°Looks like the Captain was right about there being more to these intruders. But I never expected a MP user to be amongst them.¡± Kalliope tightened her grip on the hilt of her sword thinking about the trouble they got into with their foe. ¡°Explains how they got in though. We have an unmarked traitor!¡± Skepticism still weighed on Philon. ¡°A Meso Prosecho¡­¡± The tall girl made even them as adults appear short, making him a little uneasy. However, height played little towards his uncertainty about the foreigner. ¡°She looks like the rest of them. MP users can only be Atlantean.¡± ¡°But they can use their powers to change their appearance. She¡¯s probably got some pretty big crimes on her shoulders if she needs to hide her identity.¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t equipped to deal with a MP user though! It¡¯s normally the duty of the Ministry of Military Crimes Omega Branch to deal with these matters!¡± ¡°Stop complaining about our situation, Philon. Our honor as soldiers of the South Gate is on the line here!¡± Chapter 105 ¨C Reception for the Uninitiated The mood became unbalanced for Fumiko. Like Yori, she kept the translator earring from Yuki with her (more out of forgetfulness than intention). She heard everything the two soldiers said between them. ¡®They think I¡¯m like Yuki?! I can use that against them, but if they have ways of dealing with people like Yuki, what sort of effect will it have on me?¡¯ Fumiko looked over at the siblings still working on standing. ¡®I¡¯ve got to get them out of here. They won¡¯t be any match for trained soldiers, even with ancient world weaponry.¡¯ She stood up and stepped forward putting herself closer to the two soldiers. ¡°Can you get your sister out of here?¡± Distracted with his sister, Yori didn¡¯t immediately notice what Fumiko had done for them. Some coaxing and force by him managed to finally get his sister moving to her feet. He saw Fumiko in front of them finally taking in his surroundings. The flanking soldiers closing in with Fumiko alerted him to the situation. ¡°What are you doing?!¡± ¡°Can you get her out of here?¡± she asked again, barely turning her head. ¡°But what about you? I can¡¯t just leave you alone with them!¡± Fumiko smiled a little to herself for unknown reasons to even her. ¡°Could you fight without knowing she was safe?¡± Her question silenced Yori sharply with a wall before him. He glanced at his sister thinking about what she said. ¡®But I can¡¯t leave Yumi here¡­ There were only four in the village and if Hayashi is keeping the others busy¡­¡¯ Weighed uncertainty calculated through his mind staring at his sister. Yori suddenly took a firm grasp on her as a decision came to him. ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon!¡± The distant footsteps faded away in a hurried panic. A sign to her, they had finally left them alone, her and the soldiers. While the balance in numbers had changed Fumiko didn¡¯t feel anymore cornered than she had before. ¡®This is the first time I¡¯ve actively used my magic against someone. Can I do this?¡¯ Fumiko weighed out the tension in her body trying to loosen up. Pressured to act made her feel uncertain about her powers. Kalliope restrained herself from reacting to two of their prey escaping out from their grasp. Neither of the kids seemed to be of much threat to them before the tall foreigner that they faced. A power of fire meant that the entire village stood threatened by the girl. She had to protect the village from harm. The Xiphos, short sword, in her hand sang in the air focusing her determination into the blade. Her eyes stared down with Fumiko taking cautious steps. Opposite to her, Philon had other ideas. He shifted his legs and weight trying to be careful about tipping off Fumiko. A quick glance of his eyes to Kalliope checked on her positioning. ¡°Think you can handle her while I go after the two others?¡± ¡°They can wait. We need to deal with the MP user first.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll have to start our search all over again if we lose sight of those two. Plus our net around the village leaves too much to be broken through.¡± He had a point in what he said that Kalliope didn¡¯t want to openly admit. Her own insecurities about dealing with Fumiko held her back. However, she saw him making more overt motions to give chase. ¡®He¡¯s right that we have too few for a proper search. We¡¯re spread too thin. They¡¯ve thrown everything into chaos¡­¡¯ Keeping outwardly clueless, Fumiko waited for them to make a move. She tried to play up her obliviousness on the field. They already thought her to be one of them. She needed to keep them confused and uncertain. ¡®I can¡¯t let him leave for Yori and Yumi. I¡¯ve got to do everything I can to hold them both back¡­¡¯ Concentrating on her magic, time painfully lingered for them with both sides holding cautious of the other. No further discussion between Philon and Kalliope occurred when he sprinted for the opening left by Fumiko. Ready with a spell, ribbons of magic and lines of drawn energy rapidly gathered out from Fumiko¡¯s shoulder into her right hand. Everything happened so fast it appeared that her entire arm ignited in fire before the blast of flames exploded in front of Philon¡¯s feet knocking him backwards. Fumiko stepped back, ensuring that she stayed between the two of them and the rest of the street behind her. The night wind blew back the blast cloud over the street in front of the two soldiers creating a dramatic line in the sand. ¡®I can do this!¡¯ Philon coughed from the dirt road still holding on to shock. Through the breaking smoke he saw the girl staring them down insistent on not letting them leave. He caught sight of the seared ground where he might have been if he misstep. Once he regained his composure, Philon stood up locking tightly on to his short sword. ¡°Not going to let me go, huh?¡± Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. The woman tightened in on Fumiko trying to keep an eye on her hand for signs of fire. ¡°You hurt?¡± ¡°No, she missed me. I don¡¯t know if it was intentional or not.¡± ¡°Still the speed of her reaction is high. You¡¯re not going to be able to escape very easily.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got a plan for dealing with her? She hasn¡¯t used any Field techniques yet. You really think it¡¯s an MP user?¡± ¡°I know¡­¡± She actually had let that fact slip past her. As Philon had pointed out to her earlier, their job didn¡¯t cover dealing with rogue MPs. ¡®We won¡¯t know the full extent of her powers without testing her. I¡¯ll just have to make a move myself!¡¯ Kalliope shifted her left foot around as she stood near a villager¡¯s house filled with their hobbies and life smashed out on the ground. Her foot locked around a small pot lifting it up enough to cast it at Fumiko. Fumiko back stepped to avoid the pottery losing her focus for just a moment. In the wake of the shattering clay, Kalliope swooped in taking a testing swing at Fumiko to judge her physical reflexes. Often MPs relied too much on their powers leaving their physical strength and body severely lacking. Good ones became highly refined masters of both physical and mental arts. Mentally Fumiko had prepared herself for such a trick, but mentally prepared meant nothing in actual combat. The sword¡¯s blade sliced through her tunic Ayumi gave her only nicking the skin, despite it feeling much worse to Fumiko. She stumbled back a few more steps trying to recover herself. The two soldiers closed in, pressing their advantage on her causing her to hastily attempt another spell. Lines of magic barely made it down her shoulder before it evaporated on her. ¡®What?! It¡¯s not working?!¡¯ Fumiko had no time to worry about her magic as the woman swung more focused at her. Already back stepping saved Fumiko from the blade. A follow-up to the swing came in as the woman¡¯s extended leg spun around crashing into her waist. She fell off her feet directed with the woman¡¯s leg into the nearby home breaking through the wooden door. A cough came up from Fumiko¡¯s lips as she laid on her back staring blurry eyed up at the plaster ceiling of the home she invaded. Fights had only ever been something that she read about in her fantasy books. She pictured them vividly in her mind to play out dramatically with the hero eventually winning in spite of challenges. Even though she lived in them, the real thing turned out to be nowhere as romanticized as her dreams. Still dazed by the impact, Fumiko heard a loud ringing in her head. ¡®So loud¡­did I get hit that hard? I¡¯m really not a fighter¡­¡¯ Soon the cloud in her mind began to clear, turning the ringing into screaming. Sluggishly tilting her head, she saw a villager petrified beyond control by her sudden arrival. ¡®Am I so frightening?¡¯ Fumiko began to push herself back up and caught a flash of Philon running off, no doubt in search of Yumi and Yori. Seeing that she had let one of them through she tried to rise sharply, but found herself dropping down to one knee. ¡®Damn¡­ I¡¯m so useless¡­¡¯ ¡°The weakness of people like you is that without your powers you¡¯re just a normal human,¡± commented the woman from the doorway. Her figure took on a more sinister appearance with the glow of the awakened village behind her. She had Fumiko trapped. Heavy panting came as the first thing that Yori¡¯s sister heard finally breaking out of her mute stupor. She was only beginning to realize as she came around that her body moved on its own. She turned her head stubbornly to find her brother next to her with a panicked expression. ¡®What¡¯s going on? Why does Yori look so desperate?¡¯ The automated motions that had kept her going fell apart as she started to question things. She stopped in the middle of the alley breaking from the support she had. Losing the support from Yori nearly made her collapse not knowing how much she relied on him. ¡®What am I doing? The village¡­ everyone¡­ Yuki¡­¡¯ Yori ran back to his sister when she suddenly pulled away from him. He didn¡¯t notice the life returned to her and tried to coax her back along. Unfortunately, he found her more resistant to him than before. ¡°Yumi? We need to keep moving!¡± ¡°Brother?¡± she mumbled out of her lips nearly tripping over the words. A word from her alerted Yori that she might be coming back around. ¡°Yumi! Can you hear me? Do you know what¡¯s going on?¡± She tilted her head up to him, appearing almost curious in her confused questioning. ¡°How¡¯d I get here? What happened?¡± ¡°I need to get you somewhere safe! Follow me!¡± ¡°What?!¡± All of the pieces still dragged behind to come together for her. ¡®Where¡¯s Yuki? I was trying to find him¡­and then¡­¡¯ Parts of the scene with the soldiers flashed through to her finally putting everything in place for her. Remembering brought back the emotions for her as well. The shaking in her arms returned as strong as she remembered. ¡®I froze¡­ I froze! When it came down to act¡­I failed¡­¡¯ ¡°Yumi, we need to go!¡± Only a nod came from her before she started to run with Yori. ¡®I was just all talk in the end. I couldn¡¯t change anything.¡¯ Her hands tightened up as she reflected on her failure. ¡®All I did was cause trouble for everyone¡­ I made Yori worry about me¡­¡¯ The back of village homes gave way into the grass fields surrounding Skoupa. Their options ran out for Yori as he searched around for somewhere that could be safe. He wanted to return to the inn, but the chaos in the village made it too difficult for him. ¡®There has to be somewhere!¡¯ A flash of metal cut off Yori¡¯s thoughts. Yori pressed back trying to figure out what happened. Checking his shirt, a horizontal gap rested in the middle as well as a thin trickle of blood. He searched in front of him to find the soldier from before standing in his way. Philon shifted his foot forward pleased that he caught up to them. He didn¡¯t want to have to search the entire village over again. A couple of kids didn¡¯t mean much to him, but intruders had to be treated the same regardless. His free left hand pulled out thick metal chained cuffs. He showed them to Yori knowing the language barrier prevented any sort of civilized conversation. ¡°Come on,¡± he spoke, trying in a softer voice not to intimidate them. He preferred not to have to resort to his sword to convince them to give themselves up. ¡°You¡¯ve got nowhere to run.¡± Yori kept his sister behind him knowing that he had to protect her. He couldn¡¯t let her be taken by the military. If what Eudokia told them held true she would be returned to the researchers in the Antarctica bases. The questions that he knew inevitably would happen then would only make things even more complicated, something that didn¡¯t seem possible. ¡°Stay behind me, Yumi. I won¡¯t let anything happen to you!¡± ¡°¡­brother¡­¡± The soldier caught the serious glare from Yori sensing the unwillingness to cooperate. He dropped the cuffs to the ground focusing back on his sword reaching it out towards Yori pointing it threateningly at him. The blade spoke to Yori, making Philon¡¯s will clear as well. Tension built in the air between the two men pitting their resolve against the other in a contest of presence. She was watching, feeling as though she turned into the background. She was feeling removed from the scene and no longer part of the flow. Yori protected her. He kept her safe. ¡®He¡¯s always watching out for me¡­ I wanted to stand on my own¡­ but I couldn¡¯t¡­¡¯ Shifting air pulled her back out to see her brother motioning to her to move back. The locked battle between them grew into pacing. Yori¡¯s sister held her hands together praying that nothing happened to Yori. Action began with the Atlantean soldier lunging out with his sword to draw more blood and bring down Yori to submission swiftly. Even without a weapon Yori maintained his focus driven purely by his need to protect. Yori dodged carefully away from the swing, remaining cautious. ¡®I don¡¯t know the first thing about a real fight¡­ I have to watch him and learn from him¡­¡¯ Pausing for the next strike proved to be dangerous for Yori. The second swing came sooner than he expected and caught the tip of his shirt as he stumbled away. Yori¡¯s sister regretfully watched Yori forced into a fight that he didn¡¯t want because of her. ¡®It¡¯s my fault¡­ If I hadn¡¯t insisted on following Yuki¡­¡¯ A pained gasp from Yori catching a bit of the blade on his arm sent waves of fear through her. ¡®Yori¡¯s going to be killed by that man! He¡¯s going to die because of me!¡¯ She was stepping forward by a foot feeling drawn in by the fight. Yori kept trying to dodge, but the soldier had him cornered. ¡®It¡¯s me! I wanted to do something¡­ Why can¡¯t I protect my brother when he needs me the most?! Why?!¡¯ She felt at the end of her reason with only emotions pouring through her and driving her. The one sided fight turned poorly for Yori quickly. He fell backwards to the ground with Philon standing over him still seeing the Yori resistance. Philon raised his sword up for the final attack he needed to put the kid into submission. Everything blew away from Yumi when she saw Yori on the ground. Only the three of them existed for them. The village, the screaming, Yuki or Fumiko, none of it mattered to her anymore. She only saw them. ¡®No! I can¡¯t let this happen!¡¯ Yumi ran into the middle of the fight streaming tears behind her. ¡°I¡¯ll protect you, brother!¡± Yori¡¯s eyes widened seeing her putting her back to the soldier as he came down to swing. ¡°No! Yumi! Get out of the way!¡± He tried to get up from the ground, but everything moved so slowly for him. The swing continued through, unable to be changed. She only thought of protecting when she heard the sword clang loudly. Yumi felt it echo through her back. Her eyes widened for a moment thinking that she had been cut down. However, the sword spun away from her, ripped out Philon¡¯s hand embedded into the grass several meters behind him. Yumi turned slowly confused by what happened. Confusion sat deeply on Yori and Philon¡¯s faces as well. ¡®What was that light I just saw?¡¯ questioned Yori as he stared at her. ¡®What did Yumi just do?!¡¯ Chapter 106 - Disciple of War Yori hesitated to believe what he saw just happen. He didn¡¯t even know what he saw. ¡®Was the fairy right when it said she had powers like the others?! But what¡­¡¯ Yumi slowly turned in confusion trying to understand what happened as well. A vibrating feeling lingered in her back as phantom memories where she had thought the blade cut into her. ¡®What happened? Was it something I did?¡¯ She stared at her hands and body seeking answers from herself and finding nothing. Nothing visible remained of what happened and with her back turned away she saw nothing. Her only clue came from the awe struck look in her brother¡¯s eyes. Unfortunately, his eyes did little to comfort her panicked feeling growing in her chest. She had done something, but didn¡¯t know how to do it again. Philon stared at his sword hand seeing the red scrape marks from where his sword ripped forcibly from his grasp. ¡®I thought they were supposed to just be children! What is she¡­¡¯ He leaned back to see where his sword landed, calculating his risk in going for it against the unknown powers of the girl. Images of what happened played through his mind trying to piece what he knew together. In the end only one conclusion seemed the most reasonable. One conclusion he hated. ¡°You¡¯re a MP user too¡­ What¡¯s the chances of two rogue MPs together. Is this a revolt?¡± Chapter 106 ¨C Disciple of War The young soldier that Seiji picked out to fight laid in the dirt after one punch. Seiji appeared very disappointed with the results. He looked back at Yuki, who hadn¡¯t even managed to get into his fight with the Captain yet. ¡°That was a big damn let down! And what¡¯s with my fight being completely off-screen! That¡¯s not fair at all!¡± Yuki sighed a little, lowering his eyelids. ¡°It¡¯s not exactly a fair fight considering your strength.¡± Seiji lifted up the unconscious soldier by his uniform, staring at him. ¡°I know, but I held back most of my strength! He should have been able to take at least two damn hits!¡± ¡°You jumped the guy as he came out of the house! He didn¡¯t even see you coming!¡± Yuki looked away from his man. Still not satisfied and continuing to get upset, Seiji marched over to Yuki. His anger over an empty fight fed into his words. ¡°If he''s a soldier then he sure as shit should always be prepared! He should have expected me!¡± Yuki raised his hand to his face, not sure why he had this argument with Seiji. ¡°Are you listening to yourself? These guys aren¡¯t expecting someone to fight back! They¡¯re looking for frightened and confused scientists that stumbled in! You really think they¡¯re expecting them to fight back!¡± ¡°But what soldier doesn¡¯t take pride in being trained and always ready!¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear Ayumi talking on the walk?! They haven¡¯t fought for real in millennia!¡± Seiji chucked the soldier casually up against the house, getting in Yuki¡¯s face. ¡°That¡¯s no excuse! You can¡¯t let yourself weaken in a time of peace!¡± ¡°What are you a General now?¡± ¡°It¡¯s common sense!¡± ¡°Only to you!¡± Amidst the bickering between Yuki and Seiji, Simonides held back for a while being cautious about the breakdown. ¡®At least one of them isn¡¯t a normal researcher. Something is definitely a foul.¡¯ Keeping his sword ready, the Captain stalked forward to get the jump on Seiji. However, when he came into range to act everything rang loudly around him. A fist held straight out from Seiji remained as the response. He looked down at the Captain he knocked to the street. ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt me while I¡¯m talking!¡± ¡°Hey, what do you do that for?¡± Yuki darted over to the older man, managing to somehow remain conscious after receiving a powerful hit from Seiji. A quick investigation of his condition made Yuki turn his head back up at Seiji. ¡°He was mine! How could you take my opponent like that?! How am I supposed to fight him fairly after this?!¡± ¡°If he went down in a single punch then he ain¡¯t the hell worth either of our time!¡± ¡°You¡¯re just upset that your fight didn¡¯t last long and you¡¯re taking it out on mine!¡± ¡°Why you¡­¡± Simonides pushed himself away from them seeing them getting distracted with arguments again. He wished a little that he knew what they were arguing about. However, none of it mattered, he knew. He had his pride as a soldier of the Atlantean army, but his duty to protect came first. ¡®Eusebios is the only one that¡¯ll be able to deal with him¡­¡¯ From his pouch at his side, he retrieved a small item hidden well in his hand. His arm shook still from the damage making it difficult for him to get it placed. Lightheadedness began to take him over as he knew time ran out. As his last act, his finger pushed a button on the device shooting a bright light out of the top shooting into the sky. Simonides passed out a moment later, dropping a small cylinder from his hand. Once the light reached high enough into the air, it exploded and created a ball of light seen across the field and in neighboring villages. Both of the arguing teens stopped their yelling long enough to look up at the light in the sky. A moment later they stared at each other. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°How¡¯d the hell they get a flare if they¡¯re ancient Greeks?!¡± Yuki pushed Seiji off of him with the pause giving him back control of his emotions. He knelt down looking at the Captain. The cylinder he held rested in the dirt. Upon examination, Yuki found it to be far above the technological level that he had seen in the village. ¡®Seiji¡¯s right¡­this doesn¡¯t make any sense¡­¡¯ A remark from Chiharu echoed in his mind as he started a new line of thought. ¡®I wouldn¡¯t underestimate them. It¡¯s exactly because they appear this way that we should remain cautious. Unlike Ancient Greece they are surrounded by the modern age. The citizens might not have much knowledge of the world, but I doubt the leaders keep a blind eye to the outside.¡¯ Her words came back to him feeling like foreshadowing. ¡®She might be right about that.¡¯ The more he considered the thought the more questions came to him. Unfortunately, time did not grant him what he needed. Seiji wanted answers and began staring at him very closely. ¡°Hey! Step back a little!¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been quiet for too damn long!¡± ¡°It¡¯s been ten seconds!¡± ¡°More like a minute!¡± ¡°What you timing me now?¡± Yuki rolled the spent flare casing in his hand trying to figure some of it out. The strange thing he noted was that it lacked anything familiar to him in what he had seen in movies that used modern technology. It may have been a poor comparison, but he didn¡¯t believe they stole the flare. ¡®If anything it looks to be more advanced¡­did they make it themselves?¡¯ Not having an answer for Seiji didn¡¯t seem an option. All Yuki managed for him was a shrug. ¡°I don¡¯t have any more of an idea than you. They do have all of the powered users here. So maybe they made it through their powers or something.¡± ¡°But isn¡¯t it all fake?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not¡ª¡° A spear thrown between the two of them cut him off before he finished. In the next second the spear disappeared leaving Seiji confused. However, a familiar feeling settled in Yuki. ¡®Demosthenes! He¡¯s here!¡¯ Anticipating his enemy, a ring of light burst out from Yuki¡¯s feet. Replacing his clothes, his battle clothes appeared in response as grass filled the surface of the ground, but left the homes untouched. Seiji hesitated for a moment, not sure what happened to Yuki. ¡°Nice threads! Got some for me?¡± He reached out for Yuki holding a joking smile. A deadly serious flash came from Yuki¡¯s eyes when he looked at him that made Seiji step back. It brought back chills for Seiji. ¡°Hey, what the hell¡¯s wrong, man?¡± Nothing stopped Yuki as he strode forward focused on the darkness out of the village where he spear came from. ¡°This one¡¯s mine. Don¡¯t get in my way.¡± Yuki didn¡¯t even bother meeting Seiji with a gaze disappearing down the street to the end of the village. ¡®I haven¡¯t seen him like that since middle school¡­ What¡¯s that all about?¡¯ Following him became impossible as four soldiers came out of alleyways already drawn with swords. Seiji smirked a little to himself, looking pleased with the situation. ¡°Four on one, now we¡¯re talkin¡¯! But you¡¯re gonna need a helluva a lot more than that for me!¡± He charged towards them disregarding their weapons with his fist raised in the air to strike. Across the village the uneasy stalemate between Yumi and Philon dragged out. Neither of them tried to make any overt moves to attract attention. The doubt in Yumi made her hesitate. Yori grabbed onto his sister¡¯s shoulder to get her attention. ¡°We need to leave while we have the chance.¡± ¡®Escape?¡¯ Her focus diverted for only a moment away from the soldier and to her brother. The mistake gave Philon the time to reach his sword and charged for the two of them. ¡®If I¡¯m faster than their reaction I can get around their powers! A rogue MP user is too dangerous to have alive!¡¯ All of his fears bleed out of him as he sprinted for the siblings. Duty to protect drove his sword¡¯s blade no longer with the intention to capture. Rebellion meant death for one such as her. Yumi caught the movements of the man out of the corner of her eye. Time slowed down for her as she thought of her brother. A dark expression that she had never witnessed before appeared on the soldier. She pushed Yori back, knocking him out of the way as she turned. ¡®I will protect you this time, brother!¡¯ Doubt crumbled and poured molded into resolve and confidence. Yumi knew what she had to do. A half star suddenly glowed brightly burning out from under her shirt. It enveloped her even as the young soldier charged blindly on with a sure thrust in his sword. They disappeared from Yori¡¯s sight only hearing a frightening clash like ripped flesh. ¡°Yumi!?¡± He struggled to get back to his feet. However, as he rose a shockwave from the light sent him back as well as another figure out of the light. Coughing and biting through the pain he fought with himself to stand. He had to know who he just saw. Another flash of light blew out before it faded away. Yori managed to make a few steps before he looked over to find her hovering off the ground. Her eyes remained closed and a strange wind whipped around her playing violently with her clothes and hair. Faint echoes of light shimmered around her as remnants. Checking on the fallen figure, he saw Philon lying on the ground with his hand bloodied and sword missing. Yumi slowly opened her eyes carrying with unusually serious narrowed features on her face. She lifted up her right palm showing a small chunk of metal that suddenly shrank as though under pressure from external forces. The metal compressed until it became a small ball no more the size of an average child¡¯s marble. ¡°Your sword shall no longer hurt my brother,¡± she declared. Her iron marble floated up higher from her palm as her arm stretched out towards Philon. The ball disappeared from her possession flashing through the air spraying blood up from the impact. Philon screamed with his shoulder nearly shattered by his own sword. He ground his teeth together as he pressed his hand against his wound. ¡®She¡¯s too strong for me¡­but if I don¡¯t do something¡­¡¯ His still good arm reached behind him pulling out a small dagger. Determination burned in his eyes knowing what he had to do. A glance from Yumi at his dagger ripped it from his hand floating away from him. Like his other weapon she crushed it into a ball and returned it back through his other shoulder. She glared at him looking for him to back down. ¡°¡­stubborn¡­¡± Yumi remarked before waving her arm at him. Philon flew across the alley crashing into one of the houses. A nearby rock ripped itself free from the earth and came to rest hovering in her hand. The rock filled out her palm completely. ¡°Flee. This is your last chance,¡± commanded Yumi with all of the lethal presence she had to break through the language barrier. It didn¡¯t take much for Philon to understand the chance that Yumi gave him. A bitter taste built in his mouth with the thought of retreat. Both of his arms had no use and the bleeding made him feel lightheaded. He ran out of options. ¡°You¡¯ll regret sparing me!¡± Philon turned and sprinted away into the field to the planned rendezvous point. Yumi exhaled with relief and dropped to the ground. All of the wind around her disappeared at the same time. She closed her eyes to catch herself and when she opened them the serious girl disappeared. ¡°Yori! How hurt are you?¡± She rushed over to his side trying to look at his wounds. No words came from his lips stuck in shock. ¡®What happened to Yumi? Was that really her?¡¯ ¡°Come out Demosthenes! I know you¡¯re here!¡± shouted Yuki, still marching out of the village. When he reached the gate of Skoupa he scanned the area searching for a field. The further he went the less that he saw. However, the moonlight still gave him enough sight. Meters away from him a dirt cracked arid land cut away into his grass Field. His eyes narrowed as he prepared, recognizing it as a Field. ¡°Not using a grass Field this time?¡± A shadowed figure stepped out of the night haze closing in to Yuki. The man wore a simple black shirt and loose pants with leather boots. However, he had a different air about him from the man that Yuki knew. ¡°It would seem that you¡¯ve mistaken me for someone else.¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Eusebios assigned to the South Gate Border Patrol for dealing with intruders such as yourself. However, for an enemy we seem to have something in common that we share.¡± Yuki glared at the man not pleased by the casual tone that he took with him. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Demosthenes Alexander. I don¡¯t know how you know him, but he was my teacher!¡± Eusebios materialized a spear to his hand dropping into an attack stance. ¡°I won¡¯t let you tarnish his noble name with your tongue!¡± Chapter 107 - Righteous Flame The declaration from Eusebios fueled the anger in Yuki. While the emotions from his battle with Demosthenes subsided with time they remained just below the surface for him. He could never allow himself to forget, at least until he repaid the debt. ¡°I¡¯ll be the judge of what is noble!¡± Yuki charged forward at Eusebios not planning on giving him any chance to drag out the fight with words. His spear lowered to receive Yuki waiting for him at a thrusting distance. The venomous eyes painted deep voids of hue within Yuki¡¯s face made Eusebios a little uneasy in confusion. He saw how deeply Yuki felt about his strike. Hesitation and fear lacked any presence. All he saw within his fist was self-assured in bold lines of confidence and righteousness. He wondered if he could match such passion. The fighters closed distance with the spear thrusting out for Yuki¡¯s shoulder. A small blast from Yuki¡¯s foot pounded into the ground as he raised his open right hand against the spear. His palm slammed into the spear tip warping from his hand forcing it back into the wood of the spear¡¯s shaft. Half of the shaft splintered and exploded as Yuki rammed his hand through before finally gripping the spear¡¯s head. As a last accented moment of strength, he effortlessly crushed the metal head with his bare hand. A percussive blast from his hand knocked Eusebios back sending him to the ground. Chapter 107 ¨C Righteous Flames ¡°The weakness of people like you is that without your powers you¡¯re just a normal human,¡± commented Kalliope from the doorway. Her figure took on a more sinister appearance with the glow of the awakened village behind her. She had Fumiko trapped. Fumiko gritted her teeth, cornered so quickly. She had hoped that her magic gave her an advantage against a normal human, even a soldier. Staring down the point of a sword made her understand how much of a difference her lack of fighting experience meant. ¡®I can¡¯t let it end here¡­if only my magic worked¡­¡¯ ¡°I don¡¯t know what your reasons are for helping outsiders into the homeland, but you know you only have two choices. You face your crimes before the Ministry of Military Crimes or I kill you right here as a traitor to Atlantis.¡± The villainous Kalliope moved a step closer to put her sword blade only a hair¡¯s width away from Fumiko¡¯s neck. Her words rang deadly serious. ¡°As an Atlantean I know you understand me. Disguises won¡¯t get you out of this.¡± The threat of death hanging before her like a sword wreathed in black barbs and veils. She started to sweat profusely. She saw no doubt or hesitation in the woman¡¯s eyes. Fumiko wished that she had more than just a translator to explain how wrong the woman was about her. However, explaining how she had magic seemed equally difficult considering the possibility normally was impossible. ¡®If only I had a staff or something to defend myself.¡¯ Her eyes darted around the small room wanting anything that she could defend herself. Kalliope gave Fumiko the time to decide, but didn¡¯t keep her eyes off of her for any moment. She almost seemed to taunt Fumiko¡¯s heroics with the stained blade threatening life. ¡®Let¡¯s see how much resolve you have for your cause¡­¡¯ Delaying her further brought Kalliope¡¯s sword closer, poking Fumiko¡¯s skin on her neck. She demanded a response. Her options ran out. Yet Fumiko bravely held on to not giving up. She had to fight. The people might have been afraid of her, but they needed help. Fumiko gave her answer to the woman with a resolute stare of determination. ¡°I see. Then you shall die here!¡± The obsidian tainted blade pulled away from Fumiko¡¯s neck. No relief came from its retraction. Raised above Kalliope¡¯s head the sword clicked in her hand with the metal singing an ominous requiem. Fumiko narrowed her brow in defiance against the unjust evil. ¡®I need something¡­anything! With my magic¡­¡¯ Her right hand knocked against a wooden pole. A broom cast aside during the search laid out of place on the floor. ¡®Wooden¡­I need something more, but if I can survive the first swing¡­¡¯ Fumiko left questions behind in her doubt, taking up desperation with the broom quickly trying to get in the way of the sword slashing down at her. Fear for what happened next made her eyes close. A loud clash vibrated through Fumiko¡¯s arm accompanied by a familiar divine warmth in her arm. Even through her closed eyes the bright light from in front of her shone through. Curiosity and her still beating heart made her peel back her eyelids to know the outcome. She missed the start, but at the end threads of her magic trailed from her hand penetrating the broom she held. Calling it a broom anymore failed to describe it properly. Silver cast around sections of the wooden pole providing elegance and holy grace that it lacked. The bottom wrapped completely in silver balling up before finishing off in a sharp pyramid shape added at the end with the point out to contact the ground when vertical. At the opposite end of the broom the head no longer existed. In place of the broom head, a silver circular headpiece formed. Ornate leafing and stems twisted out from the bottom of the circle building into a complex woven sphere hollowed inside. Even while admiring the craftsmanship of the ex-broom, the threat of the dark sword rattled against the wood. The common household item stubbornly refused to give ground to the sharp blade, not so much as chipping. Struggling, the tools came down to strength, something that Fumiko lacked both in position and natural physical attributes. She saw only one option tilting her hold to angle the sword down to the head of the pole. Kalliope staggered forward, losing balance breaking the clash. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Fumiko threw herself back to get some distance between them. The corner of an end table stabbed her back. It jerked her over to the entrance of the door she fell through minutes before. Slammed against the wall Fumiko coughed to herself groaning at the stress. She caught a quick glance of Kalliope recovering and then the street outside. Her hands tightened up against the pole and rolled around the doorframe escaping into the street. The night air gave her a welcomed cool breeze bleeding off some of the tension in her body. Narrowly escaping death left sweat covering her body sticking to her clothes. Discomfort from it pushed aside hearing the woman from the house knocking things out of her way to get out of the hovel. Fumiko tightened her grip on the pole that she held. A few seconds passed before she took in what she held. ¡®A staff¡­did I make this? Is that even possible?¡¯ Much of her powers remained unknown and unexplored to her as she realized more of what seemed possible with the magic she possessed. The possibilities had her pondering, but shook it off remembering her dilemma. A flash of moonlight from the sword crept through the open doorway of the home announcing itself. Kalliope strode down ignoring the screaming and panicked villagers behind her. Her face wore a stern look almost as though disappointed in her failure. ¡°You didn¡¯t run. So you still plan to fight me.¡± She raised her sword hand up, hefting the Xiphos horizontally at Fumiko, the blade flat. ¡°Let¡¯s learn which will is stronger!¡± Fumiko clinched her staff between both of her hands, finding her quest. ¡®I can defend myself at least¡­¡¯ Once an attempt for a defensive position by Fumiko began the demon charged forward as though signaled. The wait seemed difficult to read into if it was because of some warrior¡¯s honor or hesitation in fear of the unknown. The destined heroine didn¡¯t have the time to consider either option with Kalliope closing on her. The woman¡¯s speed felt inhuman compared to Fumiko¡¯s sluggish actions. All Fumiko managed before their weapons clashed was to raise the staff away from her. The sword felt heavy from the weight of the dark lord¡¯s foot soldier rammed through it into her staff¡¯s pole. Sparks chipped away where metal scrapped and collided. The blade dug in against the metal grip of the staff trying to bite through it. Hero Fumiko bravely held her arms against the overwhelming pressure. Dark miasma soaked through the skin of her foe. Each vibration built into a larger wave of pressure slamming into her hands. Her body began to feel unbalanced making her remember to slide a foot back for bracing restoring her balance. The exchange that went through Fumiko broke a tiny window of opportunity for Kalliope to finish the arc of her weapon. Enough of the ending force jerked back Fumiko crumbling her blessed defenses. The sword swung in again quickly. Sparks flew up barely blocked. A weak parry from Fumiko stopped the third. She stepped back from the flurry of attacks coming at her. Her eyes darted down at her feet trying to watch what she did distracting her. The evil foot soldier capitalized on the heroine''s mistake and spun around with her feet planting it deep inside her stomach. Fumiko slid back coughing using the pointed edge of her staff¡¯s bottom to dig into the ground for support. ¡®All I can do is block¡­¡¯ She stared up panting from the exertions. Her body felt weak and shaken from just only a few moments of the fight. ¡®Can I really do this? I¡¯m not built for this¡­ If only my magic worked¡­¡¯ Her reprieve lasted barely longer than the attack before the demon¡¯s assault resumed in fierce strikes. Fumiko didn¡¯t even make it to her feet. Each dark aspected strike sent her recoiling backwards struggling to keep any ground she might have had left. While the attacks came her mind fell blank with no thoughts. She forgot everything from the moment before. Single-mindedness claimed her. An offensive strategy or even a defensive one failed to develop even a thought. The next break for Fumiko left her body racked with aches in her muscles. She never felt such pain even from her PE class. ¡®I can¡¯t¡­¡¯ Fumiko panted heavily, gasping for a breath. Her mind¡¯s focus crumbled away. ¡®¡­magic¡­¡¯ Pieces of words or thoughts ran through her. Fragments failed to piece together. ¡®¡­Kimiko¡­¡¯ Her sister flashed suddenly in her eyes. A thread of light appeared in her mind taking over her actions. Kalliope saw her last charge bring the fight to a close. She had only needed to finish the traitor off with a final blow. ¡®I would have thought she¡¯d put up more of a fight for being an MP user. How did someone as weak as her survive?¡¯ Questions had to end. Only one course remained. Kalliope closed, bringing her sword back to thrust. Brilliant light suddenly broke from Fumiko¡¯s arm as violent threads and ribbons of energy. Kalliope had only seen the girl¡¯s powers briefly, but she saw it was nothing like the power she displayed before. Any control seemed to have been forfeit. The light appeared to be ripping at her own skin as it jumped along funneling into the staff still held in her hands. When the energy touched the wood it exploded in flames racing up the staff into the globe at the head. Kalliope stood meters away from the scene, but the heat that burned off of the display made her skin sweat and blister. She pulled away a little, no longer certain what to do. ¡®I can¡¯t get close! Is this a defensive act?¡¯ Seconds passed quickly as the flame grew inside the sphere until consuming the entire form. The metal work seemed unable to restrain the power that expanded out. Breaking free from the cage, tendrils of flame whipped out from the gaps of the bars. Despite the fire appearing to be completed, energy continued to drag out of Fumiko¡¯s shoulder tearing at her clothes and skin. If she felt any pain from the torture she caused none of it reflected in her soulless eyes. Watching longer, Kalliope began to develop a sick feeling in her stomach. The sight gave her an empty desperation. ¡°She¡¯s building up power to kill us both! Is she mad?!¡± Kalliope felt her determination crack. ¡®I should run¡­¡¯ Her head turned back down at the village seeing everyone around. ¡®How many would die? She could wipe out the entire village!¡¯ Kalliope looked over at the inferno blazing out of control. Where the flame whips lashed out at the street char marks remained scorched by the intense heat. Nearby straw looked ready to ignite from the sheer heat. The thatched roofs smoked closer to the flames. Anyone witnessing the ball of fury renewed their screams fleeing in opposite directions knocking over anyone in their way to escape. Mass panic spread quickly as the light from the flames lit up half of the village. Kalliope gripped her sword tightly and charged forward into the field of heat that surrounded the spell. She thought she ran to the surface of the sun, the burning heat sucked out every last drop of water from her body. Blisters and burns appeared on her hands from her sword heating up and exposed arms. Each step felt like misery dragged out over a year slowly penetrating so as to ensure every moment of every second felt equal and building in suffering. ¡®How can she have such power and be so weak?! It doesn¡¯t make sense!¡¯ She staggered in her charge feeling her muscles crying out through her aching skin. Her next step caught a flame tendril whipping at her wildly. The flame gave her no time to dodge, especially as she struggled forward. It ripped up through her uniform burning skin deeply. Even fighting the pain, a stifled scream broke into gasping yelp. As the tendril retracted back Kalliope broke her fall with her failing leg. ¡®I can¡¯t stop!¡¯ Her pain from her injury drew all of what she felt over her body in making it feel almost like she had escaped the heat. Yet on cue to dash her hopes, a new wave of heat blasted through her with increased vigor. ¡®It¡¯s getting worse! I can¡¯t get closer!¡¯ She stared at her sword burning into her palm and melting flesh. Desperation remained her only weapon. Kalliope raised the sword up and flung it from her hand at Fumiko tearing burnt skin with it. In spite of her hand bleeding out none of it seemed to hurt. Hope kept her legs from collapsing in the heat, having to know if she reached her target. The sword sped closer drawing in a straight line for Fumiko¡¯s chest. It looked as though it would reach. She knew it would. An errant whip blew out in front of Fumiko knocking the sword away. Cast aside, the sword spun rapidly through the air far beyond Kalliope reach. ¡®I failed¡­¡¯ Her leg gave up dropping her to the ground. ¡®She¡¯ll kill everyone¡­nothing can stop her¡­¡¯ Kalliope passed out. Chapter 108 - Side of the Just The flames continued to grow larger, consuming from Fumiko¡¯s essence. Lashing out, more tendrils birthed from the core as a mass of angry whips. Kalliope¡¯s uniform began to smoke and sear her skin completely. Homes cracked and snapped from the heat burning ever closer. Out of the darkened shadows, a large figure leapt forth dropping near Kalliope¡¯s fallen body. In a quick glance, the figure leaned down and picked her up disappearing for a moment before reappearing. A hand rose to their forehead acting as though it shielded them from the light. ¡°The hell¡¯s going on?¡± After his brief fight, the light signaled him in his curiosity. ¡®Damn fights getting dealt with off screen!¡¯ He pounded his fists together and stepped forward trying to get a clear view of the damn center. However, the massive ass fireball consumed all shapes around it in a blinding light. Only a faint blurred form seemed to be visible to him. All of the damn heat and fire tried to blast the shit out of him. ¡°It¡¯s a little warm here¡­¡± He looked around at the village seeing it on the cusp of burning. ¡°Who the hell¡¯s stupid idea is this? If they keep going they¡¯ll burn down the village!¡± Seiji took a few steps closer, noting the tendrils wailing about like angry ass watchdogs. ¡°Is this another one of those Atlantean powers like Yuki?¡± He cracked his neck making himself excited. ¡°Maybe this one will actually be a challenge for me!¡± A grin slipped from his lips charging forward, not paying attention to the increasing temperature around him. Chapter 108 ¨C Side of the Just Almost feeling insulted by Seiji¡¯s lack of concern, the flames split, doubling their numbers to increase their vicious as hell attacks. Glowing slightly into the inferno, Seiji charged on destroying any shitty ass tendril that dared to touch him. His fist raised back to charge his strength nearing the target. More flames lined up in front of him in desperation. Nothing stopped him. Seiji rammed through it all, shattering fire to dust. Contact rang out as his hand met something solid. Out of the furnace flew Fumiko crashing through the home at the end of the street. In an instant, the damn fire disappeared as though put out, the staff collapsing to a rattle on the ground. Seiji came to a stop on the other side of the event. Smoke rose off of his clothes and skin, but remained unharmed for the most part. Even he took some burns. Once the threat disappeared, he looked around for his cowardly opponent (he didn¡¯t pay attention to where he was aiming). Disturbed mortar and crumbling wood alerted him to the huge ass hole made in a home. He sprinted off to learn of the person¡¯s condition. He hoped for the fight to still be on, however when he looked inside an uneasy feeling overcame him. ¡°Huh?! What¡¯s she doing there?¡± While Seiji pointed himself back at the spot and the house trying to put the pieces together, Fumiko stirred from her debris bed. Another loud ringing filled her ears and a heavy overwhelming numb disjointed feeling in her head. She slowly pulled herself up, but didn¡¯t realize that she had no feeling through body. ¡°Seiji?¡± questioned Fumiko with a raspy voice. ¡°Why are you here?¡± The sound of Fumiko talking snapped Seiji¡¯s confusion and focused him back on the house. ¡°I was just about to ask you the same thing! What¡¯s going on?¡± Taking another moment, he took in Fumiko¡¯s appearance. Her body ran with blood, burns, warped skin and ruined clothes. He reflected his confusion on his face. ¡°What the hell happened to you?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Fumiko stumbled forward, finding it difficult to move her feet. Simple rubble made her trip. She caught herself against the wall near the hole she had flown through. Treating the ruined hole like a window, she searched around Seiji for answers. ¡°I was¡­¡± A flash of the soldiers came to her as memories started back up. ¡°¡­the soldiers¡­ a woman?¡± Already forgotten by Seiji, he responded with a puzzled expression. ¡°A woman? One of the villagers? Were you protecting someone?¡± Haze filled Fumiko''s memories the closer she tried to reach the present. ¡°Protecting someone? I was protecting¡­who?¡± She shook her head not certain. ¡°No¡­it was¡­¡± Seiji scratched his head becoming frustrated with Fumiko¡¯s bout of amnesia. ¡°Where the hell is that guy with the fire I saw? I know I connected with him! He¡¯s got to be around here somewhere!¡± ¡°Guy with fire?¡± While confused by Seiji¡¯s statement it triggered new images in Fumiko¡¯s mind. More of the battle pieced together for her. She recalled the woman soldier that tried to kill her. The broom staff appeared in her hands. Fire consumed everything around her memories suddenly. ¡®¡­fire¡­fire¡­¡¯ The first instance of pain ripped through her right arm suddenly as though reacting to the memories. She bit through it grinding her teeth together until it passed. Clarity came to her after the pain that revealed the conclusion. ¡°I was the one. I think.¡± A tilt from Seiji¡¯s head accompanied his voice. ¡°Huh? The one what?¡± ¡°The one in the fire. The guy with the fire you¡¯re looking for was me.¡± The more she said it the more certain she became about her words. ¡°I was the one creating the fire!¡± ¡°What?!¡± It took him a while to recover as his mind processed what he had done. Despite his mind actually working, the severed connection to his lips continued. ¡°You mean the person I hit was you!?¡± His finger and hand stretched out through the large hole he made calling to it as well as Fumiko. The gesture almost seemed to be accusing Fumiko. However, it took only moments for her to realize that Seiji had hit her and respond. ¡°What!? Why did you hit me?! I know we teased you but that¡¯s uncalled for!¡± If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Hey-hey-hey! You were the one going all high school bonfire festival on the village! I was just trying to protect the village from burning down!¡± ¡°From burning down?¡± The words knocked Fumiko back a step as though slammed by a sledgehammer in her chest. ¡®I was burning the village? But I just wanted to protect them!¡¯ Fear shook into her arms and through her legs. In moments, she lost her footing, dropping to her knees. ¡®What was I doing?! What happened to me?!¡¯ Seiji finally realized what he did and jumped through the hole. ¡°Hey! It¡¯s ok! You didn¡¯t do anything!¡± He received no recognition from his comfort. Seiji tried to shake her a little to snap her out, but her eyes spoke nothing to him. Weights fell on Fumiko¡¯s heart crushing her being. She struggled to breathe feeling her chest tighten up. ¡®What have I done?¡¯ Each shallow breath came harder than the last. Compounding her pain, the numbness over her body had started to lift. All of the burns and cuts that she took roared anew over her body. Assaulted from all sides, a curdling scream escaped her lips before passing out in Seiji¡¯s arms. Being so close to the scream shook him and the tone unnerved his usually stoic heart. ¡°What the hell¡¯s the matter?! Speak to me! Damn it!¡± Surprise overtook Eusebios witnessing Yuki¡¯s act. In the darkness of the night, he failed to totally grasp the situation. As he backed away to regain his composure, he understood what he had ignored before. ¡®I¡¯m not fighting an intruder. I¡¯m fighting an Atlantean like myself¡­a rebel perhaps.¡¯ The thoughts spun in his mind as he came up with explanations that made more sense to why Yuki knew his master. Eusebios looked down at his hand materializing his spear back whole once more. ¡®He shattered my spear at this close range with merely his hand. What sort of powers did he create for himself?¡¯ Yuki¡¯s Field blended in with the surroundings such that he only noticed because of its encroachment on his Field. A grass Field revealed little to his powers. ¡®The frontal attack makes me think he¡¯s more of the brute force type. And he uses no weapon¡­ How does Master know him?¡¯ Yuki gave the man all the time he needed to recover. He closed his hands preparing for another round seeing the man armed. Ignoring words, Yuki resumed his assault on the man. He swung at Eusebios, lightly grabbing his attention before taking a true strike for him. The second punch failed to connect when the soldier dodged. Returning a strike with the spear, Yuki brushed it aside. He fought against the range of the weapon. When Yuki finally broke through the defense of the spear a new defense burst up. An array of spears thrust up in front of Eusebios meant to take the punch Yuki sent for him. His fist breached the wall with little effort. Wood splintered into a shower blasted outward at Eusebios. Yuki pushed on through reaching for Eusebios. The spears disappeared and another set surfaced in line as Eusebios tried to leave his range. It proved even less useful with Yuki¡¯s fist crushing them before him with even more dramatic effect. Adding to the damage, the spear tips that began to fall suddenly stopped. A slight glow of particles wrapped around the remaining wood of the shaft directing four spear heads at Eusebios. They launched from their position quickly, but disappeared before being given the chance to strike. Eusebios cleared enough room, leaping back to leave him safe from Yuki¡¯s furious strikes. He caught his breath trying to analyze Yuki¡¯s power. It still left him uncertain with only pieces coming to him. ¡®He breaks my weapon with no effort. And even tries to make use of them against me. His fighting is so unorthodox. Who trained him?¡¯ He stared deeply at the short tempered boy that challenged him. ¡°Why are you here? What¡¯s your purpose in Atlantis?¡± Yuki narrowed his eyes, bothered by the interruption. ¡°My reasons aren¡¯t something you need to be concerned with. You should be more focused on the fight!¡± Charging onward, Yuki sought to keep the words to a minimum. Not taking a misstep, the Atlantean kept on his feet seeing how much Yuki resisted the conversation. The lack of answer only made him more curious. He kept his distance measured to stay out of reach. ¡°Purpose is important. You¡¯re here for a reason. I must know why I¡¯m fighting a countryman.¡± Set off by the word, Yuki broke into a burst of speed closing their distance rapidly. ¡°This isn¡¯t my country! And I¡¯m not your countryman!¡± His fist came out for Eusebios¡¯ face, but crushed the spear that got in his way. He barely missed his target. Eusebios recovered once more away from Yuki. A flicker of Eusebios¡¯ eye gave away his deepening interest in Yuki. He saw that he struck a nerve with his last comment. The reaction was strong, but nothing like the venom in his words when speaking of his Master. ¡®What was that about? He just got faster for a moment¡­¡¯ Eusebios questioned the wisdom of furthering his conversation. ¡°You have the Meso Presecho. What else could you be?¡± Yuki ground his teeth against each other. He broke out from his idle spot running for the soldier. Spears began to materialize again out of the ground attempting to divert him from his target. Yuki burst through without a thought to the danger. Accompanying the ground attacks, Eusebios flung spears through the air at him that simply gazed off his body unable to harm him. In the last stretch, Yuki mounted one of the spears breaking through the earth to run up it using it as a ramp. He leapt into the air sailing through to Eusebios, surprised by the move. Yuki rammed his fist into Eusebios¡¯ chest. Eusebios staggered back from the attack coughing, feeling blood erupting from his throat. He collapsed to one knee in shock. ¡®A single punch!? He¡¯s still just a boy! How could he injury me so deeply?¡¯ The pained and ragged breathing exacerbated the striking pain he felt. Each movement felt as though it crushed his ribs. Blood dripped down his mouth tracing around his jaw. Still defiant, Yuki stood over Eusebios. ¡°I¡¯m Japanese!¡± he shouted as though trying to convince someone other than just Eusebios. A cough spat out more blood from Eusebios¡¯ mouth. He managed to form a spear in his hand. Resolve to fight until his last breath was the only thing keeping him focused. Eusebios took the perfect opportunity to thrust his spear in at Yuki¡¯s unguarded stomach. The spear broke off against Yuki, shattering. Even through everything he saw Eusebios managed a look of disbelief. ¡°This in ends now!¡± Yuki released his armor from around fist and rammed it through the man¡¯s face, knocking him out. Eusebios laid unconscious on the ground in silence. The dirt Field disappeared and soon Yuki¡¯s grass Field. He stared down at the man pensively. The night over Atlantis wore on with all of the sounds of battle coming to a close. All that remained in the air were panicked cries from the villagers. Yuki returned back to the village solemnly, but pleased that they saved the village. The damage had already been done, he knew. He just hoped that they saved enough. As Yuki entered the village, familiar shouts pulled his head up towards the village center. ¡°Yuki! We¡¯ve got trouble!¡± yelled Seiji. More trouble spurred his feet into a sprint to meet Seiji to learn of the new problem they faced. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Seiji?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the villagers.¡± ¡°What about them?¡± ¡°They¡¯ve captured that brother and sister!¡± ¡®Yumi?!¡¯ Every muscle came to a halt in his body. He glared at Seiji for more of an explanation. ¡°Why?!¡± ¡°They¡¯re saying that we¡¯ve brought destruction on them or something! They¡¯re planning on handing them over to those military guys!¡± Chapter 109 - Right of Wrong Seiji threw his arm back towards the center of the village while he spoke. The confusion and frustration in his voice came through clearly. He looked like he wanted to do something, but forced himself otherwise. Even Seiji understood. Questions piled up for Yuki trying to figure out what happened in the short time that he left. He didn¡¯t expect anything from the villagers. ¡®What are they thinking? We helped them!¡¯ Yuki stared at the ground feeling the heavy weight of confusion pressing down on him. It seemed so simple. Further questions had to wait, he knew. Yuki looked forward and ran down the street. He couldn¡¯t let them turn the two over to the soldiers. He caused them all too much trouble. ¡®Don¡¯t worry Yumi, Yori¡­I¡¯ll protect you!¡¯ Chapter 109 ¨C Right of Wrong Ever since the fighting, the village fell into chaos. That havoc started to settle down with the ending of the fighting. However, the villagers all remained on edge. Yuki got a few stares as he sprinted past, but most of the noise came from the center of the village. ¡®I won¡¯t let anything happen to you!¡¯ Out of the corner of his eye, Yuki caught the ruin amongst the village. They might have stopped what happened, but for many the damage was already done. Those focused on putting the pieces of their lives back together began the clean up even at the late hour. Sleep seemed like something of a luxury for everyone. Nearing the town center, Yuki came to a stop. For Seiji, he took the halting with surprise, expecting Yuki to go charging into the crowd. Seiji managed to break himself before being seen by the locals. Using the corner of a home for cover, Yuki leaned around to get a view of the situation. Much as Seiji had told him, a large gathering of villagers amassed in the square led by an aged man, likely the elder or mayor. From his position, it proved difficult to know if the old man was working the crowd or against it. He needed someone on his side in the village. ¡®Wish Ayumi was here. She¡¯d know what to do. But I can¡¯t risk losing any more time. I¡¯ll just have to solve this on my own.¡¯ Yuki looked over at Seiji. ¡°I can¡¯t see Yori and Yumi from here. Have you seen anyone else?¡± ¡°Just the giant. But I left her with the rest back at the inn. It should just be us.¡± ¡°So they haven¡¯t been found in the inn?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem like it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good. I can¡¯t imagine how they¡¯d react to knowing that there were more than two foreigners in their village.¡± Unfortunately, Yuki had a pretty good idea on their reaction just based on finding two. The picture he painted acted like acid in his stomach. He swallowed poorly trying to put the thought further out of his mind. Yuki leaned out from the corner of the home. He started to make his way out towards the crowd. However, Seiji grabbed him at the shoulder before he got too far. ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡± Seiji gave him a deep stare expecting orders. Suddenly being relied upon made Yuki take a step back. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m just making this up as I go along.¡± ¡°What?! You¡¯re going to get those two killed!¡± Seiji threw out his hand pointing into the crowd to wherever the siblings rested. Shaking his head, Yuki glanced towards the elderly man. ¡°They may be afraid of us, but they¡¯re also wanting to stay hidden from the world. Considering their policy of dropping intruders back outside. While we¡¯re only kids, they don¡¯t know that we aren¡¯t from the research bases. So they can¡¯t risk that. They just want to turn us over. I doubt they¡¯ll kill them intentionally. My concern is what their fear will make them do. There¡¯s too many chances for mistakes to wait.¡± A narrowed skeptical look stared back at Yuki from Seiji. ¡°How can you be so certain?¡± ¡°If you were listening to Ayumi half of the time and not sleeping or tuning her out you¡¯d understand.¡± Seiji leaned in closer to Yuki turning his stare into a scowl. ¡°If this wasn¡¯t more important I¡¯d deck you right now!¡± ¡°Regardless, I¡¯m going out there. I can¡¯t wait until I figure out something smart to do.¡± Yuki broke free from Seiji¡¯s hold and started marching out towards the square. In front of him, the dozens of villagers mobbed together too distracted in fear to notice him. Lacking a plan left him a little uncertain, but he fortified himself. Strength and conviction had to stand firm for him, if he had any chance in making the villagers convinced of their intentions. Yuki strode out amongst the crowd already working his Field in so that the language barrier came down. Anyone in the area of effect sounded like a native speaker to the person listening. He knew that to be the first wall that had to crumble. Fear came next, but he still didn¡¯t understand them fully. Answers had to come first, reasons for their reaction. Pushing through the angry mob, Yuki managed to still be ignored. Everyone became transfixed by their emotions. Pieces of the blanks filled in as he listened to the yelling around him. ¡°We have to turn them over!¡± ¡°They¡¯ll be back again!¡± ¡°They think we¡¯re hiding Northers!¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°They tried to burn down the village!¡± ¡°They attacked the soldiers!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll get attacked by them next!¡± ¡°Get them out of here!¡± Similar shouts repeated as Yuki pressed on. It gave him enough to get an idea of what had the villagers so upset. He still only had fragments of the truth, but he had a start. Only a few meters remained before he breached the space between the mob and the elderly man. ¡®I wonder how they¡¯ll react to me¡­¡¯ Glancing around the gathering, he tried to find the siblings among them. He had searched repeatedly as he forced his way in, but he made one last check. ¡®They must be in the front¡­¡¯ Breaking through finally, Yuki stood out feeling the freshness of non-stifled air around him. It cooled his face a little, which built with anxiety. ¡®Yumi!¡¯ He suppressed his immediate urge to rush to her. Bound at the hands and legs with her arms restrained as well, Yumi slumped next to her brother against the well. She appeared exhausted and drained of all strength. Even sleeping seemed to be taxing for her, but still the only thing that helped her recover. ¡®What happened to her? Did they already do something to her? Why didn¡¯t Yori protect her? He¡¯s her brother!¡¯ Before Yuki had a chance for even an introduction to attempt a smooth opening, the old man in front of him took notice of him not being one of the villagers. ¡°Who are you?!¡± As expected, all of the villagers in the front took a step back or attempted to do so. The mob grew thick as they realized that a third foreigner stood in their presence. Screams and cries of panic like during the fighting renewed as strong as before. Yuki planned for such a reaction, but it still left him unsettled by the massive amount of hate that poured out into him. ¡®Such a thick aura¡­even high school never felt like this¡­¡¯ He took a step forward towards the old man acting like the leader. He forced his own uncertainties down so as not to show weakness to the man. ¡°I haven¡¯t come to harm anyone. I was only trying to protect you from the harm being caused by the soldiers.¡± Confusion came from them not expecting him to speak perfect Atlantean Greek. It managed to break through the fear. ¡°I can understand him?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t he a foreigner?¡± ¡°He speaks so perfectly?¡± ¡°Is he actually one of us?¡± The rumbling of the crowd grew as Yuki remained silent to let it subdue before continuing. Noticing the delay, the old man raised a hand up to the villagers to lower their voices. ¡°You appear to know our tongue well. You wear our clothes, but your face is that of an outsider. Who are you?¡± ¡°My name is Yuki Hayashi and I am, as you see, an outsider.¡± Confirming their fears sent a new wave through the crowd. A calculated risk, he knew admitting to it would change them to be against him again, but lying solved nothing in his situation. Measuring out his words with the crowd, the old man replied back to Yuki. ¡°I¡¯m Paramonos, the head of the village. What¡¯s your purpose here?¡± Yuki didn¡¯t think that he would find a rational mind to speak with. ¡°I intend no harm to you or your people. I¡¯m simply passing through.¡± ¡°If that is so then why are you standing here?¡± All though Yuki saw him ask the question, it became clear the man already knew the answer. He just wanted it to be said aloud. ¡°You¡¯re holding two of my friends. I can¡¯t leave without them.¡± While Yuki made no demands to any of them, the voices of the people erupted violently as though he said something offensively unreasonable to them. ¡°So he is with them!¡± ¡°He¡¯s threatening the village as well!¡± ¡°We need to hand him over to the South Gate too!¡± ¡°Tie him up!¡± ¡°You¡¯re the reason we lost everything!¡± Remaining calm under the verbal assault became difficult the longer they continued. He ground his hands tighter to fight through his urge to fall into reflex. Yuki didn¡¯t know how much longer he could stay quiet with how ungrateful they acted. Fortunately for him, someone else had a significantly shorter fuse of patience (really, really short, but that¡¯s not really a surprise). ¡°You idiots!¡± shouted Seiji, appearing from the side of the square at the end of the crowd in the front. All of the attention focused on Yuki made it very easy for Seiji to sneak in. Unfortunately for him, it also meant that after the initial startled reaction that they all broke out in mass hysteria. Yuki released a reluctant sigh. ¡°You aren¡¯t helping matters, Seiji¡­¡± ¡°How the hell could you keep listening to those dumbass ungrateful and self-centered people?! We saved them!¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t save us! You only made things worse!¡± ¡°They¡¯ll come back to finish the job!¡± ¡°There¡¯ll be retribution from the military for what you did to them!¡± Seiji couldn¡¯t take their complaining for more than a few seconds before he snapped back at them. ¡°Shut the hell up! You were screaming and yelling when they came through tearing up your homes! And now you¡¯re telling me that you wanted it that way!? How hypocritical can you be?!¡± Everyone began to shout and yell again at Seiji, but Paramonos interrupted them. ¡°There are things you don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not looking to understand you! I damn well did what was right and I make no excuses for what I did! I¡¯d do it again!¡± ¡°Seiji!¡± Yuki saw the eyes of the mob. ¡°You aren¡¯t helping matters!¡± ¡°How the hell can you think to defend them!?¡± ¡°Young man, there are certain things that are necessary to be endured for the sake of safety.¡± Seiji started to open his mouth again, but Yuki threw him a piercing stare. He had to settle the situation alone. Yuki took a small step forward to the old man making his intention to speak clear. ¡°You¡¯re afraid that your village will suffer retribution from the military because of our actions. Correct?¡± Shouts confirmed his question without the need for Paramonos to speak. They knew with certainty that couldn¡¯t be dissuaded. Paramonos gave a nod to Yuki. ¡°It¡¯s likely that they¡¯ll search our village to be certain. And next time their search won¡¯t be so polite. Your attack will make them strike down harder in their search and it¡¯ll be my people that suffer because of your actions.¡± Disgruntled mumbling from Seiji broke Yuki¡¯s connection for a moment. He knew that Ayumi had told him that his actions had more consequences, but he never imagined to see it happen so soon. What he did couldn¡¯t be undone anymore. The dice was cast and he had to live with his decision. ¡®These people did nothing wrong, but they¡¯ll suffer because of me! I can¡¯t stay here to protect them¡­ What can I do? Words won¡¯t fix this¡­¡¯ Yuki ground his fist tight in frustration. No path laid open for him. ¡®It¡¯s those bastards running things! The people that want me dead! They¡¯re making all of these people suffer! How can they do this to their own people? They¡¯ve accepted such treatment as normal¡­¡¯ His hand turned raw from mashing his fingers into his palm. He had to stop them. ¡®If they weren¡¯t in charge¡­things would be different¡­ If I¡­¡¯ Yuki tilted his head up, suddenly realizing his answer. ¡°What if I could promise you that this will never happen again?!¡± ¡°Yuki?¡± He soon had everyone staring at him trying to figure out what he meant. Seconds dragged out in silence before voices from the crowd broke through launching a tidal wave at him. ¡°Empty promises from a foreigner?¡± ¡°Get the hell out of our village!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t understand anything!¡± Yuki exhaled a breath leaving all of the noise behind him. He closed his eyes thinking about everyone and letting them pass through his thoughts. ¡®Ayumi¡¯s going to have my head for this¡­¡¯ A ripple in the ground came from his feet before bursting suddenly into tall grass that filled up to the knees. Every house and object from Skoupa disappeared leaving only the residents behind. All of the yelling came to a sharply punctuating halt. They all knew very well the implications without anyone saying anything. Turning around to face all of the villagers, Yuki fixed them with a deep penetrating stare. Any resolve and determination he managed to muster filled his features. The staidness in his stance gave them no room for doubt. ¡°I swear to you here that I will stop this! I am an outsider to you and this is a foreign place to me¡­but this is the home of my father! My father, your King!¡± Chapter 110 - The Nobler Path The words from Yuki rang out through the village as though given wings to fly to the ends of the land. Shouting and yelling came to a stop, almost paralyzing everyone. Most didn¡¯t even know how to react. Deafeningly quiet minutes passed as though he had dragged the very voice from their lips. Yuki kept his eyes fixed on the crowd to see their reactions and how things changed, when he knew that they inevitably would. ¡®¡­I said it¡­ Mom¡­dad¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­¡¯ He avoided saying it to himself for so long. Even after he said it a sour taste lingered for him. It couldn¡¯t be taken back. However, he knew that he had to deal with it later. The mood in the village began to sway as they recovered. They gave him no further reprieve. Anger for the besmirching of their King¡¯s name powered their voices. Had it not been for Yuki¡¯s display that set them into confusion, they would have erupted sooner. Speaking ill of the King¡¯s name gave them more fire and motion than anything before. They started to swarm around Yuki shouting at him for his treacherous words. Wind blew down around Yuki, ripping up the grass and spinning it around him. Only the blades of grass that tumbled through the air gave any signs of the presence of wind. Nowhere else did it interact as though stolen. Forming a barrier between the mob and Yuki, he stood still defiant in their rage. Chapter 110 ¨C The Nobler Path The first couple that attempted to grab out for Yuki through the grass were repelled. They received no injuries, but found themselves gently pushed back as though being politely told ¡®no¡¯ by some outside force. A few more tried to reach for Yuki before the villagers finally understood. Understanding Yuki¡¯s untouchable state didn¡¯t change their mood. They still threw words at him, even more vicious than before as though being unable to harm him mocked them. ¡°You damn foreigner!¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got no right to talk about our King!¡± ¡°Die for such words!¡± Yuki closed his eyes, disappointed. ¡®I guess I should have seen this outcome. They weren¡¯t going to just change because of what I said. Now the situation is even more complicated¡­¡¯ He looked back at the old man to see his reaction to everything. The placid features of age changed into a struggle between emotion and reason. Even the head of the village took offense. Bringing the crowd under control became his priority. Unfortunately, Yuki hadn¡¯t built much in the Field and dropping it meant being mobbed in an instant. He did the only thing he had available. The wind pushed back against the villagers giving him room. Yuki stepped back standing between the elder and Yori¡¯s sister, still uneasily asleep. Only Yori remained awake, but stayed understandably quiet. The wind gave him room and a little moment between the shouting, but not the attention of everyone. ¡°Listen to me!¡± he shouted trying to get his voice over everyone. It worked partially. ¡°Hate me if you wish, but also know my power. Look at your village!¡± He had their ears for the moment. A few of them gave him a little allowance and did as he said. In the chaos none of them had truly taken in the meaning. They recognized the power, but nothing more. Yuki saw he had them a bit longer. ¡°You know the power that I use. You¡¯re familiar with it. I can make your entire village disappear with little effort! Call me what you will, but you can¡¯t deny what you see before you!¡± Questions and uneasiness began to spread through the ranks of the villagers. Once given the time to really think about the situation that they found themselves in threatening someone with his powers, many of the Atlanteans started to back away. They didn¡¯t know if he truly was the King¡¯s son. Someone as powerful as he displayed gave them paused. They had to weigh out which they feared more. ¡°I¡¯m taking my friends and leaving,¡± Yuki said to the old man next to him. ¡°Do nothing to stop us and we won¡¯t cause you any further troubles. I promise that I will see this stopped. That I swear to you!¡± He saw no denial from the old man as he moved to help Yori. Once Yori stood up and Yuki started to help up his sister, the old Atlantean turned to them. ¡°Why do you do all of this? You¡¯ll be hunted by the military. All you¡¯ve earned is fear with your words. Why would you want to help us?¡± ¡°Do you really need a reason to help someone?¡± When Yuki finished untying Yori¡¯s sister and lifted her up into his arms he looked back at Paramonos. ¡°I guess if you really need a reason then it¡¯s the right thing to do. You shouldn¡¯t have to suffer because of our mistakes.¡± ¡°Such naivety¡­¡± ¡°Probably, but I guess youth affords such things.¡± He caught sight of Seiji in the distance waiting on him. It made him recall the punch that Seiji gave him to set his head on right. ¡°Though it¡¯s easy to forget¡­ Just let the military know which way we went. I don¡¯t have the power to stop them yet. So that¡¯s the most I can offer you now.¡± The crowd started to disband by the time Yuki returned to Seiji. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to our friends.¡± He glanced over at Yori to know how he looked. All he saw was a mute void. Something had him distracted and entranced. Yuki wanted to stop, but they had no time to rest. They guided him back with them to the inn. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Eudokia glared at him from the side of the inn before they even reached the steps to the door. All of them stood outside with a waiting expression on their face. The only other one that appeared upset was Saki. Waiting until Yuki got into the shadow of the building, Eukodia nearly stomped over to him. ¡°I knew you were stupid, but even I didn¡¯t think you were that stupid! What do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡± She jabbed a finger into his face, not quite touching him. Assaulted by her finger didn¡¯t even turn Yuki blue or shake him. He held onto Yori¡¯s sister, returning her fierce stare. ¡°I took responsibility for my actions. I thought that¡¯s what you wanted.¡± ¡°How is declaring to everyone that you¡¯re the King¡¯s son taking responsibility?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t let this happen again.¡± ¡°So long as we¡¯re roaming Atlantis this will keep happening. You can¡¯t prevent it.¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll make it so that they know where we are. So they don¡¯t have to search. Just follow us!¡± She got up in his face at that point having had enough of his childish dreams. ¡°Are you trying to make it impossible for us to get into the Capital?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not having them ruin anyone else¡¯s life because of my presence! I didn¡¯t come here to bring trouble to the people!¡± Seiji stepped up around Yuki, oddly quiet up to that point. He took up the right flank of Eudokia. ¡°This is a fight between us and them, dammit! If they¡¯re going to involve innocents then we need to make sure we don¡¯t give them a reason.¡± ¡°You¡¯re both idiots, but I shouldn¡¯t be surprised at this point.¡± ¡°They¡¯re right,¡± added Saki, ¡°I can¡¯t let them involve others that have nothing to do with our fight if we can help it.¡± Out of the side appeared Chiharu like a shadow. Unlike the rest, she remained in her black ninja attire choosing against blending in. ¡°The more we fight them the more it¡¯ll slow us down in reaching our destination within the time frame. It¡¯s best to avoid detection and deal with the problems the military causes to the civilian population after we¡¯ve dealt with the ruling party.¡± Annoyed by her empty emotions, Seiji leaned through the group over to the girl. ¡°You heartless little¡ª¡° ¡°It¡¯s the most practical solution.¡± Yuki stepped between them. ¡°Chiharu, the practical solution isn¡¯t always the right solution. Sometimes you have to make the choice that you know is going to be difficult, but it is the right thing to do.¡± Taking a step back, the ninja gave Yuki an aspirated sigh. She crossed her arms and turned part of the way away from his sight. ¡°This isn¡¯t some book where you¡¯re the hero and everything works out in the end. The right thing to do gets people injured or killed.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not right to involve them.¡± ¡°I feel the same,¡± Fumiko declared. Since the debate started, she had been out of sight. Leaning more than standing with the inn as support, she brought the group to look at her. Fatigue only began to describe how she appeared to them. A heavy weight seemed to be dragging her features down and even her voice. ¡°We should minimize the damage to people.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just wishful thinking!¡± snapped Eudokia. Seiji pressed himself into the group. ¡°You sure as hell don¡¯t understand!¡± The yelling and fighting that continued between them started to cause Yori¡¯s sister to stir. Her features twisted down in pain until she jerked suddenly awake. She nearly fell out of Yuki¡¯s arms before settling back down. As she came alive a pained scream came from her bringing everyone back to Yuki and quiet. She looked about from her vantage point, getting an uneasy sense in the air. They stared at her, some with concern and others accusatory. It took a few moments longer to realize that Yuki held her. ¡®Yuki?! Why am I¡­¡¯ She shifted around in Yuki¡¯s arms wanting to be free. The pounding in her chest became almost unbearable for her to take. ¡°¡­I-I can stand now¡­¡± ¡°Oh, sorry!¡± Once she stood on the ground again, she patted out her clothes. Moments later, she fixed on the group. She felt the tension that lined everyone and seemed to understand the problem. ¡°I think our first decision should be leaving the village. Everyone I think can agree to that.¡± They gave her a long pensive look not sure why she spoke with such certainty in her voice for having been asleep. Yet none of them could disagree with what she said. ¡°Once we¡¯re back on the road we can settle the next problem. Do we have all of the supplies?¡± ¡°¡­yes¡­¡± replied Eudokia slowly lengthening out her answer. Hesitation still filled her, but she wanted to move on as well. ¡°Good. Since everyone seems to be here, let¡¯s go!¡± Night still lingered unwilling to let go of its umbrella under the sun. The moon poked through leaving the plains of Atlantis painted in green and pale blue. Amongst the endless rolling hills an array of soldiers laid out on their backs. Some of them were unconscious and others resting to recover from their failure. Left with a simple patch work on his cheek and jaw, Captain Simonides sat staring with a frustrated crease in his forehead. His operation resulted in failure. Utter failure, a word that tasted poor in his mouth. He remained quiet ever since he woke up, not even giving his subordinates orders. Their own troubles kept them from asking anything of him. A pained groan came from the soldier next to him. It built into an awkward lullaby of tortured moans. Slowly, it subsided as the soldier finally woke up feeling even worse. ¡°C-captain?¡± questioned Eusebios, but not out of confusion for his presence next to him. He looked around at his body, not certain why he still lived. ¡°Why am I not dead?¡± Simonides didn¡¯t even glance at him. ¡°We found you unconscious like the rest of the team. Only Kalliope and Philon sustained serious injury.¡± Eusebios touched his hand to his chest where he knew Yuki had hit him. He felt sore and a little pain, but nothing like he remembered. It should have killed him, he knew. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t understand¡­¡± ¡°¡­nor I¡­nor I¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go tend to Kalliope and Philon.¡± Eusebios stood up staggering a little, feeling the exhaustion linger. He didn¡¯t wait for confirmation and didn¡¯t expect to receive one. The mood the Captain was in told him enough. ¡®I¡¯ll need to bring in all of the Whites in for this, Eusebios won¡¯t be enough¡­¡¯ Chapter 111 - Burning Turmoil Dawn rose upon the lands of Atlantis waking tired souls that already experienced a very long night. Stationed between Skoupa and Kapni, the South Gate soldiers took up camp. Still only light in numbers the ranks slowly swelled in the morning as messages reached further away troops. The main garrison of troops at the South Gate still had half a day to reach the base and the outer stationed soldiers even longer. Late in the night after assessing damage and strength, Simonides ordered messages sent out to his entire division to mobilize. He had underestimated the strength and power of the invaders, figuring on only one small battalion to deal with the threat after the initial search party failed. Two failures changed his view. They already penetrated further than thought possible. The invaders would face the full weight of the South Gate Division. Since the morning finally came, one new duty befell Simonides that he didn¡¯t look forward to handling. He made no outward show of it to his men, but it concerned him. Failures happened as expected, however correcting mistakes happened quickly. With how far the intruders made it so far, they wouldn¡¯t be pleased. The actions he took wouldn¡¯t set well either. He was no more pleased than his superior would be, but he couldn¡¯t have planned for such powerful opponents. Hopefully, they understood it as well. Playing politics wasn¡¯t his strength. Simonides strode through the camp, still coming together. It only began to be set up a few hours ago as uninjured men arrived. All of the men in his squad remained unable to do much more than rest to recover from injuries. Eusebios spent the remaining hours of night healing any damage they took, but fatigue and exhaustion, naturally, couldn¡¯t be returned. He expected them to be ready to move out when he gave them the order. They wanted their chance at settling the score as much as him. Arriving at a large tent, he motioned to the White at the flips. ¡°Communication Field. Link into the lines so I can speak with Command.¡± The man straightened up a little, coming to attention acknowledging the request. Rippling at the man¡¯s feet was the last thing Simonides caught before passing through the tent flips. He took up a seat at a simple wooden table that held a couple metal boxes and a smooth circular disc. No wires ran between the devices, but lights began to flash signaling power being sent to them. Simonides still had to wait for the line to be established. All through the ground wires ran to all corners of Atlantis. The military communication line and emergency line made use of advanced technology compared to the rest of the land. At the time, it was more advanced than the outside world, but it had since caught up to them. But unlike the rest of the world, it remained inactive and inaccessible by normal means. The lines required the use of a Meso Presecho to connect to it, granting security and ensuring the public didn¡¯t accidentally use it. In fact, most of the public knew nothing about it. Leaning in the chair produced a creak of old joints rarely used. Dust still settled out from the cloth of the tent that hadn¡¯t seen use in decades. The only thing that kept it in use rather than burned was the quality of its make. It gave an annoying remainder of how much they fell into complacency with only routine events popping up. No one prepared for anything such as this to occur. Simonides hated the feeling of unpreparedness. Chapter 111 ¨C Boiling Turmoil Once the line finished connecting and someone on the other end accepted the call, the disc on the table began to glow. Particles of light streamed up from the disc reaching a quarter of a meter in height before cascading down. The effect created a fountain like surface tinted teal. A shape formed in the fountain taking on the appearance of Simonides¡¯ superior. Simonides stiffened a little trying to withhold his surprise of who appeared before him. ¡°General Alexander!¡± He expected to be addressing one of the Majors or a Colonel stationed at Command rather than the General himself. The projected head and neck of Demosthenes gave a polite knowing little grin. Age gave him clarity and keener sight into reading others. ¡°No need to be so surprised, Captain.¡± ¡°¡­yes, sir...¡± He never knew completely how to be around the General. The aging man displayed many different emotions and personalities almost as though calling upon what was needed for the occasion. It always left him feeling like he was playing catch up to maintain the pace the man set for the room. ¡°Your message sent in from the emergency line caused quite a stir. Considering the nature of your report I wanted to hear this personally.¡± The grave serious tone breaking into his words weighed on Simonides the importance of what he said. ¡°As stated in the message there has been an incursion at the South Gate barrier. Our first attempt to capture and release failed at the barrier. More than thirty of my soldiers were knocked out in a matter of moments.¡± Not even a twitch of an eyebrow came from Demosthenes. ¡°They were not incapacitated by the barrier?¡± ¡°Negative, sir. Initial reports suggest that it had no effect on them.¡± ¡°Troubling news, indeed. You have renewed your search for them?¡± ¡°Once I arrived I mobilized the available men I had to continue the search. We found the intruders hiding in Skoupa. While conducting a search of the village we were ambushed by the intruders. They wiped out my team as well as our MP.¡± ¡°Even your MP. They must be very formidable to succeed in taking out a MP.¡± ¡°They were very powerful. I believe them to have at least three MPs of their own.¡± ¡°Sympathizers?¡± If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but they were speaking a foreign language from one of the Asian countries. They might be rebels working with outsiders.¡± Demosthenes gave a small nod taking in the information. His features still maintained the same stone unflinching expression through the report. Considering his strength as a warrior and a Meso Presecho the threat could be seen as minor to him. ¡°How many intruders have you confirmed?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been able to confirm from my men five all about teenage in appearance. Three males and two females, if appearances are to be believed. I believe there to be more that have not revealed themselves.¡± ¡°A feeling?¡± Simonides stiffened a little with the sense of suddenly being stared at with greater interest. Which side the interest laid upon he wondered and feared a bit. ¡°¡­yes¡­sir¡­¡± Demosthenes gave a grin that a grandfather would have been proud to wear. ¡°No need to be so stiff, Captain! In fact, I trust someone¡¯s gut over something well calculated. It won¡¯t fail you. Calculations can underestimate our opponent. You won¡¯t be underestimating your opponent, will you Captain?¡± ¡°No, sir! I know my actions are highly irregular, but I believe this to be the greatest threat Atlantis has faced since its founding.¡± ¡°Indeed. Removing all of the troops off of the border patrol would normally have you before the council for recklessness and abandonment of duty. However, the situation is different. I¡¯ve already calmed down the council, but you cannot fail again, Captain.¡± ¡°We won¡¯t, General! The South Gate Division will stop their invasion of our land!¡± ¡°Glad to hear it. If you have nothing else to report.¡± ¡°Sir!¡± The fountain returned back to its original shape. All of the tension in the room finally let out allowing Simonides to let out a long sigh. He leaned back in the chair letting it groan a little from the full weight he placed on it. His exhausting night had turned into a fatigued morning after his report with the General. Simonides stood up from the chair pausing a moment to let his thoughts collect. The sparse nature of the tent gave him the space that he needed. So much happened in a short amount of time that he hadn¡¯t allowed his mind to process everything. He thought back to the night with the two teenagers he saw. They argued with each other over something that he didn¡¯t understand. ¡®What was the argument about? Was it a disagreement over their plan?¡¯ Their foreign language made him originally believe them to be young scientists. ¡®Yet the strength and reflexes the one had seems too coincidental. It makes more sense to be exiles and not rebels. They would have training, but exiles shouldn¡¯t be able to return. The mark should prevent them¡­ Does it not work?¡¯ Considering that their exiling mark failed made him swallow painfully. He decided to reserve that possibility last as he deemed the consequences far too dangerous. ¡®Unmarked exiles would be more likely. I can¡¯t assume our system has failed.¡¯ The new line of thought spun him in several directions to explain the intruders. ¡®They could be dissidents from within helping outsiders¡­¡¯ He couldn¡¯t ignore the fact that signals from the barrier reported an intrusion. ¡®From Kalliope and Philon¡¯s reports the ones they faced definitely had Meso Prosecho abilities. No matter how I turn the situation, those are the facts. I have theories, but nothing solid.¡¯ He still had too many questions to feel confident to attack them in earnest. Failure wasn¡¯t an option for him. ¡®I don¡¯t know if we were fortunate or purposely spared. Or did they not consider us a threat worth killing? I must understand the way they think¡­¡¯ Simonides stared at the exit of the tent. A degree of certainty appeared in his eyes knowing his next move. The Atlantean Captain marched out of the tent giving a glancing nod to the White standing guard. He passed between gaps made from his men setting out small camps waiting on orders. In the distance, he found the man that he sought. Closing to meet with him, Simonides came up behind him as the man finished giving out an order to a soldier. ¡°Commander Abeiron!¡± The young man in his late twenties turned around immediately recognizing his Captain¡¯s voice. A bit of a stiff step caught him at the end of his foot rotating around. ¡°Captain! Do you need something?¡± ¡°Yes, Abeiron,¡± Simonides said, pacing out his words still finishing his thoughts. ¡°Gather up your team. We¡¯re moving out.¡± ¡°Sir?¡± Abeiron gave him a confused look more on the part that he spoke as though the Captain was going with him. ¡°You¡¯re coming with me, sir? What about the men? Who would keep command?¡± The Captain scanned his head about the camp. They were his men and he had trained most of them since coming under his command. He trusted them. ¡°The men will be fine. I have someone I can leave in charge. It¡¯s more important that I see our foe fight. I must understand them to plan for the final offensive when the troops have finished gathering here.¡± Some hesitation built in Abeiron hearing the way his Captain spoke to him. Abeiron never knew him to casually toss his men into certain danger. The fear ran away from him for a few moments before he managed to wrestle it under control. ¡®The way he speaks sounds like he¡¯s got some plan in mind.¡¯ A curious expression came upon him staring at Simonides. Picking up on the Commander¡¯s stare, Simonides focused directly on him. ¡°I¡¯ve got a feeling about our enemy. I think I have a way to capture them, but I need your help. You with me?¡± ¡°Of course, sir!¡± From the small communications room in the Military Command Center, Demosthenes stood up ignoring the communication disc fading out. He released his Field, disconnecting the line, before stepping out into the hall. A raised hand to the communication officer at the door signaled him to return back into the room and his post. The large stone halls of Command remained as imposing as they were artistic. It almost seemed proud the way the stone stood showing off its detailed carved curves and lines. Each curve worked extra to strut and cast the most delicate shadow possible to accentuate the others form. Age only improved its appearance, much like the man that walked its hall. Demosthenes broke his brisk pace as the hall opened into a balcony running along the hallway. Opposite to him, a middle aged man in his late thirties surfaced from shadows. The narrow steady eyes of the man said he had business with Demosthenes. His eyes fixed him with a deep stare that worked on most individuals to instill unease and a sense of inferiority within the man¡¯s presence. Such tactics failed to work against Demosthenes, as the man knew, but in a lifestyle such as his it became a habit. Taking up a post against the railing of the balcony, Demosthenes held to a stoic expression cutting off any chance to read him. ¡°Good morning, Dimitris.¡± ¡°Demosthenes,¡± he replied curtly, ¡°Have you made your decision?¡± ¡°My answer is the same as it was yesterday.¡± A puff of annoyed air came from Dimitris¡¯ lips reacting to the answer. Frustration from continually failing started to weigh on his reason. ¡°You¡¯re stalling is going to cost the kingdom gravely. Are you prepared for that on your shoulders?¡± Threatening did as much as speaking rudely to him. Demosthenes brushed it off, maintaining his unwavering tone. ¡°We still have ten days left. It is Atlantean law.¡± ¡°Still hung up on tradition. The King has no heirs and everyone knows it. There¡¯s no need to carry on tradition when there¡¯s no one to take up the Kingship.¡± ¡°In ten days. Only then can we begin the Rite of Succession. You know as well as I that Atlantis isn¡¯t so weak to collapse without a King after a month.¡± ¡°Stubborn fool,¡± snapped Dimitris. Demosthenes tilted his head over to the council member. ¡°My stance will remain unchanged.¡± Tired and frustrated with the futility of debating with Demosthenes, Dimitris turned on his heel starting to leave. While still barely in ear shot of Demosthenes he let out a final insult. ¡°I wonder if you¡¯re really human in the cold heart of yours.¡± Focusing back on the morning horizon, Demosthenes spoke long after Dimitris left the hall. ¡°More human than you¡­¡± He stared out at the vast green plains that stretched out over the lands of Atlantis. His eyes seemed fixed on something in the distance unseen, yet knowing with certainty that something was out there. ¡®So you¡¯ve returned Eudokia and with the child. Show me your strength¡­ Show me that you¡¯re worthy to be King¡­¡¯ Chapter 112 - Strained Thoughts They agreed on leaving Skoupa, but it certainly didn¡¯t mean that they agreed on everything else. Silence became the method for voicing the discontent in the group. Both sides knew that the other disagreed as strongly as they felt, so not speaking turned into the simplest solution. Only Yori¡¯s sister and Haruo looked like they were in a third party (though it was unlikely Haruo actually felt that way). She thought that once they left the village everything would sort itself out. The arguments before she solved by taking command of the situation, but the same method didn¡¯t work for her again. Her silence came more from unease in the tension and waiting until she found a solution to their problem. Chapter 112 ¨C Strained Thoughts Late morning finally came with the first spoken word by anyone, from Yori¡¯s sister naturally. ¡°¡­anyone hungry?¡± Tension among the group reached a new high as she regretted even considering speaking. All of them stopped to look at her as though accusing her of interrupting something far more important (even though they simply stared at her). The longer they glared the worse she became, sweating from the heat of being the entire focus for everyone. ¡®¡­I shouldn¡¯t have said anything after all!¡¯ Unease dragged on even further, almost seeming like they were doing it on purpose out of malice (still making things appear worse than they actually are). As though the torturer had his fill, Yuki broke rank and mood with a typical cheerful response. ¡°You have no idea! I¡¯ve been wanting breakfast for hours!¡± Rather than waiting for any reaction from the others, he started in on the pack he carried plopping down in the grass. Not knowing what his pack carried, he searched through pulling out anything that stood in his way or might be considered edible. The rest of the group fell in line almost immediately. They spoke between each other about finding the food and sorting out what was meant to be eaten or saved. She stood on the outside sweating a little in confusion. ¡®What just happened?!¡¯ Her mouth hung agape staring trying to understand what happened. With a stick of something like bread popping out of his mouth, Seiji leaned around seeing that she remained out of the group. ¡°Hey why the hell aren¡¯t you eating?! I thought you were hungry?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Yeah, the food¡¯s great, Yumi! I¡¯m not familiar with Greek food, but if it is all like this I might have to find a restaurant when we get back!¡± ¡°W-well¡­yeah I¡­¡± ¡°Then come and sit down with us!¡± ¡°Alright¡­¡± Hesitating still, she folded up her legs carefully taking up an uncertain seat next to her brother. All of the food laid out was dried goods not needing cooking. She was certain that all of the food Eudokia picked was like that, which made more sense to her as she thought about it. It still confused her watching how everyone changed suddenly. Eudokia remained distant, but ever since revealing her true self that had been the way she acted around everyone. But the sense of thick foreboding disappeared. ¡®Is it like they say, food washes away worries? I just hope this lasts¡­¡¯ Next to her, Yori quietly munched on a strip of dried meat. Nothing measured fully the scale of Yori¡¯s thought, whether the slow repetitive chewing of the difficult meat or the spaced out eyes. Most of the happenings around him went mostly ignored. He didn¡¯t even realize that the group had a fight. The trouble in the village consumed all of his attention, his fight with the soldier who tried to kill him and his sister. Yori¡¯s mind remained fixated on what happened in the village. He couldn¡¯t break free from the hold that it had on him, though no sense of wanting to stop dwelling on the matter laid within him. Questions surfaced for him frequently causing his memories to replay the scenes in the village by instinct. Long had he decided that what he saw from her had to be powers like the others. After viewing his memories so many times, it came as the only conclusion. However, he realized his suspicions about her even before the incident in the village. Her unusual intuition stood out as strange to him, one that she didn¡¯t seem to question. He wondered if the others had taken note as he had. Initially, most of it he passed off as being lucky, but the more accurate she became the more he questioned it. ¡®I can¡¯t deny anymore that she has some power. It was so clear back then, but I ignored it.¡¯ If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Chewing still on the endlessly resistant meat, Yori¡¯s hand tensed up a little responding to his thoughts. ¡®I ignored it, because she¡¯s Yumi. She¡¯s my sister. If she was normal, she wouldn¡¯t have to follow¡­him. If she didn¡¯t have any powers she¡¯d be out of danger. She¡¯d be safe¡­¡¯ Fighting and violence did not suit her. Neither of them had any experience. ¡®I simply agreed to go along with her¡­ I just saw that look¡­¡¯ Finally, the meat accepted its fate and allowed Yori to finish it off. A long quiet sigh escaped Yori¡¯s lips as his thoughts buried himself deeper. ¡®¡­when¡­¡¯ For the first time in hours, his eyes came to focus clearly for a brief moment. Only her sister filled his vision. She laughed along with the others enjoying the meal. ¡®¡­when¡­¡¯ Yori started to lose his focus on her. ¡®When did she change¡­from the little sister I knew?¡¯ What he witnessed in the village from his sister suddenly triggered him to relive the scene again. ¡®Was really my sister back there? Is that what happens when she uses her power? She becomes someone else?¡¯ He hoped that her power never activated again. She looked consumed by her own power and acted out violently. This wasn¡¯t the girl he knew. Such a form didn¡¯t suit her. ¡®But she only did that because of me¡­ It was because I was unable to protect her¡­ I promised her! I said that I would protect her and I failed!¡¯ Yori clinched his fists, starting to feel the numb void that had surrounded him slowly evaporating leaving behind only a deep stabbing pain in his heart. ¡®What sort of big brother am I?!¡¯ Sitting at what seemed kilometers apart, his sister tried to keep up an outward appearance of nothing being wrong. However, a persistent confusion hovered over her head. Ignoring it worked for her when she had more pressing troubles immediately at hand, the group¡¯s unity. Breakfast and the brief, hopefully lasting, reprieve from the tension gave her mind time to wander away from her. So much of last night seemed to have happened in a short amount of time that it had turned into a blur for her. She struggled to put the night together for her. Everything felt so foreign. Even seeing Yuki fight in front of the school and witnessing all of the destruction, the chaos in the village still weighed on her. It mixed up her thoughts, confusing her. Waking up in Yori¡¯s arms came as her first clear memory. She remembered deciding to follow after Yuki to help him when the village came under attack, but everything in between turned into a haze for her. She hoped that while they walked they would fill in the blanks that she had questions about, but in everyone¡¯s silence she only remained in turmoil. Yet she understood the importance of them needing to leave the village when she woke up. The certainty amidst her confusion stacked upon her like a poorly balanced pile of chopped wood waiting for the worst possible time to collapse. She took a small bite into a baked bread filled with nuts. The others around her still seemed oblivious for the moment and enjoying themselves. ¡®Yuki has so much on his mind already and I feel that the others have their own similar problems that make them dwell. I shouldn¡¯t bother them with my problems. I need to sort it out on my own.¡¯ Out across the fields of grass, Simonides stood in front of the small group Abeiron had under his command. A pair of binoculars rested over his face getting a view of the band of intruders that they chased. He recognized Yuki and Seiji out of the group, but half of them had their backs to him. So he had no clear sight on the entire party. ¡®Nine in total. I was right in my feeling that there were more. How many are MP users?¡¯ He lowered the binoculars down and turned back to his soldiers. Amongst the group were three White uniforms this time and ten Black uniforms. He knew quite well that the squad stood no chance in success against the intruders if a fight dragged out. It had to be swift. No hard facts proved him to be correct. His impression told him not to believe in what he saw simply with his eyes. However, the battle was important and very necessary. His men knew well the dangers that they faced. Abeiron stood in front of his team, the extra Whites added for the mission, but otherwise all his team from the initial search. During their march, he got briefed on the nature of the Captain¡¯s plan. The young Commander looked ready and determined to carry out the orders given to him. Simonides returned the binoculars back to their specially fitted leather pouch at this lower back. ¡°The enemy is within sight, breaking for a meal. We¡¯ll use this opportunity while they¡¯re resting off guard to strike.¡± Slowly stepping forward, he impressed his authority upon his men. He carried himself with strict, confident steps to instill strength to them. Fear had to be removed. ¡°You all know what you face down there. Never underestimate them for a moment. They may appear like children to you, but remember what they were capable of doing to Skoupa. We know more about the enemy this time. The same mistakes will not be made. Use what we¡¯ve learned against them. Make them understand that their rebellion will not succeed! You are all soldiers of the South Gate and we always catch our prey! Be proud of who you are! I expect you all to come back alive!¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± echoed everyone¡¯s voice in trained unison. They all came to quick attention and saluted their Captain. ¡°Commence the operation! Move out!¡± All of the soldiers fanned out into their assigned groups passing around Simonides with their destination down the plains. Once his men began to grow more distant to his ears, he turned around to follow the lines of battle beginning to form. With his eyes, he scanned the field setting up marks in his mind of the plan and tactics. He retrieved his binoculars once more turning into a spectator. ¡®The first stage begins¡­¡¯ ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯ve had enough already?!¡± snapped Saki. She ripped the dried fruit piece out of Yuki¡¯s hand just before reaching his mouth. The fruit found its way back to the small tied pouch. ¡°We can¡¯t over indulge. Do you want to keep making trips into villages for food and risk getting them caught up in our troubles?¡± ¡°¡­no¡­¡± Yuki pouted a bit with disappointment. Fumiko let out a tiny laugh amused with the scene between the two. ¡°You sounded like his mother for a moment, Saki!¡± The others smiled a little as well before most of the group broke out into laughter, especially seeing Saki¡¯s reddening face reacting to Fumiko. She tried to deny it, but fell upon empty ears. Suddenly, the light mood shattered like glass crashing to the floor. Blood sprayed up everywhere from all directions. It all happened so quickly that they stared in confusion not understanding what happened. Pain pierced them all as they found blades pierced through their chest. Yuki collapsed first, his eyes turning lifeless as blood pooled out. Yumi fell last desperately reaching out for Yuki as she felt her own life fading, crying as the empty shell of Yuki before her. Appearing from what seemed like the very air, Abeiron and his men with dripping swords looked down pleased at the quick completion of their mission. Chapter 113 - Test Strike Anguished struggles restrained Yumi, draining the very life from her. She flailed her hand weakly to reach out. Wet thick pools of blood soaked into her clothes and smeared her cheeks. Vision blurred and the warmth in her fingers retreated. Everything turned cold. A sharp pain struck her again forcing her into the grass. It felt as though someone had cut the last branch her hand held on the edge of a cliff and all she could feel was falling, so empty. The ground came rushing up to her in an eager embrace and the crushing force blasted through her. Chapter 113 ¨C Test Strike She threw her head forward from the pain yelling. It startled everyone around her, even snapping Yori out of his dense fog. She panted heavily, slumping her back, her eyes wide open realizing the truth. ¡®I¡¯m still alive?¡¯ Looking around at everyone gathered in front of gave her pause for relief. ¡®They¡¯re all alive. But what was that? It was so real!¡¯ Standing next to Yori, Yuki leaned forward coming very close to her face trying to examine her. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Yumi?¡± The impact of what she experienced drained the blood from her face giving her a pale complexion. It felt as though she ran for her life, unable to stop until at that moment. Her body was sore. She tried to slow down her breathing thinking that her chest would burst. ¡®I know it happened! Or it¡­will? What¡¯s this feeling?¡¯ She stared up at Yuki, silent and pensive, never hearing his question. ¡°Yumi?¡± She darted her head around feeling the growing unease in the air. A dark menacing pressure surrounded her giving her a familiar sensation. ¡®It¡¯s like that dream or vision I had. Like death¡¯s descending¡­¡¯ She snapped up to her feet. She didn¡¯t know what happened, but she needed to warn everyone. ¡°Something¡¯s coming! I can¡¯t explain it, but something¡¯s wrong. We need to get out of here or we¡¯ll all die!¡± ¡°Huh? What are you talking about Yumi?¡± ¡°Girl¡¯s gone crazy!¡± remarked Seiji starting to back away. Doubting her abrupt case of paranoia, she watched the concern that they had falling away. ¡®I can¡¯t let it happen again! I don¡¯t care if I¡¯m mistaken! It was too painful to ignore!¡¯ She leapt forward, knocking over Yuki and scattering the others surrounding her. ¡®I¡¯m the only one that can protect them!¡¯ She closed her eyes, panicking. A pale green film appeared just beyond the circle everyone instinctively created. Clanging of swords against the sphere echoed dully through the space. The noise put the group on alert not seeing anything further. No one spoke another word scanning the area out of the barrier to understand what happened. They no longer questioned her. Apologizes waited however, they had their new guests needing attending. Simonides stared from his perch unchanged in expression. ¡®A barrier¡­¡¯ He made a mental note to himself as he already started making future plans based on what he saw. ¡®I didn¡¯t think a stealth attack would work, but this is a different outcome. However, it means the second stage starts earlier.¡¯ The briefing he gave to his men ran through his mind prepping for what should happen next. Thirty minutes ago, Simonides explained the purpose of the mission. Next, he needed to give them their orders and information on the enemy. Grouped into their teams, he began with Photine first. She had been with the South Gate since completing her training at the academy unlike some Meso Prosecho, which had stations in the Capital prior to border security. A woman in her early twenties still, she had little experience against any opponent other than a normal human. She kept to a strict professional regime waiting for her chance to prove her worth. Simonides saw the eagerness in her light blue eyes, which shone with their own radiance. Photine¡¯s team filled out with three black uniforms. Their purpose changed after the first stage of the mission. ¡°Photine your target is one of the confirmed MP users. A teenage girl appearing about sixteen described as having short black hair and a frail appearance. The powers she has displayed using are a rebounding barrier, telekinesis and hovering. Her barrier was strong enough to rip a sword from the hand of the wielder.¡± Four figures in Atlantean military uniforms appeared from thin air positioned roughly behind Yori¡¯s sister¡¯s location before she leapt forward. Leading the small group was a woman with short dark blonde hair rigidly forced back, Photine. Her white uniform swayed in the breeze a moment before a small ripple echoed from her feet. Instantly, brownish-red dust billowed outward altering the grass plains into a barren wasteland of dry stone and earth. Accompanying the warm earth was jutting rocks carved out by strong winds and towering too far above to fit into the field, suddenly being cut off at the limit of her reach. As the dust bowl began to settle out several flashing lights appeared hazy through the windy soup. Little brief glimpses broke through giving enough pieces to discern weapons. Not granting those trapped inside a moment to consider their position, the weapons flew away in long streaks of light caught from their blades. Only leaving their sight for a second, a loud buzzing and sparking blasted over their heads. The sound changed to pounding echoing through the thin film of the barrier beating out an ominous message of doom. ¡°What the hell¡¯s happening?!¡± shouted Seiji over the almost deafening noise created by the weapons. Pounding from above became worse for his ears. Gathered closer to Yori¡¯s sister, Yuki had one eye partially closed trying to manage the pain of the ringing in his ears. ¡°Are we under attack?¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s pretty obvious!¡± snapped Saki, covering her ears up with her hands. Left on the ground murmuring in pain, Yori¡¯s sister felt like a rope connected to her heart being yanked. She didn¡¯t understand the feeling, just knew that it pulled on her invisibly. ¡®¡­it hurts¡­¡¯ All of her will power struggled to fight the urge to release her grasp and be taken away with the current. Where the force tried to drag her felt empty and wrong in a way she had no words for. While instinctively she knew remaining was correct. Stolen story; please report. Photine stared at the barrier unflinching, waiting. ¡®So your first task will be to neutralize that barrier. Her Field has not been seen yet, so there is no judge on her strength yet. Make use of your weapons to drive her back and shatter her barrier.¡¯ She concentrated on the task of materializing more weapons to crush the barrier. So long as it stood a stalemate remained and their mission stalled. The duration that the barrier survived before the first crack appeared surprised Photine. ¡®It¡¯s only now weakening even with me dampening her Field?! Just how powerful is this child?¡¯ She continued to press the attack, hearing further cracks develop along the bubble¡¯s film. Certainty in its collapse came assured, only time remained a factor. Yori¡¯s sister felt the imminent failure approaching. She still didn¡¯t fully comprehend what she felt, but knew to trust her body. Staggering to her feet, she braved the pain that racked her body. With heavy panting, she drew herself firm before her friends. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­hold them¡­off much longer! Be ready!¡± Almost on cue, a sound like glass shattering rippled through the chamber. Highly reflective shards still holding on to energy rained down around beginning the cascade. ¡®¡­the pain¡¯s gone¡­¡¯ Relief rested on her with all of the tension that ripped her body, cut her free. Breaking to recover wasn¡¯t in the cards for her. A battle cry from a guttural feminine voice directed towards her snapped her eyes around. Instinct saved her in the last moments as four long strangely shaped swords flew at her colliding against a small square of a barrier reflexively erected. The mass and velocity of the weapons knocked her back sending her careening through the air out of control. Trails of dust drew lines through the air following her arc. ¡®Once you bring down the barrier, corner her and force her away from the rest of the group. It¡¯s important that you remove her from the others. Keep her at a distance from the rest.¡¯ Watching her prey disappear from range, Photine broke rank. The black uniforms in her team had different orders when things reached this situation. As the Atlantean woman charged through the ragged group of teens, two walls of solid purple barriers raised dividing them and leaving her an aisle to her target. Turning to the next team, Simonides focused on Antipas. Youngest of the three MPs, he had much to prove to his Captain fresh from training and filled with promise. ¡°Once Photine strikes, that''ll be your signal to prepare. When the girl¡¯s barrier comes down and she¡¯s separated from the group you will make your move. There are still two others of concern that must be divided. Two boys, one is rough looking with dark brown hair tied back in a small ponytail while the other has roughly cut black hair. You need to use your walls to divide them. ¡°Your target is the black haired boy. He¡¯s the only one of the group that has displayed his Field. He uses a grass Field and makes use of a strange physical technique that is more deadly than the physical attack. Keep out of his range and don¡¯t give him anything to use against you.¡± Curving the barrier, he blocked all of the escapes to the rear for Yuki. The light brown haired Antipas surfaced with his band of three black uniforms. Besides Yuki, he caught two others on his side, but neither of them were his target. His only goal in mind was Yuki. Already cut flat by his smooth stone cobble Field, the grass disappeared from nearby view. Large stone slabs groaned from behind breaking free from their place to become new walls. Each newly formed obstruction forced Yuki to step forward to keep ahead of the quickly fading ground. ¡®Force him out away from the rest of the group as well. It¡¯s important that these three individuals remain apart from the rest. Leave the rest of your team is to deal with the others as Commander Abeiron will take command of the soldiers.¡¯ Yuki silently cursed his misfortune. Everything happened so quickly that he still didn¡¯t understand what occurred. Off balance, they forced him to play to their pace. He barely had the chance to see where Yori¡¯s sister went, keeping ahead of the thunderous stone. ¡®Damn! I can¡¯t find Yumi and the others are getting further away from me! If I could just get a second to think straight!¡¯ His Field remained down, not having a chance to concentrate. Soon he found himself standing almost too far out of sight of his friends with a young man in his way. ¡°Move,¡± demanded Yuki, not realizing the language barrier that existed. Even still, he managed an expression that weighed equal to his words. Antipas brought up further walls between them and the rest of the party, completely isolating the two. He had no words for Yuki other than the actions that he made. A clear sign made as his answer to Yuki¡¯s order. Spinning around his head side to side, Seiji tried to take in everything that happened around him. The scene kept changing so fast for him that he had no time to figure things out. Worse now, half of them disappeared from his sight. ¡°Where the hell¡¯s everyone?! What¡¯s going on here?¡± Not thinking much longer than to speak, Seiji turned on his feet towards the strange purplish wall that separated him from the others. He rammed his fist into the wall making it ring out as a wailing bellow. Resisting his first punch only made him force his other fist to come up. The second felt like he made an impact. A third and final set of shadows appeared behind Seiji¡¯s back. ¡°That last team is yours Miltiades,¡± spoke Simonides, facing the remaining soldiers made up of Miltiades, Abeiron and the remaining black uniforms. A small and light appearing man, Miltiades had a little age behind him that came in experience. He had a patience method that Simonides thought worked to match his opponent. ¡°Your target is the rough appearing teen. The only thing he has displayed so far is a surprising strength that is enough to take any normal person down in a single punch. It is best to remain distanced from him and keep him off balance so that he can¡¯t connect.¡± Rippling at Miltiades¡¯ feet signaled his readiness to begin. The wall of purple disappeared as Antipas drew Yuki away and Miltiades acted in the same instant. Covering up the grass, a debris filled ground with random tossed junk, metal, wood and rock all worked to be a complete blanket over the desperate blades of grass that fought to poke through. Aside from looking like a breeding ground for disease and tetanus, the appearance gave off an almost benign mood. However, serenity lasted for only a second as a large log jutted out of the ground at an angle to Seiji. Managing to dodge the attempt made against him, Seiji leapt away moving closer to the Atlantean. A few more rose up making Seiji evade them to keep from being clipped by jagged edges on untrimmed logs. After the series of attacks (in his mind), Seiji had enough of the games. He had a target in front of him and made straight for the man. Sprinting forward with his fists raised, Seiji locked onto the young man with blind rage. He saw the soldier starting to retreat from him, but he stayed his course knowing that he eventually would catch up. However, when he felt that he came into range a wide trunk burst through the ground in front of him making him collide with it. Simonides watched from his vantage point of the drawn battle lines. Each target was forced out from the others. ¡°They¡¯re divided now. If they stayed too close together it would only serve to weaken Photine, Antipas and Miltiades.¡± It had been some time since he witnessed a real battle between two MPs. Planning and logic only went so far when they were involved. ¡°Now draw out their powers. I must know everything about them if they are to be stopped.¡± Glancing down at the now smaller groups left behind of regular Blacks and the remaining intruders, Simonides judged each of them. ¡°In desperation, anything you¡¯re trying to hide will be forced out. Let¡¯s see if there are any more MPs hiding in your group.¡± The plan progressed into the next stage. He waited in anticipation of what came next. Chapter 114 - Waking Mind A heavy atmosphere pervaded the plains of a late Atlantean morning. The sense of imminent danger almost felt like it created an audible deep thud across the entire battlefield. Lines already drew up with Yuki, Yori¡¯s sister and Seiji isolated from the others. Surrounded by soldiers, with no intention of being merciful, they forced their friends to face their immediate problem. No aid would be coming. While the others stood on edge with unease about their situation, Chiharu glanced around lazily noting all of the soldiers. ¡®All of these soldiers are just normal humans. The special ones divided up the weaklings. A standard divide and conquer tactic, but the enemy doesn¡¯t understand the capabilities of those that they¡¯ve surrounded.¡¯ She had seen enough of Saki¡¯s strength to know that the soldiers stood no chance. A sense of annoyance for being taken as weak went buried by her, not wishing to admit to it. ¡°This is boring,¡± Chiharu lightly commented, ¡°There¡¯s not anyone strong enough to hold my interest.¡± She stepped away from the circle before vanishing from sight. Saki and Fumiko turned around only just realizing what she said. They were too late. Once five a moment before, they became four. Abandoned, Saki clinched her fist in frustration. ¡°This isn¡¯t about fighting strong opponents!¡± Slight movement from one soldier slammed her hair trigger. In an instant, the man laid on the ground and Saki back at her spot. She laid into all of them with a fierce stare making them hesitate. Chapter 114 ¨C Waking Mind Arching through the air with dust trailing from the ends of her clothes, Yumi sped away uncontrollably. Her mind didn¡¯t notice when she was reaching the edge of the Field generated by the woman and the weapons that attacked her disappeared. Even without the force, she was careening away from everyone. The cold blistering wind beat against her skin, chilling her. ¡®¡­it bites deep¡­¡¯ Her eyes refused to open. ¡®What¡¯s happening to me?¡¯ Yumi was fighting to move, but found herself weighed down. ¡®Why do I feel so numb?¡¯ Sailing in the sky had to end, gravity saw to that fact. Cast like a forgotten doll, Yumi slammed into the grass sparking a green flash briefly before bouncing back into the air. Left behind from the impact, dirt and grass broke into the air from the force. A second bounce soon came with a smaller cloud of debris along with two flashes of green. Her body still had speed to it and the ground gave her rotation. Flipping carelessly across the earth, Yumi left sparks and dirt clouds in her wake. Finally, her body slid along the ground losing enough momentum making it impossible to return to the air. Scrapping along the grass threw up green sparks all around her carving out a lengthy path of destruction. Still having to run under her own strength, Photine couldn¡¯t help her own surprise at the scene. Had she not watched everything with her eyes she never would have believed it. ¡®I figured I caught her by surprise, but I shouldn¡¯t have knocked her back with that much force. Even the most skilled Meso Prosecho couldn¡¯t have survived such a fall!¡¯ While reeling through her disbelief, part of her mind worked through all of the details. She knew that a normal human would have died, yet what she saw told her that Yumi remained very much alive. A worrisome fact, that Photine struggled to explain. Replaying through the fall, Photine noted something strange. She remembered the flashes of green light that appeared every time Yumi collided with the ground. ¡®The barrier she created was colored green as well. It looks similar¡­¡¯ When her weapons attacked her after shattering the barrier something blocked them from getting through. ¡®¡­I saw a green light then as well¡­ Was that an automatic defensive Law in her Field? Could that be the light I saw?¡¯ The distance between them closed quickly, Yumi¡¯s body starting to return to clarity in her sight. ¡®Is that how she survived? Using the barrier to dampen the blow?¡¯ Wind carved stone pillars and dried cracked earth swallowed up the grass around Yumi. Thick streams of dust blew through filling the air with a tan haze. No movement came from Yumi the longer that Photine closed. She continued to play cautious as the strength of the child remained unknown to them. Rushing in for the kill could have triggered a trap. The fight had to be smart. ¡®Is she unable to move perhaps?¡¯ Still air and silence left her questioning what she saw and wondering if the first strike succeeded more than she hoped. Her numb feeling from before felt as though it had managed to increase twofold, something that she still struggled to figure out. Only her mind seemed to be functioning at a normal speed. Her sight blurred and slowly failed to give her any clue to her surroundings or condition. Movement from her body lost all connection. ¡®Is this another dream?¡¯ If she dreamed, she knew that something more would be happening. Nothing seemed to be occurring to her. All was still. ¡®What¡¯s wrong with me? What happened?¡¯ Yumi rolled through her mind remembering the desperation that she felt only a minute before. The tugging she was feeling before no longer weighed on her. She sought out what happened in the last instance before she felt numb. ¡®It happened so fast¡­ Something¡­someone?¡¯ A vague image of a woman crossed her vision briefly. ¡®A woman? She¡­attacked me¡­attacked?¡¯ Pieces began to fall into place for Yumi. She recalled the force of something breaking through and the shattering. Weapons came for her with such force that she thought she should have died or maybe she had. ¡®Am I dying? I can¡¯t feel anything because I¡¯m on the verge of death?¡¯ Fearful confusions built up for Yumi as she was wanting to know why she felt so numb. That fear caused her to stir and ignite life back into her body. It took her a few seconds to understand that she needed to fear no more. Her eyes finally opened once more, giving her a gaze at the blue sky. Yumi laid on her back in the dried dirt. Her clothes appeared dirty, but unharmed as did her body. Pulling herself up quickly in surprise, Yumi was examining her body, not certain why she had no injuries from what happened. A glance away from her took in deeply how far away her friends stood. The distance she covered and her condition quickly became clear to her. ¡®I was thrown more than five hundred meters?! How is this possible?¡¯ Still confused, Yumi slowly started to stand up, not realizing the danger that closed upon her. Through the haze Photine took sight of Yumi recovering. Her eyes widened a bit, finally getting a look at Yumi. ¡®Unharmed?! Can her defenses be that perfectly timed to have protected her? I must be careful¡­¡¯ She made her approach with caution. Out of the air the brisk dirt-filled wind spun in increasingly tighter spirals. More dirt pulled in making it denser until it seemed to become solid. Forming a short cylindrical shape first, the wind grew in form building out until the shape became clear. A wide bladed sword, a meter in length, solidified from the dirt. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Cast away particles fell from the sword revealing well polished steel and an edge that nearly hummed. Accompanying the sword, another sword materialized quickly, but took on a different shape than the last. This weapon had a visible thin serrated edge. Its length came up only to two-thirds of the other. Both hovered in the air gleaming with eagerness. ¡®Let¡¯s test that barrier¡­¡¯ Yumi was still trying to get her footing and balance back so she didn¡¯t notice the weapons prepared for her. The weapons launched through the air with tremendous speed. A slight jab in her side like someone trying to get her attention knocked into her. It pulled her eyes away and towards the two swords. Having to take the time to process what she saw delayed her reactions. Fear snapped into place forcing her eyes closed. In a reactionary move, her hands came out in front of her crossing over as a futile effort to protect her body. A loud pounding clang reverberated around her to crushing effect. Yumi felt the weapons pierce her for a moment in tune with the impact. She was staggering back reflexively responding. However, as the seconds slipped on she realized that she remained unharmed. Cautiously opening her eyes she saw the weapons rattling against a pale green wall standing between them. ¡®What¡¯s going on? Why¡¯d they stop?¡¯ ¡®Fast reaction, but something feels off¡­¡¯ Watching Yumi made her question some of the things she took for granted from another MP user. ¡®If it¡¯s as strong as before it¡¯ll take more than that to break. Need to find the right amount of force¡­¡¯ A flick of her eyes summoned four more weapons ranging from rapiers to pikes. Rattling on her barrier, the two swords began to sound like chainsaws pressed against a brick wall trying to cut through. Rising to a discordant symphony, Yumi was thinking that the noise couldn¡¯t become any worse. Photine¡¯s four newly created weapons joined the assault. Sound turned to utter chaos made amplified by the dome. Yumi was feeling the sound waves creaking through her bones making her knees shake. ¡®Make it stop! I can¡¯t take it any longer!¡¯ ¡®Then do something about it!¡¯ shouted a voice from within. She turned around in her mind trying to face the direction of the voice. However, nowhere that she looked could the person be found. The space remained empty. ¡®Am I hearing things?¡¯ Gripping pressure slammed into Yumi¡¯s chest, suddenly making her weaken further. She knew that she could resist no more. ¡®Stop closing your eyes!¡¯ ¡®Who are you?¡¯ ¡®Face your reality!¡¯ ¡®My reality?¡¯ Taken in by distraction, the barrier holding back the weapons weakened. The blades of the weapons broke through so fast that the sound of the wall cracking didn¡¯t make it to her in time. Slowed down only by passing through the crumbling green field, the weapons disappeared in a streaking flash through Yumi too fast for her eyes to follow. Yumi staggered back, not completely sure what happened. She was thinking everything had passed and nothing wrong happened, but a feeling inside her told her otherwise. Looking down at her body, she caught the delayed release of thin trails of blood arcing through the air in the wake of the weapons. Small shallow wounds opened up on both of her shoulders, outer sides of both upper thighs and sides of her waist. Yumi bit through the sudden pain she felt, though not deep the feeling of being injured was not familiar to her. ¡®It hurts¡­so much¡­¡¯ ¡°Damn¡­¡± cursed Phontine, monitoring her success from a distance. ¡°I made it through, but a secondary defense split up my weapons at the last moment. Only managed a glancing blow.¡± She had only seen it for a second, but a flash of green light alerted her in the middle of her strike. ¡®I haven¡¯t seen her other techniques used yet¡­ Is she holding them in reserve for a more desperate situation?¡¯ Wanting time to nurse her wounds, Yumi was stepping away from the woman. Fear built up thick inside Yumi finally realizing wholly that she found herself in a real battle. ¡®¡­I¡¯m all alone¡­¡¯ None of her friends could help her, trapped in their own battles too far away from her. Those seconds of peace granted to her ended in a punctuated moment feeling something ominous behind her. Something told her to fall. Acting upon the urge, an instant later a spear whizzed over her shoulder. Yumi caught herself on one knee staring wide eyed in shock at the spear embedded in the ground, the wooden shaft shaking a little from the leftover force being bled off. ¡®¡­if I hadn¡¯t¡­¡¯ ¡®I had her blind spot and I still missed!? What powers does she have?¡¯ Shaking off the uncertainty, Photine straightened up and concentrated back on Yumi. She knew giving Yumi a moment''s reprieve was too long. New weapons appeared in the air ready for the next strike. ¡®I¡¯ll have to attack from multiple sides to get a shot in¡­¡¯ Yumi caught the spear dispersed into the haze. It suddenly vanished from sight making her startle. ¡®¡­this woman¡­¡¯ She was fighting to keep her shaking under control as she strained to see through the thick wind at the Atlantean. ¡®She¡¯s like Yuki¡­ Not a normal human¡­ But I¡¯m just a regular high school girl¡­ What can I do!?¡¯ ¡®Damn it! Stop thinking that way!¡¯ yelled the voice in her head, nearly feeling as though her brain rattled in her skull from the volume. ¡®Who are you?¡¯ ¡®Focus on yourself! Fight to live!¡¯ ¡®But I can¡¯t¡­¡¯ ¡®Stop it! You¡¯re going to get your ass handed to you thinking like that!¡¯ The harsh voice made Yumi shrink in its invisible presence. She didn¡¯t dare to think her own thoughts to herself for fear that the voice would snap at her. Little made sense to her already and the voice only complicated matters. Yumi feared that she was going insane. ¡®Pay attention! She¡¯s coming for you again!¡¯ ¡®Huh?!¡¯ ¡®Fight back this time! Prove your worth to him that you¡¯re so desperate for!¡¯ The voice¡¯s words triggered a revival in Yumi¡¯s heart. Clarity came to her mind. ¡°¡­I have to do this for Yuki¡­¡± Yumi turned her head up and straightened up her back. Blood that slowly trickled down her clothes sat ignored with the dull pain that accompanied it. ¡°¡­I¡­have to¡­fight?¡± ¡®Damn, right! Use your powers!¡¯ ¡°Powers? I have¡­powers¡­abilities¡­¡± Her words turned into a chant that strengthened her body and mind. Yumi took a slow sluggish step forward into the tan haze. Another step rang out in the ground. Then another as well, each became stronger and more resolute. Her eyes narrowed slightly, feeling the boldness of determination that swelled in her heart. ¡®Yes! Fight!¡¯ Thick soup-like wind rolled in, nearly obscuring the woman from Yumi¡¯s view. Grayed silhouettes multiplied in the space around them. The count seemed to grow beyond the numbers used previously. A fierce attack leaned on the edge as streaks of shadows flew about. Photine¡¯s weapons lined up all around the unaware Yumi. ¡®Trust yourself!¡¯ ¡°Yes!¡± shouted Yumi, as a battle cry to herself in preparation. The tension of the imminent moment tried to taunt her again, but she held fast. As though realizing its futility, the weapons released from their hold. Loud clanging and massive impacts shook through the dust cloud. Allowing the cloud to thin, more than twenty weapons surrounded her. Each appeared as though randomly ripped from a weapon smith¡¯s shelves. So closely knit, in the low visibility Yumi appeared pierced by all of the weapons in a horrific sight. Yumi¡¯s soft brown eyes still held a strong defiant look. A patchwork of three barriers layered upon each other protected her. Blades sat held in place pierced through the layers within centimeters of her body. ¡°Yuki will see my strength!¡± The barriers disappeared suddenly and the weapons rapidly shrank crushed under massive forces. All the finely made instruments turned to small balls of metal in mere moments. ¡°I will end this now!¡± Chapter 115 - Fighting Mind Her opponent barely remained visible to her eyes, but it gave her enough of a target. All of the crushed weapons from Photine rotated around Yumi increasing in speed until blurring into a ring. Yumi directed her hand at the woman, sending each metal ball back at its owner. Each fired off in succession like an automatic rifle. The custom-made bullets blasted through the wind punching holes from the speed and clearing out pockets of air. Photine widened her eyes in shock. She instinctively dodged out of the line of fire. In addition, she summoned up more weapons hanging vertically in front as a shield. The defensive thinking ended up saving her as she failed to evade one of the projectiles. It slammed into her wide bladed bastard sword. Relief didn¡¯t come to her though as the sword was instantly severed in two by the force and the metal chunk continued through. It bought her the save she needed with the angle deflected to a shallow near miss over the edge of her shoulder. Given no pause by Yumi, Photine noticed the remaining pieces that she avoided locked onto her and turned around. ¡®Damn¡­ Caught me off guard¡­¡¯ Frustrated and embarrassed that her own weapons turned against, she dropped all of them from her mind. Her tools taken away from her, Yumi dropped her hand back down. It took her a bit by surprise, but she forgot the sort of person that confronted her. ¡®Right, she¡¯s like Yuki. Everything in their space they control. Somehow, I doubt I¡¯m going to get another chance like that¡­¡¯ Yumi stared across at Photine trying to figure out her next move. She had powers, but no idea what she could do with any of them. Instinct guided her hand before, but she felt like she stood in control. It relied on her now. ¡°I won¡¯t give up!¡± Chapter 115 ¨C A Fighting Mind Reassessing her situation, Photine quickly examined the tear in her long collared trench coat. She mended the tear and glanced back. Photine felt the change in the winds of battle. The mood altered so quickly on her that it threatened to leave her behind. ¡®She¡¯s so different now. She¡¯s acting serious¡­ Was she not seeing me as a threat before?¡¯ She stiffened her pose taking a rigid stance trying to fortify her mind. New weapons materialized in the air as the wind became thicker, nearly impossible for anyone with normal eyesight to see through. As a benefit of it being her Field, she had complete clarity through the dust-filled air. She manipulated the density to hide her blades and disorient her opponent. Disguised within the veil, a massive sword hovered effortlessly despite the weight. Accompanying the great sword, three small daggers, dwarfed by mere size, floated about at the hilt. Still walking forward, Yumi remained unaware of the new attack mounted against her. Her determined face looked ready to take anything on with fearless resolve. Putting that to the test, the daggers flew at her taking a direct line for her. Each attacked from a different side forcing her barrier to take them, with obvious ease. However, a trap laid in wait for her as she carelessly moved forward uninterested in the daggers. Coming from the left of Yumi, a terrible ripping roared out as if something stubbornly resisted. Joining the mix came a deep groan of a rigid surface scraping and grinding. The depth of the groan made it clear that it had great weight behind it. Ominous noise turned to rumbling in the earth vibrating through to Yumi¡¯s feet. She needed no hint of intuition to know that she had to move. Unfortunately, her escape came too late. All the foreplay ended and fell through the dust, blasting out a wide wake in its path, one of the wind-carved rock columns broke through the thick haze. ¡®It¡¯s too big! I can¡¯t avoid it!¡¯ Reflex spared her for the moment. Her barrier split down a vertical seam and opened up growing denser and more opaque the moment the massive rock slammed into Yumi. Weight alone crushed Yumi into the ground. Her hand stretched out straining to give support to her barrier, while she lay prone on her side. ¡®¡­so heavy¡­¡¯ She didn¡¯t know how long her body could withstand the pressure that ran through her. The hand that struggled to give support to her barrier already felt numb. Her shoulder mashed into the hard earth. Each second the struggling continued Yumi felt like her bones pulverized and shot out tiny needles out of her arm. The weight was too much. She collapsed completely rammed into the earth tossing up a small cloud and bits from her impact. ¡®¡­can¡¯t take much more¡­¡¯ The edges of the barrier cut into the ground bracing for support. Cracks appeared along the surface growing louder and longer by the moment. However, the above wasn¡¯t the only problem. An alert from outside turned Yumi¡¯s head and eyes up away from her trouble to the incoming weapon, the large sword, seeking to strike where her barrier no longer reached. ¡®It¡¯s too much!¡¯ Her eyes widened and irises shrank in realization. She hadn¡¯t the strength to change the barrier with the weight that she supported. ¡®If only I¡­¡¯ It gave her no chance to finish her thought. Photine¡¯s sword flew straight for her head hovering only centimeters above the ground. Dust from the cracked earth parted and failed to cling to the guard building thin streams in its wake. In the shadow of the pressing stone column, everything disappeared in a thunderous blast of dirt and earth blanketing the area that trapped Yumi. Slowly billowing out from the impact, Photine¡¯s vision only penetrated the thick wind she created. Her Field¡¯s environment covered the area masking the certainty of her kill. ¡®If I remove it now I may be releasing her, yet leaving her hidden could be giving her the time she needs for a counterattack. I must remain cautious¡­¡¯ Photine waved her hand wiping away the cover. Through the unimpeded haze, she found Yumi flattened to the earth with her barrier severely bent. Accompanying Yumi laid the sword partially hidden by Yumi¡¯s body, not clear to the damage. The traitor remained alive. More to her surprise, though Photine worked to keep it from becoming visible on her face, she saw how Yumi survived. A smaller square of the barrier sat at a steep angle off Yumi¡¯s shoulder with the blade of the sword resting against it. ¡®She deflected it enough by creating an angle with her shield?!¡¯ Photine¡¯s hand shook slightly in boiling frustration. ¡®Her defense is strong and flexible¡­¡¯ Yumi coughed shallowly against the pain from the metal that her skin hugged. ¡®So much¡­pain¡­¡¯ Her eyes darted to the sword giving it a push with her thoughts, finally freed from the strain. A moment later, the unwieldy sword gasped a quick groan of stress before completely compressing into a four-centimeter sphere of dense iron. Before anything more could happen to it, the sword disappeared. Another cough exhaled from Yumi as though to respond to the removal of her weapon. The stone column returned to its original position, towering in declaration. ¡°I won¡¯t let you use that technique against me again! So don¡¯t even try!¡± Photine took a couple steps forward summoning more swords up with a new attack prepared. A frail hand forced her body away from the ground and towards the direction of the voice. ¡®It¡¯s so thick¡­ I can¡¯t figure out where she¡¯s hiding¡­¡¯ Yumi turned over sitting down, her chest heaving from all of the new sensations. ¡®¡­how am I supposed to¡­¡¯ ¡®You can¡¯t rest!¡¯ ¡®Huh?¡¯ Yumi instinctively looked up as though the voice in her mind stood in front of her. One moment lasted a minute for Yumi. She saw the array of weapons streaming at her. Cutting through the clouds, the swords gave her no time to react. Reflex brought up one barrier close to her, but came too late for her. Yumi gagged on the blood that pooled in her mouth as shock filled her shrinking eyes. Blades ran her through from all sides. Shown to her, the barrier lacked strength. Cracks echoed through the semi-opaque screen as Yumi¡¯s eyes unfocused. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡®Pay attention!¡¯ ¡®What?!¡¯ Yumi snapped awake, forced to process everything in seconds as she came to the realization of what happened to her. ¡®Another dream? Like before?! That means¡ª!¡¯ She cut off her own thoughts. Strength returned to her legs charged by dire feelings. Time ran out for her. The whistling of the blades sailing through the air tickled her ears and urged her forward. Yumi stumbled in her run, balance still uneasy from the wound along her right arm. She forced a barrier up around her, feeling the weapons coming. The barrier snapped around her where the blades penetrated, but they disappeared before staying. Yumi paused. As an ice pick rammed with purpose into a slab of ice, more weapons appeared in turn besieging her barrier on all sides. She froze. The strength she had just a moment before drained away. ¡®I¡¯m not a fighter!¡¯ Yumi was kneeling down. Barriers cycled subconsciously rotating in two layers to keep her safe. ¡®¡­I can¡¯t do this¡­Why did I think¡­¡¯ Her right arm was feeling numb and her fingers didn¡¯t budge for her. ¡®¡­I¡¯m not like Yuki and the others¡­¡¯ The dreadful crackling of her barrier ran a ripple of chills through her body each time they sounded off. Her whole body nearly crystallized from the pressure. She was feeling as though a thousand deaths had poured through each equally terrifying as the last. Yumi was needing to crawl away. ¡®Stop whining because things are difficult!¡¯ ¡®I shouldn¡¯t be here!¡¯ ¡®Damn it! Shouldn¡¯t or should ain¡¯t the thing you should be thinking about!¡¯ The voice seemed to carry a weight to it that forced itself upon Yumi applying pressure. Yumi shook her head. It was all just a dream. No voice shouted in her head. ¡®The only way out is forward! Behind is destroyed to hell! There¡¯s nothing!¡¯ Nothing spoke. ¡®You can¡¯t ignore the situation like me!¡¯ Loud snapping rolled around Yumi from her barrier shattering. The world returned to her eyes painfully abrupt. Her transition felt like she took whiplash. ¡®Is this it?¡¯ Yumi was staring slowly in awkward wonderment as the shards of her protection rained down around her. ¡®If you have enough time to stare, you have enough time to act! Borrow from me for your strength!¡¯ ¡®Who are you?!¡¯ ¡®One that walks at your side¡­¡¯ ¡®¡­walks beside me?¡¯ It allowed no further thoughts. Warmth bloomed inside Yumi, a familiar feeling that she knew she experienced before. Out of her grew a three-layered barrier that halted the swords that struck for their final blow. Yumi stood up. The weight that shackled her legs disappeared. ¡®So strange¡­yet so normal¡­¡¯ Heightened senses from Yumi detected the next wave that arrived upon realizing the last¡¯s failure. The soft brown eyes of Yumi flashed with a glow before everything around her felt tremendous gravity crushing it. Further attempts met the same fate even faster. Photine¡¯s features narrowed watching all of her attacks fail. ¡®Her crumbling defenses are back to full strength. And there¡¯s that resolve in her eyes¡­again¡­ What¡¯s happening?¡¯ Her teeth ground together as she dug deeper. ¡®I won¡¯t lose!¡¯ A massive array of all imaginable weapons appeared, possible or not. More than fifty individual armaments clustered overhead in an arch. The swarm hovered around like an army of angry hornets. Her face began to sweat feeling the strain on her mental resources. Searching out through the dirt soup, Yumi walked around for Photine. Her senses tapped into the potentials that existed plucking at each thread feeling out the vibrations. The unnatural grasp that she suddenly had on her powers almost flew past her. She knew this feeling with greater understanding than she possessed. It happened before. Somehow, she knew as much. ¡®My mind was foggy then¡­trapped away¡­but now I¡¯m looking with my eyes and not through them¡­¡¯ She had to survive. She had to get back to Yuki. ¡®All I have is my resolve¡­ I¡¯m not strong or smart¡­ But for someone like me that is enough! I want to change myself!¡¯ A small hint of Yuki¡¯s presence rested on her shoulder giving her encouraging words as he had done before for her. Yumi broke out into a sprint letting her mind guide her feet. The pain in her arm no longer mattered to her. She threw out her hands placing out barriers to block the incoming attacks. The desperation of her opponent was palatable. A storm of weapons only confirmed that fact. Sections of the barrier disappeared and rotated around quickly responding to her needs. Overlapping layers from the barrier turned razor sharp cutting through embedded weapons and cast aside. Yumi continued her charge undeterred from her goal. ¡®I¡¯ll change myself for me!¡¯ The barrage continued thickening the air with metal from all angles. Particles and chunks of the barrier flew away and replaced just as quickly. Her protection found itself on a quickly downward path of attrition. A glance to the ground gave her a new idea. Yumi slammed her hands against the ground, producing a five layered dome wall around her larger than previous. The cost of the exertion slammed into her suddenly, however she shook her head and focused on the earth. ¡®This will work!¡¯ Another two barriers erupted from Yumi even while her defense took hastening damage, two layers nearly destroyed. Time ran out for hesitation. The recent two domes didn¡¯t come close to the outer wall, but further inside spaced apart from themselves with nearly half a meter of room. Yumi closed her eyes, concentrating on the two domes. Vibrations and shifting emitted from barriers, but nothing more. Yumi sighed in relief and allowed herself a small smile. ¡®It worked!¡¯ The two barriers disappeared as she stood up from the ground moving her arms away from her sides straight out. Her feet lifted from the dried earth hovering centimeters. The last barrier defending Yumi shattered, letting in the weapons. Yumi looked up at the points of the blades screaming at her. A massive explosion and cloud of smoke blasted from Yumi masking her from sight, even for Photine. ¡®Why can¡¯t I see the girl?¡¯ Photine sifted through the layers of her dust cloud. She pulled out the pieces from her thoughts letting them disappear. The deeper she went, the same view remained. Darkness covered the spot where Yumi should be. The last layers peeled away and Photine understood. Broken chunks of earth floated around Yumi with the assorted weapons from Photine pierced through. Below a perfectly cut hemisphere in the ground stood as the answer. When the Atlantean attempted to remove the earth she realized what happened. ¡®The girl dug up the ground as a defense! Since it¡¯s real and not created by my Field. I have no power over it. Damn it! I¡¯ll just have to use my weapons then¡­¡¯ Her eyes focused directly on the area around Yumi calling to her blades, yet they only vibrated in groans unmoved. She moved her hands in front making use of them to increase the strength, but nothing still. ¡®I can¡¯t move chunks of rock with my weapons! She¡¯s holding them¡­¡¯ Yumi¡¯s eye narrowed upon her target through the gap of earth. ¡®I can see her now!¡¯ Specks of dirt and stone fell from the floating masses of earth as life returned to them. The opening volley began. Sent hurdling like a fastball, the chunk sped towards Photine. All of the weapons disappeared from around Yumi just before the target impacted. Earth exploded upon the woman showering a curtain of dirt around her body. The aftermath made Yumi¡¯s features sharpen. A shining heavy sword hovered centimeters in front of Photine¡¯s body. The force of the mass split on the blade leaving the woman only slightly dirty from the encounter. However, the counterattack didn¡¯t end with a single lob from Yumi. Three more streamed through the air for Photine only to end in a similar manner. Undeterred, the attack continued filling the once metal dense air with earth. Ammunition for Yumi¡¯s attack quickly disappeared. ¡®I just have to keep up my defense and she¡¯ll be out of chunks to throw at me soon. Then I¡¯ll end this finally¡­¡¯ Hovering over the ground Yumi closed her distance. She relinquished the last of her supply. In the wake of the final shots, Yumi motioned with her hands as if she was trying to cut the very air. Brought forth from her hand, green light gathered quickly already in action. An elongated arch of energy shaped to an edge along its length. Four of the green crescents formed roaring at twice the speed of the chunks earth over taking the swarm. Photine cut through the final piece already preparing for her own counterattack with the last chunks. However, her eyes grew in shock to see the earth explode in front of her without hitting her weapons. A green light surrounded her before she knew what was happening. Instinct saved her from the first attack. The green arch split on the sharp edge and dug into the ground at her sides exploding. The second strike proved to be better. Her sword cleaved in two, cast aside. All of the remaining weapons surrounded her, but all met the same fate. Metal shattered around her, blasted behind her. A few shards dug through her skin before fading. The three arcs slammed into her body knocking the wind from her and forcing up a mixture of blood and saliva. Photine¡¯s eyes grayed out with her consciousness fading. She didn¡¯t feel her body hitting the ground or her Field disappear. No thought entered her mind. Only shock remained on her face. Yumi lowered to the ground collapsing to a sweating, heaving panting. ¡°It¡¯s over¡­¡± Chapter 116 - A Tall Tree in the Forest Far from the clear sight of Yumi¡¯s battle, a strange ass forest of oddly cut trunks stood erect from the surface. Spread out across the ground was a vast junkyard that no one would wish the hell to stand in. The air held an awkward, thick and stale odor that didn¡¯t manage to have a single identifiable smell, but simply a horrid as hell reek. All of the countless wood columns rose out of easy reach. Therefore, Seiji stood on the ground. The bump on his face from the crash he made early still annoyed the shit out of him. The scrawny creep never left his annoying perch. Seiji wove around the logs keeping his eyes up at his target, anger raging through his eyes and voice. ¡°Get the hell down here and fight like¡ª¡± Yet another low angled trunk blasted out from the ground at him slamming into his shoulder. It would have pinned him to the adjacent wood pillar had he not staggered back. Frustration forced his fist to ram the damn wood still growing out. ¡°Damn you!¡± Seiji pounded against the wood a second time out of annoyance. ¡°You can¡¯t stop me!¡± He jumped up on the shitty wood trunk and started sprinting up it as though a ramp to the next flight. More columns quickly rose up around him looking at him for targets. Seiji bound out to the closest one latching tightly onto the flat top. His legs wrapped around the width for support. Once it came to a stop Seiji scrambled up to the top less than skillfully, nearly falling twice. He managed to fit both of his feet on the small ass surface and stood tall. ¡°No more damn games!¡± declared Seiji with an eager look returning to his face, ¡°It¡¯s time for a straight fight!¡± Chapter 116 ¨C A Tall Tree in the Forest Across the leafless canopy, Miltiades crouched on a conveniently level trunk with perfect unwavering balance. All the strong wind could do to him was play with his shortly trimmed red-orange hair. The wind seemed to have no other influence on him. The white lightweight jacket, pushed up to the elbows covering his simple blue shirt, seemed to exist outside of the space not budging as if great weights pulled on it. Yet it was far lighter than contemporary materials. Miltiades judged the teen in front of him and kept the warnings in mind. ¡®I¡¯ve got to keep him from closing with me. Well this is why I was chosen¡­¡¯ He removed the column that Seiji stood on, dropping him down, though a little impressed by his stubbornness. Seiji sweated a little, clinging to the neighboring pillar. ¡°What the hell did you do with my tree?! This is supposed to be a fair fight, not one with cheap tricks!¡± He had no more time to complain though as that damn tree disappeared on him too. Since he hadn¡¯t been paying attention while talking, he had no chance to move. Dropping a couple of meters, he landed on the angled log he had previously used as a ramp. Just acting, Seiji ran along it, leaping out for the next column. Closer he was, but he had no further hope. The pole already disappeared. Seiji knew enough to keep going and already put himself in motion before it happened. He jumped and flailed around the middle of the shitty trees trying to close their distance. However, every time it seemed that he made progress he had to turn. ¡°I¡¯m closing the hell in on you!¡± Seiji shouted with a hopeful tone seeing his current progress. However, as he was about to make the next hand hold the entire area of pillars disappeared. He had nothing to grab, not even a moment to reflect. Seiji crashed the five meters to the ground kicking up an aged cloud of debris and dirt from his impact. The twenty-five year old Atlantean leaned over watching to know the outcome of his foe. ¡®How injured is he from that fall? As someone with a normal human body, unless he had some defensive element to the Law it¡¯d hurt him a lot.¡¯ Miltiades hung over the pillar intently waiting for the smoke to clear. He preferred not to control too many elements as his heavy field manipulation already took such concentration to maintain. It meant waiting out the boring moments of anticipation without knowing an answer. ¡®Is he gravely injured? I¡¯d expect him to make a counterattack¡­¡¯ A pity-giving wind blew through the ground casting out the cloud. Beneath the cover, Seiji stood a little worse for wear, but otherwise unfazed by the fall. Oddly enough, the ground actually looked more damaged than he did. The only thing that looked different on Seiji was that he was angrier than before (which is relative at this point already). ¡°Enough with the stupid ass tricks!¡± Seiji thrust his fist into the air towards the young man above him. ¡°Fight me like a real man!¡± Japanese went beyond Miltiades, as he wasn¡¯t using a translation Addendum in his Field, but the intent came across clearly to him. The remark left less of an impact on him. Rather, it was the fact that Seiji came out nearly completely unharmed by the fall that had him concerned. ¡®The Captain said to be careful of this one, but he never said anything about the powers he possessed. Though the reports sounded like he never released his Field¡­ Is this what his Field is truly capable of?¡¯ ¡°You stay right there!¡± Seiji burst up jumping with his legs before springing off two adjoining trunks. The motion gave him the direction he needed to sprint up the sheer surface of the damn wood straight towards his target. ¡°Don¡¯t you move!¡± The act took the soldier a little by surprise. While he wasn¡¯t expecting it all he had to do was slide down a little out of the way, hanging by one hand, as Seiji blew past him into the air. ¡®What is he? Is that even possible?¡¯ His questions had to wait as Seiji finally lost his upward thrust and came down. Somehow, he managed not to waste the effort and turned a blunder into his advantage. Seiji had his fist aim down to where Miltiades hung. The fire in Seiji¡¯s eyes looked fierce enough to burn the entire faux ass forest on glare alone. Yet he would have to wait. In the last moments, the man leapt effortlessly away to the next trunk that perfectly accepted him. Seiji¡¯s fist rammed into the flat of the column, splintering it a little and leaving an embedded dent. ¡°Damn you! Scrawny little bastard!¡± Stolen story; please report. A slight widening of Miltiades¡¯ eyes leaked his surprise. ¡®Such strength¡­ I understand why the Captain said to keep away! A punch like that would be enough to kill me!¡¯ Miltiades leapt back another couple of pillars to keep the original distance. He knew that he couldn¡¯t let that ever happen again. The battle took a new turn with the discovery. Seiji resumed his futile chase for Miltiades while never making enough of a difference in their distance. All it managed to do was make him even angrier than before. He kept trying the same thing of leaping around in the hopes of reaching the Atlantean. Each time the columns disappeared on him. It forced him to go around or to make quick leaps away. In the last bout of damn jumping, several wood pillars disappeared all around Seiji. ¡®This is the closest I¡¯ve managed to get to him in a while! I¡¯m not letting a simple jump get in my way!¡¯ He put all of his strength in his legs to send him over the gap with his fists out ready to pummel. Hardly surprised anymore, Miltiades lowered the trunk he rested on, allowing Seiji to fly over him and miss his target. ¡®He¡¯s getting more persistent and adapting to the situation¡­ I have to slow him down¡­¡¯ Miltiades rotated around slowly looking for the frustrated teen, but didn¡¯t find him where he planned. He caught his screaming voice almost above him coming back from the opposite, rebounded off another trunk. ¡°What?!¡± Miltiades exclaimed as his first words spoken since the fight started. Seiji smirked, pleased to see the shocked expression on the man¡¯s bitch face. ¡°I¡¯ve got you this time!¡± His fist was mere centimeters from reaching his target, the shitty face. He was going to make it this time. He knew it. If his swing connected, all of his rage would flow away. Then the moment passed. Seiji carried on completely missing. ¡°Huh?¡± He came to rest on the trunk staring back. His moment of surprise came when he saw Miltiades. ¡°What are you?! A damn monkey?¡± Miltiades crossed his arms looking up at Seiji with a narrowed face. ¡®I can¡¯t believe he forced me to use it. I guess I¡¯ll have to be serious about winning this fight¡­¡¯ ¡°Stop staring at me, ya monkey!¡± ¡®Hmm¡­I haven¡¯t ever been forced to use this by anyone outside of training¡­ I guess I should have known fighting another MP user¡­¡¯ ¡°Are you just gonna keep standing like that? You¡¯re creeping me the hell out!¡± The wood column appeared to be holding Miltiades in an impossible position. While the rough and jagged edge of the truck could have been used for hand holds he did no such thing. His feet gave him all of the support he needed stuck to the side of the wood. Dark leather gloves covered his hands up to the wrist. White strips attached at the end gloves wrapped firmly around his arm up to the elbow. On his feet, his sandal-like shoes attached to the wood. Banded around his feet and to his ankle the straps transitioned smoothly into the same white cloth as his arms fastening up to his knees. His position on the column made it look like he stood almost perpendicular with the column denying gravity with almost a taunting arrogance. He looked affixed with only a little lean to his body as though only slightly off balance. Even worse for Seiji, his head tilted up at an awkward angle staring like being upside down and not even looking challenged. ¡°I¡¯ve had enough of that damn stare!¡± Seiji crouched down on his perch building up his strength to put him back into the fight. When he noticed the damn wood disappearing on him he made his leap straight for the man still hanging without a worry. His fist crunched into the shitty bark tossing shards of wood into the air, his target missed again. Dodging to the next column, Miltiades landed with ease standing on the side of the pillar for only a moment before jumping over to the next. He saw Seiji closing to catch up. From higher up, Seiji leapt from top to top trying to keep up while the slippery ass Miltiades jumped a meter down from him as though he might have been skipping along the ground. Seiji managed to use his strength to leap ahead of Miltiades, predicting his position. He took the chance to jump down at the incoming man. The timing unfortunately was slightly off as the soldier made his landing in time and back flipped down the trunk to get out of the way. However, Seiji still fell towards him with fists ready. ¡°I¡¯ve got you this time!¡± shouted Seiji eagerly. As Miltiades came to a landing, he let one of his feet off the trunk and suddenly started to slide down before rotating into a run. He focused at the ground knowing the impending mass of Seiji. ¡®I have to make this count!¡¯ Miltiades bought his time out waiting for the last second to act. The distance of Seiji closed rapidly as running couldn¡¯t out pace his falling velocity. He almost had the damn Atlantean in reach. Another second and he finally would finish everything. However, in the last moments Miltiades spun around the circumference of the trunk just as a new larger chunk of wood blasted up scraping the bark as it came for Seiji. He had no time to react. Only the wide-eyed shock managed to be seen the instant before a crushing thud echoed through the area. The column of wood flew past Miltiades, sending Seiji into the air after the trunk halted, with a piston-like action. Seiji sailed unmoving through the open sky like a doll ripped free from the tight grip of a child. He disappeared down to the bottom in another puff of smoke in uncertain silence. In a light jog back to a lowering pedestal, Miltiades took a moment to recover and learn the fate of his opponent. He felt more certain of the last attack. ¡®Unless his defense is automatic then I should have been able to break through¡­ It felt like I connected¡­¡¯ His waiting game continued with well-measured patience. A shadow emerged from the concealing clouds slowly freeing themselves from its grip. ¡°Dammit! I¡¯ll get you eventually!¡± Seiji flung his arm up towards Miltiades with his index finger extended. His breathing became a little haggard, but still strong as ever. There were a few ripped and frayed threads in the tunic he wore, but he otherwise had an unharmed appearance. His spirit didn¡¯t seem diminished, only fueled by his continuous frustration of failing to reach his target. ¡°Don¡¯t think this shit is over!¡± Seiji charged back up for his target. Miltiades felt a little awe struck by the resilience of the teen. ¡®How is he continuing to come out without any injuries? Is his power that great? But he acts so blind in his fight¡­¡¯ He carried on leaping casually through his forest staying ahead of Seiji while sending obstacles and trunks at Seiji. Nothing seemed to slow him down. The determination only seemed to get stronger. He knew that he needed to do something more definitive to turn the battle. There seemed to be no fatigue showing Seiji, a worrisome factor for Miltiades. He lured Seiji down dancing vertically along the wood, never losing his perfect footwork. Many of the outer logs disappeared from movement for the building attack. ¡®I¡¯ve almost freed up enough for the attack¡­ Just need to get him a little lower¡­¡¯ Miltiades came within a meter or so of the ground dodging around the trunks gripping on to the next while Seiji bounced off striking out with his fists when he thought he came close. Each motion moved in deliberate actions to guide around as the forest shrank and lowered. The focus that Seiji bore on the Atlantean worked into his plan. A last slide around the trunk as though attached to the bark put him in his position. ¡®Now!¡¯ Seiji came in feeling confident of a strike finally. The red-orange haired man had slipped up, rotating too far back into his striking range. ¡°I¡¯ve got you now!¡± He launched out his fist with all of his strength planning to put an end to the fight once and for all. However, the head he aimed for disappeared. His fist rammed into the wood blasting bark everywhere while cracking the trunk. Before he could look around for his opponent, several logs rose up at an angle for him. All around him, thick columns raced towards him already in motion before he finished his punch. He couldn¡¯t even fall in time before they all slammed into him. Even after the first barrage finished, another round at the same angle ripped from the earth, crushing and pounding into the already crowded center burying Seiji. Miltiades landed on the ground casting his gaze up. ¡®Can¡¯t leave this to chance¡­¡¯ The final wave came from the ground straight up as a thick gathering of pillars piercing through the constructed canopy. Shattered wood shards flew everywhere and mixed among the splinters blood coughed up. Still caught in the debris cloud, blood slowly trickled down the massive tree construct. Seconds squeezed out cautiously in waiting. Yet it hung around unwilling to be split. Thinning out a little spared no preview to the fate of Seiji until a motionless bloodied arm surfaced resting on the wide platform created from the dozen trunks pressed together. Chapter 117 - Blind Swings An awkward breeze strode through the jagged forest. Settling groans from the wood were all the sounds that left. Gathered in the cluster, a mass of wood concealed an uncertain answer within their husks. Nearly everything from the surroundings disappeared in order to create the strange giant tree. The only signs given were the trails of blood from several points streaming away from the center complex. Miltiades raised a hand out in the air as a log rose from the ground. His hand attached firmly to the side pulling at his body until his feet no longer held contact with the ground. A swing of his leg latched onto the pillar and brought him to a greater height. The tenacity of his opponent forced his hand to unleash a stronger attack than he planned. ¡®Did he survive after all of that?¡¯ He knew that he couldn¡¯t let things end until being certain of his enemy¡¯s defeat. The thought of an approach to confirm Seiji¡¯s fate played through his mind. He knew that even a reckless action during this moment could be fatal for him. Caution remained paramount. Miltiades tapped his feet along the surface of the trunk and leapt up to the top. From the top, his view didn¡¯t improve any, but it wasn¡¯t as though he expected it to be easier. ¡®He doesn¡¯t seem to be the type to play a feint¡­ Maybe after all this time he is actually¡­¡¯ A rolling tap of his gloved fingers signaled the release of the upper canopy of logs. Protesting and complaining, the trunks pulled away and disappeared. His view gave him a clear eye on Seiji, laying on the platform of wood. Miltiades¡¯ eyes widened in shock at the sight. ¡®It can¡¯t be!?¡¯ Chapter 117 ¨C Blind Swings Blood painted the uneven surface of the wood that held Seiji. It coated through his course tunic and made tendrils down his arms, legs and face, one would only think Seiji to be dead or mortally injured. Yet from all appearances by Miltiades, he saw mostly torn cloth. Only numerous cuts and gashes existed from everything sent at him. Miltiades subconsciously leaned back a little, taking it in. ¡®I caught him off guard! How did he get his defenses up in time?¡¯ A flicker of movement by Seiji sent Miltiades retreating a few more poles. He needed his room. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± groaned Seiji, planting his hand to his head feeling dazed. ¡°Damn that really hurt¡­¡± He caught the heavy copper smell in the air from his arm and focused on the blood. The sight took him a little by surprise for a moment. ¡°Where¡¯d all this blood come from?¡± However, the corner of his vision found Miltiades and his single-track mind found the lost path. ¡°¡­right¡­¡± His pedestal shrank to the ground leaving him to stand back on his feet. Seiji looked up in the distance at Miltiades with a bit of a different look in his eye. He rotated his arm at the shoulder a little stretching and warming up a bit. A narrowed stare filled with intent covered him. ¡°You know I had a thought. I¡¯m not getting anywhere trying to chase after you. Which had me thinking how I¡¯m going to catch you when you¡¯re jumping around like a monkey? And then it hit me! You see, I don''t need to play your damn game. It¡¯s time I make you play my game!¡± A grin accompanied by a knowing look grew in Seiji along with a little pride in himself. The forest had mostly returned already with the dozens of annoying ass pillars surrounding him. He stepped forward to the next trunk placing his hand on it. His hand patted the rough bark as though it were a pet. Seiji glanced back over at Miltiades through the weaving swarm. ¡°The others don¡¯t think I¡¯ve figured it out, but I¡¯ve noticed. I know my body isn¡¯t the same anymore. The last attack by you gave me the final wakeup call I needed. My body¡¯s tougher than normal, but more than that¡­¡± His body focused back on the column giving its full attention. Seiji coiled back his muscles with his striking arm pulled. ¡°I¡¯m stronger too!¡± He released his fist with his arm rocketing towards the trunk in front of him. Streaking through the air the percussive blast and ripping a deep ass gong sound shot out before it was clear his fist rammed into the wood. Bark flew up along with splinters. The entire column shook for a moment before settling out. As the ringing settled out, it seemed all was for show and naught. Seiji¡¯s fist rested with a firm dent in the wood and nothing more. A sparkling glow flashed for a brief moment from the carved up tree. It signaled another ripping even deeper than the last. The sound bounced off the logs making it back to Miltiades, still confused. His understanding came too late. The pillar tilted and then leaned before collapsing to the ground. Seiji bent over resting his hand back on the felled tree. A thinned glance out of his eyes met with his damn opponent. ¡°It¡¯s time to change these shitty rules!¡± He pulled out his other hand gripping both hands on either side of the base and began to lift. ¡®Impossible! Even if he has a cutting Addendum, that tree belongs to me! The weight and density are determined by my Field and Law!¡¯ Sheer stunned awe forced Miltiades to watch what played out before him. He couldn¡¯t believe he was witnessing Seiji hefting the ten-meter long trunk by nothing but his strength. ¡®How can he be lifting it?!¡¯ Seiji lifted it up to a resting position on his shoulder with a smirk that grew wider. The drying blood on his arms only added to the imposing stature of Seiji at that moment. ¡°Let the games begin!¡± It took him a full minute for it all to finally sink in for Miltiades that he could react. However, by that time he had lost his advantage and position. The giant hammer-like swing from overhead came down. A moment before impact, the looming shadow from the trunk darkened out Miltiades. He fell back as he looked up seeing the mass of wood slamming down. It was all that saved him. Miltiades dropped over the column as it pounded into the top pound in a nail. Splintering wood and showering bark came from above as Miltiades¡¯ fall woke him fully. He latched on to the surface of the column getting his feet in place to slide down spiraling around. The force from Seiji¡¯s strike split the wood, sending the force down through the pillar. Miltiades rode out the shockwave-like burst with the trunk falling apart all around him turning into a downpour of wood chips. Just before reaching the ground Miltiades used the rotation and speed he built up to launch himself away. He took hold of the pillar and scrambled away. ¡®How is that possible? What sort of Law is he using?!¡¯ Miltiades panted, more from surprise than exhaustion, from his dangling perch. He stared down at Seiji trying to figure the teen out. ¡®I can¡¯t let him do that again¡­¡¯ Miltiades closed his eyes for a moment concentrating. ¡®Guess it¡¯s good that I planned ahead. Didn¡¯t think he¡¯d push me this far¡­¡¯ The wood pillar that Seiji held disappeared first and then all of the pillars started to grow dark, losing all definition until being perfectly round. The black forest swallowed up the light around becoming almost glowing. ¡®He won¡¯t be able to catch me or do anything more now! I¡¯ll slowly pound him down until he¡¯s defeated. I can¡¯t allow their chaos to go on anymore!¡¯ Out of the formless appearance, the harsh features of the columns gave way to light. They began to shine out strongly, reflecting the light of the sun. Seiji stood before a new obstacle, one with dreading doom. He let a flinch of annoyance slip as he stared. Seiji flung his hand out pointing up at his shitty cheating opponent. ¡°This won¡¯t stop me! I¡¯m going to get you! Keep changing things as much as you damn want!¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. A slight twitch from Miltiades came in response. Even with the language barrier, the determined look from Seiji came across as clear as Miltiades needed. ¡®He still thinks he can win? I¡¯ll prove to him how wrong he is¡­¡¯ The new change to the forest came as metal poles. Thick, well polished and strong as steel, the poles gave a resistant and stoic stance. Miltiades jumped down gripping onto the pole coming to a quick stop maintaining his usual unnatural hold in spite of the smooth surface. He walked around the pole the same as he would on the ground building momentum until lunging for the distant pole. Continuing his motion, he leapt to the next. All the while, he kept his eyes on the center where Seiji stood. The forest changed and moved with renewed life. Cracking the ground, a pole shot up for Seiji. He opened his arm in time not to take the hit, but it caught his tattered clothes and ripped through. Stiff from thick drying blood, the tunic tore free from his shoulder and arm exposing the right side of his chest. The remaining material held delicately together. His exposed skin revealed the countless scars from fighting and a well-toned body built from pushing his muscles to their limit. An excited glow came about Seiji. He felt the danger and grinned. ¡°Maybe this won¡¯t be so boring after all!¡± Seiji leapt forward taking to an angled pole as he had done in the past. However, he had to keep his sights open. His peripheral noticed the incoming attacks. Everything became much clearer in his mind. ¡°If I just think of them like fists¡­¡± Seiji flipped forward, pounding both his fists at two poles from opposite sides. ¡°Then I can treat this like a real fight!¡± The metal poles bent further down the shaft not meant to be taking such force over the length. Both came to a stop. Slight unease filled a corner of Miltiades¡¯ mind watching Seiji. ¡®He¡¯s no different than me¡­¡¯ He called for several poles to attack Seiji. Increasing the ferocity of the strikes began to counter Seiji¡¯s momentum. Removing his footing knocked him off balance. Blunt ends of metal slammed into Seiji trying to crush his bones. Dodging the first couple only put him out of position and forced to take the remaining damn attacks. He sailed back down to the ground crashing into the smelly ass junkyard once again. As though knowing the futility of it, only a modest cloud kicked up from him. Seiji stood up on one knee leaning forward. Bruises covered his arm and chest with his legs only freed by fortune. He wiped away some of the blood that dripped from his cut cheek. ¡°You¡¯ve got some pretty strong punches, but nothing like Yuki! No one can compare to the punches he could throw!¡± Seiji pressed his feet into the ground, the rubble crunching a little under weight, standing up fully. ¡°So you don¡¯t stand chance!¡± ¡®¡­such a confident look¡­¡¯ Miltiades worked to keep his focus. He had to remain undaunted by Seiji. The next swing gave him pause and a moment to breathe. His mental and physical fatigue became more acute to him, but fought to keep it suppressed. ¡®¡­I can¡¯t let it end like this¡­¡¯ New attacks broke free from the ground. Seiji didn¡¯t have a chance to dodge or counter the sudden strike. He managed to block himself with his arms, but even that knocked him back. His back slammed into the bastard of a wall behind him, halting his fall. ¡®I don¡¯t remember a wall¡­¡¯ Distracted from the fight for a moment was all that Miltiades needed to follow up. More poles burst from the earth aiming too high to actually hit Seiji, however at his feet a new platform rose up pushing him into range. Seiji only realized what happened too late and could not move in time. In his trying to dodge the attack, he avoided the worst. Yet the damn metal rods still met a target in Seiji. They pinned Seiji''s right arm to the wall with his support for his feet disappearing. The full weight of his body bore down on his shoulder while the flat edges worked to pulverize his bones. Seiji yelped a reluctant groan. All the hits he had taken before felt nothing like what he had felt in his arm. ¡°Damn you!¡± he shouted through grinding teeth. He pounded his free fist into the metal repeatedly trying to budge it free. Each hit only seemed to transfer into his arm stronger until finally there was a spray of blood and terrible crack. The sound alone made Seiji''s face go pale for a second before the pain reached him. Seiji screamed unrestrained as the crushing press rammed bone into muscle tearing his arm up from the inside. Suddenly Seiji became deathly quiet with a dark shadow cast over his hung face. Even as the metal pressed his arm into the wall of metal poles, no other movement came from him. His body jerked slightly with each hammering blow treated like a spent doll of no more interest to its owner. Miltiades judged the sight carefully. He had seen the teenager not react before after a strong offense. ¡®Is he really giving up? Was I able to bring us one step closer to peace again?¡¯ Several more metal rods came from the ground pinning the other arm and his legs to the wall. The last piece rose up hovering centimeters from his chest waiting for orders. ¡®¡­did my arm really break?¡¯ A haze hung in Seiji¡¯s mind. He felt confused. ¡®¡­I can¡¯t feel it anymore¡­ does that mean it was just a dream?¡¯ Everything in his body felt numb. Seiji never knew such a feeling. ¡®¡­he thinks he¡¯s won¡­but I¡¯ll¡­¡¯ In all of his fights, his body never felt so cold or distant to him. He didn¡¯t like the feeling, not at all. ¡®¡­bastard¡­ Bastard! The only one that can beat me¡­ Only he can¡­¡¯ A flash of sparks around the metal that restrained Seiji alerted Miltiades to a new change. He leapt back, keeping a safe distance to see what was coming. The metal that pressed against Seiji sparked again. Faint light glowed around Seiji before disappearing. The ends of the rods dented and bent away from Seiji, releasing him from their hold. Dropped back to the debris-filled earth, Seiji landed on his legs. His right arm dangled at his side coated with fresh blood. Seiji leaned backwards a little as though under so much damn stress from his weight. His raised left arm held firm out in front of him. ¡°I only need one damn arm for you!¡± Charging forward blindly, Seiji struck out at the bastard metal pole near to the shitty Miltiades with enough force to bend it. Metal sparked against metal crashing and shaking the damn support that Miltiades used. Taken a little aback by Seiji, Miltiades hovered by his spot before returning to his senses. ¡®He¡¯s not any different¡­ He¡¯s still just fighting as stupidly as before¡­fueled by rage¡­ Time to put an end to this!¡¯ He launched a new series of attacks at Seiji to force him back. Miltiades stopped with his swinging games. He focused on the mental strength to end their fight. The fight turned against Seiji again as he couldn¡¯t deal with all of the stupid ass objects coming at him with only one arm. Valiant efforts bore inventive ass methods to keep in the fight for Seiji. He kept his damn fist in the action, but switched up to use his strong as hell legs to block or divert him away from attacks. It allowed him to stay in the fight longer, yet it was becoming clearer the shitty futility of it. More damn strikes broke through his defenses pushed back further away from his bastard opponent. His shoulder took another damn blow turning crimson with blood. Another block by his legs sent him flying ass backward unable to keep support followed by a tearing of his damn muscle. Seiji cratered into the shitty pile of junk kicking up a cloud around him. However, he punched his fist into the shitty ground, casting his body into the air forcing him back into the damn fight. ¡®I won¡¯t lose!¡¯ ¡®I won¡¯t lose!¡¯ Miltiades continued to keep up his assault, no longer waiting. ¡®I¡¯ll protect all of Atlantis from rebels like you! I must! So that it never happens again¡­¡¯ The most recent series of blunt ass strikes rammed Seiji¡¯s back horizontally into a damn adjacent pole. His body slid down slowly. Two more damn poles came up looking to force him to wrap around the pole. Seiji saw it coming but discovered his strength left him. His eyes widened in shock as he realized he no longer had anything left. He was done. ¡°Dammit! I won¡¯t lose!¡± In the next instant, the sound of cloth tearing and metal sparking ended it all. Miltiades came to rest upon his platform letting out a sigh. It was over. He couldn¡¯t feel happy about it. It was what he had to do. ¡°I wish¡ª¡° A shifting shadow on the top of the nearby pillar alerted him away from where Seiji was. Rested atop the metal rod a black figure remained crouched withholding its true form. Hung from the side a bloody figure held motionless at its side. The draped figure came back to life quickly pulling up, but failing. ¡°Let me go!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know why I bothered¡­¡± A small puff of air came out as it looked like it turned away from Seiji. Seiji mustered his strength to raise his head to stare at the one that pulled him out of his death. ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt my fight! I still have to¡ª¡° ¡°You lost. Face reality.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t lost! I won¡¯t ever lose! No one can beat me except¡ª¡° ¡°You lost to someone better than you. Accept it like the type of man you claim to hold yourself to.¡± Stunned shock washed over Seiji as he finally heard the words. ¡®I lost? I lost?¡¯ Seiji¡¯s body became relaxed, almost limp as it settled in. ¡®So you lost again, huh?¡¯ a younger Yuki said, staring down at a younger Seiji left motionless in the alley. ¡®You know they say you learn something from losing too¡­or some crap like that¡­ What did you learn this time?¡¯ Seiji grinned at Yuki no longer feeling the soreness of his muscles. ¡®To punch harder!¡¯ ¡®Figures you¡¯d say that¡­¡¯ Seiji felt the painful breeze blowing against him suspended in the air. Across from him, Miltiades stood towering over him. ¡®Yuki¡­I lost again¡­¡¯ Chapter 118 - The Depth of Loss Seiji felt the painful breeze blowing against him suspended in the air. Across from him, Miltiades stood towering over him. ¡®Yuki¡­I lost again¡­¡¯ The words tasted bitter to him, but it was less about sourness and more the fact of their familiarity to him. He hated it. A terrible, rotten, sour taste buried itself first in the nose. Then just when he thought the stench was gone, it sank down into his throat. Growing in weight like a kilo of lead the putrid smell rested in his stomach. A rank, ill odor decayed in his belly churning an awful stink lingering for days until he could bear it no longer. He hated it. Chapter 118 ¨C The Depth of Loss A cold day or a hot day, neither mattered anymore. It was both that day for him. The day was so frigid that all he wanted was to be held by something warm, tell him everything would be fine, and work out. The day was so unbearably sweltering that sweat soaked into his clothes with such paralysis that even moving felt like an impossible feat. Seiji, age eight, stood in his bare feet with a simple shirt and shorts wrinkled heavily looking like he had just woken up from bed. Had he partially closed eyes he would have passed the test of being sleepy. Yet he was unable to close his eyes even a little. They were wide-awake, so wide it was painful. He stood in the doorway to his mother¡¯s room, a room that he was accustomed to walking into in the morning to greet her as she tidied the room. Her room was a place only for her. He had never known his father to be there, even in the house at all. He hardly remembered the face of his father. It was only because she smiled warmly while picking him up and told him that he was his father that Seiji even knew. It was his mother¡¯s room and she was always there. Every morning he counted on seeing her there. Every morning he could see the warm smile. Every morning she would let him help her make breakfast. Every morning grandfather spent time telling stories while she held onto him. Every morning he knew it was going to be warm. It was so cold that morning. Little Seiji¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t even budge from looking forward. The shell shock that had hit him minutes ago didn¡¯t fade away. Her room was empty. She wasn¡¯t there. The smell of her perfume no longer hung around. The sheets on the bed were unmade and tossed half on the floor. Drawers in the dresser hung low or cast to the corners upside down. Each piece in the room heated and festered. The tears and cracks all bore emotions so strong that even Seiji, as young as he was, could feel them. Viewing the whole room as a scene, it all played as a blurred fast-paced movie to his eyes. He saw it all. The heat made him sweat, nothing that tears could calm. Ten minutes passed before Seiji¡¯s mind even functioned or his lips tried to utter a sound. When his foot stepped into her room rigid and weak, almost making him collapse, it felt like he had run a marathon. He reached out his hand still catching faded images of her going about cleaning. ¡°¡­mom?¡± He followed her around the room trying to keep up, but always just out of reach. ¡°Stop! Mom! Come back! ¡­come¡­back¡­ Mommy!¡± Seiji dropped to the floor no longer able to see her in his mind. As time in the room crept onward a faint scream from another room wound its way to Seiji. He snapped his head up, immediately realizing the sound. ¡°Shoji!¡± Seiji darted for the hall, but paused looking back at the room. ¡°I¡­I¡­can¡¯t¡­¡± He rushed to see what was wrong with Shoji, but when he finished he returned to the room. The empty room loomed before him. Seiji spent his morning cleaning up the room. He put all of the things back into place. He remembered watching her and helping with the small things. It had to go back. It had to be the same. The longer that he worked the more certain he became. ¡°I can¡¯t let him see!¡± It was her room. She was still here. He finished with the room and stood back to take it in. It felt as though a bit of the warmth had returned, but it still felt bitter and empty. Seiji couldn¡¯t look at it anymore. His feet made him flee back to his room. A short distance, but his lungs heaved and heart pounded in his ears. He slid down to the floor, forced to catch his breath. ¡°¡­mom¡­¡± Not until he heard the whining from Shoji again did Seiji dare to move. Once he heard his brother though, he discovered new energy and stood. When he reached his little brother, still an infant at two years of age, Seiji watched confused. All Shoji did was cry at him. ¡°What do you want? I don¡¯t understand!¡± A growl came from Seiji¡¯s stomach. ¡°Oh¡­I forgot about breakfast¡­¡± Lifting Shoji out of his crib, Seiji wobbled a little with the size of his little brother. Once he had him in his arms to carry, he started walking out of the room. ¡°Let¡¯s go see mom! I bet she¡¯s making¡ª¡° Seiji came to a sudden stop and the weight of Shoji disappeared for him. Absent to his mind, his legs resumed walking him through the hall. Eventually, he found himself in the kitchen with his little brother seated in the chair staring up at him with the expectation of food. Countless thoughts crowded into his mind. The dizzying torrent of questions without answers paralyzed him again. However, it all boiled down to the same thing each time. He stared back at Shoji, regaining his focus. ¡®I¡¯m his big brother! I can do this!¡¯ Watching someone else cook didn¡¯t seem that hard to Seiji to duplicate to him. If she had been able to do it, he should be able to just as well. A half hour later, a scolding from their grandfather and burns and cuts made him realize the difficulty of cooking. Life moved on around the shrine whether Seiji wanted it to or not. Shoji, he knew, was too young to understand. Therefore, he couldn¡¯t blame him for not acting any differently. In spite of understanding, his heart kept hoping and drawing him to her room each morning with the expectation of her being there with a smile as always, like it had all just been a terrible dream. He wanted to wake up from the nightmare that only he experienced. Rumors in school soon circulated around him. They isolated him repeatedly, having found something to sink their teeth into, the boys. He only had three surrounding him. ¡°Is it true that she couldn¡¯t stand you and left in the middle of the night?¡± The other two snickered and laughed. ¡°Hey, I bet he couldn¡¯t stop wetting the bed! So she left such a bad child behind!¡± added the second boy finally finding a pause between laughter. The third boy slapped his hand on Seiji¡¯s desk looking at him with a wicked expression. ¡°She probably took one look at him and regretted that she was his. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. The boys laughed moving closer to him. Any light or salvation closed behind them. ¡°Well Seiji? You little momma¡¯s boy? You chased her way didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yeah, she got sick of hearing you whining all the time for her!¡± ¡°Even his daddy knew better than to stick around!¡± Seiji¡¯s head tilted down with a deep impenetrable shadow over his eyes. Sweat built up along his neck and face. His hands clenched in his lap pressing together painfully. He wanted to say something, anything, but his mouth wouldn¡¯t open. All he did was take in all of the laughter and their twisted looks. It was his new routine, no longer spending time in the warmth of her light. He returned home that day having received another round of verbal abuse after school before they let him leave. It left a boiling set of emotions primed on the surface. He nearly reached the limit of his endurance. Seiji slowly walked the stone path to the shrine. Their grandfather stood out front removing stray weeds from the grounds. When his grandfather took notice of Seiji arriving he stopped his work and half turned to face him. ¡°Shoji¡¯s been calling for you. I think he¡¯s hungry.¡± Any other day, Seiji would have continued to walk without a second thought in mind, but not that day. He knew well enough that Shoji never called for him, he was still too young. All he ever said was ¡®mama¡¯, a painful reminder. Seiji snapped with a fierce glare through thinly narrowed eyes, ¡°I¡¯m not his mother! Why don¡¯t you go find her for him, if you can pick weeds all day!?¡± Not expecting such a venomous retaliation, it took him a moment to recover. ¡°There is no one to find,¡± he responded curtly and sharply with a snapping tone mixed in, ¡°He has none.¡± ¡°Yes, he does! She¡¯s out there right now!¡± His grandfather turned his full body to face Seiji, no longer content to give him half of his attention. The full height and stature bore out through his words. ¡°There is no one! We are the only family! End of discussion!¡± Seiji felt shaken in the presence of his grandfather. All of the anger that he felt meant nothing before him. He had never seen him or heard him raise his voice to him. Seiji was at a loss. Any more words came out muted, barely audible. He just marched on into the shrine wanting to get out of sight as quickly as possible. The rest of the night followed in relative silence. Seiji had no words to say, still taken back. Only Shoji spoke and it still came out as broken Japanese. In the morning, Seiji thought the atmosphere improved, but the moment he saw his grandfather it all came back to him. All of the emotions and words that he held back rose to the surface. Awkwardly functioning, he made breakfast and left for school. However, when school ended something happened. Something changed for Seiji on that day. The leader, of the roughly grouped elementary school boys, shoved Seiji up against the wall of the school. Through the day, Seiji tried to ignore them as usual, it only seemed to make them more annoyed with Seiji. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re goin¡¯ Seiji? You¡¯ve got no one to return to so quickly!¡± ¡°Right!¡± the second boy piped up, ¡°Stay and let¡¯s have some fun!¡± ¡°Yeah, you¡¯ve got no one anyway!¡± the third chimed. A twitch in Seiji¡¯s eyebrow responded to the words. Within his mind, the words echoed repeatedly. ¡®There is no one!¡¯ His grandfather¡¯s words pounded against his head making him ache. Seiji forcibly grasped the side of his head wanting it out. ¡®He has none!¡¯ The voice became louder and louder until he couldn¡¯t even hear the children. His other hand rose to hold down the pressure he felt. ¡®Stop it! I do! Don¡¯t tell me I don¡¯t!¡¯ Seiji shook his head a little trying to fight his grandfather¡¯s voice. A sweat along the back of his neck and shoulders built up as heat from inside his body grew. ¡®Shut up!¡¯ The pain in his head spread further making his arms shaking and spun a terrible odor in his stomach. The stronger it grew the more he hated it. He hated it! Laughter from the kids broke through for a moment when Seiji opened his eyes. His eyes narrowed viciously fueled by the endless emotions stored inside. Seiji lunged forward, the leader¡¯s arm brushed away in the motion, tackling the boy to the ground. The other two boys stepped back surprised that Seiji, always quietly taking their abuse, acted out. Seiji let his fist fly without even thinking. ¡®I do! I do!¡¯ Each punch came backed with his thoughts. After the initial surprise finally wore off for the two, they grabbed Seiji up off the kid and threw him backwards. Seiji stumbled and slid a little on the grass, but his rage ignored everything that happened. He went after the next boy in his sights without thought to the others. His hands grasped for the kid grappling for a hold when his friend came in behind and grabbed Seiji. Seiji strained at their hold savagely reaching for anything. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me I don¡¯t! Don¡¯t you!¡¯ Seiji¡¯s back slammed into the dirt again, taking several more hits from the boys. He wrapped his legs up around one of the boy¡¯s legs while his arms went after another. The kids didn¡¯t know how to react to the wild manner of Seiji¡¯s struggle. They fought to peel him off them. In the confusion, Seiji managed to pin one down and lay in a few more hits before tossed off. He took his beatings and broke free again landing on top of the leader running his fist into him. Drops of tears built up in his eyes the longer he went. ¡°I have a mother!¡± he screamed, his voice carrying through the entire schoolyard. Enough time passed in the fighting, two teachers ran out shouting ahead of them breaking up the small group of on looking students. Bruised and a bit bloody, the three boys paused in their kicks making a calculated decision. They immediately let Seiji go and ran off to stay ahead of the teachers. Seiji was in no shape to flee, his strength finally leaving him with his rage disappearing. One teacher continued after the boys while the other stayed to take Seiji back into the school. A nurse visit and a phone call later, Seiji faced his grandfather and principal of the school. He heard little of the words between them, but the results left him with a day suspension for fighting. Another yelling from his grandfather came when they got home, which Seiji also hardly heard. Nothing was ever the same again for Seiji. The school punished the boys as well, but none of it actually stopped the abuse. It delayed it a little, but they resumed quickly. Yet Seiji no longer allowed them to get away with their talk. He struck back at them each time. Elementary school became violent for Seiji, but it wasn¡¯t until junior high school that truly became dark for him. When junior high arrived Seiji left behind the kids that tormented him, but he came out of it rougher and stronger. The few that followed him to his school stayed away from him. Rumors circulated, but most didn¡¯t know of his family situation. His reputation as a violent student carried with him. It brought an unease and fear through most of the junior high, as no one wanted anything to do with him. The lack of fights left him with anger resting on the surface with no outlet. He started looking for trouble out of school from anyone. A strange look would be enough for him to trigger. Everyone made fun of him in his mind and he needed to show them all. One day after school, a more superstitious person might have considered the important meeting fate or destiny. For Seiji, the day was the happiest he had ever been in years. Seiji, age thirteen, stood looking proudly clich¨¦ with his school jacket unzipped and wild hair casting a shadow in an alley. Opposite him looking uninterested, but no less ready for a brawl, was a short thin looking kid his age wearing a different uniform. Seiji knew immediately from looking at him walking on the sidewalk that something was different. He raised his fists, cracking his knuckles displaying his strength. ¡°The moment I saw your eyes I didn¡¯t like you!¡± roared Seiji with barely managed rage. ¡°That look thinking you¡¯re better! Don¡¯t look down on me!¡± Still uninterested, the young teen raised a tired eye to Seiji. ¡°I haven¡¯t said anything. What¡¯s with the anger? We¡¯ve never met.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter! Your eyes said everything I needed to hear!¡± ¡°I think your eyes need to be checked, because the only thing mine are right now are bored.¡± ¡°See you do think you¡¯re better than me! I¡¯m going to show you how wrong you are!¡± The boy had a little trouble dealing with the illogical pattern of rationale coming from Seiji. He ran his hand through his hair sighing to himself a little. A bored glance through his fingers at Seiji gave him his attention. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Seiji Tsuji and you can¡¯t tell me I have no one!¡± Seiji threw out his hand with his index finger pointed at the teen in declaration. ¡°Huh? I haven¡¯t said that.¡± Another sigh came from him. ¡°Well whatever, I guess you¡¯re looking for a fight and I¡¯ve definitely been itching for something. I doubt your thick head will remember it, but Yuki Hayashi is the one that has beaten you!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t go making assumptions until the fight¡¯s finished!¡± Yuki and Seiji charged at each other fists ready. After the first few blows most of the details to the fight disappeared for Seiji. He just remembered the feeling. The feeling was unlike any of his other fights before. All his fists ever felt was a dull pain burning with heat that made his stomach churn long after which the only cure was another fist. Against Yuki, his fists ran cold. All of the rage disappeared in those moments. It was pure. At the end, Seiji laid on the ground looking up at Yuki with the sunlight cracking between the buildings. It darkened Yuki¡¯s face leaving only an offered hand in sight. ¡°¡­I lost?¡± ask Seiji, smiling. Chapter 119 - The Birth of a Man Yuki looked down at Seiji on the ground, a little confused by the reaction. ¡°You¡¯re a strange one. You¡¯re the first one I¡¯ve beaten that actually smiled afterward. You some masochist?¡± The helping hand remained extended out to Seiji. It was the first time that Seiji looked with his eyes unclouded. He saw nothing in Yuki¡¯s face, just another person. Yuki held no judgment or even an interest in the personal matters that plagued him. It was simply pure. (It should be noted that this is a flashback generated entirely from the memories of Seiji and as such, there are likely distortions in the facts.) Seiji sat up still nursing his pain from his ribs. ¡°No, I just saw something.¡± A flat expression came over Yuki in response to Seiji. ¡°I¡¯m not that sort of guy.¡± ¡°Neither am I!¡± shouted Seiji. He coughed several times dealing with the sudden pain. ¡°You don¡¯t understand. It¡¯s not like that!¡± Yuki¡¯s features returned to normal. ¡°¡­whatever¡­¡± ¡°Dammit! You¡¯re ruining the image!¡± ¡°I said I¡¯m not like that!¡± ¡°And I said you¡¯re mistaken!¡± The two stared at each other for a while locked in their last position. They slowly calmed back down and remembered the situation. Yuki looked at Seiji. ¡°You ever going to take my hand?¡± he said as a side comment. ¡°I was right. You¡¯re very strange.¡± When Seiji finally accepted the offer and stood up with the grin still emblazoned on his face. Chapter 119 ¨C The Birth of a Man After his first meeting with Yuki, Seiji was never the same again. He had found a new purpose in his life. While he still fought, there was something different powering his fist. The rage he had disappeared. A new fuel replaced it. He had a goal. Seiji stood over the unconscious body of a student from some school that he didn¡¯t recognize. He held out his fist tightening it. ¡°This ain¡¯t it! I must find it!¡± Seiji turned around and walked out, forgetting about the kid he just pummeled. The search that Seiji made lasted forever. It took him many opponents to finally reach the goal that he sought. So many scars and bruises, but he had it in front of him. He stood out in front of the gate of a junior high school that he didn¡¯t recognize, even though he sought it. The goal was within his vision. It was near. ¡°I found it!¡± he declared with enough volume that everyone in the schoolyard heard him and turned. Seiji threw out his arm pointing it at Yuki, who stood leaning against the opened gate to the school. ¡°It took me years and countless foes, but I¡¯ve found you once again!¡± Lazy and uninterested, Yuki cast his flattened eyes toward Seiji. ¡°It¡¯s been one week¡­ You really are strange.¡± ¡°Time is meaningless!¡± ¡°Can¡¯t understand it, huh?¡± ¡°Yuki! I¡¯m sorry!¡± shouted a girl coming out from opposite of the school building. She closed the distance quickly without missing a beat. ¡°The coach needed me to get the new list! I hope you weren¡¯t waiting long!¡± Yuki turned away from Seiji, but still kept the same attitude. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Saki. You ready?¡± She gave him a quick nod and started for the entrance. When she caught sight of Seiji, she came to a stop. ¡°Who¡¯s this, Yuki? Someone you know?¡± ¡°Just a strange person.¡± Yuki gave Seiji no further thought and started walking out. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Saki.¡± He disappeared behind the fence, not waiting for Saki. Seiji held a blank stare completely taken aback. Yuki ignored him. The goal that he searched so long for left without any acknowledgement. Some of the students murmured comments to themselves about the state of Seiji, but he didn¡¯t hear them. He closed his fists and looked up to the sky. ¡°I must have to prove myself! He won¡¯t acknowledge me until I¡¯m his equal! That¡¯s it!¡± Upon his decision, Seiji ran off in search of Yuki. Unfortunately, he had no clue where to look for him and ended up wandering the town until the night came. The following day he returned to Yuki¡¯s school with the same determination. He challenged Yuki to a fight, which Yuki reluctantly accepted. The outcome remained the same as before and Yuki left Seiji no further in his progress. Similar meetings for them occurred continuously after school for several weeks. Seiji refused to see any differently in his path and Yuki gave him what he wanted. However, one day on his way to meet with Yuki, something interrupted him. In his eagerness for another chance to prove himself to Yuki, Seiji didn¡¯t see the arm that reached out to clothesline him. He dropped to the ground almost flipping in the process. His head smacked into the concrete sidewalk painfully. ¡°¡­damn¡­what was that?¡± Seiji looked up while holding the back of his head. The arm that knocked him flat reached down to pick him up and dragged him back to the alleyway. The stranger threw him to the other wall waking him up. When the older teen came for another blow, Seiji rammed his knee into his stomach, getting him to back off. ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± The rough boy stood much taller than Seiji and ground one hand into the palm of the other. ¡°The big brother.¡± With no further exchange, another fist came at Seiji catching him in the lip. A little blood didn¡¯t stop Seiji from dropping down for a tackle to slam his shoulder into the boy¡¯s stomach. The older brother¡¯s back pounded against the brick forcing a small grunt from him. It didn¡¯t do enough to slow down the teenager. He gripped both hands together to slam down on Seiji¡¯s back followed by a knee to his stomach as well. Seiji lost his hold, staggered by the quick combo. He almost fell to the ground, but the kid didn¡¯t allow enough time for that. Seiji¡¯s face took another blow in the cheek flopping him around. Once he hit the dirty and moist alley ground, a foot came to meet his ribs. He only allowed a single strike to get through without response. Seiji latched onto the leg when he returned for a second kick with his arms. Momentarily grappling the leg, he threw his own leg up to kick him in the waist, trying to drop the boy. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. When Seiji¡¯s leg came in, a loose grapple caught him as well. The two threw themselves into a strength check falling over, but Seiji came out the loser. His opponent kicked him free from him and Seiji rolled over against the wall. Seiji coughed and panted feeling the fatigue starting to build with pain. He threw himself back into the fight quickly taking swings at the taller boy. A few managed to connect, but Seiji¡¯s face and chest received more. ¡°¡­dammit¡­¡± he uttered under his breath, leaning against the wall. It had been a while since he felt himself losing. His fights with Yuki always ended in a quick loss, but he never felt like it was a loss so much as a learning experience. Any other fight he had been in he came out the victor. It had truly been a while since someone left him completely outclassed and went the extra distance to prove it. Seiji could only feel the pounding against his ribs from the ground, where he lied. He struggled to try to stand back up, but his strength disappeared. The beating he took gave him no quarter, as well. ¡®¡­dammit, I can¡¯t do anything!¡¯ Then the echoed pulsing ceased through his body. Seiji turned his eyes up to see the sun shining down blinding him. Only a black figure, shorter than the older brother, stood before Seiji. Seiji looked around painfully until he finally found the unconscious body of his opponent. He turned back to stare up again at the one that succeeded where he failed. ¡°¡­Yuki¡­¡± rang Seiji, building a little grin on his face. It wasn¡¯t a hope or a wish, but a certainty for Seiji. He rolled on his back, starting to see him more clearly. ¡°So you lost again, huh?¡± Yuki turned his head looking up at the sky, but continued to speak. ¡°You know they say you learn something from losing too¡­or some crap like that¡­ What did you learn this time?¡± The soreness in his body faded away with the sight of Yuki. His goal stood before him. ¡°To punch harder!¡± he declared, throwing up his arm to the sky. Yuki knelt back down and stared for a moment in silence. ¡°Figures you¡¯d say that¡­¡± He offered his hand to Seiji, already halfway there. Seiji took the offer and stood up once more. It felt lighter for him suddenly, but he didn¡¯t know why. He glanced over at Yuki with a question. ¡°Why¡¯d ya come?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­¡± Yuki replied, turning away his head to look forward, ¡°I was simply passing by after school. I just don¡¯t like people who beat up someone who''s already lost.¡± Seiji broke away from Yuki and jumped out in front of him blocking his way out of the alley. ¡°I didn¡¯t lose! He just caught me by surprise!¡± He threw out his arm pointing his finger at Yuki, as though it strengthened his argument. ¡°Honorable or not, a loss is still a loss regardless of how it happened. Just accept it.¡± ¡°A real man declares his intent before the battle!¡± A low snicker came out from Yuki. He dug his hands a little deeper into his pants¡¯ pockets. ¡°A real man, huh? Are you claiming to be one?¡± Yuki leaned a bit forward managing to cast a fairly ominous shadow for not trying too hard. Imposing or not, Seiji felt his determination waver a bit. ¡°¡­no¡­¡± Seiji lowered his head with his face darkening out completely. However, his hands balled up into a fist and he raised his head back up. ¡°But I will be one day! I promise you!¡± Another chuckle came from Yuki. ¡°Strange indeed. Well, if you plan on being a real man. Then a real man admits when he¡¯s lost and owns up to it. A real man doesn¡¯t run away from it.¡± Seiji staggered, having not thought about that angle. He held his reply to stand in silence taking it in. The truth that Yuki spoke sank into him and struggled with the thought. ¡°I lost?¡± ¡°Yes, you did.¡± ¡°¡­I lost¡­¡± Yuki patted Seiji on the shoulder and passed by him. Once he reached the end of the alley, he stopped, still not facing Seiji. ¡°However, when you stand together with those you trust¡­¡± Yuki began walking away hearing the call of Saki in the distance. ¡°¡­you never lose.¡± The words barely made it to him, but Seiji engraved them upon himself. ¡°I¡¯ll never lose? Together?¡± A painful breeze blew over Seiji, lighting up all of his wounds. The searing pain was enough to wake him back up from his daydream. He coughed in response while trying to bite back from being overwhelmed. ¡®So strange remembering that now¡­¡¯ Seiji looked up from his uneasy perch and saw Miltiades holding off from an attack, no doubt cautiously trying to understand the new situation. The shadow that held him let out a bothered sigh. ¡°Even in your flashbacks you¡¯re annoying and don¡¯t make any sense. You wasted so much time on unnecessary background that you ruined the whole point.¡± ¡°Hey, listen here!¡± yelled Seiji, but he started to cough almost immediately after his words. Fresh blood dripped down his chin to remind him of his condition. Seiji forcibly calmed himself down a little (a surprising feat, maybe he¡¯s learning). ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear any damn criticism from someone I don¡¯t even know!¡± Another sigh came from the shadow. It seemed that the shadow would become fatigued from annoyance sooner than combat. ¡°You really are worthless. You haven¡¯t figured it out yet. I¡¯m not even masking my voice, moron.¡± Seiji narrowed his eyes, forgetting his pain in the moment, suddenly remembering the snarky tone. ¡°The little runt ninja-wannabe?¡± Shade peeled back revealing Chiharu¡¯s masked face with only her eyes visible. Even with only her eyes visible, the furrowed brow and pulsing vein leaked her mood. ¡°I¡¯d speak more carefully to the one that holds you.¡± Her shoulder suddenly gave away as well as the supporting arm. Seiji dropped off her and fell a short half meter before snapped back. Chiharu¡¯s hand held onto the back of what remained of Seiji¡¯s tunic. More blood spurted out from his arm and chest. Seiji flailed his arms weakly, not wanting to face the jagged grounds of Miltiades¡¯ field. ¡°Alright, alright!¡± Miltiades waited in expectation of a counterattack with the arrival of the new fighter. He knew nothing of their potential and the fatigue he felt made him reluctant to find out. However, he was either a supporter or rebel. They threatened the peace of Atlantis. As a threat, he had to do his duty in learning more. ¡®The new one looks like a child, but the way they appeared¡­ I didn¡¯t even notice them entering my Field¡­ If they are another MP user then the Captain needs data. I don¡¯t know how much longer I can go, but I must!¡¯ He straightened himself out on the top of the metal pole. Many of the poles disappeared to reduce mental fatigue. A metal pole shot up at an angle for Chiharu and Seiji. The pole ran through the shadow at increased speed catching both off guard. Several more poles came up to join. Sparks flew as metal groaned in response to the clash. Miltiades watched closely trying to figure out the outcome, but his eyes widened suddenly. He felt a strange presence behind him, followed by a voice. ¡°I know you can¡¯t understand me, but I think my intention should be clear. Retreat now.¡± Chiharu stood on the very same pole as Miltiades, her back to his. Barely enough room for air to pass through was all the gap she gave. He felt a cold chill down his neck, the likes which only his Captain and drill instructor managed to instill. His eyes didn¡¯t dare to turn or his head to confirm what he already knew. Both stared forward where he knew the two to be, at least he thought. ¡®So fast! I didn¡¯t even see the movement! What Law are they using?!¡¯ ¡°You¡¯re in no shape for a worthy fight. Leave.¡± Miltiades fought to keep his body from sweating. His eyes darted around looking through his Field for any other possibility, an illusion or feint. He caught his mouth opening when he found Seiji nearly forty meters away lying outside of his reach. ¡®Is this real?! It can¡¯t be! It must be a trick! I just have to figure it out!¡¯ Miltiades unlocked his knees and loosened his body to spin around, throwing back his leg. When he completed his half turn, the space was empty as though nothing had ever occupied it. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°This is a pointless fight,¡± remarked Chiharu from behind Miltiades standing on the nearest pole. He turned back in response and she saw him fighting his surprise. Disappointed in him, she dodged with effortless ease as he came for her. She lightly bounced around the tops of the poles. ¡®I can¡¯t reach! I¡¯ll just make them disappear!¡¯ Switching tactics, he began to remove poles from Chiharu¡¯s reach while continuing his offensive. However, Chiharu danced through landing softly on the length of the pole. ¡®I have them now! My special gloves will give me the advantage!¡¯ Miltiades, in his confidence, leapt out to strike at Chiharu. She slid down the pole as one would a slide in perfect control of her body. He missed, but chased after her in his usual gliding fashion. When the moment came, he sent poles up from the earth to attack her. Miltiades halted hanging on to the pole at the intersection. ¡®Gone again!? Is it really an illusion?¡¯ The feeling of someone behind him surfaced again and he knew. He spun around the pole making for Chiharu, but missed. She appeared behind him again leaning out from the nearby pole. Miltiades felt the cold sweat returning. A dark blade rested against his neck, close enough for him to feel the edge when he swallowed. ¡°I told you this was pointless. The fight¡¯s mine. Now leave.¡± Chapter 120 - Labyrinthine Doubts A new wind blew through the open fields of Atlantis. The course changed from the reluctant end with Miltiades to a new danger. Well-worn flat stones laid out an intricate pattern, yet of no purposeful design. Mixed amongst the stone, large rock slabs jutted up a full four meters creating walls and in some places pathways. Equally unaware of his friends¡¯ conditions, Yuki forced himself to keep stepping back to avoid being clipped by a rising stone wall. Each time he tried to give himself the pause to concentrate on creating his Law something interrupted him. The latest came under one of his feet, nearly knocking him off balance with its speed. He staggered back against the neighboring wall. ¡®Damn! I can¡¯t even get a second to stop to think! I swear he¡¯s purposely trying to keep me from using my Kasuo-ryoku!¡¯ Chapter 120 ¨C Labyrinthine Doubts Yuki stood back up straight getting his footing. Behind him, walls already brushed over his escape. ¡®I¡¯ve got to get out of this and find that annoying bastard!¡¯ He ran out for the open area he saw dodging a few of the walls created. It felt like he gained ground as less surrounded him. ¡®I¡¯m almost out!¡¯ However, several walls drew in at once to dead end his path. His fist pounded against the erected wall in frustration. ¡®So close¡­but I guess he won¡¯t be making this easy¡­¡¯ Stuck for the moment, Yuki tried to take the time to sketch a new course of action. Metal spikes from the solid stone shot up at him. He narrowly avoided the spikes, but his tunic was less fortunate. A few tears carved in the weave. ¡®He really isn¡¯t letting me stop!¡¯ Yuki bounced around the narrow hall to return to hopefully safer ground. The moment he came to a stop his foot suddenly gave, depressing a raised stone block. The grinding from stone against stone was enough for him to panic and jump away. He managed to dodge the set of five small arrows as a result. ¡®What sort of Field is this?! It¡¯s like it is a maze with traps that are overused in adventure stories!¡¯ His question soon answered itself when he realized that was exactly what it was. ¡®Damn it! And if I can¡¯t concentrate on my powers he¡¯s going to kill me before I even get to him! This is such a lame way to die!¡¯ Not wishing to remain blocked in the dead end corner, Yuki rushed off to backtrack where he knew another exit waited. ¡®I just have to get out¡­¡¯ Less than careful footwork set off three more traps in the process varying from sharpened metal shooting out to crushing walls. The only thing that saved him was not stopping. At the end before turning the corner, he looked back feeling the pounding in his chest from recklessness that leaked to his heart. ¡®Maybe I shouldn¡¯t do that again¡­¡¯ However, he turned his eyes back to his new direction and saw some of the maze not constructed yet. He ran for the exit not considering traps, despite his previous thoughts. The stretch of hall didn¡¯t try to attack him and he saw wide brush strokes of green fields. A new wall painted in to block him, but he wasn¡¯t going to give up. Yuki lunged for the wall hoping to clear it, but hit the wall painfully in the face. His hands nimbly grabbed the top of the wall still rising. ¡®Not quite as planned, but this will work!¡¯ Yuki lifted himself up to the top of the wall. New height on the maze gave him a better view. In the distance, he saw the Atlantean that trapped him. He couldn¡¯t see well from the distance, but he saw a darkly shaded figure in a cloak with metal plates reflecting the sunlight back at Yuki. ¡®He¡¯s oddly armored for not even trying to come after me. I wonder¡ª¡¯ The sudden displacement of his feet cut off Yuki. ¡°What?!¡± Yuki fell back down to the stone floor. He rolled away minimizing the damage and fell into the adjoining hall. ¡°What just happened?¡± In front of him, the wall that he had stood on was no longer present. He could see into the other hall. ¡°Right¡­annoying powers¡­¡± At the center of the maze, Antipas stood calmly monitoring everything within the reach of his Field. The current progress of Yuki had him very intrigued. ¡®He¡¯s quick on his feet even without his Law and he already found one of the weaknesses too¡­ He¡¯s definitely a dangerous one¡­ I must bring him down in the labyrinth if possible¡­¡¯ He introduced the next step to the maze, withholding it before to conserve on mental strength. A new groaning of stone scraping against stone from above alerted Yuki. He looked up to see his sky painted out with a ceiling introduced. Yuki clenched his fists together at the new sign. ¡®Making this even more difficult for me? Now I can only find an exit.¡¯ No longer interested in staying, Yuki hurried off down his new hall. Becoming more aware of the traps, he proceeded through with greater caution. Unfortunately, they weren¡¯t always easy to spot. He had to dodge large axe-like blades swinging through. ¡®He¡¯s just a book of clich¨¦s¡­but I guess if it is effective¡­¡¯ Yuki trudged onward. Yuki struggled to find his bearings in the maze. The more that he navigated the halls the more it became uncertain if an exit was near. His lack of a view of the sky made his sense of direction even worse. Only complicating matters were the traps. He had so much focus on staying alive and not triggering a trap that Yuki forgot his position in the Field. ¡®This maze can¡¯t be that big. It still has to all fit into that guy¡¯s Field¡­ Am I going in circles?¡¯ Back in the center, much of the walls disappeared to make room for the necessary parts of the maze. It gave Antipas far more room and allowed him to keep making steps towards Yuki to ensure that he remained in his Field. Even if the traps hadn¡¯t injured Yuki yet, he just had to wait it out until he made a mistake. ¡®As things are, I can keep him completely directionless by removing walls and making new paths.¡¯ He raised his hand to his chin thinking for a moment on the situation. ¡®I may have to add something else soon if I can¡¯t trick him¡­¡¯ Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Dodging traps for Yuki became easier the more he experienced each type. He hadn¡¯t stumbled across a new one for a little bit. It gave him a growing sense of confidence in the maze. Unfortunately, the exit still eluded him. ¡®Where is the stupid exit?! I¡¯ve got to be getting closer!¡¯ Yuki darted around the next corner wanting, but not hoping for the end. The hall looked just like the last one. Settling in more to the trapped feeling with potentially no escape brought Yuki to a pause. He found what seemed like a safe spot. His mind had been wondering lately, but he forced himself back on task. However, the reprieve made him go back. ¡®She saw it somehow¡­¡¯ Yuki remembered the brief events before the enemy split them up. ¡®Yumi seemed to have a good handle on the group, but I guess I didn¡¯t pay that close attention. I wonder if Yumi is safe? I have to deal with this guy and make sure she¡¯s safe! She¡¯s not like Saki, Seiji or Haruo.¡¯ Yuki looked around the hall and remembered the bothersome situation that he had in front of him. ¡®But I have to figure out a way out of this before that¡­¡¯ He pushed off his back from the wall, no longer leaning. His fist tightened, forcing determination back into his body. ¡®Alright! I¡¯ve got to stop standing around here doing nothing! Being somewhere safe won¡¯t get me out of this maze any sooner!¡¯ After drawing his resolution, Yuki started down the hall. He made it as far as the next turn before he came to a stop. His features drew flat for a moment with his thoughts finally catching up to reality. ¡°If there¡¯s traps I just have to stand still and I won¡¯t be hit! I¡¯ll have the time I need to concentrate!¡± Yuki gripped his head in his hands angry at his own absentmindedness. ¡°Why didn¡¯t I think of that sooner?! I¡¯m such an idiot!¡± Panting a little heavy from getting excited with his stupidity, Yuki finally calmed down. ¡°Just need a few moments to focus.¡± His breathing evened out as his mind began the construction. The Law was still new to him, so it took him longer to sort everything out. ¡®¡­a little longer¡­¡¯ He needed more time to focus. Time dragged on slowly, even longer. Yuki went longer still in silence. A sudden headache shot into his head followed by lightheadedness. His feet buckled a little, staggering him dangerously close to a trap. Yuki threw out his hand against the wall for support to stop his movement. His free hand pressed to his face grasping at the pain. ¡®What the hell? I¡­¡¯ It felt like someone took sandpaper to his skull sending the vibrations through him. Finally opening his eyes, a haze surrounded him. ¡®What¡¯s going on? I can barely see!¡¯ Yuki slid down the wall collapsing to the floor. The pain in his head lessened a little as he could open his eyes more. From the stone floor, he saw an end to the blur that covered his eyes. A thick fog hovered in the air in the hall, carrying a foul dark red tint. Yuki slowly turned his head up trying to understand the situation. ¡®Is that what¡¯s¡­making me¡­feel like this?¡¯ Yuki forced himself to his feet and felt the resurging wave of pain through his head. The quick rise ran the stabbing to the backs of his eyes making him fall backwards in surprise. A low yelp came from Yuki before he realized that he set off a trap by accident. Several spinning blades lowered from the ceiling quickly in descent for him. Nothing in his mind thought straight. He rolled through on reflex, still grasping at his face. He awkwardly avoided three of the blades, but the fourth dug into his forearm soaking in blood from him. The sting from the wound went completely oblivious to him as he tried to clear the area. Arrows, spikes, crushing walls and blades all came after him in his haphazard escape. There was too much for Yuki to see and avoid with the grating in his head distracting him. Only his speed kept him from coming out worse. He collapsed to the floor beyond the fog and in a non-trap laden section of the maze. The tunic on Yuki had a series of cuts and tears with blood soaking into the edges. Yuki came out with only minor cuts. Even the first slice on his forearm didn¡¯t look nearly as bad after investigation. ¡®Got lucky¡­¡¯ He propped himself up against the wall to take a moment to recover, but the red fog started to build around him again. ¡®Damn! Got to move again¡­¡¯ Antipas continued to analyze the situation. He adapted the maze as he followed Yuki¡¯s movements. ¡°It took him longer to realize that he could stand still¡­ Hmm, was him discovering the weakness before a coincidence? Well no matter, he¡¯s starting to realize that I won¡¯t allow him to linger long enough.¡± The slower, less direct route was safer for him. He heard what happened to Eusebios in his encounter with the rogue MP user. Protecting himself from the danger that he presented was more important than a fast victory. ¡®This victory will show my worth to the Captain.¡¯ While the young man in his very early twenties was skilled, graduating from the academy gave him the only proof of that skill. Antipas had barely even received his posting to the South Gate before the incursion. The opportunity to play a critical role in saving Atlantis from the greatest threat since the rebellion almost thirty years ago would be no better accolades for him. ¡®I don¡¯t know what your reason for invading was, but I¡¯ll capture you and protect the peace! This may be only a reconnaissance but I won¡¯t let this chance pass! I¡¯ll come back alive and with a prize!¡¯ Antipas reflexively clenched his fists together feeling the tension building from his thoughts. Staying ahead of the red fog proved as difficult as avoiding setting off the traps. Yuki felt a consistent lingering feeling of unease swimming through his head. It didn¡¯t build up as strongly as the headache he felt before. He assumed that even in areas he thought to be safe still had some of the fog. ¡®This fog is even worse than the traps! Even if I wanted to try to focus while on the move, this ever so slight headache is making it difficult to concentrate!¡¯ His frustration made him slip up and triggered a crushing wall to come in front of him. Yuki stayed back letting the trap go, but a brief thought came to him. ¡®I wonder if there¡¯s anything behind it that I can use as a shortcut¡­¡¯ He didn¡¯t get much of a look before the wall returned back, but all he saw was a painted darkness. ¡®Figures with these powers, making something impossible is possible.¡¯ The strengthening of his headache signaled the dead end and his need to move. Yuki didn¡¯t move as cautiously , forcing another trap. It took him by surprise, making him slow to react. He jumped onto the wall using the gaps for traps not sprung yet for foot and hand holds. ¡®¡­damnit¡­¡¯ Once the spikes from the floor fell back, Yuki let out a sigh and relaxed his body against the wall. Unfortunately, the wall held another trigger, which he realized a moment too late. ¡°Come on! You¡¯ve got to be kidding me!¡± Yuki quickly scrambled along the wall escaping the arrowed shot from the gaps he, a moment before, used as handholds. He kept climbing along the wall, forgetting to get back down. ¡°This is so lame! Why do I have to keep setting off traps? This is already getting old! If you can¡¯t come up with something new, switch to someone else! I bet Saki wants some screen time!¡± Yuki came to a stop after clearing three lengths of halls. ¡°Why can¡¯t I just defeat this jerk off-screen and move on to something more interesting!¡± Silence laughed in the empty hall at Yuki. ¡®Damn, this would be more comedic with a second person to retort against¡­¡¯ Another sigh came from Yuki with his rant completed. Yuki looked around the hall trying to figure out where he had taken himself. ¡°In all of the yelling I sort of forgot where I was going¡­¡± He saw the ground below him and a thought suddenly came to him. His eyes scanned the hall quickly. ¡°Hmm¡­I see¡­¡± ¡°Where is he?¡± questioned Antipas. He scanned his maze in search of Yuki, but could find nothing. The labyrinth didn¡¯t allow him to see Yuki, but he had other methods. He tracked him without fault since the beginning, yet he had lost the signal. Antipas began moving and shifting walls trying to turn him up. Nothing he attempted gave him any success. ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡± An explosive roar blasted through several walls throwing smoke into the air. The smoke threw all the way back to Antipas blowing against him and blanketing the Field. He threw up his arms to keep the smoke from his eyes. ¡°What?!¡± Once the smoke lowered to the ground clearing up much of the Field, Antipas could see through the ruined walls. Antipas¡¯ eyes widened suddenly. ¡°How¡¯s that possible?!¡± Through the rubble standing in a Field of knee high grass, Yuki bore his fighting clothing with a faint glow about him. His arm remained extended out in front of him. An eager smirk rose on his face with his freedom granted. ¡°Time that I put an end to this!¡± Chapter 121 - Stubborn Resolve Antipas staggered for a moment as he realized what must have happened. ¡®He¡¯s activated his Field! I can¡¯t let him move!¡¯ The walls destroyed by Yuki disappeared. The young Atlantean took several steps forward, closing the gap with Yuki a little. Immediately, the entire maze disappeared and four new walls appeared around Yuki. Behind the new walls more re-enforcement surfaced along with a thick ceiling. The thickness of the walls prevented the sounds of all of the automatically triggered traps from being heard. ¡®I¡¯ve got him!¡¯ Suddenly, a deep rumble erupted from the earth. The walls surrounding Yuki vibrated and shattered in an instant from all sides. A new cloud blasted out from Yuki kicking debris over the area. Masked by the smoke, a dark figure began to emerge. ¡°Don¡¯t think such an attack will work on me!¡± Yuki stepped out of the gray clouds carrying a narrowed face. He raised his fist up fortified with his determination. ¡°It¡¯s not possible!¡± Antipas took a step back. The unease of the situation settled into him. Nothing stood between him and Yuki anymore. ¡°Those were double thick walls! Even if he broke a single layer¡­¡± Another step in the approach from Yuki ran an uneasy chill down his back. A reluctant realization slowly began to surface for Antipas. ¡°¡­can¡¯t be¡­¡± Yuki stared down across the mixed Field of grass and stone finally seeing his opponent unhindered for the first time. The Atlantean was young, in appearance and seemed not much older in age than Yuki. He had shortly cut light brown hair matching in length to his jaw line and hanging tightly. ¡®A trench coat? With metal plating? Looks heavy¡­¡¯ The more that he stared at the soldier and Field, it made him understand something. ¡®The mazes and traps¡­ along with the heavy clothes¡­ he never got close and even now is keeping his distance¡­¡¯ Yuki narrowed his eyes a little to keep up his stern appearance in the lull between rounds. ¡®So does that mean he¡¯s the type that isn¡¯t good at close-range combat? He¡¯s trying to use his Field to keep me away and injure me. This could be better for me¡­¡¯ Tension tightened up inside Antipas. His hand squeezed harder, pressing and scrapping. ¡®How¡­ how¡­ The reports described his Law as being effective against organic matter, but not having destructive power¡­¡¯ Antipas looked around at his Field, the stones arrayed before him. His eyes asked a question that had no answer. ¡®¡­and the escape¡­did he manage to activate his Field inside my Field somehow?!¡¯ ¡°You seem confused,¡± commented Yuki, a little confident grin appearing on his face. Antipas¡¯ eyes widened for a moment. He understood Yuki. ¡®The soldiers from Skoupa had remarked on the use of a foreign language, an Asian language¡­they believed¡­¡¯ There was no doubt that he spoke perfect Atlantean. ¡®¡­a language Addendum, why didn¡¯t they use it before¡­¡¯ The questions seemed to pile on top. ¡°Who are you? And how did you escape?¡± ¡°So many questions!¡± The slightly flippant tone Yuki carried only made Antipas¡¯ features narrow. Yuki easily noticed it, a little disappointed at not having the mood lightened. He gave him a little dismissive hand wave. ¡°Fine, I guess it can¡¯t hurt to answer. Name¡¯s Yuki Hayashi.¡± His foot tapped against the grass covered earth casting a quick gaze to the stone Field. ¡°The other question¡¯s a little more involved.¡± Yuki raised his hand up to his head with his index finger pointed against his head. ¡°You really had me going around inside that maze of yours. Couldn¡¯t think straight, but I eventually realized that was your purpose, wasn¡¯t it.¡± A knowing stare aimed down at Antipas. The keen observation set Antipas a little off balance. ¡®That shouldn¡¯t be too surprising¡­he should figure that out eventually¡­¡¯ Yet his question remained unanswered. ¡°That doesn¡¯t answer how you escaped though.¡± ¡°I¡¯m getting to that.¡± He waved his hand down with the palm faced to the ground. ¡°So impatient¡­¡± His eyes scanned the area taking in the view of the surroundings. ¡°As I said you weren¡¯t giving me a lot of time to think. So it took me a while, but I came to a realization. You were able to track my movements and make it so that I couldn¡¯t escape. You sent me in circles. With that Field of yours you can manipulate the walls any way you want, right?¡± Another correct deduction sent a spark through the soldier¡¯s left leg. ¡°That¡¯s basic Field manipulation, that isn¡¯t surprising.¡± A slight grin pulled up on Yuki¡¯s face. ¡°But there¡¯s something else. During one of the traps that I evaded, I suddenly understood something. You can¡¯t actually see me, physically anyway. I thought you might be sending the poison fog after me watching or have it automatically seeking me. But it isn¡¯t. You do control where it goes. Yet you can only watch me from the ground.¡± ¡°What are you getting?¡± ¡°The way you are able to track me is by my contact with the ground. Probably a weight or contact sensitive floor. You probably use some map to display the feedback like radar.¡± Antipas eyes widened in shock. He could no longer hold back his surprise and stepped back feeling the support in his legs giving. ¡®Impossible! No one¡¯s managed to figure out how my Field works the first time I use it!¡¯ Yuki threw out a casual hand wave. ¡°After that it was pretty easy. I just climbed along the walls and while you frantically searched for me I waited for an opening to appear. And poof, I¡¯m here!¡± ¡®He climbed the walls?!¡¯ Each answer became more improbable. Yet it all made sense, something that he hated to acknowledge. ¡®If he actually did that¡­then that would mean that he¡¯s strong and athletic enough to achieve that¡­intelligent and skilled¡­a dangerous combination, Captain¡­¡¯ Chapter 121 ¨C Stubborn Resolve Crossing his arms, Yuki leaned a little forward. ¡°Since I¡¯ve taken the time to explain things to you¡­ Have you finished shitting your pants enough to fight? I¡¯ve got to get back to my friends. So I can¡¯t waste any more time with you.¡± Yuki narrowed his eyes and hardened his features, no longer carrying the casual attitude from before. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. The quick change in atmosphere wound an invisible cord around Antipas¡¯ back. Each second that ticked away tightened on his spine. While he technically engaged in combat against Yuki earlier, the situation changed with Yuki freed. This would be the first time that he actually faced off against another MP user that wasn¡¯t a training match. He may have fought with other MP users in the academy, but their training focused on dealing with a normal human. It was a rare occurrence to have to deal with a rogue MP user. Even the most experienced soldiers may only have a few engagements against a MP user, if any. Antipas knew that he couldn¡¯t make any excuses. Yet he couldn¡¯t help the uncertainty that overwhelmed him. His eyes met with Yuki. ¡®The look of fearlessness and confidence¡­ his eyes¡­they¡¯ve seen fighting¡­¡¯ Antipas shook his head and tried to pull his focus back in. ¡®I can¡¯t let him get to me¡­ I¡¯ve got justice behind me! He¡¯s disrupting order! I can¡¯t lose!¡¯ The weakness in his legs vanished and the strain on his back released for Antipas. He had to fight, to protect. A raised hand summoned up numerous stone walls to be placed between them. He added strength to the walls remembering how Yuki broke through so easily before. Additionally, he sharpened his traps, all set to be automatic and constant. Defense couldn¡¯t win, he knew. Pings echoed around the walls from his traps hitting or releasing. Only a few seconds later the nearest two walls to Yuki exploded with the third wall taking the hit. Even though his defense held, Antipas wasn¡¯t certain if the walls had actually slowed the damage or if it was just because of getting closer to the core of his Field. ¡®Such destructive capabilities¡­ I¡¯ve got to keep up with him!¡¯ More walls broke the floor to halt the progress of Yuki¡¯s advance. None of the walls managed to slow down Yuki for long as they all mysteriously crumbled before Yuki. Antipas kept his vision blocked by the walls. So he had no view of what Yuki had for a Law. He just kept the walls moving. Sudden flashes of light appeared across all before it crumbled to debris. Following in series, all of the walls before Yuki collapsed. He marched through the debris filled earth and billowing clouds. ¡°I could have run around all of this by now, but I¡¯m giving you the chance to realize this is pointless. Run now before I actually strike in earnest.¡± All of the remaining walls ignored by Yuki suddenly exploded with flashes of light before turning to rubble. Taking a step back, Antipas tried to withhold his surprise. ¡®None of the walls can stop him! And the traps aren¡¯t doing anything to him! Why can¡¯t I touch him?!¡¯ A thin stroke of panic painted his face before he raised his hands up towards Yuki. Two stone square pillars rose in front of Antipas. From the faces of the pillars that looked at Yuki stone extruded from the surface. Yuki¡¯s face lowered a little darkening out his eyes. He ground his teeth together and opened his hands with energy rapidly amassing. Two semi-transparent swords formed in mere moments. Yuki charged forward, breaking some of the ground where his feet started. It put him ahead of the two converging stone rams. He stabbed the blades into the elongated structure letting them run through the length for a few steps before disappearing from his hands. The stone grew lines of light along the sides weaving around until shattered to chunks of debris. Crumbling in front of him, the pillars disappeared as his last line of defense. Antipas jumped back with the ominous approach of Yuki. ¡®What is that strange light? Is that his Law, the power that defeated Eusebios?¡¯ The choking feeling in his spine resurfaced along with a frightening chill. ¡°Understand now? Escape and I won¡¯t pursue you.¡± Antipas leaned back a little, feeling how serious Yuki was in his words. However, he fought to straight out his back and level a determined glare towards Yuki. ¡®The Captain said not to die, but these people¡­they¡¯re¡­¡¯ He tightened his hands into fists and pushed himself forward. ¡°I¡¯m a soldier of Atlantis! I won¡¯t back down when you destroy and spread fear!¡± A twitch in Yuki¡¯s eyebrow responded ahead of his words. ¡°How blind can you be?! You caused more damage to your own country than us!¡± ¡°It was your invasion! We¡¯re just trying to live in peace! We don¡¯t want anything to do with your world!¡± Yuki''s skin wrinkled around his eyes and nose. ¡®So stubborn! You¡¯re the ones trying to kill me when I just want to live in peace! You hurt my family and my friends!¡¯ The nearly invisible glow around Yuki shimmered brightly for a moment becoming a little opaque. ¡°Fine! No more talk then! You¡¯re going down!¡± His hand shot up straight aimed at Antipas with the energy that surrounded him glowing and becoming more opaque. Before it became solid, it disappeared and a sudden explosion impacted Antipas¡¯ shoulder. The force of the impact nearly knocked Antipas off his feet and covered his shoulder in a small cloud. However, the smoke disappeared almost immediately, blown away by a strong force. A similar explosion blew up on Yuki¡¯s arm sending him back forced to his knee. ¡°Huh?!¡± Yuki caught his arm with his other hand feeling blood trickling down over his fingers. ¡®Broke through my defense? How?¡¯ He looked back at Antipas in search. The shoulder he hit no longer held the rectangular metal plate and the trench coat cloth burned away, but underneath was another layer of clothing. A little green of the material broke through before all of it regenerated including the metal. ¡®He took my attack? But the attack he just made on me¡­¡¯ Walls surfaced again in front Yuki. Antipas regained his stance and worked on entrapping Yuki once more. ¡®It was a big risk, but looks like I finally stopped him! Just need to capture him for the Captain now¡­¡¯ The last of the pieces slid into place for him, but the familiar light appeared again. Knowing the next step, Antipas stepped away as his walls fell away for Yuki. ¡°Still have some strength? I¡¯ll wear that down too!¡± Even more walls than usual appeared around Yuki. His still good arm tightened back and lowered touch into the grass of his Field. The blades of grass shined for a moment before all of the stone shattered. Yuki stepped back up and walked forward. ¡°Enough of these weak attempts¡­¡± Wall continued to come up, but Yuki kept walking. The closer he approached they began to vanish. Yuki continued to move towards Antipas until one stubborn wall remained. He rammed his fist into the wall shattering it to pieces. ¡°Impossible!¡± shouted Antipas staggering backwards. His eyes widened in shock to see Yuki unhindered by any of his moves. ¡°Don¡¯t you get it?! You¡¯re too weak for me! I can neutralize your Field by just moving towards you!¡± The answer for Antipas that came only made his eyes widened more and pupil¡¯s shrink in size. ¡®How can he be that strong?! I¡¯m not weak!¡¯ Antipas tried to keep from shaking before Yuki. ¡°That¡¯s impossible! You can¡¯t be that much stronger!¡± Confusion and panic pumped into Antipas. He blindly charged for Yuki. ¡°Justice will triumph!¡± Yuki narrowed his eyes and raised his hand up, shooting out another blast at him from his palm. The force from it knocked Antipas off his feet, already unstable. Immediately after falling, the location where Yuki hit blasted back into the sky disappearing at the edge of his Field. ¡®¡­thought so¡­¡¯ Antipas pulled himself back up to his feet. His chest heaved with the panting from his shortened breath. While the damage to his clothes disappeared, he still felt the physical force it struck with on his body. He took two hits and his body already shook. One of his eyes winced in pain slightly blurring his view of Yuki. ¡°You might be stronger¡­but¡­you can¡¯t break my last¡­defense¡­¡± His good hand remained held out towards Antipas. Yuki¡¯s determination remained unchanged. ¡°Your defense means nothing to me!¡± A quick shimmer around his hand highlighted the signs of a new attack. However, the air sparkled rather than a larger gathering like before. Shards of light sped towards Antipas striking his trench coat. All of the metal glowed brightly before disappearing and returning a hail of light back at Yuki. Ripples echoed over Yuki¡¯s transparent armor before another response of larger pellet sized blasts rained down on Antipas. The blasts ripped through the coat and ate down into his deeper layers. Antipas flew backwards, lifted from the ground by the numerous impacts. His body skidded across the stone of his Field slowing him down. The morning sky lightly covered in clouds presented to Antipas¡¯ eyes as the last thing he saw. ¡®¡­too strong¡­¡¯ Stone faded away giving way to grass. Yuki approached Antipas, kneeling down at him. A faint gaze of sadness filled his eyes seeing the soldier. He released his Field and placed his good hand on the young man¡¯s chest. A green glow came from Yuki¡¯s arm surrounding Antipas. Once Yuki finished he stood up and scanned the battlefield. He saw Yumi and Seiji¡¯s battles had already ended, but his surrounded friends back at camp. ¡°I¡¯m coming, everyone!¡± Chapter 122 - Third Stage The hot volatile air that blew through warming up the brisk morning cooled out and disappeared to the deeper hills. A chilly breeze replaced its predecessor. Each moment brought a release of tension from the atmosphere. Some still struggled to remain lit, but the momentum already changed direction. The view that he had made that regretfully expected outcome very clear. Simonides watched all three fights with great interest. While his men had lost, they had carried out the tasks given to them. Additionally, it confirmed something for him that he already suspected. ¡®These intruders are na?ve¡­they spared their opponents¡­¡¯ He had more of his men behind him in preparation if his men¡¯s lives were in danger. A new concern also came from the battles that he prepared for the intruders. ¡®Miltiades managed to draw out another MP user, but there¡¯s something about that black figure¡¯s powers that I can¡¯t explain.¡¯ Simonides didn¡¯t have the vast knowledge of how they used and controlled their powers, but he felt certain that what he saw shouldn¡¯t have been possible. Antipas fight was the only battle he followed clearly. ¡®Both fought as I would expect from MPs. I saw the boy¡¯s Field and the interference zone. But the others¡­I saw no Fields and not even a region of conflict. Even if they withheld their Field¡¯s appearance, it still creates a field of influence. Yet they had abilities impossible for normal humans. Even the headstrong boy couldn¡¯t have survived all of the hits he took without some protection.¡¯ Too many mysteries still surrounded the intruders for Simonides to feel comfortable with his enemy. He stood up from the hill no longer needing to watch as closely. The battle was almost at an end and the next objective began. A motion from his hand signaled to his men to prepare for the return. Those that fought would need healing. Simonides rubbed his hand against his chin not liking the feeling that his gut gave him. ¡®I need to know more about them before I can take them down. Abeiron, it¡¯s time for you to move.¡¯ He turned back towards the fields casting his gaze to the large gathering of his men surrounding the rest of the intruders. ¡®This is a critical time, don¡¯t fail!¡¯ Chapter 122 ¨C Third Stage Surrounded by nearly a dozen soldiers, the four students all carried varying expressions. Haruo remained disinterested with a flat emotionless face as though it didn¡¯t involve him. Fumiko didn¡¯t even seem to acknowledge a threat to her life. Her eyes held a gray color devoid of life, too absorbed by something else. Yori acted as if he could handle himself, but the shaking in his legs gave away his feint at stoic stature. Only Saki looked ready for every single one of the soldiers and left the proof to back up her boldness. Saki gritted her teeth in annoyance for more reasons than she wished to count. Her eyes panned around the soldiers, still left a little uneasy by her opening volley. ¡°I can¡¯t believe Chiharu left like that! We¡¯re supposed to be a team! We stay together!¡± Another look around at her friends counted each of them. She worried the most about Fumiko, who had been very quiet ever since leaving the village. Saki knew that Fumiko could handle herself, since she survived against the soldiers in the village. However, the state that she seemed to be in Saki didn¡¯t know if Fumiko even understood her current situation. ¡®What¡¯s the matter with her?¡¯ The more that Saki looked around at the soldiers the more that she understood. ¡®This is still very new to her¡­I guess I shouldn¡¯t be surprised¡­¡¯ Caught in the middle of something that tied him down, Yori found his eyes constantly staring away from the soldiers. Each shifted movement from the foreigners made him flinch and reset back. Yet as the seconds calmed between moments, he would continue to gaze away in the distance. ¡®¡­sister¡­¡¯ He wanted to leave everything behind and race over to her. She may have saved him before, but she was still his sister. He made a promise. ¡®I¡¯m supposed to protect you, Yumi¡­and yet all I can do¡­¡¯ A cool wind tickled his neck and lightly gripped everyone¡¯s clothes, turning his eyes back. Yori squeezed his hands seeing his trapped situation. Sweat built up on the insides of his palms and down his back. Even in the chilled air, his body couldn¡¯t draw away the heat. ¡®I¡¯m trapped¡­there¡¯s so many of them! More than last time!¡¯ His mind flashed through the events quickly. The painful reminder only made his body sweat faster. ¡®I was only trying to fight one soldier then¡­and I¡­¡¯ He tightened his neck and shoulders with tension. The stiffness soaked into his bones spreading until only numbness remained. ¡®My legs¡­won¡¯t move!¡¯ Yori fought with his body. Any attempt he made ended with the same failed results. The paralysis grew stronger, refusing to relinquish any control. ¡®Damn it! Why can¡¯t I do anything?!¡¯ Saki finally had enough of the waiting. All of the fighting that they found themselves slowed them down, when she could end it all shortly. Her eyes quickly took in all of the soldiers that surrounded them to make sure of her path. In an instant, Saki disappeared from everyone¡¯s sight and then reappeared back in the same spot with only her hair blowing around sharply. Surprise rose up on Simonides¡¯ forehead witnessing the display. He looked through his binoculars closely and then above them with his own eyes. It took him a moment to believe what he saw, or didn¡¯t in his case. ¡®¡­nearly a dozen men¡­taken out in a second¡­¡¯ Simonides had to zoom in his view a little to check once more. Only Abeiron remained standing, likely not a target. Pausing to think, Simonides straightened himself out and lifted from his voyeurism of the battlefield. ¡®It had to be that girl, another one confirmed¡­ To be able to take out so many, so fast¡­¡¯ His eyes lowered slightly, pulling in the edge of the field with his unconscious men. Even from the distance of his hill, he knew that they were all still alive. ¡®¡­and left alive, just like before¡­a very na?ve enemy¡­¡¯ Simonides glanced back over his shoulder at the remains of his advance team. They already had preparations for field healing nearly complete. Their hands would soon be full. However, before he fully turned back the horizon caught his eye and something in his mind. He recalled the South Gate incident that started it all. The state of all of his men in the search party held the same familiarity of what he saw. ¡®So she was the one. She was able to handle many of my men then without any of them being able to respond¡­¡¯ The thoughts of strategies with the Japanese girl in his plans all fell apart. Each tactic that he thought of seemed to be pointless, at least for a normal soldier. Such a thought turned his mind creating new tactics. ¡®She will definitely be the most difficult one. An invisible enemy...¡¯ Turning away from the field, the Captain signaled to the remaining MP left in his team. The sole purpose for him was to be the healer for the team. Unfortunately, plans required flexibility. ¡°The recon team is nearly wiped out. I¡¯m going to need you to provide support for their retreat. Leave immediately and ensure the safe return of all of the men.¡± ¡°Understood, sir!¡± he barked. The young man, in his late twenties, activated his Field and disappeared into the air. A silent run and disguised Field left him able to sneak into the battlefield. Abeiron forced his eyes to narrow to hide his surprise at the scene before him. He hardly believed what he saw and he still didn¡¯t know what happened. His men laid before him unconscious in a far too familiar scene for him. ¡®Another MP in their group? This is going to make things more difficult¡­¡¯ Off in the distance, he already noted that the other battles have concluded. He knew what that meant for him, but with all of his men out, he had to change the plans. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Waiting, Saki gave the remaining man a chance to run away. ¡®Had hoped that this would make them think twice about coming after us and leave us alone for the rest of the journey. Guess I¡¯ll have to make a bigger impression¡­¡¯ Saki disappeared suddenly again. An explosion of dirt blew into the air along with smoke only centimeters away from Abeiron. The blast was strong enough for him to feel the earth shake through his legs. He took a step back trying to hold his body¡¯s support, while understanding what happened. Another blast sounded off to his left flank and then to his right. All around him smoke flew up masking out the green fields. ¡®What¡¯s going on?!¡¯ As much as he tried to keep his stoic and steadfast stance, it crumbled from all of the quaking. He fell back to the grass only propped up by his hands. Soon the pounding stopped and the smoke began to clear out. Through the thinning gray veil a shadow appeared. The girl from before with a deadly serious expression chiseled into her features. A little smoke seemed to be rising from the back of her hand as well, still held tight in a fist. ¡®What she doing?¡¯ Abeiron looked down at her feet where the clouds of dust seemed to be coming from. His eyelid widened a little as he fought his surprise. ¡®It can¡¯t be¡­¡¯ A small trench ran a semi-circle at his feet. All of the grass held a deep chasm cut straight through. ¡®¡­she did that? What sort of Field trick is this?¡¯ Saki didn¡¯t wait any longer in her foreboding stance. She leaned down and gripped the Atlantean by his neck. The lack of a sturdy appearance in their uniform forced her to go for something she knew would hold. Her hand didn¡¯t squeeze, simply held him. She lifted him off his feet and into the air until his head was much higher than her own. ¡°Understand?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a bit disappointing¡­I would have thought you¡¯d finish them all off a long time ago,¡± remarked a young voice from behind Saki. Still holding onto the man, she turned her head bothered by the snipping tone. ¡°I would have taken them all out if I had been allowed to go first!¡± shouted Saki, not even taking note of whom she spoke to anymore. ¡°But because I was left for last I couldn¡¯t do anything! I swear someone is conspiring to make things more difficult!¡± A heavy breath exhaled from Saki as though she had been holding it all in for some time. She blinked once, finally seeing the person in front of her. ¡°Chiharu? I thought you left.¡± ¡°I did.¡± Chiharu cast the bloody body of Seiji at Saki¡¯s feet without further word. The sight of an utterly broken Seiji made Saki lose her breath for a moment. She dropped the man that she held no longer thinking about him. ¡°What happened?¡± Saki looked back at Chiharu demanding an answer. ¡°He lost.¡± ¡°He lost? How?!¡± Saki jumped over at Chiharu. The short unhelpful answers grated against her skin. Seiji was hurt and Chiharu didn¡¯t even look concerned. ¡°Speak, damn it!¡± Chiharu remained with the same flat emotionless features. The height and presence of Saki didn¡¯t make any impact on her. ¡°I¡¯d suggest tending to his injuries rather than yelling at me.¡± A quick glance down caught all the blood that covered Seiji. He needed help quickly, but she could do nothing for him. Saki looked around the area trying to find her. ¡°Where¡¯s Ayumi?! Why isn¡¯t she here? She should be with us!¡± ¡°She disappeared after the initial attack.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Saki frantically cast her head around the area in desperate search for Ayumi. However, the coughing from Seiji pulled Saki back. She knelt down at his side trying to figure out where to start. ¡®There¡¯s so much blood!¡¯ Her hands tried to stop the bleeding from the numerous wounds, but none of it mattered. Saki lifted her head back towards the horizon looking to the distance. ¡°Yuki! We need you!¡± Saki¡¯s panic-filled voice carried over the fields and found its way to Yuki as a distant weak voice. He didn¡¯t understand the words, but the emotions made it to him. While he ran back to his friends, he saw the situation changing. The forms shifted and new ones appeared. He felt an uneasy pull in his stomach that made him run faster. ¡®I¡¯m coming everyone¡­¡¯ It took him another minute or more to reach their camp. He felt as though it had been a year since he had seen everyone. ¡°Is everyone safe?¡± ¡°Hurry, Yuki! Seiji needs help!¡± Saki presented Seiji¡¯s body with the blood that covered her hands and clothes. A weak cough came up from Seiji spraying some blood into the air. The sight of Seiji made Yuki freeze for a second. ¡®How¡¯d this happen?!¡¯ A moment passed where he thought back to the school and to Kazuhiro. His memory made him panic and rush over to Seiji. ¡°Seiji!?¡± Yuki looked over at Saki, equally scared as him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll heal him immediately!¡± His eyes closed for a moment before he activated his Field. A glowing hand from Yuki rested on Seiji¡¯s chest spreading out over his body. ¡®I won¡¯t lose another friend! Not to them!¡¯ Seiji coughed a little more in response to the healing, but his color looked better. The tears, wounds and broken bones began to mend and close up. His blood remained behind, but his body no longer shook. A long sigh came from Seiji before his eyes opened fully. He looked around from the ground seeing Yuki and Saki staring down at them. ¡°That sweat or tears I see?¡± he smirked weakly, still feeling lightheaded from the blood loss. Saki coughed a little through a pale grin. ¡°Sweat, who¡¯d cry for an idiot like you!¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Yuki fell back to rest on his folded legs. He looked around taking in all of his friends to see if any of them had injuries. However, two still were missing from the group. ¡°Where¡¯s Ayumi and Yumi?¡± ¡°Ayumi hasn¡¯t been seen for a while,¡± commented Saki. ¡°The other one is over there,¡± Chiharu reported, pointing her finger out across the grass. He saw Yumi¡¯s small figure alone in the distance. Yuki didn¡¯t know if she was hurt or fine, but his eyes looked back down at Seiji. He quickly turned back to Chiharu. ¡°Bring her over here, please. I¡¯ll heal her injuries, if she has any.¡± ¡°Tch.¡± Chiharu crossed her arms immediately disinterested in the conversation. She looked away from the ground. ¡°The girl¡¯s fine. She can walk back on her own.¡± Yuki¡¯s hands closed tightly into fists. His head tilted forward, blacking out his eyes as his body shook. Saki reached out for him, but he stood up ignoring her. He marched over behind Chiharu and grabbed her shoulder. ¡°Get her now!¡± His voice rang so deep and heavy that none of them had ever heard him so serious. Chiharu threw off his hand with her arm and spun around, throwing up her leg at his head. Her eyes widened a little seeing that he stopped her with his arm. He glared down at her, casting a stern and unyielding presence. He made her feel small and weak, a first for him. A cold sweat built up a little on her neck as she kept staring at him. She lowered her leg and began to walk off. ¡°¡­fine¡­¡± Chiharu disappeared from their sight. ¡°Yuki?¡± Saki stood behind him placing her hand on his shoulder. She couldn¡¯t believe that he raised his voice to Chiharu. ¡®I haven¡¯t seen him so¡­¡¯ The silence between them developed into an awkward lull where she knew nothing to say to him, but felt she had to say something. Anything she could find to ease his tension. ¡°Yumi¡¯s fine, she said. She¡¯ll be okay, Yuki.¡± ¡°I have to see¡­for myself¡­¡± ¡°Yuki?¡± ¡°Here she is,¡± rang Chiharu, hiding the slight annoyance sprinkled in her tone. Yumi laid in the grass with blood dripping from numerous small wounds, but still breathing strongly. She was unconscious, but only seemed to be tired. Yuki tended to all of her cuts. Even after he finished he remained at her side waiting for her to wake up. A short time passed before Yumi stirred and groaned. Sore muscles snapped through her body making it difficult for her to move, but she opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Yuki staring down at her. She restrained the redness in her face mostly through the dull pain she felt. ¡°Yuki?!¡± It still didn¡¯t stop her from jerking up in surprise before balling up in tightness. ¡°I¡¯m alive?¡± He gave her a short nod. All of the memories of her fight flooded through her mind. The emotions, desperation and fear all recalled to her. It made her body shake. ¡®I¡¯m alive! I survived! I¡­¡¯ Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. ¡°Yumi?!¡± Yuki leaned in resting a hand on her wrist. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you still hurt somewhere?¡± Yumi shook her head slowly, smiling at him. ¡°No, I¡¯m not hurt. Everything¡¯s good.¡± She saw that Yuki didn¡¯t fully understand her, but she could only keep smiling. The darkness and pain faded away. Her hands wiped away the tears as she recovered. She looked around at everyone gathered around the camp, but she didn¡¯t see one person. ¡°Where¡¯s Yori?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Yuki looked behind him and over at the others in search of him. Saki shook her head. ¡°I saw him here before!¡± ¡°He can¡¯t just have disappeared!¡± shouted Seiji. A pale fear lifted to Saki¡¯s face as she stared back at Yuki. ¡°In all of the confusion, you don¡¯t think he was¡­¡± Terror gripped her face and body. ¡°Where¡¯s my brother?!¡± Chapter 123 - Captured Souls Terror gripped her face and body. ¡°Where¡¯s my brother?!¡± Yumi clutched onto Yuki¡¯s tunic digging her fingers into the fabric. The happiness that existed in her heart a moment before completely vanished. All that filled her eyes was sad, cold tears. Yuki lifted his hands towards Yumi, but stopped. Any words that he thought to try to comfort her rang hollow to him. The only thing he could do was let her cry and be next to her. He looked up at Saki, not saying a word. Their eyes connected and that was all they needed. She nodded to him and disappeared. Around him, Chiharu and Haruo kept their distance in silence, while Fumiko remained departed resting next to Seiji. The only missing one from the group was Ayumi. No one knew anything about her whereabouts. In the quiet still, the disappearance of Yori made them wonder if they took Ayumi as well. Any feeling of victory they had spilled out with the new mood. A heavy weight seemed to fall upon everyone. They had no urge to move. Fatigue and soreness filled in where certainty and resolve used to be. Saki returned after several minutes looking a little short on breath. She leaned over with her hands propped off her knees. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± New despair sank into Yumi. ¡°¡­Yori¡­¡± Chapter 123 ¨C Captured Souls Late morning became early afternoon as time resumed a faster pace of travel. The fields had workers from the nearby villages tending to crops. Awkward smoke rose in the distance from Skoupa, a faint reminder of the chaotic night. Further away border villages took note of the gray clouds and already sent messengers to learn of their neighbors. Rumors only began to spread out to the next village in a slow web. No longer possible to hide, the amassing encampment of the South Gate soldiers soured the mood of the region. Their focus remained on gathering. Only a few soldiers wandered into the village looking for supplies or visiting family members. Nothing happened yet, but all of the villagers remained uneasy about their presence. In the camp, people shouted and ran around. The men from the advanced team with the Captain returned. Stretchers carried all of the regular soldiers over to the medical tent. While none had life threatening conditions, Simonides ordered an examination of everyone. The only MP still with the mental energy to transport everyone back, Heber, leapt down out of the driver seat. He scanned through the long covered flatbed of soldiers. The vehicle floated off the ground with no wheels, it made for a safer trip. He performed treatments on everyone, but he still had their safety in mind on the ride back. Two men carried the stretcher for Antipas past Heber. He gazed down at Antipas sleeping off his fatigue. When he arrived to retrieve Antipas from the battlefield, he found his condition strange. It bothered him on the ride back, but he never brought it up to the Captain. He saw the deep calculating thoughts that entrapped the Captain for the entire trip. Once the last of the soldiers departed, the Captain finally came out of the back of the vehicle, helping in the moving of his men. Heber dropped his Field and approached him. ¡°Captain¡­may I speak?¡± Simonides shifted his eyes up at Heber before tilting his head. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°There¡¯s something about these rebels that doesn¡¯t feel right.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He kept his face stern trying to hide his own concerns and thoughts. Heber spent a little too much time around him. He became accustomed to detecting minor details from him. A habit he claimed helped him when tending to the wounded or suffering. ¡°Sir, Antipas had no injuries even though he fought with the rebels. His condition means that he lost, but why doesn¡¯t have any injuries?¡± He saw the Captain still refraining from speaking. ¡°Eusebios came back the same way even though he reported being gravely wounded by his opponent.¡± ¡°As observant as always, Heber.¡± He started walking away in the direction of his personal tent. ¡°But you already know all of this, don¡¯t you, Captain? And it¡¯s troubling you!¡± Simonides paused, keeping his back to the man. ¡°Don¡¯t forget our positions.¡± He lifted his leg to resume his pace, but didn¡¯t make it fully before the last pause. ¡°Though tired, I would imagine the examinations will be aided by your presence.¡± The departure of Simonides left Heber alone in western edge of the camp. He knew that frustration at the denial did him little good. While a little cold, he could be of use with the men. They all had been soundly defeated. He could only imagine their morale and fatigue. Heber turned and walked off in the direction of the medical tents. Brushing the tent flaps aside, Simonides stormed into the sparsely filled tent. The terse conversation with Heber had him a little edgy. He had a lot on his mind, as Heber knew too well. All of the tactics he had spun around. The battle gained him a greater understanding of their enemy, but his gut had an uneasiness that he couldn¡¯t shake. He didn¡¯t know how it related to the numerous questions and concerns that he still had. He dropped himself in his chair with a wooden desk set near. His questions made him start from the beginning to reset everything in his mind. ¡®One day ago they intruded through the barrier. No clear sign that it had any effect on them.¡¯ The lack of effect by the barrier only meant that they received help. ¡®The rebel MPs granted them access.¡¯ An important question came with the thought of rebel MPs. ¡®Were they trained by the military or ones that evaded our scouting?¡¯ Citizens that displayed the Meso Prosecho required military service. A subject often centered at the core of rebels. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. New information from the battle revealed light to something that previously eluded him. ¡®The teen girl that disappears¡­her powers are the reason the search party was taken out. An invisible enemy is dangerous. I¡¯ll need to have them create a specialized Field to deal with her. She¡¯ll be more important to stop than the others.¡¯ Her powers used on his men still left him a little confused, but knowing that bit of information would change the next encounter. ¡®The rough teen that relied on strength has been figured out. He showed only high offensive and defensive powers, but they can be broken. He¡¯s too slow to be able to do anything.¡¯ Photine¡¯s battle left him feeling uncertain. She lost the battle, but it seemed to be having too many peaks. ¡®Several times it looked like she was losing only to turn it around and suddenly become stronger. Is it her method of fighting to draw in the enemy or inexperience? Either case, she has some powerful abilities. While Photine was a good match, I¡¯m going to need to find someone with something else¡­¡¯ He thought through the list of MPs under his command. A few names came to mind. The remaining fight he saw as the most straightforward. The others gave him some uneasiness and left his gut with a feeling that he couldn¡¯t calm. However, Antipas¡¯s battle went as he had seen past battles between MP users go. ¡®The teen was unable to use his powers because he had no Field up, while the others immediately had their Fields. That means inexperience, yet what I saw makes him possibly the most dangerous one of the group. He¡¯s defeated Eusebios and Antipas. Eusebios received personal training from the General. ¡®I watched him take down Antipas¡¯ barriers through sheer Field influence. If I use that as a measure of his Field strength only the Omega Division has the personnel strong enough to surpass him.¡¯ Simonides contemplated the dilemma further. ¡®If I can¡¯t beat him through power, then I¡¯ll have be smarter. Antipas is the right direction¡­¡¯ One new unknown came out of the fight. The black clothed figure that rescued the headstrong teen only briefly displayed their powers. Simonides didn¡¯t have much chance to gain much. He knew the next encounter that he needed to draw the black one out again to learn more. ¡®They were skilled enough to handle Miltiades, though it was only after a prolonged fight. The appearing out of surfaces is a strange power to use. But they¡¯re strong for their size to be able to carry the brute.¡¯ Three of the intruders remained a complete mystery to him. None of them took part in the fighting. The number of MP users actually had him a little surprised. He didn¡¯t expect to find so many rebels free. ¡®The rest are probably normal humans, but they must serve another purpose or they would not be here. That purpose I will find out¡­¡¯ Simonides stood up taking note of the time that passed. ¡®¡­lost track of time¡­¡¯ He walked out of his tent. His eyes had to adjust a little catching the afternoon sun. The camp remained busy with his men still putting the site together for the late arriving soldiers. He still had to wait for the remaining troops from the furthest reaches of his border before he could launch his full strength. Numbers didn¡¯t always make the difference, but the strength the rebels called for everything he had to put them down fully. Across the grounds, the medical tents looked calm once more. The Captain made his way to the tents. He checked on all of his men as they left the transport and they deserved another visit. They all followed his orders and came back alive. He couldn¡¯t ask any more of them, especially against such a foe. The first tent he entered held Abeiron¡¯s team. He sat down on the box next to one of the beds. Simonides learned that Abeiron already made his stops to his men earlier. While none of them had severe injuries, they did all receive a strong trauma to knock them out. The doctors insisted on some rest before resuming duties. His presence in the tent seemed to raise the spirits of the men. Speaking with each individually, he saw how their defeat left them all feeling useless. They told him that the Commander said they all served their orders and should be proud, but Simonides knew such feelings didn¡¯t change easily. When he left, their eyes held a stronger flame than before. His next stop ran very similarly as he made the rounds to all of the regular soldiers that participated in his information gathering. He re-enforced to them all that their work helped him. Even the work that they did ensured their later victory. Simonides¡¯ final stop came to the ones holding the MPs. He knew them to be the most exhausted mentally and physically from the fighting. However, they also fought the hardest against the enemy so they had some questions that only they could answer. His arrival in the tent alerted the three of them. ¡°Be at ease,¡± he ordered with his hand motioning them to remain still. Stubbornly ignoring the order, Antipas tried to push himself up in an attempt to stand. ¡°¡­Captain¡­I¡­¡± The soreness caught up to him and made him slip back into his cot. ¡°You three worked harder than anyone. You deserve the rest.¡± Simonides stepped into the center of the tent making sure they all understood his order. ¡°I won¡¯t keep you for long.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir¡­I failed¡­¡± He raised a hand back up to stop Antipas from apologizing any further. ¡°Success isn¡¯t always measured in victories. Your objective was not to beat them, but to gather information. And you all succeeded.¡± The looks from around the tent were just as clear as what he saw from the others. None of them had known a real challenge or defeat. The border patrol, while important, was highly routine. Capturing and returning the random intruder was all they needed to practice. They expected to win again, even knowing the risks. Told they succeeded and still lost didn¡¯t improve the mood. The Captain crossed his arms leaning against the center pole. ¡°There¡¯s something I need you to answer. It¡¯s important.¡± His grave tone snapped them all out of their distant haze. ¡°Having fought with them, what are your assessments of them? What sort of individuals are they?¡± His question left them all in silence for a moment. They gathered their thoughts and replayed the battles in their minds. Miltiades broke the empty void first. ¡°The one I fought was very strong and not just physically. He seemed to have a determination and resolve to keep going, which might even blind him. It was a heavy feeling, but it also felt¡­¡± He looked over at the others before coming back to the Captain. ¡°I don¡¯t know if it is the right word, but if I had to say it¡­pure, almost innocent.¡± ¡°I felt similarly, Captain,¡± replied Photine. She drew herself up from the cot a little. ¡°The girl almost did not seem to fit the battlefield at times. Yet when she became serious, there was something else I saw in her eyes. The innocence disappeared, replaced with a strong resolve and will.¡± Miltiades'' hand tightened up on the sheets of his cot thinking about the fight. He looked back at his Captain. ¡°But sir, there¡¯s something strange about them. They don¡¯t feel like any other Meso Prosecho I¡¯ve fought before.¡± ¡°He¡¯s right, sir! I sensed it as well. It almost didn¡¯t feel like they were using Meso Prosecho, but that¡¯s impossible! Sir!¡± Simonides narrowed his eyes further. The same gut feeling, the one that he couldn¡¯t calm. They felt it. ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°I was able to speak to mine, sir,¡± Antipas commented. An uneasy chill came over him still remembering the events. ¡°He said his name was Yuki Hayashi. I don¡¯t know any Atlantean with such a name, even if he was nobility with a last name. My impression is a little different from the others. He was definitely a MP user. ¡°He seemed confident and almost arrogant at times as though he knew that I was no challenge. He puts a lot of faith in the strength of his powers, but he¡¯s capable. He seemed to be highly intelligent to figure out the Law of my Field from a single battle.¡± He leaned his head down thinking about the end of the fight. The feeling still lingered. ¡°But he was na?ve. He told me to retreat and that he wouldn¡¯t follow.¡± The young soldier looked back up at Simonides with confused eyes. ¡°What sort of person is that soft when fighting?¡± Simonides had a name of one of their opponents, more than he hoped. ¡®Yuki Hayashi¡­maybe he isn''t as inexperienced as I thought¡­I¡¯ll have to be careful with him¡­¡¯ He pushed off the pole and scanned around at his men. ¡°Thank you. Our enemy may be determined and believe strongly in their cause¡­but what we stand for is even stronger! Our resolve is stronger than theirs! The peace of Atlantis is in our hands and because it is, we can''t fail!¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± all three shouted. ¡°Now get some rest.¡± The Captain stepped out of the tent and looked about the camp. Purpose filled his eyes after his talk with his men. However, his search didn¡¯t reveal what he sought. He marched between his men and prepped tents reaching the south side of the camp. A larger tent stood before him with two guards flanking the tent flaps. Short swords and shields decorated their sides with well-defined muscles accenting their uniforms. He stared at the two soldiers with a firm expression. ¡°Is the Commander inside?¡± ¡°Yes, Captain!¡± The guards stiffened their backs even more than they already had when Simonides came within sight. ¡°Very well.¡± Simonides stepped forward drawing the flap to the side. The tent interior lightened a little with the sun bleeding through. Only one other light illuminated the chamber and it hung from near the top of the center wooden pole. No furniture or weapons lined the space. All that he saw was the back of Abeiron. The Commander tilted his head over his shoulder a little, noticing the entrance. ¡°Captain.¡± Simonides walked around the man and over to his flank. He looked down at the chair and the figure tied to it. The young teenager¡¯s arms pulled back behind the chair tied both to the chair and together. His tanned tunic held together through the rough treatment. ¡°He say anything?¡± Chapter 124 - Dividing Paths Darkness fell upon his world so suddenly. A cold hand wrapped his eyes closed leaving him blind. Numbness surrounded his body, losing any sense of weight. Balance collapsed next for him until he felt turned around and spun upside down. Any sense of direction disappeared along with time. He no longer knew what happened to him. The world vanished utterly. ¡®Brother!¡¯ yelled a voice repeatedly, that only became clear recently. The voice sounded desperate and panicked pulling at him. He didn¡¯t recognize the voice, but it gave him direction again. ¡®Brother!¡¯ Repeating as it had before; he tried to search for it with his mind becoming more aware of his surroundings. His body suddenly gained weight and feeling with his eyes opening. His eyelids widened a little in surprise and confusion. ¡®Where am I?¡¯ Adjusting to the new space, he could finally make out shapes. The entire region he floated in stretched on as far as he could see. In the distance, a bright light shined providing illumination to all. It carried warmth, baked his skin, and soothed his muscles. About him as he scanned, he saw scattered furniture, toys, papers, dolls and clothes. It looked as though someone shook out an entire house and left it to gather. The strange space distracted him, dragging him closer and losing the voice. He took hold of the edge of a table finding that it held him still. ¡®What is all of this stuff? Why is it here?¡¯ Near him, a smaller accessory shifted around as though on a current. A passing doll bumped into his hand. Before it rebounded too far away, he grabbed it. ¡®This is familiar¡­¡¯ ¡®Brother!¡¯ ¡®Huh?¡¯ He spun his head then body around. The voice became deafeningly loud suddenly. It pulled at him again. He felt compelled to follow the voice. The table shrank away as he floated towards the sound. ¡®Who¡¯s calling me?¡¯ Each second made the feeling strong until it pounded in his chest. ¡®I know this¡­why can¡¯t I remember?¡¯ He moved to the light, but it never seemed to get any closer to him. ¡®Brother!¡¯ ¡®Argh!¡¯ A needle-like pain stabbed him in the head making him stop. He turned around feeling a dark chill breathing down his neck. All of the light from behind no longer existed, not even shadows. He looked down at his feet seeing gray where he stood. It suddenly felt as though a blizzard blew in freezing the air he tried to breathe. ¡®What¡¯s happening?!¡¯ ¡®Brother!¡¯ He turned back feeling the desperate pull of the voice. The eerie void behind him didn¡¯t make him want to stay. He tried to escape, but it followed him and seemed to be gaining on him. His eyes caught the blackness encroaching at the ends of his vision even staring forward. ¡®I can¡¯t outrun it!¡¯ The light in front of him began to fade, losing out to the overpowering crushing pressure. However, close to him he saw an outline of something still blurred. ¡®What is that?¡¯ ¡®Where¡­¡¯ The voice seemed to cut off or come through muffled preventing him from understanding the rest. His hand reached out towards the object trying to see it clearly. Everything became dark again with only a small flicker of light from the object. In the empty void, he could see it better. It gained form appearing like half of a star. ¡®Where are you, Brother?¡¯ An outside force grabbed him away before he could grab on to it. He strained at the pressure trying to get back. He didn¡¯t understand what was going on. Nevertheless, he knew he needed to reach it. The force was too strong for him. It was all nearly gone. ¡®Yumi!¡¯ Chapter 124 ¨C Dividing Paths ¡°Brother!¡± gasped Yumi, throwing herself up. She looked around trying to get her bearings. Next to her, Yuki rested with his head tilted down and eyes closed. ¡®He¡¯s been here the whole time?¡¯ Time became lost to her after she started crying. She didn¡¯t know how long it had been, but felt as though hours had passed. Yumi stretched up her hand towards Yuki¡¯s face feeling a little comfort from seeing him. ¡°Where the hell have you been?!¡± snapped a distant voice. It was enough to make Yumi jump. She immediately retracted her hand thinking that they were speaking to her. However, as Yumi started to wake and she looked around at the camp she realized what happened. Seiji towered over Ayumi, having only suddenly appeared. The time of recovery for him had restored his energy and anger. Ever since they realized that Ayumi vanished no one knew what happened to her. She tossed some packs to the grass to land at their feet. ¡°I was out finding more supplies. We¡¯re burning through food quickly. And knowing you, figured replacement clothes would be needed.¡± ¡°You went shopping?! Why did you leave in the middle of a fight?¡± Ayumi picked up the long tunic shaped a little more like a dress. She carried it over to Yumi seeing the blood that coated the one she wore. After she finished, her eyes caught Seiji glared down at her still expecting an answer. ¡°My presence isn¡¯t needed. There were enough of you to deal with them.¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°That isn¡¯t for you to decide! If we¡¯re attacked, we fight together!¡± Yuki felt the shaking from Yumi¡¯s body. He saw the worry building up from the two arguing and the other problem that weighed on her. ¡°Enough!¡± he shouted over both of them. Once he had their attention, if only partially, he held a hand on Yumi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°We have more important matters. Ayumi¡¯s safe, but we¡¯re still missing someone!¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Ayumi counted through everyone, noticing the quick flip of emotions. The air became cold and still, almost surprisingly so. ¡°Where¡¯d the brother go?¡± No response came to Ayumi¡¯s question. They avoided the subject as much as possible knowing the reactions. However, Yuki knew that someone had to tell her. He carefully let Yumi go and stood up. ¡°We can¡¯t find him¡­ He¡¯s been missing since the end of the fighting.¡± An awkward stirring from Yuki¡¯s last words filtered through everyone. Ayumi narrowed her eyes from her observations. She felt a difficult pull inside that she ignored. ¡°Where was he the last time you saw him?¡± ¡°Near me,¡± Saki stated quietly, stepping forward. ¡°He didn¡¯t move for most of the time they had us surrounded.¡± ¡°How did he disappear after the fighting finished?¡± Yuki¡¯s eyes glanced over quickly before meeting Ayumi¡¯s gaze. ¡°I was healing Seiji and Yumi. We were focused on that¡­¡± She narrowed her vision to the blood on his arm. ¡°Would seem you¡¯re bleeding too, unless that¡¯s theirs. Ayumi walked over while a ripple expanded from her feet. ¡°Oh right, I patched it up the best I could. Forgot our powers can¡¯t work on ourselves.¡± While she healed him, Ayumi looked around at the others. ¡°So they captured him?¡± She knew it to be a land mine, they couldn¡¯t ignore the truth forever. They needed to face it head on if they were to move past it. ¡°It¡¯s regretful, but you knew this could happen. We need to move on.¡± ¡°What?!¡± exclaimed a few of the teens. A painful gasp came from Yumi making Yuki turn back towards her. He took a hold of her when her body lost the strength to support her. His eyes slid in their sockets towards Ayumi in disappointment and anger. If he weren¡¯t with Yumi, he would have confronted her. Acting as a stand-in, Seiji barged forward, no longer feeling the lightheadedness from his blood loss. He grabbed the fabric of Ayumi¡¯s tunic and lifted her up off the ground to come to eye level with him. ¡°You cold unfeeling¡ª¡° ¡°Seiji!¡± The angry teen turned his head, still holding onto Ayumi. ¡°Yuki, you can¡¯t be serious! I can¡¯t let her so selfishly dismiss what¡¯s happened!¡± ¡°¡­I know¡­¡± Yuki¡¯s head fell down darkening a little with his thoughts. His hands shook a little, even while he tried to keep himself together. ¡°I¡¯m angry too, but¡­¡± Ayumi¡¯s flat expression remained unchanged, even restrained by Seiji. She lifted her hand up to his wrist gripping it tightly, but realized that his strength exceeded hers. ¡°As a soldier, emotions only cloud your judgment.¡± ¡°Shut the hell up, right now!¡± snapped Seiji. ¡°You¡¯re not one of us! We aren¡¯t soldiers!¡± A slight thinning of her lips to a grim touch washed over her briefly. ¡°We have a purpose. A goal that doesn¡¯t have the time for us to waste.¡± The hand that held Ayumi up began to shake. Seiji¡¯s hand tightened audibly for Ayumi to pick up. ¡°Your goal doesn¡¯t matter right now! Someone¡¯s been taken! It¡¯s more important to rescue them! Any time lost you can make up with your powers!¡± Amongst the yelling, Yumi felt like she shrank away. She wanted to do something, but felt so helpless. Ever since Yori disappeared, she could not find her strength. Even at that moment, she relied on Yuki¡¯s aid. ¡®¡­Brother¡­where are you?¡¯ ¡®Damnit! Why are you acting so helpless?¡¯ Yumi turned her head within her mind remembering the voice again. The same voice that spoke to her during the fight she had with the Atlantean woman. ¡®It¡¯s you!¡¯ ¡®So annoying¡­why are you doing nothing?¡¯ ¡®Huh?¡¯ ¡®You know what I mean!¡¯ ¡®But¡­what can I do?¡¯ She thought through all of the past where she tried to be assertive. She wanted to change, but nothing happened. Everything remained the same for her. ¡®I¡¯m not¡­¡¯ A loud sigh came from the disembodied voice. ¡®I¡¯m really getting tired of this! You can¡¯t keep shrinking back to this hole when things get a little difficult! Stop making others stand up for you!¡¯ Yumi staggered a little from the forcefulness of the tone. She knew the truth that they spoke, but still hesitated. ¡®I didn¡¯t ask them to¡­ They¡¯re doing it on their own¡­¡¯ ¡®So that makes it alright for you to not do anything!? I thought he was your brother!¡¯ ¡®Yori is my brother!¡¯ The tone in Yumi¡¯s voice sharpened a little in response. She leaned forward a little, not quite lifting from her folded legs. Her back straightened a little more bothered by the voice. Even though there was nobody there, the tone of the voice almost sounded like they shrugged in disbelief at Yumi. ¡®Really? I find that hard to believe. Does a sister just cower away making others speak for her when she has the power to do something herself? Doesn¡¯t sound like a sister to me.¡¯ Yumi jumped up to her feet, no longer able to remain still. She threw out her hand in the best direction of the voice. ¡®I am his sister! And I would do anything I could for him!¡¯ ¡®I only believe actions, not words!¡¯ The condescending tone in the voice stayed as strong as before. Almost a mocking grin seemed to surface in the words. ¡®Then I will!¡¯ She disappeared from the space of their communion. A vague shadow surfaced from the void with no clearly definable form. ¡®Such a troublesome individual. Was that good enough for you?¡¯ The anticipated response never came to the voice. Starting to fade away into the air the shadow almost completely dissipated. ¡®You won¡¯t be able to remain quiet forever¡­¡¯ Yumi¡¯s eyes snapped open with reality slamming into her chest enough to make her gasp. She took in a deep breath and examined her surroundings. In front of her, Seiji still held onto Ayumi and Yuki held back, staying by her side. They still fought as though almost no time passed. Yumi felt the strength suddenly surge through her body. ¡®I¡¯ll show you! I¡¯m not weak! I¡¯m here now and I can¡¯t be useless!¡¯ When Yumi pushed off Yuki¡¯s hands, it pulled his attention back to her. His face changed to confusion seeing the shifting emotions in her eyes. ¡°Yumi? Is something wrong?¡± ¡°No,¡± she sternly stated. Yumi stood up once freed from her crutch in Yuki. ¡°This is something I must do.¡± She walked over to Seiji and Ayumi locked in a debate still. His voice yelled over top of Ayumi¡¯s calm, even tone. Yumi lifted up her hand between the two and placed it on Seiji. ¡°It¡¯s time to let her go.¡± Seiji¡¯s eyes widened in shock. It made his hand tighten further onto the tunic. ¡°Did you not hear what the hell she¡¯s been saying?!¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve heard. And she¡¯s right.¡± ¡°What?!¡± shouted most of the group in unison. Even Ayumi gave her a questioning look while still having the calculating expression buried behind. Yuki ran up to Yumi putting his hand on her shoulder trying to understand her. Yumi looked over at Yuki. ¡°Ayumi¡¯s right. You have something important that you need to do, Yuki. Which is why I will go and find my brother alone.¡± Chapter 125 - Choosing Paths If the first statement from Yumi wasn¡¯t enough to put everyone into shock, her second nearly put the group into a coma. While the methods of expressing their shock varied, it was all the same. No one expected to her to say such a reckless thing. It completely defused the tension from before, even if it might have replaced it with something even worse. Not understanding Yumi at all, Yuki¡¯s hand became heavy on her shoulder. Panic already spread through his face and into his hand. ¡°What are you saying, Yumi?! You can¡¯t do that! It¡¯s too dangerous! We¡¯ll go together to get Yori back!¡± ¡°He¡¯s right!¡± added Seiji. He finally dropped Ayumi to the ground, no longer interested in their argument. Saki stepped up to join them. She saw the look in Yumi¡¯s eyes built with determination. It worried her the look that she saw. ¡°Yumi, you don¡¯t have to do this alone. This isn¡¯t a burden you have to bear alone. Ayumi doesn¡¯t speak for everyone.¡± Yumi shook her head lightly. ¡°I know, but what she says is correct. There is something even more important than just my brother at stake. It¡¯s only been a little glimpse, but it is clear that there are wrongs being done here. Soldiers are meant to protect, not scare its people. We don¡¯t even know what the rest of Atlantis is like or feeling right now. Ayumi feels strongly that they need his help and I don¡¯t doubt those feelings.¡± She tilted her head towards Ayumi carrying a slight smile. All Ayumi returned was a small narrowing on her eyelids and quickly shifting her gaze away. Still not convinced, Yuki pulled in front of Yumi to make sure she saw him with no distraction. The moment that his eyes met her, a little hesitation suddenly bubbled up in his heart. ¡®She¡¯s got that determined look in her eyes like before¡­when she took charge¡­¡¯ He realized then at that instant he couldn¡¯t look at her. His head fell down hanging at his shoulders. The shaking did not cease for him. ¡°¡­but none of that matters¡­to me¡­ ¡­saving your brother¡¯s more important to me¡­right now¡­¡± She lifted her hand up to rest on his wrist and forearm. ¡°Thank you, Yuki. But I can¡¯t let you make that decision.¡± A sudden blast of wind raked along everyone¡¯s clothes, sending ripples through the material. Yumi knelt down as Yuki collapsed over her shoulder. She looked over to Ayumi calling her in silence. Slowly, Ayumi approached with caution. Passing off Yuki, Yumi stood up to leave him in her care. ¡°I trust you to make sure he stays the course.¡± ¡°¡­yes¡­¡± Ayumi looked down at Yuki, seeing him unconscious. She wasn¡¯t entirely certain what to make of the situation. Everything returned to the order she wished. She had Yuki. In the surprise of the scene, most of them couldn¡¯t react. However, Saki broke free from the stunned effect and rushed over to Yumi¡¯s side. ¡°You don¡¯t even know where he is! Are you going to search the entire countryside for him?!¡± Yumi looked back at Saki smiling at her. ¡°No,¡± she calmly spoke with her head shaking. ¡°I know exactly where he is.¡± ¡°What?! How?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s my power, I think¡­¡± Her hand raised a little to her gaze with her head turned back forward. ¡°I¡¯m still figuring it all out, but I can sense him out there. I just have to follow the feeling and I¡¯ll find him at the end.¡± Saki threw her arm out swiping at the air with her words. ¡°If that¡¯s the case you don¡¯t have to go alone! We¡¯ll go with you and be back on track in no time! I can do it myself! With my speed we won¡¯t waste any time!¡± ¡°That¡¯s a hella broken power,¡± commented Seiji. He finally came out of his paralysis and stepped out into the conversation. ¡°It¡¯s not very sporting considering they¡¯re all just a bunch of normal humans.¡± She turned her head back towards Seiji quickly. ¡°To hell with fair play!¡± ¡°No, he is my brother. This is only something for me to do.¡± ¡°Yumi!¡± Saki turned to face Yumi only to be blasted with wind. The force kicked up dirt and made it difficult for her to see. She held up her arms and squinted her eyes. ¡°Yumi!¡± Saki shouted through the cloud to no avail. Once the wind calmed and she could see again nothing remained. Yumi was gone. ¡°Yumi!¡± Chapter 125 ¨C Choosing Paths The force that pulled on him stirred his mind. It felt as though it ripped from his home. He wanted to return, but knew it to be impossible. Still groggy from the experience, it took him a while to wake up fully. Once awake, he lazily scanned the environment. His lightheadedness persisted in spite of his alertness rising. ¡®Where am I?¡¯ A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Yori tried to get up to move, but found it impossible. It took him several vain attempts to actually realize the futility of trying. The effort did clear the rest of the hazy from his mind making everything suddenly sharp. He felt his arms stretched a little and pinned in an awkward position for him. His arms were behind him. An abrasive touch to his wrists when he twisted his arms told him enough. ¡®I¡¯m tied up! What happened to me?¡¯ Upon the realization of his situation, Yori tried to pull at his arms again, but found the bonds too tight. Escape seemed out of reach. ¡®Where is this?¡¯ Yori looked around the space in search of anything that might help him. Unfortunately, the entire room was empty. All he saw was canvas lightly billowing with passing winds. ¡®A tent? We don¡¯t have a tent, unless this is Hayashi¡¯s doing¡­¡¯ The longer that he considered the more he ruled the option out. The situation drew on and he came to the only logical conclusion, one that he dreaded. The mere thought had his body shaking and his stomach churning in fear. ¡®¡­I¡¯ve been captured¡­¡¯ Once he understood, he started to think back. He needed to know what happened. Unfortunately, his mind blanked on him. ¡®The last thing I remember was being surrounded by the soldiers and then them dropping¡­but what happened after¡­¡¯ Any more thoughts would have to wait for Yori. The flap of the tent slid apart, bleeding sunlight through on his face. Its bright light blinded him until a shadow stepped forward. In the sun, all he saw was a darkened figure approach before the light cut away. He caught sight of another figure in the gloom of the tent, but they disappeared out of sight behind him before he had a chance to see fully. The more important figure stood before him less than a meter away. A black uniform became clear to Yori with his vision returning back to familiarity with the darkness. The man stood tall. Well formed muscles exposed on his chest and arms showed him to be trained and physical. Yori didn¡¯t know if his own fear made the presence feel even more imposing than the man¡¯s stature. The closer he focused on the face the more he knew he recognized it. Short closely cut dark blonde hair hugged his head and narrow piercing eyes of deep blue, same as before. ¡®He was one of the soldiers that attacked us! Did he capture me?¡¯ Abeiron took a half step forward leaning down to the seated Yori. The appearance of Yori made his features harden a little to cover up the truth. It unsettled him. ¡®The rebellion nearly thirty years ago was said to have had children, mostly MP users, but¡­¡¯ He watched the changing expressions on Yori¡¯s face trying to understand his foe. ¡®If this is the preamble for rebellion why would children already be involved? Is it because of the laws?¡¯ The longer that Abeiron thought the more he dragged himself in circles questioning unnecessary things. He closed his eyes briefly, only appearing as a blink, but it cleared his mind. Forcing focus back, his mind centered on Yori, a teenager. The one point of unease remained; they had taken a child prisoner. All they ever had to deal with on the border were the lost scientists to return safely back, adults. ¡®I won¡¯t question the Captain, but interrogating a child seems like something a villain would do. But he¡¯s right that we need answers and none of them looked to be an adult¡­ What is this invasion of theirs?¡¯ A glance over at the MP in the corner giving him a nod in silence told him all he needed. The Field was finished. Abeiron narrowed his eyes further, forcing a darkly serious tone from his voice. ¡°Regardless of whatever language you speak I know you can understand me.¡± Surprise entered into Yori¡¯s eyes from the declaration. ¡®How does he know I¡¯m still wearing the translation earring Hayashi made for me?¡¯ ¡°While we¡¯re here there is no language barrier for anyone. So silence based on language is not valid. Also know that this Field has a regenerative effect, so injuries will be healed over time.¡± Abeiron leaned in closer to Yori to impress the graveness of the situation. ¡°You may just be a child, but you should be old enough to understand your situation.¡± Yori leaned into his chair as much as it allowed. He felt the pressure the man exuded. It was heavy and suffocating. Sweat built up on his back making him stick to the wood backing. He was just a high school student, one that had never been in a fight in his life before coming to Atlantis. Yori felt the compulsion to start blathering immediately. ¡®Anything I say could hurt her¡­I might not have been the brother she needed lately, but I can at least protect her in this way¡­my only way¡­¡¯ He fought to build up as much resolve as he could to fortify his mind and body. ¡®I need to do something to delay them¡­¡¯ His face struggled to become stern as fear still periodically spread through him. ¡°The Geneva Convention prevents mistreatment of civilians.¡± ¡°The moment you entered our territory you were trespassing on foreign soil. When you attacked the soldiers, you became combatants. You aren¡¯t civilians anymore. You¡¯re terrorists.¡± The shock caught in Yori¡¯s mouth made him forcibly close it so as not to give away his surprise. He unfortunately already revealed himself too much. ¡®Terrorist? You can¡¯t be serious! That¡¯s a huge leap to make so quickly, but¡­I guess in their mind that is what we¡¯re doing¡­¡¯ Yori didn¡¯t like agreeing to the accusation. He only thought of himself helping his sister, he only ever defended himself when attacked. He made no provocative moves and Yuki was here to stop the attacks. ¡®They started everything.¡¯ Yori knew that he could not say something like that though. ¡°But regardless the articles¡ª¡° ¡°Don¡¯t apply here. We never were party to the treaties. Our existence is an invisible one. Anything that happens here will remain here.¡± ¡®Doesn¡¯t apply?! You can¡¯t be serious? How inhumane are these people?!¡¯ Yori fought with his complete disbelief of his situation. He thought he could call their bluff as an empty threat, but he found himself cornered. There was no hesitation in the Atlantean officer before him. ¡®They really are going to torture me for information!¡¯ ¡®As a child, scaring him should be enough. It¡¯s a little rough, but it¡¯ll pull out the information we need.¡¯ However, fate didn¡¯t grant his hope. Time slowly dragged on between Abeiron and Yori in a battle of patience, fear and wills. It was a battle that Yori knew he was losing. All the pain seemed simple and brief as it all vanished soon after he received it. The regenerative Field worked as told, his body would always be ready for more. Unfortunately, his mind didn¡¯t recover or his heart. The toll that he took and yet unable to feel true relief from pain left him in knots of twisting exhaustion. He simply wanted it all to end, but held wearily on to the thought of his sister. ¡®I must protect¡­her¡­¡¯ The tent flap opened, the light came even more painful for Yori to take even though later in the day. He saw nothing well with sweat covering his face and hanging off his brow. A new arrival added a mix of uncertainty and dread with a pinch of hope. It could be over for the moment or a sign of things worse to come. The Commander tilted his head over his shoulder a little, noticing the entrance. ¡°Captain.¡± Simonides walked around the man and over to his flank. He looked down at the chair and Yori. Tied both to the chair and together still held firmly, he saw no signs of it loosening. Scanning over the body of the teenager, the tunic held together through the rough treatment, but his body looked fine. Sweat covered nearly all of his exposed skin. His breathing came swallow and in small paces. ¡°He say anything?¡± ¡°Nothing helpful, sir.¡± ¡°I see,¡± he said in a measured tone. He gave a motion to Abeiron to step aside. Simonides stood in front of Yori staring down at him. His hands came to rest upon Yori¡¯s shoulders as he bent down, coming to eye-level with the child. ¡°Your will is strong. You do honor to your cause for resisting this long. However, understand that this is merely a prelude. We have ways to force you to talk and we can make them painful. I¡¯ll give you this last chance to speak before my generosity is spent. We will put an end to your rebellion.¡± Chapter 126 - Questioning Resolve Time was the least of the worries at the moment. A cold hand felt as though it reached out for him and began to throttle him. Even the idea of a touch was enough to turn his skin to ice and down to the muscles. His throat locked up, unable to speak. Through witnessing combat, pain and fear, he thought that it provided him some amount of insulation from it. The seemingly hours of interrogation should have hardened him. Resolve to protect should have been enough. He thought the presence of his captor staring down at him prepared him. All meaningless, he realized at that moment. Yori didn¡¯t expect the absolute terror that he felt as the new soldier stood before him. The feeling that he presented was on a completely different level than the others. He felt the seriousness of his situation before. They instilled fear within him then and he felt it become an uncomfortable companion. The edge they held over him dulled and turned blunt. It had to be the worst he believed and from there could only get better. There couldn¡¯t be anything to imagine worse than the feeling that so thoroughly permeated his body through each pore. Such fear seemed small and insignificant to what he faced. A second even deeper feeling made him question naively if there could possibly be any further to go. Once proven wrong he felt he had to accept that it could be even worse. The realization that it brought shattered him completely. The light at the end vanished and all he saw around him was utter darkness with a boundless pit that never knew an end. He couldn¡¯t even sweat his fear away. The new man that stood before him carried himself in a different manner than the rest. He had a sense of command and experience that went beyond anything that Yori could possibly dream of. In those few moments before he lost sight of everything, Yori understood it all. The words spoke with absolute truth and conviction, no thread of hesitation. Before him stood a man driven and serious, no longer seeing him as a child or foreigner, but simply a threat. Yori didn¡¯t compare. He didn¡¯t know if he could stack his resolve against him. The decision he made, to protect his sister in his own small way, disappeared from his grasp. His hands could only take hold of air as they scrambled feebly to keep hold of even a grain. ¡®¡­sister¡­I¡­¡¯ It all faded away from his sight. Any image of her in his mind shuttered to black. ¡®¡­come back¡­come back!¡¯ Externally, Simonides watched the silent change in features on Yori¡¯s face. The stone expression for himself remained constant. He could see the kid¡¯s resolve crumbling away. ¡®It¡¯s only a matter of time now¡­¡¯ An extended index finger motioned to the MP in the corner acting invisible to the whole conversation. He turned halfway away from the chair and the Commander looked at the tent flaps. ¡°Get Athene and prepare the interrogation. I want you to start in thirty minutes.¡± Abeiron stiffened a little, accepting the orders. ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Simonides turned his eyes back down to the broken teenager. He purposely made sure of speaking aloud for him to hear, though uncertain if the words made it to his mind. ¡®They seem largely too young and inexperienced with the reality of the world. They¡¯re still just children. A real taste of reality will be enough to break them. Then I¡¯ll have the answers I need to put an end to all of this. Everything will be normal soon¡­¡¯ The Captain walked out of the tent first with his departure releasing some of the tension in the air. Chapter 126 ¨C Questioning Resolve A strange pressure fell over Yumi in the middle of her walk. She came to a pause and looked forward, though her eyes already facing the direction. Rather than just peering ahead, she focused away from the physical and inward. The familiar feeling that she followed to her brother changed suddenly on her. ¡®Brother?! Something happened¡­¡¯ She tried to search within herself, but didn¡¯t understand her feelings. The powers she became fully aware of possessing, finally, still came as new and foreign to her. She let most of it run on its own without thinking too hard about control. Any focus she had came from how determined her mind was in the moment. Her confusion shattered the narrowed line she held. ¡®It was just there¡­ Where¡¯d it go?¡¯ Yumi threw out her hand grasping at the air thinking that it would help her focus, but only made it all disappear faster. Yumi ran forward in the direction she believed her brother to be, but it all felt empty. Her certainty of knowing became a question rather than a statement. It felt like she no longer stood on a straight road, but a forest. All the trees looked identical and the horizon shrank away masked by the density. ¡®Where are you, Brother? Brother!¡¯ The awkward feeling of being in empty surroundings overcame her. She spun around trying to get a sense of her direction. She didn¡¯t want to be lost. ¡®What¡¯s happening?!¡¯ Striking her head from behind, a spark wiped everything from her thoughts. The space returned to her vision and focus. Grass surrounded her on all sides and only a sparsely planted tree existed. Her mind turned sharp and alert as she knew the feeling that she received. ¡®Someone¡¯s coming! It¡¯s like before, but it doesn¡¯t feel hostile like an attack¡­¡¯ Her returned focus found her powers responding to her requests. Yumi spun around on the heels of her feet to face the feeling that she sensed. A barrier erected quickly around her and her hands came up. She tried to imitate the stances that she saw Yuki carry during his fighting, but it turned out too loose and weakly held. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± Silence returned to Yumi for several moments as she felt the tension tighten the muscles in her back. It quickly leaked into her shoulders the longer she waited. ¡®Where are they? I know I wasn¡¯t imagining it!¡¯ Yumi scanned the fields and hills in search of the warning. She began to turn her head considering that her direction might be off. However, the sudden darkening of the sun and shadows cast through her space forced her back. ¡®There!¡¯ Yumi tried to prepare herself for whatever she saw, but knew internally that she lacked the experience. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Before her three figures appeared outside of her barrier, not immediately clear due to her sight not being ready. They didn¡¯t give her a chance to take it in fully before speaking to her. ¡°Damn, I know you¡¯re determined, but no need to be aggressive!¡± remarked a male voice. A calming female voice replied to him, ¡°We did just appear behind her. I think you would be startled too.¡± ¡°Huh?! What are you¡­¡± Yumi¡¯s surprise cut off her words before she could finish speaking. She finally saw who stood before her. The shade from their features disappeared and Seiji, Chiharu and Fumiko gathered in front. Her barrier disappeared immediately along with the support in her legs. She staggered back a couple of steps, not certain her eyes held the truth. ¡°How? Why?¡± Seiji leaned in with a step looking angry, suddenly. He extended his hand out pointing at her almost touching her nose. ¡°The hell¡¯s the matter with you?! You think we¡¯d just let you go off on your own in some foreign land? Hell no!¡± His eyebrows narrowed further to accent his anger. When he finished he almost ended up in her face. Fumiko reached out and grabbed Seiji¡¯s shoulder pulling him back away from Yumi. She looked down at him trying to eliminate the scary face he wore. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?! You¡¯re scaring her!¡± ¡°I¡¯m just setting her straight!¡± ¡°Then do it in a manner that isn¡¯t going to frighten her! She¡¯s not Yuki!¡± He took a step back from Fumiko and glanced over at Yumi. She had her hands up close to her chest and looked ready to collapse. The more he looked at her the more he started to pull away. ¡°W-Well I-I¡­¡± He looked back at Fumiko¡¯s stern face and then to Yumi again. ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± Seiji retreated to the back of the group after his apology. Fumiko stepped out towards Yumi. She softened her expression to comfort her. Her hand patted Yumi on the head easing her back to the group. ¡°Seiji means well, I guess.¡± She casted a quick gaze back at him before focusing on Yumi. ¡°Feeling better?¡± ¡°¡­yeah¡­¡± Hesitation persisted for Yumi, but she began to come out of it with Fumiko. A calming presence from her eased her body after Seiji yelled at her. However, she looked around Fumiko seeing Chiharu and Seiji still present. She looked up at Fumiko confused. ¡°But how did you get here and why? I said¡ª¡° ¡°That you¡¯d do this alone,¡± interrupted Fumiko. Her tone came sharply and quick, but lacked the bite that Seiji attacked with earlier. ¡°There is one thing that he was right about. We weren¡¯t going to let you go off on your own. We¡¯re coming with you.¡± Yumi pushed a little forward, pressing her hands into her chest. ¡°But what about the reason we came here? Yuki can¡¯t come with me! You have to tell him to go back!¡± The tall teenager nodded back to Yumi. ¡°You¡¯re right. Yuki does have something he needs to do. Which is why he¡¯s not here.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not?¡± ¡°Nope, we¡¯re splitting up into two teams.¡± Fumiko raised her hand up to Yumi showing two fingers. She then counted the first finger alone as she spoke further. ¡°One, Team Yuki will continue on with the same goal as before. To reach the Capital and put an end to all of this fighting. The other, you,¡± stated Fumiko pointing her finger at Yumi, ¡°Team Yumi will backtrack to find your brother and rescue him.¡± ¡°Huh? Team? Me?¡± Yumi backed a step away from Fumiko trying to take it all in. She looked around Fumiko again to get a sign from the other two. Seiji nodded to her, albeit in a hesitant and shy manner that she thought was a little out of character for him in an almost adorable way. Chiharu met eyes with her, but immediately turned away with not so much as a grunt of annoyance. While a little loose, it did seem as though they all made their decisions. ¡°Why me?¡± Fumiko tapped Yumi on the forehead, smiling a little. ¡°You should know that already.¡± The confusion in Yumi¡¯s face made it clear to her that she still did not see it. She needed more time. ¡°This is your brother that we¡¯re rescuing and you were the first one to move. It only makes sense, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not that strong to lead.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. I think you¡¯ve been doing pretty good for someone that¡¯s trying to change herself.¡± Yumi jumped back a little surprised by the directness and accuracy. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°You can hide things from people, but eventually they notice. However, most of this is a conversation for another time. This is your show, Yumi. So you¡¯re in charge. Besides, you said you knew where they were keeping your brother. I think it makes sense that you¡¯re the one that is leading.¡± The direction of the conversation turned a little awkward for Yumi, as she got the sense that Fumiko really did know more than she was willing to tell. Yumi became a little worried and self-conscious in the presence of Fumiko. She needed to be careful and not reveal too much more to her. The longer that she stared at the three the more she felt a little at ease. Going alone into the lion¡¯s den was something that already she set herself to doing. However, the thought of going with friends made the idea almost appealing. She allowed herself a small smile. ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s save my brother!¡± ¡®Yumi¡­sister¡­¡¯ Yori felt his tired heart pound painfully in his chest. Fatigue came in heavy waves stronger than before. His body didn¡¯t feel as though it could support him any longer. He didn¡¯t have any energy before, but the drained sense he had penetrated deeper than he thought possible. Only the chair was enough to keep him from lying on the floor as a mass of muscle and bones. It made him wonder if death felt similar. The image of the man from before flashed before him. Thinking of the man¡¯s word sent sparks of electricity through his bones. ¡®¡­that man¡­he¡¯s different¡­ can I? Against him?¡¯ His presence alone made him shake once again with just mere thought. He sensed some hesitation still in the one that interrogated him before. A little piece that gave him the strength he needed to come through with enough persistence. However, he received no such feeling from the other man. The cold and driven stare told him enough. Beyond the lingering presence, something worse and deeper concerned him. At that moment, he became uncertain of his position. He found the only bastion of hope for him, the purpose, was to protect his sister. He didn¡¯t know what they planned to do to him after it all came to an end, but he found comfort in knowing that his silence would keep her safe. Yet his mind hesitated for a moment. He questioned if he should remain quiet. Yori didn¡¯t know if he had the will to endure whatever the man planned for him. The certainty of them finding out what they wanted turned him to doubt the need to withhold still. Did it really stand simply as inevitability? Even the thought of it for a moment made him hate himself. He had forsaken Yumi, his sister, his family because of his fear. She abandoned him because she knew he turned his back on her. He hated himself. ¡®How could I do that to her? How can I ever face her again?¡¯ Yori hung his head on his shoulders. A color deeper than black painted his face. The weight on his body felt suffocating. ¡®How do I hold out against what they bring out next? I believe him when he says that they can make me talk, but I don¡¯t want¡­Yumi¡­¡¯ The certainty of what he could say made him shake. He didn¡¯t know if his resolve could hold out. He didn¡¯t want to fail Yumi a second time. The tent flap opened once more and shadows crawled along the ground. Although the sun made it a little difficult to cleanly make out those entering, he didn¡¯t have to guess. First into the tent was the man that interrogated him before. Next, the man who gave him a new measuring stick for fear entered. Last was an unknown, but tall woman dressed like the others he saw Yuki fight. She wore white and a very narrow piercing gaze. The woman carried a very unsettling pair of eyes, small nearly dots. Yori didn¡¯t even know her name and he already felt the oppressive presence that she gave off in the room. Simonides stepped in front to directly address Yori. He pressed his hand to the kid¡¯s head and made sure they made eye contact. ¡°This will be your last chance. Next time I¡¯ll make sure you suffer.¡± Chapter 127 - Intrusions Slowly setting into the comfort of the hills, evening slowly began to arrive in Atlantis. A calm breeze passed through the clouds keeping the air from turning stagnant. The rest of the land seemed to be carrying on as though the day was as normal as the day before. Even the smoke that hovered in the distance faded away. No reminders remained of the events from the night. Atlantis moved on, but they couldn¡¯t forget. Even if she acted assured and ready for their endeavor, underneath it turned into a raging maelstrom. She felt a little unease by taking on the challenge of saving her brother alone. Yori was her brother, it should be expected that she would go. The addition of her friends traveling with her with the same goal changed everything. Knowing that anything she did affected everyone with her sent her past simply fretting and nervousness. The weight on Yumi¡¯s body felt worse than she remembered. Her chest tightened and hammered on her through her pounding heart. She didn¡¯t even know if sweat covered her or the heat overwhelmed her. Between the moments when her mind wasn¡¯t spinning with all of her fears, her legs ached refusing her. She never felt such pain before. Her success and strength didn¡¯t mean so much previously. An anvil suddenly dropped on Yumi¡¯s shoulder shattering her body and the delicately managed balance. She let out a yelp of surprise and turned to find Fumiko¡¯s hand on her shoulder. If the hand hadn¡¯t been resting on her, Yumi would have collapsed to the ground as a puddle. Her reaction took Fumiko a little back, giving her the time to recover her breath. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry! I-I was distracted¡­concentrating¡­¡± Fumiko gave her a small grin, ¡°You looked a little tense.¡± ¡°Wah! I-I¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to stress. We might have forced it upon you, but we can protect ourselves. So don¡¯t think you need to bear everything alone. We¡¯re all friends here.¡± Yumi felt a little relieved by Fumiko¡¯s words. She looked around at Seiji and Chiharu behind them. The two kept silent for the entire time since meeting Yumi. It didn¡¯t take the strange intuition that Fumiko had to see that they didn¡¯t look pleased. They were always at each other¡¯s throats when a moment of calm came. The only thing keeping them in line was a purpose to their travel. Even with a purpose, both remained more than a healthy distance apart from each other of at least two meters. They looked to be trying to flank Fumiko and Yumi with their position. The sight made Yumi giggle a little, forgetting herself. Seeing the two in mute disagreement, Yumi returned to her question from earlier. They seemed out of place and least likely to actually agree to be together. She looked over at Fumiko again. ¡°You never did completely answer my question. Those two don¡¯t get along very well, but they came along. How come?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Fumiko sighed thinking about it for a moment. She tilted her head back looking at the two of them. The events replayed quickly through her mind trying to sort it all out. ¡°They¡¯re like an older brother and younger sister sometimes, though I doubt you want to tell either of them that.¡± She gave Fumiko a quick nod of agreement. ¡°So what made them come?¡± ¡°If you can believe it, Chiharu was the first to speak up.¡± She thought about the scene, still trying to sort out the reasons for herself. ¡°Chiharu¡¯s a difficult one. She¡¯s very transparent most times, but there¡¯s a hidden layer under it all that she does a surprisingly good job of masking. I¡¯m not sure if we¡¯ll ever know her true reasons, but she is motivated despite her front of disinterest.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know¡­¡± Hearing the analysis from Fumiko made Yumi look back at Chiharu to see her in a different light. Yumi didn¡¯t know what to think of her anymore. ¡°So what happened?¡± Fumiko tilted her head back thinking about the scene. ¡°Well I guess we have some time to kill.¡± Chapter 127 ¨C Intrusions ¡°Yumi!¡± Saki turned to face Yumi only to be blasted with wind. The force was enough to kick up dirt and make it difficult for her to see. She had to hold up her arms and squint her eyes. ¡°Yumi!¡± Saki shouted through the cloud to no avail. Once the wind calmed and she could see again, nothing remained. Yumi was gone. ¡°Yumi!¡± ¡°Where the hell¡¯d she go?!¡± shouted Seiji looking around the area. He ran about the close proximity trying to figure out where she had gone. Even in the distance, he found no trace of her. ¡°How can she just up and disappear? She¡¯s not supposed to have powers like that I thought!¡± Saki disappeared from sight as quickly as Yumi had. She left no words for the stunned and frustrated Seiji. Fumiko pulled herself out of the daze that surrounded her mind and forced herself to focus. All of the things happened so fast she didn¡¯t have any choice. She needed to have her head on straight for everyone. Seiji came back to the group yelling and grinding his hands together with Saki¡¯s disappearance. ¡°Calm down, Seiji. She probably just went to find Yumi and bring her back. She¡¯s not leaving.¡± ¡°I know that!¡± The volume of his voice made Fumiko lean a little. She felt unnerved by seeing him so close to her. Even though she had gotten used to him in the group and called him a friend, she still felt a little uneasy with him. Unlike the rest of the group, he had a very rough thug-like appearance. His temper broke far too often and his strength made that even worse. She didn¡¯t like it any more than seeing Chiharu baiting him. Keeping the two apart seemed the best, but Fumiko had no control over either. ¡°You going to calm down then?¡± He glared at her, seeing the teetering look that struggled for unflinching. It took him another moment, but realized that his presence created an imposing aura. Seiji backed off from Fumiko and parked himself a safe three meters away with his arms crossed. ¡°¡­dammit¡­¡± he muttered quietly, other words came out, but none of them had any volume or intelligibility. Fumiko waited out the seconds that turned to minutes for Saki to return. She looked around at the group trying to place everything and fully take in everything. Yuki remained unconscious in the arms of Ayumi. The Atlantean girl stayed quiet after all of the arguing, if only because she got exactly what she wanted. Chiharu and Haruo looked as distant and anti-social as they always did. She wished that she could do anything about the two of them, but other matters needed her. Saki returned empty handed. ¡°Did you find her?¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°No¡­I don¡¯t know where she is. She¡¯s just gone¡­¡± Saki hung her head down after she said her words as though they were the only thing keeping her moving. She dragged her feet over to Yuki¡¯s side dropping down to her knees. ¡°¡­sorry¡­Yuki¡­I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Staring at them was too much for Fumiko. She turned away looking over at the rest of the group. ¡®Disappeared¡­she¡¯s got to be out there¡­somewhere¡­¡¯ ¡°Speaking of which,¡± spoke Fumiko, in the middle of her recollection of the events for Yumi. She leaned a little closer to Yumi as though she wanted to keep it a secret. ¡°How did you manage to evade Saki? She¡¯s so fast I can¡¯t imagine you being faster than her.¡± Yumi leaned back a little surprised by the sudden change of subject. Her face turned a bit red, feeling as though complimented for keeping out of Saki¡¯s hold. The more that Fumiko leaned in with intense curiosity the more Yumi became embarrassed. She lifted up her hands to her face trying to divide them. ¡°It wasn¡¯t anything that special. Honest.¡± Fumiko narrowed one of her eyes, questioning her more with her gaze. ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°I flew.¡± ¡°Flew?¡± She nodded softly to Fumiko. ¡°Yeah. I knew I couldn¡¯t outrun Saki. I¡¯ve seen her move. But she doesn¡¯t think three dimensionally. So I just kept myself in the air until I was safe.¡± ¡°Until you were safe? But wouldn¡¯t we have seen you, even in the sky?¡± ¡°I had some of the dust surrounding me to obscure me. Eventually, I found a tree and hid there until I knew Saki had returned.¡± ¡°You knew when Saki returned?¡± Fumiko became increasingly more interested in the story that Yumi told rather than her own. She leaned in further wanting more answers and making Yumi uneasy. Yumi tried to step away, but Fumiko flowed with her movement. ¡°W-w-well-what about you? Wh-wh-what happened after Saki came back?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The question made Fumiko stop for a moment. She realized that she forgot the original purpose of their talk. Once she remembered herself, she returned to her old position inviting Yumi back. ¡°Right! Sorry, guess I got side tracked. Well we waited until Yuki woke up, since we thought that any decision made with him out would not be fair. We had to wait for a while, you really did a number on him, Yumi!¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry! I didn¡¯t mean¡ª¡° ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m just teasing you.¡± Fumiko waved her hand down to dismiss her previous comment. Her eyes turned towards the back of their group to Seiji and Chiharu. The thought of them brought her focus back. ¡°Anyway¡­¡± ¡°Now that you¡¯re awake, we can go after her together!¡± Seiji declared, staring down at Yuki. His voice didn¡¯t have any intention of making it a question. He stated it as a fact as though everyone already came to the same conclusion. Ayumi leaned in around Yuki, still holding him from when Yumi gave him to her. She had a very protective look in her eyes, one only matched in intensity by Saki. ¡°She made her choice. You heard her! Yuki¡¯s got to get to the Capital to put an end to this! That was her wish!¡± Seiji stepped in, leaning down to her almost. ¡°Don¡¯t give me that crap! You¡¯re not even interested in how Yumi felt! You¡¯re just going along with what she said because it agrees with what you want!¡± He started to go for Ayumi to grab her once more, but a different hand from a new side stopped him. ¡°If you¡¯re so concerned, why don¡¯t you go with her,¡± remarked Chiharu in a flat tone. A brief contest between the two in Seiji trying to reclaim his wrist from Chiharu occurred with Chiharu holding out. Once Seiji saw that taking her strength lightly gave him no ground, he ripped free, nearly taking Chiharu with him. She sidestepped with the motion to land on the other side of Yuki with her body between the two. ¡°The rest of us can go on without you. I imagine it¡¯ll be a more peaceful time with you gone.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not in the mood for your childish games, brat!¡± He took a firm step forward to stand inside her space and towered over her for extra measure. The stance did nothing to intimidate her, a point that went entirely ignored by Seiji. The scene quickly escalated for everyone involved. It made Fumiko step back worried that their emotions and egos would keep them from the important issue. ¡°Enough!¡± she yelled as loud as she could, but saw it changed nothing. She made further attempts, but they proved as fruitless as the first. ¡®Should be small¡­shouldn¡¯t need to worry¡­¡¯ Her final answer came with her arm rising to meet the middle between them. Small tendrils of light whipped around her arm tying together at her wrist and turned to a red glow of fire. The fire burst from her hand in a long column that toasted everyone¡¯s face a little. Everyone involved shut up immediately and turned with rusted necks to stare in disbelief at Fumiko. Stray burnt hairs flowed in the air as the embers faded. The slightly burned faces suddenly turned a little blue seeing the towering presence of Fumiko before them all. ¡°Enough fighting!¡± Once she released her yell, she calmed down feeling better. ¡°Now I can see that no one here is going to be able to agree on us going as a group anywhere. So let¡¯s take Chiharu¡¯s suggestion¡ª¡° ¡°Now wait a¡ª¡° Seiji stopped himself just as he interrupted Fumiko. Her glare at him promptly shut him down and made him back a step away. ¡°Let¡¯s take Chiharu¡¯s suggestion and take it a little further. The only way to make everyone happy is going to be splitting up into two teams.¡± She looked down at Yuki, who looked equally terrified despite not having said a single word. ¡°Unfortunately, Yuki, you''re not going to get a choice in the matter. To satisfy Ayumi, you¡¯re going to need to head to the Capital.¡± Yuki held his words while his mind ran through everything. His head tilted up towards everyone. ¡°But who¡¯s going to find Yumi? We don¡¯t know where to find her.¡± His question brought a new silence to the group. Saki¡¯s attempt failed, leaving them with no options to locate Yumi. However, an unexpected answer came from Chiharu. ¡°I¡¯ll be able to find her.¡± The certainty in Chiharu¡¯s voice had them all curious, but Fumiko beat them to the question. ¡°How will you be able to find her?¡± ¡°I can use my powers and skills in tracking. Additionally, I have a general direction where she¡¯s going.¡± Fumiko accepted her confidence and moved on to the rest. ¡°Chiharu is going to be in Yumi¡¯s group. I¡¯ll go as well. I assume that Ayumi is going to be with Yuki.¡± She didn¡¯t need confirmation from the look in Ayumi¡¯s eyes. ¡°Well then, what about everyone else? Who¡¯s going with us?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go too,¡± spoke Seiji. His voice had calmed down and he seemed in control once more. He looked over at Saki almost glaring again. ¡°You¡¯ll make sure he stays safe, right?¡± Saki glared back a little, looking like she took his question as an affront. ¡°Of course, who do you think I am?¡± Yuki raised his hand up, interjecting between them. ¡°Hey you two, I am right here. I¡¯m not defenseless, you know. I can take care of myself.¡± Saki and Seiji both leaned together to stare down at Yuki. ¡°If no one watches you, you¡¯ll try to take everything on yourself and do something reckless!¡± Their unison voices made the others almost start to laugh a little. Yuki¡¯s eyes flitted about becoming a little embarrassed with the situation. He had no response for them, as they both knew him too well. Fumiko looked over at Haruo, ever quiet and detached. ¡°What about you?¡± He stepped a little closer to the back of Yuki making his stance clear. ¡°I see.¡± She looked over at the others feeling good about the solution. ¡°So Chiharu, Seiji and myself will locate Yumi and rescue Yori. Once we¡¯ve done that we¡¯ll do everything we can to catch up to you.¡± Yuki stood up looking very serious. His eyes narrowed with his expression. ¡°We¡¯ll meet back outside of the Capital. Promise me!¡± He put out his hand with his open palm faced down jutting straight for them. ¡°Definitely!¡± replied Seiji, slapping his hand down on top of Yuki¡¯s hand. He finished his response with an eager grin. Fumiko added her hand to the center along with Saki. They gave a firm and agreeing nod to Yuki binding their promise. The others left themselves out not interested in the childish notion of the promise. Seiji didn¡¯t take no for an answer and pulled Chiharu, complaining, to put her hand in. Saki followed up with Ayumi taking a card from Seiji¡¯s book and dragged her forcibly. Yuki pulled Haruo along, only slightly reluctant. Yuki looked around at everyone, seeing them all as a group, his friends. ¡°It¡¯s a promise! Everyone comes back safe and we all put an end to this!¡± He smiled to everyone, feeling the infectious nature of Seiji¡¯s enthusiasm. It slowly built around to the others with even Chiharu looking a little flushed and Haruo less stern than before. The conclusion to the story made Yumi feel warm. She couldn¡¯t help but smile a little herself as Fumiko finished. ¡®Everyone¡¯s together¡­I¡¯m glad!¡¯ Yumi turned to Fumiko wanting to say something to her, but suddenly forgot her words. A stabbing pain ripped through her head making her scream aloud, startling everyone. ¡®What¡¯s¡­happening¡­¡¯ The wave of pain passed as quickly as it came, but returned equally intense. She could no longer stand, the pain leaked through her muscles. Yumi collapsed to the ground unable to control the burning agony that coursed through her veins like fire. Her hands crawled over her head and pulled at her hair. The source of the pain remained in her mind. It felt like a barbed wire rammed through her eyes and stirred in her brain. She scratched at her head trying to relieve the suffering. It shifted around bumped coarsely through her and split her skull. Through all of the screaming of her voice and the yelling pain, she heard a voice. ¡®Brother! Why are you in pain?!¡¯ Chapter 128 - Breaking Through If Yori could lean back in his chair, he would have at that moment. The ominous presence of the man grew twofold for Yori, making him realizing that he should no longer have expectations on his limits. ¡®¡­what do I do? Can I¡­¡¯ Yori felt a new layer of sweat cover him as his mind spun in fear. He didn¡¯t know if he had the will to resist whatever they had planned. If the situation was normal, he thought that he might stand a chance. Yet there was nothing normal for him. They could literally make anything they needed to break him, that single thought spread unending fear through his body. Time passed quickly at an unknown pace to Yori. He became entranced within his paralysis. Not until a heavy hand firmly gripped his shoulder did Yori snap back to reality. His eyes blinked, removing the last image and updating the surroundings. The placement of everyone changed and he knew that he entered a different moment. The woman left his sight and the first man he spoke with held to the corner. Only the fear inducing man still held a spot similar to before. Yori suddenly gasped on air, realizing that he held taking in a breath. The Atlantean leaned in a little further to Yori. ¡°So you¡¯re silence means you plan to resist.¡± He looked up over Yori¡¯s shoulder at the woman preparing behind him. Still trying to catch up on everything, Yori didn¡¯t even know how much time had passed. Everything suddenly seemed to move quickly beyond his pace. They forced him to follow with the pace they dictated to him. Realization came late, when he understood the meaning of the man¡¯s words. ¡®¡­but I haven¡¯t even decided yet!¡¯ Yori felt like the path in front of him shifted and forced him down it with hands shoving him the entire way. He wanted more time, but felt guilty in thinking that he should need any for such a decision. Each second he hesitated, the longer that he hurt his sister. ¡®¡­Yumi, I must hold strong¡­¡¯ His back stiffened a little and straightened as he prepared himself and presented his captors with a decisive stare. ¡®He¡¯s really going through it¡­didn¡¯t think it would come to this¡­¡¯ thought Simonides. The full abilities of Athene had never been required in an interrogation. A simple intrusion would always be enough. Usually, the pain attributed to the resistance was enough to break those considered unbreakable. Simonides imagined that with these powers, a completely safe method without pain was possible, but interrogations rarely worried about the delicate nature of the individual. The sight of a teenager made him question his resolve to carry out. ¡®They¡¯re all just kids and we¡¯ve already fought them. This shouldn¡¯t be any different.¡¯ He gave a nod to Athene to begin. Uncertainty to the degree of pain made Yori¡¯s anticipation rise further. He rolled his fingers roughly against his palms, doing anything to calm himself and prepare. The restricted movement of his body made the unease turn into a foul substance within his stomach that threatened to enter his throat. Yori swallowed roughly trying to keep everything down. ¡®¡­sister¡­¡¯ A red ring waded through the ground expanding beyond the tent to disappear from sight. The ground remained unchanged, but behind Yori¡¯s chair, a wide metal tube extruded up from the surface. As it continued to grow taller, a base formed and bolted itself into the ground for support. Once the tube reached shoulder height new extrusions erupted from the metal. Plastic like arms formed stretching out and gripping firmly to Yori¡¯s shoulder, the contact made his body jump however little possible. The top of the tube ended behind the head and spread out into a wider mouth opening. From the opening sprung more than a dozen wires with small circular discs attached to the end. Moving around like tentacles of a squid, the wires spread around all sides of Yori¡¯s head hovering in position. On the final confirmation signal from the Captain, the wires dove in burying under the hair. Yori looked only slightly disturbed by the action and almost confused expecting something worse. However, he let up too early. His head jerked back suddenly in pain as all of the wires injected needles through his scalp and made pinging contact with his skull. The slight scraping of the needles against bone didn¡¯t unnerve him the most from the experience. Rather, the echoing that pulsed through his brain threatened to unhinge him with sensations that he couldn¡¯t quantify. It didn¡¯t feel like a headache or painful and certainly not pleasant, but closer to water being poured directly on his brain and blasted out to leave everything ringing. The sensation left him unbalanced and ready to fall over. He felt as though he hung on the side of a wall with only the chair that kept him from falling, yet knew it not to be true. His sense of direction changed again almost as quickly leaving him on a steep slope, the sudden shift made him want to throw up. ¡®This can¡¯t be all of it¡­ disorientation, no it probably hasn¡¯t even begun¡­¡¯ Assumption turned to certainty for Yori. The sensation calmed and his balance started to return, but a stabbing pain rammed through the back of his head. Yori coughed and gasped in surprise. It felt as though a spear plunged through his head and poked at the back of his eyes. He wanted to lift his hands up to feel if any of the pain he felt was real, but he could only hope. His body felt as though it emptied a liter of sweat in seconds as the pain continued in pulsing fashion so that he couldn¡¯t become even a little accustomed to it. It undulated through his brain cutting, stabbing, poking and scrapping as it dug deeper. Further in the pain traveled, the more he knew it began to search for the answers that they sought. ¡®I can¡¯t¡­let them¡­¡¯ He didn¡¯t even know if a scream came from his mouth as the digging continued. The more he wanted it to stop the worse it became. Yori was certain he had to be screaming. The screeching in his brain ripped him from all of his senses of reality with only pain as the only feeling left. ¡®¡­Yumi!¡¯ Chapter 128 ¨C Breaking Through ¡®¡­Yumi!¡¯ Yumi¡¯s head snapped back and her eyes opened wide, but the sky didn¡¯t enter her vision. She saw a lowly lit tent and two figures in front of her. It felt like she sat in a chair and an oppressive force slammed down around her. ¡®Where am I?¡¯ Another bolt of pain through her head made her jump a little. ¡®¡­the pain¡­¡¯ Her vision turned down seeing legs rattling at the legs of a chair she had never seen before with a body that she recognized, but knew not to be her. It only took moments to make the connection. ¡®Yori!¡¯ In that instant, she felt that she stood next to him and saw everything. She had finally returned to him and felt safe again. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. However, darkness fell over her suddenly and she lost sight of everything. ¡®Yori! Where did you go!? Come back! Brother!¡¯ Yumi threw out her hands trying to grab on to him, but found nothing. Emptiness surrounded her and she was alone, again. A dot of a light sprung free from the endless void to give her direction. She stretched up towards it, as it grew wider to fill her view. Yumi jerked forward suddenly in darkness again screaming. ¡°Yori!¡± The darkness around her didn¡¯t feel as impenetrable as before and gave her warmth. She looked around seeing a fire set and the outlines of her friends. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°You¡¯re awake,¡± said Fumiko, the nearest to Yumi. She shifted her position a little to approach Yumi now that she woke. ¡°You had us a little worried.¡± Yumi searched around trying to find her brother. ¡®I just saw him! I know it! But he¡¯s gone¡­now¡­¡¯ Her shoulders collapsed a little with the hope she had fading away. It took her another minute to sort her present reality and past. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°You screamed in pain and collapsed. You fell unconscious soon after.¡± ¡°Unconscious? How long have I been out?¡± She stood up quickly realizing that the daylight had long since disappeared. All around her, the stars in the night sky surrounded her providing an unfamiliar view. Her legs felt weak a moment after the rush passed away and she stumbled. Fumiko ran to catch her quickly enough before she hit the ground. ¡°Ugh¡­I feel so lightheaded suddenly¡­¡± Fumiko grimaced a little at the carelessness. ¡°You probably shouldn¡¯t stand up so quickly. You¡¯re still not fully awake.¡± ¡°But!¡± Yumi struggled in the hold wanting to stand back up. She had to keep moving. ¡°My Brother¡¯s out there still! I can¡¯t stop!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t rescue him if you¡¯re unable to walk!¡± Her voice got the attention of Yumi and froze her in her arms for the moment. ¡°Rest a little and we¡¯ll continue once you¡¯re ready. You won¡¯t do him any good as you are now.¡± Yumi wanted to protest further, but between the glare from Fumiko and the loopy feeling in her head, still she relented. ¡°¡­alright¡­¡± Fumiko eased her back down to the grass. Once seated, she pulled her legs up close to her chest. Across from the campfire, Seiji laid back away from the light making it difficult to tell if he was asleep. Chiharu leaned forward with her legs crossed and eyes closed. Her body looked completely still with not even a breath disturbing her. Yumi didn¡¯t even know if she was alive. With Yumi settled down, Fumiko felt that she could relax and sat back down at the fire. She saw the distant and unsettled look of Yumi as she tried to figure out what happened. The abruptness of her episode made them all confused and wanting answers. Fumiko leaned a little closer to Yumi, not wanting to bother the others. ¡°Are you in pain still?¡± It took Yumi a moment to notice that Fumiko asked her a question. She tilted her head up towards Fumiko slowly. ¡°No, I¡¯m fine now.¡± Yumi thought about it, the scene from before. Each stabbing and ripping felt completely real and yet it did not even feel like it happened. ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± ¡°Do you know what caused it?¡± ¡°No¡­ I¡¯m not sure it really happened.¡± The longer that she thought about it the faster the sensation evaporated. She tried to hold on tighter to the feeling as much as it scared her, but it fled from her. ¡°I don¡¯t know if it was me.¡± Fumiko tilted her head to the side in confusion. She didn¡¯t expect a simple answer, but the responses from Yumi made less sense than she thought possible. ¡°How could it not be you? You were in pain and screaming. I¡¯m pretty sure that means something happened to you. Was it one of the enemy maybe? We didn¡¯t see anyone, but maybe you felt something like before?¡± Yumi shook her head. The feeling that she had before when attacked didn¡¯t have the same feeling. ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t the same. I don¡¯t understand all of my powers very well, but those I think are premonitions that I have. I feel what will happen if I don¡¯t act. This wasn¡¯t the same.¡± ¡°Maybe it was them using their powers to cause you pain.¡± ¡°But they didn¡¯t attack. It would not make much sense if they just stopped.¡± ¡°Perhaps they wanted to delay us?¡± ¡°I guess¡­¡± Yumi searched through the remnants of what remained for her. ¡®I remember thinking about Yori then, but why?¡¯ Her brother had come to her suddenly when she felt the pain. It felt like a reaction or instinct to her. She didn¡¯t understand why she thought of him when the pain hit her. ¡°It can¡¯t be a coincidence¡­¡± Yumi¡¯s voice barely made it to Fumiko, but she put together the words. She found something. ¡°What is it, Yumi? I remember something?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but I thought of Yori when it happened.¡± Her mind scoured over the pieces. She recalled the strange feeling she had of being with her brother. The tent came back to her and the people. ¡°I saw that man!¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°He was standing with the other soldiers that attacked us. I saw him with Yori! I know it!¡± Yumi stood up on her feet feeling energy back in her body. Yori was alive and she stood next to him. She turned over to Fumiko more certain about where he was than before. ¡°I know where my brother is!¡± Fumiko rushed to her feet trying to slow down Yumi, sensing that she might run off. She grabbed onto Yumi¡¯s shoulders to ground her. ¡°What¡¯re you talking about, Yumi? Who did you see?¡± ¡°I know, Fumiko! It¡¯s clear to me! I was with my brother!¡± Yumi nodded reaffirming her certainty to herself. The confusion on Fumiko¡¯s face did not even process through her head. Her mind completely narrowed to a pinpoint on the connection she made. ¡°He¡¯s tied to a chair in a tent. I felt it. I saw it! The soldiers had him. They¡¯re trying to get him to talk and he¡¯s struggling to hang on! I have to get to him now!¡± ¡°Yumi! Get a hold of yourself! You¡¯re not making any sense!¡± Fumiko found that she needed to use her strength to keep Yumi from moving. She struggled in an absent sense with her, as though not really seeing Fumiko. ¡°Yumi?¡± ¡°He¡¯s waiting for me! I have to go now!¡± A solid wind pounded into Fumiko knocking her off her feet. Fumiko didn¡¯t know what happened in the next moments with her head reeling. She looked through blurry eyes from the grass to see the feet of Yumi march off from the camp. It took her even longer to pull herself back up to her feet, the pain in her stomach still lingered. ¡®What was that?! What got into her?¡¯ Fumiko turned over to Yumi in the distance. ¡°Yumi! Come back!¡± A white square room surrounded Yori with a simple white table and chair. He sat before it with his hands resting in his lap. All of the pain disappeared, but he didn¡¯t know when it happened. Yori searched around the empty room seeing no windows or doors. It was a solid seamless room and even the bright light of the white made the table blend with the room. He wasn¡¯t certain where the table began or ended. He wasn¡¯t even certain if the table was still in front of him. ¡®Where am I? I am still being interrogated?¡¯ ¡®This is the beginning,¡¯ stated a woman¡¯s voice. Yori flipped around trying to find the voice, but saw no one behind him. When he came to look forward a woman stood before him that he knew had not before. He narrowed his eyes trying to understand where she came from. ¡°You¡¯re¡­¡± The longer he stared at her the more familiar she became to him. ¡°Yes. And I have already accessed everything within your mind.¡± The white room suddenly flashed and hundreds upon thousands of panels displayed around the walls. Images played in motion clustered one on top of another. Each one housed a memory of Yori¡¯s. Everything that made him stood completely open. He already had lost. Chapter 129 - Room of Deceit His eyes darted around the room trying to take in the deluge of information. He didn¡¯t know if it responded to him. The sight of each memory placed out before him unfiltered made him feel naked. He wanted to hide in a corner or under the table. Yori didn¡¯t expect to face his defeat so quickly. ¡®What does she know? How much has she already taken from me? Does she know everything?¡¯ ¡®You¡¯ve already revealed everything to me.¡¯ Yori jumped a little hearing the voice in his head again. ¡®You can hear my thoughts?!¡¯ ¡®Of course.¡¯ The room suddenly grew warm quickly for him. It felt like someone stared at him from all sides and looked inside. She pierced through him knowing his thoughts. He had no safety. He tried to bury his thoughts deeper into layers beyond her with subtle touches. ¡®I just have to distance myself more¡­¡¯ ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter how deep you try to go. I¡¯m already there. There¡¯s no part of your mind that I¡¯m not already attached to.¡¯ He wanted to say that it was impossible, but knew better than to say anything. Her powers made everything possible, even what she claimed. Yori saw no escape or freedom. The room she stuck him in had no exits, even without the restraints. He didn¡¯t know what he could do. He couldn¡¯t protect Yumi in such absolute control. His eyes flipped around the room trying to figure out his situation. ¡°You¡¯ve no escape.¡± The woman pulled herself free from the bleached light of the room as though the air concealed her. Split from the room to become an individual, she appeared bathed in luminescent blue cloth draped over her body in a complex woven dress. The glow gave the material a soft furry like appearance despite being smooth. A windless breeze kept her dress in constant motion. She stepped within a meter of Yori stopping near the table. ¡°Now let¡¯s talk about your sister, Yori Mizuno.¡± Chapter 129 ¨C Room of Deceit The moment that he heard his sister mentioned the walls changed their images. Everywhere he looked he saw Yumi displayed before him. His memories varied from recent to far into the past for him. The sight of her around him made him sweat. ¡®¡­Yumi¡­¡¯ It might not have been his real sister, but all of the eyes felt like they stared at him in judgment. His actions hurt her and he already gave them everything. He didn¡¯t even know how or when it happened. Yori turned his head away from the walls, but even the floor held captured memories. He couldn¡¯t escape it. She wouldn¡¯t allow him a moment of reprieve. His eyes slowly pulled up, no longer knowing where to look. Once level with the wall again, his eyelids widened sharply catching a large image of Yumi staring back at him. She seemed to focus on nothing but him. Yori jumped up, startled by her presence. The chair fell over in his haste and brought him to look back down. It was enough to snap him out of his gaze with Yumi and turn all of his stored confusion and guilt into fear. He ran for the opposite side of the room hoping to put as much distance between them as he could. He looked a little over his shoulder back at Yumi. She seemed to be getting closer to him, somehow projecting herself out of the image. Yumi stretched out to him, warping the two dimensional image of her. The more it stretched the more horrific Yori¡¯s face turned until he could only turn away to where he ran. ¡®I¡¯m so sorry! Forgive me!¡¯ Yori stumbled while fleeing and collapsed roughly to the ground, his nose a little bruised. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Slowly, Yori pulled himself up with the pain having wiped his mind of its concerns. It took him a few moments to focus his eyes on the ground. He found the white glow of the room no longer present and Yumi¡¯s face missing. ¡°Where am I?¡± Yori forced himself to concentrate on the ground, his mind suddenly feeling very light. His hands rubbed against the floor feeling a smooth grain of tiles and particles of dirt. The tiles continued out of sight, as he looked further away and walls nearby. ¡°A hall? It seems familiar¡­¡± Yori rubbed his hand over his face trying to push through the lightheadedness. ¡°¡­so dizzy¡­¡± He pushed his back against the wall and supported himself to rise to his feet. Once he stood, he felt a little better, but still had to concentrate to keep focused. ¡°It doesn¡¯t end¡­¡± he commented, when he saw the hallway continuing until only a dot in the distance. It didn¡¯t matter to him. He needed to move. Keeping one hand supported against the wall, Yori began walking slowly down the hall. His mind didn¡¯t even consider the passage of time, his legs just kept moving as though stopping meant the end. Yori believed that an end existed. It kept him moving. The further he went, whispers began to appear in the hall even though he saw no people. They grew stronger the longer he continued. It made him more certain that an end existed and something awaited him. He heard a multitude of voices around him, but he couldn¡¯t separate any of them. They existed as a mass. He felt as though they belonged to children. A faded image of a student passed his eyes just on the edge of his periphery. His head snapped behind him trying to see who the student was, but they were gone. ¡®Am I imagining things?¡¯ Yori focused ahead of him, but caught a gasp in his throat. The empty hall filled with ghostly images of students. ¡®What¡¯s happening? Why are there ghosts? What¡¯s going on?¡¯ Yori¡¯s confusion pushed him onward. His hallway became crowded and even hovering by the wall no longer kept him out of the way. He had to push through them, but when he pressed his hand, it passed through. Yori stumbled through the student collapsing to the ground. The voices around him grew in volume. Their feet clattered along the tile. Then something bumped into him suddenly. He fell to his back and his eyes closed for a moment. However, when his eyes opened the students were solid. The hallway no longer continued endlessly. Windows and doors lined the walls and the sun beamed down on him. Yori no longer felt weakened and pulled himself up, but a weight kept him from moving too far. He looked down to see Yuki dazed in his lap. The position made Yori feel awkward and annoyed. ¡°What¡¯s going on, Hayashi?! Why are you here?¡± ¡°Huh? Who are you?¡± Yuki rubbed his head, not completely focused. Once he stopped tending to the bump on his head, he looked up at Yori¡¯s face. It only took him a second to see the second year bars on his collar and realize he ran into an upperclassman. ¡°Sorry! I didn¡¯t see you! Are you hurt?¡± Yuki pulled himself up and offered a hand to Yori. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Hayashi,¡± Yori curtly spoke, as he stood up on his own. ¡°This is a school hall. You shouldn¡¯t be running.¡± ¡°Normally yes, but when you¡¯re getting chased you sort of have to run.¡± Yuki laughed a little to himself. He patted down his clothes to knock off the dust, but stopped in mid-motion. His eyes focused on Yori suddenly. ¡°How come you know my name? Do I know you?¡± ¡°What are you talking about, of course I do!¡± Yuki leaned in, lifting his hand to his chin in his investigation of Yori. He got a little too close to Yori, who pushed him away. ¡°I don¡¯t remember! Sorry!¡± ¡°Get back here, Yuki!¡± yelled several students from the end of the hall. The voices made Yuki turn his head away to respond. When he saw the three boys charging down the hall for him Yuki jumped. ¡°I thought I lost them!¡± Yuki looked over to Yori and clapped his hands together in apology. ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯ve got to run again!¡± As his last words, Yuki departed in a sprint keeping barely ahead of the students chasing him. Yori stared at the scene deeply confused. ¡®He doesn¡¯t remember me? What¡¯s going on?¡¯ He looked around at the school, certain beyond a doubt that it was his school. ¡®This is our school and I recognize others¡­¡¯ His eyes scanned the hall as his feet began moving again. Everything was in the places that he knew it. ¡®¡­is this a memory? Did I step into a memory? From before we met?¡¯ A bell rang through the school distracting Yori from the hall. He turned his head almost instinctively, thinking that he needed to be in class. However, he corrected himself knowing that he couldn¡¯t be at school. ¡®Right, I¡¯m being interrogated. I didn¡¯t escape¡­she¡¯s somewhere watching me probably¡­I need to find her¡­¡¯ Yori began to move again, still feeling a little distracted. ¡®I can¡¯t let her see this¡­if I can help it¡­¡¯ When he focused his eyes back on the hall, he saw that it was empty. The students all disappeared, almost too quickly. He turned around and around trying to find any of them, but none of them were around, even in classrooms. Yori ran up to the window in the hall to look outside. When he looked down at the school grounds, he saw a small group, the only ones present. He pressed his hands to the glass the moment he recognized them. ¡°Yumi! And she¡¯s with Hayashi and the others! What¡¯s going on?!¡± Yori spun his head around looking for the stairs. He had to get down there to them. There had to be a reason for them, something was happening. His sense of distance and time disappeared. He wasn¡¯t certain if it was because of the memory or the effects of his focus, but he ran regardless. Yori held no concern for any of it. He had to protect his sister from that woman. He had to stop what was happening before they learned everything, if they hadn¡¯t already. ¡®Yumi¡­I¡¯m sorry¡­this is all my fault¡­if I hadn¡¯t stubbornly insisted on going with you¡­¡¯ Once Yori reached the grounds, none of them were in sight. He searched around for them and found nothing. But he suddenly heard laughing in the distance, a familiar voice. Yori¡¯s head perked up and he dashed in the direction without consideration that it might not be his sister. The voice continued, but grew more distant on him forcing him to push his legs harder to keep up. Each turn seemed to have the hope of seeing them, but always empty. Only the sound of the laughing kept Yori going. He lost all sense of where he ran or if he still remained in a memory. Nothing mattered to him anymore. ¡®¡­sister¡­¡¯ Around the next corner, Yori came to a stop. He caught up. ¡°¡­Yumi¡­¡± She stood within reach of him, but her back faced him standing with Yuki smiling. Yori froze, unable to move while watching them. They began to pull away from him. He watched them all disappear before his eyes. Once they vanished, his body suddenly shook, dropping him to his knees. She left him, again. ¡®¡­Yumi¡­¡¯ His head tilted up staring at the building before him. The sign above the door said ¡®Mi Hana Shop¡¯, a phrase that didn¡¯t immediately come to Yori. He focused too strongly on his sister. Yori pushed himself back up and forcibly marched over to the building. The door opened for him. Inside, he saw an empty front desk and no sign of his sister or the others. Ignoring manners for intruding, Yori walked deeper into the interior. All of the smaller rooms he found along his search were empty. ¡®They have to be here somewhere¡­ I know I saw them enter¡­¡¯ Further down the long hallway, he heard voices speaking in the distance, once more. He hurried in the direction until he came to the corner from where heard them. ¡®Yumi! But that woman¡­ What¡¯s going on?¡¯ Yori hugged the wall, keeping out of sight, suddenly feeling the urge to be cautious. ¡°It¡¯s important that you don¡¯t fail,¡± spoke the unknown woman. She looked like a regular businesswoman, except for the fact that Yori could tell that she wasn¡¯t Japanese. The features and hair made it clear to him that she was Western, possibly European. ¡°They¡¯re ripe for rebellion right now.¡± ¡®What¡¯s she talking about? And to Yumi and the rest¡­¡¯ ¡°I know,¡± Yuki said, nodding his head to the woman. Yumi agreed with him, looking over at Yuki. ¡°We can¡¯t let them get away with it any longer. They¡¯ll pay for the injustices that they¡¯ve committed.¡± ¡°Right. When you arrive, you¡¯ll be met by those in the resistance. They¡¯ll let you in.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t they know we¡¯ve entered?¡± questioned Yumi. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s likely that they¡¯ll send a patrol to investigate. But you¡¯ll be able to handle them.¡± Yuki comforted an uncertain Yumi. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Yumi. I¡¯ve taught you how to use your abilities. You¡¯ll be fine. You just have to trust in yourself.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right! We have to do this!¡± ¡®What¡¯s going on? This isn¡¯t right!¡¯ Yori fell back against the wall suddenly feeling out of breath. His chest heaved and his body struggled for air desperately. He knew that couldn¡¯t be his sister. It didn¡¯t make any sense. It had to all be a lie. ¡®What memory is this? It can¡¯t be true!¡¯ Yori felt his body warming up and his clothes becoming stifling. He wanted to escape, but his back felt glued to the wall. ¡®This is wrong! Yumi¡¯s not¡­she¡¯s¡­I don¡¯t remember this!¡¯ The image of Yuki and Yumi together burned in his mind. They were together and she looked happy. He didn¡¯t understand it. It didn¡¯t seem possible. It was all wrong. It had to be wrong. There was no possible answer. Yori shook his head side to side trying to get all of the lies out of his mind. ¡®This isn¡¯t right! It¡¯s wrong! This never happened!¡¯ He tried to convince himself what he heard and saw didn¡¯t exist. His hands clung savagely to his head wanting to remove everything. ¡®Why?! Yumi?! Is it because I betrayed you? You¡­¡¯ When his breathing reached its limit, Yori collapsed to the floor pale and almost unconscious. The only word from his mouth repeated endlessly was her name. Struggling to remain sane, Yori pulled himself crawling on the floor away from the trickery. He slowly made it back to the entrance of the business before collapsing once more out of breath. On his back, he stared up at the exterior of the building. ¡®So disgusting¡­no taste¡­¡¯ he thought, when he saw the building, ¡®Why would she be here¡­ at this karaoke shop¡­¡¯ The longer that he stared at the sign the more it seemed to stare back at him. The name repeated through his mind as his words triggered a new path. A flash of an image of his sister talking to him about the shop came to him. He remembered something about it. ¡®Yumi told me about this place. I remember, she went here with Hayashi and the others. I remember her telling me about it. They played at the beach¡­it didn¡¯t make a lot of sense then¡­but this is the place¡­¡¯ Yori focused on their conversation to remember what she told him about the day. Most of what he remembered was just that she spent the day with Yuki, a fact that bothered him. He ended up focusing more on that than the rest of the details. He couldn¡¯t remember if he heard all of what she told him. Yori widened his eyes sharply to a realization. ¡°It¡¯s wrong!¡± His breathing returned to normal and he stood up freely. He stared back in the hall near the desk, finding attendants of varying ages and heights talking to everyone. ¡°The events are wrong! Yumi didn¡¯t have powers then! This is a false memory, but why? Was it a trick by the woman?¡± Suddenly, something pulled Yori away from the ground, buildings and even the world. It all quickly fell out of sight. His world fell into darkness. Yori floated away to an end that he didn¡¯t understand. The void he found himself contained in had a strange unfamiliar feel to it. Even in all of the confusion from before he felt certain that he was still in his world, for lack of a better word. The sense of his world no longer existed. He truly felt disconnected. The veil ripped away from his eyes and bathed him in light. Green hills and forests surrounded him with a small town coming into sight. None of it was familiar to him. ¡®What¡¯s happening now? This can¡¯t be a memory of mine?¡¯ A young girl ran up to a house in the block of homes that Yori found himself standing in. She met an older boy, in his teens, and they ran back out into the stone road. All he heard was the boy calling out to the girl. ¡°Slow down, Athene!¡± Chapter 130 - Crack the World Yori reached his hand out towards the two children, but knew them to be too far away. Watching the two run off down the road through his fingers made him feel as helpless as he did confused. The scenery didn¡¯t seem familiar to him and the children were no one he remembered. If the houses looked Japanese, then he could have thought the rural quality to be from a countryside town he visited when he was younger. However, they didn¡¯t match anything in Japan. ¡®They look European¡­sort like¡­¡¯ His eyes widened in shocking realization as he took in the town in more detail. The thatched roofs for some homes, stone masonry for others, each he saw before. The architecture looked identical to where they had just come from. He couldn¡¯t believe his eyes completely. It didn¡¯t make any sense to him that such a place would be in his mind. Recent memory or not, it didn¡¯t add up. ¡®¡­this is Atlantis!¡¯ Chapter 130 ¨C Crack the World ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡± Yori shouted to the sky. His head tilted towards the clouds as though seeking an answer from them. It seemed stupid to expect a reply, but if the woman created the illusion then she might have answered him. Silence told him that he should feel awkward for the scene. He flipped his eyes side to side. Slightly paranoid someone in the illusion saw him, but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case. It felt to him that the children were the only others in the world. He ran off down the road after the children. ¡®If it¡¯s just us then there must be some meaning to this! I have to figure this mystery out!¡¯ Yori searched down alleys and around homes with no success. He knew that they had to be around the town somewhere. Desperation built in his muscles urging his legs to move faster to find them. Everything around him was foreign and he wanted answers. ¡®If I find them maybe I can figure this all out!¡¯ It turned into his only hope. He had left a fake memory to fall into what he could only assume to be an illusion created to confuse him. He didn¡¯t even know if they stole everything from his mind. Wandering around the town gave up no answers for him. The children were nowhere in sight. The town itself didn¡¯t seem any more familiar to him. He hoped that enough searching might reveal the town they stayed in briefly, but nothing about it he recognized. He only had two outcomes from his investigation. ¡®Either this is a completely fabricated memory meant to be the next stage in the interrogations or this is a composite of my memories to create something new, which also might be the next stage as well.¡¯ Each option had their merits, but Yori didn¡¯t want to settle on one until he understood his situation better. With the town exhausted, he went out into the fields. While he hoped that they didn¡¯t double back at some point, the only remaining place unsearched was beyond the town. Yori knew that a lot of unexplored ground existed outside. Therefore, he just pointed himself in a direction and went rather than over thinking the problem. ¡°Looks fairly generic,¡± he sighed with disappointment. He knew that he shouldn¡¯t have expected anything to look familiar to him. If his hypothesis was correct, then he didn¡¯t have enough time in the land for anything to be familiar. One hill and one tree looked just like every other one. ¡°Hopefully, they¡¯re around here.¡± Yori walked aimlessly for a time that he could no longer count. He didn¡¯t even know if any sense of the word, time, existed. The sun didn¡¯t seem to change regardless of where he went or for how long. He wanted to give up his fruitless search, but trudged on with only the hope of answers at the end. In the distance, the voices of children pulled Yori away from his line of sight. He found them at last. He ran as hard as he could in the direction not wanting to be late and find them missing. Over a hill and in a large field of flowers, he found the two children he saw before. They sat in the field picking flowers and laughing. He felt the scene oddly clich¨¦, even for an illusion. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious¡­what sort of meaning is this supposed to have?¡± Uncertain on how to continue, Yori took careful steps not to disturb the two if they could be aware of his presence. The two seemed in their own world with not a care to anything else. Closer to them, he started to make out their conversation. ¡°When¡¯s your daddy coming home, Athene?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Mommy says that he¡¯s working hard for the King.¡± ¡°My mommy says the King¡¯s bad!¡± ¡°But mommy says without the King we¡¯d all die!¡± ¡°But if the King is gone there will be another King.¡± ¡°So even if the King is evil, we¡¯ll get a new King that¡¯s good?¡± ¡°Definitely!¡± ¡®What do they mean?¡¯ Yori paused outside of the flowers. He remembered the conversation he eavesdropped on in the village the night before had similar words. It didn¡¯t add too much to him yet, but it coming up again made him certain the King had a greater significance to the country than Ayumi let them to believe. He could see her desperation, but she never explained herself. He needed to understand the role the King played. ¡®Why will everyone die if there¡¯s no King? The land will still be here even without the King. So what happens? And an evil King and good King?¡¯ Yori pressed his hand to his forehead, feeling his mind going in circles just like before. ¡®Nothing is making any sense. This is all too vague! I need a clear answer!¡¯ This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Yori turned his caution away and started in for the children. Even if he was in an illusion there seemed to be the chance for answers to what Ayumi hid from them. He had to know. He didn¡¯t care about the risks. ¡°Hey! You¡ª¡° Before Yori could say anymore an explosion drowned out his words. The children stood up looking straight at him in shock. He felt as though their stunned faces accused him of the noise, but he quickly learned otherwise. The girl started to cry running part way through the flowers before stopping. ¡°The town¡¯s on fire! Mommy!¡± ¡°¡­mom¡­¡± whimpered the boy, unable to move from his spot. ¡°Mommy¡¯s in danger! I have to find her!¡± She began running again, passing Yori as though he didn¡¯t exist. The boy chased after her once he realized that she ran off. Heat so uncomfortable that it made his skin crawl and washed over Yori. He hadn¡¯t turned around yet, but it felt as though the town stood behind him. It shouldn¡¯t have been possible, but he looked over his shoulder. ¡°What?!¡± When he saw the town burning close enough to glaze his eyes he staggered back facing it fully. Townspeople fled in all directions from the spreading fires. Whatever explosions started it, the center of the town held a large crater. Stone and earth debris laid strewn everywhere. The blast sent pieces into other homes wrecking more outside of the radius. Cries and screams of pain echoed through the roads from the injured or dying. Anarchy existed and no one knew why. ¡°What¡¯s happening? Why is the town burning suddenly? Is there an attack?¡± Before Yori could get any answers the town shifted on him. He found himself standing back at the home when he first saw the girl. She cried knelt in front of what remained of her house. Something crushed half of the walls and the roof collapsed inward. Beams of wood stuck out while a large chuck of stone rested within what used to be the primary room. Yori saw blood thrown around the walls and debris with only a hand visible. He averted his eyes, understanding the scene too well. ¡°Mommy! Mommy!¡± A black veil ran over Yori, wiping away all of the horror that surrounded him. The girl disappeared and all he heard was her voice repeating. ¡°Come back! Mommy!¡± Her voice soon faded away to the other unknown voices. ¡°It¡¯s that girl!¡± ¡°The one that survived!¡± ¡°She¡¯s from the town that they attacked!¡± ¡°The rebels¡­¡± Yori felt the voices pounded in his head making him wrench his eyes closed. He couldn¡¯t shut out the voices. ¡®Rebels? What¡¯s¡­happening¡­ugh¡­sister¡­¡¯ ¡°Welcome to the Military Academy! Your conscription papers have already been processed. After you finish your basic training you will report to the Academy for Meso Prosecho. Good luck, Cadet Athene!¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± ¡°You hear she¡¯s from the town wiped out during the rebellion?¡± ¡°They say she¡¯s the only one that survived!¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the new graduate from the academy. I¡¯ve been assigned to the South Gate.¡± ¡®Academy? Different voices¡­from before¡­¡¯ He wanted it to end. He didn¡¯t know much more his mind could take. It all moved too fast for him. ¡°Right, I heard about you from the Captain. Can¡¯t believe they¡¯re sending us children now.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pull my own weight, ma¡¯am!¡± ¡°You better. Rumors are you¡¯re the prize of the Academy and that even General Alexander himself says you have great promise. You better live up to such accolades.¡± ¡°I will, ma¡¯am!¡± ¡°You act confident, but we¡¯ll see how long that lasts. I don¡¯t know what Command is thinking putting an eleven year old in charge of a squad, even with your marks. I¡¯ll be watching you, Second Lieutenant Eudokia.¡± ¡®Eudokia?!¡¯ Yori¡¯s eyes opened once more with the pain suddenly ignored. He knew that name. ¡®That¡¯s Ayumi?! What¡¯s going on?¡¯ The void disappeared for him as though in response to his request. He found himself standing before a tall stone complex. Stone columns lined the outer walls acting as support and decoration to the inner main walls. The structure spread out in grander size than he had ever seen in illustrations of the Ancient Greek buildings. It made him wonder if perhaps similar structures did exist, but time took them away. However, he knew he couldn¡¯t focus on the building. Yori turned his eyes down to the courtyard they stood in. Soldiers walked on patrol at the outer perimeter, but none of that mattered. Before him, he found something that he didn¡¯t expect to see. A young child, in the White Atlantean Military uniform, matched a younger appearing Ayumi. Across from her, the tall woman that he remembered seeing in the white room. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why am I seeing this? Is this real?!¡± ¡°I understand! I¡¯ll meet your expectations, Lieutenant Commander Athene!¡± ¡®Athene¡­the same name as the girl¡­¡¯ Yori began putting all of the pieces together the longer that he watched. ¡®The woman from before, that¡¯s interrogating me. This is her, Athene is her name. These must be her memories! It wouldn¡¯t make sense for her to show me fake memories of herself. So this must be real, but why am I seeing this?¡¯ The conversation between the two in front of him already ended, but he was too absorbed in his own thoughts to pay it any mind. He felt like he was getting close to a breakthrough. Yori traced his path since meeting the woman. He needed to see the full picture to understand the reason. His first thoughts assumed this all had to be a part of the interrogation method, but he ruled that out. Showing her memories for extracting information made no sense. He knew that much. ¡®She claimed to have already had access to everything. But now that I think about it, it doesn¡¯t add up. Why would she say that and then go about everything else? If she was already inside my mind and could reach what she wanted, she did not need me. She used that to trick me! She wanted to use me to guide her to it!¡¯ Yori nodded to himself, liking the direction. His reasoning felt correct. A strange sense of an exterior push gave him an odd feeling of understanding. The pieces connected together perfectly. ¡®The fake memory must have been an attempt by her to drag out information. She probably made a construct from what she did have access to create it. But this¡­¡¯ Yori looked around him at the South Gate Headquarters. He knew none of it and the appearance of events from the past that he had no knowledge added a new direction. The direction it sent him in didn¡¯t make him feel comfortable. If his deduction was correct, then it brought up an entire series of new questions. ¡®Why am I seeing Ayumi? Why see this woman¡¯s memories? Is it because of me? I know Ayumi so related memories surfaced? But if this is what I think it is¡­then why am I even here? How did this happen?¡¯ He searched around hoping to find Ayumi still and possibly a new path to follow. She had to be the key to everything. Ayumi was the reason they stood in Atlantis and for dragging Yuki to be the new King. She was the center. She had all of the answers. ¡®I can find my answers here!¡¯ Excitement built up in Yori with the anticipation of knowing that he could find what he sought. ¡®That¡¯s it! I¡¯m searching! I¡¯m searching through her!¡¯ The epiphany hit him suddenly and hard. It shot him out of the memory that he stood in. Yori found himself in a white room much like the one he started in. However, the memories on display weren¡¯t his, but the woman. In front of him larger than the rest expanded an image as though beckoning to him. As he stared at the image, it started to bleed into his mind. Yori¡¯s eyes widened in shock and realization. ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­all this time¡­have I finally grasped the truth?!¡± Chapter 131 - Lies in the Truth A peaceful life existed, uninterrupted by the chaos of random chance or the cruelty of such undesirables known as fate simply referred to as reality. None of the worries had a place. It was a happy time. It was earnest and sincere in truth. The hope of anyone shined through deep down. No one could deny such a wish. They looked content. Just another night for them, the Mizuno family ate dinner around the table as they always did. Their father came home from work a little tired, but always had time to listen to Yori and Yumi¡¯s day. He let them entertain him, while they waited for dinner to finish. Mother always had tremendous energy appearing as a shining light regardless of the day. She worked as tirelessly as her husband, but showed no signs of fatigue. Dinner came promptly and lovingly each night. That night was no different. Yumi finished eating what was in her mouth letting herself speak. ¡°And then I saw a girl go up to brother during lunch in the hall!¡± ¡°Oh my, you are getting to that age,¡± their mother replied, holding her hand to the side of her face. Yori¡¯s face turned red, having difficulty openly denying her. He managed to find his words quickly. ¡°Yumi! I¡¯m the President, she was talking to me about club problems!¡± She grinned back at her brother looking a little mischievous like a cat. ¡°Oh you sure that was all? She had a glow about her, you know!¡± ¡°W-what are you talking about?!¡± Yori forced down his flush face as he failed to hide his emotions. ¡°Since when did you become such a gossip?!¡± Their father smirked and patted Yori firmly on his back. ¡°That¡¯s my son! You always did have a face that captured the girls! You¡¯re going to be quite the playboy when you grow up!¡± He laughed heartily about the thought. A flash of light shot across the table, but stopped with a spark. He caught a pair of chopsticks between his fingers aimed at him from her. ¡°Now Atsushi, darling, you need to be careful of what you say. Don¡¯t put such thoughts in his head.¡± He smiled with sweat dripping down the side of his head seeing his wife staring at him. ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to push, Kotone, dear!¡± Yori¡¯s face almost turned purple with the red flush blending with the blue terror from the table. He sipped a little of his miso soup trying to calm himself back down. ¡°Should you really be saying anything to me though, sister? When you still haven¡¯t been able to confess to him?¡± Taking her turn to be embarrassed, Yumi¡¯s entire face turned deep red in an instant. She threw up her hands in protest, angry that he brought it up again. ¡°W-wh-what?!¡± ¡°You too, Yumi?¡± ¡°W-w-w-we-well¡­I-I-I-I¡­¡± She began pushing her fingers together fidgeting in an attempt to push her embarrassment away. Chapter 131 ¨C Lies in the Truth Outside of the memory, Athene stood watching everything. She had seen scene after scene of memories play out similar for her. All her searching gave her nothing. She wiped it away with her hand and scanned through the myriad of images present to her. ¡®More of this? I have all of his memories¡­ I even am using him to focus my search on the things he is trying to protect the most. So why am I getting useless memories?¡¯ Her hand pressed against her head feeling the tinge of pain from mental fatigue. She pulled up another memory from him that appeared tightly guarded. It began to play for her and drag her in. Athene didn¡¯t immediately notice the passing of time within the space until she realized the memory was pointless, again. She never found anyone in her interrogations to have such a resistant mind. ¡®He keeps sending me away¡­ How is this possible? I should have control!¡¯ Another pain in her head reminded her of the shortening of remaining time. It became stronger and more distracting for her. She didn¡¯t remember the last time she spent so long in a person¡¯s mind. ¡®I keep going in circles¡­¡¯ The kid¡¯s memories laid out for her. A countless collection of years, she had no time to search individually. ¡®If his guarded ones are false¡­then I need to look elsewhere¡­¡¯ Her hand shuffled through filtering with her new perimeters. A small section disappeared from her sight with new memories surfacing to the top. Unfortunately, she found too many. She groaned quietly to the pain that echoed louder in her head. ¡®I¡¯m running out of time¡­¡¯ Athene waved her hand over the collection trying to feel out an accurate choice. An image came forward and passed through her hand. It struck her arm with a jolt of pain that she yelped in surprise from. She tried to push away the memory, but it forced its way through her. The stabbing in her mind suddenly turned unbearable. She collapsed to the ground panting heavily. ¡®So¡­strong¡­can¡¯t be¡­already¡­¡¯ Athene focused her vision on her arm, where the pain originated. It grew away from her slowly taking shape. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°So you¡¯re finally figuring it out, huh?¡± the voice said with a slight mocking tone. She widened her eyes in shock to hear something that had awareness within the space. ¡°How? Wait¡­the voice¡­you¡¯re¡­¡± A clapping noise came from the vague shape as it began to look human. ¡°That¡¯s right! Bingo!¡± ¡°But how? You¡¯re¡­¡± ¡°Because of your arrogance. You¡¯re so confident in your abilities that you can¡¯t imagine anything that could reject you. You can¡¯t fathom the slightest possibility that there is something other than you. You reject the idea before you even give it a chance. Because of your arrogance, I¡¯ve won.¡± The figure began to laugh loudly at Athene. Her shock turned to anger. The pain subsided enough for her to get back her body. She raised her other hand to grab the form that stood on her upper arm. ¡°What nonsense are you spouting?! You can¡¯t do anything to me!¡± The figure in her hand shifted position to stand on top of her closed hand. It sat down on her hand nonchalantly. ¡°I¡¯ve already done everything.¡± She grabbed with her other hand trying to crush the image. She just needed to wipe out the phantom in the memory and focus back on the interrogation. However, it appeared above her hand again. ¡°I will¡ª¡° ¡°I¡¯m not even the real one!¡± The figure laughed again, nearly falling over. ¡°I¡¯m just a feint. A program left to keep you busy. You didn¡¯t even realize it, not even now when you think you¡¯re starting to understand. You don¡¯t! This is hilarious!¡± ¡°What are you talking about?! A normal human doesn¡¯t have the mental training or strength to create such a thing!¡± ¡°So arrogant, even now. I guess I was giving you too much credit when I said you started figuring it out.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Let me give you a hint. You should protect your own mind a little better rather than lecturing me on mental training. It¡¯s open bare like a book asking to be read.¡± ¡°What?! You can¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Heh, looks like you¡¯re understanding now.¡± The form laughed again before disappearing into dust. ¡°Too bad for you it¡¯s already too late. We¡¯ve got everything we need!¡± It laughed once more before completely fading away. ¡°It can¡¯t be!¡± Athene looked around the space to see it all disappear around her. All of the images faded, fakes in the thousands thought to be impossible. Layers of the void peeled away. She saw levels upon levels unfolding in front of her. An unimaginable degree of complexity far more intricate laid out before it. It wasn¡¯t a matter of navigating a maze with pitfalls. She couldn¡¯t hope to breach such a defense. Athene saw it all in an intense moment that seared her mind¡¯s eye and blinded her. She screamed aloud and fell back in the tent panting heavily. Her eyes saw nothing but white, yet she knew that she returned to reality. Her head ached worse than the strongest migraine she ever felt. She wanted to pass out and felt her body might grant her request soon. Simonides and Albeiron jumped from their spots and rushed over to her side in confusion. Only a few minutes passed for them, but at the end, Athene looked to be struggling with a great pressure slamming into her. They didn¡¯t understand what happened to her. It forced them to watch and hope she found what they needed. ¡°Are you hurt?¡± Simonides asked, as he lifted her off the ground. She grabbed the Captain¡¯s hand, taking his wrist. The pain overwhelmed her and she felt everything slipping. Even the brief glimpse of the world she saw faded. She had to remember long enough for him. She tightened her hand on his wrist and pulled herself up. ¡°C-captain¡­I!¡± The sight of the grave features in her face made him want to pull away, if not for her hold. Simonides didn¡¯t know what possessed her to burst out. ¡°You need to rest. We can talk once you¡¯ve recovered.¡± He tried to release her, but saw her body shaking. She gripped his wrist so tightly he felt his fingers tingle with the blood cut off. ¡°NO! I must¡­tell you!¡± Simonides leaned in trying to make it easier for her. Watching the desperate tone of her words, he couldn¡¯t ignore her. A bit of morbid curiosity filled him wanting to know what affected her so strongly. ¡°What is it? What must you say?¡± ¡°I-I saw it! Their world¡­it¡¯s not like us!¡± ¡°World? What do you mean ¡®not like us¡¯?¡± ¡°Be¡­careful¡­he¡¯s¡­¡± She drew him with her words. He felt himself becoming as desperate as her. The secret she learned, he had to know it. He needed to understand. ¡°What is it? What about him?¡± The vision vanished quickly on her. Only pieces remained as it cleaned itself up. She couldn¡¯t see almost anything of what she discovered. It all fell from her grasp faster than she could pick up. Athene coughed and wheezed as her body started to feel distant. ¡°H-he-he¡­knows¡­every¡­thing¡­ ¡­no¡­ ¡­long¡­er¡­ ¡­hu¡­¡± All the strength remaining in her body disappeared. What remained of her collapsed in Simonides¡¯ arms as she went unconscious. ¡°Athene! Athene!¡± Simonides felt his heart pounding in his chest. The pain she was in confused him and spun him around. He never saw her have difficulty with any interrogation. Questions popped up in his mind. He looked down at her feeling that her body retained the warmth of life. She breathed still. ¡®Damn! What¡¯s going on? Nothing makes sense!¡¯ He stood up picking up Athene in his arms. While she was older than him, he still worried about her like all of the men under him. It didn¡¯t matter being the senior or not. She was his responsibility. He looked over at the chair with the boy. ¡°Check him! Find out what happened!¡± ¡°Captain¡­¡± Abeiron jumped a little not expecting the volume and intensity in his voice. He ran over to the kid that leaned over in the chair. While he didn¡¯t move, Abeiron could see that he was unconscious as well. His body slumped in the chair with only the bindings holding him down. ¡°He¡¯s alive, but out cold.¡± Simonides turned his head looking away from the scene. He cursed the situation and misfortune. Nothing went according to plan. ¡°Have the guards stand watch inside the tent. I want to know the minute that this kid wakes up! I have a lot of questions that he¡¯s going to answer!¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Abeiron went stiff as he watched the Captain march out of the tent. It had been a while since he saw Simonides acting so strongly on emotions. During his earlier years in command, he saw him lose control and slip out of his strict regime. However, the years gave him experience and better control. ¡®This whole incident is affecting him¡­I wish I had answers for him¡­¡¯ The Commander stepped out of the tent long after the Captain left. Outside, the guards stared at each other a little perplexed by the way the Captain walked out. Abeiron cleared his throat to bring the two to attention. ¡°You¡¯re to stand guard on the prisoner inside the tent. Watch him closely and the moment he wakes up send a messenger to me, immediately. I want to speak with him. Understood?¡± ¡°Yes, Commander!¡± The guards turned and stiffly marched into the tent setting themselves up inside. Once they disappeared, he let out a small sigh. His heart hadn¡¯t stopped pounding since he saw Athene in pain. He needed answers as well. ¡®l¡¯ll get you the answers you want, Captain. I won¡¯t let you bear this alone.¡¯ Chapter 132 - Reasons for Action The further away Yumi got the more Fumiko knew she had to move, but her eyes stared down at the camp. She couldn¡¯t leave the two of them behind even with Yumi getting out of her sight. Fumiko had to be quick. Her hand reached down for Chiharu to wake her up, but before it came within reach Chiharu¡¯s hand snapped out grabbing her wrist. Chiharu¡¯s head flipped up to glare at her quickly with dark intent before it switched to neutral. ¡°We need to move! Yumi¡¯s awake and I can¡¯t stop her!¡± Chiharu stood up quickly, but rather than exchanging glances with Fumiko she stared at the ground. ¡°Why is a fire lit?¡± Her eyes slid up to Fumiko, but didn¡¯t find her. She turned to look at her flank. Already waking up Seiji, Chiharu kicked the fire and stamped it out. ¡°Why did you make a fire?¡± ¡°Hey, Seiji! We¡¯ve got to go!¡± Fumiko slapped him a couple of times after she found that shaking him did nothing. It seemed to get him to stir a little, but nothing that made progress. She let out an exasperated sigh. Her hand closed up loosely before glowing threads of energy wrapped around her wrist. The threads ran around her fingers into her palm building into a small flame that enveloped her hand. Fumiko then redirected her hand, opening her fingers back and pointing her index finger at Seiji. The flames all gathered in her index finger and shot out like a beam as it hit his butt. It took a few moments of burning, smoking and searing to reach the pain centers of Seiji. Once he became alert to the fire on him, he jumped up quickly and ran panicked circles around the camp. The smoke trailed around him a little before he snuffed out the flame by sitting down. While his hand rubbed the burn, he glared over at Fumiko knowing who attacked him. ¡°What the hell was that for?!¡± ¡°Yumi¡¯s awake and leaving! We need to move!¡± ¡°But why the hell did ya burn me?!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have time for this¡­¡± Fumiko picked up her bag and staff. She started to run after Yumi in the distant direction she remembered her leaving. Seiji and Chiharu quickly caught up, taking up her flanks on each side. ¡°Why was a fire made?¡± demanded Chiharu, still insistent on an answer. ¡°No, why did you set me on fire!?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know that the enemy could see the fire and could have attacked us?¡± ¡°I think you burned all the way through my clothes!¡± ¡°You need to think more about the situation. Remember that you¡¯re in enemy territory.¡± ¡°This is going to leave a mark!¡± Fumiko¡¯s body shook listening to their complaints. They didn¡¯t have the time to whine about small details with Yumi ahead of them, again. She tried to shut out their voices, but they continued. Even in her silence, they didn¡¯t understand. After a minute of their bickering, she reached her limit. Both of her hands suddenly lit up with flames that towered over her head. She stopped and looked at the two of them with the deepest glare of a demon that she could muster. ¡°I can make a bonfire that everyone in the country can see if you don¡¯t shut up! And I can turn you into barbecue if you¡¯re so worried about your skin! There¡¯s more important matters right! So shut up and run! Got anything else to say?¡± The two turned dark blue before Fumiko¡¯s image and shied away from her presence. She glared at them waiting for a response. When they found themselves unable to answer, they simply shook their heads. Fumiko nodded pleasantly to them and ran faster after Yumi. Seiji and Chiharu sprinted to catch up. Chapter 132 ¨C Reasons for Action Despite their efforts, catching up to Yumi turned out to be not as simple as running after her. It didn¡¯t seem possible, but she maintained a surprisingly fast pace that had the others confused. They kept her in their sights, but nothing more seemed to be achievable. Seiji¡¯s frustration in the situation came out in his heavy breathing. He paced it poorly, staggering him, but refused to let it slow him down. ¡°Damn¡­girl¡­ I thought we were a team!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that,¡± remarked Fumiko, with a light shake of her head. She thought back to their conversation when she woke up. ¡°I don¡¯t believe her actions now are conscious ones. She sounded consumed, almost possessed by her own words. I think something different is at work.¡± ¡°The hell ya saying? That doesn¡¯t make any damn sense either! You saying they got something to do with this?¡± The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Fumiko let out a sigh after hearing him. She wanted to pause and slap him for his stupidity, but didn¡¯t have the time to afford him. ¡°No, I think it¡¯s her own power. She never really explained much about them to us, but the little I¡¯ve seen makes me believe it¡¯s more of a mental type.¡± ¡°How the hell does that help us?¡± A short burst of speed pushed him back into a tie with the rest of them. His emotions slowed down his legs pulling him away from them, but he needed to keep with them. The lack of understanding forced Fumiko¡¯s hand. She slid to a stop, her feet grinding into the grass. Her hand came out and grabbed Seiji by his tunic. ¡°How simple minded do you have to be to understand this?! She¡¯s still new to her powers! So she doesn¡¯t have full control over them and so she balances between losing that control and being controlled by her powers!¡± ¡°What makes you think you know so much?!¡± ¡°This is the basics! Don¡¯t you read at all? All protagonists with power go through a period of exploration where they walk a line between rising with strength or being consumed by the darkness of power!¡± Seiji narrowed his eyes suddenly after hearing her response. The answer sounded too familiar to him. His face turned flat and he pointed his index finger at her. ¡°What¡¯s with you? You¡¯re sounding like Yuki right now.¡± Fumiko turned a little red with embarrassment, but dispelled it quickly with a redirect of emotions. ¡°I¡¯m part of the Literature Club!¡± Her hand gripped onto the fabric of his clothes tighter. ¡°We look at this stuff routinely!¡± ¡°You sure it¡¯s not the Manga Club?¡± ¡°I read fantasy! Got a problem with that?¡± The eyes in Fumiko underlined a desperation in her defense that went beyond simply Seiji questioning her reading habits. Thick as Seiji was, he saw the look in her eyes and backed away from pressing the issue. ¡°I do,¡± replied Chiharu, tone deaf to the situation. The answer did pull the two in her direction though, as she wanted. ¡°The girl¡¯s getting out of sight.¡± ¡°Crap!¡± Fumiko casted away Seiji and turned to confront their continuing problem. Chiharu raised her hand up to the two to stop them. ¡°I¡¯ll go ahead and stop her. I believe your analysis of the girl is accurate.¡± She tapped the tops of her shoes against the ground, in a testing manner. ¡°While my speed is not that of the Furukawa girl, I¡¯m confident I can reach her.¡± ¡°But what the hell about us?!¡± Seiji stepped out around Fumiko to approach Chiharu. ¡°We¡¯re a group, a team. We should stick together!¡± ¡°Weaklings only slow me down.¡± The response hit the cord on Seiji and triggered his anger. Lost to reason, Seiji charged her. However, she disappeared leaving him to stumble around. He quickly recovered and spun around in anticipation of a counter, like always. Yet nothing came for him. The silence made him realize. He pounded his fist into the ground, making the earth quake a little. ¡°Damn you, brat!¡± Closing the distance quickly, Chiharu found the back of Yumi in sight. It put her within hearing of the mutterings that came from her. None of it mattered to Chiharu, just endless words of no meaning to her. She found their sense of team a little troubling with the lack of discipline that they showed. Such weakness would only bring their collapse. Chiharu didn¡¯t understand it. She focused on her target and sped around in front. Popping out of the air, Chiharu stood in the path of Yumi¡¯s constant pace. She noticed her feet didn¡¯t move, but hovered instead. ¡®Explains one thing. Her mental energies must be greater than her physical ones¡­¡¯ Only a few moments of thought spared Chiharu before she felt a blast of wind. Before anything serious could happen, Chiharu jumped backwards and kept Yumi in her sights. She narrowed her eyes to scan her closer. Working from the theory, an absent sense of awareness did seem present. It provided the amount of confirmation she needed. ¡®I''ll just need to provide enough shock to snap her awake.¡¯ Chiharu lifted her hand up with the palm spread flat towards Yumi. The next anticipated blast came after her. It slammed into her palm before disappearing. Surfacing in front of Yumi, the sudden wind blew at her clothes, but a dull shine along with a ping echoed an outline of a barrier. ¡®Damn, her barrier and reflexes¡­thought that would catch her off guard¡­¡¯ Another round came for her, forcing Chiharu to dodge out of the way. The blasts kicked up grass and ate earth after missing their targets. Chiharu could only keep up with her speed, disappearing with each dodge. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll find him¡­Brother¡­I saw him¡­I¡¯m coming¡­¡± The futility of offense and defense quickly became apparent to Chiharu. All she accomplished so far was keeping pace with the girl. ¡®Endless muttering¡­¡¯ She dodged around the incoming blast, still picking up the words between explosions. ¡®¡­wish she¡¯d stop¡­can¡¯t attack with the barrier¡­¡¯ Chiharu gritted her teeth and sped around the next blast. ¡®¡­brother this and brother that¡­¡¯ She needed a new approach. The stalemate became boring for her. Chiharu came to a stop in front of Yumi slamming her hand against the barrier and digging her feet. Grass and dirt burst up around her boots from the force. ¡°Enough about your brother all the time. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s more annoying to watch, your brother complex or your unrequited love for that weakling.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m coming¡­he¡¯s in pain¡­¡± Chiharu¡¯s knees buckled with the strain forced upon them. She tightened her features, bothered by the last resort she came up with. ¡®I¡¯m not really suited to this sort of battle¡­¡¯ Her mind wandered trying to find an angle of attack. The memories that surfaced sent her back to the night in the forest. Images of Saki appeared to her. Her thoughts of Saki rattled her concentration and ripped her away. Chiharu cursed in silence as she struggled to regain control. ¡®¡­she¡¯s the person for this¡­not me¡­¡¯ ¡°¡­I saw Yori¡­they had him¡­Brother¡­¡± ¡®¡­just doesn¡¯t stop¡­¡¯ The persistence of Yumi felt a bit like trying to stop a train. Chiharu didn¡¯t know how to do something that was impossible. However, her confidence in front of that idiot muscle-head wouldn¡¯t let her walk away. ¡®¡­I¡¯d never hear the end of it from him¡­¡¯ She straightened her legs and forced them down into the ground further as she leaned into the barrier. The mocking face of him gave her more determination. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll rescue you¡­I won¡¯t let them¡­¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you say something else? This repetitiveness is getting boring.¡± Her rhetorical question went unanswered, as expected. She didn¡¯t know why she tried to speak with the girl. Anything she had to say came out empty. She had no significance to her. Chiharu gritted her teeth against the stress that began to build up. ¡°So annoying¡­¡± ¡°¡­Brother¡­I can hear you¡­¡± ¡°Talking is not going to work¡­¡± She pressed her shoulder into the barrier gripping tighter onto the barrier. ¡®¡­so much for a different approach¡­¡¯ The unyielding train didn¡¯t seem to have anything to stop it. ¡®¡­failing¡­again¡­is that all¡­I¡­¡¯ She fought with her body to keep on track and not forced away. She needed someone else other than her. ¡®¡­this is beyond me¡­I¡¯m not¡­¡¯ The pressure of the barrier crushed into her body shooting sparks through her muscles. Chiharu pulled her eyes back to Yumi. ¡°The only one you¡¯ll listen to is that weakling¡­¡± ¡°¡­Brother¡­¡± ¡°¡­isn¡¯t that right?¡± A drop in Chiharu''s voice came with her words. The constant struggle with the barrier took its toll on her. She didn¡¯t think she could continue further. Nothing could stop her, she concluded. Chiharu suddenly felt the full impact of the barrier against her in a moment of surprise. She lost all of her strength and legs collapsed. It cast her aside in the grass, broken. Chiharu coughed and panted. She stared at the night sky. ¡°Why him? That weakling? Why did you go so far? Someone that¡¯s out of place and scared. Just for him. That¡­that¡­weakling¡­why did I bother? Damn¡­Yuki Hayashi¡­¡± Chapter 133 - Understanding Each Other ¡°¡­Yuki¡­¡± ¡°¡­urgh¡­losing to him¡­¡± Chiharu hated the thought that someone so small and weak held such importance to someone. She didn¡¯t understand him. She saw how he acted. He relied on others. He dwelled heavily on decisions with regret. He hesitated when acting. He needed others to do things because he wasn¡¯t strong enough alone. He used people. She hated it. She couldn¡¯t stand it. It made her lost emotions bubble to the surface. Chiharu bit her lip annoyed in the situation. ¡°¡­Yuki¡­¡± Bothered by the thought of losing to him, it forced strength back into Chiharu¡¯s body. She felt her muscles responding to her and feeling returning to her fingers. Chiharu pushed on the earth, still feeling a sluggish action from her limbs. It took everything she had to stand on her feet. Her arms hung over her shoulders as her upper body leaned against her hips to keep from collapsing. ¡°Damn him¡­I won¡¯t lose to you¡­¡± A tinge of energy flowed through her. It put her legs in motion and turned to find the girl a short distance from her. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll show you¡­my strength¡­¡± Chiharu threw her body up to straighten out, forcing away all of the fatigue and soreness. She ignored it all and sprinted over to put a stop to her. In front of Yumi, Chiharu appeared with her hands out ready to hold down her barrier once more. This time she didn¡¯t plan to let her past until she snapped out of the trance. She didn¡¯t care what stood in her way. She wouldn¡¯t lose to him. She was no weakling. Her determination built her resolve and channeled her strength. Chiharu felt better and focused. She still didn¡¯t know how to stop her or get through, but none of it mattered. It would happen, she decided. The next thing Chiharu heard was a squishing sound and an odd feeling in her hands. ¡°Huh?¡± She focused her attention forward to see how the situation had changed. No barrier existed and the Yumi collided almost fully into her. Chiharu still didn¡¯t understand. Yumi hesitated in managing her words. She suddenly woke up not really certain of where she stood. The first she felt was Chiharu¡¯s hands. ¡°W-w-wh-w-w-what¡¯s¡­Chi-Chi-Chi-C¡­¡± Everything came flooding upon Chiharu at once. She realized that Yumi awoke already. It ended before anything really happened. An unsatisfying resolution dropped her arms. ¡°¡­already lost¡­¡± Chiharu collapsed to her knees no longer having the strength she built up. Her mind remained clocked out. ¡°Chiharu! What¡¯s wrong?!¡± Chapter 133 ¨C Understanding Each Other After the ordeal of recovering and calming down, Yumi and Chiharu sat on the ground a comfortable distance apart. Awaking to Chiharu more or less crashed into her, Yumi still tried to process everything. A few minutes of uneasy silence were enough for Chiharu. She crossed her arms and turned away as she stood up. ¡°You need to control your powers better¡­¡± Yumi stood up and bowed deeply to Chiharu¡¯s back. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry! This is all my fault!¡± She barely remembered anything that happened after speaking with Fumiko. The connection with Yori became stronger she remembered and everything after she just saw him. None of the rest of the things that happened from what Chiharu told her sounded familiar. A pause ran out again with Yumi¡¯s uncertainty. ¡°¡­if I could have controlled my powers¡­Brother wouldn¡¯t¡­¡± Chiharu considered leaving their words as they were, but once she heard Yumi falling back into the same pit she had to act. ¡°There¡¯s no point in dwelling on the past. What¡¯s happened is done.¡± Some reluctance still filled her body, yet she still looked back. She finally noticed that Yumi still bowed in apology to her. The sight flustered her a little and she threw her head back away. ¡°Stand up. I¡¯ve no interest in your apologies. Save them for someone that cares.¡± The harsh words washed over Yumi. She complied with Chiharu¡¯s requests to straighten up. ¡°¡­I guess¡­you¡¯re right¡­¡± A little shake started to develop in Yumi¡¯s arms. A hand pressed against Chiharu¡¯s forehead. She sighed, bothered by forcing a deep retreat. ¡®One moment she¡¯s in charge and keeping the blockhead in line and the next she¡¯s flustered and timid. I don¡¯t get her¡­¡¯ It made her have some very, very small, amount of regret in snapping at her. ¡°Well those two should be catching up soon. Just rest and wait for them.¡± Chiharu walked off before disappearing into the air. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Long after Chiharu disappeared, Yumi reached out for her in futility. She dropped her hand in confusion with a tilt of her head. ¡°Chiharu?¡± After a few moments alone, the solitude got to her. Even if she only had to wait for Fumiko to return, it felt lonely. She also knew that she had to find Chiharu before they continued. She closed her eyes trying to concentrate. Her powers seemed connected to Yori, so she didn¡¯t know if she could do the same for someone else. However, she knew she had to try. ¡®Something was bothering her. Maybe it was because of me¡­leaving¡­¡¯ She focused on Chiharu trying to remove Yori from her mind. ¡®I need to find her¡­please work¡­¡¯ Delaying in silence, her power seemed to refuse her. It acted stubbornly towards her, locked on something else. She fought with it in a tug-of-war to compete for control. Yumi squinted her eyes looking around the field, in the hopes that it would fuel her powers. It all ended in vain. She dropped down folding her legs, but remained on her feet with her arms slung over her knees. ¡°Does it not work this way? What good is having it if I can¡¯t use it when I need to?¡± Yumi drew her finger through the grass. She hadn¡¯t quite given up, but didn¡¯t push herself. She felt aimless. ¡°I must have¡­she¡¯s angry with me¡­ I need to¡­¡± Yumi rocked on the balls of her feet. Chiharu vanished on her. It gave her no direction to even begin a search. ¡°She disappeared¡­should I just start walking?¡± Her head tilted up at the rolling plains. ¡°It¡¯s night too¡­I¡¯ll get lost¡­I don¡¯t want to cause more trouble for everyone.¡± She thought about what she did to everyone. ¡°I made them come after me. Even now, I¡¯m making them chase me down...¡± A sigh escaped her lips. ¡°¡­came for me¡­¡± Yumi scanned around the horizon in the slight hope of seeing anything that might have been Chiharu. She found nothing, as expected. ¡°Chiharu¡¯s out there¡­she came for me¡­¡± Strength returned to her legs and pushed her up. She wobbled a little while standing, but her body straightened out. ¡°¡­she came for me¡­I can¡¯t¡­¡± Yumi began walking in the current direction she faced. ¡°I¡¯ll do the same! I can¡¯t turn away!¡± Her voice turned to certainty in her steps. She kept walking not pay attention to her surroundings. The path she walked was straight. It was a tree. Yumi tilted her head in confusion again. ¡°A tree?¡± None of what she did made much sense to her, but it felt correct. Chiharu was in front of her. ¡°I¡¯m not wrong am I?¡± She shook her head, preferring not to believe the doubt. Resorting to the only thing possible, Yumi searched the area around the tree thoroughly. After an exhaustive, but obviously very short search, she plopped herself down against the trunk. Nothing found. Yumi felt certain that Chiharu was around, but none of it made any sense. Even finding nothing, her certainty didn¡¯t waver a moment. Her own doubt couldn¡¯t shake it. ¡°Chiharu¡¯s here? Somewhere I can¡¯t see?¡± She ran her hand over the bark of the tree searching aimlessly. Any further clues seemed unlikely. No recourse remained. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Chiharu. I know that you told me I shouldn¡¯t, but I felt it¡¯s important. You did come to help me. And thank you¡­¡± Silence came as she expected. She hoped wherever she hid that her words would reach her. ¡°I know we don¡¯t know each other very well. We are all here through connections to Yuki. So I guess it¡¯s expected that it would be difficult for all of us to get along easily. But I hope that we can. To Yuki, we¡¯re all important friends¡­even though he may have only met some of us recently. It¡¯s just how he is¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s so stupid and clich¨¦. It¡¯s sickening,¡± commented Chiharu. Her voice started from the very air with no body, but at the end, she appeared resting against the tree in the shadow of the moonlight. Yumi jerked away from Chiharu¡¯s sudden appearance. She didn¡¯t know immediately what to say, but Chiharu acted as if nothing had changed. The scene made Yumi feel like she needed to reciprocate. ¡°But there¡¯s nothing wrong with being like that. People are normally more distant and difficult to approach.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because that¡¯s reality. Someone like him belongs in his stupid manga he cares about more than his life.¡± Yumi leaned back into her spot against the tree. She felt relaxed. ¡°Who¡¯s to say that has to be reality though?¡± ¡°A couple of words isn¡¯t going to change things. People aren¡¯t so easy to turn like in stories. Reality¡¯s different. A good speech doesn¡¯t change things.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be a speech. Just the words that you¡¯re wanting to hear.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that just being selfish then? Waiting for someone else to tell you, when you can¡¯t validate yourself.¡± ¡°Maybe so, but it¡¯s not wrong to be a little selfish, right?¡± ¡°Is that a question or a statement to satisfy yourself?¡± Yumi stretched her arms trying to deflect some of the attention away from her heart. She turned her eyes up to the moon briefly. ¡°Maybe it is¡­¡± ¡°Bothersome,¡± sighed Chiharu. A touch of melancholy coursed through Yumi¡¯s veins. Past memories fluttered up inside her. She blinked her eyes to wipe it away. Her head tilted over to Chiharu. ¡°You act tough, but you do worry about us. Thank you, Chiharu.¡± Chiharu choked out a stifled puff of air in partial startled surprise. She turned her head away from Yumi not wanting to directly see her face at the moment. ¡°¡­so boring¡­¡± Yumi smiled seeing that she had caught Chiharu a little. ¡°If we¡¯re so boring, why do you still follow us? You could leave.¡± ¡°This is training,¡± snapped Chiharu. She turned back around to face Yumi in a confrontation. ¡°These new powers I have need a place to hone them. There¡¯s people here who are used to using their powers to fight. So I¡¯m just taking advantage of the opportunity.¡± ¡°Sounds like a conditioned response. It¡¯s just an excuse that satisfies yourself, right?¡± Caught between words, Chiharu narrowed her features and prepared to bare her fangs. She didn¡¯t expect for the weak wishy-washy girl to counter through her. She didn¡¯t like the cornered feeling. ¡°What about you? This isn¡¯t a place for you. Why is it so important that you follow that weakling?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, this isn¡¯t a place I should be. But I¡¯ll follow him regardless.¡± ¡°Why? Why go so far?¡± Yumi pressed her hands against her heart. The memories she tried to push away returned stronger than before. She couldn¡¯t avoid retreading the past. ¡°Because he¡¯s important to me¡­because back then¡­¡± Chapter 134 - One Tree in a Forest It was a time of cherry blossoms carried on the great sea of the winds of spring. A time for new beginnings, where the life of the past was left behind to greet the welcoming future. The bright moments that looked forward to where chains of pain shattered to dust. Earnest hope stretched out with a warm hand to pull up those troubled. An inviting opportunity presented with no fa?ade. ¡®Aren¡¯t we being a little overly optimistic in the na?ve deluded way that adults think of children? Aren¡¯t you just painting with unrealistic clich¨¦ metaphors and symbolism?¡¯ questioned Chiharu. ¡®While overused, you can¡¯t deny a classic,¡¯ commented Yuki. He nodded in agreement with no one else. ¡®There¡¯s a reason it¡¯s a classic, it¡¯s never out of style. Why do you think so much fiction places the High School setting on such an important narrative pedestal?¡¯ ¡®So this narration¡¯s your fault? That explains a lot. What, get upset that you¡¯re being ignored as the main character and it¡¯s only the second arc of the story?¡¯ ¡®You¡¯re being awfully talkative for someone that pretends that they¡¯re a misanthrope character.¡¯ ¡®Careful, big words will hurt your brain and shift the reader demographic.¡¯ ¡®After all of your philosophical talk last chapter can you really be complaining about such things?¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s your fault.¡¯ ¡®Well we are preparing for a flashback. Oh is that your problem?¡¯ ¡®You¡¯re oddly observant today. I¡¯d rather not have to suffer through another tedious flashback.¡¯ ¡®The crux of the situation now! Don¡¯t worry this won¡¯t take long!¡¯ ¡®That was said last time and it ran for a chapter and a half. I don¡¯t trust you.¡¯ Yuki shrugged his shoulders at Chiharu. He pointed his finger over at her. ¡®Not a lot I can do about that. It¡¯s already begun anyway. Once a flashback has been summoned, it can¡¯t be denied! It¡¯s the rules!¡¯ Yuki faded away from the void leaving Chiharu behind. She sat with her arms crossed and not content with the situation. Chapter 134 ¨C One Tree in a Forest Anyway, the flashback continued back on course without further interruptions. While potentially painted with overly bright and hopeful colors, it was accurate that the setting was a high school. The need for a flowery entrance was no doubt due in fact to Yumi¡¯s memories took her back to the entrance ceremony, barely a few months ago. A normal spring day for anyone, that wasn¡¯t Yumi. In fact, the rest of the student body had already begun to split up to start for their class. It was only a half day, so spirits were high to still have free time soon. Yumi, on the other hand, was nervous and uneasy with the new school. While always known as a shy individual and difficult to want to change anything uncomfortable, none of that was the reason for her nervousness. Her last year of middle school was no doubt the best time for her, even though it might have been difficult to actually tell to the outside observer. The reason was because the source of her stress had left. While there lingered some memories and self-imposed pressures, she felt more comfortable. She had her best friends and the shadow disappeared from her path. Her school finally had felt welcoming to her and not oppressively judgmental. The assumption from her feelings would be that she felt uncomfortable because of a new environment. The unfamiliar, in truth, did provide her with some amount of unease, but that was only a small piece of the larger puzzle. The real source was the same as it always had been for Yumi. It remained unchanged and likely very obvious to anyone that knew her. She entered the school of Yori, her older brother. Just like in middle school, everywhere he left a trail of amazement and pride. He was popular with most of the girls in the school, though they placed him on such a pedestal that few actually dared to approach him. He improved the school as part of the student council and all of the teachers looked at him as the model student. He had the grades, looks and rumored athletic prowess, though Yumi knew it was one of the few real failing points of her brother. His name meant something to everyone and her first mistake that she deeply regretted was acknowledging that he was her brother. Thanks to the still clinging together Yori fan club at her previous school, Yumi remained aware of all of the accomplishments of her brother in high school. She had partially wanted to ask to attend a different school, but with their family situation, she felt it was too selfish. In his first year, he already rose to the position of President, rather unheard of for a first year. Those graduating members of his fan club that entered the high school with him made sure everyone knew about him. His popularity grew fast and his face and name easily became the most recognizable in the school. Even those not attending the school knew of him. Yumi didn¡¯t know how she was going to deal with it. It felt even worse than middle school. ¡®The butterflies won¡¯t stop...¡¯ She rubbed her hand over her stomach. ¡®¡­will I make it?¡¯ The thought of asking to sleep in the nurse¡¯s office came very tempting to her. She got in the habit of nearly living in the nurse¡¯s office during her first year at the last school. It wasn¡¯t until she met her friends that she felt comfortable enough to stay in class. Her head tilted over to Kaede and Katsumi. ¡®¡­at least we¡¯re in the same class¡­I should be fine¡­¡¯ Her homeroom class began to fill quickly after she arrived. She didn¡¯t want to look eager, but she purposely reached the class as early as she could. A few students arrived before her, but it meant her entrance had less visibility. She hoped that if she just sat in her seat that it would diminish her presence. It only partially worked, as her friends sat around her talking to her about how they spent their time off. Once the class filled, the opening of the front door seemed to signal the breaking of everyone. The few students still standing around chatting dispersed to their seats. Their teacher stepped through the threshold carrying a couple of notebooks stacked together under her arm. She set the notebooks on the desk at the side of her and picked up a piece of chalk. In silence, she wrote her name on the board for everyone to read. ¡°I¡¯m Michiko Kuniyoshi. While I don¡¯t mind a little carefreeness, please remember this is a school and you¡¯re here to learn. Thank you.¡± After her introduction, the introduction began for the students. It carried around the room until it came to her turn. As much as she tried to reduce her appearance in the class, she knew introduction wasn¡¯t something she could avoid. The anticipation to the moment that they all heard her name renewed the churning in her stomach. It returned twofold stronger than before for her. When she stood up her feet wanted her to turn her to the door and flee for the nurse. The longer that she delayed speaking the more she noticed the eyes staring at her. ¡®¡­do they already know? Are they judging me? Will they be disappointed?¡¯ ¡°Hey, Yumi!¡± whispered Kaede from behind. Her voice came in low and unheard by Yumi. It took her poking her in the back to get Yumi¡¯s attention. She smiled up at Yumi giving her a reaffirming gesture. ¡°You can do it, Yumi!¡± Kaede¡¯s reassurance improved her footing a little, but still left her a little nervous. Another whisper from her left pointed out Katsumi to her. She waved to her and nodded to back up Kaede. Her friends¡¯ support returned her voice back to her. While her stomach didn¡¯t improve any, she knew her silence couldn¡¯t remain. Yumi faced forward steeling herself. ¡°Yumi Mizuno, I¡¯m from¡ª¡° Her words stopped the moment she heard murmuring throughout the girls in the class. ¡°Mizuno?¡± Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°That¡¯s the same name, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s his little sister. But don¡¯t expect anything, she¡¯s nothing like him.¡± ¡°Oh? I guess siblings are different.¡± ¡°Umm¡­err¡­I-I¡­¡± Yumi backed in her seat. She expected it to happen, but knowing didn¡¯t make it any easier to deal with for her. The butterflies grew exponentially in her stomach until it felt like she wanted to throw up. It was almost too much for her to take. A chair clattered loudly against a desk from Katsumi standing up, but she didn¡¯t say anything. She didn¡¯t get the chance. Someone else had stood up a moment before her. ¡°Hey everyone! I¡¯m Yuki Hayashi! Now I know you¡¯re all excited with the start of high school, but let me assure you that despite my appearance pretty boys only exist in the stories you read. Don¡¯t forget you¡¯re all protagonists here, but don¡¯t let it go to your head!¡± He struck a bit of an odd pose at his desk. The awkward and almost self-centered introduction pulled everyone¡¯s attention away from Yumi and to him. ¡°What¡¯s with him?¡± ¡°The hell? He some weird otaku?¡± ¡°Thought they were all introverted neets.¡± ¡°I wish he was.¡± Ms. Kuniyoshi threw a laser targeted sharpened piece of chalk across the room speeding past Yuki¡¯s head. The wake left a few cut strains of hair falling slowly. Behind him, the chalk burned a hole in the wall with a little smoke trailing off the impact point. ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt another student Mr. Hayashi! Everyone else, quiet during the introductions. Am I understood?¡± The decisive display of force and command brought everyone back in line. Everyone involved sat down as quickly as possible and the next in line started their introduction. Yumi didn¡¯t pay attention any further to the class. Her nerves were completely shot. Her body swam in sweat and cooked from the rise in temperature. She felt relieved that all of the talking stopped. When she looked around at the rest of the students, they didn¡¯t even give her another glance. She thought that they would all be staring at her like an animal in a zoo. But none of it happened for her. They all seemed more interested in talking about the strange introduction from the rather short boy. She was pleased that they didn¡¯t focus on her, but a little guilty that they made fun of him instead. She knew how it felt too well. Yumi tightened her hands together. The conclusion of the classes for the day brought the end of her first trial. She prayed the next day ran smoother. However, she wanted to do something before she left. She let Kaede and Katsumi know to wait on her. Yumi stood in the emptying classroom feeling comforted by her seat and desk. Across the room, her gaze found him, Yuki Hayashi. She remembered his name from the introduction and couldn¡¯t stop thinking about him. She felt bad that he took all the attention directed at her. However, it confused her a little how he acted carefree and like none of it mattered. He carried a huge smile on his face while he talked to a girl. Yumi bumped into her desk not noticing it as she tried to begin her approach. Their voices raised up as the girl put her arm around his neck. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you, Yuki! I thought you said you were going to try to keep a lower profile after everything from middle school!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I just sort of acted.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s all you do these days. Act stupid.¡± She stepped away from him, crossing her arms bothered by his nonchalant attitude. After a few seconds, she spun back around and pointed her finger at him. ¡°You know some of them from our school are here right? If you get too much attention¡ª¡° ¡°I know! I¡¯m sorry, Saki! It¡¯ll all work out!¡± ¡°Hey, Yuki!¡± shouted another boy coming in from out of the hall. He jumped out and came down on Yuki¡¯s neck putting his arm around him looking very friendly. Yumi recognized him from their class, but couldn¡¯t remember his name. Yuki grinned back at him. ¡°Hey, Hiroshi! You¡¯re still hanging around?¡± Hiroshi stepped off of Yuki. Yumi caught a momentary flinch in his expression as though something bothered him, but carried through. He set himself at a more appropriate distance leaning on a desk. ¡°Yeah, Kazuhiro¡¯s got something he wants to finish. So I¡¯m just killing time.¡± ¡°Oh? Well we were about to head out. I was getting hungry, want to come along?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll bring Tatsuya and Kazuhiro with me, if you don¡¯t mind.¡± Yuki shook his head and welcomed him. ¡°That¡¯s fine! The more the better!¡± No longer content to stand outside of the conversation, Saki stepped in leaning in on Yuki wanting some answers. ¡°What¡¯s going on, Yuki? I don¡¯t know who he is. He your friend from middle school that I don¡¯t know about?¡± Waving his hands to deny the claim, Yuki backed a step away. ¡°No, I just met him! He¡¯s in our class! I¡¯ve never met him before.¡± ¡°Then why¡¯re you acting so friendly?¡± ¡°Well he¡¯s my friend! Why not?¡± Yuki declared with a confused face, while stating it as though it was an obvious fact that even she knew. ¡°¡­Yuki¡­¡± She turned her gaze over to Hiroshi and glared at him. ¡°You, who are you?¡± Hiroshi twitched his eyebrow a little from the presence that Saki emitted. However, he recovered quickly and stood up straight, going rigid almost before her. He put his hand at his side and bowed deeply to her. ¡°I¡¯m Hiroshi Kuroda, ma¡¯am! I¡¯m your son¡¯s friend!¡± Saki blushed a little and backed away from him, not sure how to react to him. ¡°S-s-son? What the hell¡¯s the matter with you?!¡± Her question fueled her annoyance and corrected her confusion. She jumped back into the fray ready to defend herself against him. Still bowed, Hiroshi continued as though he was asking a parent for permission to date their daughter. ¡°Well I only assumed the way you acted that you must be his mother!¡± ¡°Acted?!¡± A vein on her forehead started to pop up and grow quickly. Her fist shook in front of her as she stared at the back of his head pointed at her. She wanted to grab him, but restrained herself. ¡°I¡¯m not his mother! How stupid do you have to be to think a high school student could ever be?! And stop bowing already, it''s creepy!¡± ¡°Thank you for your permission!¡± Hiroshi rose up with a grin on his face. Before he had a chance to laugh, Yuki fell over in laughter. They looked down at him and the entire mood flipped again. Yumi felt a little dizzy watching everything playing out. She didn¡¯t feel like she had a moment to enter. They kept moving at their own pace out of her reach. On any other day, she would have left immediately. She knew that she didn¡¯t belong with them. She was an outsider and her friends waited for her. On any other day, she would have shrunk away and locked away her voice in embarrassment. It was not any other day, anymore. ¡°Umm¡­excuse me¡­¡± Yumi meekly spoke, with a voice that couldn¡¯t have penetrated through the volume of ruckus in front of her. None of them turned or responded to her. ¡®What am I doing? I should just leave now! I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m doing something so embarrassing!¡¯ After a few seconds of awkwardness for her, Yumi started to pull away. ¡°Hey, Yumi! I¡¯m sorry about that!¡± Yuki shouted as he came out. He appeared in front of her with surprising speed. ¡°Sorry, I couldn¡¯t say anything sooner. I tried to stop them!¡± ¡°Wh-wha¡­I-I¡­¡± He came so close to her that Yumi didn¡¯t know how to react. Her voice disappeared, choking off everything inside her. The pounding in her heart rang through her ears almost louder than his words. Recovering from abandonment, Saki and Hiroshi came around to the sides of Yuki. Saki leaned in a little towards Yumi, a little curious. ¡°Who¡¯s she, Yuki? You know her?¡± ¡°She¡¯s in our class, Saki! Don¡¯t you remember anyone in our class?¡± Saki backed off a little surprised. ¡°What?! Of course I do!¡± She looked around at them and then back at Yumi. Saki read the embarrassment on Yumi as frightened. She waved her hands in front trying to deny it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I do remember! I didn¡¯t mean to scare you!¡± ¡°Saki!¡± ¡®So they know about me too¡­everyone does¡­¡¯ Yumi leaned down her head looking at the floor. Yuki crossed his arms and glared over at Saki. ¡°If you don¡¯t remember that¡¯s fine! Don¡¯t lie to her if you can¡¯t remember her! It¡¯s just the first day, so I guess it¡¯s not bad.¡± The lecture from Yuki set Saki off to defend herself. She leaned in to Yuki. ¡°I do remember! I wasn¡¯t lying!¡± Yuki leaned over to her not believing her words and putting pressure on her. The longer he stared at her the worse it got for her until she just gave in. ¡°Fine, I don¡¯t remember! She just looked scared!¡¯ Saki turned over to Yumi and apologized with a bow. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean anything by it!¡± ¡®¡­doesn¡¯t remember?¡¯ Yumi suddenly felt confused, but the attention from the three of them made her uncomfortable. She stared at the ground as the only way to manage her emotions. ¡°So who is she? Does she know you? She came up to us.¡± ¡°Already making the moves on girls, huh? Yuki?¡± joked Hiroshi, nudging his elbow in his ribs. Saki quickly whacked him on his head for the words. He slowly rose back up, corrected. His hand rubbed the pain away from his head while looking over at Yumi. ¡°She¡¯s Yumi Mizuno. I think I¡¯ve heard the name before.¡± ¡°Her name?¡± asked Saki, ¡°So you know her, Yuki?¡± ¡°Nope, I haven¡¯t seen her before today.¡± ¡°So what then?¡± ¡°She¡¯s my friend!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Saki stared at him trying to figure out if he was joking. However, the look in his eyes told her he was serious about it. ¡°Is everyone in the class your friend?¡± ¡°If they want to be!¡± ¡°¡­Yuki¡­¡± ¡®¡­friend?¡¯ Yumi finally felt at ease to lift up her head. ¡®He wants to be my friend? He doesn¡¯t know me?¡¯ She stared partially in confusion and awe at him. Nothing about him made much sense to her, but she couldn¡¯t stop her eyes. ¡®He heard my name, but didn¡¯t say anything. He¡¯s just looking at me as though I¡¯m just another person.¡¯ Saki leaned over to Yumi, still obvious to the conversation going around her. ¡°Hey, you need to speak up! If you don¡¯t want this creep to be saying things like that you can tell him!¡± ¡°That hurts, Saki! I didn¡¯t say anything I didn¡¯t mean!¡± Yuki¡¯s protest pulled her away from him and dragged her to face him. She threw out her hand, nearly running it up his nose with how close it came to him. ¡°But you don¡¯t just go around saying you¡¯re friends with everyone! You can¡¯t decide that for them!¡± After she felt satisfied with her rebuttal, she turned back to Yumi. Her hand came out to Yumi, but nowhere near as intrusive. ¡°If you don¡¯t feel the same, it''s fine. You don¡¯t have to be friends, you can tell him.¡± Yumi didn¡¯t completely follow everything that happened, but she no longer felt the stress of the day in her body. Her heart still pounded, but she knew it wasn¡¯t because of nerves. She was comfortable and at ease, on her first day at a new school where her brother attended. Yumi shook her head lightly and found a small smile lifting up on her lips. ¡°It¡¯s fine with me. He¡¯s right! We¡¯re friends!¡± Chapter 135 - Difference in Reasons Story time concluded for Yumi and Chiharu, those that they waited for still hadn¡¯t appeared. Chiharu noted their absence, but it went completely ignored by Yumi. She focused on her memories. It felt a little like it re-enforced for her the resolve she knew she needed to have. The first encounter with Yuki was only the beginning, but it acted as one of many triggers. A very important and precious memory that she kept locked inside. She didn¡¯t even know why she ended up so freely telling Chiharu. It was something that she kept to herself for so long. She hadn¡¯t even told Kaede and Katsumi. If she told someone she felt like it might turn out to be a dream and they would wake her up from it. She never wanted the dream to end. As much as the flashback buried Yumi so deeply, Chiharu seemingly followed something like the law of physics with an equal and opposite reaction to Yumi. Her interest in the story left her bored and bothered. She didn¡¯t understand why a couple of words couldn¡¯t have done the same thing. In the end, she also didn¡¯t feel like she got any closer to an answer to the original question. On the contrary, it felt like they had strayed from the purpose. Chiharu had lost most of her motivation in the discussion that she considered cutting it short. Yet she found herself responding, which bugged her slightly inside. ¡°I¡¯m failing to see the point of that story.¡± Chiharu¡¯s facial expression turned flat and disinterested with her words. ¡°It¡¯s insignificant to the matters now.¡± The empty and coarse words from Chiharu nearly brought a tear to Yumi¡¯s eyes. She turned a little child-like flailing her arms in Chiharu¡¯s direction. ¡°It does have meaning! How can you trounce over a girl¡¯s precious memories! It¡¯s my most important memory of Yuki!¡± Chiharu became even more confused and slack jawed watching Yumi. She no longer understood anything the girl spouted. ¡®I guess if I think about it as being tied to emotions then that might explain some of it. Still doesn¡¯t make a lot of sense. Seems pretty pointless¡­¡¯ A hint of curiosity triggered in Chiharu after the thought. ¡°Precious memories? It was just a random encounter with the weakling. He¡¯s always running his mouth with empty drivel that¡¯s meaningless. You shouldn¡¯t take him seriously.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wrong.¡± Yumi closed her eyes thinking about the day and Yuki¡¯s face. It remained crystal clear to her months later with no decay. His expression etched in her heart. ¡°I know I¡¯m not really good at reading people, but there is one thing that I¡¯m certain more than anything else. Yuki¡¯s always serious.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Chiharu tilted her head thinking the girl went daft in the brain. She questioned if she misheard the words. ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°Yuki¡¯s always serious.¡± ¡°That weakling¡¯s never serious, except for I guess when he¡¯s fighting. Though I¡¯ve heard he¡¯s not serious then as well.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wrong, Chiharu.¡± Yumi let a deep smile crawl over her face carrying a deeper emotion behind it. She opened her eyes and stared over at Chiharu unflinchingly. ¡°It¡¯s easy to miss, because Yuki¡¯s always acting silly. But that¡¯s just because people don¡¯t understand it. I don¡¯t know the whole story about Yuki, but the pieces I¡¯ve seen tells me that he¡¯s covering up a great sadness within his heart. Everything on the outside is just a mask.¡± Chiharu turned back to her disbelief from listening to Yumi. ¡®A great sadness? What sort of idiot would believe someone acts stupid to cover up their past?¡¯ The thought started her hand shaking subconsciously. She leaned ever so slightly close to Yumi. ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous. There¡¯s nothing in that weakling¡¯s head, but air.¡± Chiharu raised her hand towards Yumi in a questioning accusation. ¡°If you¡¯re so bad at reading people, what makes you think anything of what you said is actually correct? You¡¯re just providing material for debunking your theory. You¡¯re making yourself an easy target.¡± The words made Yumi giggle a little, which did not help Chiharu any. ¡°Maybe, but he is a classmate. I¡¯ve watched him for the last few months. So I¡¯ve learned a few things in how he acts.¡± ¡°You sound like a stalker.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a stalker,¡± protested Yumi with a red face. ¡°Oh? And what makes you think he has such a great sadness as you claim? I¡¯ve looked into his eyes and I only see stupidity.¡± Yumi leaned in at Chiharu using her hands to support herself. ¡°Then you haven¡¯t looked deeply enough!¡± She spoke with unwavering certainty that ignored their proximity. Chiharu leaned back a little, set off balance by Yumi¡¯s forwardness. It forced her eyes to shift away from Yumi, no longer wishing to make contact. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to find.¡± ¡°You asked what I knew that made me certain.¡± The grave mood that Yumi exuded changed the atmosphere. She was serious the entire time during their conversation, but her words and stature altered. Any doubt disappeared and left zero room for questions. Yumi pulled herself back to sit in the grass. ¡°He never talks about it. So most don¡¯t know, which is understandable. Even I don¡¯t know all of the details. But I know that he¡¯s lost both of his parents. So he bares all of that inside, while showing the silly and careless exterior that you know. Before I learned that I already was starting to understand, but it is all just an act for him. Yuki is always serious in everything that he does and he¡¯s always looking out for others.¡± Chapter 135 ¨C Difference in Reasons Silence hung between the two for seconds that felt like an eternity. Chiharu didn¡¯t have a counter argument or even quick comment to deny the emptiness of the claim. The shaking in Chiharu¡¯s hand transferred into her legs and slowly worked into her body. Once again, Chiharu didn¡¯t understand. It left her a little surprised. She fought to keep her shock from bleeding into her eyes, threatening to give it away. ¡®¡­doesn¡¯t make any sense¡­can¡¯t¡­¡¯ Chiharu ran questions through mind. Countless denials threw out to try to knock away Yumi¡¯s words. Yet Yumi¡¯s face stared back at her not giving in to Chiharu. She wanted to push it all away. She wanted to call her a liar that knew nothing. She wanted to call her childish and drunk on love. She wanted to call her love blind. She wanted to say that it made her see things. She wanted to say so many things, but no words came out. Chiharu had no words. Her throat choked on them. It was uncomfortable. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. She didn¡¯t understand. It fought back in a way that she didn¡¯t plan. All of her angles closed off. It surrounded her flanks. Even her escape fell. She was stunned. ¡®How¡­it can¡¯t be¡­she¡¯s wrong! She has to be wrong! It doesn¡¯t make any sense!¡¯ Everything that came from Yumi said she believed it to be an undeniable truth. Panic bled into Chiharu¡¯s thoughts. She wanted to scramble away. It made her feel small, again. The feeling forced her to recall the instant that Yuki glared down at her. He had never looked more serious or determined in front of her. She gave into him then not understanding him. ¡®He¡¯s always serious,¡¯ echoed Yumi¡¯s words. Chiharu shook away the thoughts. She wiped away Yuki¡¯s image that made her feel like a child. She was no child. She left it all behind. ¡®No! Go away! You can¡¯t go back!¡¯ Chiharu wanted to wrap her arms around herself. She wanted to run away. The thoughts that kept surfacing within her frightened her. She hated the feeling it brought out. ¡®I left it behind¡­¡¯ ¡®He lost his parents.¡¯ ¡®That can¡¯t be! You must be wrong! How can¡­if you¡­act like that¡­¡¯ All she needed anymore was herself. She believed it. If she needed warmth, she could grab a blanket. If she needed to eat, she could cook for herself. If she needed saving, she would stand up for herself. She didn¡¯t need any of it. ¡®It¡¯s all an act.¡¯ Chiharu forced her eyes closed. It didn¡¯t help her any. She hoped that it would prevent the thoughts from coming back to her. She prayed for the memories to cease. Memories were the past. She wanted none of them. She needed none of them. ¡®How can anyone? It doesn¡¯t make any sense! It has to be a lie!¡¯ ¡®He¡¯s just pretending to be silly.¡¯ ¡®If all of that is true¡­if it¡¯s true¡­ The truth¡­¡¯ The inkling that anything Yumi said was real pushed the shaking into her body. She could no longer ignore it. It overwhelmed her as she fled deeper into her mind for protection. She distanced herself from it. The further away from her the less she felt the uncomfortable sensation. It was just a sign of weakness and she had no weaknesses. She needed no weaknesses. ¡®It can¡¯t¡­¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m not lying.¡¯ ¡®You are lying! It¡¯s the only answer! It has to be!¡¯ ¡®Why?¡¯ ¡®Because if it¡¯s true¡­if it¡¯s true¡­¡¯ ¡®Because if it¡¯s true? What?¡¯ ¡®No! It¡¯s false!¡¯ ¡®Because if it¡¯s true then the answer you found might be wrong? You might be wrong? You might be lying?¡¯ ¡®No! I¡¯m not! I¡¯m not lying! It¡¯s impossible!¡¯ Chiharu¡¯s heart started to pound from the thoughts slamming around in her head. The further she escaped the louder and more penetrating the words became. She felt more surrounded than before. The only thing she had was the shaking in her body to comfort her. It sickened her. The detested weakness sapped away her strength. It was stronger than she was. She didn¡¯t want it to be true. ¡®It¡¯s impossible! He¡¯s just a normal idiot who¡¯s a busy body that has to get involved in problems that aren¡¯t his!¡¯ ¡®But it¡¯s the truth. It¡¯s not impossible.¡¯ Chiharu couldn¡¯t take it anymore. The voice of that girl in her head acted like it knew everywhere. It acted like it knew her. She knew nothing about her. None of them knew anything about her. They were all strangers to her. They acted like friends, but they would just as easily abandon her after it was all over. She only had herself. Chiharu shouted back at the girl in her mind, ¡®It is impossible! Because if he really did lose his parents then he would never be able to smile again, even faking it!¡¯ An image of blood covered everything. ¡®It would not be real! You can¡¯t fake a smile or happiness!¡¯ Two lifeless bodies soaked in blood laid in a room. ¡®You can¡¯t act careless and still pretend to be a child anymore! When you lose your parents that¡¯s it!¡¯ A child too young to understand what happened stood in the doorway. ¡®There¡¯s nothing left! You have to grow up!¡¯ A firm strong hand handed down a sheathed blade to the child. ¡®You have to do everything yourself! If it was true he would never be able to be happy!¡¯ Two gravestones rested in silence with the child before them. Everything faded to black. Chiharu was alone. The void in her mind finally became empty again. She couldn¡¯t even muster a thought. Her body stopped shaken, but it ran so still that it turned cold. She lost all of her energy. In the length of silence, Yumi felt a little confused and apprehensive. She wanted to say something more, but felt that she might have overstepped. The usual pace of their back and forth stopped so suddenly. She felt that she should wait for Chiharu. However, each second dragged on. ¡°Chiharu?¡± The lack of a response or even an annoyed twitch concerned her. It made Yumi reach out for Chiharu, but stopped suddenly. Chiharu gripped onto Yumi¡¯s hand tightly, awaking from her thoughts. She looked over to Yumi. The even controlled pace of her body restored confidence to Chiharu. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Some hesitation built up in Yumi at the awkward situation. It frightened her a little how Chiharu so quickly returned to the living. ¡°Umm¡­you weren¡¯t saying anything. So I was just checking on you.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Can you let go of my arm,¡± Yumi quickly commented between Chiharu¡¯s words. Chiharu complied with her request in unbroken motion. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I was just considering what you said.¡± ¡°Oh, but you were so quick to respond before. So I thought I might have said something wrong.¡± A slight twitch broke through Chiharu¡¯s mask. ¡°Nothing of the sort. However, back to the subject of the weakling. If you¡¯re correct in all that you said. What¡¯s your theory for why he acts stupid considering a tragic past?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Yumi tilted her head a little at Chiharu. It surprised her that she came back to the topic after refusing so stubbornly to accept it. She figured that Chiharu would have dropped it after the break. Crossing her arms, Chiharu pressed her back into the tree. ¡°I mean, if you think about it objectively, the loss of someone¡¯s parents is significant. It is enough to change someone. With something so important taken away, I find it difficult to believe he could actually be happy or even pretend to be carefree. You¡¯re forced to grow up quickly and stand on your own. You wouldn¡¯t have the time to act like that.¡± Chiharu continued to surprise Yumi. The response that Chiharu gave her was probably one of the longest periods of speech that she had seen. It confused her a little, expecting a short answer. Her answer made her question a little of what she said, sensing something else behind it. However, she didn¡¯t want to hesitate in delivering a response. Chiharu was being serious and Yumi felt she should reply in kind. ¡°You¡¯re probably right about that.¡± Yumi leaned against the tree returning to their starting positions. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine what I would feel like if I lost my mother. I might never be the same again. But I think he¡¯s able to smile and act silly because of his friends. He had those that supported him. If he ever fell down I¡¯m sure Saki would be there to pick him back up. Seiji would probably punch him until he came back around.¡± ¡®Friends supported him?¡¯ Chiharu considered her words in silence. She didn¡¯t feel satisfied with the answer. They had the same situation, but different outcomes. She narrowed her eyes and turned a little away. ¡°That sounds sickeningly clich¨¦.¡± Yumi noticed their friends in the distance, barely lit by the moon. She stood up dusting herself off. The time apart from them felt as if it left her drained, but also glad. She was able to talk with Chiharu. Yumi ran out a few steps waving over to them to get their attention. Afterward, she turned back around smiling at Chiharu. ¡°I know it does. And it might not be the right answer, but that¡¯s how I feel. I¡¯m sure if something like that happened to me. Where I was in so much despair and sadness with no way out. He would be there giving me a hand to hold, because that¡¯s who he is. He would do that for anyone.¡± She turned back around to watch Fumiko and Seiji running closer to them. Chiharu doubted her words, regardless of how sincere she spoke them. ¡°Anyone? You can¡¯t save everyone¡­¡± ¡°True, but he¡¯ll try to anyway.¡± She tilted her head over her shoulders looking back at Chiharu. ¡°Even you. Because we¡¯re friends.¡± Chapter 136 - Approaching a Settlement A long night had already passed, but plenty more time underneath the moon still remained. The four teenagers regrouped after the long run. Yumi apologized profusely to Fumiko and Seiji for her actions. Fumiko quickly accepted and dismissed Yumi¡¯s need to apologize for the incident. Seiji gave in after Fumiko glared at him to stop scaring Yumi. While he didn¡¯t seem to be upset with her, a remaining sense of something bothering him lingered. Yumi was simply glad to have everyone back and nothing bad happened because of her inability to control her powers. All of them continued their march to where the Atlanteans held Yori. None of them felt in the mood to rest further. Their breaks before were necessitated by Yumi. ¡®I¡¯ve been slowing everyone down¡­¡¯ Her conversation with Chiharu distracted her from the core problem. It still gnawed at her like a bug bite on the back of her neck, invisible and difficult to reach. It was always unsatisfying and festered. A few minutes after their walk began, Fumiko, who held back a little, noted the position of Chiharu in their group. ¡®She¡¯s closer¡­¡¯ She looked over at Seiji to her right, judging them. ¡®She¡¯s still the same distance from him, but something¡¯s different¡­¡¯ The distance Chiharu had always remained the same distance from everyone. Fumiko only had seen her get closer with Saki, even though it looked like she had mixed feelings. She felt a little change in the way Chiharu acted. ¡®I wonder what happened between them¡­ I¡¯m happy to see her acting a little more comfortable with someone, but she¡¯s still too distant¡­¡¯ The thoughts running through her mind made her curious. She didn¡¯t immediately realize it, but her feet began to outpace Seiji. When she came close to Chiharu, it left her in an awkward position. While she wondered in curiosity, she didn¡¯t plan for the next step. She felt nosy, but didn¡¯t actually want to show it. The personality of Chiharu, she knew, would react poorly to unwanted approaches. Even on the ship, Fumiko tried to improve their relationship, but she only got brushed away. ¡®I thought at first, being the youngest in the group made her feel out of place, but that¡¯s not the case with her.¡¯ Fumiko combed her finger through her waist length hair considering her next action. Unfortunately, Chiharu¡¯s awareness was very high. She immediately noticed the difference in location of Fumiko. While she didn¡¯t make a change in her body, she did speak to Fumiko behind her. ¡°Is there something you want?¡± ¡°Ah?!¡± Fumiko jumped back a little, startled by Chiharu. She didn¡¯t try to be sneaky, but she didn¡¯t think that she made any sounds. ¡®¡­scary girl¡­¡¯ However, her yelp drew the attention of the others. They looked at her confused and concerned that something happened. She flailed her arms flustered by her failure. ¡°Everything¡¯s fine!¡± Another moment of uncertainty passed before they gave in to her and returned to normal. Her failure made Fumiko sigh. Not content with the outcome, Chiharu tilted her head a little back at Fumiko. ¡°You didn¡¯t answer the question.¡± ¡°¡­well¡­¡± The feeling of being put on the spot and the sideways partial glare ruined any chance that Fumiko had to form a sentence. She regretted approaching with no plan in mind. She wanted to tie up her curiosity and stuff it down a pipe to disappear forever. ¡°¡­it¡¯s nothing,¡± she managed before stepping away. Chapter 136 ¨C Approaching a Settlement Unknown to Fumiko, a reason drove Chiharu¡¯s position in the group. After all of the debating that the two had in private, some things only became more muddled for her. She still had questions. The love-struck girl bothered her. Chiharu didn¡¯t feel satisfied with the outcome, especially with the unnecessary talk of friendship. ¡®I don¡¯t need that weakling¡¯s help¡­ He¡¯ll just get in the way¡­¡¯ She quickened her step to come beside Yumi. Yumi became more familiar with the presence of Chiharu after their talk. It made her more aware of her approach, that it didn¡¯t surprise her to see her out of the corner of her eye. ¡°Hi, Chiharu! Is something wrong? You normally keep to the back.¡± Chiharu restrained a verbal tick from escaping her lips. It left her a little unnerved that someone so inexperienced and fragile noticed her with no reaction. Chiharu worked for tireless years to refine such awareness. The girl was granted it with the slightest amount of effort. ¡®¡­damn powers from that weakling¡­¡¯ Yet another thing that she hated. However, her presence did demand a response. Chiharu wanted her questions answered. She wanted to see the picture clearly. Her eyes slid over towards Yumi, while keeping her body forward. ¡°There¡¯s something that you never answered.¡± Chiharu acted as though she needed to keep looking natural and uninterrupted, like their topic was secret. The strange response from Chiharu introduced her own curiosity for Yumi. She tilted her head over to her, but kept walking forward. ¡°Oh? What is it?¡± ¡°You never answered my question. Why are you doing all of this?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Yumi turned her eyes away in thought back on everything that they talked about. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I already told you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not talking about that,¡± she rebutted, though still remaining painfully vague. Handed the abstract answer, Yumi felt like they were having two different conversations. It felt like Chiharu spoke with someone that knew exactly what she said. Yumi felt distant and divided from it. ¡°That?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± A sigh charged out of Chiharu¡¯s lips. She managed to keep her features under control, but directed her piercing gaze further into Yumi. ¡°Are you really this dumb and you just act intelligent?¡± A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Yup, I¡¯m stupid!¡± grinned Yumi. She leaned over at Chiharu with an expression that would have done Yuki proud. ¡°It¡¯s all just an act. My brother¡¯s the smart one.¡± Chiharu tried to ignore the proximity and attitude, while forced to look at her so close. ¡°Are you trying to mock me now?¡± Yumi pulled back away, looking a little pleased with herself. ¡°Just softening the mood a little.¡± ¡°I think the weakling¡¯s starting to influence you.¡± ¡°You think so?¡± she asked, already starting to blush. ¡°I wasn¡¯t giving you a compliment.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine!¡± After Yumi settled out from her excitement, she leaned back in at Chiharu. ¡°By the way, you keep calling Yuki weakling. Why don¡¯t you call him by his name?¡± Turning away quickly, Chiharu made the best of the closeness. ¡°I don¡¯t bother with those that are weak,¡± she stated in a grave tone. ¡°But Yuki isn¡¯t weak at all!¡± ¡°Yes, he is.¡± ¡°Yuki¡¯s the strongest in the group. What about the others then are we all weak to you?¡± The cornered feeling that Yumi easily brought on came back. She hated such questions and how easily it occurred. ¡°It¡¯s a different type of weak.¡± ¡°Oh? So you don¡¯t think he¡¯s weak!¡± ¡°Of course, he¡¯s weak!¡± Chiharu leaned a little caught up with Yumi¡¯s words. At the edge of the words, she found herself in a position she despised. She pulled herself back in to check. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the confused stare of Yumi at her. Her last statement fell easily into a paradox. The meanings lost their significance. In the end, Chiharu sighed once more. ¡°You¡¯re straying from the original topic.¡± Yumi pulled back to rest at a straightened walking stance. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°My question.¡± ¡°Oh, right! But I already answered that!¡± The repeated answer in annoying airheaded fashion made Chiharu want to fall over, but she resisted. It threatened her balance dealing with Yumi. Her actions still did not make any sense to her. ¡®She¡¯s being unusually absentminded. What¡¯s with the change?¡¯ In the rear of the group, Seiji and Fumiko carried on in silence. However, Fumiko watched the two girls going back and forth. She didn¡¯t understand most of what they said, as they didn¡¯t get too loud. The occasional shout or excited word came through, but it wasn¡¯t her intention to spy on them. Chiharu still had difficulty with her. It made it feel a little more at ease to see them. ¡°They look like they¡¯re getting along,¡± she commented to Seiji. It still confused her a little what happened between them in the short time they were away. Seiji held his arms crossed for the last few minutes. He remained in the position since they started walking. A slightly furled brow also seemed permanently taped to his forehead. ¡°They look like they¡¯re fighting to me. I don¡¯t think that they¡¯re getting along.¡± Fumiko shook her head lightly. ¡°Arguing can be a sign of getting along as well, especially in Chiharu¡¯s case.¡± ¡°Eh? That brat?¡± The thought of Chiharu made Seiji¡¯s eyebrows wrinkle further. ¡°Chiharu keeps at a distance with everyone. She also limits her interactions. But she approached Yumi and is carrying on a conversation. Even if they might be fighting, it¡¯s an important sign for her.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re thinking too damn much of things.¡± Hearing Seiji made Fumiko giggle a little. ¡°Not straightforward enough for you?¡± She glanced over at him and caught him turning away. ¡°Well, it does go both ways. It seems that Yumi¡¯s become more relaxed as well. It¡¯s pretty clear why she came along, but she still isolated herself. She¡¯s been using her brother as insulation from everything. Without him, she¡¯s exposed.¡± ¡°Tch!¡± Seiji grumbled at all of the introspective talk occurring. His arms tightened up around his chest acting like a defense. ¡°Done talking like a shrink?¡± A dangerous thread exposed itself to Fumiko. She ignored it previously, but couldn¡¯t help poking something that she knew that she shouldn¡¯t. ¡°Are you still upset that a frail girl like Yumi¡¯s faster than you?¡± Sounding like a branch breaking, Seiji snapped and turned to face Fumiko. ¡°Who the hell would be upset over something like that?!¡± He stopped walking and tightened his hands into fists, though not actually planning to use them. Fumiko expected such a reaction, giving her the preparation not to be startled by his aggression. ¡°You know if you overreact it only makes it easier to read you.¡± She glanced over to the front of them. Yumi and Chiharu looked back at him. ¡°Also, it seems you¡¯ve gotten unwanted attention.¡± He didn¡¯t immediately understand her words, but her finger pointing ahead of them redirected his eyes. Once he figured out what his actions caused, Seiji straightened up. While he forced down his embarrassment, he played everything off as if nothing happened. A few awkward moments passed before everyone silently seemed to agree on ignoring the matter. Fumiko and Seiji resumed their even pace in the back. Back in the front, the two¡¯s interruption had been well timed, for Chiharu. They got off on a tangent and she found herself playing to the pace that Yumi set. It bothered her that she got distracted from the matter. She only wanted a satisfying answer and then to be left in peace for the rest of the walk. ¡°Can you return back to answering the question?¡± ¡°Huh? What question?¡± asked Yumi. The shallow formation of an angry vein slowly began to surface on Chiharu¡¯s forehead. She reigned herself back in before it went out of control. ¡°You¡¯re doing this on purpose.¡± Yumi smiled, appearing innocent, while quietly agreeing with Chiharu¡¯s statement. ¡°But it¡¯s been a while since I got to talk to a girl the same age as me about things like this.¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t the same age! I¡¯m in middle school.¡± Chiharu felt at the end of her rope. Every trained thread in her core was threatened by the actions of the girl. It dangerously teetered on the brink for Chiharu. Each answer worked tirelessly on her nerves to undo them. She didn¡¯t know how much longer that she could last against the barrage. Chiharu exercised her hands by tightening and relaxing them to focus her energies away. Her calm center held too many vibrations. It didn¡¯t make any sense. She needed more answers. ¡°Why are you acting differently?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Yumi tilted her head over at Chiharu, a little confused. She didn¡¯t make complete eye contact. ¡°You¡¯re not this flippant. You¡¯re acting like how that weakling acts.¡± The smile dropped from Yumi¡¯s face. She pulled her head back in and straightened out. Her stature altered and fell in line with the sudden change in atmosphere around her. Yumi placed her hands behind her back and looped her fingers together to tie them off. ¡°You¡¯re right. Is it a little too forced?¡± All of the changes caught Chiharu a little off guard. She narrowed her eyes trying to read everything that Yumi did. The new position that Yumi took only confused her further. She found more things that made no sense to her. ¡°What were you trying to do?¡± Yumi lifted her head up to the stars in the night sky. It made her mind run through the memories of the evening she had with Chiharu. ¡°I guess it was an answer to your question.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s a little vague, huh?¡± She pulled her gaze back down to the dark plains that surrounded them. Her eyes moved to her side looking at Chiharu. ¡°Revenge for your ambiguity from early.¡± Chiharu raised her eyebrow a bit, marking her confusion. It took her a few moments to filter through finally understanding everything to Yumi¡¯s meaning. ¡°You did all of this because of that?¡± ¡°No, I think you¡¯re missing the point,¡± laughed Yumi. She pointed her sights forward again. ¡°The vagueness, not the question. But I was answering your question.¡± ¡°How is all of that an answer?¡± ¡°Because I want to change myself!¡± Yumi turned her head back to Chiharu to meet her fully. Her features emitted the determined resolve of her choice. ¡°That¡¯s my answer.¡± Chapter 137 - Understanding the Answer Despite the night, Chiharu felt like the sun blasted her with a blinding beam of light. It didn¡¯t make any sense to her. A glow seemed to be around Yumi that defied Chiharu¡¯s mind. She saw a fragile and wavering strength that continued to be broken and rebuilt endlessly. Chiharu could see the old pieces of the foundation that failed to be reused as chunks in the new. It held countless pieces, always recycled. Nothing was ever wasted. ¡®What is this answer?¡¯ Chapter 137 ¨C Understanding the Answer ¡®Change herself?¡¯ Yumi¡¯s words ran through her mind repeatedly. She didn¡¯t feel that the girl made any change, even if it was her desire. Everything she saw showed her to be weak and easily controlled by emotions. The only thing she found worth something was her determination, but even that seemed to falter at times. ¡®She always backs down when the slightest thing fails on her. She starts out strong and then collapses under pressure. She can¡¯t change. You are who you were when you¡¯re born.¡¯ The return of silence from Chiharu pulled in Yumi. It made her fear she said something wrong to Chiharu again. She always expected a quick answer from Chiharu. She never seemed to stutter in her response, but it happened before and again. Yumi leaned over to Chiharu hoping to get her attention. ¡°Chiharu? Everything ok?¡± Yumi¡¯s voice roughly pierced through her thoughts and snapped her attention. Distracted in her words, Chiharu narrowed her glare for Yumi to push her back. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m just not satisfied with your answer.¡± She crossed her arms, locking herself back away from Yumi. The wall came up. An awkward feeling filled the air around Yumi. She didn¡¯t understand the sensation, but it made her pull away from Chiharu. The unease tried to drill into her stomach to ferment a sour liquid. Yumi fought to keep her nerves together. ¡°W-Wh-what¡¯s wrong with the answer?¡± Yumi pressed her hands together at her waist for comfort. ¡°It¡¯s that.¡± Chiharu pointed at Yumi without actually moving her hands. It focused everything on her. Startled a bit, Yumi pulled herself tighter. ¡°W-what do you mean?¡± ¡°You¡¯re weak. You collapsed too easily.¡± ¡°W-we¡¯re all weak¡­¡± Chiharu angled her head over to Yumi a little. ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m talking about.¡± She dug in her gaze. She planned to pull out the answer. The only option was to be ruthless. Pressure from Chiharu didn¡¯t help Yumi calm herself. She felt surrounded from all sides. Each direction had the eyes of Chiharu aimed at her. Yumi didn¡¯t understand what she wanted anymore. She thought she gave her what she wanted. ¡®I thought I was starting to understand her¡­but now¡­Chiharu¡¯s so scary¡­¡¯ Feelings and sensations no longer mattered. All it did was overload her. She had to find another way out. However, Chiharu didn¡¯t look to be backing away from her. Yumi was out of answers. ¡°Already out of words?¡± ¡°But¡­I¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re already doing it.¡± A wall stood before her blocking her path. Yumi had no place to return and no place to move again. Everywhere a barricade came down. She didn¡¯t understand what Chiharu wanted from her. ¡®She feels different from before¡­¡¯ Chiharu refused to give a clear reply. She didn¡¯t know what to do. ¡°You don¡¯t even understand do you? You really are just dumb¡­¡± Yumi pulled further away from Chiharu. She already went beyond uncertainty and confusion. She lost the chance to say anything. Her every turn threatened her with biting jaws of angry fangs. ¡°Pl-please stop¡­¡± Letting loose a puff of air, Chiharu tightened her arms. ¡°Already making me the villain?¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I want to know. Why you?¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re asking!¡± Chiharu turned a little in their walk to face Yumi better. ¡°Why are you doing all of this? Why do you act strong, but are actually a coward? Is it all for him? Because of some pointless crush? Why? I want a real answer from you.¡± Yumi felt the slam of all of the words against her chest. Her past conversations with Chiharu ran mostly indirect and even when it seemed like they were direct there was still confusion left. It was the first time that Yumi actually felt that Chiharu was being direct and not jumping around words. ¡®Was everything from before about this? She¡¯s still bothered by it?¡¯ Most of the nervousness in Yumi faded away. If it was a question such as that, she felt confident in an answer. ¡°I did provide you a partial answer already.¡± This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°You want to change yourself?¡± A nod in agreement came from Yumi. She managed to smile a little, feeling the warmth returning to her body. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct.¡± The image of Yuki painted through her mind as she thought about her words. The tone in Chiharu¡¯s voice cracked slightly as she spoke, ¡°What do you think you can do with such weak and na?ve ideas?¡± She shook her head a bit at Chiharu. Yumi began to see that she really didn¡¯t understand. Originally, she thought she might have been too young, but she didn¡¯t know Chiharu¡¯s past. Their chats showed her that Chiharu had maturity. She still lacked something else. What she lacked prevented her from understanding. Yumi knew that finally. ¡°I guess it could be seen as that to you. But you sure that it is not you that is weak for not being able to see?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not weak,¡± Chiharu immediately replied. The tone in her voice broke again in her words. Her arms tightened in further. Any further movement from Chiharu would begin popping her joints. Yumi¡¯s smile weakened a bit seeing the unsettling stress from Chiharu. ¡°There are different types of weakness. I think¡­¡± She needed to explain herself. It was clear to her that something still bothered Chiharu enough to keep pressing the issue. Yumi didn¡¯t claim to understand her reasons, but she felt the importance of it to her. ¡°I already know that I¡¯m not very strong. I have to keep picking myself back up. I¡¯m always doubting what I can do. The truth is that I probably shouldn¡¯t even be here.¡± ¡°If you know this, then why are you still here?¡± ¡°I already answered that question four chapters ago,¡± Yumi quickly commented with a grin. A quick glare jumped from Chiharu at Yumi. ¡°I mean what makes you think you can do this. You know you¡¯re weak and not suited to this. How can something so soft as the notion of change be your reason?¡± ¡°Well honestly a lot of it is because of Yuki. He¡¯s the reason I want to change.¡± Some bits of nostalgia floated through Yumi¡¯s mind calling her back. However, a low growl from Chiharu snapped her out of her memories. Yumi saw the look of ¡®no more flashbacks¡¯ in her eyes. It made her sweat a little, but she pushed on. ¡®I guess a lot of it I didn¡¯t really fully understand at the beginning either. It just sort of happened¡­¡¯ Yumi let her hands rest back at her side. She forgot that they still walked under the moon towards her brother. The conversation with Chiharu completely absorbed her. ¡°Back at home, I didn¡¯t really mind being ordinary and normal. If anything I wanted that more than anything, but I knew I wasn¡¯t. I was below average and I had to struggle just to try to be average. During all of junior high school that was always my dream, just to be normal. And I thought I felt the same for high school too.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, because of the weakling you changed your mind.¡± She giggled a little at the thought, but shook her head. ¡°No, I don¡¯t really think he had much to do with that. After everything that happened with Japan changing, I didn¡¯t know what to think. Everything had changed and I could no longer see things the same anymore.¡± Her left hand rose up to rest on her right upper arm to hold on for safety. She saw things that defied nature out of her window. Everything no longer had the same meaning, at least she hoped. It gave her a new chance. Chiharu would have crossed her arms in disbelief, if she hadn¡¯t already. She couldn¡¯t even tighten anymore as a show. All she could manage was narrowed eyes to carry any further disbelief within her. ¡°You¡¯re saying he had nothing to do with it? That since the country changed you came to the conclusion?¡± ¡°I guess he triggered things or was part of it. But the changes happening around me definitely changed my way of thinking.¡± The impossible happened around her. People with strange powers surfaced in every corner. Nothing was as she knew. Her thoughts changed then. ¡°I didn¡¯t think much of it at first. All of it scared me too much. Even from the window of my home, nothing felt safe anymore. But slowly I felt something different. I started considering something. Back then I couldn¡¯t give it words to exist. However, on our last night in Japan I made my decision.¡± ¡°You made a decision?¡± Yumi nodded back to her. ¡°Yes, it was at that same time I decided I was going to help Yuki.¡± ¡°So it does come back to the weakling.¡± ¡°Eh? I guess¡­though they¡¯re two separate issues.¡± Yumi stuck her hands out as if she held something between them and moved her hands to the opposite side. She wanted to keep them apart from each other. ¡°I felt that if I was going to do anything, I needed to do something¡­ Something possibly drastic and reckless, something that I might regret.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that counterproductive?¡± The thought process of Yumi failed to make Chiharu understand her any better. She felt like she was getting the full answer from Yumi, but not the answer that fit. It only served to confuse her further. Questions swam in her head. Yet curiosity remained strong enough to keep from breaking off. ¡°Maybe so,¡± laughed Yumi. She couldn¡¯t deny the notion that everything she did was pointless. Even starting out she knew the possibilities. However, she didn¡¯t stop and kept pushing forward. ¡®Maybe that¡¯s why the voice inside me comes out¡­when I find myself in doubt¡­I can¡¯t turn away¡­¡¯ Yumi fixed stares with Chiharu. She felt some of her determination returning. ¡°But I decided to do anything knowing that. I needed to change, I realized. The world around me had changed and though even before the changes occurred I did not necessarily fit neatly into its works¡­ I knew that now I definitely wouldn¡¯t¡­ The world outside my home wasn¡¯t a place for me. So I needed to be someone different to keep moving forward.¡± ¡°Someone different?¡± Chiharu raised an eyebrow in uncertainty. The longer she listened the less it made any sense to her. ¡®I really don¡¯t understand her way of thinking. You don¡¯t just decide to change yourself. Training and discipline are the only way to improve yourself.¡¯ She wasn¡¯t finding the answer she wanted. She had to correct her thoughts. ¡°Change isn¡¯t possible.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°You¡¯re born who you are and who you will be. You can¡¯t change that. You can refine what you¡¯re given. You are you. Nothing more.¡± Yumi closed her hands together with her fingers laced together. She held on tightly to them as though desperate to keep something from escaping. ¡°I know I¡¯m trying for something that is impossible. I¡¯ve been who I have been for my entire life. So changing now seems beyond my limits, but even though I falter, stumble and fail I need to keep trying anyway.¡± ¡°For him?¡± ¡°For myself! My friends support me and know I can be more. So I have to believe as well in what they see in me. So I¡¯ll do this for myself. I¡¯ll become stronger and more confident.¡± Yumi made it into a promise rather than a dream or hope. She stood in a land where she couldn¡¯t let her weaknesses and fears keep holding her back. She was afraid and scared of the future, but she needed to keep trying anyway. Yumi jumped forward a little ahead of Chiharu and turned around to face her completely. ¡°After all, we¡¯re in the land where anything is possible, right?¡± A wide grin appeared on her face brimming with resolve. ¡°Even the impossible can happen!¡± Chiharu came to a stop still questioning the logic presented to her. She didn¡¯t have the energy to debate further irrational ideas with her. Nothing came as clear as she wanted with Yumi. Deep inside, she held onto hope of finding the answer that she needed for herself. The phrase that would solve her own questions, but her quest would have to continue. She knew it would not be so easy. ¡°Logic only a fool can understand. No wonder you¡¯re stuck on the weakling.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine with me for now!¡± She wasn¡¯t sure how much of it helped, but she no longer saw Chiharu as cold and distant. Even if only a little bit, she thought she could call her a friend and feel like Chiharu might not complain about the notion. ¡®Everything will be fine! I¡¯m feeling good about this! We¡¯re a team!¡¯ Seiji and Fumiko came to a stop next to the two girls. However, their reasons weren¡¯t because they interrupted the march. They aimed their eyes forward to the distance. Fumiko was the first to speak, ¡°Is that a village?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t tell from here,¡± answered Seiji, leaning forward as though it helped him. ¡°It¡¯s too dark.¡± Chiharu pulled her focus back to the attention that grabbed the others. The features on her face all became narrowed and intense. ¡°No, that¡¯s no village. It¡¯s a camp.¡± The sudden change in atmosphere finally reached Yumi. It pulled her around, curious to know what the others were talking about. Once she saw the same thing, her eyes widened and pupils shrank in disbelief. ¡°A camp?! It can¡¯t be!¡± She staggered back, unable to hide her surprise. ¡°Yes, and judging by the size there are more than a hundred camped there.¡± ¡°How¡¯s that possible?¡± asked Fumiko, taking a step back as well. ¡°We would have seen something this big!¡± ¡°My brother¡¯s in there?! How are we supposed to get him out of there?¡± Despair fell back into Yumi¡¯s lap dropping her to her knees. The sight grew more expansive in her mind. Her brother stretched out of her reach. ¡®How will I save him?¡¯ Chapter 138 - Silent Approach Long confused hours passed since the unnerving end to the interrogation. Only a small piece of new information came out of it. A piece that didn¡¯t have a defined edge. No edge or shape, it meant it had no hint or clue to how it fit together with everything else. Unfortunately, the piece was important and critical. Everything else used it to hold together. If it wasn¡¯t present, all of the rest of the pieces already put together held no meaning. The significance of the piece demanded its use immediately. Yet in such condition, the piece had no means of use. Such was the state Simonides¡¯ mind was in since he gained the new puzzle piece. All he had was a torrent of dependent questions with no answers. He couldn¡¯t sleep with such questions. Isolated in his tent for the empty hours, he had enough of the restless. Simonides stood up from the chair in the mostly empty space. ¡°I need more pieces. This won¡¯t be solved on what I have currently.¡± He straightened his step and smoothed out his stance before exiting his tent. Across the camp, Simonides waved his hand in acknowledgement of the soldiers that passed him. After they passed he turned to face the tent next to him. He still had to move ahead with the next stage of the plan, even without knowing all of the answers. ¡®I¡¯ve already set the pieces in motion. I can¡¯t undo it now.¡¯ Simonides pushed open the tent to one of the many men¡¯s tents that acted as their barracks for the camp. ¡°Attention! Captain Simonides is present!¡± shouted a lower officer that saw his arrival. It signaled a mad dash throughout the long tent. A few seconds passed to present all of the men in the tent standing out in front of their beds. Ignoring the stillness of the room, Simonides walked in strict silence with each step filled with purpose. It made the tension in the tent increase, as none of them knew his reasons to enter the tent at such a late hour. He saw the looks in their eyes that followed him, while trying to maintain their discipline. Their unease didn¡¯t surprise him. While they all trusted him, he knew, taking actions without notice made questions surface. The entire mission was one big question for them. He wasn¡¯t acting like the Captain that they knew. He knew all of this too well, but had too few answers for them. Confusion in questions was preferred to confusion in comprehension. A gap in the even line appeared in his march. It stopped him, but not for the reasons the rest of the men thought. Simonides turned to look down at the man wearing a white military uniform. The blonde haired man with dark blue eyes, almost black, lounged in his cot with one leg crossed over the other. A book, with a thin ribbon bookmark dangling from the spine, covered the lower part of the man¡¯s face. ¡°First Lieutenant Vangelis¡­¡± he spoke with the expectation of getting his attention. The man¡¯s legs shifted a little acting as a response and signal of life. ¡°¡­hmm¡­¡± uttered the man, still not acting in attention. ¡°You have new orders. Follow me.¡± Vangelis¡¯ book shifted a little acting like a twitch. ¡°Oh? You don¡¯t sound like a messenger. Since when did the Captain start going around speaking to the men directly?¡± Simonides restrained his annoyed mood. He always had to deal with the man in such a frustrating manner. ¡°Since when did lower officers not give the due respect to their Captain?¡± ¡°The same time I got stuck in this backwater posting.¡± ¡°This posting is important to the safety of Atlantis and you know that.¡± ¡°A bunch of pathetic researchers. It¡¯s a waste of my talents to deal with lowly humans.¡± Narrowing his eyes a little, Simonides prepared for the finish. He hated having to provide motivation to Vangelis. ¡°Then you should be pleased with your new orders. I want you to gather a team of MPs and go deal with the rebel MPs.¡± The book closed with a punctuated thud to accent the change in mood. Vangelis¡¯ interest piqued. He lifted himself up from the cot to lean forward with his arm resting against his knee. An excited and pleasure seeking grin drew across his lips widened with his new attitude. ¡°Oh? Tell me more, Captain!¡± Chapter 138 ¨C Silent Approach Yumi didn¡¯t expect to see such a sight when she came so close to rescuing her brother. Only a few attacked them, she thought that they would still be holding him. Yet she found something worse. From their view, only so much was visible. The night made it difficult to see everything clearly. However, the fires around the camp put the scale into perspective for everyone. Small pools of light cast shapes and shadows around painting a rough scene. Numerous tents lined the field spreading out far. Moonlight only gave highlights to everything with its warm bathing glow. Yumi feared their chances of finding her brother and getting out. ¡®So many soldiers¡­Yori¡¯s in there¡­¡¯ She closed her hands and pressed them against her chest. The shaking in her muscles returned as a familiar companion. ¡°Yumi?¡± said Fumiko, a little worried. She noticed that Yumi disappeared from her sight. Turning around with the others, Fumiko found her on the ground. ¡®She¡¯s shaking¡­I¡¯m not really sure what I expected to find, but I guess I shouldn¡¯t be surprised¡­¡¯ Fumiko leaned down to meet Yumi. ¡°Yu¡ª¡° Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°Already losing that empty confidence of yours?¡± interrupted Chiharu. She almost stood between the two girls, but made it clear that she didn¡¯t want Fumiko¡¯s aid. Chiharu crossed her arms, staring down over them at Yumi. Amongst the blanket fear threatening her, Chiharu¡¯s words cut through to Yumi. When she heard Chiharu speaking, everything else in her mind ran blank. She forgot about the fear that already began to shackle her. ¡°What?¡± Fumiko pulled up her arm trying to get in front of Chiharu, but she protested. ¡°Chiharu! What do you thin¡ª¡° ¡°Silence.¡± Her voice didn¡¯t even rise above the tone, but still had the same impact. She noted the hand that pulled away with unease, but kept her gaze fixed downward. ¡°Don¡¯t act oblivious. You know what I¡¯m talking about, don¡¯t you?¡± Yumi didn¡¯t know what felt worse, the penetrating words or the piercing stare. Both baked her under pressure. She knew what Chiharu talked about in her words. It made her turn her head away. Nothing managed to come out of her mouth. ¡°Can¡¯t say anything? You know it¡¯s the truth. You¡¯re just going to keep repeating this act over and over again.¡± ¡®I really am all just talk, aren¡¯t I?¡¯ As much as she wanted to deny the words, the truth could never be covered over. She saw it all too well. Yet her fear was too strong for her to resist. She couldn¡¯t stop it. ¡®¡­it¡¯s too heavy¡­¡¯ ¡°This as far as you go? The impossible is the impossible. Otherwise it wouldn¡¯t be called impossible.¡± Chiharu turned away from Yumi. Before she could continue, she found Fumiko and Seiji stared down at her. Their glares made her raise her eyebrow a little curious to their purpose. However, she didn¡¯t let it stop her. ¡°There¡¯s nothing you can do. I knew you couldn¡¯t do it.¡± Hearing the words from Chiharu sent Yumi into shock for a moment. Her eyes widened and pupils shrank at having her words returned to her. It felt like a slap in the face. The sting still lingered even after the verbal attack. Yumi subconsciously touched her cheek as she stared at Chiharu¡¯s back. ¡®¡­the impossible¡­ I said I wanted to do it¡­but¡­Chiharu¡­¡¯ The tall and imposing back made Yumi¡¯s blood boil a little. ¡®Don¡¯t look down on me¡­I stumble, but I¡¯ll stand back up!¡¯ Yumi forced her legs to push herself up, still a little wobbly. ¡°Yumi?¡± questioned Fumiko, leaning over Chiharu a bit. Yumi¡¯s head tilted forward a little, not quite hanging from her shoulders. Her forehead cast a shadow over her eyes, blacking them out from sight. ¡°¡­I-I¡­I-I¡­¡± She couldn¡¯t stop the shaking in her arms. A verbal tic came from Chiharu¡¯s lips. ¡°Got something to say?¡± She kept her back to Yumi and faced ahead towards the camp. ¡°Just because you stand doesn¡¯t mean anything. You¡¯re still weak.¡± Seiji grabbed up a free piece of Chiharu¡¯s ninja garb she wore to get her attention. ¡°I¡¯ve had enough of you! Just stop¡ª¡° ¡°Chiharu!¡± shouted Yumi, interrupting Seiji. The volume on Yumi¡¯s voice surprised Seiji and Fumiko. Yumi¡¯s face ran red and her breathing shallow. Even after her shout, it felt like it drained everything from her. Chiharu flicked her hand against Seiji¡¯s fist to bat him off. His distraction with Yumi made it easier for her to free herself. She tilted her head over her shoulder to Yumi. ¡°What? Going to actually say something?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Yumi fought to reign in her body¡¯s shaking. She needed to keep standing on her feet. The dominating presence of Chiharu wouldn¡¯t allow anything else. She needed strength. ¡°I¡¯ll show you! I¡¯ll show you that my way will work! So just watch!¡± ¡°Oh? And how long will that confidence last you before you lose it again? I¡¯m not fighting with someone that wants to run away once things get serious.¡± Each shard of truth thrown hurt in its own way. Her weakness turned into a weapon to slash her down before she took a step. It was all used against her. Yumi knew it. She knew she couldn¡¯t let it keep hurting. She stepped up to Chiharu desperately holding on to her strength. ¡°I won¡¯t forget it. I will make the impossible happen.¡± The confidence in Yumi¡¯s words warmed to Chiharu. She heard them before too easily from her. It wasn¡¯t enough. Chiharu turned to face Yumi fully. ¡°You always can speak with conviction, but that won¡¯t last. You¡¯ll fall¡ª¡° ¡°I won¡¯t!¡± She stopped Chiharu before she continued her abuse. ¡°You think I¡¯m weak. I am weak, but I can find strength in it still.¡± Yumi hardened her expression and faced the rest of her friends. They all supported her and depended on her. She had to start trusting in their faith. ¡°You put me in charge, right? I¡¯m the leader!¡± Chiharu threw her hand back behind her pointing her finger at the two others. ¡°They did, I haven¡¯t. You have to prove it to me.¡± Yumi stepped ahead of them looking from the small hill they stopped at before. The camp reflected back in her eyes. Their goal stood in front. She didn¡¯t need hesitation anymore. ¡°We need to find out the situation in there, right?¡± Her words bounced back at them with an intended recipient, even though not made expressly clear. ¡°That is the first objective for anything like this,¡± replied Chiharu. ¡°Then go in and find out what we¡¯re dealing with. We¡¯ll need information to make a plan.¡± ¡°Using me to satisfy your emotions isn¡¯t wise.¡± She turned back from the hill to look down at Chiharu. A clear and calculating almost cold look shined from her eyes. Her strength resurfaced. ¡°I¡¯m not sending you because you made me mad. I¡¯m sending you because I know you¡¯re the best suited for this job. You can use your shadow ability to remain out of sight while gathering the information.¡± A twitch flicked along Chiharu¡¯s eye. ¡®This is her strength that I saw before¡­however¡­¡¯ Chiharu took a step forward, bothered by something Yumi said. ¡°What do you know about that? I¡¯ve told no one what I can do.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen you use it enough recently to figure out how it works. You can do it, right? Not going to back out.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± snapped Chiharu, ¡°This is too easy.¡± Chiharu disappeared from sight already on the move. She looked forward to an interesting challenge. Fumiko smiled a little realizing what took place. Yumi already started walking towards the camp. Even Seiji, confused as he was, began to resume following Yumi. However, he turned back to Fumiko when he noticed she didn¡¯t move. He raised his hand up pointing at her with a flat expression. ¡°What¡¯s with the smile? You scheming something?¡± ¡°Hardly. Chiharu already did everything that I might have needed.¡± Fumiko laughed a little to herself. After she felt pleased with the situation, she moved on to catch up to Yumi. Seiji felt lost with her response. The way the situation turned out bothered him. ¡°Hey! What just happened?¡± Inside the camp, Athene stumbled out of the medical tent. She woke up recently and waited for the doctor to leave. They refused to allow her to leave, but she had something more important to do. She tripped over the cords that held up a tent. The fall threw dirt up into her mouth and rubbed over her face. She tightened her hands in the grass. ¡®Damn you¡­taking my sight!¡¯ Athene staggered around the camp until she made it to the tent she desired. Her powers confirmed it for her when her sight could not. Using her powers, a new tent flap appeared in the back of the tent. Directed by the new Addendums she made in her Field, Athene guided herself to the tent. Her hand pushed through the tent separating the flaps. She knew he was near. ¡°I¡¯ll have my answers, Yori Mizuno!¡± Chapter 139 - Demanding Answers Through her newly provided powers in her Field, she detected the two guards. They laid on the ground knocked out. She didn''t want any interruptions, so she made her Field put anyone inside it asleep. She hadn¡¯t expected to find them inside the tent. However, nothing would stop her. Athene stepped within reach of Yori, still unconscious. ¡°You¡¯re going to give me what I want! I don¡¯t care what sort of mental defenses you have. You¡¯re just a normal human.¡± Athene touched her hand to the back of Yori¡¯s head. A shaking weakness in her legs threatened her concentration. ¡®I don¡¯t need a body, just my mind¡­¡¯ Her hand firmly held to the back of his skull. Over her hand materialized a black metal glove. It extruded its edge over her wrist and past her elbow. The metal didn¡¯t stop until it wrapped itself around her neck and half over her face as though protecting her. She lost all movement in her body, but she didn¡¯t need it anymore. Glowing shapes of light lit up all over the surface of the all-consuming black. It became the signal for Athene. She closed her eyes to calm herself down and remove all distractions. The Field she used differed significantly from what she was familiar with using. It had to be. She knew how to deal with the defenses inside Yori¡¯s mind. She didn¡¯t plan to go in unprepared like last time. Because everything she used was new, it made her nervous to keep the entire thing in her mind. ¡®You will reveal everything to me this time. I will not have been blinded for nothing!¡¯ Another moment later, the white blindness disappeared into a black void. The void melted away granting Athene sight for the first time in hours. However, she didn¡¯t stand in the room she created last time. Her space wasn¡¯t exactly what she expected. She wanted the truth unfiltered and used her powers to grasp at it. Surrounding her was a massive array of doors and halls in all directions, even above and below. She floated free at the center. ¡°Is this the place? What I actually seek?¡± Pieced together from the air, Yori appeared hovering at a ninety-degree angle to Athene. The lack of a sense of direction or even gravity made her uneasy. She waited carefully, measuring her defense. The last time she underestimated his potential. Athene didn¡¯t plan to make the same mistake. Playing cautiously, she backed away a little. ¡°Are you the real one or just another fake?¡± Initially, plain and flat in expression, he changed in response to her question. A mischievous grin appeared on his lips. Yori opened his arms gesturing with them as he began to speak. ¡°So the arrogant woman has returned. Didn¡¯t have enough last time?¡± ¡°¡­you again¡­¡± Athene narrowed her eyes in his presence. She wished to find a difference between them, but apart from personality they appeared identical, an easy trap. ¡°This won¡¯t be the same as last time!¡± ¡°So it would seem. I see you¡¯re protecting your mind this time. Maybe you can learn and see past your own arrogance.¡± ¡°Still mocking me. I¡¯ll prove you to be the arrogant one.¡± ¡°Oh? If you get past one layer of this labyrinth¡¯s defenses before you collapse from your weakened state then I¡¯ll change my attitude.¡± The piercing knowing look in his eyes startled Athene. ¡®I¡¯ve blocked the access point into my mind! He shouldn¡¯t know anything about my condition, but that look¡­¡¯ She couldn¡¯t believe that he managed to already crack through her defenses. Athene staggered back as the avatar of Yori disappeared. ¡®How is this possible? Am I really arrogant?¡¯ Precious seconds drained away for Athene. The foreboding place finally snapped her out of her daze. She came with a purpose and it surrounded her. Too many options presented themselves to her. ¡®Where do I even begin? I¡¯ve never seen such a complex mind before. Can I do this?¡¯ The doubt that bubbled up inside her came too easily. She hated the feeling. It sapped away her resolve that she had from before. ¡°No, I came for answers! I will have my answers!¡± Chapter 139 ¨C Demanding Answers With renewed interest, Simonides led Vangelis out of the tent and away from the light of the camp. He went over the specifics on location and weaknesses of the targets. Once in the darkness out of sight from the passing patrols, Vangelis leaned over with a very eager grin. Simonides found the man very bothersome and undisciplined. He wasn¡¯t someone suited for military service, but the system was inflexible with those like him. They had to go somewhere, regardless of personality traits. Simonides cast a cautious gaze to Vangelis to mask his mood. Despite his personal feelings about the man, the man did have talent and intelligence, though crude at times. ¡®He¡¯ll serve a couple of purposes. It¡¯ll be a good measure.¡¯ ¡°So what else you got to tell me?¡± Vangelis asked bluntly. He already started to look bored again. As if the talking drained him of his interest. ¡°You¡¯re free to pick who you want for your team, but Iole will be one of them.¡± Disgust surfaced in Vangelis'' face at the mention of the name. ¡°That Ice Queen? She¡¯ll kill my fun!¡± ¡°This is a mission, I don¡¯t care if it is fun for you or not. I expect results.¡± ¡°Oh you¡¯ll get results,¡± smirked Vangelis. His eyes slid around his face in thought. He focused back on Simonides after a few seconds. ¡°You just want Iole to keep an eye on me!¡± A flicker of surprise came from Simonides¡¯ eyes from the comment. He didn¡¯t expect him to reach the conclusion so quickly. ¡°Think whatever you want, she goes. Find three other MPs for your team and leave immediately.¡± Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°What¡¯s the rush? You that eager to see some rebels killed?¡± Vangelis¡¯ face darkened with the bloodlust filling his eyes. He raised his hand up towards Simonides. The tension in his hand wound his fist tightly together. ¡°You have to savor these things.¡± Simonides hardened his features to keep from cracking his true self through in front of Vangelis. ¡°I expect that they will be coming here to rescue their comrade. They¡¯re the na?ve type. So I want you to keep them away until we have what we want.¡± Faked sadness and disappointment painted Vangelis¡¯ eyes. ¡°Keep them away? I think you¡¯re underrating me if you think I would lose to a bunch of teenage traitors.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get cocky, Vangelis. They¡¯ve already defeated four MPs.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t compare me to those weaklings! I¡¯ll bring you all of their heads!¡± ¡°Capturing them is the highest priority for your objectives. Only kill them as a last resort.¡± ¡°Tch, you¡¯re no fun.¡± The conversation started to come to an end. Simonides turned away to ensure that it carried no further. He already gave him all of the information needed to find them. ¡°I¡¯m not interested in your enjoyment.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too soft. Traitors receive death in the end anyway.¡± Simonides stopped for a moment, still keeping his back to him. ¡°I¡¯m sending a blood-thirsty killer to deal with a bunch of teenagers. I wonder which one of us really is soft.¡± He departed the man¡¯s company returning to the light. Traveling through the light blue moonlit-coated fields, Chiharu ran closer to the encampment. It grew larger the longer time passed. Even as she moved, her eyes scanned everything around her, taking it all in. She calculated angles of attack and weaknesses in the defense. They held the advantage in surprise. Every opportunity needed to be taken. Chiharu stopped within the shadows of a nearby tree. Ahead of her, the camp stood almost in range. She could see guards patrolling the perimeter. The scale of the camp looked grander up close for her. It brought her a little eagerness for the challenge ahead. ¡®That girl¡¯s pretty good when she¡¯s serious¡­ I¡¯ll figure her out eventually¡­¡¯ Retreating her body into the shadow, Chiharu vanished from sight. Inside the void, Chiharu hovered in calm control of her actions, unlike the first time she discovered her ability. She knew nothing of what she had during her fight with the Higoshi Clan. Everything she used was from instinct, however after the fight she became determined to master it. She learned the limits and range of the ability in her short training. It turned into an extension of her body and just as natural. The only thing she wished she knew was why it happened, but understood that the weakling was to blame for it. A thought she detested. From inside the shadow¡¯s void between worlds, she slipped her sight through the multitude of windows. Though faint, the moon provided more than enough shadows over all of the camp. The further in, the lit fires made her progress even easier. It was all far too easy for her. A disappointing challenge presented for her. She wished something from it would give her a reason to try. Nothing tested her limits. Jumping through shadows between passing patrols, Chiharu brought herself deep within the camp as her base point. Her range didn¡¯t put the entire camp in her reach, but enough to begin her intel gathering. ¡®Which one is it?¡¯ She jumped around avoiding the soldiers. ¡®They¡¯re all too relaxed¡­ The way they attacked this morning I would have thought they¡¯d be more cautious.¡¯ Even though she didn¡¯t participate in most of the fighting, she watched it all play out. They took no interest in her. The underestimation would be something that she would make them all regret. She planned ahead to understand her enemy. The longer that she watched through her portals the image of the military became clearer. ¡®There¡¯s almost none of them wearing those white uniforms. Most of their military force must be made up of standard soldiers. I would have thought that they would make more use of special types in their military.¡¯ She still had much of the camp left to explore, but she found only ten of them. Three of them were ones that they faced before. ¡®Maybe they¡¯re keeping them in another part of the camp. I¡¯ll need to search deeper¡­¡¯ Chiharu continued her progress, making note of everything. The layout of the camp came together in her mind. She recorded it all down mentally to take back. Even without their leader, her mind spun tactics and strategies for how to sneak in. However, one thing still eluded her. The brother remained missing. She needed to figure out where they held him. ¡®If my shadow could hold someone other than me I could end this easily. I wonder if in time the power will grow¡­¡¯ Tossing away the distraction, Chiharu narrowed her vision to keep on task. She didn¡¯t need to concern herself with unknowns. Another few tents explored only revealed more sleeping soldiers through her windows. She started to wonder if he was even in the camp. ¡®I haven¡¯t seen any suspicious tents yet. There must be guards with him.¡¯ Chiharu pulled back on her window hopping. She mapped out half of the camp, but most of the tents remained unknown to her still. Her eyes closed as she made a mental image of the camp with all of the tents laid out for her. ¡®I¡¯ve already checked all of those,¡¯ she commented, marking off tents. ¡®That much still¡­¡¯ She opened her eyes, taking back all of the windows that surrounded her. The countless exits thanks to all of the light sources gave her almost too many choices. Chiharu turned her head around to look behind her. ¡®One of these must hold what I¡¯m searching for¡­¡¯ Returning to her map, she marked off tents too large for holding a prisoner. She found some consistency in their use of tents. It narrowed down her options further. ¡®Only three tents fit with what I have explored. I¡¯ll need to eliminate these first.¡¯ Chiharu took action starting with the closest window to her. The shadow window gave her almost no vision on the interior of the room, just like the others. It was the reason why she couldn¡¯t mark them off as locations. She didn¡¯t know their contents. Each had their risks, but trusted that she could handle anything. Appearing from the shadows of the desk''s leg, Chiharu¡¯s head surfaced with just enough room for her eyes to scan the room. Most of the room was dark. Only a dim light leaked out to give enough of a shadow to form. The darkness of the tent gave Chiharu the most trouble. However, she clearly saw that it didn¡¯t have the brother. She disappeared and moved on to the next window. The same results returned to her. ¡®Last one¡­¡¯ Chiharu tapped her hand along her weapons belt. It eased the tension in her left arm a little. She didn¡¯t know why she felt the need for such a self-doubting touch, but it worked. Ahead of her, the last window stood ready for her. Unlike the others, the room was well lit, eliminating good shadows for her. The only shadow she could use had something blocking most of the view. She assumed the light came from above. Her head poked through the wide shadow scanning the room. The moment she found two collapsed bodies, her eyes narrowed in confusion. ¡®Something¡¯s not right¡­¡¯ She only saw two others in the room, but nothing clear. Their feet were the only thing she could see from the vantage point given. Turning around, she figured out that a chair was the source of the shadow. It made it difficult to get out. However, she understood the layout of the interior better and could take advantage of the other obscured shadows. She picked the window for its cover, but other shadows did exist. The shadows from the bodies blocked all view for her initially, but made sense to her with the new information. Chiharu pulled back and then jumped. As she surfaced, she got a better view of the body. ¡®He looks unconscious¡­who are the other two I saw?¡¯ The rest presented a lot of risk for her, but she knew she had to go for it. Chiharu slowly surfaced from the shadow taking in the interior. Her view expanded over the body and gave her everything she needed. ¡®There he is¡­and the woman¡­what¡¯s she doing to him?¡¯ Suddenly, Chiharu lost her grip on the ground. Her arm felt sluggish along with her body soon after. ¡®What¡¯s wrong with me? I feel so strange¡­¡¯ Chiharu tried to focus her mind, but it only faded faster. She staggered out of the shadow disorientated. ¡®Is this¡­those two¡­¡¯ Her legs failed to give her any support. Chiharu collapsed to the ground. ¡®¡­so tired¡­damn¡­¡¯ Chapter 140 - Time Limit Time¡¯s value already disappeared the moment that Athene entered into the boy¡¯s mind. She knew that hours could easily pass for her. Such time made her grateful the longer that she remained unable to move forward. However, it also brought her closer to her limits. Athene expected a challenge, but she couldn¡¯t remember his mind¡¯s complexity being so great. The only thing she remembered from the encounter was the feeling of him being different. It told her not to underestimate him. An invisible force threw her back to the center. All the open gates and doors closed up upon her rejection. Then as though to add insult to injury, the entire layout changed as it had before. ¡°Damn¡­¡± The Atlantean woman panted slowly pulling herself up from the floor. Her appearance looked ragged and pathetic, but she didn¡¯t care. Appearance meant nothing to her. She only wanted the answers that she demanded. ¡°How many times¡­¡± Athene dropped herself down sitting needed to catch her breath. Every failure ejected her painfully with damaging feedback. It always changed immediately after as well. All she managed to do was figure out a pattern of how it made itself impenetrable. She felt like the defenses taunted her. A few times, she thought she found a way through with a noticeable method for cracking the defense only to see it change. She tempted her body to stand, but her weak knees dropped her. ¡°¡­I¡¯m not going to last for much longer¡­¡± Even with a perfectly healthy mind and body, she didn¡¯t know if she had the mental or physical stamina to survive in his mind. She figured since it was only because her mind had protection through the use of her powers that kept her from being completely crushed. ¡°¡­I have to find a way¡­¡± Chapter 140 ¨C Time Limit Following behind Chiharu at some distance, the rest of the group with Yumi closed in on the camp. While never spoken, it was understood by everyone that they would wait at a safe distance from the camp until Chiharu returned. They took cover near a small outcropping of brush. Fumiko rested near the bushes with a full view of the others. She didn¡¯t have the stamina of Seiji or the determination of Yumi. The only thing keeping her going was the fact that she tried to keep the team together. It allowed her to ignore most of the problems that plagued her mind. Before they split, ever since she left the village she had trouble focusing on anything. She barely even remembered the fighting that happened. She saw the weakness that Yumi thought she held within that bred her uncertainty. However, Fumiko knew that Yumi would still be able to fight in the end. When pushed in the corner, she saw that Yumi would be able to survive. The problem was that she had doubts about herself. Yumi might have the appearance of being weak, but Fumiko knew that herself fell into weakness. Her practice back home gave her the confidence she needed to believe she could survive. While not athletic or skilled with the gift of tactics, she faced down terrible things already. The fear and terror she felt when she thought she might die stayed with her. She thought it gave her confidence and control. She thought it meant she understood herself better. Yet, her first fight that actually made use of her abilities forced her to discover how empty it all was. Concentrating on keeping everyone together made her ignore it. She couldn¡¯t forget it. The waiting brought back her fears and slammed the weight down on her. Only a few minutes had passed and Fumiko already felt like the ground was water pulling her down to the dark abyss. ¡®¡­so suffocating¡­I-I can¡¯t let¡­it¡­¡¯ Fumiko slapped her face sharply to snap her out of her problems. ¡®¡­I don¡¯t have time for this¡­¡¯ She looked over at Yumi. ¡®I need to stay focused for her. It¡¯s only us this time. I don¡¯t have the luxury for doubt right now.¡¯ Amongst her thoughts, she lost a sense of time. However, across from her Seiji already looked ready to charge the camp. She prayed that the dangerous situation kept his impatience in check. They couldn¡¯t take the risk of going into such a large camp unprepared. ¡®While we did win last time, it was not an easy fight. We don¡¯t even know how many of those like Yuki are inside.¡¯ While it did seem that Seiji¡¯s better judgment held out over his instinct. As with anything else, it could only last for so long before it eroded away. The continued absence of Chiharu mounted the tension for everyone. Seiji broke through the tension in his typical bull-like fashion. ¡°The hell¡¯s taking the brat so long! We should just storm the place and get the two of them out!¡± Yumi flailed her arms a little trying to calm down Seiji, but failed to find the right words. Fumiko took a moment to sweat, a little amused. ¡®Even though he¡¯s stupid, he does manage to find the right moments to provide a distraction.¡¯ However, she knew that she couldn¡¯t be amused with the scene for long. Seiji knew nothing of restraint, she learned, when it came down to running off his impatient nature. ¡°If you keep shouting they¡¯ll end up hearing you,¡± she commented, pointing her thumb behind her at the camp. He gritted his teeth in annoyance, but also understanding. In reduced volume, he continued, ¡° We¡¯ve waited long enough! We need to do something!¡± ¡°We need to wait on Chiharu to return,¡± insisted Fumiko. ¡°Tch!¡± Seiji waved his hand in a dismissive motion at her mention. ¡°She talks big and acts all damn confident, but she¡¯s probably just captured in her overconfidence. They probably know that we¡¯re out here!¡± ¡°Getting worried?¡± Seiji jumped back in surprise at Fumiko. ¡°What?! Ridiculous!¡± He crossed his arms and turned away from her gaze. ¡°She¡¯s annoying and doesn¡¯t think about anyone but herself! Why would I care what happens to her?¡± ¡°But she¡¯s one of us!¡± Yumi protested. Her attempt to stand to join them came rushed and tripped her legs. She caught herself before she stood up, turning the action into an all-fours lean forward. ¡°The hell she is! She only came because she thought she would get a fight out of it!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true!¡± ¡°Of course it is! Or have you missed the fact that she refuses to call any of us by our name?¡± Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°¡­Chiharu¡­¡± Yumi lost her words again. She had never thought about it, but the moment he said it her mind went through everything that Chiharu said. She tried to find a single time that she actually said anyone¡¯s name. Nothing came to her. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you noticed,¡± noted Fumiko, ¡°You always surprise me on the things that you¡¯re actually aware of.¡± ¡°And your condescending tone is always just as annoying.¡± Fumiko shrugged to him with a bit of a grin. ¡°I can¡¯t help it that you¡¯re breaking your archetype every time that you do.¡± ¡°Enough with your stories.¡± ¡°I know it goes against your nature, but you need to be patient and believe in Chiharu.¡± The arguing cooled off Seiji enough that he sat down, though still not pleased. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you trust her.¡± Yumi turned her head over their cover back to the camp. It looked no different to her from when they arrived. She couldn¡¯t tell if something had gone wrong with Chiharu¡¯s infiltration. She imagined that if she was caught they¡¯d see activity or hear something. The whole field remained eerily quiet. ¡°¡­Chiharu¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Yumi.¡± Fumiko placed a hand on Yumi¡¯s shoulder to grab her attention. ¡°Chiharu will be fine. She¡¯s strong and smart.¡± ¡°I know, but¡­¡± She turned her head down as doubtful thoughts filled her mind. ¡°¡­she could have been, it¡¯s possible¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let what Seiji said bother you. He¡¯s just worried as well and doesn¡¯t have any other way to express it.¡± ¡°But he¡ª¡° ¡°That¡¯s just how he is. They have a complicated relationship. He¡¯s probably more worried about her than even me¡­¡± Fumiko stared over at the camp, losing her words. ¡°Fumiko?¡± On the not quite opposite side of the camp (because nothing should be symmetrical), five figures in white uniforms stood gathered. Vangelis stood out in the group for his less conventional interpretation of their military uniform. It had everything that made up the uniform, but the loose pants had long cuts up past the knees. The pant sleeves barely managed to hug his smoothly toned legs. Additionally, rather than wearing his rank badge as everyone did he used it to hold back his wild hair. It looked almost humiliated, reduced to a mere hair accessory, and perhaps he intended it with such an action. Vangelis surveyed his team. The woman that Simonides forced on him stood on the far left of the group. His team, the three others bunched together in confusion. Using his orders from their Captain, he demanded all of their presence with no further information. He could tell with the way Iole carried herself that she knew the mission. ¡°You¡¯ve been selected for a mission by order of the Captain. We leave immediately.¡± ¡°That all you going to say?¡± questioned one of the MP users, immediately standing defensive. Turning a little aggressive in stance, the middle MP user spoke, ¡°Yeah, how can we even trust what you say?¡± ¡°You just order us out here because you out rank us with no word.¡± ¡°I picked you all for this mission because I knew you all wanted a piece of the action. You¡¯ve been bored with just routine catch and release patrols.¡± Vangelis leaked some of his unique enthusiasm into his words and motions. ¡°You want something real, right?¡± ¡°What are you offering?¡± They began to become curious and interested in his words. The confusion faded from their eyes. A bit of the lust intoxicated them. ¡°You know the reason why the Captain in his infinite wisdom has removed all of us from such important tasks, right?¡± ¡°The attacks at the barrier and in Skoupa.¡± He clenched his fist in excitement. ¡°That¡¯s right. The traitorous rebels, they have MPs with them.¡± ¡°Rogue MPs?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± smirked Vangelis. The others looked around at each other. They might not have shared the deep pleasure that Vangelis had for violence, but they did stand out from the rest of the neat order that Atlantis worked to maintain. Vangelis acted openly without care or remorse for his attitude, but because what he did ended up getting results, he continued to get away with his actions. They didn¡¯t have such fortune or confidence to pull such a feat off. However, the meaning of his words sank into them. They knew what happened to rogue MPs. They knew the laws that put them in place and forced them into service. Their system was rigid for MP users. So they all understood what Vangelis thought about. While the thoughts of it weren¡¯t the strongest in their mind, it did fuel them in a way that they had never felt before. The notion of having a challenge and something different appealed greatly to them. Endless monotony of the status quo grated against them. It never ceased and at the end of their lives, it would still be the same thing. The only chance for something different or interesting was the rare chance of a real fight with another MP user. A fight that was not staged or training, but a true test of their mettle. It rang strong with their hearts. The only chance to be free came on the field. They all quickly agreed in their minds and nodded. ¡°We¡¯re in,¡± they replied in unison. ¡°Of course you are,¡± Vangelis remarked arrogantly, ¡°I picked you.¡± Team Yumi still waited for the return of Chiharu. The time that passed worked against Seiji. He stood up a few more times in their waiting, but sat again in silence. It provided a distracting amusement to Fumiko. Thirty minutes or an hour, none of them really planned for how long to wait. Yumi just sent Chiharu off and didn¡¯t really think ahead of contingencies. She just assumed Chiharu would be back safely in a short amount of time. The longer time passed, the more worried she became until she couldn''t take it anymore. ¡°I think something¡¯s wrong.¡± Yumi looked out to Fumiko and Seiji for their opinions. ¡°I¡¯ve been saying that already,¡± Seiji said quickly, still holding a grudge. Fumiko''s face turned flat looking at Seiji. ¡°You¡¯ve been saying that since we arrived. It takes time to scout out a place.¡± ¡°She¡¯s just a kid, what the hell she know anyway?¡± Yumi stepped in between them before they continued. ¡°Yes, it takes time, but with Chiharu¡¯s talents it shouldn¡¯t be this long. I think something unexpected happened.¡± She looked over her shoulder to the camp. A deep longing feeling that ached in her chest pained her. ¡°But she went in so we could make a plan. We¡¯ll be going in blind.¡± Seiji rolled his arm around his shoulder as if he was warming up. ¡°Plans are made to be broken anyway! We just charge in and deal with anyone that stands between us and Yori! It¡¯s simple, no plan needed.¡± ¡°But we don¡¯t know how many of those soldiers like Yuki are in there! It¡¯s dangerous!¡± ¡°It¡¯s dangerous either way. It¡¯s just whether you know what you¡¯re dealing with or not.¡± Yumi stood up and turned to the camp. She made up her mind. Both her brother and Chiharu waited for them in the camp. They didn¡¯t have anything but questions, but she couldn¡¯t delay them any longer. Resolve would have to carry her through. ¡°We¡¯re going in!¡± Chapter 141 - Treading Between Lines Yumi began to walk towards the camp. She didn¡¯t look like she planned to stop until she marched through the guard post. Fumiko reached out a futile hand towards Yumi lacking the words. She didn''t think Yumi of all of them, at least while she was in control, would go off recklessly to attack the Atlanteans. However, it didn¡¯t surprise her to see Seiji eagerly joining her. They left her behind. She needed to do something, quickly. Fumiko rushed forward to catch them. ¡°Wait! We can¡¯t just go in without a plan!¡± ¡°Of course we can!¡± He turned his head over his shoulder to look back at her. ¡°Who needs a plan? We¡¯ll just plow the shit through them all!¡± His hand tightened into a fist as proof of his strength and confidence in his words. More than a little unimpressed by Seiji, Fumiko¡¯s face turned flat to cynicism. ¡°Need I remind you that you were the only one that lost to them in the last fight? You can¡¯t just plow through, they aren¡¯t weak.¡± A second paused for Seiji as though it actually seemed to have some impact on him, but he flipped quickly to excitement. ¡°Then it¡¯ll be a good time!¡± She sighed listening to his endless enthusiasm for fighting. ¡°I¡¯d normally say I can¡¯t believe you said that, but I¡¯ve learned better to question your motives. The fact still remains we need a plan! Even if we are going in now!¡± ¡°And I said we don¡¯t damn need one! The less thinking the better, it¡¯ll just confuse me.¡± ¡°You actually realize that you¡¯re stupid?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not stupid!¡± He fully turned to face Fumiko, no longer content to let her words just slide by him. ¡°I just forget about everything when I fight. I don¡¯t need strategy, just my intuition!¡± ¡°Your intuition¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry, Fumiko,¡± replied a voice behind the both of them. It startled them and made them jump away from the voice. Once they focused, they saw Yumi standing in front of them. Fumiko looked over at where she thought Yumi ran off to only to find it empty. She looked back still trying to figure out what happened with Yumi. ¡°Wh-ha-what? You?¡± ¡°Why did you stop?¡± asked Seiji. Fumiko nearly fell over at Seiji¡¯s question. ¡°That¡¯s what you ask?!¡± She quickly forced a recovery back to the more critical topic. Leaning over to Yumi, Fumiko looked around trying to see if something was wrong with her. Nothing immediately jumped out to her. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Yumi shook her head lightly. ¡°Not at all. I just wanted to stop your arguing and assure you that I have a plan.¡± Confidence in her words exuded from Yumi¡¯s voice. The unsure version of Yumi completely went into hiding to no longer be found anywhere on Yumi. The strange change she made occurred again. Fumiko knew she shouldn¡¯t argue with the difference, since they needed the way she acted now to see them through successfully. If she stayed as she was, Fumiko had no need to worry. A plan from Yumi had Fumiko curious. The sudden walk away from them concerned her, but she was glad to know that she didn¡¯t start taking lessons from Seiji. ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡± Chapter 141 ¨C Treading Between Lines ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡± asked one of the members of Vangelis¡¯ team. It came after their agreement, though it seemed an expected agreement rather than a mutual one. Even still, they discovered new interest and excitement in their job. Vangelis offered them something different and not ordinary. Anything different would have been welcomed for them, but this seemed more than they could hope for. Relegating Iole to driving, Vangelis sat in the back of their specialized truck. It ran almost completely silent and unaffected by the terrain. Leaving no trail behind as well, the vehicle hovered over the grass blowing it gently aside as it sped away from the camp. The camp already was almost completely out of sight for them. Four chairs made a circle in the vehicle¡¯s rear, making them all face the other. Vangelis leaned a little forward to address the question, as he still left things out for them. ¡°We¡¯ll be searching along the route they took for signs of them returning to rescue their comrade. We¡¯ll be standing between them and the camp.¡± ¡°Would they really take the same path for us to follow? They are MP users. They aren¡¯t going to leave a trail to follow.¡± He shook his finger at them in disagreement. ¡°No, from the information the Captain gave me, these guys are a bunch of na?ve stupid teenagers. They have been moving in a purposeful manner making it very easy to follow them.¡± ¡°We still have to find them. It can¡¯t be that easy. Aren¡¯t they also traveling by some transport?¡± ¡°No, considering the time that¡¯s passed so far, they are still on foot.¡± ¡°You really certain that these guys will be a challenge?¡± The longer Vangelis spoke, the more uncertain the group became. Everything he said made them out to be inexperienced and foolish. He noted the same things they were in front of him when speaking with the Captain. However, the results changed his mind. He was less inclined to believe the rumors of their defeat. The actual details on the fights spoke more than anyone could on words alone. ¡°They¡¯ll be of more challenge than you think. They have already defeated four MPs.¡± The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. One of them nodded, having also heard the rumors of the return team. ¡°I heard they even defeated Eusebios, he was the first one.¡± ¡°What the little spoiled bastard that the General trained? I guess it just proves he isn¡¯t the genius everyone thinks he is to be defeated by a bunch of rebels.¡± Vangelis watched the exchange fuel their interest. He saw a little fear and excitement growing amongst the ranks. Some taste of fear he felt was a good thing to have. Fear would be good fuel to grow stronger and bring out the best. He wanted them sharper. All of their missions before dulled their senses and made them too complacent. It was the reason for their failures in the past. He wouldn¡¯t see that happen again. ¡°This is not public yet, but Eusebios was defeated by one boy and soundly in less than a minute.¡± His words brought a stop to all of the talking. It had their attention. He removed a file from his bag at his feet. The papers inside turned a little in the loose grip. Placing the stack in the center on a knee-high pedestal, a light filled the chamber. Following the light, water like particles shot up and cascaded down around in a cylindrical wall. ¡°This is all of the information gathered on this boy.¡± Along the wall displayed the file data in four copies perfectly fit to the flow. It only took them all a few seconds to turn to surprise. They all leaned in pointing at the data point that turned all of their stomachs. ¡°This can¡¯t be right!¡± ¡°This is all observed data, some room for error is possible, but this is what is known.¡± ¡°How can a rebel have a Field radius of greater than hundred meters with this data?¡± ¡°If he was in the military they¡¯d have him in the Omega Division with rankings like this.¡± ¡°Is he the leader of the rebellion?¡± ¡°According to history, the last rebellion¡¯s leader was a teenage girl considered a prodigy. It would make sense someone with great power would motivate others.¡± ¡°You¡¯re being pretty casual about this.¡± Vangelis dropped his foot down on the pedestal disrupting the particle flow. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about this one, he¡¯s mine. I¡¯m only showing you this data so that you understand how much distance to keep.¡± They all looked at him a little surprised. They could see the confidence in his face that easily appeared as arrogance, but difficult to know. The data was imposing without even seeing the boy in person. It created images in their minds of the potential he could have. Such an image grew their fear stronger than they thought possible from mere text. He retrieved several more files from the bag and removed his foot from the device. Vangelis slapped the files down. On top of the last stack of papers, more personal files of their targets appeared in the recovering stream. ¡°You should be more concerned about those who you¡¯ll be fighting.¡± ¡°But how are you going to fight someone like this?¡± Their persistent fear and worrying started to get to him. Even the amount of fear had limits. He leaned back in his chair relaxing with a smirk on his face. ¡°I never said I played fair.¡± Floating above the camp, Yumi gazed down at the movement below her. Everything still ran quietly in the night, unsuspecting of what would happen soon. She tried to locate her brother from the vantage, but failed to get anything more specific. No doubt existed in her that he was inside, but she could see no further. The path she followed became weaker and muddied the closer she got. Almost like someone purposely blocked her. She didn¡¯t give it much further thought. It only meant that they had to do things the hard way. She hoped that she could find him and just pull him out without having to fight through everyone. Unlike before, hundreds of normal humans filled the area. They were all soldiers and she understood intellectually that they were different from civilians, but she didn¡¯t like the idea anymore. Her brother was inside and she would do anything, even distasteful actions if necessary. ¡®It¡¯s about time¡­¡¯ Yumi scanned the camp a final time for any hint of her brother. Her feelings gave her nothing, once more. She began dropping in altitude. The final scan also gave her the location that she would begin. ¡®Time to do something reckless¡­¡¯ Her chosen spot had three soldiers parked around a fire chatting. None of the words meant anything to her. Her hands extend out aimed down at the ground. Behind the men, a few objects floated up out of their sight. She flicked her fingers triggering them into action. Striking the back of the neck, the three men collapsed unconscious in their seats. Yumi dropped down to the ground, billowing a light breeze away from her. She immediately flipped her head around checking on all the surroundings. Above, she saw no one in the area, but checked again for certainty. Once secure, Yumi darted off to the nearby tent. ¡®¡­brother¡­¡¯ The tent was smaller than some she found, though she didn¡¯t know the significance of the size for any. She hoped that the smaller ones had more of a chance in finding her brother. If necessary, she would search every tent. Nothing would stop her from finding him. She channeled that fuel into her to wipe away any hesitation that remained in her body. ¡®¡­it begins¡­¡¯ Yumi slowly bent the flap until she got a view of the insides. ¡®¡­nothing immediately¡­¡¯ The search was still incomplete. She looked around from her vantage point trying to find anyone, but saw nothing. Cautiously, Yumi threw open the tent flaps and stepped in. The corner of her eye caught someone startled awake by her noise. She cast out her hand at the soldier summoning a barrier around them. The Atlantean looked a little scared and confused. He shouted demanding an answer, but his voice did not make it out of the barrier. She never heard him. After he went ignored for a few seconds, he pulled out his sword from next to his cot and attacked the barrier. Only a small flicker of light bounced through the green layer like a ripple. He quickly realized his futility after a few more attempts. However, the search finished already. Walking back to the exit, Yumi threw up her hand casually blasting an invisible force at the man through the barrier. The force slung him up against the inside of the dome and a moment later back to the cot. His unconscious body dropped the sword soon followed by the barrier. ¡°Not here. One down¡­¡± Striding out of the tent with driven purpose, Yumi searched out for her next through narrowed eyes. Her area still remained vacant of new arrivals. She had more free time to search. The next couple of tents ended in the same manner. One had an occupant, the other not. She continued her systematic search out only to meet face to face with a soldier. A female soldier this time, she leaned back a little surprised to find someone that she didn¡¯t know exiting the tent. Once she went through the mental process to understand she found an intruder, the woman tried to back away to draw her weapon. However, a force dragged on the woman and threw her through the flaps of the tent. She collapsed roughly to the ground. Standing above the woman, Yumi looked down for a moment before knocking her out. ¡°That was close.¡± Yumi wiped away a little nervous sweat from her forehead. She wasn¡¯t certain how much longer she would keep up the stealth. The eventual expected end would come. Yumi stepped through the tent in search of a new place. While above, she tried to map out as much as she could. It was difficult to keep track of it all, but at least her sense of direction stayed long after her memory faded. ¡®Where now¡­¡¯ A new sound of footsteps alerted her to an incoming soldier. Another patrol she assumed. She shifted out of the light and moved around the tent keeping it between them. Watching over the fabric for the soldier to pass, Yumi waited in silence. A sigh of relief came out of her mouth once it seemed that she was safe again. However, when she turned around to resume a number of shadowed figures stared at her. She slid a step back suddenly surrounded. ¡°Oh, hey everyone!¡± she cheerfully replied, raising her hand to wave at them. They all greeted her politely, confusing the moment further. The moment didn¡¯t last as they all reverted to being serious. Swords drew against her. Yumi casually sliced her hand through the air. An arc flew from her blasting all of the soldiers away from her. She began to march away, not watching where they fell into tents and crates. However, the noise was enough to alert the immediate area of the camp. None knew what happened, but they all came to find out the trouble. A disappointed sigh came from Yumi. ¡°I guess this is as far as I go. It begins now!¡± Multi-layered and segmented barriers erupted from Yumi to surround her. Wind whipped up around her body gathering up loose dirt from the earth. Spinning around her, the debris grew larger as the force gained strength. Waiting no further, she sent it all away from her in a circle dispelling soldiers from all directions. Following the attack, the wind built up again around her glowing green over so slightly. It drew into the sky like a pillar of torn wind. It sucked in everything near and cast away anything not. In the center, Yumi stared out with narrowed features carved in determination. She directed her hand out at the next incoming group of confused soldiers. ¡°Come before me! All that would keep a sister apart from her brother!¡± Chapter 142 - Nights Struggle A seemingly peaceful night neared its end. It only needed a few short hours before it could rest. However, rest would not come. Restlessness stirred into action and then the crimson veil fell. Splitting the horizon in two, a green pillar rose from the camp. All within the sight turned in questioning amazement. It became a beacon. A call to arms stood before each man and woman. Yumi¡¯s display brought in even more soldiers toward her. Reacting without orders, it turned into utter chaos. The strictly controlled camp became a ruined battlefield. Soldiers endlessly seemed to offer up themselves for Yumi. Yet none reached her. Outside the camp, Fumiko and Seiji witnessed Yumi¡¯s attack. They knew the plan, but they had no specifics. Fumiko turned a little worried at the sight. ¡°I think that¡¯s a little more than just a signal.¡± Seiji pounded his fists together with excitement. Even though he fought in the morning, he already felt eager and restrained to have to wait so long. ¡°I think it¡¯s damn perfect! It¡¯s the damn perfect tone to set!¡± ¡°Only you would think that way,¡± she commented, looking out of the corner of her eye. ¡°I wonder if you¡¯ve become a negative influence on everyone with your reckless behavior.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with being reckless! You sure as shit should have pride in it!¡± She could only present a disbelieving expression to him, rather the excited one he wished to see. ¡°Pride in recklessness? Sounds like only something you could achieve. Honestly¡­¡± ¡°Careful, you¡¯re starting to sound like the brat!¡± He charged off for the camp¡¯s entrance, as was their plan. ¡°I guess that would be a bit of a problem having two Chiharus, huh?¡± Fumiko worked up a bit of a grin, feeling a little better. She ran after Seiji to catch up to him. Ahead of her, the destructive sounds of Seiji told her that he already began. ¡°Time to start!¡± Chapter 142 ¨C Night¡¯s Struggle Deep in thought, Simonides didn¡¯t hear the noise from outside of his tent. He had matters that weighed heavier on him. The new mission he ordered he knew would buy him the time he needed, however he feared that even with the time he might not gain the answers that he sought. He still had too many questions about their intruders. They held too many unknowns. ¡®I saw it! Their world¡­it¡¯s not like us!¡¯ The words from Athene still haunted him in his thoughts. He didn¡¯t understand the meaning of her words. At the moment that she came out, he saw that she learned something. He considered forcefully waking her up for the answers such was his desperation. However, he waited. All he could do was wait. The waiting ate at him as much as the questions. He stood so close to answers. The mysteries that surrounded their foes might be unveiled finally. ¡®H-he-he¡­knows¡­every¡­thing¡­ ¡­no¡­ ¡­long¡­er¡­ ¡­hu¡­¡¯ Simonides tightened his fist against the table. ¡°What does it all mean? What does he know? And what is he?¡± His prisoner turned into something more fearsome than he thought. The one selected was supposed to be a non-MP user. Since he remained in their custody, he didn¡¯t have any reason to think otherwise. He knew if the boy had abilities, he could have easily escaped. However, something he couldn¡¯t plan for happened. ¡°What is the answer here? Do I even know the right question anymore?¡± ¡°Captain! Captain Simonides!¡± shouted a familiar voice, through the tent. Barely waiting on an answer, the man barged through the tent. He turned toward the seated Captain. ¡°Captain Simonides!¡± The yelling finally snapped Simonides from his thoughts. He reset his expression immediately, forced to become abruptly aware of the situation. Shouting from outside still hadn¡¯t made it to his notice. Abeiron distracted him. Through narrowed eyes, he glanced from his chair at the Commander. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Captain Simonides! We¡¯re under attack!¡± As though to emphasize his report, debris ripped through the Captain¡¯s tent dividing the two men. The carelessly tossed block of wood cast out the lantern killing the light. However, through the collapsing tent cloth the warm moonlight bled through renewing the glow on Abeiron¡¯s face. He spun his head around through the hole in his quarters. The chaos finally presented itself to him and caught his eyes widening in surprise. Simonides stood up, his full attention gained. ¡°How have you let them get this far inside?!¡± ¡°Sir, everyone that¡¯s gone has been taken out! They appeared in the middle of camp! Our defenses didn¡¯t account for them to fly around the entrance.¡± Simonides stepped out of his tent through the tear. His men ran about in fear and confusion. None of them knew what was happening. ¡®Plans seem pointless with them. But the timing is strange¡­¡¯ The sight of his camp so deeply penetrated bothered him. ¡®They aren¡¯t used to being on the defensive¡­¡¯ He didn¡¯t think they would allow someone in so far. ¡°Captain!¡± ¡°Since when were you so useless, Abeiron?¡± Simonides tilted his head back over his shoulder to the man. ¡°We already know that it is them. Order the nearest MPs to engage them. They¡¯re here to rescue their comrade.¡± A column of fire blasted up in the distance after he finished speaking. The searing light darkened the shadows on his head to harden his features. It gave him a severe expression of steel resolve. ¡°As I thought they would¡­¡± Near the edge of the camp, a path of ruin laid out starting from the entrance. The men, unfortunate to have been standing guard, laid on the ground, unconscious from Seiji¡¯s first punch. Following the signs of destruction, two more men came out hearing the noise only to be dealt with equally brutishly. Afterward, it became more difficult for Seiji to handle them individually with care. He made use of a makeshift fence to wipe out a row of men before casting his weapon aside. It destroyed the nearby tent and signaled even more men to come after him. Seiji eagerly took the fight to them and charged onward. The current path carved by him left more than thirty men unable to fight. None of them understood how outclassed they were. They charged for him in defense of their home and fallen comrades. Their only hope was that one of them could bring him down. Catching up, Fumiko finished dealing with the soldiers that spotted her. Her fire was enough to make them turn away. It gave her a little relief to know that they didn¡¯t press for a fight. ¡®¡­it¡¯s still under control¡­¡¯ She tightened her hand around her staff to stop the shaking. In front of her, she found Seiji decking a few more soldiers. It made her sigh a little to witness the eager idiot fighting. ¡°You really are true to yourself¡­¡± The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. He tossed a soldier off his back into a neighboring tent. His grinning face looked back at Fumiko. ¡°All part of the plan!¡± Distracting him, Fumiko was the only one that saw someone in a white uniform quickly approaching him with dark intent. ¡°Seiji¡ª¡± Before Fumiko finished her words, Seiji¡¯s fist ran through the man¡¯s face. He flew several meters through the path before unintentionally caught by a group of soldiers, the hard way. ¡°Can¡¯t sneak the hell up on me!¡± Fumiko touched her hand to her forehead feeling a little distressed. ¡°That was one of those like Yuki, be more careful!¡± Seiji looked at her confused and then over at the unconscious man. He finally noticed the white uniform that stood out in the night, especially against all of the black from the standard military. ¡°Dammit!¡± He slammed his fists into the ground pounding out a heavy tone through the earth as he depressed the dirt. ¡°Seiji?¡± Fumiko uneasily reached out her hand towards Seiji, though still several meters away from them. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it!¡± he shouted to the moon. ¡°Punched him out before I had a chance to fight him with his powers!¡± A drop of sweat fell down on Fumiko¡¯s face upon hearing why he was angry. ¡°You fighting idiot! Do you even remember why we¡¯re here?!¡± Taking a silent moment to recover, Seiji stood back up. Only the battle cries of a new wave of soldiers came to him in his silence. He spun his arm around driving it through them and sending them away. ¡°Of course, I remember,¡± he replied, appearing oddly serious. ¡°All the more reason I need to fight as many of them as possible. So she has less trouble¡­¡± Mirroring an oddly familiar scene, deep inside the camp an array of at least twenty soldiers laid strewn about the grounds. Furious winds kept a constant stream of torrents bleeding off the tatters of fabric remaining from ruined tents. Further within the maelstrom of wind, rotating and shifting blocks of the green barrier protected Yumi to keep any foe from reaching her. Those that the invisible forces didn¡¯t deal with faced cracking her defenses. It slowed them down until she personally dealt with them. However, she hadn¡¯t moved for more than two minutes. Her defensive stance stalled her from her primary task. ¡®I¡¯m wasting time¡­ I need to look for Yori and Chiharu¡­¡¯ She scanned the area taking in the destruction. It took her a little bit of time, but she finally realized all of the fighting she started meant she put them in danger as well. Though it confused her a little that she hadn¡¯t seen Chiharu appear. ¡®I guess this really does prove that she¡¯s been captured, but how? I can¡¯t imagine that she made a mistake¡­¡¯ Yumi found a break in the fighting, with no soldiers coming after, to start moving. Her powers didn¡¯t require her to be in a good position. So she felt comfortable in leaving her spot. ¡®There¡¯s so much destroyed already¡­I think I would have sensed him if he was amongst this¡­¡¯ Yumi walked out of the radius of her destruction into an untouched part of the camp. The force of her winds still managed to loosen parts of the tents. She found a random soldier in the area coming from a tent or running about, but it was strangely empty in her search. Yumi even used her powers to rip up tents, since stealth was pointless. It started to bother her. ¡°Where is everyone? Shouldn¡¯t I be meeting more resistance?¡± A cracking rang out to the side of Yumi. Even in spite of the softness of the noise, it alerted her. She saw one of her barrier pieces crumbling away. ¡°What¡¯s going on? My barrier!¡± Suddenly, Yumi¡¯s internal sensor went off and she spun around. Down across the dirt path stood a teenager in a white Atlantean uniform. Yumi immediately took a step back understanding that she finally ran into one of them. ¡°You¡¯re¡­¡± Another piece of her barrier shattered suddenly for no reason followed by another. She darted her eyes around trying to understand it. ¡°So you¡¯re the much talked about rebel,¡± commented the boy, ¡°I won¡¯t allow you to attack anyone else!¡± ¡°And that¡¯s ten!¡± Seiji declared, as he hefted a three-meter long length of broken off piece of wood to his shoulder. He looked over his shoulder to see how Fumiko fared. She threw out a couple of minor flames to keep the soldiers off her. Once freed up, she spun around to look at Seiji. ¡°So you can¡¯t count either? You¡¯ve dealt with more than fifty so far!¡± Seiji shrugged to her with the block of wood still on his shoulder, acting like it weighed nothing to him. ¡°I didn¡¯t start counting until ten ago.¡± ¡°Then why bother! I can¡¯t¡ª¡° Fumiko came to a stop when he raised his hand up to her to interrupt her. He turned his head back to the new arrivals. ¡°Looks like we have more damn fun!¡± ¡°Fun?!¡± Fumiko clinched her fist to shake it at him. She wanted to punch him for thinking what just approached them to be fun. ¡°How can you say that?! Those three are like Yuki!¡± ¡°Huh? They are?¡± Still not noticing, he looked back and forth at Fumiko and the three white dressed Atlanteans. ¡°How can you tell? They all look the same.¡± ¡°Damn, short-term memory¡­there must be a limit to stupidity!¡± ¡°Oh! Are you talking about them wearing white? I just didn¡¯t want to assume, you know! It¡¯d be rude to be prejudiced based on their appearance. That¡¯s just good manners!¡± ¡°Ergh¡­¡± Fumiko forced out a frustrated sigh. She started to regret that she agreed to work with him. ¡®I¡¯m starting to understand Chiharu¡¯s side of things¡­¡¯ After requiring a few moments to recover, Fumiko straightened back up, though still not taking the situation as serious as she should have. She blamed Seiji¡¯s stupidity for it. Fumiko rested her hand back on her forehead while talking to him. ¡°Well normally, you¡¯d be correct. And knowing that you actually have good manners is actually pretty surprising. You really do pick the strangest things to be good about¡­however¡­¡± She hoped that talking it out would calm her anger, but it only seemed to be bottling it up. Everything pent up inside grew in pressure. If she didn¡¯t release her emotion she might collapse (probably exaggerating, Seiji has that effect on people). Fumiko lowered her hand and started walking over to him. Once she stood next to him, she reached over and grabbed his ear pulling him up to her height. ¡°Ayumi already explained to us that all of those like Yuki are required to wear white uniforms! It¡¯s the standard! So of course they are! And there¡¯s three of them and only two of us! So get serious!¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± yelped Seiji, jumping away from Fumiko. ¡°You don¡¯t have to yell in my damn ear!¡± ¡°Yes, I do when you act this stupid! We¡¯ve got three of them to deal with! It won¡¯t be easy!¡± Seiji pulled further away from Fumiko, as her image scared him more. He rubbed his bruised ear and looked over at the three white clad soldiers. ¡°Well if that¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about¡­¡± Seiji lifted up the wood and chucked it quickly at the three soldiers. It ran between the two women in the group and disappeared from their sight, giving them a shock. Crumbling into a broken heap of fabric and wood, the third figure was barely visible behind the hunk of wood that hit him. He didn¡¯t have a chance to pass out. The impact did it to him before the fall. It left the two women for them, evening the odds. One stood surprisingly taller than the other and a fair competition for Fumiko and her unusual height. ¡°There, now there¡¯s two!¡± Fumiko slapped her hand to her face. ¡°If you did that to one of them, you could have done that to all three of them.¡± Seiji crossed his arms suddenly looking very proud. ¡°What are you talking about, the other two are women. I¡¯m not going to hurt them!¡± She sighed again. Fumiko felt like she might die from sighing her life away. Her eyes glanced over at him. ¡°You realize that you have to fight one of them, right?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Seiji looked over at their two opponents and then the third further away, not in any condition to fight. He pressed his hands to his head. ¡°Crap! I can¡¯t fight a woman! I should to have knocked out one of them out instead so I could fight the guy! But if I did that I would have hit a woman¡­¡± ¡°You really are something else¡­¡± commented Fumiko, through a flat expression. She didn¡¯t have much more of a chance as a flame erupted at her side. Fumiko jumped away to put some distance between her and it. The flame immediately disappeared, but another jumped out at her. ¡°¡­fire from nothing¡­¡± She glanced along the path at their opponents. Flames grew up to surround the shorter of the two women, completely engulfing her. Fumiko¡¯s eyes widened in shock to see the woman consumed in flames. However, it suddenly divided and calmed. It covered her body, but left her head and some of her shoulders exposed. The flames did nothing to the woman. In fact, it looked as though it became clothing to her. Another second later, the woman charged past Seiji and straight for Fumiko trailing embers behind her. The woman collided with Fumiko, throwing her backwards through an already collapsed tent. Not letting up for a moment, the woman¡¯s hand rose toward the spot where Fumiko collapsed. A tall column of fire burst up from the ground wiping Fumiko from sight completely. Chapter 143 - The Caged Inferno Seiji barely had a chance to react before it all finished. ¡°Fumiko!¡± he shouted, turning to the flaming mass where Fumiko used to be. He began to move his legs, thinking that he could reach her. However, something collided with him while in motion. The force was enough to set him off balance and slide on his back into a pile of debris. His impact kicked up a small cloud, hardly providing any cover for him. The hit did little to hurt him, but the dust in the air made him cough. ¡°The hell?¡± Seiji rubbed his head in confusion as he pulled himself up. He searched around, distracted from Fumiko. ¡°What hit me?¡± His eyes scanned the area trying to locate what knocked him over, but saw nothing in the immediate area. Yet again, something came barreling at him near his blind side, but he caught a flash of light off the moon. It alerted him and told him to dodge. A moment later, the ground where he used to sit exploded into a chunky cloud of earth. Seiji slid away from the blast with his hands scraping along the dirt along with his feet to keep his balance. ¡°Again? What the hell¡¯s going on?¡± His head tilted up from his all-fours position to make out his attacker. He knew two coincidences didn¡¯t happen in such a place. Standing up from the thin cloud, a dark gray figure rose to their full height. He couldn¡¯t see them clearly through the veil, but they were tall. Seiji felt certain they were at least his height, if not more so. ¡°So it¡¯s you. I¡¯m not fighting a woman.¡± Some force suddenly blasted the cloud surrounding the figure away roughly. The woman sped towards Seiji trailing the particles of dirt off her body. Seiji tried to stand up, but found her to move faster than he thought possible. In between the seconds of the next strike, the woman calmly spoke to him, ¡°Yes, you will.¡± Following her words, a loud percussive blast from her attack rang through the camp. Seiji only had enough time to block with his arms crossed in front. However, he felt some surprise when he realized that he understood the woman and that the voice sounded almost child-like from her. ¡°You know Japanese?!¡± ¡°No.¡± She didn¡¯t let his surprise slow her down, even for her reply. Her eyes narrowed, noticing the resistance that she received from trying to press her advantage. Not finding progress, she wound up unleashing a heavy barrage on him. Each strike pounded out expanding waves from the points of impact. Even after the assault of more than a dozen strikes, Seiji remained unmoved. His arms trailed thin streams of smoke in the wake of the attack. He started to lower his arms down hoping it would prove that it was futile. ¡°Finished?¡± ¡°Hardly¡­¡± The woman took half a step back and lifted her arms up. Seiji hadn¡¯t focused on her attacks too much, but he finally understood something about her. Covering up all of her forearm, seamless metal formed a shape much like cestus. Cloth extended from underneath the metal wrapping up to the elbow. Despite the simple weapon, the metal had a complex and intricate design woven throughout the surface. However, the weapons didn¡¯t remain for long. A light flashed from her weapons blurring them out. Through the white glare, a dark shape expanded and grew from her arms. It continued to increase in size until it seemed impossible to hold. Wiping away with a sharp cut, the light faded and revealed the new weapons. Her weapons increased in size and thickness, at least tenfold, dwarfing her frame. The new appearance had that of a lion¡¯s face with the mouth set in front of her fists. She pulled her arms back with not even her balance broken by the sheer mass. Her fluid motions didn¡¯t even make the new weapons appear unwieldy, despite their size. ¡°I¡¯m just getting started!¡± Seiji blinked and then felt the smashing blow of the weapon against his chest as it broke through his arms¡¯ defense. His eyes caught a bit of surprise as it echoed deeply through his body before launching through the air. The woman watched him disappear from her immediate sight, but didn¡¯t feel finished. She brought the other blunt weapon to bear on the ground. Cracking the earth from the crater-creating force, she flew up into the air in response. Once more the weapons changed, but to a smaller size and design. They only covered up her fists like a glove. She threw out her fist turning around to punch the air. Blasting out a large ring of displaced air, it sped her towards her target. Her body arced through the sky coming to a fast-uncontrolled descent to the ground. When she saw herself nearing the ground, she threw her arms in opposite directions vertically creating rings again in the air. It brought her to a sudden halt in speed, acting like a brake. Two meters away from the touching down, she pulled her arms back in and dropped down. She changed her weapons again to yet another new weapon. The woman took a fighting stance waiting for Seiji to stand up. Chapter 143 ¨C The Caged Inferno The Atlantean bathed in dark foreboding fire threw out her hand and arced it to cut through the air. Her flames set upon Fumiko immediately exhausted themselves. She took a few steps towards the scarred earth to investigate her opponent. A crack of red-hot wood snapped the silence. It made her flinch with caution. Out of the ash-covered mound broke a darkened figure. The clatter of metal rang out with the rising of a defiant staff. Fumiko swept away the ash that stuck to her. She let out a relieved sigh. ¡®I guess I should be grateful that they use fire¡­¡¯ ¡°Still alive¡­¡± the woman commented, upon seeing Fumiko¡¯s condition. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Fumiko turned towards the voice startled a little by them addressing her. Her earring gift from Yuki worked as she expected in translating the Atlantean Greek for her. ¡®She probably expected it to take me out in one shot¡­¡¯ ¡°You won¡¯t succeed.¡± She raised her hand towards Fumiko once again. ¡°You¡¯re already classified as traitors. Judgment or death are your only options.¡± Tightening her hold on the staff, Fumiko felt the seriousness of the woman¡¯s words. She knew that they faced such an ominous fate, but it still made her hesitate. Her hesitation was enough wasted time for a response from the Atlantean woman. Hungry fire erupted around Fumiko, completely enclosing her. Fumiko gritted her teeth, feeling the scorching heat coming from the consuming flames. ¡®It¡¯s hotter than before¡­¡¯ She closed her eyes trying to calm her pounding heart enough to concentrate. The last time she fought scared her, but there was something else. She couldn¡¯t grasp in words. All she knew was that she hated it. It leeched onto her skin and crawled into her pores. Fumiko wrapped her arms over her chest trying to eject the fear. The fight she had with the monster to save Mieko felt just as life threatening, but Fumiko knew it was different. Even when the two Atlantean soldiers cornered her and she thought she might die didn¡¯t have the same feeling as the monster. It felt similar. There was something more frightening about humans. ¡®I¡¯ve got to get a hold of myself! I have to find Chiharu!¡¯ Fumiko tightened her grip on her staff bravely. The heat began to reach bothersome levels for her. It burned off the sweat from her skin before it had much of a chance to drip. ¡®¡­Chiharu¡­¡¯ Orange-red threads wove down Fumiko¡¯s arm into her staff. It made the metal glow, building into an aura. ¡®Concentrate¡­focus¡­¡¯ Fumiko lifted the staff from rest and swung with a firm hand through the fire. A visible cut appeared in the wall of fire that stretched around until it closed the loop. The loop grew in size blasting away the binding fire. Out of the flames, Fumiko stepped out with gallant bravado, the metal ringing with her step. Exhaling slowly, Fumiko struggled to maintain her composure. ¡®¡­have to keep control¡­¡¯ She blinked back images that threatened her stability. The misguided woman narrowed her eyes questioning what occurred. ¡®Twice she¡¯s survived my fire¡­what sort of Field is she using?¡¯ She took a step forward to strengthen the area of the Field Fumiko stood. Motioning with her hands, new flames burst up from the ground and bent to angle towards her. Fumiko tried to run out of the haunting path, but it changed course again. ¡®¡­seeking me!¡¯ She couldn¡¯t avoid it. Ignoring futility, Fumiko continued to try to evade the stream of fire. Her attempts only delayed the inevitable. It came closer. While still dodging the flames Fumiko raised her staff returning the glow back to it. Catching the flames on the headpiece of the staff, the stream came to a stop. It furrowed out barely held back. Vibrations from the resistance shook down the staff into Fumiko¡¯s hand. She didn¡¯t think she could hold back the force for much longer. Strength wasn¡¯t what she excelled in and she knew it. Fumiko¡¯s eyes looked around at all of the unconscious soldiers. ¡®¡­there¡¯s so many people around here¡­¡¯ She needed a solution. Struggling with the weight pounding on her, Fumiko gripped her staff with both hands. She stepped into the force and pushed again. ¡®¡­can¡¯t lose it¡­¡¯ The shaking began to make her hands numb. Fumiko fought with the flames summoning up the strength to swing her staff. It deflected the fire away into the earth. Dirt and debris blasted outward kicking up a cloud that blew through their battlefield. Taking pause, the two stared at each other waiting for a move by the other. Around them, the shouting of confused soldiers running about surrounded them. Distant shockwaves from Seiji¡¯s fight blended into the background. Fumiko clutched her staff to feel her reality. Images from the past night began to haunt her inner eye again. The inferno that blazed without end left permanent reminders on her body. She still could feel the searing heat from it. She still could hear the bloody screams from it. It penetrated her being completely. ¡®¡­I can¡¯t¡­not again¡­¡¯ The woman cornered her. She knew she came in needing to fight back. In small doses, she found it acceptable. But she already saw what the woman could do with her power. She was barely able to hold her back. ¡®If I don¡¯t do something¡­but I¡­¡¯ Fumiko looked down at her hand considering her flame. Flashbacks of the village blew through her. Snippets of the out of control fire that nearly burned down the village collided with her. She shook her head hoping to remove the past. It already held her back from helping out her friends when they were attacked the last time. It paralyzed her. Nothing happened. She desperately wanted to help them, but she could not risk it. Fumiko didn¡®t want to let it happen again. ¡®¡­what am I supposed¡­to do¡­¡¯ Her hand held open staring back at her face, tilted down gazing. The rational part of the mind told her what she needed to do. It already knew and kept yelling at her. Yet, it didn¡¯t matter how much she understood her situation. She couldn¡¯t stop the shaking. In fact, she already tried before. ¡®I can¡¯t use my fire¡­not like before¡­ This is the limit that I can do¡­¡¯ She thought that her fire magic might counter the woman¡¯s fire, but it failed her on all attempts. She could only channel it. Doubt sapped her magic. Her hesitation repeated the cycle anew. The enemy could see weakness in Fumiko and took advantage. Columns of flames and walls of fire sprouted up. Fumiko could only run away and block with her staff. She couldn¡¯t even feel that she maintained a stalemate. Her body only grew worse with each dodge and deflection. The numbness spread deeper into her arms. Fumiko didn¡¯t know how much longer that she could last. All of the running around tired her out. Her breathing quickly became haggard. When she was trying not to be hit by the fire, she was bent over recovering. ¡®She doesn¡¯t stop¡­coming¡­¡¯ A blast of fire knocked Fumiko off the ground, still trying to recover. The flames quickly went out as she collapsed to the ground. Fumiko hit the ground dazed. She didn¡¯t see the domineering woman¡¯s approach until she was already almost on top of her. The villainess woman aimed her hand down at Fumiko. ¡°At this range, it won¡¯t matter. My flame will be at its strongest.¡± In response to the woman, a new flame burst up, but held back from attacking. It hovered an imposing meter away from Fumiko. ¡°Accept your fate. Resist and I¡¯ll kill you now for disrupting the peace of Atlantis!¡± She didn¡¯t doubt the woman¡¯s dark words. Fumiko stared at the inferno that looked eager to taste her flesh. Surrender turned into a consideration for her. She didn¡¯t know what options she had. ¡®¡­what would happen to me? They think I¡¯m just another one like Yuki¡­¡¯ Her mind divided on her. Consideration filled part of her and fear the other. She wanted an answer. She couldn¡¯t let herself use her flame. The risk was too much. It could hurt everyone, even her friends. However, Chiharu and the others struggled to rescue Yori. ¡®I promised myself that I¡¯d get serious. I failed them before¡­ I needed to be part of the team for them.¡¯ The thought of trying to convince herself made her want to laugh at herself. It proved how far her resolve carried her. She watched Yumi sway between doubt and certainty, but come out ahead. When it mattered, she knew Yumi would act. ¡®But none of them came as close as I did¡­ I thought with this magic I could protect her. ¡­yet now it scares me so much!¡¯ The screaming echoed in her mind. It had stayed in her ear always ringing without end since the previous night. Sometimes it was softer and other times crushingly loud. Regardless, it remained with her, always a reminder. She didn¡¯t want to hear another one. ¡®I wish I was deaf¡­so I didn¡¯t have to hear it anymore¡­¡¯ Suddenly, a flash of a familiar image went through Fumiko''s mind. Her eyes widened in shock. ¡®Kimiko!¡¯ Her body flinched thinking about her little sister. ¡®¡­I failed¡­¡¯ Chiharu appeared to her at the end of her thought. Fumiko jerked forward realizing her mistake. She heroically slammed her hand into the fire that threatened her, startling the woman. ¡®I failed you Kimiko, but if I did nothing again I¡¯d fail her too. I¡¯d be repeating my mistake! The one mistake that I wish I could undo, but never can! I won¡¯t make that same mistake again!¡¯ Chapter 144 - Fueling the Fire The woman¡¯s certainty wavered a bit in the face of Fumiko. She didn¡¯t understand what happened between the seconds. ¡®Before she was only avoiding me, not being aggressive¡­yet now¡­those eyes¡­she¡­¡¯ Before it seemed that she had almost a self-loathing internal attack focused purely on only Fumiko. The woman could tell that she wasn¡¯t in the fight. Something happened to change it all. The hesitation and regret disappeared from her eyes. They became strong and fierce backed by something deep and unshakable. She could see that the fight was about to alter. It would no longer be the same battle. ¡®What happened?¡¯ Fumiko¡¯s hand warmed from touching a stranger¡¯s flame. Her resistance blasted bits of fire around her creating flaming rain that fell to her side. The pressure slammed into her as it tried to force through her, but it no longer felt as strong. Her arm felt lighter than before and the shaking disappeared. Even her breathing came under control. ¡®I won¡¯t allow it to happen again!¡¯ Building her determination into strength, Fumiko pressed her hand valiantly into the fires. She channeled threads of her own magic into her hand creating a flaming aura that encompassed her hand down to her wrist. Magic streamed down her shoulder keeping it powered. Symbols and geometric shapes, the building blocks for magic circles began to form in the errant threads around her entire arm. It slowly glowed white and crawled over her skin. It took her by surprise to see the appearance of something new. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ She didn¡¯t plan for it to take on such a form. Her arm still felt like it channeled magic, but it didn¡¯t have the same feeling. However, she went with it. Fumiko knew that she needed to use everything she had to deal with her opponent. Using her new strength to stand, Fumiko ran her hand through the stream of fire lighting her arm up. She pushed too quickly and it spread out with a life of its own to coat her arm. Fumiko refused to hesitate, sensing that everything would be fine. When it seemed that the woman¡¯s fire would engulf Fumiko an explosion of light and fire erupted from her arm. All of the flames disappeared, snuffed out by the greater inferno underneath. Raging in the wind, Fumiko¡¯s entire left arm was consumed, but not simply as though surrounded. It flickered with a transparency and volume that said it ran completely through. Fumiko lifted her hand up to examine the transformation. ¡®What is this? This has never happened before¡­ Is this an evolution of my power?¡¯ The meaning of it didn¡¯t completely sink into her, but she knew she had to press her advantage. She clinched her staff tightly in her right hand and charged forward. A bulwark of flames broke through the earth to stop her. Responding to her need, her flame hand came forward quickly spinning a flame and launching it at the obstacle. Fumiko sprinted through the fires as they collided and exploded. She trailed crackling embers off her clothes. Her staff closed with the villainess woman swinging wide at a shocked figure. Chapter 144 ¨C Fueling the Fire As clich¨¦ as it sounds, it ended in a flash. No reacting, it was all just instinct. The surprise caught the Atlantean off guard. Even though it ended quickly, instinct also saved her. After the staff finished, it snapped her out of her paralysis. Flames summoned from the ground washed up to force Fumiko back and allowed the woman a chance to recover. The Atlantean looked down at her flame armor feeling something different about it. A long gash stretched the entire length of her abdomen. Her exposed skin showed in the gap, but no wound. Even if not wounded, it still shocked her. ¡®She cut through my flames? Is her Field actually stronger?¡¯ She touched her hand to the exposed part of her armor and ran her fingers across taking it all in. The slash sealed up behind her hand until closed and restored. She pulled her head back up to look at the tall woman that opposed her. ¡°Do you really think your cause is good? You people don¡¯t even consider what your actions do to everyone else. Do you?¡± Fumiko paused a little surprised that she started talking to her. She didn¡¯t think that it would do much good with their language barrier. ¡®It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve probably thought about it more than the rest.¡¯ None of the doubts would help her accomplish her goal. She knew what she had to do. ¡°No answer? Silence won¡¯t absolve you!¡± A sigh escaped Fumiko¡¯s lips. It was pointless, but if it satisfied her. ¡°There¡¯s no point talking about it with the language barrier.¡± ¡°Yes, I know about that. Rumors were that your group didn¡¯t speak Atlantean Greek. Which is why I¡¯ve included a language Addendum.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, I speak Japanese. So of course there¡¯s going to be a barrier between us.¡± Fumiko spoke casually with the woman, not noticing their conversation. ¡°Japanese, what¡¯s an Atlantean doing speaking Japanese?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m Japanese, not Atlantean, of course.¡± She motioned with her hand dismissing the answer as something blatant. Another few seconds passed before Fumiko snapped back to the woman. ¡°Wait, you can understand me?!¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve removed the language barrier.¡± It took a little bit longer for all of it to settle in for Fumiko. Their whole conversation sank into her. She immediately went on the defensive feeling oddly vulnerable. ¡°So what did you want? Going so far as to allow us to understand each other.¡± The stubborn woman tightened up her hands. Her flames on her body responded, burning brighter and larger. ¡°What I want¡­What I want is to stop your rebellion! Stop before you make anyone else suffer!¡± ¡®Oddly emotional for a soldier¡­¡¯ She had little knowledge of Atlantis other than what Ayumi allowed them to know. Much like Yori, she had many questions about the world that Ayumi came from. She knew well enough to know that they had different cultures and values. Their intrusion to those not involved could be seen in many different lights. Fumiko wondered if the woman¡¯s conclusion was simply her own or one others came to as well. ¡°I don¡¯t know a lot about Atlantis, but I guess what Yuki¡¯s doing might be seen as such. But right now I¡¯m only here to rescue a friend.¡± Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. She narrowed her expression a little, taking in Fumiko¡¯s words. It took only a moment to think about it. ¡°You¡¯re talking about the prisoner. If that¡¯s the reason you¡¯re here then that¡¯s even more of a reason why I must stop you! I won¡¯t allow you to do anything to interfere with the Captain!¡± ¡°I¡¯d be more surprised if you did just let me by. I pretty much already assumed us to be at an impasse.¡± Fumiko altered her stance, getting the feeling that their fight would resume soon. Fire sprouted up around the woman awaiting a command. ¡°Agreed. Second Lieutenant Stamatia will be the one to stop you!¡± She motioned her hand around in front to pull the fire in by her arm. ¡°That¡¯s pretty formal, introducing yourself. Very well, Fumiko Terauchi is the one that defeated you!¡± Fumiko brought her arm of fire up to bare while preparing her staff. ¡®Knowing my enemy¡¯s name¡­she seems pretty determined for some reason. I have mine as well¡­ I can¡¯t lose!¡¯ In preparation, she began calling her magic. Threads drew down her shoulder intertwining along her arm as they gathered in her staff. Stamatia watched Fumiko¡¯s movements to judge the moment of her attack. They both wielded fire and it had thus far mostly ended inconclusively. The strike on her armor proved that she had the strength to match her. A point that Stamatia felt concerned about a little. ¡®However, I haven¡¯t begun to use my full power¡­¡¯ Her fires responded to her thoughts and shot out as a raging river held back by a dam at the point of breaking. Ready for the attack, Fumiko had a counter set up. The headpiece glowed brightly before it ignited into flames quickly producing several medium sized balls of fire. Using the staff as a launch, she swung it to release the fire. Creating powerful winds on their shockwaves, the flames collided in explosions. Surrounding debris was cast aside freely. A few grunts sounded out from nearby soldiers that had the misfortune of being present. It took a little while for all of the dust kicked up to clear out, but they found themselves in the same situation as before, fire against fire. Both refused to give even a centimeter. Fumiko slowly took in a careful breath. ¡®I managed to meet her this time, but I can¡¯t do that again¡­ My casting speed is nothing like her ability to summon fire¡­ I¡¯m at a disadvantage like this¡­¡¯ She knew that she couldn¡¯t even match her for quantity either, not without sacrificing power. Her eyes glanced over at her left hand for an answer. It gave her some hope, but still was unknown. Some frustration surfaced in Stamatia after their last round. She put more into the fire expecting to punch through her defenses, but nothing happened. Their stalemate continued. ¡®Since she¡¯s serious now, am I starting to see what she is truly capable of doing? I¡¯ll have to increase my flame¡­¡¯ The new round started with the atmosphere changing again. More than a dozen streams of fire rose up to surround Stamatia. Each of them held the same size and intensity as her previous ones. She made a clear sign that she no longer planned to go easy on Fumiko. ¡®I¡¯ll show you whose resolve is stronger!¡¯ Casting her hand out at Fumiko, the liquid-like flames jumped into action. Incoming quickly from all sides, Fumiko barely had enough time to cast enough for even one fireball. She knew she couldn¡¯t deal with so many. ¡®This is the power of a Kasou-ryoku? Someone like Yuki¡­¡¯ Fumiko fired off her spell at the most immediate stream to dispel it. The explosion was enough to wipe out two accompanying streams as well. She would have felt fortunate, if not for the rest that still came after her. ¡®My other hand can¡­¡¯ Her thought turned quickly into action as she formed and threw out a fireball from her flame hand in response. It took another few with it, but left with her more to deal with alone. Fumiko took up her staff and swung away what she could, but it wasn¡¯t enough. She couldn¡¯t stop them all. They breached her defenses and slammed into her shoulder and arms. The force sent her flying backwards through a tent that hadn¡¯t managed to be destroyed yet. Their impact left some embers on her clothes, burning away sections. Her sliding kicked up a small cloud, but Fumiko¡¯s flame burned through it all. She stood up slowly out of the rumble. Patting out the remaining fires on her, Fumiko checked her condition quickly. Small holes appeared in her tunic and her skin looked a little red, but nothing serious. ¡®I wonder if my attunement to fire provides me resistance¡­that would make the most sense¡­¡¯ Examining her results, Stamatia stifled as much annoyance as she could. She didn¡¯t think that with everything she sent that Fumiko would come out with so little damage. Their previous exchanges didn¡¯t leave her to expect it to finish her off, but she hoped for something more serious. ¡®Her Field dampened me that much? But I was able to touch her¡­ Just need more¡­¡¯ ¡®I need a different plan¡­¡¯ Fumiko pressed her staff into the ground to force her back into step. At home, she only practiced a few different things. Her awakening didn¡¯t provide her with a good sense of what she was capable of achieving with the power she gained. Each battle she found herself discovering something new. She hoped that her new arm meant something. She just didn¡¯t know how to make use of it. In its present form, she got the feeling that she was not fully utilizing it. Changing tactics, Stamatia raised her hand up above her head. It called up hellfire from all around the field. Pieces broke free, becoming independent. More broke away as they grew in numbers. They transformed from spheres into simple arrows. ¡°Let¡¯s see you stop this!¡± Fumiko gasped in surprise at the array of arrows in the air. ¡®I can¡¯t counter that! I need something else¡­¡¯ Her eyes flipped to her sides quickly trying to figure something out. The urgency of the situation raised her heart rate to a pounding. It crushed her ribs trying to escape. She was out of time. Stamatia launched all of the arrows at Fumiko. She didn¡¯t wait for waves or feints, just pure simple numbers. Staring at her opponent, Stamatia could see her attempting to prepare something even with them in the air already, but it was pointless. She had seen her speed and her arrows would get through. Even if a spell finished, it wouldn¡¯t do enough to her numbers. ¡®This¡¯ll hurt¡­¡¯ She watched eagerly, looking forward to seeing the traitor on her knees. As expected, Fumiko¡¯s casting came too long and the arrows reached their target. She lifted her flame arm up in defense, but it wasn¡¯t enough for her. The arrows pierced through her flame and continued into her body. More arrows rained down on Fumiko quickly blotting her out of sight. Some of the arrows missed their target and exploded with the ground instead. It kicked up a cloud that masked everything from view. The cloud cover delayed Stamatia¡¯s answer. She wanted to know how much damage she caused the woman. It made her impatient in learning the outcome. Using her control over everything in the Field, she created an explosion to blow away the veil. The forced wind peeled away Fumiko¡¯s cover slowly, layer by layer. Deeper inside a purple glow surfaced that couldn¡¯t be seen before. It grew brighter with more dust and earth in the air fading. Stamatia took a step back in surprise once she finally saw Fumiko standing. Inside a purple sphere, Fumiko rose up appearing mostly unscathed by the attack. Ribbons of purple light wrapped the sphere slowly spinning around and rotating keeping up a complete barrier of protection. Fumiko lowered her staff. The barrier faded away with her release. ¡°That hurt more than I thought,¡± she commented to herself. Her tunic revealed new tears and burns where the arrows hit. They mostly left her skin untouched, but she felt soreness from them. ¡°That gave me enough time¡­¡± She looked over at the flame on her left. ¡°Time for what?¡± questioned Stamatia, ¡°I don¡¯t see anything different.¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± She lifted her arm up to put it in front of her. ¡°Even practicing I was never able to get it to reproduce like I did the first time. I was only able to make a normal looking flame. But I know I can make it again if I just place my faith in my power. That¡¯s why this happened!¡± Her arm stretched out aiming at Stamatia. The wind that blew through pulled at the trails of flames whipping it around. Fumiko closed her eyes, focusing on her arm. Not immediately visible, a different colored glow rose up out of the depths of the flame that made her arm. Threads and ribbons, filled with characters and symbols, lifted from the surface. Their source came from her shoulder disappearing underneath her tunic. They wrapped around digging into and coming out the other side of the flame. Magic threads spread through building into a stronger color. Her flame suddenly grew darker, absorbing the hue from the magic. A bit of wonder and curiosity held back Stamatia from acting when she knew that she should not. She didn¡¯t understand her hesitating, but she wanted to see what the talk was about. ¡®What¡¯s happening to her arm? Why is it blue?¡¯ Opening her eyes, Fumiko smirked a little. It pleased her to see that her gamble paid off. The blue flame that she found before during her awakening resurfaced. She merged it with her arm. The heat and magic coming off it felt much stronger than before. ¡°This is everything that I hoped for and more¡­ I¡¯d suggest a defense! If you don¡¯t want to get hurt too badly!¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± Stamatia barely had a moment to react as Fumiko sprinted towards her faster than she thought possible for a human, even one with MP powers. She summoned up flames for her defense, but it did nothing. Fumiko¡¯s blue inferno blew them away with a single blast. The rest became a blur to her eyes. She couldn¡¯t follow her speed as she already appeared behind her. Stamatia turned her head in shock. ¡°Imposs¡ª¡° Pain snapped off her voice. Her fire armor along her shoulder and arm vanished. Blood sprayed up into the air left from a wide claw mark that left five individual slashes from her shoulder down her arm. Her eyelids grew wide as her pupils shrank in surprise. Chapter 145 - Flickering Flame The pain in Stamatia¡¯s shoulder knocked her to one knee. She gritted her teeth tightly, a long forgotten yet still painfully familiar position. The act of appearing submissive, she hated it. She endured it, but couldn¡¯t stand it either. Stamatia promised herself that she would never allow anyone else to face such shame. Yet she found herself back at the beginning. Calling up flames from her mind, the Field erupted into a wave of screaming fire expanding out from her. The flames burned hotter and taller than before completely surrounding her. She drove away Fumiko, forced to escape. It bought her time. She sighed a bit as the pain calmed for her. The full release of the Field eased up her mind. Unlike many MP users, she restricted her Field heavily. It required a significant drain on her focus and mental energies to keep it up, but it was necessary. In full release, her Field became a blazing wildfire that filled her entire Field with the exception of her center. It made it almost impossible for anyone to step inside, meaning she couldn¡¯t be of use as a MP. Fumiko retreated until the fire came to a stop. However, she could see that the fire ended far too abruptly and sharply to actually be the end. She still had little interaction with the powers that Yuki used, but what she saw fit with her basic understanding. ¡®This is her limit¡­the edge of her Field¡­she can¡¯t touch me here¡­¡¯ The last strike she thought turned the advantage back to her, but with the Field changing she no longer felt certain. A forty-meter diameter mass of flame seemed a little impossible to just wipe away. ¡®I¡¯ll need to figure something else out¡­¡¯ Chapter 145 ¨C Flickering Flame Nothing immediately came to her. She didn¡¯t know enough about the properties of the swarm. Using her blue flame hand, she began drawing magic together for a spell. If she needed more information, she would just have to get it the hard way. Making use of the extra time she had, since her villain made no movements, Fumiko gathered up more than she had previously. The blue flame grew to fill her hand fully. A white raging core flickered at the center through the layers of soft blues. Fumiko glanced over at the thick wall. She doubted much would happen, but she needed to gauge matters. She threw it into the flames. It didn¡¯t immediately explode as it had before when connecting with another flame. The ball penetrated the outer layers punching a hole through. Eventually the blast came, the release of energy created a fierce scalding wind. It was as if a closed pot with steamed water opened and the initial touch of it escaping burned the arm, however it had hundred fold the range and ten times the temperature of just boiled water. For Fumiko, the effects felt reduced significantly. She just stood there watching it all. Before the field automatically sealed up the area, she witnessed a penetration of three meters and a blast radius of at least five meters. Unfortunately, she still had twelve meters even to touch the woman. The defense that Stamatia erected didn¡¯t make much sense to Fumiko. It allowed for little other action. ¡®What¡¯s she up to in there? Is this part of a new plan?¡¯ The recovery time that the Field bought her gave her the time to tend to her injury. She managed to keep the bleeding to a minimum with her fire armor acting as a bandage. Since their powers didn¡¯t actually work on themselves, she couldn¡¯t actually use it to seal up the wounds. However, she was thankful that the wounds weren¡¯t as deep as she originally feared. She flexed her arm testing out her strength and mobility. Most of her arm still functioned as she needed it to, but it was less important to her. She didn¡¯t need the arm for her fight. It was all Field manipulation, mental control. The worst it caused her was infrequent intervals of sharp pain with a general dull burn. Through her Field, she felt the blast made by Fumiko. The disruption in her flame echoed back to her. It reminded her of the position she knelt in. Two shadows stood over her in self-entitled superiority staring down in contempt. She stood back up on her two feet shaking away the image. Her mind pushed it as far back as possible. It surfaced at the worst possible time for her. Stamatia needed to focus on stopping the threat to her hard worked peace. She couldn¡¯t allow anyone to step on what she desperately struggled to achieve. Laughter echoed in the back of her mind. It drew redness into her ears. Stamatia tightened her fists, burning the flames brighter around her. The brilliance of their core focused her eyes forward. Drawing strength back to her body, she felt the lingering bits of pain fading. Her mind found focus and sealed the fire in her Field. ¡®I have to keep moving forward. I fight to prevent the past from repeating¡­¡¯ Saving the last bit of fire, Stamatia began gathering it together. She knew with the barrier that she saw previously that numerous attacks had no effect. It left her with only overwhelming power, a battle of wills to determine who held the strongest resolve. Stamatia needed a decisive strike that put control back in her hands. She believed in her power and justice. Her strength came from the countless around her that she bore injustice so that they could know peace again. ¡®¡­a repeating past¡­¡¯ She saw that Fumiko gathered up another attack with her blue flame. It had only been used a couple of times, but she already understood the dangerousness of it. The power that came from it wasn¡¯t the same as the past flames used. Watching Fumiko build up her flame made her see that she felt the same suddenly. They decided to put it all on the line to crush the other. Stamatia wouldn¡¯t give up. She funneled everything in her flame and stepped closer. She needed all of the strength possible. All of the moments before would undo if she failed. She couldn¡¯t accept it. It would invalidate her existence. ¡®I¡¯m right!¡¯ Blood¡¯s familiar taste ran over her lips. The hard stone floor crushed against her face. Echoes rang back to her. ¡®I¡¯m right! Otherwise, it was all meaningless! I won¡¯t let it be meaningless! I was saving them! This will protect them!¡¯ A foot leaned on her head. Laughter poured through her ears. In her effort to build up her resolve to face Fumiko, she unknowingly relived her memories. Painful scars remained both on her body and within. Their shapes carved her heart to the form she held in her hands now. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. She had to live out her early childhood during the ending years of the rebellion that threatened to bring down Atlantis. Throughout most of the period of the rebellion, the atmosphere was one of unrest and minor disturbances. However, the rebellion reached a climax while she was a child. A teenage woman deemed a prodigy of the MP arts became their leader and unified their cause in a way no one expected. The result became out right conflict with the military. Stamatia¡¯s family managed to remain largely unaffected by the rebellion during its active years. Their collapse came to a startling conclusion, one that left ripples throughout the country. Ripples Stamatia felt years later. They found her when she was eleven. She entered the military academy then. ¡®It was only a few years after the conclusion of the rebellion, but the King enforced heavy restrictions on all MPs as a result. They were the cause of the rebellion. So they had to be kept in check.¡¯ Military training was harsh by itself, but Stamatia had to face the other aspect of her. One she couldn¡¯t hide. Laughter surrounded her, but she couldn¡¯t see their faces. All she could see was the stone that made the courtyard of the academy. A heavy foot kept her head from moving and forced her skin to polish the stone. In the distance, a commanding voice broke through everything. It silenced the laughter. Everyone froze. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± demanded the officer. None of them gave an answer. They only stood at attention. He looked down at Stamatia trying to herself up. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you standing at attention? Don¡¯t you know how to respect a superior officer?¡± Stamatia fought with her legs to force herself to stand, but the pain bolted up her muscles. She bit through the screaming to keep her voice silent. It took her two more attempts before she managed to bring herself up. The man, one of their instructors, glared down at her. He saw no child before him, only a soldier. It made his eyes unsympathetic and worse filled with disdain. ¡°Nothing?¡± he remarked on the silence. The man turned away and began to leave. ¡°Just make sure I don¡¯t see it happen. Dismissed!¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± snapped everyone. The cadets began to disperse, most having lost the interest in beating up a MP user. However, one made sure to bump accidentally into her as they passed by. The force against her was enough to send everything off balance. All of the adrenaline that she mustered to stand for the officer faded. Her pain returned with the scrapping of her broken bone in her leg. She collapsed to the stone panting heavily, her leg already discolored. They all left her alone in the courtyard without enough strength in her voice to call for help. ¡®Someone¡¯ll be by eventually¡­ I just have to keep going¡­¡¯ Nearly an hour later, another MP user found Stamatia passed out. Her untended leg caused havoc within her body. As expected of the MP, she awoke without injury or flaw. All that she felt was the fatigue and the sound of the laughter. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± asked the stranger. She looked up weakly trying to see who helped her. The sun made it difficult for her to make them out, but they sounded older than her. ¡°Yes, thank you. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± They helped her back to her feet. ¡°You know if you used your power you can defend yourself. They don¡¯t have the right to treat you like this.¡± Stamatia turned her eyes away from the stranger. She already tried as they suggested. ¡®I was hurt a lot worse when I fought back¡­I thought I was going to die¡­¡¯ The memory impressed a terrible scar on her body. Her hand subconsciously stroked her stomach where they cut her deeply. She pushed away from the stranger and stumbled away. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°My name is Paian Orestis! You don¡¯t need to be afraid! If we stick together we can look out for each other!¡± A bit of shock poured through Stamatia. She turned on her stopped feet to look back. ¡®A surname¡­ a noble?!¡¯ The honor of a surname meant the family or individual came highly respected. They were above the commoners, but not because of wealth. Something happened that the King recognized their value to Atlantis. She couldn¡¯t believe that someone like that helped her and stood before her encouraging. She would have thought that they would back the King¡¯s decree. It made her hesitate. A new thought she didn¡¯t consider surfaced for Stamatia. ¡®¡­is it possible?¡¯ Stamatia thought she found a glimmer of hope. She was too young to do anything about the system. Her only conclusion was to pass through with as little problem as possible. Yet he offered her a different answer. He provided her comfort. He helped many of the younger MP users that suffered from the same prejudice. And the King destroyed even that piece of hope. ¡°Paian! Paian!¡± screamed Stamatia. ¡°Stop, Stamatia! You can¡¯t go to him!¡± ¡°You¡¯ll only be caught!¡± Two teens, a little older than her, held her arms to keep her from running into the presentation grounds. There was nothing any of them could do. The King found Paian guilty of conspiring and recruiting insurrectionists. His honor was stripped from him and they left him to die a symbol to the rest. Stamatia collapsed in tears along with the others that Paian helped. They hid away from everyone on the second floor of one of the training halls. She didn¡¯t understand it. ¡°Why? We¡¯re the same as them!¡± ¡°Bastard! Damn King!¡± ¡°He¡¯s one of us, too! So why is he treating us like this?¡± ¡°All he cares about is keeping Atlantis from collapsing! He doesn¡¯t care what happens to us!¡± ¡°Did you hear that they passed more decrees against us MPs?¡± ¡°What?! How much more until they¡¯re happy?¡± ¡°Do they want all of us to die?¡± ¡°No,¡± replied Stamatia. She wiped away her tears and stood up. It all happened too fast for her, but she came to her answer. ¡®Paian¡­that wasn¡¯t the way¡­the only way is¡­¡¯ Stamatia took a few steps away from them with her back to them. ¡°We exist and we¡¯ll keep existing. I¡¯ll take whatever they¡¯ll dish out. The only way is to survive and change them from within. I¡¯ll take it all until they¡¯re tired. So no one else must!¡± Night returned to Stamatia, leaving her memories behind. They re-enforced her resolve and flowed into her strength. She charged forward, growing her flame larger. As she reached the range she desired, the ball of wild fire compressed. Her mind forced it into a dense energy. The mental energy she spent made her sweat with fatigue. ¡°This is my answer!¡± Fumiko finished her casting at the time that Stamatia launched her attack. The casting forced her to stand still and accept the closer distance. She didn¡¯t know what the clash would be at their distance. However, she knew she couldn¡¯t have any doubt. Her blue flame burned with ribbons of magic spinning around and through it in a multi-latticed pattern. Symbols and characters churned about the swarming mass. ¡°This is my resolve!¡± Both women threw their flames at the same time. Not even a second had to pass before the two massive spheres of fire clashed in the middle. The two energies fought and sparked turning into angry flares that whipped out limbs. Each limb wrapped around scraping through like dragons unwilling to give in. Neither fighter relented in their struggle. Everything came down to their wills. Even with the fires blasting out shockwaves, they didn¡¯t explode. Their masters kept feeding them to keep them alive. The fuel made them glow brighter and rage unrestrained. However, one had to give eventually. The signal to the end came with a prelude in the form of a quake. Breaking up the earth underneath and cracking out from the epicenter, all those around knew the moment was about to come. A few cracks of light broke out from the collision. The beams seared everything they touched. Smoke rose up prior to the explosion that erupted. It blinded everything in the area while sending gale force winds outward. Waves of torrents pulsed from the cooling core of fire. Fumiko barely held on against the forces that threatened to cast her aside. The heat baked her skin. She wasn¡¯t certain what results would come from their clash, but it exceeded all of her thoughts. ¡®Almost over¡­¡¯ Fumiko read the blast correctly. It began to calm and the blinding light faded away. The battered, burnt and crushed environment around the crater of their attacks measured the destructive nature. Through the dispersing heat, Stamatia clutched a driven wood pole. Her hand extended for guiding support. ¡°It¡¯s all over!¡± Her reaction came too late. Fumiko didn¡¯t even know what happened until it was already done. Error was the only thing that saved her life. A spinning sword of fire disappeared out of range of Stamatia¡¯s Field. However, her face turned white in shock before blood sprayed across her face. The pain hadn¡¯t even reached her brain yet as she looked down to find her arm missing from the upper arm down. Her eyes widened and pupils shrank in horror-filled shock. Chapter 146 - The Stronger Flame Fumiko collapsed to her knees as the pain screamed through her body with such intensity that her voice couldn¡¯t even make a sound. It just turned her body pale and her mouth slightly agape. Nothing more processed through her brain for seconds. Pain locked up everything inside Fumiko. Stamatia pulled herself up. Her body rang with bruises and her shoulder wound screamed at her once more. Blood renewed a drip down her body under her armor with her concentration thrown. The blast did more to her than she thought possible. It took her a while to focus completely again. She thanked that her head stayed together long enough for her follow up. Even clashing, she knew that she wouldn¡¯t come out cleanly ahead. Something in her gut told her that she needed a backup plan. It took everything she had to hold together long enough after it to make her counterattack, but it still missed. The wound she gave still was important. Their battle was over. She won with the last attack. The fight disappeared from the woman. All that remained was to capture her. ¡®So exhausting¡­¡¯ Stamatia stumbled a step, but recovered quickly. She hadn¡¯t run herself so close to the edge in a very long time. ¡®¡­my resolve is stronger¡­ Nothing will stop me and I¡¯ll take any pain on to see it succeed¡­for them¡­¡¯ She felt her strength returning to her. Her posture improved and her step turned solid again. Flames came to her call loosely spinning around her, further signs of her recovery. Stamatia stopped a few meters away from Fumiko. Still not responsive, she looked down at her knelt opponent. Flames rose around Fumiko acting like bars for a prison, surrounding her. ¡°It¡¯s over for you. Face your fate with a little pride and surrender.¡± Chapter 146 ¨C The Stronger Flame Directing men around the camp managed to establish a small semblance of order. However, the chaos in the distance worked against him. Simonides stood in the center of it all working hard to keep his stone face in front of all of his men. While he foresaw it in his plans that they would attack, the timing fell outside of what he predicted. Another mysterious occurrence troubled him. He knew if they used their powers to immediately track them, they would have found them within a couple of hours. Since he expected an attack that soon, he had his men ready for it, however it never came. By the time night felt, he expected that they traveled on foot and wouldn¡¯t arrive until at least the morning. The reason he sent out Vangelis was meant to delay them, as he knew their arrival to be an eventuality. He just needed Vangelis to slow them down until he got the answers he needed to mount a proper offensive, but their presence must have meant that Vangelis never found them in time. The reason he let slide, as he had more immediate concerns. He needed to ensure the safety of his men while under siege from the enemy. ¡®It¡¯s fortunate that Stamatia, Galen and Nerine have engaged them. It¡¯ll buy time for us to regroup and prepare a counterattack.¡¯ Once more, he found himself placing his men in an undesirable position. None of them had the proper briefing for handling their opponents. So they all went in blind. He trusted them, but a desperate enemy was far more dangerous than just one trying to survive. Anything could happen. ¡®It bothers me why the fire user didn¡¯t act in the last battle. The power even from this range is clear¡­¡¯ Something about the situation didn¡¯t sit well with him. His gut nagged at him. He had almost no information on the woman and could only connect her to the large flames reported in the Skoupa skirmish. ¡®What is this feeling? What is it that I don¡¯t know yet?¡¯ It took Stamatia¡¯s words to snap Fumiko out of her paralysis. She blinked and twitched, as the pain reminded her that she still lived. Her eyes looked down at her arm, not remembering her condition. Everything from roughly the middle of her upper arm down was cut clean off. Loose drips of blood fell from the stump, as the flame sword didn¡¯t fully cauterize her wound in the speed it ran through. She still felt as though she could move her fingers, even though her mind knew clearly that it was impossible. It all presented an odd disconnected feeling of understanding yet not fully grasping the situation. ¡°I see you¡¯ve snapped to now. So what will your answer be? Surrender or death, traitor?¡± She intensified her flames around Fumiko to emphasize her point and bring her attention to the matter at hand. Fumiko gritted her teeth between the pain and situation. She didn¡¯t know what she could do with only one arm, but she didn¡¯t feel like giving up. ¡®I have to find Chiharu. I can¡¯t be stopped here¡­ I won¡¯t make any more regrets!¡¯ Bracing her flame hand to the ground, Fumiko pulled herself up a little. Her body still felt unwieldy. She guessed the blood loss started to affect her. Fumiko channeled all of her determination into her face. ¡°It¡¯s hard to be a traitor of a country that was never yours.¡± ¡°So you¡¯d go so far as to deny your homeland! Atlantis is far better today than it was twenty even ten years ago in the laws against MP. How can you still be denying the progress we¡¯ve made?!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about what progress you¡¯ve made. It¡¯s all meaningless to me. As I told you before, I''m Japanese, so it¡¯s irrelevant.¡± ¡°Still spouting that nonsense? You have the Meso Prosecho! That¡¯s proof enough that you have Atlantean blood!¡± ¡°Afraid you¡¯re wrong there too. It¡¯s not too surprising, since it was pretty recent, but things aren¡¯t the same outside of your world anymore.¡± ¡°Lies! It¡¯s not possible!¡± A choking laugh came from Fumiko. She finally had the strength to stand on her legs. The talking bought her all of the time that she needed. All she needed to do was prepare her mind for what she was about to do. It still scared her a bit. ¡°Yeah, I can¡¯t really expect you to believe it. We didn¡¯t at first. But I guess since it was because of someone like you who did it, then I guess you could say your powers are the reason I have mine.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t making any sense. What sort of lies are you trying to use to con your way free?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a shame. It¡¯s all the truth, but that¡¯s all the time I have to talk.¡± She lifted her up her flame arm to stare at it. Fumiko flipped her eyes back at Stamatia to meet gazes. ¡°However, I don¡¯t need words to free myself,¡± she smirked. Her hand tightened, growing a new flame, smaller, but tightly controlled. It burned red rather than blue. ¡®I know it¡¯s a lot to ask, but Kimiko watch over me, please¡­¡¯ Fumiko prepared all she could. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. She screamed her throat rough drawing away the pain and securing herself. Her hand moved over to the stump and hovered for a second. The pause of anticipation built up anxiety inside her, but she pushed through. Her red flame lifted into her wound burning the edges acting to cauterize everything exposed. Fumiko coughed and screamed louder into the new world of pain. The seconds passed and she pulled away feeling enough time passed. Fumiko panted heavily and stared back at Stamatia through the cage. She worked up a grin on her lips. ¡°I should thank you. Your fire managed to keep my blood loss to a minimum otherwise I¡¯d probably be passed out now.¡± Flames burst from around her arm building into a new spell. ¡°So I¡¯ll do so, by defeating you!¡± Fumiko slammed the flame at the ground in front of her and then slashed out with the blue flame arm. Small whiffs of fire fell around her as she made her escape. Stamatia staggered back, held in shock at what she witnessed. ¡®How can she still have fight in her? What¡¯s with that resolve in her eyes? Why does she think she can win?¡¯ Blasts of fire around her rudely pulled her out of her stunned state. When she returned to reality, she found Fumiko standing over her, the height measuring out an imposing stature. It immediately turned her eyes thin, narrowing to brace herself. Another fire burned in her hand. ¡°I granted you a free chance to recover. Consider the debt repaid. I¡¯ll show you no further kindness!¡± The pain from her arm began to fade to the back of her mind. She felt the focus of her magic coursing their body once more. Unity restored itself and felt even stronger. Ribbons of magic freely spun around her chest channeling into her arm. It made the glow from it brighter. ¡®That arm of hers¡­¡¯ Stamatia pulled away, launching flames up from the ground at Fumiko. She released more of her Field than she had previously while fighting. However, each stream was blasted away by Fumiko with a single attack. She needed more. Fumiko felt everything flowing smoothly through her body. She didn¡¯t even think that she spent time to cast her fire. The sensation felt strange, but almost natural. ¡®Even after the last spell I still feel like I can cast again. I normally feel like I have to build up my magic, but it already feels like it is ready to go¡­¡¯ Her magic never felt so close to her fingers before. She didn¡¯t understand it, but was glad for it. ¡®I¡¯ll find you, wherever you are!¡¯ New flames ignited from her hand ready to go. Stamatia took a few steps back trying to plan an attack. ¡®Something¡¯s different¡­¡¯ Fumiko didn¡¯t grant her much time to think. The new fireball forced her hand to summon a wall to halt the attack. Their impact blasted out the wind. A stalemate again for the two, Stamatia didn¡¯t think it possible. ¡®After my attack¡­how¡­ My resolve is stronger!¡¯ Desperation on Stamatia¡¯s half forced the release of even more of her Field. She channeled rivers of flame around her. It pulled from behind her funneling in towards Fumiko as a massive column. Three more came up in quick succession. They all were larger than anything Stamatia used before. Their presence cracked the ground and set wood afire. Not turning back, Fumiko built up her flame and released a brightly glowing blue flame at the first stream. They met quickly and fell to mutual destruction, but the other three remained unaffected. She felt the magic in her arm still ready and she fired off another spell of equal strength. Even after the second spell, her arm still roared for more. Fumiko granted its request, tossing two more flames out. A fiery blast grew from the impacts with a shockwave that the wind rode. She looked down at her arm. It lost a little of its shine, but still looked strong. ¡®Is this the strength of this arm? I can use spells without the cast time?¡¯ Fumiko glared over at her frustrated, but not finished foe. ¡®This will help me end the fight! I can keep up with her with this!¡¯ The hand clinched a glowing fist in preparation for the next round. Nothing happened again for Stamatia. ¡®Damn it! She¡¯s able to keep up with this speed and strength! I just need more¡­¡¯ She couldn¡¯t stay in a stalemate any longer. ¡®Time for something new¡­¡¯ Walls of fire came up in front of her to stop the next attack that Fumiko launched. It gave her the time to bring up new streams behind her and mold them. Dozens of spinning discs hovered around her waiting for the cloud to settle out. However, when it finally did she found nothing. ¡°What?!¡± Stamatia darted her eyes around trying to figure out where Fumiko disappeared. ¡°You didn¡¯t think I¡¯d just stand in the same spot did you?¡± remarked Fumiko, out of sight of Stamatia. ¡°I¡¯m winning this fight!¡± Stamatia spun around behind her figuring out the direction of the voice, but it was too late. A new series of fireballs came at her, already close inside her. She instinctively raised walls of flames, but they had to be very close to her. The impact knocked her off her feet and sent her into the tents. It snuffed out all of the weapons she prepared. The collapse released her flames again, forcing Fumiko away. She jumped out of the razed earth still partially enveloped within the flames. As she reached the peak of her jump, she dispelled the flames to recover a safe landing. ¡®Almost had her there¡­ Just need to get a little closer next time¡­¡¯ Slowly recovering, Stamatia focused her Field under her control. However, she still needed more time. She flipped her Field into automated defense mode. It released partial control of it to her subconscious allowing her the time she needed to stand and prepare. Finding the Field back to normal, Fumiko took the chance to move again. She needed to strike while Stamatia was still recovering. It was going to be her only chance to end the fight. However, once she stepped into the range, fire attacked her immediately. Her arm threw it off, but she came under attack again. She threw it off with a fireball and sprinted through. More streams trailed her forcing her to send them away. Just as she recovered, new ones appeared striking at her. ¡®What¡¯s with this? The reactions are too fast¡­¡¯ Standing up fully, Stamatia began to take in the scene once more. It startled her a little watching Fumiko turn into a blur with her movements. She remained in her Field and yet kept up with her defenses. It even looked like she was starting to make progress. ¡®How is that possible? Even with adjustments to the physics of nature to reduce friction, drag and boost performance¡­it shouldn¡¯t be possible to move that fast! That isn¡¯t even normal for us!¡¯ Stamatia suddenly felt a heavy weight come down around her shoulders. The words that Fumiko spoke to her came back to haunt her. ¡®Is it true? Could she really be¡­different from us?¡¯ Stamatia''s eyes grew wider as it all began to settle into her mind. She no longer knew what she should believe. Who was her opponent? New questions appeared that she didn¡¯t expect. Her mind twisted into a thorny labyrinth. ¡®What do I do?¡¯ Flashes of all those from the academy that looked up to Paian appeared in her mind. ¡®I just have to fight¡­ It doesn¡¯t matter if it is lies or not! I have to stop her!¡¯ Flames rose up dividing repeatedly to become weapons for her. She marched forward to meet her enemy. Fumiko stood between her and her answer. ¡°I¡¯ll grasp my own truth!¡± All of the spinning flame weapons launched at Fumiko, still in the middle of keeping up with the streams. Out of the corner of her eye, Fumiko picked up the new targets. She flipped around on her leg to turn her into the attack. Her arm raked through the air leaving behind flames. It took the initial few weapons and exploded outward. The blast shot out like a shotgun shell spreading small pellets of fire taking out most of the spinning weapons. A fireball discharged to eliminate the remaining. Fumiko slid out in front of the defensive streams dropping her arm down sending out a blast behind her to naturalize the rest. The explosion accented her with a dramatic background that darkened her figure leaving only her staring eyes. Realizing the pointlessness of the defense, Stamatia flipped it off. She knew the source of her troubles. ¡°That arm of yours. Let¡¯s see how you do without it!¡± A long sword of fire appeared behind Fumiko spinning up to take out her arm. Fumiko rotated around and grabbed the sword with her hand. She crushed it under her palm. Her head tilted over to Stamatia unimpressed. ¡°That won¡¯t work again.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Suddenly another sword flew from behind Fumiko already in motion long before either of their words. Fumiko didn¡¯t have a chance to evade. It sliced through her arm and disappeared, its job complete. A surprised look appeared on Fumiko''s face. Stamatia smirked, pleased to see her plan succeeded. ¡°Without that arm you¡¯re finished. This fight is over!¡± At the end of her declaration, Fumiko disappeared from her sight. Stamatia froze for a second before attempting to look around, but it was already too late. Fumiko appeared behind her. She rested her flame hand on the shoulder of her fire armor and wiped out half of it in the process. ¡°Yes, the fight is over.¡± Chapter 147 - Knocking Down It happened so fast for Stamatia that she froze for a moment with her eyelids growing wide. She didn¡¯t know what occurred or how it was even possible. Her mind kept replaying the same two seconds repeatedly trying to understand. Nothing succeeded. Finally, the pain of her shoulder wounds and blood dripping heavily down her body woke her up. Stamatia realized how close Fumiko stood and pulled away. She jumped back a few steps to what she thought would be a safe distance. Instinctively, her hand pressed against her bloodied shoulder trying to fight the stinging pain rising to the surface. Her eyes glanced at her armor. ¡®She did so much damage to my armor at this range! It¡¯s the strongest flame I have! How¡­how¡­why?!¡¯ Appearing a little disconnected to the reality of the situation, it painted Fumiko¡¯s eyes a dull empty green. She lifted her flame arm up, eager to finish matters. ¡°I should thank you, again. I¡¯ve been able to learn quite a bit about what I¡¯m capable of because of this fight. And I know now that you don¡¯t have a chance of winning anymore.¡± The declaration wiped away all of the shock that Stamatia held. Her eyes narrowed immediately in response. ¡°You¡¯ve become rather arrogant now that you think you¡¯ve got the upper hand.¡± She pulled her hand away and re-ignited her armor to cover the gap. Stamatia summoned flames into her hands letting them engulf them fully to blaze into the air with trails that reached above her. A short sigh came from Fumiko¡¯s lips. She hoped the fight would have ended. The last counter should have been more than enough to establish her position. Fumiko didn¡¯t understand why she insisted. ¡®Fine, have it your way¡­¡¯ She began walking forward slowly, but vanished from Stamatia¡¯s sight a second later. Flames exploded suddenly behind Stamatia and she quickly turned prepared to attack. She turned her defenses back to automatic to make up for Fumiko¡¯s strange speed. ¡°I told you, you¡¯re arrogant! You can¡¯t win! Not against me! My answer is correct!¡± Amongst her words, nothing appeared to her. She twisted her forehead a little in confusion only to have an answer a split-second later. Flames blew in from behind Stamatia knocking her to the ground destroying the upper half of her armor. Only the fact that she laid on the ground kept her bare top from exposure. Fumiko stood over her with a hand still extended, flickers of fire floating away into the air. ¡°I didn¡¯t speak in arrogance, but confidence. I understood our differences better than you. This is no longer your fight.¡± Dirt tasted disgusting. However, surprised a second time by the same move was worse. Stamatia gritted her teeth through the burning. While her armor absorbed most of the damage, some of Fumiko¡¯s flame reached her. It gave her redness over nearly all of her back. It hurt. Her mind ran through questions and fears. Everything replayed for her. She lost. Stamatia dragged herself up from the earth. She didn¡¯t feel so beat up since her academy days. However, the level of pain she felt was nothing. Resting on her stubbornness, her body began to ignore the pain. It gave her the strength to stand back up. ¡°I won¡¯t lose! I can¡¯t lose!¡± Desperation fueled her words rather than resolve. Fumiko picked up on the changes in Stamatia. She felt for a while that something laid underneath her in the way she fought. It didn¡¯t feel right to be addressing matters in the middle of a fight. Therefore, she didn¡¯t act on it, but their fight ended a while ago. A fact that Fumiko wished Stamatia understood. ¡°I don¡¯t know the reason for why you wish to keep fighting a battle that you¡¯ve already lost, but I doubt that dying will help it.¡± She gritted her teeth again. Fumiko dismissed her reason. Fire burned up around Stamatia in response to her emotions. Rage boiled up inside charging the flame to grow hotter. It completely engulfed her body leaving only a slight glow from her eyes. Her appearance made her look as though she became fire rather than simply wearing it. ¡°I won¡¯t die! Nothing will stop me from ensuring the correct path is taken! For that I¡¯ll stop you and your damned rebellion!¡± The air burned around Fumiko marking the changing atmosphere. It drained some of the oxygen from the space making it difficult for her to breath. ¡°You won¡¯t stop¡­¡± Winds spun around the field rapidly changing to the intensity of the fire. Fumiko drew upon her blue flame arm for a final attack. She saw the woman putting everything into it and holding nothing back. ¡°¡­fine¡­I wanted both of us to walk away¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re na?ve to believe this can be settled by words!¡± ¡°Perhaps.¡± ¡°Naivety is a weakness!¡± The Field blasted up around Stamatia forcefully throwing chunks of earth to all sides. Flames roared in the full Field released to lash out at all things. ¡°I¡¯ll show what it looks like to devote one fully to your answer! I will crush that weakness of yours and your rebellion!¡± Flames surrounded and licked Fumiko, but she remained calm. It surprised her a little, noting how at ease she was in the situation. ¡®A day ago this would have scared me¡­ A day ago, I feared my flame¡­ Now¡­¡¯ She looked down at her arm. Dense magic ribbons spun around it fiercely. It glowed brightly, building magic together quickly. ¡®It¡¯s a little weird being this comfortable, but I know what I must do.¡¯ A large blue flame burst from her palm and expanded quickly to fill her hand. Filled with the volume of magic, the small size couldn¡¯t contain it. It spilled out to surround her hand. Long tendrils whipped around almost encompassing her arm. Winds blew up around her and clashed with Stamatia. The currents fought between them before the women even made a move. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Fumiko stretched out her arm to her side. The movement extinguished the neighboring flames of Stamatia, preventing them from approaching. Even inside the caldron, none of them could reach Fumiko. Her eyes stared down with Stamatia almost acting like a measure of readiness. ¡°Still hung up on the rebellion part¡­rebellion or not, I have someone to save. You cannot stop me!¡± Stamatia raised her hand above her. Fire from all around her Field flowed towards it channeling into a compressed orb. It sucked away all of the flames until nothing remained but the mass above her. She pulled her hand down, almost struggling with the amount that she restrained from her field. It ripped at the seams in rage wanting a release. A headache sprung up the back of her head spreading to the sides. It pounded her skull in. She didn¡¯t care about any of it. Any punishment her body wished upon her, she took. The massive blaze in front of Stamatia threatened to come apart. However, it didn¡¯t need to remain together for long. She directed and focused every bit of it. Cracking like thunder, the flames charged free with a sigh of relief that shot out a shockwave. In the moment before Fumiko released her fire, all of the tightly spun threads and ribbons of magic exploded outward. They expanded quickly to eclipse her body. A magic circle carved through the air and passed through her body. Blue flames roared free from her arm and completely engulfed her, matching the amassed energy Stamatia gathered. Red and blue clashed in the middle turning everything to purple light. The collision ate through the earth, digging out an even greater crater than the last and eventually swallowing it whole. Their light filled nearly the entire camp. It pulled gazes from everywhere. Winds fled from the epicenter riding new shockwaves and breaking down tents. Flames clawed and tore at each other digging into the core. They expanded outward feeding off their masters. Purple tinted flames approached them. Neither of them faltered with the incoming inferno. Both stood their ground even after it surrounded them as if it became a life of its own. Fumiko and Stamatia disappeared from anyone¡¯s sight. Fires raged on. Chapter 147 ¨C Knocking Down ¡°Damn¡­¡± remarked Seiji, lowering his arms a little. Smoke rose from his forearms, but quickly faded away. The light from Fumiko¡¯s battle made it outside the camp to him. He suddenly felt his tunic kick up in the wind. Seiji grinned a little, imagining the awesome fight. ¡°Looks like she¡¯s really getting crazy over there¡­ To feel it all the way out here... Must say I¡¯m impress¡ª¡± A fist cut him off and knocked him over to the ground, spinning a little before landing in a cloud of dirt. Quickly, he stood up and rubbed his slightly red face. ¡°The hell¡¯s the matter with you?! I was talking!¡± The tall woman kept a flat expression and held her metal clad fists up, always ready. ¡°This is a fight. There are no breaks.¡± ¡°I already told you that I¡¯m not fighting you! So just run off somewhere else.¡± He waved his hand at her, dismissing her from the battlefield. ¡°If you want, find me a guy and I¡¯ll fight them instead.¡± It annoyed her that he refused to take her seriously. She pulled back her arm for another strike. ¡°I don¡¯t need your chauvinistic chivalry.¡± Not waiting for any sort of reply, she unleashed her fist at him. However, a shocked expression came across her face. Seiji¡¯s hand stopped her punch with nothing more than his palm. She looked across her arm at him puzzled and found his features turned oddly serious. ¡°Finally ready to¡ª¡° ¡°Get down!¡± Seiji slid around behind her and pushed her to the ground. She protested him, but his strength beat her. Making use of her elbows, she tried to knock him off her. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡± A percussive blast rang through her ears. Popping from changing pressures made her nearly deaf. Then the impact came, tossing up the loose layer of dirt forced to ride the wave out. Seiji stood up, releasing the woman from his hold. The shockwave passed. He walked away looking back at the camp. Moments before, he noticed that the fire reached a climax. It started a chain reaction explosion that would be stronger than the weak power coming from them before. His instinct told him he needed to do something. ¡°Damn¡­they¡¯re getting reckless¡­ Who knows how many that actually hurt¡­¡± The woman didn¡¯t know immediately what happened. It all occurred so fast for her that she played catch up. Her eyes scanned the surface around her and the horizon ahead, for as far as she could in the night. She slowly rose back to her feet and turned around. The sight of Seiji¡¯s back caught her a bit by surprise. A small chunk of wood lodged itself in the small of his back with blood soaking into the fabric of his tunic. ¡°Why did you do that?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± croaked Seiji, with a slight tilt to his head. He didn¡¯t quite turn to face her, just enough to meet gazes. She narrowed her eyes in annoyance. ¡°You protected me. And injured yourself for me, your enemy.¡± A sigh dropped from his mouth. She forced him to turn around, having to keep explaining himself. ¡°Because I wanted to.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a reason,¡± she snapped back, the tone in her voice starting to change. She always tried to keep herself in check and calm. It was her only guard to stop the others from thinking less of her. Seiji gave her a shrug, not having any more of a better answer for her. ¡°I wasn¡¯t thinking about it. You¡¯ll just have to accept it.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m your enemy. You don¡¯t protect your enemy.¡± ¡°Enough of that!¡± snapped Seiji. He leaned a little with his words. It took her a little off guard. ¡°Stop with the enemy this and that. You aren¡¯t my enemy!¡± She tightened her fists. ¡°Because I¡¯m a girl, right?¡± Slightly bewildered, Seiji looked over at her. He shook his head at her. ¡°What? No, that¡¯s got nothing to do with it. If you were a guy you still wouldn¡¯t be my enemy.¡± ¡°But I want to stop you from your objective. How can I not be your enemy?¡± Seiji waved his hand to dismiss her shitty reason. He walked up to her and pointed a finger at her to make his point. ¡°You¡¯re just a soldier. You¡¯re following orders. I¡¯ve got no problem with you.¡± The Atlantean backed off a little perplexed by the answer she got. She didn¡¯t expect him to actually think in such a way. It was oddly rational even though he didn¡¯t seem to appear to be one that thought with his head. The picture she got of him only made things more confusing. ¡°Then who is your enemy?¡± ¡°The one that¡¯s giving the orders to kill my best friend.¡± ¡°Huh? Who''s that?¡± ¡°What my friend?¡± He looked over at her for an answer. She simply shook her head at him. ¡°Oh, the one wanting my friend dead?¡± Seiji shrugged at her again. ¡°No idea!¡± She felt like she wanted to fall over that he seemed to answer honestly without concern for how stupid it sounded. It did at least make her sweat a little. He only became more confusing with each word. ¡°How can you be here with no idea who your enemy is? You don¡¯t even know that they¡¯re here.¡± The thought hadn¡¯t really fully crossed his mind. He rubbed his head, scratching his hair a little. ¡°I guess that¡¯s possible, but we¡¯re pretty certain that they¡¯re here somewhere.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because every assassin wore the same military uniform that you do. They were all Atlanteans with the same powers as you special types.¡± Seiji¡¯s words made her step back a little. She didn¡¯t expect such an answer. Even though it didn¡¯t make any sense to her, she saw in his eyes that he believed what he said. It muddled their situation further. She didn¡¯t know what was happening any longer. ¡°How can that be? No one leaves the barrier. We remain here protecting our privacy. What you¡¯re saying doesn¡¯t make sense. There¡¯s no reason we would want to attack anyone on the outside.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not too understanding of the whole situation, but my friend is the son of your late King. As it was explained to me, certain people don¡¯t want him to inherit the throne. That is the reason for the attack.¡± ¡°That can¡¯t be¡­¡± The lies became worse. She knew it was impossible, no matter how much he spoke them as truths. Taking a firm step forward, she leaned toward Seiji. ¡°The King has no son. It is public knowledge that the Queen died before giving him an heir. So you¡¯re lying. Whoever has been telling you this has been lying to you.¡± Chapter 148 - Calculated Risk The long night continued without giving up any luck for all involved. Far from the camp in the middle of nowhere Atlantis, the vehicle that carried Vangelis¡¯ team parked for a stop. His team remained inside the vehicle as ordered. Staring around the horizon, he calculated his position. He knew from their maps where they stopped, but it bothered him. The Captain foresaw them returning for their comrade. Everything Simonides told him about them made him agree with the assessment. They sounded painfully na?ve, enjoyable ones to crush. He looked forward to meeting them, but they found them nowhere. Crouching to the ground, he ran his fingers over the pockets of earth. ¡®The radar shows nothing in the area¡­ We traced their course from Skoupa, but nothing¡­¡¯ Vangelis gazed up at the horizon, the general location of their camp. They didn¡¯t know where to find their captured comrade. The retreat even used a hover vehicle to leave no traces, to slow down their plans. ¡®¡­hmm¡­¡¯ More questions surfaced. ¡®As he figured, if they traveled by vehicle, they would have reached camp long ago, even without tracks to follow. The camp sticks out, especially at night¡­¡¯ His head turned back in the direction that he knew the battle took place. ¡®They walked the whole morning, not even hiding themselves¡­ Did they walk back?¡¯ Standing up, Vangelis took a few steps further away from the transporter. He crossed his arms still letting his eyes do the work. ¡®If they walked, then that could explain things¡­ If they walked they could be anywhere along the route, especially if they¡¯re searching¡­ I would have thought we would see some sign of them¡­¡¯ Settling into the bothersome back-up plan, he turned back to the vehicle. ¡®No other choice¡­ We¡¯ll waste time just searching the area¡­¡¯ He approached the passenger side door, noting Iole still obediently waiting. His hand knocked on the metal to get her to open the door for him. A second later, it swung open, but she held her gaze forward. ¡°Follow the tracks to the battle site.¡± ¡°The enemy is not there anymore,¡± she replied without missing a beat. Vangelis lowered his eyebrows a touch. ¡°This is an order.¡± ¡°Our orders are to halt the enemy¡¯s progress.¡± ¡°Unless you¡¯ve suddenly found them, I see no reason to stay here.¡± He leaned into the cabin of the vehicle towards Iole. His hand pressed into the passenger seat. ¡°A superior officer is giving you an order. Go to the battle site. We¡¯ll pick up their tracks from there.¡± Chapter 148 ¨C Calculated Risk Fumiko and Stamatia¡¯s explosion rocked the tent of the temporary command center. The only thing keeping it from destruction was the fact that Simonides had three MPs stationed around to dampen the effects of their battle. It spared nearly a fifth of the camp from the devastation. Simonides kept his eyes focused on the display even though his mind turned focus briefly to the quaking. He bore witness to many duels between MPs over the years, but it still unnerved him the destructive nature that they could achieve. A disastrous scenario such as the one that occurred in his camp fell on his list of possibilities, but he still didn¡¯t give it high odds. He counted on his contingencies halting their progress. They continued to leave him with more questions than answers. He hadn¡¯t found the correct way to fight them. Everything about them defied reality, even more than a MP user. Once the shockwave passed, everything turned eerily quiet. All of the soldiers in the tent paused waiting for the fighting outside to roar back to full veracity, yet it remained silent. Seconds passed onto minutes before the tension eased up. He stared more intently at the map in front of him. A MP user generated a battle map for him to give him a better sense of the chaos within his camp. Enough time passed since the fighting began that he turned his men¡¯s panic around. His command restored a small amount of order. In front of him, particles rained down creating a hemisphere with detailed topology and mapping of everything within the region. It didn¡¯t identify individuals with names, as Simonides would have preferred, but simple dots with health conditions. He saw where his men stood and the fighting happened. The area of Stamatia¡¯s fight remained unknown. Heat from their fight disrupted the readings leaving them with a large circle awaiting the results. Outside of the dead zone, another individual waited on his orders to respond to the outcome. Still it bothered him to only see a small force. ¡®Three intruders¡­where¡¯s the rest?¡¯ From the immediate fighting, he knew only three fights took place. He expected all of them in the camp, probably trying to sneak in. However, they found no one. ¡®There are some unaccounted for, but we¡¯ve found nothing¡­¡¯ Two considerations came to him while he stared longer at the map. ¡®They¡¯re either disguising themselves and hiding within our ranks waiting or¡­¡¯ Simonides stared at the placement of the fighting and position of anyone the map detected. He thought he started to understand the way they worked. Things happened within his forecast, but errors still occurred. The second option he dreaded more, since it meant that there was more still that he didn¡¯t understand about them. ¡®¡­they¡¯ve split into two teams and this is all they set for a rescue¡­ But what would the second team be doing?¡¯ Waiting and responding was the only thing he could do at the moment. He knew if he made an action on only guess work the outcome could be worse. The number of MPs he had under his command were five short and four recovering. ¡®Regardless of the situation, they¡¯ve come into the den of the lion¡­ It doesn¡¯t matter how strong they are¡­ Everyone succumbs to fatigue¡­ Well capture three more of them¡­ They made a grave mistake falling for my trap¡­¡¯ A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. The new revelation gave Seiji pause. Most of the information he got from Yuki and didn¡¯t think to question it. He figured that Ayumi told him it all, something that churned his stomach a bit. Even thinking about her made him angry as hell. ¡®She¡¯s always doing her own thing without any regard for the rest of us. The only one that she wants is Yuki. Would she lie about that? Is there something else she wants?¡¯ Seiji¡¯s eyebrows twitched with the more that he thought. It took him a few more seconds before he gave up the effort. A sigh escaped his lips as though expelling the shitty troubles with the air. One truth remained. One truth he couldn¡¯t change or avoid. ¡°It¡¯s true that she¡¯s probably lying to us about something. I don¡¯t know if this is one of those things. For all I know you¡¯re lying to confuse me.¡± Seiji crossed his arms, to show that he still refused to fight the woman. ¡°The reality is that we are here now. If it is because of lies, I¡¯ll deal with her after all of this is settled. The fact remains you¡¯re holding one of our friends. So until he¡¯s returned to us we won¡¯t be leaving.¡± She found his stubbornness continually frustrating. He didn¡¯t believe her and refused to take her seriously. ¡°So you¡¯re just like everyone else. Treating me like a child.¡± Her hands rose looking ready to fight again. ¡°Huh?¡± Seiji tilted his head to the side, not clear what the recent words from her meant. ¡°What are you talking about? Why the hell would I treat you like a child?¡± ¡°You refuse to fight me as an equal.¡± ¡°That¡¯s got nothing to do with the other. My code prevents me from fighting women. I would never see a woman as a child.¡± He waved his hand dismissing her proclamation. ¡°Besides, you¡¯re like in your early twenties or something¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m fourteen,¡± she stated clearly. Seiji nodded in agreement with her, not immediately hearing her words. ¡°You¡¯re fourteen, see! An adult¡­¡± His words caught up to what he repeated. It froze him for a damn second before he turned a little defensive looking back at the very tall¡­girl. ¡°Fourteen?! Now you¡¯re the one lying to me!¡± She shook her head at him. The expression on her face didn¡¯t change the entire time she stared at him. Her features gave no indication of deceit. In fact, some self-loathing sat behind her eyes. It took him a little bit longer to take it all in. Even then, he still had trouble with the crappy reality. He walked over to her suddenly looking very serious. She became defensive, bringing up her fists to fight. Seiji reached out his hand towards her. ¡®He¡¯s ready to fight?¡¯ She tightened her fists up. His presence built tension down her back. Her body still remembered how strong and quickly he moved when protecting her. It planted a seed of doubt in her muscles. She didn¡¯t know how strong he could be when serious. The way he looked, she thought she might learn shortly. She wanted to strike first, but her arms froze up on her. Her eyes closed. Seiji stopped in front of her and paused with his hand still held out. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He lifted his other hand up to himself. His eyes moved between them thoroughly examining¡­something. The long pause of nothing happening tightened the tension through her body. It turned everything inside her rigid as though the slight movement would send cracks through her skin to crumble like dry clay. After the waiting became too long, she opened her eyes, finding the courage. However, she suddenly felt the life disappear from her body at what he did. Finished, Seiji took a step back. His hand rubbed his chin in deep thought. He kept silent for nearly a minute. It created a new awkward tension around them until his eyes slammed open. ¡°You¡¯re¡­¡± He pointed a finger at her, but it quickly began to shake in front of her. Seiji pulled his hand back and braced both against his head. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it! You¡¯re a year younger than me, but you¡¯re already taller than me!¡± He collapsed to the ground at the end of the declaration. ¡°¡­reality¡¯s so cruel¡­¡± She finally fell over once he finished. She saw his hand measuring out the distance in their height and couldn¡¯t believe it. After she saw it, she hoped he was doing something else, but the truth came out. It felt like a strange defeat. His reaction made her struggle to recover. ¡°You¡¯re bothered about height¡­¡± An unusual and unexpected answer came from him. He didn¡¯t act serious when it seemed like he should be desperate. His manner was nothing like what she came to know from those in the military. He was so different from her. The sight of him made her wonder a bit in awe. ¡®Is this what it¡¯s like on the outside?¡¯ Seiji still muttered to himself about the height. ¡°First I had to deal with that crazy tall third year girl and now this one too and she¡¯s younger¡­ Why are all of the girls stealing my distinctive characteristic?!¡± The Atlantean girl finally managed to stand up. It took far more strength than she thought necessary, but the strange boy defied logic. ¡°Is it really that important to you?¡± He looked up from his troubles at her. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand. I¡¯m Japanese, it¡¯s not easy to be this tall at my age! If I don¡¯t keep up my work I won¡¯t even reach two meters! Without my height what else do I have to make my character unique!?¡± ¡°Actually, isn¡¯t height far too generic to be a unique character trait?¡± Seiji¡¯s mouth dropped open. His mind started to realize something it never considered before. ¡°My height¡¯s generic? I don¡¯t have my height?¡± It turned his world upside down. He had an image that he was supposed to have. If he didn¡¯t have it? If he lacked it? What did that make him? ¡°I¡¯m generic? Even Yuki had more strength than me when we were younger. My height is all I have to stand out.¡± ¡°Actually, you were stronger than me even then, I just made better use of what I had,¡± commented Yuki inside Seiji¡¯s head. Yuki glanced over at someone else. ¡°What? How else do you expect me to collect a paycheck after I¡¯ve been unseen for more than twenty chapters?¡± Everything began to sink in for Seiji. He slowly stood up. A shadow cast darkness over his eyes, leaving them unseen. Loose footing made him stagger a bit as he stepped forward. ¡°¡­generic¡­¡± Seiji¡¯s next step pounded into the ground cracking along his impression. His hand tightened up into fists. Pulling his head back to set a stare on the girl, he looked oddly serious for a fight, despite his code (and the reason). Seiji threw out his hand and pointed his finger across at the girl. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± she questioned, no longer certain if reality was stable with him anymore. However, the look in his eyes told her that he changed his mind. A fire in his eyes wanted a fight. ¡°Nerine.¡± ¡°Well Nerine, you wanted a fight, right? Seiji Tsuji will give you one!¡± He tightened his pointing hand back into a fist. ¡°No one calls me a generic character! I make you regret those words! I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re a woman or a girl! My code won¡¯t allow such disrespect to pass unanswered!¡± Apparently, his code included amendments about his character. ¡°What seriously?¡± yelled Yuki in disbelief. ¡°We¡¯re starting a fight over how generic your character design is? I quit! Get yourself a different main character!¡± Nerine (who finally had her name announced, she was really happy about that) lifted her arms up. She dropped into an offensive stance. Seiji still held many unknowns for her. It meant that she needed to test him and learn about him. The skill he showed off earlier had her concerned. She needed to understand it, but the look in his eyes told her that he saw her as a serious opponent. It melted away her doubt that saturated her body earlier. She could fight. No movement further from Seiji made her wait. She thought the fight would begin, but he took no action. ¡®Why isn¡¯t he taking up a stance of any kind?¡¯ Her foot slid back digging up some of the grass as it pushed through. ¡°What are you waiting for? Come on.¡± ¡®Is he mocking me by not taking a stance? I thought you were taking me seriously!¡¯ Nerine charged forward, no longer able to wait on him. She wouldn¡¯t let him look down on her. She would show them. She would prove to him. One arm came back tightening her muscles as she ran towards Seiji. The metal around her forearm and hands groaned a bit in her overly tensed state. In the last meter, Nerine unleashed her power into her fists channeling through the metal. Her fist would show him. Nerine suddenly stopped, but didn¡¯t know why. She blinked once and looked closely at Seiji. Her eyes scanned down at her arm. Cracking and groaning of the metal complained to her. She felt it pressing against her arm. It dug in, making her flinch a little and weaken in her legs. Her eyes widened to see that Seiji¡¯s hand caused it. ¡°What?!¡± Seiji looked across at her, almost looking disappointed with her. ¡°I thought you wanted a serious fight. Change to something stronger.¡± Chapter 149 - Forceful Wills He dug his fingers through her weapon as though it was paper. It drove through his point to her. The crushed edges of the metal stabbed into her wrists drawing up droplets of blood. Faced with her arm crushed with her weapon, she made it disappear and removed her hand quickly before his hold clamped down. Nerine jumped back a step with one hand nursing her light wounds. She glanced slightly at them, needing to keep her attention on him. ¡®He¡¯s acting more serious, but controlled his strength¡­ That could have broken every bone in my arm if he wanted it to¡­¡¯ New armored gauntlets appeared over her wrists ending in encapsulating her hand. The new weapon was thinner than her last, but left no gaps in the metal. It was seamless and rigid with no movement in her hands. Tight design work carved through the metal giving it a smooth textured feel. While weak in appearance, it was stronger than the last. However, Seiji doubted the sight of her new weapons. ¡°I said to use something stronger. This is a serious fight you said.¡± He crossed his arms waiting on her to comply. ¡°You¡¯re holding back your strength as well. You''re not being completely serious in this fight.¡± Something bothered her about him. Nerine couldn¡¯t place her feeling, but she didn¡¯t think him to be the same as her. ¡®That¡¯s impossible though¡­ But such strength, what possible Law could he be using to do that and at such proximity? He would have to be several times my superior¡­but my power¡¯s not disrupted by him at all¡­ What is he?¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m holding back for two reasons. You¡¯re not coming at me seriously yet¡­¡± The fact that he didn¡¯t give her a second reason nagged at her. Her uneasy intuition only grew stronger. She didn¡¯t know if she wanted to approach the other reason. For all her complaining about him holding back, she felt a noticeable difference in his presence. Intent to fight, which lacked before, clearly came from him. He was ready for her. It surprised her how different he felt when he wanted a fight. Nerine held up her arms as proof of her resolve for the fight. ¡°I assure that these are much stronger than the last pair. You won¡¯t break them so easily.¡± Amongst her uncertainty in him, she forced a hardened expression for him. She needed the fight to begin and him to believe her. ¡®I¡¯ve never met a person that wants a fight, but is so fair and honest about it¡­¡¯ Chapter 149 ¨C Forceful Wills ¡°Is that so?¡± Measuring her resolve, he felt her statement was an honest one. However, he knew that she still had more to show him. ¡°Let¡¯s see if you can keep up for a warm up, then maybe you¡¯ll feel differently about holding back.¡± His remark narrowed her eyes further. If the words came from anyone else, she would have immediately thought them arrogant. Yet she felt an eerie sense that he wasn¡¯t one for audacity. She sensed he had confidence in his ability and not unduly so either. ¡®I can¡¯t let this strange feeling take a hold of me! I finally have my fight!¡¯ Nerine tightened her hands within their metal prison. She pulled in all of her stray thoughts to focus solely on Seiji. Re-enforced in her determination, she closed her stance to prepare. Nerine charged forward the moment she saw Seiji change his stance. He accepted her call. She brought her new weapons to bear on him. The moonlight flashed through her swift movement, but she came to a stop. It took her a moment to blink, feeling confused. Her fist connected with him. Two things bothered her. The fact that Seiji didn¡¯t even block her attack made the first. Second came as the fact that it did nothing to him. She didn¡¯t even feel a budge from him even though she struck him hard. Nerine would have been angry with him for not doing anything, if not for the fact that she made no progress against him. ¡°Huh?¡± she uttered after all of the silence. Seiji sighed a bit to himself. ¡°This isn¡¯t enough!¡± He tapped his hand against her metal gauntlet. The force was minor, but it knocked her arm away and set her off balance. She gritted her teeth through the strain on her joints. The whole thing caught her off guard. Nerine jumped back and changed weapons again. ¡®Still need more¡­ how tough is he?¡¯ Bulky and projected with holes along the back and front of the almost cylindrical construction, her new weapon seemed to appear unnecessary large for show. She lifted her arms up with no effort and charged forward. A burst of light from the back of the gauntlet increased her speed and force. Metal came out in front to protect her hands and create a driving force. The speed of her fist increased until it carried her body. Loose dirt kicked up in her wake. Nerine sped for Seiji. He sensed something a little different about the new attack and the speed came to him as a special note. Seiji returned to his stance and brought out his hand. Her metal clad arm rammed into him pounding out a small shockwave of dust. The force shook his hand a little and dug his feet into the grass. It made Seiji grin a little. After a few damn seconds passed, Seiji brought his other hand up and grabbed her enlarged arm. He spun on his foot rotating a full circle before releasing her off into the air. Nerine flipped through the air uncontrolled from Seiji¡¯s launching. Her eyes spun around seeing ground and sky almost at the same time. She thought her head would explode. Quickly, her body slowed down allowing her mind to catch up on her situation. Making use of the thrust from her weapons, she brought her speed under control. Once she felt her body moved as she wanted and not by Seiji¡¯s whim, the weapons changed. Her thin weapons from earlier appeared. She slammed her fists into the air, hitting it to change her course. The force sent her speeding for the earth. Near the incoming grass, Nerine tightened her hand around the air sending off ripples as she used it to slow her descent. Her body came to a full stop centimeters from the ground before she let out to drop herself. ¡°There you go! Keep that up!¡± Seiji grinned and pounded his fists together. He took a few steps forward looking hella eager about the fight. The excitement in Seiji made Nerine narrow her expression. ¡®I hit him with one of my stronger weapons and he just blocked it¡­ I¡¯m going to have to get him off guard¡­¡¯ Nerine changed her weapons again. The new ones had spikes along the knuckles and straps around her forearm rather than metal. Most of the metal attached to her hand. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Seiji¡¯s expression dropped a little bit, noticing the weak ass looking weapon. The look in Nerine¡¯s eyes changed his mind and made him curious. ¡®She¡¯s got something in mind. They don¡¯t look that sturdy.¡¯ Metal clattered together with the closing of her hands. Nerine dug her feet into the earth giving her as much of a boost to her start as possible. She shot forward charging for Seiji. ¡®I have to be quick¡­¡¯ Her legs carried her lightly over the field, shortening the distance between them quickly. Striking out with her fist, Seiji blocked her as she expected, but it went exactly as she wanted. ¡®This¡¯ll work¡­¡¯ However, she found a surprise after she pulled her hand back. No wound or blood appeared on his hand where she hit him. It made her take a step back to reconsider. ¡®I know he was injured before by that piece of wood¡­ So why can¡¯t I cut him?¡¯ The unimpressed stare of Seiji annoyed her. Unwilling to accept the situation, she continued her assault on him. Nerine whaled on him with a barrage of punches. Each punch he stopped with the same minimal amount of effort. He didn¡¯t slow down. Nerine came to a stop after she found that nothing worked. She tried breaking through his defense, but nothing. When she went around to sneak behind, he was immediately there ready for her. All of her attacks did nothing. ¡®Damn¡­I need something else¡­¡¯ ¡°Eh?¡± Seiji lifted his left hand up. A damn strange tingle went down and dipped into his muscles. When he tried to flex his hand, it responded slow as shit for him. He called on it again to test out the sensation. Each movement came slower and more sluggish. ¡°You do something weird to me?¡± The question took her off guard for a moment, but she quickly understood. It had worked on him. ¡®I struck him so many times¡­it took that much just to affect him?¡¯ Nerine watched his awkward motions, confirming it for her. ¡°My paralysis is taking hold.¡± Seiji threw out his right fist into the air at Nerine. ¡°I thought you wanted a fight, dammit! This is supposed to be a clean and fair fight!¡± ¡°It¡¯s hardly a fair fight with your strength, reflexes and toughness.¡± He still could feel his arm, but it didn¡¯t move as well as he wanted. It felt like water surrounded him. His hand closed into a fist. ¡°Oh well, I guess this will make things more enjoyable anyway!¡± ¡°Enjoyable?¡± Nerine clinched her hands. ¡®He really does just love fighting for the sake of fighting. Why is he even trying to help his comrades?¡¯ The idea was frivolity. ¡®Sending another child to me? What is the General thinking these days?¡¯ Nerine shook her head and focused back on Seiji. The paralysis worked against him. She knew it would slow him down and weaken him. However, the amount of resistance he put up worried her. One strike should have been enough for anyone. She wondered if it was because she couldn¡¯t wound him with her spikes. A perfect moment finally came to her to strike back. Weapons changed on her arms again. The ones she used to grip the air appeared, but slightly different. Metal on the front extended around in a ring over her wrist. It hovered in place, but held no attachment. Nerine spun around slamming her fist into the air throwing her forward. She let the force carry her off her feet as though she flew. Her fists punched the air at regular intervals to speed towards Seiji. Slowed down by the shitty poison, Seiji¡¯s defense didn¡¯t respond in time for Nerine¡¯s attack. Her fist dug into his chest blasting out a shockwave that knocked him back a meter. He felt something from her attack that time. ¡°Finally starting to take this seriously!¡± Seiji bounced back taking a swing at Nerine. His arm didn¡¯t move as he wanted and she fell out of his reach. Punching the air to change direction, Nerine slid out from under Seiji. She came out to his side. Striking him across the face another shockwave blew out from her punch. It sent him toppling over through the ground kicking up dirt as he slid. Nerine felt that she made a solid connection with him. ¡®That had to hurt him¡­¡¯ Seiji¡¯s body disappeared among the clouded dirt. The dirt path that led to him held chucks of grass and trails of smoke billowing from the edges. ¡°Hell, that was a nice punch,¡± he laughed. He stood up through the clouds letting it mask out the lower half of him. His hand brushed against his cheek that looked a little dirtied from her punch. A glimpse of surprise painted across Nerine¡¯s face. She knew that he was resilient, but she was certain her punch did more to him. ¡®Just how tough is he?¡¯ Nerine threw her arms back pounding out two large shockwaves in the air. She flew towards Seiji. Her fists sliced through the air crushing the air to stagger him. He took two punches to his chest sliding him back only centimeters. A wide swing for her forced her away. She jumped over him with the air punch. Everything she threw at him just kept doing nothing. Nothing happened. ¡®Is that all you¡¯ve got? Why did you get sent here? You¡¯re not suited to this task.¡¯ Nerine gritted her teeth and put more power behind her muscles. However, it didn¡¯t make it through cleanly. Seiji¡¯s arm deflected a little of it. He laid in a counter with his fist aimed for her chest. She barely had time to react. The weapons on her arms immediately changed out for larger thick metal guards that completely surrounded her forearm and spread out to direct damage away. Her arms covered in front of her the moment his fist met her. She felt nothing for the first second. The second moment everything went red and poured to black. Nerine coughed not knowing where she was after Seiji hit her. Numb pain spun around her body visiting any place it could and alerted itself at each junction. She felt surrounded by it. Suddenly, she realized that she laid on the ground. The grass poked up around her. She didn¡¯t notice it earlier. ¡®What happened?¡¯ It took her another few moments to gather her strength. Nerine pulled herself up and looked around searching for Seiji. More than ten meters away from her, she found him. ¡°Such strength¡­¡± Seiji lifted up his arm staring at Nerine through the free half of his vision. ¡°I¡¯m starting to adjust.¡± He slammed his fist into the damn ground causing it to shake. Earth broke apart and cracked into chunks that flew up in front of him. A crater a meter wide and half a meter deep appeared from underneath his fist. ¡°My strength as well¡­¡± Some of his body still had some sluggish movements, but it didn¡¯t affect him as much as it did before. Seiji threw out his fist at the confused Nerine. ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve got me to sweat. I think the warm-ups are over now. I want to see what you¡¯ve been hiding from me! So let¡¯s step up this damn fight!¡± ¡®Do you have any abilities that aren¡¯t destructive in nature? Our duty is the safe capture of intruders, not the execution of them.¡¯ Nerine closed her eyes fighting through the pain. She pushed her body up. The time that she couldn¡¯t remember from Seiji¡¯s attack left her staggering a little. Everything still felt whole for her. She felt lucky that she took no injuries from it. Her skin looked scrapped up and her back sore, but nothing more. She could still fight. ¡®If you¡¯re going to be part of the team you need to adapt. You¡¯re useless to us as you are.¡¯ She nodded silently to herself. The metal of her gauntlets warped from the punch that Seiji gave her. It managed to take the blow, but left an impression on them. ¡°I need something stronger.¡± Seiji tilted his head a little. He barely picked up the words from her. His talks with Yuki made him understand clearly enough that in spite of their powers, they were still humans with a frail ass body. Seiji understood his strength well enough to know what that would mean against her. He felt a little grateful for the poison she gave him since it gave him more control over his strength than he had before. In fights, he always used everything he had without holding back, but he couldn¡¯t fight in such a way any longer. It would be deadly. ¡®Just a useless child.¡¯ A ripple in the ground poured out from Nerine¡¯s feet. The grass disappeared from the area creating a large circle of dried dirt that stretched for a twenty-meter radius around her. ¡°This is the first time in more than a year that I¡¯ve used my Field.¡± Seiji grinned at the thought. He saw Nerine¡¯s expression. It became determinedly serious. The fight he wanted approached. ¡°Hell yeah! I¡¯m glad to hear that. I¡¯m looking forward to this.¡± ¡°You may regret those words.¡± Suddenly more than a dozen weaponized gauntlets dropped from the air and crashed into the earth. The thick guards on her arm disappeared. One of the weapons in the field disappeared and surfaced on her arms. The metal spun out with a life of its own covering up to her shoulders. Sharp blade-like edges covered the outside surface while her armored gloves glowed. ¡°These were meant for fighting other MP users. Their destructive potential is nothing like the other weapons I¡¯ve used.¡± Chapter 150 - The Debate of Fists All of her unnecessary weapons remained stored in the deeper parts of her mind. The style that she developed focused around martial arts. Her strength was fighting and defeating her opponent directly. Yet in her assignment to the border, she found none of the abilities that were her strengths in the academy to be of use. Those that praised her for talent and skill meant nothing outside of the walls. It forced her to adapt to a different need. The need on the gate was capture through non-lethal and generally non-violent means. The academy didn¡¯t specifically train her for violence or fighting. However, they also didn¡¯t tell her otherwise. Her training was simply the usage and refinement of her abilities through whatever came natural to her. ¡®What? You¡¯re only thirteen? Well I guess the Captain of the Guard was just as young, maybe that¡¯s why she¡¯s assigned here.¡¯ Nerine charged forward with her fists prepared. The metal that surrounded her arms moved with her body no longer restricting her movement. It became like liquid, yet kept the hardness. Her glow increased with intensity the closer that she came to Seiji. A white shine developed over the metal bringing light to the dark Field. ¡°You¡¯re going to want to dodge this.¡± She saw that Seiji made no move to get away from her. He looked to be welcoming her attack. Seiji grinned at her. He liked the sound of her words and the intensity of the attack. ¡°I¡¯ll be the judge of that!¡± His hands rose up to meet her attack and take it head on. Seiji dug his feet in wanting to measure the strength that she brought to him. A worthy fight had to be struck fist to fist without retreat. Hesitation swelled in her chest reacting sharply to her fists¡¯ desire. She switched weapons because she needed them. The doubt was only around to hold her back. ¡®I¡¯ve got to strike with everything!¡¯ Nerine tightened up her arm and fist only a meter away from Seiji. She needed to knock him down. An explosion of wind and chunks of earth erupted from the epicenter of their clash. Only the light created from the two fists slammed together bloated out the destruction. The fighters disappeared from sight with the engulfing blast expanding quickly beyond them. Chapter 150 ¨C The Debate of Fists Nearly a minute passed before the vibrating calmed and the light started to fade. Expectations of figures within the center failed. It took most of the time to settle out to a thinly veiled cloud before Seiji and Nerine¡¯s body surfaced. Both of them laid on the ground prone several meters apart and unclear how recent they entered such positions. Seiji pulled himself up first with a little smoke rising from his body. His hands looked a little beat up and red, but still hella strong. He wiped away the crappy earth that found its way on top of him. Across from him, Nerine¡¯s movement alerted him. Another grin appeared on his face, very pleased with the situation. His hands tightened into fists, becoming eager. ¡°That was a damn fine punch!¡± She had some expectations for the outcome. Unfortunately, they nearly completely failed to be realized. ¡®Damn, I was hoping for a little more out of that¡­ I¡¯ve got more left to use, but I figured I¡¯d make more progress¡­¡¯ Her body felt sore as if she went several rounds in a boxing match. The sight of Seiji appearing nearly unchanged by the attack fueled her to stand. It channeled the pain away from her mind and focused everything on him. The sight of Seiji wanting another go with her made her sigh a little. ¡®He¡¯s just waiting for another chance¡­¡¯ ¡°Let¡¯s keep that up! I actually felt your fist this time! I might actually be able to make use of more of my strength!¡± Seiji pounded his hands together starting to appear as if he wanted to go on the offensive. ¡®More strength? Just how strong is he supposed to be?¡¯ The thought made her a little unsettled. However, she knew that she had more weapons to rely on. She just needed to find a different approach for him. ¡®I guess she¡¯s just a child after all¡­ Nothing special about her¡­¡¯ Nerine charged forward still wielding her same weapons from last time. Dirt kicked up behind her suddenly as though blasted away by something. She struck out for Seiji, but this time he actually dodged out of her way. He moved around to counter her, but found himself back forced to dig in as a gale blew down on him. The annoying ass wind threatened to push Seiji over as he pressed his feet into the cracking earth of Nerine¡¯s Field. He held up his arms trying to see through the shitty winds. As quickly as the winds began, they faded away. However, a powerful force slammed through Seiji¡¯s face, sending him off his feet and spinning wildly out of control through the ground. The force of his body dug a trench into the earth until he finally came to a stop. Standing with an extended arm out, Nerine revealed herself as the reason (not that it should be a surprise). She pulled her hand back and looked down at Seiji measuring out the distance he flew. The effect of her fist pleased her more than the last exchange. She managed to deal a severe blow to him she felt. ¡°I told you that you would regret it.¡± ¡°Not at all. I don¡¯t regret it!¡± echoed Seiji¡¯s voice from the distance. His darkened figure in the night surfaced from the trench. Nerine slid her foot back to return to a defensive stance. ¡°Can¡¯t be¡­he doesn¡¯t sound affected at all!¡± ¡®Who¡¯s the woman? What she¡¯s just a kid?!¡¯ Seiji began his march back into Nerine¡¯s Field. Once he returned to her vision, he wiped away the stream of blood from his chin that started at his lip. Tears in his tunic showed what little damage he sustained, but it still managed to hold. ¡°This is starting to feel like a great ass fight! Damn! I can¡¯t wait to see what else you can do!¡± He charged forward fists raised going on the offensive. It took her a little by surprise that he no longer played defensive with her. The look in his eye definitely changed. She could easily see it as plain as the moon in the sky. He wanted to fight her and no longer cared about gender or any other difference. His wait ended. The speed of his movements took her off balance. It felt like he became a blur. ¡®It¡¯s like before¡­¡¯ She remembered how fast he moved to protect her. Her eyes couldn¡¯t follow him then, so she assumed it was a trick in his Field. Yet she saw him moving inhumanly fast. Her pause left her completely open. The only hope she had was a weak instinctive defense with her arm to block him. It wasn¡¯t enough. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Seiji¡¯s fist struck her armored left arm with enough force to knock her up into the air. She went careening through the night air as carelessly out of control as she sent him earlier. Her head went blank for the moments that the air scraped over her face. Nerine slowly came back around not unconscious, just empty. It took her another few moments to remember her situation and the all too familiar situation. Around her, the weapons followed her, floating without any thought to their master. She saw the damage to her weapon. Bent blades and twisted metal filled Seiji¡¯s strike. It survived. Nerine swapped weapons and clawed at the air. She came to a slow stop. The new weapon attached past her shoulders and connected along her collarbone. Her metal sparked alive no longer with a glow, but electricity. Freely flowing bolts of electrons jumped across her forearm. The metal covering her fingers had a claw-like appearance that dug into the air. She threw herself through the air back at Seiji. The streak of her through the sky became white lines from the trails of electricity. Pleased that she wasn¡¯t finished and charging back for another round, Seiji prepared for her. The first strike she made blew out bolts of electricity all around them seeking out a ground. Her armored fist slammed into Seiji¡¯s testing out his resistance to her force. It made the earth quake and break up around him to drive his feet into the ground. However, the moment she saw him holding against her she spun around and slammed her fist into the air. She threw herself through the air getting behind him to strike his back. Seiji barely had the time to react and stumbled forward. His torn tunic ripped to shreds at the point of impact on his back. It built a hole with hanging coarse fabric. The hit did little to stun him and he quickly pulled around to return the favor. His fist was too late. Electricity ran up his arm in her wake numbing him slightly. She came up behind him again slamming another fist into him. Seiji staggered forward and fought with his body to respond. Nerine felt like she finally had an advantage for the first time in the fight. She dealt him blows that damaged him and she kept out of his grasp. ¡®I can do this! I can beat him!¡¯ Excitement and confidence returned to Nerine with each success. She didn¡¯t want to feel eager, but she couldn¡¯t help a little smile. She bounced around the air preparing a stronger attack to rally her position. Her arm came in behind him destined for a powerful hit. However, she came to a rough stop that nearly threw her arm out of her shoulder joint. Before she had time to recover, the wind rained down on her face as she sailed through the air. She scrapped the air to return control to her. ¡®What happened? He did it, didn¡¯t he?¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s all just an act. She just compensating, that serious mature speech of hers.¡¯ On the ground, Seiji flexed his hand as he started to have feeling return to it. Once he finished, he looked up at Nerine. ¡°You know a trick like that only works a couple of damn times. You have to make the first ass one count. You¡¯ve been using it too much and became predictable.¡± He grinned up at her looking no less worse than a little redness from minor bruising on his back. ¡®I see, I still have the speed to get around him¡­¡¯ She threw herself back into the fight. Taking advantage of the air maneuver, Nerine got herself around to the side of Seiji. She threw in her fist scoring a hit, but he didn¡¯t budge. Her eyes drew in narrowed before widening a little in surprise. He threw up his arm in defense, deflecting much of the force away from him. Electricity sparked off his arm where he blocked her attack. He brought in his free arm to counterattack, but she was already out of his range. ¡®She¡¯s fast¡­¡¯ Another strike came at him, but he dodged it. She backed off from him and worked around him again. Each attempt she made felt as if she was losing ground. The advantage she eroded before her hands. He was getting closer to her with each pass. ¡®Is he reading my moves?¡¯ Her next attack had his fist grazing over her arm. The force shook around her arm rattling down to her bone, while warping the metal. It reformed quickly, but left her a sign. ¡®I need something more¡­¡¯ Nerine dodged around Seiji¡¯s punches narrowly keeping up with his increasing reflexes. She jumped around the air continuing to move without letting him stay on her for long. Her weapon kept getting dents and tears as he got closer. ¡®I¡¯ve got to do something now¡­¡¯ Nerine pushed back and built up a charge towards Seiji being obvious to invite him into an exchange. Seiji eagerly accepted her offer and clashed fist with fist against her. The two fists rattled and shook with loud ass shockwaves exploding off them. However, flames suddenly erupted from her arm and damn near swallowed Seiji whole with no chance to react. The Atlantean backed off waiting to see how much damage she dealt him. He surprised her when he brought up his hand and tore away the flames from his body. Her fire laid on the ground quickly burning through the tunic. Seiji lost his top to the flames and only came out with light burns that tanned his skin. ¡°I see you¡¯ve got more tricks up your sleeve. Come on! I¡¯m enjoying the hell out of this!¡± He pounded his fists together. His well-toned body didn¡¯t have extreme muscle development, as one might guess for his strength. Seiji held a fairly lean appearance, but had clear muscle definition. The fading flames lit up his body, making him glow a little with the sweat that covered him. He slid down into a fighting stance ready to continue. Nerine got a clear look at him. She knew how much punishment she dealt him and yet he continued. ¡®He doesn¡¯t even look tired¡­ I¡¯m going to need my stronger ones¡­¡¯ Her weapon disappeared, swapping out for one of the many that followed around her. The new weapon held a sleeker appearance and appeared more fluid than the others did. It only covered up to her upper arms. She clawed forward, charging at him. Her left arm shot forward firing a large stream of water at him. It immediately froze up to incase him. She jumped up running along the surface at him. As she closed in with him, the ice broke, throwing her off balance. Seiji aimed for her, but she air punched away. Nerine appeared from underneath, throwing out her fist. Stone grew out of her arm, another change. It raced away from her slamming into Seiji. He went flying into the air as the rocky column expanded up. Blasting into the sky, Nerine followed him. She threw out flames, her weapon changing yet again. Seiji blocked the flames with his arms and put them out by throwing out his arms. He caught sight of her closing between him dealing with the attack. She caught a clean hit on him altering his direction back into the ground. His body sped into the earth cratering and tossing up large chunks of earth. Nerine kept after him. However, Seiji already recovered from the long ass fall and had his fist coming out to meet her as he expected a frontal assault. She managed to take his punch with another weapon swap, but it warped severely rippling through the metal. The force finally went through her body and sent her flying away. Seiji jumped out of the deep crater. He dusted himself while waiting for her to land. Once she recovered and came charging for him again, Seiji sped for her. His speed increased past what she became accustomed to dealing with. He got around her and barely had a chance to dodge his attack. His punch flew over her, but changed into a swing down once he extended fully. She blocked with her armored arms and slammed into the ground coughing up blood. The metallic taste of her blood came as a new sensation for her, but she didn¡¯t have time to understand it thoroughly. Seiji pressed the attack coming at her with faster punches. She backed away from him only for him to close again. Her armor kept her from taking serious damage, but she felt it tearing at her limbs. Pieces of his strength made it through to her. Seiji pressed her back, but failed to make a clean connection with her. He changed up his pattern and dug his foot through the earth bringing up large chunks of earth that battered her. However, it was only a screen for him. Seiji rammed his fist through the debris he created. Nerine already instinctively had her arms up to block, but didn¡¯t expect the force coming through at her. She went flying backwards. He gave chase to her and caught her while still in flight. His fist stretched out to deliver a finishing blow. Nerine managed enough clarity to block with a thick weapon. Jets blasted out from her weapons stopping her body, but Seiji¡¯s momentum carried through to her slowly pushing her. His fist pressed against the thick metal warping it. Nerine caught the taste of surprise from the force that he applied, managing to counter the thrust of her weapon. ¡®He¡¯s smashing my weapon! I can¡¯t let it¡­¡¯ The weapon suddenly repaired itself while his fist tried to crush it. Seiji didn¡¯t stop with the charge and continued to apply his strength, breaking down the armor again. It repaired itself again, the cycle repeating. In the end, Seiji threw her off him and slid to the ground with his speed in flight no longer countering her thrust. She came to a quick stop. Her hand wiped off the blood that dripped from her lips. They stared off at each other. Seiji smirked, feeling satisfied with the fight. ¡°You¡¯re impressive. I might have to reconsider my code.¡± Nerine found herself grinning a little, not immediately recognizing it herself. She didn¡¯t feel the uncertainty or doubt anymore. It all disappeared while she fought him. He didn¡¯t see her as she saw herself, but just another person to fight. It felt oddly comfortable for her. She wanted to see what more he had to offer and test it against her own. ¡°I might still make you regret that thought.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± A glow came from Nerine¡¯s body completely masking her uniform. The weapon on her arms disappeared along with all of the weapons in the Field. ¡°I¡¯ve never done this before for anyone. You¡¯ll be the first to see my final battle form!¡± Chapter 151 - Fists Answer As one would expect from Seiji, the battle crazed, a wide eager smile of excitement grew across his face. ¡°I like the sound of that!¡± He pounded his fists together working himself up. The fight turned out to be a lot more than hoped for and it only got better, in his mind. This fight more than made up for how annoying his last fight was. She never showed her true form to anyone since she never had a need for it. Training never required it and service made it even more pointless. She hardly had any practice using it. The strain that she put on her body while in it worried her. Nerine didn¡¯t know how long she could keep up with it. She knew that she needed to compete with Seiji. However, even amongst the worry her body felt calm and at ease. The bruises and wounds that she took gave her no sign of pain. She felt ready for it, even wanting it. ¡®It¡¯s a strange feeling doing this¡­ I don¡¯t get the same feeling from the start of the fight¡­¡¯ The light faded away revealing Nerine¡¯s final form. A new outfit replaced her Atlantean uniform, which received extensive damage. Her new clothes left her barefoot in close fitting dark purple pants with a matching shirt. Over top, a tanned brown vest kept the shirt from a loose hold on her figure. A white waistcloth closed the seam between pants and shirt, while also matching the wrapped strips of cloth that tied down at the ends of her limbs. Her empty Field no longer held any weapons. She looked more exposed then before, but a new light gathered at her legs and arms. Metal enclosed her limbs completely until only her vest and waistcloth remained. The metal ran completely smooth with a simple design that didn¡¯t try to appear flashy. Engravings lined the metal along the wrist and ankles. A strong sturdy presence came from them in their simplicity. They were meant for nothing but combat with no elegance. Nerine held up her hands sliding into an offensive stance. ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see what the hell it can do!¡± Seiji charged forward with his fists raised to begin the first damn attack. Chapter 151 ¨C Fists¡¯ Answer Seiji¡¯s fists met with a damn column of flame in front of him. His fist only made it part way in before he stopped. It left his skin slightly burned, but it gave the distraction that Nerine needed. She appeared around at his flank just after he pulled back. Her fist stretched out, leveling a crushing blow. Seiji¡¯s cheek took the hit and spun him through the air. Jetting with the thrust of her weapons, Nerine charged forward after Seiji to keep up the assault. However, Seiji righted his body and slammed into the earth throwing back debris from his feet. He sprinted off, not allowing even the rocks time to settle. His arm raised up taking the blow from Nerine¡¯s next punch. The impact sliced a shockwave that tore up the earth between them and threw up the chunks into the air. Nerine¡¯s fist rattled against Seiji¡¯s forearm for a few moments. She then brought in her other fist to punch through his open side. Not taking the defensive block, Seiji dodged a little and grabbed her arm. It took her by surprise, but she quickly responded with a kick at him. He didn¡¯t wait for her leg as he threw her away. He jumped off from the ground crashing through the careless cast aside debris towards his target. Seiji extended his arm going for a quick punch through her defenseless body. His punch didn¡¯t fully make it in before she spun around in the air kicking Seiji in the head. Whether stubborn or through momentum, Seiji¡¯s body didn¡¯t budge from the hit. Nerine followed it up with another, spinning around to bring her foot down from above. The crash blew out wind that sent the debris flying into projectiles that cratered the ground hundreds of meters away. Seiji took the kick and sped down to the ground from the force. When the earth came up to him, he landed in a knelt position. He still managed to crater the area, throwing up chunks of rock again. His head tilted up to see Nerine shooting herself down with her leg extended. Seiji braced him for the impact, but caught water as Nerine spun downward. Immediately behind the water, flames burst out casting steam through the area. The steam created a fog-like mist that made it too thick for Seiji to see through. Nerine took advantage of the poor visibility and unleashed a powerful array of blows. Each impact blew out parts of the mist until nothing remained to hide Seiji. She jumped back to measure him up after her assault. ¡®He¡¯s still holding strong, but it looks like I¡¯m hurting him.¡¯ While Seiji held no serious injuries, his body dripped with blood. His face had blood dripping from both sides of his lips and a long stream down the side of his face. Bruises lined the muscles of his chest and arms where he took hits. Only his endurance kept him from collapsing from the attacks. Seiji felt a little heavy on breath, but still grinned. ¡°Hell yeah! I¡¯m feeling those punches nicely!¡± Nerine still felt a little confused by his overly eager sense of battle. Her head tilted a little. ¡°You¡¯re taking this with an unusual amount of excitement for a fight. Don¡¯t you have any anger?¡± ¡°Why should I feel angry when I¡¯ve got such a fun fight? There¡¯s nothing better than exchanging blows with a worthy opponent and seeing how far you can push your limits!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure I understand those feelings. Especially for someone that¡¯s supposed to be a rebel.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t sweat the small stuff. Let¡¯s just enjoy the fight and see who¡¯s standing at the end!¡± Seiji grinned at her wanting to resume the fight. The infectious nature of Seiji''s enthusiasm caught on to Nerine more than she realized. She caught herself smiling again. ¡°I¡¯ll admit I¡¯m curious as well.¡± ¡°Well let¡¯s not let talking slow us down!¡± If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Agreed.¡± They charged for each other. Nerine threw out her fist directing columns of earth at him from her hands. Seiji rammed his fists through them and shattered the hardened earth to pieces. When he reached the end, Nerine was already gone to a different side. He picked up a couple of the pieces, throwing them at her when found her new position. They passed through her eventually disappearing. Nerine ran directly for him, throwing her leg down into the ground a meter away from him. The impact blasted chunks of earth away directed at Seiji. Through the debris, she sent flames to engulf everything. Molten pieces landed on Seiji, as he blocked. It burned at his skin until he cast it aside. During the distraction, Nerine came in behind and unleashed a spin kick against him that he barely got an arm up to block. It still sent him flying away off his feet, while a destructive shockwave ate through the terrain. Nerine bounced through the air and shot towards Seiji. She appeared over top of him to punch him into the ground. However, he grabbed her wrist, reducing most of the force to only a minor air wave that blew a small hole into the earth. She tried with her other fist only to meet the same results. They found a stalemate in a strength check, but Seiji held the greater strength. She already understood that from before and rediscovered that fact as the metal complained to her. It kept reforming through the will of her mind, but she couldn¡¯t keep up with him in a direct brute force exchange. Nerine poured water over her armor and charged it with electricity. It forced Seiji to release her and still carry a charge that jumped around his muscles for seconds afterward. She spun around delivering a kick into his ribs that his arm failed to block. It sent him off in a new direction. Air kicks turned around Nerine and directed her to Seiji. As she neared him, he slammed his fists in the ground bringing him to a sudden stop. It sent her flying past him, over shooting her target. While she recovered from her mistake, Seiji went on the offensive. He charged through the remaining debris chunks punching through a large piece into Nerine. Already off balance, Nerine flew off her feet. Her body careened into the air with him closing the gap. Seiji delivered several blows to Nerine, each punch vibrating through the area. The last sent her flying back down to the ground. He had to wait for his body to stop moving upward, before he could descend. The recovery time for Seiji gave Nerine all she needed to escape Seiji¡¯s drop. His fist rammed into the earth up to his elbow with the force he pushed through. He glanced over to the direction that Nerine dodged and ripped his arm free, casting debris in her direction. Nerine spun her leg around lighting up a quick inferno before washing it all with wind to reverse the direction. Flaming chunks of earth sped towards Seiji. It forced him to swat them down and break through to reach Nerine, but she already moved to a new location. She appeared speeding in from an air kick catching Seiji off-guard in the cheek. The hit sprayed blood with a shockwave ripping through the earth. Seiji tumbled over but in the last second grabbed Nerine by her vest and brought her with him. He slammed her into the ground as he spun away. His body fought to twist around and gain footing on the ground landing a couple of meters away from her. The plan to follow up had to be put on hold as Nerine staggered up and forced herself to speed towards him with another air punch. Seiji jumped out of the way, as Nerine¡¯s fist hit the ground. All of the earth exploded outward, digging a quick shallow crater. She slowly pulled herself up panting heavily, but closed her mouth and charged anyway. Nerine leapt into the air, bouncing through the air with kicks and punches to hit at Seiji from all sides. He barely kept up with the barrage and as he staggered back. Blood sprayed with each punch and earth rent around them. Even Seiji found his breathing difficult and his body sore. He felt certain that she might have broken one of his damn ribs with all of the blows that he took. However, he didn¡¯t care. All he did was grin and keep up his defense. When she paused for a split second to recover, Seiji charged in with his fist landing a solid hit on her torso. It rang out and knocked Nerine back a little. Some fresh blood dripped from her lips, but she ignored it going back in. Their exhaustion tore away their interest in defense or anything fancy. Seiji didn¡¯t feel the full strength of his punches anymore. Nerine couldn¡¯t feel her arms or legs. Her body felt like it turned to paste from everything she took. The protection afforded to her was the special properties of her clothes, which was the only thing that saved her from Seiji killing her out right. Even though their fight completely changed the landscape of the area, the intensity that they laid into each other with their fists didn¡¯t diminish. Their knees buckled a little with each blow landed, but their body refused to give in. Each punch cracked the ground around them. Quakes echoed away from their feet like the sound of a thousand stampeding animals. They could not stop. Both held wide grins on their faces. After an impossible display of stamina, the winner finally surfaced. Nerine¡¯s last punch stopped against Seiji¡¯s chest, no longer moving. Weakness in her arm spread into her body until her legs no longer had the strength. She fell down into the dirt, her armor fading and uniform appearing on her body. The dirt Field around her remained, a sign her consciousness hung on thinly. Her breathing ran her throat course until she didn¡¯t think she could take it any longer. Seiji smiled content. ¡°¡­I¡­won¡­¡± His legs fell out from underneath him. He collapsed on his back with his chest heaving. ¡°I haven¡¯t had an enjoyable fight like that since my times with Yuki. Thank you!¡± Nerine rolled over on her back, matching Seiji¡¯s position. The two warriors end up nearly at each other''s sides. She felt at ease with the fight, even though she lost. ¡°It¡¯s strange¡­ I don¡¯t feel bothered losing¡­¡± Her eyes glanced over at him. ¡°I¡¯m actually pleased¡­ I don¡¯t know why¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you had fun!¡± ¡°Fun?¡± She pulled her gaze back up to the night sky. ¡°Is that it?¡± Seiji lifted himself up enough to sit. ¡°Hell yeah!¡± He tightened his hand into a fist to emphasize the accuracy of his answer. ¡°You know what having fun is, right?¡± ¡°Have you read the background on Atlantis?¡± ¡°¡­oh¡­right¡­¡± She joined Seiji to sit. The soreness and broken body did not matter to her. ¡°¡­hmm¡­¡± He looked at her with the same eyes as before, even after everything. She was no more than a fight and that thought actually made her happy. ¡°You¡¯re not going to give any more explanation to that are you?¡± ¡°The implications are enough for the audience, if they haven¡¯t figured it all out yet they¡¯ll know in twenty chapters.¡± He still didn¡¯t feel better, but his strength started to return. Seiji stood up and offered a hand out to Nerine. The toll of the fight he knew had to be even worse for her. ¡®She actually pushed me to my limits¡­¡¯ Nerine stood up still holding his hand. He grinned back at her. She found it just as infectious as before, even with all of the grime and blood that coated his face. ¡°You¡¯re the first person to see only me without any of the titles or masks¡­¡± It seemed a little odd to her that it would be a stranger, a rebel that did. He was supposed to be the enemy. She glanced over at the camp. ¡°You¡¯ve defeated me. So I¡¯ll let you pass and look for your comrade.¡± ¡°Thanks! I¡¯d like to fight with you again sometime!¡± Nerine tilted her head a little smiling back at him. ¡°Yeah, I think I¡¯d like that!¡± The sky suddenly seemed to go pitch black with all of the stars bloated out. Time slowed down for Seiji. A strange wind of bloodlust carried through the air. It immediately made his eyes narrow and shift around. He caught sight of a flash of white light moving in a fast arc towards Nerine. She was too fatigued to react and Seiji still felt his body¡¯s sluggish movements drag him down. He didn¡¯t know if he could make it in time. ¡°Look out!¡± Seiji leapt out in front, his face painted with panic. ¡°Traitorous actions will not be forgiven!¡± slithered a deep voice from the void of shadows. A low grunt came from them in response to a wet spray. Seiji groaned in pain. A deep slash ran diagonally across his arm, blood sprayed across the interloper¡¯s face. He pushed back with his good arm at the attacker. ¡°Why are you attacking your ally?!¡± A wicked smirk lined the individual¡¯s face. ¡°Allies don¡¯t act friendly and aid the enemy!¡± Behind the two of them, Nerine let out a deep bloody scream. Confused, Seiji turned to find that both of Nerine¡¯s arms laid on the ground and blood sprayed everywhere. Seiji¡¯s face wrinkled and turned dark. Damn shadow masked out his eyes. He tilted head back around at his enemy. His clenched fists tensed up the muscles in his arm. The rage inside boiled up in his body providing him with new fuel. He took a step forward. The spot that his foot landed cracked and bent in. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you! You bastard!¡± Chapter 152 - Blood Soaked Night The energy that channeled through Seiji felt different from before. It was hot and uncontrolled worming its way through all parts of his body. None of it mattered to him. The odd sensation meant nothing to him. Blood dripped down his arm and it was nothing. Night disappeared from his sight. To his eyes, it seemed a bright and clear sunny afternoon. He could clearly see his enemy that he had to kill. No doubt or concern filled him. Seiji disappeared from the sight of the attacker. The thrown sword failed to meet its target. All he saw was several chunks of earth tossed up when Seiji moved. A ripple rang out from the man¡¯s feet altering the terrain and darkening his appearance further. Crunching metal and earth sounded off behind him. He turned around planning to find Seiji, but he remained out of sight. Another crunch rang further away. Beyond the Field, Seiji set down Nerine in a safe spot. Using his torn tunic, he gave her a rushed bandage to try to stop the bleeding. He turned away staring into the distance at the enemy. Nerine coughed feeling lightheaded from the blood loss. She didn¡¯t know if she would even live much longer. The sight of Seiji¡¯s back and the blood that covered made her wonder how he remained standing. ¡®He should be exhausted¡­ He couldn¡¯t move a moment before¡­¡¯ Seiji tightened his hands in preparation. ¡°Don¡¯t move from that spot. I don¡¯t know¡­how much of my reason is left¡­ All I know right now¡­is that I want to kill him!¡± The damn earth cracked around his feet again from the pressure of his legs. ¡°I can¡¯t forgive¡­ So don¡¯t watch¡­please¡­¡± She opened her mouth, but had no words for him. ¡®¡­going so far for a stranger and someone that¡¯s supposed to be an enemy¡­¡¯ He disappeared from her sight, signaling the start of the new battle. A bloody and savage battle began born of nothing but pure violence. Chapter 152 ¨C Blood Soaked Night Pounding and crunching through the shitty ground turning up metal and earth telegraphed Seiji¡¯s movements, even with his speed it made him impossible for human eyes to follow. The enemy held up two simple swords waiting for the arrival of Seiji. He baited him in presenting a clear target for him. A smirk lined his face eagerly anticipating the moment. Seiji suddenly appeared with his fist extended already. A percussive blast ripped up the crappy earth outward, throwing away chunks. However, the crumbling sound of damn metal stopped him before reaching his target. All that made it through was the force of shit wind from his flying fist. Seiji¡¯s eyes narrowed judging his situation. The soldier¡¯s smirk disappeared a little when he realized that blood dripped down his cheek. A cool breeze stung his thin wound. However, the man¡¯s surprise didn¡¯t last for long. His smirk returned with an excited hungry appearance turning even darker than before. It made his face seem almost pitch black. ¡°So you¡¯re able to cut me with just the force of wind created by your punch? Very interesting¡­¡± After the damn metal fell away, the man charged forward after Seiji. An arc of shit light flew through the air at Seiji. He dodged a couple of the damn swings, but not all of them. Blood and ash dripped from his minor wounds. It forced him to increase his speed and disappear. However, a damn blast and crash of metal exploded only a short distance away. It sent Seiji reeling backwards. He stared up at the collapsing junk of crappy metal. It had little form left from his impact. He looked at his hand to find the small cuts on it and blood coating most of his skin. The image confused him. He was certain nothing sharp enough cut him. Quickly closing the distance, the Atlantean bastard brought down his two swords on Seiji¡¯s defending arm. The weapons rattled in disappointment. Ash fell down from his arm. Seiji¡¯s arm remained safe. Failure didn¡¯t prevent him from continuing the onslaught of attacks. Wild slashes came in from all directions in numbers impossible for the two the man wielded. Seiji¡¯s raged fueled mind didn¡¯t comprehend what happened to him. All he managed was to step back with each attack and stay mostly unharmed. Burnt edges blew away from the gathering at his feet, but new pieces returned after the next attack. ¡°I can see you¡¯re confused,¡± the man said between attacks. He smirked as wide as before unfazed by his challenging opponent. ¡°Perhaps you should look at your feet more carefully. The ground which you walk upon is not so simple.¡± Glancing down, the truth of the man¡¯s words came out. The soldier¡¯s entire Field lined with the damn swords of all make and type possible or impossible. Everywhere as far as could be seen, swords coated it all in metal. The presence of an armory weighed down the atmosphere. Like the man¡¯s smirk, the Field felt soaked deeply in the dark pleasures that even the moon refused to reflect on their blades. Everything was out of sight for Nerine with the pain and night making it difficult to see. However, she saw the man that attacked her long enough. It worried her. ¡®Who is he? I¡¯ve never seen him before in the barracks. I thought I knew all of the MPs stationed at the South Gate. And his Field¡­¡¯ She didn¡¯t understand how someone so powerful could hide within the troops without anyone knowing. ¡°Since I have you here¡­ I only grant this privilege to those that I¡¯m about to kill. You can take my name with you to the grave.¡± Seiji moved to attack the bitch, but an array of swords came up pointed at his neck. It halted his action. ¡°I have no need for your damn name. You¡¯re the one that¡¯s going to die here.¡± The man¡¯s smirk widened further, pleased to see the defiance still holding. ¡°I¡¯m very glad you still have plenty of fight left in you. It¡¯s quite boring taking an easy kill. Otherwise, my skills dull.¡± He leveled his right hand at Seiji, pointing the blade at his nose. ¡°But in all seriousness, you¡¯re going to die. And I always give those I slain the name of the one that killed them. That and it gets really awkward using generic nouns to identify me.¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Exhausted of patience, Seiji grabbed up a damn sword from the ground and swung it at the man. ¡°Enough talk!¡± However, his eyes narrowed in confusion to find his hand empty. ¡°Tsk,¡± remarked the man. All of the blades around Seiji moved in closer to restrict his movements further. ¡°Really now, you should know better than that. Not all of my swords in my Field are actually real and even if one was I can make it disappear before you can do any harm with it.¡± The man pressed his sword¡¯s tip to Seiji¡¯s nose drawing up a thin line of blood. The man held back a laugh while watching his target squirm. ¡°Honestly already, the name¡ª¡° Seiji jumped up and grabbed the sword blade by his teeth. He ripped it from the man¡¯s hand, but it disappeared from his mouth a moment later. In the next moment, Seiji spun his leg around knocking all of the weapons out of the way. He finished by ramming his fist into the damn earth. A faint flash of light surfaced just moments before the explosion of earth blacked everything out. Seiji followed up by throwing the chunks of earth at the man. He jumped forward as a helluva lot of swords tried to come up at him, but earth got in their way. His hand gripped the hunk of earth and slammed it into the man¡¯s face. Seiji railed his arm through crushing the man into his Field of weapons. The force from Seiji¡¯s hand pulverized the chunk into powder leaving the man¡¯s face stained brown. Still holding his hand to the man¡¯s face, Seiji leaned down to speak to him. ¡°I don¡¯t care! I could kill you in an instant, but I¡¯m going to make you regret your actions with pain before I kill you!¡± The swords and earth bent a little with Seiji applying pressure to the man¡¯s face. The man¡¯s eyes flipped an annoyed glare off to something unknown (fine¡­the name¡¯s Cosmas, this¡¯ll probably be the last moment of comedy in a while, so cherish it¡­). Cosmas focused his vision back on Seiji. Swords drew up taking swings at him. Blood and ash fell around him, but Seiji''s stubbornness kept him on top of Cosmas. The pressure on his head felt like it was going to smash him in. It actually stole away his smirk when he felt the taste of mortality and the blood rage of Seiji¡¯s unwillingness to accept anything less than what he promised Cosmas. A ring of light rippled through the Field underneath Cosmas. The smirk returned to his face with deadly darkness following it. ¡°You know at the center my power is at its zenith!¡± Swords flew in from multiple sides ripping up everything in the way. Blood sprayed across Cosmas¡¯ face only worsening his presence. No longer held down by Seiji, Cosmas stood up. He dusted off his black leather clothes that completely covered him. In the night, it made him almost completely disappear. However, it seemed to be the first time his presence peeled back to be seen. A glance over at Seiji made his eyebrow lower in disappointment. ¡°I¡¯m a little surprised. You made it out with only taking that much damage. That¡¯s some speed and toughness¡­even with my first upgrade¡­¡± Seiji narrowed his features noting the condition of his hand. Ash still fell from his hand covering a spot at the ground amongst the blades. Blood slowly dripped down soaking it crimson. The tips of his right pinkie and ring finger were missing. A normal person in such a situation would scream and perhaps even collapse to the ground. However, Seiji wasn¡¯t a normal person and in his state that took his unusual status to new levels. All he did was clinch his fist together and swing unleashing a shockwave of wind at Cosmas. The swords of his Field erupted up to block the incoming attack. They shredded to pieces as though they were nothing but the wind. Several more walls of weapons rose to dampen the effect to nothing. ¡°That¡¯s a strong fist even at that distance. So you¡¯re a reverse Field type?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the type that¡¯s gonna kick your ass!¡± Cosmas smirked at the thought. It made him even more excited to kill Seiji. ¡°Well you are one of the few that has survived my first upgrade. So I¡¯m going to enjoy this next part!¡± Several dozen weapons broke from the surface of the Field. Cosmas manifested two swords in his hands to accompany his arsenal. Only his eyes reflected the pale light of the moon, turning his face into one of a demon. ¡°The part where I slice you apart one piece at a time!¡± Fighting a demon didn¡¯t bother Seiji. He felt like one himself. Two demons under the moon felt just right to him. ¡®He has no remorse or hesitation¡­ I¡¯ll kill him!¡¯ Seiji rammed his fist into the ground hard, breaking the damn earth and turning it up. Several blades stuck into them. However, two flashes of light appeared in the slab of earth breaking it apart. Cosmas appeared on the other side of the light. He brandished his weapons at Seiji and brought in the others to float around them. ¡°My upgraded swords can slice through something as soft as earth. You¡¯re going to need something denser if you plan on stopping them.¡± Seiji rammed his fists into two of the pieces of sliced earth. It sent chunks of it into the air. He directed it all to go flying at Cosmas. However, the damn swords floating around him sliced them all into fine cubes. Seiji didn¡¯t stop as he already held the largest piece in his arms, swinging it like a bat at Cosmas. The action took Cosmas a little by surprise, but his swords responded quickly. They reduced his blunt object to nothing. Yet Seiji charged through hitting all of the swords while they finished. His fist shattered them into a shitty rain of metal shrapnel. Seiji ran through, but found a barrier of swords rising with their blades aimed at him. Then around behind him, all of the blades he shattered already reformed and sped towards him. Cosmas held his smirk witnessing the eventually bloody end of Seiji with all of the weapons attacking him. He held ready with his swords to begin slicing Seiji up at the first moment after his swords struck. However, his lips lowered again with disappointment. Seiji disappeared from sight leaving only a trail of blood and ash behind where the swords started their taste. His eyes darted around the field detecting the echoes of his field responding to Seiji. It bounced around until it suddenly moved straight for him. Each pounding and crushing quake came closer. ¡°¡­so stupid¡­¡± Cosmas mounted all of his swords in front of the incoming Seiji and strengthened his Field¡¯s defensive barriers. Chunks of crappy metal flew everywhere in the face of the unstoppable train. Seiji¡¯s movements slowed down to become visible again, though blurred. His fists wailed on everything that stood before him. Ash and blood flew on the wind behind Seiji as he drew closer to Cosmas. His eyes carried the unstoppable will of crushing Cosmas. It consumed his being. All of the swords directed at Seiji. Some of the blades pierced his body and others shattered. Flashes of light blinked from him. Seiji charged in undeterred with shitty swords sticking through him. He sent out an earth-rending roar bringing up his arm finally in reach of Cosmas. All of the muscles in his body tensed, shattering the metal that ran him through and pushed it out. Blood jumped from the wounds, growing Seiji¡¯s intensity. The sight made Cosmas sweat a little in the last seconds. He recovered in time to bring down his swords against Seiji. Seiji¡¯s fist ran past Cosmas only deflected after breaking off Cosmas¡¯ sword. It saved Cosmas from the full impact, but the wake of the punch still sent him flying away. The Atlantean bitch flew through the air and tumbled into the earth amongst his weapons. A cloud of debris covered up Cosmas in his recovery. He slithered back up to his normal stance. Laughter burst from the fading cloud. It didn¡¯t even bother him that the earth shook with the stampeding of Seiji. Freed from the veil, Cosmas held his hand over his face with only his mouth visible. His laughter leaked through just as strongly. He narrowed his eyes through the gaps of his fingers before removing it. Impossible as it seemed, his features became even darker than before. ¡°Amazing!¡± Seiji charged forward with no regard for the reason for Cosmas'' laughter. He ran his fist behind him preparing to take out Cosmas. In the last moments, he extended his arm already blasting out wind from the force. His fist ran Cosmas through the stomach ripping up his clothes and spraying his damn blood from his mouth. Seiji¡¯s fist exited the back coated in blood. His eyes suddenly flipped to his side with the touch of something on his shoulder. Cosmas rested his hand on Seiji, standing to his right completely unscathed. ¡°Making me use my second upgrade, impressive¡­but can you survive another minute?¡± The Cosmas with a hole in his chest disappeared. Then two swords appeared from below and arced through the air with blinding light. Blood sprayed everywhere. Seiji¡¯s eyes widened in surprise as his own blood rained across his face. His right arm was cut lengthwise in two parallel lines all the way up to his shoulder. The wide wound showered blood across the scene. Seiji¡¯s shock didn¡¯t allow him to scream or feel the pain. Chapter 153 Fragile Steel Several thoughts flashed through Seiji¡¯s mind. He thought of the difficult position he found himself in. His life was moments away from being stolen. He could have another loss. He thought of what would happen to Nerine if he failed. Seiji couldn¡¯t stand such a thought. She didn¡¯t do a damn thing wrong. ¡®She fought well and followed orders. She shouldn¡¯t be executed for such behavior. I won¡¯t let her die!¡¯ While Seiji knelt motionless before Cosmas, he slipped behind drawing up his swords for the finishing blow. A small cackle escaped his lips, still plastered with a smirk. ¡°Guess it won¡¯t even be ten seconds.¡± Cosmas brought his arms down creating two arcs of white through the air. The ground cracked a little underneath Seiji foretelling an ominous event. Seiji¡¯s face narrowed severely, drawing down his eyebrows until they covered up the top part of his eyes. He spun around grabbing one of the blades with his bare hand. Blood spurt from his hand mixing with ash. The other sword embedded in his right shoulder spraying up blood in the air. Seiji¡¯s eyes turned pale as a faint shine covered his chest. Cosmas narrowed his focus, struggling with Seiji¡¯s strength. The smirk disappeared beneath his determined grunting. He didn¡¯t understand how Seiji kept going, but was so close to finishing him. ¡°That stubbornness won¡¯t save you¡­¡± Seiji pushed back with his body starting to stand up. Blood burst up again from his shoulder as he forced the blade in deeper. ¡®Sorry Yuki¡­but this is one man I can¡¯t forgive!¡¯ Suddenly, hundreds of papers materialized from the air looping around his disabled arm. They kept spinning around his arm faster until becoming a blur. Their loops became smaller until sticking to his skin. The paper quickly wrapped up his arm, closing up the two long wounds and molding his arm back into one. A stronger glow came from his arm as it began to move stiffly. A deep roar welled up from inside Seiji. He took hold of both weapons and stood to his full height. The act left Cosmas a little stunned and confused. Seiji stepped forward forcing Cosmas back. His hands tightened around the blades, shattering them to pieces. Once freed from their threat, Seiji slammed his foot into the ground, breaking it up around him. He rammed his fist into Cosmas¡¯ chest. The punch blasted out a shockwave around the Field slicing up metal. Cosmas nearly folded around Seiji¡¯s arm from the rushing force. A moment later Cosmas flew away, the impact finally carried through his body creating momentum. Trails of dust sped off Cosmas as he careened over the ground before finally cast into the earth. Seiji stood over it all with his fist still extended and the look on his face unforgivingly harsh. Chapter 153 ¨C Fragile Steel It took almost a minute for Cosmas to recover. He still felt shaken. The arrogance knocked off his face by Seiji. He pulled himself up coughing periodically. Once he stood up, he forced it all down. Cosmas focused himself to keep the fight going. However, he coughed again with blood spraying through his teeth. ¡®Impossible!¡¯ He looked down at his bloodied hand. The darkness that surrounded him disappeared, but it actually made him appear even more sinister. It turned the air foul and a deathly atmosphere surfaced. Cosmas wiped away the blood from his face. ¡°Don¡¯t think you can actually win!¡± His hands took hold of two new swords unlike the past ones. The blades were serrated to a ghastly appearance with black forged metal. ¡°Forcing me to get serious¡­it¡¯s been a while¡­¡± None of the crappy posturing made an impression on Seiji. He began marching towards Cosmas with a look that said ¡®I¡¯m finishing this¡¯. However, Cosmas didn¡¯t give Seiji a chance to make an attack. Five damn forms of Cosmas appeared around the Field. Seiji panned his eyes around trying already knowing what Cosmas had planned. He charged forward to the one that he knew was Cosmas before he had a chance. Seiji rammed his fist into Cosmas, but it burst through weakly coughing up blood on Seiji. A shitty fake, he realized too late. A flash of black arced through Seiji¡¯s back. Blood sprayed from his body. Not even flinching, Seiji spun around, throwing out his arm. Bone cracked painfully as his forearm slammed into Cosmas¡¯ neck snapping instantly and killing him. The force still sent his body flying away until it disappeared. ¡®Another¡­he¡¯s afraid¡­I don¡¯t care!¡¯ Rage ran uncontrollable through his eyes as he thrust off from his feet. He quickly took out three more fakes before the others got a few more swings on him. Mocking laughter erupted again, but no longer from a specific source. Cosmas'' voice broadcasted through the air as though each particle emitted his words. It proved impossible to locate or escape. ¡°I¡¯ve been doing this since before you were born. You can¡¯t beat me!¡± The laughing started to grate on his nerves, however Seiji had no room for frustration in his body. Unforgivable anger filled every corner of him. He couldn¡¯t even understand the first step of Cosmas willingly killing allies. All Seiji could do was swing his fists around destroying each bitch ass fake. ¡®He¡¯s in here somewhere. I¡¯ll keep killing him until it¡¯s the right one!¡¯ Nerine¡¯s appearance quickly became paler with each passing minute. Her stumps might have been bandaged, but it didn¡¯t stop the blood from flowing. She coughed periodically with each making her head feel even lighter and foggier. Her body felt tired. It begged her for rest, yet she denied it. The fear of death didn¡¯t hold her on to reality. The sight of Seiji struggling painfully because of her kept her attached to the world. She still had trouble understanding it. ¡®He¡¯s already so injured, how can he keep going? What¡¯s holding his body together?¡¯ Her eyes remained transfixed by him burning everything in her mind. Blood dripped upon the weapons of the Field. Seiji stormed across to deal with another batch of fakes. He already killed more than twenty of them without finding the real damn one. Through all of the rage, he realized that the numbers never decreased. ¡®Endless¡­¡¯ Cosmas orchestrated his fakes to make quick attacks on Seiji that focused on speed over power. He planned to chip away at him until he fell. It wasn¡¯t a tactic that he had to use often, but against ones with the endurance to overcome him head-to-head, it was effective. He would eventually win. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. The fight felt a little disappointing once he got serious. It always bored him when he had to do things more roundabout. An execution had to be direct and exact. The fact he hadn¡¯t yet won felt like a bit of a failure in his job. He still had to deal with Nerine after the rebel. He felt the battle starting to wind to a close with Seiji covered in small wounds all over his body. Blood coated most of his bare chest. It soaked into his pants. The fact he stood still after everything was impressive. ¡°You¡¯ve become so boring. You were much more interesting when you weren¡¯t just swinging your fists around aimlessly.¡± Seiji panted heavily from his spot, glaring at all of the copies of Cosmas. They all looked completely identical and their swords just as real. His body screamed at him, but he refused to listen. Everything in his eyes focused on Cosmas. He needed to bring him out. Roaring with blood trailing off him, Seiji dug into the ground to increase his speed. He disappeared from the sight of Cosmas. Explosions of Seiji¡¯s powerful fists erupted around him. Half of the clones died horrific manners before fading away. Cosmas replaced them immediately, but it was difficult to keep up. His hand subconsciously wiped away a bead of sweat from the side of his face. ¡®Persistent still¡­¡¯ All of the clones died at his hands, but they came back. Seiji paused with them all surrounding him. They didn¡¯t wait to attack. He fended them off with relative ease. However, none of them were the real one. ¡®I¡¯ve killed them all! Where is he?! Where is he hiding?¡¯ Seiji rammed his fist into the earth casting chunks in all directions along with a powerful shockwave. It ripped apart the shitty clones. Hunks of stone claimed the remaining bastards. His head glanced up at the terrain around him. Even all of the effort still brought on more of the same Cosmas. In fact, he was certain the numbers increased. It made Seiji slam his hand into the ground again, blasting out another chunky shockwave. The pounding made Cosmas legs vibrate and stagger. He found the frustration rather amusing. ¡°Finally reached your end, eh? Giving up!? I told you couldn¡¯t win! It¡¯s futile! I will kill you and then I¡¯ll kill the woman you turned!¡± Another quake broke through the ground nearly knocking Cosmas off his feet. He didn¡¯t understand Seiji¡¯s purpose, so he just laughed. Pounding out a repeating pattern into the ground, Seiji built himself a deeper crater. He grounded out his teeth at the thought of Cosmas making good on his boast. Seiji took one final swing into the earth. Light blasted out from his wrapped arm. Chunks of earth sliced up in an instant and flew away surfing the shockwave. Seiji¡¯s eyes widened for a second and he disappeared. Cosmas glanced around expecting to see his clones dying, but nothing. Silence pervaded the air. Not even the explosive weight of feet echoed. He held his breath and lowered his grin a bit. Confusion sank in as the seconds became prolonged. ¡®Where¡¯d he go? Did he flee?¡¯ ¡°¡­behind you¡­¡± whispered a deep menacing voice. Only two words entered Cosmas¡¯ ears, but it made his body run cold. The voice penetrated so deeply into his body even he didn¡¯t understand why it bothered him. Sweat dripped down his face. His eyes slowly peeled behind him wanting to know who stood behind him, while his mind already knew. Cosmas tilted around, finally confirming Seiji towered over him. A dozen thoughts sped through his mind in the single second he stared. ¡®Impossible, I¡¯m invisible!¡¯ However, Seiji stared down at him with no doubt in his face that he found Cosmas. The next second came and Cosmas swung his swords down at Seiji, but they never made it. Seiji grabbed Cosmas¡¯ forearms while still in motion, predicting his action. Even though he fought with someone he couldn¡¯t see, his hands didn¡¯t lie to him. His hands tightened around his arms to crushing pressure. Wrinkles grew around Seiji¡¯s forehead and eyes. The shaking in his hands didn¡¯t stop. Seiji teetered on the line. His rage told him to follow his emotions. The light bits of reason he regained suggested something else that he didn¡¯t want to consider. Everything still tried to process through Cosmas¡¯ head. The pain in his arms blocked some of his focus. He tried to escape, but could only gather his clones to deal with Seiji. ¡®I¡¯m completely invisible with no flaws¡­how¡­How?! How?! All he was doing was punching the earth! How did he find me?¡¯ Strain on his bones from Seiji¡¯s hands snapped him back and shattered his concentration. The invisibility granted to Cosmas faded away. The sight of Cosmas made Seiji¡¯s hands latch down harder. Seiji saw the other clones coming in at him. He didn¡¯t back down from his hold of Cosmas. Rather, Seiji forced Cosmas¡¯ arms to block the incoming swings. Using his available leg, he kicked the clone out of the Field before swinging Cosmas¡¯ whole body to knock out another. ¡°I¡¯m not letting you go!¡± Forcibly overextended, Cosmas joints in his arm complained to him. He knew that he could do nothing to break free through strength alone. ¡®How is someone this strong? It¡¯s not possible!¡¯ The use of clones was pointless as Cosmas saw with the way Seiji swung him. His body felt bruised and nearly broken from the violent swing. Awestruck, Nerine needed all the time to figure out what Seiji had just done. Her mind became more sluggish, she realized, as she knew what he did was very simple. ¡®He used the shockwaves from his punches to figure out the location from the slight disruptions caused by colliding with the invisible body. To figure that out in the middle of fighting¡­ Is his mind winning over his heart?¡¯ Seiji dropped Cosmas back to the ground, still holding his arms. The crippling state of Cosmas put him towering over him. He nearly snapped his arms in two in the motion. It had him at his mercy. Seiji felt his hands hesitating in what he wanted to do. He delayed. ¡°¡­can¡¯t¡­forgive¡­¡± Amongst the difficult stance, Cosmas regained some of his composure and with it, his focus. He coughed against the pain in his arms. ¡°Thought you were going to kill me¡­¡± A flip of Seiji eyes locked onto Cosmas. He saw the weak smirk growing back. It channeled his emotions back into his arms. ¡°¡­you¡­¡± Seiji roared aloud. Cosmas managed a small laugh. ¡°Can¡¯t go through, eh?¡± He narrowed his eyes as they renewed their deathly gaze. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll show you how to do it right.¡± A faint flash reflected in his eyes. Seiji¡¯s eyes slid around his head as he spun around seeing the meaning of his words. Numerous swords flew through the air targeting the crippled Nerine. Seiji didn¡¯t hesitate in what he had to do. He threw Cosmas¡¯ body into the path of the weapons. The unexpected throw cast Cosmas through his Field. A dust cloud of metal and earth covered his body and route, but it came to a stop in front of Nerine only a few meters away. Swords disappeared into the cloud in silence. After the throw, Seiji disappeared to stand next to Nerine. He looked down at her making sure nothing got through to her. Nothing appeared through the cloud. However, a weak laugh made its way to him. It alerted him to the survival of Cosmas. ¡®¡­damn¡­¡¯ A shadow surfaced from the cloud before it faded away. Cosmas regained all of his arrogance and stature. The moments before did not even seem to register to him. His lips stretched and raised in an awful grin. ¡°You didn¡¯t think that would actually hurt me did you?¡± Veils of dust blew away to reveal Cosmas completely unharmed by his weapons, though dirtied from the fall. ¡°Did you think that someone from the Omega Division would actually fall for that?!¡± ¡°Omega Division?¡± questioned Seiji, his face showed little interest in the meaning of the words. Nerine¡¯s face widened with shock. ¡°Out here?! It can¡¯t be!¡± ¡°We¡¯re everywhere¡­always watching¡­¡± Cosmas warned. His face narrowed a bit to focus on Seiji. ¡°However, that¡¯s all the time I have for a dead traitor and rebel¡­¡± Seiji¡¯s face twisted in confusion, but changed quickly. He heard Nerine groan and cough weakly before collapsing next to him. It pulled him away from Cosmas. One of the swords pierced through her chest. He stretched out for her, but found more than a dozen blades running him through from his arms and legs to his chest. Seiji coughed up blood still futilely trying to reach out to Nerine. His arm ignored the sword pushing the blade through. He managed to reach her hand before her eyes closed and his soon to follow. Chapter 154 - Cracking The fires left as the aftermath of the battle still disrupted the Atlanteans¡¯ ability to learn the outcome. Near the edge of the radar¡¯s detection, another battle seemed to conclude. The lack of accurate information on the individuals fighting left the tent in strained silence. Most of the soldiers knew only pieces of the events that transpired over the last forty-eight hours. The unfortunate part that they all knew was that they had yet to win and end the conflict. Such feelings colored their uncertainties. All of them prayed that the MP users won and finally ended the attack. Yet they also feared that the MPs all lost and the next move brought them closer to achieving their mysterious goals. Mixed sentiments made such silence difficult to bear. Simonides felt relieved to see one of the fights end, but something about it bothered him. It was the only fight that occurred out of the camp. He had sent out other MPs as back up, but in the mess of the fires, he lost track of them. Only the radar provided him information. Too many questions remained because of it. The one that concerned him the most was the appearance of a third individual, one that he didn¡¯t send. The unknown person ended up finishing whatever the other person lost. ¡®Who entered the fight? Did one of the MPs I sent make it? Perhaps it was another from their team?¡¯ Simonides despised not knowing enough. Unfortunately, the situation was too dangerous and spread out for him to watch. He also had the obligation to protect his men from the disaster that he invited into their camp. All of his plans failed to go smoothly. His predictions had too many errors. He knew that they would come to rescue their captured comrade. The way they fought and testimony from those that fought them told him that. It was meant to keep them on the border, but if they split as he feared the plan failed. A trap wasn¡¯t a trap if it failed to capture all of the targets. However, capturing a few was a good enough start. His eyes focused over the remaining undetermined fight. ¡®These battles will exhaust them. A battle of attrition is the worst possible tactic for a Commander, but against such powerful enemies, it is the only plan that will actually have success. I will see them stop this night!¡¯ Chapter 154 ¨C Cracking ¡°Dammit,¡± panted Athene. She wiped away sweat from her forehead. It forced her to watch the puzzle change shape again. Her successes continued to be meaningless. Nothing breached the first layer. ¡°I thought I figured it out, yet now¡­¡± Spite no longer seemed to be accurate in describing the puzzle. She got used to the changes only recently. It seemed an impossible feat, but she actually managed it. All of the directionless held significance. She found a way out. Yet she failed. However, failure was something she grew accustomed to in the mind of Yori. What she wasn¡¯t familiar with was the change that just happened. It no longer changed shape alone, but dimensions. Reality warped to actually become an impossibility. ¡°How is this even possible? A human being can¡¯t actually be this complex!¡± ¡°And that¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong!¡± echoed the voice of Yori. The annoying copy returned to taunt her again. He hovered upside in disjointed pieces around her, as if his presence wasn¡¯t unsettling enough. Athene wobbled back to her feet. Her body reflected the condition of her mental state in the real world. She barely hung on to the desperate notion that she would get answers. The words of a trickster shouldn¡¯t have meant anything to Athene, but she needed even a small piece of truth buried underneath a junkyard of lies. An empty promise from an untrustworthy person was all she had. She staggered forward to the entrance, what might have been considered one to a high-order being. It was the only place that didn¡¯t look completely impassable. Athene brushed aside a piece of Yori that floated in front of her. ¡°If you¡¯re here to mock me¡­I don¡¯t have the time¡­¡± ¡°Aw, don¡¯t want to spend any time with me?¡± A few pieces floated back in front of Athene, not quite getting in the way. ¡°But you¡¯re right.¡± Athene ignored him and moved on. ¡°You don¡¯t have the time. Any time, in fact.¡± Her foot stopped its slow march. She knew that she ran out of time. The strain her mind went through to keep her going was easier to feel in each passing moment. Safety left a while ago. ¡°You¡¯re just trying to delay me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s hardly necessary anymore. You won¡¯t survive another round.¡± A few of the sections of Yori moved around as though extending to the gate before them. ¡°That isn¡¯t like the others you¡¯ve dealt with. A normal human wouldn¡¯t survive it for a second.¡± He grinned at her with those words. ¡°I¡¯m not normal! I can take anything in there!¡± Athene began to stagger forward again. ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯re both right and wrong. You may possess abilities that aren¡¯t normal, but that body and mind is completely normal.¡± Once more she stopped. The obvious statement shouldn¡¯t have changed anything for her. She knew better than anyone that they were no more special than everyone else. Yet his words made her hesitate. The chasm before her produced an ominous presence that permeated through her skin. Athene turned her head up to Yori. ¡°Why are you warning me?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s the will of my master. The things you experienced last time was nothing like the defense it offers. Only another like him would be able to survive layer two.¡± ¡°Layer two? Then I¡­¡± This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Yori¡¯s head nodded to Athene like it might be congratulating her. ¡°You did last to the second layer. I¡¯ll admit I didn''t think you would survive let alone crack it. But I guess those mental skills of yours are more than talk.¡± Athene fell to one knee with some of the tension in her body disappearing. She actually made it past the first layer of defense. ¡°Then you¡¯ll¡ª¡° ¡°Change my attitude as promised! I have been kinder already, haven¡¯t I? Crawling through the dirt as you have, you don¡¯t look arrogant anymore.¡± ¡°I want answers! I don¡¯t care about attitude or opinions! Answers! Give them to me!¡± Yori¡¯s eyes grew a little in reaction. ¡°You thought that I meant if you succeeded in passing the first layer I¡¯d tell you what you wanted to know?¡± He laughed, causing all of the pieces to shake in the air. ¡°I never made such a promise!¡± ¡°You lying¡ª¡° ¡°I didn¡¯t lie. You just misinterpreted. You get nothing!¡± Athene¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. All of the work she struggled for ruined her body. Even though she knew she shouldn¡¯t believe him. The truth ran her through painfully regardless. She wasted her time to gain nothing. He won, again. She collapsed to the ground. Her breathing ran out of control to the point of hyperventilating. Everything felt heavy. Yori materialized whole next to her. He reached out to her shaking body. ¡°Well I guess I can leave you with one small piece.¡± His hand touched her back. The reaction made his eyebrow rise. ¡°Pass out huh? How unlucky!¡± Shortly after, Athene¡¯s body faded away from the space. He looked up in no specific direction of significance. ¡°I wonder how long it¡¯ll be before he realizes that she¡¯s here? Things could get very interesting soon.¡± Deep inside the camp, a calmer battle continued with almost no one realizing it. After the initial disruption by Yumi, very little happened. Winds died down and soldiers escaped. The area emptied out. They were given the space to exchange attacks, even though they did nothing. Yumi and the teenage boy stared off over the distance, but did nothing to close. She didn¡¯t know why the boy made no attack on her. The reason for her own hesitation lay in her uncertainty of her powers. Her barrier cracked for no reason. It weakened and she didn¡¯t know why. Her initial thought was that it was an attack from the boy, but she felt nothing from him like with the others. ¡®I don¡¯t see anything from him, even a Field isn¡¯t present. Could it be something with me? Is my doubt hurting my power?¡¯ Yumi needed answers, but knew that the boy stood in her way of finding her brother. Answers had to wait. ¡®He doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯s got any defenses. Why?¡¯ Her hand lifted up, activating the wind that spun around her. Broken or cracked, she still had most of her barrier working. ¡®I just need to be decisive and finish things quickly before he does anything.¡¯ She knew them to be just as fragile as everyone else. A quick attack would solve the problems. Wind kicked away pieces of debris and tightened loose cloth. Folded and hardened, a green arc molded in the air with the motion of Yumi¡¯s hand. It sped towards the boy. He made no motions to dodge or even acknowledge it. She expected something from him, even if it was only a slight reaction. It was as though it didn¡¯t exist to him. Worse, her attack disappeared. It faded away into particles before it hit the boy. Nothing happened to him. The attack made no reaction or impact. ¡°Huh?¡± Yumi pulled hand back to look at it. She knew her powers were still new and something she still worked to understand, but it worked for her. Everything she did in the camp worked. ¡®What¡¯s wrong? Is this the boy¡¯s doing?¡¯ Another crack in her barrier diverted her attention. The whole section shattered into pieces disappearing. She tried to materialize it, but nothing happened. It refused her. Yumi widened her eyes in shock and confusion. ¡®What¡¯s happening to my power?!¡¯ The boy took a step forward, only a single step. It was enough to alert Yumi. His approach made sweat drip down her face. ¡®I¡¯m just a normal girl¡­I need my power!¡¯ Yumi tightened her hands into fists. ¡®Even if my power is failing and malfunctioning I can still use some of it! I just have to focus!¡¯ Yumi tossed another arc at the boy with more energy inserted into it. However, it veered off and slammed into the ground. Earth pulverized from the impact clouding the area surrounding the boy. She gritted her teeth and threw another with the same effect. It didn¡¯t follow her control. ¡®I just need to adjust¡­¡¯ Another attempt brought it to his feet, but still nothing. Yumi kept trying with her aim progressively getting worse. Her barrier evaporated around her just as quickly. Only one section remained protecting her, but not a whole hemisphere. ¡®It¡¯s falling apart¡­ Nothing¡¯s working¡­ Why!?¡¯ ¡°If you¡¯re going to do something,¡± replied the boy, ¡°I might suggest you do it now.¡± He started another step to bring his approach closer. A slight raise in his eyes revealed itself when he met eyes with Yumi. ¡°I guess you can¡¯t though with the status quo maintained.¡± Yumi¡¯s head tilted up towards him. He spoke again for only the second time. However, what he said mattered more to her than him speaking. She felt the implications. ¡°It¡¯s your doing! Isn¡¯t it!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re talking about. I haven¡¯t done anything to you.¡± She shook her head at him. Her mind started to think again about the situation. None of it made any sense, but the factor of the boy fit in without question. ¡°You did something. It wasn¡¯t until you appeared that I started having troubles with my abilities.¡± Yumi extended her arm out to point at the boy, accusing him. ¡°You¡¯re the cause, not me.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± he asked, putting a tilt to his head. He took another two steps towards Yumi. ¡°But you haven¡¯t done anything yet.¡± The words made Yumi stagger a little. She knew that he had to be lying to her. Yet the look in his eyes spoke as though they were the truth. It made no sense to her. ¡°You¡¯re the one that¡¯s done nothing yet. I¡¯ve been attacking you.¡± ¡°I see, so that¡¯s what you thought you were doing.¡± The expression on the boy¡¯s face became darker and hardened with an unusual amount of age and maturity. He crept even closer to her. ¡°You¡¯ve done nothing.¡± Yumi didn¡¯t understand the boy. Her powers started to fade. The only thing she could do was prove it to him. She charged for him, forcing the wind to spin up around her. Green slabs of her barrier materialized around her. All came to answer her call. She wouldn¡¯t let him make another step. ¡°I¡¯ll end this now!¡± Yumi closed the distance with the boy. Her hand came out planning to knock him out in a single stroke and move on. Her hand passed through the boy. He faded from her sight. Everything turned black for a second before the camp returned to her sight. The boy stood next to her with his fingers pressed to her forehead. ¡°Still nothing. All of it is nothing.¡± His fingers pressed through her head seeping inside her mind. A bloody, deathly scream escaped Yumi¡¯s lips as her eyes turned completely white. ¡°However, soon you¡¯ll wish for only nothing. The nightmare begins¡­¡± Chapter 155 - Phobetors Walk Yumi closed her eyes tightly. Wrinkles buried themselves into her forehead. She struggled to keep her concentration with the pain surging through her skull. It felt as though his fingers squeezed and scratched her brain. She bit her teeth straining her jaw. ¡®What¡¯s he¡­doing¡­to me?¡¯ Her mind felt ready to collapse. A small piece of her power still felt within reach of her fingers. Yumi focused the last threads of her sanity together to bring her hand up to the boy. Through her screaming and pain, it left him distracted enough that he didn¡¯t notice her movements until it was too late. Light glowed from her palm immediately blasting out. The energy didn¡¯t have a chance to form before it splashed across the teenager¡¯s stomach ripping through his uniform. A second later, the force lifted him off the ground and cast him aside in debris. It left him unconscious. Released from the invasion, Yumi collapsed to the ground panting heavily to recover. While she regained her composure, her eyes darted over to the boy to check. She felt certain he caused the problems to her powers and feared he might still have something planned. However, he made no move. Yumi was safe. A few minutes in silence passed. The enemy seemed to give her the time she needed to recover before reacting. She found a couple of soldiers entering her path by mistake. They tried to attack her, but came up short. Yumi noted to herself the renewed strength of her powers. ¡®Where are you, brother?¡¯ The immediate matter concluded allowing her to continue her search. Nothing revealed itself to her for nearly thirty minutes. All she found was empty tents, likely abandoned with the fighting taking everyone¡¯s attention. Occasional soldiers or MP users crossed her path, but she struck them down before they mounted any offense. Her brother waited for her. After all of the searching of the camp, she finally found him tucked away. She already dealt with the guards for the tent. It was only the two of them. ¡°Brother!¡± Yumi rushed around behind him to remove his bindings. Yori slowly lifted his head, a dark shadow cast over his eyes. He groaned a bit while still coming around. A tilt of his head leaned him towards Yumi. ¡°¡­Yumi?¡± She frantically scrambled over the last couple of bindings. ¡°It¡¯s alright! You¡¯re safe now!¡± Her hands slipped away from her control, scraping her skin. The slight pain went completely ignored by her as she immediately forced her hands back. ¡°You¡¯re free now!¡± Yumi hurried around in front of Yori to help him stand. She lifted him to his feet giving him support to his weakened body. They staggered a bit while Yumi got used to his weight. ¡°It¡¯ll be okay. I¡¯ll get you out of here.¡± They slowly made it to the tent flaps before Yori began to mutter. Yumi paused trying to understand him. She leaned over her head to get a better listen. ¡°Huh?¡± It didn¡¯t help her. His voice was too quiet for her to hear. ¡°What are you saying?¡± A cough broke up his pacing. His weakened state dropped him off his feet for a moment. It brought him to cling on to Yumi. He pulled himself up holding on to her shoulders with her aid. Yori hung his head over her shoulder panting. His mouth sat next to her ear. ¡°Yumi¡­¡± ¡°¡­brother?¡± She didn¡¯t have a moment to react as she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. It made her cough suddenly as blood came out of her mouth. The shock left her eyes wide and shaking in confusion. She looked down to see Yori¡¯s hand pierced through her stomach soaked in her blood. Another cough weakened her legs. ¡°Why?¡± she pleaded, looking up into his eyes. He caught her before she fell. Soulless eyes stared down at her. ¡°The nightmare begins¡­¡± Chapter 155 ¨C Phobetor¡¯s Walk Blackness filled around Yumi. Time lost itself between the pain and the calm that followed. She didn¡¯t know what happened to her. Her mind went blank immediately after Yori stabbed her. None of it made any sense to her. She didn''t even know how much time passed since she realized something had changed. A cough broke Yumi out of her haze. She jerked forward. Her breathing ran shallow as her mind made her body feel the last moments again. However, she quickly realized that no pain permeated her body. She touched her stomach trying to figure out what happened. Nothing. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Yumi struggled to get herself back on her feet. Her hand rubbed her stomach, still not convinced. It felt so real to her, but Yori did it. ¡°Must be a dream, but why? What¡¯s wrong with me?¡± She finally took in her surroundings. The tent she found Yori in was empty. It held no signs that he had even been in the tent. Only a simple chair remained as a note of his captivity. Yumi thought he might be in the camp and walked towards the tent flap. She still had to save him. The thing she saw before was not real. Something splashed loosely at her feet when she neared the tent flap. The noise was enough to pull her eyes down in curiosity. A dark liquid ran around her feet thickly clinging to everything. It seemed too dark for water. ¡°What is this?¡± The closer she got to the expanding pool the more uneasy her heart became. It started to take on a reddish hue and then her mind took over. Her body froze. The pounding of her heart echoed into her head, heating up her body. She didn¡¯t need to test it any more. Stolen story; please report. ¡°Blood?!¡± It stretched from beyond the tent. The source fell out of sight, hidden and ominous. Yumi staggered back uncertain if she wanted to move forward. Curiosity dragged her forward against her will. She pressed her hand to her chest hoping to calm her breathing and beating heart. Yumi didn¡¯t even know the cause and her body already went into full panic. She never saw so much blood before or even thought it possible. Her eyes didn¡¯t want to see the sight beyond. Reality had a different plan in mind for Yumi. It refused to allow her to hesitate. A wind ripped open the tent flaps and somehow tore down the tent in the process. It forced Yumi to take in the whole scene all at once as though forced to chug a liter of water in only a second. The first seconds Yumi couldn¡¯t react. Her eyes widened and pupils shook. It passed through into her shoulders and body, but something kept her standing. A frigid touch ran down her back drenching her body in sweat before overheating. Her lungs refused to hold air, keeping her panting heavily. She wanted to throw up, but could only gag. Yumi was granted no release. It forced her to endure it all at a constant acceleration that she couldn¡¯t take, but still had no choice. A scream finally escaped her lips, yet it was no more relieving than stepping in the shade on a humid day where shelter meant nothing. Yumi screamed until her voice disappeared and she wanted to collapse, but her body still turned her away. The scene burned into her eyes that even closing them made it all replay clear as though open. She knew no escape. Yumi thought her mind would break before her body let her have a moment of pause. Horror magnified for Yumi when a bloodied figure rose from a mound of corpses. The only one in the entire camp besides Yumi that hadn¡¯t been mangled beyond recognition. However, the longer her eyes stared the more she realized the reason. They hadn¡¯t escaped. They were the reason. Blood seemed to become their skin, no longer sprayed or a coat. They become one with it. Only the whites of their eyes broke the even deeper crimson color over them. Then they turned their head in the direction of Yumi, detecting her presence. For the first time, Yumi¡¯s body allowed her to react. She stepped back several times wanting to run. Yet even with control back, it refused her. Escape seemed impossible. ¡°¡­Yumi¡­¡± said the entity. She shook her head not wanting to believe the sight. The voice was too familiar to her to ignore. They marched down towards her, treating the carnage the same as a child that discarded an unwanted broken toy. Yumi¡¯s feet held her from trying to flee away. She could not believe it was him. Something was wrong. ¡°No! No! This isn¡¯t real! It¡¯s all a dream! NO!¡± Yumi passed out. Blackness returned once more. It was just as endless and deep as she remembered it. Yumi didn¡¯t know how long it had been since the world disappeared. She just wanted to stay in the void. In the void, nothing bad happened. All of the horrors she saw etched themselves into her eyes. The only peace she knew was it only existed in her mind as images. She couldn¡¯t calm herself down. Her body felt numb and fatigued like she had never known. The fight she experienced before didn¡¯t compare to what she felt. She wanted it to all be a bad dream. Something was horribly, terribly wrong. Nothing made sense anymore. Yumi didn¡¯t know how long her mind could last. It already felt like she was slipping away. The images overwhelmed her. They became the only ones she saw. They became her reality. She wanted to sleep. No rest was to be for Yumi. She woke once more. Her mind was already apprehensive about what she would find. Twice before, terrible things burned her mind. She didn¡¯t want to open her eyes anymore. She could live with the horrors already seen if it meant seeing something worse. ¡®This can¡¯t be real¡­ can¡¯t be real¡­ just a dream¡­ nothing¡¯s real¡­¡¯ She prayed for nothing to happen. It all felt too real and impossible. Yumi wished for it all to end. ¡°¡­Yumi¡­Yumi¡­ ¡­Yumi¡­¡± The voice made her body shake. Not seeing only made things worse. Her mind constructed unsettling images. She didn¡¯t know which was worse for her. The unseen ran purely on sounds that wormed their way through her ears and creepily caressed her mind. It gave her no chance to flee. ¡®¡­please¡­no more¡­¡¯ A crunch followed the sound of something breaking. Moans and screams came after painting new images inside Yumi¡¯s mind. Less imagination was required, but it was no less horrifying to see. She considered opening her eyes. ¡°¡­Yumi¡­¡± ¡®¡­why¡­it can¡¯t be Yori! ¡­can¡¯t be¡­¡¯ Pleads for mercy went unanswered. It followed more screaming. Yumi cried uncontrollably. She couldn¡¯t deal with it any longer. She didn¡¯t know what was going on with her. Nothing went the way it should. Her eyes slid open unwillingly. She found her brother standing over some Atlantean soldier. Blood covered most of him from the gruesome work he carried out. In his hand a section of the soldier¡¯s arm dripped blood from its roughly severed stump. The sight made her gasp loudly. ¡°Why?!¡± she yelped, as the only words she could muster. Yori slid his head over to her with an emotionless face. The sight of her awakened a light in him. ¡°Yumi!¡± He spun around to face her. Blood from the arm sprayed through the air dotting Yumi¡¯s face. The blood made Yumi jump and crawl away from Yori. Even with his face looking more pleasant, it only seemed to make his presence unsettling. She ran into something that stopped her. Yori approached her slowly, making her want to run away. ¡°Please¡­no¡­NO!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Yumi? I protected you.¡± He swung the arm again, painting Yumi¡¯s clothes in splotches of blood. ¡°Just like you wanted. They won¡¯t hurt you anymore.¡± Yumi shook her head slowly, having trouble looking at her brother. ¡°I never wanted this!¡± The sight of the blood from the pleading soldier on the floor made her body run cold. He pressed his free hand down against the surface that supported Yumi. His arm ran next to her face. Yori lowered his head down to her. ¡°You have nothing to fear anymore. It¡¯s all been taken care of.¡± She never thought that her brother could scare her so much. He never carried such a dark presence before. It didn¡¯t seem like him. It had to be a dream. Yumi pressed her back further wanting to hide from him. ¡°¡­no¡­please, no more¡­¡± ¡°Not convinced?¡± Yori stood up and turned away for a moment. He tossed the limb in his hand to the side without a second thought. ¡°See for yourself.¡± His hand stretched out above Yumi pulling something open. Dozens of dismembered and disfigured corpses fell on top of Yumi. The weight of the bodies held her down, unable to move. Their blood soaked into her clothes weighing her down and sticking to her. She felt the cold thick liquid pouring over her body. Yumi screamed again, feeling at the breaking point. She could not take any more of it. Every one of them stared at her. She could not ignore their eyes that blamed her. ¡°NO! Stop it!¡± Blood swam through her. It went everywhere. It took on a life of its own. Behind it all Yori looked down not even cracking from the light glow in his features as though looking fondly at something. He had the same expression he always went looking at his sister, caring and looking out for her as family. However, it no longer suited him. It was wrong. Her screaming continued as the blood crawled up her neck. It surrounded her. Death chained her to the floor, keeping her still. No one would save her. Blood filled her hair and surrounded her face. It poured in covering her eyes, which she could not close. The metallic smell filled her nose before she could not take air in anymore. It spilled into her mouth, choking her and drowning her. Everything went blank. Through crimson sight, her brother suddenly fell into pieces, sliced too many times to count. His blood sprayed everywhere. Though he did something so terrible her heart still skipped at the sight. Behind him another figure appeared. It reached out a hand to her. They pulled her free of everything. All of the weights disappeared. She was clean. Her body ran, following them. Her hand held tightly onto them. It all faded away. She didn¡¯t know who saved her. ¡°¡­thank you¡­¡± They turned their head back towards Yumi. ¡°I¡¯ll always protect you, Yumi,¡± replied Yuki. ¡°You have nothing to fear anymore.¡± Chapter 156 - One Second to Breathe Initially, while Yumi ran away she was too afraid to look around. So many terrible things already traumatized her. She didn¡¯t want to see them again. However, the longer she ran with Yuki the more certain she became that things were different. The camp no longer surrounded her, she was certain. Everything looked different from what she experienced. She never wanted to see it again, but at the same time wondered what happened. It was all moving so fast for her. She still tried to catch up with the last moments. Like everything else before, she didn¡¯t understand what happened. It made as little sense as what she saw in the camp. All she knew was Yuki held her hand to take her away from all of the terrible things. She thought that she could fight and protect him, but in the end, she was useless. It made her a little sad to think she needed to keep relying on him. She wanted to show him the strength he gave her. But Yumi didn¡¯t know what horrors she saw or how it happened. Her mind couldn¡¯t forget them, even though it tried to push them off as nightmares. However, one thing bothered her still about the whole situation. It seemed like a small minor issue and considering what happened, she shouldn¡¯t complain. Yet, she felt it was strange. She needed an answer to the question. The uncertainty kept nagging her until she relented to its force. Yumi pulled away from Yuki, breaking their grip. She slid back a little, closing up the space she consumed by wrapping her arms up against her chest. ¡°What¡¯s going on, Yuki? Why are you here?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± He stopped and turned his head confused. Yuki started to approach her, but she stepped back. The fact she looked scared of something made him hold his position. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Her mind already experienced so many things. The moment she had a chance to feel free from all of the horror her mind started to question things. It seemed too convenient for Yuki to appear to save her. She feared he might be another part of her delusion to torment her. Too many things happened already that were impossible. Yumi needed some answers. She wanted to trust Yuki, but things still felt weird to her. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be with Ayumi and Saki heading to the Capital. Ayumi promised me she¡¯d keep you on the path you¡¯re supposed to be on. You shouldn¡¯t be here!¡± Yuki looked away, appearing a bit guilty. He crossed his arms tightly withholding his words for a while. His silence left Yumi hanging on the edge. A fact he understood, but still hesitated on responding. Tilting back to Yumi, he fixed eyes with her. ¡°I know I shouldn¡¯t be here. Ayumi¡¯s still pretty mad at me for abandoning it, but when I woke up I couldn¡¯t accept it. Yori¡¯s one of us too. He is one of my friends and I¡¯m not going to leave anyone behind, even if it does ruin other things. Nothing is more important than my friends to me.¡± ¡°But I¡­you¡¯re¡­¡± He took a couple cautious steps forward checking to see how Yumi felt about him. She didn¡¯t back away, giving him some comfort. ¡°I had to use my powers to stop Ayumi. Saki was easier to convince. So we turned back around and came back for you. I¡¯m sorry that I arrived so late.¡± It felt genuine, real. She wanted to believe it. Her heart was already jumping in without a second thought. Only the images of what she saw before kept her from fully accepting Yuki¡¯s words. It seemed real. Yuki was someone that put his friends before everything. Everything made sense. All of the horrible things never happened. Yuki would erase that all for her. She could be happy again. Taking slow steps, Yumi closed the distance between them. Her hand stretched out to his tunic holding the fabric near to his stomach. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Does it hurt?¡± A few moments passed for Yuki to understand her question and apology. He waved his hand dismissing it. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m tough.¡± Yumi looked up at Yuki. Her heart finally stopped pounding. It calmed for the first time since the weirdness began. ¡°Sorry¡­¡± ¡°Hey, you don¡¯t need to keep apologizing to me.¡± Yuki patted Yumi on the head. He grinned down at her to reinforce his point. It took a bit for Yumi, but she managed to return his smile. ¡°Thank you.¡± Chapter 156 ¨C One Second to Breathe With answers settled, they rested for a minute. Things remained fairly quiet between them. It created an awkward mood for Yumi. The night still dragged on reminding Yumi of all of the events. She felt like days passed in all of the confusion. She was just glad it was all over. Yumi looked around trying to see through the darkened air. ¡°Where is everyone else? Are they all safe? Where¡¯s my brother?!¡± By the end of her questions, Yumi found herself leaning in towards Yuki. It made her quietly fall back, a little red in the face. Roughing up his hair, Yuki looked a little embarrassed, forgetting about them at the moment. He quickly came for Yumi. It left them to deal with everything else. ¡°Right! They¡¯re all helping out the others that went with you to get out. Knowing Seiji, he¡¯s probably having too much fun fighting strong opponents.¡± A weak laugh came from Yuki, knowing Seiji¡¯s nature too well. ¡°But hopefully Saki will be able to convince him.¡± Nodding in agreement, Yumi found herself laughing a little with him. ¡°You¡¯re probably right.¡± Sitting with him allowed her to forget all of her worries. Cutting the light mood a little short, Yuki changed subjects a little. ¡°I¡¯m just glad I was able to get to you in time. I don¡¯t know what I would have done if something happened to you.¡± His words made her hesitate a little. It took her a little bit by surprise to see him worrying so much about her. She knew he cared about his friends, but the look in his eyes told her his words came from a different place. It started her heart beating again, but not for the same reasons as earlier. Yumi took a deep breath to calm herself. ¡°Th-thank you, Yuki. But you don¡¯t need to worry so much. I can defend myself.¡± Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°I know, but still¡­¡± It was only getting worse for Yumi. She couldn¡¯t calm her body. Her eyes darted away remembering how easily her emotions ran out of control in front of him. An image of her brother appeared in mind, the one that protested her interest in him the most, even after her friends started to accept Yuki. It immediately changed her thoughts. ¡°Yori! I feel awful! We¡¯re talking and I forgot all about the reason for everything I was doing. I have to rescue him still!¡± Yumi began to stand up. Yuki quickly covered the distance between them and grabbed Yumi¡¯s wrist before she got more than a step away. ¡°You don¡¯t need to Yumi. It¡¯s fine.¡± She turned her head back to him. Her face narrowed a bit in response to him stopping her. ¡°What are you talking about? He¡¯s my brother! I can¡¯t stand around and do nothing!¡± Shaking his head, Yuki paused to re-evaluate his choice of words. ¡°No, I mean you don¡¯t need to do that anymore. We already freed him before we found you.¡± The words excited Yumi. She could see her real brother again. It was actually over. She turned her body back to face Yuki. ¡°Where is he? Why isn¡¯t he with you?¡± His hand released her. She had no need to run away anymore. ¡°Well, he¡¯s still unconscious from everything that he endured. I didn¡¯t think that you should see him while he was still out. I thought it might be too hard on you.¡± Disagreeing, Yumi stepped in closer to Yuki. She fixed him with her eyes to show how much it meant to her. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if he¡¯s asleep. I want to see him to know that everything¡¯s fine now.¡± ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll take you to see him.¡± Yuki offered out his hand to Yumi. The thought of seeing Yori again made her excited. She could see he was no longer alone in a strange land. It gave her comfort, but she still had to see him. Once more, the couple entered into silence. Yumi¡¯s anxiety in seeing her brother kept her still the entire time. On the other hand, Yuki sensed the atmosphere around Yumi and kept quiet. He knew the importance it had for her. There should be no need to spoil the mood. Far from the camp, which was almost entirely dark due to the chaos, they found Yori propped up against a lonely tree. The still look on his face seemed like he was waiting for someone to wake him up. Torn clothes with an untainted body made him look more as if he was homeless rather than tortured. However, none of it mattered to Yumi. She ran up to him, placing a hand on him. ¡°Yori¡­you¡¯re alive¡­¡± She could feel the warmth of his body and the pulsing of life. It reassured her. However, when she tilted her head up to look at his face, something came over her. A cold touch ran down her spine that she couldn¡¯t escape. Images of the things that the illusions of Yori she witnessed returned to her eyes. All of the horror came back stronger than ever. She turned away after only a second. The pounding in her heart threatened to crack her ribs. She wanted to flee, but knew them to be in her head. No escape was possible. It was only made worse when Yori lowly muttered her name in his sleep. His voice made her skin crawl. Yumi stood up and fled out of the area. ¡°Yumi! Wait up!¡± The sudden reaction from Yumi confused him. It took him a few moments to fight through what happened. He ran after her, still trying to sort out what made her flee. Once she was in sight again, he called out to her. ¡°Yumi, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Yumi froze hearing Yuki¡¯s voice. She didn¡¯t know how far she ran. The images kept flashing through her eyes making it impossible for her to concentrate on anything. She bent over panting heavily even though she had not run hard. ¡°¡­won¡¯t¡­go¡­away¡­¡± Walking around in front of Yumi, Yuki rested his hand on her shoulder to get her attention. ¡°What won¡¯t go away? Did something bad happen?¡± She pulled her head up to look at Yuki. No thoughts went through her mind when she acted, but she knew afterward why she did it. Yumi grabbed on to Yuki because he made her forget about it all before. He was the only thing she had to erase the horrible images from her mind. Once she realized it, she felt guilty using him. However, she couldn¡¯t let go. She just wanted to feel safe again. It took a little bit for her to calm down, but Yuki felt he could ask her again. They sat down in the grass. She still insisted on holding on to him, though not as tightly. ¡°Everything alright now?¡± Yumi turned a little red with embarrassment for her actions toward Yuki. She managed a quick nod in her stifled silence. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°¡­I-I¡­¡± Her hands tightened around the bits of Yuki¡¯s tunic for safety. All of the images faded already, but the impression remained. She couldn¡¯t go into details with him, but he deserved an answer. ¡°I remembered something¡­terrible¡­¡± ¡°While you were with Yori?¡± ¡°¡­yes¡­¡± A second later her body started to shake and her pupils shrank. The realization hit her hard after her words. She understood what it meant. ¡®I¡¯m afraid of my own brother!¡¯ Yumi¡¯s mind ran quickly through the implications. She couldn¡¯t believe it at first, but her reactions with him told her otherwise. The thought of being scared of him made her body go into a cold sweat. ¡®What do I do?!¡¯ ¡°Yumi? What¡¯s wrong?¡± She looked up at him trying to hold herself together. ¡®I can¡¯t say it to him¡­ I can¡¯t¡­¡¯ Yumi shut her eyes for a moment. Her mind worked to push as much as she could away. She needed to show Yuki a better face. ¡®He¡¯ll keep worrying about me¡­ I can¡¯t let him¡­¡¯ It took her a lot of effort, but she managed a small smile and happier appearing face. ¡°It¡¯s nothing! Just a faint memory, but it¡¯s in the past now.¡± Yuki looked a little uncertain. She still shook a little in his arms. The determined eyes she gave him made him want to know more, but also felt like he should let her have space. He got the feeling he shouldn¡¯t press her. ¡°Okay¡­I¡¯m here though. For you, you know, right? I¡¯ll make sure nothing bad happens to you again. I¡¯ll protect you forever!¡± ¡°¡­Yuki¡­¡± Hearing his words made her expression genuine. He kept her safe. Nothing bad would come to her with him around. She knew he would be true to his words. All she needed to do was stay with him. Yumi rested her head on his shoulder. Her body felt calm again. ¡°¡­thank you¡­¡± Suddenly, Yuki pressed against her and knocked her back into the grass. His hands propped himself up keeping him from lying on top of her. A weak grin of embarrassment painted across his lips. Yumi never imagined Yuki being so bold. She felt torn between resisting and accepting his advances. However, the expression on Yuki¡¯s face changed again. ¡°Yuki?¡± He looked in pain and his blood dripped from his lips. His hand moved weakly over to Yumi¡¯s face touching her. Yumi quickly realized something wrong had happened. Her eyes widened and her mouth hung open wanting to scream, but her voice was empty. Horror painted across her face again. She didn¡¯t understand what happened to him. It all happened too fast, but then she felt a terrible pain in her stomach. Blood entered her throat and an all too familiar feeling returned to her. ¡®¡­no¡­no¡­NO! Not again!¡¯ She stretched out her hand for Yuki, the last person that made her feel safe. The light of his eyes faded away and she felt her life to follow him. Tears dripped down the side of her face. Everything was over. It was all a lie. She couldn¡¯t be safe anywhere. All of the images flood her mind in her last moments. Again she wanted to scream, but could not. Her mind overloaded itself at the sight, stopping all movement in her body. The last pieces of her sanity slipped away. She couldn''t take it anymore. Yumi just wanted nothing. Yuki¡¯s body fell on top of her. The last thing she felt was Yuki¡¯s blood soaking into her. The last thing she saw was her brother¡¯s dark face standing over them. And, the last thing she heard was his words. ¡°Now you can be together forever,¡± Yori spoke with laced disdain. Yumi disappeared. She was nothing. Her body collapsed at the feet of the Atlantean boy. He looked down at her, not surprised by any of it. It all went as he planned. ¡°That took a little longer than I expected, but the result is still the same. The Captain should be pleased to have another one caught.¡± The boy started pulling out large metal cuffs with special inscriptions carved through the surface. ¡°He should grant me another visit with this reward.¡± The boy bent down to bind Yumi, but a new wind suddenly burst from her. A reddish glow tinted her skin. It made the boy take a step back cautiously. ¡°I thought I knocked her out. She shouldn¡¯t have any more will.¡± Yumi¡¯s body stood up, but held still. It had fluid movements as though in control. She didn¡¯t appear to be reacting by impulse or instinct. However, her eyes remained closed and her head tilted down darkening her face in shadow. The wind gathered up some of the hue coming from Yumi painting the environment an unusual red pigment. The Atlantean stepped forward with his Field still active. He raised his hand up to her forehead again. If she could stand, he needed to finish his job. However, her hand grabbed him by the wrist before he could get close enough. ¡°What?!¡± Her head pulled back bringing light to her face. A harsh and sharply carved feature covered her face. Yumi was the same, but looked completely different from before. She opened her eyes revealing them to be light blue rather than the usual medium brown. ¡°You made a mistake putting her to sleep. I¡¯m not so kind as her¡­¡± A stream of blood rose into the air. The blood painted the boy¡¯s face in shock as his eyes widened. ¡°How is¡­this possible¡­¡± Chapter 157 - Hidden Blade The Atlantean staggered back clutching his shoulder. Unfortunately, the wound he took was more than just a hand could cover. His wound stretched diagonally across his chest cutting to the bone and through the shoulder. No injuries made it to his organs, but the blood loss from the wound was troubling enough for him. He still didn¡¯t understand what happened. Everything went as he planned. Nothing failed. Yet something changed to destroy his plan. The pieces he carefully placed fell apart before her. All of the arranged traps triggered correctly, but she stood again. Each calculation he made didn¡¯t explain it. The pain challenged his focus. His vision started to blur a little and his legs no longer felt like they had the strength to support. ¡®A one-shot defeat? What¡¯s happening? It doesn¡¯t make any sense!¡¯ Chapter 157 ¨C Hidden Blade ¡°You look a little confused,¡± remarked Yumi. She stepped forward with a menacing presence. Since she stood up once more, the air about her was completely different. The boy took a step back again, snapped to his senses by her voice. His effort to keep his distance tripped his feet. It dropped him to his knee trying to recover. ¡°¡­you broke free¡­how?¡± She tilted her head up a little looking down at him through the bottom of her eyes. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m free, but not in the meaning of your question. Your little plan to take her out by overloading her mentally worked. That¡¯s the reason I¡¯m here.¡± He still couldn¡¯t follow her. The words confirmed for him it worked as he thought. However, the rest of her answer only confused him. Little time remained for him. He wondered if he made a mistake in questioning something he couldn¡¯t change. No escape remained for him. ¡®Just have to stall¡­¡¯ A back up was set in place for all of them. He needed to drag things out until they came to relieve him. It would not be long, only a few minutes. ¡°How is that¡­possible? If I succeeded you¡­shouldn¡¯t be¡­standing.¡± Yumi stepped forward to the soldier until only half a meter stood between them. She sent an uninterested stare down at him. The look in her eye made it clear that she saw no value in him, even as an enemy. ¡°You aren¡¯t anywhere close to being my equal. I¡¯ve no interest in furthering this pointless conversation. All you can do is die.¡± Her hand rose to the teenager with a red glow building in it. Sweat built up on his neck staring down the girl. ¡®No chance! I thought the reports said they weren¡¯t like this¡­¡¯ His imminent demise tensed his body. For the moment, he forgot about all the pain that paralyzed him to kneel. He forgot about the blood pouring from his body making it difficult to see straight. Only one option remained for him. The safety of waiting transformed into desperation to live. Rippling at his feet declared his intention to act. Yumi didn¡¯t have enough time to finish the attack before he came for her. Black spikes jumped up from the ground in all directions. Their speed made it seem as if they were just a blur. However, they all came to a sudden stop. Strange sounds of scrapping came from them as something blocked their progress. More sweat came from the Atlantean. His eye twitched a bit not expecting the first attempt to fail. ¡®I don¡¯t see anything¡­¡¯ It took him another moment of examination to finally understand. A faint red wall stopped it all. It was so transparent it was almost invisible. He remembered noting sections of a barrier around her before, but nothing so difficult to see. ¡®She really doesn¡¯t feel the same as before¡­just who is she?!¡¯ The spikes shattered under unusual pressure. It pinned down the teenager as well. Gravity seemed to increase everywhere. Nothing moved, except for Yumi. She moved her arm again to complete the strike interrupted before. Red light glowed from her fingers with no hesitation. He lowered his eyes to the ground. Nothing stopped her. A surprise attack amounted to nothing. ¡®This is it, huh? Killed by a rebel¡­¡¯ He closed his eyes. His mind turned back on memories. The only hope kept him going the entire time. The only reason he fought so willingly for the military. He just wanted things to stay the same. ¡®¡­sorry¡­I wish I could have seen you once more¡­¡¯ ¡°What did you say?¡± he questioned, unable to believe his ears. Standing before him, Commander Abeiron held a paper in his hand with the official seal of the Captain of the South Gate. ¡°Second Lieutenant Galen has been given a week leave to use as you wish. Do you understand?¡± Abeiron fixed him with a stern glare that made him difficult to read, as anything but annoyed, though was still uncertain if it was just him being strict. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Galen snapped back straight, picking up the intention from his superior officer. ¡°Yes, sir! I understand!¡± ¡°Good.¡± He handed the paper over to Galen to complete the process. ¡°Give this to your Squad Captain.¡± Gladly accepting, Galen took the paper into his hands. He had to stare at it for a few moments to truly believe it was real. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the Commander no longer within sight. He dropped his hands down searching him out. Abeiron nearly made it out of the hall before Galen spotted him. ¡°Thank you, sir!¡± Abeiron stopped for a moment and tilted his eyes back towards the very young officer. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He left the area without any more words. Abeiron marched through the halls still confused by the sudden order. Like with most of the MP users, he knew little about them. Most of his responsibility fell to the regular humans in the division. In front of him, the Captain¡¯s office waited. He knocked and waited until he received permission to enter. Simonides looked up from his desk. Piles of paperwork covered the surface and the floors. The secret side of their Captain revealed only to Abeiron. His careful planning and command disguised the fact he forgot about his more mundane tasks as Captain until it was too late. He wanted to know everything and understand everything before acting. An odd trait considering he spoke highly of his gut feelings. ¡°There something wrong, Abeiron?¡± His eyes only lifted for a split-second from the desk. He knew his Captain for years and thought he understood the way he acted. Abeiron had the room to question him freely without concern for position. ¡°Why did you give out a leave request to someone so new?¡± The question paused Simonides¡¯ hand from the writing he had been doing since before Abeiron entered. ¡°Oh, are you referring to the one I ordered to be given to Second Lieutenant Galen?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Because he is new.¡± He continued back at his writing, as though the answer explained everything. It wasn¡¯t enough for Abeiron. He tightened his hands. ¡°Sorry, but that makes less sense. There are other soldiers that have been here far longer that have made requests for leave.¡± The writing stopped again. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m aware of each of the requests. As you know we can only grant so many at a time and I¡¯m going through them based on the needs of the individual.¡± ¡°Then explain to me how a fresh officer off of graduation, who hasn¡¯t even requested leave, made the top of the list?¡± By the end of his words, Abeiron felt his emotions starting to get the better of him. He forced himself to be composed, however the unreasonable answers from his Captain made it difficult. Abeiron¡¯s demand brought Simonides to a full stop. He pulled back from his desk to fix him with a stare. Their eyes locked for a couple of moments. Simonides never cracked from a flat expression. He stood up suddenly and walked over to a cabinet. Retrieving a folder from the cabinet, he dropped it on top of his desk. ¡°There¡¯s one thing that I can be thankful for from the Omega Division. Their unsettlingly detailed personal reports.¡± ¡°Sir?¡± The mood hadn¡¯t changed from before, but Abeiron felt Simonides no longer playing defensive with him. He felt the truth surfacing. Simonides flipped open the folder. A photo of Galen was attached at the top. The thickness of the file went past a fresh officer. ¡°This is our young officer¡¯s report as you see. Despite their methods, Omega has its uses. It is why I request these every time we are given a new MP.¡± It still took time for Abeiron to understand the direction. He knew the Captain took time to know each of his soldiers. ¡°What was it?¡± Abeiron could only guess that he learned something important. ¡°Family.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The folder closed with Simonides¡¯ hand pressed against it. ¡°Do you know why I go so far for them, Abeiron?¡± He shook his head. It was something he largely just accepted being his Commanding Officer and not questioning odd traits. Abeiron felt as long as he was a good leader the rest didn¡¯t need explanation. ¡°I know you remember all of the soldiers here by name. While you don¡¯t always have time, you make frequent visits to the barracks.¡± ¡°But that isn¡¯t an answer.¡± Simonides raised Galen¡¯s file up. ¡°Many of the members of the military within the ranks of the MPs are here against their will. Military service for them is a requirement, not a choice.¡± ¡°Sir¡­¡± It was no secret to Abeiron, but he felt like the words were bordering on treason. A hand rose to stop Abeiron. ¡°I¡¯m not making a judgment of how the King carries out his rule. All I¡¯m saying is that because many are not here by choice it means they are not motivated and willing. While I may be doing all this so that I get soldiers that work and obey, these are people I want to feel comfortable here. So I learn what makes them tick.¡± He felt like he was learning an unsettling side of his Captain. The concern he felt for them he knew to be genuine. Such interest extended to everyone. However, the focus seemed a little too thorough. It almost felt manipulative. ¡°And your answer for him is his family?¡± he concluded. ¡°Correct,¡± agreed Simonides. ¡°The pressure and prejudice these people face on a daily basis is not something I can change. All I can do is make their lives a little more bearable while they¡¯re under my command.¡± ¡°There¡¯s reasons why people feel that way, Cap-¡° ¡°Yes, I know. And you can say my motives are selfish in wanting to appease dangerous people and keep them under thumb by knowing all of their secrets.¡± Simonides turned away. He walked back to the cabinet and returned the file. As the door closed, he looked back at Abeiron over his shoulder. ¡°Did you know that he managed to evade detection by the Military Scouts for fourteen years? When they found him he resisted capture. In the end, they had to bring in MPs to subdue him. You know that he requested the South Gate assignment.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± Simonides sat down behind his desk. ¡°It took me a while to put the pieces together. He always made sure to stay away. I noticed that one thing was always missing from the reports.¡± ¡°Family?¡± ¡°Yes, he was protecting them. There¡¯s nothing that he cares about more.¡± Galen arrived back in his hometown after more than a year away. He noticed nothing much changed about the village. It made him glad to see things were still peaceful. After his capture, he worried what might have happened to it. They told him nothing. He stood in front of his home never expecting to see it again. The manner he saw the others treated and the attitude of those in command, he had reconciled himself to never returning home. The talents he had made him favorable for assignment to the border guard. He counted himself fortunate, but he was still far away. The waiting seemed like forever after he knocked. He got so excited thinking about their faces. They weren¡¯t just memories anymore. He could see them once more. When the door opened and his mother stood in the threshold, shocked to see him back, all he could do was cry. Galen thought he bled them away already through the sleepless nights thinking about them. ¡°I¡¯m home!¡± he cried, hugging on to her. ¡®Goodbye¡­¡¯ Galen¡¯s face looked melancholic the moment before his life ended. He lied on his back. Blood poured out from the new wound in his chest. Tears built up in his eyes once more. Through the watery lenses, he could see them once more smiling back at him. Chapter 158 - Product of Despair The normally colder nights of Atlantis felt unusually hot. It was almost unbearable to deal with, even though most didn¡¯t notice the change. Sweat and blood hung in the air with chaos mixing elements. Order struggled to hold on with the unrelenting power of inhuman beings clashing. None of it concerned Photine. She still wore a simple robe that Heber insisted she wear during her recovery. Photine didn¡¯t believe she needed to sleep in an infirmary to recover her mental energy. After Heber finished his work, her body had no injuries. Her health was perfect, physically at least. In the ensuing chaos of the attack, it made it difficult for her to do anything. They pulled back all of the patients to safer distances. Blood dripped down her face to tap her forearm. It forced the muscles in her arm to tense up. Her mind fell back to the images of the infirmary tent only minutes after the attack began. A large chunk of debris ripped through the tent destroying any peace. It immediately alerted the attention of Heber and others under his command. The sudden attack brought all three of the MP users out of their cots to stare at each other. Photine glanced over at the debris. Blood pooled out from behind it wetting the dirt. All she saw free was someone¡¯s mangled arm separated from their body. It widened her eyes abruptly and jumped her heart rate. ¡°What the hell?!¡± She jumped out of her cot, but felt a strong force behind her. Her head tilted over her shoulder to see her cot missing. ¡°Someone help me!¡± ¡°It hurts!¡± Screams of the injured surrounded Photine. She spun around trying to figure out what happened. Nothing made sense to her, everything happened too fast for her to process it all. Her heart pounded stronger and her palms turned clammy with sweat. A scalding wind burst through the tattered remains of their tent. Bright red light blinded her right eye. She caught sight from her partial vision of the towering flames shooting around nearby them. Photine no longer could mistake the cause of the destruction. ¡°¡­they¡¯re here¡­¡± rattled her voice barely kept in control. Explosions went off throwing around pieces from the ruined tents. Cloth from the infirmary tent tore again. A struggling groan escaped someone¡¯s lips near to Photine. She turned around to find who was injured. ¡°Antipas!¡± she yelped, as she knelt down to his side. ¡°How bad is it?¡± All she saw was blood everywhere, but no injury. Antipas coughed from his position on the ground. Blood poured from his mouth splattering the grass. He slowly lifted himself over with the help of Photine. ¡°¡­oh¡­¡± he muttered, his eyes cast down at the large chunk of wood embedded in his chest. The sight made him cough again, but it felt worse as though something inside him ripped. More blood dripped down his lips. He worked up a brave face for the horror filled Photine. ¡°It¡¯s not so bad¡­¡± ¡°What are you saying?!¡± She looked over at the rest of the area that used to be a tent. Screams and blood filled everything. Heber and all of his assistants scrambled around trying to save everyone. She saw his Field already working on stabilizing those in shock. ¡°I¡¯ll go get someone for you! You just stay here! Don¡¯t move!¡± Photine tried to stand up, but Antipas grabbed onto her arm at the wrist. His eyes already looked dark underneath and his face began to turn pale. ¡°¡­it¡¯s fine¡­¡± Her head pulled down towards him confused by his words. ¡°No, it¡¯s not! You need to be treated!¡± Another cough showed his worsening state. It drew Photine back in. ¡°I can feel Heber¡¯s work, but I¡¯m too far away. His Field is too weak¡­here. All it¡¯s doing is dragging things out.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll carry you closer!¡± Antipas shook his head. ¡°No, I can feel it tearing me up inside.¡± Photine lost her breath. She hardly knew Antipas. They never worked together until the morning, but suddenly found tears dripping down her cheeks. She didn¡¯t know how long she had been crying. ¡®I can¡¯t¡­let him¡­¡¯ Her eyes closed to focus. Ripples came out from her feet signaling her Field activation. However, a crushing squeeze on her wrist broke her concentration. ¡°¡­what do you¡ª¡° ¡°No, you don¡¯t have¡­as much control of your Field¡­do you?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The pain tore through his chest again forcing up more coughing. His breathing ran shallow. ¡°You can¡¯t use your Field¡­ ¡­you¡¯ll interfere with his¡­I¡¯m only one¡­he can save¡­dozens¡­¡± She choked on the thought. Her mind divided with thoughts of the others and Antipas. Photine shook her head to throw out the thoughts. ¡°I¡¯ll save you! I don¡¯t care!¡± She placed her hand on his hand that held on to her. His strength started to weaken. Ripples pooled out from her feet again. Desperation shortened her breath. Faint light gathered around her at the start, but another hand grabbed onto Photine. Antipas pulled at her, as he could no longer support himself. His bloodied hand rested along the side of her face with his fingers clumped between her hair. ¡°¡­what?!¡± Stolen novel; please report. He smiled up at her. Photine fought him, but found her strength missing. ¡°It¡¯s fine¡­ this isn¡¯t so bad¡­¡± ¡°What are you saying?! I can save you!¡± She tried again to get up, but could only hover above him with her hand holding her up. Antipas rubbed his thumb over Photine¡¯s cheek, smearing blood. ¡°I always thought¡­it might¡­be nice¡­to¡­¡± A cough interrupted him, but it drained away most of his strength. He could barely breathe anymore. ¡°¡­die in¡­the arms of¡­a beautiful¡­woman¡­¡± His smile grew a little more. Photine blushed a little, taken back by his words. ¡°Antipas! What¡ª¡° She stopped herself when she realized that he stopped breathing. Her heart stopped for a second. Everything around her went silent. She thought she shouted out for him, but she couldn¡¯t hear anything. Blood dripped down her cheek again echoing through her memories. It snapped her back. ¡°¡­he¡¯s dead¡­¡± Her eyes held a dead look buried amongst hardened features built on despair. Chapter 158 ¨C Product of Despair She stumbled around in her robe with little direction in mind. Fighting occurred around her, but she couldn¡¯t intervene into someone¡¯s fight. Nothing remained for her. Photine needed something to do. She wanted to do anything. Her body felt hot. The festering inside wouldn¡¯t disappear. A body collapsed to the ground dead. The weight of the life lost rang through her ears. Photine turned her eyes up, suddenly awakened by the sound. Her eyes widened in surprise. She never expected to see her again. ¡°¡­you¡­¡± Everything in her body suddenly became alert and honed. Yumi straightened herself back out. Blood dripped across her face from the last act she made. Her eyes readjusted, feeling another foe nearby. ¡°So it¡¯s you.¡± Yumi''s face changed to disappointment. She turned away from Photine. Ripples sprinted out from Photine¡¯s feet altering the entire area into a dust bowl of rocky terrain. None of the camp remained in the area. Photine ran up to close their distance. ¡°I¡¯m not letting you go! You¡¯ll pay for your crimes today!¡± Pausing for a moment, Yumi turned her head over her shoulder. A clarity in her eyes existed with a greater sense of deduction. ¡°So you¡¯ve included Japanese in your Field. However, I¡¯ve no interest in chatting with someone she beat. Leave my sight.¡± Already breathing heavily, Photine leaned forward a bit. She struggled to keep herself together. The image of Antipas burned in the back of her eyes. An array of swords erupted from the ground meant to block the path of Yumi. ¡°You¡¯re not going anywhere. I don¡¯t care if you don¡¯t have an interest in me. I¡¯m putting an end to your chaos! No more will die!¡± She raised an eyebrow a little amused by the guts of the woman. However, her expression otherwise remained unchanged. ¡°You¡¯re of no interest. I only want to fight those that are strong. You¡¯re weak if she was able to defeat you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll show you who¡¯s weak!¡± Several of the swords flew quickly at Yumi in reaction to Photine. However, they all missed their targets. The weapons recovered from their failure and hovered opposite of the remaining, surrounding Yumi. Crossing her arms, Yumi turned to face Photine. ¡°Acting on anger? Your powers won¡¯t be of much use to you with emotions clouding your mind. You were better before.¡± Photine gritted her teeth together. It bothered her that she missed her attack, however it annoyed her more that Yumi was correct. She lost control of her weapons and they responded on her instinct rather than on her command. ¡°Shut up! You don¡¯t know me! You don¡¯t know anything! You aren¡¯t even one of us, are you?¡± She panted again after her explosion of words. A bit of a smirk built up on Yumi. ¡°So you¡¯ve finally figured it out. You acted as if we used the same powers. You¡¯ve stopped making assumptions. You¡¯re correct, we aren¡¯t the same.¡± She blurted it all out suddenly without much of a thought, but the answer shocked her more. Photine gasped for a moment. ¡®What?! You can¡¯t be serious? I just thought¡­I didn¡¯t know¡­ It just seemed strange, but to be right! Then I was right!¡¯ It took her a little more to take it all in after hearing it. She only thought and guessed about it while recovering. ¡°Then what are you?¡± ¡°There is no name for us yet other than Japanese. There hasn¡¯t been enough time for someone to think one up yet.¡± Yumi turned away, no longer interested in the conversation. She waved a careless hand back at Photine and began to walk away. ¡°Bye.¡± Photine motioned all of her weapons in to surround Yumi. However, a puff of wind blew out from the ground as she jumped into the air effortlessly evading them. She turned it into a smooth flip to touchdown beyond their reach. Another missed only angered Photine more. ¡°I didn¡¯t say you could leave!¡± Her body heat only continued to rise. No longer bothering to look back at Photine, Yumi spoke from the spot she landed. ¡°I don¡¯t believe you can do anything to prevent it. Besides, someone as worked up as you over grief doesn¡¯t belong in a fight.¡± The shaking in her body became uncontrollable for Photine. Dozens of weapons materialized around Yumi. Sweat beaded up on her face. ¡°What do you know?! You¡¯re going down!¡± A sigh escaped Yumi¡¯s lips. The numbers increased around her making dodging more difficult. She slid around on the heel of her foot to face Photine. ¡°I generally don¡¯t make it a habit of fighting those too weak to fight back, but I guess I don¡¯t have much of a choice.¡± ¡°That cocky attitude won¡¯t last! Just because you beat me once doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯ll be the same!¡± ¡°You¡¯re right about it not being the same.¡± Yumi motioned her arm to summon up a barrier. Ten red barriers appeared around her. ¡°Her powers might not be what I¡¯m used to, but it doesn¡¯t mean that I can¡¯t make better use of them.¡± Lines appeared through the barriers causing them to divide. It segmented them into hundreds of pieces. They all rapidly spun around her and then subdivided further quadrupling the number in the air. Thousands of sections of the barrier created a deep impossible to navigate maelstrom. All of the pieces then suddenly stopped. They flattened out set up all around her. In an instant, the pieces disappeared as barely visible blurs of red light. The air around them exploded into shards. Red particles and metal chunks rained around to the ground. Photine clinched her fists at the sight. ¡°Don¡¯t think that¡¯ll make me back down!¡± She began to move to summon more of her weapons. However, a shadow appeared behind her, setting the hair on the back of her neck on edge. A dark voice spoke out to her. ¡°I didn¡¯t think it would.¡± Quickly following the words, a flash of light arced through air. Blood sprayed up in the aftermath. Instinct was the only thing that saved Photine. She already started to jump away when Yumi attacked, but she didn¡¯t get out clean. Her right arm hung at her side bleeding heavily from the nearly severed limb. The pain made her twitch in her face. Photine quickly modified her trench coat to tighten off her arm to staunch the wound. She bit through the stabbing it produced. It made her pant heavily for a couple of breaths to recover. ¡°You really aren¡¯t the same¡­¡± Yumi relaxed her hand lightly dipped in Photine¡¯s blood. She glanced back over at Photine. ¡°The speed isn¡¯t to the level I¡¯m used to, but it¡¯s still enough to deal with normal humans.¡± ¡°Is that right?!¡± she yelled. More weapons appeared around her, but in fewer numbers. The look in her eyes was completely consumed with rage. ¡°There¡¯s nothing normal about me!¡± She sent the weapons quickly speeding towards Yumi to become blurs. The act only elicited a bored raise of her eyebrow. ¡°Same tactics¡­making them faster won¡¯t save you¡­¡± She lifted her hand to erect barriers to slice the weapons. The barriers quickly materialized and spun around moments before the weapons entered the perimeter. ¡°This¡¯ll end the same way.¡± An explosion of metal shattered the weapons and clouded the area. However, Photine held a smirk on her face, making Yumi curious. She looked up at the debris cloud to see it suddenly divide. A single sword broke through unharmed. Yumi¡¯s face held a flicker of surprise for a moment before another barrier rose. The sword pierced through the barrier destroying it without even stopping. Trails of blood painted the ground and Yumi¡¯s arm. Her face narrowed suddenly, becoming serious for once. Another set of weapons appeared all around Yumi. ¡°This is the end for you! This isn¡¯t the same fight as last time! I¡¯ve seen what you can do and I¡¯ve created special counter measures for everything! This won¡¯t be like before!¡± Chapter 159 - Reality of Fiction Examining her wound, Yumi noted the condition of her arm. The blood made everything seem worse than reality. ¡®¡­rather shallow¡­ could¡¯ve gone for the kill, but didn¡¯t¡­ she was making a point¡­¡¯ Yumi dropped the remaining pieces of her barrier. It served her no use if it no longer had a purpose. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so quick to make that judgment. The powers she has aren¡¯t so limited.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen your powers. I¡¯ve calculated for all of them.¡± All the talking did little to change her situation. She had to do something about the weapons. ¡®The last time she used only one of her special swords disguised amongst the rest. She did it to catch me off guard. I can only assume these are all the same barrier-cutting type. The trick¡¯s out of the bag, no sense hiding it.¡¯ Yumi analyzed the blades to discern their difference. The variance and quality were all so random they all looked the same. Her eyes slid over at her side judging the distance. Options ran short as well as uncertainty. ¡®Considering their powers, it wouldn¡¯t need to be any different. Just something inherit. Only one choice remains then¡­¡¯ Yumi leapt into the air. She saw the weapons response delay significantly before they ran to her previous location. ¡®So she¡¯s got full control right now. That¡¯ll slow them down.¡¯ Yumi hovered in the air several meters above the cluster of metal. She extended her arm towards the spot. Her eyes narrowed as the seconds worked through. Nothing changed for her. Each second wasted away until the weapons turned around and charged for Yumi. Still caught in the moment, she dodged late and found a new wound on her arm. She dropped down to the ground staring over at Photine. ¡°You¡¯ve sealed her telekinesis.¡± Photine nodded to Yumi with growing smugness. ¡°I told you. You can¡¯t win.¡± Chapter 159 ¨C Reality of Fiction Staring back down at her hand, Yumi began to understand. The confirmation from Photine gave her what she needed to work the problem. It troubled her. The implications wielded in the power. ¡°You added a rule to your Field to negate telekinesis.¡± The weapons moved back into an encirclement position of Yumi. Photine took a couple of steps towards her feeling safer in her situation. ¡°It¡¯s not something normally very useful. Canceling things that don¡¯t exist is not something that¡¯s needed. The more practical application of this is eliminating friction, gravity or something that exists in the normal laws of physics.¡± ¡°Not really needed against others like you,¡± agreed Yumi. She understood the limitless possibilities of their powers, but the crippling application of them against her gave her more appreciation. Yumi found a new challenge. ¡°When someone can cancel your Field with theirs it¡¯s pointless to try to neutralize their powers. However, we¡¯re different. We¡¯ve become our own reality. So you can rewrite our reality. But only if you understand us.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad you understand.¡± Materializing several more weapons, they closed in to prevent any escape. Even above, all directions locked down. Photine lifted her arm to keep control of the swords. ¡°Now that I¡¯ve crushed your powers and hope for escape. I¡¯ll rip you apart! Just like you did to the soldiers here!¡± Motioning with her free arm, a new thin blade appeared above Photine. It had a smooth edge heavily polished and sharpened. Floating in the air, it seemed to split everything that even dared to approach. Yumi raised her brow a little with disbelief. ¡°You can¡¯t kill me with those eyes.¡± She stared through the prison of blades, unconcerned by their presence. The gaze she met with Photine ran so deep Photine couldn¡¯t turn away. It drew her in, unable to escape. A thin line drew across Photine¡¯s lips with only a glimpse of her teeth bared. They ground together responding to her thoughts. Photine struggled to keep her arms stretched out. Shaking began to spread through her body and affect her muscles. ¡°You don¡¯t know anything about me!¡± ¡°But I can see your eyes,¡± commented Yumi. ¡°You don¡¯t have what it takes. You¡¯ve never killed anyone. You still have your innocence.¡± Her emotions began to control her again. All of the weapons slid in closer to Yumi. The tightened net left only centimeters between the tips of the blades and Yumi. ¡°I have no innocence! No one here does! It¡¯s all stolen away! So don¡¯t talk to me like you know anything! You grew up in a safe home without fear or oppression! So don¡¯t you dare even start to talk like you understand!¡± Yumi crossed her arms. Her features didn¡¯t budge for a second. ¡°A fear so deep and primal it makes even your bones feel cold. Lasting for so long that it becomes the only feeling you understand. It becomes your companion and yet it is so strong that you never can feel its release as it always presses down with no remorse. Not even being able to lift your head because they might see you, recognize you. You only wish it were like a cage, because then you could stop running. The emptiness of knowing it is the only thing that will be with you. That is true fear.¡± Photine took a step back. The words alone didn¡¯t unnerve her as much as the cold stare, which persisted through everything. Her eyes spoke volumes more than the words. They pierced into her being. She felt the raw emotions. There was something more to her. Photine didn¡¯t want to believe it, but it froze her emotions off. It sobered her to things she missed before. ¡®Damn it! What¡¯s with her? She¡¯s not like the last time at all!¡¯ She wondered whom she fought. She felt the age and experience in her. Things didn¡¯t add up correctly. ¡°You speak as though you know it too well. And act like you¡¯re familiar with death. The outside world is nothing like here.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯ve been killing since before you were born. The world I¡¯m from is far harsher and deadly than here.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡° she interrupted herself. She wanted to deny it immediately, but something inside her told her otherwise. It didn¡¯t feel right. What was her enemy? ¡°You¡¯re lying! You¡¯re too young to be making such claims!¡± The mysterious girl tilted her head, appearing almost amused by the rejection. However, her eyes remained fixed on Photine without a break. ¡°Believe what you want, but I¡¯ve no need for lies. You shouldn¡¯t use her body as your measurement.¡± A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°¡­her?¡± It seemed an unimportant detail. One she forgot before, many times. The word kept repeating and Photine finally noticed. ¡®She keeps speaking like that, as though not herself. Talking about herself as though it was someone else.¡¯ Photine narrowed her eyes a bit. The clarity from her calmness finally gave her time for rational thought. ¡®I can¡¯t believe I missed it before! No wonder she doesn¡¯t feel the same!¡¯ Unfortunately, logic gave her something even more unsettling. She still needed answers. Answers had to come from her enemy. She wasn¡¯t sure if she could trust them. But her enemy was different and she needed to understand. Photine didn¡¯t have much choice. ¡°Who are you? You aren¡¯t the same person I fought before, are you?¡± Her foot drew her forward as a show of her confidence. She couldn¡¯t have any visible weakness. ¡°Oh?¡± The question changed the expression on her face. ¡°So you¡¯ve finally calmed down enough to realize that?¡± ¡°Enough with the arrogance! Who are you?!¡± ¡°I was present during the time when she fought with you. I¡¯m the one that looks after her. I¡¯m called Masa.¡± ¡°Masa?¡± questioned Photine. So much said still didn¡¯t make a lot of sense to her. She felt like the girl spoke to her riddles. It had a disembodied feeling to the words. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you¡¯re someone else or not. You¡¯ve violated our laws. And you¡¯ve killed a soldier. You¡¯re under arrest!¡± Masa seemed a little disappointed. Her arms dropped to her sides. ¡°Not planning to kill me anymore?¡± A small smirk crept across her face just before the wind blew out from the point she stood. Light flashed from her hands and exploded almost immediately. Clouds of debris and dirt made it impossible to see. ¡°You would have had a chance if you wanted to kill me.¡± Chunks of metal from Photine¡¯s weapons fell to the ground adding confusion to the scene. Realizing something happened, all of the weapons cut through the veil. Photine let out a click of her tongue when her swords found nothing. ¡®She¡¯s escaped¡­but where?¡¯ All of her tools pulled back around her in defense. ¡°You can¡¯t escape me!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not escaping,¡± Masa whispered, behind Photine. A flash appeared with the trailing of blood. Masa narrowed her eyes as she gazed down at Photine. Photine panted heavily feeling the wound in her waist. She thought with the way Masa looked she should have died. ¡®Why didn¡¯t she kill me?¡¯ However, she forced her mind to focus on the problem in front of her. She called in her blades to take care of Masa. She disappeared from Photine¡¯s sight again. Explosions and a shower of metal remained the only things left behind. Masa resurfaced a few meters away from Photine unaffected. She even held one of Photine¡¯s swords. ¡°There¡¯s still things you don¡¯t know about us.¡± Masa turned the blade out to point at Photine. Light erupted from within the blade creating cracks along the surface. It exploded a moment later. ¡®What did I miss? I thought she used everything the last time!¡¯ Confusion filled inside Photine. She searched for the missing piece, but it only distracted her. It left her with openings. Masa appeared before her with a raised arm. A glance up from Photine gave her enough to know what went through her mind. ¡°Don¡¯t ask for an explanation. I kill my opponents and nothing more. I was only buying time before.¡± She plunged her arm down drawing up blood. Her features narrowed again looking down at Photine. Photine coughed from the pain, but realized she was still very much alive. ¡®Again? What¡¯s going on? Why did she miss twice?¡¯ ¡°Damn, she¡¯s already waking up.¡± Wrinkles drew across her face. The time she had ran short. ¡®I¡¯ll have to end this before she completely awakes¡­¡¯ Masa¡¯s started to glow with a faint red light. It highlighted contours of her fingers to make them appear sharper than usual. The events disturbed Photine. She didn¡¯t understand why Masa missed killing her. The look she found in her eyes told her she had no reservation about it. In fact, the look of death in her eyes was part of what made Masa so unnerving. She was nothing like what she encountered before. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ Focusing everything on Photine, Masa pushed back Yumi as much as she could from their mind. She only needed seconds in complete control to end it. ¡®I¡¯ll clear away the dirty work, that you don¡¯t have the heart to do yourself¡­¡¯ Her hand began moving down towards Photine. It shone brighter than before, ready. ¡®No! Stop it!¡¯ Everything froze. Turning her eyes to the side within her mind, she saw Yumi clinging to her arm. ¡®This is how the world works. Your enemies die or you die. There¡¯s no middle ground.¡¯ Tears built up around the bottom of Yumi¡¯s eyes, too small to fall. ¡®You can¡¯t! Such a world is just¡­¡¯ ¡®You¡¯re being too soft. You need to face reality.¡¯ ¡®There¡¯s another way!¡¯ ¡®If you want that strength you so desperately desire, this is the only way!¡¯ ¡®Then I¡¯ll find my own strength!¡¯ replied Yumi, narrowing her eyes. Determination built up around her features shining through her eyes. Masa sighed at the signs of Yumi¡¯s willfulness. Her muscles relaxed. She stood up to face Yumi. ¡®The reality you face is worse than the one I present to you.¡¯ ¡®Maybe, but this is how I want things.¡¯ She shrugged to Yumi, completely relinquishing control over to her. ¡®You¡¯re the boss. Remember I¡¯m always nearby¡­¡¯ Masa faded away from Yumi¡¯s presence. However, it wasn¡¯t quite over for her yet. Beyond Yumi¡¯s purview other presences appeared, but didn¡¯t make themselves seen. She still knew they watched her in judgment of her actions. Masa crossed her arms, not intimidated. She looked up at the white void. ¡°This is what you get when you send someone like me. Don¡¯t like the results then stop hiding, otherwise you¡¯ve got no position to be passing judgment. I kept her alive and out of the hands of the enemy.¡± Silence spun around in building tension. ¡°Still nothing? Then keep out of my way. She wants strength, first she needs to lose that innocence and naivety. I put her on that path. This is how I teach.¡± Stillness surrounded Photine as Masa stared down at her unmoved. If she planned to kill her, pausing seemed a strange tactic. Thoughts of countering surfaced in her mind, but staggered with inaction. It wasn¡¯t her wounds, which held her back from acting. The uncertainty, from someone that bested her a second time, froze her movements, even if it seemed like they were different. Photine waited to act. Across from her, Yumi¡¯s features smoothed out from the harshness that previously shaped them. She pulled back her arm with the glow turning green before fading away. Her eyes darted around picking up the scene. ¡°This is reality¡­¡± A questioning tone came through in her voice with some uncertainty. Yumi¡¯s eyes widened and her pupils¡¯ shrank when they laid upon a bloody corpse. She immediately recognized it. ¡°¡­the boy¡­I did this¡­¡± An awkward cough from Photine drew her attention. She narrowed her eyes as Yumi. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why are you playing tricks on me, Masa?¡± Yumi froze for a moment before turning around to face Photine. ¡°It¡¯s you!¡± Yumi exclaimed, recognizing Photine. It took a few moments to process everything that happened. The fight she interrupted made it clear to her. ¡°So you were fighting with her.¡± ¡°What?¡± Photine pushed herself back up to her feet. The presence of Yumi felt nothing like that of Masa. She started to believe that the one she spoke with before was gone. ¡®I¡¯m injured, but I can still move¡­ She doesn¡¯t look like she''ll be of much challenge¡­¡¯ Weapons surfaced from the dirt of the field and moved to surround her. The movement of the swords alerted Yumi to the situation. ¡°You¡¯re still wanting to fight in your condition?¡± Yumi didn¡¯t need an answer from Photine. Her eyes told her everything that she needed to know. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll just have to defeat you again!¡± Chapter 160 - Phantoms ¡°Brave words for someone that can¡¯t kill me.¡± Photine managed another array of weapons to surround Yumi. Escape routes closed tighter than before. She couldn¡¯t let a repeat of before happen. The scene looked familiar to Yumi, but she didn¡¯t know the reason. She remembered the weapons that Photine used against her, however the exact setup shouldn¡¯t have been so similar to something. Yumi didn¡¯t waste much time on it. She summoned up her barrier to protect her. ¡®Last time her sword needed a lot of force to break through¡­ I¡¯ll take advantage of that¡­¡¯ Ready, she shifted her stance a little to act. A narrowed look came from Photine¡¯s eyes. ¡°Just because you¡¯re using a different color for your barrier the results will still be the same.¡± Moving slowly, the swords all closed in piercing Yumi¡¯s barrier as though it didn¡¯t exist. Yumi flinched, reacting to her barrier. It made her eyes widened in surprise. ¡°How? This didn¡¯t happen before!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Photine suddenly felt confused. Signs already made her question what happened to Masa. Each time she spoke only made it worse. ¡®She¡¯s acting like our fight never happened. What¡¯s going on?¡¯ ¡®Is this like what happened before? My powers aren¡¯t working correctly anymore?¡¯ Unfortunately, her memories tied to those moments carried unpleasant ones as well. Images of her nightmares stalked her shadows. She knew nothing was behind her, but it didn¡¯t stop a chill from going up her spine. A cold sweat broke out over her body. It remembered everything too well. Yumi shook her head trying to clear her mind. ¡®I¡¯ve got to focus. It¡¯s behind me. Just a nightmare¡­¡¯ ¡°Tricks don¡¯t seem like your style, Masa. What¡¯s your game?¡± ¡°Masa?¡± The voice gave her something to focus on, something not connected to her delusions. ¡°Who¡¯s Masa?¡± New questions surfaced for Photine. She felt like their fight disappeared further from her grasp. ¡®Is this the other personality that she spoke about? I went with it since it made matters simpler at the time, but if it is true there¡¯s another personality inside. What happened to cause this change? She reminds me of how she was when I first fought her¡­¡¯ Photine needed new answers. Her opponent kept changing. She wished she actually understood her. It was the only way to win. ¡°Are you claiming not to be Masa?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know a Masa. My name is Yumi, not Masa.¡± ¡°Different names?¡± It made her eyes narrow. ¡®She¡¯s not lying from the look of it. So the one before was telling the truth? Two completely distinct personalities¡­¡¯ The thought brought a bit of a smirk to her face. The situation changed back to her favor. ¡°So you¡¯re the original? Whichever, I have you surrounded. There¡¯s nothing you can do to resist me! You''re mine now!¡± Chapter 160 ¨C Phantoms In spite of her injuries, Photine bore out confidence in her words. She could still stand and move, though slowly. However, she didn¡¯t need to do anything to capture Yumi. She knew the situation better after Yumi revealed her identity. Everything was in her hands. She tightened the position of the weapons on Yumi. Photine wanted Yumi to pay for everything she did, but with her emotions back in check, she knew what needed to happen. The images of infirmary still haunted her and challenged her, however she resisted. ¡®Death is too easy,¡¯ she agreed. Yumi still felt confused with the question. ¡®Why¡¯d she think I was called Masa? Is it because of the other person? She was trying to kill her¡­¡¯ Pieces of her jumbled memories came back to her. Everything when she woke was hazy. She only understood one thing. The feeling of wanting to kill alerted her. It was a terrible dark feeling she never felt before, but somehow understood. She recognized it. Photine tried to conclude their fight, but Yumi wasn¡¯t willing to accept. ¡®My barrier doesn¡¯t work¡­ I need something else¡­¡¯ She moved her hand to act. A tinge of pain bolted down her arm. Previously sustained injuries made her realize more happened while she was unconscious. She pushed through the faint stings to focus on her goal. ¡®I just need to crush them, like before. Then I can counter her¡­¡¯ Her mind started planning ahead of what her moves would be. She remembered the bits from her first fight with Photine. The tactics and abilities the woman wielded worked into her strategy. Yumi knew she needed to keep in mind the dangerous potential of their power. It slowed her down, but did not stop her from making calculations. However, she got ahead of herself. It wasn¡¯t doing anything. ¡®What?!¡¯ She squeezed her hand thinking the physical action would make a difference. Nothing happened regardless of her effort. Her eyes widened again realizing the meaning. ¡®I can¡¯t crush them. My power is gone.¡¯ Yumi looked over at Photine, while trying to hide her reactions. The awkward stifled look in her eyes failed to protect her. She caught sight of a knowing smirk from the woman. ¡®She did something. Is that what she was referring to before? How did she seal my power?¡¯ Her hand lowered to her side. ¡°Reconciled yourself finally?¡± Photine took a couple steps forward. Blood dripped from her ignored wounds. Nearby her feet, the ground suddenly cratered and then swelled. Out of the earth, a wood block appeared with two metal poles embedded at the top. Their shape indicated they supported or held something, but nothing was present. ¡°This will end your troublesome ways for good.¡± Light sprung from the air above the block. Chunks disappeared from the arid rock gathering into the light. It slowly expanded. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Yumi didn¡¯t know what Photine had planned. She frantically looked around her for ideas. ¡®She sealed my powers¡­but when? I could use my barrier before¡­was it after that? I didn¡¯t notice a difference¡­¡¯ Her barrier gave her an idea. Green squares of her barrier materialized around her in a very loose pattern. ¡®I still have them¡­so she only sealed my crushing power?¡¯ Her mind worked on the problem quickly. She didn¡¯t have much time. After the confirmation of her barrier, she made them disappear. Her eyes glanced at the weapons that still held her under guard. ¡®But my barrier doesn¡¯t work on them¡­ So the swords made my barrier useless and my crush is gone too¡­ Is everything else gone?¡¯ Trial and error ended up being her only options. She gained nothing more from Photine. It made sense to Yumi that her opponent wouldn¡¯t give away important details about what countermeasures she made. Making it as discreet as possible, Yumi worked through her known abilities. ¡®I can fly, or at least hover still and make my barrier, but it has no use against her¡­ My crush and telekinesis is gone completely¡­ The only one I don¡¯t know is¡­¡¯ Yumi glanced back up at Photine and her work. It seemed like she was almost finished with whatever she had planned. The shortness on her time forced her to become reckless. ¡®I don¡¯t know if this¡¯ll work, but it draws too much attention¡­ I just have to go with it¡­¡¯ Yumi tightened her hands to prepare for the next part. She knew pain was likely the next thing she would feel, but she didn¡¯t let it stall her. Her teeth bit down a little on her lip as she prayed. A swift motion through the air ignited several of the swords. Shards of metal rained down, but not without attracting Photine¡¯s attention. Her eyes focused on her work, not expecting any more fight from Yumi. However, she was missing from the cage her swords constructed. The scene looked all too familiar. ¡®She figured it out as well¡­damn, she¡¯s smarter than I thought¡­ Worse, I still don¡¯t know what ability they¡¯re using, so I can¡¯t neutralize it¡­¡¯ Reacting to the defensive need, the remaining swords disappeared and surfaced around Photine. Her eyes scanned the area in search of Yumi. ¡®Damnit¡­where¡¯d she go?¡¯ A bright light signaled Photine too late. When she turned her gaze up an explosion already went off. Something hit her swords. It blocked the attack, but pelted her with chunks of blades. Jagged edges sliced across her face before she could remove them. Blood dripped down her cheeks. Painted in crimson, Photine stared through the cloud undeterred. She sent new weapons up into the air checking for Yumi. They seemed to find nothing and the night didn¡¯t help her. Yumi darted around in front of Photine. She wanted something more direct and stunning. The close range would hopefully get through her weapons¡¯ defense. A motion from her hand drew up green particles, but Yumi suddenly froze. Her eyes widened in shock that ran down her body to start shaking her legs. The blood on Photine¡¯s face transformed her appearance into Yori. He had an empty stare at her. Blood soaked his skin turning his eyes almost all white. A wicked grin grew to produce the white fangs of a beast. He looked ready to cut her down. Weights fell down on her arms holding her from moving. Pressure buckled her knees with the shaking only made it worse. She wanted to turn away. Invisible hands seemed to hold her head from moving. Yumi wanted to scream, but her mouth clamped shut. ¡®¡­Yori! No! It¡¯s just delusions! They¡¯re not real!¡¯ A force slammed into her body knocking her off her feet. Yumi slid over the cracked earth until her head slammed against a stone column. Pain jumped from her head down to her arm. ¡®What just happened?¡¯ Blinking through a stabbing pain in her arm, Yumi glanced down at the wound. Blood poured out of her forearm with a wide gash cutting into her flesh. ¡®Blood¡­so much¡­from where? I¡¯m not falling back in again?¡¯ Yumi looked around only to see the empty wasteland of Photine¡¯s Field. In the distance, Photine stood as she had before. It returned to normal, not a nightmare anymore. ¡®It was her¡­¡¯ Yumi pulled herself up feeling the strength returning her body. She could deal with reality. Swords appeared all around Yumi once more. They forcefully put themselves in her path destroying the column of rocks behind her. It made her glance back for a moment. A brief haunting image stirred inside her, remnants of her unease. ¡®¡­focus¡­she¡¯s planning something¡­trying to keep me from moving¡­¡¯ Moving her hand up, Yumi stared down in thought. She needed something to turn the fight. The previous tactics weren¡¯t enough against Photine. ¡®I need to throw her off¡­something she wouldn¡¯t expect¡­¡¯ A thought came to her. She lifted her head up to glance around at the weapons. ¡®I wonder¡­she does have great faith in them¡­it might work¡­if I can get the timing¡­¡¯ Wind blasted out from Yumi. A dust cloud kicked up, partially obscuring her from view. Making things worse, a bright green light expanded from Yumi shattering all of the weapons. Yumi charged through the cloud that she created trailing streams off her ragged clothes. It surprised Photine for only a moment as she experienced this before. She sent in more weapons to pin Yumi down. However, Yumi raised up her hand with a rectangular section of her barrier expanding from her palm. Photine thinned her eyes at the strange behavior. ¡°Have you forgotten it doesn¡¯t work?¡± Yumi gave a bit of a smirk through the barrier at Photine. She otherwise ignored her. The barrier came between her and the sword. It looked a little more opaque than normal, but hovered with the movement of her hand. Particles trailed from the edges. Yumi narrowed her eyes to keep her focus. One of the numerous swords flew directly in front of her. The moment froze for a second as it looked like the sword would stab Yumi ending the fight. However, Photine¡¯s sword shattered when it hit Yumi¡¯s barrier. Pieces bounced off her barrier out of Yumi¡¯s way. ¡°Impossible!¡± Photine shouted in disbelief. Yumi charged through Photine¡¯s broken offense. The surprised look on her face crippled her reaction leaving the rest of the swords to pass harmlessly by Yumi. As she closed with Photine, the barrier disappeared. Her hands came up slicing through the air creating arcs of energy. They plowed through Photine casting her to the ground. Blood from her past wounds sprayed the earth. Yumi panted standing over top of Photine. The last series of moves exhausted her. Still catching her breath, Yumi spoke down to Photine. ¡°Your swords no longer have an effect on my barrier. And with my remaining abilities...¡± Yumi¡¯s voice trailed off. Her eyes began to shake suddenly. A hand clutched her head as the images came back to her. ¡°¡­blood¡­so much¡­blood¡­¡± Blood surrounded everything. Yumi choked on the air as she saw corpses around Photine. ¡°¡­no¡­¡± Photine disappeared from the mountain of corpses. She stepped away not wanting to be anywhere near it. However, a few steps was all her feet allowed her. ¡°¡­not again¡­¡± The corpses suddenly jerked. A body carelessly fell to the side rolling down the mound. Deep inside a wave moved through the sea of crimson flesh. It slowly rose up as though something underneath pushed up wanting to be free. Yumi shook her head slowly. She couldn¡¯t escape them. ¡°¡­n-n-no¡­not real¡­¡± A blood soaked hand broke through a pile of bodies. It savagely clung to the flesh. The hand scraped and pulled ripping flesh free trying to get a hold. ¡°¡­not again¡­I can¡¯t¡­let it¡­¡± Another hand breached the surface of ragged meat. It had a stronger hold. It could come out. Yumi screamed a bloody cry rattling down to the bone. It made her pant even heavier afterward, but she staggered forward. She was free. She could move. Her eyes fixed ahead at the threat. ¡°¡­I have to¡­¡± The top of a head grew out of the dead mountain. ¡°¡­end the delusion¡­before it consumes me¡­¡± An awkward smile grew across Yumi¡¯s face. A smile built from self-assurance. It grew to split her face almost. ¡°I must destroy it before it destroys me¡­ It¡¯ll keep coming back¡­¡± Yumi gave a rusty nod to herself. ¡°I¡¯ll end the delusions with my hand¡­ Then it¡¯ll be over!¡± Yumi raised her hand up. Green energy swirled above her quickly growing in size. No longer her usual arc, a sphere of tightly packed energy shined across the camp. The force of its presence started to blow out winds from Yumi tossing lighter debris away. ¡°I can end it!¡± she laughed. ¡°I¡¯ll be at peace again!¡± Yumi threw her hand down at an immobile Photine, no longer seeing her. The light engulfed the entire area as it quickly expanded. Photine disappeared from sight. A shadow darted through everything and suddenly the light faded away. ¡°What the hell do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡± snapped Chiharu as she slapped Yumi. Chapter 161 - Lost Comrades Yumi blinked in confusion, returning to reality. The sting on her cheek went almost completely unnoticed as Yumi tried to re-establish her situation. She looked down her arm to see Chiharu tightly holding her wrist out of the way of Photine. The energy in her hand wavered, but spun around waiting. Yumi¡¯s eyes shrank in horror when she realized what she had almost done. Responding to her diminished desire, the energy evaporated. Chiharu released Yumi allowing her to back away a couple steps. ¡®I lost control of myself¡­to those delusions¡­what¡¯s wrong with me? I almost¡­¡¯ She glanced over at Chiharu, who stood between them now. A strange innocence burned into Yumi¡¯s face. It mixed awkwardly with horror and disbelief. Yumi suddenly transitioned to surprise realizing Chiharu was safe and stood before her. ¡°Chiharu! You¡¯re alright!¡± She began to move towards the young girl wanting to touch her and confirm reality. ¡°We didn¡¯t know what happened to you.¡± ¡°That can wait,¡± snapped Chiharu. Her features narrowed to a point. It brought Yumi to a sudden halt. ¡°Your foolish recklessness nearly got everyone in the area killed, including your brother! What were you thinking?!¡± The scolding turned Yumi¡¯s voice meek. She only managed a stutter. It was all so much of a blur to her. She just wanted the delusions to end. Yumi didn¡¯t fully understand what went through her. A strange feeling overcame her losing control. It made her retreat into her mind. ¡®What did I do? I-I¡­my brother¡­¡¯ Her body ran colder than the winter they walked through in Antarctica. Chapter 161 ¨C Lost Comrades Numerous small fires still hung barely lit around the charred crater. A smoke cloud loosely covered the area. The battle between Fumiko and Stamatia ended a while ago, but their passion left the area in raging turmoil. Heat still dissipated from the surface. It made the air thick and chunky. A single breath taken in was enough to make one choke. No one entered the area. The fates of both women waited on endless spires of time. But waiting for them finally came to an end. The long held silence broke with the crumbling of roasted wood planks. Out of the smoke, a dirty and charred arm broke free. A second hand lifted up to pull themselves out of the pile. The blast from their attacks sent them flying away and buried under debris. She barely held on through it all with only a sliver of consciousness. Her stubbornness saved her. Stamatia coughed and brushed aside the strains of hair in her face. Her military uniform appeared back on her. It shined an oddly bright shade of white as though it remained pure. A long fatigued expression drew across her face. She stood, but it didn¡¯t look like it was enough. She appeared defeated by something. A wrinkle swept over her brow. It made her body shake. Stamatia lifted her hand up clinching it into a fist. ¡°Damn it¡­I¡¯m right¡­¡± Her eyes widened suddenly as her legs lost their strength. Stamatia collapsed to the ground a moment later. She struggled to claw back up, but her hands found nothing. Even her stubbornness gave her no strength. She was completely empty. ¡°¡­damn it¡­¡± Stamatia passed out. Out of the shadows, stepped a tall man still mostly obscured by the night. The moon gave enough light on him to reveal his white uniform. He knelt down next to Stamatia checking on her condition. ¡°That baggage of yours is going to get you killed one day.¡± His head lifted to scan the area. Standing within the battle zone rather than outside gave a different feel. ¡°You were a bad match, but in the chaos the Captain didn¡¯t have a lot of options.¡± He stood up and started walking away from Stamatia. The view he had of the fight from beyond the danger gave him a better idea of the aftermath than those in the Command Tent. He strode over to the opposite side of the crater. ¡®The scale¡­hard to believe if I hadn¡¯t seen it myself¡­¡¯ Witnessing the destruction caused by two fire wielders reminded him how dangerous it was when two non-humans clashed. He hadn¡¯t seen such damage since the rebellion and only in reports. He imagined it looked very similar. ¡°She fell around here somewhere¡­¡± he noted aloud. His eyes scanned the area, but saw nothing that stood out to him. A ripple expanded from his feet. It turned the entire area into a flat plain black surface of little characteristic. However, he didn¡¯t need anything special. It gave him exactly what he wanted. He found the body of Fumiko no longer covered by the debris she buried herself in when she fell. Before moving closer, he examined her from a distance. The flame arm returned to its normal state. Apart from the missing arm, she looked like an average girl caught in the wrong place. He knew not to trust appearance, but it still unsettled him seeing someone nearly a third his age involved in such things. ¡®I wonder if this is how the rebellion started¡­ incidents like this¡­¡¯ A complicated thought entered his mind. He preferred to keep his distance from such thoughts. He reached down to pick up Fumiko. ¡°She just needs to be captured. It¡¯s a little lacking in honor taking advantage of someone else¡¯s work, but we¡¯re all just following orders.¡± When he came in reach of Fumiko, a fist flew out at him. His hand stopped it, but not without being pushed back some. It made his eyes narrow, becoming serious. ¡°That¡¯s some strength you got for your condition.¡± Fumiko panted heavily as she finally had a real moment to breathe. ¡®I¡¯m glad I hid¡­ I got him nice and close¡­¡¯ She shut down her outward fatigue and focused on the sneak attack. Her magic felt small, but still available. Fumiko hadn¡¯t experienced the feeling of missing her magic. It almost felt like half of herself was gone. She knew it would eventually come back. She just needed to keep going. It took longer than she thought to get her magic to move for her. The usual feeling she had when it flowed didn¡¯t occur. She felt blocked. ¡®Come on! I still have enough! Don¡¯t stop now! Just a little more!¡¯ Fumiko¡¯s eyes thinned out as she forced her focus, but nothing came to her. Something felt wrong. Regaining his position, he gripped Fumiko¡¯s extended arm and started to pull her over his shoulder. ¡°If you¡¯re wondering, I¡¯ve negated your power. Watching your fight with Stamatia I saw something was off about you. Seems my guess was correct. I don¡¯t know what this means you are, but you¡¯re as normal as everyone else now.¡± The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Cosmas glared down at the two bodies of Seiji and Nerine. He removed the swords from them. Blood continued to pour out around them. ¡°Tch¡­damn bastard¡­ how¡¯d I miss his heart?¡± Cosmas materialized a weapon in his hand. ¡°That¡¯s some force of will to stay alive¡­but not a lot of good it is going to do you with a blade through your heart.¡± He moved the sword to hold over his back. ¡°I won¡¯t be missing this time.¡± The sword slid down into Seiji¡¯s back. A new source of blood poured out as the metal came closer. ¡°Almost¡ª¡° A slab of wood suddenly erupted from the ground and knocked Cosmas¡¯ hand away. The impact sent the sword into the air trailing blood before it disappeared. Cosmas nursed his bruised hand as he glanced over at the cause. ¡°I thought I dealt with the Captain¡¯s back up¡­¡± The one running towards him wasn¡¯t the same MP user he knocked out earlier. However, it didn¡¯t take him long to figure out who it was. ¡°The fight must have drained me if he was able to materialize next to me¡­¡± He stood up and turned away before turning invisible. ¡®Can¡¯t have myself discovered¡­though I¡¯ll need to find a time to silence these two¡­ I hate loose ends¡­¡¯ Arriving late and slightly short of breath, Miltiades surfaced from the dark of night. He personally released himself from the infirmary after everything that happened. Knowing that they attacked their camp made him want to do something. He wasn¡¯t about to let them go around hurting everyone. Unfortunately, he realized that he was late. ¡°What happened here? Who was the one that fought him?¡± Burdened with only questions, he searched the area quickly trying to find anyone. The one he stopped disappeared and left nothing behind. ¡°Why were they trying to kill him? We were only given capture orders. The orders haven¡¯t changed while I was out?¡± A shallow weak cough dripped more blood to the ground. It drew Miltiades back and impressed on him the critical nature of both of them. ¡°I have to fix them up. We¡¯ll have answers back at camp.¡± Ripples expanded out from his feet. Particles of light floated up off the ground starting to cling to Nerine and Seiji. ¡°I¡¯ve got to hurry, or all I¡¯m healing are a couple of corpses. A dead prisoner will be even more trouble¡­¡± In the Command Tent, the situation calmed immensely. While the chaos in the camp was unplanned for, it still produced results. Early reports gave signs that the fighting was ending and the radar backed it up. They would soon have more captives and half of the group subdued. Everyone felt the battle turning to their side. They had a victory, finally. No one spoke a word about it to Simonides. Simonides remained still after he got in the last reports. The troubling news he gained from the last fight left his entire body tense. He couldn¡¯t believe his instincts failed him. Outside of the timing, everything went as he hoped. Yet they acted counter to his information. ¡®He¡¯s dead. It was my orders.¡¯ Amidst the turmoil in his mind, he looked around at the other reports and the radar. The ugly image it presented of his camp. He paid a terrible price for his trap. ¡®So many died tonight¡­my miscalculations¡­¡¯ Even with the bad timing, he never imagined how much damage they would cause. He thought his preparations were enough, but caught off guard in the worst possible time. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t have relaxed the guard¡­what did I miss? What don¡¯t I know about them?¡¯ The peace times Atlantis faced rarely saw any causality. Only mistakes caused them. His mistake caused it. A clean record burned to ash in a single night. He continued to question himself. Simonides remained silent as he glanced at his soldiers. They watched him and the scene waiting. Most understood well enough, he saw it in their eyes. However, the longer he held his words the stronger the tension returned. The ease faded away as though never existing. As Captain, he knew he had to face mistakes and even the worst of mistakes eventually. He knew it, but it didn¡¯t make it any easier. Simonides stiffened his body and faced the men. ¡°Bring the prisoners to the detention tents. Make sure to have MPs are always on watch! Keep their powers sealed at all times! They won¡¯t be escaping!¡± His hand rested on the radar. The scan of the camp left a sour taste in his mouth. ¡°Gather all able-bodied men! This camp needs our help!¡± The Commander nodded in agreement to him. He turned around barking orders to the individual officers. It only took a few seconds for the tent to almost be empty. Abeiron walked over to Simonides. ¡°These things happen, sir. We are victorious.¡± Simonides slowly shook his head. A point of the radar made his eyes shrink and features narrow. ¡°Not yet¡­we still haven¡¯t received a recent report from this area. I know Photine appeared against orders, but we still don¡¯t know the outcome or who this third person is.¡± He wasn¡¯t sure if he should believe it, but his gut was nagging him stronger than it before. Something felt wrong. ¡°Abeiron send another MP.¡± ¡°Sir?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t see another mistake tonight.¡± The weight on Yumi kept her from moving. It scared her. She could see herself moving slowly to kill the woman. Yumi didn¡¯t think she would go so far. However, the image of the boy came back to her. She remembered him, but only vague notions. One thing she knew for sure was that he was dead. His body was nearby her. ¡®When¡­did I while I was in delusions? I did it¡­there wasn¡¯t anyone else¡­¡¯ Every time she tried to recall it, her mind went blank. It made her head ache trying to think about it. She knew she had to know, but something stopped her. Why could she not know? What stopped her? She had so many questions. Yet she had one answer that was larger than the questions. He was dead. She didn¡¯t even know their name. She knew nothing about him. Yumi sat down next to him. Her hand stretched out towards him, but stopped. ¡®What right do I have¡­¡¯ She never thought their rescue would have such things happen. It wasn¡¯t even a consideration. They only wanted Yori, not to hurt anyone. ¡®She¡¯d say they were just following orders¡­but still¡­¡¯ Another crack shattered the silence. Chiharu stood in front of Yumi, her hand finished moving. ¡°There¡¯s no time for pity and guilt. We¡¯re still in enemy territory and your brother isn¡¯t safe yet.¡± She grabbed Yumi¡¯s arm, as she was still stunned. ¡°Get moving! If you freeze over something like this you¡¯ll be the next to die!¡± It took a few moments for Yumi to process everything. But with Chiharu yelling at her, she felt her body moving on its own. She stood up to face her. ¡°Someone died! Because of me! Do you even understand what that means?! Life isn¡¯t something that is so worthless it can be tossed away without a second thought!¡± Yumi felt her chest pounding and her breathing hastening. ¡°I¡¯m not like you!¡± Chiharu¡¯s features narrowed. Her body shook a little as she lost some of her control. She slapped Yumi again. A couple different emotions fought to come to the surface with her struggling to keep them in check. ¡°Don¡¯t think you know anything about me,¡± she delivered with a tone so heavy it masked out the venomous undertones. Yumi staggered a step back. She always knew Chiharu had another side to her. But she didn¡¯t expect it to be so cold or dark. It felt like she stepped on a landmine. She wanted to say anything, but the piercing eyes kept her silent. Shifting looks, Chiharu ended her stance and turned away. She felt Yumi starting to move again. In the end, moving forward was all that mattered. ¡®Something¡¯s off¡­¡¯ The air suddenly changed with a heavy mood. Chiharu froze and spun around trying to determine what her senses warned her. However, it was too late. A light flashed quickly through the air before a wet noise rang out. Chiharu turned her head towards Yumi. Her eyes widened in surprise at the sight. She bolted over to reach Yumi even though it was already too late. Nothing could be done. Still confused, Yumi stumbled a little from the force that slammed into her. Everything felt slow to her sight. She saw Chiharu running towards her with an unusual expression. It made her wonder what happened. Something hit her, but it happened so fast she didn¡¯t feel anything. ¡°¡­what¡­¡± Yumi tilted her head down to see what hit her. A large sword pierced her body and hand, which tried to protect her. The blade ran through her heart. ¡°¡­oh¡­¡± she whispered, upon the discovery. It didn¡¯t feel real to her. Her eyes looked up and saw Photine behind Chiharu with her hand extended. It was all happening too fast. Her mind started to go blank and an awkward pain reached up into her chest clenching down tightly on her. Yumi lost the strength in her legs, beginning to fall backwards. ¡°It¡¯s over?¡± Chapter 162 - Sealing Innocence Silence was everything. Everything was black. No cold surrounded in an all encompassing smothering. Warmth didn¡¯t drain away as expected. A strange stillness filled into a neutral state. Yet something took an iron hold on everything. Pain rammed and pierced underneath all in the most uncomfortable spots. It all ran through Yumi in less than a second. It felt as though it was all forced through a single infinitely small point exasperating the sensation a hundredfold. Overload came next before she collapsed to the ground. Everything was gone. Chapter 162 ¨C Sealing Innocence Chiharu ran for Yumi, but felt like her body was moving too slow. The sword already ran her through. Nothing would undo it. Yet she still ran as if it made a difference. Her chest pounded out of control. Its beating felt uncomfortable and familiar. Chiharu wanted the sensation to go away. She tried to block it out of her mind, but it only forced back in stronger. Unwanted images surfaced in her mind in the moments between her steps. Her body dragged behind. She felt something boiling up to the surface within her heart. It wrapped around her muscles restricting their movement. By the time she made it within arm¡¯s reach of Yumi, she thought her body would collapse. It was too late, as she already knew. The sword rested within Yumi¡¯s breast. It ran all the way through with the blade sticking out the back. She couldn¡¯t even lie on her back; it didn¡¯t let her have such comfort. Yumi collapsed on her side, already gone from the world. Chiharu stood next to Yumi just looking down, unable to move. She had no reaction for seconds. Only her body shook responding to things she ignored. Flashes of images went through her mind. She clamped her eyes shut to block everything out. ¡®¡­not again¡­¡¯ Chiharu reached out for Yumi, but the stiffness in her body kept her away. ¡°Can¡¯t¡­be¡­Mizuno¡­¡± The shaking in her legs was enough to knock her over as she kept trying to stretch out her arm. She collapsed to one knee. It surprised her momentarily drawing away from Yumi¡¯s body. ¡°¡­Mizuno¡­¡± Her hand made it within reach of Yumi finally, but still fell short. Chiharu¡¯s hand rested on the hilt of the sword. ¡°Mizuno¡­wake up¡­Mizuno! Wake up, Mizuno!¡± Shaking ran through her arm making the metal of the sword rattle lowly. Hearing the sword vibrate forced her hand to withdraw quickly. It made her realize the subconscious reactions of her body. She leaned forward pressing her hands into the ground to keep them from doing anything. Yumi was in reach, but beyond her. ¡®¡­another¡­¡¯ Her hands clenched up digging into the earth. ¡°Mizuno!¡± No reaction came from Yumi. Chiharu knew nothing would happen, but she couldn¡¯t stop. ¡°Mizuno!¡± She couldn¡¯t let it end without doing anything. She fought through old abandoned memories to reach for Yumi. Her hand clutched to Yumi¡¯s upper arm. ¡°Move, Mizuno! Wake up, Mizuno!¡± Still nothing happened. Expectations or reality meant nothing. ¡°Mizuno! Answer me!¡± Chiharu gripped tighter around Yumi. She remained lifeless. ¡°Yumi Mizuno!¡± yelled Chiharu. Her breathing turned short and haggard. Her eyes were wide and strained with darkness surrounding them. Chiharu attempted to shake her awake, but it became a feeble effort stopping before anything meaningful. ¡°You were supposed¡­ You¡¯re the one¡­¡± Chiharu retracted her hand letting it fall by her side. She tilted her head forward blocking out her entire face. ¡°You were supposed to have the answers I didn¡¯t¡­ Why¡­Yu¡­mi¡­¡± Suddenly, Chiharu vanished from sight leaving only a droplet behind. A loud crash ripped through the night. Dust and debris trailed a line away from Yumi. At the end of the path, Chiharu stood with Photine¡¯s body held off her feet by only one arm. However, Photine looked in even worse shape with her Atlantean uniform returned and torn. Blood dripped down her body from fresh wounds. Photine coughed up blood from the pressure put on her body. It painted Chiharu¡¯s face a dark shade. She struggled to pull her head down to see what happened. The sight of Chiharu surprised her enough to manage a weak reaction in her face, even though it hurt. ¡®A child?! I can¡¯t feel the ground¡­they¡¯re¡­how is this physical strength possible?! I thought it was only special abilities¡­¡¯ ¡°¡­you¡­¡± roared Chiharu. Her arm barely kept everything together. Glancing at Chiharu, Photine felt oddly reassured about her situation. ¡°You stopped her from killing me. Yet now you¡¯re here wanting revenge.¡± ¡°Saying I¡¯m a hypocrite?¡± Chiharu tightened her hand causing some of the threads in Photine¡¯s uniform to tear. She stiffly shook her head at Chiharu. ¡°No, just that you can¡¯t do what you want to do.¡± A narrowed expression ran through her eyes. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Chiharu did not like the confidence she spoke in her position. ¡°You don¡¯t have it. The eyes of a killer.¡± Chiharu lifted Photine up more in response. ¡°You don¡¯t know anything!¡± This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Coughing infrequently, Photine managed a slight grin. ¡°I can see your eyes.¡± Chiharu¡¯s hand shook a little. She didn¡¯t like the look Photine gave her. The knowing stare churned her insides. She reached behind her back and retrieved a kunai. ¡°Then I guess I¡¯ll get some new ones¡­¡± ¡°She was right though¡­I don¡¯t have the same eyes I saw in her before¡­¡± She had enough of Photine¡¯s talk. Things had to change for Chiharu. The blade in her hand would change things. Nothing would ever be the same again. It had to be that way. The blade flew through the air with her hand guiding it towards its destination. However, she stopped just before touching the neck. Something felt off to Chiharu. She narrowed her eyes at Photine. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°That¡­¡± Photine answered, pointing her hand weakly back in the direction of Yumi. Tilting her head around, Chiharu looked over her shoulder at the path she created. At first, nothing stood out to her. The night sky poorly lit the camp with most of the camp¡¯s fires snuffed out from the fighting. However, something formed from the darkness. Only a shape at first, it was a figure of someone. ¡°Eh?¡± Slowly, Chiharu¡¯s eyes adjusted and focused to make it out. They moved closer to her giving more shape. It widened Chiharu¡¯s eyes to see them standing. She darted over to them, still dragging Photine with her. ¡°How is it possible?! What did you do to her?¡± Chiharu stared down at the limp body of Photine. Her eyes turned razor sharp with accusations. Yumi stood weakly before them. The sword that ran her through was still embedded in her chest. Her hand hung pierced on the blade unable to be freed. No blood ran from her wound as though the sword didn¡¯t exist. ¡°¡­Chiharu¡­I feel strange¡­and alone¡­¡± Yumi collapsed to the ground next to Chiharu. Chiharu dropped Photine and reached out for Yumi. She stopped her before she completely fell to the ground. ¡®What is this? How is this possible? She should be dead¡­but this sword¡­¡¯ Staring at the weapon that lived in Yumi, she placed a hand on the hilt. ¡°I¡¯ll remove this and you¡¯ll feel better.¡± Yumi looked up at Chiharu confused and lost, appearing very weak. The weakness she bore wasn¡¯t like the same weakness Chiharu was used to seeing from her. It stirred ominous feelings in Chiharu. ¡°This will hurt, but you¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Chiharu¡­what¡¯s wrong with me?¡± Yumi felt so heavy. Her body was so distant from her. She thought it was just numbness, but the feeling went beyond a numb feeling. Something felt cut off from her. Everything was huge and empty with no sensations. She felt like she was in a large empty room with no doors or windows, locked away. Gritted her teeth, Chiharu took a tight grip on the hilt. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine! Everything will be fine in a moment.¡± A hint of hesitation dripped within Chiharu. ¡®That woman did something. If I remove this could it actually kill her? Could I be ending her life? But it isn¡¯t natural. It must be removed¡­ I don¡¯t have a choice¡­ She looks so weak, weaker than I¡¯ve ever seen¡­¡¯ She flushed away the doubt. The sword rattled a little in her hold, but Chiharu started to pull with her strength. At first, she was gentle, not expecting to need any strength to remove it. However, it didn¡¯t budge for her. Applying more strength, Yumi lifted up and drew towards her. The sword didn¡¯t move. Chiharu slacked her arm, concerned about what it might be doing to Yumi¡¯s internal organs. ¡°It¡¯s not releasing.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t feel it¡­¡± Yumi lifted her free hand to the sword. She needed to touch it to know it was real. The cold steel gave her reality. ¡°Why can¡¯t I feel it? I can¡¯t feel anything¡­ Why? Why?!¡± A hint of panic began to set in Yumi. ¡®I¡¯m not getting anywhere with it like this. I need a different plan¡­¡¯ Chiharu flicked her eyes over to Photine, still hanging onto consciousness. Taking her free hand, Chiharu pulled Photine up by her tattered uniform. She dragged the woman up to her face. ¡°What did you do to her? Tell me!¡± Coughing, Photine couldn¡¯t even manage a satisfied grin. Her body felt torn to shreds. She had never felt her body so crushed by such pressure. She wanted to scream in pain, but felt her body would collapse. Examining the state of Photine, Chiharu realized why she seemed worse than before. She hadn¡¯t given it much thought about how it would affect a normal human. Her hand tightened around the cloth she held. ¡°If you don¡¯t want me to take you running again, tell me what you know. Your body can¡¯t take another time at my speed.¡± Photine stared into Chiharu¡¯s eyes. She measured out her words through her expression and knew the truth. ¡°You¡­¡± Another painful cough escaped from Photine. ¡°¡­you¡­won¡¯t¡­¡± Chiharu started to stand up. ¡°I don¡¯t need to keep these eyes.¡± ¡°¡­but¡­¡± Photine paused again. The strain on her chest from talking made things worse. She knew she should shut up, but she couldn¡¯t. ¡°¡­but¡­that doesn¡¯t mean¡­I¡¯m not¡­going to¡­tell you what I¡­did¡­¡± The words stopped her motion, but her hand tightened even more onto Photine. She pulled her back in towards her face. ¡°What was it?¡± ¡°I sealed¡­away everything¡­that makes her¡­special.¡± ¡°Sealed?¡± questioned Yumi, starting to take part in the conversation. She leaned over to Photine wanting to know more. ¡°Is that why I feel so strange? But how is that possible?¡± Photine glanced over at Yumi. ¡°¡­I intended¡­to capture you¡­so I needed¡­to prevent¡­a future¡­escape¡­¡± Her mind went back to when she began. ¡°¡­that was¡­my next¡­move¡­¡± The platform she raised from the earth eventually formed the sword she needed. It was a gamble, but it paid off for her. ¡°If it¡¯s just sealing her powers. Removing it would restore it. Your plan is flawed.¡± Chiharu gripped the sword tighter. She just needed to remove it from Yumi. The explanation was all she needed to know it wasn¡¯t a fatal attack. Another cough came from Photine. It did the job she wanted of interrupting Chiharu from her action. ¡°¡­no¡­you can¡¯t¡­remove it¡­¡± Chiharu glared over at Photine, not interested in her pleas. ¡°Just try me!¡± She dropped Photine and took both hands to the sword. ¡®I just need more strength¡­it''s nothing I can¡¯t fix!¡¯ Her eyes moved over to Yumi to provide her reassurance. She didn¡¯t intend to let things go their way. The sword pulled on Yumi. It brought her almost on top of Chiharu in the first attempt. She used most of her strength and reflexes to try to remove it quickly before Yumi¡¯s body could react. However, it only backfired on her. ¡°Damn¡­¡± She grabbed Yumi¡¯s wrist connected to the hand embedded in the sword. A slow forceful push on her hand didn¡¯t budge on the sword. Blood didn¡¯t appear, but Yumi still looked unsettled. Regrouping her thoughts, Chiharu glanced over at Photine. ¡®Did she make this sword special?¡¯ Her hand rested on the sword. It only moved when Yumi moved. It was attached to her, deeply attached. ¡®She thought that far ahead? She made it so it can¡¯t be removed¡­¡¯ Chiharu didn¡¯t like where her thoughts took her. She turned back towards Photine. More answers were needed. ¡°You made it so it can¡¯t be removed by anyone. Didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Chiharu came to the only remaining conclusion. The one she should have taken at the start. She didn¡¯t know why she didn¡¯t consider the option before. ¡®Why was I so slow in thinking of it?¡¯ Chiharu lifted up Photine and raised her fist. ¡°If you created it with your powers, then I just have to knock you unconscious. Then it will disappear.¡± Chiharu pulled her arm back. Photine finally managed a crooked grin for Chiharu. It pained her a lot, but she succeeded. The pain she felt would pass in time. ¡°¡­that won¡¯t work¡­I made sure¡­of it¡­¡± The words froze her fist in mid swing. Chiharu read Photine¡¯s face trying to detect the lie. She only needed a flicker of a falsehood to finish her strike. Yet nothing showed to her. Only truth covered her pale features. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Her fist relaxed. ¡°¡­it¡¯s not¡­sustained¡­by my powers¡­¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± snapped Chiharu, tired of the ragged voice. ¡°¡­I used my¡­powers¡­to create it from¡­real matter¡­so it''s¡­real¡­¡± The words made Yumi sink backwards. She suddenly felt even heavier than before. ¡®I¡¯m useless¡­I¡¯m really am useless now¡­¡¯ Deep despair sat inside Yumi as reality settled in for her. She could do nothing. Chapter 163 - Striking Shadow Chiharu flipped over to Yumi. Watching her sink deeper made her tighten her fist. ¡®It¡¯s just like what he did with those earrings. There¡¯s nothing I can do¡­¡¯ She turned back to Photine. ¡®¡­dammit¡­¡¯ Their usefulness had ended in Chiharu¡¯s mind. A quick punch knocked the woman unconscious. Chiharu dropped the body out of the way to return to Yumi. New problems surfaced with the revelation of the sealing. Chiharu didn¡¯t know the right words to use. She reached out for Yumi, but held back pausing at the last moment. ¡®I need to motivate her¡­we need to move, but she¡¯s¡­¡¯ Her fist tightened up with her thoughts. It attempted to strengthen her determination, but it felt empty. Everything changed from before. Chiharu berated Yumi on her weakness in the past, but she could say nothing anymore. It wasn¡¯t about strength of character or resolve. She wanted something to say. ¡®What can I say? Nothing can be done¡­¡¯ Chapter 163 ¨C Striking Shadow Yumi caught sight of Chiharu out of the corner of her eye. It surfaced her from the pit. She had partially forgotten that she was nearby. The thoughts she had focused her away from all of her surroundings. She forgot they still stood in enemy territory. Yumi could only think of how useless she was to everyone. The seal left her with nothing. She could feel how well it worked. The empty alone feeling that encompassed her made sense to her. It was the absence of her powers. She only had them for a short time, but they were a part of her. She grew to understand them and accept them. They were a part of her as much as her arms and legs were a part of her body. Their loss ran deeper than she imagined. She was normal, again. Yumi looked over at Chiharu. She made stiff motions to get her body to move. ¡®I never thought I¡¯d actually miss them. I¡¯ve gotten so used to them. It really is lonely without them.¡¯ Her thoughts brought her back to Chiharu. They stayed out of reach in spite of their close proximity. ¡®Chiharu¡­she¡¯s bothered by something¡­ It seems strange that I can actually read her face.¡¯ Loosely staring at Chiharu, Yumi¡¯s thoughts consumed her. It pulled her away from the spiral. ¡®I¡¯m holding her back¡­ I can¡¯t be depressed. I might have no powers, but I can still walk! I can¡¯t let this stop me!¡¯ Yumi braced her free hand against her leg. The sword made her entire body awkward, something she was going to have to adjust to dealing with now. It was just an obstacle. ¡®I¡¯m alive still. So I¡¯ll find a way out of this. It¡¯s not over!¡¯ Her hand pushed against her leg to get her body standing. Shakily, Yumi planted her feet firmly back in the ground. ¡®This is going to take some getting used to¡­¡¯ She looked down at Chiharu, still unmoved. It felt a little strange to her. She didn¡¯t think she would need to give her comfort. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry, Chiharu. I¡¯m alive.¡± Yumi leaned down a little, offering a hand out to Chiharu. She worked up a reassuring smile. Chiharu took a glance up, waking from her thoughts. ¡®She¡¯s standing? She was just down before¡­gone¡­¡¯ Uncertain, she stood up on her own to meet eyes with Yumi (as much as she could given the height difference). ¡°¡­that sword¡­¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt. It¡¯s a little weird, but I¡¯ll get used to it.¡± She kept working on her front with Chiharu. ¡®I can¡¯t show her any weakness. I can¡¯t let her stop because of me.¡¯ A narrow look came across Chiharu¡¯s eyes. She watched Yumi fit a mask awkwardly to her face. ¡®¡­she¡¯s¡­¡¯ It took her only a second more to realize everything that Yumi was doing. When she did, it all turned back on Chiharu. She stared at herself. ¡°I¡¯ll figure out a way. You don¡¯t have to worry, Chiharu. There might be a way to break the seal if I just think about it.¡± Everything in Chiharu turned rigid. She spun around facing away from Yumi. ¡°Of course. I wasn¡¯t concerned about it.¡± Yumi gave a small grin, glad to see Chiharu acting normal again. Her eyes lowered to the ground for a moment, but quickly focused ahead of her. ¡°We need to get away from here. There might be more coming.¡± ¡°You¡¯re correct.¡± Her head turned about scanning the area for any threats. Nothing came to her, but she remained cautious. A short tilt of her head towards Yumi, connected them. ¡°I¡¯ll take you to your brother. Then we¡¯ll find the others.¡± ¡°You found Yori?!¡± exclaimed Yumi, nearly falling over with excitement. She ran up around Chiharu to get a look at her directly. ¡°Where is he? Is he hurt? Did they do anything to him?¡± So many questions came in at Chiharu that she felt a twitch in her eye. The mood swing and emotions were more than enough for her to deal with on top of a barrage of demands. A hand rose to the bridge of her nose trying to calm down the urges. It was mostly successful. ¡°He¡¯s unconscious, but he doesn¡¯t look physically injured. I can¡¯t speak of his mental state.¡± A bit of relief washed through Yumi, but the last few words from Chiharu concerned her. ¡°Mental state? What do you mean?¡± ¡°I found a woman with him, in a white uniform. She¡¯s the reason I was delayed.¡± Chiharu paused thinking about her blunder. It went ignored by her until she brought it back up. She couldn¡¯t believe she fell for such a trap. ¡°They were likely interrogating him and possibly torturing him for information. They might have gotten it.¡± A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°¡­no¡­¡± gasped Yumi, trying to hold back thoughts of her brother¡¯s torture. ¡°I remember seeing him in pain¡­but I don¡¯t know what they did to him¡­¡± Chiharu began to move away from Yumi. ¡°First, we¡¯ll get your brother and then start out. The others are around here. I¡¯ll find them quickly.¡± ¡°Right!¡± Yumi shuffled her feet a little trying to catch up to Chiharu quickly setting pace. Something about her body felt sluggish. She didn¡¯t remember having trouble moving it. ¡®Was I always this slow?¡¯ Yumi broke out into a bit of a jog to close their distance. It didn¡¯t take them long to reach the spot Chiharu left Yori. He rested mostly out of sight from anyone not paying attention behind turned over tents and chunks of debris. Chiharu didn¡¯t have a lot of time to think of a better solution. ¡®Glad no one found him. I took a risk leaving him unattended, but it couldn¡¯t be helped.¡¯ She disappeared for a quick moment grabbing Yori and brought him out to Yumi. ¡°Keep an eye on him, while I go figure out where the others are located.¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Yumi started to reach out to take her brother back. She felt a pounding in her chest. The time he had been gone felt so long, but they were together again. Her hand almost touched him. His eyes suddenly snapped open and he stared straight at Yumi. The gaze pierced her and went through her. Yumi jumped back with her breath lost for a moment. It made her blink, but when she opened her eyes again Yori was still unconscious. ¡®What?¡¯ Chiharu lowered her brow a little watching Yumi become startled. ¡°Something wrong?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± she muttered, before looking back at Chiharu. She shook her head trying to remove the thought from her mind. ¡°No, of course not. Why would anything be wrong? I¡¯m just relieved to see him.¡± Yumi looked down at her hand. It was shaking uncontrollably. It ran back through her body connecting to the pounding in her chest. Her body remembered it strongly. She could only force her mind blank as much as she could. ¡®¡­Yumi¡­¡¯ whispered her brother¡¯s voice from behind her. It slithered in her ear twisting around with a wet slick feeling that knocked her balance off. A chill ran down her back just hearing her name. ¡°¡­hmm¡­¡± Doubt still covered Chiharu¡¯s face, but they had more pressing matters. She didn¡¯t dwell any longer on the awkwardness. ¡°Take him and I¡¯ll start my search.¡± Yumi nodded to her. She steeled herself and quickly reached out to take Yori from Chiharu. Her eyes almost closed, too afraid, but she forced them to stay open. ¡®I can¡¯t let Chiharu know. I¡¯ve got to deal with this myself.¡¯ Locating a shadow quickly, Chiharu positioned herself to disappear. She glanced over at Yumi one last time. More than one concern went through her mind. ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± Chiharu disappeared into the shadows leaving Yumi alone with her brother. Cradling Yori in her arms, Yumi watched Chiharu fade away into the shadows. The awe of seeing it for the first time might have meant more for her if she wasn¡¯t trying to keep her body from shaking. She clenched her hand into a fist trying to manage her fear. ¡®I¡¯ll be fine. She¡¯ll only be gone for a minute or so. Just have to hold out.¡¯ Whispers drew in around her ears clawing at her sanity. Flashes of images snapped around her eyes. Yumi shut her eyes. ¡®How can I be afraid of my own brother?¡¯ Floating in the empty space of the dimension between shadows, Chiharu started her search. The chaos caused by the fighting destroyed any sense she had of the camp. She was fortunate in locating Yumi as quickly as she did, but Fumiko and Seiji were different. Too many shadows were destroyed and too many new ones appeared. Chiharu had to start over getting a grasp of the layout. She kept searching for minutes without any signs. All of her windows in her range gave her nothing, forcing her to move out away from Yumi. She knew where she was, but it still nagged at her. The strange actions bothered her. ¡®They¡¯re here somewhere¡­¡¯ Chiharu forced her to focus on the immediate problem. ¡°If you¡¯re wondering. I¡¯ve negated your power,¡± a voice echoed through the void. It didn¡¯t immediately reach out to Chiharu, but lingered around her. She searched out with a sense of direction. ¡°Watching your fight with Stamatia I saw something was off about you.¡± The voice grew louder for Chiharu drawing her in. ¡®Why can I hear someone so clearly from in here?¡¯ Chiharu was still learning about her powers, even though she had a firm grasp on it. She found it to hold many secrets even after all of the practice. Chiharu reached a window to the outside that felt promising. She got a better angle and clearer view. A body matched with the voice she heard. ¡°Seems my guess was correct.¡± That was all she needed to confirm it. Chiharu slipped out of the shadow back into the real world. The air felt oddly thick with heat unlike the area of the camp she came from. It also looked far worse than she had seen. Craters and small fires gave her a small picture of the battle. ¡®This must be her doing, doubt the muscle head could do this with his fists. There¡¯s too much charring and fires.¡¯ She felt confident Fumiko was nearby. Her confidence pushed her out from safe cover to get a better view on the one she heard. She caught sight of them grabbing someone, but they partially obscured them with their body. Chiharu worked around the debris to improve her sight. ¡°I don¡¯t know what this means you are, but you¡¯re as normal as everyone else now.¡± Chiharu watched a middle-aged man put the individual over their shoulder. ¡®He¡¯s got the white uniform, so he¡¯s one of them. He¡¯s probably got her¡­¡¯ Quickly making the decision, she leapt out from her cover. A clear opening stood in front of her giving her all the time she needed to turn the fortunes. Not realizing she had help, Fumiko kicked and punched the man to break his hold on her. She still had enough strength to manage to surprise him. It knocked him off balance giving her the time to push away from him. Unfortunately, everything unplanned happened in Chiharu¡¯s way. Her reflexes kept her from any injuries in the chaotic exchange, but also killed her opening. She still connected her fist with the man. The strength and angle lacked any meaningful force. It was enough to knock him off his feet and momentarily stun him. However, it didn¡¯t last for long. Salvaging her failure, Chiharu regrouped with Fumiko and stood between them. The fatigue from her previous fight came out plainly to Chiharu¡¯s examination. ¡®She¡¯s in no shape for a real fight with one of these. I¡¯ll have to handle this.¡¯ Chiharu lifted an arm to keep Fumiko from trying to advance. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with him.¡± ¡°Chiharu!¡± Fumiko¡¯s excitement overcame her reason and Chiharu¡¯s insisting arm. She pushed around in front of Chiharu wanting to get a better look at her. Her hand went all over Chiharu¡¯s face. ¡°I was looking for you! What happened?¡± Batting away Fumiko¡¯s friendliness, Chiharu worked to keep her stern expression. ¡°I¡¯ll explain later. We have more important matters to deal with.¡± Fumiko¡¯s distraction slowed down her reactions. It was almost too late before she noticed the man¡¯s attack coming in. She only felt the displaced air as a sign. Chiharu forcibly pushed Fumiko aside and brought up her arm and half her back to block whatever was coming at them. A tearing sound came from her upper arm as the invisible attack ate into her ninja garb. It ran shallow and only barely caught a taste of her skin. Chiharu glanced down to see the paper-thin cut develop on her skin. She narrowed her eyes down across the camp to understand what he did. It was still a mystery to her. ¡°Chiharu! Are you alright?¡± She pushed Fumiko back, as her concern turned overbearing. ¡°I¡¯m fine. This¡¯ll be simple if that¡¯s all he¡¯s got.¡± Her hand retrieved a kunai from her clothes preparing for a counterstrike. The older man didn¡¯t seem affected by Chiharu¡¯s confidence or shrugging off his attack. ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate me from one attack. I¡¯m only getting started.¡± A ripple came from his feet. His clothes transformed to a trench coat and the ground surface suddenly warped. It no longer appeared to be a solid making Chiharu sink a little and then rise. Everything was in a constant state of flux. ¡°Try to keep your balance in my Field!¡± Chapter 164 - Uneven Ground Chiharu found the uneven ground turning worse. Her left foot slid down as her right remained. She jumped away to more level terrain before she completely fell over. Unfortunately, level in the Field meant very little. When she reached her desired spot, it was already changing. She slid down the steep angle before it caught her. ¡®Damn¡­I can¡¯t even get solid footing for more than a second¡­¡¯ Riding out the unstable terrain, Chiharu glanced over at her opponent. The middle-aged man was unaffected by the Field. She expected it to be the case or he was used to maneuvering in it. In her current situation, he clearly had the advantage against her. ¡®This would be over in an instant if I could reach him. He¡¯s just a normal human.¡¯ Chiharu could see so many openings for her, but the shifting ground never stopped. She had to adapt to her new environment. ¡°Having some difficulty?¡± he commented to Chiharu. He took some casual steps forward without appearing overly aggressive. The intent remained clear even if he seemed relaxed. A flick of his finger unleashed a disruption in the air. It chipped away at the raised earth as Chiharu carelessly dodged. ¡°It¡¯s unsettling to see someone as young as you caught up in this. This is no place for you.¡± Making use of cover, Chiharu threw a kunai at the man. ¡°I¡¯m not interested in your words.¡± However, she misjudged the changing elevation of the ground and her aim went too high. ¡®I thought I accounted for it¡­there has to be a pattern¡­¡¯ Chapter 164 ¨C Uneven Ground Fumiko felt a little ill watching the changing surface. She tried to exit, but the strength in her legs failed her. ¡®I need to do something to help Chiharu, but he¡¯s neutralized my magic¡­ I¡¯ve only got my physical attributes, but with this Field¡­¡¯ A trapped feeling ran over top of Fumiko. No exit and uselessness plagued her. Chiharu scanned the area looking at the shadows. Her powers ran through her calculations. ¡®Everything is changing so much¡­ I can¡¯t rely on any accuracy with the shadows¡­ I need a plan.¡¯ He continued a slowly paced stroll towards Chiharu. Every so often, he sent out attacks as though not intending to hit anything. Regardless, the distance between them shrank by the minute. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re like your friend and the reports. You have some ability, which doesn¡¯t seem to be like our own. You think you''re special because of it and don¡¯t think about your age. Youth is a precious thing to waste.¡± The talking annoyed Chiharu, but she could do nothing to stop him. Her mind tried to absorb everything around her, but the pattern to the Field continued to elude her. Everything she crammed into her mind made it feel like she would explode soon. ¡°I¡¯ve got no interest in an opponent that only likes to hear his own voice.¡± She worked around the endlessly rolling earth trying to increase their distance. His progress didn¡¯t escape her mind. ¡®I finally get an opponent and he just talks and uses annoying powers.¡¯ A bit of laughter escaped the man¡¯s lips. ¡°Well when you get to my age all you can do is talk. You might want to listen. Your elders tend to know a thing or two.¡± ¡°I doubt you have anything interesting.¡± Detecting the change in position of Chiharu, he altered his direction of movement. ¡®She¡¯s doing a good job keeping out of sight even on the changing surface. That takes some skill. Such skill is troubling¡­in someone still so young.¡¯ He knew nothing of Chiharu other than what he read from her movements, words and actions. It still gave him a lot to work with and he didn¡¯t like the feeling it gave him. ¡®Why is someone so young so skilled? What world did she come from and grow up in to become like this?¡¯ Keeping things tense, his hands motioned through the air, displacing again cutting edges. He had to keep things moving until he could make his move. ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. I have several things that might interest you.¡± Chiharu felt the ground suddenly react strangely. ¡®Is it getting rougher? Is he doing something?¡¯ Any patterns or sense of the flow she had shattered with the change. It unbalanced her even more than normal and left her completely exposed. While almost completely on her back and staring meters away from the old man, Chiharu threw out a kunai to keep him off her. Her aim improved since the last time and it actually had a chance against him. However, he motioned with a single finger cutting the kunai down before it came in reach of him. The cutting air continued on towards Chiharu. She rolled away and got back on her feet to recover her stance. The ground kept altering faster than before making it difficult for her to hold her position. ¡®This must be his doing¡­¡¯ She felt the use of her shadow lose any chance of working. The only options left to her were what she could achieve through physical abilities. Yet she questioned her success with the Field. Her eyes darted around trying to read the situation again. Chiharu caught sight of him closer than before to her. She made the risky move of exposing her position. Standing up, she balanced off the uneven ground long enough to give her a moving start. She couldn¡¯t manage her full speed, but it was still enough for her to move faster than a human eye could perceive. Unfortunately, she miscalculated the landing as the terrain moved in her path. ¡®Damn!¡¯ Reflexes only saved her from a complete exposed opening. However, she still left a signal to her position. Several cutting blades went through the air at Chiharu. She bent over backwards taking advantage of the terrain to improve her range of dodging. The attacks went over her and disappeared at the edge of his Field. Chiharu pulled herself back up to glare at the old man. ¡°Aside from a fight, I don¡¯t think you have anything that interests me.¡± The man came to a stop after hearing her words. ¡°A fight, that saddens me to hear that.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about how you feel. I¡¯m only interested in fighting strong opponents.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a rather narrow view of the world for someone so young.¡± This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Listening to the fight from a distance, Fumiko kept with the two of them. She had concerns about Chiharu in the fight. Fumiko knew she could handle herself in a fight, but the man kept talking to her. It bothered her that Chiharu kept talking back. ¡®She¡¯s normally very quiet and talks to no one unless it is important. Why is she continuing to talk to him? Is something wrong?¡¯ ¡°Enough about my age! It¡¯s meaningless!¡± ¡°But you¡¯re just a child. You should be at home and learning. Not out here fighting.¡± Chiharu had enough of his prattle. His last words were enough to break her free from the defensive strategy she played. Her feet juggled the terrible balance to stand before him. ¡°I¡¯m no child!¡± She used her speed to push her forward at her target. Her appearance shifted into a blur that momentarily surfaced during the need to adjust to the terrain. Removing her tanto from its sheath at her back, Chiharu let the blade arc through the air closing the distance between them. Her blade suddenly stopped short of its target. The man¡¯s hand held her forearm preventing her from finishing her slash. ¡°Only a child charges off emotions. I see no adult.¡± He finished his words by lifting Chiharu off the ground and throwing her across his Field. Cast carelessly aside, Chiharu bounced on a couple of blunt rises in the ground before she caught herself and landed on her feet. She hardly had a moment to react, but surprise filled her face finally catching up. ¡®What did he do?¡¯ Fumiko could hardly believe what she saw. Shock covered her face as well. ¡®I could understand if he had special abilities or did something to block her, but barehanded? How is that possible?!¡¯ Countless calculations ran through Chiharu¡¯s mind in the seconds she waited before covering up her stunned look with hardened determination. She started her charge through the ever-changing earth. ¡®He can¡¯t have my strength¡­¡¯ Her hand tightened around the hilt of her short sword. ¡®His Field is reducing my speed and agility, but it should still be faster than a human¡¯s¡­¡¯ Nothing came to her. Questions filled Chiharu¡¯s mind. Answers disappeared from sight. All her planning meant nothing. ¡°Charging again?¡± he remarked. ¡°Having a weapon doesn¡¯t make you an adult.¡± He flicked his fingers, discharging several invisible blades in the direction of Chiharu. She felt that she was getting more used to them. A couple of side steps kept her out of any danger. However, she confronted even more at different angles coming at her. The array was wide enough that a simple dodge was no longer enough for her. Her eyes glanced at the warping ground. Winding back her arm, she slammed into the earth. A ripple bubbled up from the earth and churned up the surface. Earth stretched under pressure, but held tight, not ripping. It rose from the force all around Chiharu acting as a shield. Impacts sounded off dully cutting into the distortion. The earth shattered a moment later and the blades broke through to Chiharu. She already had her arms up in defense. Moments passed with loose dust hanging in the air in a thin veil. Chiharu¡¯s figure is easily outlined through the sheet. She stepped out from the cover dropping her arms. Small droplets of blood fell from her fingertips. The man narrowed his eyes a little, but didn¡¯t look surprised or confused by her condition. ¡°Making use of my Field¡¯s properties to create a defense to dampen the attacks. You¡¯re pretty quick.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re annoying,¡± added Chiharu. She broke into a sprint for her enemy once more. He presented new targets to avoid, but they felt a little faster than before. She evaded them, but felt the narrow escape. ¡®He¡¯s getting serious¡­¡¯ He released even more attacks on Chiharu as she got closer. ¡°You only need to surrender. Even after all you¡¯ve done, there is still time to turn back. Foreigners don¡¯t belong here.¡± His stance altered slightly as Chiharu came even closer to her without signs of stopping. Chiharu didn¡¯t give him an answer. She left her sword to respond. ¡®He¡¯s changed his stance, but I can still get an opening¡­I just need to put him down in a single strike!¡¯ Unfortunately, her blade never made it to him. As though replaying recent history, his hand clasped down on her forearm halting her blade centimeters from him. She felt him going to repeat his previous move, but she fought his attempt. Her body shifted her weight and moved in closer to his space making it difficult to maneuver around her. Chiharu intertwined her legs with his in spite of their vast height and size difference. ¡°I have my reasons for being here. I won¡¯t be surrendering!¡± ¡®She¡¯s still got strength to fight me? How powerful is this girl?¡¯ He danced around Chiharu¡¯s movements trying to improve his position. She forced him to block her kicks, no longer satisfied with keeping things even. While she pushed him back a little, their situation largely remained a stalemate. ¡°What reason would you have for being a foreign country?¡± Secondary attacks failed to connect with him, narrowing her expression. She fought with her emotions to keep them from overflowing out of control as before. Her arm still was tightly held down in spite of her efforts to free herself. ¡°I¡¯m not telling you!¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got a stubborn streak,¡± he commented. His hand pulled on Chiharu¡¯s arm as he managed to improve his position. A slip in the contest by Chiharu finished it off for her. ¡®Finally hit her¡­¡¯ He lifted up Chiharu and cast her aside into the back line of his field. ¡®Dammit¡­¡¯ she muttered to herself, as she recovered. Chiharu re-established her footing, but felt her legs complaining more to her. ¡®Is the ground getting worse again?¡¯ Her question remained unanswered as attacks from the old man kept her focused on dodging. ¡®They¡¯re even faster than before¡­I can barely dodge anymore¡­ What¡¯s he doing?¡¯ Chiharu narrowly dodge the last slice through the air with a couple of strains of her hair clipped. The disturbed air brushed against her face. Something about it felt stronger than before. Her eyes widened a little. Something was wrong. ¡®He¡¯s still got that lazy know-it-all look, but he¡¯s getting better¡­ What¡¯s with him?¡¯ Leaving behind her questions, Chiharu sprinted for him once more. She felt her last attack gave her a better understanding of him. She struggled with him unlike the first time. ¡®I¡¯ll get him this time!¡¯ Fumiko watched the two fight, but felt things were turning worse for Chiharu. Her face turned to confusion in watching her. ¡®Why is she moving so slow? I know she¡¯s faster than this¡­ What¡¯s wrong? It¡¯s not just the Field¡­is it?¡¯ Through the fight, Chiharu seemed to be getting progressively slower in Fumiko¡¯s eyes. Before, it was hard for Fumiko to even see her, but in her present state, it almost seemed as if she was standing still. ¡®¡­something¡¯s wrong¡­¡¯ Another attack came for Chiharu at lightning speed. Her reflexes did nothing for her as her body felt oddly sluggish. The balance she maintained before slipped and she tripped into the earth. She coughed on the dirt that sucked into her mouth. ¡®What¡¯s wrong with my body?¡¯ Suddenly, Chiharu heard a pounding in her chest like it was a jackhammer on her. She clinched her hand against her feeling short of breath. Chiharu¡¯s eyes widened not knowing when her body felt so exhausted. ¡®It doesn¡¯t make sense. I haven¡¯t been fighting for long¡­ So why am I so¡­out of breath?! Why does it feel like I can¡¯t stand anymore?!¡¯ She looked up from the ground to see the old man¡¯s feet near her face. He stared down at her, still no more attentive than before. His casual attitude annoyed her even more as though he did not see her as a threat. The man raised his brow a little, noting her glare. ¡°You¡¯ve got a good pair of eyes, but you should have finally begun to realize it. Right?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Chiharu ground her teeth together baring them at him a little. His always-right tone raked down her spine inciting her anger. He knelt down towards her, losing any sense of defense. It became even more apparent that he felt no sense of danger from her. ¡°That all of your precious strength is gone. It¡¯s sapped away.¡± He looked away towards the horizon. ¡°It¡¯s bothersome fighting at my age. So I just let my opponents tire themselves out with my Field. The unstable ground is only a distraction to the real ability of it. It drains away your strength and physical energy until you¡¯re too exhausted to fight anymore.¡± The middle-aged man stood up rubbing his neck as though he was tired. He looked down at Chiharu with eyes that for once looked serious. ¡°It¡¯s over for you.¡± Chapter 165 - The Weakling Chiharu ground her teeth together at his words. Her mind was clear enough to be aware of her body¡¯s state. ¡®Damn, it¡¯s a clever tactic and I didn¡¯t even see it coming¡­¡¯ She darted her eyes around for ideas. ¡®Can¡¯t let all this end now!¡¯ Fumiko tried to get to her feet, but found them even weaker than before. His Field sealed everything for her. However, she didn¡¯t care. Chiharu was at risk and she needed to do something. ¡®I¡¯ve got to protect her!¡¯ Her hands pressed against the slanted surface knocking herself over to her side. Whispered curses escaped her lips as she fought with her body to stand. Chapter 165 ¨C The Weakling ¡°Don¡¯t really enjoy fighting children, but orders are orders. Not a lot I can do since you¡¯re the ones attacking us.¡± He reached out for Chiharu, but stopped short. His eyes narrowed a bit seeing the sword in her hand aimed at him. ¡°Your hand is shaking. I imagine the weight of that sword is too much for you.¡± Resuming his move, he leaned down for Chiharu once more. The sword dropped out of Chiharu¡¯s hand as he came closer. However, she rolled back out of the way letting her foot kick the hilt of her tanto. Weakness gave it poor aim, but it still flew past the man¡¯s head forcing him back. She panted heavily feeling the weight of her body. Glancing up to check on her attack, she caught sight of a shallow wound on his forehead through his eyebrow. ¡®Barely hit¡­¡¯ Catching the signs of blood, he wiped away the slight trickle. It didn¡¯t easily stop and slowly worked around and down his face. ¡°Still got spirit, but that won¡¯t be enough. That last move exhausted you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t speak to me like you know me!¡± spat Chiharu, ¡°I¡¯m no weakling!¡± ¡°This is true. For you have taken this long to be collapsed, you¡¯re not weak. But the facts are still the same. You haven¡¯t the strength to fight back.¡± Chiharu fought with the ground to keep even the slightest hint of balance, but it still tossed her around. Though worse for her, the word she spoke before echoed through her mind. It did more to break her than even the ground. Her mind failed to stop herself before she finished. It tasted bitter. ¡®Weakling!¡¯ Retreating a little, the ground rolled around her knocking her on her back. She glared back at the man as he made no action to take her. He acted too casually for her, but in her state, she had few options. Chiharu rolled over letting the ground guide her away from him. It dumped her out of his sight. ¡®I need a plan¡­ I can¡¯t let it end like this, not failing¡­again¡­¡¯ ¡®Weakling!¡¯ Sighing softly, he ignored the blood dripping. ¡®Can¡¯t keep delaying things, Bakkhos. I¡¯ve wounded her pride enough, just want to wrap this up.¡¯ Bakkhos stepped forward, paving the ground in search of Chiharu¡¯s body. The last place he found her came up empty. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± he muttered with his eyes narrowing. He preferred not to doubt his eyes. His foot turned, rotating him around his Field. ¡°You can¡¯t disappear from me. The more you move the more remaining energy you drain.¡± No response came back to him. ¡®So she¡¯s stopped replying. She baited pretty easily.¡¯ Taking a moment to think, he stopped moving. Nothing came to him other than the other woman he had to capture. Bakkhos marched over to Fumiko, finding her easily. However, he found no presence of the other. He hoped to find them together somehow evading him, but it didn¡¯t work. ¡®Where¡¯d she go?¡¯ The nothingness concerned him. He searched around again for her, but his Field made it difficult to see clearly. ¡®Well she¡¯s already weak so that instability isn¡¯t an issue anymore.¡¯ A ripple escaped his feet and flattened out the ground. Once the Field smoothed out, his eyes widened in shock. He turned around quickly trying to keep everything in his view. It still came out the same. Nothing was truly nothing. Only Fumiko remained in sight. ¡®What did she do?! She couldn¡¯t have fled that quickly!¡¯ He glanced back at Fumiko. ¡°What¡¯s your friend up to?¡± Fumiko managed a weak grin for him. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but it looks like your fight isn¡¯t over yet.¡± ¡°What can the two of you do?¡± he remarked. From anyone else, it would have sounded arrogant, but his casual almost carefree tone made it seem like he spoke to friends. ¡°My Field¡¯s taken away any strength you have to challenge me. Just come peacefully and it won¡¯t be any harder at your hearing.¡± ¡°I doubt we¡¯ll live long enough to see that if we¡¯re captured.¡± ¡°What do you mean? You¡¯ve caused us some trouble, but we still send back all foreigners.¡± Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°You¡¯re hunting our friend to kill him. We¡¯ll just be loose ends.¡± Bakkhos took a step back from Fumiko. He preferred to think of her over exaggerating the truth of their search, but he couldn¡¯t find it in her eyes. ¡®She believes what she¡¯s saying¡­ What part of the picture am I not seeing?¡¯ His fight suddenly became something less important. Leaning down and coming to one knee, he stared directly at Fumiko. He narrowed his eyes, piercing into Fumiko to read everything she said. ¡°I¡¯ve heard no orders to kill anyone. Only capture.¡± Their proximity unnerved Fumiko a little. She preferred not to be so close to their enemy, even if he hardly acted like one. ¡°I¡¯m not surprised someone like you hasn¡¯t heard about it. I doubt anyone out here has. The fact still remains that your government wants my friend dead. We won¡¯t allow that to happen.¡± Familiar blackness surrounded everything in sight. When it arrived was still unknown, but it was a welcome friend. The only friend needed. Chiharu didn¡¯t know when or how she slipped into shadow. ¡®I couldn¡¯t find any large enough to use or stable enough with the Field. What happened to me?¡¯ She had been waiting for the chance to make a move, wanting to escape the power of the field, but the opportunity always was too far away. The Field created shadows, but it moved too fast on her. Moreover, her body didn¡¯t work with her. She tightened her hand trying to get a feel for her body. The negative effects of the man¡¯s Field left everything in her body off balance. It made her own body feel foreign to her. She detested such foul play. ¡®It might be clever, but there¡¯s no skill or strategy in such methods.¡¯ ¡®As an assassin, a ninja, there¡¯s no room for pride in skill, our pride, honor, comes from the completion of our mission. Any method regardless of trick or deceit if it completes the mission can¡¯t be discarded,¡¯ echoed her grandfather¡¯s words. He reminded her countless times of her stubbornness of wanting a straight fight. It was something that never completely sank into her. Aging from a child to a teenager gave her clarity on his words, but she still had difficulty following them. ¡®I know, but it¡¯s not so easy. How can I lead my men if I can¡¯t show confidence in my ability to defeat my opponent? Who follows someone that can only win through tricks?¡¯ She knew that her men followed her orders, but how much of it was because she was the head of the family. It always spun around in her mind. She had to prove it to them. Yet every time she had a chance, she failed. She only showed them a failure. A miserable taste always filled her mouth. Her grandfather commanded respect from everyone and fought on even with the diminished rank of their family. It never stopped him. ¡®Chiharu you¡¯ll be the head of the family one day. Always hold your head up high and never turn away. Even when you¡¯re at your worst, never show anything but confidence in your stance. The moment you falter is the moment you lose everything.¡¯ ¡®¡­yes, Grandfather¡­¡¯ ¡®Even if you¡¯re dragged through the dirt, covered in blood, beaten and bruised, never forget that you¡¯re a Chinen. A Chinen never crumbles or collapses. Always get back up and never show weakness.¡¯ ¡®¡­I remember¡­¡¯ Chiharu pulled herself back up on her feet. Strength returned to her body. ¡®¡­the reason I came here¡­the reason I must keep moving forward¡­¡¯ Determination filled into all of the corners of her face running out the doubt that made home before. ¡®Any method regardless of trick or deceit if it completes the mission can¡¯t be discarded.¡¯ ¡®I know¡­¡¯ Reaching down, several kunai dropped into Chiharu¡¯s hand. Trading all but one to her other hand, she lifted her arm up preparing to throw. ¡®Even trickery, I must¡­if I¡¯m to win¡­¡¯ Fumiko¡¯s words troubled Bakkhos. They left him silent in contemplation. His eyes read her as deeply as one could, but he found nothing inside her. She spoke the truth, as she believed it to him. ¡®The council? Is that who she¡¯s talking about? But why? Is there really something we aren¡¯t aware of?¡¯ Darker images conjured up in his mind from her words. He didn¡¯t like the implications. However, he still didn¡¯t know enough to trust her words. Bakkhos leaned in a little more trying to exercise his position to his advantage. She was a foreigner in their land and stranger. He couldn¡¯t trust things blindly. ¡®Even a lie to an ignorant person can be spoken as the truth.¡¯ His expression made it clear to her he wanted no tricks or skirting of the truth. ¡°Who¡¯s this friend? What is their importan¡ª¡° He never had a chance to finish his words as he felt a pain in his shoulder. ¡®What struck me?!¡¯ His head tilted over his shoulder in the direction of the attack. Nothing came in his sight. ¡®Is it that child?¡¯ Pausing to investigate his wound, he carefully used his good arm to pull the kunai free. Once he saw the kunai in his hand, he immediately recognized it. ¡®It¡¯s her.¡¯ The conversation ended with him standing and the Field turning back to the unpredictable shaking. He tossed aside the kunai to focus on his pressing concern. ¡®Where is she hiding? The direction had to put her¡­¡¯ Bakkhos tracked the line back to where he felt she should be. The area was still a general search radius, but it put him where he felt she should be. Another sharp pain stabbed him from the back. His other shoulder held a new kunai. He spun around quickly trying to get a lock on the girl. ¡®Are my eyes playing tricks on me? Why can¡¯t I find her?¡¯ Bakkhos walked forward cautiously trying to get a beat on Chiharu. He suddenly felt like he was fighting a phantom rather than a child. ¡®There¡¯s definitely a different feeling to this fight than before¡­¡¯ Before he had a chance to do anything more, two more kunai came from nowhere and embedded themselves into his thighs. It was enough to drop him to one knee. He ripped out of the blades and cast them aside. ¡®This is becoming troublesome.¡¯ Swiping through the air roughly, nearly a dozen blades slashed through the thick night air. ¡®My shoulders are slowing me down¡­¡¯ The test strike found nothing. Dust clouds coughed up from the ground from the attacks painting the borders of his field in a veil. He narrowed his eyes reading out for any movement. ¡®She¡¯s here somewhere¡­¡¯ Dust suddenly parted in bursting speed trailing off a black figure. Bakkhos only had seconds to react running out cuts. Blood sprayed from new wounds, but it did nothing to halt their advance. A flying knee plunged into his chest knocking him off his feet and depositing his body several meters away. Chiharu came to a soft landing. She stood up ignoring the bleeding from her wounds. ¡®Sorry, Grandfather, but I still need to prove this to myself¡­before I can follow you¡­¡¯ Out of the dust cloud rose the old Atlantean. Bakkhos coughed a little, feeling the impact still in his chest. His hand rubbed his trench coat that gave him protection. ¡®It doesn¡¯t work well against cutting edges, but blunt attacks¡­without it I doubt I¡¯d still be standing¡­¡¯ Glancing over the Field, he caught sight of Chiharu staring back at him. Her face was as clear to him as if he stood only centimeters from her. ¡®She¡¯s got her fight back. She looks even more determined than before¡­so troublesome¡­¡¯ Lifting up her hands, Chiharu committed to a fighting stance. She felt the years of training passed down through her as part of the Chinen Clan coursing through her. It was all she needed to deal with her opponent. ¡®This is as far as I¡¯ll go with tricks. The rest of this is only me!¡¯ Chapter 166 - Fighting for Ones Self Bakkhos dusted off his coat, starting a slow march back to Chiharu. He felt the slowness in his body from the attacks she made on him. His coat gave him protection from much of it, but he still had to deal with the force. ¡®I¡¯ve never met anyone with the strength to lift someone off the ground and knock them back, especially with the size difference. They really are a different sort¡­¡¯ Checking on her position, unchanged, he examined her stance. ¡®Already got back that much strength, their bodies have remarkable recovery, very troublesome indeed¡­¡¯ ¡®I have some of my strength back¡­ The time outside his Field helped me, but still¡­¡¯ Chiharu noted the fact that his Field already surrounded her. As he closed, it only felt stronger, the draining effects it had on her. Her feet balanced carefully on the changing ground to keep her defense up. ¡®I¡¯ve got a better understanding of him this time¡­¡¯ A shift in her foot indicated her intention to act. The intent didn¡¯t slip past Bakkhos'' careful eyes. He didn¡¯t want to deal with her again. ¡°You¡¯ve got your spirit back, but we¡¯ve done this before al¡ª¡° A sharp fist cut him off with his reflexes barely dodging it. After Chiharu cleared him, he took a few steps back. ¡°That¡¯s rude of¡ª¡° Chiharu cut him off again with a kick, which actually connected loosely. He slid back already knowing he acted too late. ¡®I guess my old tricks won¡¯t work anymore¡­¡¯ Chiharu quickly moved in on Bakkhos before he had another chance to start talking. She had to keep to her strategy. Time factored into it so much that wasted seconds were crippling for her. ¡®There¡¯s a lot more at work with him than I originally gave him credit for¡­¡¯ They kept moving about with Chiharu only managing narrow hits. ¡®His strategy is to keep me distracted and off balance both with his words and his unstable Field.¡¯ Their fight intensified with Chiharu making quicker strikes against Bakkhos, but the physically draining effects of his Field started to show their signs again. She began to miss him by larger margins, even trying to adapt to the changes only bore small fruit. ¡®I was so caught up by everything that I didn¡¯t even notice. I underestimated his ability, letting him dictate pace.¡¯ Even with his injuries, Bakkhos kept from serious harm, while also never countering Chiharu. He allowed her to remain offensive. ¡® I thought with my physical attributes I didn¡¯t have anything to be concerned with against him.¡¯ Watching the fight, Bakkhos felt some respect for the talent he witnessed, troublesome as it was for him. ¡®Her adaptability is surprising, she¡¯s already almost completely used to the ground changes.¡¯ He blocked an incoming fist feeling the weight of it through his back. ¡®Against a normal human, my Field leaves them completely full of openings, but it is mostly unnecessary.¡¯ His eyes kept watch on Chiharu¡¯s footwork to keep his distance at a perfect separation for his comfort. ¡®In fights with others like me, it¡¯s nearly pointless as their Field neutralizes it. This is the first time I¡¯ve actually had a fight like this¡­¡¯ ¡®I still have a lot to learn,¡¯ Chiharu commented to herself. It was a fact she already knew, but something the fight reinforced for her. She needed better control to succeed her Grandfather. Chapter 166 ¨C Fighting for One¡¯s Self Fumiko managed to leave the range of Bakkhos¡¯ Field, in part, thanks to Chiharu¡¯s fighting. It was subtle, but she could feel the restored magic in her body along with her physical fatigue fading. Unfortunately, her fight with Stamatia already left her drained from the start. She was hardly in a position to help Chiharu. Watching Chiharu fight made Fumiko realize she had never seen her in a fight before. She didn¡¯t know how she fought, but felt something strange from the fight. ¡®Why is she holding back from using her other power?¡¯ Fumiko remembered seeing her use it when arguing with Seiji a couple of times, when everyone else missed it. With Seiji, Chiharu was definitely physically involved, relying less on the rest of her abilities. ¡®I just figured it was best she didn¡¯t take him seriously, but is there something else I didn¡¯t see before?¡¯ So much of Chiharu remained a mystery to Fumiko. She often felt she knew her better than the rest of the group, but only because she watched her and kept an eye on her. ¡®She hides everything underneath that mask of hers¡­always so difficult to read¡­¡¯ Fumiko only made progress in understanding Chiharu through her interactions with others. Alone, she saw nothing. Her fight revealed another new side to her. ¡®She looks so determined¡­determined to fight her own way on her own terms¡­ What exactly is she fighting against?¡¯ Fumiko¡¯s recovery restored her eyes'' ability to follow all of the movements of the fight. Lowered down to a mere human before, her body had neither the reflexes or focus to see much more than a blur. Yet, she could watch every move Chiharu made in the fight now. She could see the look in her eyes. ¡®She¡¯s not looking at him¡­ Her gaze is going past him, looking beyond¡­seeing something else¡­ Her goal is further ahead¡­¡¯ Seconds piled up into minutes for the fight. Fumiko assumed that Chiharu had to be slowing down. The Field played against her. It left her open and weak. However, it wasn¡¯t what Fumiko saw. ¡®Is she actually moving faster?! She¡¯s driving him back!¡¯ Bakkhos slid back again, unable to deflect Chiharu¡¯s attack. His defense saved him from something worse, but the impact still rippled through him. The strength she still held inside surprised him. ¡®She should be getting weaker the longer I¡¯m dragging out the fight, but it doesn¡¯t feel like it¡­ I can¡¯t keep up with her pace¡­and my Field isn¡¯t working fast enough anymore¡­¡¯ Another pound slammed into his arms. Even with the resistance of his clothes, it still made it through to his body. He still felt the sting and dull quaking feeling that rattled his bones. His body was spared the crushing force, but it still left a mark on him. ¡®So troublesome¡­I might not last long enough to see her drop from fatigue again¡­¡¯ Bruises and hairline fractures covered his arms. His wounds groaned to him every time he made any movement that he ignored. Chiharu slid around Bakkhos making use of her legs to add to the strength of hits. ¡®All he¡¯s doing is defense, like before¡­ I¡¯m connecting, but at this rate¡­¡¯ She managed to slip in her punch between his defense, scoring a solid hit on his chest. It knocked him back a step, but in breaking through his defense, he weakened her force. ¡®Always like this¡­Why is he so passive when fighting?¡¯ The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡®She¡¯s adapting quickly¡­pressing me back¡­¡¯ Preferring a break, he was sharply denied anything more than his usual defense. A crumbling defense and weakening body were facts he knew too well. ¡®I¡¯m out of options now¡­so troublesome¡­¡¯ Slightly shifting his weight, he intercepted the kick meant to destroy his defenses completely. ¡®Guess I¡¯ve got no choice anymore¡­win or lose¡­this has to end¡­¡¯ A flicker went off in Chiharu¡¯s eye as she realized what he was doing. ¡®He¡¯s switching! This is the moment I¡¯ve waited for!¡¯ Her features narrowed reading his hand movements. Her leg still held by Bakkhos slowed her action as a hidden blade released from his fingertip in an unavoidable trajectory. Chiharu¡¯s eyes widened in the moment before blood sprayed into the air. ¡°Chiharu!¡± shouted Fumiko, starting her legs moving. Bakkhos sighed for a second. ¡®It¡¯s over¡­¡¯ However, a sharp pain struck him in his back knocking him off balance. His left foot slammed into the ground to recover himself. Yet his eyes widened a bit in surprise to see the image of Chiharu fade from in front of him. ¡®Can¡¯t be¡­¡¯ He turned around and found Chiharu standing before him. Releasing a snap of his hand, a blade slashed out at Chiharu cutting through her arm. However, the image faded away and another strike crippled him. He couldn¡¯t keep his balance anymore as the blow cracked his ribs. Bakkhos fell forward with a cough of dust billowing out from his body. The Field disappeared into the flat surface it used to be, a clear sign. ¡®¡­troublesome ones, Captain¡­¡¯ Chiharu walked away from Bakkhos¡¯ unconscious body holding a hand on her shoulder. The blood from the first strike was real. She couldn¡¯t evade it completely. Her black ninja garb turned a deep red from the soaked blood of Chiharu¡¯s fight. ¡®I knew my only chance was when he went on the offensive¡­but I feel so tired¡­¡¯ ¡°Chiharu! You¡¯re alright!¡± Fumiko came running to meet Chiharu putting her arm partially around her. Chiharu didn¡¯t seem to argue with Fumiko touching her. A nod came from Chiharu in answer to her question. ¡°But I¡¯m not so injured I need your comfort,¡± replied Chiharu, when she realized Fumiko was hugging her loosely. She pushed Fumiko awake and took a safe distance. Grinning a little, Fumiko did not push Chiharu further. ¡°What happened back there? It was all a blur.¡± Chiharu glanced back at Bakkhos and recalled the final strikes she made. ¡°I made use of his Field to move faster, but when he held me down it slowed my movement. It ended up leaving a little illusion behind, so I used it again.¡± Fumiko lifted her hand to her chin thinking about what Chiharu said. ¡°So like an after-image?¡± ¡°Why do you sound like the weakling right now?¡± Chiharu demanded, her eyes flattening out with irritation. ¡°Well he¡¯s not here to say it, someone had to!¡± A small laugh came up from Fumiko after she said it. She quickly changed back to a serious tone with another question. ¡°But how did you make use of his Field to move faster? It¡¯s so unstable I can¡¯t even stand.¡± ¡°I was used to it enough that I made use of the rising and falling to slide with my movements in a more fluid manner. It let me increase my speeds more than my body could at the time due to his Field¡¯s effect. The hills are all created from him at his center, so all I could really do with it was rotate around his position to get behind him.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I can understand that one.¡± The thought of what she did made Fumiko¡¯s hair a little frizzled. She let it go quickly however, to place her hand on Chiharu¡¯s shoulder. ¡°No matter, you won. So we can get back to finding Yori.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Chiharu tilted her head back in the direction of Yumi and her brother. They were far away from them. However, something else bothered her. She never had a chance before to ask about it since the old man got in her way. ¡°What happened to your arm?¡± Fumiko glanced down at the stump of her upper arm. It still had the odd feeling of being with her even though she knew it was not. The pain long passed and she still wasn¡¯t used to it so she easily forgot about it. ¡°Oh right! This!¡± She lifted her stump and pointed at it with her other hand. ¡°I lost it in my fight.¡± ¡°Against him?¡± she asked, pointing over at Bakkhos. Chiharu made a slight movement towards him as though hinging on her response for her action. ¡°No, not him.¡± Fumiko shook her head thinking about her fight. The moment she lost the arm and burned it to keep fighting made the end ache. Her hand massaged the coarse skin burned by her own flame. ¡°I was in a fight before. That¡¯s why he got me so easily. He was able to neutralize my magic.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Chiharu pulled back, returning to facing Fumiko. Thoughts ran through her mind on the new information. ¡®Two of them now. We¡¯re going to have to be careful going forward. They know too much about us and with their powers it¡¯s dangerous knowledge in their hands.¡¯ ¡°We should get out of this area before another one of them shows up, Chiharu!¡± ¡°Agreed, where¡¯s the muscle head?¡± ¡°Huh? You mean Seiji?¡± A nod confirmed the question for Fumiko. She had to think about Seiji for a moment. Everything in the fight was a blur and the time before was almost ancient history. Some of the pieces slowly came back to her. She turned around looking at the camp. ¡°Everything¡¯s changed so much. I can¡¯t tell where we came from. I remember the tall woman attacking Seiji and they disappeared.¡± Fumiko looked around more, racking her brain. ¡°I think it was towards the edge of the camp, but I don¡¯t know where that is.¡± Chiharu¡¯s eyes slid around taking in the camp and their position. She already had a good idea of his direction. ¡°I¡¯ll look for him. I can locate him faster.¡± Fumiko stretched for Chiharu to interrupt her before she left. ¡°Seiji¡¯s strong. He¡¯ll be fine. We need to find Yori first!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already found him. The siblings are together.¡± ¡°What? Why didn¡¯t you tell me this?!¡± Tilting her head up to meet Fumiko¡¯s tall glance, Chiharu¡¯s flat expression remained unchanged. ¡°Because I hadn¡¯t gotten to telling you yet. I was going to tell you to go to them and get them out of the camp while I search for the muscle head.¡± She wanted to say so many things about the frustrating nature of Chiharu, but restrained herself. Fumiko focused on the more important matter. ¡°Where¡¯s Yumi and Yori? Why isn¡¯t she with you?¡± ¡°Because I needed to locate the rest of you and get the order for you to leave. But since she¡¯s sealed, she¡¯ll need your help leaving safely.¡± ¡®Leaving out more details¡­¡¯ Calming herself down, Fumiko understood Seiji¡¯s position. She scanned the mess of the camp trying to imagine navigating it. ¡°Where do I find them?¡± Chiharu lifted her arm pointing off in the direction of Yumi. ¡°I left them there.¡± Fumiko shifted a little to get a better look at where Chiharu pointed. She didn¡¯t know the distance she had to travel or the condition of them. Turning back toward Chiharu, her mouth opened only to be cut off. Chiharu was gone. Scanning the area did no better for her. ¡°Chiharu!¡± she screamed in frustration to the sky. Within the black void, Chiharu already went in search of Seiji. She had no time left for Fumiko and her questions. Their time in the camp was over and the longer they trespassed risked even more dangers. ¡®My strength still needs time to recover. I won¡¯t be able to fight anyone else¡­he better have dealt with them¡­¡¯ Miltiades stared intently at the two bodies for minutes on edge. Aside from the cough he heard before he started healing them, they made no further movements. It concerned him that he was too late. ¡®Come on¡­I¡¯m not losing another comrade tonight! Not to them!¡¯ A click of a blade suddenly came from behind Miltiades. The shining polished metal stretched down next to his neck. Behind him, a dark shadow stood over him with his life in their hands. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± Chapter 167 - Falling in the Forest Glancing down at the blade, Miltiades swallowed slowly. He didn¡¯t expect anyone else to find them. An image of the shadowed figure he saw before trying to kill the two of them appeared in his mind. ¡®Is it them? The one from before¡­they wanted to kill, but why?¡¯ The metal let out another click as it moved closer to his neck. His skin felt the sharp edge of the blade. It felt like it would cut him if he breathed too heavy. They spoke again to him. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± The same words, but they spoke with greater intent than before. Hearing the voice again made his eyes widen for a second. ¡®There¡¯s something familiar about them¡­¡¯ Miltiades ran his brain through everything to try to figure out why the voice seemed familiar to him. Nothing came back to him in the hurried search he made. It didn¡¯t seem so familiar that he knew them, but he heard them before recently. ¡®Who is it? Do I risk an attack? Or wait to see who it is?¡¯ He preferred caution in his situation as his eyes stared down at Nerine. Any move he made put her at risk. ¡®She needs more time¡­¡¯ Miltiades raised his hands up to show his intention not to struggle to the stranger. ¡°I¡¯m standing up.¡± He waited a moment before acting to gauge the response. They didn¡¯t oppose him. ¡°So who are you?¡± he asked, keeping his back to them. The weapon rested on his shoulder with the intent still unchanged. ¡°What were you doing?¡± Miltiades refrained from responding immediately. He judged the stranger trying to get a read on his situation. The blade rubbed against his skin as a constant reminder. ¡®The blade¡¯s angled down now, a lot¡­they¡¯re short¡­¡¯ Their voice still echoed as something he knew he should remember. ¡®They sound young almost like a child¡­a child¡­¡¯ A soft rattle grazed the edge across his neck. They wanted an answer. ¡°I was healing their injuries.¡± ¡°Were you the one that fought them?¡± ¡®Definitely not the one I chased off? Who is it?¡¯ Questions kept piling up for him. He felt he narrowed his options, but he still didn¡¯t know who spoke to him. His memory failed him. ¡°No, I arrived after it was already settled.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Silence ran between them for seconds as no more questions came. Miltiades thought that it settled everything and it meant they reached an understanding. The blade disappeared from his shoulder. A sigh of relief came from him. However, it was too soon as pain struck him like lightning in his head. Everything went blurry for him in an instant. ¡®My Field! Nerine!¡¯ Miltiades collapsed to the ground. His Field disappeared as his mind went blank. Darkness consumed his eyes. A stretched out hand reached for Nerine before he dropped it. His body stopped moving. ¡°Such a pain. But now I don¡¯t have to deal with another fight,¡± commented Chiharu. She returned her tanto back to her sheath. Her eyes slid down to stare at the unmoving body of Seiji. ¡®Doubt the idiot¡¯s dead, but I need to check anyway¡­¡¯ Chiharu knelt down next to him, putting her hand to his neck. After a quick check, she stood up. ¡°Figured as much. You¡¯re too dumb to actually die.¡± She nudged him with her foot to get him awake, but nothing happened. Chiharu crossed her arms thinking about the possibilities. The thoughts made her kick him again. It did no better the second time for her. She managed a grunt from him, but it was only reactionary from her foot. He remained still. Sighing softly, she leaned down grabbing his arm to start lifting him up. Her hand slipped and lost him. ¡®I used too much of my strength up in the last fight¡­my strength still isn¡¯t back¡­I¡¯m not going to be able to carry him¡­¡¯ Left with the only remaining option, Chiharu started to drag Seiji along the ground. It was slow, but it was her only method until her strength recovered. ¡®I¡¯ve got to get him out of here and regroup with the others¡­¡¯ However, her retreat wasn¡¯t so easy. A steel pole shot up in front of her, knocking her free from Seiji as she dodged away. She turned her head back towards the two she left to see the man standing determined to stop her. ¡®Damn, thought I knocked him out harder¡­my strength really is annoying right now¡­¡¯ Chapter 167 ¨C Falling in the Forest Miltiades lurched forward still working off the splitting headache he received. His eyelid lowered, letting him focus a little. ¡°I remember you now. You¡¯re the one from before.¡± ¡°I know you can¡¯t understand me, but I think my intention should be clear. Retreat now.¡± Chiharu stood on the very same pole as Miltiades, her back to his. Barely enough room for air to pass through was all the gap she gave. He felt a cold chill down his neck, the likes which only his Captain and drill instructor managed to instill. His eyes didn¡¯t dare to turn or his head to confirm what he already knew. All stared forward where he knew the two to be, at least he thought. ¡®So fast! I didn¡¯t even see the movement! What Law are they using?!¡¯ He understood why her voice was familiar, but he couldn¡¯t place it. ¡®I¡¯m not used to hearing her in Atlantean, I heard her speak in a foreign language before¡­if I realized it sooner¡­¡¯ A silent curse muttered under his breath. She let him retreat the last they met, but the impression she left on him lingered. He spent his hours resting trying to understand her. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Chiharu narrowed her eyes to adjust to the new situation. ¡®I can¡¯t deal with another fight¡­¡¯ She took a firm stance to cover up her weaknesses. ¡°If you remember me, you already know how this will turn out. I¡¯ve no interest in repeating past events.¡± After her statement, she moved to pick up Seiji. Another pole erupted between them forcing her back. Her eyes slid around towards Miltiades. ¡°I was exhausted from the other fight last time. It¡¯s different this time. You don¡¯t know how it¡¯ll turn out.¡± A ripple expanded from his feet bringing his Field out in full. No longer held back, a dozen poles ripped out of the ground. Continuing her bluff, Chiharu walked around next to Seiji. ¡°You¡¯ve already seen how fast I am. I can end this in a second if I wanted. This is pointless.¡± Leaping up to a rising pole, Miltiades moved himself out of her reach. He crossed his arms and looked down at her. ¡°If you could, you would have already. But I don¡¯t think you have it in you. If you had, you would have carried him off already as I saw you do before. No, you¡¯re weaker right now.¡± Chiharu ground her teeth as her plan failed. ¡®He¡¯s not buying it and I haven¡¯t nearly recovered enough, not that I have a choice¡­¡¯ She glanced over at Seiji taking a final consideration of her situation. ¡®One last bluff¡­if it doesn¡¯t work I¡¯m going to have to fight¡­¡¯ A hand stretched out for Seiji and a pole came out in response, as she expected. She swiftly dodged around and reached the opposite side of Seiji to haul him up to her shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m not as weak as you think. Best not to underestimate me, lest you wish to suffer for it.¡± A bit of sweat began to form along his neck making him uncomfortable. He felt his confidence slip a little, but he already started. ¡®I won¡¯t let them run free!¡¯ Miltiades jumped over closer to Chiharu, keeping to his poles. ¡°You can try to escape, but I¡¯ll stop you each time.¡± ¡°Tch!¡± Her last chance to escape evaporated quickly. Glancing around, she measured Miltiades'' Field. She was going to have to deal with him directly. However, she felt a little better about the fight, as she knew what to expect from him. ¡®I¡¯ve seen enough from his fight with the idiot¡­at least I won¡¯t get any surprises¡­¡¯ Still carrying Seiji with her, Chiharu made a run for the edge of his Field. ¡°Still trying to flee?¡± Several of the steel poles burst from the ground aimed directly at the weighed down Chiharu. In her condition, she couldn¡¯t avoid a direct hit. Chiharu made a good effort evading the two first, but it only put her into position for the third to knock her over and then the fourth scored a solid hit. A fifth took Seiji out of her hands, sending far out of the range of the Field. The aftermath of the attack left Chiharu on the ground amongst the rubble of his Field and a small cloud of dust spread thin around her. ¡°It was a bad idea to try to flee with him. Now I have you cornered.¡± Several more poles rose to cut off her path. Unaffected by the imposing heights, Chiharu stood up and turned around to face Miltiades. ¡°On the contrary, you actually helped me.¡± Chiharu jumped up kicking off from the poles to get her height to match with the upper canopy. Chiharu¡¯s effortless work annoyed Miltiades. He knew her to be more skilled than Seiji, but she didn¡¯t look as weak. ¡®What¡¯s with her? She wasn¡¯t moving that easily before!¡¯ Miltiades removed a few of the poles between them as a precaution. ¡°What are you talking about helping you?¡± ¡°You got the idiot out of the area. Something I was planning to do, but you made it easier. All I had to do was line it up while you thought you had me off guard.¡± His eyes widened a little as her explanation soaked in for him. ¡®She planned all of that?! Even letting herself be hit?¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s much easier to do with someone so straightforward,¡± added Chiharu, as she leapt forward to the next pole. It disappeared from underneath her, but she was already moving keeping pace with him. ¡®I don¡¯t understand it, but it feels like my body¡¯s responding better now¡­¡¯ She released a small thin grin while she moved on. Lowering and striking out with his poles made no progress against Chiharu. She read all of his moves so easily. As she closed in reach of him, he jumped away and removed everything in range of her. With nothing to hold, he forced Chiharu to fall. He used the opening to his advantage. More than a dozen poles came up for her, launching a staggered attack on Chiharu. It buried her in steel out of his sight. ¡®Did I get a hit?¡¯ The answer came soon as a shadowed figure stood up on the angled pole. Chiharu looked unharmed and a little bored. ¡°If this is all you got, I¡¯m leaving. I only stayed around to see if you¡¯re worth my time.¡± Shock disappeared from Miltiades¡¯ face quickly as anger bubbled through the cracks. ¡®Underestimating me¡­ You¡¯re going to regret that¡­¡¯ Poles behind him started to fade away. Chiharu narrowed the features in her face reading a change. She felt the winds shift and warn her of something coming. It made her curious. ¡®Looks like I got him riled up¡­this should be interesting¡­¡¯ Suddenly, the surface altered with Chiharu¡¯s boots no longer getting any grip. She slid down, unable to get any traction. If it ended there for Chiharu, it wouldn¡¯t have felt as dangerous. It surprised her a little, but not as much as what came next. Breaking free, a pole rammed at Chiharu from a near horizontal angle. The angle seemed impossible with what she observed from him that it caught her off guard. Her reflexes saved her, but it blew only a centimeter over her head nearly taking off her nose. ¡®That was close!¡¯ She narrowed her eyes, staring at the pole above her. Turning destroyed any controlled balance she had on the frictionless surface knocking her on her back to keep sliding. The assault didn¡¯t end. She caught sight of another pole screaming at her at a horizontal angle in a new direction. Chiharu sprung off the pole and flipped through the air backward to escape the threat, but her eyes found another even closer to her. It whizzed over her cheek as she awkwardly turned her course in the air. She felt her skin get a little warm. ¡®He¡¯s getting faster with his attacks¡­it¡¯s becoming more difficult to dodge¡­¡¯ Her thoughts ceased as two more came in only seconds after horizontal lines of attack again. She nearly lost her head in the last two as she wedged between them. Chiharu dropped down to a pole below her that kept moving after its failed attack. She spun around to the bottom letting her legs take hold and speed her away from the attack zone. ¡®Something¡¯s wrong¡­¡¯ Suspicions rose in her mind only to die sharply. A heavy force crashed into her stomach, ripping her free from the pole. The force sent her plummeting to the ground. She slammed into the ground carving out a crater in the earth and coughing up a cloud around her. Out of the cloud, a solitary pole surfaced connected above. However, it wasn¡¯t alone for long. More than twenty poles charged in from above pounding into the ground with no mercy. The clouds surrounding Chiharu grew thicker. Only the quaking of the pained earth made it out of the scraping metal. Miltiades leapt around to get a clearer view of the site. He couldn¡¯t see anything, but didn¡¯t feel like waiting for the cloud to disperse. Another round of attacks went in to make sure he finished his target. ¡°It¡¯s all over! You didn¡¯t stand any chance against me when I get serious!¡± Wind blew away the clouds covering up the area around Chiharu. The mass of metal covered up almost everything. However, near the edges of the earth some blood marked the only sign remaining of Chiharu. Chapter 168 - Tearing Down the Forest ¡®That should be more than enough, unless she¡¯s like the other one. But they don¡¯t seem to be identical in abilities¡­¡¯ A motion from his hand pulled back the columns of steel. Sparks and groaning from the metal sounded off as they cleared away from the impact crater. Small chunks of earth fell away echoing the relative silence. Miltiades leaned over his perch to get a look at Chiharu. The clouds of dirt still hung around the crater keeping him from seeing clearly. He didn¡¯t expect any movement from her. ¡®She seemed tired from something. I doubt she had much in her¡­¡¯ However, when the wind blew away the cover the crater was empty. ¡®Can¡¯t be!¡¯ He saw blood on the ground, a sign of her presence, but she was nowhere to be seen in the crater. ¡®How?!¡¯ His eyes searched the crater for any signs of escape. Nothing turned up. Nowhere in the area held any signs of her. ¡®It¡¯s like she disappeared!¡¯ Miltiades suddenly remembered how quickly she moved from their last encounter. She always appeared behind him. He turned around with an unsettling feeling in his stomach. Chiharu¡¯s blood soaked face stared back at him. A strong fierce look came from her eyes. ¡°Took you long enough¡­¡± Her eyes narrowed suddenly in reflection of her next action. Sharply landing her fist deep in his chest, Miltiades fell from his spot and sped down to the ground. Grinding his teeth together, Miltiades quickly felt the wind blowing around him. His fall whipped his hair around the sides of his face. The surprise of Chiharu left him out of control for seconds with the ground quickly coming up to meet him. ¡®I¡¯m falling¡­how did it happen?¡¯ His mind snapped back. A pole jumped up next to him. Miltiades reached out with his hand slowing in his fall and flipping around to correct his position. He touched his chest where Chiharu hit him. ¡®How long has it been?¡¯ It was one of the few times anyone actually touched him. The nature of his powers made it difficult for anyone to even reach him. Only those of significantly greater power or skill defeated him in the past. ¡®I can¡¯t let that repeat!¡¯ Chapter 168 ¨C Tearing Down the Forest Quietly, Chiharu watched Miltiades recover from her attack. She knew the one punch wasn¡¯t enough to end the fight. ¡®They all seem to come with clothes that dampen or negate physical impacts. In my state, my punches aren¡¯t even back to when I was fighting the old man. Speed is the only thing I¡¯ve got going for me right now¡­¡¯ Unfortunately, her speed proved not to be enough as well. The surprise attack from Miltiades took her off guard. It drained her body of more than just blood, but the energy to keep going. Battle fatigue fell around her even faster than normal as though never truly gone. She knew well enough her body still struggled to recover from her last fight and she only pushed herself further to keep in the fight with Miltiades. She tightened her hands into fists to try to keep herself strong. Her mind ignored the pain that ripped through her chest and back from the last attack. ¡®I managed to escape the full attack by slipping into the shadows, but I still took the first hit head on¡­¡¯ The fresh blood on her started to dry, staining her features. It gave her a fiercer expression. Miltiades brought up several more poles around them. These went much higher than normal, as though not intended to be reached. He fixed glares with Chiharu working to harden himself for the rest of the fight to come. ¡®She¡¯s already pushed me this far¡­ I might have to actually do that to win¡­¡¯ His muscles tensed up thinking about the option. ¡®lt¡¯s a last resort, I have to win without it¡­if possible¡­¡¯ ¡®I need to finish this quickly¡­a dragged out fight will only disadvantage me¡­he¡¯s the patient type, always conserving himself¡­¡¯ Her hand patted her thigh feeling the kunai resting. The supply of them was already limited and she lost one in her last fight. ¡®My ranged attacks can only create the openings I need¡­¡¯ The thought came out more like an order than a judgment. Chiharu took in her surroundings to gauge her next move. Memories of the last attack already worked into her plans. She couldn¡¯t afford to make another mistake. ¡°So you ready?¡± ¡°You¡¯re being oddly polite considering your situation.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve no interest in cheap tricks or easy victories.¡± ¡°You remind me of that other guy I fought.¡± His reply made her eyebrow twitch. ¡°We¡¯re nothing alike,¡± she snapped back. A bit of curiosity raised Miltiades¡¯ brow. ¡°Seems I touched a nerve,¡± he tested. ¡°If all you¡¯re going to do is talk nonsense, I¡¯m going to attack.¡± A kunai slid into Chiharu¡¯s hand as she prepared to leap towards him. Miltiades narrowed his features, sensing the intent from Chiharu. He didn¡¯t doubt her plan to attack, but he was ready for her as well. Everything was in place for him. Chiharu leapt off the pole, a signal for both that the fight continued. Expecting an immediate attack, Chiharu dodged out of the way of an incoming pole. Her last round prepared her for the speed and reaction time. Several more slammed in at Chiharu from different sides and angles. She easily slid around them and kept ahead. ¡®This speed is too much for a human mind, it¡¯s reacting to my movements without feedback from him¡­¡¯ The look in Chiharu''s eyes changed a bit as she confirmed her theory. ¡®I can make use of this¡­¡¯ ¡®Her reflexes¡­¡¯ Watching Chiharu¡¯s movements, Miltiades almost felt dizzy. He hardly imagined anyone able to move as well in such conditions. The closer he looked the more he realized that he was forgetting something even more important. ¡®She¡¯s moving like the no friction means nothing! She¡¯s already adapted her center of mass and movement to not lose anything?! How is that possible?¡¯ He needed the aid of his gloves and boots to move around his Field. The Law was meant to disadvantage his opponents. ¡®Who are these people?!¡¯ The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Weaving through a network of poles, Chiharu kept out of reach. She saw her pathways change into a maze. ¡®Almost there¡­¡¯ Metal slammed in groaning as it sparked up against other pieces of metal. The last pieces fell into place for her. ¡®He¡¯s too complacent in his defense¡­¡¯ It took too long for him to realize what happened until the pieces were already in place. Miltiades felt surprise slip on his face once again. ¡®She planned all of that¡­she cut off my defense!¡¯ His teeth ground together when he saw her coming at him free to attack. She already figured out the weakness. Miltaides leapt down the pole he stood on, starting to surf the surface around to keep out of reach of Chiharu. Chiharu spun around the top of the pole and corrected her course to give chase to him. She jumped around and fell behind as he shot out poles from the surface as obstacles to her. However, even slowed down she still gave chase without missing a beat. Above Miltiades, he heard an unsettling scraping noise in almost constant tune following after him. It told him of Chiharu¡¯s pursuit. An interrupted note only meant she was held up by his attempts. He had to tilt himself back a little in his slide to coordinate his attacks better. Each attempt kept missing and the noise only continued. ¡®What is that sound? It just keeps coming¡­¡¯ ¡®His accuracy improved, but they¡¯re still too slow¡­¡¯ Chiharu jumped down, falling a little to increase her speed to catch back up to him. The lack of any friction on the pole made it easy for her to keep a guiding hand while she followed behind him. ¡®He¡¯s always just out of reach, though he¡¯s got skill¡­¡¯ Miltiades suddenly appeared to have stopped, but it only lasted a moment. He shot back up out of reach of Chiharu. The pole started to grow again. Chiharu saw the ground quickly coming up to her. However, it wasn¡¯t the only thing coming up to her. A counterattack by Miltiades waited on her. Dozens of poles shot up at her with branches coming off as she dodged. Her eyes watched them all and kept ahead, but she could see the difference. ¡®He¡¯s controlling theses. There¡¯s a delay between them and they don¡¯t have the same weakness.¡¯ Chiharu realized before that the automated poles couldn¡¯t branch more than once. It was part of her plan knowing that all of the attacking poles died after their use with no extra branching attacks from it. They all had to come from the core pole. A limit she used to construct the tunnel that blocked his defense from making any further attacks while she closed for him. As Miltiades climbed back up to a safe distance, he stopped for a moment staring at the surface of the pole. His finger caught on a rough edge of the pole, one that should always be smooth. ¡®So that¡¯s the sound I heard! Then that was what she was doing before to keep her balance! Clever¡­¡¯ She used the kunai to dig into the pole as a stabilizing point to give her grip and control, not too unlike his gloves, but less refined. Back atop his metal forest, Miltiades stared down at Chiharu. He removed most of the excess to keep up an attack on her even though he knew the futility of it. The skill and intelligence he witnessed from her proved to him that nothing he currently had would beat her. ¡®So it¡¯s come down to this¡­I hate using it. It¡¯s always so draining, but it should get the job done.¡¯ Suddenly, all of the poles came to a stop. Chiharu landed on top of the pile created from all of the attempts made at her. She glanced around trying to feel out any changes in the field. Nothing seemed to be coming. ¡®Is he shifting tactics? He has a theme, so it shouldn¡¯t be anything I can¡¯t handle. However¡­¡¯ The pause in the action brought her attention back to her body. It silently screamed at her for such reckless behavior. All of the adrenaline her body pumped made it easy to ignore everything, but it no longer seemed to be in effect for her. Only seconds passed, but her body already felt heavy and slow. She questioned if it would keep moving for her when she needed it the most. ¡®I¡¯ve been unable to finish this quickly and it is dragging out longer and longer¡­I can¡¯t make any headway against him¡­¡¯ Chiharu stared up the pole Miltiades stood upon trying to think of what she could do. He was no pushover. Around her, the tall poles rose up even higher. They reached a height that cut them off from sight. The edge of the Field was reached vertically. Even more poles rose up from the earth stretching to the sky like those before them. They all kept going until the entire Field was dense with steel poles. Chiharu looked around trying to understand the purpose of the poles. They all were far behind any reach for her or even him. No purpose was served by them exceeding the heights of his Field. He could no longer stand on them. Miltiades no longer stood atop. He hung from an awkward angle at the center of the forest. No movement came from him either as he just stood on the side of the pole with only one hand keeping him attached. At her feet, Chiharu realized that the ground of the Field was no longer the same junkyard debris. Loose patches of grass with rich earth filled everywhere. Leaves even blanketed parts of the ground. Chiharu felt some change coming. ¡®He¡¯s planning something. There¡¯s no doubt anymore¡­¡¯ She weighed her options in a pre-emptive strike or waiting. Her body told her to finish things immediately. It didn¡¯t want another round. On the other hand, her heart didn¡¯t care for the idea of a sneak attack when the opponent was disadvantaged. Her mind realized he planned on her waiting for him from their conversation. She waited. A new change appeared. All of the poles darkened and turned course. They grew out wider at the base and tapered slowly the higher they reached. Soon, points extruded from the surface all along the pole until they thickened and shot out branches from themselves. It all happened quickly in a matter of moments. Chiharu didn¡¯t need much more of a hint to know what was happening. ¡®Why is he making trees? How is this going to be more advantageous for him?¡¯ New questions and ideas popped up. Each tried to feed into a strategy, but found too many unknown variables. She had to wait longer. The shapes of the poles filled out more into trees. Branches were jagged and created innumerable branches from the core. Color and definition came to them giving even more to their image as trees. The last things to come were leaves, as they remained bare. However, they weren¡¯t the sort of trees that Chiharu expected. They were evergreen trees with thousands of needles covering them. ¡®Huh? Evergreens?¡¯ Chiharu allowed herself a little confusion over the type of tree chosen. Miltiades glanced down at Chiharu, finally finished with the transformation. He had to peel off many of the restrictive layers to reach the state the Field existed in for him now. ¡°I don¡¯t show a lot of people this form as it tends to be unnecessary for my work. But this is the true form of my Field.¡± ¡°True form? This looks like a forest.¡± ¡°I put specific restrictions on it to make use of how you¡¯re used to seeing it. This is without all of those.¡± ¡°I fail to see how this is useful for you.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll understand soon enough.¡± Miltiades leapt up to a thick branch to stand. He crossed his arms leaning against the trunk of the tree. ¡°I¡¯d suggest a defense. What you¡¯re about to see is the reason I used to be part of the Omega Division!¡± ¡°Omega Division? Is that supposed to mean something to me?¡± Chiharu didn¡¯t have a chance for an answer as an unnatural sway broke through the forest. All of the trees chattered an eerie tune. Then a wave of green erupted up the branches. Thousands of needles were thrown into the air. However, they didn¡¯t fall or move upward with the motion. The needles floated and began to gather. Riding a wind, they spun around into a long snake. Suddenly, they all shot out in a stream aimed directly at Chiharu. She dodged their first attempt. The ground was stung by hundreds of needles embedded half into the ground with such force that they didn¡¯t snap. The remaining stream continued after Chiharu in chase. ¡®Too many¡­¡¯ She drew out her tanto to intercept the next wave. Only one swing made it before the force knocked her sword from her hand. Surprised and unarmed, the swarm rained down on Chiharu pinning her to the ground. Blood dripped from the countless piercings on her body, as she lay prone and helpless. Miltiades kept his eyes on her the entire time. Sweat dripped down his cheek, but a grin still came across his face. ¡°You may be fast, but you can¡¯t dodge tens of thousands of razor sharp needles. Enough minor wounds will add up until you¡¯re unable to move. This will be your end!¡± Chapter 169 - Two Fists Prone and covered in pain, Chiharu found her body trying to refuse her demands. She slid her eyes over to her arm when it struggled to move for her. ¡®Damn! I didn¡¯t expect this¡­¡¯ Everything narrowed for her. All the small points of pain over her body felt impossible to single out. It all barraged her at once. A single needle would have been nothing to her, but the innumerable cries made it heavy. Wind brushed over Chiharu¡¯s body leaving her stinging. It drew her away for a moment, long enough to distract her. However, it meant she didn¡¯t realize the significance of it until it was almost too late. Her eyes snapped open with the sight of the needles coming back around for another assault. Chiharu dipped her hand into the void allowing it to pull at her enough to get her body moving once more. Needles pinned the ground and a few shot through the loose bits of clothes on her arm. Once in motion, Chiharu got her feet running again as she took cover behind a tree out of Miltiades¡¯ sight. ¡®Narrowly avoided it.¡¯ She looked back at her hand with the maneuver pulled. ¡®I had to expose it out in plain sight. Only seeing it once and partially shouldn¡¯t present too much of a risk. But I can¡¯t let him learn any more about my abilities.¡¯ Chapter 169 ¨C Two Fists Wiping away some sweat, Miltiades brought the mass of needles around the tree hiding Chiharu. He wanted to end the fight quickly. ¡°Hiding¡¯s not going to do you much good.¡± Chiharu¡¯s eyes narrowed and flipped to the sides. She saw the signs already. ¡®This isn¡¯t good¡­I¡¯m moving at his pace now¡­I can¡¯t win like this¡­¡¯ Sliding down the tree, she evaded the first bout, though her hair caught a little with cut strains floating away. The rest of the storm already turned around making another pass within moments. Chiharu pushed off from the tree, getting her legs back in motion. Jumping around on the ground, Chiharu tried to keep ahead and use the trees for as much cover as she could. It mostly worked, but she slipped up a few times and took more direct hits. ¡®I need a different plan!¡¯ Her hand lowered to her kunai and retrieved two to her hand. It was the only spare time she had. ¡®This¡¯ll have to work!¡¯ She barely dodged the attack, feeling needles graze past her. Chiharu launched herself into the air. The bare trees granted an easy branch to land on. It didn¡¯t change what chased her. Needles still came after her, not that she expected anything else. Her hand tightened around the handle of the kunai as she jumped to the next branch. She glanced to the corner confirming Miltiades¡¯ position. ¡®He hasn¡¯t moved yet. Passive as always.¡¯ Things had to change, she knew. Defense had to turn to offense. Avoiding the next attack nearly tripped her as the needles embedded in her leg. ¡®I¡¯m slowing down¡­must do it now! No time¡­¡¯ Chiharu turned her direction, shifting to Miltiades¡¯ tree. She pulled her arm back already ready. A moment later her hand released the two kunai from their hold aimed for Miltiades. Miltiades caught sight of her plan. He quickly redirected his needles back around for defense. A hailstorm of needles sprayed over the course of the kunai. Needles pierced the hardened metal putting small holes in them. The force was enough to change their direction leaving them to pass him. He glanced in the direction of where they went to disappear in his forest. ¡°That¡¯s not going to work on me.¡± Miltiades looked back in search of Chiharu, expecting something more from her, but she wasn¡¯t in sight. The forest was empty. He moved the needles around searching for her, but they came back with nothing. Any attempt he made to flush her out turned up empty. ¡®Disappeared? Did she give up and leave?¡¯ He let out a sigh returning the needles back to the tree. Sweat dripped down his chin. ¡®I doubt she¡¯s gone¡­ She''s out there somewhere¡­¡¯ He blinked trying to ignore the fatigue. The release lightened the weight on him. Miltiades jumped out to the next tree. It was a hunt. He hated the word. ¡®I thought I didn¡¯t have to do this anymore.¡¯ Such a word held only one meaning for most, but it had other meanings for Miltiades. In truth, he knew it was all the same. However, he preferred to divide it into different meanings, personal meanings. Personal meanings created after he made the decision. Heavy breathing whispered through the darkness. A sour taste of fear leaked between branches. Pleas went unanswered. The same inevitable conclusion came each time, no escape. It was always the same. It played out the same way. It never changed. It was his life. Cast in a darkness worn as a cloak. The only clothes he knew. They made him ache. ¡°Good job, Miltiades!¡± replied a voice, with a firm pat on the shoulder. ¡°They¡¯ll probably promote you soon with the success record you have for captures. How many does this make?¡± Miltiades¡¯ dead face looked back at the older man. The man was only a few years older than him, but still treated him friendly enough. It was an odd behavior, he discovered. ¡°Fourteen.¡± No one did anything in the Omega Division without a motive and no one used them without one as well. ¡°Fourteen, damn! Your first year here and that many already.¡± The man grinned a little, appearing proud of his achievement. He was Miltiades¡¯ senior and mentor within the organization. His name was Iordanes, a man who seemed to have no ambition other than to push others up. A strange man made out of place. ¡°I thought it was a little odd sending someone so new to retrieve emerged ones, but you have a talent for it. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be receiving higher ranked missions soon enough.¡± ¡°Thank you, sir,¡± replied Miltiades. There was no warmth in his voice. His answer came as a reflex. It barely seemed as though he was alive. Iordanes patted Miltiades once more before starting to depart. He paused and looked back at him with his eyes narrowed a little. ¡°You¡¯ve done me proud. You¡¯re the best junior anyone could ask for. Be proud.¡± Miltiades remained silent, but a little light returned to his eyes. He walked off into the halls of the Omega Division. Small words were the only thing he found he could live for. The reality was nothing like he dreamed. He thought he found a great honor in his selection for the Omega Division, but only kept finding it not to be like what he envisioned. The halls of the Omega Division were always crowded and tight, even on inactive days. People gathered around trying to get the last scoop. ¡°Rumors say a request came in from the Scylla family.¡± ¡°Scylla!? That¡¯s huge if it is true.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already got my junior investigating.¡± Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°What already? Damn you, how¡¯d you hear about it?¡± ¡°I have my ways.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see about that. You¡¯re not the only one that wants the connections the Scylla family holds.¡± Miltiades continued on ignoring the conversation further. He wanted nothing to do with politics. It was the part of the Omega Division he hated more than anything else. Everyone used everyone else for their own needs. ¡®There¡¯s nowhere else for me¡­I just have to keep down and not do anything¡­this is my life¡­¡¯ He repeated such words on a daily basis to convince himself. It worked for him, for a while. However, it all changed eventually. Another mission came to him, but not like the others. Iordanes told him his years of service paid off. He received a higher ranked mission made available and Iordanes selected him for it. The mission was unlike the ones he was used to in the past. He received a file with the details, but was told not to read them until at the mission location. It took him into the capital underground. A place most avoided due to the poverty and danger. Miltiades held the sealed file in his hands. An unsettling feeling still hung in his stomach from the moment he accepted the mission. He didn¡¯t know why, but it was already too late for him to turn away. His thoughts went back to the last words Iordanes gave him. ¡®You complete this mission and you¡¯ll seal your position in the Omega Division. This will open many doors for you. This is a very important mission, more than the ones you¡¯ve carried out before. A mistake or failure here will mean more than just a bad mark.¡¯ Iornades never said it, but Miltiades felt as though the situation he was in was far graver than he originally considered. Unfortunately, he was already so deep he couldn¡¯t back out. It would be a failure as well. He heard rumors of what happened to those that failed and he preferred they stayed rumors in his mind. He opened his Field to erase the seal on the file and remove it safely to be read. The uncomfortable dread grew inside him. ¡®It¡¯s just a mission. I complete it and then I just go back to accepting regular missions. This isn¡¯t for me.¡¯ Miltiades slid a finger into the file and spread the contents open. Only two papers and a photo rested inside. A simple mission by appearance he thought. Nothing he should be concerned over. ¡®Another capture mission, huh?¡¯ He saw the photo and quickly made the leap. ¡®Must be someone powerful if he talked me up that much. What¡¯s the intel¡­¡¯ Miltiades found most of it to be as he expected, but he found something that disturbed him. His eyes widened and the air in his lungs escaped leaving him almost gasping. His fingers tightened around the file wrinkling the paper. He couldn¡¯t believe it. Reading it ten times changed nothing in the contents. ¡®This can¡¯t be right! How can this be? Did he know the mission?¡¯ The grave look from Iordanes told him he understood. He sent him on the mission knowing. ¡®He expects me to do this?! Why? I can¡¯t¡­¡¯ ¡®A mistake or failure here will mean more than just a bad mark.¡¯ Miltiades fell back against a column. Every part of him was shaking. He remembered how Iordanes looked when he spoke to him. ¡®It was a warning! If I don¡¯t this is¡­if I don¡¯t¡­¡¯ A weight crushed his shoulders, dropping him to the hard stone street. His mind kept going over it all in his mind repeatedly. Escape was not possible. He returned to Iordanes with a face even more dead than usual. Miltiades handed over the file and started to leave. A question stopped him. ¡°The mission?¡± ¡°Complete,¡± Miltiades answered, unable to turn around. ¡°Very good. You did well. I¡¯m proud of you.¡± The words sounded empty to him for the first time. Miltiades glanced over his shoulder back at Iordanes. He saw a different expression in his eyes that he never noticed before. A dark aura seemed to completely envelop him. It suited him, somehow. ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± He turned away and left his office. ¡®How did I never see it before?¡¯ Reality surfaced for Miltiades quickly to confirm his suspensions. Iornades received a big promotion from the mission Miltiades completed. He just followed orders and Iornades advanced. Iornades always advanced, linked with Miltiades successes. Miltiades made his decision shortly after he learned the outcome. He stood before Iornades again. ¡°I request a transfer to the Barrier Division.¡± Iornades¡¯ eyebrows lifted a little at the strange request. ¡°Why? You¡¯ve just started to make it here.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t done my tour of duty, that is tradition. I skipped it because of my placement in Omega Division. I wish to do my patriotic duty to protect our people.¡± A narrowed expression came across his face. ¡°You¡¯re sure? This will set you back and cut off many of the bridges you¡¯ve made in your time.¡± Miltiades simply nodded to him. ¡°Very well, I can¡¯t convince someone with their heart set.¡± As much as Iordanes tried to hide it, Miltiades saw the hints of relief. He acted for his own reasons, but they helped Iordanes as well. He knew Iordanes saw the doubt and conflict in him. Plans were made already, Miltiades assumed to deal with him, but Miltiades made his move first. It simplified matters. Miltiades hated the thought it only helped Iordanes more, but he needed to leave. Miltiades snapped back to reality. He pushed the memories away. What he did now was different from his past. He protected people and his country. A life in obscurity was enough for him. ¡®I have to find her. I need to put an end to this fighting. Once this is all over my peaceful life will return.¡¯ Chiharu resurfaced in the shadow realm after her little stunt. Her kunai and his wave of needles gave her all of the distraction needed to use her powers to slip out of sight without him knowing. It gave her time to rethink her strategy. ¡®This is going to be difficult. I¡¯m already getting weaker and his new ability¡­¡¯ Images of the attack washed through her mind looking for weak points. ¡®It¡¯s here again¡­¡¯ She bent over picking up her tanto. It slid back into her sheath. Chiharu discovered another aspect of her power earlier after the last fight. All of her weapons appeared back in the dimension between somehow. They were never lost. ¡®This won¡¯t be enough, but to be able to produce so many¡­he must be getting exhausted as well. If I just hold out¡­¡¯ An image popped up in her windows distracting her. Her eyes widened a bit and it drew her close. ¡®The idiot, what¡¯s he think he¡¯s doing!?¡¯ Chiharu slipped out the closest window to Seiji appearing behind him. She reached out for him to stop him. ¡°What the hell are you doing here?¡± Seiji spun back around, slapping away Chiharu¡¯s hand. He breathed heavily from the brief act. His eyes had the look of wanting a fight until he realized it was Chiharu. ¡°Oh, the brat¡­what are¡­you doing¡­here?¡± Chiharu crossed her arms staring at Seiji. ¡°I asked first. If you think you¡¯re here for a rematch, this is my fight.¡± ¡°Huh? Rematch? Fight?¡± Seiji stared deeply at Chiharu. However, he quickly looked around, seeing the forest that surrounded them. ¡°Where the hell¡­am I?¡± ¡°In the middle of my fight.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± He examined Chiharu a little closer in the weak light starting to break through the coming dawn. Tiny tears and holes scattered over her body and blood covered most of her. He cocked his eye a little at the sight. ¡°Fight? Looks like you¡¯re losing.¡± Her arms tightened a little around her chest. ¡°You¡¯ve got no room to speak given your state and the fact that you lost again.¡± Seiji shot out his talisman bandaged arm with his fist closed tightly. ¡°I protected someone¡­that¡¯s all that matters¡­¡± Chiharu brushed past him, no longer interested. She also realized that Miltiades discovered their position. The leaves chattered again. ¡°Just leave this to me. You¡¯re in no shape to fight.¡± He stretched out his hand and grabbed her wrist to stop her. He saw enough to know how she was doing. ¡°You¡¯re no better than me. You can¡¯t keep going in your state.¡± Trying to rip her arm free, Chiharu noticed her strength weakening again. She stiffened her stance unwilling to give up. ¡°I know my body. I¡¯ll end this by myself.¡± Seiji¡¯s hand tightened around her wrist. He pulled on her, dragging her back to face him. His head leaned down to stare at her. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do this alone! When you stand together with those you trust you never lose!¡± ¡°Trust?¡± she questioned, giving him a glare back. A weak grin popped on Seiji¡¯s face. ¡°Well, we can work on that part. The rest is still true.¡± ¡°And what are you suggesting?¡± Seiji leaned over to Chiharu and whispered his plan to her. The expression on her face changed a couple times in the course of his explanation. After he finished, she pulled back. ¡°That¡¯s stupid.¡± ¡°You got another idea?¡± Chiharu had no reply for him. The trees lost their needles once more and the green wave swarmed in their direction. She had nothing. They had to act quickly and it was at least a plan. A sigh escaped her lips as she considered it. ¡°¡­fine¡­¡± A few moments later, they were in position. Seiji tensed up holding Chiharu in his hand looking like he was ready for a human shot put. Chiharu held her tanto in her hand and stared up at the imminent attack. ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone about this,¡± she said, with a little red bleeding into her cheeks through the blood. ¡°Right!¡± Seiji shouted, with his arm released a moment later. Using all of his strength, he launched Chiharu into the air against Miltiades for their final attack. Chapter 170 - Dawn Approach The green wave of needles sped at Chiharu with no doubt of a hit. Her arms raised up in front of her crossed as the only defense possible. His plan was a terrible one that only he could think up. She accepted his idea, but still hated it. There was no strategy involved or skill. It was a plan that suited him. Unfortunately, Chiharu was out of options and knew she needed to end it. ¡®A plan that isn¡¯t a plan might be the only thing that will work. It¡¯s not something he would expect from me. Still¡­¡¯ Playing it out still bothered her. The only idea was about brute force. A part of her felt the direct approach was almost too easy. She knew the Atlanteans had normal human bodies unlike them. It was only because of their powers that enabled them to compete. Thoughts of weakness always played in her mind and affected her actions, even subconsciously. ¡®I can¡¯t let things drag on¡­has to end¡­¡¯ Chiharu focused her eyes forward to the coming storm. She braced her body to endure the force coming down on her. The pin-sized holes that lined her body stung in response to the imminent pain. ¡®¡­can¡¯t believe I¡¯m relying on him for this to work¡­¡¯ Part of the plan required the strength of Seiji to throw Chiharu hard enough not to be affected by the impacts from Miltiades attack. She saw how her kunai reacted and questioned their success. Gritting her teeth together, the stream closed with Chiharu. The width of the wave was more than enough to completely engulf Chiharu. She disappeared from sight with only a mass of needles around her. A metallic ring came from the center as the tanto fell from the swarm. Miltiades stared on with a thin grimace on his face. He didn¡¯t know what plan the two of them had, but from fighting them, he learned of their stubborn streak. Until they captured and neutralized them, he didn¡¯t feel he could be confident anymore. It all disappeared after fighting with them. ¡®I have to remain cautious¡­¡¯ He couldn¡¯t help but have a bit of surprise when he saw Chiharu appear from the other side of his attack unharmed. ¡°They¡¯re crazy!¡± Chiharu didn¡¯t afford him any more time as she flew towards him. He narrowed his eyes with a glance to his side. ¡°But I¡¯ve still got an answer!¡± A wave of needles appeared around in front of Miltiades. The new wave was smaller, but remained just as deadly. It shot down at her even faster than the last. Chiharu''s features sharpened with the thoughts of their plan countered. However, she kept her arm crossed in defense. The needles roared down onto Chiharu unrelenting. They tried to stop her and push her down, but she remained on course. Miltiades¡¯ eyes focused on Chiharu trying to understand her ability. His eyes thinned out when he saw it. ¡®A black¡­circle? It¡¯s swallowing everything¡­what is that?¡¯ In front of Chiharu¡¯s arms, a loose circle of endless black hovered protecting her from all of the needles. When a needle hit the circle, it disappeared. The void swallowed everything leaving Chiharu safe. The revelation was enough to throw Miltiades off balance. While he tried to find a new counter, Chiharu cleared the storm and closed the distance. Kunai appeared in her hand. They left her hand quickly to stab his upper arms. The force of them was enough to knock him against the trunk of the tree. ¡°This is over!¡± Chiharu closed the rest of the distance with Miltiades. Her fist rose to strike him in the face and put an end to everything. Miltiades couldn¡¯t move. Sweat dropped down his face at the sight of Chiharu less than a meter from him. He closed his eyes. Chiharu¡¯s punch had the extra force from Seiji¡¯s throw. Thin trails of wind streamed off her fist as it slammed into Miltiades. The trunk of the tree rang out shaking from the force before a crack ripped through the forest. A moment later the upper half of the tree tilted a few degrees before the force tore through the entire trunk. All of the force transferred into the wood shifted it into the open air and left it to fall down to the ground. Tearing her hand out of the tree a little, Chiharu pulled back to look at Miltiades. ¡°The fight is over now.¡± She turned away showing him her back and started to walk the length of the branch. Miltiades felt his bone still shaking from the force that ran through the tree next to him. He couldn¡¯t stop sweating. She missed him on purpose, but didn¡¯t hold back. His body understood what she did. The strength disappeared from his legs sliding him down to sit. A painful cough tore through his chest. ¡®¡­I went past my limit¡­¡¯ He stared at his hand covered in blood. The pain stretched up into his head feeling as though his skull split. He went dizzy. His eyes almost completely blurred before he forced it to focus. Unfortunately, everything started to crumble around him. He couldn¡¯t keep his concentration any longer. The trees of his Field faded away. His world vanished, dropping all support for him. Miltiades suddenly felt the wind blowing around his face. ¡®I¡¯m falling¡­how high up was I? Damn it¡­can¡¯t move¡­¡¯ He tried to tilt his head to see around him, but his body refused him. Pain encroached and poisoned everything. It all suddenly stopped. ¡°Huh?¡± Miltiades looked up, discovering he stopped falling. He became uncomfortable in learning that Seiji caught him. ¡°What are you doing?¡± As much as he tried, his body refused him. It forced him to remain held, saved by Seiji. Chapter 170 ¨C Dawn Approach ¡°The hell! Stop trying to move!¡± yelled Seiji. The ground came up quickly for him letting his legs take the impact as he slid to a stop. Once he stopped, Seiji put Miltiades down. ¡°Damn, you¡¯re acting ungrateful! Just because we¡¯re on different sides doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t help each other!¡± Seiji glared down at Miltiades with his bandaged hand tightened into a fist. Chiharu appeared behind Seiji. She dug her hand into her pack behind her to retrieve something. ¡°He can¡¯t understand you, idiot. Without his Field, you¡¯re just yelling at him in a foreign language.¡± She knelt down next to Miltiades, staring long at him. ¡°What?! Then make your thing again so you can understand me!¡± A sigh escaped Chiharu¡¯s lips, forced to listen to his ranting. ¡°That¡¯s still not going to work.¡± She revealed a small canister to Miltiades and pointed to the wounds from her kunai. Waiting a few seconds, Chiharu ripped the two blades free from his arms. Blood poured freely from the wounds. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. The lid of the canister cracked open with a twist. Her finger dipped into the soft material pulling out some of the contents. Chiharu quickly spread it on the two wounds to cover them up. She ripped some of the cloth from Miltiades¡¯ pants leg to bandage up the ends. Finished, Chiharu stood up and put away the item. She turned away to look toward the camp. ¡°We¡¯re done here. Let¡¯s get the others out and leave. We¡¯ve already stayed too long.¡± Seiji half turned to look at Chiharu¡¯s back. He fought with his confusion and Chiharu¡¯s terseness. ¡°Where have you been?! What about the diversion? What the hell is going on?¡± She kept walking away under the expectation he followed. ¡°I was unavoidably detained. The siblings have been reunited and the other one should be getting them out. Your purpose here is over.¡± Everything she told him rattled off so fast it took Seiji a while after she finished absorbing it all. ¡°Over? What happened? Give me a straight answer, little brat!¡± He tossed out his fist at her back to his frustration with her. ¡°I don¡¯t have the time here to explain it in small enough words for you to understand. We¡¯ve accomplished our goal. So we¡¯re leaving. That¡¯s all you need to know right now.¡± ¡°But what about the guy? You¡¯re just leaving him there?¡± ¡°They¡¯ll find him in time. He¡¯s not in any danger of dying.¡± ¡°Damn you¡­¡± Seiji knew she was right, but he still didn¡¯t feel like he should agree with her. He turned away from Chiharu and ran in a direction. ¡°Wait up! I need to take care of something!¡± The lack of clear directions made it more difficult for her to navigate the camp. Everything was in ruins around her. She only had a heading, but had to work around the destruction. ¡®There¡¯s so much¡­in pieces¡­I was in control of it too¡­¡¯ Fumiko thought her fight only caused localized damage. She knew she couldn¡¯t completely avoid it, but she thought the control she had would limit the devastation. However, it shocked her to see how much their fight caused. She tried to keep out of sight from soldiers running about the camp. Fumiko didn¡¯t want a repeat of the scenes she saw. However, while she hid the sounds of a screaming soldier maimed called out for help. The sound made her blood turn cold. ¡®I can¡¯t¡­keep moving! Yumi¡¯s out there somewhere!¡¯ She never expected such things would happen. Their rescue caused everything she saw. Fumiko forced her legs to keep moving. She ignored the surroundings threatening her. Rubble fell down from the last step Fumiko took. She cursed to herself, but hoped it didn¡¯t attract attention. However, it found someone. A figure stepped out from hiding to investigate putting Fumiko on the defense. She was already in the open with no hiding spot. The only option was to strike first and keep them from alerting others. Fumiko dashed over to the figure before they were clear in her sight. A small flame gathered in her hand. She raised her hand only a meter away. In the last centimeters, Fumiko came to a sharp stop. ¡°Yumi!¡± The flame flickered out from her hand. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I found you!¡± Yumi blinked quickly and looked up to Fumiko not even realizing how quickly she appeared. She nearly fell back, but her excitement took over to keep her standing. ¡°Fumiko! You¡¯re safe! I¡¯m so glad!¡± Unfortunately, she spoke the words too late. Her eyes ran over her body after she spoke and found the truth. Yumi clasped her free hand over her mouth. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry! What happened? Are you alright? Does it hurt?¡± An easy smile came across Fumiko¡¯s face. It felt like things eased up and became a little simpler. She waved her hand to dismiss the worry from Yumi. ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s a little awkward, but I¡¯m alive and that¡¯s what matters the most right now. However¡­¡± Fumiko stopped herself as she focused more on Yumi. The sword that pierced her chest suddenly put Fumiko in Yumi¡¯s shoes. ¡°I should be asking you. Are you¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine as well. This is a little complicated, but it doesn¡¯t hurt. It just seals my powers, so I¡¯m normal again.¡± ¡°What?! Can you remove it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s stuck. Chiharu already tried, but no amount of strength is going to pull it out.¡± ¡°¡­Yumi¡­¡± Fumiko found herself thinking of many things that only felt empty. She wanted to say more, but she saw the brave front Yumi put up and did not have the heart to say anything more. Yumi turned away to look back at where she came from. It only pulled her away for a moment, but a different thought came to her. ¡°So Chiharu found you?¡± ¡°Yeah, she told me to get you. It didn¡¯t make a lot of sense what she told me, but I understand now.¡± She stepped into the hiding area to give them a little more cover. Her eyes glanced down at the sleeping Yori, needing confirmation for herself. Fumiko looked back at Yumi. ¡°I need to get you two out of here.¡± Nodding to Fumiko, Yumi looked back at Yori. Her eyes turned down to focus on the sword. A complicated expression painted across her face as she looked back at Fumiko. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to ask this, but in my state it''s still a little awkward. Could you¡­¡± Fumiko shook her head a little. ¡°You don¡¯t have to ask. I was going to insist on it.¡± Working together to make use of their two free arms between the two of them, Yumi and Fumiko managed to get Yori to his feet. It was a little awkward with Fumiko¡¯s height, but she supported him with Yumi. With his arms draped over their shoulders, the two started to walk out of the camp. Fumiko bore most of the weight knowing Yumi¡¯s frail condition. They were what seemed halfway out of the camp when Fumiko brought them to a stop. Her eyes narrowed immediately and streams of magic threaded around her arm. ¡°Yumi, take Yori. I¡¯ll deal with him.¡± Yumi looked over at Fumiko concerned. ¡°But you¡¯re not¡­¡± Fumiko already let go of Yori, forcing him on her. She saw the look in Fumiko¡¯s face telling her not to argue. Taking more of a hold on Yori, she backed away a little. ¡°¡­Fumiko¡­¡± A young Atlantean stood in their path clad in dark clothes not of the design of their military uniform. It was already clear enough to them what he was. ¡°I¡¯m under orders to bring you three in. You won¡¯t be leaving.¡± ¡°Are you so sure about that?¡± Flames erupted into Fumiko¡¯s hand all ready for a fight. ¡®Good, he doesn¡¯t know about my magic. I can fight!¡¯ ¡°What chance do you have battle fatigued as you all are?¡± The man looked confident and with good reason. He knew they went through many fights. He had to end their fighting and bring peace back. ¡°I¡¯ll be the one to put an end to your chaos!¡± The Atlantean started to charge toward Fumiko. ¡°Move the hell out of the way!¡± shouted a voice from the sky. It was enough to distract both of them to see out who spoke to them. The Atlantean tried to get into a fighting stance seeing a figure coming at him, but it was too late. A large fist slammed into him knocking him past Fumiko with enough force to blow her hair around. Fumiko blinked a little confused by what happened and looked behind her at what was left of her opponent. He laid unconscious in a pile of debris bruised and slightly bloodied from the crash. She turned back to see who did it. ¡°Seiji?¡± she spoke out of reaction. ¡°Yeah?¡± he replied, walking out of the shadows looking surprisingly cool. She lost her breath for a moment seeing everyone was safe. Chiharu appeared behind Seiji carrying something, while looking as stoic as always. Fumiko glanced over at Yumi seeing the smile growing on her face. She couldn¡¯t help but grin a little as well. They all gathered, resolving immediate questions, but Chiharu insisted on them moving. Seiji took care of carrying Yori on his back, while Chiharu continued with her mysterious package. Each time Fumiko questioned it she gave a response even more terse than the last. ¡°Hey look!¡± Yumi interrupted. She pointed her hand up to the sky. The morning sun began to rise over the horizon. Light bled across the land warming up everyone. It was a signal to the end of a very long night. They looked up at it with ease. ¡°Umm¡­guys, should we really be ending on such a peaceful image with the camp in ruins around us?¡± questioned Fumiko. Chapter 171 - Accepting the Fallen Pieces The long awaited morning arrived only to learn no one held any interest in noticing its arrival. Many were grateful for the light it gave, but their attention lay elsewhere. Chaos of one sort ended, yet a different form surfaced. It was never ending. No one complained. No one said anything. Everyone worked. Unmoved from the Command Tent, Simonides sat alone in the dark interior. All of the sources of light left with the soldiers. He needed nothing. All he could do was think over everything that happened. Questions were the only thing of comfort afforded to him. Soldiers died in a failed mission. Their prisoner disappeared in the fighting, already assumed to be rescued by his comrades. Everything possible went wrong. Simonides couldn¡¯t remember the last time he miscalculated so poorly. ¡®It¡¯s like plans are pointless with them¡­but it doesn¡¯t explain what happened. What happened to Vangelis? He was supposed to have stalled them enough for me to get answers from the captive. They attacked before I understood them fully.¡¯ The thought of Vangelis¡¯ team shifted his focus. He relied on his team to slow them down, but it never happened and they weren¡¯t prepared for it. ¡®Where is he? What the hell is he doing?¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m going in circles,¡± remarked Simonides, as he stood up. A breeze from the open tent flap drew away his attention to the camp. The ruins of his camp displayed with even greater effect in the morning. No imagination required. He needed something else. Plenty existed beyond the tent. His search didn¡¯t last for long. All of the thinking wasn¡¯t going to get him anywhere. Something different was necessary. He needed a new focus. Clean up in the camp carried on with no signs of change. The ruin of tents and supplies left everything short, but they all came together. Simonides knelt down picking up one end of a wood pole from a large tent. The soldier opposite him looked up in surprise to see the Captain helping with clean up. ¡°Captain, sir! I¡¯ve got this!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. There¡¯s no reason for me not to help out. I¡¯m the one that caused this after all.¡± Words spoken from Simonides¡¯ eyes told the soldier to start moving rather than keep standing around trying to protest. ¡°Sir, you weren¡¯t the one that caused this, it was those rebels.¡± They tossed the wood into the pile meant for material components for the MPs to rebuild the camp. Simonides gazed out at the nearby craters from the fighting. ¡°From a literal standpoint, you¡¯re correct.¡± The soldier looked a little hopeful and confused, but he raised his hand to stop the man from agreeing. ¡°However, it was my plan that allowed it to happen. It is my responsibility, both the lives and the property.¡± ¡°But, sir! There¡¯s no one here that regrets what happened. We all believe in you, sir! They must be stopped! If they aren¡¯t halted another rebellion could break out!¡± Simonides¡¯ stare turned empty as he turned inward. ¡®If this is really about a rebellion that is¡­my gut is starting to tell me something I don¡¯t want to hear¡­¡¯ He thought back to the words of Bakkhos before he fell conscious again. ¡®There¡¯s something unique, special, about them, but not in the way we think. They aren¡¯t like anything we¡¯ve faced before.¡¯ ¡®Was this what Athene was trying to tell me before?¡¯ ¡®I-I saw it! Their world¡­it¡¯s not like us!¡¯ ¡®Be¡­careful¡­he¡¯s¡­¡¯ ¡®So vague¡­¡¯ Simonides pressed a hand to his head and looked up to the sky. He tired of running around seeking answers when it seemed like others already understood. ¡®I wish they¡¯d be a little more direct. I can¡¯t do anything without knowing who they truly are!¡¯ ¡°Captain!¡± called Abeiron. It took him a second, but his eyes moved to his peripheral to check on who approached. ¡°Abeiron, you have a report?¡± Simonides shifted his weight to clear everything from his body. He returned to work. Abeiron stretched out his hand with a folder to hand to the Captain. He was a little short of breath, but kept his control. ¡°We¡¯ve completed the check of all personnel. This is a list of those either missing or confirmed dead.¡± ¡°I see, thank you, Commander.¡± Simonides accepted the file and opened it immediately despite his personal hesitation. The list was longer than he wished, but shorter than he feared. ¡®I can¡¯t feel relieved by this, but we did come out better considering the circumstances.¡¯ His eyes stopped on the list of missing soldiers with one standing out to him. Turning his head to Abeiron, he expected an answer. ¡°What happened? Why are they on the missing list?!¡± He turned the paper file showing the Commander the name of a MP user. ¡°We searched everywhere for her, but we haven¡¯t been able to find her. I have men investigating the area to learn more, we¡¯ll know more soon, sir!¡± Simonides¡¯ hand tightened up, losing to his emotions. He turned away to look into the horizon. ¡®Damn, they captured you¡­is this revenge? How long will fate keep spitting in my face before I know what¡¯s happening!?¡¯ A severely dark shadow painted Simonides¡¯ forehead and eyes making only the whites show through the shade. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Chapter 171 ¨C Accepting the Fallen Pieces A sneeze came from Seiji, suddenly breaking the silence of the long walk. He juggled the balance of carrying Yori on his back with the weight shift from his movement. Once everything was together Seiji continued, but grumbled a little. ¡°How long is he going to sleep? There¡¯s people worried¡­¡± ¡°I think you¡¯d do better to worry about yourself right now,¡± snapped Chiharu. She shifted around the weight of what she carried, but the size made it difficult for her. Seiji turned his head, annoyed almost instantly by her voice. ¡°The hell¡¯s the matter with you?¡± ¡°I should be asking you that? Making me carry this¡­¡± Chiharu turned around to show it off to Seiji to get her point across to him. Draped over her shoulder like dead weight was Nerine, also still unconscious. ¡°I think some answers are in order. I¡¯ve only been carrying this woman because it was simpler than wasting time debating while still in the enemy¡¯s camp.¡± ¡°Seiji?¡± Fumiko spoke, approaching him as well. She felt like Chiharu, not wanting to complicate matters while things were still dangerous. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why did you bring someone like Yuki?¡± Yumi approached in the line holding the sword resting in her chest. She stared up at Seiji, not saying anything to him. All of their looks made Seiji want to step away. He saw the missing arm and sword feeling as though they shouted out at him. His eyes darted away to look over at Nerine. All of the images of his fight with Cosmas came back to him. He kept picturing what he did to Nerine. It made his arms shake in anger. Seiji turned his eyes back forward with his brow turned down fighting against him. ¡°I couldn¡¯t leave her back there¡­¡± ¡°Huh?¡± questioned the girls. ¡°You do realize that this is the enemy, right?¡± checked Chiharu. She came to a stop and dropped Nerine¡¯s body to the ground. The impact was rough enough to make her cough a couple of times. Seiji immediately knelt down at her side to check on her. Once he saw she remained safe, his head turned to glare back up at Chiharu. His face didn¡¯t have the same look of annoyance he usually showed her. The look forced her back a step as she narrowed her features trying to read him. She crossed her arms and fixed on his eyes. ¡°Pick her back up.¡± A struggling strain in his voice made his demand take on a new tone. Chiharu held her ground with him, but felt rather curious about the new side of Seiji she had never seen before. ¡®He¡¯s surprisingly serious about this. What happened between them?¡¯ She tilted her head a little looking closer at him with interest. ¡°Give me a reason.¡± A small bit of Seiji¡¯s teeth exposed themselves. ¡®We¡¯re all already involved. It¡¯s unlikely to change anything¡­¡¯ They were someone he had to face again. It was something Seiji felt. They wouldn¡¯t be satisfied. ¡°You want a reason?¡± Seiji stared back into Chiharu¡¯s eyes. He could see she wasn¡¯t going to let it go either. Stubbornness was a bothersome trait he saw. ¡°¡¯Cause her life¡¯s in danger.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± questioned Chiharu. Her stance hardened a little, not pleased with his answer. Yumi stepped around them with her sword unintentionally dividing the two. ¡°What happened to her? Are her injuries related?¡± ¡°It¡¯s complicated.¡± ¡°Stalling doesn¡¯t make it any less,¡± remarked Chiharu. ¡°Listen here, brat!¡± Fumiko stepped in between the two of them opposite of Yumi. ¡°Enough, both of you!¡± Flames erupted down her arm to engulf it completely. The tone in her eyes turned both of them a little blue. ¡°Chiharu, forcibly confronting Seiji about it is not the best way to do it,¡± added Yumi. She looked back and forth at the two of them. ¡°Seiji, we''re willing to listen. We know you have a reason for doing this. If you don¡¯t tell us we can¡¯t help.¡± Seiji sighed a little. ¡°Fine, it¡¯s a bit of a long story. So I¡¯ll try to keep it short.¡± He spared a hand to reach out to Nerine. Memories of their fight flooded back to him. Her smile still burned in the back of his eyes. His hand tightened thinking about what Cosmas did to her for such a stupid reason. Pulling away, he faced the group. ¡°Her name is Nerine. She¡¯s the one that I fought first. You should remember seeing her, Fumiko.¡± Seiji looked over at Fumiko to get her to recall the woman. A hand raised to Fumiko¡¯s lips as her memory cleared. ¡°I remember! She sent you flying with her fists and you disappeared. But¡­¡± Fumiko looked down at Nerine¡¯s body, specifically the arms she lacked. ¡°You didn¡¯t, did you?¡± ¡°What?! How can you even think that I would!?¡± ¡°Then how?¡± ¡°I¡¯m getting to that.¡± Seiji glanced back at Nerine quickly. ¡°I fought with her and managed to win. She said she wasn¡¯t going to stop me from returning back to the camp. However, someone else showed up at that moment.¡± ¡°And they did this?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± The memories remained fresh in his mind. As he spoke, it forced him to relive it. It made his body set on fire just seeing his face. ¡°I did everything I could to stop him, but he planned to kill her for sympathizing with the enemy.¡± Yumi gasped, stepping back. ¡°How horrible!¡± ¡°Do you know anything about them?¡± asked Fumiko. Shaking his head, Seiji had very little to go on. He didn¡¯t even know their name. ¡°I just know he said something about the Omega Division.¡± ¡°Omega Division?¡± repeated Chiharu. ¡°The one I fought mentioned the same thing as well. It must be an organization different from the regular military.¡± She only had speculation to go on, but the name had significance. The way Miltiades tossed it at her she understood it was important. ¡°So now you understand. I¡¯m going to protect her. She did nothing wrong and they want to kill her for it! If you won¡¯t carry her, then I will!¡± Seiji stretched out for Nerine planning to carry two on his back. However, Chiharu¡¯s hand reached out and stopped him. ¡°The hell! You still¡ª¡° Chiharu moved his hand aside and pulled Nerine back up over her shoulder. Chiharu began to walk away again acting as though nothing was wrong. ¡°We¡¯ve got to keep moving. The weakling is likely getting himself into trouble. We can¡¯t linger around here.¡± Fumiko grinned a little watching Chiharu. She looked over at the others with some silent words between them. They all quickly rushed to catch up to Chiharu. The morning was still young and they had a lot of ground to cover. * * * Simonides¡¯ hand tightened around the paper seeing two names on the list. Two MPs disappeared during the fighting. The first was Nerine who he put on the defense of the camp. ¡®She fought with one of them and Miltiades confirmed to have seen her gravely injured according to Abeiron. But she wasn¡¯t with Miltiades. However, more disturbing is¡­¡¯ Below Nerine¡¯s name on the missing list was the other MP. The second concerned him even more than Nerine. She went missing during the fighting, but no one saw her. No one knew anything. ¡®Where are you?¡¯ In the middle of an endless field of grass, a lone figure staggered forward barely standing on their legs. A cruel wind blew through whipping at their white military uniform. It threatened to knock them over, however they refused. They were unwilling to allow anything to make them falter. A dark shadow fell around their eyes turning their features harsh with deep determination. They stared blankly forward unconcerned with any of the scenery. They saw nothing. It was empty to them, completely white. None of it mattered to them. One thing lingered in the distance, always taunting them. It kept them going. It allowed them to ignore everything, even the fatigue their entire body felt. Nothing would keep them away. They would keep going until they reached them. ¡°I¡¯ll find you¡­I¡¯ll find you! You can¡¯t escape! I will have my answers from you, Yori Mizuno!¡± A stone cold expression came across Athene¡¯s face. Nothing would stand in her way. Chapter 172 - Stirred Thoughts Constant travel became hours of relative silence. Everyone kept mostly to themselves while keeping a brisk pace. Yumi always felt like she had to jog to keep up with the others. Fatigue continued to creep up on Yumi until she collapsed to the ground. Her body shook. She tried to keep it from everyone as long as she could, but she could no longer hold herself together. Fumiko knelt down to Yumi quickly realizing the condition of Yumi. ¡®We¡¯ve only been walking¡­but she looks like she¡¯s ran a marathon.¡¯ She looked back at the others, who stopped confused by Yumi¡¯s sudden collapse. ¡°I think we should rest a little. None of us have slept in more than a day and all of this walking is just going to drain us.¡± Resting her hand on Yumi¡¯s shoulder, she tried to give her a little comfort while protecting her. ¡®She¡¯s been keeping it to herself trying not to slow us down, even though she¡¯s been weakened¡­Yumi¡­¡¯ ¡°Take her for a little while,¡± Chiharu ordered, as she dropped Nerine down next to Fumiko without waiting for an answer. ¡°I¡¯ll search out for a safe place to camp.¡± She ran off in a blur for Fumiko and Seiji, Yumi only saw her disappear from sight. Slowly recovering her breath, Yumi pulled herself back up. Her legs shook too much to stand, but she managed to sit at least. ¡°It¡¯s okay. We can keep going.¡± Yumi strained to connect her words together smoothly to remove any hint of her shortness of breath. It succeeded with only marginal results. ¡°We need to catch back up to Yuki and the others.¡± Lightly pressing her hand to Yumi¡¯s shoulder, Fumiko kept Yumi from attempting to stand a second time. ¡°You don¡¯t need to force yourself on our account, Yumi.¡± ¡°But!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to try so hard. We¡¯re all here together.¡± Fumiko gave her a little smile hoping to comfort her. ¡°¡­alright¡­¡± Yumi turned quiet afterward and her body relaxed a little. Her eyes turned down towards the ground. A long expression drew across her as she buried herself in thought. Chapter 172 ¨C Stirred Thoughts Chiharu found an area only a short walk from their location to hide them. A small forest with a dense growth covered much of the entrance, but broke deeper in. Thinning out to something manageable, Chiharu guided them to a loose clearing. ¡°We¡¯ll rest here. Shifting watches every two hours. When night hits we¡¯ll start moving again.¡± She stepped out into the thick of the forest, but stopped for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ll take first watch.¡± After those words, Chiharu disappeared into the shadows. ¡°Tch, brat,¡± snipped Seiji. He crossed his arms and slammed himself against a tree trunk. The force was enough to shake the tree, dropping a few leaves in the process. ¡°Going the hell around ordering people around like she¡¯s in charge.¡± ¡°A little decisiveness isn¡¯t a bad thing,¡± Fumiko replied, walking past Seiji towards Yumi. She leaned down to Yumi, seeing her already working to become comfortable. ¡°Yumi¡ª¡° Her words stopped short, realizing that Yumi already fell asleep. It made her smile a little. ¡°You know that ability to read people isn¡¯t always a good thing,¡± commented Seiji, with his eyes closed looking like he wanted to sleep. A surprised look came across Fumiko¡¯s face. She turned her head back as she stood up. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Some confusion ran through her still trying to process it all. ¡®He¡¯s acting oddly out of character¡­¡¯ Minor annoyance popped up on Seiji¡¯s forehead. ¡°I¡¯m no more blind about the things around me than you. I just don¡¯t like thinking about them.¡± ¡°Should you really be admitting that?¡± Fumiko couldn¡¯t help but sweat a little hearing Seiji speak. ¡°But what point are you trying to make?¡± ¡°I¡¯m saying your wish to comfort Yumi may only be hurting her. You may be the oldest among us, but we aren¡¯t in need of a mother.¡± The words continued to shock Fumiko more. She walked over to Seiji, starting to feel bothered by him. ¡°Is that what you think?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that hard to think that. I¡¯ve seen the way you are, that someone like me can see it.¡± ¡°You just insulted yourself.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just aware of myself.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Fumiko knelt down, folding up her legs, but kept only her feet on the ground. She stared at Seiji, seeing someone she hadn¡¯t seen before. It still surprised her even after having their chat to hear the things coming from him. She never expected to have such a deep exchange with him. Curiosity mounted inside her. ¡®He¡¯s not smart in an intellectual way, but he can still have a talk like this. He¡¯s not as blind about those around as I thought. Maybe I¡¯m not as good at reading people as I thought if I missed this¡­or maybe I just assumed like everyone there was nothing deeper.¡¯ Seiji¡¯s eyes opened suddenly, knocking Fumiko back, not ready for him to be staring at her. A flat expression rested on his face with a little annoyance buzzing around him. ¡°You know if you think about too much nothing¡¯ll happen.¡± His words managed to stabilize the situation for Fumiko. She used her only hand to keep her balance while leaning back as she rested on the ground. ¡°This coming from the man that only acts.¡± Shrugging his shoulders, Seiji tilted his head back toward Yumi. Their winding track met the start once more. He looked a little more serious than before. ¡°Just like comfort can hurt.¡± ¡®Back on that¡­¡¯ Leaning forward, she accepted the new mood. It was the reason they began talking. ¡°You think I¡¯m hurting Yumi because I¡¯m telling her to take it easy?¡± This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°She has her pride. Comforting her is only going to make her focus on how she has changed rather than on breaking the seal.¡± ¡°But she¡¯s pushing herself too hard. She¡¯s only going to crash, like earlier.¡± ¡°Pushing yourself to your limits isn¡¯t a bad thing.¡± The response was enough to get Fumiko off her butt and stand. She leaned forward with her body tensing up from the emotions flowing through her body. ¡°You only think that because of the type of person you are. Yumi¡¯s just a girl!¡± Seiji leaned forward resting his arm on his knee. He looked up at Fumiko unflinching with a deep piercing look within his eyes. ¡°You say that, but it¡¯s just a reflex for you, isn¡¯t it? Sure, I enjoy fighting, but the fights I got into back then were hardly more than childish bouts. But you¡¯ve felt it since you came here.¡± The words from Seiji wound around him making his appearance sharpen and turn severe. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Staring at Seiji, Fumiko felt as though he was swallowing her. There was something unsettling and yet familiar about his words. It almost made her scared. Throwing back a hand, his thumb pointed back in the direction of the camp. ¡°I saw the way it looked. I¡¯m not dumb enough to ignore what that means. You can say Yumi¡¯s a girl or yourself, but none of us are children anymore. We didn¡¯t truly understand what we were getting ourselves into when we decided to help Yuki. This is the adult world we¡¯re in where what we do has real consequences.¡± Images of Nerine and Cosmas flashed through Seiji¡¯s mind. He narrowed his eyes trying to push it away. Fumiko felt the weight of his words slam down on her shoulders. It broke her legs and dropped her to the forest floor. The screams of the soldiers injured from her fighting echoed in her ears. She thought she had moved past it. It was something unavoidable. ¡®So he noticed too. I didn¡¯t want to say anything, no I couldn¡¯t say anything¡­ I never thought it would be like this.¡¯ Fumiko touched her hand to her cut arm feeling the roughness of her skin. ¡°Real consequences¡­ Yeah, we¡¯ve all gotten our taste.¡± ¡°This is simply a warning,¡± Seiji replied, holding up his bandaged arm. He stared for a moment at papers that held everything together and sealed the blood inside his body. His eyes focused through his fingers back on Fumiko. She glanced back at him. Her body still felt heavy. ¡°These are all heavy prices for just a warning. What do you think¡¯ll happen the next time it¡¯s not a warning?¡± Seiji¡¯s face froze still as though it became stone. His eyes still fixed on her through his fingers. ¡°Death.¡± A gasp escaped Fumiko¡¯s lip by accident, to her surprise. Her eyes already drew open wider than before. The word alone was force enough to stop her, but it felt like the dark look in his face was worse. However, a second later she lost all of the warmth from her body. It happened because she agreed with him. She already knew the answer and only hoped for a different one. She accepted it already. ¡°You want to run away from it?¡± He saw the aghast expression on Fumiko¡¯s face. It was the look of wanting to deny what one already knew, a childish response. Yet he knew it was normal. It was familiar. ¡°You aren¡¯t the only one.¡± The admission turned his face even darker with shadows cast over his face harshening his features. ¡°¡­Seiji¡­¡± ¡°We just have to bear it and remain strong. The future will continue to test us to see what we¡¯re made of.¡± His mind went back to his fight with Cosmas. It tightened his body. He remembered the emotions still so clearly. Fumiko saw a flicker in Seiji of more than his words. She remembered the struggle she had with her power and the realization it brought her. ¡®I managed to find control even after seeing how terrifying a power it was. But I still caused so much¡­ I think he might be right about this testing us. I don¡¯t feel like I¡¯m passing¡­¡¯ Tilting back up to the sky, the blue open expanse made Fumiko feel a little disconnected from her concerns. It eased back her memories. She laid down letting the sparse grass cushion her back. ¡°What have you found?¡± ¡°Something,¡± Seiji answered, with a pause in his voice that lingered on the last syllable. His thoughts strayed from control. He snapped his head to the side letting the bones pop. It cleared away the pieces he preferred not to think about. ¡°A part of me I didn¡¯t know existed. One I don¡¯t know how to control if I see it again.¡± Listening to Seiji didn¡¯t give her any more relief. She hardly expected it to do anything for her. It told her he had similar problems with the situation as her, but nothing either of them could do to help each other. ¡®Something¡­I guess that¡¯s one way of putting it.¡¯ Fumiko turned her head to look out into the forest. ¡®I wonder what sort of things Chiharu¡¯s dealing with? She¡¯s the youngest amongst us, it must be even harder for her¡­¡¯ Early afternoon showed a lot of progress in the camp. The additional help of the MPs cleaned up the area quickly. Rebuilding everything went smoothly with nearly all of the camp already back to normal. The outward appearance of everything improved the soldier¡¯s morale, but the sting of defeat left a sour taste behind. Simonides finished looking out the tent flaps of the communication tent. He was pleased with the state of the camp and the soldiers. They recovered quickly physically. He knew the rest would take time, but he needed his men back. Their situation already grew worse with each passing hour. However, he feared something worse was coming. A message came in for him, while he worked in the camp. It only recently made it to him. The message ordered him to speak with General Demosthenes Alexander, again. He waited in the communication tent for the General¡¯s arrival on the other end. ¡®This is the second time. The General¡¯s taken an odd interest in an intrusion, even if it is getting worse. They¡¯re still contained in the outer lands, nothing for the army to worry about.¡¯ Simonides doubted his failure would risk his position, rather he feared the General might want to take matters into his own hands. He thought about what it might mean to the country if the army marched from the capital. Unfortunately, the waiting forced upon him didn¡¯t help his wandering thoughts. He kept glancing back at the fountain expecting to see the man waiting on him. ¡®Was he in a meeting? The capital¡¯s still in mourning, but the time for the Rite of Succession is soon. They could be preparing for it¡­¡¯ ¡°Captain Simonides,¡± said Demosthenes, from the fountain of particles. The echo in the tent turned Simonides back toward the table. He forced down his brow to cover up his moment of surprise, caught in thought. ¡°General Alexander, sir. Pardon my earlier absence.¡± Simonides sat down in the chair meeting eye level with the image of the General. ¡°That¡¯s fine. These things happen.¡± Demosthenes¡¯ voice deepened a little with the mood turning grave quickly. ¡°I came to convey a decree passed down by the council.¡± ¡®A decree? There¡¯s been no reports to the council about what happened here. What could this be about?¡¯ The curious part of him made him lean forward wanting to know what the General had to tell him. ¡°Due to recent circumstances, new orders are being passed down to all Captains on the border as well as high ranking officers of the army. The council has determined Captain of the Guard Eudokia Ismene is a threat to the peace and security of Atlantis.¡± ¡°Captain of the Guard?!¡± Simonides couldn¡¯t help his shock. He remembered her from her time in service under him. ¡°A traitor?¡± It felt hard to believe. He thought he knew her. ¡®She was absolutely devoted to the King and Atlantis, why would someone like that turn traitor?¡¯ More of the words sank in for Simonides realizing the deeper meaning of what the General meant by the council¡¯s decree. ¡°That means¡­¡± Demosthenes nodded to confirm Simonides suspicions. A slightly pained expression crept through the cracks in his face from the weight of the words he delivered. ¡°It is the same for any traitor of Atlantis. You¡¯ve been granted the permission to execute her along with all of her sympathizers.¡± ¡®Execution orders!? What¡¯s happening in the capital?¡¯ ¡°This is no longer about capture. Kill everyone connected to Captain of the Guard Eudokia Ismene. No exceptions, Captain.¡± Chapter 173 - Mounting Troubles Peacefully kept, the forest that housed those on the run remained quiet. Nothing stirred around; even the wind felt no interest in bothering the situation. The stillness ran through everything. However, eyes remained ever vigilant. They watched everything from the shadows, made like windows to peer through. Chiharu didn¡¯t bother with a normal patrol. She knew to keep a real eye on everything and act the fastest, she needed to use her powers. It gave her time to continue to test them and gain a better understanding of them. One eye glanced and shifted around at all of the panes quickly, still safe. She changed her gaze to her hand. ¡®There¡¯s still a lot I don¡¯t know about this power. I thought I understood it, but it¡¯s still growing and evolving.¡¯ Her thoughts went back to her fight with Miltiades. Something happened outside of what she planned, it saved her from the recklessness of Seiji¡¯s tactic. However, it still troubled her that her powers weren¡¯t in her control. ¡®If I can¡¯t control this power¡­I¡­¡¯ She tried to remember the feeling. The needles roared down onto Chiharu unrelenting. They tried to stop her and push her down, but she remained on course. Miltiades¡¯ eyes focused on Chiharu trying to understand her ability. His eyes thinned out when he saw it. In front of Chiharu¡¯s arms, a loose circle of endless black hovered protecting her from all of the needles. When a needle hit the circle, it disappeared. The void swallowed everything leaving Chiharu safe. ¡®It all happened too fast. I didn¡¯t even notice it the first time, my mind was elsewhere¡­¡¯ Chiharu cursed her own lack of awareness. She only saw it briefly once. The second time the power activated. After the wave didn¡¯t hit her, she knew something was wrong. She stretched out her hand pointed in no direction of importance. All of her focus drew to the point in front of her hand. A low groan came from Chiharu from the exertion. Nothing happened. Sighing, Chiharu pulled back her hand to stare at it. She was missing something. ¡®I remember seeing a strange distortion. It almost looked like a thick layer of cloudy water.¡¯ Thoughts returned to the moment, the short few seconds. Ripples by the dozens appeared before her eyes. From the last time, she already understood what happened. Each ripple was a needle. She couldn¡¯t see through the film only the effect objects had on it. It made her wonder what Miltiades saw from his side. She knew it was an extension of the power she already had. Something randomly new was too unlikely. It was the only starting point she had. ¡®Considering that my primary power seems to involve interaction with this other dimensional space, I must have somehow opened a window myself. But I¡¯ve never been able to do that. I tried it already¡­¡¯ When she trained, she explored the different possibilities of it. However, she was never able to create a portal willfully. The windows into the forest reminded her of what she knew and how little she seemed to understand. ¡®I¡¯ve only been able to open portals in shadows and only ones large enough for me to fit in. However¡­¡¯ Her mind thought about her last two fights. She already analyzed them afterward in their march. Something about them bothered her. Retreating a little, the ground rolled around her knocking her on her back. She glared back at the man as he made no action to take her. He acted too casually for her, but in her state, she had few options. Chiharu rolled over letting the ground guide her away from him. It dumped her out of his sight. ¡®I need a plan¡­ I can¡¯t let it end like this, not failing¡­again¡­¡¯ Sighing softly, he ignored the blood dripping. Bakkhos stepped forward, paving out the ground in search of Chiharu¡¯s body. The last place he found her came up empty. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± he muttered with his eyes narrowing. He preferred not to doubt his eyes. She knew she escaped into the void in the moments she fell out of his sight. Yet, she also knew she shouldn¡¯t have found a large enough shadow. The tests she ran she understood the limitations of the power. ¡®I can only enter shadows large enough for me to fit through. If I can¡¯t fit, then I can¡¯t use it. Though, I can see through it. I can¡¯t use my own shadow to enter the space, it has to be another¡¯s shadow. And I can¡¯t create a portal.¡¯ She thought she understood, but her fights proved her wrong. The only answer she had to what happened was that she broke the second rule. She couldn¡¯t use her own shadow to enter the void. It was the only explanation. During the fight, her mind focused on surviving and fighting that anything that happened she accepted. Reviewing the fight, she understood better. ¡®The only rule I haven¡¯t broken yet is the shadow has to be large enough. Will I break that one eventually as well?¡¯ Chapter 173 ¨C Mounting Troubles Further attempts followed by Chiharu. Each effort produced the same results. She theorized if she could open a portal in the real world the same should be possible inside as well. Nothing worked. She sat down and scanned her windows, maintaining her regular duty to stay on watch. An hour already disappeared from her wasted efforts. It bothered her knowing something was out of her control. Chiharu¡¯s mind ran through the details again. She replayed everything she tried through her mind. Her fights ran in review to try to understand every moment of what she did. Every thrown punch and movement of her legs had to be analyzed. It needed to be figured out. She would keep watching until she found the answer. Chiharu knew the answer lay within, somewhere. ¡®Weakling,¡¯ echoed a voice from behind her. It interrupted her thoughts and sent a cold trickle down her spine. Her eyes slide around with a tilt of her head. Nothing. She knew it was nothing, but still felt compelled to check. Yet the voice came out to her clearly. The sound settled deep in the pit of her stomach. Everything inside grew aggravated. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡®Weakling!¡¯ ¡°Shut up!¡± shouted Chiharu, already on her feet. She faced in the direction of the voice, even though it was still nothing. ¡®You¡¯re relying on her. Because you can¡¯t find the answer yourself.¡¯ The voice almost turned into a laugh as it mocked Chiharu further. Chiharu spun her head around as the voice was behind her again. ¡°I¡¯m not relying on anyone!¡± ¡®It¡¯s because you¡¯re weak. A weakling that can¡¯t do anything. You¡¯re not strong enough to even stand on your own.¡¯ ¡°I don¡¯t need anyone! I¡¯ll achieve my goals by my own hands!¡± ¡®What hands? You have none of your own. You couldn¡¯t even beat him. You had to use someone else to win. You¡¯re weak.¡¯ Shaking her head, Chiharu ran off into the black void. The voice followed her, never getting any softer. It actually felt like it grew in volume. ¡°You¡¯re wrong! I just fought two fights in a row! I would have beaten him easily if I had my full strength.¡± ¡®Just excuses. You failed, again. Just like before. You¡¯re always a failure. You can¡¯t even protect your men. You¡¯re worthless.¡¯ ¡°No! It¡¯s not like that!¡± Chiharu tripped over her feet. She fell to the ground with her face pressed in against the bottom. Flashes of her past whipped through her mind¡¯s eye, nearly blinding her. She tightened her fist struggling with the memories. ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t need¡­any of them¡­¡± ¡®Try that with better conviction and maybe even you will believe. Pathetic. Weakling. Worthless.¡¯ Chiharu pushed up against the surface, but only managed to lift her upper body. She stared down at the endless black void. Windows into the real world covered everything, even below her. It went on without her. ¡°I already told you to shut up!¡± Her voice echoed around the space to an empty reply. She forced herself back to her feet. ¡°Keep up your meaningless words! I''ll show you! Just like everyone else! I¡¯m the right one to lead! No one else will die!¡± Chiharu¡¯s face narrowed with her brow pulled down in determination. Resolve sharpened the corners of her face. She turned back to the place she started. She drew up her power and focused on it. The answer could not hide from her. ¡®This is no longer about capture. Kill everyone connected to Captain of the Guard Eudokia Ismene. No exceptions, Captain.¡¯ The General¡¯s words echoed in Simonides¡¯ mind long after their meeting ended. It left him with a heavy weight. As Captain of the South Gate, his duties meant the capture and safe return of those accidentally passing through the barrier. Even in the most difficult of cases, they succeeded without resorting to taking a life. It wasn¡¯t their assigned duty. A new order, a new duty, he didn¡¯t know how he should take it. The military training taught to everyone tried to make the soldiers understand that sometimes killing would happen. However, it was a rare occurrence left for extreme situations. Simonides wandered aimlessly in the camp with his mind occupied on the orders. So much of it changed everything and made him question everything that he knew about the ones he hunted. ¡®Captain of the Guard¡­it¡¯s hard to imagine someone like her plotting against Atlantis. I¡¯ve never seen anyone more devoted to the King, in spite of everything he did. Nothing swayed her.¡¯ He thought back to the time when she was assigned to him. She came under recommendations from both the academy and the General. A young child already pressed with an unimaginable weight, yet he never saw it break her. He found her strength surprising for someone her age. After she distinguished herself, no one doubted her position or appearance. ¡®Could it have been the King¡¯s death? What would happen to someone so young and devoted to suddenly lose the one thing that meant more to them than even themselves? Was that enough to break her?¡¯ Everything came to an end. He faced such reality with his men. Death surrounded them all, watching and waiting. Simonides knew it was inescapable. ¡®Execution orders¡­they¡¯re all still just kids¡­but I have my orders¡­¡¯ Through his mental turmoil, Simonides caught sight of Abeiron. It drew him away from his conflictions. Abeiron ordered a young officer off into the camp. He still worked to finish bringing the camp under order. The papers in his hand passed off to his assistant. ¡°Take these to the quartermaster. The fighting ruined many of our supplies. Report back immediately after meeting with him. I need to know how many to send out to resupply us.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The officer disappeared behind one of the tents. Simonides approached Abeiron, now finished. ¡°Commander.¡± ¡°Captain? How long have you been there?¡± Abeiron caught himself a little surprised with the proximity of his Captain. He beat himself up a little inside for not noticing him. ¡°We have new orders from the Capital.¡± A thin grim line drew across his lips. The words from the General echoed through his mind again. His entire meeting replayed to pack more weight on him. The change in Simonides wasn¡¯t lost on Abeiron. ¡®What are these orders that it has the Captain so upset? It¡¯s rare to see him like this.¡¯ A bit of concern and fear settled into Abeiron. The more he allowed his mind time the worse things he produced. ¡°What are the orders?¡± Simonides returned to his time with the General on the orders. Something else other than just the execution orders weighed on him. If possible, it meant something even direr. Simonides felt everyone was on an uncontrollable spiral to destruction. He hoped he could avert the worst possible outcome. Demosthenes nodded to confirm Simonides¡¯ suspicions. A slightly pained expression crept through the cracks in his face from the weight of the words he delivered. ¡°It is the same for any traitor of Atlantis. You¡¯ve been granted the permission to execute her along with all of her sympathizers.¡± ¡®Execution orders!? What¡¯s happening in the Capital?¡¯ ¡°This is no longer about capture. Kill everyone connected to Captain of the Guard Eudokia Ismene. No exceptions, Captain.¡± Demosthenes paused, measuring out his words as he watched Simonides'' features change. ¡°I understand this is hard to hear, it surprises me as well. The council hoped to resolve these matters in private and limit the dishonor, but things have changed.¡± ¡°Changed, sir?¡± ¡°Yes, your last report about the intruders. The more it was reviewed the more certain the council is that she is the leader behind it.¡± ¡°But I haven¡¯t seen her in their group, sir. I wouldn¡¯t forget her face.¡± ¡°Yes, but don¡¯t forget that she is a very skilled MP user. She could easily disguise herself.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Simonides thought about the implications of fighting Eudokia. He knew her strengths well enough. There were few in the military that wouldn¡¯t recognize or even fear her. She held a position closest to the King and young enough to earn it through hard work rather than nepotism. ¡°I understand, sir, but capturing her¡ª¡° ¡°The council already knows. They are in deliberations on mobilizing the Omega Division.¡± Simonides sank a little in his seat hearing the words. He couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡®Mobilizing the Omega Division¡­¡¯ They were never mobilized until there was a large-scale emergency. Only individuals deployed, even for capturing criminal MPs. The mobilization of the division for a single person was unheard of in their history. ¡®The last time they were mobilized¡­Atlantis shook¡­¡¯ He knew he had to face the responsibility of the title he held. Doubt still filled his mind with the orders and their reasons. It didn¡¯t make any sense to him. ¡°We¡¯re mobilizing all forces to move out as soon as possible. Our orders are the capture of the traitor Eudokia Ismene, leader of this rebellion!¡± Chapter 174 - Gathering Storm Abeiron took a step back. He forced the Captain¡¯s words to replay in his mind just to be sure he heard correctly. Shock bled into his eyes, unable to hold back any longer. ¡°The Captain of the Guard, sir?!¡± His hand developed an uncontrollable shake. Still questioning himself, Simonides turned his head away from the Commander. His gaze fixated on the horizon in the direction of the Capital. ¡°Yes, those are the orders we have.¡± He tightened his hands into fists thinking about what he just did. It left a bitter taste in his throat. ¡®I just disobeyed a direct order from the General. Only the future knows what¡¯ll become of the path I¡¯ve chosen.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t turn away. ¡°¡­but¡­it¡¯s Eudokia Ismene¡­¡± Abeiron found himself caught between his words. He knew her like the Captain when she was stationed at the South Gate, but she was unlike any other MP he had ever seen. ¡°How is it even possible, sir? It doesn¡¯t make any sense! She loves Atlantis, she wouldn¡¯t start a rebellion.¡± ¡°Perhaps it is a sign of the changing times. The world¡¯s become unclear and nothing is straightforward anymore.¡± Simonides turned away from his view and tilted his head back at Abeiron. A harsh expression cut through his face. Resolve built up, unwilling to submit to the currents. The Commander took a step forward suddenly getting a feeling that his Captain was about to plunge himself into darkness. ¡°Sir, what you¡¯re saying¡­¡± ¡°Abeiron, there¡¯s shadows everywhere. I can barely even see my own hands anymore.¡± ¡°Captain?¡± Simonides broke his standoff with his uncertainty. He marched away from Abeiron with purpose in his step. ¡°I¡¯m going to find some answers. The orders stand. They are from the Capital. Get every able body man and woman ready to move out!¡± Chapter 174 ¨C Gathering Storm The answers Simonides sought brought him to the medical tent, once more. He came to them after the last fight, but he watched their opponents in action. Most of the information he needed he already saw. However, he was forced to stay away from the fighting and direct his men around in the chaos. He had no chance to learn anything about them. Worse, all those that fought them were so fatigued from the fights he couldn¡¯t speak to them. He had to wait, again. Simonides was done waiting. Heber stood in front of Simonides. The young man already knew what Simonides wanted, but refused him access. ¡°I can¡¯t let you see them yet, sir! As their doctor, they need their rest. The mental fatigue for most of them was far beyond any safe limits. They are not ready, they¡¯re too exhausted.¡± A narrow look carved into Simonides¡¯ eyes. He refused to back down. ¡°Heber, as I recall you¡¯re not a real doctor, only a nurse. You can¡¯t give me any orders.¡± Grinding his teeth a little, Simonides had hit the sensitive point in Heber. Heber tried to hold his ground against the Captain, but had nothing left to stand upon. He fell back on the only thing he had left. ¡°Doctor Silas gave these orders.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve not heard this from the doctor. Can you find him for me, so that I may speak with him?¡± Heber started to move in the direction, but motioned to the Captain. ¡°If you follow me, sir. I can take you to him.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll stay here. It would cause more trouble in a place already so busy.¡± Thinning his features, Heber was left in a terrible position and could only rush off to find the doctor before the situation grew worse. Once Heber left sight of Simonides range, he pushed through the cloth divide between the sections. He found all of the MPs he sent out and those he put on patrol in the room. Bakkhos stared up at him from a relaxed position on the cot with a bit of a smirk on his lips. ¡°Still clever, while you¡¯re being cruel, I see,¡± commented Bakkhos. The middle-aged man lifted himself up a little from the cot to meet Simonides. Simonides pulled over a stool and sat down next to Bakkhos. The harsh expression remained on his face. ¡°I didn¡¯t come for idle chatter.¡± The smirk disappeared from Bakkhos. It made him appear almost tired. ¡°I can see the look in your eyes. Things are different and you want some answers from what we learned during our fights with the kids.¡± ¡°What do you know?¡± ¡°Straight to the point.¡± An arm came up from under the sheet to rest on his knee. He leaned in a little, preparing for his tale. ¡°We¡¯ve all seen it, even you, Captain. Something¡¯s not right with them. They don¡¯t behave to our expectations. They do things that should be impossible.¡± Past fights he watched played through Simonides¡¯ mind. He assumed it was something he didn¡¯t understand about their powers. Yet his gut told him he missed something. ¡®He¡¯s figured it out. What makes them different.¡¯ The answer seemed within reach finally. Simonides leaned in, almost desperate. ¡°What is it about them that is so different? Are they that much more powerful of MPs?¡± The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Bakkhos shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s easy to think that, but no, that''s not even anywhere close to the truth. The reality is that they are reality, strange as it sounds.¡± His confusing words made Simonides'' expression sharpen. ¡°I mean they aren¡¯t one of us. There¡¯s a reason they speak a different language and it¡¯s not because they¡¯re exiles. They aren¡¯t even Atlanteans or Meso Prosecho users. They are foreigners, Japanese since that¡¯s what language they speak.¡± Some of the pieces fell into place for Simonides, but it only introduced new questions. It made his mind spin in circles. A horrible realization came to him through all of the confusion. ¡°How can that be possible? If they aren¡¯t MPs then they should just be normal humans.¡± A sigh came from Bakkhos. He placed a hand where Chiharu struck him. ¡°I would normally agree, but these are the facts, even if we can¡¯t explain them. It¡¯s why our fights aren¡¯t like normal fights between two MP users.¡± Coughing from the corner, Photine forced herself up with her body still suffering from physical stress on top of the mental stress they all felt. ¡°I think I can give a partial answer to it.¡± Bakkhos perked up, curious to Photine¡¯s interruption. ¡°Oh? You learn something from them?¡± ¡°What did they tell you?¡± ordered Simonides, already turned around in his stool to meet Photine. Photine dropped back down in the cot unable to keep herself from getting lightheaded. ¡°I thought she was just lying to me, but what I saw was just too impossible to be explained in any other way. They aren¡¯t normal humans anymore. The one I spoke to called herself Masa. The way she spoke made it seem like an event happened recently to change them.¡± ¡°It was one of us, she said,¡± spoke up Stamatia, her fatigue kept her voice soft. ¡°She said she was Japanese. Fumiko Terauchi was her name. She said one of us was to blame for what happened to them.¡± ¡°One of us?¡± repeated Simonides. The new pieces of information sent his mind running everywhere to put things together. It was the answer that explained everything, but it was an impossible answer. Until they arrived, there were two facts about humanity, those without the Meso Prosecho power and those with it. ¡®This throws everything we know away. It completely changes everything! It changes how we fight them! This is it! This is what I needed, what Athene was trying to tell me!¡¯ Simonides stood up thinking he was done. ¡°There¡¯s more you need to know,¡± called Bakkhos. ¡°The way to defeat them.¡± Simonides froze on his words. It was more than he hoped. ¡°If you know how to defeat them, why didn¡¯t you win?¡± ¡°Because there is a condition to defeating them.¡± ¡°A condition?¡± ¡°We are the only ones that can defeat them, because of our power.¡± Bakkhos began to jester with his hands to get his point across. ¡°In a normal fight between two MPs, it comes down to superior power and concentration. The stronger Field beats the weaker Field. However, they don¡¯t use Fields to create their powers. Their powers are real. This means that we can void their powers, but the condition is that we must know what all of their powers are. If we miss even one then it may be enough for them to win, but with all of their powers negated they¡¯ll be normal again.¡± He understood Bakkhos clearly. It exceeded his expectations. ¡®I can end this! I can bring an end to this while they¡¯re still in my territory. The Omega Division won¡¯t need to be involved.¡¯ Simonides looked around at all of his men. A plan already began to form in his mind. ¡°I¡¯m going to need all of your help. I need to know everything you know about each of them.¡± Afternoon quickly passed into evening for Team Yumi. The shifts came to an end and the rest was all they could spare. They all gathered back in the camp to push out. A lot of ground remained for them to cover to meet back up with Yuki. However, when Chiharu went to pick up Nerine, she moved on her own. It pulled them all back. Seiji pushed through them realizing that she was waking up. He knelt down at her side watching her slowly come back around. Once her eyes opened, he leaned in a little concerned. ¡°Are you alright? Does it still hurt?¡± Nerine met eyes with Seiji feeling a little lost in them and not hearing his words. However, she glanced over to see others behind him. She tried to draw away pushing with her arms, but realized they were gone. ¡®My arms! I don¡¯t have my arms! I-I¡ª¡¯ Panic settled into Nerine causing her to fall over in the grass with no support. He quickly grabbed her, but she fought his hold. ¡°I¡¯m trying to help you! Stop squirming about!¡± The strength in his body overcame Nerine¡¯s frantic flopping. However, it didn¡¯t stop her from screaming. ¡°The hell? Now you¡¯re screaming!¡± Unable to watch the scene longer, Fumiko stepped in to put her hand on Seiji¡¯s shoulder. He snapped back, almost tossing her away. She kept her ground with him and worked to calm herself. Once her breathing and heart beating slowed, she felt ready to speak. ¡°She can¡¯t understand you, Seiji. Remember, we speak different languages.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Seiji looked back at Nerine trying to understand what Fumiko talked about. He saw the frightened look in her face. ¡°Oh, how the hell do we talk to her?¡± ¡°She¡¯s going to have to do it. Her power can allow us to talk. Once she calms down, she¡¯ll probably figure it out.¡± It took longer for the hint to pass through Seiji. He saw Nerine struggling in his hands. Seiji pushed her back up against the tree to help her. Once it looked like she wasn¡¯t going to fall over, he backed away. His hand rubbed through his hair confused. ¡°Don¡¯t understand what your problem is. You weren¡¯t scared before.¡± ¡°Really, Seiji. The things you chose to be ignorant about.¡± Nerine panted heavily. She heard her heart pounding in her chest. All of the images of the night came back to her. She remembered how she lost her arms. The fight and Seiji protecting her flooded her mind. It eased her a little. He was next to her. ¡®He¡¯s not dead. I¡¯m glad¡­but¡­¡¯ She looked around at her surroundings feeling confused. It became immediately apparent she was no longer in the camp. After examining the environment, her eyes came back to the ones in front of her. She heard them speaking, but didn¡¯t understand what they said. ¡®They look like they know him. Are these his comrades? What happened to me? Why am I with them?¡¯ A bit of panic returned for Nerine as she felt uncertain in her new situation. She needed to understand why they took her. A thin ripple came from her body expanding through the foliage of the forest. Nothing changed physically, but it was enough. Her mind still felt light from all the stress she put on herself in her fight. Nerine swallowed slowly. ¡°Why am I here?¡± She glanced over at Seiji. Seiji almost jumped with excitement. The glow in his eyes was clear to everyone. ¡°Nerine! We can chat again! But seriously, what the hell with screaming in my ear!¡± He leaned in as he spoke with no mind for boundaries or the scene. She felt a little odd for being scolded for screaming, but it did make her feel a little embarrassed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she replied meekly, with a little red coming across her nose. Her eyes suddenly focused on the sight of Seiji¡¯s bandaged arm. The scene from the fight returned to her. She wanted to stretch her hand out, but nothing was there to move. ¡°Does it hurt?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Seiji¡¯s face changed a little in confusion, but he looked down at where her eyes fixed on him. He lifted his arm to show her. A quick flex of his muscles proved it still functioned. ¡°Not all! It¡¯s a little weird, but it works. So I¡¯m not complaining.¡± Seiji gave a carefree smile back at her. Seiji¡¯s smile infected Nerine. She found herself returning it. It no longer felt so bad. ¡°I¡¯m glad.¡± Fumiko cleared her throat to get their attention. She smiled at the two of them, but not in the same way. ¡°As enjoyable as it is watching two lovers chat, there¡¯re some more important matters we need to discuss.¡± Both of them turned a deep shade of red. They spoke together in protest. ¡°We are not!¡± Their denial ended up causing Yumi and Fumiko to giggle a little between them. However, Fumiko returned to a serious expression quickly. She leaned forward on one foot. ¡°Teasing aside, we have some questions for you before we can proceed.¡± Chapter 175 - The Postcard Skipping backwards in time a little, it was late night about to breach into the dawn. However, it seemed as though the dawn would never come. It felt like something held it off in perpetuity, as though some cruel hand toyed with dolls never satisfied. The sun desperately waited to give its light to the poor souls forced to walk out their terrible fate. Yet it waited¡ª ¡°Enough already! It¡¯s about damn time,¡± snapped Yuki, the target of his sudden outburst was unknown. Saki looked over at him, a little confused by his words. It had been, admittedly, awkwardly silent in the group. They had someone naturally anti-social, Haruo, someone secretive, Ayumi and someone upset, Yuki. It was a little difficult for Saki, let alone anyone else to try to start up a conversation. She suspected none of them even thought about trying to talk. However, she knew she needed to respond to Yuki. ¡°What are you yelling about?¡± Yuki bent over a little, clearly bothered by something. His fingers were spread out and shaking in trying to manage the emotions. ¡°The whole rescue was only supposed to be half as long as then return back to us. But twice the length! We¡¯ve been ignored for fifty chapters! Fifty! And now we¡¯re back!¡± A grin came across Yuki¡¯s face in contrast to his previous emotions. She couldn¡¯t help but respond with a flat disbelieving expression. ¡°Are you angry or happy? You need to make your mind up.¡± ¡°I¡¯m angry! I¡¯m the main character and nothing for fifty chapters! The reader¡¯s have forgotten all about me!¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you quit before? I thought that¡¯s why we weren¡¯t back.¡± Such words made Yuki jolt a little, but he turned away to ignore the reaction. ¡°I¡¯m the main character, did you think I was being serious? It¡¯s just a hyperbole.¡± Lowering her eyelids a little, Saki narrowed in on Yuki. ¡°Couldn¡¯t find work elsewhere? Also you¡¯re not the only main character. We¡¯re an ensemble cast.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± Yuki crossed his arms, turning back towards Saki. He looked a little calmer. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m angry with the ending or anything like that.¡± ¡®Tsundere now?¡¯ Saki started to feel like she was losing grasp on Yuki¡¯s thoughts. ¡°I don¡¯t even know what you¡¯re talking about now.¡± She sighed a little. It was a while since he was so difficult to manage for her. Yuki flung his arm back in a seemingly random direction adding to his dramatic posture. ¡°I¡¯m talking about the cliffhanger!¡± Pulling something from behind his back, Yuki changed his posture once more. His voice altered to a soft more delicate tone. ¡°Teasing aside, we have some questions for you before we can proceed.¡± Once he finished reciting the line, he tore away the Fumiko mask he wore. He closed his hand to leave only his index finger pointed out in said random direction (not random, the actual location of Team Yumi). ¡°To leave with such words of expectation and then be treated to us in the next chapter. That¡¯s so cruel to the reader! If this was a manga I¡¯d throw it across the room and stop buying it!¡± ¡°So what you¡¯re actually mad about is a mean cliffhanger where the reader is being withheld from important plot related information only meant to drag out the tension and suspense of what the truth of the story is while teasing the reader?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°So you¡¯re not mad about being ignored?¡± ¡°Yes! No! Of course I¡¯m mad!¡± ¡°Enough you two,¡± barked Ayumi, ¡°I don¡¯t think the fourth wall can handle the beating anymore.¡± The two turned from each other to look at Ayumi, a little surprised she jumped into the conversation. Yuki jumped out near her holding two things in his hands. ¡°Don¡¯t worry I¡¯ve got brick and mortar to fix it!¡± Reflexively, Ayumi close fist backhand and whacked Yuki in the head, dropping him to the earth. Her expression stayed serious as ever, despite the situation. ¡°Enough with the jokes. The readers will lose interest with too many jokes. This is supposed to be a serious point in the story.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± Yuki replied, sort of obediently. He tossed away his props. A moment later, he stood up straightening himself out. Yuki glanced away looking directly at something. A wicked grin drew across his face. ¡®Chapter title page starts now!¡¯ Another fist came down on Yuki. ¡°No more.¡± Ayumi¡¯s face held a darkly serious expression that said to move on (moving on, yes ma¡¯am.) It managed to turn even darker than before. Chapter 175 ¨C The Postcard This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Emotions settled down as their walking continued. The pace remained brisk for them. Saki had no trouble maintaining speed, but after the hours of marching Ayumi, even trained, showed signs of fatigue. Sweat dripped down her face. It went ignored by her, refusing to acknowledge it. Tired of ignoring his body and plain tired as well, Yuki spoke up. The silence already broke with his last tirade. He no longer concerned himself with the smaller matters of awkwardness when resting came to the front. ¡°I need a rest,¡± he declared, before dropping down in the grass. Ayumi naturally protested his action. She turned around, still working the serious face from before. ¡°We can¡¯t stop. Time is short and if we don¡¯t¡ª¡° A hint of a shaking tone bled through her words. Yuki stopped her before she got too far on her usual response. ¡°We won¡¯t be any good to anyone if we¡¯re too exhausted to move.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too soft. You need to be stronger and more disciplined. No one else is complaining, but you.¡± She pointed out the perfect conditions of Saki and Haruo to him. The sweat on her face remained ignored. Her answer made Yuki¡¯s eyelids lower a little to flatten his gaze. ¡°Did you really just try to compare these two to me? Unlike me, their bodies are superhuman now. Hell, Saki could run to the Capital and back and still not feel tired, right?¡± Saki shrugged a little, not wanting to get dragged into the debate. The lack of backup bothered him a little, but he redirected to Ayumi. He lifted his hand to point at Ayumi¡¯s face, though to something more specific. ¡°Besides, you say all of this, but don¡¯t try to tell me that you¡¯re sweating so much because it¡¯s a hot night.¡± Ayumi¡¯s face turned a little red as he finally struck on the point she had nothing to defend. She turned away from Yuki, unable to respond. Seconds of silence from her kept all of them wondering if she was thinking of a way out. At the end, Ayumi sat down in the grass, still facing away from them. ¡°One hour.¡± Yuki and Saki looked at each other grinning a little. Everyone took up their place in the middle of the field. Nothing existed for kilometers, with only trees to break up the horizon. They had no options for a place to hide. ¡°You get some rest too and sleep, Ayumi,¡± added Saki. ¡°I¡¯ll keep watch.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m more familiar with the situation. I¡¯ll stay on watch.¡± Saki pressed her eyebrows a little together, annoyed by her stubbornness. ¡°Sleep. Like Yuki said, my body¡¯s different from the two of you. You need to recover more than me. Plus, I know you¡¯ve been using your power to keep our tracks hidden, though against Yuki¡¯s wishes.¡± ¡°Ayumi!¡± Yuki exclaimed. He pulled himself back up from lying down. ¡°I thought we agreed!¡± ¡°I wanted them to think we all went back to rescue the brother, if they tried to track us.¡± Raising her hand, Saki interrupted Yuki before he protested any further. ¡°I have to agree with her on this. I know why you did it, but I can¡¯t say I agree with the ideal. We have to end this quickly before anything else happens like with Yori.¡± Discovering Saki not siding with him took Yuki back. He expected her to always agree with him. The surprise made him feel oddly alone. Even surprised, Yuki continued with his protest. ¡°But if they don¡¯t know where they are, they¡¯ll cause more trouble to those innocent.¡± ¡°Only if they believe we¡¯ve gone to the towns. It should be pretty clear to them that we¡¯re not hiding.¡± ¡°But taking such a risk¡ª¡° ¡°Would you rather take a risk with us that you¡¯ll end up regretting even more?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Yuki leaned away reflexively. ¡®I know I can¡¯t have both, but even still I can¡¯t¡­¡¯ Saki thinned her lips watching Yuki. She wasn¡¯t blind to her words, but knew Yuki needed to face reality. She wanted Yuki to survive and survive without more emotional baggage. ¡®I know him well enough to know how he dumps everything on him. He takes responsibility for things that are out of his control, thinking he could change them. It¡¯s the part of him that hasn¡¯t changed through everything. He¡¯s still trying to protect everyone but himself.¡¯ Focusing back on Yuki, she leaned over to close with him some. ¡°Yuki, I made you a promise. I¡¯m not about to break it with you now. Even if I have to be a little harder on you.¡± The word ¡®promise¡¯ snapped Yuki up from his thoughts to connect with Saki. His mind traveled back to when she made the promise with him. He shook his head a little trying not to think about it. The weight of the promise still bothered him. ¡°You don¡¯t have to anymore. I don¡¯t want to keep holding you back from doing what you want because of your promise.¡± She crawled over to Yuki and flicked her finger at his forehead. Considering her strength, despite holding back, it still stung a lot. He clutched his forehead from the eventual bruise to come. ¡°I didn¡¯t make that promise with you on a whim. This is what I want to do. So you don¡¯t have to feel bad about it.¡± It was difficult to see, but Saki saw her words reached him a little. Yuki slowly lowered his hands no longer focused on the pain. He caught sight of the warm smile from Saki. A small sigh came from his lips as he resigned his position. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right,¡± he replied, still a little melancholic in tone. Like all the times before, she forced him to relent on it. He looked back at Ayumi and suddenly remembered something else. ¡°We seemed to have traveled from the original topic.¡± ¡°Oh you remembered? I guess I didn¡¯t do well enough of a job to distract you.¡± Saki gave him a bit of a smirk. ¡°So that was your plan?¡± He went along with the pace she set. ¡°That¡¯s pretty mean of you. Toying with your best friend¡¯s feelings by drawing up old memories.¡± A bit of guilt suddenly surfaced in Saki as she saw how cruel she was. She tried to back pedal away from it. ¡°I was only trying to make a point.¡± Summoning up some crocodile tears, Yuki rubbed his eyes working up the emotions. Saki sputtered, failing to reach her words, caught in Yuki¡¯s trap. He quickly dried his eyes. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll call it even then,¡± he said, with a grin. Annoyed, Saki pulled back to fall on her feet with her legs folded up. ¡°I just wanted you to understand the situation.¡± Yuki¡¯s face quickly turned serious along with the atmosphere. ¡°I know I can¡¯t have everything, but I still don¡¯t agree with it being done behind my back. If you want to do something to change the plan, tell me.¡± He got a nod from Saki and looked over at Ayumi¡¯s back. She gave him no answer, but he still waited. Once it appeared she was not going to give an answer he spoke up again. ¡°Agreed?¡± The silence kept everyone a little curious if Ayumi¡¯s stubbornness surfaced again. Saki walked over trying to see her expression. She hoped to mediate the issue. However, Saki came to a stop when she looked at Ayumi¡¯s face. Saki looked back over at Yuki. ¡°She¡¯s asleep.¡± ¡°What?!¡± ¡°Hey, hey! She¡¯s probably more tired than you. Don¡¯t raise your voice too much.¡± ¡°¡­right¡­¡± Yuki felt a little slighted by Ayumi even though he had no answer from her. Nothing was truly resolved between them. He unfortunately had nothing left to do. Saki insisted on him sleeping, after wasting part of their time. Yuki gave into her nagging, already knowing how exhausted his body was from the walk. The hour passed swiftly and brought them back to their feet promptly, at Ayumi¡¯s insistence. They resumed their march barely feeling revived. In the short passage of time, the night sky turned shades of pink, red and yellow as the sun¡¯s light painted the bottoms of the clouds. It didn¡¯t take long in their travels for dawn to arrive finally. Unfortunately, the light brought another arrival on the horizon. The group came to a stop discovering figures in the shadows of the morning light. They stood in their path, as though expecting them. Out of the darkness, one figure revealed himself to the teenagers. Vangelis held a dark expression with a violence-craving look in his eyes. ¡°You gave us a lot of trouble! But now it¡¯s time to have ourselves a little fun!¡± Chapter 176 - Vicious Excitement Not even sensing the mood in the air or perhaps not caring about it, Yuki took a step forward to meet gazes with Vangelis. A bit of a smirk came across Yuki¡¯s face. ¡°You know you¡¯re missing a little something that really sells it.¡± Yuki waved his hand, not to completely dismiss him. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, you¡¯ve got a good stock line, but you forgot something important to really tie up the package nicely.¡± Smirking in kind, suddenly taking a real liking to Yuki, Vangelis stepped forward. They both remained meters apart, but their expressions made it seem like only centimeters distanced them. ¡°You have me curious now. What sort of critique do you have?¡± ¡°You left out my name,¡± noted Yuki. His index finger lifted up to point out the fact as he recalled the dialogue. ¡°It just doesn¡¯t have the same impact without the name. It leaves out that personal note to really drive through the weight of your words. And I know you know my name by now, since I gave it to the last person I fought. So there really is not an excuse at this point not to be using it.¡± A small bit of laughter came up from Vangelis. He started to really enjoy the kid. Yuki drew him in further with their chatter. ¡°You would be right if I wanted to make a personal statement. However, I¡¯m not just here for you. I¡¯m here for all of you. Leaving out your name delivered it to all of you and didn¡¯t diminish the impact.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Yuki scratched his chin a little considering it. ¡°That might be true, but you can¡¯t ignore the fact there was something lacking in it. You had that look down and everything.¡± ¡°I¡¯m pleased you think so. However, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a little clich¨¦, like some stock villain to be directly challenging you by coming out saying your name. We haven¡¯t even been introduced yet.¡± Yuki¡¯s eyes widened a little, reacting to Vangelis. ¡°You mean you aren¡¯t stock villains? Sure you guys have names, but you¡¯ve been out of the picture for a while and likely won¡¯t be seen again once we¡¯re done here.¡± The smirk on Yuki¡¯s lips grew wider as he ended his reply. Vangelis gave a rougher, more abrupt laugh through his lips. ¡°You¡¯re a funny kid.¡± The expression on Vangelis¡¯ face turned darker, appearing to be provoked by Yuki. Wanting to calm things down, Saki grabbed onto Yuki¡¯s forearm. ¡°Do you really think you should be taunting the guys trying to kill us?¡± A little absentminded in his face, Yuki looked back at Saki over his shoulder. ¡°This is just some lively banter before the fun starts.¡± Yuki moved his eyes back at Vangelis, meeting him once more through the corner of his eye. ¡°Right?¡± ¡°I like your attitude, kid!¡± Vangelis started to laugh loudly, breaking rank a little. It took most of them by surprise. However, Yuki joined in with him, equaling the heartiness of the laugh. Everyone lost them for nearly a minute to their odd laughter before it finally came to an end. ¡°But you¡¯re right, kid. A little foreplay before the fight makes it that much more pleasurable.¡± The violence-loving grin returned to Vangelis¡¯ face almost as if he felt what he preached. The sight made Saki take half a step back, unnerved by his presence. ¡°¡­I think I¡¯m too young to be listening to his conversation¡­¡± She looked over at Yuki to gauge the next action. More than Vangelis¡¯ creepy face, Yuki¡¯s expression unsettled her even more. It almost made her afraid of what she saw in his face. ¡®It¡¯s that look again¡­like the old days¡­where he craves the fight more than anything else¡­¡¯ Saki felt him getting out of her reach once more. She tightened her hand around his arm for security. ¡®I was afraid the seal would break if he came here¡­he¡¯s¡­¡¯ It couldn¡¯t happen again. ¡°¡­Yuki¡­return to me¡­¡± Chapter 176 ¨C Vicious Excitement Whispers from Saki turned Yuki¡¯s sight back. ¡°Huh? You say something, Saki?¡± The confusion in Yuki¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t last for long. His eyelids lowered and the features in his face hardened suddenly. ¡°She¡¯s gone!¡± Yuki pulled himself around to get both Haruo and Saki in his vision. He couldn¡¯t find her anywhere. ¡°She did it again.¡± Everything occurred too fast for Saki to follow Yuki. The sharpness in his voice snapped her out of her distant thoughts. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Yuki turned around to address their opponents. ¡°Pardon me for a moment. We¡¯ve lost someone. Don¡¯t be too alarmed.¡± A ripple from his feet broke through the earth and sped away from him. Flowers popped up everywhere in sight as Yuki¡¯s Field activated. Vangelis barely reacted to Yuki¡¯s display, but the rest of his team became unnerved quickly. They didn¡¯t even have to have their Fields on to see the difference. Around Vangelis¡¯ his Field maintained its presence, but that didn¡¯t bother them. The range was what shook them to their core. ¡°I can¡¯t even see an end to it!¡± ¡°This is even more than the reports say!¡± ¡°Who is this kid?¡± ¡°This might be on par with the King!¡± ¡°How is that possible? The Rite of Succession hasn¡¯t even begun yet!¡± ¡°Enough complaining,¡± barked Vangelis, keeping his steely eyed look locked on Yuki. ¡°You already know reports aren¡¯t everything. Besides, I told you before he¡¯s mine. All you have to do is stay out of the way of his Field.¡± A thin trail of sweat dripped down his temple. ¡®He¡¯s even more than I could have hoped for¡­¡¯ This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Yuki ignored the low chatter and focused his eyes on the horizon. ¡®There¡¯s the guy¡¯s Field, but she¡¯s around here somewhere. She didn¡¯t get out yet. I know my Field is larger than what she can cover.¡¯ He kept looking for something very specific. Saki tried to get something out of him, but he raised his hand to stop her. Yuki didn¡¯t even connect to her to give her a reply. Confused and wanting answers, Saki stood next to Yuki. Her eyes lazily went around the horizon trying to understand where Yuki looked. Nothing surfaced. ¡®What¡¯s he doing? She¡¯s turned herself invisible, we won¡¯t find her until she wants us to.¡¯ She was already gone. Breaking the silence, Yuki¡¯s arm snapped up to an empty point in the distance. ¡°She¡¯s over there! Saki!¡± ¡°Huh? I can¡¯t see her.¡± Saki leaned forward with a step trying to figure out what he saw. All she saw was flowers continuing without end. ¡°Just go! You¡¯re the only one fastest enough to catch her in time!¡± The tone in Yuki¡¯s voice made it clear and held no doubt. He was certain of what he found. Saki saw Yuki¡¯s eyes long enough to know she didn¡¯t need to question him anymore. She disappeared quickly from everyone¡¯s sight. A torrent of flowers kicked up in the wake of Saki¡¯s speed. ¡®I can see an end to the flowers!¡¯ As she approached what she thought was the end of Yuki¡¯s Field, she saw another side of the flowers in the distance. ¡®Wait¡­this isn¡¯t the end¡­Ayumi!¡¯ Saki immediately understood what Yuki did. Her feet broke through the last of the flowers and returned to the grass of Atlantis. She didn¡¯t stop, charging with more purpose than before. Saki scanned the area measuring out the center of the circle. Once she felt certain, she appeared from nothing and grabbed out at the air. Her arms found something solid. ¡°Don¡¯t try to struggle with me, Ayumi! I¡¯m stronger and faster than you. So unless you want to feel some G¡¯s, come quietly.¡± Invisible stillness permeated the Field in the slow seconds passing. Eventually, a faint light appeared in front of Saki slowly materializing Ayumi¡¯s appearance. A deep glare carved into her face from the fact of being caught. ¡°Did you really think we¡¯d let you disappear on us again? There¡¯s even less of us this time and not even Yuki¡¯s blind enough to let you do that. You brought us here, you get to fight alongside us.¡± Silently glaring at Saki, Ayumi''s expression barely changed. ¡°I have my reasons.¡± ¡°Then you can explain it to us.¡± Saki disappeared back into the air along with Ayumi. Once more, the flowers ripped asunder the feet of Saki. The two surfaced back at the group a little behind them. Ayumi came stumbling out with a red face partially soaked in sweat. She would have fallen over had Saki not held her. A bitter glare darted over to Saki. ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t going to do that.¡± ¡°Considering it payment,¡± answered Saki, with a small smirk on her lips. She let Ayumi go, pushing her a little forward towards Yuki. ¡°Found her, thanks Yuki!¡± Releasing his Field, Yuki painted a smile on his face. He walked the short steps to come up to her. ¡°I¡¯m glad that you didn¡¯t leave this time.¡± ¡°But I did¡­¡± Ayumi remarked, through a flat expression. Yuki leaned in the rest of the way to come down to only centimeters. His features changed sharply with dark shadows sprayed over his face. ¡°What¡¯s the reason you have for abandoning your friends this time?¡± The darkness that came from Yuki surprised Ayumi a little. She didn¡¯t expect such a serious tone. However, she also didn¡¯t expect to be noticed until far enough away. ¡®I knew I would have to face this eventually, but this is sooner than I wished. It¡¯s still just him, so I shouldn¡¯t have to explain much¡­¡¯ ¡°You said you had a reason,¡± pushed Saki, tired of her silence. Her hand shoved Ayumi a little off balance. Glancing back at Saki, Ayumi narrowed her eyes, annoyed with the cornered situation. ¡®I don¡¯t really have a choice. They¡¯ve already seen me¡­this only makes the rest of the time more difficult¡­¡¯ Vangelis shifted his gaze a little trying to see what they were up to behind Yuki. The whole situation felt a little off to him. He didn¡¯t like the impression he got. ¡®So that¡¯s a display of the mysterious girl¡¯s power¡­if I wasn¡¯t thinking I¡¯d say it was speed, but that would be impossible, especially since I saw no Field distortion¡­¡¯ Chatter from his team pulled back one of his eyes to listen to what he had to shut down. ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that First Lieutenant Eudokia?¡± ¡°She¡¯s the Captain of the Guard now.¡± ¡°She¡¯s here?!¡± Staring out his narrow eyes, Vangelis searched around Yuki for the fourth member of their group. He pulled out pieces of what he could make out. Confirming their speculation made his eyes widened ever so slightly. ¡®Why is she here? She wasn¡¯t anywhere in the reports and acting in concert with them? This situation just suddenly took a different direction.¡¯ Dark thoughts slowly boiled up in his mind. The thoughts made his lips grow into a wicked smile. A thick shadow fell over his eyes. Saki¡¯s hearing was enough to catch the whisper from the other side. It perked up her ears and turned herself back down to Ayumi. ¡°They know you?¡± ¡°Huh? You heard something, Saki?¡± ¡°Yeah, they seem to know her, at least by her other name.¡± Saki stepped around Ayumi to meet Yuki and stare directly at her. ¡°This something to do with your reason?¡± A short sigh came from Ayumi. They partially exposed her. She had nothing left to hide behind. ¡°Yes, they know me. Everyone that¡¯s attacked you since we¡¯ve arrived in Atlantis does.¡± ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Because I used to be stationed at the South Gate before I became Captain of the Guard.¡± Ayumi crossed her arms to solidify her stance a little. Despite being forced into the position, she never looked like she had been caught or guilty. She kept a hard expression, only appearing as though it was tiring to explain. ¡°I tried to keep my presence reduced since I knew I would be very easily spotted by them. I didn¡¯t want to show my hand to them too early.¡± Yuki tilted his head back towards Vangelis and then back to Ayumi. His index finger rubbed his cheek in thought. He hardly held an expression other than pensive, considering the magnitude of the information. His eyes fixed on Ayumi suddenly. ¡°You didn¡¯t want to let those trying to take the throne know that you had brought me here. You knew the military would end up letting them know quickly if you were spotted.¡± ¡°Yes, and now you¡¯ve ruined that.¡± Saki tapped Ayumi on her shoulder to get her attention from Yuki. ¡°Or you could have just told us rather than hiding it. It only complicated matters and we would have understood if you explained it to us.¡± ¡°I prefer to do things my way.¡± Her crossed arms tightened up a little with her stubbornness. Annoyed, Saki started to lean in, but was interrupted by Haruo of all people. He stood next to all of them unnoticed with a hand pointing back at the group that stopped their progress. The sight of them made Saki quickly turn serious and narrowed her features. They were all closer to them and spread out with their intentions made clear. ¡°Looks like we don¡¯t have any more time to debate this. You¡¯re fighting with us this time. They already know you¡¯re here. You¡¯ve got no choice now.¡± ¡°Unfortunately¡­¡± Vangelis rubbed his hands together with the excitement pouring from his face. He looked far too eager for a fight. The rest seemed uneasy, but hungry as well. ¡°It¡¯s about time we got this started. We¡¯ve wasted enough time already.¡± Vangelis walked the rest of the distance to tower over Yuki. His head tilted down to stare at him with the ravenous, toothy grin. ¡°Yuki Hayashi¡­¡± Chapter 177 - Polite Violence Reacting a little to the new mood, Yuki flexed his hands and stretched them out. ¡°There we go! I¡¯m feeling the intensity now!¡± He took a step out from the group to reaffirm his standoff with Vangelis. His eyes scanned the group behind Vangelis to get a better look at those in their path. The remaining four soldiers were divided into two men and two women, with similar appearing ages in their twenties. They all had tense and anxious expressions as if they wanted to fight, but had something that left fear inside. However, they all looked strong enough, at least physically. Yuki, also, knew better than to judge on physical appearance, knowing that they wore the white uniform. However, the numbers bothered Yuki a little. He focused back on Vangelis. ¡°It seems you out number us by one. How this going to work?¡± ¡°We were expecting a larger group, but since you¡¯ve split up there¡¯s nothing we can do about changes.¡± Vangelis roughly rotated his arm to point with his thumb at Iole. ¡°She¡¯s not going to be fighting anyway, so we¡¯re even.¡± ¡°That does even things up. I¡¯m guessing we split up into pairs and fight apart from each other. If my impression of you is right, you¡¯ve already got in mind who you want to pair off with.¡± A small laugh came up from Vangelis, pleased by Yuki¡¯s insight. ¡°I knew there was a reason I liked you.¡± Saki appeared in front of Yuki, interrupting the conversation. A stern and annoyed expression filled her face. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing, Yuki! Don¡¯t agree to this! I can finish this easily myself and we can keep going!¡± Narrowing his eyes a little at Saki¡¯s shouting, Vangelis interjected into her protest. ¡°That¡¯s rather arrogant little miss.¡± Yuki caught her before she turned her glare upon Vangelis. ¡°They might be the enemy, but they are wanting to fight with us. You should respect the honor of two people wishing to test their strength.¡± A slap echoed across the field as Saki¡¯s hand returned back to her side. ¡°Does he look like he wants an honorable fight?! This isn¡¯t a dojo or one of your street brawls! These aren¡¯t teenagers looking to punch out their frustrations! These are soldiers under orders! And we aren¡¯t here to indulge your desires for a fight!¡± ¡°I understand your wish to test yourself, Yuki,¡± added Ayumi. ¡°However, I agree with Saki as well. We should end this quickly and keep moving on.¡± Snickering more through his smirk, Vangelis enjoyed watching them fight. However, he couldn¡¯t hold himself back from inserting himself back into the conversation. ¡°That naivety of yours is going to be fun to crush,¡± he mocked. He gestured out with his arm to point in a taunting manner at Saki. ¡°You¡¯ve got a good head on your shoulders, little miss. You see reality better than your friend does over there. However, don¡¯t think you can defeat us alone. That arrogance will be your undoing.¡± He took several steps back, almost giving her an opening as a taunt. Saki pulled away from Yuki and stepped forward to face Vangelis. Anger started to build up in her body. ¡°It¡¯s not arrogance if it is true.¡± Finishing her words, Saki suddenly disappeared from everyone¡¯s sight. A moment later, an ear piercing noise ripped through the area, nearly bringing everyone to their knees (minus Haruo). It didn¡¯t take long for Yuki to know what happened. He strained his eyes to focus through the pain in his head. Saki stood less than a meter away from Vangelis pounding with her fists at an invisible surface. She disappeared repeatedly trying to find ways around it, but then suddenly came to a halt. Her body collapsed to the ground gasping in pain for air. ¡°Saki!¡± shouted Yuki, as he broke free from the ground. A ripple expanded from his feet as he ran towards her. Arriving at Saki, she already looked in better shape than a moment before. She still panted heavily as though out of breath, but no longer looked to be in severe pain. Yuki knelt down to lift her up to his side to get a clearer idea of what happened. He glanced at her and then over at Vangelis, who remained unmoved during the entire outburst. ¡®He must have done something with his Field¡­¡¯ Seconds continued to pass, improving Saki¡¯s condition until she pushed him off her. ¡°You alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­¡± She glared over at the Atlantean, his bloodthirsty smirk only enraged her more. At Yuki¡¯s insistence, she withdrew back to their side while she finished recovering. ¡®What was that? It felt like there was no oxygen in the air, as though I was being suffocated¡­¡¯ Saki widened her eyes in surprise as her mind realized what happened. It turned her expression into anger turned upon herself for her impulsive act. Vangelis remained casual about the entire affair, as though asphyxiating Saki was no more different than walking. It brought a cold chill to the air that even with all of his violence-loving grinning never carried. ¡°So it was just arrogance,¡± he remarked, still taunting Saki. Saki felt a tight hold clasp around her wrist. It didn¡¯t hurt, but she turned up to see Yuki. ¡°¡­Yuki¡­¡± The fun loving brawler in Yuki completely disappeared. A dark, serious shape cut through his face to remove any sign of softness. ¡®He¡¯s different now, but I can¡¯t tell if it is for good or bad¡­¡¯ Chapter 177 ¨C Polite Violence The last two minutes replayed through Vangelis¡¯ mind, absorbing what he learned from his provocation. It turned out better than he expected, but left him with new theories. ¡®She still had her speed or whatever it is, but succumbed to my Field effects. Which means her power wasn¡¯t active. Only two options remain, she using real devices to simulate her power or she¡¯s different from us and can use her power without needing a Field active. This must be the strange feeling he spoke about.¡¯ His mind turned back to Simonides¡¯ words. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Simonides turned back, halting in step. A grave expression grew into the edges of his face to impart the seriousness of his words. ¡®I said before, don''t be cocky, but don¡¯t underestimate them.¡¯ Remaining casually playful about the mood, Vangelis hardly gave a reaction to him. ¡®Worrying about me now, Captain?¡¯ The Captain turned away to resume his walk away from him. He finished his words as he parted company. ¡®There¡¯s something different about them. Don¡¯t assume them to be like any other MP you¡¯ve seen.¡¯ ¡®¡­hrmph¡­¡¯ Vangelis watched the Captain disappear from sight. He already stopped to keep their conversation going several times. He waited until he was completely gone before turning away. ¡®They¡¯re all the same. Nothing will surprise me other than the level of their childish naivety. I¡¯ll crush everything about them!¡¯ After witnessing the acts by Saki, he felt he had to admit a little to the Captain. It was bothersome, but Vangelis could see what had him so concerned about their intruders. ¡®If they fight without Fields this will actually be even easier though. However, mine, Yuki Hayashi, he is normal.¡¯ Glancing back at Yuki, he picked up on the seething desires coming from him. ¡®He looks ready to fight¡­¡¯ Ignoring the fact, Vangelis continued to speak casually to Yuki. ¡°Now that it¡¯s settled. Let¡¯s get things started.¡± Yuki walked out to meet Vangelis, staring him down away from the rest of his friends. Only centimeters stood between the two of them. The proximity did nothing to affect either of them. ¡°I don¡¯t care what sort of plan you have set up anymore. The two of us are fighting.¡± Spinning around violently at their feet, Yuki¡¯s Field clashed with Vangelis¡¯ Field. It seemed to mirror the resolve of them in their unwillingness to back down or show a sign of weakness. Vangelis gave him a smirk, pleased with the situation. ¡°I¡¯ll be looking forward to it.¡± He motioned over to his team to bring them forward. ¡®Plans change¡­the only one we have nothing on is the bulky kid that¡¯s said nothing.¡¯ His eyes scanned the three others in Yuki¡¯s group, quickly making judgments from his information. ¡°Chariton, you¡¯ll fight Ismene. Kallias, you take the little miss. Ligeia, you¡¯ve got the last one, the silent one back there.¡± ¡°Right,¡± confirmed Ligeia. She took a step out and strolled over to Haruo. His size did little to impress or intimidate her. She actually came out marginally taller than him, by a few centimeters. Kallias strode out taking wide steps with each pace as though stretching himself. ¡°Yeah, this should keep me from getting bored.¡± He had the confidence built up from Vangelis'' display of shutting Saki down. So he made full use of his height difference to create an imposing figure. Unfortunately, Saki seemed only more angered by him. Cracking his neck a little, Chariton bounced out on his feet. A little bit of sweat dripped down his face as he approached Eudokia. ¡°Hello, it¡¯s been a while, Eudokia Ismene.¡± He worked up a nervous grin to mask his unsettledness. She easily picked up his fear. ¡°Chariton, surprised you¡¯re still at the South Gate, with how much you bounce around postings. You¡¯ll regret not transferring yet.¡± A wicked smile painted over her lips with a darkened shadow cast over her eyes. Saki wasn¡¯t willing to let the fighting devolve into something as simple as breaking off to fight, while they all pretended there was something noble or honorable. She immediately struck out at Kallias to end the fight, but found a jet of water pressing against her fist rather than his face. A moment later, the water sprayed around her hand drenching her utterly. The cold water did little for her emotions. She charged through the water expecting to find Kallias on the other side, but only found it empty. ¡®Where the hell did he go?¡¯ Her eyes darted around trying to see through the blurred vision of water dripping off her eyebrows. Working down his laughter, Kallias¡¯ voice wormed through the area. ¡°I figured you¡¯d probably act first. This is the first chance I¡¯ve had in a very long time for something interesting. I¡¯m not about to let you spoil it by trying to end things quickly.¡± Water collapsed back into the ground revealing Kallias to Saki. His appearance changed with a skintight black suit covering him leaving only his hands, feet and head exposed. Foiled twice annoyed Saki. It was the first time since she had her powers granted to her that she didn¡¯t end the conflict with a single strike. She hated it. Everything she was given was supposed to allow her to create the path she desired. ¡®Water won¡¯t be enough to stop me. I¡¯ll put an end to this pointless fighting myself!¡¯ Saki''s first step splashed water under her foot before she disappeared from sight. Water divided from her path and then exploded as a wall of water came in front of her. ¡®So thick¡­can¡¯t¡­¡¯ Taken by surprise, she tripped, unable to keep her balance at the speeds. Saki appeared sliding over the thin layer of water before falling out of the Field and kicking up dirt from her speeding body. A dirt cloud covered up Saki¡¯s path, but Kallias didn¡¯t remain in wait for long. The cloud ripped apart from a powerful force passing through left only trails as the sign. However, he already had things setup for Saki¡¯s return. Water rose from the ground to enough of a height to trip her. It broke her out of her speed and dropped her down into the wide puddle of water. For Saki, the water didn¡¯t allow her to slide away again. A bubble of water scooped her up, imprisoning her within it. Kallias motioned to the others with the situation secured. ¡°I¡¯ll be departing now.¡± He walked away from the group, keeping the ball with Saki inside floating in the air nearby him. Her futile efforts to punch at the water did little more than make holes that immediately sealed back up before she could act. With things calmed down, everyone stared off at their respective partners for the coming fight. Haruo made no words. He simply walked away from the area as though leaving the fight. Ligeia felt a little slighted by his lack of a reaction, but followed him anyway. Chariton motioned at Ayumi and they walked off to get out of range of Yuki. Yuki glanced around at his friends keeping their positions in his mind. He held off on activating his power until he was certain that they were beyond his range, which meant a long wait. His eyes stared back at Vangelis, the image of Saki in his mind ignited fire in his muscles. Both of his hands tightened into fists. ¡°Stay awake, kid!¡± called Vangelis already appearing on his left. He only granted Yuki enough time to see him before a blast suddenly enveloped him. In their part of the Field, Chariton and Eudokia squared off. Eudokia revealed her Field first, with the snow field and her simple sword and chain-attached chakram. Stretching again, Chariton didn¡¯t appear to be taking things too seriously and the hints of fear disappeared from him. After he finished, he fixed his sights on her. An eyebrow rose for him as he caught sight of her. ¡°I don¡¯t remember you using a snow field or wearing something so foreign before.¡± Eudokia narrowed her eyes at Chariton. Her hand tightened around the hilt of the sword. ¡°I don¡¯t remember anything about you. And I don¡¯t expect to after this fight.¡± She threw out the chakram as he activated his power. The ripple through the earth revealed massive mushrooms, floating trees and upside down flowers with their roots exposed, as though reverse planted. Chariton stepped out from around the large trunk of a mushroom with the chakram caught on a wooden pole. As he stepped out more, it was revealed to be an ordinary broom in his hands. ¡°Hopefully, I leave a little more of a lasting impression on you.¡± Ligeia stood opposite of the silent wall, Haruo. She still waited for him to actually do anything besides stand around. An annoyed vein popped on her forehead. ¡°Are you going to do anything?!¡± Silence persisted for him. Ripples burst from her feet as her response to his inaction. ¡°Fine then! Just die where you stand!¡± Metallic pieces gathered in a pyramid emitting a bright light moments before a wide beam erupted from them. Light washed over Haruo, completely engulfing him. Chapter 178 - Guardians Struggle Smoke clouded the area around Yuki masking him out completely, leaving his fate unknown. Vangelis kept an eye on smoke, while continuing to put together schemes in his mind. He knew he would need a countless array of plans to deal with Yuki. Once the wind started to pull away from the mask, Yuki¡¯s darkened figure surfaced. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to do better than that if you expect to actually hurt me,¡± commented Yuki. The last trails of the smoke faded away into the air. Yuki stood completely unmoved and unfazed by the blast. He didn¡¯t even wear his usual gi. The tunic he used for a disguise remained on him. Vangelis¡¯ eyes narrowed while his lips curled. Excitement made his arms shake. Thoughts of fighting Yuki ran through his mind. ¡®He completely negated it with only the power of his Field. Impressive kid¡­¡¯ Chapter 178 ¨C Guardian¡¯s Struggle Walking out to a safe distance away from Yuki meant a long wait. However, Saki was unwilling to accept the wait. She continued to punch and claw at the water orb in a desperate attempt to free herself. Unfortunately, nothing succeeded for her. The water sealed up too fast for her to make any escape and too small for her to fit. Anything larger than her hand or foot couldn¡¯t even breach the water. It was perfectly designed to cage her. Just when it might have seemed like Saki would stop, Kallias came to a halt. The sphere containing Saki moved around in front of him. Small drops fell from the bottom creating ripples in the thin water covering the ground. Water stretched in all directions from him for meters. Kallias approached Saki carefully, keeping out of her reach. The young man stared at her for a short time in silence. Changes in his face made it look like he was thinking or considering something. ¡°I¡¯m Kallias, as you likely overheard.¡± The movements in his body remained limited. It presented everything in a rather formal manner. A punch from Saki only made him raise his eyebrow a little. It came as something he expected from his previous interaction with her, but he hoped for something more from her. ¡°You should stop struggling like that. You¡¯ll only waste your energy before we even get started.¡± His hand rubbed at his short, but not quite shaved, dark brown hair. It seemed an act of annoyance. Reshaping the water holding Saki, it forced her head through and constricted around her body. It left her with little room to maneuver. However, Saki¡¯s expression on her face never changed. She only marginally contained her anger with the situation. ¡°The only energy I¡¯ll waste is knocking you out!¡± ¡°Afraid that¡¯s a little difficult to do stuck in there.¡± ¡°You wanted to fight me. But you have me tied up. Let me go and I¡¯ll show you a fight!¡± Kallias lowered his hand from his head and crossed his arms. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re correct. However, I introduced myself and you have yet to do the same. We can¡¯t start without knowing who we are fighting.¡± Clicking her tongue a little at the response, Saki tried to worm out of the water. However, the water seemed to have increased in strength. She couldn¡¯t even move her arm a centimeter to muster a punch. ¡°I¡¯ve no intention of telling you my name. Unlike Yuki, I don¡¯t treat fights as something of mutual agreement or respect. Just let me go!¡± A frown appeared on his face. The bright green in his eyes lit up to pierce Saki and confront her streak of stubbornness. ¡°We seem at an impasse then. I won¡¯t release you until you tell me your name, which will be very boring.¡± His eyes glowed a little as he continued to speak. ¡°I do hope this isn¡¯t boring. If this continues any longer, I¡¯ll just drown you. It¡¯ll at least be more interesting than a stalemate.¡± Saki caught and shoved her gasp down into her stomach, as painful as it was to do. She didn¡¯t want to give him the pleasure of her reaction. ¡®You can¡¯t be serious! He¡¯ll kill me over my refusal?!¡¯ The deep unflinching look in Kallias¡¯ eyes already told her how serious he was when he spoke. It unnerved her in a penetrating and sickening way. She never felt such a presence from someone. ¡®He truly doesn¡¯t care about me. Only something to relieve his boredom! What sort of person is he!?¡¯ The sight of Kallias made Saki realize something. She always dealt with bullies or delinquent punks after Yuki. It was always someone after Yuki with only the childish desire to control or revenge. They were empty, devoid of any meaningful purpose. Many of them were just looking for a fight, mostly just wanted to beat something into the ground. Yet she saw a different reality with Kallias. Kallias held many of the same qualities of the punks she beat endlessly into the ground. The same ones that just wanted to stand over Yuki and see him in the dirt. Yet, his eyes had an unknown quality in them. ¡®I¡¯m just a toy to him. Something that he can break if it doesn¡¯t please him. He doesn¡¯t want to just crush me. He wants me to entertain him. He wants me to challenge him and if I don¡¯t comply¡­ This isn¡¯t like the worthless students in school. He¡¯s something completely different!¡¯ Everything went through Saki¡¯s mind with pain. Claws ripped through leaving her raw. She never knew such a person could exist. She never even considered it. Saki liked to consider herself more connected with the reality of the world than the rest of her friends, but Kallias completely turned everything on its head for her. She only had a word for him. ¡®Insane. He¡¯s insane!¡¯ Saki didn¡¯t know what to do in her situation. She believed he would actually do what he said. The reality of her situation slammed on her so heavily that it paralyzed her body. None of the water around her even entered her notice. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Tired of the silence, a strip of water rose from the Field. It appeared shaped like a ribbon, if it hadn¡¯t been liquid. Forming a loop, it rose over Saki¡¯s head. It came with an ominous presence, backed by the stare from Kallias. Several centimeters remained between it and Saki, but it stopped level with her mouth and nose. The intent turned immediately clear. ¡°Your name, before I must forcibly make this more interesting.¡± His hand rose toward Saki as though controlling the water¡¯s radius. There was no need for the motion, but it added to the effect as though he personally wanted to strangle her. Stubbornness ground her teeth. Fear froze her throat. ¡®I can¡¯t satisfy him. He only wants something to enjoy.¡¯ Her eyes saw the water threatening her. He no longer wanted her alive. Something had to change. ¡®If I don¡¯t though, he¡¯ll kill me and there¡¯s nothing I can do to stop him!¡¯ The seconds ticked off for Saki. Her mind spun the decision around as pointless as it might have been. It was only with the water less than a centimeter away from her that she spoke up. ¡°¡­Furukawa¡­Saki Furukawa¡­¡± The water around her head suddenly lost all form and fell on her tunic, already thoroughly soaked. Saki already felt defeated before it began. ¡°That wasn¡¯t so bad, was it?¡± Kallias turned away from Saki and walked out a measured distance. When he reached the point he wanted he stopped and faced her once more. Several meters stood between. ¡°Now that we know each other, we can begin.¡± He made a dismissive gesture signaling the water imprisoning Saki to fall away. Saki blinked a little surprised at how it all turned out. She hated giving into Kallias, but it freed her. ¡®Time to end this!¡¯ Saki immediately disappeared, blowing out water with each step until she appeared suddenly. Her body was face down in the water sliding away from Kallias, already past him. Familiar with the situation, Saki slammed her hands down to both bring her to a stop and push herself up. It didn¡¯t happen before she carved herself through the grass and coated herself in dirt and grass chunks. ¡°Dammit¡­¡± Kallias looked a little disappointed with Saki. ¡°You¡¯ve already done that before. Did you really think I¡¯d be na?ve enough to think you wouldn¡¯t do it again? You¡¯ve already made your outlook on fighting pretty clear. However, I want more from this than just something wrapped up in a few seconds.¡± He motioned with his hands, calling her back into his Field. ¡°I¡¯ve been without anything to do since I¡¯ve been dumped out here. I want something I can enjoy.¡± Narrowing her eyes, Saki stared at Kallias and the water that covered all of the ground around him. It taunted her. ¡®I could finish this quickly if it wasn¡¯t for that water!¡¯ Her eyes flipped over to check on Yuki in the distance. Her mind quickly focused on him. ¡®I have to get back to him! I can¡¯t let him¡­¡¯ ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be getting distracted. Your fight is with me, not him.¡± His words hit a surprising cord in Saki. The thought made her eyes widened suddenly in realization. ¡®I don¡¯t have to stay here! I¡¯m not in his Field¡­¡¯ Tilting her head back at Kallias, she gave him a small bit of a grin. ¡°I never agreed to fight you. I just have to put an end to this pointless battle.¡± Saki disappeared after she finished with Yuki as her target. It was barely even a second before Saki fell on her back. She pulled her head up to look around at what happened to her. ¡®What just happened?! I hit something¡­¡¯ Back on her feet in moments, Saki approached the area where she flew back from. A ripple appeared in the air. It caused the entire view to become distorted. ¡°What is this?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a novice MP like you might be used to dealing with,¡± called Kallias. Saki turned her head to look back at him. However, when she looked he hadn¡¯t moved a step. ¡®How can he be doing anything when his Field ends all the way over there?!¡¯ ¡°Even at this distance, I can see that you¡¯re confused.¡± He took a step forward and the rippling moved along with him. The distortion in the air shifted in concert. ¡°Figured it out?¡± She immediately understood, but didn¡¯t know how it was possible. The questions spun her around to look at his Field needing to know if she was crazy. Nothing changed about it. The puddle ran only a few meters out, while grass filled the rest of the area out to the distortion. Saki rammed her fist into the invisible surface. It bounced her hand back, leaving the knuckles red. Large ripples erupted from where she punched creating even greater distortions. The view outside was utterly unreadable. Saki turned around realizing too well that she was trapped inside. ¡°Damn¡­¡± She started cautiously walking towards Kallias. ¡°Your water doesn¡¯t go all the way out there. How is that even possible?¡± Smirking a little, he had his final confirmation. ¡®It¡¯s disturbing, but it¡¯s the only answer.¡¯ He kept his focus on Saki, noting that she slowly continued to approach him. She no longer tried her previous tactic. ¡°I never said my Field was as large as the water. You shouldn¡¯t be making assumptions, especially about something you don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°I understand enough to know what you¡¯re doing is strange.¡± ¡°You clearly don¡¯t understand enough, or you would already know what I¡¯m doing. But I guess not being a MP explains a lot.¡± Kallias continued to keep an eye on Saki as she entered the water once more. He sent out traps for her, but her feet avoided them. ¡®Not falling for it again? Good, it¡¯d be even more boring if you did. The fact that you¡¯re different already makes this very interesting. I¡¯m glad I came¡­¡¯ It only took a little effort for Saki to keep watch on the water. She already knew his previous trick enough to keep an eye out for her. Knowing it was coming made it very easy for her to evade (that and not blindly charging forward). ¡°Being one of you or not, I¡¯ve been around the power enough to see it work. You¡¯re clearly doing something different.¡± Switching things up, the water changed shape and direction. It lashed out for her, but Saki dodged it still. ¡°Then they haven¡¯t shown you everything we can do with our power yet. It¡¯s a pretty simple technique. I¡¯m reluctant to call it an advanced technique, so let¡¯s call it an intermediate technique. Anyone with training can do it.¡± Suddenly the water raced out from his feet like a backed up sewer drain. It bubbled up and poured out into a small wave. The wave washed over Saki¡¯s feet up to her ankles and continued to the edge of the visible Field. It then continued on rather than stopping. Saki¡¯s eyes widened a little to find that his Field didn¡¯t end. His Field kept going out to the wall before it cut off. ¡®It¡¯s more than three times bigger than before!¡¯ Her eyes focused back on Kallias. ¡°There¡¯s a lot you don¡¯t know about us. You shouldn¡¯t be underestimating us, just because you¡¯re different. Would you show your full strength from the very start? The same is with our Fields. We don¡¯t always show the full size of our Field. Against someone like you, you can¡¯t even tell where it begins and ends since you don¡¯t have a Field to see the distortions.¡± Saki ground her teeth together. She hated admitting how little she truly understood about them. ¡®He¡¯s been playing me since the beginning!¡¯ Still several meters away from Kallias, she came to a stop. Her arms shook and her face hardened. Things had to change for her. She raised her fist and slammed it into the shallow water. Water blasted up into the air as though a comet struck the earth from the heavens. The tide wave from her punch sent water up high enough to remove her completely from Kallias¡¯ sight. When the water rushed back down, Saki was missing. Kallias¡¯ eyes widened a touch as he looked around for signs of her. It saw nothing and suddenly looked up to see Saki coming down from the air with a fist aimed at him only a few centimeters away. Chapter 179 - Guardians Turmoil ¡®I¡¯ve got him!¡¯ Saki thought to herself, with excitement building up. Her mind flashed back to Yuki. ¡®I can get back to him now!¡¯ In the last stretch, Saki caught signs of Kallias¡¯ expression changing. The flicker of surprise gave way to a thin smirk. She suddenly felt a heavy dread over her. The feeling told her to stop, but she was already committed. A wall of water pooled over the air blocking Saki¡¯s fist in the last centimeter. The impact left a little mist to spray Kallias¡¯ face. He made no reaction to almost being hit. His smirking face and his expression looked bored again. Through the clear water, Kallias stared up at Saki with the last of her momentum draining. ¡°You¡¯re disappointing me, Miss Furukawa. I already expected you to attempt that. This isn¡¯t going to be very interesting if you keep being so straightforward about this.¡± ¡°Damn,¡± she muttered under her breath. Her feet landed back in the water, sending a cool chill through her legs. It went mostly ignored by her. Water already hung on her arms and soaked her tunic. Little could be done anymore about it. Focusing her sights on Kallias, Saki tried to find a new plan. ¡®He keeps anticipating me. I can¡¯t do anything to get through that water of his!¡¯ The water surrounding Kallias dripped back down into the pool. Once more, he appeared open to her attacks, but she already knew better. He thwarted her attempts repeatedly with almost no effort. ¡®What do I do? I¡¯ve only fought two like him before and I was normal then. Ayumi and Yuki were there with me. I¡¯m so used to ending fights quickly¡­¡¯ Chapter 179 ¨C Guardian¡¯s Turmoil Dragging his foot through the water, Kallias spun around a full cycle. It kicked up water that rose past his knees. Continuing up, the water quickly no longer followed normal physics. A loose ring of water turned about him at shoulder height. ¡°I¡¯ve been letting you do everything so far. How about a change of pace?¡± Suddenly, he raised his arm and flicked a finger at Saki. A small orb of water pulled free from the ring and sped across the Field. The distance between them was barely a meter. It gave Saki almost no time to react, but it was still more than enough for her. She saw it coming meaning she could easily dodge. Saki only took a step to the side, but seemed like she popped out of existence and reappeared in the same second. The orb sped on past Saki quickly disappearing out of sight. She wondered when he might start his offensive, but she wished he waited longer. ¡®He¡¯s not going to let me figure out something¡­¡¯ Another pellet of water shot at Saki. She dodged it even easier than before, knowing what to expect from him. ¡°Very nice. This¡¯ll definitely be more interesting now, if you can keep that up.¡± Saki glared at Kallias, hearing the excitement in his voice. ¡°I¡¯m not here for your entertainment!¡± She charged at him in anger, tired of his face. Unfortunately, water came up and wrapped around her wrist bringing her to a sudden halt. The force ripped through her arm pulling at her joints from her momentum. Saki winced from the pain, an unfamiliar feeling for her since she gained her power. Kallias motioned with his finger. ¡°I thought I told you that straightforward tactics were boring.¡± After scolding her with his finger, he lowered it to point directly at her. ¡°This is much more interesting.¡± Three orbs formed from the water in his direction. They shot out from the ring at the tied down Saki. Struggling with the water, Saki couldn¡¯t free her arm in time. She spun around the stream of water tying her. It had enough flexibility to allow her limited range of movement, as she discovered. The projectiles flew past her, harmlessly. Saki glared back at Kallias. ¡®I need to come up with something!¡¯ ¡®Her ability to move is quite remarkable. Things certainly won¡¯t be dull, however¡­¡¯ Motioning with his finger, several more orbs gathered to fire on Saki. Fighting the stream still, she bent down to spin out of the area and work on breaking free. ¡®¡­got to get free!¡¯ While the water spheres blew past her, Saki used her strength to rip free from the water¡¯s hold. The bonds that held the water together sprayed over the Field. It left her wrist dripping in water. ¡®Strength and speed, I have to test her toughness¡­¡¯ Kallias sliced his hand through the ring. The divide split the water, but slowly shifted to different heights. Once at their desired height the ends of the water grew out. They followed along the same arc becoming two rings around him. He then snapped his finger creating a dozen orbs. ¡°A little escalation is needed¡­¡± Saki narrowed her features to brace for the next attack. She cursed herself for being unable to do anything. He already stopped her every time before. Nothing could be done to prevent him. She had to deal with his whims until she figured out a way out of her situation. ¡®The numbers shouldn¡¯t be much of a problem. He directs them all with his hand, so I just have to watch and I¡¯ll know when to move.¡¯ A flick from his finger signaled the new rounds to release from his hold. They sped over at Saki. She started to move, but suddenly found her legs not responding to her. ¡®What!? When did he?¡¯ Water wrapped around her legs forcing her to accept the incoming pellets. However, Saki was unwilling to accept it and fell backwards letting the water bindings hold her balance. She saw the spheres streak over her barely missing her. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Sighing a little, she started to rip her legs free from Kallias¡¯ Field. ¡®He¡¯s still just playing with me!¡¯ However, while her attention was on her legs, her eyes caught something moving out of the corner of her range. It only took a moment for her reflexes to focus and determine it. ¡®More?!¡¯ Saki glanced back at Kallias to read the scene. ¡®No, the angle¡¯s wrong¡­these are the same ones! He¡¯s directing them around!¡¯ Struggling with the water around her legs, Saki only managed to free one leg. ¡®I can¡¯t¡­¡¯ No time remained for Saki in the terrible position she found herself in. Her eyes widened a little in surprise to be completely caught off guard by Kallias. She fought to turn her around in such an awkward position, but could only manage a slight change before the water crashed into her. The few that missed splashed in the Field digging up tall impact waves. Saki felt like lead balls fell atop her, not water. They were dense and didn¡¯t fall apart at impact. They dug into her body before collapsing. She thought she had been punched from the force. It pushed her on her back, soaking in the water of Kallias¡¯ Field. ¡®¡­hurts¡­¡¯ ¡®She lost again,¡¯ mocked a child. ¡®How many times does this make,¡¯ questioned another little kid. ¡®Twenty-seven times.¡¯ ¡®She¡¯ll never beat him.¡¯ ¡®She¡¯s just a girl.¡¯ ¡®She¡¯s too cocky. She really should learn her place!¡¯ Biting through the sting, Saki ripped her other leg free from the water. She forced the memories into the back of her mind. ¡®This is not the time for it.¡¯ Saki stood up, wiping off the water from her face. Examining the results, Kallias narrowed his eyes a little. He found it very interesting. It was definitely going to be enough for him. ¡®You gave me quite the opponent, Vangelis! I¡¯ll have to thank you after this is all over.¡¯ Kallias subconsciously found himself grinning a little at the prospect of fighting Saki. ¡®I want to see more! Give me more!¡¯ He ran his hand through the water ring again. It quickly turned into four rings. The next action was easily seen. A motion from his hand spawned over thirty of his little spheres. ¡°Let¡¯s play some more!¡± Gritting her teeth, Saki opened her vision to try to pay attention to everything. She disappeared and reappeared a few meters away the moment she caught sight of water coming after her. Her dripping legs were ready for him. ¡°I¡¯m not a toy that¡¯ll play for you!¡± Saki dodged another attempt. Grinning at Saki¡¯s struggling, Kallias gave the motion for the water orbs to leave for their target. ¡°That¡¯s what will make this fun! I wouldn¡¯t want it any other way!¡± ¡°Dammit¡­¡± she muttered. More tricks came in from the Field, while the thirty lead balls shot at her. Knowing his methods better, Saki kept ahead of the Field. However, dodging thirty targets made things more difficult for her. It became worse after she avoided them the first time. They all turned around in different directions to refocus on her. She was given little time to react. Her mind was forced to pay attention to the Field and the projectiles. It made her eyes dart around trying to keep everything in view for her. ¡®I¡¯ve got to keep moving!¡¯ Saki settled for the only solution that kept her out of the range. Her feet carried her around the Field into the blind side of Kallias. His open back taunted her for a strike. ¡®I¡¯ve got to find a way through his water! It doesn¡¯t matter if I keep failing! I¡¯ll figure him out eventually!¡¯ Saki charged in hoping to get through his defenses, but her fist met the same water. It halted her progress. Her fist couldn¡¯t even penetrate a millimeter through the water. Water sprayed over her arms dripping thicker than before onto her. ¡®Why can¡¯t I get through!? It¡¯s like hitting a steel wall!¡¯ ¡°I thought you were learning from your mistakes,¡± goaded Kallias. He already had the spheres turning around coming for Saki. ¡°Please don¡¯t become boring now.¡± ¡°Bastard!¡± Saki growled, annoyed with his voice. Her eyes turned to her sides, noticing the spheres aimed at her. In the matter of a second, she had to make a decision. She had to answer her question. She wanted to stay and keep trying. She needed to escape. Saki demanded an answer. Stubbornness won out over survival. She kept pushing her hand against the water to make any sort of impact. She had to know she could do something against him. The first ball rammed into her back, but she remained on her feet. It barely even made her budge. The next did little more to change her. She still stood after a third blasted her from all sides. Her hand remained pressed up against the water determined not to give up. Ten more rained down on her shaking her body. The last rounds came in trying to knock her to her knees. Saki kept on her feet the entire time. Her fist shook up against the water still unable to penetrate any deeper. Water continued to drip down her body from the blasts, but she remained firm. The Atlantean turned around to face Saki directly. He looked no more concerned about her proximity than any other time. ¡°Such recklessness is going to make this less interesting.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care what you think! I will break your water!¡± A bit of a smirk came across his face watching Saki struggling. ¡°Your resolve is nice, but it is clear from watching you that you don¡¯t have any real experience in a fight.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about those things!¡± ¡°Oh, but without experience you¡¯ll just end up losing. You can¡¯t solve everything quickly. You¡¯ve got to enjoy it and soak in it!¡± Saki pressed her fist harder against the water, but found nothing. She made no progress. ¡°I¡¯m not like you! I¡¯ll never be like you!¡± ¡°Then you¡¯ll never win!¡± Suddenly, a swiping attack came at Saki knocking her off her feet. Kallias quickly followed up with a blast of water that sent her flying away. A snap up his fingers ordered up another round of water spheres, already in flight. Saki flew backwards through the air, unable to get any control. ¡°Damn!¡± Her back slammed into the barrier forcing her down into the corner. She struggled to get back to her feet feeling a little short of breath from the last hit. Unfortunately, as her eyes opened to focus back on Kallias she saw his next attack. She could only put her arms up for defense as they already began to strike. ¡®She¡¯s down again!¡¯ ¡®She never learns.¡¯ ¡®A girl can¡¯t win, not against him!¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s pathetic.¡¯ ¡®She should just quit already.¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s pointless!¡¯ After the round of dozens of balls slammed into her, Saki began to move again. Water draped over her body, almost clinging to her. She rocked back up to her feet looking a little unstable. The look in her eyes remained unchanged. A narrowed thin look of determination filled her eyes. ¡®It¡¯s never pointless!¡¯ Chapter 180 - Guardians Memories Grinning a little, he took enjoyment in the fight. ¡®This is nothing like a sparring match or even hunting down MPs. I want to see more!¡¯ He beckoned to Saki. ¡®Come again! Don¡¯t stop now!¡¯ It meant very little to him anymore the method of her attacks. ¡®This is the first time I haven¡¯t been bored in years!¡¯ Kallias appeared as though he drank the sweetest most satisfying wine, a once in a lifetime sip that could never be forgotten. It was like pure ecstasy. Chapter 180 ¨C Guardian¡¯s Memories ¡®I¡¯ll figure you out!¡¯ Breaking from the wall, Saki burst forward, disappearing from Kallias¡¯ sight. Water divided from where Saki ran, but she quickly turned it into a circle around Kallias. ¡®Let¡¯s see you figure me out now!¡¯ A half meter tall tide roared up around Kallias from all sides. He already tried a few trips on her, but they all failed. His eyes flipped around at the continuous wall of water surrounding him. It was even and constant without breaking. ¡®Hiding yourself in a circle, so I can¡¯t follow your movements. That¡¯s quite clever, but you have to attack eventually. When you do¡­¡¯ The seconds strained out as no change came from Saki. She kept delaying the moment to strike. ¡®He¡¯s not doing anything. He¡¯s waiting on me, but I can move faster than his eyes. He can¡¯t predict where I¡¯ll come out, but I don¡¯t feel confident about it. Why?¡¯ While she maintained her speed, Saki watched Kallias. Her eyes searched out for any hints. Reading him did little good for her. It wasn¡¯t her strength. ¡®I don¡¯t have a choice¡­¡¯ Decisions had to be made. Saki knew it. A split moment was all it took. She acted. The tidal wave of water changed too fast for Kallias to even notice until it already ended. Water exploded next to him. A massive ripple tore through the barrier that sprayed water across Kallias¡¯ face from more than sixty meters away. After it all finished, Kallias turned himself to stare over at Saki. ¡°So that¡¯s where you decided to attack from. It¡¯s rather pointless to think that just because I can¡¯t see I can¡¯t fight you.¡± He lifted his hand to produce more of the orbs. Dozens rained down on Saki from her unresponsive body. At the end of the assault, Saki turned up her head to glare back at Kallias. Her body ached from the water, but they were nothing more than bruises. Flickers of what happened to her played through her mind. The last second water stopped her and slid her away from him. ¡®It happened too fast! He can¡¯t be able to react to my movements! What is he doing?¡¯ Saki pushed herself back up to her feet. ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter. He can¡¯t hurt me with his attacks.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m glad you keep standing up. I want to keep enjoying this!¡± Frustrated with the situation, Saki clinched her teeth. Her body struggled with her mind. She wanted to punch him so hard. ¡°I¡¯m not standing up for you.¡± ¡°So long as you are, the reason doesn¡¯t matter!¡± Kallias summoned up several more orbs for Saki. Narrowing her eyes, Saki knew what to expect from them. ¡®Dodging doesn¡¯t work¡­¡¯ She tightened up her fists and planted her feet firmly preparing for the attack. A little intrigued by Saki¡¯s acceptance, he raised his eyebrow looking forward to what she had planned. Flicking his finger, the water launched at Saki. Saki watched the water as it slowly moved towards her. Her reflexes made it too easy to track. It felt like minutes passed before it came near her. All she had to do was wait. ¡®Now!¡¯ She threw out her fist taking the incoming water head on. Water washed over her fist exploding into droplets. The next already arrived with her other fist ready. ¡®I just have to meet them head on!¡¯ It was over in an instant. So fast Kallias couldn¡¯t see anything more than a streak. A failure didn¡¯t faze him. His hand ran over the rings drawing up nearly a hundred orbs. ¡°Let¡¯s test your fists a little more!¡± Hardening her resolve, Saki took a few steps forward. She refused to back down to him. ¡°I¡¯ll take whatever you got!¡± Saki stretched out her closed hand to point at Kallias. ¡®You aren¡¯t enough either.¡¯ ¡°What?! Are you sure, dear?¡± Saki¡¯s mother asked shocked by Saki¡¯s out of the blue announcement. Saki, age ten, stared up at her mother determined and not willing to back down from what she had decided. ¡°Yes! I want to learn martial arts!¡± Her mother bent down, coming to eye level with Saki. Resting a hand on her head, she tried to comfort her fearing the worst. ¡°But why? This is so sudden, dear. Is there something wrong at school?¡± Images of Yuki flashed through her mind. He beat up the bullies. Saki tightened up her tiny hands. ¡°Because I want to learn it!¡± Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. A grimace turned across her mother¡¯s lips. ¡°I understand that, but you must have a reason. You can tell me, Saki.¡± ¡°I just want to! I don¡¯t need a reason!¡± Saki threw off her mother¡¯s hand and stormed out of the room to retreat to her bedroom. She dropped on her bed. ¡®I can¡¯t tell her it¡¯s because I don¡¯t want Yuki to protect me anymore! She¡¯ll try to do something and we¡¯ll have to move again!¡¯ Saki awoke to a raised voice. She rubbed her eyes and slowly made her way to the door of her room. The sleepiness blocked out part of the conversation, but she knew it was her parents. ¡°¡­just a¡­ ¡­reckless¡­¡± ¡°¡­not a bad¡­¡± ¡°Saki¡­¡± It was the sound of her name that snapped her attention back. Her eyes focused quickly along with her hearing. She poked her head out her door to look down the hall. In the distance, she saw her parents talking. ¡®What are they talking about?¡¯ ¡°This could be a good thing for her.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re on her side about this! She¡¯s just a child and a girl! They¡¯ll hurt her!¡± ¡°Everyone will get a little hurt, but it is safe. Besides, it¡¯ll be a good chance to interact with other kids her age. The only friend she has is Yuki. He¡¯s a good kid, but she shouldn¡¯t be alone at her age.¡± She paused in her argument having trouble with his response. ¡°Saki didn¡¯t even give me a reason! I know she¡¯s being bullied again and she¡¯s just hiding it from me! If those¡ª¡° ¡°Calm down, honey,¡± he begged, already knowing the rest of the conversation too well. He put his hands on her shoulders to comfort her. ¡°Saki¡¯s our daughter, I won¡¯t let anything bad happen to her. If she is being bullied, learning a little self-defense will be good for her.¡± ¡°But she¡¯s my girl! She¡¯s just a girl! She shouldn¡¯t be doing such things! Yuki probably put it in her head!¡± ¡°I doubt that, dear.¡± He held his next words reconsidering the situation. Trying to comfort her, he continued, ¡°Let¡¯s talk to Saki tomorrow. We¡¯ll know if she is sure about it or if it is just a phase based on how resolved she is to it after sleeping on it.¡± ¡°She¡¯ll be my little girl again¡­¡± ¡°Yes, dear¡­¡± Saki pulled back into her room when the conversation ended. She slid the door back closed and dropped down to the floor. Her back pressed against the wood. Every part of her body shook uncontrollably. A swirling mass confused her head. ¡®¡­mom¡­¡¯ Images flashed through her mind of her parents. Her thoughts fell on them. However, thoughts of Yuki blurred over them. More images of him overlapped and covered them out. All she could see was him fighting. He was always fighting for her. He would keep fighting, forever. ¡®¡­Yuki¡­¡¯ She lifted her face up. Her eyes sharpened with her old determination. ¡®I don¡¯t want it to be forever!¡¯ Saki stood up to walk over to her desk. She opened the drawer to retrieve a pair of scissors. ¡®I¡¯ll show you how serious I am!¡¯ Saki caught herself in the mirror seated atop her desk. She ran her hand down her hair. Thoughts traveled back for Saki. She saw an image of her mother behind her. A brush appeared in her hand as she slowly went through her hair. She took careful measures, always ensuring never to hurt her and keep a watchful eye for knots. Smiling to Saki, she started chatting with her. ¡°How was school today?¡± A young child version of Saki appeared in front of Saki beaming with a happy glow. ¡°It was lots of fun! We learned about the different places in Japan!¡± She turned out interrupting her mother¡¯s work. ¡°Did you know that Tokyo wasn¡¯t always the capital?!¡± ¡°Careful, honey,¡± laughed her mother, turning her back around her chair. ¡°If you move around too much it¡¯ll hurt.¡± Saki bounced around in her chair, unable to contain her energy. ¡°Did you know, mother?¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ve heard it mentioned before,¡± she replied. ¡°Really?¡± Saki turned around again, stopping her mother. ¡°Have you seen it?¡± She smiled at Saki, nudging her back around. ¡°Once.¡± ¡°I heard it¡¯s full of really, really, really, really old stuff! And important¡­stuff?¡± Laughing a little, she kept brushing. ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s a very beautiful city.¡± ¡°Can I see it?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re good.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be good!¡± Saki pulled her hair around in front of her. It fell down over her shoulders nearly reaching her waist. She grew her hair out for as long as she could remember. It was something that both her and her mother spent time tending. They always spent an hour brushing it and cleaning while talking. She lifted her hand up and held the scissors. Her hand shook from the memories coming back to her. Saki placed her other hand on top to stop the shaking. The decision she made felt like it was empty to fall apart after only seconds. Hesitation filled her in mind. ¡®I¡¯ve got to do this! For Yuki¡­¡¯ An image floated around the mirror of her mother. Saki fought with her hand to keep it from shaking. She closed her eyes trying to keep it from weakening her resolve. ¡®I promised myself! I have to¡­¡¯ Drawing a deep breath, Saki drew out her hair in one hand so that she could see it. The scissors hovered in the air near her hair. She tried to move quickly, but hesitation crept back inside her hands. Each second she waited the easier it became to turn away. She bit down on her lip. ¡®I must¡­¡¯ Saki forced the scissors in, putting her hair to rest on the blade. It was only a small clump, but it felt like all of her hair. ¡®This is my proof to them!¡¯ She closed her eyes and took another breath. ¡®It¡¯ll be quick!¡¯ While she kept her eyes closed, she started to close her hand slowly drawing down the blade of the scissors. Her hand still shook and begged for her to stop, but she kept pushing. She couldn¡¯t stop anymore. She had to keep pushing forward. All her mind¡¯s eye saw was Yuki. The cutting sound of the scissors jerked her awake and forced her hand to finish faster than she was ready. Saki opened her eyes to see the cut strains of hair in her free hand. Both edges hung in her small hands lifeless and disconnected. A drop of water splashed on her hand. She blinked trying to figure out where it came only to see more rain down. It only took another second for her to know she was crying. The tears couldn¡¯t stop. She tried to wipe her eyes and sniff it all back up, but nothing helped. Tears streamed down her cheeks ceaselessly. She had only started. A thin stream of blood broke from Saki¡¯s skin on her hand. The blasts she took already numbed it to pain long ago. It required her to see the small droplet of crimson fall to the water Field for her to realize. She stopped a hundred orbs, but it finally cut her skin. ¡°This is nothing!¡± Saki tightened up her fists. She pushed her feet into the water preparing to charge for Kallias again. She struggled to find an opening against her unassailable foe. ¡®I cried out all of my tears while I cut my hair. I couldn¡¯t stop, but when I finished I had nothing left in me. I was ready to change myself.¡¯ Chapter 181 - Guardians Stand Kallias ran his finger through the rings of water. The disruption did no damage to the shape, returning to the original form after he finished. A single water sphere pulled away from the ring, the same size as previously used. ¡°I¡¯m thinking it¡¯s time to increase the stakes.¡± Grinning, Kallias launched the orb at Saki. The water suddenly disappeared from Saki¡¯s sight. ¡°What?!¡± Her eyes widened in surprise, but didn¡¯t have a chance for any more of a reaction. Something heavy and sharp hit her shoulder knocking her back. The force caught her off guard and nearly put her to the ground. Only a bracing leg, from preparing to run, managed to save her. After the impact, Saki clutched her arm to her shoulder. ¡®It hurts¡­It hurts!¡¯ It surprised her. All of the beatings she took from the water before numbed her, but her shoulder still hurt. Saki pulled her hand away to look at her shoulder. Something red distracted her before she examined her shoulder. ¡®Blood¡­on my hand?¡¯ It wasn¡¯t a lot of blood, but it was clearly from her shoulder. Another round of shock hit Saki as she realized the significance of the blood. Her eyes panned back to her body. The tan canvas of the tunic darkened around a crimson hole in her shoulder. Saki brushed her fingers over the wound. Stings from the open flesh bit through her body. It was shallow still, but Kallias wounded her with a single attack. ¡®Dammit¡­¡¯ Several more beads of water formed up in front of Kallias. ¡°I hope you¡¯ll show me something more interesting now.¡± Disappearing from sight almost immediately, the water sped towards Saki before she could respond. Kallias looked only slightly pleased by the scene of Saki collapsed to one knee. Grinding her teeth through the pain bolting up through her leg, Saki fought to keep everything in control. The whole fight was never at her pace. She couldn¡¯t get started. ¡®I feel like a helpless child again, unable to do anything, but flail around.¡¯ Saki closed her eyes. Her mind pushed back the pain in her legs. It couldn¡¯t stop her. She forced herself to stand. ¡®I¡¯ll keep getting back up, like always!¡¯ Chapter 181 ¨C Guardian¡¯s Stand Hushed whispers echoed through the large dojo. Young children filled the front half of the room. They all obediently sat on the floor. The instructor gathered them all together before their lessons began. He had a young girl following behind him. ¡°Listen up! We have a new student starting today. She is new so I expect all of you to help her!¡± ¡°Yes, master!¡± The middle-aged man turned around and pushed the girl up in front of everyone. ¡°Introduce yourself.¡± Before the sea of eyes and myriad of expressions, the girl hesitated opening her mouth. No words were needed for her to see them. They already passed judgment on her. Her words wouldn¡¯t reach them any longer. She wanted to run away. A strong wind blew in from the open doorway. It pulled at her hair and an instinctive hand came up to draw it back out of her face, however she learned it was unnecessary. Her hair fell back into place. It sent images through her mind digging up emotions. She stifled it all and straightened up her back. ¡°Saki Furukawa. Please take care of me.¡± Murmurs broke out from the crowd of children. Many kept watching to see what she would do. They looked a little curious and a little disgusted. ¡°What¡¯s with her face?¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t look Japanese.¡± ¡°So she wants to play pretend?¡± The instructor stepped forward. His mere presence was enough to get the children quiet. ¡°Start doing the warm up exercises!¡± He motioned at one of the older kids to help direct the group. Once they began, he turned back to Saki. ¡°Find a spot and join in. Everyone learns through doing rather than lecture.¡± ¡°Yes, master!¡± Saki scurried off around the block of children searching for an opening. She thought she had found one, but it suddenly filled up as one kid shifted. It made her push on. Several more openings disappeared for Saki in similar fashion. Eventually, she gave up and stood behind everyone. She watched them and followed their actions. The couple of hours progressed in like fashion for Saki through all of the lessons. When her father came to pick her up some of the kids still stood around. They all watched her wondering how she might react. ¡°How did it go, Saki?¡± asked her father, kneeling down as she approached. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Saki ran up to him. He gave her a light pat on her head. ¡°It was a lot of fun, dad!¡± she answered with a cheerful expression. ¡°I want to come back!¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t too hard for you?¡± She shook her head at him. Sweat dripped down her face, but she only gave him a smile. ¡°Yuki showed me some of the things he knows from his classes! So it wasn¡¯t hard!¡± Her father¡¯s face was difficult to read, but gave her a pleasant grin. ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that. I¡¯ll talk to your mother and bring you back again.¡± ¡°Thank you so much!¡± Saki added a little bounce to show her excitement. He chuckled a little at his daughter¡¯s enthusiasm. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go get your things? I¡¯ll wait for you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be right back, dad!¡± She nodded to him and ran back across the dojo to collect her bag. Her voice was loud enough that the kids staring from a distance heard her. Saki glanced over at them, checking out their complicated expressions. She quickly gathered up her things and started back. They remained silent the entire time. While walking back, Saki paused for a second to meet their gazes. Her eyes narrowed sharply as though speaking for her. They all understood clearly, but remained quiet. Kallias summoned up even more of the water balls. He let them dance around in his palm, six in total. They orbited his palm no larger than a marble. ¡®A real sense of danger should bring out something new from her. It¡¯s not going to be fun if there¡¯s no real risk for myself.¡¯ His free hand hovered over the orbs of water. Waiting out a few seconds, Kallias glanced back up at Saki, still pulling herself back together. ¡°Show me something new!¡± A flick from his finger launched the first sphere. Still groggy from the last attack, Saki barely caught sight of the incoming attack. It moved too quickly still, her eyes saw nothing. Her body felt everything. The last struck her forehead, knocking her off her feet. Saki fell back in the water with blood pooling in her wounds. It all caught her off guard. ¡®I can¡¯t see it¡­¡¯ ¡®I can¡¯t see it¡­he¡¯s too fast for me,¡¯ thought Saki, as she laid on the floor of the dojo. After a month, the instructor let her begin participating in the sparring matches with the other kids. She insisted on going sooner, but he held her back. ¡°She was stupid volunteering to fight him.¡± ¡°That should knock that smile off her face.¡± Saki stared up at the wood ceiling briefly. She knew how it was going to end better than the others. ¡®Is this how he feels? Is this what it¡¯s like for him?¡¯ It was important to her to know. She needed to understand him if she was going to protect herself. Once she felt content with her answer, Saki pushed herself up from the floor. She tugged on her robes. The boy across from her waited on her. Nodding to him, she returned to her stance and prepared to accept his advance. ¡°She lost again.¡± ¡°It¡¯s pointless to keep challenging him.¡± ¡°She¡¯s just some stupid wannabe, thinking she¡¯s Japanese.¡± Saki continued to challenge the boy at every sparring match. He beat her every time and like the rest of the kids, he took enjoyment in knocking her down. However, he never spoke to her during the entire time in class. The boy simply kept accepting as though it was his job out of everyone to show Saki her place. ¡°There she goes again.¡± ¡°She never learns.¡± ¡°A girl will never beat a boy.¡± Saki stood up again. She brushed off the fall she took as nothing. The look in her eye remained unchanged. She immediately went back into her stance demanding he attack. Her defiant look that never changed kept him coming back. He kept trying to knock it out of her. They all did, but it never disappeared. ¡°Hey, Saki!¡± her father greeted, as he did with every end of class, ¡°How was today?¡± Wiping sweat off with a towel around her neck, Saki, age eleven, beamed with a wide grin. ¡°It was great! I¡¯m definitely getting better!¡± ¡°Glad to hear it! Just don¡¯t go trying to challenge Yuki,¡± he teased. The expression on Saki changed for the briefest of moments before returning to her smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, dad! I wouldn¡¯t do that! I¡¯ll go get my stuff! Wait here!¡± Time passed in the class for Saki. She laid on the floor once more staring at the same ceiling. It always looked the same to her. It was so very tall and always out of reach. Reach didn¡¯t matter to her. Saki drew herself back up. The fall barely even fazed her anymore. She lost count of the times he threw or knocked her down. It was never about the count. ¡®I won¡¯t stop! He can¡¯t stop me! None of you will stop me!¡¯ Saki returned to her stance waiting for the boy once more. ¡°She should just give up.¡± The boy accepted her wish and went on the offensive. They danced around each other. He tried for a grab, but she deflected him. Their fight lasted longer than in the past. The boy saw how much Saki improved, but he still had the advantage. He was older, taller. It might have been a minute, but Saki was back on the floor again. ¡°It¡¯s already been a year.¡± ¡°She¡¯ll never beat him.¡± ¡°Look, she¡¯s getting back up again.¡± ¡°She never learns.¡± Saki dragged herself out of the water. Every part of her body felt drowned. Water clung to her like a thick film unwilling to free itself. She didn¡¯t care about the water. None of it mattered to her. She only needed to stop him. Saki dropped her foot down heavily. The impact kicked up water splitting the area around her. ¡°Your water isn¡¯t enough to keep me down!¡± Her body entered a familiar stance. She lifted her arms up waiting to receive him. The constant unyielding look in Saki¡¯s eyes bothered Kallias. ¡®She hasn¡¯t changed. Even now she¡¯s got no sense of danger. There must be more she¡¯s holding back, but I need something more to draw it out.¡¯ His finger ran through the water and pulled out a droplet. It shaped and hardened for him quickly, but it had a pointed edge rather than being a perfect sphere. ¡°Let¡¯s test that will of yours!¡± Kallias released the water from his hold. A meter away from him a shockwave exploded from the sonic boom as it surpassed the speed of the sound. It disappeared in the next moment ripping echoes through the air, but it was already delayed. The water had long reached its target as the sound found it to their ears. It wasn¡¯t until after Saki felt the shockwave from the water that she knew something was wrong. A second later, she felt a tearing through her abdomen. Thin trails of blood erupted from the front and back of Saki. Her eyes widened in shock realizing the pain in her body. Saki collapsed into the water, her eyes still wide with surprise and her mouth agape. Blood drained out of her quickly. Nothing remained in Saki¡¯s eyes. Chapter 182 - Guardians Answer Waiting for movement, Kallias watched Saki¡¯s still body. A variety of expressions transitioned across his face from boredom to wonder to concern. ¡®I find it hard to believe one shot was enough to kill her. I wounded her, but considering everything else she shrugged off I expected her to be back on her feet.¡¯ Kallias took a couple of steps to get a better view of Saki. He needed a sign, anything to show some life. ¡®¡­hmm¡­¡¯ Nearly a minute passed with no movement. Things started to become awkward for Kallias. He took a few more steps and then a few more again. The longer he waited the less sure he became. ¡®It could be a trick, but she was so straightforward before, seems a little out of character for her.¡¯ Kallias continued approaching her until he was nearly on top. He stared down, still cautious if it was a trick. Forming a couple of balls, he tossed them at her body to check for signs of life. No response came from them, even destroying chunks of her tunic. Kallias checked her once more before he started to test a vein for life. Life suddenly resurged in Saki¡¯s eyes. Moving too fast to see, she already had a hand around Kallias¡¯ neck. ¡°I¡¯ve got you now! I¡¯m inside your defenses! You can¡¯t do anything about me at this range!¡± Saki wound up her free fist to put Kallias out. Chapter 182 ¨C Guardian¡¯s Answer Kallias gritted his teeth in pain from the tight hold she had on his neck. It was enough to make him gasp a little for air, but not so far as to feel like he was choking, yet. ¡°Playing dead? Didn¡¯t think you had it in you¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about the fight so long as it is ended! I already told you before I¡¯m not doing this for the honor of a clean fight!¡± Her fist came in for the finishing blow. Placing a hand on Saki¡¯s strangling arm, the look in Kallias¡¯ eyes changed. ¡°Then you won¡¯t mind me doing this.¡± Saki¡¯s punch continued to come at him, but no longer at the same speed. It was too slow. Her arm felt strange as though a great weight pulled at her. When she realized something was wrong her eyes widened in surprise. It wasn¡¯t just her arm, but also her body. ¡°What?!¡± She tried to fight the force on her arm, but it was too strong. Her fist never connected. Kallias grabbed her arm and pulled it away from him, almost as though she did it herself. He took a step away from her, while rubbing his hand over his sore throat. A bit of a smirk resurfaced when she saw her picking up on the changes. ¡°You never noticed, did you?¡± It made it even more clear to her that he did something to her. She kept trying to fight with her body that wouldn¡¯t move the way she wanted. ¡°What did you do to me?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s the water,¡± he replied, using his finger to point out the water that clung to her body. ¡°I haven¡¯t only been firing water orbs at you. They cling to you on impact. And all water in here is under my control!¡± Kallias looked on with anticipation. ¡®You¡¯re caught now with no escape. Now show me everything you¡¯ve got! I want more!¡¯ ¡°¡­Damn¡­you¡­¡± Saki struggled against the forces on her body. It felt much like when he caught her in the water sphere. Nothing responded how she wanted. As though with a ton weight strapped to each of her limbs. It was all encompassing. Fighting it did no good when not even an angle could be made from it. ¡®She¡¯s down for good this time! Stay down!¡¯ ¡®Do you need a little more motivation,¡¯ thought Kallias. Water bullets spun up at his fingers'' request. Targeting non-vitals, he released the bullets. Skimming off her skin or making shallow wounds, each bullet found a place. Blood sprayed from the wounds across his face. ¡°Come on!¡± Saki glared at him, fighting off the pain. She knew what he wanted. She saw it the entire time in the fight. It never changed for him. ¡®I won¡¯t do what you want¡­ I won¡¯t succumb to a fight!¡¯ Despites her injuries, she still tried to pull against the water, however it only made her blood flow faster out of her wounds. More bullets riddled her body. A lightheaded feeling started to swarm over her. Memories and the present blurred together in her mind. She kept hearing the yelling of the children from the dojo. They taunted her and ridiculed her. It all blended together in mind, none of it really matters. ¡®What should I do?¡¯ ¡®That¡¯s easy! Power up and beat him up like you always do!¡¯ responded Yuki. ¡®Eh?! Yuki! Why can I hear you?!¡¯ ¡®Because this is a self induced motivational hallucination for the sole purpose of providing you the resolve to win!¡¯ Saki¡¯s face turned flat listening to Yuki¡¯s answer. It sounded like something he would say, but it was still a little too direct. ¡®Aren¡¯t you giving away a little too much?¡¯ This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡®It¡¯s fine, this is normal for this type of story!¡¯ Yuki closed in with Saki. He reached out his hands to grab Saki. The joking part of him disappeared as quickly as it appeared. ¡®You must not think so little of yourself, when you protect me, Saki.¡¯ ¡®But I¡­he just wants entertainment¡­I can¡¯t¡­¡¯ ¡®So you plan to die?¡¯ Yuki¡¯s question stirred Saki in a way she didn¡¯t expect. She didn¡¯t have an answer for him. She didn¡¯t have one for herself. ¡®Saki, don¡¯t forget protecting yourself is just as important as your promise. Don¡¯t fight for him or even to win. Fight to live!¡¯ ¡®¡­Yuki¡­¡¯ A wellspring of energy surged inside Saki. It restored her resolve back to her eyes. Saki discovered her strength returning. The water no longer seemed as heavy. An explosive force burst from her body disintegrating the water and freeing her from Kallias¡¯ control. A powerful yellow aura surrounded Saki in protection. It caused her hair to flutter to defy gravity turning blonde. ¡®No! You didn¡¯t just,¡¯ Yuki protested (just kidding!), ¡®Bastard!¡¯ Saki, normal not super-anything, tightened up her fists. Blood soaked her clothes and coated her body, but none of it mattered to her. ¡°It¡¯s time we ended this!¡± She disappeared from sight and suddenly appeared in front of Kallias, water already came to prevent her, but then she disappeared again. Saki reappeared on the other side of Kallias, but faded away almost immediately. Water kept sprouting up around him with fading images of Saki surrounding him. Kallias looked around him through the water. ¡®Is she moving so fast there¡¯s leftovers of her?¡¯ A bit of sweat dripped down his neck watching her go at him. There was a tingling in his back, an unknown sense from Saki. He liked the feeling. ¡®You¡¯re doing it! Show me everything you¡¯ve got!¡¯ Keeping up her attacks, Saki started noticing that her punches broke through the water more than before. ¡®I can do this!¡¯ Her speed kept her coming in from multiple angles nearly simultaneously. However, she began to notice something was wrong with her speed. The timing was no longer the same. ¡®Why am I slowing down? It¡¯s like my feet are going through¡­¡¯ She looked down to discover the water level of Kallias¡¯ Field had increased. It was already up to her knees. ¡°You didn¡¯t think my Field was so shallow as that trickle of water?¡± he remarked, as the hits on his water came to a halt. The water defense protecting him returned into the large pool. ¡°However, you should notice something else about it as well.¡± His hint to Saki brought a dark grin to his face. ¡®I can barely move! There¡¯s too much pressure!¡¯ Saki tried to get up to any sort of speed, but her legs couldn¡¯t move enough. Her strength failed her. The water continued to rise on her up to her waist. ¡®I¡¯m a sitting target!¡¯ As right as her thoughts, Kallias summoned up his bullets for her again. She ground her teeth down at her situation. Her eyes darted around while her legs kept trying to move faster. Nothing changed her situation. The bullets sped towards her like a blur, her eyes barely tracking them. ¡®I can see it! Then¡­¡¯ Saki rammed her fist into the water with all of her strength and dragged across in one motion. It created a tidal wave that intercepted the bullets. Ripples spread out from the impacts as the water absorbed them quickly. The wave settled back down revealing a more confident Saki. ¡°Objects entering water slow down significantly and with how dense you¡¯ve made the water it¡¯s pointless.¡± ¡°Getting clever now,¡± Kallias answered, excitement clear in his voice. She knew it would do nothing to faze him, but Saki still hoped for something. However, it did allow her the time she needed to free herself from the water. She jumped into the air and came to a landing atop the water. Ripples repeatedly came out from her feet. The odd ability displayed made Kallias narrow his eyes in confusion. He worked over the makeup of the water to change its properties, but she remained on top regardless of what he did. It seemed like she just stood on the water. He kept staring at her trying to read the situation for anything he might have missed. ¡®If she could do this before she would have shown it rather than struggling. What is her trick?¡¯ Nothing came to him. Summoning bullets, he had to test her. He needed more information. The bullets sped towards her with no reaction from her. They hit Saki square in the chest, then passed through as though touching nothing. It made his eyes widen with curiosity. A slight distortion came across part of Saki that lasted for less than a second before it was gone. However, it was enough to alert Kallias. The ripples on the water drew his attention down. ¡®Can¡¯t be¡­but she is¡­she¡¯s moving fast enough to not break the water¡¯s surface tension, but in a tight enough space to appear as though standing!¡¯ Kallias had to clap, it came suddenly, but he gave her a very brief applause. ¡°Amazing! The things you can do, simply amazing!¡± Saki felt a little annoyed by his response, but forced herself to keep her emotions in check. She required a lot of concentration and coordination to keep from sinking into the water. It bought her time, but barely any. ¡®I have an end to this¡­it¡¯s going to be the only way to deal with his defenses. It''s the best way to defeat someone too gung-ho for entertainment. I¡¯ll deprive him of it!¡¯ The idea sparked a fire inside Saki¡¯s chest. She felt an end in sight for her. Suddenly, another Saki appeared next to her followed by another. They spread out away from Saki surrounding Kallias with clones counting to eight. ¡°Which one is the real one?¡± they all spoke. Kallias crossed his arms looking a little bothered by what he saw. ¡°You think you can trick me with that? I already know you¡¯re moving too fast for me. It won¡¯t matter which I attack, they''re all fakes.¡± ¡°I thought you wanted to play?¡± ¡°Trying to bait me now?¡± Frowning a little, Saki became frustrated with her initial attempt. She wasn¡¯t ready to give up on her plan. All of the clones disappeared suddenly. Massive waves erupted along with chunks of earth. Everything cascaded at Kallias with his water blocking it. The assault continued without end. Unlike before, Kallias couldn¡¯t see anything. Clouds of dirt along with layers of water made it impossible for him to see anything. He felt the ground quaking each time of the impact. It unnerved him a little not knowing what she was planning. ¡®I¡¯ve just got to keep the defense up. She¡¯ll stop eventually.¡¯ Yet it did not stop. Sweat dripped down his face and his breathing started to run shallow. The assault continued for a minute and ran on past. The quaking shook in his legs with them feeling like jelly. He could barely stand. Headaches popped up in his head as sweat poured down his face. ¡®Can¡¯t¡­no¡­I haven¡¯t seen everything¡­yet¡­¡¯ Suddenly the water evaporated and the pounding ceased. It was all silent. Kallias stood wide-eyed as though something came to him, but uttered nothing. He just stood, void of any other expression. Saki reappeared, dry, next to Kallias. She stared at him and then turned away. As she took her first step, Kallias collapsed unconscious to the ground drenched in his own sweat. A bit of a smile came across her lips. She won. His mental energy was completely exhausted. His fun was over, unsatisfied. Chapter 183 - Science of the Attack Ligeia stood opposite of the silent wall, Haruo. She still waited for him actually to do anything besides stand around. An annoyed vein popped on her forehead. ¡°Are you going to do anything?!¡± Silence persisted for him. Ripples burst from her feet as her response to his inaction. ¡°Fine then! Just die where you stand!¡± Metallic pieces gathered in a pyramid emitting a bright light moments before a wide beam erupted from them. Light washed over Haruo, completely engulfing him. Disappearing within the light, Haruo left no sign of life. It made Ligeia think she might have actually killed him. ¡®I only said that, didn¡¯t think he¡¯d just stand there.¡¯ She took an unsure step forward. Nothing could be undone. Her attack already finished its cycle. Only smoke remained behind from the exhaust of the beam. Still nothing could be seen through the dense white clouds. ¡°Hey, are you still alive?¡± she inquired, with a little bit of concern in her voice. No answer. Clouds thinned out quickly. A dark shape exposed through the tops of the veil. Of course, there was no answer, she dealt with Haruo. Really, how many times has he spoken this entire arc? Haruo stood unchanged and looked unremarkable, as though it was natural, normal, with nothing strange happening. He was like a fixture of the environment. Caught by surprise, Ligeia took a step back. She hoped he was safe, but she also fired a fairly strong beam at him. Some damage, any damage, even just a redness of his skin would have made sense to her. Nothing though, she didn¡¯t expect it. ¡®No damage at all?! It¡¯s like I didn¡¯t even do anything to him!¡¯ Images of Saki attacking Kallias appeared in her mind. ¡®She was strange as well¡­¡¯ All she knew was that she needed to understand him better. Motioning with her fingers, the metallic pieces broke their pyramid form and returned to her side. ¡°Are you ready to fight?¡± Silence returned between them. It only made her annoyed, but she kept her temper in check, rather than blasting him. ¡°If you don¡¯t say something I¡¯m going to have to attack again.¡± ¡°No,¡± he answered, as though it explained everything. Haruo gave no further explanation to her. ¡®What¡¯s with him?¡¯ She expected more from him, anything, but the simple answer. More things frustrated her. ¡°Eh? Which are you answering?¡± ¡°The former.¡± Shoulders bending into an upside down ¡°U¡±, Ligeia couldn¡¯t help a confused look. Staring at him didn¡¯t get her any answers. ¡°You need time to prepare or something? I don¡¯t really like waiting, but I¡¯ve been bored for years anyway, a couple more minutes won¡¯t change things.¡± ¡°No.¡± A vein popped up on her forehead. Temper was a difficult thing to control when dealing with Haruo, as she started to learn. She tightened up her fist shaking it in anger. ¡°Can¡¯t you say more than two words?!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Unfortunately, it only made her anger worse. She stretched herself up to the balls of her feet to lean into her yell. ¡°Stop that!¡± Silence, as though he obeyed her command. She didn¡¯t like it either. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean don¡¯t speak! Speak more than a single word!¡± ¡°If necessary,¡± he fired back, with surprising speed. He lacked words, details, but seemed to make up for it in response time. Not that he fixed the situation. ¡°It is necessary! I need to understand!¡± ¡°No reason.¡± ¡°Huh? Sure there is a reason! If I don¡¯t understand then the fight can¡¯t start!¡± Ligeia started to realize how out of character he made her. Crossing her arms and trying her hardest to ignore the red embarrassment threatening her face, Ligeia fought to reset the pace of the conversation. ¡°I want to fight you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Things moved into a direction she could handle. It felt like she found what she needed. ¡®Finally getting somewhere. So it¡¯s that he doesn¡¯t want to fight, not that he can¡¯t. But he¡¯s part of the intruders.¡¯ Nothing about him made any sense to her. She hoped he gave her some answers. ¡°No reason.¡± Chapter 183 ¨C Science of the Attack ¡°That again?¡± A cycle completed. A pointless cycle of nothing. Nothing still produced something, annoyance. ¡°No reason?! How can you be here and not have a reason?! You wouldn¡¯t have come here without a reason! You¡¯re wanting to do something! So tell me what it is damnit!¡± Silence once more. Haruo remained quiet, but not for the reasons that Ligeia assumed. It was something more complicated. His mind turned over on itself. A simple reason held his lips sealed. ¡®That¡¯s the problem. I don¡¯t have an answer to the question. I don¡¯t know why I came. I don¡¯t know why I followed him here. I don¡¯t have a reason for it. Nothing that is happening here means anything to me. I¡¯m an outsider with no connection to any of this. So why did I come?¡¯ Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°Answer me already!¡± snapped Ligeia. She wanted to attack him again just for being a pain. ¡®No reason? That¡¯s impossible! No one does anything without a reason. He wants to fight, but what¡¯s holding him back?¡¯ Ligeia thought she figured him out a little. She wanted to end the stalemate. The fight would end if she didn¡¯t find his trigger. ¡°What is your throat already parched from talking?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then tell me already! You invade Atlantis with your friends, so you¡¯ve got a reason to be here. I don¡¯t care how small it is. I¡¯m just interested in a fight, it''s the only reason I came out here. The promise of something different, something new.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about apologies!¡± The strips of metal hovered around her began to move in a new direction. ¡°I don¡¯t care! Just tell me why you came here!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have an answer for you,¡± responded Haruo, with the longest span of words in their conversation. He saw the changes in the pieces, but didn¡¯t do anything. He planned on not doing anything at all. The fight was meaningless for him. Wrinkling in the bit between her eyebrows, Ligeia¡¯s frustration mounted further than before with Haruo. Their fight continued to stall. ¡°After all that, that is what you say! Come on! You can¡¯t possibly not have an answer. You¡¯re just holding back on me! I want my fight!¡± He shook his head at her. ¡°I¡¯m serious.¡± Finished with his conversation, he turned away from Ligeia. He planned to wait as he did before for the fights to end. It did not involve him. ¡°I¡¯ve no reason to fight you. So I¡¯ll take my leave. Sorry.¡± Responding to her will, the pieces moved quickly out in front of Haruo. They reformed into a pyramid directed at him. ¡°You¡¯re not leaving!¡± Her eyes narrowed as she made her intent clear. ¡°You¡¯ve got the body of someone that¡¯s strong. Don¡¯t you want to test that strength to see how it compares?¡± Glancing over his shoulder, uninterested as ever, Haruo caught sight of Ligeia approaching him. ¡°I don¡¯t care about it. Being strong doesn¡¯t mean one enjoys fighting.¡± She felt the honesty of his answer and realized he was always honest. It made him straightforward, annoyingly so. The sound of his voice helped her understand him better. Pieces fell into place for her. ¡°Then how about a battle of answers, Mr. Clueless?¡± A bit of curiosity surfaced for Haruo. Such an unexpected reply made him turn around. It caused an ever so slight change in his stone features. ¡°A battle of answers?¡± ¡®I¡¯ve got you now! Finally!¡¯ Ligeia smiled to herself. The situation reversed. She controlled the pace. Her fight would finally come to her. ¡°Yes, listening to you I¡¯ve figured a few things out about you. It would seem you¡¯re looking for answers, so this battle will be for your answers! I¡¯ll tell you why you¡¯ve come here, the reason for being here after our fight!¡± Stretching out her hand, she placed her offer out for Haruo. ¡®She¡¯s figured me out? I¡¯ve been trying to understand it for days and she says she¡¯s already figured it out in a couple of minutes?¡¯ Haruo admitted his own curiosity in Ligeia. He felt suspicious of her, but he wanted to know more. It made him step closer to her. The answer to his question was important, very important to him. His decision was too rash and out of character for him. None of it made any sense. Haruo took her hand to accept her offer. ¡°I¡¯m interested in your opinion. I¡¯ll grant you your fight in exchange.¡± ¡°Good! Now I expect a real fight from you!¡± she reminded, her lips grinned with excitement. ¡°I don¡¯t want you losing just to end things faster!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you what you asked for.¡± The arrangement sealed with a handshake, both parties parted. They took several steps to place a few meters between them. Everything in the atmosphere around them flipped suddenly. Tension mounted and strengthened in the passing seconds. Their eyes locked on to the other, never letting them out of their sight. In preparation for the fight, Ligeia revealed her Field to Haruo. Stretching out for meters was nothing but metal plating. Each plate was sharply cut and polished with no right angles. The connecting edges from one plate to the next didn¡¯t come out the same as some plates had more edges than others. Regardless of shape or size, electronic lights filled in the cracks between them moving away from the center, Ligeia. Some plating even held lights or other designs inside. Replacing her white Atlantean military uniform was a gray turtleneck with an odd shine to it, giving it a very unnatural appearance at the folds of the material. Similarly, her form-fitting pants carried the same unearthly reflection. They appeared as though made from cotton, but it was no cotton, wool or synthetic normally used. Wrapped around her waist in a very useless fashion was a metal belt carried merely as ornamentation rather than function, but considering how tightly the pants clung to her skin a belt was never going to be needed. Noting accessories, small metal clips seemed attached randomly on the edges of her clothes with no design or order in mind. There were sixteen in count. Rounding it out, a large attachment wrapped around her right arm. A display screen sat on the outer side of her forearm, already displaying numerous bits of information. Finished with her work, she tightened her eyes and focused on Haruo in anticipation. ¡°Now don¡¯t disappoint me. I¡¯m looking forward to this. Show me what you have!¡± Haruo kept his usual silence while watching her transform. He watched Yuki fight alongside him against Katsu and his gang. The powers they wielded didn¡¯t surprise him, but it was the first time he had to confront it. ¡®They¡¯re all so different from each other. You can¡¯t have any expectations with them¡­¡¯ Previously, he observed the others fight, absorbing the details. However, the conclusion was always the same. They used the same base guidelines, but the potential they had varied greatly based on their personalities and preferences. He had little to go on in the fight. Turning something unknown and small in his hands, Haruo had to commit himself to the battle. Shining out from his palms, light bled through his fingers. When it reached the climax of intensity, he opened his hands and tossed the contents in front of him. The light expanded and grew in size until forms started to appear. White semi-transparent wolves materialized from the shining light. If not for the ghost-like qualities, the wolves would have passed for the real thing. They even had fur blowing in the soft breeze. However, there was one thing that was off about them. All six of the wolves stood at elbow height to Haruo. One of them paced around Haruo coming to a stop at his left allowing him to rest his arm on its back. The pack surrounded him with a fierce look far more threatening than any blank expression Haruo bore. ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± ¡®Spirit animals?¡¯ She wondered what sort of power Haruo would have. ¡®Both things we control, but animals aren¡¯t as versatile as mine¡­¡¯ Ligeia uncoiled her arm out to extend it fully. Out from her palm, metal strips materialized floating. Fifty or more of the strips appeared. They quickly moved into sets of ten holding no defined structure at the moment. ¡°I¡¯m ready as well! So let¡¯s see what you can do!¡± Nodding in agreement, Haruo accepted the start. His wolves began to move and spread out on the hunt. They already started to approach Ligeia in a wide semi-circle. Ravenous looks ready to maul her filled their eyes, contrary to Haruo. Working in concert, the strips snapped into position forming up a pyramid in three of the sets, while the other two sets took no action. An attack was clearly on the way. Ligeia didn¡¯t even try to hide the fact. Everything laid in the open for the first strike. The first round began with the intensity already set high. The wolves launched on a trigger for the woman. In the same moment, three wide beams of light burst from the pyramid shapes blinding the Field. Haruo and Ligeia¡¯s battle began. Chapter 184 - Science of the Resolve Directed at the closest targets, the beams engulfed each wolf. Light wiped them from sight. It didn¡¯t detour the remaining three wolves charging forward for Ligeia. She stepped back keeping them all in her sights. Darting her eyes around for control, the remaining two groups of metal strips began to move. Quickly jumping into position, they formed a thin transparent wall between her and the animals. Uninterested in the blockade, two of the wolves joined up attacking one of the walls. Their claws ripped into the barrier producing waves through the material. Cracks formed abruptly as their claws poked through, only moments after colliding. Slashing a few more times along with diving in with their heads destroyed the shield protecting Ligeia. Surprised her energy shield already collapsed, Ligeia tried to extend her other shield over. Her defense only put a couple of meters between them. ¡®I misjudged his strength¡­¡¯ Glancing at the screen on her forearm, she stepped to the side. Only seconds delayed the wolves, her second shield fell even faster with all three attacking. Free to strike, all three wolves leapt at Ligeia, already aiming for different parts of her. Less than a meter separated her from them, when another beam suddenly burst forth covering the animals in familiar light. Only a few centimeters spared Ligeia from her own attack. ¡®That takes care of his animals!¡¯ Ligeia slid her eyes around to focus on Haruo only to suddenly discover a shadow blocking her light. The wolf granted her only a moment of time to react, leaving her to fall over pinned down by its massive paws. Roaring so close to her face left her bones rattling from the deep savage tone. Her eyes widened in shock, while her mind tried to understand how she missed one. ¡®I got them all! How is it?¡¯ She didn¡¯t have any more time. Its mouth lowered down to take a bite out of her flesh. A thin beam ran across her face knocking the animal off her. It fell over on its side, unmoving. Ligeia found her breathing heavier than she expected. The image of the wolf over her replayed a few times. She learned her heart sped up to a heavy thumping in her chest. Sweat beaded up on her skin, making her clothes uncomfortable. It felt strange. Chapter 184 ¨C Science of the Resolve Back on her feet, Ligeia stared over at the beast. A hole from her beam pierced its nose and mouth leaving a disgusting, yet clean image for her. However, she found movement in the animal. Its legs began to twitch and its body shifted. ¡®What¡¯s going on? Are they immune to damage?¡¯ Ligeia watched it stand back up with the mouth hanging in an unsightly manner. It made her eyes turn away for a moment, but when she looked back, the damage was gone. Her eyes shrank a little as she began to doubt her sight. Adding to her doubt, her eyes found the other five wolves standing around her, waiting almost like toying with its prey. Gritting her teeth together, she understood the position she found herself. ¡®Surrounded¡­back at the start, but¡­¡¯ Ligeia pulled her bits back in to have them float around her. Sliding her eyes into the distance beyond Haruo, she watched for a moment Vangelis and Yuki¡¯s fight rage on. ¡®What am I doing here?¡¯ Everything was routine for Ligeia. Life on the border ran in a cycle. Each day like the day before, nothing changing. ¡®The consistency was safe, normal. Yet it was¡­¡¯ She found comfort. Expectations were the same. She only needed to do enough. ¡°Hey, Ligeia! We¡¯ve got orders,¡± called a soldier in black clothes. He motioned to her to get off her cot. A long travel pack already rested on his back. She slowly glanced at him, barely even noticing him. Her mind got used to the emptiness of the squad barracks. The rest of her squad usually ran exercises or activities outside of the room leaving her in peace. Once the wheels in her mind started to turn, she realized it was her squad member and saw the pack. ¡°What are the orders?¡± Though she asked, she already figured it out. It was always the same, not that the travel pack did not give it away. ¡°Patrol! It¡¯s our turn. Squad 45 just got back.¡± He left the room, having felt he delivered the message. It took her another minute before she felt like rising from her cot. Glancing down, she felt her uniform a little out of order. She casually pulled up the loose strap back up to her right shoulder. ¡°I see, same as always.¡± Ligeia strode out of the barracks, her squad waiting on her arrival near one of the several gates of the South Gate Headquarters. Another squad prepared to leave alongside them, though in the opposite direction. A standard patrol of the barrier sent out squads of soldiers at two hour intervals during the entire twenty-four hour period. It allowed for fast response time when an incident occurred. Their march began shortly at the command of the squad leader. Ligeia followed in the rear of the group maintaining the same pace as the others. After an hour, they passed another squad marching in the direction back to base. All four gates sent out patrols, which when they met in the middle turned around, allowing for some overlap. They frequently would pass squads during the patrol. Two days passed before the end of their patrol. ¡°Nothing,¡± she commented to herself. Glancing around at the rest of the squad, everyone looked fatigued. Their patrols didn¡¯t allow for many breaks and no sleeping. A near constant pace kept for two days. It was normal. Still, it exhausted everyone, as they fell onto their cots without a second thought. Ligeia, like the rest of her team, fell back into her cot. Her mind felt more tired than her body. It left her staring up at the stone ceiling. ¡®Is there any¡­¡¯ Releasing her Field, her metal strip projectors materialized. She stretched up her hand towards the ceiling, the projectors dancing around her arm. It was a necessary exercise to keep her powers in shape. ¡®I¡¯ve never used these since assigned out here. The last time I actually did anything with them was in the academy. I¡¯m doing nothing here.¡¯ This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Mental exercises ended for her after twenty minutes. It thoroughly exhausted the remains of her energy. Everything in her body went limp against the cot. ¡®Always the same, every day. Not that I really mind, but is there anything else to do?¡¯ ¡®Another patrol, another day,¡¯ Ligeia thought, back on another patrol. Nothing changed. The squad leader tilted his head back at Ligeia. ¡°It¡¯s time, Second Lieutenant.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Activating her Field, she connected with the military communication lines that ran along the entire border. They had to make regular reports to check in and learn if the headquarters discovered any changes in the barrier. Everyone was a little more on edge with the death of the King. The moment she linked with the lines she got an earful of a general broadcast. ¡°Repeat, South Gate Headquarters to all patrol teams, return to base! Orders from Captain Simonides! New orders will be given upon return! Repeat, South¡ª¡° ¡°Squad Leader!¡± shouted Ligeia, a strange bit of excitement jumped into her voice. ¡°We have new orders from Captain Simonides! We are to return to base immediately for new orders!¡± ¡°What?!¡± The news sent everyone in the squad into disarray. It threw off their marching, bringing them to a halt. The Squad Leader took several minutes before getting his squad back in order. They quickly turned around, but the tension, confusion and excitement never disappeared. However, she found nothing again. The new camp set up bustled with activity, but she had nothing. ¡®Put on standby¡­¡¯ Those were her only orders along with the rest of her team. Wait. Sit. Do nothing. Ligeia felt strange for having thought something different might happen. She settled into her normal routine until the tent flap opened. In stepped a man with a reputation, Vangelis, however she didn¡¯t know what he wanted. She only watched waiting to see what he did. Vangelis stood before her, staring down with hollow eyes. ¡°Come with me, it¡¯s an order.¡± She accepted his mission, though it still felt like he forced it on her. ¡®Why am I out here?¡¯ she thought, staring at Haruo again, rather than Vangelis in the distance. ¡®I¡¯m used to the routine, just keep going. I know that I¡¯ll die doing the same thing on the border without end. I¡¯ll die¡­¡¯ A stiffer stance in her back changed Ligeia¡¯s presence. It made her think a little more. ¡®I was excited, for the first time that I can remember since joining the military¡­ I guess it was curiosity.¡¯ Ligeia narrowed her eyes. She lowered her hand down to her midsection. Dozens more projectors appeared bringing her groups to the count of ten. ¡®I guess I am¡­I really just want to see what it¡¯s like¡­I¡¯ve never gotten to really use my abilities for anything.¡¯ Five sets formed up around her head shaping into pyramids with a defensive shield protecting her. ¡®I can actually do something meaningful here!¡¯ The animals wanted no more delaying. They appeared only held back by the whims of Haruo. Their savage looks told Ligeia everything she needed, worse there seemed a light of intelligence behind their eyes. Testing out the wolves, Ligeia knew she needed to understand her opponent better. She fired off quick beams. Unlike the last time, the wolves evaded the beams leaving the metal plating scorched. ¡®They¡¯re faster than before¡­¡¯ Another few rounds of beams went off making the wolves dance around the area dodging her attacks. She kept it up as she watched, reading them. ¡®It¡¯s like they¡¯re learning¡­¡¯ Amongst the assault, Ligeia realized she lost sight of one of the wolves. Only five appeared in her vision. ¡®Where¡¯s the sixth? It has to be here!¡¯ She heard the low growl of the sixth wolf behind her. Her mind acted faster than her body, moving a shield to block the wolf. Ligeia turned part way to see how her shield managed. ¡®Good, the increased power held it back!¡¯ A beep went off from her arm alerting her of a new danger. It spun her head back around. ¡®A distraction!¡¯ Unfocused, the beams no longer had the wolves busy. Another came straight for Ligeia. She didn¡¯t have enough time for the shield, as it was already inside her defenses. Knocked back, it looked like she would fall back into the same position before. However, she suddenly disappeared from underneath the wolf, caught a little surprised by the lack of a prey beneath its claws. Ligeia stood up opposite of the wolf. Redirecting one of her free sets, a thin beam pierced the wolf through the hindquarters and stomach. Enough force and shock in the attack sent the beast tumbling to the ground. Downing a beast, she earned herself a moment of pause. Soreness poked in her joints. ¡®Damn, I¡¯m out of practice and not as young. My body really didn¡¯t like that maneuver¡­¡¯ Focusing back on the wolf, she watched it stand back up. The hole through its body disappeared quickly, recovering from the injury she gave it. A bit of surprise washed over her along with understanding. ¡®So that¡¯s what¡¯s going on! Minor injuries can be quickly healed!¡¯ Unfortunately, she quickly realized how much trouble it left on her. ¡®This is going to be even more complicated¡­¡¯ Fully recovered, the pack launched a new round of attacks on Ligeia. Using her shields and beams in concert, she kept them at bay. However, it didn¡¯t last for long before they were beyond her control again. Three of the wolves broke from the group and closed inside her defense once more. Better prepared, she converted a set to fire small beams to push them off course while she extended her shield out. Leaning against the thin strip of the shield arched from the ground into the air, her hand pulled at her body along with her feet. Almost like riding an escalator, she rode the shield safely out of reach of the wolves and turned around. At the end, she stood atop the shield two meters off the ground. Ligeia quickly redirected her shield projectors to surround the three wolves. Trapping them, three sets constructed a larger pyramid in an elaborate design, clearly strengthening the coming attack. Not hesitating, a wide beam shot down from above. The beasts disappeared from sight with no signs of recovery. ¡®I¡¯ve got them this time¡­¡¯ Turning her gaze over to Haruo, she slid down the shield by her hand to land back on the ground. ¡®Three remaining¡­¡¯ All ten of the sets spread out over the Field and broke down into even smaller sets, doubling their numbers. Mini-beams began firing across the Field, but unlike before they remained constant. The wolves kept up with the pace, but had trouble adapting in time as the beams moved faster. Before long, one wolf had its leg cut off from a beam. It limped away only to be sliced up quickly by several more beams. Particles of it vaporized into the air until it disappeared. Left with only two, the remaining pack charged for Ligeia, rather than continuing at her pace. Utilizing her shield, she directed them away from her, but noticed a cut in her shield. ¡®It managed to get through at this power?!¡¯ Ligeia didn¡¯t have long to act as one wolf charged the small opening to burst through directly at her. Spreading out a shield under her feet, she slid out of range of the wolf, but it countered with the second. She forced herself to change directions sliding on the shield to dodge free from the wolf. Skipping to another shield to slide out of reach, she chased them with her beams, even while they struck out for her. A deadly dance broke out between them with both parties barely keeping ahead of the other. It couldn¡¯t last forever. Sliding around on the shield, Ligeia suddenly changed her movement revealing an already firing beam behind her. The opening she gave it destroyed the lead wolf and continued through to obliterate the back half of the wolf. It collapsed, twitching on the ground. Ligeia immediately turned her eyes up to Haruo. Two pyramids flanked her sides firing at him. Their heavily charged beams sped towards him. The distance gave him enough time to side step her attacks. He looked on at her ready to continue, when suddenly a light from behind him eclipsed his body. Haruo disappeared from sight in a massive beam of light. Chapter 186 - Science of the Hypothesis Protecting herself with a shield, the wolves scraped by redirected. Keen sight allowed him to notice that they made a cut in her shield. ¡®It¡¯s taking a focused effort now to cut into her shield¡­the strength of it has definitely increased¡­¡¯ Pressing on the attack, he sent one of the wolves to break through the shield and knock her off balance. Unexpectedly, she spread out a shield like before for her feet. Haruo already started to understand how it worked. Any part of the body that touched the special surface could be dragged along in the direction, likely determined by her intentions. It allowed for unnatural and impossible movements. She needed them to keep pace with his wolves. Sliding around on the shield, she kept her distance from Haruo¡¯s wolves. While they gave chase, she countered with her beams again. Letting the wolves go free, they used their own intuition to dodge and keep pace with the attacks. However, she hid a beam behind her allowing her to counterattack with the wolves having no reaction time. He lost the first wolf immediately in the blast. The one in the rear he managed to redirect enough to avoid a direct hit. Even still, the wolf lost the back half of it, dropping it to the ground unable to move. Haruo¡¯s eyes narrowed, preparing for what he already expected. Ligeia turned her focus on him immediately, calling upon her devices to construct two flanking pyramids on either side of her. Since he knew what the next action would be, it made it easy to dodge. He watched the power of the beams used on his animals and felt avoiding it a better option rather than defending. Dodging something he easily saw coming was simple for him. Yet, something felt off about the situation. The look in Ligeia¡¯s eyes told him she wasn¡¯t finished. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t have a chance to act as a light engulfed him from behind. The force behind the light felt familiar to Haruo. He knew it immediately as the beam weapon she used on him before as well as on his wolves. Haruo saw it enough to know it well. Knowing it still didn¡¯t change the fact that it felt significantly stronger. All of his time taking punches made him used to dealing with pain and damage, but it was something completely different. It was all encompassing. The pressure poured over every part of him. Everything went white. Chapter 185 ¨C Science of the Hypothesis Smoke exploded along with light from the impact. A shockwave snapped outward from the epicenter whipping the wind around the Field. Ligeia lifted her hand to her face to allow herself to watch, barely. Her little trick worked. A small grin built across her face as the seconds counted on. The longer time went Haruo¡¯s fate turned into a question. Clouds from the blast still filled the area hiding him. Ligeia waited to know what happened. She contained her mounting enthusiasm, not wanting to become over confident. While she waited, something popped up on her display. Alerted, she looked down to see what was wrong. ¡®Something that¡¯s not him?¡¯ A blip on her display found something, but she didn¡¯t know what it was. Haruo¡¯s body was already marked on the display and she knew its position. All the time she wasted on her confusion should have been spent on dodging. A fact she understood too late. Leaping from out of her blind spot, one of Haruo¡¯s wolves closed on her given more than enough time. Ligeia tried to bring up her shield for protection, but it was clearly too late. The wolf lunged at her, knocking her off her feet and sliding with her for a few meters before leaping off her. It spun around and came to a stop a meter away. Slowly moving back in on its prey, the wolf howled almost like a cry. Ligeia turned her head back to find the wolf. Pain from the attack lightly washed over her, as the least of her concerns. She watched the wolf slowly approach her. Moving the pieces into place with her mind, she prepared for a counter. However, it suddenly came to a halt, turning its head away from her. It looked back in the direction of the cloud of smoke covering Haruo. The wolf bounded off to pace around the smoke slowly. Finally lifting, Haruo stood up out of the thick veil. From appearances, he looked unharmed, something that left Ligeia struggling with her shock. Behind him however, much of his tunic was burned away down to his skin. Redness of sores and blisters covered his back. ¡®Hurt more than I thought¡­¡¯ Despite the pain, Haruo¡¯s expression never changed. He caught sight of the wolf coming alongside him. ¡®It took him longer to recover. I haven¡¯t really fully tested this power, so I can¡¯t really have too many expectations.¡¯ Haruo glanced over at Ligeia to see her condition. He didn¡¯t have any control over the wolf, it didn¡¯t have the full capacity for intelligence unless linked with him. The surprise attack knocked her off balance and confused her, but as he saw it did nothing to her. ¡®Must have done something in time to prevent an injury.¡¯ They both held secrets. He turned his gaze behind him wondering about what happened to him earlier. All he remembered was the light and feeling, but not how it happened. ¡®I dodged her, but she did something. Did she get one of those devices behind me? I never noticed anything¡­¡¯ Ligeia pushed herself back to her feet. Her body felt a little shaky from the impact, but she worked through to focus on Haruo. ¡®He doesn¡¯t even look affected! Did he notice it?¡¯ Changing her stare to the wolf, move confusion rose. ¡®I killed all of them. Did he create a seventh I didn¡¯t see?¡¯ Events of the fight replayed in her mind trying to understand. Nothing came to her. It concerned her finding that he held tricks. Questions surrounded both. Only one answer came to them. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡®I¡¯m going to have to keep fighting to understand it,¡¯ Haruo decided. ¡®I need to keep fighting for it to make sense,¡¯ determined Ligeia. Moving into position, the solitary wolf started its new approach. A look at its eye showed the desire for revenge. Shifting the groups around, Ligeia brought her beams back to bear on Haruo and his wolf. She expected him to summon more animals, but didn¡¯t let it stop her from attacking. Lining up her beams, she tried to strike down the wolf. She hoped to understand what she didn¡¯t. Gaining new knowledge to aid his tactics, he manipulated the wolf¡¯s movement with greater finesse than last time. It dodged all of the micro beam attacks with ease. Focus on a single animal gave him the improved controls to keep up with Ligeia¡¯s attacks. She could do nothing to touch the wolf. While the fighting continued, it gave Haruo moments for pause. The whole scene felt strange to him. ¡®I accepted her request for a fight, even though it is against my nature. Why?¡¯ He went along with everything so far in Atlantis not saying anything. It confused him. ¡®I don¡¯t owe him anything.¡¯ Memories from the fight with Katsu wormed back inside him. He knew what Yuki did then, but watching his actions, he understood something about him. ¡®Even if I did owe him, he would never say it. He¡¯d just say things were equal. He doesn¡¯t care about it. He doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡¯ Haruo came to the heart of the matter. He understood something, but he still didn¡¯t understand Yuki. Yuki was a mystery to him. Focus had to return. The fight continued the progress into deeper troubles. Haruo noted that the beams became faster. While he adapted to her movements, she did the same to him. They learned off each other. His eyes drew into the fight trying to keep track of everything the wolf didn¡¯t see. ¡®My advantage is I have a wider field of vision than if I was close up like the wolf. However, she¡¯s been keeping up despite the disadvantage.¡¯ His eyes glanced at the device on her arm. ¡®Must be that¡­she keeps looking at it.¡¯ Ligeia slid around on her shield keeping the fight moving. ¡®The wolf is more troublesome than before¡­it¡¯s keeping up with my attacks better¡­still improving¡­¡¯ Moving part of her thoughts to a secondary group, it shifted to her desire. ¡®I¡¯m going to need to change the pace of the fight. He¡¯ll just exhaust me at this rate.¡¯ She could feel the drip of sweat down her face. Her body already was starting to feel the length of the battle and her mind complained too. ¡®I¡¯ve never used so much of my power, so quickly¡­even with endurance I¡¯m not making it any better¡­ This is the first real fight I¡¯ve had¡­¡¯ Amidst the attacks from Ligeia, Haruo caught sight of her changing her tactics. He saw the pyramid shape move into position such that when his wolf dodged it would come after him. The wolf already moved out of the way of the beam. Haruo knew he could avoid it, seeing it coming. It flew past him, evading with ease. However, light shone from behind him coming back at him. Haruo, already moving, turned to see the beam coming at him. ¡®Figured she¡¯d try it again.¡¯ The light surrounded him with the same intensity as before with the energy washing over him. Yet, he remained visible, unlike the last time. Widening her eyes a little, she tried to figure out what Haruo did. It made her lean forward a little with curiosity. ¡®What¡¯s he doing?! He saw it coming?¡¯ The closer she looked the more she found. His hand held back the beam and broke it into pieces. Energy poured out around his hand evaporating into the air. ¡®I can¡¯t believe it! Just his hand?!¡¯ She quickly replayed the events through her mind. The pieces started to come together. ¡®I thought I had him right where I wanted him. I saw that I actually did damage to him the last time. I just needed another hit, but¡­¡¯ Haruo had turned into the attack as though expecting it. No surprise filled his eyes. She remembered how he moved. ¡®He set me up! He intentionally arranged it so that I would do it again! He wanted to see what I did! Damn him, he¡¯s smarter than I thought¡­¡¯ Brushing off the remaining strength of the energy, Haruo threw out his hand directing the beam away from him. He slid his foot back around to face her. ¡®It was too fast for her to have used her pyramid to attack me. Additionally, the angle it came at me was the same¡­¡¯ Before the light of the beam completely blocked his sight, he remembered seeing one of Ligeia¡¯s devices arranged like her shields. ¡®So that¡¯s what it was¡­reflecting the beam back.¡¯ Emotionless as Haruo was, Ligeia felt an unease from him as though he figured her out. She didn¡¯t like that he spoiled her secret and only after two uses. ¡®Most of the others in training took much longer to figure it out and usually too late. If the secret¡¯s out, then I don¡¯t need to hold back anymore!¡¯ Suddenly, the sets of projectors fell apart and rearranged themselves. Haruo narrowed his eyes a bit judging the next action. ¡®I¡¯m guessing she¡¯ll start reflecting more now since I¡¯ve figured out her secret.¡¯ Accurate to the prediction, a beam shot out from a pyramid hitting a reflector bouncing the beam. However, it didn¡¯t bounce just once. Another reflection happened changing the course of the beam again. Then, he noticed the beam moving. ¡®She¡¯s altering the angle of the beam by moving the reflecting surface. Calculating all of the possibilities is not going to be simple.¡¯ It started with only one beam, but another beam fired off quickly. Soon an array of beams played out over the Field. The wolf kept up, but Haruo¡¯s slower movements left him taking hits. Ligeia kept it up until the explosion''s impacts covered him. However, she didn¡¯t feel like stopping anymore. She continued her assault on him, while holding the wolf at bay. After a few moments, something about the attacks on Haruo felt wrong to Ligeia. She ceased the assault. Smoke masked Haruo for the time, but it didn¡¯t last long. Pockets of light broke through the thick clouds before shaping out a familiar figure in shadow. Suddenly, the clouds burst apart with dozens of shadows jumping out. Underneath, Haruo showed himself, only minorly wounded by Ligeia attacks, not looking the part of one under a long assault. ¡®What?! I had to have done more to him than that!¡¯ Examining his body, Haruo saw only a few places in his tunic burned away by the attacks. ¡®Worked out better than I thought, though I have some reservations about it. No choice.¡¯ ¡®What were those shadows?¡¯ Ligeia looked around trying to figure it out. ¡®It had to be the reason my attacks did so little to him!¡¯ ¡®I need to move while she¡¯s off balance¡­¡¯ Haruo took a step forward. The wolf appeared behind him, wrapping its large body around in a semicircle. Above in the sky, chirps echoed from a chatter to a chorus. Ligeia looked around trying to figure out where the sounds came from. Suddenly, a shadow flew past her face. It turned her around to follow it, but another shadow flew past. She summoned up her shield for a defense, hearing dull pounding against it. ¡®What¡¯s going on? What is he doing?¡¯ Trying to focus, Ligeia managed to calm herself down enough to look at the shield. Birds. They were birds, pale white birds. ¡®More spirit animals¡­¡¯ The birds had the same transparent appearance of the wolf. She tried to use her beams to knock them away, but their numbers only increased. They swarmed over her shield, throwing her into a state of confusion. Ligeia couldn¡¯t get them off her. However, the birds flew off suddenly. The reason for it came too late to Ligeia. A large shadow cast over her and knocked her to the ground. The wolf pinned her to the metal floor with its mouth closing on her. Ligeia glanced around at her projectors. She tried to fire, but all of her beams were blocked by the birds. ¡®I¡¯m trapped! I can¡¯t get it off me! Damn it! He¡¯s got me right where he wants me!¡¯ Chapter 186 - Science of the Nature Ligeia struggled with the wolf to free herself, but it had superior strength. She felt the pressure of it digging into her. ¡®I¡¯m not going to be able to get out of this with it¡­ I didn¡¯t want to use it now!¡¯ The wolf clawed at her, knocking her around from the force. She delayed too long already. ¡®If I don¡¯t do it¡­¡¯ Glancing to the side, the birds kept disrupting her beams¡¯ ability to fire. All other options disappeared. ¡®¡­damn¡­¡¯ Watching at his usual safe distance, Haruo felt an odd sensation. He already long examined the situation, but it still felt strange. ¡®¡­because I know they can instantly heal non-fatal injuries, I have this freedom¡­it¡¯s an odd feeling to know I can hurt them without concern to the lasting effects¡­¡¯ It became one of the reasons he allowed himself to fight. He didn¡¯t have to worry about severely hurting someone. ¡®It¡¯s the reason one of them stayed back, to heal all damage received¡­still this is¡­¡¯ As the wolf mauled her, Haruo waited for her to forfeit the fight. He didn¡¯t plan to allow things to go on just for the sake of asserting dominance. Haruo only wanted her acceptance to end the fight. It became the fastest way to resolve the entire matter. Afterwards, he could return to his questions. ¡®¡­unsettling¡­¡¯ Questions had to wait, a brief light appeared below the wolf and then Ligeia disappeared from his sights. The wolf looked around in confusion. It started to sniff out for her. Haruo looked around the Field searching for her. Seconds compressed together becoming almost infinity. ¡®Where¡¯d she go? She didn¡¯t disappear¡­¡¯ His new line of thought moved his eyes. He stared at the Field measuring it out. ¡®How?¡¯ Haruo turned around figuring it out, only to be met with a massive beam to his face and upper body. ¡°Had to end it quickly,¡± commented Ligeia, sweat dripping down her face, ¡°Can¡¯t let you see any more of my secrets.¡± Revealed out of the smoke covering Haruo, Ligeia stood only two meters away from him with her hand raised, the pyramid floating centimeters away from her open palm. ¡®Why did I come here?¡¯ Chapter 186 ¨C Science of the Nature Coughing through the smoke, a noticeable sound of pain came from Haruo¡¯s voice. The fact that it only sounded in pain rather than something more severe made Ligeia take a few steps back. Her teeth ground together annoyed that Haruo still had fight left in him. ¡®¡­tough bastard¡­¡¯ Allowing the wind to take away the bag that covered his face, Haruo resurfaced. Blood dripped down his face from the top of his forehead around his cheeks and down the bridge of his nose. Barely clinging to his chest, the tunic no longer existed for his shoulders, marked up with scorches as well. The blood hung around his face creating a darker than intended image as his emotionless features multiplied his aura. ¡°Unexpected.¡± Glaring back at Haruo, Ligeia didn¡¯t like the situation. ¡°It¡¯s more unexpected hearing your voice again,¡± she retorted. Unaffected by her remarks, Haruo continued, ¡°Didn¡¯t think you¡¯d approach so close.¡± ¡°If I do everything you expect I¡¯m not going to win.¡± He could agree on the statement. However, other concerns bothered him. ¡®She disappeared from my sight and reappeared behind me. The timing was impossible for anything I¡¯ve seen from her, human or aided.¡¯ Examining Ligeia, he noted she lacked any injuries from the wolf. Her clothes looked completely unaffected by the attacks. ¡®It happened a second time, she somehow avoided injury when her defenses fell¡­¡¯ ¡°Back to silence¡­¡± Ligeia pulled in her projectors around her. It gave her time to collect herself for the next phase of her strategy. She saw him doing the same with his pets. The wolf circled in around him acting as the first line, while the swarm of birds hovered around him. A few of the birds rested on his shoulder and head, looking as though he was one with nature. ¡°Birds and wolves, odd mix.¡± ¡°Daurian Jackdaw and Ezo Wolf,¡± Haruo corrected. ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Their sub-species name.¡± ¡°That¡¯s some useless bit of trivia.¡± Ligeia made some of her projectors disappear. One set by her shoulder formed into a pyramid quickly firing off a beam. ¡®Knowing their names doesn¡¯t change anything.¡¯ The bird targeted by Ligeia fluttered away before it hit. ¡®Starting up a new round of attacks. I¡¯m forcing her to use more of her techniques. So I should see what she did before again. I need to watch and figure it out.¡¯ Making use of his birds together with the wolf, Haruo resumed his attack on Ligeia. The birds did well to disrupt the coordination of her devices while the wolf focused on cornering her. Sliding around, Ligeia changed her distance with Haruo quickly to keep away from the wolf. ¡®His damn birds keep getting in the way. I can¡¯t get a clean shot on him anymore¡­¡¯ She kept trying to work around the complication. Unfortunately, it forced her to start using her secret again. Haruo kept ahead of Ligeia attempts to directly target him. He had a clear view on her actions. However, a beam suddenly hit him from an impossible direction. It scored a small mark on his face. ¡®Where¡¯d that come from?¡¯ Little time allowed him to think too long on the problem. His eyes started to notice more changes in the beams. They were no longer coming from predictable directions. Stolen story; please report. The birds weren¡¯t enough to keep her beams broken up. She found ways around them, even if only a few. Their count diminished quickly as well, no longer keeping up with the changing pace. ¡®She must be using her new secret.¡¯ The only thing keeping her from going all out on him with her trick was the birds. She kept to using only micro beams. They fired faster and worked in greater numbers, a better match for his Jackdaws. ¡®Fighting continues¡­ Fighting is pointless¡­unnecessary¡­¡¯ Seeing the more aggressive nature of the wolf, Ligeia pulled herself back even further from the animal. She kept up a shield between them, one it struggled to break. It often chose to try to flank her, but she easily moved it around to keep pace. ¡®I¡¯ve got him back at my pace. I need to keep applying the pressure.¡¯ She saw she could inflict wounds on him. It meant she just needed to increase the strength of her attacks. All of her attacks focused him on her. She kept him busy and distracted. Glancing above him, she watched the careful positioning and development. ¡®It¡¯s just about ready. If I didn¡¯t have to do all of this distraction it¡¯d be finished already. But he¡¯s very observant, I can¡¯t afford mistakes with him.¡¯ It came time. A massive beam charged from a few meters above Haruo. In only a few seconds, it discharged screaming down at him. Bright light washed everything. Haruo disappeared from her view. All of the animals paused to look back in the direction. While distracted, she took the opportunity to wipe out a large portion of the birds causing them to flee. Ligeia directed her attention to the wolf, which recovered from its confusion. Focusing all of her beams into a complex web, the wolf fell quickly. ¡®¡­it¡¯s not enough of a reason¡­¡¯ Even while the beam continued, Haruo stepped out from around the beam completely unscathed by the attack. The threat of its proximity did nothing to his features. Staggered backwards, Ligeia couldn¡¯t believe he evaded her attack. Surprise filled her eyes. ¡°How?! How could you see it coming!?¡± She disconnected the pieces to shut off the beam. ¡°I tracked them.¡± He stretched out a hand for one of the remaining birds to land on his finger. A bright glowing core filled its chest. It jumped up his arm eventually perching on his bare shoulder. The lack of context aggravated Ligeia. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Your devices. They have remained a consistent number until recently.¡± ¡°You were counting them?!¡± It seemed impossible to her that he followed all of them. ¡®I keep track of them because I have to, but for him to be following it all so closely. He¡¯s even more dangerous!¡¯ However, it still bothered her that he knew how to dodge the attack. ¡°Knowing it¡¯s missing doesn¡¯t tell you where it is.¡± ¡°I am connected.¡± The bird lifted off his arm and suddenly more birds materialized around it growing into a swarm. It restored their numbers fully in moments. ¡®¡­no feeling¡­¡¯ Another indirect answer, but Ligeia understood the implications. ¡®He¡¯s connected with his animals. The birds provide him better sight than the wolves, always facing me. Damn¡­¡¯ Watching the birds return to their restored status made Ligeia understand them a little more. It bothered her how difficult they would be to kill. ¡®¡­no passion for fighting¡­¡¯ The pause in fighting came to an end. Ligeia saw to it. Beam fire resumed in chaotic fashion. The wolf removed from the equation, made life for her easier. She only had to deal with the birds. They only provided a distraction, a disruption to her plans. ¡®Why hasn¡¯t he brought out more animals? Is he at his limit with the birds?¡¯ ¡®¡­no pride on the line¡­¡¯ Beams broke through the defense of the birds easily. Haruo hardly expected them to have as much of an effect in the battle with his wolf gone. However, he wanted it that way. It freed up his concentration to watch everything more carefully. ¡®¡­no interest in testing the limits¡­¡¯ The assault continued with Haruo remaining defensive. Each beam that came in at him didn¡¯t have enough to stop, but he knew it added up. Eventually, it would be more than his body could take. However, he had to last long enough to figure it out. ¡®The way the beams are moving should be impossible¡­they¡¯re always moving¡­¡¯ Following everything wasn¡¯t easy for him, but he started to find clarity. Pieces began to fall into place. ¡®...just empty¡­¡¯ His eyes narrowed in on it. It surprised him that he missed it for so long. The clues blended in well enough with the myriad of everything else. He wrote it off too quickly. ¡®I understand now. There¡¯s slight differences, but I can see it now. They all make the same shape, but orientation determines their function. The one I was missing was the third function, a matter transportation. Instantly jumping from one of her devices to another. Makes sense now.¡¯ ¡®¡­so why¡­¡¯ Armed with the new knowledge, he instructed the birds to deal with the devices that served to reflect, shield or teleport. It broke down her offense quickly. Directed, he freed up his birds and increased their numbers further. They broke off from the main group diving after Ligeia. Pulling up her shield, always ready, the birds slammed into the barrier. The first did nothing but fall away. Same the second and third, but the pounding echoed louder. It felt a little unnerving watching the near kamikaze attack. Suddenly a crack developed in the shield. Ligeia tried to strengthen it with another layer, but the birds already had their advantage. Speed increased on their attacks quickly punching a hole through the shield. Through the gap, the remaining birds swarmed through at Ligeia. Using their claws and beak, the birds covered Ligeia. White glows of light soaked her figure with only a dull hue of her color breaking through under their assault. ¡®¡­damnit¡­they¡¯ll break through¡­I¡¯ve had enough of this!¡¯ All of the projectors in the area disappeared. They materialized around her, emitting a blue light. It forced its way inward acting as a repulsor against the birds. Moments later, a force from the center threw off all of the birds, sent tumbling away through the air for meters. Ligeia surfaced with marks on her face, thin trails of blood dripping down. Faint flashing on her clothes showed damage on a transparent surface, ripped into by the birds. Underneath, her clothes looked torn at the same points. Spinning around her legs and arms, the projectors connected a blue transparent sheet wrapping around her ankles and wrists. Ligeia suddenly hovered into the air a meter away from the ground. More pieces floated around her in a different pattern than before. Haruo arched his eyebrow a touch. He didn¡¯t expect such a drastic alteration of her tactics. The new patterns left him wondering about their potential. ¡®I¡¯ve got to test it¡­¡¯ Signaling the birds, they flew at Ligeia, but hit an invisible wall before reaching her. It lined up with the shape of the devices. However, the barrier¡¯s strength was incomparable to the previous. The birds bounced off as though a force pushed them back. ¡°It¡¯s time this came to an end,¡± declared Ligeia, sweat pouring down her face. Her features hardened, forcing herself to continue. She lifted her hand up slowly as though commanding something. A shadow stretched up behind Haruo and to the side. He looked around, noticing columns rising from the ground. The plating from her Field exposed itself. Behind the smooth metal surface, complex machinery worked. Electricity jumped around the ends and multi-colored lights danced around the faces. Turning her outstretched hand over, a holographic sphere formed. She closed her hand over it, inserting her fingers into the surface depressing sections of the surface. The holographic turned from blue to red, a signal. ¡°Try to dodge this!¡± Electricity jumped out from the three columns closing off all exits, above or flanking. Then electricity refocused back to Haruo. His entire body drank in the volts involuntarily. He had no escape. Pain stretched up his body and through his muscle into his throat. Haruo didn¡¯t know how long he could last. Chapter 187 - Science of the Theory Pain was a familiar sensation for Haruo. From orphanage to the streets, he learned to live with pain as his own companion. In a strange way, it felt like something that comforted him. It let him know he was alive. It never lied and always came harshly. Pain was honest. Honesty was precious. However, pain suddenly became a terrible friend. It wanted to do more than let him know he still lived. It seemed to want to take it away from him. Haruo never knew it to have such feelings. It hurt. It hurt. ¡®¡­why continue¡­¡¯ Chapter 187 ¨C Science of the Theory Ligeia watched at a safe distance. She waited for the moment he surrendered or passed out. ¡®I¡¯ll win soon, he can¡¯t escape¡­¡¯ Her eyes panned over the blocks from the panels of her Field. They were something she always had in her Field, but never used them in any fight. ¡®¡­this is the first time I¡¯ve ever got to use everything¡­it feels strange¡­¡¯ Thoughts turned back to her normal days. Days of routine, one where nothing happened. ¡®¡­was this what I was seeking?¡¯ she wondered, it still felt mysterious. She didn¡¯t know what to make of her feelings. ¡®I thought I just wanted something different to do, but I never expected this¡­¡¯ Haruo ground his teeth still managing to hold back from the pain. It burned in his throat begging for his mouth to open. His voice wanted to escape, but he refused. He kept holding on with stubborn resolve. ¡®¡­why do I still want to keep going¡­¡¯ It didn¡¯t make any sense to him. The fight didn¡¯t matter to Haruo. Everything in Atlantis dealt with Yuki. He was simply an extra character, yet for some reason he didn¡¯t want to just give up in the fight. ¡®¡­I still don¡¯t care, but still it just seems¡­pointless now¡­to give up¡­¡¯ Haruo opened up his clenched fist to flatten his palm over the smooth metal. Glancing up at Ligeia, Haruo rose from his knelt position. Haruo narrowed his eyes to turn his focus on the electricity surrounding him. ¡®¡­I need something¡­to not give up¡­¡¯ Taking a step forward, he fought with the electricity¡¯s desire to keep him down. Searing heat erupted through his arms. It tried to burn his entire body. It felt as though his body would not hold out. However, he kept pushing forward, clashing with the barrier created in arcing electricity between the pillars. Shocked by Haruo¡¯s force of will, Ligeia floated back a little. ¡®What¡¯s he doing?! He can¡¯t break through it! He¡¯s just making it worse!¡¯ Sweat poured down her face. Her chest pounded, her body giving her signals. ¡®I won¡¯t stop now! Not when I¡¯m this close!¡¯ She lifted her hand up, feeling it shaking in protest. Three more plates broke free from the Field exposing similar columns to further surround Haruo. ¡°Give up! You can¡¯t win! You¡¯re only prolonging your suffering!¡± ¡°No.¡± Haruo pressed up his hand to the arcing electricity causing it all to jump to him. A sudden surge of electricity drove through his muscles making him spasm and jump. Flickers of pain came out in his face, however it suddenly came to a stop. His hand pushed through, allowing him to step out. ¡®Took longer than I thought¡­¡¯ The remaining active arcs of electricity jumped around his body for a short time while trying to find a way down to a ground. Leaning back, Ligeia found her mouth unable to close from her surprise. ¡°Impossible! What did you do?!¡± ¡°Escaped.¡± Grinding her teeth, frustration popped up for her. His short answers gave her nothing. However, it didn¡¯t bother her for long. Ligeia hardened her stance and pulled forward. ¡°Fine then, escape this¡ª¡° Cut off abruptly, a bright white light blinded the entire area. It expanded out beyond their fight threatening the other battles. The light forced back Ligeia as though it had a physical presence. Even with her eyes closed, she felt the light pierce through her eyelids to blind her. Amidst the confusion, a series of explosions echoed near Ligeia leaving her uneasy. Finally, the light cleared away. The first thing she saw once her eyes opened was Haruo. However, his body seemed to have a glow to it, but she quickly realized her mistake. Her eyes pulled up further to discover a creature far more massive than even his wolves. A lion standing a full three meters tall slowly returned to his side. Behind them and to the sides, pillars of black smoke rose from the ground. Darting her eyes around, Ligeia recognized them as her columns she brought up. All destroyed in mere moments. Letting anger take over for her, wrinkles drew around her eyes. She slammed her hand to the screen on her forearm, triggering a red light. All of the pulsing between the plates in the Field came to a stop suddenly. The ground rumbled. Plates pushed up asynchronously revealing an entire Field of columns. Ligeia panted heavily with sweat covering her body. A sharp pain sprung through her head, but she snapped back to ignore it. Haruo glanced around at the impressive, but obviously dangerous display. He looked up at Ligeia. ¡°Stop. Your body can¡¯t¡ª¡° If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me what to do!¡± roared Ligeia, unleashing all of her emotions. ¡°I won¡¯t let you stop me! I¡¯m doing this! I¡¯m going to prove right here that I have worth!¡± Feeling her words, Haruo withheld any more. He gave a quick signal to the lion, ordering it into action. In blinding speed, it leapt around the metal Field destroying all of the columns leaving the entire scene in smoke. When it completed its cycle, it approached the right side of Haruo. He placed a hand on the soft coat of the lion, shining with a large bright core. Suddenly, electricity jumped from his arm into the lion causing the creature to slightly change to a pale blue while charged with electricity. Struggling to keep herself together, Ligeia summoned up the projectors around her. However, the lion opened its mouth, suddenly releasing a beam charged with electricity straight for Ligeia. The impact on her shield knocked her back as she lost her concentration for a moment. Forcing an explosion, Ligeia fell out of the cloud of smoke down to her Field. Pain struck her back from the impact. It was only a short fall, but she only had her personal shield to dampen the force. ¡®Damn¡­the headaches are getting worse and I lost focus at the worst possible time.¡¯ She lifted her head up, hearing the lion approaching her. Struggling with her arm, Ligeia ordered up her projectors to surround her arm. They quickly constructed a lengthy bracelet-like structure around her wrist and over her hand. Faint energy built up in the dark recess of the structure preparing for the lion. ¡®I¡¯m not losing!¡¯ Sweat streamed down her face as veins popped along her face. Ligeia gritted her teeth through the pain struggling to hold herself together. She never knew such pain, but she didn¡¯t care about the limits of her body. The lion continued its approach, nearly on top of her. ¡°I won¡¯t let it end¡­like this¡­¡± Ligeia glanced in worry over at her arm realizing it didn¡¯t act when she ordered it. It still just charged. Her eyes widened seeing the lion standing over her. It was over. Haruo¡¯s lion suddenly vanished before it delivered the final blow. Ligeia blinked in surprise and lifted her upper body up to look at Haruo. To her surprise, Haruo collapsed on the ground. An odd chuckle came to Ligeia. She didn¡¯t believe it. Ligeia forced herself to stand, staggering over to him. Her head still pounded. Her arm raised towards him. ¡°I win¡­¡± Suddenly, a pulse from her body stopped her movement. Ligeia¡¯s eyes grew wide as her Field disappeared. All of her projectors particularized. Any life in her body left as her legs fell out from underneath her. She collapsed in the grass a few meters away from Haruo. Ligeia awoke to a warm sensation surrounding her. She struggled to get her eyes in sight, discovering Iole. ¡°Did you include a translation function?¡± ¡°¡­yes¡­¡± ¡°¡­good¡­¡± Turning herself over on her back, Ligeia started to pant heavily. Everything in her body screamed. She knew what exhaustion felt like, however it went far beyond such a word. Nothing remained for her to give. It felt like her power no longer existed. She was alone. ¡°¡­I lost¡­¡± ¡°¡­same¡­¡± echoed Haruo. He remained face down, but his head turned to the side to speak. Ligeia tried to look over at Haruo, but nothing in her body wanted to move. ¡°You¡¯re still conscious. How did you escape?¡± She wanted an answer even in her situation. ¡°Japanese hare.¡± ¡°Huh? Can¡¯t you ever give me an answer without me asking a second time?¡± Her outburst caused her body to move and respond in pain, even with Iole providing healing. She bit down forcing herself to calm her emotions. ¡°Damn you¡­¡± ¡°The hare was outside the Field during the attack. It slowly ate through the mechanisms weakening it to allow my escape.¡± ¡°Tch,¡± Ligeia clicked her tongue, ¡°Always got a plan.¡± ¡°What is your answer?¡± Feeling a little more of her body responding to her, Ligeia moved to see Haruo. Her face twisted around into confusion. ¡°Eh? Answer to what?¡± Haruo stared at her for a while, not providing an answer. It seemed as though he wanted her to remember. After a minute of nothing, he decided to reply. ¡°The beginning. Before the fight.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Unfortunately, Haruo remained too cryptic for Ligeia. It only made her frustrated again. She hated dealing with him. ¡®Beginning? Before the fight? What¡¯s he talking about?¡¯ Searching her memories, she went back to the beginning. Everything was hazy from her exhaustion, taking her longer to recall, but it came to her. Her eyes opened fully. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious! You¡¯re asking me that?!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Ligeia turned her head away from him. ¡®I can¡¯t believe he still cares about that!¡¯ Even with her face pointed at Iole, she still felt his eyes boring a hole in the back of her head. He wanted her answer. The pressure made her features narrow and flatten. ¡°I only said that to get you to fight! I didn¡¯t have an answer!¡± ¡°I know.¡± Suddenly feeling better, Ligeia jumped up and walked over to Haruo. She stood over him fuming. ¡°You knew! And you still fought!¡± He continued to annoy her even after they were supposed to be finished. Ligeia crossed her arms and turned away from him before she hit him. Unfazed, Haruo stared up at Ligeia. ¡°I want your answer.¡± ¡°What?!¡± At this point, Ligeia¡¯s surprise had nowhere left to increase. Permanently wide-eyed it seemed, Ligeia tilted her head back around to Haruo. His eyes stared at her with a refusal to give up, despite his position. It annoyed her to no end. ¡®I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m doing this.¡¯ Ligeia folded up her legs to sit with her legs crossed, next to Haruo. ¡°Tell me again. I¡¯ll give you my answer.¡± Another bout of silence filled between them. Haruo read into Ligeia¡¯s expression. Lying on the ground unable to move seemed a poor conversation position, but Haruo didn¡¯t have a choice. He accepted her offer again. ¡°I have no reason to fight any of you. I only came here because of him. But I don¡¯t know why I agreed. It doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡± Hearing him tell her again reminded her how annoying he was at the start. She only wanted a fight, who didn¡¯t matter to her. However, what she found in the fight didn¡¯t make a lot of sense to her. ¡°Seems we both found something we don¡¯t know the answer to. If you can believe it, I¡¯m normally unmotivated and bored. My life was a pattern that I just followed. I was fine with it, I thought, but fighting with you made me feel something I didn¡¯t expect.¡± ¡°What was it?¡± Haruo found himself curious with her story as much as the answer he waited to hear. Ligeia rubbed a finger against her cheek, becoming a little sheepish. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I can¡¯t really put it into words right now. I just know it is different from how I felt before. I thought this fight was a chance to do something different, just break my routine, even if only for a moment. I didn¡¯t really think about what I¡¯d find.¡± Thinking about herself and talking to him about it gave her another odd sensation. ¡°I¡¯ve never told anyone this. I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m telling you anyway.¡± She crossed her arms trying to recover from her series of selfishness. It allowed her to refocus and push away from her own problems. ¡°I¡¯m guessing he¡¯s important to you somehow.¡± ¡°Maybe, he reminds me of someone I know.¡± ¡°Someone important?¡± She got silence from him, but it seemed to be a sign of agreement. ¡°Then you¡¯re probably here because you felt following him was important for you. I don¡¯t really know the whole story, but it¡¯s probably something along those lines. Or you want to thank him for something. I don¡¯t know. These sorts of things aren¡¯t really my forte.¡± ¡°Mine either.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a strange one.¡± ¡°Probably.¡± The two stared at each other with no more need for words. An odd sense of acceptance and comradery formed between them. Even without their answers, they found a short moment of peace in the chaos around them. Chapter 188 - Shifting Thoughts Smoke clouded the area around Yuki painting him out completely, leaving his fate unknown. Vangelis kept an eye on smoke, while continuing to put together schemes in his mind. He knew he would need a countless array of plans to deal with Yuki. Once the wind started to pull away from the gray veil, Yuki¡¯s darkened figure surfaced. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to do better than that if you expect to actually hurt me.¡± The last trails of the smoke faded away into the air. Yuki stood completely unmoved and unfazed by the blast. He didn¡¯t even wear his usual gi. The tunic he used for a disguise remained on him. Vangelis¡¯ eyes narrowed while his lips curled. Excitement made his arms shake. Thoughts of fighting Yuki ran through his mind. ¡®He completely negated it with only the power of his Field. Impressive kid¡­¡¯ Staring at Vangelis with a hardened expression, masking out his thoughts, Yuki kept the tension between them high. Once Vangelis hurt Saki with such casual disregard, the shape of his eyes changed. He only saw Vangelis as someone needed to be stopped rather than a challenge. ¡°I find it unlikely you¡¯re as weak as this, not with the way you act. You¡¯d better do something about that soon or this will be a short fight.¡± Laughing a little, Vangelis relished the innocence of Yuki. ¡°You¡¯re just as guilty of holding back. No sense getting so worked up over such small details.¡± He grinned a little as he taunted Yuki. Bending a little forward towards Yuki, Vangelis acted as though ready to accept anything Yuki had for him. ¡°We¡¯ll get there eventually!¡± Moving to completely confront him. A new ripple expanded out from Yuki. ¡®I can¡¯t hold back, not after what he did to Saki. I can¡¯t treat this like the others.¡¯ Tall grass grew up around Yuki expanding out into the distance fighting over space with Vangelis¡¯ Field. ¡®He¡¯s not like the rest I fought. He doesn¡¯t care about honor or justice like the other soldiers talked about, he¡¯s only in it for himself. He just wants to play and nothing holds any significance to him, even a life!¡¯ Yuki tightened up his fists and his gi surfaced along with the usual shimmer. ¡°If you do nothing, I¡¯ll end this very quickly.¡± The transparency on his fist lost a little as he built up the particles. Chapter 188 ¨C Shifting Thoughts ¡®Interesting looking ability, must be the one talked about in the reports.¡¯ Vangelis suddenly disappeared and reappeared flanking Yuki. ¡°Let¡¯s see if you can make good on your claim.¡± He lifted up a hand to motion Yuki at him. ¡°Show me if you¡¯re just all talk like the little miss.¡± A thin grin pulled across his lips. Yuki glared at Vangelis with thoughts of Saki in the back of his mind. The ground at his feet exploded suddenly as he burst forward with sudden speed. An outstretched fist aimed for Vangelis¡¯ chest, planning to disable him in a single blow. However, he disappeared on Yuki just a few centimeters before contact. The immediate area didn¡¯t have Vangelis, as Yuki scanned the area. Another blast came at him. ¡®There!¡¯ Yuki charged into the blast forcing it to vanish from his proximity and surface on the other side expecting to find Vangelis, but nothing again. ¡°It¡¯s looking like you¡¯re no better than the little miss.¡± Responding to the voice, Yuki turned around to meet Vangelis. He narrowed his eyes trying to get a read on him. ¡°Nothing you¡¯re doing is successful either. I only have to end this in one punch.¡± Yuki sprinted forward not planning on letting Vangelis keep talking. It had to end quickly. Disappearing again, Vangelis came out to the right side of him. His arm crossed over his chest. ¡°But you have to actually touch me with that fist. Something that you¡¯re unable to do.¡± Yuki fought with his emotions. The image of Saki tormented him. He ground his teeth together and stretched out his arm sharply towards Vangelis. Thinning out around his arm, the energy gathered at his palm. Displaced by a force, the loose form flung towards Vangelis. Tapping his foot, a complex magical circle formed on the ground beneath him. Yuki¡¯s energy splashed across a pale green barrier with no effect. At Vangelis¡¯ feet, a brick pattern, as though part of an old fashion road, spread out in all directions. ¡®Time to have a little fun with him¡­¡¯ Snapping a finger for dramatic flair, five magic circles suddenly spread out in a straight line in front of the other. Water burst out from the first circle and transformed into ice as it passed through the second. A force erupted from the magic as it entered the third sending electricity to tear through the ground. Shattered into pieces, the ice turned a bright blue and grew larger passing through the fourth and fifth circles. Speeding off from the circles, the shards covered all of Yuki¡¯s path. ¡®Magic?! This isn¡¯t what he showed off before¡­¡¯ Narrowing his eyes, he allowed the shards to approach. None of them mattered to him, nothing he did thus far actually presented any danger to him. Yuki dug his foot into the earth preparing to charge for Vangelis while the storm came at him. Two steps was all he managed before he heard ice shattered. ¡®What?!¡¯ His eyes widened in surprise. The ice did nothing to him, his personal shield prevented it, but the effect was more than enough. Yuki¡¯s expression quickly thinned as he heard the next volley starting up. ¡®How is he suddenly stronger? Nothing¡¯s changed!¡¯ Few moments remained for him to find answers. The attack was already under way. Yuki chose to dodge rather than chance another attack. It went safely past him. Still smirking like always, Vangelis laughed a bit again. ¡°Already losing that confidence, kid? You¡¯re becoming boring very quickly. You were more interesting before.¡± Growling a little under his breath, Yuki charged after Vangelis. He threw his punch with the expectation of him disappearing, his eyes already looking around for his next location. However, his fist impacted something. The sound threw him off causing Yuki not to be ready for the counterattack by Vangelis. A hail of ice ran over his shield followed by a wide sweep of his leg, which looked too lazy to be actually threatening. Yuki easily passed all of it before jumping back away from Vangelis. ¡®What¡¯s up with him?! He¡¯s not acting anything like it was just a minute ago!¡¯ You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Witnessing the confusion on Yuki made him cackle a little in amusement. ¡®I¡¯ve got him second guessing himself now. This should be fun¡­¡¯ Motioning with his hand, a circle drew itself underneath Yuki. His confusion distracted him from the act leaving him with no time to act. Spikes of earth leapt from the grass. They easily crumbled, but the look on Yuki¡¯s face was more than enough for him. Internally, Yuki beat himself up for becoming distracted. ¡®How is he able to do that under me?! It shouldn¡¯t be possible!¡¯ He gritted his teeth together. ¡®Damn, he¡¯s just playing with me! And I¡¯m letting him!¡¯ No harm came to his body from any of the attacks, but it didn¡¯t feel that way to him. It already felt like Vangelis had won on some level. The arrogant look of the man only made him angrier. He couldn¡¯t get the image of Saki out of his mind. They just danced for him in his hand. Yuki tightened his hand. ¡°Going to do something, kid? Standing and doing nothing wasn¡¯t what you promised me, remember?¡± It sparked more attention from Yuki. Vangelis found it all too easy, even if it was enjoyable. ¡°Thought you said this was going to be quick?¡± Somewhere in the back of Yuki¡¯s mind, he knew. He knew it was just a trap. Bait swung in front of him. He couldn¡¯t keep watching that face and hearing that voice. ¡®He¡­he¡­¡¯ Yuki ran forward, an explosion of earth blasted behind his foot. ¡®¡­Saki¡­¡¯ He rocketed at Vangelis with his fists in the air. ¡®He tried to kill Saki!¡¯ Vangelis¡¯ eyes perked up watching Yuki screaming at him. ¡®He sped up, interesting¡­that¡¯s quite versatile¡­¡¯ He side stepped Yuki¡¯s charge and provided a quick counter, which actually connected, unlike last time. Combined with the force of his speed, it sent Yuki tumbling through the grass. Slowly coming to a stop several meters away, Yuki flipped up his head to keep Vangelis in his sight, while the rest of him recovered. ¡®Damn¡­he never does what I expect!¡¯ Continuing with the pattern, Yuki¡¯s eyes widened further to find a large colorless cube flying at him. ¡°Huh?!¡± The speed it flew at him only gave him the time to throw himself to the ground. After it passed over him, he turned his gaze back to watch it. It turned over a few times in the grass, but seemed to almost have no weight to it. The sight only confused him further. Yuki quickly turned back to examine Vangelis for an answer, but found another cube flying at him. He had no time to dodge, but figured it was fine. However, it was a mistake as Yuki went flying backwards. Coughing from the wind knocked out of him, Yuki found himself in surprise once more. ¡®What¡¯s happening?! Nothing is making any sense!¡¯ The cube only lasted a few moments before his shield destroyed it, but he kept flying backwards. Yuki fired off a blast from his palm to right his position. When he landed, earth blew out from his feet, countering his force and allowing him a bit of a cushion as he came to a stop. ¡®What¡¯s with him? This is the second time he¡¯s done something completely different!¡¯ Not long remained for Yuki, Vangelis already delivered more attacks at him, a sphere along with a pyramid. None of it made any sense to Yuki. All he did was dodge it making sure he didn¡¯t have the same problem as before. ¡®I can¡¯t trust anything he does. I just have to dodge everything¡­¡¯ Yuki focused back on Vangelis after the most recent round of attacks. ¡®It¡¯s like I¡¯m being attacked by math, not that it fits with the jungle¡­¡¯ Once he thought it, Yuki realized that something was wrong with Vangelis¡¯ Field. ¡®It wasn¡¯t that before!¡¯ Missing it earlier upset Yuki. He clenched his fist together, annoyed at himself. ¡®How did I miss it before?¡¯ Yuki straightened himself out. The realization sharpened his eyes a little. He saw the next cube flying at him. Bracing his foot behind him, he raised up his hand with the shimmering around growing stronger. The cube came to a stop on his palm and pulverized into the dust. Vangelis noticed the alteration in Yuki¡¯s behavior. He flung a few more geometric shapes at him to confirm his suspicions. Each one disappeared just as quickly as the last without even a second thought. ¡®I guess, he¡¯s actually become serious now¡­looks like playtime will be over soon¡­¡¯ A grin of excitement developed for him. Yuki closed his eyes. ¡®He¡¯s been taunting, taking me at his pace. I can¡¯t fight him like this. He¡¯s just been toying with me, almost like he¡¯s making a point to show me.¡¯ He hated himself for having been blinded by his certainty in his power. ¡®Saki¡­I¡¯ll do this the right way¡­the way I know how!¡¯ Pushing the distractions of the past out of his mind, Yuki started to march forward. He kept a full view on Vangelis. ¡®Three changes, three different Fields. There¡¯s a connection, he¡¯s got a weird Law set, but I¡¯ll figure it out.¡¯ ¡°Looks like you are ready for the real fight to start.¡± He materialized a few spheres in his palm, no larger than the size of marbles. The three orbs quickly spin around until flung at Yuki. They flew at him appearing as though spinning at high speeds, though their form made it impossible to determine. Before reaching Yuki, they stretched out suddenly, becoming discs growing even larger. Their edges dug into the ground eating up the grass and earth coming towards Yuki. Each of the lines of the attack from the discs made it difficult for Yuki. He considered destroying them, but worried about his chances at such speeds. Yuki opted for dodging them. Another blast came out from the ground under his foot pushing him out of the way. However, while he turned in the air he caught sight of the discs turning around. Time slowed down for him a little as he judged his actions. When his hand touched the grass, another blast came out pushing him off further. It wasn¡¯t enough. Yuki dodged backwards as the discs turned around again. He kept forcing himself to jerk around to keep up with the dodging. However, he felt his body starting to get a little warm from all of the exercise. ¡®This¡¯ll go on forever like this¡­ I¡¯ve got to stop it.¡¯ Another explosion came from the ground when his hands touched the ground propelling him further than normal. It put greater distance between him and the disc allowing him time to land back on his feet. Sliding a little, Yuki came to a stop and threw up his hands. Forcing the particles into his hands, he formed up faint swords and threw them at the discs. The swords pinned all three discs to the ground, stuck together by the two swords. The moment of rest gave Yuki a chance to feel his joints complaining. ¡®I used that too much. My arms and legs are already feeling like jelly after all of that¡­even if I¡¯m getting more used to the timing it doesn¡¯t change the fact that my body wasn¡¯t designed for such extreme moves.¡¯ ¡®Very interesting¡­¡¯ The Field around Vangelis changed suddenly with the jungle trees disappearing. ¡®He uses that power of his to provide bursts of speed from the blasts he creates. Clever, but dangerous¡­¡¯ He took a step out from the place he remained for so long. Yuki lowered his gaze a little trying to understand the motives of Vangelis. He could tell that there was something different about him. ¡®He hasn¡¯t advanced the entire time against me until now¡­¡¯ The waiting soon came to an end as Vangelis stopped, still several meters away from him. A sword appeared in his hand. ¡®Something new again¡­¡¯ Swinging the sword, the blade stretched out the distance to meet Yuki. Yuki¡¯s hand came up to stop it, destroying the blade quickly. After the slash, the sword returned to normal size. The broken edge reformed. ¡°Looks like it¡¯s time to make things more interesting.¡± He grinned as though something happened, but nothing immediately showed itself. Vangelis swung the sword again, the action repeated, but blood sprayed up. Staggered a little, Yuki took a step back to look at his hand. It was only a swallow wound, but the sword managed to pierce him. Blood dripped around his palm until he sealed it up with his energy. Yuki turned his sights back to Vangelis, tightening his eyes in confusion. ¡®What did he just do?¡¯ Vangelis lifted up his hand to reveal one raised finger. The knowing smirk only grew larger on his face. ¡°That was the first Folding, I¡¯ve got two more. Only one other person has seen them all. Will you be the second?¡± Chapter 189 - Shifting Attacks ¡°Folding?¡± Ayumi crammed a lot of training and knowledge into him during their sessions, but it was one term that he never heard spoken. He didn¡¯t like the sound that it had coming from Vangelis. Staring down at his hand, the blood layered thinly across his palm, kept in place by the particles surrounding him. ¡®The strength of his attack increased significantly after he did that ¡®Folding¡¯, enough to break my defense.¡¯ Tapping the sword against his shoulder, Vangelis looked a little relaxed by the situation. ¡°Seems like you¡¯re confused.¡± Vangelis tilted his head to crack his neck a little. ¡®I figured with someone of his natural strength would have been noticed attending the academy. Which means he either stayed hidden or was from the outside, but there shouldn¡¯t be anyone this powerful out there, at least not marked. Very interesting kid, I doubt he¡¯s self-taught with the control he has¡­¡¯ A shift in his eyes turned to the distant battle with Eudokia. The pieces fell into place for Vangelis quickly. ¡®Considering her skill level and talents, it¡¯d make sense she trained him. Though why withhold such information? He¡¯d be considerably more powerful, just what is her game?¡¯ Yuki hated admitting he didn¡¯t know enough in front of Vangelis. The man was terribly arrogant and it only gave him more ammunition for his taunts. ¡®Wish I had pressed Ayumi for more details, there are clearly things I¡¯m unaware of. This man is likely making use of advanced techniques¡­damn, this is going to be even more difficult than I figured¡­¡¯ Yuki¡¯s fists tightened up considering the rest of the battle he had in store against Vangelis. Chapter 189 ¨C Shifting Attacks Vangelis¡¯ knowing grinned seemed to get deeper on his face. Any deeper and he would start looking like a mischievous cat. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you to figure it out.¡± The sword in his hand came back down, the blade tip pointed at Yuki. A raise from his eyebrow signaled a small bit of pity for Yuki. ¡°One little bit I¡¯ll pass along to you though. You¡¯ll like this.¡± His grin went deeper. He drew out the pause to make it even more dramatic. ¡°The average MP can only do one Folding,¡± he added, showing his index finger to Yuki. Even though his face didn¡¯t change, the words made his face seem like it turned darker with his intent. Grinding his teeth, Yuki pushed his foot back a little to brace for the next attack. Padding out his particle armor on his hands, he sidestepped to deflect the sword blow away from him. ¡®I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s just toying with me or not, but if what he said is true then I¡¯ll need to end things before he decides to do another Folding.¡¯ Yuki rushed in with his wrist holding the blade away, causing sparks with the clash. As Yuki came into range of Vangelis, a shield shifted out of a different dimension to block his fist. The initial impact of his fist cracked the shield. His hand continued to punch through, even with the shield trying to regenerate. Yuki¡¯s eyes narrowed as he forced more of strength into his arm. ¡®I¡¯m this close and his weapons aren¡¯t disappearing¡­he truly has increased the strength of his Field¡­¡¯ He quickly realized that he wasn¡¯t going to succeed with the frontal attack. Yuki leapt back, already noticing a spear shooting in from the side of the shield. The spearhead caught the edge of his gi, but did nothing other than tear fabric. ¡®Too close¡­¡¯ Vangelis retracted his sword¡¯s blade to the standard length. Returning back to the previous dimension, the shield vanished from sight along with the spear. ¡°You¡¯ve got good reflexes, kid!¡± He took another swing with the sword at Yuki. While still in the swing, an arrow appeared in front of his head. Several more materialized around in a circle before firing at Yuki as well. Moving to deal with the sword, Yuki could only swipe his free hand through the area to create a wall out of the particles to block the arrows. Using the denser gathering in his hand blocking the blade, his hand closed around the blade to destroy it. Yuki followed through in a smooth motion to snatch up the broken metal and fling it back at Vangelis. The blade vanished before it got anywhere even close to Vangelis. He smirked a little, enjoying Yuki¡¯s efforts. However, amongst the counterattack Yuki disappeared from his sight. ¡®A distraction huh? He¡¯s smart on his feet now that he¡¯s cleared out the emotions.¡¯ His arm arched through the air suddenly causing a thick wooden wall to grow out of the ground. The Field at his feet now appeared to be a finely polished hard work floor that shone brightly his reflection in its surface. A thud echoed around the wood. Splintering, it broke free a moment later. Vangelis glanced around behind him knowing that it was Yuki. ¡®This should be a fun moment. The destructive nature of his powers makes things interesting.¡¯ Slightly surprised, Yuki¡¯s eyes widened a touch to find wood blocking him. The fact that it was wood came as more of a surprise to him than the fact that he was blocked. He actually expected to be stopped by Vangelis. Everything that he had done so far in the fight produced no results. If a simple feint defeated the man, Yuki would have been disappointed, relieved but certainly disappointed. He didn¡¯t disappoint him. Wood stopped him. ¡®Something new again¡­what¡¯s with this guy? How does he have so many different abilities? Just how complex are his Laws?¡¯ Suddenly, a block of the wood stretched out at Yuki grabbing at his arm. It quickly wrapped around his forearm and upper arm in only a second. ¡°What?!¡± The motion caught him off guard. Yuki ground his teeth together and thinned his features as he recovered himself. Peeling away from his legs, the energy around his arm brightened between the wood increasing in density and opacity. It tore through the wood turning it a soft shade of red. Once he ate away enough of the wood, Yuki escaped to a safe distance. Shaking his arm a little to get the feeling off, Yuki stared back at the wall. ¡®Wood this time¡­he keeps changing, why isn¡¯t he using one theme? Everyone I¡¯ve fought always had a theme, but this guy doesn¡¯t seem to have a theme at all!¡¯ A loud bang ripped through the area leaving torn wood in chunks. Across the wood and grass, a dull ping rang out. ¡°Thought I told you to stay awake, kid!¡± remarked Vangelis, leaning against the wall as though casually talking to a neighbor over a fence. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Snapped out of the distraction, Yuki narrowed his focus to the source of the attack. A thin smoking trail came out of the hole in the wood. Hidden behind the black hole, a faint shine of a circular object surfaced. ¡®I thought wood was his new power.¡¯ Vangelis leaned his head down resting on his hand, appearing bored. However, out of the wall came another series of loud shots ripping through the wood. The speed left Yuki with no chance to do anything. Crashing against his barrier, nothing happened. Vangelis grinned despite the lack of effectiveness. ¡®Huh? His last attacks were more effective. They pierced my defense, but this is weaker¡­is it because they¡¯re too small?¡¯ Yuki started to march forward. Channeling the particles to gather in his hand, he hardened the shape into a sphere. ¡®I need an offense¡­¡¯ Yuki fired it off once finished before Vangelis got another round off. The ball destroyed the wall and kept going. Vangelis managed to evade a direct hit, but something still took a hit. He lifted up his arm to examine a pistol with the entire barrel cleanly cut through up to the trigger. The arch cut through his gun left his trigger finger exposed, nearly caught in the attack. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Lazily, he turned his eye back to Yuki as he approached. ¡°That was rather close, kid.¡± Yuki didn¡¯t like the look in his eyes, but still continued forward. He started up his next attack. ¡®I got through, so even with him stronger I still have the superior power! Just need to keep pressing¡ª¡® A force from behind interrupted Yuki¡¯s thoughts. It grabbed him by the leg and threw him to the ground. ¡°What the¡ª¡° Before Yuki could even look around at what happened, it was dragged into the air. The stinging in his face barely had a chance to pass before pressure wrapped around his leg. ¡°You might want to keep your eyes open too, kid,¡± Vangelis replied, still from his position leaning against the remains of the wood wall. He turned the broken gun back on Yuki, no longer using subterfuge to hide it. The barrel of the weapon materialized, quickly recovering its form. ¡°This might sting a little.¡± Vangelis smirked as he fired the gun. Four bullets came out of the gun so quickly they ran only centimeters behind the next, despite him only having fired once. Each bullet slammed into Yuki¡¯s trapped chest. The wood wrapped around him ensured a direct hit. The bullets did nothing to scratch him, but the impacts left his chest stinging as promised. They felt like being hit with a sledgehammer. His bones groaned, making Yuki wonder if it cracked a rib or two. ¡®¡­damn¡­¡¯ ¡°You might want to dodge the next one, kid! If you can¡­¡± The gun suddenly morphed into a significantly larger weapon, resembling that of a shotgun merged with an assault rifle. A barrel more like a sniper rifle extended from it, appearing even more deadly, if not bizarre. Gritting his teeth, Yuki stared down the barrel. ¡®He¡¯s got me trapped. If I transfer the strength, the wood will crush my unprotected body, but if I do nothing¡­¡¯ His mind went over the scenario repeatedly in the precious seconds he had before Vangelis attacked him. Vangelis grinned watching the panicked look in Yuki¡¯s eyes. He gave him a couple seconds longer to let the feeling drench him entirely before firing the strange weapon. Firing the gun caused a giant cloud of smoke to blast the area while the massive bullet spun through the front of the cloud trailing streams of white. The theatrics left him waiting on the smoke to clear for his conclusion. ¡®I wonder what sort of results I got¡­¡¯ While the smoke started to fade, he retracted his weapon. The wood disappeared along with the Field. A cement Field replaced it, an unbroken sheet of cement continuing on to the ends of his Field. With the wood gone, a thud against the cement crawled out from the smoke. Yuki surfaced from the smoke appearing surprisingly unharmed by the attack. Vangelis narrowed his eyes reading the scene for an answer. When he understood, it made him laugh a little. ¡°So you moved it only from the places the wood didn¡¯t cover to give yourself more protection.¡± He watched the transparency slowly expand back over his body. ¡®That was close, I wasn¡¯t sure if it was possible¡­¡¯ Yuki trailed off his thoughts when he noticed the situation. The wood was gone and a new Field was present. He understood well enough what it meant. ¡®He¡¯s got a different power now. What is it this time?¡¯ Yuki waited on the next action from Vangelis. He started learning how he couldn¡¯t react thoughtlessly against him. Every time he tried before it failed. He always failed to reach him. The man seemed to have a trick in his bag for everything. Yuki had to wait to see what came next. It was his only chance. ¡®He¡¯s got to have a limit to how many different Laws he¡¯s using. I just need to wait until I¡¯ve seen them all. I can¡¯t just do full offense against him like I thought, I¡¯m going to end up failing again.¡¯ Tension built up between the two as Yuki waited in a delayed action. Vangelis seemed to pick up on Yuki¡¯s hesitation and let the tension play out. Like with everything else, he enjoyed playing with Yuki in any way possible. Everything dragged out for his entertainment. He knew he would win. It was a question of how far he would have to go before the end. ¡®He¡¯s making things very fun, finally¡­I think it¡¯s about time to throw off the balance he thinks he¡¯s found¡­¡¯ Vangelis grinned at the thoughts playing through his mind. The grinning devil only made Yuki¡¯s body more rigid with tension. He could see the man had things planned, but could only guess as to what they were. ¡®I wish he¡¯d stop drawing this out. I know he¡¯s just playing with me and I can¡¯t do anything about it. I need to understand his power to beat him. All this switching he¡¯s doing is making it clear that he doesn¡¯t want me to figure him out. It¡¯s all part of his strategy, to keep me off balance and moving at his pace.¡¯ Tightening his fists, Yuki felt a change in the winds as an omen of things to come. ¡®I¡¯ll have to keep playing his game until I¡¯ve got him figured out and hope I survive until then¡­¡¯ Resuming the fight, Vangelis casually flicked his finger at Yuki with the tip of his finger discharging a wide green blast. It completely engulfed Yuki with no time to react. However, moments later Yuki burst through the light trailing off dust from his gi. Vangelis immediately disappeared and reappeared nearby giving him enough time to notice before firing off another green blast of energy. Yuki managed to have enough to transfer his defenses forward to deal with the force of the attack. It merely blew over him, but it still pushed him back. The previous attack left his body sore and stinging, unable to dampen almost any of it. ¡®He¡¯s back to the energy blasts and the disappearing thing again! It¡¯s significantly more powerful because of his Folding technique, but I¡¯ve dealt with this before. I know how he moves and what to expect. I¡¯ll show him how useless it is against me and force him to change to something else, perhaps another I¡¯ve seen and counter easier!¡¯ Yuki got a little excited to know he started to feel comfortable with the fight. He could finally fight Vangelis. Lifting two fingers at Yuki, a ball of green light grew at the tip of his fingers. ¡®He¡¯s doing something different this time. I figured wide blasts weren¡¯t the only attack he had, but I can handle this as well.¡¯ Yuki dug in as he prepared for the attack. He kept his eyes focused to respond to the type of attack Vangelis planned to use next. A narrow beam of bright green light came at Yuki. It looked concentrated unlike the previous shots at him. Yuki¡¯s mind instinctively redirected all of his defense towards the left side of his body, while he tried to get himself out of the way. Yuki turned his head only a little in the time he had to watch his left arm disappear from sight as the force of the blast turned him and made him stumble backwards. He could feel his arm heating up from the blast with things becoming even more uncertain. Vangelis gave a wicked smirk to Yuki as he pulled out a pistol from behind his back. He quickly took aim at Yuki. Wide eyed with shock, Yuki didn¡¯t know how to react. The blast slowly ended with his arm still intact, but when he heard the gunshot, his defenses weren¡¯t ready. ¡®Both?! He tricked me again!¡¯ A large amount of blood sprayed up into the air as Yuki fell backwards. Pain screamed through his body and reached his lips. He couldn¡¯t hold it back. Suddenly, all of his bruises, bumps and minor injuries felt like crippling ailments. Yuki struggled with his wrecked body to look over at the injury. His eyes shrank to the size of pins when he saw his arm completely missing. Blood continued to pour out into the grass. Shock kept him from being able to scream anymore. ¡®I still don¡¯t understand¡­¡¯ thought Yuki, as light faded from his eyes. Chapter 190 - Shifting Desires Everything went white on Yuki. The number of times he faced death almost made it feel like he was returning home. It still scared him, but it scared him even more such feelings of familiarity coming from it. ¡®I¡¯m having so much trouble with him. He¡¯s not even the same as Demosthenes. That man didn¡¯t need tricks when he got serious, I could tell the difference in our powers, but this man. I¡¯m having trouble with him¡­¡¯ It was doubt. Uncertainty surrounded him. He was back at not knowing anything. ¡®I thought I understood, but it¡¯s so very clear I still don¡¯t understand anything¡­I don¡¯t understand anything at all¡­¡¯ Thoughts went back to the villagers. ¡®I was impulsive. I didn¡¯t consider them.¡¯ A myriad of dark questions swarmed his mind. Yuki wondered about the path he chose. ¡®Is this what they want? What they need? Am I doing the right thing?¡¯ The thoughts only made things worse for him. He sank deeper. ¡®Can I even do anything? I don¡¯t understand anything¡­¡¯ ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t understand anything!¡¯ shouted Seiji, within Yuki¡¯s mind. He held out a clenched fist as proof of his declaration. Yuki¡¯s face went flat staring at Seiji¡¯s appearance. ¡®What are you doing here? In my mind?¡¯ Taken back a little, Seiji¡¯s floating body moved away from Yuki. ¡®What are you talking about?! This is the moment where I use our friendship to recharge your burning desire to fight and turn the tables on that bastard! I¡¯m supposed to do this! You already did it for Saki!¡¯ Not immediately responding to Seiji, Yuki straightened up to confront Seiji. ¡®I¡¯m fine that I don¡¯t need a motivational speech.¡¯ ¡®But you said these were normal! These are important moments to have!¡¯ ¡®They¡¯re also too clich¨¦. They¡¯re like a deus ex machina, and I¡¯m the main character here! I don¡¯t need such overused devices!¡¯ Yuki turned away from Seiji, starting to walk away and back towards the fight. ¡®l show you a main character that can stand back up on their own!¡¯ Seiji looked a little dejected from the whole scene. ¡®But this was supposed to be my chance to help you out.¡¯ ¡®Besides, I wasn¡¯t in despair. I hadn¡¯t given up. The fight just made me realize something things I¡¯ve been ignoring.¡¯ ¡®Sounds like you¡¯re being tsundere.¡¯ ¡®You shouldn¡¯t know that word, Seiji. And don¡¯t use your trump card of being smarter than you appear, that is completely outside of your character type.¡¯ ¡®I am a figment of your imagination.¡¯ Yuki had nothing more to say to Seiji. He closed off that part of his mind. Returning to reality, the pain sobered Yuki up quickly. Color returned to his eyes, as did energy back to his body. ¡°Damn, Seiji¡­ruining my moment. I¡¯ll have to punch him the next time I see him.¡± Yuki pulled himself back up. He already quickly had the wound on his missing arm sealed up by the energy surrounding him. He stared out with more determination to figure out Vangelis¡¯ powers. ¡°Thanks to you I have more to spare. I can do something like this now.¡± Closing up his hand, the ambient energy in the air took form to become a simple sword. Chapter 190 ¨C Shifting Desires Grinning like a jackal, Vangelis became even more excited about the fight. ¡®I was curious to see how he would react to it. I had planned on just healing his arm after I saw his reaction, but this is even better than I hoped for. This is just simply too much fun.¡¯ A few stray thoughts clouded his mind, but they quickly passed. ¡®It¡¯s been too long.¡¯ Blood soaked into the tall grass that surrounded Yuki. It gave him a reminder of the situation he was in currently. ¡®I¡¯ve lost a fair bit of blood. I¡¯m not too light headed right now, but my body doesn¡¯t feel right. I¡¯m going to have to be careful about anything else that happens.¡¯ Alerted, another blast came at Yuki, reminding him he still had to fight. Making use of the sword, he swung the blade upward through the air at the blast. It divided into two, safely dispersing to his sides. It made him feel a little more assured of his position. He countered the attack successfully. ¡®I have to keep watching his powers. I¡¯ve got to memorize each one so I know what to expect. He¡¯s got the upper hand until I know what to expect from him. When that happens, I¡¯ll be able to change the pace of this fight!¡¯ Testing out Yuki¡¯s new defense, Vangelis fired off several more blasts. ¡®So he really has made use of the spare energy. That sword is strong enough now to alter my attacks. Just means I get to try something else.¡¯ The ground turned into red felt stretching out. Drawing out magic circles in front of his hand, ice shards blasted out at Yuki. Yuki¡¯s eyes widened a touch, taking everything into his mind. The sword transformed into an aspis type of shield. Opacity in the swirling mass grew as more particles drew up from his arm to harden it. Ice shattered on the surface, doing nothing to Yuki. ¡®Magic now. I remember this, and he¡¯s using felt with it.¡¯ He knew it was a chance to counterattack. Yuki remembered the different spells he used in the fight. ¡®This is my chance to get a real hit in against him! I¡¯ve got to make it count!¡¯ Rising up the shield a little, Yuki focused more of his barrier into the surface of the aspis. It glowed a little brighter before releasing several orbs of compressed energy. Already expecting something, Vangelis placed a barrier spell up to take the hits. However, one of the shots strayed from their course and crashed into the dirt. It coughed up a cloud around the entire area. ¡®Interesting, he¡¯s making a smokescreen for himself. What¡¯s he got in store?¡¯ Vangelis slid around his eyes to keep watch for the smoke to clear, while listening closely. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Expecting a flanking attack, Vangelis didn¡¯t think that Yuki would come from the front. It took him a little off guard hearing the clashing of something hitting his barrier. All he saw through all of the smoke was light. It cleared out soon. Vangelis saw the edge of Yuki¡¯s sword. However, he didn¡¯t expect to see the entire barrier suddenly collapse on him. The shattered bubble rained down chunks of transparent magic slowly fading away. His defense down, the next attack came as little surprise, but Vangelis still had trouble dodging it. He staggered back as the blade came in for him. Lowering his hand, a cube flew up forcing Yuki to pull back. Everything played out with only centimeters to spare. The two leapt away from the other settling on a small distance apart. Yuki¡¯s sword only managed to catch a touch of Vangelis¡¯ clothes. The man still wore his military uniform, almost like declaring the fact that he didn¡¯t need to change for the fight. ¡®So close, but I actually managed to get a successful attack off!¡¯ He found his constant struggling to keep up with the pace of Vangelis trying for him. It made him wonder if he would ever find an opening. ¡®He¡¯s not perfect. I just have to be smarter than him.¡¯ Examining his uniform¡¯s cut, Vangelis admitted to the moment of surprise. ¡°Very interesting, kid. It¡¯s been a while since someone actually made it that close.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to get all angry and power up because I ruined your pristine clothes are you?¡± Yuki grinned a little at Vangelis. ¡°I see you¡¯ve got your playfulness back, kid.¡± His mind played through the previous moments in the fight. He tried to search for an answer, but none of it made any sense to him. ¡®The kid managed to do something that I didn¡¯t actually foresee. This really is getting interesting.¡¯ Vangelis grinned back at Yuki. ¡°How much more will you show me?!¡± Opening his hands, a cube filled up his entire palm enclosed only loosely by his fingers. Gripping his sword tightly, Yuki dug into the grass to charge for Vangelis. ¡®Those shapes again, with a Greek architecture Field,¡¯ he mentally noted, continuing to store all of the information in their fight. Vangelis tossed the first cube at Yuki, following it up with a second that materialized. The other hand held onto the cube. It gave Yuki his signal to charge forward. Slashing through the cubes, Yuki continued through for Vangelis. However, the cubes didn¡¯t vanish. They grew larger in size and started to spin, appearing like cones. The changes didn¡¯t go ignored by Yuki. He immediately changed the shape of his sword to transform into four small knives that fit nicely in his palm. Yuki threw out his hand in the direction of one of the flanking half cubes. The knives soared out towards the object, but one of the knives diverted its direction, suddenly heading straight for another section of the cube. All of the knives sought out their own target entering a momentary dance as they dodged and turned about. However, the knives eventually sunk into the surface of each half cube. Yuki closed his hand and acted like he pulled on something invisible. The knives moved back to Yuki dragging the cubes along with them. Once they came closer to him, he started to spin the group around before launching them back at Vangelis. Taking away the cube, Vangelis still had to contend with the four knives flying through the air. The other cube in Vangelis¡¯ hand flew out along with several more geometric shapes. They collided with Yuki¡¯s knives and danced around once more. He kept up the pace with the changes that Yuki made to the knives. ¡®The kid¡¯s come up with something new. He keeps going.¡¯ Vangelis smirked a little. Then the shapes all suddenly disappeared. A forest sprouted up around Vangelis. The knives, which started to change direction, became wrapped by a whip. It had four separate lashes, each tying down one of the knives. While he had the knives restrained, a spear appeared in his off-hand. The spear extended out at Yuki. Dodging quickly, Yuki sidestepped the attack. He dispersed the knives and returned the sword back to his hand. A smooth motion from the sword removed the spearhead. It disappeared before hitting the ground. ¡®He¡¯s taking advantage of my injured side.¡¯ Yuki jumped forward while dodging the reformed spear. A moment later, Vangelis brought down a sword, replacing the spear. Yuki parried the sword, adjusting to his balance. His missing arm threw off his weight a little. He found himself compensating for the difference. ¡®This feels weird still. I keep thinking that it is still there.¡¯ Yuki¡¯s hand tightened around his sword, sharpening the blade to cut through the sword. Riding in the rest of the distance, Yuki closed with Vangelis coming up against a scutum shield. His sword slammed into the tall shield¡¯s metal surface sparking light particles of energy. Arrows appeared in the air above the clashing forces. Yuki¡¯s eyes darted around checking his surroundings. Pulling from his back, transparent daggers flew up to hover over his head. While Yuki pressed against the shield, the daggers attacked the arrows, keeping them at bay. ¡®He¡¯s getting more complex with his tactics,¡¯ noted Vangelis. The shield transferred out just as two spears jutted out for Yuki. A blast of dirt coughed up a small cloud at his feet, shooting Yuki into the air. Vangelis glanced up a little curious. He grinned, enjoying the show. Yuki changed his sword into a chain. The chain stretched up to one of the daggers, wrapping around it. It anchored Yuki for the moment as he swung around and released the dagger. He redirected all of the daggers back down, while also changing back to an aspis. ¡®I¡¯ll break an opening up!¡¯ The aspis clashed into the shield Vangelis pulled out from another dimension. His daggers came up against other shields that suddenly materialized on flanking sides of Vangelis. Leaving behind the shield, Yuki jumped off his still formed aspir and climbed over the scutum. Another blast came off his feet to propel him over Vangelis. His hand reached out for one of the daggers growing it into a sword. Yuki rotated around slashing down from his upside-down position at Vangelis¡¯ exposed back. A sword blocked him before he got too deep, but he saw a faint trace of blood. Vangelis finished turning around as Yuki landed back on the ground. The sting on his back turned his usual smirk into a flat line. ¡°You¡¯ve managed to cut me, kid. I¡¯m impressed.¡± All of the shields disappeared, but were replaced by more than a dozen swords floating in front of him. Yuki¡¯s features narrowed, the situation suddenly becoming graver. ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t the type to get angry over a wound.¡± He wiped away sweat from his forehead, the physical exertion starting to get to him. ¡°I¡¯m not, however I am the type to up the ante when I¡¯ve found someone worth my attention.¡± Another dozen swords materialized followed by another dozen. The air started to become cluttered with them. ¡°I¡¯ve been soft on you so far, kid!¡± ¡°I¡¯m crush,¡± Yuki droned. He already saw the significance of what Vangelis showed. It had been a while since he saw someone control so many independent objects and it didn¡¯t even look like the man broke a sweat. ¡°It¡¯s time to dance!¡± Vangelis motioned with his hand to signal the charge. All of the swords went flying at Yuki, each with different speed and trajectories. It was clear even the effort he showed was merely child¡¯s play still. Yuki jumped back to give himself a little more distance. He summoned up his dagger to try to divert a few of the swords, while he began to dodge the first bout. Unfortunately, the weight of the swords prevented his minor daggers from altering their vector. He leapt into air once more, but directed a heavy blast against the grass at his feet. It blew up chunks of earth at the swords, while he tumbled away. Quickly latching out to a floating dagger, Yuki managed to alter his course and cushion his drop before confronted by another barrage of weaponry. ¡®Damn, there¡¯s so many of them. And I haven¡¯t gotten used to the balance either¡­I¡¯m going to have to change that. I¡¯m running out of time!¡¯ Suddenly, Vangelis appeared at Yuki¡¯s side, the swords disappeared, but only replaced with a wide blast from his hand. Yuki blocked with his arm, using the aspis to absorb the damage. However, Yuki saw another several rounds of blasts sent off from Vangelis¡¯ fingers. ¡®Can¡¯t do anything with so many¡­¡¯ Yuki blasted off to throw himself out of the blast range, when the explosions went off from all of the attacks. He tumbled over the ground as earth chunks rained down around him. Vangelis appeared in front of him with a hand pointed down at him. The glow already started to signal a point blank attack. ¡°How will you get out of this one, kid?¡± The grin on Vangelis¡¯ face grew wide again. ¡°Impress me, again!¡± Gritting his teeth together, Yuki screamed out in pain. He glared up at Vangelis, lifting himself up. The light from the blast grew even brighter so close to Yuki. ¡°As you wish!¡± yelled Yuki. His other, previously missing, arm came up slamming up against Vangelis¡¯ hand. All of the light and energy streamed out from between their fingers as the two clashed. Chapter 191 - Shifting Patterns The pent up energy couldn¡¯t last long in such an unstable state. Light shot out from their hands brighter than before until it blinded both of them. An explosion followed the loss of sight sending the two tumbling away from the epicenter. Vangelis flew and skidded backwards over his Field with him narrowly missing direct impacts with the trees in his forest. They only changed how he tumbled and jumped around like a flat rock skipping the surface of the water. Once he came to a dragged out stop, his body was covered in bruises, torn clothes and scrapes from his flight. It left everything in his body sore. Still not up, he glanced at his hand. It still felt the cold presence of Yuki¡¯s hand. His face twisted a little, sorting through the facts. His hand looked deep red from the blast and a little mangled from the contest. In the last moments, he had redirected and dampened the focus so it didn¡¯t cause as much damage to his hand, but it happened so fast. ¡®I never would have expected him to do that¡­he¡¯s more resourceful than I would have thought. He¡¯s learning quickly.¡¯ His body still could move and that was enough for him. Vangelis stood up and began knocking the dirt off his uniform. He glanced in the distance where Yuki fell, noting the kid standing back up. ¡°You¡¯ve ruined my uniform. I¡¯m going to have to get a new one, kid.¡± Walking forward back into battle, the Atlantean continued to pat down his uniform getting the last bits off him. The rest remained stuck, stained into the fabric. Yuki emerged from all of the dust and dirt coughed up by the explosion. Unlike Vangelis, his shield gave him the protection from the out of control flying he did. It still left him a little sore and roughed up. His body protested to him about the abuse, but he ignored it. Yuki only grinned, feeling like finally managed to surprise Vangelis in the fight. ¡°If I had known you cared so much about your appearance I would have been a bit more gentler.¡± Laughing, the Field around Vangelis changed again. ¡°Good, keep that going! Show me everything, kid!¡± Mushrooms sprouted up of various sizes to replace the forest. ¡®Show me everything, kid!¡¯ Chapter 191 ¨C Shifting Patterns Materializing in his hand, Vangelis grabbed a hold of a grenade. It had a very modern appearance to it, a smooth almost spherical shape. The pin didn¡¯t seem to be present, same for the lever meant for holding the timer from starting. He held on to the grenade longer than one should, had it been normal. It was clear it had no intention of exploding until he wanted it. Vangelis smirked suddenly, a signal for his empty hand to sweep over the area in front. In front, behind, flanking and even in the air, a massive armory of modern age weaponry appeared around Vangelis. The grenade almost seemed inferior, like it was merely a joke stacked up against all of the heavy weapons. ¡°No time to be gentler, kid!¡± ¡°I see,¡± grimaced Yuki, already forming up his aspis for protection. He worked to expand the size to give him more coverage. ¡®Is that all you¡¯ve got, kid?¡¯ Gunfire released a storm of smoke layering a hazy film over Vangelis. The loud cracks from the weapons made it feel as though the ground was shaking. Yuki felt the impacts against his shield, but worried about the battery of attacks. ¡®He¡¯s already tricked me before with his guns. I have to be on the watch on his movements, but through all of this I can¡¯t¡­¡¯ Yuki gritted his teeth as his arm started to go numb from the constant barrage. He sacrificed all of his rear energy to build himself more defense in the front. ¡®I¡¯m certain these bullets he¡¯s using are different. They aren¡¯t like before where they were too weak to do anything. They were just a ploy by him to keep me going at his pace.¡¯ Pieces of Vangelis'' methods continued to stitch together for Yuki. ¡®What¡¯s this? Trying something different, kid?¡¯ While under fire, a long metal blade stretched out, partially masked by the cover fire. It managed to sneak into Yuki¡¯s space. His white ethereal hand reached out grabbing the blade before it did any damage. ¡°I thought you might try something like that again.¡± He crushed the blade under the pressure of his hand, twisting the metal. A low mechanical whirring came out from his hand. No response came from Vangelis, not even a flinch for the foiled attempt. However, Yuki was already deep in thought over the latest attack. ¡®This is the second time. I thought he could only use one type of power at a time. But he¡¯s using two different types. Is he¡­¡¯ Yuki narrowed his eyes trying to read deeper into Vangelis'' impregnable wall of smirking poker faces. ¡®Pretty smart, kid.¡¯ A little chuckle came from him, never disappointed. ¡®I¡¯ve played at this pace long enough. Let¡¯s see his reaction to this.¡¯ Everything surrounding Vangelis disappeared. The mushrooms vanished from sight, replaced by red felt. The moment Yuki saw the felt, his eyes widened a little. ¡®This is it! He used magic when he had that Field!¡¯ Yuki swept away the aspis back to the normal size. In his white off hand, he gripped on his swords. Another few daggers surfaced above him. Yuki charged in ready to counter the man¡¯s magic. ¡®It was a good fight, kid.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t magic. Shock filled Yuki¡¯s face. ¡®Tricked again¡­¡¯ He fell backwards into the grass. Blood dripped from a new wound in his shoulder. A colorless cone embedded itself in Yuki¡¯s body, punched through his shield. The pain hurt less than the embarrassment of falling for another trap. ¡®Dammit!¡¯ If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Yuki reached up with his good arm and ripped the cone out of his shoulder. Blood trickled in a stream through the air as he removed it. Biting down, Yuki sealed it up quickly with his power. ¡®I fell for it, damn bastard had more tricks!¡¯ Just seeing the smirking expression on Vangelis¡¯ face made Yuki annoyed. ¡®I thought I understood how he worked.¡¯ ¡®She¡¯s dead huh, kid? Good work!¡¯ It was more information. It was the only way Yuki could think of it positively. He rotated his arm a little to test out his body. The range of movement was reduced significantly. ¡®Things are only getting worse. I can feel my body wanting to stop.¡¯ Yuki cursed his weak body. ¡®If I was younger I would have been able to keep going even after all of this. I¡¯ve been out for a year, I haven¡¯t recovered everything I lost since then¡­¡¯ Additional thoughts had to wait for Yuki. Since he stood, the next attack came at him. Everything was still sluggish from the last attack and he prepared nothing. ¡®Damn it all to hell!¡¯ A blast from his feet knocked him out of the attack, as something more akin to a wave than geometric shapes passed him. The increased count in Vangelis¡¯ attack made them even more deadly and difficult to counter. ¡®He¡¯s back to the shapes.¡¯ ¡®You know, you¡¯ve got the talent to be part of the Omega Division, kid. Interested?¡¯ Yuki became troubled by what he learned. He kept dodging, trying to stay ahead of Vangelis, but felt himself slowing down more and more. Too many close scraps came to him. He couldn¡¯t keep patching himself with his barrier. Something had to change. ¡®I can¡¯t believe I missed it before. None of the Fields matched up before, but I was so angry about what he did to Saki I didn¡¯t even notice. Damn, I can¡¯t use his Field to predict his actions.¡¯ Yuki really started to hate the fight. He still didn¡¯t understand him, even with everything he learned. ¡®There is no consistency in his usage, no order. It¡¯s all random¡­¡¯ Random. Always random. He knew he needed to figure out something. The fight turned back against him. ¡®All I have is the knowledge of how his powers he¡¯s shown work. My power isn¡¯t well suited to countering him and he¡¯s powerful enough I can¡¯t overwhelm him¡­¡¯ ¡®What? Why? Don¡¯t you realize that with your skills you¡¯ll easily rise in ranks in no time, kid?¡¯ A sphere flew directly at Yuki¡¯s face amongst all the ones he dodged or cut away. It suddenly came to a stop just barely away from him. White fingers revealed around the edges. ¡°Guess, I¡¯ll just have to be a little more direct,¡± Yuki decided, his hand crushed the sphere easily. ¡°Time to damn the body!¡± Yuki grinned a little, as two swords appeared clutched in his hands. Vangelis found the change in Yuki interesting. Yuki charged at him, cutting up the pieces launched at him. Even in the heavy storm of objects, he kept ahead. ¡®He¡¯s managing to keep from getting hit with so many and even remain accurate¡­¡¯ The sight intrigued him further. He kept the barrage up to give him something to analyze. Whenever Yuki got a little close, he pushed back or stepped away to keep their distance. ¡®Huh? There isn¡¯t anyone like that out here. It¡¯s pretty calm, kid.¡¯ The success Yuki had against his attacks had Vangelis a little concerned. Nothing stood out to him on what suddenly was so special. He hadn¡¯t been as strong before with his counters. ¡®He¡¯s got something different going on. This is fun, kid. Making me think, you really are¡­¡¯ His heart pounded in his chest like a jackhammer on his ribs. All he could do was ignore it. If he didn¡¯t keep up the pace, everything would be a waste. ¡®It seems to be working. I can actually do it, I wasn¡¯t sure if I could use it in such a fashion. If I can do this¡­¡¯ Yuki sliced through several shapes with the blades not just cutting, but dissolving them. ¡®No, I haven¡¯t heard about someone like that, kid. Why do you ask?¡¯ Shapes disappeared along with the felt. The Field became a pane of glass, brightly reflecting the sun back at them. Yuki paused for a moment, already knowing his fondness for making a strong counter during a switch. ¡®What is it this time? I have to maintain this pace.¡¯ Realizing he needed to keep moving, Yuki started towards Vangelis even before he knew what the next power was going to be. Arching his eyebrow at Yuki, Vangelis looked amused by the bold action. ¡°You¡¯re brave, kid.¡± Magic circles quickly formed in front of his hand. Sparks of lightning bounced from his fingertips and turned red with flames before launching at Yuki. However, they never made it to him, veering off course only a short distance away from Vangelis. ¡®Got transferred again, kid?¡¯ Surprise found its way to Vangelis once more. He saw Yuki coming in close with his swords. A barrier circle drew out on the ground. It erected a safe zone for him to recover. Yet, the sword shattered it with only a single blow. Yuki forced Vangelis to dance around to keep out of range of the attacks. ¡®The magic isn¡¯t functioning properly. Something¡¯s different¡­¡¯ He tried to use his magic again, but found it failed. ¡®What?¡¯ Blood trickled into the air. A clean slice managed to reach Vangelis. The diagonal wound ran from his chest to his waist. It completely ruined the upper part of Vangelis¡¯ uniform. The front and back of the uniform fell down around the waist only held in by the simple binding at the waist. Vangelis¡¯ toned body revealed a lean figure, but well developed from personal training. His blood dripped down around the forms of his muscles. ¡®You¡¯re not going to find anyone like that, kid.¡¯ Vangelis quickly jumped and skipped away from Yuki¡¯s reach. The sting of pain nudged his smirk back to a flat line. He ran his hand over the wound to check on it. Looking at the blood on his hand, Vangelis gave a toothy grin to Yuki. ¡°You¡¯re really are becoming very interesting, kid! I think you might actually be it.¡± Vangelis suddenly started to laugh, one that sounded more maniacal than any of his previous laughs. The atmosphere took on a noticeable change with Vangelis¡¯ sudden round of laughter. Yuki felt it clearly and elected to hold back. ¡°It? What are you talking about?¡± He wasn¡¯t sure if wanted the answer, as he watched Vangelis keep on laughing out of control. ¡®I¡¯ve got a bad feeling about this¡­¡¯ ¡®Someone like that doesn¡¯t exist, kid. If you want to find someone like that, look at Omega, not the remote regions.¡¯ ¡°You were wrong!¡± Vangelis shouted to the skies. ¡°There is someone! And I¡¯ve found them!¡± The laughing came to an abrupt stop. Vangelis turned his face back down to Yuki. His eyes had gone wide with his pupils shrinking. It appeared like stress lines started to form around his eyes as wide as they went. The playful look Vangelis wielded for the entire fight disappeared. A more savage, almost hungry express replaced it. Vangelis no longer looked to test or play around with Yuki. There was only wish in his eyes and Yuki recognized it. It made his body turn cold in an instant. ¡®This isn¡¯t the same guy as before!¡¯ The hungry smile on Vangelis grew until it looked to split his jaw from his head. ¡°You better survive this, kid! Don¡¯t disappoint my expectations now!¡± He lifted up a finger, his index finger. The smile looked to exceed the limits of his face. A second finger rose up. Suddenly, rocks ripped up through the ground everywhere. Grass was torn asunder as Yuki¡¯s Field was overtaken. His eyes were down looking at how close to his feet the Field came when he realized he should have been watching Vangelis. The man was nearly upon him. Yuki could only get his aspis up in time while he blocked with both arms. Heavy amounts of blood sprayed up into the air. Yuki¡¯s aspis was cleanly cut through along with his forearm. The wound stretched up, taking a chunk out of his upper arm and leaving a deep wound in his formerly healthy shoulder and chest. Yuki felt his legs¡¯ strength going out. His body wouldn¡¯t hold him up anymore. Shock was the only thing on his face, as his own blood painted his cheeks. Yuki fell. Chapter 192 - Shifting Lines He never felt when his knees hit the earth. Never felt the grass quickly coming up to his face. Nothing. It wasn¡¯t the same familiar feeling as before. It wasn''t a second visit. Yuki woke up in a void, naked. He floated off the ground. Gasping, he looked around and immediately understood. ¡°Really, two in one fight? I¡¯m really getting tired of almost getting killed here. Try something else, maybe something¡­unique.¡± ¡°For someone dying, you sure do complain a lot,¡± responded a voice. ¡°Well at least it isn¡¯t Seiji,¡± snapped Yuki, as he saw himself appear in front of him. ¡°Can this get anymore clich¨¦?¡± Shrugging a little, the mirror Yuki looked dismissive of him. ¡°This is your mind remember? I¡¯d say this is chalked up to your reading selection.¡± ¡°I guess you have a point.¡± He begrudgingly gave himself the point. Quick to change the direction of the conversation, Yuki clapped his hands together. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get down to business. I¡¯d prefer not to drag this out too long. I¡¯ve got a fight to get back to.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re sort of defeating the purpose of this scene.¡± ¡°Good, I¡¯m leaving then!¡± And he did (seriously, that was it). Chapter 192 ¨C Shifting Lines As Yuki started returning to life, he kept hearing a familiar voice. The voice spoke to him, but he couldn¡¯t understand it. Everything was blurred. Pain rushed through his head. The surge left him screaming for a moment. His white hand clamped down on the stump left of his forearm. Blood pooled out staining the smooth white finish. ¡°Damn it hurts, sort of¡­wish I was dead¡­¡± ¡°Yuki Hayashi.¡± Vangelis stood over top of him. The sword he used to cut Yuki pointed down at him ready for another attack. Yuki¡¯s blood clung to the edges of the sword¡¯s blade. ¡°I can grant you that wish. But stand up and fight me first! Don¡¯t prove them right now!¡± ¡®Prove them right? What¡¯s he blabbering about?¡¯ Yuki felt pressed for time by more than just Vangelis¡¯ lethal presence. Blood kept pouring out of his arm as much as his arm tried to cut off the circulation. Lightheadedness returned as a real threat for Yuki. The longer he went without his power to seal it up the sooner he had no chance to survive. However, the overwhelming power that Vangelis brought made Yuki question what he could do. ¡®He¡¯s so much stronger now, his Field can easily overrun mine. I can¡¯t match that sort of strength. All I¡¯ve got is reserves to spare¡­¡¯ His eyes widened in realization. Yuki stood up, his appearance turning a little hazy. Distortions and ripples erupted through the air blasting off Yuki. A wind seemed to be coming off Yuki. The wind ran still and then retracted inward to Yuki. Yuki¡¯s body shimmered brightly. The light bleeding off him grew in stronger intensity than before. Disruptions in the air remained and slowly looked as though under water. Part of the energy gathered around his missing hand and forearm, it gathered increasing in density until it nearly became completely opaque. It formed a new hand and forearm. Yuki tested out the new hand along with his white hand, it felt a little odd missing both of them, but he had substitutes. Turning his eyes back to Vangelis, a man who looked almost starved having to wait on Yuki; Yuki found his new resolve for the fight. ¡®I can¡¯t lose when I haven¡¯t done anything!¡¯ Everything felt different for Yuki suddenly. Seeing it all around him, it made him a little surprised. ¡°Seems I forgot something important,¡± grinned Yuki, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to be holding out on you all this time.¡± Vangelis took another swing at Yuki to test his boast. As the sword arched down for Yuki, the blade quickly vaporized from merely the particles swimming through the soupy air. The weapon never had a chance. He grinned with delight. ¡°Don¡¯t leave me disappointed, kid!¡± The sword meant nothing. Vangelis stretched out his arms with the Field erupting into the air flipping everything to molten lava. Through the air in the motions drawn out by his hands a multitude of magic circles formed. The energy in the air swirled around as though a wind turned it all about. It took on a life of its own responding to Vangelis¡¯ next attack. Ice shards, lightning bolts, fireballs, waves of water, chunks of earth, everything flung through the air at Yuki. A storm of magic surged up against the dancing winds of energy. Explosions went off continuously knocking out powerful winds tearing at their clothes. Yuki and Vangelis started to run in parallel paths. Magic exchanged with blasts of energy. Shockwaves rang out clouded up by smoke only to be blown out by the next series of attacks. The air ignited with sparks of the clashing forces. Smoke quickly filled in the area between them. Colors from the explosions within painted the highlights of the clouds reflecting the intensity inside. Swiping his hand through the air, Yuki directed a large swathe of his energy to wipe away the veil. He saw the next round quickly coming. A snap of a finger sent a mass of the energy into Vangelis¡¯ space. Parts of it disappeared, approaching into the proximity of his strength, but reached in. The light of the magic suddenly ceased, canceling out the casting. ¡®Good! If I increase the density I can still do it, even with his Field strength increased!¡¯ Twirling a finger, daggers and swords suddenly formed up in the air from the energy. They dove in at Vangelis. A barrier quickly formed around Vangelis. Tips of the weapon sank into the barrier digging in only for it to be shattered a moment later. A flash of light and circles all happened in the second that the weapons struck. Micro explosions went off everywhere around Vangelis masking him out of sight, but Yuki didn¡¯t stop. He kept up his assault with even more projectiles. More explosions went off accompanied by thin lights. Then suddenly a massive light blew up from the center of the smoke. The force of the wave tore through the cloud punching a hole that wrapped around it as everything quickly cleared out. Yuki''s eyes widened at the size and intensity. Instinctively, he pulled in a defense as shockwaves of explosions chained through the dense air. The destructive wave gouged out earth and grass in chunks flinging bits in all directions. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. When the cloud over the battlefield began to clear Yuki and Vangelis both remained standing. Vangelis looked worse out of the exchange with numerous minor cuts over his body. Yuki didn¡¯t make it completely unscathed, but already heavily bloodied it was difficult to tell new versus old. Vangelis wiped away thin trails of blood from his brow and jaw. ¡°Impressive, kid! You can keep up with me even at this level.¡± It troubled Vangelis how well Yuki countered his actions. ¡®He hasn¡¯t wasted his time in the fight. He¡¯s learned how my powers work and has found suitable countermeasures. It¡¯s a clever move using your little masses of stuff to disrupt my magic circles canceling them out. I might actually have to go all the way with him.¡¯ ¡°Well I can¡¯t disappoint you now, can I?¡± Yuki panted heavily trying hard to ignore how much his body screamed at him. He knew how little time he had remaining. ¡®Damn, I thought this would give me more of an advantage, but I don¡¯t know how much longer I can last at this rate.¡¯ Across the Fields, Vangelis took a step towards Yuki. Reflexively, an array of weapons materialized in the air around Yuki. A cube formed in Vangelis¡¯ hand. He bounced it loosely in his hand. Behind his eyes, a dark intent provided portents to the coming storm. ¡°Congratulations, kid! You¡¯ve become the second!¡± Suddenly, much of the air around Yuki cleared up. In the moment before the attack, everything was calm, almost deadly calm. The scene was at peace. Then the cube launched and everything in its path shattered. Earth exploded in the wake of the cube shot out at Yuki. Gears, hydraulics and shattered metal pieces flew up in the air as the cube went straight through the replacement arm. The shield deflected the cube away from a direct hit, but it still traveled through Yuki. Blood sprayed up from the re-opened wound on his arm. The torn up remains of the hand dropped lifeless to the ground. The force of the attack knocked Yuki back. ¡°Damn!¡± he shouted, already spotting the next round coming at him. He struggled to pull back everything he had for a defense. Several of the blocks still blew through, clipping him. While he slid over the grass, more projectiles came at him with his defenses breaking down. Glancing around him, the mist coalesced into a semi-visible form wrapping around Yuki¡¯s torso and dragged him out of the line of attacks. He modeled it to right himself up, keeping a safe distance away from the ground. A few appendages grew out giving it room to move Yuki quickly around the Field to stay ahead of the attacks. ¡®I can¡¯t stay on the defensive, my body¡¯s being ripped apart and I¡¯m having trouble focusing.¡¯ Yuki squinted trying to keep his attention on Vangelis. Vangelis suddenly disappeared again, only to appear flanking Yuki with a massive blast unleashed with no delay. He vanished almost immediately and appeared on the other flanking side of Yuki with another beam of light whiting out the area. Appearing once more in a new position, Vangelis wielded a spear in his hand. The arm stretched back, tightening up for the moment of visibility. Trailing dust off the edges of his body, Yuki surfaced from the double attack looking even worse. The left side of his body looked red and his gi started to reform. However, he didn¡¯t have a chance for much else. The spear was already in the air. It pierced through Yuki¡¯s stomach, off center. He coughed up blood, while his body was pulled back almost folding in on itself from the force. Yuki dropped to the ground. The spear disappeared, out of Vangelis¡¯ Field range. ¡®Bastard! He¡¯s so powerful¡­I need more¡­¡¯ He coughed another round of blood, his body kept trying to tell him it was over. He refused. Yuki pushed himself up with his energy only to see Vangelis standing over him again. Gritting his teeth together, Yuki stared down metal. ¡®I must win! I can¡¯t die here! Come on body, give me everything you¡¯ve got!¡¯ His desperate plea rang through his body as the weapon came down. Staggered, Vangelis found his weapon disintegrating. A force knocked him back, it lashed out at him leaving minor lacerations on his arms. He paused judging Yuki¡¯s condition. ¡°So you¡¯re learning how to Fold, kid.¡± It took him a few seconds, but Yuki found himself standing once more. Everything in his head was going hazy. His eyes had trouble focusing on Vangelis. ¡®I feel like I¡¯m going to drop at any moment¡­¡¯ Vangelis wiped sweat from his forehead. His fingers massaged his temple a little. ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like you¡¯ll last much longer, kid.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t look much better, your final Fold is taxing your brain,¡± bluffed Yuki, he couldn¡¯t even tell if the man was grinning or grimacing. However, the lack of a retort made him feel like he hit right. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, you¡¯re going to do something as clich¨¦ as calling for a final all or nothing exchange.¡± Laughter answered Yuki first. ¡°This close to death¡¯s door and still full of spirit, kid!¡± Vangelis¡¯ Field went barren. ¡°However, it won¡¯t be very satisfying dragging things out anymore. You¡¯ve only got enough to stand for one more round. Let¡¯s make the most of it, kid!¡± If Yuki had the energy to spare to stagger, he would have listened to Vangelis. ¡°You really are,¡± Yuki said with a little disbelief in his voice. ¡°Fine, this¡¯ll be the final attack!¡± Mist swirled up from the earth ripping aside the soil. It spun around Yuki and funneled into his arm, the one still mostly intact. A large sword materialized in Vangelis hand with a blade that extended over even the hilt, a circular area around the hilt remained open for a hold. Magic circles drew around his arm and on the blade, some even floated around it. The magic infused into the metal caused it to start changing shades of blue, red and yellow. Swirling masses of energy funneled around his body channeled into the back of the sword. Moments slowly drained by as they pushed everything remaining into their attack. Power focused, compressed, folded and forced into the tightest most concentrated point. Disruptions in the air came off the amount of power gathered. Once their powers met their climax, Yuki and Vangelis drew back their arm and charged towards each other. Their power clashed even before meeting, sending off distortions and shockwaves of wind. A massive explosion of light erupted from the moment the two collided. A backwash of colors washed over Yuki and Vangelis completely wiping them from sight. Earth ripped up and the ground rumbled with quakes. The longer that time passed the more the light expanded, reaching for meters upon meters. Nearly a minute passed before it seemed that things finally started to settle down. It took another minute for the light to fade away enough to make out shapes, only the jagged forms of upturned chunks of earth and rock were visible. Eventually, the area cleared out, presenting Yuki¡¯s body lying in the grass with blood dripping around him, his power clearly off. Several meters away, opposite of the epicenter of the blast site between them, Vangelis laid panting heavily with fresh blood covering his arms and chest. ¡°¡­damn, kid¡­you packed¡­a lot in¡­¡± Yuki coughed suddenly, jerked back to life. ¡°¡­that was¡­the plan¡­¡± He tried to laugh, but stopped himself. ¡°¡­right¡­¡± Vangelis turned himself over to get his hands to push himself up away from the ground. A thin sword materialized in his hand giving him a crutch. He pushed off from it to get back to his feet, leaning on it heavily. ¡°¡­even they¡­didn¡¯t¡­push me¡­this far¡­¡± Vangelis staggered over a step, everything wobbly in his body. He kept slowly working towards Yuki. Looking through one eye, Yuki saw Vangelis approaching him. ¡®¡­damn, he¡¯s still¡­¡¯ He tried to order his body to move, but everything was numb. If he didn¡¯t know better he would have thought he was only a head and torso, the way he felt. ¡®¡­can¡¯t move¡­can¡¯t do¡­anything¡­¡¯ ¡°Lie down,¡± replied Saki, flicking her finger at Vangelis¡¯ forehead. Vangelis coughed up blood as his body flipped backwards. Blood sprayed from his nose and from a crack in his forehead. He collapsed to the ground unmoving. Yuki jerked up, but only a centimeter before collapsing again. He immediately looked over at Saki. ¡°¡­you didn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°No. He¡¯s just unconscious.¡± Saki walked slowly over to Yuki. When she reached his side, she stared down at him. Part of her looked a little distant with her eyes not fully connecting to him. ¡°I protected¡­Yuki.¡± He managed a slight smile despite the pain in his body. ¡°¡­I¡¯m¡­pretty sure¡­I did¡­most of¡­the work¡­¡± In the effort to speak, he lost sight of Saki. His blurry vision darted around from his prone position trying to find her. He expected some retort from her, but she said nothing. Then he heard a thud next to him. ¡°¡­Saki?¡± Yuki forced his head to turn in her direction. He found her body covered in blood and it dripping out into the ground. She panted heavily looking to be in possibly worse shape than him, which he didn¡¯t think possible. ¡°Saki!¡± Chapter 193 - Twisted Expectations In their part of the field, Chariton and Eudokia squared off. Eudokia revealed her Field first, with the snow Field and her simple sword and chain-attached chakram. Stretching again, Chariton didn¡¯t appear to be taking things too seriously and the hints of fear disappeared from him. After he finished, he fixed his sights on her. An eyebrow rose for him as he caught sight of her. ¡°I don¡¯t remember you using a snow Field or wearing something so foreign before.¡± Eudokia narrowed her eyes at Chariton. Her hand tightened around the hilt of the sword. ¡°I don¡¯t remember anything about you. And I don¡¯t expect to after this fight.¡± She threw out the chakram as he activated his power. The ripple through the earth revealed massive mushrooms, floating trees and upside down flowers with their roots exposed, as though reverse planted. Chariton stepped out from around the large trunk of a mushroom with the chakram caught on a wooden pole. As he stepped out more, it was revealed to be an ordinary broom in his hands. ¡°Hopefully, I leave a little more of a lasting impression on you.¡± Fading into the air, Eudokia¡¯s chakram returned to her hand. ¡°I find that unlikely, you¡¯re still just a Second Lieutenant.¡± She saw his military badge, confirming his rank for her. ¡°It only takes a little bit of effort to get the first promotion. You¡¯re still just as unmemorable as before.¡± All MP users out of the academy held the rank of Second Lieutenant, their special status granted them a higher rank than the standard soldier. Rather than getting upset, Chariton only shrugged to her. ¡°I don¡¯t really care about those sorts of things. It¡¯s not like it means much for us. We¡¯re stuck here for life. The only thing of interest is when we get to use our powers.¡± ¡°Sounds like something someone who''s given up would say.¡± ¡°Coming from someone from the privileged upper class, it sounds condescending.¡± Grinning a little, Eudokia noticed his attitude changing. ¡°Braver with your words now. No longer concerned over the difference in our positions?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have a position, if you¡¯re part of the rebels. You¡¯re just a traitor.¡± ¡°Figured as much, the council isn¡¯t saying anything to you down here.¡± Reaffirming her stance, Eudokia leveled her sword at Chariton. ¡°Means if you¡¯re all dead none of this will get back to them.¡± Her eyes sharpened to deadly forms. Chapter 193 ¨C Twisted Expectations ¡®Council? What¡¯s she going on about?¡¯ thought Chariton. He tightened his grip on his broom handle to be ready for whatever she planned. ¡®Is there something going on that I¡¯m not aware about? Does Vangelis know?¡¯ Snow mounded up suddenly in Eudokia¡¯s Field creating a small hill for Eudokia. She ran up along the rising surface as it continued to grow until she disappeared. Moments later, she appeared arriving at the top. Chariton narrowed his eyes a little bothered by her action. He glanced around the area trying to understand her choice. ¡®There!¡¯ Hiding in the shadow of the hill, Eudokia¡¯s chakram flew out towards him. Twirling the broom around his fingers, it spun around in an almost unnatural manner as it never lost or gained any momentum smoothly running around his hand. When the chakram entered into his Field a sudden growth from a mushroom grotesquely stretched out to block its path. The sharp edge on the chakram wasn¡¯t impeded by the attempt, slicing through with nearly no effort. Once it breached the fungus, Chariton leapt into action bringing the broom into his hand. He thrust his broom into the ground, causing the earth to crack and pit a little, allowing him to fling himself into the air. Chariton landed atop the broom head, perfectly balanced. Halfway down the broom¡¯s handle the chakram rattled caught in the open center by the broom. ¡°Aren¡¯t these simple tricks beneath you, Eudokia?¡± ¡°I forgot how much of a fool you were,¡± she retorted. However, a chain appeared from the bottom of her sword¡¯s hilt, quickly materializing in the air and around Chariton. It closed around his arms, wrapping down to his legs until reaching the chakram, leaving it hanging. ¡°If they¡¯re so simple, why are you caught now?¡± ¡°You¡¯re hardly taking this very seriously,¡± commented Chariton. Materializing a rolling pin in his left hand, he turned his hand slightly pressing it against the chains. The rolling pin snapped the chains around him with minimal effort. Chariton dropped back down to the ground, giving his broom a light kick to free it from the earth. Eudokia¡¯s chakram returned to a familiar position with the broom back in hand. ¡°No sense trying too hard right now with how you are.¡± Dropping her chakram, Eudokia jumped down the hill sliding a little through the snow. Tracks lined through the pure white snow as she glided down. The longer she went the longer she seemed to be sliding until it became clear that the hill¡¯s form changed. She kept her momentum coming straight for Chariton. Her sword came up as the distance between them closed. The broom handle shifted down his hand a little, blocking the slash. Eudokia slid around Chariton coming back around at him. Flipping the broom around, he dropped it behind him to parry her next attack. Tiny sparks came off the clash as Eudokia sped on past him. ¡°Putting more into this?¡± Suddenly, snow started to fall in Eudokia Field as large flakes. ¡°I¡¯m doing what¡¯s needed.¡± Snowflakes that fell nearest to Eudokia slowed down coming to a stop. They grew in size spinning in place. The terrain of the snow altered again, pushing Eudokia around towards Chariton. While she began her new approach, the now hand-sized snowflakes flew at Chariton. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Spinning the broom around his neck, he brought it back around to swipe through the air at the projectiles. A few deflected off the hard wood, while the rest imbedded into the handle. He rotated the broom around his body to build up the force as Eudokia came back. Sparks erupted from the clash of the two weapons. Chariton pushed on through with a second broom appearing in his off hand. He thrust out at Eudokia, but she rotated around her sword to throw both weapons into his second broom, knocking it off course. She sped on through, leaving a few more snowflakes to fly at him. They easily fell away with a couple of spins of his broom. ¡°You¡¯re certainly making this interesting.¡± He grinned a little, watching her almost dance around him. The two clashed again. Exchanging swings, neither managed to crack the other¡¯s defense. Eudokia flung her chakram back out at him. It looked like it would be deflected, but spun around the broom¡¯s handle. The chakram ran up the length of the broom, sparking against the surface as it came towards his exposed arm. Chariton still wore his uniform, rather than switching, a sign of his investment in the fight. Extending the broom out further, he brought the end of the handle into his hand with only a few centimeters remaining. Switching suddenly, the broom head disappeared from the front and materialized on the back end just behind his hand. It extended up catching the chakram in the loop before it reached his arm. ¡°Not fighting like you normally do to keep me guessing?¡± ¡°Perhaps.¡± Chariton narrowed his eyes a little judging Eudokia. ¡®This goes beyond just having a few different tricks. Her Law set is completely different from when she was at the South Gate. What¡¯s going on with her?¡¯ The change left him a little bothered, but it was nothing he couldn¡¯t handle. He still waited for her to get serious. Returning to her side of the Field, Eudokia retrieved the chakram. The previous attacks failed. She stabbed the sword into the ground. Her Field rippled and churned up. It quickly turned into sharp points that struck out hardening into ice. The broom passed between his hands quickly and then rolled up his arm, across his chest and back up his other arm. It left behind a trail in the air with its speed and suddenly transformed into a thick blanket. The length of the blanket stretched to reach the length of his arm span. Chariton took a hold of the corners of the blanket, turning it over quickly to wrap itself up. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Jumping back, he got a little distance as the ice spikes shot at him. He whipped the wrapped up blanket out at the first spike breaking off the tip. Dancing around the next spikes, he spun around the blanket to cleave two more spikes with one swing. Then he tossed it over his shoulder and under his arm bringing it back forward to shatter the next spike. Chariton wielded the blanket as if it was a nunchuck, skillfully spinning around his body keeping up the speed and rotation force. Once he finished, the blanket spun around him a couple more times before wrapping around his arm. ¡°You¡¯re going to need something better than that, Eudokia.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve become quite talkative.¡± ¡°And you¡¯ve become quite feminine.¡± Eudokia¡¯s lips thinned to a line. The last comment seemed to have hit a nerve for her. Snow started to cover trees, mushrooms and flowers in Chariton¡¯s Field as part of the disruptions along their Fields. Boiling up into a new wave, the snow lurched forward increasing in speed. She rode along the top of the mound coming after Chariton. An offshoot from the wave broke away from the main one that Eudokia rode. It took a mirrored path to her. Along the ground ice spikes launched up at Chariton. Adding on top, the snowflakes began to grow in size once more. An all out assault looked to be the plan. Chariton unwrapped the blanket from his arm starting his counterattack. He smashed a few of the spikes, but then left it to wrap up around two spikes. He then materialized a broom that pushed into the earth sending him into the air. It allowed him to intercept Eudokia as she came in for the first strike. After the exchange, he landed on the stretched blanket to balance on it. The snow waves roared up into the air. They spread further, becoming loops around him. It allowed Eudokia to maintain a continuous loop jumping between each loop, as she needed. She slid around turning upside down, as she rode the loop. The new angles changed the direction of the combat. It was no longer a two-dimensional fight. All space became an area for attack. He flipped backwards off the blanket with the aid of his broom to give him the rotation he wanted. His offhand pulled out a ladle that caught the tip of Eudokia¡¯s sword. Chariton finished his flip landing on the ground spinning around the broom to counter the next series of sword strikes. Dancing around the confined area with Eudokia, he managed to keep up with her strikes from all directions. Then the rest started its assault. Snowflakes flew it at him between strikes. Chariton dodged the first few by side stepping, but it lined him up for the next round from Eudokia¡¯s sword. The broom turned into a lily pad, acting as a shield completely defusing the attack. Spikes jumped up at him from all sides. His Field dampened their effect. He spun around his broom snapping off the ends while also working in parries to his Eudokia¡¯s attacks. Keeping up his rotation, he deflected a few more of the snowflakes. They spun up almost sounding like metal whirring away. The two kept up the same pace for nearly a minute with no leads made. It seemed as though neither would come out ahead. Their scene truly appeared like a savage dance. Sparks flew up with each exchange providing momentary flashes of lights over the white snow. A slip up had to come eventually. Nothing could last in a perfect state forever between them. The first to make a mistake was Chariton. He found himself slightly further out of position than he wanted. It made it difficult for him to recover in time. Eudokia took advantage of it to make a strong strike, knocking him further out of position. The spikes came up to ruin any balance he had, while snowflakes looked to finish him off. Chariton ground his teeth together at the sight. ¡®Damn¡­this part is still like her, ruthless¡­¡¯ The broom in his hand changed to a fan absorbing the impact of several of the snowflakes, but not all of them. One broke through his defense. He dropped his other broom, supporting him, to allow himself to fall faster. It changed enough of his direction to come away with only a thin cut across his cheek. After everything concluded, they recovered with Chariton finding his stance quickly. He felt the drip of blood down his cheek from the wound. ¡°I see you¡¯re just as skilled, even if you aren¡¯t the same.¡± ¡°You¡¯re only good at defense. You won¡¯t be able to do anything like that.¡± Grinning a little, he made his broom disappear. ¡°Now, you know that one of the things we¡¯re taught is to analyze your opponent. The best method is to have a strong defense while you¡¯re letting them do all of the attacking. It has the added benefit of expending their energy faster than your own.¡± ¡°Only in the case of opponents of equal strengths.¡± He raised his hand up towards his mouth. ¡°True, but I¡¯ve seen enough to get a pretty good read on you.¡± Pressing his index finger and thumb together, he made a loop over his mouth. Chariton exhaled, blowing through the hole creating a surprising amount of bubbles. They quickly filled the air around him expanding out further. Suddenly, all of the bubbles exploded into a mist that covered everything. It was impossible to see anything. They disappeared from the sight of the other. However, quick motions darted through the soup like air. It ended just as quickly. The mist disappeared sharply to reveal Eudokia hanging from the loops of snow. Wrapped around her neck, Chariton¡¯s tightly spun blanket tied off like a noose. Chariton stood atop the loop looking down at the struggling Eudokia, her hands fighting against the blanket at her neck. She gasped for air as it tightened further. ¡°This is going to be the end, Eudokia.¡± He pulled up on the end of the blanket he held. ¡°Unless you get serious.¡± Chapter 194 - Forced Expectations Eudokia¡¯s hands pulled at the cloth tightly spun around her neck. Her teeth ground together trying to struggle. Nothing she did broke its hold. The struggling started to calm down. Less movement came from her body with each attempt. Time continued to pass as tensions mounted. Everything went still. Eudokia stopped moving. Chapter 194 ¨C Forced Expectations Trying to read the scene, Chariton paused in motion to stare down at Eudokia. He had his suspicions. ¡®This can¡¯t be the end. What trick is she playing?¡¯ His hand materialized a broom, lightly rotating it around his fingers. It seemed to carry an odd amount of force with it turning up the air as it spun. A chill entered the air. The temperature rapidly dropped. Frost appeared on the edges of anything it could touch. Chariton saw his breath expand in front of him as white puffs. ¡®She¡¯s planning something¡­¡¯ The spinning broom pulled in the falling snow starting to appear like a white tornado. Crackling sounds ran up from Eudokia. They grew louder and louder. Tension increased with the questions. It was already clear she did something. It only became a question on when she would act. Action came quickly, almost completely carried out in only a second. The blanket shattered as though it were ice. Eudokia began to fall. Her snow Field shattered in the next moment, exploding upwards as Chariton fell down. In the same moment, Eudokia¡¯s direction changed rapidly, ascending suddenly with her sword in hand. His broom ended up being the only reason he survived the surprise attack. Blood arched up from the slash as Eudokia finished. A glimmer of surprise fell amongst Chariton¡¯s pain. Once time resumed passing normally, Eudokia landed on the ground several meters away from Chariton. Their backs faced each other in silence. They just stood for a while not making a move. Eventually, Chariton slammed his broom into the ground to keep himself on his feet. The surprise started to drown out the pain. Frost covered his broom with droplets of his blood. Already patched up, a large nick used to be buried in the broom handle from Eudokia¡¯s sword. It dampened enough of the force and deflected the angle to leave only a shallow wound across his chest. ¡®It was executed so quickly. Going for the kill, merciless and confident¡­that¡¯s the one I remember¡­¡¯ Chariton rotated around his broom to get a look at Eudokia. All he found was her back staring at him. However, it appeared tall and broad as though necessary to carry an unimaginable weight. ¡®She looks different, yet the same too¡­very strange¡­¡¯ The pain in his chest snapped him back to reality. ¡®What am I doing standing here like I¡¯m admiring her¡­¡¯ He straightened himself out, no longer supported by the broom. His eyes winced a little as he covered up from the pain. It looked worse than it felt, not that Chariton believed it. ¡®It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve felt pain like this¡­the routine doesn¡¯t normally follow along these paths. These exceptions are the days we all look forward to, even if we don¡¯t admit it. The days we actually feel alive and not crushed.¡¯ A tap of his foot knocked the broom back up to his shoulder. The frost quickly disappeared from his broom. Chariton started to look more like his previous self. Glancing down at his ruined uniform, he picked at the torn edges of the cloth. ¡°Guess I¡¯ll be needing something else now. I had planned to hold off on it until you got serious, but it can¡¯t be helped.¡± Spinning the broom around, the uniform disappeared. A strangely formal appearing suit, while also dated, replaced his military garb. It had an incredibly poor sense of taste. The striped vest was yellow and pink, bright hues. His double-breasted suit was no more subdued with a mix of red, purple, green, white and cyan. Almost not wanting to be outdone by the style, his pants carried literal swirls constantly moving covering at least ten completely distinctive colors and probably a hundred more that no normal person even knew names for. A fashion disaster understated the criminal appearance he held, and wore as though nothing was wrong. To make matters even worse (which at this point doesn¡¯t even seem possible), the colors flipped and then changed in the span of a few seconds. They couldn¡¯t even stay in one pattern for more than a few moments. It looked like they were scrambling about trying to figure out what actually worked, but none of them actually worked in concert. Therefore, it always failed to achieve anything. Staring too long at his clothes made it seem almost as though he moved without moving. A natural waviness altered his stance without even doing anything. It made for an unsettling sight. One didn¡¯t have to have a love for fashion to actually feel nauseous from a momentary glance. It actually seemed to induce a feeling of seasickness. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Twitching a little, Eudokia only looked at him briefly. It affected her, the same as it did to everyone else. ¡°I had hoped to end this before you did that,¡± muttered Eudokia, ¡°It¡¯s a pain dealing with you.¡± The man in a fashion crisis twirled the broom about, appearing to have recovered completely from this injury. ¡°You could have if you actually got serious. This is only your own fault.¡± ¡°Maybe so,¡± she admitted. Her sword came up as a signal of her preparedness for the next round. ¡°But I won¡¯t need to for you.¡± He grinned back at her. ¡°Oh, are you so sure? If you keep this relaxed attitude about things you might slip up.¡± ¡°If you keep talking it only highlights your cowardice.¡± ¡°Provoking me now? I¡¯ve kept pace with you. I¡¯d think that earned me a little respect.¡± ¡°You have to do more than still be standing against me to earn that.¡± Sighing a little bit, Chariton started to spin his broom around with greater intensity. It began to affect all of the foliage in his Field. Spores from the mushrooms blew about while floating plants drifted away from him. ¡°Still as rigid. Was getting worried everything about you had changed.¡± ¡°Enough with the games.¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess it is about that time, huh?¡± Chariton began to walk forward accepting that their fight continued. He saw how Eudokia tried to focus on him, but glanced away. ¡®This is why I wanted to wait until you were serious. But it should draw you out of your stubbornness. I don¡¯t understand what your reasons are, but you can¡¯t win as you are.¡¯ The whirlwind he built up followed him, while he continued to spin the broom around. He looked almost casual about the whole approach. The waiting and delay ended abruptly as though both signaled the other. They broke into a sprint to charge across the remaining short distance. Eudokia brought her sword up to parry his incoming strike. The broom spun down on her sword with all of the built up momentum. Sparks and an explosive blast of air erupted from the clash in the first second. The next found Eudokia¡¯s sword shatter and the broom carry through. His blow missed Eudokia as she leapt back, already sensing her loss. However, when the broom head rammed into the earth it cratered everything around it into chunks. Stone and chunks of earth flew up along with a wave of dirt knocking Eudokia off balance. Her body flung through the air until collapsing in her snow. Hefting the broom out of the cracked earth, smaller chunks fell down, as it broke free. Chariton spun it around letting the dust trail off the ends. He started to stalk his way over to Eudokia. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t underestimate a broom.¡± The broom came to an end resting up against his back ready again. He rubbed his head a little in his approach. A pencil suddenly appeared resting on the back of his ear. His hand retrieved it, judging it a little, pressed between his fingers. It was sharpened, but otherwise looked ordinary. Eudokia coughed a little, gathering herself together. The pencil came speeding at her, the eraser end first. Snow stretched up to block the attack. A dull thud sounded off. It had a rather anticlimactic end, until it exploded ripping through her snow and ice. ¡°¡­damn¡­¡± The force sent her flying again, tumbling over her Field. Continuing his march, he resumed spinning his broom. However, he allowed it close to the ground, letting it brush over it. Little chunks and pebbles flew across the Field, picked up by the broom. It applied enough force to turn them into deadly projectiles. Still trying to recover, Eudokia managed a loose defense, but the objects were real. The ones that made it through weren¡¯t subdued by her power. They ripped through her clothes and cut into her skin. Minor lacerations were the least of her problems. Eudokia fought to right herself as Chariton came in for the attack. She threw out her chakram as an opening strike. The broom knocked it away with ease. It gave her enough of a momentum to get back on her feet when Chariton swung the broom. Her feet stepped away to dodge the initial strike. A sword formed in each of her hands to counter him. Quick exchanges fired off between them. The weight of the broom pushed her back. Knocked around, Eudokia had to dodge the next series of swings. Converting her weapons into shields to deflect much of the debris tossed up at her. Dragged around by her Field, she moved into a better position. However, she found chalk flying at her. It blew apart her path knocking her to the ground. Eudokia scrambled to get to her feet as Chariton hunted her. She tried to parry him again, but it didn¡¯t last for long. None of his movements could be followed by her anymore. Everything was distorted. He moved like a blur to her eyes. In a moment of confusion, Chariton broke through her defense. The broom hit her dead center in her chest sending her flying through the air. Unlike previous times, there was no control in the way she fell. She dropped to the ground in a most ungraceful manner. A cloud of snow coughed up around her. Eudokia remained still after. Narrowing his eyes, he watched for any reaction out of Eudokia. ¡®I got a clean hit on her that time. It must have hurt a lot for her. She going to be able to continue the fight?¡¯ He rested the handle on the ground, leaving it to crush the earth a little. ¡®She never got serious¡­what¡¯s her game?¡¯ While Chariton filled his mind with thoughts, slight movements came from Eudokia signaling her consciousness. It went ignored by him until he noticed something changed in the air surrounding her. A fog rolled in to begin to mask her out. It was enough to focus his attention back on Eudokia. ¡®Huh? Something new?¡¯ He watched with caution, wondering if she might be actually getting serious. Old experiences with her already made him uneasy every time something different happened. Each chance could be the next time she unveils her true self. He wouldn¡¯t approach carelessly without understanding her motives. Eventually, the fog completely wiped her from sight. It continued to stretch out over her entire Field. The mystery left him even more uncertain about her actions. ¡®I haven¡¯t seen her do this before. Does that mean this is just more of her Law set? But what purpose is this? Our strengths are nearly equal, the fog won¡¯t give her any real cover.¡¯ He tried to keep everything in his sight while he considered the situation. The silent moments left him concerned he missed something. Keeping to his advice of caution, Chariton materialized another broom. He stepped back a little to allow him more room to react to whatever Eudokia tried. ¡°Alright¡­Eudokia¡­¡± The brooms spun around slowly in preparation. The fog began to lift a little. A shadowed figure appeared deep inside. However, through the fog two tiny lights surfaced attached to the figure. The figure remained small and unmoved. Yet the presence it gave off sent chills different from the temperatures. It had a darker, more savage aura. A voice came out from the darkness rough and shaking, but still unmistakably Eudokia. ¡°You wanted to see something more¡­don¡¯t start having regrets now!¡± Chapter 195 - Denied Expectations An odd surge came up from the ground. It sent a chill down Chariton¡¯s back. His hands tensed up, causing the brooms to rotate slower than before. ¡®¡­this¡­presence¡­¡¯ A little sweat dripped down the side of his face. He knew he had an advantage in his disruptive ability, but against Eudokia he still wondered. If she was serious in the fight, it left him with uncertainty. ¡®¡­she¡¯s seen my abilities¡­¡¯ It left him in a difficult position. ¡®¡­she¡¯s an unknown, while I¡¯m an open book for her¡­¡¯ Chariton knew he only kept the advantage against her because she didn¡¯t take him seriously. She held back, as if he was not worthy. Questions increased. Concerns mounted. ¡®What is she hiding behind the fog?¡¯ Chapter 195 ¨C Denied Expectations The fog compressed to the ground. It pooled around the snow, hanging with no desire to leave. It grew thick with a life of its own tumbling over itself. However, it merely laid down a stage. The stage presented the recovered Eudokia low to the ground on all fours. She looked as feral as she sounded. Her previous appearance changed dramatically. The kimono and shorts disappeared in favor of something more for fighting. A black one-piece suit covered her entire body. No details or embellishments lined it. It was simple. Over top, deep blue ice covered all of the critical areas. Her hands and feet were completely buried in ice. Eudokia¡¯s face remained visible, but with a different look in her eye. Her face was thin and narrowed with harsh lines of shadows deepening her features. ¡°This is what you wanted¡­¡± ¡°¡­Eudokia¡­¡± A grim look filled Chariton¡¯s face. ¡®¡­this is¡­¡¯ The appearance of Eudokia gave him back some of his focus. He rotated the brooms around faster knowing that she would be coming after him soon. ¡®¡­she¡¯s still going to have trouble with the disruption¡­¡¯ Ice formed along the sides of her head. It grew out to cover up her eyes. Only faint lights broke free from the deep blue ice. The ice stretched down to cover her nose, forming a mask. The fog suddenly swirled about, disturbed by something. Eudokia leaned back looking ready to jump. However, a blast of snow and fog erupted behind her when she moved. She shot out towards Chariton with greater speed than she had before and quite possibly a normal human as well. Watching her leap forward, Chariton took a step back feeling surprised. He didn¡¯t have enough time to react how he wanted. His brooms came in to block her. The force and weight of her attack made his feet slide a little as the ground gave before his balance. ¡®¡­such power¡­all from that jump¡­¡¯ Chariton pressed back on Eudokia once he re-established his balance. The weight in the brooms forced her back, but she quickly darted around attacking from a flanking position. He couldn¡¯t get almost any rotation on his brooms before she struck again. The timing between her attacks had decreased leaving him short on reaction. He managed to keep up with her, but the pace changed. ¡®She knows that I get greater force from the rotation, she¡¯s keeping me from building any momentum.¡¯ Chariton did what he could to keep up with the changed Eudokia. In the next clash, he saw multiple sparks jumping up from his broom. He had been so focused on dealing with her, that he missed her weapons. Before the snow buried them, but she bore them on him. ¡®Claws¡­¡¯ The ice covering her hands extended beyond and sharpened into blades. Each finger manipulated an individual blade. The ice worked as an extension of her fingers and even kept the same flexibility, never breaking or cracking. Chariton kept watching her movements, trying to read her actions. The quick boosts in speed made it difficult. She even made use of the snow Field as before to keep combat a three-dimensional fight. ¡®Everything is direct and clear, no hesitation or mistakes¡­she overcame the distortion effects?¡¯ Each move she made had him questioning the situation. ¡®That can¡¯t be it¡­¡¯ Blood came up from a blow he failed to parry. The claw marks didn¡¯t cut deep, his clothes provided him some protection. However, their powers clashed tightly together. The stronger power would win in their contest. ¡®If she¡¯s not affected, then she¡¯s taken the advantage, but how¡­¡¯ He still needed answers. The answer would be the only way he could take back his lost lead. However, he wondered if he discovered the answer, if he could find a solution. ¡®¡­I won¡¯t know without the answer¡­¡¯ More cuts appeared on his body, always just shallow enough for him to keep going, but they continued to build up. His formal attire hid the injuries from sight, sealed up after the attacks. He was losing more and more ground with each minute. The battle wore on with Eudokia continuing her lead gained through high speed movements. Chariton¡¯s brooms looked battered, nearly falling apart with his attention toward other things. It took longer for him to recover. Amongst the fighting, he started tossing in other things from his wide arsenal of normally impractical weapons. Chalk tried to put dents in her tracks, but she stayed ahead of his attempt. A frying pan worked as a shield and even gave him a parry that knocked her off him for a moment. It applied enough force to chip her claws briefly. Rope gave his arms a little more protection as he countered her attacks. Mix between attacks, he used some twine to trip her up for a moment. It gave him the chance for a counterattack, but the ice armor dampened the damage significantly. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. When he focused on the fight, he actually managed to keep up, mostly. His thoughts fought with him over the need to figure her out. ¡®At this rate, she¡¯ll win by default. I need something¡­¡¯ In his spare moments, he looked over Eudokia again. The only thing he came out with was the mask she wore, but he already dismissed it. ¡®It can¡¯t be the mask, she¡¯s able to still see me through it. Any disruption the ice creates would only make it harder on her to fight.¡¯ It was his only lead. It still felt like a dead end for him. Chariton deflected the next blow. Some of the motions started to become easier for him to read, but her speed still made it difficult. The broom changed into a deck of cards. He waved the card, palmed, through the air leaving a trail of cards behind. They blocked the incoming strike leaving him a moment to counter. A small plastic loop, only forty centimeters in diameter, rested atop his index finger. When her claws broke through, he caught one of her hands in the loop. The loop quickly shrank in size to fit her wrist perfectly. Her arm suddenly dropped down to the ground, knocking snow away. Following up quickly, the broom spun around once before connecting with her midsection. The force sent her flying into the air. Chariton kept a keen eye on her during the entire motion. She recovered in midair and a blast forced her back towards him. ¡®Still didn¡¯t make any sort of impact even with that much of an opening. I¡¯m going to have to do something more¡­¡¯ He blocked her return strike, before their dance resumed. The constant fighting finally started to leave its marks on Chariton. He felt sweat dripping down his face. His body stuck to his clothes as a reminder. Initially, he worried his mental energy would run out first with the slow paced fighting, however he started to fear physical fatigue more than mental. ¡®Eudokia might be highly trained, but even she has limits physically, she¡¯s got to be having troubles as well.¡¯ If she had troubles, he couldn¡¯t tell from the way she kept up a relentless attack. Fatigue or not, Chariton pushed through any complaints his body sent him. He had to keep focus against Eudokia, she already had him up against the wall. It felt like he was throwing everything at her and barely keeping his head above water in the fight. A slip of his leg left him exposed to a counterattack. Eudokia granted him a fresh wound for the trouble. ¡®Damn, I need to figure something out. I¡¯m running out of tricks. She¡¯s taking everything I¡¯m tossing at her and I¡¯m barely slowing her down.¡¯ Chariton flipped his broom around with the head turning into a light bulb. It flashed brightly in Eudokia''s face to blind her for a moment. Chariton took the chance to summon both brooms and build up some weight in the rotation before slamming them in from both sides of her waist. He followed up with a ladle to knock her flying backwards. While she flew through the air out of control peanuts shot her, turning her in different directions as they hit. Eudokia crashed in the snow shortly after his assault ended, small cracks spread out through her ice, but sealed up quickly. Clenching his teeth together, he saw how little it affected her. ¡®All that and I still only barely cracked the armor?! How much force do I need? I don¡¯t have enough time to build up that much force against her¡­¡¯ He didn¡¯t have much more time to think. Eudokia charged back in taking advantage of his frustration clouding his mind. He tried to dodge out of the way, but already saw it was too late. However, when Eudokia¡¯s attack came it missed by a narrow margin. Chariton stumbled away with some surprise lifting to his face. ¡®What was that?¡¯ He kept up the parries against Eudokia, trying not to let his thoughts overpower him. ¡®She missed me, but it was an easy hit. She hasn¡¯t missed me for any easy opening.¡¯ The question started to consume more of his focus. He lost track of the fight and caught a deep blow on his upper arm. Pain shot up when he moved his arm, but he couldn¡¯t let it get to him. Exchanges played out, continuing on until Chariton noticed another strange action from Eudokia. ¡®She moved more to the left than necessary¡­¡¯ The position pushed her clearly in range of his attack, which he naturally took advantage of the situation. She went tumbling away. Once more, he felt puzzled. ¡®I find it odd she¡¯d make such a mistake¡­I¡¯m missing something¡­¡¯ The battle started to take a new direction. Chariton¡¯s discovery changed his tactics. He read every movement Eudokia made with scrutiny. His victory hinged on him understanding the mistakes she made. It cost him some of the ground he built back, but over the next few rounds, he started to gain an understanding. Enough pieces fell into place for him to make theories to act. Another mistake slipped in for him. It confirmed his theory. He was right about her. ¡®I see¡­¡¯ It made sense suddenly. All of his questions found answers in an instant. ¡®Very clever, she knew my abilities and she must have planned for this beforehand, but it has a weakness. It¡¯s why she¡¯s been so aggressive. She knew I¡¯d figure it out eventually.¡¯ Chariton grinned with his discovery. ¡®It¡¯s checkmate, Eudokia!¡¯ Taking advantage of what he knew, he created an opening for himself. ¡®Your mask provides you a filter against my clothes, something like seeing things in only black and white. It makes all of the colors and variations lessened so you aren¡¯t affected by them. However, it has the drawback of making colors hard to differentiate from others. So if I just make it like the background it¡¯ll seem like part of me disappeared, foreshortened or extended.¡¯ She fell into the trap and he knocked her away. As he took his move, he saw a brief change in Eudokia expression. She knew he figured it out. ¡®I have to end things now. She won¡¯t give me another chance.¡¯ Chariton knocked her back with his broom. A pencil flew at her, the tip pointed at her. She tried to pull up snow to block the explosion, but it already went off. Unlike the last time, blinding light came from it. ¡®Now!¡¯ Chariton¡¯s broom had already been spinning around after he launched her. Wielding his second broom as a vault, he leapt into the air still twirling the broom around to increase the weight. Soaring over top of Eudokia, Chariton took the final spin on his broom. Wind blew out from the sides of the built up momentum. He brought both hands together to swing it down on Eudokia. The force shot her down into the ground, blasting out snow. ¡®Damn, I only managed a dent to the armor.¡¯ He threw down a couple of pencils with the erasers pointed down. They blew up close to the ground, keeping her pinned down as Chariton fell, the second broom already spun. The second broom, swung with one hand, slammed into Eudokia¡¯s back cracking the ice armor. It still didn¡¯t do enough. He had his first broom ready and brought it down again. Chariton kept up the barrage alternating without letting Eudokia a chance to recover. Her body pushed through the snow. The force of the broom started to cause cracks to the ground and crater around, her armor providing her the only protection from the crushing tonnage dropped on her. Each pound of the broom knocked her in deeper. Her limbs jumped up with each hit. Chariton continued in what seemed like a futile effort. No sign made from Eudokia said he did anything to her. The seconds just crammed through with the brutal beating continuing. Suddenly, it all changed with the ice armor shattered. The next hit ripped through the suit underneath exposing her back. Blood jumped up over Chariton¡¯s face. Bone broke skin and likely organs ruptured. Eudokia¡¯s Field disappeared along with her equipment. Her tunic returned, blood already soaking into the material. Eudokia made no movement as the next swing came down for her. Chapter 196 - Failed Expectations Wind blew over the worn grass, left behind from the clashing powers. Scattered over the field, laid the bodies from the aftermath. Crimson color painted loosely the plains with a forced silence. Only the blades of grass moved. Stillness had permeated through everything. Moments became minutes before anything changed. A stirring started before turning into a low groan. They jerked forward taking in a sudden deep breath. Wide-eyed and covered in sweat, it felt as though they went through a horror-filled nightmare and woke just before their death. Once they realized they were alive, pieces started to fall back into place. ¡°Yuki!¡± they shouted, as though it was an announcement or declaration. It was Saki. She saw her body covered in her own blood. Her body felt a little weak and her mind fuzzy, but no pain. The lack of pain, of any kind, made her quickly grab at her skin and limbs trying to understand. Nothing happened, all of her injuries no longer existed. ¡°How?¡± Saki¡¯s mind slowly worked through the process until she realized the reason. ¡°Yuki!¡± She looked around to discover him quickly to her left, lying still. ¡°Yuki!¡± Saki dove in expecting him to wake up to her calling, but he made no movement. It drove home the implications quickly. ¡°Don¡¯t heal me, just to let yourself die!¡± She shook him trying to get anything out of him. Nothing. ¡°No damn it, Yuki! NO!¡± She leaned down trying to listen for a heartbeat. ¡°Come on! I promised you¡­¡± Tears started dripping down her cheeks. She pleaded to hear anything, just for a sign. An echo, maybe not. Saki¡¯s eyes widened suddenly. She heard it. ¡°Yuki!¡± she smiled, looking up towards his face. Her hands tightened up with hope. However, she felt something odd in her hand. ¡°Huh?¡± She opened her hand up to look to see what she held, something she never remembered having. Chapter 196 ¨C Failed Expectations ¡°I¡¯m not dead!¡± exclaimed Yuki, a little surprised himself. ¡°Though I sort of wasn¡¯t so sure this time¡­¡± His body felt sore and in pain, but he was awake. He patted himself to check for injuries, but realized that nothing happened. ¡°Right, no arms¡­¡± The stumps of his limbs, his right sealed up with almost flesh colored metal, a little too white to be real. Cloth wrapped up the left with it soaked through with blood. ¡°Yuki!¡± shouted Saki, just before she fell upon him, hugging him tightly. ¡°You¡¯re¡­alive¡­¡± ¡°Ow-ow-ow!¡± Pain spiked up his body from Saki, even her light grip was too much for him. ¡°As I¡¯m reminded, by the pain I feel¡­¡± Saki jumped a little and pulled back once she understood. ¡°Sorry, I just wasn¡¯t sure what these did!¡± She revealed the container she discovered in her hand earlier. ¡°I just took a chance in hoping that you made them to heal yourself.¡± Making sure everything was still in one piece, Yuki took stock of himself for a moment. He glanced over at Saki, noticing the item he created. ¡°Yeah, I hoped you would understand.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe you, Yuki! How could you take such a risk? What if I didn¡¯t notice in time or didn¡¯t wake up?!¡± ¡°It was the only option I had,¡± he answered, his finger scratched the side of his face, feeling a little sheepish against Saki¡¯s barrage. He remembered a moment later he didn¡¯t have a finger or even an arm and felt even more embarrassed. His arm lowered to his side. ¡°Besides, I believed in you, Saki.¡± The mood suddenly flipped around into a serious atmosphere. Saki found herself unable to say anything back to him. She shifted her eyes around a little in uncertainty. ¡°Well, of course¡­¡± Yuki laughed lightly until his chest told him to stop. ¡°I¡¯m glad.¡± It took a few moments to pass before Saki felt ready to move forward. ¡°Yuki.¡± She looked down at the container that likely held some medicine. ¡°What was it that was in that pill? No normal pill could do all that for you.¡± ¡°Nanomachines.¡± ¡°Huh? I don¡¯t think that sounds like medicine.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not in the strictness sense of the term I guess,¡± mused Yuki. He grinned a little and started to catch himself with the lack of hands. He kept more still. ¡°I knew nothing was going to fix me up from the modern medicine we have. All that could be done for me was decide which flowers to put on my grave.¡± Saki leaned forward, almost shouting at him. ¡°Yuki!¡± she berated, for his casual tone about his latest brush up with death. ¡°Sorry, but it¡¯s true.¡± Yuki hung his head a moment to apologize. ¡°I went with something beyond our technology,¡± he resumed, lifting his head. ¡°Nanomachines. They¡¯re machines too small to see, but perfect for fitting into the human body.¡± Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! A bit of fear and confusion stirred around in Saki¡¯s face. Her eyebrow turned and bunched up together with the wrinkles forming along the bridge of her nose. ¡°So there¡¯s machines inside you? And they fixed you?¡± ¡°Yup! I programmed them with biological repair functions to speed up the body¡¯s recovery. Mainly in my case, they quickly closed up all of the wounds and open blood vessels to keep me from bleeding to death. It¡¯s going to be a little while before I¡¯m feeling better.¡± The powerful little machines Saki held in her hand left her with an amazed expression, after Yuki¡¯s explanation. She tucked them away into her clothes, feeling like they might be important to hold for later. ¡°Will it fix your arms too?¡± Saki was uncertain how sensitive of a subject it would be for him, but she needed to know. Confusion spread across Yuki¡¯s face. ¡°Eh? Of course not! This is science, not magic! It just aids recovery, it doesn¡¯t grow things.¡± She wasn¡¯t sure if he was actually angry about the question or the fact that she didn¡¯t understand the difference. It made her pull away a little. ¡°¡­sorry¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get Ayumi to fix me up the rest of the way. If she wasn¡¯t here I¡¯d have planned for something different.¡± The prompt of Ayumi¡¯s name shifted Saki¡¯s focus. She broke from Yuki to look around at the other battles. ¡°It looks like Haruo is done, but it¡¯s hard to tell. I think¡­they¡¯re talking¡­¡± Her eyes narrowed a bit to squint trying to see him. ¡°Hmm?¡± Yuki tilted his head over his shoulder a little in the direction of Haruo¡¯s battlefield. He strained his vision to see anything. ¡°I can¡¯t see anything more than a couple of figures. How can you even tell anything from this distance?¡± ¡°Huh? You can¡¯t¡­¡± As her voice trailed off, she realized the answer. She looked back at Yuki for a moment. ¡®We¡¯re so different now¡­¡¯ Her body was completely healed, but even before then she looked in worse shape than him. She knew how bad her condition was, yet she knew Yuki was closer to death than her. It made her pause for a moment. The way she looked at Yuki felt strange even though she didn¡¯t want to do so. ¡®He¡¯s so much weaker than me now. I knew it before, but I never really thought about it until now. Can we even walk together anymore?¡¯ ¡°What about Ayumi?¡± Part of Yuki noticed the change in Saki and redirected her attention to something else. ¡°Hmm?¡± Saki perked up a little hearing Yuki say something. He repeated himself for her. ¡°Oh, Ayumi, right. It looked like they were still fighting.¡± She turned her head back in the other direction to check out Ayumi¡¯s fight. A moment passed for her to adjust her vision. ¡°It looks like it is over¡­maybe¡­¡± The distance was still far and Saki had trouble making out all of the details. ¡°No¡­someone¡¯s standing over top¡­of her!¡± Yuki sharply turned about only to regret it a second later. He groaned in pain and forced himself to take things slower. ¡°She¡¯s losing?¡± His eyes tried to see what Saki saw, but it was pointless. ¡°Can you see what¡¯s happening?¡± ¡°I think¡­¡± Saki stood up and began walking in the direction hoping that things improved. ¡°She¡¯s on the ground and that guy is attacking her. It doesn¡¯t look like she can move.¡± Suddenly, something bumped into her shoulder. Turning around, Saki found Yuki standing, though not looking so great. She grabbed him quickly before he went any further. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got to go over there!¡± Yuki¡¯s breath was long and heavy. It was clear standing was difficult for him even after all of the mending. He tried to push forward, but Saki was immoveable. ¡°Saki!¡± She stood her ground with him, needing to be stern. ¡°You¡¯re in no shape, Yuki! I¡¯ll go and put an end to the fight!¡± ¡°I have to go, Saki!¡± he yelled, the effort took some of the wind out of him. It left him pausing to recover. ¡°My body might be poor, but my mind is still sharp! The only reason I lost the fight was because my body failed me, not my mind!¡± There seemed to be a hint of desperation in his words. Even he knew it, but it didn¡¯t stop him. ¡°I won¡¯t let something happen to you, again!¡± ¡°¡­Yuki¡­¡± Flashes of Vangelis went through her mind. She knew what he was talking about. It made her freeze for a moment. ¡°¡­Yuki¡­¡± ¡°Besides, if I¡¯m there I can heal her immediately.¡± The determination in Yuki¡¯s face made it difficult for her to deny him. ¡®The longer we argue the worse it gets for Ayumi. We¡¯re only losing time¡­¡¯ She didn¡¯t like it. ¡°Fine, we¡¯ll go together.¡± Saki extended her hand to Yuki, but then realized the pointlessness of it. Fending off her embarrassment, she turned around to face their destination. They rushed off quickly as Yuki allowed. He knew he slowed her down, but he needed to go. ¡®You¡¯re always saving me. You¡¯re always looking out for me. I¡¯ve yet to do anything for you. Even if it is just once¡­¡¯ Yuki pushed himself a little harder. The closer that they got to Ayumi, the more anxious Yuki became. ¡°What¡¯s happening? Is she doing anything?¡± ¡°No¡­¡± She wanted to lie to him, but it was pointless. They both felt the same unease from the situation. The closer that they got the better view she had of the area. It became clear to her that Ayumi was being pummeled by her opponent with no chance to do anything. ¡®She¡¯s lost¡­¡¯ They felt like strange words to Saki. The person she knew seemed almost invincible. She might have trouble or be challenged, but she always found a way out. It seemed she found the end of the road. The sight Saki saw made her want to keep it from Yuki. She feared the words might be worse than actually seeing it. It could be worse for someone with an imagination. ¡®We¡¯re coming, Ayumi¡­¡¯ However, it didn¡¯t seem that time would wait for them. Saki finally reached the optimum distance for her sight to clearly make every detail out. It was worse than she thought. The scene made her stop. ¡°¡­we won¡¯t make it in time¡­¡± ¡®This¡¯ll end things here! I¡¯ll have executed the traitor!¡¯ The broom came down everything slowing. It seemed like an impossible moment for him. He never thought he would see such a sight. It had to be a dream. However, he had the chance to end things. The closer the broom came to Eudokia the more seemed real. Each frame of time made things clearer. It was real. In the last frame, something smashed into him shattering reality and returning things to a dream. Chariton coughed up a massive amount of blood as he fell back. Everything inside him felt like it had been crushed. ¡®What¡¯s happening?!¡¯ His eyes were still so filled with shock that he could not look. He just knew something ruined everything. Peace shattered, destroyed. The last chance disappeared. Chariton¡¯s body tumbled and rolled over the ground eventually coming to a stop. Falling in the divergent direction was Yuki, his Field disappearing. Blood dripped over his back and head from where he collided with Chariton. Yuki came to a stop, finally on his back, looking up at the sky. ¡°Ugh¡­that hurt more than I thought. I really shouldn¡¯t try to be like Seiji.¡± Saki appeared over at Yuki¡¯s side helping him back up. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you!¡± she yelled, with mixed emotions on her face. He laughed a little. ¡°You¡¯re the one that agreed to throw me.¡± A grin grew across his face before coughing up some blood. The sight frightened Saki. She gripped tighter to him, bringing him over to Ayumi. ¡°But to hit him with your head is just reckless! I wouldn¡¯t have thrown you if I knew you¡¯d do that!¡± ¡°I could cancel his power as I approached, it was the only way.¡± Yuki looked over at Ayumi, while Saki laid him on the ground. Ripples in the ground stretched out. A soft green glow erupted from all of the blades of grass surrounding them. ¡°Check on the other guy too, please.¡± ¡°¡­Yuki¡­¡± Saki reluctantly obeyed. She walked over to see how Chariton¡¯s condition was after Yuki¡¯s attack and the healing he performed on him. Alone with Ayumi, Yuki stared at her for a moment in silence. He stretched out his bandaged arm. A phantom hand appeared in his sight to connect the rest of the way to her. ¡°¡­I protect you for now on¡­¡± Yuki smiled, but his eyes appeared a little melancholic as though his words closed a door permanently leaving him with only one choice. Chapter 197 - Walking Away Familiarity with the scene was becoming a bit of a little redundant thing for everyone involved. A few minutes passed since the second time Yuki passed out. He shot himself up from the grass gasping for air, his mind still remembering his last moments clearly. It took him only a second to realize things had changed since the last time. Yuki glanced around at the view, seeing Saki and Ayumi on either side of him. He thought he might have seen a bit of a glimpse of a smile from Ayumi, but it was gone so fast he considered his imagination. Saki¡¯s smile was real. ¡°¡­Saki¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t help but smile back at her, none of it seemed to have any awareness to him. It just happened. Everything seemed right. It took Yuki another few moments to discover that he had his limbs back. He found himself roughing up his hair, feeling a little awkward in the scene, then realized that it was real. His hands pulled out in front of him and he got excited all over again. ¡°I have my hands?! They¡¯re real!¡± They tightened up and responded to every action. A little amused and a little dry, Saki responded, ¡°You already knew you¡¯d be getting them back.¡± ¡°I know, but still I didn¡¯t have them for a little while. It was real!¡± The awe of having his hands back left him a little distracted. It took Yuki a while to break from the amazement. He flipped his eyes over to Ayumi quickly. ¡°Thanks, Ayumi! How are you feeling?¡± ¡°Fine,¡± she quickly gave. An odd reaction surfaced on her before she turned around and stood up. ¡°We should leave this area quickly.¡± Yuki needed another second, but stood up and agreed with her. ¡°Right, we just need to pick up Haruo!¡± Watching the two walk away, Saki narrowed her eyes a little. She held a bit of a suspicious look, but nothing she had any certain ground to stand. ¡®¡­what was that?¡¯ Unfortunately, the two didn¡¯t give her much time to think. He was already calling out to her. Saki disappeared from her spot with a small ring of dirt from where she used to sit. A moment later, she dropped in next to them, as though always having been there. Chapter 197 ¨C Walking Away The short walk over to the remaining, unchecked, battleground found Ligeia and Iole with Haruo. They all appeared in good condition, though Haruo had some sort of bindings around him that looked like rope, but clearly not. When Yuki arrived with Saki and Ayumi, the two Atlanteans went to defensive positions. Rippling through the ground away from Yuki, he took the lead. ¡°We¡¯ve only come for our friend. You can go get your comrades.¡± After he finished, a long delay fell between them. He knew that he used a language Addendum for them to understand him, but they made no indications of acknowledging them. Yuki stepped forward, but stopped almost immediately. ¡°There¡¯s no need to keep fighting.¡± Both women had their Fields activated prepared for him. ¡°Yuki¡ª¡° Saki tried to speak up, but Ayumi cut her off. Grabbing Yuki¡¯s shoulder, Ayumi pulled his attention away. ¡°You can finish this immediately without needing to resort to words.¡± Narrowing his eyes, Yuki leveled a serious tone at her. ¡°I¡¯m not here to fight and subdue everyone in this country just because a couple people following orders tried to kill me. I¡¯m here to stop those sending them.¡± His voice carried no wavering. ¡°They don¡¯t even have anything to do with this. I¡¯ll fight when it is needed, but things are over for now. More fighting now is pointless.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not how things work here.¡± Ayumi¡¯s hand tightened around Yuki¡¯s shoulder trying to add to her words. ¡°Strength and power are things that must be displayed, they won¡¯t submit to mere words. You are na?ve to think otherwise.¡± Distracted by Ayumi, Yuki¡¯s sight was no longer on the two women. They took the chance to make a move on Yuki while his guard was down. However, they never even made it more than half a meter from their start. A force stopped them from moving. Yuki glanced back at the two of them, a little disappointed. He took a slow pace towards them. ¡°I¡¯m fine with being considered na?ve, but I¡¯m not enough of one to forget my defense.¡± The force holding the two faded into visible light, making it clear Yuki¡¯s power held them. ¡°I¡¯m not so blind to not know how one might think in this situation.¡± He turned his full attention back to the women. ¡°However, neither of you are a match for me.¡± Continuing his slow pace forward, Ligeia Field disappeared suddenly, swallowed up by grass. Her clothes and mechanical bits disappeared with her uniform returning. Iole¡¯s Field shrank to a tiny dot. Yuki turned his eyes to Ligeia first. ¡°You already fought and have exhausted your mental power. You¡¯re still mentally fatigued and unable to maintain your power.¡± Swapping over to Iole, Yuki continued, ¡°You are nowhere near my level. I¡¯ve already neutralized most of your Field and I¡¯m not even using a single Fold.¡± Iole caught herself gasping in surprise at Yuki¡¯s words. Her eyes grew wide, understanding the weight of the situation. It took nearly all of the fight out of her eyes. However, Ligeia leaned forward. ¡°You can¡¯t scare me! It¡¯s our duty to stop you! Don¡¯t give up, Iole! Think about the Captain!¡± She knew it was a soft spot for her. It worked just like she thought, bringing the light to her eyes. ¡°We won¡¯t bend! You¡¯re just as weakened as me after fighting Vangelis! You won¡¯t last!¡± Yuki ground his teeth together listening to her. His features hardened suddenly as he stared at the two. They reflected back in his eyes. ¡°You really want to test your theory? I stood against him and still stand now, do you really think you can defeat someone he could not?¡± His words carried heavier weight to them than even Saki was used to hearing. The two remained silent once more. It seemed Yuki¡¯s words left them with a decision that they didn¡¯t want to make. While they thought, Yuki lowered his attention to Haruo. ¡°You can break free right?¡± A moment of silence for Haruo seemed oddly short for him. ¡°Haven¡¯t tried.¡± He looked around at the bindings that wrapped around his upper arms over his chest. Another set he felt, tied up his wrist behind him. It gave him no room to move, adjusted perfectly to fit him. ¡°Give it a try. We¡¯re going to be leaving.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Haruo stood up from his formal kneeling position with no effort. A brief struggle played out with the bindings, but Haruo won quickly. The bindings snapped and dropped at his feet. Once freed, he walked over to join Yuki¡¯s group. Yuki looked back at him, while he shifted to a background scene. ¡°You know you could have done that a while ago and returned on your own.¡± ¡°No reason.¡± Sighing, Yuki managed a shrug for Haruo before returning to the two women. ¡°Alright, decision time is up.¡± The expression on Yuki¡¯s face turned serious once more as he stared at them. They carried some unease with his return. ¡°I¡¯ve made your decision for you.¡± Such words made them flinch a little, not certain what he might have decided for them. The mist around them tightened a little. Unease no longer was enough. Panic settled in to stay. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Yuki walked forward to them, as the mist began to undulate. He continued past the two and motioned with his hand for the others to follow. The mist turned around and then snapped out sending both of them flying away from the group. ¡°Let¡¯s get some distance from this area.¡± Suddenly, a new ripple went through earth. A circular disc rose from the grass gaining substance and lifting the four into the air. Once it took its final shape, it hovered a half meter off the ground with pale lights running around the wide cone shape beneath the disc. It sped Yuki¡¯s group off in the direction of the Capital. Left behind, Iole and Ligeia made the only choice they could. They went to check on the others from their team. They found Chariton unconscious, but still very alive. To their surprise, he looked fully healed of any injuries he took from his battle with Eudokia. Neither knew what it meant, but tried not to question it for long. The three trekked over to Vangelis, also unconscious. Iole went over to check on him. ¡°He¡¯s completely healed like Chariton. Why are they doing this?¡± She moved her hand over to check on his vitals. It all confused Ligeia. Her battle with Haruo was strange. The end felt weird. She found an odd sensation from it all. ¡°They weren¡¯t like what I expected. What¡¯s Eudokia doing here? What is she planning?¡± ¡°Ligeia,¡± called Iole. Her silence in checking Vangelis went ignored by Ligeia. ¡°Ligeia.¡± ¡°What? I can hear you.¡± ¡°Vangelis is dead.¡± ¡°What?!¡± She dropped Chariton without a second thought and rushed over. Her doubt in Iole¡¯s findings made her check Vangelis'' body for signs of life. No pulse ran through his neck or arm. Her hand could feel no beat in his chest. She felt a strange need to deny everything and summoned her Field. Her eyes stared intently at the device on her arm, waiting for the readouts. It failed to deny reality. Ligeia fell away from Vangelis¡¯ body to sit loosely. ¡°His body¡¯s in perfect condition, but there¡¯s no life. Why?!¡± ¡°They must have healed him after his death,¡± answered Iole, her words came a little empty. Pulling her head back, she struggled with the confusion. ¡°Why would they heal him if he was dead!? Why did this happen?!¡± Several kilometers away from their field of battle, Saki stared off in the distance. Her eyes remained fixed on where they came from. Her mind hung busy in thought. ¡°Lie down,¡± replied Saki, flicking her finger at Vangelis¡¯ forehead. Vangelis coughed up blood as his body flipped backwards. Blood sprayed from his nose and from a crack in his forehead. He collapsed to the ground unmoving. A grim shadow came over her face as she tossed the memory away. Saki shook herself free from the path behind and looked forward. Her eyes fell upon Yuki, his expression softer and hopeful. Her lips thinned into a line. It was a while before she rejoined the conversation. Ayumi debated the finer points of Yuki¡¯s naivety, something Saki knew was a difficult subject to fight without feeling like running into a brick wall. ¡°¡­which brings me back to my original question. Why did you just leave like that? They¡¯ll just come back.¡± Ayumi didn¡¯t seem to mind crashing into the wall. ¡°They already made their choice before Haruo was freed. They just couldn¡¯t make the choice that they wanted.¡± Unlike before, Yuki actually explained his actions to Ayumi. It visibly bothered her, but she got what she wanted. ¡°Their duty or honor, whatever to the military, prevented them from making the choice. So I made it so that they could without further losing face. They lost to us and lost sight of us.¡± ¡°And you think it¡¯ll be that easy? They¡¯ll keep coming after us.¡± ¡°Yes, I know that. Which is why we¡¯re traveling like this.¡± He pointed down to the device made vehicle they rode. ¡°We¡¯ll get to the Capital faster this way and avoid more pointless fighting. However, this won¡¯t be the end of it, will it?¡± The almost omnipotent stare Yuki dropped on Ayumi made her annoyed. ¡°No.¡± Glancing between the two of them, Saki felt like she missed something important. ¡°Did I miss something? What are you talking about?¡± ¡°The elite,¡± spoke Haruo, an odd person to get the answer. He shifted back to the foreground to join them. ¡°Every group, people, species, organization has the ones that are better than the rest. The ones that succeed without effort, the ones born with talent. I doubt the people here are any different.¡± Yuki nodded in agreement. ¡°He¡¯s right. As powerful as Vangelis was, I know there is someone more powerful standing at the top.¡± His voice became rough by the end, as thoughts turned to someone that they all knew. ¡°But he¡¯s not the only one. There are plenty of others stronger and more monstrous than Vangelis ahead of us.¡± He tilted his head around towards the unseen capital. ¡°Huh? How do you know this? I thought Ayumi had been keeping everything to herself.¡± ¡°She has been,¡± Yuki responded quickly. Directions shifted back to her. ¡°But it¡¯s an obvious conclusion to reach. It¡¯s a standard plot device.¡± Saki jumped up to her feet to whack Yuki for his delusions. ¡°Yuki, this is the real world, not one of your manga!¡± Ayumi¡¯s hand came out in front of the two to halt Saki. ¡°Ayumi?¡± ¡°I wish I could agree with you, but Yuki¡¯s correct on this matter.¡± ¡°Seriously? This is Yuki and his wild ideas again!¡± ¡°Hey! Haruo agreed with me and you¡¯re attacking me!¡± No denial came from Ayumi. It left Saki to return to her seat. Once things settled down, Ayumi spoke, ¡°The ones you¡¯re talking about are part of the Omega Division.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like the sound of that,¡± Saki inserted. ¡°Sounds appropriate. This is the organization with the best?¡± ¡°Yes, the Omega Division only deploys with orders from the council, the King or General of the Army. Most of their missions are capturing or subduing other Meso Prosecho.¡± ¡°So they¡¯re used to fighting, unlike those we¡¯ve fought.¡± ¡°But they¡¯re all soldiers, aren¡¯t they all used to fighting?¡± questioned Saki. ¡°You realized, huh?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m more observant than you give me credit for. Vangelis was skilled and knew what he was doing, but he¡¯s one of the exceptions, right? A border patrol protecting the edge against normal humans, which already puts people to sleep is hardly much real practice. Atlantis I can¡¯t imagine has many threats, so they just waste their time away.¡± ¡°Correct,¡± Ayumi confirmed. ¡®I didn¡¯t expect this much from him. He plays the fool too well...how much is he hiding from me?¡¯ She glanced around quickly, still reading the scene from the others. Haruo remained quiet, but alert and too keen. Saki was the weak point. ¡°If you didn¡¯t give the impression of a fool, people wouldn¡¯t think less of you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m less concerned over people¡¯s opinion of me. It just means they can¡¯t see the truth.¡± His words made Ayumi narrow her eyes. She wasn¡¯t sure if those words were meant for her or a general statement of his personal philosophy. Regardless, she moved things along. ¡°Was it your observations that taught you about Folding?¡± The word popped up in Saki¡¯s mind. She recalled him mentioning it. ¡°You used the word before, Yuki. Did you learn something from your fight?¡± ¡°Yeah, I learned I need to ask more questions.¡± He stared at Ayumi, rather than meeting Saki¡¯s gaze. ¡°Huh? What are you talking about?¡± ¡°I gave you what you needed to survive. You¡¯re the one not interested in learning anymore.¡± ¡°True, it was my fault for being passive about things until now. I didn¡¯t care about your situation or what you wanted with me. I just wanted my life back, so I didn¡¯t bother getting any deeper. That¡¯s my fault. Now that I¡¯m here, I¡¯m regretting that.¡± ¡°Regret won¡¯t change things.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Saki leaned in between the two. She felt the increasing tension. ¡°Hey! What¡¯s Folding?¡± They both looked at her without saying anything. It almost felt like they were communicating to her telepathically. The attention made her face a little red, but she pushed through forcing a stubborn look. Yuki gave in first and leaned away a little. ¡°From what I saw, it¡¯s a technique to compress their Field and increase their power. The way Vangelis talked, it doesn¡¯t sound like most can do more than one of them, but he could do it three times.¡± ¡°Is the change that significant?¡± ¡°For you no, but for me yes.¡± ¡°So you¡¯ve figured it out?¡± inquired Ayumi. ¡°Sort of, but I don¡¯t know what sort of measurement you have for the difference between one Fold or two.¡± ¡°Each Fold reduces the radius by half.¡± ¡°I see, then I still have a way to go then.¡± Ayumi remained still thinking about what he said. ¡®If he can actually complete a Fold the power he would have¡­¡¯ Her thoughts carried her away for a moment, but Yuki dragged her back to reality. ¡°While you¡¯re in an answering mood, I want to know something.¡± The already serious mood managed to turn even more serious. Yuki made it clear he wasn¡¯t going to accept anything, but an agreement from Ayumi. Understanding Yuki¡¯s stance, Ayumi nodded to him. ¡°Fine, what is it?¡± ¡°I want to know more about you and your people. I can¡¯t be going into this blind anymore.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a long story.¡± ¡°We have time. You can start with those people back there. They knew you from the South Gate.¡± Yuki leaned in a little, as did Saki. Both were very interested in hearing about her past. ¡°Tell me about your time with them.¡± Chapter 198 - Delusional Fantasies A spring morning like any other, it was calm and soothing. Gentle winds let the trees play. Slightly chilled air forced warmer clothes. It was a normal day in Atlantis. Everything had just begun. The possibilities were endless. That was what she hoped for anyway. The South Gate Headquarters stood before her, as tall and majestic as always. It had the classical design the military maintained in all aspects of their presence. Behind the traditional appearance held modernisms for the comfort of the soldiers. Everything needed to protect Atlantis from the outside world. It was the wall of Atlantis and its shield and protector. Assignment to the border patrol was a duty nearly all took, unless circumstances allowed them to be exempt. Border duty was an honor. It was the greatest pride a soldier should have. They were on the frontlines of protecting the citizens from the dangers of the world beyond the barrier. It was a noble cause everyone supported and stood behind. It was something no one could doubt or see fault in taking. The distinguished honor was proof of loyalty, duty and devotion to one¡¯s country and King. Any achievements earned in the line of duty were highly regarded accolades. They were proof of one¡¯s ability. It was for those reasons she stood at the stone path into the South Gate. She needed that proof before she returned. ¡®I¡¯ll be back, father. I¡¯ll show them my worth!¡¯ The young Atlantean girl, dressed in a white military uniform, took her first step into the compound. She had a small smile on her face. Excitement triggered each of her steps. All of the stories she heard about the Gates created a fantastical image in her mind. ¡®It¡¯ll be different from the Academy. These are men and women serving their country. All of the prejudice and immaturity won¡¯t be here. Everyone here has to work together to keep Atlantis safe!¡¯ Her past was behind her. She didn¡¯t have to worry about her appearance or status. Everything would work out. Chapter 198 ¨C Delusional Fantasies ¡°Who are you?¡± asked a female senior officer. ¡°Yeah, who are you?¡± interjected Yuki, cutting off the story. Time jumped back to the present, with everyone gathered closely by Ayumi with heightened curiosity. The normally stone-walled Ayumi, whose past was more of a mystery than Tamamo-no-Mae, was actually revealing her secrets. Yet, her story was too strange to believe, by Yuki¡¯s judgment. Appearing a little put off by Yuki¡¯s interruption, Ayumi tried to push through. ¡°I said, I¡¯m the new¡ª¡° ¡°Are you really expecting us to believe this?¡± Yuki looked around at the others to try to gain some support. ¡°Right? Guys?¡± Haruo remained silent, not a surprising course. He would be of no help. However, Saki looked uncertain, possibly skeptical. Yuki leaped on it, regardless of the truth. He placed himself almost uncomfortably close to Saki to force something out of her. ¡°W-Well, it is a little¡­out of character?¡± ¡°See, I¡¯m right!¡± Yuki turned back to Ayumi, emphasizing his point with his clenched fist. ¡°Who¡¯s going to be believe this sweet little girl is the cold, merciless Ayumi we all know!¡± He presented an image pulled from her introduction of the little girl, she claimed to have been. Redness surfaced in Ayumi¡¯s cheeks. She ripped the paper from Yuki¡¯s hand and crumpled it up, before chucking it off behind her to disappear far into the distance. ¡°It is embarrassing for me as well, but what I¡¯m telling you is the truth!¡± Ayumi stretched out from her seated position to confront Yuki directly. Her eyes said she was serious, but her face still blushed deeply. A moment of silence carried out between the two, staring intently. Yuki lost the fight and backed away, looking a little away. ¡°You can¡¯t start going Tsundere on me now! You¡¯re tsuntsun!¡± ¡°¡­Yuki¡­¡± bemoaned Saki, before she whacked him in the back of the head. ¡°Hey! You don¡¯t even know what I¡¯m talking about!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I hit you because I knew what it meant.¡± ¡°Right,¡± nodded Yuki. He slowly turned back to Ayumi planning to resume his debate, but stopped. ¡°Wait¡­¡± Yuki looked back at Saki, who did not meet his gaze. His eyes widened in realization. Clearing her throat, Ayumi interrupted, ¡°Can I continue?¡± Saki had Yuki distracted enough that Ayumi accepted his silence as a forfeit of his platform. The eleven-year-old child stood before a towering woman. (Hey!) She clearly saw the senior officer badge attached to her uniform. It was hardly the first time she saw someone of such station, but the woman held a fierce look. The look killed everything in the girl in that instant. She hardened her features. She was a soldier. Certain manners and discipline was expected of soldiers. The girl had to obey how the system worked. ¡°I¡¯m the new graduate from the academy. I¡¯ve been assigned to the South Gate.¡± ¡°Right, I heard about you from the Captain.¡± The woman looked the girl up and down, what little of her there was to examine. The child still had time to grow and be carefree, yet she was already a soldier. Life of those like her was just the same as those older. They received the same treatment, ignoring anything about maturity. It remained unusual to send a child out to the border, even if they were accepted as a soldier. Such duties waited until they finished growing. ¡°Can¡¯t believe they¡¯re sending us children now.¡± This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. The child recognized the stare well enough. She experienced it repeatedly in the Academy. The reason was numerous, but the stare was always the same. ¡°I¡¯ll pull my own weight, ma¡¯am!¡± Despite her stature and age, she held the same trained look from any soldier. ¡°You better. The reports claim you were at the top of your class, even among older cadets. Don¡¯t let Academy life make you think you know what you¡¯re doing out here. The demands of the patrol are nothing like what they trained for you. Just because you were good in practice doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re ready for this. You have to prove your usefulness out here.¡± ¡°I will, ma¡¯am!¡± She saluted the woman, never breaking from her determination. The senior officer stared down at the girl in silence. Her eyes read for any flicker or motion. She wanted a read on the child. ¡°You act confident, but we¡¯ll see how long that lasts. I don¡¯t know what Command is thinking putting an eleven year old in charge of a squad, even with your marks. I¡¯ll be watching you, Second Lieutenant Eudokia.¡± ¡°I understand! I¡¯ll meet your expectations, Lieutenant Commander Athene!¡± One of Athene¡¯s assistants appeared from behind the woman. The young man stepped forward to replace his superior. While Athene fell into the shadows, eventually departing, her assistant presented Eudokia with her lodging assignment. ¡°Second Lieutenant Eudokia, you have been assigned to Barracks M. You will find your squad, the South 241st Squad, in the same barracks.¡± Eudokia listened in silence to the man citing her orders. Her eyes read into his expression, while her ears pulled apart the variance in his tone. ¡®The same eyes, but there¡¯s fear as the source¡­and a little jealousy.¡¯ She saw his black uniform only carried a badge marked as Sergeant. He was a regular soldier, forced to start at the bottom and over a decade older than her. Life wasn¡¯t fair. Fate wasn¡¯t equal. The barracks were easy to find for Eudokia. In the course of her walk, she passed many soldiers along the way. None of them knew her, but it did not stop them from looking as she passed. They all had the same reaction, bewilderment. ¡®Barracks M,¡¯ she noted to herself, when she reached the building. It had the same well-maintained appearance as every other building. It looked like it could stand for another millennia without change. She pushed open the door, needing to put all of her weight into the effort. It creaked with her entrance. Light bled into the floor surrounding her shadow. ¡®This is where I¡¯ll find my squad¡­¡¯ Eudokia stood in the threshold searching out for signs hinting to her squad. Her appearance stirred the soldiers resting. They all called their attention to her the moment they realized a child was in their barracks. Those still uninterested were tapped or nudged to get their attention. ¡°Someone let their kid into HQ?¡± ¡°Idiot, that¡¯s a MP.¡± ¡°Woah, you¡¯re right. She¡¯s got their white uniform.¡± ¡°Sure it¡¯s not some guy¡¯s kid dressing up?¡± ¡°Like she could fit their uniform.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen one so young before.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t they usually stay in the Capital at that age?¡± ¡°What¡¯s she doing out here?¡± They were only whispers, but Eudokia heard them well enough. She grew accustomed to such voices. However, she was lost. ¡®He purposely didn¡¯t guide me,¡¯ she realized. Her eyes scanned the area trying to sort out any identification, but none of the squads had any markings. ¡®Shouldn¡¯t they mark where each squad is?¡¯ Resorting to the only option, Eudokia stopped in front of one of the soldiers. ¡°I¡¯m looking for the 241st Squad.¡± She gathered several blank stares and empty looks. It took a little while for a soldier to lift an arm and point in the direction. ¡°Thank you.¡± Eudokia marched off with a new direction. ¡°What was that about?¡± ¡°Is she getting assigned to the 241st?¡± ¡°They did have their MP transferred back to the Capital.¡± ¡°I feel bad for them. Getting a helpless child as their MP.¡± Ignoring the comments, the five cots assigned for the 241st Squad revealed themselves. She stopped in front of the middle of the cots. In silence, Eudokia stretched her eyes over the four members of the squad. They lazily lounged in their spaces. None of them seemed very interested in her presence. ¡®These are soldiers? They don¡¯t look anything like Atlantean soldiers. They just look¡­bored¡­¡¯ It might have been that they couldn¡¯t deploy until they received a MP. So they were forced to do nothing while waiting. It might have been the way they handled their off time. Eudokia didn¡¯t know the reasons, she would understand in time. ¡°This is the 241st?¡± She received no recognition from any of the four soldiers. ¡°I ask¡ª¡° One of the men shifted in the cot making it groan under his weight. He slowly made an effort to get out of his bed and worked over to the short Eudokia. Even at a slightly above average height, the man in the black uniform towered over her. ¡°Who¡¯s asking, kid?¡± His tone ignored any respect due between them. In his eyes, he saw only a child, one that bothered him. Eudokia narrowed her eyes reading the man for a moment before responding. She never flinched despite his efforts to appear intimidating. ¡°I¡¯m Second Lieutenant Eudokia, Lieutenant Sergeant,¡± Eudokia declared with intent to curb some of his insubordination. The Lieutenant Sergeant didn¡¯t take her attempt at throwing around her rank well. A wrinkle appeared around his nose. ¡°I earned my rank, Second Lieutenant. I don¡¯t appreciate our new White ignoring who¡¯s actually in command here.¡± Unaffected, Eudokia continued, ¡°I¡¯m glad you appreciate the chain of command. I¡¯ll expect you to obey my commands.¡± The man took a step back, a little surprised by the child''s unwillingness to back down and bold declaration. He caught himself in a fit of laughter, which spread around to the other three soldiers. Nearly a minute passed before they recovered themselves. ¡°You¡¯re funny, kid. Like I said before, you might out rank me, but I¡¯m the one in command. I¡¯m the Squad Leader, you follow my orders.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll find that you¡¯re working on outdated information, Lieutenant Sergeant.¡± Eudokia retrieved her transfer papers along with her new command papers. She presented them out in front, purposely keeping them low. ¡°I¡¯m the new Squad Leader of South 241st Squad effective today.¡± The man leaned down suddenly, no longer feeling secure in his position. Her declaration also silenced the other three and even garnered the attention of the rest of the barracks. It had everyone taken back. ¡°Can¡¯t be¡­¡± He stared at the papers, almost expecting them to be hand drawn in with finger paints, but they were official. Even the General¡¯s stamp sat at the bottom. Eudokia stared up at the man. ¡°I expect you to follow my every command, Lieutenant Sergeant.¡± Chapter 199 - Isolation The three other soldiers all looked around at each little dumbfounded. Eudokia¡¯s declaration was absurd, yet she held proof. They didn¡¯t know what to do. However, each of them caught a narrowed eye from Eudokia. It gave them an unsettled feeling of command. It felt weird coming from a child, someone half their age. Child or not, she was their superior in both rank and deed. While MPs out ranked most soldiers, it was a rarely honored respect. Eudokia silently demanded it from them. It compelled them to comply. They moved an awkward walk to the front of the cots coming to attention. ¡°We apologize for our disrespect, sir!¡± The Lieutenant Sergeant slowly turned his head towards his men in disbelief. ¡°You¡¯re calling that thing ¡®sir¡¯?!¡± He wanted to forget he even heard their words. It all had to be a dream. ¡°But sir, she is the new Squad Leader.¡± ¡°They are orders from command, Nikon. If you disobey them, you¡¯ll be punished.¡± Nikon ground his teeth together listening to them squawk. ¡°You bastards! I¡¯m your Squad Leader! We¡¯ve been together for a year and this is the respect I¡¯ve earned from you?¡± His yelling had the entire barracks watching, not that it wasn¡¯t already. The attention made him sweat or possibly the looks of pity from his men. Looking back down at Eudokia, it only made his blood boil more. Her expression looked nothing like a child. She demanded respect and his compliance. It grated on him. ¡°You¡¯re coming with me to the Captain¡¯s office! We¡¯re getting this mistake resolved now before your charade goes any further!¡± Chapter 199 ¨C Isolation ¡°What do you mean?!¡± Nikon slammed his hands down on the desk once more. ¡°This isn¡¯t something I can discuss with his assistant.¡± He glared down at the young man, probably no older than him. The whole time Eudokia remained silent, merely watching everything play out. She was the first to notice when Captain Simonides appeared from the hall. He managed to sneak up on everyone else. Surfacing near the side of the assistant¡¯s desk, he interrupted the yelling, ¡°Things are quite noisy out here.¡± There was a lighter tone mixed in with his commanding voice. Nikon immediately went still as he realized the Captain stood nearby him. He came to attention shortly after, knowing his place. ¡°I apologize for my rude behavior, sir!¡± Narrowing his eyes, Simonides took in the area before responding. ¡°That is of less concern to me right now. What is the reason for your being here?¡± Driving straight to the problem, Nikon hesitated a little. It took him a few moments to react. Paper in hand, he handed it over to Simonides. Simonides glanced over it for a moment. ¡°There something wrong?¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± He glanced over at Eudokia briefly and back at the paper. The orders disappeared in his hands. ¡°I see, let¡¯s move this to my office.¡± He motioned sharply at the two to follow him before he turned around. Once inside, Nikon explained his complaint to Simonides. ¡°I see.¡± He looked over at Eudokia, whose head was about the only thing that broke above the desk. Still, she remained silent. ¡°I¡¯ll grant you the unusual nature, but the orders are real.¡± ¡°Captain?!¡± ¡°Second Lieutenant Eudokia here was granted this request.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be serious! Sir.¡± Pulling out a file from behind his desk, he placed his hand on the closed file. ¡°The top cadet each year from the academy is granted a command of their own with them picking the posting.¡± Nikon glared down at Eudokia with some jealousy in his eye. In front of the jealousy though was doubt, stubborn unmovable doubt. ¡°What¡¯s that got to do with her?¡± Simonides sighed to himself. He read the scene already and didn¡¯t want to spell it out. ¡°This year¡¯s top cadet was Eudokia.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not possible! Besides being a child, she¡¯s one of them. They aren¡¯t allowed to participate.¡± ¡°It would seem you¡¯re misinformed, as many are about the academy.¡± It was a common misconception due to the way things worked. When it did happen it always appeared like a miracle, an impossibility and easily forgotten, likely intentionally. ¡°MPs are allowed to participate. Anyone in the academy can do so, but due to the system in the academy it is very rare for it to happen.¡± A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of any MP achieving it.¡± ¡°You know at least one other, everyone does.¡± ¡°Sir?¡± ¡°General Demosthenes Alexander was the last one to achieve the honor of top cadet.¡± ¡°The General? Of course, it would make sense he would. There is no one greater than him.¡± ¡°Besides the King,¡± Simonides added. ¡°But she¡¯s just a kid, sir!¡± ¡°The military does not distinguish between age when it comes to them.¡± He glanced over at Eudokia, who still said nothing while the entire conversation carried on. Any normal child would have been unable to stand still or even withstand the barrage of voices. She didn¡¯t react to anything. ¡°You went through the academy, so you know the training required to pass. She completed it at her age, surpassing everyone else. Remember that, Lieutenant Sergeant Nikon.¡± Nikon realized then he had nothing left. ¡°Yes, sir!¡± He came to attention and saluted. Dismissed, Nikon marched out of the room. He had Eudokia following behind him. It took until leaving the building for Nikon to turn back. ¡°Listen here. You may be the Squad Leader, but that doesn¡¯t mean I acknowledge you. I¡¯ll be watching you and the moment you screw up your ass is mine!¡± After he said his piece, Nikon quickly marched off, likely to fume more about his misfortune. Eudokia watched him leave, allowing enough time for him to disappear before slipping out of her stance. She sighed heavily and ran off in the opposite direction. It hardly mattered to her where she ended up, just so long as she was alone. Empty fields just behind headquarters was where she found herself. There were a lot of green fields in Atlantis, most of the land was very similar. However, each area still felt different. Eudokia certainly felt the difference in the South Gate. She fell over eventually tired of moving. Her face landed in the grass with only her arm as a pillow. ¡®This is completely different from what I was expecting!¡¯ Her body trembled thinking back. The scenes replayed through her mind endlessly. She tried to think of any way to have done things differently. None of the results turned out in her success. ¡®It was all I could do. I have to appear strong. They¡¯ll just see me as a child¡­¡¯ Eudokia knew it was going to be difficult, but she hadn¡¯t mentally prepared for the oppressive nature. She thought the academy¡¯s cruelty was terrible, yet the aura she felt from everyone didn¡¯t have the same feel. It somehow felt worse. Hours passed until the morning turned to afternoon. Eudokia returned to the barracks. Her presence remained something of a wonder-filled show. A child charged with leading a team of adults. They all waited to see how long the show lasted. They took bets behind her back on when she would break, something that took her months to discover. Another routine patrol came for the 241st Squad. Eudokia had her team lined up in the courtyard near their exit. She paced down the four members. ¡°Corporal Hilarion,¡± she called, in a clear penetrating voice. ¡°Yes, sir!¡± the young man replied. He was the tallest of the group. While he listened to every order Eudokia gave, he did enjoy towering over her trying to push her. It never worked, something he did poorly to hide his disappointment. ¡°Corporal Hestia.¡± The only woman in the squad piped up, ¡°Yes, sir!¡± She saw nothing in common with Eudokia and actually kept more of a distance from her than the rest of the team. It was always difficult to tell what thoughts turned behind her eyes. Eudokia felt the woman judged her with every slight glance in her direction. She had the feeling she was the least approving of her as leader, even more than Nikon, which seemed difficult to believe. ¡°Corporal Daidalos.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Daidalos fell in line quicker than the rest with Eudokia¡¯s new command. She felt he was scheming things along with Nikon, but never saw any proof of it. He went along with the flow, but there was something unsettling about him. Eudokia just could never place a finger on what caused her intuition to decide it. ¡°Lieutenant Sergeant Nikon.¡± ¡°By the book again,¡± he muttered, ¡°Yes, sir!¡± It was merely by rank that he was Eudokia¡¯s second in command. She would have picked someone else if she could, he was the most verbally disruptive and insubordinate of the group. Yet she preferred it that way, it made it easier to read him than the rest of the group. Eudokia always knew where she stood in the group by his actions. It was an odd measuring stick to have. Eudokia turned around. Her hand motioned to the gatekeeper to open the massive stone doors. The doors looked impossible to move and hardly practical, yet when activated they moved with fluid grace as though part of nature. They made not a single sound, eerily so, more signs of the construction done by MPs. Stepping out, she motioned to her team. ¡°Corporal Hestia, you have point.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Hestia hustled to the front leading the team out. Everything carried out in routine. Nothing out of the ordinary happened. It had been six months since the last intrusion and it was only one scientist. It cleaned up quickly with no support needed. Most of the soldiers couldn¡¯t remember any other intrusion. Only soldiers with more than one tour actually had other stories of intrusions. It was rare for more than a handful of soldiers to have actually been present at an intrusion. Days continued to pass evenly for Eudokia. Those with early bets lost them as she outlasted most of the pessimistic estimates. She became a bit of a legend among the South Gate as word spread further. More soldiers joined trying to guess what would break her. Eudokia walked briskly through the courtyard, ignoring all of the glances, half stares and fake ignored looks. She had grown used to it. The feel was truly different from the academy. She almost preferred to have been back at the academy, as no one was mature enough to hide what they felt. It was always in the open and you understood everyone¡¯s place. Her new world was a silent cold war. She always had to remain vigilant. She came to a stop, not quite to her destination. Her eyes caught sight in time, an irregularly shaped form of stone extruded out from the normally smoothly polished walkway. Eudokia walked around it, but discovered another, followed by more. ¡®Another MP is somewhere nearby.¡¯ Carefully, she scanned around the courtyard. There were too many for her to know who caused it. It wasn¡¯t the first time, so she just activated her Field and kept walking. ¡®They¡¯re just looking for a reaction, anything out of me.¡¯ She always only showed them her soldier¡¯s face. She knew it bothered countless numbers of soldiers that she failed to meet their expectations of how an inexperienced immature child should act. The library finally arrived with only a few more steps. She disappeared into the tall structure that filled up a quarter of the headquarters. Border duty held a lot of downtime and long hours of little to do. Inside the library, soldiers had the chance to pass time or break up the normal grind. Eudokia used it as a safe retreat and place to keep learning. Learning was something suggested, but never required for the soldiers. A large percent of the books were related to foreign studies, usually history or language. Eudokia retrieved the next book in the series she read and found a comfortable place to sit. No one was around. She couldn¡¯t feel the distant stares or the whispered words. It was silent. The way she preferred. However, someone had discovered her, hidden away in the towers of books. A little child leaned around one of the massive hard wood shelves to stare at Eudokia. The girl watched intently for several minutes before tempting an approach. She looked down at Eudokia seated up against the shelf. ¡°Hello, I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d find anyone else back here! My name is Dareia!¡± Chapter 200 - Rewind 2 Nearly ten years ago, life was simpler, but still very complicated. The people recovered from the rebellion, but the mark it left remained easily felt. It was something less talked about and people wished to ignore it more often. Life had stability again. They were comfortable with their situation. Deep inside the marble and stone construct of the palace, a young voice screamed in pain. It was loud and piercing, threatening the very stone. Such stone was old and proud, unwilling to bend to the childishness coming from the voice, even if it pained it. ¡°I can¡¯t take this anymore!¡± snapped the voice, once more. They threw down what they held and jumped up from the marble floor. ¡°It doesn¡¯t make any sense!¡± Across the large chamber from them, an aging man stood with a full head of gray hair. He leaned forward and began marching in silence towards them. His features hardened with wrinkles making his expression more severe. Only a meter away, his feet stopped next to the two things they threw. Loosely staring down, he towered over them. ¡°Pick it back up,¡± he ordered, in a grave tone. ¡°But it¡¯s too hard!¡± ¡°Your lesson is not over until I say it is.¡± He started to lift his hand in a slow action. ¡°I said, pick it up.¡± They whimpered a little under the booming voice. It made him shrink away. ¡°But you said I could stop whenever.¡± ¡°Did you really think I would let you just quit?¡± His presence grew worse, darkening out much of his face. Only his eyes remained visible to them. Tears formed in their eyes. They wanted to look away, but couldn¡¯t turn. Something seemed to compel them to stay fixed on his eyes. It was as though being swallowed up by something cold and dark. Emptiness poured out into a deep endless void. ¡°I¡¯m really scared!¡± they cried, tears pouring down their face. All the tension popped in a second, along with the shadow covering him. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, my dear!¡± He knelt down quickly, hugging her. She wrapped her tiny arms around his neck crying into his shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Eudokia. Daddy will stop.¡± ¡°Daddy¡¯s too scary! Your face was really creepy!¡± Eudokia¡¯s honest words pierced his heart, deeply turning his face blue. ¡°Creepy,¡± he muttered. Hearing his daughter call him creepy made him want to cry. Chapter 200 ¨C Rewind 2 Once all of the emotions settled down, the two sat on the floor. He handed over the things she dropped. Eudokia still didn¡¯t understand them. ¡°Why do we have to do something so hard? I thought you were going to teach me how to use my power, Daddy.¡± ¡°These are part of your lessons as well, dear.¡± He patted her on the head. A warm smile grew across his face. ¡°I taught you all of the basics, but to advance you need to grow a strong foundation.¡± ¡°But how does logic games and number puzzles help?¡± He pointed down at the puzzle she tried to complete. Numbers suddenly appeared on the paper completing the puzzle in mere moments, that Eudokia struggled with for what seemed like hours. ¡°It¡¯s not about solving the puzzle. It¡¯s about holding the information in your head. That¡¯s why I¡¯m not allowing you to write any notes on the paper. You need to keep it all in your head and always remember it. It is important with our power to be able to always know where everything is and what it is or else it can¡¯t exist.¡± Eudokia nodded to him. ¡°I know that already, Daddy. I was meaning why these, the academy doesn¡¯t used Sudoku for training.¡± Her father looked a little surprised to hear such a response. ¡°How do you know what the academy uses for these exercises?¡± ¡°Demmy showed me! I asked him after the last lesson.¡± He sighed at the thought of having been undermined. ¡°I can¡¯t believe him. He¡¯s too conventional at times. It¡¯s true that the academy has different methods for this and they¡¯ve had millennia to refine it, but it¡¯s not always about doing what¡¯s well tested.¡± The man nodded to himself, it felt a little weak the way he backed up his words. She tilted her head to her side, a little confused by her father¡¯s response. ¡°Huh? Is it because you like Japan?¡± The question turned his face red in an instant. ¡°What are you talking about, Eudokia?¡± Denial clearly colored his expression. ¡°You don¡¯t?¡± Her head leaned a little more. ¡°But I saw Daddy playing and looking really excited in his closet.¡± Jumping up, he realized he was cornered by his own daughter. She discovered his secret, that he thought he kept well hidden from everyone. ¡°When did you?¡± ¡°A while ago,¡± she answered quickly. Eudokia didn¡¯t understand why he acted so strangely. ¡°Daddy looked like he was having fun. You always have a sad look on your face, so I thought you liked it. Am I wrong?¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. She completely disarmed him, but it was innocent and earnest. He sighed and patted her on her head. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong, dear.¡± He smiled a little for her. ¡®I didn¡¯t realize she noticed. I guess I can¡¯t hide my emotions as well as I thought. I¡¯ll have to try to remember to smile a little more for her sake.¡¯ A heavy knock came to the door. It rang out in a particular manner. Both of them seemed to know immediately who it was, as their expression changed. Eudokia jumped up, getting very excited suddenly. She ran over the large stone doors as they slowly opened. ¡°Demmy!¡± Eudokia shouted enthusiastically. He looked down at Eudokia, a bit of a wrinkle entered his eyebrow. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t have much time to react. She already leapt up and climbed up the tall man. ¡°Lady Eudokia,¡± he uttered carefully. Eudokia pouted from her perch on his shoulder. ¡°I told you not to call me that, Demmy! How many times do you have to keep telling you?¡± ¡°Until you stop giving me nicknames, Lady Eudokia.¡± She crossed her hands in a huff, resistant to his request. ¡°Demmy¡¯s being a meanie.¡± He sighed to himself. Stepping into the room, he approached the center where Eudokia left her father. ¡°Your Majesty.¡± He straightened himself up in the presence of his King. The King¡¯s face narrowed a little, understanding the difference of their stations. ¡°Demosthenes, you had a safe travel?¡± ¡°Yes, Majesty.¡± ¡°Hey, no serious talk!¡± Eudokia leaned in, using her arm wrapped out around Demosthenes¡¯ neck for support, to get in between the two. ¡°Demmy just got back, Daddy!¡± She carried a rough look with puffed cheeks that only a child could pull off. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, dear. You two can play shortly, but we need to talk for a minute, alright?¡± He patted her on the head to comfort her. She glared a little at him, doubting his words. ¡°I won¡¯t steal your time. I bet he brought you a souvenir back from his trip, right?¡± ¡°Did you really, Demmy?¡± Eudokia¡¯s eyes perked up immediately. She turned her attention over to Demosthenes in anticipation. The pace of the two was a little difficult for him to keep up with, even though he was used to it. Demosthenes dug out of his pocket a small box wrapped up carefully. He presented it to Eudokia. ¡°It¡¯s popular currently in Japan I¡¯m told.¡± She accepted the gift. ¡°Will you play with me after you¡¯re done talking?¡± Her eyes darted between the box and Demosthenes. An excited glow of curiosity filled her eyes. She desperately wanted to know what was inside, but she had to be sure. ¡°I will.¡± ¡°Promise?¡± ¡°Promise.¡± The warm smile on the young child¡¯s face made Demosthenes grin a little. He lowered her down to the ground, allowing her to run off. Once she was far enough away, he turned back to his King. The old man was already on the other side of him working to the doorway. ¡°Majesty.¡± ¡°Eudokia seems to have grown very fond of you recently, Demosthenes,¡± he commented, as they walked slowly. Glancing at his King, Demosthenes read the scene, while responding. ¡°I just wish she¡¯d call me my name.¡± The King laughed a little hearing Demosthenes complain about his daughter¡¯s whims. ¡°It¡¯s an improvement over her last one, Demon.¡± ¡°I guess, your Majesty.¡± He did have to agree with the man. The last name made Demosthenes feel a little self-conscious. He wasn¡¯t sure if it had a source, as Eudokia never gave him a reason. She only called him by it for the last few months in the same cheerful tone. It made it difficult for him to know if she was afraid of him. Demosthenes wasn¡¯t blind to the impression others had on him, being too serious. ¡°Still, getting more excited to see you over her own father,¡± he muttered. There was a hint of him pouting a little, strange for someone ruling a kingdom. It wasn¡¯t something he was really pleased with, but Eudokia¡¯s nature made it difficult to just ignore her. ¡°It¡¯s only because you¡¯ve gotten strict in your training with her.¡± ¡°Because you haven¡¯t been as tough as you need to be her. I never attended the academy, but I know about what happens in there. I can¡¯t do anything about the prejudice, but I can prepare her for the challenges she¡¯ll face. It¡¯s my duty as her father to make sure she¡¯s able to survive. Even if she doesn¡¯t understand the reasons right now.¡± Demosthenes nodded in agreement. It was something he tried to mirror in his training with her, but it was difficult somehow. ¡°I know¡­¡± He didn¡¯t understand how the King could manage it. There was something about Eudokia that Demosthenes couldn¡¯t get past. The threshold of the room was finally behind them. He drew the doors closed. When the clear ring of the sealed doors sang out through the hall, the King leaned against the wall. He broke out into a sudden fit of coughing that he didn¡¯t seem to be able to stop. Mere moments passed, but he looked even older than before. Sweat covered his face. ¡°Your Majesty!¡± Demosthenes shouted, as he went to help. It eventually calmed down, but he looked worse from the experience. He helped his King through the hall and to a nearby balcony. The King always preferred the fresh air and sight of Atlantis. It seemed to calm him down. ¡°It¡¯s getting worse, isn¡¯t it?¡± He took a deep breath in before replying. ¡°It just seems that way. I keep it all back with my power when I¡¯m with her. So it just built up.¡± It was painful, but he did feel better at least. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Demosthenes looking at him. He knew the look he gave him. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that, old friend. We both knew how things would end. More importantly, your report.¡± It was back to business. ¡°Yes, your Majesty. I delivered your gift as you requested.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± he said, a little grin came across his lips. ¡°The seal will remain in place for another few years. How is he doing?¡± ¡°He¡¯s very lively and spirited.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad. It was the right decision to leave him with Tomiko and Isamu. They¡¯ll be able to give him a happy, peaceful life away from all of the threats here in Atlantis. I can only imagine what those old men would do if they knew of him. I have too many enemies.¡± He stared off at the towers popping up throughout the dense structures of the capital. The white stone of the city masked the darkness in an aura of majestic wonder too easily seen as purity. He knew how dirty the stone truly was, such things weren¡¯t suitable environments for growing up. ¡°Speaking of enemies. What are they up to?¡± ¡°I put a stop to another team. They still look to be interested in him, despite their failures. However, they have given up for now trying to recapture him, but they are monitoring him.¡± A grim expression appeared on his face. ¡°I fear Japan may be no safer than Atlantis for him, but they at least won¡¯t want him dead.¡± His eyes stared off to the horizon. ¡°Though they only want him because they continue to fail without him.¡± Demosthenes agreed with him. He didn¡¯t have the intimate understanding of the people as the King did, but he had seen enough to know how they would act. ¡°They are patient. I believe they¡¯ll keep trying. There is something driving them.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true. They are quite desperate, but they¡¯ve been at this for a very long time. So a few years won¡¯t mean a lot to them.¡± The King turned away from the balcony to look at Demosthenes. ¡°Promise me, old friend. Watch over him. Protect him until the day comes.¡± ¡°Your Majesty!¡± Demosthenes spoke with some surprise in his voice. The tone of his words made it seem like a final request. ¡°You¡¯ll see him again! You¡¯ll be able to explain everything to him then!¡± He dropped a hand on Demosthenes¡¯ shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m dying and I don¡¯t know how long I¡¯ll last. I¡¯ll hold out as long as I can until he becomes an adult and I tell him everything. He at least deserves a happy childhood before learning the truth. However, if I don¡¯t make it. I entrust my will to you. He¡¯ll need to know the truth.¡± Demosthenes stared at his King for a while. He heard the words, but felt unable to say anything. It was important to him. Everything they worked for had to succeed. Demosthenes understood the grave situation they stood within. ¡°I promise, your Majesty! He¡¯ll be the one to save Atlantis.¡± ¡°Thanks, old friend¡­¡± Trailing off, his voice seemed to weaken at the end. His eyes closed almost as if something relieved him of a great pressure. The stress disappeared from his eyes. Silence filled the balcony until it became awkward. Demosthenes stretched out to touch him. ¡°Oh and try to learn to be a little less rigid. No one likes a stick in the mud.¡± A flattened and slightly annoyed expression painted Demosthenes¡¯ face. He made him worry for nothing. ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± Chapter 201 - Childish Games The young child-like voice made Eudokia pull her head up from her book. It immediately struck her as odd that someone close to her age would be in the South Gate. She was aware of the nearly unheard nature of her assignment. ¡®I don¡¯t know her¡­¡¯ Eudokia remained silent trying to figure out the child. An awkward atmosphere built up for the kid. Dareia started to fidget with the loose bits of her dress. ¡°Um¡­h-hello?¡± She leaned a little down trying to meet Eudokia, thinking she might have been rude for not exchanging any formality. Her tiny hand stretched out as an offering. No movement came from Eudokia. She kept her caution. It was an unknown situation and unplanned. ¡®What does she want?¡¯ Her mind tried to understand the purpose of greeting her. Something in her mind told her it was a trap. She tried to figure it out. Silence only made things worse for the child. Her words became more broken. ¡°S-sorry¡­I go¡­mistake¡­¡± When she realized how horribly spoken her words became it only made her more embarrassed. Her feet stumbled backward, knocking her into the bookshelf. Immediately, she turned around grabbing a hold of the books and shelf as though her small frame could do something to it. Once everything seemed stable, she ran off down the aisle. Eudokia watched her round the corner and disappeared from sight. A bit of a confused look crept into the edges of her face. ¡°Hmm¡­strange¡­¡± Chapter 201 ¨C Childish Games More than a week passed before Eudokia caught sight of the girl. She was walking out of the barracks. The girl hid behind many other soldiers. She had the look of hesitation, but also security. Dareia seemed to think she hid herself well. However, Eudokia found her too easily. It was obvious, since the girl looked at her differently than everyone else. They all pretended not to look or schemed, the girl simply watched. She saw Eudokia, unlike the rest. Since the girl seemed content on watching, Eudokia didn¡¯t make any attempt to tip her off. ¡®She¡¯s back. At first I thought she might have been a soldier¡¯s child, but twice seems unlikely.¡¯ It only filled her thoughts for a moment. Another person on the Base didn¡¯t concern her. Eudokia just continued her routine. For her, the routine started to become common to have Dareia sightings, as she began to call them. She saw her more frequently, only confirming her suspicions about the child. Since Eudokia didn¡¯t have a motivation to figure out the reason, it turned into a game for her. She almost looked forward to discovering where the girl hid herself the next time. Eudokia lost track of how many weeks or months passed in their game. It became a common part of her routine. Which was why Eudokia didn¡¯t understand it when she didn¡¯t see the girl one time. There was always a period of time she didn¡¯t show up, confirming for Eudokia that she was assigned to a team. ¡®Gone again,¡¯ commented Eudokia, making it the third day. It was out of the pattern. It should have not been something that interested her. The girl was just another soldier, part of the background. Yet her thoughts frequently went back to Dareia, always wondering. ¡®Did she get reassigned? Is she injured?¡¯ Why did her thoughts focus on Dareia so much? Eudokia didn¡¯t know the answer, despite asking the question repeatedly. After the fourth day, Eudokia took initiative. She went around searching the Base for clues. ¡®She¡¯s got to be around here somewhere.¡¯ The unusual appearance of the child squad leader in parts of the Headquarters not seen before had people talking. Eudokia ignored them more than usual. Her focus kept her from noticing the attention she drew. ¡®Nothing,¡¯ she thought, dropping down in her cot. The rest of her team sat around playing a game of cards, a cot away from her. She spent the entire day searching. It completely disrupted her routine. She got nothing done. Yet she still wondered where the girl went. Three more days passed with Eudokia searching. She found nothing. She gave up trying to find her. Eudokia passed the idea from her mind. It was over. Or so she thought. Her mind decided it wasn¡¯t over. She reached out and grabbed the wrist of whoever passed by her. ¡°Tell me where I can find her.¡± The words left her lips as a hard command, even though her eyes never even looked at the soldier. ¡°Huh?¡± the soldier uttered, ¡°The hell you want?¡± Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°The child.¡± Eudokia didn¡¯t have patience to deal with a troublesome soldier. ¡°The soldier that¡¯s a child.¡± ¡°The only child I see is the one in front of me.¡± The tone the soldier took with her made her snap. ¡°I see someone¡¯s a wiseass.¡± Eudokia tightened her hand around the man¡¯s wrist and moved faster than he expected. Before the soldier had a chance to react, he was already on his knees with his arm behind him bent up to the point of dislocating. ¡°Do you always use that tone towards a superior officer?¡± ¡°Wha-¡° Pain and yelps broke through the man¡¯s lips. He tried to break free, but Eudokia¡¯s hold kept him down. ¡°Just because you¡¯re one of those freaks doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re superior. You only got that rank because of who you are!¡± Eudokia pulled on his arm a little more, drawing out another yelp. ¡°I guess there¡¯s still some ignorant of things around here.¡± She dropped her badge in front of him, holding both her rank as well as the color of a squad leader. The man went silent for a moment. ¡°You could have just used your power¡ª¡° Eudokia kicked over, releasing him. She stood over him letting him get a good look at her. His eyes widened looking back at the badge. ¡°A child, squad leader badge. You¡¯re her!¡± She sighed as he finally put everything together. The look in his eyes changed again, back to the same one everyone else had. Crossing her arms, she stepped forward to press her matter. ¡°Now that I have your attention, tell me about the one. The other child here.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The look on his face had one of someone caught in the middle of an embarrassing act. It took the man a while for him to come out of his stunned reaction. ¡°A child? Are you talking about Second Lieutenant Dareia?¡± The name immediately rang familiar for Eudokia. ¡°That¡¯s the one.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t know her? Everyone''s been talking about her for months, the second kid in a year.¡± ¡°Everyone?¡± Eudokia felt a little embarrassed by the fact that she knew nothing of what he talked about. She didn¡¯t even know when she arrived. ¡°What barracks is she assigned to?¡± ¡°Barracks E, I think.¡± The answer was all she wanted from him. She marched off leaving the man behind. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s this all about?¡± No response came to him. ¡°The hell!?¡± Eudokia suddenly stopped, turning the soldier¡¯s expression even stranger. She back pedaled quickly to be in front of him in a moment. Eudokia stared down at the man. Her hand came out towards him. ¡°Give it back.¡± Embarrassment filled up her cheeks a little, her eyes darting away. It took a moment for the soldier to figure it out. Her badge returned to her hand and she disappeared once more. Barracks E stood in front of her. The entrance called to her, but her body hesitated. ¡®What am I doing? Will I really find her in here? Why am I even here?¡¯ Indecision suddenly paralyzed her body. Minutes passed in front of the entrance with no action. It wasn¡¯t until the door opened forcing Eudokia awake, that she moved. The soldier coming out stared at her questioning her reason for being in front of the barrack. It stiffened her resolve, pushing past the soldier almost out of spite. However, inside she faced a new problem. The barracks was as large as the rest, meaning there were plenty of places she could be, if she was in the barracks at all. The scene was set for her. She had to move forward. It was at least what she told her legs to keep moving. Everyone in the barracks stared at her. They had a different look in their eyes, one telling her that she was in the wrong place. She ignored them and kept scanning everywhere. ¡®Is she here? I¡¯m not seeing her¡­¡¯ Eudokia reached the end of the walkway. The other door to the barrack stood in front of her. ¡®¡­not here¡­¡¯ There was no sign of her. She questioned making another pass, but didn¡¯t turn around. Her hand went for the door, opening it back out into the grounds. Turning briefly back, she made a final pass on the barracks. Nothing. It didn¡¯t bring her any sort of closure. She wasn¡¯t sure what she was going to find. Everything just happened and quickly. Her mind tried to sort it out. ¡®I¡¯m going to the library. I need to clear my head.¡¯ Eudokia determined too much focus went on a strange little girl. It was enough. The walk to the library tried to clear out her thoughts. A haze hung over everything. She hoped it would go away. Her mind needed something else to do. ¡®I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m doing.¡¯ Eudokia never made it to the library. She came to an abrupt stop. It could have been luck or chance. She wasn¡¯t certain at the time. ¡®It¡¯s her!¡¯ The girl just laid there resting on the stone covered ground. It was an out of the way area, off the normal route to get to anywhere quickly. It was only a path to take when wanting to wander. Her goal stood before her, but Eudokia did not know what she wanted out of it. She found her. ¡®What do I do?¡¯ She never planned for the next step. Therefore, Eudokia stood in silence. In the silence, time passed for a while. It gave Dareia enough time to wake up from her nap. Once she realized Eudokia stared down at her, in a look that appeared far worse than the emotions behind them, she screamed in surprise. She crawled around the area looking for protection, but out in the open she naturally found none. ¡°S-sorry! Sorry! Sorry!¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± She broke out of her turmoil, hearing the child repeating the same word over and over. Dareia cowered away. ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± ¡°I said quit apologizing!¡± It silenced the child for a moment. ¡°No you didn¡¯t,¡± she muttered, quietly. Dareia tried to look up at Eudokia, but turned away. Her body trembled. The scene felt a little awkward for Eudokia. She looked like a bully, which was never her intention. ¡®Dealing with people older, younger or the same age was never one of my strengths. I never had a lot of practice, I was too focused on other matters.¡¯ Eudokia felt frustrated with herself. She didn¡¯t know what to do in such a situation. She had to calm the girl down. Eudokia dropped down to sit and think. The disengagement made Dareia a little curious. It was enough to shake her of her fear. She cautiously approached Eudokia, pausing every step to see how she reacted. No reaction came from the completely engrossed Eudokia. Dareia was nearly on top of Eudokia before she said anything. ¡°¡­um¡­¡± Angry again, Eudokia popped her eyes open. ¡°Quiet for a moment! I¡¯m trying to think about my next move!¡± The two girls stared at each other. Dareia looked frightened, but paralyzed with wonder. The words out of Eudokia had her a little puzzled. It drew a contrary image of the situation. It was almost bizarre. Dareia burst out in laughter for no clear reason. She couldn¡¯t stop laughing. It became infectious enough to make Eudokia laugh as well. ¡®It was the first time I remembered laughing in front of someone other than Demosthenes or my father.¡¯ Chapter 202 - Child of Lies Several days passed since Eudokia found Dareia. Their second meeting went better than the first, as they actually carried a conversation. Eudokia wasn¡¯t entirely certain why, but she knew something was different. It was all still very new to her. Awkwardness might have been the best thing that described Eudokia¡¯s actions. She didn¡¯t try to find Dareia anymore. The routine returned. The library was the place she stayed. Her last patrol ended the day before. She rested more than enough from the two-day marathon, her team still slept. Inside the library, she laid against the bookshelf with a book masking out much of her face. It was a little oversized in her hands, making her seem even smaller than normal. On a normal day, she never would have noticed the approach, but her mind wasn¡¯t in the book. It sufficed best as merely a failed attempt at a distraction. She paused on the page she had been unable to finish for the last ten minutes. Her eyes darted over to the far side of the aisle, the book lowered. No one was there, yet. A moment later, a head surfaced, as Eudokia foresaw. Not expecting to be spotted immediately, they ducked away. Eudokia listened to the scurrying feet along the marble floors. Her eyes tracked the movement behind the shelf until they popped out a little closer. She wondered if it was their attempt at stealth. ¡°Hello,¡± she said, the moment they surfaced. ¡°Ah!¡± Dareia yelped, falling over. Her tiny voice carried further through the library than thought possible. A raised eyebrow was all Eudokia managed. ¡®I figured she¡¯d show up again, but she¡¯s still easily frightened.¡¯ Understanding that the reading ended, she closed the book, leaving it to rest on her lap. She waited for Dareia to recover before taking any further action. Once she realized that Eudokia stared at her, Dareia jumped up to try to compose herself quickly. It ended up creating more problems than resolving. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry!¡± pleaded Dareia, after she gave up on her efforts. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Eudokia leaned forward resting her head on her arm, propped up against her knee. The source of the disruption stood before her. She had to admit her curiosity, especially since it made her routine difficult to continue. ¡°You haven¡¯t done anything requiring you to apologize to me. Maybe the library, but it¡¯s wasted on me.¡± The words were clearly stated as a fact, one that any outsider would have understood. However, Dareia was in the middle of the conversation. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry!¡± She cowered a little, putting her arms up against her chest for security. ¡°I thought I already told you it was unnecessary.¡± A minor twitch in her eye responded to Eudokia¡¯s emotions. Dareia started to open her mouth, but Eudokia lifted her hand. The look in her eyes was too easy to read for Eudokia. ¡°Let¡¯s put this path of conversation to the side for now. I¡¯m more interested in why you¡¯re here.¡± Chapter 202 ¨C Child of Lies It took nearly a minute of convincing, on Eudokia¡¯s part, to get Dareia to sit down. She didn¡¯t want to be directly across from Eudokia in the aisle. It meant being too close to Eudokia. Eudokia didn¡¯t want to carry a conversation from across the entire library. A compromise came down with her being in the aisle, but at a diagonal distance of five meters apart. Eudokia felt like she actually measured it out, as it took her several adjustments before she stopped. Though, she might have only stopped because Eudokia started glaring. ¡°Ready to talk?¡± Taking in a breath, she froze up for a moment. The piercing stare from Eudokia shattered Dareia forcing her to exhale suddenly. It made her cough, only prolonging the delay. Pouring out the minutes, Dareia saw the looks she received. Part of her straightened out. She granted a meager nod to Eudokia. ¡°Yes,¡± she responded, several delayed moments later. ¡°We didn¡¯t really get anything said the last time. I want to know why you¡¯ve been following me for months.¡± Her voice came out very commanding, even with Eudokia trying to reign in her tone. The mixed success came clearly across Dareia¡¯s face. It made Eudokia frustrated a little with herself. ¡®I¡¯m so used to ordering them around. It¡¯s difficult to turn off. I¡¯m not used to someone so frail.¡¯ ¡°Wel-Well I-I¡­¡± Her words cut off too quickly. She realized how much she stammered. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Dareia blurted out quickly, as though if she didn¡¯t something bad would happen. Eudokia wanted to fall over after hearing such a thing. ¡°You have a reason. I want to know.¡± Demands did little against Dareia. It only made her clam up more. The silence triggered the usual reaction out of Eudokia, only making matters worse. ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± She managed a sentence without hesitation, but it was likely because it was too well rehearsed for her to screw it up. Wanting to get angry, Eudokia started to move, but noticed it did nothing productive. She simply sighed as an alternative. ¡°So exhausting.¡± The thought of leaving it behind turned into a consideration. ¡®I¡¯ve never known someone so trying to communicate with.¡¯ This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°I¡¯m¡ª¡° Raising her hand again, Eudokia cut off Dareia. ¡®I need a different approach.¡¯ She tried to think back to what she did last time to make things better. Unfortunately, nothing came to her. The entire situation fell out of her control. ¡®I need to make her not feel scared.¡¯ It felt like a more challenging request than leading a bunch of soldiers filled with envy, jealousy and schemes. She tried a smile. It was her only option, a last resort. It was pretty clear from the attempt. However, it managed to do something Eudokia failed to do. Dareia sputtered into laughter from the awkward, terrible smile. It made Eudokia¡¯s face turn a little red. ¡°I¡¯m not used to it,¡± she muttered as an excuse. Dareia kept laughing, unable to stop. It took a whack to the head for her to be silenced enough for things to calm down. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but it was really funny!¡± The image in her mind made her start to giggle. The red in her face didn¡¯t die down, flustering Eudokia further. ¡°I told you I¡¯m not used to this!¡± She crossed her arms, suddenly feeling a bout of childishness. Attempts to cough down the laughter failed and only renewed it louder. Unable to do anything about it, Eudokia just let it ride until Dareia hurt herself. ¡®I didn¡¯t think it was that funny¡­¡¯ Eudokia¡¯s lost expression completed the picture. After everything settled down again, Dareia seemed ready. ¡°I was curious.¡± ¡°Curious?¡± questioned Eudokia. It took her a moment to get her mind back to the original question. ¡°I remember hearing about you in the academy. I wanted to see you.¡± She took the next leap herself in the conversation. ¡°So you got a transfer out here? Just to see me? At your age?¡± The last bit felt a little miss placed coming from her. Even Eudokia acknowledged it with a reactionary pause. ¡°But you¡¯re here. So I figured I¡¯d be fine!¡± It was a difficult argument to counter. Eudokia sighed, pressing her hand to her face. ¡°You realize that you won¡¯t be able to get another transfer until you¡¯ve finished your tour here.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine!¡± Dareia replied. Her expressions relaxed more talking with Eudokia. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you did all of that just to come out here to see me. I¡¯m not worth the effort.¡± Dareia shook her head. ¡°No, you¡¯re wrong. You¡¯re proof that we can achieve more than what is just handed to us. We look up to you!¡± Eudokia read her features carefully when she spoke. It seemed sincere, but she had trouble believing it. ¡°No one looks up to me. I think you¡¯re mistaking it for jealousy.¡± ¡°You are!¡± The child was up on her feet approaching Eudokia. She had her hands tightly closed. Every bit of her body emphasized her theory. ¡°You have to believe me!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have to believe anything,¡± Eudokia answered, cutting her off. She ended the conversation at that spot and stood up. Dareia didn¡¯t follow her on her retreat from the library. The words from Dareia spun around her head. ¡®It¡¯s impossible!¡¯ The more impossible situation was Eudokia trying to be freed from Dareia¡¯s continued visits. Despite the outcome from the previous conversation, Dareia showed back up at the library the very next day. Unlike the other encounters with the girl, something fired her up to start actually speaking with Eudokia. It made it difficult for her to keep reading. After the second day, Eudokia looked for a different place with her book in hand. However, Dareia found her surprisingly quickly. It seemed she had a knack for finding Eudokia. Escape looked impossible. Eudokia¡¯s patrol ended up being the only place she couldn¡¯t follow. It made her feel oddly eager for it, despite the atmosphere she had to deal with from her team. Return visits resumed the game of hide and seek. Their game continued until Eudokia gave up the attempts to seek a private place. She returned to the library. ¡°How come you¡¯re in the library so much, Eudokia?¡± asked Dareia. Nothing Eudokia did could frighten her away. It actually made Eudokia wonder if the previous girl even existed. They were so different. Closing her book, Eudokia relented to the question. ¡°Because there are still things I don¡¯t know.¡± It was a mostly accurate answer to the question. Eudokia didn¡¯t plan to allow it to go deeper. ¡°You¡¯re so devoted! That¡¯s really cool!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s correct.¡± Dareia leaned in a little trying to see something. ¡°What¡¯s the book you¡¯re reading? I¡¯ve been seeing you with it for a while. You must really like it!¡± Eudokia glanced over at her, wondering if she was truly ignorant of what she just said. ¡°This.¡± She lifted the book to allow her to see the cover. ¡°A Beginner¡¯s Guide to Japanese?¡± Her look turned quizzical for a moment. ¡°Japanese? Why are you learning Japanese?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s suggested that all soldiers know a foreign language when on patrol.¡± Dareia already knew that. The question went deeper than just the basic answer. ¡°The scientists around the South Gate are European.¡± ¡°I already know English, French, German and Italian. At least well enough for basic communication.¡± She pulled the book back in resting her arms to cover it up. ¡°I wanted to learn something different.¡± ¡°But you¡¯ll never use it.¡± She didn¡¯t have much of a response to such a statement. It was the truth. ¡°Probably,¡± she shrugged in agreement. Their chatter continued for an hour before Dareia finally left. It seemed like she ran out of things to discuss with Eudokia. She was able to go back to reading as she wished. However, it became the new routine for Eudokia. Everyday neither of them had patrols, they would meet in the library and talk. Dareia seemed oddly fascinated in everything Eudokia did. She willingly gave up the information not even thinking about it. Months passed and Eudokia started to look forward to their meetings. She had something different to do from just learning, absorbing more knowledge. It didn¡¯t have the same feel as being with the others. She enjoyed it. Such happiness was never designed to last. It happened by chance. Everything could have been the same had she not noticed. But she did. Once she did, she wondered how she never saw it before. It was obvious. There was something not right with Dareia. They walked towards the library. Dareia started to meet her on her way to the library, rather than inside. Eudokia was fine with it. It made the walk easier. She could focus on something other than the stares. Yet she wished that she focused on the stares. The position she had at her side made it all too easy to see. It was the weak point. Luck happened to be on her side at that moment. Perhaps? She looked over at Dareia, who was much shorter. It required her to look down, but Eudokia wasn¡¯t then. She caught sight of a leaf blowing past them, over top Dareia. Rather it went around the air above her, hung up for a brief frame before continuing. It had a very unnatural motion, as if it ran into something. ¡®What did I just see?!¡¯ It made her eyes go wide. Countless theories spun through her mind. Something was very wrong and Eudokia didn¡¯t know why she never noticed it. A ripple escaped her feet. Eudokia lifted her hands to her face, a pair of glasses tucked in her palm. She allowed her pace to slow enough to drop her just out of sight of Dareia. The moment she put the glasses on, questions flooded towards her. ¡°Who are you?¡± It wasn¡¯t the same person she knew. Chapter 203 - Art of the Con The person before her was completely different from the reality she knew. Through the glasses, Eudokia saw not a child, younger than her, but an adult woman at least twice her age. Where she saw a black haired child, she found a blonde-haired woman. So many questions came to her. When Eudokia came to a stop, it only took Dareia a few steps to realize it. She looked back at Eudokia. The look in her eyes told her enough. A small smile grew across her lips. It had a knowing look to it, almost as if she expected the outcome. ¡°The secret¡¯s out.¡± Chapter 203 ¨C Art of the Con ¡®The secret¡¯s out? It¡¯s like she doesn¡¯t even care I know she¡¯s been lying to me the entire time!¡¯ Hard to control emotions boiled up in her body. It made her shake. She thought it might make her explode. She wanted answers, but found herself running away. ¡®Why?! Why?!¡¯ Eudokia retreated to the barracks. However, she knew she couldn¡¯t go inside. She turned away, making for the gate. The solitude of the endless fields of grass surrounding the Base was her last refuge. ¡®I don¡¯t understand!¡¯ She dropped her head down. ¡®Why?!¡¯ The grass blew between her legs, never giving an answer. ¡®Why?!¡¯ She fell backwards. ¡®Why?!¡¯ The sky said just as much to her. Minutes turned to hours until the sky filled with stars. Time lost all meaning to her. ¡®Did I fall asleep?¡¯ Her hand rubbed against her eyes. She found them to be wet, but her cheeks felt weird like something dried on them. She made her way back to the barracks. It was already past the evening call. Most were already sleeping, apart from those going off for their patrols. When she made it to her squad¡¯s section, she noticed Nikon staring at her. The look in his eyes was a complicated one for her to judge. She didn¡¯t know what he wanted, but tried to ignore it. His timing waited until she was almost to her cot. ¡°I reported your absence.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± Eudokia slid into her sheets. It was almost a meaningless thing by Nikon. They both knew that her officer rank exempted her from the requirement of being at the calls. It was only good form to be with the team, since she was the squad leader. Sleep was a difficult thing for Eudokia. Her mind continued to spin questions she couldn¡¯t answer. It kept her from getting anything close to meaningful sleep. When morning came, her mind and body were exhausted. It made her thankful she didn¡¯t have a patrol. She never would have survived the trek. In the course of her attempts to follow her routine, she saw Dareia. Still walking around as a child, she looked like nothing happened yesterday. It made Eudokia¡¯s heart start beating rapidly. It was so sudden it nearly buckled her legs, tired from the lack of sleep. The shaking in her body was impossible for her to keep in control. She fled. Any chance she had to resolve this disappeared. Dareia had her patrol and didn¡¯t return for two days. Poor timing fell for Eudokia forcing her to go on patrol shortly after Dareia returned. All Eudokia could do was sit on the mass of emotions with nothing to release them. It left her with the needed motivation when she came back. Nothing mattered to her at the point she reached. Travel fatigue didn¡¯t even seem to exist for her, something that boggled her squad¡¯s minds for the entire patrol. They returned naturally winded, but she never missed a beat. Before they realized what happened, she disappeared from their sight with only a, ¡°Dismissed!¡± Eudokia teetered between a march and run as she went in search of Dareia. ¡®I¡¯ll get my answers today!¡¯ It didn¡¯t seem to take very much for Eudokia to locate Dareia, almost as if she wanted to be found. She tightened up her hands in preparation. The look on Dareia said she knew what she wanted, but waited for her action. She could never see Dareia the same. It frustrated her. Every expression, feature on her face seemed to hold a completely different meaning then before, despite looking the same. ¡°I want my answers!¡± she shouted, jumping ahead on her plan and not realizing it. Dareia giggled a little at Eudokia. ¡°You need to be a little more specific.¡± It flustered Eudokia almost immediately when she caught up to her words. ¡°I mean about you!¡± She almost looked like she was going to throw a tantrum. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Dareia and MP just like you.¡± ¡°I know that already!¡± Eudokia panted a little, finding Dareia suddenly difficult to deal with now. ¡°I want to know why you are deceiving everyone! Why did you deceive me?!¡± ¡°Everyone is always deceiving. Our powers just make it easier.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the point! I want answers!¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°There¡¯s some truth in what I said.¡± She lifted up her hand pointing her index finger to recall their previous conversation. ¡°I did want to meet you. You have quite the reputation back at the Academy.¡± Dareia stood up and started to walk around Eudokia. ¡°I was at the Capital during your time in the Academy and heard a lot of rumors about you. So I became curious.¡± Eudokia¡¯s eyes narrowed, bothered by the changes she saw in Dareia. She couldn¡¯t see the person she knew inside the child. ¡°You came all the way out here just to see me? I find that excuse poor. You must have a better reason than that!¡± Dareia grinned over at Eudokia. She stopped in front of her. The same knowing grin corrupted her face. ¡°You think so? I tend to be a rather spontaneous woman.¡± ¡°Spontaneous?¡± Eudokia stepped back from Dareia. The close proximity of her made her uneasy. With the fa?ade down, she got a completely different feeling from her. One that seemed almost predatorial, the complete opposite of the child she played. ¡°It was spontaneous to pretend to be a child? That¡¯s rather unbelievable out here.¡± ¡°True, under normal circumstances.¡± She stretched out reaching for Eudokia. ¡°However, you¡¯re here. A child is a rare sight, but a second becomes more accepted.¡± ¡°How¡¯d you do it? I know you couldn¡¯t be maintaining your Field the entire time. You wouldn¡¯t last.¡± ¡°I have a device to project what I need.¡± ¡°Now what? I know your secret, what are you planning on doing now?¡± It was closer to the heart of the matter for Eudokia. Everything collapsed because of what she learned. She didn¡¯t know how things could continue. It was all gone. Dareia pulled back and rested back on the step. ¡°I¡¯ve got a tour to complete. I¡¯m not going anywhere.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean and you know it!¡± Shrugging a little, she smiled back at Eudokia admitting how right she was. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Dareia moved her hand to appear pensive, though it was hard to know if it was actually real or not. The position remained regardless of the reality for a few moments. She met gazes with Eudokia when she was ready. ¡°You seem in need of my specialty.¡± ¡°Specialty?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± Dareia rocked forward and jumped up. She cheerfully jogged around Eudokia. She took Eudokia by the arm and ran off with her into the denser parts of the Base. While they went along the paths, they passed soldiers. Dareia jumped up waving to them. A greeting exchanged with them. ¡°Good afternoon Second Lieutenant!¡± ¡°Relaxing on your day off, Dareia?¡± ¡°Yuppers! It¡¯s so nice today! I just had to get out!¡± Eudokia stared at the whole exchange in a bit of confusion and bewilderment. The child she knew from before returned. She was a little more cheerful and outgoing than she recognized, but it was close enough. It made her hopeful. ¡®Dareia!¡¯ She turned immediately back to Eudokia, as though knowing the exact right timing. ¡°See?¡± It was all shattered in an instant. It snapped Eudokia back out of her disillusions. The annoyed expression returned to her face. She glared at Dareia. ¡°What was the point of that?¡± ¡°Proof.¡± Dareia saw that Eudokia didn¡¯t follow her answer. She continued walking and greeting those that passed them. Eventually, they reached the end and no one was around. ¡°Even someone like me can get along with the rest of the soldiers on the Base.¡± Crossing her arms, Eudokia had her doubts about the whole thing. It seemed fruitless to her. ¡°It¡¯s all just lies.¡± ¡°Lies, yes, but you need to learn that you need lies to survive in this world. Without them, people could not coexist. Innocent white lies or even complex webs, you need to do a little lying if you plan to have people accept you and follow you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wrong! All you¡¯re doing is ignoring yourself in favor of what others want!¡± Eudokia turned around, almost ready to break out in tears. There truly was nothing inside Dareia, the person she knew. She started to run away. Dareia stopped her with her words. ¡°Aren¡¯t you already doing that, but failing?¡± Eudokia tilted her head back at the child, her eyes wide in surprise. Dareia saw through her completely. ¡°You aren¡¯t acting yourself in front of them. You want to be someone that they respect and listen to, but they only see a child desperately pretending.¡± Eudokia ground her teeth together. The direct hit hurt more than she thought. She turned away from Dareia again, unable to look at her. Her expression already revealed everything. ¡°You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about!¡± Grinning a little, Dareia lowered her head. ¡°If you want to learn how to survive in the adult world, I¡¯ll be here. Waiting.¡± She leaned back against the stone of the outer wall of the headquarters. Finally, she fled from the area. It felt overdue for Eudokia. She couldn¡¯t stand being around Dareia. There was nothing she could find inside her that was familiar. It was nothing but a lie. The admissions she made only worsened it. ¡®Nothing was real. It was just an act by her to get close to me! I can¡¯t trust anything she says!¡¯ She returned to the barracks. The library was pointless for her. Her mind was spinning too hard for her to actually focus on anything. She had her answers, but nothing like what she was expecting. All she could do was lie down. It solved nothing, but she did not feel like moving. The fatigue in her body finally caught up to her. Sleep descended. The morning arrived for Eudokia. Whispers went around the barracks, enough to stir her out of her sleep. When she rose from the cot, it caught the attention of the others. They all glanced around at each other in silence. The same stares leveled on her. ¡®Always the same here. I can rely on that at least.¡¯ She rolled over. ¡°Letting your rank finally get to your head,¡± commented Nikon. It didn¡¯t have enough context for Eudokia to make sense of what he said. She glanced over her shoulder back at him, not giving him much of an expression. It only bothered him more. ¡°You think just because you¡¯re special the rules don¡¯t apply to you.¡± It was just more of the same, but Eudokia still had no idea why he brought it up. ¡°You ignored call,¡± Hilarion filled in for Eudokia. He sat on the cot mostly engrossed in a book. The rest of the squad was not present. Eudokia¡¯s flat expression didn¡¯t react. ¡°I see.¡± She lowered back to the cot, planning to ignore everything. Unfortunately, Nikon continued on ranting about Eudokia¡¯s unprofessional nature and disregard for the rules. He managed to have enough material for thirty minutes before he stopped. It was difficult to know if he ran out of things to say or just was tired of not having a reaction from Eudokia. The weeks passed with Eudokia settling back into the routine. Her squad continued to give her insubordinate looks, while silently following her. It didn¡¯t take much to see they were just buying their time. She had achieved nothing to change their opinion of her. Everything was the same. She was fine with it. Or so she thought. Something nagged at her sides quietly and slowly picking at the cracks. It never stopped. At first, she ignored it, not thinking anything of it. However, the longer it continued the worse it got. She couldn¡¯t get it out of her mind. It built up until she could no longer stand it. Along the outer walls of the headquarters, Eudokia stood a safe distance away from them. She still didn¡¯t trust them, but they had something she wanted. ¡°Show me how to fit into this world.¡± Dareia glanced over at Eudokia, grinning the knowing look again. ¡°I¡¯ll teach you more than just that! I¡¯ll show you how to make it kneel before you!¡± Chapter 204 - Carving a Hole Eudokia recalled the scene she had with Dareia. The moment she made her decision. She was still not sure what Dareia had to show her or how useful it was. Doubt still existed in her heart about the need for it, but she felt oddly compelled by the words. The result of her decision had her standing out in the middle of the busiest part of the Base. She only stood in the crowd because it was where Dareia told her to meet her. Nothing happened after their agreement. ¡®How long is she going to be?¡¯ Unfortunately, Eudokia waited alone for nearly half an hour. Her limit reached an end. ¡°She¡¯s not showing.¡± Eudokia turned away, worming through the masses. It was over. ¡°Giving up already?¡± Eudokia spun around in the direction of the voice. The little girl stood at her heels as though always behind her, but somehow out of sight. It unnerved her a little. ¡°How long?¡± ¡°More than you.¡± Grinding her teeth, Eudokia discovered her annoyance difficult to manage. ¡°Why?¡± Short words were all she could muster. ¡®She¡¯s wasting my time.¡¯ Dareia moved past Eudokia, taking her own path. ¡°Follow me.¡± The path led to one of the gates. Beyond the gates, Dareia dropped her fa?ade. Free from watchful eyes, she revealed her true self. The woman Eudokia glimpsed before. ¡°Did you learn anything?¡± Finally seen unaided, Dareia looked young, in her twenties, but mature. She carried a serious countenance, unlike the one seen as a child. Chapter 204 ¨C Carving a Hole ¡°Learn?¡± Eudokia still had troubles with her emotions. Seeing Dareia for who she really was did nothing to tempter it. It only bothered her more. ¡°What can I learn from someone that only knows how to hide?¡± ¡°Anger doesn¡¯t suit you, Eudokia,¡± remarked Dareia, her eyes narrowing. It was obvious she required a lot more work. ¡°There¡¯s a difference in what you think I do and the reality.¡± Skepticism made Eudokia¡¯s face ugly. ¡°What reality?¡± She only saw a self-diluted woman in front of her. Following her was truly a mistake. Raising a hand up, Dareia motioned to Eudokia. ¡°Control.¡± She squeezed her hand in a needlessly dramatic fashion. ¡°What I do is control my environment and those around me. It appears to your na?ve eyes as hiding or moving with the motions, but it¡¯s quite a bit different. That¡¯s the reason you sought me out.¡± Dareia pointed her index finger across at Eudokia, like beckoning her. ¡°Down inside you want it.¡± Eudokia took a half step away. There was something off about the scene. The woman¡¯s eyes felt like they pierced through her, seeing deep inside. ¡®Was that what was bothering me?¡¯ Such control seemed impossible. There was no way to manipulate people to do what you wanted. Eudokia didn¡¯t believe it, yet her legs didn¡¯t allow her to leave. She remained. ¡°Did you see anything interesting?¡± She returned to the original matter. Turned away, Eudokia had trouble looking at Dareia without feeling her emotions getting out of control. ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Dareia activated her fa?ade. She walked past Eudokia, back in the direction of the gate. ¡°We can¡¯t progress until you understand.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Eudokia yelled. It was meaningless. She fought between the different actions she wanted to take. What was the point of it all? Eudokia ran up a short distance, but still far away from Dareia. ¡°So you¡¯re just going to waste my time?¡± The child turned her head back towards Eudokia. Her eyes were narrow and serious. ¡°No, you¡¯re wasting mine. Until you figure it out, you¡¯re not ready.¡± Dareia faced ahead once more and strode off. The silence left Eudokia unable to react. Stopping one last time, she remained staring at the gate in the distance. ¡°Just remember, I picked you because I saw you had the potential. That¡¯s the only hint I¡¯ll give you.¡± Annoyed again, Eudokia rubbed her teeth slowly over her lips. ¡°A hint?¡± she muttered to herself. ¡°This is just a waste. I shouldn¡¯t have bothered giving into my curiosity.¡± Eudokia waited until Dareia disappeared behind the walls to even begin approaching. She wanted nothing to do with Dareia anymore. It was all merely a game for Dareia to play and she would have none of it. Days passed with a struggle. Dareia¡¯s words continued to bother Eudokia, as much as she tried to forget them. It made moving forward difficult, even though she forced herself. Eventually, it was two weeks since their meeting. Eudokia¡¯s routine became one of denial rather than learning. Stubbornly, Eudokia returned to the busy courtyard Dareia forced her into previously. She sat at a distance watching the scene. People passed through on the way to patrols, duties or spare time. It varied, but she didn¡¯t find anything important. After an hour, she left. ¡®What does she expect me to see? This is pointless.¡¯ Pointless, but she showed up again. It wasn¡¯t about curiosity anymore. It was a matter of pride for Eudokia. There was supposedly something to see and she wouldn¡¯t allow Dareia the satisfaction. Eudokia continued to make regular visits to the courtyard. While she got strange looks from soldiers, none of it mattered to her. Her mind was focused. The goal was the only thing important. Eventually, the passage of time meant nothing. It was then that Dareia surfaced again. In her child form, she appeared to Eudokia during one of her monitoring sessions. ¡°Enjoying yourself?¡± she inquired, taking up a seat next to Eudokia. It was hard to call it enjoyment. She was just simply stubborn. ¡°No.¡± Eudokia leaned forward, sighing suddenly. ¡°He¡¯s back again,¡± she commented. It was probably the worst part of the hour she watched. Dareia next to her only made it feel worse. She threw herself back to lie down, not wanting to see any of it. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Curious, Dareia looked over at Eudokia. ¡°Who is he?¡± She preferred not thinking anymore about him. The past days gave her enough to watch. ¡°He shows up every day at this time. It¡¯s annoying to watch him. He never makes any action, just passively stands there thinking of things to do that he¡¯ll never act upon.¡± Dareia glanced over at the man. He played out his usual actions like Eudokia noted. ¡°There seems to be a change in him today,¡± observed Dareia. She watched Eudokia¡¯s reaction. ¡°That¡¯s only because he thinks he was spotted. However, she¡¯s completely oblivious to him. She only has interest in the guy that just showed up. None of them know of the other, they¡¯re always just passing each other. It¡¯s pointless.¡± ¡°The world is like that most times.¡± A smile came across Dareia¡¯s lips. She looked back at the two lovebirds, never destined to meet. ¡°Most are oblivious, too afraid to make a move to ruin their comfort. It makes them easy to read though.¡± Dareia stood up, dusting off her dress. ¡°Meet me tomorrow.¡± She walked off with no further words. Eudokia lifted her head to stare at Dareia until she fell out of sight between the crowd. Confusion filled her face. ¡°What?¡± Her eyes grew wider, failing to follow what happened. However confused it made Eudokia, she showed up the next day to find out what Dareia purpose was for calling her out. ¡°So why did you want to see me?¡± They stood out in the fields beyond the Base again. A quiet place, it was safe. Returning to her adult form, Dareia had a different look on her face. ¡°You still have quite a ways to go, but you started to figure some of it out. For now, your emotions and pride are making it impossible for you to see clearly, but those will clear up in time.¡± Such words immediately put her on the defensive. Eudokia felt like Dareia pierced her heart again. It was unsettling how easily she saw through everything. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°Denial doesn¡¯t work on me. You must have been thinking about it. Why did I want you to do it?¡± It was back to the previous matter. Eudokia felt a little cornered by Dareia''s response, almost as if it was an all or nothing pass or fail test. ¡®What sort of answer is she looking for? It was all just meaningless stuff. I just watched people, it wasn¡¯t anything important. I can¡¯t see how any of it is supposed to help me.¡¯ Not having an answer was worse than giving the wrong one. At least, Eudokia felt that way. She needed to find something that would satisfy the woman. Eudokia racked her brain for answers. Nothing immediately came to her. She just continued a cyclical pattern. There was no answer. No reason for any of it. She hated doing it, but she expected to find an answer. It annoyed her that she never figured it out. ¡°Silence? I guess things end here then. You weren¡¯t¡ª¡° She threw up her hand to cut Dareia off. Eudokia¡¯s determination bled into her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll give you your answer!¡± Her response made Dareia¡¯s eyebrows raise a little, looking amused, another annoying response. However, Eudokia forced herself into a position where she knew nothing of how to escape. ¡®What am I supposed to say?!¡¯ Time ran short for her. She had to provide an answer quickly. Her mind blew through everything in search. ¡®This whole thing started because she lied to me and then made such a bold claim as to showing me how to survive by lying like she does. But what¡¯s the point? I came out of nagging curiosity, but it is still just lies. What will that gain me? She fits in, but what do I care about that?¡¯ Eudokia blindly tried to reason her way to an answer. It felt pointless, but she pushed forward in the remaining seconds. ¡®It¡¯s all about lies. How does she fit in so easily? She¡¯s just pretending, lying. She knows the right lies to use, but how? How does she know the right ones to use?¡¯ The hours wasted on watching people came to her. The reason for her dire need for an answer. ¡®I just watched people, I didn¡¯t get anything from it.¡¯ Eudokia''s mind trailed off on the thought. She looked up at Dareia feeling something dawn on her. ¡®Lies and watching.¡¯ Dareia grinned knowingly. ¡°You understand now don¡¯t you?¡± She leaned down toward Eudokia. The answer found her. ¡°That¡¯s how you do it, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Correct!¡± applauded Dareia. ¡°The Academy taught you to know how to read a situation, but you can use that skill for more than just situational analysis. Lies can be your control. You know the right things to say and everything falls into your hands. That¡¯s what I¡¯ll show you.¡± It still bothered Eudokia. The method of reaching it. ¡°You could have been more direct and saved the time.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not how I work. Anything worth having must be earned. If you can¡¯t obtain it, then you weren¡¯t worthy to have it.¡± Dareia walked away from Eudokia, concluding their meeting. ¡°Besides, I knew you¡¯d figured it out.¡± Eudokia turned around quickly watching Dareia leave. The sight bothered her. ¡®I was in her control the entire time, wasn¡¯t I? I¡¯ll show you how dangerous that is.¡¯ She became determined to take advantage of everything Dareia offered her. Her mind already worked out plans for her revenge. ¡°Come back tomorrow. The real work begins then!¡± Dareia waved casually at Eudokia, never looking back at her. Eudokia¡¯s exam finished that day and her training began. ¡®Just another patrol¡­¡¯ Eudokia commented to herself. She long adjusted to the patrol, but it didn¡¯t make the solitude any better to manage. Nearly a year passed since she joined the South Gate. Her training with Dareia progressed slowly. All of the embarrassing situations Dareia forced her into were memories she preferred to forget. It left quiet rumors going around the Base, ones she wished she could silence permanently. However, she couldn¡¯t think about them. The regularly scheduled check in with Headquarters came first. ¡°All halt!¡± she barked, lifting her arm up to signal to her squad. A ripple expanded out from her feet. Nothing on the surface changed, but she connected with the military communication lines running through the ground. They ran around the perimeter set by the barrier allowing contact back to Command. Eudokia motioned to Nikon, giving him the all clear. He carried the communication pack, normally reserved for the MP in the squad. However, regulations prevented the squad leader from also being in charge of communications. Nikon lifted the wires out of the pack attaching them to a simple ear device. ¡°This is the 241st Squad, hourly report¡ª¡° Something made Nikon go silent. The longer silence remained the deeper the lines in his features turned. It didn¡¯t take her training to realize something happened. They had new orders. She waited until it looked like he finished with Headquarters. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°The 94th Squad has reported an intrusion two hours ago.¡± ¡°Two hours ago? Have they made any more reports?¡± The wording already made Eudokia suspect the answer, but she needed confirmation. ¡°Negative. They¡¯ve made no further reports since their notification of pursuing the intruders.¡± Such implications made the situation dire. The entire squad understood it very clearly. Eudokia took a step closer to her squad. ¡°What direction were they last reported in?¡± ¡°The vicinity of Kapni. Our orders are to investigate the area, locate the 94th Squad and aid them in the capture of the intruders.¡± Eudokia took it all in and looked around at her squad. They had some uncertainty in their eyes. The discovery of intruders was a career-making achievement, but even they were generally routine. Capture the intruder, wipe any memories and escort them back to the barrier, those were the steps. They were easy. Trouble free actions. However, this time was different. Something happened to a squad, meaning they were going into a dangerous unknown situation. It was all their first time. She had to say something. They looked ready to fall apart. Academy prepared them for only so much. Reality was different. ¡°Right! This is what we trained for. The honor of the South Gate is on the line here. We have not lost a soldier in the two centuries since we started patrolling. I¡¯m not about to see that tarnished. You have your doubts about my command, but a squad is like family. And I don¡¯t let anything happen to my family.¡± Eudokia¡¯s face turned a little red after her little speech. She faintly thought of Dareia. She hoped it worked. Silence settled around the squad staring at Eudokia. They seemed to not know how to react after what she said. It surprised everyone that Nikon stepped forward. His eyes looked partially away. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how I feel about being led around by my little sister, but¡­I have your back, Squad Leader.¡± A bit of surprise came across Eudokia¡¯s face. She didn¡¯t expect such a response from him. It made her smile a little. The rest of the squad fell in alongside Nikon. ¡°We feel the same, Nikon. We¡¯ll follow you, Squad Leader!¡± Chapter 205 - Crawling in the Dark Time was short. Action needed to be swift. The danger to the villagers and the squad were high with the amount of uncertainty. They didn¡¯t know what they were getting into with their mission. All they knew was they couldn¡¯t fail. The thought of failure repeated through Eudokia¡¯s mind. She thought she prepared herself for the moment. It was what she needed, but she couldn¡¯t help the thoughts. ¡®What if they¡¯re dead? What if I get them hurt? Or can¡¯t find the intruders.¡¯ It continued through her mind, making it difficult to focus. Had her team known, they would have hesitated climbing onboard the vehicle she made for them. Each of them had different ideas of what to expect when they arrived in the area. However, reality defied them all. None of them believed that they would find the village completely normal. Eudokia dropped them off outside the village, about a kilometer out. From their vantage point, nothing was wrong in Kapni. Everyone carried about as though it was a normal afternoon day. Eudokia looked back at her team. They wanted answers, but she had none to give. She wanted the same answers they did. ¡®I expected some sort of change. If the intruders were in the area of Kapni, I figured that they would go to the village. It¡¯s the only place with civilization, it would only be natural.¡¯ Thoughts turned about for Eudokia. However, it didn¡¯t solve the immediate problem. She needed to give her team orders. ¡°Alright, we don¡¯t know the situation yet. Anything could be happening, Daidalos and Hestia, take the perimeter to the right. Hilarion and Nikon take the left approach. We meet on the other side in thirty minutes.¡± They all accepted the orders, but had some concerns about the plan. Nikon voiced his questions, though not in his usual tone. ¡°What will you do? You can¡¯t go alone.¡± She tilted her head back towards the village. ¡°I¡¯m going through the village. We¡¯re just dealing with normal humans, so I can go invisible and observe the situation. I don¡¯t want to spook them, if they happen to be inside.¡± It surprised her a little to see that they actually looked a little uneasy about her going alone. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, but I need to know if anything is happening outside of the village. Once we have more recon, I can make a plan. For all we know, the intruders aren¡¯t even in the village and Squad 94 is still in pursuit. I need you, so I can make sure this all ends the way we want.¡± ¡°We understand!¡± they answered. ¡°Thanks,¡± nodded Eudokia. Chapter 205 ¨C Crawling in the Dark Five minutes already passed since they departed. Eudokia made it to the village gates, rather what amounted to a gate. The gate was merely two thick trunks from trees they chopped down. They had one guard posted, looking very lazy. ¡®I¡¯m not detecting any sort of deception from him. He simply is bored.¡¯ She moved into the village, staying out of sight with her power. Everything seemed the same the further in she went. It made her feel uneasy as though she should be seeing something and simply missed the sign. ¡®I thought they might be holding them hostage and forcing them to act normal, but I¡¯m not seeing any signs at all.¡¯ Her eyes scanned everything she could. She only had twenty minutes for her investigation. ¡®If they aren¡¯t here, where are they?!¡¯ No answers. Eudokia left Kapni with nothing. She didn¡¯t like the feeling it gave her. Something told her she missed something, but she didn¡¯t know what it was. She wanted to go look more, but she had a deadline. ¡®Perhaps they found something. I need something to go on or I¡¯m just running around in the dark.¡¯ It gave her a little hope, that they might have something waiting for her. She was the first to arrive at the designated rendezvous. It made her a little anxious, but Hilarion and Nikon arrived shortly after her. The looks on their faces told her enough, but she still checked. ¡°Anything?¡± Nikon shook his head. He looked a little down after the response. ¡°Everything looked clear. We didn¡¯t even find signs of travel.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Eudokia muttered, staring into the distance from where Nikon came from. The flat plains gave her a good view. It was peaceful as it appeared. ¡®Still no answers. This is only going to get worse if Daidalos and Hestia show up with the same thing.¡¯ She wished for better results from them. A minute passed and the three looked at each other. Concern filled them. It might not have seemed long, but they were all well trained for travel. There shouldn¡¯t be a large difference in their times. Eudokia gave it another minute of no sight before taking action. ¡°We¡¯re going. Nikon take the rear guard. I¡¯ll take point.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Nikon moved with no question in the order. They were on the same page. Eudokia trudged forward fighting off the emotions that threatened to destroy her face¡¯s composure. She wanted the forward position selfishly to keep it away from them. ¡®How could I let them go alone? But I didn¡¯t know. I had to send them, if I didn¡¯t¡­¡¯ Her eyelids lowered a little as she forced a hardened expression. ¡®I¡¯ll find them. They won¡¯t be allowed to get away with this! You can¡¯t hide from me!¡¯ It only took ten minutes for them to arrive at the site. Their tracking skills hardly had the experience of real work, but they didn¡¯t need much to recognize when the footprints changed. Nikon stared at the ground trying to recall his training. A short distance away, Hilarion stood guard with the anticipation of an ambush. Eudokia already confirmed for them no one else in the area with her power. She stared off at the village once more. ¡®Where are they hiding? They must be nearby.¡¯ Her teeth grinded together stinging her teeth from the pressure. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Sir!¡± called Nikon, ¡°Can you help me?¡± It took him calling again to actually get her attention. Eudokia flicked her expression away and focused back on the task. ¡°Right. You find anything?¡± She walked over to the main area where it looked like Daidalos and Hestia were ambushed. Leaning over, she stared at the vague marks in the grass and dirt. ¡°I¡¯m not very good at this. I can get a general sense, but no idea their numbers.¡± A ripple expanded over the area. ¡°Step aside. I¡¯ll reveal the secrets of our intruders.¡± Unlike her normal Field, nothing appeared. The grass remained and it seemed as though nothing happened. Such nothingness didn¡¯t last. A blue light grew out of the ground covering all of the blades of grass in an outline. From the tips, particles went into the air. Suddenly, figures materialized quickly in stationary positions. Only two of the figures had real form to them, the ones representing Daidalos and Hestia. The remaining four figures were unknown with only a rough estimate of size, height and weight based off the imprints left behind. It eliminated any sort of need for real tracking skills. ¡°Four,¡± remarked Eudokia. She drew a circle in a counterclockwise motion with her finger. The figures started moving as though time rewound. They watched their comrades move away from them. Eudokia brought it to a stop when the unknown intruders stopped moving. They walked over to the positions the ambushers took. There was no cover to protect them and the ground was very flat. Eudokia bent down staring deeply at the blank shapes. ¡®What were you thinking?¡¯ She seemed to expect an answer, but naturally it gave none. More important matters concerned her. Taking a position near to them, she looked over at her two team members. ¡®It¡¯s a clear line of sight isn¡¯t it? How¡¯d they miss it?¡¯ Eudokia measured the distance and elevation change. ¡°Nikon!¡± She motioned out to him to go to where Daidalos stood. Once in position, she laid down in the grass trying to understand the scene better. ¡®We can see each other easily¡­¡¯ The question made her pensive, resting a hand to her face. However, Nikon didn¡¯t have the patience for thinking it through calmly. ¡°How the hell did they sneak up on them? Daidalos and Hestia would have seen them!¡± The lack of a response made him yell even louder. ¡°It doesn¡¯t make any sense!¡± A little bothered by the interruption, Eudokia glanced up at Nikon. ¡°I agree. From the positions, they never would have missed them, but the facts are what we have. Meaning¡­¡± His interruption left her without the answer. She was working towards it. ¡°Meaning what?¡± demanded Nikon. Standing up, she walked around the area examining the angles. Nothing else was possible. ¡°They couldn¡¯t be seen, somehow.¡± Eudokia wandered around the area trying to see something. ¡°But there¡¯s no way they couldn¡¯t have been seen.¡± Glancing over at him, she acknowledged him so he couldn¡¯t keep yelling. She went back to pacing around. ¡°Yes, but saying that isn¡¯t getting us to the answer. There was a reason they weren¡¯t seen. My Field isn¡¯t making it clear, meaning that whatever they did wasn¡¯t with the terrain. The only answer I can see is a disguise, though in this I¡¯m not sure what would actually work. But it¡¯s the only conclusion. I can¡¯t see any other way.¡± Twirling her finger, she fast-forwarded the scene. ¡°Dwelling on the unknown isn¡¯t going to help us.¡± She needed to see how things played out. The ambush moved quickly once the two passed the point. Coordinated and skilled, the intruders easily overpowered both. Once unconscious, they were carried off in the direction of the village. The whole thing bothered Eudokia. Her hand tensed up at the sight of them disappearing in the distance. ¡®So they are in the village¡­¡¯ She motioned to the others to fall in. ¡°We¡¯re going back,¡± she declared, determination dug into her eyes. There was something she missed. She was certain of it even more after seeing it. ¡®They¡¯re in the village. They must be keeping things quiet, but what¡¯s their objective? This isn¡¯t a normal intrusion. Something strange is going on.¡¯ Eudokia didn¡¯t like the feeling the entire situation gave her. There was a darker side to the questions. She was afraid of where it would lead. When they arrived back at the village of Kapni, everything still didn¡¯t change. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Children ran about the playing, while their parents worked. They didn¡¯t seem to know something was wrong. An eerie sight. Eudokia searched the border of the village for any signs of unusual activity, but nothing revealed itself. She tilted her head back to Nikon. ¡°I¡¯ll go follow their trail and scout the area. I¡¯ll be back in ten minutes.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Nikon reached out for Eudokia. ¡°What about us?¡± ¡°Follow the plan and keep an eye out for any other squads. The 103rd Squad was ahead of them, so they¡¯re likely to be here soon.¡± He appeared nervous at her orders. It seemed a little strange for a child comforting an adult, but they were her team. They were her soldiers. ¡°This¡¯ll all be over soon. I won¡¯t allow this to go on any further.¡± Running after the trail, Eudokia tracked the intruders using a device she created through her power. ¡®Standard procedure would be to perform a search of the entire village, but I can¡¯t risk tipping them off with hostages. I have to move carefully.¡¯ The trail brought her to a fork. The intruders went in two different directions. ¡®Which do I follow?¡¯ She modified her device to give her a little more information. She needed to know the weight to judge where they took her men. ¡®Left¡­what¡¯s to the right then?¡¯ Staring at the device, she found older tracks going in the directions. It was difficult to pull apart, but it seemed they went through more than once. ¡®I can only investigate one in my time.¡¯ She turned and ran off following the path. ¡®My team comes first!¡¯ The end of the tracks came to the house. It looked like any other house in the village. The size was larger than the surrounding ones, likely because of a bigger family. Nothing strange seemed to be happening from the outside. However, Eudokia knew it appeared that way before and she missed it. ¡®They¡¯re inside or nearby.¡¯ First, she checked the perimeter for any guards. She found none as she expected. They remained hidden, appearing normal. Tracks led to only the back door. The limited movement around the outside of the house made it easier to track and sort through the older tracks that likely belonged to the family. Carefully, Eudokia approached the back door trying to listen for anything. She heard two voices speaking, but it was impossible to hear. ¡®I can¡¯t make it out. The voices aren¡¯t getting through the door.¡¯ A window was nearby, closed with the curtains drawn. She tried to peer inside, but came up short. ¡®If I was older I¡¯d be able to see.¡¯ Her eyes only made it to the windowsill. It hardly offered an ideal view and she was already stretching her feet as much as she could. She pulled herself up a little, but the wood groaned a bit making her hesitate. She took a second option. Working with her powers, she weakened wood in the wall enough to make a hole. Something blocked her from seeing inside, likely furniture, but she could hear the voices. ¡®It¡¯s still too hard to make out.¡¯ The voices were still distant. ¡°¡­desu ka?¡± Eudokia¡¯s eyes widened for a moment. ¡®They¡¯re speaking Japanese!¡¯ Once she realized they spoke in a different language, the words suddenly became clearer to her. Unfortunately, her understanding of Japanese was far from perfect. Most of it didn¡¯t make any sort of sense to her. ¡®Wish I remembered a translation Addendum.¡¯ A minute passed with her attempting to translate, but she only made out fragments. ¡®They¡¯re speaking too fast for me.¡¯ Eudokia eventually decided that she wasn¡¯t going to get anything further without a proper translation. It was then that she remembered the time. ¡®I¡¯m going to be late!¡¯ Running back the way she went, she felt a little excited. She had found them. It wasn¡¯t much, but she could start a plan. She was certain her men were inside. Once she got back to Nikon and Hilarion, they could come up with a plan to rescue them. ¡®Just wait a little longer. I¡¯ll be back!¡¯ When Eudokia arrived back, she was a little out of breath. The excitement altered her pacing, leaving her more out of breath than she expected. ¡°I found them! We can rescue them now!¡± Eudokia finally caught her breath and looked up. Her eyes widened a little. Nikon and Hilarion were nowhere. They were gone. Chapter 206 – Child at Play Eudokia dropped to her knees. She gave it consideration, but it actually happened. It made her freeze. They took her entire team. ¡®Alone¡­I¡¯m alone, again.¡¯ A fist pounded against the earth. It was real. She felt odd. They were nothing but trouble. She didn¡¯t exactly hate them, but she held no love for them either. Lifting her head, Eudokia¡¯s face restored the determination that floundered before her reality. ¡®I must continue with the plan.¡¯ Eudokia stood up, letting a ripple escape her feet. Faint glows of light began to appear moving away from her. They took the shapes of footprints placed down as though an invisible person walked. Glancing at the path created, Eudokia nodded. ¡®So they¡¯re going back the same way. They¡¯ll be with the others then.¡¯ She broke out into a light jog making for the village. ¡®I¡¯m coming everyone!¡¯ Chapter 206 ¨C Child at Play Inside Kapni, things continued to play out as a normal afternoon. Nothing appeared as though there were foreign intruders hiding out holding soldiers hostage. Eudokia used her power to change her appearance to keep the villagers unaware of any sort of danger. She had longer hair and a tunic stylized into a makeshift dress. It was enough to make it seem like any other child running around. ¡®I need to keep this quiet, with two teams working they¡¯ll know if something happens. I can¡¯t risk it.¡¯ When she arrived at the house, she waited across the dirt road. It looked no different from before. She didn¡¯t expect things to change. ¡®They¡¯re inside.¡¯ A ball appeared from behind her back. It was made from dirty old leather, stitched together poorly. She bounced it on her knee and knocked it around her feet. The entire time, her eyes never left the house. She watched the house for minutes. Minutes turned to almost an hour. Nothing. No movement came from any of the windows. It really seemed as if no one was inside. Eudokia knew otherwise. ¡®I hoped to have seen anything to help the plan, but I¡¯ll just have to go with things as they are. I can¡¯t delay any longer.¡¯ The ball rolled back over her foot. She kicked it up, bouncing it around her leg. It started to move faster and faster. The momentum built up in the ball, spinning quickly in the air. Eudokia suddenly drew her leg back letting the ball fall. Just before the ball touched the ground, she released her foot, sending the ball into the air. It spun off arcing into a wide curve. The angle looked good as it sped towards the house¡¯s window. However, it nicked the railing of the porch, veering it off course. Eudokia narrowed her eyes, annoyed. ¡®Thought I had it¡­¡¯ The ball suddenly turned an impossible angle as it bounced off the overhang and went into the window. A loud crash of the ball knocking into something came out of the house. Voices erupted from inside. Grinning, she lowered her foot down. ¡°It¡¯s showtime!¡± She ran across the road getting close to the house. The ball caused several voices to come from the house. She picked up the Japanese mixed among Atlantean. Those speaking Atlantean were clearly panicked, frightened by the other voices. Neither could understand the other. ¡®Time to act, I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m actually using what she taught me.¡¯ Drawing in her breath and quickly exhaling, she quickened her breathing as though winded. She rushed up the stairs to knock on the door. It caused more voices and skittering of feet. ¡®It¡¯ll be the owners, not the intruders that show themselves.¡¯ Eudokia thought through all of the scenarios and settled on the one that made the most sense. Only a few moments passed before the footsteps were at the door. The door delayed in opening, likely fear in the owner of getting someone else involved. When it finally opened, a middle-aged woman stood in the threshold trying her best not to look completely terrified, yet failing before Eudokia¡¯s well-trained eyes. It was clear from the sight of the woman wouldn¡¯t start the conversation. Eudokia took the lead. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ so sorry!¡± She worked being out of breath into the performance. ¡°I was¡­playing¡­and¡­the ball got out¡­of control.¡± The woman still said nothing, her eyes darted back to something unseen. ¡°Speak,¡± a voice said softly. Eudokia carefully scanned the interior. She made sure to understand Japanese this time around. Lacking the forward movement, Eudokia forced a little more to try to get the woman to play along. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry¡­if I broke something!¡± She worked up some tears. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it! Honest!¡± Eudokia leaned in a little like she was searching out for damage. Finally, the woman acted pushing Eudokia back. ¡°N-NO! No.¡± She caught the volume of her voice and pulled it in quickly. ¡°I-It¡¯s fine. You didn¡¯t break anything.¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± Eudokia replied quickly, looking relieved. ¡°I heard a really loud noise, so I was so afraid I broke something.¡± ¡°It just bounced on the table pushing it into the wall. Everything¡¯s fine!¡± The woman went to try to close the door on Eudokia, wanting to spare her from the trouble. Keeping up her child-like innocence, Eudokia leaned her head in looking around for the ball. ¡°Is my ball around here?¡± Everything moved as she calculated. ¡®This is all very easily predictable. The woman will try to get me to leave, but if I force my way in they¡¯ll be forced to act and grab me.¡¯ She just needed to get inside. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°I-I¡¯ll go¡­get it for you! Don¡¯t come in!¡± The woman rushed off into the hall to fetch the ball. It left the door completely unattended, allowing Eudokia to step inside fully. When the woman came back, she dropped the ball in panic. ¡°N-NO! I told you!¡± She ran over to Eudokia, grabbing her by the shoulders, shaking her. Heavy footsteps moved into the hall. ¡°What the hell¡¯s going on in here?¡± One of the Japanese intruders finally appeared. ¡°Damn! Get in here!¡± His arm motioned to someone in the other room. He charged through grabbing the woman roughly. ¡°Run! Flee now!¡± shouted the woman, trying to push Eudokia out the door. Eudokia pretended to be completely paralyzed in fear and confused. She said nothing while reading everything. The man closed the door with one hand securing the house. However, the Atlantean woman struggled with him not wanting Eudokia caught. He sharply backhanded her, knocking her to the ground. A second man ran out to help secure the situation in the hall. The first grabbed Eudokia by the forearm tightly. ¡°Come,¡± he commanded, in a deep rough voice that needed no translation to understand. The second pulled the woman up and dragged her, still resisting a little, back into the main room. In the room, she saw all of her men along with six Japanese and two Atlantean civilians. ¡®They¡¯re different from what they showed us in training,¡¯ commented Eudokia. The men looked closer to soldiers than researchers did with their mannerisms and equipment. Each of them had at least one gun holstered at their side and a couple even had automatic weapons she never had seen before. ¡®There¡¯s something strange about those weapons. They look more advanced than I think is possible.¡¯ Despite their appearance, they didn¡¯t look like they were part of any Japanese organization Atlantis was familiar with. Their training prepared them with all the typical military uniforms, scientific organizations and the related markings for each group. None of it matched anything she had ever seen. ¡®They aren¡¯t JSDF, PMCs perhaps?¡¯ She did see they all had the same logo, a sword and shield covering up a sun. ¡°Captain, we were forced to bring the child in,¡± the first man said. Eudokia stumbled forward, from the rough treatment. Her knee slammed into the wood floor, dropping her to the ground in pain. ¡®They¡¯ll report my capture to the others.¡¯ She started to cry looking terrified of everything unknown happening around her. An older man with slightly graying hair, which looked a little premature for his age, stared at Eudokia making silent judgments. ¡°Fine, can¡¯t help it. Sergeant, report this to Alpha Team.¡± ¡®Good, I can act soon.¡¯ ¡°This is getting more and more complicated,¡± groaned a man, forced to guard the hostages. He always had his hand on his weapon, pointed at the group. ¡°Quiet,¡± ordered the Captain. ¡°Everything is still going according to plan.¡± ¡°But sir, we still haven¡¯t found the last member of this squad. They¡¯re the most dangerous!¡± ¡°Which is why we have the insurance we brought.¡± ¡°But we don¡¯t even know if it works.¡± ¡°Enough! You¡¯re talking too much, focus on your job!¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The report ended and the radio closed. Everything looked to be slowly returning to their status quo. Eudokia still lay on the ground unable to move. The soldier just kicked her in her ribs to get her into the group. She continued to bawl softly, not wanting to be hit again. ¡®It¡¯s time.¡¯ She flicked her eyes up at Nikon, who sat next to her. They didn¡¯t need any words to understand each other. He understood her. The ball slowly rolled into the room. Unnoticed by the soldiers, it began to spin. It built up spin until it became only a spherical blur. When ready, it leapt into the air hitting the man holding the weapon, knocking him out instantly. It bounced off his face, already moving to another to take a second out. At that moment, Nikon stood up freed from his bonds and charged the nearby soldier. The rest of her team sprung into action following his lead. They all struggled with their opponent, but it ended quickly with the intruders subdued. Nikon motioned to the team to tie them up. He went over Eudokia, who helped the Atlantean couple back up to their feet. ¡°Looks like your plan worked. It went completely as you predicted.¡± Once he helped the husband up, his hand extended out to Eudokia showing him the device she gave him. ¡°This worked perfectly.¡± Before she left to track down the trail, she passed off a device to Nikon. It was small enough to hide inside his boot. ¡°Hold on to this. It¡¯s possible that they¡¯re scouting the area for us. So they might find you. Put up a good fight, but let yourself be captured.¡± Nikon looked a little confused by the orders. ¡°Get captured? What is this?¡± ¡°They¡¯re likely holding Daidalos and Hestia in the same place they¡¯d take you. If you¡¯re captured, I¡¯ll follow them back. This device will take care of any sort of bindings they might use, I constructed for that purpose. When I give you the signal, make your move and take down everyone in the room. You¡¯ll need to be quick. Understand?¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad it all worked out,¡± Eudokia replied, granting a slight smile to him. ¡®Everything is according to plan.¡¯ Her eyes narrowed in response to deeper emotions. She recalled what Dareia told her. ¡®You may be able to do everything yourself, but make them feel needed. Like you need them, that they¡¯re important. If a person feels they¡¯re important, indispensable to the team they¡¯ll follow you. It makes them easy to predict when you control their importance.¡¯ Eudokia shifted herself a little, checking on the woman. She still looked a little nervous. ¡°Everything is fine now. We¡¯re from the South Gate, you¡¯re safe.¡± Shaking her head, the wife had something to say that seemed important. Her shaking voice and the relief of the tension made it difficult for her to speak. ¡°N-n-n, there¡¯s¡ª¡° ¡°Get down!¡± shouted Nikon, as he leapt into the air pushing down Eudokia. A loud blast went off drowning out anything more Nikon said. Blood sprayed across Eudokia¡¯s face in shock. The force of whatever hit Nikon knocked both of them to the ground. The seventh soldier stood over the two of them pointing his gun at them. ¡°Damn, bastard Atlanteans!¡± He tried to fire his weapon again, planning to finish them both off, but the trigger failed to move. It distracted him enough that he didn¡¯t see Nikon back up on his feet coming at him until it was too late. They struggled with Nikon panting heavily from his injury. The two men turned and rolled in place trying to best the other¡¯s strength. Furniture pushed back as they knocked into everything in their way. A vase broke and a small marble statue clattered to the floor. Nikon slipped his leg in tripping the two to bring them both to the ground. It did nothing to change their struggle as the Japanese soldier tried to strangle Nikon with the shoulder strap of his weapon. Nikon fumbled about picking up the statue as his breathing became shallower. Summoning the last of his strength, he slammed the statue into the man¡¯s face. The impact broke them free. Nikon could breathe again, but the soldier wasn¡¯t down. A second later the man was back up coming for Nikon. He swung the statue again, putting the man down. Blood splattered from the second impact. His blood stained the statue. Nikon sighed, rolling off and lying on the floor. Eudokia rushed over to Nikon¡¯s side. ¡°Nikon! Why did you do that!? I could¡¯ve¡ª¡° He grinned at her. The pain in his back made him cough suddenly. ¡°You said it before¡­we¡¯re family¡­¡± ¡°¡­you¡¯re stupid¡­¡± In the hall the soldier came from, ice disappeared, unneeded. A ripple came out from her. ¡°I¡¯ll patch you up!¡± ¡°Thanks¡­¡± he said weakly, ¡°¡­it hurts¡­a lot¡­¡± She remembered one other thing Dareia told her. ¡®You know you¡¯ve mastered it when you can make them move exactly the way you want without giving them an order. When you reach that point, you truly control them. They¡¯ll be yours forever.¡¯ Chapter 207 - Sneaking Shadows Hestia ran over to truss the missed soldier up. While she worked, she looked over at the wife. ¡°There¡¯s no one else, right?¡± It came out half in humor and half serious. Regardless, she wanted an answer. The stare from her eyes delivered the intent. The middle-aged woman quickly shook her head. ¡°N-No, that¡¯s all of them.¡± ¡°Good,¡± commented Eudokia, standing up from her finished work. She walked over to Daidalos, who already started searching through one of the soldier¡¯s equipment. They needed some answers. A lot of the situation disconcerted Eudokia. ¡°Who do they belong to?¡± He tilted his head over his shoulder and up to Eudokia, from his knelt position. In his hands, he held several articles. One looked to be identification. ¡°If this is to be believed, they¡¯re members of the Japan Geoscience Union.¡± He passed the ID up to Eudokia for her to examine. ¡°The hell they are!¡± yelled Nikon, standing up already recovered. Narrowing her eyes, she quickly scanned the plastic card. It looked real, but her suspicions of it were the same as Daidalos. ¡°I find it unlikely they would be this heavily armed, but there are other things that worry me more about our intruders.¡± She glanced over at the couple. ¡®This isn¡¯t the place to be talking about this.¡¯ Motioning with her hand, she gave the signal to her team to move out. A ripple expanded from her feet, all of the tied up bodies began to float. Chapter 207 ¨C Sneaking Shadows Outside of the village once more, Eudokia set up a special perimeter with her Field. It gave her team privacy to speak and secured them from possible scouting parties. ¡°For now keep whatever we talk about between us.¡± ¡°Sir?¡± they questioned. Nikon nodded to her. He seemed to have picked up on some of what worried Eudokia. ¡°Right. Best to keep any sort of speculation quiet.¡± The others uncertainly nodded in agreement, no longer sure what they got themselves caught in. ¡°Thanks. You might have noticed, but that last one specifically called us Atlanteans.¡± When she said it, everyone immediately came to attention. They all understood what they meant without her having to say anymore. ¡°That isn¡¯t the only thing of concern. The most immediate is the fact that these people even made it inside the barrier and were able to move freely without being incapacitated by the barrier¡¯s effects.¡± Eudokia held up one of the heavy weapons that several of the men held. ¡°Add to that, this weapon is more advanced than existing known technology on the outside world.¡± ¡°But how is all of this possible?¡± Hestia asked. They all had the same question, but no one knew the answer. She already knew it, though it was a reactionary question. Daidalos threw in one of the badges with the symbol they all wore. ¡°They¡¯re all part of the same group by the looks of this. The only thing certain was that this wasn¡¯t an accident. This was planned and deliberate.¡± ¡°We already know that, but why would they do this?¡± added Hilarion. ¡°We may reject anyone coming inside, but we keep to ourselves. We haven¡¯t done anything to provoke this sort of invasion from foreigners.¡± Eudokia agreed with everything that they said. She wished she had better answers for them, but they moved in circles at the point they reached. All of the cards laid in front of them already. They still missed important pieces of information. ¡°We can debate this for hours without any more answers, however we still have a job to finish. Squad 94 is still missing and we haven¡¯t checked on the second path yet. I¡¯m fairly certain we¡¯ll find the rest there.¡± The team agreed, even if a bit reluctant simply to drop the matter. Part of the situation had deeper concerns for Eudokia that she didn¡¯t want her team exploring. She feared what might happen if they went too far, the ideas it would put into their minds. They didn¡¯t need such fears spinning while the mission remained incomplete. It played out as Eudokia said. When they arrived at the second house, they found the Alpha Team mentioned along with all five members of Squad 94. She ordered Daidalos and Hestia around to the backdoor for their breach. Nikon stood next to Eudokia. He glanced down at her. ¡°Won¡¯t they be on alert? They¡¯ve been checking in regularly.¡± ¡°I set up a looping device with their radio to respond when prompted. It¡¯s only been thirty minutes, so they should not have figured it out yet.¡± His eyelids raised a little hearing her answer. ¡°I¡¯m surprised how much you calculated everything out.¡± ¡°Our powers have its advantages when the need comes.¡± A ripple expanded from her feet. She placed her hand on the wall of the house using her snow to create a hole. Slight distortions in the air appeared going into the hole. ¡°We can talk more about this after we finish.¡± Eudokia finished the silence countdown in her head. Just before the breach, she heard several distant thuds. On cue, her squad rushed into the house from both sides. Their timing was perfect. Everyone in the house was unconscious from the gas Eudokia released. It ensured no mistakes or unknown stragglers. They worked quickly to tie everyone up and released Squad 94. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Her gas only had a brief window, as she needed the other squad awake to help deal with all of the intruders. Their numbers were starting to exceed what her squad could handle alone. ¡°Sergeant Polona,¡± she began, saluting the Squad Leader, ¡°I¡¯m Second Lieutenant Eudokia from the 241st Squad.¡± It took the woman a few moments to understand her surroundings. The situation quickly reversed for her squad. She quickly saluted back. ¡°Thank you, Second Lieutenant. I feel ashamed being captured so easily by them.¡± ¡°They were a very skilled and well organized team, nothing to be ashamed of.¡± Eudokia looked around at all of the Japanese soldiers starting to wake up. Their expressions told a lot for her. ¡°However, right now I need your help. We¡¯ve already captured their second team. This is more than we can handle alone.¡± She nodded to Eudokia. The woman motioned sharply to her team giving orders. They all understood without the need for words. Everyone moved quickly to get the soldiers walked out of the house. Peace returned to Kapni, largely unaware it was ever broken. They returned to Hilarion, who stayed behind to watch the rest of the soldiers. However, they were all surprised to find the 103rd Squad present. Even more surprising was that the number of intruders doubled since they left. Eudokia and Polona walked over to Captain Sergeant Iaret. ¡°Captain Sergeant, Second Lieutenant Eudokia.¡± ¡°Sergeant Polona,¡± Polona introduced. ¡°Second Lieutenant. Sergeant. I¡¯m Iaret. We arrived five minutes ago. I see you have things well in hand here.¡± Eudokia motioned back to the captured Japanese teams her squad found. ¡°We discovered two separate teams hiding out in Kapni, but haven¡¯t discovered their purpose. We located the Sergeant and her squad with one of the teams.¡± ¡°You found even more,¡± Polona noted, seeing the number of people were significantly larger than what Eudokia had reported to her. The aging man threw a hand out pointing at the ones they captured. ¡°We discovered them while we were en route to Kapni. It was mere chance. Unlike the ones you found, there looked to be a couple of scientists or researchers among the soldiers we found.¡± ¡°This is a pretty large operation for an accident.¡± All of them remained quiet for a while. Each already had their ideas formed about what the whole thing meant. None of them wanted to speak out their thoughts. ¡°First thing we need to do is report into HQ. No doubt other squads are in route to aid us.¡± It was something they all agreed upon. Due to the unusual nature of the intrusion, HQ ordered them back to the South Gate, rather than the normal immediate release. Taking advantage of transport vehicles, they made it back to the South Gate in only a couple hours. The welcome was different from what Eudokia expected. Many of the soldiers were out in the courtyard as they came back. They cheered and called out to the returning squads. Eudokia¡¯s squad received special attention, as it already passed around in rumor that they single-handedly rescued the captured squad and captured fourteen intruders. The results were impressive by any record. It felt a little odd for her to suddenly see a different look in all of the men and women that previously only kept their distance from her. Some even patted her on her head as she walked by, almost too friendly. ¡®I wonder how long this¡¯ll last.¡¯ Lieutenant Commander Athene already escorted all of the captured Japanese off with a large contingent of soldiers following her. They all had to be processed. In front of them, Captain Simonides stood awaiting the three squads. The soldiers came to attention and saluted. ¡°You¡¯ve all done excellent work. You can feel proud that you¡¯ve kept the border safe and the citizens protected.¡± ¡°Thank you, sir!¡± everyone said. Simonides'' tone changed quickly after the congratulations ended. ¡°Sergeant Polona, Captain Sergeant Iaret and Second Lieutenant Eudokia, come to my office immediately.¡± They all understood the atmosphere and didn¡¯t question him. The cheerful mood died abruptly. ¡°All squad members you are on standby.¡± He motioned over to Abeiron. ¡°Abeiron, handle the squads until I¡¯ve finished.¡± ¡°Yes, Captain! Squads 94, 103 and 241 follow me!¡± He turned about and marched off. The crowd watched a little confused at the sight. Most assumed that they would be giving medals immediately for their service, never knowing the reality. Eudokia closed the door behind her, locking the three squad leaders in the room with the Captain. However, it all surprised them to find General Alexander in the room. His presence changed them all immediately. The tense mood Simonides created tempered into a grave one almost instantly. Captain Simonides took a seat behind his desk, not openly acknowledging Demosthenes. ¡°You¡¯ve all been summoned here based on the earlier reports from your squads. I will assure you all that you will be granted medals and acknowledgements for your achievements this day, but neither you nor any of your squad are allowed to speak about the details of the incident.¡± ¡°Sir?¡± spoke Iaret. He wanted some clarification. The direction implied they were under a gag order. ¡°Everyone already knows you captured intruders, but that is all they are allowed to know. Officially, they were the normal scientists and researchers always stumbling into the barrier.¡± Polona braved the dangerous topic that Iaret avoided. ¡°Unofficially?¡± ¡°All information and investigation have been picked up by the Omega Division. The South Gate¡¯s involvement ends here.¡± Finally, he gave attention to the biggest question in the room. ¡°General Alexander is here personally to oversee all matters. While the investigation continues, you or your men may be requested to participate. You are expected to give your full cooperation to anything that they ask for from you.¡± A loose glance to Demosthenes passed the reins of the meeting over. Maintaining a strict presence, he kept everything dry and matter-of-fact. ¡°Submit all of your reports to me directly. Have them turned in by 20:00. I¡¯ll send for you individually tomorrow. Dismissed.¡± They exchanged salutes before Polona and Iaret walked out. Eudokia remained behind staring at Demosthenes in silence. He tilted his gaze over to Simonides, changing his expression to a softer one. ¡°Can I trouble you Captain to borrow your office briefly?¡± Simonides stood up and saluted the General. ¡°I¡¯ve got a few things to attend to. If you¡¯ll excuse me.¡± He walked around Eudokia, never once looking at the two. Demosthenes wore his grandfather''s expression for Eudokia. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again, Eudokia. The King¡¯s been worried about you. You haven¡¯t so much as sent a single letter since you¡¯ve taken your posting.¡± If it had been any other time, she would have ran up into his arms. ¡°What¡¯s going on here? You wouldn¡¯t be here if you didn¡¯t already know something. Those weren¡¯t normal scientists and they were even normal soldiers we captured.¡± A slightly sour frown came across his lips. ¡°No greetings? I don¡¯t remember you being so serious that you didn¡¯t have a little time for me.¡± ¡®He¡¯s dodging the subject.¡¯ Her eyes narrowed, annoyed by the blocks he put in front of her. She already felt the implications hiding behind Demosthenes¡¯ features. The mood he set in secret told her to stop. Eudokia dragged something out of her pack. ¡°I found this on Squad 94¡¯s MP.¡± She tossed it over to him. He caught the stone bindings. His eyes glanced at them only for a moment, before everything in his face changed. He recognized it, as Eudokia knew he would. The meaning of them troubled Eudokia, which was why she kept them in secret. She could only trust him with the information. The bindings were specialized restraints meant specifically for MPs to neutralize their power. The only time they were used was for the capture of rogue MPs by the Omega Division, no other branch of the military used them. ¡°Speak to no one about any of this, Eudokia.¡± ¡°What¡¯s happening, Demosthenes? This is bigger than some little intrusion.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not at liberty to tell you. It is White restricted.¡± His manner of response made her eyes widen a little. ¡®The King¡­only he has the permission¡­what sort of secret are they keeping from me?¡¯ Chapter 208 - Leftover Answers ¡°And that concludes my first year at the South Gate Border Patrol,¡± closed Eudokia. She glanced around at her audience briefly. The reactions varied from the confused, Saki, to the stoic, Haruo, to impossible to read, Yuki. Not taking the temperature of the area, Eudokia pushed on, starting to open her mouth. Yuki immediately raised his arm up. ¡°Stop right there, Ayumi. I know I asked you for this and you¡¯d said it was a long story, but if we keep going we¡¯ll never get back to the plot.¡± He saw the relief in Saki¡¯s face. It wasn¡¯t so much that it was necessarily too much for her to handle, just too much information all at once. There was almost no filter. He glanced back at someone the others did not see. ¡®Be glad we only gave you the abridged version.¡¯ Unseen in the story, Eudokia had gone into enormous amounts of detail covering many of the more mundane aspects of life in the South Gate. It almost felt as though she did the act out of spite for being asked to explain herself. What they received went far beyond an ¡®info dump¡¯, it would be better described as an ¡®info landfill¡¯. Ayumi looked around at the others appearing confused for being stopped. Given the information they were given, it was no longer certain that they could believe the expressions she gave them. Was she truly confused or just wanted them to feel that way? It brought up needlessly complex questions for something that should be simple. ¡°But you wanted to know about how things worked in Atlantis.¡± Nodding to Ayumi, he delayed his words to select them carefully. ¡°And I give admission to that. But we just need a better understanding, not a comprehensive history.¡± He felt like he still failed to get the words he wanted. It made his face twitch a little. Despite it, he pushed on to the next subject. ¡°You can summarize for everyone here the other two years.¡± Looking a little dejected by the shutdown, Ayumi darted her eyes around at them. ¡°What about everything that happened? Didn¡¯t you want to know?¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure for our current situation, a summary will work.¡± Yuki found himself sweating a little watching the look on Ayumi¡¯s face. Given her history she did reveal, he felt some of what he saw in her face could be real. She was isolated as a child among adults, forced to lie and trick her way just to be able to fit in and be accepted. It might have been the first time anyone actually was interested in her and listened to her past. He felt like he stomped all over it, yet it still was for the best. Perhaps it was the pent up desires to share that made her overzealous. Yuki was certain he would never know the answer. So he compromised. ¡°I imagine in the future there¡¯ll come a time when what happened to you in those two years will be relevant to your character development and you¡¯ll get to reveal it then. So just wait.¡± Saki leaned over to Yuki. ¡°Careful, we just fixed the wall. We can¡¯t be breaking it again already.¡± ¡°Is there really a point in having it anymore?¡± he shot back, with a quick glance. Coughing to clear the air, Saki switched back to the matter at hand, for the security of the wall. ¡°Something I¡¯m still wondering. You haven¡¯t mentioned any of those people back there yet. I thought we were going to hear about your time with them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because I did not meet them until my third year.¡± Chapter 208 ¨C Leftover Answers ¡°Keep things short,¡± Yuki insisted, with his hand up again. He tilted his head over to Saki. ¡°What are you thinking, you almost got her started again!¡± ¡°¡­sorry¡­I was curious,¡± she replied, sheepishly. Ayumi nodded a little roughly, clearly trying to organize her thoughts into something more concise. ¡°A more accurate answer would be that I only know one of them. The rest joined the South Gate after I finished my tour of duty.¡± ¡°So they only knew you by reputation?¡± Saki looked a little surprised. She knew the sort of standing she had from previous conversations, but it never really clicked with her. It never came to her that Ayumi might have been famous. ¡°Chariton is the only one that I knew before I left. He arrived shortly before I left. So I barely had much interaction with him.¡± She paused, appearing in thought. ¡°The others, Vangelis and the rest of his team must have joined the South Gate recently.¡± ¡°But they know anyway,¡± questioned Yuki. ¡°You said before, the reason you kept out of the fighting is because they knew you. The real reason is not because of your time at the South Gate, but the title you held after, Captain of the Royal Guard.¡± ¡°Mostly,¡± she agreed, ¡°The events I told you about made my name and squad well known among everyone in the South Gate. Those in the South Gate know me because of my accomplishments before I received that title, but nearly everyone in the military knows me as Captain of the Royal Guard, the one closest to the King.¡± ¡°Because of your notoriety, you¡¯ve wanted to keep low. However, I can¡¯t let you just disappear whenever. I understand not wanting to tip your hand, but I¡¯m guessing those that are ordering this aren¡¯t so blind. They¡¯ve probably already figured out that you¡¯re involved. It¡¯s probably difficult to fight against your own people, but if we¡¯re going to fix things I need you to be here.¡± Ayumi remained silent for a while. She didn¡¯t reveal much of an expression. The only guess was she thought carefully on her plans and what was at stake. It was clear from the way she moved, she had a strategy, one that didn¡¯t move in line with Yuki¡¯s meddling. She was the expert on Atlantis, but Yuki was the one helping and the one needed. With some reluctance, Ayumi¡¯s expression softened a bit. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll do things your way.¡± Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°Great! Thanks, Ayumi!¡± He smiled at her, pleased with a resolution. It gave him hope for a smoother journey. However, Saki jumped into the conversation with a bit of a tangent. ¡°You¡¯re our age, right Ayumi? You¡¯re not using some trick or anything you learned from that Dareia person to make yourself appear younger.¡± A bit of a glare came from Ayumi, but she covered it up quickly. ¡°No, why are you asking? I am about the same age.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying that you were in the military when you were¡­¡± ¡°Nine, when I joined the academy and eleven when I was assigned to the South Gate.¡± ¡°And fourteen when you became Captain of the Royal Guard.¡± She looked around at the others and they didn¡¯t seem to find it strange. ¡®How can I be the only one?! This doesn¡¯t make any sense!¡¯ Saki wanted to punch something for how much they failed to react. When she heard Ayumi start her story, it was the first thing that bothered her. It didn¡¯t make any sense. ¡®How can they just accept it?! I¡¯m not weird or strange right?¡¯ ¡°Saki?¡± questioned Yuki. He leaned over to Saki, still caught up in her thoughts. The look in her eyes of too many questions buzzing around made it almost possible to see all of the tiny ants running around flailing their arms trying to make sense of things. It sort of amused Yuki. However, when she came back she yelled, ¡°NO!¡± It was straight in Yuki¡¯s face, enough to make his hair blow over and off his head, nearly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± Yuki reacted out of instinct, not really certain why he apologized. It just seemed to be the right response. The outburst put everyone a little on edge. Saki quickly caught their suspicious looks and pulled back trying to close back up. ¡°I-I mean¡­¡± Her face was a little red. It took a lot of backpedaling and struggling to find her words, but she eventually reached what she wanted. ¡°No!¡± Or maybe not. It was the looks they gave, they set her off. ¡°Saki? What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡®Am I crazy? I can¡¯t be? I¡¯m the only sane one here, right? I mean there¡¯s Yuki that¡¯s delusional, Haruo who never says anything and Ayumi that is too much of a puzzle. I¡¯m normal right?!¡¯ ¡°Um¡­Saki?¡± Yuki reached out to place a hand on her shoulder, hoping it would calm her down a little. Naturally, she jumped, not expecting Yuki. ¡°Huh?¡± The world she caught herself up in blocked out too many things. ¡°What?!¡± ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°I should be asking you that!¡± she blurted out, the lack of context only made them look more strangely at her. It made her feel a little self-conscious. ¡°I¡¯m the normal one here!¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Yuki raised an eyebrow trying to understand where Saki was going. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± ¡°How can you just stand there and accept everything she said without even finding it odd?!¡± She flung a hand over to Ayumi, pointing at her evidence. ¡°She¡¯s our age! Our age! You know what that means! How can you just accept that someone her age is in the military and at the top as though it is normal! This is the real world!¡± Pushing a little way from Saki, he motioned with his hands for her to calm down. ¡°First of all, we¡¯re sitting, not standing while accepting it.¡± The joke immediately made her glare at him. He felt the death rays coming off her eyes. It took a while for the blue in his face to disappear. ¡°Child assassins and military organizations using underage girls is a popular trope, it¡¯s not that surprising.¡± ¡°¡­Yu¡­ki¡­¡± While Saki threatened Yuki, Haruo inserted himself into the foreground once more. ¡°Other parts of the world outside of Japan, children are forced to learn to fight. So it should not be too unusual.¡± It normally would have been something completely ignored in the chaos, but Haruo¡¯s voice was still very foreign to everyone that they all stopped. ¡°But Atlantis doesn¡¯t seem like it is in the sort of situation that it is needed.¡± ¡°Maybe so, but this is the reality of her world.¡± Haruo moved his head just enough to put Ayumi in his view, so she looked at him. ¡°I hypothesize based on the facts you¡¯ve presented that there are some external factors involved.¡± Ayumi remained quiet on Haruo¡¯s direct inquiry. His move made Saki pull away from Yuki, though her hand still casually tightly clung to Yuki¡¯s tunic. ¡°There¡¯s something else.¡± ¡°I think you should answer him, Ayumi,¡± added Yuki. His eyes were clear with the sign of wanting answers. He no longer wished to be in the dark on matters. He wanted to understand Atlantis. The reluctant look in her eyes foretold her delay. All eyes were on her though, they expected her to give an answer. ¡°This goes a little deeper than I planned to explain. It goes to the core of the problems currently facing Atlantis. It is the source of all of the things that remain hidden behind masks of contentment and status quo.¡± Yuki swallowed a little. He could feel the tension. The tension from Saki¡¯s hand squeezing even tighter on his tunic making it difficult to breathe normally. He lowered a hand to her wrist trying to alert her to her actions. Surprised, Saki glanced down at Yuki. She saw his face and hand and misread it as a comforting look rather than one pleading to be freed. She smiled a little at him, not understanding. His eyes widened, confused by her reaction. He tightened his hand around her wrist, though knowing it would mean very little for someone that could snap his neck by accidently having a muscle spasm from sneezing. ¡°¡­Saki¡­¡± ¡°Yuki¡­¡± She still didn¡¯t get the message. ¡°Saki, you¡¯re choking me.¡± ¡°What?!¡± He destroyed the mood. However, it was exactly what he wanted. She finally realized what she did and released him. ¡°Sorry!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine¡­¡± He glanced over at Ayumi, catching sight of her looking annoyed at him. Their little misunderstanding ruined the heavy atmosphere she created. ¡°Sorry, continue with your construction of an ominous prologue to your big reveal.¡± Her eyes narrowed, bothered by his sarcasm. The situation forced her to continue regardless. ¡°It¡¯s the law,¡± she stated, clearly finally getting it out there. ¡°A law to have children in the military?¡± Saki incredulously asked. ¡°It¡¯s nothing so selective as you¡¯re thinking.¡± It was easy to see where things could go in a moral debate. ¡°It is Atlantis law that all people able to use the power we have to be in the military.¡± ¡°Everyone?¡± ¡°No matter the age. Once they¡¯re discovered, conscription is mandatory.¡± ¡°Makes sense,¡± commented Haruo. Saki stared at him in disbelief for accepting it. ¡°In a society where people with this power can subconsciously rewrite reality, any government would see it as dangerous keeping them in the public. They would need training to control their power or it¡¯d hurt the public.¡± ¡°But still...it¡¯s not right!¡± Saki¡¯s objection to Haruo¡¯s logic came from a surprising place. She wasn¡¯t actually bothered by it from the moral grounds that most would immediately be. Her eyes focused on Ayumi with pity. It was the life Ayumi had to deal with because of such laws. Prejudice came out of the laws and she suffered because of it. ¡®Those laws ruined her childhood!¡¯ ¡°Things now are not how they used to be. The law has been around for centuries even millennia, but only in the last hundred years have things changed.¡± Her words caught their attention. ¡°Before, the way it functioned was that anyone with the power was required to attend the Academy for training, afterward they were free to do anything. But new amendments were created to the laws placing stricter regulations on us. And the formation of the Omega Division. ¡°These were all recently done. Twenty years ago, unrest among MPs reached a point of open rebellion. Led by a powerful MP, they threatened all of Atlantis. The Omega Division was formed to combat the threat and put down the rebellion ruthlessly. Using the rebellion as an excuse, the laws were tightened even further to how they are now.¡± Ayumi took a pause to see how they took it all. Not even Saki barked a complaint. They just wanted to hear what more she had to say. ¡°The ones behind it are the same men trying to steal the throne for themselves and that want Yuki dead. They¡¯re afraid of us and want to keep us down. They want to keep the power of Atlantis in their hands. The old men of the Atlantean Council. They want someone that they can control as King, a puppet ruler. And at the head of the conspiracy, the former head of the Omega Division, Demosthenes Alexander.¡± Chapter 209 - Seeking Answers A thin ripple came from her body expanding through the foliage of the forest. Nothing changed physically, but it was enough. Her mind still felt light from all the stress she put on herself in her fight. Nerine swallowed slowly. ¡°Why am I here?¡± She glanced over at Seiji. Seiji almost jumped with excitement. The glow in his eyes was clear to everyone. ¡°Nerine! We can chat again! But seriously, what the hell with screaming in my ear!¡± He leaned in as he spoke with no mind for boundaries or the scene. She felt a little odd for being scolded for screaming, but it did make her feel a little embarrassed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she replied meekly, with a little red coming across her nose. Her eyes suddenly focused on the sight of Seiji¡¯s bandaged arm. The scene from the fight returned to her. She wanted to stretch her hand out, but nothing was there to move. ¡°Does it hurt?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Seiji¡¯s face changed a little in confusion, but he looked down at where her eyes fixed on him. He lifted his arm to show her. A quick flex of his muscles proved it still functioned. ¡°Not all! It¡¯s a little weird, but it works. So I¡¯m not complaining.¡± Seiji gave a carefree smile back at her. Seiji¡¯s smile infected Nerine. She found herself returning it. It no longer felt so bad. ¡°I¡¯m glad.¡± Fumiko cleared her throat to get their attention. She smiled at the two of them, but not in the same way. ¡°As enjoyable as it is watching two lovers chat, there¡¯re some more important matters we need to discuss.¡± Both of them turned a deep shade of red. They spoke together in protest. ¡°We are not!¡± Their denial ended up causing Yumi and Fumiko to giggle a little between them. However, Fumiko returned to a serious expression quickly. She leaned forward on one foot. ¡°Teasing aside, we have some questions for you before we can proceed.¡± Nerine drew up a little, as the mood changed back to serious. She wasn¡¯t certain what they wanted from her. It hardly felt like an interrogation, but she barely knew Seiji and none of his comrades. How they would act toward her remained unknown. The only point she felt a little hopeful over was they did nothing to restrain her, arms notwithstanding. ¡°What sort of questions?¡± she began, with some unease. Her eyes jumped around to the group. Fumiko admittedly had too many questions to ask than time would allow. ¡®I¡¯ll need to keep things brief. We are short on time.¡¯ She tilted her head back at Chiharu and Yumi to see their reactions. ¡°First, I think we should introduce ourselves. I¡¯m Fumiko Terauchi.¡± ¡°Nerine.¡± She kept things brief, trying to read Fumiko¡¯s face. It definitely wasn¡¯t going to be an interrogation. ¡°You already know me,¡± inserted Seiji, pointed with his hand at his chest. ¡°Seiji Tsuji.¡± ¡®He¡¯s still the same as before. I feel like he can be trusted, the girl¡­she¡¯s looking at me closely.¡¯ The examining stare came out clearly to Nerine. She figured Fumiko wanted to understand her as much as she did. Motioning from the back, Yumi waved her free arm. ¡°I¡¯m Yumi Mizuno and this is my brother, Yori.¡± She pointed loosely at Yori¡¯s unconscious body nearby her. A safe distance remained between them and as long as she didn¡¯t look at him her heart held steady. It allowed her to keep her problems to herself. ¡®The one we captured¡­¡¯ Nerine thought, glancing at Yori. However, it was Yumi¡¯s appearance to her contrary behavior that made Nerine lift her eyes and pause longer than planned. ¡®A sword? How is she alive? What exactly is she?¡¯ Silence held all around. Fumiko saw Nerine¡¯s lingering eyes on Yumi and shifted the direction. ¡°That¡¯s Chiharu Chinen, she tends to be a little quiet, but I wouldn¡¯t take it personally.¡± It was enough to grab Nerine¡¯s focus back. ¡°Now to the heart of the matter. What did you want to do?¡± Chapter 209 ¨C Seeking Answers It surprised Nerine to hear Fumiko ask such a question. It completely defied any sort of expectations that she had for their questions. ¡®What?! Why is she asking me?¡¯ She gave no consideration to herself. Her situation assumed her a captive of them, even if it was on oddly friendly terms. ¡®Aren¡¯t we enemies?¡¯ Fumiko¡¯s question dragged Chiharu out of the scenery into the group almost surprisingly fast. She appeared next to Fumiko in a flash, struggling with the various emotions running through her face. ¡°What are you thinking? We have one of them, we should be getting intel from her.¡± Shaking the ground a little, Seiji stood up heavily, taking up the opposite flanking position of Fumiko. He glared at Chiharu. ¡°The hell¡¯s the matter with you! I didn¡¯t bring her with me as some prisoner! They wanted her dead! She¡¯s not with them anymore!¡± Not backing down from Seiji¡¯s aggression, Chiharu met him head on. ¡°Despite what you naively seem to believe, she is the enemy. Just because we¡¯ve brought her with us doesn¡¯t change that fact. She has valuable information we can use against any more attacks. I¡¯m not having your stupid notion of chivalry or friendship ruin our advantage.¡± Seiji reached out for Chiharu, grabbing her by her garb. ¡°Damn you, brat! You¡¯re not getting one step near her!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need your permission.¡± She grabbed Seiji''s wrist and pulled him away from her. There was a brief struggle between their strengths before she freed herself. Chiharu turned away to look down at Nerine. ¡°This is a war of information or did you forget they captured someone. The only way we¡¯ll win is knowing more about them than they do about us. We¡¯re already disadvantaged by them figuring out how to neutralize our powers.¡± This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. The yelling between the two kept Fumiko from being heard. She tried to interrupt, but neither would allow anyone. Yet, Yumi stepped forward placing a hand on Fumiko¡¯s shoulder. Exhaling softly, she took in a deep breath. ¡°Enough,¡± she ordered, with a clear voice not raised, yet piercing. It surprisingly gained both of their attention. ¡°Arguing between each other is also not the way to solve this.¡± Yumi took her place out in front of both of them, forcing them back. There was something about her presence that commanded them. She knelt down on one knee, balancing carefully the awkwardness of her sword. ¡°While Fumiko is right, Chiharu also has a point as well. Miss Nerine, we don¡¯t intend to keep you against your will, but we do need to understand each other.¡± Watching the fight between them, Nerine kept to herself. It gave her more time to judge them. ¡®They aren¡¯t as unified as I would have guessed. Seems more like a random group rather than something organized.¡¯ Their disorganized nature made her wonder if it was a bad thing. ¡®She¡¯s still reluctant, understandable,¡¯ commented Yumi, as she stared at Nerine. She tried to smile a little to open things up. ¡°From what we heard from Seiji, you were attacked.¡± No reply came from Nerine, but she got a slight nod. ¡°Did you break a law by letting Seiji pass?¡± Several moments passed while Nerine considered her words. She questioned if she should respond. Yumi seemed calm and easy to approach, but there was still uncertainty. They were supposed to be the enemy. Yet she didn¡¯t feel threatened. It was a strange sense she got from them. ¡°Not explicitly. We are bound to protect Atlantis from all threats, failure to uphold that would be punishable.¡± ¡°Something punishable by death.¡± ¡°Bastard didn¡¯t have the right!¡± snapped Seiji, pounding his fists together. The thought of Cosmas made his blood boil. Yumi glanced over her shoulder at Seiji to put him back in check. Silent once more, Nerine could speak. ¡°Possibly.¡± She tried to think back to the event with Cosmas. ¡®I don¡¯t know him. I¡¯ve never seen him in the South Gate. I don¡¯t know everyone, but I feel like I would have seen him in passing. Who is he?¡¯ The battle Seiji had with Cosmas remained hazy in her mind. Words and images popped through her only to disappear. ¡°Omega bastard,¡± Seiji muttered, still annoyed. Nerine eyes lit up, hearing the word. ¡°The Omega Division! He was from the Omega Division. He declared me a¡­traitor.¡± More came back to her. The feelings rushed through her body. She felt the pain over again. The word got Fumiko and Chiharu¡¯s attention as well as Yumi. They already guessed at its importance. ¡°What is this Omega Division,¡± Yumi inquired. ¡°Are they a sort of internal affairs?¡± ¡°They mostly deal in matters involving MPs.¡± She saw she got a bit of a strange look from them for her term. ¡°People like me with this power. They answer to a different person than the rest of us and work independently.¡± Seiji stepped forward to slide in between everyone. He stared down at Nerine, a serious expression carved into his face. ¡°So was that bastard just following orders or did he decide it on his own?¡± An annoyed click came from Chiharu. ¡°What does it matter?¡± In an instant, his head flipped around to tower over Chiharu. ¡°It¡¯s important! I can¡¯t forgive him if he decided it on his own!¡± His fist tightened up, memories of the night flooded back to him. The emotions he felt then boiled almost to the point he couldn¡¯t control himself. ¡°And if he was ordered?¡± Chiharu seemed to find his reaction a little curious. It wasn¡¯t unusual to see him worked up over one thing or another. She knew she fueled it on a few occasions, but something was different about him. The sound of a question alone was enough to tense up the muscles in Seiji¡¯s arm. His talisman wrapped arm suddenly started to glow softly, as though responding to his emotions. Wrinkles dug through his forehead and around his eyes. ¡°Then I¡¯ll find the bastard that ordered it!¡± he yelled, with no care to the volume of his voice. ¡°But¡­¡± It was Nerine once more, her voice despite being softer at the moment drew Seiji¡¯s attention. ¡°¡­I¡¯m not certain¡­I did agree to let you pass¡­so it would be considered a traitorous act by some.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t give a damn! You did nothing wrong!¡± Yumi stepped up, placing a hand on Seiji¡¯s glowing arm. The shaking in his body made her a little uneasy, but she steeled herself. ¡°Seiji, we¡¯re straying from the subject.¡± Her voice was clear and carried the invisible commanding presence again. Something in her words managed to calm Seiji¡¯s rage. His body relaxed. ¡°Fine.¡± He knew she was right. Deeper inside it bothered him, the rage, but he pushed it back for Yumi. ¡°You¡¯ll want to ask her about Yuki and his father. She seemed to know something about that.¡± Seiji turned around and walked away. The information he tossed out so casual left the group a little speechless. He sat down against a tree, lowering his head with something else bothering him. Stepping up closer to Nerine, Yumi kneeled down again. She tried to keep a distance so her sword didn¡¯t get in the way. ¡°You know about Yuki and his father? Do you know what Seiji¡¯s talking about?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Nerine answered, honestly. She remembered a little about what Seiji might be talking about, but it still didn¡¯t make any sense to her. A starting point was necessary. ¡°He said that someone you know is the son of the King.¡± ¡°According to the information we¡¯re working from,¡± piped in Chiharu. Yumi nodded in agreement. ¡°Ayumi told us, as well as Yuki, that he was the heir.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s this Ayumi?¡± ¡°Her Atlantean name is Eudokia Ismene,¡± Chiharu replied. The mention of Eudokia¡¯s name made her eyes grow wide. ¡®The Captain of the Royal Guard, Eudokia! Can¡¯t be, how would they know her?¡¯ She wondered for a moment if they lied to her. It could all just be a scheme by them, but to what end? ¡®They seem fairly ignorant on Atlantis, but they know her name. Could it be possible? But she¡¯d know better than anyone that the King never had an heir!¡¯ If she corrected their misunderstanding, would all the battles be over? Could she bring peace with just a few words? It seemed unlikely, but she had to try. ¡°As I told him, the Queen died before giving birth to an heir. The King ruled alone for nearly all of the 35 years of his reign. This is all public knowledge, everyone in the capital attended the Queen¡¯s funeral.¡± Chiharu narrowed her eyes a little, coming across something. ¡°Public knowledge. He probably had a mistress, it¡¯s hardly uncommon for there to be bastard children in royalty. He would have done something to ensure his lineage continued.¡± ¡°If he did, he would have announced it.¡± She knew Chiharu had a point, but she didn¡¯t seem to understand everything about Atlantis. None of them understood. ¡°If he had an heir they would have inherited his power and would have been the next King. The council would not have ordered the Rite of Succession.¡± ¡°However, the reality the weakling faces is that someone is after his life. He¡¯s come here to settle the matter.¡± She was hearing the same things. It made no sense. ¡°If he really is the heir, then no one would want him dead! Everyone understands the importance of the King that they would not risk the Rite, if there was someone that might have been as powerful as the King. They would be asking him to become King and spare Atlantis the turmoil and fear of not having a King!¡± There was something in Nerine¡¯s words that got to the three girls. They sense something deeper in her meaning beyond the surface. Pieces of the puzzles were near the surface. The things kept shrouded in darkness by Ayumi came free. They had more they wanted to ask. However, things came to a sudden halt. The forest they took refuge in disappeared suddenly. An ill omen for them all. Worse was the sight they saw in the distance. The entire mobilized force of the South Gate marched on them. Their escape routes cut, Simonides was set on a final showdown. He held nothing back for them. Chapter 210 - The Ring of Control It only took a moment for Fumiko to realize what happened. ¡®They¡¯re using Fields to wipe away the forest and remove any chance for hiding. Must have tracked us somehow¡­¡¯ Her eyes scanned around the sight of seeing dozens of soldiers evenly spaced out. They all wore the same black uniform of the standard soldier. She already began to calculate for weaknesses and lines for her to attack. ¡®It¡¯s a little frightening my mind is already getting used to this¡­is it the survival instinct or the fighting?¡¯ Fumiko wondered how much it changed her. She had only been in Atlantis for two days. It seemed unnatural to her for such changes to happen, yet they were a fact. The thoughts happened almost subconsciously. Had she tasted it too many times? Too much thought would only hurt her, especially on matters that didn¡¯t focus on the dire situation in front of her. ¡°It would appear we¡¯ll have to suspend our discussion.¡± Seiji stood up with an eager look in his eyes. He tightened up his hands lightly knocking his fists together. ¡°Just when I was starting to get a little sleepy.¡± A grin rose on his lips as he eyed all of the soldiers. Their Atlantean tag-along remained silent. She seemed uncertain about the sort of action to take. Cosmas labeled her a traitor, but she didn¡¯t know if it was something Simonides ordered. ¡®The Captain was monitoring everything, did he actually know about what I did? What is he going to do?¡¯ Sticking a little to the center, as a rear didn¡¯t exist, Yumi knew she could do nothing for her friends. It frustrated her to know that they crippled her. She thought about Yuki and Chiharu suddenly looking for any sort of inspiration. ¡®Yuki would refuse to give up, but in this sealed state I can¡¯t do anything. I don¡¯t want to give up, but what can I do?¡¯ She glanced around in search of Chiharu, but didn¡¯t find her. Yumi¡¯s only guess was that she went into action immediately, just waiting. Watching was the only thing she could do. She would only get in the way of the others. It was then she thought of something. ¡®I still have something! I have my eyes and mind! I can still help them!¡¯ It was all the motivation she needed. She wasn¡¯t out yet. As she took in the scene, something about it bothered. All she saw were the standard soldiers. ¡°I don¡¯t see any of those in white uniforms!¡± It was always easy to spot them, the white stood out against everything in Atlantis. ¡°They¡¯re somewhere,¡± barked Seiji, ¡°Once we clear away this damn mob, we¡¯ll find them.¡± ¡°Careful not to get overconfident, Seiji,¡± Fumiko reminded. She had a similar uncertain feeling about the situation. Yumi shook her head, though none of them saw it. ¡°They aren¡¯t stupid. They¡¯ve seen us fight enough to know how dangerous we are, they wouldn¡¯t do this unless they had a plan. There is a reason for this!¡± ¡°So you think it¡¯s a trap?¡± Seiji rubbed his hands together watching the soldiers. They held their position, not advancing almost as though waiting for them to move. ¡°Even if it is a shitty trap, we won¡¯t know what sort unless we trigger it!¡± He took a leisurely stride forward, checking their response. Fumiko took a step forward as well. ¡°I hate to agree with Seiji, but he¡¯s right about this. We¡¯ll have to do this the hard way and find out what they¡¯re up to. I¡¯d prefer to be on the offense, rather than defense in this sort of situation.¡± Nothing could be done about them. They were set on what they wanted to do. She had to support them, even if she was uneasy. ¡°Alright, be safe!¡± ¡°Of course! Who the hell do you think you¡¯re talking to?¡± Fumiko smirked a little, glancing over at Seiji. ¡°You¡¯re the one we¡¯re most concerned about with your track record.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still alive, ain¡¯t I?!¡± He received silence from Fumiko as her answer. ¡°Hey! I¡¯m in perfect condition to fight!¡± Yumi smiled a little watching their backs. ¡®I¡¯m glad they¡¯re starting to get closer. I feel we¡¯re going to have to work together this time if we¡¯re to win.¡¯ Chapter 210 ¨C The Ring of Control From the slightly higher altitude of a rolling mound, Simonides watched through special binoculars the initial moves Team Yumi made. ¡®A little more cautious than I thought they might be, but that¡¯s fine. That¡¯ll work as well.¡¯ He lowered the binoculars, faint lights from the information read outs glowed from the sights. The binoculars rested in a pouch at his side as he motioned behind him. Abeiron stepped forward presenting a square box that fit neatly into Simonides¡¯ palm. It only had one button, just under his thumb. He lifted the device up to his mouth, making it clear the function to be a receiver. However, when he spoke his voice covered the entire area evenly with no loss of volume the further away. It was as though he spoke next to each of them. ¡°Greetings. I¡¯m having everything I say converted into Japanese, so you should understand me. I¡¯m Captain Simonides of the South Gate. You have intruded on foreign soil without permission. My only demand is your unconditional surrender into our custody. You will be returned back beyond our borders unharmed.¡± ¡°Like hell you will!¡± shouted Seiji, with as much volume as he could. He tried to reach back to the distance of Simonides, nearly a kilometer away. The intensity was enough to rattle people. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. It made the receiver in his hand jump and pitch. Simonides nearly fell over not expecting such a forceful response. It took him several seconds to recover his composure. ¡°You don¡¯t have to yell, young man. Everything you say will be carried to me clearly.¡± Many of those surrounding Seiji sweated a little watching Seiji looked a little embarrassed. ¡°Oh, sorry about that. Should have explained that before I started yelling, Mr. Captain.¡± Simonides¡¯ face went a little flat from Seiji¡¯s response. ¡°I guess it was partially my fault for not fully explaining things.¡± ¡°Well as long as things are sorted out now, there¡¯s no problem!¡± Seiji almost sounded cheerful. An odd contrast displayed with such disarming replies. ¡°Sir,¡± pushed Abeiron, to get them back on track. He tilted a quick look at Abeiron. ¡°Right. What is your decision? Refusal to meet my demand will result in forcibly taking you into custody. I¡¯d prefer to avoid further violence.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t want any violence, then I¡¯d suggest moving aside,¡± replied Seiji. Even if he couldn¡¯t clearly see Simonides in the distance, he looked straight at him as though speaking only a meter away. ¡°Afraid that will not be possible. There are no other options for you.¡± It bothered Seiji a little the feeling he got from Simonides. ¡®He seems like a reasonable person, so why is he doing all of this?¡¯ He preferred to get back to Yuki as quickly as possible. ¡°Our business is not with you. I¡¯ve no damn interest in fighting you guys.¡± A curious response from Seiji made Simonides'' eyes raise a little. ¡®Not interested in us? What exactly is their objective? Does the Capital even know? I want them even more now.¡¯ It seemed all of the questions he had rested with these teenagers. ¡°And what is your business in our country?¡± ¡°We¡¯re here to slug the person that ordered the hit on my best friend!¡± ¡°¡­Seiji¡­¡± sighed Fumiko, upon hearing his wording. ¡®You were doing so well. This is going to turn things sour fast¡­¡¯ ¡®This just keeps getting more complicated.¡¯ Everything he heard from his men about the foreigners painted a picture he couldn¡¯t fully see. He felt the Capital tried to paint over it with their idea. It muddled everything. He needed straight answers. ¡°I can¡¯t allow you to go any further into Atlantis, especially if it is to attack a citizen of Atlantis. Surrender and we can talk about this.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have the damn time to waste here. If you don¡¯t move I¡¯ll force the hell through!¡± He saw how deep the soldiers went. It felt like some impossible odds, but he liked those odds. ¡°But you didn¡¯t think it was going to be that easy. You brought all of these men out here for a reason and it wasn¡¯t to talk.¡± Seiji grinned. There was a bit of reluctance in the tone of Simonides¡¯ voice. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t think it would be so simple. It seems we¡¯re at an impasse. Neither of us are willing to budge on our decisions.¡± ¡°Nope!¡± They seemed in agreement. A fight had to happen to resolve matters. Seiji turned back partially to look at Yumi. He gave her a light smile, part as reassurance and part as an apology. ¡°Sorry for talking for you, Yumi. I know you¡¯re the leader, but I had to.¡± She nodded softly back to him. ¡°It¡¯s fine. You did your best to resolve it peacefully. I had the same feeling as you, a fight was destined. There¡¯s no way around it.¡± Simonides stared down at the soon to be battlefield. The position was in his favor, if it was purely a numbers game. He knew better than to believe numbers would solve the problem. It was all part of the plan. It was the only way to be certain things ended. He passed the receiver back to Abeiron. ¡°Give the command, Abeiron. The battle begins.¡± Abeiron came to attention, saluting him. ¡°Yes, sir!¡± He turned around and shouted out to several soldiers sitting around large communication devices working with the teams out in the field. ¡°This will settle everything. I can¡¯t let the gates on Omega open.¡± The soldiers surrounding everyone took on a different look. It was clear they received their orders. Seiji and Fumiko immediately moved into positions. He took the front and she protected the rear, while Yumi and Yori stayed in the middle along with Nerine just slightly out of the circle. Fumiko stared down at her one arm. She gripped her staff tightly in her hand. ¡®I wish I had two arms for this. Fighting normal soldiers, I can¡¯t use my fire. I¡¯ll end up burning them too easily.¡¯ The staff knocked against the earth sending out a ring. ¡°Oh well, you make do with the situation you¡¯re given!¡± She lifted the staff up, directing the head towards her opponents. Grinning on the other side, Seiji psyched himself up. ¡°You got that the hell right!¡± He dropped a foot down with purposeful might. The earth vibrated out to the soldiers, even some loose chunks of dirt jumped. ¡°Let¡¯s have some fun guys!¡± He took the initiative, not waiting for any movement from the soldiers, charging through their lines. Men and women alike scattered as he charged like a linebacker through their encirclement. The sight made Yumi and Fumiko smile a little. In spite of the odds and apparent danger, Seiji¡¯s spirits were high. It was a little inspiring and possibly comforting. Fumiko found herself smirking a little at the thought before charging into her group. She had no doubts or complaints about the situation anymore, thanks to Seiji. From the sidelines, Nerine watched the start of the battle play out. She didn¡¯t know what she should do. ¡®He rescued me, but it¡¯s not like they¡¯re fighting to protect me.¡¯ Her eyes wandered over the hill that Simonides supposedly stood on. She wondered what his plan was. ¡®The Captain wouldn¡¯t have come out here without a reason. He¡¯s got something more planned. What¡¯s he planning on doing?¡¯ The arrangement of the troops made her feel uneasy. There was something that didn¡¯t make sense to her. The longer that she looked the more confusing things looked. ¡®What¡¯s going on? Why is¡­¡¯ Suddenly her eyes widened. She realized what was going on. It caused her head to flip back to Simonides. ¡®That¡¯s what you¡¯re doing!¡¯ Nerine stood up almost instinctually. Her body reacted sooner than her mind, already putting her a few steps towards Yumi. ¡®I¡¯ve got to warn¡­¡¯ Then she paused, not understanding what she was doing. Confusion clouded her mind. ¡®He saved me from that man, but do I owe them anything?¡¯ Nerine glanced offhandedly to Simonides once more. ¡®Can I go back? Did he order the kill? If I went back would I just end up facing that man again?¡¯ She looked back at Yumi and then to Seiji¡¯s back. ¡®What happens if I stay with them? I¡¯ll be a traitor, am I already one for associating with them?¡¯ All the questions froze Nerine up completely. She no longer knew how to act. Her body told her one thing and her mind hesitated. Yumi watched the line of soldiers start to crumble. The whole scene felt odd to her. The nagging feeling of something being off still bothered her. She didn¡¯t understand the setup. ¡®Where are those soldiers in white? Why aren¡¯t they here? They have to be somewhere. They removed the forest¡­¡¯ Yumi kept searching, they should have been obvious to find in their white uniforms. Only a wall black filled the entire area. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Simonides peered through his binoculars again to watch everything happening. He needed to be on top of the battle to give out orders to his men. The plan was a delicate one. ¡°Looks like they¡¯re about in position. It¡¯s time to show them what we¡¯ve learned.¡± However, he was unable to say anything more. A blade suddenly rested on his shoulder with the edge up against his neck. It gave only enough room to breathe, while his skin pushed around it a little without breaking. He glanced over his shoulder to see who it was. Behind him, Chiharu stood holding her blade ready to execute him. Her eyes narrowed harshly with dark shadows hung over her entire face. ¡°I think it¡¯s time you saw what I¡¯ve learned.¡± Chapter 211 - Loss of Control ¡°Captain!¡± shouted Abeiron, only just noticing Chiharu¡¯s presence. He attempted to move to help his Captain, but immediately saw the blade against his throat move slightly. It was unseen by him, but her blade cut into his skin ever so slightly with precision control. A thin line of blood dripped down. Glancing down without moving his head, Simonides tried to put her into his sight. She was too far out of his peripheral vision. ¡°I wondered when you¡¯d make your move.¡± In spite of his situation, he didn¡¯t flinch under the pressure of her blade. ¡®He¡¯s too confident,¡¯ thought Chiharu, trying to read the situation, ¡®Something off about this.¡¯ Narrowed eyes tried to glean everything from the slightest movement from Simonides¡¯ body. ¡®He sounds like I¡¯ve played into his plans? But how would he have predicted my actions without even knowing me?¡¯ ¡°Is that silence in professionalism?¡± He measured out his tone in deliberate fashion against Chiharu. ¡°¡­or is it confusion?¡± It felt like he could see through her. Chiharu¡¯s body tensed up. The man had a strange aura about him. She knew he was merely a normal human with no more power than the average adult, yet there was a massive intimidating presence emitting from him. A strength that she thought she could see bleeding off him. It was why she failed. Suddenly, a force pulled at her arm. It dragged her sword arm away from Simonides¡¯ neck. It was powerful enough that all of her struggling meant nothing. ¡®Damn! I lost my chance¡­¡¯ She already knew the reason. Behind her, a MP user stood in slow approach. The young woman drew Chiharu away from Simonides, keeping her restrained by invisible hands. ¡°It was exactly like you said, sir.¡± ¡°Good work, Agaue.¡± Casually, he ran a finger across his neck to remove the blood. Simonides turned around to face Chiharu directly. ¡°Surrender now before you drag this out any longer.¡± Grinding her teeth together, Chiharu tried to find a way out of the trap. The intelligence of the man unnerved her. She didn¡¯t know if she could beat him. ¡°Go to hell!¡± she barked, in an odd burst for her. She immediately regretted it, feeling like the muscle head started to leave an impression on her. ¡°Your choice,¡± he replied solemnly, almost sounding sad. ¡°You¡¯ll find soon enough that you can¡¯t win. Agaue.¡± He motioned to the blonde haired woman to get rid of Chiharu. ¡°Sir? We¡¯ve captured one of them!¡± ¡°That is an order, Second Lieutenant.¡± His commanding voice snapped her back in line in an instant. ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Chiharu¡¯s body moved closer to her for a second before flung forward. The aim put her in the center of the ring of soldiers and back with her comrades. However, she didn¡¯t understand her Captain¡¯s thinking. Simonides faced back at the battle watching with the same intent as before, unaffected by the interruption. ¡°You¡¯re wondering why I didn¡¯t keep the child. It¡¯s simple. She¡¯s too much of a risk right now.¡± Agaue still felt confused by his answer. ¡®A risk? Isn''t it more risky sending her back with her comrades where she can help them?¡¯ ¡°Answer me this. Can you completely negate her powers?¡± ¡°No, sir. I don¡¯t know what her powers are.¡± ¡°Correct. You can¡¯t make her a normal human without understanding her powers. She¡¯s the biggest unknown we have, she¡¯s only fought twice and neither of those that faced her got a real view of her powers. She¡¯s cautious. She¡¯s held back her secrets knowing not to reveal them. That¡¯s why she¡¯s dangerous.¡± She started to understand his line of logic. ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Agaue should have never questioned him. Her Captain knew what he was doing. She just needed to follow his orders. ¡®However, in this battle¡­you¡¯re going to be forced to show me everything. I¡¯ll seal it all.¡¯ Chapter 211 ¨C Loss of Control Chiharu landed safely next to Yumi. Rising from one knee, she stared back in the distance at Simonides. ¡®Why?¡¯ Her eyes narrowed trying to understand it. However, her surroundings didn¡¯t allow her the freedom of time. ¡°Chiharu! Are you alright?¡± Yumi leaned over to her side for Chiharu. It surprised them all to see her flying through the air back at them. None of them knew what happened to her, but just assumed she went to do something. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Brushing off Yumi¡¯s concern, Chiharu stepped forward to gauge the numbers. ¡®He¡¯s got a mob of soldiers that don¡¯t stand a chance against us. The man¡¯s too smart for that. He¡¯s scheming something.¡¯ Chiharu looked in search of the power users of the Atlanteans, but saw none of them. They didn¡¯t stand out to her. It meant only one thing. She looked over at Yumi. ¡°Pull them back,¡± she ordered. ¡°Huh?¡± It was too sudden for Yumi to react the way Chiharu wanted. ¡°It¡¯s a trap. They¡¯ll be isolated and right where he wants them.¡± Yumi turned her head immediately hearing the word ¡®trap¡¯. ¡°What?! Do you know what they¡¯re planning, Chiharu?¡± Like Fumiko, she worried that it might be a trap. But none of them had anything to go on with how they might do it. ¡°I can¡¯t see it all, but this is obvious. Anyone with a tactical understanding would see it. They already figured they can neutralize our powers. The next step is pretty obvious at this point.¡± Her eyes widened. Everything suddenly made sense to her. She quickly turned back out in the direction of Seiji. ¡®It all fits!¡¯ The sword restrained her from the extreme movements she wanted to make, forcing to remain subdued despite her emotions. ¡°Seiji! Fumiko! You have to get back! Those people with Yuki¡¯s power are mixed among the normal soldiers! They¡¯re wearing the same uniforms to blend in!¡± Seiji tilted his head back while finishing his punch against the latest soldier. ¡°Dammit! You mean we can¡¯t tell which of these guys are the real ones?¡± ¡°Their plan is to isolate us and seal our powers!¡± Simonides watched the scene unfold. They had figured things out, but he already gave the signal. ¡°It¡¯s too late. Your strength, your flame¡­I¡¯ll take it all away!¡± Suddenly, the last punch of Seiji¡¯s didn¡¯t have the same force behind it. The man staggered a little, but didn¡¯t fall over. It left a bit of soreness in Seiji¡¯s hand, one he had not felt for weeks. The feeling was quite nostalgic for him. However, in spite of the familiar feelings, he understood the problem. His strength was gone. He took another swing, but it resulted in the same effect. Worse for him was that the soldiers seemed to understand it as well. They surrounded him quickly, applying the pressure. If he couldn¡¯t punch his way out, his options shrank. ¡°¡­damn¡­bastards¡­¡± For the first time in the fights in Atlantis, Seiji hesitated. The numbers were against him. Clenching his fists up at his side, Seiji cursed the frustrating situation. If he had no options, then he only had one option. ¡°Hell! I¡¯m tired of thinking about this!¡± Seiji went charging into the nearest group of soldiers. His fists clashed with their swords and shields. He tried to meet flesh with flesh, but he was too accustomed to his speed and strength that nothing moved the way he wanted it to anymore. ¡°Seiji!¡± Fumiko slid back, knocked off balance by the regular soldiers. ¡°¡­damn¡­we¡¯re running out of options¡­¡± She had already tried to summon her flames to no effect. The magic circles appeared, but no flame came out. They were sealed. ¡®This isn¡¯t about the individual fights,¡¯ commented Simonides. ¡®However, the numbers are merely a screen. This is all about the plan, nothing more. Everything for the singular goal.¡¯ Nerine watched helplessly from the sidelines. In such a situation, she did not know what she should do. Which side did she belong? ¡®Captain¡­Seiji¡­¡¯ Swinging his fists around blindly, Seiji took blow after blow from the soldiers. It didn¡¯t stop him from continuing to try to muscle his way through the mob of soldiers. Nothing would stop him. Bits of particles trickled off his wrapped arm. ¡°You¡¯ll have to tie me down if you want me to stop!¡± ¡°I see.¡± Simonides watched Seiji with deep intent. The strength stripped away from the boy gave him more insight. ¡®So it wasn¡¯t the strength alone. I thought that might be the case. This will bring him to his knees.¡¯ He lifted up his hand, a signal to Abeiron. ¡°Inform squads 39 and 59 to have their MP activate their Fields. Tell them to include a law that sets a body¡¯s hardness, resistance to damage to a normal human¡¯s.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Abeiron turned around issuing orders to the soldiers in communication with the soldiers out on the front. They had to change out of the Fields. An overlap in Fields happened briefly, as the newly updated Fields from different MPs activated. Once on, the previous MPs turned off their Fields. All was part of the plan to keep a constant seal on their powers and adapt as they learned more. Each time they pushed for something more, it would be taken away immediately until they had nothing left to bring. They would completely understand their potential. Blood sprayed into the air. It was less the force and more the surprise that knocked Seiji back. He slid a little distance away from the soldiers, but still surrounded. Pain. Blood. He was used to all of it. Yet, it felt different. ¡®Something wrong with my body. It doesn¡¯t feel right. I feel heavy¡­¡¯ Before he felt like he could keep going without end, even without his strength. Yet it felt like the life of his body dragged away. A coldness crawled up his fingertips. Yumi could barely see Seiji through everyone that surrounded him. She could do nothing for him. It was something she understood too well. ¡°Chiharu! Seiji needs help!¡± The only chance he had was Chiharu. He would be captured without any help. ¡®There¡¯s a problem with just jumping in,¡¯ she thought. Long before she suggested, Chiharu already thought about joining in the fight. However, she saw it coming. ¡®The more we use our powers the more they¡¯ll get sealed off one after another. We need a way to break through and escape. This is a losing battle.¡¯ She hated the thought of a losing battle. A failure. More failure. Chiharu walked out towards the soldiers. It seemed like a long distance away. The chaos of the fight made everything mixed together. ¡®What will be the outcome? We¡¯ve been out maneuvered¡­¡¯ ¡°Hurry, Chiharu! Seiji won¡¯t last!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t. They¡¯ve already sealed my speed.¡± She kept an even stride. The men came closer to her, starting to take awareness of her presence. ¡°We have to be smart about this.¡± A couple of the Atlanteans broke off from the muscle head to come after her. Their swords bore down on her. She lightly dodged to the right of the first, flipping them to the ground as she passed. The second, she disarmed with a fast fluid motion that sent the sword spinning off towards Yumi. Once free of the weapon, she turned his movement against him and sent him to the earth along with his comrade. ¡®Even without my strength or speed, I¡¯m still a ninja. An assassin.¡¯ Chiharu¡¯s eyes narrowed into steel resolve. ¡®My training can¡¯t be stolen from me.¡¯ ¡°Impressive child,¡± remarked Simonides. He motioned to Abeiron again. ¡®It¡¯s time to see what you can really do. I¡¯ll push you into a corner and force you to show me your fangs.¡¯ Suddenly, red strips of a strange thin material erupted from the earth. It seamlessly appeared as though grown from it, despite its unnatural appearance. The ends of the strips flew up into the air surrounding Seiji and Fumiko. It moved too quickly for them to react. In moments, it pinned them to the ground. The red material wrapped around their arms, legs, neck and waist. It restrained them. All of the struggling meant nothing. It did not budge at all. They could only kneel to the earth in submission. Both captured in an instant. Chiharu ground her teeth together. She faced the entire army alone. The only one freed still to move and act. The only one able to rescue them. He taunted her to action. She knew it, but she had no choice. She was their only chance. Chapter 212 - The Rising Tides ¡°Damn,¡± cursed Chiharu, understanding her situation. ¡®He wants to force my hand.¡¯ She looked back at the others. They could do nothing. It was a hopeless position for them. ¡®They¡¯ve had all of their powers stolen. I¡¯m the only one left.¡¯ Turning her gaze back into the distance where the Captain stood. ¡®He¡¯ll just have them steal mine as well. What can I do?¡¯ Little options remained for her. While she thought, she had to fight. The soldiers kept coming at her. All of her physical attributes were already sealed. She could feel the difference in her body. ¡®It¡¯s less seen, but that weakling really did screw around with our bodies. I¡¯m not getting everything I wanted out of it¡­¡¯ Each dodge felt sluggish. Her mind wanted more out of her body, but it couldn¡¯t deliver. It was so used to faster responses. It seemed as though she controlled her body remotely and the input had lag. ¡®Such a disconcerting feeling¡­when I see him again I¡¯m going to punch him¡­¡¯ Chapter 212 ¨C The Rising Tides ¡®She¡¯s keeping up,¡¯ noted Simonides. The child continued to impress him on her stubbornness. He knew the sort of trap he set for them. It was designed to not lose anything. ¡®However, there¡¯s a limit to the human body. Even though she understands the trap, I¡¯ll keep her fighting. She¡¯s only got two choices. Use her powers and lose them or collapse from exhaustion.¡¯ He didn¡¯t want the second option. It was the only option he didn¡¯t want to happen. As he told his soldier, the risk was too high. ¡®I won¡¯t know what she¡¯s capable of, something she¡¯s probably considered.¡¯ Inside the risk remained some weakness as well for her. ¡®She¡¯s human. Watching your comrades, friends caught suffering will make you act against reason. As much as your mind knows what you should not do, your heart will always move on its own. No matter how much training you have, your humanity will be the weakness.¡¯ Simonides tightened his hands around the binoculars. ¡®If I must, I¡¯ll play the villain for this stage. There is too much at stake to play with soft hands anymore.¡¯ Anything that needed to be done would have to be done. It was the only course. Strange things, secret things were in motion that he didn¡¯t understand. He only saw shadows running in dark hallways, never allowed to see the whole picture. He couldn¡¯t allow himself to be stationary with the future of Atlantis at risk. Chiharu slid back a meter. A sword from one of the countless soldiers managed to catch a piece of her chainmail. The links remained intact, but it did give her the sign. She slipped up. She needed to do better. She needed to be better. Completely surrounded. Panting lightly, Chiharu found herself with a momentary pause in the action. It gave her more time to look at her dilemma, which wasn¡¯t necessarily a good thing to have. The more time to think the worse the thoughts got. She spun downward. Her eyes closed. She obliterated the thoughts from her mind. Everything had to be clear. Only focus had to remain. ¡®I am what I am, nothing more and nothing less. Ninja.¡¯ Chiharu withdrew a small orb from her back pouch, keeping it firmly in her left hand. The hardened look surrounding her eyes told everything. She had to move. The orb flew out of her hand at the ground. Smoke blasted out everywhere for several meters around. Everyone caught inside could only see shadows or faint figures, nothing clear. Orders screamed through their earpiece, but it was too late. Groans and screams only escaped. The soldiers on the outside could only look on, listening to the voices of their comrades. None of them knew what exactly happened, but the sounds were enough to guess. It bloomed into fantastical images only possible in the mind. It was more than enough fuel for fear. When the smoke settled no sight of Chiharu remained, only her victims. Spread around the area, the soldiers laid tossed about unconscious. Small trails of blood dotted the grass blades, but not enough for anything lethal. They were alive, even if they couldn¡¯t fight. ¡°Where¡¯d she go?¡± shouted one of the soldiers. ¡°There¡¯s no orders!¡± ¡°She¡¯s got to be somewhere!¡± ¡°She couldn¡¯t have just disappeared!¡± ¡°No, she did disappear,¡± answered Simonides, as he tried to sort out what happened. ¡®She¡¯s still got some tricks to use. The smoke concealed whatever her power was to disappear.¡¯ It frustrated him a little to know it dragged out. A little bit of him sort of enjoyed it as well. Someone gave him a challenge and made him think. It was certainly an appealing thing to have. However, he forced himself to remain focused. He had to think back to the other fights the girl had with his soldiers. Bakkhos didn¡¯t have a lot of information for him. Draining her strength with his Field did a lot to weaken her ability to fight. ¡®He did mention her disappearing on him a couple of times. It was something he had no explanation for. He never saw it happen, so he didn¡¯t know what sort of power she used.¡¯ Simonides knew he had a puzzle on his hand with her. The more he watched her act the clearer that truth became. He just didn¡¯t know how complex of a puzzle. ¡®Her cautious nature has held on to her secret so far. But will you be able to keep it up the entire time?¡¯ Smoke rose up from the ground. It was in a different area. He knew how obvious it was. Simonides already began sending out orders to Abeiron, but it was too late. She acted before he finished. Kunai flew out of the smoke in several directions. The kunai disabled the fighting arm of the soldiers. Out of the smoke, Chiharu jumped away towards Seiji. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The soldiers reacted in the field quickly after the resurfaced Chiharu. Her short sword rattled up against one of the soldier¡¯s swords as she forced her way through. A few more soldiers tossed to the side brought her before Seiji. He still struggled with the red material that kept him down. He caught the presence of Chiharu and looked around as much as he could. ¡°Can¡¯t believe you¡¯re the one rescuing me¡­¡± A bit of a smirk popped up on his face. ¡°I could just leave a muscle head like you behind,¡± she commented. She tried to cut the material, but her sword just glided over it as if it didn¡¯t even touch. Chiharu worked from a different angle. Nothing still. Seiji pulled at his arms, but didn¡¯t feel anything give. It was just as solid as before. ¡°Thought you would have gone for Fumiko. She¡¯s the one that can¡¯t handle herself in a fight without her fire.¡± She didn¡¯t want to listen to his complaining. The fact her sword failed to do anything only made things worse for her. ¡°And you would have kept recklessly charging into those swords thinking something would happen and get yourself killed. She¡¯s at least smart enough not to do something stupid.¡± ¡°You know as much as this arguing is nice, you might as hell want to dodge!¡± Chiharu turned around suddenly, finding a soldier already swinging her sword. A raised arm was all she could manage. The light armor strapped to her forearm took most of the blow. One of the straps tore loosening the whole piece, nearly tearing it apart. Once most of the attack finished, Chiharu pushed back and wrapped her hand over the blade. She kicked the blade out of the woman¡¯s hand and ended with another kick in her elbow. The force popped it the wrong way, completely disabling the woman as she dropped to the ground in pain. Unfortunately, the situation only grew worse for Chiharu. More soldiers closed. She couldn¡¯t do anything. ¡®The only way to free them is going to be finding the one doing it.¡¯ They pushed her back, forcing her away. Even though she couldn¡¯t help him she tried to fight back to reach him. The mob did everything to keep her back. Her body¡¯s movement slowed. Bruises she received during the fighting started to speak up. Everything seemed to be sliding from terrible to worse. The speed in which she lost her footing even surprised her. ¡®What do I do?! I can¡¯t show him my power, but¡­¡¯ She caught a narrow glimpse of the muscle head between two of the Atlanteans. They dragged her to the ground trying to restrain her. ¡°Let me go! Damn it!¡± ¡°Chiharu!¡± shouted Seiji, the bindings kept him from seeing what happened to her. ¡°You bastards! I swear if you do anything to her! Not even hell will want you after I¡¯m done with you!¡± The red bindings groaned at Seiji¡¯s struggling. A faint glow flashed briefly from his bandaged arm. It pulsed softly. Fumiko could only hear Seiji¡¯s shouting. She felt the panic of the unknown boiling up inside her. ¡°Seiji! What¡¯s happening?! Is Chiharu alright?¡± After they captured her she gave into the struggle, knowing she could do nothing about it. However, her body felt on fire again. She couldn¡¯t give up silently. ¡°Chiharu! What are they doing?¡± ¡®Sis!¡¯ ¡°Chiharu!¡± Her fist tightened up. Magic circles rapidly appeared on her arm at her beckoning. Nothing happened with them, but they continued to flash down her arm. More and more appeared slowly disappearing. In mere seconds, it seemed her arm was a blaze with dancing lights. ¡°Not again! Chiharu!¡± ¡°Desperation surfaces,¡± Simonides remarked. He watched Seiji and Fumiko begin to respond to the tension. ¡®The unknown is worse than what you can see. It makes everything seem more frightening. It will be the fuel to bring everything out of them. Show me what you have kept in reserve.¡¯ The magic circles suddenly came to a stop as though they found something. Threads of magic spun down Fumiko¡¯s arm pushing into the ground. Light broke up from the earth in the form of lines. They sped around quickly drawing out a symbol. It grew out further away from the center, Fumiko. While it continued to expand, the light grew more intense. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s happening? I thought they took my magic away from me.¡± As though to answer her question, a forest of thin pole like vines smashed through the earth. Chunks of debris flew up into the air from the velocity. They pierced the ribbons that kept her down. However, they kept expanding out further than the circle could keep up. Screams of pain erupted with blood sprayed through the air. It all took Fumiko by surprise. When she stood up everything was still in a daze for her. A water drop fell on her arm. It was warmer than she expected, but was enough to snap her back to reality. ¡°What¡­¡± Another drop of water fell on her arm followed by another and another. Then as though someone tossed a bucket of water at her, half her face was soaked. ¡°¡­copper¡­¡± Her eyes widened when she finally understood it was not water. She actually looked around her finally. The vines that came out from her stretched for meters with thorns all along the surface. It looked like a briar patch, if made from the bodies and blood of humans. Fumiko screamed in horror. ¡°What¡­what have I done?!¡± Even Simonides leaned back surprised at what he saw. It made him grind his teeth together. He couldn¡¯t see clearly from his point of view, but he knew that there were some that didn¡¯t survive the attack. ¡®Damn! Again and again!¡¯ His hands tightened around the binoculars to the point it seemed like his fingers would snap. Then he saw Seiji break free from his bindings, the MP taken out by Fumiko¡¯s attack. Their position suddenly turned around on them. They had their backs up against the wall. ¡®I¡¯ve got to focus. If I don¡¯t stop them now this¡¯ll all be for nothing.¡¯ He motioned to Abeiron. ¡°Get squad 15 to get the Field back up! I need them restrained immediately!¡± He focused back on Fumiko and her new power. ¡®What the hell is that? What do I tell them to seal?¡¯ Seiji staggered a little in his step, but he found his footing quickly. He immediately flipped around to find Chiharu. ¡°I¡¯m coming! Now get the hell out of my way!¡± Soldiers already started to form up to slow him down. However, the Field down, all of his strength returned. He simply plowed through the wall of men that tried to form. Nothing would stand between him. The restored powers didn¡¯t last for long. An easy opening from a closing soldier drew blood from Seiji with the swing of his sword. It didn¡¯t faze him much. Seiji changed his target for a moment, slamming his hand over the man¡¯s face. ¡°Don¡¯t think you bastards will stop me from getting to her!¡± The bandaged arm glowed briefly before the man started to shake violently. Seiji released him and turned back to Chiharu. Left behind, the man collapsed to the ground unable to control his body. Spasms bolted around his limbs. On his face, a paper talisman stuck from his forehead over his nose and sealed his mouth shut. One of his squad mates rushed over to him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?!¡± When he saw the talisman he tried to remove it, but it was attached firmly. ¡°Why won¡¯t it come off?!¡± Dispensing with a couple more in similar fashion, Seiji charged to the cluttered mess. His arm glowed brightly as he swung through clearing the entire swarm. ¡°Hey, brat!¡± He grinned offering a helping hand for Chiharu. Her face thinned a little at his sight. An ever so slight curl of a smirk came through her lips. ¡°Muscle head, always butting in when you don¡¯t belong.¡± She stood up on her own. ¡°Hell, you looked like you could use some help.¡± ¡°I had a plan.¡± ¡°Sure, brat.¡± ¡°More than you, muscle for brains.¡± ¡°Stretching your vocabulary there, brat.¡± Chiharu noticed the soldiers starting to move again. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a Japanese lesson later.¡± She retrieved her sword preparing for the next round of the fight. With his back against Chiharu¡¯s, Seiji smiled. ¡°I look forward to seeing what a brat like you can teach!¡± In the center, Yumi looked a little relieved to see everyone back. Her face twisted a little at the sight of Fumiko. No words could help her. However, something else needed her attention. There was movement next to her. She was late in recognizing it until it was too late. Her face went white as the clouds in the sky. Her eyelids stretched open until her eyes could pop out. Every part of skin ran cold with sweat. The beating in her heart doubled. She was ill prepared for it. A groan came out and then a voice. ¡°Yumi? What¡¯s going on?¡± Chapter 213 - False Turns ¡°Y-Y-Yori!¡± It was an honest reaction, but helped to disguise the uncontrollable fear coursing through every vein in her body. Blood from Fumiko¡¯s fighting painted Yori¡¯s face loosely. As he lifted his head, the slow dripping drew up old images in Yumi¡¯s mind. The brother from her horror-fueled nightmares superimposed over the real Yori. It was real enough that she heard echoes of his voice calling out to her. Chills drove down her spine. The shaking in her arm didn¡¯t go unnoticed by Yori. His head still felt fuzzy, but he could tell when something bothered his sister. ¡°Is there something wrong? What¡¯s happening?¡± He tried to focus his eyes to look around him, but all he saw was blurs. Realizing he noticed, Yumi put more control into her body. ¡®I can¡¯t let him know. The situation is desperate enough.¡¯ It took a lot of effort to reign in her emotions that dominated her voice. ¡°I¡¯m fine! But things aren¡¯t good right now.¡± As he became more aware of his surroundings, he realized something wet was on his face. He rubbed at it, doing his best to get it off him. When he checked his hand, the color startled him. ¡°Blood?!¡± Yumi¡¯s words seemed to understate the issue. Yori looked up immediately at Yumi. His eyes worked better than before and he finally saw Yumi for real. The sight made him nearly jump to his feet, if the lightheadedness didn¡¯t force him down. ¡°Yumi! You¡¯re not fine! When did this happen?! This blood¡ª¡° ¡°It¡¯s not mine!¡± she insisted, interjecting before he allowed his fears to create images worse than reality. She awkwardly showed off the sword that remained embedded in her hand and chest. More specifically, she wanted him to see that there was no blood. The confusion that dug into his face seemed expected, even normal. Her new dilemma became something she adjusted to and accepted. It made it easy for her to forget how others saw her. ¡°This is¡­complicated.¡± A weak smile tried to reassure him of her health. ¡°I think you¡¯re understating it.¡± Yori felt oddly sure from her words she really was safe. ¡®Why do I feel calm?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t explain the certainty he felt, just that his body told him not to worry. Unfortunately, his eyes began to soak in the rest of the battlefield. The sight he beheld did trigger his emotions. ¡°What¡¯s going on? How much have I missed?!¡± Yumi managed her emotions precariously in front of her brother. Whispers still poked her from behind; ignoring was all she could do. ¡°Explaining everything¡­would take too long. The situation is¡­we¡¯re under attack by the Atlanteans.¡± A bit of a plain look came across his face. ¡°I think you¡¯re simplifying it too much.¡± ¡°They¡­figured out how to¡­seal our powers. So we¡¯re struggling¡­to stay ahead.¡± Chapter 213 ¨C False Turns ¡°He¡¯s awake now,¡± noted Simonides. Another variable introduced itself into his plan. It made him feel a little uneasy, but things couldn¡¯t turn back. ¡°I¡¯d like to think he¡¯s a normal human, but best to assume he¡¯s got powers like the rest of them. Have six squads move in on the two in the center.¡± Abeiron tilted his head briefly in the Captain¡¯s direction. ¡°Understood, sir!¡± Still bothered by the actions of Fumiko, Simonides rubbed his finger over the surface of the binoculars. He tried to piece everything together to reach a conclusion. ¡®It¡¯s metal and used the same sort of patterns as with the fire. The simple answer is it is magic, but that seems contrary to traditional magic. Metal magic?¡¯ Backs against each other, Seiji and Chiharu managed to keep the soldiers at bay for the moment. Their strength slowly dwindled and fatigue slowly crawled up. They wouldn¡¯t last forever, as much as Seiji acted as if they would. He swung out catching the soldier before they got their shield up. While the soldier fell, Seiji ripped their shield off their arm and chucked it over Chiharu. Bone clearly broke from the sounds as it smashed into two soldier¡¯s faces. ¡°Need me to lighten the numbers for you, kid?¡± Spinning around in a fluid motion, Chiharu disarmed the closing soldier and sent the sword flying into the neighboring comrade. ¡°Need help standing, muscles? You¡¯re more red than anything.¡± Seiji¡¯s arm caught the edge of the blade before he twisted the man¡¯s arm. It added another cut to his already extensive wounds. ¡°They¡¯ll have to cut off my damn legs to keep me from standing!¡± He smirked and tossed the soldier into one trying to stand back up. ¡°Don¡¯t give them any ideas!¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to see them try!¡± Yumi turned away from her brother, distracted by the battle. Things were worse, even though they seemed better. She could tell. ¡°Seiji! Chiharu! Pull back!¡± ¡°What?!¡± questioned Seiji. She stood up, leaving Yori behind. ¡°We need to regroup!¡± Her eyes glanced over at Fumiko, still completely out of it. The soldiers closed on her very cautiously only because of what she displayed. ¡®She¡¯s going to be captured soon. They¡¯re only holding off, because they¡¯re trying to figure out her new power. The fact that they haven¡¯t charged her means it¡¯s not sealed, yet.¡¯ Yumi felt confidence surging up as she thought things out. ¡°Seiji, go get Fumiko!¡± Seiji chucked another Atlantean over his shoulder to give him his chance to look back. It gave him all the time he needed to examine the scene. He understood. ¡°Right!¡± Kicking a shield at his feet, he stunned the soldier enough to charge through the line. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Chiharu, you still have a couple tricks left, right?¡± Narrowly reading Yumi, she picked up a little on her plan. The resolve in her eyes told her enough to trust her. ¡°Always!¡± She lowered a foot into the man¡¯s gut. It rolled him over enough for her to start the motion. Chiharu jumped up on his shoulders and wrapped her legs around his neck. She pulled him forward and tossed him with her legs as she bent down to the ground. The body spun in the air one full rotation before it slammed into another. Chiharu disappeared from sight during the whole move. Inside her shadow realm, her hand grasped a smoke bomb. Her mind thought back to using the man¡¯s shadow on his body to slip between dimensions. ¡°The power really is evolving. It was like it was instinct, as if I already knew how to do it. Very unsettling¡­¡± She tightened her hand around the smoke bomb. Dozens of mirrors appeared around her. The full view of the battle lay out before her. ¡°This¡¯ll keep them busy for a while.¡± Smoke suddenly began to rise from a location deep within the ranks of his troops. Simonides drew down his brow in confusion. ¡®She¡¯s done that before.¡¯ Lifting a hand, he motioned to Abeiron. The formation changed. However, another pillar of smoke rose in a completely different area. It made him pause for a moment, but he gave the order. Nothing. It was just smoke. The third appeared. ¡®Does she have some ability to summon smoke? Before she used a device, but she can¡¯t be in all those places that quickly. We¡¯ve sealed her speed.¡¯ The two previous were nothing. He did not have his men act. ¡®She¡¯s trying to distract us.¡¯ Simonides signaled to Abeiron again. ¡°Move on the fire user, we¡¯ve waited long enough. ¡°Yes¡ª¡° A scream cut him off. It drew him back to the soldiers communicating with the teams. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Report!¡± Simonides focused back on the battle. The third column of smoke had fighting. ¡®She was actually there?!¡¯ He ground his teeth when he discovered a fourth and fifth column. The only thing he could do was act on them. More smoke continued to appear throughout the field stirring the confusion. Some had fighting and others did not. There was no way to know. He had to treat them all as real. Yumi turned around and pulled in the entire storm of soldiers. She needed a point of attack. ¡®That¡¯ll do¡­I knew I could leave it to Chiharu to figure it out.¡¯ A bit of a grin came across her face. The whole scene left Yori a little short on words. He stared at his sister trying to figure everything out. His confusion didn¡¯t help him, but it was no longer about being behind on time. ¡®What happened to my little sister? Since when did Yumi look so tall? ¡¯ ¡°Hey!¡± shouted Seiji, ¡°Fumiko! Can you hear me?¡± He was already close to reaching her. The soldiers ended up not being much trouble for him, not expecting him. However, he noticed they changed their behavior in the middle of his attempt to reach Fumiko. The metal vines made it difficult for him. New cuts flowed like slow summer rain, staggered yet constant. ¡°Damn it to hell! Damn! Damn!¡± His cursing only made things worse. The rest of the steps were twice as painful, but he made it. ¡°The hell¡¯s wrong with you damn woman!¡± Seiji grabbed her by the shoulders to force her in his direction. He ground his teeth together seeing the dead look in her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t have the time for this! Wake up, dammit!¡± A slap started his attempt followed by a slightly hesitate punch (she was a woman). The force was enough to knock her over, but not enough to wake her. His punch left her strung up by the vines, dangling loosely in the garden of metal. Unfortunately, Seiji didn¡¯t have any more time. The soldiers were finally upon them. They might have been cut up as much as him, but it didn¡¯t seem to slow them down. Revenge filled their eyes. Their lost comrades no doubt fueled them into action, finally granted permission from their Captain. ¡°Hell! Hell! Damn! Hell!¡± It seemed he reached a limit. ¡°Ow!¡± His anger caused him to scrap against one of the thorns. ¡°¡­the HELL! WITH IT!¡± Seiji dove down for Fumiko¡¯s staff that rested at his feet. He swung it up the moment he grabbed it. A light arc filled the air along its path. ¡°I¡¯m tired of all of these cuts!¡± The tip of the sword he went to block went flying into the air. It was enough to make the front row of Atlanteans hesitate. ¡°Huh?¡± questioned Seiji, realizing several seconds passed, that something was wrong. He stared at the entire staff trying to understand what happened. It seemed perfectly ordinary, for a staff at least. He remembered Fumiko carrying it around with her, but couldn¡¯t remember when it started. Trying to move it to prepare for the next attack, he had to maneuver around all of the gathered vines. The base of the staff knocked into the metal of the vines. A loud ring echoed from the point. It continued and produced more ringing. The sounds began to become like bells almost. Something responded to the noise. It pulsed to life. An odd feeling surged from his arm. The light emitting from the wrapping grew stronger. It seemed as though his arm ignited into flames. Light radiated off his arm bleeding into the staff. ¡°What the hell is going on?!¡± shouted Seiji. He swung his arm trying to get it off him. An arc of light formed from the swing cutting through the earth and soldiers. Then he froze. His eyes stuck to the staff once more. Something was wrong. It wasn¡¯t his normal power. It wasn¡¯t physical strength. Something was familiar about it, in a dread filled, meeting the annoying smothering aunt you always detest seeing sort of way. ¡®This is¡ª¡® ¡°Seiji!¡± called Yumi. Her voice snapped him out of his thoughts, almost as if he wanted to leave them. Seiji tilted his head back in the direction of Yumi. Everything started to come back to him. ¡°Right! I can¡¯t be standing around here!¡± He didn¡¯t know what went on with his arm, but he had to accept it. It was something he could use. Swinging the staff again in the direction of his friends, but avoiding them, an arc sliced through the metal briar. He had his path without pain. Seiji spun around swinging the staff again at the ground of the soldiers. Chunks of earth and metal flew into the air. A cloud of debris covered his retreat. Seiji dropped Fumiko down at Yori¡¯s feet. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re awake, man!¡± he commented, before returning to Yumi. ¡°What you need?¡± ¡°Use that power of yours to make an opening,¡± Yumi answered. She threw out her free arm to point in the direction. ¡®I had planned on using Fumiko¡¯s new power, but this works just as well. We need to get out of here while we still have something they haven¡¯t sealed!¡¯ Chiharu surfaced in the shadows making her presence noticeable. ¡°Chiharu, grab Fumiko. She¡¯s in no condition to run. Yori help her, she doesn¡¯t have her normal strength.¡± ¡°R-Right,¡± her brother replied, still trying to get used to the change. Yori rushed over to Chiharu¡¯s side to help Fumiko up to her feet. He glanced over his shoulder at the soldiers closing on them. The fighting gone, their attention turned to a single point. ¡®This better work¡­¡¯ Seiji ran out in front of the group to his designated point. He smirked a little, starting to accept the strange power. ¡°You might want to get the HELL out of my way if you don¡¯t want to get sliced up!¡± he warned, before swinging a cautionary blow at the soldiers¡¯ feet. There were different reactions out of them. Some moved a little, while others stood their ground. ¡°Don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t give you a chance!¡± The second arc ran vertically through the thinnest part of the troops. Blood and screams erupted from the arc eating through Atlanteans and earth. It chewed up debris coughed out and knocked more aside as it pushed through. Seiji charged into the broken line, clearing the rest of the path for his friends. He could finally see the horizon again. ¡°We¡¯re out!¡± he shouted, turning around to see how close they were on his rear. However, an earthquake stopped them all in their tracks. Seiji felt the worst of it as he dropped to one knee unable to keep his balance. A shadow suddenly stretched over him and towards his friends, as though reaching out for them to push back. Confused, he looked behind him. His eyes widened to see a smooth wall stretched out aiming for the sky. Their escape route disappeared. Simonides¡¯ features thinned and hardened a little watching them. ¡°I never said you could leave.¡± Chapter 214 - Tempted Strength Seiji forced himself back to his feet with the help of the staff. His hand tightened around the shaft of the staff. It seemed to respond to his desire glowing brighter than before. ¡°If you think a wall¡¯s going to stop me¡­¡± He slammed the end of the staff into the earth. A ringing issued from the epicenter outward. Several waves of force immediately blew out from staff. The first rank of soldiers fell over from the impact with the second unintentionally trying to keep them from going prone. Symbols appeared in the air carved in light. A white light blasted out tearing up the earth into fine particles. When the force slammed into the wall the earth seemed to jump from the surprising amount of energy unleashed upon it. Everything disappeared in a blinding light followed by a cloud of smoke. No one knew what happened. They all just stood around waiting. Even the soldiers, orders came through to them, but they couldn¡¯t move. Uncertainty and a little curiosity held them in place. Everyone wanted to know what happened. Helping Nerine, Yumi stared intently into the smoke as though trying to tear away the layers. ¡®Come on, Seiji.¡¯ Chapter 214 ¨C Tempted Strength The only one that seemed unaffected by the whole thing was Simonides. He stood watching the same as always from his binoculars wishing his men would act rather than stand around. It was the perfect chance to make a move. As the smoke over the entire area began to clear, parts began to surface in shadows. Shadows turned to physical shapes. The wall still stood once the veil lifted completely . It appeared unaffected by the attack. ¡°I came prepared for this outcome. The wall was built to be completely indestructible. The benefit of the powers of the MP is that the impossible is possible. Indestructible is achievable and not just hubris.¡± Such a state was never used in normal circumstances because it was a pointless effort. Against a normal human, something that was sufficiently resistant would be all that was necessary. While against another MP user it only meant anything if the individual was mentally stronger than the other. If they were weaker it wouldn¡¯t matter if it was indestructible or made of paper, the effect was the same. However, it had a practical application against humans like the intruders that worked off a different reality. That reality could be overwritten. When the smoke cleared away and Seiji saw his effort, he swung the staff at the wall. An arc went out from the headpiece clashing with the wall. Nothing. ¡°Damn!¡± He looked around the wall and saw it ended. Seiji ran towards the edge, but just when approached it he fell over. Another wall rose out of the earth extending further the blockade. His hand tightened around the shaft. ¡°Bastard!¡± He understood. ¡°You won¡¯t escape. I made sure of that.¡± Seiji stared at the wall, sizing it up for a moment. He considered climbing, but it was a completely smooth surface with no seams. It was even angled in a little so if he managed to get up a little he would fall back down eventually. Escape was impossible. The reality settled in for Seiji. He turned away from the wall and marched back. Any of the soldiers that got in his way were tossed aside. He still had the power in his arm. When he reached Yumi and the others, he tried to keep his annoyance down. ¡°Sorry, guys.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, Seiji,¡± reassured Yumi. ¡°Our opponent is well prepared for us.¡± She looked around at everyone. They looked tired. All of the fighting without their vitality made it difficult. ¡°I only see three options remaining for us.¡± Everyone already seemed to know those options. Seiji asked anyway, ¡°What are those options?¡± ¡°Defeat everyone here, stalemate or surrender.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like the last one.¡± ¡°None of us do,¡± piped up Chiharu. Yumi stepped back up to the center. ¡°Since we know what their strategy is, we should stick closer together.¡± She knew the answer everyone had already. A decision didn¡¯t need to be taken. They all agreed with her by the looks of their eyes. ¡°It¡¯ll be easier to protect each other and help if we stay close.¡± Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. The two remaining with the strength to fight, Seiji and Chiharu, took up sides around the rest. Yumi stood still supporting Nerine as though her sword didn¡¯t exist. Yori held on to Fumiko, still processing everything. Yori watched the two charge back into the fighting without a second thought. Seiji had more of the advantage with his new power, but even Chiharu seemed to hold her own. ¡®How are we supposed to get out of this?¡¯ He stared down at his hand. All he did was stand on the sidelines, again. ¡®I can¡¯t do anything. I¡¯m worthless. Why did I even bother coming with them?¡¯ His eyes glanced over at Yumi. The determined look on her face made her seem so far away from him. They stood together, but he could not even reach her. ¡®Even Yumi can do something in such a condition¡­¡¯ A bit of a mutual feeling rested on Nerine. However, confusion filled more of her than helplessness. ¡®They¡¯re continuing to fight even in such hopeless odds. The Captain will win in the end, but they¡¯ll keep fighting.¡¯ She saw their eyes. There was no doubt about what they were doing. ¡°Why¡­are you doing this?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± At first, the voice sounded out of place. She still wasn¡¯t familiar with hearing Nerine speak. Yumi glanced over at her. ¡°It might seem a little pointless, all of this fighting. I¡¯m a little inclined to agree, though I doubt Seiji would agree.¡± Laughter popped up from her response. ¡°We probably seem stupid, don¡¯t we?¡± ¡°I-I¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. One thing I¡¯ve learned from Seiji is there¡¯s nothing wrong with being stupid sometimes.¡± She watched him fighting with the staff. ¡°It¡¯s okay if it is for someone important. We¡¯re just intruders here, but it¡¯s important to Yuki and not just because he¡¯s under attack. He needs this and I want to make sure he can reach the end. We might be the enemy of everyone, but I believe when it is all settled things will be better.¡± It was hard to follow. What she said made sense to Nerine. However, what the Captain said made sense to her as well. ¡®Who¡¯s right here? They aren¡¯t monsters, they¡¯re just humans wanting to protect something¡­like us.¡¯ Nerine tilted her head in the direction of Simonides. ¡®You seem to know something, you¡¯re planning something. Why don¡¯t you just¡­¡¯ Simonides lowered the binoculars. A grim expression dug into this face. The last attempt failed. ¡°Abeiron seal all energy types. A general course is going to be the only solution, we don¡¯t have time to figure him out.¡± ¡°Understood!¡± The Commander shouted out orders to the men. The only thing keeping the battle moving was the communication. It would have been over a long time ago had it not being for the Captain¡¯s strategy. Abeiron felt assured the fighting would end soon. ¡®They are truly dangerous.¡¯ The damage they sustained so far was staggering. Idle conversation came in from one of the men. It seemed like just annoyed chatter, but Abeiron targeted it. ¡°What was that, Sergeant?¡± ¡°Nothing, sir! I¡¯ll tell them to keep communication to pertinent information only.¡± ¡°Anything little detail might be important, what was it?¡± ¡°Sir, one of the men was saying the little girl was like a ninja.¡± Simonides tilted his head back, picking up the conversation. His eyes narrowed to almost thin lines. It spurred new ideas for him. ¡®Damn me, why didn¡¯t I see it sooner! It makes sense!¡¯ He turned around towards them. ¡°Commander! Have squads 4 and 96 remove all shadows.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± He slid a foot back towards the battle. ¡®This will be the final push.¡¯ Seiji fell backwards, caught off guard by one of the soldiers. His staff no longer functioned and his arm returned to normal. Nothing seemed to work anymore. He only had the staff left as a means to block the swords. It only took Chiharu a moment to notice the change. Her realization introduced a moment of weakness. They figured it out finally. The wall of soldiers seemed endless suddenly with her options shrinking. ¡°They figured out my power,¡± she reported to Yumi. Things seemed to be getting worse by the minute. Yumi tried to figure out something else, but their only course was to fight until the end. ¡®Seiji¡¯s power is already gone and now Chiharu as well. Fumiko¡¯s no option either. She¡¯s still too disturbed by what happened. She¡¯s barely conscious again.¡¯ The ground filled with the litter of the injured. Atlanteans spread as deep as they could see. Even though it seemed they made an impact it seemed as though more just kept coming. It seemed almost like they were phantoms. The will driving them was as powerful as the one behind Yumi and her friends. ¡®There must be a solution,¡¯ thought Nerine. Yori tightened up his fists in frustration. ¡®I can¡¯t do anything! I want to help them!¡¯ They forced him to watch his friends stumble and fall. They struggled against the odds. They were brave and fearless even with no chance to win. Yet he just stood at the side. ¡®Damn!¡¯ He slammed his fist into his hand wanting to do something. He cursed his useless fate. ¡®They have fighting experience even without their powers. I couldn¡¯t even protect my sister when I needed to! Damn it! Why didn¡¯t that Hayashi bastard give me power too! Anything to be useful!¡¯ His muscles tensed up. A little sweat built up responding to the heat of his emotions. ¡®I don¡¯t want to watch my sister end up in their hands¡­or worse!¡¯ A new wind spun in around the surrounding teenagers. It wrapped around Yori tearing at his tunic. The wind grew in strength almost becoming a gale. Grass blew outward from his feet pressed down to the earth. The stirring drew up the attention of several cautious eyes in the Atlanteans. The others were too focused on the battle to give it any notice. ¡®Yumi!¡¯ Ripples suddenly expanded out from the feet. The grass disappeared with only dirt remaining behind. Suddenly, soldiers disappeared from the line as well. Everything changed. Nerine stepped out in front of the others. Several of her gauntlets hovered in the air. She turned her gaze over in the direction of the Captain. ¡°Captain Simonides! I¡¯ve returned the powers you¡¯ve sealed! The battle is over!¡± There was a bit of shaking in her voice. She knew the course she had taken. All she could do was follow it. The end would be discovered one way. ¡°Second Lieutenant Nerine wishes to speak to you, sir!¡± Chapter 215 - Forced Resolution Nerine stood exposed waiting, wishing Simonides answered her. She made her play. The weight of it left her legs a little shaky. If everything failed, she destroyed the last bridge back for nothing. ¡®Come on, sir! Please, I know there has to be more to what you¡¯re doing!¡¯ The move from Nerine left the fighting stalled. A pause gave them time to work out everything. Seiji leaned back to look at Yumi and the others, much the others wanting answers as well. ¡°The hell¡¯s going on?¡± More concerned about the battlefield, Chiharu¡¯s eyes scanned the soldiers. She noticed it immediately. ¡®Most of them weren¡¯t even real. We didn¡¯t have a chance of winning with odds like this.¡¯ The far distant figure of Simonides came a little more into view for her. ¡®You didn¡¯t even commit all of your forces, holding back even more reserves. Damn, we were completely out maneuvered.¡¯ ¡°She¡¯s using her power to cancel everything,¡± replied Yumi. It wasn¡¯t something she considered. She looked over at Nerine. An end of the fighting could be in reach. She hoped. ¡®I wasn¡¯t sure if she was on our side or her own. If I knew she would help us¡­¡¯ Seiji stared at his hand. He felt the fatigue in his muscles. Nothing seemed different. ¡°You¡¯re saying we have our power back?¡± The look in his eyes clearly wanted to test our Yumi¡¯s theory. Yuki¡¯s power and Field things never made a lot of sense to him. It was more complicated than it needed to be for him. Yumi tried to reach out for him. ¡°Seiji, let this play out first. Don¡¯t do anything to take action yet.¡± ¡°Eh? ¡­sure.¡± Chapter 215 ¨C Forced Resolution Simonides¡¯ expression remained stone-faced, impossible to read. The soldiers all looked on at their Captain with curiosity in their eyes. Everyone expected a certain action from him. However, it left them surprised to find one of their own siding with the enemy. Some hesitation only seemed natural. ¡°Abeiron.¡± ¡°Yes, sir?¡± ¡°Why have you not reprimanded the men for stopping?¡± Simonides turned a little at the waist to look at Abeiron. The way it came out seemed as though Abeiron forgot something basic. ¡°Sir? Our Fields won¡¯t reach them with Second Lieutenant Nerine¡¯s Field up.¡± ¡°Push in closer. They¡¯re already surrounded, nothing will reach them when they enter our Fields.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The Commander turned and barked out to the officers to get their troops moving. ¡®This is a dangerous game you¡¯re playing, sir. I hope it works.¡¯ ¡°Looks like they aren¡¯t planning on backing down, Yumi!¡± remarked Seiji. The remaining soldiers marched towards them. Dirt disappeared slowly, but reached a point where it fought over with the grass. The line blurred greatly and mixed making everything seem patchy for nearly a meter of a perimeter. Nerine saw her hopes falling apart. ¡°Captain Simonides! They aren¡¯t our enemy! I believe they have information that will make it clear, sir!¡± It was her last chance. She pulled down her sights on the troops. Any sign of them slowly or stopping was all she needed. Seconds ticked off quickly, mounting her tension. She hoped he wasn¡¯t so stubborn to ignore reason. Chiharu and Seiji remained defensive, keeping behind the line. The push on their field of influence still shrank, but it was harder. Nerine did everything to keep her Field alive against the forces coming down. However, the longer time passed the more it became clear to them. ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯s interested in talking this out!¡± yelled Seiji. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t have brought all of his men if he wanted to talk.¡± ¡°But¡­it¡­I just¡­¡± The situation changed enough for Yumi. Recalculations to her plans had to start factoring in Nerine. She became an unknown variable. Suddenly new tactics presented themselves to her. ¡®There¡¯s options¡­we can do this!¡¯ Yumi could see everything laid out before. Each became a piece in her mind and a grid to move each on. ¡°Miss Nerine! Can you follow me? Seiji, Chiharu keep pace while holding defensive positions on the flanks!¡± They all quickly understood that Yumi came up with something to get them out of their present dilemma. No questions followed, just movement. Yumi led Nerine along into the line of soldiers. The change altered the field at their feet. She forced a choice upon them. As expected, the line drew back. However, behind them the Atlanteans followed. The circular mass of humans marched. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°Yumi?¡± Seiji saw nothing changed. They might have been moving, but it meant nothing if the enemy kept their formation. ¡°You got something better than this?¡± Chiharu glanced over at Yumi, carrying the same suspicious doubt about her plan. ¡®She¡¯s got something planned.¡¯ The look in her eyes didn¡¯t waver. It almost seemed like she planned it, expecting the course of action to happen. Chiharu searched the area for answers. She needed to understand her plan. Nothing revealed itself to her. ¡®I don¡¯t see her next move. How far ahead has she seen? Does she have any contingencies?¡¯ Simonides¡¯ forehead drew down, a little, watching the strange synchronized march. He had the view to make Yumi¡¯s actions clear. ¡®Clever¡­¡¯ Lowering the binoculars, his head tilted back towards everything they set up. ¡®This one move disrupts everything, most importantly communications.¡¯ Focusing back on the stalemate, he zoomed in on Yumi. ¡®I¡¯ve underestimated you.¡¯ Awkward minutes passed. No one knew the distance they covered. Everyone¡¯s attention stayed on the silent war fought through defensive positioning. Tension reached for a never-ending peak that continued to grow with no sign of it stopping. It was then that Chiharu¡¯s situational awareness finally filled her in on Yumi¡¯s plan. She looked in the distance at the hill where the Atlanteans made their temporary base. They were significantly closer to it. ¡®You¡¯re planning to smash their own offensive line into their defense. If they don¡¯t want it to happen they¡¯ll have to retreat or hold the line, forcing our way through. Either way, they lose!¡¯ Chiharu stared at Yumi. A complex expression filled her eyes that Chiharu could not explain. Yumi stared onward at their destination. ¡®What will you do? I¡¯ve foreseen your angles.¡¯ Chiharu watched the certainty and confidence in Yumi¡¯s face increase. It seemed everything went to her plans. She watched a physical change start to occur. ¡®What¡¯s with her eye?¡¯ No longer were there two soft brown eyes, as common and generic as possible, her right eye turned lighter suddenly. Another color mixed in with the brown until it completely dismissed it. The eye was a bright, fierce green that leapt out of her face dominating everything as the single focal point. Chiharu drew attention closer, concerned what the sudden change meant for Yumi. The soldiers continued to hold their formation. An expected course for Yumi. ¡®You want us badly, protect the line and sacrifice the command position. But I won¡¯t give you enough time to react anymore. The pieces are all set up.¡¯ Yumi called out, ¡°Seiji, how¡¯s your strength and body holding out?¡± ¡°These scratches mean nothing!¡± ¡°Good to hear it! Move in behind us.¡± ¡°You got it!¡± Desire to know overcame Chiharu, she looked forward at what the next move could be. Then she saw something she didn¡¯t expect. ¡®Their formation is collapsing?! We haven¡¯t done anything. Fatigue? No¡­¡¯ She answered her question quickly when she considered their surroundings. ¡®It¡¯s the terrain. We¡¯re going up the hill he used to watch the battle from. Their high ground advantage is being used against them!¡¯ The change in elevation wasn¡¯t extreme, but was enough to throw off their movements. A few soldiers stumbled, however most caused the line to thin with everyone bunched up. She forced a weakness into their formation. Nerine stared up at Simonides. He was so close it seemed like she could reach out to him. ¡®Why, sir?¡¯ ¡°Chiharu,¡± Yumi motioned to the young girl to approach. ¡°I¡¯ve got something I need for you to do.¡± Abeiron directed the retreating soldiers. They carried off mobile communication devices, but it required a MP to remain with them at all times. Everything was makeshift, adapting to the changing field. He stared back at his Captain, who stood unmoved from his position. ¡®Everything¡¯s falling apart,¡¯ he thought, watching as they drew closer to him. If it bothered him, he kept it hidden. Waiting until the last moment, he walked off the peak. The eminent danger seemed unimportant to him. He barely made it off the hill, no more than two hundred meters away, when a loud roar erupted from the hill. Simonides glanced back, actually surprised. It managed to crack the stoic expression he managed recently. ¡°What!?¡± Seiji surfaced at the top of the hill charging through the line he just smashed. Yet him charging was the only part that was normal. On his shoulders and back, he carried all of his friends, even Nerine. It kept the Field around him regardless of the speed. None of the men could stand against the brute strength he brought. ¡®They broke through¡­¡¯ Simonides started to turn away to link back up with Abeiron, but something stopped him. ¡°You again.¡± Chiharu appeared behind him holding his arm behind his back and her sword at his neck. She couldn¡¯t understand what he said, but assumed from the look and tone. ¡°You¡¯re not getting away this time. None of your soldiers are around to protect you this time.¡± Words wouldn¡¯t get through to him, but intentions still could be communicated. Her blade pressed against his skin. ¡°Order off your troops or you¡¯ll die.¡± Glancing through narrowed eyes, Simonides felt her words more than understood them. He had a good idea of their plan. His hand squeezed around the receiver, back to Abeiron. Staring into the distance at his men retreating, his face drew sharper and the shadows seemed to become solid black painted in harsh lines. ¡®Abeiron¡­¡¯ ¡®Captain?¡¯ Something felt off. Abeiron turned around in search of Simonides, but didn¡¯t find him. Changing his sight, he pulled up to see where his Captain remained. ¡°Captain Simonides!¡± he shouted, drawing all of his men to stop and turn. The soldiers froze with their Captain as a hostage. ¡°¡­Captain¡­¡± Wrinkles of pain dug through his face. Narrowing her face, Chiharu tightened up her hold on the man. ¡®She was right, about everything¡­how did she foresee all of this? What is she?¡¯ The sword pressed up against Simonides¡¯ neck demanding an answer. ¡°It¡¯s time.¡± She motioned his arm holding the receiver to act. ¡°Impatient¡­but yes¡­¡± He lifted his arm to his mouth with the receiver ready. His eyes fixed on the Commander in the distance. ¡°Commander Abeiron.¡± ¡°Captain Simonides! I¡¯m moving MPs in now to rescue you!¡± ¡°It''s checkmate, friend.¡± ¡°But sir!¡± ¡°Follow the plan, Abeiron.¡± Simonides tightened his hand around the metal. ¡°Initiate beta-four contingency. You¡¯re in command now! Don¡¯t let any of them escape! Do whatever you must to keep Atlantis¡ª¡° Abeiron fumbled with the device, hearing Simonides suddenly cutoff. ¡°Captain! Captain!¡± He couldn¡¯t hear anything more. The last sound he was left with echoing in his ears was the deadly cough of his Captain. His face turned blue and then white almost instantly. Blood sprayed out of the wound in his chest where the sword poked through. Simonides¡¯ eyes drew wide while his pupils shrank. The pain of the blade yanked out of him made him cough in pain. All of the strength in his body suddenly fled him. He fell to the ground. Standing over him, Chiharu¡¯s face dripped loosely with blood and the cold stare of her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s over now.¡± ¡°Good, Chiharu,¡± smiled Yumi, watching from a distance, ¡°Everything played as expected. Chapter 216 - Darkness Rising Nerine stared for a moment, not believing what she saw. ¡°Captain Simonides!¡± she yelled, her voice finally catching up to the times. She tried to work down from the pile on Seiji¡¯s back, but a hand grabbed her. Uncertain, she looked around for the source. No more than a centimeter away from Nerine¡¯s face, Yumi''s face surfaced. Her eyes stared deeply into Nerine. A mystifying gaze worked its way through Nerine¡¯s eyes causing a strange paralysis. She wanted to move, but everything drew her in as if compelled to look. ¡°Stay focused.¡± It confused her. Something wasn¡¯t the same with Yumi. She felt almost scared from a simple stare. The entire presence was unnerving. ¡®She wasn¡¯t always like this, was she? Did I miss read her somehow?¡¯ ¡°What the hell is going on, Yumi?¡± barked Seiji, as he came to a stop. He couldn¡¯t believe what happened as much as Nerine. It felt possible if it came from Chiharu. However, the fact that it seemed Yumi ordered it as part of the plan disturbed him more. ¡°This wasn¡¯t part of the plan!¡± Her face returned to her previous expression. ¡°On the contrary, everything is according to plan.¡± The smile seemed painted on her face. It appeared as though she reveled in her success, as though drunk. Those that could see her face filled with terror, while those that listened could only imagine through the tone of her voice. It drew a more than accurate picture for them. ¡°What?!¡± Seiji moved to put them down. He wanted answers, but Yumi stopped him as well. A set of wide eyes moved almost unnaturally close to him. ¡°What the hell¡¯s the matter with you? You¡¯re nothing like yourself, Yumi.¡± ¡°If you want to live long enough for answers, keep moving. The little girl¡¯s waiting for us at the rendezvous point.¡± It wasn¡¯t enough for Seiji. ¡°Little girl? Chiharu has a name, Yumi. You¡¯re acting like someone else.¡± ¡°Of course, because I¡¯m not Yumi. Chapter 216 ¨C Darkness Rising The battlefield disappeared into the distance. No signs of pursuit continued. It looked safe. In the distance, Chiharu stood waiting for them. Something else was with her. Simonides¡¯ body lay at her feet. ¡°Captain!¡± shouted Nerine. She forced herself off Seiji running over to his body. Her feet stumbled around trying to keep balance in such a panicked state. ¡°Captain!¡± The one in Yumi¡¯s body stepped off Seiji in a fluid motion as though the sword didn¡¯t exist. ¡°I¡¯d suggest you start healing him or he will actually die.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Nerine¡¯s head spun around. Her eyes went wide for a moment trying to process everything. She leaned down to listen to his chest. A faint heartbeat still echoed inside. ¡®He¡¯s alive!¡¯ Immediately, a ripple came out from her feet and a yellow glow surrounded her. Seiji reached out grabbing Yumi before she went anywhere. ¡°What did you just say to her?¡± ¡°Right, you don¡¯t know Atlantean Greek. I told her to heal him, the man¡¯s not dead.¡± He paused for a second. ¡°Dead? Heal? Greek?¡± Everything came at once, none of the words came out the way he wanted. Chiharu walked over to the two of them, leaving Simonides behind. ¡°Your insight borders on the omnipotent. A master of languages too.¡± ¡°Not so much, I just know Greek, so I just had to work backwards.¡± She glanced over at Nerine and Simonides. ¡°The situation was pretty easy to read.¡± ¡°Can someone please tell me what the hell is going on?!¡± Seiji threw himself into the conversation forcefully. It only received a glance from both Chiharu and the mysterious girl. Entering the scene, Yori stepped out of the shadows of Seiji. He quickly met eyes with his sister¡¯s body. The stature, confidence, speech, everything was different from her. His sister was missing. ¡°It seems that Chiharu faked the death of the Atlantean under orders from¡­you. I¡¯m guessing you did so to weaken the Atlanteans¡¯ command.¡± ¡°You¡¯re correct and not.¡± The negative got everyone¡¯s attention. Chiharu was the only one that didn¡¯t look surprised. The surprise changed to curiosity and a silent demand to know how Yori was wrong. She obliged them with an answer. ¡°He wanted it.¡± A finger stretched out to point at Simonides. They became even more confused with the answer. ¡°That¡¯s not possible!¡± snapped Seiji, ¡°How could you know what he wanted?¡± ¡°Did you read his mind?¡± Yori speculated. He knew only a little about Yumi¡¯s powers and not the limits. All the time he was unconscious he did not know what might have happened to her. The physical signs were clear enough to him. She smiled a little, appearing amused. ¡°No, Yumi¡¯s mental link only works with her brother, at least for now.¡± ¡°Then how?!¡± ¡°It was the most probable outcome.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. She spoke with such confidence that they expected a little more of a response. It was just another surprise. Worse, it was another question, too. Yori beat Seiji to the initiative. ¡°Are you saying you weren¡¯t certain?¡± ¡°Correct, it only had an 84% probability. There was a chance, statistically speaking, he had other plans.¡± She received a bunch of looks that she did not really understand too well. It turned her expression a little quizzical. ¡°The facts were all there.¡± ¡°Facts?¡± ¡°Before the fight started, he communicated with you directly rather than taking advantage of the surprise. This clearly meant he did not want to kill, despite everything that happened. He also grew very interested in you when said you had different goals than he was expecting. It was clear he wanted to know more, he wanted to talk.¡± Seiji ignored the polite order and jumped in on Yori¡¯s discussion. ¡°If he just wanted to talk, he should have said so. I¡¯ve got no reason to fight if he just wants to talk. All of this was pointless.¡± He got several stares, which he miss read. Seemingly unaffected, she continued, ¡°Things aren¡¯t so black and white. The man might be in charge of an entire outpost, but he has superiors and there are clearly a set of rules and expectations he had to follow. As much as he might have wanted to talk things out, he had to give the appearance to his men he was following orders. There did seem to be a little pride on the line as well. All of the trouble you¡¯ve caused in his domain likely also fueled him. He wanted his answers and he wanted to win as well.¡± Nodding, the idea of pride was something Seiji could understand. It was acceptable to him. He moved on to the matter than bothered him more. ¡°Why¡¯d you make us think you ordered him dead? If I knew what your plan was¡ª¡° ¡°It wasn¡¯t important. You all had your roles to play. The child was the one that needed to know.¡± Her abruptness and cold matter-of-fact tone didn¡¯t win her any points in the group. The unyielding heterochromic eyes told them all they needed. ¡°The man needed an out, one that got him answers, but also upheld his duty. Faking death to the enemy, they could not doubt his loyalty.¡± They had their answers. The recently sober Fumiko glanced over at Chiharu. She received a nodding confirmation that it all played out as described. Something equally important remained. Fumiko leaned in a little trying to press her presence. ¡°Who are you and what happened to Yumi?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a complicated answer.¡± She saw how they looked at her. They were all behind Fumiko demanding an answer that satisfied them. ¡°My time is short. I¡¯ve only partially emerged, Yumi will be back very soon. I¡¯m simply sharing her soul space as I haven¡¯t a body. It¡¯s a little crowded in here, so we remain in the shadows until needed.¡± Her gaze moved towards the sky as though distracted by something. ¡°I¡¯ve work to do. I¡¯ll see you again.¡± The green in her eye faded away, returning the brown. Seiji and Fumiko wanted to stop them from leaving, but it was already too late. Any action taken was pointless. Whoever inhabited Yumi¡¯s body vanished only leaving behind a confused girl. Exchanged stares did nothing to answer any of their questions and only made Yumi more uneasy. ¡®It happened again,¡¯ thought Yumi, as she began putting the pieces together. ¡®Someone else¡­what am I?¡¯ Time wasn¡¯t something rationed out sparingly. Chiharu directed their attention over to their Atlantean guests. ¡°He¡¯s awake.¡± She already started to walk over, followed up by the rest of the group. They all stared at each other in silence. Simonides said nothing and the teenagers held in any words. Everyone had questions, but they seemed uncertain about how to start. Until recently, they were fighting each other. It surprised everyone that Seiji made the first move. He extended his hand out to Simonides, helping him back to his feet. The two men stood staring at each holding a firm grasp on each other''s hands. Silence seemed to solve everything as Seiji grinned soon. He looked over at Nerine. ¡°Did you do your thing so we can talk?¡± She gave him a nod. ¡°Great! I¡¯m Seiji Tsuji.¡± ¡°Simonides.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you a captain or something?¡± ¡°Not anymore, given what I¡¯ve done. When it¡¯s discovered I¡¯ll be relieved of my command. I¡¯m just one man now. You¡¯re the leader of your group? We spoke before.¡± Seiji shook his head and pointed a bandaged arm back at Yumi. ¡°She¡¯s the one running things.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t hold strictly to any sort of structure,¡± replied Yumi. She stepped forward to join the discussion. ¡°We¡¯re all just friends. I guessing you have as many questions for us as we do you.¡± Glancing back where they came from, she narrowed her eyes to the horizon. No one still came, but it didn¡¯t mean no one would. ¡°We should probably stay on the move for now. Miss Nerine, could you?¡± Nearly an hour passed. A small truck ran along the stretching plains of Atlantis. ¡°I see,¡± said Simonides, admitting to himself even that was an understatement. He got the full explanation from them on why they have powers. They went over the events that transpired in Japan to cause them to become different. ¡°I¡¯m having a little trouble believing it is possible.¡± He glanced over at Nerine. ¡°Such things haven¡¯t been possible in millennia.¡± Nerine agreed with her Captain. While they told their tale, she went over her history of Atlantis from the academy. ¡°If what you¡¯re saying is true, then he has a power and control only seen once before. The founder of Atlantis is considered little more than a legend by most people. Atlantis is proof of their work, but most don¡¯t believe they were the ones to actually create Atlantis. At least the way it is claimed. Most just believe that the Throne of Atlantis created the land that we know rather than a person.¡± She froze for a moment. The more she thought about the possibility the more it turned everything she believed on its head. She counted herself among those that didn¡¯t believe in the legend. The followers of Anaximandros were a hard line orthodox group that made more enemies than converts. If such a boy existed, his proof could change everything. ¡®Would people actually try to kill him because of what he represents?¡¯ ¡°You said before your objective was to find the ones responsible for the attacks on your friend. You only know that they were MP users, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, I was there when one of them attacked,¡± added Seiji. The earth user Yuki and he fought was just like the people in Atlantis. He fought enough of them to know that much. ¡°Yuki said they were attacking him because he was the heir of Atlantis. Though all of this is coming from Ayumi.¡± ¡°Who is this Ayumi person? You¡¯ve mentioned them several times and even said that they were an Atlantean.¡± ¡°Her Atlantean name is Eudokia Ismene,¡± answered Yori. He felt he had the least to contribute to the discussion. Most of the events in Japan happened away from him, even in Atlantis he wasn¡¯t awake for most of the time. All of his memories were a mess. Images of some woman kept entering his mind, but didn¡¯t understand what they meant. ¡°I believe she said she was Captain of the Royal Guard, likely someone you know.¡± The words stunned both Nerine and Simonides, but it seemed to affect him more. The General¡¯s words came back to haunt him. ¡®So she really is involved. This only gets worse and worse.¡¯ Simonides thought about his options. The brief time he spent with the kids made him feel uncertain. His gut feeling from before seemed to have been closer to the mark than he realized. ¡°This is very troubling. You are certain that she is who she said she was?¡± ¡°She is a very secretive person.¡± Yori had his suspicions about the girl. She acted in strange ways and did more than a few things to make what she said questionable. ¡°I can¡¯t say for certain that is her true identity. We don¡¯t know what the real Eudokia Ismene is like, so we could only judge by the words she told us.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°Well there are a couple of things,¡± suggested Nerine. She didn¡¯t know the girl personally, but she was famous in Atlantis for several reasons. Almost anyone knew a few things about her. ¡°You¡¯ve seen her use her power right?¡± Everyone looked around at each other. Yumi leaned forward realizing that no one seemed to be certain. ¡°We¡¯ve seen her use her power, but they were normally in special circumstances. The only ones to have seen her powers are Yuki and Saki, I think.¡± Fumiko stiffened up a little looking into the group. ¡°I was sort of dying at the moment, but I remember she used a sword, I think. But then she was gone. Nerine looked over at Simonides. They both seemed to have the same look on their face. ¡°That¡¯s not a lot to go on.¡± ¡°True, but she is considered a prodigy,¡± added Simonides. ¡°She was the finest MP to come out of the academy in decades. The training she had would have made her skilled at obscuring the truth. She likely would try to minimize how exposed she was to you..¡± ¡°Agreed, she was singular in her strength. No one is stronger than her.¡± ¡°Sure she does,¡± corrected Seiji. He wasn¡¯t at the incident, but he heard about it. ¡°That old man stomped the floor with her. I remember Yuki telling me about him. He beat everyone, only Saki ended up saving the day.¡± Their attention drew to Seiji¡¯s words. ¡°Are you talking about General Demosthenes Alexander?¡± ¡°Sure, I think that¡¯s his name.¡± Once again, Simonides and Nerine stared at each other. The mystery seemed to get deeper. Simonides met with everyone¡¯s attention. He realized their reactions drew up questions. ¡°Eudokia Ismene is the most powerful MP alive right now. The General has never beaten her in any of the exhibition matches. Either the girl you know as Ayumi is pretending to be Eudokia Ismene or she¡¯s hiding her true power from all of you.¡± Chapter 217 - Conspirators It felt strange. Oddly comfortable, but it couldn¡¯t be true. She knew it shouldn¡¯t be true. How much time had passed? An hour, a day? She was no longer certain. The only thing she knew was that she wasn¡¯t moving and that was a problem. Opening her eyes, it felt nothing like where she remembered being last. ¡®How¡¯d I get here?¡¯ Her memories were hazy, but she tried to retrace her steps. ¡®I was on his trail, I know it¡­¡¯ Rubbing her face, she pushed harder to recall. Most of it still came up empty. Movement snapped her head in the direction of the door. She had to rely more on her ears recently. It wasn¡¯t something she was used to completely, but missing her sight made every sound seem like someone walked on her grave. Her abilities could only compensate for so much. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± The direction she looked was a little off. ¡°Oh you¡¯re awake!¡± a soft voice answered. Footsteps moved through the room, slowly getting nearer. She could get a better sense of the distance than direction. ¡°Are you feeling alright?¡± She didn¡¯t have time for such questions. More important things mattered to her. ¡°Where am I? The village, which is it?¡± ¡°This is the town of Elati.¡± ¡®Elati, that¡¯s a day¡¯s walk at most,¡¯ she thought, visualizing in her mind her position in Atlantis. It was the right direction mostly, but it was still a detour she couldn¡¯t afford. ¡®How long have I¡¯ve been out?¡¯ She pulled back up trying to meet a gaze with the woman. ¡°How long since you found me?¡± ¡°We found you in the morning, so I guess half a day.¡± The woman went quiet for a moment, likely thinking before starting again without any prompting. ¡°It¡¯s not every day you see a soldier passed out in the middle of the field, especially one of you. I did a lot of convincing with the mayor to even get you into the town. I can¡¯t believe they¡¯re so frightened of an unconscious woman.¡± None of it made it to her ears. Her mind was elsewhere. ¡®I¡¯ve wasted too much time already!¡¯ She lifted herself out of the bed making for the edge, feeling it out with her hands. However, something blocked her. The woman tried to force her back in the bed. ¡°I must leave!¡± she insisted. ¡°If you¡¯re worried about the other townspeople, I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll do anything. They¡¯re more afraid than anything.¡± Shaking her head, she grabbed the woman¡¯s arm, finding it the first time. ¡°NO! I can¡¯t stop! There¡¯s something I must do!¡± The woman paused for a moment, but didn¡¯t give up her position. ¡°You need to rest. You¡¯re in no shape to travel.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve rested enough,¡± she replied. A ripple came out from under the bed. She suddenly met the woman directly. ¡°Nothing will stop me from what I must do.¡± She pushed the woman aside. The doorway outlined in her sense thanks to her power. The road was long. Before she left, she paused for a moment. ¡°Not you and not him.¡± Chapter 217 ¨C Conspirators The possibility of Ayumi lying to them wasn¡¯t something hard to accept. She regularly made it difficult to trust her. However, she seemed earnest with her desire to save her country. They all looked around at each other with similar thoughts. It was the only reason that they felt she could be trusted. They knew she had her reasons, but she seemed to want to do something good. ¡°What reason would she have to lie to us?¡± asked Seiji. It was the obvious question everyone had on their mind. The one question that no one had an answer for. Chiharu glanced up at him. ¡°I can think of a few, but speculation won¡¯t get us any closer to the truth.¡± They were faced with the painful fact that they didn¡¯t know enough. Large pieces to the puzzle remained undiscovered. So many holes still existed that not even the shape of the picture could be guessed. A nod came from Simonides. He suspected the child had some of the same ideas as him. They already arrived at the same conclusion as well. ¡°There¡¯s only one with the answers.¡± Yumi understood what he was getting at, much like the rest. ¡°Ayumi.¡± ¡°Right. We need to locate her.¡± He looked past the teens into the distance. Hidden behind the horizon was the Capital. ¡°We need to reach the Capital before she does.¡± ¡°¡®We¡¯?¡± noted Chiharu, her arms crossed staring down Simonides. ¡°You seem eager to ignore past conflicts. We caused significant damage and casualties the last time we crossed paths.¡± Her eyes narrowed reading into even the slightest twitches in his face. Seiji stretched out his hand to grab Chiharu, but she batted him away. ¡°The hell¡¯s the matter with you! Are you trying to ruin the peace?¡± ¡°I want things to be clear between us. I¡¯m not going into an unknown situation with someone whose motives could easily change at the right opportunity.¡± The man was cunning. They only won because of him being outsmarted. He must have plans within plans. ¡°I want to know why you¡¯re doing all of this.¡± Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°There¡¯s more important things right now, brat!¡± The Atlantean Captain lifted a hand to cease their fighting. It was certainly something he avoided for the moment, but never forgot. They all caused him untold trouble. He preferred them arrested and under his control, but as a backup plan it was a situation he had to accept. ¡°She¡¯s right.¡± Simonides straightened himself out. He stared down at all of the children seated on the truck bed. His eyes cast a heavy gaze to them all. ¡°You have caused significant damage to that which I oversee. Furthermore, you have killed my men as well. Even now I can¡¯t forgive you for the chaos you¡¯ve wrought upon my country.¡± He went silent. The silence left the air unpleasant. A stifling hot atmosphere built up. Yumi and the others refrained from a reply. They had none to give. Nothing they said could replace what they have done or restore those lost. Simonides cut his contact with them. ¡°However, there¡¯s something that is worse. The chaos you¡¯ve caused would simply be like a flower smashed under foot to the wastelands of ruin possible.¡± His eyes drew back down to them. ¡®It is also better that I let you move freely and follow, watching your actions than trying to fight. Sadly, I don¡¯t think there would be anything I could do to stop any of you when determined enough even with all of the MPs at my disposal. In fact, you may be the one thing standing between Atlantis and destruction.¡¯ ¡°There¡¯s something you fear more than us,¡± interpreted Chiharu. It had her intrigued. Something made him willing to give up everything, even revenge. ¡°What is it that you¡¯re afraid of?¡± ¡°Before our last battle, I received information that the council is considering the deployment of the Omega Division.¡± Nerine immediately turned to her Captain, panic in her eyes. Brief flashes of Cosmas ran through her mind. ¡°Sir?! The council wouldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°They would, worse, they have execution orders out on all of you, especially Eudokia. They¡¯ll stop at nothing to complete their orders, including anyone standing in their path. They have little regard for the consequences, only the results.¡± He could tell his words left the desired weight on them, but some skepticism still filled in their eyes. ¡°That¡¯s crazy,¡± piped up Seiji, carrying more disbelief than the others. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t hurt their own just to find us.¡± Simonides shook his head. ¡°The loss of a single town would mean nothing.¡± His mind thought back to the rebellion. ¡°The social climate in Atlantis is nothing like you¡¯re probably used to in the world you come from. There are old scars still healing for everyone. An order and the scars are all some need. A little collateral damage just happens. They are simply overly enthusiastic.¡± The number of incidences was on the decline, but he knew they were far too common. The normal citizenry had good reason for fear of the appearance of any MP, even the military uniform was enough at times. Yumi covered her hand over her mouth. ¡°That¡¯s horrible.¡± ¡°It explains a lot about why the villagers were so afraid,¡± commented Yori. He thought back to his capture by the frightened villagers. ¡°However, you¡¯re not the same are you?¡± ¡°No, I can¡¯t do anything about the fear, but I can keep my men in check. It¡¯s not a perfect system, but I do what I can.¡± Time was against them. His mind went back to the council. ¡°So you understand now why we must hurry to find Eudokia. We can¡¯t allow the Omega Division to make their move.¡± ¡°It might be too late for that,¡± Yumi said in a pensive look. ¡°We did ruin your plans to capture us and your men think you¡¯re dead. They¡¯ll know soon.¡± ¡°I have someone I can trust with my men. He should buy us sometime.¡± The human factor was an unpredictable one, especially without the facts. He knew that they would want to act to avenge his death. It was why he left Abeiron with them. He only hoped it was enough time. However, Simonides had to accept pragmatism as well. ¡°Even if it is too late, the sooner we get to Eudokia the faster we can bring this to an end and get them to call off their search.¡± Inside a closed meeting hall, old men sat around a large circular table. A rounded wedge cut into the shape broke up the perfect form. The surface polished to a shine reflected the carved stone expression of those gathered. The council gathered for their deliberations on the matter of the threat to rebellion. Demosthenes sat in on the proceedings as the military voice. Any major actions they wished to take had to go through him. The army in the Capital didn¡¯t move without his orders, even if they could order him. He understood much of it was merely formality, than necessity. They didn¡¯t even acknowledge his presence. For now, the decision held at a split. They had no interest in full mobilization. The threat Eudokia presented was real, however she and her group remained small. They didn¡¯t feel pressured for any large action. ¡®The stalemate should continue for a while. Inevitability will win out in time, but they won¡¯t make any large moves. Not so long as the situation remains the same.¡¯ ¡°We already voted ten minutes ago! It¡¯s just going to be the same again!¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I said we need to act! Call for a vote!¡± ¡°The Omega Division is excessive. Eudokia may be powerful, but she is only one woman.¡± ¡°Correct! We beat the rebellion last time and that woman was as powerful.¡± ¡°Has your old age made your memory go? We didn¡¯t win, she just disappeared into the night.¡± ¡°It was the Omega Division that put down that rebellion once they lost their leader!¡± ¡°That¡¯s why we need them now!¡± ¡°Yes, they¡¯ve already broken through the outer rim. How many times has Captain Simonides been defeated already? The longer we sit around here talking the closer she gets to the Capital.¡± ¡°I agree we need to keep her away from the Capital, but Captain Simonides is enough. He hasn¡¯t let anyone through. We¡¯ll be safe.¡± ¡°I demand we vote again!¡± ¡°Voting is¡ª¡° A heavy knock came from the marble doors. It interrupted all of the bickering. They should have been left undisturbed while in session. The only reason would be something important they had to know about. Such a reason interested them. One of them motioned to the guard on the inside. Slowly, he opened the door, making no sound in the process. Waiting in the hall, a young man stood needing permission to enter. Once granted, he hurried along to one of the council members. He was a personal aide. The conversation between them went quick and hushed. No reaction came from the council member leaving the rest in suspense. He waited until the aide left and returned the room to isolation. The elderly man placed the paper on the marble table firmly held in place under his hands. ¡°I¡¯ve just received a report from one of our Omega agents in the field. Captain Simonides was killed in battle with Eudokia¡¯s conspirators. The South Gate defenses were smashed and they have penetrated into the heart of Atlantis.¡± The news sent shock and surprise around the table. Whispers went about. ¡°I call for a vote.¡± He met with no resistance. The vote went quickly and unanimously. The head of the council stood up with the vote concluded. ¡°We¡¯re all in agreement. We approve full wartime sanctions to the Omega Division in routing Eudokia and her conspirators. All Omega agents are to be deployed. Eudokia¡¯s rebellion will be crushed swiftly.¡± Chapter 218 - Moving Pieces ¡®Captain?¡¯ Something felt off. Abeiron turned around in search of Simonides, but didn¡¯t find him. Changing his sight, he pulled up to see where his Captain remained. ¡°Captain Simonides!¡± he shouted, drawing all of his men to stop and turn. The soldiers froze with their Captain as a hostage. ¡°¡­Captain¡­¡± Wrinkles of pain dug through his face. ¡°Captain Simonides! I¡¯m moving MPs in now to rescue you!¡± ¡°It¡¯s checkmate, friend.¡± ¡°But sir!¡± ¡°Follow the plan, Abeiron.¡± Simonides tightened his hand around the metal. ¡°Initiate beta-four contingency. You¡¯re in command now! Don¡¯t let any of them escape! Do whatever you must to keep Atlantis¡ª¡° Abeiron fumbled with the device, hearing Simonides suddenly cutoff. ¡°Captain! Captain!¡± He couldn¡¯t hear anything more. The last sound he was left with echoing in his ears was the deadly cough of his Captain. His face turned blue and then white almost instantly. Blood sprayed out of the wound in his chest where the sword poked through. Simonides¡¯ eyes drew wide while his pupils shrank. The pain of the blade yanked out of him made him cough in pain. All of the strength in his body suddenly fled him. He fell to the ground. ¡°¡­nder, mmander¡­¡± A voice broke through the hazy. It was distant, but cleared up quickly. Abeiron opened his eyes. ¡°Commander?¡± It was his assistant, a young Sergeant. He relayed many of his orders through him when not addressing the men directly. Abeiron focused his eyes back on the horizon. Behind him the troops marched, most exhausted, but refused to give up. They were all determined to find those that killed their Captain. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Erasmos.¡± ¡°But sir, you¡¯re not acting like yourself.¡± He had been with the Commander for only a year, but working closely with someone habits became easily seen patterns. A bit of silence filled their void. Abeiron measured out his words and expressions. ¡°I¡¯m merely human as well, Erasmos. Even a day¡¯s march is going to affect me.¡± Wrinkles dug around his eyes as he fought with himself. ¡°It¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡± While he granted their march would exhaust anyone, the Sergeant remained a little suspicious. Something told him there was something else further down bothering his Commander. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t be so bold as to make an assumption. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± His assistant was surprisingly observant. ¡®Damn, I need to do better if he¡¯s noticing. I don¡¯t know how long I can keep this fa?ade up.¡¯ Abeiron¡¯s mind wandered again. Part fatigue and part turmoil, it made it difficult for him to stay focused for long. ¡®It¡¯s been almost a day since we¡¯ve started looking for you, Captain. But you don¡¯t expect us to find you, do you?¡¯ Chapter 218 ¨C Moving Pieces ¡°What?! You can¡¯t be serious, sir!¡± shouted Abeiron before he checked his voice. He couldn¡¯t believe what his Captain just told him about his plan. It had to be a mistake. Simonides waited until Abeiron restrained his emotions before continuing. His tent in camp might have been empty, but the walls had ears. It was important to him that his plan remained limited to those privy to its full details. ¡°I¡¯m telling you this because as confident as I feel about capturing them, real combat does not play out as smoothly as you planned.¡± Abeiron still had trouble accepting what he heard. It couldn¡¯t be right. It sounded like his Captain admitted defeat before the battle already began. ¡°But we know everything about them. We¡¯ll have victory this time, sir!¡± ¡°We have to stop thinking in certainties or absolutes with these kids. We¡¯ve been overconfident, even arrogant in our belief that we can handle anything.¡± He preferred to believe he wasn¡¯t as he described, but everything they did was routine. The kids were an aberration. ¡°The reality is that there is always someone better out there.¡± ¡°But Captain, you can¡¯t mean to just give up.¡± Shaking his head, Simonides started to explain himself. ¡°It¡¯s not about giving up, but ensuring the peace of Atlantis. I must accept that it is possible for my plan to fail. If it fails I¡¯m not going to give up the chance to keep Atlantis safe from those that might hurt it.¡± ¡°The men¡ª¡° ¡°Won¡¯t know about any of this. Abeiron, I need you to play your part in all of this. If I give you the signal, you¡¯ll take command of the men. I will no longer be able to lead them, I¡¯ll be considered a traitor for my actions.¡± Simonides stood up. He approached a pouch hanging from a pole supporting the tent. A paper surfaced. He handed it over to Abeiron. ¡°This contains all that I fear will come to pass.¡± Simonides pressed his hand to the table they talked across. He leaned in a little. ¡°I need you for this Abeiron. If this comes to pass, take the men and follow after me. Keep up appearances, there¡¯s far more at work than can be seen.¡± The past weighed on him heavily. He was entrusted with this burden from his Captain. He always was ready to support him in anything, but started to regret a little the arrogance he had in believing he could do it. Hundreds of lives looked to him for answers. The only answer he gave them was to keep marching. ¡®Is this the right answer, sir?¡¯ Abeiron thumbed absentmindedly over the paper handed to him. The words on it troubled him nearly as much as the Captain¡¯s plan. Fears of shadows and the unknown seemed to hang around Simonides in a way that Abeiron had not known. The man carried many secrets. He knew how Simonides maintained order in the South Gate. It was a heavy hand. It was a firm hand. It was a gentle hand. It was all those. It was how he led and why they followed him. It wasn¡¯t something Abeiron could imitate, even in his wildest fantasies. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. My most trusted friend, There are so many things I don¡¯t understand these days. Shadows lurk in dark, terrible corners. Death seems to be the only comfort for anyone. Yet I will not welcome it to reach the gates of Atlantis. It is for Atlantis¡¯ future that I write this. Everything I do, I do for Atlantis. Her future is the most important thing to me. The survival of our people. What I am doing will be considered treasonous in our present day, but I believe the future will see my actions justified. The events of late trouble me greatly. Our intruders hold many secrets that I have only scratched the surface of. I fear the truth may be far more terrible and darker than we imagined. They have abilities impossible for reality. They act in a way that goes counter to traditional thinking. And then there is the council. Their actions have been strange as of late. Add to it the name Eudokia Ismene. One most loyal to the crown than any, a traitor. Something I never told you, but all the intruders have execution orders on them. It is only my speculation right now, but I believe the council is moving to hide something, something too huge for any of us to learn. The movement of the Omega Division is too big for a single person, even Eudokia Ismene. I believe we are on the edge of a conspiracy reaching to the council themselves. Something that they would kill to keep secret. I¡¯m certain they¡¯ve been moving in secret long before, but the current situation has created themselves a perfect cover up. If I¡¯m correct I will know too much. If they learn of what I know, they may come after me as well. So I must ask that you keep the status quo. Act ignorant and protect the men. Move as someone blind to the truth should, while keeping an eye open to the shadows. I¡¯m sorry I must leave this burden on you friend. Simonides He read it so many times in his shock that the words remained an echo in his mind. No matter what he tried, they wouldn¡¯t leave him. Abeiron feared that these might be the last words of his friend. He didn¡¯t want to believe it to be so, but he knew him to be far too accurate in his predictions at times. If things were as bad as he feared no one who knew even a piece of the truth would be safe. The Omega Division would silence everyone. It was easy to cover up things in the confusion befallen Atlantis with the intruders. Buried deep within the standard ranks of the soldiers marching under Abeiron¡¯s command was a common everyday face. It blended in with everyone else. They didn¡¯t look any different. It was the way they wanted it. Slowly, over minutes they worked through the ranks playing up fatigue to fall out of the lines. When the opportunity came, they disappeared from sight completely. No one knew they were even present. No one even knew they stood there for hours. Never missed. Freed from observation, they put significant distance between the march. Eventually, they dropped their disguise. ¡°Following them will no longer bear fruit,¡± commented Cosmas. He grinned a little knowing something. ¡°I can resume my hunt.¡± The grin became a toothy one. The excitement of spilled blood overtook him a little. A thin disc of metal grew out of the air in front of him. Once it was wide enough, he stepped on it. It finished its growth at just under a half-meter radius. Cosmas sat down before it sped off. ¡°I have traitors waiting for me to find them!¡± A dark smile spread into a bit of laughter as he flew off into the distance. She was lost, again. Part of the problem was that Atlantis all looked very similar out in the open fields. It was easy to lose the sense of direction unless familiar with the area. She should have been familiar with the area, but the loss of eyesight made things difficult. Athene could only make so much up with the aid of her power. She couldn¡¯t force her eyes to see anything. She relied on an echo system that transmitted the forms of everything back to her. Her mind processed it all. It still only gave her a fuzzy image, as she wasn¡¯t accustomed to it. Finding the way out of a room or navigating a town was easy. When there was nothing to bounce off it became a void and she could only trust in her feet not to stray. A break was the only thing she could do to recover her mental faculties and restore her concentration. Her emotions were so high on finding that man her powers stopped working and she didn¡¯t realize it until she found herself lost. She turned her hand in the air. ¡°It¡¯s still light out.¡± The heat of the sun was the only way she knew if it was day or night anymore. ¡°I left when it was almost night. It¡¯s starting to feel a little cooler again. I¡¯ve lost another day¡­¡± Athene hated how much she lost in her search for him. ¡°If I had my sight I¡¯d already have found him. Damn that man¡­¡± Her mind faded out with constant whispers. Waking or not, he consumed everything of her. Athene awoke to a distant rumble. The consistent noise was unfamiliar in the remote parts of Atlantis. It was more likely to see a cart and traders. However, she knew the difference between the two. Testing the air, she realized how long she slept. ¡°Dammit! It¡¯s night already.¡± The distant echo continued. Curiosity led her to follow the noise. If something major happened, she needed to know. Following her ear mostly, she made good progress tracking it. The closer she got the clearer things became until she recognized it as the sound of marching. A large-scale march struck her as odd. Monitoring from a safe distance, she used her power to shape out things. The numbers were larger than she imagined. She immediately went to the most obvious answer. ¡®This is the South Gate men. Captain Simonides was gathering all of the forces together for an attack on the intruders.¡¯ A thought came to her. ¡®If they¡¯re marching in the direction of intruders, I can get my bearings again.¡¯ Keeping herself invisible, she moved in to get a clear read on the direction. She hoped to hear some idle gossip about plans. The soldiers had a tendency to talk. Anything she could learn would give her the advantage in her hunt. She found her direction, but none of the soldiers cooperated with her. None of them seemed interested in talking. Athene didn¡¯t understand it. ¡®It feels odd. Like there is a gloom over everyone. What happened?¡¯ She wanted to reveal herself and get some answers directly, but couldn¡¯t risk it. The Captain no doubt was on the lookout for her. Tracking up the group, Athene moved closer to the front. It was an hour later, but she finally reached upon what she needed. Two soldiers chattering between themselves bothered over the current situation. ¡°I can¡¯t believe we¡¯re doing nothing!¡± ¡°Why did the Commander order us to turn around?!¡± ¡°It makes no sense. We haven¡¯t done anything yet! We haven¡¯t avenged the Captain!¡± ¡°I want a piece of those bastards so badly.¡± ¡°Cut the chatter,¡± barked a superior officer, trying to maintain the crumbling morale. Athene¡¯s eyes widened, not understanding what she heard. ¡®Avenge the Captain? What¡¯s going on? They make it sound like¡­¡¯ She couldn¡¯t finish the thought. Athene hurried along the line. She had to know now. Her own plans didn¡¯t matter anymore. She needed to go straight to the source. In the front, she only found one person with a few behind. She assumed it had to be Captain Simonides. Using her power, she went more detailed on the scan forcing her mind to make sense of it all. It wasn¡¯t Simonides, but Abeiron. She went to the others behind Abeiron, none of them were the Captain. ¡®Where is he? What¡¯s happened?¡¯ Athene turned off her power, revealing herself to everyone. Her eyes hardened into narrowed lines. ¡°Where is Captain Simonides?¡± Chapter 219 - Waking the Titans The first reaction out of Abeiron was shock, naturally. He hadn¡¯t seen Athene in two days. They reported her missing, but could do nothing to locate her with the immediate problem of the intruders. ¡°Lieutenant Commander Athene!¡± Abeiron rushed to meet her, seeing the shambles of an appearance. However, she stopped him with her hand stretched out. ¡°Where were you? We would have sent a search party if we could, but¡ª¡° ¡°Where is Captain Simonides,¡± she repeated, cutting him off. ¡®He¡¯s covering for something¡­¡¯ ¡°Are you hurt? I¡¯ll have one of the MPs tend to you.¡± He delayed his answer with the best words he could. Abeiron knew he couldn¡¯t trick her for long. ¡®Should I tell her about the Captain? She needs to come back with us.¡¯ Keeping up his ploy, he motioned to one of the soldiers to come forward. ¡®If I say what I should¡­I know what she¡¯ll do.¡¯ Under ordinary circumstances, he knew Athene to be level headed. She wasn¡¯t one for rash actions. ¡®Ever since we captured that kid, she¡¯s been unstable. Something happened to her in his mind¡­¡¯ Athene brushed off the aid. ¡°I¡¯m not injured, Abeiron. I might be blind, but I¡¯m not ignorant.¡± A metal device rose up from the ground. ¡°Now answer my question before I take a more direct approach.¡± Cornered, his options ran out quickly. Against her skills, he knew she could learn everything she wanted and everything she should not. ¡®Maybe it would be better that way¡­ No¡­I can¡¯t think like that¡­¡¯ Abeiron turned back to the men. ¡°You stopped long enough! Keep marching!¡± He motioned to his second in command to get the men moving again. Once they begrudgingly resumed, he stepped aside with Athene. ¡°What¡¯s going on, Commander?¡± ¡®It¡¯s the only way.¡¯ Abeiron felt miserable already lying to his men; he had to repeat his sins again. ¡°Captain Simonides is¡­no longer with us.¡± He was still delaying. Lines formed between her brows with the indirect answer. ¡°What are you saying?¡± ¡°He¡¯s not here!¡± ¡°I know that all ready!¡± ¡°Dammit, Athene! Don¡¯t make me¡­¡± ¡°Abeiron¡±! ¡°He¡¯s dead!¡± The deed was done. His hands shook. The words repeated from his lips once more. He hoped everything worked out in the end just as the Captain believed. Athene staggered back finally having the clear answer she needed to the question she already knew. She feared the truth, but needed it. ¡®Dead?!¡¯ A flurry of thoughts flew through her mind. The world disappeared for her. ¡°Come back with us,¡± he offered. His words didn¡¯t make it to her. He noticed it affected her as deeply as he imagined. Abeiron tried to approach her cautiously. However, the moment he touched her she slapped him away. Anger and rage fueled the light in her dull eyes. ¡°What happened? Tell me everything!¡± Her presence turned dark with a crazed expression developing. It only made things worse for her. Abeiron hesitated in an answer. He began to regret his decision. ¡®Her mind wasn¡¯t ready for this¡­what have I done?¡¯ Everything was already dug for him, by his own hands. He had to step forward, no matter the pain. ¡°It was¡­them. Those kids.¡± The answer seemed to spark something in her. ¡°What?!¡± ¡°The Captain had them cornered, but they broke through our lines and hit the command post. He was caught up in the chaos.¡± Lies beget more lies. ¡°So it was him, again¡­¡± She started to mutter her words afterward. Nothing came out clearly other than her intent. Athene turned in the direction she saw movement. ¡°They¡¯re that way I assume?¡± The mistake left Abeiron a little confused until he remembered she never seemed to fully connect with his eyes. ¡°No, that¡¯s the direction of South Gate.¡± Athene¡¯s hand jumped out lightning fast to grab Abeiron by his uniform. ¡°The Captain¡¯s dead and you¡¯re walking back while the bastard that killed him is out there still! What the hell¡¯s the matter with you, Abeiron?!¡± ¡°We¡¯re under orders!¡± yelped the Commander, surprised at her reaction. It took him several seconds to recover enough to fill the rest in for her. ¡°We were tracking them, but Command told us to stop.¡± ¡°And you listened to them?! The Captain¡¯s dead, what matters more than revenge?!¡± For the first time since he met Athene, he actually feared her. Not because she was a MP. No, anyone could have the look she had. It was madness he never saw in her before. It possessed her completely. ¡°They¡¯re deploying Omega to deal with them! I had to make a choice between revenge and the lives of the men!¡± Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. She glared at him with almost animal like qualities. Nothing came from her lips, but nothing needed to. Her words came out through pure presence. ¡°You know how they are! They¡¯ll take down anything in their way, even if it is us! Especially in this situation!¡± Athene threw him away from her. He stumbled on his feet trying to get his balance back, but fell anyway. Prone on the ground, she loomed over him. ¡°Which way were they going?¡± ¡°The Capital,¡± he answered, but thought about how meaningless it had to be for her. ¡°10 o¡¯clock from your position.¡± She already started in the direction with no more words to him. ¡°Be careful.¡± ¡°Tell that to those that stand in my way.¡± Athene disappeared a moment later. It took Abeiron a full minute to recover himself from everything that occurred. He remained seated, his men marching in the distance. Everything moved into difficult directions. It made him sigh. He turned his head to the clouds above. ¡®Captain, I¡¯ve sent her to you. Hopefully, she¡¯ll be of help in your plans.¡¯ Chapter 219 ¨C Waking the Titans A large stone door stood with imposing embellishments decorating the door and frame. It ended in a long hall with no doors. This door only existed because sometimes normal humans needed to enter. The rest of the rooms were only for MPs. So doors were unnecessary. Such a design was less about security. The original reason was long lost on them. A fact that bothered Demosthenes. So easily was the truth lost. Demosthenes kept walking at the same pace he maintained through the hall. The door looked to refuse him at his pace and he seemed uninterested in such a fact. In the last moments, the door opened as though bowing to a superior. Within the large chamber was a long granite table and twelve matching chairs. The backs of the chairs rose high towards the ceiling, clearly impossible to move despite most pushed in properly. Three individuals sat at the table. Two properly with respect to the table, the last rested their feet on the table. None of them acknowledged his presence. He seemed as important to them as the dust on the table. If it bothered him, he made no reaction to it. He came to a stop at the head of the table in front of him. The three remained in their own worlds at the table spaced out in a seemingly random order. ¡°Only the five of you are here,¡± he commented aloud. No reaction. ¡°Come out Rheia, you¡¯re not sneaking up on anyone. Same for you, Nereus.¡± Suddenly, a light brown haired woman appeared a meter behind Demosthenes without a sound. A bit of an annoyed expression painted her face for a brief moment before walking out. She took up the seat closest to Demosthenes, the chair moving on its own for her. Shifting out of another dimension, a slightly older man appeared in the chair at the opposite end of the table, far away from Demosthenes. ¡°One of these days,¡± he muttered. Demosthenes pushed his gaze around the room taking in the five members. ¡°You¡¯ve all been summoned by me as the only Titan members in the Capital currently.¡± ¡°A special mission, General?¡± asked Teris, Omega Division agent and member of the Titans, fifth strongest of the Titans. He sat a little forward since the General began talking to them. Teris had a tall figure, but surprisingly thin build lacking in any sort of menacing presence. ¡°Is there any other type for the Titans?¡± mocked Glykeria, third strongest of the Titans. The Titans gathered a varied group with none of them like the next. Glykeria was the youngest of the group at the out of place age of nine. She barely came above the table. However, the Titans didn¡¯t care about anything other than power and talent. ¡°Something to do with the mobilization orders?¡± queried Ourias. He had a mostly disinterested expression on his face as though only there because ordered. Despite his attitude in front of the General, he was at the bottom of the rankings amongst the Titans, twelfth. ¡°That¡¯s right. As you no doubt already know, the Council has ordered all of the Omega Division to deploy against the intruders. Being who you are, I expect you all to be aware and up-to-date on current events.¡± ¡°Eudokia Ismene¡­I mean Eudokia, leading some ants through the countryside,¡± Nereus answered, in a completely flat tone that from anyone else would have sounded condescending. It was simply facts for him. Nereus rested in the eighth seat for the Titans. He had age working on him, but his flame red hair remained as strong as in his youth. ¡°I always wanted a chance of fighting her,¡± Rheia added, a playful smirk dug into her face bearing a few teeth. There was almost no arrogance to be found in her. She almost seemed child-like. However, her position as the top of the Titans, the elite of the Omega Division, wasn¡¯t disputed by any of its members. Underneath, the childish expression was a dangerous woman the other Titans respected and feared equally. She didn¡¯t seem to extend such courtesy to Demosthenes, her eyes lacking any sort of acknowledgement of their status or difference. Ignoring her, he continued with his briefing. ¡°Field agents have already been issued their orders.¡± The table suddenly lit up a faint green. A map of Atlantis appeared before it zoomed into the last known location of their targets. ¡°Most recent intel has them in two groups, both moving to the Capital.¡± Glykeria stood up on the chair to get a better look at the table. She looked a little disappointed. ¡°We¡¯re not going to have anything to do. They¡¯re going to all get killed.¡± Several dots, marking location of Omega field agents, already moved in on both parties. It was very good odds they would be found. ¡°They have already defeated the entire South Gate. These kids aren¡¯t to be underestimated.¡± ¡°A bunch of weaklings and dirt are hardly going to stop anything,¡± commented Nereus. The map disappeared with the faces of Yuki and his friends appearing. Detailed information appeared with each. ¡°These are the nine members of Eudokia¡¯s rebellion.¡± Rheia leaned in with her eye catching something of interest. Her finger pushed down on Yuki¡¯s dossier and dragged it over to her. A wider grin came over her face. ¡°I like the way he looks. Something about his eyes.¡± Yuki¡¯s page suddenly disappeared. She looked up at Demosthenes. ¡°That one¡¯s mine.¡± His declaration got the attention of everyone. ¡°The General¡¯s going to the frontlines now?¡± Teris questioned. ¡°Old bones, growing mold,¡± sang Glykeria. Rheia''s eyes grew a little wider, she caught on to something of interest. ¡°Aren¡¯t you getting to be a little too old to be fighting? An easy retirement playing with the old men in the marble walls is more to your pace now.¡± She laughed a little making a clicking noise. Demosthenes didn¡¯t even give her a glance. ¡°He¡¯s more than you can handle.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make that decision for myself. You can¡¯t stop me from breaking in my new toy.¡± It seemed like she tried to get a rise out of him. The fact nothing seemed to affect his tone or composure annoyed her. The childishness started to drip out of her. He held his stoic, cold expression. ¡°I¡¯ve already decided for you. Find your new toy among the rest.¡± Her hands rubbed against the hard granite surface of the chair. It chaffed her skin making it raw. She started to grin even more as an idea came into her head. ¡°You¡¯re just an old man. You always lost to Eudokia, in fact you were never even a Titan during your time in Omega. You¡¯re just some crippled weakling touting old glories. You can¡¯t¡ª¡° Rheia motioned her hand through Demosthenes¡¯ clone or thought she had. It came to an abrupt stop on his forearm. Her eyes flashed over reading him quickly. ¡®Not the real one, but even this close.¡¯ A curious brow raised as she understood. He finally met eyes with Rheia for the first time. Staring at her, he waited the seconds for it to surface. A bead of sweat dripped down the side of her face. The piercing gaze hit her harder than she expected. Weight of purpose and experience, something beyond her and immense, he towered. Demosthenes turned away marching for the door. ¡°You¡¯re the Capital¡¯s defense. If they reach the walls, you have permission to move.¡± The door opened soundlessly, waiting for him. ¡°There''s a reason I was never part of the Titans. You do well to remember it. It¡¯s not without cause I hold the name of Alexander.¡± He disappeared behind the closing door leaving them alone once more. ¡°A fake and still not detectable,¡± remarked Teris, staggering a little at the sheer control Demosthenes displayed. Chapter 220 - The Wall that Protects The passage of time was a bit of a blur. He was fairly certain night had passed, maybe a day. Maybe another night? Was it just blending together for him? Did all of the fighting just make him tired? Or was it constantly using his powers? He was no longer certain how much time had passed. It all came back to the same answer. It was a blur. He passed off driving duties to Ayumi. She partially insisted. It seemed she noticed. A brave front didn¡¯t seem to fool her. Though from her story, he should have known. Her eyes were too keen not to pick it out. However, rest gave him no more clarity. His head only seemed to get foggier. It was nothing that worried him. It was just a strange feeling he had, nothing that really affected his functions. He would push through it. Yuki lifted his head off the hard, yet soft surface of their transportation. On his right was Ayumi and Saki at his left, Haruo remained opposite him. The breeze across his face felt good. He looked out in the direction they headed. They were still far away, he wasn¡¯t sure what the Capital looked like, but he expected it would be easy to tell if they were close. ¡®Still day,¡¯ he commented as a mental note. ¡°Feeling better, Yuki,¡± Saki inquired, leaning in a little. She kept a watchful eye on him. It was the only thing she could do. None of it made a lot of sense to her anymore. She could only act on what she felt and trust in it. Smiling, he nodded to her, lying. ¡°Yeah, a nap was just what I needed.¡± Yuki sensed she already had enough on her shoulders, no need for more worry. It wasn¡¯t life threatening. He would be fine. Across from him, Haruo stared without saying a word. His emotion was as blank as always. Such a hard one to read, he wondered how good he would be at poker with such a stone face. ¡°Something wrong, Haruo?¡± Yuki gave him a cheerful look to try to crack his armor. ¡°If there¡¯s something on your mind you can tell me. We¡¯re friends!¡± ¡®Then you¡¯re probably here because you felt following him was important for you.¡¯ Ligeia¡¯s words echoed in his thoughts. She had as much trouble explaining the subject as he did understanding his actions. All the time in peace drew him no closer to the answer. He shook his head to Yuki. ¡°Nothing.¡± Asking the source wouldn¡¯t give him an answer, it would only invalidate things. Plus, he knew that he would only get an answer that made even less sense then when he declared themselves friends. Yuki tilted his head a little. ¡°You sure? You looked like something was troubling you.¡± ¡°Certain.¡± Yuki sighed. ¡°I wished you¡¯d speak in fuller sentences more often. You don¡¯t have to be so restricted in your speech around us. Not to mention you pick the strangest moments to actually talk.¡± ¡°He¡¯s probably just not used to your outgoing personality,¡± chimed Saki with a bit of a grin. ¡°Most people would be scared off seeing you.¡± ¡°Saki! There¡¯s noth¡ª¡° An arrow stared straight at his eyes. He had no words for a reaction. Only a moment before everything was normal. Chapter 220 ¨C The Wall that Protects Saki drew back pulling the arrow with her, caught in her hand before it harmed Yuki. She looked around for the source, but nothing looked out of the ordinary. A small isolated outcropping of trees and bushes surrounded them. It was good cover for a sneak attack. She crushed the arrow, discarding it. The danger finally snapped Yuki to attention. It was then he realized they stopped. ¡°Why¡¯d you stop, Ayumi?¡± ¡°Because we¡¯re surrounded. Seems that they were waiting for us.¡± ¡°More of those MP guys from the South Gate?¡± ¡°Probably, it¡¯s the most likely explanation.¡± She looked around in search of their new enemy. Several more arrows surfaced, but froze quickly before reaching them. ¡°Simonides is a persistent man, but I thought we were far enough away from the South Gate.¡± ¡°So it could be those people you mentioned before? Omega?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Anyway to be sure?¡± ¡°No. Only their badge identifies them as part of Omega, but they can easily change that if they wanted.¡± The transport suddenly disappeared to everyone¡¯s surprise. Yuki¡¯s Field activated covering everything in grass. Most of nature remained behind, a clear sign of the presence of their new opponents. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing, Yuki?¡± questioned Ayumi, all of her Field and power were gone because of her proximity to him. ¡°If we don¡¯t know, it¡¯s best to assume the worst. They¡¯re Omega members, meaning that they won¡¯t be like the others we¡¯ve faced. We have to face them as a group and end this quickly.¡± A mist surrounded everyone, protecting them from any new projectiles. He already detected disturbances within the loose barrier. ¡®Glad I made it extra thick, just to be safe. This level is easily comparable to how it was with Vangelis. And who knows how hard they¡¯re trying.¡¯ Yuki felt certain they had to be Omega members from the initial attack. Ayumi narrowed her eyes, staring at Yuki¡¯s power. ¡®He¡¯s advanced his Law. Before he was wasting most of his power, but now¡­he¡¯s improving quickly¡­¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure now that these guys have to be from Omega.¡± Another batch of arrows came in from multiple directions. They penetrated deeper through his mist. ¡®Even being so small, it¡¯s taking this much to stop them.¡¯ Yuki felt the heavy atmosphere developing from his thoughts, as he understood the hidden opponents more. ¡°They¡¯re on par with Vangelis and I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯re only warming up.¡± Saki appeared in front of Yuki. ¡°All the more reason I should handle this.¡± ¡°Saki?¡± Yuki tried to move around her, but she stuck out her arm to hold him back. ¡°What are you doing? We¡¯re doing this together I thought.¡± ¡°We¡¯re in a hurry, aren¡¯t we?¡± ¡°Well, yeah, but¡ª¡° ¡°And it doesn¡¯t matter if they are the weakest or strongest, it¡¯ll all be the same for me.¡± ¡°I guess so, since you don¡¯t use a Field their strength wouldn¡¯t be as much of an advantage.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s settled.¡± Yuki stopped trying to push through her arm and went under it. He stood out in front of her. ¡°No, it¡¯s not Saki! You¡¯re not doing this alone!¡± Not accepting his response, Saki lifted Yuki up by his gi and moved him over next to Ayumi. ¡°The discussion is over. Take care of him, Ayumi.¡± She tilted her head over to fully meet her gaze. Saki stared deeply into her eyes demanding the reaction she desired. The certainty. Her eyes shrank a little with the shape narrowing. ¡°Are you testing me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m trusting you.¡± Silence carried between them for precious moments. ¡°I understand.¡± She took Yuki from Saki, accepting the responsibility. Yuki struggled against her with his powers still active, she could not do anything against him. ¡°Saki! Don¡¯t do this!¡± he shouted, stretching his arm out towards her. ¡°I won¡¯t abandon you!¡± The mist around him responded to his desires pushing off Ayumi. While he ran towards Saki, she disappeared. Less than a blink, she was on top of Yuki with her fist just under his ribs. She managed not to hit, just threaten. ¡°I¡¯ll knock you out if I have to.¡± He looked down at her arm, realizing too late he was no longer moving. The control Saki displayed made him sweat a bit. However, his resolve focused his attention back on her. ¡°You¡¯ll have to if you plan on stopping me! But I won¡¯t go¡ª¡° Yuki¡¯s body doubled over her arm. A semi-transparent liquid ejected from his mouth as he gasped. ¡°¡­not¡­again¡­¡± Yuki clung to her arm desperately before passing out. Saki passed him back to Ayumi. ¡°Take him away from here.¡± Ayumi nodded to her. The transport materialized next to her, her field restored. ¡°You too, Haruo.¡± She moved forward leaving the others behind. Ayumi already started to move with Haruo silently retreating. Saki jumped out guarding their retreat as they tried to stop Ayumi. She tilted over her shoulder a little to see the three quickly move out of range. Focusing ahead, she saw more arrows coming at her. Her arm swung through the air sharply in a blur. Back at rest, arrows filled her hand and moments later her other hand mirrored the state. She began walking forward. ¡®You¡¯ve finally found your resolve Yuki. You know what you want to do. I can¡¯t let you be distracted anymore by these minor obstacles!¡¯ Saki disappeared from sight. Trees ripped asunder a moment later. Nothing happened. She looked about the destruction, her fist still embedded in the earth. Saki hoped for a sign, anything to show where they hid. All of the trees and brush made it too easy to disguise them. ¡®Either they aren¡¯t nearby or have a steel willpower to not be startled.¡¯ Limited options gave her little to pick from. All she could do was keep it up with the hopes of finding them eventually. Dodging arrows until the end of the eternity wasn¡¯t her idea of time well spent. She intended to end things quickly and be caught back up to Yuki in only a few minutes, unfortunately her plans had to change. Turned to rubble and torn tree limbs, the entire area around Saki looked like several bombs had gone off. Despite the bombings, she came out with nothing still. Worse, she saw the environment repair itself. She only gave it a passing consideration, but it was as she thought. The trees, the grass, the plants, everything was part of their Field. Saki sighed upon seeing the pristine forest patch around her. ¡®I need a different approach.¡¯ Before she could think, her pausing left her open for attacks. She didn¡¯t bother grabbing them. They merely passed through her. More came, but the same results appeared. ¡°It seems we¡¯re at a stalemate. You can¡¯t hit me and I can¡¯t find you. So just come out and let¡¯s settle this in the open.¡± She didn¡¯t know the direction to speak. Her head rotated to her flanks covering as much as she could. They likely heard her regardless. ¡®The moment they surface I¡¯ll have them!¡¯ Yet she got no response. No movement and no words of reply. They left her out in the open, alone. The pause ended. Arrows came at her from all directions. However, unlike before she lost count of the number. It easily seemed like hundreds. ¡®So much for that¡­¡¯ she grumbled in her thoughts. Saki immediately disappeared, avoiding the arrows rather than catching them. They seemed determined to fight her in secret. Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t have the time for it. She came to a stop further away. She hoped the larger view would give her something. ¡®It all looks the same. I can¡¯t find anything out of the ordinary.¡¯ The trees appeared as if they belonged. Their arrows came from multiple directions, making it impossible to determine a source. She couldn¡¯t stand having an invisible enemy. ¡®It was like that time with the old man Yuki fought, Demosthenes Alexander. He was hiding from sight. Same as Ayumi when she slipped away from us¡­¡¯ Saki¡¯s head lifted as she realized what he meant. ¡®That¡¯s it! I¡¯ll find them that way!¡¯ Renewed determination dug into her face. The next round of arrows came at her. They were fewer in number and twice as fast as before. It was nothing Saki couldn¡¯t handle. Once in range, she snatched several out of the air while avoiding the rest. When the round ended, Saki spun in place, quickly throwing back the arrows in specific directions. The arrows soared through the air too high to hit anything. It was less than a second before they disappeared from the speed she sent them flying. She watched carefully as each of the arrows disappeared, leaving the boundaries of the field. ¡®So they¡¯re there.¡¯ Her eyes narrowed preparing for her next offensive. ¡°I have you now!¡± In a split second, she disappeared and reappeared with an explosion of earth. Chapter 221 - Using the Past to Hide the Present ¡°Saki!¡± shouted Yuki, ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± His heart pounded against his chest the moment he revived. His eyes were wide with small irises. Turning his gaze around, he quickly realized time had passed. Memories caught back up to him. He slammed his fist into the surface of the metal disc they rode. ¡°Damn! Damn. ¡­damn¡­¡± Neither Ayumi nor Haruo said a word to Yuki. They kept their distance from him, letting him vent a little. His fist pounded several more times before easing up. Eventually, he stopped moving. ¡°¡­it¡¯s happening again¡­¡± He muttered more words barely audible. Yuki looked back into the distance. Somewhere out of sight, he knew Saki fought for him. ¡®So stubborn¡­¡¯ It triggered new emotions with a different source, no longer internal. His arm jumped out grabbing Ayumi. ¡°Why are you continuing to do nothing?! Twice now this has happened!¡± Stoic as always, Ayumi almost looked bored if she was close to any emotion. The flat features gave nothing. ¡°Because you have something more important to do. Everyone else understands that but you.¡± His hand tightened around her tunic. The emotions coursing through his body were almost impossible for him to restrain. Ayumi¡¯s uninterested look only made it worse. ¡°I don¡¯t give a damn about that! It means nothing if I have to abandon my friends! I brought them here into this danger. This is my responsibility!¡± ¡°Your responsibility is in the Capital. Your friends are not helpless. Or do you have so little faith in their abilities?¡± ¡°No! Of course not!¡± She cornered him. He had no good reply. It made him shrink back a little. She effortlessly knocked him off balance. Any footing he thought he had turned out to be merely an illusion. His hand released her. Yuki backed away from her. Silence was his only answer. ¡°Believe in them as they believe in you.¡± Ayumi tugged on her clothes a little to straighten them. ¡°Remember if you succeed in your goal, everything will be over. The sooner you achieve your goal the sooner they¡¯ll be able to stop fighting.¡± He felt like he was being lectured. ¡°I know.¡± An hour or so passed in silence. Yuki had nothing more to say after Ayumi made her point. Haruo naturally did nothing to add to the conversation. The mood was awkward with them down to three. Haruo¡¯s low presence at times made it seem it was only two. Oddly, it was Ayumi that broke the silence, but not in the way they expected. ¡°I returned back to the Capital when I was fourteen. I had finished the three years of duty.¡± Yuki stared over at her. Her plan to distract him surprised him a little. As always, she was a complicated woman with many sides. He didn¡¯t want to hear anymore, but found himself listening anyway. Chapter 221 ¨C Using the Past to Hide the Present Eudokia, age fourteen, stood before the massive structure of the palace. It had only been three years since she last saw them, but it no longer felt as tall to her. The entire presence was different than she remembered. Most of the fanfare ended back at the walls of the city where the returning soldiers marched. Excited families welcomed home their sons and daughters. For them it was a celebration of peace and security as much as it was a joyful reunion. Many soldiers would retire and go to lead different lives. There were few career soldiers to be found in the regular military. Any MPs that returned sought to join Omega or the Academy depending on their talent. If both failed, they returned to the border likely to give up any hope of ever seeing a different position. The Royal Guards stopped her approach to the palace. She handed over her orders. It only took them a moment to skim over it before they stiffened their stature. ¡°You may pass, Lieutenant Commander Eudokia!¡± The gates slowly opened in silent response. She nodded to them and passed through. Within the walls, she found a familiar face. He waited for her just at the entrance in the building. Her pace quickened a little, her excitement a little difficult to restrain. The distance between them slowly decreased, but it wasn¡¯t fast enough. Order lost out to childishness. Eudokia ran the rest of the distance to meet him. Leaping only a meter away, Eudokia latched on to him. Immediately, she turned it into a hug. It had been so long since she was able to be herself without all of the rules and structure. ¡°I missed you, Demosthenes!¡± Anything he planned on saying vanished. Demosthenes smiled warmly down at Eudokia. He patted her head a little. She was allowed a moment to be a child again. He thought it fair enough. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Minutes passed before they started into the palace and down the hall. Eudokia returned to her previous self, in control. Many eyes watched from the walls of the palace. Even outside was a risk, but it was something out of her control. She had to maintain herself the rest of the time. She could do nothing to give those in opposition any sort of reason to doubt her. ¡°How was the South Gate?¡± Idle chatter, he didn¡¯t look at her. His rank as the General required him also to maintain a certain distance. It was something she understood. ¡°The second and third years were less eventful than the first. It still set a record for number of incursions.¡± ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s unheard of to have more than one in a single tour, if any. Five incursions, but it was fortunate for you. You have quite the accomplishments and accolades thanks to such unprecedented events.¡± ¡°I was merely lucky.¡± Eudokia had her suspicions about the incursions, nothing she could ever prove beyond a gut feeling. They were never as big as the first one, but they never seemed like the normal researchers they received. They might have tried to pass themselves off as such after the first attempt, but it was clear there was something different about them. It felt like they were testing something. ¡°Luck or not, you¡¯re able to stand here because of it.¡± However much she wanted to question it, she knew Demosthenes spoke the truth. It allowed her to achieve the goals she desired. Today was what she wanted more than anything. It was a matter that could be addressed later. The two stood before another tall door. On the other side waited an event specifically for her. They had to wait for the doors to open. ¡°How is his health?¡± ¡°The same, there¡¯s been no change, but it is not unexpected.¡± ¡°No,¡± she replied softly. She knew how the King fared, unlike when she was younger. They no longer tried to hide the facts from her. It was something they both knew was coming. It was an unavoidable fate. Their only question was how long would he last. He continued to show stubbornness and a strong will to live where others would have already folded. It was clear something drove him to remain alive, something Eudokia didn¡¯t understand. She only prayed he would wake the next day and the next after. When the doors finished fully opening a soldier from inside shouted out into the large chamber. ¡°Presenting General Demosthenes Alexander and Lieutenant Commander Eudokia!¡± They stepped into the grand hall of the throne room. Marble stones lined the entire floor of the chamber. They were finely polished, reflecting the numerous support columns that rose more than fifty meters into the air. Spaced between the columns were countless people all watching as a child entered the sacred hall. Each one a surname to remember. It was an oppressive atmosphere, different from the sort she lived. She kept everything strict and to the letter. Her eyes faced forward at the end of the parade. There the King waited for her along with all the old men of the council. The closer she marched, she recognized the familiar faces of the elite Royal Guard standing on flanking positions of the throne. They were the personal guard of the King, each one a MP specially selected. When she came within speaking range, she could pick out the faces of the Royal Guard. In front of them, a middle-aged man stood with the air of importance, the Captain of the Royal Guard. He was closest to the King and followed him everywhere, the visible face of the Royal Guard in the public. Everyone knew him and respected him. They stopped at the end of the floor and the rise of the stairs to the throne. Despite the declining health of the King, he managed to carry a strong and dominating presence. He had a good fa?ade for the public. ¡°I welcome you, Lieutenant Commander Eudokia to these ancient halls,¡± he greeted formally. Eudokia knelt before him, lowering her head. ¡°It is an honor, Your Majesty.¡± He cracked a bit of a smile before motioning to the council. The head of the council walked slowly to the King¡¯s side handing over something. Once in hand, he stood up looking out to the entire chamber. ¡°It is for two reasons that I summoned you here. On this day, I am proud to bestow the honor of a surname. A surname is granted to only those distinguished individuals that have shown to have the heart of Atlantis within them to protect and carry into the future.¡± Stepping down slowly, he approached Eudokia, still bowing. ¡°Before us, stands a child, but in only three years she has proven she is no longer a child, but an adult of Atlantis! Her unwavering duty both to her fellow Atlanteans and the safety of Atlantis are proof of this.¡± He extended a hand to Eudokia. ¡°No longer are you Eudokia, but rise as Eudokia Ismene.¡± She stood up lifting her head to meet gazes with the King. She felt some wavering in her chest at the sight of him and his welcoming smile. The proud look on his face told her everything. ¡°It is only the King who grants this honor. Each King and each individual¡¯s gift are unique to their achievements.¡± He presented a short sword with an intricate design carved into the sheath and handle. ¡°May you continue to protect Atlantis with this sword.¡± She accepted the gift of the King. ¡°To the last breath I have, my life is only for one purpose.¡± ¡°Well said.¡± He dismissed the head of the council and called for the Captain of the Royal Guard. The tall man took up his place at the King¡¯s side. ¡°It is with a sad heart that I accept the retirement of Ektor Nicanor.¡± Ektor stepped out in front of Eudokia. ¡°Lieutenant Commander Eudokia Ismene, I, Ektor Nicanor, Captain of the Royal Guard, pass to you the ancient sword which every generation of protector has carried since we arrived in this land.¡± He unfastened the belt attached to his sheath. The design was irregular, but careful, the sign of handmade work from a time before the commonplace usage of their powers. He handed over the symbol of the Captain to Eudokia. ¡°I can rest easy now.¡± Eudokia stared at Ektor for a moment. Unlike all in the palace, Ektor actually knew her secret. His words carried more in them than others would know. She bowed in acceptance of the transfer of power. ¡°I will uphold the honor of my predecessors. My life is the King¡¯s shield.¡± After the exchange, the King stretched out his arm calling all to his attention. ¡°I present to you all, Captain of the Royal Guard Eudokia Ismene!¡± She turned around to face all of the eyes for the first time. They stared likely a little questioning of someone her age in such an important position. They wondered if she could even protect the King. However, they kept silent, as they couldn¡¯t say anything about someone with such a record. And more so, it was the King¡¯s decision. ¡°Long live Atlantis!¡± they shouted in unison. They accepted her, even if it was with reservation. Chapter 222 - Motives Celebrations were meant to be a joyous occasion, so she wished to believe. It was something to be proud of and shared with others. Something to gather friends. This was nothing like what she thought. It was hardly a celebration. It was a lie painted over with a pretty face, a happy face. All of it was fake. The reek of emptiness was thick enough to choke her throat. It was the adult world. Eudokia knew what it was like. She knew she had to throw behind her childishness if she was to survive such a cutthroat environment. The South Gate developed her, but the intensity was on a completely new level. They all looked at her, but it wasn¡¯t the fear or jealousy anymore. They were like beasts with only self-interest in mind. They all watched the moves she made and the words she said for any sort of exploit or weakness. She never felt such an atmosphere of lethality before, even on the battlefield. Death wasn¡¯t the same in such an arena. They could dream up fates worse than death. When they spoke of death, it had a different meaning, several meanings all of which escalated past the last. Scheming was the breakfast meal everyone partook. It was in their bones. Survival wasn¡¯t about watching for the blind spot, but the one never even known. She despised such a world. It was her new life. Chapter 222 ¨C Motives ¡°Not enjoying the party?¡± a voice in the distance remarked. It was partially disguised and masked in the shadows. Eudokia glanced around in search of the voice. She already expected it to come from another direction. The masking didn¡¯t sound natural making her already assume it was an MP user. Pessimists labeled it caution. Others called it paranoia. The truth was simple and correct. She was experienced. A bit of laughter slipped out. ¡°Glad to see noble life isn¡¯t making you dull.¡± ¡®That condescending tone and all-knowing attitude,¡¯ she thought. Eudokia knew immediately who it was, yet felt as if the words were only given as a test meant for her to figure it out. An annoying habit found in only one person she knew. ¡°Dareia¡­¡± ¡°Bravo.¡± She stepped out from the shadows not where Eudokia looked, but also not from the direction of the voice. Her skills remained as sharp and pointed as the day she left. ¡°Your skills have improved.¡± Her eyes narrowed suddenly at the sight of Dareia. ¡°Why did you leave that day? After I returned, you were nowhere.¡± ¡°I returned to the Capital.¡± ¡°I know you did, but I didn¡¯t ask that question.¡± Dareia sat down in a plush chair, something rarely found outside of the palace. The room isolated them from the rest of the hall filled with the elite of Atlantis. ¡°It¡¯s quite nice this time of year,¡± she joked. Atlantis had no seasons or extremes. It was consistent. Annoyed, Eudokia knew what Dareia was telling her. ¡®Figure it out for yourself.¡¯ More riddles and lessons from someone gone for two years. Eudokia took a bit of a breath to calm herself. She sat down in the other available chair. It felt a little disgusting, acceptance. ¡°You were done with your lessons.¡± Fortunately, Eudokia puzzled out most of the pieces a long time ago. She merely wished to cut the pointless teacher and student relationship. It was clear how things were to Dareia. No response. She expected more from Eudokia than the basics. Cracking a little into her effort to remain in control, Eudokia continued to the next step. It was merely a thesis. She had to prove her point to convince Dareia she actually understood. The top layer was easy to see. Digging deeper held more meaning and showed development. ¡°The Kapni incident was your test. You didn¡¯t plan for it, but worked out for you to see how I would do. You wanted to know if I could actually apply it in a real setting that was not specifically crafted by you. If I could adapt and execute in a creative manner.¡± The more she thought about what happened after she disappeared the more she figured the pieces out. She ended up seeing far more than she ever thought possible. It ended up frightening her. ¡°The results gave me a passing grade. So you left with nothing left you needed to do. I would take everything you showed me and refine and develop it on my own. You counted on it.¡± The foresight of the woman had disturbed her a little when she figured it out. She played the game better than Eudokia ever could, but she wondered how long it would last. ¡°Everything you did from the moment I met you was all just you manipulating me. You knew exactly how I would react and set up the path for me to follow. You made me come to you without me even knowing you were making me move.¡± Eudokia narrowed her eyes a little seeing one of the last pieces she ignored. ¡°You were always testing me. Even that, you were waiting three years for me to figure that all out. You wanted me to see.¡± It made her skin crawl thinking about how manipulated she was by a woman she once considered a friend. So much of it was fake. ¡°None of it was a coincidence at all. Not even you claiming to be interested in me. You were sent to me. Which one was it?¡± Dareia smiled with pride. She leaned forward a little away from the chair. ¡°That was the final test. Seeded at the start, I knew you¡¯d figure it out.¡± The look she got from Eudokia amused her a little. ¡°It wasn¡¯t him. He¡¯s too direct, it¡¯s who you think it is.¡± Nodding, Eudokia understood and already reached the same conclusion. ¡®It was him. Still treating me roughly even now, always a lesson. Always pushing like there¡¯s never enough time.¡¯ The weight of him pressed her into the chair a little, ever-present. ¡°The Academy wasn¡¯t enough for him to be certain.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a fair concern,¡± she answered directly. The look in Dareia¡¯s eyes changed quite a bit. She seemed open for once. ¡°The Academy is a dangerous place. The fact we send children in at your age or worse is one of the ignored sins of Atlantis.¡± Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Eudokia found herself surprised by Dareia in a way she didn¡¯t expect. She actually heard the woman talk and talk in a way that felt like it was coming from her heart rather than her mind. The other woman she despised for so long vanished from sight, replaced by someone that seemed filled with regret and sadness. It took longer than normal to respond, ¡°It¡¯s a hell for many of us.¡± ¡°It¡¯s one of the reasons for the state we¡¯re in now.¡± ¡°You¡¯re starting to sound a little idealistic. There are reasons for why things are like that.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re sounding like one of those normals standing on the outside unwilling to look in at the reality.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not excusing what happened to those that I knew or even what happened to me in there.¡± She rubbed the side of her ribs subconsciously thinking about the past. A subtle bit of pain stabbed her dully. It was enough to keep her rubbing, but not realize it. ¡°I just know what exists inside those walls is the same that¡¯s outside of them, just not as focused.¡± ¡°It¡¯s an eye opening experience. Just as I imagine the South Gate was and today.¡± ¡°He wanted me ready to be able to handle all of this. All of them.¡± Her eyes slid back towards the narrow doorway into the grand chamber. It was unforgiving. ¡°Unprepared I¡¯d be eaten up in an instant. I wouldn¡¯t last my first day, let alone the party. Necessary pain.¡± ¡°Yes, I believe that¡¯s his philosophy with all of this. Pain is necessary and with it understanding. You¡¯ve hardened for a reason.¡± ¡°I know,¡± answered Eudokia. She knew his intentions well. They were her intentions. His goals were her goals. She would do anything for him. ¡°This position, he needed me here. Even going so far as to force a coincidence. He was a little too heavy handed this time. Others are going to notice.¡± It was only something that just came to her. Talking with Dareia made her realize nothing was a coincidence. Everything had designs. Her life was designed. She knew it, but it didn¡¯t bother her. Dareia lifted an eyebrow. ¡°I agree it¡¯s suspicious, but to go so far. The Kapni incident made you a hero, nothing more was needed.¡± She had the same thoughts as Eudokia long ago. It gnawed at her, but she dismissed it. She didn¡¯t want to believe he would make such a dangerous move just to ensure a position. ¡°So you weren¡¯t involved in those incidents.¡± While not intended, Eudokia received some extra information about it. Though there still remained mysteries. ¡°He¡¯s normally a careful man. Even I noticed there was something off about them.¡± If he was the reason, it answered a lot about them. All of the strange things about them made sense. She rubbed her temple a little. Pensive consideration did nothing for her. They did not know enough and she knew he would never admit to anything. ¡°He¡¯s a protective man. There¡¯s no lengths he wouldn¡¯t go for you.¡± It seemed reasonable enough, even without knowing everything. ¡°You¡¯re right about that,¡± smiled Eudokia. An odd warmth transferred through her body. She felt comfortable. They continued to talk on less serious matters. It allowed the time to pass quickly until the party ended. ¡°So you patched things up with Dareia,¡± noted Yuki, more drawn into the story. It helped to close out some things she never resolved when they cut her off the last time. Ayumi nodded to him. ¡°Yes, after she stopped trying to teach me she seemed to change. It could have just been her going with the flow. But we got along better after that day. She was at the palace frequently.¡± Such an answer relieved Yuki a little. Her history explained to him must have been challenging. Though it had him wondering as well. ¡°You mentioned it vaguely before as well, is the Academy you really as bad as you said.¡± ¡°It depends on your perspective, but it is worse. Everyone¡¯s experiences are different, but it is common to suffer as most of the MPs are children or teenagers in the Academy, while the Military Academy has volunteer adults.¡± ¡°What happens?¡± He immediately started to regret asking anymore by the expression on Ayumi¡¯s face. Refraining from answering immediately, she looked to be calculating her answer. Such a response created a more ominous atmosphere surrounding the Academy. ¡°The simple answer is harassment, but that is generalizing it too much. On a daily basis, verbal, physical, mental and emotional harassment is commonplace. When things get out of control it will become abuse, most often physical injury.¡± She paused to think upon her experiences. ¡°We get treated differently because of the power we have. The most commonly understood ability everyone knows we have is the ability to heal any injury sustained. Because of this, it is exploited to extreme means. MP users will be gravely injured for the sake of confirming their dominance or just to satiate their fears. And none of them give it much concern because they¡¯ll be healed easily by another MP.¡± Yuki¡¯s mouth hung open in shock. His mind stopped processing anything. It took him almost a minute to begin recovering. ¡°How can they treat their own people like that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because the normal citizenry don¡¯t see them as one of their own that they can do it without any sort of remorse. I¡¯ve heard of people left to suffer for hours or even die.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe it! How can the higher ups not be doing something to stop this? Does the King know?¡± ¡°Most of the higher ups are normal humans, so they turn a blind eye. Those with the ability to do something about it, don¡¯t want to change things. Like the rest, they fear us. The rebellion twenty years ago did a lot of damage.¡± She stopped again, her thoughts on her memories. ¡°The adult world is different than the idealized dream world of adolescents. The King only has so much power, even if he wishes to change something. There are people that don¡¯t want change and will do anything to keep it, even killing in its name.¡± Ayumi looked directly at Yuki. He knew what she talked about. The threat he posed to them and their wishes to remain stuck in the past. ¡®Demosthenes and the council¡­¡¯ Every time he heard more from Ayumi, the worse the picture became. He had trouble seeing anything good or positive as much as he wanted to try. They were a different world and culture. Yet he couldn¡¯t allow things to continue. ¡®I can¡¯t let them continue hurting people like this! I must stop them no matter the cost!¡¯ Ayumi watched the changing features in Yuki¡¯s face. She could tell the effect it had on him. It was too easy to read. Behind Yuki¡¯s group, Team Yumi continued to grow little by little with the introduction of Simonides. His presence still had everyone on edge. Until recently, he did everything to capture them and many of his men were dead at their hands. It left everyone uneasy. They wondered if it was all just a ruse for him to make his counterattack and revenge. However, they all seemed in agreement that bigger problems lay ahead. The ominous presence of the Omega Division and ¡®Ayumi¡¯ made things uncertain. Issues larger than them seemed in play. ¡°Turn thirty degrees to the right,¡± ordered Chiharu. She leaned forward a little, her eyes discovered something of interest. The tone of her voice made it clear to everyone to be at attention. Yumi moved forward to look into the distance. Unfortunately, her sight wasn¡¯t like Chiharu¡¯s. ¡°What do you see?¡± ¡°A battlefield.¡± It was all the words she needed to get everyone standing up trying to see. However, everyone¡¯s sudden movements caused their vehicle to rock. Everyone tried to shout out orders to counter the problem, but it only made it worse. Another moment and they were all tossed into the air with their transport capsizing. ¡°Everyone okay?¡± asked Yumi, caught by Chiharu along with Yori. They made it safely to the ground after the crash. Seiji coughed a little, but stood on his feet. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine.¡± He carried Nerine in his arms. ¡°If you built that thing, why didn¡¯t you make it more stable?¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± she replied with a bit of a red face. ¡°I didn¡¯t plan on everyone moving at once.¡± Simonides and Fumiko laid on the ground, forgotten by the others. Both started moving quickly with only dirt and grass stains for their troubles. However, they didn¡¯t have much of a chance to stand up as the ground jumped under their feet. It wasn¡¯t enough to make them fall over, but it rattled them. Another quake burst a moment later. ¡°What is that?¡± Yumi thought aloud. Everyone looked around trying to understand it. Once Seiji finished setting Nerine back on the ground, he turned in the direction Chiharu pointed them. His eyes narrowed to a squint as another quake shot out. He grinned with some nostalgia. ¡°It¡¯s Saki!¡± Chapter 223 - Troubled Ground Seiji charged out ahead of them with no regard for the scene. Already out of sight, Simonides and Nerine looked a little curious at each other. For them, the only thing in the distance was some greenish shapes that might have been trees, but the angles were wrong. Everything looked normal. ¡°How can you tell?¡± she asked. ¡°Our strength and speed weren¡¯t the only things increased,¡± noted Chiharu before she disappeared from their sight. The sudden change made Nerine jump a little. She wasn¡¯t used to it still. They moved in impossible ways and did things that should only happen with a Field. Everything about them seemed a fantasy, a dream she wondered if she would ever wake. Each time she thought she might wake to reality, their reality reminded her nothing was a dream. It was all real, denial did nothing to change what her eyes saw every minute. Denial only delayed her acceptance and made it more difficult to adapt to the changes. Yumi smiled a little at their two Atlanteans. ¡°We should probably hurry. If things are as bad as you fear, the Omega Division may already be on the move.¡± She stared over at Simonides with words in her eyes. Turning his eyes forward, he nodded in agreement. Simonides already had several speculations in his mind for the cause of the disturbance in front of them. ¡°You¡¯re thinking the same thing. None of my men are out this far, at least under my orders. The most likely answer is the Omega Division already has its orders. If so, we¡¯re already running out of time.¡± He began to run even knowing the effort was futile with such powers around him. ¡°But we¡¯re not out of time. There is still plenty remaining to save Atlantis.¡± Chapter 223 ¨C Troubled Ground Several more percussive waves tore up the small forest containing Saki. Seiji arrived just as she reappeared from her last attack. It had felt like so long since he saw her that his emotions took over his sense of battle. ¡°Hey Saki!¡± he shouted with his arms open looking to hug her. However, her response was to punch him, which sent him flying through the earth. Massive chunks of earth exploded as Seiji¡¯s body dug a kilometer long trench through the earth. Rocks erupted from the end of the trench as Seiji freed himself. ¡°What the hell¡¯s the matter with you, Saki?!¡± His bandaged fist rammed into the earth next to him exploding in a bright flash of light as well as sending the energy outward to carve out another trench equally long off to his side. Clouds burst up from the trench, a sign of Seiji¡¯s charge back into the forest. Saki¡¯s fist still hung out a little red from the strike. Her eyes were narrowed and focused, hardened to a single task. Sweat covered her face and clothes. However, she didn¡¯t have any time to pause as Seiji finished closing on her. His glowing fist stretched out for her. It was too slow for her reaction. An open palm stopped him. Behind her, the earth rumbled and complained before exploding outward in a giant arc. Large chunks of earth and rock flew up only to be disintegrated a moment later. Meters beneath her feet the earth was painfully torn away from the sheer force. Countering Seiji¡¯s response, Saki threw out her free fist and Seiji matched. Their fists slammed against each other erupting a shockwave of destructive force. It ate into the earth between them expanding out quickly digging a deep gorge making the trenches seem like lines in the sand. The rest remaining with Yumi were knocked to their feet, unable to stand. When the shockwave came for them, Nerine leapt up to protect them. Dozens of gauntlets materialized in the air to pummel the flying debris into dust. Even with the protection, the ground jumped up and down for them. Anything more than lying down was pointless. Once most of it passed, they started to get back on their feet. It left Simonides more shaken than the others. Even without being on the frontline, it still felt like he was in the middle of their fight. He thought MP battles were unsettling, but their fights were nothing in comparison. The distance he had on the destruction gave the best view of the scope of the effects from their clash. ¡°It looks like two gods descended.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t say that to Seiji¡¯s face, might go to his head,¡± joked Yumi. She started walking forward, resuming their course. ¡°It¡¯s just Seiji and Saki exchanging blows. He probably said something he shouldn¡¯t have.¡± ¡°The entire landscape is changed in mere moments!¡± ¡°Good thing, they¡¯ve sorted things out.¡± The lack of any more fireworks made it clear to Yumi things calmed down for the two. ¡°Seiji?!¡± Saki questioned, still not believing what she was seeing. She leaned forward, still with her arms out battling Seiji. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me!¡± he snapped. ¡°The hell¡¯s the matter with you?¡± ¡°What are you doing here? You¡¯re supposed to be rescuing Yumi¡¯s brother.¡± ¡°We finished that already!¡± He shook his head trying to remain on topic. ¡°Don¡¯t change the subject! What sort of greeting was that? I don¡¯t see you in days and the first thing you do is punch me!? The hell?!¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Saki finally backed off accepting reality. ¡°Sorry, Seiji, I thought you were the enemy.¡± She rubbed the back of her head carrying a bit of embarrassment for slugging him so hard. ¡°The enemy?! I know we have our differences, Saki, but the enemy?¡± Defensively, Saki leaned in no longer just taking Seiji¡¯s complaints. ¡°You¡¯re the one that jumped into the middle of my fight! What did you expect to happen?¡± ¡°You should have said something if you were fighting!¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t give me a chance!¡± Ignoring the debate, a new round of arrows appeared on all sides of them. They didn¡¯t wait for even a fraction of a second to fly at them. The two teens put their argument on hold to deal with the immediate threat. Most of them were dealt with quickly, but Saki missed a few forcing Seiji to cover for her. After destroying the arrows, he turned back to Saki. She was a little bent over. Her body looked more exhausted than before when she yelled at him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did those arrows do something to you?¡± Between panting for air, Saki shook her head. ¡°No, some idiot made me use my full strength.¡± ¡°That shouldn¡¯t matter! You shouldn¡¯t be having any trouble with this!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to conserve what energy I had left to deal with them, but you made me waste it on you!¡± ¡°What? How long have you been fighting?¡± She paused, not having a good answer for him. Glancing around at the forest, rebuilt already from their destructive greeting, her enemy remained as secretive now as at the start. ¡°I don¡¯t know anymore, I¡¯ve lost track after it felt like an hour passed.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been fighting for hours? Why haven¡¯t you ended it already?!¡± Her fist tightened up. If she had the strength to punch him again, she would have already. ¡°I would if I could! I can¡¯t find them! They¡¯ve been invisible the entire time firing those damnable arrows at me!¡± Seiji scratched the top of his head. It didn¡¯t make a lot of sense to him. ¡°What are you talking about? They¡¯re right there.¡± His wrapped arm pointed out to an empty space in the center of the forest. ¡°No, they aren¡¯t! I already tried that three chapters ago! Otherwise this would have been over then!¡± ¡°That¡¯s the center, of course they are there.¡± So many things were wrong with what he said that Saki didn¡¯t know where to start with him. Rather than trying anymore, she just motioned to him to try. She watched him as he took her offer. His attempts ended with the same results as her. Nothing but air was there. ¡°See? Nothing.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense. They should be right here.¡± ¡°What doesn¡¯t make sense is you knowing all that and figuring it out that fast.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Seiji jumped up into the air several meters for what seemed like no reason. He landed in the same spot as he started. The odd look from Saki made him answer. ¡°Just checking if they were floating in the air. Their Fields are spheres not circles. So you have to consider all three dimensions when fighting them.¡± Her face went flat in disbelief hearing everything coming out of Seiji¡¯s mouth as though matter of fact and simple. She wasn¡¯t sure if she was looking at Seiji anymore. ¡°You sure you¡¯re not someone else?¡± Seiji walked back to Saki. Her reaction puzzled him. ¡°What are you talking about? It¡¯s me.¡± ¡°Then how do you know all that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple. I¡¯ve already fought them several times. Didn¡¯t take long to figure it all out.¡± Saki couldn¡¯t say anything more to him. He was a wall she couldn¡¯t break. ¡®Stupid natural fighting talent.¡¯ Any more debating was a waste of energy, she decided. She pushed around him to confront her invisible foe. They were still out there with new arrows. Her body felt like lead, but she couldn¡¯t let it get to her. She prepared herself for the incoming attack. It never came. Ringing of metal preceded their appearance. Chiharu¡¯s black ninja garb made her an easy figure to determine. Her arm lowered to her side with the blade of her short sword resting against the back of her arm. Tilting her head over her shoulder, she glanced back at the two of them. ¡°I can handle this. You rest. Musclehead, there¡¯s another one looking at you.¡± ¡°Chi-¡° ¡°Rest, I heard everything. Their plan succeeded. They wanted to exhaust you, since they couldn¡¯t finish you off directly. I¡¯ll deal with them now.¡± Seiji knocked his fists together. ¡°You found me someone?¡± he said, sounding almost like a kid with a new toy. He looked around, but the forest made it a little difficult to find them. It took Chiharu pointing in the direction. There was nothing to see, but he trusted her. He went charging off through the forest. ¡°Mindless,¡± she remarked, watching him disappear with eagerness. It took a little bit for her to catch up to everything. ¡°Is there really someone over there?¡± ¡°Yes, I didn¡¯t have the time to deal with them. So getting him out of here will help me.¡± ¡®They¡¯re working together? I thought all they did was fight. What happened in the time they were gone?¡¯ Yumi and the others arrived at the border of the battle long after Chiharu and Seiji began their fights. The chaos in the distance kept them from going further. They had nothing to offer to improve the situation. They could only watch to see how things turned out. Simonides tried to work on an analysis of the situation. He couldn¡¯t let things drag out. The more time they lost in fights the further away ¡®Ayumi¡¯ became from them. Unfortunately, it was an unprepared field of battle. He had no clear vantage points. It didn¡¯t stop him from trying. He withdrew his binoculars to try to get closer to the fighting. ¡®The forest¡¯s in the way, likely a deliberate Field manipulation. It¡¯s not random enough to be otherwise.¡¯ Lifting her free arm up to Simonides¡¯ shoulder, she motioned for him to stop. ¡°There¡¯s not much point in strategy.¡± ¡°If you told them¡ª¡° ¡°Any sort of detailed plan isn¡¯t going to be followed by Seiji. It¡¯s just who he is.¡± He went silent after hearing Yumi. It made him question how things turned out the way that they did. It all just looked like chaos to him. No order. ¡®How did my plans lose to them? Is it just their bond?¡¯ Such notions seemed like fairy tales and wishful naivety. The world didn¡¯t work in such a way. Yet maybe it actually did for them. Suddenly, something slammed into the grass only ten meters away from them. Chunks of dirt tossed up, but it was mostly without any sort of flare, unlike previous displays. They all leaned a little curious what it was. Out of the smoke filled crater, rose a weak looking Seiji. Blood covered his face and dripped down his arms. The papers around his arm soaked up some of the blood. For a battle only going on for no more than ten minutes, he seemed in surprisingly poor condition. No one knew why, but he looked ready to collapse. Chapter 224 - Clouded Minds Yumi leapt out a little trying to stretch towards him while something invisible seemed to hold her back. ¡°Seiji!¡± She had nothing to help in his fight. It had to be done alone. There was no one else. He threw out his arm to stop her. His eyes stared forward, while he struggled to keep his breathing under control. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, Yumi! Don¡¯t worry about me!¡± Settling what he had to do, Seiji marched back off into the distance towards his fight. After a few moments, he started into a jog then a run, which easily surpassed an Olympic runner. He remained in sight the entire time until becoming too distant. The look on Seiji¡¯s face bothered Yumi. She could tell there was something wrong with him. Something blocked him. ¡®Are they that powerful? Is it someone that Seiji can¡¯t beat?¡¯ She wondered about sending in Fumiko to help him with the fight. Unfortunately, Fumiko¡¯s state wasn¡¯t suited for combat. ¡®She¡¯s still shaken by the sudden release of her new power. It killed a lot of men and women¡­¡¯ Yumi knew she needed to get Fumiko back, but didn¡¯t know what she could do that wouldn¡¯t end up making things worse for her. She seemed the most levelheaded of the group and ready. ¡®Reality is harsher than we expected¡­¡¯ Chapter 224 ¨C Clouded Minds A fresh mind and body restored the balance to the fight Saki began. In spite of such facts, the battle didn¡¯t improve any for Chiharu. Her opponent remained hidden. All the attempts to smoke them out proved empty. It was a stubborn individual and skilled. Chiharu dodged or deflected the next round of arrows. ¡®They¡¯re getting more accurate and harder to stop. Impressive, they¡¯ve maintained such a pace for hours already. This must be the difference of those from the Omega Division.¡¯ Even as someone she needed to defeat, she could admire their skills. They had a very simple setup, but it was so well honed that there was no waste. It was completely efficient. A talent given the chance to refine and sharpen. The combination was deadly. Her current situation would leave her falling into the same trap, fatigue. She needed a way out. However, everything about them defied what they knew about them. ¡®Normal conventions won¡¯t work, they¡¯re on a completely different level than we¡¯re used to¡­¡¯ She had no information to form a strategy, only failures. They didn¡¯t add enough to give her a clue. ¡®With their power anything is possible making it impossible for me to analyze the situation logically¡­¡¯ Things dragged out in the battle. Yumi wanted to do something with each minute it continued. The slow arrival of Saki brought a little bit of hope to the situation. She rushed out to help her back. ¡°Saki! Where¡¯s Yuki?¡± Glancing around, she had hoped the sign of Saki meant that they finally caught up with Yuki¡¯s group. Saki grinned a bit, clearly tired. ¡°Still a one track mind when it comes to him,¡± she teased. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it like that! Are Ayumi and Haruo with you as well?¡± A small laugh came up from Saki. ¡°No, I¡¯m the only one. I stayed behind.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Yuki had somewhere to be. I could protect him. That was enough¡­¡± Saki slipped in her walk and stumbled to the ground. She caught herself in time before falling flat. It took more effort than it should have to stand up. Watching Saki, Yumi grew concerned about the battle Chiharu and Seiji went into. ¡®If Saki¡¯s this exhausted from the fight¡­¡¯ She helped her back to safety. While letting Saki recover a little, Yumi looked around the scene trying to see how the battle fared for Seiji and Chiharu. All she could see was that things didn¡¯t change. Each minute they spent the harder things would become. She turned back to Fumiko. ¡®We¡¯re going to need her¡­ I have to push her even if she doesn¡¯t want to¡­¡¯ Yumi pulled back to Simonides and Nerine, their only resources. ¡°Do either of you know anything about who they¡¯re fighting based on what you¡¯ve seen?¡± Nerine shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t see what¡¯s going on. I¡¯m not sure without more information.¡± She tilted her glance over to Simonides with hope. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen enough to narrow anything down. I know they use arrows as their primary weapon, but that¡¯s not enough information.¡± Yumi knelt down to Saki. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to do this, Saki, but can you think of anything from your fight that could give us an edge?¡± It wasn¡¯t something she could help with too much. Saki knew as much. She shook her head slightly while still trying to find something. ¡°No¡­they aren¡¯t like the others¡­¡± It didn¡¯t make any sense to her. Images of her fight replayed trying to understand it. ¡®This might be something¡­¡¯ Yumi probed further. ¡°How do you mean? What makes them different?¡± The heavy breathing dissipated for Saki. It felt like her chest was no longer trying to break her ribs. ¡°They aren¡¯t where they should be.¡± She lifted her eyes up towards them seeing that her words didn¡¯t give enough context. ¡°They¡¯re invisible. I¡¯ve seen it done before with Ayumi. But when I struck the center of their Field nothing happened. It was like they weren¡¯t there.¡± You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Saki¡¯s words raised Nerine¡¯s curiosity. She leaned over. ¡°Are you sure you hit exactly the center? Maybe you missed.¡± Saki¡¯s eyes narrowed sharply when confronted by Nerine. It came from two different sources. She didn¡¯t know who the woman was, but the uniform made her out to be an Atlantean. It made her realize that there were two Atlanteans with Yumi. The second reason was her doubt of Saki¡¯s abilities. Hesitation sealed up her lips. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Saki. They¡¯re allies. A lot has happened, but I don¡¯t have time to explain it all now. Please tell us what you know. It¡¯s very important.¡± She still had some doubts about the whole situation, but Yumi¡¯s earnest look convinced her for the moment. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m certain. Even Seiji tried.¡± Saki immediately received from looks of doubt over trusting Seiji. ¡°I¡¯m serious. They aren¡¯t there. It doesn¡¯t make sense.¡± Simonides stood back up. He looked over at Nerine, ideas already moving. ¡°Even as someone from Omega, they can¡¯t break the basics of how their power works.¡± ¡°Exactly, there is no one that can relocate the center of their Field. It¡¯s always under our feet.¡± He lifted his hand to his chin in pensive consideration. ¡°Which means there are only two answers.¡± ¡°Either they have a very specific Addendum set that deflects incoming attacks while maintaining the illusion of nothing. It¡¯d be hard to detect a difference.¡± ¡°I¡¯m certain there was nothing!¡± asserted Saki. She focused on her fist. The attempts she made to locate her opponent always felt the same. The two Atlanteans seemed to doubt Saki, no matter how certain she sounded. ¡°I would have noticed the difference. I can tell¡­¡± Simonides and Nerine exchange a couple of looks in silence. They still had a second option, equally possible. ¡°It might be them, sir.¡± ¡°They are known to use arrows and ranged projectiles. It fits with what we know.¡± Yumi stepped into their conversation. It was clear they knew something. ¡°You know who we¡¯re dealing with don¡¯t you?¡± Nerine nodded to her. ¡°It might be the Twins, two Omega agents.¡± The Twins were well known among other MPs, not for their deeds (most of those remained secretive), but for their unique talent. ¡°They are the only MPs that can break the rule with their Field.¡± An exception to the rule they just stated made Yumi a little suspicious. ¡°What are you talking about? I thought you said no one could.¡± Wrinkles wove into Nerine¡¯s brow. The struggle came out in her face too easily. ¡°This is going to get very technical very fast if I explain and even I don¡¯t understand functionally how they do it. I just know the theory, what makes them special.¡± Her disclaimer didn¡¯t relieve her of the stares. ¡°All MPs generate their Field at their feet and the Twins are no exception to that. However, according to the theory if someone with exactly the same frequency, density and strength of mental energy as the person next to them their Fields would merge rather than clash. The two Fields would weave together becoming one and as a result exponentially increasing their power.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re saying these two can do that?¡± ¡°Yes, it requires complete precision as well as identical frequencies. Something that was only considered theoretical until they appeared.¡± Nerine glanced back toward the forest. She felt a bit of fear if they were right. It wasn¡¯t someone that she wanted to face, the power of two minds. ¡°When a Field merges the accepted rules change. It is still a sphere shape, but it is no longer centered since there are two MPs.¡± ¡°So where are they?¡± The reality of such a pair made Yumi¡¯s mind spin. Any sort of plan on locating an invisible person had to be completely rethought. They faced something their experience couldn¡¯t calculate. Nerine stared deeper at the forest. She didn¡¯t like the answer she had given Yumi. ¡°It¡¯s variable. It would be based on the density and their known strength, but even if you know that this sort of Field completely changes standard placement. They will still have a place they can only stand, but it is on a circle rather than a point.¡± None of them liked the situation as they began to understand it. All of them cast their gaze back in the direction of Chiharu¡¯s battle. They couldn¡¯t do anything to change their position into an advantage. The reality actually made things even worse for them. Yumi¡¯s pierced hand tightened responding to her emotions. ¡°The two could be anywhere on that circle at any moment.¡± She couldn¡¯t know for certain, but it was a safe assumption to make. The Twins were Omega members, meaning they would have refined their powers to account for such situations. Each thought made the situation seem even worse than the moment preceding. ¡°The only way we have a chance of finding them is with luck.¡± The odds were against them. As reality settled in for her, Yumi glanced over at Fumiko. Several thoughts came to her, but she had to dismiss them. ¡®You¡¯ve got the right idea. Luck is something the ignorant rely on.¡¯ The voice made Yumi¡¯s eyes widen for a moment. It felt familiar, yet different. She glanced over at the others just to be sure. ¡®It wasn¡¯t them. But it¡¯s not the same voice.¡¯ ¡®That¡¯s right. Masa isn¡¯t the only one in here.¡¯ ¡®Masa?¡¯ ¡®Explanations are for later. I came to give you an out. You already thought about it, but were missing a piece.¡¯ Suddenly, flashes of ideas or words blew through Yumi¡¯s mind. She struggled with all of it. However, something stood out in front of her among the vortex of chaos. It made her step back unsettled by it. ¡®You would have come to the conclusion eventually, but you don¡¯t have the time. So I¡¯ll give you this freebie.¡¯ The thought made Yumi¡¯s body go cold. She understood finally, what the voice gave her. It was an idea or more closer to a piece. The last piece to the puzzle for their victory. Yet she couldn¡¯t accept it. ¡®I can¡¯t do that! It¡¯s cruel to do!¡¯ ¡®Reality is cruel. You¡¯re the one that asked for all of this. Don¡¯t ask if you can¡¯t handle the weight of the consequences of your wish.¡¯ ¡®I didn¡¯t wish for any of this!¡¯ ¡®Yes, you did. It is all your wish. You¡¯ll come to understand in time.¡¯ ¡®I don¡¯t want to understand! I don¡¯t want any of this!¡¯ ¡®Lying won¡¯t shield you from the truth. If you expect to lead, you must be willing to get your entire self steeped in filth. Nothing you want can be attained by remaining above it all. This is your reality. You will become dirty. White turned to black and gray as far as you can see. But you will have what you want. It is the only solution to your impossible victory.¡¯ Yumi bit her lip. The voice forced her to hear everything she said. There was no averting her eyes. She saw a cloud rise in the distance along with a low rumble. Seiji¡¯s battle raged on. All Chiharu could do was remain on the defense against her hidden pair of Atlanteans. At her side, Saki still tried to recover from her long fight. ¡®Chiharu will end up like Saki in time. And something¡¯s wrong with Seiji.¡¯ Everything seemed turned against them. Her only solution was one she could not take. ¡®The longer you delay the worse the situation becomes. You know Chiharu¡¯s stubborn and not as physically strong as Saki. She¡¯ll make a mistake and it¡¯ll cost her. You know what you must do.¡¯ ¡®I can¡¯t! I couldn¡¯t look at myself if I did it!¡¯ ¡®What¡¯s more important to you? Your friends or yourself?¡¯ It was an impossible question to answer. The voice stymied Yumi. Any answer felt wrong to her. A no-win situation she never wanted. Yumi squeezed her hand feeling the cold metal against her skin. She needed an answer. She wanted a third option. There had to be another path to take. ¡®¡­I¡­¡¯ Chapter 225 - The Crawling Fear Yumi¡¯s head lifted up realizing what she needed. ¡®I just need to get her to move! There¡¯s another way!¡¯ Fueled by her new resolve, Yumi rushed over to Fumiko¡¯s side. The moment she saw the vacant look in her eyes she knew it wasn¡¯t going to be easy. ¡®I can¡¯t give up. She¡¯s the only one that can do it!¡¯ However, nothing seemed to be getting through to her. The troubles Fumiko faced through their time in Atlantis didn¡¯t go unnoticed by Yumi. She didn¡¯t know what the original cause was, but she saw Fumiko being very quiet and distant from the group after Skoupa. It seemed that rescuing Yori gave focus to her and the time in the camp gave her some confidence. However, it all shattered with the release of her new power. All of the deaths on her hands, accidental or not, was too much to handle. It was going to be hard to break through it. ¡®You¡¯re being too soft.¡¯ ¡°Come on, Fumiko! We need you!¡± Yumi tried shaking her a little. Her hands struggled to keep from tensing up. ¡®Shut up! I¡¯ll do it my way!¡¯ ¡®You¡¯re out of time.¡¯ Resisting was all she could do. Ignoring it did nothing. ¡°I know you¡¯re hurting, Fumiko!¡± ¡®You only need a single phrase.¡¯ ¡®I won¡¯t do it!¡¯ Shaking Fumiko a little harder, she tried to get through to her senior. It surprised Yumi a little to see Fumiko so broken. The appearance she gave made her seem like the strongest one in the group. She had everything together. She tried to be the glue, the mother figure that held everyone together. It was just a fa?ade. ¡®Besides you don¡¯t even know it¡¯ll work.¡¯ ¡®Humans are very predictable creatures. Everything I¡¯ve seen of her makes me certain I¡¯m not wrong.¡¯ ¡®You can¡¯t know. We aren¡¯t so simple!¡¯ ¡®On the contrary. The excuses are complex, but the reasons are always very simple.¡¯ ¡°Don¡¯t let it win, Fumiko! You¡¯re stronger than this!¡± ¡¯Sweet words aren¡¯t what you need right now. The girl needs to be motivated. She needs a reason to stand. You know what will make her stand.¡¯ An explosion of earth shot into the air towering above the forest. It was no doubt Seiji. Yumi tilted back in the direction of the fight. The trees made it difficult to see what happened to Chiharu. She struggled in an impossible battle with her only chance of winning resting on too much luck. Her hand tightened up frustrated. Everything continued to get worse. Yumi looked back at Fumiko. A split second considered the alternative, but dismissed it immediately. ¡®Accept reality. You wished for this, you can¡¯t turn away from your wish. This is the reality.¡¯ ¡®Things are getting worse for Chiharu and Seiji. I have the answer, yet¡­¡¯ Yumi rested her folded legs in the grass, knees pressed to support her leaning forward. She faced Fumiko no longer leaving part of her turned away in fear or uncertainty. The choice had to be made and committed to completely. Yumi leaned in, whispering in her ear. ¡°Fumiko¡­¡± Chapter 225 ¨C The Crawling Fear Suddenly, the light came back to Fumiko¡¯s eyes. She stood up. The expression on her face was no longer devoid of life. A painful look of guilt, fear and resolve stirred together in Fumiko. She looked down at Yumi. ¡°Where is she?¡± ¡°¡­in the forest. I need you to burn everything as far as you can. It¡¯s the only way.¡± Fumiko looked down at her hand. It shook a little, but held fast. ¡°I understand. Where¡¯s my staff?¡± She glanced over her shoulder at Yori holding on to it for her. He passed it to her, where it suddenly glowed red for a brief moment. ¡°I¡¯ll handle this.¡± With her decision made, she ran off into battle. Yumi watched her fade into the distance until the trees hid her. Her entire body shook. It was a disgusting feeling, yet she made the choice. It was something she had to live with. ¡®Who are they?¡¯ ¡®Likely the source of her guilt. The reason she acts strong, but is actually weak. The hand always strangling her neck until she can¡¯t breathe.¡¯ ¡®I just made that grasp tighter¡­¡¯ The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡®But she¡¯s alive again and will save your friends.¡¯ ¡®Ends justify the means¡­¡¯ ¡®¡­always¡­that¡¯s the world you¡¯re destined for¡­¡¯ Yumi turned away, unable to watch any longer. A massive column of fire rose behind her expanding to become larger. She caught the uncertain looks of Simonides and Nerine from the fire she started. Everything happened so quickly and secretly, he didn¡¯t know completely what to make of it. ¡°What did you tell her?¡± Curiosity infected him deeply, despite the signs he saw from the troubled Yumi. She walked away from it all and past the Atlanteans. ¡°Exactly what she needed to hear. The thing she fears the most. Repeating the same mistake.¡± Nerine stared a little in confusion at the cryptic words. Yumi put more distance between them. She needed space. ¡®What happened between them?¡¯ Like Simonides, she had curiosity, but she had to withhold it. It wasn¡¯t the right time to probe deeper. ¡°I see the strategy,¡± commented Simonides, looking back at the disappearing forest. ¡°Sir?¡± When Nerine took a new look at the scene she started to understand as well. The flames had engulfed the entire forest. A massive inferno raged, stretching across more than a hundred meters of ground. Nothing could escape. ¡°If you can¡¯t find them, attack all points at once.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s simple, but effective.¡± Gray smoke filled yet another shallowly dug trench. It wasn¡¯t anywhere nearly as impressive as the one Saki made using Seiji. It was merely a few centimeters of the top of the earth shaved off. Mostly just grass went missing. It didn¡¯t change the fact Seiji laid amongst it. A couple clumps of grass fell on him. ¡°Losing again,¡± Chiharu commented, appearing standing near his head. She stared down at him with a narrow expression. ¡°Can¡¯t say I¡¯m surprised.¡± He glared over at her. ¡°Don¡¯t have a fight of your own?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been handled. Unlike this one.¡± Her tone of voice was more than enough to tick him off. Seiji jumped up to his feet and leveled his finger down at Chiharu. ¡°I didn¡¯t lose, brat! I already beat him!¡± Lifting her eyebrow in doubt, Chiharu examined him quickly. Blood streaks painted his face and arms. Significant parts of his body looked bruised and torn. The papers on his arm frayed looking ready to fall off in a few places. ¡°I didn¡¯t think it was possible for you to have incurred even more brain damage.¡± She leaned around him to see his opponent in the distance. The man he fought still stood though looking a little roughed up. She glanced back at him with even more suspicions. ¡°You don¡¯t have enough brain cells to see one move ahead, let alone plan your certain victory in the future.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± It actually made Seiji back off a little because he didn¡¯t understand Chiharu. He tried to figure out what she implied with her words. Unfortunately, thinking didn¡¯t get him anything but more trouble. A lost cause for him, Seiji passed on by it. ¡°He¡¯s already beat, he just won¡¯t give up!¡± ¡°So knock him out.¡± ¡°I tried several times, he just gets back up.¡± In their talk, the Atlantean closed the distance to attack. He wielded massive stone fists five times larger than even him. They hovered next to him moving with his motions. Chiharu easily dodged it, but Seiji seemed to hesitate taking the impact directly. It sent him flying again to cough up dirt. Chiharu appeared at his side once more staring down. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you dodge? He¡¯s not very fast.¡± Annoyed a little, Seiji knocked his fist into the ground creating a little crater under him. It pushed him back up to his feet. ¡°If you didn¡¯t distract me! I would have!¡± He charged in ignoring Chiharu¡¯s comments. The two exchanged a few blows. Seiji had the clear advantage, knocking the man down several times. Like Seiji said before, the soldier stood back up with a little more blood on his face, determined to keep fighting. ¡°Stay down already!¡± The stone fists threw punches at Seiji. ¡°Like I keep telling you, the only way you can beat me is if you kill me.¡± Seiji¡¯s hands shook suddenly. He tried to keep them from being noticed by tensing up. ¡°Stop saying that!¡± Charging in, he tried to knock the man down, but completely missed. Everything about his movement was off leaving him completely open. The counter sent Seiji flying back to Chiharu. ¡°Dammit all!¡± shouted Seiji, standing back up. He staggered a little trying to get back to his feet. Reading his movements, Chiharu tried to figure out what was wrong with him. ¡°This should be an easy fight for you. The guy¡¯s hardly worth our time.¡± The next attack from the Atlantean Chiharu stopped the movement of the man¡¯s attack with a single hand. Grass blew over behind her from the sudden halt as the displaced force needed to travel somewhere. She effortlessly tossed the man away leaving him to tumble a few times before skidding to a halt in the grass. ¡°Taking over my fight now?¡± Seiji stopped in front of Chiharu. He tried to hold his stature over her as a sign of his condition to fight. ¡°I¡¯m not done with this fight!¡± Her eyes narrowed a little, getting a bit of a read on him. ¡°The fight¡¯s already over for you. You¡¯re holding back.¡± Seiji¡¯s hand jumped out grabbing Chiharu¡¯s garb. His hand wrapped firmly around the loose bit of leather and chainmail. ¡°What the hell ya say, brat?¡± When she went to grab his wrist to break free, she paused. Her hand held on to his wrist just enough to stay in contact. ¡¯He¡¯s shaking. Is he scared?¡¯ Glancing over at the Atlantean starting to stand, Chiharu grew more questions in her head. ¡®Of him? He¡¯s worthless. Why is he like this?¡¯ She looked back at him to try to see in his eyes what scared him so much. It was supposed to be a talent of assassins to be able to read others, intent and emotion. Unfortunately, her skill remained unrefined. ¡°What¡¯s bothering you?¡± Annoyed, he slapped away her hand and dropped his hold. ¡°Nothing.¡± He walked over with the intent to continue the fight despite his apparent odds of doing so remained low. A few more exchanges had the Atlantean falling over and standing up. Seiji could put him down, but not permanently. Nothing he did ended the fight for good. Then Seiji hesitated again and flew away from a well-timed strike. Chiharu stepped in next to him again as he rose. ¡°If he keeps standing you only have one choice. He¡¯s already told you how to win.¡± She looked away at the soldier. ¡°Kill him.¡± Seiji paused for a second standing up. His body went cold. It lasted for a second then his muscles tensed in response. He forced himself to stand up. The shaking didn¡¯t stop. No control could bring it to an end. He took a step forward. ¡°Don¡¯t say something so casually! Like it is an easy word.¡± Seiji started marching towards the man again. ¡°You sound so comfortable with it.¡± An uneasy feeling churned in his stomach. She had nothing more to say to him. Chiharu disappeared from his sight. A moment later, she reappeared behind the Atlantean. Two kunai appeared, one in each hand. Their blades buried into the man¡¯s flesh in his arms. The quick motion made his arms drop to his side useless. His rock fists fell to the ground unmoving as well. In the next action, Chiharu wrapped her arms around his neck in a sleeper hold. He passed out quickly and jumped back up, however she remained locked on him. No matter how many times he revived, he couldn¡¯t outlast Chiharu¡¯s strength. Eventually, he had to give up. A few minutes later, Chiharu¡¯s work finished. She retrieved her blades and walked back. ¡°It¡¯s over, weakling.¡± A tone of disgust lined her words. Seiji held his head down feeling as if he lost something he didn¡¯t understand. The battle was over, but it felt like something worse only began. He dropped to his knees. It was all out of his control. Everything unraveled too quickly. ¡®¡­damn¡­Damn! DAMN!¡¯ Chapter 226 - Confronting Hades Evening fell again and an exhausted Nerine needed a break. It gave everyone a chance to sleep, despite many not being able to do so. There was a lot of restlessness among everyone. It seemed that only Simonides and Nerine slept with comfort. The Japanese teenagers had more than one trouble on their minds. Until recently, the Atlanteans were all trying to capture them, possibly kill, yet they were allies. Not being uneasy about the situation seemed like stupidity. Saki looked around at their camp, she volunteered for the watch. It seemed a pointless effort since most of them weren¡¯t even at camp. As much as she wished she could have stopped them, Seiji, Chiharu, Yori and Fumiko all had determined looks of wanting to be alone. Only Yumi remained and she looked embroiled in problems of her own. Their allies seemed asleep, giving the two some sense of privacy. ¡°¡­Yumi?¡± whispered Saki, trying to stay quiet. ¡°You asleep?¡± She already knew the answer, but didn¡¯t know how else to start the conversation. There appeared to be no reaction from Yumi initially, but after a few seconds her eyes opened. She didn¡¯t say anything to her. Silence wasn¡¯t something that Saki expected from her. Yumi felt like a different person, even earlier when she saw her giving orders. ¡°Is everything okay?¡± A difficult question to answer, but an easy one as well. Yumi knew she didn¡¯t hide her turmoil well, such was the weight of it. She remained silent; her mind triggered to the last exchange she had with Fumiko. Both battles ended. Her friends were safe. Yumi should have felt happy, but it only made her feel worse. The sight of Fumiko against the wall of flames crushed her chest. She didn¡¯t need any words to know that Fumiko woke fully from her depression. She understood everything. Fumiko returned to the group. She stared down at Yumi, her height seemed to be even greater than normal. No words exchanged, only stares, but it was all they needed. A few seconds later, Fumiko broke their lock and sat back down. A wall built between them. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Yumi replied with certainty. She dropped a wall clear enough for even someone like Seiji to see. Yumi tilted her head over to Saki. She remained on her back appearing as if she wanted rest. ¡°You¡¯ve got questions.¡± It was a redirect, but Yumi also saw it in Saki¡¯s eyes. There was more than just one question in her. Nodding, Saki shifted a little closer to Yumi to let her voice grow even quieter. ¡°What happened while I was away?¡± She held back on the questions earlier, not feeling comfortable with asking in front of the Atlanteans. There seemed to be an agreement with Yumi and Saki didn¡¯t want to spoil it with her suspicions. Yumi knew the question was coming. It was the first question anyone would have seen that Simonides and Nerine accompanied them. She couldn¡¯t get into the full details. ¡°After rescuing Yori, we fought them one last time. The battle ended with them following us. The bigger concern is the group known as the Omega Division becoming active.¡± ¡°I heard about them from Ayumi. They¡¯re supposed to be really powerful.¡± The mention of Ayumi made Yumi¡¯s face narrow a little. The mystery of which, she knew nothing about her objectives. It was only her word that she had. The truth could be something completely different. ¡°Our other concern is Ayumi.¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡± ¡°Things don¡¯t match up. The more we learn about the real one from them the more suspicious she becomes.¡± ¡°She¡¯s always been a little mysterious, but I think that¡¯s just the sort of person she is. She¡¯s been through a lot and opening up to people isn¡¯t easy.¡± Convincing Saki was going to be difficult. She spent the most time with Ayumi next to Yuki. They trusted her more than the rest. ¡®It might be part of her plan. Only Haruo is with them now.¡¯ Yumi didn¡¯t like the setup. ¡°Why did you leave Yuki behind? Weren¡¯t you going to protect him?¡± ¡°I did protect him! I stayed behind!¡± ¡°But you can¡¯t protect him anymore, you don¡¯t know where he is.¡± ¡°Ayumi and Haruo are still with him. He¡¯ll be fine. It was something I chose to do.¡± ¡°Did you?¡± Yumi agreed that it was something that seemed likely for Saki to do. However, it didn¡¯t feel right to her. It was very convenient for Ayumi, whose target was always Yuki. ¡°Of course! Why would you think otherwise?¡± ¡°Because I don¡¯t know who she is anymore. We don¡¯t know how many lies she told us and where the truth begins. All we know is that Yuki is important to her plans and now Haruo is the only one left until she¡¯s alone with him!¡± Saki wanted to slap Yumi for suggesting such a notion, but stopped herself. ¡°Ayumi¡¯s not the enemy!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know who the enemy is anymore. Things aren¡¯t that simple anymore.¡± Chapter 226 ¨C Confronting Hades Away from camp, Seiji slumped against a lonely tree in the dark plains. He couldn¡¯t look at the sky. His head hung down. Sweat dripped slowly down his jaw line. His breathing ran shallow, but not from fatigue. The reason lied in a different place. His hand started to shake again. The bandages glowed briefly until his free hand grasped tightly to his forearm. It stopped the shaking, but sweat built up on his back. He tried to get it all under control. The voices kept echoing in his mind. ¡®Stay down! You¡¯ve already lost.¡¯ ¡®You¡¯ll have to kill me. Not until one of us is dead is my mission complete.¡¯ Seiji shook his head trying to get their voice out of his head. He just needed to push it away. The further away it was the better he would be. ¡®I thought I had this under control. Damn him, why¡¯d I have to get so unlucky with my opponent.¡¯ He didn¡¯t think it was so powerful. The feeling wouldn¡¯t go away. He needed to suppress it. Seiji knew he lost the fight because of it. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡®I¡¯m going to kill you! You bastard!¡¯ his words echoed in his mind from his fight with Cosmas. It sent a shiver down his spine. His arm lost control once more. He fought over shaking. It threatened to dig deeper into his core. ¡°Still afraid?¡± a voice asked like a whisper. It took Seiji a minute to actually hear them, too distracted by his own problems. They might have called out to him earlier, but he could never be certain. He turned sharply the instant he realized there was someone else with him. It was Chiharu, the one he wanted to see the least. The cold and condescending look in her eyes hardened all of his features to mask out his problems. The shakes disappeared. ¡°What do you want?¡± he barked roughly, casually wiping off the sweat from his face. ¡°Get your head on straight.¡± Seiji tried to stand up, but his legs suddenly lost their strength. All he managed was a piercing glare at her. ¡°What was that again, brat?¡± She started to turn away from him, as though finished with her berating. ¡°I won¡¯t fight with a coward.¡± Chiharu began to walk away. ¡®Damn legs, move!¡¯ Slamming his fist against his leg did nothing to get them moving. He wasn¡¯t about to allow her to leave with insulting him. The last resort for him was lunging for her. He managed to drag himself over to her surprisingly quickly in the moments between seconds. Seiji latched onto her ankle, stopping her. ¡°I¡¯m not letting you leave after saying that! Who the hell do you think you are?!¡± Her eyes narrowed and looked down at him. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me.¡± She kicked his hand to break free, but he stubbornly held tight. ¡°Tch,¡± she muttered as her lips thinned a little. Another stronger kick didn¡¯t break her free. All she achieved was dirtying his hand. Chiharu was stuck. ¡°You¡¯re pathetic.¡± ¡°Get off your damn high horse, brat! You¡¯re always looking down at everyone.¡± His hand held firm. ¡°You think you¡¯re better than everyone here. That¡¯s why you call Yuki a weakling. Never once have I even heard you say any of our names!¡± Chiharu jolted away from him a little in surprise. ¡®He¡¯s right¡­¡¯ The tight hold on her leg snapped her out quickly. Her features sharpened back up. ¡°Prove yourself worthy to stand next me before you start complaining about such trifles.¡± Seiji¡¯s hand tightened up more on Chiharu¡¯s leg as his anger started to take control. ¡°Damn you! I thought after everything you actually saw us as friends. But you¡¯re just the same brat from when I met you!¡± He continued to hit nerves in Chiharu. She tried to kick him again to release her leg. It did nothing. ¡°I don¡¯t need friends! It¡¯s a pointless luxury.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not pointless!¡± shouted Seiji before he threw Chiharu to the ground. The surprise forced retaliation out of her. She kicked him wherever she could. He blocked what he could, but she got some good hits on his face and arms. ¡°Would you stop treating the entire damn world like your enemy for one second?!¡± He crawled up through the grass to face her directly. They struggled over position and freedom. Neither gave up any ground. Chiharu ground her teeth together. Her emotions ran hotter than she realized. She couldn¡¯t remember feeling so strongly. It was always him that brought it out of her. Her voice shouted with him keeping his volume and intensity. ¡°What would you know about me?! You who live in a comfortable home with no fear of attack in the dark hours of the night.¡± ¡°What does a little kid like you know?!¡± ¡°Do you know what it¡¯s like to wake up to find both your parents murdered? Do you know how it feels to live in the uncertainty that they won¡¯t come back to kill you? Or how it feels to lose the only person that means anything to you?!¡± Seiji found himself suddenly getting more than he bargained for with Chiharu. He couldn¡¯t say anything. ¡°When you¡¯ve lost every family member and know they¡¯re out there plotting your death, try and tell me the world is not your enemy!¡± ¡°Chiharu¡­I¡­¡± ¡°As long as you still have a family don¡¯t even start to talk like you know! You know nothing! Nothing!¡± Chiharu panted a little from being worked up so hard by him. Her emotions unfortunately remained hot. Just staring at him made her angrier. She couldn¡¯t stop herself. ¡°You in comfort have no place next to me! So go and nurse those fears of yours. Be weak and live such peace. Pretend the world is filled with kindness and good people all you want. Naivety is luxury. The real world is filled with death. Either kill or be killed! If you can¡¯t kill then get the hell out of here!¡± Her words jumped straight through him. His eyes widened for a moment. All of the fear returned in his body. The strength in his legs returned with a spark. He stood up clutching Chiharu. ¡°You¡¯re wrong!¡± Seiji threw Chiharu up against the tree with enough force to make the wood groan. Using all of her strength and flexibility, Chiharu reversed the hold on her and countered with a grapple using her whole body. ¡°You don¡¯t want to admit you''re afraid!¡± It had Seiji moving through the air. She sent him flying. When she finished she landed on her feet staring across at him. Seiji stood up, wiping the dirt from his face. ¡°You don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re talking about either!¡± He charged Chiharu with both hands out to grab her. She dug in her feet and grabbed his hands. It turned into a battle of strength. ¡°You think because I¡¯m a child still that I can¡¯t know! I¡¯ve more experience than you could have in two lifetimes!¡± Chiharu groaned a little with his strength starting to overpower her. His teeth ground together and bore through his lips. ¡°No, you don¡¯t understand! It¡¯s not what you think, but how could you know?! You¡¯re so comfortable with death that you wouldn¡¯t see it!¡± Seiji pushed harder to try to topple Chiharu, but she seemed to find reserves to hold out against him. ¡°It¡¯s not a fear of killing! I¡¯m afraid of how comfortable I am to kill!¡± ¡°What?!¡± Chiharu¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. Her body froze for a second, losing any ground she had against him. He beat her in the contest. Recovery was impossible. She did the only thing she could and converted her collapse into a throw. He went flying only stopped by the tree. Chiharu walked slowly over to him, slumped over. He said what he didn¡¯t want to say. Now out, he lost his will to fight. She panted heavily from the struggle. ¡°I was right, you still have such freedom. You¡¯re not afraid of killing¡­like me¡­¡± He looked up at Chiharu, trying to see if he heard her correctly. The shock in his face covered up any self-pity he had. ¡°What did you say?¡± She dropped herself down against the tree, opposite of Seiji. Chiharu didn¡¯t want to look at him and she doubted he wanted to do the same. It was a private affair. ¡°Was it the last fight?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± He tried to look around the tree at Chiharu, but realized she didn¡¯t want to be seen. It felt better. They seemed closer even with a tree between them it felt like nothing was dividing them. ¡°That you realized your fear?¡± ¡°No,¡± he answered, shaking his head. ¡°It was the first time it prevented me from fighting, but not the source. It was back at their camp rescuing Yumi¡¯s brother.¡± Seiji lifted his head to look at the stars. It was a surprisingly clear night. ¡°When Nerine was threatened I wanted to kill him so badly. All I could think about then was killing him, not even about saving her. I just wanted to see him dead with my hand crushing his heart.¡± The thought made his hands shake again. ¡°I didn¡¯t know I was capable of such darkness. In the past, I fought to get stronger and challenge myself, but out here it¡¯s different. Many of them here are fighting, willing to kill or die for the country. I don¡¯t know if I can fight them knowing if they push me far enough I will actually kill them.¡± Seiji tightened his hand up against his legs to keep it under control. ¡°You¡¯re right I¡¯m not used to this sort of world. But I¡¯d rather not have such a luxury as being willing to kill.¡± A stifled laugh seemed to escape Chiharu¡¯s lips. ¡°You continue to defy my expectations. The willingness to kill is important to have when something you care about is on the line. Your fear is something you¡¯ll have to overcome yourself, but if you¡¯ve held yourself back all this time you¡¯re probably fine.¡± ¡°Maybe, but I¡¯m just a high school student. It¡¯s not the sort of thing I should have to think about.¡± Seiji remembered the slip Chiharu made. He paused in thought. The subject could be sensitive, but he felt in such an atmosphere no other time would seem right. He took the chance. ¡°What about you? You¡¯re afraid?¡± ¡°That¡¯s something you don¡¯t need to know,¡± she answered quickly. Chiharu went silent for several moments. Her back pressed a little more into the tree. ¡°¡­is what I would normally say. I guess it¡¯s fair to ask. The truth¡­I¡¯ve never killed anyone before.¡± ¡°What?! But you keep saying you¡¯re an assassin and you were trained to kill people!¡± ¡°I know. What people say is not always the same as reality.¡± She went silent again, her memories catching up to her. ¡°There was a chance I had to kill someone, a few actually. But the one that mattered I failed to go through with it. When they killed my grandfather, I couldn¡¯t kill his murderer when I faced them. I couldn¡¯t avenge his death, because I was too afraid.¡± She laughed a bit. ¡°I was trained since I could stand in the ways of my clan in the art of killing, yet I couldn¡¯t do it. Who ever heard of an assassin too afraid to kill their target?¡± Chiharu fell into a bit of self-pity in her silence. Memories and images flew through her mind. It made her think of things she preferred to ignore. ¡°I call him a weakling, but I¡¯m just as weak.¡± Seiji stretched his hand out behind him, finding Chiharu¡¯s hand in the grass. He placed his hand on top of hers. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re still a kid. You¡¯ve got plenty of time ahead of you to get over it!¡± ¡°You know you just encouraged a child to murder.¡± His face went red. ¡°Hey, I just said what I thought you wanted to hear. I¡¯m not like Yuki who¡¯d say you shouldn¡¯t kill and you should find a different path. The path you¡¯re following is important to you. I might not agree with you killing people, but it was what you wanted to follow and I think knowing what you want to do is the most important for yourself. The rest will come when you need it.¡± ¡°I guess you¡¯re right.¡± Chiharu smiled to herself. ¡°We just have to overcome our fears.¡± Chapter 227 - Walking Titans Another day passed. Each passing day made it feel even more likely for them that Glykeria¡¯s comment would become the truth. None of them were pleased with the situation. No further orders came to them. It meant nothing but waiting on something likely never to happen. Their strength held in reserve as a pointless effort. Others were granted entertainment. Rheia dropped her hand on the long stone table. The recent intel from the field agents tracking the intruders faded away. Their failures gave them some thoughts on being able to do something, but the signs remained clear. ¡°That ends the meeting. Report back in twelve hours.¡± She leaned in her rigid chair as though it was comfortable. ¡°Dismissed.¡± ¡°Boring!¡± shouted Glykeria with a tune in her voice. She darted around the room in an erratic pattern before breaking for the door. The massive stone door made no sign of budging for her. In the last second, a small break in one of the doors cracked and a makeshift door appeared swinging open for her. It was just the right height for her to make it through. Once through, it closed behind her and any sign of it disappeared. Following behind her, Nereus walked away from the table. ¡°Their continued successes may make them worth some small notice.¡± There seemed to be a bit of curiosity in his voice as he made for the door. The stone forcibly made an inelegant opening for him. It didn¡¯t seem to want to touch him or perhaps the opposite. Behind him, the stone returned to normal. Ourias remained disinterested during the entire meeting. His pace out of the room nearly caught him up to Nereus, despite being slower in acting. ¡°Doors are nothing,¡± he commented mysteriously. The material of the stone seemed to shift and alter into a mist-like form as he passed through. ¡°Doesn¡¯t really matter much if they show up or not. It won¡¯t change anything,¡± Teris remarked on his leaving. He disappeared suddenly from sight in mid-stride not taking any concern for the door. Her fist tightened up, shaking a little. ¡°They better show up.¡± The aggravated tone in her voice marked something deeper inside her. She stood up sharply and made for the door. Her gaze went somewhere else, not giving the door any mind as she approached. When it came time to meet the door in an unforgiving fashion, she simply passed through it as though it held no form to her. She acknowledged none of it, making for the hallway in a brisk pace. Chapter 227 ¨C Walking Titans Even though she left not much later than the other Titans, none of them were in the empty hallway. It was nothing that concerned her. She already knew where she stood with all of them. She knew too well their positions, repeated attempts made no change in it. She was stuck. Eventually, the halls began to fill with members passing through. They were all eyes she recognized. They knew her. Many kept a wide margin between her. Such behavior barely even made her notice anymore. She dealt with such fear for so long that she simply accepted it as her way of life. In the past, it annoyed her to no end. It pushed her to rage. Something she never realized, but the reaction they had of her currently was likely the result of her emotions to how she acted in the past. Unfortunately for her, the damage was long done. The effect she had on people could never be undone. It left her in an endless state. The morning routine for her brought her just outside the main building of Omega. It was a large complex housing hundreds of soldiers, all gifted with the power. Among the Capital, it stood as one of the three most recognizable structures, only the Palace and Academy had equal prominence. The Omega Division complex was smaller than the academy, which had to support thousands, but stretched high into the sky. Its engineering was impossible with the materials it appeared to be made from, just another sign. However, it wasn¡¯t as majestic as the sprawling Palace in form or beauty. It was like a giant needle ugly, but always present stabbing towards the heart a millimeter at a time. Outside, Rheia turned immediately once she left the threshold. She then started walking up the curved foundation of the build until she was completely horizontal. The walk up the wall was as though it was just the ground for her. About ten meters up the wall, she stopped. The view of the courtyard gave her an unobstructed sight of everyone passing through. Gravity did little to stop her. Her spiky mess of hair stayed in place with the same look of waking up in the morning, mostly because it was actually the case. If someone looked at her from the right angle, she would have been mistaken for standing on the ground. Below her, she watched with deep intent at the others passing through the halls of Omega. None of them escaped her sights. A fight between two bickering agents over a mission broke out to the side, few cared about it (even less for Rheia). Several ran out, given the state of emergency in the country, they were likely just assigned to hunt down the intruders. Some were just not strong enough, which seemed a bit ironic for the elite of the MPs in Omega. However, the intruders¡¯ strength had been measured and only the veterans deployed. At the gate of the tall walls surrounding Omega, a young man stepped up to the imposing presence of the Omega Division. He had a clean and prepared appearance looking to make a good impression. However, most of his attention stuck to the giant structure. It was something always seen at a distance during the academy days. Those days reminded him of his friend, which pulled his eyes back to the stone path. It was fortunate for him, as someone waved to him. ¡°There you are, Taras!¡± He rushed over to his friend¡¯s side. Taras threw out a hand to welcome him. ¡°You made it back safely!¡± The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Yes, is the news true about the South Gate?¡± He shrugged a bit, since most of his intel was rumors. ¡°Heard they were wiped out by a group of rebels.¡± ¡°That¡¯s crazy! I never would have imagined I¡¯d be living in another rebellion.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a little surreal thinking about it. But that¡¯s why they have Omega, right?¡± ¡°Have they already deployed?¡± ¡°The halls aren¡¯t as crowded. But enough of that talk.¡± Taras stepped up alongside his friend. ¡°How you doing, Elias?¡± Elias tried to open his mouth for an answer, but failed. Something whizzed by his leg almost knocking him over. It took him a moment to regain his balance with the help of Taras. ¡°What was that?¡± The blur he saw didn¡¯t give him any clear sign of what bumped him. Craning his neck around, Taras looked for what struck his friend. The sight of a bright pink haired child jumped out amongst the subdued colors surrounding them. He knew immediately. ¡°That¡¯s Lieutenant Commander Glykeria, one of the Titans, or rather one of her dolls that hit you. She likes to use the courtyard in the morning to play.¡± ¡°A Titan?!¡± It took him back to see a Titan already. They were the elite, so he didn¡¯t expect to see them around like one of Omega agents. ¡°I heard stories about them, but to actually see them this close.¡± However, Glykeria¡¯s appearance gave him an odd feeling. ¡°Is she a new member?¡± ¡°No, I heard she¡¯s one of the more veteran members. I think she¡¯s been with them for ten years or so.¡± ¡°Ten years?¡± He looked closer at her, questioning his friend¡¯s knowledge. ¡°That can¡¯t be right.¡± Taras looked at Elias closely with words in his eyes. ¡°Think about it.¡± It didn¡¯t immediately pick up to him what Taras implied, but it didn¡¯t take long. ¡°Oh, really?¡± Taras nodded to him. There wasn¡¯t a lot more that needed to be said. It made sense to him, but it seemed that Taras knew nothing more with the short answer. The sight of her running off to the main building distracted him from his friend, still piecing things together. It surprised him to see her suddenly climbing the wall of the building with only her hands, her feet dangling free with no support. Glykeria climbed the wall as though it was as natural as walking. When she made it up to Rheia¡¯s position, she stopped and let one hand go free. Her body remained unfazed, as she appeared to be leaning against the wall with only the one hand keeping her attached from falling. ¡°What¡¯s up, Ray!¡± Her bubbly attitude pulled no response from Rheia. ¡°Looking for fresh meat?¡± She glanced down at the ground. Rheia caught sight of one she didn¡¯t recognize entering the walls. ¡®A new member¡­¡¯ Her eyes narrowed as everything focused on the new MP stepping through. A young man bright eyed still filled with eagerness. Their voices carried to her, despite the impossible distance. ¡°So Elias¡­you finally made it into Omega,¡± his friend said with some excitement. ¡°I knew you could do it!¡± ¡°Still can¡¯t believe it.¡± He seemed a little embarrassed. His eyes glossed over everything. It was too much to take in with his mindset. ¡°After I got dumped out in the North Gate, I thought I¡¯d never be able to get in.¡± Taras laughed a bit and grabbed him with a hardy hug at his shoulder. ¡°Now we can do missions together here like we always dreamed, Elias! Just remember, things are more cutthroat around here.¡± ¡°Uh huh¡­¡± Something caught his eye. In all his staring, he discovered Rheia. It was an unusual sight, even if he understood how she managed it. He hardly expected to see someone just standing on the wall staring like a hawk over everyone. ¡°Something wrong? Getting nervous?¡± ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Oh stay away from her, that¡¯s Commander Rheia of the Titans.¡± The man¡¯s eyes grew in surprise, not expecting to find the infamous Rheia out among everyone. Her name was enough to make him start to sweat a little. Despite only being the third most powerful MP in the country, he was more afraid of her than the others in front of her. ¡°Are the stories true?¡± ¡°Worse, she¡¯s killed several of her teachers from what I heard during her early days in Omega. She regularly almost kills anyone that challenges her. So don¡¯t even think about her, Elias.¡± A small gasp came out of his mouth. The rumors seemed true. He remembered the Academy was always a buzz with stories about her, usually ones meant to scare children. ¡°Is it true what they say? She accepts anyone¡¯s challenge regardless of rank?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why I said don¡¯t even think about her. You know why she¡¯s standing up there, right?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an open challenge. She¡¯s asking anyone that can meet her up there for a fight. There¡¯s too many idiots and cocky bastards in here that can only think of the glory of taking her down.¡± His friend looked over at him checking on his condition. It seemed he wasn¡¯t afraid enough, more curious. ¡°You know why she asks them to fight up there?¡± Elias turned his head back down to his friend, distracted by the sight. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a test she¡¯s giving. Most of us don¡¯t have Addendums setup in our Fields to stand like that. So you have to modify your Field just to fight her, which will throw anyone off. Then if you¡¯re not smart, you have a ten meter drop if you¡¯re lucky. Most end up with broken backs or bodies just from slipping up in the first ten seconds, if they last that long.¡± The more he heard the more it amazed him. She was unlike any other MP he knew. ¡°Is that her fighting style?¡± Despite her name being widely known, few actually knew what her Law set was actually. No one lasted long enough to discover it. ¡°Of course not! It¡¯s just a test. Though no one I¡¯ve seen has lasted more than twenty seconds against her, except one.¡± ¡°Who was that?¡± ¡°Sergeant Commander Nereus of the Titans and he¡¯s only the 8th strongest of them.¡± ¡°What?! I thought the Titans were all really close in strength.¡± ¡°Most of them are, Commander Rheia is the exception. Even the 2nd strongest of the Titans doesn¡¯t even compare to her.¡± ¡°Scary,¡± he remarked, despite his curiosity of her still growing. His friend grabbed his shoulder tightly. ¡°So just listen to my warning, don¡¯t even think about approaching her. She¡¯s out of your league, everyone here in Omega in fact. She won¡¯t even think for a second about killing you if you consider challenging her.¡± The young man nodded to his friend, understanding his worry. ¡°Alright, I get what you¡¯re saying.¡± ¡°Good, because I want you to live a good long life. We¡¯ve got missions to do!¡± Rheia¡¯s brow lowered a little when they finally started moving again. It looked to be another fruitless day for her. However, she would remain waiting against hope. Chapter 228 - Peak Walkers A pointless meeting. It was over. Nothing was ever going to happen. That was the reality. The others wished or hoped against reality. It was pointless. Nothing would change. Accepting the facts as they always had been was the only way. Nothing would happen. He only kept going because it was an order. She commanded it. The look in her eyes was very clear. He saw how much she wanted it. They were but trash. ¡®Rheia should not be giving them even a moment of her attention. They aren¡¯t worth our time.¡¯ All of the forces sent against them would be enough. Nothing would change. ¡°Nereus!¡± shouted a familiar voice through the stone walls. They purposely made their voice difficult to pinpoint by making it travel through the walls. ¡°I¡¯m going to take my rightful spot back today!¡± Nereus ignored the voice even though he knew exactly who it was. He continued his slow walk through the hall. Only one other person was in the hall making it the usual perfect timing to stage an ambush without having interruption. However, the hallway closed off suddenly. The stone grew out in uniform shapes seamlessly to seal off his path forward. A ripple came out from his feet. He tested the area making evaluations. Passing him with no interest in the quarrel, Ourias made a brisk pace for the blockage. ¡°A wall of stone is but like a mist in the forest, without form.¡± The stone suddenly changed form to turn into thin particles of vapor. He passed through without interruption. A few seconds later, it reverted to stone again. His eyes narrowed a little, already working out the factors. ¡®How strong is that man?¡¯ thought Nereus. The words themselves were meaningless against a person like that. His Field gave him strength and the real reason it worked. However, the distance he affected it from was more than Nereus believed the man capable of. ¡®He¡¯s only ranked twelfth among us, but he made easy work of it. Their strength should not be very disparate.¡¯ The matter required more thought, but it wasn¡¯t something afforded to him. Several extrusions from the wall shot out for him. However, they came to a halt a meter away stopped by something. It was almost invisible, but a ripple ran through the impossibly thin surface. It was water. ¡°You would better spend your time challenging Ourias than myself. It wasn¡¯t I who took your seat.¡± ¡°Silence!¡± they shouted again. Rumbles ran through the stone reacting to their voice. ¡°You¡¯re the reason I¡¯m no longer a Titan!¡± Another barrage came after him, but it had the same effect. The difference was clear. ¡°It was the 8th seat I took, not the 12th.¡± ¡°You displaced me!¡± ¡°You were the weakest. It¡¯s only natural. It is the way the Titans work.¡± ¡°Arrogant bastard!¡± A bit of his eyebrow raised. Nereus began walking forward forcibly using his Field to make a path for him. ¡°Despite the number of times you call me arrogant, I only speak the truth. It is just the way things are. Until you become stronger you will not be able to join.¡± There was no condescending tone in his voice, just matter of fact. He didn¡¯t seem to hold any ill-will towards the man. And why should he, he wasn¡¯t his equal or comrade. He was at least alive, unlike so many others. ¡°I¡¯ve given you your opportunity. Good day, Seilenos.¡± Nereus had nothing more to say to the man and left. Chapter 228 ¨C Peak Walkers Outside the confines of Omega, Ourias walked through the crowded streets of the Capital. He forewent his uniform, preferring more simple clothes, a tunic and pants. Amongst the smaller structures, he felt a little more comfortable. The giant needle behind him of Omega still cast a long shadow. But under the cloth overhangs and sandwiched buildings, he felt like he could hide a little from their sights. It was better being outside. He went up to a storefront, it was just a table with handmade goods. Inside, he could see it was their home. Many of the shops were just like it. He browsed through casually, not completely sure what he searched for. The middle-aged woman smiled at him waiting for him. It took him a few minutes, but he found it. ¡°I¡¯ll take this one,¡± he answered, picking it up. However, when he started to hand it over someone bumped into him. It was enough force to turn him part way around and lose hold of the item. He looked back to see what happened. Two MP users stood behind him. The one that bumped into him looked annoyed at the disruption. It didn¡¯t help that Ourias showed no sign of fear towards him, unlike the woman. She immediately recognized their white uniform and started to try to pull away. ¡°What you looking at old man?¡± they barked, leaning in to invade his space. Ourias no longer held any interest in them. He saw where it headed fast. ¡®Typical¡­¡¯ His eyes looked down in search of what he dropped. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I thought!¡± The young man started to walk away with his friend following up. It seemed like they would let things go. However, when Ourias moved to pick up the trinket, acid bubbled up moving for his hand. He was able to get away in time, but the trinket was almost completely ruined. The acid destroyed the paint and carved into the metal making it two pieces. The same as before, just enough to scare, but not to actually harm. There was never a danger of that. Even they knew not to act so recklessly. Ourias stood up holding the remains of the accessory in his hand. He started to dig around for coin. ¡°How much was it?¡± The frightened woman needed a little more time to recover. She couldn¡¯t answer him immediately. It took Ourias helping her back to her feet to be able to speak. ¡°Are you hurt, sir?¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Just a little startle, nothing more,¡± he replied, shaking his head. He played it all off. ¡°How are you?¡± ¡°Oh fine!¡± She tried to look brave. It was a common occurrence, but it didn¡¯t change that each encounter could turn dangerous with the slightest of mistakes. ¡°If I didn¡¯t feel so damn much about the home I¡¯ve lived in my whole life I¡¯d pack up and leave. Adelpha is always telling me how nice it is outside the Capital. They¡¯re still out there too, but as long as you don¡¯t live in the border towns it¡¯s much better.¡± He smiled a little, seeing that she looked to have recovered. ¡°I¡¯m same. If it wasn¡¯t for my family I¡¯d be out there too.¡± Ourias passed over the trinket to the woman. ¡°It¡¯s broken! I¡¯ll get you something else.¡± She started looking over her table in search of something better. ¡°How much?¡± he insisted. His free hand held out a few coins. The woman jumped up to her feet. She tried to refuse him. ¡°But sir, it¡¯s broken! I can¡¯t ask you to pay for it.¡± ¡°It was my mistake, I¡¯ll pay for it.¡± She could see the stubbornness in his eyes. There was no chance of her convincing him otherwise. ¡°Two brass.¡± Unfortunately, her answer didn¡¯t go over well for him. He could see through her lie and insisted further. ¡°Fine, it was four silver.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± he smiled, handing over the coin for it. Ourias walked off. Once out of sight, he closed his hand over the broken accessory. ¡°It returned to its original form as though the acid never touched it.¡± Lifting his hand, the trinket was no longer damaged, returned to its original condition. A distant explosion broke the peace he held. Everyone around him ran off frightened at what happened. He tilted his head back in the direction of the explosion. Smoke rose from damage on the spire of the Omega complex. ¡®Teris again...¡¯ Ourias turned away, no longer concerned. Coughing escaped through the heavy clouds of smoke. Nothing could be seen through thickness. The explosion left everything ringing. Light broke in through the hole carved out roughly by the blast. Sifting through the smoke, a young man fumbled around in search. ¡°Where are you, sir? Are you alright?¡± He couldn¡¯t find the one he sought. The smoke was still too thick for him to find anything. In his search, he did find the table, which he knocked over by accident, at least the remains of it. He stumbled around trying to recover his stance. ¡°Captain Lieutenant!?¡± Another couple of coughs turned his head. He found a direction to move. Broken glass crunched under foot as he rushed over to the sound. Some of the smoke thinned enough for him to make out a shape. ¡°Captain Lieutenant Teris! Sir!¡± He came rushing to his superior¡¯s side finally discovering him propped up against the wall, next to him the wall stopped with a startling view of the city below. Teris grimaced a little as he looked up to his approaching aide. ¡°Didymos¡­¡± The more smoke cleared out, the scene of carnage unveiled itself. Blood dripped on the walls and pooled out across the floor. He seemed to ignore or not notice this fact as he pushed off the wall trying to stand. The moment he stumbled and almost fell, he realized something was wrong. ¡°Oh right, my left leg and arm were blown off.¡± ¡°Sir!¡± yelled Didymos, running out to help Teris up. ¡°You¡¯re missing your leg and arm!¡± His face went a little flat hearing his aide. ¡°Yes, thank you for repeating me.¡± A chair materialized in his surviving hand allowing him to set up a place to sit. Didymos immediately started healing the damage. ¡°You¡¯re an idiot, Didymos.¡± ¡°Eh? Sir?¡± Didymos tilted his head up away from his work. Testing his restored arm out, he confirmed everything worked correctly. ¡°You have power, use it when you need it. If there¡¯s smoke in the room, create an Addendum to remove it. I wouldn¡¯t have had to hear you shouting like a blind fool.¡± His aide blinked a little not expecting to be berated by his superior, who nearly seemed to have killed himself. ¡°But, sir¡ª¡° ¡°You panicked and that¡¯s a mistake. In the time you tried searching for me, I was able to administer a numbing agent and a clotting agent to slow the bleeding. You¡¯re an Omega soldier, you need to be able to act calmly and rationally even in dangerous situations or you¡¯re useless. You¡¯ll just get yourself killed.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± It was the only thing he could say. He knew Teris was right. It was his mistake. The work on Teris¡¯ body finished quickly. Freed up, Didymos could look around at the room. It used to be a laboratory for Teris, a well-reinforced one too. ¡°What happened here, sir? It looks like a bomb went off.¡± Teris scratched his head. His mind was already sorting through the failure and understanding what went wrong with it. Didymos¡¯ words eventually caught up to him mixed among his thoughts. ¡°I was working on a new compound. I got the proportions wrong.¡± He stood up already better. ¡°Like I always say, one failure is another path explored.¡± ¡°But, sir! It could have killed you! With the power you have, you could have made what you wanted perfectly the first time!¡± The tall Atlantean looked back down at Didymos. His face narrowed a bit, turning serious. ¡°You can¡¯t let your powers do everything, otherwise you never learn anything.¡± He pushed his hand through the air causing it to ripple. Everything up to his elbow disappeared before he retrieved it along with a spherical vial. He took the cork top off and drank the contents. ¡°Like this, in lame men¡¯s terms it¡¯s a restorative. The average citizen wouldn¡¯t know it any different from the stuff people peddle on the streets. It actually increases the production of red blood cells to make up for the blood I lost. As a side effect, it boosts alertness and energy, making you very hungry and causes dehydration. So I know to drink plenty of water and snack frequently.¡± Teris tossed the vial carelessly behind him. It vanished into particles before ever hitting the floor. ¡°I know the exact composition of this and all the effects.¡± He walked around the mess towards the only thing in the room that didn¡¯t look affected by the blast. Almost nothing remained in the room, yet the tall closet in the corner looked brand new. He opened the doors, shelves empty. ¡°If I had the materials, I could create it by hand. The same goes for everything in there.¡± Teris motioned with his hand causing a large rift to open up next to him. Suddenly, vials started to pop on to the shelves filling it. ¡°To use your powers means to understand them. If you don¡¯t understand what they do you can¡¯t use them to their fullest. This is basic Field theory.¡± Didymos had a little trouble still accepting Teris¡¯ lecture. He understood what he said. It was common sense, but he couldn¡¯t agree with the results. ¡°But, sir! You destroyed your lab! Almost killed yourself! Maybe some knowledge is too dangerous. You¡¯re one of the Titans, if we lost you¡ª¡° ¡°Didymos!¡± snapped Teris, cutting him off. The unpacking finished and he closed the closet. He started to walk over to the hole in the wall. A ripple came out of his feet. ¡°It¡¯s just a title. It doesn¡¯t rank my importance any higher.¡± The wall began repairing itself. ¡°Besides, I knew how much I was using and the worst possible outcome. I wouldn¡¯t have died. If you remember one thing from me. There is nothing, nothing, too dangerous to know. Growth is not possible without more knowledge.¡± ¡°Even if it is something you shouldn¡¯t know?¡± He shouldn¡¯t have said anything. Didymos knew it, but his mouth moved anyway. It was one too many questions. Clapping his hands together, the lab started to rebuild itself. His wall returned to being the same clean white special reinforced concrete mix. ¡°Of course, each has its uses. Knowing what you shouldn¡¯t is even more important, because you can see when someone is going to come after you. If you know too little or just enough, it¡¯s worse than knowing nothing or too much.¡± Everything was fixed. Teris returned to his table with vials of his materials once more. He was ready to resume, undaunted by his failure. It didn¡¯t take his eyes to know Didymos tried to sneak out. ¡°Didymos.¡± He froze, feeling caught. Thoughts of helping with the experience ran through his mind. Sweat dripped down his face. ¡°Yes, sir?¡± ¡°It¡¯s important to remember what I said. The times we live in hinge on you taking that to heart or else you won¡¯t survive the future.¡± Didymos felt relieved, but a little disturbed. He didn¡¯t expect such an ominous warning from his superior. The almost deadly seriousness of his words made him take it to heart. ¡°I understand, sir! I¡¯ll carve your words into my mind.¡± ¡°You do that.¡± He began to lift the vial. His aide reached for the door wanting to leave quickly. ¡°Didymos.¡± Another chance, he dreaded it even more. ¡°Yes, sir?¡± ¡°Close the door on your way out.¡± He nodded and flung the door open. ¡°I will, sir!¡± Teris grinned a little. ¡°Now this is where it started last time. So if I take this instead¡­¡± Chapter 229 - Silence Doesnt Stand It had finally happened. The lengthy journey of days had the end goal in sight. It seemed almost in reach. There wasn¡¯t going to be anything more to stop them. All they had to do was just go forward and cross the finish line. That should have been all that needed to be done. Of course, nothing could be easy. If it was easy, Yuki¡¯s friends wouldn¡¯t have to fight their entire way through Atlantis just to stop those wanting him dead. However, the ease or challenge of reaching the Capital wasn¡¯t important. The important matter for them was that they were stopped, again. Yuki brought their traveling disc to a halt. ¡°Damn, I thought I threw him off our trail.¡± The past hour had him trying to out-run or just simply out maneuver against their pursuer. Every time it seemed he succeeded the man showed up again. Escape seemed pointless. ¡°It was bound to happen, especially with how many we¡¯ve been avoiding.¡± Ayumi leaned a little forward examining her surroundings. The risk for others was very high. They slipped past or escaped so many that she stopped keeping track of them past twenty. Some frustration seemed to bubble up in Yuki. He looked back at the way they came. ¡°You were doing so well, Ayumi! We only needed another twenty minutes and you wouldn¡¯t have hit twenty-four hours!¡± Sweat dripped down Ayumi¡¯s head hearing his response. ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯re upset about? Our record being broken?¡± ¡°What?¡± he replied, almost completely obviously to the danger. ¡°The travel is boring unless you make a game out of it.¡± She could only sigh, dropping her head into her hand. ¡°So much for maturing¡­¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Never mind¡­¡± Ayumi didn¡¯t know why she should have expected anything different from him. But the comedy act had to come to an end. Their pursuer didn¡¯t enjoy the lighter tone. He launched an attack quickly in the form of a purplish orb of energy. She lifted her arm up to deal with the attack, but Yuki appeared behind her. His arm stretched out matching her. The particles of his power spread out in front of Ayumi. It deflected the orb away into the sky until it disappeared. Immediately, Yuki counterattacked, swiping at the man. The particles hardened into an edge that sliced through the makeshift barrier setup. Their pursuer went down in an instant. ¡°It¡¯s done.¡± Ayumi looked up over her shoulder at him. It caught her a little by surprise at the face she saw. The moment the attack happened Yuki changed completely. It wasn¡¯t even just him becoming serious. She could see something else in his eyes. ¡°Yuki?¡± In the past, he hesitated and didn¡¯t strike immediately, but it was different. ¡°I could have¡ª¡° ¡°Wait¡­¡± Yuki looked around the area again. The disc they sat on disappeared forcing them to stand on the ground. A ripple came out from his feet wiping out everything that surrounded them. Rocks, trees, even the hills. He forcibly made everything a flat plain of grass. His eyes narrowed. It was as he thought. Surrounding them on all sides, more than a dozen MPs carefully spaced out in a manner that avoided each other in a meaningful way. Their Fields still would have interfered with the other, but none of that mattered. Yuki¡¯s Field nearly wiped all of their Fields away. She guessed as much. They were all ones they tried to escape and thought to have avoided. ¡®It was just simply a trap. They wanted us to think we lost them and that he was the only one. Even Omega knows how to work together when they need to do so.¡¯ Unfortunately, the numbers were too great. She looked around for any weakness in their encirclement. Looking over at Yuki, a heavy shadow fell over his eyes. His features hardened in preparation to act. She could easily read his plans. Ayumi stepped out in front of him. ¡°This is more than we can handle, Yuki. We need to focus on escape.¡± ¡°Maybe for you, but not for me.¡± Mists of energy began to build up around him. The volume grew larger with each second. ¡°You¡¯ve improved, but don¡¯t get cocky! These are Omega agents most likely. They aren¡¯t like the border soldiers you dealt with.¡± Yuki pushed Ayumi aside to stand in front of her. Determination lowered over his eyes like a veil in front of a deeper emotion, covering it away. ¡°My fight with Vangelis showed me a few things. It¡¯s only been a couple of days or so, but I¡¯ve got a better handle on this now.¡± Gesturing with his hand, he closed his fist. Suddenly, in the distance the terrain he cut into began to restore itself, as his Field shrank. It sped in towards Yuki quickly covering meters. The distance slowed down after covering more than twenty meters. The border of his Field pushed and released struggling to keep a hard line. Ayumi measured out the distance roughly. ¡®It¡¯s not a completed Fold, but he¡¯s getting very close¡­¡¯ She stared ahead at Yuki¡¯s back. ¡®If he manages to complete even a single Fold, doubling his power from what he already has¡­¡¯ Yet, doubled or not, she saw it didn¡¯t even matter. Yuki¡¯s power was still on a completely different level than the grunt Omega agents. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. In mere seconds, Yuki wiped out the entire encirclement with his mist. He made the elite of Omega look like children on their first day at the Academy. ¡®His power is already¡­¡¯ Ayumi stifled as much of her surprise as she could. Yuki turned away looking back at Ayumi. He dropped his Field and started walking past her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m here,¡± he whispered to her, placing a hand on her shoulder briefly. The disc they rode on appeared again, though the design changed a lot from their previous. It had harsher lines and less detail work. Everything caught back up to Ayumi in a few moments. She shook it all off her and started to follow him. The peace was brief though, when she discovered that they were still not alone. Several more MPs came out of hiding determined to stop them. ¡°Even more¡­they must have emptied the entire building for us.¡± Pausing, he looked over his shoulder. The ready-to-attack look didn¡¯t have enough time to leave. ¡°Seems they didn¡¯t understand my message.¡± Yuki started to turn, but Ayumi stopped him. ¡°This is pointless, Yuki. They are a different breed, intimidation is not going to work with them. Many are people that actually enjoy the challenge brought on by someone strong and you just flaunting your strength is only going to entice them further.¡± Ayumi searched through the area again. She had a bad feeling about the situation. In the distance, the Capital had finally poked over the horizon. ¡°We¡¯re closer to the Capital, meaning all of those stationed in the Capital are finally reaching us. We¡¯re only going to keep getting overwhelmed by numbers and not make any progress.¡± ¡°What are you suggesting then?¡± Ayumi looked at Haruo, silent the entire time (maybe forgotten?). ¡°Haruo remains behind to hold them off. His animals can let him take on several at once.¡± She immediately glanced over at Yuki to see his reaction. The last time with Saki was a struggle. It was only a second, but it seemed longer. Yuki looked over at Haruo. ¡°You¡¯re right. You good for it, Haruo?¡± The silent one had little reaction to the surprising acceptance. He started walking towards Ayumi. Haruo stared at her in silence. The lack of any sort of emotion made it difficult to read if he was upset with her or not. It easily made them want to read him as angry, but they waited for his response. ¡°Move.¡± Chapter 229 ¨C Silence Doesn¡¯t Stand Ayumi loaded back onto their transport, Yuki already waiting. They looked back at Haruo. His broad back seemed willing to be the wall to hold everything back. Even the tide of soldiers fast approaching did not sway him. Several lights expanded out around Haruo, signs of his animals. She sat down holding carefully to the edge of the disc as it began to move. ¡°We¡¯re still going to have trouble getting out. Last time, there wasn¡¯t anyone else, but not this time. This close to the Capital, the area is going to be crawling with MPs.¡± He nodded to her. ¡°Then we¡¯ll just need to make it difficult for them.¡± The disc started rising into the air. Below them, flashes of lights and explosions went off. The fighting started. Yuki had to dodge a few projectiles tossed at him as he got into the air. They weren¡¯t making it easy on him. The disc rocked around buckled by the attacks. ¡°Ayumi can you keep them off us, while I fly?¡± Given the situation, she had to look at him a little in disbelief that he would ask such a question. However, Ayumi saw he was serious. The look on his face told her he had a plan, but likely one she was not going to like. ¡°What exactly are you thinking?¡± she asked, immediately regretting it. ¡°¡­well¡­¡± Haruo kept his animals moving around the area, holding back the attacks. He had to keep some of the soldiers from trying to go after Yuki. It was a little more intense of a situation than he was familiar with. The numbers weren¡¯t something outside of his experience, just not all of them having powers. He had to play more defensively with so many attackers. ¡®Saki never ended up returning. It¡¯s likely this is where I¡¯ll stay, with these numbers.¡¯ Another of the attackers revealed their power. Water spread everywhere making it difficult for his wolves. ¡®I wonder how many I¡¯m able to maintain¡­ I haven¡¯t tried to stress this power yet.¡¯ He directed the wolves away, letting the birds swap in for them. Their agility and flight made the water almost pointless. ¡®I still don¡¯t even know how it functions. I only know how to make it work, not why it works. It¡¯s very unsettling not understanding this¡­¡¯ He tossed another few items into the air triggering lights. Tigers grew from the light along with a squirrel. The size of the tigers made the squirrel almost impossible to see. It scurried up the leg of one of the tigers before the group charged off. ¡®That¡¯s everything on me. I don¡¯t feel tired yet¡­¡¯ Kneeling down, Haruo dug his hands into the grass and dirt. He tore back chunks, crushing it in his hands. Light suddenly grew from the thin slits between his fingers. A moment later, he tossed everything in his hands out in front of them. A pack of huskies materialized along with several flocks of sparrows. The count of animals out on the field just tripled. Their light didn¡¯t glow as strongly as the other animals. ¡®Hmm, that felt a little weird. I might be hitting a limit, but it is as I thought. I can do this as well, but it seems it¡¯s not as powerful. I wonder why.¡¯ Questions continued for Haruo as he explored his power in the middle of a battle. ¡°This is a really bad idea!¡± shouted Ayumi, back up to Yuki. As she believed, she did regret hearing him out and even more going through with it. Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t have much of another plan. ¡°What?!¡± ¡°I said, I never should have agreed to do this!¡± ¡°What?!¡± ¡°I hate you so much right now!¡± ¡°Can you talk louder? I can¡¯t hear you!¡± ¡°Nevermind!¡± She heard him shout again, but ignored it. Ayumi had worse things to focus on. She looked down at the ground. It was a good twenty or thirty meters away and they were still interested in stopping them. Yuki had to dodge again, it sent her swinging around. Her hand gripped onto the rope harder. Yuki¡¯s plan, Ayumi suspended herself underneath the disc with only a rope attached between them. The rope was real and Yuki held onto one end while Ayumi tied the other end off around her waist. It anchored on the disc for more security. Ayumi¡¯s purpose, she had to use her powers to deflect any incoming attacks to give them a better chance of escape. The dodging Yuki still had to do made the ride for Ayumi rough. Her Field dampened the effects, but she had to be careful with Yuki above her. Most of her power was only pointed down, due to Yuki¡¯s Field overcoming much of her above. ¡°Next time, I¡¯m coming up with the plan and you¡¯re doing this!¡± She projected an ice wall below her to halt a fireball. Throwing out her sword and spinning it around in front of her deflecting smaller projectiles coming at them. She started to notice fewer attacks. It seemed the bulk of the MPs dropped out of their range. The show still made them an easy target for anyone coming for them. Ayumi hoped it would end soon. Calmer skies allowed Yuki a moment free to level out the disc. Unlike on the ground, he had a better view of the Capital in the distance, their goal. He could only see a thin shape before. From the sky, he could see so much more. It was still far away, but the Capital was huge judging the distance. He saw a massive spire along with a couple other large structures. Everything else blended in together, but it still looked beautiful. The white of the Capital shined brightly against the sun, catching the edges with a glow ever so slightly. ¡°It¡¯s like out of a book¡­¡± Ayumi caught the distant glow of the Capital. She deflected a couple of attacks, but couldn''t help but stare for a moment as well. ¡°It¡¯s been two months, but I¡¯ve returned¡­finally. Things will be different this time.¡± Haruo looked up to the sky, freed for a moment. He caught sight of Yuki leaving in the distance. Their escape didn¡¯t go smoothly. Yet it seemed that they would succeed in time. ¡®Ayumi¡­what¡¯s your endgame? You got exactly what you were wanting since this all began. You¡¯ve got Yuki by yourself and the rest of us isolated.¡¯ Chapter 230 - Alone on the Void A complete disaster. That was what it felt like from what she could sense. Earth torn apart. Grass burned away until only a dry cracking earth remained behind. Trees up rooted without care. It was a disaster. A tainted mark upon the land. Another scar they used to mar the countryside. It made her angry. Even though she couldn¡¯t see, sensing it was enough. Her muscles tightened up just thinking about what they did. Everywhere they went they left behind a path of ruin. They had to be stopped. The killing wouldn¡¯t end until then. ¡®They¡¯re savages. There¡¯s no reasoning with such wanton death and destruction.¡¯ Athene marched deeper into the warzone. She could still feel some of the heat that scorched the earth. The wide sweeping devastation soaked into her mind the more her power allowed her to see. Every crumble under her foot and burnt smell poured inside her, trapped as an indelible memory. It strengthened her as she went towards the future. A future she could see clearly without the need of her eyes. As she started for the edge, she found something. It broke up the flat ground. Her powers only provided a rough shape of everything as her mind couldn¡¯t handle all of the information. She knelt down with some curiosity. The peripheral disappeared around her. Everything focused on what was at her feet. It was still difficult for her to make out the form. The pattern was irregular. She picked up one of the smaller pieces. Rubbing her thumb over the surface revealed it to be brittle to the touch. The outer layer chipped off easily with a slightly hollow sound to it. It seemed strange. She thought it was a branch from a tree that miraculously survived, but it wasn¡¯t. Her mind started to fill in more of the blanks. It wasn¡¯t long before she understood. ¡®Bones! They were inside the inferno!¡¯ She immediately dropped it. The rest of the person was mangled remains that she felt grateful for once of not being able to see such horror. ¡®Those bastards! They killed another. Their crimes only continue to increase against them!¡¯ Searching around the burnt remains, she found a second person. They were just out of reach from the first one she found. ¡®They must have been trying to reach each other even while burning. But they ended up just out of reach dying so close.¡¯ Athene turned her power off briefly and activated it again. Two trenches appeared in the ground. ¡®Least I can do is bury you together, at each other¡¯s side. Maybe you¡¯ll find each other in the next life.¡¯ Athene went around the area to look for any more signs of dead soldiers. She remembered Abeiron¡¯s words. ¡®Omega¡¯s on the move. There might be others around here. Maybe even one that¡¯s still alive.¡¯ Near to the most identifiable fighting, she found nothing. Expanding her powers, Athene saw uneven destruction further away. It took some time to cover the new ground, but it was worth it. She found someone still alive, unconscious yet alive. A little of her power was all she needed to get him awake. ¡°You fought them, right?¡± ¡°Huh? Right, that child knocked me out.¡± ¡°Hey! You fought them, right?¡± Looking at Athene, he had a suspicious glance checking her over. After he finished, the tone in his voice changed as well as his stature. ¡°This doesn¡¯t concern you.¡± Her hands tightened up. He clammed up over a difference of branches. ¡°I don¡¯t care about what orders you have. Everyone¡¯s involved now!¡± ¡°Go back to whatever base you belong to woman.¡± The man started walking away from Athene breaking off any further discussions. A ripple came out from her feet. Stone ripped up from the ground on all sides blocking any path out. ¡°Now listen here!¡± Dark shadows fell over her eyes. Her face developed harsh features to accent her emotions. ¡°I don¡¯t give a damn about any sort of orders you got you Omega bastard! I only want two things answered from you! Did you fight them? And if you did, how long ago was it?¡± She took a few heavy steps towards the man. ¡°Now answer! Immediately, before I extract it personally!¡± Chapter 230 ¨C Alone on the Void The explosion from the Omega spire caused enough panic in the Capital to make travel difficult. However, enough back alleys existed to make it easier. After a few minutes, the smaller less used roads ended up almost completely empty, the citizens already fled the area. It gave him enough to make it back. Ourias leaned up against the corner of a house. He stared into the distance with his sight focused on a house. It smashed up against the rest in the neighborhood. Everything fell apart with little signs of repair or maintenance to keep it from collapsing the rest of the way. Yet, the condition of the homes didn¡¯t seem to affect the mood. Children ran around playing with no regard. Adults worked out of what they could to keep life continuing. He watched for an hour unmoved. Every so often, he would smile at something and then force himself to hide it. Something kept him from moving either forward or backward. He wanted to leave, but couldn¡¯t bring himself to do it. It was another hour before anything happened. One of the kids in the neighborhood chased after a ball, kicked too far by their friend. The boy ran after it. He stopped a house away from Ourias, finally catching up to the ball. Because Ourias¡¯ attention was on something else, he didn¡¯t notice the kid until it was too late. He slipped back behind the wall of the house, a futile attempt. The boy turned around and ran back to his friend. ¡°There¡¯s a Whitie here! Whitie!¡± As though an alarm sounded in the street, everyone ran off in different directions. It only took three seconds for them all to vanish from sight. Silence fell upon the entire area. An eerie quiet, everyone knew. Ourias poked his head back out. He sighed to himself. It was a sight he was familiar with, yet one he hated for different reasons. He started walking into the street. A few curtains still not shut quickly closed upon his appearance. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. The sudden desolation of the street made the walk feel longer than it actually was to the house. It only took a minute, when it seemed more like an hour. Each step was painful. The roles reversed. He was the one that sparked fear in others by his mere presence. Nothing needed to be said. The sight was more than enough for anyone to flee. Worse for him, he couldn¡¯t disguise himself. Every one of them knew him too well. He tried it before, but it only made the situation even worse. The images of his children crying in the corner the moment they saw him as though he had tricked with a horror-fueled nightmare. They burned the images into the back of his eyes never to forget. He could fool some, but not everyone. Not the ones that mattered to him. For his mistakes, he had to live with the walk. For his misfortune of such a destiny, he had to struggle to hold on to the important things. He cursed it all. He knocked on the door. Child¡¯s voices leaked through the weak walls of the house. ¡°He¡¯s here! It¡¯s the Whitie!¡± ¡°Whitie¡¯s here!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t answer the door!¡± ¡°He¡¯ll go away.¡± Ourias pursed his lips into a thin line. He lowered his brow a little, hardening himself. Another knock. He was not leaving. He was committed. Scrambling feet faded into the distance. They tried to get further away from him. However, he persisted. The third knock brought the echo of a different set of steps. They reached closed until pulling the wood door open. A young woman, just barely hitting her thirties, appeared at the threshold. Even before she appeared, a hard lined scowl carved deeply into her face. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°I wanted to see you. Did I need more of a reason?¡± He glanced around over her shoulder in search. The way she stood in the doorway made it clear she didn¡¯t invite him inside. His response only made her scowl worse. ¡°Don¡¯t you have some mission or some other place to be ruining someone¡¯s life?¡± A twitch flickered in his eye for a moment as he tried to refrain from showing any reaction. ¡°I¡¯m not on a mission right now. As a Titan I choose what I do.¡± ¡°Must be so nice for you.¡± She wasn¡¯t even trying to hold back her venom. The longer he talked the worse it seemed to grow. Ourias wanted to reply immediately, but he felt himself getting dragged along at her pace. He had forgotten how many times they fought like this. Each time pushed the dagger in a little further. ¡°I became a Titan so I could be with you again. I¡¯m doing this for you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need your help. I didn¡¯t need it for the five years you were gone out of our life without so much as a letter! I sure as hell don¡¯t need you coming back now! I¡¯ve already told you the fifty other times you¡¯ve come crawling back here, yet you keep showing up.¡± ¡°I live here too. They¡¯re my children as well. I want to be their father.¡± ¡°They don¡¯t need a father that never shows up! And when he does it only terrifies them!¡± He had a response, but he knew it was pointless. It was a mistake he made not realizing the consequences. Every time he tried it only came out as an empty excuse. It was just more fuel to the fire. ¡°I¡¯m still their father, even if I¡¯m different. My heart hasn¡¯t changed.¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re one of them. You¡¯re just the lap dog to the King and his whims. You only cause fear and bring tragedy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the same man that loved you before all of this. Please let me in.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not welcome here.¡± She began to close the door. ¡°I don¡¯t care if you show up every day for the rest of your life, nothing will change the differences between us.¡± The door closed immediately after. It was the final word. Ourias sighed. ¡®That went about as expected. It¡¯s not like one more visit is going to change her so easily, not after I¡¯ve left her alone for so long.¡¯ He pulled out the accessory he bought from the woman earlier. Walking over to the closed window, he placed the item on the ledge. ¡®You¡¯re wrong. I¡¯ll keep trying and prove to you I¡¯m the same man you fell in love with.¡¯ He still had hope. It was the only thing he had left. Glancing around the neighborhood, it felt less welcoming than before, which was difficult to achieve considering how it started. He knew when to leave. Ourias stepped away from his home. Unlike before, the walk away was over too fast. He tilted his head to look back one last time. He disappeared. A few hours passed quickly for him. Eventually, he made it back to Omega. The flow of agents went more out than expected. They continued to recall more to throw into the defense of the Capital. Only a wide search net could find them. Ourias walked up the wall, noticing Rheia still stood alone unmoved. The height she had gave a good view of the Capital and Atlantis. He leaned against the wall with only the air to support his feet. ¡°Still challenging?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± she answered immediately, ¡°The invitation is always open.¡± ¡°I see.¡± He expected such a typical response from her. Their time together was short, but she seemed the easiest to figure out of the Titans. ¡°Another failed visit with the wife.¡± His eyes slid over to glance at her briefly. She never even made eye contact with him. ¡®It¡¯s a little unsettling how much you know.¡¯ ¡°You keep trying anyway, even though you know how it¡¯ll end up every time.¡± Rheia stopped staring at the entrance. Her head tilted back to look at the city. Slowly, she began to move higher up with no action. Ourias matched her pace. The higher they went the better the view of the countryside became. They could see the sun painting the mountains and trees in a soft white glow and green as far as could be seen. ¡°That¡¯s why I picked you.¡± ¡°Oh? I thought it was because I defeated the twelfth seat,¡± he joked. ¡°I could see it in your eyes when I saw you walk through those gates down there. The eyes are very important. They tell you everything.¡± He was getting more out of her than he expected. Small talk wasn¡¯t something he planned from her. A change of scenery was all he wanted. ¡°You pick everyone in the Titans that way don¡¯t you.¡± ¡°Naturally. When I see their eyes I know.¡± A strange smile seemed to come across her face in a rare moment not fueled by aggression. ¡°Of course, you still have to prove your strength.¡± Ourias had some curiosity listening to her. ¡°What did you see in mine?¡± ¡°Infinite determination. Nothing was going to stop you. You would achieve exactly what you wanted no matter how dirty you had to get to reach it. It¡¯s your power. You have zero ambition, even more so than someone like Teris. You only wanted the seat on the Titans to see your wife again. That¡¯s why you lost your second fight even though I know you could go much higher.¡± ¡°Is that so,¡± Ourias said, keeping a poker face through her surprising insight. ¡°But even for that lack of ambition, I know you¡¯ll fight when they come.¡± Her comment made him even more curious. She didn¡¯t have the same view as the others any longer. ¡°You believe they¡¯ll reach the Capital?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the eyes. I could see it in that boy the General¡¯s claimed. Nothing¡¯s stopping him.¡± Rheia seemed finished and started walking down the wall. ¡°So prepare yourself for the fight. They¡¯ll be here soon.¡± A glance down at the back of Rheia told him enough. Ourias stared back out at the horizon. ¡®You¡¯re out there. And you¡¯re coming. Rebellion or destruction. None of it matters to me. Whatever you¡¯re planning I will stop you. I will protect them!¡¯ Chapter 231 - Silent Progress The sun was almost hiding once more, late afternoon. It was quiet for the moment. All of the excitement stood behind them. A brief reprieve from the chaos. It often seemed as though it would never end. A continuous struggle forced to repeat in great frequency. When the calm came, it could be felt through the entire group. Despite their group being no larger than when they started their journey into Atlantis, it felt bigger. In fact, they were short one to have the original count. Yet it felt almost unmanageably large. Too large for anyone to hold together. Everything seemed ready to fly apart. No one knew what held it all together. They just kept going forward. It wasn¡¯t even the presence of their newest friends that kept everyone quiet. It happened naturally. Everyone had their own problems. Something kept their thoughts elsewhere. Only a few stayed vigilant, keeping them ahead of their pursuers. A couple of skirmishes interrupted the pace, quickly handled. Appearing next to Yumi, Chiharu leaned a little towards her. ¡°There¡¯s someone moving ahead. They¡¯re coming in our direction.¡± Her eyes slid back towards where she sighted the figure. Motioning to Nerine, their transport slowed down. ¡°Can you tell who it is?¡± She looked head over the front of the truck even though her sight would never find anything, not at such a distance. ¡°No, it¡¯s just movement right now. They¡¯re using the forest to avoid being seen.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a lot of these forests,¡± she commented. They already had to deal with ambushes from anything that obstructed their sight. It made everyone paranoid the moment they saw another if there would be an attack. ¡°Alright, Miss Nerine, please avoid the forest ahead.¡± ¡°I understand!¡± The vehicle responded to her request pulling to the left and increasing speed. They had less of a need for moving straight with the spire in the Capital on the horizon as their signpost. They couldn¡¯t be lost with it in sight. Yumi leaned over a little to Chiharu, while watching ahead at the forest moving to their flank. ¡°What are they doing?¡± ¡°They¡¯re moving to intercept. They spotted us.¡± Her eyes went down briefly. Then she pushed back looking at Saki. ¡°Saki, we¡¯ve been spotted. I need you to handle it.¡± She nodded in silence to Yumi. Checking with Chiharu, she received the location pointed out. Immediately disappearing, her wake made the truck rock a little. Saki seemed like a person driven and hardened. A different look was in her eyes since talking to Yumi. She handled most of the problems before they became ones. Nothing would stand between her and what her eyes locked upon. Opening the window into the driver¡¯s seat, Yumi poked her head through. ¡°How are you feeling? How much longer can you go before you need a rest?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± she insisted. Nerine tried to motion with her body to dismiss any concern for her well-being. Yumi¡¯s eyes narrowed a bit. ¡°I know you¡¯re trained for this and a soldier, but you¡¯re still human.¡± The way Yumi said it made Nerine turn her head back. She tried to hide her surprise. ¡°Thank you for your concern, but I can keep going.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to push yourself to breaking. We still have more than a day¡¯s travel. You¡¯re going to need to be able to act when we reach the Capital.¡± Nerine could see the insistence of an immovable wall out of Yumi. She would press the issue until she relented. All she could do was face forward. ¡°A couple of hours.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be getting dark by then, sounds like a perfect time to rest.¡± A bit of a smile moved through her lips as she pulled out. Yumi glanced back at Chiharu. ¡°What¡¯s the word?¡± ¡°There was something briefly, likely her attack, but it¡¯s been silent since.¡± Yumi looked over at the forest again. It didn¡¯t make any sense. ¡°If Saki dealt with the problem, she should be back by now.¡± Thoughts immediately went to the worst cases. It was all just speculation, but it was possible to have run across someone Saki could not defeat. However, before any plans could be made, Saki appeared to dispel any worry. ¡°Found someone.¡± She threw back her hand pointing with her thumb. The figure Chiharu tracked surfaced from the shadows of the trees. Haruo appeared. Chapter 231 ¨C Silent Progress Loaded up and moving again, they all surrounded Haruo. Everyone sat in a circle almost as though he was in for an interrogation. ¡°Weren¡¯t you with Yuki and Ayumi?¡± asked Yumi, needing to confirm it. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. He nodded. ¡°Until a couple hours ago.¡± ¡°Hey man!¡± shouted Seiji. He patted him on the back genuinely glad to see another friend. Everyone seemed to be returning. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you¡¯re still in one piece!¡± Haruo glanced at Seiji. ¡®He¡¯s a lot like Yuki. Overly familiar.¡¯ It was something he tried to get used to dealing with since meeting Yuki. His caution in dealing with others left him with no way to deal with people like Yuki and Seiji. ¡°Sorry again for attacking you,¡± Saki inserted, clearly bothered by her mistake. ¡°You attacked him?¡± ¡°Yes, Seiji! Shout it louder, why don¡¯t you!¡± She received a penetrating look from Seiji. ¡°I didn¡¯t know it was him. Chiharu spotted someone, we assumed it was another of those Omega people.¡± He stared Haruo up and down. ¡°You don¡¯t look harmed. I¡¯m impressed you took her first strike. She¡¯s pretty ruthless.¡± ¡°I was holding back! I wasn¡¯t using my full strength! I wouldn¡¯t have hurt him.¡± Seiji grinned at her. He teased her. ¡°Give it rest.¡± ¡°Haruo,¡± opened Yumi, she had the most important question that everyone had on their mind, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you with Yuki? What happened?¡± ¡°We were ambushed.¡± Everyone looked a little bothered by the short answer. A lot could be extrapolated from the answer, but they needed details and real information. Haruo¡¯s brevity couldn¡¯t pass this time. ¡°By more from the Omega Division?¡± He agreed with Yumi. ¡°Are they still out there?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The lack of more details made the situation seem worse than Haruo intended. He could see their eyes shifting around already concerned about their next attack. ¡°They aren¡¯t in the area.¡± ¡°But you won?¡± Yumi had trouble getting a clear picture of what happened with Haruo in the ambush. He held back so many pieces she wasn¡¯t sure what happened. It seemed at the very least he survived, somehow. However, she guessed they might never know what happened. ¡°But why did you remain behind? You didn¡¯t fight together?¡± ¡°No. It was Ayumi¡¯s idea.¡± Glances went around the circle. He confirmed some of their fears. Things continued to look worse for Ayumi. Unfortunately, none of them knew anymore of what she planned. Haruo could tell they had their suspicions about Ayumi, just like him. ¡°There¡¯s something else. Yuki agreed with her without questioning her.¡± Saki nearly jumped up to her feet, but stopped herself. ¡°Yuki wouldn¡¯t do that! He¡¯d want to stay behind and do it together, not wanting you to fight alone!¡± ¡°Yes, I agree. Ayumi is planning something that she wants us out of the way.¡± The quiet one of the group, Simonides held his words to try to be more of an observer and not press his new relationship with the teenagers. However, he needed to add his point of view. ¡°We still don¡¯t know if they¡¯re the real Eudokia or not.¡± ¡°Does it really matter?¡± barked Seiji, having trouble controlling his emotions. His friend was in danger and he couldn¡¯t do anything. The helplessness carved away at him. Yori nodded, previously in thought. He lowered his hand from his chin. ¡°No, he¡¯s right. We don¡¯t know what they¡¯re planning. It¡¯s going to be difficult to even speculate on their plan without knowing if it is the real Eudokia.¡± ¡°Correct, it comes down to motive. If we understand their motive, we can make plans, but we don¡¯t know who they are.¡± ¡°How¡¯s that going to help?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know the real Eudokia as well as I do, but she is intensely loyal to Atlantis, but above all else to the late King.¡± Simonides thought back to the times he met her in the Capital after her new posting. ¡°I only saw her a few times, but it was clear to see in her eyes. When she was with the King, he was the only one in her eyes. I¡¯d say in a way, it probably blinded her.¡± Yumi started to follow where they were going. She stepped into the discussion. ¡°And if it is not the real Eudokia, they probably have something different in mind with Yuki than the real Eudokia.¡± Simonides nodded with the conclusion. ¡°Because of that, an easier guess is that someone is faking her appearance to take advantage of her position and Yuki Hayashi¡¯s important to their plans. He¡¯s extremely powerful, if he truly is the heir of the King. The power he represents in the wrong person¡¯s hand could be devastating for Atlantis.¡± ¡°But Yuki¡¯s never met Eudokia before. What would they gain from pretending to her? They could have said anything.¡± ¡°It¡¯s likely Eudokia is important to their plan just like he is.¡± ¡°Seems like a lot of work for something that could easily collapse.¡± ¡°Yes, that''s why I said it¡¯s the easy answer. I¡¯d prefer not to believe Eudokia is capable of treason, but it¡¯s more likely given the situation that it is the real one.¡± ¡°But you said she had an intensity to her,¡± reminded Yori. He was sure of the direction Simonides was leading them. ¡°Something that intense can make you do things that you normally wouldn¡¯t and justify them very easily out of a sense of loyalty.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I fear. I can only imagine how hard it was on her with the King¡¯s death.¡± Yumi realized it as well. ¡°You think his death sent her over the edge.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a powerful emotion, loss.¡± Seiji scratched his head a little annoyed with all of the talking. Everyone was making leaps he couldn¡¯t follow. The last little bit he understood clearly enough. ¡°I don¡¯t get what most of this has to do with anything. But you¡¯re basically saying she¡¯s angry over this King¡¯s death?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a little more complicated than that, Seiji, but yes.¡± ¡°How does that help us? You¡¯re assuming she¡¯s the real one, not some fake. We still got those Omega guys out there hunting us.¡± ¡°He¡¯s right.¡± Simonides was at the same dead end as the other. He gave the whole thing days of thought with no answer. None of them were any closer to understanding the truth. The only thing they could do was follow her tracks. ¡°Besides, I thought she just wanted Yuki to be King and the other guys didn¡¯t want that to happen.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that simple, Seiji,¡± reminded Yumi, ¡°The way she¡¯s going about her actions don¡¯t make sense for that. Removing us from the situation makes it harder for her to achieve that goal, not easier. She must be planning something else.¡± ¡°How much of that matters?¡± He didn¡¯t seem to get it. Yumi didn¡¯t know how else to explain to him. ¡°If we don¡¯t know what her real objective is we can¡¯t move to counter her.¡± She thought about what else she could say to him. Seiji shrugged. The plans didn¡¯t really matter to him. He had a very clear sight on things from his view. ¡°She¡¯s still going to the Capital with Yuki. Whatever she¡¯s got planned is in there. So even if we don¡¯t know what she¡¯s doing we know where she is going.¡± Simonides could agree with Seiji on that assessment, but it went deeper. He worried about once they got to the Capital. ¡°The problem is the Capital is vast with a deep underground. Millions of Atlanteans live in the Capital. It¡¯s going to be easy to lose her if her goal is not the King¡¯s Palace.¡± ¡°We have to start somewhere, right?¡± ¡°The wrong plan is worse than no plan?¡± It wasn¡¯t a sentiment that Simonides could easily get behind. He looked around at the teenagers. They all seemed to have a similar look as Seiji. It appeared their course was set. He wasn¡¯t going to convince them. Yumi shrugged a little with a bit of a grin, seeing how troubled Simonides looked. She was used to dealing with Seiji a little already. ¡°It¡¯s worked out for us so far. Now that we¡¯ve got Haruo back all that is left for us is to rescue Yuki and end this all before it gets any more out of control.¡± Chapter 232 - Strengthening Resolve The return of Haruo improved the overall mood of the group. Tensions still ran high with the uncertainty focused around Ayumi along with the pressure from Omega. But it started to feel like the group was together again. They had a more focused goal than before. The goal still seemed difficult with some impossible odds against them. If Ayumi proved to be the real Eudokia, getting Yuki back wouldn¡¯t be an easy course. All of the concerns wouldn¡¯t slow them down. Yuki all meant something to each of them. They couldn¡¯t let the fears or uncertainties of the future weigh them down. Their scheduled stop came with the need for Nerine to rest from using her powers all day. It took a little bit of effort to find a safe location. Even safe was actually relative, since all they managed to get was a cliff with some rocky overgrowth and a river nearby. Nothing for good protection or hiding. They were very exposed, but nothing came to them for a while. It was evening with only the moon keeping things lit. Yet Yumi could still see the strange thin shape in the distance. Simonides informed her that it was the Omega Spire, the tallest building in the Capital and the easiest landmark to find. The fact that they could see it meant the Capital was close. ¡®Tomorrow we¡¯ll be at the Capital¡¯s doors. So close to the lion¡¯s den. How hard will the fighting be?¡¯ Everyone spread out into their own groups. The two Atlanteans naturally kept to themselves, still not feeling like part of the group. Chiharu disappeared to take the first watch along with Saki. Haruo and Seiji both appeared actually to be asleep neither seemed to be overly concerned about the dangers. Her brother isolated himself, something that subconsciously relieved her mind. While Fumiko seemed dull again, distracted by something. Yumi received an internal nudge. She stepped forward with some reluctance. It needed to happen. Her approach was hardly quiet, but it wasn¡¯t something she tried to do. It had to be apparent. The slightest hint of hesitation would ruin it for her. ¡°Fumiko,¡± she started, standing immediately behind her. The two women had only a few centimeters between them. ¡°I need your head on straight tomorrow. In the past, we¡¯ve been able to get by, but they¡¯ll be throwing everything at us tomorrow. I need to know you can fight.¡± A bit of a shake went through Fumiko¡¯s body. It was clear her words triggered a reaction out of her. She held in the desire to act out. The knife was already inserted. It woke her up, but she had to keep her focused. She had to twist it. ¡°You¡¯re not the only one that¡¯s killed someone. They¡¯re out for our lives. Killing is going to be the only way to stay alive here. This isn¡¯t going to be a happily ever after ending. We¡¯re going to get dirty, if you want to protect something you¡¯re going to need to be willing to do it.¡± Yumi clenched her fists up. Fumiko tilted her head back around to glare at Yumi. ¡°Don¡¯t concern yourself on my account. The day will come when all actions receive their consequences. I just hope I¡¯m able to be there when it all comes back on you.¡± The conversation was over. Fumiko walked away. Yumi turned away. A minute later, she was able to walk in her own direction. Once alone, she collapsed to the ground slamming her fists into the earth. ¡®Why¡¯d it have to turn out like this!?¡¯ ¡®You motivated her. It was necessary to get her back to fighting. She falls back into depression too easily.¡¯ ¡®She was distraught over killing all of those soldiers! She can¡¯t control her power! It¡¯s reasonable to be afraid!¡¯ ¡®Reasonable, when you¡¯re not in a war setting.¡¯ ¡®We¡¯re just teenagers! Not soldiers!¡¯ ¡®You need to be soldiers if you plan to survive this. Those out there won¡¯t all act so mercifully. If someone is unable to function it¡¯s only a liability for the group.¡¯ ¡®Things aren¡¯t just numbers and logic. People have emotions, hearts! They need time to deal! ¡®Your enemy isn¡¯t giving you that luxury. You need her power for tomorrow. This is the most efficient way for the results you need.¡¯ ¡®But it isn¡¯t the best way!¡¯ ¡®Then think of another way.¡¯ Yumi hesitated. It wasn¡¯t the first argument she had with her new voice in her mind. Unlike the other one that she no longer heard, which supported her even if it seemed aggressive, the new voice only seemed to worsen matters for her. It was right, but not right. ¡®The reason you did what you did was because you don¡¯t have another plan. If you can¡¯t think up an alternative means to reach your goal then don¡¯t criticize the ones presented to you.¡¯ ¡®This isn¡¯t right!¡¯ ¡®Then become stronger and find another way. If you don¡¯t want to rely on my opinions then become strong enough to make your own. Until then all you¡¯re doing is just pretending.¡¯ Chapter 232 ¨C Strengthening Resolve Staggering a little, Fumiko¡¯s emotions still ran high after her confrontation with Yumi. It made it difficult for her to focus on where she walked. She also was not paying too much attention to where she walked. The further away from Yumi the better at the moment. She would deal with where she ended up later. ¡°Damn her! She doesn¡¯t know what she¡¯s talking about! She doesn¡¯t know what it¡¯s like¡ª¡° Fumiko tripped over something and fell on her face. ¡°Damn it!¡± ¡°Fumiko?¡± checked Yori, who she ended up falling on. He helped her to get back on her feet. ¡°You alright?¡± Fumiko batted away his hand, annoyed with everything. ¡°Fine!¡± She started to stomp away, but Yori grabbed her wrist. ¡°What?!¡± The reaction turned him a little blue, but it worried him. ¡°What happened? Something¡¯s wrong.¡± Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Nothing happened! Let go!¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s not that hard to tell. I¡¯m willing to listen.¡± She stared down at him for a moment. ¡°There¡¯s not much point talking to you about it. Not with your complex.¡± Fumiko ripped her hand free from his grasp. However, she only got a few steps away before Yori blocked her path. ¡°I¡¯ve got nothing to talk to you about!¡± Yori narrowed his eyes a little, figuring out a few things. ¡°It¡¯s about my sister.¡± He received no response from Fumiko, but the look in her eyes told him enough. ¡°You¡¯ve got nothing to talk to me about? Try me.¡± Some reluctance still prevented her from accepting him. ¡°Right, because you¡¯re not going to side with her on everything.¡± Crossing his arms, he didn¡¯t plan on leaving her alone after this. ¡°Like I said, try me.¡± Fumiko stepped back to where Yori had been. She was still not sure about talking to him about it, but he had been one of the few in the past that was easier to talk to, when things were different. So much had changed since Yori was away. She sat down waiting on him. The atmosphere became a little stifled for him. He could see her already judging how he acted and what he would say. Her continued silence only made it more difficult to get things started. ¡°I¡¯m guessing this has to do with Yumi and the way she¡¯s been acting recently,¡± he opened. Yori didn¡¯t know where it began, but he noticed the odd rift between the two on the truck. He hoped this would air out the grievances. ¡°That¡¯s putting it lightly.¡± ¡°What did she do?¡± Thinking back to the start of it, Fumiko suddenly clammed up. ¡°It was a private matter.¡± ¡®That¡¯s not explaining things.¡¯ He felt things become significantly more challenging. It also made him even more curious as to what his sister said or did to Fumiko. He could feel the intensity of the emotions coming off Fumiko when he confronted her. Yori wondered if she would not have punched him. ¡°Can you explain in a way that doesn¡¯t compromise yourself?¡± Fumiko glared at him again. The classic metaphor of daggers for eyes couldn¡¯t do the look justice. Yet she did agree to talk to him. ¡°It started back when we found Saki.¡± Recalling it, Yori tried to piece together everything that might have happened between the two. ¡°Chiharu and Seiji were fighting, I remember. I remember the two Atlanteans discussing who they could be fighting and then¡­¡± He remembered Fumiko taking action, but no reason why. It came back to him that he saw his sister with her. ¡°Yumi said something to you then, before you helped out.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± she said as though she had more to say, but refused. ¡®This is going to be like pulling teeth.¡¯ Yori struggled with the words he needed to keep things safe. It required more awkward silences than he would have wished. Anything less he felt would have sent Fumiko away. ¡°It was something she said then. She was vague about what she said when we asked. If she said something, it had to have been a plan.¡± ¡°There was no plan.¡± ¡°Then what? Did she insult you?¡± He didn¡¯t like having to guess, but it would make a little more sense with how angry Fumiko was recently. ¡°No.¡± Fumiko fumed on her emotions thinking about what she said. It whispered in her ears adding fuel. ¡°Your sister¡¯s a manipulative bitch!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand, what do you mean?!¡± He reacted quickly taken back. ¡°Your sister took advantage of me so that I would kill those two! She made me murder them! Your sister is a murder, a cold blooded killer!¡± Yori leaned back not really expecting to hear that from Fumiko. He couldn¡¯t say anything for a minute from the shock. It still didn¡¯t make a lot of sense. ¡°I-I¡­Yumi¡¯s¡­shy and¡­introverted¡­¡± Each word was a struggle for him. He thought back to his sister he saw recently and compared her to the one he remembered. ¡°I knew this was pointless!¡± Fumiko started to stand up, but Yori grabbed her hand. ¡°Wait!¡± It happened so fast. He didn¡¯t know when it happened. He was gone for only a short time. ¡°She¡¯s different from how she used to be.¡± The words seemed to be enough to at least stop Fumiko. ¡°Ever since I woke in the middle of that battle, I¡¯ve been asking myself where the little sister I remember went. She¡¯s changed so much. I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s happened to her!¡± Fumiko measured out his words and his face. He seemed to be almost desperate. He didn¡¯t understand it anymore than her. ¡°She¡¯s been trying to shoulder everything since you were captured. But I can¡¯t forgive her for the way she¡¯s acting now!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what she said to you, but there has to be a reason for it!¡± He searched for anything. It felt like everything was slipping away. He just wanted to hold on to his memories. The sister he knew seemed lost forever, replaced with some calculating women he did not recognize. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s that persona!¡± He just remembered. Confused, Fumiko¡¯s face narrowed at his excuses. ¡°Making up excuses for your sister now? She doesn¡¯t get a free pass! Not after what she said!¡± ¡°No! During the fight with the South Gate soldiers, don¡¯t you remember what happened to Yumi?¡± She tried to think back to what happened, but her memory was hazy. Everything stopped for her after her power went out of control. ¡°The last part of it is a blur.¡± After killing so many of them, she didn¡¯t feel like talking to anyone. She never found out what happened. She didn¡¯t know how it ended, just simply accepted the fact. Her mind didn¡¯t really pay attention to any of the details. ¡°You don¡¯t remember us talking to some second personality inside Yumi?¡± ¡°What are you talking about? Second personality? You¡¯re not making any sense.¡± ¡°I think it took over Yumi during the fight so we could win. She wasn¡¯t acting like herself. Saying things that she would never say.¡± ¡°What? Are you saying that this second personality controls Yumi?¡± It was a struggle for him to keep things sounding sane. He could not explain what was happening to his sister. Things were beyond his control. ¡°It¡¯s possible. We don¡¯t know what he did to her when he changed her.¡± Yori¡¯s eyes went a little wide-eyed, becoming fueled by the idea. ¡°You all have powers that shouldn¡¯t be possible. Not to mention he screwed around with your bodies making you faster, stronger and even more resistant to injury. We don¡¯t know what else he screwed around with.¡± Fumiko backed away a little from Yori¡¯s crazed rant. It seemed too illogical. ¡°I can¡¯t, won¡¯t forgive her. There are some lines you don¡¯t cross. If you think she¡¯s been controlled, you figure it out.¡± She stood up done with him. ¡°You won¡¯t get any help from me. I¡¯ll make sure to fight, but it won¡¯t be because she told me to do so.¡± Fumiko left promptly at the end of her declaration. Alone, Yori tried to make sense of everything. ¡°What¡¯s going on? My sister¡­I have to protect her! I have to do something!¡± Across the camp, Chiharu appeared out of the shadows next to Seiji. She looked down at him for a moment. A sharp kick from her woke him up. Hardening her expression, she spoke, ¡°We¡¯ve got company.¡± ¡°Huh? The hell¡¯s the matter with you?¡± Seiji rubbed his ribs from where she hit him. ¡°There are better ways to wake someone up!¡± ¡°You¡¯re awake. Does it matter now?¡± ¡°Brat¡­¡± The rest of it finally caught up to him. He jumped to his feet looking around. ¡°Where are they?¡± His fists rubbed together looking ready for a fight. Chiharu¡¯s face went flat a little at the sight of his eagerness to fight. ¡°Help with waking the others up. We¡¯re not here to fight.¡± She stared a little longer at him. A different thought came to her. ¡°Save your need to restore your lost honor from the last fight for later when it actually matters.¡± Seiji tilted down to look at her. Some confusion spread over his face. ¡°What? Someone needs to keep them off our backs while you prepare to leave.¡± ¡°Leave that to someone faster then, she¡¯s already intercepting them.¡± ¡°Saki is?!¡± The ground suddenly rumbled as though to answer his question. He turned in the direction. Another echo came from the unknown. Something about it felt wrong to him. ¡°I can¡¯t keep letting her do everything!¡± Seiji charged off after Saki, following the vibrations. Chiharu¡¯s voice disappeared from his mind, even though she shouted at him. He no longer cared about it. The only thing on his mind was Saki. In his gut, he knew something didn¡¯t sit right. It didn¡¯t make sense, but he had to see. Each of the quakes brought him closer until he was on top of it almost. He could see her in the distance along with someone else. ¡°Saki!¡± Seiji didn¡¯t have a chance to say anything else. He watched as she fell over covered in blood, her body littered with wounds. His fists tightened up. He ground his teeth, his anger came up to the surface. Seiji charged into the battle without a second thought. ¡°You bastard, what did you do to Saki?¡± Something stopped his fist. A metallic sound rang out. His eyes focused upward. The atmosphere felt very familiar to him. Seiji¡¯s eyes widened when he saw their face. ¡°You bastard! It¡¯s you!¡± Cosmas grinned with delight beaming from his eyes. One of his prey appeared before him. ¡°The muscle bound idiot. This is my lucky night! Tonight, you will have the pleasure of dying!¡± His lips grew wider as it became a wicked smirk. Chapter 233 - Deaths Bet The sight of the face of that damn man was enough to set Seiji¡¯s blood on fire. Everything in his body tensed up with shitty images of their last encounter flashing through his mind. He couldn¡¯t stop thinking about what he did to Nerine. ¡°She¡¯s missing her damn arms because of what you did?!¡± Seiji threw his fists into a barrage against the swords acting in defense of Cosmas. ¡°Concerned over your new friend?¡± A devious look sifted through Cosmas¡¯ eyes at the mention of Nerine. ¡°She¡¯ll be dead soon after yourself. So you won¡¯t need to worry for long!¡± Such words only made Seiji more enraged. He threw his fists at the bastard Cosmas wildly without any focus. Another hand stretched out and grabbed his bandaged right arm, stopping him in mid-swing. Seiji tried to break free, but they were strong. Turning his head to the right, it surprised him for a moment to see her. ¡°Saki?!¡± Breathing slowly and her face covered in blood, her eyes still had the same fierceness to be unable to back down on anything. Her blood soaked hand dripped over his bandages staining them red. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing here, Seiji?¡± Despite her steady words and determination, she still appeared ready to collapse. ¡°You¡¯re all sliced up! Why the hell are you standing?¡± ¡°I asked you a question first,¡± she snapped. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be here.¡± Her voice wavered a little from the even tone. ¡°This one¡¯s mine!¡± he shouted, ripping his arm free. Seiji shoved Saki away from him. His eyes locked back on Cosmas. The ends of his fingers felt on fire just staring at him. He ground his teeth trying to withstand it. Saki blinked a little surprised to see Seiji acting in such a manner. She appeared in front of him, between the two men. ¡°Damn it, Seiji! I don¡¯t need this right now! You¡¯re supposed to be helping Chiharu with the others! Get going n¡ª¡° He heard enough of her voice. Seiji grabbed her by her damn tunic and slammed Saki into the ground, shattering the earth. ¡°NO!¡± His voice erupted from his mouth with enough volume and intensity to shake the trees in the distance. Seiji struggled with his words, his jaw shaking. ¡°He¡¯s mine! Don¡¯t interfere!¡± The impact made Saki cough, but most of her stun came from shock in seeing Seiji¡¯s face. She had never seen him look so wild before. ¡®Even when he was a random kid in junior high looking like a gang leader, he never looked like that. It¡¯s like he¡¯s an animal¡­¡¯ Saki didn¡¯t know what was going on. She knew she didn¡¯t have time to deal with him. ¡°You leave me no choice, Seiji!¡± Her body suddenly disappeared from Seiji¡¯s hold. Reappearing, she came in from Seiji¡¯s right flank with a bloody kick ready to lay him out. Seiji turned into her attack and stretched out his arm before she reached him. His hand wrapped around her neck. ¡°I told you!¡± Seiji dragged her close to his face. ¡°Don¡¯t interfere! I owe him for what he did to her!¡± It took her a moment, but Saki figured out what Seiji was going on about. ¡°This is about revenge?! Seiji!¡± ¡°NO!¡± he screamed. Everything went silent. His face twisted into a more and more wild depiction. ¡°This isn¡¯t about revenge!¡± Seiji¡¯s hand shook violently. His hold tightened around Saki¡¯s neck. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill him!¡± Her eyes went wide at his response. ¡®This isn¡¯t the Seiji I know! What¡¯s happened to him?!¡¯ Saki grappled with his arm trying to break free. She put everything she had into it, yet nothing seemed to work. Seiji¡¯s already inhuman strength seemed to have increased. ¡°Do you hear what you¡¯re saying, Seiji?! Kill?¡± ¡°YES!¡± ¡°Fine then!¡± Saki wrapped her whole body around his arm. Using everything to twist, she threw Seiji down to the ground. Once on the ground, she quickly switched to a submission hold fighting against his strength. ¡°Seiji! You will not murder anyone, no matter the justification! This isn¡¯t who you are! Seiji!¡± The animalistic look in his eyes only seemed to be growing worse. Slammed into the ground, Seiji¡¯s wrinkled face broke for a second. The intensity remained, but there was a moment of lucidity cracking through. He turned his head over to Saki. ¡°¡­please¡­Saki¡­I need to¡­do this¡­for myself¡­¡± A faint sense of his self seemed to break through. Saki found her hold on him loosening. However, the moment of weakness she showed him he took advantage of her. Seiji threw her off him with ease, casting her aside. ¡°Seiji!¡± Breathing heavily, he glanced over at her. Flashes of different parts of him went through his face. ¡°¡­Saki¡­¡± His arms shook at his side. ¡®He¡¯s struggling¡­ What¡¯s going on Seiji?¡¯ Saki slowly stood up. Pieces fell a little bit into place for her. Most of it still didn¡¯t make a lot of sense to her. She didn¡¯t know the whole story, but still felt she understood enough. ¡°Alright, Seiji. He¡¯s all yours.¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± Cosmas started laughing, previously only watching the scene with great interest. ¡°So you¡¯ve suddenly decided to support killing, girl?¡± he teased with a mocking tone. ¡°I do love the taste of hypocrisy.¡± Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about!¡± Smirking widely, he nodded slowly in a manner that only made him seem creepier. ¡°Oh I do, little girl. I saw it in your eyes. Yours are different from his.¡± Cosmas enjoyed every moment deeply, especially the changing look on Seiji. ¡°You didn¡¯t know, did you?¡± He laughed loudly. ¡°Oh this is great! I love it!¡± Seiji looked over at Saki in confusion. ¡°What¡¯s he talking about, Saki? You wouldn¡¯t¡­Saki.¡± Guilt surfaced in her face, as she wanted to look away from him. She knew what she did. It was something she had to do. ¡°Seiji, this isn¡¯t the time for such things.¡± Saki began to walk away from the field. ¡°If you really want to know. Ask me after this is all over.¡± ¡°Saki! Wait!¡± Seiji stretched out his arm towards her even though he was nowhere in range. She continued to walk away, undeterred. ¡°Sometimes there are just things you must do even when it is wrong.¡± ¡°Saki?¡± He still wasn¡¯t sure of what happened. Something huge was missing. Suddenly, Saki wasn¡¯t the same person he knew. She was missing. Cosmas clapped loudly. He slowly walked towards Seiji. ¡°This is so much more than I could have hoped for by just simply killing the two of you.¡± ¡°Shut the hell up, you bastard! What do you know?!¡± ¡°More than a child like you. She¡¯s an adult.¡± He threw up a fist in Cosmas¡¯ direction. ¡°Killing doesn¡¯t make you an adult!¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t talking about that. Nothing is simple in this world. She understands better than you what must be done. I like her.¡± The look in his eyes as he glanced in her direction almost seemed filled with lust. He drowned in the intoxicating atmosphere. Seiji¡¯s teeth ground together and bared a little. ¡°Stay away from her! This is between us!¡± Swords materialized up around Cosmos ready to strike. ¡°You¡¯re right. I do have a traitor and a child to kill.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather be a child than an adult!¡± The air thickened almost instantly with the killing intent increasing. He slammed down his feet, setting himself into a damn fighting stance. Two swords appeared in Cosmas¡¯ hands last, as a final sign of his readiness. ¡°You¡¯ll die a child with that sort of thinking. You¡¯ll always be immature!¡± ¡°Fine by me!¡± Seiji charged forward. The life or death clash began. Chapter 233 ¨C Death¡¯s Bet The two forewent any sort of warm-up round. The battle was a continuation of their previous encounter. Cosmas immediately started out with clones and tossed around his swords in all directions. A frantic dance played out with Seiji dodging and breaking down the clones. His fists had greater power behind them than before. Each punch that destroyed a clone blasted out a wide cone of wind kicking up dirt across the entire Field. A few nicks came from swords during the opening of the fight. He could tell the swords¡¯ sharpness was the same as he remembered. During the few punches he threw, Seiji kept watching how everything reacted. ¡®Dammit! I¡¯m seeing more disruptions. It¡¯s not like last time. I¡¯m not going to be able to find him the same way. Hiding bastard!¡¯ Seiji jumped into the air and slammed his fist into the shitty earth breaking it up into a cracked crater. Tossed debris wiped out several of the crappy clones. ¡°You¡¯re using your same tricks. So na?ve, child!¡± One of Cosmas¡¯ clones looked down at Seiji in the crater. An array of swords appeared around Seiji. ¡°Did you really think I wouldn¡¯t analyze the fight?¡± Seiji bared his teeth in annoyance. ¡°You bastard! Always hiding behind tricks and copies!¡± He threw up his fist at the clone. ¡°You¡¯re a coward!¡± ¡°If you¡¯re dead, it doesn¡¯t really matter the means to which I achieve it.¡± He laughed again, but it didn¡¯t hold up the attack. Several clones came sliding down the torn earth as the floating swords came in for Seiji. A faint glow came off Seiji¡¯s bandage arm as he went to take the blow. The sword deflected off him spinning away into the earth, leaving him unharmed. He grabbed the second with his teeth using it to parry several crap swords before Cosmas saw what he did. When it vanished, Seiji grabbed up another shit sword, swiping away the rest just in time. The clones reached him. He still had the shitty sword. Enough force swung through the metal that he shattered both weapons immediately. Shards of metal flew past him scraping his face in thin lines before he finished off the shit clone. Continuing to move, he lifted a hella large chunk of rock in one hand to smash the other bastard clones in a single motion. Once finished, Seiji leapt back into the air. Swords followed him up. He blocked some with his arm and the rest he deflected away with temporary weapons before they disappeared. ¡®There you are!¡¯ Seiji¡¯s body fell back down to the earth with no control over his landing. Landing on the edge of the crater, Seiji found himself surrounded again. Clones were everywhere. He fought through the few immediately in front of him. The last he grabbed and charged with using as a shield against the others coming for him. At the end of his charge, he met the one he wanted. He grabbed onto the invisible Cosmas, the real one. ¡°Found you! You bastard! This time you¡¯re not getting away from me!¡± His hand shook a little as the temptation to snap his neck was unbearable. Cosmas smirked, as he appeared to Seiji, not seemingly affected by being caught. ¡°So you¡¯ve learned a little.¡± Seiji ground his teeth not liking the way he looked. ¡®I have him! Why does he look like he¡¯s the one in control?¡¯ The arrogant look in his shitty eyes just made his emotion boil more. ¡°I¡¯ve gotten more practice dealing with your crappy kind. This isn¡¯t going to play out the way you think.¡± His body started to shake more and more. ¡°You¡¯re right this isn¡¯t going to be the same.¡± The smirk widened further across Cosmas lips. He lifted up his hand to rest on Seiji¡¯s bandaged arm. ¡°Oh you¡¯re shaking badly.¡± His lips thinned a little with excitement. ¡°It¡¯s finally starting to affect you.¡± Suddenly, Seiji¡¯s left arm went numb. He lost hold of Cosmas as the shaking in his right overwhelmed him. Everything in his body seemed to be cold in one moment and burning the next. He staggered around swiping at whatever was near him. ¡°What did you do to me, you bastard?!¡± Cosmas walked casually up to Seiji. He grabbed a hold of his right arm at the wrist. It was the only support Seiji had when his legs buckled. ¡°I poisoned you, naturally.¡± Seiji gasped for air. ¡°You¡ª¡° ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s not deadly. No, it just paralyzes you and gives you a few other fun side effects that I decided to toss in for my entertainment.¡± Cosmas lifted up a sword in his free hand, placing it against Seiji¡¯s wrapped hand. ¡°Can you feel that? The cold steel.¡± He grinned maniacally. ¡°You can''t, can you? It numbs your ability to sense temperature.¡± Sweat dripped down Seiji¡¯s face. He couldn¡¯t move his body. Nothing responded. ¡°B-bast-ard!¡± ¡°Yes, keep that attitude! It¡¯ll be so much better when I do this!¡± The sword in his hand cleanly cut through Seiji¡¯s pinkie. Cosmas held up the severed finger for Seiji to see the blood dripping out. It took him a moment, but a massive wave of pain attacked all of his senses at once. As much as he wanted to hold it in, nothing could keep his lips sealed. Seiji released a blood-curdling scream. He felt as though every part of his skin was being peeled off millimeter by millimeter and they plucked his muscles like an instrument. It made his head want to explode before wanting to pass out. ¡°Oh no, you can¡¯t faint on me. The poison won¡¯t allow you.¡± The devilish grinned seemed to curl up. ¡°No, I¡¯ll make you feel new heights of pain enhanced by this poison until I¡¯m finished with you.¡± Cosmas leaned in only centimeters away from Seiji¡¯s face. ¡°I too learned some things about you. You aren¡¯t like us. Meaning I have greater control over your own body than you do. You¡¯ll suffer greatly before you die!¡± Chapter 234 - Deaths Assurance Seiji pulled at his body to respond to him. He fought with his arm to move. Anything needed to move. It didn¡¯t matter what it was. A sign was all that he needed. Something to show that he was still in control. He couldn¡¯t stand knowing that his body was dead to him. He could do nothing to change things. That he was just the helpless doll to this insane man. ¡®Come on! Damn body, do what I¡¯m telling you!¡¯ He struggled to find anything. Everything was so numb. He didn¡¯t feel like he was in his own body anymore. It just felt like he was watching through someone¡¯s eyes, but still felt the pain. ¡®Are you going to just let him carve you up? Move damn it!¡¯ A faint glow warmed between the layers of papers around his arm. It pulsed softly. Grinning like a maniac, Cosmas removed another finger to show Seiji. The renewed screaming only made his expression all the more twisted. He drank up the pain with devilish delight. The resistance from his body made Seiji sweat more. Watching Cosmas degrade further and further from something that resembled human actually made him feel something he didn¡¯t expect. It was a foreign feeling for him. ¡®He¡¯s actually going to slowly cut me up until I die!¡¯ Seiji¡¯s eyes widened further until his pupils became only dots. The feeling washed over him. It made him familiar with it. It wanted him to be comfortable. It was heavy. It was sickening. Seiji hated it, but couldn¡¯t help it. Fear. Absolute. Pure. Consuming. Chapter 234 ¨C Death¡¯s Assurance There were times Seiji might have felt it in the past, but it was only a little bit. It wasn¡¯t enough to keep him from wanting to fight back. But this was so powerful it felt like it was over his entire body. Everything froze. His mind started to come to terms with reality. ¡®I can¡¯t¡­¡¯ His arm pulsed a little stronger. Cosmas took interest. ¡°What¡¯s this? I don¡¯t remember you having this before.¡± He stripped away a couple of the talismans wrapped around his hand. It took a little effort, but he reached skin. A thin scar started between where the pinkie and ring finger would have been and ran underneath the bandaging. His eyes lit up a little. ¡°I remember now. This was the wound I gave you.¡± Cosmas peeled back a few more to find the second scar. He checked further up on his arm needing to remove a significant amount to reach the skin. ¡°So you managed to bind it back together and heal yourself. I recall you did something like that at the end now. You were getting less interesting at that point, so I don¡¯t remember the small details very well.¡± Seiji wanted his arm back. He wanted his body back. He wanted free of this insane man¡¯s control. It had to end. ¡°Give¡­me¡­back¡­¡± Even his mouth had trouble obeying him. He fought just to get the words out. Closing in a little, Cosmas playful drew a line down Seiji¡¯s cheek with his finger. ¡°Oh? You want something?¡± He grinned at him. ¡°Do tell me.¡± The glow shined off his skin through the exposed parts as it pulsed. A little surprised by the brightness, Cosmas pulled back a bit. His confusion at Seiji¡¯s arm twisted his forehead. ¡°Something new you¡¯re trying? You¡¯re still under my paralysis. You can¡¯t escape me!¡± He started laughing at Seiji''s futile attempts. ¡°Struggle all you want. You¡¯re mine!¡± Another pulse came out, but it moved down his arm rather than all at once. The tips of his fingers started to glow a little. ¡°Give me¡­¡± ¡°Come on. Tell me what you want.¡± ¡°Give¡­¡± Several waves pulsed through Seiji¡¯s arm. ¡°What is it you want?¡± Cosmas leaned forward up close to Seiji¡¯s face. He grabbed on to the back of his head. The sight of his futility pleased him. Toying with him was almost too easy. Suddenly, the talismans on his arm rippled. The outer layer loosened up and flapped around. The light pulsing through his arm became a constant stream. ¡°Give me back my damn ARM!¡± Seiji shouted, finally able to speak again. All of the talismans threw off his arm spinning around at different speeds. The light that contained within before shined brightly. It blinded the entire damn Field. Once the light faded enough to see, Seiji was no longer in sight. It was his white glowing arm that signaled his position, as it was hard to miss. He rested outside of Cosmas¡¯ Field. The talismans stopped moving. Hundreds of papers floated at different distances away from his arm. Cosmas lowered his eyes a little from the brightness. A new turn of events he didn¡¯t expect appeared before him. ¡°What do you have hidden in the arm?¡± The shitty pain through his body had subsided significantly. His hand still hurt like hell, but nothing like it was before. ¡®I can move again.¡¯ Seiji flipped his eyes up towards Cosmas, noticing his position. ¡®It must be because I¡¯m outside of his damn effects.¡¯ Lifting up his scarred arm, Seiji stared at the light coming off it. ¡®What¡¯s happening to me? I thought I already knew what power Yuki gave me. This isn¡¯t the same sort of thing.¡¯ This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Seiji grabbed one of the talismans out of the air. It immediately straightened out in his fingers. ¡°Huh? This looks like¡­¡± He never gave it much thought on his arm. When it happened during the fight, he was merely grateful for an arm to fight with again. After it was over, he just accepted it as fact. He never looked at it closely. But it was familiar. Damn sickeningly familiar. The more he thought about it the more he realized about it. ¡®These showed up that time when the shrine was under attack by the undead.¡¯ The light from his arm calmed down. Most of the paper talismans returned to his arm, but a few attached themselves to his body. He couldn¡¯t remove them no matter how much he tried. ¡®They¡¯re always appearing to help me. Is this your way of getting back at me?!¡¯ He would have preferred to ignore such help, but it was a part of him. It couldn¡¯t be removed. Acceptance was his only option, reluctant or otherwise. Seiji looked down at his maimed hand, bandaged back up. The two fingers he missed were sealed up. Seiji looked back at Cosmas with his awkward fist raised. His body felt a little different now. He wasn¡¯t sure what the talismans did to him, but he at least had the poison purged. ¡°Alright. Time to return the favor in kind.¡± Seiji began to walk back towards the sword Field. Grinning, Cosmas watched with anticipation of Seiji¡¯s return. ¡°You were safe outside my Field. My poison couldn¡¯t affect you. But you walk back in here. It¡¯ll make you succumb again.¡± Swords lifted up into the air around where Seiji would enter. ¡°You truly are an idiot!¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine with that,¡± replied Seiji, marching into the shitty Field. The moment he stepped in a flicker came off the talismans attached to his body. ¡°Things won¡¯t play out the same way a second time.¡± ¡°Did you forget I have complete control within my Field?¡± Punching his foot down into the Field, chunks of the damn earth jumped up knocking away many of the swords lined up for him. His left hand grabbed a free sword and swiped away the rest in a single motion. ¡°Did you forget this is the second time I¡¯ve fought you?¡± ¡°So you found a way to protect yourself from my poison. I can just strengthen it.¡± ¡°You really think that¡¯ll work?¡± Seiji kept walking forward. He had his badass confidence back. Everything was under his control. His body felt great. ¡°All you can do is work within your pre-defined limits you¡¯ve placed upon yourself. Strengthening won¡¯t do anything to affect me. You¡¯ll have to change it to actually have a chance against me now.¡± He smirked a little at the thought. ¡°And you can¡¯t risk that. The moment your damn Field is off you¡¯re mine. You have to work with what you¡¯re given.¡± Cosmas grinned along with Seiji. It pleased him. It was enjoyable, but also boring before. The feeling he had now was more satisfying. ¡°This is the way it should be. This is far more interesting. It¡¯d be so boring just cutting you up when you can¡¯t move.¡± Suddenly two swords appeared in his hands and grew immediately to unwieldy sizes of five meters. ¡°But don¡¯t think I¡¯m out of moves. No, we¡¯re just getting started now. So I expect you to keep making things interesting for me until I remove that head of yours!¡± The length of the swords actually impressed Seiji a bit. They seemed like they stretched out to stab at him, even though he remained at a safe distance. He rubbed his left hand over his right hand subconsciously. There was no pain. He could feel the intensity of the atmosphere. The deadliness pointed straight at him. His emotions calmed for the moment. ¡®I have to end this before I lose myself once more. This man brings out the worst in me. Inside I know he deserves worse than what my heart wants to give, but I can¡¯t let it take me over. Not again! I need to fight my way, not on his terms!¡¯ Seiji charged in for Cosmas. He watched the massive blades slowly moving up. ¡®They¡¯re too big for him. Though he seems unaffected by their size, I can¡¯t imagine he actually can swing them very easily.¡¯ The slow movement made them very easy to dodge. It almost seemed like Cosmas allowed himself to get caught up in the sense of a fight to allow such a weakness. However, it was too early to judge. The earth roared and leapt the moment the crappy blades crashed into the ground. Massive waves of debris shot off the impact zone. It didn¡¯t matter if Seiji dodged the blades, their effect would still reach him. They carved up the earth with ease. After only two attacks, Seiji fell off his course. He stumbled around on his feet trying to make up for the loss. However, in this delay, Cosmas had a follow-up already planned. Seiji caught it in time. The left sword was already back in the air and turned flat with the blade pointed at him. It moved significantly faster than before. The slow movement was just a deception. Seiji leapt up in the air just in time to land on the blade as it crashed into the other sword. Sparks flew up from the scrapping metal. The blades rang loudly over the battlefield. ¡®Damn¡­¡¯ He looked down at the close call. ¡®That was close, he¡¯s still playing around.¡¯ Seiji jumped back to get off the sword. The next attack was already beginning. Seiji had to dodge the varied speeds of the swords. Neither seemed to move at the same speed. It made it difficult for him to dodge. He already experienced the sharpness of the smaller blades. He didn¡¯t want to take one directly on at such a size. Dodging was all he could do for the moment. Cosmas was on a heavy offensive. ¡°Don¡¯t get boring on me again! I¡¯ll cut you up if you do!¡± He smirked at him. Grunting a little as he made an awkward backward dodge, Seiji hated being defensive. But the new tactics weren¡¯t something he was used to against Cosmas. ¡°You¡¯re already wanting to kill me. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s much of a reason right now.¡± He had another close dodge. Each move seemed to be getting harder to avoid than the last. Some laughter came from Cosmas. ¡°Getting a bit of a mouth on you for retorts, huh?¡± ¡°Damn, I¡¯m starting to sound like Yuki.¡± He leapt up on the shitty ass swords as another dodge came. The size made it very easy to run up the length as his only catch for a counter. ¡°I need to keep to my own character.¡± Blades jumped up from the surface of the sword halting his progress. The surprise attack left him with a small knick, but it felt like his entire limb had been severed. He bit through the pain, jumping away, his route closed. ¡°I wondered how long it¡¯d take you to accept the invitation.¡± Seiji ripped off a talisman from his arm and put it on the thin wound. It worked well closing up the wound. ¡®Damn, they aren¡¯t normal ass swords¡­¡¯ He looked back at the bastard Cosmas approaching. A reminder of the situation had to go through Seiji¡¯s head. It was easy to fall into the assumption of what he saw was what reality was, but they subverted reality. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t relax just because you think you¡¯re safe!¡± The swords suddenly grew in length to reach out to Seiji. Safe distance no longer meant the same thing. The swords moved at an even faster speed than before leaving Seiji with little openings. Seiji gasped for a moment as he felt the blade slice through his entire body at the waist. It seemed like everything wasn¡¯t real for a moment. He couldn¡¯t feel anything. Then he looked down. He managed to escape, but not without taking a shallow wound in his waist as the extending blades caught a taste of him in mid-swing. Sweat poured down his face from the experience. ¡®What just happened?¡¯ Cosmas lifted the left sword up to rest on his shoulder. ¡°Surprised? I told you before, didn''t I? I¡¯m not out of moves. Things are only getting started.¡± The sword shrank down to a normal size. ¡°That was merely a taste of things to come. That blade creates illusions, increasing the severity of any wound you receive.¡± The right sword, still massive, shined a strange light blue. A cold wind blew from it until the air froze. Ice expanded over the blade and stretched out catching Seiji unaware. He couldn¡¯t move in time for the ice to grab his legs. ¡°How will you get out of this?¡± Cosmas tossed the smaller sword into the air letting it grow back to gigantic proportions. It spun down at him threatening to cut him down the middle. Chapter 235 - Deaths Entertainment Seiji looked down immediately at the ice holding him. He pulled at his legs with his hands trying to rip his damn self free. However, it was all too damn late. Nothing could be done. The shitty ice held solid. He ground his teeth to grit through the pain he expected to come. Seiji looked up. The spinning sword turned into a blur. It spun too fast for him. He knew it was going to slice him. The sharpness of the blade wasn¡¯t something he doubted. It was unavoidable. ¡®Dammit! Don¡¯t let it end like this! Not like this!¡¯ Seiji lifted his arms up in a futile attempt to protect himself. They crossed over in front of his head just as the first strike came down on the sword. Sparks flew up the moment of the strike. A shockwave blasted out throwing wind out in all directions. The movement was so fast the blade already crashed into the earth as part of the spin. The ground exploded leaping up. A heavy cloud filled everything. Only the quickly spinning sword could be seen through the clouds trailing smoke. Thin streaks of blood sailed through the air off the sword, clearly finding a target. In the last few spins of the sword, loud cracking ripped through the Field. The ice lost its hold. The sword threw Seiji out of the cloud with tiny shards of ice and droplets of blood trailing off him. He crashed into the ground still appearing to be in one piece. Cosmas drew his massive sword across the clouds of smoke like a fan, pushing all out of the way. He went over to retrieve this cast sword. ¡°Seems you¡¯ve managed to survive. Very good, it was the least interesting thing I have to kill you with.¡± Seiji dragged himself to his damn feet. His entire ass body still felt like it was shaking from the repeated strikes of the sword. It rattled his bones. He wasn¡¯t sure how he survived it. He should have died. ¡°Do you ever get the hella tired of talking?¡± ¡°Do you get tired of stumbling through your battles?¡± A response was inside Seiji, but didn¡¯t want to give Cosmas any more fuel. The man was annoying as hell without more to talk about. Seiji was fine with having a little luck. No battle was all about just skill. Random chance played just as important of an element. He believed that more than anything. The best could get unlucky and lose. ¡®I¡¯m damn well sure I would have died several times over without the luck I have.¡¯ Seiji looked at his arms. He had trouble with the widespread ringing in his body to what was actually injured. His bandage arm came away completely unscathed. However, his left arm had a severe gash left from the sword. A quick patch up from borrowing another few talismans fixed him up. A quick fix was all he could afford. It kept him fighting. Cosmas was already ready to begin. Chapter 235 ¨C Death¡¯s Entertainment Cleared once more, the battle could begin with renewed vigor. Cosmas¡¯ swords returned to their normal size. It was hard to judge if it would be more powerful or not. Anything could come from the swords. Seiji started to adjust to such facts with the abilities he showed off. Cosmas stabbed his left sword into the ground. A flash of red light erupted from it. The light pulsed into the earth. Cracks bolted out over the ruined Field. Each of the cracks glowed brightly. The streams all focused on Seiji. Before reaching him, the light blew up through massive ass pillars of flames into the air. Chain explosions followed along the cracks quickly reaching out to him. The heat coming off the damn flames reached him long before the fire. Seiji tried to dodge what he could, but the walls of flames made almost any sort of escape impossible. He danced around between the cracks. His skin blistered quickly from the exposure. Any action only took him deeper until the whole ground around him erupted into a massive spire of fire. Everything swallowed up. Large chunks of earth went soaring from the force. Watching the spectacle, Cosmas grinned. Seiji disappeared from sight. He pulled the sword free, releasing the flames. As though snuffed out in an instant, the fire disappeared. Clung for protection on the debris caught up in the blast, Seiji survived again. Throwing his right sword into the air, a dark shine washed over it. Suddenly, the rocks in the area slammed into the ground. The impact blasted craters and pulverized them to dust. Seiji struggled to stand. It felt like the damn Earth sat on his back. ¡®So heavy¡­I can barely move!¡¯ Grinding his teeth together, Seiji slammed his foot into the earth, cracking it from the weight. ¡®I won¡¯t be stopped! I won¡¯t let you keep going!¡¯ Using the weight on him to his advantage, Seiji raised his fist into the air and slammed down into the earth with the full aided force. Cracks shot out from the impact towards Cosmas as Seiji sank further down in his damn crater. The force ripped up the outer layer of the earth, tossing it in all directions. Cosmas spawned his swords for a defense. Thin lines formed along the rocks thrown at him. It allowed them to pass by him unharmed. The shitty gravity disappeared for Seiji. His body felt so light that his movement was faster than he expected. The ground blasted out behind him from his sprint. It was the best opening he had the entire fight. However, a wide sword managed to block him in time. But the force of his fist knocked back Cosmos, delivering thin cuts to his face. Seiji struggled with the sword. He roared loudly, building his strength. Cosmas felt a little bit surprised to have been so close to Seiji. He looked up from the ground to see his sword began to develop cracks in it. It wasn¡¯t going to last for another half minute to such strength. Staring at the sword for a moment, sparks came off it. Arcs of lightning jumped around channeling into Seiji¡¯s arm. Shock from some crappy lightning threw him back several meters. It tossed Seiji to the ground, his body still discharging the electricity. ¡°Damn, so close,¡± he muttered. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Laughing with excitement, Cosmas rose to his feet. He wiped away the blood that dripped down his face from his small cuts. ¡°Excellent! Keep this up! Your struggling makes this the best!¡± Even being almost on the losing side, Cosmas continued to be unaffected by the ebb and flow of the battle. He clapped his hands wanting even more. Digging himself out of the cracked ruins of the shitty Field, Seiji found his way to his feet. ¡°Annoying bastard¡­¡± Some of the lightning loosely arced between his fingers, but it mostly disappeared. ¡®He¡¯s got too many different things those swords do now. I don¡¯t know what to expect from him next. And I was so close to putting an end to it as well.¡¯ ¡°Show me what else you can do!¡± Six swords appeared hovering around the bastard. Each had a distinctive glow about them. Narrowing his face for the next round, Seiji didn¡¯t like the feeling he got from the way the swords looked. Regardless of his feelings on the matter, he didn¡¯t have a choice. He had to deal with it. ¡°I can take whatever the hell you¡¯ve got!¡± Grinning like a devil again, Cosmas motioned with his hand as a trigger. ¡°Keep me entertained!¡± The first sword lit up brightly before shooting out a stream of fire. Seiji dodged the attempt, but a beam of lightning fired at him next with greater speed. Immediately after, rocks materialized and flung towards him growing to the huge ass size of boulders. The rapid assault was something that Seiji expected, but he didn¡¯t foresee the hail of elements thrown at him. The lightning clipped him in the shoulder spinning back to ram his foot into the earth for support. He caught a boulder with both hands, but a second and a third slammed into it grinding Seiji back. ¡°Damn! I won¡¯t lose to stupid magic!¡± Seiji¡¯s feet dragged through the earth keeping him supported. When it seemed like he stopped moving he tried to throw the boulder back, but it suddenly was sliced up. A barrage of wind arcs burst through the shattering stone. They were too close for him to do anything. No defense left him open. Blood sprayed up from the open wounds, staggering him back. Seiji stood his ground, refusing to fall. ¡°Not enough!¡± Water tore up through the damn earth to surround him completely. He threw out his arm attempting to slice through it, but more poured in. Then it all turned to ice. Frozen, Seiji fought with his body to move. The biting cold dug its claws into him. ¡®I¡¯m not giving up! Move, damnit!¡¯ His arm glowed softly through the ice. The talismans across his body started to shine, pulsing with his arm. Warmth returned into his arms. Seiji felt them moving. Cracks formed along the ice. Their count increased quickly until the entire thing no longer had any transparency. Small pieces chipped away along the cracks. Soon larger pieces fell. Seiji¡¯s right arm broke free first. It smashed through other parts of the ice. Enough of the structure lost its strength for Seiji to push his way out. ¡°Damn fire and ice won¡¯t be enough to hold me back!¡± Seiji threw one of the larger chunks of debris at Cosmas. One of the defensive swords cut it away. New attacks came at him. He saw the boulders in greater numbers flying at him. His fists matched each one crushing them with a single punch making his way towards Cosmas. Lightning shot at him, but his right fist deflected it. Water and ice followed up with more boulders. Seiji kicked his leg through the earth redirecting the torrents. He threw back one of the boulders to block the flames. Seiji kept marching. Wind blades caught a piece of him, unable to dodge them. He tightened up his fist. Talismans peeled off his arm and sealed up the wounds. More attacks flew at him, but he grew comfortable with the pace. Even coming at him all at once, he dealt with them. He stood before Cosmas. One of the floating blades fired a lightning strike, but his right hand caught it. Crushing it under his palm, weak sparks arced around his fingers. ¡°Now who¡¯s the hell¡¯s boring ass?¡± Seiji threw his fist down at Cosmas, but it went straight through it. ¡°I¡¯m impressed!¡± answered Cosmas from the void. Annoyed, Seiji tilted his head over his shoulders in search of the real Cosmas. ¡®Messing around with his stupid copies, but that one wasn¡¯t the same. It wasn¡¯t real.¡¯ Several more copies of Cosmas appeared around the Field. He doubted any of them to be real. Unfortunately, they could still make attacks. Another blast of fire came at him. It was effortlessly blocked, but swords suddenly flew out of the flames. Seiji had to drop down just to avoid being hit. However, he couldn¡¯t rest as attacks came in from above. He jumped into the air. While in the air, something pulled on him. Any control he had became an illusion. It flipped and spun him around. ¡°What the hell?¡± In one of the rotations he made, he saw a strange ass portal that got closer to him. It was pulling him. Seiji grasped at anything, but nothing could stop him from the pull. It dragged him closer and closer. His bandaged arm was the first to be sucked in. It disappeared up to his shoulder. There seemed to be something physical for him to hold on to around the portal. He clung to the perimeter trying to get his arm free. However, the portal started to shrink around the arm. Seiji dug his hand into the portal trying to keep it open, but nothing could hold it back. It closed around his arm tightening further. He groaned, feeling the pressure on his arm. It felt like a damn dump ass truck parked on his arm and kept backing up and going forward over it. He was stuck. The portal suddenly exploded, failing to crush his arm. Gone, he was left floating for a moment. Gravity kicked in with a vengeance, thanks to Cosmas¡¯ efforts. Seiji fell back to the earth like a meteorite. His body exploded and rocks up into the air. ¡°Damn¡­¡± Out of the clouds, Seiji walked a little worse in appearance. He didn¡¯t get a moment of pause as swords jumped up from the ground at him. Several managed to pierce him before he got free. Landing from the last attack, talismans patched him up quickly. Seiji opened his right hand to find a shard of one of the swords. ¡®This hand. There¡¯s something strange about it, more than just those talismans.¡¯ He recalled everything from the fight. Repeatedly, he thought of the different times he used the arm. ¡®Despite getting cut up, this arm still looks perfectly fine. It can stop his attacks, but why? What¡¯s special about this? Can I use it against him?¡¯ A soft pulsing came from his arm. ¡®It wants something.¡¯ Seiji didn¡¯t have much of a chance to think things out any further. Attacks came at him. He tested out his right arm to block everything tossed at him. It seemed to work. However, he couldn¡¯t have it handle everything. Flanking strikes and surprises came from all corners. Seiji barely felt in control. But he survived and the talisman covered arm remained unharmed. A little curious, Seiji lifted his arm up. He wanted to know what strange power was at work inside it. Retrieving a sword from the void, Cosmas pointed it at him. It was a dark ass blade with a red glow and yellow lines intricately detailed across the blade. The motion of it moving through the air left it appear as though cut, segmented into two slightly misaligned images. A heavy foreboding came from its appearance. ¡°So you can block my attacks. Want to try your arm against this?¡± Bothered by the man¡¯s boost in confidence, Seiji dug in for another round of attacks. ¡°You¡¯re going to use it regardless.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Cosmas swung the sword through the air. Nothing seemed to happen, but suddenly much of the world looked to have split. Seiji¡¯s right arm jumped from an invisible force crashing against it. He tried to hold his position, but it was too strong. His body flew backwards, the pressure still on him. Shaking in his arm grew worse as he braced himself with his other hand. However, the moment he did it sliced off all of his fingers from his left hand. The pain caused him to yelp. He lost any sort of position he had thrown off with the force sliding past him. It sliced up his left arm in several places, passing through in a straight line removing everything from his upper arm. ¡°Dammit all to hell!¡± Thrown to the ground, blood poured out of his wound. Behind him, the world¡¯s split grew wider until it faded away at the edge of his Field. Seiji ground his teeth through the pain as the talisman moved to cover up the stump before blood loss left him unconscious. Cosmas appeared before Seiji holding the sword at his face. ¡°The dimensional sword can¡¯t break that right arm of yours, but it doesn¡¯t protect the rest of your body.¡± He grinned at him. ¡°You¡¯ve been very fun to play with, but things end now.¡± The sword moved to pierce his skull. Something flew in knocking Cosmas back, sending him flying uncontrollably for meters. Another presence arrived on the battlefield. ¡°It¡¯s not over while I still draw breath! I won¡¯t allow you to kill him!¡± declared Nerine, in her return to battle. Chapter 236 - Deaths Excitement Seiji had more surprise on his face than Cosmas. He didn¡¯t expect Nerine to show up. ¡°What the hell do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± He tried to stand up, but didn¡¯t think about his missing arm and fell back down. Moving quickly, she caught Seiji with her gauntlets before he collapsed completely. ¡°I should be asking you that in your condition.¡± She planned to stabilize only him, but he insisted on standing. So she was forced to help him to his feet. Once he had his footing back, Seiji stood on his own. He pushed in front of Nerine. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be here. This is my fight.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not letting you fight him alone,¡± corrected Nerine. She stepped out before Seiji facing him. If she had arms, they would likely have been crossed. ¡°You¡¯re falling apart and he just cut off your arm!¡± Seiji threw out his right arm in a slashing motion. ¡°I don¡¯t care, dammit! He wants to kill you! He¡¯s already taken both of your arms! I can¡¯t allow him to finish the rest!¡± The sight of Nerine brought back all of his memories of their fight before. Everything he struggled to keep down rose so fast to the surface he couldn¡¯t control it. His emotions ran hot. The desire to kill became overwhelming. ¡®I¡¯ve got to keep myself in control!¡¯ ¡°Unlike last time, I actually have the ability to protect myself. I don¡¯t need you to protect me.¡± More than a dozen of her gauntlet weapons appeared floating around her. She then immediately moved her gauntlet out in the direction of Cosmas, just in time to block one of his dimension slashing attacks. Nerine looked back at Seiji. ¡°I¡¯m better suited to dealing with another MP.¡± It relieved him to see Nerine appearing strong enough to deal with Cosmas, but he still had his concerns. ¡°You don¡¯t have your arms! How are you going to fight when your style is dependent on it?¡± Nerine turned away to start walking towards Cosmas. She sent most of her gauntlets flying towards him, keeping him busy. ¡°That¡¯s one of the benefits of our powers. I don¡¯t need physical arms to use my power.¡± Her remaining gauntlet moved in to float at her side where her forearms would have been. The gauntlet raised with the fingers in the armor closing in a fist. ¡°I¡¯ve made adjustments to my powers to adapt to my current situation. It won¡¯t be a problem.¡± As she left Seiji, she paused for a moment to tilt her head back at him. ¡°I¡¯d be more concerned about yourself and resolving your problems.¡± ¡°Huh? What are you talking about?¡± ¡°I fought you before, remember. I know how you fight. This isn¡¯t like you. Something¡¯s weakening your punches. Resolve yourself before you worry about me.¡± She charged off after Cosmas. Seiji lowered his head. ¡®Weaker? I guess she¡¯s noticed.¡¯ He tightened up his fist at the frustration built. All of the rage boiling inside him was difficult to contain. It took so much of his concentration to keep himself in check. ¡®But I can¡¯t allow myself to fight like I want, not against him. If I did¡­if I did, I wouldn¡¯t be able to control myself.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t allow that side of him out again. No matter the cost. Chapter 236 ¨C Death¡¯s Excitement The pleasure on Cosmas¡¯ face exceeded what he held during Seiji¡¯s fight. He seemed caught up in the ecstasy that he was merely holding a defense against Nerine. ¡°So you¡¯ve come to me! Come seeking your death! Well I¡¯ll be more than happy to grant it to you, Second Lieutenant Nerine!¡± The sound of his voice was enough to annoy her. He took too much enjoyment in killing. It was a disgusting feeling. She narrowed her expression and focused on fighting him. Once he got rid of his initial excitement, the mood of the battle turned back to the dark killing intent. He tried the dimensional sword again, but Nerine used one of her gauntlets to crush the sword. Since it became a battle between two MPs, he started to change up his tactics. Multiple swords appeared around him. She let her weapons deal with them while charged for Cosmas. He saved a few for defense as she tried some straightforward punches to test his reactions. Once she failed to get through, she slid down, throwing her leg down into a sweep. He leapt back to dodge her, but her gauntlets swapped out letting her push herself after him. Throwing her punches into the air, she bounced around to get around him striking him from behind. A clean hit landed on him knocking him forward. Nerine didn¡¯t let him have a chance to stand up as she punched off into the air. She redirected herself above him and threw herself down, ramming her fist into his back. There was a brief reaction from him, but she grabbed him and threw him up into the air. Jumping, she followed him up dancing around the air to land repeated blows to him before casting him back down in a cloud of smoke. ¡®I haven¡¯t beaten him yet, but I had to have hurt him with that.¡¯ Waiting to see what he did next, Nerine held back. She didn¡¯t want to go in blind into the cloud. Out of the smoke, a sword flew out at her, but she caught it. However, more swords appeared around her, more than her gauntlets. She ground her teeth at the sight. The gauntlets and swords exchanged quick blows around her defensive zone, but several broke through. She punched herself out of the area, but they followed. It gave her enough time to deal with them head-on. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Cosmas emerged from the smoke clapping. ¡°You¡¯re doing great! I¡¯ll admit I had dismissed you as someone to hold my interest, but I¡¯m pleased to see that you won¡¯t disappoint me.¡± A wicked dark grin came across his face as though he had a new idea. The dimensional sword appeared in his hand along with a matching one for his off hand. He swung the swords through the air, throwing out several of the reality cutting waves. Nerine already dealt with the attack, she knew how to manage it. Focusing her power, she negated the effects of the slashes letting her gauntlets absorb the remaining physical damage. Blood sprayed out from her back. Shock painted across her face. She fell down to one knee trying to understand what happened. The wound in her back pulsed in pain. ¡®I didn¡¯t miss one did I?¡¯ While Nerine tried to understand her situation, Cosmas already had another attack incoming. Events played out in the same fashion, she succeeded against all of them, but another wound showed up. This time her lower back. ¡®I know I didn¡¯t miss it. He¡¯s doing some trick to attack while I¡¯m focused on his primary attack.¡¯ Unfortunately, she set her focus to look for back attacks and missed the movement in his Field. Several more wounds came from it before she escaped. ¡®He¡¯s switching things up knowing that I already know something¡¯s off. Damn, he¡¯s a tough one.¡¯ Nerine could only keep her awareness open to any sides, but it still slowed her down. It forced her into a defensive position. After the last attack, she decided to try to return to the offense. The gauntlets at her side changed again to a slimmer version. She caught sight of incoming swords and punched the air to push herself forward. However, the swords crashed upon something before hitting her. Nerine closed the gap quickly, bouncing around Cosmas quickly from all sides. His swords blocked her hits, but it wasn¡¯t her purpose. When she finished, she landed on top of something invisible above Cosmas. The gauntlets on her swapped out for a larger pair. They glowed brightly as she raised them up into the air. Her fist slammed down on the surface she knelt upon. Once invisible, it shined faintly charged with energy. It completely surrounded him. A moment later, the interior exploded in light completely engulfing Cosmas. Nerine leapt off just as the whole container blew up from the contained pressure. Smoke rose off the area in the wake of the explosion. She ordered her floating gauntlets to attack while he was still inside. However, she heard the clashing of metal from inside. Another switch in weapons, she directed her fist at the smoke blowing it all away. The devilish man still stood, though blood dripped down his face and along his arms. She injured him, even though he still looked even more maniac than before. He laughed loudly as though not in control. ¡°Splendid!¡± He drew his hand over his face, unable to stop laughing. ¡°Oh this is perfect! A real challenge!¡± Suddenly swords erupted from the ground all around him. Uneasy from the feeling in the air, Nerine stepped back. She didn¡¯t know what he planned for her. ¡®What¡¯s the matter with him?¡¯ He stretched out his hand towards her. ¡°Oh don¡¯t leave now!¡± All of the swords appeared around her with a count greater than a hundred. In a flash, they all attacked. Her gauntlets rained down in chunks of metal utterly destroyed. Blood sprayed up from the numerous wounds Nerine received. Collapsing to her knees, Nerine fell in shock. ¡®His power increased! He must have used a Fold.¡¯ Blood dripped over most of her body. Pain stung her from all sides. She could only bite through it all. ¡®I can¡¯t believe he was holding back so much¡­¡¯ ¡°Nerine!¡± shouted Seiji from the side. The sight snapped him out of his self-pity. He couldn¡¯t intervene in the fight Nerine began. He was too afraid of what he would do. But that man hurt her again. His blood boiled intensely. It was impossible for him to hold it back. Seiji started walking towards Nerine. A heavy shadow fell over his eyes. ¡®I¡¯m so sorry, Yuki. I have to walk in the darkness.¡¯ Each step he made cracked the earth ever so slightly. ¡®I tried to hold it back, but I can¡¯t anymore. I won¡¯t be able to walk by your side anymore, not as I am.¡¯ Light began to glow stronger from his arm. ¡®It¡¯s wrong to kill regardless of the reason, but I must. I¡¯m sorry, Yuki. We must walk different paths now.¡¯ Pulsing warmed up from his arm pushing into his fingers. Each tip glowed brightly. The talismans rippled into waves around his arm. Wind ripped around him tugging at his tunic. Darkness around Seiji¡¯s eyes grew deeper. Within the center, sadness and loneliness filled up his eyes. Surrounding his eyes, his face grew harsher with severe angles. He ground his teeth, bearing them ever so slightly. ¡®I don¡¯t care anymore! If I hold back, she¡¯ll die! I won¡¯t allow that to happen!¡¯ The talismans exploded off his arm revealing the bright light behind. Each paper straightened out hovering in front of him. Seiji tightened his fist up, exploding the light out creating a crater underneath him from the release. All of the talismans moved behind him creating a wide wall, each glowing white. ¡°I¡¯M GOING TO KILL YOU!¡± roared Seiji. Wrinkles intensely dug into his face around his eyes. In an instant, Seiji disappeared. Earth exploded behind him at his last location. Ahead of him, swords exploded into a mass of metal rain. It happened so fast that it was another few seconds before a stream of blood blasted out from Cosmas¡¯ left shoulder as his entire arm was ripped from his body. Seiji appeared far behind Cosmas holding his arm in his hand, dripping blood. He tilted back towards Cosmas. ¡°KILL!¡± Black completely covered all of Seiji¡¯s face. Only the whites of his eyes popped free. Cosmas dropped to one knee as the pain finally reached his brain. ¡°DAMN!¡± he yelped. His right hand clutched his left shoulder. Immediately, he used his power to tend to the injury. Metal closed up the wound, keeping it from bleeding out further. He looked back at Seiji. ¡°Bastard¡­¡± Cosmas eyes went wide with insanity. Nerine pulled herself back up. Her eyes shook a little witnessing the darkness coming from Seiji. ¡®What¡¯s happening to him? This isn¡¯t like him!¡¯ The killing intent suddenly became very clear in Cosmas¡¯ eyes. It was as though the whole time it was all just play for him. The notion of killing had merely been something he talked about. It was still very clear he was serious about it. However, the look in his eyes threw away all signs of making things exciting or interesting for him. He only wanted to kill Seiji. Seiji¡¯s look matched him, equally steeped in darkness. The dimensional swords appeared again, but all of the swords were dimension swords. Dozens of slashes tore through reality at Seiji. Seiji dodged the first few while talismans set up in front turning to ash immediately on impact with the attacks, negating any damage. When the attack finished, the talismans already moved out in front of his arm. They built into a cylinder in front of Seiji. The light glowing from him grew more intense as the papers shined. Suddenly energy built up in the cylinder. ¡°DIE!¡± A large beam shot out of the front speeding towards Cosmas. Earth tore up from the path of the beam, destroying everything in its path. Chapter 237 - Deaths Winnings Light bleached out Cosmas until he completely disappeared from sight. Even before it reached him, the massive light engulfed him. However, just as it washed over Cosmas, the direction of the beam changed. It was only a few degrees, but it was enough. After the energy faded away, Cosmas emerged from the smoke and falling debris. His swords crumbled, unable to hold their form from the damage. The left side of his body looked burned and his clothes completely destroyed. His power restored the clothing damage quickly. Still seething and now confused, Seiji looked down to see one of Nerine¡¯s gauntlets pressed up against his arm. The talismans floated back behind him after the end of the attack. He batted the gauntlet away, the force creating a crater. ¡°¡­the HELL? WHY?¡± Nerine ignored her injuries and marched over to Seiji. She summoned up her gauntlets behind her. ¡°I should be asking you, THAT!¡± she shouted over the Field. The end of her sentence was loudly punctuated by her first gauntlet disappearing and suddenly ramming into Seiji¡¯s face. Its impact deafened the area around them barely budging Seiji a centimeter. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Another gauntlet flew at him pushing him back a little more. The barrage continued with the gauntlets moving too fast for Seiji to see. Each landed on his face knocking him back more and more with each strike. ¡°Wake up!¡± One punch finally knocked him off his feet. The angle of the gauntlets changed to throw him into the ground. They continued to rail on him. ¡°This isn¡¯t you!¡± She stopped at his side, the battery ending. ¡°Well? What do you have to say for yourself?¡± Flames of rage still burned brightly on Seiji. All the beating did was bruise his face. ¡°¡­nerine¡­protect¡­¡± Ordering another punch, she knocked him a little further into the earth. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for you to protect me! I can look out for myself! So return back to your stupid, na?ve, fight-loving self!¡± She sent another gauntlet at him. However, it stopped before reaching him. Seiji¡¯s fingers surfaced around the armored fist, holding it back. He pushed aside the weapon, allowing his awoken face to be revealed. ¡°¡­-rry¡­I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Guilt and sadness washed over his face as he stared at Nerine. ¡°As long as you¡¯re yourself.¡± She smiled back at him, relieved to see the darkness lifted. ¡°That¡¯s all that matters.¡± Using her gauntlets, she offered him a hand. Accepting her, Seiji walked out of the pit she put him in. He saw his arm still glowing brightly making it impossible to actually see it. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the sight of the talismans floating. It was all strange to him. ¡®I don¡¯t remember any of this happening. I let it all consume me. Damn! I¡¯m so weak!¡¯ He looked back at Nerine. ¡°Thank you. I allowed my fear to consume me.¡± A small smile worked up in his lips staring at her. Concern still settled into a part of Nerine. ¡®He¡¯s afraid of something? I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with him, but the middle of a fight is hardly the time for this.¡¯ She turned to face Cosmas, who was still recovering from the damage taken from Seiji¡¯s last attack. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong, but you just need to focus away from it. Your strength is in the way you love to fight, but not to hurt or kill just simply for the challenge and enjoyment of testing yourself. That¡¯s what I saw in you from our fight. Focus on that, on who you are and leave the fear behind you.¡± He stared down at his glowing arm. It was foreign to him. The whole thing was a mystery. He understood none of it. He wanted none of it. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± He was certain of one thing. All of the strange powers showing up around him, he wanted one thing. ¡°I want to beat him, so that he knows never to come back. I want to show him that he¡¯ll never be able to kill us. I want the power to prove to him that he can¡¯t win!¡± Chapter 237 ¨C Death¡¯s Winnings Laughter erupted from the opposite side of the Field. It was Cosmas, as to be expected. He seemed to have recovered and entertained by their little motivational speech. The absolute void of dark killing intent lifted away from him. He was back to his talkative self. ¡°You lost your only chance. Such na?ve sentiments, it¡¯s laughable!¡± Cosmas began walking towards them, putting the tension back up. The dimensional swords all appeared around him. ¡°You really think you can beat me like that? Even if you managed to win, it¡¯s not going to change my mind. Beat me to a sliver of my life? Pressure me, torture me, rip off all of my limbs, cast me to the bottom of the sea. I will return. I will find you. I will kill you. There is nothing you can do to change that reality.¡± Dozens of his clones started to appear around his Field. ¡°Remember what my power is. If I must, I can kill you any number of ways without you even putting up a fight. I only fight you head on because taking you apart piece by piece is more enjoyable. But leave me with no other options, I¡¯ll kill you in your sleep. I¡¯ll give you that certainty.¡± Seiji felt assured in what the man said. It actually sent an eerie chill down his back. He believed what Cosmas said. ¡®Such a man¡­no!¡¯ Squeezing his fist tightly, Seiji focused on what mattered. ¡°Then I¡¯ll just find another way to do it! You won¡¯t stop me!¡± ¡°Focus on who you are,¡± encouraged Nerine. ¡°Yeah!¡± Seiji threw up his fist into the air. Suddenly, the glowing came to a stop. The light faded away. His arm returned to normal. Underneath his skin, a faint pulse came out from his shoulder to the tips of his fingers. The pulsing continued until a little of the light seemed to be left behind. His two scars that ran up the entire length of his arm glowed brighter. It seemed to be absorbing the light. Soon the scars increased with intensity until they became solid white lines. His body felt different. Seiji stared at his arm. It wasn¡¯t the same as before. It was still foreign to him, yet more familiar and comfortable. ¡°Huh?¡± Talismans appeared in his hand. He found that all of the ones floating behind disappeared. It felt very familiar. Nerine jumped out in front of Seiji when one of the slashes came after him. Cosmas stopped waiting on them to do something. The attack washed over them, dampened enough to do nothing. Chunks of metal from her gauntlets dropped to the ground. ¡°You ready to fight?¡± Tightening up his fist, it was still him. ¡°Yeah!¡± Seiji tried to pound his fists together to psych himself up, but found that he missed. ¡°Right, I¡¯ve only got one arm.¡± He stepped out to stand next to Nerine, ready for Cosmas. ¡°I only need one arm to beat you!¡± Some of the excitement returned into his expression. Pleased, Nerine felt reassured with him. ¡®Still looks a little forced, but he¡¯s closer to himself.¡¯ She threw out her gauntlets to start dealing with the numerous clones. ¡®He seems to have more than just his strength now. I don¡¯t know what his new power can do¡­¡¯ Then she saw Seiji charge in blindly like he always did without regard to plans or surroundings. It made her sweat a little watching him. ¡®I guess I¡¯ll find out later.¡¯ Seiji grabbed the first bastard he found, planning to throw him into the neighboring one coming after him. But the body stopped moving. He stared at him for a moment before it vanished. One of the talismans floated down, evaporating a moment later. ¡®Just damn a clone. I¡¯m going to only be finding clones with the way he fights.¡¯ It didn¡¯t mean a lot to him. He didn¡¯t have a way of getting Cosmas to surface. He just started clearing the clones out. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. An attack from behind flipped Seiji around. He confronted another one of the dimensional slashes. Seiji threw up his arm to block it, but talismans appeared in the air tracing his movement. They formed a line that guarded Seiji from the attack and allowed him to charge in for a counter. ¡®Just another damn clone,¡¯ he commented, dropping the vanishing body. ¡®I need a way to deal with these clones. He¡¯s altered his power so I can¡¯t find him using the previous method.¡¯ Seiji charged off after the next one, likely to be another clone. He had few options. The battle leaned towards Cosmas with his clones. Neither side had achieved anything meaningful, but Seiji and Nerine had the disadvantage. Nerine was wounded and Seiji would eventually get exhausted from all of the running around. They couldn¡¯t last. Inevitability didn¡¯t matter to Seiji. He continued to charge around the Field in search of the real Cosmas. It proved empty. The clones naturally came back. His talismans could block the shitty attacks, but he could land nothing on him. Seiji came to rest next to Nerine. ¡°Damn him, can you do anything about these damn clones?¡± ¡°His Field¡¯s bigger than mine and stronger. I¡¯m barely able to keep up with him. He keeps moving around so much every time I think I¡¯ve found the center I¡¯ve missed.¡± ¡°I thought it was strange that I couldn''t find the center.¡± ¡°He¡¯s aware of the weaknesses and has countermeasures.¡± Nerine didn¡¯t like the direction things headed. He was a skilled MP. His talents as an Omega agent couldn¡¯t be doubted with what she saw. ¡°We need a way to get rid of all of his clones so we can focus on the real one!¡± Seiji¡¯s frustration came out in him punching the ground. He didn¡¯t put much force behind it, just annoyance. However, the ground lit up suddenly. Small orbs of light ignited around the Field in response. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s happening?¡± ¡°Did you do something?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± A large circle drew across the ground along with Japanese kanji carved within. The kanji for the cardinal directions marked out in the key locations. It all glowed brightly filling the whole area with light. Then suddenly, the clones all started to fade away. Seiji stepped out among the strange drawings on the ground. He saw one of his talismans firmly affixed within the drawing. ¡°Did I cause this?¡± ¡°Found a way to deal with that, huh?¡± Cosmas resurfaced, forced to fight them face to face once more. Looking away from the talisman, the whole thing still confused him. ¡°¡­sure¡­¡± Little of it mattered anymore, he could fight directly. Seiji charged in after Cosmas. The same swords as before. Long slashes through the air came for him. Seiji already knew his talismans would negate them. He cast them out to deal with the threat while he focused on Cosmas. However, the slashes ripped through the talisman effortlessly coming straight for him. ¡°Damn!¡± Seiji had to dodge recklessly, throwing himself towards the ground. It still wasn¡¯t enough as the attacks dug into his back. The pain wouldn¡¯t stop Seiji. Nothing would stop him. He was too close. Seiji pushed through grabbing Cosmas¡¯ damn leg to slam him into the ground with him. The crappy sword in his hand came down glowing to unleash a point-blank attack. Seiji threw up his hand directing the talismans to cover the sword up, sealing it before it could attack. Annoyed, but not detoured, the sword disappeared briefly to rid itself of the seal. The sword was still in motion for Seiji, but Nerine¡¯s gauntlet flew at it deflecting the attack away just in time. The earth only a centimeter away from Seiji carried a new deep wound. Nerine entered the melee, throwing around her gauntlets to push back Cosmas. She threw herself around the air to keep dodging the attacks coming at her, narrowly maintaining her position. Once Seiji recovered, he jumped in with her throwing his fist in as well. An uneven two-way struggle exploded across the night. ¡°Damn bastard!¡± Seiji barked, landing on the ground. Cosmas slid back several meters to a safer distance. She came to rest next to Seiji. ¡°This isn¡¯t getting us anywhere.¡± ¡°I know! We need to finish this!¡± Seiji glanced over at Nerine. ¡°How much are you holding back?¡± The question returned to Seiji with a bit of an indignant expression. It changed quickly for her. ¡°I¡¯ve still got one thing left. But my body isn¡¯t exactly in the best shape right now.¡± ¡°Good!¡± He grinned a little with the thought of something reckless coming to mind. ¡°Throw everything into it! No time to worry about your health! Damn caution!¡± Seiji threw up his fist, the two strips of white pulsed in waves down his arm. ¡°Throw everything you¡¯ve got into this! We¡¯re finishing this now!¡± All of Nerine¡¯s gauntlets disappeared suddenly. ¡°I haven¡¯t used this form without my arms before.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been doing fine! Just believe in yourself!¡± ¡°This coming from you¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m just returning the favor! Come on, Nerine! Let¡¯s end this!¡± Talismans streamed up around Seiji in response to his need. Armor appeared on Nerine¡¯s legs and covered where her arms would have been. The armor clamped down across her chest, locked into place. ¡°Right! Now or never! Let¡¯s go!¡± A blast came off the backs of the armor acting as thrust propelling her forward. She closed the distance with Cosmas. Immediately, she spun herself down, starting things with a kick. Cosmas blocked it with ease, but flames erupted over the whole area. He retreated out of the smoke only to find Seiji tagging in. Knocked back, Cosmas flew over to Nerine. She caught him with her fists throwing out blades of wind. She bounced around the air making use of her entire body to navigate landing numerous blows to Cosmas. He crashed into the ground, but not without swords following in after Nerine unleashing close range slashes. Explosions covered her up with smoke. Seiji jumped in, threw down his fist erupting Cosmas in light. He went tumbling away. The swords cut in keeping Seiji back. It forced him to back off. Nerine fell from the smoke to land next to him unharmed. Recovering and confused, Cosmas stared at the two of them. He found the talismans burning away from Nerine¡¯s armor. Grinding his teeth, he knew what it meant. ¡°You think you can win by working together?!¡± A ripple came out from Cosmas¡¯ feet. ¡°He¡¯s Folding again! This isn¡¯t good! He¡¯s going to be too much for me to handle!¡± Confidently, Seiji moved a little closer to Nerine. ¡°Then we do it together. He can¡¯t beat us!¡± They nodded in agreement and charged forward. An array of swords came flying at them. Seiji took the front, blowing away most of them to open up a path. Nerine covered his back as the rest came throwing out dimension cutters. She threw up her arms to the attack, but it sliced through them with no effort. Her Field could no longer dampen his power. Kicking out of the way, smoke coughed up from the ground as the attacks dug through. Seiji threw out an easily telegraphed attack with a beam that Cosmas dodged. However, Nerine appeared above him spinning down. Talismans appeared at her foot channeling the flames and giving them a slight white coloring. The blast drilled a hole through the earth burning away Cosmas¡¯ clothes barely evading. Talismans stretched out to crush all of Cosmas¡¯ swords, preventing any attack. He was completely open. Nerine landed in front of Cosmas, her arm already pulled back. Seiji charged up, coming up on her left side matching his fist with hers. The two fists slammed into Cosmas¡¯ chest, sending him flying back with his Field disappearing. Several minutes passed with Nerine tending to Seiji and Cosmas¡¯ injuries. She was reluctant to do so for Cosmas, but Seiji insisted. Once everything finished, they woke up Cosmas. He sat staring at the two of them getting a read on everything. ¡°So you think things are over.¡± ¡°No,¡± answered Seiji. He knelt down to meet the man in the eye. ¡°You made yourself pretty clear earlier.¡± ¡°Damn right. If you don¡¯t kill me, I will keep hunting you down. Just remember, I won¡¯t be polite about it anymore.¡± Seiji stared at Cosmas deeply for almost a minute. He believed what the man said. As long as he ran free, he would keep haunting their shadows. It didn¡¯t matter how long it would take he planned to finish. ¡°That¡¯s fine with me. It just means I¡¯ll always be watching my back for you.¡± Smirking, Cosmas narrowed his eyes. ¡°The next time you won¡¯t even know it was me until it¡¯s too late.¡± Their conversation was over. Seiji stood up and started walking away. ¡°I look forward to it.¡± He motioned with his hand back at Cosmas, telling him he had his freedom. ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± Nerine asked. ¡°I put a seal on him, so he won¡¯t be able to use his powers until someone finds him, but this is a big risk.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Did you overcome your fear?¡± ¡°For now.¡± He looked back at Cosmas, walking away. ¡°That man brought out a terrible side in me. Now freed, I can¡¯t put the lid back on. All I can do is live with that part of me and not let it control me. I¡¯ll always struggle with it.¡± Seiji felt a little better about the whole thing. ¡°If I feel I¡¯m losing myself, I¡¯ll just remember what you told me.¡± He smiled over at Nerine. The long night was finally over for him. At least for the moment. Nerine tilted her head in the direction of Cosmas. The man was already too far away for her to see. Her eyes narrowed to harsh lines. ¡®Killing for the sake of killing is wrong. But there are times when it is necessary, necessary to protect those important to you. There are the right reasons to do something evil.¡¯ Far in the distance away from Seiji and the others, a body laid alone in the grass of Atlantis. Blood poured out into the grass from their neck. A violent action had removed their head from their body. Evil rested alone by the act of another evil. Alone their secret would hold, for now. Chapter 238 - Arrival Calm returned. Tension disappeared. Everyone prepared, but unneeded. The distant rumbling ceased. A little uncertainty still existed; the silence meant it was over. But it didn¡¯t last for long. Chiharu appeared back with the group, who all waited on news of Seiji and Nerine¡¯s battle. ¡°They won. They¡¯ll be heading back soon,¡± she reported. She could see relief passing through everyone. Chatter already started up. None of it interested her. She turned to look in the direction of Seiji¡¯s battlefield. ¡®Were you able to overcome your fear?¡¯ A few minutes'' wait was all they had before Seiji and Nerine appeared through the night haze. Despite his fully healed appearance, the fatigue was clear in his eyes. The fight exhausted him in a way none of the other fights had. ¡°I¡¯m back!¡± he shouted, nonchalantly brushing the whole experience off as if it was nothing. Yumi ran out along with Saki to check on them. ¡°Are you badly hurt?¡± Yumi asked, trying to look over his body with only the moonlight. ¡°Made it back in one piece, I see,¡± commented Saki, covering up her relief. She worked hard to maintain her annoyed expression to keep up the fa?ade. Laughing a little out of awkwardness, Seiji remembered all of the things that happened to him during the fight. ¡°Well there might be a piece of me back there still, but Nerine fixed me up good!¡± He patted her on the back lightly. Unfortunately, Nerine¡¯s injuries were still not recovered like Seiji¡¯s. She staggered forward from his hit, only to collapse to the ground immediately. Blood splattered out from her countless wounds. Seiji was the first to act. ¡°Nerine!¡± He grabbed her up to check on her. She breathed heavily, having trouble keeping focused. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me dammit?!¡± The closer view of her made him see how many wounds she took from the fight. Her uniforms torn to shreds barely seemed to be holding together. Blood soaked through the majority of the white appearing as if she wore a red uniform. The longer he stared at her the more he cursed his blindness. ¡®I forgot that she wasn¡¯t like the rest of us. She has a normal body. Damn, why was I so blind!¡¯ He turned up to look for Yuki. He knew that he would be able to fix her up, but naturally, Yuki wasn¡¯t with them. Anyone, someone in their group had to be able to do something for her. He stood up carrying Nerine with him. Without Yuki, his eyes searched through the group. ¡°Fumiko, you!¡± He immediately charged in front of her. ¡°You¡¯ve got magical powers or something, right!¡± Fumiko stared at Seiji for a moment, as she already knew what he wanted from her. ¡°I have offensive magic. I don¡¯t have healing magic.¡± ¡°What the hell use are you?! You¡¯re supposed to be one of those mage-thingies from those RPGs right!¡± Her face immediately went flat in disbelief and some annoyance. ¡°I¡¯m not some video game character!¡± ¡°Why the hell not? She needs healing!¡± She needed some distance. Seiji kept pushing in closer with more of a demanding look in each step. ¡°Seiji!¡± Fumiko slapped him hard to try to snap him out of his hysterics, however it still felt more painful for her. ¡®Damn his tough body.¡¯ It seemed to work a little as it stopped Seiji from pressing closer. ¡°None of us here have that ability, but I don¡¯t think she looks to be in a life-threatening condition. All of the adrenaline finally wore off and caught up to her. We¡¯ll patch her up, she¡¯ll just have to recover until we find someone that can help her.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡° Nerine lifted her head up. She tried to speak, but it only came out in Atlantean. Enough shouting by her forced them all to look at her. Unfortunately, speaking in Atlantean left them all confused. Seiji looked over at Yumi. ¡°What¡¯s she saying?¡± Surprise caught Yumi¡¯s face. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I don¡¯t speak her language.¡± ¡°Sure you do! You were before!¡± ¡°Huh? When?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t both of you, Seiji,¡± interrupted Fumiko. ¡°She¡¯s not going to be of help.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°English?¡± asked Simonides in English. He saw how the language barrier blocked any hopes of communication. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t know Japanese. It wasn¡¯t one of the languages for the South Gate recommendations. Yori stepped forward, finally feeling like he had something useful to do. ¡°I can speak a little English,¡± he replied in rough English as well. A quick conversation played out between the two men. Even in English, neither being perfect, finding the necessary words made them struggle. Yori had words he didn¡¯t understand from Simonides. Simonides seemed to be also finding it difficult to pick English words to explain him. Only a rough primitive dialogue seemed possible. A lot of gesturing went on between them explaining the more complex ideas that their vocabulary lacked. ¡°I think I understand the gist of it,¡± began Yori, returning to the group. ¡°He said that Nerine should be able to use her power to make some medical supplies to help with the injuries, but her strength is weak. She¡¯s only got enough in her for one more attempt to use her powers.¡± The news excited Seiji. He immediately jumped over to Yori ignoring everyone else. ¡°Really?! That¡¯s what she said?¡± ¡°Best that I can tell from talking with him.¡± ¡°Well let¡¯s get started!¡± Seiji looked around at everyone and then Nerine. He didn¡¯t know what he needed to do. He just stood there holding Nerine waiting for something to happen. Yumi stepped in, poking his shoulder. ¡°You should probably set her down first.¡± Chapter 238 ¨C Arrival Quiet. Unnaturally so. Something had to be wrong. It just had to be wrong. It only made sense. It couldn¡¯t possibly be. The same thoughts ran through on repeat like a tape stuck with the rewind button held down. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. It was how it was. Yuki just had to accept the fact that it was actually going to be easier. The struggle they had with escaping the Omega soldiers made it seem like they walked into a trap. However, Ayumi seemed very confident. He trusted her, but it just didn¡¯t seem like it should be like this. Honestly, if it was following proper story development, there should be a massive showdown with all of the opposing forces all spread out in front of the city¡¯s walls. The heroes should be struggling and crawling to reach the city and only after a long, hard won battle make it to their destination. It was just too easy. Such a terrible story. Yuki could see the Capital staring at them. For hours now, he watched it grow larger and larger. Previously, he only saw a massive spire and then a couple of other larger structures. One of them looked grand, even from a distance it seemed to shine with a special sort of beauty that shouldn¡¯t be able to exist in the world yet it still did. The impossible beauty of it made him only want to stare longer at it. Yuki realized the more he saw of the Atlantean Capital how much their power had to have shaped it. In the last couple of hours, he saw a massive pale white, maybe off-white, maybe gray, maybe dirty white (Yuki was still uncertain what sort of white it was, it was not dark or pure, but it was not average either). The white he realized in the last few minutes belonged to a wall. Then he realized all the white he saw before seemed to go on forever as that wall. The size of the city quickly became something too large for his head to really get wrapped around it. He always imagined it being some fantasy city out of the books he read. A great city stretching up to the sky built out of a mountain. Maybe a massive lake sat at the center of the city with beautiful marble structures played out around it. It could be a multi-tier city built up on a wide hill. The castle sat at the top overlooking everything and even from outside could be seen. It would be fantastic and beyond imagining, but still small. He didn¡¯t know why he thought it, but he just assumed the Capital to be small. It had maybe a few thousands or tens of thousands, nothing more. Maybe his hobby ruined his expectations. None of the expectations could equal what he saw. It was the Capital, but it was no town or village. The village of Skoupa would have fit on top of the wall it seemed. No, even to call it a city seemed not to do it an accurate justice. It was a metropolis, a massive ancient city kilometers and kilometers in length. Millions of Atlanteans had to live inside. The true read of the size came to him when he discovered from Ayumi that they were still an hour walk away. ¡°Unbelievable¡­¡± he said, staring still. ¡°Hey, focus!¡± snapped Ayumi, grabbing his wrist to get his attention. ¡°Oh, right! I¡¯m sorry.¡± He had to maintain his concentration. Using his powers certainly was a lot easier for him now that they felt more like an extension of him rather than something added on to him like some mysterious technology that activated an ancient power from a long dead civilization that needed a full series to truly understand its potential. The reason he needed to focus was because he kept them hidden. Using his power, he made a bubble around them that allowed them to keep talking, but their voices would never leave beyond. The more important part was that it made them invisible to the outside. Anyone too close would have discovered them, but at a distance nothing would have been off. None of the scouts would be able to find them. It bothered him that they just walked up to the front door and walked in. It didn¡¯t feel right, even though he knew why. ¡°So we¡¯re just going through the front?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s the reason I have you keeping us hidden.¡± Ayumi suddenly changed their course away from the straight-line path to the Capital¡¯s wall. She motioned over to him to follow. Now curious, Yuki followed Ayumi wondering what she had planned for them. ¡°I just thought it was another test you were giving me to keep myself flexible with my powers.¡± ¡°What?¡± She looked back at him for a moment. Shaking her head, she kept moving forward. ¡°No, your powers are already more than enough.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± But it didn¡¯t answer his curiosity. He hurried a little to catch up to her. ¡°So why are we not moving towards the Capital anymore?¡± ¡°Because we aren¡¯t going through the Main Gate. They have security measures in place to identify anyone going through, even hidden like we are.¡± Ayumi came to a stop. She turned around as though in search of something. It took her a few moments to scan the area before she moved on. Immediately, Yuki¡¯s mind started stirring up ideas. The first to jump to him came out of his mouth. ¡°A secret passage!¡± ¡°Corre¡ª¡° ¡°All castles and royal families have secret passages. I bet they run through the whole city. Some ancient labyrinth underneath the city from a long forgotten civilization. If you stray from the correct path you¡¯ll become lost and never able to find your way out as there are secret powers at work to keep unwanted guests from passing through. I bet there are even monsters down there, giant minotaur¡¯s and dragons, maybe even¡ª¡° ¡°Will you shut up!¡± she yelled, breaking her normally characteristically stoic controlled voice. ¡°Sorry.¡± Yuki looked away, not wanting to see her staring at him. The daggers from her eyes were painful enough. It felt like she wanted to punch him for speaking. Silence returned for Ayumi, something she greatly enjoyed. She finished her search after another moment, finally able to think straight. It was all she needed to find what she sought. A few minutes of following a strange path through a forest put them at the destination. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± It was nothing. He jumped around all over the place in search of the secret passage. He made use of all of his knowledge (from his light novels, manga and anime) for the switch that would open up the entrance to the stairs. It had to be obvious and hidden. He knew he could find it. It would be something that should stand out to him. Yet there was nothing. It was just a forest, completely random with no markers or any signs that anyone traveled through it. Yuki realized it could be even a switch. It had to be just a chain or handle to pull up. He scrambled over the grass with a fine precision. His hands ran through the grass and dirt. Time had to have buried it. It was just under the surface. It had to be. It only made sense. Ayumi allowed him his time. He seemed heavily engrossed in it. Even when she did try to say something, he just waved her off. So she waited until he seemed less focused. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± He stared over at Ayumi with excitement glowing brightly in his eyes. However, his enthusiasm didn¡¯t seem to transfer to her. Yuki didn¡¯t really see her looking completely blank faced at him. ¡°It¡¯s a secret passage, so there must be a switch or lever or handle, something that opens it up! I¡¯ve always wanted to find something like this! So don¡¯t tell me the secret! I want to figure it out on my own!¡± Crossing her arms, she couldn¡¯t believe what she heard from him. He looked like a kid hyped up on sugar and just finished watching his favorite super sentai show feeling the need to go act out the whole thing in the front yard (oddly specific, especially for Ayumi). The longer she watched him the more painful it became. Her hand rolled over her face in exasperation. A sigh soon followed, naturally. ¡°Yuki¡ª¡° ¡°No, hints!¡± ¡°You¡¯re wasting time. It¡¯s¡ª¡° His hand went up again to stop her. ¡°I¡¯ll figure this out!¡± ¡°I need to use my power¡ª¡° ¡°Of course!¡± Yuki jumped up at his epiphany. ¡°I was approaching this from the completely wrong angle! You would use your powers to open it! You wouldn¡¯t want just anyone using it. It all makes sense!¡± He kept nodding to him in agreement. Any idea popped in his head on how to solve the puzzle. Ayumi immediately recognized the look in his eyes. She leapt off to him, quickly slapping him. ¡°Stop now! If you turn off your power you¡¯ll expose us!¡± ¡°Ow, Ayumi that hurt.¡± He stepped back a step catching the deadly serious glare she leveled at him. ¡°You know if you hit me too hard it¡¯d do that same thing.¡± The comment he slid earned him another even more menacing glare. Finally, she seemed to have his attention. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right that it can only be opened through our power. Which is why I¡¯m going to do it. I know where it is. So when I give you the signal, drop your Field. Do you understand?¡± He nodded to her. ¡°Yes.¡± Ayumi¡¯s look cut through all of the excitement and antics of Yuki. He quickly understood he had to be serious again. Following her lead, he waited for the signal. Once she was ready, she activated her Field and his dropped soon after. It might have been brief, but they shouldn¡¯t have been visible for long. The difference in their Fields was that Ayumi¡¯s cut into the earth. A perfect sphere carved out the ground below them. An anti-gravity Addendum kept them from falling endlessly through the earth. She lowered them down slowly until dirt and earth changed to stone. The stone soon appeared as smoothly polished and carved, a manmade structure. Ayumi dropped her Field once they cleared the ceiling. They fell the rest of the distance of half a meter to the floor. ¡°We¡¯re inside the Capital now.¡± It was just a tunnel to Yuki. He looked behind him at the ¡®entrance¡¯ to see it all just caved in with stone and earth. It looked like it had been like that for years or even centuries. ¡°That¡¯s not an entrance at all, it¡¯s just a cave-in! There¡¯s nothing special about this!¡± Her eyes lowered in annoyance again. ¡°Is that all that matters to you?¡± Pouting, Yuki walked on ahead. He refused to answer someone that didn¡¯t understand the enjoyment of such things. ¡®Fumiko would understand. I wish she was here. She¡¯d get excited.¡¯ The length of the tunnel seemed really straightforward. It turned frequently, but there were no forks or traps. Just a simple path. Yuki was really bored. Until he left the tunnel at least. He stopped at the exit staring wide-eyed. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect this¡­¡± Yuki kept staring trying to take it all in. A couple of people in ragged clothes passed by him, then a few more. They were in a street, an underground street. Houses were everywhere packed in tightly like they were the only thing holding up the ceiling that pressed on upon them. Ahead, the street fell as the whole area sank like a basin. The further he looked the more of the subterranean city he saw. A lot of structures blocked his full view, but he walked slowly out into the city to get more and more of a picture. He reached a balcony on the side of the street that was built on top of another building underneath it. It all stretched out endlessly it seemed. Then he understood the street he walked on was the roof of someone¡¯s home. Support pillars ran through the entire space. He kept finding more and more people too. All of them dressed poorly. Ayumi stepped up next to Yuki¡¯s right side. ¡°Welcome to the Capital.¡± Chapter 239 - Morning without the Sun In a way, it felt almost anti-climatic for Yuki and yet also immensely dramatic to see the view stretched out before him. He was under the city, something that he never even considered a possibility. ¡®An underground city with the poor, it feels like a clich¨¦ development, but this is supposed to be a fantasy setting. Atlantis is more of a high fantasy setting, but this makes it feel more low fantasy. With all of the conflict between the two different classes it¡¯s a much darker setting. I feel like I¡¯m in some dystopian setting rather than a fantasy one. Such a mixed-up genre¡­but this is reality.¡¯ The Capital continued to meet his expectations and then promptly invert them to something completely different. The scale of the underground matched much of that with the visible city above. Buildings or supports obstructed much of his view of the city, but it gave him a clear sense of the size. The neighborhood he stood in was merely a small part of the massive structure. Everywhere he looked things looked old and run down, but patched up. It felt like things wanted to fall about, but something wouldn¡¯t allow it to happen. Everything was against its will. Yuki had so many questions about it. He tilted his head over to Ayumi, who actually seemed a little lost. It seemed that the view held her entranced as well. However, the look in her eyes was quite a bit different from the one in Yuki¡¯s eyes. ¡°Ayumi?¡± he opened, stretching his hand out to touch her hand. Snapping a little back to reality, she shook off her thoughts. ¡°Sorry, I was just a little lost in thought.¡± She looked over at Yuki. He was very close, staring in concern. ¡®It¡¯s unlike her to so freely admit that, but she¡¯s back in her hometown. She must have old memories coming back, though down here seems a little odd since her life was above ground.¡¯ Despite learning so much about her in the last few days, Yuki still didn¡¯t feel like he knew her. It still felt like a wall was between them. ¡°What sort of thoughts?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± She pushed off from the ledge and started down the street. ¡°Let¡¯s get going. Now that we¡¯re in the Capital, we just need to sneak into the palace.¡± Yuki smiled a little happy to see the normal Ayumi back. She stared at him for a moment, giving him a ¡®What are you smiling at?¡¯ sort of look. It only made him grin wider. ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± Chapter 239 ¨C Morning without the Sun Following the road only took them so far. Ayumi dragged them off the main street into extremely narrow passages between ruined homes, still used to live in. He guessed being underground shelter from the elements took on a different meaning. Just as he passed through the housing-Yuki sandwich something grabbed his pant leg. He looked down to see a young man in rags sitting. ¡°Spare a brass?¡± It caught him a little off-guard that he didn¡¯t have a response. He had seen others like him begging for money. They seemed to be everywhere. ¡°Well¡­I-I-um¡­¡± He fumbled around his clothes as though looking for loose change, though he knew that he didn¡¯t have any on him. They could all beg however much they wanted, but it made no difference. Ayumi came back grabbing him by his arm. ¡°We don¡¯t have time to waste.¡± She dragged him away from the man. Her hand held onto him until they were out of sight. ¡°Th-thanks.¡± Yuki caught up to her and discovered a scarf around her neck and part of her face. He looked a little confused by it. ¡°What¡¯s with the scarf?¡± ¡°Low profile.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t that make you stand out more?¡± He sighed a little remembering the reason. The identity of the Captain of the Royal Guard was a highly visible position according to Ayumi. Though he wondered if anyone down in the underground actually would recognize her. ¡°What¡¯s with the Haruo level briefness?¡± However, he didn¡¯t have time for an answer as two kids ran past him. They lightly brushed up against playing with each other. Both went up the narrow street. Yuki started to walk away with Ayumi when a rock hit him in the back of the head. ¡°The hell hit me?¡± He turned around having to dodge another one. It was the two kids. They were sticking their tongues out at him and yelling. ¡°What the hell is this?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you have money on you?!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Yuki patted himself realizing that they just pick pocketed him. ¡°You¡¯re the one¡¯s stealing! And you have the nerve to complain about not having anything to steal!¡± ¡°All rich people have fat purses!¡± ¡°Rich? Do I look rich? I¡¯m just a teenager!¡± ¡°You ain¡¯t dressed like us! So you have to have something on you!¡± This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. His expression went flat, unable to believe that he was in a yelling match with thieves over not having something to steal. He wondered how he got into such a situation. ¡°It¡¯ll tell you not to judge people by their appearance! I¡¯m just as poor as you!¡± ¡°Not likely! We actually have money!¡± Now they were getting arrogant with him. He couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°That you stole!¡± ¡°Still counts!¡± Ayumi tugged on Yuki to get him moving. ¡°Enough use of your Field to yell at street thieves. They deploy agents down here too. We don¡¯t need them picking up your Field.¡± ¡°Right.¡± An hour passed by wandering around the city. Yuki started to think they wouldn¡¯t get out of the underground slums. The entire place felt like a labyrinth. Guidance from Ayumi made him thankful for having her along. He never would have made it anywhere without her. In fact, he was worried about losing sight of her, keeping close the entire time. Still, he wondered about the history. The city¡¯s appearance was old beyond any sort of measure he could come up with. Guessing seemed like a bad idea. ¡°Hey Ayumi, what happened here?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± She kept moving forward, not allowing for a break. The distance they had to their goal was so small in comparison. She couldn¡¯t let it go. ¡°You don¡¯t just build something like this. The Capital looked like it had plenty of room to expand. So why is there such a massive underground? I could understand some ruins or old passages from long forgotten days, but this exceeds any sort of scale like that. People live here.¡± ¡°This used to be the Capital.¡± She didn¡¯t really explain anything with such an answer. All it did was fuel more ideas for him. He had too many stories in his head to develop ideas from. He needed something straight from her. ¡°The Capital? What are you saying?¡± ¡°We call this the Old Capital.¡± ¡°The Old Capital? You make it sound like this used to be where everyone lived and then you moved. Did something happen?¡± ¡°You¡¯re close. In reality, this is the third Capital.¡± ¡°Third?¡± Suddenly, his mind started to piece everything together. All of his guesses finally got narrowed down. He understood better what was going on now. ¡°Which means there was a First and Second and what I saw on the surface was the Fourth? There some accident?¡± ¡°Correct. There have been four Capitals, each new one built on top of the old one. If you go even further down you¡¯ll find the ruins of the ancient Capital. Some people still live there, but it¡¯s mostly a den of criminals where only the military enter.¡± ¡°Taking the word ¡®underground¡¯ a little too literally, aren¡¯t we?¡± For his joke, she tossed back a piercing gaze. Yuki quickly clammed up on his humor, returning to a serious tone. ¡°What caused you to have to do that? This place looks too civilized to have been a natural disaster or war. Did a MP user do it?¡± Ayumi didn¡¯t answer immediately. It seemed she needed time to think about an answer. ¡°It¡¯s nothing like what you¡¯re thinking. It was disaster, fire and bad construction that destroyed the old cities. We built the top of the ruins each time. It¡¯s impossible to see anymore, but the Capital is actually built on slightly higher ground because it is built on top of the old. ¡°It was through our power though that we helped with the rebuilding. Over time, each new Capital continues to push down the older parts until you have what you see now. Layers of ruins stacked on top of itself. Most were destroyed when it happened leaving only parts of buildings behind. But these ruins are more than a millennia old. In that time, people have settled here and built a new city.¡± ¡°Sounds rather incredible.¡± Images filled Yuki¡¯s mind of their history. The more details he received the more elaborate the picture became. However, he came to a sticking point for him. ¡°How come people live down here? It¡¯s not as though you¡¯re hurting for space above and with the power you possess it would be simple to make new homes for everyone.¡± Ayumi came to a stop suddenly. Her gaze changed away from their goal and back to the slums. ¡°Life is rarely equal or fair. The truth is that using your power requires orders or government permission, especially for something like construction. You can¡¯t just do whatever you want.¡± ¡°But all of these people.¡± ¡°Can you imagine what sort of chaos we¡¯d have if everyone with power was free to use it however they wanted? That¡¯s why they are all in military service and under the government¡¯s control.¡± ¡°So these people just go homeless?¡± ¡°They¡¯ve found a life. They have their pride still.¡± ¡°Pride?!¡± ¡°They have a home they built with their own hands, not relying on anyone.¡± Yuki had trouble agreeing with her. All of the stories he heard from her past painted a terrible picture of Atlantis. Everyone struggled or lived in fear. Those with power had no future or freedom. Those without power lived in fear. How could they live in such a state? Yet they did find a life, as she said. They even seemed fairly content with their situation. ¡®It doesn¡¯t seem right. Even like this. Is this really freedom and pride?¡¯ Her eyes narrowed watching Yuki¡¯s reaction. Grabbing his hand, she snapped Yuki out of his thoughts. ¡°Come on, we still have a ways to go. You can¡¯t try to impress your Japanese values on these people. Think of it like different worlds, this is life and you can¡¯t sit in judgment of the way things run.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± ¡°Good, we¡¯re getting close to being under the palace.¡± Ayumi pointed out a heavily fortified wall that ran through the entire underground from ground to ceiling. It was a massive structure with no windows. It almost seemed as if the palace was truly above it, then what they saw was the foundation stretching down for countless meters. ¡°It¡¯s still a bit away, so I¡¯ll entertain everyone with another flashback.¡± ¡°Hey! You¡¯re breaking the fourth wall!¡± complained Yuki. He jumped out in front of her. ¡°And you¡¯re stealing my gimmick! This is out of character for you. I¡¯m the one that should be saying such things.¡± ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll do it normally.¡± She motioned over to him like handing off something invisible. He threw his fist into the air for excitement. ¡°The next chapter will finally see the final piece of Ayumi¡¯s mysterious past! Look forward to it!¡± Ayumi¡¯s face went a little flat watching his enthusiasm over it. ¡°Feel better?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± He wiped off the sweat from his forehead actually appearing relieved. ¡°I think you overdid it. I was only leaning on it a little, I think you destroyed it.¡± ¡°Never like that wall to begin with. On a more serious note¡­¡± Yuki flicked his index fingers back over to Ayumi passing the scene back to her (he is enjoying this too much). Clearing her throat, Ayumi pulled things back into the correct tone. ¡°This also used to be my home as well,¡± she declared as if it was nothing. Yuki grimaced hearing her reply. ¡°Sounds too forced. You need a better transition.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try to work on that,¡± she replied in a non-committal tone. Her gaze turned briefly down to the lower city from the bridge they walked. Below her, countless homes painted the ground. The whole place brought back memories for her. She tried to avoid them as much as she could, but nostalgia won out in the end. Thoughts of the time alone in the slums came back to her. Her life before he found her. When she was barely even a child, no longer a baby. The harsh reality she spoke of she knew too well. Chapter 240 - The Unwanted Gift Whether it be one year, ten years or twenty years, time held very little meaning to the Slums of the Capital. It was the same in any year, for the most part. Coming off the post-years of the rebellion certainly left a stronger sense of fear among the populace. However, life continued the same as it always had. Nothing changed in the end. Before the rebellion still felt the same as after it. It was always the same. Thievery ran out of control in the streets. Death was just as common. If something happened, no one cared. They had their own life to live and wanted nothing to do with others'' problems. That was the general case for people in the underworld, the shadows of the glorious civilization of Atlantis. A few sparks of weak light could still be found, one just had to look hard enough. One such faint sign of hope had adopted an abandoned child. A girl no one wanted. Still only a baby, barely two years alive in the world, she already saw too much of the ugliness of the world. But she was too young to understand any of it. She could just play and live. It was simple. Reality forced her to grow up fast. Fate had other plans in store. ¡°Now wait a minute!¡± interrupted Yuki. He shifted his position around from Ayumi¡¯s side to stand in front of her. They had a place to be, so he kept walking backwards to keep their pace. ¡°You¡¯re telling me that you remember in detail your life from the age of two? Bullshit!¡± Hardly affected by him anymore, Ayumi stopped her story. It wasn¡¯t the first time he interrupted her to deal with some inconsistency in her story. She couldn¡¯t even get annoyed at it anymore. He was so picky. ¡°No, I don¡¯t remember the details of my life that far back. My first memory is leaving the Slums.¡± ¡°Then how are you claiming to know what happened then?¡± ¡°I never said I didn¡¯t return back here at any time. My power¡¯s simple enough to extract the information I need.¡± Yuki saw the cold expression in Ayumi¡¯s eyes. ¡°Scary.¡± The thought of her forcibly hunting down the people with her memories just to know what happened hardly seemed out of character, but still the lengths to go still came off a little shocking. ¡°The way you talk about your life here, it doesn¡¯t seem like something you¡¯d want to remember. Why do you know so much?¡± ¡°Because I was looking for something.¡± Now she had Yuki¡¯s attention. She couldn¡¯t say something so mysterious and enticing without expecting to get some curiosity. ¡°What were you looking for?¡± ¡°It¡¯s personal.¡± Ayumi walked around Yuki, making her stance on the matter clear. ¡°What!?¡± Yuki turned to rush after her. ¡°You can¡¯t just dump something like that and expect me to just let you drop it. It was important enough to you to dredge up your past. What was it?¡± She stopped abruptly. Her head turned just enough to meet his gaze. ¡°It¡¯s a private matter.¡± The finality in her stare said everything else. Sweating a little and turning a bit blue in the face, Yuki cut his losses and accepted things, for now anyway. ¡°Fine.¡± Chapter 240 ¨C The Unwanted Gift Aella was the woman that took her in off the street. She just found the baby crawling around an alley with no direction. No one seemed to be giving her any notice. They just ignored her. Most had no interest in complicating their life further with an unknown child. However, Aella couldn¡¯t let her just roam. It wasn¡¯t something that went unnoticed by the others. ¡°What were you thinking, Aella?¡± ¡°A child? She¡¯s going to die anyway.¡± ¡°She needs someone to watch over her. It¡¯s because she is a child that I¡¯ll give her protection.¡± ¡°But she was abandoned.¡± ¡°There must be a reason for it.¡± ¡°All the more reason to keep her safe. It¡¯s too harsh for a child alone.¡± ¡°What if it was because of that.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. She might be one of them, Aella.¡± ¡°Does that change the fact she needs help?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll regret it.¡± Despite the warnings from her neighbors, she continued to watch over the child. They kept talking about her. They tried to convince her to get rid of the baby. It would be only trouble. No one wanted the baby. She wasn¡¯t even the first person to take her in. Everyone that took her in threw her out just as quickly. There was never a welcome home. Yet Aella kept her. It was nearly a year. Persistent fear mongering wasn¡¯t enough. Aella resolved herself to the task. Nothing she could imagine would be enough to change her mind. She felt it impossible to break. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! However, it was a simple act that revealed the greatest crack to shatter everything. It wasn¡¯t even anything dramatic or threatening. Just an everyday wish. Everything changed. A frozen time. Complaining, the baby wanted something. Aella was busy working on dinner for them. She had just enough to keep them from not having growling stomachs. Any more was too much to ask for. ¡°I¡¯m making dinner, dear! Just wait a little bit longer! I know you¡¯re hungry!¡± The baby whined again. She seemed to be getting more impatient with Aella. Calming and reassuring words meant nothing. They cried more. ¡°Just a little bit longer.¡± Longer was too long for the baby. Suddenly, the air felt cold and Aella could see her breath. ¡°Why¡¯d it get so cold so suddenly?¡± Everything in the room was covered in snow an instant later. She stared down at her hands holding what used to be a knife, but now looked like a toy a kid made out of snow. It was impossible. The impossibility quickly turned into a single thought in her mind. She knew, just not who. Fear rattled her bones. ¡°The baby!¡± Aella turned around to the table to see her cheerfully playing with the snow. She didn¡¯t seem to understand. Rushing over to her, Aella pushed her up quickly. ¡°It¡¯s alright. We just have to hide and they¡¯ll pass by.¡± The baby whined wanting something, they stretched out their tiny hands to something no longer in their reach. Aella realized quickly they wanted their cup. However, when she picked it up she realized it wasn¡¯t one of her cups. It was made from pure crystal so clear it acted like a prism. ¡°This isn¡¯t yours¡­¡± She still wanted it and Aella gave into the request since she went quiet. Taking cover in the furthest part of their snow-filled house was all she could do. The temperatures kept dropping as she tried to keep the baby warm, even though it didn¡¯t seem to notice even the cold. Aella shivered in the corner praying for it all to end soon. The water in the cup emptied with the baby happily. All of the snow disappeared a moment later with the room warming back up. It was over. She sighed with relief. Yet something nagged at her. Aella looked at the baby seeing the cup went missing. It was nowhere to be seen. ¡°You were thirsty huh?¡± She looked happy and completely oblivious. Aella could only stare at the baby. The missing cup. The snow. The crystal cup. The baby. Each piece suddenly fell into place. Aella set the baby down on the floor. It paralyzed her knowing it. She understood. It made sense. She stared down at the content child, unaware. Aella¡¯s hands shook. The cold she felt still chilled her body, only more unnerving than before. She walked to the other corner of the room sliding down as small as possible. More than an hour passed before she was startled awake to the world. It was a touch from it. The baby¡¯s hand poked her. She tried to grab her finger. It wanted attention. She stared at Aella. It didn¡¯t understand. The shaking wouldn¡¯t stop. It only seemed to get worse the more it stared at her. She could do only one thing. Aella rubbed her arms trying to warm up. The lingering chill still gripped her tightly. The baby was alone again. However, everyone knew. Fear fell in quickly. Aella disappeared. Alone she quickly started to understand certain things. Her power responded to her desires. Even alone, she only needed it to survive. It came to be surprisingly useful. She even managed to evade the military searches. Another year passed. A stranger in worn clothes stepped into the Slums. They looked like they fit in, but still stood out. Something about them made people naturally want to avoid them. He looked aged from years of hard living. ¡°I must be getting close,¡± he commented. It became very apparent to him passing another block. ¡®There¡¯s no one living in any of these homes. Normally, these would all be filled. I¡¯m not even seeing beggars.¡¯ It was a sign. He knew it all too well. They all gave a silent message. ¡®Leave and don¡¯t look back.¡¯ The message didn¡¯t bother him. He kept walking forward deeper into the ghost town. A paper came out from under his tattered robes. Several notes were carefully written out along with a map. It matched the area he was in. The stranger stopped in front of the house. He glanced down at the stone steps. Something seemed to have caught his eye. ¡°It¡¯s here.¡± He walked into the house. It looked abandoned, but with careful signs of life. He walked around the single room searching around before coming to a stop in the middle. Placing a hand on the floor, it suddenly opened with a tunnel. Descent through the tunnel brought him to the no man zone of the Slums. The area between one layer of the Underground and the next. The area collapsed and built upon. Old never used tunnels formed from the crushing weight of the above on top of leftovers from a dead period. It was too dangerous to go inside with no chance for exits and high chance of cave-ins. Yet a perfect place to hide. It was something the military knew well, yet they still managed to miss it. He found a wall that stopped him from progressing. ¡°A strong one.¡± The wall disappeared like it was nothing and he continued. Traps and detours couldn¡¯t stop him. ¡°Here you are,¡± he said, finally reaching the end of the line. He found a child held up in a corner so far removed it was just as easy to have missed her. The difficulty of reaching made him understand why the Academy had such trouble looking for her. They would have eventually found her, even the best at hiding didn¡¯t last forever. He was fortunate to have found her first. Ice spread out everywhere. Cornered, she wasn¡¯t ready to go without a fight. He knelt down holding out his hand. ¡°I¡¯m not from the military. I was looking for you, but I wanted to help you.¡± Shards of ice appeared around her looking ready to fire. ¡°No you don¡¯t.¡± The shards flew at the stranger without any warning. The ice disappeared before even touching him. He smiled a little. ¡°You¡¯ve got a fire in you. That¡¯s good.¡± She immediately understood what he was. The signs were clear. She tried to back away even further. ¡°Go away!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to frighten you any further. I¡¯m only here to help.¡± ¡°You¡¯re lying!¡± ¡°It¡¯s the truth.¡± He tried a warm grin for her as a sign of safety. Though his rough appearance made it look more forced than natural. ¡°I want to offer you a new home.¡± She shook her head. ¡°No! You¡¯re just saying whatever you want! You want to take me away!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not with the military. You already saw before I¡¯m stronger, but I want you to have the choice. They wouldn¡¯t give you one.¡± He sat down trying to give every sign possible that he meant no threat to her. ¡°You¡¯ve been on the run. No one wants you. You¡¯re afraid of everyone. You can¡¯t trust. I¡¯m sorry you had to learn the cruelty of this world at such a young age. But I¡¯m like you. I know how everything changes and those close to you no longer look at you the same. When they know you can see it in their eyes. You can see their fear. Even when they try to hide it, you can still see it.¡± The girl looked at him a little strangely. He realized that he was talking a little too complex for someone barely even a child. She was too young to understand everything he said. He had to rewind his steps. ¡°Would you like a home? A place where you¡¯re among those that love you and aren¡¯t afraid? Where you can be yourself?¡± He offered his hand out to her across the long distance. ¡°Would you come with me?¡± She stared at him for a long time. Everyone was always afraid of her. They all knew her and left immediately. The moment they learned nothing was the same again. He was like her. He wasn¡¯t afraid. She felt like he might be telling the truth. She just wanted to be warm again. ¡°I-I¡¯ll¡­I¡¯ll come.¡± He lit up quickly with a wide smile on his face. Jumping over to her and picking her up, he looked even happier than before. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted a daughter!¡± He realized that it was a little too fast for her. She already started to look like she regretted the decision. The man set her back down. ¡°Right! Let¡¯s get you out of here. I¡¯ll keep you hidden, so you don¡¯t have to worry about anyone seeing you. You¡¯ll be safe with me!¡± It was all a whirlwind and daze for her. She didn¡¯t know when the Slums changed, but eventually she stood in a gigantic room. It seemed larger than the whole Slums, but it was simply the scale that threw her off. She wandered around the place seeing a bed and toys, anything she might have wanted. The stranger threw off his robes, suddenly changing back to his original appearance. His Field dropped the disguise. He had an aged appearance, but a much kinder look in his face. Hidden behind it seemed to be something deeper, a darkness. The change startled the girl a little. ¡°Sorry, I can¡¯t use this face around the town, everyone would recognize me.¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± She didn¡¯t know. Her head tilted a little curious, but seeing the real him actually made her feel more comfortable. The rough appearance gone, he seemed like the warmth she wanted. ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± He was actually surprised, but he was so used to being so well recognized that it only made sense a child would not know. ¡°I¡¯m the King of Atlantis.¡± ¡°King? What¡¯s that?¡± He laughed a little embarrassed and amused by her innocence. ¡°Just a title with a heavy burden. But more importantly, what¡¯s your name? I sort of forgot to ask earlier.¡± ¡°Name? I don¡¯t have one.¡± ¡°What?! That¡¯s terrible! How could no one have given you a name?¡± He raised his hand up to his face to think for a moment. ¡°Your name is Eudokia! You¡¯re my daughter starting today!¡± Chapter 241 - First Steps A few days passed quickly for Eudokia. The new life was like nothing she ever knew before. She never felt hungry and no one feared her. She had a massive room with more things to play with than she could possibly know what to do with. Every day, he came to her room and played with her for hours. Despite him having other duties, he always made time for her. His aides often had to pull him away. She felt the warmth. However, after time passed she realized something. ¡°Why can¡¯t I leave this room, daddy?¡± Every time he left the door was locked. She even tried opening, but found that even with her powers nothing freed her. He smiled at her and patted her on the head. Kneeling down, he came eye-level with her. ¡°The palace is a big place. You¡¯d make me very scared if you got lost.¡± ¡°But I want to see the sky.¡± The King leaned back a bit, forgetting how sheltered of a life the girl had up to moving in with him. She never went out of the Slums. The only sky she was used to seeing was the ceiling of the city. So many experiences that seemed normal were foreign to her. He grinned a little, having come up with an idea. ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll take you outside, but you have to stay with me at all times. Promise?¡± ¡°I promise!¡± Eudokia leapt up to hug him, unable to hold in her excitement. ¡°Thank you, daddy!¡± Chapter 241 ¨C First Steps ¡°It¡¯s so big!¡± She tried to stretch her hands out to the open blue sky. Her deep green eyes couldn¡¯t be pulled away. It looked to reflect through her. ¡°And it really goes on forever, daddy?¡± He couldn¡¯t help but laugh a little. ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s so big you could run after it and never be able to touch it.¡± ¡°Wow!¡± Just watching her excitement was enough for him. It made him smile. An uncontrollable cough suddenly overtook him. It sounded horrible reaching up from his feet, but it passed quickly. She looked back at him a little surprised. ¡°Just a little cold going around. I¡¯m fine.¡± It wasn¡¯t much later that the first meeting happened for her. The King opened the door to Eudokia¡¯s room. He looked very happy. ¡°Eudokia! I¡¯ve got someone I¡¯d like you to meet!¡± ¡°Daddy!¡± She dropped the blocks she played with to run over and hug his leg. ¡°Who is it?¡± The thought of another face got her energy levels rising. However, when he stepped aside to let them in, the sight of the new person completely changed the mood. She immediately hid behind his legs the moment she saw his face. Too excited to notice, the King tried to introduce them, but ended up doing so to the air. ¡°This is Demosthenes Alexander.¡± It took him only another second to realize Eudokia wasn¡¯t in the same spot before. ¡°Where¡¯d you go, dear?¡± Standing rigidly at the King¡¯s side, Demosthenes looked like he wanted to receive another order. Yet, the King¡¯s lack of sensing the mood and desperately trying to find his daughter left him a little out of place. ¡°Your Majesty, the Lady Eudokia is behind you.¡± A little embarrassed for not seeing her sooner, he laughed nervously. ¡°Thanks, Demosthenes! How¡¯d she get there?¡± He still didn¡¯t see it. He knelt down to pick her up. The shaking in her body immediately became clear to him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Eudokia? You¡¯re shaking like a tree.¡± ¡°He¡¯s scary.¡± He looked a little surprised back at Demosthenes, still strictly maintaining his discipline. ¡°What this guy? He¡¯s an old softy.¡± The King rubbed Demosthenes¡¯ head while he failed to react. ¡°See, he won¡¯t do anything bad to you.¡± He poked Demosthenes a little in the cheek trying to show his daughter. She wasn¡¯t convinced and tried to hide behind the King as much as possible. ¡°He¡¯s got scary eyes.¡± ¡°What?! No¡­¡± He looked over at Demosthenes, staring quite intently at him, getting almost uncomfortably close. ¡°Maybe you¡¯re right. Demosthenes, do something about those eyes of yours. You¡¯re scaring my daughter.¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Eudokia added in for extra measure. She immediately lowered herself back down afterwards just in case of retaliation. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Your Majesty. This was the face I was born with.¡± The King slapped him on the back trying to get him to budge from his statue-like posture. ¡°You¡¯re too serious, old friend! I¡¯m always telling you, you need to loosen up!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind, Your Majesty.¡± A little annoyed by Demosthenes'' resistance, the King turned to his daughter. He started to whisper to her suspiciously. ¡°Think that¡¯ll help?¡± She nodded slightly to him, clearly nervous about whatever he told her. ¡°Demosthenes, I order you to sit down here, seiza style.¡± ¡°Seiza, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Japanese! Whatever, just sit down and don¡¯t move. Also close your eyes.¡± Demosthenes¡¯ eyes finally slid over to look at the King. He wanted to see the look on his face. Though the man tried to hide it, there was clearly a mischievous plot hiding behind the innocent face. However, the man was his superior and King. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± All he could do was obey and pray his Majesty¡¯s eccentricity didn¡¯t go too far. ¡°There! I think that improves him a lot, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°No, he needs more there, daddy!¡± Eudokia had started to get really into it part way through. She directed most of the efforts now. ¡°I think you¡¯re right!¡± This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°Your Majesty?¡± ¡°I thought you were a statue, Demosthenes. Statues don¡¯t complain.¡± ¡°Yes¡­Your Majesty.¡± ¡°All done!¡± The King nodded to himself with pride. He looked over to Eudokia. She looked pleased as well. Summoning up a mirror, he handed it over to Demosthenes. ¡°What you think? I think it really does wonders to improve that scary face of yours.¡± Even Demosthenes¡¯ stoic, rigid nature cracked a little beholding the paint job done to his face. He turned a little blue as depression set in. The father and daughter pair seemed especially happy with the results. ¡°Yes¡­Your Majesty.¡± He resigned himself. ¡°So Eudokia, what you think? He friendly now?¡± ¡°Yeah, daddy!¡± She had trouble not laughing for more than a few seconds. ¡°So let¡¯s do those introductions once more. This Demosthenes Alexander.¡± ¡°De-De-Dem¡­Alice?¡± Eudokia received help from her father in trying to say his name. It continued to only come up with mixed results. ¡°¡­mos¡­hand¡­er¡­Moss head! Moss head!¡± Demosthenes¡¯ inner self screamed and cracked. He didn¡¯t know how to react. She seemed so pleased to have gotten his name¡­wrong. He sighed in silence. ¡°Lady Eudokia¡­¡± With the introduction out of the way and Eudokia content, the two old men stepped out of the room. The King¡¯s playful expression dropped the moment the door closed. ¡°You understand your orders?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll watch over her in your stead when you¡¯re unable.¡± ¡°More than that, Demosthenes. I want you watching the eyes that watch me as well.¡± He looked around the hall. ¡°No one can know about her, not until the time is right.¡± A coughing fitting broke out in the middle of his orders. Demosthenes quickly moved to help him out. ¡°Are you alright? It¡¯s getting worse isn¡¯t it?¡± He recovered quickly from the interruption as though it never happened. ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s only brief.¡± The look in Demosthenes¡¯ eyes told him enough of his concern. ¡°Don¡¯t make that face. We both knew this day was coming. I¡¯ve known my fate since I¡¯ve become King. Keep looking to the future, not regretting the past.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°So, the King¡­my father, was sick?¡± Yuki interrupted. The story seemed like it was concluding anyway. There was little more he could gain from her story. Plus, they had arrived at their destination. ¡°Is that what¡­killed him?¡± Ayumi manipulated her Field to create a wood door in the support column of the palace. She opened it up granting them access to the interior. A simple, but massive chamber filled with nothing but gigantic columns spaced every three meters. Along the wall was a stairwell, the long climb up. Once Yuki was inside, the door closed and then disappeared. ¡°That¡¯s correct. Though the council plotted against him for years, it was that that actually took his life.¡± They started up the stairs. It seemed like a very long walk. ¡°But with your power can¡¯t you just make medicine to fix him?¡± ¡°There was no medicine to cure him. It was beyond our control.¡± Yuki paused on the stairs. ¡®There¡¯s something beyond their power? What could it be?¡¯ The thought of some disease killing the King consumed his thoughts. It was something he lived with for years. He looked up at Ayumi. ¡®He was so important to her. How can she still be moving forward after losing someone so important?¡¯ Yuki had seen moments of weakness out of her in desperate times, but he never saw her sad over his death. He wondered how she held herself together, was it revenge? Inside the Titan¡¯s room, Demosthenes appeared before them once more. The gathered Titans sat around their table. Rheia already had an eager look in her eye that she didn¡¯t try to hide. They watched the reports all closely enough. It was obvious what was coming. ¡°I¡¯m granting you all permission to act. The defense of the Capital is now in your hands. Keep them from entering.¡± Grinning with excitement, Rheia leaned back in her chair. ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡± ¡°Defense? I¡¯m not interested in defending dirt,¡± commented Nereus. He still had the same disinterested expression on his face. Even the threat of the invasion breaching the Capital did nothing for him. However, he did see the look he got from the General. ¡°But if it is an order, I¡¯ll do it. Hopefully, they prove to at least be human.¡± Glykeria bounced in her chair. She held onto her doll, no longer combing it¡¯s hair. ¡°I hope they have someone that¡¯s fun to play with.¡± ¡°They have some interesting abilities, ¡°Teris remarked. ¡°It should be different.¡± Ourias looked the most serious about the situation. Something bothered him deep inside. ¡°I won¡¯t allow them to step a single foot inside.¡± ¡°According to the last reports, they should arrive in the next hour or two. Depart immediately.¡± Demosthenes turned away. ¡°I¡¯ve ordered all other soldiers to hold back. You¡¯ll have them to yourselves.¡± He left the room already with something set on his mind. Rheia stood up from the chair once he left. ¡°Alright! Pick your targets! I don¡¯t want anyone trying to take the same one!¡± She drew her finger across the table, dragging on the profiles with her. ¡°This one¡¯s mine, the rest are for you.¡± Walking out of the room, she smirked a little. ¡®You better be everything your report makes you out to be or I¡¯m going to be very disappointed.¡¯ A little over an hour had passed in waiting. The five Titans stood outside of the main gate to the Capital. Their waiting finally ended. The intruders appeared in the distance. ¡°So we didn¡¯t find Yuki here,¡± commented Seiji, still looking very tired from last night¡¯s fight. ¡°We didn¡¯t pass him up back there?¡± He looked back towards the way they came. ¡°Seiji,¡± called Saki, trying to get him to quiet down. ¡°What? We¡¯re looking for Yuki.¡± ¡°We have a new problem.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± He looked forward to see what bothered Saki. Five figures all in the same white uniforms they came to expect from the MPs of Atlantis. However, they had a completely different look from all of the rest that they faced. They didn¡¯t even try to hide or use any other ambush tactics. He could feel the difference in the atmosphere. ¡°New problems, all right.¡± As they kept moving closer, they exercised caution. It was too late to back away, they all got the sense running away was pointless. Simonides was the first to react out of the normal humans, when they were close enough for him to see them clearly. ¡°They sent the Titans?!¡± Everyone looked back at Simonides, who actually looked shaken by their presence. However, it was Nerine that lost her composure. Sweat covered her body. ¡°Titans?! Why them?¡± The longer she stared at them the more frightened she got. Stories alone were enough for her. Nerine glanced over at the Captain. ¡°You were right, sir. They could bring ruin to Atlantis. We can¡¯t fight them!¡± Yumi felt a little warm from the weight of their words. They managed to get victory up to now, but they felt like nothing she saw from the others. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re going to have much of a choice.¡± Grinding his teeth together, Simonides saw each of the Titan members, recalling all of them. However, worst of all it was her. ¡°Even Commander Rheia is out. Things must be bad if they allowed her out.¡± Saki stared out at the line up of opponents. One of them seemed to be very interested in her. She could see their eyes only saw her, the rest were just trash to be ignored. ¡°How bad are we talking?¡± ¡°She¡¯s the third most powerful and peerless among everyone even in the Titans.¡± ¡°That bad¡­well at least the strength is meaningless.¡± ¡°But no one knows what her powers are, I don¡¯t have any information on her.¡± Public information on the Titans was thin to begin with and their powers were all carefully guarded. Most knowledge was just vague rumors, nothing to trust. Rubbing her hands together, Saki tried to get the tension that built up out of her body. Everything they kept saying only made things worse. ¡°It¡¯s not like we ever went in knowing what they could do in the past. This won¡¯t be any different.¡± Yumi stepped out a little from all of them. She tilted her head back towards her friends. ¡°We¡¯re within reach. Yuki is here somewhere. They are the last thing stopping us. Let¡¯s end things, find Yuki and finally go home!¡± Across the Capital, inside the walls of the palace another wooden door opened. Ayumi and Yuki surfaced from their long walk out into a massive square. On the left stood the majestic structure of the Kings and on the right a wall locking them inside. Ahead however, Demosthenes stood awaiting their arrival. He stepped forward declaring his presence to them both. A spear already rested in his hand, propped up against his shoulder. ¡°I figured you¡¯d come in this way¡­Eudokia.¡± ¡°Demosthenes¡­¡± Yuki couldn¡¯t hold himself back any longer than a second. The sound of the man¡¯s voice was enough to set off the trigger. An image of Kazuhiro appeared in his head. He needed nothing more. A ripple exploded out from Yuki as he blasted forward. ¡°Demosthenes Alexander! I¡¯m going to KILL YOU!¡± Chapter 242 - Pick Your Partner No one seemed to be making a move. The Titans remained in a line-up, the wall to hold back the tide. The intruders clumped together poorly with a clear view of uncertainty. Talked up big, the Titans made them a little uneasy. Atmosphere from their presence alone was enough to make them understand the difference in them stacked up against all of the others they faced. None of them had the same sort of look in their eyes from what they were used to seeing. They all have very different looks like they were only pretending to be soldiers because it made the others feel better. Something about them made it clear that there was no controlling them. A frightening, unsettling aura came from each of them. Yumi looked through the group at Simonides, as always he tried to remain the most hidden. The hood over his face made him the most conspicuous of the group, but it protected his identity. Keeping his face hidden was more important. Most times, he managed to stay out of battle and away from the sights of the Omega soldiers, so he remained safe. ¡°Do you have anything you can provide on them to help us?¡± A short pause from him didn¡¯t provide confidence. He already made it clear before that he knew nothing about their Commander. ¡°I know only what they¡¯ve allowed to be public information. The Titans are a closely guarded group sent out only when there is no one else and all other solutions have failed. They are the crisis enders. It wouldn¡¯t be very advantageous for them if their methods were known.¡± Crossing her arms looking a little bothered, Rheia changed her sights. ¡°No need for such a pathetic disguise, Captain Simonides.¡± The group was all caught by surprise, but no more so than Simonides. His face hardened up quickly, to try to hold onto what remained of his composure. ¡®This is Rheia we¡¯re dealing with. She probably just used her power to see through. It was bound to happen I knew, but I thought it¡¯d be through a slip up. Damn¡­¡¯ No longer needing to hide himself, he removed the hood. The exposed position wasn¡¯t lost on him. He could see Rheia understood just as well. ¡°That¡¯s better. So you¡¯ve decided to turn traitor? Or have you always been a traitor? Perhaps the mastermind behind all of this? Your codling methods no longer working with the pups?¡± ¡®She¡¯s well informed.¡¯ Keeping up the front against Rheia proved to be more difficult than he first imagined. ¡°I¡¯m honored that the leader of the Titans would know so much about a simple border Captain.¡± ¡°Always giving me too little credit. So what is it? I¡¯m curious why the ¡®perfect¡¯ Simonides would become so dirty. Your naivety finally run out?¡± ¡°I only act in the interests of Atlantis.¡± Grinning like a cat, he had her curiosity. Rheia leaned a little wanting more. ¡°This should be interesting. Do tell me more.¡± ¡°I¡¯m protecting Atlantis and its citizens.¡± ¡°Really? Last I checked, the people next to you are the ones causing the trouble. They¡¯re the ones that Atlantis is needing protected from.¡± ¡°I have my doubts. I¡¯ll learn if there is truth to my fears soon.¡± ¡°Oh? This gets more and more interesting by the moment.¡± Rheia wanted to know more, but it wasn¡¯t going to happen. Taking the chance to end things, Saki disappeared. Rheia vanished for a moment as well. An explosive blast erupted from the middle between both parties. Saki appeared along with Rheia, though Saki¡¯s eyes were wide with surprise. ¡°What?!¡± Rheia stopped her completely in her tracks with only an open palm. All of the excess energy tore behind Rheia as a gale. Excitement lit up Rheia¡¯s face in the sight of Saki. ¡°I¡¯m glad I picked you. Show me everything you¡¯ve got!¡± Chapter 242 ¨C Pick Your Partner ¡°What?! That¡¯s impossible!¡± shouted Seiji from the sidelines. ¡°How can she block a punch from Saki?¡± Everyone was in so much shock that none of them had a reply, even if they might have had an answer. The one they relied upon to keep everyone off their back the last few days was effortlessly stopped. A terrible sign revealed itself. Further proof the fight ahead of them would be their toughest yet. Yumi snapped back first ahead of the other. She already tried to understand what happened. The first guess came from their experience with fighting Simonides. ¡°It might be like when we fought with you before, but the timing of everything doesn¡¯t look right.¡± All of it happened too quickly for her to even see. ¡°Her fist never made contact,¡± commented Chiharu. Unlike the others, her eyes were well-tuned to faster and more subtle details. ¡°It¡¯s not the sealing of powers like before. This is all just the use of their powers for dramatic effect. From this distance, it looks like she was stopped, but there was a thin gap between them that her fist hit, just made to appear like she blocked the attack.¡± ¡°Then what about her movements?¡± asked Fumiko, her eyes were okay, but nothing like Chiharu¡¯s. She never was able to see Saki when she actually moved like she meant it. ¡°The woman moved just as a fast as it seemed, which shouldn¡¯t be possible.¡± Unfortunately, it was where things ended for Chiharu. She could only analyze what she saw. Rheia remained a mystery. ¡°I couldn¡¯t see her movements. In her case, she literally disappeared and then reappeared. I don¡¯t know how she managed to cover the distance or move to the correct location to counter the attack.¡± Seiji looked back at the two women. Saki tried greater punches of strength. The results against Rheia remained the same, the woman was unmoved. It was only through the environment that anyone knew Saki tried. The first attempt was only a gale, but the second flattened all of the grass behind Rheia, the third ripped up the earth and the fourth tore everything into a crater. ¡°Which means even Saki didn¡¯t see her. She¡¯s dealing with someone that could counter her speed and strength, the only special power she has.¡± Everything she threw was meaningless. It annoyed Saki. The fight would be extended, dragged out, prolonged. She wanted things over quickly. It was impossible. ¡®Everyone I¡¯ve dealt with up to this point hasn¡¯t tried to fight me head-on before. They¡¯ve always had their tricks to keep me away from them once they realized, but this woman¡­ She¡¯s different. She wants me close¡­¡¯ Saki backed a step away needing to find a different tactic. Glancing behind her, Rheia admired the massive crater. ¡®Anymore and she would have broken into the under-city. Impressive power¡­¡¯ The scale didn¡¯t have any effect on her emotions. She still looked excited. The brief encounter gave her a good feeling about Saki. She might have finally found it, but she needed to test her. Rheia threw out her arm towards the Titans behind her, who remained unmoved the entire time. ¡°The rest are yours.¡± It was the signal. The Titans moved. The Siege of the Capital began. ¡°Come! Things are not over yet!¡± beckoned Rheia, appearing to retreat. She vanished and reappeared numerous times not following a direct line, but a direction. The direction took her to the gigantic walls of the Capital. She stood on the side, as she seemed fond of doing, staring down at Saki, who stood on the remaining ground around the base of the city walls. Motioning with her arm to the wall, she opened the invitation to Saki. ¡°I¡¯ll provide you with steps.¡± Suddenly, seams appeared all over the wall, which held perfectly with no damage from the weather or age. It wasn¡¯t cracks, but as if someone made cuts through the wall. Massive blocks easily weighing thousands of kilos slipped out from their centuries of sleeping. Stolen story; please report. Shadows fell over Saki as she stared up at the sight. Dodging it all would be simple, but it still made her eyes widen a little. Perfect five-meter cubes began to rain down on her position. The size alone made her pause and then the fact that this woman destroyed the city¡¯s wall just to do it. ¡®Simonides¡¯ fear¡­¡¯ Saki had a quick explanation given to her on why Atlanteans joined their group. She had her doubts even if she felt he believed sincerely what he said. It all made sense to her now. ¡®He was right¡­I need to try to end this quickly before it gets out of control¡­¡¯ Saki narrowed her eyes and hardened her emotions. She needed to be focused. The fight ahead of her was nothing like the past. She knew from just looking at her face. Others seemed bloodthirsty or fight hungry, they all wanted something, but the woman was different. She wasn¡¯t battle starved like the rest. She had a desire, but she couldn¡¯t see it clearly. All of her attention was focused on Saki, she saw her completely. It was as if she had an expectation. She wanted her to meet something. Saki didn¡¯t like the strangeness she felt from her eyes. Disappearing, Saki appeared on the nearest falling block and leapt off it. The force sent the block hurdling down to the ground blasting out another crater until a strange heavy ring echoed from the bottom. Saki kept jumping, shooting the blocks off into different directions away from the Capital. Explosions of earth appeared all around in the distant horizon. Landing on the broken wall, Saki stared over at Rheia. ¡°I¡¯m here. Steps were unnecessary.¡± ¡°Maybe so, but will you still be here in ten seconds?¡± Down on the ground, Nerine had to use her power to keep one of the blocks from hitting nearby. It made Seiji blink, mostly because his strength wasn¡¯t back. He was pretty sure he could have dealt with it, but the speed was an uncertainty. Only Nerine¡¯s quick forethought after the first one saved them. ¡°Thanks, Nerine.¡± Above them, the fight only seemed to be getting warmed up. ¡°Damn that Saki! She¡¯s going to be just as much of a danger as them the way she¡¯s fighting!¡± ¡°Oh, you look like you might be fun! Do you dance or will you just run?¡± a singsong voice said from within the group. Childish giggling came out as everyone jumped back in surprise to find that the child Titan appeared amongst them. She was small, enough to make even Chiharu not feel like a child in her group. Everyone stared down at the grinning pink haired child. She seemed like she merely wanted to play and looked for someone that would take her out to the playground. ¡°What the hell?!¡± ¡°How did she?¡± ¡°Lieutenant Commander Glykeria¡­¡± muttered Simonides. Glykeria suddenly popped out of smoke on top of Simonides¡¯ shoulders, as if he was her father giving her a ride. She bopped him on the head playfully. ¡°No, silly-willy Simon-Lemon, you¡¯re not supposed to do the introduction for me.¡± Simonides tried to recover from the surprise, but she already left back to her spot. She spun around for them showing her light yellow sundress and matched well with her single ponytail pinked hair held back with a yellow ribbon woven through her hair. ¡°I¡¯m the cute and adorable Glykeria! Age nine and two-tenths!¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be one-fifth?¡± Yori inserted lowly. ¡°It¡¯s a great super amazing pleasure!¡± She smiled at them with bubbly energy. If appearance could be judged, she seemed like a normal nine-year-old, a little desperate for attention and containing a bit too much energy. Yet they all knew it to be wrong. She was a Titan, a monster behind that smile. The rest of the Titans came walking in as though none of it mattered. Speed was unimportant. Not even the dangerous battle between Saki and Rheia held any significance. ¡°Quit messing around Glykeria and make your pick,¡± the red-haired Nereus demanded, already short with Glykeria¡¯s antics. The child looked ready to cry, staring up at Nereus¡¯ stern rock-like face. It never happened. ¡°Fine! Sour puss, Neruss!¡± A giant stuffed bear appeared lifting her up a full three meters into the air to tower over everyone. She rested on the shoulders of the bear. Her arm threw down pointing at her target. ¡°I want to play with you!¡± The bear grabbed up Fumiko and leapt into the air, taking them far out of sight. ¡°Fumiko!¡± several of the group shouted in vain, already beyond stopping the child. It happened without any warning. Nereus stepped forward staring down through everyone. Water erupted from the air attempting to surround Chiharu, but she appeared out on top of it. A slight movement in his eyes seemed to acknowledge her position. ¡°You seem alive.¡± Holding her thoughts away from her face, she had mixed feelings on him. ¡®He seemed to only be looking at me now and not before, like I was invisible. What¡¯s with him?¡¯ Chiharu was also not sure about his comment. Regardless, the act was clear enough. ¡°So you¡¯ve made your pick.¡± Almost bored looking, he started walking away. ¡°I was given the choice, you had the best chance. I¡¯ll see if it was right.¡± His attitude was so different from Rheia that it threw off the group. It seemed like he didn¡¯t even want to be fighting, it was only by order that he was standing on the field. Everything about him made Chiharu even more curious. She landed on the ground and followed him. It was almost polite, if it wasn¡¯t for the fact that he didn¡¯t seem to care. However, she still knew if she tried to break for the Capital he would chase her down. He didn¡¯t want to be here, but still did what he was told. ¡®Strange one¡­¡¯ Extending a finger suddenly, Teris pointed out Haruo. It was another one of the strange looks. ¡°You¡¯re the one that uses animals to fight right?¡± Typical Haruo only gave him a nod. ¡°Some sort of spiritual power and it¡¯s real according to the reports. Very fascinating. Something scientifically unproven. I want to see this up close.¡± Almost as if he was ordered, Haruo started walking off with Teris without a question. The remaining group with Yumi could only stare at what was most certainly a very Haruo action, yet still strange to watch. However, the last Titan broke their stares. ¡°I¡¯m the last line,¡± started Ourias. ¡°I won¡¯t allow any of you to pass.¡± He made himself the wall between the intruders and the Capital. ¡°Don¡¯t try to cross and you will remain safe. I can¡¯t make that promise if you attempt to get to the Capital.¡± Yumi stepped forward already knowing her position. Everyone in the group with her wasn¡¯t in a position to fight. Seiji and Nerine were the closest, but with their weakened states, it wouldn¡¯t be smart to let him fight. She had to stand for them. No one else could do it. ¡°I¡¯m afraid we can¡¯t do that. We must get to the Capital.¡± The sword had almost completely become part of her. She rarely realized it was with her even though it still ran through her hand and chest. Ourias stared at Yumi, his brow twisting a little. ¡°Children should not be here. I¡¯m giving you your last warning.¡± Another step closer, she moved to Ourias. She fixed her sights upon him unflinchingly, despite her situation. ¡°I¡¯m no child. I lost those rights when I stepped into this country.¡± Yumi presented a solid game face for him. It was no mere words. Her presence backed her up. Hesitation delayed him, but he accepted quickly. ¡°I see. You¡¯re correct.¡± He read into her features and lines of her face. ¡®I didn¡¯t expect to find someone like this among them. She¡¯s mature. She understands the meaning of consequences and the weight to them. She¡¯s willing to carry it all.¡¯ It was the acceptance. The odds against her, she still stood in front of him. He couldn¡¯t ignore such resolve. ¡°Fine. If you wish to test the sincerity of my words then I shall have to make them truth! All others are not allowed to interfere.¡± Part of the sidelines, Yori didn¡¯t understand what was happening. His sister stood up against one of the Titans without any powers. She could do nothing to him. ¡°Yumi! What are you thinking?¡± She began walking to Ourias in her defiance of his law. ¡°What I must, brother. You can¡¯t stop me.¡± Yumi broke out into a sprint going straight for Ourias. ¡°Yumi!¡± He couldn¡¯t stop her. She was already beyond him. It was out of reach. He could do nothing to prevent her from going to her death. ¡®Why am I so powerless?! I¡¯m always useless!¡¯ Yori recalled all of the times he wanted to help his sister. The cave-in with the school, the Atlantean village, the ambush and the escape. He never did anything. He was unneeded. Someone always did what he wanted. Yori looked over to the others, realizing he was not alone. ¡°Seiji! You can do it! You can stop, Yumi! Save her from getting herself killed!¡± Next to Yori, Seiji knelt down on one knee looking more tired than earlier. ¡°I¡¯d like to, but I can¡¯t seem to move.¡± His body looked to be shaking, struggling against an unknown force. ¡°What?!¡± It was then that he realized, it wasn¡¯t his own fear or helplessness that paralyzed him, but the same thing that held back Seiji. Yori quickly knew it was the Titan¡¯s doing. ¡°Miss Nerine!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not strong enough, he¡¯s completely overwhelmed my Field. I won¡¯t be able to reach her.¡± ¡®Damn! Damn! Damn this world! Damn everything!¡¯ He wished he wasn¡¯t so useless. He didn¡¯t want a world where he had to watch his sister die and he was unable to protect her. ¡®I¡¯m supposed to be the one that protects you! It¡¯s my job! I promised! I promised her, I¡¯d protect you!¡¯ Yori¡¯s body held firm forcing him to watch Yumi be beaten up by Ourias because she had to protect everyone. Each failed attempt by her made it that much worse for him to watch. ¡®I don¡¯t want to be on the sidelines anymore! I don¡¯t want to be protected! Damn you stupid bastard, Hayashi! Why didn¡¯t you give me any power so I could stop this from happening?!¡¯ Blood dripped down Yumi¡¯s face, still determined to keep standing back up. Her unwillingness to stop made the situation worse. Ourias didn¡¯t make light of his declaration. Her body shook and wobbled, but she kept going forward. All she had was her fist to throw, the fist that never landed. ¡°Stop!¡± A wind suddenly tossed up around Yori. ¡°I¡­can¡¯t!¡± Yori clenched his fists in frustration at his uselessness. He had nothing. He wanted something. Anything. He didn¡¯t care. ¡®Can you hear me, you bastard?! I don¡¯t like you. I don¡¯t trust you. You destroyed the world and gave Yumi powers. You ruin lives. But I don¡¯t care anymore. I¡¯ll take anything, even if it is from you! Give me the power to save my sister!¡¯ Yori screamed aloud his frustration. The ground started to shake under his feet. Wind blew away from him alerting those around him to the reaction. Sparks ignited in the air, as everything suddenly seemed to become heavy. The very air seemed dense, almost impossible to breathe. ¡°Damn you, you bastard! Yuki Hayashi!¡± Wind whipped around Yori¡¯s hair blocking out his eyes for a moment. In the next, everything was solid white. The iris, pupil, everything was missing. A couple of veins around his forehead protruded to visibility. Yori leaned forward trying to fight the power that held him down. ¡°You won¡¯t stop me!¡± Suddenly, Yori disappeared only for Yumi to appear in his place looking very confused. Across the Field, Yori took over Yumi¡¯s place still yelling completely blind on emotions. ¡°I won¡¯t let you harm her anymore!¡± A black barrier appeared in front of him shattering, but blocking the incoming attack meant for Yumi. In the next instant, Yori grabbed out at the shattered pieces of the barrier taking one piece in each of his hands. The pieces suddenly grew into transparent swords. ¡°Hayashi bastard!¡± Yori swung down on an off-guard Ourias. Chapter 243 - Internal Freedom Muttering something, a wall of thick vines sprouted out of the earth acting as protection. The vines started to wrap around the black swords in Yori¡¯s hands. He ripped through the vines before they reached his hands. Pieces of the vines fell at his feet, twitching only to suddenly grow up after him. ¡°Tch! Don¡¯t think this¡¯ll be enough to protect you!¡± From the sidelines, Yumi stared in shock at seeing her brother completely consumed by his rage. ¡®He¡¯s normally so calm and in control¡­what¡¯s gotten into him?¡¯ She completely ignored the fact that he suddenly had powers. Ourias took a step back keeping their distance even. However, Yori didn¡¯t plan to let him escape his reach. The sword stretched around the vines aiming directly for him. Inside his clouded mind, he couldn¡¯t hear Ourias speaking. A semi-opaque block shifted in to absorb the impact, preventing the attack from connecting. Grinding his teeth in annoyance, the man kept stopping his attacks. He needed something different. Yori threw out his arm in an arch. The vines in his way suddenly fell to the ground crushed by an unknown force. Cleared away, Yori brought his hands together clapping them. A black light pierced through the gaps in his fingers. He slowly pulled his hands away revealing a tiny black sphere. Exposed, the atmosphere around the sphere dragged in towards the form. Wind reversed with a suction force coming from the sphere. The sphere quickly grew in size becoming palm-sized. ¡°All the defense you can mutter won¡¯t be enough to save you!¡± spat Yori. Small chunks of the earth ripped up near to Yori''s feet. Debris lifted into the air starting to swirl around the growing mass in his hands. Streams of black light broke from the sphere signaling a sudden expansion. Now a diameter greater than his waist, the effect the sphere had on the environment became more pronounced. The forces increased with the pull making it difficult for those normal humans to hold their position without keeping up an effort. Wrinkles raked across Yori¡¯s face. Strain stressed every corner of his expression. The pure white of his eyes made him appear more like a wild beast than a human. All reason lost only instinct and emotion. A being filled, consumed by rage. All of the gathered energy in his hands unleashed on Ourias without any warning. Old walls jumped up in its path, but the black sphere blew through them with little effort. The chunks of shattered cement dragged behind it. Steel beams fell down rapidly followed by a strange liquid coating the whole surface. Nothing stopped it. Yori¡¯s face darkened further. ¡°I told you nothing will stop me!¡± Suddenly from far outside of the battle, several thin metal long needle-like objects flew in piercing the black orb. A reaction occurred inside exploding beams of black light before the whole thing collapsed upon itself. Moments later, shockwaves ripped through the area knocking everyone off their feet. A heavy cloud from the explosion covered the whole area. Yori stared angry and confused. Through the cloud, a figure appeared walking towards him. ¡°I finally found you,¡± a familiar voice said through the smoke. ¡°I searched, tracked you across all of Atlantis. I made a vow that I wouldn¡¯t stop until I found you.¡± Out of the white veil stepped Athene in a metal infused blue dress glowing with a mysterious power. ¡°This is the end for you, Yori Mizuno!¡± Chapter 243 ¨C Internal Freedom Athene walked out between Ourias and Yori. She leveled her gaze upon Yori. The air around her seemed to ignite into blue flames with a look that could kill. ¡°You¡¯re mine!¡± She lifted her arm, pointing an array of similar needles floating around her wrist. ¡°Who are you?¡± asked Ourias. ¡°None of your business, stay out of my way!¡± Yori wanted nothing to do with Athene. His eyes remained focused on Ourias. ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt me!¡± Squeezing his hand, Yori crushed all of the needles pointed at him. Then he threw his hand away casting an invisible force that tossed Athene aside. ¡°You¡¯re not the one I want!¡± The swat barely did anything to dint Athene¡¯s drive. She charged back into the battle before Yori could make another attempt on Ourias. ¡°I¡¯m not giving you a choice in the matter!¡± she yelled. The ground around her tore up creating a wall behind her keeping Ourias out of the scene. Remaining patience Yori had for Athene burned up instantly. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll make you then!¡± He charged after her to remove her personally. However, she seemed to have something different in mind. The earth lifted up with her like a massive scoop carved out the ground. Everything went flying through the air along with Yori. Well outside of the range of the others, chunks fell back to the field dropping the two emotional warriors. ¡°Your fight is with me! You owe me more than even your life could hope to repay!¡± If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Yumi tried to do something about everything that happened, but naturally, without her powers she was on the sideline the entire time. She could only shout out for her brother as he disappeared from her sight. Everything turned into a mess quicker than she could follow. ¡®He¡¯s got powers too now? I assumed he did since everyone did, but he never used them before. How long has he been able to use them?¡¯ More important matters came up for her to change her focus. Ourias marched on her to resume their one-sided fight. Yumi tried to prepare herself. ¡°Do you still plan to resist?¡± She looked a little surprised at him. The question wasn¡¯t meant to be intimidating. He was genuine. ¡°Eh!?¡± It caught her off guard that he still seemed uninterested in fighting. ¡°Surrender yourself now and nothing further needs to happen.¡± The offer still laid out for her. However, nothing changed for Yumi. ¡°I still have things I must do and they are behind you.¡± ¡°I cannot allow you into the Capital.¡± ¡°So we¡¯re back to the same place we were before.¡± ¡°It would appear to be the case.¡± ¡°Then I will fight to the last drop of blood in my body!¡± Ourias sighed. Something came from him that she didn¡¯t understand. Everything that remained from his exchange with Yori disappeared. A clean slate. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be children here like this, but perhaps it¡¯s a sign of the times.¡± Prepared as well as she could, Yumi dropped into a weak stance. She had no official martial training like the others. All she could do was copy what she saw others do and in the media. She didn¡¯t even know if she did it correctly (she wasn¡¯t). ¡°It¡¯s not the times, but the need.¡± ¡°Need? You have no need to be here stirring up trouble.¡± Yumi wiped away the blood from her forehead that started to dry a little. She remembered how rough it was before for her. Nothing she did reached him. It was like a baby trying to fight an adult. It couldn¡¯t detour her. ¡°That might be the effect, but the cause is different. However, it doesn¡¯t matter what I say. Nothing will change your mind.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. My duty is to protect the city and I won¡¯t allow you to set foot inside. All you bring in your wake is destruction.¡± ¡°Sadly that is the case, but I hope one last act of destruction is all that is needed to reach the truth!¡± She knew it was all talk for her. There was no chance for her to be able to do something against Ourias. Chance or choice didn¡¯t play into it. She had to do it. ¡®Some way, things will work out. It¡¯s not really logical or strategic, but I can only do what I can as I am.¡¯ Suddenly the gravity disappeared from around Yumi or rather it seemed to have reversed. Something pulled her along, but not like a hand. She could only describe it as gravity, the way it weighed on her body. It cut off sharply to leave her suspended for a brief moment before falling back down to the earth. A few meter fall normally was painful in any normal situation, but the sword part of Yumi jerked her sternum around like it wanted to tear apart her chest. It remained solidly embedded like an extension of her body. Fresh wounds from her last round with Ourias reopened to spread the dirt in her blood. Yumi coughed trying to get back to her feet. However, sharp vines jumped out of the dirt drawing up new wounds. The first was enough for her to attempt to roll away even as they followed her. Yumi breathed heavily once more, feeling the full mortality of her body. She started to wonder if everything before was merely a dream. This felt normal, how things should be, yet she wished for the way things were. ¡®I want my power back! I can¡¯t always be standing behind shouting out orders. I need to stand myself!¡¯ Rocks rained down from above bruising and bludgeoning Yumi. She fell backwards in an effort to escape the attack. Her leg took the worst blow. Yumi yelped aloud, grabbing for her injury. ¡®Is it broken? I can¡¯t let him beat us here.¡¯ She pushed herself back up. ¡®He wouldn¡¯t give up!¡¯ A faint image of Yuki¡¯s back in front of her appeared as a reminder. Yumi forced herself back to her feet. Pain shot up through her leg when she put her weight on it. ¡°I won¡¯t give up!¡± Blood dripped over her face once more. The look only reinforced her resolve. She refused to stop. Narrowing his expression, Ourias stared at Yumi. The gigantic wall of the Capital stood behind him. Its shadow weighed at him. ¡®I do what I must for them. Even the dirtiest of deeds. So that I may in the future stand next to them once more¡­¡¯ A dark shadow fell over Ourias¡¯ face blotting out his eyes. ¡®It must be done. They¡¯re just criminals.¡¯ Vines grew up behind Ourias twisting together quickly. They stretched out, speeding into a piercing edge straight for Yumi¡¯s heart, the deathblow. The end. The bloodiest of deeds. Blood dripped in thin trickles from the vines bunched up in Yumi. Her free hand rested on the spun vines in a failed attempt to stop them from running through her heart. ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± she said with her head hung forward covering up her face in a darkened shadow. ¡°You must stand in the front if you want others to follow. No one follows someone cowering in the rear.¡± An odd laugh came from her. Ourias turned up his head in confusion. He noticed something didn¡¯t seem right with the girl. Suddenly, Yumi¡¯s black hair ran with streaks of red. Coming from the roots of her hair it changed completely. Her hand tightened around the bundle of vines tighter and tighter and crushed them. Torn in two, she ripped out the remains of the vines. Behind her tunic, the wound turned out to be shallow. Yumi pulled her head back revealing green eyes had completely taken over in place of her soft brown. ¡°I would have been done a lot sooner if you hadn¡¯t bothered me so many times.¡± ¡®What¡¯s going on? She stopped the attack with only her hand?¡¯ He ran through the report on Yumi recalling that she once had powers like the others. ¡®That¡¯s right, one of Captain Simonides¡¯ men sealed away her power. I picked her hoping that she would see reason and not fight. They¡¯re just kids.¡¯ Yet Ourias sensed the sudden change in the air from Yumi. Things were no longer the same as before. Yumi flexed her hand, staring at the state of her body. ¡°She¡¯s started to rub off on you, that woman¡¯s recklessness.¡± She seemed to be catching up with everything that happened as though waking up from a sleep to find an earthquake had trashed her room. ¡°You¡¯re better off remembering my lessons.¡± Her free hand stretched out and took hold of the hilt of the sword. ¡°This is in the way.¡± The hand pierced by the sword squeezed down sharply, completely crushing the blade into pieces. She freed up her hand finally and used it to pull out the remains of the broken blade from her chest. The hilt rested in one hand at her side with the destroyed blade at her other side. ¡°Much better!¡± Suddenly, a white multi-layered barrier came up around her with hexagonal patterns inlaid. She floated up off the ground as white particles started to emit from her body. ¡°This is your one freebie for keeping our body in one piece.¡± Chapter 244 - Modified Freedom Sensing the change in the atmosphere clearly from the different countenance coming off Yumi, Ourias subtly shifted his weight back in preparation for a defensive position. The new hair and eye color made him wonder what the change in her meant. Everything he saw was new. Nothing in the many reports said anything about such a transformation. However, something else bothered him even more than the visible changes. ¡®She¡¯s talking to herself. As though there were others to carry a conversation. Is this the true appearance of her power? Has she held this back as a trump card?¡¯ So many questions remained unanswered. ¡°Who are you?¡± Chapter 244 ¨C Modified Freedom She grinned a little watching the subtle changes in his face. ¡®He¡¯s not completely sure of himself, but he feels strongly enough about it.¡¯ It impressed her a little with his deductive skills. ¡°Realized already? You¡¯re more observant than the last one, though it¡¯s not like I¡¯m trying to hide it. It¡¯s as you¡¯re thinking. Doctor Sumiko at your service.¡± Things only got more complicated for Ourias. She seemed like she looked down at him. The superiority was clear, but also just a sense of maturity earned from years of experience. An unsettling combination. ¡°Doctor? You¡¯re a teenager.¡± Sumiko shook her finger a little at him. ¡°At this age I had earned my first doctorate degree, so it¡¯s still appropriate to call me Doctor.¡± ¡®She¡¯s acting like this is not even her body, like she¡¯s borrowing it. What sort of power is this? Will it change the powers she¡¯s been shown to have?¡¯ Questions only compounded on top of new questions. It never seemed to end. Even if it did end, there seemed little chance for clarity at the conclusion. The girl was more of a mystery than a moment ago. ¡°You¡¯re saying that this isn¡¯t your real appearance and that you¡¯re older. What are you?¡± Looking around at her body for another quick check, Sumiko nodded. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I was a teenager and I looked quite a bit different than her. The rest I¡¯ll leave up to your imagination. A woman needs a little mystery.¡± She winked at him just to accent it, though it completely lacked any sort of charm. It was clearly not her sort of forte More mystery wasn¡¯t something he needed. He wanted some answers, but he had to settle for what he had. ¡®In the end, this doesn¡¯t affect things any differently. She¡¯s still an intruder that must be stopped.¡¯ If she was a different person from the other she faced, there remained a chance for him. ¡°Since you are not the same person, I¡¯ll ask you. You seem like a reasonable and logical individual.¡± It made her giggle a little. She foresaw it. He played too cleanly into her perimeters. ¡°Flattery¡¯s not going to change the situation. Her goal is my goal, so while you may be thinking this has nothing to do with me, it still does. Besides, threaten and boast as much as you want, there¡¯s nothing you can do to stop me from entering your city.¡± The expression in her eyes suddenly shifted, becoming serious and ready for a fight. Play was over. ¡°And I assure you, I don¡¯t boast. It¡¯s the simple truth.¡± Ourias ground his teeth together in response to her answer. He feared it to be as much, but hoped anyway. If fighting could be avoided, it was the best. Protecting the Capital was their mission, but it was up to him to determine how to carry it out. ¡°I¡¯ll protect the Capital! You won¡¯t pass!¡± ¡°You¡¯re doing a bad job of that, judging from those two fighting,¡± Sumiko remarked, pointing out Rheia and Saki¡¯s battle on the Capital¡¯s walls. ¡°She won¡¯t enter the Capital, any damage to the wall can be easily repaired. There won¡¯t be any deaths while I stand!¡± Sumiko suddenly disappeared. Appearing at the side of Ourias, she leaned closer to him. ¡°So you¡¯re that type. There¡¯s always bystanders, innocents caught up in the middle. There will be deaths, even if you don¡¯t know them, even if they aren¡¯t reported, even if you didn¡¯t see them die.¡± The Atlantean jumped away from Sumiko, clearing out his personal space. ¡°The earth transformed into hardened spikes lashing out at its foe.¡± In front of him, the grass transformed into a darkened mass that stretched out for Sumiko becoming spikes. She disappeared again, never touched by the attack. ¡°You know nothing about death!¡± Dropping back at her original spot, Sumiko appeared to Ourias¡¯ sight. Her face darkened drastically in response to him. ¡°Making assumptions is very bad. You¡¯ve painted an image of me in your head already based on what I¡¯ve told you, but you couldn¡¯t be more wrong. I¡¯m very familiar with death, more than you.¡± The white barrier around Sumiko shattered into hex pieces. Hexagon shards spun around her. Each piece blended together, speeding up to appear like a ring around her. She began to float closer to Ourias. Her presence had completely changed. A strange darkness seemed to surround her. It wasn¡¯t a menacing appearance. It wasn¡¯t evil, even if it could have easily been confused as one. Just reality, cold hard, unforgiving, unbending, inflexible, unrelenting reality. It was truth. Blunt as a hammer. ¡°I have another name, a name those that survived call me, Doctor Death. Uncreative, but no less accurate. Billions have died by my hands. I caused the near extinction of an entire civilization. So trust me when I say I know a few things about death and reality. Blindness to reality doesn¡¯t excuse you from its consequences.¡± The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The woman¡¯s presence actually unnerved Ourias in a way that he didn¡¯t think possible. Ignoring the fact that he was an adult, the things he saw in the academy felt like staring in the heart of evil at times. The cold and merciless life almost seemed like they designed it to prepare him for the future. His future, one of blame and prejudice. He thought he understood, but one look into Sumiko¡¯s eyes was enough for him. He was certain he saw the blood of billions in her eyes, ever flowing for all eternity unable to be washed away. Yet staring at her, he didn¡¯t see any of the same darkness he felt from within the Capital. She was complex and nothing made sense anymore to him. He knew nothing. Cold chills ran through his spine. Ourias already felt like he lost to her without the fight even starting. An indescribable weight crushed her, yet she still moved as though it was nothing. It should have been crushing her. Resolve was the only thing he could see. Caught within his hesitation, Ourias didn¡¯t see the attack coming until it was almost too late. Hexagonal discs flew at him, narrowly missing their target. He fell flat on his back to avoid a lethal strike. However, he realized a second later that he wasn¡¯t safe yet. They turned around to come back for him. ¡°The semi-opaque discs suddenly became like water and evaporated into the air.¡± Before even reaching him, Sumiko¡¯s white discs turned to a white liquid, but barely started to fall before turning to vapor. ¡°You have a very interesting power there. It¡¯s a lot more flexible and intelligent use than others that I¡¯ve seen.¡± A bit of surprise came across Ourias¡¯ face. She had figured out his power already, but that wasn¡¯t what surprised him. It was a natural thing to figure out after a couple uses of his power. He knew how transparent his power was to others. Out of any of the powers, it was the simplest to understand, but none of that was the problem. ¡®She shouldn¡¯t be able to understand me. I purposely adjusted the Field for that reason.¡¯ ¡°I can understand Atlantean Greek. I figured it out a while ago, so while your clever trick worked on her, it won¡¯t fool me.¡± She found it an interesting complication to his power. He actually divided his speech into two groups. Normal conversation was translated, but anything related to controlling his powers remained in Atlantean Greek. It was only something that could fool a foreigner. ¡°Controlling anything you want within your Field is the most logical use when you¡¯re dealing with the unknown. Though making it speech driven is your flaw.¡± The shock boiled off Ourias after her expectation. It only made things fair. ¡°You can¡¯t change what I¡¯ve spoken to pass. There is no flaw.¡± ¡°You¡¯re confident in your power. I¡¯ll reveal to you the weaknesses.¡± The hexagonal discs materialized around Sumiko once more. Their movements became so fast that they appeared in multiple locations and then disappeared. ¡°The first flaw requires you to speak for an action. If you can¡¯t speak in time, you can¡¯t negate my attack.¡± Ourias remained standing, despite the attack made by Sumiko. It moved too fast for him to see, but nothing happened to him. A large stone hand appeared in front of him. Smoke trailed off the hand from the attacks made. ¡°My power isn¡¯t so simple.¡± Traced back, the arm led to the earth where a mound raised from the flat surface. The mound grew larger, taking on a human-like shape. ¡°A golem,¡± she noted. She saw the very clear contradiction, but understood everything he did had rules to follow. It came to her quickly. ¡°You can set actions in reserve that have conditions for activating. Clever, planning ahead. I¡¯ll grant you the point for covering for your flaw, but you can have only so many stored actions you¡¯ve made. It¡¯ll be exhausted eventually.¡± ¡°But you don¡¯t think I haven¡¯t foreseen all areas of weakness.¡± Sumiko grinned at the challenge. ¡®This is going to be a little more effort than I gave him credit for. Doesn¡¯t change anything. I can still see the victory!¡¯ Little changed for Sumiko. Adjusting a move, realigning path, it was all just a simple step. Testing out the golem, more discs appeared around her. They flew directly at the golem. She watched it carefully. The actions and movements were important to her. Nothing from the attacks seemed to harm the golem, but she didn¡¯t care about any of it. Amidst her investigation, Ourias didn¡¯t remain silent. He already started an offensive against her. Black bands materialized around her moving in to restrain her. However, she disappeared before it got close to her. ¡®I need to stop that speed of hers if I¡¯m to do anything in this fight.¡¯ A silver metallic sphere appeared in front of Ourias. It darted forward almost becoming a blur. Sumiko evaded it, but saw that it turned around quickly. It wouldn¡¯t leave her wake for long and kept pace with her. She began jumping around with bursts of speed. Her discs just bounced off it, when she tried to destroy it. ¡°However, the metal sphere suddenly disappeared, moving faster than her sight, slamming into the woman with enough force to draw blood.¡± As commanded, the sphere acted as spoken. Sumiko lost sight of it, unable to dodge the new speed it presented. It embedded itself in her stomach, nearly folding her over it before throwing her out of control. Clouds of dirt coughed up from the earth as Sumiko¡¯s body pounded, skipped and carved through the land, eventually coming to a stop. Smoke slowly drifted through the space waiting on Sumiko. Her figure finally appeared through the veil of debris. Stains and dirt seemed the worst to have happened. Sumiko made it back to Ourias undeterred by him. ¡°So you can modify it as well, not surprising.¡± A drip of blood suddenly streamed down her lips, as a delayed reaction from her restraining everything. ¡®That hurt quite a bit. He did make that line directly to cause injury.¡¯ Her hand wiped away the blood from her chin. Stretching her hand out towards the golem protecting Ourias, she closed her hand. The golem suddenly compressed under an enormous weight into a super-dense sphere. It fell to the ground leaving a bit of a crater. ¡°I learned enough from that.¡± All of the hexagon discs around her stopped moving. Each piece began to move quickly into position reforming the barrier around her. ¡°It¡¯s time that I finish this little skirmish of ours.¡± Defense from Sumiko made it clear to Ourias. ¡®She¡¯s preparing something. That barrier is pointless. She knows it. So why?¡¯ It felt like an invitation to a trap. Ourias didn¡¯t know what she planned, but he felt certain he could deal with her. ¡°A long thin needle flew through the air piercing her barrier, striking the joint at her shoulder disabling her left arm.¡± The needle ran through each of the three layers of Sumiko¡¯s barrier barely even slowed down. Tiny holes remain behind with particles of white light falling like dust. However, the needle hit another hex deflecting off it. ¡°Your power only works on things at the moment you create it. If I create something new after your command I can still cancel your action.¡± She raised two fingers to him, calling back to her note of his flaws. ¡®She¡¯s very intelligent and quick to adapt¡­¡¯ The woman pushed Ourias into a corner more than anyone else had ever done to him. ¡®I¡¯m going to have to get more creative with my words.¡¯ ¡°The needle appeared inside the barrier at point blank range, it was impossible to dodge the strike. It immediately struck her shoulder.¡± Nothing happened. Sumiko then suddenly added a third finger. ¡°This is where things end.¡± Her other hand raised up as white particles gathered to her palm quickly forming into a sphere of energy. A beam shot out from the sphere. The grass bowed down from the force and speed of the energy. It sped towards Ourias, defenseless. Chapter 245 - Sealed Freedom As to be expected, the well-planned Ourias had contingencies in place for such an outcome. He was never truly defenseless. A cement wall formed from the air to block the beam. Scorch marks and smoke appeared as the only results. ¡°You know I have defenses setup. Such attacks are pointless.¡± Smiling, she didn¡¯t let it deter her. ¡°Of course, I need to run through all of your defenses. You can do nothing while I burn through all of your back-up plans.¡± The light from the orb, in front of her palm, grew brighter preparing for another shot. Hexagonal discs appeared in front of varying thickness and opacity. When the energy fired, it passed through the discs becoming brighter and thinner. It focused the energy. The beam pierced the wall without being stopped for a moment. Multiple more defenses appeared in different forms to stop Sumiko¡¯s attack. However, when it seemed to stop, another hex slid, focusing the beam further. Nothing stood in its way. Everything was torn asunder. ¡°The white beam lost its light, becoming nothing but harmless unfocused rays.¡± He spoke, but his defenses still fell. ¡®She really has somehow neutralized my power. What did she do?¡¯ Everything seemed right, but reality didn¡¯t lie. His power no longer worked. ¡®I still have everything I set up prior to the fight, but anything new can¡¯t be created.¡¯ ¡°I told you before. You can do nothing. I¡¯ve sealed your speech.¡± Ourias felt the cornering presence from Sumiko. She somehow figured out a way through his power. ¡°How¡¯d you do it? No one¡¯s been able to do that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s only because you fight your own kind. This is only something that someone like me would be able to achieve.¡± She saw the confusion in his eyes. ¡°You can¡¯t hear it? I guess it is different hearing your voice as opposed to hearing someone else¡¯s voice.¡± ¡°What?¡± He had the clues handed to him, but it still didn¡¯t make a lot of sense to him. Ourias sorted through her hints. ¡®I should be able to hear it? My voice? There¡¯s nothing wrong with my voice¡­it¡¯s the same as¡­always¡­¡¯ Something came to him. He stared across the Field at Sumiko. The realization of what she might be meaning hit him. The weight of the truth felt like it would crush him. ¡°Impossible¡­you¡­¡± ¡°You figured it out. I knew you could do it.¡± Sumiko lifted her hand. A disc appeared floating at her fingertips. ¡°It was the first attempt I made. It actually surprised me that you made it that simple. Your power works from registering your voice. Naturally, you can¡¯t have others controlling it, so it¡¯s tuned specifically to you. Because it is tuned to you, a slight change in your voice is enough to throw it off and not accept what you say.¡± ¡°But when and how?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been testing your defenses the whole time. Back with golem. I learned your defenses don¡¯t react to non-hostile invasion. A flaw in your defense is assuming I¡¯d only use attacks.¡± The disc bounced in her palm bringing attention to it. ¡°A couple of tweaks and this can easily become a filter rather than a shield.¡± She pointed over to him as a faint shine coming from one of the discs embedded in his neck. A new beam began charging in front of Sumiko ready for the final strike. ¡°As I said before, this is where things end.¡± Chapter 245 ¨C Sealed Freedom The white line flew across the Field straight for Ourias. However, a barrier erected around him. It held against Sumiko¡¯s attack. She continued to focus the beam, but never made any progress. Shutting down her attack, she regrouped. ¡°You made it indestructible, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°A final defense. It¡¯s my duty to protect the Capital. No matter the means.¡± Suddenly, discs started to fly away from Sumiko over towards Ourias. They pieced together a barrier around him. ¡°It¡¯s not as direct, but this will have to do.¡± Ourias looked around not sure what she planned. ¡®She can¡¯t penetrate my defense, what¡¯s with the barrier?¡¯ Nothing offensive happened. His defense remained silent. He looked around trying to understand it. It still didn¡¯t make a lot of sense. He knew she did something to him. Then he felt a little strange. His breathing came shallow, almost strained. Looking over at Sumiko, he finally knew. ¡®You¡¯ve sealed me inside your barrier preventing oxygen from entering. You¡¯re planning on winning by suffocating me!¡¯ Ourias walked towards the barrier. It was solid with no hopes of him breaking it. All around tiny lights appeared. They surrounded him just waiting for him to make an action. ¡®You plan to take me immediately if I drop my Field to try to rewrite it. I¡¯m out of options¡­¡¯ ¡°What are you doing?¡± asked a young voice. He wasn¡¯t familiar with it, but it was clearly a woman. Ourias lowered the pad of paper, one he stared at for the last several hours. Lying down, he saw the face of the most beautiful woman he had ever seen painted with a perfect sky as her background. She stared down at him very curious to the reason he laid in the middle of the park. He lifted himself up quickly, feeling compelled. The pad fell down to his side. ¡°Just reviewing some notes.¡± ¡°Notes?¡± She drew back her golden hair to keep it out of her eyes. ¡°Are you a student?¡± The woman knelt down next to him. Her curiosity still seemed strong. It wasn¡¯t the first time she saw him in the park. Waving his hand, he corrected her. ¡°Nothing like that. I don¡¯t have the money to attend the University.¡± It was probably more than he needed to say. However, it didn''t seem to sway her. She wanted to know. ¡®Is she interested in me?¡¯ Ourias looked surprised. A bit of red bleed into his face. ¡°It¡¯s a story I¡¯m working on.¡± The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. It seemed to intrigue her even more. His embarrassment did nothing. ¡°You¡¯re a novelist?¡± ¡°Well amateur novelist is probably more accurate. I haven¡¯t published anything.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re going to?¡± ¡°That¡¯s my dream!¡± She sat down completely drawn in by him. ¡°Can I read what you have?¡± Nervousness immediately popped up through all of Ourias¡¯ body. Sweat started to pour out. He never had anyone read what he wrote. He couldn¡¯t imagine it. ¡°W-well it¡¯s not really very coherent right now. It¡¯s just a bunch of random scribbles.¡± Ourias tried his best to dissuade her. ¡°Oh? That¡¯s too bad¡­¡± The woman stood, suddenly looking to have lost her interest. She started to walk away leaving Ourias stunned at the reversal. Then she paused and tilted her head back to him. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°So that I know who to look for when you publish your book.¡± If his jaw could hit the grass, it would have. Ourias froze up. The longer she stared at him, smiling, warming the more he thawed. ¡°Ourias!¡± He finally managed. ¡°Ourias¡­I¡¯ll remember that.¡± She resumed walking away. He scrambled to his feet trying to chase after her. ¡°What¡¯s your name?!¡± he shouted through the whole park, immediately regretting the attention. ¡°If I may ask.¡± His voice softened up. ¡°Dione.¡± ¡°¡­Dione¡­¡± A fire suddenly consumed everything around her. It all faded away. It was the house, their house. It was on fire. Ourias leapt out of their bed. The baby cried next to him with Dione slowly waking up. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ He rushed over to Dione, helping her with the baby. ¡°We¡¯ve got to get out of here!¡± She looked around their house. Flames covered everything. There didn¡¯t seem to be any way out. ¡°What¡¯s happening? Where¡¯d this fire come from?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but we have to hurry!¡± Suddenly, something hit their door. It made them jump back. The door crumbled with a body falling with it. In the distance, a voice screamed, one that wasn¡¯t familiar. Yet the scene before him felt like something he saw before. Ourias looked over at Dione. ¡°I-I¡­¡± ¡°This is a scene¡­from your story.¡± She knew just as quickly as him. It should be easily remembered as it was in the first chapter of his story. Then as though never existing, it all vanished from sight. Everything returned to normal. They both knew immediately what it meant. Their first reaction was to look at their child, but it was impossible. The only remaining answer came to them. It only took a few more incidents for them to be certain. A heavy knock came to their door. No one answered. It all happened too fast for them. Their house disappeared. It was the military. In the corner, Ourias huddled with his wife and child. Nowhere remained to run. Ourias stretched her arm out as they dragged him away. ¡°Dione! Dione!¡± She tried to run after him, but they stopped her. ¡°Ourias!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll return to you! I promise!¡± He walked into the classroom with a gloomy shadow over his whole body. Most of the room had kids in it. The only adult made him stand out and it wasn¡¯t for his actions. The nosy kid next to him perked up. ¡°Back from solitary?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± he replied with no further details. ¡°You know that¡¯s going to happen if you keep trying to escape.¡± Ourias remained silent, uninterested in something from a fourteen year-old know-it-all. ¡°This is your new home, better get used to it. No one escapes.¡± ¡®It¡¯s not going to stop me.¡¯ He marched down the hall to the Academy Commander¡¯s office. He slammed his hands down on the secretary¡¯s desk. Ourias glared at the young Lieutenant, he was just a normal human. ¡°I want to talk to the Commander, right now!¡± The young man was a little shaken by Ourias¡¯ presence. ¡°What is it that you want?¡± ¡°I want to know why you aren¡¯t delivering my letters! You won¡¯t let me leave, but I should at least be able to send a letter!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but Academy policy is¡ª¡° ¡°Your policy be damned!¡± The door to the Commander¡¯s office slowly opened. The man behind it appeared, drawn by the noise. He glared across the room at Ourias, not intimidated. Another failure. ¡°The only way to change things is at the top.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t do anything from the bottom.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°It¡¯s pointless, just accept reality.¡± ¡°You seem interesting,¡± a woman¡¯s voice said from the darkness. Ourias looked up to see Commander Rheia staring at him. Her presence and notoriety were enough to make him take a step back. ¡®What does she want? Does she want to fight me? I only just recently joined Omega.¡¯ Rheia stretched out her hand to him. ¡°Want to be a Titan?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± He stared at her in disbelief. It wasn¡¯t something that was so easily passed around. Even if she was the Commander of the Titans. Ourias laid on the grass, the last of his air leaving his body. He could see the blue sky above staring back. ¡®Dione¡­I promise¡­¡¯ His eyes slowly closed, no longer able to keep conscious. Everything ended quickly at that moment. Sumiko landed on the ground. The barrier faded away. The red in her hair began to fade away as well as the green in her eyes. ¡°This is as far as I take you. Anymore, you have to do it on your own.¡± Yumi¡¯s consciousness slammed back into her body. She darted her head around, understanding quickly things weren¡¯t right. The man she challenged laid at her feet. ¡°It happened again¡­¡± It didn¡¯t take long for her to realize the sword was missing and everything about her body felt different once more. She had a thousand questions to ask, but no one to answer them. Before she could think much more about her situation, she heard Yori¡¯s voice inside her head. ¡°Please hear me, everyone! You must listen!¡± ¡°Yori?! How are you in my head?¡± ¡°Everyone please stop with the questions¡­I barely have any strength, just listen¡­ I know the truth finally. I know what Ayumi¡¯s goal is.¡± The sudden reveal made Yumi freeze in her steps. She would finally have the answer to the biggest question they all had. The mystery behind Ayumi. Her motive. Yumi wanted to know immediately, but Yori seemed to be straining himself. ¡°He¡¯s in danger. If Ayumi succeeds in her plan. Yuki Hayashi will die!¡± ¡®Ayumi¡¯s going to kill Yuki?¡¯ The revelation stunned her. She couldn¡¯t react. The world disappeared. Nearby, she could see Yuki walking away with Ayumi pulling him. She stretched out her hand trying to stop him. She tried to shout at him, but her voice was gone. She was helpless. Yori¡¯s voice snapped her back to reality. ¡®Why? How? What did you learn?¡¯ ¡°The truth is¡­¡± Yumi listened to everything Yori said. Her hands lifted up to her mouth as each moment left her more shocked than the last. She couldn¡¯t believe what she was hearing. ¡°How can that be?! All this time¡­¡± Yumi turned her head towards the Capital, where Ayumi and Yuki had to be. ¡°¡­Ayumi¡­you planned all of this knowing that? Ayumi¡­¡± Yumi hung her head down, most of her face disappearing beneath the shadows. Suddenly, a hand grabbed her ankle. It snapped her out of her own world to stare below her. Ourias stared up at her with fierce determination. ¡°I won¡¯t lose¡­ I made a promise¡­¡± A wind suddenly blew out from Yumi. The area around her eyes turned dark as night. Severe lines carved into her face. An intensity not seen before shined from behind her eyes. ¡°You cannot stop me,¡± she uttered in a grave tone. ¡°Ayumi¡­ Not even hell itself will stand in my way! AYUMI!¡± Chapter 246 - Childish Thoughts Wind whipped around Fumiko¡¯s long dark brown hair making it difficult for her to see anything. Such speeds were hardly something that bothered her. Her body barely seemed to notice the pressure even though she was certain the speed was certainly great. However, she had bigger problems. Everything ran at someone else¡¯s pace. She couldn¡¯t let that continue. Flames erupted suddenly from the center of the bear where it held onto Fumiko. An inferno quickly started to spread over the fur material. It loosened things enough for her to push off from the bear. ¡°Let me go!¡± she shouted, firing off another blast of magic. The explosion propelled her away from the child and her bear. As she fell back down to the earth, the flames quickly consumed the stuff bear. It became a massive fireball falling along with her, like a meteorite breaking through the atmosphere. Fumiko, unfortunately, fell fast and had no ability to fly. Her eyes stared at the earth racing to her with almost sinister glee. ¡°Oh hell! I didn¡¯t plan for any of this!¡± She extended her hand out sending out threads of magic down her arm summoning up her flame. An explosion of earth and dust shot up around Fumiko. Small chunks flew out from the cloud. Nearby, a similar blast broke the ground from the child and bear. Coughing came out of the smoke, signaling Fumiko¡¯s health. Her figure appeared in the smoke as she stepped out. She wiped away some of the dirt cramming into the cracks and corners of her skin. All the fighting was hardly kind on her normal upkeep. Her fingers were dry and rough. Every surface of her felt like sandpaper. It wasn¡¯t really time to complain about beauty care when faced with darkness. Her legs staggered and dropped herself to one knee. ¡°Damn! That hurt even worse than I thought¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t the best of ideas she had, but she had to deal with her decisions. Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t know how well she could move her body in such a state. ¡®Already handicapped¡­¡¯ Yet this was how it should be. The area where the bear landed became a bonfire. Her flames on it still had plenty of material to burn. Almost none of the smoke from the impact hung around. However, it still didn¡¯t seem to stop the giant stuffed animal. At first, it seemed that the fire had a life of its own, but Fumiko understood quickly that it was actually the bear standing up. The magic had already burned away much of the outer layer of fabric. It feasted on the stuffing, but the melted and burned away face turned something cute into something out of a horror film. Worse, it hauntingly walked towards her still on fire. It didn¡¯t seem affected by the blaze. The thought of it being pain seemed a joke, even though it was the first thought. It was just an object, a toy. The flames would naturally never actually do anything to it. It could never do anything to something that didn¡¯t have a life. Yet the tortured and ashen features gave it more life than it had before as just a puppet. Nothing seemed to stop it. At least, that was the presence it had. The imposing and menacing appearance without even doing anything to achieve it. It was just all natural. A horror fueled zombie stuffed bear. Chapter 246 ¨C Childish Thoughts Fumiko fought with her legs to stand. ¡®Come on! I need to move!¡¯ It moved closer. All she could think of was running away. Nothing else filled her mind. Suddenly, the arm fell off from the bear as if it was dripping butter heated up on an open flame from a stove. More nightmare-inducing fuel for Fumiko. It wasn¡¯t even alive, but it seemed more terrifying than real people that burned at her hand. Maybe because it wasn¡¯t alive, yet looked more alive than them. Maybe because it wasn¡¯t affected by her flame. It didn¡¯t seem to care that it burned. Only reaching her. Then its leg fell off. It fell flat on its face, naturally unable to move. The conflagration finally had eaten through much of the core turning it into nothing, but a hollow form. It tried to move still, but lacked any sort of control. Most of its body was gone. Its head separated from the body, quickly burning up. It rolled around towards Fumiko before completely exhausting its material. Nothing but ash remained. Fumiko stared a little dumbfounded by the whole experience. It embarrassed her a little to have been scared, though it could just be the moment passed. Hindsight made it not so scary. It wasn¡¯t over though. It was merely starting. ¡°Owies¡­¡± complained Glykeria, surfacing from the small crater. She revealed herself out the smoke appearing completely unharmed by the fall. ¡°That didn¡¯t feel good.¡± Her hand adjusted her pink hair to get it out of her face. The doll normally held in front of her by her hands floated at her side, just level with her shoulders. ¡°But you didn¡¯t even get hurt,¡± it responded. ¡°Yeah, I know! I just wanted to play along! It was a really fun ride!¡± She began to bounce around on the balls of her feet. It looked like a bit of a dance, the way she spun around. Nothing about her situation seemed to bother her. No care in the world, described her accurately. Fumiko found herself a little uncertain by the whole scene. She wasn¡¯t sure if it was someone that she should be taking seriously. They didn¡¯t seem to be taking anything seriously. They only seemed to want to have fun. ¡®Why is a child in the military or even one of their elite? Is that even possible?¡¯ She remembered the age range of everyone that faced them didn¡¯t seem to all be adults, even Ayumi was still a teenager. The whole notion sat uncomfortably with her. ¡®She¡¯s only nine years old.¡¯ A child like her shouldn¡¯t be in the military or even told how the rest of her life would be at such an age. It was wrong. ¡®If this was a book, I¡¯d be able to accept it more, but this is reality. Those sorts of things don¡¯t happen.¡¯ Reality wasn¡¯t fantasy. She knew that, even though it sounded a little ironic of a thought given what Fumiko was capable of doing. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Glykeria came to a sharp stop. ¡°Are you ready to play some more?¡± she called out to Fumiko across the grass. The atmosphere around here completely flipped on its head. She spoke in a playful, childlike voice, but laced through her voice was a sinister intent. It barely came out in her face, well disguised by her innocent appearance. ¡°I want to have more fun!¡± Fumiko felt it like a cold October wind that snuck up behind her, not prepared for it to be so chilly. The hairs on the back of her hair seemed to stand up, sensing it as well. ¡®Is this kid really going to fight me? I can¡¯t fight a kid. This isn¡¯t right!¡¯ The child looked over at the doll hovering next to her. ¡°Paramonimos, go see if she wants to play.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± The doll began moving away from Glykeria, making no haste to reach Fumiko. Once it came into range, the doll moved about in front of Fumiko. It waited for Fumiko actually to meet gazes with it. A sword, twice the size of its forty-centimeter body, materialized its right hand. It took a casual swipe at her. It was never really meant to connect with her. Just enough to get her attention. Fumiko knew she had to keep her head on straight. ¡®Child or not, this is one of their best! I need to focus!¡¯ She forced her feet to start moving again even through the weakness. Threads of magic wove down her arm. Fire streamed from her palm pushing the doll back. Her flames did little to reach it. The doll¡¯s movements came effortlessly and smoothly. None of the flames even singed the fabric. It immediately countered with the sword, actually serious. The surprise left her with a gash in her waist. ¡®Damn¡­¡¯ Fumiko tried to dodge the attack, but her action was too late. ¡®I¡¯m not used to dealing with something so close to me.¡¯ She pressed her hand to the wound trying to feel how bad it was. The sting of pain signaled up her body told her enough. ¡®I can¡¯t take too many like that.¡¯ Magic spun around her arm preparing for the next attack. She wanted to push her own offense, rather than letting the doll set the pace. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t give her much of a chance for it. She tried to keep building up her magic, while dodging away from the doll. Her body finally started to move the way she wanted. ¡®I can see its movements. Just need to keep my legs moving.¡¯ Fear settled in the back of her head that if she stopped her body would never get moving again. The fall really wrecked her body. ¡®Just need another moment.¡¯ Dodging the next attack, Fumiko became more comfortable with the dolls movements. She immediately countered as the thrust finished. Grabbing the doll¡¯s sword arm, Fumiko drew it up. Magic threads rapidly wrapped around the doll setting it alight. The intensity of the flames burned it up within seconds. Fumiko turned back to the main target. ¡®Time to end this while I have the chance!¡¯ She charged for the child with a new flame burning brightly in her palm. It would be over. The end, quick and painless. She could deliver it. Once more wouldn¡¯t be an issue. She froze. Only a few centimeters away from Glykeria, her hand stopped moving. The flames went out. ¡®¡­can¡¯t do it¡­¡¯ Pain erupted from her torso. It was back. She knew it wouldn¡¯t be long. She lost her chance. ¡°So you do want to play,¡± Glykeria sang, gleefully. The doll removed the sword from inside Fumiko. Blood poured out of the deep wound. The shock was enough to make Fumiko drop to one knee. Pain flooded through her body. Despite losing her arm, this actually felt worse to her. ¡®Dammit¡­¡¯ Glykeria walked up the rest of the distance to Fumiko. She stared up at her face. An odd mix of innocence and murderous glee washed over her face. ¡°I thought you wanted to play, but you only stay.¡± She poked at Fumiko¡¯s wound, letting the blood wash over her tiny fingers. ¡°You¡¯re spilling.¡± Coughing in pain, Fumiko forced herself back and to her feet. The kid was just toying with her. ¡°I¡¯m not done¡­¡± A glow came from her hand with magic weaving down. Fumiko placed her burning fingers into the wound. She screamed loudly as the flame burned flesh and sealed up the wounds. Panting and her legs shaking, it ended. Fumiko stiffened her back feeling the pain still linger in her body. ¡®It¡¯s not the best solution, but it is the only one. I can¡¯t go down here. No, not before I see her get what¡¯s coming to her! Nothing else matters, right now!¡¯ Not pure or sacred colors to lavish herself in anymore. Corruption threatened to claim her now. Ugliness bled out, but purity couldn¡¯t be an option, she¡¯d embrace the thorny path for the sake of the just. ¡®I need to get my head on straight!¡¯ She forced a flame out of her hand at Glykeria as proof of her resolve. Fumiko barely watched the whole thing, but viewed the aftermath. The doll had protected her from the whole thing, a shield now present as well. ¡®So she uses that doll for all of her fighting. Makes sense given she¡¯s just a child.¡¯ Unfortunately, Fumiko also realized what it meant for her. ¡®That doll doesn¡¯t have the same sort of limits as a human. It¡¯s not going to be easy dealing with it.¡¯ Truth came through her in her speculation. The doll returned to the offense. Now with a shield to accompany the sword, it blocked whatever Fumiko tried while striking. The speed of its movements increased, catching her off guard. Her body still struggled to recover from the last wound and she feared she would have another soon. Stuttered movements, shallow wounds came off her failures. Nothing as bad, but still a reminder. ¡°I thought you wanted to play, big sis! Was that all just a lie, Miss?¡± Fumiko caught another edge of the blade, over her shoulder this time. ¡°Damn¡­¡± She stepped away from the doll trying to figure out what she could do. Her eyes darted over to the child. ¡®Focus¡­¡¯ The doll immediately resumed the attack. She could do nothing. ¡®I¡¯m losing¡­¡¯ ¡°This isn¡¯t very fun. You just run.¡± She had enough of the child playing innocent. ¡°This isn¡¯t a game! What do you think you¡¯re doing?! Do you even realize that people are dying out there?! This is serious!¡± Fumiko panted a little yelling at the child. Glykeria giggled. ¡°Big sis looks so angry. Maybe you¡¯re hungry?¡± ¡°Enough with the rhymes!¡± She didn¡¯t know if the child was truly blind to reality, really innocent, or if it was all just an act. It was hard to know. But she had had enough of it all. She needed to understand the gravity of the actions. The consequences of her actions. Suddenly, Fumiko disappeared just as the doll tried to strike. She appeared behind Glykeria, a fire burning brightly in her hand. Her hand streaked across, dragging the flames towards the child. A familiar image popped into her head, someone she knew too well to ever forget. The fire disappeared once more centimeters away from Glykeria. ¡®I still can¡¯t!¡¯ ¡°It looks like you¡¯re not the one being serious, everything you do is so humorous.¡± Fumiko ground her teeth together in frustration at her inability and lack of resolve. It kept blocking her. ¡°What do you even know? You¡¯re just a child!¡± Grinning, Glykeria grabbed Fumiko¡¯s hand with both of her hands. She stared up at the teenager. ¡°You¡¯re more of a child than me. Both mentally and physically.¡± Her eyes widened in surprise. ¡°What did you say?!¡± She couldn¡¯t believe what she heard from the child. Fumiko wanted to dismiss it immediately, but the look from the child made her doubt her own uncertainty. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Glykeria laughed again, a strange eerie tone slipped into her childlike voice. ¡°I¡¯ve been doing this longer than you¡¯ve been alive.¡± Chapter 247 - Childish Beliefs It was as she heard. There was no mistaking it again. It should have been impossible. Everything made sense. Worse more, it wasn¡¯t even the first time she experienced it. Whatever god that looked over her had a cruel and uninventive means of toying with her. To use the same trick on her again, yet she did fall over it again. Who was more of a fool? Fumiko stared down at the girl, a quick shift occurred across her face. ¡°You¡¯re saying that this is just an image, an illusion. You don¡¯t actually look like this, you¡¯re not actually a child.¡± Giggling a little more for Fumiko, Glykeria smiled for a few moments. It was hard to see if she enjoyed the scene from some sort of malicious intent or just a playful one. Her emotions blended together too well. ¡°That¡¯s right. The smart ones usually figure it out quickly, seeing the inconsistencies, but the dumb ones just take things at face value. They¡¯re always so shocked when they learn. People rely too much on what they can see for their answers.¡± A shadow drew down over Fumiko¡¯s eyes. That was what she needed. ¡°Then how old are you? Older than me?¡± ¡°Naturally, I¡¯m one of the most veteran Titans. I¡¯m not ranked third for nothing.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± she muttered. Streams of sacred magic poured down her arm into her hand. It made her entire arm almost appear to glow red. Glykeria¡¯s expression quickly changed to bewildered confusion. ¡°Eh?¡± She didn¡¯t understand the change in Fumiko¡¯s attitude. The entire presence around her flipped. Red turned to brilliant blue within Fumiko¡¯s palm as a massive flame ignited to consume her hand. ¡°Knowing that, I can fight with my full power!¡± Fumiko swung with her hand still holding on to the flame. The blue flame immediately engulfed the twisted Glykeria. Chapter 247 ¨C Childish Beliefs Dragged out of the initial blast by her doll, Glykeria remained doused in flames. The villain began to pat down her body trying to extinguish the fire to little results. Another doll appeared, but with bright blue hair, though otherwise seemed similar in features to the existing one. Water appeared from the air drowning Glykeria, finally putting out the flames. Stepping out, she looked soaked and permanently scarred with burns over most of her body that was not clothed. ¡°So you can be serious. But only because some morals are no longer in your way, eh?¡± A moment later, like stepping a frame forward, Glykeria''s body returned to the original unharmed state. Eager azure flames burned in Fumiko¡¯s hand, still wanting more. ¡°It¡¯s nothing like what you¡¯re thinking. I have my reasons, which I don¡¯t plan to explain to you!¡± Fumiko charged forward after Glykeria to put a quick end to the fight. Even though she could fight now without any hesitation, there was no reason for it to continue. Target the bad guy and the fight ended, especially since she didn¡¯t seem to have any power for herself. The blue-haired doll moved in front to take over. Immediately a large volume of water grew out in front of the doll¡¯s raised hand, directing it at the charging Fumiko. She dodged it with plenty of time, but the doll adapted and changed the course of the water. It ended up catching her hand, stealing away the fire. Fumiko leapt away a couple of steps to safety, staring at her hand. ¡®Damn, it''s supposed to be magic right? Shouldn¡¯t I be able to overcome it? Or is it not normal water?¡¯ Lost in thought, she didn¡¯t see Paramonimus, the first doll, flanking her. Its sword caught another piece of her before she escaped. ¡®She kept him out still¡­¡¯ Glykeria laughed watching Fumiko fumbling around. ¡°You thought I¡¯d only have one out at a time? When I play with my dolls, I play with more than one. You should know you never play with just one.¡± The water-using doll fired off volleys of water at Fumiko, keeping the timing with the other doll. She was able to use her fire to keep the water from doing anything, but it was a purely defensive position. With only two dolls, Glykeria had pushed Fumiko to a pace set by her. The hero could do nothing. ¡®I need something better than this. I can¡¯t cast the fire fast enough to deal with both and I can only dodge so well. She¡¯s got me completely disadvantaged¡­¡¯ In front of her face, a white-haired doll appeared, one she never saw before. She couldn¡¯t react. A flash of light blinded her and left her dazed. ¡°Huh?¡± It was gone almost immediately, but the situation had somehow turned worse against her. The blue-haired doll used its water like rope to tie her up. ¡®What just happened? It just disappeared¡­and now I¡¯m¡­¡¯ ¡°I told you. I play with more than one doll.¡± The white one rested on her shoulder almost like it sat down, but still hovered a little. ¡°This one plays with your perceptions. Just a little game it likes to play. Makes hide-and-seek a lot more interesting. Don¡¯t you think?¡± Fumiko ground her teeth, taking in her situation. She didn¡¯t know what they had planned for her, but she was completely at their whim. ¡®She¡¯s supposed to be an adult, yet playing around like a child. Even now, I don¡¯t think she is even being serious. It¡¯s all just a game for her.¡¯ An adult pretending to be a child. The notion made Fumiko want to laugh. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡®Which of us is more foolish? An adult that can¡¯t be serious or a child that is unable to be a child?¡¯ She couldn¡¯t believe that she was actually thinking about having some consideration for the villain. They just wanted to capture her or worse kill her. They weren¡¯t something that she should be giving any sort of thought. Fumiko saw quick flashes in the back of his mind. She returned to her mind once more. She was the reason for the chains on her body. She was the reason for the shield she bore for the others. She was the source of everything. The one thing that she could never forget, never forgive and never escape. ¡®¡­Kimiko¡­¡¯ The source of all and the cause of her changes. She was the reason for all of her actions. ¡®Sister¡­¡¯ Fumiko had to face it again. More so even now, that it affected her fight. She had to help Yuki and losing or dying would only cause a burden for the others. ¡®An adult that¡¯s a child and a child that wants to be an adult. Some pair we are¡­¡¯ Channeling divine magic down her arm, Fumiko attempted to free herself from the water. However, water materialized around her hand completely preventing her magic from forming. Escape was cut off. ¡®Damn¡­why can¡¯t my fire work¡­¡¯ She didn¡¯t feel that her doubt clouded her anymore. Confessions made it clear that she was no child. ¡®It¡¯s no longer a reason. Isn¡¯t my magic strong enough?¡¯ The wicked water doll took to giving a little punishment for the attempted breakout. The water rope tightened around her. It seemed impossible for water to have any strength to be harmful, but Fumiko could barely breathe from the crushing pressure of it wrapped around her chest. ¡®I know she¡¯s not a child, so I should be able to fight. Is it because of the appearance that I¡¯m still subconsciously holding back? Are you angry Kimiko?¡¯ The shadow over her never went away. All of the years it still hung over everything she did. It was such a long drawn shadow. ¡®I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s my fault. I know¡­but I need to fight right now¡­please¡­¡¯ Various images went through her mind of her sister. Fumiko begged her. ¡®I¡¯m not asking for forgiveness. It¡¯s not something I can have. I don¡¯t deserve it. Never, but I need to do this.¡¯ Fumiko tried calling on her magic again. ¡®I¡¯ve done everything I can. I¡¯ve never forgotten. I¡¯m different, changed.¡¯ Her magic still refused her. It seemed actually to be weaker than before. The holy azure flame stopped appearing, only the weaker crimson flame answered her. Her body tightened further. It felt like her bones would snap as her arm dug into her ribs. She couldn¡¯t move. ¡®What more can I do for you?!¡¯ The hero fell to the traps sealed away. Only the bodily pain reminded her that she still lived. Pain surrounded her and comforted her. It was all she knew. ¡®I only did this because of you! I saw her¡­¡¯ Chiharu surfaced in her mind. Their meeting at the tree where the fairy gathered them. Many times before it controlled her, the guilt. It was all she had to carry her. The child she found at the school, when she first met Yuki came to mind. ¡®I actually thought that I might have finally paid enough. That the end was finally for me.¡¯ Her arm went still. ¡®I¡¯m the worst.¡¯ The magic disappeared. Her body groaned under the stress. ¡®I killed you, Kimiko.¡¯ Fumiko¡¯s face lost any sense of life. ¡®That¡¯ll never be wiped away¡­nothing I do can remove it. Yet I still try¡­selfishly to make up for it.¡¯ Kimiko surfaced in her mind again. She never answered her. Anytime she tried to call out to her sister, she never replied. It only made sense. Who would reply to the one that killed you? ¡®I can¡¯t die yet huh? Yeah, you won¡¯t let me. My suffering can¡¯t end so simply.¡¯ Fumiko pulled at her arm, sparking life back into her body. ¡®I¡¯m selfish. I¡¯m a killer. I¡¯m a murder. I¡¯m just a child. I shout at the unjust world thinking I deserve something better than what I have.¡¯ Emboldened magic channeled down her arm. ¡®Shouting is all I can do. I¡¯m selfish after all. I want the impossible. What I can¡¯t have. But I won¡¯t stop, I told myself that day.¡¯ An azure inferno erupted inside the water, causing bubbles and steam to appear. ¡®I made a promise. A promise to myself.¡¯ Fumiko squeezed her hand. The flames blasted out completely throwing off the water. Her arm leapt out for the water doll burning it to ash with her flame. ¡®I told myself. You were dead. I couldn¡¯t fix it. No wishes would change death.¡¯ Released from the water, Fumiko fell back to the ground. She landed with ease. ¡®If I couldn¡¯t change death...¡¯ Fumiko slowly rose to her full stature. Blue flames started to form around her hand, fed by threads of magic spun down her arm. ¡®I¡¯d just have to stop death¡¯s dark designs!¡¯ All three vile dolls flew at Fumiko, realizing she was preparing an attack. A magic circle drew out across the ground, as threads wound down her legs. The white one went for the first strike to rob Fumiko of her senses again, but three blue fireballs knocked it out before it could get anything off. As the two remaining dolls charged in blue flames erupted from the ground completely engulfing them. Nothing could escape. Blue flames surrounded Fumiko making her disappear from their tall column. A moment later, Fumiko walked heroically out of the flames. Flames danced around her palm. ¡°I¡¯m not allowed to die yet, which means I must defeat you.¡± The villain jumped around a little, clapping her hands together. ¡°Oh, you¡¯ve made that decision? But is that really something you can make happen?¡± The dolls destroyed moments before resurfaced, but had even more along with them. It was like a flock of birds, all in formation. Flames grew and merged on Fumiko¡¯s palm. She sprinted forward straight for the dolls. Fumiko threw her fist out wide, growing her flame, wielding it like a club. The frontline burst in flames, crumbling to ash. She broke through the line and went for Glykeria. Fumiko¡¯s hand nearly eclipsed Glykeria¡¯s tiny head, as she palmed her like a basketball and threw her into the ground. Blue flames erupted over Glykeria¡¯s entire body as magic funneled in the attack. ¡°I¡¯m already a murderer and one more adult is hardly enough to weigh my conscience down any further! This is reality!¡± It looked like it was over. Fumiko kept her magic going to ensure the kill. However, she heard a voice that wasn¡¯t familiar coming from under her flame. ¡°Reality really is cruel.¡± The voice was almost self-attacking and soaked in self-pity. Foreign and unknown. Beneath her fingers, blue hair appeared amongst the flame. Chapter 248 - Childish Growth Something was wrong. That became very clear quickly. Fumiko hesitated with her flame pulling back. The delay was enough for Glykeria to push back. An invisible force blasted Fumiko off Glykeria. She fell on her back a few meters away, still trying to understand what happened. ¡®What was it that I saw?¡¯ The sight of the blue hair originally seemed like something caused by the light of her blue fire, but she realized that wasn¡¯t the case. Something changed. Smoke surrounded the area around Glykeria, keeping her hidden. ¡°I really hate waking up like this. So rude.¡± The tone in her voice had deepened a little. It was still very young, but the signs of the childish almost innocent carefree higher pitch disappeared completely. There was no happiness or innocence in the voice. Standing back up, Fumiko stared into the smoke wondering what was going to come out of it. ¡®Is this their true appearance?¡¯ Glykeria¡¯s figure appeared as a silhouette through the smoke initially. It hardly gave her a judge of her appearance. However, wind quickly blew away the hovering clouds to give a look at her face first. It became certain that she was no longer the same person. Blue hair stood out as the immediate clue, but her face wasn¡¯t even the same as the child. She had a very thin and angular shape, almost harsh like her features were chipped away rather than smoothed out. Equally deep blue eyes matched with her short spiky hair. The child was gone. As she stepped out of the smoke, the missing child became clear. While certainly not an adult as Fumiko thought might appear, they were older than the nine year old. She appeared to be closer to a teenager, but probably still just a little younger. Extra height and the loss of the baby fat-like chubbiness pushed her age. She seemed more mature. ¡®This isn¡¯t the real one either, is it? What¡¯s the point of hiding like this?¡¯ Chapter 248 ¨C Childish Growth The new child brushed through her hair with her fingers, removing the last embers of Fumiko¡¯s flame. ¡°That burned a little, but I guess it¡¯s really no less than I deserve.¡± A small toy appeared in her hand. It had a cute and child-like appearance that went in contrast with the villain¡¯s new look in tight blue jeans and multi-layered shirts. The toy had a human shape dressed completely in black leather. The toy jumped up her arm running the length up to her shoulder and leapt into the air. Using its tiny fists, it punched her in the head. ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you, you moron? You really are an idiot! What did you think you were doing? Getting caught like that! Stupid! Worthless! Worm!¡± Fumiko wasn¡¯t sure what to make of the sudden change. It seemed like she no longer had any control of her power, attacking her physically and verbally. ¡®This is nothing like what I was dealing with before. What¡¯s going on?¡¯ ¡°I am. Sorry.¡± ¡°Damn straight! You¡¯re just going to screw up again!¡± The toy jumped into the air, hovering in front of her. ¡°So I better handle this.¡± The whole exchange left her off balance, but the hero quickly forced herself to prepare for the next attack. She didn¡¯t notice it before, but she realized something that sank into her heart. ¡®I hit her point blank with my strongest flame and she wasn¡¯t even singed by it. How am I going to beat something that strong?¡¯ Flying too quickly at Fumiko to react in time, the toy¡¯s tiny fist landed the first hit. The blow to her stomach felt like a pile driver fired off. Saliva escaped her mouth as Fumiko flew backwards. She tumbled over a few times before sliding over the grass, eventually coming to a stop. ¡°Damn¡­that hurt¡­¡± she moaned, working to get herself to her feet. Far in the distance, she could see Glykeria. The girl was tiny, giving her a sense of how far she went. ¡°Well I guess I¡¯m at least outside of her Field for now. It¡¯ll give me a little bit to figure out what to do about her.¡± However, it wasn¡¯t accurate. The toy showed up in her face wielding a bat too long for it to hold realistically. ¡°Can¡¯t be¡ª¡° The bat cracked over her head, interrupting her and sending her tumbling off once more. Face down in the dirt, Fumiko felt her head aching and pulsing in pain. Ringing still polluted her head making hearing almost impossible. ¡°¡­damn¡­¡± She touched her temple where it struck her, feeling the slow stream of blood. Her eyesight was completely shot with everything being a blur. Dazed and blind, Fumiko started to stand up only to be knocked off her feet again. Sliding over the ground, Fumiko felt the deep scraping from the earth into her back. ¡®I can¡¯t even defend myself¡­¡¯ Everything seemed to be against her the moment the evil Glykeria changed. Less dazed, recovery began to come to Fumiko, but not before the toy threw her around a few more times. She started to wonder how she remained alive. ¡®I¡¯m strong enough to survive, but not to fight back. I can¡¯t let¡­¡¯ Finally seeing straight again, Fumiko started to summon her magic, but the toy was too fast for her. She managed to catch the bat before it hit her and threw him down. The toy down, Fumiko attempted to take it out again with her fire, but needed her hand for it. It meant the toy escaped before she finished the cast. The pattern repeated for her again and again in her attempts. ¡®It¡¯s too slow. Even when I try to factor in the time, I¡¯m still unable to hit it. I need to find a way to speed up the casting time on the spell.¡¯ Fumiko started forcibly altering her spells in ways to try to get the speed she needed, but it produced more failure than success. ¡®Is there a way to cut out steps and still keep it together?¡¯ All while Fumiko and Glykeria¡¯s toy fought it out, the villain remained on the sideline too far away to even see the fight herself. She seemed to want to crawl away with the look on her face. A great pain fell upon her from all appearances. Yet she did nothing. Fumiko in her failures, took advantage of one of the collapsing spells to detonate it when the toy reached her. It wasn¡¯t a direct hit, but it was the only victory she had since the new girl showed up. Unfortunately, it also meant that she took the backlash from the blast. On her back again with smoke trailing off her, Fumiko quickly learned it did nothing to really stop the toy. It landed several more blows on her before knocking her into another part of the Field. Coughing, every part of her body hurt. She couldn¡¯t remember any of her previous fights being so one-sided against her. ¡®I¡¯ve got to think of something!¡¯ Fumiko pulled herself back up, knowing the annoying toy wouldn¡¯t stop coming after her. The only thing keeping her alive was the toughness of her body, something she started to regret a little with her inability to do anything. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Foregoing magic, Fumiko did the only thing that made any sense at the moment. She struck out with her fist. It was a little awkward trying to fight something that was hardly more than ten centimeters. Her hand could crush it, if it were weaker. However, it gave her more ground than it had before. She was hardly a physical fighter, but it was the only thing she had left with her spells unable to finish. The regained stance provided her some defense against the toy. She still missed more than hit anything. When she did hit, nothing really seemed to happen. It went flying, but returned immediately with no signs of damage. The power of Glykeria prevented it from taking any permanent damage. ¡®If I can keep this up, maybe I can weave in my spells. It kept breaking my concentration before with how much I was being knocked around. But if I can keep on my feet like this, I should be able to split my tasks.¡¯ Thin threads of magic started to move down her shoulder into her arm. The toy seemed to understand what it meant, its attacks increased in strength and intensity. Splitting her attention, left her more open than she expected. Fumiko couldn¡¯t maintain her stance. Knocked back, Fumiko struggled to keep from falling over. The sacred magic already started to disperse as she lost her focus. ¡®It¡¯s harder than I thought to do both at the same time, but it¡¯s the only way it¡¯s going to work!¡¯ She charged back in for the toy grabbing for it. Dancing around, the two exchanged strikes with Fumiko still less than successful. However, she was able to get more of her magic funneled into her spell before it broke. Each attempt worked a little better. She eventually managed to make it finally work, landing a flaming fist on the toy. It went bouncing around as a ball of fire. Fumiko held out her hand, pleased with the results. ¡®I¡¯ve got a better feel for it now. I know where I can work it.¡¯ The flame remained surrounding her hand. She didn¡¯t plan to let it release, as she normally would have. It was her only weapon. The toy was back like expected. However, now that she had the fire, the side of the fight turned against it. It couldn¡¯t keep from burning frequently. Fumiko reached out taking a hold of it. The fire burned stronger with it in her hand. She looked back to where Glykeria remained the entire time. ¡®I have to deal with her. The way things are going, I won¡¯t be able to hold out and the same thing that happened to Saki will happen to me.¡¯ Fumiko tightened her hand around the toy before winding up to pitch it back at Glykeria. ¡®This far away, I doubt she¡¯ll know what¡¯s going on until it¡¯s too late¡­¡¯ As planned, the toy slammed into Glykeria¡¯s head taking her off her feet. She fell back several meters to land on her back unmoving. Fumiko felt good about it. However, she wanted to be sure about it. While she ran the distance, she completed casting her divine spell, throwing out several fireballs on her motionless body. Fumiko stopped a few meters away, waiting for the smoke to clear. The stop in the fight made her realize how much pain her body held back. She felt her legs wanting to give out. Panting heavily, the crushing sound of her heartbeat ran through her ears. It was so invisible to her before. Her body was screaming to her to stop. She was deaf to it. Completely absorbed by the fight. ¡®Is it over now?¡¯ Nothing so lucky as it being finished. Initially, it was just the sound of something cracking. Probably just the earth, but it became more clear that it was caused by something rather than just the fire from Fumiko. The evil was still alive. It became a certainty. ¡°I really hate this. It¡¯s awful. Why can¡¯t it all just end?¡± She surfaced from the clouds soon after, no more worse from the hit. In fact, she seemed perfectly healthy, untouched. ¡®How is that possible?!¡¯ Fumiko stared in confusion. She knew she hit her, but nothing happened. It didn¡¯t make any sense. ¡°You idiot! You weren¡¯t paying attention again. Dumbass!¡± ¡°Sorry. But you hit me.¡± ¡°Did you talk back? I¡¯m doing all of your fighting for you. You pathetic sack of shit think you can speak to me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was wrong.¡± The toy floated away from Glykeria after the round of verbal abuse. It looked at Fumiko. ¡°Getting a little cheeky there. That won¡¯t be happening again.¡± Suddenly, three more toys appeared coming out from behind it. They all had different appearances, but remained the same cute-dark theme of the first. ¡®More! Again¡­ I could barely handle one of them!¡¯ Fumiko didn¡¯t really have time to complain as they all charged at her. They each had a different way to attack. The bat made its appearance again, but a box cutter also showed up, a swirling mass of light and shield too big for the toy. The attacks came in almost too numerous for her to even see. Any sort of defense she had seemed pointless. Fumiko fell back once again. All of her gained ground disappeared quickly. ¡®The constant flame is going to be the only way I stand any chance¡­¡¯ She started her slow continuous cast while defending against the four toys. Even knocked down, she learned how to keep her progress. It took too long for her, but she succeeded with the spell. Yet it did little to improve her odds. They still outnumbered her and out flanked her. Her options quickly started to shrink on her. The hero kept fueling the fire with her magic, but she didn¡¯t know how long her body would hold out. Even amidst the fighting, she felt her fatigue creeping on her. ¡®I can¡¯t last like this¡­¡¯ More magic arrays drew over her arm. The threads wove thicker around her arm as she pumped as much as she could into her arm. Flames from her hand grew back consuming her wrist and then forearm. In the middle of the process, Fumiko realized what was happening. ¡®This again?! Why is it happening now? I wanted it earlier, but it didn¡¯t come. What am I missing?¡¯ Finally, her entire arm became flame. The magic infused arm from her battle in the Atlantean camp returned. ¡®I can use this, I remember what it can do!¡¯ She channeled her blue flame into it immediately to strengthen the fire. Fumiko immediately quick cast a fireball at the incoming toy. It blew up less than a meter from her face throwing smoke and debris over her. She leaned forward to see through the mess and find her next target. Rapidly firing her spells, the remaining three went down with little effort. However, more appeared to replace the lost ones, the numbers increased as well. She could only keep up the attack. The spells were small, but she didn¡¯t stop casting. It was almost too late when she saw the transparency in her arm starting to disappear. ¡®It¡¯s going away?! Did I over use it?¡¯ Fumiko ground her teeth seeing that the toys took advantage of her hesitation. She fell back from their unison strike, collapsed on the ground panting heavily. ¡®¡­dammit¡­I can¡¯t hold back¡­¡¯ The toys didn¡¯t stop even with her on the ground. Fumiko tried to block with her flame arm, but it had no substance, a fact she forgot from the last fight. The toys went straight through to strike her chest. She coughed painfully, nearly certain she heard bones breaking. ¡®I¡¯ve got no defense like this. It¡¯s purely an offensive spell¡­¡¯ Fumiko directed a blast at her feet with more incoming. It kicked up enough clouds to give her a spare moment. Leaping back to her feet, she prepared her arm to attack anything that came through the smoke. It didn¡¯t take long for the first couple of toys to burst through and be shot down. However, no more came afterward. They all seemed to remain hidden. ¡®What are they doing?¡¯ Fumiko looked around trying to see if they wanted to flank her. Nothing. Then the smoke started to clear, revealing even greater numbers. Most of them looked the same to her, but it didn¡¯t make any difference. ¡®I¡¯ll take them all out. They¡¯re close enough.¡¯ Fumiko had the advantage of her arm to increase the power of her spell quickly with almost no cast time needed. She could react sooner than they would know what happened. A large blue swirling mass of fire grew from her hand. In less than a second, it reached critical mass. Flung at the toys, the sphere was ten times the size of any of the toys easily. Many of the toys moved around behind the speeding mass, but some remained still as though paralyzed in fear. However, it wasn¡¯t fear. It was a plan. Fumiko realized too late. All of the same type of toy remained behind, the one using the strange light. The flames slammed into the toys, but didn¡¯t burn them. Rather, it seemed to be channeled through their hands guided by them. They stole her attack, but it didn¡¯t end by negating the damage. It arched around coming back at her. Fumiko was so surprised by the act that she couldn¡¯t react in time. She barely moved before her magic was transformed into a massive wave of energy that engulfed her. ¡°No!¡± It was all over. Her body laid face forward in the dirt smoking painfully. Nothing wanted to move, nothing could move. She had lost. ¡°Please hear me, everyone! You must listen!¡± ¡®¡­Yori¡­I must be dreaming or something if I¡¯m hearing your voice¡­¡¯ ¡°Everyone please stop with the questions¡­I barely have any strength, just listen¡­ I know the truth finally. I know what Ayumi¡¯s goal is.¡± Chapter 249 - Living Dirt It was the contradiction above all that made Chiharu interested in the man. She didn¡¯t know what was going on with him. His mind held tightly closed from the outside. Only through his words could she piece together any sort of an idea of what type of man he was. Beyond the words, Nereus was a tall man, even compared to the others. Few in Chiharu¡¯s group matched or surpassed him. Though, it was the bright red hair that stood out the most for Chiharu. Living in Japan, such a hair color was uncommon unless it was dyed. It made him seem like he still had a lot of youth in him, though she was certain he was actually fairly old. If she had to make a guess, he was probably in his forties, but in good shape for such an age. After ten minutes of marching casually away from both the fighting and Capital, Chiharu started to consider if he was going to do anything. ¡°We¡¯re far enough away.¡± However, he didn¡¯t stop or even react to her. A bit annoyed, Chiharu moved a little closer. Perhaps he didn¡¯t hear her. ¡°This is far enough. We can stop.¡± Nothing. Chiharu reappeared in front of Nereus looking to stop him, however he continued on through her, literally. The unsettling feeling of having someone pass through her sent a chill down her back, but not as much as the same dead look in his eye. It didn¡¯t even look like he saw her, as though she was invisible to him. ¡®What the hell¡¯s wrong with him?¡¯ Trying to understand him a little, Chiharu monitored and followed for a little while. Yet, he didn¡¯t stop after waiting. She moved to grab his arm and force him to stop, but she went through him again. ¡®What¡¯s wrong with me?¡¯ Chiharu tested her hands and body, everything was solid, normal. Ahead of her, Nereus kept walking. ¡®What¡¯s going on? Is this another manifestation of his power? I thought he was water based on what he showed before.¡¯ When she called out to him, he didn¡¯t answer and physically stopping him did nothing as well. She could do nothing to him. Eventually, he halted, appearing to be no longer interested in their walk. Chiharu moved out in front of him wanting some answers. ¡°Finally decided to stop.¡± Nereus barely looked in her general direction. It was hard to tell if he actually saw her. ¡°You failed the first test. Just further proof. I wondered if it was possible, but it seems I might have over spoken about you being alive.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Chiharu leaned in a little not entirely clear if he was insulting her or not. He wasn¡¯t making a lot of sense. She remembered him saying something about being alive before. ¡°You mean to tell me you were testing to see if I could stop you?¡± ¡°Correct, but you failed. Though you seem to have some degree of intelligence and deductive skills. But even an animal has instincts.¡± Now she was certain he was insulting her. A bit of a vein popped up on her forehead as she struggled to keep her anger in check. ¡°Comparing me to an animal now? That¡¯s some mouth you¡¯ve got. You¡¯re quite an arrogant bastard, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, animal¡¯s have claws and can protect themselves. I haven¡¯t seen you prove you can do such things. You simple follow, you¡¯re led. You let me do whatever I wanted. You are nothing more than dirt.¡± ¡°¡­dirt¡­¡± Chiharu started to lose any control she had on her emotions. He went beyond just being arrogant. He was looking down on her, but he wasn¡¯t even arrogant. The whole time he was so far above her that arrogance was a waste of time. Such superiority made her blood boil. She leapt after Nereus, throwing out her fist at him. He stopped her with his hand before she got too far. ¡°Can dirt do this?!¡± A flurry of punches tried their best to land hits on him, but all she got for her troubles was an oddly moist hand dripping in water as he stopped all of her attempts. ¡°I guess you¡¯re right. You do talk. You¡¯re living dirt.¡± Chapter 249 ¨C Living Dirt Shock and anger mixed through Chiharu¡¯s eyes. She couldn¡¯t break through his defense, but he still called her dirt. ¡®I¡¯ve never known someone so¡­so¡­¡¯ Anger prevented her from finishing her own thoughts. Only the muscle head made her so upset and it was nothing compared to him. It was worse. She knew he at least acknowledged her despite all of their arguments. The same wasn¡¯t the case for Nereus. He didn¡¯t even know she existed, it felt like to her. And that wasn¡¯t even the worst part of it. She wasn¡¯t worth time in his eyes. She retreated, seeing that her punches weren¡¯t doing anything to him. Anything she threw at him was just stopped. ¡®Water?¡¯ she noted, from looking at her hand. It felt strange when she hit his hand. It wasn¡¯t as though it was soaked in water, but her skin was damp. A couple of drops of water slid down her fingers before getting stuck at her tips. ¡®Did he stop me with only water? So is his element really water? Then what was that lack of physical form from before?¡¯ So many questions came up from so little shown. It also seemed that he wasn¡¯t aggressive or eager to start their fight, almost as if she had to prove something to him before the fight could begin. Perhaps another one of his tests needed to be passed. The thing that bothered her the most was the way he was before during the walk. Further analysis only made the thoughts more unsettling. ¡®I couldn¡¯t grab him. It was like he had no real form or it was just an illusion. But he can¡¯t do anything to himself with his powers. So there¡¯s only two possibilities. He created a double of himself or did something to me. Did he take away my physical form?¡¯ Chiharu didn¡¯t want to consider it a possibility, but she knew with their powers anything was possible so long as they thought it up. Nothing was outside of the possibilities. Their power completely denied nature, if they wished for it. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Negatives from the thoughts became too much of a dwelling point for her. She pushed it aside to focus on the more important issue in front of her. She couldn¡¯t touch Nereus with any of her punches. It wasn¡¯t her normal method, probably a bad habit picked up from the moron, but it should have done something. She knew that she didn¡¯t swing lightly. ¡®How did he keep up with my speed? I wasn¡¯t going the fastest I could, but it should have been too fast for him to react. I should have seen what his defense was with that attack.¡¯ The whole thing was covered in a shroud of mystery, both his attitude and his powers. She knew he used water and it seemed part of his defense. But she needed more information on him. The disinterested, nearly disconnected look from Nereus only made her angrier. Chiharu charged back in for another test. She needed to understand how his power worked. Chiharu flung her foot out in a wide kick to his upper arm. It should have been sharp and fast, but he still blocked her with his hand. ¡®How is that possible? His body shouldn¡¯t be able to move like that!¡¯ She threw more at him as her frustration mounted. Everything she did she wrote off as a test, but it no longer looked like one. Emotions came out more in her voice, grunting and roaring. Nereus stopped her last attack and placed his hand on her chest. Her body recoiled from some unknown force. It sent her flying backwards out of control. ¡®What did he do to me? He just touched me!¡¯ Chiharu stared at him while spinning through the air, the same unfocused eyes never meeting her. Retrieving her kunai, she dug both into the earth to control her speed and body, no longer flipping end over end. She still carved out a several meter long line through the soft earth with her blade before coming to a full stop. The kunai reached back to their sheath at her side. Chiharu stood up checking on her garb from whatever hit her. The outer layer of cloth covering up the chainmail was destroyed, but it seemed the links of metal remained intact. Nereus pulled his hand back, rubbing his fingers a little. ¡°I had to hold back quite a bit. It was so weak. So flawed. But I guess it¡¯s the best you can do.¡± ¡®More of his crap. I¡¯m getting tired of listening about it.¡¯ She wanted to do anything to knock him down off his mountain that he stared down upon the world. Anything would do for her. It would make her feel better. Chiharu glanced around the area for anything, but found that there was literally nothing in sight. The slightly tall grass stretched out to the horizon. It was endless. ¡®Must be his Field¡¯s doing. They probably know about my shadow powers thanks to the last fight, even if their Captain came with us. They passed on what they learned no doubt since he faked his death.¡¯ She looked down at her feet. ¡®Fortunately, my powers have evolved. I don¡¯t need something else¡¯s shadow anymore.¡¯ Her body slowly sank into the grass until it completely disappeared from sight. Within the shadow world, she moved to the window from Nereus¡¯ shadow. ¡®This should catch him off guard.¡¯ She shifted her position a little coming out on his left flank rather than directly behind. Her kunai swung out for the gap between his ribs, but something stopped her blade. He was standing before her with his hand preventing her blade from going any further. ¡°What?!¡± ¡°Confused? Is it so beyond your comprehension?¡± He pushed back on the blade knocking it out of her hand by the same unseen force. ¡°This is why you¡¯re nothing but dirt. A sneak attack was too obvious.¡± Chiharu leapt away from him, getting out of his hand¡¯s reach. ¡°¡­damn¡­¡± She rubbed her wrist, a little sore from her weapon behind ripped out of her hand. Redness painted her palm from where she held it. ¡®I specifically made sure not to do a direct back attack, figuring he¡¯d expect that, but he still predicted what side I¡¯d come out on. He¡¯s as dangerous as he is arrogant.¡¯ Worse from the attack, she failed to learn anything from the attempt. She knew nothing more about his powers from it than she did a moment before. They generally had a defense as a final line to protect them. She expected to see that defense and hopefully understand what his power was based around. Everything she saw made her doubt his water power. It seemed unlikely from the displays. She needed a new plan. Confronting him directly proved not to have any success. ¡®If I attack from multiple sides, I should be able to learn something. He only has two hands. He can¡¯t block everything.¡¯ Out of sight by her feet, portals into the shadow world opened up for her. She pulled out several kunai and shuriken hidden underneath her mail. They all fell into the grass disappearing from sight. All around Nereus portals opened in the very air into black voids. They varied in height and position to encompass him completely like an invisible sphere. Not even a second later, weapons flew out of the portals straight for Nereus. Straight became both a figurative and literal interpretation of what happened next. The kunai and shurikens all moved at him, but their courses weren¡¯t the ones set by Chiharu or their exit from the portals. Some external power seemed to be at work. They all gravitated to him along different lines, but came to the same place, his hand. Nothing hit anywhere else. He had somehow managed to make all of her attacks still come to him and hide his power. ¡°Trying to be clever? It¡¯s going to take more than that.¡± ¡®Dammit!¡¯ Grinding her teeth together, Chiharu tried to analyze what she saw. ¡®Even if he¡¯s not doing what I want, I¡¯m getting something. I just don¡¯t know what!¡¯ Nothing about him made any sense to her. Everything she tried just failed. It was as if he knew what she was going to do before she even made it. Like he was inside her mind. An unsettling thought to be sure. She started to run out of plans to expose his power. All he did was wait for her, making him even more annoying. She wanted to just punch him in the face. If she could, it might calm her anger. Those eyes made her blood burn like nothing else. They continued to look past her rather than at her. She didn¡¯t understand what his problem was with her. ¡®I¡¯m not dirt! Bastard!¡¯ In her attempts to buy time for something else and partly because she couldn¡¯t control her anger, Chiharu flew at Nereus. She increased her speed to make it more difficult on him, yet it didn¡¯t work. Mixing up her attacks, she swapped in her blades between every couple of attacks out of pattern just to throw him off. Even if it wasn¡¯t expected, he still didn¡¯t lose his defense. Nothing breached the impossible wall he put up. His hand mocked her. Nothing got through. She slid back for a break. Nothing worked. What could she do? ¡®Those eyes¡­damn those eyes!¡¯ Emotions raged beating her heart faster. She charged for him again out of options. Anger had full control of her actions. It did even less than nothing. He seemed to handle her easily. ¡®How is he so fast?! It¡¯s not possible! I can¡¯t be this slow!¡¯ Nereus ended it by knocking her back. Her back scraped through the earth kicking up a small cloud that hovered around her body. It barely cloaked her, but she used it to disappear into the shadows. She popped out above, but he still stopped her with the same effortless action. ¡°Bastard!¡± ¡°Even an animal would know when to run away. This is pointless.¡± ¡°Damn you!¡± Chiharu charged in blindly after him. However, he stopped her in her tracks before she could do anything. She tried to fight him in that position, but it did nothing. All stopped before his hand. He appeared tired of the events and repetition. Nereus placed a single finger on the chainmail exposed through all of her fighting. ¡°I can see the weakness so easily. Just a slight crack is all that is needed to break something so fragile.¡± Suddenly all of the links in Chiharu¡¯s chainmail shattered. Her protection blew off her body as the force sent her flying away. ¡°It all crumbles like dirt. Worthless dirt.¡± Chapter 250 - Mindless Animal Crashed into the earth, Chiharu laid on her back left with only her leather padding that the chainmail had rested upon. The sort of defense it provided against enemies like Nereus was meaningless, but it still left her shaken. Motionless, she couldn¡¯t move for a minute. ¡®Defeated that simply? I can¡¯t believe it¡­¡¯ Her mind had trouble getting around the idea. She wasn¡¯t certain what to do. Nothing she did made it through him. He easily penetrated her defense. ¡®How do I beat someone like that? Any attack I make he intercepts. I can¡¯t surprise him! The hidden attack is supposed to be my specialty.¡¯ Unease crept into her heart. She had no injuries, but the wound she took was far worse than any physical one. Chiharu heard the crumbling of the earth underneath Nereus¡¯ feet. His approach came sooner than she thought. How much time had she lost in thought? She didn¡¯t know what was happening to her any longer. Flipping backward off the ground, she gave herself a little room. His eyes seemed even less focused than before. He might have seen her as dirt before, something that he walked over, but it wasn¡¯t even that anymore. It was as if she was the very air around him. Just something invisible and pushed aside just as simply. She was of no concern to him. The thoughts made her want to fume, but she lost even that. She couldn¡¯t get her legs to move towards him. She didn¡¯t expect to face such a thing from him or any of them. Fear. Doubt. Timid. Chapter 250 ¨C Mindless Animal Chiharu ground her teeth realizing her weakness. ¡®I¡¯m supposed to be in charge, calm, in command,¡¯ she chastised herself. She was letting everything take over. She was¡­ Emotional. ¡®I¡¯m better than this¡­this isn¡¯t me. Why is he getting to me so?¡¯ Her hands tensed up trying to deal with everything flooding through her. Nereus stood over her, his presence enlarging his stature. He seemed to cast a shadow that went on forever. ¡°Disappointing. Already giving up.¡± Nereus stretched out his hand, grabbing Chiharu by her leather undercoat. ¡°I don¡¯t kill something that isn¡¯t even alive.¡± He then turned back in the direction of the Capital bringing her with him. She knew what he planned to do. She wasn¡¯t about to let herself be captured, especially without so much of a fight. She did nothing meaningful. All her talk before was just puffed up pride and arrogance if she threw in the towel now. ¡®I can¡¯t let it just end here. This isn¡¯t me!¡¯ Sapped of her strength, Chiharu faced the struggle of breaking free. Her body felt stiff and unwilling. The paralysis went deep. But she couldn¡¯t allow herself to be captured. ¡®Move it! Dammit! Are you a Chinen?!¡¯ Her hand slapped the side of her thigh, a signal that part of her body finally started to follow her commands. Some confidence flowed back into her. It gave her enough strength to break free from Nereus. She leapt several meters away from him, bouncing lightly on her feet a few times to increase the distance. ¡°I won¡¯t be going with you.¡± A raised eyebrow was his only reaction. He didn¡¯t look bothered by it. Nothing seemed wasted on the matter. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to achieve anything. Dirt is still dirt. Nothing more. You¡¯ve failed all tests.¡± Nereus¡¯ disinterest increased quickly with Chiharu. Only his order kept him from leaving. ¡°I don¡¯t care about your damn tests! I¡¯ll prove to you I¡¯m more than you think.¡± ¡°I find that unlikely. You¡¯d have to be a human to even stand a chance. Everything I see makes it clear that¡¯s impossible. Dirt only has one purpose, to submit to the superior.¡± It was his words again. They made her angry, fighting the urge to attack. Unfortunately, she knew that none of it worked against him. All she attempted failed. She needed something different against him. It was her only chance. Yet she didn¡¯t have many options. Everything she tried ran through the majority of her options. ¡®I don¡¯t really have anything else to throw at him. At least that I¡¯m aware of. That weakling might have given me more than I know, but I don¡¯t know how he thinks. I have to rely on what I know and can achieve on my own.¡¯ Mustering any amount of determination forced her to confront her emotions. They rested on the surface, easily called upon thanks to Nereus. Her thoughts gave her something to consider. There was one last technique that she had available, though discovered by accident. ¡®It¡¯s the only option I have anymore. It might give me a little more of a clue to what his power really is.¡¯ The more she saw his power at work the less convinced she became that it was simple water control. The timing and reactions he had weren¡¯t explained by water. Nothing she could think of explained it, yet. ¡®I¡¯ll figure him out.¡¯ Chiharu turned away from Nereus. The distance she had on him made it too close. She was still not comfortable with the ability. She wanted to be sure that she had the distance and time to put it together correctly. It was all about the right perceptions. Disappearing from a blur, Nereus naturally lost sight of her. Seconds slowly passed by for him. He waited to see what she attempted. ¡®Still struggling even though it¡¯s pointless. I don¡¯t understand why it keeps bothering. It¡¯ll never reach.¡¯ In front of him, Chiharu appeared suddenly, but also on his right and then his left. They all looked real. ¡°This your attempt? It¡¯ll meet the same end.¡± Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Her voice came from all of the copies of Chiharu, ¡°We¡¯ll see about that.¡± ¡°You already tried it with multiple projectiles, multiples of you won¡¯t make a difference.¡± She didn¡¯t take his advice. Maintaining the copies ended. Each one moved on a different arc for Nereus, yet they still all reached the same point. It didn¡¯t matter how different she moved. It didn¡¯t matter that she guided each differently. She controlled every action tightly. It was all her, but she still arrived at the same point. His hand effortlessly blocked everything she tossed at him. All she got for her trouble was a slightly damp hand, his strange water defense at work, same as always. ¡®I don¡¯t understand it. Why can¡¯t I do anything else? I have to reach the other side, but I always end up on the same course. What is he doing to me?¡¯ It still didn¡¯t make any sense. It only increased her frustration. Clenched hands and gnashed teeth did nothing for her, even if it was her only outlet. ¡°I told you how this would play out.¡± ¡°Shut up already! I¡¯ve had enough of your condescending tone.¡± ¡°I¡¯m only speaking the truth. This is reality.¡± The way he didn¡¯t even raise his voice at her only infuriated her more. Nothing ever got a rise out of him. She just was not worth the effort. That annoying thought persisted in her head. ¡°Reality? I¡¯ll tell you what is reality. You¡¯re just the same as me. Two humans with different gifts or powers if you want. That¡¯s it. Nothing more than that.¡± ¡°You couldn¡¯t be further from the truth. I am human, you¡¯re right about that. But you¡¯ve failed all of the tests. You don¡¯t even register as a human. Failing all measures of being human means you can only be something less than human. Since you can¡¯t even protect yourself you¡¯re not even an animal. Even a spider or mouse has a means to defend itself from aggressors.¡± Nereus raised his finger with his arm to point at Chiharu, probably the first time the whole fight he had any sort of acknowledgement of her presence. ¡°You can¡¯t even do that. Something that can¡¯t even defend itself is less than an animal. Nothing but dirt.¡± There he went again. She couldn¡¯t stand him comparing her to dirt. She was nothing of the sort. She couldn¡¯t control her anger anymore. It might have been pointless as before. All of the punches or kicks she threw before were equally as effective as anything else she did. Anger did nothing to solve anything, but she couldn¡¯t hold herself back. Chiharu attacked him. None of it matteedr to her. She just needed to vent. It was pointless, meaningless. She wasted her energy, but she could not help it. ¡°I told you to shut up about the dirt. I¡¯m a human being! If anything you¡¯re dirt!¡± Lowering his brow a little, after he stopped all of her attacks, he stretched his hand open in front of her. ¡°Then prove it.¡± An invisible force unleashed from his hand blasting Chiharu at point blank range. Blood trailed through the air as she flew backwards. Numerous tiny cuts of impossible thinness appeared across her body. The amount of blood held to only a few drops, as the wounds were too thin to release much. However, the damage was done. Chiharu quickly corrected her position and landed. ¡®He cut me up with ease¡­¡¯ She examined one of the wounds. ¡®These are too thin for a blade, it¡¯s almost like it was done by a nanoblade. But I didn¡¯t see anything like that on him.¡¯ She stared across the Field at his hand. The whole time she saw nothing. It was invisible, but knowing their power, she assumed it was yet another aspect of his power. Yet it didn¡¯t get her any closer to understanding what he did. ¡®What¡¯s his foundation, everyone seems to have a theme, but what¡¯s his?¡¯ ¡°You did well to hold against that. But it seems it¡¯s natural defense rather than your own will to defend that protected you.¡± ¡°Then try again. If all you can do is microscopic cuts, it¡¯s going to take more than that.¡± Without any warning, she felt a change in the air. Something was off. Then she realized she had another cut on her arm. ¡®When did he?¡¯ It was invisible like before, but no gestures. He was getting more serious with her. Chiharu disappeared to dodge the attacks. Unfortunately, she still was hit with it even at her speeds. ¡®Is he doing something widespread since he can¡¯t see me?¡¯ She tried to keep moving in different directions. Even at her speed, he shouldn¡¯t be able to see her actions. The cuts still came, which gave her the confirmation she needed. ¡®It¡¯s a blind attack.¡¯ However, it remained effective even blind. Yet, she started to feel a bit of the changes in the air before the invisible blade came. She just needed to get her timing down. It took more mistakes before Chiharu managed to figure out the feel of it. ¡®It¡¯s so small, but I can finally detect when it is coming. Whatever it is, it¡¯s still using natural laws. This is a lot easier now.¡¯ Chiharu resurfaced from her evasion. The attacks still came at her, but she had the timing down to dodge while still appearing not to have moved a centimeter. ¡°Your attack¡¯s meaningless to me. You can¡¯t hit me with it.¡± ¡°So you can improve. I guess I¡¯ll have to amend my previous statement. You seem to be enough to be called an animal, mindless as you are.¡± A vein popped up on Chiharu¡¯s forehead. ¡°Animal?!¡± It was hard to know if she was angry over a minor correction or that he was still acting superior to her. ¡°It should hardly be that surprising. You remain unable to pass any of the other tests. You can only react and not act. You¡¯re a follower, looking for the sheppard.¡± ¡°I¡¯m no follower! I¡¯m the head of my clan! I command others!¡± ¡°I find that unlikely. As you are, you¡¯re weak and directionless. You¡¯re not fit to lead only to follow.¡± That was the last straw for Chiharu. She no longer had any reason. Everything about her fell to her rage. ¡°I am their leader!¡± Consumed, she charged blindly at Nereus. Nothing was effective against him. She even used her speed, disappearing on him repeatedly. ¡°Shut the hell up about things you don¡¯t understand!¡± Nothing changed, but she couldn¡¯t be reasoned with any longer. He hit what never should have been hit. None of it mattered. Results and outcome were the same. Blood sprayed into the air. Nereus had landed his invisible attack on her, her blindness made it impossible for her to dodge anything. She didn¡¯t care about dodging. She would only be calmed by seeing the bloody pulp of his face under her fist. The reality was he hit her with numerous attacks. Still small, they began to add up. She lost more blood with each failure. ¡°I¡¯m tired of hearing your voice!¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m right,¡± he replied calmly, halting her attack. Nereus turned her around and threw her into the ground. However, Chiharu escaped from his grasp and came on the offense again. He could stop her all day. The amount of energy it expended was insignificant against such a beast. ¡°The way you are I can only see anyone following you dying. Failure of any leader is the death of those that follow them.¡± Chiharu suddenly stopped. While blind, her hearing still worked perfectly. His annoying voice continued to fuel her, until now. ¡°Death? Dead¡­my men¡­¡± Images from her raid on the Higoshi Clan¡¯s stronghold returned to her. She led her men on an attack for revenge for them killing her grandfather, yet she failed them. Men died listening to her. She failed. ¡°You¡¯re not a leader, you¡¯re just a failure. A mindless beast, barely better than the dirt you stomp on.¡± Failed. Just a failure. ¡®Worthless? They¡¯re dead because of me.¡¯ Her body started to shake. She couldn¡¯t move. All she could see were the images of her men. They were all dead before. ¡®I killed them. I failed them.¡¯ Chiharu completely lost sight of Nereus. The world disappeared. Everything went black. ¡®I¡¯m no leader. I fail at everything I do. I have to rely on others for my success. I¡¯m nothing.¡¯ The light left Chiharu¡¯s eyes. Her body was lifeless. She was dead to the world. Chapter 251 - Reluctant Beast Nothing happened the entire walk. No words exchanged, no subtle movements for tricks. It was just a simple walk, almost as if they might have been good acquaintances. Calling them good friends would have been too much, real friends would have talked. They just looked completely comfortable with the situation. No questions. No problems. Yet it didn¡¯t change the fact that it all had to end eventually. The point at which they reached a safe distance from everyone else came. Neither would react if it was too soon or too long. Both just seemed to agree on the matter in silence. The distance was enough. Such behavior was a natural course for Haruo since if he said anything it would have been a surprise. He read the atmosphere clearly to know what was going on. A completely passive approach. If it had been any more willing, you might have thought he already had surrendered himself to Teris. Turning to face the other, Teris broke his featureless expression the moment he looked at Haruo. It would have been impossible for even someone like Seiji not to see how excited the man was about the potential that Haruo represented for him. ¡°You¡¯re a very interesting man.¡± Stone faced, Haruo made no sort of twitch to mark his own quandary on Teris¡¯ reaction. ¡®He¡¯s still referring to my power or something else? Feels like he¡¯s looking deeper.¡¯ Haruo was correct about Teris. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking over the reports about you. Unlike the others, you¡¯ve shown off your power the least with only a single engagement. You¡¯re a cautious individual. It¡¯s left things with a lot of uncertainty regarding you. Makes me very curious.¡± Unknown to Teris, it was largely not a case of caution. It was often just how things worked out for him. ¡®Fighting is unnecessary. Best to avoid it when possible.¡¯ He traveled with them, but wasn¡¯t motivated by the same things as them. Digging his hand around in some void, which ate his arm up to the elbow, produced a stack of papers. Teris flipped through enjoying the tactile feeling of the paper. ¡°The reports from the other Agents are probably the strangest I¡¯ve seen since I¡¯ve joined. It says you stayed behind to allow the escape of two others.¡± Such information was hardly news to him, since he was present. So he wondered what the man tried to achieve by bringing up something unneeded. ¡°Says here that the entire situation just ended. None of the Agents report about an engagement of any sort. Just that after your comrades left things just ended. Very mysterious. Surrounded by twenty Agents and nothing happens, if the reports are to be believed.¡± Teris tossed the papers back into the void, disappearing from sight. Refocused, his eyes locked on Haruo with a deeply penetrating stare. A stare that wanted to dissect and breakdown every part and piece of Haruo to understand it better. ¡°Care to add your commentary about the situation?¡± ¡°No.¡± Raising an eyebrow, Teris seemed a little surprised by the refusal. ¡°If an understanding is to be reached multiple perspectives are required. These reports are meaningless.¡± While hardly a persuasive agreement, nothing changed Haruo¡¯s decision. ¡°Abstain.¡± It was nothing he planned to talk about. It was a pointless pursuit. ¡°So you¡¯re going to keep quiet on how you managed to defeat twenty Agents without fighting.¡± Teris had some thought about the subject. It gave him a few pieces to work on a theory, but a theory only went so far until it needed to be tested. The one to test it stood before him, refusing him. ¡°I can glean a little from their statements. Whatever happened then you did so in such a way that no one wishes to talk about it or is unable to talk about it. Unless you have other powers outside of your animals, I find the latter an impossibility. I can¡¯t rule anything out yet. I doubt you¡¯ve shown the full potential of your power yet.¡± There was one thing Teris was correct about. Haruo felt certain that his power wasn¡¯t at its maximum yet. However, he didn¡¯t know how powerful it could be or what he needed to do to be able to reach that strength. The whole thing was as foreign as Atlantis. Powers, super humans should have been something of fiction left to authors, yet it became reality. A reality that swallowed him up. ¡°So¡­¡± ¡°So I want to see your power in action. Oh sure, I¡¯ve got orders to capture or kill you for suspicion of rebellion and colluding with Eudokia. But that¡¯s only a secondary matter. You¡¯ve got something interesting inside of your body. That¡¯s far more compelling than the orders.¡± The direction and reveal of Teris true motives didn¡¯t surprise Haruo much. From the start, it was one of the possibilities that Haruo concluded based on his initial reactions. It should be a positive thing for him, however Haruo felt certain it was not so simple. ¡°No fighting?¡± ¡°Now, I didn¡¯t say anything about that. Though it¡¯s going to depend on what you can tell me. Practical experience is more useful.¡± Unfortunately, there was little that Haruo could answer. He knew a little about his power, but it still remained beyond his understanding. ¡°I can¡¯t answer.¡± ¡°As I would expect. Revealing your secrets would open up weaknesses for me to exploit. This is still a combat situation for you. So it would only invite disaster. Hence why this¡¯ll come down to fighting. It¡¯ll be the only way to satisfy both of us.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have the answers you want. I don¡¯t know why it works, just that it does.¡± ¡°You can cover yourself up as much as you want, but there¡¯s no need to pretend.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve run tests. I know how to make it work, but the reasons are beyond me.¡± Teris lifted his hand to his chin in thought. ¡®There seems to be something of a truth to what he says. Is it actually possible?¡¯ Even true, it didn¡¯t stop Teris¡¯ goal. ¡°No matter, I¡¯ll figure out how it works for you.¡± Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I find it unlikely.¡± If he couldn¡¯t figure it out from testing his body, it seemed unlikely a stranger would have better luck. His power didn¡¯t make any sense. There was nothing logical about the way his power worked. Haruo couldn¡¯t understand it. Chapter 251 ¨C Reluctant Beast ¡°Sounds like a challenge. That¡¯s why you seemed interesting. I like a tough problem.¡± The white uniform disappeared in place of a white lab coat along with a simple tan leather vest and shirt. An orderly appearance replaced the stock one. Already tall, even more so next to Haruo, the length of the coat seemed to make him stretch in length further. Even though it was a clear sign of intent, Haruo took no action. ¡®It¡¯s come down to a fight again. This is not why I came.¡¯ He stared over at Teris to get a read on his stance, one that was different from others. It wasn¡¯t very martial related like he saw from others. ¡°I¡¯ve no reason to fight.¡± ¡°You do seem more like the tag along type from the way I saw you in your group. And judging from your lack of engagements, but it¡¯s going to happen. I want to see your power at work and you need to defend yourself.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Your physical body won¡¯t be able to take the sorts of things I¡¯ve got. You will need to do more than just stand there.¡± ¡®There¡¯s no convincing him.¡¯ Still unmotivated, Haruo waited for Teris to make an action. Reaction was better in his situation, especially since he didn¡¯t know what the man could do. A glass vial containing a clear liquid popped up from seemingly under Teris¡¯ coat sleeve. He balanced it atop his index finger with effortless ease, likely with no effort thanks to his power. ¡°If you¡¯re going to be like that. I¡¯ll just have to show you that you need to be more accommodating.¡± Twirling his finger around the base of the vial like it was glued to his finger, the contents seemed to be stirred up in prep. He tossed it once he felt things were ready. Before it even hit the ground, a light came from inside the glass reacting to the chemicals. It burst open into a violent explosion just a meter away from Haruo. Despite the blast, Haruo made no move to do anything about it. Smoke and a strange blue substance surrounded the air around him. A lack of any sort of response from Haruo made it clear that the results were poor. Once the cover from the explosion blew away, Teris got a better look at Haruo. It confirmed everything that he speculated from the early test results. ¡°A sturdy body on top of your strange power. I see why you¡¯ve resisted the need to fight.¡± Producing two vials this time, he seemed to have a new plan. ¡°Just as a warning, this is going to amplify the power of that explosive you just witnessed tenfold. You¡¯ll need to do something more than just stand there.¡± Bluffs didn¡¯t seem in his nature, something Haruo judged. It didn¡¯t change what he knew that Teris aimed to achieve, while Haruo remained unwilling to cave. ¡®I¡¯ll still survive a blast like that, but I wouldn¡¯t come out unscathed like before. I¡¯ll need to do something.¡¯ The amount of time he had to come up with a plan ran out fast. His next attack already was in motion towards him. Haruo stared at the two vials, one clear like before and the other purplish. An easy identification, but Teris had no intention of hiding it. He just wanted to force Haruo¡¯s hand, killing him would have ended what would be interesting. An explosion went off again, completely covering Haruo. Yet it didn¡¯t seem as intense as the last. Teris noticed immediately and narrowed his eyes to examine the situation. ¡®What was that I saw? A blur of something¡­¡¯ Just before it blew up, a part of Haruo¡¯s body blurred in his eyes, his arm. ¡°So you prevented my enhancing agent from mixing with the explosive agent. Stubborn still.¡± Haruo lifted his left hand up to reveal the protected purple liquid. It remained intact from the blast, hence unable to add to the blast. ¡°Your explosive agent consumes the liquid in here acting as a catalyst that it feeds on to exponentially increase the rate of the compound¡¯s heating and energy artificially.¡± Teris clapped his hands, actually pleased with the quick deduction. ¡°A fellow intellectual. You will be a very interesting one indeed.¡± Popping up from his sleeve again, as though the man was a magician, a yellow hued liquid appeared in a similarly shaped vial. ¡°This time it¡¯s mixed together. So you won¡¯t be able to avoid it this time with your sleight of hand. Though it¡¯s more unstable mixed and the results are actually less even and predictable, I don¡¯t prefer it like this. Lacks the sort of elegance.¡± ¡®Another attempt, but if it is as unstable as he says, it could be very bad. An uneven consumption and release of energy is going to make some areas weaker and others far more powerful.¡¯ Considering the odds he dealt with didn¡¯t make Haruo secure in his position. It escalated in the worst way possible. There was no hesitation in its use. Teris tossed it stirred up at Haruo with some hopeful expectations. Unable to prevent it, the blast went off two meters away from Haruo, a case of its unstable properties. Unstable or not, the explosion was no less than what it was talked up to be. It completely covered up Haruo and ripped into the grass taking out random chunks to toss as debris. However, when the smoke cleared Haruo remained unharmed and no closer to summoning its animals. It didn¡¯t mean Teris was without answers. His eyes quickly locked in on a strange arc carved deeply through the earth. ¡®So you used your leg strength to force enough earth up with near equal force to counter the blast. It rendered it weak enough for you to just take the rest unguarded.¡¯ Some frustration would be natural for Teris, but it just made him think even more. He wanted to see this animal power in person. He needed to analyze it himself. All the reports were done with too little information and unreliable. Not until he saw it could he grasp it. Something unscientific like spirits was a curiosity he normally ignored. Opening his lab coat, a quick peek beneath it revealed a wealth of thin vials stored on loops. Retrieving a single small vial, no larger than a needle, the significance of it couldn¡¯t be understated. Teris glanced over at Haruo, but his stoic expression prevented anything to read from him. However, he knew from the previous displays that Haruo would immediately understand the importance. Another of the usual vials popped up in his hand as an accompaniment. He tossed them into the air far beyond Haruo, where it exploded. The size was about the same as the first, but it didn¡¯t seem to be the important part. Watching the fallout from the blast, Haruo started to deduce the intent. ¡®The blast was meant as a transport for the smaller compound he pulled out. Likely it needs to be spread through the air to be effective. Could be a poison, but that would defeat his purpose. But it needed to be distributed as an aerosol.¡¯ The limited information he had could only produce theories. He had to wait for what happened and gamble that it wasn¡¯t something dangerous to him. Suddenly his stance slipped and he forced himself to readjust his footing. ¡®The ground¡¯s uneven, almost soft¡­¡¯ He dropped his sight to the earth, realizing whatever Teris released into the air must have started to have its effect. His foot slipped again. He had trouble keeping his balance. ¡®Liquefaction?¡¯ Another second later his foot pushed through the earth. It was as though he fell in quicksand with it swallowing him up too quickly to react. Further movements just made it worse. Teris walked up to Haruo putting one of his vials near the edge of the liquefied ground. It was of a different color again, a pale blue. ¡°This explosive is quite a bit more powerful than the other I used alone, but it¡¯s quite a bit more stable. Easy for transport.¡± He dropped down another of the purple enhancing compounds, followed by a final clear vial. ¡°See this one? It¡¯s an acid, powerful enough to melt this glass as you can see. I use it as a timer. You¡¯ve got about thirty seconds before the acid is released and triggers the others.¡± Standing up and walking away to a safe distance, the whole thing played out so casually. It was all just an experiment, for science. ¡°You¡¯ve got twenty seconds now. I¡¯d suggest you make your decision soon on using your power.¡± Haruo stared at the three containers. All out of his reach, nothing could be done to stop them. Not with him stuck in the sinkhole. ¡®Looks like he found a way to corner me¡­¡¯ The options finally ran out. He would be forced to use his animals. It wasn¡¯t the way he would have preferred, but he couldn¡¯t let himself die. A bright light broke through parts of the earth. It grew stronger as the earth seemed to mound and rise. Time ran out. Bright red blasted out over the area throwing chunks of earth and waves of mud. Smoke covered over the entire area from the blast. It cut out everything with shattering silence. Thinning clouds allowed a faint white light to bleed through. It took on further shape as the smoke dissipated. The form was large and wide, but became clear quickly through pockets of the clouds. A lion¡¯s head bathed in white light revealed itself. Seated on its back, Haruo, dirtied from the experience in the liquefied earth, unharmed still. ¡°Now we can begin,¡± Teris remarked with excitement. Chapter 252 - Restrained Beast The moment he waited for hadn¡¯t disappointed him. More questions continued to rise in his mind. Question that needed answers. ¡®Their powers work on a fundamentally different level than ours. Is it truly a spirit or non-corporeal entity? Or is it just a manifestation of his ability? So many things I must know!¡¯ His eyes quickly started to analyze what he had of Haruo power. All he had at his disposal was the animal, which not a lot for him to go from. ¡®A lion, is there meaning to it? Significance in this rather than another animal. It¡¯s clearly too large to be a real lion. None have ever been known to be that large. So it¡¯s fictitious, but he is using it as a model. Judging from the mane, I¡¯d say it¡¯s a Cape Lion, but they¡¯ve been extinct for a while. Definitely not real. Does this mean he uses his memory or imagination to create the animals? Would imply this is not a spirit then.¡¯ Too much speculation, that was all he could conclude. He needed more sample points. A single animal wasn¡¯t enough. ¡®He¡¯s not wasting any time examining my power,¡¯ judged Haruo. Both of their insight and deductive skills were high. The more each revealed the more dangerous it would become for the other. Weakness came out quickly in such a situation. ¡®I¡¯ll have to be careful with him. I already don¡¯t want to fight, but he¡¯s going to push me to do so. Last time I was able to manage, but he¡¯s clearly more resourceful and talented than them. He¡¯ll find a way through my defense in time.¡¯ Haruo stared across the Field at Teris with equal intensity. The man had nothing new to show, but Haruo couldn¡¯t miss a moment with him. ¡®The possibility this reaches the point where I¡¯ll have to fight back is very high. If that happens I should try to end it quickly, just to keep things from dragging out.¡¯ Just examining the situation reached its end. A new action would obtain further information. The decision made, a new vial appeared in his hand. ¡°Let¡¯s see how your pet handles this.¡± Another identical vial of shape and color accompanied the other. ¡°From here on out you¡¯ll have to use that brain of yours to figure things out. No more hints.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± The previous warnings came as a little surprising, but it did give Haruo a good sense of the man he faced. He was fair, if nothing else. Chapter 252 ¨C Restrained Beast The battle began, though calling it one might have been overselling the scene. Haruo remained defensive even with Teris throwing the vials at him. It seemed more aimed at the lion than him. So dodging it was easy. Shattering in the grass, a hiss came from the burning as the liquid poured out. Anything it touched completely dissolved in moments. ¡®Acid, perhaps the same from before. I never saw the reaction it had. But it¡¯s clear he¡¯s trying to understand how my power works. Breaking down the animal would certainly give him some valuable information.¡¯ An expected result for Teris, however a simple challenge barely provided any interest to him. He would just have to keep trying. ¡®He¡¯s not attacking still. He seems set on not making an offensive action despite his situation. It won¡¯t be like before.¡¯ It sort of went against his method, but his style didn¡¯t fit well with someone that had as fast reactions. A normal pace from other humans was what he was used to dealing with. More vials appeared in his hands, but the count increased with him fanning them out behind his fingers. It was like taking a shotgun to the problem. An inelegant solution, but still the only option. He needed to get a hit. ¡®Numbers, makes sense. If they all move as expected, then it shouldn¡¯t be a problem. But he can use his power¡­¡¯ Haruo needed no preparation, even with the escalation. The watchful eyes kept locked on each of his movements. He would be able to be ready. Released into the air, dozens of glass vials spun end over end towards Haruo in the animal. The spread on them went wider than initially telegraphed. Dodging didn¡¯t prove to be an issue, in fact it was even easier. Until he realized one of the vials wasn¡¯t like the others. It was already reacting before he could do anything. Chain explosions went off throughout the array as more hidden vials appeared. The yield was low enough that the risk didn¡¯t come from the blast, but what the blast did. It managed to spread and accelerate the acid in all directions. Avoiding it would have been impossible. The lion understood that and leapt in front of Haruo to shield him. ¡®Hmm¡­looked more like the lion acted rather than commanded by him. Does it have a mind, its own intelligence? I would have figured that he¡¯d command it. An interesting detail¡­¡¯ Once the smoke cleared away, it gave him a better look at the beast. Holes dotted its frame from where the acid burned through. Nothing serious, yet. When the regeneration began Teris interest peaked again. ¡®So the damage can be healed. That¡¯ll be problematic, but how much damage can it take?¡¯ More tests were required. Summoning up more of his usual, things advanced to the next stage. Rather than holding them this time, they flew out from under his sleeves. It became easily apparent for the reason. He stopped dealing in only a few that he could hold. The count went beyond the norm. Many rolled around on the ground while he continued to launch more. Haruo''s stoic face narrowed a little watching the scene. ¡®Such a large scale, but judging from these they aren¡¯t the same timed attacks. Guessing this is a proximity like charge and given his previous attack, likely a variety of compounds.¡¯ He knelt down pressing his hand to the earth for a moment. ¡®He¡¯s observant, anything I do he¡¯ll pick up on unless I distract him.¡¯ Finally, he started realizing a proactive role in the situation. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Within sight of him was one of the unknown compounds. A quick assessment based on the color gave him a good enough guess. He picked it up and threw what he believed a safe distance of three meters in front of him, between Teris and himself. The blast however was more powerful than he expected and caused a chain reaction throughout the Field. Explosions popped up from flying debris, but the main one covered all the way back to Haruo. Intense heat burned against his skin, but it was still no more than like opening an oven door. ¡®Testing? Or a screen?¡¯ wondered Teris, until the smoke cleared. Then he understood. Wolves appeared alongside the lion. ¡®A subspecies I don¡¯t recognize, probably a small regional type. Still the fact that he wanted to hide him calling these means that seeing it would give more clues to how his power functions.¡¯ He grinned a little with excitement. Working the problem was when he was at his happiest. ¡®Even when you try to give me nothing I¡¯ll still get something. Every action is a new piece of information for me.¡¯ The white color of the wolves matched that of the lion. Everything down to the larger than normal size fit in line. However, the more important note that Teris picked up on was that the wolves moved in an aggressive manner. They looked like they stalked their prey, already fanning out. The pack of six wolves each kept contact on Teris. Infrequent low growls kept their intent clear. ¡®Most curious. The animals actually seem ready for a fight, yet the expression on his face hasn¡¯t changed. He still looks completely detached from the situation. Is it because he can use his pets by proxy and keep himself removed?¡¯ Encircling wolves turned up the tension in the air as the mood shifted down quickly. ¡®Looks like I¡¯ll have to make a move and stop thinking. I¡¯ll have more time later once I deal with this.¡¯ Monitoring the progress of the wolves¡¯ advance, he picked exactly the measures needed. His hands slid through the air moving through a strange pattern, traced by his fingers. It was a series of vertical lines evenly spaced. ¡°Got it.¡± His hand came to a stop and his index finger moved as though it pushed a button, even though it was only the air. The action wasn¡¯t for play. Immediately in response, a sudden blast of water with rapidly freezing properties stretched out in all directions. The nearby wolf couldn¡¯t react quickly enough, falling for the trap. It only partially encased the animal. Another air button press triggered another trap, this time smoke, but quickly turned to flame as the particles combusted. The beast went up in flames running about unable to put it out. Further explosions and traps went off finally putting it out of its misery. More traps went off for the remaining four wolves. The effects varied with differing amounts of success, none were ever the same. It made the diversity in the vials clear. Both of the men were thick in calculations based on what they learned. Haruo needed to know more of what to expect, but didn¡¯t plan for such accuracy. ¡®So he has an eidetic memory. The hand motions are his means of recall like pushing buttons on a panel. And he stopped using normal means of catalyst. They were all created by his mind, so he can set them off whenever he desires. He¡¯s gotten more serious.¡¯ Out of the wolves, he still had three that survived. Recovering from their injuries, they would be ready soon. Teris had a new wealth of information based on his traps. ¡®I can conclude now that what he¡¯s creating doesn¡¯t have a physical body in the traditional sense. It¡¯s still affected by its surroundings, but doesn¡¯t hold the same properties. Poisons and paralysis have no effect, the ice only froze it, but didn¡¯t cause any damage to limbs or internal structure. They can be destroyed with enough effort. The animals are his power, whatever he uses manifests them and they are created out of that source.¡¯ He felt it still too early to conclude if they were spirits, but the theory lost some support from his current findings. Refilling the Field with more of his vials, he readied the next round of tests. The wolves seemed ready for the attack once again. Their stalking already began. Encircling them, Teris stood at the ready to dispose of them, yet the opportunities didn¡¯t come when he expected. ¡®They¡¯re avoiding the traps I revealed before. They know which ones have no effect.¡¯ Glancing over at Haruo, it made him wonder once again about his previous findings. ¡®Is it their instinct or is he controlling them? It seems unlikely they¡¯d understand that quickly. How can he see from his position if he is commanding them?¡¯ New questions came to Teris, but they would have to wait for later. The wolves came close enough to leap for an attack. Their timing was exact to be sure it was a three-prong strike from flanking positions. A white glove materialized on Teris¡¯ hand as he produced a vial. The wolves immediately understood the familiar color, the ice trap. However, already committed, their course couldn¡¯t be changed. Teris poured out the contents of the vial in an endless stream. Using his gloved hand like a brush, he actually seemed to control the course and strength of the water flow as it froze. Unlike the wolves trapped in ice, his hand never froze. ¡®A special glove he can use to manipulate the water? It probably can be used with many of his compounds to alter them at his will.¡¯ As much as Teris learned about the intricacies in Haruo¡¯s power, the reverse remained equally true. He needed to see the man¡¯s defense for his next plan. Haruo held one of the vials spread out over the Field. The color was a faint pinkish hue, but more orange. Each compound had subtle differences, mostly by color. He could tell the slight alterations, likely meant to be easy identification for Teris and stump his opponents that lack a discerning eye. Throwing the container across the ten meter distance was a simple effort for him. Strength behind his arm easily shattered it on the ice as it continued to vine out over the wolves. Flames ignited as the fluid spread out. It quickly grew out of control following the path that Teris mapped with his hand. The wolves looked to be engulfed as well until the ice shattered, consumed by fire allowing them to break free. Freedom granted to the beasts, they dropped down. Scattered fires persisted along their bodies, but had no meaningful effect. They wasted no time jumping back into action, wanting to bring Teris down, ending the fight immediately, as desired by Haruo. Pinning Teris down, the three wolves clawed at him working up to the finish. However, vines grew up from around his body latching on quickly to the wolves. As they grew larger, it pushed the wolves off Teris and into the air until they were completely entangled. Removing himself from the greenery, Teris stood up nearby. His hand rested on one of the vines grown out to a thickness greater than his body. ¡°Incredible plant. Highly reactive to any sort of movement. It loves to grow and wrap around anything that moves.¡± ¡®That¡¯s not normal growth, he must have accelerated it somehow. Such science isn¡¯t possible with current technology, meaning he¡¯s not limited himself to just the present day. He¡¯s investigated future advancements. This makes him even more unpredictable.¡¯ ¡°You¡¯ve gotten more active finally. You¡¯ve been far too passive to have been taking this seriously. I¡¯m guessing you¡¯ve still got plenty left to show.¡± A new container appeared in his hand, but it was no longer the standard glass vial. Clad in metal and sealed with bolts, the multi-faced shape defied Teris'' established motif. ¡°Know what I¡¯ve got stored in here?¡± Haruo had no response for him. It was a rhetorical question. The whole point meant to draw his attention to it. However, the container concerned him. ¡®What requires such an unusual design? The implication is that it is dangerous.¡¯ His hand moved towards the seal on the metal container. ¡°A fabricated element of the cosmos lies inside.¡± A strange light began to break through the partial opening in the seal. Everything in the area died expanding outward. Chapter 253 - Prowling Beast The sight alone would have been enough for anyone else to start running. Even Haruo reacted, but less because of what he saw and more of the possible considerations in his mind. ¡®A cosmic particle? His power allows him to do that, but the threat of such a particle if it is anything that gives off radiation of any sort would be devastating to everything.¡¯ If he had to guess, it seemed likely that it would give off gamma radiation, which he could do nothing against. It didn¡¯t matter the sort of body he had, he doubted it would hold up to radiation, especially the strength likely stored. Given the situation and prompt, Haruo had a good idea what his plan was. It hadn¡¯t changed since they made loose introductions. ¡®He¡¯s trying to force me to fight with more effort. He¡¯s not going to be satisfied with just a little understanding of how my power works. He wants everything.¡¯ A dangerous emotion fueled Teris. Haruo could see it plainly in his eyes. Greed. A greed for knowledge. Or perhaps a lust for knowledge. Regardless, it was powerful and consuming. It controlled what he did. As skilled or knowledgeable as he was, he wanted more. A ceaseless pursuit for more without restraints. Caution or morals held no place for him. It was all hard facts. Pure information. He needed to know, no matter the cost. Reckless abandon summed it up for Haruo. Chapter 253 ¨C Prowling Beast However, the problem remained for Haruo. An unknown particle rested inside the container before Teris. The man feared nothing from it, it was his own creation so it couldn¡¯t harm him. The environment cried and pleaded for mercy after only ten seconds of exposure. Worse was the fact that it wasn¡¯t even full exposure. The seal that managed to contain and hold back the dangerous radiation only released a small dose. A demonstration of the potency. If it remained only a demonstration Haruo had nothing to concern himself over. However, it was a call or a threat. He needed to find a response. ¡°You just want to see more. That¡¯s unnecessary.¡± ¡°It¡¯s meaningless if I take it away. You aren¡¯t being serious and how am I to understand this interesting power if you aren''t being serious.¡± He loosened the seal ever so slightly. Death spread out further in a radius. ¡°Remove it and I¡¯ll show you what you want.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Haruo had his attention now. What he wanted dangled in front of him. It nearly made him mindless, despite him remaining sharp almost too much. ¡°You¡¯ll have nothing to motivate you if I do. Dangerous situations bring out the best from living creatures, humans even more so. A crisis is exactly what someone like you needs.¡± Lowering his brow a little, Haruo didn¡¯t like the direction things headed. He could feel his side slipping quickly. The threat started to pour into the next jar, action. Following through. Haruo had to act immediately before the irreversible occurred. He preferred playing the situation with caution, but the moment Teris introduced his little trick that stopped being a reality. It was something Haruo had to accept. The man meant to force Haruo¡¯s hand and that was exactly what he wished to avoid. His powers were too easily read before a man such as Teris. No choice. Haruo raked his hand through the earth. Grinding it up in his hand, he molded it tightly. ¡®The distance is greater than the others. I¡¯ll need to space them out¡­¡¯ In his hand, three balls of compressed earth rested, a slight shine emitted from them. Feeding the first between his thumb and index finger, Haruo shot it out in the direction of Teris. Immediately following up, he slotted the next in and fired it off, but angled away from them with the third set at a more extreme angle than the other. Teris prepared, hand firmly planted on the seal. The ball sped towards him glowing bright with each moment before suddenly coming to a stop in front of him. It expanded quickly, but something bit his hand dropped his gaze. ¡®A squirrel?¡¯ he pondered, batting it away with his hand. It was all the time he needed. Before Teris¡¯ hand returned to the container, a monkey, no larger than half a meter and bathed in white, appeared right in front of the oddly shaped metal vessel. It grabbed it away from Teris¡¯ hold and started to sprint away with it, almost running sideways to keep up with the awkward size. After ten meters of running, the monkey spun around a few times throwing off its stolen goods to another prepared monkey. Just as the monkey finished its delivery, it shattered into white particles. The same occurred to the next monkey and the third as well, but they managed to toss beyond the range of Teris¡¯ Field causing it to disappear. The radiation would no longer be a threat. The grin returned to Teris¡¯ face. He had more information as he hoped. ¡®Looked like a squirrel monkey or some related genus or subfamily. He¡¯s got quite the range of animals.¡¯ Near his foot, the squirrel that distracted him ran about. ¡®I didn¡¯t see it all, because of his little pet. But it seems that a component is necessary for his pets. It looked like he just used some dirt.¡¯ Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. So many thoughts came to his mind. Theories changed and modified. New explanations came forward, but still remained far from fully answered. ¡®But it does seem that unlike what I thought before, radiation will affect them. They don¡¯t have normal physical bodies, but can still interact with other physical objects. So it¡¯d make sense they¡¯d break down from radiation, but what part is the radiation affecting that they¡¯re unable to recover from the damage?¡¯ ¡®I hope that was enough granted to him.¡¯ Haruo managed to keep things hidden to some degree, but he knew that he let slip more than he wished. ¡®It shouldn¡¯t be enough to swing the advantage further to him. But he¡¯s likely only a few hints away from fully comprehending.¡¯ The threat did exactly what Teris wanted. Haruo knew it going in, but there was little choice. ¡®I¡¯m going to have to end things before he learns too much more.¡¯ Digging through his pockets, Haruo found what he wanted. His hands drew behind him, using the broad length of his short body to keep things secretive. Light grew out from his back, but looked more like flashes as more bursts came. A large pack of wolves walked out from behind him in a steady stream. They replaced the lost pack from before. However, it was even larger at a full twelve. Their size also increased from the last. But it did not stop with the wolves. More animals came out, rabbits, dogs and monkeys, like the previous ones. The count exceeded thirty. ¡®Quite the collection of animals he¡¯s got. So he can make them even bigger, huh. Those wolves are at least twenty percent larger. Means he really isn¡¯t locked to the actual perimeters of the animals he¡¯s modeling.¡¯ The zoo collection began to fan out. Though seeming mischievous, the monkeys worked together to clear away many of the scattered vials. A quick toss far in the distance and explosion cleared away many of the lethal compounds. In this manner, the monkey managed to open up routes for the animals to move safely. Though how long before Teris changed things remained an open question in the air. ¡®Is he controlling them all individually? Maintaining that many is impressive enough to make him a good MP.¡¯ Admiration passed quickly with him refocusing. Teris found himself surrounded by the mob of beasts. ¡®This should be interesting¡­what¡¯s he planning?¡¯ Circling around Teris, the wolves kept an inner line ahead of the rest. Weaving around them were the smaller beasts. They seemed to have their own orders apart from the wolves. Tilting his head over his shoulder, Teris saw the signs of the wolves moving in earnest. ¡®Looks like it¡¯s time again.¡¯ Moving his hand into his inside coat ended up being the trigger for it all. The actions played out quickly as though both sides had long planned every single move to razor precision. Hesitation disappeared. A vial of green liquid appeared from his coat accompanied by three more cylindrical tubes of varying colors. The first container flew behind Teris with no checking. Three wolves charged at the position as the vial broke on the ground. Geometric crystalline structures erected quickly stacking upon each other forming a makeshift wall. On his right flank, the wolves poured in partnered with the monkeys. Using tubes picked up as a screen, they opened a route for the wolves to charge. Another one of Teris¡¯ vials flew from his hand spreading out a gas, which only remained neutral for a moment. He kicked a vessel resting at his foot into the expanding gas igniting it into a cloud of flames. The left flank contended with Teris manipulating his two compounds creating an explosive force along his special glove. Everywhere he swiped with his hand the attacking animal went flying. Ahead of him, a sinkhole opened up collapsing all of the would-be attackers into a pit. He packed earth on top of them with another of his vials, which he immediately retrieved. Under foot, the smaller creatures had found some of his vials crushing them at his feet. The effect was non-existent, but served exactly what was needed. Distracted, the crystal wall stopping the wolves suddenly broke. A hole created in the middle let the lion, which had been unseen during much of the fight as of recent, through to charge straight for Teris. Teris tried to cast out a defense with his materials and glove, but it was fruitless. The lion shattered it, plowing through everything. Nothing could stand between it and its prey, Teris. First strike had its mouth clamped down tightly on his arm. At the size of the lion, the whole arm could have easily fit down its throat without trying. Its paws pinned him down to the ground in the following instant. Teeth gashed at skin drawing up blood. Wincing through the pain, Teris used his free arm to push through the air into an invisible space again. He smashed the spherical glass he retrieved on the ground. Splashing up, the liquid dotted his hand before changing states into a solid. Green crystals grew out from his hand completely covering it in a spiky mess. His weaponized left hand plunged into the chest of the lion. The spread of the crystals left numerous puncture wounds from small to larger across the lion¡¯s torso. An annoyed roar escaped the lion¡¯s mouth before it squeezed harder on Teris right arm and bit and tore it off, leaving with its trophy. It limped at every other step bounding away, recovering from its wound. ¡®A portal or gateway,¡¯ considered Haruo, examining what happened. He saw Teris¡¯ arm disappear into the air before. The report he pulled out made Haruo a little suspicious, but not until now did he have proof of it. ¡®He uses it as a store, but wouldn¡¯t it be more efficient to create it? The report¡­unless he stores things not created by his power in there. A dimensional pocket that can be accessed from any point and always safe from damage.¡¯ It was just speculation for the moment. ¡°Damn, that hurts more than I thought it would,¡± Teris commented. Blood fell in globs from his shoulder, now lacking an entire right arm. His crystallized left hand poked into the dimensional rift again. Several bottles floated out. Some moved so he could swallow their contents and others went for the wound. ¡°You went through my coat like it was nothing. Impressive jaw strength, clearly your animals don¡¯t follow the same physical attributes as well, not just size perimeters.¡± The whole thing before Haruo left him more than a little curious. ¡®The bleeding stopped. The pain¡¯s gone from his face. It must be medicine that he took, but such things aren¡¯t possible with today¡¯s medicine. He¡¯s created advanced medicine, but it shouldn¡¯t work on their bodies. It would only do so if it were¡­real.¡¯ Realization set in quickly for him. Full implications of such a scenario played out in his mind. ¡®He¡¯s exploiting the loophole in their powers to its fullest. That dimensional store likely holds real compounds he¡¯s made to achieve whatever results he needs. He could be almost unstoppable¡­¡¯ Appearing casual in the whole situation, as if it meant nothing to him, the loss of an arm was just another routine day. His left hand opened the gateway once more. ¡°Seems the cat¡¯s out of the bag now. You¡¯ve already figured it out.¡± Out came an energy bar, which floated before him to bite. Another few bottles left the void as well. He consumed them all immediately. ¡°You know if it weren¡¯t for the fact that you¡¯re an enemy of the state I¡¯d ask you to be my assistant. You¡¯re far more competent than Didymos. You¡¯re able to quickly and rationally assess a situation and the outcomes. Which is why you won¡¯t be surprised by this.¡± A growth came out from Teris¡¯ right shoulder. It started as a mound, but quickly extruded out. Pale in color, it became clear quickly it was a new arm. In less than a minute, he had a completely functioning appendage. ¡°Feels a little strange growing limbs, but it¡¯s the least of your concerns.¡± He slammed his new hand into the air, the air panel once more. Everything suddenly went up in a massive pyre of flames. Haruo had no chance to defend himself from the explosion. However, it wasn¡¯t what he should have been focused on. Through the fire, Teris burst through somehow covering the distance of more than ten meters in a second. A force lifted him off his feet to send him falling a few meters backwards. The red fiery torment calmed to leave only Teris and Haruo. He stared up from his prone position at Teris. ¡®He increased his strength and speed, enough to take me off my feet. The power of a MP and enhanced physical properties. He¡¯s a combination of them and us without any of the weaknesses. Is it possible for me to end this fight anymore?¡¯ Chapter 254 - Standing Room Only ¡°Come! Things are not over yet!¡± beckoned Rheia, appearing to retreat. She vanished and reappeared numerous times not following a direct line, but a direction. The direction took her to the gigantic walls of the Capital. She stood on the side, as she seemed fond of doing, staring down at Saki, who stood on the remaining ground around the base of the city walls. Motioning with her arm to the wall, she opened the invitation to Saki. ¡°I¡¯ll provide you with steps.¡± Suddenly, seams appeared all over the wall, which held perfectly with no damage from the weather or age. It wasn¡¯t cracks, but as if someone made cuts through the wall. Massive blocks easily weighing thousands of kilos slipped out from their centuries of sleeping. Shadows fell over Saki as she stared up at the sight. Dodging it all would be simple, but it still made her eyes widen a little. Perfect five-meter cubes began to rain down on her position. The size alone made her pause and then the fact that this woman destroyed the city¡¯s wall just to do it. ¡®Simonides¡¯ fear¡­¡¯ Saki had a quick explanation given to her on why Atlanteans joined their group. She had her doubts even if she felt he believed sincerely what he said. It all made sense to her now. ¡®He was right¡­I need to try to end this quickly before it gets out of control¡­¡¯ Saki narrowed her eyes and hardened her emotions. She needed to be focused. The fight ahead of her was nothing like the past. She knew from just looking at her face. Others seemed bloodthirsty or fight hungry, they all wanted something, but the woman was different. She wasn¡¯t battle starved like the rest. She had a desire, but she couldn¡¯t see it clearly. All of her attention was focused on Saki, she saw her completely. It was as if she had an expectation. She wanted her to meet something. Saki didn¡¯t like the strangeness she felt from her eyes. Disappearing, Saki appeared on the nearest falling block and leapt off it. The force sent the block hurdling down to the ground blasting out another crater until a strange heavy ring echoed from the bottom. Saki kept jumping, shooting the blocks off into different directions away from the Capital. Explosions of earth appeared all around in the distant horizon. Landing on the broken wall, Saki stared over at Rheia. ¡°I¡¯m here. Steps were unnecessary.¡± ¡°Maybe so, but will you still be here in ten seconds?¡± ¡°No, because I won¡¯t need but five seconds to knock you off this wall,¡± snapped back Saki with a heavy dose of bravado. Internally, she already questioned herself. The entire fight already proved different. ¡®I want to end this quickly, but it¡¯s not going to be possible. I can¡¯t break through her defenses.¡¯ Her opponent sat at the top of all other MPs. The thought of an easy fight seemed equally unlikely. A certain amount of unease about the situation arose for her. All her most recent fights dropped her into a false sense of security. The Omega MPs were powerful. She didn¡¯t doubt it. Her fight with the invisible Twins proved it. Yet, as long as she was fast enough and caught them unprepared, they were just normal humans she could stop. Those tricks didn¡¯t work on Rheia. Something that should be impossible for a MP. Their bodies were normal, even in their empowered state their powers didn¡¯t work on their bodies. It was what Yuki and Ayumi explained to her. It was the reason she was the one that did all of the work in the last leg of the journey. The things about Rheia were impossible. She didn¡¯t understand how she managed it. Her hand shook a little. It was slight, barely something that Saki noticed. She stopped it before it spread. Such a reaction confused her. Saki was quite certain it wasn¡¯t fear that caused it, which was why it confused her. She didn¡¯t know why it happened. Rheia was skilled, no doubt about it, but Saki wasn¡¯t afraid of her. It wasn¡¯t like her fight with Kallias, who fought for the sake of being entertained. There was no desperation. It made no sense. The shaking calmed. Saki let out a carefully measured breath. ¡®I have to remain completely focused in this fight. I need to find the holes in her defense. It¡¯s going to be the only chance I have!¡¯ Across the wall, stood Rheia with a waiting look painted across her face. Her arms remained crossed as she stood on the wall horizontal with the ground below, completely ignoring that gravity was a real thing that actually influenced everything. It made for a strange standoff for Saki, to be glaring over at someone that seemed to act as if they were another brick of the wall. A reminder of how powerful their reality defying power could be if desired. Scanning her eyes over the wall, she looked for ways to reach Rheia. The broken up wall wouldn¡¯t give her the range she needed. Only the upper layers of the massive wall fell away. Much of it remained usable for Rheia. Evenly spaced extrusions on the wall that looked to be supports were the only part that broke the perfectly even surface of the wall. Nothing to hold or to grip. A normal fight was impossible. Though in fairness, when was the last time she had a normal fight. Ever since Ayumi showed up in their lives, nothing remained normal. Every day was a fight against Yuki¡¯s uncontrollable powers and assassins with weird powers. An actual normal day and what it meant made her want to smile a little, not that she had the time for it. She couldn¡¯t delay any longer. Yuki stood behind her in the gigantic city laid out below her. He waited for her, well probably not, he probably was off doing his own thing with little regard for patience. ¡®I¡¯ll be coming soon Yuki!¡¯ Chapter 254 ¨C Standing Room Only Saki propelled herself forward with a short burst of speed before her leap off the wall. Gravity weighed on her, her short hair swayed loosely with the change. The only thing keeping her on the wall was the speed, even still she knew she slipped a little. Wall fighting was hardly something she practiced in her martial arts classes. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. It put her in arm¡¯s reach of Rheia, which was all she needed. Yet, it didn¡¯t matter. Flank or not, standing on a wall, it all didn¡¯t seem to change a thing for her. It was as if she stood on the ground. Her open palm blocked Saki. Increased speed and strength meant nothing. Cracks ran along the wall from the force of the collision. Atlantis¡¯ old wall held firm. It had more durability than the earth, which Saki carved up as if she was scooping ice cream out from the bottom of a nearly empty tub. ¡®Damn, I¡¯m already losing my footing like this.¡¯ She disappeared again only a half second later as gravity kicked in on her body. It desperately wanted to pull her back to where she should have been, since it could do nothing to Rheia. Bouncing off the supports, Saki pulled herself back around to hit from the other side. Confident steps pushed her faster with familiarity. Each step pounded into the wall. Dirt and dust built up from centuries of silent vigil tore out from the rough surface behind her footstep. ¡®There¡¯s got to be a limit to what she can react to! I just have to move faster than she can handle! She¡¯s only human.¡¯ Speed increase resulted in the same effect. It was hardly a surprise. Saki couldn¡¯t even feign surprise anymore. Anything she saw should have been impossible, but the truth spoke for itself. She only could accept the reality, Rheia¡¯s reality. Accept, but not understand. The end of her run left her more than ten meters below Rheia on the wall. She quickly turned it into a loop to force herself back around. Slingshot back at the woman, Saki came out landing on the top of the wall, a part that remained untouched by Rheia. Looking down through her feet at Rheia, Saki recalculated her strategy. Speed proved not to be the solution. ¡®Doesn¡¯t matter how fast I go and on this wall, I¡¯m actually limited. I can¡¯t reach my top speed, which is probably her plan. How can she expect anyone to fight on the side of a wall?¡¯ Frustration hadn¡¯t really surfaced for Saki. She knew that she should be annoyed. The seconds overturned to minutes. The rate she went it would just turn into another Twins battle. ¡®If just going straight at her is not going to work¡­I could try that. It worked well against him.¡¯ It was the only plan. Wasted energy in pointless effort served no purpose. The shaking in her arm needed to be calmed once more. Acting up a second time annoyed Saki. ¡®What¡¯s with my hand? It feels strange. I¡¯m not scared, so why is it shaking?¡¯ Once relaxed, her focus pointed down. ¡®No matter. I don¡¯t need to be concerned about it. My attention should be on her and ending this fight.¡¯ Pushing off from the edge of the wall, Saki let her body be taken by gravity. The wind brushing against her face reminded her of the limit she had. It wasn¡¯t enough for it. Just a start. A moment later, feet met with the stone of the wall. Shards of stone exploded suddenly from just the press of her feet. Saki sharply disappeared. She appeared directly in front of Rheia, arm extended out. Then Saki passed through the wild-haired woman¡¯s body. Barely a reaction came from her face as she turned around to meet Saki coming up from behind. This time the fist connected with her palm, like all previous times. Cracks ripped up through the wall protesting the pressure. A bigger reaction came from Saki. ¡®What?! She even blocked me after my illusion feint?¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s called an Afterimage!¡¯ poked Yuki¡¯s commentary. The trick she discovered in her fight with Kallias did nothing. An effortless motion turned her around to allow her to block the real attack. Once more the impossible happened, but Saki thought it actually would work. Surprise returned to her face. ¡®What sort of power does she have?! There could not have been more than a tenth of a second between the feint and true strike.¡¯ In the time that Saki stood confused, reality came back to her. She realized she needed to move again. Staying in one place too long would be bad. Recovered and back at the ruined part of the wall, where it all began, Saki stared the length to the woman. She kept waiting for Saki. Status quo needed to change for Saki. Without any sign of an improvement of her situation all she did was keep running along a wall for the exercise. Thinking of her Kallias fight again, she knew she still had something left. ¡®The only way to deal with someone with a perfect defense is going to be to force them to use their power. I need to drain her dry.¡¯ ¡°All or nothing now¡­¡± Despite the sound logic behind her plan, uncertainty still lingered. The biggest question was how long could someone like her last. Kallias wasn¡¯t even on the same level of skill or power. He burned out quickly, but Rheia was different. She showed no signs of even being warmed up. Bending her knees in preparation, the course committed her. ¡®Can¡¯t worry about the what-ifs right now. Just need to go for it. Though on this surface, it¡¯s going to be even harder to keep up.¡¯ Explosive power shot through her legs, tossing Saki into the fray. Disappearing a split second later, Saki reappeared in eight forms surrounding Rheia. Each form slammed into her with all of her strength. All real, but on a fraction of a second delay to account for the travel distance. As to be expected, Rheia maintained the same stance as before. Each punch blocked with the same palm. She rotated in place to meet her every time. Due to the speed at which Saki moved, even Rheia became a blur to keep up with the rapid succession of attacks. ¡®I expected this much,¡¯ thought Saki, focusing on keeping her footing together. Seconds of the high-speed barrage continued before one of Saki¡¯s multi-forms shimmered out of phase. It dropped to seven and then to six. ¡®Damn the wall and gravity. I¡¯m losing my speed!¡¯ It settled out to only four forms assaulting Rheia, yet still no sign of a change in the Commander of the Titans. Nearly a minute passed with no change from either. Saki managed to hold her pace despite the slip-ups, but an accident would eventually happen. Inevitability showed up about a minute and twenty seconds into the attack. All of the running weakened the wall¡¯s surface enough that Saki lost her footing when the outer layer crumbled. She slid down the wall tumbling end over end for more than twenty meters before correcting her position. Finally stopped, she stared back up at Rheia. The woman waited for her. She wanted something from her. The same expectant look from before. It had a familiar look to her. ¡®She¡¯s got the same look on her face as that boy I always fought at the dojo.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t one that looked down upon or stood in superiority, even though they always came out on top while she laid flat on her back. They wanted to see more. They were curious. They wanted to see how skilled she was. ¡®What does she want from me? She¡¯s supposed to be trying to capture or kill me, but she looks like she just wants a fair fight, a test of skill to see who is the best. It doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡¯ Something else more important than Rheia¡¯s motives didn¡¯t make any sense and it finally started to hit Saki. ¡®Why am I not falling?!¡¯ She had stopped herself from rolling down the wall, but did nothing to start actually moving again, yet gravity did nothing to her. Turning her head, the ground remained out of reach. She could feel her hair hanging with the pull of the Earth, even her clothes, but not her body. Saki stood up testing out the feeling to be sure. ¡®How is this happening?¡¯ Caught up in the sights a little, she saw the wide-open plains of Atlantis. Mountains poked through sporadically in the distance. Close to her, she could see all of her friends fighting in their battles. ¡°You¡¯ve finally realized,¡± spoke the light brown haired woman after minutes of silence. Her voice drew Saki back up the wall. She still didn¡¯t understand it fully. ¡°This is your doing?¡± ¡°It¡¯s part of the test.¡± Everything seemed to have drawn to this moment. She leaned forward a little altering her stance from defense. ¡°Now that you¡¯re at the starting point, let¡¯s begin. If you can last a minute without falling then you¡¯ve passed.¡± Rheia disappeared and reappeared in front of Saki slamming her elbow deep in her stomach. The force slid Saki back and weakened her leg¡¯s strength to stand. ¡°It¡¯s begun!¡± Chapter 255 - Standing for One Minute Saki rubbed her stomach still feeling the pain from the elbow thrust. It was the first time the woman actually made a direct attack. The intent was clear. It wasn¡¯t even the real fight yet. ¡®She¡¯s got enough force behind her power to actually push me back. It¡¯s still just her power doing it, but to fight toe-to-toe with me¡­¡¯ The entire time Saki expected to see some trick or special power from her. Anything that would make it clear. Maybe she used magic or something out of those annoying books Yuki obsessively collected. Yet it never surfaced from Rheia. The woman seemed set to fight only using her body. Almost as if anything more was unnecessary or perhaps it was flashier than she wanted. Either case, it was a simpler fight than Saki expected to get from the one at the top. ¡°It¡¯s not over yet,¡± Rheia commented, noting the staggered Saki. She straightened up from her attack. Brushing off the rest of the pain and locking her legs to stand, Saki stiffened her back in preparation. ¡°You¡¯re right about that!¡± She charged forward going straight for Rheia. Chapter 255 ¨C Standing for One Minute As she already expected, a frontal attack did just about as much as it had before. Nothing changed in that aspect. Rheia remained too fast to break through her defenses. However, the new pattern introduced by Rheia¡¯s elbow before confirmed the new status quo. Rheia countered immediately with a quick left jab across Saki¡¯s face. The blow knocked her back, even though her feet remained firmly planted. Leaning back from the force, the sting in her cheek reminded her she needed to be aware of her own defense. When Rheia followed up with another sharp two punches, Saki jumped back just as the first strike came in. It seemed to come in slow motion with her heightened senses. Rheia¡¯s fist barely grazed her cheek significantly reducing impact. A bit of redness still appeared as if getting a carpet burn. Saki rubbed her jaw and face a little trying to adjust to the sting from the one punch that fully connected with her. ¡®Need to remember to defend myself. She¡¯s actually on the offense now.¡¯ However, resting wasn¡¯t allowed. The Atlantean¡¯s offensive didn¡¯t stop with just a few punches. They seemed more like tests than anything compared to the next one. Dodging still worked, but the speed of the most recent attack wasn¡¯t like the previous. ¡®She got faster?! Was she holding back this whole time?¡¯ A backflip took her out of reach of the next attack. Barely even landing, Rheia was already on top of her again. Forced to keep dodging, Saki made no progress against her attacker. Rather than just evading each thrown punch, Saki converted her maneuvers into counterattacks. Sliding down, she tried to sweep with her legs. Taking a blocked punch to deliver a returned fist. Little did it helped, all she managed to do was keep her in the fight in an active role. ¡®Those hands, if I can just tie them down I might be able to get a clean hit in.¡¯ The fact that everything she threw against the woman ended up blocked by her hands started to bother Saki some. She didn¡¯t have a certainty that getting a real hit on the woman would do anything, but even the sign was enough. Strategy or not, it was enough of a plan for her to try something. When the next attack came as expected, Saki blocked her fist. She clamped down firmly on Rheia¡¯s wrist to keep her from moving. The accompanying arm tied up shortly after with Saki snapping out to lock down both. ¡°Now I have you!¡± Rheia grinned with delight seeing her target taking advantage of the situation. Saki flipped around while still holding onto her wrists. While in motion she kicked Rheia, but as she landed, it didn¡¯t seem to do anything. ¡®I sort of knew that wouldn¡¯t do anything. Whatever she¡¯s using on her hands to absorb my strength was likely on the rest of her body just in case. But screw it!¡¯ Not satisfied with just the hit, especially when it didn¡¯t seem to do anything. Saki tightened up her hold on Rheia and closed in, swinging her head. The pained echo of two skulls smashed together rang through the city of Atlantis. It stunned Saki for a moment, not expecting it to hurt as much as it did. ¡°Damn! It¡¯s like your head¡¯s made of steel!¡± Even Rheia seemed a little fazed by the attack not striking during the opening. Pain didn¡¯t seem as strong for Rheia compared to Saki, but it did affect her a little. ¡°Your head¡¯s pretty tough as well.¡± Laughter broke out through her lips threatening to move through her whole body. ¡°You¡¯re very amusing and unusual.¡± Still rubbing her head from the ringing pain that threatened to turn her brain into a pudding, Saki paused by the surprising reaction. Unlike all of the others that came before her, Saki thought she saw happiness in her face. It wasn¡¯t delight in killing or anything so base and violent. Recovering from her interruption, Rheia composed herself once more. ¡°Please, let¡¯s continue.¡± Eagerness appeared in her face now. She looked forward to what Saki would try next. A smile drew over her lips. ¡®She certainly seems to be having fun.¡¯ The next round of attacks came in, wasting no additional time. The timer on the one-minute clock was still moving, only half cleared. The test seemed only interested in if Saki could pass based on whatever rules Rheia determined. The best guess that Saki had was falling to the ground, due to the unusual setup. It was the only thing that made sense. So far she succeeded in not falling. However, it was getting worse. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Each attack came in faster than the last. Saki tried to strike back when she could, but she wasn¡¯t used to dealing with someone at the same speed as her. Even only having her powers for a couple of weeks, all of the fighting made her grow used to a certain speed. Her opponents always moved too slowly as if they stood still. This was so foreign to her, adjusting took a lot more work than she expected. While flipping end over end to evade the most recent strike her hand slipped on the wall for a moment as if she had no traction. It was so brief she almost didn¡¯t notice it. She only saw it because only her hand held her in contact with the wall. ¡®Damn, I almost slipped up there.¡¯ Leaving the moment behind, she charged back into the fray with Rheia. Seconds ever so slowly ticked by for the two speedsters. Everything occurred almost invisibly to any possible observation. Only the fractions of fractions of seconds they appeared during clashes could be seen and even that would have been a blur to anyone normal. Progress proved empty. The only thing that seemed to succeed was Saki¡¯s standing in the test Rheia set forth, but it wasn¡¯t something that Saki really cared about. Pass or failure wasn¡¯t an interest to her, though she didn¡¯t want to fall either. Saki slid down the wall a few meters from the last punch that actually connected. ¡®Dammit! She keeps getting hits on me, but I can¡¯t even slow her down for more than a moment.¡¯ It didn¡¯t take long for her to charge back in full steam. ¡°Why do you keep charging in blindly during the sparring matches?¡± ¡°Master?¡± a young Saki questioned, looking very confused. A quick exchange of blocks flew off between Rheia and Saki trying to break through the other¡¯s defense. The speed of the attacks kept increasing. Percussive blasts began to echo from each clash rumbling the wall. Dust leapt free from the ancient holds as the intensity of the fight increased. The middle-aged man towered over her looking a bit bewildered by the girl. She had tons of energy and more resolve than any of the other students, despite the exclusion the others embargoed on her. ¡°This class¡¯ focus is on self-defense, not tournament competition. While I teach you both sides, I never see you using any defensive moves.¡± ¡°Is that a problem, Master?¡± Rheia slipped through moving just a bit faster. Two open palms, with the bottoms of the forearm together, landed deep in Saki¡¯s stomach. The force threw her off her feet and fell towards the ground. He sighed a bit, disappointed she hadn¡¯t understood one of the fundamentals. ¡°Saki, the reason you¡¯re always losing to him is not because he¡¯s older or more skilled than you. It¡¯s because you only ever attack and never give yourself a chance to read your opponent. A good defense can defeat an opponent just as well as a swift attack.¡± Her body spun out of control speeding to the ground below. If she hit it the test would be over, that was how she felt Rheia saw it. She didn¡¯t even know what might happen as a result. Saki just didn¡¯t want it to happen. Yet stopping her body didn¡¯t seem possible. Their fight had stepped up the strength and speed of their attacks. Anything that got through was more than she could deal with. ¡°If all you do is attack, all you will do is fall on your back each time, Saki.¡± ¡®Like I need to be reminded of that at this moment!¡¯ The base of the wall was nearly in reach. If she hit the earth, she couldn¡¯t imagine how much it would hurt or if she would survive it. She always imagined her body had been tough and resilient, but the force made her question it. This wasn¡¯t like the other fights. She needed to stop herself. ¡®Can¡¯t¡­right myself¡­¡¯ Images of the boy she always challenged but never beat, appeared in her mind. Rheia¡¯s behavior reminded her of him so much. They seemed very alike in the way they looked at her. Even beaten she never gave up against him in all of the times she sparred with him. She looked forward to the future when she put him on his back. ¡®I won¡¯t¡­fall¡­not here¡­¡¯ Three meters remained, less than a second counted down until impact. Saki was out of time. ¡®I won¡¯t give up here!¡¯ Matching the wall with her eyes, she timed out the motion. Her hand slammed out to the wall gripping it. Cracks ran up from where her hand met the stone. A groan and yelp of pain struck Saki as her whole body whipped around and slammed into the wall suddenly pulled to a stop. ¡°Damn that hurt¡­¡± She looked up at her hand that saved her just centimeters from the ground. Her fingers embedded into the stone from the sheer force. Staring down at how close she came to the earth left her with a strange feeling in her stomach. It felt like she was falling and lying down at the same time. Her body didn¡¯t know how to feel even if her mind understood. It didn¡¯t matter for long though. Saki saw Rheia coming in after her, not letting the break rest. Planting her feet on the wall, she threw herself up and over Rheia to return to a safer position. It put her on top, even though it meant nothing with the way their fight played out thus far. ¡®Defense, huh? I guess I do take a little too much after those idiots.¡¯ Rheia turned around and followed with a swift strike for Saki¡¯s face, which she evaded. The increase in speed on her attacks started to become something she could see more clearly. ¡®Watch her movements. Move with the flow of the fight, not against it.¡¯ Saki deflected the next couple of strikes, pushing them away from her. ¡®I¡¯m too focused on ending the fight that I couldn¡¯t see anything else. I have to be smarter when I¡¯m against a stronger opponent than myself.¡¯ As her mind calmed, the defense Saki put up became more difficult to penetrate for Rheia. Counterattacks actually slipped through the woman¡¯s defenses. Then Saki¡¯s foot slipped again. ¡®I felt that again, what is that?¡¯ It distracted her at the wrong moment allowing her fist to connect, however before all of the motion finished Saki pulled with the strike converting the rest of the energy into a throw. Rheia flew up the wall sliding on her back meters away from Saki. She started to stand up, but Saki was already gone. However, Rheia couldn¡¯t react to it. Something seemed wrong. ¡°Huh?¡± Both of Saki¡¯s arms wrapped around her waist, locked in together. She felt her feet lifting off the ground. Everything turned around and the world seemed to have flipped. The wall rushed to her face. Stone pulverized and pelted her face. An explosive force ripped through the wall. It looked as though a bomb went off, tearing through everything. Debris rained down and even shot out through the interior. The explosion ripped through both sides of the wall to the surprise of the citizenry below. Even more of a surprise was something shot through covered in smoke from the hole punched through the fifty-meter thick wall. Another thing blew through the smoke trailing behind it. Uncontrolled, the first crashed into a tall five story stone building blasting up even more smoke and debris from the collision. The second finally broke free from the smoke revealing Saki. She came to land on a nearby rooftop a story short to the damaged one. Breaking free from the rubble and ripping the rooftop apart, Rheia surfaced from the destruction with only a little more dirt on her uniform. She wiped away the crushed stone powder from her cheek as she stared across to Saki. ¡°You pass! Let the real fight begin now!¡± Rheia grinned with delight preparing her next attack. Chapter 256 - Standing on Top The sight of Rheia made Saki groan a little. Her excitement reminded her of Seiji. Rheia¡¯s expression was more refined and complex. Something else colored her. It felt even more important than the one rested on top. ¡®Great¡­the real fight, even though it¡¯s been challenging just keeping up with her this entire time. Now things are getting serious.¡¯ Blowing a hole in the wall and damaging the city did nothing even to faze the woman. She hoped it would surprise her or slow her down, anything to turn the fight in Saki¡¯s favor. Yet it seemed to have created the opposite effect. It seemed actually to make her even more enthusiastic, as if she wanted to see more of what Saki could think up. At the end, all that happened was that Rheia became rejuvenated for the fight. Any hope for an end disappeared. It wasn¡¯t as though Saki had a notion it could be ended. The last few minutes proved that to her. It just felt like some progress might have been made. She started to get used to the movements. Yet she did not know what to expect next from Rheia. Staring had to end. Rheia already looked ready for the next stage. Saki was as ready as she could be. A blast of plaster, stone and wood came from behind Rheia as she leapt forward. Secondary effects puffed out from cracks along the building¡¯s fourth and fifth floors. A split second later, Rheia slammed into Saki, fists clashing. Time started to move normally as the weight of Rheia started to bear down. Behind them, the building Rheia crashed into started to crumble from the fifth floor collapsing into the fourth. However, a few seconds later cracks and smoke came up around Saki¡¯s feet. The roof couldn¡¯t support her with the force applied. That it managed to hold out for four seconds was a miracle. As Saki fell into the room below, Rheia leapt back, but Saki grabbed her ankle at the last moment. Spinning her around and down, her body blew through all of the floors of the building completely destroying the whole thing in seconds. Adding to the throw, Saki kicked several larger pieces of debris as she fell towards where she sent Rheia. Their speed blasted smoke from the crumbling building away, clearing a path to the woman. Explosions of dirt, debris and dust filled the whole building almost immediately from the impact. Stopped at the second floor, Saki dangled to look down at what happened. All around her, the building creaked painfully. It wanted to be released from the pain it felt, but held together. However, it didn¡¯t last for long. From below, a crack echoed up signaling the demise of the building¡¯s life. Already carved up inside, it lost support from one side as it started to lean, taking Saki with it. ¡®Must be her doing¡­¡¯ She released the broken stump of wood that held her from falling. The rest of the building began to rain down around her. It gave her enough of a slowed landing to the ruined ground floor, but she couldn¡¯t see where Rheia hid in all of the smoke. Her head turned around in search through the impossibly thick cloud. She couldn¡¯t even hear anything from the deafening sounds of the building falling around her. Chunks of debris blew out some of the veil, but still didn¡¯t reveal anything. Then suddenly like a freight train in the dead of night, it appeared. Out of the curtains of dust and dirt came a fist. Saki only saw it in the split second before it hit. In the next moment, she felt the air stinging her face. It was almost two seconds later that she actually felt the pain of the punch, by which point she had already slammed through ten buildings. Eventually, she came to a stop, but didn¡¯t know how far it had been. Broken parts of the building she laid in fell around her. The tunic she wore was in shreds again. She had the benefit of Yuki repairing it between the fights, but she was already taking more damage than any of the other fights from just a single punch. She pushed the debris off her to allow her to stand. Her body felt like a bell rung by an overly excited child. ¡°Damn¡­¡± Noise in the distance alerted her eyes to the wake of destruction she left behind. Through all of the holes punched through the walls of buildings, she saw Rheia coming for her. It wasn¡¯t over. ¡°This fight has only just begun!¡± Saki slipped into a defensive stance preparing for the next round. Chapter 256 ¨C Standing on Top The next clash of the two fighters blew out the first floor of the building Saki stopped in, bringing the rest of it down around them. They continued to exchange glancing and deflecting blows while it came down. Watching her movements carefully, Saki grabbed Rheia intending to throw her, but was countered with a reverse. Rheia landed on her feet at a heavy angle coming off debris. She pulled on Saki with the motion and started to turn the reverse into her own throw, but Saki reversed the counter. Dropping her to the debris Saki tried for a pin. ¡®I never imagined that my classes would come in use this much.¡¯ Only another split second was needed to finish the hold, but it broke. Rheia overpowered her in a surprising display of strength. She lifted her up with just one arm from a poor position. Then she kicked Saki up into the air to blow her out of the rubble. Shards of the building flew off in all directions. It hurt, yet surprised her more. ¡®She¡¯s stronger than me?! What sort of inhuman strength did she give herself? How am I supposed to stop that?¡¯ Questions had to end. In the next moment, the leader of the Titans appeared in front of a still soaring Saki. She actually matched the speed perfectly as if she was floating with Saki. ¡®Can she fly too?!¡¯ Distracted, Saki took a spinning kick that sent her flying back to the walls of the city. She tumbled end over end through the air seeing the wall coming up fast on her. Controlling her body was impossible. Unlike Yumi, she couldn¡¯t float and had no special powers. All she could do was react. Just as she was about to hit the wall, she fixed her legs to try to absorb as much as they could. The effect still left a deep crater in the wall. Once the force stopped its control over her body, she slid down the rough curved stone until she could stand. ¡®She can fly¡­¡¯ she noted, finding Rheia standing out in the air from the last attack. ¡®She just does whatever she wants. It¡¯s like she can do what she needs no matter the situation, but it only seems that way. I know from Yuki, if you plan out your powers well enough, it can be very flexible. She¡¯s not the head of the Titans for no reason, she¡¯s likely found the perfect setup to do all of this.¡¯ Saki jumped out of the crater to get to the top of the wall. ¡°She¡¯s quite troublesome. I¡¯m not sure how to beat her. Even playing defensively with throws and pins isn¡¯t getting me anywhere. All of my past tricks do nothing. I¡¯m going to have to find some new tricks if I stand a chance.¡± The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. It seemed the waiting was enough for Rheia. She jumped off the air charging for Saki. Watching her was the only thing she could think to do. It was the only way she kept up in the flurry of attacks. ¡®Huh?¡¯ For less than a second, she thought she saw a hiccup in Rheia¡¯s movement. It was so slight and brief she could only write it off as eyestrain. Details like that couldn¡¯t cloud her mind in the middle of the fight. Blocking and deflecting, their dance on the top of the wall played out like someone messing around with the fast forward and play buttons on the remote to a video. Despite the clear advantage of Rheia, Saki managed to keep pace with her. ¡®I think I might actually be getting used to this speed. I¡¯m so used to only moving and acting briefly that I haven¡¯t actually had to think and fight at this speed. It feels like I¡¯m in a completely different world every time we exchange blows.¡¯ A flip from a counter sent Rheia slamming into the wall. Chunks of stone shot out from her back pounding the surface. Before the cracks even had time to finish, she recovered and spun around her leg to trip Saki. In the next motion, she made an impossible leap from lying down to a flying spin kick to Saki¡¯s stomach. Another minor crater formed in the wall. All of their fighting started to turn the wall into the surface of the moon. Craters and cracks ran throughout the top. Saki rolled away from a follow up punch. ¡®Again¡­¡¯ The brief skipping or hitch popped up again. It didn¡¯t change the fact that Rheia kept attacking, but something was strange about her movements. ¡®It¡¯s not fluid like it should be. Why?¡¯ Jumping back to her feet, she couldn¡¯t ask another question. ¡®I don¡¯t have time for this¡­¡¯ She had to keep up with the pace Rheia set. It might have been easier for her to follow the movements and see them coming, but she still needed her concentration. A moment of distraction would leave her flat on her back. However, amongst the fight, it wasn¡¯t something that she could throw away. During the fight, she kept seeing it more. She couldn¡¯t ignore it. Her whole attention focused on every slight movement Rheia made. In such a situation, how could she not see when things changed? They were moving at a pace that almost felt like a normal speed, despite the reality. She became so adjusted to it. The infrequent slip-ups stood out. It was as though they were in a flawless dance. Every action flowed seamlessly between the next. And then for some unknown reason, a trip broke everything. Then it became the only thing to focus on. It was everything and the dance was missing. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ As she focused more and more on the mistakes, Saki started to find patterns. It always occurred between attacks, when she was doing the least amount of action. However, as she saw it before it didn¡¯t have a location it relied on. She saw it happen in the air and on the ground. In the air, it was more noticeable as the skip was larger. ¡®What could be causing that? Why would she do it? It¡¯s not something that she needs. If anything, it slows her down, despite still keeping pace with me.¡¯ Because her mind focused too much on what it meant, the fight turned around on Saki. She couldn¡¯t keep up with the speed while sorting through her thoughts. More craters and destroyed buildings came as a result. Buried in rubble, deep in the city, Saki had a moment to herself. In the distance, she could see Rheia flying towards her. ¡®It¡¯s there again. Like so many times. When she jumped off the building, it looked like she dropped for a fraction of a second. Like gravity remembered it was supposed to do something¡­ Gravity¡­¡¯ It came back to her, the fight she had on the wall. She recalled her slipping a couple of times. ¡®It didn¡¯t feel right even though I just waved it off as not being used to the situation. If I think about it, it was like gravity pulled on me for a short period.¡¯ She didn¡¯t have any more time to think. Rheia slammed into the building, smashing it to pieces as Saki jumped out. Tossing some of the debris at the last location, she tried to slow her down. ¡®If I think about it like that, then that would mean¡­!¡¯ A surprising thought came to Saki. Breaking through the smoke of the ruined building, Rheia gave chase. She caught Saki in mid-air still trying to reach the next rooftop. Reaching it wasn¡¯t a problem, she just did so in a painful way. Back on a surface, even if it was two floors down from the roof, Saki countered Rheia¡¯s next attack by throwing her through the wall into the adjoining room. ¡®If it¡¯s what I think, then my only shot is then.¡¯ Saki charged through the wall like a bulldozer, sending chunks of wall debris everywhere. She immediately met a kick to the face. Dropped to her back, her foot smashed through the floor to drop both of them down another floor. While they fell, she grabbed a hold of the broken floor to use as a grip as she kicked Rheia out of the building. Once kicked from the room, Saki leapt up to the top of the building. She stared watching the numerous buildings the Atlantean rammed through before stopping. ¡®Too far, I won¡¯t make it.¡¯ Closing the distance a little, Saki landed a few buildings away. She had to stay watchful and react fast. She wouldn¡¯t get much time. The window was surprisingly small, but she didn¡¯t understand their powers deeply enough to know how it compared. ¡®If I¡¯m right, the way her power works isn¡¯t the way I assumed. This actually does make more sense, but it¡¯s crazy to think she could be doing it all like that.¡¯ Rheia emerged from the ruins of the building falling in around her. The rubble did about as much as it did to Saki, caked powder on her skin and clothes. However, that was the least important thing. The difference in their distance and height required Rheia to fly. She leapt out of the second story floor. ¡®There!¡¯ Saki jumped to action, disappearing. She pushed her body as fast and hard as possible. The time frame was so small, even her reaction being too slow would cause her failure. ¡®I have to hit that ¡®lag¡¯ time in her movements. It¡¯s when she¡¯s turning off her power and setting new rules up. It¡¯s insane to imagine, but she¡¯s always turning it off and on constantly altering her powers to the exact needs at the moment. But it is her one moment of weakness, the only time she¡¯s completely normal.¡¯ Inside her mind, she tried to count out the time she had figured out. The whole perception of time became completely skewed to Saki while she existed at such a speed. When she counted it out she had five seconds to clear what was easily fifty meters. She couldn¡¯t answer how long it was in the real world. Such time was completely incomprehensible to her, it was too slow, an eternity of a crawl. ¡®Two seconds¡­¡¯ Almost there, she was halfway there. She would make it. ¡®Three!¡¯ It would be the blow that would end their struggle. The dragged out stalemate would finally end. She could find Yuki after it ended. ¡®Four!¡¯ An arm¡¯s reach was all she needed. Her fist was ready. The strength dialed back enough not to kill her, but to leave her unconscious. A kill would be unnecessary. The hit landed. Saki smiled with success. Nothing. ¡°Huh?¡± Her punch did nothing. No impact at all. Then suddenly a spinning back kick slammed into her face even faster than before. Saki shot out blasting through buildings like a cannon. ¡®What happened?! Did I get the timing wrong? Is it not what I thought?¡¯ In confusion, she didn¡¯t even try to control her body. The wall came up and exploded. Another hole punched through the wall. Just outside of the wall a massive explosion of earth leapt into the air from Saki¡¯s crash. Layers of old earth displaced in an instant followed by more stone. Everything hurt. Her mind was numb. ¡®What¡¯s going on? I¡¯m in the city, but I thought¡­¡¯ Old buildings crumbled around her just from the mere sight of her, as though anything she stared at decayed. Rheia appeared at the top of the hole staring down at her. ¡°You¡¯re the first one to figure it out. Though I guess, you¡¯re the first one I¡¯ve fought with for this long. So someone else might have been able to figure it out. You had the right idea, but I figured out a while ago that you were clued in on the little secret. I was waiting for you to put it together and to act on it. So I left in a little fake, just for you.¡± ¡°Damn¡­¡± muttered Saki. All of the strength left her body. The one chance she had was even fake. ¡®She¡¯s too strong and clever. How am I supposed to beat someone like that?¡¯ ¡°Please hear me everyone! You must listen!¡± ¡®Huh? Is that Yumi¡¯s brother? In my head? She must have hit me harder than I thought if I¡¯m hearing him.¡¯ ¡°Everyone please stop with the questions¡­I barely have any strength, just listen¡­ I know the truth finally. I know what Ayumi¡¯s goal is.¡± Part of what he said blurred out of her mind from the pain. Blood slowly fell over her face. But she immediately snapped to attention when she heard Yuki mentioned. ¡°Yuki Hayashi will die! This truth is that Atlantis¡¯ secret is not what any of us thought! They¡­¡± Stone and earth cracked suddenly under Saki. Her hands tensed up breaking free from their hold. The look in her eyes changed, developing harsh shadows. ¡°YUKI!¡± Chapter 257 - Misdirected Emotions Everything happened so fast that by the time Yori started his build up Athene already dropped them. The black energy half molded in his hand vanished to particles. Immediately, his eyes shifted around the horizon, already forgetting Athene stood in front of him. Her presence nearly disappeared. A singular thought ran through Yori¡¯s mind on repeat, like a skipping record. All his mind¡¯s eye could see was his sister. Her name haunted everything, making him deaf to all. Seconds ticked by like hours in his panic. He couldn¡¯t see the real one. Even though her image popped up like a collage within him. All the fakes didn¡¯t count for a single thousandth of a point for the real one. His real sister still faced the danger of that Atlantean she foolishly tried to face down without any powers. ¡®Where are you, Yumi?! I don¡¯t see you!¡¯ He traced out the city¡¯s wall to locate the fight. Spread out flickers of shapes or shadows, maybe lights, nothing he wanted appeared. ¡®¡­Yumi¡­¡¯ Finally, the broken sections of the wall came to focus, but he had to strain his eyes. Needles shoved up against Yori¡¯s neck, the full ten seconds Athene went ignored hit her limit. ¡°You¡¯d best focus on me.¡± The needles poked his skin, but didn¡¯t draw up blood. His sister remained missing in his eyes. A nuisance popped up, but he just waved his hand. ¡°Back off.¡± Not even touching her, a force gripped her across almost her entire body sending her flying. However, it only took her a few moments to come to a sudden stop in midair. ¡°You¡¯re not getting rid of me that easily!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve no interest in you.¡± A raised palm lifted her up further away from the ground. The annoyance needed to remain still while he searched. ¡®Yumi, you¡¯re out there. I know you are. I¡¯ll find you!¡¯ Chapter 257 ¨C Misdirected Emotions Athene tried to regain control over her body. ¡°Damn you! I won¡¯t--!¡± Her arms suddenly started to stretch beyond their limits. It felt like invisible hands tried to pop them right out of her joints. The feeling swarmed over her whole body. Everything from the center tried to move away. ¡°B-b-bas-tard¡­¡± The pain began to become unbearable. It threatened her concentration. She coughed struggling with holding back all of the screaming her body proclaimed. Each millimeter further on her bones brought them closer to snapping apart. She was just a doll in his hands. ¡°Damn¡­¡± Frantic, Yori strained his eyes as much as he could to find his sister. As long as the battle for Yuki Hayashi continued, she remained in danger. Without her powers, she stood no chance against them. ¡®There! That must be her.¡¯ Isolating everything else, they were the only things in the area. Even if he couldn¡¯t see her clearly, it had to be her. Released from the hold, Athene dropped back to the ground. Pain and soreness held her from making any action against Yori as he ran off. ¡°You¡¯re¡­not going¡­anywhere,¡± she muttered, trying to get off the grass. ¡°Yumi, I¡¯m coming!¡± Yori continued his blind charge after his sister. Interventions couldn¡¯t stop him. He would get back to her no matter what. However, he suddenly hit a wall. It knocked him on his butt, but didn¡¯t keep him down for long. Immediately a moment later, he was back on his feet pounding on the brick. ¡°This won¡¯t stop me!¡± Wasting no time further on the wall, he charged up black energy into his hands. He sent the sphere of darkness at the simple red brick wall. Exploding on impact, smoke covered the area around him. Not waiting on the clearing, he charged back in only to be hit by the wall. ¡°The hell?!¡± His hands slammed against the wall trying to find the weakness. Nothing happened. Searching around, he went off to look for the end of the wall. He needed to get around it and return. Time wasted in each second this delayed him. ¡°Where the hell is the end of this?! Damn it! Let me out!¡± ¡°There is no exit,¡± replied Athene, finally on her feet. Turning towards Athene, Yori took in the whole surroundings for the first time. It might have been a wall, but it would also be more accurately called a dome. The outside completely disappeared. Somehow a light still remained to keep the interior lit. ¡°Out of my way!¡± ¡°No! You¡¯re staying here! I will not be satisfied until you¡¯re dead!¡± Her fists tightened up. Images in her mind made it difficult to keep her body from shaking. ¡°It¡¯s your fault for everything!¡± Yori turned his hand back to Athene. He heard enough from her. ¡°Be gone!¡± When her body flew back it sent the wall moving with her knocking him forwards. It dropped him on his face with a headache. ¡°Damn it! I don¡¯t have time for this!¡± The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Standing slowly to his feet, his eyes went away from Athene towards where he assumed his sister to stand. ¡®This wall needs to come down. I just need to take out the one keeping it up.¡¯ His all white eyes focused back on the woman. She stood in his way, finally fully realized in his sight. ¡°So I just have to take you out.¡± Being grabbed by an invisible force became something of a familiar feeling to Athene at this point. However, each time brought something different. Each time was painful. This time, it pulled her towards Yori. ¡®Not this time!¡¯ Long needles materialized between her fingers. Only her torso was under its control, once in range she would be able to attack. She gripped the needles tightly. Seemingly a similar thought in mind, Yori¡¯s hand clutched onto a black blade prepared for her. Once she was in range it would be all over. ¡®This ends now! I¡¯m coming soon, Yumi!¡¯ ¡®I¡¯ll avenge you, Simonides!¡¯ Their weapons sped towards each other. Only seconds remained. ¡®¡­Yori¡­¡¯ Frozen. Time ceased. Yori looked around the world, suddenly feeling apart from it. It didn¡¯t feel right. ¡®What¡¯s happened to me? Why can¡¯t I move?¡¯ An image of his sister ran through his view. He turned to try to keep her in sight, but she already disappeared. ¡®Yumi?¡¯ Something sat in the back of his mind, like a beacon going off repeatedly. It signaled something. It felt familiar. He knew it well. ¡®Yumi! Where are you? You¡¯re close by!¡¯ ¡®¡­Yori¡­¡¯ He flipped around knowing that she had to be near him. It felt like she stood next to him. She was there. He just couldn¡¯t see her, but his mind knew with certainty. ¡®Yumi, why can¡¯t I find you?¡¯ ¡®¡­I¡¯m fine¡­¡¯ ¡®Yumi?¡¯ He tried running after her, feeling as if she started to drift away from him. Yet he couldn¡¯t reach her. Something held him down. ¡®Yumi!¡¯ She smiled at him, fading away. ¡°Yumi!¡± Time returned. His eyes returned to normal, restored to their light brown shading. ¡°Where am I?¡± Ahead of him, he found Athene held just centimeters away with the tips of her needles just under his chin going for his neck. His right arm also seemed positioned for a lethal blow just barely poking her chest, above her heart. ¡®¡­Yori¡­¡¯ His head flipped to the side upon hearing his sister¡¯s voice. ¡®I can feel her¡­her presence. Strange, but I know she¡¯ll be fine.¡¯ He pulled back his weapon hand, uncertain about the situation. ¡®Last thing I remember is being frustrated at my inability to help and now this¡­¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you, Yori Mizuno!¡± spat Athene, releasing her needles to fly the leftover distance. Unfortunately, they hit a transparent square barrier, halting their strike. Yori jumped back startled. Then his eyes widened in surprise. ¡°You! You¡¯re that woman that went into my head! What are you doing here?!¡± He didn¡¯t get a chance for another question as she lunged at him. Acting defensively, he put up his arms to protect his body from her needles, but a barrier went up. Baring her teeth at Yori, Athene¡¯s more primal aspects bleed through in her face. ¡°Damn you!¡± ¡°Woah! What did I do to you?! Why do you want to kill me?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the reason! It¡¯s your fault! He¡¯s dead because of you!¡± ¡°Who¡¯s dead? I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about!¡± Athene slammed her needles against the barrier with greater frustration at being kept from her target. Nothing happened with the barrier. She wouldn¡¯t take it being over. Leaping up into the air, she landed on a circular pattern of light, but that was the least to be concerned over. Back in view, hidden behind where she used to stand was a massive cannon comparable to those found on an Iowa-class battleship. Barely enough time to yelp in surprise and wide-eyed, Yori dropped to the dirt just as he heard the earth shattering blast from the cannon. Proximity to the ground upon firing was enough to tear away chunks of the earth. Even from his position, he could feel the heat and blasting force against him. All around him, black shards rained down from his barrier. The grave atmosphere Athene placed on the whole area finally hit Yori. ¡®She wants to kill me! I don¡¯t even know what I did to piss her off so much!¡¯ Looking for a place to go but realizing she already cut off all retreats, Yori tried to back up a little to give himself some room. ¡°I¡¯ve been unconscious for the last few days! Since you went playing around in my head! I didn¡¯t kill anyone!¡± He wasn¡¯t sure pointing blame back on her about something was a good idea in his situation. However, she did already want to kill him, so he judged things couldn¡¯t get much worse. ¡°Shut up! I know it was you!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The tone in her voice made him lean back. Her eyes alone were terrifying enough to see. ¡®She¡¯s crazy!¡¯ Yori looked around for anything. He had been completely useless since entering Atlantis. There was nothing to blame on him. ¡°If anyone¡¯s got blame, it¡¯s you for kidnapping me and your interrogation! I can¡¯t even remember what happened thanks to you!¡± ¡°Silence!¡± The cannon seemed ready for another round as the barrel rotated a little to line up with Yori once more. Staring down the sights of a giant cannon made Yori turn blue a little. ¡®I was lucky the last time. I can¡¯t do anything about that a second time!¡¯ He glanced back at Athene. The troubled woman directed all her fury upon him. Yet he had no answers. ¡°Who¡¯s dead?¡± he asked, looking to try to buy himself some time. ¡°Who did I kill?¡± Any sort of extra time he had to come up with a plan would help, but he didn¡¯t know what sort of plan could stop a shell from a cannon. ¡°You know who it was!¡± He sighed to himself. ¡®This is not getting me anywhere. She¡¯s so off her rocker that she¡¯s going in circular vague responses.¡¯ Any second it seemed the cannon would fire. ¡°Dammit! Just tell me their name!¡± ¡°Simonides! The man trying to protect Atlantis from you intruders that ruined our peace!¡± The name took him back for a moment. He immediately recognized the name. Then the rest of the pieces fell into place for him. Recalling the man¡¯s plan, it almost seemed obvious there would no doubt be those under his command looking for vengeance. ¡°Since it¡¯s already out of the bag, he¡¯s not dead. He faked his death to help us settle all of the turmoil we¡¯ve been causing here. If you look back at our group, you¡¯ll find him there.¡± Yori¡¯s response twisted Athene¡¯s face to become even harsher than it had been before. She looked to become something other than human. ¡°Lies! Lies!¡± A deep groan came from the cannon preceding its firing. Fire blew out from the mouth of its barrel locked on Yori. Chapter 258 - Buried Emotions ¡°Oh hell!¡± The explosion completely filled his eyes. His time to act fell away. Staring at his hand the moment before had himself wishing for whatever he held earlier. ¡®I know I have something, some power that bastard gave me. Damn inconvenient he waited until now, but I need it again! Please!¡¯ He had heard about moments of tension, extreme situations where people reported to have felt like time slowed down. Their reactions heightened by the rush of adrenaline. Able to achieve impossible feats because they needed it. It was all just stories. The potential of what a human could reach when natural limits weren¡¯t enforced. It was the only way he could explain or rationalize it. Everything felt like what they described. His mind didn¡¯t seem to appreciate what happened to him at that moment. What he saw was what he had to accept. The shell just left the barrel surrounded by flames and smoke. He only knew it left because of the distortion happening to the flames. It still moved quickly, even though everything slowed down in his eyes. He needed to act. ¡®I need something!¡¯ As though answering his call, lines of black materialized drawing to his hand. It molded quickly into physical form. The blade from earlier returned. ¡®A sword? It¡¯s a cannon! What am I going to do with a sword against a cannon?!¡¯ No one answered his question. The sword only insisted on being used. ¡®Dammit! This isn¡¯t going to protect me from a naval barrage!¡¯ He pulled up his hands holding the sword in two hands, while closing his eyes. A prayer went through his mind hoping whatever gifted him with the weapon knew what it was doing. Lined up well enough, the head of the shell raced to the blade. The force it left rocked the energy blade in Yori¡¯s hands, but held firmly. An instant later, the shell split in half directed into different corners of Athene¡¯s Field, digging out craters. ¡°What?!¡± exclaimed Athene, not expecting such precision. Chapter 258 ¨C Buried Emotions Sighing and panting a little, Yori looked more surprised than Athene by what happened. He stared at the blade, lifting it towards him. ¡®What sort of power did he give me? This isn¡¯t like what I¡¯ve seen the others do or even Yumi. A black sword¡­¡¯ From everyone else, he had a good sense of their powers, but he just assumed that he would be like his sister. ¡®Everyone¡¯s completely different, huh?¡¯ ¡°Damn you, why won¡¯t you just die already!¡± Yori staggered back, forced to focus back on Athene. ¡°Well I¡¯m not really fond of the idea for one,¡± he grimaced a little, not sure if joking around was really a smart idea with a woman actually wanting to kill him. ¡°Besides, I already told you he¡¯s not dead. You just have to go look. Once you realize that, there¡¯s no reason to fight!¡± ¡°Lies! Lies! Lies!¡± She slashed her arm through the air generating a massive blade all edge and nothing more. It swung down like a zanbato, the horse-slaying blade, but triple the size. Unwieldy and lacking control, the heavy metal chunk crashed into the ground in front of Yori, missing yet still tossing chunks of earth up at him. The force of the impact threw Yori on his back once more. ¡°Damn!¡± Knocking off loose bits of earth, he stared at his feet where the blade embedded itself. ¡°Just trying to explain things rationally.¡± He looked up at Athene realizing that rational thought probably wasn¡¯t high on her processes. ¡°Damn, I didn¡¯t even ask for this! I just want to protect my sister!¡± Somehow he knew she was safe, so nothing else really mattered to him anymore. So long as he survived, everything else could solve itself. Unfortunately, she wasn¡¯t affording him such a luxury. Her single-mindedness on him started to grate on his nerves. ¡°I¡¯m getting sick of this! What is he even to you?! I thought he was just your Commanding Officer! But you¡¯re acting too emotionally for it just to be that.¡± ¡°He¡¯s our Captain!¡± It was an immediate answer, but it felt like a reflex to him rather than the truth. ¡°But what is he to you! You¡¯re just regurgitating your discipline!¡± ¡°Me? He¡¯s the¡­Captain¡­¡± Athene took a step back. It finally started to seem to get through to her. ¡°Captain¡­Simonides¡­he¡¯s¡­¡± She had to think about what he meant to her. Everything started from the point that this boy invaded her mind and flipped everything on its head. She lost to him. It fueled her to find him. But Simonides, his death fueled her drive with something else. ¡®What is he to me? What is he?¡¯ Athene could clearly see him in her mind without any concentration. It was just natural. They spent years together. All the years they spent together. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± an unknown voice from the black void asked. It sounded so distant and faint. At the moment, it seemed the least important thing to be asking. Reality for her was that she couldn¡¯t feel anything. It was dark because she couldn''t open it herself. Most of her body was beyond her mind¡¯s ability to process pain. It knocked her out already once and it was only his voice that somehow called out to it. ¡®Who are you?¡¯ ¡°Can you hear me?¡± ¡®Yes¡­¡¯ If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°You¡¯re still alive, right? I already called¡ª¡° ¡®Alive? Am I alive, really?¡¯ Any remaining consciousness faded on her again. ¡°I¡¯m alive!¡± she shouted, throwing herself up from the bed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to inform you that this is actually the Gates of Hades,¡± a deep voice off to the side replied. She jumped almost out of her startled by another presence. When she looked, she saw a human looking form with a vase in place of their head. ¡°Hades?! What?! But why Mr. Vase! I was a good girl! I didn¡¯t fight back even when they were breaking my bones!¡± She started crying as it all started to sink in. ¡°I died¡­ I¡¯m dead¡­¡± ¡°Wo-wo-woah!¡± the voice made a sudden sharp pitch to a higher tone. The vase dropped away to reveal a boy, younger than her by a few years. ¡°I¡¯m just a human like you!¡± Panic quickly settled into his body trying to fix his mistake. Through tears, she stared at the boy to confirm his story. ¡°So you¡¯re dead too¡­¡± ¡°Ack! N-n-no-no-no! You¡¯re not dead! Neither of us are!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Her tears came to a stop. ¡°We¡¯re not?¡± He shook his head vigorously trying to convince her of their very much living status. Once she started to stare at him longer, he turned his head away. His cheeks began to grow a little red. ¡°Well¡­¡± Hesitating, he rubbed his finger over his cheek trying to dig his way out of his mess. ¡°So-sorry, you just looked sad when you were sleeping. I just wanted you to feel better¡­¡± Realizing it all, her eyes widened and then lowered as her emotions quickly switched. She picked up her pillow and chunked it at him in anger. ¡°The hell¡¯s wrong with you!?¡± Another pillow appeared in her hand and she threw it at him too. ¡°A joke?!¡± The first pillow he managed to dodge, but the vase he held already moved beyond his control. Her second pillow came at him, not expecting another. He managed to evade it as well, somehow, but it put the vase even more out of his control. ¡°Watch it! You¡¯re going to make me¡ª¡° The next slapped him in the face. Another, followed by another, pushed him back, almost knocking him over. Sparing one hand to push the pillows away, he leaned forward a bit letting his emotions get caught up too. ¡°Careful, I almost¡ª¡° Interrupted again, this pillow hit him hard. He completely lost his balance both from surprise and the force. Landing on his butt with the vase in the air, he threw off the pillow to try to find the vase. ¡°The vase!¡± He scrambled to reach for it, just before hitting the wood floor. ¡°Safe¡­¡± he sighed with relief. Once it fit firmly back in his hands, he jumped up to his feet. ¡°Hey! It nearly broke!¡± She started to cry again. ¡°You said I was dead!¡± ¡°Look, I said I was sorry! I just wanted to see you smile once, you looked so sad sleeping there.¡± ¡°I have nothing to smile about! I won¡¯t forgive you!¡± She threw another pillow at him, but the vase stood between them. A sudden noise startled her as he fell over sharply. The crash and thud came as she expected, but nothing more. He didn¡¯t get up or say anything. After a few seconds of waiting for something to happen, she leaned forward. A little bit longer, she crawled towards the end of the bed. Slowly, she peaked over the edge trying to see what happened. ¡°Are you alright?¡± she inquired cautiously. ¡°Ouch¡­¡± Covered in water and flowers, but still holding the vase intact, the boy managed to save the most important. Though in his position, it might no longer be relevant. The sight of him, still clinging to the vase and ruined as he was, made her grin a bit. She couldn¡¯t help but laugh at the scene. However, the scowl on his face from her reaction made her stop. ¡°Sorry, but the way you look¡ª¡° Laughter broke out over her voice. Given the situation and she was actually smiling, he couldn¡¯t really complain much. He started laughing infectiously with her. After the laughter and clean up, the boy returned to her side. He sat on her body staring at her. The look of sadness started to wash over her face again. He could do nothing to keep it at bay. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± She saw he pointed to her body, likely the cause for her hospitalization. ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not nothing! I saw you before they fixed you up!¡± It wasn¡¯t the sort of scene he expected to see. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t gotten lost you could have died!¡± She turned away from him. Everyone like her knew it was an everyday occurrence. Some got it worse than others depending on the level of interaction with those not like her. She was still just a preteen making her easy prey. He leapt out towards her clutching her hand. ¡°Don¡¯t accept it! It¡¯s not right!¡± His voice started to reach a yell and anger entered his throat. ¡°You¡¯re human, just like them! Don¡¯t think any differently!¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not¡­¡± She dropped her Field removing all of the excess pillows she accidentally summoned. ¡°No normal human can do what I can.¡± Suddenly, he stood up on her bed jumping a couple times. ¡°What if I could jump higher than anyone else? Or run faster than everyone? I wouldn¡¯t be normal right?¡± ¡°Well¡­I guess¡­¡± ¡°But I¡¯m still me. I haven¡¯t changed. I¡¯m only using what my body can do. Right?¡± She didn¡¯t have an answer for him. ¡°You¡¯re the same, it¡¯s just in your head up here.¡± He pushed his finger to her forehead. ¡°You just can do something with your brain that others can¡¯t, but you¡¯re still the same as me!¡± She didn¡¯t have a good answer for him. She wanted to feel the same, but the world didn¡¯t work that way. ¡°But no one else thinks like that, not since the rebellion.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll change it!¡± ¡°How?¡± He had to think about it for a second. He just threw it out there without much thought. Turning around in thought, once he faced her again he had an idea. ¡°I¡¯ll become the King! Then they¡¯ll have to listen to me!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t, only Meso Prosecho can.¡± ¡°Oh, right. Well maybe I¡¯ll develop them!¡± He flexed his arms as though they had something to do with the power she had. ¡°They¡¯re always discovering people''s powers at different ages.¡± However, she seemed to doubt the odds of it. ¡°I guess that¡¯s not very likely, huh?¡± He spun around on the bed again in thought. It came to him. ¡°I got it, something more realistic!¡± She stared at him in doubt, considering all of his ideas hadn¡¯t been anywhere close to realistic. ¡°What?¡± Even still, she had to admit some curiosity. ¡°I¡¯ll become the General of the Army! He¡¯s got the ear of the King and the most control over the military. I¡¯ll do it!¡± He knelt down on her bed leaning in with earnest filled eyes. ¡°I promise, I¡¯ll make it happen. I¡¯ll command them all! And then I¡¯ll put an end to all of this!¡± ¡°But isn¡¯t he appointed by the King?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care! I¡¯ll make it happen!¡± He stared into her eyes trying to fill her with his conviction. ¡°I promise today right here in front of you, that I will become the General!¡± It actually left her a bit in awe. He seemed goofy and silly, but she could see the sincerity in his face. There was determination and a goal where there hadn''t been one before. She wanted to tell him he couldn''t do it, but she didn''t think she could find any words that would convince him. ¡°When I¡¯m old enough to join the military, I¡¯ll find you!¡± ¡°But I¡¯ll probably be assigned to one of the border gates by that point.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll go there! Doesn¡¯t matter, I¡¯ll start there. I¡¯ll become the Captain of the Gate, my first step to General!¡± Suddenly a voice in the distance called out to him. ¡°Oh that¡¯s my mom calling! I¡¯ve got to go!¡± He ran off out of sight, but popped back. ¡°What¡¯s your name? So I can find you when I finish at the Academy?¡± ¡°Athene.¡± ¡°Athene, got it! I¡¯m Simonides! Remember it, because I won¡¯t be forgetting you! It¡¯s a promise!¡± He threw out his arm in a closed fist. ¡°When we meet again let¡¯s climb the ranks to the top and change the system!¡± Athene found herself smiling, feeling as if he could actually achieve his bold declaration. ¡°It¡¯s a promise.¡± ¡®Others would just pass it off as childish promises and na?ve hope. Empty dreams, but he proved them all wrong. He kept on that path the entire time until I met him again at the South Gate. His goal has never changed.¡¯ Chapter 259 - Awakened Emotions ¡®Simonides¡­¡¯ Athene whispered to herself. Her mind finally came down from the racing pace she pressed it into for days. It staggered her for a moment, falling back. The strength in her legs fell out leaving her a mess on her floating platform of lights. ¡®What have I been doing, Simonides?¡¯ The silence and lull in the attack gave Yori the much needed chance to recover from everything. Ever since he awoke from the fog in his head, things moved too fast for him to process. He hoped it meant that the fighting between them finally ended. ¡®Looks like she¡¯s calmed down some. Still didn¡¯t really get an answer from her, but if it brought her to her senses I¡¯m not going to complain.¡¯ Yori took a few steps forward once he gathered himself. A lot rode on his risk, but he needed to provide the proof she needed. ¡°Um¡­excuse me, Miss.¡± Silently a prayer ran through his mind that it all worked out. ¡®Please don¡¯t try to kill me again.¡¯ Alerted out of her thoughts, Athene glanced down at Yori, cautious approaching. Her mind leveled out enough with her emotions still running hot. No longer was she at a blindly seething rage, but it didn¡¯t mean she accepted him. She immediately stood up, taking up a dominant position with needles appearing in her hand. ¡°What?¡± Holding his hands up, doing everything he could to make himself seem non-offensive, Yori approached her a few more steps. ¡°I was thinking, you don¡¯t believe what I told you, right?¡± ¡°Of course! I heard straight from Abeiron that Simonides is dead at the hands of you and your friends.¡± It didn¡¯t feel as strong as before, but he felt the anger directed at him. She didn¡¯t seem to be solely executing everything upon him. Even still, she dropped most of it on him. Wincing a little looking at her as though he felt it, he broached the subject. ¡°I was thinking. One of your abilities is to read my mind. Use it and look inside to find the truth. Then you can believe me.¡± Narrowing her eyes, she stared at him reading his intent. ¡°Your mind¡¯s a maze. It¡¯s too complex for me to be certain anything I find in there is the truth.¡± ¡®Dammit! Come on, stop making excuses!¡¯ Yori sighed, trying to restrain himself from yelling at her. ¡°You won¡¯t go check over there where my friends are just to see him. And you won¡¯t search my mind. He sounds important to you, I¡¯d bet he¡¯d be pleased to see. Especially since he¡¯s only got Nerine with him that he knows.¡± ¡°Second Lieutenant Nerine too¡­¡± Athene¡¯s suspicions started to rise. Her eyes glanced over to where she first found Yori. ¡®Could it be true?¡¯ The thought made her heart jump. ¡®No, I can¡¯t trust him. He¡¯s the enemy.¡¯ He saw the doubt in her face. ¡®I almost got her. Is there something else I can do to finally convince her?¡¯ The man she knew was still fairly unknown to him. Yori didn¡¯t know enough information that might be a trigger for her. The last chance he had was just to explain everything. He hoped it was enough. ¡°After our last battle with your Captain and his men, he came to our side. He seemed to feel there was something bigger that threatened your country. He couldn¡¯t beat us, so he joined us to watch us. Our goal is not to attack Atlantis, but just to bring an end to the assassination on Yuki Hayashi. Considering what his actions meant, he faked his death. I suspect that it wasn¡¯t just because he was afraid of those in the Capital that would view it as a traitorous move to side with us.¡± Yori could see that he at least had her attention, even if she remained skeptical. ¡°I think he also wanted to protect his men. Just something in what I saw in his eyes when he talked. He felt very protective of them. Wanting to keep them out of danger. As he correctly saw the Omega Division and even the Titans coming after us. If you kept following us, the disaster could have been far worse. The loss of life might have been catastrophic. These people are in a completely different league than everyone else.¡± Silence hung between them for several seconds. He wasn¡¯t sure if he should say anymore. He said what he needed, but she just stared at him. ¡°So I feel he did it all because his men were the most important thing to him, including you.¡± Nothing. Chapter 259 ¨C Awakened Emotions The silence was unbearable. He knew he couldn¡¯t say anymore. He likely already exceeded his bound. There was a fair bit of assumption made, even though he was honest about what he saw in Simonides when speaking to him. Athene stared down at him. The whole time she read his face, checking for clues. It should just be lies. She shouldn¡¯t believe a word he said. The little chip of his mental avatar still haunted the back of her mind, threatening her sanity at every turn. It taunted her. He corrupted her mind, tainted her vision and cracked her sanity. ¡°I despise you, Yori Mizuno,¡± Athene confirmed. ¡°But I believe you.¡± He sighed again. ¡°Thank you.¡± It was over, finally. He could return to the others. ¡°But this isn¡¯t over yet.¡± ¡°Huh? But you just said you believed me!¡± ¡°Believe you when you said that Simonides is still alive and you talked to him, however our matter is still unsettled.¡± ¡°What matter? I don¡¯t have anything to settle with you. You¡¯re the one that invaded my mind and left me unconscious for a few days after.¡± ¡°You took my sight! And threatened my sanity!¡± ¡°Eh?! I did neither of those things!¡± He couldn¡¯t remember any of that happening. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. Besides, if you can¡¯t see then how can you fight so well still?¡± ¡°I modified my power to reproduce everything directly into my mind through echolocation. I can make it as detailed as I need to even see the wrinkles in your skin.¡± Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. The response made him lean back a bit. ¡°That¡¯s some frighteningly powerful stuff.¡± Yori already felt impressed by what they were capable of, but the lengths she went to left him stunned. He really didn¡¯t want to fight her, even though he saw that in her eyes. ¡°Do we really have to fight though? Haven¡¯t we settled the main reason you wanted to kill me already?¡± ¡°I still won¡¯t be satisfied without punching you for everything you¡¯ve got coming!¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t even make any sense! Why can¡¯t you people be more enlightened and be above fighting?!¡± He sighed again seeing her unconvinced expression. She was clearly set on a fight even though it was unnecessary. ¡°Fine, if you just want to punch me a few times. I¡¯ll give you all of the free shots you want until you¡¯re done!¡± ¡°Huh? I¡¯m not going to punch you! That¡¯s just an expression!¡± ¡°Well I don¡¯t want to be punched by your cannon again!¡± Yori caught a disappointed look when he shut down that idea. ¡°You were thinking about it?!¡± He ruffled up his hair, annoyed by the whole situation. ¡°Fine, since we¡¯re not getting anywhere like this. You want a fight. I''ll do my best with this new power I have. But I want you to unscramble my brain after this! There¡¯s something I know I¡¯m missing still that¡¯s really important.¡± ¡°Can you give me back my sight?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how I took it away from you!¡± ¡°You have your answer.¡± ¡°Tch! Damn, whatever. We¡¯re having a long chat after this is all over though. We settle everything with this fight, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Good!¡± Yori threw down his hands as black blades materialized at his call. It was the only thing that felt familiar to him. He was still new to his power to understand it like the others. ¡®I¡¯ll give her a fight, but hopefully it¡¯ll be over quickly.¡¯ Looking ready for the fight, didn¡¯t mean his heart was really in it. He just needed to satisfy her need for it. Athene clinched her needles as her opener, but stored plenty in reserve for the fight. She felt ready for anything he might try to do. ¡®I¡¯ll win this and finally put this all to rest. I¡¯ll conquer this!¡¯ Jumping forward, Yori made the first move. Not out of aggression, he just wanted it pushed. However, he realized that he actually was higher than he planned, even though he jumped with full strength. ¡®What¡¯s with my body? Is this her Field? The long hang time in the air gave Athene all the time she needed to react, despite his swift act. Throwing her needles at him to force him to use his weapon to block allowed her to set up her next attack. A whip appeared in her freed up hand to latch around his blade and swing him away from her into the ground. She tossed some more needles amongst the coughed up smoke cloud around Yori. A little shook up, Yori stood up out of the cloud feeling the ringing in his head from the impact. To his side, one of her needles dug into his shoulder. ¡®Damn, I¡¯m not sure which hurts more¡­¡¯ He yanked out the needle chucking it to the side. ¡®I know I said I didn¡¯t care about the fight, but I don¡¯t want to get hurt that much¡­¡¯ Questioning his position in the fight, Yori hesitated too long. Another strike from Athene forced him to start moving. Like before, everything seemed to move slower than it should. ¡®What¡¯s with everything? Why is it so slow?¡¯ Because he wasn¡¯t used to it or really even suited to combat, the well-telegraphed attacks gave him time to evade, but still left him rushing around. Taking up his dual swords, he charged in for Athene blocking her needles. The slashes he made were stopped by more of her needles, a common weapon for her apparently. Between the end and start of his next attack, Athene pushed him back spinning around suddenly whacking him across the stomach with a large scaly tail. The force sent him flying back to the brick wall. Slamming his head painfully against the immovable wall, Yori staggered a bit. ¡°Urgh¡­damn¡­¡± He pressed his hand to the wall to push off. A strange image flashed through his mind. He saw a dark sphere gather in his hand in the image. It seemed familiar. ¡®Did I¡­¡¯ Thinking about it, he looked down at his hand to see the sword changing shape into a sphere like in his mind. ¡®Something else this power can do?¡¯ Yori wanted to ask what it did, as though someone with the rulebook stood next to him. However, he just fired it immediately at Athene, somehow knowing what it did. ¡®So it¡¯s a projectile¡­¡¯ The result from the hit unfortunately missed Athene, something deflected at the last moment. And she seemed to feel encouraged to respond with her own ranged attack, missiles. Missiles, as in the rocket propelled from an installed battery or naval ship type. Yori¡¯s eyes widened just looking at what she summoned. ¡°No fair¡­¡± Running was about all he could do in the face of that. Explosions went off behind him tossing him into the air. ¡®Why am I still alive?! I thought she didn¡¯t want to kill me anymore!¡¯ Yori slammed into the dome wall again, but ran his free hand against it keeping a balance stuck to the side. It gave him visibility on the next missiles allowing him to jump off, taking advantage of the slowed time. Slicing through the front missile, he jumped off the two halves to turn himself around in midair. While still tumbling through the air he threw his sword at the next to pin it into the ground and took out the last two with quick blasts from his hands. He came to rest on the wall on the complete opposite side. ¡®I swear she¡¯s just throwing random things at me. There¡¯s no theme to any of it!¡¯ All around the Field explosions ripped through the earth. Settled into the situation, Yori started feeling different about the fight. ¡°If it¡¯s going to be like that, I¡¯m not going to lose!¡± He materialized his swords once more before dashing across the air, actually running on air, towards Athene. Weapons clashed quickly before Athene threw out another random weapon. Yori spun around making use of the slowed movement. She still had another counter, but he could keep up with the pace. Even when he made a mistake, the time given allowed him to make it up. They danced around each other rapidly exchanging blows. Yori learned he could shift the swords into other shapes, giving him a larger array of weapons. New, more bizarre tools in Athene arsenal appeared like a frog¡¯s tongue, a flame throwing lion¡¯s mouth and a ballista. Yori ended up staring down the wrong end of a giant guillotine blade, as though there could be a good end. It came flying at him, missing the guide rails and not vertical. It moved too fast for him to dodge. He lifted up his hand with another image popping into his hand. Squeezing his hand, the blade crushed on an invisible force rendering it completely useless. He sighed, feeling his mortality more than some of the other attacks. However, the pause gave his body enough time to remind him that he wasn¡¯t in shape. The minor wounds he picked up from the course of the fighting and fatigue washed over him. ¡®Dammit¡­this is going to be what does me in?¡¯ Gathering up the black energy into his hand, Yori stared across at Athene. He needed something to level the field. ¡®All of her random weapons are making it difficult to get close to her at times. My body isn¡¯t holding out for anymore crazy stunts, even if I have the time to pull it off. I need to restrict her movements¡­¡¯ An idea suddenly came to him. The power was still new to him, but different functions seemed to be popping up. So he had a chance. His hand closed around the sphere, shrinking it down to a smaller size. Opening his hand, several orbs appeared no larger than a marble. ¡®Just need to be careful¡­¡¯ He released them from his palm, letting them float up away into the air. They spread around the space between them. It worked, somehow, but one suddenly faded away. ¡®Damn, lost my concentration. Need to focus on them. If I can create them in my hand I should be able to do it elsewhere too¡­¡¯ More marble sized black spheres appeared in the air all around them. The count increased to the hundreds. Packed tightly around them, Yori moved in closer to Athene pulling out his swords again. Their blades extended further and thickened. ¡®Alright, let¡¯s try this now!¡¯ He forced a clash with the woman once more. She played around him carefully, but made the mistake of hitting one with her dragon¡¯s tail sweep. Blasts went off for the three orbs she collided with knocking her back. Barely put off by the blasts, Athene charged back in for Yori, but went for a melee weapon. It kept things close range and out of risk. It was exactly how Yori wanted. His floating mines focused their fight to something more favorable. His weapons clashed with her battleaxe. The weapons sparked with each swing. They struggled against each other for the dominant ground, surrounded by black marbles. Leaning in with their whole bodies, their heads almost touched trying to break through the other. However, amidst the clash, a swarm of images flooded Yori¡¯s mind. A burning village and a child appeared. They were unfamiliar scenes, but something about them he knew he had seen before. More continued to show off the girl. He felt like he was seeing someone else¡¯s life. Then he remembered. ¡®It¡¯s her! I remember! During the interrogation, I saw these memories!¡¯ Everything suddenly started to come back to him. The other forgotten pieces swarmed his mind. ¡®¡­the truth! I remember, I saw the truth of Atlantis!¡¯ Finally recalling his forgotten memories, he started to put together all of the pieces. Everything he knew from current events and his newly acquired knowledge formed an even bigger picture. ¡®That explains everything! Ayumi¡¯s plan! Yuki Hayashi¡¯s in danger! If she continues with her plan, he¡¯ll die!¡¯ Chapter 260 - The Recovered Truth It all hit him so fast that he froze in the fight. Athene capitalized on the opportunity, carving out a large gash through Yori¡¯s chest. The surprise, shock and force knocked him off his feet. Blood sprayed in an arc off him and painted the grass when he crashed to the ground. ¡®Dammit, I need to tell everyone¡­¡¯ Yori struggled to pull his head up to see Athene approaching. ¡°Stop! There¡¯s¡­something¡­¡± Unfortunately, Athene still moved on him, planning to be sure she was the winner of the fight. Yori didn¡¯t have time for her now to bandage her pride anymore. He threw his hand up. ¡°I said stop!¡± Her body suddenly flew across the room. He coughed hoarsely through the washes of pain infecting his body. ¡°¡­damn¡­that hurt¡­¡± Athene returned to her feet unaffected by his toss. She started to walk over to him, but he stopped her again. ¡°Listen¡­to me¡­ I know¡­what she¡¯s¡­planning¡­Ayumi¡­¡± Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t get any response from Athene. ¡°Eu-e¡­e¡­Eudokia¡­I mean¡­¡± The name brought Athene to an immediate stop. Like anyone, the name was familiar, but naturally, she knew her better than others as her Commanding Officer. Athene¡¯s face narrowed quickly wanting answers. ¡°What does Eudokia Ismene have to do with this?¡± Some of the confusion Athene took Yori a moment to think about it. ¡°I guess¡­you were out¡­of the¡­loop¡­¡± He started coughing again, but blood sprayed out of his mouth. ¡°¡­damn¡­I need¡­¡± Everything started to get light and the feeling started to fade away. A strange ominous feeling overcame Yori. ¡°¡­oh¡­¡± Chapter 260 ¨C The Recovered Truth Another cough suddenly brought him back to reality. Yori snapped his eyes open, no longer feeling as empty. A light came from just the edge of his sight, pulling him down. ¡°¡­what¡­doing¡­¡± ¡°Remain still. I¡¯m tending to your wound.¡± Yori dropped his head back to the ground, sighing. It was over. However, all his memories and knowledge returned quickly to remind him of his need. He jerked up only to be pushed down by Athene. ¡°This is¡­important!¡± ¡°Let me finish.¡± ¡°Dammit! If she gets her way, it¡¯s going to mean that he¡¯ll die, a slow painful prolonged death.¡± Athene tried to work around Yori¡¯s stubbornness. He didn¡¯t make it easy to concentrate on the wound. Fortunately, her power did most of the work. ¡°What are you talking about? Who¡¯s going to die and how does this involve Eudokia?¡± She hoped talking to him would keep him still. ¡°Eudokia¡­right, that¡¯s how you know her. Someone I know, she brought him here with the intention of becoming your new King, though he seemed more interested in just stopping the assassins.¡± It all came as a surprise until she started to search her own memories. ¡°I think I remember reading that from your mind. But the King never had any heirs, he¡¯s not related.¡± ¡°Yes, I know, but that doesn¡¯t really matter now does it? I finally remembered everything I saw when I was in your mind. I know about it all, even the Rite of Succession and the price that must be paid.¡± ¡°But he would have to be¡ª¡° ¡°Powerful enough to support the Throne of Atlantis.¡± It left Athene a little ill at ease having him finish her thoughts. He really did steal things from her. ¡°Are you saying he is?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a measure for his power and even using your memories I can¡¯t really judge accurately, but I¡¯d say he has power to spare.¡± ¡°Then he could save Atlantis.¡± ¡°But he doesn¡¯t know about the price.¡± ¡°You mean she never told him?¡± ¡°She left that detail out. She withheld quite a lot of details from what I saw. You aren¡¯t even in a rush for a King, you have a system that makes sure you have a King even when there are no heirs. She doesn¡¯t need him. But most importantly, she never mentioned the price knowing how everyone would react.¡± Athene looked off towards the Capital. ¡°What is Eudokia thinking of forcing Kingship on someone uninformed?¡± ¡°She¡¯s desperate, but even I don¡¯t know the reasons. But I need to warn the others so they can stop it from happening.¡± In the distance, she saw all of the effects of the many fights playing out. The destructive nature of some made her feel small in their world. ¡°But they¡¯re fighting with the Titans. They¡¯re the best Atlantis has to offer. Getting past them to Eudokia is going to be impossible.¡± Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Yes, but we have to do it or else Ayumi wins.¡± Yori paused thinking about the situation and his feelings on the matter. ¡°I don¡¯t approve of him, but my sister is fond of him. If something happened to him she would be¡­if I can prevent it then I must. I just need to tell them all, somehow.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not in a position to be moving, even recovered from my healing.¡± Yori tried to stand regardless of what Athene said, but lost his strength halfway. The pain was gone, but his body was exhausted as though he had run all day. ¡°¡­dammit¡­I need to talk to them!¡± He closed his eyes thinking about them all around the front of the Capital in their own battles. It felt like they were next to him. It felt like he could reach out and touch them. ¡°Please hear me, everyone! You must listen!¡± He pleaded, hoping against reason that he could tell them. ¡®Yori?! How are you in my head?¡¯ he heard from his sister. ¡®¡­Yori¡­I must be dreaming or something if I¡¯m hearing your voice¡­¡¯ Fumiko replied. ¡®Huh? Is that Yumi¡¯s brother? In my head? She must have hit me harder than I thought if I¡¯m hearing him,¡¯ answered Saki. ¡®What are you doing in my head?¡¯ Chiharu demanded, as though her voice alone could kick him out. ¡®A voice¡­ That¡¯s Yumi Mizuno¡¯s brother. If I¡¯m hearing him it must mean that he¡¯s making use of his power. While he never was shown to have anything, I assumed like everyone else he had something. So telepathy is his power¡­it¡¯s likely not the only power given it¡¯s not one that can protect him. He would have been given another ability outside of it. Everything is themed¡ª¡® ¡°Everyone please stop with the questions¡­¡± He had to stop all of the voices coming into his head, especially the unexpected one of Haruo. But he had them, somehow. ¡°I barely have any strength, just listen¡­ I know the truth finally. I know what Ayumi¡¯s goal is.¡± So many questions still fired at him that he needed their attention. ¡°He¡¯s in danger. If Ayumi succeeds in her plan. Yuki Hayashi will die! The truth is that Atlantis¡¯ secret is not what any of us thought! They are actually dependent on their King for the continued survival of their civilization. The entire country is maintained by the King, through their power. That¡¯s why the position is so important. Without the King everything created by their power to change Antarctica from an ice wasteland into this paradise would be wiped away. Everyone would die.¡± He understood their entire history, as Athene knew it, at least. However, he had to keep things focused. ¡°Yet there¡¯s something even more important that Ayumi never told us about the position as King. The strongest of those like Yuki Hayashi and Ayumi are selected to become King. The one selected is then linked with all of the country and is constantly using their power to maintain the reality of Atlantis. It is permanent until they die and a new King is required to be selected. However, the link is so draining on the King that it saps away their life at an accelerated rate. Most Kings become almost a complete invalid barely able to even leave their room. They become husks and left to a few years or decades of miserable servitude to their country.¡± Yori could imagine how many of them would react to such a situation. In fact, he counted on it. It might be the push needed to defeat the Titans and save him from Ayumi¡¯s scheme. ¡°Yuki Hayashi will be left to a slow and painful death if Ayumi gets him to sit on the Throne of Atlantis! He will die becoming the King, not today, but he won¡¯t ever be the same again. His future will be stolen unknowingly.¡± Cutting the connection immediately, he allowed the pieces to fall where they did. ¡®I was a little manipulative in my wording, but I had to get their attention. Given the quality of life he¡¯d likely have afterwards, it¡¯d be like a living death.¡¯ Athene noticed the relief in Yori¡¯s face. His body finally relaxed and calmed down. ¡°You did what you needed?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s in¡­their hands now.¡± Suddenly, several flashes of light reached across the field towards them. A rumbling through the earth gave the two of them an unsettling sense of the changing winds. ¡°What did you tell them?¡± ¡°The truth, or at least as much as I could. They still don¡¯t know about the rebellion or the Anaximandros. There¡¯s still so much they don¡¯t know.¡± The wealth of knowledge he gained left him a little staggered. It was hard to sift through everything when it wasn¡¯t his own. It was just sort of there. Always mixed in with the rest of his memories. He had trouble being sure of his own past when he had to be careful not to confuse it with Athene¡¯s. A narrowed expression came across Athene¡¯s face. ¡°You¡¯re a dangerous man, Yori Mizuno.¡± She could sense the depth of the knowledge he gained from just his expression towards her. The shades of emotions quickly shifted as he experienced everything. Guilt, pity, empathy, they all mixed together. He understood their pain as well as themselves. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for this. But it¡¯ll be useful. Perhaps it can be the link we need to understand each other better.¡± ¡°You¡¯re getting a little ahead of yourself,¡± she corrected with a dose of reality. In the distance, fighting still continued and with renewed vigor thanks to him. Things were far from over. ¡®I can¡¯t even imagine how things will play out after this all is resolved. The Council of Atlantis is still¡­¡¯ Yori pushed himself back to his feet, despite the protests from Athene. He tightened up his hand feeling more of his strength coming back. ¡°I really am different now or maybe I always have been since that day and I just now noticed.¡± Glancing back to Athene, his mind shifted thoughts. ¡°I¡¯m not the only dangerous man here today.¡± Athene caught Yori when he stumbled from his overconfidence. ¡°What are you thinking? You might be fully healed, but your fatigue and stress were not. You need some time to recover.¡± There were still things he needed to see the outcome. He couldn¡¯t hold himself back just on the account of his back being too slow. ¡°I need to return. I still have some answers I seek and they no doubt need some answers from me.¡± She helped him in his slow walk back to the Capital. ¡°I can use my power to carry you there.¡± ¡°No, this pace is fine. If we arrive too soon, we¡¯ll get in the way of their fighting. They¡¯ll no doubt be distracted.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s fair.¡± ¡°Besides, you probably need some time to composure yourself.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± She didn¡¯t understand what he was talking about, despite the annoying knowing grin on his face. There was something he thought about making use of her knowledge. ¡°What are you thinking?¡± ¡°We are going to be seeing him.¡± Yori pointed with his free hand towards the location she stole him from at the start. For him, he could barely see the small gathering figures. The distance made them out to be just bumps in the grass. Athene scowled at him for his vagueness. ¡°You¡¯re being intentionally indirect.¡± It made him laugh a bit seeing her react in such a manner. ¡°Well, you might wound him, having already forgotten him. You know the reason you came hunting us down across half of Atlantis. We¡¯ll be seeing Simonides.¡± She immediately knew the reason for the way he acted. It turned her face red before she raised her fist to him. ¡°Don¡¯t use my memories like that again!¡± Yori couldn¡¯t help but laugh seeing her face, even if it might have incurred some wrath. ¡°After nearly twenty years, maybe you need a little outside help.¡± ¡°Yori Mizuno, I¡¯m going to kill you!¡± ¡°Hey, I thought we moved past that part!¡± Chapter 261 - Burning Freedom Yumi listened to everything Yori said. Her hands lifted up to her mouth as each moment left her more shocked than the last. ¡°How can that be?! All this time¡­¡± Yumi turned her head towards the Capital, where Ayumi and Yuki had to be. ¡°¡­Ayumi¡­you planned all of this knowing that? Ayumi¡­¡± Yumi hung her head down, most of her face disappearing beneath the shadows. Suddenly, a hand grabbed her ankle. It snapped her out of her own world to stare below her. Ourias stared up at her with fierce determination. ¡°I won¡¯t lose¡­ I made a promise¡­¡± A wind suddenly blew out from Yumi. The area around her eyes turned dark as night. Severe lines carved into her face. An intensity not seen before shined from behind her eyes. ¡°You cannot stop me,¡± she uttered in a grave tone. ¡°Ayumi¡­ Not even hell itself will stand in my way! AYUMI!¡± Even faced with the other personality inside the girl, Ourias never saw such a murderous intent in her. The sight actually chilled his spine a little and shook his determination. She had the look of being willing to do anything. ¡®What happened suddenly? Is it another personality in this girl?¡¯ Staring down at Ourias, the lines around her eyes multiplied instantly. ¡°Let go,¡± Yumi demanded tersely. It seemed she had trouble keeping control of her voice as she almost exploded again. Only a second passed before she drew an arc with her finger. Released from her hold, it severed Ourias right arm at the upper arm. She ripped his arm free from her ankle with the use of her telekinesis and crushed it into nothingness. ¡°Don¡¯t make me¡­TELL you AGAIN!¡± Chapter 261 ¨C Burning Freedom Ourias staggered back with pain, fully waking all of his senses. Adrenaline pumped through his body allowing him to stand. The shortness of breath completely disappeared. Ripples ran out from his feet a moment later. Muttering words in a soft tone, a white material formed in the air to stretch over his wound. Straightened out, Ourias had his composure back. He knew what he had to do. The image of his family sat at the back of his mind. ¡°I can¡¯t allow you to pass.¡± ¡°Then you will DIE!¡± roared Yumi, casting out another arc aimed straight for his head. It faded away to water after a response from him. ¡°Nothing in this world will stop me!¡± Grinding his teeth together, she made it clear to him how much things escalated. ¡®Dammit, what¡¯s going on with her? Are you going to make me kill a child?¡¯ He summoned up his attack for Yumi. A mixture of his past types came out of the ground. However, her power seemed to have increased as she wiped it all out without even wasting a second. ¡®I covered up for the flaw in my power, so she won¡¯t be able to stop me this time, but with this sort of power I¡¯m not going to make any progress.¡¯ His invincible shield protected him from the next of Yumi¡¯s attacks until he was able to nullify it. The exchange continued with the stalemate. ¡®She¡¯s increased her attack speed to try to keep me from using my words to destroy her attacks. Even still, we¡¯re not getting anywhere. She¡¯s faster than I can react, but nothing she does will reach me.¡¯ Yumi took to the air, destroying the vines coming after her. ¡°I¡¯m wasting time on this pointless fight. My target lies in there.¡± Her gaze went to the city wall. She darted for it immediately, giving up the fight. Stone shards rained on her along with metal columns, but she dealt with them quickly and never slowed down. Still in sight, but far away, Yumi crashed into something before reaching her goal. She pressed against it harder trying to force her away through, but she wasn¡¯t strong enough. Pulling back, she drew up particles into her palm and fired a point blank blast at the invisible wall. Nothing. ¡°Damn you!¡± Yumi tilted her head back over her shoulder to Ourias. ¡°That desperate to die are you?!¡± She swiped her arm through the air to destroy the incoming attacks. ¡®I¡¯ve got her held down, but I need to bring her down.¡¯ Ourias stared up at the girl. The one that caused him so many troubles already. He wasn¡¯t fond of his job at times. It was never the life he wished to have. However, he couldn¡¯t change his course. ¡°I¡¯m ending this now.¡± Questioningly, Yumi stared at Ourias. She doubted he had anything to back up the claim. But she waited to see what he did. Anything created by him would be struck down all the same. The untouchable situation wouldn¡¯t change. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a metal column running for her like all of the rest. She stretched out her hand to deal with it, but nothing happened. ¡°Huh?¡± Yumi turned too late for it. The flat end slammed into her hand and then shoulder, sending her flying. Her body crashed into the barrier, which prevented her escape, before dropping to the ground dazed. ¡®What just happened? My power¡­¡¯ She stared at her hand summoning up the energy to confirm she still had it. ¡®It¡¯s not gone, then what?¡¯ Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t have a minute or even a second to contemplate her condition. Vines grew up from the earth to tie down her legs. Once more using her hands to cut through the plants did nothing. Her energy arcs broke apart upon impact. ¡®Again¡­¡¯ The situation became very clear to her what he wanted. She saw even more of his projectiles coming in. Immediately, she threw up a barrier to prevent their progress. While it fought with him, she worked to get her legs free. However, he already dissolved her defenses. ¡®Damn, he¡¯s persistent¡­¡¯ She put another barrier out, which lasted the same amount of time. It just was attrition at this point. He would penetrate her defenses in time. All she could do was put her hands up to attempt a defense. Clearly, it wouldn¡¯t be enough. A metal column shot through to her head ramming it against the wall. The heavy ringing of Yumi¡¯s head crushed into the wall echoed throughout the interior. Following the ringing even more flew in, smashing the column with each strike. Blood splattered upwards across the wall. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Yumi!¡± shouted Seiji, stuck inside with the others. The moment Ourias put the Field back up they received the paralysis again. He fought with his body to run to her. ¡®She¡¯s not moving! He didn¡¯t¡­¡¯ Seiji clinched his fists. Sidelined, while his friend couldn¡¯t fight back inflamed his blood. ¡°Bastard! Let me go and I¡¯ll show you a fight!¡± A cough. Attention shot over to Yumi again. ¡°I can¡­still fight¡­Seiji.¡± Yumi¡¯s voice wound through and underneath everything over her. It came out low and quiet, almost muffled. All of Ourias objects flew off into the far corners of the Field bouncing around a little before sticking themselves in the earth. The vines unwrapped themselves around Yumi¡¯s legs, but seem to be resisting against something. ¡°I¡¯m still in this,¡± she declared, emerging from underneath everything. Blood dripped over much of her face ruining her youthful appearance. However, it didn¡¯t stunt any of her determination. Flexing her hands a little, they felt tight and stiff. It was nothing she couldn¡¯t work out. ¡°If you want to put me down for good, you¡¯re going to have to do a lot better than invulnerable attacks.¡± Ourias¡¯ eyes narrowed with concern. ¡®I struck her directly in the head. I did injure her, but it should have killed her or at least knocked her out. She shouldn¡¯t be standing still.¡¯ Yumi defied his expectations and left him a little worried. He didn¡¯t know how much force he actually needed to kill her. She started walking towards Ourias slowly. The next attacks came after her. Waving her hand, the attacks diverted off behind her pounding out a heavy hollow tone on the wall. She kept moving forward. ¡°You can¡¯t stop me.¡± Her destination remained firmly planted in her mind. The obstacle before her was just a small bump. Pushing off the attacks with telekinesis, Yumi kept the march on towards Ourias. When throwing wasn¡¯t enough, she angled her barrier in sections to deflect them off. Her path remained open. Like a machete slashing through a thick jungle, she could see her path clearly. It was always open. Manipulating her barriers in pieces kept her safe when she finally stood in front of the only defense Ourias had. ¡°We meet again face to face. I¡¯m going to have to thank you for pounding my head into pudding back there. I¡¯m thinking a little straighter now.¡± She lifted her hand up to the shield protecting him. ¡®What are you planning? You can¡¯t break it. I made it impossible for you.¡¯ Energy gathered to her palm despite the impervious nature of the shield. Slowly it built up constantly as though size would change anything. The light of it expanded almost completely blocking her out of sight. Ourias thinned his eyelids trying not to be blinded by the light. ¡®What¡¯s she planning? Even blinding me won¡¯t change the shield.¡¯ However, the ground under him started to rumble. He only had a moment to look down before light exploded from under his feet. It hit him square in the stomach, throwing him up into his own shield. Surprise spread over his face. ¡®She was just distracting me from her real intention. The shield doesn¡¯t cover underneath me!¡¯ Blood sprayed out of his mouth. He fell back against the surface of the shield. Once the ball of energy dissipated, Ourias slid down to the earth slumped over. ¡°You seem to be copying me.¡± Yumi glared down at him. Despite no longer being rage filled, her lethal edge never left. It actually made her look even worse as she was no longer animal like, but wrapped up in a human shell, the shell of a teenage girl small and weak appearing. Wiping away the blood from his mouth, Ourias forced himself back to his feet. ¡°Then forgive me for repeating you by saying, ¡®I can still fight.¡¯ So don¡¯t think this over just yet.¡± He brushed his stomach where the blast burned through his clothes. It quickly repaired the visual damage to the cloth. ¡°You¡¯ll regret not finishing it there.¡± ¡°No. I know you¡¯ve already fixed your shield to encompass a complete sphere around you. But I¡¯ll still win.¡± The attacks became more difficult to deflect with her concentration focused away. She pulled back floating away as Ourias¡¯ strikes flew over her as though to block her path to him. Dozens almost hundreds of pieces of her barrier materialized around her. ¡°My mind was more awake this time around. So I actually remember pieces of things.¡± Counting on the next round of attacks, she shot out a small blast down at her side. Just before it came into range, beams from all sides bounced around off her scattered barriers creating a mesh of light. The attacks smashed into the beams unable to advance. Yumi cast her hand out dragging away everything cluttered up around Ourias¡¯ shield. As she timed out, he dealt with her beams. However, she flew in over top of the column and pulled on the back end to turn it around. The force off it sent it speeding towards Ourias¡¯ shield. A metal clang blew out from the impact. It seemed like the shield vibrated from the ringing, but didn¡¯t budge. However, before the column fell down Yumi lifted up the end she pulled on with her bare hands. Lifting above her head, she swung down on the shield creating another ringing. The sound started to become deafening. She swung repeatedly as if it was a bat. Ourias held his hands over his ears, being at the center of the racket. ¡®Is she trying to kill my ears? She knows she can¡¯t break through like that.¡¯ Then he realized. ¡®Concentration¡­focus¡­that¡¯s it.¡¯ It took him longer than he thought to remove it from his mind, but all of the ringing made it difficult on him. His discipline and mastery came back to fight against him. Maintaining everything was so simple for him that he didn¡¯t need much attention for it, but he had to focus to drop it. The pain finally started to ease up. ¡®I¡¯ll have to be faster about wiping things.¡¯ The next round came up for Yumi. She dodged the attacks rather than blocking or deflecting them. Her feet bounced around on their tops dancing around the air. When she needed to block, she pulled up a layer of her barrier, then rotated in a new one immediately. It pushed back just enough on the attack before it faded out that it could never make any progress and Ourias couldn¡¯t nullify it in time. ¡®Damn, she¡¯s getting more clever with her powers. Her speed is so fast that I can¡¯t even finish a word before it¡¯s pointless. I can¡¯t affect something that didn¡¯t exist the moment before.¡¯ The previous persona reminded him of his flaw. Covering up for the other flaws was possible, but it was the one that he had no cover. Worse for him, Yumi kept increasing the number that she stopped. He could only stare. Other feints did nothing to stop her. The superhuman reaction and awareness made it difficult for him to get anything over her. Crafting a completely invincible stone column, it rammed through everything straight for Yumi. However, it stopped just in front of her. ¡°Huh?!¡± He couldn¡¯t see anything she was doing. ¡®How is she stopping it?¡¯ Realization for him came a moment too late as she leapt up on the stone column. ¡®She must have made it too small for me to see behind the obstruction.¡¯ Yumi ran along the length of the column and hopped up to the next attack trying to knock her off. A barrage came after her to stop her advance. She flipped herself around running upside down skipping around to keep her position difficult to pin down. Finally, Yumi landed on top of the shield. ¡°Checkmate.¡± Ourias stared up at Yumi, confused at her declaration. ¡°You can¡¯t do anything.¡± ¡°Not true! I learned a couple of things about my power from her. This being one of them!¡± She planted her palm against the top of the shield. Suddenly beams projected everywhere around the Field to a center point at the top of the shield just inside. The energy passed through the shield unhindered gathering into a sphere at her command. It finished before a stunned Ourias could react covering the entire interior in a blinding light. Yumi knew it was over when she started to fall with the shield gone. He laid unconscious at her feet. ¡°Like she said, your defense allows non-aggressive acts through. I just had to alter the waveform of my energy into something that could pass through the shield. Did you think all of those things I was doing was just me playing around? I was testing it out and making the needed adjustments while I kept you distracted. I knew I only had one shot at it.¡± She turned away and started to walk off. ¡°Seiji have Nerine tend to any injuries he has. I¡¯m going after Ayumi. I¡¯ll save Yuki from her!¡± Seiji felt a little stunned from watching Yumi. She became someone that he hardly even recognized anymore. ¡®Is this really the same girl I saw back at the tree when the fairy called us?¡¯ Shaking off some of his slackjaw, he stood up helping Nerine and the others. He looked over at Yumi just as she started to fly away. ¡°Be careful, Yumi!¡± ¡°Save that for Ayumi when I see her again!¡± Being reminded of Ayumi and Yori¡¯s truth triggered her emotions with renewed intensity. She hardened the features in her face flying straight for the wall. Nothing mattered to her anymore other than preventing Ayumi. When she approached the city wall, a large hole punched through for her allowing her access to the Capital. ¡°I¡¯m coming to save you, Yuki!¡± Chapter 262 - Childish Dreams The state of her body didn¡¯t leave Fumiko much choice in listening to Yori¡¯s explanation. However, she found herself pushing her hand into the earth to get her body back up. She couldn¡¯t believe what she heard from him. ¡®If that¡¯s true she¡¯s been lying to us the entire time. This was always her goal.¡¯ Fumiko slammed her feet flat with the earth to straighten herself out. Across the Field stood the teenage girl she faced. The same self-hating expression held on her face. ¡®She knew we¡¯d never approve of such a plan. Yuki will be like the living dead, that¡¯s no quality of life. How can these people be so selfish to sacrifice people for their own well being?!¡¯ The barbaric and vile solution tightened her hand. ¡®How many centuries have they been doing this?! How many people have died because of their selfishness?!¡¯ Tiny toys swarmed around her laying into her with their weapons. Her body took the beating, but didn¡¯t fall. She clinched up her fist. ¡°I won¡¯t allow this to continue any longer!¡± she shouted up to the sky. Divine blue flames erupted from her arm snatching several of the evil toys out of the air to crush them. She saw the absorbing type coming in wanting her fire, but she threw down a blast at the earth. Clouds of smoke coughed up around them giving her enough of a distraction to wipe them out. Panting heavily and bleeding from her head and body, she earned herself a little room from the tiny minions. Any pain or fatigue in her body disappeared with the new rush of adrenaline. ¡°I¡¯m going to change this twisted world!¡± Chapter 262 ¨C Childish Dreams A new magic circle suddenly drew along Fumiko¡¯s back. Magic threads spun across her shoulder to her arm stump. Flailing about at the end of her upper arm, the threads hung in the wind. They slowly grew out in length. The action finally caught Fumiko¡¯s attention. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why is it going to where my arm used to be?¡± Unfortunately, Fumiko didn¡¯t have much time to watch what her magic seemed to be doing on its own. The villainous toys returned for more. She jumped around to stay ahead of their movements, but they were swift. It made it difficult to avoid everything. Even her flame couldn¡¯t be used as heavily as she would have liked. The absorption toys hovered around spread with the hope of her using a fireball carelessly. Using a small flame as a test, she went to strike down one of the myriad of dolls. As expected, the neighboring toy went in for the flame. The amount was small, but what it returned to her easily doubled in strength. She was able to counter it with her own fire. ¡®Damn, they¡¯re quick to move. It¡¯s as I figured. My flame¡¯s useless if I don¡¯t deal with those things, but she can create as many as she wants. I need something else.¡¯ She glanced over at her stump again, hopeful that it created something useful. However, threads continued to gather and spin together in the air. It was pointless as she figured. ¡®Tch¡­stupid body still thinks there¡¯s an arm there.¡¯ Distracted, the toys took the chance to pile up for an attack. Moving in waves, they pushed her back. Fumiko tried to fight back with her fist, but burning them barely slowed them down. And it left her with a wide opening that they charged through. Strikes rained down over her body staggering her back. Through squinted eyes, she saw the next major blow coming. ¡®Dammit! Give me something! Anything to use!¡¯ Magic arrays suddenly grew over the scarred end of her arm. The circles pushed out into the air shrinking in size as they spaced out. The threads tied down to the edges of the circles. Rotating around the circles called out more threads growing and thickening. Sacred light blew off the gathered magic. Expanding quickly a form grew out of the blinding light. Fumiko no longer knew what was happening. She crossed her arm in front of her to try anything to block the next attack. ¡®This is gonna hurt¡­¡¯ A metallic thud echoed around Fumiko followed by another. ¡°Huh?¡± Opening her eyes, she found the light almost blinding her. It was sunlight, she was certain. Lowering her arms down, she saw what it was. A metallic arm replaced her missing arm. Flexing the metal hand, it responded to her commands. It felt like an extension of her, though it had no feelings, no nerve endings. A perfectly smooth and seamless form of metal. It had more of an appearance of chrome with how shiny it was. ¡°Metal? How is this magic?¡± Flashes of the final fight against Simonides troops came to her. She still remembered what happened. The sight of metal stretched out everywhere under her feet. Metal like on her arm. ¡°This is the same¡­as before¡­¡± Just thinking about what happened made her arm shake. ¡°No!¡± She clutched her metallic arm to calm herself. ¡°I can¡¯t do this right now! I don¡¯t have that luxury! Focus!¡± The toys took a moment in pause for the new reveal of Fumiko¡¯s arm. It changed the situation, but only barely in their minds as they started to attack again. Fumiko had a little protection now with an arm that was solid. Even with it, little happened to push her forward. She swung her new arm around to swat the toys out of the air. It had enough force and hardness to smash them apart. Not that doing so did much, they would be back in moments. ¡°Come on, if you give me this arm it¡¯s got to do something more than just make me a little more functional! I need something useful or else this is still pointless!¡± Annoyed at the empty gesture by her magic, she slammed her hands together. Unlike with other objects, the flame arm actually made physical contact with the metal arm. Circles lit up all along both arms responding to something. Fumiko stared down a little confused at what happened. The light only seemed to be getting brighter as more symbols lit up over both arms. Magic threads wove down her arms towards her hands. ¡°What now?¡± Separating her hands in curiosity, she found something in a loose form spinning about between her palms. Given air and room, it suddenly expanded to fill out the space. It tried to hold into a sphere, but continued to bump and roll about misshapen. The threads remained attached to it with a different set of arrays lighting up on her arm. It triggered a different transformation in the molten material. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Almost immediately, it stretched out. Extending to nearly the full length of Fumiko, it thinned out and smoothed, starting to reflect light on its surface. The top end flatten and spread out creating a twisted and jagged form. As the headpiece finished taking shape a ruby revealed itself from the retreating material. It completed the look for the headpiece, carved out like a flame. Once finished, Fumiko pulled it free from the threads taking it into her flame hand. She didn¡¯t understand it fully, but it made sense. ¡°What? I can hold it?¡± The moment her hand clamped down firmly on the shaft of the staff the entire length of the metal pole lit up with intricate carved lines creating tiny symbols and lines. Fumiko could feel it pulsing with power. The glow on the headpiece intensified, becoming its own light. It all felt a little familiar to her, but significantly stronger. ¡°This staff, it¡¯s different from the other, but I remember¡­¡± The creation of it was different, but it felt like the same power was used in creating both. Fumiko stared at her metal arm. ¡®Does this have the power to create weapons? Is that the true power of this metal arm?¡¯ Unlike the converted broom she had before, this seemed to respond completely to her magic. She stared back at the evil toys all lined up wanting a piece of her. They seemed willing to wait on her to finish what she worked on before attacking. ¡°Want a piece of me?¡± she declared, suddenly brimming with confidence. She didn''t know if she should be, but the power in the staff was almost a rush. It didn¡¯t feel like she could lose with it. The first wave came in for her from multiple different sides. She swiped her metal arm through to destroy a few. Then she paused, calling on the magic in the arm. She knew what else it should be able to do and with only toys around her it was safe to use. An explosion of metal vines jumped out from her forearm piercing the flanking targets. Twirling the staff around, flames spun off the ends wiping out those coming up in the following round. She saw the absorbing type popping up hungry for her flame. ¡°Want to eat? Taste this fire!¡± Fumiko slammed the end of the staff into the ground calling out a large magic formula at the point of impact. Massive flames erupted over their whole area. She watched as they tried to suck it all in, but were overwhelmed by the volume of power. Explosions went off one after another as they exceeded their limits. Smoke blew out from all sides blanketing the area between the two girls. Fumiko charged through the smoke, not waiting for any more toys. She knew how quickly they popped back. Taking the initiative to strike on Glykeria could seal the fight for her. ¡®I can win this now! I can feel it! This is what I needed!¡¯ Swinging the staff, she threw out a massive wave of flames in front. It acted more like water than fire with the way it tumbled end over end rushing for the young teenager. Leaping a little, magic circles appeared on the soles of her feet. She landed on top of the fire wave, readying it like a surfer owning the ocean. Fumiko rode it in towards the true villain, still unmoved. Popping up around the growing flames, toys reappeared with the taste for Fumiko. Spinning around on the very top of the wave, she tossed out flames nearly the size of her body as if she was spitting. It came with ease. The path was clear. Waves of flames overran Glykeria completely covering her. Pops of smoke appeared, as it was likely toys attempting to mitigate the damage. There was too much for them to stop. The only certainty was burning quickly from all of the fire. Fumiko made sure to add a final dose from her staff fully powered up to ensure the kill. Fumiko jumped off to let the flames finish their course. She watched from the sidelines to verify it was over. ¡°I can¡¯t see how she¡¯d survive that. My magic is even more powerful than before.¡± A voice cracked through the flames, but remained mostly drowned out. It didn¡¯t call to Fumiko until it became a little clearer. ¡°¡­terrible¡­ ¡­hate¡­¡± All she could hear were fragments, words, but clearly it was Glykeria. ¡°Can¡¯t be¡­she¡¯s still alive?!¡± Something happened to her fire causing it to spread out and warp. It pushed away from the evil Glykeria revealing a dark form. At the center, the sadistic toy that belittled Glykeria appeared protecting her despite its size. As the flame started to fade away, more of Glykeria appeared. The fire affected her. She lost all of her skin, turned to only a blood and muscle mass nearly unrecognizable from the girl before. ¡°I really hate this life. And the world¡­¡± Suddenly, it all wiped away as though changing out a dirty sheet for a clean one. Her reappearance restored all of her youth. ¡°I hate this world!¡± Hundreds of tiny toys appeared all around her blasting back the remains of the fire. Fumiko clutched onto her staff for support as the gust coming off her dragged on her body. She felt her body slipping a little, but it ended before it became worse. ¡°Damn¡­she¡¯s still got this much left in her?! And how is she regenerating her damage?¡± ¡°A mouthy arrogant bitch like you should be more concerned about your own health,¡± the main toy said, appearing in front of her. ¡°Eh?!¡± She had no time to react before a heavy force struck her in the stomach. Blood coughed up from her lips as she flew backwards. ¡°Damn¡­not again¡­¡± Before she could even land, the toys gathered up around her and slammed her into the ground. Their various assaults of the elements and weapons left her bruised, battered, cut and burned along with anything else to describe her condition. In mere seconds, they did worse to her than everything up to that point. It felt that way at least. She couldn¡¯t think of a point on her body that didn¡¯t scream out in pain. Blood soaked most of her clothes that remained hanging on her. ¡®Everything hurts¡­but I need to keep moving¡­Yuki¡¯s in danger. I still haven¡¯t done anything for him¡­¡¯ Fumiko slammed her metal arm heroically into the earth, pressing through it a little. Hardening her determination, she grit her teeth through the pain to stand up. Everything felt thick like standing in water. ¡®I can¡¯t stop, not here!¡¯ Her hand clamped down tightly on the staff. Even with the power surging through her, the high she ran on had been soundly chopped down to size. ¡®I did cause her some damage even if she regenerated it. So if I just do enough all at once, maybe I can kill her!¡¯ Fumiko didn¡¯t know how much longer her body could hold out against her insistence. She kept pushing for more when it wanted none. ¡®All or nothing, if I can¡¯t end it here¡­ No, I can¡¯t think that. I have to keep standing up!¡¯ Focusing on getting her body moving, she used her flames to keep the vile toys off her. Unfortunately, they seemed super charged now. They were faster and stronger. They could even take more of her fire. Her advantage slipped away. ¡°¡­damn¡­it¡­¡± Struggling with her body, she forced herself back up. Unwilling to stop moving, Fumiko drew on everything she had. ¡®Speed¡­it¡¯s the only thing I have¡­I¡¯m not going to have enough strength for a second¡­¡¯ She knew there was only one thing that she still excelled at against them. ¡®If I don¡¯t want anymore pain, then just don¡¯t¡­get HIT!¡¯ Building up to a run, it felt like her legs were tearing themselves apart. The muscles burned. Blood dripped down her thighs. ¡°Faster! Faster!¡± She blasted fire behind her to force herself even harder. It was the kick-start she needed. Fumiko disappeared with her legs finally moving. Appearing behind Glykeria, she rammed the staff¡¯s headpiece straight into the villain¡¯s heart. ¡°Die! BITCH!¡± Flames ignited sharply all around them completely engulfing the child before it could even react. The toys came to a sudden stop all disappearing. Blue flames blurred out her body turning light blue almost white. Everything that was Glykeria incinerated leaving nothing behind. Fumiko collapsed on the spot. She breathed so hard that it felt like her lungs would crack her ribs. ¡°Finally!¡± ¡°Sometimes flames are necessary to allow something beautiful to grow in its place,¡± an unknown voice spoke. Surprise and shock turned Fumiko¡¯s head to the direction. ¡°No¡­can¡¯t be¡­¡± She watched in disbelief as a completely different woman appeared exactly in the same place that the evil had once stood. Now a woman, she had long deep flowing green hair almost too perfect. Any sign of the child disappeared, replaced with a matured woman at the start of her youth. She was a full figured woman, almost the idealistic image. She gazed down at Fumiko with almost kindness in her eyes as though she was looking for the positive in her. ¡°Though we must fight, I wish for a time in the future where we can walk hand in hand.¡± Glykeria smiled at Fumiko. Chapter 263 - Childish Resistance Slack jawed, Fumiko had no words for moments. Reality eventually slammed in the back of her head, pushing her forward. ¡°No way! I killed you!¡± The new version of Glykeria had an almost innocence in her eyes and nothing like the child-like innocence of the nine-year-old. Unlike the other, which had an almost hidden murderous intent, she felt like she just wanted to be friends with Fumiko and was saddened knowing that she couldn¡¯t. She understood the reality, but hoped for something different. It was the most complex version Fumiko met yet. Her body didn¡¯t want to move on her. Her legs almost felt numb from the torture she put them through. ¡°Damn, how many are you?! How many times do I have to kill you?¡± Glykeria knelt down at Fumiko¡¯s side. She gazed up and down the length of her body. ¡°You never killed me, but if you want to think of it like I don¡¯t mind. This is just how my power works.¡± ¡°Tch¡­¡± Fumiko felt cornered. She knew that Glykeria could do anything to her she wanted, but refrained from it. The new version made even less sense to her, though the others had very little logic to them either. At the very least, they all seemed willing to fight. This one felt like she restrained herself from doing so. What point was a pacifist? After everything that happened, Fumiko actually felt the most afraid in those moments of being examined. ¡®I already tried to kill her several times, she may do the same to me. But I don¡¯t know if she plans to, I can¡¯t read her at all. She seems the most frightening of them all, that placid expression.¡¯ Chapter 263 ¨C Childish Resistance Glykeria snapped her fingers; a doll appeared next to her. The same theme of weapon continued for her, but it was different just like the others. For this version of the woman, the doll was the size of about a human baby and had an unnervingly close appearance in the face of a real human. It looked almost like a horror prop as it clearly wasn¡¯t real, but if you didn¡¯t stare long it could easily have passed for real. ¡°Paramonimos, if you will.¡± ¡°Yes, as you command, Mistress.¡± The doll very politely bowed to the woman before floating away. It circled around Fumiko and grabbed her up by the tatters of her clothes. The weight of Fumiko¡¯s body was too much for them to hold together. Tears increased across the tunic until the doll grabbed her by the back of neck. What was left of her tunic slid off her shoulders revealing her bra with only one strap still holding together. Fumiko grimaced both from pain and embarrassment. She could do nothing to stop the woman. ¡°What the hell do you want?¡± Her lips quivered a little as she tried to hold up her resolve. Looking up at Fumiko, the woman now adult, Fumiko still held the number one spot, Glykeria walked closer. She bent over picking up the scraps that remained of the tunic. Offering it back to her for her modesty, Fumiko refused her. ¡°You¡¯re stubborn. A strong and willful spirit. However, it seems you¡¯ve reached the limit your body will allow. Please surrender now and this will all be over.¡± ¡°Surrender?¡± Narrowing her eyes with suspicion, Fumiko had trouble believing it would be so simple. It seemed more likely that she would be killed. Especially with all of the havoc they caused throughout Atlantis. ¡°I find¡­that unlikely¡­ You plan to kill me.¡± Poking her eyebrow up a little, the villain seemed a little surprised by the reaction. ¡°I don¡¯t want to kill you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m dead either way. If not by you, but by someone else. The blood on my hands is reason enough for someone to want to kill me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a rather sad outlook on your life.¡± She actually seemed ready to cry for Fumiko. ¡°You have to believe that there is still a chance. You can¡¯t give up just because the situation seems grim.¡± ¡°Huh? Aren¡¯t I the enemy to you? Should you really be saying such things?¡± ¡°We might be on opposite sides, but that doesn¡¯t mean we still can¡¯t reach for the same goal.¡± Her face turned flat as her disbelief increased. ¡°I think you exceeded anyone I know for naivety.¡± Fumiko stared at her, seeing a smile on her face. ¡°I wasn¡¯t complimenting you.¡± Fumiko reached behind herself and grabbed the doll, actually getting a grip on it thanks to its size. She pushed her flames into it and ripped it off her neck. The support it provided dropped her back down to the ground. She tightened her hold on it hoping to either crush or burn it, but neither happened. After a couple of seconds, she threw it back at the feet of Glykeria. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Slowly standing back on her feet, Fumiko worked up the most stoic expression she still had left in her. Her body screamed louder than her voice could grant words. The twitching in her face revealed the pain she tried to conceal. ¡°You want me to surrender, then come for me. Earn your victory!¡± Still a large unknown, she sort of hoped that the naivety would make her less of a threat as a fighter. ¡°I see. You leave me no choice then. While I did not start this, I will end it. Rest assured of that.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see what you¡¯ve got!¡± ¡°Para.¡± ¡°Yes, Mistress.¡± The doll flew forward ramming its tiny fist deep inside Fumiko¡¯s stomach. It tossed her back through the air. Blood sprayed in a trail of her wake. Fumiko felt lightheaded immediately. ¡®Guess I was wrong¡­¡¯ She ignored all her body¡¯s complaining and threw the staff into the earth. Multiple magic arrays expanded out over the area flooding everything in flames, a river of fire. Fumiko landed in the fire that raced out to catch her, magic circles appeared on her feet and hands. She turned her head up to the distance where the vile Glykera stood along with the doll. Underneath Fumiko, the flames carried her along a wavy river back to her staff. She snatched it back up, surfing with one hand running on the river and her feet. ¡®If my body doesn¡¯t have any strength, my magic remains just as strong. I haven¡¯t exhausted that yet!¡¯ Testing out the new doll, Fumiko fired off a quick succession of fireballs from her mobile position. All she saw was the lone doll. None of the others popped up as she had seen with the others. ¡®She¡¯s likely going to show the others soon. She¡¯ll need them to compete with my magic.¡¯ Yet, the doll deflected them with only its fists and even crushed the last one for good measure. The display impressed Fumiko admittedly. ¡®So she only needs the one. Is that it?¡¯ Questioning the situation didn¡¯t last for long. The doll charged forward. It easily crossed the distance in a single second that even Fumiko had a little trouble following it. Waves of fire rose up along her flank to overwhelm it. But it punched through completely unhindered. Fumiko leapt back, switching the stream''s direction to get her ahead of him. It still connected with her, but she managed to dampen enough of the force that it only pushed her faster along the fire. However, it kept up the chase. Quick exchanges between the two sparked along the flame¡¯s flow. Fumiko clearly came out on the losing side of most of them, even though she managed to stay in the fight through careful maneuvering. A battle of attrition remained attrition even if it looked like a stalemate. She couldn¡¯t keep up forever with the doll. Even using her surfing technique to reduce the stress on her body, her arms couldn¡¯t hold out. A new plan needed to be created if she stood any chance of turning her fortune around. ¡®Damn¡­this is getting me nowhere and this doll is even more annoying than the hundreds I dealt with before. It feels like it¡¯s getting even faster even though I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s just my body that¡¯s slowing down.¡¯ Fire rose up in front of Fumiko. It tried to push back the doll, but like before nothing happened. None of her magic spells could do anything. Even the metal vines failed to touch it. Nothing reached. ¡®I can¡¯t compete with this doll¡­¡¯ Fumiko glanced over in the distance at Glykeria. They were far away, nearly out of sight. The only idea she had left seemed like rehashing old ideas. ¡®If you have multiple lives, then I just need to keep burning until I exhaust all of your lives.¡¯ She worked to guide their fight back to Glykeria. Once she felt they were in range, she fired off a couple of spells at Glykeria to distract the doll. It bought the feint, while Fumiko slid around behind. ¡®You¡¯re just a normal human. You don¡¯t have the same reaction speed as your doll or me!¡¯ She completely flooded Glykeria in her flames. However, the flames suddenly went out as Glykeria slashed through them with her arm. ¡°Coming straight for me. You¡¯re quite predictable.¡± ¡°Is that so?!¡± Fumiko threw out a fireball straight at Glykeria¡¯s face. A hand moved in to catch the spell and crushed it. ¡°I¡¯m not so defenseless as you seem to think I am.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Fumiko looked down at her metal hand. ¡®I need something different.¡¯ Through the fight, she got a better feel of the new arm. The flow of magic through it became easier to understand. It responded to her will and command as she directed. Magic circles flashed all over the shiny surface. Out of her palm, the metal extruded until it became large enough for her to take hold. The moment her hand gripped the unformed molten metal it jumped into the shape within her mind. A scimitar grew out of the mass. Carved through the length of the blade, magic imbued it with power. It had a different purpose from her staff. Red glowed in the lines that coursed through the metal. Fumiko drew back the sword and swung it down at Glykeria. It briefly flashed with flames before it stopped suddenly. ¡°What?!¡± Bare handed, Glykeria had halted the blade she specifically crafted to cut her. ¡°The edge is supposed to be enhanced to be sharp enough to cut through anything!¡± ¡°I guess you failed then.¡± The villain closed her fingers to grip the blade. A quick twist snapped and crushed the blade. Shards of metal rained down in front as though confetti. It was completely worthless. ¡°This is where you fall.¡± She rammed her fist into Fumiko, crushing her ribs and soaking her blood on her hand. Gasping in surprise, Fumiko fell back. Her body completely stopped functioning. The flames disappeared returning her arm to normal and the metal dislocated from her arm. Blood pooled up from the fist size wound in her abdomen. ¡®I lost¡­I¡¯m sorry, Yuki¡­¡¯ Her eyes closed slowly, losing sight of the world. Glykeria materialized a new doll to rest on her hand. ¡°Tend to her.¡± As ordered, it floated over beginning work on the countless injuries that Fumiko sustained during the fight. She stared down at her bloodied fist with a look of disappointment. ¡°It didn¡¯t need to end like this. But I¡¯ve completed my assignment.¡± Paramonimos floated over to her right side. ¡°What is your next order, Mistress?¡± ¡°Nothing. The others still have their battles to resolve. We wait to see their conclusion. Then we¡¯ll act.¡± ¡°Understood, Mistress.¡± She looked back at Fumiko¡¯s unconscious body. Then she glanced at her condition. Glykeria let out a soft sigh. Her countenance suddenly shifted with a neutral expression taking over. ¡°She pushed me this far. But I never used my Field and my other self remained hidden. I wonder if there¡¯s someone out there that will force me to get serious. All of these games only keep things so interesting¡­¡± Chapter 264 - Almost Human The reality was Nereus hit Chiharu with numerous attacks. Still small, they began to add up. She lost more blood with each failure. ¡°I¡¯m tired of hearing your voice!¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m right,¡± he replied calmly, halting her attack. Nereus turned her around and threw her into the ground. However, Chiharu escaped from his grasp and came on the offense again. He could stop her all day. The amount of energy it expended was insignificant against such a beast. ¡°The way you are I can only see anyone following you dying. Failure of any leader is the death of those that follow them.¡± Chiharu suddenly stopped. While blind, her hearing still worked perfectly. His annoying voice continued to fuel her, until now. ¡°Death? Dead¡­my men¡­¡± Images from her raid on the Higoshi Clan¡¯s stronghold returned to her. She led her men on an attack for revenge for them killing her grandfather, yet she failed them. Men died listening to her. She failed. ¡°You¡¯re not a leader, you¡¯re just a failure. A mindless beast, barely better than the dirt you stomp on.¡± Failed. Just a failure. ¡®Worthless? They¡¯re dead because of me.¡¯ Her body started to shake. She couldn¡¯t move. All she could see were the images of her men. They were all dead before. ¡®I killed them. I failed them.¡¯ Chiharu completely lost sight of Nereus. The world disappeared. Everything went black. ¡®I¡¯m no leader. I fail at everything I do. I have to rely on others for my success. I¡¯m nothing.¡¯ The light left Chiharu¡¯s eyes. Her body was lifeless. She was dead to the world. ¡°Chiharu¡­ Chiharu!¡± A young Chiharu turned her head up catching the ball she bounced. It only took a moment to find who called out to her. ¡°Mommy!¡± She ran up to her mother standing at the doorway. ¡°There you are my dear!¡± ¡°Mommy!¡± Suddenly blood sprayed over her face. Confusion painted the young child¡¯s face unable to react to what happened. Blood continued to pour out soaking her in crimson. ¡°Mommy?¡± Her mother collapsed on the deck completely lifeless. Behind her, her father laid face down in a pool of his own blood. Scattered everywhere blood painted the walls and doors with men broken. A complete bloodbath. ¡°Dead¡­everyone¡­is¡­dead¡­DEAD!¡± Chiharu ran through the room into the hall trying to escape it. She only saw more and more death wherever she went. No matter the hall she turned down, she could not escape. Tears streamed down her face. ¡°Chiharu¡­¡± ¡°Grandfather?¡± She turned around, suddenly older, her normal age. Her eyes widened in shock to see him completely covered in blood. ¡°Why? Why did you fail me?¡± ¡°But I¡ª¡° Turning away, she fled from him as well. Only to come across even more dead. They seemed to be everywhere. She slipped on a pool of blood trying to turn away again. It dragged her towards the pile of dead. ¡°Lady Chiharu¡­¡± ¡°Why Lady Chiharu¡­¡± ¡°Why did I die?¡± ¡°I-I-I¡­¡± Chiharu couldn¡¯t answer. The mass of dead fell over top of her. She slid further into the abyss. Completely soaked in crimson. So soaked that it became a new skin for her. She was completely lost. Chapter 264 ¨C Almost Human ¡°Please hear me, everyone! You must listen!¡± It was distant at first, but grew stronger. Somehow the voice penetrated through everything. It shattered everything held around Chiharu. She awoke mentally in a void. The nightmare passed for the moment. She had some relief. However, someone intruded into her mind, despite how helpful it unintentionally was, she hated the feeling. ¡°What are you doing in my head?¡± The way his voice reached her seemed as though he stood next to her. However, no matter how she turned about in the space he was nowhere to be found. It didn¡¯t take long for him to start getting into the details. She picked up on the more manipulative wording he made before clarifying himself. Yet it did end up affecting her more than she thought. The idea of the weakling left to rot or being tricked and lied to the whole time, she wasn¡¯t sure what part of it actually affected her. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°Damn, the weakling¡¯s always getting himself into trouble. Makes me wonder why I even thought he¡¯d be worth my time.¡± Awakened from the other world, Chiharu stared a little more clearly at Nereus. The experience left her a little bothered, her past still haunted her. It was something that she could never out run. However, the whole thing gave something that she needed at the moment, a sober mind. All of the wasted energy on emotions that clouded her head flipped her view. She could finally see correctly. ¡°You¡¯ve returned. Have you made a decision?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Chiharu retrieved her tanto to slide into an offensive stance. ¡°I¡¯m fighting. I don¡¯t care about your tests or what you think might or might not be human. I know who I am and that¡¯s all that matters.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Water spun around Nereus in response to Chiharu''s declaration. He seemed ready to finish things with her. ¡°Then I will continue to remind you of the truth.¡± ¡°The only truth is that I¡¯m going to knock your arrogant ass off your pedestal.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not arrogance, only truth.¡± Chiharu sighed, he was a broken record. More depressing was that he seemed to believe it actually. ¡®He¡¯s not actually saying those things to taunt me like I thought. He just genuinely seems to believe completely in what he is saying. What sort of twisted upbringing did he have to warp his mind like that?¡¯ With the emotions and rage removed from her eyes, Chiharu saw Nereus in a completely different light. It was actually hard to be angry with him. She almost pitied him for not knowing better. ¡°Yeah, yeah, let¡¯s just get this going.¡± He still seemed less interested in being proactive. So it was Chiharu that took the initiative to strike first. She had no plan, just needed to start something. As she went through the first few attacks, she planned to watch and figure something out. However, the first strike told her so much more about him than she expected. Like always, it guided straight to his hand to block. She expected that, but she didn¡¯t expect to see or feel what she did during it. ¡®How did I miss that before? It¡¯s so obvious¡­¡¯ Chiharu needed to be sure, but it seemed her mind had been more clouded than she realized. Attacking a second and third time, she verified it. ¡®I¡¯m right. That¡¯s actually quite simple, though¡­¡¯ Chiharu sheathed her sword with her checks completed. Ready, she disappeared moving straight for Nereus. Stealth attacks were unnecessary. Her fist lined up directly for him, but hit sudden resistance. It was hard for her to describe, but simply felt like thick air. The density was enough to draw her out of her speed and slow down her fist significantly. She could see him already moving his hand and her hand being guided down to him. An exterior force pushed and acted like a guide rail. Anything else rather than the opened path was so thick it was too easy to take the least resistant course. However, she understood it now. She pushed with her strength altering the course. Her fist missed his palm and hit square in his chest knocking him back a meter. Staggered and surprised, Nereus took a moment to pause. A shallow cough came up from the hit, though he wasn¡¯t injured from it. Once he recovered, Nereus looked back at Chiharu with a different look in his eyes. He actually seemed to be seeing her. ¡°So you might actually be alive after all.¡± Chiharu cocked her eyebrow up at his response. ¡°That¡¯s an odd way of saying I figure out your defense.¡± ¡°Since you seem to potentially be worth taking a little more seriously, I¡¯ll cease my defensive stance.¡± The water around him suddenly came to a complete halt. Out of the surface shot several long cone shaped forms. Chiharu evaded them with ease as they moved almost too slowly for her. It was the first time he acted on his own rather than a counter to her. ¡®So he can actually make offense, but if this is all he¡¯s got it¡¯s going to be disappointing. Now that I know what¡¯s going on, it¡¯s completely changed.¡¯ However, when she started to move for her next strike, the first water cone, already passed her, shrank and grew quickly in size before exploding. A little surprised by the secondary effect, she wasn¡¯t able to dodge everything. Not knowing what it did, she preferred to not be hit, but it only felt a little warm. She was certain she saw some steam trailing off it as it exploded. ¡®Steam? He boiled the water?¡¯ Questioning it didn¡¯t have the time. He already went into his second round of attacks. They varied in being perfect cubes flying at her. The speed significantly increased over the last forcing her to stay aware. One barely clipped her and it felt like a wrecking ball slammed into her. It knocked her off balance, but nothing she couldn¡¯t recover from. ¡®I can manage this sort of pace, this battle¡­¡¯ Her confidence returned seeing his attacks. ¡®I¡¯ll need to try to end this quickly if I can. I can¡¯t be certain of the others'' fights and if the weakling is in trouble as the brother says, then I can¡¯t spend time on this man for long. I came all the way out here because of him¡­¡¯ The fight finally found its rhythm. No longer one sided, both sides had to be in effort. Dodging remained Chiharu¡¯s focus, while testing his defenses. They naturally changed after she broke through. The density increased, but he no longer guided her around in the same fashion. He didn¡¯t allow her much time to test before running with another water attack. ¡®I mostly just used her as an excuse. She saved me. So I guess I was grateful, but she was strong and unyielding. Nothing seemed to stop her. She was everything that I¡­¡¯ Dancing around the Field, water started to build up on the grass. When Chiharu ran out it splashed. The number of water attacks continued to increase, each adding more to the developing swamp. It didn¡¯t slow her down for now, but she worried about the conditions as the fight dragged out. ¡®She was most of the reason, but there was something odd about the weakling. He had a strange strength that I didn¡¯t understand. I wanted to know more¡­ I thought it might be important¡­¡¯ As Chiharu tasted more of Nereus¡¯ attacks, she began to get an understanding for them. She realized he could alter the density. It was always water, normal water, nothing magical or supernatural. He always used natural laws to govern it. Even though he could make it so much more with different properties, it was purely science driven. Even though such a conclusion still left her with one question that was at the core of everything that he did. What was his theme? What was the single answer that tied together everything? It might have been scientifically explained what he did, but it didn''t answer how he created water. She didn¡¯t have that answer yet. ¡®Though once we were in this strange land, I saw the sister step up. I could see what she wanted and others followed her. I had to know more, see how it worked. I needed¡­¡¯ Every action Chiharu made went towards figuring out his power. She knew if she figured out the final piece that she would be able to defeat him. It was a lot of weight on a single bit of intelligence. Yet, she knew despite the progress made against him without it he still had the advantage. The unknown quality of his power held great versatility that she couldn¡¯t fully predict. Water continued to rain down over the Field. It actually surprised her that he kept it around, but it made her cautious. All of it could be part of his plan. Despite his more aggressive state, she didn¡¯t feel he still fought seriously. It seemed like he held back most of his tricks still. A fact that concerned her a little. ¡®I know¡­ They have something¡­something I¡­¡¯ Chiharu slid over the water soaked grass. Small waves splashed around her. Her hand gripped against the water to slow down her movement. He actually countered rather than blocked her. Inconsistency was the only consistent thing she could say about his method of fighting. It made it difficult to react. Finally, she came to a stop several meters away from Nereus. She felt the water drip down her fingers. ¡®I need it. This won¡¯t be the end.¡¯ Chiharu stood up, tightening up her hold of her kunai. She rubbed her fingers over her thumb on her free hand feeling a little off about something. ¡®I know what I lack and until I obtain it¡­ I won¡¯t stop following them¡­watching them¡­ What I desire¡­ What I need¡­¡¯ Chiharu reaffirmed her resolve. Nereus¡¯ comments struck a painful point on her. But it was behind her now. She knew the path in front of her once more. It was all clear. Suddenly water jumped up all around her. It rotated in tendrils that slowly grew wider. They all converged to a point in front of Chiharu forming a sphere of water. A moment later, a jet of water shot out from the sphere like a cannon straight for Nereus. Chapter 265 - More Than Human Surprised by the completely different method of attack, Nereus had little prepared to respond. Only the water and his existing defenses saved him from a complete defeat in that instant. However, the water poured all around him forcing him back. Controlled by the pressure of the water, it lifted him off the ground. Carried more than thirty meters, it finally stopped. Nereus fell on his back unmoving. Nearly equally surprised, but actually more taken aback was Chiharu. She kept staring around at the water that continued to flow around her. ¡®What¡¯s this? I thought it was him, but it attacked him.¡¯ Running her fingers through the water gave her a strange sensation. Something triggered in her mind. It felt like she was feeling out through the water almost. Chiharu took a step back, trying to distance herself from the strange water. The sensations it gave her felt almost natural yet she knew it shouldn¡¯t be. It unnerved her how her body almost seemed to want it. ¡®What¡¯s wrong with me? Is this¡­¡¯ The water lowered back to the ground becoming inert once more. Whatever life it obtained disappeared the moment she left it. Chiharu stared at the water still feeling the odd connection coursing through her body. It was almost as if she could manipulate it as if it was an extension of her body. ¡®It was almost like someone cut something off from me. Not like severing a limb, but nothing so minor as losing a few strands of hair either. It¡¯s so unsettling.¡¯ The water still stuck to her finger tips rolled around. She stared intently on her fingers watching as the water seemed to bead up. The more she pushed it around the more it built up as if it was gum sticking everything to it. ¡®Is this really me?¡¯ Movement in the distance alerted Chiharu away from the distraction. Nereus looked to be recovering from her attack. ¡®Damn, I didn¡¯t need this right now.¡¯ Glancing back, all of the water on her fingers finished gathering from all of the rolling. A tight sphere of water hovered in her palm. If she needed any further clues, that settled it for her. ¡®A new power, completely unrelated to any of my other abilities. Why now? I don¡¯t even know how it works or if it¡¯ll be useful against him. It caught him off guard once, but he uses water too.¡¯ Soaked and bruised, Nereus appeared to have sustained damage from Chiharu¡¯s attack. He looked a little uneasy in his walk, but returned quickly. ¡°So you¡¯ve been holding back your true abilities.¡± Chiharu saw the look in his eyes change once again. He saw her, but it was more than just acknowledgement like before when she broke through his barrier. He actually seemed to only be focused on her. All attention narrowed to her. He wanted to see more. It almost seemed like he judged her equally. ¡®I wasn¡¯t holding back anything, but I¡¯m not going to tell him that I discovered a new power. He¡¯d take advantage of it knowing I didn¡¯t know how to control it.¡¯ She fixed her stance to remove any doubt she had about the water power. All she could present to him was confidence and certainty. ¡°You seemed to be holding back as well.¡± ¡°True, but it didn¡¯t seem fair to use my full power on someone that proved they were merely a normal human.¡± Chapter 265 ¨C More than Human Chiharu perked her eyebrow up to his odd statement. In his words, he admitted to upgrading her status, yet it still seemed like a strange contradiction. ¡°You¡¯ve got a strange world view. What I¡¯ve been doing would hardly be considered normal by the rest of the world¡¯s standards.¡± He tilted his head a little, returning similar confusion. ¡°There is no one else in the world besides other Meso Prosecho. You¡¯re the first human I¡¯ve met that doesn¡¯t have the same abilities. So what other standard would there be?¡± ¡°Are you being serious? You literally don¡¯t view the eight billion people in the world as human?¡± ¡°There¡¯s only a few thousand humans in the world.¡± She couldn¡¯t help but drop her mouth open a little in surprise. Chiharu figured out from watching before that he seemed to be serious about his perceptions of others, but she didn¡¯t think it ran so deep. ¡°You believe that without any doubt that everyone without abilities like yours is not even part of the same species as you. I don¡¯t understand how you can actually function like that.¡± ¡°This is just the reality of the world. But you¡¯ve proven yourself to be among us. I didn¡¯t think it was possible for there to be a different type of human like you.¡± Chiharu could only shake her head listening to him. Arguing with him was pointless. She saw how deeply it went just by looking into his eyes. She already saw before it was genuine and no act. This only confirmed it with further proof. ¡°Let¡¯s just finish this,¡± she said, settling on focusing on the fight rather than his delusional beliefs. The water hovering around Nereus suddenly evaporated. Humidity increased dramatically with the air pressure dropping. ¡°Very well. I do have my orders to place you under arrest.¡± Dark clouds grew out above them as the furthest point of his power. Winds suddenly picked up dragging everything loose along. The change in the atmosphere and scale of the powers displayed made Chiharu certain that he pulled out all of the stops. ¡®He¡¯s getting serious now. His power extends to even creating storms.¡¯ Rain began to drop over the battlefield. ¡®This is more than just a water power. Something else is at work.¡¯ Continuing to modify the weather, the storm became worse. Lightning strikes jumped from the clouds in the distance bouncing around the light. The cracks and rumbles of the storm echoed throughout the Field. Despite the change in the conditions, Chiharu wondered how it gave him any advantage. ¡®If I¡¯m understanding my power, this is more of a benefit to me. All his attacks have followed natural laws that can be scientifically explained. So what does he have planned?¡¯ Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Chiharu suddenly felt the hair on her arms and the back of her neck stand up. A strange feeling washed over her body. The air felt oddly charged and warm. Her body reacted before her mind realized what was happening. ¡®Lightning!¡¯ Sure enough, a split second later only centimeters away from her a massive bolt of lightning struck. The heat and discharge knocked her off balance. Proximity to the flash blinded her. Chiharu rolled over the grass to a stop. She could still feel the warmth coming off of it from a few meters away. It persisted around longer than she thought possible. ¡®Damn that was close¡­what are the odds of that?¡¯ Before she could even regain her sight, the same feeling came over her again. She knew better now what it meant and jumped out of the way, even lacking her sight. A third came as well, each seemed to have a greater intensity than the last. When the fourth hit it became clear to her the truth. ¡®He¡¯s able to control lightning as well. Making pinpoint strikes in succession would not be possible if he wasn¡¯t controlling it. It¡¯s statistically impossible, but that¡¯s more proof his power isn¡¯t water¡­ It¡¯s something else¡­¡¯ Failing on the strikes, the lightning calmed down. However, Chiharu detected a new change in the weather. The wind grew stronger starting to approach gale forces. ¡®What¡¯s he planning now?¡¯ Her eyesight still hadn¡¯t recovered. Blurs were the only thing she could see. A dull tap knocked on her leg, signaling to Chiharu something new. ¡®Wish I could see¡­¡¯ Chiharu moved around guessing he might have been sending something at her. Her eyesight improved, but not enough yet. Something else hit her, making her jump away only to be hit again and again in quick succession. The objects were getting larger and heavier. ¡®Hail?¡¯ The longer it lasted the more certain she became it was hailing. Dodging it all meant nothing if she couldn¡¯t see it, but so far the impacts weren¡¯t even something that hurt. Yet, she could tell they constantly increased in size. Eventually, it would probably start causing problems. As her eyes finally started to see again, the degree at which hail filled the sky took her back a step. It was almost as dense as rain, but varied greatly in size. She had actually been pelted by numerous smaller pieces that she didn¡¯t even notice. ¡®He must be doing something with the storm to create such extreme weather. The control he has makes it seem more like his power is weather and the water he used before was just a facet. Yet I don¡¯t even think that¡¯s right¡­ Something about his defense doesn¡¯t sit right with me¡­¡¯ Regardless of her theory crafting, Chiharu had more immediate concerns. The hail continued to grow dramatically in size. He created an impossible scenario with an extreme storm. Hail fell denting the earth with their size surpassing small watermelons. Chiharu got better at dodging now that she could see them. However, the screen of hail made it impossible to avoid them all, she had to pick which hit her. ¡®Damn¡­¡¯ The progressive degree of the situation becoming worse came sooner than she expected. Even the smallest pieces of ice were still large enough to leave bruises. ¡®I need to do something about this, running is just going to delay things.¡¯ When she heard the splashing of water under foot from the increased rainfall it reminded her of the one asset she had unexplored. ¡®It might be able to do something. At this point I won¡¯t know unless I try¡­¡¯ Chiharu hated the notion of using something untested. It only worked once when she wasn¡¯t even trying. She had no guidelines on how to use it. No practice or training told her what it could be used for or even how long it took to activate. The whole thing was the worst type of unknown for her, completely unrelated to any physical training. ¡®I need something, anything once more. Something to deal with this hail¡­¡¯ She ran her fingers through the water at her feet as he knelt down. All the while, she waited for something to happen with her body ached from the pounding. She had no protection of any sort, her chainmail destroyed. ¡®Do something!¡¯ Nothing. Waiting any longer meant suffering the beating of nature. ¡®Should have known to trust something I don''t understand.¡¯ Standing up, the water on her fingers followed her stretching out to long threads. ¡®What the hell is this?¡¯ She tried to pull her hand away, but the water just followed until it laid down four columns in front of her. The larger chunks of hail bounced off, unable to break through. Pleased with the results, she drew up another set with her other hand to weave a net in front. The defense held, but it left her completely stationary. She had no offense. Drawing her hands away from the water, she tried to separate from it. She needed to get back into the fight. However, it wouldn¡¯t break away. It followed everywhere she moved her hands. ¡°Damn thing. Break.¡± Unfortunately, she left holes in the defense requiring her to dodge to avoid a massive rock of ice flying at her. It caused her to rotate around the anchor position wrapping the water up into a tangled mess on her waist. ¡°Dammit!¡± Chiharu nearly fell over trying to recover from the trap. The water finally broke and released her. Stumbling around, the water still clung to her fingers even if it freed itself from the ground. ¡°Get off!¡± She rubbed her hands up and down her leather under jacket to try to get it off her fingers, but it only seemed to spread it further. A few moments later, she realized the water actually started to grow and stretch over her body. It covered in the gaps between the threads until completely wearing itself on her like another layer of her clothes. Yet it was when she stopped feeling the hail that she realized what occurred. ¡®I have new armor, stronger than conventional armor¡­¡¯ She liked the feel of it, her body felt comfortable with it for some reason. When Nereus realized that hail stopped having an effect it ceased. However, the wind suddenly picked up even harder. It became harder to hold her position as the wind exceeded standard typhoon force winds. Worse was she looked up towards the clouds. ¡°Is that a tornado?¡± She never saw one before or even had to deal with it in Japan, but it fit with what she knew about them. ¡°This just keeps getting more absurd. What next? A typhoon?¡± Aspirated or not, Chiharu didn¡¯t have much time to argue with reality. The tornado already started to touch down only twenty meters away with a path locked on to her. ¡°¡­crap¡­¡± She knelt down dragging her fingers through the water to pull up more threads. The connections felt a little more natural to her and attached to her. She repeated it quickly several times to give herself plenty of anchors as the winds started to pick her up off her feet. ¡°This is not how I wanted to experience my first tornado¡­¡± she complained as it completely swallowed her up. Nereus watched from his safe position completely unaffected by the entire storm system. ¡®She¡¯s got some interesting powers. Though judging from the way she acted, it doesn''t seem she¡¯s in full control of them.¡¯ Calling down the tornado, he felt would be the point that she reached. It seemed unlikely for her to escape. Yet, the tornado developed a distortion near the base as the first signal. He leaned forward a little curious about what she tried to achieve. In the next moment, a massive beam of blue light ripped through the walls of the tornado. It tore through in a spiral pattern up the collapsing structure. Out of the gray bands of wind, Chiharu burst through trailing threads of her water anchors. She closed the gap between them quickly with Nereus'' defense trying to account for her. Water flowed over her fist and arm thickening until her arm became disrupted and impossible to see. It hardened into a punching drill that smashed through all of Nereus¡¯ defenses. Her fist slammed into his chest tearing up his uniform and exploding in long serpentine water dragons that sent him flying out of control for meters. The storm broke quickly with the loss of Nereus¡¯ Field. Chiharu landed dripping water off her body with the release of her power. She sighed and breathed out heavily. Walking over to Nereus, she stood next to him. ¡°Remember my lesson, no one is created equally, but we¡¯re still all the same when you strip everything away. A human is not simply defined. So try using that head you¡¯ve got.¡± She paused looking back at their battlefield. ¡°If you¡¯re intelligent enough to control things at the atomic level, you should be able to not be blinded by such a flawed dogma.¡± Nereus¡¯ eyes widened in surprise. ¡°You¡¯re the second one to ever figure it out. You¡¯re certainly worthy to be human and among the same ranks as my comrades.¡± Chiharu stared at him a little tired of his continued need to set position. ¡°I already told you, you can¡¯t simply define a human. We have unlimited potential.¡± She stared across the open fields back to the Capital. Inside, she knew the weakling raced towards a dark fate. ¡°Hopefully, I can figure out mine by following them. I¡¯ve found that I can¡¯t discover the answers alone anymore¡­¡± Chapter 266 - Unchained Beast Doubt was a bit of an odd and surprising thing for Haruo. He had little emotions about the whole journey through Atlantis. The things he saw certainly gave him an opinion, but nothing that really made him feel something. It was simply their reality and he accepted such facts. It wasn¡¯t really his place to do anything about it. He had other issues to sort through that their problems were the least of his concern. Even during the other fight and the ones he watched, it didn¡¯t really have much effect on him. It was just things he expected to happen. They were unavoidable scenarios. Even the one he found himself at the moment was unavoidable. He understood that part. He understood his role needed for the situation. Yet he still had doubt. He had no answer for it. He just wasn¡¯t certain how things would play out. Now that he knew how Teris¡¯ power worked and how he made the most of the loophole everything changed. A part of him felt more surprised that none of them ran into such scenarios sooner. He thought about the real possibility of it the moment he watched Yuki exploit how their powers work. It was a strange condition for their power to start. They could completely rewrite the universal laws to their desire with mere thought. It required almost no effort or training to alter reality. Yet, their own body and mind remained immune to their own power. It was the only constant in a world they filled with their imaginations. However, it made less sense that it would stop there, it presented them with an incredible flaw. An ultimate power at the cost of the greatest weakness, frailty. Covering up those flaws only made sense. Every one of them they met did the same thing to protect themselves and prevent their weakness from being exposed. Yet none of them tried to eliminate it completely. It should be the most natural step. Yet, the fact it didn¡¯t happen meant he didn¡¯t fully understand everything about their power. Standing back on his feet, Haruo met gazes with Teris. The man that used to be just a lanky appearing scientist altered himself dramatically. ¡®How much did this rewrite his body? Will he be able to keep it up?¡¯ While not grossly blown out of proportion by muscle, Teris looked more like a bodybuilder now rather than someone average off the street. Yet the increase in his body also gave him greater speed, something troublesome for Haruo. ¡®He seems like a well tested person, so I doubt everything he¡¯s done to himself will end up disadvantageous to him in any way. This is only getting more troublesome.¡¯ His body wasn¡¯t broken from the surprise attack, but it did leave some ringing throughout him. Haruo could continue, he just needed to keep Teris away from him. The lion walked up behind Haruo, nearly completely recovered from the last attacks. ¡®I¡¯m not sure how many more animals I can make. I¡¯ve done more than I¡¯ve ever attempted. My body is fine, but I can feel a strange lack of energy. I¡¯m guessing that means I¡¯m not going to be able to make many more¡­ Can I deal with him with what I have left in me?¡¯ Chapter 266 ¨C Unchained Beast ¡°Coming up with a new plan?¡± grinned Teris, his eagerness was hardly disguised on his face like the muscle on his body. ¡°I look forward to dissecting it and breaking it down to understand how it works!¡± ¡°Rather simplistic.¡± ¡°Simplistic, but knowledge and understanding is the greatest a man of science could seek. I¡¯m in the unique position of never being out of new things to discover. This is the greatest life a scientist could want! The dream of everyone!¡± In a way, Haruo could understand his desires. While he lacked the strong motivation that Teris seemed to possess to seek out more knowledge and the unknown, Haruo certainly appreciated the effort as one who also sought to learn more. Their goals and motives remained very distant. ¡®He¡¯s starting to sound a little preachy and caught up in his own emotions. Maybe that¡¯ll be the edge I need.¡¯ Marching the lion back into combat, Haruo needed to test Teris¡¯ new attributes. He had a good sense already from the first strike. But he needed to know if his animals could even keep up. All Haruo had were his animals. The only advantage of his body was the defensive properties. He knew he could deal with much that Teris tossed at him, unless he tried to increase his body further. Freed of traps and bombs, the lion had full range to move around. It tried to out flank Teris, but such a thing wasn¡¯t possible. Teris had strength and speed to his advantage. The two clashed once the lion charged in and despite the size, Teris held his position. He clearly had to struggle with the lion, but in the end, the lion was tossed away. ¡®So it¡¯s not going to be enough.¡¯ Teris walked over to the collapsed lion. Lust carved deeply into his eyes. He had to know how it worked. The lion tried to fight back against Teris¡¯ strength, but was overpowered. It was futile. Ripped apart and wounded of its pride, the lion laid unable even to move after Teris finished. Its regeneration kept it alive even when it rather died. Rubbing his chin in thought, Teris stared with great intent. ¡®I¡¯ve destroyed plenty of these already. Size and strength notwithstanding, it¡¯s very resistant more than the others. Is it because it is larger or for different reasons? The regenerative properties also seem to be more powerful as well.¡¯ A constantly reviving subject made things easier for Teris, but also complicated matters. He had to be quick if he wanted to reach deeper. Glancing back to Haruo, who remained still the whole time made him ponder something else. ¡°Afraid? Scared¡­ No, you are an interesting one indeed.¡± Teris picked up the lion and cast it at Haruo. The speed should have been enough to surprise even Haruo, but he just stepped aside. The lion dropped just out of reach. ¡°There¡¯s nothing there. I can¡¯t see anything in your eyes. Surprise, sorrow, hate, nothing. You¡¯re completely devoid of any emotion.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve no need for such things. They¡¯ve all been burned from my body.¡± This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°Now that¡¯s very interesting. However, it does explain something. Why you¡¯re so difficult to motivate. You¡¯ve got no passion.¡± Raising his eyebrows, Teris¡¯ reaction left him a little curious why it mattered. He didn¡¯t know why it was important. ¡°It¡¯s unnecessary.¡± Teris started to laugh listening to Haruo. ¡°You might actually be more suited to being a scientist than myself.¡± However, he quickly came to a stop and lifted a finger to make a point. ¡°From one side anyway. Objectivity is valuable. Emotions can get in the way of breakthroughs. However, no passion or strong emotions will leave you unable to keep moving forward. You lose that never say die spirit that is so important to the world changing moments.¡± Thrusting his finger at Haruo, he made his declaration. ¡°You lack that important quality!¡± Haruo remained silent. A pointless debate to enter while they still fought. He went over to the lion to touch it. Any remaining wounds recovered immediately. It stood up next to him once more. ¡®He¡¯s simplified matters by making this a more straightforward fight. Yet I don¡¯t have anything strong enough, not from what I witnessed.¡¯ Teris grinned over at Haruo. He charged straight for him, becoming a bit of a blur in his movements. Actually prepared and familiar with his movements, Haruo could defend himself against the direct strike. Teris tried to push him back, but the strength he had wasn¡¯t nearly enough. ¡°Silence, huh? It doesn¡¯t change the fact that it¡¯ll be the reason you won¡¯t beat me. It¡¯ll be over soon!¡± Suddenly a new burst of strength came from Teris breaking the balance Haruo had. Teris pushed harder, throwing Haruo back again. In defense of Haruo, the lion jumped out for Teris. It clamped down on Teris¡¯ new arm, yet made no progress against him. Teris jerked his arm sideways at an angle. Tossed the ground, he pinned the creature to the earth with his foot. ¡°Your pets are pointless to me now. I¡¯ve analyzed them enough.¡± He thrust his hand deep into the chest of the lion ripping out the glowing core. Holding it tightly in his hand, the rest of the lion disappeared into white particles. ¡°It¡¯s surprisingly simple. This is their heart or brain, however you want to label it. Without it, they cease to be and are unable to regenerate. This is their weakness.¡± Teris tightened his hand around the lion¡¯s core until it crushed into particles. He spread the remains into the air letting it pour from his fingers. ¡°Curiously enough, you still hold one secret that I haven¡¯t solved yet. How your power functions on a fundamental level. I can guess and theorize for a while, but that¡¯s not going to give me any answers. I had hoped in fighting you I¡¯d figured out enough clues to understand the more critical part.¡± Wiping off the particles from his hand, he started to approach the still prone Haruo. ¡°Yet, you¡¯ve done well concealing that aspect from me. I know you put something into these cores, which seem to be anything even made from the earth. Though this one didn¡¯t have the same consistency or fragility of the ones you created from the earth. So my guess, you used something else to create this core. But the question of what you¡¯re putting into these cores will explain your curious power.¡± Teris dug up some of the earth as he approached. He pushed his fingers through the crumbling brown mass. ¡°Someone less logical and scientific might claim you¡¯re putting spirits into this, which might answer why you use the earth. However, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case. It¡¯s something else. Something from you. A power you hold inside yourself, but what power is that?¡± Brushing off the dirt, he cleaned his hands and stood before Haruo. Still emotionless, there did seem to be a hint of loss of interest. He didn¡¯t really seem to care about indulging the man¡¯s whims. At least that was how it appeared to Teris. ¡°Seems I won¡¯t be getting those answers from you, at least this way. You¡¯ve satisfied my requests. Now I just have to satisfy my orders. But don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll ensure your body tells its secrets before they execute you.¡± Teris lifted Haruo up by his neck to hold him hovering off the ground. ¡°Looks like things will be ending for you soon. I wonder if you¡¯ll feel regret. Emotions are important.¡± Disinterest in Haruo¡¯s eyes suddenly changed the moment he heard Yori Mizuno¡¯s voice in his head. ¡®Please hear me, everyone! You must listen!¡¯ Without even waiting a moment, his mind already worked out all of the angles to how it was possible. His mind sped through the scenarios quickly. However, the moment he heard about the situation Yuki Hayashi faced Haruo something changed for him. Teris looked away from Haruo. ¡®What¡¯s that sound?¡¯ It sounded distant or faint. He wasn¡¯t sure which, but it quickly changed. Something massive slammed into Teris breaking his grip over Haruo. Haruo dropped and Teris flung several meters away. The whole situation flipped. Recovering, Teris discovered that his left arm was completely broken in three different places. The shock of the pain finally washed away allowing it to reach him. ¡°Damn¡­shit! Argh¡­I don¡¯t think there¡¯s enough words in the language to describe this.¡± Quickly grabbing for his portal, a white massive object slammed into him again, breaking his opportunity. On his back, it took him even longer to recover from the most recent strike. ¡°What did he pull out?¡± The hit actually dazed his vision enough to make it challenging to focus. It prevented him from clearly seeing what suddenly roared before him. The volume was enough to kill any hearing he might have had and felt like it actually might have sent him tumbling away. It seemed even the earth quaked in its presence. Slowly standing up, Teris found the pain difficult to concentrate on what he needed. He felt fortunate most of his powers didn¡¯t rely on his mind. His vision started to clear up to grant him a view of what he dealt with. ¡°So what is it now? Oh, you¡¯re certainly impressive looking.¡± Teris had to look up to actually see the top of what stood before him. A gorilla. The scale of it completely put the lion to shame. Hunched over in its current position, it still rose to exceed three meters. The white core that rested at its center glowed brighter than any of the others. It seemed to correspond outward to the white glow of the creature with an intense almost blinding light. ¡°Still got something left you huh? Sorry, but I already know how all of this works.¡± While talking, Teris finished his digging around in the void, hidden carefully behind his back. He quickly consumed everything just as the gorilla struck. However, Teris threw up his previously shattered arm to halt the gorilla. ¡°It would seem we¡¯re getting dangerous now. So allow me to get a little serious for you.¡± Crushing the containers in his hand, he dispensed with any further delay to strike deep inside the gorilla. It barely budged from the hit. ¡°I can give you thirty seconds of my time.¡± In a surprising turn, Teris dropped his lab coat. Disrobed down to just his pants and a bare chest, Teris lost any sign of being the person before. Sweat covered much of his body. The further enhanced muscles made him look more of a monster than a normal human. Every centimeter of his body pulsed in finely tuned precision. It reached as close to perfection as possible. Despite the size, Teris still kept his quick movement landing another blow deep inside the gorilla¡¯s chest. This time the creature fell backwards, but not before Teris jumped up and kicked it in the head to send it flying back. He charged off after the animal, but he met it enroute. The two titans clashed and jumped the earth from their impact. Teris effortlessly dodged the hairy fists thrown at him. The last one he gripped the broad arm of the gorilla and flung it back towards Haruo. However, he caught up to it just in time to ram his fist through the chest of the gorilla. The force pinned it to the earth with his arm all the way up to his shoulder, but just out of reach of the core. The gorilla suddenly vanished into particles without its core destroyed. Teris looked up in confusion. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s going on?¡± He saw that Haruo had fallen unconscious. ¡°I guess it¡¯s over. Twenty-three seconds. Close. This comes with a dangerous side effect if I let it go past.¡± His hand dug around the void and retrieved the antidote needed to reverse the process. Normal once more, he knelt down a little surprised to find what remained behind. ¡°A pen?¡± It was just a simple ordinary pen, nothing that seemed expensive or unique about it. The only characteristic it held was a well-worn appearance with all of the branding rubbed away from continued use. Teris glanced back at Haruo. ¡°He made that giant gorilla from just this little pen? Hmm¡­ Perhaps there lies some emotions buried inside you after all¡­¡± Chapter 267 - Standing Still ¡°YUKI!¡± It seemed as though the volume of her voice alone made the ruined building around her crumble, rather than the fact that her fall weakened it. Saki screamed until her voice ran out. Every part of her body suddenly stopped feeling any pain. Everything was still. Her eyes focused solely on Rheia, the one that stood as the wall between her and Yuki. Everything that Yori told her ran in repeat through her mind. Each time it added a new wrinkle around her dark cast eyes. The ground crumbled under Saki¡¯s feet. Sparks and dust jumped from around her. She stared up at Rheia. ¡°Get out of my way if you know what¡¯s good for YOU!¡± ¡°O¡ª¡° Rheia couldn¡¯t even utter a whole word, even one so small as ¡°Oh¡±, before Saki slammed into her with a fist straight to her face. The force of her entry cracked more of the ceiling. Her impact destroyed another section of the under city¡¯s roof. In less than a fraction of a fraction of a second, Saki had jumped the thirty-meter distance. The immediate frame that followed sent Rheia speeding through the earth. Forcibly punched through the earth, Rheia eventually popped out to the surface inside the city just a little away from the inner wall. Her new entrance exploded rocks and earth everywhere to the open street. Following her own path, the jump Saki made put her more than two hundred meters into the sky before she started to fall once more. When her body rotated to point out the problem of gravity her eyes snapped back to reality. ¡°Crap! Crap! Crap!¡± Chapter 267 ¨C Standing Still Smashing several buildings along her rocketed path out of the Capital, Rheia came to a stop a few seconds later out in mid air. ¡°She¡¯s gotten much stronger suddenly,¡± Rheia commented, rubbing her cheek. A bruise started to develop, ruining her smooth complexion. She grinned with the notion of the newfound strength from Saki. ¡°She just keeps getting better and better. You definitely don¡¯t disappoint.¡± In the distance, a new puff of smoke jumped up from behind the walls. Rheia jumped off the air moving quickly to the wall. By the time she arrived, Saki already started to dig herself out of the earth. ¡°Keep it coming! You still have more in you that you¡¯re holding back, right?¡± Saki knocked the dirt off her head, staring up from her new crater. ¡°Damn, you can still move.¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to take more than just one good punch to stop me.¡± ¡°I have somewhere more important to be now! I don¡¯t have time for you anymore!¡± A little confused, Rheia looked down at Saki, getting more upset with the situation. The notion made her feel very happy. It immediately transitioned to a benefit for Rheia. ¡°So that means you¡¯re going to use all your strength then?¡± She suddenly appeared down on the ground just outside of the crater. Annoyed by the unflinching tone in Rheia¡¯s voice, her foot slid back a little. ¡°Right, I won¡¯t be pulling my punches anymore! I hope you can keep up!¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I want!¡± Rheia jumped immediately into her fighting stance wanting the fight to continue already. ¡°Bring it all!¡± A battle-loving grin painted over her lips. Exploding behind Saki before she even moved, large chunks of earth flew away. The moment that Saki jumped out of the crater all of the earth cracked, falling down further increasing the size of the hole to the under city. Even faster than the last time, Rheia couldn¡¯t even react before she found herself crashing through the wall once again. It already started to look like swiss cheese with the number of times they punched each other through it. Behind the wall, a massive explosion completely pulverized the building Rheia crashed in. Not even waiting for Rheia to settle, Saki burst through the smoke throwing down a vertical spin kick. Rheia¡¯s body screamed through the smoke and rumble of the building, still trying to collapse. Her body cratered the neighborhood raining in all of the surrounding buildings on top of her. Still continuing, Saki pushed off a ruined building, sending it flying through half of the Capital like a cannonball, to throw herself into the pile. Her fist smashed everything into dust to meet Rheia at the bottom. However, her hand caught the punch. Excess energy broke away as a shockwave shook the whole area. Caught off guard from her combo, Saki didn¡¯t have the time to block the counterattack. She flew through the remains of the neighbor raining down chunks of the homes she blew through. Rheia jumped up to the top of the crater checking on Saki¡¯s progress before chasing after her. ¡°You¡¯re the one!¡± The grin of excitement widened more as she looked forward to the next exchange. ¡°Oh wow! Do it again!¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Rheia, five years old, ran up the side of the ruined wall and did a perfect backflip over to the opposite building before landing back in the same spot she started. A proud look covered her face as all of the kids gathered around her. ¡°I bet you can¡¯t grab that!¡± a reluctant believer dared. He pointed up to a torn bit of cloth caught at the very top of the ruins of the building they used as their playground. The distance easily passed more than five meters. It was impossible. Everyone knew it was. Rheia grinned with the same confidence. ¡°I can do it!¡± With feline-like grace, she ran and jumped up the length of the walls grabbing the cloth as her reward. It was just long enough to act as a scarf, which she promptly wrapped around her neck to display her achievement. She gained applause and cheering from the children below, convincing all doubters. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. She jumped back down landing with ease. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Rheia ran off to another site they liked to play in. All of the children followed her. Their eager eyes looked on to her back in the distance. Blows exchanged between Saki and Rheia. Each round brought down another building. They tossed each other around. Bruises became more common on their bodies. Even a little blood began to dot their dirt-caked skin. It didn¡¯t stop either of them from continuing. Both motivated to see the end of the fight, even if for different reasons. ¡°Bet you can¡¯t beat me!¡± A tough looking eight year old, new to the neighborhood, boasted. ¡°You¡¯re the one I¡¯ve been hearing about everywhere from the other weaklings.¡± Rheia grinned, stepping up with no hesitation. ¡°I bet you won¡¯t be standing in ten seconds.¡± He had height and size, but none of it mattered to her. She believed she could beat him. She could do anything she wanted when she put her mind to it. In a blur, it was over. The five year old stood victorious over the eight year old. A new follower gained her ranks. ¡®Yuki¡­I¡¯m coming soon,¡¯ thought Saki, after she sent Rheia flying again. They had a pattern of mirroring their positions. It alternated, but Saki couldn¡¯t see the pattern. Her eyes remained locked on rescuing Yuki after defeating Rheia. A single obstacle stood in her path. Breaking free from the most recent ruins she created, Rheia disappeared from Saki. The knee to her stomach sent her over her leg before flying through the building behind her. ¡°Don¡¯t stop now! We¡¯re just getting started!¡± She grinned happily, as she bolted after Saki. Saki pulled back her arm already ready for the next strike and Rheia prepared herself as well. However, a meter apart they came to a stop. A heavy rumbling distracted them coming from an unknown position. It gave them both an odd ominous feeling. The first to recognize it was Saki, since she heard a voice. They screamed out a familiar name. ¡°Yumi?! What¡¯s she doing?¡± No more than a few seconds after her question, the answer came or arrived perhaps. Stone and rock exploded around them as a massive force broke through. The familiar glow of Yumi¡¯s barrier telegraphed her appearance. However, Saki felt a little shocked seeing Yumi¡¯s face. ¡®What¡¯s wrong with Yumi?¡¯ The longer she stared and listened to Yumi, she understood all too well. She didn¡¯t take the news from Yori very well. ¡®She¡¯s going after Ayumi and Yuki.¡¯ When it all fit, Saki turned a little blue realizing the expression on her face. Once their interruption disappeared through the rest of the Capital, both women stared at the other for a bit. It wasn¡¯t exactly what they expected to happen. They paused to see what the other would do. Saki could see that Rheia remained set on their fight rather than Yumi. ¡®Yumi looks pissed off for the both of us and still has some left over. I¡¯d prefer not to leave it on her, but judging from how things are going with my fight. I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll get to Yuki, so someone is at least. I trust Yumi.¡¯ She turned her head to the wake left behind by the vengeful woman. ¡®I¡¯ll catch up to you when I¡¯m done here¡­¡¯ Taking the opening, Rheia closed the rest of the distance to strike Saki, but Saki actually caught her fist. ¡°Not so distracted then,¡± she said, pleased further. ¡°No, we¡¯re in a fight without rules, so I expect such tactics.¡± ¡°Well said!¡± Throwing the next punch, Saki tried to breach the woman¡¯s defenses. Yet they seemed to have suddenly become even faster. She couldn¡¯t believe the woman still had even more left in her. Saki pushed her body with everything it had. She never felt her body at such extremes. Rheia countered immediately only to be blocked as well. They had settled into a stalemate. Both sent their fists and feet flying around the tiny one-meter area they never left. Blocked or deflected, nothing reached either. They only kept the intensity rising. ¡°Damn it, where¡¯d she disappear to?¡± ¡°This girl¡¯s more trouble than she¡¯s worth, Second Lieutenant.¡± Rheia softly giggled to herself. She perched herself out of sight, but still allowed herself to watch. ¡°They¡¯re so silly, no one can catch Rheia.¡± Slipping between punches, Saki managed to break her foot through the thick defenses of Rheia. She disappeared in the next instant to convert the momentum into a throw. Saki followed Rheia to pin her into the Capital¡¯s walls once more. ¡°Gotcha!¡± she shouted, actually cracking a small smile, which she immediately corrected when she realized it. Rather than trying to break free through strength, Rheia smashed the both of them into the wall. A new crater formed, breaking the hold. Stunned, Rheia took the opportunity to lay in a barrage on Saki undefended. The last of the punches shattered the wall knocking her through it again. She jumped into the hole watching Saki fly away. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to keep trying!¡± The smile on her face just kept growing. Rheia scowled up at the obnoxious structure. Her captors pushed her forward into the gates. ¡°¡­Omega¡­¡± They presented her before the Head of Omega, the only normal human in the entire building. It made them feel better after having the previous Head being a MP user, the current General of the Army. ¡°You should feel lucky. Everyone else has to go through the Academy and years of practice just to be allowed inside these grounds.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t feel lucky,¡± she retorted, keeping the scowl on her face. ¡°Your little walls can¡¯t hold me.¡± The man behind the desk laughed a little at the child¡¯s defiance. ¡°You may be surprised to find that you aren¡¯t as peerless as you seem to think.¡± Barely a break, Saki returned, striking back even harder. The two women danced around the hole in the wall. Stray punches sent cracks up the wall. Each second ticked with a flurry of nearly invisible blows. The force shook the wall bringing down dust and bits of stone over their heads. Yet it never interrupted them. Even when the wall started to fall in larger pieces, their fight just crushed the chunks before they could even touch them. Further flashes of grins came across Saki¡¯s face, but disappeared just as fast. As the area became too unstable, they jumped up through the broken wall. They continued their fighting on the top of the wall once again. ¡°Who are you?¡± Wild eyed and angry, Rheia stared the teenager down across the palace courtyard. ¡°Commander Rheia, I¡¯ve come to challenge you, Eudokia Ismene!¡± Requiring a moment to think, Eudokia grinned a little at the notion of being sought out for a duel. ¡°You¡¯re the new leader of the Titans. I¡¯ve heard stories about you. Completely peerless in Omega.¡± Accepting the challenge, she activated her Field. ¡°I¡¯m curious how strong the Wild Child of Omega is.¡± The arrogance and cockiness of the teenager, much younger than Rheia, annoyed her to no end. She couldn¡¯t stop her anger. Nothing managed to calm it. ¡°I¡¯ll put you in your place!¡± Five seconds was all it took for Eudokia to end the fight. Rheia laid on her back unable to move or even keep her Field. Shock filled her eyes. A complete loss. She stood no chance against the teenager. However, a deeper emotion settled into her mind. The one that shaped her future. After all of the other fights came to a close, Rheia and Saki continued their battle on the wall. Time left them alone to continue. Nothing could stand between their fight. Even as their strength started to finally drain, the two women continued their battle. Neither was willing to stop. They kept throwing punches. Defense started to lose any meaning to them. Their bodies wanted to stop, but their arms kept flying. Not even their bodies could stand between them. Clashing in strength, they gripped their hands vying for position and dominance. Saki smashed her head into Rheia, who returned the favor. Dull ringing did nothing to slow them down. Rheia grinned happily. ¡®I finally found them. I¡¯m not alone¡­¡¯ Chapter 268 - Screaming Revenge Across the Capital, inside the walls of the palace another wooden door opened. Ayumi and Yuki surfaced from their long walk out into a massive square. On the left stood the majestic structure of the Kings and on the right a wall locking them inside. Ahead however, Demosthenes stood awaiting their arrival. He stepped forward declaring his presence to them both. A spear already rested in his hand, propped up against his shoulder. ¡°I figured you¡¯d come in this way¡­Eudokia.¡± ¡°Demosthenes¡­¡± Yuki couldn¡¯t hold himself back any longer than a second. The sound of the man¡¯s voice was enough to set off the trigger. An image of Kazuhiro appeared in his head. He needed nothing more. A ripple exploded out from Yuki as he blasted forward. ¡°Demosthenes Alexander! I¡¯m going to KILL YOU!¡± Slapping her face, Eudokia sighed. She sort of expected it to happen. ¡®I had hoped I had tempered some of his emotions, but I guess that part of him was too strong for me to completely remove.¡¯ The initial clash between the two already started leaving Eudokia on the sidelines. ¡°Yuki! You need to calm down!¡± She tried getting closer to the two, but they jumped off to a different part of the courtyard. She could keep up with them if needed, but she would only be adding a potential for greater risk. ¡®Damn, he can¡¯t even hear me right now. His mind¡¯s so closed off it wouldn¡¯t matter how much time I spent on him. Perhaps it was a bad idea to leave that much free will.¡¯ Eudokia shook her head to close out the doubt. ¡®He already started acting suspiciously that Haruo probably noticed, the man¡¯s too observant not to have. Any more would have ruined the plan¡­¡¯ Eudokia stared at Yuki bouncing around his stage. It was the last trial, the last test he needed. Even though she knew how it needed to end, the one that he was up against was Demosthenes. The second most powerful currently in Atlantis. Regardless of how powerful or skilled Yuki became from all of his fighting, Demosthenes still sat on a completely different level. ¡®Last time, Yuki didn¡¯t have a set power so Demosthenes wasn¡¯t fully prepared for him. But even despite that, Demosthenes never actually used his full power against Yuki. Saki interrupted them before that might have happened¡­¡¯ This was the only part of the plan that Eudokia didn¡¯t know how it would turn out. She did everything to set up the pieces so that Yuki was prepared for it. Yet preparation alone wouldn¡¯t be enough. He would need to take his skill to a new stage to compete with the old man. ¡®Come on, Yuki¡­prove to that old man you¡¯re worthy of being the new King! That Throne belongs to you!¡¯ Chapter 268 ¨C Screaming Revenge ¡°Dammit,¡± cursed Yuki, still not being able to do anything to touch the man. Even with a more refined control of his powers, the spear kept him from breaching his defense. ¡°I¡¯m going to KILL you!¡± The constantly analyzing eyes of Demosthenes watched every movement of Yuki. Despite their age difference, it did nothing to slow him down. In fact, he actually seemed even faster than Yuki. Age seemed to be a meaningless notion to him. Throwing Yuki off with his spear, they landed apart. ¡°I see you¡¯ve made some advancements,¡± praised Demosthenes. ¡°Your Field is quite a bit stronger than it was when we last meant.¡± Yuki charged back in, an explosion of brick came off his feet. ¡°Screw you! I don¡¯t care about your talk!¡± He danced around the spear doing an awkward flip to evade the thrust over top of it and land on the other side. It allowed him to keep his forward momentum. Yet when Yuki managed to get inside his defense, Demosthenes blocked his fist with an open hand. ¡°Damn you!¡± Lowering his fingers over Yuki¡¯s closed hand, Demosthenes paused, holding him at bay. ¡°You take advantage of that energy that surrounds you to give you a speed boost by creating micro explosions underneath you. Riding the blast wave is very dangerous on your body. There¡¯s much better methods to achieve such results.¡± Tearing his hand free and jumping back, Yuki shook his hand a little to break free of the sensation. ¡°The only results I care about are seeing you dead!¡± Narrowing his eyes, Demosthenes seemed a little troubled by something. However, he didn¡¯t give it a voice. He simply dashed over the ground as though surfing the air. Spear held down, an explosive force shattered the brick tiles in front of Yuki. Using it to throw himself into the air, a series of new spears materialized just above Yuki. Trying to cut through the barrage, all he managed to do was deflect them away from him. ¡°Bastard!¡± Yuki pushed himself out of the forest of spears with another burst from his feet to try to flank Demosthenes. However, the old man stopped him once more. Nothing could get through, even when he hit him. ¡®Dammit all! I can¡¯t even harm him anymore!¡¯ Anger and frustration fueled everything in his body. He threw everything he had into his punches to try to beat the man¡¯s speed, but nothing succeeded. It only made him feel tired. ¡®Why can¡¯t I even touch him?! Last time I know I wounded him!¡¯ Demosthenes lowered his eyes a little watching the continued increase in emotions. He threw back Yuki with the shaft of his spear. ¡°You seem to be under the impression that you can wound me just by getting past my defenses. I¡¯ll show you how wrong you are.¡± The spear disappeared from his hand. An odd shift in his stance made it clear he looked to fight bare handed. ¡°I fight with a weapon because it is my choice, but I¡¯ll show you how different we are.¡± Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡®Now he¡¯s mocking me! An old man like him is trying to take me on?!¡¯ Just staring at him made Yuki think of Kazuhiro. He could hear Hiroshi yelling at him in confusion as to why their friend was dead. He had no answer for him. All he could do was accept reality. Their friend was gone forever. Nothing would bring him back. Yet if he could kill this man perhaps his body would stop burning every night when he tried to sleep. Perhaps he would stop the nightmares of seeing him die repeatedly. Maybe he would have closure, anything to end it. Accepting the challenge, Yuki dove straight in with Demosthenes. While no master, Yuki had refined a certain style from all of his street brawls after he quit the dojo. But after the first few blocks, he saw it clearly. Demosthenes'' martial prowess was no less than him and perhaps better. Yuki purposely even strengthened the energy around his hand and arms by stealing it from his back. The old man kept up with him blow for blow. Nothing still breached his impenetrable defenses. Trying to mix in kicks with his flurry of punches, Yuki did everything he had in his bag. Flipping around and blasting off, Yuki tried to out flank him. He managed to get behind for a hit on his back, but all it did was make him step forward. The fight resumed without further interruption and in reality Yuki had trouble keeping up. Knocked off his feet, Yuki fell prone a couple of meters away. Eudokia rushed up as he slowly returned to his feet. She grabbed his shoulder, but he ripped free of her hold. ¡°Yuki!¡± ¡°Not now, Ayumi! Get back!¡± Expelling the barrier around him, he used it to knock her away from him. ¡°You think you can be King with that level of control? Very disappointing.¡± Yuki sprinted back into his clash with Demosthenes. ¡°I don¡¯t care about the throne! I¡¯m only here for two reasons! To kill you and stop people from killing me! Atlantis can burn in hell for all I care!¡± A break in Demosthenes¡¯ stoic face blew back Yuki in a swift leg sweep and one palm thrust. The look in his eyes hardened up quickly. ¡°I see you¡¯ve got a lot of lessons still to learn. Allow me to hammer them into you.¡± He punched a slowly rising Yuki directly in the face, knocking him back again. Wiping away the blood from his lip, Yuki grinned a little. ¡°Touch a nerve, Mr. High-and-Mighty?¡± ¡®Yuki you idiot!¡¯ Eudokia stared over to Demosthenes after Yuki. The fighting only got more heated for the wrong reasons. ¡®I thought you already committed to your course¡­ Why are you provoking him too?¡¯ The fight continued to go even worse for Yuki. Before he had been able to touch Demosthenes, even if it did nothing. However, it all changed suddenly with him not even being able to touch him. Most of the fight he laid on his back. The other half had him charging back in for more of the same. It was no longer a wall he tried to punch. He fought against a cannon. One that easily moved to counter him. It rotated with ease to shoot whenever he got in range. Demosthenes became even more of a monster than Yuki thought possible. Once again on his back, Yuki wiped away the latest bit of blood from his face. ¡°Dammit!¡± He tried to get up only to be grabbed by Ayumi once more. ¡°I thought I told¡ª¡° Eudokia slapped him hard enough to echo through the courtyard. ¡°Snap out of it! Yuki!¡± Blinking a little confused by Ayumi¡¯s slap. ¡°Ayumi?¡± It did manage to cut through a lot of the rage that walled up his awareness. ¡°What the hell is the matter with you!? This isn¡¯t you, Yuki!¡± Kazuhiro appeared in his mind again. The reminder never went away from him. He could never forget in front of this man. Yuki clinched his hands together unwilling to let go. ¡°This bastard killed my friend! He killed Kazuhiro! He deserves to die! And I will be the one that serves it!¡± Eudokia threw herself in front of Yuki to hold him back from standing up. She needed him to hold still. ¡°Do you hear yourself, Yuki? Do you hear what you¡¯re saying? Is this really what you¡¯ve become?!¡± Her voice shook a little, bordering on tears. ¡°Yuki! You shouldn¡¯t kill someone!¡± ¡°¡­Ayumi¡­¡± Her words left a surprisingly deep cut on his heart and mind. Yuki froze hearing her words repeat in his mind. Ayumi¡¯s words and Kazuhiro¡¯s memories fought within him. ¡®You shouldn¡¯t kill someone!¡¯ ¡®Chiharu!¡¯ Suddenly, Yuki felt the weight of another memory slam into his chest. It left him in shock as he remembered. It was so familiar to him. The whole scene was familiar. How could he have forgotten so easily? He stretched out his arm futilely trying to stop Chiharu. ¡°Chiharu! You shouldn¡¯t kill someone!¡± Chiharu was getting further away from them, but Yuki wasn''t going to give up on Saki¡¯s fight. He recognized that look. The emotions felt all too familiar. ¡°I know how you¡¯re feeling! Chiharu stop!¡± It seemed to hit a nerve with Chiharu as she paused in her step. ¡°The rage and anger inside you is too much to contain. It speaks to you telling you this is right. That you must do it. There¡¯s no other way. If you don''t, it won''t be at peace.¡± Chiharu turned part way looking back at Yuki. Her fists tightened at her side and shaking. ¡°Is that all you can do, talk?¡± ¡°It feels uncontrollable doesn¡¯t it?¡± The tension in his body fell away. It actually made him start to laugh. Enough that Ayumi looked at him strangely and backed away. She did not seem to know if he was still sane or not. ¡°Yuki?¡± Yuki placed a hand on her shoulder as a bit of comfort. He managed a smile for her. ¡°Thanks for clearing my mind, Ayumi.¡± ¡°¡­Yuki¡­¡± Sighing to himself, he got back to his feet. His body felt sore from all of the beating he received already. Flexing his hands and testing out his current state made him feel a little better, even though his condition should have worried him. ¡°I guess this is what I get for acting like a damn fool. Well, a handicap will make things interesting.¡± A confident grin drew over his lips staring at Demosthenes. Lifting his hand to call to the old man, Yuki addressed him. ¡°I can¡¯t forgive you for what you did to Kazuhiro. However, I¡¯m reminded of my own words that killing you won¡¯t make things any better for me. It¡¯s something I¡¯ll have to sort out with myself later.¡± Yuki closed his hand and returned to his fighting stance. ¡°That being said, we still have something to settle. Until I defeat you I can¡¯t put an end to all of this fighting.¡± The energy mist suddenly started to appear throughout all of Yuki¡¯s Field. Demosthenes saw the change in countenance. So many changes occurred in Yuki that he had to re-evaluate the situation. ¡°So you¡¯ve mastered your rage.¡± Yuki chuckled a little at the comment. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯d go that far. You hurt my friends, you''re going to piss me off pretty easily. So I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything mastered there.¡± He sheepishly rubbed his cheek. His thoughts went back to the fight with Vangelis where a similar thing occurred. ¡°It¡¯s going to be something I need to work on. Clearly our powers don¡¯t work very well, clouded with strong emotions.¡± ¡°Understanding that is the first step,¡± Demosthenes replied with praise. The spear returned to his hand making it clear that he took the fight more seriously again. Narrowing his features in preparation for the fight, Yuki watched every movement from Demosthenes. ¡°I should give you a much better fight now!¡± He charged in on the twitch Demosthenes made bringing them to clash once more. Chapter 269 - Screaming Fists The extra mist that swarmed around Yuki allowed him to manage the spear. It became stuck and pulled away while he charged in to hit Demosthenes. Unfortunately, the momentary surprise for his opponent wore off too quickly. He managed to deflect and dodge most of the strike away. ¡®Damn, I could¡¯ve ended it there¡­ Now things are going to be dragged out since he knows its potential.¡¯ Demosthenes took a few steps back recovering his spear from the mist. ¡°So this is how you¡¯ve evolved your power. This certainly looks more on par with the potential you should have.¡± ¡°You have an odd way of being surprised.¡± Now that Ayumi cleared up his head, he could see the old man a little differently. Before he was so blinded by emotions that he couldn¡¯t see it. There was a strange gentleness in his eye accompanied by stubborn harshness. Unyielding resolve carved out every wrinkle in his face with such intensity that could never bend or break, impossible strength to carry through any hardship. Years and trials seemed to be painfully marked throughout his expression. A long story walked the length of his face. Yuki could see it all there plain as the nearly white color in his hair. The images that had been built up of him certainly had conflicting imagery. ¡®I¡¯m not getting the same sort of vibe from him that Ayumi claims, at least from him now. He looks more like how she remembers from her stories she tells me, rather than the dark hand manipulating everything.¡¯ Her stories had some date to them. Yuki sort of expected they might be colored by her bias to remember him the way she wanted rather than he truly was. He might have been some con artist playing everyone. She claimed he was working with the Council and at the heart of the assassinations, yet such impressions exposed themselves when he examined him. ¡®What do I believe then?¡¯ Confusion didn¡¯t help in the middle of a fight. Yuki shook his head, needing to focus on what the old man¡¯s move might be. ¡®The reality at the moment is that he¡¯s standing in our way. Once in the Palace I¡¯ll be able to get to the heart of this matter. The Council¡­¡¯ Chapter 269 ¨C Screaming Fists Eudokia watched the two battling renewed with Yuki making full use of his power. She smiled, pleased to see it had worked. ¡®Demosthenes should see the proof of my work now. Yuki¡¯s able to challenge him on a level field now, but Demosthenes still hasn¡¯t revealed the full extent of his power.¡¯ The fact that the secret remained sealed for the time being still left Eudokia with concern. She knew how he currently fought was the preferred method by Demosthenes, but if he needed to be serious, he could be nearly unstoppable. These were facts that Eudokia understood, one Yuki knew none about. ¡®It¡¯s your final test, Yuki¡­¡¯ Yuki danced around the grass Field keeping up with the thrusts from Demosthenes¡¯ spear. His mist prevented any projectile spears from being a threat. The focus could be solely on their martial skill. It was how Yuki preferred it, but he knew part of it did come down to their skill with their powers. ¡®Currently my Field is roughly equal to his, but he still hasn¡¯t done any Folding. I can¡¯t be certain that he started out at his max number of Folds. Judging from how he¡¯s been fighting, I¡¯m guessing he started out at his base and is waiting to use them.¡¯ Grabbing the spear just behind the head, Yuki squeezed down on the wood. He focused his power at his hand drawing in an increased amount of the mist. The wood splintered. It struggled to keep its shape. ¡®I can exceed his strength if I concentrate more of the energy in one place, but I still can¡¯t complete a Fold.¡¯ He watched the shaft suddenly reform and return him back to the start. Further application proved to be even more challenging. A battle of Field strength carried out on the spear. ¡®If he goes and does any Folding I don¡¯t know if my excess energy can make up the difference.¡¯ The constant worry over Fields and Folds left Yuki more open than he wanted for Demosthenes. He lost hold of the spear and flew backwards just above the grass. ¡®Damn, I can¡¯t think too much or lose my focus.¡¯ Yuki turned his head towards the grass and pulled the mist in around him. Manipulating it like a hand, he righted himself and flung himself back towards his fight. ¡®I can¡¯t afford to get lost in my thoughts against someone like him¡­¡¯ Blocking and deflecting Yuki into the air, Demosthenes watched him land safely behind him. His mist came to his aid once more. ¡°So it has multiple uses. Then let¡¯s make this a little more interesting.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Yuki tilted his head in confusion. Confusion didn¡¯t last for long when he saw Demosthenes start to lift away from the Earth. ¡°You can fly too?¡± The old man hovered about a meter off the ground. ¡°It¡¯s a little different from flying, but close enough.¡± It might not have been the first time Yuki saw someone use their power to fly, the Sand Assassin demonstrated and Ayumi explained it. However, it didn¡¯t change the fact that every time he saw it made him smile a little inside. The idea of flying was a simple, but consistent dream. Living inside the world of manga and anime gave him the only outlet of vicarious experience, unreal and fictional as it was. He then realized he had to match him for their fight. Demosthenes expected it of him. ¡®I¡¯ve never actually tried to maintain myself before with this power. It¡¯s flexible enough, that''s why I¡¯ve kept it.¡¯ A general idea of how to make it work came to him. Mist gathered up under his feet. The energy he used had the benefit of only requiring a position to fix rather than needing something to support it. So all he had to do was stand on it. Just to be sure, he covered his entire feet. It looked like he glowed a little as he raised up in the air. ¡®Careful¡­¡¯ He made the mistake of leaning forward too much and nearly fell over. Yuki caught himself with the mist a few centimeters before crashing into the grass. Pushing himself back up and adjusting to the balance, Yuki found himself in a little better of a position. He found spreading his legs as if he was standing on the ground helped. ¡°So much for showing off¡­¡± Yuki allowed himself to float a little higher, while not so casually staring at the ground. He had protection against falls, but he still didn¡¯t want to think about it. Once it seemed that Yuki stabilized himself, Demosthenes took the first move. He didn¡¯t seem to run, but more like gliding through the air. It looked like with his spear held out front and aimed down that he used it to balance or steer. Regardless of the purpose, he slashed upwards at Yuki. ¡°Don¡¯t start getting complacent.¡± Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Yuki tried to keep his balance from the slash, but the force was more than his feet could handle. His body still didn¡¯t trust the mist. The result left him falling backwards rotating around the point that anchored his feet. ¡°Wo-woa-woah!¡± He flailed about coming around. When he saw Demosthenes in range, he pushed himself forward to try to punch him. A little weak, he connected with something, even if it was just a deflecting hand. Flipping over sideways, Yuki awkwardly tumbled around in a circle again. He had to use more of his mist to control his position. ¡®I could really use that natural talent protags get for just being protags¡­ This is making for a really embarrassing fight¡­¡¯ Yuki tried to ignore how he might have looked to focus on the fight. He stomped through the air like trudging through snow. The experience Demosthenes had in such an environment made it difficult for him to keep up. Eudokia stared watching the two take their fighting to the sky. It was difficult for her to watch Yuki flailing about while Demosthenes looked like he was walking on the ground. ¡®Demosthenes¡­what are you trying to do? Yuki¡¯s not used to fighting in the sky. What sort of point are you trying to make?¡¯ The clashes with Demosthenes still knocked Yuki back, but he got a better feel for how to handle it. He slid through the air, while using mist to hold his back from spinning around. ¡®This is far more complicated than I expected. I have to think about so many different things other than the fight¡­ How is he managing it so effortlessly?¡¯ Not paying good attention, Yuki made the mistake of leaving his bottom completely exposed. None of his mist covered him under his feet. A large array of spears appeared to fly at him. ¡®Damn! No time¡­¡¯ He dodged some of them and used the mist to deal with others, but one still got through. The sharpness of it must have had a lot of attention by Demosthenes as it cut through his personal shield. Blood dripped from the side of his shoulder. He modified his energy to patch up the injury before it bled too much. ¡®I can¡¯t believe I made such a rookie mistake! I¡¯ve read enough to know that I should be paying to every angle when I¡¯m fighting in a 360 environment. He¡¯s exploiting my unfamiliarity with the situation.¡¯ Yuki corrected the error allowing the mist to surround him completely. He witnessed more coming in from his flank. The mist dealt largely with them. All he had to do was thicken the mist to prevent them from entering. However, Demosthenes came up from the opening forcing Yuki to cover with his hands. He punched out at the spear tip halting Demosthenes. The force still pushed him around into a spiral upwards into the air. Higher and higher into the air they went. Demosthenes broke free and struck out with several spears along with the one he wielded. Pulling himself away, Yuki escaped the immediate threat, but it turned into a chase. He had to dodge flying spears and the swift flying Demosthenes. ¡®Damn, just as I¡¯m getting used to flying. He¡¯s coming at me with everything. I feel like I¡¯m going to fly apart.¡¯ One of the spears broke through drawing up a little blood from a graze on the upper part of his shoulder. ¡®I can¡¯t keep all of this straight in my head. If I was on the ground I wouldn¡¯t be having this problem.¡¯ A hundred or more spears all flew in at him from every and any direction possible. The count only seemed to increase as well leaving Yuki a bit in awe at the impressive scale he could achieve. Unfortunately, it also meant that he had that more to dodge. He couldn¡¯t keep up with the flying and dodging leading to further injuries. Yuki blew out his mist and put a spin on it to try to give himself some space. It managed to hold back the spears for a moment. He recalled the multi-layered barrier Yumi used and took inspiration from her. Drawing up five layers of spherical mist around him all moving at different rotations and speeds, he kept up with the attacks. However, as he got pushed higher and higher, Yuki realized how high up they had become. Only the distant looking Omega Spire was taller. ¡°Crap! I really didn¡¯t want to be this high up.¡± He glanced over at Demosthenes charging in at him for another round. ¡°He¡¯s wanting me up here. It¡¯s part of his plan¡­¡± As Yuki¡¯s new shield made it difficult for the spears to get through, Demosthenes smashed through directly. The mist was nothing to him. He thrust straight for Yuki. He tried to grab the spear, but lost his barrier from the proximity. The spearhead dug into his waist, but the mist kept it from going in too far. Refocusing his power, Yuki pulled the metal out from his waist and immediately sealed up the wound. ¡®Damn that hurts a lot! I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that bad, I stopped it in time, but that was too close¡­¡¯ In the distance, loud noises finally made it to Yuki. It sounded like explosions initially. He glanced over with curiosity, a little worried their fight might have caused trouble to the Capital. The distance was too great for him to see anything. All he saw was smoke and the occasional movement of buildings. It was all too tiny for him to clearly make out. ¡®Is that you guys fighting?¡¯ Thoughts of his friends had to be packed away as the fight never stopped. The next strike knocked him back with surprising force. Yuki danced around on the air trying to keep his balance. He even used his hands to slow himself down. ¡®They¡¯re all fighting because of me. All of this is happening because of me.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t be certain if it was them down there, but he felt pretty positive about it. They weren¡¯t so far behind them to not have caught up, especially Saki. The thought of his friends fighting strengthened his determination. ¡®If I end this fight I can stop all of this fighting. They won¡¯t have to be hurt anymore!¡¯ Yelling a little to give voice to his strength, Yuki tightened up his hands in concentration. ¡®Come on! I need more power from it! Fold, dammit!¡¯ In the air, he had no clear sign if he worked, but he was certain he could feel a difference. The strain in his mind certainly felt heavier than before. Demosthenes came diving in from above with the sun behind him. Filtered through the mist, Yuki didn¡¯t have to strain as much to see him. ¡®Do or die time now!¡¯ Yuki flew up to meet him, gathering more of his mist together on his hand. His fist slammed into the spear once more. This time the wood groaned under the force. He could feel it overwhelming the weapon. Pushing with the mist on his feet further, he rammed through the spear. Shattered, Demosthenes blocked him with his hand. However, before Yuki allowed it to continue, he shaped out the mist into a claw that gripped the air. It pulled him away and threw him around behind Demosthenes. His fist slammed into his back sending him flying downward. Even with him falling, he still could manage to throw spears at Yuki. Yuki flew down in chase, narrowly evading the spears. A couple clipped his face barely. Demosthenes already started to turn around, recovering and bearing a new spear. Throwing the mist aside, Yuki used his flight to navigate around the weapon. He struck deep inside Demosthenes¡¯ stomach adding even more force downward on him. His body shot back to the courtyard as it quickly grew grass everywhere in his approach. Demosthenes righted himself at the last moment to land knelt in the grass. The force sent minor cracks outward. Staring up at Yuki, his single blue eye held fixed on him. ¡°Seems I will need this after all.¡± Demosthenes began to raise his hand up to the eye patch covering up his left eye. ¡°Well this is a little clich¨¦,¡± commented Yuki, ¡°Hiding a secret behind your eye patch.¡± Eudokia leaned forward knowing what was going to be happening. ¡°Yuki! Watch out!¡± she yelled with panic heavily weighing her words. ¡°Eh?¡± He didn¡¯t expect to hear Ayumi freaking out. Yuki stared back down at Demosthenes wondering what had her so scared. Demosthenes grabbed his patch and moved it over to his right eye rather than actually removing it. Underneath the patch, he slowly opened his left eye to reveal a yellow glow from it. Suddenly the ground and air vibrated. Yuki could nearly feel the ominous atmosphere coming off the change. ¡°What the hell¡¯s going on?!¡± He looked around trying to see what changed. In the next moment, thousands of ripples appeared in the space around the General of the Army. Out of the ripples each revealed a weapon none like the next. It looked like a sight out of a weapon smith¡¯s shed with them gone crazy on making any sort of weapon they could think up. Most didn¡¯t even look like a realist weapon. It didn¡¯t matter though. The scale spoke for itself. ¡°¡­oh crap¡­¡± uttered Yuki, as his eyes and mouth widened in shock. Demosthenes stood up calling to both of his hands weapons, one a giant sword and the other a scythe. ¡°Now bear witness to why I hold the name Alexander! The Bearer of an Army!¡± Chapter 270 - Screaming Blades Yuki hesitated just floating in the air. He didn¡¯t expect to see such a scale. It felt almost like staring into a sea of metal. He couldn¡¯t imagine the control needed to maintain every single one. If scenery could humble someone, the display from the strongest MP in the country succeeded. Just witnessing it made him feel defeated already. Nothing about what he saw felt like a bluff or faked as he would have thought from someone else. It was a truly accurate scale of his power. ¡®How do I even fight something like that? I mocked him for being clich¨¦, but this isn¡¯t even just a bump in strength. This is a complete eclipse of his previous power.¡¯ A tough to swallow gulp went down his throat. ¡®How did I think I could even beat someone like this? He¡¯s got decades of experience and practice. I¡¯ve got two months.¡¯ Yuki tried to keep his hands from shaking. It wasn¡¯t even a fear of death from him. In fact, he wasn¡¯t even sure if Demosthenes wanted him dead from the look in his eyes. The mere presence completely overwhelmed his senses. ¡®What have I gotten myself into?¡¯ Chapter 270 ¨C Screaming Blades Eudokia couldn''t really see Yuki clearly from her distance. She had to keep out of their fight. But it didn¡¯t require superhuman sight to see how much it affected Yuki. ¡°Yuki! Yuki!¡± She needed to call him a second time just to get his attention. ¡°Ayumi?¡± He looked down the distance at her. In all of the fighting, he sort of forgot about her. It was the first time during the fight, after she snapped him out of his rage, that he acknowledged her. But he got the sense she could tell how unsettled he was about Demosthenes¡¯ new reveal. It made him more self-conscious about getting his body under his control. The whole thing was meant to be her final test for him. If he could defeat Demosthenes, there would be nothing else left. She knew it was a possibility that he would pull it out, but Yuki needed to handle it on his own. ¡®I thought he¡¯d see it as a challenge. He seemed to have the spirit to want to test himself out and see what he could achieve. I didn¡¯t imagine it would have the opposite effect.¡¯ A miscalculation threatened her plan. ¡°Are you an idiot, Yuki? Did you forget everything that I taught you?¡± ¡°Idiot? Hey, aren¡¯t you supposed to say something a little more inspiring at this point?¡± ¡°Is that how you see me?¡± ¡°Well¡­no, I can¡¯t really picture you doing something like that. You¡¯re more likely to just attack me and threaten me.¡± ¡°You think that I¡¯d attack you?!¡± she shouted up, getting annoyed with him. ¡°Hey! You asked! You¡¯re not the soft gentle touch sort of person.¡± ¡°If you know that then get your ass back in the fight!¡± ¡®You¡¯re really not helping¡­¡¯ He stared down at her with a look of disbelief and annoyance. He knew that she couldn¡¯t see his reaction and he didn¡¯t see hers, but it really felt like she snapped back at him for talking back to her. ¡®Fine¡­¡¯ Yuki didn¡¯t feel any better about his odds against the newly powered up Demosthenes. But the shaking in his arms disappeared. He just needed to focus on the issue at hand. ¡®It¡¯s not so bad, just ten thousand weapons all coming at me at once,¡¯ he thought mockingly. The battle wasn¡¯t over. Yuki had little choice, but to continue. It wasn¡¯t as if Demosthenes planned to stop just because he was no longer confident. ¡°Well let¡¯s get this going again!¡± He summoned up his mist around him needing more defense. Yuki tightened up his hands and confirmed his flight support. The slow increase in tension he added before the fight resumed made him even more nervous. He could see Demosthenes rise off the ground slowly, almost in a deliberate manner just to unnerve him further. Once high enough in the air, Yuki waited for any sign by the old man to act. However, it seemed that he waited for him to make the first move. It might have been an act by Demosthenes to let him pick when he was ready to continue. Yuki didn¡¯t think too hard on it. Waiting further just made it even worse. Yuki clenched his fists and yelled in blind uncertainty. He charged towards his target ready to take on whatever happened. Immediately, he was confronted by an army of weapons. Yuki considered himself knowledgeable enough on weapons to know many of the types and names, but he had no clue on half of the ones he saw flying at him. Which didn¡¯t even speak for the rest floating around him. The only thing he knew, they were sharp. He dodged, pushed and dragged himself out of the range of many, but some still managed to touch him. His body wasn¡¯t built like Saki¡¯s new body; he couldn¡¯t easily dodge so many weapons. It still only came off as little cuts or shallow wounds, but they kept adding up for him. ¡®Damn, I need to be faster¡­¡¯ Yuki tensed up a little pushing his reflexes even further. The assault of weapons made it impossible for him to get near Demosthenes. All he could do was dodge and even that barely actually kept up with things. He flung his body around so quickly he had to be careful of the G¡¯s he started pulling. His Law wasn''t prepared for such things, otherwise he would have considered removing it from his Field. ¡®Explains why some of them can get away with pretty crazy movements, removing things like G force or drag makes a big difference in combat.¡¯ It also made him realize how the old man could do the things he did, he likely made significant alterations to natural laws. Until this fight, it wasn¡¯t even something he considered doing. Despite the disadvantage, Yuki managed to keep up. The longer he worked with flying the better of a feeling he got for it. He didn¡¯t need as many overt movements. It started to become a little more natural. However, it didn¡¯t change his situation. Demosthenes hadn¡¯t even moved from his position. He didn¡¯t need to with all of the weapons. ¡®I know he¡¯s skilled. He doesn¡¯t need to stand back, though I guess it could limit the angles of attack.¡¯ If it remained the same, Yuki would never get an attack in. His body would collapse before he did anymore. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡®I need a new plan¡­ I need to get close to him¡­¡¯ Yuki flew away from Demosthenes with the weapons all chasing after him, though he flew into more due to the high saturation. It was almost like a minefield, but rather than explosive, they had sharp edges. While he drew away, he popped out of the maximum range of Demosthenes¡¯ Field. ¡®Now I can get a free moment¡­ Don¡¯t know how well this will work¡­¡¯ Quickly, Demosthenes caught on to the range and made sure to adjust, but Yuki worked to keep the distance. Focusing on the mist, he started to draw it into his hand. Streams of it came in from all sides, pouring into an increasingly brighter glowing mass. Yuki had to push his flying skills as Demosthenes caught up to him. Dodging while gathering wasn¡¯t the most ideal, but he expected it. ¡®Almost there¡­¡¯ The super dense mass started to take on a nearly solid form becoming completely opaque. Once he felt it built up enough, Yuki changed his course to bring himself straight for the old man. He still gathered more of the mist, significantly reducing his defense. Most of the excess went into his new attempt. Evading became even more important, something that he felt in the more frequent hits he took. There was only so close he could get. All of the dodging he could manage wouldn¡¯t make him actually reach in range of Demosthenes. The defense around him was impenetrable. Close would have to do. ¡®Now or never¡­¡¯ Pulling his hand back, he dropped his other hand over top for support before he fired it off with outstretched arms. ¡°Go!¡± Immediately, weapons moved in to block his attack, but the high-density mass of energy punched straight through. Some blades shattered or broke off, while others were left with holes carved out. It sped through everything with Demosthenes closely approaching. Nothing he presented could stop it. However, the problem was that Demosthenes didn¡¯t solely focus on the sphere of energy. He targeted Yuki as well. Yuki tried to keep his eye on the target as much as possible, but high-speed dodging made it difficult. Yet despite it all, Demosthenes didn¡¯t seem concerned by the speeding, unblockable object. He simply charged forward, continuing his distance attack. When it came in range, he swung his great sword upward splitting into even sections. ¡®Damn,¡¯ thought Yuki, glancing at the outcome while keeping up his movement. ¡®That sword is the closest to him, the strength is likely the highest, though the rest are hardly lacking. I even focused everything on it.¡¯ As the mist broke down and filled out the air, he stared at the aftermath. ¡®I did lose my concentration while dodging¡­¡¯ Yuki wasn¡¯t completely convinced it was a loss. Gathering the mist back around him, he fortified his defenses while he considered his next plan. ¡®I just need to maintain my focus, all of the dodging is what¡¯s making it worse for me. He¡¯s got nothing to think about but attack.¡¯ Their distance slowly closed through dodging and attacking. Set on his course, Yuki drew in the mist once more, but focused them to his hands and feet. He hardened the energy once more into a tightly packed shape. Rather than a sphere, he took to something a little more practical for combating his surroundings. Blades formed at his hands for him to take hold, while at his feet they hovered as though affixed. They became solid glowing weapons. Weapon combat wasn¡¯t his forte. He preferred unarmed combat, but against other weapons reach trumped preference. ¡°Let¡¯s do this!¡± Brandishing his weapons at his side, Yuki charged in a new direction back at Demosthenes. The density gave him the superior cutting edge against the weapons. He dove through them like a knife through butter. Broken weapons rained down around him in his wake. Yuki cut his way through to Demosthenes. His weapons clashed with sparks slamming down on Demosthenes¡¯ sword and parried off with the scythe. A quick rapid exchange between the two left Yuki with several more wounds. It showed him how much of a difference in skill with weapons Demosthenes was. It wasn¡¯t even a matter of stronger powers or concentration. He lost to pure skill. Clenching his hands around the weapons, Yuki grit his teeth to push through the situation. ¡°It¡¯s not over yet!¡± He spun around bringing his feet up to attack Demosthenes as well. All four blades entered the fray trying to get him from multiple sides. It actually seemed to have an effect. Yuki could get in some nearly unblocked strikes. Until it finally happened, he slipped through the defense and made a shallow cut on his left shoulder. The reward for the first real wound was a sudden and swift point blank attack by the great sword, which opened up to reveal a concealed energy cannon. ¡°Dammit!¡± yelled Yuki as he fell back to the ground. Prone and sore, only his barrier padded the blow, Yuki stared up at Demosthenes. ¡®I got a hit on him, but this is still going to exhaust me before him. Even with all of the mental power, my body isn¡¯t going to hold out. I¡¯m still a little out of shape from the year I stopped fighting, not even counting all of the wounds I have. I need something to end this¡­something he wouldn¡¯t see coming¡­¡¯ Yuki didn¡¯t get much time to think when Demosthenes returned to the offensive with more concealed effects in the weapons revealing themselves. From hidden projectiles to energy attacks to elemental based attacks, the wide range of methods did little to surprise Yuki anymore. He had enough weapons for an army and each was distinctively different. Keeping on the move, Yuki racked his brain for ideas. Anything to turn the fight around would be enough. ¡®What would he not expect from me?¡¯ Dodging became even more challenging as he didn¡¯t have only close range weapons to deal with. The fight truly needed to end soon if Yuki was to win. ¡®I¡¯m still new to these powers, so anything advanced he¡¯d probably expect from others, but not me. But what? I only have a few examples¡­¡¯ Then his mind went to his last fight, Vangelis popped in his mind. The man who still puzzled him with his abilities. ¡®I don¡¯t know how he did it, but he was always switching around doing things to throw me off and knew what I expected and subverted that at every corner.¡¯ The more he thought about Vangelis¡¯ attack from the context of their powers, he started to poke through what it could be. ¡®The most likely situation is that he had all of that in his head and he just separated it into a completely different set. The complexity of such a power¡­I can¡¯t imagine how he managed to keep that all in his head. But my power isn¡¯t designed that way¡­and dropping it¡­¡¯ His options shrank quickly. He could tell how much his body started to drag on him. The wounds were catching up to him. Yuki punched through everything he could, flying low to the ground with as much support as he could muster. He moved quickly, even faster than before to get himself out of the range. Drawing Demosthenes'' attack away from where their fight started. The fight moved towards the city. Yuki glanced up at Demosthenes checking the distance. ¡®Almost there¡­just a little further¡­¡¯ He kept measuring out the distance. The desired position finally hit and he turned sharply around, throwing everything he had into the speed. He sped back towards the palace causing it to disappear from his powers, even during the fight the courtyard size was large enough that it was only marginally affected at the start. However, he dove straight into the palace, now an open grass Field. People scattered everywhere until suddenly the palace popped back. Demosthenes moved in towards the palace watching for any signs. ¡®He turned off his power? He must be trying to come up with a new power to counter me. Dangerous move¡­¡¯ He flew to the palace quickly removing it once more with his grass Field to discover Yuki. ¡®He¡¯s got his power back on. What has he decided on?¡¯ ¡®Damn¡­I didn¡¯t have as much time as I hoped.¡¯ The mist all returned around him. He wielded it loosely as more floating weapons to combat the dangers. Once he had an opening, he jumped back into the air to fly closer. Left behind him, a chunk of the earth where his feet once stood was no longer present. Moving closer to Demosthenes, Yuki jumped into his mist to grab back his weapons. He closed the distance with Demosthenes. Clashing with him, Yuki managed to parry the massive sword and even slid down to dodge the shifting to an assault cannon. Flipping backwards, he slashed at the sword to knock it out of his path. The scythe came in as a quick parry and deflection, but Yuki¡¯s blade actually sliced through it easily. He stabbed through embedding the blade into Demosthenes¡¯ shoulder. The surprise allowed him to drop the second blade into his other shoulder. When Yuki released his hand, Demosthenes suddenly dropped out of the sky. He clearly tried to recover, but could do nothing but soften his blow into the earth. The collapse of his body coughed up blood, dirt and smoke around him. All of the weapons turned down before fading away from sight. Yuki could finally sigh with relief. ¡°It¡¯s over¡­¡± Chapter 271 - Someone Elses Mind Landing nearby, the smoke had already begun to settle. No movement came from the crash, but Yuki didn¡¯t expect any. He specifically designed it that way. When the dust finally cleared, Demosthenes laid prone and very still. ¡°Would seem you beat me,¡± he replied, though lacking any sort of disappointment or anger. ¡°I am curious what you did. I have a good idea, but these weapons¡­¡± Yuki found the whole thing strange. Even during the fight and now after, there was no sign of the dark side to him. Either he was a little too good of an actor or Ayumi was mistaken. He just treated the whole thing so casually after it ended. It was hard not to follow along. ¡°I made the blades real from material in the palace when I turned my power back on. I made them super dense so that after my power released them they¡¯d pin you to the ground. Each one is about a quarter of a metric ton.¡± ¡°That¡¯s very clever. I¡¯m pleased with your growth.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t come here to get your approval.¡± ¡°I know, but I¡¯m still glad to see that you¡¯ve grown up well. It might have been a harsher destiny, but we wanted you to have a normal life before discovering all of the darkness in this world.¡± Yuki paused for a moment already in planned reply when he had to re-evaluate things. ¡®Grown up? What¡¯s he talking about? The way he¡¯s talking sounds like he planned all of this and kept watch on me the whole time.¡¯ He pressed his hand to his face trying to get his head on straight. ¡®This is starting to sound more like a manga than real life¡­¡¯ Too many ideas started flowing in his head on what his life actually could mean to this man. Running across the courtyard, Eudokia finally caught up to the two of them. ¡°Yuki!¡± She stopped in front of Demosthenes, putting herself between them. ¡°You don¡¯t need to kill him!¡± ¡°Eh?¡± He realized that he was staring very intensely at the man, one who seemed to know more about him than he thought. Ayumi already turned his world upside down two months ago with the reveal of super human powers and his unknown birth. But she never explained anymore about it. When he thought about it, there were a ton of unanswered questions or even unasked, in his case. He was too focused on wanting to live the life he knew. Now he stood at the center of everything. Yuki pushed Ayumi aside to get in line with Demosthenes again. ¡°I don¡¯t plan to kill him anymore. I¡¯ve resolved that part of myself, mostly anyway. No, I¡¯m more curious what he has to say about who I am and how someone that is supposedly the heir to this country ends up in Japan. There¡¯s a lot more going on from the way you talk that I want to know, old man.¡± Demosthenes nodded. ¡°It was always my plan to tell you. It was one of the promises I made to your father, the late King.¡± Narrowing his eyes, Yuki really started to question a lot about the situation he found himself in suddenly. ¡°It¡¯s been bugging me since I got my head on straight. Ayumi has painted a specific picture of everything here, but I¡¯m starting to wonder how truthful she¡¯s being about this whole thing.¡± He tilted his head back towards her. ¡°As I recall, if I¡¯m to believe your past, you¡¯re a skilled manipulator and con-artist. That¡¯s certainly an odd thing to be admitting¡­¡± Eudokia locked eyes with Yuki, staring deeply into them. ¡°That¡¯s enough questions. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Yeah, we have something left to do,¡± he agreed quickly. Demosthenes tried to get free of the weights on his shoulders only to make them bleed more. ¡°Eudokia! What do you think you¡¯re doing? This isn¡¯t part of the plan!¡± She glared down at him coldly. ¡°Your plan maybe, but it is mine. I¡¯m fulfilling what was asked of me.¡± Eudokia started to escort Yuki away from the area. ¡°Eudokia! This isn¡¯t what he would want! Not like this!¡± Stopping suddenly, her head snapped back towards him furious. ¡°What the HELL would you know what he wanted?! You abandoned him for your so-called loyalty to the throne! I¡¯m the only one that can carry out his dying wish! Not YOU, not anyone! Only me!¡± Activating his Field once more, Demosthenes started to remove the weighted blades in his shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m also carrying out his will. You aren¡¯t the only one that suffered.¡± ¡°Bullshit! You¡¯re still the same heartless bastard from the day I met you. You just got better at lying underneath that mask of yours.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t the way to do it! If you continue I will have to stop you.¡± Eudokia laughed briefly at his empty threat. ¡°You really think you can present any challenge to me in your condition? Even at your peak, you could never best me. Just lie there and keep your defeat. It¡¯ll be easier to keep pretending for the side you¡¯re on.¡± She turned away and kept walking Yuki off. ¡®Can¡¯t stay around here any longer. He purposely sent all of the guards away, but the spectacle those two had no doubt will bring them running back in no time.¡¯ As she approached the main doors to the palace, they flew open with guards responding. In a flash, she quickly dispatched them all. ¡°Come Yuki. Everything will be over soon.¡± This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°Yes, Ayumi,¡± he answered obediently. Chapter 271 ¨C Someone Else¡¯s Mind Roaring into the palace ground, blowing a massive hole in the wall and throwing chunks of debris to all corners, Yumi came to a sudden halt. She hovered a couple meters in the air, finding the courtyard overrun with enemies. All around they went for their weapons, already prepared for a fight. Already pushed to the limits of reason, she had little time for insignificant minions. ¡°Out of my way before I make you!¡± He glanced up from his seated position where the palace guards surrounded him. ¡°Damn, this is getting more complicated than needed,¡± Demosthenes commented, standing up. ¡°Sir! You shouldn¡¯t be moving!¡± ¡°Stand down,¡± he ordered. ¡°I¡¯m not so wounded as to be unable to handle this.¡± ¡°But sir, she¡¯s one of the intruders.¡± ¡°Yes, I know and she¡¯s defeated a Titan. So you think anyone but I can do anything about it?¡± The soldiers all around him backed off a little. They allowed him to start moving. Rippling grass across the courtyard, he floated up level with Yumi. ¡°Judging from your expression, you seem to have learned some bit of the truth.¡± Yumi clenched her fists. ¡°Out of the way! I¡¯m only here for Ayumi!¡± Narrowing his gaze a little, he could see how much trouble it was going to be to talk with the girl. ¡°So you know what she¡¯s up to. While I don¡¯t approve of her methods, I¡¯m unable to stop her. Though, I doubt you¡¯d be able to stop her either. If I couldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about what you think!¡± Yumi slashed her hand through the air, generating an arc of green energy aimed at Demosthenes. ¡°You can¡¯t stop me!¡± Demosthenes sighed and lifted his hand up to catch her attack. His hand squeezed down on the arc and crushed it. Blood soaked through the bandages on his shoulder. ¡°This is getting tiring.¡± ¡°Tch¡­¡± Yumi moved her hand back allowing it to gather up energy. ¡°So you¡¯re planning on standing in my way.¡± ¡°Actually, no.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± She lowered her hand a little. Confusion ran through her face as she tried to figure out what his plan was. ¡°If you¡¯re not going to stop me, then why are you in my way?¡± ¡°Because I want to reduce the amount of further damage you deal to the Palace by going on a blind rampage in search of the two of them. And it¡¯s very likely that you¡¯ll be too late to do anything if you waste time aimlessly searching.¡± Squinting her eyes at Demosthenes, she had some trouble believing him. He had an honest look on his face. ¡°We¡¯re already wasting time talking when Ayumi and Yuki are getting closer to the Throne.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, which is why I¡¯m going to tell you how to get there.¡± ¡°Why should I believe you?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have much choice since you¡¯re against the clock. But despite what I said about you not being able to beat Eudokia, I want to believe there is a chance. I failed her, I hope there¡¯s someone that can succeed where I¡¯ve failed.¡± Yumi moved closer to get into better range. She had her doubts, but he was right. ¡°I¡¯m not interested in saving her, only Yuki.¡± Demosthenes smiled. ¡°That should be enough.¡± Deep inside the underground of the Palace, massive stone doors opened into a large domed interior. Already lit when opened, the interior was a perfect hemisphere. More than two hundred meters in diameter, the chamber made anyone that stepped inside feel small. However, the grand nature of it added to the weight of its importance. Inside at the center was the all-important Throne of Atlantis. Numerous lines carved through the stone floor. At the edge, the lines turned up to run along the dome ceiling. These faint lines covered the entire space almost like a design itself. While Eudokia closed and locked the doors, Yuki stepped a little further inside. He hung his head back staring at the detail found everywhere. When he approached the wall, he could see even further inlaid details carved throughout the stone. Nearly no point of the entire surface remained flat. ¡°Amazing, how much time went into all of this¡­I wonder.¡± Eudokia hurried about in her preparations. ¡°According to history, it was just a single person. The second King of Atlantis that did all of this.¡± ¡°Really¡­so that means this was all created through the power.¡± He ran his hand over the surface feeling every corner and edge. Despite the age it had to be, it had somehow seemed to hold against time¡¯s hand. ¡°Is all of this necessary?¡± ¡°No one really knows. It¡¯s just assumed to be needed.¡± ¡°Needed for what?¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough questions, Yuki. It¡¯s time.¡± She escorted Yuki through the chamber towards the center. Everything would finally be over soon. The plan had finally come to fruition. Flying through the halls, Yumi barged through completely ignoring anyone that she might have run across. Her goal was the only thing on her mind. ¡®I¡¯m coming, Yuki. I¡¯ll put a stop to Ayumi¡¯s plans.¡¯ She pushed herself to move faster. She didn¡¯t know how much longer she had. Too much time was wasted on Demosthenes. ¡®Just a little bit further¡­¡¯ Eudokia guided Yuki to the center of the chamber. While nothing more than a large block, even it had a significant amount of detail carved into it. It appeared to be a separate piece added on top of the floor. But the size made it impossible for either of them to move even with help. He looked down at the strange looking stone block. Out of everything, it certainly felt a little subdued from the grandiose nature of everything else. ¡°What did you want me to do?¡± ¡°You just need to sit.¡± She pointed out on the block a design that seemed to indicate a specific location for him. ¡°It will respond to the power inside you. If you¡¯re powerful enough it will accept you.¡± ¡°Oh. How powerful do you have to be?¡± Yuki moved over to the block looking ready to sit. ¡°We don¡¯t really measure things, but my King was the most powerful in recent history. All of the previous ones in the last line were weak and feeble. Even Demosthenes was more powerful than them. He just lacks the volume, like myself.¡± He stared down at the block a bit in wonder. ¡°Sounds like there¡¯s not a lot of strict requirements.¡± ¡°Anyone can be King if they have enough power to spare. It was designed that way.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Now sit. You¡¯re wasting time with this talking.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The moment Yuki made contact with the block, a red light suddenly came from the block through each of the carved out lines. It ran through every surface completely filling the stone. A moment later, groaning came from the stone. Perfectly cut gaps appeared all along the surface of the block. Pieces raised and separated suddenly building on top or around each other. Each piece fit in perfectly with Yuki¡¯s body as though it was custom made for only him. It slowly built out into a roughly carved chair of solid stone. No gaps or fancy designs, just a simple shape. A tall back gave it the only touch of grandness that the rest of the form lacked. Eudokia grinned at her success. ¡°Now just activate your power, Yuki. The moment you do the Throne will link with you.¡± ¡°¡­right, I understand, Ayumi¡­¡± Chapter 272 - Desperate Emotions An explosion of stone and smoke suddenly filled the entire chamber. It didn¡¯t take long for them to know who arrived. ¡°AYUMI!¡± screamed Yumi, her shadowy figure flying through smoke. Immediately without delay, Yumi sent an orb of energy blasting towards Eudokia. A ripple ran out from Eudokia¡¯s feet as she halted the attack completely in her ice. She placed herself between Yumi and Yuki, knowing the main reason why she came. ¡°What the hell do you think you¡¯re doing?! If you damage any part of this room you¡¯ll be condemning millions to death!¡± Yumi continued to speed towards the two of them. ¡°I don¡¯t care about any of that! You should have thought about that before deciding to lie to us and send Yuki to his death!¡± She charged up another blast, but ice suddenly completely encased her arm, halting it. Unfazed, Yumi squeezed her hand, shattering the ice. ¡°Dammit, Yumi! I don¡¯t have time for your childishness!¡± Crashing into Ayumi, the two girls rolled over the ground before separating again. Yumi crawled up to her feet glaring at Ayumi viciously. ¡°I don¡¯t give a DAMN about what you have time FOR!¡± Charging up another blast, she threw it before she built up much. It was enough for Ayumi to need to focus on protecting something else. Using the distraction, she flew over quickly to Yuki. ¡°Yuki! Don¡¯t sit in that chair!¡± When she appeared in front of the Throne before Yuki, she could see that he wasn¡¯t completely aware of her. ¡°Yuki?¡± He only seemed to be partially awake. A thick glaze hung over his eyes. Eudokia recovered from the diversion and charged after Yumi. Extending her sword out at Yumi, she forced her way in front of the Throne as well. ¡°Back off, Yumi. Yuki, activate your power like I told you!¡± ¡°Ayumi, what did you do to him?!¡± Yumi grabbed the tip of her sword, crushing it in her hand fighting over position. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to her, Yuki! It¡¯s me, Yumi! Hear me, Yuki!¡± Unhindered by the struggle, Eudokia held her position. ¡°I did what must be done for the survival of our country!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about that! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO YUKI?!¡± She tore the sword out of Ayumi¡¯s hand. In the next instant, Yumi wrapped her hand around Ayumi¡¯s neck starting to squeeze. ¡°Answer ME!¡± The fires in Yumi¡¯s eyes burned even stronger than before. Coughing weakly, Eudokia didn¡¯t bend to the pressure. Ice expanded from her body over Yumi¡¯s hand. It shattered quickly from Yumi¡¯s exertion, but formed up again. The ice held as stubborn as her. ¡°You don¡¯t¡­have it in you¡­to kill.¡± Baring her teeth in rage, Yumi pulled Ayumi in closer. ¡°Normally you might be right. But you¡¯ve exceeded any threshold I have for morality. So just try me!¡± Chapter 272 ¨C Desperate Emotions Grinding her teeth, Eudokia judged the look on Yumi''s face. She could see the resolve and determination along with all of the blind rage. There was no convincing with her. Eudokia could see it. ¡°Fine, you want to kill me?¡± The sword reformed in her hands and halfway through Yumi¡¯s upper arm. ¡°I won¡¯t hold back!¡± Barely even affected by the wound, Yumi severed the blade with her power. Removing it with her telekinesis, she sent it back at Ayumi , embedding in her upper shoulder. ¡°AYUMI! I¡¯m going to kill you for what you¡¯ve done to Yuki!¡± Eudokia broke free from Yumi¡¯s grasp finally. She yanked out the blade from her sword. Ice formed up over the wound. Harsh lines formed around her eyes. Even she had limits. ¡°My name is Eudokia Ismene! Ayumi is a lie! I don¡¯t need lies anymore!¡± ¡°Eudokia!¡± ¡°Yumi!¡± Yumi danced around the room evading ice attacks and slashes from her sword. All of the injuries she sustained during her last fight with Ourias disappeared from her mind. She wouldn¡¯t let anything hold her back from dealing with Eudokia. Everything would end now. At the center of the room, Yuki remained still. He seemed locked in a position uncertain what to do next. Even with the fighting in around him, his eyes remained glossed over. Any sense of consciousness gone. The identity known as Yuki Hayashi was missing. Using pieces of her barrier, she kept blocking the swings from the sword. Between attacks, she threw out blasts of green energy. The progress quickly entered into a stalemate. Neither made any significant headway in the fight after the first blood. ¡®Damn, the girl¡¯s gotten better with her powers,¡¯ thought Eudokia. She threw around waves of ice to block several incoming attacks. It easily broke on impact even though it negated the attack. The ice had been strengthened even and it still shattered. ¡®Her power¡¯s grown that much in this short time?¡¯ The resistance she expected from the girl was greater than she forecasted. ¡®Out of all of them I saw Saki as the greatest threat, which was why I made sure she was separated. Yumi¡¯s made significantly more advancements than I calculated for. She¡¯s not the timid girl I wrote her off being.¡¯ Even when they were in Atlantis, she never actually disappeared from the fights. She watched them all secretly. All of her planning would fall apart if she lost. ¡®Judging by the look in her eye, she might actually want to kill me¡­ Glad I added an Addendum to negate her telekinesis on my body.¡¯ Her Law was far more complex and layered than any of them realized. She had to plan for any of them attacking her. Spreading out ice over the ground, Eudokia drew out multiple paths for her. She jumped onto the first taking off to out flank Yumi. Unfortunately, the agility of Yumi made it difficult for her to actually out maneuver her. She slid around the whole area moving with Yumi as they fought higher into the air. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Amidst their fighting, Eudokia materialized her chain attached to her sword. It appeared all around Yumi immediately tightening to restrict her movements. She charged in with her sword ready to pierce her. However, multiple sections of barriers popped up. The sword managed to cut through a few, but hit resistance suddenly. Yumi shattered the chains around her through mere strength. She then materialized several of her pieces of barriers, throwing them at Eudokia. The first few missed, but Yumi rapidly increased the speed until she was unable to keep up. One struck the upper sleeve of her kimono. Several more followed up sending her flying back to the dome¡¯s wall. Pinned to the wall, Eudokia had little range of movement. While she tried to release herself, Yumi threw more at her, but no longer aimed for her clothing. She had to use ice to keep it from a lethal injury and it still only deflected it. Eudokia altered her clothes quickly to free herself from the shackles. She threw out ice shards to keep Yumi off her, while she recovered. ¡®Tch¡­she¡¯s getting more lethal with her attacks.¡¯ Catching the ice, she rode the wave around taking shots at Yumi from a distance. Fueled off rage even more so than before, Yumi released more of her shield barriers. Spinning quickly, the pieces of the barrier flew off after Eudokia. Dodging and out running them with her ice, kept Yumi from scoring any clean hits. However, she raised her hand towards the path Eudokia took. She crushed both the front and rear of her ice wave. Forced to recover quickly with new paths, Eudokia came back around. However, she found that Yumi had already set up her next attack. ¡®Damn¡­she¡¯s much smarter in combat than I expected¡­¡¯ A focused beam shot out. Ice covered up in a wall to protect her. She made it even thicker, discovering how fragile it was against Yumi. It managed to hold. Yet she saw cracks already starting to form. She repaired it quickly to keep the defense. ¡®She¡¯s able to focus her power through the barrier as well¡­ It¡¯s much more versatile¡­¡¯ The intensity of the beam increased. Her wall wouldn¡¯t hold for long without more strengthening, however it was a losing fight. ¡®I need a distraction¡­¡¯ Eudokia materialized several ice shards from different directions. However, they couldn¡¯t even make it more than a few centimeters before they disappeared. Completely crushed by Yumi without even a slight alteration of her stance. ¡®¡­damn¡­this is getting more annoying¡­ I shouldn¡¯t be taking this long with her! She should already be exhausted from fighting the Titans, why does she still have so much power?!¡¯ Worse for Eudokia, she realized too late that Yumi had something else completely different planned. She just played her with a distraction. The frontal attack wasn¡¯t the real attack. Multiple beams came in from different angles. ¡®How did she¡­?!¡¯ Eudokia didn¡¯t have time to react. A weak defense was the only thing she could offer. The beams easily pierced through the ice. At the last moment, she collapsed on the ice supporting her. It dropped her, but not soon enough to escape all of the beams. She took several hits to her arm and shoulders. Fortunately, they weren¡¯t deep since she fell before it became too bad. Eudokia landed on the stone floor kneeling. Blood dripped off her wounds. ¡®Damn¡­Yumi¡­I¡¯m going to have actually get serious with her¡­¡¯ She slowly stood up, wiping off the blood as ice sealed up the wounds. ¡°I hope you¡¯re pleased with yourself.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still moving,¡± Yumi replied in disagreement. ¡°You won¡¯t be very soon.¡± ¡°Big talk for someone that¡¯s been barely able to keep up.¡± Narrowing her eyes, she fixed her gaze on Yumi. ¡°You¡¯ll see how long that lasts for.¡± All of the ice suddenly disappeared. The sword faded away from her hand. Ice gathered around her hands, completely encasing them. Her feet grew ice claws as well as she knelt back down. ¡°I¡¯m ending things now!¡± ¡°Just try!¡± Yumi immediately shot out beams from multiple directions to converge on Eudokia. However, she was already gone from the position. She nearly became a blur lashing out at Yumi with her new claws. They sliced her barrier into pieces with no effort. The close call pushed Yumi back as she watched Eudokia fly further into the air. She had pieces of her barrier in place to redirect the beams that previously missed her. Eudokia had nowhere else to go. The beams chased after her. However, just as the beams moved within reach, Eudokia bounced off the air to change her course. Her speed increased coming back around for Yumi. ¡®Dammit, she was never like this before,¡¯ cursed Yumi. She threw up barriers to push back Eudokia, but they didn¡¯t stop her. Her claws sliced straight through coming for Yumi. ¡°I told you, this is over!¡± Eudokia shouted, as a flash of light arced over Yumi. Blood sprayed up from her claws sinking into flesh. Stubbornness in Yumi¡¯s eyes made it clear to Eudokia that she wouldn¡¯t be done in by just one attack. She bounced around taking Yumi from multiple angles breaking her barriers and cutting deep with her claws until she fell. Yumi collapsed to her knees. Blood dripped over all of her body. Old wounds complained loudly along with the fresh. Her body shook, unable to keep going forward despite her will ordering it to move. ¡°¡­damn¡­I can¡¯t¡­lose¡­¡± She stretched out her hand towards Eudokia gathering energy. ¡°I won¡¯t¡­¡± Standing in midair, Eudokia stared down at Yumi¡¯s continued struggle. ¡°You¡¯re done.¡± The coldness in Eudokia''s eyes returned. She dropped down quickly, landing next to Yumi. A new spray of blood coated the right side of her face. ¡°Damn¡­you!¡± Yumi clutched her severed arm. She couldn¡¯t stop the bleeding. However, she didn¡¯t plan to go down without Eudokia. She grabbed Eudokia¡¯s shoulder with her blood soaked hand. ¡°Eudok¡ª¡° Yumi coughed up blood suddenly. Eudokia jerked her hand free from Yumi¡¯s stomach. ¡°I can¡¯t stop me.¡± Blood poured out from her stomach. The pain had become so strong that she stopped feeling anything. Yumi collapsed backwards. Her blood fell into the carvings along the floor spreading out almost like a pair of skeletal wings. ¡°¡­Yuki¡­¡± He was close to her. She could barely see him. Just in reach, she grabbed at him. ¡°¡­Yuki¡­wake¡­¡± Yumi pulled with her arm trying to reach him. ¡°He¡¯s never going to hear you. He¡¯s completely under my control.¡± ¡°Yuki¡­¡± Her fingers could feel his boots. She dragged herself closer. ¡®¡­closer¡­I just need¡­to get¡­¡¯ Yumi reached up to his leg pulling on him. She could feel his warmth. He was in reach. ¡®Just¡­a little¡­¡¯ Each pained pull brought her a little further. More upright, she knelt next to him leaning against him. ¡°Yuki¡­please hear me¡­¡± ¡°Just die already!¡± Eudokia charged in for the finishing blow, but Yumi suddenly managed to lift her hand up and unleashed a powerful blast of energy. Unable to dodge in time, she flew back crashing into the wall. Yumi coughed up more blood. ¡°Damn¡­I¡­¡± She tilted her head up towards Yuki, still completely lost to the world. Forcing her legs to move, she stood up a little wobbly. ¡°I¡­don¡¯t know¡­how much time¡­I¡¯ve got¡­but there¡¯s¡­something I want to say¡­¡± Some of her last bit of strength fell out from under her. She leaned forward, forced to support herself with her only hand against the Throne. Blood soaked, Yumi smiled at him. ¡°Ever since that day¡­ I¡¯ve watched you¡­ I¡­looked up to you¡­admired you¡­ At first¡­¡± Her hand started to give out. She leaned a little closer to Yuki. ¡°¡­but something else¡­grew inside me¡­in my heart¡­ I could feel it every time¡­I saw you¡­ It¡¯d beat so hard¡­I thought I¡¯d die¡­¡± Her legs buckled a little more, knocking her down a little more level with him. ¡°¡­I¡¯m shy¡­introverted¡­anti-social¡­self conscious¡­but you¡­ Yuki you made me¡­want to change¡­not be like that anymore. I wanted to¡­stand at your¡­side¡­¡± She could feel all of her strength disappearing. She couldn¡¯t hold out much longer. ¡°Yuki¡­¡± Yumi leaned in further only centimeters away from his face. She paused a little in wonder at his face, even blank as it was. ¡°¡­I can finally say this to you¡­I love you¡­Yuki¡­¡± Yumi pressed in kissing him deeply until she had no strength left. Yumi fell backwards slowly. ¡°¡­so please¡­awake up¡­Yuki!¡± Her body collapsed on the floor unable to move anymore. Blood pooled around her again. ¡°¡­Yu¡­mi¡­¡± Chapter 273 - Returned Mind Eudokia pulled herself up. A ringing still hung in her head. ¡°¡­damn¡­¡± Her eyes locked on to Yumi and then noticed Yuki, his consciousness returning. The fact that he started to move surprised her. ¡°No! It can¡¯t¡ª¡° A blast of wind kicked her forward, throwing herself back across the chamber. ¡°Sit down, Yuki!¡± He didn¡¯t seem to be listening to her. Grinding her teeth together, she saw Yumi. Eudokia raised her claws. ¡°Damn you! I¡¯m going to KILL you!¡± In the last few centimeters before her claws sunk into Yumi¡¯s chest, a hand stopped her. The sudden stop threw a painful force through her body. ¡°YOU¡ª¡° Eudokia ground her teeth and bare them in anger. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± The clarity had returned to Yuki¡¯s eyes. He tightened his hold on Ayumi¡¯s hand trying to figure out why he needed to stop her from killing Yumi. ¡°Ayumi? What are you doing?¡± Growling through her teeth, she lost all of her control. ¡°¡­that¡­bitch¡­¡± Still confused, Yuki tried to figure out where he was. ¡®Why can¡¯t I remember coming here? What have I been doing? I remember beating Demosthenes¡­¡¯ Coughing, Yumi grinned a little, pleased to see Yuki returned at the end. ¡°¡­Yu¡­ki¡­I¡¯m¡­glad¡­¡± ¡°Yumi?!¡± Yuki threw Ayumi to the opposite side of the chamber. He didn¡¯t understand what she was trying to do, but she seemed to want to hurt Yumi. ¡°You¡¯re¡­¡± Kneeling down next to Yumi, he couldn¡¯t believe how much blood he saw. ¡°¡­all this¡­blood¡­ Yumi¡­you¡­¡± Yumi stretched her hand up to Yuki¡¯s face. This was all she needed to see. ¡°¡­it¡¯s¡­okay¡­¡± ¡°NO!¡± The Field he had disappeared and then a ripple ran out quickly. Faint lights rose up from the ground gathering around Yumi¡¯s body. ¡°You¡¯re still alive! I¡¯m not going to allow you to die! I¡¯m not losing anyone else! EVER!¡± Chapter 273 ¨C Returned Mind Another cough came up from Yumi, but this time didn¡¯t sound so deathly. She rested her hand on his cheek just staring at him for a moment. If time could just stand still she would be happy. However, neither of them had such luxury. Nearly sounding like a wild animal, Ayumi roared from the opposite side of the chamber. ¡°YUMI!¡± She staggered to her feet, almost hung over her waist. ¡°You¡¯re DEAD! DEAD!¡± Yuki glanced over his shoulder at Ayumi, completely confused. ¡®She¡¯s completely lost it! What happened?¡¯ He looked back at Yumi, who seemed to be calling him. ¡°Yumi, tell me what did I miss? I feel like everyone knows something I don¡¯t.¡± Most of her wounds had already healed with her severed arm being grown. The sensation felt strange. Despite their powers and even her own, it still felt unreal. It felt like she was in some movie she would go to see. It didn¡¯t feel like it was happening to her. She pulled herself up to sit next to Yuki. Her mind tried to process everything that she needed to tell him. It almost felt like something that would lose her for hours. She needed a place to start. ¡°Eudokia¡­Ayumi, she¡¯s been hiding the truth from all of us.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± It came as a bit of a surprise to Yuki, but deep down he knew something had to be off. The Demosthenes fight gave him enough of a gut feeling that things didn¡¯t add up correctly. ¡°What did she hide?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how much of it is actually true, what she¡¯s told us. But she never told us about what it means to be the King of Atlantis, about that thing, the Throne of Atlantis. Or price you have to pay to be King.¡± Yumi stared over at Eudokia with Yori¡¯s words echoing through her mind. ¡°I believe her intention the entire time was only to take you to Atlantis and force you to become the King without telling you anything about the reality.¡± ¡°Reality? Yumi, what are you talking about? You¡¯re not being very clear.¡± ¡°Sorry, my emotions are still not completely cooled over what she was planning.¡± Just the thought about what she was willing to do to Yuki made her blood boil again. She never planned to give him a choice. ¡°We just got in her way. We complicated her plan. I can see that now, that¡¯s why she told us the lies and kept quiet about certain things.¡± Yuki grabbed Yumi by the shoulders. Most of the healed had finally finished, so she was safe. ¡°Yumi, what are you trying to say?¡± ¡°I¡¯m saying she planned to leave you here to die!¡± The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. His eyes widened and pupils shrank to pin dots. ¡°Die?! Yumi?¡± Yuki turned his head over to Ayumi wanting to know it was an exaggeration. ¡°Ayumi? You planned to kill me?¡± ¡°He¡¯s supposed to be King!¡± she roared again. ¡°Being King is a death sentence! You were condemning him to death without even telling him! You planned to kill him! EUDOKIA!¡± Yumi tried to get back on her feet, wanting another piece of Eudokia. However, Yuki held her back. ¡°Don¡¯t stop me, Yuki! This woman needs to die!¡± ¡°Yumi?!¡± He couldn¡¯t believe what he heard coming from Yumi¡¯s mouth. His hands tightened further on her to keep her charging into the fight. ¡°Do you hear what you¡¯re saying?! This isn¡¯t you, Yumi!¡± Her eyes went wild once again. Harsh lines drew up around her eyes completely fixated on Eudokia. ¡°You can¡¯t stop me, Yuki! I¡¯m going to KILL her! It is what she deserves! She doesn¡¯t care about any of us! We were all just in her way! I¡¯ll make her suffer!¡± Nothing seemed to be getting to Yumi. He couldn¡¯t believe that this was the same girl he saw in the hallways in school. ¡®How did she change so much in such a short period of time?¡¯ Yuki knew that he couldn¡¯t just hold her. He slapped her across the face trying to snap her out of her rage. ¡°Yumi! Do you hear yourself?! Kill? She deserves it?!¡± A slap could do nothing to temper the rage in her heart. She glared fiercely at Yuki. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear anything from you! You want to kill Demosthenes for killing Kazuhiro! So you don¡¯t get to stand on your high morality speech when you aren¡¯t any different!¡± She was right. It was difficult for Yuki to counter her. He knew he fell into the same pit that Yumi was in. He knew that feeling. In fact, it wasn''t the first time. Twice now, he wanted to kill someone out of revenge. They deserved it for hurting the ones that he loved. It was all justification. He was probably the wrong person to try actually to say anything to Yumi about revenge. But he was the only one that stood in front of her. The only one that could stop her. Tightening up his fists, he prepared himself for the next round. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m just as guilty. I¡¯m a hypocrite. I tell people they shouldn¡¯t kill, but fall to the same traps.¡± His hand shook. He could still see Kazuhiro in his mind. His friend was left not avenged, even though in his heart he could feel it screaming for it. ¡°But it¡¯s because I¡¯m human! I¡¯m human, so I make mistakes! I¡¯m going to stumble and be consumed. But I can still stand even with that weight on my back because I haven¡¯t crossed that line yet. We aren¡¯t justified even with everything screaming in our hearts saying we are right!¡± ¡°She wants to kill you!¡± Yumi threw out her hand to point at Eudokia. There was no forgiveness in her eyes. ¡°She doesn¡¯t care about your life!¡± ¡°That may be true, but it¡¯s my life. If it is my life that she wants then it¡¯s me that she should face.¡± ¡°Yuki!¡± He shook Yumi trying to get her to stop. ¡°Yumi! You¡¯re in no position to fight even if I didn¡¯t stop you! Kazuhiro¡¯s already dead! I¡¯m not going to lose someone else I care about!¡± ¡°¡­Yuki¡­¡± It finally broke through to her mind. She stared at Yuki rather than her enemy. Yumi could see the look in his eyes. The pained look endlessly haunted by ghosts. A future robbed from him. Sighing, she worked to calm her emotions. It was nearly impossible to get the shaking out of her body. Her fingers still wanted to choke the life straight from Eudokia¡¯s neck. But she would have to let it go. He was right. Though healed, she still had trouble feeling like she could move her body. ¡°Fine¡­I understand. But this isn¡¯t over yet, Yuki.¡± She glanced at Eudokia over his shoulder. The wild look didn¡¯t seem like one ready to give up. Yuki turned to look at Ayumi. He saw the same thing Yumi did even though it was a sight completely new to him. ¡°Ayumi¡­what¡¯s happened to you?¡± ¡°Yumi! You ruined everything!¡± ¡°Ayumi¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t give me that pitiful look!¡± ¡°You get upset over a single death! Insignificant, one death is a small price!¡± It seemed like she had already completely lost it. Yuki didn¡¯t know what she was talking about. He glanced back at Yumi. ¡®Yumi never really answered me clearly about what''s going on. I still haven¡¯t a clue what this was all about. Why I¡¯m at this¡­Throne of Atlantis. Or why I¡¯m going to die¡­¡¯ Yuki stepped out from around the stone chair. The light from it disappeared. It stood in silence, just a simple block of stone waiting for the one meant to sit on it. Using the pieces that he had and some of his own ideas, thanks to his literature, Yuki tried to put together the events. ¡°You tried to get me to sit here. This is the Throne of Atlantis, the place you make your Kings, right?¡± ¡°You will still sit there!¡± ¡®She¡¯s a little difficult to talk to right now¡­ I sort of wish I had the old one¡­¡¯ Yuki still needed to get all of the pieces to fit together. ¡°Why will I die if I sit on that throne?¡± ¡°It feeds off your life to keep Atlantis alive!¡± answer Yumi. She wasn¡¯t about to let Eudokia twist words around in her favor. He looked back at Yumi. ¡°Keep Atlantis alive?¡± In the next, he checked with Ayumi. She didn¡¯t seem to argue the point. ¡°But why? What danger is Atlantis in?¡± ¡°Without the King, Atlantis will disappear,¡± Ayumi answered instead of Yumi. ¡°The King is the strength of Atlantis, the will! The King is Atlantis¡¯ savior. With their life in honorable sacrifice, Atlantis can live!¡± ¡°You¡¯re sending someone to die! You¡¯re telling them to sacrifice themselves for the selfishness of everyone else!¡± Ayumi threw out her arms to deny Yumi¡¯s opinion. She roared, ¡°You understand nothing! The death of one is a small price! Millions will die otherwise!¡± Yuki stared back at the Throne. It made him stagger a little, finally understanding the weight. He understood the importance of the position finally, why the people were so afraid without a King. It made so much sense now to him. Even Ayumi¡¯s stories finally made sense. ¡®The King¡­my father¡­ He wasn¡¯t ill because of some disease. It wasn¡¯t some natural cause or illness that killed him. It was this thing that killed him!¡¯ Yuki stepped away from the Throne. It carried so much blood within its stone. All he could see was the blood. The millennia upon millennia of countless sacrifices all for the good of Atlantis. ¡®How many willingly became King? Did they regret it? Knowing that they¡¯d die a short and slow death¡­¡¯ The impact of the truth was more than Yuki expected. He fell back with his legs buckling. Yumi rushed over to Yuki¡¯s side. He finally understood everything. ¡°You¡¯re not going to become King! She can¡¯t force you to do it!¡± She glared over at Eudokia. Eudokia bent down a little prepared for more. She bore her teeth with the rage reaching to the surface once more. Her plan wasn¡¯t ruined. ¡°If you don¡¯t become the King willingly, then I¡¯ll just force you!¡± Her voice roared through the entire chamber. ¡°I¡¯ll KILL that bitch! And then you¡¯ll put you under my control again!¡± Her eyes locked on to Yumi immediately, the threat to her plans. She charged across the entire chamber on all fours with her claws aimed for a quick kill. However, Yuki stepped in front of Yumi. Mist surrounded his hands grabbing her claws before she could do anything. ¡°You¡¯ll have to go through me if you want Yumi!¡± Chapter 274 - The Corrupted Past ¡°YUKI!¡± She ripped her hand free from his grasp and slashed repeatedly at him. What little he didn¡¯t dodge didn¡¯t make it very far thanks to his mist. At the end of the flurries, a blunt shape from the mist jumped out slamming into her stomach. Eudokia flew back through the air, but quickly came to a stop. She crouched low hanging at an odd angle in the air. ¡®Those claws¡­¡¯ The usual sword that he had come to be familiar with from Ayumi couldn¡¯t be found. Much of what felt common to her was painted away. Anger soaked into every crack and hole of the canvas that made up her being. Yuki couldn¡¯t recognize the woman before him. ¡°Ayumi¡­I don¡¯t want to have to fight you.¡± ¡°Only conditions I accept are you sitting on the Throne!¡± ¡°Ayumi¡­¡± Yuki could sort of understand her desperation with the weight of an entire country on her. But he couldn¡¯t agree with the methods. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll put an end to all things. The last two months¡­Ayumi¡­¡± Chapter 274 ¨C The Corrupted Past Jumping off her perch, Eudokia clawed out at Yuki. She bounced quickly from side to side. However, none of it really mattered when she couldn¡¯t even break his mist barrier. ¡°Bastard!¡± She pushed herself even harder as though it could make a difference. Yuki barely even did anything to stop her. More than anything, he just stared at her. There was an odd sense of reversed positions that didn¡¯t go unnoticed by Yuki. ¡®She¡¯s like I was¡­ So enraged that she can¡¯t even think straight. It dulls our powers¡­ She can¡¯t win like this¡­¡¯ ¡°Don¡¯t give me your pity!¡± Ice grew over more of her body. Expanding over her face, it covered up her eyes leaving only her mouth and chin exposed. Her speed managed to increase even more, becoming a streak through the air. However, speed wasn¡¯t the answer. Wrinkling his brow, Yuki had trouble watching Ayumi¡¯s self-destruction. She continued to rip apart every piece that he thought he knew about her. ¡°¡­Ayumi¡­¡± ¡°Stop calling me by that fake name! That¡¯s not who I am!¡± Eudokia stopped up in the air above Yuki. She directed dozens of ice shards at him. Though they shattered against his mist, the ice dust rained down expanding suddenly to completely encase him. She threw herself down at Yuki. ¡°My name is Eudokia Ismene!¡± Held in the ice, Yuki didn¡¯t even flinch when she crashed through the ice. He grabbed her hands the moment he was free of the prison. ¡°My memories are with Ayumi, not Eudokia. You¡¯re Ayumi.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± She kicked at Yuki to break free from his hold. Landing a short distance away, she glared at him. ¡°It was all just a lie! Everything you know was a lie! I planned out every little detail!¡± It seemed the right time actually to get some more details out of her. Yumi told him she hid stuff from them, but he didn¡¯t know how much. He knew well enough that Ayumi¡¯s personality was fake, but he wanted to believe part of her real self made up the fake. ¡°I know you brainwashed me. That much I¡¯ve gathered from how you talked, but when did you do it? Even if I didn¡¯t notice, someone else should have.¡± Smirking a little, Eudokia paused in her attack to indulge Yuki. ¡°Since the beginning. I¡¯ve been slowly working on your mind for the last two months!¡± ¡°Two months?!¡± It actually shocked Yuki to hear that she had been planning so far back. He never really realized. It seemed impossible, but with her power, he had to accept she could have done it. ¡°Did you really think I¡¯d risk you saying no to me? You still had a deep stubborn streak when it came to those close to you. But I was able to overcome that in time. Especially recently¡­¡± Yuki thought about her words. It hit him quickly when he realized it. ¡°The entire time we were flying to the Capital. You were¡­¡± ¡°Saki was easy to get rid of, but Haruo, he seemed to know something was wrong. So I had to get rid of him.¡± ¡°¡­Ayumi¡­¡± Yuki needed a moment to take it all in, but she didn¡¯t give him that time. She charged at him trying to break through his defenses. Even with his mind in a swirling mess, the mist gave him more than enough defense to stop any attacks. He knew how much weaker Ayumi was compared to him from all of their training. His power was simply on a different level. She could never compete with him. ¡°What else?¡± His mist batted her away allowing it time to gather back up. ¡°What all have you been lying about? What about the assassins?¡± Eudokia stopped again with a dark stare pointed at him. ¡°All a fiction, necessary elements to force out your power. The Council doesn''t even know you exist. They never did! No one knows you exist! Everyone believes the King died without any heirs!¡± This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Both Yuki and Yumi fell back in shock. Neither could believe that everything that they were fighting for was a complete lie. The fights through all of Atlantis were pointless. Those that died empty. They had no reason. They never should have been here. Yumi stared over at Yuki with the same look of borderline despair over their actions. They suddenly felt the weight of them heavier than ever before. ¡®We¡­We really are like they said¡­just terrorists!¡¯ Yuki had a little more trouble with things. His body shook thinking about everything that happened. So many things made a strange amount of sense now. But it meant that he couldn¡¯t trust anything he knew. The entire last two months was a complete and utter lie. His life was a lie. Tightening up his hands, he looked back at Ayumi again. He needed to know something. ¡°If they never knew about me, then what about everyone that attacked me? Who were they?¡± ¡°They were all my subordinates or freshly picked recruits out of the academy.¡± ¡°What?! You killed your own subordinates?!¡± ¡°They had only one purpose which they all failed at. They were supposed to awaken your power. It was still locked away and uncontrolled when I found you. I didn¡¯t have time to waste on a slow training with the Rite of Succession in two months.¡± A part of it didn¡¯t make any sense. He recalled another scene with Ayumi, that he actually fought her over. ¡°Then what about that one you killed that you said you were protecting me?!¡± ¡°The Council has been trying to locate and arrest me since I left.¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying that¡­¡± ¡°When I fought to protect you, I wasn¡¯t actually protecting you. I just made it look like that because they had no interest in you. They were after me. It wasn¡¯t until Akakios, the assassin with the plants, found me that they started attacking.¡± The main fights he had protecting his family and friends went through his mind. He remembered the plant assassin and everything that happened to Saki. Even the assassin that came after Fumiko, Ayumi¡¯s mentor. ¡®I can¡¯t believe anything I remember¡­¡¯ He then thought about the most important one. ¡°Did you even order Demosthenes?¡± ¡°He disapproved of my methods. However, he couldn¡¯t undo what I had started so he insisted on being the one to take the burden as he called it. The death of your friend was exactly what I needed!¡± He felt his legs buckle a little. ¡®Momo, Jun, Ken, Fumiko, Saki, Seiji¡­everyone¡­¡¯ Yuki ground his teeth. His lips separated a little as he felt his heart starting to pound harder. It was difficult for him to hold himself back. ¡®She tried killing the ones close to me¡­¡¯ Yumi could see the rage building up. She knew the feeling too well. It made her want to kill Eudokia all over again knowing what torture she put Yuki through all for her plan. ¡°Yuki¡­¡± Like him, she felt like a hypocrite even thinking about telling him not to want to kill her. Yet it was still the truth, she didn¡¯t want to see him like that. ¡°Yuki! Don¡¯t give into the darkness!¡± The sound of her voice was enough to calm his heart. He sighed a little, remembering how he had to stay in control. ¡®She¡¯s right¡­but it¡¯s so hard¡­Momo was hurt because of Ayumi!¡¯ His struggle didn¡¯t get any easier. He tried not to think about the images as they came back to him. Everything inside his heart told him just to rip her apart for everything. Even while his mind told him to keep control. ¡°Yuki!¡± ¡®I¡¯ve got Yumi worrying about me¡­¡¯ He tried controlling his breathing. He just needed to hold on to something, anything to keep himself from going insane. Yuki stared over at Yumi. Just the look of her face and how much she worried about him calmed him down. He wasn¡¯t completely sure why, but it soothed him a little. ¡°Thanks, Yumi. I needed that. I don¡¯t need to be going berserk again, especially when this is hardly a fair fight already.¡± ¡°Fair fight?¡± questioned Eudokia. The shaking rage in her voice seemed to have disappeared. While she explained everything and exposed all of her lies, it actually seemed to give her calm. Now, she looked more lucid than she had for a while. Eudokia laughed, but it was no longer the sound of a crazed woman. Rather, she seemed to know something. Something else that seemed to give her confidence still, even against Yuki. ¡°You¡¯ve grown rather arrogant, Yuki in experience.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Yuki quickly realized that Ayumi recovered herself. He understood partly what she meant. He hardened up his mist as she came in for the next round of attacks. Unlike everything before, her claws had greater cutting power. He could see that she actually made it through part of his defense. She quickly bounced around even faster than she had before, but now with frightening precision. The repeated blows pushed him back a little as he tried to accept the new Ayumi. ¡®She¡¯s stronger and faster now¡­ The difference of a clear mind is almost staggering how much it corrupts our abilities¡­¡¯ It actually made him laugh to himself a little. ¡®¡­so much for the notion of hot blooded warriors¡­fiction and reality really are quite different¡­¡¯ Despite the better results from Eudokia¡¯s focused mind, nothing made it through to Yuki. And even worse for her, he seemed to have been holding back. Once she sharpened her attacks, he quickly adapted to the change. It was only moments before her attacks became as ineffective as before. He didn¡¯t want to sound arrogant, but Yuki could tell the difference in their power. Even as skilled as she was, she could never breach his defenses. His control improved too much for that to happen. ¡°Give it up, Ayumi. You can¡¯t beat me. You¡¯re far more experienced with your powers than I, but I still can easily overwhelm your Field.¡± Eudokia came to a stop. She landed on the ground with all of the ice retreating. ¡°You really think you¡¯ve won. There¡¯s something you¡¯re forgetting.¡± A smirk came across her face. It was Yumi that figured it out first. ¡°That¡¯s right! Yuki! Heard that she hasn¡¯t actually been honest about her true power.¡± ¡°That¡¯s shocking,¡± Yuki said, almost deadpan. ¡°How strong could she possibly be?¡± Suddenly ancient Atlantean symbols appeared on Eudokia¡¯s body. Light came from the symbols quickly growing brighter. They all retreated from her extremities gathering at her core. Building out in front of her body a complex array appeared casting a red light on Eudokia, one that didn¡¯t match with the array. Eudokia slammed her hand up against the array. She pushed through the array as the light sank into her skin. The red lines all over her body flowed in reverse suddenly drawn in by the array. In moments, everything had been pulled out of her. She pulled her hand back a little, resting it at the center of the array. Her hand squeezed at the center causing the whole thing to shatter. She fell to one knee panting from the effort. Sweat beaded up on her face. It didn¡¯t take long for her to recover fully from the exertion. Eudokia rose to her feet and fixed Yuki with a new look. In a flash, flames erupted everywhere around them. Eudokia slowly marched with menacing and merciless intent towards Yuki. ¡°Your confidence will be shattered to pieces now! I am the strongest MP alive in Atlantis right now!¡± Chapter 275 - The Last Guard ¡°Oh¡­crap¡­¡± Yuki uttered, immediately regretting his previous statement. His Field managed to keep her flames from touching him or Yumi, but with a Field completely engulfed in flames he wouldn¡¯t be able to let Yumi out of his sight. Not to mention, he saw how much his Field shrank from her release. ¡®She was holding back this much?! This is absurd! It¡¯s not even a transformation power up! This is like cheating god-mode!¡¯ As Eudokia approached, she became a little more visible. The previous outfit she wore was gone. A far more practical appearance replaced it. It was a simple body suit in gray. It had flames covering up parts where she still had wounds. She didn¡¯t wait any longer diving in after Yuki. Everything about her increased from before. Her new metal claws tore through Yuki¡¯s defense as though they didn¡¯t even exist. The outer layers disappeared just from her presence. Blood sprayed up from the wounds Yuki took. He could no longer just stand in one place. His Field no longer had the strength to compete with Ayumi. ¡®Even against the old man I felt like I had a chance, but this is completely different¡­¡¯ She moved faster than he could keep up and his defense did nothing to save him. Wounds appeared over his body quickly. The old injuries from his previous fight and new ones from Ayumi compounded themselves. Yuki couldn¡¯t last for long against her. He couldn¡¯t even get himself moving before she trapped him. It didn¡¯t take long for his body to start giving out. Nothing could hold up against the assault. Yuki fell to one knee. His breathing ran shallow. Sweat covered his body. Everything seemed exhausted and he had barely even fought with her for more than thirty seconds. Blood dropped to the stone floor. ¡°This isn¡¯t looking good for me.¡± ¡°Yuki!¡± Yumi rushed over to his side to try and help him. Eudokia reached a completely different level that in her condition she couldn¡¯t help to compete against. She couldn¡¯t support Yuki when he needed her the most. He didn¡¯t need to look at her face to know the worry that covered it. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Yumi,¡± he assured with a smile. Resting a hand on hers, he tried to give her some comfort. ¡°It¡¯s not over yet.¡± It seemed like he had a plan, but Yumi wondered what he could do even to come close to challenging Eudokia. ¡°Yuki?¡± Their power gap was too great. ¡°I¡¯m glad I saved this. I didn¡¯t expect to use something I planned as a backup against the old man.¡± Yuki smirked a little, gaining his confidence. He dug through his gi to retrieve something small. Chapter 275 ¨C The Last Guard Eudokia stared a little curious and cautious at what Yuki boasted to have that might change the outcome of the fight. ¡°What are you planning?¡± Quickly, not wasting time, Yuki tossed what he held into his mouth and swallowed. ¡°Just a little insurance plan for my fight with him.¡± He grinned back at her. Suddenly he stood up and the breathing in his body changed. He no longer seemed to have trouble or shortness of breath. Even his wounds looked to no longer be as serious. She ground her teeth together knowing what he had done. ¡°You¡¯re accelerating your healing! Damn you, Yuki. When did you have time to do that during that fight?!¡± ¡°It was at the same time I made those high density weapons that pinned him. I figured there was a risk he might expect it or it would fail. I was already badly wounded from all of the fighting that the only way I¡¯d be able to continue the fight was if I could recover from my injuries. But I never needed it.¡± He stretched his arms a little, getting the feeling back in his body. ¡°Part of the problem I had was already being beat up from the last fight while you¡¯re mostly in good condition. So let¡¯s even things back out!¡± ¡°Bastard!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not like the heroes in my favorite stories. I¡¯m not going to fight half dead if I don¡¯t have to. This is reality not fiction. Besides, I¡¯m not built like them to be able to overcome overwhelming odds through a gauntlet of fights. I¡¯m just going to beat you!¡± The bit of levity from Yuki ended up calming Eudokia as well. She started to smirk again with confidence. ¡°You really think that¡¯s going to make any sort of difference for you?¡± Shrugging, Yuki kept the lighter tone in his voice going despite the grave situation. ¡°I guess I won¡¯t know until I try.¡± ¡°Still got that glib attitude I see.¡± ¡°It¡¯s one of my likable personality quirks.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see how long that cockiness lasts.¡± He stared back up at Eudokia dropping all signs of his smile or lighthearted attitude. Determination carved back into his face. ¡°Long enough to beat you.¡± He looked ready for the fight. The doubt disappeared from his body. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Eudokia charged back into the fight. They delayed long enough. ¡°I¡¯ll prove to you that a fresh body won¡¯t change the difference in our power!¡± What she said was fairly true. It was something that Yuki knew well enough. He had his fair share of fights to know what the difference in their power meant. The physical body only amounted to so much. Everything else weighed on their creativity and control of their power. ¡®What she¡¯s lacking in creativity, she is making up for sheer power. Don¡¯t need to be creative if it is effective. However, for myself¡­¡¯ The first clash proved that Eudokia still reigned in power. She cut through his defense the same as she always did. However, Yuki managed to evade her this time. His mist dragged him out of the line of fire before he took any damage. He landed on the side of the chamber wall keeping attached through his mist. His fight with Demosthenes gave him new ideas on how to use his mist to change the dimensions of his fight. ¡®I can¡¯t risk much more injuries from her. Even if my body is healed up, it was a one time deal. I didn¡¯t make enough for a second.¡¯ Yuki ran around the dome keeping ahead of Ayumi¡¯s attacks. When he needed to do more, he pulled himself around. ¡®I¡¯m getting a lot more used to this sort of fighting. It¡¯s still pretty weird. I¡¯m going to have to make some alterations to my Law the next time I use this power.¡¯ Even keeping pace with Ayumi didn¡¯t mean he could actually do anything to her. Every time he tried any sort of counter attack, it disappeared before even reaching her. He even focused heavily on his power to give it further strength. All of his tactics he used for Demosthenes proved to be meaningless. ¡®Man, I didn¡¯t know Ayumi was this skilled or powerful¡­ She¡¯s been making herself weak this entire time¡­ Why would she?¡¯ Eudokia jumped quickly around the air trying to get to Yuki. ¡®Dammit, I can¡¯t reach him! I¡¯m more powerful than him, but I still can¡¯t finish this!¡¯ It frustrated her more with each miss. The healed body made a significant difference in the fight. She had to amend her thinking that it would change nothing. As the fight dragged on for minutes, a grin started developing on Yuki¡¯s face. He got a better feel of what he needed to do. Every action became less extreme and more refined. Even without touching Ayumi, he felt more confident about his odds in the fight. ¡°Enjoying yourself? In the middle of a fight for your life and the life of Atlantis?!¡± She pushed her body harder to increase her speed. Her claws managed to sink in farther enough to catch a piece of his gi. The damage was only superficial and repaired immediately. ¡®She¡¯s getting even faster. She¡¯s pushing herself to her limits¡­¡¯ Despite the danger of Ayumi¡¯s attack becoming more accurate again, Yuki couldn¡¯t help himself. His grin grew wide. Yuki could see the annoyance on Ayumi¡¯s face. Part of it was because of not being able to touch him, he knew that. However, he also knew that it was because he seemed like it was making light of the fight. ¡°I¡¯m not smiling because of that, Ayumi. While I don¡¯t believe I can forgive you for everything you¡¯ve done, thanks to Yumi I can at least keep those emotions in control. Which means all that I have left is a fight, one with the best that Atlantis has to offer. I can¡¯t help, but get a little excited about fighting someone so skilled. It¡¯s an older part of me that I haven¡¯t really indulged in a very long time.¡± Harnessing his mist, he hardened it into a single blade. His defense was meaningless against Ayumi anyway. Only an offense would do anything. He jumped into the fight with full intention finally. The fight pushed around the chamber with Yuki actually giving chase to Eudokia. He managed to block her claws without losing in a straight up power struggle. The concentration of his mist proved to be enough to make up for lack of Folding. However, it did leave them in a stalemate and it required significant focus for him to maintain such density. ¡°This entire journey to Atlantis has been nothing but trouble for all of us and the people here. We¡¯ve caused them hardship and received the same in return. If you look at solely the mistakes we¡¯ve made and the pain, it¡¯s pretty depressing. But even still, if I look at it a little more optimistically we¡¯ve all gained something from it as well.¡± ¡°Gained something? The lives of millions are at stake and you¡¯re trying to make this into a life lesson?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not trying to ignore or dismiss that importance.¡± ¡°Your decision to not be King is ignoring them!¡± ¡°Perhaps if you just asked rather than trying to force me into this I might have considered it.¡± Eudokia growled in annoyance with Yuki. She punched him without her claws sending him flying across the chamber. ¡°Ask?! ASK?! You can¡¯t be serious! You¡¯ve never lived here, you don¡¯t know any of these people. You have no loyalty to them at all! You have a life and peaceful days. Do you really think if someone asks you to sacrifice all of that and their health for complete strangers that they would agree! No one is that na?ve!¡± Landing softly on the opposite side of the chamber, Yuki tilted his head up to her. ¡°So you just assume that I would say no?¡± ¡°You know nothing of our lifestyle or home! You didn¡¯t even know you had powers or such things existed before you met me! Would you have believed anything I told you?!¡± ¡°Even if that¡¯s true, you had enough proof on you to convince me that you were telling the truth.¡± ¡°This is the only way!¡± ¡°Actually, I doubt that greatly.¡± During their argument, Yuki came to a different realization that Ayumi never brought up either. One that weakened her whole argument even further. He could tell from the sudden change in her face that she knew what he was talking about. Yumi looked over at Yuki a little confused. She was a little out of breath, forced to keep up with all of his movements so that she didn¡¯t burn in Eudokia¡¯s flame Field. It didn¡¯t mean she didn¡¯t sweat from the extreme heat or even the physical exertion required. ¡°What are you talking about Yuki?¡± ¡°Well, think about it. She already told us this before. She was trying to stop the Council from putting a puppet King on the Throne. At least that was the reason she told us. Which means that I¡¯m not actually required. As long as there is someone with enough power, they can be King even without an heir. So there is no actual real danger to Atlantis or the millions of lives, like she¡¯s been so fixated on.¡± It was a fact that Yumi had actually forgotten about. Everything about what Eudokia claimed seemed to have been a lie. So she just discounted everything. But it was the only part that actually seemed true. And the annoyed look on Eudokia¡¯s face proved that. ¡°So what you¡¯re doing here is personal. It¡¯s self serving for your own desires. There is no threat.¡± It actually seemed that flames appeared in Eudokia¡¯s eyes. Her fury increased again only barely controlled by her reason. ¡°Personal?! Self serving?! What the hell do you even know!? You know nothing about what is happening here! You know nothing!¡± ¡°Maybe if you actually explained it I¡¯d understand.¡± ¡°YUKI!¡± Eudokia exploded off the chamber wall, shooting straight for Yuki. Narrowing his eyes, a strange glow surrounded Yuki before he disappeared suddenly. He met in the middle of the room clutching Ayumi¡¯s head in his hand. In the next instant, he dropped to the ground slamming her whole body into the stone floor. Blood coughed up from her mouth. Yuki stood up staring down at Ayumi with a different look in his eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s finish this already, Ayumi.¡± Chapter 276 - Fire and Ice It actually seemed that flames appeared in Eudokia¡¯s eyes. Her fury increased again only barely controlled by her reason. ¡°Personal?! Self serving?! What the hell do you even know!? You know nothing about what is happening here! You know nothing!¡± ¡°Maybe if you actually explained it I¡¯d understand.¡± ¡°YUKI!¡± Eudokia exploded off the chamber wall shooting straight for Yuki. Narrowing his eyes, a strange glow surrounded Yuki before he disappeared suddenly. He met in the middle of the room clutching Ayumi¡¯s head in his hand. In the next instant, he dropped to the ground slamming her whole body into the stone floor. Blood coughed up from her mouth. Yuki stood up staring down at Ayumi with a different look in his eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s finish this already, Ayumi.¡± It took her a moment to recover from the shock. When she glared up at Yuki, something did not sit right. Her eyes narrowed a little trying to read what had changed. ¡®How did he do that? That should not be possible in his law set. I know everything about his law set.¡¯ Separating from him, she shot herself out of the area. Landing back on her feet, she wiped away the blood that dripped down her lips. He seemed even more ready for a fight than she saw from before. Previously, he enjoyed the fight and exercising his abilities against her. That part annoyed her to no end. However, now he seemed to have left that part of him behind. He just wanted to put the fight to end. He wanted a conclusion. It did not change for her. She wanted an end as well, her end. The new Yuki seemed to make that less of a reality for her. He felt unknown to her again. ¡°What did you do? That sort of movement shouldn¡¯t have been possible for you. You should have passed out from the G-forces alone.¡± ¡°Not if you remove G-force from being a thing.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not possible for you. Your Law set doesn¡¯t allow for that.¡± ¡°My other Law set doesn¡¯t allow for that.¡± Eudokia ground her teeth together, understanding immediately from that clue. ¡®I can¡¯t believe he figured out that advanced of a technique from only a few fights.¡¯ She tightened up her fists feeling tension in the uncertainty. She was correct before thinking he was completely different. Yuki had become an unknown once more. She didn¡¯t know what he gave himself anymore. ¡°¡­bastard¡­¡± Yuki slowly walked towards her. ¡°I didn¡¯t have time to make it look any different, which actually worked out for me. But I got the idea from the old man and that insane guy I fought. They both did something like this.¡± He flexed his hand a little. All of the mist had completely disappeared from him. ¡°Keeping two different Law sets in your head is a little rough. But now you don¡¯t know anything about what I can do.¡± He disappeared again, moving too fast for Ayumi to see. His fist slammed into her stomach throwing her back against the dome. Chapter 276 ¨C Fire and Ice More blood coughed up from her mouth. She could feel the pain in her body. It wasn¡¯t like Yuki¡¯s previous method that relied on dealing internal damage. His fists were purely physical. Everything channeled through the speed and force. She dropped back down to the floor. It took her even longer to recover than last time. ¡®Dammit¡­I can¡¯t let him touch me like that again¡­¡¯ The back of her hand pushed away the blood leaving a smear across her cheek. Eudokia knelt down preparing for her attack. ¡°You think you¡¯ve got me just because you¡¯re fast now and I don¡¯t know what your Field is now?¡± Dust kicked up reacting to the power in her feet. ¡°I¡¯ve been holding back on my full power for you. But no more!¡± ¡°Good, this¡¯ll be over soon then.¡± Yuki motioned with his hand to have her bring it. Accepting, she charged at him, completely disappearing as well. Yuki leapt straight in for her. It was only when they clashed that they popped back out. Shockwaves exploded off from the force slammed against each other. Yuki¡¯s fists connected with Eudokia¡¯s claws with both powers being equal. From the sidelines, Yumi could only watch. They moved in a blur for her. She could barely keep track of both of them, but her body couldn¡¯t keep up with all of the movement. No longer relying on Yuki¡¯s protection, she created a barrier from all of the flames. It was the less straining part of her power. Even still, her body didn¡¯t agree with the usage from all of her fatigue. ¡®Come on, Yuki! You can beat her!¡¯ Yuki pushed himself harder to keep up with Ayumi¡¯s movements. He was hardly used to such speeds. A normal human body wasn¡¯t designed for such actions. It required a significant amount of special Addendums and powers to make it all work in a way that didn¡¯t just outright kill him. ¡®Damn¡­this is not easy to keep up. I can¡¯t do this forever, even though Ayumi only seems to be getting better. She really is more experienced.¡¯ As Yuki bounced around the air, a quick appearance of circles appeared at his feet. They gave him something to stop on, but also thrust him back into the fight. It acted similarly in nature to Eudokia¡¯s leaping. Their battle resulted in a very mirrored look as they both moved like the other. However, Yuki knew that even with the new power he gave him that it wasn¡¯t beating Ayumi. He couldn¡¯t defeat her this way. He needed to do something more. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t really be concerned about cheap shots at this point. The win is more important than anything since if I lose I¡¯m going to have to be a bed-ridden King for the rest of my life. I¡¯d never be able to see Momo, Jun or Ken ever again¡­¡¯ The thought of the alternative gave Yuki the resolve he needed. He was very thankful for the additional powers that he built into the Law set. ¡®If I didn¡¯t have this tracking program I¡¯d never be able to actually reliably follow Ayumi¡­¡¯ Alternating with his less dominant left hand, Yuki pushed on Ayumi with a series of punches. He needed to knock her a little off balance. The distraction was enough, but he needed it to count for more. ¡®There!¡¯ Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Suddenly, a simple sword materialized in his right hand and slashed downward at an angle. Eudokia naturally blocked it, but blood still sprayed up from her body. It came from her back. The hit stunned her enough that Yuki delivered several more blows to her body. She crashed to the stone floor in a cloud of dust from the ancient room. Blood painted across the intricately detailed stone from her impact. Even now, she didn¡¯t understand what happened. ¡®Another of his powers? How many different things did he give himself? I don¡¯t have time to figure it out.¡¯ Slowly, Eudokia pulled herself back up. She glared back at Yuki, who continued to improve at an unsettling rate. ¡®He¡¯s managed to make his power close enough that any mistakes I make I can¡¯t negate. Dammit!¡¯ Grinding her teeth at the turned around situation, things started to become even more desperate for her. ¡°Cheap tricks now.¡± The look in Yuki¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t change at her accusation. ¡°I¡¯m not a fan of them, but this is a fight over my life. I can¡¯t allow myself to be held back on such accounts!¡± ¡°Then I won¡¯t hold back either!¡± Suddenly the flames disappeared from the Field. Eudokia jumped from the ground, going for a direct attack on him. He succeeded in blocking her, but flames appeared from the air lashing out at him. Restraining and burning him, Yuki couldn¡¯t block the series of slashes Eudokia left for him. Yuki managed to break free from the hold with a couple of swift strikes, but the damage was already done. Blood dripped from his chest. Even with the repaired gi, it started to turn a dark crimson soaking up the blood. He slid through the air, circles of light supporting him. Clutching his wounded chest, Yuki bit through the pain. ¡®Figured she was still holding something back despite saying that she was going to bring it all. I was holding back as well, so it¡¯s only fair.¡¯ Fairness meant little though in a fight for life. He wasn¡¯t about to let Ayumi¡¯s attacks slide unreturned. The clashes of metal and flame continued. Both of their intensities increased further with the fight becoming more lethal. Blood trailed through the air from both of them. New wounds carved out in their bodies in response to each failed block. In spite of their bodies getting worse with each passing minute, neither could allow themselves to stop. After a heavy barrage of attacks lasting for nearly two minutes uninterrupted, they came to a pause. Sweat covered their skin and their chests heaved from shortened breaths. All of the signs from their bodies went ignored. ¡®It¡¯s a dimensional blade of sorts,¡¯ she thought, having figured out most of its function. ¡®However, he¡¯s able to change where the damage comes out making it nearly impossible for me to predict. Damn such an annoying power¡­¡¯ ¡®Yuki¡­¡¯ Yumi became even more worried about the fate of Yuki. It was hard to tell which was winning in the fight. They looked evenly matched. And since they seemed evenly matched it would only take one major mistake for the fight to be over. ¡®I¡¯m going to need to end this soon,¡¯ commented Yuki, feeling the pain coursing through his body. ¡®I¡¯m already having to make up for a lot of my body''s movements through my power. It¡¯s falling apart quickly.¡¯ Little choice came for Yuki when he already noticed the movement of Ayumi once more. She seemed to have enough of their break. He pushed himself back into the fray with the same intensity and determination. Despite his body, he wouldn¡¯t show her the weakness building. Flames arced around their bodies as sparks and shockwaves burst from their weapons. Yuki had become a little familiar with dealing with the flames. But Ayumi kept mixing up the direction and angles. She had significant control over her Field despite being so focused on the melee. Requiring the omnipresent awareness of the entire battlefield made it even more challenging on Yuki. Outside of the latest round of fighting, Yuki clinched his left hand tightly. He landed on the circle, throwing himself back. However, a new glow came about his hand. At the moment of the clash, ice exploded in all directions countering the flames. They fought against each other while the two struggled over their weapons. ¡°Damn you, Yuki! You even planned for this!¡± Groaning in the power struggle, he increased the ice to try to combat the overwhelming flames. ¡°Unfortunately, I can¡¯t take credit for that much planning. I planned on having the ice to negate your own ice powers. But this works just as well.¡± Yuki quickly encased some of the flames in ice and grabbed a hold to pull himself around into a different direction. The shift threw off Ayumi allowing him to get a deep wound on her back. However, she lashed out with her flames as he lost focus on the ice in the moment. Blood trailed off her back as she collapsed to the stone. A dull groan came out of her. The last hit left her body wrecked and in deep pain. She struggled to get herself back on her feet. Searing pain went through Yuki¡¯s body from the flames. He refocused on the ice to fight off the flames, but the damage was already done. Yuki fell backwards to the opposite side of the chambers. The impact coughed up a massive amount of blood from his mouth. A reminder of how thrashed his body was from everything. Slowly standing up, Yuki looked across the room through blurred and half-closed eyes. He could see Ayumi back up on her feet. ¡°Damn¡­¡± ¡°¡­Yuki Hayashi¡­¡± ¡°Looks like I¡¯m going to descend into clich¨¦ again, but we¡¯re in no position to keep fighting.¡± ¡°Speak for yourself,¡± snapped Eudokia, holding up her body just as much through her power as Yuki. Her bluff had no weight to it. ¡°So let¡¯s decide this on one final attack. Everything we¡¯ve got.¡± ¡°Tch!¡± She looked away from him for a moment. Coughing a little, Yuki smirked. He saw the look in her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a yes. If I win this is all over, no more me being King, Ayumi.¡± Eudokia grimaced at the thought, but she had to accept it. It was the fight to decide everything. ¡°Fine. When I win you¡¯ll be King.¡± Yuki tried to laugh, but his body did not like the idea. More blood dripped out of his mouth. ¡°Still got that confidence, I see. Well let¡¯s do this, Ayumi!¡± ¡°Call me, Eudokia!¡± ¡°Damn, so picky.¡± Building up his strength, he needed everything he had to offer for the final attack. He slid his sword down to his side, too many samurai movies. Ice gathered around the blade creating a haze in the air. Across the chamber, fire covered Eudokia¡¯s metal claws. She bent down on all fours with her legs primed up against an invisible wall like an Olympian sprinter. At the center before even they started to fight, their Fields had already begun. Each pushed their Folding to the limits and beyond. Their mental capacity strained to keep everything together. Fire and ice sparked around through the air as though to play out the increased tension. They had everything pushed as far as possible, completely disregarding their bodies or minds. All that mattered was the importance of the last single attack. Each representing what was unshakable to them. Powered by their resolve, they disappeared. Blood sprayed up and clashed at the impact. A massive shockwave shook the chamber, shaking all of the dust free and knocking Yumi off her feet. In the next moment, two bodies sped out from the center smashing into the walls of the chamber. First to their feet was Yumi. As the spectator of the fight, she looked at both sides trying to see who was more injured. She saw the entire exchange. It hadn¡¯t been a single attack, but rather five attacks so fast that their bodies had to be falling apart or broken. Eudokia flames overpowered Yuki¡¯s ice, but his dimensional sword hit deep. There was almost no defense, only offense. Neither could have been left with much of their body. She thought one would rise before the other, but both actually seemed to be standing again. However, it didn¡¯t look natural, almost as if they were puppets with strings attached to their limbs. Blood dripped off their deep wounds. ¡®Who won? They¡¯re both standing, but almost dead too!¡¯ Panting heavily and spent, Eudokia glared with the same fierce resolve at Yuki, who refused to fall. ¡°Damn you, Yuki! Just¡­fall¡­accept your¡­fate¡­¡± In no better shape, possibly worse, Yuki stared back at her. ¡°I¡­make my¡­own¡­fate¡­not you¡­Eudokia¡­¡± It was the first time she heard him use her name. ¡°¡­damn¡­you¡­¡± Her body suddenly collapsed to the ground, her strings cut. Yuki smiled with relief on his face. ¡°It¡¯s¡­finally¡­over¡­¡± His eyes closed as he fell into Yumi¡¯s arms, rushing to his side. His consciousness faded. Chapter 277 - Rude Morning ¡°Her! Arrest her! She¡¯s¡­¡± Yumi¡¯s voice disappeared into the void. It popped back and disappeared in waves. She seemed to be screaming and crying. It was hard to tell what was happening. ¡°What do you¡­doing?!¡± ¡®What¡¯s happening, Yumi? Are you fighting someone?¡¯ Yuki couldn¡¯t tell very clearly what happened to her. He heard more voices. They all shouted and tried to go over top of the other. It was pure chaos. Everything just fell into a sea of noise to him. ¡®Yumi¡­¡¯ ¡°Don¡¯t touch him! Get¡­ Yuki! YU¡­¡± ¡®¡­Yumi¡­¡¯ Chapter 277 ¨C Rude Morning ¡°Yumi!¡± shouted Yuki. Sweat covered his body and every part of him screamed at him to tell him to stop moving. Once he heard his body, he fell back into a pillow. ¡°Huh?¡± Yuki tilted his head trying to figure out where he ended up. ¡°Where am I?¡± His eyes still worked well even with his body complaining and protesting. All around him was an unknown sight. A massive room, that had to be the size of his entire house back in Japan, held a single bed. Along the wall on the left of him was fine wood and silver inlaid furniture. It looked expensive, which was about his only reaction to it. On his right, a small table and a couple of overstuffed chairs lined the wall. Unlike the rest of the furniture in the room, the chairs didn¡¯t look like they belonged and lacked the perfect arrangement. ¡°I must be in the Palace,¡± he told himself aloud. It was the only reasonable answer. It was clearly not his room back home. If everything followed as it should have, the fighting was over and them being in the Palace meant that the truth was finally out. Yuki tried to get up again, but his body refused to give up its control. Pain held him firm. ¡°Damn, I really trashed my body.¡± He thought back to everything that he forced his body to do. It was beyond the limits of a normal human. He expected it to act like Saki or Seiji¡¯s body. The abuse had a severe price. ¡°I never want to do that again.¡± Bursting through the massive wood doors opposite of the bed, Yuki¡¯s friends appeared with relief on their faces. Saki and Seiji were the first in and already at the foot of his bed while Yori hung to the background along with Chiharu. ¡°Yuki!¡± shouted Saki, almost crying from happiness to see him again. Seiji muscled his way alongside Saki, insisting on his importance in the tiers of Yuki¡¯s friends. ¡°Hey man! That must have been one hell of a fight to leave even you unconscious!¡± He gave him a very approving look. Saki was already berating Seiji for his boisterous and insensitive comment. ¡®This is how it should be¡­¡¯ Yuki grinned watching them argue and fight. He missed seeing it. However, something was missing. Searching around the room, he tried to locate everyone that came in. ¡°Where¡¯s Yumi?¡± he asked, as his first question to them. Despite the yelling and ruckus, both of them heard Yuki clearly. His voice actually seemed to stop them. Saki leaned around the bed and pointed to the floor at his right. ¡°Hmm?¡± Yuki crawled over the bed. It was ridiculously huge. The size had to be big enough for all of his friends to comfortably sit on and not fall off. His sore body didn¡¯t help making the bed feel even larger. But he made it to the edge finally. ¡°Oh¡­¡± He saw her sleeping on the floor and a chair just out of reach of it, which explained why it looked out of place. It made him smile a little. He looked back at Saki. ¡°How long has she been like that?¡± ¡°On the floor, who knows. But she insisted on staying by your side until you woke up.¡± ¡°More like you pushed it on her,¡± corrected Seiji. She immediately slapped Seiji in the back of the head. ¡°Quiet!¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Seiji planned to protest more, but saw the glaring look on Saki. It was a look that he couldn¡¯t argue or win against. His face went a little blue seeing her nearly turn into a demon before their eyes. ¡°Alright, fine.¡± ¡°Is she¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, everyone¡¯s been tended to for their injuries,¡± Saki answered, knowing what he was going to ask. All of them looked in better condition than Yuki, likely an advantage of their altered physical bodies. However, Yuki still had something to ask. ¡°Where¡¯s Fumiko and Haruo? I don¡¯t see them here. I know Haruo¡¯s pretty anti-social, but I¡¯d expect to see him hiding behind Yori. Oh hey, Yori! I¡¯m glad they were able to rescue you!¡± Yuki¡¯s cheerful expression only made the looks on everyone else deepen further. It was a difficult subject for them. One that they didn¡¯t want to actually open with when Yuki woke up. However, they couldn¡¯t avoid it for much longer. His friends'' down expressions made all of the warmth disappear from the room. The smile he had quickly turned to shaking. ¡°Hey guy, what happened to them? Don¡¯t tell me¡ª¡° ¡°No!¡± interrupted Saki, she saw where he was going. She didn¡¯t want him to think the worst. ¡°They aren¡¯t dead. It¡¯s nothing like that.¡± ¡°Then what?¡± ¡°They¡¯ve been arrested,¡± answered Demosthenes, suddenly appearing in the room behind the others. He stood tall and stoic seemingly unaffected by the mood. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Yuki immediately threw himself up only to fall back down on the bed when his body reminded him of the problem with moving too quickly. ¡°Demosthenes! What the hell are you doing here?!¡± Saki and Seiji rushed over to Yuki¡¯s side to keep him from moving. He didn¡¯t have the rage fueled look, but he didn¡¯t want to be seeing the man that killed his friend either. ¡°Let go of me! I don¡¯t want this man in my sight!¡± ¡°Calm down, Yuki!¡± shouted Seiji, keep hold on his left side. Saki had his right side firmly locked. ¡°We¡¯re only here because of him!¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± He fell back a little, no longer struggling in their hold. Even if he did struggle, he knew how strong the two were. He never had a chance. Yuki glanced between his two friends wanting answers. ¡°Explain to me what¡¯s going on?!¡± ¡°If you calm down, we¡¯ll explain, Yuki!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± the old man said calmly. ¡°I expected no less of a response. After I¡¯ve finished with my final duties, I will give you my life if you so wish.¡± He bowed sincerely to Yuki. The thought of sacrificing himself didn¡¯t even seem to slow him down. He made it sound as though it was just another expectation of his position. Yuki growled a little in annoyance. ¡°I¡¯m not interested in your life,¡± he barked with disgust in his voice. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t bring back Kazuhiro.¡± His body still shook with barely contained anger. He thought somehow he had controlled it, but this only proved how wrong he was. He was still weak. Sighing, Yuki needed to calm himself. He knew that much. There were more important matters, Demosthenes presence only soured the atmosphere, but didn¡¯t change things. He needed to understand what happened. Yuki leaned back letting them know that he was over with his fit. ¡°So what¡¯s going on? What have I missed while I was unconscious?¡± Demosthenes took a more prominent position in the room, planning to address Yuki. ¡°After you finished your fight with Eudokia in the Throne Room, she was arrested for her crimes against Atlantis.¡± ¡°Yeah, I figured about as much. Everything I heard from her didn¡¯t seem like the Council or the rest of you guys would be pleased by what she¡¯s done.¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct. The Council has been hunting for her for months, originally only with the intent to bring her back. Since it¡¯s forbidden to leave Atlantis. But after she started killing those that came after her, things changed.¡± ¡°Can we skip to the part that involves Fumiko and Haruo? I assume that¡¯s where this is all leading to.¡± ¡°Right, in summary then. The Council has marked Eudokia as the leader of a coup d¡¯¨¦tat to usurp the throne. All those associated with Eudokia have been branded as accomplices. As foreigners you¡¯re all enemies of the state, treated like terrorists.¡± Yuki¡¯s hand clawed at the bed¡¯s sheets. He had a pretty good idea where things were headed. ¡°So Fumiko and Haruo were captured during all of the fighting I¡¯m guessing you did.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± answered Saki, solemnly. ¡°We were fighting the Titans outside the Capital and Fumiko and Haruo both lost their battles. We weren¡¯t able to stop them from being arrested with our own fights happening. I¡¯m sorry, Yuki. It¡¯s my fault.¡± He placed his hand on Saki¡¯s hand for comfort. ¡°Hey, they¡¯re still alive. We¡¯ll think of something. Besides, we''ve got the truth on our side. They¡¯ve Ayumi now, so they¡¯ll know that she tricked all of us.¡± However, none of them seemed to have the same certainty when Yuki looked into their eyes. Demosthenes took the stage again. ¡°The Council has ordered an immediate trial be held for Eudokia, Fumiko Terauchi and Haruo Yoneda.¡± ¡°What the hell?! Didn¡¯t she tell them what she did? That she was the cause of it?¡± ¡°Even if she did, I doubt the Council really planned to listen to anything she told them. She¡¯s nothing more than a criminal in their eyes. Even her surname has been stripped from her.¡± He slammed his fist into the bed. It hurt less than moving his body, but still pained him. ¡°Damn it! What are we going to do?¡± Saki leaned forward, stepping between the two of them. ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯ve been waiting for you to wait up to do. We didn¡¯t want to leave you out of this.¡± ¡°Yeah right, we had to stop¡ª¡° Seiji received another slap to the head. ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°Anyway¡ª¡° ¡°Saki Furukawa!¡± yelled an unknown from the adjacent room. ¡°Saki Furukawa?¡± Saki¡¯s face suddenly turned blue. Worry painted her face along with sweat. ¡°Crap!¡± She quickly pulled away from the bed and ran up against the doors keeping out of sight. As the voice got closer, she leaned around trying to see something. Confused and lost, Yuki stared while everyone else in the room seemed already clued in on things. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± He didn¡¯t even get a chance for an answer before a woman with wild hair appeared, as if she jumped out of one of his favorite manga. ¡°Saki Furukawa? Are you in here?¡± It only took her a few moments to notice Yuki. ¡°Oh hey! You¡¯re that guy everyone¡¯s been talking about. The criminal heir, you¡¯re friends with that girl, right?¡± ¡°Huh? You mean Saki?¡± It was his only guess since she seemed to be looking for her. ¡°Yeah that¡¯s her! I can¡¯t find her.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Not knowing better, even though everyone seemed to be silently telling him to say nothing, he pointed to the right. She immediately saw her target and her eyes went wide with excitement. ¡°I found you! I¡¯ve been looking for you everywhere! I can¡¯t believe how much of a maze this place is.¡± ¡°Crap¡­crap¡­crap¡­I thought I had you led in the opposite direction.¡± The woman immediately jumped into a fighting stance egging on Saki. ¡°Come on! Let¡¯s spar again!¡± ¡°Stay away from me you crazy woman!¡± Saki immediately disappeared, taking advantage of her speed. However, the woman maintained pace with her. ¡°Stop chasing me! I don¡¯t want to fight you anymore!¡± Everyone left in the room sweated a little, most of all Yuki. ¡°Um¡­explanation?¡± Demosthenes cleared the air with a throat-clearing cough. ¡°The woman you saw was Commander Rheia of the Titans, the third strongest MP in Atlantis, yourself not included.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still missing the important part.¡± ¡°Rheia and your friend, Saki Furukawa, fought during the battle between the Titans and your friends. It would seem that ever since their fight she¡¯s taken a liking to your friend.¡± Seiji jumped in, pressing on the bed a little. ¡°Yeah, it was nuts, Yuki! Even after everyone else had finished, the two of them were still fighting! We tried to stop them a few times after it was clear your fight was over, but no one wanted to get their way. Even after the sun went down they were still going at it. Man, the two women were amazing. I¡¯ve never seen a fight like that before.¡± ¡°So who won?¡± ¡°No one, they just passed out supporting each other, still locked in a fist fight.¡± Seiji squeezed his fist with excitement just recalling the fight. ¡°Hell, that¡¯s the sort of thing legends are made of! I just wish I can have a fight like that one day!¡± Yuki laughed nervously at Seiji¡¯s reaction. ¡®Sounds like him.¡¯ His friends passed the hours getting him all caught up on the details. He learned about how the rescue went. The surprise flip of Simonides. How they fought with the Titans. Eventually, Demosthenes insisted on them leaving to let Yuki get some rest again. Unlike them, he still needed more time to recover. Night arrived when he woke back up. Yuki looked around the room trying to get his bearings again. It was still unfamiliar to him, even more so with no lights on. He glanced over in his panning to find Yumi. During all of the talking, they let her sleep. They told him she had likely been awake for more than a day and with an exhausted body. He smiled over at her. ¡°Hey, sleepy.¡± ¡°Yuki¡­¡± she said softly just waking up. Considering that she was back next to his bed, she must have woken up sometime after everyone left. ¡°Yuki! You¡¯re awake! You¡ª¡° She jumped up and put her arms around him needed to know he was real. Yuki laughed a little, not expecting such a reaction from her. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s me. Sorry for worrying you.¡± After she let the initial emotions pass, her mind caught up with all of the important details that he needed to know. ¡°Yuki, you need to know about--!¡± ¡°I know, Yumi. This isn¡¯t the first time I woke up. I know about Fumiko and Haruo.¡± She immediately went a little distant. Different emotions rushed over her face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Yuki! I couldn¡¯t stop them!¡± He patted her on the head. ¡°It¡¯s ok. We¡¯ll deal with it. They¡¯re still alive.¡± He smiled encouragingly for her. ¡°Yuki¡­¡± Suddenly, her green barrier went up as a metal clang rang out. She leapt up already in defense of Yuki. ¡°Who¡¯s there?!¡± Left in the shadows, only their voice left the protection. ¡°Die, you murderers!¡± Chapter 278 - Bloodless Night The voice left a chill going down both of their backs. Neither Yuki nor Yumi knew what was going on, but they could feel the death gazes targeted upon them. It was only their voice, but it was thick with murderous intent. Unfortunately, the only thing clear about their situation was that someone wanted them dead. Yumi had to adjust her barrier a few times to make up for the gaps that she left in it in her rush to protect Yuki. After the initial attacks ended, she advanced a little in the room floating above the bed to watch all angles. ¡°Stay behind me, Yuki!¡± Despite Yumi¡¯s insistence, he got to his feet. His body felt more responsive than earlier, however he knew that he couldn¡¯t do a prolonged physical engagement. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I can protect myself.¡± A ripple ran out from Yuki completely filling the room with light. Yet his Field didn¡¯t reveal anyone. The change in setting didn¡¯t stop the attacks. It did end up altering the method. They stopped using physical projectiles. Lightning and ice shards shot at the two of them, but Yumi easily intercepted them before they caused any harm. ¡°Yuki¡­¡± ¡°¡­yeah, it¡¯s MPs¡­¡± He stepped forward hovering in the air to dampen the weight on his body. Focusing on his power, he pulled in his Field forcing a Fold or as best as he could manage. It was enough to disrupt their invisibility. ¡°Yumi!¡± ¡°I see them!¡± She moved swiftly, taking down one as she pulled the other with telekinesis. In an instant, the two attackers were knocked unconscious. She pulled them to the bed to get a better look at them. ¡°Who do you think they are?¡± ¡°No clue, but I thought we had ended all of this fighting.¡± Chapter 278 ¨C Bloodless Night It was only a moment later that the doors burst open. In came Demosthenes along with Saki. They were too late to do anything, noticing the neutralized threat down at the feet of Yuki and Yumi. ¡°Are you alright, Yuki?¡± Saki disappeared and then reappeared in front of Yuki checking him over like a mother sending her son off to school for the first time. Yuki batted away her hand. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. We took care of it.¡± However, his body disagreed with him and dropped him back to the bed. He felt the wave of lightheadedness wash through his body. It already alerted both the girls to his condition. ¡°I¡¯m fine! My body just still hasn¡¯t fully recovered.¡± Demosthenes walked over to the bed and knelt down by the two men they captured. He stared at them for a few seconds before looking back at Yuki and the others. ¡°I don¡¯t recognize them, but judging from their ranks I¡¯m guessing that they¡¯re just normal MPs assigned to the Capital. Not even Omega agents.¡± They all looked down at the two Atlanteans. There was a definite unease felt between everyone. It should have all been over, but this proved that there was still something going on. A darker shadow still hung over them even with Eudokia gone. Snapping his fingers, four guards appeared in the distant hall. Demosthenes motioned for them to come in. ¡°Take these two. They¡¯re under arrest for attempted murder.¡± They all stared at the General for a moment and then over to Yuki. There seemed to be an odd look in their eyes, but the old man gave them an intense glare that could kill. Sweating quickly, all four guards jumped at the order. ¡°Yes, sir!¡± They picked up the two men and dragged them out of the room. ¡°Assassins¡­¡± muttered Yuki. He fell into deep thought for a moment. Saki stretched out a hand to touch him, but stopped. ¡°¡­Yuki¡­¡± Sudden laughter came from Yuki, unsettling Saki. ¡°It¡¯s rather ironic. I came here to stop the assassins from coming after me only to learn that they were never after me. And now that I¡¯m here, I actually do have assassins out for my life.¡± ¡°¡­Yuki¡­¡± Yumi wanted to do something for him, but she didn¡¯t know what she could do. She had hoped that things would finally improve with everything over. They just had to rescue Fumiko and Haruo from their cells and leave. Then everything would be normal once more. He shrugged, pushing it all off his back. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve gotten this far, I¡¯m not about to bow to pressure now.¡± Almost on cue, an old and whining voice started barking in the distance. It shouted off commands to guards positioned outside. Eventually, the owner of the voice showed themselves. He was a middle-aged man, which unlike Demosthenes hadn¡¯t been so kindly treated by time, despite not being anywhere near the same age. Demosthenes immediately stood up and started his approach to the man. ¡°Councilor Dimitris, what can I do for you at this late hour?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t give me that tone, Demosthenes! What the hell¡¯s going on here? I¡¯m hearing shouting and boots everywhere!¡± ¡°It would seem that assassins somehow snuck into the Palace and were after Yuki Hayashi¡¯s life.¡± This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Dimitris glanced over into the room at Yuki, but only quickly not to leave long enough of a stare to betray any intent. ¡°These foreigners are supposed to be under your watch and you let assassins break in?!¡± Bowing in apology, Demosthenes didn¡¯t have any sort of counter. ¡°This is my fault, sir. I¡¯ll be sure to increase the guard and staff MPs.¡± The Councilor waved off the General as though he was just a servant. He walked into Yuki¡¯s room, finally meeting a full gaze at the young man. Ignoring their similar height, he made it clear that he looked down on Yuki. ¡°I apologize for the trouble. Your safety is our greatest concern. I¡¯ll be sure that this never happens again!¡± Everyone looked at Yuki, waiting on his reaction. Yuki stood still just staring at the man for a moment. Then he flipped to his default happy mask that he showed everyone at school. ¡°We¡¯re safe and no one was harmed. So it¡¯s ok. I just didn¡¯t know it was so dangerous inside the Palace.¡± ¡°I assure you that we¡¯re a peaceful country normally. Things are just a little chaotic.¡± ¡°I understand. You don¡¯t have to worry. Thank you for your concern.¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll give you my leave then. I¡¯ll see an investigation into this is started immediately.¡± Dimitris bowed to Yuki and then hurried out of the room. He made it to the hallway and disappeared, allowing the tension to drop out of the room. Saki stared at Yuki, she recognized the face all too well. It had been a bit since she had seen him wear it. Not since things were normal and they could just attend classes. ¡°¡­Yuki¡­¡± The fake face immediately dropped when Yuki saw it was safe. His face narrowed to harsh lines quickly as he stared at the hallway where Dimitris disappeared. ¡°He¡¯s lying.¡± ¡°Yuki?¡± questioned Yumi, not certain how he was so positive. Even she felt that the man wasn¡¯t being truthful, but it was more of a gut feeling rather than something she knew for sure. Demosthenes turned back to the room and walked inside Yuki¡¯s room. He closed the doors behind him. ¡°I sensed it as well. He¡¯s likely the one that orchestrated the attack on Yuki.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Saki already jumped to make a move on the man, but Yumi stopped her. She tried to break free from Yumi¡¯s hold, however she couldn¡¯t get free so easily. ¡°Yumi! If he¡¯s trying to kill Yuki, I¡¯m going to¡ª¡° ¡°Saki!¡± snapped Yuki, interrupting her before she finished her sentence. ¡°Stop, we¡¯ve got no proof right now. And even if we did. He¡¯s a member of the Council, the one that rules Atlantis right now. We have to be cautious about how we move.¡± ¡°But Yuki!¡± ¡°I know how you feel. But this is the situation we have to live with.¡± The General stared at Yuki with a softer look in his eye, almost happy looking, if not for the usual stoic expression that covered him. ¡°You¡¯re more level headed than I thought.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not looking for praise from you.¡± Yuki turned away and went around to the bed. ¡°I doubt we¡¯ll get another attack tonight. So you all go back to sleep. We¡¯ll think about how to deal with this in the morning after we see what Dimitris¡¯ next move is.¡± He stared at the closed door as though trying to see beyond it. Things just got more complicated than he wanted. ¡®So much for a smooth resolution¡­¡¯ A normal breakfast greeted them all in the morning. If being treated to a five course meal was normal. For most of them, they were used to a traditional Japanese breakfast rather than a more Western style one. Though they knew even most Westerners didn¡¯t have such meals. Most of the food was far too exotic for any normal taste. Yet, it was all prepared well, even after it passed through Demosthenes¡¯ insisted poison check. Rheia appeared again in search of Saki. One chased the other out of the dining hall. It seemed such events would become commonplace for as long as they stayed in Atlantis. Rheia didn¡¯t plan to take no for an answer on a rematch, even if it was under more friendly terms. Chiharu disappeared along with Yori, leaving only Demosthenes, Yuki and Yumi at the table. He invited them on a walk through the Palace, but it was clearly just an excuse. Once they reached the hallways, he gave a motion to them. ¡°I¡¯ve erected a special barrier around us. Our words won¡¯t leave it and anyone watching will think we¡¯re just carrying on idle conversation. It¡¯s safe.¡± ¡°What have you learned?¡± started Yuki, immediately. He knew they had little time remaining before the trial. They needed a plan and whatever Dimitris was up to factored into it. ¡°According to the official records submitted by the Council after their interrogation of the two men, they learned that they acted on their own. The records say that they both lost family during the fighting caused by Commander Rheia and Saki Furukawa that bled into the Capital. They learned that you were the leader of the group and sought revenge.¡± A wrinkle creased his brow as he took in the information. Yuki wondered what sort of story they would cook up. ¡°It¡¯s pretty good. It¡¯s believable that no one would doubt it.¡± ¡°Do you think the Council had nothing to do with it?¡± asked Yumi. ¡°I said it¡¯s good, but not perfect. How did two MPs know where to find me in such a large place? Like the Rheia woman said, this place is like a maze. I doubt they¡¯ve ever been to the Palace before if they¡¯re just standard soldiers. No, this has the Council¡¯s hand all over it.¡± ¡°So, it¡¯s all just another lie then?¡± Yuki glanced over at Yumi. He could tell from her question something was up. Once he saw her face he knew for certain what it was. Her concern and worry was another matter than just the threat to Yuki. ¡°No, I suspect that they weren¡¯t so direct. They were just the hand to guide things. They found people that were actually hurt by our chaos and aimed them at me.¡± ¡°Then, we¡­¡± He stretched out a hand over to her shoulder. ¡°Yumi, please don¡¯t tell Saki about this.¡± ¡°But we, I¡­Yuki!¡± ¡°Please. She already takes too many things on her shoulders. I don¡¯t want to burden her with the knowledge that hundreds of innocents died as a result of her actions.¡± Yumi was almost on the verge of tears. ¡®It wasn¡¯t just Saki. I went blindly through the Capital. I don¡¯t know how much destruction I caused. How many¡­¡¯ Yuki put his arm around her shoulder to comfort her. The warmth that he gave her she didn¡¯t feel she deserved even though she didn¡¯t turn it away. ¡°Demosthenes, have they made any other move?¡± ¡°Nothing overt, but they probably have more things planned in the future.¡± ¡°Of course they do. How much of a threat do I present to them for being allied with Ay¨CEudokia?¡± Glancing away for a moment in thought, Demosthenes still had too much left undone. ¡°It¡¯s less about your connection to Eudokia now. Now they know you¡¯re related to the former King, they won¡¯t allow you to sit on the Throne, even if you don¡¯t plan to.¡± Yuki narrowed his eyes a little, staring at Demosthenes. ¡°So there¡¯s some truth to what she said.¡± ¡°Yes, the Council and the King didn¡¯t agree on almost anything. They would like no more than to remove all links to him and start fresh with a new line.¡± Staring out ahead at the hall Demosthenes guided them through, Yuki became lost in thought for a moment. There was still more truth to discover. He didn¡¯t realize how deep or sordid the history in the Palace actually was. ¡°These things aren¡¯t going to be solved in a single day. You owe me some answers, Demosthenes.¡± ¡°Yes, I planned to tell you everything as promised.¡± ¡°Good, but first I want to see my friends. I want to know that Fumiko and Haruo are safe.¡± Chapter 279 - The Other Side of the Wall Demosthenes left Yuki and Yumi alone as he went ahead. The dungeons in the Palace were naturally heavily restricted. Yuki¡¯s mere presence as an accomplice to Eudokia¡¯s schemes made it very difficult. The soldiers guarding the entrance had strict instructions regarding Yuki. Once alone in the hall, Yumi¡¯s face went a little more red than it had been. Considering her proximity to Yuki the whole time, she had been doing very well to keep her emotions in check. But alone with no one watching them, it was hard not to fall into fantasy. Especially given what she told him. However, it did sort of bother her. Something she never really got clarity due to the situation at the time. ¡®I don¡¯t know how he feels about me. It seemed that my confession snapped him out, but he¡¯s never said nor did anything to acknowledge it.¡¯ She stared over at him. Naturally, his mind heavily weighed on the situation of his friends, a concern that she didn¡¯t plan to ignore. However, she didn¡¯t know when her next chance might be. ¡®I need to know¡­ Is it all just one sided?¡¯ The thoughts and uncertainty made her even more nervous. Just the thought of the confession made her blush. ¡®I can¡¯t believe I did something¡­so¡­bold¡­I never would have done that before¡­¡¯ At the time, she was desperate and wasn¡¯t sure if she was going to live or die. She didn¡¯t care much about how she acted. She just didn¡¯t want to have it end unsaid. Yumi had been staring at Yuki for so long that she lost track of time. A full face of red and sweat building made it look like she had a fever. She had an almost unblinking stare. It was only a matter of time before Yuki actually noticed. She wasn¡¯t exactly being subtle about it, despite her efforts to the contrary. ¡°Yumi? Something on your mind?¡± ¡°YU-ki!¡± She nearly choked on her words as she jumped. Knocked out of her own world was a far more jarring experience than she expected. ¡°Sorry, I mean¡­what?¡± He looked at her confused. It made him jump a little startled by her near screaming voice. ¡°You okay? You¡¯ve been staring at me for quite a while. You don¡¯t have to worry about me. I¡¯m feeling a lot better today.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Her mind locked herself hard into a single path that she had forgotten that he was still recovering. ¡°Oh right, no!¡± As bad as it sounded, it was an unimportant subject to her immediately. ¡°You definitely seem to be able to walk around on your own today, unlike last night.¡± ¡°Yeah, my body is actually cooperating with me today.¡± He flexed his arms a little to show off his confidence. ¡°So what is it then?¡± Yumi pushed her fingers together only delaying things further. ¡°I have a question for you...¡± She wasn¡¯t sure what she wanted suddenly even though she was so set on things a moment before. Actually saying it was impossible. ¡°¡­or maybe answer¡­I mean from you¡­¡± ¡°An answer? You¡¯re not making a lot of sense, Yumi.¡± ¡®Please don¡¯t be this dense, Yuki! You know how hard this is for me?!¡¯ She wanted to slap him for just not understanding what she wanted. Yumi clenched her fists up as a small sign of resolve. ¡°I want to know your answer to what I told you before!¡± Yuki tilted his head, staring at her. ¡®Answer?¡¯ He tried to think about when Yumi wanted an answer from him. It had to be something recent, but he couldn¡¯t come up with something. ¡°What are you talking about, Yumi? Things have been a little crazy the last couple of days. Maybe if you refreshed my memory.¡± Her whole face went red thinking about her confession. ¡®Repeat that to him!? I can¡¯t do that! That¡¯s not something you just repeat!¡¯ Yumi felt her legs buckling. It seemed that he forgot or maybe never heard her in the first place. A sudden pain struck her heart that felt worse than any injury. However, all she was doing was delaying again. She needed to tell him something. A part still hoped he would remember if she jogged his memory. The reality was that he was brainwashed at the time. So maybe it was just buried under everything. ¡°Well you know, during your fight with Eudokia. Or rather before.¡± ¡°Before? The first thing I remember from then was seeing you collapsed on the floor. Everything between the end of my fight with Demosthenes to that point is a blur. I¡¯ve tried to remember, but it was like I wasn¡¯t even awake.¡± Yumi sank back against the wall. ¡®So he really doesn¡¯t remember.¡¯ She felt defeated. Even though it wasn¡¯t Yuki¡¯s fault, she just wanted to punch him for not remembering. ¡®I¡¯ll never be able to tell him again!¡¯ It felt like it was all over. ¡°So what was your question?¡± Demosthenes returned to the hallway. ¡°I rearranged the guard duties to people that I trust. But you don¡¯t have much time. So hurry quickly.¡± He motioned to them, despite neither moving in any meaningful way. Yuki stared at her, not planning to leave her hanging on an answer. However, she didn¡¯t have the guts anymore. The moment was gone and would never appear again. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. If you don¡¯t remember, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± She turned away from Yuki, needing to see something else other than him. She needed to get her emotions in control. ¡°¡­okay¡­¡± Chapter 279 ¨C The Other Side of the Wall The prisons were about what they expected. The Palace on the surface looked extremely well maintained. And it was, for those that were meant to live and work in it. Those not meant to be there, the criminals had conditions worse than even those in the underground slums of the Capital. A feat that actually surprised Yuki. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Most of the cells remained empty and in severe disuse. Being that they were designed for criminals, it was unlikely they really worried about the care or maintenance so long as it held them. However, it surprised Yuki to see that the cells holding Fumiko and Haruo looked brand new and didn¡¯t even look like they belonged with the rest of the prison. Haruo¡¯s cell seemed very normal compared to the others. It just looked like it was made today. The metal and cement that ran around had no age to it compared to those around. The significant difference was the amount of metal used to reinforce the cell. Even the cement around the walls looked to be supported by metal framing. Next to him, Fumiko¡¯s cell was the one that looked completely out of place. It was sealed up with no holes anywhere, despite that somehow air still reached her, as she was alive. A clear thick polymer of some sort seemed to be attached as the cell¡¯s door and wall with thick metal bars running through for more strength. Then inside faint lights of a strange writing that didn¡¯t look like anything Yuki had seen before hovered on all sides. Yuki turned to Demosthenes for some answers. ¡°What the hell is this? Why are they being treated so differently?¡± ¡°Because they are not normal humans,¡± the General answered. He pointed over to Fumiko¡¯s cell. ¡°She makes use of magic, namely flames, but also metal. They¡¯ve specifically crafted the cell to completely negate any magic use. It¡¯s a general catch all since we don¡¯t know what type of magic it is to specifically cancel it. So on top of that they constructed a cell that can withstand her fire and any impact from the inside.¡± Moving over to Haruo, the more simplistic nature of the cell became apparent based on his previous description of Fumiko¡¯s. ¡°His has been strengthened to handle the significantly greater physical strength he possesses. Any of our normal cells they¡¯d be able to escape from. So it¡¯s insurance, extreme as it might seem.¡± He leaned forward to the wall that divided their two cells. With each eye, he could see one of the cells. It frustrated him that they were left in such a condition. ¡®Damn¡­¡¯ ¡°Also, I trust that you understand the current situation you are all in, that making any aggressive actions could only make things worse. The entire prison prevents the usage of our powers. The special restrictive seal prevents our powers from altering anything in here and a second layer of protection negates the activation of our powers as well.¡± ¡°Why are such extreme measures needed?¡± ¡°Most of the criminals that the Council handles are MPs, not normal citizens. Only extraordinary cases that involve the state when involved with normal humans are these cells used.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t we still present a risk?¡± asked Yumi. Everyone else on the outside also had special powers. Which meant that they could still break them out. ¡°You¡¯re all under my protection right now, tenuous as that is, since I have my position thanks to the previous King. I¡¯ve aligned myself with the Council to maintain my position in the Palace. So any actions you might take affects me. I¡¯ve assured them that I¡¯ll handle problems that you present to the country.¡± Despite his often stoic and emotionless face, he very easily knew how to create a dominating presence when he wanted. He had been nothing but strict and professional in front of them. Yet it was clear that his goal was the safety of Atlantis and his loyalty sat there. ¡°Even though I¡¯ve beaten the top two MPs Atlantis has to offer,¡± Yuki commented as though to stir the pot in an unneeded fashion. ¡°For which, you¡¯ve sustained significant damage to your body. It¡¯s going to still be a bit before you¡¯re at your peak. Right now you''re less of a threat than your friends.¡± Yuki glared back at Demosthenes in a duel of wills. It seemed to be mere posturing on his part, but Yuki had his reasons. It told him where Demosthenes stood. He had trouble trusting or understanding someone that he didn¡¯t know where their loyalties lied. It gave him what he needed to know. Shrugging the whole thing off quickly, Yuki turned away from the old man. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not my plan to break them out of here and run. Though it did cross my mind initially. Unfortunately, things here in Atlantis aren¡¯t resolved yet. If I just leave now, my new problems will just follow me home. I plan to leave here when everything has been settled. So you can trust us not to make any aggressive actions.¡± Yuki immediately rethought his promise, remembering who his friends were. ¡°Well I won¡¯t. Just don¡¯t show Saki or Seiji this. If they do anything I¡¯ll stop them myself. I¡¯m not interested in creating anymore of an international incident, even if no one knows this country exists.¡± ¡°I¡¯m pleased to hear that.¡± With things made clear with Demosthenes, Yuki walked in front of Haruo¡¯s cell. He knocked on the metal bars. Inside, Haruo seemed asleep or at least his eyes were closed. Yuki suspected that the guy really didn¡¯t care about his situation to try to escape. He would just wait. ¡°Hey, Haruo, you awake.¡± Slowly moving his body, Haruo stood up acknowledging. As anyone knowing Haruo would expect, he didn¡¯t try to do anything overt. He casually approached the end of the cell. ¡°Yuki.¡± ¡°Still bad with holding a conversation I see,¡± he joked. Unfortunately, it went over about as well as he figured. ¡°Just hang tight in here. I know it¡¯s not ideal, but I¡¯m working on getting you guys out. Things are just sort of complicated right now. But I¡¯m not planning on giving up.¡± ¡°I know.¡± A flat, almost disappointed expression came over Yuki¡¯s face. Even if it was expected he still hoped for something more out of Haruo. ¡°You really know how to show your confidence in me, Haruo. You¡¯re even more stiff than the old man.¡± ¡°Yuki!¡± Yumi reprimanded. She smiled nervously at Demosthenes in the hopes that she softened any offensive Yuki caused. Sadly, there was no clear sign if it succeeded. She didn¡¯t even know if he was offended by Yuki¡¯s comment. He dismissed Yumi¡¯s concern with a hand wave. ¡°If any of Eudokia¡¯s stories she told me were accurate, this guy is loyal to a fault and as long as you don¡¯t insult the King or the country, he¡¯s not going to take any personal offense.¡± ¡°You should still be more polite!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. He¡¯s had to deal with eccentricities of the last King, he¡¯s used to being called stiff at this point I¡¯d imagine.¡± Things reached a nail biting point for Yumi. ¡°¡­Yuki¡­¡± Yumi stared up at the Atlantean, nervous by how unresponsive he was to anything Yuki said. ¡°You would be correct in your assessment. In many ways, your personality does remind me of the late King.¡± ¡°See, it¡¯s not a problem.¡± ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, Demosthenes!¡± apologized Yumi, since Yuki clearly never planned to do so. Demosthenes declined her insistence. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I suspect part of it is also an outlet for him to vent his anger towards me. It¡¯s perfectly reasonable for him to be angry.¡± ¡°Tch, way to kill the fun.¡± Yuki moved on over to Fumiko¡¯s cell. He poked his head around trying to figure out how he was supposed to talk to her. ¡°Hey.¡± Motioning over to the old man, he pointed at the clear wall. ¡°Can she hear me through this?¡± ¡°Yes, you will be transmitted through to her.¡± ¡°Hey, Fumiko! It¡¯s me! Sorry it took me so long to get down here to see you. It¡¯s been a complicated couple of days.¡± Fumiko approached the edge of the cell. Her eyes briefly glanced beyond Yuki, but then snapped back to him. It was only for a moment, but her expression changed harshly at what she saw. ¡°I know about most of it already.¡± ¡°You do?¡± ¡°Yori¡¯s kept me informed on what¡¯s happening up top, both of us.¡± Yuki knocked his hand into palm, understanding why Haruo seemed to understand everything going on. He did give some of the credit to Haruo as he seemed like an intelligent guy. ¡°Explains a few things. So then you know that we¡¯ll be working to do everything to get you out of here. We¡¯re not leaving until all of this is settled and we have an apology from those Council bastards!¡± He knocked his fists together as a promise to Fumiko. She smiled a little glad to see him looking better. Too much had changed since they all started. ¡®Some things never change at least¡­¡¯ However, things quickly made a change for the worse as she got a new message from Yori. ¡°What?! Are you sure?¡± Confused, Yuki wasn¡¯t sure why Fumiko was so upset. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I just heard from Yori. The Council has decided to move up the trial to this afternoon!¡± ¡°What?!¡± shouted Yuki and Yumi, equally in surprise. It was supposed to have been tomorrow. They barely had any time to recover. Things just kept getting worse. Chapter 280 - One-sided Argument Yuki quickly gave his goodbyes to them and rushed back. He arrived at the main room where they all stayed. All of their rooms connected into it. So everyone gathered up waiting for him. When he arrived, they gave him the full details of what happened. A messenger delivered the notice to them. However, even with the full note regarding the trial, which actually didn¡¯t really provide much more in detail, Yuki didn¡¯t understand why it was happening. ¡°I thought we had time to prepare for this! Do they even have time?¡± No one else knew better about Atlantis politics and the inner workings than Demosthenes. He took in all of the looks as they made it clear they expected answers from him. ¡°I suspect that answer heavily lies in their failed assassination attempt on Yuki.¡± ¡°Why the hell should that matter?¡± barked Seiji, still not over the fact that he slept through the attempt. Though he also didn¡¯t agree with Yuki¡¯s more calm decision to let it all slide. Even if Seiji didn¡¯t want to kill them, he felt they deserved some payback for their attempt. ¡°It¡¯s less to do with the severity of the crimes and more about the timing.¡± Yumi looked as confused as everyone else, but she asked first. ¡°Timing?¡± ¡°Yes, the Rite of Succession is in three days. That¡¯s when we pick a new King. Despite Yuki¡¯s insistence on not wishing to be King, I suspect that the Council still fears he may change his mind. So they want to resolve everything before that date. The assassination attempt had likely been their first plan to not worry about you becoming King, but with that ruined they¡¯re taking a new approach.¡± Yori still had a problem with the scenario. ¡°Be that as it may, right now we¡¯re all safe due to your influence. Fumiko and Haruo, naturally, aren''t under your protection. But even the trial won¡¯t change that Yuki¡¯s protected and still a threat to their power.¡± ¡°You¡¯re correct,¡± agreed Demosthenes. ¡°Which is why I believe they have other schemes in mind. It¡¯s likely their plan is to silence everyone that¡¯s a threat.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t that mean you¡¯re at risk as well?¡± ¡°Privately yes, the Council doubts my loyalty to them as my loyalty belongs to the King. However, publicly I¡¯ve made no movements to cast any doubt on me. So for the time, I¡¯m safe and I¡¯m cautious enough in my dealings with them that they value me more alive than dead.¡± ¡°Well aren¡¯t you hot stuff,¡± Yuki said in a snarky tone. ¡°That still doesn¡¯t change what we¡¯re going to do about the trial.¡± He looked around at everyone. They could all debate the Council¡¯s motives and plans all day, but it didn¡¯t change that their friends were all going to trial very soon. They needed to do something about them. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving them to die or rot here in Atlantis, because a bunch of old men have a problem with someone that¡¯s already dead.¡± Chapter 280 ¨C One-sided Argument Despite the enthusiasm of Yuki¡¯s little speech, the truth was they really didn¡¯t have a lot of time to make any plans. The closeness of the trial made it rather difficult. Plus all of the plans that were put forth were shot down. And all Demosthenes provided to the meeting was to watch the outcome of the trial. Which set the stage for the next event. The trial came upon them faster than they expected. Yuki and his friends were allowed to join, but only under very strict watch. Most of the Titans they encountered in their battle in the Capital were present. Despite victories against some, they knew anything that would start a fight would only cause more troubles than solve. They weren¡¯t easy opponents. Yuki looked around at the ground that had formed around them. They had them seated far in the back out of sight. Demosthenes stuck like glue to him. Saki¡¯s new best friend in the world, Rheia, stuck very close to her. If he didn¡¯t know better, he was pretty sure there was love in her eyes. He didn¡¯t understand it very well. In the accompanying seat next to Saki was Chiharu with the man introduced as Nereus. Nereus seemed to have some attachment to Chiharu, but it was very hard to read. It certainly was nothing so strong or obvious as Rheia with Saki, but he still sensed something was up between them. Chiharu naturally played the whole thing off as if she didn¡¯t care. ¡®She¡¯s like the perfect Tsundere¡­¡¯ Yuki grinned a little at the thought. Then surprising him, Yumi had someone as well. A very mature looking man, but with the same sort of duty bound eyes that Demosthenes had. Though he saw something different behind them as a reason. He knew about Ourias from Yumi, but nothing more. His face told him there was a long story. Not one to get into unfortunately, he knew. Yori was accompanied by Teris, who seemed the perfect mad scientist from the presentation of his appearance and what he was told about him. Yuki understood the difference between reality and fiction, but it didn¡¯t change the fact that it felt like things blurred between the two more often than they should. However, he didn¡¯t have much time remaining before things started. ¡°So who¡¯s defending them?¡± he asked lowly to Demosthenes. He knew that they would never let any of them defend them, but someone had to do it. It was a trial after all. ¡°No one.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Yuki tried to stand up, but Demosthenes kept him from interrupting the hall any more than he did with his raised voice. Even though Yuki understood the importance of manners, he couldn¡¯t believe what he was hearing. ¡°What the hell do you mean no one is defending them?¡± The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°The judicial system here doesn¡¯t work in the same way that it does in the rest of the world.¡± ¡°Then how does it?¡± He ground his teeth together at the thought of this just being a complete farce. ¡°The Council convenes with the accused and questions them directly. Based on their answers they make their judgment.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be serious! That¡¯s a complete joke! They¡¯re going to just do whatever they want!¡± ¡°The King has the final vote, but obviously that¡¯s not possible in this situation.¡± ¡°¡­those bastards¡­ So this is their plan¡­¡± Yuki leaned forward tightly gripping the wood railing that sectioned them to the back of the large chamber. He didn¡¯t have much time to stew in his complaints as Fumiko, Haruo and Eudokia marched in under escort. ¡°Hey what¡¯s keeping her from unleashing her power and just killing them all?¡± Given the situation, Yuki questioned if he would actually try to stop her. He really started to wonder which of them was worse. ¡°We have specifically crafted devices that seal their power. Eudokia, no matter how powerful, can''t do anything right now.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Yuki suddenly saw even more marching behind them. They were dressed like soldiers, as he recognized their uniforms. There were two women both MPs and a man, who was just a standard soldier. However, the sight alerted Seiji, pulling Yuki¡¯s attention. Saki fortunately was quicker to move than him and calmed him down. Sensing Yuki¡¯s confusion and wanting to know what he missed, Demosthenes filled him in on the others. ¡°That is former Captain Simonides, former Commander Athene and former Second Lieutenant Nerine. They¡¯ve been viewed by the Council as accomplices for providing aid to your friends during the fight.¡± Yuki clenched his hands around the railing even tighter. He really wanted to snap it in half just to make him feel better, plus it would have made for a good effect to his emotions. ¡°They¡¯re really being thorough about this.¡± ¡°Yes, it might have been twenty years, but the rebellion isn¡¯t easily forgotten. They¡¯ve tightened their hold on order ever since. I¡¯ve lost count of the lives they¡¯ve sent to the execution grounds under similar pretenses.¡± ¡°If you disagree or the former King did, why wasn¡¯t anything done?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a more complicated answer. But as General I don¡¯t have the political authority to oppose their rulings. I serve the King and them.¡± ¡°And the King?¡± ¡°He was unable to do anything.¡± ¡°These are supposed to be the people protecting this country. If they¡¯re this evil and corrupt, then who¡¯s left for this country?¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard to agree with what they do, but in their own minds they are just frightened men that want to keep the peace as much as everyone else.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t give them this sort of right to kill people unjustly.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, the world is not just or fair.¡± ¡°I know, but it doesn¡¯t mean I have to like it anymore because I understand that.¡± Yuki understood what Demosthenes said. He really did, but he hated it still. He hated that he understood such a reality. He wished it was different. He wanted a world like in his stories where the bad were caught and the good won out in the end. Not a gray world where evil was allowed to continue unchecked and anyone good is just slaughtered without remorse because they did the right thing. This was a terrible world he lived in. The world was corrupt. A pounding of a stone block signaled the silence needed for things to begin. If nothing else, the Council was certainly stuck on procedure. Even as an evil, corrupt bunch of bastard old men, they stuck hard and fast to their routine. They seemed to live by it. Tradition was their way of life. So it took them a full ten minutes before the trial proper even started. Even though Yuki had a clear idea of what sort of outcome things were going to reach from the way Demosthenes explained them, the wait for the whole thing to start still left him on the edge of his seat. His nerves were already shot from the anticipation and worry. He didn¡¯t know how everyone else would react or admittedly even himself. He could only wait. Starting the questioning finally with Eudokia, an elderly man next to Dimitris began. ¡°Eudokia, you are before the Council of Atlantis for the charges of inciting rebellion and attempting to usurp power. Did you knowingly bring foreign combatants through the barrier?¡± Eudokia stared unwavering at the men that planned her execution. ¡°I brought the true King to Atlantis. That is all I did.¡± ¡°This child, Yuki Hayashi, is a Japanese citizen, not an Atlantean citizen. Blood tests have confirmed that he is part Japanese.¡± Yuki turned to look at Demosthenes. He sought an answer, but the stoic expression gave him none. The longer he stared the more he felt that he knew something about that. ¡°I thought I was Atlantean and you just left me in Japan for protection. If I¡¯m half Japanese then who is my mother?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a complicated matter, one better left for after this.¡± ¡°Demosthenes!¡± ¡°Could you control your emotions in here if you learned the truth now?¡± He hated how right he always was. He kept being tossed more and more revelations. It was as if they had a two for one sale on truth revealing at the market. He didn¡¯t know how much more he could take of it. The Councilor continued their questioning even as their conversation carried on. They were still on Eudokia. ¡°You orchestrated the attack on the Capital Palace and killed more than hundred guards. On top of that, your accomplices standing before you caused the destruction of two entire district neighborhoods in their fighting. More than four thousand innocents are dead and twenty thousand injured. What do you have to say for yourself?¡± Behind him, he heard Saki gasp and mutter under her breath. ¡®Damn¡­I really didn¡¯t want her to learn about that.¡¯ None of them could do anything about it now. They had to live with what all of their fight, mistake or no, had caused to the country. Blind innocence didn¡¯t survive for long. ¡°Death is a fact of life. Everything I did was for the King and nothing you say or think will make me regret my actions. No change is not without its destruction.¡± Eudokia''s lack of empathy for anything that happened actually stirred up murmurs in the crowd. They were all just officials or important families, but it still shocked them to hear her speak so coldly about the reality. Things moved quickly on to the next accused. ¡°Fumiko Terauchi, did you kill twenty-five Atlantean soldiers in your engagement with the South Gate forces?¡± Fumiko gritted her teeth. They stared at her expecting an answer. No answer was just as bad as the answer she had for them. ¡°I-I¡­my power went out of control.¡± ¡°Answer the question. Did you kill twenty-five Atlantean soldiers?¡± ¡°As a result¡­of losing control of my powers¡­yes¡­¡± Her admittance fueled the crowd into more of an uproar that the Council silenced quickly. Yuki ground his teeth so hard that it felt like they would start popping out. ¡°They¡¯re just asking leading questions. There¡¯s no chance for them. Dammit¡­¡± He knew how it would play out. They focused solely on the incriminating parts rather than that Eudokia tricked them all. Eventually all of the questioning came to an end. They spoke to everyone involved, hearing only what they wanted. The picture was painted so grimly that the outcome was telegraphed that anyone saw it coming, even Seiji. ¡°We, the Council of Atlantis, find the criminals Eudokia, Fumiko Terauchi, Haruo Yoneda, Simonides, Nerine and Athene to be guilty of crimes against Atlantis. For their acts of rebellion and the deaths of countless innocents, all shall be publicly executed two days from now. This trial is adjourned.¡± Chapter 281 - The Other Half It surprised Yuki to see that none of his friends actually jumped out of their seats upon hearing the verdict. He wasn¡¯t sure how much of it was due to having guards on them or the fact that it was so easy to read. It gave them all time to prepare and accept before it even happened. It wasn¡¯t a surprise when you expected the outcome, painful as it was. They could do nothing for them. Fumiko and Haruo along with the others were escorted back to their cells. The trial, if it could even be called that, ended. Most of the crowd already started to move out. Yuki and his friends stayed behind for a while. Saki and Yori were the first to leave with Rheia in tow. Yuki watched them leave. He could see it in Saki¡¯s eyes. She wasn¡¯t finished. He felt the same, but they needed a better plan other than just raising hell in the Palace and making everyone open enemies of them. Once Chiharu decided to leave along with Nereus, Yuki quickly made a move. He walked up along her side. His finger tapped her arm, keeping it subtle out of notice of Nereus. Yuki never made any eye contact with her and he felt that she could read him well enough. She gave him a tap back before they separated. Appearing behind him, Demosthenes didn¡¯t leave his side empty for long. ¡°You ready for the truth?¡± ¡°It¡¯s about damn time,¡± he answered without even looking at him. Chapter 281 ¨C The Other Half While they walked out to one of the countless courtyards that made up the massive Palace grounds, Yuki caught sight of Saki and Yori again. ¡®She¡¯s with that woman, Rheia. But she¡¯s not chasing. Did they come to terms?¡¯ He didn¡¯t have much time to consider it before they disappeared around a corner. His mind quickly shifted gears to the more pressing topic. The truth. He thought he knew it all, thanks to Eudokia¡¯s revelations. However, Demosthenes made it clear that he still didn¡¯t know everything. Clearly Eudokia left out a lot of details during their fight. She was very focused on the immediate issues of being King and her plan. So there weren¡¯t really any openings for further questions. Though she also didn¡¯t really introduce answers that led around to expanded questions. It wasn¡¯t until the fallout of Eudokia¡¯s rebellion that Yuki started to learn there was more truth to the lies that she originally fed him months ago. Now he didn¡¯t know which was the truth or lies. He hated the man, but he trusted him to be honest to him. It seemed the only thing he was good for. Eventually, they arrived in one of the courtyards. To Yuki¡¯s eyes, it looked just like any of the others that he had seen in passing. Like them, the space filled densely with flowers and trees. It was a beautiful garden and likely a wonderful place to rest during the busy days in the Palace. However, he couldn¡¯t enjoy their soothing serenity that they brought. ¡°Aside from the unnecessary trip outside to have a discussion that could happen anywhere, what do you have to tell me?¡± Demosthenes surprisingly took a seat over by one of the wooden benches that sat under the protection of a tree¡¯s shadow. He invited Yuki over. The look on his face actually seemed to change from the constant unbreakable stoicism. It seemed softer and gentler as though the garden actually worked on even him. ¡°The King, your father, would come here many times. Whether it was just to sleep while slacking off from work or to think. This was his favorite place. He said that it calmed him.¡± He took a long measured look at the old man. During his fight with him and his time as his shadow, each time that Yuki looked at him he never actually looked his age. He seemed to completely resist the weight of time against him. He could live forever. It made him easily appear twenty years younger. Yet, when Yuki saw him on that bench it all came rushing back. Yuki found himself fond of calling him an old man, but it wasn¡¯t until he saw him now that it actually fit. He looked like a man tired and exhausted from endless years of service. Unwavering and unquestioning loyalty left unrewarded and unnoticed. ¡®Damn, he¡¯s actually making me feel bad for him now¡­¡¯ It was hard to see it. It was easier to hate him when he didn¡¯t seem to have emotions. Now he just looked pathetic, vulnerable, weak, not the man that he fought tooth and nail to defeat. Uncertain but curious, Yuki took the bench. Regardless of the appearance, he needed to know what Demosthenes knew. ¡°So what¡¯s the story with my father and the Council? What up with all of this bad blood? Why¡¯s Eudokia so dead set against them?¡± ¡°This requires a bit of a history lesson on Atlantis, since without it the Council¡¯s behavior would seem to have no reason, however unjustified. They have their reasons that are hard set into their nature.¡± ¡°Alright then, start there. I need to know what the situation is or else I can¡¯t make any plans.¡± ¡°As you¡¯ve been told, the Throne of Atlantis keeps Atlantis alive. The device known as the Throne of Atlantis is a type of convertor. When a MP is linked with it, it forcibly channels the power out of them to maintain the Field that holds Atlantis in this appearance. After the first King of Atlantis died, all this that they created would have gone away, but the second King, their brother, figured out a way to keep it going. ¡°Thus began the system known today for the Rite of Succession. The power required to maintain such an enormous Field is massive and only the most gifted can do it. Typically, it is passed to the most powerful heir of the King. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Keep in mind that neither Eudokia nor myself are qualified. We may be powerful in your eyes, but that¡¯s only due to our Folding potential, not our raw power. It is raw power that is required not just skill, as such one does not actually have to be skilled to become King. They only need to have a large reserve power.¡± Yuki nodded, finally understanding one of the questions that had plagued him for a while upon learning about the truth of the King. ¡°That explains why Eudokia didn¡¯t just try to take control for herself. That never made sense to me.¡± ¡°Correct, however there are times when the heir is not powerful enough or there is no heir. So an alternate ruling of the Rite of Succession takes place. Typically, it is just a public display of power and assurance. But when it is lacking, it becomes a search. The device actually hunts out one worthy to be linked with it, forcibly drawing out their potential for all to display. Given that their power is often rudely awakened and massive, they are usually easy to locate.¡± It sounded very familiar to Yuki. He couldn¡¯t remember how many times his power accidently turned on and took out their whole neighborhood. Yuki didn¡¯t know how many people he freaked out every time it happened. ¡°This is heading somewhere soon, right?¡± ¡°Yes. As explained, it takes up a lot of power. You¡¯re aware that it essentially drains away the life from the one connected to it. It isn¡¯t literally feeding on life, but the constant strain of having your power activated isn¡¯t done without a cost. Those that are powerful enough, but just barely are the worst to be affected. ¡°Atlantis usually goes through its cycles of powerful and weak Kings. Until your father took control, we were in a weak cycle. The last five Kings before him had all been very weak all coming from the same line. Due to how weak they were, they only lasted between five to ten years. Worst was the last who became King at a younger age than you and died before even reaching twenty.¡± The weight of such words made him swallow a little roughly. He understood from Yumi how bad it was, but this put it into a completely new perspective. A system that stole the youth from children seemed hard to justify. Even as he wrestled with the idea, the opposite weight pulled on him, the millions of lives living here. ¡°It was the last line of Kings that brought Atlantis to the current state it is in. Since the Kings were nearly impotent from their crowning, it was left to the Council to do the ruling. A King that couldn¡¯t even leave their bed wasn¡¯t fit to be a leader of a nation. Until your father came in, the position as King was seen more as a figurehead role rather than one as a leader. Most citizens never saw the King after the Rite of Succession.¡± Yuki could see where things were finally headed now with the history lesson. It was far too classic of a setup not to see. ¡°So the Council got used to being in charge and running things that they did not want to give up their power.¡± ¡°Right, during the weak cycles the Council ruled for the King, but during the strong cycles the King ruled and the Council was merely an advisory position. However, they had grown used to their position as the weak series of Kings strengthened their position. Though the previous line before was stronger, the Council still had a strong position even then. For more than a century they were power in Atlantis.¡± ¡°Then my father steps in and shakes things up.¡± ¡°Correct. Since he was a new line, he was not bound by old traditions, nor was he indoctrinated by a lifestyle in the Palace of how things worked. He did things his own way and because he was so powerful he had the right and authority to do so. He and the Council clashed repeatedly.¡± ¡°Just so I know, how powerful was my father?¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t seen someone as powerful as your father in centuries. Because it¡¯s been so long we don¡¯t really have another King to really compare him against. And since that was the case, many saw him as a figure that might revive the old glory days from a millennia ago.¡± ¡°That¡¯s pretty big shoes for anyone to fill.¡± ¡°The best gauge I can give you is that the previous Kings were bedridden, but a strong King was known to be able to walk around the Capital. They would become easily fatigued and tired from going so far away from the Throne, but that allowed the public to see the Kings. Your father however was able to go to every corner of Atlantis without even a shortness of breath.¡± ¡°How long did he rule for?¡± ¡°More than thirty years.¡± ¡°So even someone as powerful as him could only make it thirty years¡­¡± ¡°There were other circumstances involved, but that¡¯s getting ahead of things.¡± Demosthenes¡¯ quick dodge of the complete answer only had Yuki wondering more. He planned on getting an answer out of him even if he didn¡¯t volunteer it. But there was something more important to get clear at the moment. ¡°As I journeyed through the countryside, I remember hearing that the King was not very popular with the citizens. If he started out so well liked what happened to change everyone¡¯s opinion?¡± ¡°A number of factors led to the King¡¯s image crumbling. The first was the death of his wife, the Queen. They were married just after he was made King, as the mourning process for the last King delayed their wedding. So they had no children yet. While it¡¯s never been proven, your father strongly believes that it was the Council¡¯s hand to ensure his rule ended with him. They wouldn¡¯t kill your father, but they would be sure to get a new replacement, one that ideally was weak.¡± As if he needed anymore reasons to hate the Council, their corruption knew no limits. Yuki wanted to punch each of them for their selfishness. Though, he still didn¡¯t know the reason for all of the infighting between them. ¡°I can see how things weren¡¯t ideal for them, but what did my father do that was so bad?¡± ¡°Under the Council rule, they pressed their agenda. The biggest was the segregation of the MPs from the normal humans. While we¡¯ve always been seen as saviors of our people. There are always going to be those that abuse our gifts. So we also are greatly feared. Even without the Council doing anything there¡¯s a divide between us. The Council only made it easier by passing laws. They put the mandatory conscription in place, though it wasn¡¯t well enforced until a certain incident.¡± ¡°You¡¯re talking about the rebellion.¡± He had heard about it mentioned from Eudokia, but no real details. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Twenty years, things reached a head between a group of MPs unhappy with their treatment. A single charismatic force united them. Their leader was powerful and exceptionally gifted. If she was still around she¡¯d very easily challenge Eudokia or myself. It started out small, but grew quickly. There were so many unhappy with their treatment that they jumped in with the rebels. Nearly twenty percent of all MPs were part of it. ¡°The rebellion never made it very far as their leader mysteriously disappeared on them. They lost a lot of their support without the leader and it fell apart. But not before an entire village was wiped out and significant parts of the Capital were damaged. ¡°While it wasn¡¯t the King¡¯s fault, after his wife died he lost his focus. And the Council very easily manipulated things. They pinned the cause of the uprising on the King¡¯s new policies that tried to grant more freedoms to the MPs. It gave them everything they needed to pass even harsher laws. Conscription was enforced and the Omega Division was formed.¡± ¡°And my father did nothing to stop it? What the hell was he doing? I know his wife died, but if he felt so passionately about equality why did he stop? Did he become disillusioned?¡± ¡°Quite the opposite actually, but the problem was that he stopped focusing on the immediate problems that Atlantis faced. He became even more determined to fix the system, but he changed his focus.¡± ¡°Changed it to what? Wasn¡¯t equality what he wanted?¡± ¡°Yes, but he believed that they wouldn¡¯t be able to achieve such a world if the current system still was in place. So he sought to destroy the system that forced us to sacrifice someone for the benefit of millions. He wanted to break the cycle of servitude that bound all Kings and MPs to a fate of death. That¡¯s how he came up with this plan. The plan that involves Eudokia and you.¡± Chapter 282 - Secret Origins A still night laid empty hands over the courtyard. It gave a soft oppressive atmosphere burdened by emotions. Emotions that wouldn¡¯t escape or disappear no matter how many attempts to be forgotten. They were haunting ghosts, specters lingering in all corners in silence. Silent, but staring, they watched endlessly. Yumi almost wished that they did say something. Hearing their hateful words would be better perhaps than the accusing eyes. She could only imagine what they would say and nothing was worse than imagination. Dark shadows hung over her face, shaving away weight from her face. She shifted her eyes away. Even a glance was too long for her. She couldn¡¯t manage it for more than a few seconds. The faceless mass followed her eyes no matter where. Every step through the Palace was like wading through the busy streets of Tokyo. She could never be alone. The best she managed was to look at the floor and only see the legs of everyone. A peaceful place like the courtyard could bring no comfort. Yumi could only stare trying to focus her mind. And hope that just maybe for one instance maybe she could be alone for once. She closed her eyes and placed her head to the stone railing. Closed or not, her mental image kept the ghosts hovering around her. Escape wasn¡¯t possible. But she didn¡¯t make such an escape. ¡®This is just what I deserve for everything that I¡¯ve done¡­¡¯ Her lips thinned out in a grimace with her thoughts. Chapter 282 - Secret Origins Yuki needed to take a step back from things. Things only got more complicated the longer he listened. It was supposed to be more straightforward with the more answers he got, yet the opposite happened. He had so many different pieces handed to him. It was hard to see the truth from the lies. Eudokia fed so many lies to him and yet some of them actually had some truth to them. He stood up and paced around the path that circled around a tree. Demosthenes still had more to tell him. Yuki could tell that much. But he moved too quickly. Things had stopped being simple a long time ago. He thought he had gotten used to it. Worse, he still didn¡¯t have answers to something so simple as who his mother was, which wasn¡¯t what he thought. Allowing his brain to process things a little, Yuki came back around to Demosthenes. ¡°You¡¯re getting a little ahead of yourself. My father had a plan, but what is this all about? How is it supposed to relate to me or even Eudokia? I thought she had gone rogue.¡± ¡°Eudokia discovered a little bit of what his plan was and accepted things wholly. She never actually knew what his true motive was. The only part she really listened to was that he had something he needed her to do. It was his last request to her.¡± Demosthenes turned his head a little to look towards a place in the Palace. ¡°To Eudokia, the King was everything. He was her world, his loss hit her worse than anyone. I tried to motivate her and get her to do something, but she was insistent on hanging onto the past. It seemed like she planned to just die. She lost any sort of will to live. Then I told her about the King¡¯s last wish he left for her. I hoped it would give her purpose again. Unfortunately, I never imagined how she would corrupt his wish. This was never what he would have wanted.¡± ¡°What did he want her to do?¡± ¡°He wanted you to become King. He left it to her, since she had more freedom to move around than me, to bring you back to Atlantis. He expected her to explain the situation to you and get your agreement. More than anything, he didn¡¯t want the Council to be in charge, but it was all because he couldn¡¯t finish his plan to free Atlantis. His wish left behind for you was to save Atlantis.¡± It was a little clearer cut, but it was still a lot of jumping around. Yuki waved his hands, still needing some important answers to what was going on. ¡°What a minute, he wants me to save Atlantis? I don¡¯t even know what¡¯s going on here. I¡¯ve got this history lesson from you, but it¡¯s still not telling me anything about this plan he has. I don¡¯t even know who I am. How am I supposed to save a country?¡± The old man nodded in agreement. There was still much to explain. ¡°After his wife died rather than losing faith in the world it actually strengthened his resolve to fix the world. I actually grew concerned from how fanatical he had become about seeing it out. However, he told me he wanted to free us from needing to sacrifice Kings. I believed that was a worthwhile goal, even if he drove himself to madness in search of its answer.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Yuki didn¡¯t really understand how it could be so hard. There was a lot about how the Throne of Atlantis worked, but it didn¡¯t seem like something that should be impossible to create. Their power could do anything they wanted. They just needed to imagine it. Why would it be difficult to do things differently? ¡°Can¡¯t you just create a new solution with our power?¡± ¡°If it had been that simple the second King would have done it. Atlantis requires our power to remain as it is, that is a fact. A fact that can¡¯t be avoided. However, the one thing we¡¯ve never been able to achieve through our power is artificially creating our power. It can only occur naturally in humans. There is no substitute for the power we use. So back then, it was decided that using someone else¡¯s power could keep it alive. ¡°Your father decided that it shouldn¡¯t be impossible. While through our power, we could achieve significant technological advancements it was never enough. However, the world was finally making significant strides. So he went outside to search for the answer.¡± ¡°Outside, you mean out of Atlantis? How¡¯s that possible, I thought you said he couldn¡¯t leave.¡± ¡°As I said, your father was unique in many ways. So powerful was he, he could travel across all of Atlantis. But that¡¯s just what the public knows. The reality is that he actually made many trips around the world in search of his dream. It was due to these long absences that the Council made their move, never questioning his motives.¡± ¡°Damn, this guy sounds like he has almost god-like powers.¡± ¡°However, as I said before, he would have lived longer, but special circumstances lead to him dying earlier than normal. The distance away from the Throne strained him greatly, but he didn¡¯t care. Eventually, he was no longer able to move as freely. His life significantly shortened due to his insistence on his dream.¡± Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Yuki dropped back down into his seat next to Demosthenes. Atlantis could have still had their King if he didn¡¯t focus so strongly on achieving his goals. Eudokia could still have a father. None of what happened needed to be if he had just stayed. But then Yuki thought about what it meant. ¡°So are you saying that he made a trip to Japan and met my mother. Sounds pretty clich¨¦ to me.¡± ¡°Nothing so simple or normal as that.¡± Sighing, Yuki dropped his head back to rest against the back of the bench. Through the leaves of the tree, he could see the sun. Realizing it was all just artificial, he wondered about the sun too. ¡°Of course, nothing can ever be simple. What¡¯s my story?¡± ¡°Sadly, he¡¯s never told me the whole story and what he left behind for me didn¡¯t provide any more answers. What I do know will probably give you more questions than answers.¡± ¡°Figures. Well it can¡¯t be any worse than not knowing.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve refrained from telling you because it could be worse knowing the truth. There is another layer to the world that you aren¡¯t aware of that you¡¯re involved in.¡± ¡°Just how many secret civilizations are hiding out on this planet?¡± Demosthenes shook his head. He recalled many of the errands the King sent him on in his declining years. The darkness of humanity that he witnessed made him wish he had been ignorant still. ¡°It might be easier if it was something like that. What I tell you now I give with a warning.¡± ¡®Ominous much?¡¯ Even if Yuki acted glib about his warning, he still felt uneasy about learning yet another new truth. He didn¡¯t know how much more of it he could handle. The world turned inside out wasn¡¯t something to wish for necessarily. ¡°Listen closely, because it¡¯s a name that no one knows, but everyone is touched by. Their reach is that far and their threat that grave. The Komatsuzaki have their hands in everything across the world. There is nothing that they aren¡¯t involved in. And the Komatsuzaki¡¯s singular purpose is the research of our power through any means necessary to understand it.¡± ¡°Komatsuzaki¡­¡± Naturally, Yuki never even heard of them. It was just something that he had to trust Demosthenes. He knew it was possible that he could be totally bullshitting him, but it made no sense at this point. While Yuki thought about what it meant and how it affected him, something popped into his mind. He recalled Eudokia''s story about her time at the South Gate. ¡°Do you remember a time when you went to the South Gate and Eudokia had captured a significant number of intruders that looked linked to some military?¡± Demosthenes¡¯ eyes grew wide in surprise to hear Yuki bring it up. ¡°I didn¡¯t think she¡¯d talk about her past to you. Yes, I remember it. It is as you¡¯re thinking. She never knew, but the reason I went there was because those men worked for the Komatsuzaki. We never had any direct links to them. They¡¯ve always been good about covering up their tracks, even the soldiers weren¡¯t fully briefed, just instructed on exactly what they needed to know. So interrogations got us nowhere, they know what our powers can do. So they are very careful.¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re going to tell me my father has ties to them. If they were researching our power then it would be perfect for him if he wanted to create it artificially as a substitute power source for the Throne. But you¡¯ve isolated yourself here, how do they even know about your existence?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct. The King actually discovered them when he was searching. He never told me how he found them. I still don¡¯t know how they know about us or how they did their research. I just know of their methods.¡± Demosthenes fell silent for a moment. Something suddenly seemed to weigh on him even more than usual through the whole conversation. ¡°Human experimentation. As I understand it, many of their tests have been to try to recreate our power forcibly in normal humans. But they were all failures.¡± The further silence from the old man told Yuki enough to know of their fate. It really started to sound like one of his stories. A classic case of an evil organization with no regard for human life in search of the answer to life or becoming god. Something silly and selfish as always. The results were always the same, innocents had to die. ¡°You¡¯re not going to tell me I¡¯m one of their experiments that happened to go right and they are actually in search of me even today because I¡¯m the key to the puzzle.¡± That would just be too clich¨¦, but given his options he was not sure which clich¨¦ was worse. Narrowing his eyes, he knew Yuki joked about it, but it still surprised him how quick to pick up on things he actually was. ¡°You are not completely correct, but not completely wrong either.¡± ¡°What?! You can¡¯t be serious!¡± Yuki jumped up out of the bench and started poking around at the air. ¡°Now I really know I¡¯m dreaming or my life really is a manga, because this stuff just is impossible.¡± ¡°You wanted to know the truth.¡± He turned around to see how serious the Atlantean looked. The thought of it all made him sigh heavily. Yuki slumped over to the bench and laid back. ¡°Alright, shoot out this horrible doujinshi storyline already.¡± ¡°The truth as I understand it, your father knew his time was running out. All of his traveling quickly shortened his life. So he needed to ensure his dream didn¡¯t die with him. He needed someone to carry on his dream, but that would also be powerful enough to keep Atlantis alive until the solution was found. You are his answer. ¡°The research done by the Komatsuzaki had hit a wall and so the King worked with them planning to exploit their work. They created many experiments based on what he provided, but they also ended in failure. As a last measure, he had them create you through artificial means using his DNA and one of the Japanese researchers, a woman that worked closely with him. ¡°Komatsuzaki saw the advantage of someone that could be as powerful as the King as a test subject, so they tried to sabotage the experiment to make it look like the child they created died. However, the King actually fooled them and made it look like the child really died and left the child in the care of someone he trusted, the Hayashis.¡± It shouldn¡¯t have surprised him, but it still made him turn his head. ¡°My parents knew my real father. They knew everything as well.¡± ¡°They made a promise not to reveal any of this to you until you were old enough, unfortunately they both died before that could happen. And then the King died before he could tell you everything as well. After you were born, he tried to hold on long enough, while putting his plans into place, such as finding Eudokia.¡± ¡°So the Komatsuzaki think I¡¯m dead, but if I¡¯m just genetically engineered I¡¯m not that useful to them.¡± ¡°Officially, they accept that you died in the experiment. Unofficially, they¡¯ve been trying to get you for years unsuccessfully, but I dealt with their schemes. But like you said, you are a valuable subject to them, but not the solution to their research. So they seem to have given up trying to get you back in the last few years. But I wouldn¡¯t trust them. You still represent something that they lost and feel that they own. So I believe they will eventually come for you.¡± ¡°Great, as if I need more people after me. At least they don¡¯t want me dead.¡± Yuki stood up and stretched. Everything piled up on him making it hard to take in. He really did end up wishing that he didn¡¯t know. Ignorant bliss was right. ¡°So you got any more bombshells to drop while you¡¯re on a roll?¡± ¡°After everything is resolved in Atlantis I have one final thing to give to you. As it is now it would only be an unnecessary burden. You have your friends to think about and you should focus on them rather than your father¡¯s plans or Atlantis¡¯ future.¡± It actually surprised him a bit to hear Demosthenes not try to force an agenda on him. Yuki walked towards the tree and leaned against it. ¡°For being one of his biggest supporters, should you really be telling me to ignore everything and just save my friends?¡± ¡°It¡¯s what he would say I believe. To him, family was always important. When those you care about are in danger you risk everything for them.¡± ¡°Consequences be damned huh? More unbecoming advice from one of the most important people in Atlantis.¡± It actually made Yuki grin a little. He worried so much about tiptoeing around the problem that it was a little encouraging to hear the straight laced one tell him to go wild. ¡°I don¡¯t need to be told to save them. I planned on doing just that! Those bastards won¡¯t have their way anymore!¡± Chapter 283 - Night Meetings After Demosthenes dumped a literal metric ton of truths on Yuki, he needed to decompress. It was a lot to take in and he still needed to sort it all out. There was so much that he told him that started to fill in some things in very unsettling ways. The more that Yuki thought about the answers the more it made his past even more foreign to him. It made him scared to think about it. He needed a break from everything. Even though he didn¡¯t have Demosthenes as an escort, he still was required to have someone with him. Which actually resulted in even more security and annoyances than less. He wanted room to breathe, but it was impossible. Parked out at a balcony, he stared down at the Palace grounds. The view was pleasing enough for him. ¡®How many times did he come here to think or just to stare I wonder?¡¯ Since their talk focused so heavily on his father, it was hard for him not to imagine him wherever he went. However, since he didn¡¯t know what he looked like he could only see shadows. A form that might have been him. Such thoughts painted new pictures. A different image conjured in fears and expectations pulled at him. Yuki didn¡¯t foresee the revelations adding so many new burdens. It weighed an indescribable amount. At least that¡¯s how he painted in his mind. Yuki could only really pretend to know what it would be like. It wasn¡¯t like he ever had to carry that responsibility. An entire nation, a whole people was too much for him to wrap his mind around. Focusing on Momo, Saki and his brothers were more than enough for him to manage. Four lives felt impossible at times. The fake assassins certainly put into perspective the whole situation as he thought about it. Thinking about the past, he learned how much they mattered to him. Eudokia might have had a bad plan, but the importance of family came into sharp attention. Everyday before she showed up had almost been a dream. A carefully maintained canvas of mute colors that clashed in order to pretend to be brighter than they actually were. It almost felt like a lie. All of it could be a lie. What had the year truly been for him? Yuki forgot important things and discovered the heart of himself. Was it thanks to her? ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be here without her. But is that enough? She lied, betrayed and manipulated me. And yet I can¡¯t¡­ I think if it was the old me, I¡¯d just punch her and call it a day.¡± He leaned forward with the support of his hands on his chin. ¡°I really wouldn¡¯t give it much more thought. But I can¡¯t do that anymore. I have a responsibility now, right? Mom, dad? You knew all about this, what would have told me to do?¡± Yuki turned to rest his back against the railing. ¡°If he hadn¡¯t died would I be here anyway in a couple more years? That was the plan right? Everything he set up for me.¡± The more that he thought about it, even to a degree his real father manipulated everything in his life as well. It painted a complicated picture for him. He couldn¡¯t just brush it all over. Lies and control. That¡¯s what it all came down to. Did the motive truly matter to him? Yuki crossed his arms glaring at the wall of the grand passage. The Palace held age, history. Her stories crafted a picture that he could almost relive of his father and her. It was important enough to preserve even in death. They both believed that, even the stiff did. ¡®What do those scared old men believe? What¡¯s even going to happen? What is Atlantis¡¯ future? Is this truly living?¡¯ Frustration started to pour into the crack of his mind. Yuki turned back to look down at the court. ¡°Is this the question that you face, father? Was this the only way?¡± He dropped his face into his arms. It only worked to a degree. All the stresses and thoughts bubbled back up slowly. ¡°You had thirty years to think about this, I¡¯ve got 3 days!¡± Less than that. ¡°Not helping.¡± Hours passed he was certain, but he stopped keeping track. Just as he started to turn away, he caught a quick look at Saki and Rheia again with Yori close behind. ¡®What are they up to?¡¯ He paused for a moment, but the guards all looked at him with suspicion. So he couldn¡¯t watch. Everyone had something going on except for him. Time continued to creep forward. He had to come to a decision soon. Chapter 283 ¨C Night Meetings The night before the execution came surprisingly fast. No further visits were allowed to their friends, even with Demosthenes pulling strings. They just had to live with the situation. Plans moved around. Everyone did something. Saki was in a rush through the halls late at night. She had Rheia with her following at her side, the standard escort. None of them were allowed any freedom out of sight of the Atlanteans. Saki understood their situation as well as any of them. It made things a little awkward, but she made it work. As she approached the hallway to their room, she noticed someone doing nervous circles around the hall. It made her grin a little knowing pretty easily who it was. ¡°Mind waiting a little for me?¡± She motioned to Rheia to give her a little room. ¡°Just remember the situation,¡± reminded Rheia as she backed off a little. ¡°I know.¡± Once she had the space, Saki approached openly to the entrance of the room. ¡°Hey, Yumi! You run any faster in circles, they''re going to fine you for property damage.¡± Partially embarrassed and half nervous and startled, Yumi came to an immediate stop. ¡°Saki! I-I didn¡¯t know you were still out.¡± Her nerves were so shot that she couldn¡¯t do anything to cover them. Saki kept a smile on her face trying to keep things light. The whole situation they were in gave them enough stress. She already had a pretty good idea of what bothered Yumi. ¡°If you just hesitate you¡¯re only going to regret things later.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Turning to the door, behind which Yuki slept or maybe tossed around still trying to find a way out of their problem. She stared at the door as though she was looking at Yuki rather than the wood. ¡°You need to make a decision about Yuki. Just standing on the sidelines is never going to change things.¡± The response made Yumi¡¯s face turn bright red. She ran around even faster around the hall that she started to blur. Saki stopped her abruptly before it went too far. ¡°Saki! H-ho-how¡­I-I¡­I¡­¡± While the reaction fell within the expected results for Yumi, Saki still felt something off. She knew as well as many that Yumi had a really bad crush on Yuki, the only one that didn¡¯t seem to realize it was Yuki, which seemed very sad. ¡°Yumi, did something happen between you and Yuki?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Memories of her confession immediately made her head explode. She wanted to pass out and just forget it all. ¡°W-w-why would you s-s-say that?¡± Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡®Can you get any more obvious?¡¯ It made Saki want to laugh watching Yumi¡¯s flustered reaction. She actually understood the feeling of wanting to tease someone acting so adorably. ¡°What happened Yumi? What did Yuki say to you?¡± ¡°Nothing, of course!¡± she replied, jumping the gun on her answer. It skipped all context, but shot straight to her problem. Once she realized the slip, she tried to backpedal. ¡°I mean, nothing. He didn¡¯t do anything to me.¡± Saki knew something was up and the embarrassed reaction only made her more certain of it. ¡°Just confess to him already,¡± she teased, succumbing to her impulses. However, the reaction that she got from Yumi went beyond any sort of expectation. She couldn¡¯t get a word out and her face couldn¡¯t get anymore red if it tried. Then Saki realized what was wrong. ¡°You did, didn''t you? When?!¡± Saki tried to think of when she had time. ¡°What!? I didn¡¯t!¡± Unfortunately, Yumi did a really poor job convincing Saki. The tone of her voice failed her. She gave up quickly. ¡°You know how I said that I broke the brainwashing?¡± ¡°Yeah, you never said how you did it¡­wait?! Seriously?!¡± Saki immediately made all of the leaps needed to connect the dots. ¡°And Yuki doesn¡¯t remember it, of course. Yumi¡­you have the best and the worst timing. I can¡¯t imagine a better moment than that.¡± She nodded in agreement. ¡°But I¡¯ve accepted it. But even when I¡¯m around him I just start thinking about it. I see him looking depressed as if he has the weight of the world on him the last two days and I can¡¯t do anything for him. I¡¯m too afraid to even get near him.¡± Saki sighed understanding, but also frustrated with her. Grabbing Yumi by the shoulders, she pushed her towards the doors. ¡°I told you already that your place is there with him.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Yumi looked back at Saki, knowing how she watched out for him. ¡°I¡¯m his shadow. I¡¯ll protect him at a distance, that¡¯s my job. I¡¯m one that is allowed to fall into darkness, so long as he can remain in the light.¡± Saki kicked the doors open into the main room that connected all of their rooms. ¡°I¡¯m the one that kicks him to move forward when he falters. You¡¯re the one that catches him. He needs that light and warmth right now that I can¡¯t provide. Be what I can¡¯t be for him, Yumi.¡± ¡°But Saki, I can¡¯t!¡± ¡°Hey, you already admitted to yourself how you feel. Don¡¯t hesitate now because it didn¡¯t work out. You made the first step, so keep taking those steps. Grab onto some of that take charge attitude you¡¯ve been showing off and go in there! Yuki might be dense, but he¡¯s not blind. He¡¯ll notice you.¡± ¡°Saki¡­¡± ¡°You said it yourself, he¡¯s got the weight of the world on his shoulders right now. Sometimes when that happens, another shoulder is all you need. Start out simple, Yumi.¡± Saki smiled encouragingly at her and shoved her into the room before closing the door. Saki turned back to Rheia, who approached. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Her expression quickly turned harsh. ¡®I¡¯ll bare all the darkness for him¡­¡¯ Inside the room, Yumi hesitated for a moment, but she pushed herself forward. ¡®Saki¡¯s right. I can¡¯t just be worried about myself. Yuki¡¯s in a terrible place right now and he¡¯s all alone. I can¡¯t be afraid of my feelings anymore¡­ I just need to act!¡¯ Yumi knocked on the door to Yuki¡¯s room. ¡°Yuki? You awake?¡± She pushed through the door, opening it just a crack. ¡°Yuki?¡± Her head popped through the gap in search of him. ¡°Yumi? You¡¯re up late.¡± He sat on the bed with a bunch of different images and lights hovering around him. They immediately disappeared with a wave of his hand. ¡®He must still be trying to find a solution¡­¡¯ She smiled at him, stepping all the way into the room. ¡°It seems I¡¯m not the only one up late,¡± she tossed back playfully. ¡°Yeah¡­it¡¯s hard to sleep thinking about tomorrow.¡± Yumi walked over to the bed. She stared at it for a moment. In her mind, it had some heavy implications, but she tried to keep them from affecting her. ¡°You aren¡¯t the only one. We¡¯re all wanting to do something.¡± ¡°I know, but I can¡¯t help but see this as all my fault. I dragged you guys all with me.¡± ¡°We made a choice.¡± She knelt onto the bed and started to crawl over to him. ¡°We forced you to let us come with you, remember.¡± ¡°I could have said no.¡± ¡°You did,¡± she recalled. ¡°We wanted to help you. We knew what we were getting ourselves into following you.¡± ¡°But I could have been more insistent. I could¡ª¡° Yumi leaned her back up against his interrupting him. It was the closest she could get him. If she actually looked at him, she was certain that she would be too embarrassed to talk straight. ¡°We support you. You aren¡¯t doing this alone, Yuki. We¡¯re all here for you. I¡¯m here for you.¡± ¡°¡­Yumi¡­¡± He leaned a little against Yumi feeling the warmth of her body. There was something surprisingly calming about it. ¡°I know you are, that¡¯s why I want to make sure everything works out. I¡¯m not abandoning any of you.¡± ¡°I know you won¡¯t. They know too.¡± Even though they were just touching backs, Yumi felt like she could feel the tension knotting up in him. He was just a massive chaotic ball of knots that tied themselves too tightly to come free with just his own hands. ¡°So what ideas do you have for tomorrow?¡± She pushed him in a better direction, a productive one. ¡®If he keeps dwelling he¡¯ll never get anywhere¡­¡¯ Yuki activated his power again. Everything that he was working on displayed around them. ¡°I¡¯ve got no end of ideas. Even simulations, though they don¡¯t exactly have the most promising outcomes.¡± ¡°Start at the top and let¡¯s go down them together.¡± They quickly passed hours of the late night talking over plans. Yumi encouraged him and helped to point out new ideas. In the end, she pushed him in a direction. It was a decision. Yuki jerked awake, realizing that he had fallen asleep while they talked. ¡°Yumi?¡± He looked around him to find her, but saw that she was asleep as well. She looked too peaceful to interrupt. Rather than wake her, he carefully slipped out of the bed. ¡°¡­Yuki¡­¡± whispered Yumi, startling Yuki. She rolled over in her sleep towards him. ¡°You can do it, Yuki.¡± He smiled softly at her. ¡°Thank you, Yumi.¡± Brushing her hair back, he stared down at her. He recognized that look all too well. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Yumi. I really don¡¯t remember it, but I can¡¯t return your feelings right now.¡± Even if he didn¡¯t remember, the looks she gave him and the way she acted around him was too hard not to miss. As Saki said, he wasn¡¯t so blind as to be unaware of Yumi. ¡°I have some things I must do first before I can accept them. I¡¯m sorry for doing this to you.¡± Things set, Yuki walked out of the room. He walked out into the hallway looking around. As expected, his escorts knew immediately when he left. ¡°Take me to the grave of the late King,¡± he ordered, as he approached them. They all seemed a little confused by his request and reluctant to accept, but his insistence forced them. A lengthy trip through the maze into the rear grounds brought them to the graveyard of all of the old Kings. Yuki didn¡¯t need the grave pointed out to him when he saw Demosthenes. He waved off his escort pointing out his preference. It wasn¡¯t until he was actually next to the General that they gave up their role and departed. ¡°Quite the coincidence. What were you doing?¡± ¡°Telling him about everything that¡¯s happened. I haven¡¯t had the time to speak to him recently.¡± Kneeling down before the grave, Yuki adjusted his position to get comfortable. ¡°He must be rolling in his grave from how far his plans have gone awry.¡± ¡°Perhaps, but even if everyone rejects her, he will still love her.¡± ¡°A father¡¯s love¡­I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll be able to forgive her, but I can understand a little now of what she was feeling. I think she just didn¡¯t want to be alone again. He was the first one to accept her for who she was, everyone betrayed her or was afraid. It¡¯s rather sad thinking about it¡­¡± ¡°You may be right.¡± Yuki closed his hands together in prayer. He might not have ever known the man that was apparently his real father, but he felt like he still knew him from everything he heard. Like many of them, he may have been a little misguided and narrow minded, but his heart was in the right place. ¡°Hey, old man. I hear you¡¯re my father. Sort of hard to call someone you¡¯ve never met Dad, but I¡¯ll work on it. I just wanted to let you know you¡¯ve got a pain in the ass daughter and a stiff for a friend.¡± Yuki smiled a little thinking about the stories he heard. ¡°But you already knew all of that. I don¡¯t know everything you¡¯re planning, but I¡¯ve made my own plans. So hopefully everything works out. But if not, I just want to let you know, despite everything I know, I¡¯m glad to have been born. Thanks.¡± Demosthenes bowed politely to Yuki in thanks. He looked a little relieved. ¡°Whatever your plan, my life is yours.¡± ¡°Stop with the honor bound sacrifice crap again! I told you already before I¡¯m not letting you die.¡± Yuki started to walk away from the grave. ¡°No, you¡¯re going to live. I got your payment in mind already. So let¡¯s go see to breaking destiny!¡± Chapter 284 - Morning Verdict A scream torn through the encased cell echoing off each wall. Heavy panting followed next as Fumiko sat up soaked in sweat. Her eyes wide and shaking still raw from the experience. Awake now, she stared empty at her legs as her body heaved slamming her lungs against her ribs. The scream still seemed to bounce around her. It nearly made her body vibrate or maybe that was her heart knocked against her. Her mouth demanded water as if the sweat dehydrated her. Fumiko reached over to the table in her room. ¡®Mom probably heard me¡­damn¡­¡¯ She blindly threw her arm around looking for the water bottle that she knew rested on her desk. Studying for exams left her focused and her mother insisted she didn¡¯t forget to drink water regularly. If she didn¡¯t intend to come down, she¡¯d better have some with her. She needed that water. Where was that damn water?! ¡°Oh¡­right¡­¡± It washed away in a clean wipe. She stared at the newly crafted cell walls. Some strange creation meant for a monster like her. ¡°Atlantis.¡± A fantasy world all prepared for someone like her. Her breathing finally calmed that she wasn¡¯t shaking on the cot. Fumiko tossed the basic cloth blanket aside to sit up properly with her feet on the floor. She rubbed her hands over her face hoping it¡¯d wipe everything away. Only sweat. Looking down at her hands, she could see them shaking uncontrollably. She stared deeply at them, feeling it spread through her body. Panic and shallow breathing claimed her once more. Fumiko fell over grasping at the ground trying to manage her body. Nothing She saw it again. Saw them again. Blood. Screams. Death. Death. Death. Murderer. Fumiko gasped for air. It felt like a hand squeezed on her lungs. Nothing would stay down. She pressed her hand to her chest panting for it to stop. The shakes spread through her whole body running her even colder. Long seconds dripped out until she managed to calm her mind. The blood, the faces disappeared finally. She pulled herself back up leaning against the cot. Her arms limply hung at her sides. ¡°Dammit¡­it happened again¡­¡± Fumiko dropped her head back against the padding. Her eyes stared up at the ceiling. ¡°What am I going to do?¡± Did this happen because it finally ended? Was it a mental release? She had to fight so her mind wouldn¡¯t let her stop? ¡°No¡­it was because of her¡­¡± She could only be in this situation because of what happened. Because that manipulative bitch. Her eyes narrowed as flashes of the past crossed her. They paraded around her mental space without thought to how it made her feel. Everything just existed for the same reason. Only one reason. She knew that. She understood that. Just one reason. ¡°It¡¯s only right that I suffer. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± She tilted her head to stare off in the corner seeing someone in her empty cell. A silent watcher. They always had the same demand. ¡°This is the way it should be. You agree, don''t you? The hero¡¯s path can only be paved in pathos, isn¡¯t that right?¡± Chapter 284 ¨C Morning Verdict Morning still sat an hour away, but Yuki could feel things already in motion. He knew that the Council didn¡¯t sit still. They expected him to do something. He knew that much, which made it even easier to make his plans. While he marched back with Demosthenes to the Palace, a voice popped up in his ear. ¡°They¡¯ve finished their positioning,¡± Chiharu said. It still unnerved Yuki a little, but found it to be incredibly clever of her. Due to always being under watch, she stuck in the shadows most of the day. Whenever she needed to report something to him, she could open a portal from her world to his inner ear. Her voice would travel straight to him and no one knew a thing, not even Demosthenes. Naturally, it was only a one-way communication. Under constant watch, he couldn¡¯t make any overtly suspicious actions. But Chiharu was very intelligent and picked up on intentions quickly. He didn¡¯t have to tell her much after the initial request. ¡®Chiharu seems to be enjoying her role as a spy.¡¯ She really dove into the role after Yuki¡¯s initial push to get her to accept it. It made it even easier since she always got all of the details he needed. ¡°As you already figured, they¡¯ve got assassins planted around the execution grounds. Since they had the grounds constructed for this specifically, they were able to craft it in such a way to give them the perfect spots. But it makes them very easy to find.¡± Pressing his finger to his temple, he gave the only signal he could manage. A very subtle tap gave her an answer. He continued to rub his forehead as though weighed by the stress. ¡®That¡¯s the easy part¡­the rest¡­¡¯ ¡°And the three of them will be of use. It¡¯s like you thought. The best use for them will be in handling the snipers. They have the right team composition to bring the best success. I¡¯ll get in contact with them. ¡®Excellent¡­I can trust that¡¯ll be handled then. I just have the hardest hurdle to handle then¡­¡¯ Chiharu finished with the rest of her report in detail on what to expect. As always, she was thorough. Just before she disappeared, she left him with one last thing. ¡°I never expected you to be so shrewd. I might have to stop calling you a weakling after this. Maybe!¡± She disappeared promptly afterward. Yuki wanted to smile thinking about what Chiharu said. ¡®She just needs a little more of an adjustment to the way she talks and she¡¯d be a classic Tsundere.¡¯ Thinking about Chiharu as a typical anime trope made him laugh a little inside. She had plenty of the traits to fit the bill. Tropes aside, morning finally started to arrive. Judgment day finally came for all involved. The day left to test him. Could he make his goal a reality? He would know soon. The execution brought out quite the audience. Positioned in front of the Palace walls, it stretched out towards the Capital. They opened up a significant amount of the area around the Palace exclusively for the execution. The Council easily made it into the biggest event possible. But it was important for another reason. They planned to hold the selection process for the next King at the same time. It was the promise of a new King that brought many out. Their plan to do both was meant to show strength and stability in Atlantis. That order and justice still held firmly. After all of the chaos and destruction caused by Yuki and his friends, it only made sense to give them something that would reassure them that they were safe. Nothing like what happened over the last week had happened in more than twenty years. And it was made even worse than the rebellion when the degree of chaos was carried out by less than ten. Especially in the Capital, the general public mood had become very unsettled by everything. They feared the lack of a King and saw the destruction as signs of their future. Assuring the country¡¯s future was the most important. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Dimitris walked with Yuki and his friends bringing them to their selected seats. All of the nobility and honored individuals were giving positions behind the execution. Yuki¡¯s seat placed them the furthest away from the execution grounds. As Yuki moved towards his seat, Dimitris leaned down to his ear. ¡°Don¡¯t make a scene, kid. Just sit and pretend you¡¯re part of the background. Any movement will be treated as a violation of our agreement.¡± ¡®Threatening me already, this is going to be a fun morning.¡¯ Yuki sat down and looked ahead. He smiled his fake smile for everyone. ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°Good.¡± The fa?ade on Yuki¡¯s face dropped momentarily when Dimitris walked away. Dark lines formed around his eyes as a sign to his resolve. ¡®I hope you have a good execution day.¡¯ He quickly put his face back on for the crowd. Saki sat down along with Yumi next to him followed by Yori. Seiji and Chiharu moved in after, though Seiji looked very rigid. It was clear that he wanted to do something, but it was only Chiharu that kept him at bay. A rampage wasn¡¯t something they needed, fortunately even Seiji seemed to understand that or else Chiharu wouldn¡¯t have been enough. At Yuki¡¯s side, standing as if he was a Canadian Royal Guardsmen, Demosthenes stood as selected guard unflinching. He looked completely natural in his position. After everyone on the stage gathered, the main event started. Hardly intended as a massive spectacle, it was hard not to see it as one given the sight. Eudokia, Simonides, Athene and Nerine had normal escorts. They were bound like criminals given only the most simplistic of clothing needed. However, Fumiko and Haruo were taken to the extreme and became the largest focus. Yuki couldn¡¯t help but think it looked like some movie over playing how threatening the villain was because they had to be given excessive protection and bindings. It seemed almost comical. However, it was all completely necessary. Both of their strength and power made the need for cages to drag them out all the more important. Fumiko¡¯s magic had to be neutralized and Haruo needed something strong enough and fortified to keep his strength in check. Even though neither planned to escape. The thing that Yuki noticed and expected was that the regular citizens didn¡¯t understand the purpose. They stared at them confused. ¡®I figured as much. The Council has kept all of these details secret. All the public knows is that there was a rebellion and they put it down. This is almost too easy¡­¡¯ The smile on Yuki¡¯s face grew a little bit. All of the pieces moved into the designated place. The stage was set and all of the players had their plans in motion already. But Yuki grinned still. ¡®Let¡¯s get things started¡­¡¯ The executor came out from behind the tall chairs set for the audience. They were a tall man, but lacked the usual expectations of being massive muscle bound or even carrying a weapon needed for the execution. However, they wore the white uniform of a MP. They just seemed like another one of the mob. They positioned themselves before the first target, Eudokia. A ripple came out from their feet as they prepared for their job. Tension ran through the entire gathering. The Council all looked with anticipation for Yuki to make a move that would seal his fate with the rest. The nobles looked forward to the death of traitors and the citizens waited for a sign of returning peace. ¡®They¡¯re already making their move. It¡¯s time to make mine¡­¡¯ Yuki glanced over at Demosthenes. He immediately slid back a step, already in on the plan. Taking in a breath, Yuki gathered up everything he had. ¡®Time for the game to start¡­¡¯ Yuki looked around suddenly in a panic. ¡°What¡¯s that? I see something!¡± He targeted it to the front to get the nobles looking around. A flash of light went off on cue far in the distance from one of the towers. It started a wildfire among the nobles inducing their panic. At that point, it didn¡¯t matter who started it, the whole thing took on a life of its own. No one even remembered it was Yuki. Playing things out further, Yuki jumped up as the crowd started to reach a peak. ¡°Look out!¡± He dove over top of all of the chairs pushing around everyone. Dimitris stood in front of his path. Thanks to the panic, many already started pointing out the projectile that clearly flew towards the Councilor. ¡°Get down!¡± Yuki leapt at the last moment taking Dimitris down to the ground, but not before taking the hit for the old man. Blood sprayed everywhere from the wound. Screaming erupted throughout the crowd and the citizens below. Shouts of rebellion and groundless fears flew quickly. Yuki rolled off Dimitris, wincing from the pain. ¡°Are you alright, sir?¡± Dimitris'' eyes flooded in panic and confusion. He couldn¡¯t say anything to him, but his expression played too well into the scene. The reasons behind it were different, but no one knew the better. All of the other Councilors ran up to him to try to recover. Yuki pushed them all aside and stood up. Blood poured down his arm from the jagged rock left in his shoulder. He slowly walked towards the front of the stage. Demosthenes managed to appear next to him. ¡°Everyone! Please calm down!¡± he shouted. His voice barely even carried through the jungle of noise. ¡°Shut the hell up!¡± Suddenly, his voice went through all corners of the site. ¡°Thanks, General Alexander.¡± The name drop got everyone¡¯s attention. Yuki finally had everyone¡¯s attention. The panic started to calm. Blasts of pinkish-red orbs went off from the location of the assassination attempt. ¡°Everything has been dealt with now. That explosion you heard just now was my team capturing the last of the rebels. You don¡¯t know me, but I¡¯ve been hunting down these rebels for months, though it feels like years at this point.¡± He laughed a bit and could see that he already started to lose some people. ¡°This has all been a large secret put into act by the Council of Atlantis you see behind you. They knew about their leader, but could not make a move openly. So they sent me. I can now tell you all about this finally as we¡¯ve finally captured the last of the rebels today right here.¡± Yuki saw the confused looks from both sides of the wall. ¡®It was their mistake to keep me completely hidden, not even the nobles know what I look like, they only mentioned me by name in the trial. Pretending to be someone else is almost too easy¡­¡¯ Yuki walked forward with the help of Demosthenes. He moved out in front of his friends. The closer to the citizens he could see how much they feared the uncertainty. They just wanted to know they could live peacefully. ¡°I¡¯m here today to assure you and confirm that peace has returned to Atlantis. You do not need to fear for your lives anymore!¡± A quick rise in voices from the citizens pushed into cheering. ¡°However, I need to clear up some confusion. These criminals you see here have stolen the faces and identities of those you see here. They want to tear us apart from the inside and make us question everyone! I will reveal their true identities before you now! People who even managed to fool our honorable and just Council!¡± Giving Demosthenes the signal, he had him suddenly alter his Field. Those that were Fumiko, Haruo, Simonides and everyone else captured changed. Complete strangers appeared before everyone even for Eudokia. Gasps went through the whole audience, even the nobles. As Yuki turned around to see everyone¡¯s reactions, he gasped in shock as well. He pointed quickly out to one of the Councilors. ¡°I don¡¯t believe it! General quick, we missed one of them!¡± Demosthenes leapt into action as the revealed fake Councilor tried to make an escape. Rheia appeared in their path to catch them, cornered by the two. Yuki turned back to the audience, displaying his surprise. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I must apologize. I thought we had found them all, but it looks like one slipped into the Council. But it explains why they wanted to place blame on Eudokia and Simonides. They sought to bring down those that protect and care the most for this country!¡± The sudden reveals carried out by Yuki had everyone¡¯s attention. No one looked away. He had them completely. They were hooked on his every word now. He walked out a little further speaking directly to the citizens. ¡°I know this is all very shocking to you. But now you understand why this day was so important. The Council knew the rebels would take this chance to free their comrades and try to strike at the heart of this great country! They put themselves in harm¡¯s way to see that you had peace tomorrow. ¡°I make this promise to you now before all of you that we will keep fighting for peace and see that this sort of thing never happens again!¡± Another round of cheers went through the crowd. They were pretty easy to work up. Even the Council knew how easy they were to use. It was actually a little sad how desperate they were for a sign of peace and stability. Even with a twenty-year-old rebellion behind them, they still lived in uncertainty and fear constantly. Yuki glanced back at the Council. They all glared at them. He had the stage and they could do nothing to him. He had the crowd and their plans already fell apart. Even the nobility questioned the Council after what they saw. Uncertain looks fell upon them. ¡®One matter resolved¡­now for the next part¡­¡¯ He took in a deep breath. It was the hardest part for him. It was his plan. It was his decision. So he knew what he did and accepted it. However, it didn¡¯t make it any easier to carry out. Demosthenes walked up behind him, the fake Councilor arrested by Rheia. He stood stiffly behind Yuki giving him the sense of confidence, but also no escape. Yuki smiled a little and relaxed. ¡°There¡¯s one more thing that I have left. Right now it¡¯s just a promise and promises are just words until they have something real that supports them.¡± Turning his head to the ground for a moment, he gathered up his resolve. ¡°There¡¯s a reason I¡¯m here in front of you rather than say the General here telling you all of this. You don¡¯t know me and I don¡¯t know all of you very well either. So making promises as a stranger is meaningless. So I¡¯m going to tell you who I am.¡± A ripple tore through the entire Capital in an instant from Yuki¡¯s feet. He wiped away everything in the Capital using his Field along with a significant expansion of the fields beyond. The display had everyone in complete silence. ¡°I¡¯m your new King!¡± Chapter 285 - Return to Peace Things quickly advanced from the moment that Yuki announced himself the new King. The display he gave was powerful enough that he had no one questioning his declaration. In fact, because he used his power to broadcast his announcement to the entire Capital it gave everyone further confidence. They saw how powerful he was and knew with Yuki that Atlantis would finally be safe for decades to come. Once he made the announcement, he got the Council to carry out the formalities in the ceremony. They already had everything prepared. So Yuki easily co-opted it as something they planned to reveal. The Councilors had little maneuvering room and begrudgingly worked with him through the whole thing. While only for show, as the real Throne sat deep in the Palace, Yuki became King before all of Atlantis. His fate was sealed. It was his choice. As his choice, he accepted it and he could move forward. Chapter 285 ¨C Return to Peace After all of the excitement ended, the Council summoned him before them. He insisted on bringing his friends with him along with all of those that they marked as criminals. Once the door sealed, Dimitris leaned forward from behind their desk. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± ¡°I thought that was pretty clear out there, Councilor.¡± Yuki grinned, having played them all against their own game. He could see how frustrated they all were. Even though they were in the room privately, nothing they said could change what happened. All of their plans died the moment Yuki moved. ¡°You should be thanking me. Both the military and royal guard saved face now that it¡¯s been revealed the rebels were stealing their identities to sow discord.¡± Dimitris gritted his teeth, annoyed to have to deal with a teenager and a foreigner. ¡°You think you¡¯ll be King?¡± ¡°You made me King. That¡¯s what the public saw today. And given that even the nobility saw rebels had snuck into your ranks. You don¡¯t have the weight you used to anymore.¡± ¡°You think you¡¯ve won?¡± Yuki grinned knowingly. He saw them already making new plans. ¡°Won, no. This is a long-term game we¡¯re playing. This battle goes to me, but the war continues.¡± The grin turned into a smirk quickly. ¡°Just remember I mean to win the war as well. You old men have sat behind your traditions and fears ruling this country from the shadows.¡± He stepped forward out of his group of friends to the Council desk. ¡°Let me make this clear. The secret war in this Palace you waged against the last King isn¡¯t over. My promise to you frightened old men right here is that I will see things changed. You can either work with me or I will see you dragged out before the mob outside of these gates.¡± A dark shadow fell over Yuki¡¯s eyes to emphasize his resolve. The Councilors all looked around at each other murmuring. He quickly came to a settlement. They were going to give up their current plans and fold to Yuki. However, it was a war as Yuki said. It wasn¡¯t over. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°Fumiko and Haruo come with me. Thanks to my little show out there, everyone thinks that they aren¡¯t even rebels anymore, so you don¡¯t have to explain anything.¡± Yuki walked back over to the others that came in. He made sure that they were with him as they were part of the deal. ¡°I want Simonides reinstated into the military along with Athene and Nerine.¡± When Yuki walked over to Eudokia, the Councilors couldn¡¯t keep quiet. ¡°Do you expect us to release her as well? Eudokia is the one that masterminded the whole thing and killed countless people!¡± Yuki came to a stop in front of her. He faced her staring straight into her eyes. Their reversed positions actually had a bit of irony. He held the dominant role with everything dancing around in his palm and she could only accept his whims. Yet despite the reversal, she maintained the determined and unwavering stare. Nothing Yuki did to her would faze her. He knew that well enough. But he still hoped to see even the slight of a flinch from her. The longer he stared the worse the tension in the room became. No one else liked that he did not give an answer. ¡°What are you planning?¡± Yuki spun back around to look at the Council. ¡°Nothing like that. No, Eudokia violated your laws and must be punished for it. She lied to all of us. All I want is for her to rot in a cell for the rest of her life.¡± ¡°Traitors must be executed! Especially ones like her!¡± Quickly, he flashed a deathly glare at all of the Councilors. It quickly put them all into their place and shut them up without a single word. In their silent acceptance, he had Demosthenes release everyone. ¡°Good talk. We¡¯ll be seeing more of each other.¡± Yuki walked out of the Council room with his friends following. They all finally had their freedom. Seiji rushed up to the left side of Yuki. Over on the right was Saki and Yumi. Unlike the others, Seiji had been out of the loop on everything. ¡°You plan to explain what happened, Yuki? How¡¯d you do all that? Like the swap with everyone and the assassins, everything!¡± While Yuki laughed, Saki shoved Yuki a little. ¡°Yeah, you even manipulated me! Do you know how much planning we already had in place?!¡± ¡°You had a good start to a plan, but there were still things that it didn¡¯t resolve. This put everything into place.¡± ¡°What the hell is going on? Were you all in on this?!¡± The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Pointing his thumb over at Saki, Yuki started out with her. ¡°Yeah, I realized that Saki and Yori were making plans with the Titans.¡± He saw the shocked look on Seiji¡¯s face. ¡°Did you really think that Rheia was just chasing Saki for the fun of it?¡± ¡°It started out that way,¡± commented Saki, shifting her eyes away. ¡°Saki and Yori were in talks with Rheia to make a rescue attempt on Fumiko and Haruo. Their plan was to swap out the real ones with created fakes so that everyone thought that they were dead. Then we just leave this all behind.¡± ¡°It would have worked!¡± insisted Saki. ¡°Yes, the rescue would have, but the Council still viewed me as a threat and the nobility all saw us all as rebels. We just got special treatment from Demosthenes. So I had to fix that so that the only ones that still saw that was the Council. They¡¯re now in a position where they can¡¯t make any open moves against me since no one trusts them right now.¡± Seiji nodded as if he followed it all. Everyone doubted it. ¡°So then you swapped everyone out, but what about the attack?¡± ¡°I knew the Council had assassins placed in the execution grounds. They actually planned to kill all of us and sweep it under the rug as rebel work. So I had Saki and Rheia take out all of their assassins with Yori relaying positions to them. The actual attack came from Rheia.¡± ¡°Saki and Yori weren¡¯t next to me?!¡± Seiji started staring deeply at the two of them. He had a suspicious look in his eye wanting to be sure that they were real. Chiharu piped up, since Yuki was laughing too hard. ¡°They were stand-ins by the Titans that were in on the plan with their Commander.¡± The answer made Seiji back up and question himself as he never even noticed it. ¡°And the rest was just information manipulation.¡± ¡°So what¡¯s next?¡± Seiji asked, pointing to the most obvious question. It was the one that everyone stared at Yuki for. They all knew what his decision meant for him. It wasn¡¯t just the weight that he would bear either. There were further reaching impacts. Playing it off like it was nothing, he smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll be King tomorrow.¡± ¡°Yeah I know that, but¡ª¡° ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Yuki continued on while the others just hovered around staring as he walked away. They didn¡¯t know what he had planned anymore. All they could see was a friend leaving them behind. The next day came with surprising ease. The Council did nothing more to oppose Yuki. All of the guards and escorts disappeared. In fact, some of the guards even seemed to look favorably at them, thinking that they were part of Yuki¡¯s team in taking down the rebellion. Everything seemed to be at peace, though they weren¡¯t sure how long it would be. They all knew the Council wouldn¡¯t stay quiet forever. But they still didn¡¯t have their own move yet. ¡°All hail King Charalampos Chryses!¡± declared the royal guard. The official process of becoming King ended and they presented Yuki before the entire nobility within the grand hall. Saki leaned over to Yuki whispering to him. ¡°Charalampos?¡± The rest of his friends stood around him, now commonly acknowledged as the ones that fought to bring down the rebellion. ¡°Yeah, I needed an Atlantean name. Makes it easier for everyone than thinking some foreigner is sitting on the throne.¡± He leaned back in the large throne that completely swallowed him up. The guards already escorted their guests forward as he instructed earlier. Waiting until Simonides, Athene and Nerine approached, Yuki leaned forward a bit. He motioned off the guards giving a wide gesture to the gathered audience. The three knelt down before their King. ¡°To correct mistakes made during the rebellion, I return the titles and privileges stripped from you. Please rise, Captain Simonides, Commander Athene and Second Lieutenant Nerine.¡± They rose back up with Yuki returning their badges. Applause broke out through the halls led by Yuki. He smiled down at them. However, he lifted his hand back up to bring order back to the chamber. Turning back to Demosthenes, he retrieved an item and walked out to Simonides. ¡°As is tradition, Captain Simonides I grant to you with this shield the honor of the name Tethys.¡± Knelt down before Yuki once more, Simonides accepted the personally crafted shield. Yuki pulled him back up to stand. ¡°Rise, Captain Simonides Tethys. Continue to be the shield that protects the innocent of Atlantis.¡± ¡°With every breath that I have.¡± Yuki then stepped up towards the throne. He stared out at the crowd once more to address them. ¡°While it is not unusual to have someone as young as myself as your King, I¡¯m still inexperienced in everything. I¡¯m more used to behind the scenes work than running a country. So I announce today that I¡¯m making General Demosthenes Alexander my Regent and Advisor until I mature enough for this throne behind me.¡± The decision sent some shock through the crowd not expecting to be hearing such news. It was something that Yuki didn¡¯t make known to anyone. But the natural question came quickly to everyone¡¯s mind. Anticipating their question, Yuki prepared the next announcement. ¡°With the General stepping down, I¡¯m announcing today that I¡¯m promoting Captain Simonides Tethys to General of the Army. His loyalty and respect for those that serve under him should be an inspiration to every leader.¡± Simonides bowed his head to Yuki once more. However, it was Athene that reacted in place of Simonides. She couldn¡¯t believe what she was hearing. Tears started to fall down her cheeks, ones that only Simonides seemed to understand. Though Yori smiled a little seeing Simonides giving her a little support. ¡°As my next act as King, I¡¯m going to visit all of the villages and towns in Atlantis! The King is the leader of the people and for the people. I don¡¯t plan to stay hiding in this Palace.¡± Thus, Yuki¡¯s month-long trip around Atlantis began. None of his friends knew what Yuki was going on to do. They just kept following him around to see if things really were to end. He never said goodbye to them, so they just waited around. The last stop he made was back to the village of Skoupa, which was affected by their arrival. Yuki helped out with the repairs and smoothed out the relations. Even before he arrived, they heard word of what happened. His coronation spread to all corners. The excitement of a new King and a long term of stability bolstered everyone. Even more so seeing their King all the way out on the border. It was early morning. They woke up early in Skoupa to a grand morning feast to send off their King. After everything ended, Yuki led everyone out and back to the South Gate. Along with him on the trip were Simonides and Demosthenes. Yuki stared at the large Command building of the vast complex. He already had Abeiron appointed as the new Captain and though things were a little chaotic for the new Captain, the troops were in high spirits. Even more so to see their old Captain. ¡°We¡¯re back at the beginning,¡± Yuki said, everyone gathered around him. Saki and the others stared at him with the sense of things finally reaching their end. ¡°Yuki¡­¡± He turned around to face all of them. ¡°Everyone¡­I know that this was not exactly what we planned when coming here. But things don¡¯t work out perfectly.¡± Yuki turned to look at Athene coming up, having taken care of her orders. He turned back around to Demosthenes and Simonides. ¡°This is where we part ways for now.¡± ¡°Yuki, what are you¡­¡± questioned Seiji, jumping in first. Though everyone else leaned in quickly behind him trying to be sure they were hearing him right. Looking back at them confused, Yuki grinned. ¡°What you thought I was leaving you guys behind?¡± ¡°But what about Atlantis and Throne?¡± Saki reminded. ¡°Demosthenes will be in charge during my absence, it¡¯s why I made him Regent. And my father was able to go hopping around the world, so I figured I should be able to as well. I still got things to settle back in Japan before I truly become the King.¡± Everyone gathered around Yuki grabbing onto him glad to still have their friend with them. Yuki walked up to Simonides, shaking his hand. ¡°Keep up the good work. I¡¯ve heard a lot about what you¡¯ve done here. It¡¯s not going to be easy, but I plan to see changes made.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be my honor, Your Highness!¡± Staring over at Demosthenes, Yuki approached him. ¡°This is your punishment, old man. It¡¯s your job to live and live long enough to see everything that the Council¡¯s done under my father¡¯s rule undone. I won¡¯t allow you to die until then, understand?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± Demosthenes handed over a package to Yuki before he turned away. ¡°Good luck.¡± Yuki looked back at his friends. He threw his fist up into the air in excitement. ¡°Let¡¯s return home, everyone!¡± Chapter 286 - Rude Welcome A calm sea was the most welcome thing to ask for on their return to Japan. Everything in Atlantis had been far too chaotic and stressful for all involved. So just a simple boat ride back felt like almost a vacation. Even when Yuki became King and all of the outward threats died down. He remained busy on his countrywide tour to boost civilian morale. The constant threat of the Council hung over them, even though Yuki insisted that they wouldn¡¯t do anything yet. But the ¡®yet¡¯ in his phrasing still made them worry. Meditating in the center of their yacht, Yuki kept their transport alive. He picked something a little more subdued for their return trip. Some wondered if maybe he had matured a little and some of his childishness disappeared from the heavy dose of reality he received while in Atlantis. Saki poked in, noticing Yumi watching Yuki from a distance. She smiled and stepped lightly forward. Yuki still needed his focus since it was a long trip and they didn¡¯t have Eudokia as they did for the trip before. Placing a hand on Yumi¡¯s shoulder, she got her attention. ¡°Worried about him?¡± A quick turn revealed all of the complex emotions carved through Yumi¡¯s face. She looked away almost immediately when she realized how transparent her face was. ¡°Sorry, Saki. I know I shouldn¡¯t stare and he¡¯d just say he¡¯s fine. He looks fine, but I heard what happened to the last King, his father. We don¡¯t know how long it¡¯ll be before Yuki ends up like that. I can¡¯t¡ª¡° ¡°Yumi, he¡¯s tough. And it¡¯s not like he doesn¡¯t know what he¡¯s doing. It¡¯s just until he handles everything here. When we left it was still pretty chaotic in Japan. Yuki feels responsible as the one that unleashed Pandora¡¯s Box upon Japan.¡± ¡°I know it¡¯s selfish of me. But I just wish he didn¡¯t have to carry all of this weight. It¡¯s more than one person should have to bear.¡± Saki stepped forward a little. ¡°This is just my opinion, so I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m right. This might sound cruel, but I think this is good for him. The last year he might have looked happy, but I sort of got a feeling he was bored or directionless. He didn¡¯t know what he wanted to do. After his mother died, he just lost everything. It might be more than he should need, but for the first time since losing his parents he¡¯s got a goal.¡± The thought made Yumi pause for a moment. She had only known him for a short time. Saki had always been next to him. She knew what he was like before everything changed his life. So maybe she was right. ¡°That¡¯s still very sad. But if you¡¯re right, maybe it is a good thing.¡± Chapter 286 ¨C Rude Welcome Out on the bow of the yacht, Fumiko, Yori and Seiji parked themselves. The coldness of the south seas finally left for the warm open sunlit skies of the tropics. While they only had some spare clothes that Yuki made up for them, as they lost all of theirs during the fighting, it was enough to enjoy the weather. Seiji rubbed his right arm a little absentmindedly. He had been staring at Fumiko¡¯s stump of an arm. The longer that he stared the more that he rubbed his own arm. Eventually, it became more than he could take. ¡°Hey, you know Yuki could fix you up right?¡± Seiji pointed out. Keeping silent, Yori just watched to see things play out. ¡®Seiji¡­¡¯ It was a touchy subject. While he never asked either, Yori understood that he didn¡¯t need to ask or should ask. It was just something that remained understood. Staring through narrow eyes at Seiji, Fumiko¡¯s expression quickly turned twice as severe. ¡°And what about those scars on your arm? I¡¯m surprised you didn¡¯t allow the girl to fix them up along with the rest of you.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± He missed the subtext that Fumiko stabbed at him. Seiji raised his arm to look at it. The two near full-length scars on his arm stayed, the place where Cosmas¡¯ swords cut him during their first encounter. ¡°This and that aren¡¯t the same sort of thing! I mean you don¡¯t even have one of your arms! Mine still functions.¡± After his last fight with Cosmas, the talismans previously wrapped around his arm never returned. It seemed the healing process ended. ¡°You sure it¡¯s not for a reason?¡± The question targeted him almost too close. ¡°So what if I do?! What about you?¡± He lashed back at her rather than addressing himself. His hand clutched his wrist as though protecting it. ¡°I have my own reason.¡± She glared at him harshly. The look in her eyes told everyone to drop the subject immediately. Once she declared her position on the topic, Fumiko turned and walked away. ¡°Should have kept your mouth shut, Seiji,¡± added Yori before walking away. ¡°Hey! I don¡¯t understand why you wouldn¡¯t want to get your arm back! You need two of them!¡± Neither were listening and quickly disappeared into the depth of the yacht. He threw up his fist into the air in annoyance. At least he knew well enough not to punch the boat. Inside the cabin, Yori followed Fumiko and like Seiji he was about to butt into something that he didn¡¯t belong. However, he saw how much strain she had been in ever since her capture. On the outside everything seemed fine, but he didn¡¯t need his mind reading powers to figure out something was wrong. ¡°You should get some rest.¡± Fumiko tilted her head back quickly over her shoulder. Most of the glare still held on from Seiji¡¯s blunder. ¡°Putting your nose into places it shouldn¡¯t be. I thought you knew better.¡± Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡®This isn¡¯t the same girl I remembered coming out to Atlantis with. It¡¯s completely changed her and not something as simple as maturity like with some of the others. There¡¯s something darker at work, it¡¯s not even just her anger at Yumi.¡¯ He only had an idea of what was going on with her. The experiences in Atlantis were something that had a harsher impact on her than anyone else. He could only understand a part of what she was going through. ¡°I know you haven¡¯t been sleeping well. Back in Atlantis, I saw you up late at night pacing or balled up in a corner.¡± He touched on something more personal than she expected. It immediately brought out her fangs. ¡°Stay away from me, Mizuno.¡± A flame popped up in her hand almost instantly without the need for a cast. ¡°Before I force you.¡± Yori ground his teeth behind pursed lips. She completely rebuffed him. Pressing his groundless position further would only be dangerous. ¡®I¡¯m going to have to take this more carefully than I expected¡­¡¯ Aside from the occasional nosiness from Seiji, the boat ride ran smoothly. It impressed everyone that Yuki managed to keep the boat up for the entire trip back to Japan. He ran them faster than the last time, since he was working against his own ability to stay awake as well. It only took about thirty hours to reach the waters near Japan. Unfortunately, that was when their next challenge presented itself. They had been gone for a month. In that time the world continued to move without them. And things were no longer the same for Japan. None of them expected what they saw on the horizon. Saki pulled Yuki up under protest to the deck. ¡°Why won¡¯t you tell me what¡¯s going on Saki? You know I need to focus. I¡¯m getting really sleepy right now and my head is hurting like someone¡¯s taking an ice pick to my skull.¡± Saki shoved Yuki out in front. ¡°That¡¯s not important. You need to see this.¡± She pointed out to what should have been Japan. Blurry eyed, Yuki stumbled around his friends, all gathered on deck as well, to look at Japan. Or the lack of the islands. ¡°Huh? That¡¯s not an island, that¡¯s a boat, Saki. Why¡¯d you bring me up to see a boat?¡± ¡°Damn it, Yuki! Open your eyes!¡± ¡°Eh?¡± He stared back at her. His ability to focus on anything that wasn¡¯t his power was pretty much shot. However, her glare certainly did wonders to motivate him. ¡°¡­right¡­¡± Yuki stared across the horizon once more trying to take it all in. ¡°There¡¯s more than one boat. Did we arrive during a festival?¡± Tired of Yuki not getting it, Yori spoke up to fill him. ¡°It¡¯s the entirety of the US Pacific Fleet, or at least a significant portion of it from what we¡¯ve been able to see just from here.¡± That seemed to perk up Yuki immediately as though he was some sort of military otaku. He leaned forward against the railings to stare harder. A pair of binoculars popped up in his hands to let him examine one of the ships. ¡°You¡¯re right?! Plus isn¡¯t that a British flag?¡± Everywhere he looked he saw warships. They all sailed in a tight formation. ¡°We¡¯ve picked up at least five different country¡¯s naval vessels. Something like that can only mean one thing.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a UN organized mobilization. But what¡¯s the UN doing in Japan?¡± ¡°We still don¡¯t know, but that massive of a fleet isn¡¯t parked out here for no reason.¡± Yori looked back at their boat and how close they were getting to the fleet. ¡°We aren¡¯t a registered ship. It¡¯s going to be hard getting in even as something as small as us.¡± Yuki turned away from the ships and focused back on his friends. He knew what Yori implied. ¡°Well, we don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on out here. I gave no profile on radar, so they haven¡¯t seen us yet, probably. But visual identification is still a risk. I¡¯ll make us invisible, so everyone get inside.¡± As they all shuffled inside, Yuki looked back over his shoulder at the fleet. ¡®I¡¯m not liking the feeling I¡¯m getting from this. It¡¯s not quite the homecoming I was expecting for us¡­¡¯ Once they entered the main cabin for the yacht, Yuki altered the boat¡¯s appearance to cloak it completely. He built it into the law just in case something came up that they needed to sneak it. ¡°Yori, you still got those translation earrings I made for you?¡± He saw him nod and pointed him to the radio. ¡°We might learn something from him if they are broadcasting. With any luck it¡¯ll be across all frequencies.¡± Yori¡¯s sister stepped up in front of Yuki, as he stared out in front of the ship. ¡°Anything we can do?¡± ¡°Yeah actually, you¡¯ve got far better eyes than I do. Watch out ahead and to the side. They aren¡¯t going to know we¡¯re here. So we need to steer around.¡± Everyone took up positions around the windows calling out to Yuki any dangers they saw. Slipping into the fleet was no problem. But trying to get around a bunch of warships with no clue of their presence made things challenging. Yuki kept over steering in his unfamiliarity with boats. Even if it was newbie friendly, he still never drove one. ¡®Dammit!¡¯ he snapped as he nearly spun them around avoiding a destroyer. Just as they broke free from the wall of ships, a voice broke through from all sides. They thought they were spotted for a moment, but realized that it wasn¡¯t pointed at them. Someone from the fleet spoke over the broadcast equipment. They spoke in something that wasn¡¯t Japanese, leaving it up to Yori to be their translator. ¡°This is the UN Blockade Fleet! Stand down immediately! If you continue to take aggressive actions direct force will be taken to subdue all individuals. I repeat this is¡­¡± ¡°Blockade?¡± Yori¡¯s sister questioned in surprise. It explained the reason for the fleet, but not for why it was happening. All of them looked around at each other trying to understand what had happened to Japan since they were gone. Saki shouted out, pointing to something she saw in the distance. ¡°There¡¯s something coming towards the fleet!¡± In another second, it was almost too late for her to scream. ¡°Get down!¡± Just off their starboard side, a massive blast of purple rocked the boat around in the disrupted sea. The target was one of the UN warships. It scored a direct hit to the upper deck, but didn¡¯t cause any severe damage that would cause it to sink. However, another blast came in quickly, likely trying to finish the job off. They could only watch, unable to do anything as the boat jumped almost into the air from the next attack. A bright light from behind blinded everyone. An explosion came out of the light a moment later breaking out new tide waves spinning their boat around in circles. ¡°Yuki!¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± ¡°What the hell is going on?!¡± The voice said something else, but Yori was too busy holding on to dear life that he couldn¡¯t be bothered to translate. However, they didn¡¯t have to guess for long as something flew by their boat along with several others. It was all too fast for Yuki to see. They were merely blurs. ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡± Chiharu was the only one that seemed unaffected by the whole thing. She carefully watched everything unfold. ¡°It looks like the UN sent in a peacekeeping force. They don¡¯t look familiar, but judging from the fact that they were using powers like us, I¡¯m guessing the UN somehow has empowered people working with them.¡± The boat finally started to ease up, though the fighting that broke out in the distance left the sea angry. It did give them enough to stand back up, though Yuki had the hardest time of it. The others seemed to have already adapted and were barely affected. ¡°The UN is fighting someone? That blast before was from that group wasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Most likely. When we left people were still discovering their powers. In a month¡¯s time they¡¯ve already started to use them.¡± Chiharu looked closely at the fighting happening in the distance. It gathered everyone¡¯s attention quickly. ¡°Given this information, it¡¯s safe to assume that the UN¡¯s purpose here is a peacekeeping action against Japan. They¡¯ve likely blockaded the entire country viewing all of us as threats to the world.¡± Chapter 287 - False Normalcy Even though it shouldn¡¯t have been that much of a surprise to them, it still left the entire cabin in silence. Several of them could only stare out at the fighting, not completely focused on it. Shock ran through them all. If the UN presence was as Chiharu surmised, then the world or at least the most powerful countries in the world all saw them as a threat. They were potential enemies to something far larger than they could possibly comprehend. Yuki was the first to break the silence with awkward laughter. It seemed completely inappropriate, especially as it drew everyone¡¯s attention. They didn¡¯t know what to think of his reaction. ¡°And I thought making enemies of the Council of Atlantis was the biggest problem. What ever god is looking down on us as play things must to be having quite the laugh right now.¡± ¡°¡­Yuki¡­¡± Yori¡¯s sister stared at him, not sure what she could really do for something. None of them could do anything. She understood how impossible their situation was. However, there was one that didn¡¯t. Seiji made his way to the door planning to make for a stupid action. ¡°I¡¯m not one for fate or destiny! Only what I can hold with my hands!¡± It should have been a good and possibly inspiring little moment. However, Yori and his sister already moved to hold him back. Struggling with Seiji¡¯s strength, they needed help. ¡°Saki! Help us stop Seiji!¡± ¡°What the hell do you think you guys are doing?¡± barked Seiji, trying to get them off him. ¡°I¡¯m going out there and put a stop to this!¡± Saki didn¡¯t make any movement to help them. Her arms crossed over her chest as she stared at the fighting. She could see very clearly the looks on the faces of the Japanese. ¡°I¡¯m with Seiji on this. I won¡¯t stop him if he wants to help them. I don¡¯t agree with this.¡± ¡°Saki?!¡± It was actually Yuki that stepped forward to stand in Seiji¡¯s way, despite him being the least likely to succeed. The only thing that would stop Seiji was great strength. He had the determined look in his eye. ¡°Seiji! We can¡¯t intervene here.¡± Seiji ripped free from Yori¡¯s hold and quickly escaped his sister as well. He stared down at Yuki. ¡°There¡¯s people out there that did nothing wrong! They just want to be free and you¡¯re saying it fine just to have the UN walk all over us? Because they¡¯re afraid of what we could do!?¡± ¡°You¡¯re making assumptions! Besides not understanding the situation fully, this isn¡¯t on the same scale of things we¡¯ve dealt with.¡± ¡°In Atlantis¡ª¡° ¡°That was different! And at the end all I managed to do was delay things to another day. The problem hasn¡¯t been resolved! This isn¡¯t going to be something that ends pretty or happily.¡± Yuki threw his hand up against the glass of the door out to the deck. ¡°You don¡¯t think I want to go out there and help them? I do! But if we make any action in that fight we¡¯ll be facing the UN. You know what that means? That¡¯s the world¡¯s arm swinging out there!¡± Yuki stepped up getting right into Seiji¡¯s face. ¡°Strength isn¡¯t going to solve this! We got lucky with Atlantis and my position solved a lot of our immediate problems. But Atlantis never had any plans to do anything beyond keep hiding. This is the world stage out there. If we make a move it¡¯s not just affecting us. This affects our families, friends, our town, all Japan! They already fear us, what do you think will happen to the people that are unable to protect themselves if we retaliate right now? How much suffering could we cause to countless unknown innocents from our selfish actions?!¡± Everyone watched to see how Seiji reacted. Like him, none of them felt good about watching what happened beyond their safety. But they knew that Yuki was right. The risks of making any sort of move were too high. They couldn¡¯t foresee what course the world would take if they acted. Slamming his fist through the wall of the cabin, the boat rocked a little from Seiji¡¯s anger. He seemed to understand what Yuki said. It was the only outlet to vent his frustration. Things greater than him tied his hands. ¡°Dammit all! Why does this have to be happening?!¡± Relieved, Yuki walked back to the center of the room. After they cleared through the blockade, it was mostly just a straight shot. However, it didn¡¯t mean that the boat was going the way they wanted. The waves created from the fighting threw off their course significantly. He hung his hand down with his eyes disappearing behind his hair. ¡°I should have seen this outcome. It¡¯s a classic case of those that thought they were on top suddenly seeing there is someone higher up. Societies become afraid and are prone to violence when it happens. We see it all the time in those sorts of movies.¡± An awkward grin came across his lips. ¡°I thought art was supposed to imitate life, not the other way around¡­¡± Chapter 287 ¨C False Normalcy No one could be happy anymore. Despite the gloom that existed over everyone¡¯s head about Yuki¡¯s potential condition in the future, everything seemed to be better after Atlantis. Not everything was perfect, but they were headed home. If they just saw their families again, maybe they could forget everything bad that happened. Maybe it would just be like a bad dream. And they could continue with their life. In the future, they could laugh and tell stories about what happened in a more fond light. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. None of that was possible anymore. The docks crawled with UN soldiers at every corner. They were likely there to enforce the blockade and prevent anyone from stealing boats to try to escape. It was just another reminder of how much things had changed in the short time they were away. It didn¡¯t even feel like home anymore. Once they had a moment to move, Yuki swapped out their protection on the boat for personal invisibility. They still had the same intention of just avoiding any sort of encounter. While still on the docks, the noise in the distance came to an end. They stopped between two moored freight boats. The gap gave them a good view of the shoreline. ¡°I don¡¯t see them fighting anymore,¡± reported Saki. ¡°I guess the UN won.¡± It seemed safe to assume since the blockade held. Yuki looked in the distance at the numerous patrols by the UN. They weren¡¯t messing around. A sign of how much they feared them. While he couldn¡¯t see it, the others told them that there were vehicle checkpoints and fortifications locking down the entire dock. ¡°Chiharu.¡± ¡°Right. On it.¡± She immediately disappeared from the group into her shadows. The others looked around and then focused on Yuki. Saki made the first move in front of Yuki demanding an answer. ¡°What are you planning?¡± His eyes narrowed and the lines of his face hardened significantly. It wasn¡¯t the same Yuki that Saki knew. ¡°Recon. I don¡¯t plan on fighting them, but we need an escape strategy from here. She¡¯s the best for scouting thanks to her powers.¡± Once he finished explaining himself, he started moving again. The others followed along with Yuki, but Saki hung back for a bit. She stared at his back. ¡®I don¡¯t recognize that face. It¡¯s not the sad depressed one that he¡¯s always hiding from everyone and not the fight starved one that seemed to be appearing lately. This is something completely different¡­ What¡¯s going on Yuki?¡¯ However, she couldn¡¯t keep staring for long. She forced herself to keep up with the others. With the aid of Chiharu¡¯s investigations, Yuki guided them through the docks. He ended up taking them to an isolated room in the docks. Chiharu popped back into the room with the others confused why he led him to a dead end. ¡°And this is it, right?¡± Chiharu nodded to him. ¡°Correct. There¡¯s about a third of a meter of building or wall, but it is the best location in the entire docks.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Yuki dropped his Field for a moment before bringing it back up. A door suddenly appeared in front of them with a very inviting look to it. ¡°I picked this little trick up from Eudokia. It¡¯s a lot easier than forcing a hole. My power is still too much of a nuke rather than a cruise missile when it comes to precision.¡± To encourage them about his plan, he opened the doorway into the room. Through the threshold they all saw a short tunnel to another door. Yuki welcomed them through it. Seiji accepted the challenge as though they were needing muscle for something. He opened the other door only to be a bit disappointed. ¡°It just goes outside,¡± he called back. ¡°Well of course, what did you think it would do? This is how we¡¯ll get out of the docks without the UN spotting us.¡± Seiji wasn¡¯t the only one that seemed to expect something a little more climatic than just walking through a door. He could see it in their eyes as he panned around to his friends. However, he wasn¡¯t going to hold things up. Yuki joined Seiji outside. The difference between the inside versus the outside almost seemed like night and day. While the presence of the UN still ran throughout the city, it no longer looked like a military state as the docks appeared. None of them could shake off the feeling of being watched. Once they were all out, Yuki shutdown his Field for the last time. He sighed finally able to rest. His mind suddenly felt fuzzy and light. ¡°¡­oh¡­I¡­¡± Yuki fell over in the street completely unconscious before he even hit. ¡°Yuki!¡± everyone shouted trying to call for him. Yori¡¯s sister and Saki moved the fastest. Yori¡¯s sister checked immediately for his vitals. When she found them, it gave her a bit of relief. ¡°He¡¯s fine, just feels like his heart is racing a little.¡± She stared down at him realizing how much he had been working for them all. ¡°He¡¯s probably just exhausted from using his power constantly for so long. Plus¡­¡± The following thought stopped before she could finish it. They had the immediate thought about it. None of them wanted to consider it. Seiji already picked up Yuki to toss him over his shoulder. He looked over at the rest of them. ¡°It¡¯s just a little further. Let¡¯s stick together just to be safe.¡± It came out like a sound decision, considering Seiji¡¯s personality. However, none of them were really in the mood to comment on his slightly out of character remark. Once they reached their neighborhood, Chiharu broke off from the group. ¡°This is where we part ways.¡± She caught the look from Seiji, who seemed like he wanted to walk her all the way back to her mansion. ¡°I¡¯ll be keeping to the shadows. I¡¯m not interested in fights right now.¡± The comment went out to no one in particular, she made sure of it. Though they all seemed to see that she was covering up for something. Before they could say anything she disappeared into the ground. Fumiko was the first they dropped off, a little out of their way along with the siblings. Yori¡¯s sister wished to go all the way with Yuki, but Yori insisted on them seeing their mother quickly. The amount of time that they had been gone was longer than planned. Along the way deeper into their neighborhood, Haruo disappeared without so much as a word to them. They just realized he was gone one moment. Saki and Seiji could do little about him. But they trusted he would be fine. It left them at the steps of Yuki¡¯s house with an unconscious Yuki in their hands. They looked at each other trying to figure out what to do about their situation. It wasn¡¯t exactly the most ideal position for them. Saki was reminded of Yuki¡¯s comment of how he left his family. Such a scenario only made things worse. Pushing him forward, Saki threw him into the fire. ¡°You knock.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Seiji turned back around to look at Saki. ¡°What do you mean? Why aren¡¯t you knocking?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s complicated.¡± ¡°And it¡¯s not for me?¡± He threw his hand up to point back at the house. ¡°They don¡¯t exactly have the best opinion of me. And I can¡¯t even remember the last time I actually met Momoko. I just remember the glare she gave me when she found out who I was.¡± ¡°Afraid of his sister?¡± Saki teased. ¡°Damn right!¡± He caught Yuki from slipping off his shoulder in all of their arguing. ¡°And you¡¯re not?¡± She backed a step away from Seiji with her face turning a little blue. ¡°Well¡ª¡° Everything in her face went pale suddenly. Sweat started to build up over her face. Seiji leaned forward trying to figure out what had Saki so frightened. He just lightly mentioned Yuki¡¯s sister and didn¡¯t expect to get such a reaction for him. ¡°Saki?¡± However, she wasn¡¯t answering him. Approaching her more, Seiji tried to get her voice working, but all she did was point at him. ¡°The hell¡¯s wrong with you?¡± She just kept pointing with her face getting worse and worse . Then Seiji felt the presence. The ominous overbearing presence that seeped into every pore. The one more frightening than any of those that he fought in Atlantis. It made his whole body sweat and lock up. Seiji turned, as if he was rusty, behind him towards the door. The door was open and it was filled with the most terrifying image any of them had seen. ¡°Oh crap¡­Momoko¡­¡± Chapter 288 - Family Momoko stared at them without even saying anything. The fact that she held silence only made the scene worse for them. It was as if they were thieves in the night caught in the act. Everything aimed directly at them. Not certain where things were going, Seiji took a step back. ¡°Now Momoko, this isn¡¯t what it looks like.¡± He looked over at Saki for some support. ¡°Hey, Saki! Back me up here!¡± Unfortunately, she was useless. Neither of them were good at handling Yuki¡¯s older sister. She always had a huge protective streak even more so than Saki, if that could be believed. Unfortunately, there was no hiding what they did. In fact, it actually looked worse than it was or perhaps it didn¡¯t look as worse as it should. Seiji had to reconsider Yuki¡¯s reality, the one that Momoko couldn¡¯t know about. If she knew, none of them would make it out of their house alive. ¡®Dammit Yuki, why¡¯d you have to pass out? Only you would have gotten a yelling at¡­¡¯ Chapter 288 ¨C Family Stepping backwards a little in progress, Fumiko stood in front of her house. The lights weren¡¯t on. It was the late evening by the time they got through all of the trouble at the docks and back to their neighborhood. She wasn¡¯t sure what she expected from the house. Or even her parents for that matter. They didn¡¯t come rushing out to see her. She didn¡¯t even know if they knew she returned. ¡®I didn¡¯t exactly leave on the best terms. I just yelled at them before I left. Am I even welcome?¡¯ Standing before her house, it almost seemed selfish of her. She expected nothing to be different. She just expected everything to return to how things were before. She could start her life back up. That was how it should have been. Yuki¡¯s quest was over. Her involvement in things ended. While she didn¡¯t feel like she repaid him for saving her life in full, she did all she could for him. There was nothing left she could do. Her part in things was over. A normal life was all she had to return to now. A home waited for her, maybe. It could have been that she demanded the home be waiting on her instead. It was a complicated feeling. ¡®What do I do now? Everything just goes back to the way things were before? I return to being a student like nothing happened?¡¯ She couldn¡¯t move her body forward. Was such a notion even possible for her? In the distance, a loud noise erupted, shattering the peace of the neighborhood. For Fumiko¡¯s enhanced hearing, it almost sounded like it was near to her. She immediately flipped around. Magic circles spun out over her arm quickly with flames hovering off her hand. ¡®An enemy?! Where?¡¯ Sweat built up over her face in uncertainty. Her eyes darted around to locate where they hid. Nothing. The noise never came back. All she could hear was the wind. Her entire body had tightened up to the point it felt like she could snap at any moment. ¡®Relax it¡¯s nothing¡­¡¯ Fumiko tried to calm herself down, but the anxiety already took over for her. She pressed her back up against the property wall before she fell down. Her body couldn¡¯t stop shaking. It took her forever to actually calm down. All her mind could do was race thinking about all of the possible ways the enemy could come at her. She didn¡¯t feel safe even though she should have. It was her home. It wasn¡¯t Atlantis. The threat was over. She didn¡¯t have anything to fear from sneak attacks. She didn¡¯t know when it happened, but as she finally came down from her panic attack, she heard some familiar voices. They started out as distant, something she thought she had been hearing the entire time. ¡°Fumiko? Can you hear me, dear?¡± ¡°Fumiko!¡± Fumiko stared a little confused for a moment. She saw them, but they looked out of focus to her. ¡°Dad? Mom¡­¡± They helped her up to her feet when they saw she could finally acknowledge them. Perhaps it could just return to normal. Maybe a happy ending was possible, even for someone like her. * * * The meeting for Yori and his sister wasn¡¯t so dramatic. In fact, it didn¡¯t even happen. When they opened the door to their house and announced their return, no one met them. She went around the house quickly to check to see if their mother was asleep. When she entered the kitchen, she found Yori. ¡°She¡¯s not here.¡± Yori agreed with her quickly and produced a paper. It had her writing on it. ¡°Seems that she¡¯s already working tonight.¡± He pointed to the trash bin in the corner noting a few other papers looking very similar to the one he held. They had been gone longer than planned. She stared at their mother¡¯s handwriting for a minute. It might have only been a paper with ink, but she felt how important it was. The feelings from it bleed into her hand. ¡°We¡¯re finally home, Yori.¡± This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°It¡¯s over now.¡± She dropped the paper to the table. She approached her brother. Her hand wanted to reach out for him, but it still shook. It was something that became more manageable, but her mind still had trouble forgetting the nightmares. All she really had done was improve how to hide her feelings from him. It made her feel awful that she couldn¡¯t even feel comfortable around him anymore. He was her brother and the most important person to her and yet she couldn¡¯t even look at him without fear crawling down her neck. Despite it, she had to keep appearances up. There was nothing he could do for her. In fact, all it would do was put distance between them. ¡°Thank you for putting up with my selfish requests.¡± She had never really actually apologized or thanked him for going along with Yuki despite the dangers. It was worse on him given what happened to him. Because of her insistence, he had been captured, even interrogated. He had to fight as a result of her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Yori.¡± He dropped a hand on her head to ease her concerns. ¡°You don¡¯t have to Yumi. We both made choices. Everything worked out in the end.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right¡­¡± * * * ¡°Lady Chiharu, you¡¯ve returned,¡± spoke Tamotsu, sliding the doors open to Chiharu¡¯s room. She had just popped out of the shadows and barely even set a foot into her room. Chiharu stared at the older man for a long time. Her mind went through numerous responses for him. However, she simply just walked forward. He made room for her as she came to the threshold. Following behind her with still no response, Tamotsu tried to determine what happened to her. However, he wasn¡¯t making any progress against her stonewall. It seemed her expression had improved in her time away. ¡°You¡¯ve been missing for a month, Lady Chiharu. What have you been doing? The men¡ª¡° Chiharu came to a stop. Her head tilted over her shoulder to look back at Tamotsu. ¡°Are you so incompetent to not be able to handle the morale of the men in my absence, Tamotsu?¡± The look in her eyes suddenly became very demanding. She expected a lot from him. ¡®She¡¯s changed quite a bit in her disappearance, what happened to her?¡¯ It was a little troublesome for him. He thought he had her under his control, but when he couldn¡¯t stop her from leaving she left his grasp. It was nothing he couldn¡¯t handle. ¡°I am merely a single man. While I can keep the men together, you¡¯re the Head. They look to you and a missing Head only invites disruption.¡± Her eyes narrowed a little watching him longer. However, there was nothing to be found. All she could see was his loyalty and concern. He was useless. He just followed her and waited for her action. He did nothing on his own. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯ve returned, Tamotsu.¡± Chiharu threw open the doors to the main hall. The small numbers of what remained of her clan¡¯s men loosely gathered about. They looked unmotivated and even lost. It annoyed her to no end to see how empty her men looked. ¡°What the hell is wrong with all of you?!¡± she yelled, announcing her arrival in the most thunderous way possible. The sound of her small, but barking voice was all they needed to jump up. A moment later, they all charged after their tiny leader, hardly acting the part of cold-blooded killers. Chiharu pushed them off her trying to get them under control, but they were impossible to deal with. They hadn¡¯t seen her for so long. ¡°Dammit! Are you all babies? Children!¡± ¡°Lady Chiharu!¡± After she fought them all off and put them into their place, she had them lined up in front of her. ¡®Though small we may be, the Higoshi won¡¯t be able to stop us. It¡¯s not about the numbers, but the individuals.¡¯ Chiharu saw all of the fierce loyalty in her men¡¯s eyes. They might have been pathetic, but they were her men and they looked to her. ¡®This is mine to accept¡­¡¯ Taking a step forward, she took up a strong position before them all. ¡°Now that I¡¯ve returned, I¡¯m not going to be letting any of your slack off! The Higoshi Clan thinks that we¡¯re weak and open for attack. We¡¯ll show them how wrong they are! Starting today, you¡¯re all getting my special training!¡± Chiharu bunched up her hands together in a familiar excited look she borrowed from someone else. ¡°Prepare for hell!¡± Tamotsu watched from her right flank. He saw the fire that Chiharu lit in all of the men. ¡®She was nearly crushed by the weight of leadership before, what¡¯s changed about her? This is going to be more troublesome than I expected. I may have to advance things sooner than I planned. The time for Chiharu Chinen to die might be sooner than I foresaw¡­¡¯ * * * ¡°¡­and you show¡­Yuki¡­wrong with¡­¡± All he could hear was yelling or more like lecturing. The volume was consistent, but never actually made it painful to hear. It just didn¡¯t seem to stop. His head was still fuzzy that he couldn¡¯t catch everything going on. However, he did recognize one thing. ¡°Momo?¡± It was enough to stop the endless battery from Momoko. ¡°Yuki!¡± She immediately turned around to look at Yuki, laid out on the couch. Despite what seemed like never taking a break for a breath and she still managed to hear his soft voice. ¡°Are you alright?¡± He still tried to get his barring on everything. ¡°Yeah, I think so¡­¡± His eyes turned about the room starting to recognize things. It was his house, the living room and across the table was Seiji and Saki. He got up with a little help from his sister. Though his body didn¡¯t have any pain it still felt like he was fatigued like someone ran him on a treadmill for hours without even water. ¡°I¡¯m thirsty¡­¡± ¡°Right!¡± She immediately jumped up to her feet and bolted for the kitchen. Yuki still tried to figure out what was going on. He could see his friends more clearly than before. They looked like they had been through hell and seen death itself in the face. ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you two? I don¡¯t know what I look like, but I¡¯d almost say you look worse than I feel.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not far off,¡± answered Seiji. Saki could only muster up a ¡®yeah¡¯ in a very halfhearted way. It didn¡¯t really make a lot of sense to him, but his little brothers didn¡¯t really give him much opportunity to really understand them before they were all over him. Momo returned with a glass she handed to Yuki. ¡°Come on, you two!¡± She glared down at Jun and Ken grabbing them off Yuki. ¡°Your brother¡¯s very tired right now. I know you¡¯re excited to see him again, but give him some space!¡± ¡°Yes, Momo¡­¡± Amongst the chaos of reunions, the disciplined two tried to sneak out of the house. They wanted to avoid another hour of Momoko telling them everything that they did wrong. Neither knew how she had enough to say for so long without actually repeating herself, but she managed it still. However, she appeared behind the two of them as they slipped on their shoes. ¡°Where are you two going?¡± ¡°Ah, didn¡¯t want to get in the way now that Yuki¡¯s awake,¡± Seiji quickly replied. He stared at Saki who tried to use her speed to leave with the door already wide open. He didn¡¯t want to be abandoned to Momoko, she had more problems with him than Saki. Momoko grabbed both of them by the neck. Either through fear or a real source of strength, neither could escape her. She leaned her head between them. ¡°Thank you.¡± They stared at her in a little surprise not expecting to hear that from her. It wasn¡¯t another lecture. ¡°¡­for bring him back to us¡­¡± Saki and Seiji both stared at Momoko needing a moment to take it all in. They could see that she was almost on the verge of tears. She was happy to have him and not any worse than he left. They could only smile a little with deep guilt sitting in their chests. While already individually agreed upon, they made a personal pact between them never to tell Momoko the truth. It was the only thing that they could think to do. Cruel as it was to do, it would have been far more cruel to know the truth. It wasn¡¯t the right answer, but it was the best answer. Chapter 289 - Uneasy Night An uncomfortable silence fell between them. Yuki¡¯s house fell behind them into the background. All they could think about was the look on his sister¡¯s face. She had relief. Even though she was likely upset with Yuki leaving, she was glad he returned. She had no idea what happened in Atlantis. Yet it weighed on the two of them. They knew what Yuki had to do and the future he had in store for himself now. His fate or destiny, whatever people wanted to call it, had already been locked. It might have been forced on him even if he made the choice himself, a choice of circumstance. Yet none of it changed the eventuality he faced like all Kings before him. Atlantis¡¯ dark secret kept from them until the end. It seemed far too cruel to say and even more heartless to explain. It was a horrible situation where there was nothing good to be had from it. Seiji and Saki hoped, believed, prayed they took the right course. For such a family, it was a terrible curse. Chapter 289 ¨C Uneasy Night It wasn¡¯t as though Saki needed the company or even the protection back to her place. Seiji just didn¡¯t feel like immediately returning home. Part of it did come from the fact that they both had similar thoughts and emotions on the mind. So it came as part of a weird licking each other wounds as they both knew the feeling. All of it played out in silence. When Saki reached her home, she departed without a word. Not even a wave, but it wasn¡¯t something that bothered Seiji. He just acknowledged her disappearance up the stairs to the apartment. Seiji came to a stop long after she disappeared. He turned around looking at the complex. His eyes stared off in the distance seeing where Yuki was. Every one of their friends returned to someone, to family. It got him thinking about strange things that he hadn¡¯t even thought about for years. ¡®¡­I wonder if she¡¯s¡­ Even though she left so long ago¡­¡¯ Seiji shook his head, needing to focus. It wasn¡¯t the time to get distracted. The thoughts lingered for a little while, but he turned away to focus on the road. Or at least what served as a road, since grass and nature covered everything. The change was actually not that big for him, since he had been used to Atlantis for so long. However, the unusual clash with nature and civilization made the homecoming a little less meaningful. It wasn¡¯t the way they remembered, even if it was how it was now. Saki stood in front of the door for several minutes trying to come up with a plan. She didn¡¯t exactly leave on the best terms with her mother. ¡®This is actually worse than the way Yuki left. He just disappeared mostly. Mom actually knows I left and for Yuki¡¯s sake. She¡¯s never gotten over the past¡­¡¯ The thought of all sorts of scenarios went through her mind. Hesitation got her nowhere, as she expected. It only dragged things out. She didn¡¯t have an answer to her dilemma. She wondered if she would ever have an answer to it. Standing around outside of the door wasn¡¯t solving anything. In the end, all she could do was just open the door and deal with things as they came. No plan was probably the best thing. Though she feared how many mistakes she would make as she fumbled. ¡®I¡¯ll just have to live with it. Weird how I¡¯d rather take on two Rheia¡¯s than my own mother¡­¡¯ The thought made her laugh a little as she opened the door. It ended up happening a lot sooner than she expected. Bad timing couldn¡¯t have come at a worse moment. She had no preparation for actually confronting the situation so quickly. ¡°Hey¡­¡± Saki greeted, weakly to her mother standing slack jawed at her daughter¡¯s return. ¡°I¡¯m home.¡± Her mother stood in mid action, trying to help Noriko to the kitchen for something. A wash of emotions ran through her face. The most noticeable was anger, powerful anger. However, it was stunted quickly by Noriko realizing that Saki had returned. ¡°Sis!¡± She broke free from the directed motions and sped over to Saki. ¡°Welcome home!¡± Noriko jumped up quickly to greet her big sister. ¡°Did you beat up all of those bad guys?!¡± She made tiny little fists to try to illustrate her words. Saki immediately turned down and away from her mother. Half of her didn¡¯t want to deal with it, but the rest couldn¡¯t ignore her little sister. She knew her mother wanted to get into it over Yuki, but it wasn¡¯t the time. Not in front of Noriko. Bending down, she reached eye level with Noriko. Saki caught her fists that she tossed about. ¡°Yup! I stopped every last one of them. Now you don¡¯t have to worry anymore!¡± ¡°Really?!¡± Saki picked up Noriko and walked into the living room past her mother. The glare was stronger than the one that she felt from Momoko. It followed her wherever she went. She felt sweaty already from just entering the room. All she could do was keep a happy smile on her face for her sister. ¡®Is this how Yuki does it every day?¡¯ She wasn¡¯t used to making it natural, she wasn¡¯t sure how well she was doing. Noriko jumped around on the couch getting excited to hear about the stories that Saki had to tell. She never really had the chance to meet Yuki before everything went south between their families. She was too young to remember when Yuki came over. It didn¡¯t stop her from asking for stories. Saki wondered how she heard anything about Yuki, since his name was taboo in the household. Perhaps the mystery of him made her more interested in learning about him. But she always pestered Saki for tales of Yuki and Saki¡¯s adventurers, as Noriko liked to call them. She seemed to treat them as though they were a fantasy that happened in some other world. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. However, it didn¡¯t take long for Noriko to want to include their mother. ¡°Did you hear, mom? Saki beat them all up!¡± She bounced off the couch with surprising agility to run over to her mother. Noriko tugged on her to bring her into the living room. ¡°She did it for us!¡± The little sister was completely obvious to the drop in temperature in the room. Saki could feel the changes as their mother stepped into the same space. Noriko kept pulling on her ignoring all of the signs. The look on her face was hard not to miss, but Noriko was too excited to see it. They stared at each other coming to a silent conclusion that they would make nice for Noriko. Saki still found it a little surprising how stubborn she was being over Yuki. She almost felt like the adult was being the most childish one in the room. Faking a smile as well, their mother sat down on the couch far opposite of Saki. ¡°Come on up here, Noriko,¡± she invited. It put her between the two of them. ¡°What sort of fights did you get into?¡± the little sister asked, still just as clueless. Saki glanced over at her mom for a read. She hesitated in telling her about anything that happened in Atlantis. It wasn¡¯t exactly a fairy tale to spread around. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m curious as well,¡± insisted their mother. The look of her eyes made it clear she judged her on every word. There was no enthusiasm that Noriko shared, even if she pretended to have it. Put on the awkward spot by both of them, Saki didn¡¯t really have much choice. ¡®Damn, mom¡¯s just looking for anything to tighten her hold on me and place blame on Yuki.¡¯ However, even knowing that, she wasn¡¯t getting out of it. Noriko wanted a story. ¡°I guess I have a story or two¡­¡± she began. Saki couldn¡¯t remember the last time she felt so awkward doing anything. It was like being naked giving a presentation in front of her entire classmates and all they could do was stare at her. She really didn¡¯t want to be on that couch. Worse was that the atmosphere only became more oppressive the longer it went. An hour passed before Noriko released her from her bondage. She did everything she could to try to skip around details that would be too incriminating for either of them. There was plenty that her mother wouldn¡¯t approve of her doing, not that society approved anymore of it. ¡°It¡¯s getting late,¡± their mother reminded, trying to get Noriko out of the room. While it was night, it was hardly that late for Noriko. ¡°But mom! I don¡¯t even have school!¡± ¡°No buts. You need to get to sleep. I won¡¯t have you ruining your sleep just because the rest of the world is falling apart.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± She pouted and started to walk off. However, she came to a stop and grabbed Saki one last time. ¡°Since you beat up all those bad guys, are you going to do the same here now that you¡¯re back?¡± Saki turned in confusion towards her sister. She wasn¡¯t sure what she talked about. ¡®Is she meaning the UN forces? How bad have them been here?¡¯ The questions made Saki lean in a little more wanting to know more. ¡°What bad guys, Noriko?¡± Before her sister could even answer, their mother intervened again. ¡°Noriko,¡± she reprimanded. The feeling that she got from Noriko left her a little uneasy. She wanted to know what she was talking about. It felt like an ill omen. Saki stood up wanting to know more, but that wasn¡¯t going to happen. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± The anger returned without a missed beat. It was as though it actually increased intensity having been plugged up for so long. ¡°You¡¯re not going back out there.¡± She wasn¡¯t even sure if this was about Yuki anymore. ¡°You planning to stop me?¡± she dared her mother, stepping up. Any sort of unease or fear she might have had in confronting the woman disappeared. All she had was emotions burning through her blood. ¡°I won¡¯t allow you to leave this room, Saki!¡± ¡°What do you think you can do to stop me? Huh?¡± Saki vanished quickly from her mother¡¯s eyes and appeared a short distance away. ¡°Can you do anything, really?¡± ¡°What¡¯s gotten into you? It¡¯s that boy again!¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to bring up Yuki again! Leave him out of this! This isn¡¯t about him!¡± ¡°All he has been doing is twisting your mind!¡± ¡°Is that what you think?! There¡¯s people out there hurting and in trouble!¡± ¡°You seem to have gotten it into your head that you need to be some hero! It¡¯s that boy¡¯s doing, corrupting you!¡± Saki stepped up in her mother¡¯s face. Her eyes narrowed harshly. They were already yelling at each other. It was nothing but emotions flying between them. ¡°This is who I am! It wasn¡¯t him doing anything! These are choices I made! I don¡¯t give a damn anymore! I don¡¯t need your approval for what I want to do!¡± Her mother didn¡¯t back down anymore than Saki even with the intimidating stare. ¡°You aren¡¯t my daughter! I don¡¯t even recognize you!¡± She stared longer into Saki¡¯s eyes and saw something that she didn¡¯t expect to see in her daughter, darkness. ¡°What the hell did he do to you!?¡± She grabbed onto Saki¡¯s wrist demandingly. Slapping her hand away, Saki stepped free. ¡°You¡¯re just seeing what you want to see! You don¡¯t care about me, just blaming everything on Yuki! What gives you that right?!¡± Saki turned away and walked towards the door. ¡°Saki if you walk out, you¡¯re never coming back!¡± ¡°That a threat?¡± Saki tilted her head back over her shoulder with a fierce glare. Their stares matched, increasing the atmosphere. She didn¡¯t plan to back down. She had been pushed too far by her mother to stop. ¡°You¡¯re not my daughter anymore!¡± ¡°Is that how it¡¯s going to be, mom?¡± It became very clear how things would turn out. The worst-case scenario happened. Saki didn¡¯t plan to stop anymore. Their mother could see Saki calling her bluff. She pressed her into action. It was completely rash and quick without any thought. ¡°Get out of my home! You¡¯re not welcome back here anymore!¡± ¡°I was tired of living here anyway! Maybe I can find someone that isn¡¯t so blindly prejudiced!¡± ¡°I only have one daughter!¡± she shot back as though needing the final word and the final nail. Everything was sealed with those words. Saki walked out of the apartment and sped away. It was mere moments, but she stood in front of Yuki¡¯s house. She was still across the street with no plans on approaching. She didn''t even know why she came to him. All she could do was stare. She leaned up against a tree finally taking a pause. ¡®This is how it¡¯s meant to be¡­now I can watch Yuki¡¯s back¡­as I promised¡­¡¯ It wasn¡¯t the way she wanted it to go. It just turned out that way. She had to accept it. But even accepting it, she couldn¡¯t help but find tears falling down her face. Sadness covered her face through a determined pair of eyes. Chapter 290 - Awkward Moments When Seiji and Saki left, Momoko disappeared out of sight for only a few moments. She saw the two out. That was all it took for Ken and Jun to take their opportunity to disobey their big sister and jump back on Yuki. Yuki gave them a big smile catching his brothers. They presented some of their new toys to him. Though he found it a little confusing, since they didn¡¯t look like toys he knew. One was a ball or orb of purple and green crushed together like an exploding star. Ken demoed it by showing how it bounced contrary to its appearance and defined physics by not bouncing in predictable vectors. Jun pulled on his arm to silently demand his attention. He presented in his small hands a piece of a bone. That in itself felt a little disturbing. It made Yuki consider where his brothers had been and how they managed it beyond Momo¡¯s sight. But puzzling further was that each time Jun pushed the bone flat to his palm it could spring back up like something pulled on it. In their playing, Momo returned to the living and found them hanging off Yuki. ¡°What did I tell you two!? Yuki is tired!¡± The two youngest looked sheepish stepping away. Chapter 290 ¨C Awkward Moments Silence filled in the gaps between the family. Ken and Jun didn¡¯t know what happened. They found Momo just staring at Yuki, never saying a word. Even judging from her face, they couldn¡¯t tell if she was angry with him or happy to see him as they were. It wasn¡¯t even that it was impossible to read. It was just that she had no expression. She just simply stared at Yuki. Almost like, she waited on him to do something. While opposite of it all, Yuki didn¡¯t completely seem present in the room. He was awake, but even when he came to from his sleep he didn¡¯t really seem to be with everyone else. The distance between them was further than it seemed. As though beyond their reach with all ties cut. No bridges could be found to connect to him. It continued in strange eerie silence for minutes. All that could be heard was the creaking of the house. It seemed unusually loud. They never realized how old it sounded or in pain it must have been. Everything had a weird life to it as though it was trying to make up for the lack of it elsewhere. It had to come to an end eventually. It was Yuki that made the first move. They waited on him and he acted. Yuki simply stood up and bowed to them in an oddly formal manner. Without a single word, he just left the room. All they could do was stare. Upstairs and in his room, Yuki slid down against his door, as though he needed to enforce it against something dangerous trying to break in. He let out a painful sigh. His heart pounded in his chest and his head ached like nothing he ever felt before. ¡®Is this what a migraine feels like?¡¯ It was the only explanation that he had. He never knew a headache to be so painful that it actually seemed to affect his body physically. It took him a while just to catch his breath and calm down. Even a little more at ease, his head still felt like someone was taking an ice pick to it and pounding out Beethoven¡¯s 5th with nothing but a bell. The urge to throw up was powerful. Yet, even with all of that affecting him, that wasn¡¯t even the reason for his attitude with his family. It was much more simple, as it often was. He could hear the footsteps of his brothers. They paused at his room for a few seconds. But continued on, likely Jun stopped wanting to try to see him again, but Ken pulled him along. Yuki hung his head down. He thought it might improve his pain. It didn¡¯t. ¡®¡­sorry¡­I don¡¯t know what I should say to them¡­¡¯ The entire boat ride back he thought about what he was going to say. All the time in Atlantis, he pushed it to the back of his mind. Demosthenes had him so busy at times, it was pretty easy to ignore or forget. The countrywide tour was important to him, he was the one that proposed it. So he was always meeting people, complete strangers. They all looked at him with hope in their eyes. They saw a future in him. Everything was placed on him. He didn¡¯t even need their reminding and grateful words to tell him how much they dumped on him. The weight alone from the citizens was painful enough. It was worse than the migraine currently inhabiting his skull that played his bones like an out of tune xylophone. ¡®I bet those old bastards are laughing and grinning at the thought of me being crushed on the weight of the responsibility. They probably think I¡¯ll end up running back to them for help and they¡¯ll have me right where they want me. Damn bastards¡­¡¯ Determination alone fueled partially by spite kept him going at times on the long days. He planned to see them all eat crow before the power he gave stole all of his life. Things had to change, he would see to that. He just didn¡¯t expect to be the one faced with trying to rewrite and overcome thousands of years of fear and discrimination. It was an impossible task. A task passed upon him. ¡®¡­is this the right thing to be doing?¡¯ Yuki dug into his pocket retrieving something that was given to him. It was a simple device with just a single button on it. He stared at the worn metal that started to go dull with dust and age. * * * ¡°Take this,¡± said Demosthenes, as he pulled Yuki aside from his friends. They were just about to leave the barrier and return home. Yuki stared for a moment at what rested in the old man¡¯s hand. He didn¡¯t know what to make of it. It was far too simple to give any real sense of what the purpose of it was. A simple saucer shaped out of metal. A thickness just a centimeter and diameter of a few centimeters, it fit perfectly into the palm. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Stepping forward a little too insistent on giving the gift to Yuki, Demosthenes didn¡¯t let him back away. ¡°This is the last thing I have for you. I told you before all this that there was more left to tell.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s information or a message for me?¡± This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°Correct, it¡¯s the last gift from your father.¡± Those words had Yuki¡¯s attention finally. He sort of saw it coming with the line of dialogue. It only made sense with the flow. A departing gift left to him to explain everything. ¡°Something from my old man...¡± He picked it up in acceptance. The simple design made it hard to figure out. ¡°View this in private as it is meant only for you.¡± ¡°¡­right¡­¡± Yuki thought about whether to honor that part or not. But he didn¡¯t know if it was a personal message to him or actually something helpful. For now, he just pocketed it away. He started to leave. ¡°And please excuse any sort of eccentricities,¡± asked Demosthenes. ¡°Huh?¡± * * * ¡®Eccentricities?¡¯ thought Yuki, thumbing over the surface of the saucer. He waited until he got home for it. There really wasn¡¯t a good time for it at any other point. ¡®I guess I¡¯ll see what he has to say. If it is something useful to his plans then I¡¯ll share it, but if he¡¯s just going to be embarrassing about father-son stuff then I¡¯ll keep it to myself.¡¯ Yuki pressed his thumb on the top. He had figured out while on the boat what he needed to do with it. All he really had to do was think over his stories that he read to figure out what made the most sense. And it worked out, as he saw a light come from the perimeter. A light then came from the top. Moving his thumb, he saw an image of an elderly man loosely pieced together by blue particles of light. They bounced from the saucer surface and rose a small distance before falling, all while holding a form. ¡®¡­this is my father¡­¡¯ It was the first time he had seen the man before. He thought if he saw him that maybe he would remember him. Like he was some stranger that his parents introduced as a friend or something. But nothing seemed familiar about him. ¡°Is this on?¡± Not exactly the opening greeting he expected. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I made this thing right. It¡¯s on right? Well I¡¯ll just go with it, if it¡¯s not I¡¯ll record it again.¡± A bit of sweat slid down his face at the awkward opening. ¡®This was the King of Atlantis?¡¯ It suddenly seemed hard to believe this man kept the council on edge and was a threat to their control. He seemed too carefree. ¡®I guess it does sort of fit with the images of the stories I got from Eudokia.¡¯ ¡°If this is not Yuki then shut it off right now! I¡¯m warning you! If you touch this thing it will kill you! I¡¯ve set it up so only my son can use it! Anyone else this will kill you! So go away!¡± ¡®¡­wha? What a terrible bluff¡­¡¯ Coughing a little, he finally seemed to look a little serious. ¡°My son¡­Yuki. If you¡¯re watching this it means that I¡¯ve died and I wasn¡¯t able to tell you this in person as I had hoped. I¡¯m taking it, also that you¡¯ve met my daughter Eudokia, who I¡¯ve asked to bring you here to Atlantis. She¡¯s very loving, but can be a little too serious at times, a trait I fear she picked up from Demosthenes.¡± ¡®¡­that¡¯s an understatement¡­ You¡¯re the reason she went nuts to begin with¡­¡¯ ¡°I hope you will be able to work with the both of them as allies. They both believe strongly in my dream.¡± ¡®It¡¯s a little late for that.¡¯ Yuki still had so much anger for what they both did to him. He managed to settle most of it with them, but they weren¡¯t feelings that would just disappear immediately. He worked with Demosthenes in an uneasy fashion. It was only through others that he didn¡¯t finish acting upon his desires. In time, he knew that he would thank them for it, but until that day came he would be controlling the boiling emotions. He resolved not to kill. A resolve that was tested every day and every moment. ¡°However, there is much that neither of them know. Eudokia at the moment is in the dark about what I¡¯ve done. She has her entire future ahead of her. I wanted to spare her from the darkness of my past for as long as I could, as I wished for you as well. I wish I did not have to drag you into my world, but the world is not a kind place like it should be. I want to see it better, but I¡¯m unable to achieve my dream as I¡¯m dying now and already dead for you.¡± Yuki could tell that he was finally getting to the heart of the matter. Demosthenes explained quite a bit about what was going on behind the scenes in Atlantis and the King, so it surprised him to hear there was still more to learn. ¡®How big is this secret that he kept it from even those that he trusted the most? And he¡¯s telling me.¡¯ ¡°I imagine that Demosthenes has explained some of what is happening to you. I¡¯ve pulled my dearest friend into the darkness along with me for too long, but I didn¡¯t have a choice. So he knows much about what is happening. He should be able to answer questions you have after this. But I need to tell you what I¡¯ve told no one else.¡± Such an ominous atmosphere came from the words. He felt like he was about to reveal the entire secret to the universe. The one that the ancient societies conspired to hold to themselves so as to manipulate the world in their palm. ¡°Years ago, I discovered the Komatsuzaki. At first, I thought that they were just a fanatical group wanting to learn about the past. They seemed to have an unnatural fascination with history, especially Greek history. But that was only a front, while they were started from something so simple, it stopped being anything but the devil¡¯s work. And I tread on such work where only gods were meant to walk. ¡°Even the King of Atlantis is just a mortal. I did not belong there, but it was necessary. I¡¯ve done many things I¡¯m not proud of in my time, but everything I did while with them makes all of the mistakes I made before or after pale in comparison. I warn you now, never trust anything they say no matter how many sweet words they feed you or hopeful promises. These are all men and women completely devoid of any shred of humanity with a singular driven self-serving focus. Unfortunately, in all of my digging I never learned what their true purpose actually is, but such inhumane experiments can only beget further evil.¡± Yuki had to swallow for a moment. His father was laying on it pretty thick. He already got a warning from Demosthenes and told how they were on the hunt for him, even if they weren¡¯t currently. The way they sounded from his father, they were evil taken human form. Almost absolute stereotypes of evil that he expected to see from a classic manga of heroes against an ancient conspiracy that threatens the world. While he didn¡¯t want to doubt either of them, they seemed to be over blowing things. ¡®I find it hard to believe there is someone that is pure and completely evil with no shred of humanity in them.¡¯ ¡°Yuki, because of my assistance in their research they¡¯ve advanced decades faster than they could have without me. Though I¡¯m no longer present, their work will continue. They¡¯ve already cleared Phase 1 of their plan, the research phase. By now, they¡¯ve no doubt moved into Phase 2, experimentation. I never saw what their plans were for Phase 2, but I believe they were going to be practical applications of their research in order to prepare for Phase 3. ¡°Their research was focused on understanding how our power scientifically worked. This was something I needed to free us from our servitude. Their intent with that knowledge I¡¯m sorry to say remains a mystery to me. This is a group that¡¯s been silently researching for more than a century. They have patience and connections in every known corner of the world. It is only because we made it more trouble than they were willing to deal with at the time that kept you safe. The day that they come for you may be closer than you think.¡± ¡®Yeah, I know Demosthenes told me the same thing. Damn, this is getting worse and worse by the minute.¡¯ ¡°The last thing I leave to you is this device and the knowledge of everything I¡¯ve done in my life to achieve a free Atlantis. Because I did not want my personal research to fall into the Komatsuzaki¡¯s hands, I hid my research back in Japan in multiple locations. Alone one piece is completely meaningless. Together they will become the light of Atlantis. So please, I beg you as a citizen of Atlantis, not as the King, save our people from the shackles we have placed on ourselves and protect them from those that would seek to do us harm.¡± The image then disappeared. Yuki just stared at it with the expectation of having something more. ¡°The hell?! You don¡¯t just leave saying that you hid them without giving me the coordinates or clues! Anything! And what the hell is your obsession with Japan?! Why Japan?¡± As though to respond to his complaint, his father popped back up. ¡°And if you¡¯re yelling right now about me not telling you where I hid my notes, I¡¯m not going to tell you. If this were to fall into the wrong hands, they¡¯d have everything they need. Besides, it¡¯ll be a journey! Like in those manga from Japan where a group of friends go off to save the world and have adventures and form deep bonds of friendship! So go take Eudokia and Demosthenes with you and your friends and have fun!¡± ¡°Damn you old man! The future of Atlantis is at stake and you want to play games?!¡± Yuki started to throw the device, but a final message popped up. ¡°The only hint I¡¯ll give is that you need this device to find them. It¡¯ll signal you when you¡¯re in the area. Good luck!¡± Chapter 291 - Regretted Actions A long night finally came to an end. It was a rough one for Yuki, still fighting his body. It didn¡¯t seem to be recovering the way he thought. He was still very tired and his body ached when it shouldn¡¯t have. Every back corner thought had worry plastered everywhere in his subconscious. The biggest worry that could never be avoided. He wondered if it was making it seem worse. If he just ignored it maybe, he would get better. Maybe it was just in his mind. Morning came strangely quiet. He expected to find Jun and Ken smashing into his room and yet they didn¡¯t do anything. He wasn¡¯t even sure if they were awake. ¡®It is Thursday, right? A school day¡­¡¯ A look out his window reminded him that their world wasn¡¯t the same, but things seemed more alive than when he left. He expected things to be running again and normal life to have resumed. Even with the overgrowth. Yuki snuck around the upstairs quietly checking on his little brothers. As he thought, they were asleep. ¡®Is school canceled? I know things were crazy when I left, but I know our school was planning to reopen soon.¡¯ It was part of the reason he was up. While he had no plans on actually attending, he still wanted to find out the state of the city. Downstairs, he found that Momoko had left something for him to eat. The note mentioned it being for dinner, but he went asleep immediately after the message. He grabbed a rice ball and started to munch on it while looking around. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was because he was used to the Palace or just the Atlantean architecture perhaps, but the interior felt very small and a little off. Wandering around, he looked around at the different corners and surfaces with a light inspection. He just needed to know it was still the same. And to refresh his memories a little. It was his house and his home. The longer he stared the more depressed he became staring at it. Unspoken thoughts popped up to corrupt his experience. They were poor reminders. He didn¡¯t need to be reminded about reality. His reality, the new reality. Pushing the last of the rice ball into his mouth, he pulled out the device that Demosthenes entrusted to him. ¡®Look for your legacy, huh? This really is turning into a quest. We¡¯ve already got super powers and a vast organization of evil and the dying wishes of a wise old man granting vague clues on how to beat the organization. If I didn¡¯t know better, I¡¯d think I really was inside one of my shounen manga. Far too classic of a setup¡­¡¯ Flipping the device around in his hand, he picked up the last riceball and made for the front door. He already changed out into his school uniform almost out of habit. It was as if his body was trying to give him some normalcy, but it was impossible anymore. Yuki clutched tightly onto the device and buried it into his pocket. He glanced back at the rest of the interior. ¡®I still have time to tell them¡­ I won¡¯t be done here until I find everything he left behind¡­ I can do this later¡­¡¯ Leaving the difficult dilemma behind for some other time, he stepped outside. Chapter 291 ¨C Regretted Actions The massive amount of grass that panned around in his full view reminded him how complete the capture nature had over the city. It looked like a post-apocalyptic setting almost, if the buildings had actually been run down. Around, he could see some of the lines of vehicles tearing through, but man struggled to reclaim dominance. It was no more than half a block down his street that Saki appeared next to Yuki. The way she effortlessly popped up not leaving anything disturbed or even disrupting much of the air around her was almost unnerving to Yuki. She had already started to refine her talents. ¡®The time in Atlantis really improved her skills. I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m any sort of challenge for her anymore the way she is.¡¯ Multiple considerations on how he might try to fight Saki ran through his mind. All of the strategies he came up with required him knowing that she was coming or always being paranoid that she would do something. She was just too fast for him. However, none of that really mattered to him. He had a different thing that he brought up. ¡°How long have you been waiting?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Saki questioned, playing a little dumb despite knowing what he was hinting at. She didn¡¯t plan to tip her hand to him. It wasn¡¯t his problem. ¡°It¡¯s quite the coincidence that you just appeared after I just left. You waited long enough to not make it seem like you were stalking me, but still you didn¡¯t just happen to leave at the same time as me.¡± She wasn¡¯t going to get out of it without some sort of an answer. ¡®He was easier to deal with when he was acting more ditzy. He¡¯s always been smart and observant, he just hid it in the past.¡¯ Pressed into a corner for an answer didn¡¯t change her tactic though. ¡°Five minutes or so. I had a feeling that you¡¯d be wanting to check out the school. With the UN running around here, you¡¯re probably wanting to see the situation.¡± The direction moved back to him skillfully pushing the subject away from her. She could see him staring at her with a little surprise to see how far she saw. ¡°Already thinking of what you might be able to do to help the people here?¡± ¡°Am I so transparent?¡± Keeping them walking forward, Saki focused her attention forward. In the distance, she saw a UN APC enter her view, far beyond Yuki¡¯s sight, and then disappear down the block. It wasn¡¯t her city anymore. ¡°Even if it wasn¡¯t so transparent, I¡¯ve known you too long to know how you¡¯re feeling. Besides, you¡¯re not alone in that feeling.¡± He smiled a little as he stared at Saki before looking down the street as well. It wasn¡¯t as though he didn¡¯t believe that he couldn¡¯t count on her help, but it still gave him reassurance. When they returned home, he sort of felt as if they were all going their separate ways. ¡°You¡¯re right. But this isn¡¯t like Atlantis. We got away with quite a bit since they were hidden and we had connections high enough up to help. This time is completely different. The whole world is watching us and likely fears us. Just randomly charging in isn¡¯t going to solve anything.¡± ¡°Not giving up or losing your nerve are you?¡± she teased a little to lighten the mood. ¡°Hell no! This too is my problem. I aim to fix what I¡¯ve done. I just don¡¯t know how I¡¯m going to do it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not alone. I¡¯ll help.¡± ¡°Thanks, Saki!¡± On their walk to the school, the trip started to feel a little nostalgic. Yuki almost thought he could see how things were before. Images of other students running through the streets to get in early passed by. Further ahead, small groups merged into the street. However, it all ripped out of his mind suddenly when he found debris in the street. Yuki searched for the source. To the right, the house was completely destroyed. Only a single corner of the wall in the far back still stood up. The property wall surrounding the house was pulverized by some blast. It all spilled out into the street. ¡°Is this the UN?¡± He changed his course to walk into the ruins of the house some. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Saki moved as a blur ahead, checking around for signs. She appeared back in front of Yuki blocking his path, shaking her head. ¡°What did you find?¡± He tried to get around Saki, but she grabbed him to keep him from moving further. Yuki pressed his body to struggle in her hold, but there was nothing he could do. She had more strength than the world¡¯s strongest bodybuilder tightly packed inside her thin athletic build. ¡°Come on, Saki! I¡¯m not a child!¡± ¡°You really shouldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t just hide things from me! I don¡¯t need you to protect me!¡± A ripple came out of his feet and suddenly Saki¡¯s hold no longer felt like the god¡¯s hand pressed upon him. He broke free and ran ahead, while she fumbled in confusion at the loss of her strength. ¡®What was it that she saw?!¡¯ Then he saw it. It turned him white as a sheet and nearly made him throw up on the spot. It wasn¡¯t even the sight, but rather the stench. He turned around quickly, immediately regretting his decision to look. Yuki rushed back out to the street needing to sit out. ¡°What the hell was that?!¡± he shouted to himself not understanding what happened. Saki joined him quickly, as she recovered from the loss and figured out the situation. ¡°They¡¯re¡­dead¡­¡± Just saying the words made him shake. ¡°I knew them! Mrs. Mazawa gave me homemade dumplings when I was going to junior high sometimes despite my attitude then. Why?!¡± ¡°¡­Yuki¡­¡± She didn¡¯t know what she could do for him. ¡®He doesn¡¯t need to see anymore death¡­ Why¡¯d he have to be so stubborn¡­¡¯ ¡°Was it them?¡± He stood up looking out in the direction of the ocean, though he couldn¡¯t see it. The place where the fleet watched them. Where the world stared with fearful eyes upon them all. Saki could see the thoughts spinning in his head. ¡°We don¡¯t know anything yet! There¡¯s more than just the UN here, remember. Wild animals also roam now too.¡± They had already talked about taking it easy and not rushing into the situation. She couldn¡¯t let him go flying off the handle only a minute after making such a resolution. He stared for a while in the distance with his eyes not focused on anything in particular. Saki¡¯s words ran through his mind as a calming agent. She was right. ¡°¡­yeah¡­but I want to know! I need to know what¡¯s going on!¡± Calmed and a little redirected, the relief gave her a moment to sigh. ¡®I can¡¯t remind him that most of the people here also have super powers like me. The possibilities are far too big and dangerous.¡¯ She didn¡¯t want Yuki staying around the area much longer. It wasn¡¯t going to do him any good. ¡°We won¡¯t know anything from just hanging around here. There¡¯s still the school, someone might know something there.¡± ¡°¡­yeah¡­ You¡¯re right.¡± Even Yuki didn¡¯t really want to stick around. Just the image of them made him want to throw up again. He was weak, but at the moment he didn¡¯t really care about it. Progress continued to the school with them finally leaving their neighborhood and getting into sight of the school. In the distance, they could both see it. ¡°It¡¯s still standing,¡± said Yuki with some relief and excitement. He admittedly wasn¡¯t sure what might have happened to it. It would have been ironic if some disaster occurred after they left to ruin all of their work. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± agreed Saki softly. Her sight drilled in the distance almost caught in a trance. ¡°Saki? What¡¯s wrong? You see something?¡± ¡°Maybe¡­¡± Saki didn¡¯t have a good answer for him. She didn¡¯t know what was going on herself. It didn¡¯t make any sense. ¡°What do you see?¡± ¡°Smoke and strangely dressed people. And a destroyed building nearby¡­¡± ¡°The UN?!¡± asked Yuki, already jumping the gun. They suddenly became the easy source for everything to blame on the troubles that they found. He started to sprint forward wanting to know what Saki saw. She quickly snapped forward and slowed him down, grabbing his arm. ¡°Saki?¡± Shaking her head, she disagreed with him. ¡°They don¡¯t look like the same soldiers I saw on the ships. These are different. But the whole area doesn¡¯t look right.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t look right?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll see,¡± replied Saki cryptically. She released Yuki and took point as they marched deeper into the area. The further they went the more things changed. Windows were smashed and more debris fell around the path. Then they came to a stop, finding a makeshift wall in the middle. It forced them around it. However, hidden on the other side they found craters and burn marks. Even traces of blood and the unsettling smell they started to quickly recognize. Yuki and Saki quickly stuck together. He took up her back watching their rear. ¡°Something really doesn¡¯t feel right. It¡¯s like we¡¯re being watched.¡± ¡°You felt it too?¡± ¡°It¡¯s unnerving.¡± Slowly working around the street as it became an eerie obstacle course of debris and makeshift walls, they came in reach of the school. However, the closer they came the more certain that they were that what they would find wasn¡¯t going to be the school that they knew. The whole neighborhood was completely changed. They knew homes and shops that they passed every day, now abandoned or in ruins. Only a block away from the school, they pressed up against one of the walls created in the middle. Yuki could only see a loose sense of what was in the distance. There were two people standing out front of the school¡¯s gate. The gate was closed, but there was heavy reinforcement on the metal. It didn''t even look like the gate anymore. Massive spires and plates covered up the whole entrance. All along the fence line were tall mounds of earth and stone almost like it was natural. ¡°What the hell happened to the school?¡± Yuki pulled back from his investigation to look at Saki. ¡°What do you see?¡± ¡°I think they¡¯re students, but I don¡¯t know the uniform that they¡¯re wearing. It sort of looks like ours, but like someone modified it with new colors and altered the length. It¡¯s weird. Doesn¡¯t look welcoming and I don¡¯t really want to go up to the front door and ask to go inside.¡± Nodding in agreement, if they were students Yuki didn¡¯t really want to get into a fight with them. They seemed like guards and he didn¡¯t understand what happened. ¡°We already have a habit of jumping in without understanding the situation. I¡¯d like to avoid making the same mistake and starting fights that aren¡¯t needed. Let¡¯s look around for some answers.¡± ¡°Right!¡± She stood up and guided Yuki away to an exit that she knew. An alley, or former alley if the adjacent building still stood. The ruins still put them between the guards, so they were safe. However, the path dumped them out in a place that they didn¡¯t expect. ¡°The hell?!¡± exclaimed Yuki, the moment he stepped out from the alley. He nearly fell into a massive crater that wiped out the entire block easily. It was only Saki¡¯s quick reflexes that kept him from a nasty trip. Everything was starting to wear on Yuki. ¡°Someone tell me what the hell is going on here?!¡± ¡°Yuki?¡± answered a voice in the distance on the opposite side of the crater. He didn¡¯t really expect to get an answer from someone else other than Saki. It surprised him enough to shut him up and look around for the source. ¡°Yumi?¡± She waved over to him so that he could narrow in on her. Saki picked Yuki up and leapt the distance of the crater with ease coming to a pinpoint landing just on the other side of Yumi. ¡°What are you doing here, Yumi?¡± inquired Saki as well. It was then that they both understood that Yumi wasn¡¯t waving to them out of excitement to see them. She wore a heavy expression on her face. ¡°You should see this.¡± Yumi pointed them out to where her brother stood before guiding them away from the crater. The mysterious answer left them more than a little curious until they regretted it once more. It seemed to be the theme of their day. Laid out all around them before they knew it was a mass graveyard, one that never existed before. The land used to belong to a supermarket that they visited after school sometimes for a snack. However, now it was just ruins of tile, stone and metal with broken earth everywhere. Makeshift tombstones fell in lines. ¡°Wha¡­I¡­dead¡­¡± Yuki was speechless, unable to form a sentence. Saki had a little more together and looked over to Yumi for some answers. Yori popped out from the corner of the graveyard taking up the answers. ¡°We found this on our way to the school. I¡¯ve counted more than fifty graves and they¡¯re all fresh within the last few days.¡± ¡°Who did this?¡± ¡°We¡¯re still trying to figure out what¡¯s going on,¡± added Yori¡¯s sister. She pointed out the surrounding ruins and rundown buildings. ¡°Fighting has been going on around here, but we don¡¯t know with whom or why.¡± ¡°I want to know who¡¯s doing this,¡± demanded Yuki, finally recovering from his stun. He looked around at the others already setting their course for them. Though it wasn¡¯t as though they didn¡¯t have the same things planned out. But it seemed that they were teaming up once more. ¡°A better question is what side you¡¯re on,¡± shouted a new voice from the distance. Everyone turned around trying to locate the source only to discover that they were suddenly surrounded. Many of the faces they recognized as students in their class or other classes in the same year. Even a teacher or two as well were in their ranks, but they all looked worn and tired. While some bore weapons, others had powers on display making it clear that they wanted compliance. They looked ready for a fight. However, Yuki didn¡¯t want to get involved in something that he didn¡¯t understand. He stepped out only to draw all of their attention and have threats of attacks aimed at him. The sign of attacks hardly fazed him after everything in Atlantis. He just wanted answers. ¡°What¡¯s going on here? And who is your leader?¡± ¡°Like I said before, the question I have for you is what side are you on?¡± It was the same voice once more. However, this time a shadowed figure stepped out from the second floor of the ruined building. It took Yuki a moment for his eyes to adjust to the distance, but he recognized them immediately. ¡°Hiroshi?!¡± Chapter 292 - Friend or Enemy While Yuki might have been stunned by the sudden appearance of one of his friends, Saki didn¡¯t waste any time charging straight for them. Anyone that threatened them, Saki wouldn¡¯t hold back against, even if it was a friend. ¡°What the hell do you think you¡¯re doing, Hiroshi?!¡± Though a blur to Yuki, Hiroshi saw her coming with ease and lifted his hand up. ¡°I haven¡¯t said ¡®hajime no ippo¡¯ yet. You¡¯re now my prisoner.¡± Saki suddenly came to a stop. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my body?¡± She struggled to move, but could do nothing. Then her hands moved to close her palms together. Despite her efforts, Saki found that her body never moved for her. It wasn¡¯t even that she was under restraints or pressure, she just simply couldn¡¯t order her body to do anything. ¡°What the hell did you do to me, Hiroshi? If this isn¡¯t one of your pranks, I swear a kick won¡¯t be enough penance!¡± The siblings made a motion to help Saki as the situation quickly escalated, but Yuki threw out his hands. ¡°Don¡¯t make a move!¡± ¡°Yuki?¡± ¡°Saki¡¯s in trouble, Hayashi!¡± ¡°Yes, and you¡¯ll fall into the same trap if you move a centimeter as well.¡± Hiroshi stared down at Yuki seeing that he already figured things out. ¡°Quick to pick up on things I see, Yuki. You played the fool and class clown so well, it¡¯s hard to remember that you actually have intelligence underneath that fa?ade you gave all of us.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on, Yuki?¡± The hardened look he saw in Hiroshi¡¯s eyes told Yuki volumes. ¡®What the hell¡¯s been going on here? A graveyard with students from our school. Teachers and students lined up as if they¡¯re out of some post-apocalypse storyline. This isn¡¯t the UN¡¯s doing. I would have seen a heavier presence in the city if it was. This isn¡¯t a martial law situation. So what the hell happened?¡¯ Trying to think it through in the time that he had wasn¡¯t going to get him to the answers. Plus, the Mizuno siblings wanted some answers. Yuki focused on what he did know instead. ¡°It seems that Hiroshi also has powers, which shouldn¡¯t be much of a surprise. I¡¯m guessing everyone here does. The reason I stopped you is because we¡¯re all under Hiroshi¡¯s power already. His power probably has some similarities with mine.¡± Yori stared at Yuki with some reluctant awe. ¡®He only just showed off his power and Hayashi already understands how it works? Hayashi¡¯s more intelligent than I gave him credit for. I guess his friend is right. He¡¯s fooled all of us¡­¡¯ ¡°What is his power?¡± asked Yori¡¯s sister, feeding Yuki more questions. ¡°The power we¡¯re under right now is Darumasan ga Koronda.¡± ¡°The game kids play?¡± Yori incredulously questioned. However, when he looked over at Saki and saw her position with her hands clasped together it did make sense. ¡®How in the world did he figure all of that out so fast? That¡¯s far too unnatural for any reasonable deductions.¡¯ As though Yori¡¯s sister kept throwing out what Yori needed, she couldn¡¯t stop asking questions. ¡°How do you know? It could be another sort of power like mind control.¡± ¡°A few reasons, Saki came to an immediate stop and put her hands together, which is traditional for being captured by the oni in the game and he also mentioned ¡®hajime no ippo¡¯, ¡°Taking the first step¡±, which you say when starting the game. However it goes beyond that, doesn¡¯t it Hiroshi? You¡¯re not restricted to just a single children¡¯s game are you?¡± Narrowing his eyes to almost thin lines, Hiroshi even had to admit to being impressed by Yuki¡¯s accuracy. ¡°I¡¯m guessing that part of you isn¡¯t fake after all.¡± Yuki felt like he saw some resentment in Hiroshi¡¯s face specifically aimed at him for lying to him. He did present a front to everyone in a way to hide from his past. It was who he had become after that happened. Though it didn¡¯t change that it was just a cover up to his old self. ¡®I¡¯m sorry, Hiroshi. That part of my life was supposed to be behind me.¡¯ ¡°What¡¯s Hiroshi referring to?¡± ¡°Probably Hayashi¡¯s book knowledge,¡± guessed Yori. He already knew Hayashi long enough to figure out a few of the ways that his mind worked. Once he put it together a lot more of the deductions he made did not seem as far fetched. ¡°Book knowledge?¡± This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°Enough stalling,¡± barked Hiroshi. He motioned loosely to those gathered around him. They tightened their position on Yuki and his friends. ¡°I know you¡¯re already thinking up a countermeasure with that power of yours, Yuki. One ripple and you won¡¯t be able to finish that thought before your head is on the ground.¡± Hiroshi¡¯s face ran dark with shadows introducing further harshness to his already severe appearance. He wasn¡¯t the same Hiroshi they all knew anymore. There was lethal intent in his eyes. Blood could almost be seen on him, baked into his shadow. Chapter 292 ¨C Friend or Enemy The friend he knew seemed unrecognizable from the one he remembered. There was no mischievous grin eternally painted across his face. No jokes slipped out from his lips. It all disappeared and was replaced with a cold and merciless figure. ¡°What happened to you, Hiroshi?¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking the questions here, Yuki. Which side are you on?¡± ¡°Side? What sides? I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about!¡± The perimeter closed in further on them with Hiroshi losing patience with them. ¡°Enough! Answer the question or die where you stand!¡± Yuki ground his teeth together, unable to answer him. ¡®I can just say that I¡¯m on his side, but would that really be convincing enough for him? I mean anyone with their life threatened would say that. Hiroshi doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯ll go so easily on us, even being friends. Plus, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on. While I don¡¯t want to doubt him, there is a graveyard without an explanation and he¡¯s willing to kill.¡¯ All of the doubt made Yuki feel guilty. He was supposed to be his friend, not an enemy. But he couldn¡¯t help but feel cautious of what surrounded him. Yet as though someone looked to make the answer easier for him, the ground nearby him suddenly exploded. Yori¡¯s sister already had her barrier up to completely protect them. To Yuki¡¯s eyes it seemed as though she saw it coming, even though it did come up afterward. He could hear the sound of the debris dully falling onto her shield. Immediately, Yuki turned back to look at Hiroshi, planning to yell at him for jumping the gun. However, it was clear that they weren¡¯t the reason for it. Hiroshi motioned out to his group for them to get into position. Students and teachers alike took his orders and ignored his friends. They no longer seemed to be the most important thing. Yuki motioned over to Saki. ¡°Hiroshi freed her, Yumi! We need to move from this place. Whatever is happening, we¡¯re just sitting ducks out in the open!¡± She nodded in agreement and Yori had no complaints. They regrouped with Yori¡¯s sister dragging Saki away from Hiroshi, as she already wanted a piece of him once she realized that she wasn¡¯t under his power. ¡°Saki! We need to understand the situation before you start a fight with Hiroshi!¡± ¡°¡­fine¡­¡± she agreed, giving into Yuki¡¯s request. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± She shouted as more stray blasts erupted around them. The whole area became even more of a battlefield than it felt. Worse was that they stood in a graveyard. This was no respect for the dead, especially as they all knew them. Yuki tilted over his shoulder in the direction of where Hiroshi ran off. He picked cover behind some fallen wall that used to belong to a bookstore. Retreating to safety behind a more structurally complete building, Yori¡¯s sister hovered away from the group. She moved to the roof as the lookout, while Saki peered out from the corner. Yori stayed down on the ground with Yuki feeling a little useless. Both of the girls had more combat experience than him and more familiarity with their powers. He still didn¡¯t understand his very well to feel confident in them. ¡°What do you see?¡± asked Yuki. He already knew that they had better sight than him. It was one of the many advantages that they received from their powers. The sight of seeing them moving around as he had only read and dreamed of made him a little jealous. They lived his dream. He could only pretend with his power. ¡°Hiroshi¡¯s group is fighting with another group. It¡¯s another powered group.¡± ¡°That makes sense, pretty sure the way things are, nearly everyone in the city, in Japan rather, has powers. It¡¯s just up to the individual to discover it. Who is the other group?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see anyone in charge, they all just seem to be doing whatever they want with no structure or command.¡± ¡°Yuki,¡± called out Saki, though her voice shook a little bit. ¡°Hiroshi isn¡¯t fighting strangers. They¡¯re other classmates! Ishihara and Santo among them, even some from my track team.¡± ¡°The hell?!¡± Yuki stepped out no longer thinking about his safety. A stray green blob flew past him sending shimmers down his protective field. His fighting gi resurfaced as a sign that he had activated his power. He flipped his mist around dealing with the strays. ¡°Saki, Yumi, we need to stop this fighting! Our classmates shouldn¡¯t be fighting each other!¡± ¡°I thought you wanted to understand the situation first,¡± Saki reminded, though it was clear in her face she was just as eager to step in as Yuki. ¡°To hell with planning! I¡¯m not letting anyone else die because of me!¡± Yuki ran off toward the battle line effortlessly knocking away anything coming in his direction. Saki had to think a little, figuring that Yuki was referring to all of the death they caused in Atlantis. However, she quickly remembered that Kazuhiro died before it all began, at the start of everything. It was what triggered everything. The thought only made it harder on Saki to look at Yuki. ¡®He¡¯s still carrying that weight¡­ There¡¯s too many things on his back these days¡­¡¯ She made her decision long ago to follow Yuki. It sent her disappearing into the fray. Yori¡¯s sister glanced down at Yori to check on him. Though there was more to it than just that. He saw it in her eyes clearly, though he didn¡¯t even need that. He already expected it to happen. ¡°Go. I won¡¯t stop you.¡± ¡°Thank you, brother!¡± She hovered off the roof and flew herself over the battlefield. The intensity was so much different from Atlantis. Everyone had the same dark expression as Hiroshi as though they were brainwashed into madness. Yuki could see his friends going around with the same hopeful intent as him. It gave him some much needed reassurance that the world hadn¡¯t completely descended into despair. But he couldn¡¯t rest just yet. In front of him, one of his classmates didn¡¯t see a flanking attack. ¡°Takagi! Look out!¡± Yuki blasted himself forward, dealing with the person¡¯s sword with his mist. It fell apart on the individual before the swing could finish. Unfortunately, that wasn¡¯t enough to stop them. They dropped the remains of their sword and charged in with their fists. Yuki¡¯s momentum put him into the right position to plow into them. It just didn¡¯t go down as planned. He did in fact hit them, but it barely made them budge. And they were too fast in responding that Yuki only had his barrier to protect him as he dug into the earth from the force. They quickly refocused their attention back to their original target, Takagi. All of the struggling from Yuki did give Takagi enough time to realize he was under attack from two sides. He, however, couldn¡¯t handle both of them. They overwhelmed him and in a few moments blood sprayed up along with his screams. Horror filled Yuki¡¯s eyes watching Takagi murdered before him. It was only made worse by the fact that he recognized the two assailants. ¡°Shunsen? Nagai? He was your friend!¡± The next moment Yuki immediately regretted saying anything. They turned to him next, alerted to Yuki''s presence, as though completely blind to him before. He tried to get to his feet, but they were too fast for him. He had no chance against them. Only his mist protected him and barely at that. The weight of their blows could be felt through his defense. Yuki could barely stay on his feet using all of his attention just to shield himself. ¡®What¡¯s going on? Why are friends killing each other?!¡¯ Chapter 293 - The Resistance The two boys seemed to have started figuring out more about the way that Yuki¡¯s power worked. Their attacks became more accurate and lethal. He could easily feel the impacts through his defense. It wouldn¡¯t last for much longer. ¡®They¡¯re really trying to kill me! Don¡¯t they see me?¡¯ Gritting through the dull pain echoing through his body, Yuki couldn¡¯t remain inactive. He hated the thought of fighting people he knew. They were just his classmates. They shouldn¡¯t be fighting. The school was supposed to be a sign of normalcy returned. Not the ignition for something else. ¡°Dammit all!¡± yelled Yuki. He had no other choice. Shunsen¡¯s latest attack completely missed Yuki as he was no longer present there. He had nearly disappeared in the moment. Several meters away dirt kicked up from Yuki sliding across the earth. He supported himself with extra help from his hand. The movement from Nagai came in faster than his eyes could follow, but thankfully his tracking program from Eudokia¡¯s fight still worked. He wisely left it on automatic rather than manual. At their speeds, he would never be able to have the reactions to counter them. The explosion of earth from Nagai failing to connect with Yuki¡¯s body rained out on all sides. Ice shields blossomed in the air to deal with the debris. Hesitating to strike with the opening he had, the two seconds delay allowed them to recover and zero back in on Yuki. He prepared himself for another bout from them when a massive wave of flames spilled out between them. Caught by surprise, they were touched by the fire for only moments before making a retreat. While he hadn¡¯t been too familiar with it, his mind immediately went to the only possible answer. ¡°Fumiko?¡± He turned to see that she appeared on the battleground along with Haruo. Fumiko surfed in on the flames and dropped out in front of Yuki. She quickly turned out a few fireballs from her flaming arm to discourage any others looking at Yuki as an easy mark. ¡°You can¡¯t show them mercy, Yuki! They¡¯re out for blood!¡± ¡°But I know them! We sat in the same class room only a couple months ago!¡± Shunsen and Nagai didn¡¯t seem to get the hint from Fumiko and returned. Better reactions than Yuki and decisive, she jumped out and grasped Shunsen¡¯s head in her flame hand. Flames surrounded his head while she threw them down into the earth as she came to a landing. She retrieved the staff from her back, carried in a makeshift cloth sheath, likely made in a couple hours. The staff was different from her last one as it was shorter and extended out quickly to its normal length. Tossing the staff behind her, she caught Nagai before he came in reach of Yuki. The staff embedded into the earth with a magic circle expanding out almost instantly. Flame walls stretched out for more than five meters catching Nagai in mid strike. Fumiko stood up finished with Shunsen. She swiftly snatched the staff back up and sliced it through the fire canceling the magic. In the next motion, she grabbed Nagai and threw him back. Flames erupted from her hand sending them throughout his body. It was over. Fumiko turned back to Yuki knocking her staff against the earth as flames painted a background for her. If he hadn¡¯t been so bothered by the way she dispatched them with merciless execution, he would have thought she looked cool or badass. ¡°Those are students at our school, Fumiko! What are you doing?!¡± Partially bothered by his na?ve attitude, she turned away to not look at him. ¡°This is a battlefield. There are no friends or students. Just people that threaten us. I¡¯ll kill anyone in my way.¡± She leapt into the air jumping deeper into the fighting without a chance for Yuki to react. His arm stretched out in a futile effort to stop Fumiko, but it was a lost cause. ¡®What happened to Fumiko? She wasn¡¯t like this before. Why is she being so¡­deadly¡­¡¯ Yuki didn¡¯t understand what happened to his world. No one was acting right. ¡®Has the whole world gone insane?!¡¯ Chapter 293 ¨C The Resistance Haruo strolled in with only a couple of his wolves out following them. He seemed to take the whole thing very leisurely as always. It might have been the only constant still left for Yuki. The sight gave him a little hope for reality. ¡°What are you doing here, Haruo? I know you¡¯re not one for a fight.¡± ¡°Nearby.¡± ¡°Terse as always. We¡¯re really going to have to work on your replies.¡± Yuki rubbed the side of his cheek, sorting through the likely case for what brought Haruo. ¡°Just in the area huh? I guess I did find you around here the last time. I¡¯m sorry about the neighborhood.¡± He didn¡¯t really get much more out of Haruo. It was more than he could expect. ¡®I can really only expect him to defend himself, which in this situation is all I would want. I don¡¯t need someone else acting like Fumiko¡­¡¯ The thought of Fumiko¡¯s aggressive attitude reminded him of another. ¡®Hiroshi!¡¯ He looked around for his friend. ¡®If he¡¯s the leader like it seems. He might be able to stop this fighting!¡¯ It didn¡¯t take long for him to find Hiroshi calling out orders from a front line position. The landscape had already been completely changed from the fighting. More than two dozen combatants filled the field all with vastly different types of abilities, some more destructive than others, but thankfully nothing earth changing. ¡°Keep yourself safe, Haruo! I¡¯m going to try to talk some sense into Hiroshi!¡± Yuki flew into a blur towards Hiroshi. The detection of an incoming threat signaled Yuki ahead. He could see it coming after Hiroshi, who seemed prepared for it, however, Yuki intercepted for him instead. Ice grew out geometrically to absorb the impact from the purple orb. It exploded quickly harmlessly raining ice dust. ¡°Hiroshi!¡± Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Hiroshi glanced back, putting it together that Yuki had aided him. His eyes narrowed with some suspicion still. ¡®I need him to trust me. Hopefully that display was enough to see that I don¡¯t want to fight him.¡¯ Yuki slid in up against the wall that Hiroshi crouched behind. ¡°I¡¯m not here to fight you! I just want to put an end to this fighting! It¡¯s meaningless!¡± Silence hung between the two for several seconds. Another attacker came after Hiroshi, an adult, possibly a teacher but not one Yuki recognized. It broke the tension. Hiroshi swiftly dealt with the attack in an unusual way that disabled them. However, he didn¡¯t leave Yuki time to figure it out. ¡°This isn¡¯t meaningless! We¡¯re fighting for our lives here! There isn¡¯t anything meaningless about survival!¡± ¡°What the hell, Hiroshi! This shouldn¡¯t be happening!¡± ¡°Na?ve words aren¡¯t going to fix things right now! If you¡¯re not helping you¡¯re in the way!¡± ¡°¡­Hiroshi¡­¡± Yuki couldn¡¯t believe that this was the same friend he knew to tease him on a regular basis about his romantic failures or the one that took a beating from Saki. There were too many gaps to understand the situation. It wasn¡¯t going to end soon without something drastic. ¡®I can handle them all with ease. I just need to be sure not to hurt anyone.¡¯ Yuki stood up from this cover to get a full view of the field. He started to figure out the exact measures he needed for his plan. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing, Yuki?! Are you trying to die?¡± Hiroshi jumped out, halting two attackers before they reached Yuki. ¡°I¡¯m ending this since you¡¯re unable to do so yourself.¡± However, Yuki didn¡¯t get a chance to do anything. The tide of the battle had changed with the introduction of Fumiko. Teaming up with Saki and Yori¡¯s sister, they routed many of the attackers. The group fell apart and started to retreat all in unison without any sign of orders as though all well planned out. It made Yuki sigh with relief to know it ended. He fell down to his knees. ¡°It¡¯s over¡­¡± For some reason, he felt a little lightheaded. It made his body unable to stand for the moment. ¡°For now¡­¡± countered Hiroshi, seemingly insistent on dashing any hope Yuki had. He looked around gathering up his group. ¡°How many?¡± ¡°Three¡­Takagi, Iwasaki and Ayugai.¡± ¡°Damn¡­all these hit and runs are just picking us apart.¡± Hiroshi slammed his fists together in frustration. ¡°Give them proper burials. Take your team to see to it. I¡¯ll deal with them.¡± The intent of his words pointed it back to Yuki and his friends, who all started to return. Hiroshi crossed his arms seeing all of them gather around Yuki. ¡°Well isn¡¯t this some reunion. Care to explain yourself, Yuki?¡± He still wanted answers more than anything. The demanding tone in his voice echoed the shortness of his temper. Refusing to back down to intimidation, Yuki stepped forward with similar demands. ¡°I think you owe us more of an explanation, Hiroshi! We¡¯re gone for more than a month and I find that our city is like this!¡± Needing to show Hiroshi that he wasn¡¯t weak, Yuki snatched up the collar of Hiroshi¡¯s shirt. ¡°I want some answers! I don¡¯t give a damn about sides or whatever!¡± Those behind Hiroshi all moved to defend Hiroshi. Fumiko along with Saki quickly accepted their aggression and willing to defend Yuki. An uncomfortable standoff built around the two friends. Hiroshi was the first to motion for a cessation. Even though he told his team to back down, it didn¡¯t end the glaring contest between the two of them. Easing the atmosphere only went so far when the two would not even say a word. They just let their eyes do the talking. Breaking Yuki¡¯s hold with ease, Hiroshi fixed his shirt casually. ¡°They¡¯re safe.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡° One of the students that Yuki didn¡¯t recall tried to object, but Hiroshi cut him off before much could be said. ¡°I¡¯ll take responsibility for them. Besides, you saw how they fought. It¡¯s apparent that they aren¡¯t enemies.¡± Hiroshi turned half away to signal his team to move out. ¡°We¡¯re returning home! Leave no trace of our presence!¡± Two members of his team, a teacher that Yuki knew he had seen around and another unfamiliar student broke off. Waving to Yuki, Hiroshi ushered them out of the graveyard. ¡°Follow me. I¡¯ll explain everything when we get to safety. Though they retreated, it¡¯s not uncommon for them to have a second team.¡± Spinning around his finger in the air, he whistled to get everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Team Two on recon! Make sure we¡¯ve got no unwelcome guests!¡± Saki joined up with Yuki, who started to follow uneasily the ragtag group of students and teachers. She leaned over to whisper to Yuki. ¡°Hey you know anything about what¡¯s going on? This isn¡¯t the Hiroshi we know. He¡¯s acting like he''s in charge of everyone, even the adults.¡± ¡°I know as much as you. I¡¯ll agree though I don¡¯t recognize this Hiroshi. I didn¡¯t think he had it in him. But we barely even know him. We¡¯ve only known each other since the start of the school year.¡± ¡°Yeah, but this is just too much of a change.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll get some answers soon.¡± Answers were all any of them wanted. The only one they got was that everything was no longer the same. Their familiar world, their city, their home, their school, even friends were changed almost as if it was a nightmare where someone twisted everything good and comforting into something awful. They just hoped to wake up from it all. The first answer they got was the location of their ¡®Home¡¯ as mentioned by Hiroshi. Several blocks away and a thirty-minute walk brought them to a family owned store. Judging from what they saw inside it seemed to be part convenience store and part homemade food. It was one of the few buildings that looked to still be unaffected by whatever war trashed the city. Hiroshi motioned them over to an arcade box. It had an old game from the late 80s still running on it. Long out of style and not even popular, it gathered quite a bit of dust on it. A lonely presence that seemed to beg for even a little attention. Today seemed to be its lucky day with how many gathered around it. ¡°All clear?¡± A nod from the middle-aged man at the counter confirmed the final check Hiroshi needed. He quickly played the buttons in a seemingly random order and then flicked the stick. Suddenly the arcade groaned to life as it moved away from the wall. Behind it against an outline of aged paint, a deep hole revealed itself. A ladder rose up to the full height in greeting. ¡°This way,¡± invited Hiroshi. His team went in first along with Team Two. He stared back at those that still might call him friend. ¡°This is our secret base. What you¡¯re about to see may surprise you, but this is the reality of our city now.¡± With those ominous words, he jumped to the ladder and slid down. Yuki looked around at his friends to see their resolve. None of them needed words to answer his question. They all had the same desire as him. They wanted answers and to know why their home was in ruins. Only Hiroshi had their answers. They couldn¡¯t turn away. Taking up the rear behind everyone else, Yuki arrived at the bottom last. After taking more than twenty rungs, he followed in suit with the others to slide down. It was still an unfamiliar and risky move, so he stopped every few dozen. What surprised him more was how deep it went down. Before even taking in the scene, Yuki complained, ¡°Damn, feels like we went a kilometer underground.¡± ¡°It¡¯s actually one hundred and sixteen meters,¡± corrected Hiroshi. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t feel it.¡± Yuki finally opened his eyes to his surroundings. The sight left his mouth hanging open a little. ¡°How¡­the hell?¡± A massive cavern seemed to be carved out before them extending for countless meters into the air. If it had been a cave he might have been more accepting, but it looked like it had an atmosphere. He thought he saw clouds near the top. It looked impossible. ¡°Welcome to the Resistance. Where we fight for the survival and safety of our city!¡± Chapter 294 - Stolen Future The declaration from Hiroshi had a stronger weight to them than Yuki expected. All around him, he saw signs of life. Though a massive underground, small pieces broke off to house different people. They all seemed to live here rather than the surface. ¡®That explains why I didn¡¯t see anyone. They were all down here.¡¯ ¡°But how is this possible?¡± inquired Yori with the question on everyone¡¯s mind. ¡°Right, something this big would hardly be easily created,¡± agreed Yuki. It had another one of his manga feels to it. The temptation to make a comment was nearly unbearable for him. Hiroshi motioned them deeper into the complex. ¡°One of our founding members created it. They¡¯re sort of special. When everything went south they offered this place to us.¡± Several strangers came up to Hiroshi showing some signs of appreciation to him. None of them were students or teachers like before. The only guess was that they lived in the city. The increasingly eclectic cast only created more questions. ¡°Went south? I think you¡¯re understating that,¡± remarked Yuki, ¡°You planning on explaining that any time soon?¡± ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re just going somewhere private to talk.¡± Chapter 294 ¨C Stolen Future Milling through what could easily pass for a village, they made it to a large building. It had a more well-built appearance that didn¡¯t share the same makeshift construction of the others. Real materials rather than salvaged one put it together. Hiroshi led them inside it. The interior had a more military feel to it. While Hiroshi didn¡¯t seem to approve of the attention, he got a lot of strange salutes in passing. The crew ranged from the same types they had already seen before to students, even ones that appeared to have walked out of a movie. A radio signal broke through one of the rooms that they passed. ¡°¡­a god walked among us! Finding us worthy to bear his light, his eternal blessing was granted unto us! This is not a time of fear, but of rejoicing! Rise up my brothers and sisters! We are not monsters like they call us, but the Kami no Kodotachi!¡± ¡°Children of God?¡± repeated Yuki. He glanced over at Hiroshi for an explanation as they walked. It only added to layers of new situations to develop in their absence. Hiroshi didn¡¯t break with his pace. ¡°Ever since the Solstice Nightmare the world declared all of Japan a threat to world peace and blockaded us, fear spread through the country. A lot of groups like that one have popped up trying to bring relief and comfort to the frightened. The Kami no Kodotachi are probably one of the larger groups.¡± ¡°Solstice Nightmare? Children of God? What the hell happened?¡± ¡°After the Shattered Japan Incident, your little stunt, people started figuring out their powers. The Solstice Nightmare was the three days around the Summer Solstice when certain people got it in their heads they could use their abilities to take what they wanted. The world saw it as international terrorism. It wasn¡¯t pretty. This is their response.¡± ¡°Why Children of God?¡± asked Yori. He understood the need people had for religion as a means of comfort. The world had completely turned on its head and they needed some sort of guidance. Certainty in a confusing world brought ease. It was only natural. Stopping for a moment, Hiroshi looked back at Yuki. His eyes seemed to divide the entire group specifically to target him. ¡°How does it feel to be worshiped as a god?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be serious?!¡± Yuki knew he should have seen it coming, it was too easy of a telegraph, but it was aimed at himself. He didn¡¯t expect it. ¡°I¡¯m no god!¡± The whole thing was just a mistake, an accident caused by an uncontrollable rage. His friend turned away and resumed his walk. ¡°Be that as it is, only a few of us know the truth. Everyone else just knows reality changed. Without the truth, what answers do you expect people to find?¡± The weight he felt for what he did suddenly became heavier. It wasn¡¯t the sort of responsibility that he wanted or expected. The idea of a religion centered around him was absurd even if it already happened. He couldn¡¯t accept that people believed that a god came down and granted everyone with powers. ¡®This is insane!¡¯ ¡°The more important matter is answering the initial question that you had,¡± noted Hiroshi. He had come to a stop and before they knew it, they were inside a room. The door closed behind the last person inside and though a little tight with the numbers they had it certainly seemed private. ¡°First, these are my most trusted comrades.¡± ¡°We¡¯re your Lieutenants!¡± corrected Tatsuya, appearing out of the corner. The familiar voice perked up Yuki. Hiroshi¡¯s best friend looked almost the same as he remembered. He had a rough look from days or weeks in the grime, but still not hardened and merciless like Hiroshi. It gave him some assurance once more. Yuki jumped up quickly to hug Tatsuya. ¡°Tatsuya! I¡¯m so glad to see you!¡± He patted him on the back and held tight, needing to know it was real. ¡°Glad to see you still got all that energy, Yuki!¡± He grinned pleased to a friend. ¡°Seems that Hiroshi¡¯s been giving you a hard time.¡± Yuki laughed a bit suddenly, feeling like they were back on the rooftop of the school chatting about the latest game over lunch. ¡°Yeah, Hiroshi¡¯s playing the hard ass today.¡± ¡°Commander Kuroda is working harder than anyone to ensure everyone¡¯s safety and protection!¡± a stranger barked, clearly feeling insulted by Yuki¡¯s casual tone. ¡°Miyako, how many times have I asked you not to call me that,¡± Hiroshi groaned. He took a seat in what looked like a lawn chair taken from a hundred yen sale. The tall yankee looking woman with bleached brown, nearly orange, hair stalked over to Yuki. She seemed to want to intimidate Yuki into an apology, however he had met far more frightening individuals than some tough talking girl that might have rolled in a gang. He dealt with plenty like her in his past. ¡°You want something?¡± Yuki taunted with an unimpressed tone. ¡°Miyako, enough,¡± ordered Hiroshi. He saw the look in her eye. Fighting was a pointless effort. Tatsuya stepped in, working on making Miyako back off. ¡°She takes her job very seriously after Hiroshi saved her gang,¡± he explained. ¡°Though Hiroshi hates it, she calls him Commander and it¡¯s just sort of stuck now. Everyone sees him as the leader, thus we¡¯re his Lieutenants. Sort of feels like we¡¯re playing out feudal lords during the warring states period, huh?¡± You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Nodding in agreement, Yuki started to have a similar impression. It all felt familiar and yet out of place. ¡°I was going to say, but you¡¯re right. Never imagined Hiroshi as the Lord.¡± They laughed over the notion of understanding the out of place nature of it all. However, Tatsuya corrected himself soon. ¡°We joke about it, but if you knew his past you understand that this is not so far from his character. He¡¯s actually quite resourceful and charismatic.¡± Hiroshi tossed a spare box at Tatsuya to shut him up. The hint of embarrassment ran through his face. ¡°Enough of that. You came for some answers. I expect afterwards to hear your decision on my question. First, I must check something. You said that you¡¯ve been away. When was that?¡± Factoring the math quickly in his head, Yuki came out with the time. ¡°It¡¯s been about six weeks give or take a day or two.¡± ¡°I guess I shouldn¡¯t be surprised that you don¡¯t know then. What were you doing that you were completely unaware of events here?¡± ¡°Out of the country.¡± Yuki hesitated even saying that, but it was the simplest answer. It was no lie, but he knew that it only created new questions. Atlantis still needed its privacy for the time. ¡°That¡¯s all I can say about it for now. It was a personal matter.¡± The two stared at each again for nearly a minute. Hiroshi wanted more from Yuki than a vague answer. However, the look in his eyes told him a great deal. ¡®What did Yuki see to change his eyes so much? He¡¯s only showing me that look to tell me to back off¡­But it only makes me want to know more. However, I¡¯ll get the answers out of him later¡­¡¯ Focus returned the bigger matter that Hiroshi needed resolve. ¡°I would say that it¡¯s been like this since about a month. It wasn¡¯t long after the UN blockade went up. I don¡¯t know if people got scared and went insane or what, but for no apparent reason they attacked.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s they?¡± Yori questioned on the vague description. ¡°A random group of people. Calling them ¡®they¡¯ is the best answer I can give, because they don¡¯t have any common ground other than that they are all fighting together. At the start, it was mostly just students from our school.¡± ¡°What did they want?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know. We still don¡¯t understand it. All we know is that they wanted territory. It started from the school and spread out from there. In the short span of a week, they brought the entire neighborhood and the surrounding neighborhoods under their control. It all surprised us that we didn¡¯t know how to react.¡± ¡°That¡¯s where Hiroshi stepped in,¡± inserted Tatsuya. ¡°We were just a small group then, but I wasn¡¯t about to see innocent people harmed because people were just looking for trouble. We won a couple of battles and that gave people hope. Before long, there were too many for me to count. Two weeks ago, we managed to stage a major offensive against them and took back the western half of the area, but they¡¯ve grown tougher as of late. As a result, we haven¡¯t made any real progress apart from the minor skirmishes that have broken out.¡± Yuki had enough of beating around the bush now. He had something to go on, though it was hard to believe such an incident went down while they were away. It didn¡¯t make any sense and it seemed that Hiroshi still hadn¡¯t figured it out as well. ¡°Do you know who their leader is? Who¡¯s giving the orders?¡± ¡°Yeah, but you¡¯re not going to like what you see.¡± Hiroshi slid a photo across the table to Yuki¡¯s group. It was a slightly blurred image taken from a distance and through a window, the school. But they all could recognize the central figure in the photo. Looking up from the photo, Yuki and Saki both stared across the table with their hands pressed tightly against the edge. ¡°Are you certain?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve seen them giving out orders to the others.¡± Saki was in disbelief over the revelation. She staggered back into the group feeling the ground threatening to fall out from underneath her. ¡°This can¡¯t be! No! I-I¡­¡± It was hard for Yuki to watch Saki. He saw how much it ate at her. He knew better than the others. ¡®Things just go from bad to worse¡­¡¯ Even though he didn¡¯t want to hear anymore, he needed to know. ¡°Tell me everything you know about the situation.¡± ¡°Of course¡­¡± The meeting ended with far more unsettling things than they wanted to know. It left the group having trouble processing it all. They split up in the base needing to handle things in their own way. Yuki left last with Hiroshi holding him back. ¡°I expect an answer from you.¡± ¡°Yeah, this is all just a lot to take in. You¡¯re asking me to fight friends, classmates, people I know!¡± ¡°This is the reality, even if we don¡¯t understand it. You have to accept it!¡± ¡°I know¡­ Just give me some time¡­¡± Yuki disappeared into the crowd leaving the sight of Hiroshi and Tatsuya. Tatsuya glanced over at Hiroshi. The look on his face told him how much worry he had over Yuki. ¡°You think he¡¯ll join us?¡± ¡°I guess that depends.¡± ¡°On what?¡± ¡°On which is the real one, the Yuki we know from class or the Yuki we haven¡¯t seen.¡± * * * Saki stood in front of her high school. Speed gave her the advantage of not being spotted very easily, even though she did have to lose a couple of tails. In the end, it didn¡¯t matter too much for her. Her goal was the high school. ¡°Of course¡­I¡¯ll tell you everything we know about them. The other Faction in the city. Their base seems to be the high school as you probably already figured out. Mostly it¡¯s just students around there from what we¡¯ve seen.¡± The five guards protecting the main gate all looked ready to attack her. She felt like she could have dealt with them, but it wasn¡¯t her intention. ¡°I¡¯ve come to see your leader. Take me to them. I don¡¯t plan on fighting.¡± Silence carried out between them as they didn¡¯t make any reaction to her demands. She felt the tension in the air as she wasn¡¯t sure if they would agree. However, after a wait that seemed to go for days, the gate opened. Waiting for her was an escort of six. They were a mix of students and teachers, all that she recognized. Saki accepted their invitation. ¡®I must know¡­ If it is true¡­this is all¡­¡¯ Within the school grounds, she didn¡¯t expect to see such ruin. The once beautiful grounds were completely blackened by death and destruction. It was all senseless. Just random violence. Worse, she saw bodies littered about everywhere in different states of decay. The odor was horrid and made her want to throw up. ¡°Their group is made up of everyone and anyone they can find. We don¡¯t know how they do it, but the only one truth is that anyone that enters their gates never returns, at least in the same way as they entered. They always join the other Faction without fail. We¡¯ve lost too many already to scouting parties.¡± Saki thought the outside was bad, but it was only to prepare her for the halls. Blood painted the walls in the worst possible ways. There were odd pieces that she saw stuck to the walls along with the blood and spread out over the floor. It felt like a horror movie made real. All of the students that passed through thought nothing of the sight as though it was invisible to them. ¡®How can they be fine with such sights?!¡¯ It felt like she had descended into the depths of hell. The very walls seemed alive with so much blood and viscera. She wasn¡¯t sure if the nightmare around her had corrupted her mind already to produce illusions, but it felt like they moved. However, none of it prepared her what she regretted the most. A strange moan and scream came from one of the classrooms. She caught it at the perfectly wrong time. It was a sight that was never going to be able to be removed from her mind. A scar forever carved out in her brain. Saki already considered herself tainted, corrupted by the deaths on her hands, but it couldn¡¯t even compare to the sight. Two students had a third tied down, but it was hard to even tell that. Blood poured everywhere along with organs. Their eyes were completely dead as they kept carving into the student as they moaned and screamed. Worst of all, the third student didn¡¯t even seem to be pleading. They seemed as dead to it all, despite still being alive. She never read it before, but she felt like it might have been what Dante saw in his descent through the different circles of hell. Each room only seemed to get worse and worse. Rooms of pleasure, pain, gluttony to describe a few. Then they just became more twisted and insane. The sight alone made Saki question if she still had her sanity. The sight at the end of the hall of the second floor gave her some relief. It was their destination. She prayed for nothing more. Holding back vomit in her mouth only burned her throat further, but it was the only thing she could do to keep herself together. She was quite certain if she did allow herself the weakness the last thread of sanity she had would be snapped. Imposing doors stood before her along with her escort. She stared at them in silence trying to hold herself together. ¡®I haven¡¯t felt this mentally strained since that man went dancing through my mind. I¡¯m not even sure which is worse anymore¡­ I didn¡¯t think that feeling of violation could ever be surpassed¡­¡¯ The door opened to grant Saki entrance into the lair of the leader. The one that allowed all of this depravity to continue. Saki stepped in feeling very uneasy. The room thankfully had a more normal appearance. It was cloaked utterly in darkness with black cloths everywhere. Layers upon layers of sheets had to be navigated to even reach the mastermind. ¡°We don¡¯t know how it happened, just that it happened. The day the school opened was the day everything changed. All we know is everyone that attended school that day joined them. Teachers, students, it didn¡¯t seem to matter. From there they expanded their control.¡± The last of the sheets parted for Saki. She could finally see in the darkened light of the room the figure. They were the one that controlled it all. The one that plunged the city into darkness. Saki¡¯s eyes widened in surprise even though she already knew the truth. She just didn¡¯t want to believe it. ¡°It can¡¯t be! Why?! Why is it you?! Takako!¡± Chapter 295 - Sides Yuki had enough of beating around the bush now. He had something to go on, though it was hard to believe such an incident went down while they were away. It didn¡¯t make any sense and it seemed that Hiroshi still hadn¡¯t figured it out as well. ¡°Do you know who their leader is? Who¡¯s giving the orders?¡± ¡°Yeah, but you¡¯re not going to like what you see.¡± Hiroshi slid a photo across the table to Yuki¡¯s group. It was a slightly blurred image taken from a distance and through a window, the school. But they all could recognize the central figure in the photo. Looking up from the photo, Yuki and Saki both stared across the table with their hands pressed tightly against the edge. ¡°Are you certain?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve seen them giving out orders to the others.¡± Saki was in disbelief over the revelation. She staggered back into the group feeling the ground threatening to fall out from underneath her. ¡°This can¡¯t be! No! I-I¡­¡± Memories quickly rushed up around Saki. ¡®Takako¡­why are you?¡¯ Hiroshi went into an explanation for Yuki, but Saki¡¯s mind was already closed off. She only heard pieces of what he said. Every thought went to her friend. She was supposed to be safe from all of it. ¡®This can¡¯t be true! She was taken away from here for treatment. They promised they¡¯d help her!¡¯ None of it made any sense to her. It should be impossible for Takako to be doing what they claimed. She couldn¡¯t believe it. This wasn¡¯t Takako. It had to be a lie. ¡®She was trapped in her mind, she couldn¡¯t be giving the orders.¡¯ Saki pulled herself clear of her thoughts and focused back on what Hiroshi said. Determination carved into her face tightly around her eyes. She already knew what she had to do. ¡®I¡¯ll get to the bottom of this and prove to them that they¡¯re mistaken. It¡¯s a lie. All of it is!¡¯ ¡°Even if we don¡¯t understand how they¡¯re doing it, it doesn¡¯t change that we still have to fight them. They have no mercy in their fighting and no pattern that we¡¯ve been able to see either. Sometimes they capture and others just brutally slaughter everyone in sight. And I¡¯m not about to let them go around murdering in this city.¡± As Hiroshi trailed off, something really seemed to get to him. It caused his voice to rise and then break. A memory likely came back to him that he preferred not to remember. The opening gave Tatsuya the moment to step in and fill in a few more details. ¡°One of the most recent battles with them created that crater you saw before.¡± ¡°They did that?!¡± Yuki jumped, his body shaking at the thought of how many might have been caught up in it. Shaking his head, Tatsuya corrected his assumption. ¡°No, that was caused by one in our group. We had already lost the fight and needed to retreat, but they were slaughtering us. Even those unable to fight back. It was an ambush. Shiga, she stayed behind to let us escape with those that we could. She¡­¡± It was Tatsuya¡¯s turn to come to a grinding halt in emotions and memories. He looked even more shaken than Hiroshi. Yuki and Yori¡¯s sister both immediately knew who Tatsuya talked about. She was another one of their classmates. She gasped in shock, falling back a little into Yori, but quickly corrected herself. Yuki¡¯s body shook. He didn¡¯t know her well. They were only classmates and for a short time with the start of the new year, but that didn¡¯t change anything for him. Pain still gripped his chest. ¡®I can picture her in my mind. She was in the art club and I saw her staying late a couple of times when I had clean up. And now¡­how did things come to this¡­¡¯ Recovering finally, Hiroshi leaned against the table. ¡°They haven¡¯t made their intentions known to us or even tried talking to us. They just act in whatever way they see fit. Since Takako is their leader, we¡¯ve defaulted to calling them the Takako Faction for lack of a better name.¡± He looked around at Yuki¡¯s friends seeing their reactions. ¡°This is where I want answers from you. Who¡¯s side are you on?¡± ¡°Not her¡¯s!¡± shouted Yuki quickly in reaction. A hint of disgust over their actions trailed through his face. ¡°We might not have known each other for long, but how could you even think that?¡± Hiroshi stared at Yuki directly, ignoring the others. ¡°You¡¯re right, we haven¡¯t known each other for long. We barely know each other.¡± While subtle, he was clear in his intent that it wouldn¡¯t go undetected by Yuki. Dropping his fists to the table, Yuki matched stares with Hiroshi. He wasn¡¯t being very subtle about it in Yuki¡¯s eyes, even though it didn¡¯t necessarily mean everyone in the room understood. It was something meant only for Yuki. ¡®Is this how he¡¯s going to be about me hiding my past from him? I thought he accepted that already.¡¯ Yuki read through the layers of features on Hiroshi¡¯s face trying to understand him. ¡°Don¡¯t trust me?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t trust anyone. Not anymore, given the situation and potential can you say any different?¡± ¡®A month did this much to change him? Is that even possible?¡¯ They might have had the big picture, but Yuki didn¡¯t really feel like he had the full picture. There were still too many things that Hiroshi wasn¡¯t telling him. While he might not have been as good as a trained Atlantean in reading others, he knew that much. There was more going on, but Hiroshi had no plans to let him in on it. Paranoia and caution, it seemed like the only friends that Hiroshi had left. ¡°For now, my answer to you is that I belong to no side.¡± Slamming his fists against the table, Hiroshi ground his teeth in frustration with Yuki. ¡°You can¡¯t be neutral like this doesn¡¯t affect you just because you¡¯ve been away the entire time! There are only two sides, our side and their side!¡± Yuki turned away from Hiroshi to look at his friends. It seemed that they all mirrored similar expressions as himself. They were confused. Hiroshi had them all up against the wall demanding an answer when they only just started to know what the question was. They needed time. ¡°I won¡¯t make a decision for you. Everyone should decide for themselves what they want to do.¡± He started to walk away from the table for the exit. Miyako, who out of respect for Hiroshi, remained silent despite her emotions finally broke. She broke through the group and grabbed Yuki before he could leave. ¡°Where the hell do ya get off thinking you can just walk out of here?!¡± Her rashness immediately had Saki on the offensive along with Yori¡¯s sister. The three women stared down each other. Walking around the group to reach Miyako, Hiroshi placed a hand on her shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s enough, Miyako. They¡¯re allowed to leave.¡± ¡°But Comman¡ªHiroshi¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. They need time.¡± He got Miyako to release Yuki, which backed down the others. The sight actually made him sweat a little. ¡®Saki sure, but even Yumi. Both of them had looks that could kill¡­and Yuki¡­he¡¯s actually even more frightening than the others. It¡¯s buried, but for a moment I swear I could see a look I¡¯ve never seen from him. I can¡¯t put my finger on it, but it¡¯s like even though he knows he¡¯s surrounded by all of us, he knows that we¡¯re no threat to him. But it¡¯s not simple arrogance¡­it¡¯s more complex than just that¡­unsettling¡­¡¯ Hiroshi questioned if this was really the boy he knew from high school. Even between the lies of a class clown or the truth as a delinquent, neither answered what he saw in Yuki. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°But¡ª¡° Motioning for the door to open, he let them go. Though he held Yuki back. ¡°I expect an answer from you.¡± Chapter 295 ¨C Sides After all of them left, Hiroshi motioned over Miyako to him. He stared in the distance at Saki quickly making for the exit. ¡°Put tails on all of them. Despite what they¡¯ve learned, they don¡¯t seem to understand the dire situation of going outside. Keep them away from the high school at all costs.¡± Her eyes lit up a little to see the Commander that she knew and respected back. ¡°I understand! I will at once!¡± Miyako jumped double time out of the Command Room moving about gathering up teams. Tatsuya glanced over at Hiroshi. The look on his face told him how much worry he had over Yuki. ¡°You think he¡¯ll join us?¡± ¡°I guess that depends.¡± ¡°On what?¡± ¡°On which is the real one, the Yuki we know from class or the Yuki we haven¡¯t seen.¡± Outside, Yori took a brisk pace away from the store that hid the secret base. His sister with some curiosity, followed him. ¡°Where are you going?¡± she thought aloud watching his back. The sight of him still left her with pangs of fear, but she learned how to control it better. ¡°I want to see things for myself,¡± he answered. Not expecting a response, she came to a halt. She stared at him, unable to say anything, partly out of fear for what she might say and be heard. He tilted his head over his shoulders as he stopped. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to startle you. It seems to be one of my powers.¡± Yori saw the mixed look of fear and embarrassment. ¡°I can only hear surface thoughts. You¡¯re not always in my head.¡± The thought of him being able to hear her thoughts, even if it was the loudest of ones, didn¡¯t give her any more comfort. She had too many things that she didn¡¯t want to reveal to him. She didn¡¯t know how much he already knew about her because of it. ¡®I¡¯m going to need to be more vigilant¡­¡¯ A mental conversation with her brother gave her too many unsettling thoughts to continue it. ¡°Do you not trust Hiroshi?¡± Turning back towards the grass street, he began to walk again. ¡°I believe he believes what he told us, but there¡¯s two sides to every conflict. I want to see what the other side is. Something about this whole thing doesn¡¯t sit right with me. We¡¯re missing something.¡± * * * In the opposite direction, Fumiko parked herself at an intersection. She went south, not directly moving towards the school, but her eyes looked in that direction. ¡®Saki was the first out¡­I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on with her, but she seemed the most shaken by all of this.¡¯ Taking a slightly meandering route towards the school, she broke into an abandoned building a few blocks away. The whole area was mostly just houses and a few stores. It was a little more built up for businesses further away, but almost nothing went past two stories. So it made looking from the roof of the second floor pretty easy. She could see the high school. Her improved sight gave her a glimpse behind the walls. Most of the windows were blackened and the grounds of the school looked more like a construction site than anything. Earth tore up and random materials thrown about without care gave little sense of purpose. ¡®Knowing Saki, she¡¯s thinking that she can handle them all by herself. However, we don¡¯t know what they¡¯re doing to get everyone on their side. If it is so absolute, then we can¡¯t be so arrogant to think we can do whatever¡­¡¯ Caught in the middle of thought, it was almost too late before Fumiko realized that someone was inside the building. She heard the groaning of the stairs behind her. Immediately, her body reacted by flashing a fireball in her hand. ¡®Who is it?¡¯ * * * Yori and his sister held their backs almost up against each other. Everything turned south so fast that they didn¡¯t even realize what was happening until it was too late. Surrounded and outnumbered, neither knew what they were going to be dealing with. The situation was unlike the ones that they were familiar with from the Atlanteans. These people were powered up in the same fashion as them. ¡°Yori¡­how much control do you have?¡± Grinding his teeth together, he knew he didn¡¯t have the same sort of combat experience as his sister. ¡®She¡¯s already thinking about fighting. I¡¯m still thinking we can talk our way out¡­¡¯ She accepted their situation faster than he had. He was still behind her. ¡°I¡¯ve been practicing. I¡¯ve had a month while we were in Atlantis.¡± Black blades form in his hands in response. ¡°Right¡­¡± She could tell his hesitation. Her mind was already thinking about what powers they might have and how she was going to counter them. ¡®I have to remember that he¡¯s not used to this. I probably should take the lead in this¡­¡¯ Two figures appeared behind the circle, partially obscured by the others. ¡°Look who we have here,¡± a girl¡¯s voice said. ¡°So this is where you are,¡± the other replied. Yumi¡¯s eyes widened immediately, recognizing their voices. She turned to her left to see them push through and reveal themselves. ¡°Kaede¡­Katsumi¡­what are you doing here?!¡± Grinning with a dark expression, Kaede leaned up against Katsumi, both wearing their school uniform still, though the color scheme changed to black matching with their dark intent. ¡°It¡¯s been a while Yumi, we¡¯ve missed you.¡± * * * Inside Takako¡¯s room, Saki started to come to terms with reality, even though it still didn¡¯t make any sense to her. She didn¡¯t understand it. ¡°Are you really Takako?¡± Her voice almost pleaded for it not to be true. A hope for it all to be an illusion was the only thing that could save her. Leaning back in an odd pile of chairs and desks completely mangled into a distorted mass sat Takako. It almost looked like she treated it like a throne for her and she stared out among her empire. However, unlike the last time that Saki saw her, a light had returned to her eyes. A dark light that seemed blacker than any moonless night. Just a look was enough to feel the menacing presence bleeding off her. Takako¡¯s eyes focused on Saki in the moment after hearing her. Her face soured and then grew in happiness only to twist away once more. ¡°Saki Furukawa! I never expected to see you.¡± ¡°What are you doing, Takako?! Why are you doing all of this?!¡± ¡°All of what?¡± Takako asked, looking genuinely confused. She didn¡¯t seem to understand the question or even what Saki was getting at. Saki threw her hand back to the entrance. ¡°All of that! The hell that is living in this school!¡± ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± The look of complete confusion actually terrified Saki. ¡®What¡¯s the matter with Takako? She doesn¡¯t seem to understand at all what¡¯s wrong with it.¡¯ As it all soaked into Saki¡¯s mind, she realized that Takako knew what happened. It was impossible for her not to know. And yet she honestly didn¡¯t understand the problem with it. She was completely detached from the whole thing. There was no empathy, no feelings, no comprehension. She accepted the reality and saw nothing wrong in what happened as though it was completely natural. Saki made herself feel even more sick as she understood how completely broken Takako had become. ¡°You¡¯re insane! What happened?! Takako!¡± Takako rubbed a finger down her cheek in an absentminded manner. ¡°Am I? Perhaps or perhaps not. Maybe you¡¯re the insane one and I¡¯m sane.¡± She stood up from her throne and walked down to Saki. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± It troubled Saki that the very sight of someone that she worried and cared about, a friend, made her feel sick to her stomach. The stench of death soaked through her very being. She wasn¡¯t innocent. Saki felt that. She could only steel herself to it all. ¡°I came to see you.¡± Clapping her hands together in excitement, she walked around Saki, always staring. Her eyes never left her. It was almost as if she longed for her. ¡°To see me! Well isn¡¯t that exciting!¡± Takako pressed her finger up against Saki in the most uncomfortable manner possible, but lacked any hint of knowing it was such. ¡°So you¡¯ve come to join me.¡± Clenching her jaw tight, Saki struggled to keep herself in control. Every part of Takako left her unnerved. Nothing of the friend she knew seemed to be present. She didn¡¯t know the girl that circled around her. ¡°No. I came to stop you.¡± Giggling uncontrollably, Takako fell over Saki for the moment. She rested her head next to her ear. ¡°Is that right? Is there something I need to stop?¡± Fighting the chills up her spine, Saki held fast. ¡°Of course! You¡¯re killing your own classmates!¡± ¡°Is that right? I think I recall that happening.¡± Takako jumped off Saki and landed out in front of her. ¡°Is there something wrong with that? Death is part of life. Ending a life is so simple. If it was bad they would have made it harder to do.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be serious!¡± Saki took a step forward at Takako, but sensed the room change. ¡®I¡¯m being watched still. They¡¯re going to attack if I make any move.¡¯ She eased up her stance. Takako laughed until her head seemed ready to fall off. ¡°I¡¯m very serious,¡± she replied sharply, returning to a semi-normal state. She walked back up to the throne and took her seat once more. ¡°Will you join me, Saki?¡± ¡°Never!¡± Grinning, she leaned forward from her throne. Takako stared straight into Saki¡¯s soul with the most coherent expression she had the entire time. ¡°One last time, will you join me, Saki?¡± Saki knelt down, bowing her head to Takako. ¡°Naturally, Takako. What would you have me do?¡± Chapter 296 - The Fragility of Friendship The sight of Yumi¡¯s friends in the company of the others that surrounded her sent a cold paralyzing pulse down her body. She immediately understood the implications. She didn¡¯t want to believe it anymore than Saki with Takako, but seeing it was enough. Barely even hidden, she could see the void within Kaede¡¯s eyes. There was a twisted malice that she never had seen in her friend before. It seemed to consume her being completely. While she physically was the same person she knew, it twisted her whole soul into something unrecognizable. ¡®What is Takako doing to them? How is she able to do this to others? To corrupt them so deeply¡­¡¯ ¡°Yumi¡­¡± Yori reached back to hold her hand for support. While he might not have known her friends, he clearly saw what the scene was before him. He knew the importance they had for her. A different chill ran up her body. She fought through it all to keep herself in control. ¡°¡­I know¡­¡± Yori¡¯s sister forced herself to focus. Caught up completely by Kaede, she barely even noticed Katsumi standing next to her. Unlike all of the others, Katsumi seemed out of place with the rest. She looked more dead inside than anything with no side of life, but most of all none of the bloodlust or corruption. She somehow seemed completely separated from the rest. Yet she was still with them and most importantly, Kaede. Giggling a little at the fa?ade, Kaede pushed away from Katsumi and stepped forward. She started to brush her hair in a casual manner while staring at Yori¡¯s sister. ¡°Are you planning on fighting us, Yumi? Aren¡¯t we friends?¡± Chapter 296 ¨C The Fragility of Friendship Miyako watched from a building away with her team of five. She saw the difference in numbers and ground her teeth together. ¡®Damn, they don¡¯t even get five minutes before finding trouble. They might have been hunting for us after the last skirmish earlier.¡¯ There was no question a fight was going to break out. Pounding her fist against the wall sent cracks up the old building. She pulled back from the broken window. ¡°Looks like we¡¯ve got another fight on our hands, boys!¡± ¡°Yes, boss!¡± they all echoed together. ¡°Jiro, setup on the rooftop. You¡¯re the spotter, only take a shot when you absolutely must. The rest of you are with me. We¡¯re going to dig those kids out of a little trouble!¡± They all gave a deep guttural cry in enthusiasm. Kaede approached Yori¡¯s sister, finishing with her hair and returning her hairbrush. Her hair suddenly straightened out away from the curls up to her neck. It shortened a little and took on a slight auburn appearance. ¡°Yumi¡­¡± She grinned across at her. It was almost too late before she knew what happened. It was faster than she expected. Only her barrier saved her, but she still felt the force ringing throughout. ¡®Kaede¡­so fast¡­¡¯ She built up her barrier more to push back Kaede. Yori took a glimpse at her sister. ¡®She¡¯s not used to fighting people similarly enhanced on top of being her friends¡­ She¡¯s not going to be able to do this¡­¡¯ Tightening his hands around the black blades, he swung wide to keep back the sudden onslaught. Retrieving matching blue gloves from her pocket, Katsumi drew them up the entire length of her arm covering up all of her skin. ¡°Seems I must make a move as well.¡± She stepped through the crowd coming straight up to Yori. Her right hand reached out to grab a hold of his blade before it struck one of the students. The surprising ease at which she blocked his attack took him back a step. He took another swing directly for her and she blocked it once more with her hand. Phasing the material out for a moment, he retrieved them and swung down together at her. She stopped both with her arms crossed in front. ¡®She put on the gloves before fighting¡­are they resistant to damage? Is that how she¡¯s doing it?¡¯ Letting them dematerialize again, he forced them past her defense and struck directly on her chest. He slashed downward trying to get the most coverage from his attack. Katsumi slid back a little from the force, but nothing more seemed to happen. ¡°Playing pretty rough, thought being the President you¡¯d be a little softer.¡± Straightening out her uniform from the rough treatment, she looked completely unfazed by the attack. Not even her clothes seemed to have a stray thread. Failing to achieve anything meaningful from the attack, Yori ground his teeth together trying to come up with another plan. ¡®So it¡¯s not just the gloves then. I can¡¯t make a scratch on her period¡­I¡¯m going to need something more powerful, but if I do I might end up dealing a severe injury.¡¯ Uncertainty begat hesitation within him. He tried to fight seriously with the girl, but he knew she was his sister¡¯s friend. He couldn¡¯t do anything too severe. And worse, he saw that she could only be defensive against the other one. ¡®What am I going to do? We can¡¯t just let them kill us!¡¯ All of the powers that he practiced ran through his mind. He needed something that he could use. The problem he faced was knowing which would be effective without being deadly. His swords gave him the most control, but they were useless. ¡®I need to do something!¡¯ ¡°Why the hell are ya hesitating?!¡± shouted Miyako arriving on the scene. She fell from the sky, it seemed, dropping in the middle of the whole group with her fist. A crater quickly grew out from her strike tossing debris in all directions. It spread smoke out in all directions. Coughing and blinded, Yori stumbled around in the cloud. ¡°What the hell¡¯s going on?!¡± He tried to find his way out, but someone grabbed him. Resisting with a swing of his blade, they caught his forearm before it sank into anything. ¡°What are¡ª¡° Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°I don¡¯t have time babysitting you! Pull back now!¡± It took him a moment, but the voice was faintly familiar. ¡°You¡¯re the woman from Hiroshi¡¯s group!¡± ¡°Yeah, we don¡¯t have time to sip tea and eat cookies over this! Get moving!¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Yumi?¡± Jiro came in through her earpiece with a report. ¡°The screen is dissipating quickly. Ten seconds before they recover.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Miyako grabbed Yori and threw him in the direction he needed to leave. ¡°Get moving! I¡¯ll get your sister!¡± Yumi held firm in her position even though the attacks from Kaede stopped. ¡®The best thing to do is not move. I completely lost my sense of direction between the ringing in my ears and the loss of sight. But I can¡¯t fight my friend¡­ What am I supposed to do?!¡¯ Her barrier bounced and reflected the dust stirring about her. It was too thick to do anything, especially not knowing where anyone was. She understood how Yuki felt before when he was told about Takako. They all understood in that moment, but Takako wasn¡¯t a friend to her. It was just an empty sense of empathy for him. They understood, but not really. Part of her felt Yuki being too idealistic and a little childish. They already saw what happened with the fight in the morning. However, she understood it now. The feelings he had then were inside her now. ¡®I was a fool. I thought I could do this because while they were all classmates I barely knew any of them. I was so isolated from most of the class and school that I thought I didn¡¯t care. But they had to be with them. The only ones I could never fight¡­¡¯ She thought Atlantis might have given her something for her resolve. The path she picked and walked, the destruction and death she wrought. ¡®At the end I can only kill those that I don¡¯t know¡­I¡¯m no different than a common criminal¡­¡¯ Her body suddenly felt strange. It was heavy and her mind turned to fog. Her sight blurred. ¡°What¡¯s happening¡­to me?¡± Yumi staggered forward as her barrier fell away. She collapsed to one knee, unable to stand. ¡°Something¡¯s¡­wrong¡­¡± Breaking through the smoke, a longer green haired Kaede stood grinning down at Yumi. She slowly stalked forward to Yumi. Kneeling down to meet her unfocused gaze, Kaede grabbed the top of Yumi¡¯s hair. ¡°It¡¯s sleepy time for you.¡± Quickly, she ripped her up by her hair and rammed her knee into Yumi¡¯s stomach. A stomach fluid and saliva coughed up from Yumi as she fell over Kaede. Draped over her shoulder, Kaede turned to Katsumi. ¡°You got things wrapped up on your end?¡± ¡°No, there¡¯s a little trouble.¡± The smoke finally cleared away and revealed Miyako along with her team of four and Yori. Katsumi held back Miyako. Each of Miyako¡¯s punches slid Katsumi back and drew up smoke, but did nothing more. The rest of their group swarmed over Miyako¡¯s team, keeping them out of the fight. Miyako slid back a little to recover from the latest futile attempt against Katsumi. ¡°Damn, you¡¯re tough.¡± She shook out her hands a little, feeling them sting from the repeated blows. ¡°It¡¯s like I¡¯m hitting concrete.¡± ¡°¡­boss¡­¡± Flipping her head around to her team, she shouted, ¡°Masato!¡± She saw the blood dripping from his mouth, a wound in his chest. ¡®Dammit! I won¡¯t lose anymore!¡¯ Roaring her voice as deep as she could draw from her stomach, her fists suddenly shimmered and beefed up. Miyako threw out her fist at Katsumi knocking her back and tearing into her gloves a little. She then threw her fist into the earth again creating an even larger crater than before casting out large chunks of the earth outward. She jumped through the smoke she created aiming for Yumi only to be met with a sudden drop in her strength. Miyako stretched out her hand for Yumi, but Kaede spun around whipping her hair around. Numerous cuts formed all over Miyako¡¯s body, throwing blood into the air. ¡°¡­damn¡­not here¡­¡± Miyako leapt backwards disappearing into the clouds. ¡°We¡¯re pulling back now!¡± she shouted to everyone trying to maintain her stride. Yori quickly jumped out after Miyako with fury in his eyes. ¡°What the hell do you think you¡¯re doing?! Yumi¡¯s still over there! I¡¯m not leaving without her!¡± Gritting her teeth in anger, she wound up a punch and dropped Yori to the grass. ¡°You want to die? Because that¡¯s all that¡¯s waiting for you on the other side! She¡¯s already lost!¡± He spat out the blood from his mouth. Nothing fazed him from the punch. Yori materialized his blades going straight for Miyako. ¡°She¡¯s not lost! I will die before that happens!¡± The rage already started to consume him. Miyako hardened her features and grabbed the blade aimed at her throat. Blood dripped down her hand as though it was nothing but a paper cut to her. ¡°You think it¡¯s brave running to your death?! Grow up! You can do nothing while you¡¯re dead, but you never run out of options when you¡¯re alive!¡± ¡°Damn you! I¡¯m not leaving my sister behind!¡± ¡°All you are is blind!¡± Miyako snapped the blade off and rammed her fist into Yori once more. He went down hard with the black energy disappearing. ¡°Cool off before you start thinking about charging in after her!¡± She ram her other fist into his stomach completely blacking him out. As she stood up blood dripped from her lips. ¡°Damn¡­pick him up. Jiro!¡± ¡°They¡¯re retreating as well, boss!¡± ¡°Good, meet up at ground point.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± * * * The haze started to lift from her mind. ¡°Urgh¡­where am I?¡± Fumiko asked, trying to remember what happened. Flashes appeared in her mind from the last moments. Flames were everywhere, but it didn¡¯t seem to stop them. ¡°I¡­lost again¡­¡± ¡°So you¡¯re awake, Fumiko Terauchi,¡± an unfamiliar voice replied. Fumiko tilted her head up, realizing that she laid on the floor. ¡°Who¡ª¡° Her eyes widened immediately as she recognized the girl before her from the image that Hiroshi presented to them. ¡°You¡¯re that girl, the one leading them!¡± ¡°Oh so you heard about me?¡± She grinned a little with excitement. Trying to stand, Fumiko found that she was tied up with her arms behind her back. She rolled around struggling to work with her still drowsy body. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why am I here?¡± ¡°What don¡¯t you know? This is a high school and you are a student, even if you are a third year you still need to attend class.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not interested in any classes you¡¯re having,¡± she bit back. As she turned herself over, she saw someone else next to her. And then she immediately recognized them. ¡°Yumi¡­¡± There was a mix of disdain and surprise. The tone didn¡¯t go unnoticed by Takako. It made her lips curl a little. ¡°Oh you know this girl. Join me and I¡¯ll let you have your way with her.¡± Fumiko stared back up at Takako a little bit in horror. She had seen plenty of faces in Atlantis while fighting, but never one like the one that she saw on Takako. There was absolutely no sense of reason or acknowledgement of them as humans as something sacred. Life meant nothing to her. Just a toy. ¡°I¡¯m not joining you.¡± It took everything Fumiko had to hold herself together. Dark shadows cast over Takako¡¯s eyes and in the carved lines in her face as it seemed to crack with strange pleasure. The grin on her face was worse than even a demon could produce. ¡°I love hearing that phrase! I¡¯m getting that so much today!¡± Takako leaned forward with a hungry look in her eyes. As though summoned out of the air, another figure appeared out of the shadows standing at Takako¡¯s right. It completely shocked Fumiko to see it. Standing next to Takako as though she just belonged there was Saki. ¡°Not you¡­¡± Saki stared down at Fumiko completely cold wearing a black variant of their school uniform. ¡°You will be joining Takako.¡± Chapter 297 - Unplanned Guests Seeing the grass everywhere was no longer as much of an unsettling sight for him. Traveling Atlantis, Seiji had sort of become used to seeing green wherever he went. Though, the sight of nature completely taking over civilization still held some otherworldliness for him. It didn¡¯t seem like they were in control, even though efforts to reclaim what was lost in an instant fought back against the wave. So perhaps it was still a little awkward, he just accepted reality more easily now. Regardless, the lush green overgrowth or the wild sounds of a jungle were hardly issues on his mind. More pressing matters occupied his thoughts, which might have seemed impossible for him. But it was true that he had thoughts, even if he didn¡¯t listen to them all the time. Gut reactions felt more normal for him. It was how he ended up taking the path he decided on. ¡®I¡¯m surprised it took so little convincing from the old man,¡¯ thought Seiji. He stared down at the piece of paper that his grandfather gave him. It was an address. ¡®Given how he doesn¡¯t even like talking about her, I thought he¡¯d just start yelling when I asked.¡¯ Seiji honestly didn¡¯t know what to make of it. Perhaps the old man was starting to lose his edge. As he walked, he tried to think up what he would say. He needed to say something. The years it had been since the last time he saw her made it difficult for him to know what to say. It wasn¡¯t as though a simple ¡®Hey¡¯ was going to work. She left them because she had become fed up with everything. Their grandfather was too rigid and old fashioned and their father too capricious. Seiji knew how she must have felt. It wasn¡¯t as though he didn¡¯t have the same thoughts. Even having the same thoughts, he wasn¡¯t sure why he never acted on them. He hated dealing with their old man every day. All of the rules and structure weren¡¯t things for him. The man was too dead set on things going only his way. It made Seiji wonder how their grandmother ever could come to love such a man. He was impossible to deal with. Yet maybe, he wasn¡¯t so stubborn anymore. Maybe the new reality changed him as it did the others just in a different way. Seiji didn¡¯t know. Though he wondered, he didn¡¯t really care about it too much. He had his own problems. The most immediate one stood in front of him. ¡®This is the place¡­what do I say?¡¯ Chapter 297 ¨C Unplanned Guests Warned beforehand, a group rushed to the entrance along with Hiroshi to meet the return of Miyako. Most of the team survived, but not without taking a toll. Miyako looked the worst out of the group, the makeshift wrappings only made her look worse. Hiroshi helped with bringing everyone in, saving questions until they were back safely inside. A doctor in their group looked after them, while Miyako insisted on speaking to Hiroshi immediately. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± she snapped back at the doctor, ¡°Just keep working!¡± The woman pushed Miyako back. ¡°If you¡¯re going to be having your briefing then at least lie down so I can look at you properly!¡± She shoved Miyako down to the groaning table. ¡°I can sit while you work!¡± ¡°Miyako,¡± interrupted Hiroshi, before she got any more physical. He didn¡¯t wish to see her further injured. Despite being a doctor, Hiroshi knew how strong the woman actually was. The benefit that she gained had strangely not been healing properties, but that didn¡¯t make her any less of a doctor. It just meant that she could more easily deal with her patience, almost as if she needed nothing further for her skills and the strength was fore-sight in dealing with physically enhanced people. Regardless, Hiroshi knew not to question the woman. Relenting, she relaxed and let the woman work. ¡°Fine¡­¡± She glanced over to see her men getting treatment as well from others, though not as skilled as the woman. ¡®¡­Masato¡­dammit¡­¡¯ ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°They were ambushed. I don¡¯t know if they were search parties out looking for us after the last battle, not that it matters anymore.¡± Hiroshi¡¯s face went narrow as thoughts ran through his mind. ¡°Anyone we¡¯ve run into before?¡± ¡°No one I recognized, but it seems they knew each other. The brother-sister pair seemed to know the ones that attacked.¡± ¡°Yumi and Yori¡­a pair of girls?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Probably Kaede and Katsumi then. I assumed they were caught up in this since I haven¡¯t seen them anywhere else. This just confirms it.¡± ¡°What else?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but it seems like they were interested in capturing the sister, not killing.¡± This raised Hiroshi¡¯s eyebrow. It made him dig deeper into thoughts on what it meant. Unfortunately, for all of their encounters and fighting they never had any real understanding of their purpose or why things happened. They only had one common consistency. ¡°Strange, normally if they know each other they¡¯ve tried to kill them not capture.¡± Nodding subtly in agreement, Miyako looked back at her men. It made her thoughts wander for a moment, but focusing. ¡°They did seem to want to kill the brother though, they were only interested in getting the sister.¡± ¡°Yumi captured¡­¡± Hiroshi fell silent for a while. He made no real movement to indicate any sort of thoughts or intent. ¡°I thought I had finally rid myself of needing to kill friends¡­¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Picking the worst time possible to wake up, Yori heard Hiroshi¡¯s mournful thoughts and still fueled by his unspent rage charged after Hiroshi. He rammed his fist into Hiroshi¡¯s cheek, sending him to the floor. ¡°No one¡¯s killing my sister!¡± His eyes seemed to be only flames as his emotions couldn¡¯t stay in check. The surprise had everyone in the room moving. Miyako threw away the doctor and rushed Yori along with more of her men. They pinned him down to the ground quickly before he could do anything. Bearing a familiarly cold expression, Hiroshi stood up, appearing unfazed by the assault. He wiped away the bit of blood on his lip. ¡°This isn¡¯t something that can be settled with weak or na?ve thoughts. If you think you can fix it with that sort of mindset you¡¯re going to be the next to die. The reality is that she¡¯s lost. Your only option will be to kill her if you see her again.¡± Yori wasn¡¯t going to listen to Hiroshi tell him what he should be doing. Black energy quickly started to materialize around Yori responding to his emotions. ¡°Shut the hell up¡­right NOW!¡± He started to overpower those on top of him while slashing out with his power. Using his telekinesis, he threw two of them off him. ¡°Commander!¡± shouted Miyako, no longer able to hold him back. Hiroshi glared down at Yori, stopped in mid motion with his black blades aimed straight at his throat. ¡°The sooner you kill off those unneeded emotions the better.¡± It didn¡¯t seem to matter to him that Yori¡¯s eyes spoke that he wanted to kill Hiroshi. The cold merciless eyes never wavered for a moment. All of the noise called in more from the outside to discover what was happening. Haruo was among them, his curiosity seemed to have drawn him. ¡°Yori?¡± He looked at both of them for some answers. ¡°Just a difference of viewpoints. Nothing to see.¡± Hiroshi tilted his head over to Haruo. ¡°If you would take your friend. He needs some time to cool off.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need anything! It¡¯s you that needs to change!¡± Haruo didn¡¯t really know how things got to their point, but given what he had seen he had an idea about the argument. He walked over to Yori pressing a hand to his wrist. ¡°Come.¡± Unfortunately, Yori seemed unwilling to back down from his attack. Hiroshi could see how much rage and hate he had in his eyes. It was pure emotions and nothing more. ¡°Everyone¡¯s like you in the beginning. They say what you say all the time. I¡¯ve seen enough people die for such refusals to accept reality to know better than you what you should be doing with your energy.¡± It wasn¡¯t clear when Hiroshi released Yori from the control of his powers, but Hiroshi stepped forward. Moving around the blades, he rested his hand on Yori¡¯s arms. Once Yori knew that he could move again he struggled against Hiroshi. ¡°Things are no longer normal or peaceful. Reality is cruel and unforgiving. If you want someone to blame, point your blades at Takako, the one giving them their orders. We have just accepted the world as it is now. She¡¯s the evil here, not us for just wanting to live.¡± Drawing back his weapons, the black energy in the air started to fade. Yori¡¯s emotions seemed to be falling back down. ¡°Tch!¡± He turned away, ripping control away from Hiroshi. Walking out of the room, he came to a stop at the threshold. ¡°Evil is a matter of perspective. You¡¯ve already given up. So wonder, which is the greater evil¡­¡± ¡°What the hell do you¡ª¡° Hiroshi threw out his arm in front of Miyako to stop her. He shook his head in silence. ¡®I was there once too¡­not long ago¡­¡¯ Images of his classmates that had already died pass through his mind. Tightening up his hand, he dealt with the memories. They were things that he could never forget, that he never should or would forget. ¡®¡­it¡¯s amazing how easy it is for people to change¡­we¡¯re not so hardwired as we¡¯d like to believe. It just takes one little push¡­¡¯ * * * Already in a completely different part of the city, where he sort of hoped that none of the fighting spread, Yuki needed to get away from all of it. The amount of problems for him never seemed to go down. Even Atlantis wasn¡¯t really resolved. He only bought himself time until the Council came up with a more clever way of dealing with them. ¡®Atlantis, the Komatsuzaki, the UN and Takako¡­it seems I can¡¯t escape problems wherever I go. This was supposed to be an easier matter of settling, but things have only escalated while I¡¯ve been gone.¡¯ Yuki thought about everything that happened in his city while he had been away for more than a month. He wondered what would have happened if they had stayed rather than went with Ayumi. ¡®Could this all have been prevented if I had been here? Or would we have just ended up fighting with or against Hiroshi regardless¡­¡¯ The impossible to answer questions didn¡¯t help him any in coming to a conclusion. Reality was just how he had to accept things right now. ¡®Ayumi probably wouldn¡¯t have allowed me to stay anyway, so there¡¯s not much I could have done. Things are how they are now¡­¡¯ Walking didn¡¯t really seem to improve his thoughts anymore than standing around. Hiroshi left him with a lot of bombshells. The revelations still shook him up. It was hard to accept what happened. Even though he saw the evidence for himself. ¡®What can I do? Am I supposed to fight and kill my classmates now? Is that my future?¡¯ Yuki refused to accept that as his only option. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t know how he was going to find another way. It wasn¡¯t as though he had time. The longer he delayed the worse things got. Hiroshi and the others had no problem fighting and killing each other over this war. He had to do something to stop the fighting or they would just keep dying. All of his friends would be dead if he waited too long. ¡®Do I have no choice, but to fight?¡¯ Yuki suddenly came to a stop waking from his thoughts to realize where he stood. ¡®Seiji¡¯s home¡­¡¯ It wasn¡¯t really something he planned on. Perhaps, his mind was telling him something. He didn¡¯t really have a reason not to see him. ¡°I can already guess what he¡¯ll say, but maybe talking with him will give me something¡­¡± * * * Hiroshi stood in the Command Room along with Tatsuya and Miyako, bandaged up properly and refusing to rest. ¡°Where are the others?¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t had any check-ins from the team following Fumiko since their first scheduled time,¡± reported Tatsuya. The tone made it clear what they all felt. Normally, they would have an emergency call if they were ambushed. Clenching his fist against the table, Hiroshi didn¡¯t like how things were falling apart. ¡°More dead¡­¡± ¡°No one seemed to even be able to follow Saki. The team said that they lost her immediately when she left.¡± ¡°Dammit, where¡¯s Yuki?¡± ¡°Some shrine on the outer part of the city. He¡¯s nowhere near the territory that the Takako Faction claims, so he¡¯s at least safe.¡± As reassuring as that might be, Hiroshi didn¡¯t like him being so far away. ¡®What the hell is he doing over there? He planning on praying for help?¡¯ The situation just turned for the worse. He didn¡¯t like how things turned out. There was no choice he had anymore. ¡°Get a call out to his tail. Tell them to make contact with Yuki and inform him of what we know. I¡¯m not a fan of forcing things, but this should get him to wake up to reality.¡± ¡°Right! I¡¯ll¡ª¡° The ground suddenly started to rock. Everyone thought it was an earthquake at first, but realized that it felt nothing like what they normally accepted as a natural earthquake. Above them dirt fell between cracks that started to develop. Panic quickly spread throughout the base. Suddenly the loud rumble ripped through the entire place to deafening levels. It followed up with a roar of unearthly origin. No one knew what was happening. Pressure increased through the place followed by a massive blast of force that threw people and anything loose away. ¡°What the hell is going on?!¡± Tatsuya shouted, trying to get through everything only to be met with a white blast. Everything blinded them in an instant. Screams erupted and then wiped out immediately. When it all finally ended, rooms were destroyed and people laid all over. Some were already dead and others completely missing. Hiroshi staggered to his feet trying to understand what had just happened. Smoke filled the area, but he had an ominous feeling as something didn¡¯t feel right. ¡®Air¡­it¡¯s not stale¡­why do I smell fresh air?!¡¯ He quickly got his answer as a strong gale wiped away all of the smoke to reveal the sunlight breaking through their base. ¡°Impossible!¡± Hiroshi stared up the massive hole that carved hundreds of meters into the earth. At the rim of the giant chasm, he saw numerous figures gathered. However, as his eyes adjusted to the light he could make out some disturbingly familiar ones. ¡°Damn, I knew it, but I didn¡¯t want to believe it anyway. They got all three of you!¡± Saki, Yumi and Fumiko all stood amongst the rest of the Takako Faction members. Chapter 298 - Crumbling Lines In all the shock, Hiroshi couldn¡¯t even react to the entirety of the situation. It was more than he expected to happen. Something that none of them ever planned for. No one considered it a possibility. Yet he had to accept it now. Saki and the others stood before them. ¡®Dammit all! I have to kill more of my friends¡­¡¯ While it wasn¡¯t the first time that he had to do it. It was never something that he wished to do. He might have put up the front before Yuki, but he hated it. As much as he wished he could have burned away all of his feelings. It would have made it easier. But it was never any easier. The hesitation just disappeared, but the regret and pain remained. ¡®Does this never end? Will I ever be free of this?¡¯ While Hiroshi fought over his thoughts, Miyako already started to jump around what remained of their base. She tried helping whoever she could. Her gang followed her around working with others. It was complete chaos. Tatsuya came up behind Hiroshi. A hand on his shoulder pulled him back to reality. ¡°Hey man, we need you focused.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± Mashing his hands together in frustration, Hiroshi focused on the whole situation that faced them. He started finally taking it all in. He could see how bad things looked. ¡°Prioritize the protection of the non-combatants! Everyone else hold the line with me!¡± Chapter 298 ¨C Crumbling Lines ¡°Yumi!¡± shouted Yori, as he threw off debris. Even before it happened, he felt that he sensed his sister¡¯s presence nearby. It ended up putting him into the line of fire more than others. The blast that wiped away the earth burned through his school uniform. The entire left side of his jacket and shirt were gone. Light scorch marks lined his upper arm. Nothing that would slow him down, but he could feel the sting. Yori tilted his head up towards her. It made his heart jump to know that she was alive and safe. He didn¡¯t know what they would have done to her. But she was before him again. However, it didn¡¯t feel right. ¡°Yumi?¡± He could see her staring down at him, but not with the sort of eyes he was used to seeing from her. There was a cold emptiness that filled them up. Cold enough that it sent chills down his spine. ¡®What¡¯s happened to her? She looks like my sister, but she doesn¡¯t too¡­¡¯ Yumi stared down at him, only breaking her silence briefly. ¡°Yori Mizuno. Saki and Fumiko¡­¡± She motioned with her hand. It seemed to be the signal for the attack to start. All of the students and others from the neighborhood mixed in and jumped down the deep hole. Only she remained on top, just watching the events. The initial blast worked well as a surprise and opening for a blitz-style attack. No one was prepared for the next wave. The Takako Faction bled through the opening with little resistance. Between the blast and blitz many were already dead or injured. Hiroshi¡¯s side fell to critically low numbers with only seconds on the battle. Down last but arriving first was Saki, who immediately charged after Yori, completely catching him off guard. His focus remained on his sister rather than the view of the starting battle. Her first punch sent him flying backwards through walls and rubble to disappear among the smoke. She slowly walked in the direction that she punched him, knowing that it wasn¡¯t over yet. Slower to hit the bottom, Fumiko dropped down with the clang of her staff. However, unlike her usual pattern, her flame arm appeared where she lost her arm rather than altering the existing one. It held tightly onto the staff. Eerie rattling from the metal rings on her staff echoed throughout the ruined interior. Magic circles materialized in multiple locations in the air. Thin threads of magic swayed in connection as flames burst out attacking multiple targets. Fumiko quickly swept away many of the injured with her flames silencing the screams almost immediately. A white lion leapt out in defense of some children trying to escape. It took the hit blocking most of the flames so that only the heat reached them. Haruo slowly stepped out from the shadows as he brought several more of his lions with him. Down at his feet were three kids, no more than seven, completely frightened. The lion saved them, but now they were paralyzed with fear. ¡°Run,¡± he ordered. However, they did nothing to heed his command. It only made it more difficult when more fireballs came for them. Building a wall with his lions and himself, they took the attacks. While Haruo still stood, his clothes didn¡¯t fare as well as his body. They weren¡¯t made as sturdy. Only a school uniform, a large hole burned through the chest and right sleeve. Light redness appeared on his skin, but not so much as a burn. He kept taking attacks from Fumiko unmoved and largely unfazed by it. Steam and smoke rose up from his body, but he continued to hold his position protecting the children. ¡°What the hell are ya doing?!¡± snapped Miyako at Haruo. She had been directing things around behind the loose line that Hiroshi tried to hold. Her body wasn¡¯t up for a fight as much as she wished to join them. When he didn¡¯t give her any answer, she ran over starting to understand that he was trying to stop the flames. She eventually made it behind Haruo seeing the children hiding. The fact that Haruo just kept repeatedly taking the attacks without budging a centimeter made her pause for a second. But she felt the heat and near miss of one of the spells. ¡°You three can¡¯t stay here!¡± Miyako knelt down and picked up the three kids despite her injuries. As she rushed off with them, she looked back at Haruo. She stared briefly in silence before focusing on getting the kids out of danger. The freed up position gave Haruo the opportunity to dodge. He ordered his animals forward knowing what he had to do. Fumiko¡¯s attacks didn¡¯t stop just because the children were safe. Plenty more still were in danger. There was no choice. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Black light burst out of the debris cloud wiping away the veil. Yori appeared once more, but with blood dripping down his forehead. ¡®Damn, one punch from her and my whole body is ringing¡­¡¯ He could still move, but he questioned how much he could take from Saki. The only time he fought anyone for real was Athene, though his time in Atlantis afterwards gave him practice. However, as Athene reminded him during their sparring matches, he wasn¡¯t a soldier. He had to keep his mind focused on Saki with how fast she moved. A moment away, distracted by pain would ruin him, as he learned quickly. She already moved in a blur for him. He saw the follow up punches, but seeing wasn¡¯t enough. His body couldn¡¯t react to what he saw. It sent him flying once more. ¡®Damn¡­¡¯ Tears started to appear on what remained of his uniform. The strength of Saki¡¯s hits seemed to have decreased for some unknown reason. Yori could tell the difference. He wasn¡¯t sure why it was the case, but he could only stand back up and try to face her. ¡®Saki¡¯s been fighting the whole time in Atlantis against one opponent after another. Even before then, she was a track member and even protected Hayashi. All I¡¯ve done is sit behind a desk¡­¡¯ It was a completely one-sided fight. Yori didn¡¯t even stand a chance against Saki. That fact became very clear to him only a minute into their fight. ¡®I can¡¯t even think about making an attack or even defense. She¡¯s too fast for me. I don¡¯t know what I should do to fight her¡­¡¯ A terrible match up, almost as though it was designed that way. Yori only had his body¡¯s toughness to protect him, which wasn¡¯t holding out. All that happened was that he was made bloodier and bloodier with each thrown punch. He staggered back from the last round feeling his legs complaining, even though it should be his body or face. Saki didn¡¯t seem to have any reservations in their fight. There was no hesitation. ¡®¡­is she going to kill me?!¡¯ He didn¡¯t have any strength left in his body. The next swing was already coming in after him. ¡®I can¡¯t dodge¡­I never had any hope against her¡­ I just wanted to protect¡­¡¯ Yori closed his eyes, hanging his head down in acceptance. The sound of Saki¡¯s fist crashing echoed through the area, but nothing happened. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Mr. President?¡± Tatsuya asked in a mocking tone. A grin slid across his face as he caught Saki¡¯s fist. Surprise filled Yori¡¯s face watching Tatsuya come to save him. ¡°¡­why¡­¡± He wasn¡¯t even sure why he said it. But it seemed the most accurate to his feelings. Spinning around with a kick, Tatsuya threw Saki off from her course. He then walked a little forward, appearing to take on Saki himself. ¡°So surprised I¡¯d help you?¡± Tatsuya tilted his head over his shoulder to look at Yori. ¡°We might seem like hard asses for the way we talk, but we¡¯re not evil or heartless. We protect anyone, regardless of whether they are part of us or not, as long as you¡¯re not the enemy.¡± It left Yori a little surprised. They had been so dead set on knowing their allegiance that it seemed to be the only thing that they acknowledged. The binary of a war, there were only two sides to any conflict. The allies and enemies and they wanted them to pick which. He didn¡¯t really expect such a reaction from all of their hesitation. Tatsuya grinned a little playfully at Yori. ¡°You¡¯re not an enemy, are ya?¡± ¡°No! Of course not!¡± ¡°Then we don¡¯t have a problem!¡± Charging back at Tatsuya, Saki tried to go after Yori once more, but was interrupted again. Tatsuya grabbed Saki¡¯s wrist to keep her from reaching her target. ¡°Your opponent is me, Saki.¡± She suddenly turned her head to look at Tatsuya, rather than Yori. It seemed that she recognized him, unlike before. Her target switched accepting the new entry. Saki brought her focus completely to him. A swing from her aimed straight for Tatsuya completely missed him. Her eyes betrayed her confusion that she missed him. She tried again and failed to connect once more. Everywhere she placed her arm it seemed to miss. He was there one moment and then suddenly not as though he could teleport. Saki swung wide as he only seemed to be rotating around her, another miss. Yori stared in bewilderment as well. He didn¡¯t understand what was happening. Unlike when he played punching bag to Saki, Tatsuya dodged everything that Saki threw at him. ¡®How is he doing it?! Is this the difference in combat experience? He barely even seems to be moving. Just always on the move without stopping. I don¡¯t understand¡­¡¯ Hiroshi viewed much of it from a distance. He helped to hold the line, but his powers were ill suited to the current situation. It restricted his ability to have a meaningful impact on the fighting. However, his physical attributes gave him enough to keep up with holding back the attackers. The whole battle continued to turn worse and worse for them. He could see it from his point of view. So many were dead from the start and the strikes after had been deadly accurate. He wondered how they managed for so long to keep things from completely falling apart. Only the thought of everyone dying seemed to be holding them together. He didn¡¯t like the feeling he got from the battle. ¡®They¡¯re far more organized than before. I don¡¯t understand it. We haven¡¯t had this large of an attack since the counter offensive began. They always stuck to smaller hit and run style attacks after we started to win. Why change now? What¡¯s made the difference¡­¡¯ Rescuing one of the students, Hiroshi threw back the insane teacher from the enemy faction. He threw off one of the larger pieces of debris where they fell to pin them underneath the earth. ¡°How bad is it?¡± he asked the student he saved. Blood soaked through their ragged clothes and dripped down their arm. ¡°I can still move, sir!¡± ¡°Enough with the sir, I¡¯m younger than you! Just get out of here!¡± Hiroshi pushed them behind him as he picked up a broken pipe to finish off the teacher. They were someone that he didn¡¯t really know well. It made it easier, though he did see them in the halls and roughly knew that they taught math. ¡®Sorry¡­this is the only way¡­¡¯ He ran them through the heart quickly. It was the best way he found. A quick short death. He wasn¡¯t so brutal as to do it in any other way. He always watched them on their last breaths. Never forget. After it was finished, he looked up the gigantic hole. The sunlight made it difficult to see, but he saw a lone figure at the top. ¡°¡­Yumi¡­¡± He didn¡¯t understand why she didn¡¯t take any action. She just seemed to be watching the whole thing as though she was god. A moment longer and their eyes met. She saw him. He didn¡¯t get any more time to stare. Someone else came in after him, suddenly acknowledging him. They seemed to have been largely ignoring him, but now he had more attention than he wanted. ¡°Suddenly I¡¯m so popular. This is why I preferred being in the background at school.¡± Ripping out the pipe, he wielded it as though it were a staff keeping off the close range attackers, while trying to dodge the long range. Hiroshi succeeded in staying ahead of them for a few seconds, but suddenly his leg tripped on something. He looked down to see the earth had actually grabbed a hold of him. In the moment, they all jumped after him with his attention gone. ¡°Commander!¡± shouted Miyako, leaping over Hiroshi to lay down a spinning whirlwind kick to four separate attackers. It sent them all flying away with surprising force. She landed out in front of him planning to defend the position, despite all of her bandages. Fighting with the earth, Hiroshi eventually got himself free, but not before Miyako quickly became overwhelmed. She fought them off as best as she could, but it wasn¡¯t going to last. ¡°Miyako!¡± Throwing one of them off her, she tilted her head back towards Hiroshi. ¡°We¡¯ve finished, sir!¡± She elbowed another out of her way, before a lightning bolt blew through her shoulder. It knocked her back as the earth came up to pin her down. ¡°Dammit¡­¡± yelled Hiroshi. ¡®This is a losing battle. There¡¯s no more point to it.¡¯ Spinning the pipe around, severely wounding two of the students trying to finish off Miyako, Hiroshi made it to her side. ¡°We¡¯re retreating now! Code black!¡± Chapter 299 - Black Signal While Hiroshi dug at the earth with his bloodied pipe, Miyako stared up at him a little stunned. She couldn¡¯t believe that she was hearing those words come from their leader. Retreat was always an option to them. Running away to another town or just further away from the neighborhood. Despite Takako mercilessly expanding and killing, she didn¡¯t seem to push on the opposite side that they couldn¡¯t protect. It was a very real solution that escape would have saved them all from their current fate. One that they all likely considered. Yet, it was never taken. Even when it was thought of, it was never an option. It was silently denied before even being brought up. To retreat from their base, their home. It should never have happened. More stunned was that she was willing to accept it. She wasn¡¯t firmly against it. Such a realization sank into her deeply. The corrupting feeling wasn¡¯t welcome. Hiroshi freed part of her. Even while he worked, she fought with any part of her body that was free to keep them back. The pain didn¡¯t matter to her. Blood dripped along her body, her wounds reopened. But she was finally free. Her full strength returned allowing her to pick up one of the students and fling him around over her head before chunking him into the crowd. Miyako glanced over at Hiroshi to see his condition. He had endured repeated attacks just to save her. ¡°Are you sure? Code black?¡± Nodding with a little reluctance, he looked forward at the crowd of enemy soldiers. ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s no other option. Give the signal.¡± Chapter 299 ¨C Black Signal Further away in the large hollowed out ground, Haruo stared off with Fumiko. His animals provided cover for him, but little in the way of any offense. He analyzed her patterns and attacks. Their time in Atlantis gave him little insight in her powers, as they weren¡¯t together most of the time. ¡®I was under the impression from what I saw that she could only cast her magic through her hands, but I¡¯m not seeing that happening. She¡¯s creating magic circles in the air around her. Did her power evolve after the last fight against Glykeria?¡¯ He never learned much from the fight. Naturally, Fumiko became more of a recluse in their month-long stay after the fighting ended. He rarely saw her and her attitude made it clear she had little intention of being friendly with the rest of them. It made him curious to know why she changed so dramatically between when he first met her and after the fighting. It meant that he didn¡¯t learn anything about her. And Glykeria was even more mysterious and confusing to understand. He failed on several occasions to try to figure the girl out. It left him with no useful knowledge, not that he expected to have to fight against her later. If he ever had to fight with her later on, he wanted to plan around her powers. He summoned several more wolves as flames consumed more of them. Their size diminished greatly from the standard ones he used. However, he just needed to keep her busy. ¡®I practiced summoning these animals often, this much doesn¡¯t seem to have an effect on me anymore. It¡¯s not like with Teris. However, I¡¯m still no closer to understanding why their size varies so much. I can¡¯t find any consistency.¡¯ Their battle dragged on with little progress made by either. But it started to be something he noticed. ¡®I¡¯m barely holding her back, but I know she¡¯s not limited by this. I¡¯ve heard Seiji tell enough stories to know this is not her limit. Why isn¡¯t she making a more pressing offensive?¡¯ Haruo looked around the area wondering if his answer lay elsewhere, such a hidden attack. Nothing stood out to him. She didn¡¯t seem to be up to anything. All around students in black uniforms, mixed with outsiders, had become almost a wave of death. They swept through many of the defenders with ruthless efficiency. They had coordinated attacks and teamwork. ¡®I don¡¯t recall them acting like this the first time I saw them fight. What¡¯s changed?¡¯ ¡°Stand still you coward!¡± yelled Saki, as she kept trying to connect with Tatsuya. Every fist she threw missed him. Her face twisted with anger the more that she failed. Dodging again with flawless precision, Tatsuya smirked a little. ¡°Given the strength of those punches I don¡¯t think that¡¯s much incentive to let you hit me.¡± He had to dodge again before she connected. Her speed was nothing to scoff at, despite his casual attitude. ¡°I¡¯m not a fan of sleeping when I¡¯m not tired.¡± ¡°Tatsuya! I¡¯m going to kill you when I get my hands on you!¡± ¡°Still not a reason to stop!¡± Yori still didn¡¯t understand it. Everything he saw in the way they moved should have had Tatsuya eating dirt. His movements weren¡¯t faster than Saki, but she still missed him with every attempt. ¡®What is it that he¡¯s doing to stay one step ahead of her the whole time? What is his secret? This is his power isn¡¯t it?¡¯ Catching her latest punch, Tatsuya grinned and delivered a swift counter to her face. It didn¡¯t seem to make her budge at all. ¡°Guess I¡¯m going to have to be more serious. I can¡¯t half-ass it with you, huh? Such a pain.¡± He wound up several more punches trying to move her but it was as if she was a wall. The last hit Saki caught with her free hand. Barely even marked up on her cheek from the barrage, Saki¡¯s eyes slid over to look at Tatsuya. ¡°You hit like a girl.¡± Nothing he did made any affect on her. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Fighting a losing battle of strength, Tatsuya only had bravado to hold himself up. ¡°And I thought I had at least graduated to womanhood,¡± he mocked. His legs complained to him along with his back to stop trying to keep up with Saki. ¡°You¡¯re nothing like Rheia!¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°A real woman!¡± Saki suddenly broke free from the power struggle. She disappeared from Tatsuya¡¯s sight and appeared in twin form striking him from two completely different directions. Blood coughed up from his mouth as he flew back. ¡°Damn!¡± His body slammed into the earthen wall of the ruined base. Smoke coughed up around his body. ¡°Tatsuya!¡± Yori yelled in surprise. Everything flipped in an instant. He never saw it happen. Not even a blur of Saki. Only at the end, he saw a shimmering around her body almost as though he was crossed-eyed and she was slightly out of focus. While he turned to try to assist Tatsuya, Saki appeared behind him. ¡°I¡¯d be more concerned about yourself, Yori.¡± She spun around, throwing Yori into the air with a wide kick. Followed up in an instant, she appeared above him spinning her leg down with her heel digging deeply into his stomach. Blood sprayed up from his lips dotting Saki¡¯s face. Yori crashed into the earth with a crater formed from his impact. His body screamed at him from the sheer force of the collision. He tried to move his body, but the earth seemed to take a hold of him. ¡®Damn¡­she¡¯s just too much for either of us¡­¡¯ Saki came to a landing next to him. Her fingers pressed together forming a wedge as she thrust down for his heart. Blood sprayed up across her face. The cold look from her light blue eyes held no emotion at that moment. However, it quickly changed when she looked closer. ¡®Damn, his barrier protected him at the last moment and deflected my hand enough to miss his heart.¡¯ She withdrew her hand from his chest leaving a bleeding hole in his lung. ¡°Don¡¯t think that¡¯ll be enough!¡± Saki pulled back for another attempt. A slab of earth flew at Saki knocking her off Yori before she could finish. ¡°Don¡¯t forget you¡¯re fighting me,¡± coughed Tatsuya, appearing out of the smoke. He wiped away the blood from his chin and walked back into the fight. Pulverizing the chunk on top of her, Saki didn¡¯t look much worse for wear other than a slightly dirtied uniform, though the black made it difficult to see. ¡°Your turn is next after I finish Yori off.¡± ¡°Get used to disappointment then.¡± He worked up a grin to keep his confidence on display despite his feelings on the matter. ¡®Damn Saki, since when were you so powerful?¡¯ Interrupting the fight, a siren blared with all of its might despite being damaged and barely producing the intended sound. However, Tatsuya immediately glanced around. He knew the signal. ¡®Black? Really, it¡¯s gotten that bad?¡¯ He didn¡¯t get much time to react as Saki closed in with both of them. Tatsuya intercepted Saki and flipped her to use her speed against her. Reaching behind him, he retrieved a strange looking weapon with a wide barrel. A yellow beam burst out of it the moment he pulled the trigger. The ceiling all around Saki came raining down even heavier than the rock he tossed at her. It completely buried her. ¡°That should slow her down¡­¡± Tatsuya lifted up Yori ignoring his wound and rushed out of the area. ¡°What¡­are you¡­doing?¡± asked Yori, trying to stay awake. ¡°Code Black has been given. We need to get out of here! Hiroshi¡¯s putting an end to this battle!¡± Hiroshi and Miyako fought back to back trying to keep the mob back. Nearly all of their men had fallen or retreated, by his order. They were the last ones standing. ¡°Get the hell out of here, Miyako!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be damned if I¡¯m letting you do this!¡± she shouted over punching with her good arm a close ranged kid. Her foe went flying into the mob. They slowed them down both a lot with all of their powers, but they struggled on together. He spun around evading a stone attack and protecting Miyako. ¡°I¡¯m in charge, dammit! Obey my orders!¡± ¡°To hell with your orders! There¡¯s no way I¡¯m leaving you behind!¡± ¡°Dammit, Miyako! I don¡¯t have time for this!¡± Knocking through some of the mob trying to make it to the exit, Tatsuya stumbled across Hiroshi and Miyako arguing as much as they were fighting the enemy. ¡°What the hell are you two doing?!¡± Miyako glanced over at the voice to find Tatsuya. ¡°Tatsuya! Good timing!¡± She pushed Hiroshi down to protect him from an attack that ate into her ribs. Blood quickly pooled up around the wound. Once it was over, she lifted Hiroshi up with one arm. ¡°Catch!¡± She tossed Hiroshi through the opening into Tatsuya ignoring the fact that he already carried someone. The incoming human cannon made Tatsuya duck and forced Hiroshi to eat dirt. ¡°What the hell, Miyako?!¡± ¡°Take him and get out of here! I¡¯ll handle the order!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t!¡± ¡°Someone needs to stay behind to keep them busy! Now go!¡± Hiroshi recovered quickly, but the mob already started to close the gap and turn towards him. He tried to push through and fight off the crazed mob. ¡°Miyako! Damn you!¡± Nothing would get him through and their lethality did not change just because he wanted back inside. Four shadows suddenly appeared behind Hiroshi. As he looked back, afraid he was surrounded, he saw Miyako¡¯s team, those closest to her. The men she took everywhere with her. They were all badly injured and looked like they could barely stand. Junichi pushed Hiroshi aside and used his size to break down the wall between them and their boss. Covering him, Jiro took aim with his finger firing off several quick bursts of purple-red light that struck down two students in the head. Shigeru slashed outward with his arms drawing blood as he finished their path to their boss. Yasuo forced Tatsuya and Hiroshi back towards the exit. ¡°We¡¯ve got this. We¡¯ll look after the boss.¡± Fighting against Tatsuya, Hiroshi tried to go after them. ¡°Let me go, Tatsuya! I¡¯ve got to be the one!¡± Throwing a wake up punch at Hiroshi, Tatsuya floored him in surprise. ¡°You¡¯re the leader, Hiroshi! You have to live and keep hope alive for all of these people! That is the responsibility you¡¯ve taken! I won¡¯t have you abandoning it just because it¡¯s gotten a little hard for you!¡± ¡°Tatsuya¡­¡± Hiroshi wiped his mouth a little, surprised to be lectured by Tatsuya. Inside the group, Miyako was annoyed at seeing her men around her. ¡°Jiro, Junichi, Shigeru, Yasuo¡­what do you think you¡¯re doing?! I told you to get out of here!¡± They all stood back to back around Miyako. ¡°Sorry, can¡¯t do that boss!¡± Junichi turned around to Miyako. ¡°Sorry boss.¡± ¡°What are you¡ª¡° He suddenly picked her up far above the heights of all the swarm around them. Junichi threw her over the crowd as she tried to turn around to grab after them. Her eyes filled with stunned shock to see the determined looks on her men. She knew what they planned. It was the same thing that she planned. ¡°You can¡¯t!¡± ¡°Commander Hiroshi!¡± yelled Jiro, ¡°Get the boss out of here! We¡¯ll be the bait!¡± ¡°Jiro! Stop it! Junichi! Shigeru! Yasuo! Guys!¡± ¡°Let us do this, boss. For you, who saved our lives. It¡¯s time we paid back our debt!¡± ¡°NO! You can¡¯t!¡± Tatsuya helped a reluctant, but finally accepting Hiroshi drag Miyako away. Once they were inside the escape tunnel, another quake ripped through the whole base. Explosions erupted everywhere raining down stone and debris upon everyone. The further they went into the tunnel the more the ground rocked until a single massive blast ripped through the gigantic hole burning everything. Chapter 300 - Rewind 3 A bright sunny morning, a fine start to the week. It couldn¡¯t be any better, unless it was the spring and the Sakura trees were in bloom. Even still, nothing made it better than today. The excitement and eagerness in the air was so palatable that it actually was infectious, though not necessarily in a good way. It is said that one¡¯s happiness can spread to another. However, the opposite was just as likely. One¡¯s happiness could cause sadness in another. In the case involved here, it was more jealousy or just annoyance. Someone shouldn¡¯t be that happy, especially a mature adult going on twenty-five. It was more as if he was a love struck teenager that just heard back from the girl he confessed to agree to on their first date. Worse, he was already married. He shouldn¡¯t have been so happy. No one understood it. He did try to hide it, but a grin so wide you swear his head would fall off made it a little too obvious. Though possibly more strange was that no one had really seen him like that before. ¡°I guess he¡¯s normal like the rest of us,¡± one commented. ¡°Well normal-ish. I don¡¯t think the way he¡¯s acting is that normal either.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to hear no end to his boasting now.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not really the boastful type though.¡± ¡°Look at that face, if that¡¯s not boastful pride what is it?¡± ¡°Nepotism, ugly reality,¡± someone just joining inserted. ¡°No, I heard she passed completely without any aid from him.¡± ¡°Damn, so she¡¯s a prodigy like him then?¡± ¡°No wonder they¡¯re married.¡± Not oblivious to the stares or comments as her husband, she leaned in a little towards him. ¡°Dear, I think your excitement is showing a little too much.¡± He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, still unable to contain him. ¡°Nonsense! I¡¯m glad to finally be able to be with you again! Why shouldn¡¯t I be happy!¡± It had been two years since they were apart. Well apart as much as one could be living together, but him working and her going full time to the university. A long time coming for him, he looked forward to this today for so long. It made her pleased to see him so happy for her, even though it did embarrass her all the attention they received. The man was dead serious about so many things, yet for her he completely flipped personalities. She considered on several occasions getting him tested for multiple personalities. But joking aside, she was happy to be with him as well. ¡°Even so, this is a professional environment.¡± ¡°Since when were you the stuffy one caught up on manners and protocol?¡± He laughed a little with other thoughts on his mind. ¡°I¡¯m the serious one, you¡¯re the outgoing one! That¡¯s why I fell in love with you!¡± He was only making things worse. ¡°Dear¡­this is Toyama Labs, one of the most well respected and pioneering medical research companies in Japan.¡± ¡°And now you¡¯re here too!¡± She sighed, he wasn¡¯t listening to her. It was actually surprising that he wasn¡¯t paying attention. Even at his worst in doting on her, he would still listen if he went too far. ¡®I never would have planned on this happening to him. I would have thought he¡¯d be more reserved around others. This is going to be a long first day¡­¡¯ Fortunately for her, they arrived at the security checkpoint, the second already. They took their secrets very seriously and monitored all activity of their employees throughout the building. Another point that surprised her for his behavior. Lifting her newly acquired security badge for the guard, he scanned her into the system. ¡°Tomiko Hayashi, you¡¯re clear,¡± the guard replied, waving her through the gate. The man held up her husband, scanning him in despite remarking that they had known him for two years. ¡°Clear, sir.¡± After they both passed safely through the gate, Tomiko started to turn to the right. However, Isamu stopped her. ¡°We¡¯re down this way, dear.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been assigned to the Sakamoto Team.¡± ¡°What?!¡± he exclaimed with his face completely melting. Chapter 300 ¨C Rewind 3 Laughing, Tomiko finished recounting the morning details around an outer door table in front of a local restaurant. Among friends, she stopped being the professional one. ¡°The look on his face was priceless. If I wasn¡¯t inside, I¡¯d probably have started laughing out loud.¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Kiku giggled while trying not to cough on her tea. ¡°No wonder Isamu looks so miserable right now.¡± She patted Isamu on the thigh trying to cheer him up. It was a little heartbreaking to see him look so sad after being so excited. The one-eighty he did would have given someone whiplash at his speed. ¡°I didn¡¯t have the heart to tell you, you looked so happy today. I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t say anything.¡± He poked his finger at his sandwich as though he was a child. Despite his intelligence and normally straight-laced attitude, he had a surprisingly immature side to him. ¡°I know I requested you for my team. Did they not get my request?¡± ¡°Did you really think they¡¯d allow a married couple on the same team, Isamu,¡± Hachiro reminded, ¡°For being so smart I thought you would have realized that simple fact.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that got to do with anything?!¡± She sighed a little disappointed that Isamu didn¡¯t understand. The two women laughed more between themselves. Switching topics, as she teased her husband enough, Tomiko zeroed in on Kiku and Hachiro. They sat together opposite of them at the table. The normal set up for them during their lunch get-togethers. ¡°So you two doing anything for your anniversary?¡± Immediately blushing with embarrassment, Kiku might have known Tomiko throughout their time at the university, but it didn¡¯t make her any less immune to her more intimate remarks. The question left her almost completely shut down. Tomiko grinned like a cat watching Kiku. ¡°You¡¯re acting like a schoolgirl still, Kiku. You two have been together for nearly as long as we¡¯ve been married.¡± She slid her eyes over to Hachiro checking him out for a reaction. ¡°You must be planning something special, six years.¡± It was hardly the first time she pressed them. Hachiro had gotten used to it more than Kiku, but he still found her nosiness to be a little annoying at times. ¡°I¡¯m grateful to you for what you¡¯ve done, but what we do is our business.¡± Pouting a little in disappointment, though more just giving him a hard time, she smiled again quickly. ¡°Aw, come on! We¡¯re all friends here! The two of us are finally through with university and you¡¯re looking for work. You only live once!¡± ¡°Private matters are private matters,¡± he replied stubbornly. ¡°You¡¯re so old fashioned!¡± She clung onto Isamu more intimately than most would have viewed as acceptable by more strict individuals. ¡°Society¡¯s more accepting these days to being open and free about your relationship, you don¡¯t need to hide it away in your apartment.¡± Her comment and act managed to make Hachiro blush a little now. ¡°And you could do with a little more restraint.¡± Tomiko giggled, pleased with her success. ¡°You¡¯re my friends. More than anything I want you two to be happy.¡± Another patient was admitted for whiplash. She flipped so fast it might have made the two fall out of their chairs. ¡°I know,¡± Kiku said, almost instantly recovered. A warm smile came across her face seeing the sincerity from Tomiko. She had a lot that she owed to her. It made her wonder if she would ever be able to repay her friend for everything she had done. ¡°Thank you.¡± Everything seemed to be back on track. The mood returned to a happy one without the teasing. Their meal could continue or so they thought. Suddenly, someone passing by the restaurant collapsed right at their table. The seemingly unconscious body spread out on the concrete quickly threw everyone outside into a panic. People screamed and panicked not knowing what to do. Others ran into the building looking for help. Kiku and Hachiro both looked over at their friends. It was barely even a seconds after it all happened that they ran out to the collapsed man trying to see what was wrong with him. Hachiro stood up with concern, but aware he could do nothing. ¡°Can you do something?¡± Isamu checked the man¡¯s vitals, turning him over with the assistance of Tomiko. ¡°I might have a medical degree, but my expertise isn¡¯t in the practicing area. Though I know enough to provide some help.¡± ¡°He¡¯s still breathing, though a little shallow,¡± Tomiko reported. ¡°He¡¯s sweating a lot and seems like he¡¯s burning up.¡± Then suddenly a deep groan came from the man¡¯s stomach, making all four of them sweat a little. ¡°¡­he¡¯s starved¡­¡± With Tomiko¡¯s help, they got him up to their table. Hachiro met with the restaurant owner as they rushed out. ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem to be in any danger¡­other than starving¡­¡± He quickly had to explain to them that the stranger was fine and no ambulance was needed. It took a few minutes of convincing which ended when the foreigner came back to reality with drool down his lips as the sight of food. ¡°Thank you!¡± he repeated several times in rough Japanese, as though it was the only thing he knew. He had a thick accent that didn¡¯t sound American for the few words of English they picked up from him, as side comments to the food. It took him several minutes of stuffing himself before he responded to anything external. He then looked over at Kiku, seemingly recognizing something familiar in her. ¡°Oh you¡¯re a foreigner too!¡± he responded in English to her. He quickly grabbed up her hands as though he had found his savior. ¡°I don¡¯t know any Japanese!¡± Kiku hesitated a little, he targeted unknowingly on a sensitive subject. ¡°¡­um¡­¡± Jumping to Kiku¡¯s aid, Tomiko separated the overly friendly man from Kiku. ¡°Kiku is Japanese.¡± The stranger didn¡¯t seem to understand why Tomiko said it, though it was in English. ¡°But she looks American.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter, are you feeling better?¡± ¡°Oh yes! Thank you very much! You¡¯re very kind for the meal.¡± Isamu had been rubbing his face the whole time trying to figure out the accent. He knew his English well enough from his college classes, but it was nothing like what he heard before. ¡°Are you American?¡± ¡°Oh no! I¡¯m British, I¡¯m just a tourist! I¡¯m surprised how good your English is, I haven¡¯t found anyone that understands me!¡± ¡°That explains it. How long has it been since you ate last?¡± He had to rub his chin a little in thought. ¡°Two days?¡± The reply received quite the surprise from the table. ¡°I couldn¡¯t get any meals and I was lost. Then the heat¡­I didn¡¯t know summers in Japan were so bad, it¡¯s nothing like England.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not always this bad, you just caught us at a bad time of the year.¡± The man looked around at the table realizing that he was out of place and didn¡¯t really belong. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for intruding on your meal. Thank you for the meal, how much was this?¡± Isamu and Tomiko declined. ¡°But I insist!¡± He dropped a couple thousand yen bills down on the table. Before any more protest, he bolted as his way of ensuring he paid. They all looked around at each other not completely sure what happened. Peace at least returned to the restaurant. Things no longer even seemed to notice that something occurred only a few minutes before. ¡°Strange man,¡± Tomiko commented. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Staring down the street for a moment, Isamu spoke, ¡°It¡¯s odd that he couldn¡¯t find food anywhere, even without knowing Japanese.¡± Hachiro nodded in agreement. ¡°I was thinking the same thing.¡± The British man disappeared into the crowd and broke through into the alley. He looked around the alley seeing that it was empty. A moment passed in silence as a beep sounded off confirming something for him. Then a ripple suddenly came out from his feet altering his appearance. ¡°¡­hmm, so those were the Hayashi¡¯s¡­ They might be ones I can trust¡­¡± Chapter 301 - Regretted Outcome As Seiji walked, he tried to think up what he would say. He needed to say something. The years it had been since the last time he saw her made it difficult for him to know what to say. It wasn¡¯t as though a simple ¡®Hey¡¯ was going to work. She left them because she had become fed up with everything. Their grandfather was too rigid and old fashioned and their father too capricious. Seiji knew how she must have felt. It wasn¡¯t as though he didn¡¯t have the same thoughts. Even having the same thoughts, he wasn¡¯t sure why he never acted on them. He hated dealing with their old man every day. All of the rules and structure weren¡¯t things for him. The man was too dead set on things going only his way. It made Seiji wonder how their grandmother ever could come to love such a man. He was impossible to deal with. Yet maybe, he wasn¡¯t so stubborn anymore. Maybe the new reality changed him as it did the others, just in a different way. Seiji didn¡¯t know. Though he wondered, he didn¡¯t really care about it too much. He had his own problems. The most immediate one stood in front of him. ¡®This is the place¡­what do I say?¡¯ It was the biggest question he had in front of himself, before even talking. He didn¡¯t even know what he should open with. He had lost track of the years. ¡®Will I still remember her? Will she remember me?¡¯ The question built into worry, something that shouldn¡¯t have even been a concern for him. Seiji had an unusual feeling nestled in his stomach. Everything he was used to doing was impulsive. He acted. He didn¡¯t think about the situation or consequences. It didn¡¯t matter to him. It was better to act and regret the act rather than not act and regret doing nothing. He lived in the moment as a true man should. At least that was what he believed. However, a true man wouldn¡¯t just stand in hesitation before the stairs. He should already be walking forward, but his legs were shaking. ¡®Why¡­am I afraid?¡¯ It was a feeling that he couldn¡¯t put clearly into words. It seemed too simple and yet it was all he had. He didn¡¯t know why, but he felt a little afraid for some reason. Mixed in with it were worries and doubts, but he was afraid. There was an odd certainty about it. None of it made any sense, but he was positive. He just couldn¡¯t explain it even to himself. The fact that he couldn¡¯t understand it himself only multiplied the feeling, as if feeding on his doubts. ¡°Dammit, man!¡± Seiji rammed his fist into his cheek with enough force that it made the wood of the apartment groan. ¡°Get it together!¡± Lowering his hand down, a red mark remained where he knocked some sense into him. All of the questions just fell out of his mind. It was empty. The way he preferred it. Seiji marched up the stairs to the destination. Though he cleared out the blockage in his mind, it seemed to start returning. And it was growing even stronger the closer he got. ¡®Dammit, hold it together.¡¯ Any sort of encouragement had little effect on his tidal wave of emotions. Nearly every part of his body seemed to be shaking as if someone was throttling a tree for an apple to fall. It made one of his steps miss and knocked him on his face. ¡®Why am I falling apart like this?! This isn¡¯t me! You¡¯re better than this Seiji! You decided that you were going to do it so stop it!¡¯ Another whack from his reliable fist pushed him forward again. The spell wouldn¡¯t last for long, but it got him the rest of the way. Unfortunately, the moment that he came to a stop in front of the door the feeling crashed into him like a ten-meter tall tsunami. It wanted to drag him away. His feet almost seemed willing to accept it. Only his stubborn determination to see it through held him in place, a few more punches kept him still. He was going to be black and blue before he even spoke to her. It seemed to take everything in him just to get his hand to the door to knock. Measuring his strength carefully, he didn¡¯t want to smash it down with his strength. Initially, almost non-existent, the second try was better if not a little too strong. He waited. And waited. Nothing. Another knock. Nothing once more. Knock a third time and same. ¡®Is she at work maybe? It is the afternoon now.¡¯ He tried again, finally having the strength. He couldn¡¯t stop anymore. He committed to it. ¡®I can¡¯t have wasted all of this effort on nothing¡­¡¯ Further attempts failed too. However, he just didn¡¯t want to walk away. ¡°Umm¡­¡± Seiji hesitated, trying to figure out his words, ¡°It¡¯s me, Seiji¡­mom¡­¡± He waited. A distant noise from inside the apartment leaked to his ears. ¡®Is that her? She heard me?¡¯ The waiting to see her became almost unbearable for him. He just kept hearing her moving closer. However, the feeling came back the strongest he had felt and worse it seemed to be multiplying with each second that passed. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. It paralyzed him on the spot. Everything came into question. ¡®Should I be here? She left us. Did she even want to see me? Is she just going to yell at me?¡¯ Seiji couldn¡¯t think straight. All he felt now was fear. It was no longer anything so peaceful or calming like a wash or a wave, even a tsunami. It was an oppressive depth trapped at the bottom of an ocean. All he could think about was one thing anymore. Run. It didn¡¯t make any sense, but in the next moment he had disappeared from the threshold. His legs took over command. He couldn¡¯t stop running. His heart pounded harder than he had ever known. It was worse than running until his muscles fell apart. He really thought it was going to jump out of his chest. It hurt. The door opened to the apartment revealing a middle-aged woman with completely disheveled light brown hair and an oversized pale blue shirt with sweatpants. Her eyes looked almost completely bloodshot with heavy lines. She looked around the hall seeing nothing. A thought seemed to pass through her. She ground her teeth. ¡°¡­tch¡­¡± The door closed quickly with a harsh slam. Chapter 301 ¨C Regretted Outcome Quickly, earth fell down behind him from the collapse. Everything was closed off. There was no longer a base. No longer a chance to save anyone. They could only move forward. In the wake of the explosions and quakes, silence accompanied everyone. No one had anything to say. Nothing to encourage in the face of more losses. Hiroshi held the rear position watching everyone ahead of him. His eyes especially focused on Miyako. ¡®Those men were more than just friends or gang members for her¡­they were family¡­¡¯ Killing friends and familiar faces was something he grew accustomed to doing. Most of them had, but Miyako never had to face it. He thought back to their first meeting. They had been on patrol in the neighborhood after their successful counterattack. Everyone was feeling more confident. Even he had a bit of a grin on his face feeling good that they could take the city back and end the nightmare. ¡®¡­maybe I can go back to being a student now¡­¡¯ However, thinking about such hopeful dreams had to wait. Tatsuya dropped into his side, having taken point. ¡°Trouble, Hiroshi.¡± All of his team came to a halt waiting on orders. Their familiar paranoia pulled in their ranks tightly to protect Hiroshi and monitor all angles. Hiroshi scanned in the direction that Tatsuya came from. ¡®Smoke? A fight¡­or worse¡­¡¯ He tilted his head over to Tatsuya. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± ¡°Looks like the Takako Faction found some non-aligned.¡± A chill went up his spine. It only meant one of two things. They had seen it far too often. Hiroshi hated how good he had become at digging graves. ¡°An extermination squad?¡± Tatsuya nodded in agreement. Everyone looked back at Hiroshi with a conflicted expression baked into their face. The same one he hid from them. ¡®I know how they feel. But there¡¯s no choice.¡¯ He stiffened his back and focused on the team. ¡°We¡¯re going to rescue them! I won¡¯t allow innocents to die in my city!¡± The conflicted looks disappeared immediately as they filled with Hiroshi¡¯s resolve. They all were ready. Hiroshi nodded pleased to their acceptance. He was hardly anyone to give commands as if they were a military, even though that was how they all saw it. ¡°Tatsuya split off with half the team and flank around to the west. We¡¯ll get them in a pincer attack. Be swift and don¡¯t hesitate.¡± ¡°I know, Hiroshi. I won¡¯t this time.¡± Tatsuya ran off with his group, already knowing to follow. They had all worked together long enough to understand the orders without specifics. Hiroshi arrived first at the scene, which only made it worse for him. He had to wait on the positioning knowing that people were being injured or killed while they held. It wasn¡¯t easy for any of them, but surprise and swift action was important. Once he saw the signal from Tatsuya¡¯s group, they charged in together. Distracted with their killing orders, Takako¡¯s squad didn¡¯t see them coming until it was too late. Their first volley killed most of them without even needing to close. It was the best way. Once alerted, they had to close to mop up the rest. The charge quickly swept through the remaining numbers. It was all over in only a minute. The way he preferred. Unfortunately, one still survived with a grave wound. The chaos left the girl missed by everyone. Hiroshi noticed though. He saw the murder in her eyes. It was the only emotion she had. ¡®Okano¡­Class 2-B¡­damn¡­¡¯ Pulling out a dagger from a belt hidden against his back, he quickly stabbed the blade through her heart. He watched the life slowly drain away from her eyes. ¡®¡­this is why I prefer killing them all at a distance¡­¡¯ Keeping himself together, Hiroshi wiped away the blood and sheathed it back before turning to meet those that they saved. He saw Tatsuya already giving aid to those injured. However, there was one that kept standing, refusing them all. She looked worse than all of them, soaked in her own blood. ¡®She¡¯s been holding them back almost entirely alone, protecting all of these people¡­who is she?¡¯ Hiroshi approached her, but slowed his pace when she noticed them. He could see how tense she looked. She was still caught up in the fight, her mind completely locked up. ¡°Hiroshi Kuroda, we are friends.¡± Nothing seemed to register with her. He tried to approach and she reflexively launched into an attack. His power activated quickly to bring her to a stop. It was the safest of the options he had to deal with her. The rest weren¡¯t very well suited to anything but fighting. ¡°The fight¡¯s over. Everyone¡¯s safe.¡± ¡°¡­fight¡­safe¡­protect¡­¡± ¡°Yes, you protected everyone. They¡¯re still alive, hurt, but alive.¡± ¡°¡­safe?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°¡­protect¡­¡± The woman collapsed almost immediately. He could see the look of relief on her face before she hit the dirt. It was a wonder she managed to stay standing for so long. Blood quickly started to pool around her. ¡®¡­they¡¯re like family to her, no one more important¡­and now¡­¡¯ Hiroshi respected the fierce loyalty that they shared with each other. It made them strong and capable. He could trust them with anything knowing that they could succeed. ¡®¡­how will she handle this¡­¡¯ * * * The deep buried remains of the Resistance base had become a crater. The entire underground filled in as the ground fell in. More than a hundred meters of earth buried the entire thing. A whole block was taken out just to deal with Takako¡¯s men. Smoke rose up from the settling blast site. Nothing moved. Light suddenly pierced through large chunks of earth. Waves of stone and earth moved, starting to hover. Pushing up more and more debris rose into the air eventually revealing a purple barrier. Once enough rubble was removed the barrier came down. Inside, Yumi, Saki and Fumiko stared at their surroundings unfazed. Those alive still grouped around Yumi awaiting her orders. ¡°Mission complete, return to the school. The Resistance is shattered, we can now move forward with our next plans.¡± Chapter 302 - New Leaf, Old Leaf Turmoil spun Miyako¡¯s thoughts around like a whirlpool. Reality phased out for her. All she could think about were Jiro, Junichi, Shigeru and Yasuo. Their sacrifice so that she would have to live on. It was difficult to accept. Rejecting reality, she returned to a better time, a time she felt more comfortable in. Years before Japan went to hell, Miyako¡¯s life was a simpler one. A comparatively simpler life, though most would likely disagree with it being anything but simple. Yet, against the backdrop of a merciless warzone of friends killing friends for no reason, it was simple. It was still a bloody affair and a warzone, but nothing so cold or pointless. Miyako, age seventeen, had considered skipping classes, but elected to stay. Old habits certainly died hard, as the saying went. It was hard some days keeping it together. Especially the looks from the rest of the class. They mixed between confusion and fear, not knowing when she would jump up to surprise them all that she was just faking the whole thing. But it wasn¡¯t fake. It was the truth. As much as none of them believed her. It didn¡¯t stop her from pushing the path that she took. She even got it from those that she thought she trusted. But the truth showed her who she should trust and who not. It became very clear quickly. Walking away from her high school, she saw a group of rough appearing boys all with overly confident looks and a chip on their shoulder. They were the type that she really couldn¡¯t stand. They were simply looking for any way to make a name for themselves. Between her decision and the fact that she was a woman, they thought she was an easy target. They just assumed it. The other students stayed away from the group making an effort to cross completely to the other side of the street just to avoid them. However, Miyako wasn¡¯t one to be intimidated. And her old life was a difficult one to escape. ¡®We¡¯ll see how resolved they are for this¡­¡¯ As she passed around them, she gave them a deathly glare that would chill even the most experienced street brawler. For a second, it seemed like they might have decided to back out of their foolish and childish plan. But one didn¡¯t get the message from Miyako. He stepped forward still planning to carry out their goal. One of his friends grabbed him by the arm trying to stop him. ¡°Hey man, maybe we shouldn¡¯t do this.¡± Ripping his arm free, he looked back incredulously at his supposed friend. ¡°We¡¯re doing this! You know the score. Everyone¡¯s talking about it.¡± ¡°Yeah, but she¡¯s the Eighty Deaths, leader of the Blood Lotus Gang!¡± ¡°Former leader,¡± he corrected, ¡°And former gang. Neither exist anymore, she¡¯s just a lone high school girl.¡± Their voices were hardly quiet, but Miyako just ignored them. Yet her menacing presence just from her back never quit. It had the rest of the group trying to talk the headstrong fool out of his insanity. ¡°But none of the gangs mess with her. There¡¯s a reason for why they all stir clear of her, even now!¡± ¡°Are y''all a bunch of spineless bastards? She¡¯s forfeited her territory, it¡¯s anyone¡¯s for the taking!¡± ¡°But no one wants it! They¡¯re still afraid of pissing her off!¡± ¡°C¡¯mon let¡¯s just go. No one will think any less of you, man.¡± ¡°To hell with all of ya! I don¡¯t need any one of ya to take her down! Her head is mine and then I¡¯ll be the new legend in this city!¡± The moment he said that, Miyako came to a stop. His friends took several steps back already wanting to run away, but only sticking around due to misplaced loyalty. Miyako merely tilted her head over her shoulder to glare back at the idiot. One look of just her right eye locked straight on him was enough to make him piss himself. ¡°¡­on second thought¡­maybe you¡¯re right¡­guys¡­¡± Peace returned to the streets. It wasn¡¯t the way she wanted to start her afternoon. School tired her out, still not completely used to a full day. Thoughts of homework and career planning spun around in her head making her almost wish for something to ram her fist into, even just to break the stress. Not an easy course, she knew, but she was determined to hold it. Not that her past would ever leave her alone. ¡°Boss! Boss!¡± shouted a familiar, yet tiring voice for Miyako. She looked ahead of her to see Takayuki with several others. He waved her down completely ignoring any sort of social courtesy. Once he closed the distance to meet up with them, she reprimanded them for their behavior. An unruly lot even after the disbanding. ¡°How many times do I have to tell you, don¡¯t call me boss anymore. I¡¯m just Miyako. I¡¯m not Eighty Deaths or any of that stuff anymore.¡± It was something that they never seemed to learn. Old habits again. ¡°You¡¯ll always be our boss, boss!¡± ¡°Morons, I quit that life. You don¡¯t need to follow me anymore.¡± ¡°None of that matters to us!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll follow you regardless if you¡¯re running the gang or not!¡± Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. She was sighing so much, she wondered if she already lost ten years off her life. ¡°You guys¡­¡± ¡°Boss¡­¡± They had very determined expressions. Naturally, it wasn¡¯t the first time they followed her after she made her decision. It might have only been a week since, but they kept at it. She had grown tired of trying to convince them out of their stubbornness. ¡®I¡¯ve lost so many hours of my day trying to lose them. I should just accept that I can¡¯t rid myself of my old life so easily.¡¯ Miyako stared at them. Determined as they were to follow here, it could only last for so long. ¡®They¡¯ll get bored and realize that I¡¯m not going back. This is my new life¡­ It¡¯s what I¡¯ve decided¡­¡¯ Chapter 302 ¨C New Leaf, Old Leaf Making the decision seemed hard at the time, but it was actually the easiest part. Once she left the life she had known for so long, she found that she had time for so many other things. Things that were important to her new life path. Ones that her boys didn¡¯t seem to grasp fully. She looked back at them with a slightly tilted expression to match the befuddled looks they were giving her. ¡°What?¡± ¡°What are you doing here, boss?¡± She looked back up at the sign. It shouldn¡¯t have been very hard for them to figure out. ¡°That should be obvious. I need some books from the library.¡± The boys exchanged strange looks back and forth to each other. Despite following their boss for the last week, anything they did was actually fruitless. It was mostly running around after her. So they really never knew what she was planning. ¡°A library? Have you ever been to a library before, boss?¡± Further uncertainty went around the group. ¡°It¡¯s just a library,¡± she said with unfounded confidence, ¡°What¡¯s there to be worried about? It¡¯s just an oversized bookstore.¡± Despite her certainty, they still showed doubt. She wasn¡¯t about to stop by them. She started to the front door. The ribbon on her school uniform bounced with her heavy stride and reminded her of a different matter. Tilting her head back, she checked out all of them. Any reservations that they had didn¡¯t matter. They planned to follow her. ¡°Clean up your appearance a little, guys. I know most of you don¡¯t attend school, but you look like a bunch of street punks.¡± They looked back at her a little surprised to be hearing her say that to them. A few glanced around at each other trying to gauge their appearance. It all seemed appropriate for them. It was a little flashy and made them stand out. They enjoyed the wild look and it made them easy to spot by other gangs that wanted to pick a fight. ¡°But we are street punks, boss.¡± ¡°Oh¡­right, I guess you are. Well then I guess try to look less like you¡¯re spoiling for a fight. I don¡¯t want any trouble in the library.¡± ¡°Yes, boss!¡± They all became unnaturally stiff as though soldiers under inspection by their commanding officer. Another sigh. ¡°You look even worse now.¡± She waved her hand at them, as she walked into the building. ¡°Just don¡¯t look at anyone and try to not draw attention.¡± ¡°Boss!¡± Unfortunately, that was an impossibility. She did her best to look like she didn¡¯t belong to them, but they followed her around like baby chicks. It was hard for people not to assume they were with her. Though she still received a lot of strange looks. A bunch of rough looking boys stalking a normal looking high school girl probably had them thinking that they should call the police to save her. ¡®If they¡¯re going to be doing this, I¡¯m going to need to fix them up. This is more trouble than I need right now¡­¡¯ Digging through the aisles, she searched each one quickly before moving on. The boys just watched her in silence. None of them really knew what she needed for obvious reasons, as they never asked her. And she had a determined expression like she wanted to do it alone. So they just followed. After five minutes of repeating the same twenty aisles, one of them spoke up. ¡°Boss? What are you searching for?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± she paused on the current aisle frantically searching it a little longer than she had before. Though she did hear the question, she kept looking at the aisle intently. ¡®Has to be here¡­where the hell is it?!¡¯ ¡°Boss?¡± ¡°What?!¡± snapped Miyako, glaring back at the group. It made them all step back a little, a familiar expression started to appear in her eyes. Old habits really do die hard. ¡°Um¡­what are you needing?¡± ¡°Huh? Books, of course!¡± Not really the answer they were wanting. The obvious reply actually made them sweat a little, as they were seeing an unusual side of their boss. ¡°¡­study¡­guides¡­¡± ¡°Boss?¡± ¡°I said study guides!¡± Her voice rang through the wing of the library they placed themselves into for the search. It drew up the attention of everyone, turning her face red quickly. Anger covered up embarrassment until she deflected it back at them. ¡°Look at what you did!¡± She barely controlled her voice. In a surprising bit of common sense by her boys, they led her away from the bookshelves out to a corner of the library. Isolated from all of the tables where people gathered, they would not disturb anyone. ¡°Study guides, boss?¡± ¡°Yes, exams are coming up soon, not to mention I don¡¯t exactly have the best attendance record right now.¡± Miyako¡¯s face turned a little redder. They continued to see sides of their boss they never knew even existed. She wasn¡¯t the person that they knew. ¡°This is the only way I¡¯m going to pass at this point.¡± ¡°But can¡¯t you buy those at a bookstore?¡± ¡°Yeah, I know I¡¯ve seen some of those bookworm types saying they go there for them!¡± Crossing her arms up, she turned a little away from them and leaned back against the window frame. ¡°I know that already. But it¡¯s not like I have spending cash just lying around. They aren¡¯t cheap, you know!¡± ¡°Boss¡­¡± They had all sort of forgotten her situation. It wasn¡¯t something they dug in too deeply. They just knew the minimum that she was willing to talk about. They were all still teenagers, but she was the only one of them without the same sort of support they had. ¡°The library¡¯s free, right? So I should be able to study here. I see plenty of those nerdy types in the school library all the time.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have gone to the school library? They probably have the guides or books you need to study available for you.¡± Miyako turned around completely to stare out the window. It was nothing so simple unfortunately. ¡°That¡¯s not an option.¡± She balled up her hand, pressing it against the pane. She never imagined how much she would end up regretting her past actions. ¡°Boss?¡± ¡°I sort of got banned from the school library.¡± ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°Some punks from East thought they step on our turf and I showed them the error of their ways.¡± Pride came out in her voice, despite also having sadness mixed into it. ¡°Well we¡¯ll help you find what you need, boss! Right, boys!¡± They all started to get excited, finally able to do something for their boss, even if it was something so boringly mundane as searching for a book. ¡°Forget the books.¡± Miyako suddenly pushed off from the window and marched down the hall. Purpose suddenly painted over her face. The new Miyako disappeared. None of them knew what happened to change her mind. They knew the look she had. ¡°Boss?¡± Rushing to catch up, they walked around her flanks trying to figure out what was on her mind. ¡°There¡¯s something I need to do.¡± It had no more of an answer for them than the last thing she said. Anymore seemed to be impossible to get out of her. Her mind locked on to the target she found. Outside the window Miyako stared at, there were five street punks. Four of them were ganging up on one out in the middle of the street with no care for the scene that they started. The four boys all had familiar looks. Chapter 303 - Hot Blooded Meetings ¡°Hey boss!¡± called Takayuki, leading the group on her left. They made it out of the library and around it before she even looked at them. Even then, none of them knew exactly what to make of it. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± It was an all too familiar expression, but with no reason. ¡®She¡¯s left it all behind, so why is she looking like she¡¯s going into a fight?¡¯ Around the library, Miyako came to a stop facing five boys roughly looking to be about the same age range as them, so high school age. They were all gathered up on the street making it impossible for anyone to pass. Bystanders on the opposite side of the street mostly just ignored the scene, but glanced out of the corner of their eye, as was usual for those curious yet wanting to stay uninvolved. Unfortunately, being a fairly busy street it was hard for anyone on their side of the street to pass without becoming entangled in the conflict. Some just turned around looking for a different way, while others ended up frozen, not sure how to deal with the violence likely to come. Takayuki immediately realized what had dragged her out of the library. He walked up to Miyako, standing a little in front of her. ¡®Is she planning on fighting them? But why? She doesn¡¯t want to be involved in these things anymore. She even just frightened those overstuffed punks back at her school, when she normally would have just painted the pavement in their blood in the past.¡¯ Making the choice for her, he tried to approach, but was stopped by Miyako. ¡°Boss?¡± ¡°I thought I told you to stop calling me that, Takayuki!¡± She walked up to the group. Four against one, hardly fair odds to say the least. However, it wasn¡¯t the odds she cared about. She easily did twice that many at times. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing picking on someone that can¡¯t even fight back?¡± she bellowed in a deep voice, that unnerved the normal bystanders expecting something different from a school girl. One of them tilted their head back, surprised that anyone had the balls to interrupt them. ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Hey Junichi, focus man! Ignore the chick.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± He crunched his knuckles to be winding up for another beating. ¡°Lessons are important.¡± The unfortunately bullied boy nearly spread out over the sidewalk already had a bloodied and bruised appearance from all of their beatings. Junichi didn¡¯t seem to be interested in stopping. They just ignored her. That part bothered Miyako a little, but wasn¡¯t the real reason. She stepped up stretching out her hand for Junichi, the large size of the boy didn¡¯t even make her hesitate. Size never mattered at the end of the day. She could drop any one of them. Unfortunately, Takayuki stepped in between the two of them. ¡°What the hell, Takayuki! What are you doing?¡± He knew that look just like everyone else did. It was the one that you didn¡¯t step in front of if you didn¡¯t want to be visited upon by unearthly pain. The sight that made any of them turn blue with fear. It made their enemies flee when her name didn¡¯t do the job alone. It was the reason they were so feared and well known among the gangs. And he stood in front of it. Yet even though he knew all of that, he managed to hold himself together. ¡®I¡¯ve seen her like this too many times to know this is a bad idea. But I¡¯m not afraid. Why? I don¡¯t understand it, but I know what I have to do. We all want her back, but this just seems wrong¡­ I¡¯m a fool¡­¡¯ Takayuki grabbed a hold of Miyako¡¯s wrist that planned to start a fight on behalf of some stranger they knew nothing about for reasons they knew nothing about. ¡°Boss.¡± ¡°Takayuki, do you know what you¡¯re doing?¡± The severity just jumped another level in her expression. It made him grind his teeth. He felt like he was trying to stop a bullet train with just a stick of bamboo. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t be stopping her. I know this, but I can¡¯t¡­¡¯ Facing down that look should have made him run in fear. Takayuki held his ground though, despite it all. ¡°I should ask you the same thing, boss. Do you know what you¡¯re doing? What this will mean?¡± ¡°What the hell are you talking about?¡± ¡°I¡¯m saying, this isn¡¯t your place to be in anymore! You¡¯re out of this life now! You can¡¯t just step back in whenever you feel like you want. You¡¯ve made your decision on the course you want!¡± ¡°Takayuki¡­out of the way when you don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about!¡± ¡°No. I do know! The boss I know isn¡¯t so weak-willed as to give in when she¡¯s made her decision!¡± Miyako snapped out of her rage upon hearing his berating. ¡®¡­damn¡­he¡¯s right¡­I made a choice to leave all of this. If I do this I¡¯ll just be dragging everything I¡¯ve done through the mud. But I can¡¯t just ignore this¡­¡¯ He could see that he finally got through to her. This wasn¡¯t her fight. Takayuki pushed her back, which surprised her as much as the rest of the gang. They had not really known him to be so bold. ¡°Let us handle this, boss! I know what you¡¯re thinking!¡± ¡°Us?¡± sounded off several of the group, a little confused by Takayuki¡¯s declaration. They weren¡¯t really sure what he was planning. It was nothing that involved them. They had no business getting involved, especially not associated with any gang anymore. Annoyed by the interruptions and unwelcome presence of strangers, Junichi turned around again. ¡°Shut the he¡ª¡° He didn¡¯t get a chance to finish before started to eat a fist. The weight of the punch stunned him, along with not expecting someone to go against him. But it didn¡¯t bring him down, as Takayuki might have hoped. Regardless of whether it was successful or not, Takayuki made his point and stand clear. The rest of his group could hardly stand back and do nothing. They moved quickly to support Takayuki, who was already starting to receive the vengeful gazes of the other three. ¡°There¡¯s the difference between making your point and just torturing someone! If you¡¯re just looking for some blood, then we¡¯ll be more than happy to take out a donation from your hides!¡± While Junichi recovered himself and wiped away the blood from his lip, the other three stepped in taking up sides around him. ¡°So we¡¯ve got some would be heroes,¡± remarked one of them. ¡°Let¡¯s show them, Jiro!¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Yeah, Yasuo. No one messes with Black Gate!¡± ¡°You got the one of the right Shigeru!¡± ¡°¡­guys¡­¡± Chapter 303 ¨C Hot Blooded Meetings Finished, both parties called it after thirty minutes. Takayuki¡¯s group came out the worse from the exchange, even though they did succeed in driving them off. They made it more trouble than they wanted to deal with. Bruised and bloodied, Takayuki and the rest leaned up against the wall in an alley keeping the way clear. They had dragged most of it out from the broad daylight. Though noise came out from all of their fighting along with yelling and pain, life in the sun could resume to some degree. Miyako helped them all up and walked them through the back alley to get them out of the area. If they stayed too long the police would probably show up. It sort of surprised her that no one called before, but they were probably too afraid of what sort of retribution would happen if they did. They just pretended it didn''t happen. Miyako kept her fights out of the public, unlike that foursome, gang fights were supposed to be only be with gangs. Getting it to spill out into the light should never happen, not that others followed her personal code. A few blocks away, they all stopped in a park. It gave them a place to rest. She knelt down to look at Takayuki, who looked the worst for taking on the brute named Junichi. ¡®While he knows his way around a fight, he was never one to just take it straight head-on. Dumbass¡­¡¯ Miyako ripped off her tie to try to tend to some of the blood. ¡°What were you thinking? That I¡¯m just some helpless girl now that needs other people to fight for her.¡± Coughing a little, his body felt so much pain. It had been a while since he had been in such a rough fight. Miyako handled so much of their fighting that they never had to worry about a drag out fight. ¡°You know why, boss. It was the same reason that you had.¡± ¡°Bastard¡­¡± she cursed, frustrated with herself. ¡®I couldn¡¯t do anything. They fought for me when that should have been me. No one would have been hurt other than those that should have been.¡¯ Takayuki could see the stress building up in her eyes. She cared about all of them still even as much as she tried to throw them all off. ¡°We¡¯ve all made our choices, boss. This is your choice and you must follow it, no compromises. That isn¡¯t who you are.¡± Grinding her teeth together, she had trouble controlling the anger coursing through her muscles. ¡°Damn you, you know me too well.¡± Grinning a little, he knew it was how it needed to be. ¡°You¡¯ve chosen to stand in the light now boss. We will stay in the shade where we belong. You can¡¯t step back, we¡¯ll carry now what you¡¯ve have for all this time.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t something you need to do, Takayuki.¡± ¡°Perhaps, but we want to. You¡¯ve looked after all of us, boss. We can return the favor now.¡± Miyako rammed her fist into the grass, frustrated with her own inability. ¡®I wanted out of it all, because I realized that I needed something more than just blood and breaking bones. They call it a normal life, what you¡¯re supposed to do. I just needed out from it all. All of the blood¡­but if it is going to be like this¡­¡¯ ¡°Don¡¯t give up, boss.¡± Lifting her head, she looked over at Takayuki, who seemed to pick up on her doubt. She wasn¡¯t known for showing her emotions, other than anger, naturally. She hated weakness, but it was all she felt in such a situation. It surrounded her like an ocean. ¡°Takayuki¡­¡± ¡°You can be better than us. Most of us never finished high school. We¡¯re too dumb or just didn¡¯t care. We made a choice, even if we didn¡¯t think of it as one. Do what we can¡¯t, because you¡¯re better than us. Boss.¡± It was difficult to counter what he said. She had made the choice to leave it all behind and now thought about breaking that promise she made to herself. ¡®Only a week and I¡¯m already having second thoughts. When did I get to be like this?¡¯ Miyako clenched her fists up knowing the course she had set. It was the only thing she could do. ¡°Since when did you start talking back to me, Takayuki? Who do you think you are?¡± Laughing, Takayuki was pleased to see her looking more resolved. ¡°I was your right hand.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± * * * The next day after school, Miyako exited with the expectation to find Takayuki and the rest of the crew with him waiting on her. They were nowhere to be seen. She looked around feeling a little lonely, surprisingly, without them stalking her. It was what she wanted. ¡®I¡¯m glad¡­the way Takayuki was talking back to me. They can stand on their own now. They don¡¯t need me. I can focus on my path¡­¡¯ A melancholic smile came across her face as she walked to the library. However, she only made it halfway there before some strangers looking for a fight blocked her path. Unlike the cocky boys that didn¡¯t know better, these had hardened looks in their faces. They knew the life better than those wannabes. She didn¡¯t miss a step despite their gazes at her. ¡®They have nothing to do with me. I¡¯m out¡­¡¯ Out or not, they didn¡¯t seem to know. They grabbed her by the shoulder and squeezed tightly pressing muscle to bone as she came in range. ¡°You the leader of those weaklings?¡± the older teen asked, trying to confirm something. She didn¡¯t even flinch when they invaded her space and tried to strong-arm her. ¡®If I just give them the standard death stare, that should make them back off. I don¡¯t need a fight.¡¯ Miyako put everything she had in it, knowing how battle hardened they looked. Just her usual stare wasn¡¯t going to be enough. It didn''t always work for her in a fight, but it usually did enough to unnerve those that didn¡¯t piss themselves on the spot. Her patented death stare seemed to have no effect on them. In fact, it actually seemed to make things worse as they knew that she was willing for a fight. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the look. She¡¯s no normal school girl.¡± He worked to try to crush her collarbone from his oversized hand. ¡°As the leader of those weaklings, you¡¯ve got to pay for the responsibility of them.¡± Miyako flashed a little confusion in, not getting to the point that they were trying to make. However, her mind quickly reached the natural conclusion. ¡°Your members from the Black Gate. Come to pay for your boys, is that it?¡± ¡°You catch on fast, girlie. We¡¯ve already taken out our full payment your men earned for their boldness yesterday. Now you¡ª¡° ¡®Full payment¡­¡¯ The death stare in Miyako suddenly flipped. Cold emptiness replaced it. The bruiser trying to play at intimidation flipped on his back in an instant before he finished his sentence. Miyako stared them all down. ¡°Now you¡¯ve earned my wrath!¡± She finished all five of them off so fast that there was hardly even a scene. Anyone passing by just thought that she laid down self-defense on a group of boys trying to assault her. It only took her another few seconds to get the weak one in the group to spill where they attacked Takayuki¡¯s group. ¡®Dammit!¡¯ she cursed, as she ran through the blocks to try to reach them. It was already too late to stop it, but they didn¡¯t look like the sort to just leave them a little beaten. She didn¡¯t know how far they would go and feared for it too. Miyako slid around the corner of the final turn and came to their former base, an abandoned construction site. She slowly walked in looking everyone for any signs of her men. ¡®They¡¯re here somewhere¡­just don¡¯t be¡­¡¯ Eventually, she found blood dried and soaked into the earth. Following it, the signs only got worse. More blood and trash thrown about everywhere. The whole place had been ripped apart. And then she found them. Most of them looked passed out, she hoped, they didn¡¯t seem to be moving or making a sound. Blood covered them along with knife wounds. ¡°¡­dammit!¡± Rage boiled up in her chest at the sight. One of the boys coughed, signaling that they were still awake. Miyako rushed over to them trying to check on them. He looked up into her eyes. ¡°¡­sorry¡­boss¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine! Don¡¯t talk. I¡¯ll call¡ª¡° ¡°Takayuki, he fought them for all of us¡­but he¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± Miyako tried to keep them from talking, but they seemed to have only managed enough to report to her before falling over. She hung her head thinking about all of them. Her body felt on fire. Standing up, she looked around to find everyone, but she still didn¡¯t see Takayuki. He wasn¡¯t anywhere outside. Miyako found the only completed room, which they used for their command room. Blood was all over the door and over the floor. She looked in to find two that she didn¡¯t recognize just left behind. And then she found Takayuki. Mounted to the wall with stray pipes through his arm and chest. She had trouble looking at him. ¡°¡­Takayuki¡­those bastards¡­they did this¡­¡± Miyako couldn¡¯t contain her anger anymore. ¡°I will make them all PAY for this!¡± Chapter 304 - Repayment ¡°I will make them all PAY for this!¡± Is what she said, however, she thankfully had a little more intelligence about her. Prioritizing their health over immediate revenge, she called for an ambulance. She might have been completely enraged with what she saw, but they still were more important to her. Waiting though was the worst feeling for her. She paced around the hospital hall for a while. Even though she was dressed as a normal high school student, the look she gave them all left everyone off balance. They knew to keep their distance from her. Miyako took a break from the endless wandering knowing it was about as useful as screaming her vengeful words into the empty hall. ¡®Damn it¡­I know most of them can¡¯t be at risk, but Takayuki¡­as he was when I found him¡­¡¯ She looked up towards the end of the hall to the ICU. Takayuki had been in there long past the time some of the others finally woke up. ¡®¡­if he dies¡­if he dies¡­¡¯ It was difficult to finish the thought, just left to repeat for her. The entire time she waited, she saw no doctors or even nurses exit. She didn¡¯t plan to miss if any of them exited. No one else would tell her anything about Takayuki''s condition. They were either too scared to speak or really didn¡¯t seem to know anything. His life hung in their hands. Afternoon long passed into night. She had forgotten about time. She never knew when it was when she finally saw someone come out of those seemingly stuck doors. The unfortunate woman didn¡¯t know what was about to happen. Upon her in an instant, Miyako cornered the woman before she could even make it half way down the hall. Whatever her destination, it had changed. ¡°Tell me everything.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± the woman asked, looking like she wanted to crush her body into the wall to escape Miyako''s dark gaze. Slamming her hand up against the wall, Miyako had little patience for false ignorance. ¡°Don¡¯t give me that! I want answers!¡± Scaring the woman till she nearly pissed herself was hardly a smart approach. All it managed to do was shut her down further. She couldn¡¯t utter a word completely entrapped by fear. Miyako rammed her fist into the wall only centimeters away from the woman. ¡°If you don¡¯t start talking, things will start becoming more unpleasant than they are now!¡± The intensity in her eyes increased trying to force speech from a mute. As if a real mute, such things were impossible. Miyako got nothing out of her. The woman was just too terrified to respond. She likely had never seen anyone with such a look of wonton violence and even if she had, nothing stacked up. It was a natural human response. Creaking hinges from the door alerted Miyako, finding two more exiting, a man and a woman. The second before she acted, they were discussing something between the two of them with a grave tone. None of it registered to her. ¡°What the hell is happening here?¡± the woman asked just moments before Miyako pinned both of them up against the wall. A bit of clarity in Miyako realized that the woman had more of a spine than the man or the other woman. So she targeted her for questions. ¡°I¡¯ll be asking the questions! I want to know everything right now! How is he doing?¡± Put off a bit by Miyako, but clearly not paralyzed, she managed to keep her wits about her. ¡°Just like a child to threaten. You¡¯re not family, we¡¯ve got nothing to tell you even if you did bring him in.¡± The woman actually seemed to be doing it to spite Miyako more than anything from the look in her eyes. Unfortunately, that didn¡¯t work for Miyako. Swiping her leg out from under the man and dropping him painfully to the tiled ground, she pinned him under her shoe. ¡°You dare to provoke me?¡± Miyako took both hands to the woman¡¯s top. ¡°You want to see how childish I can be?¡± The woman surprisingly remained calm during the whole situation, despite being completely disadvantaged. ¡°You think empty threats are going to change anything?¡± ¡°I make neither threats nor empty ones,¡± roared Miyako, tightening her hold on the woman. Most would have considered it poor timing, but giving the situation it was actually perfect timing. Otherwise, Miyako would have delivered on her promise, she didn¡¯t make threats. Another person stepped out, a middle-aged man completely confused by the situation of a teenage girl manhandling the hospital staff. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± ¡°They jes keep comin¡¯¡± Part of her speech started to slip as she lost more control of herself. The man on the ground managed to pull himself out of his fear to answer. ¡°She¡¯s the girl that found all of those wounded boys. She¡¯s demanding we tell her the condition of the teen in the ICU.¡± ¡°I can see that,¡± he remarked from understanding the scene better. Coughing partly out of need, he found himself the one playing peacemaking to prevent the need to treat anyone else. ¡°While she might not be family¡­judging from her actions she seems to know them. It¡¯s not my business why a girl like you knows a bunch on the wrong side of a gang war, but I can say the boy is still alive.¡± ¡°He is?¡± She lowered the woman and let up her grip, finally getting answers. ¡°And he¡¯ll stay alive?¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°It¡¯s out of any of our hands now. We¡¯ve done all we can, it¡¯ll be up to him if he lives through the night.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Miyako turned to face the man directly, as he seemed to have all the answers. Getting a full view of her intense fury made the man choke back a little before he responded. ¡°He has a punctured lung and stomach and severe blood loss. Had you found him any later and he would have died. He seems to have a strong will to live despite his injuries. If he makes it through the night, then it¡¯s likely he¡¯ll recover. ¡°Takayuki¡¯s strong! He¡¯ll live, that¡¯s a promise!¡± ¡°The next few hours will be the most important.¡± ¡°Can I see him?¡± ¡°No, we¡¯re still heavily monitoring him for any signs.¡± Poor timing reared its ugly head. A ringing came through the hall. All of them looked back at the doors questioning what might have happened. ¡°Damn¡­¡± He turned around and ran through the doors followed up quickly by the rest of the staff. The ringing seemed to drain Miyako. She just stared completely lost at what was happening. She didn¡¯t feel it when more staff ran past her, alerted to the alarm. ¡®¡­Takayuki¡­¡¯ Chapter 304 ¨C Repayment Miyako didn¡¯t know when she returned home. It was all just a blur. She never saw the doctors or nurses again. She wasn¡¯t sure what she saw anymore. Everything just seemed numb. She didn¡¯t care about school in the morning or even breakfast. She took a short whole loaf with her and just walked out. Absent-mindedly, she carried through the streets with no direction. Her feet took her somewhere, but she wasn¡¯t aware of it. Nor was she aware of the stares she got. It wasn¡¯t her blank expression. Rather the fact that she still wore yesterday¡¯s uniform soaked with blood. She had the look of unearthing herself out of a war zone. Most just kept a wide clearance of her path. Bad luck continued, but delivered to someone else this time. By happenstance, Miyako blindly ran into four familiar faces. She didn¡¯t know it at that moment, but would soon enough. ¡°The hell?¡± barked Jiro. While in a fight two days ago, they all looked in good shape. Junichi stepped up as the wall to get into the face of the one that made the mistake of entering their path. ¡°Watch where yer goin!¡± ¡°Hey, Junichi wait,¡± interrupted Shigeru. He poked out around the wide Junichi. ¡°Isn¡¯t this the girl that tried to start something with you and had to get her men to fight for her?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh yeah! It is her!¡± Junichi leaned in trying to get a reaction out of her, but she did nothing. He didn¡¯t pick up on her condition, finding it to be insulting. ¡°She starts a fight with us and then sends others to do her work. She¡¯s got guts, especially after we dealt with her little weaklings.¡± Yasuo stayed back, not too interested in the girl. It was more Junichi that had a beef with her and others already dealt with her men, the ones that actually did something. She was just a small fry, especially a girl. ¡°Hey, wasn¡¯t she supposed to be dealt with yesterday? Did the boys miss her?¡± It took Jiro a moment, but he recalled what he had overheard. ¡°I heard Masuzoe¡¯s group was taken out.¡± ¡°Before they got to her? What gang made that mistake?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, just what I heard. But since it seems she never received what she was owed for trying to stop us, we¡¯ve got the chance now. Luck is on our side, I wanted to wipe that smug look off her face the moment I saw her.¡± ¡°Bad luck, girlie,¡± echoed Junichi, in agreement. He grabbed her by the collar of her uniform¡¯s jacket. Dragged off the street, no one seemed to notice or wanted to notice. Once out of sight, they threw her up against the wall of a nearby building. It was an empty alley only used for pick-ups, but no one was around. So it was a perfect place to teach her who had the right and who was in the wrong. Yasuo leaned up against the building watching the alley. He had the least amount of interest in beating up a defenseless girl. ¡°Orders are orders and she crossed us, but there¡¯s nothing fun in teaching a defenseless girl.¡± ¡°They¡¯re the boss¡¯ orders,¡± Jiro reminded Yasuo, ¡°You follow his orders or you receive punishment. It¡¯s the way things work.¡± ¡°Which is why I¡¯m watching the alley while you take care of the order. I know what happens to those that are punished.¡± Eager to start the teaching, Junichi cracked his knuckles. ¡°Then I get the first lesson.¡± Without any warning, he wound up a punch and smashed Miyako¡¯s face into the building¡¯s brick. Blood quickly started to paint the wall. ¡°Just remember, lessons are only remembered when still alive.¡± ¡°I know, Jiro! I won¡¯t kill her!¡± ¡°I only say that because you hit like a train and this is just a girl. She¡¯s not going to take the same sort of beating as her boys did.¡± ¡°I know, I know! But I¡¯m still making her remember not to stop me from a lesson!¡± ¡°Fine, teacher.¡± Jiro picked Miyako back up after the second punch from Junichi left her face down in the trash. He picked off the soaked bag stuck to her face to give Junichi a clean shot. Blood dripped from cuts along her cheek, lips and nose. Yet Miyako¡¯s eyes still seemed completely out of it. She felt none of the punches. She didn¡¯t know what was happening to her. The whole world completely disappeared to her. All she could hear was the repeat of the night before. None of the staff came out of the hospital hall from what she remembered. They just kept running in. A lot of them. She had lost count. They could have been cramming them all in until there was not even air for room for all she knew. They just seemed to have an endless supply. The ringing never stopped. She couldn¡¯t stop it. It was deafening still. Deafening. A loud ring suddenly completely overshadowed the noise. It was completely different from the one that blasted her mind for more than half a day. It was familiar. She knew it. It drowned out the other sound. Suddenly, she realized what she was doing. She was wasting her time. Her eyes opened for real and saw the punch coming in with enough time to dodge it. Junichi¡¯s fist painfully cracked up against the brick. Miyako blinked trying to figure out what was going on. But the ringing came back, the ring of her cell phone. ¡°A call?¡± She completely ignored the current situation. Digging out her phone from her skirt pocket, she didn¡¯t know the number, yet its name came up as the hospital. ¡°Takayuki!¡± She immediately answered the phone without another thought. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Is this Miyako Ibuka? The girl that brought in those boys yesterday.¡± ¡°Yes. What is it?¡± An uncomfortable feeling started to surge up in her body. It was fear. The fear that she knew what the call was about. Her mind immediately went for the worst possible outcome rather than the hopeful one. It was hard not to think that way. ¡°It¡¯s about boy named Takayuki Kano. I¡¯m sorry to inform you that he has passed away.¡± ¡°¡­I see¡­¡± Miyako¡¯s hand dropped to her side. The voice on the phone tried to reach her, but failed. Miyako stopped listening. ¡®Dead¡­dead¡­dead¡­DEAD!¡¯ ¡°Done with your phone call?¡± Jiro interjected, stepping in for a recovering Junichi. Miyako, unfortunately for them, was still awake rather than falling back into the void. She saw all of them. ¡°You¡­YOU!¡± her voice roared as her body came alive completely ignoring whatever injuries she sustained from Junichi. She seemed completely healthy the way she moved. ¡°You won¡¯t be enough! But it is a good place to start! You¡¯ll regret this war!¡± Chapter 305 - Identity Jiro managed to dodge the first punch thrown since she telegraphed it long in advance, due to her yelling. However, he had no idea how fast Miyako truly was when the second punch came in a split second later. He was prone on his back before he even realized what happened. Shigeru and Yasuo jumped in quickly to defend Jiro. But Miyako didn¡¯t even break. Grabbed up each in a separate hand, she dragged them up to the nearby wall and rubbed their faces against the brick before letting them go. Tilting her head over her shoulder, she locked on the last one, Junichi. He was still recovering from his broken hand. Miyako didn¡¯t even bother to wipe away the blood that dripped over her face. It merely added to her overall menacing presence. Junichi didn¡¯t even recognize the girl. ¡°Who the hell are you?!¡± Shadows came down over her eyes leaving only a little white from them to shine through. ¡°¡­just a normal high school girl¡­¡± Chapter 305 ¨C Identity Walking out of the alley, Miyako merely looked pissed more than anything now. ¡°Damn, they¡¯re loyal, not giving up their base location. I¡¯ll give them that much credit.¡± She began to look around for signs of any others that might have been a lookout. Nothing. However, she noticed the fearful looks that she was getting from just people passing by. She caught a glimpse of her face in the reflection of a store window to understand what had people so afraid. ¡°I¡¯m not going to get anywhere looking like this.¡± Finished washing her face, there was nothing she could do about the rest of her clothes. Between the old blood from the boys and her blood from when she was zoned out, it didn¡¯t look pretty. She took off her jacket, which helped to make it not look so bad, plus it gave her better mobility for the coming trouble. Miyako stepped back out of the park restroom to pick a direction for her search. ¡°I should have gotten more out of that weakling yesterday. Now I¡¯m going to have to find more of them and pump ¡®em for information.¡± She decided on her random direction and started to move. The Black Gate gang wasn¡¯t a name that she was familiar with, which meant one of two things. They were positioned outside of the area where she fought or they were too small to have any real presence. ¡®I didn¡¯t exactly have an interest in all of the different gangs in the city. Sort of regretting not trying to keep up with all of the politics now. Though that¡¯s probably why we had so many enemies. None of it really mattered to me.¡¯ Her gang, the Blood Lotus, had been a little haphazardly put together when she just started defeating a bunch of local bosses. They tried to hit on her and she took offense to their harassment and dealt out the necessary punishment. Since much of the gang world revolved around strength, people gathered up around her in no time. She had little interest at all in the underworld or the things they got involved in. ¡®It all seemed more like a bunch of kids pretending to be Yakuza rather than real gangsters. Some were certainly the real thing, but everyone that came to challenge me were just posers. Pretenders.¡¯ It was all a joke. It was probably the reason her neighborhood had so many ¡°gangs¡±. They all just wanted to be tough and pretend to be cool, but none of them really had any sense of honor or even purpose. ¡®They were closer to just a bunch of tough guys hanging out. It¡¯s not like I even wanted this sort of lifestyle anyway. I just fell into it by mistake, which is why I was able to make the decision to walk away when I did. It was a part of me during my middle school and high school years, but it had to come to an end. Just like them, I was pretending and I was done pretending.¡¯ Her search that day ended with no leads. She didn¡¯t know where to find them. They might have been stepping outside of their territory since she found nothing. She didn¡¯t know what it was. The only thing she could do was return to the hospital to visit the boys. Most were able to be discharged after being fixed up. Only two had to stay behind because their injuries needed rest. They all gathered up around Miyako bent down at the waist in a deep apologetic bow. ¡°Boss! We¡¯re sorry!¡± ¡°Dammit, you guys.¡± She caught the looks from other patients and the hospital staff. The scene looked like she was some daughter of a Yakuza boss with their men apologizing for their failure. They might start tried to commit ritualistic suicide in the next moment, was other¡¯s fears. ¡°Stop it! This is no more your fault than it is mine.¡± ¡°Takayuki wanted to keep you out of it. But because we were so weak¡­¡± ¡°Ugh, enough of the blubbering.¡± The sight of them helped to improve her mood a little. Entering the hospital reminded her of Takayuki and her failure. ¡®This is on me now. I can¡¯t get them anymore involved.¡¯ Miyako looked out to all of them. It was a strange lot, teenagers that put all of their trust and hopes on her, even if they did not say it or want it. ¡°You all keep off the streets and stay out of trouble for a while.¡± Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°Boss?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll handle this matter. I¡¯m the one that they want.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t, Boss!¡± They started to stop her recognizing the look in her eyes. ¡°This is our problem! Like Takayuki said!¡± ¡°No, I got this started because I couldn¡¯t leave well enough alone. I finish what I start and you guys won¡¯t stop me!¡± ¡°But¡­Boss!¡± ¡°Enough! I¡¯ve decided how things are going to be!¡± She pulled her arms free from their holds and separated from the group. It was her path to walk now. ¡°Don¡¯t follow me!¡± she warned, looking back at them. None of them were in any shape for the hell she was about to walk into. She didn¡¯t need to be taking them in with her. It was a little troublesome, but she did manage to free herself of their stubbornness to hold onto her. A new day arrived and another missed school day. She too quickly lost all of the ground that tried to build up. A week and it was all gone. They could talk all they wanted, but she had things to settle. Things to settle sounded all good and she had the attitude, but it didn¡¯t change facts. She had no leads on where to find Black Gate. All she could do was rely on others for information. The hole she fell back into had more than its share of trouble she crossed. She was a well-known name in her neighborhood, but it ended about there. Miyako found herself at one of the few places that still respected her name, even after her declaration. The halls of the Willows, a strange gang that just existed. No others really did anything against them. It was just something that seemed to have been that way since before she formed the Blood Lotus. She never got an explanation for it, just that it was what was expected. They didn¡¯t bother others and no one bothered them. She always felt like there was some sleeping dragon sort of feeling coming off them and everyone was afraid of them, but never found any proof. Even rumors were completely empty on why it was. Everyone just accepted the situation as is. Which made them the best group for Miyako to turn to, but she wasn¡¯t sure how they would welcome her. Once they knew what she planned on doing, they might just turn her away. She never knew how to read their boss. He was a difficult person to deal with. The two guards at the boss¡¯ door stared at her. They received the signal to open the door, but waited. One of them moved over to her. ¡°Remember any violence is forbidden.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be peaceful, so long as he is.¡± Her history with the boss was fairly well known with his guards. They let her in, but still clearly had some reluctance with it. Inside, she looked around the room on guard. ¡®He¡¯s here somewhere. I know he¡¯s got something planned. He always does.¡¯ Just as the doors closed, two arrows shot out at her. The first she caught and the other she batted away. She looked down to see they were as expected, fakes with just suction cups on the end and an annoyingly cheerful welcoming confetti ball tied begging to be opened. Just then, she felt something lightly hit her head. A white powder fell down around her head as she looked around in confusion. It didn¡¯t hurt, but she knew something happened. In her search, it fell off and she could see that it was just a chalk eraser rarely seen in schools anymore. Clapping came from a shadowy corner of the room. ¡°The classics are always the best, especially when I get to see that reaction on your face, Miyako.¡± A young man in his early twenties stepped out from behind a bookshelf, which seemed a little odd in a gang hideout, but this man wasn¡¯t an ordinary gang boss. ¡°Hideo Nakasato¡­¡± Miyako crushed the toy arrow in her hand. His jokes and toy traps were far too annoying to deal with at times. Especially with her mood right now. ¡°You never change¡­¡± ¡°So angry,¡± he grinned, walking over to his desk. He wore a suit and looked more the part of a company CEO rather than a gang member. Out of all of the gangs she met, he seemed the most like what the Yakuza would be like. However, even she admittedly didn¡¯t know what the Yakuza were truly like. She never met any of them. They never had any interest in a bunch of small fry gangs playing at gangsters. They were all just punks and kids in the eyes of the professionals. Hideo leaned back in his chair and threw up his hands as a sign of ending the hostilities. ¡°You never were too good about loosening up and I see that hasn¡¯t changed after you went back to just being a girl.¡± ¡®So annoying¡­¡¯ She had trouble with his type. He easily read into her, while she couldn¡¯t do anything about his nature. It was like dealing with a monkey, random and always looking play. Miyako always had to stay on guard against him. With a look like he held all of the cards, he stared at her with a wide smile. ¡°So what do I owe the pleasure of your company, Miss Miyako Ikuba?¡± ¡°I want information.¡± ¡°Information. For what would you come all the way to our little home and seek information?¡± The annoyingly knowledgeable grin continued to taunt her. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t have the answer sheets for the entrance exams.¡± Grinding her teeth, she knew that he knew why she came. It only made it more frustrating that he was forcing her to be more direct than she wanted. He knew the situation and played it to the fullest. ¡°Bastard, you know why I¡¯m here.¡± Laughing, he leaned back in his chair until it nearly knocked against the wall. ¡°Such vulgarity from a high school girl. Should you really be talking like that?¡± Miyako marched up to his desk and slammed her hands on the hard oak surface. The broken toy arrow slid towards him. ¡°Stop with the games, Hideo. Just tell me what I want to know.¡± He seemed to get a little more serious. Pulling forward, Hideo looked into Miyako¡¯s eyes. ¡°You¡¯re just a girl. A few games should be enough entertainment for you. This is a dark seedy place where you don¡¯t belong.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a girl!¡± Her hand pounded against the wood making it groan a little. Peaking his brow a bit, Hideo brought his hands up over his mouth in an overlapping style. ¡°Unless you¡¯ve hiding a big secret, I¡¯m pretty sure you are.¡± Her patience had a limit. It had already been long reached before she even entered the room. She only kept herself in control out of respect. But he had stopped respecting her. Miyako grabbed him by his collar, tie and all. ¡°Enough with the games!¡± ¡°Violence is forbidden, you know.¡± ¡°Then get serious and show me the respect I deserve!¡± ¡°Respect?¡± His grin never went away the whole time. It actually got a little wider at the mention of that word. Hideo unwound her fingers from his collar and leaned back into the chair. ¡°That¡¯s a funny word. You come in here asking for information and respect when you¡¯re just a no name girl off the street. What respect do I owe you?¡± She ground her teeth more as she retreated her position. It was worse than she thought. The point that he was making made things even harder. He was refusing her on an annoying point. Miyako stayed silent, unable to say anything to him. Hideo fixed his shirt after getting roughed up. ¡°Or are you someone else? Who are you?¡± Chapter 306 - The Dark Side of the Shadow Miyako didn¡¯t have an easy answer for him, even though she knew what he wanted to hear. ¡®He¡¯s holding up the information on a technicality¡­¡¯ Weight from her body pressed down on her hands. It felt too heavy. ¡°What does it matter? You know my past.¡± ¡°And there are few that don¡¯t know the name of Eighty Deaths around here. But is the name so cheap that you can use it whenever things get tough?¡± Hideo tried to belittle her name. She pounded her fists against his desk. ¡°Never! Don¡¯t you dare speak ill of me.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re Eighty Deaths now,¡± questioned Hideo, peeking up his eyebrow. Any amount of violence that she threatened against him made no impact on his mood. His face became more serious, dropping the playful smirk. It was no longer about jokes or teasing. ¡°There a problem with that?¡± ¡°And before you¡¯re the high school girl? And after that you¡¯re what?¡± Slamming her fists down again, she was getting tired of him harping on the same point. ¡®I¡¯ll become Eighty Deaths again if it means protecting them¡­¡¯ She leaned forward only a few centimeters away. ¡°Who I am is my business, not yours.¡± ¡°If you want my help it is.¡± Hideo could tell how far he was getting with Miyako. She was easily provoked and quick to violence. None of that had changed in dropping her position. It wasn¡¯t as though that was a surprise. But she still missed the point. ¡°You think you can just step in and out whenever you please. This world doesn¡¯t work like that. You¡¯re either all in or all out. You left and abandoned everything. That¡¯s what happens when one leaves, you give up claim to everything. You can¡¯t just pick it back up whenever you please like it¡¯s an old shirt.¡± ¡°My life is mine to do with as I please! None of you have any right to determine how I act!¡± Miyako pulled away, annoyed with looking at his face. She walked over to the shelves, needing something that was not his smug face to look at. ¡°It was people like you that dragged me into this world to begin with. I merely found a way to survive. So what right do you have to say how I live it? I never bent to any of your pressure in the past. What makes you think I will now?¡± ¡°You view this lifestyle as boys playing pretend, as though we¡¯re just playing house. You belittle our way of life. This world is not the sort of fake world you are led to believe. You¡¯ve been allowed to stay blissfully ignorant.¡± Miyako tilted her head back over to Hideo. ¡°Ignorant?!¡± She took partial offense to his choice of words, but was more surprised by how keenly aware of her opinion of their world he actually was. It was never something she voiced to anyone. ¡°Who the hell do you think you are, Hideo?¡± ¡°The Gatekeeper.¡± Chapter 306 ¨C The Dark Side of the Shadow ¡°What?!¡± That was one word she had heard mentioned in hushed whispers during her time. ¡®The Gatekeeper? I always heard the boys talk like it was some myth or legend. I completely dismissed it as just them playing around. The Gatekeeper, someone that protects the more simple and innocent gangs from the true dark underbelly of the real world. It can¡¯t be true.¡¯ She had trouble holding back her surprise now. Hideo turned around in his chair. He slowly stood up working his way to Miyako. ¡°Even someone like you, that¡¯s completely ignored the politics and inner workings of the world knows that name.¡± Coming to stop in front of her, he managed to look a meter taller than her somehow. ¡°It is how we designed it. There are two sides to everything. Light and dark, even when you thought you were standing in the dark, that was merely the light you deluded yourself into thinking was the dark. You have no idea what the real darkness is in this world.¡± ¡°Trying to scare me now?¡± Bravado was about all that Miyako had left in her. She had never seen Hideo act like this in any of their past meetings. He looked genuinely ready to crush her without a second thought. She felt like a bug under his heel. The initial intent seemed to have been reached. Hideo let up a little on his intensity. It was rare for him to use such a presence when not dealing with someone from that side. ¡°I¡¯m trying to get you to understand the position you¡¯re in.¡± ¡°Position?¡± ¡°Yes, position. You¡¯ve left, while you¡¯re on the other side such things are simple. It¡¯s your gang, you do with it as you please. Like you said, you make your own destiny. However, you want to step back in, that is something you can¡¯t do.¡± ¡°The hell?¡± Her face twisted a little not understanding him anymore than before when he was trying to make the point. ¡°You try to scare me with a boogeyman in the shadows. I haven¡¯t listened to any of your rules in the past, what makes you think I care what you think now?¡± ¡°Because one can¡¯t just jump in and out. You can¡¯t have both. You must pick one. Especially, when the information you seek lies in the dark.¡± ¡®The dark¡­¡¯ She knew what he was implying. It only made her hesitate for a moment. The fear that he instilled in her had already evaporated. She was tired of being talked down to and dictated to. Miyako grabbed Hideo¡¯s tie and pulled on him. ¡°You think I give one single damn about your worlds or sides? Rules, be damned to hell! Eighty Deaths or the high school girl. You want an answer on who I am? I¡¯m myself! And I make my own destiny without any of your hands telling me what I can or can¡¯t do! I can¡¯t be Eighty Death anymore or the high school girl. Fine! I am Miyako Ibuka! I protect those that matter to me! So screw your rules and your pompous light and dark. I don¡¯t care about any of it! Because someone crossed Miyako Ibuka and they won¡¯t be allowed to step away without pay back!¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Laughter, that was what she heard. It actually surprised her to hear him laughing. She released his tie, not sure what was wrong. Had he gone nuts or just planning some other game? Miyako didn¡¯t know anymore. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± Hideo fell back against his shelves needing support. It was the least expected answer for him. ¡°You. So you plan to become something different from your past and present? This should be very interesting.¡± She still didn¡¯t know what he was getting at. It made her want to step away a little. The crazy shouldn¡¯t really be bothered. ¡°What are you saying?¡± ¡°I¡¯m saying I¡¯ll give you the information you want.¡± * * * ¡®Not what I was expecting¡­¡¯ she remarked, as her only comment. She had arrived at the location that Hideo gave her. This was where the Black Gate gang headquarters was positioned. However, it was nothing that she thought. She knew the area roughly, though never ever actually visited. It was in the middle of the business district. She thought there was perhaps some ruined building that they were built out of or a construction site, as they had done. It just looked like an ordinary business, if that ordinary business ran out of a skyscraper and had employees in suits walking in and out. ¡®Are they a real business? Hideo said that things weren¡¯t going to be what I was thinking that they were¡­¡¯ ¡®You can find the Black Gate in the business district at the address I just gave you. Just remember though, the real world is nothing like what you think it is. All those playing house ideas you have, get them out of your head now. What you face now is going to be nothing like what you¡¯ve dealt with before. So show me the strength of your resolve to be Miyako Ibuka.¡¯ Flexing her hands a little to get the tension out of her body, which built up from the uncertainty of what she faced, Miyako pushed his voice out of her mind. ¡®Shut up, bastard. I¡¯ll show you I create my own path!¡¯ Walking inside to the lobby, she only drew a few odd looks. She had changed her uniform, even though she still looked like a high school student. Miyako made sure to leave her jacket behind, so they could not identify her school. This was a fight for her alone, no one else needed to be dragged into it. Using the password with the receptionist, they led her to a private elevator off to the side. It was surprisingly easy to get inside. ¡®Is this all the security that they have?¡¯ It gave her false confidence as she entered the elevator. The ride took her up to the designated floor. ¡®Hidden almost in plain sight¡­is this how his world works? It¡¯s a little unsettling knowing that they were, but I never would have figured this out. I never would have thought to check in a place like this, not to mention I couldn¡¯t have fought my way through a public area. I would have been arrested before setting foot in here¡­¡¯ The elevator chimed in reaching its destination. As the doors slid open, three guards in suits turned to look at who had arrived. The sight of a girl had them all looking between each other a little confused. ¡°You order a girl?¡± ¡°Of course not! I wouldn¡¯t bring her here anyway!¡± ¡°Is she one of the heads¡¯ daughters or something?¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t look like any of them.¡± While they argued about what it meant for Miyako to be in the elevator, she stepped forward within range of them. Her face quickly turned serious and they were too slow to react when they realized what was up. All three laid on the floor of the elevator unable to move. She looked down both sides of the hallway trying to figure out where to go. ¡®He didn¡¯t give me any more directions than this. But I suppose he wouldn¡¯t know.¡¯ Unfortunately, her delaying caused two more guards to come running out, likely already alerted to her presence. She charged for them only to be caught off guard by an oppressively loud bang that rang in her ears. It paralyzed her. ¡®A gun?!¡¯ The first only seemed to be a warning shot fired at her. Miyako paused, finding that she was staring down the barrel of two pistols from the guards. ¡®Is this the dark side of things? This isn¡¯t a fair fight at all!¡¯ ¡°You¡¯ve made a big mistake walking into here attacking us,¡± one said. ¡°We have ways for dealing with intruders like yourself.¡± Caught up in the front, she didn¡¯t see the two more guards that snuck up behind her and grabbed her. Her arms couldn¡¯t even move in the locked position the large man pinned her with great ease. They had her down on the floor already tied up before she knew what was happening. She could do nothing to them. ¡®They¡¯re skilled and experienced, nothing like all those pretenders¡­dammit¡­¡¯ Brought before the boss, he was a tough and battle hardened man in his middle ages. The man had a severe expression that gave up no sign of emotion or mercy. It felt like a single glance could actually kill. He had mastered the death stare that she merely adopted. ¡°Who is this girl?¡± ¡°Someone we caught breaking in and attacking our men, boss.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± He lowered his sight down to Miyako, forced to knelt before the man. ¡°Do you know what you¡¯ve done?¡± Not even bravado was going to be enough against him. She could feel her body shaking as she had never known. The only time she felt afraid was in the presence of her aunt when she was younger. This completely eclipsed that memory threefold. ¡°Y-Yes.¡± He narrowed his eyes further. ¡°So you knowingly stepped into our territory and attacked my men.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What a foolish girl. Who is this girl?¡± No one had an answer for the boss. He continued to stare at her as though he was actually trying to kill her with sight alone. In the silence, he only seemed to get more intense. ¡°You attacked me,¡± she responded, almost as though she had to reply. It didn¡¯t make any sense to her. But the silence seemed to force it out of her. ¡°What?¡± The boss turned up his gaze to the men and his lieutenants. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know her, boss. She¡¯s lying. Maybe she¡¯s one of the boys¡¯ girls.¡± ¡°The hell I am!¡± she roared, finally finding her footing. Miyako wasn¡¯t going to be ignored or forgotten. She found her leg strength and forced herself to her feet. The men tried to get her to bend, but she refused them. One of the men came by and whacked her across the face with the butt of his pistol. Miyako fell to the floor bleeding from her cheek and lip. They pinned her back down forcing her to eat the tile. ¡°Enough, I want to hear what she has to say.¡± It seemed that he found something intriguing in her. He waved off the enforced guards. Miyako stood back up, released from her confinement. ¡°Your men attacked my friends and killed one of them. Then they came to finish the job with me.¡± He had trouble believing what she said. ¡°Your eyes don¡¯t seem to be lying, but you¡¯re not telling the whole truth. Why would they attack any of you?¡± ¡°Because we tried to stop your men from senselessly beating up someone that could not even defend themselves.¡± ¡°So you interfered in our business.¡± ¡°I tried to protect someone!¡± ¡°I understand now.¡± He might have seemed harsh, but Miyako felt there was something honest about him. Even in the dark there had to be someone that was still in the light. ¡®Now I just need to find out who were the ones that attacked the boys.¡¯ ¡°Lock her up!¡± he ordered, motioning to the men to take her away. ¡°What?!¡± she shouted incredulously. ¡°I thought you understood!¡± ¡°I do. You interfered in Black Gate affairs. Punishment to those that interfere is only to be expected. Do a background check on the girl. Find out everything about her. I¡¯ll arrange for a suitable punishment.¡± Chapter 307 - War to Peace Tossed into an empty room that looked more like a cell depending on your imagination, Miyako discovered that she was in a far deeper void than expected. No light was set in the room and even the door seemed to block out the outside completely. She was in complete darkness. It was more than just a physical reality though, she felt like she had descended into the darkness as the concept of evil had some presence actually to wade through. The feeling drove emotions that she rarely invited into her. Fear was only the beginning. She didn¡¯t know what she had stumbled into anymore. ¡®That grinning bastard was right¡­damn him¡­ I wasn¡¯t prepared for anything like this¡­ They¡¯re just going to kill me and no one will remember me¡­¡¯ Miyako might have still been a child, but there wasn¡¯t really anyone that worried about what happened to her. To a group like this, she didn¡¯t really feel that they got squeamish with the moral complications of killing a child. It was mostly that thought that scared her the most. They weren¡¯t like what she was used to dealing with. ¡®Honor or fairness don¡¯t seem to matter to them. They only concern themselves about ensuring their continued success rather worrying about something as fragile as honor. Damn¡­¡¯ Miyako eventually fell asleep on the cold cement floor. She was helpless and she knew it. Chapter 307 ¨C War to Peace A gruff voice barked at her to wake up. In the darkness, all she could do was wait. The sudden burst of light made it impossible for her to see who was speaking to her. Something grabbed her and dragged her out of the room. ¡®What¡¯s going on? They planning to kill me now?¡¯ She was still too dazed to know what was happening and the lights hurt her eyes. Miyako tried to struggle even to just stand on her own rather than being hung by her arms, but they didn¡¯t let her get any timing. ¡®I thought I was strong, stronger than anyone and now I can¡¯t break free of these guards¡­I¡¯m not this weak am I?¡¯ They didn¡¯t allow any disobedience from her. Her body felt like it went in angles that it wasn¡¯t designed. Her back and shoulders ached. Suddenly they released her and she slammed into the floor. It was short, rough carpet, but she still felt the hardness of the cement construction underneath. ¡°Ugh¡­where¡­¡± Miyako still had trouble with the lights. She didn¡¯t know how long she was stuck in that room without light or sense of time. ¡°Not looking so strong now, girl,¡± a familiar voice remarked ahead of her. It was the boss she met before. Yesterday, a few hours ago, she didn¡¯t know how long. Standing up on her own, she wasn¡¯t about to give the man the satisfaction of seeing her on her knees. ¡®I¡¯m not that weak. You may plan to kill me, but I¡¯ll at least face it staring you in the eyes and not turn away.¡¯ ¡°Puffed up pride, that¡¯s all you are. You seem to believe yourself something that you¡¯re not.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you think you know, but I can stand proud of who I was. Can you say the same thing?¡± It was mostly just bravado, but she had to bite back. He seemed like one that only gave some respect to those that could fight back. A small chuckle came out of him. ¡°An amusing girl. You¡¯ve got some history. An orphan, jumping between families and the system, always getting into fights. Leader of a little gang of boys. Eighty Deaths and the Blood Lotus, so pretentious.¡± Things were starting to become clearer to her now that her eyes finally adjusted. He stood before her. It seemed that her sight came only for her to see him swing his hand to backhand her. However, since she did see it coming, she could prepare her body to absorb the impact. The force staggered her and bent her over a little, but she didn¡¯t fold. Miyako straightened herself up the next moment letting the blood drip down her cracked lip. Judging her reaction, he seemed to be eying her up again. He wanted to take her measure. ¡°So there is some spirit there.¡± The man turned away and went back to his seat. He rested his head against a closed hand, staring at her. ¡°You have two options. Join the Black Gate or face punishment.¡± ¡°What?!¡± She staggered back, not expecting to actually be given an offer. ¡°Strength and balls you¡¯ve got. To storm into our home takes guts. Normally, we¡¯d just kill you out right, but you¡¯ve got something in your eyes. You¡¯re made of different stock. Swear allegiance to the Black Gate and all will be forgiven.¡± ¡®He can¡¯t be serious. This some joke?¡¯ Miyako stared across at the man trying to figure him out. Her perception of people was really bad. So it was largely a fruitless exercise, but she still stared. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious.¡± He leaned forward towards her a little. ¡°Deadly.¡± Shadows stretched over his eyes to emphasize his point. She couldn¡¯t believe that he actually wanted her. However, the answer was easy once she understood things. ¡°I won¡¯t join you! You have no honor!¡± ¡°Honor is an empty notion for those that want to convince themselves that they¡¯re dying for a purpose. Once you¡¯re dead, there¡¯s nothing else.¡± Leaning back into his chair, he didn¡¯t look any more insulted than before by her remark. ¡°I figured this would be your answer. You¡¯re too childish. But I thought there might be something of an adult inside there.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather be a child in my world than an adult in yours!¡± ¡°Except, you don¡¯t have the luxury anymore. You stepped into the adult world and you have to deal with the consequences of entering a world you don¡¯t understand.¡± He snapped his fingers to draw the guards to action. The men quickly grabbed Miyako forcing her hands behind her back. She struggled against their strength, but two grown men were more than she could take in a straight up battle of muscle. ¡°So you plan to kill me?¡± The boss¡¯ eyes perked up a little. ¡°That was one of the options for punishment, but I feel that you¡¯d get too much satisfaction out of dying some na?ve sentiment of a noble death. No, after looking into your records I¡¯ve found a better punishment. You will live. Your punishment is a tainted, stained life that you can never escape from and will haunt you forever. Something that will break that precious pride and honor of yours into something meaningless and you will understand how powerless you truly are. That will be your punishment.¡± Miyako fought against the men not knowing what terrible punishment that they had in store for her. The vague words delivered an ominous feeling that she could imagine what they might do. ¡°What are you planning?!¡± If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°You¡¯re not exactly the model student, but you suddenly decide to disband your little gang and take your academics seriously. I bet you¡¯re thinking about going to college, trying to be better than your daddy or something like that?¡± ¡®He really learned all of that? How did he¡­¡¯ It scared her now what he might be planning to do to her. He knew everything about her past. He could do anything to play with her now. ¡°You blackmailing me?¡± ¡°Blackmail? Why would we want to blackmail a student, you¡¯ve got nothing. No, I already told you I¡¯m going to show you how powerless you truly are in this world.¡± ¡°Then what?!¡± She didn¡¯t want to know, but she would have to learn eventually. ¡°I wonder how your school and your classmates will look at you when they learn that you¡¯ve been selling your body to make ends meet?¡± ¡°What?!¡± Miyako suddenly felt herself shrink before the man. It was worse than she imagined. ¡°You can¡¯t¡­¡± Smirking a little at the sight, the boss pressed forward again. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll take care of everything. I¡¯ll even arrange for one of the younger boys for you.¡± Her eyes went wide in fear. Her entire body crawled in terror. She couldn¡¯t escape. This was the real world. She didn¡¯t know when it happened, but they dumped her off in another room. It wasn¡¯t dark, but still didn¡¯t look right. Half out of it, she looked around finding chains hanging from the ceiling and odd things mounted to the wall. Her imagination ran wild on fears once she realized she was alone again. It woke her up enough to look around more. It looked nothing like any of the other places she had seen. There was the smell of blood in the air. ¡°W-what is this place?¡± ¡°The punishment room¡­¡± replied a strange voice. They sounded barely alive. Miyako flipped around quickly to the voice, shocked to find what she discovered. ¡°It¡¯s you!¡± She looked around seeing four boys strung up bloody with wounds all over their body. ¡°All of you! What are you doing here?!¡± Weakly, Jiro responded to her. ¡°This is¡­our punishment¡­for our failure¡­¡± ¡°Failure?¡± ¡°For losing¡­against you¡­¡± Junichi answered. ¡°What?! This is wrong!¡± Suddenly, Miyako found that her body had strength again. Blood boiled up in her body with raging emotions. She clenched her fists up. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be tortured just because you failed!¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­the¡­rules¡­¡± ¡°Damn the rules! Make your own rules!¡± Miyako threw her hand back to deny their acceptance of their reality. ¡°You don¡¯t belong to a gang to be tortured!¡± She thought about the boys that followed her and the Blood Lotus gang. They were some of her best times even though she turned her back on them. ¡°A gang is like a family! You protect and look after each other! You don¡¯t hurt each other! Any gang that does that is no gang in my eyes!¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Shut the hell up, you weaklings!¡± She had snapped. She no longer cared about anything else. ¡°What do you want? Do you want to be hanging there or free?¡± None of them answered her. She stared at all of them more intently. ¡°You said¡­to shut up¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t take me literally! I want your answer! Do you want to be free? Do you want to do what you want and protect those important to you?¡± ¡°¡­¡± They all looked at each other as best as they could. ¡°¡­yes¡­¡± Jiro replied for all of them. ¡°Then join me!¡± Miyako slammed her fist up to her chest to point at her. ¡°I¡¯m making a new gang on this day! But it won¡¯t be about territory or fighting. It will have only one purpose, protect those important to you! As of this day forth, you are now my family! Do you understand?!¡± Once more they stared at each other a little confused by Miyako. She had a genuine expression on her face, even if it was extremely severe. They could sense how honest she was in her words. She meant what she said. It made them all smile a little. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°First thing as part of my family! I get you free and we escape!¡± Miyako¡¯s new gang started in that room. Her new resolve and herself born within the void of the darkness, yet returned to the light. She could finally move forward. The past and present merged to become her future. ¡®I¡¯ll never forget you guys¡­¡¯ ¡°¡­can¡¯t breathe¡­¡± panted Seiji, actually collapsing in the grass. He couldn¡¯t go any further. His ribs were sore and his legs putty. Nothing would allow him to move. It took him a while just to feel like he could move his body. The fear disappeared, surprisingly quickly. He had only kept running the whole time because he was already in motion. It was difficult to stop. The thing was quite embarrassing to even think about. Seiji rolled himself over on his back. His chest still heaved, needing to calm down, but it was getting there. ¡°¡­I guess¡­I¡¯m not ready yet to confront it¡­¡± It was the only answer that he could come to for why he fled. He wasn¡¯t ready. There was a lot that he had to say and to know. ¡°¡­or for what it could mean¡­to me¡­¡± Feeling a little more recovered, he sat up. ¡°I guess I¡¯m still a child after all¡­the brat¡¯s going to laugh at me¡­¡± It made him sigh a little as he imagined Chiharu mocking him for his cowardice. Unfortunately, there was nothing that he could do. Standing up, the strength returned finally. He felt better than before, but still naturally not good. ¡°I¡¯ll have to work on myself more.¡± Seiji tilted his head back in the direction of his mother¡¯s apartment. ¡°Once I¡¯m no longer a child I¡¯ll return¡­¡± Looking down the street, he scanned the area. ¡°Where the hell am I?!¡± The whole damn run was just a random direction, so he ended up in an unfamiliar ass area. It was almost night before he arrived back at the family shrine, but he found someone that he didn¡¯t expect to see seated at the bottom of the steps. ¡°The old man didn¡¯t kick you out did he?¡± Seiji asked, as he approached with his announced arrival. Yuki looked up, partially waiting on him to return, so he wasn¡¯t deep in thought. He looked back up the stairs in search of his answer. ¡°Umm¡­I just thought it¡¯d be safer out here.¡± ¡°Huh? Safer? You? What the hell would you be worried about up there?¡± Seiji tilted his head trying to figure out if there was some fight going on. If there were, he would have jumped immediately on it. However, it didn¡¯t seem to be any more noisy than he knew it. In fact, it might have been a little more quiet than normal, if he had to guess. Yuki¡¯s response made him curious to go up. Grabbing Seiji¡¯s shoulder before he went too far, Yuki tried to stop him. ¡°It¡¯s not something fists can solve.¡± Nothing was making sense anymore. ¡°The hell? What you being so damn mysterious about? What the hell¡¯s up there?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just say I¡¯ve read enough to know what¡¯s happening and it¡¯s better we stay out of it. Especially you, your presence will only make things worse.¡± Roughing up his hair, Seiji was starting to get annoyed at the vague as hell answers. He broke free from Yuki¡¯s grasp and started up a couple of the steps. ¡°If you¡¯re not going to be damn straight with me then I¡¯m just going to look for myself!¡± The options weighed in Yuki¡¯s mind. He rubbed the side of his face in thought, all the while Seiji marched the stairs. When he realized that Seiji left him behind, he rushed up to join him. ¡°I¡¯m telling you should stay away. It¡¯s for your own good and mental safety!¡± Not stopped by Yuki¡¯s words, Seiji kept going. He tilted down a little to keep the conversation going, still annoyed. ¡°This is my damn house! No one¡¯s keeping me away from it! Tell me what the hell¡¯s going on!¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying, but I¡¯m not sure you¡¯d understand why it¡¯s a problem even if I told you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not dumb, Yuki!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that¡­¡± Before they finished the stairs, another voice appeared from above. ¡°Hey Seiji!¡± the voice called out in a semi-sweet tone. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me you were leaving? I would have walked with you like we always do!¡± Seiji recognized her sound immediately, ¡°Aoi? Always, what the hell? What¡¯s gotten into you?¡± Then suddenly another figure appeared near the ghost, even taller than her. Yuki¡¯s face was already starting to run a little pale having easily foreseen the entire setup. It was too clich¨¦ to miss after he spent a little time in the temple. ¡°Seiji Tsuji, we meet again.¡± ¡°Nerine?! What the hell are you doing in Japan?!¡± Seiji didn¡¯t understand, even more so why Yuki was bothered by Nerine being in Japan, aside from supposedly being forbidden to leave Atlantis. He looked over at Yuki, who had his hand up against his face. ¡°What the hell¡¯s going on?! Why were you scared of this, Yuki?¡± ¡°Oh¡­Seiji¡­¡± Chapter 308 - Mixed Messages Seiji still didn¡¯t get any of what was happening. And Yuki didn¡¯t seem to be able to make up any reasons why to satisfy Seiji. So he just kept walking up the steps towards the two women with a very confused expression on his face. Before he even made it the last ten steps, Aoi leapt down at him. She hung off his neck, settling in very close to him. Confusion didn¡¯t override his personal fears. Even though he grew more used to Aoi being a ghost, it didn¡¯t change how his body felt when she got too close to him. Seiji leapt almost ten meters into the air and landed more than a safe distance away. His body still was shaking with chills, which he tried to cover up. ¡°What the hell do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡± Yuki sweated a little bit watching things play out. ¡®Huh, that¡¯s an oddly strong reaction. I know he wasn¡¯t really that familiar with girls before, but still¡­¡¯ The ghost worked up a mix of disappointment and affection, naturally the second being completely missed by Seiji. ¡°You¡¯re being so cold, dear. Getting embarrassed being in front of company?¡± She floated back over to Seiji trying to stick close to him only to get him to finish running the rest of the distance into the main grounds of the shrine. ¡°What the hell¡¯s wrong with you?! Why are you acting so weirdly?¡± Seiji bolted a little more to get some extra distance. Ever since she came in contact with him, his body¡¯s sensitivity heighted. ¡°Weirder than usual,¡± he corrected, remembering that Aoi was already a strange one. While Aoi ended up chasing Seiji around the grounds, Nerine just watched it all play out. She kept her composure during the whole thing, never saying a word. Or so it seemed. Yuki finished his own walk up the stairs, taking things more at his own pace. ¡®Even the stoic one¡¯s looking a little shaken. Well it¡¯s not like she wasn¡¯t already getting a little heated earlier.¡¯ Yuki recalled when he walked into the shrine. He found Shoji poking his head through the door as though he didn¡¯t really belong in his own home. ¡°Your brother and grandfather fighting again?¡± he inquired, hoping that he didn¡¯t startle the boy with his sudden arrival. The little boy looked back, pulling his head out, holding up a finger to mouth. ¡°Quiet, we¡¯ve got a visitor.¡± ¡°A visitor? So your grandfather¡¯s doing some ceremony or advice giving session.¡± Shaking his head, he pointed in motion for Yuki to look inside. ¡°Something much more interesting.¡± Now Shoji had his curiosity. The boy was naturally excitable and curious about almost anything. So it made Yuki wonder what had Shoji so interested. He carefully leaned over top of Shoji to line up his eye. Since their home was small, the main living space was immediately open to the front, making it incredibly great for peeking or spying. ¡°Hmm¡­I don¡¯t see¡­I see a woman, a ghost?¡± It didn¡¯t take long for Yuki to piece together enough of Aoi¡¯s appearance to understand what she was. However, Shoji insisted on him looking a little further. ¡®What¡¯s got him so excited, a ghost is pretty neat, but as I heard from Seiji they already knew about ghosts. Must be the one he was saying was a deadbeat mooch.¡¯ Then he saw another figure that forced his head to tilt around further. ¡°Nerine!¡± ¡°Shh!¡± ordered Shoji pulling Yuki away from the door. ¡°What¡¯s Nerine doing here? She should be back in her homeland.¡± ¡°So you know the tall lady?¡± The thought of more information made Shoji lean in closer. He seemed to understand immediately that there was a story there. Sweating a little, Yuki stammered a bit in thought. ¡®I had forgotten how excited he gets at these things. He eats up all of our stories.¡¯ Panning around the site of the shrine grounds reminded Yuki again of their situation. ¡®I keep forgetting Shoji¡¯s their pride and joy. He must be locked up here whenever he¡¯s not in school.¡¯ However, he couldn¡¯t think for long. Shoji kept leaning in more pressing for information. ¡°Um-erm¡­Seiji knows her better than me.¡± ¡°Ooh!¡± Shoji¡¯s eyes lit up so fast it seemed like they would ignite into stars on the spot. ¡°My brother has a hot foreign girlfriend! He¡¯s two-timing!¡± The notion seemed to make him giggle. The whole conversation turn floored Yuki. He wasn¡¯t sure where to start. ¡®Where¡¯d he learn such words¡­kids these days¡­¡¯ Yuki sweated further, not certain how he should actually respond. ¡®I had thought so too, they did seem to be close, but Seiji¡¯s so dense. He only seemed to be treating her like a friend rather than something more special. Though Nerine¡¯s rather hard to read herself, not exactly sure how she feels on the matter either.¡¯ Sneaking back to the door, Yuki checked back in on the room. Now that he knew the situation better, he could read the temperature. It was ice cold almost when he peeked inside. It felt like even the air was stale from holding its breath. He pulled back to look at Shoji. ¡°Yikes, this is bad¡­I know this setup all too well and Seiji¡¯s not going to understand and barge straight into the middle of a hurricane.¡± Shoji grinned with excited nodding to Yuki. ¡°Should be really fun to watch!¡± ¡°Since when were you so precocious?¡± This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. While Seiji and Aoi provided the physical comedy for the scene, Shoji resurfaced nearby Yuki. ¡°It¡¯s looking exactly like it does in those books!¡± He seemed to be getting more excited by the moment as though he was living a dream. Yuki looked a little incredulous at Shoji, but he started to piece things together. ¡°Have you by any chance been borrowing your friends¡¯ manga?¡± It was starting to make sense for him. Shoji nodded to him. ¡°Yeah! They gave me all sorts of things! They are really interesting to read. Seeing things happen like in those fighting stories was so cool! I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d get to see more of them play out!¡± Patting Shoji on the head, he understood the sentiment all too well. ¡®I had the same sort of reaction, though it quickly disappeared when I realized that this was reality not a fantasy¡­ Shoji seems to be young enough not to make that leap so quickly¡­¡¯ ¡°Big Brother¡¯s already closer to having a harem than you, Yuki and you¡¯re the main character!¡± Yuki had to nod a little in agreement with his assessment. ¡°You may be right about that. Though I do have more female friends than male ones, now that I think about it. Not like any of them other than Yumi has any romantic interests though.¡± Actually becoming a sun from the excitement, Shoji looked up to Yuki. ¡°Oh wow, so you do have a harem!¡± ¡°Chiharu¡¯s a tsundere, but so is Seiji. This is a battle story, not a romance. So you¡¯d have to bend pretty hard to try to make that work.¡± The two boys¡¯ conversation had drawn the attention of Nerine. While she outwardly didn¡¯t seem to be making any intention, as Saki would to shut them up for their idiocy, her face was bright red. It seemed that she had finally cracked. Yuki finally remembered he needed to lay off the fourth wall and tried to get a little more serious. Coughing a bit, he redirected the conversation. ¡°Why do you know about harems? You¡¯re too young for that!¡± ¡°Huh? But I was told that it was every boy¡¯s dream.¡± ¡°Well I¡­¡± He saw Nerine staring at him further. She seemed to want to do what Saki normally did, but was held back by her sense of respect. Yuki was still the King, even if he was acting more like a child. The joke had run its course. ¡°¡­ reality and dreams are different. It¡¯s best to focus on one!¡± He wasn¡¯t really sure if he was helping things anymore. It wasn¡¯t quite the type of conversation he expected to be having with Seiji¡¯s little brother. ¡°But don¡¯t some marry all of the girls?¡± ¡°Please help me escape this comedy skit¡­¡± The situation only became more difficult for Yuki to explain. ¡®Shoji¡¯s too young to understand romance and he seems to be having too much trouble sorting fantasy from reality¡­ I need to do something¡­¡¯ Yuki searched around the grounds for signs of anything. A distraction would be all he needed. Then it jumped out at him. ¡°I think your brother¡¯s gave you enough entertainment for now. He seems to be really scared and we need to progress the story again.¡± Chapter 308 ¨C Mixed Messages It took a few minutes for Yuki to catch them. The only way he was able to end the chase was to use his powers to restrain Aoi enough that Seiji would calm down. Once Yuki actually made an effort, Shoji explained to him the real cause of Seiji¡¯s actions. Surprised and amused, Yuki managed to settle it all and get them to sit in a room. ¡°¡­umm¡­¡± Yuki made sure to place Aoi and Nerine on opposite sides of the table and they still made the entire room unwelcome. Most of it came from Aoi, but Nerine only seemed to make it worse by providing almost no reaction to Aoi¡¯s jealousy. Brave and dumb, Seiji had enough of Aoi¡¯s attitude towards Nerine. ¡°She¡¯s going to be our guest. So I expect you to be polite to her!¡± He still didn¡¯t get the source of the problem though. ¡°Guest?! But I thought you said that you had no room for guests!¡± Seiji¡¯s eyes flattened a little as he looked at Aoi. ¡°We have no room for ghosts. People that are actually living are a different story.¡± Aoi took it about as anyone would expect. Her surprise hardly covered up well. When she glared over at the other woman, Nerine seemed to have a slightly smug look on her face. It only enraged her further. ¡°Fine! I see how it is! I hope you have fun with your living woman!¡± Aoi then disappeared from all of them. ¡®That could have gone better,¡¯ thought Yuki. He looked over to Seiji to see if he planned to do anything. Remaining as blind as always to what was going on, he made no reaction to it. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you go after her, Seiji? She seemed upset.¡± ¡°To hell with her! She¡¯s annoying anyway.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Yuki bit back some of his words knowing how this all looked. He tried to dial in how much he used his books to mirror reality. ¡°Besides, she¡¯ll come back eventually. I can never be rid of her.¡± Seiji motioned dismissively to Yuki on the matter. More pressing matters came first in his mind. ¡°What are you doing here, Nerine? Isn¡¯t it forbidden to leave Atlantis?¡± Then Seiji recalled everything that happened with Yuki. ¡°The Council hasn¡¯t sent you to attack Yuki again?!¡± Nerine leaned back a little as Seiji rose. He got a little too close for her comfort. Shaking her head, she wanted him to sit back down before she answered. It took him a few moments, but she had her space again. ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t sent by the Council. In fact, they shouldn¡¯t know about my visit.¡± A familiar sound for Yuki, he had a bit of an idea of what was going on. ¡°Demosthenes sent you then.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, Your Majesty.¡± It pleased her to find someone that seemed to pick things up quickly. Yuki held up a hand to interrupt her before she continued. ¡°Drop the formalities. I¡¯d like to keep that a secret around here. There may be ears listening that I don¡¯t want to know. So just call me Yuki if you want to address me.¡± All the problems that he had to deal with seemed trivial, but it was just another thing he needed to keep under wraps. ¡®If Demosthenes and my father are right, I don¡¯t want her slipping while we¡¯re out in the city.¡¯ ¡°But I can¡¯t¡ª¡° ¡°This is an order. Are you going to refuse an order from me?¡± A complicated expression surfaced on Nerine¡¯s face. She had to obey him, he was the King yet her training told her to give him the respect he deserves. The conflict silenced her. Waving his hand like none of it mattered, Seiji downplayed it all. ¡°It¡¯s just Yuki. You don¡¯t need to stand on ceremony for him. You don¡¯t need to be so stuffy about these things, Nerine.¡± Unknown to Seiji, the tension rapidly increased in the room. Only Yuki understood it. It made him sweat watching Seiji crashing so fast and he did not even understand it. ¡°Seiji¡­that might have been¡­¡± ¡°What? We¡¯re all friends here, no need to treat anyone differently.¡± Sighing, Yuki knew he wasn¡¯t going to get anywhere with him. Across the table, he saw how Nerine was taking it all. He could only defuse things. ¡°So why are you here? Something Demosthenes needs from me?¡± It took her a bit to respond to Yuki, but she focused back on the task. ¡°No. I¡¯ve been sent as an ambassador, though given the nature of the situation it might be better to say that I¡¯m here as a neutral aid.¡± ¡°Neutral aid? What do you plan to do?¡± Some of it made sense. He had an idea of what Demosthenes planned. ¡°I¡¯ll be here so that you¡¯re able to communicate with the homeland. And if anything does happen I¡¯ll be informed immediately of the situation.¡± ¡°So a messenger. It¡¯ll be good to know what¡¯s happening. I did everything I could to ease tensions, but it¡¯s not a perfect setup. I expect future conflicts to still arise.¡± ¡°And if they do, I¡¯ll inform you immediately.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Seiji jumped back into the conversation, as it seemed the two of them settled their matters. ¡°That explains Nerine¡¯s presence, but what about you Yuki? I don¡¯t see Saki with you. Just paying me a visit?¡± Pressed on his own situation, Yuki quieted up quickly. His mind had nearly forgotten everything that was happening. Inside the shrine with them, it all seemed so far away. Unfortunately, he knew what had to be done. ¡®All I¡¯m doing is running away¡­¡¯ It was something he had to face. ¡°Things have gotten complicated back in my neighborhood.¡± ¡°What the UN doing something?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯d almost be more welcome at this point. The best I can describe it¡­war has broken out and friends are killing friends¡­¡± Chapter 309 - The Pitfalls of Idealism Seiji slammed his hands down on the table, splintering it at points where his fingers touched, unable to control his strength. ¡®What the hell is going on? It hasn¡¯t even been a day!¡¯ He would have just quickly dismissed the whole thing had he not seen the look on Yuki¡¯s face. The pained conflicted expression that didn¡¯t know what to say and had trouble accepting reality. It was almost too much for Yuki to take. Seiji might not have normally seen it, but Yuki was doing a horrible job of actually holding his emotions off his face. It was everywhere he looked. Once he realized that he was breaking his table, Seiji pulled back, folding up his hands under his arms. He needed to know what happened. ¡®None of this makes any sense. If there was some war going on we would have seen it when we arrived. Yuki has to be just over blowing this and taking it harder because he was not expecting there to be a little fighting.¡¯ Seiji had nearly convinced himself that everything was alright. Yet when he saw Yuki¡¯s face again the heavy weight of the grave nature just pounded back on him. ¡°Now come on, Yuki. You can¡¯t be serious. War? If that was the case the UN would probably be all over it after what they were doing when we snuck in.¡± Seiji presented a surprisingly rational denial. Leaning forward as though his head needed the support, his arms came up to give his chin something to rest on. ¡°I wish I was blowing this out of proportion or that I was just dreaming it up. But I¡¯m not! I know what I¡¯ve seen. I¡¯ve been there and watched classmates die right in front of me, unable to do anything to stop it!¡± Yuki¡¯s breathing began shallowly, unable to keep up with his emotions. He was nearly in tears just thinking about it. The temperature in the room fell to frigid levels instantly. It felt like they were back in Antarctica. No one could say anything to reject Yuki. His emotions were so openly bared for them all that it was hard to even think anything. Silent minutes passed with no one knowing what to say. They all wanted to deny it, but it left them all speechless. Awkwardness filled through everything like a stuffy, sticky jelly poured in from all the cracks until they were swimming in it, drowning in it. Eventually, someone had to say something. ¡°What happened, Yuki?¡± Seiji opened. He was Yuki¡¯s friend. Whatever happened he needed to listen to it. ¡°Tell me everything.¡± ¡°Everything?¡± The memories of the battle between Hiroshi and Takako¡¯s forces replayed in his mind. It seized him up seeing all of the classmates dying around him. The cold, callous expression of Hiroshi willing to execute them and the empty looks of all of Takako¡¯s. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­want to¡­¡± Seiji leapt across the table to grab his wrist. ¡°Look at me, Yuki!¡± He pulled on Yuki until he was forced to meet eyes. ¡°I need to know the situation if I¡¯m going to help stop this!¡± ¡°Stop? I don¡¯t know¡­if it can be stopped¡­¡± ¡®Why does he look so defeated¡­I¡¯ve never seen Yuki look like this¡­¡¯ The sight only made Seiji even more angry. He lacked the details of what was going on, but he had to put an end to it. ¡°YUKI! I don¡¯t give a damn! Just tell me already!¡± Chapter 309 ¨C The Pitfalls of Idealism Seiji fell back on his legs. It was a lot more to take than he was expecting. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­believe it¡­¡± ¡°It all happened as I said.¡± His hand absentmindedly rubbed the side of face, having remembered it all. It just rubbed and scraped at his skin. ¡°No, I believe you, but it seems so impossible. How could something like that happen?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. It doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡± Yuki hadn¡¯t tried to think too hard on the why. It happened, that much he didn¡¯t want to even accept. Trying to understand it and rationalize it seemed even worse. It would mean that he was fine with it happening. He could accept that it was somehow normal or reasonable that friends could kill friends. ¡°I just don¡¯t want to think about it.¡± ¡°But we need to stop it, Yuki!¡± Seiji rose to his feet already filled with resolve and determination. He was ready to march out into the city and put a stop to everything. His fists pounded together and his blood boiled. ¡°What are you doing just sitting there, Yuki? The people you know are in danger, can you just stand there and do nothing?¡± ¡°¡­Seiji¡­¡± Watching Seiji so simply blew away any of the excuses as though they seemed meaningless amazed him. ¡®He makes sound so simple. But maybe¡­¡¯ Marching around the table, Seiji ripped Yuki up by his collar forcing him to stand. ¡°You just going to keep sitting doing nothing, Yuki? That isn¡¯t you! If there is something you need to do, you do it! Don¡¯t think about it, just act!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if reality is as simple as you¡¯re making it, Seiji.¡± ¡°To hell with reality! Just do it!¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Yuki laughed, unable to hold back anymore. Seiji¡¯s simplicity actually felt refreshing. ¡°Maybe¡­you¡¯re right¡­¡± ¡°There you go! Now let¡¯s go knock some sense into this Takako girl and put an end to all of this!¡± Nodding, Yuki finally stood on his own once more. He didn¡¯t really have a plan, but with Seiji it didn¡¯t really seem important. ¡°First I need to see Hiroshi once more. Tell him what I plan to do.¡± It was sort of funny that he had planned on doing the same thing, but all that he saw dragged him down preventing him from seeing it. ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s go see this secret base! Sounds pretty cool!¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be pretty surprised by it.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t wait!¡± While Seiji and Yuki were getting pumped up and ready to walk out of the room, they forgot one other. It took until Seiji got to the door to look back and see Nerine sitting there at the table still. ¡°You coming?¡± he asked, as though it was just expected. Nerine stared at Seiji for a moment seemingly lacking words. She had been quiet the entire time, never interrupting or putting in her opinion on the matter. ¡°This is not something I¡¯m involved in.¡± ¡°You think that matters? They¡¯re all strangers to me.¡± Her brow pinched listening to Seiji''s way of rationalizing things. ¡°But you¡¯re different from me,¡± she mumbled under her breath. ¡°You think being different matters?¡± Shock painted over Nerine¡¯s face, not expecting him to have heard her. ¡°But¡ª¡° ¡°Does it upset you that innocents are being hurt or killed?¡± ¡°¡­yes¡­¡± It felt like a leading question for her. She didn¡¯t know anyone that would not be bothered by it. ¡°Then stand up! We¡¯re leaving now!¡± Yuki had a pretty good idea what was holding back Nerine. He could see the situation that she was put in just by being in Japan. ¡®Demosthenes wasn¡¯t very kind even if it might be a good idea¡­¡¯ Explaining it to Seiji why it was a problem only complicated things further. Like his previous declaration, simplicity was king. ¡°Seiji, she¡ª¡° ¡°Not you too Yuki, you don¡¯t want her to come with us?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that.¡± ¡°Then I don¡¯t see the problem.¡± Sighing, only accepting him seemed possible. He was insistent on the way things were going to be. ¡°Come along. Think of it as keeping near me if something happens you can react quickly.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± * * * It might have been a bad idea to leave with night falling, but nothing could stop Seiji¡¯s enthusiasm. They didn¡¯t even get back to Hiroshi¡¯s base before the shroud of night cloaked everything. Which meant that they didn¡¯t see the column of smoke until they were nearly in the neighborhood. Naturally, Seiji was the first to spot it, even in the dark he wasn¡¯t completely certain of what he saw. ¡°I¡¯m seeing something strange in the sky,¡± he remarked, pointing it out to the others. ¡°What does it look like?¡± Yuki tried to see what Seiji saw, but his sight clearly wasn¡¯t good enough to compare to his. Neither Nerine or him knew what Seiji saw. The confused look from Seiji made it clear that he didn¡¯t understand how they couldn¡¯t see something so obvious. ¡°Remember you have better eyes than us. This dark out I¡¯m going to be lucky if I see three blocks.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± Squinting only seemed to help him slightly, he still had trouble filtering through all of the darkness and the haze. It was only thanks to some of the lights in the area that he even saw it to begin with. ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe smoke? It¡¯s still hard to see.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s keep moving then. We¡¯ll know more when we get to the base. They probably know what it is about.¡± Yuki pressed on to lead the way as he remembered it. ¡®I¡¯ve got a bad feeling about this¡­ This doesn¡¯t feel right¡­¡¯ Nerine and Seiji continued to follow, but as they walked she felt it was important to bring up. ¡°I¡¯m just an observer. I haven¡¯t been ordered to involve myself in foreign affairs.¡± Acting like she was on the sidelines troubled Seiji a little. He glanced over to her. ¡°You can just do nothing while watching everyone else fight?¡± ¡°¡­I must¡­¡± There was a bit of hesitation from her before she said anything. ¡°It¡¯s an easy thing to say now when there¡¯s not any fighting on. I don¡¯t believe you can be silent. I trust you to do the right thing when the time comes.¡± She stopped at his statement, a little surprised to hear that from him. It left her not knowing what to say to him. ¡®I can¡¯t¡­the mission¡­¡¯ Mission or not, she didn¡¯t have time to think about it as they continued on without waiting for her. She chased after them with thoughts of what Seiji said spinning around her head. The base didn¡¯t take very long to reach or as close as they could get to it. Now near to the site, they had a very clear view of things. UN marked vehicles and tents were everywhere. Soldiers and investigators walked around the entire area. It was the lights in the area, the reason Seiji saw any of it to start, that made it clear to them things had changed. A massive hole stood where the block used to be. The store and surrounding ruins were no more. Even the streets were wiped out. A four by four block area marked off with tape or makeshift fences, as though it would keep back anyone in Japan anymore. Seiji saw the UN and the hole and immediately jumped the gun. ¡°Those bastards!¡± He jumped down from the building they used for a vantage point. Landing heavily, he tossed up dust on the next building. ¡°Seiji! Stop! It¡¯s not¡ªdammit!¡± Yuki quickly activated his Field and jumped down with his mist surrounding him. It brought him to a soft landing as his mist already attacked to restrain Seiji. ¡°Calm down for a moment, Seiji!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to let those UN bastards get away with this! You can¡¯t stop me, Yuki!¡± Through only his strength, he ripped through the mist even as it worked to try to hold him down. It was a constant struggle until Yuki was able to get out in front of him. ¡°Yuki!¡± ¡°Seiji! Listen to me!¡± he yelled without caution. ¡°I don¡¯t think the UN caused this. I think they¡¯re just investigating!¡± ¡°What? Are you sure?¡± He had managed to get through to him quickly enough. The tension finally started to drop. However, Yuki was still uncertain. He was mostly just saying it because he didn¡¯t want Seiji to start an international incident. But he did have suspensions. ¡°As much as I may want to blame things on the UN, this is probably the work of Takako too.¡± If Seiji had an objection, he didn¡¯t have the time to voice it. They had bigger problems. He noticed it first before Seiji and turned his head for when they arrived. In the next moment, they were already surrounded by five uniformed UN soldiers, but they were all Japanese. Both Seiji and Yuki understood what they meant. They kept still just watching the new potential threat. Neither knew what they wanted from them, but realized that they were probably alerted by their shouting. A tall man with a short very orderly light brown haircut stepped forward. Judging from the way he walked and held himself, he looked to be the one in charge. ¡°Fighting? So you two are part of this gang war as well then. You¡¯re under arrest by order of the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in Japan!¡± Chapter 310 - Reasons to Fight ¡®Damn, they must have been alerted from all the yelling¡­¡¯ Yuki ground his teeth together wishing he had noticed them sooner. It only made their situation more complicated. He didn¡¯t want to have to be dealing with the UN so soon. ¡®I knew that I¡¯d have to confront them eventually, but I don¡¯t have a plan to deal with them. Even if we win here it doesn¡¯t end things. This isn¡¯t going to be a simple fight.¡¯ Seiji surprisingly remained fairly calm in front of the threat. While Yuki expected him to charge in like the last time on the boat and even here, he remained still. Nothing changed the look on his face, he was ready to go at a moment¡¯s notice. However, he seemed to be keeping himself restrained. Such an act pleased Yuki as he knew he still had a chance. Turning away from Seiji, Yuki faced down with the man that looked to be in charge of the team. Around him, he saw a cast of members that reminded him as much of the wild gathering of the Titans as much as they did the stories he read. The leader looked far more reasonable in appearance and not nearly as wild as Rheia. ¡®I might be able to reason with him¡­¡¯ The man¡¯s team worried Yuki though. He could see the looks in their eyes and they were all very familiar ones. They were the same ones that were in the Atlanteans that they fought. They wanted to fight and not for the sake of something good or just. These people just wanted a fight and being part of a military force gave them all the justification that they needed. It was sanctioned killing. Yuki had no issues with the UN in its ideals. However, he didn¡¯t agree anymore than the rest of them with their presence in Japan, not that it surprised him that much after he thought about it. It was an all too common tale, an easy and predictable outcome, even if it is normal and rational. And they were all just exploiting it. They had positions where they got to fight others with powers, likely powerful ones, without any worry over being arrested themselves. Government sanctioned fighting, the worst sort of backing. And they all wanted as much as they could take. Except for the leader, he was out of place with the rest of them. Yuki felt like this man actually believed in what he was doing. The look of confidence and self-assurance posture. He had no doubt, stood like a mountain and yielded to nothing. ¡®I guess it makes sense. Like how Rheia¡¯s insane strength kept the Titans in line, this man probably is like that as well. The only thing those people respect is power. How powerful is this man? We¡¯ve only had each other and the Atlanteans as a measuring stick. Could Seiji beat him if we needed?¡¯ Chapter 310 ¨C Reasons to Fight Dropping his Field, Yuki wanted to try something before things went beyond his control. Everything happened quickly even though no one was making any moves. They were waiting to see how they responded, a standoff. ¡°Gang war? What do you mean?¡± It was acting time. Yuki played up his best innocent mask that he could. ¡®I hope this works¡­¡¯ Nothing was set in stone yet, he could still get them free without a fight. That was the hope anyway. ¡°We just stumbled by this. We¡¯re passing by.¡± The man narrowed his eyes reading through all of Yuki¡¯s features trying to get his measure. ¡°You¡¯re saying a conflict that has been going on for more than a month and has a tenth of the city in flames is completely unknown to you.¡± His suspicions were easy to read, and for good reason. Yuki sweated a little to keep up his front of the man. ¡°Well that is to say, I¡¯ve heard the rumors, but I¡¯m from the Okashi District.¡± ¡°Okashi, you say? That¡¯s far to the west, what are you doing here, even you¡¯ve heard the rumors.¡± ¡°I¡¯m here with my friend,¡± Yuki answered, pointing over to Seiji. ¡®Time for a little truth.¡¯ A good lie had some amount of truth built into it. ¡°He¡¯s from the Tsuji family shrine nearby. My friend heard about the rumors and felt compelled to do something. I¡¯ve been trying to stop him. I¡¯ve been trying to convince him that the UN must have it under control.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Staring for a while at Yuki, he looked like he might be buying the story. It was still hard to tell. He had an enormous amount of suspicions about the two. So it was likely going to be hard for him to accept it all. ¡°What were you doing just now? You looked like you were fighting?¡± The con continued it seemed, though he was making progress. ¡°As I said, my friend wants to do something. Seeing this shocking incident has him acting without thinking. So I¡¯ve been doing what I can to stop him, even if it means so by force. I don¡¯t want to see him start a fight with you.¡± Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Part of it seemed to be working. He pulled a little back from his intense leaning. ¡°I agree. Our desire is not to fight, but to keep the peace.¡± Yuki played up more of the coward and weakling so that the man felt he was superior and in a position of power, though admittedly he didn¡¯t really need to do that much. The man carried himself so proudly that he already saw his superior position as a certainty. It was more that Yuki submitted to him in not trying to challenge him. ¡°Yes, all of this fighting and strangeness has been very scary. I don¡¯t have any wish to fight. I¡¯ve been trying to convince him of the futility of fighting. We can just talk to settle things.¡± ¡°You must forgive my aggression. It¡¯s rare to meet anyone these days that actually wishes to have a civilized discussion. Power seems to have gone to everyone''s head and power seems to be the only thing that they respect or understand. It¡¯s quite saddening to see how much our home and people have changed in such a short time. It really feels like the end of days at times.¡± A momentary slip cracked through Yuki as he allowed the man¡¯s sorrow slide into him. Guilt bubbled up within him. Even though he quickly recovered to keep his fa?ade, it didn¡¯t change the internal developing maelstrom. ¡®The apocalypse...there¡¯s people out there that think I¡¯m some sort of god, but I¡¯m like the Bringer of the Apocalypse than some god¡­I¡¯m the cause of all of this¡­ I must fix it.¡¯ Buried in internal turmoil couldn¡¯t keep him from still speaking with the leader. He couldn¡¯t allow his personal matters to ruin the progress he made with him. ¡°It¡¯s all very frightening to see, but I¡¯d like to believe that there is something good to be found in even this.¡± ¡°Good? I wonder if such a thing still exists in this world. It seems that right and wrong have become blurred and only exist to prove the meaningless of it all.¡± Their conversation gleaned more than Yuki expected. It seemed he might have finally found someone sane in the world for once. A man tortured and haunted by all the evils and trying to do the right thing, but forced to be the evil seen by others in the hope of it being for some small good. ¡°I think there¡¯s a need for more like you. If more thought like you do things could change.¡± Yuki extended his hand out as a peace offering. He hoped this was the end and they might be free to go. The arrest thing had yet to resurface. A bit of a curious look came across the leader¡¯s face. He seemed to have noticed something different about Yuki and his words. However, he only seemed to acknowledge it within rather than give it words. ¡°Perhaps. Masayuki Ayabito.¡± He accepted Yuki¡¯s hand. ¡®I finally found an honest and straightforward person. Hate having to lie, but it¡¯s not like I want to fight. I just need to get out of here.¡¯ Yuki smiled, allowing a little of his stature to return now that the footing seemed to level out between them. ¡°Yuki Hayashi. And this is Seiji Tsuji.¡± Everything looked to be coming to a resolution. The tension dropped quickly. However, it couldn¡¯t end so easily. Masayuki might have been someone looking for peace, but his team was not. They looked even more ready to start something now that things were calming down. It only seemed to anger them that things might be over. ¡°Ya can¡¯t possibly be thinking of letting them go,¡± one of the members barked in disbelief. He was actually even taller than Masayuki, the tallest of team of five. It looked like they had finally someone that would give Nerine a run for her money in the height department. And he certainly made sure that the full extent of his height added to his menacing presence, not that Yuki succumbed to it. Eying from the other side, one of the two women spoke in agreement, ¡°You deployed us to put down rogue elements. I don¡¯t like being ordered out for no reason.¡± The woman looked just barely out of her high school years and still in her prime college years . Even if she didn¡¯t look like a proper college student. She had bright green hair and the dye job was old as her bleached and black roots were appearing. ¡°Stand down! That¡¯s an order!¡± yelled Masayuki. He might have seemed softer talking to Yuki, but his commanding presence returned without missing a beat. The other two in the group held quiet, though still with hungry eyes. Masayuki''s command over them made it clear as the outspoken ones made a hesitation in their stances. Yuki watched it all intently trying to look for a way out. ¡®I was right. He¡¯s keeping them in line with his own power, meaning he is definitely the strongest of them. They are afraid of them. It¡¯s the only reason they didn¡¯t attack immediately. But fear only goes so far. Hunger can be more powerful than fear¡­¡¯ Also on the ready, Seiji went back to looking to attack. He kept to a defensive position only planning on responding, but he wasn¡¯t about to act submissive like Yuki. ¡®This Masayuki guy must be powerful if they¡¯re hesitating. This might be more interesting than I gave it credit for¡­¡¯ Even Seiji could notice it. The man¡¯s presence was powerful, very easily at the same level as Demosthenes and Rheia. The sort that couldn¡¯t be ignored, but preferable not stirred as well. Seiji remembered all too well from his first meeting with Demosthenes. All the build up during the journey and after it all finally came to an end, he met the man. The one behind it all, they met while Yuki slept in recovery. ¡®He looked like a simple man, an old man just your typical grandfather. But it was just a front. I could tell he wasn¡¯t someone to mess with at just a glance. Hearing that Yuki planned to fight him, I sort of wanted to throw a punch at him too just to see what the talk was about. But just seeing him felt like he was going to crush me, the fact that I was stronger or faster didn¡¯t seem to even affect him. Absolute confidence in himself, no doubt¡­¡¯ The sense of full commitment to a cause came from Masayuki. He still had a bit to go in some areas from someone like Demosthenes, who had age to grant him experience. But even being so young still the man felt every bit an equal to the old man in every other way. A man that would crush anyone in front that stood before his ideals. He knew what he wanted and that it had to be done. Someone good committed to a dark path. An all too common trait in the new world. Unfortunately, even his presence didn¡¯t seem to be enough to hold them back. They wanted blood. They could taste it even though none had dropped. Madness had captured them. The same madness claiming the world. ¡°Look at him. He wants a fight,¡± commented the man again. ¡°I can see it in his eyes. He¡¯s just asking for a reason.¡± ¡°Sounds like rogue elements to me,¡± the woman added in agreement. ¡°I think that¡¯s enough justification to take them in.¡± Masayuki was losing his patience with his men. ¡°Nawabe! Umari! I said stand down! We have more important threats to deal with right now!¡± ¡°I see a threat right in front of me,¡± Nawabe replied, completely taken in by the thought of a fight. He already seemed to be sizing up Seiji. Umari took a step forward, already self-justified in her mind. ¡°If we let them go they will only cause trouble later on. They all do! Best to snuff out weeds before they take root!¡± She charged in completely ignoring any further orders with Nawabe quickly behind her in acting. They both went after Seiji, the prime target. Peace broke down. Chapter 311 - The Right of Power A breakdown of discussions. It happened too fast for Yuki to actually follow. He saw the lead up to the moment, but not the actual moment. How could he, they were all super humans and he was just a normal one. None of his powers were activated to give him anything. The force alone from the colliding forces knocked Yuki off his feet and tumbled him backwards. He painfully knocked his head against the brick trim around the roof of the building they stood on. It quickly decommissioned him for the early part of the fight. Left with five people to fight off all at once, Seiji took both Umari and Nawabe head on initially. With a fist each, he was able to stop their opening introductions. However, he knew just from the way that they moved it was just a greeting. ¡®They¡¯re just using their muscles right now. They¡¯re testing what I can do. They want to know if I¡¯m worth their time.¡¯ Throwing them off him, he leapt away from the building. ¡®I¡¯ve got to lead them away from Yuki. He¡¯s not like us.¡¯ Seiji rotated a little while in the air to watch. Even though he jumped, he wasn¡¯t certain that they would follow. It was just a guess on his part. He saw the hunger for a fight. So he just assumed that they would follow. ¡®I don¡¯t know how destructive their powers might be.¡¯ Their new site wasn¡¯t much further away. Only a block, but it was some room, better than nothing. ¡®Hopefully this is enough distance. I can¡¯t let Yuki get caught up in this!¡¯ Masayuki ground his teeth staring over at two of his team charging off into battle without his orders. He flipped back towards the others. ¡°Hanari and Kasaya! I order you to stand down and do nothing! Or else¡­¡± While he made no action towards him, there were deep implications in his words that they were both very much aware of. Crossing his arms, Hanari obeyed, though he seemed to be more watching rather than having an interest in joining. ¡°Right. No need to blow a vein.¡± ¡°Two on one is already not really that fun,¡± Kasaya responded, ¡°I¡¯ve got no interest in joining, they¡¯ll just get in my way.¡± Like Hanari, she seemed to only be watching. She understood as well that she should not move to act. However, it was less following orders and just personal preference. ¡°Damn those two,¡± Masayuki muttered, as he turned away. ¡°I¡¯m going to need to teach them respect again.¡± He leapt off the building, a little bit of sparks left behind where he had stood. The distance he covered to the other building seemed to be of little effort for him. Chapter 311 ¨C The Right of Power Only a few exchanges between them and Seiji was already starting to understand how strong they were. Each punch could be felt. He actually had to pay attention to what happened with serious intent. ¡®It¡¯s like being back to our street brawling days. I hadn¡¯t really thought about what it would be like to fight someone like me.¡¯ It made him grin a little, feeling the bit of nostalgia. But he couldn¡¯t smile for long against the two of them. The fact that they were keeping up with him and not even using any powers gave him pause. ¡®What else can they do? I know how I saw them fighting out over the bay. This isn¡¯t all they can do¡­¡¯ He had to be ready for anything. ¡°You¡¯re a tough one,¡± praised Nawabe. ¡°So you¡¯re not all just talk.¡± ¡°Might have to actually be a little serious about this,¡± remarked Umari. ¡°Sorry for making you have to sweat,¡± Seiji replied playfully. It had been a while since he had a good fight and while they were both fight starved, neither had any of the lethal intent like others he knew. They just wanted to fight and fight strong people. Nothing else mattered to them. Selfish as it was, he understood that desire very well. It was something that he could, in a way, agree with, just not the way they were going about it. It was complicated. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re not even warmed up yet,¡± she added. ¡°Seems you¡¯ve seen some fighting. You haven¡¯t just been sitting around doing nothing, afraid of your powers.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve been through hell already.¡± ¡°I want to see more of what you can do!¡± ¡°We going to get a little more serious?¡± Umari looked over at Nawabe in an odd way of looking for his approval. He nodded to her with a grin. ¡°Right!¡± She took out a wide stance that wasn¡¯t meant for offense. The air around her suddenly changed. A soft white glow surrounded her body altering the tension in the air. Seiji reflexively went into a defensive stance not exactly sure what they were planning on doing. He held back an attack to see what they would do. There was no real sense of threat and danger that made him want to put an end to things. He had curiosity. He wanted to see what they had to offer. ¡°Slot change!¡± shouted Umari, the white glow disappeared from her. Then suddenly a ghost-like image of a person that was completely unrelated to her appeared in front of her body. ¡°Equip save twenty-four!¡± The ghost flew back, entering Umari¡¯s body. Streaks of blonde appeared through her hair and she seemed to grow a little in size. Slight alterations went through her body as though the ghost had possessed her. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Nawabe kicked the building that they stood on, knocking over a few chunks of debris. They fell at his feet. ¡°This should be enough for you.¡± He threw down his hand at the debris with beams of yellow light coming out from his palm. ¡°Lifegiver!¡± The bits of brick suddenly floated up to shoulder height. Their surfaces rounded out a little and seemed to almost appear to have faces. However, Seiji was quite certain he was just seeing things. Though he couldn¡¯t ignore the fact that he saw bricks being created out of nothing and flung at him by these pieces of debris. Punching through them, they crumbled into powder. But it was just a screen for Umari to come charging in with blinding speed. Her fists glowed with an eerie light that Seiji had no time to dodge. His shoulder took the full blast. Upon impact, an explosion went off and sent him flying backwards through the building and the adjacent building. His body laid in a crater of his own making on the ground. ¡®Damn that hurt. Felt like a bomb went off the moment she touched me. They have some weird powers¡­¡¯ He looked over to see blood dripping down from his arm. His shirt was completely torn through. It could still move, but he didn¡¯t feel like he was going to get the full movement out of it anymore. No sooner had he started to move then he saw Umari standing at the top of the crater staring down at him. ¡°You¡¯re going to need to start using your power. Muscle¡¯s not going to get you very far with us.¡± Seiji dodged the incoming attacks from Nawabe¡¯s strange debris. This time he expected a follow-up attack by Umari, as he could see that they were tag teaming him. It still made it difficult to manage. She moved like a blur for him. ¡®She¡¯s not as fast as Saki, but almost there. Damn, I¡¯ve never actually had to fight someone like this before¡­¡¯ He was forced to take the blast from her fist with his hand just to keep it away from his body. The impact still knocked him back and left him tumbling through the grass covered streets. Gritting his teeth through the pain, he ignored the blood that covered his hand. It still worked, but he could have sworn that she broke a finger. ¡°Taking that with your hand. You are impressive. Most people are screaming like a baby after just one hit from me.¡± ¡°Like I said, I¡¯ve been through hell. A little scratch like this is nothing.¡± ¡°Oh really?¡± She charged in like a blur once more ready to take up the challenge that he dropped down. This time she went first, throwing Seiji¡¯s game off a little when the projectiles came flying in during the middle of their fight. She seemed to know exactly when and where they would come. It all felt like the whole thing took place over like ten minutes in Seiji¡¯s mind, but the heightened sense in such speeds had altered his perceptions of what was just thirty seconds. In that short little time, his shirt had become completely ruined and blood dripped down from multiple new injuries that he took. ¡®Damn, they¡¯re not even taking this seriously either.¡¯ Seiji took a pause when they seemed to have finally broken after their flash of fighting. ¡°Looks like I¡¯m going to have to be serious about this,¡± he noted, touching his hand to his chest. ¡®This is going to be a difficult fight.¡¯ ¡°Finally!¡± she shouted with a little too much excitement in her voice. Taking off his shirt, Seiji threw it back behind him. The exposed muscles on his enhanced body shined a little with sweat from the fight. Loose streams of blood dripped from the wounds he sustained. But none of it mattered to him. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve fought a serious ass fight!¡± he taunted them. ¡®I say that, but it¡¯s really only been a month since I¡¯ve fought at all.¡¯ ¡°Look at the muscle man.¡± Nawabe looked down from the building roof with a bit of a grin. ¡°He¡¯s just trying to look hot.¡± ¡°Muscles aren¡¯t the only thing that¡¯s sexy,¡± Umari said, not always understanding his taste in men. ¡°Then you won¡¯t mind if I take him.¡± ¡°You have to beat me to him first!¡± Seiji stared a little blank faced at what was suddenly happening in front of him. ¡°Umm¡­are we going to fight?¡± ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting!¡± Nawabe called, bringing up his debris launchers. ¡°Right¡­¡± Seiji hardened his features ready for the next round of attacks. A slight glow started to pulse down his scars on his right arm. He was ready for them. A new presence suddenly dropped in behind Nawabe. ¡°This fight is over!¡± commanded Masayuki in a deep threatening voice. Nawabe suddenly dropped down to one knee before him. The debris fell away completely lifeless. Masayuki glared down at Nawabe with a dark shadow over his eyes. Nawabe seemed to be shaking, but unable to move. Only his eyes could look up towards his commanding officer. ¡°¡­damn¡­you¡­¡± Across the block back with Yuki, he finally woke up from his minute nap. Trying to ignore the massive headache that he now had, he stood up. ¡°Dammit, that hurt a lot. I¡¯m not used to these sorts of situations.¡± Disregarding the two soldiers left behind, Yuki walked over to the edge of the building where they seemed to be staring. In the distance, he could barely see Seiji along with someone else fighting. He also saw two others looking like they were ready to jump Seiji and turn things into a three on one fight. ¡°Ugh¡­looks like I¡¯m going to have to use it. But damn, my head hurts.¡± A ripple jumped out of his feet quickly expanding out over the entire area completely enclosing all involved parties. ¡°There. Now it¡¯s over.¡± Yuki started to float into the air to cross over to put an end to things.¡± Umari stumbled over her feet with her appearance reverted to normal. Confused, she pushed herself up, not sure what was going on. She seemed to be checking her body. ¡°Slot change!¡± Nothing happened. ¡°Slot change!¡± It didn¡¯t make any sense to her. ¡°Why can¡¯t I use my power?¡± She glared over at Seiji. ¡°Is this your power?!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Standing up, Nawabe blinked in surprise to see that he was no longer restrained. He grinned a little and looked over at Masayuki. ¡°Looks like you don¡¯t have control anymore, Captain.¡± Nawabe jumped off the building, but came to the sudden realization that his body was not as powerful as it should have been. ¡°What the hell?! What happened to my body?¡± He saw the ground quickly coming up to him and it hit him what was going to happen. He closed his eyes, panicking over his sudden mortality. ¡°Damn, that was close,¡± Yuki sighed, having caught Nawabe by his collar. He effortlessly pulled him back up to the roof only a few centimeters from a painful crash. Yuki dropped him back off in front of Masayuki. Even Masayuki was staring at his hands trying to understand what happened. When he saw that it seemed to be affecting everyone but Yuki, he stared at him as he arrived. ¡°What did you do to us?¡± Yuki crossed his arms in front of his chest taking up the dominant position, now forced upon him by the rash behavior. ¡°It¡¯s my power. I am able to turn everyone into a normal human with my power.¡± ¡°What?! Impossible!¡± ¡°You say that after seeing how many different powers people have right now? You can¡¯t believe that there is someone with the power to take away your power?¡± It all took a moment for Masayuki to process it, but he quickly came to the expected outcome. ¡°Then you could¡ª¡° ¡°My power doesn¡¯t work like that. It¡¯s not a permanent thing, just while I¡¯m focused on it. So no, I can¡¯t turn Japan back to normal.¡± He started to float away from Masayuki, heading towards Seiji. ¡°Like I said before, I don¡¯t want to fight. I¡¯ll leave peacefully, so don¡¯t follow us.¡± Yuki met them with an intense look that showed the depth of his resolve and determination. ¡°You don¡¯t stand a chance against me if I want to try.¡± Chapter 312 - Scattered Pillars Masayuki could only watch as Yuki left. He wanted to do something, but it was impossible. Without their powers they were just normal humans once more against some superhuman. Even if Yuki left peacefully, he didn¡¯t like the way it was done. ¡®This could have gone differently. I need to work on my team more. They¡¯re too out of control.¡¯ Once Yuki was gone, they found their powers had returned. He could see their eagerness to go after Yuki after his boasting. ¡°We¡¯re returning. They aren¡¯t a problem we need to deal with right now. The terrorists are the bigger problem right now. The balance of power in the city has been upset and there will likely be even more bloodshed before it all comes to rest.¡± Umari leapt back as the team rejoined. ¡°Which means more fighting,¡± she replied with an excited tone. The rest shared her immediate assumption. He sighed and nodded that it was likely. ¡®This is the worst way to manage a team, but they get results. And right now I need their power if I¡¯m to bring stability to Japan.¡¯ If he had to wield darkness for the sake of justice, he would do so. It was the necessary price for doing the right thing. Masayuki was convinced of that. He was doing right. Chapter 312 ¨C Scattered Pillars Yuki finished up tending to the injuries Seiji sustained. Seiji wasn¡¯t completely thrilled with the whole idea of just immediate healing. It seemed like they were cheating. However, he wasn¡¯t really in a position to argue it at the moment. There were bigger problems that they needed to handle and he needed to be in peak performance. ¡°That UN team was damn aggressive. How can you be certain that they didn¡¯t make the attack? They were all over the place.¡± ¡°Mostly a gut feeling.¡± Seiji looked at him a little annoyed that he was following a gut feeling. ¡°Mostly. I¡¯ll admit that it looks just as incriminating with them being there. But I got the feeling that they were investigating. Especially the way their leader acted. I can¡¯t see him ordering such an act.¡± ¡°Not everyone is going to be good and righteous in an organization, Yuki. There is darkness in all groups.¡± It didn¡¯t take long for Yuki to know that Seiji was speaking from experience. They all sort of knew how that worked. There would always be good and bad people in any group. They couldn¡¯t all be judged by the acts of a few. However, the UN¡¯s position, intention and actions were still largely new and unknown to them. Storming through their home naturally left everyone very touchy. Even Yuki was bothered, but he couldn¡¯t take action against them he knew. ¡°Regardless of the UN. It¡¯s the same as before. We can¡¯t openly attack them right now. It¡¯s the world¡¯s policing arm. Attacking the UN is the same as declaring war with the world. That¡¯s not a good idea right now for Japan. Adding to the reasons to fear us is a bad move right now.¡± Seiji slipped on the new shirt that Yuki made him. It wasn¡¯t something that he was ignorant of. ¡°I¡¯m aware of that. Doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m always going to hold back.¡± He rubbed his scarred arm thinking about his brief skirmish with the UN team. ¡°We were only warming up, but I could tell they were hella powerful. When we face them again they¡¯re likely going to be even stronger. Those guys only live for fighting and fighting powerful opponents. They¡¯re a very dangerous group.¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware of that. For now, I have my trump card to keep them in line if they come after us.¡± ¡°Yeah, but that¡¯s not going to convince them to stop.¡± ¡°I know. The only way we will win in the end is to fight them and prove we¡¯re stronger. It¡¯s the only thing that they¡¯ll understand. But that¡¯s not something for now.¡± ¡°Right, we still need to find out where the hell Saki and the others went. They wouldn¡¯t have been taken out by something like that. Saki¡¯s too stubborn to go down.¡± Yuki smiled a little and laughed in agreement. Seeing it worried him about the fate of his friends. The arrival of the UN group shortchanged them on their time to process and react to what they saw. But Seiji reminded him now of what happened. A devastating attack like that had to have killed a lot of people. ¡°We need to investigate the site. They might be buried or something.¡± ¡°Yeah, but how the hell you planning on getting in there? The UN is all over the place.¡± ¡°My powers should cover us.¡± ¡°I might be able to help answer that,¡± a new voice spoke from the shadows. It was a young girl probably about the same age as Chiharu, possibly a little older. She was dressed up in a hoodie and loose pants with a couple of misplaced straps of cloth hanging down. Had this been a normal Japan, she probably would have blended in well with the scenery. But in the ruins and grass, she stood out. Seiji immediately jumped into a defensive position not certain about the new girl. ¡®I didn¡¯t even hear her approach. How long has she been following us?¡¯ The girl¡¯s blank and empty expression left him very uneasy. He knew how much Chiharu tried to be heartless and unfeeling, but this girl actually seemed to succeed where Chiharu failed. Seeing Seiji all ready to act, Yuki stepped out in front. He didn¡¯t want to fight anymore if they could avoid it. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Name¡¯s Rin Morri. I work for Hiroshi.¡± ¡°Are you my tail?¡± ¡°Figured it out, you¡¯re not as dumb as he implied.¡± Yuki¡¯s brow twitched a little. It was a lot of his own fault that everyone thought he was an idiot. He sort of designed it that way, as it kept people off him and gave him a peaceful life. But now everyone was assuming that he didn¡¯t figure things out. ¡°That¡¯s right. From what I saw talking to Hiroshi. I guessed him being the practical person the way he was acting, he¡¯d do something to keep tabs on me. I am a very dangerous element.¡± ¡®So he¡¯s aware of even that,¡¯ she thought. She had only been watching him for a distance, so she never got a good read on him. Up close, he had a completely different sort of presence. An unexpected, but pleasant surprise for her to be sure. ¡°That makes things easier to explain then.¡± If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Yes, what did you mean by that you could help with locating our friends?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve received no communications from the base beyond my last successful check in six hours ago. Given the scale of what happened, my best guess is that they triggered the base¡¯s self-destruct and abandoned it.¡± ¡°Self-destruct?!¡± yelled Seiji, ¡°You¡¯re telling me that massive ass crater was from them blowing up their own base?¡± Rin nodded. ¡°Judging from the scale that I saw, it meets the expectations we had if we blew it up. My only guess is that they were suddenly overrun by the enemy. They weren¡¯t even able to get communications out to me, meaning¡ª¡° ¡°It was a surprise attack and a devastating opening move,¡± finished Yuki. He saw the look of worry come across Seiji¡¯s face. It was only natural given that such an attack meant a lot of people probably died and it was possible some of their friends were caught in it. However, Yuki could give him some hope. ¡°But if the self-destruct went off, that means likely that it was triggered. So someone survived the initial assault and possibly more.¡± ¡°Right, Hiroshi wouldn¡¯t have used it without trying to evacuate everyone. The best place to look for them is actually at the fall back point we have as a safe house if we lost the base.¡± ¡°Where is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a bit of a walk, but it¡¯s in a safe part of town away from all the fighting.¡± She turned around and started to point in the direction that they needed to head. ¡°I¡¯ll take you there. We¡¯ll be able to find answers there.¡± Seiji relaxed finally, though remained very tense. The thought of their friends in the attack gave natural concern. He just hoped they were all alive and safe. They had only been back one day and their home already tried to see them dead. Not the homecoming they were expecting. Leaning over to Yuki, he asked, ¡°Any ideas about their safe house?¡± ¡°Probably underground like their other base if I had to guess.¡± It seemed like a pointless question. He knew nothing about their setup, but Yuki figured that Seiji just needed to talk about something else. His mind was likely not in the best place at the moment. The same was for Yuki, he just had to hold out on hope they were all fine. He couldn¡¯t let himself fall apart yet, not without knowing. The walk led them into town to a place that Yuki started to feel familiar. He had been through it before and got a sinking feeling he knew what was going to happen. And when they reached their destination with the bizarre, yet cool store front it only confirmed it for him. ¡°Somehow I just knew it.¡± ¡°What you know this place?¡± ¡°Yeah, I think I told you about this place while we were doing our tour for a month. Saki, Yumi and a few others came with us.¡± ¡°What is this place then?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a little complicated and hard to answer. Best to just think of it as a business.¡± Ha slid open the door seemingly detecting their approach. She immediately recognized Yuki and got a smirking grin on her face. ¡°Well if it isn¡¯t the smartass crybaby.¡± ¡°Keeping the rude, playful attitude still I see,¡± Yuki commented while patting her on the head. He passed by her and entered into the main lobby of the building. ¡°We¡¯ve come to see your Master.¡± She pushed off his hand, annoyed with his attitude towards her. Though she also seemed annoyed that she elicited no reaction from him for her comment. He wasn¡¯t here for business. ¡°Yeah, Master is tending to our guests. Boobless-with-no-brains will show you.¡± Seiji took some time to enter and only after Yuki kept motioning for him. ¡®This place doesn¡¯t feel right. Something¡¯s wrong with it. And that girl too. All of them¡­¡¯ He hurried alongside Yuki, who seemed to know what was going on. ¡°What the hell¡¯s with this place? And that child? Why is she even working here?¡± ¡°The simple answer is that all three of them are sisters.¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible! There¡¯s at least a fifty year age difference!¡± ¡°I see you¡¯re still bad with judging ages. I think it¡¯s more like thirty, but yes. The longer, more complicated answer is that they¡¯re all illusions of their Master.¡± It was all really starting to hurt Seiji¡¯s brain thinking about it. He only remembered some of the details from when Yuki told him about it. The reminder from Yuki only made him admit that he really wasn¡¯t paying much attention to Yuki when he was doing his storytelling. The tour was all pretty boring and especially the traveling. He slept most of it away. But he remembered one important piece. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say this was from before?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Her powers don¡¯t come from me.¡± ¡°Then she¡¯s¡ª¡° ¡°There¡¯s an Atlantean in here?¡± questioned Nerine, who they had all sort of forgotten about until she spoke up. She had been doing a good job of staying out of their business as she promised. But the thought of another Atlantean woke her up. ¡°If she¡¯s here then she¡¯s an exile.¡± Nodding, Yuki recalled the vague details that the woman gave them. ¡°Yeah, she explained it that way. Something about a mark on her body that prevents her from returning.¡± ¡°The Mark of the Exile, it¡¯s given to MPs deemed a threat to Atlantis, but that their crimes aren¡¯t enough to warrant execution.¡± ¡°But I thought it was forbidden for any of you to go outside?¡± reminded Seiji. ¡°It doesn¡¯t happen often. I only know of it being used a few times in all of our history and under very special circumstances. The risk is too great to have us out in the world.¡± ¡°You¡¯d be surprised how many of us are actually out here,¡± a new voice said coming out of an unmarked room. A familiar face stepped through the threshold. ¡°The public doesn¡¯t know about most of the exiles.¡± Nerine gasped for a moment breaking stoic nature for a moment before covering it back up quickly. She settled back into her normal stance, opening with questions. ¡°Are you saying that the Council and King lied to the people?¡± ¡°Of course, they are always lying. That shouldn¡¯t be a surprise.¡± Phoibe fully came out of the room and offered them entry. ¡°But I believe there are more important answers you want at the moment.¡± * * * Masayuki stepped into the temporary tent leaving his team behind. Inside, several other high-ranking UN officers stood going over the details of the damage. They planned out possible strategies. It likely meant their deployment again. However, his meeting was with a different man in the tent. The one that looked out of place, wearing a business suit and carrying a polite business smile on his face. The businessman was Takeshi Shigemitsu. A man that if he wasn¡¯t in the suit would have appeared more like a college professor or a librarian than someone working for a large corporation. Part of Arihyoshi, a company with their hands in a little bit of everything, he worked as a liaison to the UN. Thanks to some special technology that they had developed due to the sudden countrywide changes, they were providing the containment cells for those that they arrested as normal prisons wouldn¡¯t hold those that they captured. They needed to put them somewhere safe for both their protection and everyone else. Since he was the liaison, it meant that he worked closely with the man. In fact, he was approached by the man with the backing of the UN to put together his team. All of the people on his team were supplied to him by this man, Takeshi. Masayuki didn¡¯t know how he managed to control or even have such wild elements, but it helped him keep the peace. So he didn¡¯t ask unnecessary questions. ¡°Welcome back, Captain Ayabito.¡± ¡°Mr. Shigemitsu.¡± ¡°I hear reports that you had an encounter with an extremely unique Powered.¡± ¡°Yes, he had the ability to completely nullify any Powered within his range. To the point that we just became normal humans with even our physical attributes stolen.¡± ¡°That¡¯s very distressing to hear for our peace efforts.¡± ¡°He said that he didn¡¯t wish to fight. So I believe we¡¯ll be fine. I don¡¯t think he is a terrorist.¡± ¡°Is that so? It seems that you were able to talk to this man. What did you learn about him besides his power? Even if he is not a threat to our peacekeeping efforts. Someone with such power might be a possible ally if he can disable Powered.¡± ¡°I had considered it. He looked to be a teen boy, maybe first or second year in high school, blackish-blue hair, 160-165 centimeters. His name was Yuki Hayashi.¡± ¡°Yuki Hayashi, you said?¡± Takeshi suddenly started flipping through notes that he had on hand. He paused and then kept going. Then he came to a stop when he found what he was looking for. ¡°You¡¯re certain?¡± ¡°Yes, that was the name he gave. Why, sir?¡± ¡°This is something we¡¯ve been keeping private, but since you¡¯re involved now I should tell you.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Takeshi showed him a special dossier created by the UN for special interest targets. Ones that they deemed major risks or threats to the stabilization efforts of Japan. It was still a small list since they only began a month ago. But it was his first time seeing a classified target. ¡°Yuki Hayashi is the most wanted man in Japan by the UN.¡± Chapter 313 - Most Wanted The dossier had only a rough sketch that seemed to be close enough to the boy he saw. Anger immediately boiled through his veins wanting to lunge at the man for withholding something so important. It was a fruitless effort, which is why he kept himself in check. ¡°What?! I haven¡¯t heard anything about this! You had a suspect and you said nothing to me?!¡± Masayuki clenched his hands. ¡°Mr. Hayashi has been determined to be directly involved with the Shattered Japan Incident. His capture has been our highest priority, but he disappeared completely. We didn¡¯t know where he went after the Incident until now. We kept it in the higher ups because he is considered to be the most powerful Powered created from this. So we have no way of successfully capturing him.¡± He had a little trouble believing the report, but he had experienced the power that the boy wielded first hand. It might have been a simple to understand power, but it was the most threatening for the UN Powered Division. Someone like him couldn¡¯t be captured through normal means. His frustration at the allowed situation didn¡¯t change his anger. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious, sir! If someone so powerful is out there we have to stop him! We might be able to get answers on why this happened and finally bring peace to Japan!¡± ¡°I understand how you feel, Captain.¡± Takeshi pulled the file back and fixed the order. He slid it down to his desk. ¡°However, I must order you not to engage with him. We¡¯ve kept this private because we have no way to combat him as you saw in your engagement. Until we have a way to successfully capture him without it being a certainty we¡¯ll lose we choose to keep the matter classified. Since he had disappeared, we had hoped that would have given us enough time to find a way to address him. I only told you because I admire your resolve. We need more people like you to help bring peace to Japan. I don¡¯t want you recklessly endangering yourself.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not right, sir!¡± Masayuki turned away, unable to hold in his anger. He was given an order to do nothing when they had a potential lead to the cause. He understood, but it didn¡¯t stop him from his emotions. It was frustrating being so close. Yet, the display he saw from Yuki made him understand how powerful he was. It was definitely a threat to the peace of Japan. Takeshi rushed over and grabbed his shoulder. ¡°I gave you an order, Captain. This is the same as the UN. Don¡¯t engage.¡± Breaking free from his grip with ease, Masayuki pushed aside the tent flap. He looked back at the man. ¡°Yes, sir. I understand.¡± Chapter 313 ¨C Most Wanted With the room cleared of lower ranked members, the high ranked UN officers looked up from their work. General Evans, the British dispatched commander that headed all operations, kept a stoic yet stern expression for the Japanese man. The man might have been a normal human like the rest, but he was still Japanese like the rest of the Powered. It still placed him in suspicion. ¡°We still haven¡¯t identified this Yuki Hayashi as the source or even involved in the matter. This is purely something your company seems to believe.¡± Takeshi continued to hold a pleasant business smile on his face dealing with the threatening General. ¡°General, someone or something has caused this situation. Someone bearing powers described by the young man Masayuki is very curious. Able to completely negate someone else¡¯s power.¡± ¡°Even so, logically it doesn¡¯t make any sense for someone that is Powered to have created this situation. The Powered appeared after the Incident. If he is involved as you seem to believe, then he would have to be something different.¡± The mousy-looking businessman¡¯s smile cracked a little, but held together for the most part. ¡°Yes, that would make sense. Wouldn¡¯t it?¡± General Evans¡¯ face narrowed a little, staring down the man. ¡°Given that you believe this, do you have a way to capture him? If his powers are as reported.¡± ¡°My company has been developing a means for capturing him. The normal cells we¡¯ve been providing you negate a Powered¡¯s abilities, but we¡¯ve been capturing greater numbers of stronger Powered lately and discovered that more advancements are needed. Someone as potentially powerful as Yuki Hayashi would need a special confinement made for him.¡± ¡°If he is active again now. Will you be ready for the next time he surfaces?¡± Even if he doubted the man, he believed the reports of what he did. Ignoring him being the cause, he was a threat with such power. He would completely shut down their peacekeeping efforts. The Powered teams would be useless. Nodding to the worried General, Takeshi assured him, ¡°Arihyoshi will be ready for Yuki Hayashi.¡± Outside the tent, Masayuki rejoined his team. They all had the demanding look of wanting to know their next orders. Babysitting investigators wasn¡¯t their idea of worthwhile time spent. They merely hoped that one of the terrorists would walk into the base and give them something interesting to do. Hayashi¡¯s appearance was exactly what they wanted. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Our leader looks angry,¡± Umari teased, easily seeing the emotions painted over his face. ¡°Did they spank you for failing to capture two Powered?¡± Hanari taunted. He looked out at the four members of his team. They weren¡¯t what he wanted. They had no interest in peace or stability. They weren¡¯t like him. Yet it was what he had to work with. They were the only thing he had. ¡°We have new standing orders. In addition to capturing rogue Powered, we will be actively searching for the Powered named Yuki Hayashi. He is considered the highest priority target in Japan.¡± ¡°So we¡¯ll get to fight them again,¡± Nawabe remarked with a grin coming across his face. ¡°Umari, were you able to copy his power?¡± ¡°No. Normally, I¡¯m able to remember anyone¡¯s power, but there is something different about the way his power works. I got the feeling that it wasn¡¯t like the rest of us.¡± Hanari looked over at Umari as did the others with curiosity. ¡°Someone not like us? Sure it¡¯s not just because you didn¡¯t have your power when it happened?¡± ¡°I can remember powers when I¡¯m unconscious. My body remembers it. With him, it was like he wasn¡¯t even there. Like he wasn¡¯t even using a power.¡± Masayuki stared at her for a moment while he let that absorb. ¡®He really is dangerous. Something will have to be done about him. I will find you, Yuki Hayashi. You can¡¯t escape me.¡¯ * * * There were definitely more important matters as Phoibe stated. Directed into a deeper wing of her business, something physically impossible for her space, she showed them all to where what remained of the Hiroshi Faction. Rin immediately found her Commander and ran off to report in. Yuki hovered near the threshold with Phoibe. He could see everything and the signs it painted. ¡°So you¡¯re the one behind it then?¡± Smiling at him like she knew nothing, she asked, ¡°Which are you meaning?¡± Narrowing his features as he stared at her, he shifted his stance to a power position. ¡°I¡¯m tired of everyone thinking I¡¯m an idiot. I¡¯m not blind. Their base, you made that for them.¡± ¡°Is that what you think? I¡¯m just a businesswoman giving aid to refugees.¡± ¡°Right. You can drop the act. Knowing that you¡¯re involved I¡¯ve got most of it already figured out.¡± ¡°Well aren¡¯t you a smarty.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± interrupted Seiji. He waved his hand between the two of them to grab their attention. ¡°I don¡¯t see everyone.¡± ¡°A lot of people died during the attack,¡± Phoibe reported. ¡°No, Saki, Yumi and Fumiko aren¡¯t here. They can¡¯t have died!¡± The names of his friends immediately choked up Yuki. It was something that he feared. They were all strong and survived a lot in Atlantis. So he didn¡¯t want to think that they could be killed. ¡°Seiji¡­are you sure?¡± ¡°Yes! I can see everyone in the damn room. Unless you¡¯re hiding more elsewhere, they aren¡¯t here!¡± ¡°This is everyone that came back.¡± ¡°What the hell?! Where the hell is this Hiroshi?!¡± Seiji started marching into the room blindly calling out for Hiroshi. He grabbed random people shaking them down for information. ¡°Damn! Seiji!¡± Yuki rushed into the large room trying to stop him before he made any more of a scene. But he didn¡¯t have a chance to stop him. Hiroshi surfaced to the calling, though not looking like he wanted to deal with an emotional Seiji. ¡°Seiji!¡± Quickly throwing his arm out, Seiji grabbed Hiroshi by the collar. ¡°Where are they?! Tell me you bastard!¡± Hiroshi held an initially distant look in his eyes as if he was somewhere else. However, the sound of Yuki¡¯s voice both alerted him and took him away from Seiji. ¡°¡­Yuki¡­you¡¯ve come back¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking to you dammitall!¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± Hiroshi casually broke free from Seiji and marched over to Yuki. He hardened his expression in his approach. ¡°Have you made your decision?¡± ¡°I¡¯m more interested in the answers you have right now, Hiroshi,¡± Yuki shot back. He was still stuck on wanting him to pick a side. There was something more important to him at the moment. ¡°What answers do you want? The fact that Takako wiped out our base. Or that the group leading them was Saki, Yumi and Fumiko and they were killing innocent people.¡± Seiji lost it long before Yuki even had time to react. He rammed his fist into Hiroshi¡¯s face, sending him to the floor among a few of the spared survivors. ¡°How dare YOU say that! Take that back right now!¡± Largely unfazed by it, Hiroshi lifted himself up ignoring the blood off his lip. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to take back. Not when it¡¯s the truth.¡± Lunging at him, Seiji tried to punch Hiroshi again, but Yuki stopped him. The mist had adapted enough from the last time that he figured out what he needed to keep him at bay. ¡°Seiji! Punching him won¡¯t get any answers!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be serious, Yuki! You believe him?¡± Struggling against Yuki¡¯s power, he hadn¡¯t stopped trying to hit Hiroshi. The look of his detached and cold delivery only made him more angry. It reminded him of how Ayumi could be. ¡°Explain yourself, Hiroshi before I can¡¯t hold him back anymore.¡± ¡°Threatening me now?¡± Hiroshi glanced over at Yuki. He didn¡¯t seem anymore concerned about his situation with the looming Seiji. Grinding his teeth together, Yuki hated the situation that they were in. This wasn¡¯t the sort of scene with someone that he thought of as a friend was supposed to play out. They weren¡¯t supposed to be at odds with each other. They should be working together, not at each other''s throats. ¡°What happened? Tell me, Hiroshi. What¡¯s changed? I saw your base. I need to know!¡± ¡°Are you going to join us?¡± ¡°Dammit, Hiroshi! Stop with the sides! I can still help you without picking a side!¡± ¡°No you can¡¯t. You need to understand that they¡¯re lost. They¡¯re all lost to us. Reality is not what you want or wish, but how it is. Accept it!¡± ¡°I won¡¯t kill friends!¡± ¡°Then leave. I don¡¯t want your help. Not someone that can¡¯t fully commit.¡± Hiroshi stood up brushing past Seiji, still held in place by Yuki. He started to walk away looking back at the survivors. ¡°Na?ve ideals won¡¯t change the facts. Your friends have been taken from you. And since you don¡¯t have the resolve, I shall kill them all with my hand. It is the only thing that can be done at this point.¡± Tilting his head back towards the two of them. ¡°This is the new world.¡± Chapter 314 - Crawling in the Darkness Yuki clenched his fists together, feeling his nails digging into the skin. ¡°To hell with your world!¡± It was no place for him to be any longer. He thought it would be different, but it was the same. Everything changed too much and became dark. What few people that could stand in Hiroshi¡¯s group moved to block Yuki¡¯s path out. He couldn¡¯t allow him to leave, the risk was too great. It was a mistake he granted due to misplaced sentiment. No more could be made. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± ¡°To pay my respects to a friend I lost.¡± Yuki glared over at Hiroshi, almost taunting him. He knew the situation just as well as Hiroshi. Yet the guards remained in his way. ¡°Do you really think you can stop me?¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t fight your way out of here.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to fight. You¡¯ll let me walk.¡± The confidence that permeated from Yuki unnerved Hiroshi. He knew what Yuki was capable of doing better than any of the others in his group. They would do whatever he told them. They would charge in against Yuki, someone that they would all easily underestimate. ¡®That power of his¡­I don¡¯t know if it is on or off right now. I don¡¯t know if he already has plans in motion. Seems we¡¯ve both changed¡­¡¯ Hiroshi didn¡¯t know what to make of the look he was getting from Yuki. He acted with naivety, yet had a ruthlessness that went completely contrary to him. It was an unsettling paradox, and not one he felt was worth stirring at the moment. Flicking his fingers signaled the guards to drop, though they had some doubts about the orders. ¡°Yuki. Stop clinging to the past. Your friend is dead and he¡¯s not coming back.¡± Yuki stared with melancholy burned into his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m starting to see that.¡± Chapter 314 ¨C Crawling at the Darkness As he walked out of the room, Phoibe stopped him. ¡°Planning on abandoning them? Abandoning your home?¡± ¡°I came back because I won¡¯t,¡± he shot back to someone that felt more like an interloper than someone that actually understood things. She might have lived in the city for a while, but this was where he was born. It wasn¡¯t something he would ignore. ¡°So what do you plan to do? You can¡¯t fight Takako alone as you are.¡± ¡°They don¡¯t worry me.¡± ¡°Already becoming arrogant in your superiority? The Atlantean blood in you is stronger than you thought.¡± He slipped out of her grip and kept walking away. ¡°It¡¯s not arrogance or superiority, just simple facts. I gave them their powers and I can take them away.¡± Yuki walked through the threshold letting the door close. Phoibe stared at the door that hid Yuki. ¡°It is our greatest mistake thinking that we¡¯re gods.¡± Seiji popped out of the room to chase after Yuki. He lost his interest in trying to convince a bunch of dark and depressed people of their mistakes. His friend was all that really mattered. ¡°Where¡¯d Yuki go?¡± he asked Phoibe, as he searched out quickly. ¡°Your friend went to brood.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°He stepped out. He¡¯s probably not very far right now, but wait too long and he¡¯ll likely do something foolish.¡± Not completely following her meaning, he understood enough that he needed to find Yuki. In his mind, there was nothing wrong with doing anything foolish. Her tone made it seem like it was a problem. Seiji was more than up for something foolish. Outside, he didn¡¯t immediately find Yuki. So he leapt up to the highest building in the block to start scouting things out. Finding him was actually easier than he expected. Yuki was on the same rooftop that he jumped on. ¡°Yuki?!¡± His landing put him dangerously close to actually flattening him. It staggered his steps nearly making him fall backwards. Taking a few moments to balance himself, Seiji recovered and walked over to sit down next to him. He recognized the look in his eyes. It was the same one that he had back at his shrine. ¡°What are you doing, Yuki? I thought we already decided we were going to stop all of this. Why are you hesitating now?¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°It¡¯s not that, Seiji. I¡¯m going to stop it, this is a problem I caused and I¡¯ll put an end to it.¡± ¡°That Takako girl caused it, not you.¡± He didn¡¯t really see why Yuki blamed himself for something that strangers did. The whole thing even started while they were away. So he did nothing. ¡°That may be true, but I¡¯m the one that gave her powers. If I hadn¡¯t given her powers none of this would have happened.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t blame yourself for something like that.¡± ¡°Why not? This whole thing is my fault! The people suffering in our home are suffering because of my mistakes! My power caused this!¡± Seiji threw out a quick punch at Yuki with as much control as possible. Even though it didn¡¯t kill him, it still sent him tumbling away. It wasn¡¯t an easy thing to hold back. ¡°People are suffering, in pain and dying all over the world and you think that¡¯s your fault as well?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Pain still pulsed deeply in his cheek from the punch that Yuki was a little distracted. He had to right himself first. ¡°What¡¯s that got to do with me? I didn¡¯t do anything.¡± ¡°But you could, right? With your powers you could go around everywhere putting an end to everything. Right?¡± ¡°I guess so¡­¡± ¡°But you¡¯re not. People are dying because you did nothing. Is that your fault?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not the same thing!¡± With the pain calming, Yuki started to see where Seiji was going with his direction. He was just trying to find an excuse for him. Yuki couldn¡¯t accept it. ¡°It¡¯s not? Action or inaction, how are they any different when if you acted differently things could be better?¡± It was more of a philosophical debate. A rather surprising thing to be having with Seiji, Yuki admitted. He didn¡¯t really have a clean answer for it when looked at it like that. ¡°I-I¡­¡± Seiji stood up and walked over to help Yuki up. ¡°It¡¯s not different. So you made a mistake, everyone does. You want to fix it, do so and stop dwelling. Focus on what you can do rather than what you should have done.¡± Grinning a little, Yuki felt a little odd getting such help from Seiji. But it sounded right. ¡°I need to fix this. Though it¡¯s not always easy to forget that this is my mistake. It¡¯s not something small that people can just forgive.¡± He pulled Yuki up. They stared at each other with grinning smirks in exchange. ¡°Well then I¡¯ll just punch you again to set your head right. Remember to stay focused.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± ¡°So what¡¯s the plan?¡± Seiji punched his fists together trying to put the energy back into the air. They needed something a little more positive. He was tired of all of the heavy atmosphere. ¡°You¡¯ve got a plan, right?¡± Yuki laughed a little at Seiji, reverting to his simplicity. He gave a small nod as he turned to look out in the direction of their neighborhood. It was far away and in the night they couldn¡¯t see a thing. The lights and smoke created a haze over the area that was only barely recognizable. ¡°I¡¯m working on something in my mind.¡± ¡°I knew you had to be. After your little stunt at the execution grounds, I doubted that you¡¯d be going into this blind. Not that I¡¯m opposed to that.¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a different situation. Blindly charging in isn¡¯t going to be something we can do. Not to mention they¡¯re classmates and friends in there. I¡¯m not hurting anyone.¡± He walked out next to Yuki to join him. ¡°That might not be possible. I don¡¯t agree anymore with those guys¡¯ beliefs, but some fighting seems to be likely.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not killing anyone, Seiji,¡± Yuki stated clearly, turning his head up towards Seiji. ¡°I didn¡¯t say we were. But a few bruises and cuts are going to happen.¡± ¡°I know, that¡¯s why the focus is going to be Takako. She¡¯s the core of the problem and likely the solution as well.¡± Yuki tilted his head back towards the water reservoir. Standing on top of it watching them, Nerine remained silent the entire time. ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°I will follow you. But I¡¯m a neutral party, I can¡¯t involve myself in these matters.¡± ¡°Nerine!¡± Yuki threw up his arm to stop Seiji. ¡°It¡¯s fine. You have to remember that she¡¯s got a lot of burdens as well. This is a foreign country for her, involvement would come back on Atlantis. For now, Atlantis has still elected to stay out of world affairs.¡± ¡°They can¡¯t just close their eyes and pretend the world doesn¡¯t exist!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget I¡¯m the King, Seiji. One problem at a time.¡± Atlantis had almost too many problems for one person to handle. Running around Japan certainly wasn¡¯t solving any of them, but Japan had more immediate matters. He had too many things to fix. And he wasn¡¯t even sure he could fix the Takako problem. It was just a hope. ¡°So this is where you went off too,¡± a familiar voice called out from a building away. They jumped up the rest of the way to land nearby them. ¡°Tatsuya. What are you doing here? Shouldn¡¯t you be off with Hiroshi sharpening your knives?¡± Shrugging a little, Tatsuya seemed to be trying to play off some of the seriousness. ¡°You¡¯re not really giving him a chance.¡± Yuki stepped out in front to confront Tatsuya directly. ¡°I¡¯ve listened to all I want from him. We won¡¯t see eye to eye.¡± Sighing, he knew how hard it was going to be talking to Yuki. He crossed his arms and settled in for the long haul. ¡°You¡¯ve had the benefit of not being here since it¡¯s started. I¡¯m not sure you can easily say you wouldn¡¯t be changed by everything that happened.¡± ¡°What? Are you justifying the murder of friends?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not justifying anything. Murder is still murder, if the law even cared anymore about what happened, yes we all deserve to be in prison or executed for what we¡¯ve done. But you do what you need to survive and protect others.¡± ¡°There are other ways!¡± ¡°We thought that way before, but Hiroshi learned the cost of such thinking. Before you pass judgment on the way he acts, maybe you should know what happened.¡± Yuki crossed his arms as well, but meant it to close himself off. He didn¡¯t have any interest in hearing about whatever story caused Hiroshi to change. His friend was dead and that was all that mattered to him. There was no reasoning with any of them. They had so much blood on their hands all they could do to keep moving forward was to keep killing. It was all their justification and excuse. It supported them and if they stopped they would see the sort of monsters that they had become. He couldn¡¯t excuse such logic. However, Seiji stepped up and put a hand on Yuki¡¯s shoulder. ¡°We should hear him out.¡± ¡°Seiji?¡± ¡°He is your friend right? Someone you care about. It may not excuse them, but maybe you can understand.¡± Remaining silent for more than a minute, Yuki visibly looked to be conflicted. It took him all that time to take a seat on the edge of the roof. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll listen.¡± ¡°Good, this goes back to a few days after everything went to hell,¡± Tatsuya began. Chapter 315 - Tainted Land Green, everywhere it was green. Tatsuya never knew what to make of it. Sure, he knew that Yuki caused it after that earthquake destroyed their school. But what did that exactly mean? Just saying that it was Yuki¡¯s fault didn¡¯t really answer anything. And saying that the city was different was just as vague. It was weird and strange, he never really knew what to expect around the next corner. Most people just hid themselves in their homes, a smart choice. Why did he not follow their example? He had been doing the same mostly. School was closed, most places were closed. It was pointless wandering around. Only someone looking for trouble roamed about in their town anymore. An unsettling thump made it through the streets towards Tatsuya. ¡®Something¡¯s coming¡­¡¯ He immediately jumped over the nearest property wall and climbed up the massive twenty-meter tall tree. Such things never existed before, in a city that had no room or place. Nature no longer cared if civilization had room or could accommodate them. They just grew and everywhere. This one destroyed half of the house in the process of growing. The unfortunate homeowners were the least of his worries. Climbing the tree served two purposes. It put him in a better position to scout the noise, but also kept him out of notice hopefully. Near the top of the tree, he poked out on one of the branches. ¡°Now where are you¡­¡± he whispered to himself. Following the noise, he tracked it back to a strange boar-like monster. It looked like someone crossed a boar with a lion and possibly even a dragon and then just mixed all of the parts up. Only the boar shape seemed to be there, but it was nothing that used to exist before. More than ten blocks away, he had a long time to wait before it left the area. ¡°Really not used to this yet. I know things I shouldn¡¯t be able to.¡± He knew that his ears heard things too far away and too quiet normally that he never would have before. The slight vibrations in the earth from that boar he could feel. It was unnerving what he knew. Sure it saved his life and improved his chances of survival, but it wasn¡¯t something he was used to dealing with. Every time he heard or felt something, he was completely convinced it was just around the corner. His mind hadn¡¯t adjusted to how vastly different his body had changed. ¡°Did you do this for our sake, Yuki? Did you know that we¡¯d need this to survive? Is that why?¡± Chapter 315 ¨C Tainted Land Free to move again, Tatsuya arrived at his destination. The only reason he came out into the hell of their city anymore. ¡°Hey man, still talking?¡± Rows deep into the cemetery, Hiroshi lifted his head up from the grave he had likely been staring at for hours. ¡°I¡¯ve lost any more words at this point.¡± His voice trailed off at the end almost as if trapped by an invisible hand ripping them away into hiding. Despite the front that Hiroshi put up for Yuki, Tatsuya knew the truth. ¡®He acts strong and brave in front of everyone else, but he can¡¯t stop thinking about it. I wish Yuki was still here, it might just be a fa?ade for Yuki¡¯s sake, but he¡¯s in a better state around him. He can¡¯t be dwelling on this forever¡­¡¯ Tatsuya walked up behind Hiroshi placing a hand on his shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s hard, Tatsuya. I keep seeing him in my mind. I know the truth, but that doesn¡¯t help things. I still have this urging, feeling¡­disgusting feeling¡­I need to blame something, someone. It¡¯s wrong, he¡¯s my friend and he¡¯s not at fault.¡± His body was shaking. Tatsuya could nearly hear the way he was fighting with his body. ¡°How are you managing all of this, Tatsuya? Unlike me, you¡¯ve been friends since you were five. Compared to you I barely knew him and I¡¯m more of a wreck here.¡± ¡®On the contrary¡­I just know, like you for Yuki, the front is important. Without it we¡¯d all fall apart.¡¯ His room would tell Hiroshi a completely different story. In fact, focusing on the changes in his body had been the only thing that helped to get his mind off Kazuhiro. Even if it was just a distraction, a way to forget, it was needed. He had lost things to destroy. Sanity was a precarious thing. ¡°Death happens to everyone,¡± answered Tatsuya, ¡°I have my memories of Kazuhiro. So he lives inside me. In that way, he¡¯s not dead.¡± It was all just a bunch of self-deceptive bullshit, but if it worked to get Hiroshi out of his depression he would say anything. ¡°That¡¯s a positive way of looking at it.¡± He seemed to be contemplating the different perspective. Tatsuya didn¡¯t really plan to give him time to fall back. He had his attention and he was the most awake he had been in a while. ¡°So what did you call me out here for?¡± ¡°The school. You¡¯ve heard the rumors or seen the strange things happening, right?¡± Seen might have been the more accurate option for Tatsuya. He hid himself away from the world and his city. So hearing any sort of rumor was nearly impossible. But while he came out to the cemetery it was hard not to notice something odd in the distance. It was the opposite direction of the cemetery, but something happened at the school. ¡°It was a joke to think that they could just pick things up like nothing happened. You think it¡¯s the UN peacekeeping forces?¡± Hiroshi rubbed his chin in thought. He finally started to look like the friend Tatsuya knew. ¡°It¡¯s the only guess right now. But we know that whatever Yuki did changed us all. So maybe some thug got it in their head to try to do something.¡± Since Hiroshi seemed to be aware of more of what was happening than him, he pushed for information. ¡°What are these rumors?¡± ¡°Someone¡¯s built an army at our school and claiming the city for their own.¡± ¡®Explains why he thinks that it could be some thug with powers. The whole thing sort of seems like a lottery, so some probably have stronger or more useful powers than others.¡¯ However, a rumor was still just a rumor. They hardly knew anything about what was going on in their city, their home. He knew that wouldn¡¯t set right with Hiroshi. That seemed to be the main driving force for keeping his sanity. ¡°The school just opened too, depending on when this happened a lot of classmates may have been caught up in this.¡± Turning to look in the direction of their school, Hiroshi¡¯s determination surfaced. The face that couldn¡¯t be turned away from a decision. It was the same reckless look that Tatsuya saw when they became friends. For all of his laziness, he had a bad habit of helping others. ¡°Which is why we need to go find out what happened and if something has happened to our friends. We need to save them!¡± Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡®You¡¯ve left me with a difficult responsibility, Kazuhiro. Only one of us is left to keep our friend from blindly following his more stupid and idealistic side.¡¯ Generally, any sort of trouble they got into in the past was pretty minor stuff. Hiroshi did have a habit of actually making things work out when it seemed impossible for them to go as planned. He was dead set on seeing those doing wrong served for their error and making sure the innocent were not involved. ¡°You know this sort of thing seems more suited for Yuki and his little group that he¡¯s collected. They actually seem to have abilities and know how to use them. We still don¡¯t know what we have, if anything useful.¡± ¡°But Yuki¡¯s not here,¡± Hiroshi noted, tilting his head over his shoulder at Tatsuya. Another unfortunate truth. Neither of them knew what happened to Yuki or Saki. It had been weeks since they heard or seen them. ¡°We both know that Saki more than any of them would have immediately caused trouble when she learned about the school. Same with Yuki, he¡¯d follow her if he didn¡¯t go first.¡± ¡°They¡¯re like someone we know.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± Hiroshi turned away from Tatsuya, focusing back on the school. It was their goal, even if it was a bad idea. Someone needed to do something. ¡°We don¡¯t know what happened to them. Maybe they¡¯re captured, maybe Yuki went to explore Japan to find a way to fix it, sounds like something he would do. Whatever the case, none of them are here. It¡¯s just us and we will have to do.¡± ¡°Two against an entire army?¡± ¡°A rumored army.¡± ¡°Because that makes me feel any better.¡± ¡°We¡¯re just scouting for now.¡± It was his job to keep his friend safe from reckless actions. However, there was no talking him out of it. And it wasn¡¯t like he disagreed with what Hiroshi wanted to do. If their home was in danger, he wanted to do something as well. He just knew how Hiroshi¡¯s plans went, usually sideways before they were successful. ¡°You know I¡¯ve got your back.¡± ¡°Thanks man!¡± The walk to the school had to come to a stop before they could even get in range of it. They came to a stop just out of sight of a fight. Hiroshi peaked around the corner a second time. Even before they were able to see it, they heard something happening and approached with caution. ¡°Damn! What¡¯s going on? I¡¯m seeing the UN fighting people from our school.¡± ¡°The UN has gone too far if they¡¯re fighting a bunch of students!¡± Hiroshi crept out slowly with Tatsuya. They hadn¡¯t been spotted. So if they could get a jump on them, they might be able to save their friends from being beaten up or worse by the UN soldiers. However, just as they were ready to make their move to save them the fight ended. What neither of them realized until it was too late, the soldiers were just defending themselves. They had been ambushed and only a couple remained alive. The rest were already dead by the time they arrived at the scene. The last two died before they could do anything. It all happened before their eyes. Then the worst happened. Once dead, the students tore into the soldiers with their powers or just through brute strength. It was a completely savage and unearthly sight like out of a horror movie. Organs, bones and blood were everywhere. It soaked their black uniforms making it difficult to read any of the gore on them. Both Hiroshi and Tatsuya covered up their mouths and held in their urge to throat up. They were too close to the whole thing. Any sort of new noise would alert them to their position. A strange sort of fear kept their body in check. At least until they left. Once it was safe, their bodies couldn¡¯t hold themselves back any longer. ¡°What the hell was that?¡± yelled Tatsuya, hoping he no longer had anything left in his stomach to toss up. His throat burned and mouth stank of acid. Worse was the image of people he knew doing such things. Remembering it again just made his stomach start to choke once more. It had nothing left and so all he had was pain. It was all he could feel anymore. Hiroshi leaned up against the wall of a building resting his body. He didn¡¯t know what he had seen. It just seemed impossible. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s a nightmare.¡± Rejection seemed to be the only thing that he could do to justify it in his mind. ¡°This is a whole hell of a lot worse than your rumors.¡± ¡°¡­yeah¡­¡± ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Hiroshi!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Tatsuya jumped over and pushed him down to the ground flat just as a light flashed over them. ¡°There¡¯s someone still here.¡± He looked around trying to see where the attack came from. But there was too much in the way. ¡°I thought they left!¡± ¡°Maybe they heard us, I don¡¯t know! But it doesn¡¯t matter right now!¡± Tatsuya dragged Hiroshi up against the building around the corner. It was the only cover they had at the moment judging from the angle of attack. He looked around the corner still looking for them. Hiroshi was shaking not knowing what to do. It only made sense. Neither of them had really been in a fight, a real fight like this. Street brawls that Yuki did or just the angry student didn¡¯t have any comparison. This was someone looking to kill them. The lethal intent ran so thick it soaked through his skin. ¡®Damn¡­what are we going to do? Neither of us are ready for this. I¡¯m used to hiding, not fighting.¡¯ Something suddenly ran through the wall barely missing them. Only a thin trail of light could be seen through all of the exploding brick and mortar from it bursting through the wall. It wasn¡¯t safe for them, even for cover. They ran around trying to stay ahead of their attacker while the building turned into ruins. Escaping to a completely different building, their former protection finally collapsed in a pile of smoke. Coughing through all of the dust and debris, they quickly became familiarized with their situation. Live or die. A simple binary. Hiroshi came to the realization first and grabbed Tatsuya. ¡°Hey man, you know roughly where they are at this point?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± It snapped him a little out of his paralysis, but his mind was still playing catch up. ¡°I¡¯m going to be the decoy, you get around behind them.¡± ¡°What?! Are you crazy?¡± Another blast of light came through the building stopping any arguments. Hiroshi just stared at him. He was telling him to run. A plan, a terrible plan, but their only plan. Tatsuya nodded begrudgingly and waited for Hiroshi to make his move. Like all of his reckless plans, it seemed to be working. Hiroshi did everything loud and easy to spot to make the enemy follow his movements. It gave Tatsuya all the time he needed to start looking for the source. All of the lights throwing across the area gave him plenty of points. He only needed a few seconds to know exactly where they were now until under fire. ¡®I¡¯ve got you¡­¡¯ It took longer than he wanted to sneak around, but in a minute he was in position. The sounds of Hiroshi still playing decoy urged him forward even in his hesitation. Up there was another student most likely. Someone he knew. ¡®Who is it? Someone I know or someone I passed by in the halls? What¡¯s going on here?¡¯ Tatsuya couldn¡¯t hold out. He jumped up to the rooftop making his move. The turned figure was in the perfect position. He couldn¡¯t tell who they were, but they were trying to kill Hiroshi. They were all he knew. He could fight, for Hiroshi. Charging at them while still turned away, Tatsuya grabbed them from behind and lifted them off the ground. It was all just a spur of the moment. He needed a knockout. So he went with the move he knew, the one he saw Saki do a few times in class, usually to Hiroshi, a German Suplex. He figured with enough force and more on the head that he should be able to drive them unconscious. The unplanned force actually sent the individual through the roof of the building. Cracks shot out around them before the whole thing collapsed, dropping them both down on the second floor and then the first floor. Coughing and dazed, Tatsuya tried to find his balance as Hiroshi came rushing in. ¡°Hey are you alright, man?! What the hell did you do?¡± Waving through the smoke, he tried to find Hiroshi. ¡°Just a little thing I saw someone else do.¡± He then looked over at the student he attacked. Hopefully, they were out. And by the looks of it, they didn¡¯t seem to be moving. However, Tatsuya froze in shock. ¡°Where are you?¡± Hiroshi called working his way through the building. Tracing through the smoke, he managed to find Tatsuya. ¡°Hey man, what¡¯s wrong? You hurt from the fall?¡± He just saw Tatsuya looking down. In confusion, he stared down and staggered back in surprise. ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­Sakura?!¡± Chapter 316 - Shattered Hopes Hiroshi looked up to stare at Tatsuya. Neither of them had the answers the other wanted. It didn¡¯t make any sense. They knew her, Sakura Maruyama. She attended the same junior high school and went way back for Hiroshi. Even though she was in a different class, they were still in the same high school as well. It was someone that Hiroshi could rely on despite their history. ¡°What the hell is going on here?¡± yelled Hiroshi louder than he should. He seemed to need to shout just to make it feel like he had some grasp on reality still, because it was clear that the world had finally lost touch with it. His hands shook trying to keep his body from venting on whatever was the nearest target. Tatsuya didn¡¯t have any words. He knew her well enough from the times he saw the two of them talking. She shouldn¡¯t want to attack either of them. They weren¡¯t close friends, but nothing happened to incite her. Stepping out in front of Tatsuya, Hiroshi forced him to see only him. ¡°You¡¯re sure Sakura was the one attacking us?¡± ¡°She was on the roof. I don¡¯t want to believe it anymore than you, man. There has to be a reason for this.¡± ¡°Of course there is! We¡¯re taking her with us!¡± ¡°Got a plan?¡± ¡°Not so much a plan right now. She¡¯s got answers and we¡¯ve got questions. So we¡¯re leaving for now. It¡¯s not safe here.¡± The thought of what happened to those UN soldiers resurfaced in his mind. Students attacked and killed them. None of what happened made sense. Tatsuya would just be glad to be away from it all. Hiding really was the best strategy. ¡°Right. You want the legs or arms?¡± He bent down to start lifting Sakura up. Unconscious they could only carry her off. Chapter 316 ¨C Shattered Hopes Carrying around an unconscious girl was awkward enough. Their homes weren¡¯t an option. And since the school was already out as well, they ran out of places to take Sakura. So they wandered around the neighborhood trying to figure out a place that would be safe. If it had been any other day, they would have had cops on them almost immediately. Now no one cared about anything that happened. Even if someone did call, it was just as likely to be ignored by the police. They had bigger things going on with the UN deployment and monsters roaming. A sad truth that they were thankful for since trying to explain themselves would have been impossible. All they could really do was find another roof. Sitting out in the open or even some alley just was too much of a risk. They didn¡¯t want anyone accidentally stumbling across them. It really was more questions than they wanted to answer. Staring at Sakura, they waited for her to wake up. She didn¡¯t look too worse for wear from what Tatsuya did. More scuffed up than any real visible injuries. Hiroshi glanced over at Tatsuya. ¡°She¡¯s taking a long time to wake up.¡± ¡°What¡¯s with that look, man? I was just following the plan.¡± ¡°Which involved performing a suplex on a girl?¡± ¡°Hey, I¡¯ve only watched Saki do it. I don¡¯t know if I did it right or not.¡± ¡°So you may have killed her with that move!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t and you know she¡¯s still alive! We checked her pulse. She¡¯s just knocked out, I can¡¯t kill someone you know that.¡± ¡°Yeah, sorry man. This whole situation is just too messed up.¡± Tatsuya looked back at Sakura hoping that she would wake up. They needed answers and yelling at each other did nothing. But he picked up on something that had been bothering him for a while. ¡°What¡¯s with the black uniform? Ours is blue, but this looks like ours.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Someone dying uniforms now?¡± ¡°Someone¡¯s got a bored hobby.¡± Long hours passed until it was night. There was nothing they could do but wait. It took too long, but Sakura finally started to move. She slowly opened her eyes. Both Hiroshi and Tatsuya leaned in to check on her. However, a streak of light shot between them that they narrowly dodged out of the way. Only the movement of her arm gave them time to react. They jumped back to get a little more distance. ¡°Woah, woah! Sakura, it¡¯s me! Hiroshi Kuroda! We¡¯re aren¡¯t going to hurt you!¡± Tatsuya however saw the next attack coming for Hiroshi specifically. He jumped in the way trying to pull Hiroshi down, but he wasn¡¯t fast enough. The light sliced through his forearm shooting blood up and over Hiroshi¡¯s face. ¡°Tatsuya!¡± Hiroshi grabbed him staggering back in shock. He could see something was wrong with Sakura. The look in her eyes didn¡¯t seem right. She couldn¡¯t tell it was him. ¡°Sakura! What¡¯s wrong?! Please tell me!¡± The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Hi¡­roshi¡­¡± muttered Tatsuya through the pain. He remembered too well the sort of pain. The day that changed everything taught him what pain was. This barely came close to the levels he experienced, but it didn¡¯t change how much it hurt him. He pulled Hiroshi over to get him out of the way of the attack. As the light blew through the roof, he used his good arm to finish the job. Cracks jumped around the roof dropping them down into the fourth floor of the building that they tried to escape troubling people. Unfortunately, they didn¡¯t fall very far, as it was a storage room. They landed only half a meter or so down on top of the shelves. Their weight crushed the boxes they dropped upon. Of greater concern was their friend, Sakura. She stalked over to the hole in the roof. The emergency light in the room was all the real illumination she got other than the moon. It painted dark shadows over her face. A menacing presence stood before them. It wasn¡¯t Sakura. Grabbing Hiroshi by his shirt, Tatsuya dragged them down to the floor to escape an easy shot. A smart decision since she followed up with no hesitation. The shelves they laid on a moment before were riddled with holes. ¡°Damn¡­Hiroshi, snap out of it!¡± He slapped Hiroshi as they huddled up against the wall. Clutching his cheek in stinging pain, Hiroshi stared at him snapped out of his shock. ¡°Tatsuya¡­¡± ¡°Get it together, Sakura¡¯s trying to kill you!¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Hell if I know! But it¡¯s clear now, she wants only to kill.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense!¡± ¡°This is just the reality of our situation, man! I can¡¯t explain it to you!¡± Hiroshi stood up looking towards the ceiling where Sakura stood. ¡°This must be a mistake. A bad dream¡­¡± Light shot through the ceiling at them. Without any clue to their location, the attacks were blind. Not that they were poorly estimated. It only missed Hiroshi¡¯s foot by a few centimeters. He staggered back. ¡°¡­Sakura¡­why?¡± ¡°Run! Hiroshi!¡± Tatsuya pushed Hiroshi down just as the next attack came in. As she seemed to lock on to them, it was significantly more accurate. If Hiroshi hadn¡¯t been pushed down by Tatsuya it would have run him through the head. Instead, it went through Tatsuya¡¯s shoulder, throwing him back as Hiroshi dropped to the floor. He turned over to see Tatsuya pressed against the wall with blood dripping down his shirt and the wall. ¡°Tatsuya!¡± Covering up the wound as much as possible, Tatsuya ground his teeth through the pain. ¡°You need to stop her, man. She¡¯s going to kill us!¡± ¡°Tatsuya!¡± ¡°Stop shouting my name and do something!¡± Hiroshi tilted back towards the roof. She was up there somewhere. He stared at the blank ceiling. It started to develop more cracks from Sakura¡¯s recklessness. He charged forward changing a lethal blow into a grazing wound on his upper arm. ¡°¡­Sakura¡­¡± He kept running forward towards the larger hole, the one Tatsuya created. He jumped up to the shelf and threw himself out of the hole. The damage and his weight finally ended the life of the metal shelf. It collapsed in a pile of boxes half torn apart. Tatsuya stared up at the hole wondering how he was doing. He could hear them, but it was all sounds that he wasn¡¯t familiar with. So he couldn¡¯t judge it. However, he did see lights shoot through the roof again. Which meant that Sakura was still moving around. Dirt and dust rained down harder with each of the sounds. Larger pieces started to break free until it became clear that the whole thing was going to collapse soon. He forced himself to stand getting to the nearby door. Trying to move his arm was too much of a pain. ¡°Damn it,¡± he cursed, staring at his body. All he had left was his legs that still worked fine. One kick put his foot completely through the metal door rather than actually knocking it down. ¡°This isn¡¯t like the movies¡­¡± He leaned on the door with his back to break through the rest of the way. Just as he did, the roof finally lost what little integrity it had. The walls broke apart from the weight of the roof breaking apart. Most of the fourth floor became exposed to the night sky. But more important was the fate of Hiroshi. Tatsuya couldn¡¯t see very well through the now darkened room and smoke filled air. ¡°Hiroshi! Are you still alive, man?¡± Coughing, Hiroshi¡¯s shadow surfaced from the debris. ¡°Yeah, somehow. Argh, damn¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Nothing! Just get out of here!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not leaving you!¡± ¡°That¡¯s all well and good, but I¡¯d rather hear those lines from a girl.¡± The smoke finally cleared along with his eyes adjusting to the dark once more. Tatsuya saw through the haze to find Hiroshi staring down Sakura. However, he could see blood all over his body. It had only been a minute on the roof, but he looked even worse than himself. Tatsuya tried to get free of the door to help Hiroshi. ¡°Hang in there, man!¡± ¡°Stop talking and get out of here!¡± Hiroshi charged at Sakura only for another streak of light to shoot through. His right arm went flying completely severed. But he rammed into Sakura pushing her through the shelves and wall into the next room with Tatsuya. Buried amongst the debris and boxes, Hiroshi sat on Sakura pinning her to the floor. ¡°Stop it, Sakura! Whatever is going on I¡¯ll forgive you! Just end this!¡± Another light shined through. Tatsuya had finally freed himself and tried to jump for Hiroshi, but it was too late. It was a point blank attack. ¡°Hiroshi!¡± ¡°Stay back!¡± he shouted at Tatsuya. The light shook as it became clear that it had missed its intended target. Blood dripped down the blade of light as it took on shape. A bare blade with no guard or hilt, just all blade rested in Sakura¡¯s hand. A blade of light, which Hiroshi gripped in his bare hand. It cut deep and already cleaved one finger and worked on the next as he struggled. ¡°Sakura stop it!¡± Struggling with the light, Hiroshi¡¯s hand tightened more over the blade. Blood flowed faster until cracks started to appear along the length. A moment later it shattered, particles raining down around them. ¡°Sakura!¡± A new blade formed, this time smaller as she moved with her other hand. It came in from his right side with no protection. He used what little remained of his upper arm to take the blade, but she pushed through. The blade was going for his heart. She wanted him dead. Hiroshi¡¯s eyes shook in shock. He knew it before, but it was before him now with nothing between them. She wanted to kill him. It was all over her face. ¡°Sakura! Stop it now! Don¡¯t!¡± ¡°Hiroshi!¡± Tatsuya threw him a broken pipe from the wall. It fell down at his side staring at him to be used. He looked back at Sakura. The completely cold and emotionless eyes that just wanted death. He didn¡¯t know her. ¡°Why, Sakura?!¡± ¡°Protect yourself!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t!¡± ¡°Hiroshi! You¡¯re going to die! She wants to kill you!¡± ¡°Sakura!¡± ¡°Hiroshi!¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± Hiroshi picked up the pipe with what remained of his hand. Her blade came closer and closer to him. It started to draw up blood. He couldn¡¯t hold her back for long with his arm. ¡°Sakura!¡± Tears fell down his face staring at her. ¡°Don¡¯t make me!¡± He lifted up the pipe threatening her to stop. ¡°Do it!¡± ¡°Sakura!¡± The blade broke through his ribs. It plunged deeper. He was going to die. Hiroshi threw down his arm swiftly. The pipe rammed through her chest and broke through the floor. Blood coughed up from her mouth over his face. Her light disappeared, freeing his heart in the last moment. Hiroshi leaned over staring at Sakura as her empty eyes only seemed to become darker. Tears flowed freely without restraint. He dropped his forehead against hers, unable to say any words to his departing friend. She was dead. His friend was dead. The dream was reality. Chapter 317 - Parting Ways Story time over, Yuki had a few things to ponder. Yuki stood up and walked over to the edge of the roof. He stared out at the city with nothing particular in mind. ¡°So you expect me to forgive him after just listening to this story?¡± ¡°Yuki?!¡± Tatsuya exclaimed with surprise. He jumped up to hurry over to Yuki¡¯s side. Grabbing him by the shoulder, he turned Yuki to look at him. ¡°This is Hiroshi, we¡¯re talking about. He¡¯s a good guy in a terrible situation.¡± ¡°And you think I didn¡¯t already figure out most of that on my own? I can put the pieces together well enough on my own to guess what happened. I¡¯m still not going to help you kill people. Paint all the melodrama you want, I¡¯m not giving you justification for your actions.¡± Clenching his free hand up, he hoped that Yuki would have seen reason. The urge to punch him was very strong. He tried to be reasonable with Yuki. ¡°You weren¡¯t here! You haven¡¯t had to live through what we have! What gives you the right to think you¡¯re above all of us, when you haven¡¯t had to experience what we have!¡± ¡°I can tell you I wouldn¡¯t allow myself to kill my friend!¡± Tatsuya grabbed up Yuki and lifted him off the ground by his shirt. ¡°Damn you, Yuki!¡± He had lost his patience with him as well. Seiji immediately leapt into the scene taking hold of Tatsuya¡¯s arm to try to free Yuki. ¡°What the hell¡¯s wrong with you two?! I thought you guys were friends!¡± Staring unfazed by it all, Yuki looked down at Tatsuya. It was the same sort of eyes he saw in Hiroshi. In fact, the look he saw was worse than the ones in Hiroshi. ¡°My friends are dead. That much is clear.¡± ¡°Dammit, Yuki! You can¡¯t just come back whenever you want and think you can look down on us! You left us to clean up after your mess!¡± ¡°Then you should have left it alone for me to clean up.¡± Grinding his teeth together, he wanted to throttle Yuki for his blind naivety. The situation was impossible for them. He didn¡¯t understand, but it was becoming clear to him that Yuki was never going to understand. They were too far apart now. ¡°They were killing people! We did what we had to save lives!¡± The look in Yuki¡¯s eyes suddenly changed. In that moment, he forced Tatsuya¡¯s hands free from himself with just a light push from his hand. He then started to float away. ¡°No amount of justifications will change my mind. You¡¯ve taken the wrong path and I will fix it all.¡± ¡°He hates it! Every time he has to kill someone he stays by them until the end! He¡¯s not the man you think!¡± It was a late ditch effort. He knew it was fruitless. Yuki was already convinced of their guilt. Even though he did nothing to act on it. He stayed looking at them as though he was the judge. He was so different from who he remembered. ¡®You¡¯re right, Hiroshi. The Yuki we knew was a lie¡­¡¯ Chapter 317 ¨C Parting Ways Forced to play catch up, Seiji hesitated a little looking at the aftermath. He was with Yuki in the agreement that they shouldn¡¯t be killing anyone. However, he didn¡¯t know any of them. They weren¡¯t his friends. They were Yuki¡¯s friends and he knew how much he valued his friends. ¡®Yuki? Are you fine with this? They are in the wrong, but they¡¯re still your friends. Are you just going to abandon them?¡¯ Hesitation or not, he didn¡¯t want to stay with them anymore than Yuki did. He didn¡¯t like the feeling he got from the place. He jumped over the rooftops to catch up to Yuki. Using the air time in his jumps in hovering next to Yuki, as he floated away, he stayed within talking distance. ¡°You sure about this? They¡¯re assholes, but they are people you know.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m more certain now. They can¡¯t be allowed to settle this. It¡¯ll just mean more bloodshed. I¡¯ll put an end to this fighting the right way.¡± ¡°But isn¡¯t that place set up like a damn fortress or something the way you described?¡± ¡°No fortress is impregnable, even more so when you have someone like me.¡± Seiji stared at Yuki, getting an odd feeling from him. ¡®It¡¯s good to be confident, but there¡¯s something different about him. Is all of this getting to him? I need to keep an eye on him.¡¯ The whole situation was a damnable one. He could swear until the sun rose and it wouldn¡¯t make him feel any better. ¡®This is worse than Atlantis and I didn¡¯t think that was possible¡­¡¯ Tatsuya walked back into Phoibe¡¯s shop. His blood still boiled from talking with Yuki. ¡®Damn, I¡¯m supposed to be cool headed one now. I got all caught up in it.¡¯ Sighing, he drew in a deep breath trying to calm himself. His heart still pounded strongly even through his exercises. ¡®I need to be the support that Hiroshi requires¡­it¡¯s the only way he can still be himself.¡¯ Passing by the three women keeping the shop manned, he walked inside their temporary housing. He looked around for Hiroshi. It only took him a few moments to find him going around helping with the survivors. Tatsuya remained silent, while he helped an injured man with his bandages. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Well?¡± he asked Tatsuya, not blind to his presence or intention. ¡°I failed.¡± Hiroshi paused for a moment and then finished putting the sling on. ¡°How does that feel, sir?¡± ¡°Much better, thank you very much.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear it. The doctor, she¡¯ll be around to look at you when she can. Things are pretty hectic right now, so just wait.¡± ¡°I understand. There are others still worse.¡± ¡°Yes¡­there are¡­¡± Hiroshi stood up and began to walk away. He moved with the expectation that Tatsuya followed. ¡°He¡¯s too na?ve. Did he leave?¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t know what the real world is like.¡± Hiroshi grabbed out a couple of crates of bottled water. He started moving around the room handing them out to those in need. ¡°It¡¯s very true. The bigger problem is going to be how he reacts when he¡¯s unable to use his naivety to hide behind. With his powers, we could be in for an even worse situation.¡± ¡°The last attack wiped out a significant amount of our fighting force. Very few actually survived.¡± Taking a moment to think, Hiroshi leaned against one of the support pillars that ran throughout the chamber. ¡°Yeah, they killed a lot of us, but mostly just those that could fight. They seemed to know exactly who to kill. I wonder if this is something that they¡¯ve been planning this whole time.¡± ¡°A little hard to believe all of their random attacks have been planned for this.¡± ¡°Regardless, the problem is Yuki is headed straight into the lion¡¯s den.¡± ¡°And we don¡¯t really have the manpower to stop him or Takako anymore.¡± ¡°We never had the numbers to take the fight straight to her as much as we would have liked.¡± Haruo and Yori suddenly approached the two of them. Hiroshi looked over his shoulder at them. They likely heard their conversation, not that they were trying to keep it private. ¡°What do you two want?¡± * * * Yuki finally came to a stop. The school returned in view of him, though still a far distance away. They were in dangerous territory now. Any further, they risked getting into an unwanted fight. It wasn¡¯t something that they could go into without a plan. ¡°So what are you thinking?¡± Seiji asked, since he already knew that Yuki had something cooked up. He got that confirmed before Tatsuya interrupted them. He crouched down on the roof behind a broken air conditioner unit. ¡°It¡¯s a twofold plan. The first is neutralizing Takako¡¯s powers.¡± ¡°Do you know what they are?¡± ¡°I have a pretty good guess based on what I¡¯ve learned.¡± A ripple came out from his feet, but didn¡¯t seem to change anything. Then a strange shaped machine appeared nearby him. It almost looked like a microwave, but with more circular shapes that twisted around on the top and sides. Inside the machine, through the clear panel, something took shape. ¡°This should negate her powers.¡± He pointed to what was being created. Seiji leaned in trying to figure out what was being cooked up. ¡°What are her powers?¡± ¡°Mind control.¡± ¡°Are you sure? That seems a little simple.¡± ¡°Based on what I¡¯ve heard on what happens to people, it makes the most sense. It¡¯s a pretty classic setup in stories, using mind control or brainwashing to turn friends against friends.¡± He had to play Saki¡¯s role, since she wasn¡¯t present. The answer made Seiji¡¯s face go a little flat that he would bring up literature as his reasoning. ¡°Yuki, this isn¡¯t a damn book. This is reality.¡± ¡°Yes, but remember I also gave everyone their powers. So whatever people got came from my mind. It makes the most sense.¡± ¡°You¡¯re gambling a helluva lot on your belief that this is following one of your stories.¡± Yuki looked up at him with a little bit of surprise. ¡°You¡¯re being oddly hesitant for someone that doesn¡¯t like to think about things.¡± ¡°When everyone else going in has been turned, I want to be able to keep fighting for the right side. We¡¯re going to save Saki and the others, not to become one of them.¡± ¡°And if I didn¡¯t feel certain about this I wouldn¡¯t be doing it.¡± Staring at Yuki, Seiji read the resolve baked into his eyes. That was all he needed to see. He could believe in what he saw in his friend. ¡°That¡¯s good enough for me.¡± Accepting their fate, Yuki handed him the completed creation. He recalled when he made something back in the inn that they were staying at for Yori and Fumiko. ¡°This is what?¡± It had thin wires around it with a plastic material that stretched out flat. On the ends and segments there were small discs like metal caps. The whole thing didn¡¯t hold a shape well, but had a clear design intent. ¡°It¡¯s what will keep you protected from Takako. If she¡¯s got mind control powers, then this will keep your mind completely isolated. It doesn¡¯t matter if she does it through mental telepathy, optical invasion or touch, whatever method your mind is safe from invasion.¡± He stared down at the device getting a better sense of what he was supposed to do with it. ¡°So we put it on our head? Won¡¯t that mean this shit can be damaged or removed?¡± ¡°Anything I make is going to be able to be damaged. I don¡¯t know what sort of effect nanotechnology or medicine would have on our bodies. So this is the safest way, even if there is a risk. Just don¡¯t go headbutting things.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± Seiji looked down at it a little cautiously. It looked uncomfortable, not to mention stand out. ¡°You sure this is the right way to go?¡± Yuki affixed it to his head quickly and then just shuffled around his hair. He nodded back to Seiji to do as him. ¡°Of course, just rough up your hair a little and it should blend in. I made it with some optic stealth features so it takes on the color of its surroundings. So as long as no one goes running their hand through your hair they¡¯ll never know it¡¯s there.¡± He really could only just put it on. While he was doing that, he focused on the other part of the matter. ¡°So what¡¯s the rest of the plan? We storm the school?¡± A holographic model materialized between them. The soft blue lights lit up their bodies. ¡°Sort of, it¡¯s a little bit more complicated than that. But still pretty straightforward.¡± Plans discussed and agreed upon, Seiji was ready for it. They still had a little time before making their move. Yuki needed to make some final arrangements with the plan. So Seiji went off to scout around to make sure there was nothing to surprise them. At least that is what he told Yuki. Once he was out of sight, he changed his course. He landed on the ground after leaping through the city. It was a strange way of navigating, but something about it seemed natural. Not to mention, it kept most of the trouble from following him. He didn¡¯t have any time for the strange monsters that liked to come out during the night. ¡°Sorry, Yuki.¡± He walked into the building and barged straight in. ¡°Where the hell is the one called Hiroshi?¡± Seiji was in no mood to search. Time was short and he needed to take care of things quickly. His shouting dragged out the one he sought along with Haruo and Yori. Everyone that Seiji wanted was present. Hiroshi looked suspiciously at Seiji. ¡°What do you want here? I thought you left with Yuki.¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to help you.¡± Chapter 318 - Stolen Plans ¡°What did you say?¡± Hiroshi questioned, with natural amounts of skepticism. Neither of them had any intention of helping them or siding with them. Seiji seemed to Hiroshi just as na?ve as Yuki. So he didn¡¯t know what to think of him standing before. Looking around, Seiji found that they were starting to surround him. His first impression on them wasn¡¯t exactly the best. So it didn¡¯t really surprise him too much. Though he couldn¡¯t start a fight with them when he needed them. ¡°I said I¡¯m going to help you.¡± ¡°And why would you do that? You¡¯re with Yuki.¡± ¡°Because I believe ¨C or rather I want to believe that we¡¯re all still Yuki¡¯s friends.¡± He saw Yori and Haruo in the back of the group pushed aside by those with greater suspicions, possibly even grudges. ¡°Yuki¡¯s right now planning on taking everything upon himself because he believes it¡¯s his responsibility. That¡¯s a complicated matter that is just going to be an argument that none of us wins.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your point?¡± ¡®Damn, this is harder than I expected. I figured this guy was still seeing Yuki as a friend and would just jump at the chance to help. Didn¡¯t think he¡¯d be so stubborn¡­¡¯ A moment to mash his teeth together gave him the pause he needed to gather up his words. ¡°Yuki¡¯s got a plan to deal with everyone with his powers. But this is still an entire school we¡¯re talking about. That¡¯s more than he or I can handle by ourselves.¡± Crossing his arms, Hiroshi shifted his weight a little, sizing up Seiji. He only had a brief introduction to him before and it was mostly through fists. So he had not really had the chance to really learn his character. ¡°And so you want our help? Doing what? All of them are already a lost cause.¡± ¡°Yuki doesn¡¯t believe so.¡± ¡°Yuki¡¯s na?ve.¡± ¡°He knows what Takako¡¯s doing to everyone!¡± Everyone suddenly became very still. Seiji had their attention completely for the first time. He made a bold claim. Something none of them figured out. Because they didn¡¯t understand what happened, killing was their only option. Hiroshi had to admit his curiosity in what Yuki had figured out that they were unable to do. He kept his stoic and unmoving stance to hold his strong position. ¡°And what did Yuki figure out?¡± ¡°She is using mind control on everyone. That is her power, through it she is able to make everyone do whatever she wants.¡± ¡®That seems a little obvious, but something we considered. Though we still couldn¡¯t get to Takako to stop it anyway.¡¯ He raised his eyebrow to Seiji as his only physical reaction to the statement. ¡°Even if that is the case, she still controls an army. Take her out, what about the army?¡± This was the part that got a little precarious when Yuki explained it to Seiji. ¡°Yuki believes there are two possible outcomes. One, when she is shutdown, everyone is freed from her control immediately. Or two, she is unable to make new converts, but her army still is brainwashed.¡± ¡°And what does he plan to do about option two?¡± ¡°Fix them all with his powers.¡± The thought of having an end and even a solution to returning peace had everyone around Hiroshi becoming visibly excited. Hiroshi almost didn¡¯t recognize the looks on their faces. He saw hope in their eyes for the first time since this all began. Something that he had been unable to provide them. All he could give was darkness. Yet Yuki showed up and brought hope. ¡®Even if it is all a lie or fails, this is the strongest that they¡¯ve ever looked. This might be our only chance. Yuki¡­¡¯ Hiroshi focused back on Seiji. ¡°What are you offering then, you said you wanted to help. It wasn¡¯t just this information was it?¡± ¡°No, I know what Yuki¡¯s plans are and how we¡¯re going to deal with Takako.¡± He pulled off the shielding device that Yuki made for him. Bearing it in his hand, he showed what else he offered. ¡°And I have a way to combat her powers.¡± Chapter 318 ¨C Stolen Plans ¡°This is an interesting device,¡± remarked Phoibe, leaning over Seiji¡¯s shoulder. She had followed him in, though kept largely an observer position. ¡°Can you recreate it?¡± Hiroshi asked. ¡°I¡¯m a little insulted you¡¯d even have to ask that question.¡± ¡°Then get it done. Yuki¡¯s going to make his move soon, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s doing some last prep work. I don¡¯t have long before I need to be back.¡± Hiroshi opened the crowd allowing Seiji in. ¡®This still isn¡¯t ideal, but I have to take the chance to finally end things. In the end, that¡¯s all that really matters¡­maybe he can find a different way¡­one that I didn¡¯t think was possible anymore.¡¯ The explanation went quickly as the plan wasn¡¯t too complex. Some found it a surprisingly bold move, but also a reckless one as well. However, Seiji convinced them that Yuki was confident in his ability to pull it off. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. As Seiji walked out, Phoibe handed over the device again. ¡°You finish it?¡± ¡°Of course! There¡¯ll be enough for those that are fighting.¡± ¡°Good.¡± He looked back at Hiroshi. Yori and Haruo stood next to him. Everyone was on different sides. It happened so quickly. He hoped things turned out for the better at the end of this. ¡°I¡¯ll be going now.¡± Once Seiji disappeared from the hall, Hiroshi started barking out orders for everyone to get ready. The liveliness of the room quickly changed. Everyone looked ready to fight again. All they had to look forward to before was possibly finding someone that they knew trying to kill them. It wasn¡¯t that that changed with what they were doing. In fact, it was even more likely that they would run into someone that they knew at the school. But it was the hope that they could be changed. The killing could finally end. Yori followed up behind Hiroshi and Tatsuya waiting until they were alone. It was just him and Haruo now. ¡°Have you thought about what happens after?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Hiroshi questioned, a little caught up in the positivity of everyone else. He tried to keep stoic, but it was difficult. ¡°I mean, those people have been killing their friends against their will. Once freed from that, what do you think will happen to them?¡± ¡°If Yuki¡¯s correct, they aren¡¯t guilty.¡± ¡°Ignoring whether people will actually believe that, I¡¯m not even talking about that.¡± The grave tone Yori brought sobered Hiroshi up quickly. He didn¡¯t know what he was trying to get at. ¡°What¡¯s your point?¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking about the psychological damage done. Not just from being controlled, but when their conscious catches up with what they¡¯ve done. Even if everything works out, which seems unlikely, what happens to the people permanently tormented with their deeds? No matter how things play out, this isn¡¯t going to be a smooth or happy ending for anyone.¡± Tatsuya saw Hiroshi go quiet as the weight of it all finally hit him. He stepped in for him. ¡°We¡¯ll figure something out then. Right now, we¡¯re not even there yet.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just making sure you stay realistic, because if we do succeed. That is likely the first thing we¡¯ll have to deal with once Takako is stopped. They won¡¯t give you time to think.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll come up with something!¡± insisted Tatsuya, trying to push Yori off. Hiroshi didn¡¯t need anymore problems stacked up on top of him. Especially ones that he planned to shoulder himself. ¡®You¡¯re too much like Yuki at times, man¡­ One thing at a time though¡­¡¯ Turning things around, Tatsuya needed to know something as well. ¡°While we¡¯re talking, why are you still here? You¡¯re part of Yuki¡¯s group.¡± It had finally come up. Yori knew that they would eventually ask. Fortunately, it was a simple answer. ¡°I¡¯m only here for my sister. I was never truly part of Yuki¡¯s circle.¡± ¡°Yuki can get you to her just as much as we can.¡± ¡°But I feel like you understand reality better than him. He¡¯s far too idealistic.¡± ¡°And what about him?¡± He pointed over to Haruo, who he had met only in passing before in school. The guy was a complete mystery to him before and even now. Especially now, since he never knew what he was thinking. He just stood around. Yori shrugged his shoulders having just as much of an answer on Haruo as they did. And Haruo was clearly not giving them any answers. He succeeded better than anyone at being stoic to the point of being an extreme. ¡°He just is. I don¡¯t really have an answer on him, though I don¡¯t expect that you¡¯ll get one out of him that¡¯ll help you either. Just trust that he¡¯s on our side.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Tatsuya slapped Hiroshi on the back to knock him out of his funk. He didn¡¯t want him stunned for too long on the deeper meanings of what their battle would mean. It wasn¡¯t something any of them needed to think about. ¡°We¡¯ve got people willing to fight and a plan of our own now. It¡¯s time to get moving. Right, man?¡± There was a little hesitation in Hiroshi¡¯s voice, but he nodded in agreement. ¡°Right. We need to get moving soon.¡± It was more burdens. Ones that had to be taken. Seiji landed back on the rooftop where Nerine stood. She kept her distance, maintaining her position as a neutral observer. ¡°Did he notice?¡± ¡°No. He¡¯s been busy with his plan. Do you think all of that was necessary?¡± He crossed his arms and walked out towards the edge of the roof. In the distance, he could see the movement of Yuki. It was the one part of the plan that Yuki never explained to him. He just said it was important for the fight. ¡°Having more allies is better for something like this. As exciting as I would find it fighting hundreds of people, I need to get to Saki and the others. If they can be a distraction then that¡¯ll make it easier for us to save Saki, Yumi and Fumiko.¡± Nerine stared at Seiji¡¯s back looking a little surprised to hear such words from him. ¡°You¡¯re just using them?¡± ¡°You make it sound like I¡¯m evil or something.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t¡ª¡° ¡°It¡¯s alright. I went behind Yuki¡¯s back on this. So I¡¯m not exactly the best friend he thinks I am. I left him alone for a year because I was afraid. Despite everything that happened, Saki¡¯s a better friend for Yuki than I ever have been. I¡¯ll do whatever it takes to make sure I get her back for him.¡± She had trouble saying anything more to him. ¡®There¡¯s a lot I still don¡¯t know about him. He¡¯s an idiot and yet not. He cares deeply for his friends, but is hurting himself because of them. He¡¯s so much of a contradiction¡­¡¯ Nerine walked up next to Seiji. Even though he was hurt and she could see it, there was nothing she could do for him. She barely knew him. There was nothing she could offer him. ¡°You care. Even if you need to get a little dirty, you care. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a bad thing.¡± Working to keep his status, Seiji hardened his features a little. ¡°Such things never really bothered me. I have a code and I don¡¯t kill, but I¡¯ve never really thought about being much of a good person. I just like fighting and testing out my strength.¡± He saw Yuki starting to move back towards them. It was the rendezvous point for them. ¡°Yuki¡¯s a lot of things. But right now how he is, he is a light that needs to be protected. It¡¯s started to go dim once more. I¡¯m blind on a lot of things and don¡¯t care about anything else. That makes me pretty selfish, the one selfless thing I have is what I do for him.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to justify yourself to me.¡± Seiji glanced over to her, a little confused by what she was meaning. He didn¡¯t really have much time left with Yuki almost on them. ¡°I¡¯m surprisingly chatty around you.¡± It was an odd note to leave off on, but he jumped away to meet Yuki in the middle. They were already spotted. ¡°How¡¯d things look around the neighborhood?¡± Yuki landed on the roof and stepped a little towards the center to meet Seiji. He had done a little scouting as promised to him. There was thankfully enough time to get both in after he returned from Hiroshi. ¡°There¡¯s a few groups out, but I¡¯m guessing most of them are still hold up in the school.¡± ¡°I wonder what they¡¯re planning now?¡± Glancing over his shoulder, Yuki stared back at the school. It stood in silence. A strange atmosphere came from it. They all felt the ominous aura. Their destination was an unsettling place and they had only looked at it from a distance. Seiji didn¡¯t know how long he could keep up his fa?ade for Yuki. He pushed towards moving. ¡°You ready now?¡± ¡°Yeah, that excited to fight?¡± ¡°No, I just want to rescue our friends. They¡¯ve been in there for too long.¡± ¡°Yes, I know. We¡¯ll save them all.¡± Yuki started to float both of them up leaving Nerine behind. The plan had them making an aerial assault on the school. It was the easiest way to break into the school and the least amount of students or other people that they would have to confront along the way. He would be able to drill straight down to Takako¡¯s room without dealing with anyone else. The one thing that he didn¡¯t have control over was his Field. It was larger than he would want for their assault, but he couldn¡¯t control it that well. Their approach would be spotted quickly, but he still had the first move. Lowering down overhead, he waited for his Field to collide with the school roof. He moved closer and closer. ¡°Yuki?¡± They move closer already clearly in range of his Field and nothing changed. His Field didn¡¯t do anything. Nothing changed. Something was wrong. ¡°They¡¯re blocking my power somehow.¡± ¡°What?! They knew we were coming?¡± Chapter 319 - Shaken Assault Seiji looked over at Yuki hoping to get something from his face on answers. It seemed impossible. However, Yuki didn¡¯t look as shocked as he expected for their plans being ruined. ¡°How the hell is this possible, Yuki? Nothing can stop your powers other than another like you right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not completely accurate.¡± Yuki continued to watch the school for any sort of signs. Even with any further clues, he already had a pretty good idea of what was going on. It was a little concerning for him. Moving over to Yuki, he didn¡¯t want to be left in the dark any longer. Things weren¡¯t right. ¡°What can stop your powers?¡± ¡°A specifically crafted array. There is a method of negating our power''s influence on an object by carving a very specific pattern. I don¡¯t know why that is, but it works. I¡¯ve seen it used by Ayumi before.¡± ¡°Do you know how to do it?¡± ¡°Not completely. I never asked Ayumi about it and my time in Atlantis was spent on other matters. So I never really took the time.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s only Atlanteans that know how to do it, right?¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem to be the case.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Remember, Saki, Yumi and Fumiko are with them now. I don¡¯t know what all they learned from their time in Atlantis, but it¡¯s possible one of them learned it.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying they foresaw your plan and took this countermeasure. What the hell do we do? A sneak attack like you¡¯re planning is out of the question.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Yuki looked around at the neighborhood suddenly. He then retrieved a device from within his clothes. It was a simple rectangular box with a series of ten buttons on it. ¡°I expected something like this might happen.¡± Seiji noticed the thing that Yuki had retrieved and remembered there was some time that he didn¡¯t know what Yuki had been up to. ¡®Right, he said he had some prep work to do. So this is it? How did he know this sort of thing was going to happen?¡¯ It relieved him a little to see that Yuki still had backups to count on. If he was out of options, Seiji was determined just to make a direct assault ignoring any sort of further planning. Foresight be damned, he didn¡¯t plan to let this be the end. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Since our friends are with Takako, I expected that either Takako or our friends would figure that I¡¯d come to rescue them. It¡¯s only natural and being that I¡¯m a very large risk to them, I figured that they think about ways to counter me. Though I¡¯ll admit that I didn¡¯t think that they knew how to draw those arrays. This will be a little flashier than I want, but it¡¯ll work all the same.¡± His finger ran over the buttons finding the one he needed. Pressing it quickly, Yuki looked in the direction he expected something to happen. However, it wasn¡¯t what he planned on. An explosion lit up the area. Yuki¡¯s face narrowed a little watching what he set up go up in flames. ¡°They foresaw even that¡­¡± He quickly pressed the next series of buttons only for them all to blow up as well. ¡°Damn¡­they¡¯ve got themselves a really good tactician.¡± Nothing that happened really made much sense to Seiji. It was clear all of their plans were falling apart. But he didn¡¯t know what Yuki had planned on. All he saw were random explosions that signaled Yuki¡¯s plans failing. ¡°What¡¯s going on Yuki?¡± ¡°Seems someone knew where I¡¯d place my lasers I had planted around to take out the walls. Either Takako is smarter than we realized or someone she¡¯s got knows how to plan a battle.¡± When Yuki mentioned that he immediately had a single thought in his mind. He remembered the fight with Simonides. ¡°Yumi!¡± Glancing back at Seiji, Yuki didn¡¯t know what he was going on about. Afterwards, he looked down towards the roof thinking that he might have seen her. There was nothing. ¡°What about Yumi?¡± ¡°Right, you weren¡¯t there. But you remember us talking about the fight with Simonides right before he came to our side?¡± ¡°Yeah, I recall it vaguely. Yumi was able to do something strange and ended up turning things around for you.¡± ¡°Yes, she had everything planned out and accounted for all of us. This could be her.¡± Rubbing his chin, Yuki thought about the new information. Everything had been thrown off. Any planning he might be able to make seemed to be countered easily. ¡®This isn¡¯t good. I hesitate to make any further plans if this really is Yumi and she¡¯s as skilled as it seems. Anything I do is going to be accounted for.¡¯ He looked over at Seiji as his last option. ¡®Even whatever he has come up with is probably accounted for, he has very simple and straightforward thoughts when it comes to combat. It¡¯ll be easy to account for Seiji. But we¡¯re out of options. This is just going to have to get nasty¡­I hate what will come, but this looks like the only way.¡¯ Yuki started to lower themselves. The course had been committed. Turning back wasn¡¯t an option. ¡°Seiji, you¡¯re up. Just know that we¡¯re going to be fighting almost immediately upon crashing in.¡± The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. A grin came across his face. This was the sort of plan he liked. ¡°I already expected that. We¡¯ll teach Takako that she can¡¯t take our friends from us!¡± Seiji dropped down from the invisible platform that supported them in the air. He started to fall with gravity immediately grabbing hold of him. Wind blew around him as he sped towards the roof. His arm wound up with his fist all ready. A slight glow came from the twin scars along his arm. Seiji put everything he had into the punch as he crashed into the roof. Massive clouds of dust and debris flew everywhere as a shockwave ripped through the air from his impact. Shards of the wall from the school rained down over the entire school grounds. Attack on their school began. Chapter 319 ¨C Shaken Assault Small clumps of earth rained down around everyone. They were all closely gathered up in a tight formation. So the minor quake that they felt left them all a little unnerved about their situation. Sure they trusted her, but it didn¡¯t erase the worry that she miscalculated something. None of them were structural engineers, especially not her. So who knew what mistakes might have been made. ¡°Looks like Yuki¡¯s started his attack,¡± Tatsuya remarked as a guess to what the quake was about. Yori agreed with the assessment, but still found it a little worrying. ¡°That¡¯s a far bigger attack than the claims Tsuji made for Hayashi¡¯s plan.¡± ¡°Something must have come up.¡± ¡°We should hurry,¡± ordered Hiroshi to Phoibe next to him. They were all gathered around her as she tunneled them through the earth. It seemed like a terrible plan that she came up with. Yet, they all agreed any sort of frontal attack would just slow them down and create unnecessary fighting. It was also so absurd that no one would even consider it a line of attack. So it gave them the chance of surprise. The middle-aged Atlantean woman kept a smile on her face as though she was disregarding Hiroshi demanding toning. She kept the same pace moving forward using her powers. The control she had removed a good chunk of earth from existing while still providing them a place to walk. ¡°We¡¯ll get there. The young man will be making a good distraction for you to make your attack.¡± ¡°But we can¡¯t arrive too late either.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t.¡± Hiroshi ground his teeth, having to still wait. They were getting close he knew if they felt the attack. But it was still too far away. He needed to end this nightmare. This was going to be their only chance. Such thoughts kept circling around in his mind. The direction Phoibe moved with her tunnel finally shifted. They started their ascent. Everyone in the party held tight. Tension spread through their ranks knowing that they would finally be going into battle soon. People that they might know could be who they faced. It was unknown to them. Worse was none of them knew what to expect on the inside of the school. It was a complete unknown. No one that entered ever left. So they had no intel on it other than the layout. Though not all of them had actually been to the school before. Not everyone was a student of their high school or even students. Turning around to get a look at all of them. Hiroshi took a moment to gather himself. ¡°We¡¯re about to begin our assault on Takako¡¯s base. There¡¯s a lot of things that we don¡¯t know. Don¡¯t think about the uncertainties, only focus on the goal. We¡¯re here to end Takako¡¯s tyranny and save who we can. Don¡¯t take risks, I want you all to come out of this alive! The advance team will be handling Takako, just keep the rest busy while we do the fighting! This battle is for the future peace of everyone!¡± ¡°Getting better at those motivational speeches,¡± Phoibe teased softly only for Hiroshi. He only gave her an indignant expression before turning his head up towards the ceiling of their tunnel. It wouldn¡¯t be long before it was open space once more. ¡°We¡¯re just about there.¡± ¡®I¡¯ll find you, Yumi.¡¯ Most of the matters didn¡¯t concern Yori. He ignored much of what they did. His goals only aligned with them, but he had no interest in their war. His sister was the only thing on his mind. Though he worried what he might have to face to reach her. Fighting still felt foreign for him. The first breaks of outside light broke through. It didn¡¯t take long for the hole to expand and start to reach them. Phoibe had surprisingly perfect positioning getting them inside the school and in the hall. It was just wide enough for everyone as they raised up. However, flames suddenly erupted from all sides of them. None of them could react to escape before it was upon them. Fire washed over the entire group, swallowing them up whole. Excess flames burst out from the center cracking and melting the wood of the school. Unable to be held back, the glass shattered in an explosion of fire as it leapt out of the school. Even up on the third floor, the flames were felt as a rumble through the tiles. The sound of the explosion carried as a follow up. Yuki looked down in the direction. Broken pieces of the roof strewn about the floor broke up the formerly clean pattern of the tile. ¡°Something¡¯s happening on the first floor.¡± ¡®So they¡¯ve made their move,¡¯ Seiji thought, but tried to keep them away from his face. He didn¡¯t want to reveal his hand in all of it to Yuki. Thankfully, there was a more pressing problem before them. ¡°We need to focus on the immediate issue, Yuki.¡± ¡°Yeah, this is expected, but still not something that I want to have to face. Katsumi and Kaede¡­¡± ¡°So you know them? They have your school uniforms, but black.¡± ¡°Yeah, they apparently did a slight redesign on them. It¡¯s not a very subtle meaning.¡± Like everyone else in Japan, he knew that they had to have received powers from him. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t know them very well and only really spent the one time with them going to Phoibe¡¯s shop. It gave him no clue to what sort of abilities that they might have. ¡°They are Yumi¡¯s closest friends. They mean a lot to her.¡± ¡°Well I¡¯m not any happier about fighting them than you are, but this is a necessary thing.¡± ¡°I know. We¡¯ll just knock them unconscious. That¡¯ll be the fastest way.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t Yumi have already planned for you trying that?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t know until I try. We need to avoid fighting as much as possible.¡± The flames surrounding Hiroshi¡¯s group suddenly blew outward. Enough force was sent out to snuff out the flames. A black tinted barrier came down from around the group. Yori sighed a little as he barely managed to get a defense field up in time to protect them all. Tatsuya patted him on the shoulder roughly in a congratulatory manner. ¡°So you¡¯ve got some other things at your disposal.¡± ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t plan on being useless this time around.¡± ¡°Good, we need that sort of determination.¡± Glowing red magic circles formed in the air as the next round of attacks looked to be starting. Yori shifted to the front in anticipation of the attack. He knew what to expect and who it was now. ¡°Fumiko¡­¡± However, to his surprise, Haruo walked out in front of all of them. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Pulling on Yori to get him back in the group, Tatsuya directed everyone towards Hiroshi. Hiroshi already started to order everyone out into different attacking groups. ¡°I think he¡¯s telling us he¡¯ll handle her. The two fought back at the base, so he¡¯s probably got a score to settle with her.¡± Yori looked back at Haruo, getting the silent feeling that he was confirming Tatsuya''s assumption. ¡®That doesn¡¯t really seem like him. He¡¯s not emotionally invested in any of this¡­so why?¡¯ Battle lines already began to be drawn within the school. Yuki and Seiji raced against time with Hiroshi to reach Takako. The fate of everyone hung in uncertainty. Chapter 320 Un-united Fronts Since Fumiko blocked the nearest way up to the second floor, Hiroshi led them back towards the center of the school. However, they quickly began to run into more problems. Students started to spill out from the classrooms. Their numbers kept increasing. It brought them all to a halt while Hiroshi considered his options. ¡®This a lot more than I was thinking, but I keep forgetting that Takako managed to capture most of the student body the day the school opened. I could use my power, but then what about Takako¡­¡¯ Before he had any more of a chance, Miyako leapt out in front of the group. The sheer force behind her fist seemed to create streams of wind sailing off her. ¡°You won¡¯t stop us here!¡± Her voice screamed through the hall pulling out the attention of most of the students. A percussive wave ripped through the hall sending cracks through the paint as Miyako¡¯s fist cracked against the face of one of the students. The first year boy went tumbling back gathering up several others with his fall while others blew outward from the blast. She wasted no time diving in deeper, widening out the gap in their numbers. The first strike made by Miyako managed to shatter the ranks of Takako¡¯s army. However, they already started to spill back in. All of the extra people that Hiroshi brought with him jumped to Miyako¡¯s aid, moving without orders. They seemed to be feeling the same thing as her. No thoughts were needed to know what they needed to do. Miyako crushed an incoming fireball in her hand and decked the would-be attacker. She then turned back towards Hiroshi and the others, Yori and Tatsuya, still inactive. ¡°Get going, Commander! We¡¯ll hold them off here!¡± ¡°But¡ª¡° ¡°You¡¯ve got somewhere else you need to be! Let us handle this!¡± ¡°Miyako¡­¡± Tatsuya dropped a hand on Hiroshi¡¯s shoulder to support her decision. ¡°Come on, man. She¡¯s right. We need to get to Takako and put an end to this. It is something only we can do.¡± Reluctantly, he nodded to his best friend. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Hiroshi rubbed his hands together trying to focus on the task. It was hard not to think about what he carried in his hands. The value of that which was dropped in them. ¡®This is the course, the plan¡­ I can¡¯t hesitate because things aren¡¯t perfect¡­ This is going to be messy and dirty¡­an ugly mission, but I must see it through!¡¯ Hiroshi slapped his legs out of their stiffness and went straight into a sprint. All around him he saw people he worked closely with and even rescued fighting against familiar faces that he saw all the time in school. It was no different a sight than he had seen in the past, yet it seemed to pull on him even more than usual. ¡°Make sure you all come back alive! That¡¯s my only order to you as your Commander!¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Chapter 320 ¨C Un-united Fronts Another rumble came up to the third floor. It made the lights flicker almost threatening to throw the whole place into darkness. Yuki had to support himself against the wall so as not to stumble. He looked down again, away from his staring contest with Yumi¡¯s two friends. ¡°What the hell is going on down there? We¡¯re up here.¡± Yuki looked across the way to one of the classrooms. Outside in the darkness of the night, he could only faintly see some of the city. ¡°Hiroshi didn¡¯t make a move did he?!¡± ¡®Damn, Yuki¡¯s too observant. Even though he doesn¡¯t know, he still makes the leap¡­¡¯ Seiji kept his attention forward at Kaede and Katsumi. It was under the guise of him needing to be sure that they didn¡¯t try anything. Rather, he did it because he couldn¡¯t look Yuki in the eyes. He knew Yuki would tell something was wrong pretty quickly. ¡®I just need to keep him focused on the immediate problem¡­ Which we really do need to handle¡­ These distractions aren¡¯t helping¡­¡¯ No one knew what they were thinking. Staring at them as long as they did revealed nothing. Seiji was used to being able to feel a little of the intent from his opponent. Yet they just seemed dead almost. Sure they had the looks, but there was nothing really behind them. It was just emotions that seemed to be fake and put on display. Seiji didn¡¯t understand it at all. They were weird. The worst of them was Katsumi, who seemed dead and alive at the same time. She didn¡¯t look like Kaede at all. It seemed like she was being burned alive and yet unable to actually die. So she was just left caught in an endless cycle of misery. It was very unsettling to see. Seiji tightened up his hands to focus on the more important matter. He couldn¡¯t let himself be unnerved by them. ¡°Yuki, we need to focus on this problem first. We can think about what the hell¡¯s happening below later.¡± ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right, Seiji. There¡¯s something to be said for that straightforward attitude of yours.¡± ¡°Hey! This isn¡¯t about me!¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°I know.¡± ¡°So you going to try it?¡± ¡°Yeah, we need to figure out if we can avoid these fights. I don¡¯t see how they could have disabled my power on people, but if they can, this will become significantly more complicated.¡± ¡°We never said this was going to be easy.¡± ¡°I know, just want to avoid what we can.¡± ¡°You¡¯re stalling, Yuki.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± Yuki stared at the back of Seiji. His presence seemed larger than he remembered it being. ¡®Seiji¡¯s being surprisingly pushy. I wonder what¡¯s bothering him¡­ Probably the whole situation, this isn¡¯t the sort of fight he likes¡­ I¡¯m honestly surprised he¡¯s willing to do all of this, but I guess he¡¯s probably just looking at Takako and not thinking about the innocents mixed up in all of this¡­ It¡¯s the only way¡­¡¯ Hardening up his resolve, Yuki focused on what he needed to do in the moment. Dealing with Kaede and Katsumi however wasn¡¯t going to be simple. They both charged at them when it became clear that Yuki was attempting to do something. It wasn¡¯t something that he could react to. They didn¡¯t move nearly as fast as Saki, but they were still swift. But he had Seiji with him. He saw them long before Yuki¡¯s brain reacted to it. All three clashed just in front of Yuki. The force of their collision pushed Yuki back a little. ¡°Seiji?!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t stop, Yuki! I¡¯ll keep them off you while you work!¡± He suddenly felt small cuts across his arm that blocked Kaede. ¡°Damn¡­get back!¡± Pushing both girls back, he charged after them to plow them into the class through the wall. The attack threw Yuki off his concentration. He had to refocus to get his Field setup the way he needed. It would have normally been simple, but he had Seiji mixed in. So he had to craft it very specifically for only Kaede and Katsumi. It finished up just as Seiji flew out of the classroom and back into the hallway. ¡°I¡¯m done! They should be affected!¡± He looked over towards where Kaede and Katsumi were last. Part of the wall still remained, preventing him from getting a clear view. A few seconds passed before they got their answer on if it was successful. Both girls walked through the opening completely unfazed by whatever Yuki put into motion. Seiji stood up and glanced over at Yuki for a judge of his reaction. It was about what he expected. A mix of shock and stoic confusion carved through the corners of his mouth. ¡®Damn, this ain¡¯t good¡­¡¯ Seiji wiped away the blood from his lips. ¡°What was it that was supposed to happen to them? You were trying to make them unconscious right?¡± ¡°They should be asleep, but that¡¯s clearly not the case¡­ They have somehow managed to prevent my powers from affecting them¡­¡± ¡°How is that possible?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. As far as I know, it shouldn¡¯t be possible at all. I gave it a possibility, but not a very high one.¡± ¡°Well, that possibility is reality now!¡± ¡°Yeah, I know¡­ This is not the way I want things to go¡­ We have to fight.¡± Back down the first floor, the rest of Hiroshi¡¯s group made it to the stairwell finally. All the fighting behind them pushed them on to keep fighting. They didn¡¯t seem to run into any further troubles. But it seemed too easy. Neither Yori¡¯s sister nor Saki had shown themselves yet. They kept expecting to see them on the first floor, but that didn¡¯t happen. They started pushing to the second floor. ¡°I guess Saki¡¯s waiting for us up here,¡± Tatsuya commented on what everyone was already thinking. None of them knew what either of them were planning or even Takako. Even if Yuki¡¯s theory turned out to be completely accurate, it still didn¡¯t explain anything about what it was happening to begin with. It seemed that their next opponent knew where they were coming. ¡°Just the three of you, as I expected.¡± At the top of the stairs, like a gatekeeper, stood a familiar and strange person. Ignoring the black uniform and other alterations, in the face and body, it seemed to be Yori¡¯s sister. Yet, unlike her, she had bright red hair almost as if it was on fire and an equally bright pair of green eyes. What¡¯s more, it didn¡¯t look like a dye or something to fake the change. It was completely natural. Yori jumped out in front of everyone before the others could even react. ¡°Yumi?! Is that you?¡± She didn¡¯t look like the sister he remembered. Appearance and hair notwithstanding, she had a far harsher appearance in her face. Like she could kill with just a look of her eyes. His sister had no such severe expression. ¡°Who are you?!¡± ¡°It would seem you¡¯ve figured some of it out already.¡± ¡°You¡¯re that other person inside my sister!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not who you¡¯re referring to, but you¡¯re not wrong either.¡± ¡°Make sense!¡± ¡°At present, it¡¯s not within my purpose to explain myself. Since I knew that the forces that we had available wouldn¡¯t be enough to stop you all, I¡¯m here. Sometimes it is necessary for the General to fight at the frontlines as well. Such is the way of war.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?!¡± Yori¡¯s whole body was shaking. He had trouble holding in his emotions. Every time he opened his mouth the words screamed out of his throat ripping through his insides. His sister was in his reach, but outside of it. She stared at Yori unfazed by his emotional state. ¡°To put it clearly, if you want to move past me then you must defeat me. It¡¯s that simple.¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying I must fight my own sister!¡± Tatsuya walked up the couple steps to Yori. ¡°Hey man, one of us can do this¡ª¡° ¡°If that¡¯s what you want, fine!¡± Yori charged at her with a black field coming up around him. It quickly charged into a sphere firing point blank at her. Smoke exploded out in all directions completely blinding everyone. All around the building shook violently from the explosion. ¡°Damn!¡± yelled Tatsuya, unable to see anyone in all the mess. ¡°I didn¡¯t think he had it in him¡­¡± ¡°The strength of siblings¡­¡± Wind suddenly started to blow through the hall and stairwell clearing out the smoke. Quickly, he was able to locate Hiroshi, but the siblings weren¡¯t in front of him as they had been. In fact, there was a lot that wasn¡¯t in front of him anymore. ¡°Hell¡­there¡¯s not going to be much left of the school at this point¡­¡± Only pieces of the stairs remained and the floor. Most appeared to have been destroyed in Yori¡¯s blast. Also torn away was the classroom that stood at the top of the stairs. All the walls were gone along with the floor and ceiling. Even parts of the first and third floors weren¡¯t present. As the cloud fully cleared out, the night of the city could be seen beyond. Yori blasted both of them out of the school into the courtyard below. However, his sister seemed to know it was coming and used her barrier to block all of the blast from harming her. Only the environment was damaged. ¡°¡­Yumi¡­¡± Whatever it was that stood in control of her stared across the ruined field at Yori. White particles hovered around her looking ready to act. ¡°Would appear you¡¯ve begun to hone your power that you awoke recently. This still is within my forecast.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t give a damn about your forecast! I want my sister back! And if I have to do so by force I will! None of you are stopping me until Yumi is normal again!¡± ¡°That may be an impossibility for you.¡± Black blades materialized in Yori¡¯s hands. He didn¡¯t think about possibilities or logic when it came to her. She was his sister and his family. That was all that mattered. ¡°I will make it happen! I am her brother!¡± Chapter 321 - Clashing Swords Closer to Yuki and Seiji, the blast from Yori rocked the entire school. While still on opposite sides of the building, it was impossible to ignore what was happening. The school felt like a giant picked it up and shook it about trying to peek inside the windows. Seiji fared better than Yuki with the explosion. Yuki fell up against one of the doors to a classroom and dropped inside it. He rubbed the back of his head feeling what would likely end up turning into a bump in a few hours. ¡°Damn, what the hell is going on? Someone¡¯s bringing down the whole school!¡± Yuki started to get back to his feet mumbling in annoyance. ¡°I just put this place back together not too long ago!¡± However, in his distraction, Yuki didn¡¯t notice until he fully stood up to take stock of his situation in the classroom. The sight froze him in an instant. It was like walking into a scene from one of his anime that went for a dark and edgy vibe by showing something gritty and horror filled. Yet, on TV he would be spared from it with some well placed black bars or darkened areas to hide everything. He wasn¡¯t so fortunate. Any hope for censorship was gone, he saw everything even though he didn¡¯t want to see it. And then the smell hit him like one of Seiji¡¯s punches. His knees buckled on the overload. Throwing up seemed like the only possible reaction, but even doing so seemed impossible. The paralysis was complete. Even his body couldn¡¯t react. He had to experience it all without any hope of relief. With the violent shaking coming to a rest, Seiji managed to pull away from Kaede and Katsumi to see that Yuki disappeared. ¡°Yuki?! Where the hell are you?¡± He jumped back to where he last saw Yuki. ¡®Did they grab him?¡¯ Worry started to build up inside as he couldn¡¯t locate Yuki. ¡°Yuki! Answer me!¡± A faint voice crawled into Yuki¡¯s ear. He didn¡¯t recognize it immediately, but it soon became clear. Seiji called for him. His body unlocked and reacted quickly. ¡®I can¡¯t let him¡­¡¯ It was now no longer about what he saw, he had to be sure that Seiji didn¡¯t stumble inside. ¡°I¡¯m coming out!¡± ¡°Where are you?!¡± ¡°Just stay¡­there! I¡¯m not harmed.¡± It was difficult for him to actually say that to Seiji. Yuki never thought just a sight could harm one¡¯s sanity so thoroughly. He never wanted to see it again, but knew that he would carry that with him for forever. It couldn¡¯t be forgotten. He poked out of the threshold of the door to see where Seiji was as well as Yumi¡¯s friends. They were still in a threatening situation. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t expect Seiji to just pop out in front of him like a ghost. Either it was his swift step like Saki or he really didn¡¯t notice him until it was too late, but Yuki grabbed onto the threshold as he fell back. Only his desire to protect Seiji from the horrors behind him kept his hand firmly in place. ¡°Seiji?! Damn¡­don¡¯t jump me like that!¡± ¡°What happened to you? You disappeared!¡± The visible worry carved into his brow was the first thing that Yuki noticed. ¡°I got knocked off my feet from that explosion. Remember, I¡¯m not built like you guys. I don¡¯t have the reflexes like you.¡± ¡°Right, it¡¯s hard to remember with everything you do.¡± ¡°Yeah, but that¡¯s not the most important thing right now. Something is going on in the school. Whatever that was, it was enough to make the whole place jump. We need to handle Yumi¡¯s friends quickly. I don¡¯t like the feeling I¡¯m getting here.¡± ¡®Hiroshi and the others aren¡¯t being very subtle. I guess when I leaked our plans to them I didn¡¯t really think about the fact that if we¡¯re all attacking the same place we¡¯re probably going to run into each other. I can¡¯t undo things now¡­¡¯ Parts of the ruined wall from across the hall snapped as a foot pressed down. The sound turned Seiji immediately back on alert to their opponents. ¡°You two¡­¡± Chapter 321 ¨C Clashing Swords Back at the blast site, Hiroshi and Tatsuya were shimmying their way through what remained of the hall. All around them the school crumbled a little more. Sounds of fighting around the school rose and fell to their own beat, yet the effects of their fighting reverberated through the building. It made the suddenly frail seeming building quake and wilt. Rumblings reached one of those peaks just as Tatsuya lowered a foot. The floor already only had a few centimeters left and his weight and cracks surrounding broke the rest of the barely there integrity. He quickly gripped the wall putting his fingers through just to get support back. ¡°Dammit! Why couldn¡¯t he have done things in a more subtle way!¡± Hiroshi played the more silent partner to Tatsuya¡¯s chatty act. He focused on the situation buried in all the weight that he bore. ¡°Just keep moving. We¡¯re almost to the other side.¡± The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Yeah I know. And another thing, why the hell didn¡¯t Yuki give us something more useful like flying. You know in those anime they always can fly. It¡¯d make this a lot easier.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think any of us know what¡¯s going on in his mind. I wonder if we ever did.¡± Tatsuya fell silent after Hiroshi''s last remark. He remembered how surprised they were in learning how different Yuki was from what they knew at school. Learning about his past as a delinquent came as a bit of a shock. They always knew that Yuki had a history before high school, everyone did. But it was impossible to have guessed how much history he had before them. And then things only got worse with Takako. It was hard at times not to just dump all of the blame. It would be freeing. Though as they all came to the realization, it didn¡¯t change their situation. Not that everyone was always so understanding. Others wanted a target for their troubles and Takako made it very easy at the moment, but they kept a secret from everyone. The truth wasn¡¯t something the world was ready for, especially Yuki. Landing on what looked like solid ground, Tatsuya came up beside Hiroshi. The weight of his body made the floor crack a little. It was only a few steps away from the drop off to the first floor. Sure they wouldn¡¯t have been hurt by the fall, but it would just slow them down. Not to mention, their minds still treated such heights like they were normal humans. It left them with the gnawing feeling in the back of their head that it would really hurt falling down. Convincing their brains it wasn¡¯t a problem wasn¡¯t so simple. Fear was a powerful emotion. But thankfully, the floor held for them. ¡°Safe¡­not that I can say the same for the school¡­¡± ¡°Or ourselves¡­¡± ¡°Hey man, no need for pessimism again. We¡¯re going to¡ª¡° ¡°No, look ahead.¡± Tatsuya turned back to where Hiroshi looked to know what concerned him so much. ¡°Oh crap¡­not what I need right now.¡± It was the last of the unaccounted for of their friends, Saki. Wearing the black school uniform like everyone else, though she had her track spats underneath her skirt as well. She stared down at them more of a wall than those that surrounded them. He quickly remembered how their fight went last time. It might have seemed like he held his own against Saki, but it wasn¡¯t an easy fight. The whole thing was a stalling tactic at the time too. He really didn¡¯t have time for her. But someone had to deal with her. However before either of them could act, a sudden blast from the ceiling created yet another hole in the school. Behind Saki debris rained down almost as though she used it to prevent anyone from reaching Takako. A voice from above made it clear that it wasn¡¯t Saki¡¯s doing. ¡°What the hell?! What the hell, Seiji! Stop putting holes in my school! I know you don¡¯t go here so you don¡¯t have any attachment to the building, but can you think about what you¡¯re doing?¡± ¡°You know I¡¯m not interested in thinking.¡± ¡°Yes, you¡¯re the weird mix of blind idiot and conveniently deep.¡± ¡°Enough about me, down the hole! I¡¯ll handle them.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s two of them! You can¡¯t take them both on by yourself!¡± ¡°And I said you need to get to Takako! Stop this!¡± Hiroshi and Tatsuya glanced up sweating a little at the two arguing while in the middle of a very tense situation. Judging from the look on Saki¡¯s face, she didn¡¯t seem to be amused or care about their lack of awareness. She already began to turn around planning on dealing with the threat. ¡°Yuki!¡± Hiroshi shouted, though his voice didn¡¯t through to the two. ¡°You got your powers up right?¡± ¡°Something basic to deal with general situations, yeah.¡± ¡°Good! Then get going!¡± Seiji lifted Yuki up by his collar. Aiming him over the large hole in the floor he created, Seiji waved to him as his only send off before dropping him. ¡°Damn you, Seiji!¡± Turning back towards Kaede and Katsumi, Seiji mounted his determination to stand for Yuki. ¡°It¡¯s now just the three of us. Yuki¡¯s got business elsewhere, he doesn¡¯t need to be held up fighting Yumi¡¯s friends. That¡¯s not something he needs on his shoulders too.¡± Down on the second floor, Yuki landed on his back, though cushioned by the fall with the help of his mist. He still felt some of the impact through him, but it was more like falling really far on to a mattress. It didn¡¯t knock the wind out of him, but made him groan. ¡°Seiji¡­I can¡¯t believe him dumping me like that.¡± Yuki began to stand up trying to get his bearings after the rough treatment. ¡°I thought we were going to fight together¡­¡± ¡°Look out!¡± ¡°Hu¡ª¡° Yuki couldn¡¯t finish his question before a kick came around his head. If his mist hadn¡¯t been up still protecting him it would have instantly killed him. Instead, it pulled him around and threw him back at Hiroshi and Tatsuya. His body sped through the hall like a bullet completely blowing out the far back side of the school finishing off Yori¡¯s fine work. Hiroshi and Tatsuya both turned to look where Yuki disappeared into the night. Neither knew if he was alive after taking such a kick. Unfortunately, they didn¡¯t really have much time to think about it. Saki made her stance clear. She held the line keeping anyone from advancing past her. They stared a little awkwardly at each other, not completely sure what they were going to do. But Saki made their decision for them. She saw them both as threats, naturally. So she turned her attention to them. Her body disappeared and then popped up in between them. Spinning out, she took them both out with a kick to Tatsuya¡¯s stomach and punch to Hiroshi¡¯s face. Being more resilient than Yuki, they only flew back into the placed classrooms. Tatsuya saw it coming a little better than Hiroshi. He recovered quickly in mid-air and landed on top of a desk, though his force did cause it to slide backwards. When it came to a stop he heard a strange moan pop up from behind him. The thought that he might be surrounded by more of Takako¡¯s army put him on edge. Such a thought immediately left his mind once he looked in the classroom. ¡°What¡­the hell?!¡± A strange odor wafted through the air. He quickly tried to shut his eyes, but he still heard the sounds of all of the different voices coming from around him. ¡®What did Takako do to them¡­to make them do THAT?!¡¯ He really started to believe in Yuki¡¯s theory that it was mind control. It was the only way to explain something so impossible. Tatsuya jumped off the desk wanting to return to the hallway immediately. He couldn¡¯t take all of the sounds coming from the room any longer. Saki stood waiting for him, likely knowing that it wasn¡¯t enough to take him down. She already had another fist ready for him. But he slipped around it with very little effort. Saki glared over at him, her left arm still fully extended. ¡°Tatsuya¡­you won¡¯t escape me this time.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to have to be a little more serious this time around if I¡¯m expecting to live through this.¡± He pulled up his shirt a little after it had been pulled down from all of the rough treatment. Their fight resumed. Chapter 322 - Misjudged Flame Dust and small debris rained down around the hall on the first floor. All around the school shook and groaned in fear of the fighting from above. It seemed almost a foregone conclusion that the entire thing would collapse. Yet somehow it managed to hold itself together. How long it lasted seemed to be the question. Collapse or not, it was the least of the concerns for either of them. In a silent standoff, they gave no reaction to the destruction around them. Both just stared watching each other for a move. When it became clear that Haruo intended to confront Fumiko, she dropped any interest in the rest of the group. Threads of magic dragged through the air leading to the magic circles. They stood primed, but unspent still. ¡°You planning to fight me? I thought you were a pacifist.¡± ¡®So they still maintain their sense of self. Is this really mind control? What would be the point of taking control of someone, but allowing them to keep their identity?¡¯ Haruo agreed that the theory Yuki had was a possibility, but he didn¡¯t rule out other options yet. There were still a lot of unknowns and variables that didn¡¯t fit well into the theory. He didn¡¯t question it when they brought it up. The clear signs of hope that it granted wasn¡¯t something that could be ignored. Hiroshi needed something to get people to fight again. Even if it was a false hope, it was still something to fight on. That much he understood well enough. It still didn¡¯t stop him from thinking through the theory. ¡®The truth of it is that I haven¡¯t really seen many of those part of Takako¡¯s side in this conflict. The assault on the their base has been my only real introduction. I knew something was wrong after I returned, just didn¡¯t expect something like this.¡¯ What amounted to his home had been abandoned by nearly everything. He couldn¡¯t even sense the small source of life in the area. The animals instinctually seemed to know it wasn¡¯t safe. All the humans had likely been dragged off by Takako¡¯s army or killed, as he later put together. Any that escaped that fate were probably in Hiroshi¡¯s group, not that he saw any familiar faces. Fumiko had been his only real piece of data to work with given everything happening. Unfortunately, his first encounter with her turned out to prove less than fruitful. All the destruction, he had to protect those unable to fight rather than confront her. ¡®Now I can find out if Yuki is right, even though I don¡¯t know why he feels so certain about it. There¡¯s barely any evidence to support the theory at the moment. He has even less time with these people to understand the situation, yet he is already convinced. I must know why. I must know what is going on.¡¯ ¡°Sticking to your usual silent, stoic nature, huh? My magic might be able to do something about that.¡± The magic circles no longer held passive. Flames quickly gathered at the center of each of the circles. ¡°You¡¯re going to regret thinking you can take me on.¡± Chapter 322 ¨C Misjudged Flame Watching the fire build before it was released, Haruo gained a good amount of information on Fumiko. He had never actually seen her use her powers before, in person anyway, barring their last fight which he wasn¡¯t too focused on. They spent enough time together that he already knew roughly what she was capable of. Their brief fight gave him his only taste and it wasn¡¯t a time he gave his full analytical attention to solving. This time was different though. He already knew that he had to fight Fumiko. Like she said, his preference made him on outward appearance look like a pacifist, though it wasn¡¯t a completely accurate picture. He would still fight like now. A fight on his hands meant he needed to give it his full attention rather than just protecting or keeping damage down. Such a change in outlook, meant that he dodged the flames shot at him with great ease. ¡®The attacks have a two second delay before even being thrown. With people like us, that is a very disadvantageous delay.¡¯ When he moved to his next position, he already noticed that she had more incoming from a different source, her hand. ¡®Meaning, she¡¯ll need to anticipate my movement and have counterattacks set up.¡¯ Haruo was quick on his feet despite his size. He certainly didn¡¯t have the speed of the others due to his size, but he was still not as slow as it might have appeared. It helped a lot that he could see what Fumiko was doing and planning. Such information made it very easy to stay one step ahead. Unfortunately, that was about all she afforded him. ¡®She¡¯s much more thoughtful in combat and tactics than I would have thought. As far as I know from overhearing conversations, she was the President of the Literature Club. Unless she read military books, which Yuki said her interest was fantasy, it seems unlikely she gained her understanding from reading. Which can only mean that it was all gained from her experiences since needing to fight. That was all in Atlantis though, she only had a few fights. It seems strange for her to have already grown that accustomed to combat.¡¯ Continuing to dodge, Haruo kept absorbing everything he could learn about Fumiko¡¯s methods. She was making it easy on him to figure her out. Despite the apparent talent, she was very straightforward about it all. He had yet to see her try to hide or disguise anything. ¡®Finding a way to end this is going to take more time though¡­ The power in her magic is stronger than my animals. I can¡¯t waste my energy¡­¡¯ Suddenly, when he was in mid dodge, a red light grew brightly from his right side. It came from a direction that Fumiko didn¡¯t stand or even her circles. But he immediately knew what it was. Flames burst through the wall of one of the classrooms. Haruo barely ducked out of it without losing his head. He still felt the heat from the flames pass over. Unlike the others, this had been a stream rather than a burst like a ball. ¡®She has even more types she can do, but how did she set up a trap from inside the classroom?¡¯ He had to dodge several more traps that came from even more unexpected corners. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Once he came to a rest with the traps exhausted, Haruo glanced back towards Fumiko. ¡®So she was just lulling me into a false impression¡­ Very dangerous¡­¡¯ His hand patting down an ember that he realized got caught up in the attacks. He barely came out of that trap. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re actually starting to look serious about this finally.¡± Fumiko reached behind her and retrieved her staff. The shaft popped out and extended to a full length of two meters. ¡°You¡¯ve been underestimating me, Haruo. Unlike the rest of you, I didn¡¯t waste my time once we found peace in Atlantis. I kept working to improve the power I was given.¡± A curious statement to be sure for Haruo. ¡°You foresaw trouble back in Japan?¡± He rose to his feet as the break in the fighting allowed him some recovery. ¡°So the wall talks? And yes. Given what happened, it was inevitable that there would be more happening once we got home. You¡¯d have to be a na?ve idiot to think nothing would happen.¡± ¡°True. I predicted some sort of response would occur. Though this all exceeds my estimates.¡± ¡°Yes, Takako¡¯s touch couldn¡¯t be planned for. But thanks to her, I¡¯ve been able to test out what I¡¯ve managed to hone.¡± ¡°You wish to be part of this?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! I¡¯ve been given the freedom to do as I please. I¡¯ve been liberated. It¡¯s quite refreshing.¡± ¡®This is certainly troubling. Mind control seems less likely, more like brainwashing. I don¡¯t believe the Fumiko Terauchi we know is the same as the one before me. There is definitely something at work, but I¡¯m guessing the only solution at this point is Takako now. All I can do is end this fight and get to Takako.¡¯ He started to find his resolve for the fight. Fumiko smiled looking pleased. ¡°That¡¯s the sort of look I want to see. Ever since fighting the Titans, I haven¡¯t had any challenges. I want to see what the silent wall has to offer.¡± ¡®She definitely doesn¡¯t seem to be acting like I know. However, can I succeed?¡¯ He didn¡¯t have much time to think too hard about his question as Fumiko resumed her attacks. Now that she introduced her latest ability, the dislocated flames, she had complete control of the field. Dodging and evading was all he could do just to keep from being seared by the flames. He hadn¡¯t even the chance to summon his pets with the way she kept the assault up. So Haruo made the decision to ram through one of the walls of the classroom. He hoped to free himself up for a moment and also learn a little of how Fumiko managed to make attacks without being near, which seemed to go against what he had seen so far from her. However, that move was a mistake. He discovered something he didn¡¯t expect to find in his school. Several students he recalled in passing completely laid out dead. All of their organs laid spread out around them, some even still attached. He had never seen such a violent murder before. ¡°What is this¡­¡± Not even he could hold his silence. ¡°Everyone handles it differently. The freedom Takako grants.¡± Haruo turned about to see Fumiko standing in the doorway. ¡°I¡¯m starting to question your idea of freedom.¡± ¡°They consented to it, if that¡¯s what¡¯s bothering you.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t work that way.¡± ¡°It does here.¡± Haruo thought he had a good read of Fumiko before, but the longer they talked the more it became clear he knew nothing. It wasn¡¯t even about not knowing the person in front of him. This went beyond that. He was quite certain she wasn¡¯t even close to herself anymore. She seemed like a completely different person. ¡®Is this what insanity looks like? I¡¯m really starting to be in favor of the brainwashing. Nothing else really makes any sense anymore. Not the way she is acting.¡¯ The smile on Fumiko¡¯s face grew larger until it threatened to split her head. She began stalking forward, tapping her staff against the wood flooring. ¡°Are you the selfish type? Someone that just takes and is unwilling to give a little of yourself?¡± ¡®There¡¯s not going to be any point in talking to her. I just need to focus on stopping her now.¡¯ Fortunately, thanks to Fumiko¡¯s little chat that pulled him away from the horror movie scene, he used the time to start preparing for his move. A flash of light flew at Fumiko blinding her just long enough before a fireball destroyed it. The distraction was enough to get Haruo back out into the hall. He quickly scattered his pets out before Fumiko could react. ¡®This¡¯ll give me the coverage I need.¡¯ Per his expectations, she popped back out into the hall with flames already launching at him. He dodged it with ease. The remote spells she cast started to go off again like before. However, he could see better now. ¡®As my eyes, I can see where the spells are coming from. Doesn¡¯t stop them, but I can manage to stay ahead of her more until I figure out how she is doing the remote casting, something that should not be possible for her.¡¯ It was the only piece that he really knew about her spells. What small conversations before Fumiko grew distant from the group revealed that much. They all talked about their powers a little to each other. ¡®Fumiko admitted before that she could only create her spells through interactions with her hands, a gesture. Has her powers evolved from her training?¡¯ He hoped his answers would come out soon from the extra eyes that he gained. ¡®She¡¯s got a tactical advantage hiding her attacks in the classrooms, but due to all of the obscured areas. She doesn¡¯t know about all of the animals I¡¯ve released. It¡¯s a lot of extra effort to manage everything I¡¯m seeing through their eyes, but it¡¯s the only way I can stay ahead of her.¡¯ Tapping her staff against the wood, Fumiko began moving towards Haruo. With each attack she made, she pushed him further back in the hall. ¡°Is that all you can do, Haruo? You¡¯re going to die at this rate.¡± At that moment, a large wolf burst through a damaged part of the wall. It pinned Fumiko down to the ground with its mouth clamped down over her arm. ¡®This should disable most of her attacks. The rest will just be knocking her out.¡¯ Haruo began to approach slowly, keeping an eye out for any traps that she might still be using. However, she had gone silent after the wolf jumped in. A small bit of laughter came out from behind the wolf. Fumiko seemed to find something funny. It made Haruo pause to see what her plan was now. ¡°You seem to be working under a false impression of me.¡± Suddenly flames erupted from all side of the hallway completely surrounding Haruo. He had no exits. ¡®She set up another trap¡­ She planned this as well?¡¯ Everything engulfed him, trapping in him a giant sphere of flames. The wolf disappeared from atop her leaving behind only a small piece of rumble from the school. Fumiko picked herself back up ignoring the blood that dripped down her arm. ¡°I no longer require my arm to cast my spells. I¡¯ve advanced beyond such simple means. You were very disappointing Haruo. I expected more from you.¡± Chapter 323 - Misjudged Ability Heat blistered and cracked at the walls. It hadn¡¯t quite started to cause the wood to spontaneously combust, but it glowed red. The school seemed more likely to be engulfed in flames before it went up from the proximity with the way it grew out through the hallway. Fumiko watched with a thick smirk across her face. Even disappointed it did give her something to do for a few brief moments of time. She just expected more out of the boy. Yet it seemed that she was going to have to look for a more worthy target. ¡°That should be more than enough to leave him nothing more than a black char.¡± The flames quickly cut out. Only tiny sparks remained blown around by the wind allowed to spin through the school. ¡°I overestimated your fire,¡± replied Haruo¡¯s voice through the smoke. She stepped back as surprise took her. ¡°What?!¡± Through the clearing smoke and raining sparks rose Haruo. Steam rose off his upper body from where the flames licked his skin. His shirt completely burned away along with parts of his pants. Sweat covered his skin putting a soft glow around his sharply formed muscles. Flames immediately leapt up into the air summoned by the tap of Fumiko¡¯s staff to the floor. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you had it in you to mock someone, Mr. Stoic.¡± Her fire reached out to grab a hold of Haruo once more, throwing him within the pool of flames. ¡°I¡¯m not mocking you,¡± he answered, as he walked out of the inferno with little effort. Some of the flames still trailed off him, but they largely couldn¡¯t keep him down. ¡°I¡¯m merely stating a fact.¡± ¡°Bastard¡­¡± Fumiko bit her lip a little in annoyance as her expression quickly changed. He was proving to give her what she actually wanted. It was a surprise even though she asked for it. A couple of his wolves appeared by his side larger than their normal selves, even for Haruo¡¯s use. ¡°I¡¯ll have to thank you for reminding me of an important fact.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Our physical bodies no longer have the same limitations. It¡¯s hard to change the thoughts of how something will affect us.¡± It wasn¡¯t something he forgot, but never fully appreciated. ¡®I¡¯m used to my body being tough from Katsu¡¯s group. But it¡¯s easy to forget this has given us significantly greater resistances to the elements. Fumiko¡¯s fire only felt like a very hot summer day. I have to stop using my old expectations to evaluate the effects of powers on me. The only problem is that I don¡¯t have a power scale to know the strength or how much of something I can take. This is a new learning experience¡­¡¯ ¡°So you¡¯re tough.¡± Composure started to return to Fumiko. She knew well enough that it wasn¡¯t going to end. There was still plenty left in her. ¡°But don¡¯t get cocky. I was just warming up. You haven¡¯t seen me when I¡¯m serious.¡± The flames around Fumiko suddenly turned blue. Chapter 323 ¨C Misjudged Ability ¡®So this is the blue flame I¡¯ve heard about in passing.¡¯ Like with all things about Fumiko, he only had fragments of information on her powers. Seeing them in action gave him a lot better sense than any sort of talk or rumor could. ¡®I recall one of the Titans mentioning it in passing, the little girl. Given how she talks about not being serious, I¡¯m going to assume her blue flame is more powerful than her standard red flame. Scientifically it does make sense, though it surprises me that magic would follow any sort of logic or rules of science. The real question is how much more powerful is this blue flame?¡¯ It wasn¡¯t really something he wanted to test personally, but given their fight he knew eventually he would learn the hard way. ¡°Getting nervous already? I haven¡¯t even attacked you yet,¡± she taunted. Fumiko could tell that she knocked some of the wind out of his sail. While Haruo didn¡¯t really display confidence or arrogance on his face, there were slight hints that he had some assured position. It was hard to describe in no other way than it was a feeling that Fumiko had. Calling such a gut feeling came off as almost stupid if not ironic for Haruo lacked any signs of emotions. Several magic circles grew out in the air while others popped up along the scarred surfaces of the walls. It was quickly another attempt to surround and kill Haruo. However, he had seen it already before from the first attempt she made on him. ¡®Repeating herself is a weakness¡­she swings between straightforward and stealthy attacks¡­¡¯ Sending his large wolves, nearly the height of him, they broke down the walls that channeled her magic. Smashed to pieces, she had less points of attack and the reduced cast points left her overall attack with enough holes that he escaped. He did get a good look at her flames though. Unlike before, which just heated up the air a bit and scorched the walls, entire sections of the school immediately melted or just burst into flames from mere proximity. He didn¡¯t need it to touch him to know the difference. The moisture on his skin from sweating had been sucked away nearly instantly by the intense heat. ¡®These blue flames are definitely on a completely different level of power than her red flames. This position is only further disadvantageous for me.¡¯ Giving the signal, a rabbit jumped out of the ceiling falling down on Fumiko¡¯s head. It scratched around on her face and distracted her, not able to notice the wolf smashing through from the adjacent classroom. Just as she crushed the spirit animal with her flame the wolf rammed into her side. ¡°Damn you!¡± she yelled as she disappeared into a classroom with the sound of things breaking. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Haruo approached the new hole his animal made, seeing Fumiko outside on her back. Her flames were already on the move to deal with the wolf, but he ordered it back. ¡®I know what my limits are thanks to my fight with the Atlantean Titan¡­I need to be careful on my usage against her. She can easily burn through all of my animals and leave me exhausted.¡¯ Shutting out his sight on the classroom, he kept his attention focused on Fumiko as he walked out of the school. The torn up grounds of their school were far worse than he expected, but they served his needs. It was largely a flat area with only a few obstacles around. ¡®She¡¯ll have trouble with her tricks out here and I won¡¯t be so easily surrounded or funneled where she wants. And ideally, we won¡¯t damage the school much more fighting outside.¡¯ Fumiko had already recovered from the rough assault and launched her blue flames back at Haruo as he came out of the hole in the wall of the school. He had to jump quickly out of the way just to clear the attack. Unfortunately, the classroom was less than lucky. It immediately exploded in blue light and smoke threw shards of debris in all directions. He slowly came to his feet as debris bounced off him. ¡®Guess the ideal is ruined now¡­¡¯ Though worse was the fact that several of his animals were caught up in the blast. His mind started running through checks on everything he could still see through their eyes. ¡®She do that intentionally to take some of my eyes away from me or that just an emotional response to my last move?¡¯ ¡°You really think that¡¯s going to be enough?¡± mocked Fumiko. Tapping her staff against the earth, a strange ringing tone went out from the headpiece. The sound echoed and reverberated against itself without any surfaces to bounce off. ¡®That staff¡­she¡¯s been tapping it around frequently during the fight¡­why?¡¯ Magic circles materialized in the air nearby Haruo. Things hadn¡¯t changed, she just stopped being stealthy about her attacks. Haruo dove down to avoid the ones aimed at his head, while he had his animals dismantle the ones near the ground. ¡®Would appear she no longer cares about hiding her tricks¡­¡¯ ¡°What, you thought getting me outside would put things in your favor? I¡¯m just as mobile out here.¡± ¡®Would seem she¡¯s correct about that¡­¡¯ Haruo returned to his feet to start moving again. Even while she talked, she didn¡¯t stop putting up her next attack. There was little safety for Haruo. Though the open space gave him significantly more room for evading her. He kept ahead of most of her attacks, though she continued to cut him off or anticipate his movements. It forced him to keep using his animals to destroy what magic circles he could to give him an opening. ¡®The intensity of her attacks seems to have increased¡­was going outside the right move?¡¯ Haruo didn¡¯t really expect to be doubting his decision, not that it could be changed at the moment. During his dodging and evading, he did everything he could to keep analyzing Fumiko¡¯s attacks. As his wolf slashed through a circle, he noticed a fine thread of blue blowing through the air. It hadn¡¯t been the first time he noticed it before. They had been hard to see, but he picked up on them throughout the area. ¡®Are these connected? I don¡¯t know how much magic follows logic with it being a fictional construct. So I¡¯ve been trying to avoid assumptions, but it may actually be that simple. Trying won¡¯t lose anything and it¡¯ll help to give another answer.¡¯ Haruo felt that a lot of the things that they did defied explanation. It seemed almost a waste of time to try to understand why or how they worked, especially since some existed purely because it was stated to be real. For his rational mind, it made it very difficult to reason with, but if he could apply logic to things then he could manage it. Now that he looked for them, he could see the threads better. It almost seemed impossible now for him not to see them. They were everywhere. He knew what he was searching for. ¡®There¡¯s more than I realized. But I think this is the real path. Everywhere I look they are connected to the circles. Is this the way she controls and feeds them power?¡¯ He felt his plan starting to have some footing. His animals made their move cutting at the magic threads. Each of the circles cut shattered into particles nearly instantly. It gave him all the proof that he needed. ¡®So she¡¯s creating remotely placed circles by extending out her power through the threads of magic.¡¯ He sort of ignored the rest about what the threads were or how they existed, since it was just facts that he had to accept. ¡°Getting a little smart for yourself, Haruo.¡± ¡®She doesn¡¯t seem bothered by the fact that I¡¯ve hobbled part of her attacks. What is she planning now?¡¯ ¡°You¡¯re continuing to underestimate what I can do.¡± New threads started to spread out from her shoulder on the side of her missing arm. They quickly began to gather and form multiple inlaid circles. The new action made Haruo hesitate. He didn;t know what Fumiko was planning and thought attacking would be too risky. It was a complete unknown to him. ¡®Is she trying to make an arm out of magic? Is that possible?¡¯ ¡°Allow me to start correcting that fatal thinking of yours, Haruo. Fire is not the only magic I have at my disposal!¡± ¡®A new element? When did she get one?¡¯ ¡°I¡¯ve been largely just toying with you, wondering if you actually have something to challenge me. After you survived, I thought you might have something. But that¡¯s clearly been proving wrong. You¡¯re just a one note fighter. You won¡¯t survive in this new world for long without evolving!¡± The magic finished coming together solidifying into a hard metal surface. It shone brightly a soft shade of blue from her flame. Reflections of blue danced around her new metal arm. ¡°If my flames won¡¯t burn you, then let¡¯s see how resistant you are to metal.¡± ¡°Metal isn¡¯t considered a magical element within fantasy literature.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t make the rules, take it up with Yuki if you have a problem with the logic!¡± Fumiko slammed her metal hand down against the earth. It sank into the earth submerging partially. ¡°You¡¯re not going to want to be worrying about logic right now!¡± Haruo felt a strange sensation under his feet. He didn¡¯t know what to make from it. It felt like it was vibrating, like a quake, but it was too weak. When he looked over at the grinning Fumiko, he knew she made her attack. But he couldn¡¯t see it. ¡®Her hand¡­underground¡­¡¯ He put it together a little too late. Metal rods jumped out of the earth around him. He had already started to move, so they missed their initial targets on him. But they were armed with sharp points that pierced his skin. They only grazed his arm, but he felt the warmth of blood flowing down his left arm. ¡®It¡¯s fast and malleable¡­I¡¯m going to have to be even more aware of her attacks if I expect to keep ahead.¡¯ ¡°Seems you can¡¯t count.¡± Her warning didn¡¯t give him enough time to even question what she was talking about. The last metal rod jumped out of the earth, being the fifth one. It quickly pierced him through the chest with enough force to drag him back a little as blood sprayed through the air. The other metal rods jumped back into action to pierce a stunned Haruo. ¡°The only unique thing about you, your defense, is broken. This is it for you, Haruo.¡± Chapter 324 - Misjudged Action Blood dripped down and sprayed through the air from the multiple wounds he took to his torso. It was only through Fumiko¡¯s poor aim that he didn¡¯t take an immediate lethal blow. Not that five metal rods rammed through him were any less deadly to him. ¡®I¡¯m pretty sure at least one of them has gone through my lung and I can only guess about the rest. I¡¯m not entirely clear how long my body can hold out. Our bodies are different now¡­all my expectations keep changing¡­ I can¡¯t make any assumptions anymore¡­¡¯ As he recovered from the stun, he started to test and tug on the magic metal Fumiko used against him. Despite the fluid movement he witnessed from it earlier, it was completely hardened now. He had no chance in just pulling on it. ¡®If it had properties close to standard metal, at this thickness my new strength might be enough¡­¡¯ Haruo gripped the metal to attempt to bend it under his strength. He knew he was stronger than before, even if it wasn¡¯t completely normal through magic he might be able to do something about it. ¡°You¡¯re a stubborn bastard. All those soldiers died so quickly from this. But that just shows how truly different we are now. This is what we are now.¡± Chapter 324 ¨C Misjudged Action Haruo found that his strength did indeed have enough to fight the metal. It was slow going but he was able to bend them. He didn¡¯t try to remove them, since he knew that was only going to make things worse for him. ¡®I¡¯ll bleed out faster. But I need to sever them.¡¯ Summoning his wolf to him, he made use of its sharper claws. A little blunt at first, they sharpened up as it made more attempts somehow transforming as he needed. ¡®It was just a guess and a bit of a pointless one, but it seemed to work. But it shouldn¡¯t be able to do something like that. Size aside, its claws aren¡¯t like blades; they''re just sharp ends at best. I thought my animals followed the natural laws, but is that not the case anymore? Can my thoughts or needs alter them?¡¯ The thought troubled Haruo a little. ¡®If this was Yuki, he¡¯d be a little better at coming up with something more creative than how I¡¯m using them if they are transformed by thought. I don¡¯t know what to do¡­¡¯ His mind worked logically. Everything he knew was based on the real world. Changing now wasn¡¯t very easy. He wasn¡¯t sure he could do it, especially in the middle of a fight. ¡®Against someone like Fumiko, do I stand a chance? I thought based on what little I knew or saw, I could at least delay her long enough until Takako was handled. But I¡¯m not even sure about that anymore. This fight is getting more disadvantageous¡­¡¯ ¡°So you still have some fight left in you?¡± Straightening himself out, he did what he could to ignore the metal sticking out of him. It wasn¡¯t as though he was going to be fighting directly anyway. So it wasn¡¯t going to get too much in his way. ¡®I¡¯m going to have to ignore the questions¡­ I need to focus¡­even for a draw¡­¡¯ Another wolf stepped up on his left side as a companion to the other. Fumiko had too much at her disposal to hold back. He had to give it a real effort if he was to survive. ¡°We¡¯ll see how long that lasts.¡± ¡®This whole thing still is strange. She¡¯s got elements of brainwashing, but also seems to be aware. But I¡¯ll have to admit, I¡¯ve never really seen someone brainwashed, so I don¡¯t know if this is how they would be.¡¯ Haruo ordered his wolves forward while he started to get moving again. Unfortunately, the metal rods in him pulled and tore at his insides. His body didn¡¯t agree with moving while they were still left alone. There were no options, he just had to live with the damage and pain. It had been a while since he experienced this level of pain. He was normally good at minimizing it or at least not having people that hurt him a lot. The Atlantis battles hurt, but he hadn¡¯t been wounded so badly before. So feeling pain to the degree he was now was fresh. It at least kept him awake. The wolves kept Fumiko off balance just enough that her attacks couldn¡¯t make the same degree of accuracy that she had before. As she hadn¡¯t figured out how they regenerated either, any of her attacks on them proved empty. Fire or metal, nothing stopped them from getting back up after her. Haruo¡¯s use of cover was proven to be just as fruitless. A strange mound of earth and school desks spread out through the entire campus grounds. Most of the grounds were open, but he still had some places to get behind to watch Fumiko. Her metal, however, pierced the pile with little effort and stabbed him in the arm. He ripped free from it by accident leaving a small gaping hole in his forearm bleeding out. ¡®I need a plan. Magic and fantasy is not my realm of understanding. I¡¯m going to pass out before I understand her well enough.¡¯ He grabbed up more random pieces of debris around the grounds as he kept moving. Some of them looked a little more familiar than others. They all came from his school, so it went without saying that he knew some of the pieces. A couple came from a classroom, a number plate and chalkboard. They quickly became animals, while some he pocketed for later. He needed a more offensive strategy with Fumiko. It was something he understood. Something he knew for any sort of fight. It was why some had trouble understanding him. He was a more passive individual. Even with the need to fight with the changes and tasks he took on it was a slow process for him that he never fully accepted. He sent off his animals for a direct strike. ¡®A direct assault seemed to work pretty well on her before. However, since she can work her magic without her hand, it means that just pinning her is not going to be enough. I¡¯m going to have to actually knock her out to end this. Can I get that close?¡¯ It wasn¡¯t going to be his animals that took her down. Haruo knew that was something he had to handle. Yet with her flame as powerful now along with the metal, he had reservations about being able to achieve it. At least, he knew he wouldn¡¯t be able to do so without taking serious injury. And his body already didn¡¯t fare well. Tapping her staff, metal jumped out of a magic circle on the ground. Like vines, it wound its way around piercing all of the animals that Haruo sent after Fumiko. Immediately after, flames burned them all away. ¡°You didn¡¯t think numbers would improve your odds against me? You seem to think so little of my magic, Haruo.¡± Immediately countering after the animals faded into particles, Haruo was put back on the defensive. The metal magic increased in the speed of attacks. He wasn¡¯t able to simply keep moving. He had to make certain sacrifices to stay in the fight. Certain injuries had to be accepted if he was to stay alive. It seemed contradictory, but she was much better than him. That was becoming clear to him. ¡®She¡¯s more committed to this than I. I really wonder what it is that Takako did to them. Hopefully, I survive to find out¡­¡¯ The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Commitment or not, he had determined to be more aggressive, something that didn¡¯t exactly come naturally to him. He had to keep pressure on Fumiko or she would keep injuring him. To save on his fatigue, he used smaller animals to go after Fumiko. ¡®I¡¯m still not at my limit. I have a while to go still, but will it be enough¡­¡¯ Not too unlike the last time, Fumiko countered as he expected. It might have seemed like he was desperate or just stubborn about a straightforward attack, but it had a purpose. He saw that she made the same actions. ¡®She did it again. The tapping with her staff. That seems to be the trigger, but only for ground based attacks. And I know I¡¯ve seen her do that before even in the school without triggering attacks. While she moved around she was doing it in a very deliberate manner.¡¯ Even without his attacks, Fumiko continued to slowly walk around the field. It was rare for her to stand still. While inside the school, she restricted her movements during most of their fight. The outside changed that and seemed to open her attacks up more. ¡®So that must be it. Now that I¡¯ve made more attacks it makes sense.¡¯ Another attack did all that he needed to confirm it for him. ¡®Wherever she touches her staff to the ground it places down a circle. She¡¯s then able to remotely trigger them with another tap. Despite how she has been using her powers to make it seem like she can attack from anywhere, she still has to use herself to set it up. It¡¯s all still from her. It¡¯s the training, all she¡¯s been doing to improve her powers to be able to achieve this. My initial impression of her from the day we met seems to have turned out to be completely wrong. ¡®I took her for someone that was observant and protective, but also sheltered and weak. She was doing what she was doing out of a sense of obligations rather than a real desire to fight. Because Yuki was in danger going to Atlantis, she felt she needed to go. But that was the extent of it. She would give it all up once her debt had been cleared. ¡®I¡¯m not seeing that from her. This looks to be a woman that would keep fighting even if she did not have a reason to do so. She keeps practicing and working on herself so that she can fight more. This is Fumiko Terauchi¡­¡¯ Because he knew how her new power worked, it was easier to anticipate now. However, it still didn¡¯t change that he could do nothing to stop her from doing it. She could still set the traps and trigger them at will. There was no ability to get close to her. Even forcing her to use them all up still left her with the versatility of her magic that she could cast from her person. It didn¡¯t change much for Haruo. He needed to be able to strike against her. Knowledge in this case did little to help him. ¡®I might be able to problem solve things, but my mind doesn¡¯t think like a combat strategist. I know what I can do, but not how to actually achieve it.¡¯ It was a very different fight from what he was used to. The Atlanteans he dealt with had the advantage of them not fully understanding how different they were. It wasn¡¯t until his battle with the Titan Teris that he came up against someone that he struggled to be able to fight. And he lost as a result. ¡®Simple tactics won¡¯t work against her. Not with her power. She completely negates my standard methods.¡¯ He didn¡¯t know how he was going to manage against her. Everything he knew and understood told him that he didn¡¯t have a chance of winning. ¡®It¡¯s strange, but despite everything I know I want to stay here. Certainty doesn¡¯t seem to be a factor. What is it?¡¯ Haruo had no explanation for it. Haruo retrieved one of the items he stored away in his pocket. The number plate to his classroom. It didn¡¯t look like much anymore. Bent and twisted from the reckless use of the school, it was a sign of the past. And how much the present forced itself upon everything. ¡®If plans and strategies won¡¯t work against her, then I¡¯ll have to borrow a page from Seiji it seems.¡¯ Light started to burst from his hand to obscure him from sight completely. Fumiko covered her eyes with her metal arm trying to see through what Haruo had planned. ¡°Trying something new this late?¡± She tightened up her grip on her staff to prepare a possible sneak attack. ¡°I¡¯ll crush whatever you have planned.¡± ¡°New? Perhaps a bit,¡± replied Haruo, ¡°A different way.¡± ¡°Still leaving out details I see. Well no matter!¡± Flames started to burn in her crimson arm no longer waiting to see what he had in store for her. She charged up her magic expecting whatever he had planned to be powerful. Despite her own planning and expectation, what she saw come out of the light left her completely shocked. She didn¡¯t even think to consider it, but there wasn¡¯t anyone that would consider it. Fumiko dropped her mouth open in shock to see a giant elephant standing next to Haruo. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious¡­¡± It had about as much subtlety as Seiji for sure. Though Haruo might have been a little too literal in his interpretation. ¡°Hey!¡± complained Seiji off screen. As it started to charge for Fumiko, she gained back her composure. Her magic had still more time to cast against something so large. ¡°You think that¡¯s going to be enough? Size! I¡¯ll show you how wrong you are!¡± She immediately utilized all of her traps to deal with the elephant. However, unlike the other animals that Haruo still after her, it had a slightly less spirit-like appearance to it. It still was semi-transparent, but it was harder to see through. Which had been a sign that it wasn¡¯t to be treated like the others. Her metal vines tore through the legs with little effect. It snapped the metal, not even breaking stride. All the flames did was take out small chunks that came back almost as quickly as they were damaged. Nothing she had prepared worked against it. All she had left was her flame. She ground her teeth together not looking the same as she had the entire fight. Additional magic circles materialized around her arm strengthened her. She didn¡¯t have much time to attack with their distance. The elephant covered ground fast. Fumiko began thanking herself for reacting to building up earlier. She wouldn¡¯t have had enough time otherwise. As the flame she grew into life finally left her hand, it exploded in size dramatically. The elephant was still larger, but the flame did well to come close to engulfing it. The two powers clashed only meters away from Fumiko. Gusts of wind from the impact brushed against her forcing her to dig her feet in a little. It was closer to her than she wanted, but it seemed to keep the rampaging animal back. She funneled more magic into her flames, feeling it lose power against the elephant. But it suddenly shattered before she could hold it up any longer. ¡°What?!¡± Half burned away by her flame, the elephant still charged after her. Had it been a real animal the sight might have been disturbing to witness, as a headless beast charging, but as a spirit animal it didn¡¯t hold such horror. And the regenerative properties were already at work. Fumiko staggered back, seeing it resume its charge at her. She had run out of spells to cast. Nothing she used worked against it. It was just too big to deal with on short notice. Gritting her teeth for the impact was all she could do. The elephant smashed into Fumiko from Haruo¡¯s view. But something didn¡¯t seem right, as he expected it to carry through her for a bit. Something had stopped it. A faint light came out from in front of the animal largely masked by its size. He checked through the eyes of the elephant to see that it was Fumiko. A barrier was completely up around her. He could see cracks forming it. Her last effort to protect herself, but it wasn¡¯t going to hold. Against the physical power of the elephant, her magic wasn¡¯t enough. ¡®This should be enough to knock her out¡­¡¯ However, Fumiko didn¡¯t stay defensive while her barrier broke. Just as it shattered, she dashed forward between the legs of the animal. Armed with a metal crafted dagger, she charged straight for Haruo the source. ¡°Die!¡± she shouted as she threw down a dagger. His arm quickly came up, taking the blade through the muscle of his forearm. Blood sprayed back across their faces. She struggled with him to push the blade in towards his heart. He had her up close and saw the look in her eye once more. It made him recall what she said before and his re-evaluation of her. ¡°Did you mean it when you said, that ¡®This is what we are now¡¯?¡± ¡°Yes! We¡¯re nothing, but weapons. These powers aren¡¯t peaceful. They¡¯re meant for fighting and that¡¯s what we¡¯re supposed to do with them! Embrace it like I have!¡± Chapter 325 - Misjudged Words ¡°You believe that is why we were given powers? To fight?¡± ¡°Of course! You¡¯ve seen what we¡¯ve been given.¡± Fumiko¡¯s outlook on the matter significantly differed from his perspective. It had been something he gave time and thought to, even if it might have seemed pointless. Something impossible happened, at least as everyone understood reality. Trying to understand that would normally seem a waste, but with a new reality, it had meaning. ¡®I had taken the whole thing as more of an accident rather than intentional design on his part.¡¯ Everything he had seen and knew about Yuki seemed to support that. ¡®It was crafted from his mind and given his interests, it is certainly something he would enjoy. However, I have trouble believing he¡¯d want people to be fighting as she is suggesting in her theory.¡¯ ¡°You believe it was an accident don¡¯t you.¡± ¡°Given the information.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve realized it is something different.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Haruo managed in the talking to break Fumiko¡¯s hold on the dagger. He grabbed her metal wrist keeping her at bay as she armed herself with a new weapon. Struggling with him, she threw her flame arm at him. It was an immediate action he regretted, but he grabbed her fist of fire. There was just enough substance to it for him to stop, but it started to burn his skin. Pain scorched through his arm. Chapter 325 ¨C Misjudged Words ¡°The smart silent one didn¡¯t figure it out?¡± Fumiko laughed a little, mocking Haruo''s apparent blindness. ¡°For being so intelligent, you¡¯re actually pretty blind.¡± ¡°Blind to what?¡± ¡°Yuki claims that it was an accident, but none of it was. It was all designed to happen this way.¡± ¡°You¡¯re claiming that Yuki intentionally altered everyone. He doesn¡¯t have that sort of control over his powers.¡± ¡°So he claims to us. But do you actually believe that? Everything is too deliberate to be an accident.¡± While he doubted what Fumiko claimed, she did still make him curious. ¡®I question whatever she¡¯s got supposedly figured out, but she might have stumbled across a piece that¡¯ll answer things I haven¡¯t figured out.¡¯ It was like asking for directions from a clinically insane patient and he understood that. He still had curiosity that needed to be answered. ¡°You don¡¯t believe what Yuki said happened?¡± ¡°And you do? Amazing! I can¡¯t believe the anti-social one of the group actually trusts him as much as Saki. You never have answered why you¡¯re with us. You¡¯ve always dodged the question. To think it is just blind faith.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing like that.¡± ¡°Is that right?¡± ¡°Your theory¡­¡± ¡°Dodging again. Well, I plan on killing you anyway. So knowing why you¡¯re following around that lying bastard hardly matters at this point.¡± ¡®She still has all of the confidence despite what¡¯s happened and that we¡¯re mostly in a stalemate. Though I don¡¯t know how long my hand will last burning at this rate.¡¯ ¡°I realized it while we were in Atlantis. After everything settled out. When you¡¯re not trying to fight to stay alive it gives you plenty of time to think.¡± ¡°And you figured it out then?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I figured out Yuki¡¯s plan.¡± The flame in her arm seemed to grow a little weaker in her struggle. ¡°I heard from when he was telling his stories getting us all up to speed about what happened on the boat ride down. He gave Seiji powers and that gave him the idea.¡± Haruo recalled it as well. ¡®Is this how she¡¯s going about it?¡¯ ¡°He¡¯s so obsessed with fantastic stories that he had to make it all a reality. He had the ability and knowledge to do so.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not much of a theory.¡± Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°You¡¯ve heard the way he talks and thinks. He speaks in story clich¨¦s as though the real world is just a book that he¡¯s reading. And that people¡¯s motivates can be simplified to being genre savvy. Takako looks insane to all of you, but Yuki is the most insane one living and he¡¯s got you all fooled into thinking he¡¯s just a joke. He¡¯s the one that you should all be the most frightened of.¡± Not anymore convinced, Haruo gave a silent stare that was about as much as he could manage for a doubting look. But Fumiko wasn¡¯t finished. She continued her reasoning to Haruo. ¡°Did you even think about the most obvious facts? The people¡­us!¡± ¡°We were given powers, yes.¡± ¡°More than that! Look at the powers everyone was given. They all suit the individual based on something in their history or personality. Saki¡¯s in track, so she¡¯s speed, Seiji likes fighting so he¡¯s strong and tough, Chiharu¡¯s a ninja, Yuki knows I¡¯m into fantasy, so he gave me magic. None of that was random, that was deliberate planning.¡± ¡°One doesn¡¯t imply the other though.¡± ¡°Even if you deny his intent, you can¡¯t ignore the fact that he made us for fighting.¡± ¡®Back to the original topic now. Her reasons at least do better to support that than Yuki intentionally doing wish fulfillment and using everyone in the country for his own personal enjoyment.¡¯ ¡°Look at our bodies. You¡¯ve noticed just as much as the rest of us. They aren¡¯t the same anymore.¡± ¡°Superhuman attributes.¡± ¡°Exactly! He gave us everything needed to not just fight, but to be able to survive and enjoy the fights to their fullest. He wanted us to fight!¡± ¡°And that¡¯s the conclusion you¡¯ve reached?¡± Haruo didn¡¯t really get much more out of it. It gave him an understanding of Fumiko''s thoughts and that was good. But there was little else it offered him. ¡®I¡¯ll admit it¡¯s an interesting theory, but that¡¯s all it is. There¡¯s no solid proof to back it up. It¡¯s all just her speculating from observation. Given that it is something that Yuki did alone, it¡¯s unlikely if any of us will ever know why or what happened.¡¯ ¡°How can anyone not reach this conclusion? All of this power, none of it is peaceful. It¡¯s meant for fighting and killing. If you¡¯re not using it that way you¡¯re wasting it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true I haven¡¯t seen any power yet that isn¡¯t meant for fighting. But it is still how we use it that determines if it is for fighting or something else.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still na?ve. I used to think like that. I bought into Yuki¡¯s lies. That was until Atlantis.¡± ¡°That was an extreme situation and one built from misunderstanding.¡± ¡°They wanted to kill us! All they wanted was to fight and kill!¡± Haruo had something he wanted to say in response, but stopped himself. He remembered that she had a very different experience in Atlantis than him. ¡®She¡¯s had more harrowing experiences than most of us and has taken it harder than the rest of us.¡¯ Though silence was natural for Haruo, he didn¡¯t know how to respond to her. He started to see what looked like the source, but hadn¡¯t the experience to tend or support. ¡°Kill or be killed. That¡¯s the way the world works, that¡¯s the saying as it goes. Well that¡¯s how Atlantis is and Japan now. Accept and embrace that. It took me a while, but I finally understood that base fact. Takako understands that too.¡± ¡°Base instincts?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! After Atlantis, I realized it all. Yuki made us all reborn to fight. It¡¯s not for stupid novel and romantic notions as protection people or defense. No, it¡¯s simple killing.¡± The flame grew brighter suddenly with the intensity of the heat increasing. She had been holding back in their struggle. But she pushed for a conclusion now. ¡°And now you¡¯ll kill me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Only one of us can leave! And unlike you, I¡¯ve accepted and enjoy it now. Once killing is in your blood you can¡¯t stop. You¡¯ve got to keep going.¡± ¡°So you¡¯ve become a murderer.¡± ¡°You make it sound so dirty.¡± ¡°Are you claiming to be different?¡± ¡°No! We¡¯re all murderers. I¡¯ve just accepted that fact. I killed people in Atlantis during our efforts to save Yuki.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe they were intentional deaths.¡± ¡°At the start, but at the end I accepted the facts as they were in front of me. I liked killing. I enjoyed it. I didn¡¯t need to be afraid of the killing. I had to keep practicing and refining my power so I could keep going. But with peace in Atlantis, there wasn¡¯t going to be anything left. My only hope was Japan, thrown into chaos by Yuki¡¯s scheming.¡± ¡°Takako.¡± ¡°Yes, Takako! She doesn¡¯t have the same views as the others. She understands how the world really is. And she is going to be showing everyone else. After she kills Yuki, there won¡¯t be anyone that can stop her from extending her influence.¡± ¡°She was waiting for Yuki?¡± ¡°Initially no, but she quickly learned about Yuki from the students that fell in line with her. They didn¡¯t understand it, but they had seen his fight with Demosthenes in front of the school like the rest of us. And she knew then that he was going to be a threat. She built her power and waited knowing that he would eventually be back. It was all as she planned.¡± ¡°That certainly explains why she limited her growth, which never made sense.¡± ¡°Now that all of what she wants is in her hands, things will start changing. Yuki¡¯s death will bring an end to the lies and Takako will show everyone the truth!¡± Haruo struggled to keep his hand from being completely destroyed by Fumiko¡¯s flame. The smell of burning flesh filled the air around them. However, he had long lost most of the feeling from his hand with all of his nerves either destroyed or just completely overloaded by pain. ¡°I¡¯m not very good with people. But I have to question your ideas of the truth of the world as you claim.¡± ¡°Everyone does because they don¡¯t understand. They fall in line with what society says.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not exactly talking about that.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m more referring to you at this moment.¡± ¡°What about me?¡± ¡°If I had to guess, you¡¯re actually lying to yourself and using Takako¡¯s power to justify your actions.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? What do you know?!¡± He noticed the sudden rise in her voice and reaction. It was all just guessing, but it seemed logical enough to him from what he knew of her and people in his observations. ¡°Like I said, I don¡¯t know people very well. I just observe mostly. And what I¡¯ve observed of you makes me think you¡¯re lying. There is something else that you¡¯re trying to cover for would be my guess.¡± ¡°I¡¯m NOT covering for anything! This is who I AM!¡± ¡°Your yelling indicates otherwise. With your heavy focus accepting killing, I¡¯m going to guess that is the root of the matter. What is it about killing for you that you¡¯re trying to hide?¡± ¡°Killing is reality! I¡¯ll kill YOU!¡± Flames jumped up from her arm going wild. It pushed back Haruo as she leaned in. Her eyes had grown wide with her pupils shrinking. A crazed look spread over her face. Haruo fell back, losing his stance. She had completely overpowered him. His burned arm was useless to him. The metal magic already pinned him down for her to make the killing blow. ¡°You won¡¯t.¡± It was his last chance. He barely had any supporting facts to it. Just his conversation with her to go on. Another reckless action. ¡°I WILL! KILL!¡± Fumiko threw her hand down glowing bright blue. She aimed straight for Haruo¡¯s heart. ¡°I¡¯ll show you who I AM!¡± Chapter 326 - Misjudged Memories If Haruo had or felt regret, which was an unknown thing through all of his stonewalling, he would have felt it in that moment. Efforts came to an end. Just a waste. Nothing could have been said to change things. It was merely futile to attempt. Brainwashing couldn¡¯t be so simply altered or changed. That was the fact. Facts as they were, Haruo had no chance of being able to do anything for Fumiko. It was nigh impossible to even call themselves friends. Even acquaintances could have been a bit of a stretch. They only just met two months ago and most of that time wasn¡¯t even together. She intentionally isolated herself from the group. Even during the fighting, they weren¡¯t together for most of the journey. So there wasn¡¯t even the so-called battle born camaraderie to fall back on. He was the worst person to be trying to reach Fumiko. That much he knew. That much he was certain. Which is why it took him aback when he saw her stop. Her blade practically touched his chest when she froze. ¡®Why did she stop? Is it because I¡¯m someone she knows? Did I somehow reach her?¡¯ Chapter 326 ¨C Misjudged Memories What Haruo didn¡¯t know was that inside Fumiko a new battle burned brightly. It was the reason for her pause. Where there should have only been one side, became two. Less about being a direct opposite, but still a contradiction. The battle became fierce for what would become the earned reality. A scream ripped through the darkened room, yet it didn¡¯t wake anyone. Fumiko sat soaked in sweat and out of breath. Even though she was awake, she could still hear the faint screams from her nightmare crawling up her back. If her hair stood anymore on end, it would have looked like something out of Yuki¡¯s shounen manga. She looked around once she collected herself a little. Her chest still heaved and didn¡¯t calm down any time soon. ¡®Saki¡¯s still asleep¡­¡¯ It was the first night out of the dungeon and in a more normal cell. While it was hard to call sleeping in a palace normal, it was certainly better accommodations than the cell she spent the last few days living out of until her release. Standing up made her realize how much she had sweated while she slept. Her Atlantean robes were completely stuck to the form of her body. Unsticking it hardly made it an improved situation. Silk hardly felt very good drenched in sweat. ¡®¡­a bath isn¡¯t really an option right now¡­¡¯ Fumiko threw off the long single piece robe and drew out one of the articles from the closet that she had seen others in the palace wear. It had a similar design to the military uniforms, but had far more embellishments on the trim and rather than pants a full dress. They looked very much out of the history books, like stuck in the past. She made her way to the door and caught the sound of Saki snoring. ¡®Glad she¡¯s a heavy sleeper.¡¯ Poking her head out of the girl¡¯s room, the central chamber hung in a low light from candles lined around the room. There was no sight of the other one, not something she needed at the moment. Sneaking through the room, Fumiko made her way to the hall. There didn¡¯t seem to be anyone in the hall from what she could find. It was safe. She needed none of it. A hand came out of the shadows before she made it even three steps into the hall. ¡°You¡¯re out late,¡± a deep voice echoed from behind her. ¡®An enemy?!¡¯ Her mind snapped awake so fast that even if she had been running on no sleep for four days straight she still would have been completely sober. Fumiko spun around her arm, channeling her magic. Flames grew off her fingertips coalescing together quickly. The other hand of her would be attacker reached out and silenced her flame in an instant. No effort, as though snuffing out a candle with two fingers. She recoiled, needing to get away and put some distance between them. ¡°Fired up I see.¡± ¡®That voice¡­¡¯ In the heat of the moment, even though she stared straight at him all she saw was an Atlantean. Nothing else in her brain saw anything else. It was not a face, just a marker. She had to snap herself out of it. ¡°Demosthenes Alexander¡­¡± He looked to be in full grandfather mode than the ruthless warrior she had seen before. It was never going to be something she was going to get used to seeing. ¡°I¡¯m sensing a little anger in your voice.¡± Fumiko looked around quickly to see a lay of the hallway, since she already missed one of them. It was empty still, apart from the two of them. She felt better about that at least. ¡®I need to refocus. It¡¯s not my intention to get into a match with him of all people. I hear Yuki beat him, but since he was apparently on our side from the beginning, I have to wonder if he didn¡¯t hold back against Yuki.¡¯ The story of Yuki beating Demosthenes was well known around the palace guards that even she heard in the dungeon. It seemed to help Yuki¡¯s case for being King defeating someone so high ranked. ¡°Only from having to hear such a horrible and clich¨¦d pun.¡± ¡°A little levity never hurts a conversation.¡± ¡®Is this really the same man that without pause destroyed our school and nearly killed most of us?¡¯ She had misgivings still about dealing with the man they thought of as their enemy and with very good reason. The others seemed almost too willing to forgive and forget. Fumiko maintained a specific distance away from him. ¡°Things are still dire and nowhere near resolved. Should you really be making jokes?¡± Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°Always being wound tight with tension isn¡¯t good either. Breaking that tension is just as important and being aware of the seriousness of the situation. It may help you see more clearly when you need to.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be the judge of that.¡± ¡°Fair enough. I won¡¯t tell you want to do. You are guests here.¡± ¡°Speaking of which. Shouldn¡¯t you be with your new King with the whole Eudokia incident, there¡¯s no more Royal Guard, right?¡± ¡°A new Royal Guard will be formed in time to protect him, but he¡¯s not King yet. There are still rituals and ceremonies to go through before that.¡± Demosthenes never changed from his slightly smiling expression. He looked like he was teaching his granddaughter about history with the look on his face. ¡°But I was giving him some room. Even I have the courtesy to leave those two alone.¡± She needed no names to know immediately what he was talking about. Her arms crossed subconsciously at the mention. ¡°Already making plans.¡± ¡°A King does need a Queen after all.¡± ¡°Given the situation here and the two of them, they should fit in right at home here.¡± Demosthenes didn¡¯t seem to follow the same line of thought that Fumiko had. A quizzical look came over his face as he sought out an answer from Fumiko. ¡°After the stunts he pulled today, he¡¯s just as much of a manipulative bastard as her. No wonder she¡¯s in love with him. He¡¯s been manipulating all of us since day one.¡± Even he could sense the mood well enough to know the usual wouldn¡¯t work for Fumiko anymore. He matched the serious, almost grave tone Fumiko forcibly hung over the area. ¡°Those are some strong opinions.¡± Once again, it felt like she might be getting into more than an argument with Demosthenes. ¡®Damn, this guy is completely falling over Yuki too. He¡¯s going to defend him regardless of what happens. I¡¯m going to have to be careful around him with my words.¡¯ Fumiko quickly reversed her outward emotions. They had to be bottled up given her situation. ¡°Don¡¯t mind me. Being locked up in the dungeon for half a week will leave anyone sour.¡± ¡°They were unavoidable circumstances. My influence barely was enough to keep everyone else out of the dungeon.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know how it all went down. It¡¯s what happens.¡± Fumiko turned away and looked towards the direction she had originally intended to go before being interrupted. ¡°Unless I still require a guard to always be present, I have somewhere else to be.¡± ¡°For the time, yes actually.¡± ¡°¡­fine¡­¡± It didn¡¯t seem that she would be able to work it out to be in peace. However, she couldn¡¯t really fight him over it. She knew better than to argue. Another bad morning threw her out of her blankets. She didn¡¯t know if she was screaming as she had done so many times before, but no one seemed the wiser to it. The rest of the girls stayed asleep in the small inn room they stayed in. But she couldn¡¯t stay in bed anymore. Sleep was going to be impossible again. Fatigue stopped being a thing after the first week. Her body seemed to be getting used to the interrupted and poor sleep schedule she kept. It was almost easier for her to get an hour or two of sleep rather than attempting to sleep for a full night. It was asking the impossible of her. Anymore than that and the voices came back along with the images. She hurriedly dropped her sweat drenched clothes for something fresher and walked outside. Being late at night, there normally would have only been a few people out, as she understood. However, since today was special everyone was out in full celebration mode still, despite most of the honored guests being asleep. Being that he was King, Yuki stayed out with the townspeople. The energy in the town was very different from the last time she had been in one of Atlantis'' villages. All of the gloom and doom disappeared. The people were happy and energized in a way she had really only ever seen in movies or books. It seemed unnatural. Yet she understood why they were happy. It wasn¡¯t just the fact that they were safe once more because they had a King. It became clear that the King was visiting them. A rare sight not seen in decades and even before then centuries. They weren¡¯t used to it. She had a feeling that this was going to be a familiar sight for them. Unfortunately for her efforts, the town¡¯s inn was positioned near to the center. Which meant that she was exiting out near the main part of the celebration. She couldn¡¯t escape very well. All the stealth in the world wouldn¡¯t make the difference coming out into the massive bonfire filled with dozens of dancing and drinking Atlanteans. And it was only made worse that she was Japanese. Her features made her stand out so easily, height notwithstanding, among everyone else it was like she wore a bright red dress in a sea of gray. They stopped her in an instant and started calling out in Atlantean, which she didn¡¯t understand. She left behind the earring Yuki made, not wanting to deal with this. ¡®Crap! This wasn¡¯t what I need right now¡­¡¯ Fumiko tried to escape, but they quickly surrounded her. Nothing of what they said made any sense. It was all just a drone of voices. They all looked and sounded the same. They were Atlanteans. The same faces of the people she fought. Her chest started to hurt as she felt the pounding of her heart and shortness of breath. She was cut off. No escape. They had her surrounded. They were the enemy. They wanted revenge for all of those that she murdered. They weren¡¯t going to let her leave without the punishment that she deserved. Just as she had trouble standing, a hand grabbed or touched her. She didn¡¯t know what it was. She just felt them. Fumiko spun around trying to find who it was. Her magic started to bleed through her arm. Loose threads blew about in response. ¡®Enemy¡­no, they¡¯re not¡­peace¡­fighting¡­stop it!¡¯ Their voices carved through her ears into her brain. She couldn¡¯t escape it. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me!¡± The Atlanteans could no more understand her than she could them. They didn¡¯t respond to her. They just got closer to her. It felt like she was suffocating. She couldn¡¯t breath. All she saw was blood everywhere. They were covered in it. Blood soaked their faces until only the whites were visible. She knew their faces. The soldiers she killed. They wanted her. They weren¡¯t going to stop until they killed her. ¡°I won¡¯t let you take me! I¡¯ll kill you first!¡± Something suddenly grabbed her. She threw her flames at them to get them off of her, but they wouldn¡¯t let her go. They were strong. The fire did nothing to them. Why could she not hurt them? They moved in closer. They were after her. ¡°I won¡¯t let you!¡± Then suddenly a sharp slap came across her face. Reality returned and she was staring at Yuki with all of the townspeople scattered. They all looked a little confused at her. But Yuki kept himself in her center so that she couldn¡¯t ignore him. ¡°Fumiko! Look at me! It¡¯s alright! Ease up!¡± ¡°Yuki? Ease up?¡± She didn¡¯t understand what he was talking about. There seemed to be meaning behind what he wanted, but it wasn¡¯t clear. ¡°Yes, your magic.¡± ¡°My magic?¡± Fumiko looked down at her hand to see the whole thing completely engulfed in flames. It had somehow subconsciously activated the spell partially to alter her arm. Yuki¡¯s hand held her in place with it barely visible through the light of her flame. She immediately understood what was happening and stopped her magic from flowing freely. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. You just got a little startled.¡± Yuki turned around to face the townspeople now that the situation was in hand. ¡°Sorry about that! Lightweight!¡± He made a drinking gesture and they all quickly understood. Once the celebration was put back on track, he turned around to Fumiko once more. ¡°You alright? You¡¯re not looking so good. Did some of their local food not agree with you?¡± She pushed off from him to get distance. Her body still had not fully recovered. ¡°I¡¯m fine. They were just getting too close and I slipped. I¡¯ll be going.¡± Once she made her intention clear to Yuki, she walked away seeking the exit to the town. ¡°¡­alright¡­¡± Fumiko stared down at her hand that had been in flames only moments before. ¡®It¡¯s happening more frequently¡­ I need to get this under control¡­¡¯ Chapter 327 - Misjudged Purpose Out of the town and in the open fields under the night sky gave Fumiko some peace. It was small, largely having only a slight change on her. She may have escaped the real world, but the one in her mind never could be outrun. As such, she was never truly free or safe. At first, she only wanted to calm down from the panic attack with the townspeople. Her heart had mostly recovered from it, but the thin layer of sweat over her body made it very difficult to forget. There wasn¡¯t much around, so she just stopped when she needed to and sat down. Staring up at the moon slightly veiled behind the clouds of the night, Fumiko tried to find some calm from it. Though, it had an unsettling feeling on her even though she couldn¡¯t place it. Defying the expectations, the moon was positioned in a way that it would have been seen if it had been closer to the equator rather than near the south pole as they were. Just another illusion of the world of Atlantis. But she found no comfort in the night sky. A foreign and unfamiliar sky gave her nothing. Though, she was quite certain that none of that mattered. It was merely a point to complain on and use as an empty excuse. The longer she remained still the more likely it was to return. And she could already feel it coming back to her. The voices and the images. The feelings carved into her skull. She stood up and started to wander. Anything that might get her mind off it. She wandered harder, as though that was possible. ¡®This isn¡¯t working¡­¡¯ It really wasn¡¯t. Walking faster away from the town just was running. And that did nothing. She couldn¡¯t get away from what was chasing her. Fumiko stopped again. She had to accept her situation. Accept was too strong of a word for what she wanted. Manage was definitely closer. She couldn¡¯t accept it. She never could, that was the problem. ¡°I need to get my mind off of this. I can¡¯t even think. If I do, I remember¡­everything.¡± Remembering was the biggest problem. She wanted to forget. It was just impossible to do. Chapter 327 ¨C Misjudged Purpose A small flame sprung up from her palm. It was desperately controlled through thin strands of magic. Several of the threads blew around in the wind unconnected at the ends. The flame suddenly went out. ¡°Damn¡­it¡¯s so small. I¡¯m not used to working with them that small. Whenever I¡¯m fighting I want them to be big and powerful. Trying to keep it small is nearly impossible.¡± She sat down finding that her legs were getting tired from the lack of movement. Weaving magic didn¡¯t need to be standing. The stray threads of magic hanging around her she called upon once more. It wasn¡¯t something that she was going to let beat her. ¡°Come on you can do it!¡± A bit of a smile came over her face staring into the red glow of her fire. Eventually, the flame collapsed again. Repeatedly, it happened over and over again for her. Attempts changed a little as she tried to figure out the problem. In the end, she collapsed in the grass, unable to figure it out. ¡°Why did I want to try to do this again?¡± she asked herself as she looked up at the stars. As she tried to remember why she even challenged herself to making such a small flame, her eyes began to close. Sleep fell upon her once more. A little bit of peace rested within the developing lines on her face. A peace that always remained short lived. Fumiko jumped up out of her sleep. Another day, another nightmare. She looked down the hill at the village that they stopped by today. ¡°They¡¯re getting prepared¡­ It¡¯s endless, the celebrations¡­¡± It hardly came as a surprise to her or anyone in their traveling band. Even though they had already come from one party, the next place that they visited wanted to do the exact same thing. They felt compelled to entertain their new King. Though, it was also likely a way to release the stress. No one complained. Fumiko kept her opinions to herself. None of the others seemed to understand. They weren¡¯t having nightmares like her. The ghosts of their deeds didn¡¯t seem to haunt them. They could sleep through the night. She had to pick random times when her body would allow it for her to sleep. And still only in small bursts. Her hand immediately started to draw out magic from within. She only started doing such things in the last day, but she was already getting used to it. It worked for her. So there was no reason to stop. It started out with it being her routine. But the voices were still crawling towards her like zombies after the heroes in a horror movie. She could feel the pounding in her chest getting worse. Fumiko turned her head to stare at the red glow. ¡°Just the fire. Only the fire.¡± The flame reflected in her eyes as she stared. The pounding eased off. And the undead disappeared. She kept focus on the magic, not completely paying attention to actual work. Which meant that it snuffed out quickly. If it was to work she needed to give it her attention. ¡°Damn, I need to focus. I know I can do it.¡± She made it into a dare almost. Something impossible that might be achievable. She didn¡¯t know if she could do it. It seemed reasonable, but definitely far beyond her reach. But it gave her a goal. And important to her for a few reasons. ¡°If I can do this I¡¯ll have a lot better control over my magic. It won¡¯t go out of control anymore.¡± It was the only reason that she was willing to acknowledge though. The other reasons were never said or even thought. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Moving her fingers through the air, she started to manipulate the threads once more to create the delicate flame. It fought with her. Such detail wasn¡¯t something it wanted to do. It wanted power. It wanted the coursing flow of her magic to feed through and grow. The flame was hungry. A starved flame only lasted for so long. But she kept trying. She was very certain she would be able to get to it. Days continued to pass in the same sort of pattern. She parked herself outside of whatever place they were visiting that day and practiced her magic. It made the days go by surprisingly fast. The usage of her magic no longer tired her. Her body seemed to be adapting better to her calling upon it. ¡°Almost there¡­¡± The flame she worked with had a better life to it. It still fought her for more power. But it held together. She could do it for longer, even though it always collapsed. ¡°A little smaller¡­¡± So she began testing herself in different ways. She wanted to know how little magic she could use. How efficient she could make it. There were so many questions she had that needed to be answered. Traces of excitement would sometimes pop up during her sessions. They largely went unnoticed by her. Her focus was directed outwardly on her magic rather than inward at herself. However, it was all she could manage. Progress was her only purpose. It kept her mind focused. She gained ground from the training. Every waking moment had been consumed with her practice. It was the only way. The moment she paused or stopped it came back to her. For all of the effort, she understood her powers better than she ever thought she would. She could see the endless horizon of growth potential. But she could see it now. It was open for her to take. And she jumped in after it. Fumiko screamed, pulling away from Haruo. Her memories rammed through her head. She fell backwards to the ground, all of her magic fading away. Locked within her, the battle for the truth or the enforced truth burned stronger than her flame. ¡°I kill¡­I must¡­ Everyone¡¯s dead¡­¡± Blood dripped from the numerous wounds Haruo sustained. He could feel how lightheaded he was from the fight. There wasn¡¯t a lot that he had left to give. His body didn¡¯t like him moving around and he asked to move again for him. ¡®What¡¯s wrong with her? Is she fighting against the brainwashing?¡¯ He started to get back on his feet. Inside his muscle and whatever else the metal ran through, complained greatly against his movements. ¡®How much longer can I last like this? It feels like everything is finally starting to catch up. But I need to be sure things are over with Fumiko. I can¡¯t allow myself to pass out without being sure of her.¡¯ Every step he made dropped a heavy foot to the earth as if he was ten metric tons. Nothing felt right anymore. ¡°¡­Fumiko¡­¡± When he dragged himself over to her side, she had fallen completely back unable to move. He could see pain across her face. Between the two of them, she was definitely in a better state than him. His animals did leave her with some injuries, but nothing as severe. So he knew it wasn¡¯t for her wounds that she made a twisted expression. ¡®What¡¯s going on inside her mind?¡¯ In a few moments, it came to a stop. Clarity came back to her eyes as she looked up at Haruo. He watched her trying to tell if she was going to resume her attack. However, she made no movements to try. ¡°¡­Haruo¡­¡± ¡°Still wanting to kill me?¡± He didn¡¯t really have the time to try to evaluate her on his own. His body was deteriorating fast. Her expression changed a little, going a little flat to his query. ¡°Not really, if I did it¡¯d be other reasons.¡± ¡°Takako?¡± ¡°She¡¯s still in my head. I can feel her trying to motivate me.¡± ¡°So it is mind control?¡± ¡°Something like that, it¡¯s a little complicated.¡± ¡°Can you move?¡± ¡°No¡­¡± Haruo knelt down next to her, though it was very heavily done. His body began to respond less to him. ¡°Takako?¡± ¡°Part of it¡­ I¡¯m still under her control, but you managed to make me remember something important.¡± ¡°Something important?¡± He really didn¡¯t know what he had done apart from questioning her intentions. Which was all he could assume that he did. ¡®So she was forgetting something and that shocked her out of the control?¡¯ Fumiko¡¯s eyes moved around seeing the questioning look in Haruo. She wasn¡¯t surprised. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand. But it was enough to make Takako¡¯s influence clash with what I had forgotten. I¡¯m awake, but I really wish I wasn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Are you in pain?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a different sort of pain. I don¡¯t have her numbing influence. Almost nothing is under my control, but my consciousness is awake now. I can remember everything I¡¯ve done.¡± Fumiko blinked her eyes. It was the only part of her that seemed to have any control. And not even that was completely true. ¡°You don¡¯t seem affected from what I can see.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because Takako¡¯s not allowing me control over my emotions. It¡¯s a weird feeling. I know I have guilt, crushing guilt, but I can¡¯t react to it.¡± Her eyes blinked again clearly showing how much she wanted, but could do nothing. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if this is better or worse. It¡¯s probably the only thing keeping my body from moving for Takako.¡± Leaning over to Fumiko, he tried to see what he could do for her. He had no way of imagining such a feeling. It seemed like a completely impossible sort of thing to empathize over. He could just try to make her feel comfortable. ¡°I¡¯m going to take you away from here.¡± ¡°Takako¡¯s mind has an endless reach. You can¡¯t take me away from her.¡± ¡°I know. But with the two of us in this condition, we¡¯re only going to risk further harm by staying in a combat zone.¡± He glanced over in the distance seeing explosions of light going off where he imagined someone was fighting. As he lifted her up, completely limp, Fumiko glanced over at Haruo. ¡°You¡¯re still expressionless.¡± ¡°I can be helpful without expressing emotion.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re in pain.¡± ¡°As are you.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m unable to express it. You can if you wanted to express it, but you don¡¯t. Why?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡± ¡°But there¡¯s a reason for it.¡± Haruo looked at the gate that completely barred their way. He didn¡¯t have his hands free. But fortunately there was damage to the wall from someone else. Making his way over the debris and rubble, he tried to focus on other things than his personal life. But Fumiko wanted to know. ¡°How do you do it? Like it doesn¡¯t get to you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just the way I grew up. I realized when I was younger that there were people that lived off it. So I denied them what they wanted most.¡± ¡°But you no longer need to do that, right?¡± ¡°Yes, but it is who I am now. I shut them off.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I envy or pity you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not asking for either.¡± ¡°Idiot¡­¡± Chapter 328 - Back-to-Back Fists Turning back towards Kaede and Katsumi, Seiji mounted his determination to stand for Yuki. ¡°It¡¯s now just the three of us. Yuki¡¯s got business elsewhere, he doesn¡¯t need to be held up fighting Yumi¡¯s friends. That¡¯s not something he needs on his shoulders too.¡± He saw the two girls, Yumi¡¯s friends, standing on either side of the hallway. They both had the looks of ready to resume their fight as he made the interruption. Neither looked very pleased by the distraction. However, Kaede more than Katsumi seemed more up for the fight. She had a smirk on her face already looking ready to charge. Katsumi seemed to be remaining passive and holding her ground. It was Katsumi that bothered Seiji more than anything. He had seen Kaede¡¯s type too many times to find it that surprising. They all wanted to fight and had the confidence in themselves and likely plenty of arrogance to go along with it. Nothing special about Kaede. ¡®What¡¯s with the girl? I never asked Yuki which was which¡­but she¡¯s got an unnerving presence unlike her friend. I can¡¯t get a read on anything.¡¯ Reading someone for Seiji wasn¡¯t the normal sort of thing. For him, it was a gut check. His personal experience and reaction that his body had to the individual was his method of reading. Which meant that he was blind or mistaken just as often as he was right. But in a fight, it was invaluable. Besides his fighting experience, it gave him a fighting sense that let him understand his opponent, for good or ill as it had been recently. Katsumi gave him shit, almost like she was invisible. It felt strangely chilling just looking at her. Delaying wasn¡¯t really a choice, caution was required. He wanted to see what the hell they did next. A two on one fight against powers wasn¡¯t something to dive straight into head first. They already proved to him that they could handle themselves. Kaede didn¡¯t really give him a chance for that though. She wanted his blood and jumped straight in to pick the fight back up. Her only courtesy was the time she gave Seiji to deal with what he needed in unloading Yuki to someone else. ¡°Ready to die?¡± she shouted in her charge, coming into a clash with Seiji. Taking her fist to his forearm, Seiji kept his balance. Weight carried behind her hand, but didn¡¯t have the force he felt before. ¡®Just a reintroduction¡­¡¯ He threw her off him, keeping careful watch over Katsumi, not sure what she would do next. ¡®I¡¯ve only seen her play a more support role to the main girl¡¯s aggressive fighting. It¡¯s when they team up that it¡¯s trouble¡­¡¯ Alone Kaede didn¡¯t present him with any real challenge. As a pair, they easily outflanked him and succeeded in scoring hits he would have otherwise avoided. He had some hesitation in jumping straight in for a counter attack against Kaede. The last time he tried that, he got a sharp knee kick to the cheek. It was hardly the most painful thing he had ever felt, but it hurt a lot more than he expected from such a small ass girl. And, he preferred not to leave himself so open to an attack. He couldn¡¯t really sense Katsumi and that made him uneasy in the fight against two. Which meant that Kaede came in for another attack. More in earnest this time, she delivered a barrage of attacks against him. He kept his arms up to block her punches. ¡®She¡¯s got more of her back in these hits now¡­ She¡¯s back to being serious¡­¡¯ Seiji grabbed her wrist as her blows started to come to an end. He spun her around quickly and threw her in the direction of Katsumi. ¡®Keeping them both in my sights is about the only way I¡¯m going to be able to manage these two¡­¡¯ With them lined up, Seiji took action. He quickly covered the distance to catch back up with Kaede and rammed his fist into her stomach as the finishing blow to shoot her into Katsumi. The short haired girl flew backwards into her friend and smashed through the wall of another classroom disappearing in smoke. Seiji came to a gentle landing outside of the new hole to monitor the situation. ¡®That should have dealt with at least the one girl. I didn¡¯t put everything I had into the punch, but it should be enough to knock her out. Which should just leave the other passive one. Though, up until now, everything I¡¯ve attempted against her has done nothing. No signs of injury¡­ She could be the more troubling of the two¡­¡¯ As the dust began to settle, he saw two forms through the gray veil. Shit. A bad sign for him, he knew. A low sigh slipped out of his lips. ¡°Dammit¡­guess I¡¯m not that lucky¡­¡± He prepared for the next round against the two. ¡®How tough is this girl? I might have been withholding my full power, but I still gave it a lot of force.¡¯ ¡°Such a brute,¡± commented Kaede, walking out of the smoke with her long black hair dragging along the floor. As she walked, parts of the floor crumbled behind her mysteriously. ¡®Her killing aura has increased¡­¡¯ The look he had seen before from others, it was damn hard to miss. He had seen worse, but she had quickly changed her attitude. There might have been a playful looking smile through her face, but her eyes were out for blood. It had an unhinged sort of appearance, as if already insane from the bloodlust. ¡®I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to like this very much¡­¡¯ Time to think wasn¡¯t really available, though it wasn¡¯t like Seiji was going to use it anyway. Kaede leapt into action jumping through the air spinning herself around. Her massively grown out hair went flying with a bit of a life of their own. Spread out in a wide arc around her it initially didn¡¯t look like much other than flailing to Seiji. However, a few pieces of debris and dust rained down in front of her charge. He saw the pieces suddenly turn into dust as they came in contact with her hair. The how of it didn¡¯t really make sense to him, but he understood the threat clearly. ¡°Oh hell¡­¡± He knew he didn¡¯t want to be hit with that and Kaede made her intention with her attack. Seiji bent back planning on just letting Kaede sail over him, but something stopped him. He looked behind him and saw Katsumi holding him up to stay in line for Kaede. ¡°Damn! When¡¯d you get there?!¡± He tried to dodge to the side instead, but Katsumi wrapped around his waist, keeping him held down. There was no longer any time. He was out of options and only centimeters from being hit. He threw up his arms to do what he could to protect himself. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Blood sprayed through the air with the slashing of Kaede¡¯s hair. Katsumi lost her hold when a forceful blast clashed. Seiji flew backwards, trailing blood from his numerous wounds over his arm and chest. He collapsed to the floor with his head bent back through the hole he had created earlier. Familiar ass pain spread over his body. The warmth of blood pouring out over the skin. This was a fight. He was going to have to start taking things more seriously. ¡°Ugh¡­this is really annoying¡­¡± Seiji started to pull himself back up as paper ashes slid off his body where it hadn¡¯t soaked in with the blood. ¡°Survived that attack, huh?¡± Kaede noted sounding a little annoyed. She jumped a little on her feet getting closer to him. ¡°Even with that special power that protected you, I¡¯ll cut you down!¡± She slowly stalked forward, eying up Seiji for her next attack. ¡°Special power?¡± He wasn¡¯t even to his feet yet and Kaede looked to make her next swing. ¡®Not good, don¡¯t know how I survived that last attack, but with how sliced up I am, I won¡¯t survive another at this distance¡­¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m going to enjoy painting the walls in your blood!¡± ¡°Kaede¡­¡± ¡°This is my favorite part!¡± Her hands pressed together with a little popping of her knuckles. ¡°Kaede.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be needing those arms anymore!¡± Spinning around her hair, the walls already fell down around her from just loosely throwing her head about. ¡°Kaede.¡± Kaede stopped looking very annoyed. Her hair fell down around her feet, spreading out and sinking. ¡°What the hell do you want?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s too late.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Your hair. You did it again.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Suddenly the ground seemed to sink around them by a few centimeters. ¡°What the hell?¡± barked Seiji looking around not sure what was going on. That was all he managed to get out before everything fell out from under him. He fell. Kaede followed in her confusion after Seiji as the floor broke apart under her. She fell on her back against the second floor along with Seiji. However, due to her hair, Fumiko and Haruo¡¯s fight below and Seiji¡¯s action to make the original hole, it wasn¡¯t really suited to holding anything. The second floor fell apart aided by Kaede collapsing them quickly. Both dropped once more to the first floor. From the top, Katsumi leaned over looking down at the two checking on them. Which was a mistake, despite her observation before, she didn¡¯t notice how weak the floor was from all of Kaede''s movements. Her weight was all it took to bring the rest crumbling. Katsumi attempted to jump away, but it only pushed things even faster. The ground she jumped off of had no give to push back and she fell faster. For a good five or six meters of the hall on the third floor everything rained down. Katsumi fell on the second floor, but as more of the third floor classrooms broke down and spilled in the second floor¡¯s already weakened state folded quickly. A large pile of debris fell down around her leaving the entire hallway of the first floor mounded up in rumble. Chapter 328 ¨C Back-to-back Fists Another punch knocked down another student. ¡°Damn, is there no end to all of these?!¡± complained Miyako. The hallway seemed to endlessly spill with students and random adults. They all came from classrooms or some weird void that just produces evil beings. While she finished off a student, a mid-aged woman jumped her from behind. Her hand felt warm like it was trying to melt her skin. But Miyako grabbed her by her neck and threw her off her back. She used the woman¡¯s body to take out a few others coming at her and finish off the little remained of the classroom door. Only a moment later, she had to elbow a short student in the face to stop them from stabbing her in the back. ¡°Bastards!¡± She had to dodge a girl that could make her arms into metal blades. The whole thing looked pretty painful to see, but staring and being impressed wasn¡¯t really really an option. Even dodging, she got clipped along the cheek. It was only a small amount of blood. She gripped one of the blades coming off the girl¡¯s arm and ripped her off her feet and threw her into the ground. The blades embedded themselves leaving her stuck. While completely open, she kicked her in the ribs, tossing her through the classroom. She then spun around wide with her fist to backhand some businessman. He went flying into the crowd. Miyako shook out her hand a little, feeling the numbing pain from repeated use. Her skin was red and raw from all of the fighting. An endless fight was something she pondered at times, but this wasn¡¯t the sort of time for it. ¡°Is there anyone that can actually put up a fight?!¡± On call, naturally, the ceiling behind her collapsed. The force of everything blew out a cloud of dust over the entire area. Then even more of the ceiling collapsed all around her. It attempted to bury her as she protected herself shouting out to the others in her group, but her voice disappeared in all of the noise. After almost thirty seconds of silence and settling of debris, Miyako broke out of the pile coughing up dust that got stuck in her throat. ¡°What the hell are ya doing?!¡± She looked around trying to figure out who made the mistake of bringing down the school around them. ¡°We¡¯re supposed to be holding them off, not destroying the school!¡± Another cough came out from underneath the debris. Before Miyako could figure out if it was one of her or an enemy, they broke free. It was so close to her that she threw a punch out of instinct. However, they blocked it. She hadn¡¯t really looked at who it was, but since they stopped her she threw another. It couldn¡¯t be one of her group, none of them were that good. She could tell from the first punch she threw. And they kept up with her and even returned a couple back at her. ¡®They¡¯re good¡­¡¯ Miyako couldn¡¯t move very well with all of the rumble around her feet. She broke off the fighting to jump out of the mess that slowed her movements. The other seemed to have a similar idea. They were like mirrors in their movements. And with the same idea, they both charged back in with their fists flying. The two clashed in the middle blowing out a shockwave of air from their collision with even greater strength put behind their punch. It became clear that it was going to be a stalemate the way it was going. They jumped apart to get a better read on the situation. Miyako could feel the throbbing in her hand from the last blow. ¡°Damn¡­that¡¯s some power you got!¡± She smiled a little, finally finding someone with something real to offer. ¡°I can say the same to you. You''ve got a hell of a punch!¡± ¡°Who are ya? You don¡¯t look like the rest of the mindless mob.¡± ¡°Same to you. Are you with Hiroshi¡¯s group?¡± ¡°You with that bastard Yuki?¡± ¡°So we¡¯re on the same side.¡± Suddenly Katsumi and Kaede pulled themselves out of the rumble as well, appearing behind each of them with Katsumi behind Miyako. ¡°Seems that way¡­¡± She immediately recognized Kaede, the girl from before that left her in the state that she was in now. ¡°It¡¯s you!¡± Miyako charged over only to have to stop and fall back as Kaede swung with her hair, she remembered the lethality of it. She fell back against the other that joined her. ¡°I¡¯m Seiji,¡± he answered over his shoulder. In front of him, Katsumi looked as ready for a fight as she had ever been, which really wasn¡¯t saying much. But he felt that he could trust the woman at his back. He grinned a little, feeling better about the situation now. Miyako suddenly remembered the name. ¡°You¡¯re the one that gave us the info.¡± She had been back getting another round of treatments from the doctor to prepare her for combat, against the doctor¡¯s wishes. So she had never seen Seiji. ¡°Miyako. Got my back?¡± ¡°Hell yeah! You?¡± ¡°I think I¡¯m going to like ya!¡± She grinned as well, feeling like she had found some kindred spirit. They lowered themselves a little standing back to back preparing for the fight that came. ¡°It¡¯s time to fight!¡± they shouted together in their charge. Chapter 329 - Back-to-Back Doubt Seiji went straight after Katsumi now that he could fight her with his full attention. It was always Kaede getting in his way or the other way around. He didn¡¯t mind such fights, but their tag teaming made it very difficult to have any sort of fight happen. Nothing he did could get started. Now it was different. He could have a fight the way he preferred. Just the two of them, though it didn¡¯t stop him from being unnerved by the lack of any sort of expression on her face. She didn¡¯t have the interest in the fight, not like Kaede. It was like she was doing it because she was told to do so. ¡®Is she fighting against the mind control?¡¯ he wondered while exchanging some introductory blows. He could tell from her punches that her heart was definitely not in the fight. ¡®She doesn¡¯t want to do this? Unlike the other girl¡­¡¯ Until now, he never had a real chance to look at the girl, as the fight was too chaotic really to see something more subtle. It made him pause in the fight to question what he was doing. ¡®Can I really fight her? I¡¯m already wishing that I wasn¡¯t as much of a real man who doesn''t punch girls, but they¡¯ve forced my hand. But with her separated from her friend, she seems more passive than before¡­¡¯ Chapter 329 ¨C Back-to-Back Doubt Uncertainty on the part of Seiji left him open for an attack by Katsumi. He took a punch to the face. For stopping in the middle of a fight, he should have known better. It surprised him a little that it happened. He staggered back a little trying not to fall over and completely embarrass himself. A thin trickle of blood slipped from his lip, considering the state of the rest of his body, it was hardly something to be considered over. Far worse injuries littered his arms and legs. ¡°¡­dammit¡­¡± He wiped away the blood quickly and focused once more. She reminded him that he was in the middle of a fight and such things were mistakes. ¡®That hurt more than the others¡­what¡¯s with her? I don¡¯t get her.¡¯ Confusion couldn¡¯t settle in for Seiji as he quickly had to block the next punch thrown at him. He caught it with his hand this time, though a little bit of a vibration went through his arm. ¡®Her strength has increased¡­ What¡¯s with her? Before she wasn¡¯t really even in the fight¡­¡¯ Seiji caught the other fist as well, but she pulled herself free to take swings at him. He started ducking around her wide throws. ¡®She¡¯s really not familiar with fighting, that much is clear. The only thing she¡¯s got going for herself is what Yuki gave her.¡¯ It was hard to call her just weak, since a hit did still hurt, but there was little challenge. She lacked any sort of control or finesse. It was a complete amateur effort. Even though she was an easy fight the more he watched her, there was still the trouble that she presented. None of the blows he made actually seemed to do anything to her. He hadn¡¯t given it his all yet. It was difficult to do. It wasn¡¯t like any fight he had ever been in before. ¡®I¡¯m starting to wish I had the other girl. I don¡¯t know if I can actually fight her¡­¡¯ None of that stopped Katsumi from continuing to try to take down Seiji. Even though she couldn¡¯t connect anything, she never stopped taking advantage of his doubt. ¡®¡­dammit¡­what am I supposed to do?¡¯ Katsumi suddenly changed up her tactics and darted around behind Seiji, not completely catching him off guard. He partially managed to block the attack, but it staggered him. It knocked him enough off balance that Katsumi could follow up quickly with several clean shots. He had to pick himself up several meters away. Flashes of red light far in the distance distracted him for a moment until Katsumi came up to him once more. Her knee rammed through his stomach taking him off the ground and falling to the floor. ¡°Ugh¡­I¡¯m getting tired as hell of this!¡± Seiji pounded the floor into a small crater as he stood up. Throwing his finger out at Katsumi, he tried to get something resolved. ¡°Do you want to fight or don¡¯t you?! Nothing. He roughed his hand through his hair annoyed. ¡°Stop it! Either look like you want to fight or stop it! You¡¯re confusing the hell out of me!¡± She remained silent for him. No answer only frustrated him further. ¡°Dammit all! Why the hell are you fighting with that face?!¡± Suddenly laughter came out from Katsumi. It was completely disjointed from the rest of her. Almost like her mouth was a speaker. It was still her voice, but the rest of her face didn¡¯t match. Seiji took a step back feeling even more unnerved by the situation. It wasn¡¯t very common that he saw horror movies, he absolutely hated them and couldn¡¯t stand watching them (you can remember why, right?), but the whole scene really felt like something out of a horror film. Katsumi looked possessed, but it had only captured her voice and nothing else. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°What the hell¡¯s going on?! Why are you laughing?¡± An awkwardly ripped up smile came across Katsumi¡¯s face as if the corners were pulled up with string. Out of her nearly unmoving lips came her disembodied voice. ¡°So you¡¯re the macho muscle head Saki was telling me about.¡± ¡°Saki!¡± Seiji immediately jumped at the mention of her name. ¡°Where¡¯s Saki?¡± ¡°So single minded. I¡¯m hurt.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t give a damn about you!¡± ¡°Oh, but that¡¯s not true. You came all this way just to see me. You seem to disapprove of my world view.¡± ¡°The hell?¡± It took until then for Seiji to realize what was wrong. The horror imagery screwed with his mind enough that he didn¡¯t consider it. ¡°Who the hell are you?! You aren¡¯t Yumi¡¯s friend!¡± ¡°So the big idiot finally figured it out after I spelled it out for him.¡± ¡°You! You¡¯re the one aren¡¯t you?! The one that is causing all of this!¡± Katsumi¡¯s body clapped her hands together stiffly. ¡°That¡¯s right! Congratulations! What shall I give you as a reward for understanding something so simple and obvious?¡± Her foot wound up suddenly and kicked a stray bit of debris in Seiji¡¯s direction. The speed of it wasn¡¯t much to worry about for him. He simply lifted his arm up to deflect the debris away, but instead he was jerked backwards as blood sprayed through the air. Seiji threw himself against the wall needing some support. ¡°What the hell?¡± He glanced down to see the debris embedded itself in his arm with part of it stuck through the other side. Blood streamed down his arm. Without a second thought, he ripped it free from his arm as it poured out blood. ¡°What the hell did you do?¡± ¡°Better watch that, you¡¯re going to bleed out.¡± ¡°Go to hell!¡± ¡°Already visited.¡± ¡°Damn you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re as charming as she described.¡± ¡°Stop acting like you know any of us!¡± ¡°Oh but I do!¡± Katsumi stepped roughly forward a step with her shit-eating grin growing. ¡°I know all of you so very well see. I know what you¡¯ve been doing recently in a little place called Atlantis. I know all about you and Saki and Yuki. She hates you, you know.¡± ¡°Shut up! You don¡¯t know Saki!¡± ¡°Touch a nerve have I?¡± The creepy smile grew larger, nearly looking like a crescent. ¡°It¡¯s the truth. She can¡¯t stand you. She wishes that you¡¯d just disappear.¡± ¡°You¡¯re lying!¡± Seiji¡¯s fists tightened up. The blood started boiling for him listening to Takako. He knew what the bitch was trying to do. It still angered him that she would go so far as to make such attempts. He charged in after her. ¡°I¡¯m not going to allow you to talk about Saki like that!¡± Katsumi took Seiji¡¯s punch to the forearm with only a push back. The force of his fist blew her hair back. Laughter came out of her once more. ¡°She never told you. She¡¯s making you think that you¡¯re all just friends.¡± He wound up his punches again, throwing more and more power behind them. Katsumi just stood there and took it all, barely doing anything other than sliding a little back, as her feet couldn¡¯t keep a grip on the floor. At the end, all that he could see was her full arm length gloves were a little frayed. Some shitty ass tears were starting to develop, but nothing more really happened. ¡°You¡¯re upset because you know I¡¯m speaking the truth.¡± ¡°Shut THE hell up!¡± Seiji¡¯s hand lit up briefly as he pulled back for another wind up. Katsumi took his rage head on, but this time the force was enough to knock her off her feet. She flew backwards a meter, but managed to catch herself in time. Large ass tears tore through the cloth as it started to hang. She started to discard the gloves causally as she straightened back up. ¡°I can walk through their memories and thoughts the same as I¡¯m walking through this girl¡¯s body.¡± Katsumi¡¯s hand brushed over her cheek to point out the complete dominance she had over the girl. ¡°I¡¯m so much more intimate with Saki than any of those who think they are her friends. So¡­much¡­more¡­¡± Laughter came out of Katsumi again. ¡°She¡¯s told me all of her secrets and all of her lies. She has so much darkness within her it feels so amazing.¡± ¡°You know nothing!¡± Seiji threw out another fist as he closed the distance, but Katsumi held up a plank of wood from one of the classroom walls. His fist crashed into the wood unable to do anything to it. Blood sprayed up from his wounds applied from his force. ¡°Just stop talking!¡± He kept throwing more fists at Katsumi, always blocked by the wood until his knuckles were bleeding. Tossing the plank behind her, she retrieved a new pair of gloves. This pair was dark brown leather with plates of metal around the backs of the hands and thinly spaced around her fingers. ¡°Trying to punch me quiet? That won¡¯t work. You can¡¯t beat me while I¡¯m in this girl¡¯s body.¡± Katsumi ran her fingers up and down her arms as though washing them. ¡°This girl¡¯s abilities are uniquely suited to being perfect just for you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care anything about any of that! I¡¯ll still stop you!¡± Laughing, Katsumi started to move towards Seiji. ¡°By all means make your attempts. I¡¯ll show you how weak you are. You¡¯re just a clueless monkey.¡± She rubbed her hands together looking like she was starting to warm up. Winding up her punch, she met fist for fist against Seiji. Nothing stopped her anymore. Explosive shockwaves flew off their clashes shaking the ceiling. Blood, Seiji¡¯s blood, coated the knuckles of Katsumi¡¯s glove. It only seemed to be getting worse for him. She no longer even lost her traction in the fight. In fact, she seemed to be getting helluva lot stronger with each punch. One of her punches slipped through Seiji¡¯s defenses landing square in his jaw. He slid back a little staggered from the blow as blood started flowing from the impact. Seiji spit out the blood from his mouth and charged back in after Katsumi, or rather Takako. ¡°Damn you!¡± However, while he was stunned, Katsumi retrieved a long board from one of the trashed classrooms. Already in motion, Seiji put up his arms to block the hit. It was like being hit by a truck. He flew out of the hallway through a classroom and out the window into the back of the school grounds (opposite of Haruo and Fumiko¡¯s current fight). Seiji spun end over end through the dirt until he came to a stop in a pile of earth up against the corner of the school fence. As he tried to pull himself up more blood dripped over his face. His left arm was completely thrashed to shit from the blow. It hung weakly at his side. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was broken or worse, but he couldn¡¯t move it. ¡®¡­dammit¡­I can¡¯t lose here, not to this psycho!¡¯ Katsumi marched out of the school still holding the wood board. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. I¡¯ve no interest in adding you to my army. You¡¯ll just die here like everyone around you wants!¡± Chapter 330 - Back-to-Back Punch Out Working up as much bravado as he had available on hand, Seiji straightened himself out to appear like none of it harmed him. ¡°Good, I had no plans on joining your army anyway. So come over here and try!¡± She laughed a bit more, clearly amused by Seiji¡¯s fa?ade. ¡°I¡¯ll oblige you.¡± Swinging the board around a little, she launched it at Seiji with some added force from her punch. The scars along his right arm lit momentarily as he threw himself into his punch to meet the attack. The wood board rammed into Seiji¡¯s hand coming to a sudden halt that sent cracks through the wood. A flash of light jumped through the wood before it exploded in splinters. ¡®¡­damn¡­¡¯ Seiji wound back a little from the recoil. ¡®It¡¯s just wood, but it hurts like hell! What the hell is she doing? This is all part of this girl¡¯s strange power isn¡¯t it?¡¯ Shaking his hand a little, he worked off the pain that threatened to numb his hand. ¡®For looking so frail, she hits like a truck! Damn, I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m actually missing the Atlanteans. They were at least more straightforward with their powers. I knew what I was dealing with. Whatever her power is, it¡¯s not flashy like others.¡¯ He clenched his hand up and knocked himself in the cheek. ¡®What the hell¡¯s wrong with me? I just have to fight like I always do. No thinking. It¡¯s my way! She¡¯s strong, so I can put my full power in this and not worry!¡¯ Chapter 330 ¨C Back-to-back Punch Out Seiji charged in after Takako, already in motion as well. She had only waited long enough to see how things played out. Like he already noted, she was bad at fighting. The smarter fighter would have gone immediately after him while he was countering the first attack. She had moments of awareness, but she was extremely inexperienced. It was his only advantage against her. With his head in the fight more than it had been before, he could see her movements a lot easier. He evaded or deflected her punches with ease. Shockwaves ripped through the grounds from the clashes when he met her punch to punch. He slid around to her side the moment he had her off balance. Takako only managed to get her arms up to take the blow before it ripped her off her feet and threw her across the grounds. The body of Katsumi crashed into an earthen mound created during Takako¡¯s take over. A tall cloud of dirt shot into the air from her impact. ¡®That connected, but it still didn¡¯t look like it did much of anything to her¡­¡¯ The sting still rang through his fingers. He hadn¡¯t really run across anyone with such a resilient body. So the whole experience was new for him. It wasn¡¯t going to stop him though. Takako had to be stopped. ¡°Owies,¡± Takako spoke with a fake playful tone. ¡°That really hurt.¡± ¡°Stop lying. I know well enough that did nothing to you.¡± A sigh escaped from the smoke. ¡°You¡¯re not much fun.¡± Takako walked out of the cloud with only dirt ground into some of her uniform. She readjusted her full-length gloves after Seiji¡¯s punch knocked it loose. ¡°You¡¯re such a boring man.¡± He had said that it did nothing, but he still hoped for something. She didn¡¯t even look any more fatigued by their fight. ¡®¡­still nothing¡­ How hard do I have to hit to actually do something?¡¯ ¡°It seems that you¡¯re actually taking this seriously now. I¡¯ll have to step things up then.¡± ¡°Bring it!¡± Seiji threw up his fist doing his best to look like a fighting stance for having one disabled limb. ¡°Aren¡¯t you an eager one to face your death.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all talk until you actually succeed. I¡¯m still standing.¡± Takako began to dig around in the pockets of her skirt, where she seemed to be dragging everything from. New metal parts were retrieved. She locked them into place on the leather glove. Tapping a switch on the plating she just added. Expanding and locked into place, nearly all of the leather base disappeared as the metal grew out. ¡°I managed to find someone in the city with quite the scientific mind. Seems that Yuki¡¯s gift to them was greater engineering skills and knowledge. They¡¯ve come quite handy for the little toys I have them make for me.¡± Completed, her glove looked more like a gauntlet now rather than something that seemed more like a punk accessory. Each metal plate locked and interconnected with another. They wrapped fully around her forearm. Even her fingers had well crafted plating that gave maximum flexibility while still maintaining defense. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Showing off the change to Seiji, she grinned with delight. Murderous disjointed expressions came from her as she controlled Katsumi¡¯s body. ¡°I¡¯ll let you in on one little thing about this. The metal I added was made from a different material than what was being used. It¡¯s a new alloy that hasn¡¯t existed in our world before created by that special someone.¡± The look he got from the improvements didn¡¯t give him a positive feeling. ¡®Damn, I already was having trouble doing anything to her with that defense and it looks even more solid than before. How the hell am I going to break through?¡¯ It appeared that she had called his bluff. Seiji started to have some unease about his situation. Unease or not, nothing changed what he had to deal with now. He hardly even had the time to complain before Takako was back on the attack. The new changes to her gear didn¡¯t change her speed or reaction time, which meant he could still dodge her with ease. He didn¡¯t really want to meet her head-on any longer. It hurt before and he got the feeling it was going to be several times worse. It didn¡¯t take long for him to get an example of the change. Early in his dodging around the grounds, an earth mound that was part of the school¡¯s perimeter wall was at his back. He had to get out of the way due to the poor position it put him in, anything like that at his back was a bad idea. Though it seemed to stop being a point of concern after Takako was finished. When she missed Seiji with her fist, it buried itself into the earth. For the moment, it seemed nothing really was going to become of it. Earth went up to her elbow from the penetrating force. However, a moment after all of the earth surrounding her exploded outward, nearly appearing to have vaporized, though it had merely scattered into powder. The wall buried deep under the dirt became exposed and twisted from the force. A bit of sweat dripped down Seiji¡¯s face realizing that could have been him had he not moved. He didn¡¯t like the looks of the strength that she seemed to be displaying now. ¡®Hell! How much would that have hurt?¡¯ He kept up his dodging of her attacks. It was about all he could manage anymore against her. None of his own punches actually did anything to her. Anytime he hit her it was as though he was hitting a steel wall. Nothing budged and the only thing that hurt was himself. His fist was bloodier than ever before. The skin on his knuckles had been completely torn from all of the clashing. Seiji danced around the school grounds looking for any chance of an opening. He couldn¡¯t get a single blow past her defense. ¡®For being so weak at fighting, she¡¯s got an annoying as hell defense! No matter what she does, she always makes sure to have those weird glove things up to protect her. I can¡¯t get around them!¡¯ Breaking down her defense was his only chance. That much he knew. ¡®Someone that caught up on defense is afraid. If I get past it, I can end this fight!¡¯ However, he didn¡¯t know how to do that. He only had one arm working for him and he could not really meet her blow for blow any longer. Thoughts on strategy tried to move around his head, but none of them met together. He couldn¡¯t think out his problem. Besides the fact that it didn¡¯t really work for him, it stalled all of his actions. Takako didn¡¯t give him time to pause. She kept putting two-meter size craters all over the place in trying to take him down. So thinking was out of the question. ¡°Dammitall to hell! I¡¯ll just do what I do best!¡± Which when one considers the things that Seiji would do, that was already a bad idea. Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t the worst outcome for him. A stupid idea was still a stupid idea though. He caught her fist coming in at him. Not a bad idea, a painful one, but not a bad one. His muscles and bones complained about how terrible the plan was. But he still went with it. It was only one hand he had stopped, but it was enough. He pulled at her to throw her off balance as he came swinging in with the only other thing that he could think of on him, sadly it wasn¡¯t his feet. That would have probably been smart, but Seiji in reality was never really one to fight with his feet. A man¡¯s fight should be done with the fists, of course. And when you run out of your fists, there was only one thing left to use. His head. It was definitely the most earth-shaking head butt the world had known up to that point (because naturally the power progression of this story is going to render that entire statement meaningless in the future if worded any other way). Terrible shockwaves from the ear-splitting clash rang through the entire school grounds. The earth ripped up in front of them and shot outward like bullets leaving holes in anything that dared to stand before it. The move did manage to stun Takako and throw her back. However, Seiji took just as much of a hit from it. Blood poured down his forehead from the nasty wound he created, one that Katsumi¡¯s body shared. Takako dragged herself back up with the help of part of the exposed wall. With a much worse looking image than Seiji, blood covered up much of her face, she still looked just as hungry. ¡°I¡¯m still here. Did you think that smashing your head into mine would eject me from Katsumi¡¯s body?¡± ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t thinking!¡± ¡°You did a little, didn''t you?¡± ¡°Just a bit. Seemed like something worth trying.¡± ¡°You really are an idiot. That¡¯s not how this works!¡± Seiji was an idiot. And he was about to deal with it. Takako suddenly looked a little confused at Seiji. ¡°You trying something new?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Your hair, it¡¯s got electricity sparking.¡± ¡°It does?¡± He ran his hand through his hair only to remember what it was he did. Up until that moment, he had forgotten about it. And then he realized his mistake. Yuki¡¯s voice came to him, reminding him of something important. ¡®It¡¯ll be fine as long as you don¡¯t go head butting someone.¡¯ ¡°Crap¡­¡± The electricity came to a stop as though it all would just calm down. But that wasn¡¯t the case. A few seconds later, it started back up and heated up. Smoke started to appear from his head until it all finally exploded in his face. The blast was more startling than anything. Seiji coughed a little from the smoke, but it only looked and sounded worse than it actually was. He waved off the cloud to get back into the fight. ¡°So you do bleed,¡± he commented, finally back to being serious. The sight of the blood covering Katsumi¡¯s face made it clear to him that he could do something in the fight. ¡®I just need to get past her defense and I can do this.¡¯ ¡°Don¡¯t make it sound like you¡¯re making a comeback. You¡¯re on your last leg and since this isn¡¯t my body I can keep using it long past the point of fatigue or pain has already crippled it.¡± ¡°Bastard! People aren¡¯t puppets for you to use!¡± ¡°They are with my power!¡± ¡°Damn you!¡± Seiji charged in after Katsumi. ¡°I¡¯m going to put an end to this right now!¡± Chapter 331 - Back-to-Back Knockout Like any good attack made by Seiji, it had completely no thought put into it. He burned on pure emotions. Takako was a twisted bitch that needed to be stopped. That was the only thing going through his mind. It would have been better if he was thinking about saving Katsumi, but have to take motivation where you can get it. Not that it meant much, the defense that Katsumi naturally had through her powers kept her from taking any real damage from Seiji. His blind fury did shit all to guide a well-aimed shot at her. It was made incredibly easy to block. Despite it, her feet still slid back a little from the force. She immediately threw out a counter landing on Seiji¡¯s already disabled arm. Pain jumped up through Seiji¡¯s body, breaking him out of his blood boil. Reminded of the pain, it shot waves of sudden fatigue to all corners of his body. It felt heavy and difficult to move. The adrenaline started to dissipate or not able to keep up with everything. ¡®Not now! I need to keep going!¡¯ Clenching his fist up, Seiji did everything he could to convince his body to keep moving in the only way he knew how. Which was just pumping his muscles and getting them moving. ¡®I¡¯m not about to let it happen again! Not like before!¡¯ Flashes of Nerine went through his mind as he thought about what he didn¡¯t want to remember. While Seiji worked to get himself more built up to fight and push through his sluggish body, Takako wasted no time arming herself and going on the attack. She found a stray metal rod from the pile of trash throughout the grounds. ¡°You look like you¡¯re having some fun! Let¡¯s get to painting with my brush!¡± She spun around for the opening barrage. Chapter 331 ¨C Back-to-Back Knockout Off balance with his focus trying to get himself back, Seiji didn¡¯t immediately notice the incoming attack. His body still refused to move the way he wanted anymore making it even harder when she swung at him. The bad arm took most of the hit, but the force transferred through his body. He went flying backwards crashing into the damn wall of the school. ¡°Damn¡­everything¡¯s starting to hurt like hell¡­¡± Seiji started to move again, but it was only in time to be clocked in the face by Takako. He went tumbling through the classroom and into the hall and back into another classroom. As he stood up, Takako was right there again. He had no chance. ¡°¡­da¡ª¡° He went flying once more. Takako seemed to be getting enjoyment out of throwing him around the school. Once she finished her makeshift game of solo soccer with Seiji¡¯s body, there were too many holes to count in the school. Where there were no holes, it was only because the walls had collapsed. Debris and dirt crumbled down as the school was never meant to take any of the beating given. Only through a miracle did it continue to stand. Bruised, battered, beaten, and all of the rest of the ¡°b¡¯s¡± to keep the alliteration going only loosely described the state of Seiji. Not too unlike the school, it was a bit of a miracle that he could still be standing. He nearly looked like a walking corpse with how much Takako changed him with her attacks. Dropping the rod to her shoulder, she stood to admire her work. ¡°My you look awful. I¡¯m impressed that you can even breathe let alone stand.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not¡­letting you¡­win¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine resolve, but what can you do? You can¡¯t beat me.¡± ¡°You¡­haven¡¯t beaten¡­me yet¡­either.¡± She smiled to see that he still had some talk left in him. ¡°Well we¡¯ll see how long that remains true.¡± ¡°Long enough¡­for me¡­to beat you¡­out of that girl.¡± ¡°You are amusing,¡± laughed Takako. She tightened her hand on the rod looking ready to continue where she had left off. Seiji didn¡¯t like the look of the situation. ¡®I can¡¯t feel half of my body and it feels even more heavy than before. I don¡¯t know how long I can keep going¡­ I must stop her soon before my body gives out!¡¯ He just didn¡¯t know how it was going to do with his body the way it was. But in reality, that didn¡¯t really matter too much. Seiji ignored any further thoughts or complaints both from his mind and his body. Neither helped him in the fight at the moment. It might have felt heavy, but he didn¡¯t move as if it had been. While not at his usual speed, he threw himself at Takako as she came swinging once more. Taking the opening swing to his injured side, it gave the chance to take advantage of the big opening he created. A weapon in her hand left her confidently over extended. He had no trouble getting a punch in, though it brushed against her off hand. It wasn¡¯t a full deflection, but most of the force he had behind it fell out. He couldn¡¯t even manage a word before she recovered and counterattacked. Blood sprayed from the new wound that mixed in with the rest. It stopped being possible to tell the new from the old or where they started and ended. ¡°That was cheeky of you.¡± This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. She swung down at Seiji, but through a force of will he grabbed the metal rod with his hand. Blood sputtered out from multiple wounds due to the force. A white light flashed for a moment through his scars on his arm. ¡°You know¡­no offense to the girl¡­but I¡¯m really starting to hate¡­hearing her voice.¡± The metal groaned under his strength. He started to stand up, meeting directly with Takako. A curve began to develop in the rod. Gritting his teeth, the muscle on Seiji¡¯s arm tensed a little and expanded slightly. A bit of surprise started to overtake Takako, witnessing Seiji¡¯s pure strength overwhelming her power. She recoiled a little, which was her mistake. Seiji immediately capitalized on it. Pushing through her weakened hold, his fist rammed through her jaw sending Takako flying back out of the school. Panting heavily, Seiji staggered forward after the very likely still healthy girl. His body felt like lead, but he pushed through. ¡®I¡¯ve gotta end this¡­ This girl is completely twisted¡­¡¯ Through the smoke and clouds, he noticed the shadow appearing through the mist. It wasn¡¯t a surprise, annoying, but not a surprise. What blood had started to dry and wipe away from the fighting before had returned with renewed vigor. The damage from Seiji¡¯s punch couldn¡¯t really even be seen through all of the blood. It looked like she should have been unconscious, but still stood like a puppet on strings. ¡°You¡¯re a resilient one. That badly beaten and still able to knock me off my feet.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m going to keep doing that until you stay down.¡± ¡°I already told you. Even if she¡¯s unconscious I can control her body. The only way you can defeat me is if you rip all of her limbs off.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t come to that. I¡¯ll defeat you and send you packing.¡± Seiji threw up his fist showing that he was ready for more. ¡°So you better start looking for the door, because I¡¯m going to be sending you back to your own body for Yuki to deal with!¡± She laughed again amused by something else. ¡°That boy, he¡¯s likely already dead.¡± Seiji¡¯s eyes narrowed not believing her for a moment, but still confused by why she would even think that. ¡°Lies aren¡¯t going to help you. Yuki¡¯s coming for you!¡± Katsumi¡¯s head shook and turned in very uncomfortable angles. ¡°Saki already dealt with him. A single kick was all it took to deal with him.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°He became a star the way he shot out of there.¡± The laughter from Takako started to get on Seiji¡¯s nerves. He ground his teeth tightly together almost causing them to bleed. Another flash of light ran down Seiji¡¯s arm. The twin scars glowed white. ¡°Enough!¡± Her laughter suddenly ended when she started to feel the ground rumble under her feet a little. All her taunting stopped as she no longer had any words left. She didn¡¯t know what was happening. Talismans materialized out of thin air all around Seiji. They quickly wrapped up all of his wounds to such an extent that they covered him from head to toe. The only thing that remained was the white glow from his arm and two lights where his eyes were. Seiji had more of the appearance of a demon than anything divine. He roared through the talisman making waves over the ground with the dirt. Seiji stalked forward making the ground crack a little with his step. ¡°¡­I¡­¡± ¡°What the hell is this?¡± question Takako, taking several steps away from Seiji¡¯s approach. ¡°None of them had this in their memories.¡± In a moment, the pace Seiji made changed. His speed quickly increased as the talismans at his feet glowed. He darted in a straight line at Takako, but missed with her sidestepping him. Seiji plowed through the earth mound in front of him and carved out the fence as well before he came to a stop. He turned around his head, getting a lock on Takako once more. Another roar escaped his talisman-covered mouth. ¡°Damn¡­this isn¡¯t like anything that they predicted.¡± Takako removed another couple of pieces of metal from the pockets of Katsumi¡¯s skirt. She quickly slapped them in place and locked everything down. The metal expanded in a straight motion from the backs of her hand. Small individual pieces built out and snapped quickly into place. In seconds, she had two quarter meter length double edged blades. ¡°Time to kill!¡± Takako moved around, finding Seiji¡¯s new speed to be difficult to handle. ¡°He¡¯s gotten faster and he already was impossible to manage when I was just taunting him.¡± She blocked with her arms a direct strike that she couldn¡¯t evade. It picked her up and threw her like a bullet the entire length of the school grounds creating a ten-meter tall column of smoke. She kicked away the debris and waved off the smoke only to hear what seemed like a stampede. Takako quickly jumped into the air just as Seiji¡¯s glowing fist rammed into the earth. A five-meter crater now stood where she had been only a moment before. Debris threw up into the air from the impact, knocking her in a different direction. She dug the blades into the side of the school to support her hanging while staying out of Seiji¡¯s range. ¡°Damn, he¡¯s stronger and faster. What the hell got into him?¡± Another roar. Seiji could see Takako, but she was out of reach. ¡°Fiend! Won¡¯t¡­¡± In broken Japanese, it didn¡¯t seem like much, but she still started to put things together. ¡°Are you telling me, he turned into a beast because I said Yuki¡¯s dead?¡± A deeper roar came from Seiji like a reply, only it rattled the school. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious? He¡¯s gone into a berserker rage over that? Does he think he¡¯s in the movies?¡± Any more talking had to wait. Seiji leapt into the air after Takako. He missed, but only because she jumped further up the school. Clawing through the cement of the walls, he climbed after her to the roof. The weight of his steps though didn¡¯t give the school much time, already damaged and weakened as it was. Takako dodged and kept backing away the best that she could. However, Seiji stayed on top of her. He eventually cornered her and grabbed her by the neck. Roaring like an animal, he pounded her repeatedly into the roof until it was collapsing. Then he jumped off the roof leaving the crumbling third floor behind to slam her into a deep crater. Her arms were the only defense she could muster against Seiji. The only benefit was that he only had one arm to fight with. At least, that was what she expected. In the middle of the pummeling, he paused for a second winding up his disabled arm as the talismans suddenly started to glow. With both arms working suddenly, she couldn¡¯t hold up to the assault. ¡°Muscle¡­bound¡­bastard¡­¡± she managed through the beating. Takako held the defense, but the metal of the gauntlets were starting to show dents and gaps in the plating. She waited for an opening. In the pause between the attacks, she leapt forward throwing her blades out in an arc. Thick streams of blood trialed behind her as she dropped down to the outer edge of the crater. Seiji roared at the loss of his left arm, but the talismans quickly covered up the gap and sealed it off. He turned back up towards Takako and leapt after her. ¡°Ugh¡­damn, doesn¡¯t look like it even¡ª¡° She tried to dodge away, but still got clipped by the edge of Seiji¡¯s fist. Katsumi¡¯s body flew back into the school leaving smoke billowing out. Takako ripped her body out of the debris and forced it back up. ¡°¡ªslowed him down a bit. Really has turned into a beast. Good thing I was planning on killing him.¡± Takako swung the blades down, throwing off the blood they picked up. She knew that Seiji would be coming for her again. The sound gave it away, not that she needed the clue. Forcing Katsumi forward, she charged in after Seiji. She broke through the edge of the school just as Seiji was coming in. The left arm gone, he had an entire side open to him that he did nothing to guard. ¡°Perfect opportunity. Time to die!¡± Her blades aimed straight for his heart. It would put him down in an instant. However, just as her blades began to hit flesh a loud shot from outside rang out. A bright pink beam shot through the air and pierced Seiji and Katsumi¡¯s body in the same motion. Chapter 332 - Back-to-Back Take Down Katsumi¡¯s body fell backwards in shock. For a moment, she thought it had been something that Seiji did. It seemed impossible knowing him and his abilities. Then she saw him falling over as well from the attack. ¡°Who¡­ Where¡­¡± The force of the attack did more to Takako than anything else. Like she had said before, the state of the body meant very little to her. She fell back against the ruins of the first floor of the school to get support. ¡°To punch through even the reinforced uniform¡­ Who was it?¡± Takako started to look around for the source. However, despite the piercing shot through both of them, even Seiji returned to his feet. The bestial rage didn¡¯t look to have softened in any meaningful way. He only looked more pissed off now. Which made Takako groan with some disappointment. It hit both of them, but she hoped that it had more stopping power to put him down so she could just easily finish him off. ¡°Such a pain. You just won¡¯t die.¡± ¡°¡­Yuki¡­¡± ¡°Still going on about that nonsense¡­¡± She pulled Katsumi¡¯s body back up to confront Seiji once more. ¡°I can¡¯t believe a single person would put someone into such a blind rage. It¡¯s like he¡¯s immortal or some such stupid thing.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a more accurate statement for yourself than him,¡± replied a voice to a question that was never asked. Takako flipped Katsumi¡¯s head around to hunt down the sound of the voice. She was on the search once more for the unknown interloper. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Not fond of things you can¡¯t see or control?¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sensing fear in your voice.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not afraid! There¡¯s nothing that can be done to me.¡± ¡°Very true. From what I¡¯ve seen. I can¡¯t kill you as you are. So why are you afraid then?¡± ¡°I said I¡¯m not! Get out here and I¡¯ll show you who is!¡± ¡°Is it the unknown or the voices from the darkness? Does it make you feel like how you were before? Locked within your own mind.¡± ¡°Who the hell are you? You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°I know more than you think. I know your story. After that, it just took a little thinking to figure you out. You seem complex, but you¡¯re quite simple. You¡¯re afraid of going back.¡± ¡°Shut up and get out here now!¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. I do need to put an end to this.¡± ¡°Bold words. Think you can back¡ª¡° Suddenly, a large metal gauntlet appeared from nowhere hitting Katsumi¡¯s face interrupting Takako¡¯s taunting. She flew backwards from the force, but it didn¡¯t last for long. Another appeared behind her hitting her back in the direction that she came from. ¡°¡­the hell!¡± Takako could barely keep up with what was happening. It was only three floating giant gauntlets half of the size of a human, but they were hitting her too fast to react and get her bearings. She had to take the pummeling until she figured out the speed of them. With time, she managed to slice through with her blades and break the cycle. Already bloodied from Seiji¡¯s fight, she barely looked any different, but the damage to Katsumi¡¯s body was extensive. It was only thanks to her enhanced body from Yuki that she survived everything. Takako treated the body with no care or regard to safety. No one had yet appeared on the battlefield. ¡°Damn¡­still hiding¡­¡± Takako scanned the ruins of the first floor for anything. ¡°Just handling something.¡± The voice came in the direction of Seiji, who she had forgotten about with the new threat. However, unlike before, he was neither fuming or even standing. In fact, most of the talismans that had been covering him had fallen away. His shredded clothes exposed his bloodied body. Next to him, a new figure stood, likely the one that had been talking to Takako the entire time. ¡°You put down the animal.¡± ¡°I simply stopped him from doing something that he¡¯d regret.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Killing the girl you¡¯ve taken over.¡± The figure turned towards Takako and started to walk to her. ¡°That¡¯s something that I¡¯ll take on.¡± ¡°Bold words.¡± ¡°It¡¯s quite simple.¡± They suddenly leapt forward bouncing through the air like a dance. Another gauntlet appeared out in front, grabbing Katsumi. Metal fingers clamped down covering her body from under her shoulders to her waist. Then the dark figure grabbed a hold of Katsumi¡¯s left arm with another massive gauntlet that they wielded personally. Bursts of blue light ignited from vents all around the gauntlet¡¯s forearm creating thrust. It only took a moment for a pop of the shoulder and arm to be dislocated followed by the tearing of skin and spray of blood. They tossed the torn limb aside as Takako ground her teeth with annoyance, clearly not feeling the pain. The unknown person made no hesitation to move onto the next arm. Rather than lose both, she roughly punched through the gauntlet around her torso to break free. ¡°Damn you!¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°I told you it¡¯s quite simple. The girl¡¯s going to bleed to death as I ripped off each of her limbs at your suggestion.¡± Chapter 332 ¨C Back-to-back Take Down Even in the moonlight, Takako couldn¡¯t see the face of her strange attacker. The school had long lost power. It was as though the very shadows cloaked them from sight. Nothing from the look of their face could tell her anything about them. Only the sound of their voice, a grave tone that meant business. There was no doubt about what they would do. She took a step back from the stranger trying to figure out a solution. The stunning attack left her momentarily confused and paralyzed. It didn¡¯t last for long as the stranger went back on the attack. They targeted her remaining arm, the right arm. Defending it with greater degrees of preservation, Takako dodged and evaded the attacks. During the fighting, it started to bring Takako back to her right mind. ¡°What are you doing? You¡¯re one of Yuki¡¯s friends, right. This girl is important to you. You can¡¯t kill her. You¡¯re just bluffing.¡± Jumping into the fight, the stranger danced around the air kicking and punching off attacking Takako from all sides nearly at once. She had trouble keeping up with the speed and precision of the shadowed figure. ¡°I¡¯m not one of their friends. So the fate of this girl doesn¡¯t matter to me. Killing is sometimes a necessity. You won¡¯t dissuade me.¡± ¡°Who the hell are you?!¡± ¡°No one.¡± Spinning around in the air, they kicked Takako down into the ground from the height of twenty meters in mid air. They quickly darted down taking advantage of the stunned state to remove the remaining arm from Katsumi¡¯s body. Anchored in place by another gauntlet, Takako could no longer move Katsumi¡¯s body. ¡°Bastard¡­¡± ¡°This girl¡¯s body is no longer useful to you. So run away back to your real body and wait. Wait for him to come to you. Because he¡¯s still alive and won¡¯t stop until he¡¯s reached you. Go hide in fear.¡± The light from the girl¡¯s eyes dimmed along with the force in her body. Takako¡¯s possessed presence had disappeared. Walking out of the crater, the stranger went over to Seiji¡¯s body. They knelt down next to him seeing that he was starting to come around. ¡°You¡¯ve woken up.¡± Seiji blinked a little trying to get a sense of his position. Everything felt wrong. Then he looked up in the direction of the voice he heard. The sight of an all black figure that completely seemed to defy the light made his head tilt. ¡°What are you doing here, Nerine?¡± The black bled off of her figure like she had been completely drenched in water. ¡°How¡¯d you know it was me?¡± ¡°I just did. It was obvious to me.¡± He awkwardly tried to get up, but found himself falling over. The lack of the left arm that he was relying on took him back. ¡°What the hell is going on?!¡± ¡°How much do you remember from your fight?¡± ¡°Everything¡­¡± he answered immediately, only to have to start thinking. The doubting look on Nerine told him that he forgot or missed something. ¡°I remember getting really angry with that Takako girl for lying to me.¡± Without the need to hear anymore, Nerine already figured all of it. ¡°You lost consciousness after that moment and your instincts took over.¡± ¡°My instincts? What do you mean? What happened to me?¡± ¡°You became surrounded by your talismans. The same ones that appeared during your fight with Cosmas. And you lost all doubt you had about fighting Takako.¡± Seiji hung his head down trying to remember what Nerine was telling him. Then he looked around the grounds of the school. It looked several times worse than he remembered with large holes that he didn¡¯t remember them having before. And Takako was nowhere in sight for him. He looked back to Nerine. ¡°Did I¡ª¡° ¡°No, I stopped you. I knew how it would have made you feel.¡± A sigh of relief came out of his lips. ¡°¡­thanks¡­ I thought I had this under control. I thought I had faced this after beating that bastard!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t out run or control this. It¡¯ll always be at your side. You just have to remember yourself.¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± Seiji pounded his fist into the earth making it rumble under them a little. He could feel the dark shadow hanging over him once more. It was something that he had almost forgotten about with everything calming down. Yet Nerine was right. It was never gone. For the first time, he looked around at the ground. He saw the talismans around him. It wasn¡¯t the first time he had seen them, but they were something that he generally ignored. He knew what they were. ¡®These things again¡­ Why¡­¡¯ Seiji lifted one of the talismans up. Most looked spent and torn. ¡°What are these things?¡± Nerine inquired, as it hadn¡¯t been the first time she had seen, but never fully understood their meaning. She knew what they did for Seiji. They had surprising properties. ¡°Sacred talismans. If this was the old world, they would just be useless relics from a more superstitious time, part of rituals. However now¡­they¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°They have real power.¡± ¡°What is it supposed to do?¡± Seiji turned the talisman towards Nerine. It was covered in Japanese writing that she didn¡¯t understand, that much Seiji knew. ¡°It varies depending on what is written on the paper. In the case of this one, it¡¯s a protective ward. It¡¯s supposed to ward off evil spirits.¡± ¡°Supposed to?¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know what it actually does now. I can tell you what they say, but their purpose or power is unknown to me.¡± ¡°But you create them.¡± ¡°I know. They come from me, but I don¡¯t know why or how. I¡¯ve preferred to ignore them, but it seems that they pop up just to spite me.¡± Nerine thought back to the temple where Seiji lived. She had given little thought to things until this moment, but quickly tied them together. ¡°So you¡¯re a priest?¡± ¡°No!¡± Jumping up to his feet, he wanted to distance himself from the whole thing. It wasn¡¯t the sort of topic he wanted to enter. ¡°I¡¯m no priest.¡± ¡°But how do you know all of this stuff then?¡± Turning away from Nerine, Seiji tried to cross his arms, but found that only having one made it very difficult to do so. He sighed, finding that his situation wasn¡¯t very good. And Nerine slid around wanting to know more. She wasn¡¯t taking silence as an answer. ¡°When I was younger my grandfather trained me. I stopped, but that old bastard¡¯s teachings are hard to forget.¡± ¡°Why did you stop?¡± ¡°Nerine¡­stop.¡± She quickly backed off from Seiji seeing an unfamiliar look in his eyes. There were more words spoken by them than he said aloud. She heard them clearly. ¡®There¡¯s something deeper going on here. But I can¡¯t ask¡­ He doesn¡¯t want me to ask¡­ There¡¯s something painful buried¡­attached to it¡­¡¯ ¡°DIE!!¡± shouted a new voice that had a familiar sound. It was Takako once more, she had grabbed someone else after she abandoned Katsumi¡¯s body. It was an adult male wielding a large sword that had a slight glow hanging around it. Nerine stepped up in front of Seiji, who clearly wasn¡¯t ready for another fight. However, Seiji brushed her aside. ¡°Seiji?¡± ¡°She¡¯s mine. This is unfinished business.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re not healed.¡± ¡°I feel fine!¡± As the man charged in with his oversized sword, Seiji slid in catching the wrist from underneath. He threw off the attack to stagger the man. Then Seiji wound up his hand and slammed it against the forehead of the sword wielding adult. The force of the hit knocked the man off his feet and crashed him into the earth. Seiji finished the motion and knelt next to him, his hand still against the forehead. Nerine came rushing to Seiji¡¯s side to help, but found that the man no longer moved. She became a little concerned about what Seiji might have done to him. ¡°What did you do to him?¡± ¡°Something that I¡¯m going to regret.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t¡­¡± She leaned in checking on the state of the body, which looked to be completely unharmed. There was only a little dirt from the impact with the earth. This only confused her further. She stepped around the unmoving man as Seiji removed his hand. On the forehead of the man, affixed a talisman like the ones she saw on Seiji. ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°What I promised I¡¯d do to her. Forced her out of the body she was squatting in.¡± ¡°But how?¡± ¡°An exorcism of sorts. It¡¯s a type of talisman used to remove evil spirits from possessing someone.¡± Seiji stood up rubbing his hand against what clothes remained on him. He kept rubbing his hand as though it was covered in mud and he wanted to be clean. ¡°I don¡¯t like this at all. Something¡¯s wrong with me and I need to figure it out after this is all settled. I won¡¯t become like him.¡± Chapter 333 - Back-to-Back Knife Edge Kaede jumped back a little as Miyako charged in quickly after her. It was all to get the distance she needed to spin her long black hair around. However, this wasn¡¯t a new attack to Miyako anymore. She knew what it could do and threw herself into the nearby classroom to evade the attack. Amused by the effort, it took her a moment to move for her next attack. The delay was all Miyako needed as she came charging through the wall as cover straight for Kaede. Her hair had no time to get up when Miyako decked her hard in the cheek to send her tumbling through two classrooms before coming to a harsh stop. In the hall, Miyako glanced at her hand seeing shallow cuts from merely being that close to her to get a hit. ¡®Damn, the bitch is going to be even more annoying than I thought. That hair of her¡¯s is razor sharp.¡¯ Moving some of the bandages on her body around, she wrapped up her hand. It was a poor remedy, but it was all she had. Appearing out of the hole Miyako punched her into, Kaede resurfaced a little bloodied by Miyako¡¯s punch and with a part of one of the desks she collided with embedded in her shoulder. Her hair had cleaned up the edge enough that it was no longer in her way. ¡°That was rather rude of you.¡± Miyako popped her knuckles preparing for the next round and to show her resolve. ¡°You kids are in need of some serious straightening out. It¡¯s my job as the adult to show you all your place.¡± ¡°We have adults amongst us as well.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be dealing with them too.¡± ¡°Oh is that so? Big words for someone I sent fleeing with her tail between her legs last time.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t be like last time!¡± Stamping her foot down, she flipped up some debris and a chunk of wood from the rubble. Quickly spinning around, the back of her fist and arm shot the pieces like an arrow released. Turning her head a little, heavy strains of hair fell over Kaede¡¯s face just as the projectiles came in to hit. What would have hit her turned to slivers to fall to the wayside. Anything that didn¡¯t hit its target embedded into the walls around Kaede knocking out small holes. ¡°You can¡¯t even touch me without getting sliced up! You¡¯ll be dead in a minute!¡± Chapter 333 ¨C Back-to-Back Knife Edge ¡°Arrogance will be your undoing, kid,¡± baited Miyako. She had already seen enough of how the hair worked to have a good idea about it. ¡®My usual charge in solutions ain¡¯t gonna work against her. I¡¯m just going to end up dead like she said. I¡¯m not a patient person, but I don¡¯t have a choice in the matter. My life isn¡¯t mine anymore¡­¡¯ Before she would have run in without a single thought. That was how she was most comfortable with fighting. But she learned the hard way that blindly attacking didn¡¯t solve all the problems. Kaede smirked a little, looking ready to laugh. ¡°You going to just talk me to death or you going to fight?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one that looks afraid to fight me. That blood remind you that you¡¯re not immortal?¡± ¡°Who¡¯s afraid?!¡± Miyako grinned a little since it worked. ¡®It¡¯s too easy. Kids are always impulsive and easy to provoke.¡¯ The whole act still had more danger to the situation, but no fight was without danger. Even baited, the razor-like hair presented a heavy advantage. ¡°There¡¯s only one person I see before me. And she¡¯s just a little baby that got afraid from just a single landed punch. You¡¯re just a joke. It¡¯s disappointing that you¡¯re the only challenge present to me. I¡¯m not even going to break a sweat.¡± ¡°Is that right?! Let¡¯s see who¡¯s on the floor in pieces after I¡¯m through with you!¡± Completely committed now, Kaede charged forward fuming mad ready to show the woman her words. She spun up her hair for the attack as she closed the distance. The attack was too loose and wide. Her emotions broke down the focus and precision that she did have with her attack. So it was too easy for Miyako to slip around and throw out a kick to her back as she went by her. She sped to the floor with her hair cutting up the wood planks as she fell. It carved out a rough little pit for her to trip inside and lay amongst her hair. Kaede flipped around quickly only to find that Miyako didn¡¯t wait for her to stand up. She had no chance to dodge, a fist smashed into her forehead knocking her down into the pit. ¡°When ya gonna prove me wrong?¡± she taunted more rubbing in that the losing side belonged to Kaede. ¡°Damn you!¡± Kaede jumped and tried to get Miyako off guard, but she anticipated her attack. A boot caught the edge of her jaw and threw her across the hall into another classroom. Slowly marching into the hole she made with Kaede, Miyako went after Kaede. ¡®I¡¯ll give her this much, she¡¯s resilient. Most of their minions I¡¯ve taken down with just one punch, but she¡¯s taken two from me. I knew it wasn¡¯t going to be easy, but I can only keep her so steamed.¡¯ Miyako kicked off some of the wall in the direction of Kaede. It gave a good shotgun effect. She wanted to keep her off balance. ¡°Just going to run away with your tail between your legs?¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°Ya got something to say?¡± Kicking another floorboard, it knocked Kaede back up to her in the air. Miyako followed it up with another punch that sent her flying through the wall of the classroom into the next. She took a glance around the room, suddenly noticing it. ¡°Disgusting. I thought I had seen the most depraved individuals already, but Takako is starting a new list. I¡¯m looking forward to seeing the moment the Commander puts her down for good.¡± Across the room, she found Kaede struggling to get back to her feet. Her hair chewed up the floor leaving her footing poor. Miyako marched keeping an eye on her while approaching. ¡°Looks like you could do for a bit of a trim. Yer tripping over ya hair.¡± Once the range decreased enough that she felt comfortable with a strike, she dove in with a quick jab to get her up and a kick to toss her around the room. At the end of the barrage, Miyako dropped her through another wall with the hopes that it was finally putting her down. Unfortunately, the darkness of the school and smoke made it difficult to see. She quickly lost sight of the girl as she scurried away. ¡°Cowards always flee when they get afraid. However, I¡¯m not so kind as to forgive and ignore you.¡± Pounding her fists together, the hole that created quickly approached. It was one of the darker rooms with it still mostly intact, but she had gotten used to it by now. Comfort didn¡¯t make it any easier to spot the girl. ¡°You started this fight, but I¡¯m going to finish it.¡± ¡°Seems all you know how to do is talk. If you really were wanting to finish it you would have already.¡± Miyako¡¯s eyes narrowed, picking up on the change in tone from Kaede. ¡®Looks like she got her senses back. This just got harder¡­¡¯ Challenge or not, it didn¡¯t stop her from keeping her advantage going. ¡°And seems you only know how to take a hit. It¡¯s not going to win you any fights.¡± ¡°So very true. This isn¡¯t going to win the fight.¡± ¡°All that talk and yer giving up, huh?¡± ¡°Hardly.¡± ¡®She¡¯s planning something¡­¡¯ Which she was right, but she didn¡¯t have a chance to say anything more. Sounds of swift steps approached. It was a familiar sound for Miyako and the only reason that she managed to even react in the darkness. Out of the gloom came a fist, something that took Miyako off guard. She didn¡¯t expect Kaede to be trying to take her in a fistfight. Miyako pulled back, but the speed of the girl had overtaken her at a greater pace than she anticipated. It scored a direct hit to the face. Miyako stumbled and slid back from the force. ¡®She¡¯s more than just focused. She¡¯s moving differently and taking a completely different tactic. Did she realize that she wasn¡¯t going to be able to beat me with her hair anymore?¡¯ The changes brought her a lot of new questions, ones that the veil of night did well to disguise. The connected punch gave Kaede some confidence back to her it seemed. She quickly came in again for Miyako. It was very easy to read this time for Miyako. Trying the same thing multiple times was a terrible plan. Miyako dodged and countered, but didn¡¯t get in a clean hit. In the end, she could only settle for a full deflection. However, the failure didn¡¯t seem to dissuade Kaede yet from the approach. Repeating things over and over again gave Miyako all she needed to counter. She spun around and caught a piece of Kaede with her foot casting her out of range. All of the noise made it clear she had crashed into something. Unfortunately, nothing that improved the lighting. Miyako stopped playing around the opening and committed to taking a stand in the room. ¡®She¡¯s thinking that the darkness gives her some sort of advantage. But she¡¯s just inexperienced. She¡¯s just a little school girl that¡¯s never been in a real fight. She¡¯s a terrible fighter. Only having powers has kept her standing for so long.¡¯ Knowing her way around a fight left things still in her advantage even with the shift. But it left her curious. ¡°You thought you could stand a chance against me if you fought with your fists?¡± ¡°It¡¯s rare that I do this. So I haven¡¯t gotten accustomed to it yet. But I''m quick to figure things out.¡± ¡°Seems all the punches to the head has knocked some screws loose.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll understand soon enough.¡± ¡®What the hell is she going on about?¡¯ Miyako countered her attacks again as empty attempts as they were. They had power and speed behind them, but nothing that she couldn¡¯t handle. She could hear very well in the darkness with her sight failing to be as reliable. It softened her own counterattacks, but it still soundly kept the fight on her side. ¡®Something¡¯s off about this whole thing¡­ She¡¯s losing, but she doesn¡¯t seem to act like it.¡¯ With the next attack, Miyako wanted to see what was going on. She was tired of fighting in the room. The longer they stayed the harder it was going to be for her to finish the fight. Grabbing Kaede as she came in, Miyako redirected the energy and turned it around pointing Kaede at the outside wall. Shattering bricks smashed the low silence and gave Miyako a reason to chase after Kaede. The light of the moon would give her better vision. She charged after Kaede planning on using the new light gave her a solid hit finally, but Kaede disappeared from in front of her. ¡°What?!¡± She appeared on her flank just as came out of the school and dropped a heavy fist upon Miyako. The force and surprise threw her off and sent her flying along the side of the school. Her directions thrown off, Miyako grappled with the walls of the school to slow down her speed, nearly standing on it for a moment before launching herself back. ¡®What was that?¡¯ She had a clear sight on Kaede once more closing in, but she disappeared on her in the last second and countered Miyako once more. Miyako flew out sliding over the ground before coming to a slow stop. She picked herself up quickly despite feeling the last hit very well. It rattled her jaw a little. ¡®She¡¯s got a lot more power than before and speed too. What¡¯s going on?¡¯ Then Miyako finally got a look at Kaede now that the moon gave her sight back. Near the edge of the school, a short auburn haired girl stood with a very different presence about her. She had the same body and face of Kaede, the girl she had been fighting, but the dye job and hair cut dramatically changed how she appeared. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d take it literally when I said you needed a trim.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll find that I become reborn when I get a haircut.¡± ¡°Is that right? Ya look the same as before.¡± ¡°I was just getting warmed up and used to things.¡± Kaede disappeared once more and then reappeared as a blur in front of Miyako. She had barely seen it, but had no time to react. Taking the punch head on was the only thing she could do. She went flying crashing into the wall of the grounds. It took her a little longer to stand up, but she started to rise to her feet. She had to wipe away blood from her lip. ¡°Warmed up, eh? This is getting interesting.¡± Kaede bounced a little on the balls of her feet appearing much lighter than before. ¡°You¡¯ll find that my strength and speed have increased greatly. I¡¯m going to pound you into the ground until you¡¯re nothing but paste!¡± Miyako grinned suddenly, feeling some excitement in the fight for once. Her feet straightened out with her back as she regained herself. ¡°Finally, you¡¯re giving me a real fight! Just the way I like it!¡± Sliding into a fighting stance, Miyako¡¯s eyes shone with eager anticipation of a brawl. Chapter 334 - Back-to-Back Brawl A bit of annoyance washed over Kaede at the sight of Miyako. Unlike before in the fight, Miyako actually looked excited for a fight. She wanted the fight more than anything now. The eagerness rather than unease or shock left her not completely sure what to make of Miyako. Changing into her new form, Kaede planned for a different sort of reaction. Nothing she could have thought up would have prepared her for such an expectation. ¡°So you¡¯re just a muscle bound idiot. Not very adult-like of you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still going to be puttin¡¯ ya in yer place.¡± ¡°I guess we¡¯ll have to see then. Can you keep up with me?¡± ¡°A little speed ain¡¯t enough to stop me,¡± Miyako boasted. ¡°Is that so? Let¡¯s see how long that arrogance lasts!¡± ¡°Long enough to take ya down!¡± Chapter 334 ¨C Back-to-Back Brawl The two charged in fueled for different reasons. First strike went to Kaede. Speed proved to be on her side against Miyako. But Miyako took it barely even leaning back from the blow, her feet planted firmly in the ground. Her counterattack began as she grabbed Kaede by the wrist. Turning her arm, Kaede¡¯s body flipped over and smashed her back into the earth. Cracks and rumblings came from the force of the flip. Stunned for only a moment, Kaede leapt out of the small pit created by her body before Miyako could follow up with her fist. Miyako¡¯s hand disappeared, a little embedded in the earth. ¡°Tch, yer a fast one I¡¯ll give ya that.¡± She ripped her hand free from the ground letting the bits of soil fall back into the tiny hole she punched. ¡°Still thinking you can beat me, huh?¡± ¡°Yer ten years too early to think that you can kill me.¡± Kaede charged forward in a straight attack that had no flash or thought put into it. Speed definitely gave her an advantage, but Miyako dealt with such types too many times before. She easily sidestepped the charge and spun her leg around to kick her in the back of the head. The teenager slid over the earth face first until it piled up around her to bring her to a stop. ¡°Damn you, you bitch!¡± she coughed with her hand popping up through the pile. ¡°Upset that you realized that you won¡¯t be able to kill me?¡± Miyako clenched her hands trying to ignore all of the pain burning through her body. ¡®I¡¯m glad she¡¯s so inexperienced. If she could actually fight, I don¡¯t know how well I would fare against her. She¡¯s powerful and I¡¯m still not fully recovered from our last fight.¡¯ Most of the bandages that Miyako had from the last encounter with Kaede had been removed before she went into the raid team with Hiroshi. She didn¡¯t want him thinking that she was still injured. It wasn¡¯t a battle that she was going to run away from, not after the sacrifices made already. The battle had to have her. Up until fighting Kaede, she hadn¡¯t worried herself over her body¡¯s condition. None of the fodder she fought gave her any challenge. She understood her limits well enough that she wasn¡¯t going to be able to take on Takako or the others at the top of the ranks in her army. Though she didn¡¯t count on Kaede being potentially in those ranks as well. ¡®Still¡­this is going to be harder the longer it drags out and she¡¯s resilient¡­¡¯ Her previous injuries had thankfully been not too severe, so her recovery had been quick. But incomplete as it was, her body tried to remind her not to overdo it. She had no plans on listening to it. Taunted into the fight, Kaede came back for more. She could use her speed to get in close. A minor hit usually was all she was able to achieve against Miyako before she counterattacked. All around the grounds, their fight spread with little given up. However, Kaede started to get a little more of an edge on Miyako in the fight as it dragged out. Her punch landed cleanly against Miyako¡¯s cheek sliding her back. Miyako quickly responded with a similar straight punch thrown out. They both slid apart continuing to struggle. Blood dripped down Miyako¡¯s lip and chin, reminding her of the punch. ¡®Damn, I think she¡¯s improving in the middle of the fight¡­ This isn¡¯t good¡­¡¯ It became harder to just block and counter. Worse, even countering her didn¡¯t seem to do as much as she desired. She just kept getting back up. ¡°At least you¡¯re making this fun!¡± she shouted as she charged after Kaede. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. An offense was the only plan that Miyako had anymore against Kaede. Her defensive plan worked only so well. She was able to keep up with the speed because she could see it coming and got a feel for it. It stopped being a blink out of reality and more of a blur now. Kaede didn¡¯t expect Miyako to go on the attack. So she could only evade the first attack. But Miyako stayed on her. They danced around with Miyako giving chase. Her speed was only enough to keep her out of a direct hit. But Miyako managed to get in some glancing blows against Kaede. Bruises started to appear from the marks left behind. Her body could only take the hits so well. Out of frustration with Miyako, Kaede countered with a kick rather than her usual fists. ¡°Stay down!¡± Miyako¡¯s body flew back crashing through the wall. Explosions of metal and earth jumped up from the collision. She disappeared amongst the smoke. However, it became clear that it hadn¡¯t done enough as coughing came through the thick clouds. ¡°Dammit¡­I¡¯ll keep beating you down until you can¡¯t move anymore!¡± Kaede flew in at her top speed unwilling to wait on the smoke to clear. Which proved to be a poor plan as Miyako caught her by her wrists. Before the speed caught up to her body and threatened to flip her painfully around, Miyako used her foot to throw her into the air. The auburn haired girl sailed over the grass street outside of the school until she crashed into an abandoned home. Miyako flipped up to her feet and looked onto the site. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to keep trying if you think you can do that.¡± Grabbing at her shoulder, the pain left from the kick she took throbbed loudly. Her body didn¡¯t feel pleased that she wanted to ignore it as well. All of her other injuries were minor, she told herself. Which was largely true. Added and stacked upon each other started to make them less minor. ¡®Damn, that last hit really took a lot out of me. I don¡¯t know how I¡¯m going to be able to end this fight in any reasonable fashion. Killing her or not, both are not going to be very easy anymore. Not that I have the time to be complaining¡­¡¯ Another truth, Kaede already recovered from the surprise throw and started to leave the home. She looked about as pissed off as she had been before, but made some failed attempts to look more pissed off. None of it was working, though Miyako knew what she was trying. None of it mattered in the end. Miyako charged after Kaede once more, not letting their fight slow down for long. It was the only way to keep her mind off her body¡¯s failings. Everything was getting sluggish, but she pushed through the only way she knew how. ¡°Don¡¯t give me that look! Things are only just getting exciting!¡± It had been a while since she had fought a battle where she wasn¡¯t protecting someone. Reality was that she still fought even now to protect, but it was different than other fights. There was no one that she kept out of harm¡¯s way. All of the attention and energy could be put into the fight. Such fights had long left her behind due to how she chose to live her life after that fateful day. She might have never wanted to fight in the past, but still did in spite of it. So it was never for fun or the thrill of battle. Even now, she couldn¡¯t feel the thrill of it. But it did push her and make her strive to find how much she had inside her to give. Such a fight wasn¡¯t really something she was familiar with. She sort of liked it as much as she hated the situation. She exchanged blows with Kaede knocked each other backwards into separate ruined houses. The hit slowed her body down enough that Kaede came after her. Miyako only managed to get to her feet when the blow came in for her. Her fist came up to meet her head-on. A shockwave blew out from the collision ripping apart the fragile house. Debris flew in all directions as Kaede suddenly grabbed Miyako¡¯s wrist. She pulled on Miyako and threw her over her head and back down into the shattered floor. Miyako laid in a body sized crater of her own making, but she snapped back to life and clutched onto Kaede hand tightly before she released. Showing her the same kindness, Miyako threw Kaede into the floor. The two women connected together pounded each other into the completely unrecognizable floor until they both laid on their backs panting from the exertion. ¡°You¡¯re so annoying,¡± complained Kaede, still unable to kill Miyako. ¡°I ain¡¯t gonna lose.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll still make you!¡± ¡°Try me.¡± They staggered to their feet equally unwilling to resign the fight. Their bodies both yelled at their stupidity for ignoring them, but it went on deaf ears. Both focused on each other. Defense had disappeared from their attempts as both laid down a heavy blow in the others face. The force shot them out of the ruins and through several neighboring homes. Forcing herself back up to her feet, Miyako began to walk out of the house and towards Kaede. Blood and bruises covered her body. Her clothes were in shreds only holding together out of kindness than anything else, not that Kaede looked to be in much better shape. However, a strange red glow came from Kaede that made Miyako force open her half-closed eye. ¡°¡­the hell?¡± She slowly started to move closer and closer trying to figure out what was going on with Kaede. The glow became a haze that seemed to surround her whole body. ¡®¡­it¡¯s like she¡¯s on fire¡­literally¡­¡¯ Before she could get too much closer, a fireball suddenly flew after her. She had to duck out of the way of the surprise attack. Behind her, the house blew up in flames casting gusts of wind to her back. ¡®A completely different power¡­¡¯ Little time remained to think about the situation as another similar attack forced her to dodge. Rolling out of the way, Miyako found several more fireballs coming to where she landed. She jumped out of the way just in time to ride the explosions forward. They rocked her around and forced her into the ground roughly as she clawed at the earth to recover. Already on top of her, Kaede stood with her left fist a light with flames. Miyako rolled away to dodge the first and second punches that left the ground melted and smoking. However, she couldn¡¯t get away from the third, taking it straight to the upper arm. The searing pain roared through her body and she yelped. Forcing Kaede off her with a kick, she managed to be released from the burning. Miyako stood up with her left arm feeling numb and not moving the way she wanted. She finally got a good look at Kaede to see that once more she got a change in haircut. Her hair had grown out in length to hit near the middle of her back and large spinning and wrapping curls laid over her shoulder. ¡°So your power is connected to your hair, huh?¡± Seeing it a third time made it all clear. ¡°That¡¯s right. I have several different powers thanks to the way this power works. You never stood a chance against me! My flames will burn you to ash!¡± Chapter 335 - Back-to-Back into the Fires Grinding her teeth together, Miyako swore a terrible curse under her breath. Her right hand clutched her left shoulder as though it helped to ease the injury. ¡°I may only have one good arm to fight you, but I will fight you! Not until you¡¯re eating dirt will I stop getting back up to stop you! To stop Takako¡¯s madness!¡± Flames glowed about both of Kaede¡¯s hands as though her skin was on fire. ¡°Pretty brave words for someone that¡¯s about to fall over!¡± She charged forward with flames bleeding off her fists as the distance closed. Once in range, her already wound up swing released straight for the unguarded Miyako. However, her fist came to a sudden stop before it hit the desired target. Miyako¡¯s still good hand blocked the first thrown punch, her fingers closed around over top of her fist. ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere, bitch!¡± Pushing back against Kaede, Miyako wound up with her injured arm, as unwise as it was, and decked her with everything she had in her arm. While lacking in the same power she had before, it still pushed her back a little, unable to keep the same stance. Smoke rolled off of Miyako¡¯s hands from confronting the flames. ¡°Thinking that I¡¯m weak because you got one of my arms will be a grave mistake for you.¡± Chapter 335 ¨C Back-to-Back into the Fires ¡°Tch!¡± Kaede rubbed at her chin to wipe away the blood. The flames around her hands appeared to have little effect on her, as expected. ¡°We¡¯ll just have to see about that!¡± Jumping back into the fight, Miyako wasn''t about to show any weakness towards her opponent. ¡®I need to make her doubt that this is slowing me down. Anything to put her off balance with that flame. She¡¯s got range and melee now.¡¯ She didn''t know what her left arm was doing half the time in the melee, but it was partially useful. In the middle of one of the punches, Kaede¡¯s left hand¡¯s flame grew brighter. Sensing a more powerful attack, Miyako dodged by falling over to her right side with support from her good hand. A fireball shot over her where her head used to be only moments before. While landing on her hand, she threw up a kick knocking Kaede off balance. Kaede started to tip over, but shot out another blast of fire from her right hand. Only falling on her back did Miyako evade the close call. Her clothes had slight embers glowing red from it just passing over her. Miyako rolled over and stood on her feet before Kaede, giving her the opportunity to strike. Flames flew past her shoulders as she sidestepped attacks to get inside her range. However, Kaede rolled over to keep outside of any attacks. Misses left small craters for Miyako. She kicked some rubble from the house they blew up to keep the pressure on while she closed again. The two danced around the remains of the house dodging most of the things coming in acting as though they were leveling off what they hadn¡¯t destroyed. Little progress had been made against either after the initial opening attacks. They broke after the last pieces of the house collapsed around them. Out of breath and stubborn, neither gave any ground. Taking stock of the situation, Miyako needed a new plan. ¡°So yer all just smoke then?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll kill you, don¡¯t you worry!¡± ¡°Makin¡¯ me yawn is more like it.¡± ¡°Big talk isn¡¯t going to fix your arm. I can tell you¡¯re not able to dish it out like before.¡± ¡°I still have enough to deal with a snot-nosed brat like you!¡± ¡°Going to show me because you¡¯re an adult?¡± Miyako had enough time to recover herself and charged back into the fight. ¡°No, it¡¯s because I take down evil wherever it stands!¡± She clashed in the middle with Kaede. Flames sparked and billowed around them. ¡°Evil is it? This is just freedom!¡± ¡°Nothing as twisted and depraved as this is freedom!¡± Her left hand wasn¡¯t keeping up with Kaede as much as Miyako liked. But she kept forcing it to do work. Kaede saw through the struggle and channeled more of her flames against her. ¡°Takako enlightened all of us! But sometimes there are those that must die!¡± Suddenly the flames grew in size and exploded immediately in front of them. The blast threw Miyako back away from Kaede. Her back clawed at the ground until the friction sent her tumbling end over end into a completely different house. This house still remained standing during their fight. Miyako¡¯s arrival in the house didn¡¯t turn out well for the home. An explosion of smoke and debris followed her wake. Coughing and panting heavily, Miyako still survived the point blank attack, though the same couldn¡¯t really be said for her clothes. Already torn to shreds from the fighting, the explosion had finally finished off any hope it had of still serving its original purpose. Miyako forced herself back up on her feet though her body complained. ¡°Come on, get moving.¡± She had to fight and convince it to move on her command. The outlook on her body wasn¡¯t improving with the fight, not that she expected it to do so. But the girl was being more of a challenge than she imagined. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Slowly working through the house, she began muttering to herself. ¡°Well, at least she should have been hit as hard as me doing something so reckless. Can¡¯t believe she did that¡­¡± However, as she was coming out, Kaede was already charging in after her. ¡°¡­dammit¡­¡± Flames completely engulfed her fists that threatened to lay down a barrage. The first hit square on Miyako¡¯s chest knocked her back. When Kaede attempted to close the distance, Miyako chucked debris at her though the flames destroyed it before there was any harm. It gave enough room for her to dodge out of the next round that left only smoldering craters. ¡°My flames are going to roast you alive!¡± Rolling and back stepping, Miyako found herself on the defense against the new current in the battle. Kaede tried to mount an assault, but couldn¡¯t land a solid blow. The flames around her continued to grow, beginning to consume her arms as well. ¡°Stay still!¡± Miyako took a pause in the fighting, bothered by what she was seeing. ¡®What¡¯s with her flames? Are they out of control? She was only using them around her fists before, but it¡¯s gone up to her shoulders almost now.¡¯ While she hadn¡¯t been focusing on it the entire time, the flames progressively expanded over Kaede¡¯s body for the last few minutes of their fighting. Before it seemed like her hair was on fire and her hands were coated in flames, but now it looked to be trying to consume her body. The size the flames reached at her hands had stretches of tendrils rising off her. It no longer appeared like they were under her control. Thoughts of it running wild worried Miyako more than needing to dodge the attacks coming in as Kaede resumed her offensive. With each motion, she saw it take more and more over. The flames were like pillars at her hands making even staying ahead of the attacks difficult. With each miss, the flames grew closer to her. She could feel her skin drying out and blistering from the proximity of the heat. It drew the moisture out of the air with the intensity. ¡®Damn¡­is she actually getting more powerful the longer we¡¯re fighting? What¡¯s going on with her power?¡¯ ¡°I will burn you! Burn you!¡± Rage burning as hot as the flames upon her skin, Kaede charged straight for Miyako in a blur. She turned into a red streak with the flames trailing off her. Pulling away the initial straight punch that Kaede threw was easily avoided. But the fury built up in her body already had flames covering up half her body. The proximity was enough to draw off the sweat from Miyako¡¯s skin. A follow-up punch knocked her off balance and flames shot out of both hands kicking her body back. Miyako crashed through the ruins of the house and smashed through two more houses before collapsing out in the street with only the speed of her flight holding the flames at bay. As she stopped in the grass road the flames clinging on to her rose. Life returned to the fires desiring her flesh. Glancing down at the Kaede¡¯s flames, they stuck around in ways that they had not before. Even caught on her from previous attacks, they did nothing past the initial damage. They were a part of her and unless she threw it, it did nothing else. And even thrown, it had weaker power. ¡®Seems she¡¯s become a victim of her own power. It¡¯s like it has a life of its own.¡¯ Scooping up some earth, she snuffed out the flames attached to her. A bit of stubbornness existed in them, but they went out. And in time, Kaede tracked down the path of destruction left behind. She rushed in without a second thought for Miyako. Only barely getting back to her feet, Miyako wasn¡¯t ready for Kaede. The only thing she could do was confront her head on, which meant a painful clash. The collision alone was enough to kick her feet out and almost knock her prone. Only resolute will kept her from folding in the first seconds. Cracks crawled away from her feet as she tried to anchor herself. Worst came the flames stretched from her upper body down to her waist now. The only parts of Kaede still not fully consumed by her flames were her head and legs, both of which seemed to be inevitability. Touching hands as they struggled in a battle of strength was bad enough to keep burning her skin, but the close proximity of the growing intense heat threatened to give her first-degree burns. Her legs already felt like mush before it all started, their collision and struggle only made it feel like a certainty rather than just a feeling. It was only a matter of time for her strength to give out. Miyako knew her situation well enough that she wasn¡¯t winning it. Not with her caught off guard. She merely held on because she needed to or be thrown back once more. Losing ground again wasn¡¯t something she could afford. Taking advantage of her position, she did the only thing left to her. She collapsed her position and used it to throw Kaede off her. Tossed behind her into the ruins of a house, her body universally sighed a relief along with her. What looked like steam rose off her exposed skin from the heat. ¡°Dammit¡­what¡¯s it going to take to keep her down¡­¡± While Miyako straightened herself out to prepare for the next round, an explosion of rubble from the ruins blew free everything that had fallen on top of Kaede. The flames had spread more with everything but her head engulfed now. Miyako tried to keep her heavy breathing under control, but her chest was pounding too hard for that to be a reasonable effort. ¡°That¡¯s impressive¡­¡± she remarked, needing a pause to breath, ¡°She looks even more pissed off than before, which I didn¡¯t think was actually possible.¡± Screaming to the night sky, Kaede''s voice almost sounded more like a roar than human. She fixed her glare towards Miyako. ¡°I¡¯m going to KILL YOU!¡± ¡°¡­she losin¡¯ it?¡± Kaede no longer seemed to be meeting gazes with Miyako. Something had overcome her eyes. The flames finished their consumption of her body. Barely visible through the haze of the fires, she looked like a living flame now rather than a human. To match with the change, she screamed once more, no longer sounding human. It had a savage, bestial tone to it that belied the real threat approaching. ¡°What the hell?¡± Miyako staggered a step back confused by what she saw. Before her eyes, she watched as Kaede¡¯s shape changed. At first, she just thought she was bending over for a charge, like a sprinter, but that was no longer the case. Her body transformed as the only best way to describe what she witnessed unfold. The thing or being that Kaede became wasn''t something Miyako could describe in a single word beyond monster. No living animal she knew of had an appearance like that of what Kaede became. Only images from fiction or movies could come close to even a half accurate image and that still failed. It was hard to tell if she was covered in hair or flames anymore or flaming hair. But it was clear that it was a fire monster whatever Kaede had become. They hunched over like a gorilla looking to charge, but had thin narrow shoulders. The frame looked more gaunt and frail, if not for the size the flames reached, faking bulk. A head of fire grew to disproportionate size, which should have unbalanced them, yet they held stable. And everywhere tendrils of flame threw about like whips. If there was a girl still inside, Miyako couldn¡¯t see it. Even worse still, Miyako wasn¡¯t ready for when she or it charged after the roar leveled everything around it. She couldn¡¯t even see it move, it wasn¡¯t even a blur. Miyako coughed up blood while she flew backwards. She wasn¡¯t even sure what hit her. It didn¡¯t feel like what she thought. An explosion from the crash of Kaede five blocks away was all Miyako saw as she collapsed on the ground. ¡®So fast¡­she actually got like three times more powerful¡­damn¡­¡¯ Her whole body felt like paste, but it didn''t stop her from forcing herself back up to her feet. She checked her body where it felt like she was hit, but saw nothing. Miyako glanced over in the direction of Kaede. ¡°Did she miss me? Merely passing by from her power did that to me? Damn¡­ I really don¡¯t like this¡­¡± She felt the thumping of the fire monster, likely recovered. ¡°So she can¡¯t control her new power¡­¡± The monster came stalking back toward Miyako who had only bravado to stand on, not that her confidence made it look like that. ¡®Winning the fight is about having the confidence even against the odds.¡¯ Straightening out her back, she stepped forward giving whatever Kaede had become no signs of fear. She ripped her completely tattered shirt off leaving only her sports bra to protect her. The shirt had only been getting in the way. Miyako proceeded to wrap what remained of her shirt around her hands and forearms, almost looking like a boxer. Finished, she lifted up both hands ready to fight once more. ¡°It¡¯s time for some monster slaying!¡± Chapter 336 - Back-to-Back in the Jaws Roaring down at Miyako, the transformation Kaede had undergone did more than alter her shape. She now stood at a greater height than Miyako. Hunched over, the height easily surpassed two meters with no effort. With a head half the size of her own body, Miyako stared up into teeth and flame. She could only look undaunted. Nothing human remained inside the black and red eyes of the beast. Only through complete confidence could she make the instinct driven monstrosity not attack immediately. Her look made it question if it could win as Miyako looked like she was only on a whim not completely destroying it. Her well-practiced death stare returned. It gave her the look of complete control and superiority, which only she knew not to be true. It had lost any sense of rational thought, forgetting that they had already been fighting. Another roar coughed up some flames into the air. They didn¡¯t touch Miyako, but she could feel the intense heat from just the proximity. It was worse than the near miss she had. Then the heat was brief enough that she could only feel the power that passed by. It nearly felt like it had dripped hot coals on her face. The stinging in her skin didn¡¯t go away even after it stopped roaring. ¡°I didn¡¯t think your mouth could get more foul.¡± Almost in response, as though it understood Miyako, it roared back at her, getting even more in her face. ¡®It¡¯s testing me. To see how I react. It wants to see my fear. She really has just become a mindless beast¡­ What sort of power is this and how does this even connect with the rest of her powers?¡¯ She had too many questions. But questions were not for the moment. Their standoff would not last forever. Someone had to make a move. Chapter 336 ¨C Back-to-back in the Jaws Miyako wanted to be the first to act, but she didn¡¯t know what to expect from the transformation. Speed and power were already far more than she even thought was possible. There was no guessing what other secrets might be stored in the new body. She began to slowly pace around what remained of Kaede. It merely watched her seeing what she would do. Instinct told it that Miyako was still dangerous. It gave it pause in immediately attacking. Yet that wouldn''t last forever. Something that seemed to carry over from Kaede was impatience. A drawn out stare down wouldn''t happen. After thirty seconds of Miyako¡¯s pacing and sizing up her challenge, the beast signaled its next charge with a roar that carried over into its attack. The danger of the situation was something Miyako understood acutely. A near miss was enough to leave her feeling as if a train had hit her. She didn''t want a direct hit. It was the main reason she paced around her target. Since she was already in motion, it made it easier for her to dodge quickly to the side. Not that it was completely without risk. Even using her arms as a shield during the charge, the force still knocked her off her feet and flew backwards into the ruins left over from their earlier fight. Laying prone once more, her body didn¡¯t want to be moving, but she forced it to get going. It was still a struggle. ¡°Damn, I knew it was fast, but still this is stupid¡­¡± She clenched her fists keeping them ready as though that was the only thing she needed to fight. ¡°I knew it was coming and I was still too slow.¡± The train had already started back up though, as the sounds from it grew louder. Miyako complained and cursed under her breath watching the embodiment of rage storming at her. She jumped out of the way just in time, but noticed that it still would have missed her. Miyako watched it crash into the ruined wall of the school grounds, a reminder that they had been fighting within the crumbling building. ¡°I was right. It gained all this power and speed, but can¡¯t control it. That may be the only thing working in my favor. Not that I know how much of a favor it actually is to have¡­¡± She began to make her legs move again working towards the beast. It already turned around, recovered from its collision. Already looking pissed off, it was hard to tell if it was any angrier from the failure. ¡®I need to keep moving¡­ It¡¯s my only shot¡­¡¯ Miyako charged forward with a sluggish start that quickly became more natural. As she came charging in for the creature, it lowered a little rearing up for an attack. She spun around kicking at some of the rubble around her throwing up a screen in front of her. Some of it was smoke and the rest high-speed projectiles. Small chunks pelted the monster with the flames coating most of its body vaporizing them quickly. The larger pieces were enough to make it howl in annoyance. But it did enough to distract for Miyako to get in close. ¡®Just need one good blow¡­¡¯ She had everything that she needed lined up. The chance wasn''t going to get any better than the one she had. Winding up for the throw, Miyako pushed herself faster than she had ever been before while her muscles yelled at her to stop. The creature was still thrown off by everything. Even its defenses were down. Only the flames were in her way. Cloth wrapped in her torn shirt, it was all that protected her fists from the intense heat as she came in swinging. Anyone else would have told her that she was an idiot to run in swinging with her fists against something that could fry her up like an egg (well everyone but Seiji, he¡¯s cheering her on), but something like stupid or smart didn¡¯t factor into the problem. She had fists and they still worked, mostly, so she was by hell going to go swinging. Miyako¡¯s stronger right arm released from its hold as she finished the distance. Hitting square in what was probably the bridge of the nose, there was a loud crack. Flames flashed up around her looking for more to consume, but struggled to get a hold of her flesh. ¡°Damn, bastard!¡± she roared in pain feeling the heat, but worse than that. The cracking sound didn¡¯t come from her breaking the skull of the beast. It came from her hand. ¡°Hard headed bastard!¡± Not that it stopped her from swinging in with her other arm, somehow still working. Not as loud, but there was another crack. It became clear to anyone what was happening, but that didn¡¯t stop her from continuing. ¡°Just go down!¡± She kept slamming her fists into the head of the creature with no regard for her hands or limbs. If she had she would have started biting at it, if it helped. In the entire fight so far, Miyako never had the best shots. Each punch easily surpassed the fight before and each blow that preceded it. It seemed impossible, but her power actually increased despite her injuries that mounted with each throw. Yet the beast only seemed to be flinching from the attacks. The force of the blows pushed down its head a little, but returned to position quickly. However, as time passed groans came from the creature signaling signs that it might actually be feeling what was happening. Miyako saw it as such a sign to keep delivering the pain. ¡°Feeling that now! I just needed to warm up!¡± A loud roar broke through the blows as the monster jumped away in a blur. Miyako was left with no target other than the ground, which came up quickly to her fist. The collision exploded earth and debris in all directions and filled the whole area with smoke. Rather than wait on the wind to clear things out, the creature roared in the direction of Miyako blowing away all of the smoke. All that remained was a crater so deep that Miyako couldn¡¯t be seen. The beast had to walk up to the edge of the crater that consumed nearly the entire block. Down at the epicenter of the blast stood Miyako glaring up at the thing that had been Kaede. The flames of Kaede still lingered on the edges of Miyako¡¯s fists clinging to the cloth strips. Giving the creature her full attention, Miyako threw up her fist challenging it for another round. ¡°Afraid now? I told you! This is monster slaying!¡± She snapped her arms down to her sides, suddenly snuffing out the flames. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. The monster opened its mouth filled with long teeth that were easily as large as her hand. Flames lit up the throat until it coughed up a stream of fire. Slower than the normal attacks from the beast, Miyako jumped into the air with ease to avoid it. Though the next attack was already launched. Hardened arcs of fire that looked more crystalline than fluid flew at her. ¡°What?!¡± Miyako could do nothing to dodge them. It wasn''t as though she could actually fly like others. She was completely open to the attack. Putting up her arms for protection once more, the first arc missed her, like before its aim was something that left a little something to be desired. However, it was a storm. It didn''t try for accuracy when it was covering the entire field. One would hit, it was a certainty. Which was very true. One hit collided with her forearms. It sliced into her flesh with ease. However, before it could go all the way through, she converted the force into something that she could use to change her direction. Allowing most of the energy from the attack to be deflected away, she pushed off from it. Blood trailed off her arms once more. She tried to use the attack to throw her in range of the beast for another attack, but it came ready for it. It no longer seemed to be hesitating in fighting her. Whether it feared or not, it knew that it had no other choice but to fight. Such an outlook made it more dangerous than before. It swiped its claws out at Miyako as she came in reach and far before she could even think of landing any meaningful blow to it. The claws themselves did little to her that the previous attack hadn¡¯t done worse. Rather, it was the force and weight of the arms that she felt. It was that which sent her flying through the air and back into the crater of her own creation. Crashing in the wall of the crater opposite of the beast, Miyako groaned from the pain. ¡°Damn, still got plenty left in you, huh?¡± She ripped her limbs free and began to dig the rest out when a fireball greater than herself filled the entire view. ¡°Bastard!¡± Her voice disappeared into the noise of the blast left behind by the fireball. Crumbling debris rained down over the area where Miyako had been. There was nothing but smoke and earth in the whole site. As the screen started to fade away, a figure appeared through it all. It was Miyako panting heavily from the effort. Surrounding her, a new crater, not nearly as large, appeared. In the last moments, she used the force of her own attack to attempt to cancel out the fireball. It mostly worked. Much of her skin was red and raw from the attack, fortunately it did manage to act well to seal up her wounds. Frustrated that Miyako still stood, it roared down at her. She smirked back, keeping up her confidence, even if it was unfounded. ¡°Thought you killed me, didn¡¯t ya? Yer gonna have to try harder than that! Yer still half assing it, I see that part of you hasn¡¯t changed!¡± It was probably an unwise thing to taunt the creature. Only its lack of understanding of language saved her from an immediate attack. Yet, it still understood the intent delivered at it. It was a declaration, a challenge to do better. Instinct told it that much, she could tell. Smashing an arm against the earth, the ground started to rumble and complain once more. Strange noise came out from where Miyako stood. She looked down in the direction that it came from. ¡°¡­the hell is that?¡± Her instincts told her to dodge, which was still too slow. A pillar of fire broke through the earth next to her. Accuracy still being something to ask for, it had missed a direct hit against her. But it still consumed her right arm, her still good arm (mostly good at this point). Miyako howled in pain pulling out of the fires, but not before it already claimed what it wanted. Her arm was gone. Incinerated in the flames, all that remained was half a stump from the upper arm. She ground her teeth through the pain and slammed her feet into the earth for support. ¡°You think that¡¯ll be enough to stop me!¡± Without thinking, Miyako jumped forward at the beast. Ready to receive her for the finishing blow, it prepared the next attack. However, Miyako surprised it by not actually connecting with it. Her aim was below it. Her remaining injured fist rammed into the earth underneath it. The wall of the crater she made exploded around both of them. Crumbling and throwing debris in all directions, the beast fell off balance into the new crater that Miyako created. She landed on top of it with her eyes lit with fury. ¡°I only need one fist to kill you!¡± The first blow she made cracked the earth using the body of the monster. The second and third expanded them until she punched it into a new crater. She yelled the entire time, unable to stop with each punch getting stronger than the last. Something cracked, it was low and dull, but something had broken. This time it wasn¡¯t Miyako (she didn¡¯t really have much left to break in her state). The beast roared in pain, feeling blow after blow now. The flames around it did nothing to save it from the fury of Miyako. However, it had enough of the pummeling and threw Miyako off its body. Roaring once more, it jumped into the air after Miyako still suspended before the fall. She caught the edge of the body with her hand as it crashed into her. The force of the impact coughed up blood from her, but not before she pushed off and spun around kicking it in the head to shoot it back to the ground. A massive pillar of smoke kicked up from the crash of Kaede¡¯s monster body. Miyako dropped to the ground on one knee feeling the pain in her body. The last hit was nearly direct, only being in the air softened it a little. It was still not enough to completely shrug it off for Miyako. Blood dripped over the earth as she coughed. ¡°Damn¡­I can¡¯t feel anything¡­I don¡¯t know even know if I¡¯m alive or dead anymore¡­¡± Hearing a roar of the monster told Miyako all she needed to know about the condition of it. She pushed off her leg with her left arm. ¡°Not that it matters. My fight isn¡¯t over yet¡­¡± It started walking towards the crash site, but that was an unnecessary effort. Though crashed, it recovered quickly. It came charging out of the smoke with one eye closed. Buried in all of the flames, it was hard to tell the injuries that it sustained, but it actually felt them now. Charging straight for Miyako, there was no chance it was going to miss her this time. But Miyako didn¡¯t make any signs to dodge the attack. She could see it coming, but did nothing to save herself. The two smashed into each other with the beast winning the fight with ease. There was no effort or challenge to be had going straight against the raw strength. Miyako didn¡¯t have a chance. But she did it anyway. She planted her feet into the earth as the force of the beast¡¯s charge drug her through carving out trenches the size of her feet. Blood coughed up again from her mouth as this blow was real. There was no padding or escape. It was a full on collision that Miyako lost. Crimson liquid streamed down her lips and mouth in amounts that questioned how she still stood Yet she did. After the initial collision, Miyako somehow managed to recover. Her hand came up and grabbed the beast around the neck. The flames burned into her arm, but she hung on to it despite it. Not being able to feel anything helped her out more than she knew. ¡°You¡¯re not going any further!¡± Miyako pressed her feet into the earth forcing it into a battle of strength once more. The momentum was against her though. Their battle pushed her far away from the school and through ruined buildings. But even that started to change. The signs of Takako¡¯s destruction started to fade away. The beast¡¯s forward progress started to slow and not because it had stopped. Miyako had somehow actually managed to push back. Her legs were half buried nearly and the street was completely torn up. But she held in against it. ¡°I¡¯m stopping you right here!¡± Leaning even more into her position, she began to move her feet rather than holding. It did little to change the course, but it was making slow progress. It took several blocks, but she had managed to bring the beast to a halt. Their battle of strength renewed now with both struggling. Neither could make the other budge, but the beast roared in anger that it could do nothing anymore. Miyako tightened her awkward grip around the beast¡¯s neck and threw everything she had into it to push it back. It was slight, but it slid away. It was on the defensive. ¡°I won¡¯t allow you any further! This is a line that you can¡¯t cross!¡± Behind Miyako, as she already knew, stood the homes and buildings of people that still survived. If their fighting pushed any further, they would be in danger. All of their effort to reclaim the territory and save the people would have been wasted if she smashed it up from their fighting. However, it didn''t seem to understand that point. It didn''t care about those things at all. Only destruction was on its mind and it had to kill Miyako. And anger fueled it more knowing that it was losing suddenly in strength. The beast roared and pushed back against Miyako with everything it had. She bumped up as it all surged through it. Her feet lost traction and they charged forward with her unable to stop the charge. Around her she saw the signs of the neighborhoods passing her, the signs that he knew too well. Life. Miyako screamed through her whole body. Her face narrowed and sharpened to that of a demon nearly as she threw herself into the earth bringing them to a grinding halt. ¡°I said no further! And I meant it!¡± The beast challenged her still, but she hung in against it refusing to move. Flames on the body jumped out trying to burn her, but she clamped down tighter on her. She began to push it back out of the neighbor and back into the ruins. It struggled with her unable to do what it wanted. ¡°I am the wall that protects! I will not break! This is my sole purpose!¡± She roared again, bringing everything that she had left to bare in her body. Her muscles tightened and expanded as the earth crushed under her feet. ¡°You will not take another life!¡± Channeling everything through only one hand, she managed the herculean feat of actually starting to lift the beast off its feet. ¡°This is where you fall!¡± She pulled the monster completely off its feet and swung the entire being through the air. Miyako slammed it back down into the street. A massive crater grew out of the collision that ate up the whole block, fortunately she had taken them back in far enough to safe limits. Down at the bottom of the crater with the beast, she unwrapped her arm, but was caught on something. Buried deep in all the flames, she found a hairpin. Miyako forced her arm free, taking the hairpin with her by accident. Partially embedded in her arm, she ripped it free with her teeth and dropped it in her hand. ¡°The girl was wearing that in her hair¡­¡± Then suddenly, the flames went out on the beast causing Miyako to step back not sure what was happening. Another transformation seemed to be happening, but it was reversing the changes. It wasn''t long before the girl known as Kaede resurfaced, though unconscious. Victory finally came to Miyako. She lifted up her arm over head Kaede. ¡°This will put an end to it all¡­¡± Miyako quickly threw her fist down, but coughed up another large amount of blood. Her body had finally reached the end. The fight was over and it could no longer agree to keep going. She collapsed on top of Kaede passing out. Chapter 337 - The Moon Rises Yori blasted both of them out of the school into the courtyard below. However, she seemed to know it was coming and used her barrier to block all of the blast from harming her. Only the environment was damaged. ¡°¡­Yumi¡­¡± Whatever it was that stood in control of her stared across the ruined field at Yori. White particles hovered around her looking ready to act. ¡°Would appear you¡¯ve begun to hone your power that you awoke recently. This still is within my forecast.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t give a damn about your forecast! I want my sister back! And if I have to do so by force I will! None of you are stopping me until Yumi is normal again!¡± ¡°That may be an impossibility for you.¡± Black blades materialized in Yori¡¯s hands. ¡°I will make it happen! I am her brother!¡± ¡°Matters of family¡­I expected as much. But that¡¯s not what Yumi needs right now.¡± The white particles slowly began to take on a different color, transforming into purple. Jumping in with his swords, Yori had little interest in what the woman had to say. ¡°You know nothing of what Yumi needs! Nothing!¡± She stood between him and his sister. However, she stopped his blades with merely the palm of her hand. ¡°What?!¡± ¡°On the contrary, you¡¯re more in the dark about your own sister than you seem to think me to be.¡± The woman had confidence in spades. It wasn¡¯t even arrogance; she knew she held the superior position to him. Such a look irritated him, especially since so far he hadn¡¯t been able to do anything to prove her wrong. She towered over him in an overbearing presence despite her size and stature. It was as though none of the physical mattered to her. This woman was a tower that he couldn¡¯t climb or go around. Whoever it was inside his sister¡¯s body, she managed to look not like the sister he knew. Even though they shared the same face, the expressions and aura were completely different. It wasn¡¯t even the fact that she had pure white hair or deep blue eyes rather than soft average brown. He almost swore that he saw a different life buried in the carves that shaped her face. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Even though he wasn¡¯t making any progress against her, he still pushed in with his body as though it would break through her defense. ¡°Are you saying I don¡¯t know my own sister?¡± Suddenly, a force shot out from behind her hand that sent Yori tumbling back. He clawed at the air, finding brakes until he stopped on the ground. The woman lowered her hand, staring down at him. ¡°I thought I made it pretty clear that a question was unnecessary.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the stranger here!¡± He kicked off the earth and jumped back into the fight, unfortunately he ran across what appeared to be a trap. A beam of light shot through the earth where he stepped. Only his reflexes saved his foot from being cleanly removed. ¡°I am a stranger. My life has nothing to do with either of you.¡± ¡°Then leave us alone!¡± Yori released his left hand turning the black blade into an orb of energy that he shot out at the woman. ¡°We don¡¯t need you!¡± A counter beam shot out from the side completely over taking the attack. Through the smoke, the woman inside Yumi¡¯s stared across at Yori. ¡°That¡¯s where you are wrong. She wanted us.¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t want you at all!¡± ¡°We were brought here because of her.¡± ¡°No, you were made by that arrogant bastard that¡¯s developing a god complex!¡± ¡°There is a reason for this.¡± ¡°No, the only reason I see here is the one I allowed to be ignored when I listened to my sister. I never should have trusted him. It¡¯s always just been the two of us, that¡¯s all there needs to be!¡± ¡°Looks like we¡¯re finally getting to the core of the matter with you.¡± ¡°Shut up! I don¡¯t need to hear anything from some fake personality that thinks it knows what¡¯s best!¡± The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Better than someone trying to maintain a fake relationship.¡± Chapter 337 ¨C The Moon Rises Yori didn¡¯t know why he kept talking to the woman. She had nothing to do with them. She was merely a wall that he needed to crush in order to reach his sister. ¡®She¡¯s the reason why Yumi¡¯s changed and keeps changing. It¡¯s because of that bastard and this fake woman that she¡¯s not the sister that I know!¡¯ Reforming his blade, he charged back in for the attack. Detecting another trap, he swiftly dodged out of the way, but only ran head first into another. It blew up in his face covering the area in light and smoke. However, it didn¡¯t rest with just the trap, another several blasts went into the smoke. Analyzing the results, the woman quickly assessed the situation and halted her attack. ¡°He¡¯s put up a barrier.¡± Within the black barrier, Yori took pause, finding the situation quickly fell out of his hands. Though it looked more as if it never was, not that he openly would admit to such a thing. ¡°Damn, it¡¯s like she can see the future, knowing where I¡¯m going to be before I¡¯m even there.¡± Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t have much time to think about the mystery of the woman¡¯s clairvoyance. Another beam shot up through the ground inside his barrier. He had to use his blades to try to deflect the energy, but not before it ran up part of his upper arm and shoulder leaving red sear marks from the attack. Yori bit through the pain. ¡®This isn¡¯t as painful as the battle with Athene¡­ This is nothing compared to that¡­¡¯ Trying to shrug it off wasn¡¯t very easy for him. Despite all of the training he went through, it was still different for him to deal with it. ¡®It¡¯s like she said¡­I¡¯m still soft¡­and inexperienced¡­¡¯ Yori stood up blasting out his barrier to wipe away the smoke that prevented him from seeing his wall. Immediately gaining visibility, he had another beam shot at him. Not even his reflexes were enough to react to it. Only by luck of his blades being where the beam came did he have any chance. It immediately pushed him back as he quickly tried to put his weight behind his blades to deflect the attack. His blades weren¡¯t enough for the power behind the attack. Cracks appeared along the black blades the longer that he held against them. They had to break eventually, Yori struggled to hold their form together, but nothing he could do was enough. It only prolonged things. When they finally broke, he managed to move himself out of the danger, but they still tore through part of his shirt. ¡°Misguided and weak.¡± Looking across the field at her, the situation had remained unchanged. It annoyed him how much she breathed her superiority with every word and expression. ¡°Shut up! Shut up! SHUT up!¡± ¡°You¡¯re quite the disappointment considering how much she values you.¡± ¡°Enough with your lies!¡± ¡°You¡¯re pathetic. A small man stuck in the past. You¡¯re looking for a bird in a cage, not your sister.¡± A purple barrier appeared around her and quickly turned into shards. Countless pieces hovered in the air spacing out over the entire field. ¡°It¡¯s best that I take you out now before she learns the truth of how petty of a being you are now.¡± Yori screamed and charged straight for the woman without thinking about his situation or the one that developed before him. All he had armed with him were his swords, which already showed to not be very effective against her. Yet, he did it anyway. ¡°That¡¯s enough from you! I¡¯m taking back my sister!¡± Shards started to spin around in the air. One shot out for Yori that he dodged, but only went into the path another prepared for him. His sword cut through it, but he had to evade again. At every turn, she had counters and traps prepare for him. He actually ended up getting pushed back rather than making any progress towards her. At every step he made she seemed to predict it and made attacks at them. It was barely keeping his footing against her. Her attacks became more lethal as the fight carried on. He couldn¡¯t hold them off simply with his sword. Glancing blows snuck past him that his abilities couldn¡¯t make up for. Before long, he had minor cuts along his arms and legs in an effort to protect his body. None of it mattered in the end. ¡®She¡¯s just toying with me it feels like. Every time she looks at me it¡¯s like she¡¯s saying that she can kill me whenever she wants. I hate that look¡­¡¯ ¡°Is this going to be where you end?¡± ¡°Kill me if you seem so certain of it. You said that you would.¡± ¡°Already giving up. Was all that effort you claimed to make pointless then?¡± ¡°Shut up¡­ I didn¡¯t train to fight with words.¡± ¡°You already lost in words, so fight with what you have left.¡± ¡°With what I have left¡­ I really hate you¡­¡± ¡°Only because you know that I speak the truth.¡± ¡°Nothing of what you say is the truth.¡± ¡°Then prove your claim.¡± The fight had barely even gotten started for Yori, but it was the first time he really had a good reason to fight. His fight with Athene was pointless even though he gave it his all for her sake. It somehow felt different for him. Back then his body responded and he could keep up, but against this woman he was already feeling exhausted. His body was sluggish. ¡®I don¡¯t want to die¡­¡¯ That was the only thing he knew to be true at the moment. The woman said so many things that it had his mind completely scrambled. He had questions and doubts popping up everywhere. It was distracting. Yori struggled to move his body. It hurt, hurt a lot. It moaned and complained to him. This wasn¡¯t the sort of thing that he did. He was a student and a brother. Fighting wasn¡¯t something that he did. That was for the bastard Hayashi and his friends, not him. Yet they dragged him into their world. ¡®I followed Yumi to this end¡­she wanted to go¡­ I¡¯m only here because I wanted to watch over her and keep her safe. This whole thing is dangerous and she¡¯s being na?ve thinking that she wasn¡¯t going to be hurt. Everything that she already suffered in Atlantis¡­¡¯ He didn¡¯t feel like he had the sort of resolve he saw in the others around him. They believed more strongly in what they did than him. He just followed along. It wasn¡¯t his fight. But they had his sister and they forced it to be his fight too. Glaring across the area at the unknown woman, Yori found a little piece to make his legs move. They shook and wanted to run away. Every part of himself told him that this was a losing fight. She could kill him whenever she wanted. He knew this, but he had a small piece to cling on to. Something that was not empty or fake to him. Hardening up his blades, he stiffened up his stance. ¡°I¡¯m a stranger. I¡¯m not a fighter. I hate you. And I hate this situation. I don¡¯t belong here. But I know one thing! I¡¯m her brother and that will never change! Lies, fake, truth, whatever you want to say! Brothers fight for their sisters! End of story!¡± Chapter 338 - The Full Moon ¡°So that¡¯s what you¡¯ve settled upon.¡± ¡°Yes! I¡¯m going to kick your butt and drag you out of my sister!¡± ¡°I guess I¡¯ll give you a point of consistency if nothing else.¡± ¡°You going to fight or talk?¡± Many of the shards from her barrier still hovered around her. A few of them stopped to angle their positions in his direction. ¡°Oh I can fight, since that seems to be all you¡¯re willing to do. But you won¡¯t find the answers you want and you won¡¯t be able to defeat me.¡± Yori had enough of her posturing. He drew in more of the black energy into his blades to grow their size. ¡°I¡¯m not wanting answers from you! I¡¯m wanting my sister!¡± Charging in after the woman once more, he seemed to have completely forgotten about how the fight played out before. She sighed in disappointment watching him. ¡°And that¡¯s why you¡¯re weak.¡± A glow charged up behind her surrounding her in a purple outline. ¡°It seems my more subtle attempts to show our differences have failed to reach you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about whatever difference you claim to have! It won¡¯t stop me from getting my sister back!¡± ¡°As you are, you won¡¯t ever see your sister again.¡± The build-up drew to completion as the intensity of the light made it difficult to even see the face of the woman. ¡°So let¡¯s show you why you can¡¯t beat me.¡± The light behind her suddenly disappeared and then flashed over the whole area. In an instant, there was purple light coming from all directions. Yori saw nothing, but beams of energy. None of them had the same intensity from some of the ones that he had seen tossed around before, but their count exceeded any sort of expectations he had for what she might have been capable of. ¡°Too many¡­¡± Chapter 338 ¨C The Full Moon Dodging was a meaningless effort. The attacks came from so many different sides and angles that he had no hope of being able to evade. Even if he had the speed of Saki, he doubted his ability to be able to come out unscathed. It was only made worse by the fact that he had enough reaction and reflexes to see it come and think about the imminent situation while still feeling hopeless. He lowered his arms accepting his fate. ¡®I really am just all talk. I¡¯m so out of my element doing any of this. I¡¯m no hero or even a wish to be one. I don¡¯t dream of fighting aliens or monsters like that bastard probably does. All of this just proves my thinking¡­ I¡¯m normal, just someone wanting a peaceful life, yet unable to do even that.¡¯ * * * ¡°Giving up already¡± barked Athene, ¡°We¡¯ve barely even gotten started.¡± Her Field of needles disappeared. ¡°I¡¯m tired. It¡¯s already been ten minutes.¡± Yori complained, wiping away the sweat from his brow. ¡°Ten minutes? The battle has only started in ten minutes.¡± ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯m not built like you. You¡¯re soldiers, I¡¯m not used to this.¡± Athene walked over and forcibly picked him up off the ground. ¡°You¡¯re right, you¡¯re not built like us. You¡¯re built better.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? I¡¯m just a regular guy, a normal person.¡± She poked him in the forehead with a quick flick of the finger. It did more to hurt her than him, which was why she made sure not to do it very hard. ¡°Normal? You¡¯re not like us or the King, but you aren¡¯t normal either. You and your friends have different bodies now with attributes that far exceed anything I could hope to do.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen the way you¡¯re able to move. I could never do that.¡± ¡°Everything I do is within the rules and limits that I create. The one thing I can¡¯t change is my body. I¡¯ll never have the natural reflexes or speed that you can have.¡± If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°There¡¯s nothing natural about what Saki or them can do.¡± He looked around the wide open field. It had been the site of the battle between the Titans and them. All of their destruction wrought upon the land had already been mostly cleaned up. They had made a mess of the entire area, which as he learned after the fighting, was one of the major trade routes in and out of the capital. So the clean-up ended up getting prioritized for the sake of stability. Even Yuki helped out, despite a lot of protesting from the court. He looked back towards the massive walls of the capital. The ridiculous holes punched in it still seemed impossible to believe. He knew most of the damage was from Saki. ¡°I¡¯ll agree no normal human can do that, but I can¡¯t do that either. It¡¯s a little scary knowing that she can do something like that.¡± ¡°She had a reason. And often that¡¯s all you need to go beyond your limits and do something scary.¡± Yori looked back at Athene. He caught the glimpses of her walking there with her own memories. Her words weren¡¯t pointed just at their topic, that much he understood. ¡°But now we can move on past that. It¡¯s peace now.¡± Athene gave him a bit of a smirk. ¡°You don¡¯t strike me as someone that na?ve.¡± ¡°No, I guess not. Not anymore at least¡­¡± ¡°Somewhere inside of you, you could be capable of something like that. You demonstrated that during our fight.¡± ¡°Yes, but it was all just rage and anger. I wasn¡¯t in control of what was happening.¡± ¡°Fights are rarely going to be emotionless. But having control during the rage is important and that¡¯s why you¡¯re here.¡± He nodded a little hesitantly for her. ¡°I did ask you to train me to be able to use my power so that the next time I needed it I wouldn¡¯t be mindlessly throwing it around, but I didn¡¯t ask you to make me into a soldier either.¡± ¡°Do you not have self-defense training in Japan?¡± ¡°Well yeah, I guess so¡­¡± ¡°Do you think of that as a soldier¡¯s training?¡± ¡°I guess not when you put it like that.¡± ¡°Now let¡¯s continue.¡± She turned her Field back on, bringing out all of her weapons for him to dodge. A bit of sweat dripped down his face seeing everything and the seriousness on her face. ¡°I¡¯m still pretty tired from our last practice.¡± ¡°That¡¯s something we need to work on. Your mind needs work. Your body can handle so much more. You have the potential stamina, but you¡¯ve convinced yourself you don¡¯t. You need to believe in yourself. You¡¯ll lose the fight before it even begins if you can¡¯t believe in yourself.¡± * * * ¡®I thought I had gained that confidence from the month-long of training that Athene gave me. I guess that was fake too¡­¡¯ Yori clenched up his hands around the blades frustrated with himself. Everything that Athene taught him went to waste. ¡®Dammit! I just wanted to protect Yumi! That¡¯s my only reason!¡¯ Pulling up his swords, Yori prepared himself for the onslaught. ¡®No matter what happens this is going to hurt. Fatigue or pain¡­ I¡¯m not going to like it. This isn¡¯t me¡­ But I¡¯ve got no choice¡­ I jumped in!¡¯ There was no chance that he had even deflecting everything. That much he knew. Dodging, deflecting, whatever there was beyond that, none of it was going to be enough. It was going to hurt, but he had to try anyway. Countless beams arced towards him. He wanted to try to dodge what he could, but it was a saturation style attack. He had no hope of even dodging the first wave. He could only pick where they landed. He spun around his blades taking off some of the worst beams, but others went through as he expected. The pain wasn¡¯t as bad as he thought. It was more of the force of the impact than anything that he felt. All of it still was a losing effort on his side. And eventually, he could not keep up with the volume. Everything that remained broke through his weak defense. As a last effort, he remembered his barrier after it was nearly too late. He cursed himself for failing to remember to use it. But even that shattered as he wasn¡¯t prepared and the bombardment couldn¡¯t be stopped. What remained blasted against him casting him down to the earth. Around him the ground riddled with some holes reminded him of the power that hit him. ¡°Ugh¡­that hurts¡­a lot¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m a little impressed you survived as long as you did.¡± She glanced down at Yori, still unmoved from her spot, after he knocked her out of the school. ¡°That training of yours amounted to something it seemed.¡± Yori coughed trying to get himself back on his feet. While he didn¡¯t have holes in his body like he pictured, his clothes were torn and blood streamed from too many small wounds for him to count. ¡°Not enough¡­¡± ¡°No, as I said you can¡¯t beat me.¡± Forcing himself back to his feet, he pulled out his swords once more. His body felt weird and his head didn¡¯t seem to be seeing straight, but he knew that he was standing. Standing counted for something at this point for him. ¡®Barely a couple of minutes into this fight and it already feels like I can¡¯t go on¡­ damn how am I going to save Yumi like this? However¡­¡¯ The energy in his blades pulsed weakly trying to keep their form. He aimed one of his blades at her directly as though he attempted to bait out a challenge from her. ¡°I¡¯m still going to save my sister. It doesn¡¯t matter if I can¡¯t beat you.¡± ¡°So you still refuse to see the truth.¡± ¡°Seems that I¡¯ll have to borrow a page from Tsuji¡¯s playbook.¡± ¡°That¡¯s unwise.¡± ¡°Yup, it wouldn¡¯t be one of his moves if it was wise,¡± grinned Yori. He sort of refused to admit that he had been doing very Seiji-like things the entire time, but no need to focus on the denial. More important matters confronted him. Black energy appeared around Yori in large orbs. As each orb appeared, his body started to shake more. He struggled to keep his body together while summoning up the energy. The stress upon him was more than he expected. It went past his practice, but that was the point. ¡°I can¡¯t be holding myself back anymore.¡± ¡°Anything that you try I¡¯ve already foreseen.¡± ¡°Is that right? Then you foresaw this?!¡± All of the orbs hovering around Yori suddenly took form and became swords as well. They all gathered around his sides ready to strike. ¡°You¡¯re not the only one that can set up a barrage!¡± Chapter 339 - The Dawn Edge ¡°You¡¯re able to control your power. I¡¯d be disappointed if you couldn¡¯t do that.¡± It got no reaction out of her that he hoped. Yori wanted to see something, even a little bit of shock or surprise from her. Anything to give him a point, but she didn¡¯t even do that. She only seemed to be closer to disappointment that he was making what he was doing into such a big deal. However, for him it wasn¡¯t easy to do. It took a lot of concentration for him just to maintain them. Sweat already started to bead up on his forehead and along his back. ¡®I never really practiced something like this. At least to these numbers¡­ I¡¯m used to doing this with only a couple. I just figured I should be able to do more than that.¡¯ Trying on his mind or not, Yori knew that if he did nothing his sister would be lost to him. Such thoughts weren¡¯t an option. This was the only thing that he could do. Pulling back on the swords, he launched them at the woman. They all flew straight in formation for her. But a purple barrier erected meters away from her caught all of his attacks with ease. He grimaced seeing his failure. ¡®¡­damn¡­¡¯ ¡°Your tactics are so simplistic. It¡¯s like playing shogi with a five year old.¡± She started to look bored, letting down some of her guard in front of Yori. ¡°You don¡¯t deserve to stand before me if you can¡¯t even approach the steps.¡± A few barrier shards appeared in the air around her and fired out beams at Yori. They went straight for him with no attempts to surround him. ¡®¡­now she¡¯s getting cocky... This may be my only chance!¡¯ Yori dropped his barrier in front to take the attacks and even strengthened it knowing what he had dealt with before from him. Prepared behind him, he started gathering up his energy for a swift counterattack just as he held her off. As the beams hit his black barrier, Yori finished letting the energy collect. It was fewer than before, but he was able to manage it better. It was about control and he needed it. ¡®I¡¯ll take her back from you!¡¯ In moments before his counterattack, a force slammed him from behind. It staggered him forward and shot waves of overwhelming pain through his shoulder and back. He collapsed to one knee unable to remain standing. ¡°What happened¡­¡± Something warm began to flow down his back like water. His hand reached back trying to figure out what happened to him. The pain didn¡¯t pass and his arms¡¯ movements only made it worse for him. Yori felt like he was going to smash his teeth trying to bite through pain. And worse still was that he realized what was wrong. There was a large wound on his back across his shoulder. His right arm no longer had the same comfortable range and he didn¡¯t even feel like he could force it from the damage he took. ¡°How?!¡± Looking ready to fall asleep, the woman began to hover in the air as though it was more relaxing. ¡°It¡¯s a simple tactic. A feint. You would have died in battle in the feudal era within seconds with such poor understanding of the battlefield. You¡¯re no warrior.¡± Tidal waves of pain crashed over Yori bringing him down completely. He felt as weak from when Athene cut him across the chest. ¡®There¡¯s no one here to save me this time¡­ Am I going to die in front of my sister?¡¯ Collapsed to the ground, his eyes started to close, no longer able to stay open. Darkness overcame him. Chapter 339 ¨C The Dawn Edge ¡°Yori Mizuno?¡± called Athene, staring down at him. Yori snapped awake with a gasp and caught a full view of Athene. His face went red with embarrassment. ¡°I passed out again, didn''t I?¡± ¡°Convincing you that you have more than you think is more troublesome than I expected.¡± He sat up pulling away from Athene. She might have been an adult and someone already with Simonides now, but that didn¡¯t change the situation for him any. Most of his embarrassment flushed his face over his own inability that had not really made a lot of progress over the last two weeks. It was an easy cover up. ¡®She¡¯s the only person that I¡¯ve talked with that actually seems to talk to me and not just at me. The other things certainly don¡¯t help matters. She gets so close and doesn¡¯t even think about it. Need to calm down¡­¡¯ Taking a breath in and out, he took control of his mind and body once more, sort of. Fatigue ran thick through every part of his body. ¡°I¡¯ve passed out enough to make myself look anemic, but still doesn¡¯t make me get used anymore to how weak I feel after it. It¡¯s not just physically exhausting¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s all about practice and training.¡± The Field around Athene dropped and then returned as something familiar. He had seen her use it plenty of times before for his training. ¡°You¡¯re not going to make me start practicing again immediately after I woke up?¡± His hands were already preparing to pull himself away from the situation if needed. Athene shook her head taking a seat next to him. ¡°No, this time you actually did run out of power. As a Meso Prosecho user I understand how you¡¯re feeling. Physical fatigue is something I can ease, but mental exhaustion is not something that we can recover. It¡¯s one of our few limitations.¡± ¡°You¡¯re able to do so much with your powers. That seems like a strange thing not to be able to do.¡± ¡°The mind is a complicated organ. Even we don¡¯t really truly understand it with all of our abilities. We¡¯re just as likely to do harm. In our history, it¡¯s been said that when we tried to change and alter the mind it ended up breaking people, driving them insane or just going catatonic. So we limit ourselves greatly in how we interact with the mind. Memories are the safest as they are something easier for us to understand, if that makes any sense.¡± The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°A little¡­¡± It seemed a little arbitrary with their powers. Especially given what he had seen. ¡°Then what about Hayashi and what he did to us? That was more than a physical change. He altered our minds and what we are mentally capable of doing.¡± ¡°I¡¯d advise you not to speak about such things very openly. The King¡¯s covered up the facts on you and your friends with your powers making you all out like you¡¯re one of us. If the truth was ever to be learned about you¡­¡± ¡°Great¡­yeah that¡¯s not something we need or even you. But should what he did even be possible or we safe?¡± Athene went silent for a moment, not giving Yori an encouraging feeling. She looked to be searching for something that would give him the answer he wanted rather than the one that he needed. However, he stretched out his hand towards her lightly touching her hand not thinking about things. The look that he gave her told her enough. ¡°What he did was never seen or even considered possible. So I don¡¯t have a good answer for you. So far none of you seem to be exhibiting any signs. But this is unknown territory for everyone. We don¡¯t know how this will affect you in the future.¡± ¡°So we could all be ticking time bombs¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Anything is possible.¡± ¡°Since we don¡¯t know, let''s keep this just between us. No need to start a panic or worry.¡± ¡°Probably for the best for now, just watch yourself and the others.¡± ¡°Yeah, that might be the only thing I can do.¡± She stretched out and flicked his forehead again as she seemed to have a habit of doing when he was being self-pitying. ¡°You¡¯re capable of more. You just have to believe in it. I told you before.¡± ¡°I know, but I¡¯m really only seeing this as defensive training so I can protect myself and my sister if the need comes to it. I¡¯m not planning on starting fights or even trying to finish them.¡± ¡°You never know what the future will have for you. So it¡¯s best not to assume.¡± ¡°I know myself well enough. I¡¯m not like them. I don¡¯t enjoy any of this and want nothing to do with it. But I¡¯ll learn to be ready.¡± Standing up, Athene had finished her work with her Field on Yori. She stared off at the village where they prepared for the party for the King. The excitement was impossible to ignore. It was positive to see. She turned back towards Yori. ¡°We all have our reasons and not always does fate allow us to act in the way we like, but the way we must.¡± The way she spoke left Yori silent. He couldn¡¯t really say anything to counter what she said since there was experience coming from her words. It wasn¡¯t something he was so blind to ignore. Realizing that his body actually felt good, though his mind was still loopy, he attempted to stand. Having his mind still not working with him proved his recovery to be still off a bit. Athene walked back towards Yori with something else on her mind. ¡°Which is why I want to remind you of something else while you¡¯re recovering. You may not want to fight or even win, but if you plan to survive you¡¯ll need to be able to think while you¡¯re fighting. In the simplest terms, a battle is like a game. It¡¯s not just about being stronger or faster than your opponent. It¡¯s often more about outthinking your opponent. If you¡¯re a step ahead of them speed won¡¯t matter because you will know what they¡¯re going to do before they do it. If you can do that then winning or surviving, it¡¯ll be yours.¡± ¡®Why am I remembering that now? Is this the ¡°flash your life before your eyes¡± situation?¡¯ In the darkness, Yori traveled through his mind, but he wasn¡¯t picking up on the obvious yet. It still eluded him. ¡®If I was, wouldn''t it be something about Yumi instead? This seemed more pointless for me¡­¡¯ His mind remained fully awake, though still not clued in. He went over the meaning of remembering his training with Athene. But while he thought about it something a little important finally came to him. ¡®I don¡¯t feel like I¡¯m dying. It¡¯s not like with Athene¡­ Wait¡­¡¯ Opening his eyes, Yori still felt the pain in his back, though it seemed to be calming down a little. Moving his arm still was difficult and slow, but he could push himself up. As he stared at himself, he felt a little embarrassed at his overreaction. ¡°Done playing dead?¡± Yori snapped his gaze back over to the woman. She waited on him to return despite having the time to kill him. ¡®She¡¯s not interested in killing me. Why? Is it because I don¡¯t even rate a thing of interest to her?¡¯ If that was the case, she annoyed him. But she remained largely a mystery to him. She wasn¡¯t like the last persona that he met. Forcing himself to his feet, he did what he could to pass off the pain. It throbbed and wanted attention, but he didn¡¯t really have the time for it. He pulled out of his swords in his hand, but noticed his right felt a little weaker. ¡®My shoulder injury is affecting it¡­ This isn¡¯t going to make this fight any better¡­¡¯ He charged in as he had no better plan. His previous attempts had failed and just wasted his mental energy. It was already feeling the fatigue from him doing more than he should have been in the fight. The woman¡¯s disappointment only seemed to grow watching him. ¡°Back to your blind attacks now.¡± She effortlessly countered him at every turn. Nothing he did would get anywhere close to her. And she even started to look more bored with the situation. Panting from the activity, Yori came to a stop needing a break after his minute long attempt to break through her defenses. ¡®Damn, everywhere I turn she¡¯s stopping me. It doesn¡¯t matter what I throw at her she just stops it all. I don¡¯t have the speed or power to even think about overwhelming her either¡­¡¯ It was then that he recalled Athene¡¯s words. It finally made sense to him. ¡®Like a game, she said¡­¡¯ Yori suddenly remembered an offhand comment that the woman made to him. ¡®¡­shogi¡­I¡¯m not that good at it, but maybe if I think about it like that¡­¡¯ Yori released his swords and began to focus on his power. It was a rough plan, but it was the only one that he had. ¡®I don¡¯t even know if this will work, but it¡¯s my last chance to be able to do something against her.¡¯ His barrier came up around him along with orbs of his energy floating outside of the barrier. Glancing casually back at Yori, she noticed the changes. ¡°Going back to your old method of not thinking.¡± She didn¡¯t even need to move a finger to move the shards of her power around. ¡®I know that she likes traps, feints and counters. That¡¯s about all I know, but if I can plan for her planning, then maybe I can finally see that confidence crack.¡¯ Yori knew that she grew tired of his attempts and every time that he tried to do something she just smacked him back down. He counted on it this time. As expected, she had a frontal attack prepared for him, but he glanced around and with the help of the shine off his black barrier, he saw some purple lights reflected in them. ¡®Knew it, she¡¯s got some behind me again too. Same thing, she¡¯s thinking I¡¯ll fall for it. Time to surprise her a little!¡¯ Before she fired off her attacks, Yori jumped the gun having already planted enough power in them. Since they were orbs it didn¡¯t have to indicate their direction of fire. Rather than the forward attack as expected, they went behind him and into the air taking down her real attack. ¡°Hm¡­I¡¯m relieved that you¡¯re not that poor with your memory. But if you think that I didn¡¯t plan for that.¡± Another attack came out from below far out of sight and hidden behind some debris that he had no chance of seeing. Yori pulled around his barrier stacking the thickness for the attack. Purple light flashed brightly over the area as the powers clashed. ¡°That''s why I have my barrier. I knew that you¡¯d see more steps ahead of me. That¡¯s the sort of person you are.¡± ¡°Then you should have seen this coming as well.¡± Another set appeared in his opening left by the gaps he created in the barrier. The beams fired quickly at his exposed back. But two swords dropped down quickly materialized to deflect the beams away. Getting some of his strength back, Yori straightened himself out. ¡°And I knew that you¡¯d try to capitalize on that like last time. I did that intentionally to draw out your fire.¡± Another sword appeared far outside of his battle radius nearby the woman. Shooting at her without any hesitation, she glanced at it as the whole area with the sword became distorted. The earth began to curve from some unknown force that crushed it with ease. However, it was just a distraction for the real attack that he had setup on the opposite side. She had to quickly adjust her flanks and re-establish her line using pieces of her barrier to take the hit. She straightened up a little, looking down on Yori once more. ¡°Finally making use of that potential of yours. Maybe this will be a more interesting battle now.¡± The number of barrier shards in the air around her double along with even more orbs of energy materializing. She armed herself for a battle against Yori. Chapter 340 - Dawn Light ¡®¡­crap¡­¡¯ The feeling of being more in control of the fight left him unprepared for the woman actually coming at him in earnest. ¡®I had a feeling she was withholding power, but nothing like this¡­¡¯ He had only barely seen how much his sister could do in the battles in Atlantis. So he had very little to work on for his expectations. Sweating a little, he uneasily slid his leg back getting the feeling he was in over his head again. He committed himself to the fight, but doubt popped back up with a vengeance. Not that he was allowed much room to take action on it. Now that he displayed some amount of competence, the woman in his sister¡¯s body started taking their fight seriously. She opened with a significantly larger barrage on him than she used previously. None of his plans prepared for such a scale of assault. ¡®I can¡¯t be running now¡­ Not with my sister in front of me!¡¯ Making use of his only motivation, he hardened his position and focused his attention. What little plans he had set up for a major counterattack against the woman he used up just clearing out the initial wave. It only covered a third of the attack. Afterward, he had to get more creative making use of his shield, weapons and energy attacks just to try to stay ahead. But it still left him with a third. It wasn¡¯t enough to completely take down her attack. ¡®She¡¯s got a numbers and tactical advantage over me¡­ How am I supposed to beat her like that?¡¯ There were still leftovers that he hadn¡¯t dealt with and they were upon him before he could think about the problem. All he managed to do was dodge what he could and take the rest. Everything he couldn¡¯t stop slammed into him, throwing him backwards across the ground. Chapter 340 ¨C Dawn Light Coughing his throat nearly hoarse, Yori was still alive, somehow. Blood dripped down his face and soaked into his clothes. ¡°Damn¡­how am I going to do this?¡± He used a collapsed chair for support to stand up. ¡°Huh?¡± Yori looked around not even realizing that he crashed into someone¡¯s home. ¡°Oh yeah, we¡¯re not on the school grounds anymore¡­¡± Staring around at the destruction he caused from just colliding with the house gave him a moment of pause. It was just another reminder of how different he was now. ¡°All my insistence on being normal¡­ This isn¡¯t normal. None of this is¡­¡± Though he didn¡¯t have much time for such thoughts as he picked up the woman through the hole he created. ¡°Right, our fight isn¡¯t over.¡± He glanced around at the sound of something off only realizing in the last moment that it was another attack. It punched through the house hitting the ground where he stood only a moment before. While he turned in the air, his eyes sought out the next attack. ¡®I know that¡¯s not the only one she¡¯s got. She¡¯s not like that. This is only a setup so that I go where she wants me.¡¯ Using his barrier along his arms, he caught sight of the attack. Since he reduced the barrier size and increased its thickness, he was able to use it to block the attack. Yet she had already planned for that as well with Yori detecting another attack. He crashed to the ground again. Only changing where it hit him saved him. ¡®She¡¯s getting lethal with the attacks now. I guess she¡¯s seeing me as a serious threat now¡­¡¯ Pulling himself out of the rubble, he wiped away the smoke that masked his vision. ¡®She can see three or four moves ahead of me and I¡¯m only looking one or two at best¡­ If I¡¯m going to be able to stand on even footing I¡¯m going to need to do something to throw her off. Something she can¡¯t predict.¡¯ Another attack came in after him, which he took head on rather than dodging as he had the habit of doing. His barrier could manage it. After a little bit, he saw the next attack meant for him, but nowhere he stood. ¡®She expected me to be there rather than here¡­ She already knows I like to dodge rather than be hit, though I hate risking being hit, this might be the only way I can work.¡¯ He launched a counterattack immediately in timing with her second strike. Being in the house, he had a lot of guesswork at her location. Jumping around the house to avoid her previous attack made it difficult to see her. ¡®This really is just like a game of Shogi, she¡¯s playing. Positioning, counter positioning. Forcing moves and threatening. It¡¯s all tactics for her¡­ I¡¯ve got to play on her level¡­but she¡¯s better at this than me¡­ I was never great at Shogi¡­¡¯ Running through the ruins of the house, he started to work on his own plan of attack. He kept things simple for himself. She had better predictions than he hoped to match, but he could count on that. It gave him a place to counter from knowing what she would know him. She already made adjustments to her attacks knowing that he stopped trying to be so predictable. As he moved around, she planned for more variables. ¡®Dammit! She¡¯s able to have this many alternate plans set up? Just how is she able to keep track of this many plans at once?!¡¯ The more things dragged out for him the more it became clear how skilled the woman truly was in tactical battles. Yori struggled just to keep his own plans together against her. An explosion from the roof of the house preceded the appearance of Yori. Landing on the roof, he had a better view of the woman than before. ¡®I don¡¯t know how much longer I can keep this going¡­¡¯ He spared the moment to breathe after all of the running. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Then the game began. Attacks positioned themselves in the air against Yori. He immediately responded with counterattacks lined up. A defensive line came up to stop her. But she clearly had more at her ready. Flanking attacks came out and he spread out his line to cover them. Then she repositioned everything in a new line up. Yori could see how different the attack was from the others. It was no longer about direct attacks. She was playing mind games with him now as well. She moved to out position him. Always one step behind reacting, but ready, Yori managed to mostly stay even with her. It was hard to try to absorb everything that happened. The sky filled with their attack moves and darting around in feints and flanking maneuvers. Yori wiped away the sweat and blood that collected on his forehead. ¡®Focus¡­she won¡¯t let you up¡­even breathing is wasted time¡­¡¯ He was more right than he wished. The exact moment he paused in their dance, she punched to his defenses. It all collapsed in an instant. ¡°¡­damn!¡± ¡°You played well for a novice.¡± The part of the roof Yori stood up collapsed underneath him. He spun down while keeping an eye on her. ¡°I¡¯m not done yet!¡± Behind him in the darkness of the house, a bright light grew out. Tilting her head a little, she swiftly analyzed the situation. ¡°So you¡¯ve been diverting part of your power to charge up that. You sneak a cannon behind your defense. Impressive¡­¡± As he disappeared out of sight, Yori gave a small grin. ¡°Always have an ace up your sleeve.¡± The mass of energy finished its charge releasing all of the stored up energy the moment he left. Shockwaves from the initial release ripped the roof off the top of the house as the beam completely obliterated the shards of wood and clay. Kick back from the force blew out the floor and walls of the house bringing it all raining down around Yori. A crater remained where the house used to be with Yori collapsed at the bottom. Pillars of smoke completely surrounded the area as the black energy raced through the sky for the woman. Even before it reached her the black light shining from it darkened her skin and appearance. All of her attacks lined up for Yori were washed over like a tsunami crashing into the shore. Nothing remained behind. However, she did nothing more to counter his attack. Yet with an attack of such size, it seemed unlikely anything she had could actually change its course. The mass of energy would easily overtake her. Yori could finally rest at ease having beaten her at her own game. Black completely surrounded her leaving nothing of her visible from the outside. It continued on past her taking over the space around her. While the attack kept up the intensity, Yori started to pick himself back up. He wiped away the smoke around him to get back up. Sweat covered his body. ¡°Finally¡­ It was nearly impossible keeping it together the whole time, but it paid off for me. Her overconfidence defeated her in the end.¡± Yet as he watched his attack, there was an unsettling feeling he got watching. ¡°The hell? What is this that I¡¯m feeling?¡± Then a split developed in the black waves of energy. He knew what it had to be. Yori stepped forward in surprise. ¡°Impossible! That had all of my power! She can¡¯t have survived unscathed!¡± The black energy finished its pass and continued into the sky destroying the cloud cover before disappearing into space. Still standing unmoved from her place was the mysterious woman. She turned her gaze down to Yori. ¡°You¡¯re right that there is a powerful advantage to having saved an ace. But such tactics are only for those that are weak. True power doesn¡¯t require the reliance on such desperation.¡± Yori¡¯s shoulders slumped from his neck. ¡°That¡¯s not possible¡­¡± ¡°This is possible. This is the reality.¡± She pointed her finger down at the ground. A massive crater, one that eclipsed Yori¡¯s, ripped through the neighborhood destroying all of the homes. All the debris came floating up into the air. ¡°I told you before this started that it was going to be impossible for you to defeat me.¡± He still couldn¡¯t believe what he was seeing. The power that she displayed went beyond anything that he thought possible for Yumi. Even worse, she didn¡¯t even look like she was breaking a sweat. ¡°You can¡¯t be this powerful! We all got our powers at the same time!¡± ¡°But everyone¡¯s evolution is different and more than any of you, Yumi¡¯s desires for power eclipses all of you. Thanks to the desperate battles she found in Atlantis, her power is rapidly advancing to meet with her wishes. This is still nothing compared to what she wants.¡± ¡°You¡¯re lying! Yumi doesn¡¯t wish for power, not this destructive power!¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one that¡¯s clueless. You claim to know your sister, but you know nothing about her. This is what she wished to be.¡± ¡°Not that again! I know my sister! You¡¯re just a fake personality created by the bastard!¡± ¡°I might be fake, but I know my place unlike you. So who is actually fake?¡± ¡°Stop acting like you know anything!¡± ¡°Denial will only lead you to your own destruction.¡± She motioned to the debris that floated around her. It all flew down at Yori in sizes that varied from small pebbles all the way to massive chunks of earth or houses. Gritting his teeth together his body was already telling him no. ¡°Dammit!¡± Swords appeared in his hand as beams erupted from the crater around him. He used the opening volley of his attack to thin out the storm while he jumped into the debris storm. Within the moment, he body attuned with his memories of fighting against Athene. The training carved into his muscles remembered it all. It moved without his thoughts as though it was the most natural thing. His blades sliced through piece after piece giving him a path through the storm. From the side, he called upon spare blades he had in the air to flank her. She quickly countered them before they even got anywhere. He kept materializing attacks as she shot them down. She saw through it all, but he kept cutting a way to her. Unfortunately, buried behind all the storm was a purple beam coming straight for him. He punched out of the storm already seeing that she had another attack lined up outside. She left him with only one exit through it. It was obviously going to have an attack as well, but he charged it into flying through the air. Deflecting them off his swords, he lined up a series of feints and flanking attacks. She had more than he had planned, completely wiping out all of his attempts. Yori spun through the air dodging and jumping around trying to stay ahead, still three steps behind her. He took a lot of damage when she wanted it to happen, but he survived biting through the pain and reaching out for her. Stretching out his blade, he closed with her getting the closest that he had been since the start. However, she stopped his sword with just the tip of her index finger. Surprise flashed through his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re finished.¡± ¡°I can still keep going!¡± ¡°No, this is the end for you. I only allowed you this close, because you¡¯re out of power. I knew how much you had left and allowed you to be here so that you could understand that you¡¯ve failed. You can¡¯t win.¡± ¡°What?!¡± The energy in his sword suddenly evaporated into the air and his body slammed like a truck just fell on him. He fell through the air crashing into the crater he created before. ¡°No! I won¡¯t¡­¡± She appeared down at the edge of the crater. ¡°You already exceeded your limits a long time ago and had been forcing your reserves empty to reach this point. You can¡¯t fight anymore.¡± Chapter 341 - Sun and Moon Yori struggled even to push up off the ground. His body was so empty and trashed that he felt like he wasn¡¯t even in it anymore. Worse still was that he felt that she might have been right. ¡®Nothing¡¯s working! I can¡¯t even get my arms to move for me.¡¯ Panic ran through his eyes. It was the realization of the truth. The woman walked down into the crater towards Yori. ¡°So you understand now. This is the end of your struggling.¡± ¡®She¡¯s right¡­ dammit!¡¯ His body heaved nearly exploding his ribs with their force from his body¡¯s exhaustion. None of it could be felt, but he knew that once the feeling returned he would be suffering. All he could do was roll over on his back. ¡°¡­now¡­you¡¯re¡­going to¡­kill me¡­¡± She looked down at him with a slightly distant and penetrating gaze in her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m less inclined to do so.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t¡­Takako¡­¡± ¡°Yes, she wants you all dead. Though she¡¯s more interested currently in Yuki Hayashi than any of you. He¡¯s the primary objective.¡± Something close to that of a sign escaped his lips. He couldn¡¯t really do it well over the pounding of his own heart. ¡°¡­again¡­¡± ¡°From a tactical point of view, he is the most dangerous element facing her. But she won¡¯t get very far since she has no ambitions.¡± ¡°¡­you¡¯re not¡­¡± ¡°Under her mind control? No, I am just like everyone else. She had a harder time with this body due to the way it was remade, but it is no less different than everyone else. I just haven¡¯t succumbed to the mental corruption like the others have.¡± Fighting with his body, he managed to get an arm moving. Something motivated him again. The same thing that kept him fighting before. It gave him the energy to move, as bare as it was. Yori hung at the edge of the jacket of the uniform like it was keeping him upright. ¡°¡­sister¡­Yumi¡­is she¡­¡± ¡°Still single-mindedly focused on Yumi. She¡¯s asleep within where it is safe.¡± ¡°Give her¡­back!¡± ¡°Seeing you, I¡¯ve determined it to be ill-advised.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve determined¡­ You! Determined?!¡± Suddenly, Yori had the strength to stand on his own again. He lacked any of his powers, but he still had his physical strength to use. Yori threw out his hands grabbing for the woman as though he might be able to rip her out of Yumi¡¯s body. ¡°Give her to me!¡± Chapter 341 ¨C Sun and Moon His hands hit a barrier rather than what he aimed for. What strength he had fought against her to shatter the wall before him. For being exhausted beyond all reason, he held up his fight. ¡°Give!¡± She looked a little disappointed watching him struggle. ¡°Your obsession will be the death of you one day.¡± Pushing back to get him off her, she found that his strength somehow managed to exceed her power. Cracks began to appear along the barrier where his fingers pressed in. His strength actually looked to be increasing. ¡°You won¡¯t stop me!¡± For the first time, surprise crawled up her face watching Yori overpowering her through sheer strength and obsession. The power behind him made her feet slide a little as she struggled to keep her position. ¡°To think that you¡¯d be able to summon up this much purely on self-delusions.¡± ¡°The only thing that¡¯s a delusion here is you!¡± This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°You¡¯re so blind.¡± ¡°Just go away!¡± The barrier completely shattered with the last push that Yori made. He grappled with her for a brief period before she knocked him away. It wasn¡¯t enough to make him stay down, only sliding away with his feet still planted in the ground. He charged in after her taking swings at her with unexpected agility and control. A focused look that hadn¡¯t been present before seemed to be driving him forward. The fuel it gave him allowed him to keep coming after her. ¡°Such tenacity shouldn¡¯t be possible.¡± ¡°I told you already! I¡¯m not stopping until I get my sister back!¡± Blocking with her barriers, which shattered quickly from the impacts, she kept him from getting too close. But he jumped around the ground laying down kicks and punches that shook her defense. Though he hadn¡¯t managed to use his powers to break her barriers, his strength continued to do things he had been unable to achieve otherwise. It actually became a struggle for her to keep her usual passive stance. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d actually force my hand.¡± She lifted up her hand as Yori approached again and the space around him distorted. His body immediately bowed. A crushing weight slammed into his back and shoulders. It hit from the top forcing him down. Yori pressed his hand to the earth trying to keep himself from collapsing under the weight. As he struggled the pressure increased. It crushed his body into the earth beginning to give under him. ¡°You¡­won¡¯t¡­stop¡­me¡­¡± ¡°However much strength you seem to have, it''ll all be crushed. You must be stopped here.¡± Increasing in weight, Yori felt his back being pushed further to the earth. All the ground around him cratered around him. Soon even the earth couldn¡¯t hold it together and broke away from the part not being crushed. ¡°I¡­won¡¯t¡­¡± He started to force himself back up against the crushing pressure. His back couldn¡¯t straighten out, but he staggered forward. One foot dragged forward with it smashing through the earth when he dropped it down. ¡°Unbelievable¡­¡± ¡°¡­I¡­will¡­¡± Yori made another step forward. Another followed and another after. He slowly started to stretch out his hand fighting against the weight that forced it down. The edge of the pressure was in reach. ¡°It¡¯s truly irrational the strength gained through such deception.¡± She then took a step forward, suddenly building up power in her free hand. Waves of energy pulsed from the purple orb that gathered up. It quickly drew in power until arcs began to orbit around it. Directing the energy in waves, she sent it at Yori, unable to do any sort of evasion. He lacked his power to defend or deflect it coming at him. Yori could only brace for the arcs. They sharpened up into blades that sliced through his out-stretched arm. Quickly diced up by the attack, his left hand fell to the crushing weight with his fingers and forearm shattered around. Blood poured out of his wound as he collapsed to one knee. ¡°¡­damn¡­¡± She increased the pressure forcing him down into the dirt. ¡°This is where your journey ends. You¡¯re unable to see past your own hand. Such selfishness is only corrupting.¡± ¡°I¡­don¡¯t want¡­to hear¡­that coming¡­from you.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want to hear it at all. You¡¯ve convinced yourself of your justifications.¡± ¡°You¡­know¡­nothing¡­¡± ¡°Self-deception is the worst poison of all. It¡¯s rare to find an antidote in time before it consumes your life.¡± The weight on him suddenly disappeared. Despite his arm, he didn¡¯t feel any of the pain. If he hadn¡¯t seen it happen, he wouldn¡¯t have even known about it. He attempted to get back to his feet to return to the fight, but purple energy surrounded him. Wrapped around his wrist and ankles, it floated him into the air. Several more bindings latched to his waist and legs keeping his movement completely locked down. He attempted to struggle against the bonds, but there was no movement. Even the strength he had found seemed to have left him. Nothing was left. ¡°I gave you plenty of chances to figure it out on your own. But it seems the poison had run its course already. There doesn¡¯t seem to be anything else that can be done.¡± ¡°Keep telling yourself that.¡± ¡°For a dead man you still have a lot of confidence.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t killed me yet.¡± ¡°No, but I gave you your last chance. Takako has become very insistent on seeing you die and I¡¯m inclined to grant her that wish.¡± Yori lost any of his uncertainty through the fight. And the numbness in his body left him with little fear. He only saw his goal. ¡°Kill me if you can. You¡¯ve talked about doing so since the beginning, but still have yet to actually go through with it.¡± ¡°True. I only spoke in threats until now. I merely wished to test you and you¡¯ve failed. You¡¯ve been given more than enough chances. So now I¡¯ll make good on my promise for you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m tired of listening to you anyway.¡± ¡°Such a disappointment.¡± The purple orb in her hands began to glow brighter dragging Yori towards the woman. She stared into his eyes one last time. It was her last attempt to find what she sought. Yet it was missing, just like before. There was no finding it. A sigh escaped her lips. She closed her hand stopping Yori just inside of arms reach. Her right hand flattened out, coming to a point as she lifted it back. ¡°Any last words?¡± ¡°Go to hell.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be going first.¡± ¡°At least I won¡¯t have to see you corrupting my sister anymore.¡± She threw out of her hand piercing his chest in a swift blow shooting out blood through his back as her bloodied hand exited. His blood poured out around her arm streaming down dripping to the earth. Pulling her hand free she threw out Yori¡¯s body to the ground. The hole left in his chest pulsed blood. Yori coughed and choked on the blood that poured up his throat. He continued to fix his eyes upon what should have been his sister. ¡°¡­damn¡­you¡­¡± ¡°A miserable soul¡­¡± Chapter 342 - The Reverse Mirror Hiroshi and Tatsuya both turned to look where Yuki disappeared into the night. Neither knew if he was alive after taking such a kick. Unfortunately, they didn¡¯t really have much time to think about it. Saki made her stance clear. She held the line keeping anyone from advancing past her. They stared a little awkwardly at each other, not completely sure what they were going to do. But Saki made their decision for them. She saw them both as threats, naturally. So she turned her attention to them. Her body disappeared and then popped up in between them. Spinning out, she took them both out with a kick to Tatsuya¡¯s stomach and punch to Hiroshi¡¯s face. Being more resilient than Yuki, they only flew back into the placed classrooms. Tatsuya saw it coming a little better than Hiroshi. He recovered quickly in mid-air and landed on top of a desk, though his force did cause it to slide backwards. When it came to a stop, he heard a strange moan pop up from behind him. The thought that he might be surrounded by more of Takako¡¯s army put him on edge. Such a thought immediately left his mind once he took in the classroom. ¡°What¡­the hell?!¡± A strange odor wafted through the air. He quickly tried to shut his eyes, but he still heard the sounds of all of the different voices coming from around him. ¡®What did Takako do to them¡­to make them do THAT?!¡¯ He really started to believe in Yuki¡¯s theory that it was mind control. It was the only way to explain something so impossible. Tatsuya jumped off the desk wanting to return to the hallway immediately. He couldn¡¯t take all of the sounds coming from the room any longer. Saki stood waiting for him, likely knowing that it wasn¡¯t enough to take him down. She already had another fist ready for him. But he slipped around it with very little effort. Saki glared over at him, her left arm still fully extended. ¡°Tatsuya¡­you won¡¯t escape me this time.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to have to be a little more serious this time around if I¡¯m expecting to live through this.¡± He pulled up his shirt a little after it had been pulled down from all of the rough treatment. Their fight resumed. ¡°Your death is assured this time.¡± Roughly adjusting his position, he shifted his weight around on his feet getting prepped for the fight. ¡°I¡¯m not really a fan of assured death,¡± he joked awkwardly, ¡°I prefer the more certain life sort of thing.¡± Annoyed with his clearly lack of serious commitment to their fight, Saki spun around to kick him. Unfortunately, all that she hit was the air with a disappearing image of Tatsuya. She ground her teeth with the bone nearly audible. ¡°You coward! You won¡¯t fight, you just run away!¡± Deeper in the hall, Tatsuya surfaced out of reach of Saki. He stroked his shirt with a little unease after the near miss. ¡°Death isn¡¯t exactly the sort of motivator for me.¡± All his joking, he knew the gravity of his situation. ¡®Hiroshi¡¯s not really well suited to this sort of fight. His things need preparation and they restrict him to the rules along with anyone else. He can¡¯t exclude people. So all it would do is create a stalemate and we need to get to Takako before anyone else.¡¯ He glanced around the hall trying to find Hiroshi anywhere. After the opening attack by Saki, they lost each other and he didn¡¯t need Hiroshi doing anything stupid. ¡®I was better prepared for the attack than him. But he¡¯s not dead from just that I know.¡¯ The hesitation was all that Saki needed to make another attack. She grew more cautious of Tatsuya and his strange ability to dodge her unlike anyone else had been able to do. However, she connected with him that time. From the force of the attack alone, she pounded him backwards and through the floor partially. His body might have been able to take her attacks, but the building wasn¡¯t made of such materials. Splinters and shards of wood jumped around his legs as he fought for a hold. He quickly lost his ground in a very literal sense. ¡®Crap¡­this isn¡¯t going to work¡­¡¯ Just as the ground gave way he jumped away, disappearing from Saki¡¯s sights for a moment. He saw the way things were going with Saki. ¡®If I¡¯m going to do this I¡¯m going to need to get out of the school.¡¯ While he started trying to think of ways to get Saki out of the school, a crash from a neighboring classroom distracted the two of them. ¡®Is that¡­¡¯ More noises came from the room. It became pretty clear who it was. Saki reacted sooner than Tatsuya, becoming a blur. Tatsuya was half a second late on his reaction. ¡°Damn it!¡± She was after Hiroshi to finish what she started. He pushed all of his speed to get into the classroom. ¡®I thought she wanted me¡­ I don¡¯t need her to have a short attention span!¡¯ The sound of desks breaking along with two fighters clashing echoed from the room as Tatsuya broke through the wall. He used everything he had in his speed to throw it behind his fist. It connected with Saki¡¯s cheek shooting her through the room and windows out into the neighborhood in a large explosion of dirt and debris. Tatsuya slid to a stop just before falling out of the school. He looked back at Hiroshi before glancing over at his work. A pillar of smoke in the distance showed him how far he had actually sent her flying. Sweat dripped down the back of his head realizing he overdid it. ¡°Damn, I didn¡¯t know I¡¯d hit her that hard. I haven¡¯t a clue what I hit into her.¡± He clapped his hands together praying that no one had been injured from what happened. ¡°Tatsuya! What do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Turning back to Hiroshi, he could see that he was understandably upset. ¡°Hey man, it wasn¡¯t part of the plan.¡± ¡°What was part of the plan then?¡± ¡°I was trying to save you!¡± ¡°And what about those that you might have killed!¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t thinking about that at the moment.¡± ¡°We¡¯re in our own city! We¡¯re supposed to be protecting the people here!¡± ¡°I know that! But this sort of battle isn¡¯t going to be clean!¡± Hiroshi rushed over to Tatsuya and grabbed him up his collar. It mostly just pulled at his shirt than anything else. ¡°Tatsuya! We¡ª¡° There was no chance to try to yell at him anymore as Saki burst through the wall with a very pissed off look in her eyes. During the entire argument, Tatsuya had been checking on Saki knowing that she was no more harmed by the attack than the first punch she got on him. He pushed Hiroshi back as Saki¡¯s collision with Tatsuya ripped them through the classroom. The initial impact alone sent out a shockwave that rattled the entire room. As Saki¡¯s propelled force sent Tatsuya back they decimated the floor and walls crashing into the next classroom on the other side of the school. Tatsuya¡¯s whole world felt like it had been turned upside down and shaken up in a blender and then poured out. He lay prone in the classroom amongst the bodies of other classmates. It was the room that he wanted to forget. Kicking her off of him, Tatsuya grabbed a couple of desks and spun them around him whacking Saki with them. The metal and wood splintered into dust nearly, but they still dropped Saki into a different part of the school. Across the room and hallway, he saw Hiroshi hurrying to his side. ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± he shouted, holding up his hand towards his friend. ¡°This is my fight. I¡¯ve got her attention, you go where you need to be!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t beat Saki alone!¡± ¡°Hey, have a little confidence in your friend!¡± ¡°She¡¯s been protecting Yuki from bullies since school started, she¡¯s better in a fight than you are!¡± Coughing, Tatsuya just felt in his body what Saki had done to him. ¡°I¡¯m fully aware of that. But someone has to stop Takako and that should be you! Only you know what must be done, what has to be done! I can¡¯t do it!¡± Grimacing, Hiroshi¡¯s face betrayed his distaste for what Tatsuya said. But his expression twisted and changed understanding of the situation. He put himself on the course and he knew what he needed to do as Tatsuya told him. As all the thoughts ran through his face, he finished reconciling things with his fate. ¡°Fine, just stay alive until I kill Takako! If Yuki¡¯s right, Saki should come back to her senses!¡± ¡°Of course! I¡¯ve got no plans on dying today!¡± He watched Hiroshi run off in the direction of Takako. Once out of sight, he turned to look back in the direction of Saki and the cloud that covered her. She walked out of it shortly still looking pretty pissed and with her clothes a little torn up for the trouble. ¡°No plans by me. I can¡¯t speak for her plans¡­¡± Chapter 342 ¨C The Reverse Mirror Walking out of the classroom, Tatsuya met Saki out in the hall again. He glanced around at the condition of the school. In the distance, he heard flames going off from Haruo¡¯s fight that they left him to handle. ¡°It¡¯s a miracle that this school is holding together with everything we¡¯re doing to it. Yuki¡¯s going to be pretty pissed that we¡¯ve wrecked all of his work.¡± ¡°He¡¯s already dead.¡± ¡°Now you¡¯re just making assumptions.¡± ¡°He couldn¡¯t have survived my kick.¡± ¡°I guess we¡¯ll find out.¡± Pretending that he knew what he was doing, Tatsuya tried to imitate something that he saw in a martial arts movie for a fighting stance. Saki glared at him like she was insulted in his efforts. ¡°You¡¯re full of openings.¡± ¡°Then try me.¡± Taking the bait, she charged after Tatsuya without a thought to what he was capable of doing. He moved around her as she completely missed once more. However, it was something that she had gotten used to seeing and stopped. She spun around with her leg destroying the wall of the hall to toss a storm of debris at him. Some of the debris hit and a lot of missed. It staggered him out of his evasion and she closed the distance. He knew it was coming, but could do nothing to stop her. Saki pummeled him into the ground, crashing him down to the first floor in a rain of debris. It took Tatsuya a moment, but he emerged from the debris and crater he formed. A bit of blood dripped down from his forehead where he smacked into the ground and foundation of the school. He examined the rest of his condition to be sure of no other injuries. While looking around he saw his shirt torn up from the fall. ¡°You ripped one of my favorite shirts, Saki,¡± he shouted back up to the second floor. ¡°Hope you plan on replacing this!¡± All he got for his troubles was some debris she shot down at him. He batted it away with it not having strength enough actually to harm him. Before he went back up, he looked around to find Miyako. He could see her further down near where they last saw her. She had her hands full with all of the students and others attacking. ¡®She¡¯s still kicking¡­I¡¯m glad.¡¯ As he began to jump, he felt the school shudder from all of their fighting. Just as he leapt back up to the second floor, the third floor collapsed down near where Yuki originally fell. The damage spread quickly and collapsed the second floor as well. Tatsuya paused, realizing that everything falling was on top of Miyako. ¡®She¡¯ll be fine¡­that wouldn¡¯t even harm her anymore¡­¡¯ Thinking about someone else other than his own wellbeing was a bad idea as he remembered. Saki didn¡¯t give him much time to do nothing. He thankfully saw her coming and managed to evade her attack. She improved her reaction time against him and followed up with a second swing. It required a lot of correction, which in the steps between seconds was an eternity. He could dodge it as well, but not the third that she had. She was already on top of him and the amount of correction was almost non-existent. Tatsuya knew he couldn¡¯t do anything to evade the attack. Putting up his arms, he did everything to fortify his position to her attack. The force of the hit knocked him back, but he managed to stay on his feet. Shockwaves ripped through the hallway tearing up the fragile walls. The school shook a little as each hit it took made it less safe to remain within. More of the third floor came raining down around him. None of that stopped Saki from charging through. Since his defense mostly held, she didn¡¯t plan to stop until he went flying. Each blow she left on him pushed him back further and further. While he didn¡¯t have a good sense of space, he knew that he was going to run out of floor soon. Behind him was the destroyed part of the school that Yori wrecked in his opening attack on Yumi. ¡®If I fall, she¡¯s going to take full advantage of me being off balance. I need to do something, playing defense isn¡¯t helping me here¡­¡¯ Tatsuya tried to dodge Saki''s punch, but it opened up his defenses. He ended up taking part of the power from her fist to his shoulder. It knocked him a little off balance, but it did at least put him into a better position against her. Taking her extended arm, he grabbed her and threw her down the hall the way she sent Yuki. ¡°At least we¡¯ll be out of the school now.¡± Following Saki, he jumped through the school on what remained until he came out to the night air. Saki had already landed safely, not giving him a chance to keep his momentum. He landed on top of a house that still somehow remained standing after Saki crashed through it. ¡°I¡¯ll be able to utilize the full extent of my powers out here.¡± Tatsuya suddenly became blurry to Saki¡¯s eyes until she started to see two of him. ¡°This is something new I figured out my power can do. Let¡¯s see how much trouble this causes you.¡± Chapter 343 - The False Mirror ¡°Is that all you can do?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± That wasn¡¯t the sort of response he expected to get from Saki. She didn¡¯t even look worried about it. He wasn¡¯t thinking she would be surprised, but a little bit of concern or annoyance at something that would give her trouble. Yet she looked disappointed. ¡°All you make is two?¡± Tatsuya leaned forward on the roof a little, finding that he was more surprised and shocked, which should have been on her face. ¡°A-all! It took me two weeks to figure out how to do this! I like to see you do better!¡± As requested, Saki began to become blurry until she separated into two copies and then another. She stopped at creating six copies of her through her speed. ¡°And I figured this out in the middle of combat.¡± ¡°Now you¡¯re just showing off,¡± he joked, trying to hide his insecurity. ¡®Damn, this is bad. She can do all that and doesn¡¯t even look like she¡¯s trying still. How am I supposed to even get a draw with her? Hurry up, man. I¡¯m not going to be able to hold out for as long as I thought against her.¡¯ Chapter 343 ¨C The False Mirror Saki didn¡¯t wait long before making her move against Tatsuya. She was confident, but not one to showboat. There was no need for her to be dramatic about her fight. None of that had changed since joining Takako. All six copies of Saki leapt to the roof after Tatsuya. It was only thanks to his ability that kept him from being completely destroyed in the first second. She once again missed him. While he was already airborne, she crushed the roof that he stood upon a moment before. It all happened in a blur, but he saw multiple streaks from Saki for each of her copies. As he came to a rest, he watched the house collapse into pieces as Saki stood on the debris pile. Though he noticed as she stood on it, the debris was moving quickly. Eventually, she stood on a flat surface of the floor. It took him a moment, but he realized what had to be happening. ¡®It¡¯s like in those anime¡­¡¯ The moment he thought that he became a little depressed with himself that he was thinking like Yuki would. But it made sense. ¡®This all did come from his mind, so it¡¯s not surprising that these sorts of things would work this way.¡¯ Little time remained for him as Saki returned to the offense again, but armed with what he figured out he could dodge her again. It took a few more attempts for him to be sure. ¡®I was right. She didn¡¯t actually copy or clone herself. They don¡¯t have independent movement. It is just her moving so fast and intentionally taking pauses in her movement. They¡¯re all just after-images. There is still only one Saki.¡¯ The discovery made him grin a little. Learning such a piece of information didn¡¯t make her as threatening as she seemed. It was still frightening to ponder the fact that she could move so fast as to create six after-images. But Tatsuya could take such a thing. He kept dodging her using his two copies to throw her off. She quickly realized as she managed to land a punch on what she thought was him, that it wasn¡¯t actually real. Her fist went right through him. It left her to pause in surprise. This opened her up to a counterattack. Tatsuya immediately took advantage of it by attacking from his real self. He didn¡¯t have any speed behind his punch, so it didn¡¯t have the same sending power as before. But he still connected with her cheek. The power behind it knocked her back off her feet. She had no defense up, not expecting it. So he got the full advantage of his strike. Tumbling end over end for a good fifty meters before she managed to come to a stop, Saki crashed through two homes. Columns of smoke spread out from all of the destruction she wrought from the attack. But she didn¡¯t stay down for long. Saki nearly seemed to be flying back the way she was covering the ground. If he hadn¡¯t seen her coming from so far away, he probably could have been knocked out by the sheer speed she approached. However, since he could see her coming so easily, it gave him plenty of setup. He tripped her and flipped her all in the same motion sending her sliding into the earth. The force behind her body was enough to carve out the earth across the street and into a house. It buried her about a meter below the ground in a tunnel she created. Tatsuya could hear her screaming curses at him, unfortunately through the earth her voice didn¡¯t carry very well. ¡®Seems her overconfidence is working out in my favor. But I don¡¯t know how long I can keep this up. She doesn¡¯t seem to be even breaking a sweat and I can already feel my body getting tired. I¡¯m not used to such an intense fight.¡¯ He kept his movement limited knowing his poor stamina. None of this was his sort of life. All his school life consisted of before these dark days was hanging out with friends and trying to do the least amount of work possible. He was content with being lazy. Unfortunately, the new life he led didn¡¯t allow for such luxuries anymore. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. While he tried to preserve his energy, Saki worked on getting out of her hole. The tunnel she dug with her body left her stuck firmly behind a meter of earth. It didn¡¯t take long for her to get enough room made for her to free herself. When she did, a column of earth exploded into the air as she punched her way out. As she walked out of the cloud, it looked like she had her own that she generated from her fuming emotions towards Tatsuya. She was dirt caked and a little bruised from everything. Not nearly as worse for wear as Tatsuya, but it actually looked like he managed to do something to her. Unfortunately, the anger in her eyes made him sweat a little in worry. She looked even more pissed than before, which seemed impossible. Yet it was true and it was all going to be taken out on him. ¡®And suddenly, I want to swap out with Hiroshi¡­¡¯ He noticed that she wasn¡¯t trying her after-images anymore. It wasn¡¯t giving her an advantage against him. ¡®I had hoped that she¡¯d keep it up for a while longer. It would have drained her energy faster¡­¡¯ Once he figured out how it worked, he knew he could use it against her. Sadly, it didn¡¯t last longer for him. Saki charged after him, quickly closing the distance, but stopped just before him. He was already in the act of dodging when she raked her foot through the earth spitting up debris in an arc at him. Debris shot through both of the copies of Tatsuya leaving Saki confused. She paused, not sure where he went. ¡°Come out you bastard!¡± ¡°Alright.¡± He popped out behind her getting another hit on her. It knocked her forward, but didn¡¯t send nearly as far. Tatsuya felt something a little off about the impact. ¡®Did she block me or am I getting more tired than I thought?¡¯ Whichever was the case, Saki jumped back on her feet almost the instant she tumbled over. She jumped back after Tatsuya before he had much of a chance for anything. His attempt to dodge changed a direct hit into a glance blow, but it still sent him flying backwards into the ruins of the house Saki destroyed earlier. Somehow, it actually felt worse than before even though he was certain she didn¡¯t hit him as hard. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Tatsuya tried to get up, but Saki didn¡¯t want to lose her advantage on him. She landed with a sharp kick to his stomach as he was pretty sure the sound of ribs breaking echoed out through his body. Blood shot up out of his mouth along with the air knocked out of his lungs. Following up with a kick in the side of his ribs, Saki assuredly broke several. The force sent him up in the air and she leapt forward slamming her elbow into his chest shooting him back into the earth. His impact shattered the earth and dented it. Another stream of blood escaped his lips as he coughed and nearly choked on the blood. He frantically manipulated his copy and threw up some of the dirt to temporarily blind Saki. ¡°You bastard!¡± she screamed as she tried to rub out the tiny particles of dirt. She still roughly knew where Tatsuya was and spun around her leg to try to take him out. It only caught a small piece of him. ¡°Get back here!¡± Tatsuya escaped quickly to get out of sight of Saki. There were plenty of houses in the neighborhood, all abandoned. So it gave him the options that he needed. Putting some distance between her, he stopped up against the wall and nearly crumpled over. ¡®Damn¡­I didn¡¯t think she¡¯d wreck me so fast. The difference in our power is too great¡­ I don¡¯t know how much longer I can keep her busy.¡¯ The screaming of Saki¡¯s anger and pain ripped through the neighborhood. It only made Tatsuya try to hide even more. His body didn¡¯t want to go back out there against her again. He cleaned up a little bit of the blood, but it was already everywhere. ¡®How bad did she mess me up?¡¯ ¡°Tatsuya, you bastard! Get out here!¡± ¡®No, I need to keep buying time for Hiroshi.¡¯ He peeked around the house trying to get an idea of where Saki was. Unfortunately, there was just too much still. Tatsuya hugged his stomach trying to work through the pain. ¡®This isn¡¯t going so well¡­¡¯ In what was likely enough time for Saki to get the dirt out of her eyes, the ominous sound of things breaking lowly echoed around the empty neighborhood. ¡®She sounds really pissed off¡­¡¯ Odd noises from the distance started to give him an uneasy feeling about things. She couldn¡¯t find him clearly. ¡®What¡¯s she doing? Trashing the place in anger? There¡¯s nobody living here at least.¡¯ Before long though, a strange sound screamed towards him. He didn¡¯t have enough time to react to the explosion that leveled half of the house nearby him. ¡®The hell!?¡¯ Tatsuya tried to lean out to see if he could figure out what happened, but another explosion went off on the opposite side. ¡°You can¡¯t hide from me!¡± It began to come to him. Another explosion further in the distance destroyed what remained of a house. ¡®Is she throwing things around trying to level the place until she finds me?¡¯ As he watched another house blow up, he paid more attention to what happened. He saw a large chunk of earth colliding with the house moments before it collapsed. ¡®I¡¯m right¡­ Damn, this isn¡¯t going to take nearly as long as I hoped for her to find me. I¡¯m running out of hiding spots fast and I can¡¯t hide in areas that would draw her fire towards living areas.¡¯ Precious seconds drained away as Tatsuya tried to think of something to do. Stress and pressure didn¡¯t help him think faster. His mind drew a blank on anything that he could do. ¡®¡­dammit¡­wish Yuki built me better¡­then I could hold my own against Saki better. She¡¯s just too strong¡­¡¯ He had no options, save for one. His house was the last one still standing in the area. It made it pretty easy for her to figure out. Saki leapt through the air landing on the roof of the house. A few of the clay tiles slid off falling at Tatsuya¡¯s feet. ¡°So this is where you are.¡± ¡°Damn! Out of time.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Tatsuya stood up to face Saki directly. The pain from his ribs seemed to have disappeared. He wasn¡¯t sure why, but it helped him if he was going to fight. ¡®I¡¯ll have to make the first move otherwise things will play out the same as before.¡¯ This was his only option. Flinging a couple of the mostly whole roof tiles back at Saki, he used it as a screen. She cut them down with her arms leaving her completely open for Tatsuya to punch her into the house. Everything shook from the impact, but the house remained standing, somehow. Keeping up his attack, he pulled out pieces from the ruined roof to throw at her. The smoke made it difficult for him to locate her, so he listened for the different sound when it hit her. Once he heard the right sound, he jumped down swinging with a large chunk of wood he found. It shattered immediately on impact against Saki with the force that he brought upon it. Saki still staggered back as the blow created a gust that cleared out the clouds. He picked up anything nearby to keep swinging at Saki, anything to keep her off balance. In the middle of a swing, Saki caught the latest thing he was swinging, part of a sink. ¡°That¡¯s enough of that!¡± Tatsuya received a good look at Saki, his attacks left her bloodied in the face and arms. Her pissed look reached a new peak as she wound up her punch. He tried to back away and dodge her, but Saki grabbed a hold of his arm. ¡°You¡¯re not getting away from me this time!¡± Her fist slammed into his stomach shattering the house¡¯s floor and foundation as his body carved out a crater to lie in. Chapter 344 - The Broken Mirror Coughing up blood, it felt like he had been dealt a lethal blow the way it hurt. He had no idea how much damage it did to his body, but it felt like she broke everything. His body crumpled up in the crater. ¡®I can¡¯t really feel my body¡­ This isn¡¯t good! Hiroshi¡­¡¯ Saki stood back up to stare down at the shocked Tatsuya. ¡°You never stood a chance against me. The little tricks that you had were just tricks, not real strength like what I have.¡± He felt like saying something witty back to her that would just get him hit again, but nothing came to him. It might have been the first time in a while that he lacked a comeback, good or bad. ¡®Dammit¡­this isn¡¯t looking good. I can¡¯t move¡­¡¯ Tatsuya knew that nothing happened yet. Or at least that was what he convinced himself. He knew nothing of how Takako¡¯s powers functioned other than their guesswork. So he worked under the assumption he would see a change. Which meant for him, he still needed to fight. Moving his body appeared to be a futile effort. Nothing responded to him. The fact that he couldn¡¯t feel his body didn¡¯t actually scare him. He would have actually needed to put that together to have made that feeling pop up. Saki¡¯s menacing appearance gave him more than he needed for things to think about. Jumping down into the small crater she made, she stood next to the paralyzed Tatsuya. ¡°After I¡¯m finished killing you, I¡¯ll hunt Hiroshi and kill him as well. Then your little rebellion will be over.¡± She delivered each word with clear measure intent. A lethal, deadly intent unmistakable for anything. Death. Chapter 344 ¨C The Broken Mirror Saki drew her hand back not even hesitating to make the act. The commitment left Tatsuya a little terrified that this was the same girl he knew. Unlike so many of the others he ran across that looked dead inside from Takako¡¯s control, Saki looked completely aware of her actions. That awareness made it even worse. As though blind innocence somehow made mass murder better. It was an unsettling side of Saki that he never knew existed. Even during the attack on their base, she focused on people that she knew rather than the murder spree of the rest of the group. Tatsuya never saw such a look from Saki. Mustering his strength, Tatsuya found that he could move a little bit now, though mostly only his mouth. ¡°Do you know what you¡¯re doing?¡± She paused. ¡°That¡¯s rather vague.¡± ¡°Right now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you. That¡¯s pretty simple to understand.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± And he suddenly felt like he was talking to a child. One that really didn¡¯t understand the weight of their actions. ¡°You say that¡­ But you realize what that means?¡± ¡°You die. This isn¡¯t complicated. What point are you trying to make?¡± He sighed as she still missed it. ¡°What I¡¯m trying-¡° Pain suddenly revealed itself to him, which had been missing before. It was still numb and distant, but it sharply stopped him as his intensity rose. He drew himself back a little to keep control. ¡°What I mean is this is murder. That¡¯s what this will make you if you cross this line.¡± ¡°Is this supposed to be your effort to plead for your life?¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying to stop you from doing something you¡¯re gonna regret!¡± ¡°I kill Takako¡¯s enemies, there¡¯s nothing to regret.¡± ¡®I feel like I¡¯m in a loop now. It¡¯s at least stalling her. So there¡¯s that.¡¯ Distracted a little, he turned back to focus on the bigger issue he was hoping to tackle. ¡°You¡¯ll be killing someone, Saki! It¡¯ll make you a murderer.¡± ¡°I¡¯m already one. Another death isn¡¯t something that¡¯s going to bother me,¡± she replied so casually it didn¡¯t even seem like she realized what she said. It was too big of information to drop. So she clearly couldn¡¯t have meant it. It had to be Takako¡¯s doing. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Takako thought that way at least. ¡°You only just joined Takako¡¯s side! You can¡¯t have killed anyone!¡± ¡°But I have.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not talking about the others with her, just you!¡± ¡°Of course. I¡¯m not taking credit for someone else¡¯s work.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t been here long enough to have!¡± ¡°While that¡¯s true. I¡¯m not talking about having killed anyone for Takako.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Tatsuya wanted to draw back from Saki, but nothing in his body wanted to move. He didn¡¯t like the direction things were taking. It hit him harder than he thought it would. ¡°We were fighting for our lives.¡± ¡°Are you talking about where you all disappeared to for months?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°But it was an accident or something right?¡± ¡°I did kill a lot of people by accident, but no I killed a man intentionally.¡± ¡°Saki?!¡± ¡°He was trying to kill Yuki. Yuki would have just let him live, but I knew he¡¯d just come after us again. So I killed him.¡± Tatsuya needed to let it all set in. He couldn¡¯t believe what he was hearing from her. The meaning of the words hit him immediately, it was why he tried to question it. Yet it was the truth. She didn¡¯t seem to be lying to him. ¡®This means that before all of this. Before Takako, under no influence. She¡­killed¡­a man. She really does understand¡­¡¯ She lowered herself down towards Tatsuya, her hand still hadn¡¯t left its prepared position to kill him at a moment¡¯s notice. ¡°They figured out the final numbers after all of the fighting, but there¡¯s no way to be completely certain how many of them I killed or Yumi might have. But it¡¯s a very realistic possibility that I¡¯ve killed more than anyone in Takako¡¯s army. What¡¯s one more when I already have killed thousands.¡± ¡®She really is¡­¡¯ Tatsuya found a little bit of strength in his body to move, but Saki grabbed his ankle with her free hand. She wasn¡¯t letting him escape. ¡®Thousands?! What the hell happened to change Saki?!¡¯ He stuttered on his words feeling true fear seeping into his body. ¡°Y-you¡¯re¡ª¡° ¡°Evil?¡± Tatsuya did nothing to respond to her question that finished his incomplete statement. She didn¡¯t smile at him, her face lost the pissed off look. She just looked serious and committed to her action. It was as if it was just normal for her, business to handle. ¡°That¡¯s fine. It is what I am. Someone must stand in the darkness for someone else to be in the light. Now that Takako is here, she has become that person.¡± ¡®Hell¡­she¡¯s really going to kill me. I¡¯m going to die!¡¯ ¡°Looks like you don¡¯t have any more questions. It¡¯s time for your death. I¡¯ve entertained you more than enough.¡± The moment had come. Saki¡¯s arm tensed up once more, this time actually going for the kill strike. Preparation ended. Death approached. Death. Tatsuya found himself for some reason thinking about Hiroshi in his last moments. His thoughts rewound back. While he recalled the better times that they had when the world was still normal, it was recent times that came to him. He recalled the day that Kazuhiro died. The scene with Hiroshi holding onto his body screaming at Yuki to bring him back. It was a time that he thought about regularly whenever he saw Hiroshi. It wasn¡¯t something that he could easily forget. The days after haunted him with the memory. A memory that he wished to forget on most days. And his only option became deflecting. It was only because of Hiroshi that he had managed the illusion that he overcame the memory. Day after day from then, the sight of Hiroshi¡¯s expression forced him to do everything. That was the only reason that he had. He was needed by Hiroshi. ¡®Why am I remembering this stuff now? Is because I¡¯m still guilt ridden by it all? Because I¡¯ve been using Hiroshi as my only means of dealing with the grief? This isn¡¯t how I imagined my last moments to turn out. Just filled with regret...¡¯ All he saw was regret. But the scenes continued to play over for him. They didn¡¯t stop as though they wanted him to remember in his vain effort to ignore them. All of the effort came back at the end. Proof that troubles couldn¡¯t be run away from no matter the effort. Tatsuya kept seeing images of Hiroshi. It was all focused on his friend. The grieving friend that he forced to overcome his standstill by pushing him forward. His friend became so swallowed by it all that he couldn¡¯t function. He did what he needed to continue on. He pushed him. Progress. Forward progression was all he could offer him. ¡®Hiroshi!¡¯ Snapping his eyes open, he caught Saki already in the motion of throwing her hand at his heart. He already knew their strength difference wouldn¡¯t be enough. She had better skills and power than him. His body fully responded to his desire. He slid down in the last moments causing her shaped hand to graze his shoulder painfully. Her hand embedded into the earth from the force. Tatsuya snapped his leg free from Saki¡¯s distracted hold and immediately kicked her off of him. He leapt away from Saki getting to the edge of the crater as she recovered. The blood dripping from her fingers reminded him of what might have happened. His hand clutched his wound. It was shallow and not enough to throw off his arm completely. Saki looked over at him questioning his suddenly rediscovered strength. ¡°Found the will to live.¡± ¡°More like I realized I couldn¡¯t leave someone alone in this world.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be killing him after you, so you can die knowing that he won¡¯t suffer for long.¡± ¡°Not the sort of encouragement I¡¯m looking for at the moment.¡± ¡°I will kill you.¡± Tatsuya wiped the blood away from his mouth. His body complained to him for standing up with his injuries. He couldn¡¯t feel them too much and that was a good thing. Will was the only thing keeping him standing now. ¡°Let¡¯s see if I can avoid that fate.¡± He leapt over the crater going straight for Saki as his resolve became stronger than before. Chapter 345 - The Shattered Mirror Saki easily watched him come straight at her. It hadn¡¯t been the first time he jumped into the attack, but she knew how he worked. Anticipation mounted waiting on him to make his move. The sneak attack or diversion that he seemed to favor, knowing that he couldn¡¯t take her straight on in power or skill. Yet she waited. The moment never came. What did was Tatsuya suddenly teleporting the last distance right in front of her slamming his fist into her face. Enough speed pushed his strength behind his punch to send Saki flying over the ground for several city blocks. Breathing heavily, Tatsuya watched the pillar of smoke rise into the air from the impact. ¡®This isn¡¯t over yet. I¡¯m about to collapse and she¡¯s still getting warmed up. But I can¡¯t stop¡­¡¯ He knew if he stopped to pause that everything keeping him standing would evaporate. That was how it felt. ¡°I wonder how pissed off she is now,¡± he joked to himself waiting for Saki to return. Chapter 345 ¨C The Shattered Mirror A scream ripped through the area. It was one that wasn¡¯t of surprise. And it only preceded her return by moments. Saki charged in full speed at Tatsuya angered that she fell for his tricks again. However, before she got even ten meters away from him a large metal rod flew at her. She effortlessly knocked it away, but it was merely a distraction. He appeared on her right flank delivering another punch. Off guard and unprepared, she bounced off the ground and in the air. Tatsuya immediately leapt to her side and brought both of his hands down together. Saki¡¯s body crashed into the ground creating a crater around her. Landing at the edge of the crater, Tatsuya waited for the smoke to clear. ¡®How long can I last like this? I never really fought for so long or so hard before. I feel like I¡¯ve become used to fighting losing battles, but this is a completely different sort of losing battle.¡¯ However, he didn¡¯t have to wait long for her to return. She dived back into the fight bursting out of the clouds with Tatsuya firmly locked in her sight. As her fist came down upon Tatsuya, it went through as though there was nothing there. Saki blinked in confusion watching the image of him disappear. Tatsuya popped up on her flank again, throwing out his fist. Though he connected with her solidly, she only staggered a little. Her feet planted themselves firmly into the earth to take it. ¡°I¡¯m getting tired of your tricks!¡± she roared as she returned to the attack. Her arm flew out for Tatsuya¡¯s head, but missed somehow. She recognized it as what had happened before in their fight. As she missed, Tatsuya snuck inside her defense countering with several quick blows. Lacking the power behind his fists, he couldn¡¯t push her back or knock her down. She went after him again trying to adjust, but missed again. Saki still didn''t understand it. She kept thinking that she had him, but then would miss instead. Yet he would appear and counter her. Despite seeing it repeatedly, nothing she did managed to adapt to it. It wasn¡¯t speed. She would have seen it if he moved faster than her. It didn¡¯t make any sense. ¡°Damn you! Just die already!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going down!¡± As he went in for another attack, it was stopped by Saki¡¯s hand. She fought him in a battle of strength. It was his already injured hand, so he couldn¡¯t support it as well as he wished. The struggle went poorly. She kept pushing back on him bit by bit. ¡°You¡¯re predictable. Even if you have a strange ability to keep dodging my attacks, you¡¯re no fighter. You¡¯ve got no skill or experience. You can¡¯t beat me!¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t been fighting you thinking I could win.¡± ¡°You futilely believe Hiroshi will be able to reach Takako.¡± ¡°He will! You can¡¯t protect her while I¡¯m fighting you!¡± ¡°Is that what you think?¡± Surprise and confusion took over Tatsuya¡¯s face and he completely lost his position. Saki broke through his defense and knocked him off his feet. Without her speed, her power didn¡¯t have the same sort of sending power. Tatsuya only fell over a little bit before recovering. ¡°What are you saying?¡± ¡°That should be pretty obvious! I¡¯m not the only one that guards Takako!¡± The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°¡­dammit¡­¡± She began to laugh at Tatsuya¡¯s naivety. ¡°I only just returned home. You really think that Takako didn¡¯t have someone else guarding her before I came around.¡± ¡®She¡¯s right¡­ I never really thought about it.¡¯ He began to think about what Hiroshi might be doing. All his planning on him fighting Takako and taking her down pinned everything on his fight. His mind tried to figure out who it might be, but Takako wasn¡¯t someone that he knew very well. ¡®She¡¯s Saki¡¯s friend, not mine. I only really knew that she was on the track team, that was about it. After she was hospitalized, she was never back at school until now. Vegetable to conqueror is a strange move. Could her guard be the source?¡¯ Tatsuya pulled himself together. He had too many questions and it wasn¡¯t helping the situation with Saki. ¡°Who is it? Who¡¯s protecting her still?¡± Focusing on the more important matter at the moment, he hoped to know if there was a risk of Hiroshi not reaching Takako. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. They¡¯ll keep Hiroshi entertained until I return.¡± ¡°Who?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s nothing you need to concern yourself over. You¡¯re going to be dead soon!¡± Saki lowered a little into her usual fighting stance preparing to attack. There was nothing he could do to prepare anymore. Tatsuya knew how much of a difference she had. It was always a stalling game. The game just changed. It was more of a death game now. Such an outlook wasn¡¯t the sort of view he wanted. ¡®It may very well come down to living as long as I can. Hiroshi won¡¯t be able to kill Takako if he has to deal with Saki. I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s anyone left that can actually stop Saki¡­¡¯ ¡°Now that you understand how hopeless your situation is¡ªbe so kind as to die!¡± Saki leapt at Tatsuya bringing her might upon him once more. ¡®¡­damn¡­things just keep getting worse¡­¡¯ Taking advantage of his power, he dodged Saki¡¯s opening strike. But he had to dance around their field to stay ahead of her. She was on the full offensive not letting him make any move of his own. And even dodging wasn¡¯t enough. She caught a piece of him as her reflexes adjusted to him. ¡®Damn!¡¯ Tatsuya slid back trying not to fall over. With her still coming at him, it allowed himself to fall when he realized the best option. Her attack flew over him while he launched himself with his feet into her stomach as she came in range. The hit knocked the wind out of Saki and kicked her up in the air. Grabbing some spare wood around their current location, Tatsuya spun around whacking Saki with the plank a few times before it shattered. It was enough to keep her in the air while he whaled on her. He grabbed for more weapons to swing at her needing to do anything to keep her stunned. Eventually, she recovered from it as she blocked his attacks. Rather than continue seeing that his makeshift weapons did nothing more to her, Tatsuya grabbed her arm and slammed her into the ground. He quickly threw his foot into her side doing anything to keep her down. ¡®Just stay down, Saki!¡¯ A couple of kicks in though, she grabbed his leg and spun him through the air into the ground next to her. She threw down her arm even while she was prone to pound him into the earth more. Tatsuya did what he could to block the damage with his arms, but it still channeled through his body. Tatsuya coughed and bit through the pain as his body weakened. ¡®I don¡¯t have much left in me.¡¯ He kicked over at Saki to push her away from him. It gave him enough distance to be freed up. He stumbled back to his feet as Saki flipped back up. ¡®I¡¯ve only got one trick left in me. She¡¯s seen everything else already. It¡¯s only going to keep her off balance for a bit. Finish the job, Hiroshi!¡¯ Focusing on his remaining energy, he prepared for the attack. Saki struck first as he expected. She wanted him dead to get back to Hiroshi. That gave him the opening that he needed. Tricking her with his copy, he kicked up a smoke of dirt to mask his escape. He jumped out of range to get the room he needed. Once he saw Saki charging out of the cloud, he went on the attack. Meeting her in the middle, he went through her. She missed the attack, but her reaction prepared for the real one coming straight at her, only it went through her as well. Several copies of Tatsuya went through her as if he was a ghost. ¡°What are you trying now¡ª¡° A punch actually connected with her knocked her off her feet. As her body flew through the air, Tatsuya sped over catching her quickly in an underarm pin, or at least his attempt at one. He squeezed his arms around her torso and arms trying to keep her from moving. ¡°You think you can hold me?!¡± He could feel her struggling. Because it was a bad angle for her, she couldn¡¯t use her full strength against him. ¡°As we¡¯ve been fighting, I realized that your actual strength isn¡¯t much different from my own. It¡¯s the speed that¡¯s been making up for your lack of power. So in a straight up test of strength, you¡¯re not going to be in that much of an advantage.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need my strength to break free.¡± ¡°Just try¡ª¡° Suddenly, Saki bashed the back of her head back at his face. It hurt, but he held together until she whacked him again. His grip started to fail as she repeatedly smashed her head into his. Saki ripped free from his loose grip and spun around with her leg kicking him in the head. Toppling over through the earth, she jumped into the air ramming her knee into his stomach. As Tatsuya coughed up blood into her air, she rolled over him and grappled him in a classic judo arm lock. Pinned to the ground and his arm pulled to its limit, Tatsuya struggled with what little strength that he had. Saki didn¡¯t stop pulling on his arm, taking it further than just a pin. He felt his joint in his elbow straining as she applied pressure. ¡®Can¡¯t¡­hold¡­¡¯ A low popping came from his arm as he screamed pain. Saki released his broken arm and wrapped her arms around his neck and head. Tatsuya grabbed at her with his only good arm trying to deal with the pain at the same time. ¡°This is the end for you.¡± ¡°Saki¡­¡± She quickly shifted her hands and gripped his head. ¡°You can¡¯t trick your way out of this!¡± However, before she could snap his neck a massive force slammed into her head throwing her free of Tatsuya. Tatsuya coughed and collapsed to the ground grabbing at his broken arm attempting to nurse it. He rolled his head over a little trying to see who had jumped into the fight. His eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Why¡­?¡± Saki stood up shaking off the ringing pain as half of her face was soaked in blood now. She glared over at Tatsuya and then up to the figure that interrupted her. Her eyes widened as well in shock. ¡°Why are you here?!¡± Chapter 346 - Water Works A step backwards in time and back in the school, Hiroshi rushed to get to his friend. ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Tatsuya shouted, holding up his hand towards him. ¡°This is my fight. I¡¯ve got her attention, you go where you need to be!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t beat Saki alone!¡± ¡°Hey, have a little confidence in your friend!¡± ¡°She¡¯s been protecting Yuki from bullies since school started, she¡¯s better in a fight than you are!¡± Hearing the way Tatsuya coughed worried him a little. He knew that Saki¡¯s attack caught up to him. ¡°I¡¯m fully aware of that. But someone has to stop Takako and that should be you! Only you know what must be done, what has to be done! I can¡¯t do it!¡± Grimacing, Hiroshi¡¯s face betrayed his distaste for what Tatsuya said. But his expression twisted and changed understanding the situation. He put himself on the course and he knew what he needed to do as Tatsuya told him. As all the thoughts ran through his face, he finished reconciling things with his fate. ¡°Fine, just stay alive until I kill Takako! If Yuki¡¯s right, Saki should come back to her senses!¡± ¡°Of course! I¡¯ve got no plans on dying today!¡± With the needed assurance from his friend, Hiroshi ran into the hall and away from the battle between two friends. ¡®Please, be safe¡­I¡¯m sorry for dragging you into this¡­ I¡¯ll finish this for all of us!¡¯ Chapter 346 ¨C Water Works It was a little miraculous, but the part of the hall behind where Saki guarded held together (part of which was only because time-wise, this was before the fighting escalated). While it was darker than usual with most of the lights out by now, Hiroshi found it familiar still. It should be, it was his school until a couple of months ago. Which only made it even more unsettling for him. He felt like he was going through a haunted house built inside his school, except everyone forgot to actually put out the decorations. ¡®So unnerving¡­it¡¯s like a horror movie¡­¡¯ Chills went down his spine even as he worked to ignore as much of it as possible. Everything was only made worse by the fact that it was his school. Hiroshi focused on the end of the hall. When it was a proper school it was just a normal end of the hallway. There were stairs going up to the third floor and down. Nothing out of the ordinary. However, now it seemed that it was completely blocked off. It was a makeshift construction with some awkwardly placed sliding doors and a wall taped together. ¡®Now it looks like a haunt house¡­¡¯ No guards protected the door, something he felt as odd. However, they could have been sent to fight in their invasion, which seemed to be predicted by Yumi. It benefited him either way. ¡°Takako¡¯s behind there¡­¡± There was some uncertainty still in Hiroshi. Behind the door was the unknown. Only those part of Takako¡¯s army went back there. No one ever survived. He wasn¡¯t sure what to expect from it. Given how the rest of the school turned out, it seemed only natural that the place with the boss would be taken to the extreme end of it. Grabbing the handle, he hesitated more thinking about the possibilities. ¡®Will I be able to keep my sanity? Can I kill her while surrounded by whatever depravity that she¡¯s carrying?¡¯ Hiroshi¡¯s hand shook a little as he tried to keep himself together. ¡°Are you coming in?¡± a voice whispered through the door. It felt distant, barely making it through the distance to him. He didn¡¯t really recognize the voice. It was clearly a girl¡¯s voice, but for him it could have been anyone. ¡®Is that Takako? I never really met her other than when she was with Saki. So I mostly just know what she looks like and even then I needed someone else to verify.¡¯ However, he had an invitation, not that he planned on asking for one. But the fact that someone knew he was outside the door unnerved him a little. ¡®She¡¯s able to see or sense me? I don¡¯t want to be thinking like Yuki, but if this is like anime maybe she can sense power? We haven¡¯t had anyone develop that ability though.¡¯ ¡°I know you¡¯ve come, Hiroshi Kuroda.¡± ¡®She even knows me.¡¯ There was a bit of panic as the horror environment really started to affect him. ¡®She just knows me from Saki and the others.¡¯ He tried to calm himself. The longer he stood still the harder it became to move. Hiroshi started to fear that he wouldn''t be able to do anything. ¡®I never imagined her presence would be so overwhelming and she¡¯s only speaking to me.¡¯ ¡°Do I need to get someone to open the door for you?¡± ¡®Someone else? Damn, I don¡¯t need to be fighting someone before I even reach Takako.¡¯ The thought of there being anyone else inside other than Takako forced Hiroshi''s hand. He made the move out of resolve and control. Takako had too many pieces in her favor. He needed to act first rather than after her. To his surprise, the rest of the hallway didn¡¯t look much different from the part behind him. In fact, it actually looked better off than the rest of the school. It looked very clean as though it had been untouched by any of the corruption made by Takako. Such an appearance made the whole thing just more unnerving to behold. But he made his first move. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°You feeling brave now?¡± ¡®Damn her voice is getting on my nerves.¡¯ He could feel the overwhelming confidence coming from her. She was in control of everything and wanted everyone else to feel it. In so little effort, she easily fixed her position as dominant. ¡®This feels nothing like the girl I remember hanging around Saki.¡¯ He cautiously walked down the rest of the hallway. Once he reached the end of the hall with the last classroom, he saw where the doors came from. Instead of doors, there was a black sheet hanging over it. ¡®A little on the nose¡­like their uniforms¡­¡¯ The almost clich¨¦ nature he saw started to give him back his composure. Drawing back the sheet, he saw numerous more hanging through the classroom. Without the desks and chairs orderly placed in rows, the room had a larger scale to it. It almost didn¡¯t feel familiar to him, like the inside was larger than the outside. ¡°Welcome to my room,¡± the voice echoed through the large space. They were still out of sight, but clearer to hear. Hiroshi glanced around the room trying to get a read on the space and anyone that might be hiding. ¡°I like what you¡¯ve done with the place. I always thought the school would look better with a little black.¡± The joking helped him forget a little about everything still unnerving him. ¡°You sound nervous. This your first time in a girl¡¯s room?¡± ¡°Nah, I¡¯ve been in plenty.¡± ¡°Is that so? My style¡¯s a little different from other girls.¡± ¡°I noticed.¡± ¡°How you enjoying the new curriculum I¡¯ve introduced?¡± ¡°Very educational.¡± ¡°I thought so.¡± The casual nature of how she spoke to him while still maintaining the dominance made it difficult for him to even think of her as a teenager anymore. She seemed like someone else. The atrocities he saw her allow or create didn¡¯t seem like that of someone that was still a child. It never made any sense. He finally arrived through all of the sheets to the source of everyone¡¯s pain and misery. Despite having a grand attempt at a throne to sit upon, it was still just a small teenage girl. The look in her eyes went beyond any darkness the rest of the school presented. She was the source of darkness. It was a conflicting paradox to stare at. ¡°Takako¡­¡± ¡°We meet again.¡± Hiroshi paused darting his eyes around the room for any signs of someone else. He wasn¡¯t going to ignore the threat she made earlier. Nothing came to him for the moment. It seemed safe. ¡°Do you really remember me?¡± ¡°Not so much, about as much as you likely remember me.¡± ¡°For someone that was supposedly a vegetable, you¡¯re looking pretty alert.¡± Takako casually ran her finger down her cheek until she rested her head in her hand. ¡°What can I say? I got better.¡± ¡°I think this goes beyond just getting better. How¡¯d you get better?¡± It was one of the biggest mysteries that had yet to find an answer. Those that knew her and her situation, knew it was impossible for her to recover. Yuki and Saki never explained the details to him. He just knew what they wanted him to know. The kidnapper that grabbed Saki took Takako as well. The only difference was that the whole incident left her completely traumatized and mentally scarred. He never fully accepted their explanation at face value. But given the situation and the way it affected them, there was never a place where he could just force the truth out of them. It was a delicate subject, especially for Saki. Takako leaned forward a little from her throne of chairs and desks. ¡°Oh you haven¡¯t earned the right yet to be asking me such questions.¡± ¡°Right? The hell?¡± ¡°I let you inside as a courtesy from one leader to another. But I¡¯m still waiting for the King to appear.¡± ¡°King, what King? What the hell are you going on about?¡± Hiroshi took a step forward only to be suddenly cut off by a new figure, one that he hadn''t seen in the room before. It was another girl, one that seemed about as familiar to him as Takako. ¡®How¡¯d she get in here? Is this the person that Takako was threatening me with?¡¯ ¡°You¡¯re not allowed any closer to Takako,¡± she stated clearly. He looked up beyond the girl to Takako. ¡°Afraid to face me, leader to leader as you said?¡± ¡°As a leader, you must prove yourself worth my time. My time is already reserved for the King. So you¡¯ll have to show yourself to be more interesting than him.¡± ¡°King again?! What the hell are you saying?¡± She grinned down at Hiroshi. ¡°So you don¡¯t know. I guess they really don¡¯t trust you.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?! Tell me!¡± ¡°You¡¯re just a pawn in this game. Kill Hitomi and maybe I¡¯ll reconsider your position in this game.¡± He grabbed at Hitomi¡¯s shoulder trying to push her aside, but found that she was stronger than he imagined. She batted him away and twisted his arm keeping him down. Hiroshi clutched his shoulder while struggling with Hitomi¡¯s strength. ¡°Damn your game!¡± ¡°But I thought you enjoy games. That is the sort of power you got from him.¡± His eyes widened a bit in surprise that Takako knew what his power was. ¡°What?!¡± ¡°You like jokes and things that are entertaining. So Hitomi should amuse you.¡± Takako turned her eyes down to Hitomi staring at the back of her head. ¡°You know what he wants to do to you, Hitomi.¡± The light in Hitomi¡¯s eyes suddenly dimmed a little. A strange sense of awareness came over her as she seemed to be picturing it. ¡°He wants to kill me! A-and that¡¯s not all! After he kills me, he¡¯s going to t-tear off my clothes! A-and¡­and¡­and! Even that too!¡± ¡°Especially that, Hitomi. He wants to do that and more. That¡¯s just the sort of man he is.¡± ¡°NO!¡± ¡°You know what to do.¡± Hiroshi wanted to protest the slander, but the pain in his arm occupied him. Yet he could see the gears turning in her head as she seemed to be imagining everything possible. All of the worst things that could happen to her. Things that he would never do, but she didn¡¯t seem to understand that. And then something happened that he didn¡¯t understand. She started to cry. It was slow to start, but it became loud. And it wasn¡¯t because of her voice. No, he heard a massive roaring river of water pouring down upon him. The mass of the water slamming into him pulled his body and strained his shoulder. However, Hitomi let him go, allowing him to be taken away by the sudden appearance of a wild river inside the classroom. The water crashed upon the walls pounding him into it before spreading out in all directions. ¡®Can¡¯t¡­move¡­¡¯ He tried to stand or even crawl away, but the pressure of the way was too great. It had him pin up against the wall. Through all of the roaring he couldn¡¯t hear the cracking of the wall as stress built up. Then it was all over. The water finally eased up and he dropped to the floor completely soaked. He coughed and choked on the water that forcibly entered his mouth. The entire room filled with water now. At least half a meter of standing water hung around as it was still trying to pour out into the hall. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°She should be able to entertain you.¡± Takako leaned back in her throne. ¡°You have my permission to kill him if you so desire.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t allow you to harm, Takako!¡± Seeing Hiroshi standing back up on his feet and preparing for the fight to come, Takako smiled. ¡°Will you be able to kill her? A girl able to literally cry rivers.¡± Chapter 347 - Water Games The taunt from Takako made Hiroshi pause for a moment, not completely sure he heard correctly. ¡°What did you say?¡± It seemed impossible. Just too absurd to be real. ¡°You heard me.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be serious.¡± Tonal shifts in their conversation left him getting too lax in his position. He quickly stiffened up once he realized his mistake. Takako laughed a little amused with his reaction. However, despite the laughter, she remained very serious through the whole exchange. ¡°I¡¯m not lying to you. This is very real.¡± ¡°What sort of joke power is crying?¡± ¡°You think it¡¯s a joke?¡± Takako glanced down at Hitomi with a long stare. There were no words as though she was communicating with her mind. Which would be a good guess from Hiroshi as the girl suddenly began to scream for no reason. ¡°No! Takako is¡­ S-She¡¯s¡­!¡± ¡°The hell¡¯s going on? Nothing¡¯s happened, why is she freaking out?¡± He caught the slip of a smirk on Takako¡¯s lips as she had done something devious. ¡°Oh hell¡­mind powers¡­¡± Hiroshi returned his attention to the girl, but it was already too late. ¡°Oh shit¡­not again!¡± Chapter 347 ¨C Water Games Water hadn¡¯t finished pouring out of the classroom from the last torrent. A renewed wild river burst forth from nothingness like before. The intensity somehow exceeded the last. Peaks in the water brushed against the ceiling making the tiling rattle as it stormed forward like a runaway train. Unprepared for it once more, Hiroshi did nothing, but take it all head on. Slammed to the wall as it groaned under the strain, he became fixed. The pressure was too great for him to break free. All he could do was ride out the water until the pressure dropped. Whether the perception of time changed or it was really happening, it lasted longer than last time to Hiroshi. He felt his body being forced back into the wall. It still held, but it didn¡¯t seem like it was going to last for long. ¡®How is something like this even possible? It doesn¡¯t make any sense¡­¡¯ Making sense or not, it was the reality of the situation. Hiroshi had to believe it to be real, even if he didn¡¯t want to believe. Once the water pressure eased up enough for him to take control, he pulled out from the direct line. Water rained from him as though he had been in a downpour, though it felt more as if he had been at the swimming pool. Coughing again, he had to clear out the water forced down his throat. ¡®I¡¯m going to need to be better prepared. At this rate, she¡¯s going to drown me before I do anything¡­¡¯ Trudging through nearly a meter deep of water now, Hiroshi felt his movements being a little restricted. ¡®Is this her plan?¡¯ ¡°Still think of her as a joke?¡± Takako taunted from her perch. She looked to be enjoying her position above everyone else. Wiping away the water from his brow, Hiroshi whipped his head around trying to get off more of the water. ¡°If all she can do with it is make me waterlogged then it¡¯s still a joke. I don¡¯t know what Yuki was thinking when he gave her that power.¡± ¡°There is no wasted power! It all has its purpose!¡± ¡°Sounds more like rationalization for being dealt a crap hand.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be making assumptions.¡± ¡°What else she got? A sad story to go with the tears?¡± Hiroshi wasn¡¯t sure if taunting was such a good idea, but he found it hard to take the whole thing seriously. ¡®She¡¯s lost all sense of reality if she thinks that this is going to be any challenge for me.¡¯ However, confidence in his situation was misplaced. A massive hand of water emerged from the water slamming into Hiroshi before he could even make any attempt to dodge. His back cracked the wall behind him and dropped him back into the water. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Hiroshi jumped back out of the water with his body dealing with the shock and pain. ¡°Damn! What the hell was that?!¡± His hand patted his chest trying to see if there was anything he could tell was done to him. Dull pain echoed around his body, but nothing that was going to slow him down. Laughing from on high, Takako looked just as entertained. ¡°I told you not to make assumptions.¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t crying! That was a hand made of water!¡± ¡°Sounds like your confidence has turned to complaining. Thought you said this was going to be easy for you.¡± Takako did wonders to annoy him for only talking and not even being the one that he was fighting at the moment. ¡°I¡¯m not complaining, it doesn¡¯t make any sense!¡± While he complained about the logic, Hitomi went on the attack again. Since he knew that she could somehow make hands out of the water he was more prepared for it now. Trying to move around in the water slowed down his movements more than he realized. The more he wanted to move faster the more it dragged on him. He couldn¡¯t easily escape the attacks. His agility was nowhere near that of Saki, but still was able to stay ahead of the attacks mostly. But it only led him into being hit straight on by another blast of water direct from the source. Even stronger than the previous two, it pinned him to the wall. The multiplied stress on the wall became too much for it to take. Cracks rapidly jumped around Hiroshi¡¯s body as warping began on the surface. It only took a few seconds for it to shatter completely throwing him through the wall along with a raging river of water. His back smashed into the cement of the stairs that led down to the first floor as water poured on top of him and leaked out from the hall. It found an escape route, but it looked to be flooding at the bottom. The water rolled him over the stairs and pushed him down to the first landing. Staring back up at the hole, he started to regret his choice of words. ¡°Dammit¡­none of this makes any sense. How does any of this work out?¡± Hiroshi picked himself up off the stairs. He looked down trying to figure out why the stairs were so full of water. ¡®They blocked this side off¡­ I guess with Takako here it makes sense.¡¯ The water level rose quickly. Leaping back to the second floor, Hiroshi returned to Takako¡¯s throne room. Hitomi looked to be waiting for his return and Takako wanted more entertainment. She really seemed to see herself as the King with Hiroshi and Hitomi just her jesters at her court. ¡°Still feeling confident?¡± He had grown tired of the whole situation. It was ridiculous to him, someone attacking him with rivers of tears. Takako didn¡¯t take him seriously. She waited on someone else other than him. Hiroshi hit his limit of what he could take. ¡°I don¡¯t care anymore! I¡¯m taking you both out right now!¡± Nearby him was a waste pile of desks from the room. He grabbed one of the wood desks up and swung it at Hitomi. Unfortunately, all he hit was air. There was nothing standing where Hitomi was. Hiroshi looked around the room trying to figure out what happened to Hitomi. He found her to his left just behind him winding up another punch. Using the wood desk for a shield, it took the initial blow, but completely shattered as the force stormed over it. Forced back, Hiroshi went sliding back towards Takako. His body bobbed in the water as he tried to process what happened. ¡®She was there one moment and gone the next¡­ She got another strange ability?¡¯ Takako leaned down from her throne to look at Hiroshi¡¯s face half submerged. ¡°You¡¯re very disappointing. It seems that I was right in guessing that you aren¡¯t worth my time.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­you¡­¡± She tilted her head a little as it seemed like he had something on his mind. ¡°Something to say?¡± ¡°I was hoping you were going to stand up as you stared down mocking me. Then I¡¯d at least get to see your panties.¡± ¡°I had forgotten how much of a pervert you were.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a teenage guy,¡± he smirked. ¡°You¡¯re going to be dead.¡± Hiroshi stood up out of the water looking a little changed. ¡°I can¡¯t have that happening.¡± His eyes narrowed a bit as his features suddenly sharpened. Determination settled firmly in his eyes. ¡°If this is going to be a powers battle, then I might as well use mine as well. I had wanted to let this go until I was dealing with you, but seems that won¡¯t be the case.¡± ¡°Going to make us play Darumasan ga Koronda again?¡± she taunted, not very impressed. He smirked up at Takako before walking away. Pulling up a stray piece of wood, he armed himself and began walking towards Hitomi. She only stood there making no action. Hiroshi began to lift it up, holding it like a stake. ¡°Hitomi, what the hell are you doing?! He is¡ª¡° Suddenly, her voice stopped. Takako opened her mouth again trying to give her orders, but nothing was coming out. She screamed aloud testing her voice, but every time she tried to say anything else nothing came out. Her voice was gone. With no guard up or reaction to his approach, Hiroshi rammed the broken chunk of wood into Hitomi¡¯s chest. The force sent her flying back out of the classroom and into the stairwell. The wood in Hiroshi¡¯s hand completely shattered on impact. Small traces of blood sprayed through the air, but he didn¡¯t get a killing blow. ¡°Damn, it was too shallow and this wood was too weak.¡± Takako stared in shock at Hiroshi not understanding what was happening. Her expression quickly changed to anger as Hiroshi was ruining her entertainment. ¡°What did you do?! What did you do to me?!¡± Glancing over his shoulder, he looked back at Takako. ¡°Did you forget already? I play games.¡± He smirked a little glad to see that he finally pulled one over on Takako. ¡°Takako?¡± called out Hitomi, from the stars, ¡°Where are you? Takako?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t moved! Get back in here!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t find you.¡± ¡°Are you blind?!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°What?!¡± She looked down at Hiroshi again. The knowing expression on his face made her even angrier. ¡°What the hell did you do?!¡± Hiroshi turned to face Takako directly. ¡°This is all a game and a game has rules. A game¡¯s rules are unbreakable. Welcome to my world.¡± Chapter 348 - Water Polo It might have been the middle of a fight, but Hiroshi couldn¡¯t help a bit of satisfaction from pulling one over Takako. There was no time to gloat as Hitomi finally managed to make it back up the stairs. She may have been blind now, but it wasn¡¯t hard to get back when there was only one path. While he watched Hitomi return, Hiroshi shifted out his position in the water to keep his location unknown. ¡®Thankfully, neither of them seem to know what the game is that I¡¯m running. Considering I picked it up from a foreigner a while ago, this is going to be a lot harder for them to figure out.¡¯ ¡°What are you doing, Hitomi? He¡¯s¡ª¡° Her voice stopped again before she could give Hitomi any advice. Takako kept trying to do anything to warn her, but nothing worked. ¡°What did you do to me, you bastard?!¡± Already arming himself with something stronger than last time, Hiroshi aimed to finish the fight before it dragged out any longer. ¡®I¡¯m not going to let Takako keep getting things the way she wants. The others would consider this cheating, but this is life and death. There¡¯s no cheating.¡¯ He glanced over hearing the frustrations of Takako as he moved closer to Hitomi. Not silently stewing in her annoyance, there was something deeper bothering her that Hiroshi didn¡¯t pick up on. None of it mattered to him though, he just planned on killing Hitomi. Lifting the jagged piece of metal he found from part of the trash pile in the room, Hiroshi prepared to end another life. ¡®I¡¯m sorry. This is just how it has to be.¡¯ Breaking through thick silence, Takako yelled across the room at Hitomi. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you listening to me?!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Distracted just enough, the aim of Hiroshi missed the vitals and the metal bounced off the sternum. The hardness of her bones saved her, but still knocked her through the thin walls and out into the hallway. ¡°Tch! Failed again. Girl¡¯s got luck.¡± He began to walk to the doorway to finish things off while Hitomi was down. Takako however had different things in mind. ¡°Hitomi! Do you remember what he¡¯s going to do to you?¡± Hiroshi glared over at Takako in an instant knowing what she was planning. Unfortunately, he had no time to actually stop the tears. The girl immediately went into a horror-fueled outpouring of tears. ¡°Dammit!¡± He was washed back into the classroom as a tidal wave of water slammed against him. The water rose once more despite having started to empty out a fair bit in their lull. It easily returned the surface level over a meter from the floor and then some. Once freed from the pressure enough to settle into the water, Hiroshi returned to wading through to make it through to Hitomi. ¡®I didn¡¯t think they¡¯d give me this much trouble.¡¯ ¡°Get up! You just going to let him do whatever he wants to you?!¡± ¡®She seems oddly bothered by all of this. Is she feeling threatened?¡¯ ¡°What the hell did you do to me? Answer me!¡± Takako fumed with just barely controlled anger that stirred to the edge. She seethed on her throne being made a fool by Hiroshi. ¡°How did you stop my power? That¡¯s not something you can do!¡± He looked over at Takako while he trudged through the water. ¡°Did you forget already? I make the rules here. You¡¯re in my game.¡± ¡°But your opponent is over there!¡± ¡°Yes, which is why she¡¯s playing by the rules. However, I couldn¡¯t have you get in my way. So I made you the referee.¡± Hiroshi smirked a little, as Takako seemed to start to understand what it meant. ¡°You¡¯re a neutral third party. So you can¡¯t do anything to help her win the game.¡± Chapter 348 ¨C Water Polo ¡°Referee?!¡± Takako stood up in surprise to hear such a thing from him. She had disbelief in her eyes. All that quickly changed though as a new thought came to her. ¡°So you say I can¡¯t interfere in your fight?! Is that what you think? Don¡¯t think so little of me!¡± Hiroshi paused to fully watch Takako. She still presented a significant danger to remain cautious. He didn¡¯t know what she could possibly do in her situation, but Hiroshi wasn¡¯t about to assume she couldn¡¯t find a loophole. ¡°I have an army,¡± she laughed, having come to her own conclusion. She tossed out her hand at Hiroshi to call to him directly. ¡°I¡¯ll just bring someone else that isn¡¯t bound by your game rules!¡± ¡®Oh is that it? I guess I got worried for nothing.¡¯ He smirked a little with relief that he overestimated her resourcefulness. Takako immediately caught sight of his dismissal of her plan. ¡°What are you smirking about?¡± Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°You don¡¯t play many games do you? The referee is neutral. Because you¡¯re the referee you¡¯ve lost connection to everyone outside of my space. You¡¯re only supposed to watch for the safety and fair play of those players. So sit back while I kill your supposed guard.¡± Grinding her teeth together, she had the look of annoyed acceptance. She was stuck in the scenario that he created for them. ¡°You can¡¯t kill her if I¡¯m supposed to be keeping things safe.¡± ¡°Your job is to make sure that we don¡¯t drown. Not that we don¡¯t kill each other.¡± Hiroshi tightened his grip on the chunk of metal in his hand. ¡°Now, if you¡¯re done trying to find loopholes I¡¯ve got someone¡¯s life to take.¡± The furrowed brow carved into Takako features smoothed out. She glanced over at the hole that Hitomi went through. ¡°Have you had long enough?¡± Hiroshi jerked his head over quickly not realizing that Hitomi had done nothing the entire time that they talked. Which should have been a clue to him had Takako not been distracting him from his objective. The water currents suddenly changed as Hitomi took command of them. ¡®Dammit! She played me!¡¯ Not just one fist of water broke through the wall for Hiroshi. Several went for him as though needing to be sure that they were hitting their target. It was a wide attack, which only made it more difficult for Hiroshi to dodge. The ceiling prevented him from jumping and moving out of the way. He couldn¡¯t make it in time, but he still tried as they crashed into him. Thrown into the wall, the windows blew out into shards raining down to the ground below. The wall had more durability, due to being an exterior wall, but it still bowed to the force. Hiroshi coughed with the air knocked fully out of him before being dropped into the water face first. Hitomi began to wade through entering the classroom. Tears of water rolled down her face keeping the water level constant with an ominous approach. Nearly gagging on the water, Hiroshi jumped out of the water coughing again. Unfortunately, it seemed that Hitomi got better at tracking his voice while blind. She launched another attack for him the moment she heard anything out of him. He dove out of the way, but the water level made it difficult to do so cleanly as it clipped him. Hit in the leg, he carelessly tossed up into the broken window. The remains of the glass shards shattered, unable to break his skin. However, it was enough for Hitomi to zero in on him again. She didn¡¯t know that he was already falling and most of her attack missed without him even trying. Quickly recovering, Hiroshi started to move again needing to get away from where she believed him to be. ¡®Damn¡­she¡¯s already getting used to this. I¡¯ve failed to kill her twice and now I don¡¯t even know if this game will last long enough for me to get another chance. I¡¯m going to have to switch¡­¡¯ She waited him out watching with her ears for any sort of movement that he could make. The tension in the room mounted. Running water mixed through the whole room giving a constant noise to keep things from being in stillness. It mixed in with the shifting waters keeping Hiroshi hidden. Knowing that he couldn¡¯t get close to her anymore without being detected, Hiroshi changed his strategy. He retrieved a random piece of floating debris, large enough for his needs. Throwing it into a different part of the water, the splashing it created redirected Hitomi¡¯s attention away from his direction. While she attacked an empty corner of the room, Hiroshi charged in quickly to take advantage of his opening. Unfortunately, Hitomi dodged out of the way at the last moment. She quickly countered the whole area around her with fists coming out in multiple directions. One hit Hiroshi, throwing him up against Takako¡¯s throne. He wiped away the water from his face while planning out his next move. ¡®She¡¯s still got her speed. She¡¯s like Saki almost. This is truly becoming a futile effort now¡­¡¯ Hiroshi tried to move silently through the water while thinking, but Hitomi continued to improve, now able to find him without even him making a sound. None of it made sense to him anymore. He was losing at his own game now and she still hadn¡¯t figured out the rules. Suddenly, the water around him warped and jumped up around him. It trapped him before he could even make a move. The water latched onto him holding him in place. Ahead, Hiroshi saw Hitomi gathering up a large amount of water for an attack. ¡®I can¡¯t move! How did she find me so fast?¡¯ Little mattered to the questions as Hitomi launched her most powerful attack yet at Hiroshi. There was no ability to dodge or defend. The full force of the attack slammed into his body. It broke him free of the bindings and threw him to the wall. The wall lasted only moments before it completely crumbled. Water poured out of the hole in the wall as the fist followed down sending Hiroshi into the ground. Dirt flew into the air as the earth started to turn to mud from the water. A crater began to fill with water from Hiroshi¡¯s impact. Hitomi walked over to the edge of the school staring down at the aftermath. She watched to see the outcome of Hiroshi and if she needed to do more. ¡°My sight is back¡­¡± It took her a moment to realize that Hiroshi¡¯s power no longer had an effect on her. ¡°Bastard¡¯s finally dead,¡± Takako commented. ¡°No, I think he¡¯s still alive.¡± And she was right. Out of the clearing smoke, Hiroshi¡¯s body surfaced out of the water. He washed up to the edge of the crater from the motion of water. Even though pain covered every part of him, he found the strength to drag himself out of the water. ¡®Damn¡­I thought I was going to die¡­ Not sure how I lived, but everything hurts¡­¡¯ Confirming that he was alive, she jumped down from the second floor. Hitomi landed on dry earth only a few meters away from Hiroshi. ¡°It¡¯s time that I kill you to protect myself.¡± She lifted her hand up beginning to summon all of the water in the crater to her side. It sloshed around barely held together with a gentle mist raining around it. Hiroshi staggered while he pulled himself back to his feet. His fists clenched together to tighten his resolve. For a moment, his determination wavered. ¡®This is the only thing I can do. I have to put everything on the line if I¡¯m going to win!¡¯ He straightened himself up to prepare. ¡°I have one last game to play. The rules are simple to understand. The loser dies. I¡¯m bad with naming things, so I just call it the Death Game.¡± Chapter 349 - Water Competition ¡°Death Game?¡± replied Hitomi with a heavy amount of skepticism. She paused for a moment willing to entertain Hiroshi. There was a fair bit of caution that Hiroshi earned from Hitomi, due to his last game he played with her. She understood how real his power could be. He shrugged a bit with a weak smile. ¡°What can I say, I¡¯m unoriginal. But it¡¯s an accurate title.¡± ¡°The loser dies?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Any game has a winner and loser. Just in this case the rules state that the one that loses is killed. It keeps things simple and ensures this is the end. One of us isn¡¯t walking away from this game alive.¡± ¡°And how is a loser determined?¡± ¡°That¡¯s simple as well. It¡¯s score based.¡± Hiroshi pointed with his finger to the air above them. Hovering well out of reach of them were gigantic zeroes along with the names of the players. It angled in such a way as to follow them, always being readable. ¡°Since this is a game of death, the first person to hit four points dies.¡± ¡°How are points gained?¡± ¡°By getting hit by your opponent. It¡¯s like at a kendo competition. Each hit is a score, just points are awarded to the loser rather than the winner.¡± Hiroshi motioned over to Hitomi with a massive list of text appearing before her. ¡°See very straightforward. Besides the other forty-three pages of regulations. I can wait if you want to read them all.¡± Annoyance popped up in Hitomi¡¯s face in the form of an angry vein on her forehead. ¡°You¡¯re just stalling now!¡± Shortly after the text appeared, as though there was a holographic projection in front of her, an acceptance confirmation came. It asked if she understood and accepted the rules of the game. She immediately slammed her hand down on the registration panel. A light ping went off as it accepted her approval. The text disappeared and a large countdown appeared between them. It was already in the process of going down when Hitomi tried to move. She made no real movements, as the game held her down until the countdown ended. ¡°Game Start!¡± appeared between them signaling the commencement. Chapter 349 ¨C Water Competition Taking the first attack immediately with faster reaction times, Hitomi swung down her arm directly in the water on Hiroshi. He braced for the attack as the water pushed him backwards before the tension in the water snapped. Water rained down over the whole area leaving the earth wet. Hitomi glanced up to the score to see that it still read zero. In confusion, she shouted down to Hiroshi, ¡°What game are you playing?!¡± Recovering from the attack, Hiroshi did little to bother with his soaked appearance. ¡°You didn¡¯t look at the rules. You can¡¯t score a point with powers. Only physical contact by the players counts as a point.¡± He saw Hitomi charging at him, enraged over being tricked into the game. She wasn¡¯t even using her full abilities, which Hiroshi already had seen before. It made it very easy for him to dodge her and tap her lightly on the shoulder. ¡°Like this.¡± A point went to Hitomi¡¯s score. She quickly turned around skating over the softened earth a little. Enraged further by losing a point to Hiroshi, she charged back at him at full speed. She disappeared from Hiroshi¡¯s sight only leaving behind a splash of water. Hiroshi had no chance of doing anything other than facing the attack straight on. She moved faster than his eyes could follow. The blow sent him flying back and tumbling through the earth until he came to a stop by the earth wall perimeter. While Hiroshi was taken out, she went to check on the score. It read one to one now, a tie. Still angry, she looked a little reduced in her rage. The success seemed to have allowed for a small release. ¡®Damn, I should have included a rule for knocking your opponent off their feet. I may still die before she loses.¡¯ Shaken by the whole thing, but surprisingly not feeling any worse, Hiroshi managed to get himself back on his feet. ¡®This was the only way to ensure the fight ended quickly. I just have to make sure to stay alive¡­¡¯ Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Feeling more confident now with a point on her side, she charged once more after Hiroshi. She took advantage of her speed to make it impossible for him to even dodge. Her punch easily landed inside Hiroshi''s stomach knocking him back into the wall. The score remained still. More confusion and anger set in. She unleashed a hail of punches though most of them missed Hiroshi as he got away after the first couple. Just as she finished her attack, he jumped through the air landing his hand on top of her head. Another point. Hitomi glared over at Hiroshi as he weakly smirked. ¡°You¡¯re the one that ignored all the rules before accepting. This is your own fault.¡± Her rage refueled quickly as she threw out her fists at Hiroshi. He blocked a few of them with his hands with the score remaining unchanged. While in her emotional state, he was able to manage with her attacks and speed a lot more easily. ¡°Damn you! I won¡¯t allow you to have your way with me!¡± Throwing her off him into the mud, Hiroshi took it as a moment to pause and recover. ¡°I¡¯ve got no interest in that sort of thing, not that you¡¯d believe me.¡± She quickly jumped back to her feet and attacked him openly with no strategy. All her intent was to gain the next point that she needed. However, the score never changed no matter how many times that she hit him. She tried all manner of options and locations. All she did was bruise up Hiroshi more than he was already. ¡°Why can¡¯t I get another point?!¡± ¡°Because the rules say you can¡¯t. There are specific scoring rules.¡± ¡°Scoring rules?! You said physical contact scored points!¡± ¡°Yes, but I didn¡¯t say anything about the conditions or special rules we¡¯re playing by. We¡¯re using the House Rules Set, meaning that there are only certain ways you can score points.¡± ¡°What!? You didn¡¯t say anything about that!¡± ¡°I did offer you the chance to read the rules.¡± ¡°Damn you¡­¡± Hiroshi gave her a bit of a smirk, his body starting to come back around to him again, through all of the bruises. ¡°I¡¯ll give you this little hint then, since I feel so bad for you. The reason that you can¡¯t score a point is because your feet can¡¯t be touching the same surface for each point.¡± ¡°Same surface?¡± She stared down at her feet seeing the ground. It took her a moment, but she put it all together. Suddenly, all the water that she created before rose up out off the ground. While what had already mixed to be mud stayed behind, it generated enough for her. ¡°Your little hint is going to be the death of you!¡± Water poured down over the ground, but kept a specific form unlike before. Hitomi funneled it into a river pointed straight at Hiroshi. It ran for more than a meter deep as a wild rapid. Once she created her path, she jumped up onto the water with her feet landing on top and not actually sinking into the water. While the water sped away, she remained still floating on top. ¡°You didn¡¯t think I could do this did you?!¡± Allowing the river to take her along now, Hitomi raced towards Hiroshi who found the pressure of the water and tumultuous water more difficult than expected. She came down kicking Hiroshi in the chin knocking him out of the water. Second point, tied. Hiroshi quickly snapped himself out of the stun of her attack to grab a hold of the tall wall of earth. He used it to pull himself back into the fight and fly over to Hitomi. The river already started to turn away and fall off as she finished with what she wanted. He grabbed a hold of her while in mid-air and spun her around getting himself to land his feet into the water before it all scattered. Third point scored. Once he had what he wanted, he separated from her jumping away before he took any more of a pummeling from her. He skidded a little over the muddy ground. A grin came across his face as it all worked out. ¡°I only told you that rule because I wanted you to use your water.¡± ¡°Damn you! I¡¯m going to kill you!¡± ¡°It¡¯s looking more like you¡¯re going to die. One more point.¡± ¡°How did you even get that second point? You weren¡¯t touching anything!¡± Shrugging, while keeping the secret to himself. He dodged the next round of strikes by the enraged Hitomi. Unable to keep her anger in control, she lost any sort of accuracy. Hiroshi effortlessly worked around her. He threw out his leg to trip her. Falling on her face, Hitomi quickly jumped up again before Hiroshi could even make an action. She went wild with her attacks trying anything to get another point. ¡°I won¡¯t die! I won¡¯t die!¡± Water quickly began to pour out of her eyes, soaking the earth. Hiroshi struggled with the pressure, not able to completely stay ahead of the new rivers. Even though the ground gave more places for the water to pour out into, the volume she produced still managed to give standing water. She leapt after him as it dragged him out of her range. Jumping around the water, she closed the distance before leaping after him, punching him out of the water and into the crater she created, from when he fell out of the school. Third point, tied. Water quickly filled up the crater into a pool once more. He left the pit before it became too filled with water. ¡®Damn¡­she¡¯s been so caught up in her anger it¡¯s been difficult getting the last hit I need¡­¡¯ Hitomi saw the gigantic numbers out of the corner of her eye. It calmed her down a little seeing that she finally got the third point that she was looking for from the game. ¡°It¡¯s tied now.¡± A little more in control of her situation, she remembered what she did to get the point, which also led her to another realization. ¡°There¡¯s only three possible points to gain! This game can¡¯t be won!¡± Water still poured off of him and his feet sank in the earth a little. He wiped away the water hanging to his brow. ¡°Is that what you think? There¡¯s a fourth point. I wouldn¡¯t make a game unbeatable.¡± ¡°A fourth point? How?¡± ¡°That¡¯s my secret.¡± ¡°Bastard! You did this on purpose!¡± Dark shadows hung over Hiroshi''s face as he slowly walked forward, his determination unbreakable. ¡°Of course, I never said I made a fair game, just a winnable game. This is the moment where you die.¡± Chapter 350 - Waterfall The darkness hovering around Hiroshi made Hitomi take a step back. For the first time, her Takako fed delusions of Hiroshi started to match with reality. ¡°A winnable game? Only for you!¡± ¡°Of course, I made the game so that I would win. You¡¯re an obstacle in my path and I¡¯ve already wasted enough of my time and strength on you when I should be facing Takako to end this nightmare.¡± Panic started to settle deeper into Hitomi. She already feared her own death thanks to Takako, but it was no longer an illusionary one. Once she understood that it was truly going to happen the true fear set in with thick sharp claws around her whole body. Water fell out of her eyes in a massive tidal wave that managed to surpass her in height. Hiroshi glared at the impressive feat. A wall of solid unflinching water raced towards him. ¡®This is her true power¡­real emotions fueling her power¡­¡¯ Usual pangs ripped at his chest. His hand clutched against his body. He dragged up his determination and moved forward. As the water fell upon him, he didn¡¯t even attempt to dodge. It was hard to call it an attack of the same sort that Hitomi used previously. It was closer to flailing about in helplessness. ¡°I don¡¯t want to die!¡± Hitomi started repeating it over and over again as she became more scared. However, Hiroshi kept his course. The water crashed upon him blowing everything away that it met. Yet, Hiroshi appeared on the other side of the wave. He looked no less wet for his trouble. It appeared as though the water passed through him without touching him. The sight of Hiroshi¡¯s unaffected body only intensified Hitomi¡¯s reactions. ¡°Impossible! The water should be affecting you!¡± More and more water poured out of it. None of the gigantic waves could do anything to stop Hiroshi as he began to walk towards her. With each step that he closed their distance, the greater the waves became even though nothing they did could stop him. ¡°I made a special rule to allow me to not be affected by your water attacks when I make a specific gesture with my hand.¡± Against his chest, his right hand could be seen held close. His thumb crossed over to touch the center of his middle finger while flattened against the other two. He appeared through the last wave in front of Hitomi with only centimeters between them. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault.¡± ¡°N-no-no!¡± Hitomi backed away a step before turning to attempt to flee from Hiroshi. A single foot of his drop to the ground making cracks that shot out towards Hitomi. The earth crumbled beneath her feet until she no longer had any balance. She fell backwards on her back sliding back to Hiroshi¡¯s feet. ¡°I don¡¯t want to die!¡± Hiroshi stepped forward walking onto Hitomi¡¯s torso. He knelt down close to her seeing the terrified look on her face. ¡°Perhaps now at the end you understand how all of those you¡¯ve killed have felt. You¡¯re getting the easy way out, you won¡¯t have to live with this any longer.¡± ¡°P-please! No! I don¡¯t want to die!¡± He stretched out his hand touching his index finger to her forehead. In the sky behind him, the score changed to four for Hitomi. Big text appeared insensitively congratulating Hiroshi on his victory. He stepped off her body as he already saw the light from her eyes fading. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­want to¡­die¡­¡± Hanging his head, Hiroshi stayed next to her while her life disappeared. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. If I knew another way, I would have tried to save you.¡± In moments, his power stole away the life of Hitomi leaving behind a lifeless corpse. Much of the water fueled by Hitomi¡¯s power began to disappear. Hiroshi stood up holding to his resolve. He had to bite his lip as his arms shook. Casting his gaze over to the hole in the second floor where Takako stood, he could see the end of the darkness. The path however remained bloody as he remembered it. ¡°Hate me and scorn me. Tell me I¡¯m doing the wrong thing, but this is not my world or my rules. These are Takako¡¯s rules and if this world of hers is to end someone must play by her rules. ¡°We probably can¡¯t go back to being friends after I finish this, even with the world righted. You¡¯ll never forgive me for my actions. But I do what I must to save lives with what little power I¡¯ve been granted. This will be the end.¡± Chapter 350 ¨C Waterfall Jumping up to the hole, Hiroshi returned to the classroom that Takako claimed as her throne room. He slowly approached the base of the twisted throne. ¡°I passed your little test.¡± Hiroshi had trouble feeling his body after his fight with Hitomi. While he wasn¡¯t completely broken, it still left him weakened. He did everything to hide it from her. There was a stillness in the manner of which Takako held herself. ¡°Yes,¡± she responded with measured control. Hidden within the single word was a mountain of emotions. It was difficult to pick them all apart from another, but one very clearly came out in front of the others. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Rage. While even that was kept in control, not all of it could be contained. The casual capricious attitude that she had before when addressing Hiroshi disappeared. Despite everything that he saw thus far from her, he thought she looked the most human now. ¡®This is a little unnerving. It was easier when she looked like a monster.¡¯ ¡°You killed her.¡± ¡°You sent her.¡± ¡°You cheated.¡± ¡°I won by any means.¡± Hiroshi didn¡¯t expect her to be so focused on the death of Hitomi. He didn¡¯t see it having such an impact on her. It made him wonder what she was to her. ¡°You killed her.¡± ¡°What did you expect?¡± ¡°For you to die.¡± ¡°Sorry to disappoint.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have won.¡± ¡®She¡¯s getting stuck in a loop.¡¯ The flow of the conversation was very different from the last time that they talked. He still didn¡¯t have any empathy for her or the situation, but she continued to defy his expectations. ¡°Things won¡¯t work out like you planned.¡± ¡°Is that right?¡± Takako stood up from her seat to stare down at Hiroshi. The swirling mass of emotions that stayed under the surface looked to be slowly rising the longer that their conversation went on. ¡°I don¡¯t know who you¡¯re waiting for, but they¡¯ll have to get in line. I¡¯m coming for you first.¡± She slowly took a step down the throne followed by another. ¡°You think just because you¡¯ve protected yourself from my power that you can beat me?¡± The confidence, though borne partially out of anger, resurfaced for Takako. She started to look more in control, yet also losing that control. Hints of emotion fueled insanity filled into some of the cracks developing. A flicker in Hiroshi¡¯s stonewalled face appeared at the remark. ¡°You knew about that?¡± ¡°Of course, we made many plans knowing who you would have available to you. The tactician that I gained is very adept and her forecasts have all played out exactly how she foresaw.¡± As she slowly made her way down the steps to Hiroshi, she recounted more of what she was told. ¡°She even said that Hitomi would die. I refused to believe her, but it seems that she was right about even that. She¡¯s a rather disturbing woman.¡± ¡°Coming from your lips, I find that difficult to believe.¡± The steps seemed to be eternal as she was still walking down, albeit slowly. ¡°Where others quickly embraced what I gave them because they couldn¡¯t take what they saw with their virgin eyes, she didn¡¯t even blink. She looked like she lived in such a world and it was commonplace. And her mental barriers are truly impressive, even I couldn¡¯t penetrate through all of her defenses.¡± ¡®Someone that Takako couldn¡¯t completely capture?¡¯ Such a thought unnerved Hiroshi as he pondered the meaning of her words. ¡°Why are you telling me all of this? You¡¯re making it sound like you¡¯re not actually the boss.¡± Takako finally stopped reaching the floor of the classroom. She was shorter than him. The small looking girl that had the entire neighborhood in a grip of fear still had an unassuming appearance. All she had working for her was presence and reputation. It built her up into a grand figure that still was just a small being. Just a child. ¡°I am the one in charge here. Make no mistake, I control even her.¡± ¡°So what¡¯s the point of all of this?¡± ¡°No point. Just killing some time before I kill you.¡± She carried the confidence in her speech well. Takako believed without any doubt how things would turn out. ¡°Like with Hitomi¡¯s death, your fate has already been foreseen as well. You will fall to my hands.¡± ¡°Another one of your tactician¡¯s forecasts?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°As you already stated, your mind control powers won¡¯t work on me. And your army is being kept busy downstairs. You have no more moves to play.¡± She tilted her head a little amused by Hiroshi¡¯s groundless confidence in her position. ¡°Is that what you think? So you think that I¡¯m a helpless little girl without my power?¡± Suddenly the room started to shake from all sides. ¡°Why don¡¯t I show you how wrong you are in your assumption.¡± Hiroshi braced himself, not quite sure what she had planned. His eyes darted around the room not seeing any signs of other troops or traps. It didn¡¯t seem like she had some secret weapon still being withheld from use. ¡®Can she still use her mind powers on me? Are they not what we think?¡¯ The throne behind her began to twist and break. All of the metal and wood started to turn to particles seemingly reacting to whatever power that Takako was summoning for their fight. It was still all just show as nothing had happened yet. ¡°Allow me to impart upon you the reason that you will lose.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Your resolve you¡¯ve been clinging to so tightly.¡± ¡°What are you going on about?¡± The entire throne had finally disappeared with the air around Takako becoming thick. Her presence intensified with her intent to kill. ¡°It¡¯s a little secret that no one knows about. Hitomi was the first one that joined me. I never allowed her to leave this room until today.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your point?¡± ¡°Hitomi joined me willingly. She was never under my control. I did feed her what she needed to fight, but she was still free from me.¡± Hiroshi¡¯s eyes widened in shock at hearing such a revelation. He couldn¡¯t move his body. ¡°You¡¯re lying. That can¡¯t be right!¡± ¡°She¡¯s the only one that I never had to use my powers on. Her monumental level of concern for my wellbeing made her loyal to me. I kept her in the dark about most of the things that happened outside of this room. She was my last true friend. And you killed her!¡± * * * Far across the neighborhood away from the fighting, a deep trench carved through the ruins of what had once been a pleasant line of homes. Smoke rose in columns from all of the destruction wrought by the impact. Buried partially under the foundation of the last of the houses that finally stopped the impact, debris began to move. Out of the darkness of the rumble a hand punched through wood and brick. It looked a little dirty and bruised, but no worse for wear. A slight haze appeared around the hand as a mist of particles started to emit from deep within. The pile began to shift and fall away as it was effortlessly cleared away. Standing up, he looked around at the damage and then in the far distance to the school. Lights and explosions went off around the area, but his eyes were normal. He didn¡¯t know what was happening. ¡°Damn, I can¡¯t believe they knocked me out for the entire length of the fights. I¡¯m awake now and I¡¯m ready to put an end to all of this! Just hang in there everyone!¡± Chapter 351 - Shouting to the Darkness Choking and gasping, it looked like the end for him. He was already certain of it. While he was no doctor, he was quite certain that his heart had been pierced or destroyed. The human body couldn¡¯t survive without something so important. It was just stating the obvious. Yet, he didn¡¯t feel like he was on death¡¯s door as he should be. In fact, the cough he had only worked to clear out things, not because it was struggling. Something was clearly wrong. Yori forced his eyes open once his consciousness had finally returned to him. He blinked a little, still not convinced of reality. It was impossible. Then the pain from his body threw itself upon him with overwhelming intensity. Rebelling against his sudden movements, it did everything to make him regret the na?ve and clich¨¦ response. ¡°It hurts¡­¡± ¡°But you¡¯re still alive,¡± someone familiar replied. Pain overrode his ears, not making it clear who it was that spoke to him. His mind immediately put what had logically happened together. Sigh. ¡°Hayashi¡­¡± ¡°Eh? You see him?¡± Apparently, he needed to get his ears checked as he realized. The confusion in the voice made him put more effort into his senses. Yori turned his eyes in the direction of the voice to find someone a little unlikely next to him. ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°Yup! How ya feeling man? I¡¯d help you up, but well¡­reasons¡­¡± While his body still hated him with a painful burning passion, he forced himself up. His legs were clearly not ready for him, but he could at least sit up. There remained a lot of questions swirling in his head. ¡°Seiji Tsuji, what are you doing here?¡± Seiji actually looked worse off than Yori felt, though Yori still couldn¡¯t see all of the damage on his own body. The heavy amounts of fresh blood covered his body along with countless talismans protecting him, he looked like he should be in the hospital for months of recovery. Despite the appearance, he sounded more alive than Yori felt. ¡°I¡¯m here because you needed help. That¡¯s what friends do!¡± ¡®Friends? I thought we were on different sides¡­ He¡¯s so simple, but I guess that isn¡¯t a bad thing¡­¡¯ As Yori tried to get more of the picture on his own body, he looked at the blood that soaked into his clothes. The hole where the woman pierced his heart stood as a reminder of his battle. ¡°How am I alive, if Hayashi¡¯s not here?¡± ¡°Nerine¡¯s with me. I got her to heal you up, it was a rush job due to the situation. All she could manage was repairing your heart. Said you¡¯d probably be dead if you had a normal body.¡± ¡°I see¡­makes sense¡­¡± It still left him with questions. However, moving from his injuries to Seiji¡¯s he realized that there was something wrong with the picture of Seiji supposed normality. ¡°What happened to your arms?¡± ¡°Oh this?¡± He acted very nonchalant about the thing as though missing limbs was something common. Motioning with his shoulder and stump, he called attention to his left arm. ¡°That I lost in my fight with one of Yumi¡¯s friends.¡± Waving with his talisman covered right arm, Seiji explained its loss next. ¡°This I lost while fighting Yumi.¡± ¡°Fighting Yumi?¡± Suddenly, he realized that he missed a lot more details. He also now felt the ground shaking. It almost felt like an earthquake, though it was too gentle for something like that. Yori searched around feeling as if he was missing something very obvious. Which was accurate. Ahead of him, across two city blocks of destruction, he saw explosions of power and light. With each blast, the ground vibrated. It took him a little bit for his eyes to focus, but he could see enough to pick out the details. ¡°Yumi!¡± He immediately started to cough and gasp as his body refused to accept his movements. Unable to use anything useful to stop him, Seiji leaned blocking his path a little. ¡°Hey man, you need rest. You got thrashed pretty badly.¡± ¡°But my sister!¡± ¡°Nerine¡¯s fighting her, though from what I can tell it looks more like Nerine¡¯s stalling. I don¡¯t understand it, but whoever¡¯s in control of Yumi right now is far more powerful than Yumi¡¯s ever been before. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any one of us who could actually stop her.¡± Seiji glanced over quickly at his arm that he lost to Yumi. ¡°She shouldn¡¯t be fighting! I need to get to my sister!¡± ¡°We need to leave this up to Nerine. She¡¯s the only one in shape to fight her right now. We just have to hold out until Yuki can put a stop to Takako, then Yumi will be free.¡± If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Chapter 351 ¨C Shouting to the Darkness Yuki cleared away the remaining debris to free himself up. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he apologized to the house before slowly rising into the air. ¡°I¡¯ll need to come back after this is all settled to help fix the neighborhood.¡± As he rose over ruins of the house and trees, he got a better view of the neighborhood. ¡°Looks like I¡¯ve got my work cut out for me.¡± He began to move towards the school still seeing battles happening. Though with all of the destruction, less happened than he could judge. ¡°I guess, while I¡¯ve been out, a lot of the fighting has already been settled. Since there still remains some fighting, that must be because Takako hasn¡¯t been stopped. That¡¯s good, I can¡¯t allow anyone but me to fight her. This isn¡¯t their problem.¡± Quickly moving to the school, he stared down at the destruction. There was plenty of wide scale damage, but the lines and paths carved out along with the craters told him a story of the battles. He understood better everything that happened. ¡°I¡¯ll stop all of this pointless fighting.¡± One of the fights came into his sights as he flew out. The force coming off the fight disrupted the air knocking him around and off course. A small thud dully echoed in the area as he fell into the ruins leftover from their fighting. His mist protected him from any damage other than being shook around in the head. It took Yuki a few moments to get his focus back and stand on his feet. Concentration re-gathered the dispersing mist. ¡°It was all just a blur. Who¡¯s fighting?¡± Shaking his head, he put his attention back towards the school. ¡°I have to get back. Whoever is fighting won¡¯t have to once I stop Takako.¡± He began to fly into the air again, having to focus more with the turbulence caused. However, as he got into the air, he could hear the sounds of their voices. They were much closer than before. And that was when his contradictory decision surfaced. It wasn¡¯t something that he could ignore. Given that everyone fighting was someone that he knew, it was going to be pretty hypocritical that he couldn¡¯t ignore any of the fights. He justified it to himself as he flew towards them. Something bad was about to happen if he didn¡¯t step in to stop it. Gathering up spare materials from the ground of the ruins, he fashioned himself the only sort of weapon that he could in the time he had. He had no time to change his powers for something more useful. Using his mist to crush the materials densely into a mass, he launched it straight for his target. Saki. Before she could snap his neck a massive force slammed into her head throwing her free of Tatsuya. Tatsuya coughed and collapsed to the ground grabbing at his broken arm attempting to nurse it. He rolled his head over a little trying to who had jumped into the fight. His eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Why¡­?¡± Saki stood up shaking off the ringing pain as half of her face was soaked in blood now. She glared over at Tatsuya and then up to the figure that interrupted her. Her eyes widened as well in shock. ¡°Why are you here?!¡± Already landing on part of the ruined house nearby, Yuki¡¯s mist disappeared for a moment and then reappeared nearly as quickly. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be so shocked. Your kick hurt a lot, but I still had my defense up when it happened. I¡¯m not dumb enough to walk around the school without being ready to be attacked. I don¡¯t have the reflexes of you to be reactive.¡± He glanced over at Tatsuya, who had seen better days. ¡°So you did come.¡± However, he didn¡¯t get much time to react as Saki immediately charged him looking to put Yuki down for good. Tatsuya tried to move for her, but his body had enough. He staggered to one knee as all of the fighting with Saki suddenly dropped itself on him. ¡°Not now! Yuki!¡± Nothing of what happened Yuki could even see. It wasn¡¯t even a blur. All he felt was the pressure left by what happened in the frames of time between which Saki flew at him. However, she was nowhere near him anymore. A minor holographic read out ran out some text nearby his eyes informing him of the results. ¡°I see, so that¡¯s what happened.¡± He looked up into the sky not able to see anything, but seemed to be looking for something. ¡°She¡¯s got protection from my powers too. If she does like Kaede and Katsumi, I¡¯m going to guess everyone in Takako¡¯s army does. There¡¯s some questions to be answered about that.¡± Yuki floated down next to Tatsuya to check on him. He saw more read outs nearby giving him reports on his condition. ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t have the time to heal you up, but there¡¯s nothing life threatening.¡± ¡°What did you do? All I saw was something hit Saki and sent her into the air, but she moved too quickly.¡± ¡°Yeah, she does.¡± An explosion of earth and debris shot up from behind Yuki. He turned around with expectations, knowing that things weren¡¯t completely settled. It took nearly a minute, but the figure walked out of the column of smoke. Saki resurfaced looking even more bloodied from the last attack Yuki made. ¡°Before I started this assault on the school, I knew that I had the chance to be confronted by the three of them. So I crafted powers to deal with each of them. Unfortunately, they had better planning than me.¡± The mist around Yuki grew in thickness completely masking out his appearance just as Saki came charging back in after him with single-minded purpose. However, she never made it through the mist. It slowly began to disperse, showing Saki standing still no longer moving forward. Yuki walked towards his friend. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing, Yuki?!¡± shouted Tatsuya trying to reach out with his good arm after him. ¡°She¡¯s dangerous, she¡¯ll kill you!¡± However, Yuki continued forward and Saki made no movement. He stood only centimeters away from Saki completely undaunted by her killing instinct. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I need you to hang on while I stop your friend. Everything will be alright soon.¡± Then Saki suddenly dropped to one knee with her hands slamming into the ground cracking the earth a little. Turning away, he gathered up his mist to begin flying away. Tatsuya looked over at him wanting answers. ¡°I took care of Saki. I¡¯m giving you the last bit of my trust in you Tatsuya to do the right thing.¡± ¡°But Yuki!¡± ¡°She can¡¯t hurt anyone anymore. I¡¯ve placed highly dense weights on her body. She¡¯s barely got the strength in her to just stand up. While Saki is fast, she lacks the same superhuman strength. So this will hold her while I deal with Takako.¡± Yuki departed the battleground with Tatsuya still staring a little confused about it all and shouting for him. He couldn¡¯t stay any longer than he had already. ¡®I¡¯ve got to get to Takako quickly. If Tatsuya¡¯s here, then Hiroshi is as well. And knowing things, he¡¯s already trying to kill Takako. I can¡¯t allow that to happen!¡¯ In the distance, he could see the school and his destination arriving. Even in the darkness with only the moon to light the area, Yuki could see how badly the school had been damaged. Most of the south wing had been destroyed. He remembered Saki kicking him through that part. However, since he had been gone it looked even worse than he feared. Landing upon the roof once more, it felt like the school quivered in pain. ¡°This is even worse than when Demosthenes split the school in half with an earthquake. This won¡¯t be a simple fix like before. It¡¯s going to be better just to build an entirely new school at this point.¡± He slowly walked towards the hole that Seiji created for them. ¡°It¡¯s surprising that it¡¯s held together still. It feels like it¡¯s going to collapse at any moment.¡± He jumped down the hole finding that the floor was now missing. Needing his mist to hover between the first and second floors, he finally made it to parts of the second floor that still stood. Moving quickly, he hoped that he didn¡¯t need to fight anyone else other than just Takako. ¡®I hope I¡¯m there in time¡­¡¯ Arriving at the end of the hall, he found Takako''s lair. However, what he didn¡¯t expect to see inside left him staggering a step back. Crumbled up in the corner of the classroom opposite of Takako was Hiroshi. His whole body was completely bloodied and mangled horribly. He could even see bones poking through skin. It made Yuki turn away, having trouble with the sight only to see Takako grinning. She looked pleased to him. ¡°You¡¯ve finally arrived, King.¡± Chapter 352 - Awaited Arrival Yuki¡¯s eyes darted around the room examining everything within. However, it didn¡¯t leave him with a lot to work from. ¡®It¡¯s the emptiest room in the entire school¡­ There¡¯s nothing here.¡¯ Each corner and surface of the classroom looked almost too good. It looked painted clean of any dirt. An eerie feeling sank into his body looking at it. Glancing back at Hiroshi, none of it made sense. ¡®He¡¯s a complete mess, yet it doesn¡¯t even look like a fight happened in the room. What¡¯s going on?¡¯ The only stain in the entire room seemed to be him. Not even the blood that dripped from him seemed to be staying. ¡®None of this is real¡­¡¯ He returned to Takako. Source of all the problems, she simply seemed to be standing there. Not even watching him, just standing waiting. ¡®Why is she doing this? It doesn¡¯t make any sense for her powers¡­¡¯ A terrible cough ripped through the forced silence of the room. It sounded as though Hiroshi would die. Compulsion had Yuki¡¯s legs nearly running to get to him in time, but he dragged himself. Takako might not have made a move yet, but he couldn¡¯t risk letting his guard down against her for even a moment. With each moment that passed, it became more clear to him that she seemed to have no interest in doing anything to stop. ¡®What¡¯s her game now? I expected her to be different. Insane or crazy, murderous, anything, but what she is now. She¡¯s defying quite a few of my expectations.¡¯ Once he was near enough to Hiroshi to not yell across the room, he took a look at the progress. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± ¡°Like a broken toy.¡± ¡°Are you still in pain?¡± ¡°Of course¡­actually no?¡± Hiroshi blinked a little confused that he had become so expectant of the pain that he didn¡¯t recognize when it was gone. He couldn¡¯t move his body, as he was still too exhausted to move. ¡°Good, I can¡¯t do a perfect job right now, but you should no longer be in any danger.¡± Yuki began to walk towards Takako, still perplexed by the whole situation. Pressing his back against the wall to get a little leverage, Hiroshi stood up, but immediately fell back down. ¡°Dammit¡­¡± Nothing was working for him. He had to watch Yuki do what he should be doing. ¡°Yuki!¡± ¡°If you¡¯re going to tell me to kill her you¡¯re wasting your breath.¡± ¡°Be careful. She¡¯s somehow got more tricks than we ever thought possible.¡± Narrowing his expression as he stared across the room at Takako, his personal fight with her began. He believed he prepared himself for anything to happen. But such preparation was empty before Takako. ¡°I¡¯m starting to get that feeling.¡± Chapter 352 ¨C Awaited Arrival A slightly bigger smile drew across Takako¡¯s face seeing the seriousness coming through Yuki. She seemed to have an eagerness in her eyes. ¡°Finished everything that you wanted to do?¡± ¡°You¡¯re surprisingly accommodating,¡± he noted, still not sure what Takako¡¯s goal was. Now that he confronted her, she became even more of a mystery than before. ¡°I expected you to stop me.¡± ¡°I have no interest in giving you more fuel.¡± ¡°Fuel?¡± ¡°I¡¯m very aware of what happened the last time someone you knew was killed in front of you. I¡¯m not making a mistake like that.¡± His eyes narrowed a little, still trying to get a read on Takako. ¡°I see, so you¡¯re not as generic clich¨¦ as you seemed.¡± ¡°There¡¯s the playful banter that I was expecting.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really have the mood right now for any sort of casual humor.¡± ¡°But I was so looking forward to a lively exchange before I killed you. You¡¯re disappointing my image of you.¡± ¡°Then we¡¯re both ignoring expectations.¡± She had a playful, not quite child-like behavior while still fixed with darkness that hung over her tainting everything. If he could see aura¡¯s he knew that her¡¯s would be a canvas of black. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. However, he wanted some answers from her. ¡®Hopefully, I can understand more about her before the fight begins. I¡¯ve yet to fight her, but with how badly Hiroshi was after his fight she is on a different level than the others I¡¯ve fought. Worse still, she¡¯s likely got whatever inhibiting power so I can¡¯t be direct. This is likely going to be my hardest fight yet¡­¡¯ It was all calculated, even though he stalled. ¡°So what happened to you? After you were kidnapped, we found you completely broken.¡± ¡°I got better.¡± ¡°That¡¯s intentionally vague.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just delaying, because you know that you can¡¯t defeat me.¡± Keeping most of his reaction in check, Yuki continued to push the issue. There were too many unanswered questions and nothing about the entire situation made any sense. ¡°Even if I¡¯m delaying, I¡¯m still trying to understand how this all happened. You don¡¯t just recover from brain damage.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say what I had was brain damage.¡± The smile dropped from her face. Memories of the event came back to her. She matched the grave seriousness of Yuki as she resumed explaining. ¡°Saki explained it to you. The only problem is that unlike her, I knew nothing about what the man that had kidnapped me for. Though thanks to her, I now know the whole picture.¡± ¡®So she can either read memories or Saki just flat out told her. That explains why she called me King then.¡¯ Takako carried all of his secrets on top of her own. That made her exceptionally dangerous. He couldn¡¯t allow those secrets to escape, but he had no way of knowing what she planned to do. It put him in a position that he found very distasteful. ¡°So you know everything then.¡± Takako seemed to pick up on the hints of desperation in Yuki¡¯s voice. ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m aware of who you are. And that the man that kidnapped me was looking for Ayumi, not you like everyone thought. Because I knew nothing, I hadn¡¯t even met her before, the man couldn¡¯t find anything in my mind. He was quite thorough, convinced that I knew something and only when I broke did he understand.¡± ¡°The damage was done¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Not that he really seemed to care about what happened to me or the others. I was left in that hospital completely broken, unable to comprehend or acknowledge anything. My awareness of my identity was gone.¡± She lifted her hand to point at Yuki, no longer passive. ¡°And you just left me like that doing nothing.¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t control my power at that point. And even now, I couldn¡¯t have fixed the damage. I might have made it even worse.¡± ¡°What could be worse than being locked in a prison unable to move, think, react, just forever bound? I¡¯m was a bystander in Ayumi¡¯s personal war!¡± ¡°Is that why you¡¯re doing all of this? Taking out your frustrations upon innocents because you were done the same to?¡± ¡°All of this?¡± Takako stretched out her arms to her sides calling out to the city. ¡°No, all of this is your fault.¡± ¡°Me? What did I do?¡± ¡°You gave me this power. And as I¡¯ve figured out thanks to the thousands of minds I¡¯ve tapped into, I¡¯ve reached the conclusion.¡± Yuki already had an idea where she was going with everything. ¡®This is why it¡¯s my problem to solve and not someone else''s. All of this is coming back to me. If I hadn¡¯t made that mistake and lost myself in my emotions none of this would have happened.¡¯ He was going to hear her out though. Every piece he gained from her would give him more of an idea of what her power was and her thoughts. She was an unknown to him. ¡°It¡¯s your fault because you gave us powers that matched our personalities or wishes. You gave us what we needed or wanted. And that¡¯s why I have this power. Why all of this is happening. In order to escape the prison you left me in I had to use my power. You gave me the keys for my own escape.¡± ¡°How does mind control allow you to regain your sense of self?¡± It was back to the same question as before. Even if he started to understand part of it. How she returned from the vegetative state she was in before made no sense to him. There remained a piece missing. ¡°That¡¯s because my power isn¡¯t mind control.¡± ¡°What?! You¡¯re taking control of people, what could it be other than mind control?¡± ¡°Perhaps you should be asking yourself that question. You¡¯re the one that gave this to me.¡± ¡°A hundred million people potentially got powers, I¡¯m not going to know what every single person got!¡± ¡°Then you¡¯ll just need to figure it out.¡± The atmosphere suddenly started to change in the room. Yuki could feel that their conversation came to a close. ¡®I¡¯m not ready yet to fight her. I don¡¯t know anything about her power if it¡¯s not mind control. I can¡¯t even guess how Hiroshi was beat up. I need more information to build a plan from!¡¯ He kept his uncertainty and hint of panic as managed as he could. Going blind into the fight ended up being the only thing he could do. ¡°Once you¡¯re dead, I¡¯ll be free completely. I¡¯ll be safe once more!¡± She suddenly shifted into a very familiar fighting stance. Takako was ready. ¡®Saki?! She¡¯s using the martial arts style we learned at the dojo! But how?¡¯ Yuki didn¡¯t get much time to think about it as Takako disappeared from his sight. All he felt was a force slamming into him. It rocketed him through the classroom and out the school. Bursts popped with each wall he hit on the way out. He was prepared for such things to happen. After Saki sent him flying, he had plans in place to prevent that. However, it didn¡¯t seem to be actually doing its job. Yuki could only rely on his power to help him when dealing with people physically far faster than him. His powers stopped him after flying for nearly a kilometer in the air. Hovering above the city, he stared back at the school. He tried to ignore the pain that was throb in his side from whatever she hit him with. Yuki only had guesses. ¡°Damn, she¡¯s as fast as Saki it seems. Though, at their speeds, I can¡¯t really say how accurate that is coming from me. Not that it really matters, it screws me over either way.¡± He had only been saved by the fact that he had his powers reacting to her movement. So she never actually touched him, but the force of her movement still left an impact on his body. Otherwise, her inhibiting power would have gotten him killed immediately. Yuki pushed himself back through the air towards the school. He still didn¡¯t have much of a clear view of Takako¡¯s abilities. ¡°I already had guessed as much that the powers lined up with the individual. So I figured that being on the track team, she¡¯d have speed and agility like Saki. Just glad she lacks the physical strength. I¡¯d probably be dead if it had been Seiji.¡± As he moved to the hole in the school, he saw Takako waiting for him. She seemed to know that it wasn¡¯t enough to take him down. Though it made him think back to her little comment before she attacked him. ¡°What did she mean by being safe?¡± It was a strange comment that started to nag on him. Landing back in the school, but outside of the classroom he saw a completely different state of affairs. Water hung from the walls and stairs, though very thinly. It looked to be evaporating at an unusually high rate. While the state of the school looked in poor repair. Damage from the fighting before made it clear that Hiroshi had been busy. Yet, when he stepped into the room everything was erased clean and untainted. The unnerving sense about the place came back. He didn¡¯t understand it other than he had a good guess at the source. Staring at Takako, she gave her introduction to him and their fight to bring an end to the chaos started. ¡°It¡¯s time that I resolve the problems I created. I won¡¯t be dying today, Takako!¡± Chapter 353 - Mind Games ¡°You¡¯re confident that you¡¯ll kill me.¡± Shaking his head, he corrected everyone¡¯s natural instincts it seemed. ¡°I¡¯m not here to kill you. I¡¯m here to stop you. There¡¯s a difference.¡± She laughed a little at the na?ve notion that Yuki still clung to despite everything. ¡°You¡¯re not going to be able to do anything with that sort of mindset.¡± Suddenly, Yuki disappeared and reappeared in front of her swinging his fist. ¡®What?! When he get there?¡¯ Takako barely had a chance to put up her arms in defense. However, his fist went right through as he faded away. Yuki stared at the results, appearing back where he stood. His eyes narrowed a little with some slight disappointment. ¡®Figured as much. She¡¯s got the same weird protection against my powers. I¡¯m going to have to get more creative if my powers won¡¯t do anything to her.¡¯ It took Takako a moment to shake off the whole experience. Once she understood what happened, she smirked a little. ¡°Playing tricks on me.¡± ¡°No more than you.¡± ¡°What are you referring to?¡± ¡°I mean this classroom. I know you have some illusion cast over the room. That little punch you gave me let me into that.¡± He still didn¡¯t know why she did it. ¡®It¡¯s a meaningless effort as far as I¡¯m concerned. She¡¯s not doing anything with it. So what cast the illusion?¡¯ Her shoulders lifted a little in her shrug to casually throw off the declaration. ¡°You didn¡¯t give me a lot of time to clean up. I can¡¯t be having a messy room for the King.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just an average high school student right now.¡± ¡°Now who¡¯s casting illusions,¡± she shot back at Yuki. Remaining on edge around Takako, Yuki didn¡¯t know when the attack from her would come. Not that he would be able to see it, he knew. Everything had to rely on his powers'' reactions. He left everything up to the faith of his powers he made to battle someone like her. Between breaths, she disappeared and then appeared on the opposite side of Yuki. She spun around her arm taking him out at the neck. However, her hand went straight through him rather than hitting anything solid like she expected. ¡°Eh?¡± A fake?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± answered Yuki, who appeared in a different part of the classroom. Annoyed that she couldn¡¯t target Yuki so easily, she launched something at him. It just was a light kick of her foot, but it still shot like a bullet at him. A small piece of debris that didn¡¯t exist in her illusion, though remained real to her. Blowing through Yuki¡¯s head, blood sprayed back all over the walls. His body fell over, slumping against the wall. Shock went through both Takako and Hiroshi, unable to believe that Yuki just died so simply. ¡°Yuki?!¡± yelled Hiroshi, not wanting to believe the sight. Laughter came up from the other side of the room where Takako stood. He glared over at her helpless to do anything. ¡°That was pathe¡ª¡° Interrupted in the middle of her laughing, Yuki appeared swinging his fist again at her. She had no defense up at the moment. He capitalized on her weakness, ramming his fist into her face. This time it connected, throwing her out of the classroom with blasts sounding off as she broke through wall after wall. Yuki stood defiantly looking down the hole where he sent her. ¡°Amateur¡­¡± Chapter 353 ¨C Mind Games Nearly as much noise broke through the darkness of the school as Takako returned. She had a healthy looking bruise on her face from the punch that Yuki gave her. Along with it in accompaniment, confusion and surprise painted her eyes and mouth. ¡°What did you do?! You shouldn¡¯t be able to hit me with your powers!¡± Her hand lightly touched the pain in her cheek with the look of being out of place. Takako was a girl that had never fought a day in her life. Before the incident, she was just a normal girl going to school. She had the track team and her friends. But there was nothing else special about her. So the notion of hitting, even by her parents, was foreign to her. As much as what Yuki did to actually connect a punch with her, the fact that she was even injured surprised her equally as much. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. However, Yuki merely remained quiet, continuing to watch how things played out. He had to stay on top of his concentration for her. She immediately dove after him wanting revenge for the hit that should never have touched her. Yet, the same problem as before occurred. The Yuki she swung at wasn¡¯t real. He reappeared in the room and she jumped after him. None of them were real. ¡°You can¡¯t touch me!¡± Another punch from Yuki connected with her sent into the wall. It lacked as much power, but still sent her off her feet. Staring on from the sidelines, Hiroshi was the only one that had a good view of what happened. He understood how Takako would be so confused. In such a situation, he wasn¡¯t sure he would have thought of the same thing. ¡®Yuki¡¯s found a way to fight Takako. He¡¯s the only one of us with different means of using powers. I didn¡¯t have any idea that she would have found a way to deal with them. But this way¡­¡¯ He watched the two in their introductory dance. Takako being pushed back with Yuki exploiting her weakness. While Hiroshi couldn¡¯t boast the same degree of familiarity and experience as Yuki in fighting, the last month and more gave him a sense for the level of skill from an opponent. It wasn¡¯t always accurate or helpful and got him in trouble on a few occasions, but it was an improving skill of his. To behold the two fight gave him the time to test it. He could see what Yuki was doing and reading into his actions gave him insight into the fighting mind of his friend. ¡®He can¡¯t fight her normally, as he probably would like due to something negating his power. So he¡¯s keeping her off balance and emotional with all of the illusions. Once he got her riled up from the first hit, she hasn¡¯t been focused at all. She can¡¯t see what he¡¯s doing, even though I know she has the capability to be able to. Yuki¡¯s timing is just right to capitalize on her confusion. ¡®That first punch, wasn¡¯t even a punch. Because of the timing, Takako just thinks he¡¯s punching her. It¡¯s all part of the illusion. He¡¯s matching the timing of his illusion hitting her with a secondary attack. He¡¯s using something real that isn¡¯t created by his power and launching that in time with his attacks. And while we were both in shock over his faked death, he used that chance when Takako¡¯s awareness was at its lowest! He¡¯s playing her in his palm. The battlefield is completely under his control!¡¯ Hiroshi had to look at Yuki carefully, feeling like he was seeing someone else out there fighting Takako instead. ¡®It¡¯s hard to believe this is the same person that I met at the start of the school year. I know I didn¡¯t know what sort of life he had before high school, but even being told what I know, this far exceeds what I would expect. He might actually be able to win¡­¡¯ While he did believe in Yuki¡¯s power, what he dealt with fighting Takako before made him question if anyone could defeat her. It wasn¡¯t even arrogance in thinking that he was better than Yuki. He wasn¡¯t sure there was anyone that could win. ¡®He might be able to overcome all of her tricks!¡¯ Yuki came to a landing after knocking Takako down again. The real one couldn¡¯t be seen and Takako had long forgotten that fact. Despite controlling her own illusion, she had forgotten that all she was fighting was one as well. She didn¡¯t stand up immediately. Looking up in annoyance from her position on the floor, she saw a different sort of person than she saw walk through the door. He looked upon her with determination and seriousness. ¡°It¡¯s you¡­ You¡¯re the one.¡± Takako wiped away a bit of the blood that came up from her lip that cracked from the last hit. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Reading her expression, he could see that she realized something. However, he didn¡¯t have a clue what she discovered. Takako stood up slowly, looking a little more calm than before. The bruises on her face only scuffed her up. She still had plenty of fight left her, by the look in her eyes. ¡°I knew you both from the rumors around the school and the one that Saki stood in front to protect on a daily basis. The one that was more nerd than fighter. The one that fled from a fight.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your point?¡± ¡°After I got the chance to walk through Saki¡¯s mind I saw someone different in her mind.¡± Takako straightened herself out looking like she prepared for something. ¡°I¡¯ve gone through enough minds to know that people remember and see things very differently than reality. People are filled with self-delusions. I counted Saki in the same camp.¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got the same look that I found in Saki. It¡¯s different from when you first walked in here. You were convincing yourself of what you were doing before. Now you¡¯re committed, naively to that course. And you¡¯ve got that look now. The same look Saki knows and fears, when you get serious. When you become absorbed in a fight. You don¡¯t care how inexperienced I am in fighting. You¡¯re bringing it all.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to be able to stop you any other way. You might have been a normal school girl at one point, but now you¡¯ve become twisted and corrupted because of your power. I can¡¯t fight you half heartedly if I expect to save you.¡± The demeanor from Takako changed ever so slightly. It signaled a shift in their fight and an increase in the intensity. ¡°I don¡¯t need saving. I blame you for all that you¡¯ve done. This is all your fault as I said before. But I¡¯ve also already accepted the reality. You already saved me!¡± Takako disappeared on Yuki attacking the fake. She jumped to the next and next still not finding the real Yuki. However, when the fake Yuki came out to attack, she was able to dodge it this time. Behind her the wall took the shot that Yuki set up for her. ¡®What was that? That didn¡¯t feel like a punch,¡¯ she questioned internally. ¡®He missed!¡¯ Hiroshi thought in surprise. ¡®Is she seeing his attacks now? If so, what¡¯s he going to do to keep the fight on his side?¡¯ Yuki¡¯s clone moved around staying ahead of Takako with agility impossible for his normal body. ¡®Damn, I didn''t think it would happen that fast. I knew I couldn¡¯t survive on that trick for long, but I still need more time. It¡¯s not ready yet!¡¯ As their fighting reached a pause, Yuki stepped onto the questioning subject that Takako introduced. ¡°What do you mean that I already saved you?¡± ¡°This power you gave me. Without it, I never would have recovered.¡± ¡°What are you saying? What power did I give you?¡± ¡°The perfect power for someone like me. It took some time for me to realize it and I had some help. Thanks to them though, enough of my consciousness returned. Though I wonder if they regret doing what they did to me. Since they were my first subjects.¡± More mysteries compounded as Yuki only continued to learn now revelations that pushed him further away from understanding the truth. The puzzle before him was far more complex than he imagined. ¡°Who helped you? Someone with powers?¡± ¡°So let me show you what I¡¯ve gained thanks to you saving me!¡± Suddenly, Takako appeared beside herself. Multiple copies of her stood in a line together. ¡°Let¡¯s see how long you last against me like this!¡± Six copies of Takako charged at Yuki faster than even Hiroshi could see. An explosion of debris filled the whole room. Chapter 354 - Mind Tricks Hiroshi tried to lift his arm up to guard against all of the dust and debris thrown around the room, but it failed to move well for him. The cloud completely engulfed him along with the two fighters. Only in the split seconds before the chaos happened could he see what happened. The multitude of Takakos gave Yuki¡¯s clones trouble. Initial dodging proved to only go so far. Her speed increased dramatically making the old speed that Yuki¡¯s clones worked at ineffective. She destroyed the clones quickly. The pace that she took made it look like she would find the real Yuki in time. All the clouds kicked up were from the speed at which Takako moved. The illusion that she held on the room seemed to be weakening as the dirty parts began to seep through piece by piece. Yuki chipped away at her, but it was still far from a victory for either. Yuki remained hidden from her sights and she had plenty of fight left in her. Neither were ending any time soon. ¡®Now that Yuki showed her that he¡¯s serious in fighting her, she meeting him head on. This is where things heat up now. Will you be able to still keep the advantage Yuki, now that she¡¯s started to play her cards? The same cards that defeated me with ease¡­¡¯ Chapter 354 ¨C Mind Tricks Moving at such speed seemed like it should have started to affect Takako, but she showed no signs of weakness. She dealt with the Yuki clones as fast as they popped up. However, since none of them were real and what she did really didn¡¯t destroy them it was a completely pointless exercise by her. Not that she seemed to be willing to listen to such arguments. Takako finished off the remaining clones with signs of no more appearing. She turned around seeking out Yuki in any part of the room. He was nowhere to be seen. ¡°Going to stop hiding?!¡± ¡°Seems that I¡¯ll have to take you on directly,¡± answered Yuki, materializing out of thin air to her right. He threw out his fist while he was appearing leaving her little time to react. Though with her reflexes and superhuman speed it was still plenty of time for her. Intercepting his punch with her right hand, she looked ready to counter, but was suddenly hit from a completely different direction. The blow knocked her off her feet and against the wall of the classroom. It lacked the same sort of power, but it still left a mark. Rubbing her cheek, Takako looked on confused at Yuki. ¡®I know I saw a hand hit me. But I didn¡¯t see anyone. It wasn¡¯t him, but who hit me? There another person with him?¡¯ She tried to figure out what happened, but her sight hadn¡¯t been focused on it. Hiroshi stared on a little stunned at what he saw. It left him a little unnerved having seen it. ¡®It¡¯s frightening all of things that I see him do¡­¡¯ ¡°I might be normal, but don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be easy.¡± ¡°Damn you¡­¡± Takako stood back on her feet. ¡°All you¡¯ve got is tricks.¡± ¡°Did you really think that I would give you a fair fight? With everything on the line I¡¯m not going to be nice.¡± Yuki rammed his fist into her face while he finished talking, not waiting on her to take the action. Her head smacked into the wall cracking the dry-erase board. The next couple of hits knocked her head through the wall completely with her shoulders denting the board as she dangled there. She still breathed and more intensely than before, likely angered. ¡®Is he going to be able to win?¡¯ There was some uncertain hope stirring around in Hiroshi¡¯s mind. He still couldn¡¯t count Takako out of the fight. She still had plenty left in her. But he started to understand how committed he was to the fight. ¡®Come on, Yuki¡­¡¯ Dragging Takako out of the wall, he threw her down to the floor across the room. All the while, he rained down attacks on her, this time not hiding that they weren¡¯t his actual hand this time. There was no need for tricks at the moment. ¡°I would have just suffocated you from the start if it wasn¡¯t for your array.¡± Laughing, a slightly bruised, though not bloodied from all of the recent attacks, Takako woke back up. As to be expected, she wasn¡¯t injured from all the attacks. She only looked in a little disrepair from the fighting. ¡°So heartless of you.¡± Standing up, Takako carried a dark shadow over her face concealing an uncertain intent. ¡°You¡¯d make Saki cry to hear you talking about killing me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the fastest way to knock you out so I could undo all of your deeds. I already made myself clear that I don¡¯t plan on killing you, just ending this as fast as I can.¡± ¡°Ending this as fast as you can?¡± The atmosphere in the room suddenly changed as she spoke. It felt like they were in the desert. A strange glow came off Takako introducing a new killing intent not present before. ¡°How far is that confidence going to take you when faced with this?¡± Flames erupted up around Takako bathing her in the red-orange hue. Both of her arms transformed into flames along with the ground. Circular arrays began to appear in the air building up. Takako¡¯s powers completely changed, no longer making any sense to Yuki. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Off to the side, Hiroshi understood well what he was seeing. ¡®This is where it begins. They¡¯re both using tricks, but I still don¡¯t know what Takako¡¯s trick is¡­ I failed to figure it out. Yuki¡­¡¯ ¡°You think that¡¯s going to worry me?¡± scoffed Yuki maintaining a stonewalled expression when faced with something new. ¡®That¡¯s troubling¡­it looks like she¡¯s got control of Fumiko¡¯s flame judging from the magic array¡¯s I¡¯m seeing. I think I¡¯m starting to get a picture of the whole now¡­¡¯ Magic threads channeled into the arrays building up several fireballs before Yuki. The speed that Takako worked at now made it easier for Yuki to manage things on his own. Physical speeds weren¡¯t something he could handle unaided. So he prepared his own Field for the incoming attack. ¡®Law Switch, rule set #1!¡¯ Mist returned around Yuki as he made the switch in his powers. ¡®This is already getting more complicated than I want. Thankfully, I¡¯m somehow able to remember all of this. I guess it¡¯s part of the power.¡¯ Filling out the space around him, he had his normal protection back. ¡°You think that¡¯s going to be able to protect you?¡± ¡°I guess we¡¯ll find out.¡± She took the challenge and finished the build-up of magic. Flames shot out at Yuki in a barrage. There was no holding back or easing into the battle. Takako pushed up the intensity of the battle quickly. ¡°Handle these flames then!¡± Guiding the mist in front, the flames clashed, blowing out parts of the mist, but it still held strong against the attack. Behind his mist, he caught flashes of orange from the magic exploding. He saw it poking holes through, but only the heat so far had penetrated through. ¡®I¡¯ll need to make it thicker for the next round. I held back too much.¡¯ The next round however wasn¡¯t so simple. Takako looked ill pleased by the lack of results from her attack. She immediately went to the bigger guns. Larger and more complex arrays appeared around her and on the ground. ¡°Don¡¯t get cocky now!¡± ¡°Oh hell¡­¡± Yuki jumped out of the way knowing that his mist didn¡¯t have the strength to block such an attack. Several thick streams of flames roared just over him. What mist hung around him still as he moved was completely obliterated by the attack. Takako could tell that her attack was far more successful and something that Yuki feared. She grinned a little, moving her arms around to alter the flames¡¯ course. ¡°I¡¯ve got full control over this! Don¡¯t think you can escape me!¡± Yuki took cover in the hall that he punched through with his mist. He had to stay on the move as Takako didn¡¯t stop searching for him in the most brute force way possible. ¡®Damn it¡­ It¡¯s still not ready! I¡¯m using so much of my power right now on the mist¡­ The heat alone would have roasted me already without it¡­¡¯ He wasn¡¯t liking his current situation with Takako. ¡®I¡¯ve let her take control of the battle now. I can¡¯t allow her to maintain the pace. If I don¡¯t control the pace then I lose my only advantage in this fight. It¡¯s already an uphill battle against someone that my powers won¡¯t work on directly.¡¯ A slight glow came off his mist that surrounded his body. It protected him from the bulk of Takako¡¯s flame. It wasn¡¯t perfect, but it did what he needed to remain in the fight. Sweat still dripped down his face from the flame attacks narrowly missing him. He jumped down the dirty hall feeling his skin nearly boiling from it just passing over his leg. It was only for a second, but it felt like it had been an hour. His leg screamed at him from the stinging. The burn was bad, but he was going to have to live with it. Yuki threw himself into the classroom, thankful that it was actually empty. His mist returned to his side not needing to protect anyone. Panting a little from the effort, Yuki could tell that he was finally getting warmed up from all of the dodging. Up until that point, he remained fairly stationary using other things to fight for him. He did what he could to ignore the burned skin. It felt worse than it actually was he knew. And he had been through far worse than some burn. He dodged and tested trying to deflect the flames with his mists. The flames burned straight through the angled wall he created proving that it was still not enough. ¡®The intensity of the flames and force is too much for my mist to handle. It¡¯s not a very strong power against something real¡­¡¯ Yuki kept ahead of Takako¡¯s attacks, no longer feeling the pain in his leg. The adrenaline began pumping through his body. But her attacks came in stronger and more focused as each minute passed. He had trouble staying out of the way. ¡®I can¡¯t believe I heard that Fumiko supposedly has an even more powerful flame than this¡­if this is truly her power Takako¡¯s wielding¡­¡¯ Manipulating his mist in the hall away from him, he flung some debris into the classroom at Takako. It gave him enough of a distraction for him to jump back into the room. Though it didn¡¯t take long for her to immediately return to attacking him directly. Skating around on his mist, he pulled it around to guide his body around the room to keep dodging her attacks. Annoyed that Yuki remained out of her grasp, she covered much of the floor in flames trying to limit his area to dodge. ¡°You¡¯re fast on your feet. Can you still keep up?¡± The flames became more streams and columns than fireballs anymore. She stopped using any of the small attacks. Out of room, Yuki ran up the side of the wall and to the ceiling hanging upside down. ¡°There¡¯s always somewhere to go. Unless you fill the entire room with fire you¡¯re not going to be able to stop me.¡± ¡°Is that right?¡± A smirk came across her face hinting at something new in store. The unsettling feeling coming off Takako made Yuki worry a little. ¡®She¡¯s already shown herself to be fast and control fire magic on top of her mind control powers. This is way too many powers to be normal. I¡¯m really worried about where my theories are headed. If I¡¯m right, this is going to be even worse than I imagined¡­¡¯ Suddenly, Takako¡¯s right arm transformed into water leaving the flame on her left. Soft blue magic arrays appeared in the air next to the fire. The two different elements mixed together spreading steam into the entire room. Yuki slid back over the ceiling wanting space for reacting. ¡®I don¡¯t like this. She¡¯s blocked off my ability to see her attacks. I don¡¯t have anything useful for clearing it away. The mist isn¡¯t suited for that purpose.¡¯ He built up the mist into a thick wall with multiple layers extending outward as early warning for attacks. It was not much, but it was all he could prepare on short notice. However, he was getting a strange feeling from his mist. Something was bumping into them, but it was not a normal sort of attack. ¡®What¡¯s this feeling? What is Takako doing?¡¯ Then he suddenly felt the whole school shaking. It reminded him of the earthquake that split the school. Though it didn¡¯t have the same sort of feeling. Everything about it felt strange, but still violent. Something bumped into him against his back. He immediately whipped around and sliced through it with his mist only to find that it was a branch. ¡°A tree? Huh?¡± Then the mist started to clear away and more branches pushed into his personal space. He had to float in the air as the ceiling no longer was available. Parts of the schools rained down in chunks of debris as a massive tree ripped through what remained of the school. No longer contained in the room, the steam dispersed and faded away. It wasn¡¯t just one tree around him. Yuki suddenly found himself inside a forest. He couldn¡¯t even really see the school anymore. It laid in a pile of awkward debris and half of the neighborhood went with it. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Takako appeared walking out from the shadows of a thick trunk. She had the confident look back, no longer looking like she was playing Yuki¡¯s game, but her own now. ¡°Thanks to my power I can bring out the full mastery that even they don¡¯t know yet! Think you can stop me now, a master of all powers!¡± Chapter 355 - Mind Over Matter ¡°I guess that finally answers a question,¡± Yuki replied as Takako let slip a rather important detail about her power. ¡°Knowing doesn¡¯t give you an advantage.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± The pondering of the situation with Takako¡¯s power made him pensive. ¡®This is even worse than even I anticipated from my theory. I expected that her mind powers were an off variant from the standard fare, if she was really using other powers. However, I expected her to fall within the normal logic of not being versed in the power and that being a weakness I could exploit. ¡®This is even worse since I can¡¯t even anticipate her powers now. It seems I was right that what Takako was using was stolen powers from Fumiko, but to make a forest from magic. This far exceeds what Fumiko¡¯s current power is. The scale as well¡­ with an army of hundreds or thousands, the number of powers she has to use has suddenly made this fight my worst nightmare.¡¯ Chapter 355 ¨C Mind Over Matter Barely hanging on to a branch high up in the canopy of the forest laid Hiroshi. When the forest was created, he lost his support to rest on. Takako rudely ripped that away from him. His body didn¡¯t enjoy the ride that he took up further into the sky. While Yuki patched him up, rough movement still shot pain through his body. ¡°Damn, Takako¡­who knew she could do this¡­¡± He held tightly onto the branch struggling with his body to keep balance. It seemed that the threat to his life or at least health forced his body to start responding to him again. It wasn¡¯t perfect, but he could manage himself. ¡°This is just insane,¡± he commented, staring down at the two. They seemed less impressed with what happened than him. Just that fact alone left him a little unnerved. Yuki panned around the forest getting a judge on the scale. The density of it wasn¡¯t so thick that he couldn¡¯t see between the trees. They were thick, gigantic trees, but not spaced too closely. It was easy enough to see the weak lights of the city around them, though it suddenly felt very weird seeing it through such a view. The sky however was painted out completely. Yet he could still see in the forest. Part of it had to come from him already being a little adjusted to the night. But it was clear that there seemed to be a very soft glow coming off the green life Takako sprung out. ¡®Glow of magic?¡¯ It was the only guess that he had for the reason. However, it made things simpler for him. A backup Law Set wasn¡¯t needed to keep fighting. ¡°Fumiko seems to have a lot more potential than we realized.¡± Takako smirked a little, feeling the confidence of being in control of everything. ¡°This isn¡¯t her limit. There¡¯s plenty in her powers that I¡¯ve yet to show.¡± ¡°Figured as much.¡± ¡°Fumiko?¡± asked Hiroshi, to himself, ¡°That name¡¯s familiar. Yuki seems to know her. Wait, the way they¡¯re talking¡­Takako can use that girl¡¯s power? Then that means¡­¡± It all finally started to come together for him. He lacked the same sort of inherent understanding of powers in the way that Yuki did. His mind didn¡¯t work like that, though he doubted most people¡¯s minds thought the same way that he did. So the pieces didn¡¯t all fit together for him completely. But it started to make sense to him now that he listened to them in Yuki¡¯s stalling tactic. ¡°Does that mean Takako¡¯s power isn¡¯t mind control, but the ability to steal other powers and use them better than the owner? But that doesn¡¯t explain her army. What is it about her powers that I don¡¯t understand?¡± Hiroshi still felt lost when it came to Takako. She had thrown several different powers at him in their fight. None of it he saw coming. His power could do nothing against her. ¡°I guess I at least now have an answer to why she had so many powers. But we¡¯re still missing a very important piece to the puzzle that makes this whole thing make sense.¡± Hope was all he had to rest on finding that answer before Takako¡¯s new power. Even hope seemed a strange thing to bet on. He felt like he was being shallow and fickle waffling on Yuki¡¯s chance to beat Takako. It changed back and forth between the two as the battle carried on. And as he learned more about Takako there was less hope to pass around. It worried him more than he cared to admit. ¡°With the ability to master any power and use it at will, she¡¯s the worst sort of person for Yuki. She can do similar things that he can, but is superhuman and immune to his powers. This situation just keeps getting worse and worse¡­¡± Jumping to the next branch in front of her, Takako looked to be taking on a new stance to resume the fighting. ¡°Enough of your delaying. It¡¯s time that we put an end to you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to take more than what you¡¯ve shown to do that.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s get started!¡± Several magic arrays appeared in the air around Takako, rapidly finishing their casts. ¡°I¡¯ve been taking it easy on you until now!¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Even while he spoke, he saw her attacks launched. ¡®Metal? That¡¯s an unexpected magic power. It¡¯s pretty rare for any fiction to consider metal an element. But it makes sense, like fire or water, metal comes from nature as well. It¡¯s more natural than the fire commonly used in fiction.¡¯ While he took a moment half admiring and half analyzing it, hardened metal rods flew at him. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Mist still hung to his legs and pulled him away into the air to dodge the attack. Where he stood the metal ran straight through the wood completely unaffected by the thickness of more than a meter of wood. ¡®I don¡¯t know how dense that wood is, but that¡¯s a little worrisome it has that much force. Any sort of direct hit is going to be near lethal with blood loss¡­¡¯ Flying around the forest, Takako kept up the assault. Yet none of them hit him. Yuki started to question the seriousness of her intent. It lacked the same sort of intensity as the fire. But his detection system suddenly alerted him to an attack from a different direction. He dodged it without too much trouble, but it was the fact of where it came from that bothered him. Yuki glanced back in the direction trying to understand what happened. ¡®She¡¯s not in that direction¡­ So far I¡¯ve only seen attacks come from her. It appeared that was her limit. However, she can control the magic at will even after release. Is that at work? She stopped doing that with the metal magic, treating it like a projectile.¡¯ As he analyzed the situation more, Takako didn¡¯t give him time to pause. Most of her attacks came from the same direction that he came to expect, but every so often she tossed in another stray that didn¡¯t act like the others. The fact he kept avoiding her sneak attacks began to show visibly on her face. She didn¡¯t like that he seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. Her attempts were getting nowhere. Confidence in her own cleverness revealed her inexperience. She immediately jumped to more direct and less disguised attacks. It began to give Yuki all of the data he needed to understand what was happening. While it was faint and gone almost immediately after it finished, he saw it long enough, a magic array. One that was nowhere near to where she stood. ¡®I see¡­that explains that then¡­¡¯ The more he dodged, the easier it became to see confirmation of it. ¡®Well that¡¯s going to make things even more complicated¡­ In the hands of someone more experienced, I¡¯d probably be in a lot more danger than I feel¡­¡¯ What she lacked in experience, though she made up in sheer power. The vast reserves that she seemed to have to manage the magic had to give her credit to her natural talent. And to make things worse for Yuki, she was only more annoyed with him dodging everything. Arrays rapidly began to increase until it felt like there was a mini sun with how much light the magic generated around him. All Yuki could do was keep moving. ¡®The moment I stop is the moment I get surrounded¡­ I can¡¯t do anything about this¡­¡¯ Below or above, left or right, he already nearly was surrounded by her attacks. Behind him, he left a wake of destruction as shards of wood exploded and rained down. ¡®There¡¯s nothing I can do but evade right now. I¡¯m back again with the fire¡­ I need to turn this around¡­¡¯ Yet, Takako was already thinking of other things for Yuki. A brighter light than all of the magic arrays suddenly filled Yuki¡¯s vision. ¡°¡­damn¡­¡± He recognized it and it was an even worse threat. She forced him to fly down to avoid the massive pillar of flames coming at him. Fire and metal made the combination even worse for him. And now that he had to change his direction away from what he had been driving, he went straight into a trap. Yuki paused in the air, seeing all of his exits closed. A sphere of arrays surrounded him. ¡°Dammit!¡± His eyes scanned the area looking for any point of weakness. ¡®Didn¡¯t expect her to actually lay a good trap. She¡¯s getting smarter in the middle of the battle¡­ Her inexperience was my one major advantage¡­¡¯ Delaying her attack, Takako jumped around to get closer to Yuki. She grinned with satisfaction. ¡°Can¡¯t talk your way out of this.¡± The magic in the arrays grew brighter as she taunted him with his death. Not giving her the look that she wanted, Yuki held a determined expression. Harsher lines painted around his mouth and eyes watching her. ¡°Only a complete amateur gloats about having victory without actually having it.¡± ¡°Is that right?!¡± Anger surfaced quickly on her face. She lifted up her arm wanting to execute him with her own hand, as unnecessary as it was. ¡°Let¡¯s see if you can even speak after I¡¯ve reduced you to nothing but bloody holes!¡± ¡®She¡¯s firing soon¡­ She should have not made it clear when she was attacking¡­¡¯ Yuki watched her hand slowly move for the action. Just before she fired, a thick mist spread out through the entire space all the way out to the arrays. It completely blocked out Yuki from Takako¡¯s sight. ¡°I don¡¯t need to see you to kill you!¡± She fired everything that she had gathered shooting through the mist. Ill-omen wet sounds escaped from the uncertain void containing Yuki. ¡°Yuki!¡± shouted Hiroshi from far above, unable to do anything to stop his friend from being killed. Blood dripped out of the air from the bottom of the sphere of mist. Despite everything, the mist seemed to still hang around making it very clear to Takako that Yuki still lived. A large array appeared over her head completely eclipsing her in size. ¡°Die, you bastard!¡± A ten-meter thick column of flame erupted out of the array in a straight line for the mist. It completely engulfed the mist punching straight through with nothing stopping it. The massive amount of magic couldn¡¯t be maintained for long as it faded out. But the mist couldn¡¯t be seen. Cracking sounds of wood breaking echoed through the forest. Several of the giant trees had been completely cut through with the upper parts falling while large holes bore through trunks of those that remained standing. The earth rumbled heavily like an earthquake as the forest began to settle from Takako¡¯s attack. Takako grinned with delight to see that Yuki had been completely obliterated by the attack. ¡°He¡¯s gone! No one can stop me now!¡± She laughed with her victory secured now. A low cough came from a short distance away from Takako interrupting her. ¡°You¡¯re getting ahead of yourself,¡± Yuki corrected. ¡°What?!¡± Takako¡¯s grin quickly disappeared as her reality was shattered. She looked around, narrowing in on Yuki¡¯s location. He laid up against a tree with blood dripping from several shallow cuts along his arms and legs. Anger surfaced again as she repeated her pattern. ¡°How?! How are you alive?!¡± ¡°¡­luck¡­¡± he answered with a slight mocking grin. Countless arrays appeared behind Takako. She shouted like a crazed person at the sight of Yuki. ¡°See if luck will save you from this!¡± Metal rods fired out of the arrays repeatedly no longer closing up after their discharge. Yuki¡¯s mist pulled him away from the target zone as the tree he left shuttered under the pressure of hundreds of quarter-meter long rods punching through it. The mist alone kept him out of harm¡¯s way. But it only angered Takako more. All of the arrays merged into a single array and their magic shifted. Fire roared forth, but couldn¡¯t touch Yuki. Takako brought in more arrays from different angles, though smaller. She moved the arrays around while keeping up with Yuki. She pushed him closer into another trap. ¡°Luck won¡¯t save you!¡± The fires converged on his position as Yuki came to a stop further up the tree. As it moved in on him, he no longer looked to be dodging. Takako grinned, looking like she had him pinned this time. However, something suddenly flew in the last moment, stopping the fire and turning it away as it could make it through. ¡°Impossible!¡± Yuki whipped his arm around, throwing off all of the magic flames as tiny embers hung in the air. A surprise appearance of a metallic gauntlet covered up his right hand and forearm. ¡°I won¡¯t need luck. I have my mind! Now I¡¯ll show you what real experience means!¡± Chapter 356 - Mind Steel Baring her teeth ever so slightly as she ground them together, Takako¡¯s frustration with Yuki grew along with her confusion. ¡°Real experience? What¡¯s experience going to do when you can only run away from me?!¡± She felt the confidence coming off of Yuki now that he suddenly had his armored gauntlet. It wasn¡¯t that he seemed like he was mocking her. Rather, she could tell something was different about Yuki now. She didn¡¯t understand it, but her body could tell. Despite what her body told her, she put power into the magic array again. It quickly built up power, firing another column of flames at Yuki. ¡°What¡¯s some scrap metal going to do against overwhelming power?!¡± The red glow of the flames engulfed Yuki as he remained unmoved by her attack. He merely lifted his armored hand up. Splashing upon him, the column split in parts divided around him and continued on. After the attack passed, he came out of it with only a slight glow to his skin from the heat. ¡°This is a lot more than just some random scrap of metal,¡± he replied, showing it off to her. It already kept him safe twice. Takako let out a low growl of annoyance. ¡®This shouldn¡¯t be happening! I had him! He should have been killed!¡¯ He refused to go down. Yuki defied her at every turn. ¡°I don¡¯t care! You must die!¡± More arrays appeared as she became desperate to bring an end to Yuki. He became too much of a threat. She threw everything into flame and metal attacks. But none of it worked against Yuki. The metal rods bounced off the armor, even with the sharpened edges. And the flames couldn¡¯t even touch him. After the wash of attacks ended again, another gauntlet appeared on his other forearm. ¡®It¡¯s finally all finished. I¡¯ve stalled long enough¡­¡¯ All around him the air filled with metal parts. Snapping on to his body, he quickly was covered from the neck down in armor. Chapter 356 ¨C Mind Steel Painted in red and white with blue and black highlights, the armor closely formed to Yuki¡¯s body while still appearing to have flexibility. The metal glowed softly from all of the magic in the air giving it a slightly halo around it. Takako lost most of her frustration staring at the surprising turn that Yuki took in the fight. She didn¡¯t expect him to don full body armor to fight. ¡°Think you¡¯ve seen one too many American movies,¡± she commented, feeling less impressed by what she saw as Yuki¡¯s apparent answer to defeating her. The remark made Yuki¡¯s brow twitch a little. ¡°It¡¯s called Powered Armor. But don¡¯t think that this is just like what you see in movies or you¡¯re going to be regretting it quickly.¡± His last piece flew in snapping to his head and closing around his face finishing the armor. Grinning, Takako dropped her guard, having trouble taking it seriously. ¡°You think you can do anything in¡ª¡° Suddenly Yuki disappeared in a flash of light and reappeared in front of her swinging his armored fist. Surprise painted over her face she saw flew backwards crashing into a tree. The force sent cracks through the trunk and partly embedded her in the wood. Leaves rained around from the shuddering tree. Coughing to get her breath back after the surprise attack, Takako ripped her body free from the trunk. Her face stung from the hit more than any of the other hits Yuki made on her. It made her angry. ¡®There was something very different about that hit than all of the others that he made¡­ What did he do?¡¯ She glared down at Yuki resting one tree away from her. ¡°What did you do?!¡± ¡°You seem to pick up fast.¡± Hiroshi stared on in surprise from above. He managed to get himself back into a safe spot on the tree. It gave him the perfect view to watch the battle. ¡°That wasn¡¯t a trick¡­ Yuki actually hit her with his fist or rather the armor. But how? I thought he couldn¡¯t touch her with his powers. She neutralizes his power.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mock me!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not. You¡¯re more than just lucky. It would seem you¡¯ve got some inherent talent.¡± While he paid her compliments, it troubled him. ¡®I had hoped to get more out of my surprise than a single hit.¡¯ Inside on the screens within his helmet, a message ran across ¡®Searching¡­¡¯ It had only started the work with no display for the time it would take. While it ran, Yuki focused on the plan. Aiming his hand at the tree that supported Takako, a mass of energy formed quickly. It shot out from his palm completely destroying the section of the trunk it hit with the whole upper half pulled down by gravity. While Takako leapt up to the top side of the truck Yuki gazed out meeting her in a momentary stare down. He closed the distance quickly hitting her in the face, but she only slid back a little. She attempted to counter with a return strike, but Yuki blocked it with his arm while punching her again with his free hand. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Takako was on the defensive, unable to hold up to Yuki¡¯s barrage. She slid back more on the tree as punches wailed on her. Lacking her defense and his blows more powerful than before, her face started to get bloodied from all of the attacks. Yuki turned around, sweeping her off her feet with a low kick. With only a few meters left in their fall before hitting the ground, he grabbed her ankle. Spinning her around quickly he threw her down into the ground with all of the force from their fall and what he added to it. A crater ripped through the earth catching Takako eventually as she came to a stop. Though a modest hole compared to some of the others this night, Takako was left stunned from everything happening. She was losing. Landing out on the edge of the crater, Yuki stared down at the smoke cloud waiting for a reaction from her. He could still see her through the clouds, but it wasn¡¯t his goal to kill her. So he didn¡¯t push his advantage. The search still continued, but seemed to be getting closer to the results he was needing. ¡®Should have put in a more powerful CPU, but I made this for combat¡­¡¯ The earth rumbled softly transferring it through his metal to his body. She was pissed off. Her hands slammed into the ground at her frustrations. A scream voicing that emotion ripped through the air. All of her plans seemed to finally be hitting a point where she had to accept that she could fail. She might have been angered before and annoyed, but she still felt in control. This time she was losing control and she had to admit it to herself. A blast of fire shot out from the bottom of the crater creating the necessary force to blow away the smoke. Takako stood glaring up at Yuki with her black uniform torn from the collision. ¡°Bastard¡­ what did you do? How can you possibly touch me?! It¡¯s impossible!¡± ¡°Nearly nothing is impossible with my power. You should already know that.¡± ¡°But I can negate all your power!¡± ¡°Yes, you can.¡± ¡°Then how?!¡± ¡°I told you before already. This is the gap in our experience.¡± Takako growled at Yuki not accepting his answer. She pounded her foot into the earth as new magic arrays formed. ¡°Well if you¡¯re not going to tell me, then I¡¯ll just drown you!¡± Water rushed forth from the array charging straight for Yuki. Unlike the flames, the water surrounded Yuki with him unmoving. It spun around and filled the area until eventually spilling away. Yuki remained stationary and unreactive. ¡°This suit is air tight. You¡¯ve got the wrong approach.¡± ¡°Then how about this!¡± A new array formed with sparks jumping around it before energy even formed. Lightning leapt out to Yuki and the water completely electrified. It bounced and clung to the metal armor lighting up the well polished surface. Yet Yuki made no reaction still. Takako became even more angry from Yuki just mocking her efforts. She threw out her hand directly calling magic into a massive array. Lightning built up quickly as greater magic appeared. The array expanded and doubled with the formula increasing in complexity. The ground around Takako began to shake. Tiny pieces of rubble began to roll and bounce around as the power increased. Leaking magic transformed form into lightning striking the ground. Jumping around from surface to surface the entire crater became alit with the blinding light. ¡°Take this, the next level of magic!¡± Measurements of the energy build up displayed across Yuki¡¯s screen as the light filtered through not to blind him. ¡®Damn¡­this is a lot more power than I anticipated. I don¡¯t think even this suit could take that even using a grounding antenna¡­ Hurry up on the search already! My winning the fight has made her desperate.¡¯ Yuki disappeared in a flash of light and then reappeared behind Takako. She began to turn around just as his fist came out to knock her into the earth. The lightning magic disappeared quickly as the source for the array disconnected. Magic shattered into particles as the array collapsed. ¡°Damn you!¡± muttered Takako from in her tunnel Yuki dug for herself. She blasted a hole through the earth with her fire to quickly clear space. ¡°I¡¯m not going to be so kind as to just let you take all that time to charge up an attack. Such attacks are a weakness in this sort of fight.¡± ¡°You bastard!¡± ¡°Curse me all you want, but you¡¯ve watched too many anime if you think I¡¯m that considerate.¡± Yuki charged straight for Takako even as she threw out fast cast magic. Its power was too weak to even be something to slow him down. Knocked into the air, Takako fought to keep control of her body as Yuki completely dominated the field. Blood sprayed through the air as she went through two trees before coming to a stop. She caught herself on the edge of the branch and landed with her legs cushioning her impact. He landed on a separate tree a short distance away from her. The way the last round went bothered him. He could tell the difference. ¡®She¡¯s getting used to the pace. She¡¯s quickly adapting to the situation and she¡¯s able to recover from my blows. I need that search to finish already¡­ I can¡¯t waste my move without exact coordinates¡­¡¯ The magic in the air disappeared suddenly. Takako stood up taking a new stance. Around her the air took on a new charge. Once more her presence changed and Yuki knew what was happening. ¡®She¡¯s given up on Fumiko¡¯s power and moved to someone else¡¯s power. Whatever it is that she throws at me this armor should be able to take it.¡¯ Holding off his attack until he knew what she was planning gave Takako all the time she needed. She leapt from her tree going straight for Yuki. Her increased speed forced Yuki to disappear in a flash of light. She glanced up to the new location he moved to. ¡°I see¡­ You aren¡¯t actually moving that fast. You¡¯re doing some sort of teleporting.¡± ¡®She¡¯s figured out my movement. With their eyes it¡¯s not surprising, the light I use to mask my transport only works for so long before someone with enough time figures it out.¡¯ He could feel his advantage starting to slip once again. Returning to the attack, he leapt for Takako. He disappeared and reappeared striking her completely open flank. However, his punch did nothing to her. There was an odd dull thud he got from the strike, but nothing more. He made a couple more attempts, but nothing got through to her. Takako turned to look at Yuki. ¡°Your punches are too weak¡­¡± She then delivered a punch back in his stomach, launching him through several trees before systems took over to stop him. He coughed having trouble suddenly. Blood dripped from his lips as he understood well what had to have happened. ¡°¡­damn¡­this isn¡¯t good¡­¡± Then a warning displayed on his screen. It alerted him to a damage in his armor that was spreading quickly. He jettisoned the parts that were damaged realizing something was wrong. It left his right side completely exposed. His hand caught one of the pieces that was damaged seeing it continue to erode away. ¡°Some sort of acid or rusting power¡­ This is bad¡­ She¡¯s going to be able to completely take me apart without me even hurting her¡­¡± Chapter 357 - Mind Without Now that Takako had the advantage return to her side, she regained her confidence. Grinning once more to herself, she jumped from tree to tree closing the distance with Yuki. The fight turned more cautious for him as she could destroy his armor with ease now. A fact that she tried to do everything to take advantage of in their fight. It became a dodging game once more for Yuki as he couldn¡¯t allow Takako to touch him with any of her attacks. Such a condition made it difficult for him to find an offense. ¡®Switching powers around conveniently to counter is as dangerous as I expected. It¡¯s like mine, but without the weakness. I have to plan ahead¡­¡¯ Risking the attack, Yuki turned and rotated on his landing on the tree. He ran down the tree a little as Takako missed above him. Wood shards pelted his armor as he got clear. The window was small, but he had enough time to make a counter strike. Thrusting off the tree, he threw everything into his punch. Striking inside her defense, his armored hand slammed into her stomach. Force alone shot her into the air and through the canopy. Yuki watched for a moment to know how she left before landing on a lower branch. He lifted up his hand. Even though it wasn¡¯t his real hand, he felt it through the metal. It was clear to him as it was the time before. ¡®She said weak, but that¡¯s not it¡­¡¯ The confirmation only worried him more for the future of the fight. However, he didn¡¯t get much longer to ponder it. Alerts came up on his screen. ¡°What?!¡± Something was coming and fast. He jumped out of the way the moment the sounds started to blare. A long pole, of a material that he couldn¡¯t immediately recognize, appeared shooting through the air piercing the tree with great force despite being blunt. Shuddering until the force, the tree shed leaves as several more poles split the tree in half. Takako, already recovered, came floating down from the sky. She no longer seemed to be thinking about jumping around. ¡°I thought I already told you that you¡¯ve got a weak punch.¡± ¡®Completely unscathed now¡­ Before, when I hit her I could see the effects. That¡¯s not the case now. It doesn¡¯t feel like I¡¯m hitting her, feels like I¡¯m just hitting a wall¡­¡¯ Chapter 357 ¨C Mind Without More poles shot out from Takako¡¯s hand at Yuki. Their number and speed made it difficult for him to dodge on his own abilities. The superhuman part of her started to come out again. Most of them missed him as he could get out of the way in time, but not all of them. His arm jumped as the armor deflected the pole. Thanks to the Addendums he had in place, it did almost nothing to his physical body. However, that wasn¡¯t the worst part. He saw his armor melting again forcing him to drop parts of his protection around his elbow and forearm. His hand remained intact. He dodged more of the attacks as she ripped the tree to pieces. Yuki watched the attacks continuing to take in the information. ¡®Not only is she using different powers, she¡¯s combining them together. Fumiko¡¯s magic forest is still in effect in addition to this acid power and now the strange pole creation ability. Stolen from people, they¡¯re both too different to be from one person.¡¯ The poles he would have liked to examine a little, but he couldn¡¯t even touch them. He wanted to know what material they were. It would mean a potential counter to her powers. Looking for openings in Takako became harder. As Yuki already noticed, she improved throughout the fight whether she became aware of it or not. Such natural talent only made things all the more challenging in a fight he was already becoming the ant in a giant''s fight. Only his experience in fights gave him the edge still, he could find counters to slip through between her attacks. He threw Takako down to the base of the forest. However, she landed on her feet before there was even a risk. ¡®Damn¡­¡¯ ¡°You¡¯re getting more predictable,¡± she commented up to him. ¡®She really does have another power activated. Her body is too hard to just be defensive strength.¡¯ He clenched his hand thinking about his options. ¡®I¡¯m not going to be able to do anything with how I have been¡­ Damn search is taking too long!¡¯ Standing with confidence burning strong, Takako looked like she already had victory in her hands. A clear sign of her amateurish nature. One that Yuki took up immediately as he disappeared in a flash of light. ¡°You think you can sneak up on me with that move?¡± Takako mocked as she turned around to where Yuki appeared. She grabbed him out of the air before he got close enough to do anything. ¡°I thought I made it clear that I¡¯ve already seen that move of yours.¡± Suddenly, what she was holding disappeared thanks to the power of her negation. ¡°What?!¡± She spun around getting a strange feeling behind her. A massive energy blast completely filled her vision. The force of it shot her off her perch and threw her through three trees before coming to a stop. Yuki came to a rest on her tree with the blast over. ¡°I know.¡± Ripping herself out of the tree once more, she glared over at Yuki. ¡°Bastard¡­still up to your old tricks.¡± She staggered a little with surprise taking over her face. ¡®Something off about my body! What did he do?¡¯ Yuki watched through his magnified image on the visor of his helmet. ¡®Good, seems that I¡¯ve still got something. Though, that power isn¡¯t unlimited. The reactor can¡¯t manage that powerful of a blast. Though it¡¯s still troublesome that it took releasing the safeties and using the full power of the suit just to wind her a bit. That tough skin of hers is going to be trouble.¡¯ Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Finding her legs finally, Takako floated back out into the air. Her body had cuts and scrapes thanks to Yuki¡¯s attack. Though her clothes took most of the damage. It was only thanks to the reinforced materials used in the weaves that kept it from completely falling apart. ¡°I¡¯m not going to allow you to get another cheap shot like that in!¡± ¡°This is a fight with lives on the line. There¡¯s no such thing as a cheap shot.¡± Taking Yuki¡¯s word to heart, a grin came across her face. Weapons suddenly appeared in the air around her, along with fireballs, black orbs and about five other sorts of powers that looked less offensive in nature. ¡°Then you won¡¯t hold this against me!¡± ¡°¡­crap¡­¡± muttered Yuki, looking at Takako taking their fight to a new level. None of which he was prepared to deal with. So many different powers were in play that he had no clue what to expect from them. The attack immediately went out on him. Evasion was the only tactic. He needed to see how the attacks moved and damaged before even thinking he could take them head on with his suit. ¡®If she¡¯s smart she¡¯ll be using the acid power lacing all of her attacks. Which means any move she uses will be deadly regardless of what the real strength of it is. It¡¯s the only way I can think. I can¡¯t assume she¡¯s going to be stupid at this point. Not with the way she¡¯s improving¡­¡¯ As the offense by Takako went on the forest became more cut down leaving piles of massive chunks of wood on the bed of the forest. The fury of Takako began to leave large holes in the canopy with the moonlight breaking through. Rays of the moon tinted everything a soft blue as blood lust filled the air. However, none of that helped Yuki in the fight. He struggled to keep up with Takako¡¯s assault. The barrage became heavier as she grew tired of missing. Nothing was going to last forever. And he didn¡¯t have the same sort of stamina as Takako. Even with all of the work of his Law kept him from feeling the effects of the fight, it only worked so well. A slip up was bound to happen. Like a row of dominoes lined up, when it came it was a cascade effect. Takako jumped on the advantage to exploit every last bit. She wasn¡¯t about to let him win anymore. With three-quarters of the forest already gone and Yuki laying on the ground blood streaming down his arms and legs. He had run out of options. Most of his armor had to be thrown off, the melting power dealt with it too efficiently. All that remained for him were scattered pieces on his chest and legs with his hands and helmet still intact as well. Cracks lined his visor reducing the working parts of his screen. He stood up struggling with his body. Fatigue clearly had started to take a toll on him. ¡®I¡¯m a little surprised I managed to go this long. This has already gone on longer than any of my previous fights. I guess the right Law does make a lot of difference. I would have keeled over long before I even started really fighting with her a month ago.¡¯ Despite the situation, he knew that he still had more left in him. Feeling a little tired was hardly a sign of him quitting. Fortunately, all of his stalling finally paid off for him. A beeping came across his screen. Half of the message was cut off due to the damage from the cracks in his helmet, but it was enough. He finally had what he had been waiting for since he started. A way to bring an end to the fight. ¡®This is going to be my last charge. The suit in its state can¡¯t take another blast.¡¯ He clenched his hands together, staring up at the next attack that Takako pulled together. It looked like a child¡¯s toy box of random ideas. She wanted to end things just like him. ¡®All or nothing now¡­¡¯ Using the thrust that remained in the suit, Yuki hovered up over the ground. Across his screen displayed the energy build up. The metal of his armor started to shake from the pressure unable to maintain its integrity without the rest of the pieces. ¡®Law switch, Rule Set #4b!¡¯ A sudden light grew out of Yuki with blinding intensity. It was a pure thick all encompassing light that nothing could penetrate and painful. Especially to those with enhanced senses like Takako. She covered up her eyes, unable to see beyond the field her device negated. ¡°What?!¡± The light bleached her entire body bathe in the white. Takako moaned in pain as her eyes screamed at her. ¡°Trying to blind me?! You can¡¯t win!¡± Throwing out her attacks, it was no longer concentrated like before. She tried to hit everything, no longer sure where he would come from. However, it wasn¡¯t long until she felt something different, yet familiar. ¡®This feeling¡­¡¯ She knew what it was, Yuki¡¯s energy attack. ¡®Why does it feel so strong? It wasn¡¯t like this before!¡¯ Tossed out of the light, she flew through one tree and continued on into the sky uncontrolled until she could stop herself. It stung her body feeling the attack. Her clothes smoked from the attack and there was even slight damage to her skin as blood gathered. ¡°Damn you! Still got fight left you!¡± As the white light faded away, Yuki¡¯s armor crumbled away. It became completely useless. He was open and bare to Takako¡¯s attacks once more. He hovered in the air with his mist around him, returned to his former powers. ¡°You¡¯re too far away. My hearing isn¡¯t that good.¡± Quickly jumping with her speed, their distance disappeared. Takako stood before him only meters away. ¡°This better?¡± Yuki stared at her unmoving. Anger filled her face, even more so since he lacked any sign of giving up. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Your toy armor is gone. You¡¯ve run out of options.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see about that. Try me.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t beat me!¡± ¡°I think you have that backwards. You can¡¯t beat me.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Takako started to laugh. Confused and amused, she didn¡¯t know what his game was. ¡°Is that so? Then let¡¯s see about testing that!¡± She flung her fist at Yuki faster than he could even see. Yet it did nothing. Her hand stopped on his face, unable to move. ¡°What?!¡± ¡°How¡¯s that test?¡± he mocked. ¡°How dare you!¡± Takako threw up a barrage of blows against Yuki. None of them did anything to him. She backed up a little and threw everything she had in her powers at him. ¡°Damn you!¡± Recovered from his injuries enough to start moving, Hiroshi escaped to the ground during all of the destruction. ¡°What is going on? How is he taking it all?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not possible!¡± Some fear started to leak into her voice as she slid back. She didn¡¯t understand why nothing worked against Yuki. In the last attempt, she threw a massive amount of power into a gigantic blast that obliterated any of the remaining trees in the forest. It turned the whole city into day with the intense light coming off of it. Yuki narrowed his eyes at her desperation. ¡°It won¡¯t work. It¡¯s pointless.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll show you what¡¯s pointless!¡± Disappearing and reappearing in front of Takako, he swung his fist. Slamming into her cheek, a massive shockwave ripped through the school grounds tearing up the earth and debris. Takako flew backwards kicking up earth as she tumbled over the ground. The blow dazed her, though only for a moment. She pulled herself free from the debris. Blood dripped down her cut lip. The pain felt worse than his other attacks. It made her grind her teeth together staring down the hundred meter long path she carved out. ¡°How?!¡± She threw her foot into the earth sending out cracks as it got stuck. ¡°Tch!¡± she groaned as she ripped it free and sped back to Yuki. Her speed kicked up a gust that blew against Yuki as the only thing that seemed to affect him. ¡°What did you do?!¡± ¡°My powers can truly be cheating when I want them to be. To the point of being unfair. Against someone like you, I can make them utterly broken.¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible! I can negate your powers!¡± ¡°Not anymore.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Yuki produced a small band-like strip of black plastic weave with a thin metal device attached around it. ¡°My device!¡± she gasped in surprise. She immediately swiped it back from Yuki, who didn¡¯t resist. ¡°It¡¯s worthless to you now. I completely destroyed its inner workings.¡± ¡°When?¡± ¡°During the last attack I made. It was just a distraction. Thanks to the disrupting nature of the device, it took me a while to lock down its location. But without that, you can¡¯t do anything to me.¡± A dark shadow quickly ran down Yuki¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯m normally all for fair play. But you lost that privilege the moment you started twisting and corrupting people, making them kill on your whim. This is the end, Takako!¡± Chapter 358 - Mind Lock Takako smirked a little and suddenly began to laugh at Yuki. That wasn¡¯t the reaction that he expected to get out of her when he told her that he stopped her. ¡®What¡¯s wrong with her? I don¡¯t need her to have a breakdown now because she¡¯s lost.¡¯ Unfortunately, Yuki¡¯s gut was telling him something else. There was something wrong with the situation that didn¡¯t feel right. She wasn¡¯t laughing because she felt that she had lost. In fact, it seemed like she still had something left to play. And it left Yuki feeling very unsettled. He didn¡¯t know what it was, but he had to finish things with her. ¡®I just need to neutralize her powers¡­ There¡¯s nothing that she has left that can stop me.¡¯ A quick shift of his powers off and on, he already arranged a new set of rules to deal with most of the threatening aspects of her power and abilities. He just needed to bring everything to an end now. ¡°It¡¯s over now.¡± Materializing massive weights, they snapped onto Takako¡¯s wrists and ankles restricting her movements. Glancing down at the balls and chain that he made, she didn¡¯t seem very bothered by all of it. ¡°This is rather mundane for being a junky for the fantastical.¡± ¡°Practicality over complexity. You understand very simply what it is without my explanation.¡± ¡°True enough. I know this is pointless.¡± She lifted her arms up a little still within the range of the chains. The confidence in her expression still hadn¡¯t dropped. The look he got from Takako only worried him more. ¡®What¡¯s she planning? She¡¯s acting like she can still fight¡­¡¯ Yuki didn¡¯t know what she had planned, but he quickly shortened the length of the chains restricting her movements. ¡°Still hung up on this idea that you can keep me restricted.¡± ¡°It¡¯s time for you to surrender, Takako.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t lost yet.¡± ¡°I¡¯m willing to listen. Put everyone back to normal and we can talk. We can find an answer to this that doesn¡¯t have to involve any more bloodshed.¡± She sharply changed her expression. Harsh lines drew over her face as she became very serious with Yuki¡¯s bargaining. ¡°That¡¯s an unacceptable term. I won¡¯t give anyone back. Because I won¡¯t, you must die. Otherwise this never ends.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the only way. There¡¯s always a solution.¡± ¡°Not here. This is my solution and because your morals won¡¯t allow you to accept it, we will never see eye to eye.¡± Yuki felt like he touched into a rather important piece of missing information. ¡®There¡¯s something there. Something she¡¯s implying. I feel like this is the reason for all of this! But she¡¯s still holding back on a full explanation!¡¯ It seemed Takako was set on a death fight between them. He could see it in her eyes with how resolved she was while she talked now. ¡°I can¡¯t understand your situation if you don¡¯t explain things to me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pointless discussion. I already know how it will turn out. This is the only way things will be settled.¡± ¡°Dammit! Things don¡¯t have to continue like this!¡± ¡°You¡¯re right about that.¡± Takako pulled her arms up, tensing the chains further. ¡°I¡¯m going to end this farce. You seem to be under the false impression that you¡¯ve got the upper hand now that you don¡¯t have to worry about my device. Allow me to show you how wrong you are!¡± She suddenly lifted her arms up, taking the solid black metal balls in the air with her. Grinding his teeth together, he started to understand that the fight was far from over. He didn¡¯t understand how she was doing. But he knew what this appeared to mean. ¡°Those are five hundred kilos each.¡± ¡°Is that all? No wonder they¡¯re so light. You must not think much of me.¡± He quickly changed the mass in the material, doubling the weight and it did very little to change her reaction. Doubling it again and again, he finally started to see a little struggling out of her. ¡°Now you¡¯re making me work a little.¡± ¡°I took away all of your superhuman attributes. What are you doing?¡± Bored with the demonstration, she snapped the metal bindings around her wrists. She quickly did the same to the ones on her ankle. Now freed, she met Yuki with a very confident gaze once more. ¡°Is that what you tried to do? Afraid that it doesn¡¯t work on me like that.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± It would seem that the fight wasn¡¯t over as Takako had decreed. Though it was a strange situation where it seemed that neither could do something to the other to end the fight. ¡®This can¡¯t end in a stalemate. No, she¡¯s already planning on winning. She¡¯s going to try to outlast me¡­ I can¡¯t fight with the same sort of stamina as her. I¡¯m going to have to get a little more aggressive with my tactics.¡¯ Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Chapter 358 ¨C Mind Lock Takako took the opportunity to charge at him to force him to use his powers up. Like Yuki assumed, she planned on doing the exact same thing that Saki did in one of her fights. She was going to burn through all of his power until he ran dry. However, to her annoyance she hit a wall. Attempting to break it, it did nothing. An invisible wall stood before her that didn¡¯t even make a slightest indication that she could damage it. ¡°Going back to cheating powers.¡± ¡°I did say I wasn¡¯t going to be fair.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t stop me.¡± She walked around feeling the surface of the wall looking for the edge. However, she came to a corner. Checking the other side, there was a corner as well. Takako jumped over to the side behind her and found a wall there. Stretching her hands up, she felt the ceiling as well like she expected. ¡°You forgot one thing.¡± She wound up her fist and rammed it into the ground to create a crater. Or she thought she was going to that. All that happened was a dull echo bouncing through the chamber. She glanced up at Yuki with annoyance. ¡°You really think I¡¯d forget the bottom?¡± he questioned. ¡°So your plan is to bore me to death?¡± She sat down seeing that she had no other options at the moment. ¡°Hardly. I¡¯m ending this like I said before. Even with superhuman abilities, you¡¯re still a human. Nothing I¡¯ve done has altered that. Which means you need air to live.¡± Takako threw up her hand against the surface of the wall. It took her a little by surprise. ¡°You¡¯re going to suffocate me? Thought you said you weren¡¯t going to kill me.¡± ¡°I just need you unconscious. I should be able to figure out a way to keep you in an artificial coma until I undo everything you¡¯ve done. Then I can deal with you again and you will explain everything.¡± Her fingers pressed tightly against the invisible wall. ¡°I¡¯m not going back! The only way out of this I will accept is death! I¡¯m not going back to a living death ever again!¡± Some genuine fear slipped through into Takako¡¯s face as she understood the extent that Yuki was willing to go against her. The sight that Yuki saw made him even more curious about what made her so afraid. It wasn¡¯t as simple as she seemed to imply from her words. There was something deeper that he saw behind her eyes. Something that sat at the core of everything. He just didn¡¯t know what it was. ¡°You¡¯re out of choices, Takako. I already gave you the conditions for your surrender.¡± ¡°And I already gave you my answer.¡± ¡°Then this is the only outcome.¡± Grinding her teeth together, Yuki had pushed her into a corner that she didn¡¯t think that she would have been put into. She looked around her invisible chamber quickly. And then looked down at the floor again that she sat upon. ¡°There¡¯s a benefit to having a thousand abilities.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t escape, Takako. I¡¯ve made it completely invulnerable to any forms of damage.¡± ¡°Is that right?¡± she taunted, calling his claim as though it was bluff. Even though it wasn¡¯t a bluff he made, she still stood up preparing to take action. ¡°I¡¯ll show you that there is still a way out!¡± Wiping off the blood from her face from the punch that Yuki made, she wound up her fist. ¡®What is she trying now? What ability could she have that I haven¡¯t accounted for?¡¯ Yuki didn¡¯t feel like he was being confident for no reason. Yet, he could see that Takako felt assured of her success. There was a fear driving her to keep fighting and never give up. One that he wasn¡¯t going to be able to beat with simple half-hearted attempts. Throwing her fist down against the floor again, there was a very slight delay, but suddenly the entire chamber filled with dust from the earth. Takako had somehow managed to break free again. She defied the expectations that Yuki had and made him question if he could actually stop her anymore. Out of the crater filled with dust clouds, Takako emerged with a slightly bloody looking fist for her troubles. Yuki still had trouble understanding what she did. He knew it was power that Takako possessed, just not what power could do that. ¡°No amount of brute force could have broken that.¡± ¡°No prison is inescapable.¡± ¡°It would seem that way.¡± Yuki threw up more invisible barriers that should have been unbreakable to hold back Takako. Yet, she smashed through them with her bloody fist. She kept getting closer to Yuki. It was becoming dangerous once again to fight her. The methods that he thought would work on bringing her to a stop failed. She met him with her speed with all of his other defenses down. The only thing that protected him still was his mist. Her fist ripped through it, rocketing Yuki across the ground. The impact alone made him cough off blood. His mist had done a lot to mitigate the damage, but he couldn¡¯t avoid all of it. Most of it was the sheer force coming through the displaced air around her fist rather than physical hit, which didn¡¯t actually make contact. Had it, he would have died immediately. Once he understood what happened to his body, he could stop himself with the mist before it got too harmful for him. He hovered over the ground seeing Takako in the distance coming after him. ¡®There¡¯s one last trick she¡¯s playing. Unfortunately, I can¡¯t do anything about it, since I don¡¯t know what it is. So the only option I¡¯ve got is to just hit her with enough power to knock her unconscious. I just don¡¯t know how much power that is¡­¡¯ Yuki prepared to receive Takako as she came after him. She destroyed more of his barriers to reach him. It became clear to her that her punch worked on him, even if he still stood. She just needed to keep it up now. A forced exhaustion like Saki was no longer needed. Takako could just kill him out right. Yet her fist went right through Yuki and he disappeared into a puff of smoke. She looked around for Yuki, surprised to see him so close to her. And he had already gathered up the power of something. ¡°Let¡¯s see if I can avoid looking like a copycat with this!¡± A massive beam of pink energy shot out of his hands straight up into Takako. It completely engulfed her with not even a silhouette appearing. As the light from Yuki¡¯s attack faded away, he could see Takako falling in the distance. He panted heavily, feeling that straining his body and mind. It was hitting him harder than he expected. ¡°Hopefully, I didn¡¯t kill her.¡± Flying over to Takako, he checked out the effects. However, even before he finished making it over signs of movement could be seen. Takako staggered to her feet, making Yuki stop early. He then tried to avert his eyes away from her. The blast completely destroyed her clothes and underwear, but also something else a little more important and critical to the mystery. Apart from severe burn and wound marks from the blast on her skin, it seemed that there was skin peeling off her skin. She had an outer layer of skin that was nearly completely vaporized from the attack. Under that on her own skin, Yuki found something shockingly familiar. Across her entire body, she had scars, but they weren¡¯t battle scars or just accidents from growing up. They were recent and most definitely intentional. ¡°You didn¡¯t?! That¡¯s why my powers aren¡¯t working on you!¡± Takako smirked despite the fact that her secret had been revealed. ¡°That''s right. I figured you might be able to do something with the device or it just couldn¡¯t work. So I needed a back-up plan.¡± ¡°And that plan was carving the array straight into your skin?!¡± ¡°Your powers can¡¯t penetrate me to alter me anymore. I¡¯m immune to your powers!¡± Chapter 359 - Mind Break ¡°You¡¯ll never be able to go back to the person you were!¡± he shouted in surprise that she would actually make such a choice. Yuki had trouble understanding it. ¡®The more I¡¯ve seen of Japan since I¡¯ve returned, the more doubts I¡¯ve been having about whether my accident could be called a good thing or a bad thing. Initially it seemed like a blessing in disguise perhaps, but now¡­ It¡¯s hard to even consider that¡­¡¯ All of the reminders came back to him as flashes of memories turning his face grimly narrow. Scales of a snake, possibly, began to appear over her skin. The scars of the array she cut into her body remained highlighted as she completely covered herself up once more. ¡°What makes you think I want to go back to the way I was? Just because you made all of us like this, doesn¡¯t mean you get to decide what we do. You don¡¯t control us! I¡¯ve embraced the power you gave me and I never want to lose it!¡± He could tell that she started to prepare for their fight once more. Something that he wasn¡¯t fully ready for anymore. Everything that he had to use was lost. Things started to look grim for him. He lost his options and diplomacy failed. ¡°So we¡¯re fighting¡­two incompatible ideas.¡± ¡°That''s what a fight always comes down to. I¡¯m fighting to live and you¡¯re fighting to kill me.¡± ¡°I already said I¡¯m not killing you!¡± ¡°What you will do to me will be the same as death! I was already dead before none of you just wanted to admit it. But because you didn¡¯t put me out of my misery then, I did have another chance at life.¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying this is all my fault?¡± ¡°I already said that before. You¡¯re both the one that killed me and saved me. And both times you didn¡¯t do it by your own hand.¡± After it all happened, he already leveled all of the blame on himself. Hearing it from someone else did nothing to relieve that burden he carried. Resolved to see the end was all he could hold on to anymore. ¡°That¡¯s why I came to see you personally. Your actions are my responsibility. So ending this is also my responsibility.¡± Chapter 359 ¨C Mind Break ¡°But none of your powers can work on me!¡± Takako yelled while she charged at Yuki, taking on the claws of an animal in place of her nails. She slashed out at Yuki using her speed to keep him from being able to see her. Only the mist surrounding him protected him from the attacks. Despite the protection, the force of the attack still bled through to him. He slid back only able to defend. Her confidence in the fight returned in the way she attacked. She stopped caring about her power that could shatter Yuki¡¯s Kasou-ryoku abilities. Brute force seemed to be her focus. The desire to crush him with her own hands seemed to be the emotion riding strong in her eyes. Knocked off balance from the latest attack, Yuki staggered off his feet. She leapt into the air and spun around bringing her whole leg to kick him in the stomach. His mist could only do so much to resist the attack. The force shot him into the earth only a short half meter below him. A crater dug through the ground and sent out cracks where it didn¡¯t carve. She landed down next to Yuki covering a smirk on her face. ¡°There¡¯s no way you can win! I will beat you into a bloody pulp!¡± Throwing her hand down, she tried to punch him further into the crater, but only it was the earth instead. Freed from the crater by his mist, Yuki stood at the top of the crater. However, his mist disappeared. As Takako looked back at where he moved to, the armor she destroyed materialized over his body. ¡°I already broke that, what makes you think that¡¯ll do anything different this time?¡± ¡°Because one was real and this isn¡¯t.¡± Suddenly, the metal plating on his arms opened up allowing for multiple missile launchers and laser batteries to appear that were physically impossible to have been inside. She shrugged off the threat that Yuki made. ¡°If it¡¯s not real, then there¡¯s nothing it can do to me.¡± ¡°Is that right?¡± He fired everything off from the weapon platform that became his arms. Multiple explosions ripped through the area completely altering the crater and surrounding landscape once more. Takako completely disappeared amongst all of the flash and light. But out the other end, she flew out with smoke trailing off her. She grimaced a little in reaction as she tried to get clear to Yuki, but found him flying above her. ¡°Bastard!¡± Blue bursts of exhaust came off his back as the thrusters redirected him to Takako. He swung out his arm with red lines lighting up along it as he charged up his attack. In the final moments before the swing, thrusters lit up along his forearm and elbow bringing more power behind his punch. Metal crashed into scales in a hail of sparks as a shockwave blew out through the air tearing the cloud of smoke, from his missile attack, in half. Takako shot down into the crater below shooting up a massive pillar of smoke. Following up the attack, Yuki shot a large blast from his hands. Yellow light carved through the smoke drilling straight for Takako. Blasted outward from the impact, it all cleared around only for another explosion to replace it. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. He hovered over the site staring down through the clouds with the visor¡¯s internal displays. ¡®How much can she take before she finally exhausts? I¡¯m holding back as much as I can. The degree of power I need to even slow her down is a little scary to wield.¡¯ Takako surfaced from the smoke as it cleared away. She stood still, but many of the scales along her arms and stomach were missing or damaged. Thin trails of blood dripped down her skin from the attacks. Despite her claims, Yuki injured her. Something that infuriated her as much as it confused her. ¡°Damn you! You shouldn¡¯t be able to harm me!¡± ¡°You¡¯re forgetting that I already did during the previous attack I made. Seems you were so caught up in your gloating over outsmarting me that you didn¡¯t realize the flaw. The array itself doesn¡¯t generate a negation field, it only resists change from my power. My alteration powers have no effect on it. However, it can¡¯t do anything about the actual force or energy being applied by my attacks. You¡¯re still a human with human skin. All that I require is enough force and I still damage you.¡± The answer only frustrated her further. Her arrogance disappeared quickly in the wind that blew away the smoke. Yuki completely deflated her efforts. ¡°You bastard! I won¡¯t accept you! Never again!¡± Snake scales began to disappear from her body leaving her naked once more. All her animalistic properties left. Nothing seemed to be replacing her scales that she shed. Yet, there seemed to be something strange about her skin. It stopped having the same properties that render as skin. The luminance disappeared and the softness hardened. It almost appeared fake. ¡°Try to scratch me with my hardest skin I have available to me!¡± Yuki narrowed his eyes, staring down at Takako trying to figure out what changed. He could tell things weren¡¯t the same, but it was only subtly. ¡®Hardest skin¡­I¡¯m going to have to actually try to kill her at this point I fear to harm her¡­¡¯ Testing out her skin was his only option. Without data, he couldn¡¯t calculate how much power he was going to need to generate to still harm her. Power built up within his powered armor once more. It took it all the way to what he programmed as the limit. The previous amount he used had only been about half of it. At full power, he expected something. Yet it would disappoint that expectation. The massive beam of energy blew a deep hole into the earth, but the ground that Takako stood on as well as her remained completely untouched. She didn¡¯t even seem fazed by what happened. While Yuki reacted to the lack of any results, Takako took command of the battle once more. She threw up her hand and pulled Yuki out of the sky without even touching him. He crashed into the earth with a heavy thud coughing up a small plume of smoke. She walked over the air back to land. Blasts out of the smoke bounced off her body and flew into the air before exploding. ¡°Too much for you?¡± ¡°I just need something stronger¡­¡± ¡°You won¡¯t have that chance. You¡¯ll have to turn off your power to do that.¡± Takako stretched out her hand where Yuki stood in the clearing smoke and pulled him towards her. She raised her foot up to let him ram into her foot. All the efforts he made to attack her failed as she wrapped him over her foot. She flung him back away into the spot she ripped from him. Metallic thuds echoed from his impact. Yuki staggered a little as he rose to his feet once more. The fatigue from the physicality of the fight weighed on him with each passing second. ¡®Telekinesis now¡­more and more troublesome¡­¡¯ He could only blast the chunks of earth that she tossed at him. She looked to be fixed on wearing him down with constant attacks knowing the weakness of his own power. ¡®Is she scared, afraid of this living death¡­¡¯ While he endured the assault, Yuki wanted to find a way to end the fight once and for all. She set up a situation that looked more unfavorable for him as he stared at it. He missed a lot of the pieces still to Takako, but he was convinced he had enough to get an answer needed to win. ¡®I just need to solve this mystery, even if it is only part of it. I just need to find a way to neutralize her. Afterwards, I can work on a permanent solution to this problem¡­¡¯ Unfortunately, his reflexes couldn¡¯t keep up with the attack rate that Takako set. She quickly started to get hits through on him. He staggered back with each hit as he had to change to a guard stance. ¡®This being saved and living death is the key. She¡¯s afraid of losing her power because she¡¯ll go back to the way she was before. That means her power is¡­it¡¯s not exactly what we thought¡­¡¯ A massive white ball of energy suddenly appeared in front of Yuki speeding towards him. He didn¡¯t have the time to even attempt to attack or detonate it early. ¡®Damn! Can¡¯t stop it!¡¯ Digging in his feet to brace for the attack was all he could do to prepare for it. And even that was only moments before it hit him. Yuki took the full force of the blast. Upon impact, the tightly packed energy exploded ripping through the earth with an equally impressive scale as Yuki¡¯s attack. However, through the fading light of the attack, he appeared hovering over the large pit. ¡®Glad it was only an explosion rather solid energy. That would have hurt more.¡¯ His armor came out of it completely unscathed. ¡°Tch¡­you¡¯re invulnerable.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Then try this one on for size!¡± Another massive ball of white energy rapidly grew out of her palm. However, weaved through the energy was something that left Yuki unsettled. He immediately recognized it. ¡°So that¡¯s how you did it. One of your powers you can create the array within other powers. It¡¯s just enough to weaken my power.¡± He thought back to her when she wiped the blood off her face. ¡®So that¡¯s what it was. She carved it into her blood giving her a surface that weakened my power for her to punch through.¡¯ The problem was that he should have been focused on her attack, which launched at him. He had enough time to fire his thrusters, but it did nothing. ¡°What?! I can¡¯t move¡­¡± The energy flew at him and in the moments before it him he remembered what she had done before to him. ¡®Telekinesis¡­damn¡­this is bad¡­¡¯ It completely engulfed him as another explosion rocked the neighborhood. Shot out of the explosion, Yuki¡¯s body, covered in smoke, fell to the earth. He crashed into the ground in a small puff of smoke unmoving. Takako leapt over the distance to land next to him. Stripped of his shirt and completely torn pants, Yuki¡¯s skin was covered in pockets of wounds and streaming blood. She leaned down and pulled him up by his neck. ¡°This is the end.¡± Coughing up blood, Yuki cleared his throat forcing his eyes to open. ¡°Takako¡­I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°Apologies don¡¯t fix what happened to me. I can only be secure in my life with you dead. And that won¡¯t even equal an apology.¡± She began to squeeze his neck, but stopped suddenly. A sharp pain ran through her skull. Something was wrong, she knew. But she didn¡¯t know what happened. Yuki fell back to his feet now free from her grasp. He looked upon her with sad eyes. ¡°I understand a little of it now¡­ I¡¯m sorry, this is the only way¡­¡± Shock painted over her whole face as she could tell what Yuki did on some level. She understood what was coming. Takako staggered back feeling things slipping away from her grasp. ¡°You! Ba-bastard! You would choose their freedom over mine! I hate you!¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. It¡¯s justified. I can¡¯t find the right answer. There¡¯s only terrible answers right now. But I¡¯ll fix this somehow.¡± Gathering up her fading strength, Takako charged at Yuki, throwing out her fist. The power behind it significantly reduced that he only staggered back. It still left him with a bloodied lip. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you before you can imprison me again!¡± Buried under his reluctant resolve, Yuki pulled himself back up to face her down at the end of their battle. ¡°I¡¯ll be there for you at the end. So you won¡¯t be alone¡­¡± Yuki threw back a disheartened punch forced to keep fighting against Takako. Chapter 360 - Mind Wipe ¡°I¡¯m not looking for your sympathy!¡± she shouted as she staggered back from Yuki¡¯s punch. A bolt of pain shot through her mind as she felt it all slipping away from her. Takako mashed her teeth together bracing herself as her gums bled. She threw herself back into the fistfight with Yuki throwing out another blow. Yuki¡¯s power already started to take its toll on her body. She had trouble focusing on feeling everything being sapped from her. Even though she was stronger and faster, she couldn¡¯t keep it all together. ¡®I can feel it all returning¡­can¡¯t keep it all¡­straight¡­¡¯ Feeling completely helpless, Yuki stayed with her. But she kept attacking him, proving to him that he couldn¡¯t simply just leave her without his guard. He had to block her attack. She still had powerful hits for a normal human body like his. It was like trying to fight a trained boxer. Each blow felt like being hit by a truck. He didn¡¯t have much of his own power to focus on his defense in his shape. He struggled to get his body to move the way he wanted it to against Takako¡¯s assault. She still was in better shape than him. Dodging wasn¡¯t really an option he could ask for from his body. All he could hope for was a guard. Even with that she knocked him off his feet. Yuki slid on his back over the beaten and battered school grounds. It looked nothing like what it had when he arrived. If he didn¡¯t know better it could have been mistaken for a junkyard, a very strange one, but the destruction leveled everything. Their fight finished off what remained of the school and even the neighborhood. Lifting his head up as Takako approached, he rolled out of the way of her stomping to break his ribs. ¡°You can hate me. But you¡¯re still a victim. I will fix you!¡± He could tell that his refusal to still kill her at the end and try to understand her only made her angrier. A foot came down to try to silence his noble prattle. He grabbed her ankle and flipped her on her back. Yuki jumped over trying to pin her down and let his powers finish the job. ¡°I won¡¯t fight you anymore! I don¡¯t need to! I¡¯ll help you! Just let me!¡± Strength in his arms didn¡¯t have the same power that she could still bring, even with her concentration shattered. It only took a few seconds for her to struggle and kick him off her. Grasping her head, she tried to delay it all even though it funneled into her rapidly uncontrolled. ¡°Argh! Gah!¡± she screamed in pain and of memories as she could now remember the interrogation vividly. Takako punched herself sharply, spraying up blood from the blow. ¡°It¡¯s clear again¡­¡± She had a moment to recover. ¡°I¡¯m not giving you a choice! I reject you! This is the only solution!¡± Takako wound up another fist. ¡°I¡¯ve been through thousands of brains with thousands of powers! I know this is the only answer!¡± Bracing himself for the hit was all he could manage in time. While he tried to talk her down, he didn¡¯t prepare himself to keep fighting. He was running out of time. Small bits of power came back into her attack, picking Yuki off his feet and tossing him a few meters. A pile of nearby debris nearly broken down to dust gave him a softened landing. It kicked up a cloud around him that made him cough. ¡°You haven¡¯t looked at all the options.¡± ¡°I have!¡± ¡°There¡¯s still my power.¡± Yuki stood up once more just as stubborn as Takako. He only saw his way as the only solution. Laying down now would only prove to her that she was right. She charged over to Yuki aiming to take him down finally. ¡°The powers of a weak human?! You¡¯re the one that gave me this solution in the first place! And now you¡¯re regretting it because it¡¯s too messy! You don¡¯t get to stand above everyone when you¡¯re dirtier than all of us!¡± Rather than hitting him in the face, Yuki caught her fist. It made him nearly slip as his feet didn¡¯t have the full support to take it. The veins around his muscles bulged as stress impacted his arm. ¡°I am dirty. But I¡¯m still just human and I make mistakes like everyone else. This is my mistake! So I¡¯m fixing it right here!¡± Yuki swung back at Takako, knocking her back. Chapter 360 ¨C Mind Wipe ¡°Takako!¡± Saki suddenly exclaimed, as she ceased struggling with the weights Yuki left on her. She looked around the area in search of Tatsuya. He leaned against a couple of boards stuck in the ground watching over her. ¡°I need you to free me, Tatsuya.¡± ¡°Yeah, not doing that. Until I know things are finished and you¡¯re free from Takako¡¯s control you¡¯re not leaving.¡± ¡°Dammit Tatsuya! I don¡¯t have time to convince you that I¡¯m myself again! Yuki¡¯s won, I need to go now!¡± ¡°Because Takako¡¯s telling you to kill him.¡± ¡°No, because I have to kill her!¡± Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Tatsuya looked down at Saki trying to understand her. He felt some doubt surfacing in the back of his head. ¡®Could she be?¡¯ Blow after blow, Takako and Yuki continued to barrage the other with their fists. He finally fully committed to standing with Takako until the end. There was no half-assing it for her. He gave her everything he had left, just as she was doing the same. Yuki¡¯s body was covered in blood as much as it did with Takako. He couldn¡¯t hear the panting of his breath as his lungs told him to stop. The feeling in his chest from the multiple blows he took could no longer be felt. It was only the fight. Blood stained the earth with each hit. Their feet dug into the ground to keep from sliding away and their backs locked up right. Nothing would stop them anymore. He stared at Takako watching her face react. Even more than him, she went through the worst pain. ¡®I won¡¯t fold and I¡¯ll stay resolute for you. You¡¯re struggling so hard to live. You just wanted to be normal again. I¡¯ll see to it that you are. This, I promise you. I will fix this, Takako! This is not the way we¡¯re supposed to be. You¡¯re the proof of my mistake.¡¯ Takako threw out an awkward punch that Yuki met head on with his own. It rattled their arms as they collided. ¡°Damn you! Even now you¡¯re still looking at me the same! You refuse to kill!¡± She grabbed his wrist and pulled him to throw, but he grappled with her. A little rusty and long out of use, he used a reversal move that he remembered from his old dojo days. It looked familiar to the style that Saki used. Throwing Takako to the ground, he pinned her to try to end the fight. Her strength still fought to overpower him. ¡°I told you before, I¡¯m going to save you! I will make it my life¡¯s goal to save you!¡± ¡°You just need to die, you bastard!¡± she screamed as her mind flooded all the way to breaking point for her. Saliva bubbled around her mouth and she fought to keep her sense of self. Takako threw everything to her strength to try to break free. Tiny portions of her superhuman strength surfaced enough to snap out of the pin. It nearly broke Yuki¡¯s arm leaving him unable to defend against her. She grasped at his neck trying to squeeze even while her brain felt on fire. Her throat continued to scream through her voice even long after it went hoarse. ¡°Yuki Hayashi!¡± ¡°Ta¡­ka¡­ko¡­¡± The pain became too much for her to bear. Her body finally collapsed next to Yuki. The consciousness in her eyes began to fade away and she lost focus on everything. ¡°Yu¡­ki¡­Yuki¡­ki¡­Yu¡­Yu¡­¡± Coughing as he pulled himself together, Yuki fell into melancholy staring at Takako. ¡°I¡¯ll stay by your side, Takako. I know you¡¯re scared. But I¡¯m here. I¡¯ll find a solution one day. I promise you!¡± ¡°¡­ki¡­ki¡­Yu¡­¡± Tears built up in his eyes, having to watch as she lost any sort of sense of reason. The prison began to rebuild itself as though it had never left. It always watched her at her back waiting for the moment of weakness. The moment when she dropped her guard and it snatched her away from life. Living death. Suddenly, Takako¡¯s arm jumped out, taking Yuki¡¯s arm. A brief moment of lucid consciousness fought and struggled against everything to come back. ¡°Kill¡­me¡­¡± It was all gone once more. The prison continued to bury her deeper and deeper into a black void of unending solitude and non-existence. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Yuki lifted up her hand, dropping his head to her. His whole body shook. He could only repeat his promise he made to her. The one that she couldn¡¯t accept. The one that she threw back in his face at every attack she made. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll give you rest, Takako,¡± an unexpected voice said at a distance. Yuki looked up from Takako in surprise to see Saki freed. ¡°Saki!? What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Finishing the job.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? This fight is over and Takako can¡¯t hurt anyone!¡± ¡°The job I gave myself.¡± She began to walk down into the crater that Yuki and Takako ended their fight in. Behind her Tatsuya followed as though watching her. Yuki stood up feeling he had one last thing to do. ¡°Job, what are you talking about? This isn¡¯t something for you to do!¡± He could see the uncomfortable, yet familiar look in Saki¡¯s eyes. It wasn¡¯t something he ever dreamed to see in her eyes. He saw it in other people, but to see it in his friend¡¯s. Saki stopped in front of Yuki staring across at him, Takako over his shoulder on the ground completely unable to acknowledge even her own existence. ¡°When I left that day to see Takako, I promised myself to do two things. Convince her to stop and if I failed at that, I would kill her with my own hand.¡± Reaching out to grab her by the shoulders as though that would do anything, Yuki did everything in the motions to act as if he could stop her. ¡°Saki, you can¡¯t! I won¡¯t let you kill her!¡± ¡°She¡¯s my friend! I might not have known her as long as I¡¯ve known you, but this is what I must do as her friend! This is not a life for anyone to live.¡± ¡°But I can save her, Saki!¡± ¡°Can you, Yuki? You barely understand your powers and you don¡¯t even know how you gave us powers to begin with. Do you really think Takako deserves to suffer such a life on a chance?¡± ¡°I know I can do it! Please give me time!¡± ¡°Yuki! This is the right thing to do!¡± She lightly threw off Yuki¡¯s arms to walk around him. Before her laid her friend and the last act she needed to do for her. ¡°And that¡¯s exactly why I should do it,¡± echoed Hiroshi, who appeared on the opposite side of the bottom of the crate right next to Takako. He had a battered looking body, but seemed to have recovered enough to stand. Saki jumped in next to Hiroshi looking to intervene. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing, Hiroshi?¡± She grabbed his hand, preventing it from acting. ¡°She¡¯s your friend. You don¡¯t need to kill a friend. I¡¯ve already killed so many of my friends. I¡¯ll do this and you can place that hate on me rather than upon yourself. I¡¯ll bear that in your place.¡± He struggled with Saki to get his arm free. ¡°This isn¡¯t your place! You¡¯ll break if you think you have to carry the world!¡± Hiroshi grinned a little seeing the look in Saki¡¯s eyes. It was an all too familiar one to him. The same he saw in his own whenever he looked at the mirror. ¡°You¡¯re already carrying too much for him. This one¡¯s on me. I can afford to stop, you can¡¯t, not now!¡± To everyone¡¯s surprise, he threw Saki off. She fell on her back sliding away a little. She tried to scramble to recover, but it was all too late. Hiroshi finished the job all of them began. His hand dripped with blood as he stared down at Takako. Her life quickly faded away and he stayed at her side the entire time. Takako was dead. The war ended finally. Yet none of them could be happy or glad. There was no way that any of them could be. ¡°I¡¯ll remember how bitter this tastes, Takako,¡± Hiroshi finally said, ¡°So this never happens again.¡± Chapter 361 - Broken Home Out at the border of the neighborhood an entire platoon of UN soldiers stood unmoving. They were all armed and ready to go into action, but did nothing. Mixed into the platoon was Captain Masayuki Ayabito¡¯s squad of Empowered. He stood out ahead of even the two APCs with them. The rest of his team squatted about lacking the same amount of single-minded discipline that the soldiers exhibited. The whole time since they got the deploy signal to rejoin from patrol, he watched the horizon. It disturbed him watching lights and explosions, feeling the slight tremors and being unable to do anything to bring peace. Certain moments were more intense and harder for him to watch and do nothing than others. But it had been silent for a very long time. Nothing seemed to be happening anymore at the site of the high school. Masayuki pressed his hand up against the invisible wall that none of them had been successful in even cracking, five minutes was wasted on it. ¡°It¡¯s over,¡± he called out to their captor. ¡°You promised to release us after the fighting finished.¡± A solid black figure with no reflective surface on them sat up against a house. The entire time they had been quietly reading a light novel. ¡°It does seem that way,¡± a deep man¡¯s voice came out of the figure, Let¡¯s give a few more minutes though.¡± ¡°Release us now!¡± They snapped closed their book and tucked it away in a back pocket. ¡°Now, now Captain. Anger doesn¡¯t become you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m only angry because you¡¯ve been doing nothing but impeding justice!¡± ¡°Justice.¡± The figure walked up to the Captain running a finger along the surface of the wall. Even the headlights from the APCs couldn¡¯t even form a shadow on the figure. ¡°That¡¯s an easy word to toss around. I¡¯ve been hearing a lot lately. However, you shouldn¡¯t be throwing it around when it can easily mean different things as well.¡± Grinding his fist up against the wall, Masayuki wanted freedom more than anything else. Too many terrible things were happening in front of him. ¡°Don¡¯t play games of semantics with me!¡± ¡°Oh this is no game, dear Captain. This is very real and very serious. Deadly serious.¡± ¡°People are dying out there! I don¡¯t need you to tell me how serious it is!¡± ¡°I kept you out of this fight to save more from dying.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need your help! I won¡¯t allow anyone under me to die!¡± ¡°Your men aren¡¯t the only ones I¡¯m referring to, Captain.¡± ¡°The UN isn¡¯t here for slaughter! We¡¯re here for peace!¡± ¡°How far does peace last when you have an army of people trying to kill you without mercy? The UN declared this area restricted to all civilians for a reason. Even you don¡¯t patrol within this neighborhood. This isn¡¯t a place for those without resolve.¡± ¡°You doubt my resolve now?!¡± ¡°Against a mindless mob of strangers willing to kill without thought? Yes.¡± ¡°We¡¯re here to protect you against people like that!¡± he yelled, pointing over to the high school. ¡°You don¡¯t seem to understand your situation very well. The people you want to arrest for misuse of their abilities are protecting you from people like that. Careful how much of a hypocrite you make yourself when you are merely doing the same thing with sanctions.¡± ¡°Release us now! There are thousands of criminals you¡¯re aiding!¡± ¡°Most of them are victims. You¡¯re quick to label criminals without seeing the situation for what it is.¡± The black figure began to walk away. They disappeared into particles leaving behind no trace. ¡°Approach with cautious Captain and aid. It¡¯ll get you much further in this situation. The people you want to protect are also in there and need help.¡± The wall no longer held Masayuki¡¯s hand back as he almost fell on his face. He wiped the surprise quickly off his face and turned back around to the soldiers. ¡°We move out!¡± Chapter 361 ¨C Broken Home Tatsuya released Yuki from his hold to keep him from interfering with Saki and Hiroshi. He quickly ran over to Takako trying to check for any signs of life. ¡°If she hasn¡¯t been dead long maybe I can still revive her!¡± ¡°Yuki stop!¡± Saki shouted as she grabbed and pulled him away from Takako. ¡°This had to happen. Accident or not, she¡¯s killed or allowed too many people to die!¡± Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°She was a victim!¡± ¡°The world doesn¡¯t see it that way! This is the right answer even if you don¡¯t want to believe in it. Sometimes people must die so that peace and safety can be reached!¡± ¡°Saki¡­¡± Yuki started to back away from Saki as he didn¡¯t know the person that stood in front of him. Hiroshi quickly caught the look in Yuki¡¯s eyes. He reached out for Saki to stop her. ¡°That¡¯s enough. He still needs you. This is my place.¡± Walking around Saki, he put himself between the two of them. The more Yuki saw of him and less of Saki the better. ¡°I killed her, Yuki. This is the reality of the world now. Just because you transformed it into one of your manga doesn¡¯t mean it falls under the same rules of a feel good story.¡± ¡°No! N-no¡­I¡­am¡­respon¡­¡± Lightheadedness suddenly overtook Yuki and all of his powers evaporated. He lost control of his body as everything went limp. Before he could hit the ground, Saki sped in to catch him. ¡°Yuki!¡± everyone shouted. Saki checked his pulse and listened to his heartbeat. Everything sounded okay-ish. She wasn¡¯t a doctor and it sounded fast, but alive. ¡°I think he¡¯s just exhausted.¡± ¡°He pushed himself to the limit against Takako,¡± Hiroshi remarked, having seen the whole thing play out before his eyes. He fought hard for his belief, even though it failed in the end. There was some pity and sympathy for him that he could give on that. Though he already accepted what their fate was going to be. ¡°He just needs some rest probably.¡± ¡°We''ve also got bigger problems still to deal with,¡± interjected Tatsuya, ¡°Since Saki is back to herself Yuki¡¯s theory of what Takako¡¯s powers were and how they worked seems to be on the mark.¡± Shaking his head, Hiroshi looked back at Takako. ¡°No, we were all wrong about what her power was. Fighting her myself and watching Yuki¡¯s fight I understood that much.¡± ¡°What do you mean? Is Saki not free?¡± ¡°No, I''m free from control. But Hiroshi¡¯s correct in that her power isn¡¯t as simple to just call mind control.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? If you¡¯re free does it matter?¡± ¡°Yes, very much so,¡± she gravely replied with a dark shadow drawing over her eyes. Tatsuya took a step back, finding Saki easily unsettling and the revelations she appeared to bear. ¡°What are you trying to get at?¡± ¡°It¡¯s like what that Yori guy mentioned for us to be prepared for.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure what Yori told you, but Takako¡¯s power is more complicated than they appear.¡± ¡°Complicated?¡± ¡°On the base level, what she does with her power appears to be mind control. And one facet of what she can do with her power is actually genuine mind control. However, that¡¯s just a by-product of what her real power is.¡± ¡°You¡¯re losing me.¡± Hiroshi began to recall what Takako said during her fight with Yuki. ¡°She mentioned having Yuki to thank for saving her from her comatose state. And if you think about it, mind control isn¡¯t going to suddenly make you not a veggie anymore. It¡¯d have to be a different power that she gained from Yuki that allowed her to regain her sense of self.¡± ¡°Which is?¡± ¡°Mind sharing,¡± Saki answered with the simplest way of stating it. Though she didn¡¯t like the way it sounded since it was still inaccurate. ¡°If I had to guess it¡¯s more like sharing rather than control at the root of her power.¡± ¡°Another side effect of her power was the ability to gain other powers from the people she controlled. So sharing would make sense.¡± ¡°From what I saw while I linked with Takako, she was able to give out pieces of her mind to others.¡± ¡°Give pieces of her mind? Wouldn¡¯t that be bad for her?¡± ¡°For a normal person, yes, but Takako¡¯s mind wasn¡¯t normal. Thanks to the torture and interrogation she received months ago, it completely destroyed her mind. However, the pieces were still all there; they were just a complete mess.¡± Saki watched the gears quickly come to a halt as she tried to explain something that she didn¡¯t understand that well herself. The complicated nature of minds wasn¡¯t her strength. ¡°Think of it like someone emptied out all of the drawers and your closet in your room. They then put all of that in the middle of the room. You couldn¡¯t find what you wanted or even navigate it.¡± ¡°But I¡¯d clean it up.¡± ¡°Yes, and that¡¯s what her power allowed her to do essentially. Rather than rebuilding what was broken, she cleaned up and tossed everything out. Those broken pieces were given out to other people. And that¡¯s what broke the people she did it to.¡± ¡°Broke them? The mind control?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± added Hiroshi, ¡°She said many couldn¡¯t handle her power. She said it broke them and giving them a piece destroyed their minds. Judging from what we saw, the worst of them lost all sense of morality and ethics and lived off pure base instincts in the most carnal ways imaginable.¡± ¡°Those that could handle the piece, she could control,¡± Saki commented, she understood that part very well. ¡°Once shared, she had a link with them. She could go into people¡¯s minds and control them or just implant thoughts or ideas.¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t need to share to put ideas into people.¡± ¡°You sure?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Hiroshi left his response curtly punctuated on that answer. He quickly pivoted the explanation back to the problem. One that relied on Saki¡¯s feedback. ¡°Based on what you¡¯ve said, depending on the level of control people were still largely in charge of their actions even if they were given commands that they didn¡¯t accept.¡± ¡°Yes and those that she controlled directly still remember what happened.¡± Tatsuya turned around looking at the crater edge. Beyond the ridge, hundreds or thousands of victims of Takako laid out there. He didn¡¯t know how many were still awake after all of the fighting, but he could just imagine the situation. ¡°Which means we have countless people that remember all of the murders and horrible acts that they committed.¡± ¡°And when they wake up we¡¯re going to need to be able to do something for them.¡± ¡°Hey man, I¡¯m not a psychiatrist!¡± ¡°None of us are. We¡¯re high school students. None of us are prepared for giving emotional and psychological support to those that can¡¯t handle what¡¯s happened.¡± ¡°This could be a worse fight than Takako,¡± warned Saki. She lifted up Yuki on one side and carried Takako over her other shoulder. Nothing they needed to do would begin without making the first step. So she set the pace for the others getting them out of the crater. She hadn¡¯t had a chance to take in the destruction caused by Takako and Yuki¡¯s fight. ¡°I don¡¯t remember it being this bad.¡± ¡°It got worse after Yuki stopped you.¡± ¡°Finding survivors is going to be difficult.¡± She looked around trying to gauge where to even begin, unfortunately the night didn¡¯t make it very easy to see. ¡°We may have to wait until morning before we can start, especially with the way you two look.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re going to have that option,¡± Hiroshi cut in as he stared off into the distance. The grave and foreboding tone in his voice immediately pulled Saki¡¯s attention to what he might be seeing. It didn¡¯t take long for her to find the headlights and make out some shapes. ¡°UN?¡± ¡°Yes. I wondered why we hadn¡¯t seen them sooner. I guess we were just lucky they were slow to act.¡± ¡°Not lucky enough,¡± Tatsuya complained, ¡°They¡¯ve got some of those with powers with them. We aren¡¯t in any condition for another fight!¡± Chapter 362 - Broken Land It had been almost a month since the last time he or anyone from the UN had been allowed to set foot into the Restricted Zone. Around the time that he joined, he heard stories about it. When it was still open, they lost dozens of men to patrols in the area. Even with the restrictions, he still heard reports of soldiers going missing too close to the border. Masayuki wanted to go in personally to settle things as the place had gone wild. But he had no support from the higher ups and there were plenty of other areas of Japan that needed help. Besides, he couldn¡¯t in good conscience send his men into a death trap. The only intel they had on the zone was that it was completely filled with Empowered, organized and powerful. He had confidence in his skill and those on his team, but with the sheer numbers it was a losing battle. That much he understood about the situation. Which made him question the situation now. ¡®What idiot walks into the Restricted Zone? On top of that, they actually seem to be winning the fight. What sort of people are they?¡¯ It concerned him what he might be walking into now. The satellite feed was more than an hour old and only gave a rough picture of what was happening. ¡®Worse, they ordered us into the field not knowing the full situation. But I guess the light show we¡¯ve been seeing tonight would have anyone worried. Until recently things had been mostly quiet here. But now everything¡¯s changed.¡¯ Keeping his pace at the front of the platoon, he had his team positioned around the rest of the convoy. He still anticipated some resistance, despite not finding any after the strange black individual freed them. But it came into sight now. The neighborhood only showed some light damage, clear signs of fighting, but nothing extreme. Coming in sight of the school grounds changed all of that. Masayuki motioned back to the driver to stop. An unscheduled stop alerted all of the soldiers. His team jumped out from their perimeter positions to land next to the Captain. Umari and Nawabe landed on his right with Kasaya and Hanari on his left. Locked up for the entire fight and the last hour or so, left them all a little on edge. Especially Umari and Nawabe looking for a fight more than any of the others. ¡°Wha¡¯cha got?¡± Umari asked, not looking too closely herself. Nothing was apparent in her eyes. Only a vast field that looked out of place with the rest of the neighborhood. Nawabe stepped out ahead of the group a couple of steps trying to figure out what had the Captain on alert. ¡°Getting your panties wet again?¡± ¡°I told you not to break perimeter.¡± ¡°Eh, no one¡¯s coming.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t yours to decide. This entire neighborhood has been restricted and under a constant gang war for the last month. There are thousands of criminals in here and they could be anywhere.¡± Umari crossed her arms and stepped out next to Nawabe, getting the same disappointed feeling that he exuded. ¡°And we ain¡¯t found any of them since we¡¯ve stepped into the Zone.¡± ¡°Are you as blind as your deaf?¡± Masayuki snapped a finger getting the attention of the UN soldiers still hovering behind those that were the actual weapons. He pointed over to the searchlight on top of the APC to get it fired up. A quick scramble of the soldiers focused back on their jobs. Turning around on the mount, the light fixture focused forward. They had been running in low light to limit their visibility to outsiders and keep their eyes adjusted to the night better if they had to lose the light. Which meant when it snapped on it was painfully blinding for a moment. Adjusting quickly, Masayuki pointed out to the lands around the school and the neighborhood, if it could even be called one anymore. The grass road came to an abrupt halt with only earth left behind just a few meters ahead of them. ¡°If you thought a little less about fighting and focused more on your surroundings you¡¯d realize that situation we¡¯re in.¡± A vast expanse of debris, hunks of rock, earth and tree laid everywhere and in the far distance craters marked up the terrain as though a bombing run had been made on the school. A whistle came out of Nawabe taking in the sight. ¡°Damn, this is sure impressive,¡± he grinned as his mind still focused on who could have caused all of the damage. ¡°Everything¡¯s been wiped off the face of the earth,¡± Umari remarked on the destruction, ¡°I wonder if the bastards wiped themselves out.¡± ¡°That¡¯s one of the things we¡¯re here to find out.¡± Masayuki turned back towards the soldiers. He could see it affecting them much more. Unlike those under him, they were all completely normal humans with nothing special about them. There was no certainty that their weapons would do any harm. Seeing the sheer power on display shook all of them to their bones. But he needed them to move. ¡°We¡¯re moving out! Watch out for debris, we¡¯re going off road now! And stay alert!¡± It wasn¡¯t a motivational speech. He wasn¡¯t trying to get their spirits up. They just had to follow him. Inside the Restricted Zone they had questions to get answered. ¡°Back on perimeter! If we weren¡¯t already in the enemy¡¯s territory we are now!¡± Reluctant looks came from his men as they seemed disinterested in such mundane efforts. He quickly glared at them, enforcing a small bit of his power to get them moving. ¡®What will we find at the center of this?¡¯ Chapter 362 ¨C Broken Land A long twenty minutes dragged out as the UN forces slowly marched towards the school grounds. It at least gave the signs to Saki and Hiroshi that there might not be an immediate fight to break out. Though it didn¡¯t give them a lot of time to prepare. Things were a mess and all of Takako¡¯s army still remained knocked out from either the fighting or losing the control that Takako had over them. It was about the only saving grace for them now. It was only going to complicate matters dealing with the UN and Takako¡¯s army. Saki looked over at everyone in the last minute before the confrontation. They all looked completely wrecked from the fighting. Not even Seiji could be counted on with him still missing both of his arms. His return with Nerine didn¡¯t give them much time to react. Questions got ignored in favor of a speedy appraisal of the situation. They remained back with the unconscious Yuki. It still left her a little uncomfortable seeing Yuki and Seiji looked different thanks to Nerine¡¯s powers. ¡°Your power gonna hold?¡± This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°I¡¯ll keep their identities hidden. I will do everything to protect my King.¡± ¡°Alright, just don¡¯t call him that while they¡¯re here. We don¡¯t need complications.¡± ¡°Y-yes¡­you¡¯re right.¡± A complicated expression of respect and duty rolled over Nerine¡¯s face. She knew what she had to do, yet it conflicted with her discipline. Watching Nerine left her a little concerned about their chances, but she had to trust in her. She focused more on the immediate potential issues. ¡°How are you two doing?¡± ¡°Still wrecked hard.¡± ¡°Same, sorry we¡¯re not going to be much use to you, Saki. Yuki didn¡¯t have enough time to repair our bodies.¡± She turned back as the UN troops came to a stop only twenty meters away. ¡°Well let¡¯s hope that they¡¯re here for peace. I don¡¯t have enough strength to take on five of them at once.¡± Saki walked out to meet Masayuki as Hiroshi and Tatsuya joined her flanks. They refused to show weakness before them, even though anyone could tell that they were about ready to fall over. ¡°I¡¯m Captain Masayuki Ayabito, state your business!¡± he opened. He exercised his power to keep his men in line and behind him. They already had the looks of wanting to test out the strangers. ¡®People that can level this much of the city aren¡¯t ones to be taken lightly.¡¯ It surprised him to find that they were all teenagers though, but he reminded himself not to judge age into their abilities. ¡®The girl looks the most able to fight still the others look half dead or nearly dead. Still I must be cautious. There are still hundreds or thousands of potential criminals out there from the gang.¡¯ ¡®State my business¡­¡¯ Saki thought. She had a little trouble imagining what she could say her business was without triggering a fight. ¡°Well¡­I¡¯m an outsider not involved in this¡­situation.¡± Avoiding trigger words like fight seemed like the best course of action to Saki. Though it was hard to tell how much he was going to accept her. Maintaining his neutral expression, Mayasuki kept the situation civil. ¡°An outsider? Did you just arrive here?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± There was a bit of flinching in her eyes as she lied. ¡®Something like that anyway. I wasn¡¯t here the whole time this was going on.¡¯ ¡°And why were you here?¡± ¡°I saw everything going on and wanted to try to help people that might be hurt.¡± ¡°Help? In the middle of a gang war?¡± ¡®Gang war? Is that what they¡¯re calling this? I guess that¡¯s one view¡­¡¯ She glanced back at Hiroshi and Tatsuya to see how they were doing. They remained silent the whole time, still leaving it up to her to do the talking. ¡°I guess I wasn¡¯t thinking clearly?¡± ¡°You weren¡¯t thinking clearly?¡± He paused watching the teenage girl sweat a little in front of him. Saki¡¯s stumbling read to him more as nervousness than anything. Which helped a little in her favor. ¡°That would certainly be accurate given the situation here. No one in their right mind would come here.¡± Laughing a little to cover things up, Saki tried to hold it together and not get a fight to break out. ¡°I hear that a lot. What are you here for?¡± She braved the dangerous next step. Her lies would only go so far and she doubted that he was going to believe her for long. It was rather obvious that he was here not just to give medical aid. ¡°We¡¯ve come to subdue the gang fighting that¡¯s consumed this part of the city.¡± ¡®And you waited until now to do it? How useless¡­¡¯ It made her want to berate them for doing nothing while people died and were hurt. She had a taste of the terror that Takako left on the city and the UN did nothing to stop her. Yet she couldn¡¯t get angry with them. Everyone behind her needed to be protected. ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear it. But I think the fighting might be over now.¡± ¡°Yes, it seems that way.¡± ¡°Captain¡­¡± muttered Nawabe in response. He tried to move, but couldn¡¯t do anything to budge against Masayuki¡¯s power. ¡°Silence.¡± He focused back on Saki needing to understand the situation more. ¡°Even with the fighting over we must establish peace and order here.¡± ¡°What do you plan on doing?¡± Unfortunately, their peaceful talks shattered with the scream of a woman behind Saki. Another followed and another as well, they were all different. Saki turned her head with a tilt to look in the direction as everyone went on alert. ¡®Damn, I think they¡¯re starting to come to now. This situation just went from bad to nightmare¡­¡¯ Taken off guard by the voices, Masayuki searched around trying to locate what was happening. ¡®Is there more fighting happening? But it sounded panicked or pained¡­¡¯ His body went tense, no longer certain what was happening. The whole Zone had strange rumors about it that he heard from others. Since no one came back from the Zone, it took on a bit of a supernatural bend with people inventing almost ghost stories about it. He didn¡¯t know what went on out of the sight of the UN¡¯s arm. What monsters could hide back here that scared off everyone from coming? The flinch in his power disrupted through to this control of his men. That was all that Nawabe needed to break free from the bindings. He snapped into action, starved for a good fight that the Zone promised him. ¡°Show me what ya got!¡± he shouted with excitement as he leapt to the sound of the voices. ¡°Dammit¡­¡± cursed Saki as she saw everything spiraling out of control. ¡®I can¡¯t stop five people with powers. So I¡¯m going to have to make a stand.¡¯ The ground under her feet cracked a little as she put pressure on her feet into her jump. ¡°So much for the peaceful situation!¡± In a blink of an eye, Saki leapt backwards nearly twenty meters and then exploded forward at Nawabe. Behind her, the earth blasted backwards into powder from her impact. Using all of her strength and speed, she threw everything into her attack. A massive shockwave ripped through the grounds as Nawabe couldn¡¯t even block, not expecting Saki to charge. He took the hit to the face and shot back far beyond the UN convoy and carved through the earth in a tall pillar of earth exploding. Saki landed back on the ground in the same spot she had been talking to Masayuki. The whole scene left Hiroshi and Tatsuya speechless and sweating. She slammed down her foot, shattering the earth that she cracked. ¡°Going to keep your men in line, Captain?¡± she barked, completely changing her demeanor with the man. Even Masayuki¡¯s team felt the power that Saki showed off. There was a mix of excitement and fear in their expressions, not completely cowed as she hoped that they would be. But Masayuki ground his teeth together watching Saki work. He was the only one of them that completely saw her movements unblurred. ¡®She¡¯s dangerous¡­extremely powerful¡­¡¯ ¡°Here¡¯s the truth, Captain. I just got back into town from an overseas visit.¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible, the blockade. I would have known about your arrival.¡± Building up her air of confidence, Saki started to lay things on thick. ¡°Ha, blockade? You think that would stop me?¡± Hiroshi leaned forward barely even speaking, knowing that everyone¡¯s hearing was vastly improved. He had to act as though he said nothing to keep the other side from hearing him. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± The only response he got from her was slamming her other foot down to break up the earth more. ¡°And what do I find when I come back? My city¡¯s been overrun by this gang, you call them? So I took it upon myself to do some house cleaning.¡± ¡°Yourself?¡± She could hear the incredulous tone in his voice. All she did was grin with confidence. Tilting her head forward a bit, she allowed the shadows to fall over her eyes making them glow brightly in the darkness to heighten her presence. ¡°That¡¯s right. I killed their leader and the rest just all fell over like broken dolls. So what are you going to do, Captain?¡± Fate had been tempted. Saki laid it all on the line on an even worse gamble than before. She glared at all of the UN soldiers to instill as much of her presence in them as possible. And waited for Masayuki¡¯s reaction. Chapter 363 - Broken Calm The tension in the air dramatically increased. Both sides watched on with curiosity and uncertainty as to how things would play out. They watched the contest between Saki and Masayuki not sure how he would make his next move. Saki played an extremely dangerous game with Masayuki. One that he didn¡¯t tip his hand for to give her any indication of her success. She could only sweat in her skin waiting to see how things went. On the UN side of the wall, the soldiers started to look antsy. They didn¡¯t like the sounds coming out from around them. It started to sound like a horror movie with people¡¯s voices almost disembodied crawling up from every corner to steal the souls of the living as punishment. Only out of orders did they stand their ground and even that was starting to become something that wouldn¡¯t hold them. Then to make matters even worse, Saki threatened them all by making the claim to have wiped out the entire gang war that even with the UN¡¯s Empowered at hand could do nothing to resolve. The men started to question what sort of odds even those with powers could do to stand up against someone so overwhelmingly powerful. Her display of power to take out Nawabe so quickly added to their lack of confidence. All the normal soldiers continually felt surrounded by the impossible and frightening. Hiroshi and Tatsuya sweated more than even Saki did with the horrible gamble laid out on the table. They couldn¡¯t believe that Saki would throw it all away to make herself an enemy of the UN. ¡®This isn¡¯t the time to be starting fights with the UN, Saki!¡¯ worried Hiroshi, ¡®I wonder if Yuki was awake if he could have kept her from doing something so insane!¡¯ All he could think was how much of a bad idea it was. They weren¡¯t prepared to deal with the UN and the world¡¯s policing arm. No one wanted that, but they didn¡¯t know how Saki felt or if she even thought about it. Forever a stoic stonewall of hidden emotions, Masayuki kept everything in check. None of this had been his sort of training. That much he was certain about. He wasn¡¯t even a real Captain, but an honorary one. He had just been an ordinary engineer working at a computer tech corporation developing next generation processors. Not quite a common life, but a normal and ordinary one. Yet now here he stood on a regular basis facing down violent criminals and inhuman threats. The only thing that kept him standing was that he knew it was the right thing to do. Had he been anyone else, he likely would have turned blue just seeing what Saki did in destroying Nawabe with little effort. The sight of her determined and yet pure eyes would have inspired fear within his heart. Her fierceness and loyalty would have made him second guess everything. But he didn¡¯t question any of it. This was his life. An unrewarding and ungrateful, yet necessary life. He had to stand and remain fixed to see justice through and protect those that did cower. It wasn¡¯t his place to cower, but to stand. And he had to stand against all of it, no matter how ugly and distasteful it was. This was his decision as part of the problem and the solution. ¡®This is truly an unfavorable job, but someone must be the one¡­¡¯ He could see the resolve in Saki¡¯s eyes. The unwavering determination was almost inspirational to behold for him. It was all he needed to know that he was doing the right thing, even though he knew it was far more complicated than that. His orders were still the same and the law was the law. None of that changed and none of it could be made to bend. ¡°So you¡¯re taking responsibility for everything that¡¯s happened tonight. Is that right?¡± Saki crossed her arms not backing down. ¡°I said I did it all. Anyone else would have just gotten in my way.¡± It was then that Hiroshi figured out that she was doing it. The gamble wasn¡¯t even a gamble as he thought. She had a completely different aim in mind. ¡®You can¡¯t do this, Saki! What about Yuki?¡¯ ¡°Even if you did bring an end to this turmoil, murder and the assault of a UN soldier are still crimes. Crimes which you will be tried for.¡± ¡°Peace is never a simple thing to achieve. A few deaths justify the means.¡± ¡°However true that may be crimes are still crimes and I will have to arrest you.¡± ¡°Got enough men for that?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be enough for you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s some big talk for someone struggling to keep his team in control.¡± ¡®So she¡¯s noticed. She¡¯s very talented¡­¡¯ Masayuki rolled his fingers open and closed to relieve some of the tension in his back. She wasn¡¯t making it very easy for him. ¡°Not as big as someone still exhausted from knocking out a single one of my subordinates.¡± Saki kept up the show for Masayuki, but had to admit that he was observant. The battle with Tatsuya had a toll on her and Yuki ringing her bell still left its mark on her. Just to put on a display for the UN, she used a lot of her power to impress them. It served two useful purposes, so it wasn¡¯t wasted. ¡°I¡¯m ready to go right here if you want to test me. I¡¯m not going to just hand myself over that easily. I don¡¯t care that you¡¯re Japanese, I don¡¯t agree with the methods that the UN is taking to try to resolve the problem.¡± Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°Seems we¡¯re in agreement then, since I can¡¯t agree with your methods of resolving the problem either. I¡¯m not here to kill people, just restrain the chaotic elements that are misusing their powers. The world will never trust Japan if we can¡¯t self-police.¡± ¡°Under the arm of the UN isn¡¯t self-policing, it¡¯s servitude.¡± ¡°So we can¡¯t agree.¡± ¡°Nope.¡± The ground around Saki¡¯s feet pulverized with the weight of her power crushing into them. ¡°Then I¡¯ll make it easy for you in all of your stalling and hesitating.¡± ¡®Don¡¯t do this Saki! There¡¯s no going back from this now if you do!¡¯ There was no need to sense anything. Masayuki could see her telegraph her intent. He had to release his team and prepare for the assault. If he didn¡¯t give her his everything, he wasn¡¯t going to survive her attack. The three that remained conscious on his team attempted to move to act, but Saki¡¯s speed exceeded their expectations. They all completely missed her as she struck Masayuki head on. The collision of her power ripped a massive shockwave through the air and behind him tore up the earth in a semi-circle around him. A blast of wind blew backwards hitting Masayuki¡¯s team and Hiroshi and Tatsuya as they were all left in stunned awe of the two¡¯s clash. Tatsuya held his arms up trying to see through the thick dust cloud kicked up by the wind that Saki¡¯s punch created. ¡°Damn, she was holding back against me!¡± ¡°You¡¯ve still got quite a bit of power in you for being exhausted,¡± Masayuki remarked, holding back Saki¡¯s punch with one hand. His feet showed signs of having been pushed back about half a meter from where he used to stand. She smirked back at him to hide her displeasure with the situation. ¡°And you¡¯re more than just talk.¡± Chapter 363 ¨C Broken Calm ¡°Dammit, Saki, this isn¡¯t the time,¡± Hiroshi complained, noticing that more and more of the people part of Takako¡¯s army were waking up. They were out of time. A problem none of them were prepared to handle was thrust upon them. Forcing the fight to come to an end, Hiroshi activated his game power to bring everyone to a holding pattern. It allowed things to quickly die down between Masayuki and Saki. ¡°All of you, we don¡¯t have the time for fighting! You¡¯re all under my power¡¯s influence so don¡¯t move.¡± ¡°What the hell did you do to us?¡± Umari demanded, unable to move even a centimeter. ¡°It¡¯s how my power works. I¡¯m not going into the details since it¡¯s not important. Just know you can¡¯t move until I release you.¡± ¡°What are you doing, Hiroshi?¡± ¡°I¡¯m putting things back where they need to be, Saki! We have thousands of people that were under the influence of Takako and they¡¯re waking up now. We don¡¯t know what their mental state is or how they¡¯re going to react. But they need our help right now!¡± Hiroshi looked over to Masayuki and the UN soldiers, not happy about the situation. ¡°Now look, I know we¡¯re not all getting along peacefully right now, but we need to put these things aside. The innocent people harmed by Takako need our help and there¡¯s even more hands right now. Can you put all of your bloodlust and need for justice aside for one hour and just help people that are confused, lost and frightened?!¡± He wasn¡¯t sure if he was getting through to Masayuki, who he needed on board more than anything. Without him, everything would collapse as he would just go around fighting or arresting people. ¡°Yes, these people did terrible things, but they¡¯re also frightened and scared. They¡¯re not going to know what happened or why they were made to do horrible things to people they called friends and family. So do what you claim to be here to do and protect these people! Help them!¡± ¡°Captain?¡± Masayuki looked around as much as he could with an otherwise frozen body. He could hear the screams of the people waking up. And they stopped becoming screams and turned into voices. Pleads came from all corners needing help. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°I-I killed someone¡­¡± ¡°My husband¡¯s¡­I-I-I¡­¡± ¡°My friends?!¡± ¡°¡­I can¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°M-make it stop! The voices!¡± ¡°¡­I want to¡­die¡­¡± ¡°Kill me!¡± Tatsuya turned his head about in a panic hearing all of the voices. He recalled Yori¡¯s words and started to understand the weight of things that they bore now. ¡°Dammit-to-hell!¡± Still tired from his fight, Hiroshi had trouble holding up his powers. He hoped that he had an effect. ¡°What is it going to be? I¡¯m holding these people back, but this can¡¯t last forever. The real danger is around us, not in front of you. Make your decision, please!¡± Collapsing to one knee, his powers were starting to fading. Straining his mind as far as it could, he struggled to hold out until he heard what he needed from Masayuki. ¡®This is more complicated than I expected¡­ There isn¡¯t going to be a simple and easy way to handle this.¡¯ He was the officer in charge and he had to make a call. Everyone looked to him for a decision. Masayuki looked back at Saki who continued to only stare at him. She seemed to be judging him and his actions despite being unable to move. ¡°You¡¯re one weird girl,¡± he finally said with a sigh. ¡°And maybe you¡¯re not so bad.¡± ¡°Are we in agreement then?¡± demanded Hiroshi. One hand pressed into the earth supporting his body as he felt his brain being pulled apart to its very threads by his power. ¡°Yes, until this situation is under control I won¡¯t be arresting or charging anyone. There¡¯s more important matters. But I have one condition.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You all seem to have an unusual involvement in the matters. I want a full explanation of what happened.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± ¡°Then we have a deal. Listen up, as Captain I make this order. There will be no fighting. Only give aid and support to those in trouble or injured. Anyone caught attempting anything else will answer directly to me! Understood?¡± He got quick acknowledgements from the normal humans under him that were more than happy to have things resolved in such a matter. They were too far out of the depth for such issues. However, his team specifically stayed quiet. ¡°Am I understood? Or do I need to be more persuasive?¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± they all barked reluctantly. ¡°Good.¡± ¡°Finally¡­¡± Hiroshi collapsed to the dirt releasing his power. His friend quickly went to his side to help him up. A peace or maybe a ceasefire had been brokered even though it was under duress. It was progress. However, the future of the people, the innocents was a completely different problem. The price spent by Takako started to become apparent that they were all in over their heads. Their troubles had only started. Chapter 364 - Broken Lives Hiroshi managed to calm the tension in the air between Masayuki and Saki, but that didn¡¯t do anything to change the eerie atmosphere that permeated throughout the entire grounds of the former school. Even with an agreement no one knew what was going on. And Hiroshi found that he wasn¡¯t in the best condition, especially after the last use of his power. ¡°Dammit¡­¡± ¡°Hey man, you ain¡¯t allowed to be dying right here.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t realize that I needed permission from you.¡± ¡°If you¡¯ve still got your sense of humor you¡¯re alive enough to move.¡± Tatsuya eased him to his feet with a little caution. He tested to see if he could stand without any support. The ground felt a little further away from him in a lightheaded sort of way. One false step felt like he would trip over his own clumsiness. ¡°Some friend you are.¡± However, he didn¡¯t get any more time for playful banter. Voices of people surrounding them reminded him that he had more important things to worry about than his own pain. There were others with far worse problems. Hiroshi pushed off with his mind focused again towards the issue ahead. There was a mass of people all still recovering from the sudden loss of their master. Thanks to Yuki¡¯s power, enhancing their bodies was the only reason that they survived the battle. Though from the looks, they didn¡¯t survive unharmed, in more than one meaning of the word. He hurried as much as his body allowed him to do so over to the people that he could see. The worst of them looked to be a middle aged woman and a young teenage boy, probably from middle school. ¡°How much pain are you in?¡± he asked, kneeling down. ¡°What have I been doing?¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, ma¡¯am. We¡¯re here to help you.¡± She lifted up her head to look at Hiroshi. ¡°You¡­you look familiar¡­why?¡± ¡®Probably because Takako ordered you to fight me.¡¯ He kept his focus and looked around at the others trying to gauge injuries. They looked mostly survivable without immediate attention. Looking back, he saw that no one else was moving. Hiroshi jumped up to his feet. ¡°What the hell are you all standing around, waiting on orders?! There¡¯s more people here than there are us. So fan out and start finding the ones that need immediate attention!¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± snapped the soldiers. The UN soldiers began to fan out and evacuate their vehicle. Masayuki got looks from his men and he just motioned to them. ¡°Hey Mr. Captain!¡± ¡°Masayuki.¡± ¡°Fine, Masayuki, anyone on your team got healing powers?¡± ¡°We¡¯re only a combat team.¡± ¡°Dammit, maybe someone here has some. Our doctor¡¯s still back tending to our injured.¡± Masayuki watched Hiroshi yell at Tatsuya to get moving. Then he started to snap at Saki to get the rest of the group moving. ¡®Who is this kid? He¡¯s not just a random stranger. He¡¯s used to doing this¡­¡¯ ¡°Just because you¡¯re the Captain doesn¡¯t mean you get to do nothing either. We all need to pitch in.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to be told that.¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t!¡± Hiroshi rushed off to the next unattended group that he could find. They had their work cut out for them. Chapter 364 ¨C Broken Lives The first ten minutes were the worst. Though that was a highly subjective point given that most of them weren¡¯t used to dealing with people like it was a waiting room in an emergency room of a hospital. There were just too many people. Once they all started to realize that there was even some help, they started targeting them for answers and aid. Each minute after got progressively worse and yet easier. It was a terrible feeling for them. ¡°Anyone nearby?! I need help now!¡± snapped Saki as she had three people very awkwardly pinned around her arms and legs. She had run out of limbs. ¡°Tatsuya, now!¡± Tatsuya ran over to Saki with a shocked look on his face trying to help the people that she was pinning. ¡°What the hell, Saki?! We¡¯re helping them, not fighting!¡± Immediately, he pulled one of them free from her legs and let them go while helping the next. ¡°No, stop it!¡± Saki released the two that she had to immediately go after the one that Tatsuya freed only to be too late. Blood sprayed everywhere across her face and Tatsuya as he stood paralyzed in shock. Not able to even mourn the death, another cry of pain came from the ones that she released. ¡°Dammit!¡± She quickly jumped back, stopping the two teenage girls from killing themselves even with blood covering them from their attempts. Saki managed to save them, though she wasn¡¯t sure how bad their injuries were. They aimed for their wrists, which was harder than the other that went straight for the throat. She looked over at Tatsuya, still locked up. ¡°Tatsuya?!¡± Nothing was getting through. Resorting to her feet, she kicked him over while her hands managed the two girls. Still stunned but coming to a little bit of awareness, he looked up at her. The blood soaked on his skin only made his emotions appear more frightened. ¡°S-saki¡­¡± ¡°I can¡¯t deal with this alone. I need your help! Get me something to tie them up!¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°R-right!¡± He tried to get back to his feet, but stumbled and slipped. Thankfully, Nerine was in the area and saw Saki struggling. She had the look of already knowing what was happening. It seemed that she had things prepared and materialized an unknown metal material that wrapped around their arms and legs. Freed up, Saki did what she could to wipe away the blood from her face, but her uniform already struggled with it. ¡°Thanks, Nerine. Where¡¯s Yuki and Seiji?¡± ¡°Seiji took Yuki back to the safety of Kuroda¡¯s base.¡± ¡°Good, keeping them at Hiroshi¡¯s will keep him out of sight of the UN. I don¡¯t need that man finding Yuki, not after what you said happened. He¡¯s probably already on their list after that showdown.¡± She lifted up the two girls effortlessly. ¡°I¡¯ll take these two back. I found several more unconscious back here. If you can tend to their injuries.¡± ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± She began marching off in the direction of the temporary camp. It had only been an hour, but Masayuki wasted no time getting things broken out. Support teams from the UN were already arriving under direct command of Masayuki keeping things a little tense among Saki and the others, but they needed the hands. Coming up besides Saki, Tatsuya forcibly grabbed one of the girls to lighten Saki¡¯s load, not that it was anything that was going to slow her down. ¡°Sorry, I panicked.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t know. I¡¯ve mostly only been finding them alone, so it¡¯s been easier. But three of them¡­¡± ¡°Dammit! Why did this have to happen?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t stop moving.¡± Tatsuya looked at Saki¡¯s back, as he paused. He didn¡¯t understand it. ¡°How? H-how can you¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have the option. That¡¯s why I said not to stop moving. The moment you do, then you¡¯re already in the trap.¡± ¡°Saki¡­¡± ¡°They need us, even if they don¡¯t want us. Focus on that, not yourself.¡± He hurried up to her side to keep her pace. It still didn¡¯t become clear to him. Yet he saw the awkward resolve that Saki set herself upon. Somehow her back looked completely bent over and broken, despite being straight and tall to carry the world if she had. He didn¡¯t understand how she could do it. ¡®Was she always this strong?¡¯ At the temp camp, Masayuki snapped out orders to the newly arriving soldiers that carried much needed supplies. Off to the right side, Hiroshi helped several dozen new faces that Saki hadn¡¯t seen since the last time. ¡°I¡¯ve got two more for detention.¡± Masayuki visibly dropped his shoulders hearing that as he finished his orders. The medical supplies finally arrived along with some doctors to help look after the injured. He turned around to meet Saki as Hiroshi rotated. ¡°That makes thirty-nine now¡­ It¡¯s getting worse.¡± ¡°And I doubt this is the last that we¡¯ll see,¡± Hiroshi remarked solemnly, ¡°All of these people were under Takako¡¯s power. They did and saw terrible things. Even those injured that seem fine might be at risk.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t like anything we¡¯re prepared to handle.¡± ¡°None of us are prepared, but we can¡¯t abandon them.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t suggest it. We have a duty to help everyone.¡± ¡°Good.¡± ¡°The number of people out searching and helping have doubled. So I think it¡¯s about time you started explaining this situation.¡± Masayuki stared at Saki and Hiroshi making it very clear that he knew that they were still hiding a lot from him. The way they spoke and barely even seemed to skip a beat on things, there were things that the UN clearly didn¡¯t know that somehow these teens did. Saki and Hiroshi looked between each other in silence. She gave Hiroshi a slight approving look for him to give the talk. Hiroshi was prepared for it, even though he would have preferred to wait until everything was handled. ¡°I can give you the short version. We still have a lot to do, so I can¡¯t get us lost in details.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s this Takako person you keep referring to?¡± ¡°She was a student at this school and a classmate.¡± ¡°Before the Shattered Japan Incident, you mean.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. However, after the Incident, she was attacked and hospitalized. We thought she had gone into a coma or vegetative state, she wouldn¡¯t respond or react to us.¡± ¡°How did this happen then?¡± ¡°Takako didn¡¯t fully explain the situation before she died. But someone rescued her and did something to heal her mind. She somehow figured out her powers and to fully recover she used them on others.¡± ¡°What was her power?¡± ¡°A variant of mind control, she could enter people¡¯s mind and leave something of herself there. Which had two side effects, she could control them if they survived the mental strain or they¡¯d break and run off base instincts with no will or conscience to guide them.¡± ¡°So she ordered them to kill people.¡± ¡°Not always, those running off instincts probably did it on their own. Which is probably the ones that we¡¯re finding right now that are trying to kill themselves. They can¡¯t take what they¡¯ve done.¡± ¡°Those ordered by this Takako have a bit of an escape goat for them to rationalize things.¡± ¡°Yes, but I don¡¯t know how long that will last. We could be facing hundreds more in the future tempting suicide or falling into depression.¡± Saki interjected in to end things. ¡°Either way, this situation isn¡¯t over by a long shot. Even with Takako dead, her hands are still moving. And we still haven¡¯t even found everyone yet.¡± ¡°Does the UN have enough facilities to manage this?¡± inquired Hiroshi. He knew their base back where his people recovered was already filled to capacity with people. There was nowhere to take them. Masayuki glanced back at the detention area. They were the makeshift cells they used to hold criminals and they were already running out of them. He ordered all of the available cells from headquarters. It wasn¡¯t going to be enough. ¡°No, we aren¡¯t equipped for a situation on this scale.¡± ¡°Then what were you planning on doing? Killing everyone?¡± ¡°Saki, stop!¡± Silence overcame Masayuki as he had to face the reality of his mission. It wasn¡¯t the sort of thing he prepared for and making the best of it took him where he stood now. ¡°I didn¡¯t have any useful intel. I didn¡¯t know how many people were here. We were just responding.¡± ¡°And if we weren¡¯t here to slow you down, you¡¯d what? Arrest everyone? Kill them? Try them all for crimes that they weren¡¯t in their right minds? What the hell was your plan?¡± The Captain couldn¡¯t say anything in response to Saki. He knew that she was right. They had gone in completely confident of their power with no clue to the situation. It was the reason that the whole zone was restricted by the higher ups. They couldn¡¯t do anything about it. ¡®What would have I done? Mind control? I could have killed the people I want to protect¡­¡¯ Hiroshi could see how much Masayuki was beating himself up over the situation. It was going to lock him up if he allowed it to continue. ¡°We need to find a place to put them. How about the hospitals? We¡¯ve got several in the city and there should be ways we can secure people in them to keep them from killing themselves, right?¡± Still lost in thought, it took Saki knocking him in the shoulder to get his mind back. ¡°Huh? Right, hospitals. I¡¯ll have to talk to my superiors to get manpower diverted. I can¡¯t be asking a bunch of kids to be doing this.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got a doctor in my group and a bunch of adults with nothing to do.¡± Things were starting to get to the point that Masayuki couldn¡¯t keep quiet about it. ¡°Who are you and what group do you belong to?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not in his group,¡± Saki immediately declared. ¡°We don¡¯t really have a name. But I ended up becoming the leader. We¡¯re just a bunch of people from this neighborhood that gathered up to protect those when Takako started killing. But with peace now here, we can start working towards stabilizing the city again.¡± ¡°How many are in your group?¡± ¡°Less than a hundred now, Takako killed most of us. But we¡¯re wanting to help keep our city peaceful and safe.¡± ¡°It might be tough to convince my superiors, but I think it would be beneficial if you helped us with this. You know the people here better than I do. I¡¯m from Tokyo. So I¡¯m still getting used to the city.¡± ¡°Tokyo? So the other cities are fine?¡± ¡°No, they¡¯re worse. Tokyo¡¯s¡­a nightmare right now¡­¡± ¡°Oh¡­dammit¡­can¡¯t anywhere catch a break?!¡± ¡°What do you think of working together, Mr. Kuroda?¡± ¡°Call me Hiroshi, Mister is too stuffy for me. But if you promise me to not treat them like criminals, but victims then I think we can work together.¡± Hiroshi extended his hand out towards Masayuki. In the middle of the darkness, a thin ray of hope appeared. Chapter 365 - Broken Hope ¡°I¡¯ll do what I can in my power to see that they¡¯re treated fairly. I hope to be able to work with you towards protecting this city.¡± Masayuki accepted Hiroshi¡¯s hand, finalizing what could only truly be considered the most informal of binding agreements. It held no meaningful weight beyond trust between two men. Yet it was going to have to be enough for both of them. For now at least, the future remained unclear. A UN soldier came rushing up with his uniform looking tattered. He had one more following up behind in better condition. ¡°Sir! We have trouble!¡± opened the man in the most vague and least helpful manner possible. The panic in his voice grabbed the attention of the group. They all worried if their peace became short lived. Masayuki stepped out to take command of his men. ¡°Speak then! What is it?¡± ¡°We located a few more survivors on the opposite side of the wreckage, but we¡¯re unable to get any closer. There is a teenage boy stopping us. He¡¯s attacking anyone that comes close!¡± ¡°Attacking?!¡± The Captain immediately went on edge. He thought fighting had been avoided or at least beyond them now. However, hesitation did them no good. Masayuki quickly resolved himself to the necessary course. ¡°I¡¯ll handle this personally then. Send out the order to the rest of the men in the area to move away and continue their search in other areas.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Appearing at Masayuki¡¯s side as though she was his own shadow, Saki quickly made her presence known to him. ¡°I¡¯m going as well.¡± ¡®Damn, she¡¯s fast! I didn¡¯t even notice her, but she must have come in while I was distracted.¡¯ Keeping his surprise down proved difficult with a girl just popping up. He didn¡¯t even feel the displacement of the air. How distracted had he been to not even notice that? But there were bigger concerns that came up quickly once he adjusted to her presence. ¡°No, I don¡¯t need a fight breaking out.¡± ¡°You¡¯re implying that I can¡¯t be peaceful?¡± ¡°Given your negotiating skills displayed so far Saki, the man¡¯s got good reason to question you.¡± ¡°Shut up, Hiroshi, I¡¯m going, that''s final.¡± She still had doubts and uncertain looks from both of them. Their gazes only made her furrow her brow in their distrust. Crossing her arms, she took a different approach. ¡°I¡¯m going because the reason your men were probably attacked was because you¡¯re UN. They don¡¯t trust you or are scared of you. I¡¯ll be able to talk them down without actually inciting a fight.¡± Using solid logic at this point was hard to argue. Masayuki wanted to dispute her claims, but he knew better than the rest how the UN was viewed by the regular citizens. Especially how they viewed him. He had to agree with Saki. ¡°Fine.¡± The party set, both marched out. Or rather, they disappeared immediately keeping a competitive pace with each other. It was a short distance, but neither wanted fighting to continue. Chapter 365 ¨C Broken Hope Saki had a pretty good guess who it was that attacked the UN soldiers. Given who remained unaccounted for it only made sense to her. That was the true reason why she came, though she couldn¡¯t say it in Masayuki¡¯s presence. She had something to maintain with him if she was to succeed. ¡®He has to be complicating matters.¡¯ Directed by Masayuki, he placed them in the approximate area that he ordered the soldier to search. He dropped out of his sprint just outside of the area. ¡°This must be the area. There¡¯s a heavy amount of destruction.¡± Even before she could say anything they were interrupted by a blast of black energy. ¡°I said stay away! None of you are getting any closer!¡± shouted a familiar voice. She stepped out in front of Masayuki and batted the energy away into the sky. Destabilized enough from her hit, it blew up a few hundred meters into the air. Light from the blast gave Saki everything she needed to confirm it. ¡®I knew it, Yori. His sister complex is going to get him killed.¡¯ Saki glanced back at Masayuki to see how he was handling the attack. If she needed she planned to fight him, as she still didn¡¯t trust his word like Hiroshi might have. There wasn¡¯t enough to work on from his actions that she saw to believe him, not yet. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. However, Masayuki¡¯s attention didn¡¯t go to Yori, but rather Saki. Much like her, he didn¡¯t fully trust her. Hiroshi had something about him that he could find sincere. And Saki definitely had sincerity, but it was backed by brute force and muscle rather than words and principles, non-violent principles anyway. ¡®She nearly exhausted herself from our clash. It¡¯s only been a short time and she¡¯s able to deflect an attack like that. She possesses a significant threat¡­ What is her goal?¡¯ His gut told him that he didn¡¯t necessarily have to fear what she might do now, but that she represented a potential future threat depending on the way things played out. There was something very complicated about her and how simple she appeared, despite being anything but. Saki stepped out further to begin her approach. ¡°I know who it is. He¡¯s a classmate I know from when we were just students here. So he¡¯ll listen to me. Just hold back.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ll go with you!¡± ¡°You want him to attack again? Unless you plan on stripping butt naked, you still look like a UN soldier. He¡¯s not going to trust you. Remember you guys don¡¯t have a good reputation.¡± Grinding his teeth together, a peaceful solution was something that they both wanted. However, he didn¡¯t want her to go alone, yet he could do nothing but agree with her. She was right, he knew. ¡°Fine, but I¡¯ll watch you closely if anything happens that looks like an attack I¡¯m jumping in.¡± ¡°Whatever, he¡¯s not going to attack.¡± She focused on Yori. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s me Saki! I¡¯m coming over to you, so stop attacking!¡± ¡°Saki?! You¡¯re under control of Takako!¡± ¡°Takako¡¯s dead, everything¡¯s been settled.¡± ¡°You¡¯re lying!¡± ¡°Dammit!¡± Her hands tightened up. Yori proved stubborn even after all of the sounds of fighting stopped. ¡°Look, she¡¯s not attacking you anymore right? That means Takako isn¡¯t controlling her anymore. So it¡¯s safe!¡± ¡°She¡¯s not attacking because she¡¯s unconscious!¡± ¡°Because Takako¡¯s dead! It happened to everyone under her control!¡± She sighed, annoyed with the situation. It didn¡¯t seem that they were going to be making any progress. Their fight took place away from Yuki and Takako¡¯s fight. So he wasn¡¯t in on everything that happened. She didn¡¯t have time for his paranoia. Since he refused to trust her, she just disappeared from everyone¡¯s sight. The act set Masayuki on edge and made him start to move, but then stop. She appeared behind Yori and poked him in the head to get him to turn. ¡°Hey, if I wanted you dead I could have done so several times over by now. The shape you¡¯re in you¡¯d be no match for me.¡± Despite receiving temporary healing from Nerine, he remained covered in blood and looked to be half in death¡¯s door already. Jumping away from Saki, Yori never got used to how fast Saki could be when she wanted. He saw none of it and was never sure if he would have seen her even as a blur, like others claimed. ¡°Saki?!¡± ¡°Going to believe me now?¡± She glanced down at his sister, who looked in better shape than Yori. There appeared to be something strange about her that she couldn¡¯t place at the moment. ¡°She alright?¡± Brotherly instincts immediately triggering, he wrapped his arms around her to protect her from Saki. ¡°Yes, none of us could do much against her other than survive. So I don¡¯t know why she¡¯s unconscious.¡± ¡°Like I said, everyone passed out once they were freed from Takako¡¯s control. She¡¯ll wake up in time. Now, I need you to start playing nice. The UN¡¯s here and I don¡¯t need you starting the fighting back up because you¡¯re having trust issues with me.¡± Measuring out Saki¡¯s words and his situation, Yori didn¡¯t answer her immediately. Though, it didn¡¯t take long for him to agree. ¡°Alright¡­but I¡¯m staying with her.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, I wouldn¡¯t stand between you two. Let¡¯s head back to the camp and I¡¯ll get you up to speed on things.¡± She helped him back on his feet, though he continued to insist on carrying his sister despite his own body¡¯s condition. As they started back to Masayuki, he looked over at Saki as he started to see things were truly over. ¡°How bad are things?¡± ¡°We¡¯re still picking up the pieces. Hiroshi¡¯s made peace with the UN group here and we¡¯re struggling to deal with the people that have been broken by Takako¡¯s madness.¡± ¡°So, it¡¯s as bad as I feared it might turn out.¡± ¡°Attempted suicides and others completely non-responsive. It¡¯s going to be a miracle if even half of them can find their normal lives after this.¡± ¡°Takako¡¯s corruption won¡¯t be healed so easily¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be months or years I fear¡­¡± ¡°Or never¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible¡­¡± Neither of them liked the sound of the word, never. Innocents should never have been involved, but they couldn¡¯t change things now. Saki felt the same as she did after the plant assassin incident. ¡®It¡¯s like Takako is just repeating history¡­she could just be perpetuating the hate¡­ I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t save you¡­¡¯ When they returned to camp new survivors picked up by the soldiers appeared with them. Hiroshi helped with one of them as Saki and the others walked into the camp grounds. It took her a moment, but she remembered the face from when they went to Hiroshi¡¯s underground base. But among them was also Yumi¡¯s friends that Saki knew immediately. She rushed over to join Hiroshi and help the soldiers bring in the three women all with varying degrees of injuries. The worst appeared to be Katsumi with both of her arms missing in a very savage manner. Around her shoulders the skin was torn and hanging making it clear that they weren¡¯t cut, but actually ripped from her joints. ¡°Is she alive?¡± She couldn¡¯t imagine what sort of blood loss happened to her, though she didn¡¯t bleed at the moment. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± answered the soldier, ¡°Though she has a faint response.¡± ¡°Get them to the triage tent immediately!¡± ¡°They¡¯ll be fine, Saki.¡± Saki turned away to look back at Yori holding his sister. ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m worried about.¡± She stared down at her still unconscious. Her thoughts went to different moments, but quickly fell back to Yuki and the school when Demosthenes attacked. There were a lot of unknowns and something about Yori¡¯s sister didn¡¯t sit right with her. Her presence felt completely off to her. It made her hands sweat and she didn¡¯t know why. ¡®What¡¯s going on with me? Why am I so uneasy right now? What¡¯s happened to Yumi?¡¯ Chapter 366 - Broken Paths The sun finally hung high in the air. After a long night and even longer month, peace finally started to arrive once more in their home. But it wasn¡¯t going to be an easily built peace. This much all of them knew. They learned almost too well from the survivors how true that it would be. A first step was all that was taken today. UN forces continued to patrol the battle site for any survivors that might have been missed. The destruction was too vast and the influence that Takako held over the whole area made it impossible to be certain that they had found everyone. They had taken over much of the site now as Hiroshi and the others pulled back. Masayuki stood in a new tense situation before the teenagers that helped salvage a terrible situation. He made an agreement with Hiroshi and things looked up. ¡°I hope that this will work to bring cooperation together between us. We don¡¯t have to be working in separate corners.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like that as well. Though it¡¯s going to be hard convincing everyone else. Your reputation here isn¡¯t a positive one.¡± ¡°I¡¯m all too well aware of that. But we¡¯re only trying to protect and keep people safe. The rise of the Empowered has required a different approach. If we, the Japanese, can''t prove we can protect and govern ourselves in this situation we¡¯re only going to see even worse aspects of the world in our homeland.¡± ¡°People are still very scared and frightened about everything happening. This isn¡¯t going to be something fixed overnight.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not. But all we can do is keep trying.¡± Saki stepped out from Hiroshi¡¯s side, joining Masayuki. She looked back at the others. ¡°Trying is going to be the important thing. You can¡¯t stop moving forward.¡± Everyone looked a little confused at what Saki was doing. ¡°What are you doing, Saki?¡± ¡°What I must do as well.¡± All of the confusion continued while Masayuki stepped forward with an explanation. He swallowed roughly knowing what he was about to do. ¡°This woman has openly admitted to numerous crimes. Even if her actions did lead to the resolution of the crisis, what she¡¯s done can¡¯t be ignored.¡± ¡°What?! You¡¯re still going on about that! I thought we moved past that!¡± ¡°Crimes are still crimes. If we can¡¯t show that we can maintain order and carry out justice then all we have is anarchy. We can¡¯t pardon violent unsanctioned actions.¡± Hiroshi tightened up his fist. ¡®She¡¯s been planning this the whole time. She¡¯s going to take the fall for all of us. Dammit! Once more I can¡¯t do anything for my friends!¡¯ He wanted to do anything for Saki, but the peace and good well he built would be destroyed. ¡°¡­Saki¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, everyone¡¯s in the places they¡¯re supposed to be. Do what you¡¯re supposed to do now.¡± Looking up at Saki, he stared into her eyes to see her resolve. She held steadfast and unwavering on her path. But she was also telling him as well. She told him where he belonged and was meant to be. It left him stunned for a moment realizing what she was doing. ¡®You planned all of this?! You intentionally did all of that to put me in this place knowing that someone you could trust was here?! Saki¡­dammit¡­this makes it even worse¡­ What do I tell Yuki when he wakes up?¡¯ Tatsuya came up behind Hiroshi and put a hand on his shoulder. He understood as well as Saki the course and destination that she put them. ¡°She¡¯s right, man. This is where you should be. Don¡¯t look away.¡± Hesitation and regret still filled up his chest trying to push out the hope that he desperately tried to hold. The hope that Saki gave him and entrusted him. He had to keep it safe. Yet he feared that the darkness of his own heart might taint that hope. ¡°¡­I know¡­I¡¯ll keep looking forward.¡± Chapter 366 ¨C Broken Paths Inside the APC, Masayuki sat in the back along with his team and Saki as her guard. They had no containment cells for Saki given that they were all consumed by the survivors. So they acted as her prison, for what it actually was worth. They all had seen a taste of her power and that she only came because it was her decision. Over in the corner, Nawabe continued to nurse a bloody nose and swollen cheek from Saki¡¯s fist. He glared at her for the entire ride knowing that she was better than him, but having trouble accepting that fact. A slow burning rage fueled by his destroyed pride began to build inside him. ¡°Looking to get knocked out again?¡± mocked Umari. None of them could miss the signs that he put off. Probably only Masayuki¡¯s presence kept him from making another stupid mistake. The others laughed at him while hiding their own fears and relief. All of them wanted a piece of Saki, but Nawabe provided them all with enough second thoughts to not act on their instincts immediately. He growled lowly at all of them for becoming the mockery of the team. ¡°She just caught me off guard.¡± ¡°Says everyone that gets completely curb stomped.¡± Masayuki fixed his eyes at his team to get them in order. He earned a little more respect from them thanks to Saki. ¡®Up until now, I¡¯ve never had to show much of my power thanks to the criminals we faced being weaker than us. They¡¯ve never seen me go all out. They only knew that my powers made me annoying for them, since I never gave into their baiting. While she didn¡¯t intend it, this teenage girl¡¯s done a lot for both of us¡­¡¯ Thanks to that recognition from his team, they silenced up pretty quickly. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to get caught off guard next time, train harder Nawabe and follow my orders. I don¡¯t give them because I like hearing myself talk.¡± If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­¡± Nawabe tried to play off his unsettled feeling with a casual reply. All he got for his troubles was another piercing glare from his Captain. ¡°¡­sir¡­¡± The vehicle came to a stop suddenly. They arrived at their destination, the headquarters of the UN within the city. As the back hatch opened to flood the chamber with light, Saki finally got a look at the heart of their unknown counterpart. Dozens of soldiers marched around the fenced in base along with an entire fleet of the most advanced modern vehicles and equipment that the world powers had to offer. She had a brief moment of impressive awe at their display of arms only to realize how pointless all of it was made. ¡®This is purely an empty show of strength. Against us superhumans, these weapons are nearly meaningless. I could completely destroy this base on my own, if it were just normal humans.¡¯ Taking up her side on the left was Masayuki, a reminder that she wasn¡¯t alone and that he only stood as one of many like him on the base. She had many questions about the UN and their true intentions in this policing action of theirs. ¡®This man seems sincere, such that he doesn¡¯t really belong in this sort of place. He¡¯d do more good alongside Hiroshi. Who are the ones giving him his orders?¡¯ Masayuki waved off his team to dismiss them. ¡°We¡¯re going to my superiors. They¡¯ll be the ones to determine your fate.¡± He began to walk ahead of Saki as her guide. ¡®Very trusting man¡­but he knows that I¡¯m not at full power yet and that we¡¯re evenly matched. Let¡¯s see what the big shots are like.¡¯ Keeping close behind him, she kept her senses open still not trusting anyone else in the complex. She didn¡¯t know if his team would try to make another attack, a sneak attack for retaliation for what she did or if someone else might want a piece of her. Though she felt the latter had small odds since she didn¡¯t have a name for herself yet. The building the UN took over was a familiar one. They set up inside the heart of the city within the commercial district. After the Incident, much of the heavy traffic and popular areas of the city became deserted. Entire skyscrapers remained untouched as no one wanted to work in such a city anymore. Fear and uncertainty were too strong. Only the brave and stubborn attempted to keep some semblance of their former lives going. It left plenty of places for others to come in and take over. Centrally located and well equipped to handle the infrastructure that they carried, it was well suited for their needs. Several city blocks came under their arm of control and bore the flags of the UN and joint nations. Inside the large open thirty-fifth floor of an office building, the main command structure of the UN¡¯s headquarters took everything over. Wires and machines ran about everywhere in a very ordered chaos that only those that put it together could understand. None of it was something that interested Saki, just how well built-in they were. At the back, where a boss or manager likely sat when it was still just a regular tech company, the superiors that Masayuki mentioned awaited Saki¡¯s arrival. They knew of her arrest and prepared ahead in a large show of force that Saki could only scoff at. An entire platoon of normal multinational soldiers followed her and Masayuki. They stopped at the door where Masayuki gave her entry. Inside behind an extra long desk, extended by adding another desk from some other room, sat the Generals and a man in a business suit. Saki kept her reactions to herself without giving away anything. ¡®What¡¯s a regular office worker doing here? This is a military operation.¡¯ ¡°Captain Ayabito, is this the criminal Saki Furukawa?¡± asked General Evans. Ever since the bombing incident the other day, Evans had been visiting from Tokyo. He came under the guise of monitoring the effectiveness and methods of the branch. ¡°Yes, sir! She has admitted to the murder of the gang leader known as Takako Yamazaki, who held eastern neighborhoods of the city.¡± He measured Saki up and down trying to get a read on her. It seemed that she didn¡¯t give him an impressive reaction as he leaned back in his chair. ¡°This girl wiped out the gang and leveled an entire neighborhood?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Saki answered, speaking out of turn. She crossed her arms not feeling any of the intimidation that all of the men in the room tried to emit. ¡®They¡¯re more scared of me than anything. They¡¯re just trying to cover it up.¡¯ ¡°If that¡¯s so, why has she not been placed into a containment cell?¡± The businessman perked up joining the conversation, ¡°All of our company¡¯s equipment is in use currently.¡± ¡°We had enough equipment you said for the next two months. Is your production behind schedule?¡± ¡°No, General. We¡¯re ahead of schedule in fact. But thanks to you bringing the gang war to an end, the number of Empowered needed to be kept locked up has exceeded our estimates.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll speak about your production later. Saki Furukawa, you¡¯ve been charged with the murder of a Japanese citizen, assault of a UN soldier and excessive property damage. How do you plead?¡± ¡°Guilty.¡± ¡°Very well. Under martial law, the UN will pass your verdict rather than a civil court. I hereby pass judgment upon you. Saki Furukawa, you have been sentenced to death for the murder of a Japanese citizen.¡± Masayuki jerked forward in surprise. ¡°Sir? She brought an end to the conflict. Why isn¡¯t that being accounted for in her judgment?¡± ¡°Captain, law and order are two things lost since Japan has changed. Those must be maintained and shown to still be the governing force. Murder regardless of intent is still murder and can¡¯t be justified.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re just using her as a tool!¡± ¡°Captain, you¡¯re out of line. Any further and I will hold you in contempt.¡± Unable to speak back further without ruining his own position, Masayuki clammed up quickly. He tightened up his hands in frustration. ¡®They¡¯re just going to execute her to show that they¡¯re in control and that they¡¯re still superior over all of the Empowered. All of this is just political!¡¯ General Evans continued with Masayuki¡¯s interruption silenced, ¡°Your execution will be carried out tomorrow at noon. And find a containment cell to put the criminal in under her execution. Dismissed!¡± Only able to escort Saki out of the room, Masayuki walked with her to the elevator. His mind spun with various thoughts, ones that he should never be even entertaining. Once the door opened, they walked in without the rest of the show of force with them. He had trouble looking at the girl knowing that she was just being used. Saki remained unaffected by everything. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry about me and don¡¯t be thinking up any stupid ideas.¡± It took him a little back that she realized that much was going on in his mind. ¡°I can¡¯t believe that they would go this far just to prove their efforts. I figured you¡¯d be given life or something. But they don¡¯t even care.¡± ¡°I expected this sort of thing.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to be killed for a completely selfish and pointless reason. How can you be so calm?¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t the first time I¡¯ve faced such things. If this is where I must die, then so be it. I¡¯ve got no regrets with what I¡¯ve done. Others can carry on my work.¡± He threw out his fist punching a hole in it and shaking the chamber. The lights flickered a bit from the force, but it continued to go. ¡®Dammit, this isn¡¯t right! The young shouldn¡¯t be dying for us!¡¯ * * * Across the city about a kilometer from the ruined grounds of the school, two figures in black turned away from their monitoring positions. The man on the left closed his device while the other finished his conversation on his cell. The man with the cell looked back at the ruins. ¡°The surveillance is complete. They¡¯ve got all of the data that they need.¡± Returning the device back into a briefcase, he picked it up and began to walk away with his partner. ¡°Seems the first field test was successful.¡± ¡°Yes, but it only works on Meso Prosecho users.¡± ¡°It¡¯s enough to begin Phase 2.¡± Chapter 367 - Broken Way Alone in one of the offices of the complex that the UN took over sat Takeshi Shigemitsu. He rested behind the desk of some manager that two months ago used to regularly come on time into work. Now abandoned, it hung in low lighting due to the reduced power available for the whole complex. Much of it had to be diverted to their containment facility hastily constructed to manage the rapid rise of anarchist elements within the city. Despite the highly advanced technology they had yet to improve the power consumption demands made by their technology. All of the personal effects of the former manager laid in a surprisingly neat pile on the floor. Everything cleared away for Shigemitsu¡¯s work. Contrary to having it all cleared away, he only used it for a single laptop. The only other device that laid on the table was a smart phone. Finishing up the Furukawa report, he closed the laptop. He stood up to look out the window of the forty-third floor. Below him, the UN command worked on their plans for broadcasting the execution. Within Japan, it was a pointless exercise made only more pointless by the destroyed infrastructure caused by the incident. But that wasn¡¯t the point. It was for everyone else. Peace and security. The need to feel safe in a world completely turned on its head. People wanted that feeling back. Fear and panic became the common emotions seen on everyone¡¯s face. Made only worse by the extreme prejudice developing out of irrational fears. A situation no one understood stoked the fires to greater heights. ¡°Plans must be flexible¡­¡± He retrieved a small disc shaped device from his pocket and placed it on the desk. A thin beam of light shot out from the perimeter covering the walls in lines of purple light. Passing over all of the surfaces in the room, once completed it displayed a holographic text above it stating ¡°Secure¡± in Japanese. Shigemitsu took out a completely different device that he took up to his ear as though it were a phone, yet no ordinary person would have seen it as such. It looked more like a portable hard drive, but without any ports. ¡°Shigemitsu,¡± he said to declare himself. ¡°We¡¯ve lost sight of the target again. After the battle they hid Hayashi¡¯s body. Yes, we¡¯ve been tracking him since his return, but they¡¯ve been forced to be more cautious due to the situation.¡± Listening to the voice on the other end, he received orders. ¡°Yes, I agree. We¡¯re going to need a more permanent way of tracking him. I¡¯ll arrange things on my end to secure that. Something has recently fallen into our hands that should prove a perfect solution to our problem.¡± Chapter 367 ¨C Broken Way ¡°What is this?¡± Saki asked, staring at something that looked more like it belonged in a sci-fi movie rather than their world. Or something that she would believe that Yuki would dream up. She looked back at Masayuki, insisting on her getting inside it. He still carried his reluctance about the whole situation. ¡°This is the containment cell that is able to negate the powers that we possess.¡± ¡°So I¡¯ll be a normal human in there?¡± ¡°That is correct. I don¡¯t know how it works, it¡¯s a technology beyond our understanding.¡± ¡°How can such a thing exist?¡± Saki looked around the chamber, seeing more like cells. ¡®It¡¯s only been two months, how can a countermeasure even be available¡­ Though it does explain why the UN even thinks it has a chance now.¡¯ ¡°It works, that¡¯s all I need to know.¡± She stared at the cell. It had very little way in movement. Definitely held that sort of containment feeling that rested in its name. With a shape like a stretched out egg and color to match, the only thing that made it seem sort of normal was the large amount of tubes running out of it into the wall. The entire room was filled with tubes and wires and in greater mass than the actual amount of cells. ¡°So these are what you were putting people in, but why do these look different from the ones you had on you?¡± ¡°Those are mobile versions with limited power and capabilities. They¡¯re meant only for transport for these, the real ones.¡± ¡°But aren¡¯t you transporting all of the people to hospitals?¡± ¡°Yes, but we¡¯re getting aid from the supplier to set up rooms that can support them.¡± ¡°Good, Hiroshi is going to be over seeing that, right?¡± She already knew the answer, but needed the confirmation again to see if anything had changed. She wanted to see the reaction on Masayuki¡¯s face so that she could be sure of how things would play out. He nodded to her. ¡°It was a bit of trouble, but it seems our supplier was in favor of the idea. So he pushed for it as well.¡± ¡°Then things are in place.¡± Saki stepped up into the padded interior of the cell. It had a natural restrictiveness to it that she wasn¡¯t surprised by even without the hatch closed. ¡°Well then I¡¯m going to sleep.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see how you¡¯re agreeing to all of this.¡± ¡°The pieces are in place now. I don¡¯t have to worry anymore.¡± Saki rested her head back and closed her eyes. She wasn¡¯t sure how it was going to feel being normal again. In fact, she wasn¡¯t even sure if she was going to be awake. The others she saw through the small portals on the cells looked to be asleep. ¡®I¡¯m not completely without regrets. But Yuki has others I can trust to keep him straight. I¡¯m not the only one that can work in the shadows for him. Not anymore¡­¡¯ Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Masayuki hit the panel to close the hatch and seal away Saki. Tomorrow the end would come for her and he could do nothing about it. Every time that he thought about his powerlessness he squeezed his fists tighter. He could do nothing to stop any of it. ¡®This isn¡¯t the sort of thing I signed up to support. But what am I supposed to do? We need the UN¡¯s approval if the world is ever going to trust us. The Japanese people can¡¯t be treated with fear and scorn forever. We¡¯re still humans, even if they don¡¯t want to see us that way anymore.¡¯ He walked out of the room allowing the door to lock behind itself. It used to be a bank vault making it ideal for sealing away the most dangerous of criminals that they caught. The other facilities weren¡¯t so secure, but with them all sealed away it didn¡¯t matter that much. Across the city, Hiroshi arrived back at their new base climbing out of the tunnel that they dug to get into the school in the first place. It made for an easy escape and a safe way to get Yuki back out of the sight of the UN. Only so much trust could be earned from a first meeting, even for Hiroshi. He went around checking on all of the survivors from their base being destroyed before doing anything else. ¡®If I could afford it I would have preferred to brought more back, but we don¡¯t have the room. And I can¡¯t risk revealing this location. Masayuki might be a good man, but that doesn¡¯t stand for the rest of the UN.¡¯ Everything still had to play out first for him to see what was going to happen. His mind still spun ideas on how to rescue Saki without ruining their chance at some sort of peace with the UN. There were ideas, but he didn¡¯t know how possible they were. It was something Saki decided as well. He fought with it. Once he finished his rounds, he stepped into the back stairs of the building that Phoibe operated. It took him through the backside of her third floor building and allowed them access out of sight of the normal customers. He could hear the slight buzzing of her machines at work. ¡®Everyday it is packed. I know she had a small clientele, but it was never this busy when we came the first time. She doesn¡¯t technically even need the money either¡­¡¯ While the second floor acted as offices and Phoibe¡¯s apartment, the third floor remained largely empty. There was only some light storage around. It was more than she needed for her purpose, but it suited well for them now. Hiroshi walked back to the curtained off area past the others that sat around. The empty storage room converted easily into a makeshift base for Yuki¡¯s group and those with Hiroshi. They lined beds up against the wall for everyone that they were protecting. He went over to Miyako¡¯s side first, who remained asleep since they found her among the destruction. Next to her, Kaede was found with her defeated and Katsumi with her arms restored thanks to Nerine. Though all of their wounds had been healed, each remained unconscious for unknown reasons. Resting his hand on Miyako¡¯s bed, he knew how hard she fought for their dream. ¡®The war is over now. But we¡¯ve a new battle to face. The fight for peace. We¡¯re going to be busy when you wake up, this is the world that you fought for Miyako. So join my side once more.¡¯ Finished with this visit, he walked down the row of beds. Found passed out at the front of Phoibe¡¯s door, they brought in Haruo and Fumiko treating their wounds. Then at the far end was Yumi with Yori never leaving her side and Yuki separated from the rest, since Yori insisted on it. ¡°He¡¯s still out?¡± Hiroshi asked rhetorically to Seiji. ¡°Yeah, hell if I know what¡¯s wrong with him.¡± Nerine stood at Yuki¡¯s side as well, stepping in with an answer, ¡°The Kin¡ªYuki Hayashi has exhausted much of his mental power in the fight he had with Takako. His body was also severely broken from the efforts required of him to fight on an equal level as her. He will likely be out for several days to fully recover his mental energy.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Hiroshi stared down at Yuki still having trouble believing everything that he saw. He watched him fight and defeat Takako, who completely walked all over him. He stood no chance against her. Watching the fight, Yuki seemed at moments to be completely invincible and unstoppable, while at other times became completely helpless. It was strange to witness it firsthand. ¡®So he does have a limit.¡¯ He always wondered, given what he did to Japan and watched him do in fights. Yuki for all of his weaknesses, seemed so completely different and beyond the rest of them. All any of them could do was just watch his back. And yet it wasn¡¯t like that at all. ¡®He¡¯s struggling as well¡­¡¯ He stepped out from around the curtain, bringing everyone along with him. ¡°We¡¯ve got some things to discuss.¡± It seemed like an understatement given everything that happened, but it was necessary. ¡°First, where¡¯s Saki?¡± asked Seiji, hitting their first topic, and one that Hiroshi wished to avoid. Unable to answer Seiji, Tatsuya stepped up in the void. ¡°She took the blame for everything and allowed herself to be arrested by the UN as a criminal.¡± ¡°What the HELL?!¡± Immediately, it took Tatsuya and Hiroshi just to keep him in place and that wasn¡¯t proving to be very good. They still were tired from everything that happened and recovering. The same could be said of Seiji, yet he seemed to have ignored all of that. It took Nerine using her powers to tie him down that ended things. ¡°Let me go, Nerine! I¡¯m not letting those bastards lock up Saki!¡± ¡°We can¡¯t save her!¡± ¡°How dare you, after what I did for you!¡± ¡°She went to save all of us! She didn¡¯t want the UN putting targets on all of us. So she¡¯s sacrificing herself for our sake.¡± Still trying to fight against the unstoppable powers of Nerine, Seiji fell over on his face. He fought to get himself in a better position, but they couldn¡¯t let him go free. ¡°I¡¯m not letting a friend be locked up! I don¡¯t care what she thinks she¡¯s doing for us!¡± ¡°This is the UN we¡¯re talking about Seiji. We can¡¯t be fighting them directly. We can¡¯t start a war with them or it¡¯ll mean going to war with the world!¡± ¡°Yuki was right about you.¡± Hiroshi knelt down in front of Seiji to stare into his eyes and show his determination to him. ¡°I haven¡¯t given up on Saki. But we¡¯re going to have to go about this carefully. She¡¯s not lost to us.¡± ¡°You can tie me up, but once Yuki finds out there¡¯s nothing you¡¯re going to be able to do to stop him. He¡¯ll tear up all of Japan to save her!¡± Swallowing carefully, he knew that Seiji was right about that. They all knew that he was right. Friends were the most important thing to Yuki and if someone was in danger he was going to become unstoppable. Hiroshi feared thinking about the sort of destruction that Yuki would wrought upon the UN and Japan just to get Saki back. He stood up and looked around at everyone gathered. ¡°Then that means we are short on time. We need to come up with a plan and one that Yuki can accept before he wakes up. Otherwise, we¡¯ll be faced with a war that none of us wants. Even if we can win.¡± * * * Closing the vault door behind them, four men in white suits along with Shigemitsu wheeled out one of the containment cells. He trailed behind the group following them through the low lit halls until they came to an elevator. Upon entering the elevator, he pushed the last button on the panel ¡°B10¡±. The elevator quickly began to move, clicking down the floors through the basement. When it arrived on the requested floor, the rear doors opened rather than the ones that they entered. A very well lit and pure white hallway stretched out before them. They walked off the elevator pushing the cart into the far end room of the first hall. Setup inside the room was a wall of monitors and computers dwarfing anything that the UN set up in the building above them. Opposite of the wall a wide array of medical equipment laid stretched out on tables, cabinets and benches. Shigemitsu retrieved his blank HDD-like device from his pocket. A screen on it suddenly appeared with displays. ¡°The drugs won¡¯t last long on her. Seems she has a high tolerance for it and even in this state she still retains a small portion of her powers. A truly impressive subject. You¡¯ve got thirty minutes. She¡¯s a very important subject so be thorough.¡± Chapter 368 - Broken Peace Taking a break from their planning, the group split into their different groups keeping separate areas of the third floor. Hiroshi walked over to see Yuki, where Seiji stayed. A loyal friend and one that he barely even knew that well. Before everything with Takako, he had only met the man once before. They didn¡¯t attend the same school, so he had to get the scoop on him from Saki. And Saki clearly had some issues with him that she hadn¡¯t spoken to anyone about. He wasn¡¯t sure if they would ever know what her problem with Seiji was. But what he could see from the man was a good friend and someone to trust. So he didn¡¯t know why Saki would see him as a problem, since Yuki needed all the friends he could get, especially now with things as they were. Sitting down on the floor, none of them had any chairs. Being storage about all there was around the space was boxes or tubs of things that belong to Phoibe, not exactly the sort of thing to be disrespecting by sitting on them. He did wonder why Phoibe or Nerine didn¡¯t make any chairs for them, but it was a minor point. Something unneeded in the long run. Three hours passed since they started talking and Yuki remained still. He expected him to wake up, but Nerine insisted that he was recovering from the battle. ¡®How long do we have until we have to explain things to him? Is he even going to listen to me? There¡¯s at least friends here¡­¡¯ Hiroshi glanced over at Nerine, seeing a strange look in her eyes when she looked at Yuki. She looked different at him compared to Seiji. ¡®What¡¯s with her? She¡¯s not looking at Yuki as though he was a friend, but like she was guarding him. What¡¯s going on?¡¯ Watching Nerine brought back things he remembered Takako saying that confused him at the time, but he never had the chance to get answers about. It was about time for answers. He looked over to Nerine and noticed her backing away internally. She had picked up on his sudden interest in her, likely detecting something wrong. ¡°So you think it¡¯s about time to explain what¡¯s going on with Yuki?¡± Nerine immediately picked up on Hiroshi¡¯s implications, but Seiji didn¡¯t follow. ¡°He¡¯s tired. What are you going on about?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not talking about his state. I¡¯m talking about what happened in the last two months while you disappeared on some trip, as he calls it.¡± ¡°He¡¯s the King of Atlantis,¡± Seiji answered flatly. Nerine immediately went blue, aghast that he would just blurt that out without even a second thought. She rushed over to his side hoping that there was still time to stop it, since it could easily be something that was passed off as being too outlandish to be taken seriously. ¡°Why are you making things up, Seiji? He¡¯s not going to know how to take your joke.¡± ¡°Eh? What¡¯s gotten into you, Nerine?¡± There was no hiding it from Hiroshi. Nerine was a bad actor and not very skilled at keeping her emotions in check. She appeared serious and like an adult, but she still had inexperience dealing with people. She was out of her element for sure. ¡°Takako said the same thing, she referred to Yuki as the King. What the hell did I miss?¡± Chapter 368 ¨C Broken Peace ¡°¡­damn¡­¡± It felt like an understatement after getting everything out of Seiji. Hiroshi didn¡¯t really know how to react after everything. It just came out of his mouth, but he was still processing all of it. ¡®An entire world unseen to us¡­a missing part of our history¡­this is a lot to take in¡­¡¯ Nerine sat on the floor in dismay muttering things about failing to herself the whole time that Seiji explained things. Once it was over, she seemed to have started to recover. ¡°¡­I can¡¯t believe you just exposed everything¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s the problem? Hiroshi¡¯s one of Yuki¡¯s friends, he should know.¡± ¡®I¡¯m not sure if I am anymore¡­¡¯ ¡°The King has many enemies and the council hasn¡¯t given up. No one is even supposed to know we exist or even that he has left the homeland.¡± Seiji continued his very casual concern about the whole situation by just flippantly tossing a hand at the problem. ¡°Don¡¯t stress over such details. Anyone tries anything with Yuki and I¡¯ll protect him!¡± ¡®If only it were that easy.¡¯ Hiroshi could sympathize with Nerine¡¯s concerns. Yuki no longer just lived for himself, but for an entire people. Such a position bore a lot of responsibilities. ¡°But why is he even here?¡± After the story ended, it seemed like Yuki had accepted his fate to protect the people of Atlantis. So it didn¡¯t make a lot of sense to him why Yuki would come back as such a great risk. ¡°He didn¡¯t want to leave his family behind without answers.¡± Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Hiroshi stared over at the sleeping Yuki. The answer Seiji gave seemed like one that Yuki would say, but there was more that seemed to be going on than just that. ¡®Yuki wouldn¡¯t need to come all the way back to Japan just for that. He could have brought them to him. With the powers that they all wield, it would have been easy to do. Why do I get a feeling that there is something that Yuki¡¯s not telling anyone?¡¯ It was a completely unfounded feeling for Hiroshi. All of it was just easier to accept that Yuki wanted to personally see off his family and friends before leaving them all behind for the rest of his life. That wouldn¡¯t be something hard to believe. But Hiroshi couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that there was something else going on that he didn¡¯t know. That even Seiji or Nerine knew about. ¡®What is your game, Yuki?¡¯ A new day and almost morning, Shigemitsu stared out the window of his office. The view of the UN base still hadn¡¯t taken on a shape. Only the lights from rooms and spot lights filled the grounds giving it a loose form. He watched the light from the patrols searching out areas keeping their security tight. Everything seemed peaceful despite bubbling chaos that existed beyond the walls of the sectioned off part of the city that they controlled. However, such things wouldn¡¯t last. He glanced down at the time on his phone, resting on his desk. Turning away, he put his phone in his pocket just as a flash of light went off behind him. A second light growing into a fireball blew up sending out shakes all the way to the building. The man in the suit slowly walked through the open floor plan of the office. All around him the people¡¯s effects laid about on desks or floor completely abandoned. The glass of the building rattled to the sounds of the explosions going off and then the power disappeared. Across the entire complex, the UN¡¯s headquarters fell into darkness. The chaos of the outside world had finally descended upon them. It was about when he reached the emergency stairs that his phone went off. Shigemitsu took a moment to pull it out. The name that came across wasn¡¯t the General, but one of his aides. ¡°Shigemitsu, yes? The first priority is getting the power back up! The back up generators won¡¯t maintain the cells for more than thirty minutes!¡± He finished giving orders to the aide. Being a businessman and not a soldier, he didn¡¯t have a job out on the frontline, but rather kept away from the trouble. Down on the ground, Masayuki shouted out commands to the soldiers and his team alike trying to get order back. It had already been five minutes since the attack started. ¡°Order Special Team Delta to the flank! We need their support!¡± ¡°None of them are responding, sir!¡± replied a communication officer. ¡°Dammit, where the hell are they?! Still sleeping through this attack!¡± ¡°Die you traitorous bastard!¡± yelled a young man in Japanese, part of the attacking force. He immediately recognized Masayuki as Japanese and one of the more well known faces in the city to all those fighting against the UN¡¯s military actions. Disappearing and reappearing behind the man, Masayuki struck him in the back hard and angled to put into the dirt rather than sending him off into buildings. It immediately knocked the man out without even a chance to attack. He glanced over at the hole that the attacker made in the wall. The rest of his team jumped about with grins across their faces in excitement. These became the moments that they lived for and waited to see. However, none of those that they faced gave them much trouble. Everyone in the attack seemed far too weak. ¡°What¡¯s going on with the attack? Why are they attacking now and with such a weak force?¡± Masayuki glanced around at the base, which so far had taken very little in the way of damage. All that they faced so far was the wall being destroyed. They had been able to keep the attackers suppressed. But he didn¡¯t know the feeling that was getting about the situation. ¡°Something¡¯s not right¡­¡± Within the command floor, reports came in quickly from different posts around the base. A large screen on the wall displayed the tactical view of the situation updating from the reports. General Evans stared at the map taking in the whole situation. Everything looked favorable for them at the moment. ¡°General Evans,¡± an officer spoke from behind Evans to get his attention. At that moment, a new blip appeared on the map. ¡°We¡¯ve a new report.¡± His eyes narrowed with concern at the location. ¡°I can see that. What¡¯s the details?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve completely lost communications with the patrol in Sector J. The only intel we got before communications were lost was a small raid team of the enemy had appeared.¡± ¡°A distraction. This is the main force¡­¡± He stepped forward closer to the map. His hand raised to the point to location. The officer turned around and shouted out to the soldier staffing the terminal. ¡°Zoom into Sector J!¡± Evans stared at it longer. This wasn¡¯t his base and so he hadn¡¯t completely familiarized himself with the whole layout yet. But he already had a guess as to what was in the sector. And the enhanced view made that very clear to him. ¡°They¡¯re after the containment cells. Order Special Team Beta and Gamma in immediately to secure and kill the enemy.¡± ¡°Kill, sir?¡± ¡°Are you deaf, soldier?¡± ¡°No, sir! I understand!¡± ¡°You¡¯re all too soft¡­¡± he muttered as he went back to staring at the map. In the area known as Sector J of the UN headquarters, the unknown strike team quickly ran through the underground halls. All of them wore cotton face masks for winter over their faces keeping their identities a secret. A man out ahead of the team rushed ahead to the intersection of the hall. He disappeared in a blur as cries of pain followed him. Returning to the visibility of the team, he loosely painted himself in blood. ¡°This is the point. According to the info, this is where we split up, boys! We¡¯ve got ten minutes before they drop hell upon us! So run like the devil¡¯s chasing you!¡± Taking his team, he sprinted at full speed through the halls turning and jumping just to make things faster. Cracks and dents remained behind him as they weren¡¯t built to take such stress. They made it to their destination within only thirty seconds. ¡°Really does look like a bank vault. You¡¯re up!¡± He ordered, as he backed away from the massive steel door. An unassumingly small figure appeared in front of the gate. It more than doubled their height alone making them look even smaller than normal. They stared at the polished surface for a moment and then started looking around it. After their quick examination, they lifted up the bottom part of their mask to expose their tiny mouth. Licking the steel handle of the large wheel that worked as part of the locking mechanism, a grin came across their face. Suddenly, their lips drew back exposing razor sharp teeth and bit down on the handle and completely cut through it as though it had been just made out of softened chocolate. They proceeded to chew on the metal and then swallowed it as if it were just a snack. Returning the mask back in place, they removed their gloves showing hands as polished steel stretched out over their skin completely covering them up. They wound up their arm and rammed it into the vault gate. A few quick strikes left large dents in the previously untarnished surface. It took more effort, but within a minute the small figure had completely cracked the gate. With the seal destroyed, a groan came from them as they pulled on the solid metal peeling it back for access. With enough room for them to enter and light spilling through, they jumped in fanning out to find who they were looking for inside. The leader of the team walked about the vault that carried ten individuals. It was quick to find whom they sought. But he came to a stop to the one next to who they came for. He read the nameplate. ¡°Saki Furukawa¡­¡± Chapter 369 - Broken Defense One of the masked members came up by his side with some curiosity. ¡°Found something boss?¡± They turned to lean around their leader¡¯s tall figure, but got blocked. ¡°I told you to stop calling me boss,¡± he corrected, ignoring the question completely. He turned away to face the pod that they had come for. His hand rested on the smooth white painted metal. ¡°I¡¯m only taking over until we get the boss back.¡± Checking for the signal from the others in the team as they messed around with the equipment, the all clear came. He gave a gesture to the one on the opposite side of the pod. Their fingers dug into the metal bending it with ease. Unlike the vault gate, this was a weak and thin metal. It took almost no effort to destroy it. In a single motion, they ripped it out of the seating on the pod exposing the individual inside the pod. Their real boss was covered in thin clouds from the sudden change of the sealed environment of the medical pod. Taking their boss out of the pod and throwing them over his shoulder, he threw out his arm ordering them to the other pods. They quickly made easy work of the other nine pods freeing those held captive by the UN. The raid¡¯s time started to countdown fast in their efforts to give everyone a fighting chance. Their signal to leave came as a distant rumbling that they recognized. Trouble was on their way and it was early. A full four minutes early, but they had no time to complain about it. ¡°Our welcome is overstayed, guys! We¡¯re leaving!¡± their leader ordered carrying their boss with him out of the bank vault. He felt the danger on his heels as they sped through the halls to make a clean escape. Chapter 369 ¨C Broken Defense ¡°Sir, the reports are coming in that the enemy is retreating.¡± Evans glared annoyed at the monitor, still running off back-ups until the engineers restored power. He watched the updates come across the map making very clear to him what happened. Everyone was worthless. And the most worthless of them all just walked in. ¡°Can¡¯t sleep, Shigemitsu?¡± Unfazed by the General¡¯s annoyed barb, Shigemitsu walked over next to him looking at the map to see what the situation was. ¡°It¡¯s a long walk from my office when the elevators are down.¡± Focusing over to the red marks on the scene to denote the attack points, he picked up on things quickly. ¡°The containment cell was their target. I thought you kept the locations a secret, General.¡± Crossing his arms not liking the accusation, Evans didn¡¯t bother looking at the annoying man. ¡°Limited UN personnel know of any of the cell locations, even less know about Alpha.¡± He already knew that he had a great distaste for the man, a businessman and a shrewd one that knowingly carried superiority and confidence over all of them. ¡®Our reliance on their technology might come back to destroy everything that we¡¯re working for, but we don¡¯t have a choice if we are to have peace. But I don¡¯t have time for this snake. We¡¯ve got ten escaped B Ranked or higher criminals and a leak to find.¡¯ The General¡¯s morning started early. Far north of the UN base and out into the free stretches of the city, the masked team arrived at their destination. A large seemingly abandoned apartment complex stood in front of them. Such a place came a little off for such a band of rogues and ruffians. Knocking on the service door, they were greeted by four rough looking individuals that seemed to have no connections to each other. Through the halls, they carried their objectives with them into a large back room on the ground floor of the complex. It used to be the staff room where the owner would meet with the employees or the day¡¯s schedules were handed out. Now, it had a makeshift fill of tables, supplies and cots or blankets. People quickly rushed to aid the rescuers with those that they freed. The leader was met by several happy faces to see that he was successful. However, not everyone was as happy. It was difficult for everyone. It might have been a successful raid, but it came at a price and even worse. Those that they rescued weren¡¯t who they hoped for. Not a perfect rescue, but they just had to make do with it. It was some time before Saki came to and found herself in unfamiliar surroundings. She had children as well as teenagers hovering around her. As her eyes readjusted to everything, she saw adults further back. It was hard to get a read of the place that she had found herself in. ¡®Not the UN,¡¯ she noted to herself as the only obvious point. Seeing where she was made her think that Hiroshi did something stupid and rescued her, but he would have been around or Yuki. But there was no one that she knew around her. It was a strange place. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Hey Miss!¡± spoke one kid, leaning into her bedside. ¡°Are you a bad person?¡± a girl asked. ¡°Bad person?¡± she answered back in an echo. It seemed like a strange question, but also an accurate one. She couldn¡¯t answer it as honestly as she would have done so in an immediate gut reaction to such a question. It made her think about things that she needed to fully face. ¡°They said you were with the others where they hold really bad people.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Saki still tried to get caught up on everything that happened. The last thing she remembered was going into the pod and seeing Masayuki¡¯s frustrated face. Everything else was a blank. A couple of women came over along with a man to pick up the children, who seemed to be their parents. ¡°We¡¯re sorry, they didn¡¯t mean anything by it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s understandable.¡± ¡°So you are a bad person?¡± ¡°Sakura!¡± ¡°I guess that would depend on who you ask,¡± she replied finally. The girl looked a little confused and bothered by the answer. It wasn¡¯t the sort of answer that she wanted. She seemed to want something simpler, but such things were never so simple. Saki knew that too well. What she did could be written any number of ways to suit whoever needed a message. ¡°The mystery girl¡¯s awake!¡± an unknown voice shot across the room at Saki. When she turned to face the voice, she found a young man with a couple of scars on his face, which looked recent, that otherwise held a handsome appearance. His shaggy dark brown hair kept him from looking like he might have been too rigid. He was older than her, probably college age if she had to guess. Turning out of the blanket to get her feet moving, she staggered a bit to get her balance. Her body felt unusually weak even though she didn¡¯t feel in pain or fatigued. It was a strange feeling. ¡°Careful, pod sleep knocks it out of ya!¡± he cautioned as he tried to help her to her feet. Saki stubbornly refused the help and found her own footing. Her head felt a little loopy still, but she could walk at least. ¡°Where am I?¡± ¡°A stubborn one, considering where we found you I guess that makes sense.¡± Saki glared at him not wanting light banter when she asked questions. A bit of sweat dripped down his face seeing how much of a presence she carried while still being weakened. ¡°Damn woman, if I didn¡¯t know better I¡¯d swear you¡¯d rip off my head.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make me consider it.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, just my luck that I always find the troublesome ones.¡± He turned around and motioned with his hand for her to follow him. The strange man escorted her out of the large room and down the hallway. She found the state of the building to be in surprisingly good repair considering the state of the city. ¡®Are they actually keeping this place running? Figured that they were just squatters, but maybe that¡¯s not the case¡­ Everyone just sort of seemed to stop caring after things went to hell¡­¡¯ It made her even more curious who it was that was running the show here. The sights of children and adults with no connections to the rougher looking people in the room made her think more of Hiroshi. ¡®I guess it shouldn¡¯t be that much of a surprise that people would band together, especially with the UN. What Hiroshi did probably isn¡¯t that unusual.¡¯ Taking the elevator, they rode up to the top floor of the complex. She still couldn¡¯t see outside to know where in the city she might have been. The hallway only went through the inside of the building. But once she made it to a room, as she expected them to be going, she should start to know where they were. Stopping at room 1609, the man opened the door for Saki. A large apartment, a single room was bigger than the entire apartment her family lived in, spread out before her. Knowing the situation, she knew that they didn¡¯t rent the room. Though she wondered if the original residents still lived in the building or not. It was very empty as though no one lived in the room. But there was still furniture and on the couch sat several different individuals all with expressions that she knew too well. They were leaders. ¡°Yo, brought the girl!¡± Saki immediately received the attention of the entire room. Whatever conversation that she interrupted no longer seemed to matter. Though she did wonder what they were planning. She had a lot of questions. ¡°Who are all of you?¡± It ended up being a coin toss which question she picked first. They all seemed important. A woman¡¯s voice from out of the room broke through to answer Saki¡¯s question. ¡°The North Byakko Alliance.¡± Seeking out the voice, she couldn¡¯t find who it came from just yet. The stranger wanted to stay out of sight. Though something else bothered her as well. ¡°Byakko? Shouldn¡¯t it be Genbu?¡± The unseen woman laughed loudly through the room. She seemed to find Saki¡¯s retort very entertaining as she couldn¡¯t stop laughing for nearly a minute. Everyone else in the room looked a little bothered by the whole thing. But then the door to the room creaked open as the woman made her appearance. ¡°I like your spirit!¡± she barked, revealing herself to be a very tall, thin yet fit woman. She wore a simple white hiyoku, the under-kimono, which gave her a very simple appearance to conflict directly with her wild eyes and aura that she bled. Saki could tell that this woman was the one that was the real leader of everyone. She carried herself in a way that none of the others did. Staring at Saki for a moment, the woman grinned widely revealing a bit of her teeth in her excitement. ¡°I like you. There¡¯s a good fire in yer belly.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± She really didn¡¯t understand what was going on anymore. Giving a name didn¡¯t really answer much of anything to her situation. Everything remained clueless for her. But the woman invited her further into the room. Taking up a stance by the windows, the boisterous woman faced everyone and Saki directing her words to Saki most importantly. ¡°We fight against the UN and would like for you to join us!¡± Chapter 370 - Broken People ¡°Fight against the UN?¡± she questioned aloud and internally. It shouldn¡¯t have really surprised her that much. Given what she knew about the situation, there would undoubtedly be people that would be trying to resist what the UN was doing. ¡®Were these the people that we saw fighting the UN when we arrived?¡¯ ¡°You were arrested by them as well.¡± Which was true. But explaining things to them was going to be difficult. She couldn¡¯t tell them everything that happened. She didn¡¯t know how they would react to all of it. Especially with what she set up before she left. ¡°It¡¯s a little more complicated than that.¡± None of that seemed to deter the woman. She remained as confident and high energy as the moment she stepped into the room. Watching the woman reminded her a lot of Seiji¡¯s unfounded confidence. Though she had a different breed that Seiji lacked. She actually seemed to have some experience and thought behind what made up her presence, unlike him. ¡®What have I gotten myself into now? This isn¡¯t the way things were supposed to play out.¡¯ She still didn¡¯t understand the situation very well. The people were unknowns to her and she had no clue where she might be anymore. All she knew was that she was in the city still. But that didn¡¯t really give her a lot to go on. She was going to have to adapt and deal with the hand played to her. ¡°There¡¯s still a lot that I don''t understand or who you are. You can¡¯t be expecting me to make a blind decision.¡± The woman stepped out from her spot to approach Saki. ¡°Of course! You¡¯ll need to see who you¡¯re joining.¡± ¡®She¡¯s really confident.¡¯ ¡°We still know nothing about her,¡± one of the other leaders of the alliance objected. Saki glanced over at the man. Much like the two that she had already spoken with, he didn¡¯t look much older than the rest. The whole group gathered had the roughly same age range, as best as she could tell. They were college age or marginally older. All a bunch of gang leaders by the way she could figure, but she was just making a guess. ¡°She¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°How can you be so sure?!¡± ¡°I knew the moment I saw her eyes. She¡¯s no enemy.¡± She couldn¡¯t help but feel that the woman acted the clich¨¦. If Yuki was present he would be so excited to see someone that fit a little too well into his dreams. Being such a person made it easier for Saki, since she knew that she didn¡¯t have to deal with as many trust issues. Though the rest of the group clearly had their reservations about her loyalties. Fixing her presence to heighten her already overwhelming aura across all of the leaders, the woman made her decision final. ¡°She will be my guest. That will be the end of it. You¡¯ve got more important matters to deal with now since you decided to rescue me in that fool¡¯s errand.¡± Turning away and walking towards the door, she took Saki along with her. The room immediately went cold from her words. ¡®There¡¯s a lot more going on than I realized. What happened in the rescue?¡¯ Any questions she had to gain from how things played out between the other leaders vanished with being dragged out into the hall. She would have to seek the answers from the strange woman instead. But answers didn¡¯t start immediately. Saki followed her into another room down the hall of the apartment complex. Once the door closed behind Saki, the aura in the room flipped on its head. The woman stood before her with her arms crossed. ¡°So who are you?¡± The almost blindly trusting woman Saki saw before disappeared. She bore a strong presence of menace and determination, but not one that was evil. Something very familiar came off of her. Saki suddenly realized what sort of person that she was dealing with. Such a person made things more difficult for her. Things would only get complicated now. Chapter 370 ¨C Broken People ¡°That¡¯s a rather open ended question.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bullshit me, girl! What I told them was for their sake, but I want some answers out of you.¡± The woman became very serious, losing all of her high spirits that she showed off in the other room. This seemed to be the real person. And the reason that they all followed and obeyed her. This was the person that they feared. ¡®I¡¯m going to have to correct my assumptions about her. She¡¯s not like Seiji at all. She¡¯s doing what is needed to keep the moral up while dealing with threats personally. She¡¯s keeping them all safe from the dangers.¡¯ Saki didn¡¯t know how she was going to deal with such a woman. On top of playing her and effortlessly wielding the others, trying to lie and talk her way out of the situation looked to be more challenging by the moment. She even wondered if the request they made was real. ¡°This isn¡¯t about me joining your group.¡± This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°The topic is on you right now. You¡¯re not getting out of this until I get some answers from you.¡± Cornered, Saki didn¡¯t know what she was going to do anymore. She had no clue what the woman wanted from her. If it was going to be about whether or not she was an enemy that wasn¡¯t an easily answered question. Because how could she prove to this woman that she wasn¡¯t an enemy. She had no proof. The suspicion that the other leaders showed and that she did now were all warranted fears. She didn¡¯t even know why they rescued her anyway. ¡°If you think I¡¯m a threat why¡¯d you even bother getting me out of there?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t my call. But I¡¯m making sure that doing so won¡¯t be a mistake.¡± ¡°I was arrested like you by the UN. Why do you even think I¡¯m a threat?¡± ¡°You were found in the same room as me. That room is the one where they only put people that they view as the greatest threats. You weren¡¯t in there for no reason. So who are you?¡± ¡°Saying that I¡¯m no threat to you isn¡¯t going to be enough is it?¡± The woman didn¡¯t have to say anything to Saki. She had dragged things out far enough for her liking. There was no more room left for Saki to jump and dodge around the subject. ¡°And what do you think I am?¡± ¡°I find it unlikely, but you could be a spy for the UN given our circumstances. It¡¯s however more likely you¡¯ve done something to be considered a threat by the UN. And what sort of threat that is I want to know. We all have powers, but it¡¯s not the powers that make someone good or evil. It is the person and the powers just give them more ability to execute their intent. What are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not evil, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking. Not that is going to be very convincing.¡± She was a much more complicated individual the longer that she listened to the woman. Such a person Saki found to be better for her now. She needed to understand more about the woman to get a gauge on what she could say. But she felt now that the woman would be able to understand Saki¡¯s feeling. Nodding to Saki, she agreed that she needed more from her. ¡°That¡¯s right. Words are meaningless without something to back them up.¡± ¡°Right. Well I don¡¯t know how much the UN considers me a threat, but they planned on executing me. I gave them good enough reasons to make the excuse to use me in their political maneuverings to be able to show that they are actually being successful in their operations here.¡± ¡°They¡¯ve never executed anyone since they came. They¡¯ve just been arresting people and putting them to sleep. What exactly did you do to give them a reason?¡± ¡°I said I killed someone.¡± It was the moment of truth for Saki. However, she didn¡¯t really have that much hesitation in saying it. Everything that she saw from the woman told her that things would be fine. She wasn¡¯t certain of the reaction that she would get, but there was no doubt that this wasn¡¯t going to be the end. The woman stepped forward as though there was a need to whisper. ¡°Who are you covering for?¡± Saki grinned, seeing that her read was correct. She understood like she expected. ¡°A friend. There was more that he could do with his life to help the city than I could with just my fists.¡± Throwing an arm around Saki, the woman dragged her over to the balcony. ¡°I was right about you then.¡± Stretched out before them was the city that they both wanted to protect. At such a height, it had a different look than normal. The signs of it being a post-apocalypse scene made it even easier to see. Up close the city still looked new and maintained despite all of the green that filled out. Yet from the sky, the green was almost all that could be seen. The lack of normal city life helped to make it seem like the city had long been abandoned by humanity and nature returned. Even with nature overrunning their home, it was still something that they wanted to protect. ¡°Were you testing me?¡± It seemed a little strange that she just accepted that story without anything else. She was questioning her and doubting her with valid distrust before. Now it was back to the way she was before. ¡°Not so much that. I could tell there was something special about you, but being captured by the UN and in their special room for people like us I had to know what the story was. There can be no trust without understanding.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a very unusual person.¡± ¡°I get that a lot.¡± She turned to face Saki with the interrogation over. ¡°I¡¯m Ayano Hirasi, leader of the North Byakko Alliance.¡± ¡°Saki Furukawa, high school girl.¡± Ayano stretched a hand to officially greet Saki into her home. ¡°Good to be working with you, Saki.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re getting ahead of yourself. I haven¡¯t agreed to join your group. I don¡¯t even know what¡¯s going on.¡± Looking over at the door, she already seemed to have plans in mind for Saki. ¡°Then I guess we¡¯ll have to fix that.¡± ¡°There¡¯s that confidence again. You¡¯ve got no doubt that I¡¯ll join your group.¡± ¡°Of course not! You¡¯re not the sort that would give up or turn your back on people. We aren¡¯t the aggressive and war-like people you might think we are.¡± She had some doubts about that, especially given how they invited her. An arched brow opened her suspicions before she spoke, ¡°You said you¡¯re fighting the UN.¡± ¡°Fighting is not a singular sort of method. There are a lot of ways to fight. Come I¡¯ll show you what I mean.¡± Across the city at the center, the UN headquarters started to return to normal operations. The power had long been restored, but the damage done was still being repaired. And meetings knew no end when the eyes of the world watched with careful and judging stares. The end of another meeting left General Evans alone with Shigemitsu. The General glared at the Japanese businessman trying to impress upon him the seriousness of the situation, which the man failed to understand. ¡°Mr. Shigemitsu, we¡¯re going to need your company to increase their focus on developing stronger containment cells.¡± ¡°Is that right?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t play dumb with me. The reports for criminal Furukawa clearly stated that they weren¡¯t completely effective against her and she wasn¡¯t the first either. All of the criminals there were all resistant. We¡¯re discovering more powerful Empowered and your technology needs to keep up.¡± Bowing to the General, he showed some hint of apologies. ¡°I promise you that we¡¯re working around the clock on improving the technology. But it¡¯s not an easy process. We¡¯re going to need more out of our arrangement.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already received approval from the committee. You¡¯ll have the full support to make sure you have everything you need.¡± ¡°I¡¯m very pleased to hear that. This will greatly enhance our work to finally find a permanent solution.¡± He started to walk away having gotten what he needed from the General. However, he came to a stop and looked back. ¡°And what of the escaped criminals?¡± ¡°They¡¯re being hunted down now. All of them have been put on the Most Wanted List.¡± ¡°Putting bounties on their heads.¡± ¡°Mr. Shigemitsu, we¡¯re civilized people. We don¡¯t resort to such barbarian methods.¡± ¡°Of course, General. I meant no offense. Good day.¡± Chapter 371 - Broken Ties Hearing such things from Ayano gave her a bit of a relief. She still hesitated greatly on what sort of people that they were. Even the best intentions could still lead to the worst outcomes. And she wasn¡¯t about to judge the whole group just off of Ayano. She still wanted to know what they wanted to do as an end goal. Resisting or fighting, whatever it was against the UN was merely the first step. A difficult and lengthy one that wouldn¡¯t be settled in any reasonable sort of time, but there had to be plans after. Saki followed the woman out of the room. It still surprised her to see that the whole group lived in the apartment. They had a very different arrangement than Hiroshi¡¯s group. However, he had the benefit of having someone with a very unique skill set. They had no such thing. They had no clue to what happened, who caused it or why. They had to do things on their own and she could be impressed by that. Ayano clicked the elevator button, giving them a few moments to wait. Saki doubted that the apartment was so busy as the wait would be long. However, it did give her the perfect chance to ask. ¡°What¡¯s with all of this? You don¡¯t just come by something like this.¡± Leaning against the wall, she looked back down the hall. ¡°A little bit of luck and good opportunity.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not really an answer.¡± She wondered if she didn¡¯t want to explain something that might have a less than shining example of who they are. There were several different ideas that went through her head on how they did. Some of them were less than ideal. ¡°It¡¯s nothing like what you¡¯re thinking. We didn¡¯t kick out the people living here. Quite the opposite, we were invited.¡± ¡°Invited?¡± The elevator door opened with a clear chime. They entered together and Ayano set the elevator for the eighth floor. Saki wondered what Ayano wanted to show her. She already got a small taste of their situation when she woke up. Crossing her arms, the serious Ayano remained in the conversation. ¡°The owner of this apartment complex invited us. He wanted protection.¡± ¡°Against the UN?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± The chimes of the elevator moving down ticked off. Ayano remained silent for some reason waiting until the door opened. The hall looked no different than any of the other halls Saki had seen thus far. All of that changed though as they walked around a loop in the hall. Things suddenly opened up into a large central shaft going through the center. Judging from the shape and size, it was a cylindrical building that stretched from the ground to the height of the apartment and connected out to the other buildings in the complex. Glass and metal railings closed in each of the floors as elevators ran up and down the wide open space. Around the lower floors shops could be seen open and busy. Everywhere Saki looked there were people moving around talking and looking like they had normal lives. Things seemed to not be affected at all by the outside world. This was the way that she remembered things before all hell came raining down. It made her smile a little to see that there was still something of the old world held on within the chaos. Ayano leaned against the railing looking down at the people milling around. The thick sounds of a crowd with people¡¯s voices filled the whole building. A seemingly forgotten, yet simple noise made such a difference. ¡°Starting to understand a little what we¡¯re fighting for?¡± Chapter 371 ¨C Broken Ties Saki stared out at the people lost in the entrancing sounds that she had surprised herself to have already forgotten. It was familiar and yet foreign. In the world that they lived in now such a thing shouldn¡¯t have existed, yet it did. It almost made her want to cry. ¡°¡­yes¡­¡± They stayed watching life pass by for more time than they could remember before Ayano started to move again. Saki pulled herself away and walked alongside her. ¡°It wasn¡¯t always like this. We put a lot of work in to get things to this point.¡± ¡°How did all of this happen? I didn¡¯t think there were places like this.¡± ¡°There might not be others like this or there may be a lot. It¡¯s hard to know. It all started when the UN forces arrived.¡± Ayano guided them up stairs to reach the tenth floor of the central building. Windows gave a good look out on the city. She pointed out with her hand to a location in the city. ¡°My group is from there. The Black Taiga Gang.¡± ¡®Mixing English and Japanese? She trying to sound cool or something?¡¯ ¡°I put together the gang back when I was in high school. We were just a bunch of delinquents that wanted to rule the school and silly childish stuff like that. In reality, we just hung out and did very little that actually resembled anything that you might think a real gang would do. We just hated school and blew it off.¡± Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Saki couldn¡¯t help but sweat a little at hearing her story. Given the intimidating presence that the woman carried with her, such an origin story didn¡¯t really seem to fit with the image. How did they end up like they were now? The way they looked didn¡¯t look like a bunch of pretenders. ¡°How did you¡ª¡° ¡°Become what we are now?¡± she finished for Saki. Ayano¡¯s hand pressed against the glass. ¡°That¡¯s a bit more complicated for a simple story. The short version of it is that we crossed the wrong path one day and got our faces punched in. Things changed that day and we stopped being children and had to become adults. And our goal changed. We stopped being about goofing off and screwing about.¡± She turned to face Saki wanting to see her face. ¡°Why do you do what you do?¡± ¡°To protect those I love,¡± she stated without any hesitation. ¡°Exactly.¡± It was what she expected to see out of Saki¡¯s eyes. The same that she knew she saw before. The boundless determination to see the course. She leaned back against the window. ¡°From then on out, we started getting into fights and wars. It was endless, but important to us. These guys you saw upstairs, they¡¯re the leaders of all of the gangs in the area, our enemies until two months ago.¡± ¡°The UN?¡± ¡°Yeah. Things had become worse and that¡¯s when they came.¡± ¡°Worse?¡± Saki had a slight idea of what she might be implying, but asked anyway to be sure. She expected the answer to be a common one that she would find wherever she went. Gesturing with her hand, she directed Saki to look out at the city again. With a more direct view, she saw Ayano pointed at some ruined buildings. It had nothing on what she saw in her neighborhood from Takako¡¯s efforts, but it was still familiar. ¡°Once people started to discover that they had abilities the gang wars went out of control. None of us could stop the violence from escalating and it only seemed to bring out even stronger powers, the desperation. That was when the UN came under the banner of peace. We were just criminals in their eyes and given what we were doing they¡¯re probably right.¡± A sigh came out of Ayano¡¯s lips, a surprising expression that Saki didn¡¯t expect. One that hinted at the weight of what she bore. Something that was very familiar. ¡°It became a rallying point for everyone. No one wanted the UN here taking away people because they were afraid of us. Just showing off our powers was enough to be deemed a threat to peace.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know it was so bad¡­¡± ¡°Rather than allow those that ran to the UN to support them in picking all of us off, we banded together. I made the first move, forced to crush a couple of the gangs in the process. But I was able to get the rest of the gangs in the area to pay attention to me long enough to form this alliance. We are the frontline in the north. We don¡¯t allow any of their patrols in our area.¡± Saki questioned her immediately once she said that. It didn¡¯t fit with the rest of what she wanted to claim. ¡°I thought you said that you don¡¯t fight.¡± ¡°We do when we have to, but we aren¡¯t fighting them at our borders. No, thanks to the abilities of a few of our people, we¡¯ve created a defense barrier that keeps them from entering. They¡¯ve tried to use their special teams to break the barrier, but so far they haven¡¯t been successful. But we don¡¯t know how long it will last. One thing that we¡¯ve all noticed, the powers we have are still growing. They are evolving and getting stronger. But not everyone advances at the same pace. We can¡¯t be certain that we¡¯ll be able to keep up since the groups the UN has are constantly fighting and improving. Eventually, we will be forced to fight again. They mostly ignore us since we¡¯ve cut ourselves off. But it won¡¯t last.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re protected here, how did any of you get captured?¡± Slumping a little in her lean, Ayano didn¡¯t seem to want to recall it. ¡°I made a mistake. I thought since we had established ourselves as a force to be respected that the UN would actually honor that. So I went to negotiate with them for peaceful terms. We were running out of supplies quickly and needed aid or assurances while we¡¯re gathering. But they betrayed our trust and it was just a trap to capture as many of our leaders as possible.¡± Hearing such a story made her fists tighten up. Saki knew that they weren¡¯t all like that. Masayuki was different. But Masayuki also wasn¡¯t the one in command of the UN. Other people were, like the one she met at her sentencing. Things weren¡¯t going to be so simple. ¡°It didn¡¯t cross your mind that it was a trap?¡± ¡°I sort of expected it to be one, but I hoped that they were being genuine. I needed them to be if we were going to find some sort of peace in all of this. So I was captured and unfortunately know that there won¡¯t be any peace with the UN for as long as those men see us as monsters. They didn¡¯t even see me as a human anymore when I was at the table. We see these sorts of things all the time in books and movies, but you think people would be different in reality, but they¡¯re not. If anything, they¡¯re crueler than fiction.¡± Her words weighed heavy on Saki¡¯s shoulders. She understood that very well. The reality that she already faced wasn¡¯t one that she would wish upon anyone and that was without any sort of meeting with the UN. Her time before them was all too brief to get any real sense. But she had to agree with Ayano that they didn¡¯t seem to be willing to see them as human beings anymore. It was a difficult situation to be in. Even more difficult now that Ayano explained things to her. She could sympathize with her and the troubles that her people went through. But it was a story that wasn¡¯t going to be unique to Ayano. It was something everyone in Japan was dealing with. It should have made things simple for Saki, but she was still human and had emotions like anyone else. She didn¡¯t want to leave these people not knowing when their peace would be shattered. ¡°And that¡¯s the story. You seem like someone that is driven and motivated. You could help a lot of people by joining us.¡± ¡°Yes, I know¡­¡± She looked out at the city once more. It made her think of the sacrifice that she made for her friends. She did what she could to protect them and keep them above the dirt. Yet now that she was rescued she didn¡¯t know what to do. ¡®Is my original plan even worth it anymore? Would going back mean anything? I did it all just to keep the UN off them. Is this my second chance?¡¯ Saki didn¡¯t expect to find herself in such a position. She thought things were over. Yet now she was being told that the road still had further to go. While she thought about things she did fear something. ¡°Do you know how the UN has reacted to you rescuing me?¡± ¡°The raid? They haven¡¯t really done anything yet. They¡¯re still recovering from the attack, but I¡¯m going to guess we¡¯re going to be under attack soon because of it. There¡¯s no doubt that they know it was us.¡± ¡®So they¡¯re safe. But these people aren¡¯t. Damn¡­this isn¡¯t a good situation either way. What do I do?¡¯ Saki¡¯s mind turned with ideas and doubt. Things quickly flew through her head as she tried to find an answer. Something that would fix things. ¡°How long will the barrier last?¡± Ayano scratched the side of her face in thought. ¡°We don¡¯t know. It¡¯s held so far against them, but they¡¯ve got powerful people on their side. It¡¯s only a matter of time.¡± ¡°But it¡¯ll hold for a bit.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± It came to her. The things that she set in motion already. Things would have to be accelerated but they might work. ¡°I¡¯ve got a plan.¡± Chapter 372 - Broken Plans Ayano grinned widely, seeing the gears turning in Saki¡¯s head. It gave her exactly what she wanted. Things could start taking the course that she wanted. She didn¡¯t even think about how much Saki would actually change their fate. Recruiting Saki was the only goal and that had succeeded in her mind. ¡°Welcome on board!¡± Saki tilted her head over to Ayano, holding back a lot of her surprise and armed more with sobering reality. ¡°You¡¯re getting ahead of yourself. I didn¡¯t say anything about joining your gang. I just said I have a plan.¡± ¡°A plan to help us.¡± ¡°Well, yes, but that¡¯s not the same thing as joining you.¡± ¡°Close enough,¡± she shot back without skipping a beat. Nothing seemed to faze Ayano in Saki''s attempts to clarify her position. It was going to be a no win situation. No amount of words changed her mind. Saki could only sigh. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be wearing our jackets to be on the team. Everyone has different ways that they help and work together.¡± Looking back at the center of the building, Saki thought about everyone moving about trying to live out their normal lives. She realized the sort of thing that Ayano had going on. It already seemed apparent. She understood before. But there were no words that formed before. She had the words for it now. Saki could understand the sort of group that Ayano wanted. ¡®I think this could actually work¡­¡¯ Chapter 372 ¨C Broken Plans Standing outside of the building, Ayano and her man saw Saki out. He had a bit of an annoyed look on his face still not accepting everything. But Ayano slapped him in the back of the head to get that off his face. ¡°Good luck.¡± Saki readjusted the windbreaker once more, getting it to rest better on her shoulders. It covered up much of her new clothes that she picked up from the mall inside. She fit well enough with her shorts and a loose t-shirt with a generic looking logo and text saying ¡°Rise¡±. ¡°This is going to take some time to put together.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll hold out until you can make it work.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you will.¡± Saki turned around and started walking away. New plans went into play now. She had to put more pieces into play than she wanted. ¡®I¡¯d imagine that Yuki could do this better than me. But this is the only thing I can think of doing.¡¯ Nobuyuki glanced over at Ayano, returning to his disapproving expression. ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± ¡°You rescued her. And you¡¯re asking me that?¡± ¡°Well she was captured like everyone else. I couldn¡¯t leave people in their hands.¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t worry about it. She¡¯s someone that we can trust. Besides, we¡¯ve got bigger problems to deal with right now.¡± She spun around and started going back into the apartment. ¡°Rescuing all of those men that you spent on rescuing me.¡± ¡°She could have helped us.¡± ¡°She probably would, but she¡¯s got bigger things to do.¡± Ayano walked briskly forward, moving to the elevator. He wanted more of an answer from her, but she didn¡¯t give him one. Everyone had family, she wasn¡¯t about to keep the girl from her family. That wasn¡¯t who they were. A ding preceded the elevator opening to grant them travel. Ayano stepped in and punched the floor. ¡°We¡¯ve got a family to put back together. That is our mission.¡± The trek back to familiar territory went mostly uneventful for Saki. She had to deal with a couple of rampaging monsters that came about from Yuki¡¯s changes. All the fighting with humans made her forget that there were sometimes dark things that crawled around their city. But after all that she saw, it was hard to say that they were the worst the city had to offer anymore. Like always as the clich¨¦ went, that was reserved for humans. When she came upon Phoibe¡¯s place a bit of awkwardness flowed over Saki. This wasn¡¯t the sort of plan that she had in mind. She knew that they would be happy to see her. But after her parting, she wondered how difficult it was going to be. She tried to find the words that she was going to use. Yet she wasn¡¯t granted such a luxury. Hana stepped out of the door as though she knew that Saki was there, probably because she actually did know. ¡°Miss Saki, you¡¯re back! Everyone¡¯s inside talking about you.¡± She immediately reached out to guide her inside by the arm. ¡°Wait, Hana, I-I¡­¡± Saki didn¡¯t want things to play out like this at all. This wasn¡¯t the way she had it pictured. ¡°Miss? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°I¡¯m not prepared yet¡­mentally for this.¡± Hana simply smiled at Saki and pulled on her more. ¡°That¡¯s fine, they¡¯re your friends.¡± It proved hard for Saki to argue with her overly simplistic outlook on the situation. Saki easily got dragged along inside and to the back of the first floor. Before she knew it, Hana had tossed her into the stairwell that she didn¡¯t even know existed in the building left with very little recourse. She stared back at Hana, unable to look at the stairs. All she got from Hana was a surprisingly stern looking stare hidden behind the happy cheerful smile that disguised her intent. Saki looked back at the stairs that went up to where she expected all of them to be. She wasn¡¯t prepared when she took the first step or the tenth step. That wasn¡¯t going to change anything. Though in a way, she could thank Hana for forcing the matter. She wasn¡¯t sure if she would have gone in so easily without being forcibly dragged around. Though she still didn¡¯t want to see them just yet. No other option remained though. The fact of the matter was more than before she needed to see them. Things became more complicated than she had ever planned them to get. ¡®How did I get myself stuck in the center of all of this?¡¯ It seemed so unlike her. She worked behind the scenes, not up front. That was the original plan. Things weren¡¯t supposed to rely on her. She was supposed to be easily interchangeable. Yet not anymore. What had her life become now? At the top of the stairs, she found herself on the third floor where she had never been before. Though admittedly, she had never been anywhere but the first floor. The last time she came to this place was before everything turned to hell and things were normal. They were customers. Now it was something much different. Touching the handle to the door, she could hear through the walls their voices thanks to her enhancements. It was Seiji arguing with Hiroshi. Things almost seemed normal from what she heard. ¡°Like I¡¯d told you yesterday and the day before and the fifty other times you¡¯ve brought it up, no! We can¡¯t be storming their gates to rescue Saki.¡± ¡°Then come up with a plan!¡± ¡°What do you think I¡¯ve been doing?!¡± ¡°Yuki could wake up any day and we still don¡¯t have a plan that won¡¯t involve blowing up the whole place, which you disagree with!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be so blind and ignorant to the way the world works to actually think that anything that involves storming the front gates of the UN will do anything but make the situation worse do you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care how dumb you think it is! Saki¡¯s not staying there!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to have her arrested either, but we can¡¯t be stupid about this!¡± ¡°Sorry, but there¡¯s someone stupider than Seiji out there that already beat you to the punch,¡± interjected Saki to end their fighting. She stood in the threshold of the room trying to keep from looking very awkward. Everyone gathered around a table suddenly stopped what they were doing and stared at the entrance not expecting to see who they found there. But while everyone was stunned and dropping their jaws on the floor, Seiji beat them all to the punch. ¡°Saki!¡± He bolted to the door grabbing her up roughly checking to see that she was real. ¡°It¡¯s you!¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m really here.¡± She hardly expected to get any sort of hug of welcoming from Seiji after everything that she said to him in the past. Yet it also just sort of made sense. None of that really bothered him. He just seemed to know. While Seiji was showing how happy everyone felt seeing her, Hiroshi approached with the more important and obvious question. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Seiji barely even seemed to care about what he was doing to Saki at the moment as he joined in on the questioning. ¡°Yeah, what the hell, Saki!? If you were planning on escaping yourselves why¡¯d you make all of us worry.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t plan any of that. Things just sort of happened. If you let me go, I¡¯ll explain the situation. Things have become much more complicated.¡± Gathered around the table and room, Seiji, Hiroshi, Tatsuya, Yori, Nerine all gathered. They all sat in silence taking in Saki¡¯s story and waited until the end. ¡°I can¡¯t believe how completely reckless they are,¡± Yori said as the first person to the punch with Saki¡¯s story concluded. He stepped up away from the table and looked back over at the curtain where his sister continued to sleep. Only Saki¡¯s reappearance was enough to drag him away from her side. ¡°Don¡¯t they understand what this will mean? They¡¯re going to be hunted and give the UN even more justification to press down on anyone with powers.¡± Saki agreed with Yori¡¯s assessment. It was the same thing that she feared. ¡°That¡¯s why we need to do everything we can to get out ahead of this situation.¡± ¡°And what do you think any of us can do?¡± ¡°Not us.¡± She focused over on Hiroshi. Saki leaned on the table, putting all of the attention on him now. ¡°It¡¯s going to be you. This had to come from someone that¡¯s still clean.¡± Everyone looked a little puzzled at Saki and Hiroshi trying to figure out what was going on. But Hiroshi seemed to understand. He had plenty of time to think about it since Saki left. ¡°What you left for me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Only you can do this.¡± ¡°You¡¯re asking for something really dangerous that we don¡¯t even know will work out.¡± ¡°If we do nothing, we know exactly how things will play out. This way we at least don¡¯t know the course. It may work, it may not, but it¡¯s better than knowing for certain that things are going south.¡± ¡°Saki¡­I¡¯m just a high school student.¡± ¡°None of us are students anymore. It¡¯s time for us to be the adults if we plan on working with adults. You know how bad things will get if we do nothing.¡± ¡°Yes¡­that¡¯s what I¡¯m afraid of. But I don¡¯t know if this will work.¡± ¡°It¡¯s our only chance. It¡¯s what Yuki would want.¡± They all looked back to where Yuki rested. It was something that they both knew was the course he would take. The hard course and the impossible course. The one that no one would want to take because it would never possibly have a chance of working. He would do it. There was no doubt in their minds about that. Hiroshi sighed aloud as a sign that he had resigned himself to the course. ¡°I have a promise to protect this neighborhood and this is going to be the best way to maintain the peace. I¡¯ll do it. But this isn¡¯t going to be something that¡¯s going to get results overnight, Saki.¡± ¡°I know, this is the long game. The big gamble.¡± ¡°Once Yuki wakes up, we¡¯ll explain things to him.¡± Hiroshi stood up to go over to where everyone slept. Yuki and Yumi remained the only ones still unconscious, the others simply rested to recover their strength. ¡°He¡¯ll agree with this plan knowing him.¡± Saki gathered alongside Hiroshi as the others came in. In a way, they all sort of expected Yuki to wake up in the moment as it seemed the right time to return. Everyone was finally back together. But it was in fact, Yori¡¯s sister that surprised everyone by stirring. Yori immediately rushed over to her side. ¡°Yumi, you¡¯re awake!¡± She stared at Yori a moment as though she was taking everything in. She then looked at Yori with disinterested eyes. ¡°So, it¡¯s you boy.¡± Chapter 373 - Broken Mind ¡°Yumi?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not your sister, boy.¡± Yori grabbed onto her body, nearly shaking her for answers. ¡°Who are you?! Where¡¯s my sister?!¡± A wild look of desperation filled his eyes as he demanded answers. Stepping in behind Yori, Saki placed her hand on Yori¡¯s shoulder trying to get his attention. Unfortunately, he wasn¡¯t paying attention to her. She dug her fingers a little into his flesh without drawing up blood. ¡°Shaking your sister won¡¯t get you any answers, Yori.¡± He wound up his arm batting away Saki and glaring at everyone. ¡°What do you know?! None of you understand!¡± Fire seemed to glow in his eyes as something else took him over. A strange manic look painted his face. While the others back away Saki didn¡¯t care one bit for his attempt to have a bite. She just wound up her fist and decked him into the floor. Not enough force to completely destroy the building, but it did give it a good shake and jiggle out the dust. And more than enough to put him out cold. Saki looked up at everyone, a little shocked at her solution. ¡°You want to listen to him scream at us for an hour before we can get some answers from Yumi?¡± Yumi looked up at Saki with a slight change in her expression. ¡°You¡¯ve got an interesting method. And you seem a little more level headed than her brother.¡± ¡°So you going to tell us what¡¯s going on then?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t seem that surprised by this.¡± ¡°I got filled in a little on some of the things that happened back in Atlantis, though we still have no more clear answers to what¡¯s going on than before.¡± ¡°It would seem that we have reached a critical threshold.¡± Chapter 373 ¨C Broken Mind Putting the unconscious Yori to bed in Yumi¡¯s bed and moving the conversation back into the main room, the person inside Yumi gathered up everyone. She carried herself very differently than Yumi. The presence that bled off her gave her a commanding and dominant aura that demanded attention. She had confidence and power without even needing to say a word. It all merely came from her stature and eyes. No one could see Yumi in her despite appearances to the contrary. ¡°So anyone going to explain what¡¯s going on?¡± Hiroshi asked, being the odd man out along with Tatsuya. He had no clue to what Yumi¡¯s power was or what happened to her. Yet everyone else seemed to be clued into the situation on some level. Saki took point on the explanation. ¡°Aside from the power that Yumi possesses, she has another latent ability or whatever this might be called. We¡¯re still trying to understand what it is, but there seems to be other minds, people, personalities, whatever inside Yumi besides herself.¡± ¡°Other people? Why would Yuki do that to her?¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t do it,¡± corrected Nerine, ¡°Even with his Majesty¡¯s power uncontrolled he never would be able to selectively give people power. Whatever happened to Miss Mizuno was the same thing as how she got her power. Based off who she is, this is the result of how his Majesty¡¯s Law was answered by her.¡± Nodding, Yumi agreed with the assessment. ¡°That is correct. We exist as part of Yumi Mizuno.¡± Putting the conversation back on the important question, Saki focused on whomever currently controlled Yumi¡¯s body. ¡°In the past, you helped her in fighting, but this isn¡¯t a fight. Why are you still here? Why haven¡¯t you returned Yumi back to her body?¡± ¡°This is a result of damage wrought by Takako Yamazaki.¡± ¡°Takako?¡± ¡°The hell she got to do with this?¡± ¡°It was a defensive means of protecting her mind. Unlike Yumi, I can handle the effects that Takako left on us.¡± ¡°But that still doesn¡¯t answer the question of why you¡¯re still here. Takako¡¯s dead.¡± You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°Yes, but the damage is still done. Yumi is unable to return.¡± ¡°What the hell do you mean unable to return?¡± Seiji started to take on the physical role that Yori carried while awake. Though Saki lifted her arm up to keep him behind her. He looked down at her at the table annoyed that she didn¡¯t seem more troubled by the words. ¡°Getting violent isn¡¯t going to do anything to get answers.¡± Saki focused back on the woman speaking to them. ¡°So we need to get Yumi back then?¡± ¡°If that is your desire.¡± ¡°Of course it is!¡± ¡°Seiji.¡± ¡°Then you must find a way to do it.¡± Hiroshi still had a little trouble believing the whole situation even with it explained to him. But he caught up as well as he could to everything happening. ¡°The way you¡¯re talking sounds like you¡¯re not going to help us.¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± Seiji jumped over the table, managing not to hit his head on the ceiling and land behind Yumi. He grabbed her up by the collar of her uniform that she still wore. ¡°What do you mean that you won¡¯t help us?! This involves you as well. You¡¯re going to help or so help me¡ª¡° ¡°You¡¯ll what? Punch this body until I do?¡± Glaring at her, he couldn¡¯t take any action against her. Even with a different person or whatever in Yumi¡¯s body, it was still her body. There was no way that he could do that to her. She had him completely powerless. Releasing herself from his grip with her telekinesis, she walked over to the door. ¡°You started this problem. So you will find a solution to it.¡± ¡°Damn you, do you feel nothing!?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not my concern. Show me your worth.¡± Hiroshi stood up from the table to get her before she left. ¡°Where are you going? You can¡¯t be wandering around the city!¡± ¡°It¡¯s been more than a few centuries since I¡¯ve seen Japan. I¡¯d like to see how things turned out.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t just leave. We need to solve this!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to be here for you to find the answer. When you figure it out, the brother will know how to find me.¡± She opened the door and left just as abruptly as she arrived. The storm that she left behind only furthered stirring the pot that they all stewed in now. First to yell, Seiji pounded on the table. ¡°So what the hell are we going to do about this?!¡± No one jumped to an answer or even an uncertain remark. They held their silence, not sure what to do. Things went from back to worse and there didn¡¯t seem to be any slowing in the avalanche. ¡°Silence?! Yumi¡¯s our friend and you¡¯ve got nothing?!¡± ¡°Seiji, we still don¡¯t even understand the situation. And how do you expect us to get Yumi back when she¡¯s lost somewhere in her own mind?!¡± He had no answer for Saki. No one did. That was why they were all silent. This was beyond their ability to problem solve. They all wanted to save her, but it wasn¡¯t that simple as Seiji said. They were out of options. Saki had no idea. She might have been her friend and classmate, but she didn¡¯t know her very well. Not as well as she should have to be called her friend. ¡°What about Kaede or Katsumi? Maybe they¡¯ll know something that we don¡¯t.¡± Unfortunately, the moment that Saki brought them up everyone went silent. She hadn¡¯t seen them in the room since she returned. They came back with the others that much she knew. Yet, it felt like she just stepped into a funeral with how dark the atmosphere suddenly went. ¡°What happened? What¡¯s going on?¡± Hiroshi put a hand to rest against the wall for support. He fought with the grimace that tried to carve through his face. There was no avoiding it. ¡°We haven¡¯t had the chance to tell you. It¡¯s best if you just see.¡± Jumping out of her seat at the table, Saki felt the depression surrounding her pour through every pore in her body. It froze her down to her bones. ¡°What happened to Yumi¡¯s friends?¡± ¡°Follow me. I¡¯ll take you to them.¡± He opened the door again, inviting Saki to come with him. It wasn¡¯t meant to be a secret, just not something easily brought up. In light of the situation with Yumi, it almost seemed fitting that it would be now. Saki quickly followed Hiroshi leaving the others behind, who seemed unwilling to go with her. She glanced back before she closed the door to see them one more time. It was unnervingly chilly just watching them. The way they looked seemed like they were dead, but she knew that wouldn¡¯t be possible. But she still didn¡¯t know what was going on and Hiroshi left it intentionally mysterious. Guided down the stairs to the first floor and into the back room, they passed through the large chamber that settled the residents of the neighborhood that still survived. It seemed far fewer people still lived than she remembered from the other base. The thought made her heart ache a little knowing how it happened. It wasn¡¯t even by her hand, but she didn¡¯t stop it either. Focusing ahead on Hiroshi, she tried to keep her mind and heart off the matter for now. She had different and bigger problems than her guilt to weigh on a scale. Friends had to be saved. Across the chamber was a different door that didn¡¯t match with the rest. It almost seemed like an afterthought or at least not originally planned. Though knowing Phoibe created it all, Saki didn¡¯t understand why it wouldn¡¯t match. But it was a minor point. Beyond the door as she saw was a long hallway with rows of doors. Then she heard something very familiar that she thought that she had finally forgotten. Screams and cries, the voices of people lost. Immediately her heart jumped, going three times faster than before. Memories of the hospital where she visited Takako flooded her mind. She struggled to keep her balance without missing a step as she walked behind Hiroshi. ¡®Why is he taking me here? What¡¯s happened to them?¡¯ Hiroshi then came to a stop at a seemingly random door. Placing his hand on a panel of metal on the door, strange mechanisms shifted and clunked about as metal in the door receded and moved as if it was solving a puzzle on its own. Twenty seconds through the rearrangement of the door it suddenly opened and Hiroshi reluctantly invited Saki into the room. She hesitated in moving to see inside. Her mind seemed to have already come to conclusions about what she would find. It didn¡¯t want to see. It didn¡¯t want to know. But she had to go. There was no way around it. She couldn¡¯t be frozen at this point. It took a moment to get her legs moving again, but she made it over to the threshold. She still didn¡¯t see anything, but she wasn¡¯t fully looking around. The room lacked the impersonal nature of what she found in the hospital. Likely since this was created by Phoibe, the woman gave it much more specialized attention. The floor was carpeted with a very soft material that bounced under each step and pictures hung on the walls. Furniture lined the room that would fit naturally as a girl¡¯s bedroom. It almost didn¡¯t seem to be what Saki expected. Except that this wasn¡¯t an ordinary girl¡¯s room. On the opposite side of the room behind a strange field of cascading water-like surface was Katsumi. She sat balled up in the corner with a blade in her hand digging into her arm yet unable for it to pierce her skin. She mumbled under her breath repeating the same words over and over again. ¡°Kill me. Please kill me.¡± Chapter 374 - Broken Heart Saki felt a freezing chill grip her spine and grow out through her body. It nearly felt like she could see her breath, it was so cold. She knew, like the others under Takako¡¯s control, that many faced these moral crises. They all saw it that day. Yet there was something deeper about this. She couldn¡¯t explain it, but it was as if a paradox existed in front of her. Everything that she could see made her look sane and normal, albeit extremely depressed and suicidal. Yet she was all completely there. And at the same time there was this tightrope balance of chaos and insanity. It wasn¡¯t there and yet it was. She couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of Katsumi like the others. Something very different was wrong with her. ¡°Kaede¡­¡± called Hiroshi keeping his distance and voice low. Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t enough as he hoped. Katsumi noticed him and jumped up fully alert. Behind her the knife remained with a completely dulled and warped edge. She ran as far as she could before the water barrier stopped her completely in her tracks. Hands pressed against the barrier, Katsumi pleaded with tears in her eyes. ¡°Have you finally decided?¡± she asked with hope filling her. ¡°Please, I want you to do it! Kill me, please!¡± Unable to look at her friend, though her body visibly shook having to hear the words, Kaede walked over to Hiroshi leaving Katsumi alone. Katsumi pounded on the barrier. ¡°Hiroshi! Please! I beg you, put an end to all of this for me! You¡¯re inhuman keeping me alive like this! Please!¡± With the guiding hand of Hiroshi, he escorted Saki out, not completely aware that she was pushed out of the room until the door closed. The voice of Katsumi completely disappeared from her head. It was apparently very well sound proof if she couldn¡¯t hear it. ¡°What the hell¡¯s going on? She doesn¡¯t look like the others.¡± Looking down and then over at Kaede, Hiroshi seemed to be having some trouble saying what he needed. It took him a while before he could look over at Saki. Even Kaede refused to say anything. ¡°Katsumi¡¯s unique and complicated.¡± ¡°How so?¡± ¡°Because of the powers that she has.¡± ¡°What power does she have?¡± Hiroshi looked over to Kaede to pick things up. There was a silent conversation between them as they fought with gazes over who had the explaining to do. In the end, Kaede lost and she recoiled. She still resisted it. ¡°It¡¯s because Katsumi¡¯s powers protected her from Takako that she is suffering worse than the others.¡± Chapter 374 ¨C Broken Heart Now Saki was confused, because she knew that Katsumi was under Takako¡¯s control the same as everyone else. ¡°What do you mean protected her? Takako controlled her the same as the others.¡± ¡°Not the same¡­¡± ¡°Stop being so damn vague with me! Explain it!¡± Hiroshi tried to get Saki to understand their point of view. ¡°This isn¡¯t easy for us, Saki.¡± But he could tell that wasn¡¯t going to be working out very well. Sake wanted to understand and they were beating around the bush about things. ¡°I understand that, but I can¡¯t help if you don¡¯t explain things to me clearly. What is her power?¡± ¡°In a word, resistance.¡± ¡°That¡¯s doesn¡¯t explain much.¡± Jumping in on Hiroshi¡¯s behalf, Kaede started to explain more clearly, ¡°It¡¯s like an enhancing effect that she uses for defense. Anything that she touches or is in contact with her has its natural hardness and resistance to damage multiplied several times. However, it also extends to her body. Her skin now has the toughness as if it was steel. And in what can only be the worst gift to have, it granted her a resistance to mental corruption. Enough not to be broken, but still be controlled.¡± It all suddenly made sense to Saki now. She looked back at the door, which Katsumi sat behind, unable to kill herself. Her mind went through it all and understood on some small level. They all did understand partly what it was that Katsumi went through. Yet they knew that they could never truly understand. With it all sinking in, Saki staggered back against the wall. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°So you understand what we¡¯re in now.¡± ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t killing her, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking.¡± ¡°But can we just leave her like that? She¡¯s going to go insane like that.¡± Hiroshi sighed and turned away from Saki. It was the same dilemma that they faced once they learned what was wrong with Katsumi. He just had no answer. ¡°Sadly for her, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s possible. Being insane would almost be a blessing for her, but her powers would probably prevent it from happening.¡± ¡°Dammit!¡± Saki snapped, pounding her fist back against the wall leaving a dent in the smoothly polished metal. ¡°What are we supposed to do?¡± Takako¡¯s sins still followed them even after her death. ¡®I thought I had resolved myself to be able to make the hard choices that Yuki and others couldn¡¯t. So why am I hesitating so much? The choice is clear, yet my body doesn¡¯t want it¡­¡¯ Looking at Hiroshi, she was just as surprised that Hiroshi seemed set on not killing her even with what¡¯s on his hands. ¡®It must be the same for him. But we¡¯re going to have to do it¡­ It¡¯s worse keeping her in that state¡­¡¯ After a long silence, Kaede broke first with the question that had been forgotten in all of the emotions. ¡°What are you doing down here, Hiroshi? You didn¡¯t come down here to just show her this. You could have explained things to her upstairs and avoided all of this.¡± They had both completely ignored that fact. Hiroshi had a purpose for it. It served to explain things to Saki, but he also needed something else. ¡°Right, we needed to talk to you. The situation with Yumi¡¯s become complicated.¡± ¡°Is she still unconscious?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s the problem. Let¡¯s move back to somewhere we can sit down and discuss this.¡± Kaede immediately became curious about what was going on with her friend. She agreed in silence with a nod to follow them. On the third floor once more, they sat down at the table with more of the group gathered around minus Yori, still asleep in Yumi¡¯s bed. Hiroshi started laying out the situation and explaining how there were multiple personalities in Yumi and the conversation they had with one of them. Kaede found herself leaning back a lot in the chair having trouble taking it all in. Small whispers came out of her mouth infrequently as the explanation went on. When it was all done Kaede stepped away from the table needing a moment to take it all in. Out the small window, the view did little to give her ease. Losing two friends weighed on her. But she shook her head, preventing her from thinking like that. Yumi wasn¡¯t lost to them, not yet. That is what she had to believe. She turned around to face everyone after a minute in thought. ¡°I think I might know where this is coming from,¡± she finally said. ¡°What are your thoughts?¡± asked Saki, ¡°You know her better than the rest of us.¡± ¡°I think it may have to do in part with her brother.¡± ¡°Yori?¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t really something you know about, but in junior high Yumi was bullied because of her brother. Yori was the model student, talented, smart and attractive, everyone liked him. But Yumi¡¯s not her brother and when people realized that she wasn¡¯t going to meet the same expectations they took it out on her. Because she¡¯s always being compared and talked in the same breath as her brother, she¡¯s developed an inferiority complex.¡± Kaede walked back to the table and sat down. She rested her head in her hand thinking about everything. It was still only a theory. So she could only make guesses about any of this. There was no way to be certain until they actually confronted either Yumi or the personalities and Yumi may not even know. A long sigh came out of her lips with her mind spinning through it all. ¡°We did what we could to help her, but I thought after she started spending time with you and Yuki that she had finally left that in her past. She was being her own person and independent of everyone¡¯s expectations. We thought Yuki was exactly what she needed to finally start looking forward. But maybe we were wrong. Maybe she¡¯s still looking backwards¡­¡± ¡°Miss Ayabito, I think you may be on the right track,¡± Nerine jumped in, suddenly looking like she had figured something out. She leaned forward at the table. ¡°People are complex and complicated. They aren¡¯t so simple to define. Miss Mizuno had probably left behind her past as you believe. But something that deep and impacting isn¡¯t going to completely disappear. There¡¯s still going to be little pieces of it remaining behind.¡± Picking up that Nerine seemed to be on to something, Seiji was tired of the complicated talk. ¡°What are you trying to get at?¡± ¡°It¡¯s like I explained before, His Majesty¡¯s Law is interpreted differently with each person. If Miss Mizuno subconsciously still had doubts about herself and insecurities, then these other personalities could be created from that.¡± ¡°I already figured out that much. I¡¯m asking how does that help us get Yumi back? Knowing why isn¡¯t a solution.¡± And they were all back in silence. It was as Seiji said. Knowing didn¡¯t give them the answer that they sought. It wasn¡¯t going to bring back Yumi. They were no better off than they started even if they felt that they understood the situation. There was no answer that day. Or even the next day. A week passed in relative silence. Only Yori caused them trouble, because he felt strongly about going to his sister. As the person inside her said, he seemed to know exactly where she was. They didn¡¯t understand that. But they had no answer to give. One that would allow them to meet the person once more. Since Yori didn¡¯t accept that they tied him up as he proved single minded and otherwise useless. Then while Saki and Seiji hovered in the room alone with Yuki it finally happened. Nearly ten days after he went unconscious Yuki woke up, finally recovered from the ordeal. He rose out of the bed looking lost and confused with his surroundings. Seiji immediately jumped off the crate he sat down to grab up his friend with more enthusiasm than he was prepared to take. ¡°Yuki! You¡¯re awake finally!¡± Caught by surprise, Yuki gasped slapping Seiji¡¯s shoulder to be released. ¡°Y-yes! But not for long¡­¡± ¡°Seiji, you¡¯re choking him,¡± Saki reprimanded before she grabbed his arm to loosen him up. Coughing a bit as he recovered, Yuki sat up properly in his bed looking at his friends. ¡°You look like I might have died.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been out for a week and half.¡± ¡°Damn¡­that long¡­¡± ¡°Welcome home,¡± Saki said, seeing a bit of the melancholy already attempting to take hold of him. She smiled trying to fill a role that she was meant to fill. Yuki blinked a little and snapped back for them. ¡°I¡¯m home!¡± Chapter 375 - Broken Purpose Then the sound of a roaring stomach snapped the happy mood into one of laughter. ¡°Also I¡¯m hungry,¡± he added, trying to play off his embarrassment. ¡°Course you are!¡± Seiji grabbed Yuki out of the bed as though he was an invalid. ¡°You¡¯re probably starved from all that sleeping!¡± ¡°Not so much that I can¡¯t walk.¡± Putting a hand on his shoulder, he asked to be let down. He could understand the enthusiasm that Seiji had seeing him alive and well again, but it was a little much. It felt like he was reacting even more strongly than the last time he was out. A tiny little prick of awkwardness crept up through his back that he mostly didn¡¯t notice. Something felt off that he couldn¡¯t understand completely. As Yuki went to stand on his own, he found that his strength wasn¡¯t what he expected. His body felt surprisingly weak. He had to throw out a hand to grab onto Seiji¡¯s forearm before he completely dropped to the wood planks. A cough came up from the uncomfortable feeling in his body. It felt far more distant than he was expecting. ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll take a hand after all¡­¡± Before he made it too far out, the door opened to the floor while Seiji helped him to the chair at the table. In walked Nerine along with Hiroshi and Tatsuya, immediately surprised to see Yuki awake finally. Normally the stiff one, Nerine immediately ran around Hiroshi nearly toppling him in the process to kneel before her King. ¡°Your Majesty!¡± ¡°Nerine! I told you to keep that quiet while in Japan.¡± She swallowed hard trying to not show how much she internally chastised herself for her mistake. Nearly no part of her body moved as she froze up before Yuki. Hiroshi took a seat at the table trying to not focus too much on how out of place and old fashion it all appeared to him. ¡°Cat¡¯s already out of the bag, Yuki. I had them fill me in on the details while you were asleep.¡± The sight of his friends or those he used to think of as friends soured his expression. A thin grim line drew over his lips seeing Hiroshi at the same table as him. Awkwardness filled the air quickly and the others quickly remembered that nothing between them had ever been truly resolved. In peace, things stop being simple. Sensing the tension himself, Hiroshi leaned back in the chair to play off some of the grave tones bearing down on them. ¡°Still can¡¯t accept seeing me, huh? Well you don¡¯t have to worry. I¡¯ll be out of your hair for the rest of the day.¡± ¡°So they¡¯ve agreed then?¡± Saki confirmed, as she hadn''t been part of the conversation. She couldn¡¯t be by nature of the situation. A likely wanted criminal couldn¡¯t be casually walking about. He nodded to her and then looked back at Yuki. ¡°The UN¡¯s agreed to some informal talks. It seems the friend you made has more than a little weight to throw around. Might still be a trap from what you warned us of, but thanks to my power I think I can make everyone sit like good children for a couple hours.¡± ¡°He¡¯s a good man that wants peace as well. We¡¯re just going about it from two different sides.¡± ¡°I know, but it¡¯s not going to be easy to convince the people in the city that we can trust the UN after everything they¡¯ve done.¡± ¡°But we need to make this step, without it all we¡¯ll be doing is fighting them constantly.¡± ¡°No promises, Saki. I¡¯m not some ambassador or politician.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be fine.¡± Tatsuya grabbed Hiroshi by the neck playfully and pulled him up out of the chair. They were already behind schedule, but seeing Yuki awake was important enough to delay them. ¡°Of course he¡¯ll be fine. He¡¯s got me with him! Don¡¯t worry!¡± He started pushing Hiroshi towards the door. ¡°I know¡­¡± Chapter 375 ¨C Broken Purpose Behind the scenes, Seiji and Nerine scrambled about for food. Nerine kept nitpicking Seiji¡¯s choices as not being fitting for Yuki. And Seiji argued that she asked for too much out of their food. It was going to be a few minutes. Yuki grinned a little, but that fell away as he looked out the window watching Hiroshi and Tatsuya walk out. Behind him, Saki stood watching how Yuki reacted. ¡°Forgive him.¡± His hand tightened up into a ball. They were out of sight now. Yuki leaned against the window feeling the weight pressing on him. ¡°It¡¯s not that easy. They killed friends, people we knew.¡± ¡°Because they had to! They didn¡¯t have a choice.¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware of that. Doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s so easy to forgive.¡± If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°All you¡¯re doing is contradicting yourself. If you know this, then you can forgive them!¡± Hanging his head lower against the window, the weight became almost unbearable. ¡°No, a contradiction is blaming them for something that they couldn¡¯t avoid, but still blaming yourself for something you could have avoided.¡± She immediately put her hand on his shoulder. ¡°This isn¡¯t your fault. Takako made a choice, everyone else just responded.¡± ¡°Simple words, but reality isn¡¯t that simple. Maybe in time I can accept this, but for now I can¡¯t forgive it. Not when there should have been a better way.¡± Yuki felt silent trying to keep himself from collapsing. All Saki¡¯s hand seemed to do was make him feel even heavier. His shoulder just absorbed everything that she had even if she didn¡¯t want to pass off. ¡°But I can thank him for one thing. You didn¡¯t have to get blood on your hands.¡± Saki couldn''t reply to him. She stayed silent. ¡°Food¡¯s up!¡± shouted Seiji, accompanied by a disapproving Nerine. Despite her complaints, she did carry with him the food to present to him. Sweating a little at the sight, Yuki took an uneasy step towards the array of food. A few questions came to mind as he wondered how such a place had such an assortment. It was all Japanese food naturally, Phoibe wouldn¡¯t have it any other way likely, but she was a little too well stocked. But there was a bigger problem that he saw. ¡°I said I was hungry, but I can¡¯t eat all of that. I¡¯m not an anime character.¡± Saki brushed by him to sit at the table with him. ¡°The way you are sometimes, I wonder about that.¡± ¡°Hey, I just like watching it!¡± Snacks, instant ramen, store bought dango and taiyaki, among other varieties of purchased store food. It didn¡¯t surprise Yuki that none of it was actually cooked. That had likely been one of the arguments that the two had over proper food for him. There was a little too much of a weight on sweets. But there was just too much either way. Seiji sat down without thinking and munched on a few things before offering them up to Nerine as well. She put up her hand to decline. ¡°Eat with us,¡± ordered Yuki, a little bothered that she was held up so much on rank and position that she would refuse to eat with him. ¡°¡­yes, Majesty¡­¡± ¡°Nerine.¡± ¡°¡­Yu¡­ki¡­¡± ¡°You need to get in the habit. If you¡¯re sticking around me, you can¡¯t be stuttering on something so simple. It¡¯ll make people even more suspicious.¡± Ramen, even instant, sounded really good at the moment to Yuki. That was the only thing that Seiji had actually cooked, in that he boiled the water for it. Dropping the hot water into the cup, Yuki waited for things to get a little soaked before starting. The smell already made his stomach talk again. A stick of dango made an attempt to silence that. ¡°Pretty good,¡± he muttered as he chewed. ¡°Yeah, that woman¡¯s got some really good food stashed around here.¡± ¡°We¡¯re getting Yuki a proper meal after this though.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not going to die from sweets and instant ramen. A man¡¯s got to eat when he¡¯s hungry!¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± Making a good sizable dent to the food stacked up on the table, Yuki¡¯s belly finally stopped bothering him. It took a while for it to kick in and then he regretted overeating a little. It wasn''t so bad, but he did feel a little uncomfortable. He wanted to rest. But something more important bothered him than his stomach. While they all sat around the table and he had them, Yuki jumped straight to the heart of the matter. ¡°So what aren¡¯t you telling me?¡± ¡°Huh? What¡¯cha talking about?¡± ¡°Yuki?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not blind even if I just woke up. Seiji¡¯s over acting to make me feel welcome. You being a half step behind him. There¡¯s something going on.¡± That something was an understatement. Saki thought of all the different things that happened since Yuki left. ¡®There are so many things to tell him. But none of it he can do anything about¡­¡¯ ¡°We¡¯ve got a situation right now, man.¡± ¡°Seiji.¡± ¡°Relax, Saki. It¡¯s about Yumi.¡± Saki fell back in her seat. What appeared as resignation was actually relief. ¡®So even he¡¯s not that dumb.¡¯ Brushing back her bangs, Saki settled in for another round of explanations. ¡°Other personalities?¡± he repeated to himself, once they finished getting him completely up to speed. A hand brushed over his face trying to take it all in. He looked over to his friends through his fingers, but lowering his hand. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me any of this back in Atlantis?¡± ¡°There was never really the right time for it and Yumi otherwise seemed fine. We didn¡¯t really know what it was then. It¡¯s not until now that we have a clearer idea of what¡¯s happening to her.¡± ¡°Right¡­.well we¡¯ve got to help her.¡± Yuki stood up immediately and started for the door ahead of the others. Not clear on what Yuki planned on doing, she quickly moved to intercept him. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Going to see Yori. We¡¯re going to need him to find Yumi, you said.¡± ¡°Well yeah, but he hasn¡¯t exactly been easy to talk to since we¡¯ve disagreed with his plan.¡± He nodded and looked back towards the empty beds. There was more that he missed than he expected. ¡®I can¡¯t believe I was asleep for so long. I should have been awake soon¡­¡¯ Bothering about the facts didn¡¯t survive for long in his mind. Yuki focused himself on the door and what he could do now. It was just something he had to accept. Seiji quickly followed up as Yuki opened the door. He snuck in behind him with Nerine keeping a distant watchful eye on them. Leaning forward on the right, opposite of Saki, he wanted something from Yuki. ¡°What¡¯s your plan?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll explain once we get to Yori, it¡¯ll be easier to do it once rather than twice.¡± Down the third flight of stairs, Yuki stopped and paused. This was only the third time that he had been in Phoibe¡¯s place. He realized that he wasn¡¯t familiar with it, even more so. He had no clue where he was at the moment. ¡°So where you have him locked up?¡± he asked casually. ¡°He¡¯s not a prisoner!¡± she protested from his tone. ¡°He probably doesn¡¯t think that. How¡¯d you even tie him up so he couldn¡¯t escape anyway?¡± Both Seiji and Saki turned to look behind them. Nerine, about five meters back and out of ear shot, blinked a little confused why they had stopped to stare at her. But Yuki immediately understood. ¡°Right, that makes sense. I would have had to do the same thing.¡± Directed by Saki, they went to yet a completely different wing of the underground in Phoibe¡¯s building. The hallway offshoot came from the main room added for the refugees from Hiroshi¡¯s base. Another mismatching and stylistically questionable door to match. Behind the door, it was nearly empty. Which made sense, the only one behind in what amounted to an extremely well furnished dungeon was Yori. Yuki came to a stop in front of a force field that he didn¡¯t recognize. It had no inspiration that he could find. He only assumed that it was Phoibe¡¯s design, but it didn¡¯t even fit within what he saw from her. Part of his mind wondered where she got her ideas. Putting down the book he read, Yori stepped forward looking less enraged as one might have expected. ¡°So the righteous bastard¡¯s awake.¡± ¡°Good morning to you too.¡± Sensing the situation, Yori crossed his arm and approached further towards Yuki. ¡°Planning on saving my sister by yourself like you tried to do before?¡± ¡°Actually no.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Yori shouted as his rage began to fuel him once more. The air around him started to distort as his power leaked out of him uncontrolled. ¡°To save Yumi, you¡¯re going to help me do it.¡± Chapter 376 - Edge of Hope ¡°You want my help to save my sister?¡± Yori questioned with an understandable amount of suspicion. He narrowed his eyes with a piercing stare to read what Yuki¡¯s intent could be. Reading people wasn¡¯t his sort of strength though, not in the way that he needed to do so now. Everyone had a little bit of the ability to measure a situation based on the look someone had. But during his training something that Athene tried to grind into him was a deeper focused sort of reading. One that the Atlanteans developed over the centuries fighting against other MPs. She called it a valuable skill for their combat. He understood the importance of it. Just not that it was as easy to pick up as she claimed it to be. And it failed him now. ¡®What¡¯s his game?¡¯ Seiji pounded his knee against the wall making the barrier that Phoibe constructed flicker in pain. ¡°The hell¡¯s wrong with you, man?! Yuki wants to help her and asking you for help! There¡¯s nothing deeper than that!¡± Yori stepped forward with caution towards them. ¡°Perhaps, but I don¡¯t trust you.¡± Yuki put a hand on Seiji¡¯s shoulder to get him to stop. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Seiji. Yori¡¯s got his priorities. He wants to save Yumi. That¡¯s why I know he¡¯ll work with us. It¡¯s going to be the only way he can do that.¡± Zeroed in on his weakness, Yori ground his teeth together. Yuki had him in his palms. ¡°You¡¯re a bastard.¡± ¡°I¡¯m getting that a lot these days. But from what I hear despite you being so smart you¡¯re the one running off more blind into battle than Seiji would.¡± ¡°Hey man!¡± ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Saki agreed to the protest of Seiji. She focused on Yori quickly needing him to agree with Yuki¡¯s plan, whatever it was. ¡°You aren¡¯t acting like your normal self, Yori.¡± ¡°Have your only family stolen away from you and see if you can think rationally.¡± ¡°Then help me and fight to get her back.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your plan?¡± Chapter 376 ¨C Edge of Hope Agreed to be marginally calmer, Yori returned with them to the third floor for a conference over his sister. While everyone sat at the table, Yuki stood up and materialized a dry erase board for his plan. He popped off the cap to the marker and started writing on the board. It began with only names. A little squeaking finished up his work. He wrote ¡°Yumi¡± along with two other broad facing names. Made up terms for the known personality that they spoke with now marked it as ¡°Tactician¡± and ¡°???¡±. They didn¡¯t really have much to go on with the other personality. None of them had much to really say other than that they were very different. Pointing at the board, Yuki drew their attention to what they knew. ¡°We know that Yumi is being protected within her own mind by at least one of the other personalities. The one currently out that sounds like she¡¯s a General of an army or something from the way it¡¯s been explained to me. This is the one in control of Yumi¡¯s body, but there is at least one other personality present that you saw during the battle of Atlantis. So we¡¯re dealing with two, maybe more identities in Yumi.¡± ¡°Nice summary, but that¡¯s not a plan.¡± ¡°I¡¯m getting to that, Yori.¡± Drawing up a very crude figure of his sister and something that was supposed to be a brain, but looked more like soba noodles, he started to lay out what he wanted to do. ¡°The problem that we have is rescuing Yumi from within herself and giving control back to her rather than the current personality inside her. As it¡¯s been explained to me by Nerine and warnings from others, messing around in the mind with my powers is a bad idea. I don¡¯t know enough not to make things worse and no one else in Atlantis even touches the subject. It¡¯s basically taboo and forbidden. So we¡¯re stuck with taking a more creative approach to the problem.¡± ¡°What exactly are you thinking?¡± asked Saki, suddenly becoming worried about what plan that Yuki had cooked up for saving the girl. As much as she wanted to trust what Yuki had in mind would work, she knew him well enough to know that it might also be more than a little ridiculous. Given a prompt, Yuki moved onto the next stage. He drew another figure marking it as ¡°Yori¡± and then another mess for her friends. ¡°We¡¯re going to appeal to Yumi through what she finds familiar.¡± Yori slammed his fist on the table, splintering it where he dropped hand. ¡°If it was that simple I would have succeeded when I spoke to her! I can¡¯t believe I even thought for a moment you had something more than naivety to work from like always. Face reality and then come back to me when you have a real plan.¡± He pried his hand out of the wood only to be stopped by Yuki. Undaunted, more scribbles ran across the board. Squeaks came out from the marker as Yuki painted the rest of his picture to his plan. Turning back around, he slapped the cap on the marker with dramatic flair. ¡°I¡¯m aware of that. That¡¯s why I told you that I needed you. This isn¡¯t something I can do alone, the same as you. We have to do this together.¡± ¡°What exactly are you describing here, Yuki?¡± Eyes shifted over to Saki to address her question. He threw back his hand pointing with the marker. ¡°What I¡¯m proposing is having Yori speak with Yumi. Being her brother, she has the strongest connection with him. And then I¡¯ll convert all of that into something like a brain wave. In simpler terms, I¡¯ll be making it a sort of signal that she¡¯ll be able to pick up on the subconscious level. Hearing and seeing him should trigger her to wake and take control of her body over again.¡± This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°What you¡¯re suggesting is impossible.¡± ¡°Yeah, can you actually do anything that you just said, Yuki?¡± ¡°Of course! My powers allow for the impossible to become possible. I just have to create a device that can convert Yori into something that can be read on the subconscious level.¡± ¡°Can that actually work? Didn¡¯t you say messing around with the mind is a taboo because you don¡¯t understand how the brain works?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not messing with the mind though. That¡¯s the beauty of this. It¡¯s like a loophole.¡± ¡°You people are really fond of loopholes in your powers,¡± she remarked with a sardonic tone. Most of them at the table had at least one experience with the MP users and them breaking what they thought to be well defined rules. Listening to Yuki¡¯s plan only helped to enforce how fuzzy those rules ended up becoming with a creative individual running wild. ¡°But such a thing doesn¡¯t exist and you know nothing about brain waves,¡± reminded Yori, still not convinced that this wasn¡¯t still all just a fantasy from a na?ve idiot playing at god. Yuki crossed his arms. ¡°I¡¯ve created a lot of things with my power that I don¡¯t understand. That¡¯s not a stopping point. I just have to create the environment in which it does exist and it¡¯ll happen.¡± ¡°Then couldn¡¯t you just do the same with fiddling with the brain?¡± Another oddly sobering and well observed remark came from Seiji. ¡°Probably, but I¡¯d prefer not to do something as invasive as playing around in someone¡¯s mind. That¡¯s not somewhere that we belong.¡± ¡°But our bodies aren¡¯t taboo.¡± ¡°Yori!¡± snapped Saki, knowing how much it still deeply affected Yuki. All Yori did was turn away, refusing to take back his remark. Placing the marker on the table, Yuki pulled up a chair from thin air to match with the rest. ¡°It¡¯s fine. He¡¯s not wrong. That¡¯s why it¡¯s on me to fix things here in Japan. This shouldn¡¯t have happened and I¡¯ll undo it. I can¡¯t return to Atlantis until I undo this.¡± Saki immediately turned her eyes to look at Yuki. She wanted to say something to him. Something that she thought he was forgetting, that no one else had said yet. The words never came. They choked up in her throat as she saw him. It was his eyes. He told her that he understood what that meant. The price that he would pay for being in Japan. He was making that sacrifice for them, for everyone. ¡®Dammit!¡¯ ¡°This is the best plan I have right now,¡± Yuki continued, moving away from the weighty implications of his words. He focused on all of his friends at the table. ¡°We have to save Yumi and I believe this to be our best shot. Yori is the star of this plan, because Yumi has no stronger connection to anyone than him. But if that¡¯s not enough, I want the rest of you there as support. She may need to hear more than one voice to wake up.¡± Fists pounded together from Seiji. He agreed to it. A smile came over his face filled with boundless enthusiasm. ¡°Now this is a plan!¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t involve punching things though.¡± ¡°Speaking from the heart is the sign of true bonds!¡± Sweat dripped down Saki¡¯s face listening to him. ¡°You sound like a cheesy line from Yuki¡¯s shounen manga.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a powerful message. There¡¯s a reason people enjoy it.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, hope and dreams. I¡¯ll keep living in reality, while you two are in the clouds.¡± ¡°You need passion, Saki!¡± encouraged Seiji trying to get her more energized. She stepped away from the table before Seiji became too wrapped up in the excitement that Yuki brought to them. ¡°I¡¯ve got my own way. But I think this may be our best chance to save her. There¡¯s only one question.¡± Nodding to Saki, Yuki looked back at Yori. All of their plans were for naught without knowing the location of Yumi. That lied with him, apparently to the one controlling her. ¡°You know where to find Yumi, right?¡± A begrudging word came from Yori, ¡°Yes.¡± The chair suddenly disappeared along with the board as Yuki turned off his power and activated a new set. A holographic map of the city appeared on the table. Arrows appeared in the city marking important locations along with text describing them. It made it easy for them to know exactly where they were. ¡°Where is she?¡± Yori leaned forward to the map taking a moment to examine it and get his bearings. Seeing the city in full three-dimensions made for an awkward bit of adjustment. Once he got his measure of the scale, he ran his finger around a distant set of buildings. ¡°I¡¯m too far away to pinpoint the location, but she¡¯s in this area. Once we¡¯re closer I¡¯ll know exactly.¡± ¡°A sibling bond!¡± cheered Seiji. ¡°I can sense her through my power,¡± he corrected. Not that it really did anything to faze Seiji''s declaration. Clapping his hands together, the map disappeared. ¡°So we¡¯ve got a plan and a destination. We leave as soon as everyone¡¯s ready!¡± Which happened to be now. And a few minutes later, they were soaring through the sky with the aid of Yuki¡¯s power, at his insistence to ride a cloud. It hardly thrilled them that he summoned up something from Journey to the West, but it worked. So they said little more to protest his eccentricities. Yuki looked over at Yori for guidance now that they reached the area on the map that he marked. ¡°You sense her?¡± ¡°Of course, she¡¯s about a kilometer to the right.¡± To finish off the directions, Yori pointed out the area. With confidence in reserve, they sped towards Yori¡¯s sister and the person that controlled her body. For everyone else, she popped up quickly in their sight and called out. Unfortunately, Yuki had no such luck like with Nerine. Not thinking ahead, he didn¡¯t add in some magnifying Addendum to give him enhanced sight. So he had to wait until his normal sight spotted a black blob in the distance. Seated on the edge of a water tower on the top of a ten story building, the one controlling her continued to stare out at the city admiring the view. They seemed to take little interest or note of the arriving group. Given the declaration they made before their departure, it was likely that this was something that they expected. Once everyone landed on the roof, the person spoke to them. ¡°So you waited for the King to wake. Couldn¡¯t figure things out on your own.¡± Yori immediately took offense to the remark with his power spiking and blasting air away from him. ¡°I¡¯d be here sooner if I hadn¡¯t been stopped!¡± ¡°And you would have still been unable to achieve your goal. Your friends know better than you.¡± ¡°Shut up you bastard! I¡¯m only getting their help so that I can save my sister!¡± ¡°You¡¯re so single minded. I told you before that it''s going to be your undoing one day.¡± Stepping forward, Yuki wanted to try to stem off some of the anger that Yori burned with. ¡°I believe this is the first time we¡¯ve met.¡± ¡°Face-to-face, yes. You come with a solution, King?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± he smirked. A wave pulsed out from his feet as he activated his power. Out of the rooftop, a strange organic device appeared. It had a white almost fleshy appearance that in shadow turned purple and orange in complete impossible contrast to how light and color functioned. Expanding out, the device grew in size to become half the height of a person and wiggle unable to keep a solid form. It waved about strange arms with seemingly no purpose. The growth finished and apparently it was finished. ¡°We¡¯re going to get Yumi back with the power of heart!¡± Chapter 377 - Missing the Point The Tactician stared blankly at Yuki for a moment processing what he said. ¡°Did you just say that?¡± ¡°Yeah, it sounded better in my head,¡± he admitted, taking a step back around the device he created. A moment later, he had himself gathered once more. ¡°We¡¯re taking Yumi back.¡± She stepped forward willing to give them opportunity, though not without some effort. Purple hues began to emit from around her body in response to her call. Rapidly, a multi-layer barrier erected around her in a constantly shifting hexagonal pattern. Multi purple energy based swords appeared in the air along with passive orbs of energy. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to prove to me that you¡¯re able to reach the girl.¡± Undaunted and actually encouraged by this, Yori stepped up materializing black blades into his hand ready for the rematch. ¡°I told you before I¡¯m taking my sister back!¡± Immediately responding to the offer, Seiji and Nerine jumped out in front of Yori. They took side by side stances prepared to defend the position. Full arm gauntlets materialized around Nerine¡¯s missing limbs giving her full arms once more. A faint pulse ran down Seiji¡¯s scar with him prepared. Yori tried to step out in front of them, but they blocked them. ¡°This one is mine! They owe me a rematch!¡± However, it was Yuki from behind that used some of his free power to grab Yori¡¯s shoulder to stop him. ¡°We need you back here. You won¡¯t be fighting on the frontlines. Did you already forget the plan?¡± Growling over his annoyance, he remembered the plan that Yuki had in mind. He hated it, but agreed that it was the smartest play that they had. Just seeing the one controlling his sister standing before him made his body shake uncontrollably. He ground his teeth together knowing where he had to be. The blades disappeared from his hands. ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the most important part of this plan, Yori. Remember that.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need you to tell me that!¡± Saki grabbed his shoulder and pushed him back out of the line a little bit as she made her way to the front. ¡°You do if you just start charging in blindly at the first sight of your sister. Get your head on straight if you actually want to save her.¡± The Tactician gave a bit of a curious tilt of the head seeing things play out. Though the signs of Seiji and Nerine out on the frontlines did little to impress them. ¡°I beat both of you last time, what makes you think things will be any different this time?¡± ¡°I was fighting defensively last time,¡± Nerine retorted, as a sign that things would be different this time around. Then Saki disappeared and reappeared a meter away from Yori¡¯s sister¡¯s body with her fist hitting the barrier. Cracks shot up quickly from the impact before it shattered. ¡°And last time I wasn¡¯t in the fight. Things won¡¯t be the same this time.¡± Chapter 377 ¨C Missing the Point Quickly, the battle started with Seiji and Nerine joining Saki in the melee against the Tactician. Despite the numerical advantage that they had, they did little in changing the tides of the battle. It remained firmly in control by the one that had her. Churning out strange noises and motions, Yuki¡¯s device already went into action. Aside from the odd movements that it made, nothing else seemed to be happening from it. Though Yuki appeared confident in his work. He turned to Yori, who needed to do his part. ¡°Don¡¯t just be thinking about Yumi. They need your help out there! They¡¯re buying you the time to reach Yumi, but it¡¯s going to be over quickly without your help!¡± ¡°I know¡­¡± Yori cut himself off early, having more to say, but kept it to himself. He turned his head up to the sky where the fight had dragged out to by the Tactician. This normally would have put both Seiji and Saki at a severe disadvantage, but they stood out in mid air like they walked on the ground. ¡°Taking advantage of that woman¡¯s creative powers,¡± they remarked, the fight continuing without stopping despite drawing them into the sky. ¡°Controlling three people in a fight at this speed must be very taxing.¡± Several energy attacks came in from multiple directions to snipe Nerine out of the sky. However, Seiji came in to block the attacks from the front as Nerine¡¯s floating gauntlets took the rest of the hits. Ashes fell down from Seiji¡¯s arms as the attack had no effect on him. He charged forward once the smoke cleared at the barrier protecting the Tactician. A pulsing line exploded from his scar on his arm as it blew away the barrier. ¡°This won¡¯t be like the last time!¡± You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°Breaking a single barrier is a meaningless exercise.¡± Just outside of her blind spot came another attack that they mistook for Saki only to find that it was one of Nerine¡¯s gauntlets. A pistol within the gauntlet pounded through smashing another barrier. From below another gauntlet appeared, but was batted away with energy beams. Yet it was only a feint for Saki to come in from the blind spot and completely destroy the remaining barriers as Seiji finished the charge to grab a hold of hers body. ¡°I¡¯ve got you now!¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got familiar plays,¡± they remarked, not feeling any sort of concern over their capture. Looking down at the roof, Yori stared at her. They watched his mouth move as counter plays went into action to break Seiji free. Three energy swords appeared around Seiji cutting into him, drawing up blood along with red ash. He immediately had to release her with another beam coming between them. The wounds he took while trying to keep a hold of Yori¡¯s sister were fortunately not very deep. They did nothing to slow him down as talismans appeared to seal them up. Straightening out her body, they look back up a small distance with an additional array appearing in the sky. ¡°You really did come in with a plan. The King is a very smart man. This should actually be interesting then. The game begins again Yori.¡± ¡°Seiji retreat and make a feint to the left,¡± Yori ordered softly, ¡°Saki, there are two attacks coming in to your rear. The right is a feint and the left is the real attack. Nerine keep up the support providing false attacks.¡± Staring at the battle playing around, the look in Yori¡¯s eyes intensified. Things were playing out in a similar way as before. The pieces he had in play were stronger this time though. ¡®I lost to you last time because I wasn¡¯t strong enough. Not this time!¡¯ He could see the moves and counter plays in motion. The field given to him was wider making it harder for the one inside her to out play him. Each play was visible to him. He felt more confident this time. Saki had speed that he couldn¡¯t even keep up with his eyes, none of them could. She could out move even when the Tactician out maneuvered him, which happened more than he liked. He kept the pressure on them even though it still felt like they were losing nearly a third of the plays. It was an aggravating feeling for him. But he worked on his counter play. It was going to be the only way to win against someone that could plan so far ahead with ease. Plans within plans, ones that he couldn¡¯t see. They were far better than him, that much he sadly admitted the last time around and it became even more apparent now. Yori turned his head a bit to look back at Yuki. ¡°Is your device doing anything? It¡¯s not even slowing them down!¡± ¡°Of course it¡¯s working, but if Yumi¡¯s is buried deep in the layers of subconscious and conscious protection, it¡¯s not going to be easy. You¡¯re continuing to try to speak to her right?¡± ¡°Yes! Don¡¯t question my commitment to saving my sister!¡± He turned back to focus on the fight, which stopped so much being a fight as it was a constant battle of maneuvers. The line he built with Saki and Seiji struggled to hold against the enemy¡¯s plays. But everything was in position for him. Saki dropped the Tactician into the right position when she forced them to dodge her. ¡°Nerine, it¡¯s time!¡± Dropping out of the rear, Nerine left her support position taking to the frontlines with Seiji. Covering for Seiji in his charge, she manipulated her gauntlets through the air to clear away all of the moves. Seiji wound up his fists to blast through two barriers and flipped through the air to strike directly at the energy orbs put into place for a counter play. While behind both of them, Nerine unveiled a massive gauntlet overcharged with energy. It immediately released all of the energy blinding the entire field with its light. ¡°Attempting the exact same move as before. You have to be more original than this.¡± However, the energy did nothing to the Tactician or even the barrier. It had no impact at all. Yori grinned from the roof to see his play worked. ¡°Which is why I did it. You expected me to play moves the same way and I counted on that.¡± Rapid blasts of purple light blew up and faded away as all of the moves in play disappeared from Nerine true attack, an entire fleet of gauntlets. Then from above Saki dropped down unseen by anyone, except for the Tactician, who raised a hand to block her fist only for Saki to fade through her. ¡°Afterimage¡­¡± Saki came from a completely different direction with the real attack. Yet it was stopped completely with only one hand. ¡°What!? Impossible! Yumi¡¯s not that fast or strong!¡± she declared with surprise. She anticipated from everything that she had seen from her fights and through this fight what her physical attributes had to be. This wasn¡¯t even possible with what she had seen. Seiji broke formation and tried to help Saki with them being distracted, but his powered up fist did nothing as well. He came to a grinding halt on her other hand. Then thousands of tiny purple orbs appeared through the sky and shot down all of Nerine¡¯s gauntlets. They then tossed Saki and Seiji back down to the roof at Yori¡¯s feet. Slowly descending down to the water tower. ¡°All of you grossly underestimate the potential of this body.¡± Yuki grimaced watching things play out and then came to a quick realization. ¡°Damn, it¡¯s possible that because these personalities were created along with the power given to Yumi, they understand better how to access the full capabilities of what Yumi would be able to do.¡± The Tactician clapped for Yuki¡¯s theory. ¡°I see someone knows how to evaluate a situation correctly.¡± Saki pulled herself back to her feet, finding that her body felt surprisingly fatigued from the fight which had hardly been going for very long or even intensely. Yet the counter from the Tactician took more out of her than she expected. ¡°Dammit, so you¡¯re saying that how she is now is the most powerful she could be?¡± ¡°Unlikely, they¡¯re still holding back.¡± ¡°Holding back?!¡± Seiji stood up grinning at the thought of a good challenge before him. ¡°I¡¯m ready for round two! Being more powerful isn¡¯t enough to stop me!¡± All of the thousands of orbs floating in the air darted through the air and repositioned for the group. They moved in to end the fight before it started to grow any more boring. ¡°I¡¯ve seen everything I needed. None of you are worthy. You have failed to reach Yumi.¡± Countless beams shot in from every angle and changed directions in mid movement making their vector impossible to predict. Saki, Seiji and Nerine prepared their defense for the attack even with the purple beams becoming the only thing visible as they flooded the sky. But just before they struck a solid black barrier appeared around them. The surface of the barrier rotated as squares broke out from the seamless sphere acting as a deflector to the beams shooting them off into the distance. To his friends¡¯ surprise, Yori stepped out in front despite the plan. He stared up at the Tactician intently. ¡°You¡¯re forgetting about me. This isn¡¯t anywhere near over!¡± Chapter 378 - The Wrong Success Yuki leaned forward with a step while he manipulated some of his mist to grab Yori from the frontline. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?! You¡¯re supposed to keep to the rear!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sitting this out anymore! I¡¯m fighting with everyone else!¡± he shouted while throwing back his black sword to slice through the mist. While it did nothing to something with no real form, it sent the message. Yori groaned lowly as he struggled to keep his focus on every aspect of his barrier that he subdivided into enough pieces to counter all the attacks. ¡®This is harder than I expected to maintain this level. The sheer numbers are maddening.¡¯ Staring over at the one controlling his sister, he had trouble imagining them doing the same. ¡®Is Yumi¡¯s potential that different from mine? She could do all of this without even breaking a sweat?¡¯ ¡°Your presence on the battlefield won¡¯t change the results,¡± they replied. ¡°We¡¯ll just have to see if that''s true!¡± He jumped forward with his swords bearing down on the barriers protecting her, while several more materialized in the air to attack the barrier from other points. ¡®I¡¯m coming for you! Please hear me, Yumi!¡¯ Chapter 378 ¨C The Wrong Success Saki sighed watching Yori failing to do anything meaningful to their opponent as well. It started to play out in the way that she expected. ¡°I guess, we¡¯ll just have to adapt to what he does,¡± she muttered looking for an opening in the fight. There stopped being any real sense of flow or rhythm like they had before. Yori succumbed to his emotions and now the battle turned to chaos. ¡°Suits me just fine!¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you don¡¯t like over complicated things and this is a perfect fight for you where thought stopped being a factor.¡± ¡°A true fight is about exchanging blows, not outsmarting the other person.¡± She wasn¡¯t going to do anything to change Seiji¡¯s mind. She wasn¡¯t even sure why she even attempted to argue with him. ¡°Whatever, just do what you want.¡± Watching the eagerness in his eyes grow only further to disappoint Saki. ¡®This fight isn¡¯t going anywhere¡­¡¯ ¡°Maybe this isn¡¯t a bad thing,¡± Yuki interjected before they jumped back into the fight. ¡°I¡¯m seeing a minor reaction out of the device when Yori jumped in. I think Yumi might be hearing him finally.¡± ¡°But she¡¯s not in control, in fact I haven¡¯t seen any change from them.¡± ¡°She¡¯s going to need more of a push. All of you need to call out to her as well!¡± He stared at the device seeing the faint blip that was a signal. It was just far too weak. Seiji pounded his fists together eager to keep going. ¡°This is going to be fun!¡± He jumped back into the fight, exchanging out for Yori at barely the moment before an attack came in. Ash fell away from his arms in the counterblow before Seiji continued through with his fists. Pounding on the barrier repeatedly started to show some signs of weakness. ¡°We¡¯ll do everything that we can! Come on Nerine!¡± They quickly turned the fight into a four on one battle and still made it look like they were coming out barely holding their own. The barriers kept them from making any serious headway to the Tactician and even without that, they had countless other attacks to avoid and counter. With the lack of any meaningful strategy on their part, the Tactician easily kept them all in line dancing to their own beat. Perhaps it was luck or maybe fighting together they started to feel some sort of rhythm naturally, but all of the barriers protecting her shattered with their successive strikes chained together. Unprotected, Yori immediately charged in after his sister to grab a hold of her arms. ¡°Yumi! Listen to me! Return to your brother, Yumi!¡± It didn¡¯t last for long before a foot embedded in his stomach knocked him back, but refusing to release his grip on her. He stubbornly struggled on unwilling to give up his opportunity now. Yet, the Tactician still looked unimpressed by his efforts. Looking down on him while being shorter than him reminded him of their difference. ¡°That might have worked a couple months ago, but not now. You might stir her a little with your voice, but she still fears you more than anyone else. Your voice can¡¯t save her.¡± ¡°Fears me?! My sister isn¡¯t afraid of me! I¡¯m her brother! Stop with your lies!¡± This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°You know so little about Yumi.¡± ¡°You know nothing about her!¡± ¡°She has secrets she¡¯s never told you. I told you before, you can¡¯t save her.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not listening to you! I will save her!¡± Snapping her arms quickly in a small circle, they quickly reversed the hold that Yori had and tossed him over head. Though surprise took Yori in the moment, his drive focused him quickly as he jumped off the air to return. However, he met the Tactician with an energy blade blocking his weapon. With effortless ease, they threw Yori off and summoned up gravity to press Saki, Seiji and Nerine into the roof, unable to move. Yori remained the only one still able to stand, but only because it was to be that way. Charging back in after them, Yori swung his weapons in a flurry trying to break through the defense. Unfortunately for him, each blow was easily blocked until parried and thrown back. Crashed against the crumbling wall of the rooftop access, Yori pulled himself out of the rumble. Everything that he learned from Athena still wasn¡¯t enough to best the Tactician. Even still, he charged back for another round. He tried everything that he knew from sparring with her. All of the tricks that he picked up. Anything to succeed. Nothing. They remained unmoved by any of the attacks. Yori found it troubling how well they fended him off. Both now and in the past. As he regained his stance, he held off attacking immediately as he had before. ¡°Even if you have a better understanding of Yumi¡¯s powers, Yumi doesn¡¯t have sword skills or martial training. It¡¯s impossible for her to have any of that.¡± ¡°Yumi doesn¡¯t possess those skills, but I do. It was a necessity for me to have them.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just a false persona created in Yumi, none of that is necessary.¡± ¡°You know so little.¡± In a bit of a surprise move, Yori came under direct attack by the Tactician, which went against their normal stationary battle tactics. On a true offensive, Yori couldn¡¯t even manage to block a single blow from the sword in her hand. Blood sprayed in arcs through the air as each swing cut flesh. In mere moments, Yori was rendered nearly completely helpless. His body bled over the rooftop with his body unable to move. But thanks to his power, he wasn¡¯t without options. It was why he couldn¡¯t be said to be truly disabled. Until he was dead, he could keep fighting. Just not with this body, rather with his mind. He could manipulate his barrier and create thickness with it to stop the attack. But it was a futile effort. None of his attacks could make it through the defense they put up. And when on offense, his defense barely kept him from being killed. ¡®It¡¯s turning out like last time¡­¡¯ He hated that notion. Twice he failed to save her sister. Nothing he tried would work. No other options remained. She was lost. ¡°That look of defeat in your eyes. So you understand now.¡± Yuki clinched his hands together frustrated just watching. He placed his bet on Yori reaching her and he lost. ¡®Dammit, so it¡¯s really come down to this¡­ I wanted to avoid this scenario as much as possible. This is the worst possible way this could have turned out. It¡¯s just not enough.¡¯ The device barely read any differently than it did before. His friends helping Yori did nothing other than even out a completely out classed fight. And even that didn¡¯t last. The last card to play was the last for a very good reason. He never wanted to play it. Especially with Yori around. However, they were out of options now. Yuki had no choice, but to actually step forward to enter the conflict. Stepping out from around the device, he slowly and cautiously walked towards the siblings. Since he remained out of the fight, he had no effect on him from the gravity generated on the others. But Saki immediately yelled out to Yuki, ¡°Get away from them! You can¡¯t fight them in that state!¡± He continued to move slowly towards Yumi¡¯s body. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m not planning on fighting.¡± ¡°Making your move, King,¡± responded the Tactician as they glanced over at him. There was a different sort of look in their eyes seeing Yuki approach. ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m the piece you were wanting. But also the one that you couldn¡¯t do anything to.¡± Placing gravity on Yori to stop him from making any sort of sneak attacks, they faced Yuki. They gave him their full attention with some hesitation actually appearing. ¡°You¡¯re unnaturally observant.¡± ¡°It only made sense in this situation. Yumi might be asleep, but her subconscious will is still working against you and it¡¯s quite powerful.¡± ¡°For being asleep, she has a stubborn nature.¡± They approached Yuki and they came to a stop only a few centimeters apart from one another. ¡°It only prevents me from killing you.¡± ¡°But you won¡¯t strike me either. The moment you do, you¡¯ll lose control.¡± Yuki stared at her face watching the different reactions going through. For the most part, through the fight, they kept a stone face the entire time. It was unflinching and unwavering with no emotions. They were cold and calculating. The only moment of emotion came in the full offense on Yori. And now. ¡°You really are unnerving and dangerous.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been getting told that a lot. But it¡¯s time for you to be asleep rather than Yumi. Your test is over.¡± ¡°The test still continues. This isn¡¯t the end, only the beginning.¡± Yuki stretched out his hand to her face and held it just out of reach. ¡°No more tests. Just sleep.¡± He stepped closer to her and pressed his hand to the side of her face. There was a sharp reaction from Yori¡¯s sister as all of the power the Tactician wielded suddenly started to fade away. ¡°Yumi,¡± he whispered softly to her. Her eyes closed sharply as life seemed to fall out of her body. She quickly lost the ability to stand and nearly fell face first to the floor if Yuki had not been there to catch her. Yuki held on to her slowly, letting her rest on the roof with the struggle finally over. ¡°¡­Yumi¡­¡± Seiji jumped from his spot with the gravity long released to join Yuki at Yumi¡¯s side. He didn¡¯t really understand what happened, but he was happy to see a friend saved. ¡°You did it Yuki! She¡¯s safe!¡± Firm pats on the back threw Yuki around as Seiji didn¡¯t control his strength well in the excitement. Yori laid against the rumble, staring at everyone joining Yuki at his sister¡¯s side. She was safe once more and back. But he found himself having trouble accepting it. He was happy to see that she was back. Yet, he could only feel sadness overcoming him quickly watching it. The reality of what happened overwhelmed him quickly. He had been useless. And that wasn¡¯t the end of it. Not by a long shot. The worst part stared at him in the eyes looking down at her. The truth was before him. Chapter 379 - Blind Echoes Even with victory over the Tactician, it didn¡¯t feel like one. Yuki wasn¡¯t the only one feeling a little off about the whole encounter. The ominous message left behind didn¡¯t help. No one said anything about it immediately. Attention went to recovering Yumi and regrouping. Everyone was just happy to have Yumi back. So it was easy to push looming things to the background, even if they shouldn¡¯t be. But it only introduced new worries for everyone. Once they returned to Phoibe¡¯s home it became clear that there might be something more to the problem. They put Yori¡¯s sister to rest in her bed from before. ¡°She ain¡¯t waking.¡± ¡°It¡¯s only been a few minutes,¡± Saki replied, trying to think about it in a positive light, though they were all thinking the same thing. Worry ran thick and uncontrollable. They didn¡¯t know if they had failed. Or maybe they made it worse somehow. ¡°She¡¯ll wake up soon. We just need to give her time.¡± ¡°Saki¡¯s right, Seiji. We¡¯ll just wait for her to come back on her own time.¡± Saying nothing, Yori walked away from the back of the room going to the door before Seiji noticed. He turned to see him grab the handle. ¡°Hey man! Where ya goin¡¯? Aren¡¯t you going to stay by your sister¡¯s side?¡± Yori paused in the middle of opening the door. ¡°My sister¡¯s safe,¡± he answered without even looking back at them. After his reply, the door finished opening and he disappeared behind the door as it closed. Such an answer didn¡¯t really give what Seiji was looking for. He didn¡¯t understand Yori''s terse reaction. Though he said nothing more than a direct statement, Seiji could feel there was something bothering him. It wasn¡¯t outward anger like he had before. He wasn¡¯t even sure if it was anger at all. Something deeply ate him in a new way that he hadn¡¯t seen from him before. ¡°What¡¯s his problem? He¡¯s been on edge fighting us over protecting Yumi and now he just leaves without even a word now.¡± Stepping out into the main room that had become known as the waiting room, Yuki sat down at the table recovering from the encounter. ¡°Let him be, Seiji. He¡¯s got a lot on his mind right now. His pride took a big hit.¡± ¡°Pride? Because he wasn¡¯t able to save Yumi by himself?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s more complicated than that.¡± Seiji walked away from Yumi¡¯s bed to sit down at the table wanting some answers from Yuki. ¡°What are you talking about? We save her, does the means of doing so matter?¡± ¡°Things aren¡¯t that simple, Seiji,¡± reminded Saki as she sat down as well. The matter of Yori wasn¡¯t the immediate problem on Saki¡¯s mind though. She quickly shifted focus away from him. Staring across the table as Yuki, she pushed the bigger concern. ¡°Anyone else bothered by that warning saying the test wasn¡¯t over?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just sour grapes,¡± Seiji dismissed with a wave of a hand. ¡°They were overconfident in their abilities and were just upset that they lost to Yuki.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about that.¡± She looked back over at the sleeping Yumi. None of them really understood what was going on with Yumi. It was beyond what they normally dealt with. And things didn¡¯t feel right to her. Saki could tell it bothered Yuki as well. ¡°I¡¯m with Saki on this, Seiji. The way the Tactician talked, they wouldn¡¯t be a sore loser over something like that. I almost got the feeling that they were pleased to have lost or that maybe even losing was planned. It feels like there¡¯s something bigger going on that we can¡¯t see.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you just trying to make this out to be a bigger thing than it actually is?¡± ¡°I hope you¡¯re right. We¡¯ll know in time.¡± He looked at Yumi. She would answer which of them had the correct feeling in time. But if he was right rather than Seiji, he had no clue how to proceed. Chapter 379 ¨C Blind Echoes Night fell on the city and the fears that Yuki and Saki felt started to become well founded. Yumi continued to sleep. Despite efforts by Nerine, more experienced than Yuki with their powers, she could do nothing to wake Yumi forcibly. It started to look like they hadn¡¯t actually saved her. To make matters worse, Hiroshi returned from his UN meeting. Once the door opened and the two walked through Yuki immediately stood up. He looked over at Yumi for one last time and then made for the door. ¡°I¡¯m going for a walk.¡± ¡°Yuki!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll disguise myself.¡± The door closed behind another leaving Saki with Hiroshi and Tatsuya. She sighed to herself before sitting down again. ¡°That¡¯s not the point¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯ll take time for him to get used to me again.¡± ¡°I fear time won¡¯t be enough.¡± Hiroshi joined her at the table with Tatsuya coming up along his side. She could see the long expression covering his face. It had to no doubt be a long day for him. However, she hoped that there might have been some progress in the peace efforts.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. That ended up being Seiji¡¯s cue to step out as well. ¡°I¡¯m going to get some fresh air as well. I don¡¯t really have an interest in all of this politics talk.¡± He threw his arms up to cross behind his head as he casually made for the door. Before he could open it, the door flew open with a familiar face. ¡°Hey! It¡¯s you!¡± A wide grin came across his face. ¡°You had an impressive fight!¡± Miyako glanced over at Seiji and immediately recognized him from their fight. Greeting Seiji with a bump of their forearms, she gave him a smirk back with acknowledgement. ¡°Sounds like you got a raw deal.¡± ¡°Yeah, but there¡¯s always something to learn from a loss.¡± ¡°I¡¯m impressed, that¡¯s very mature of you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m used to losing a lot. So I just turn it around to something I can use the next time.¡± Seiji caught the look of Saki out of the corner of his eye. He quickly quieted up about such talk. ¡°I¡¯m going to the roof for some air, you¡¯re here to see Hiroshi I¡¯m assuming.¡± ¡°Right!¡± She looked over at Hiroshi at the table watching the two of them. Miyako sharply refocused her attention on him and walked away from the door. ¡°I got word that you returned, Commander!¡± ¡°Enough with the Commander already, we aren¡¯t even a fighting force anymore.¡± Nerine stepped away from the table as well. ¡°I¡¯m going to excuse myself as well. These are not matters for me to be present for.¡± She quickly rushed over to follow Seiji out of the room. Saki turned her gaze away from the two leaving and back to Hiroshi. ¡°So what happened? You¡¯re both back in one piece, so things didn¡¯t break down into fighting at least.¡± Though she had pushed the initiative and Hiroshi agreed, she still feared a little that it was just going to turn into a fight or that the UN would just arrest them. Tatsuya started in place of Hiroshi, as he still seemed to be collecting himself. ¡°The Masayuki guy was there as we hoped. That seemed to help things a little, but it was just mostly a bunch of suits. No one really important in the UN was there.¡± ¡°Though there was someone not representing the UN there as well. He was actually in a suit and seemed to have a lot of sway with the others.¡± Hiroshi recalled the meeting and the nerves going into it. In a way, not meeting with the General or something really important in the UN came as a bit of a relief. Though at the same time, it annoyed him since they still weren¡¯t being taken seriously. After a single day of working together, he knew that he couldn¡¯t expect that much from the UN. ¡°The rest of the suits as Tatsuya puts it were just military representatives in uniform.¡± The man in the suit interested Saki. ¡°I remember there being a man in a suit when I met with the General as well. Do you think it was the same guy? A sort of bookish, mousy looking man. Sort of average looking like he didn¡¯t belong there, but somehow held more respect than it looked.¡± ¡°Sounds like the guy, but I didn¡¯t get a name. He mostly just seemed to be observing the meeting.¡± ¡°Any agreements made like supplies or trade?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, no,¡± Hiyoshi replied to Miyako. He sighed pressing his hand to his head. ¡°It was all really frustrating to listen to. They barely even acknowledged us. They just saw us as a couple of kids in the adult¡¯s playground like we didn¡¯t belong.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a joke, since they are so afraid of us and our powers. They just kept talking without really letting us answer anything. They want to dictate all the terms.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure what I expected to happen. This just seems like what we should have seen coming.¡± It was hard for him to accept. Hiroshi hoped with the aid of Masayuki things could be different. They didn¡¯t have to fight anymore. He didn¡¯t want a life of being on the run and fearing for those that he loved. Yet that dream seemed to be far away. ¡°We¡¯ve got no power. Nothing to negotiate with.¡± ¡°They met you at the table, that¡¯s something.¡± ¡°Only because they fear us I suspect, not because they respect us or want to work together.¡± ¡°Then we just need to give them something to respect,¡± answered Miyako, dropping her fist to the table. Hiroshi felt a little uneasy about what she might be suggesting. Making something forced wasn¡¯t going to be any more convincing to them. ¡°What exactly are you suggesting?¡± ¡°When negotiating, you need power. You said yourself. We have no power. We¡¯ll need something that will give them a reason to treat us seriously and not as just a bunch of citizens grouped together.¡± She still hadn¡¯t reached the actual suggestion she had in mind and their looks made that clear. ¡°I know people. Some of them we picked up and are in the group already, those that still live. But I¡¯ve still got connections in the city. If we¡¯re going to have a stronger presence at the bargaining table we¡¯ll need to unite more of the city under us.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not conquering the city just to have negotiating power with the UN, Miyako!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not suggesting that. Let me work my connections. I have a life still and I will put it to good use so that it¡¯s not a waste to those that we¡¯ve left behind.¡± Hiroshi fell into silence seeing the determination on Miyako¡¯s face. He hadn¡¯t seen her talk about her men since they died. He wasn¡¯t sure how she was holding up. They hadn¡¯t had a moment to rest and mourn. But she was strong. Though he feared how long that would last before she crumbled. ¡°Alright, fine. Just remember, we¡¯re not fighting. You¡¯re probably right that we¡¯re too small. We¡¯re just a neighborhood and barely that now. If we have more of the city banded together maybe they¡¯ll start listening to us. At the very least, we might be able to hold back the violence.¡± ¡°One step at a time, you¡¯ll get there.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the only one that seems to have the confidence that this will work, Saki.¡± ¡°Because I know you can make it happen. I can tell.¡± She stood up from the table walking to the door now as well. The path was set for Hiroshi, she felt good about where it was headed. Now she just had to wait. ¡®In time, I¡¯ll be able to introduce them to the Alliance¡­ They¡¯ve still got a ways to go before that can happen though¡­¡¯ ¡°Where you heading now?¡± ¡°To find a solution to our current problem,¡± she said looking back at the beds. Saki then closed the door behind her and went to the rooftop. A quick leap put her to the ledge of the building staring out at the city with Seiji and Nerine by. ¡°Where¡¯d Yuki go?¡± ¡°Hell if I know!¡± ¡°He went west back to his home.¡± ¡°Thanks, Nerine! That makes sense!¡± She jumped off the building to land on the adjacent building. Using the buildings for quick traversal, Saki made it out of the business district quickly. The transition to homes came abruptly, though still far away from their neighborhood. Finding Yuki was far too easy. Even in disguise. Landing down next to a middle aged woman, Saki stopped in front, blocking the way. ¡°You found me fast. Meeting already over?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not very hard when most people are too afraid to walk alone in the streets. We have more important things to discuss than Hiroshi¡¯s plans.¡± ¡°Yumi.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. We can¡¯t leave her like that.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know yet if she¡¯s going to stay like that.¡± ¡°Holding out hope on that?¡± ¡°A little. I¡¯m out of options. I¡¯m not digging around in her mind with my powers. I¡¯ve done everything I can to free her, but she¡¯s still stuck somewhere in her mind I fear.¡± ¡°She¡¯s far enough forward that the other personality can¡¯t control her, but not enough that she¡¯s conscious.¡± ¡°As little sense that makes, yes. That¡¯s what I fear. Which means going into her mind to get her free.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t Athene go into Yori¡¯s mind before? And even Ayumi said that they wipe memories of people regularly in Atlantis with their powers.¡± ¡°Yes, but I don¡¯t feel comfortable doing that. I might be the most powerful MP user in the world, but I¡¯m still very new to using my powers. I don¡¯t want to risk a mistake in Yumi¡¯s head.¡± ¡°Nerine worked on the border patrol as well. She might be able to do it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. Nerine might be our last chance to truly save Yumi.¡± Chapter 380 - The Impossible Floor ¡°So what do you think, Nerine?¡± Yuki asked. All of them gathered back at Phoibe¡¯s place standing out in the main room of the third floor. ¡°Do you think that you can do it?¡± He had been so focused on the taboo and his own fear of hurting anyone that he immediately ignored what was in front of him. It made him glad that Saki could be at his side. A pensive expression dug through Nerine¡¯s face as she weighed an answer. Digging through the minds of others carried a lot of risk. When their powers got involved it didn¡¯t always pan out the way they wanted. It was an unpredictable nature at times. ¡°I¡¯m not as talented as Athene, but you¡¯re not wrong in that I¡¯ve been trained to wipe memories. Though wiping memories is a far simpler sort of task than trying to retrieve something or trying to wake someone.¡± Seiji patted Nerine on the back with his usual brand of positivity. ¡°You can do it, Nerine!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give it a try,¡± she replied quickly with much of her waffling disappearing. ¡°Thanks!¡± Saki looked around the room despite it being a pointless effort. There was no one else in the room besides those around her, Yumi excluded. ¡°What about Yori? Shouldn¡¯t we have him present for this as well?¡± ¡°But no one knows where that bastard ran off to after we got back.¡± ¡°She¡¯s still his sister and cares about her more than anything else.¡± ¡°Saki¡¯s right, Seiji. We should find him so that he can be here for this.¡± ¡°Yeah, but how are we going to find him? No one knows where the hell he went!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Yuki fell silent along with the others. Seiji spoke the truth, as much as everyone already knew. They saw nothing of Yori after he left abruptly on their return. ¡®I had sort of hoped that he would have returned while we were away, but I guess that was too much to hope for. We need to help Yumi. But I haven¡¯t a clue how much he¡¯s hurt by the way things ended.¡¯ Moving to the door, Saki didn¡¯t seem to be taking it to mean that they should do nothing. ¡°Let¡¯s start where we can probably get the most answers.¡± ¡°Answers?¡± Yuki wasn¡¯t the only one confused by Saki¡¯s idea. They all stared at her with a slightly tilted head trying to figure her out. But no one arrived at the same conclusion Saki made. She motioned to them to follow her. ¡°I¡¯m talking about Phoibe, she knows a little too much about too many things. She¡¯s our only play at the moment, unless you enjoy the thought of running around the city blind.¡± Chapter 380 ¨C The Impossible Floor ¡°Yeah, I know where he is,¡± the woman replied to everyone¡¯s surprise. She looked around at them with a bit of her own that they had lost their friend. As to be expected, Seiji leapt forward first for the answer. ¡°Where the hell is he?¡± ¡°In his cell.¡± ¡°What?!¡± shouted everyone. They all needed a moment to process the fact that Yori never actually left the building on top of the strange fact that he just went back to his cell. The same cell that he wanted out of badly before to save his sister. The very one that he hated and despised when looking at them for their treatment of him. He went back to the very same room. ¡°You¡¯re joking right?¡± ¡°No, I know the location of everyone in my shop, he hasn¡¯t left since you returned.¡± ¡°I guess that makes it easier for us,¡± Yuki said, just having to accept the simplicity of the situation, not that dealing with Yori could be anything simple. Each encounter would only get more complicated with him. That much he understood. ¡°Saki, could you visit him? I doubt my presence will have a positive influence on him at this point.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Waiting back on the third floor for the answer, Saki stepped through the threshold first with Yori in tow a few steps behind. A half awake and dazed expression painted over his face. ¡®I sort of expected him to have more anger In him, but he looks more defeated than anything now¡­¡¯ Yuki hesitated a little before moving back to Yumi¡¯s bed with the others. As everyone sat around on the neighboring beds, Nerine knelt next to Yumi taking in measured breaths. Slight shakes in her hand betrayed any sort of confidence she bolstered in her actions. Even as she activated her powers she drew out each action. Yuki looked across Yumi¡¯s bed to Yori on the other side. ¡°You good for this?¡± ¡°Whatever¡­¡± ¡®I want to say more, but he¡¯s just going to yell probably if I try anything more. This isn¡¯t the way to get his approval, he¡¯s not in his right mind to make any sort of judgments. But we can¡¯t wait either. Nerine doesn¡¯t want to hurt Yumi¡­ What other option do we have?¡¯If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°You going to get started?¡± asked Seiji, becoming impatient with Nerine delaying as long as possible. In his own way, Seiji seemed to understand how she was feeling, but pushed her forward. Putting her attention to Yumi, she closed her eyes and focused everything she had on Yumi¡¯s mind. As the world around her melted away, she entered darkness. Her approach to Yumi went smoothly. The moment crossed the threshold everything changed from black to white. She found herself in a completely white room. ¡°Where am I?¡± ¡°A place you don¡¯t belong,¡± answered an unknown voice on all sides. ¡°Who are you? Wait! N-no¡­. NO!!!¡± Nerine screamed aloud making everyone in the room jump off the bed. Seiji rushed over to Nerine¡¯s side to catch her before she collapsed to the floor. ¡°Nerine! Nerine, answer me! Are you alright?!¡± He shook her while trying to remember his strength. Fortunately for him, the shock that Nerine took didn¡¯t seem to have knocked her out completely. It only froze her for a moment and she started to move again. ¡°Nerine? What happened?¡± Breathing heavily and struggling to get her heart beat down even under a hundred was difficult. Even worse was that all of it was still etched in her mind. It carved into her skull providing her with an endless loop that she couldn¡¯t escape from. Every moment spent on it felt like a ten and each experience felt as though she was being killed slowly. Everything drained out of her. Yuki finished checking on Yumi to ensure that nothing happened to her. Worst was that she looked completely unchanged. Only Nerine came out of it different. ¡°What did you see?¡± he asked, fearing what might have caused her to be in such pain. Still trying to catch a breath, Nerine fought with her mind to focus on reporting her results. ¡°I failed¡­¡± That much had already been pretty clear to everyone. ¡°I understand why the Commander was blinded by what she found. Her mind¡­¡± Nerine looked over at the bed and Yumi, her body recoiled in reaction. ¡°I can¡¯t bring her back. I don¡¯t know how the Commander survived for so long, but this is impossible for anyone.¡± Like everyone else, Yuki found it surprising to hear that Nerine called it impossible. Given their powers the thought of something being impossible sounded like a joke. Their powers were about doing the impossible in the real world. ¡®Is this our limit? Can we do nothing to save Yumi now?¡¯ ¡°Hey guys, I was just wondering,¡± opened Seiji as he began his question. ¡°Is there a reason we can¡¯t have Yori do it?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Helping Nerine over to an open bed, he let her rest and hopefully to forget about everything that happened. Seiji turned to look at his friends. ¡°I mean we¡¯re just trying to wake up Yumi by going into her mind. Yori¡¯s got weird mind powers right? He talked to us in our minds before, back in Atlantis.¡± Yuki and Saki stared at each other for a moment thinking about the suggestion. They both had a slightly bewildered and shocked expression that only seemed to multiple the longer they thought about it. To break the cycle, he stood up and went around the bed to Yori. ¡°You might have something. I had forgotten what Athene told us about her attempts to break Yori and the results of it. It¡¯d make sense that Yumi¡¯s mental defenses are as strong as Yori¡¯s if not possibly worse.¡± It took a second for it to happen, but some life started to return to Yori¡¯s eyes. He looked up at Yuki standing next to him. There seemed to be a bit of hope within him. ¡°You might be the only one that can save Yumi.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t heard that before,¡± he replied sarcastically. A grin came across Yuki¡¯s face to hear some fire back in Yori¡¯s words. He didn¡¯t know how long it would last, but for now Yori might be their only chance to save his sister. ¡°Glad to see you¡¯re back. Think Seiji might be on the right track?¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible.¡± Yori had already been thinking about it for a while before Seiji brought it. But it wasn¡¯t an aspect of his power that he had trained. Athene¡¯s training was martial, not mental. ¡®I know I spoke with Yumi directly in her mind when we were trapped under the rubble from the school. But I¡¯ve never dug deeper with her. Even when I went into Athene¡¯s mind it felt different like I wasn¡¯t in control of what I was doing.¡¯ He could only hope for such an experience. Nerine made it the second time that he saw someone try to enter their minds and be nearly destroyed by it. None of it really made a lot of sense to him. This sort of thing was Yuki¡¯s field. The impossible and fictional. He still tried to understand how to use everything he had to fight and survive. Not that much of that mattered at the moment. He had no real options remaining. Staring at his sister, she remained quiet and unmoved. Even after all of this time she didn¡¯t wake. It had nearly been a day now and she was in a worse state than before. Stepping forward, Yori accepted the challenge. ¡°I know from personal experience that my mind is a complex maze that is difficult to explore. If Yumi¡¯s is even half as bad as mine this isn¡¯t going to be easy. But I¡¯m not normal anymore, so I should have more mental fortitude to survive.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all on you then. We¡¯re out of options at this point.¡± ¡°I understand the stakes.¡± He knelt down at her side resting a hand on her hand. Life still flowed through her as an encouragement that all was not lost yet. Time remained for them to save her. ¡®Test isn¡¯t over, huh? What will I face inside Yumi¡¯s mind?¡¯ He looked around at the others before he proceeded. ¡°I¡¯ve never done this, so I don¡¯t know what will happen to me. No matter what becomes of me don¡¯t stop me no matter what you see.¡± ¡°Hey man, we¡¯re not going to let you kill yourself to save Yumi!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t stop me! I must save her.¡± He stared down at her. A wall already seemed to form around her and he hadn¡¯t even started yet. It channeled into his hesitation and doubt feeding on his fears. It understood him better than himself. ¡®I will¡­¡¯ Saki put a hand on Seiji¡¯s shoulder to get him in line. ¡°I¡¯ll throw you back in myself if it comes to it.¡± ¡°¡­thanks¡­¡± Focusing back on his sister, Yori breathed deeply as he pushed his commitment to the next stage. He threw himself in, forcing back the doubt. If it wanted him it would have to follow and keep up. There was no slowing down anymore. It would only drag him down. Leaning in, Yori touched his forehead to his sister as he had done before when he talked directly to her while she was unconscious. ¡®Yumi¡­hear me¡­listen for me¡­Yumi!¡¯ The rest of the room began to crumble away from the edges of his mind. He could no longer hear the pattern of breathing from Yuki or the racing beats of Nerine¡¯s heart. Everything faded away as the void drew him in deeper and deeper. Minutes or seconds, he couldn¡¯t understand time in such a construct. It felt long and short at the same time. Like it went on forever while also forgetting it and knowing it only started. His body tumbled through the space between until he fell on something solid. It remained indescribable and unseen. Something existed without any sense of self or form. ¡°Yumi! Can you hear me?¡± He hoped that he dropped straight into the place between her subconscious and conscious states. In response, perhaps to his shouting, multi-color lights exploded everywhere around him completely filling his view. It was bizarre and somehow unnerving. Something in it made his head ache. He winced a little trying to keep his focus. ¡°So it¡¯s come¡­ I¡¯m ready for whatever you have for me!¡± Back in the real world, Yori¡¯s body jerked and shook in response to the unknown. His friends could only watch with uncertainty at what was going on with him. He lasted longer than the few seconds that Nerine did in her attempt. And the toll on him became clear as blood started to drip down his nose from the strain. Seiji jumped up to grab for Yori before it could be permanent. However, Saki stepped in grabbing his wrist to restrain him. ¡°The hell, Saki?! He¡¯s in pain, this isn¡¯t working!¡± ¡°We have to believe in Yori. This is our last chance even if he¡¯s completely destroyed by this, this is something he has chosen to do. Respect his will.¡± ¡°Dammit! There¡¯s got to be a better way,¡± he shouted, snatching his arm back and turning away. They were going to stand in his way. None of them knew the danger that Yori might be in within the depth of Yumi¡¯s mind. The unknown potential of Yumi¡¯s mind created a looming fear in the room as Yori became more pained with each second that passed. They didn¡¯t know how much damage he would take before he was rejected. Did Yumi not want to be saved? Chapter 381 - The Uninvited ¡°Where am I?¡± Yori asked himself aloud. It had a bit of a rhetorical element to it. While he knew that he was inside his sister¡¯s conscious mind, it was easy to forget. The familiar was something very familiar. A weird sense of reality and fantasy. Things appeared real and his body knew that they were real. Yet his mind knew better. It did everything it could to prove it was right. That effort left him feeling almost queasy like he had a stomach flu. Yori tried to keep from throwing up. He didn¡¯t remember feeling that part before. ¡®Everything in here feels heightened. Like everything wants me to leave.¡¯ A very hostile intent hovered through the air. It took getting through the unease for him to pick up on it. ¡°This is very wrong. Yumi isn¡¯t like this.¡± The space suddenly changed, housed with fire and burning buildings. Smoke filled up his lungs making him curl over in a coughing fit. For not being real, it certainly seemed to feel that way. His body couldn¡¯t help reacting to it. The smoke was thick and impossible to see through as it rolled in on waves. Light highlights of red and orange lined edges of the smoke as the only sight of the flames consuming everything. It was impossibly oppressive. ¡°Because it isn¡¯t just her in here,¡± answered a woman with a very unfamiliar voice. There was a dark and mature tone not filled with menace, but still powerful. A voice that demanded respect and easily found it. Amongst the smoke Yori could see nothing of the woman. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± His mind started to run through who it could be. An immediate answer came to him. ¡°It¡¯s you! The one controlling my sister!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t belong here.¡± ¡°It¡¯s you that doesn¡¯t belong! Give my sister back to me!¡± ¡°You¡¯re as annoying as they said.¡± ¡°Who said?¡± He started to think that this wasn¡¯t the same person he had fought with before. It made his mind spin with doubt and questions. ¡®It¡¯s not that woman? Another?¡¯ Then he remembered the meeting that they had with Yuki. ¡®The unnamed one we don¡¯t know. Is that who this is?¡¯ ¡°Leave if you know what¡¯s good for you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not leaving without my sister!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have a choice.¡± A sudden blast of wind pulled all of the smoke away from around Yori. It dragged on him, making his feet slide back. ¡°I¡¯m not¡­leaving!¡± But he couldn¡¯t hold himself against the wind. Each second only made it grow stronger and stronger. Before long his feet lost contact with the ground and he flew up into the air cast away from everything. He crashed into the ground seeing a road stretched out before him. ¡°Huh? I¡¯m somewhere else now¡­¡± It took him a moment seeing something familiar that he hadn¡¯t seen in so long once more. It was almost welcoming. Until he felt something stabbed through his back. Pain jumped through his body after the shock of it wore off for him. It paralyzed him sharply. He couldn¡¯t even look to see who had attacked him. ¡°¡­n-no¡­¡± Yori breathed heavily with his face crushed against the pavement as his body felt impossibly heavy. Nothing moved. He was dead. Yori gasped for air suddenly nearly going lightheaded with it happening so fast. He looked around to see that he returned to his sister¡¯s side at the bed. Reality disappointedly returned. He stared down trying to figure out the wet sensation. Blood. He wiped it away from his mouth and nose with his sleeve. Then turned back to her not losing his determination. ¡°You succeed?¡± Seiji asked quickly, wanting to stop him again. Saki held Seiji back while Yori leaned in again to her. ¡°I¡¯m not finished. I¡¯m going back in.¡± Chapter 381 ¨C The Uninvited ¡°Yumi!¡± Yori shouted within her mind again. He had no clue what he was doing. He promised himself to find her and bring her back, but he had no way of knowing how to do it. It wasn¡¯t something that he really focused on at the start. But now that her mind fought back against him, it made him wonder what he was supposed to do. Unlike before, a large room with lanterns casting light across well polished wood floors stretched out before him. It had a very distinctive traditional Japanese feel to it. He didn¡¯t recognize the place. It couldn¡¯t be from Yumi¡¯s mind. ¡°Which one of you is it this time?¡±Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°You really don¡¯t know when to quit.¡± ¡°You!¡± He had never heard her voice before that wasn¡¯t from his sister¡¯s lips, but he recognized it immediately. The superior and confident tone that effortlessly stood above all else without peer. They were so far into the sky it seemed like no one could even see them. It was the woman that Yuki dubbed the Tactician. He knew it without her having to tell him. However, he couldn¡¯t find her. Yori walked forward in the well lit room towards the voice. The room never ended. It continued to grow as he walked in an endless repeating pattern of columns, lanterns and wood. ¡°Where are you?! I¡¯ll settle this with you now!¡± ¡°Fighting me won¡¯t find your sister.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not about that!¡± ¡°You¡¯re in our mind. You have no power here.¡± ¡°You expect that to stop me! You don¡¯t know me as well as you like to claim.¡± ¡°No, I know you very well. That¡¯s why you¡¯re there. You will continue this futile and fruitless case even to your own death. You believe your selfishness and ego-centric reasons will bear you results if you keep smashing your head against the wall. Foolishness.¡± Yori turned around in search of the woman, getting the feeling that he was being misdirected by her. Her voice couldn¡¯t be trusted. But she kept out of his sight. The distance only repeated what surrounded him. No walls or doors appeared in all of his walking. Being in the mind, such an impossible space was normal. They had him trapped. ¡°Then come out and face me!¡± ¡°That¡¯s unnecessary.¡± Once more something stabbed him in the back. He fell down collapsing to the wood planks spilling out his blood over the clean floor. In her mind, he really was helpless. They could do anything to him. He struggled to fight back in the only way that he could. Surviving. Though even that might have its limits. The second death came just as painful as the first. However, after the ninth he started to have trouble remembering each from the past. And then they started to lose their weight. He just felt tired and exhausted. ¡°Where am I?¡± he asked aloud, staring at a foggy space that he couldn¡¯t make out. ¡°It must be bad if I can¡¯t even see straight anymore¡­¡± But he wasn¡¯t dying repeatedly so he found some comfort in that. Yori fell on his back not even feeling it anymore. Everything became so numb for him. ¡°I just need a moment to rest¡­¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that if I were you,¡± replied an oddly familiar voice that he recognized, but couldn¡¯t place it. He turned his head about trying to find where the voice came from. Nothing. ¡°Another one of those persona...¡± Yori closed his eyes ready to deal with more death. A sharp jolt went through his body forcing him up. It felt different from all of the other attacks. ¡°Something new now?¡± ¡°I told you, you shouldn¡¯t sleep.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t listened to any of the voices in here, I¡¯m not about to listen to you. I¡¯m doing what I want.¡± He tried to close his eyes again to get much needed rest, but the jolt came again. Because it was so foreign to everything else that he had felt in the deaths, it actually hurt. ¡°Just kill me already.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got no interest in doing that.¡± And now they had his attention, though still blurry-eyed from all of the death-dealing. ¡°Then what do you want?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve come to let you know that I found her.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Who do you think?¡± Yori immediately jumped to his feet looking in the first direction that he saw. ¡°Yumi!? Who are you? Why are you helping me?¡± ¡°Because we share a common interest.¡± ¡°Common interest?¡± Yori found the voice puzzling and it clearly wanted it that way. The mysteriousness was annoying, but any clue about her he was going to jump at. ¡°Where is she?¡± ¡°It won¡¯t be easy, but I trust you¡¯ll be fine.¡± There was an odd sense of a laugh in their words even though they remained restrained. He ran out into the haze without concern. He just expected to get his answer. ¡°I don¡¯t care about how hard it is. Just take me to her!¡± The fog in his eyes started to clear with his mind finding focus once more. It was a room, a white normal appearing room. At the center was a table with a single chair. There was something very familiar to the sight that unsettled Yori a bit. However, he didn¡¯t dwell on it. His attention went to the voice. ¡°Show me!¡± ¡°Since you¡¯re awake now¡­let¡¯s go!¡± The room faded away sharply along with his footing. Yori flew through space led by the voice to where he might find her. He still didn¡¯t know what to expect on the other side. He hoped for something that wasn¡¯t so out of place as what the persona¡¯s presented. Yet that seemed to be the most normal. The blackness gave way to light and light fell into darkness. Out of the darkness crept a massive door or gate. A hulking behemoth of a structure that went far beyond his own sight. Connected to the gate ran a wall equally as imposing. But that was the normal part. Standing out in front of the gate was a pencil as a guard on the right. To the left, that bastard Yuki stood as though it was completely normal. Though with how screwed up he was he might not have found the surroundings strange. But Yori found it unnerving seeing papers, books, animals, desks, bentos, trees and dust paddles just flying around with life of their own. It looked like a mess as though it was someone¡¯s room. Yet it also appeared like a dream, as things that weren¡¯t alive looked and moved as though they were. Yori didn¡¯t know what he was seeing. ¡°Yumi¡¯s here?¡± ¡°Of course, idiot. This is subconscious layer one. The part of her that¡¯s closest to be awake. What you see is just a reflection of what¡¯s just below the surface of her thoughts. It tends to be filled with recent things.¡± ¡°And what about the guards?¡± He just accepted the explanation without any questioning. More important matters were at hand and he had to know how to open that gate to get through to her. This physical manifestation had to hold his sister and the key to waking her up. ¡°While I put them asleep you¡¯ll sneak in. The rest will be on you, buddy.¡± That was a plan he could work with. He put everything into his legs ready to sprint for the gate once he had the opening. There was no clue how long it would last. This was her mind and she was probably going to resist him. But he didn¡¯t even put that in his mind. Yori zeroed in on the gate and nothing else. He could picture his sister being behind it. First the clutter came to a stop and then the guards looked dizzy. Then they collapsed to the grass. The moment he heard the thud of them hitting earth, Yori flew out from his spot launching himself at the door. He hit the gate doors with an immovable crash. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect it to be easy. But this won¡¯t stop me!¡± Screaming his lung hoarse, Yori put all of his muscles in his body into moving the gate door. It seemed to be completely stone and impossible to move. Yet it didn¡¯t stop him from trying. He knew it would open if he pushed hard enough. His sister wouldn¡¯t be held from him any longer. ¡°Yumi! I¡¯m coming!¡± Suddenly, the door cracked and then shattered. Yori stumbled through crashing into the stone floor. But he didn¡¯t have time to think about his pain. He pulled his head back to look at what the inside was. ¡°What the hell is this?!¡± ¡°The labyrinth of the subconscious! Good luck!¡± Laid out before him wasn¡¯t just some walls that turned and twisted in a maze. The entire space was consumed by the so-called labyrinth. Twisting and turning pieces never ended and pockets into the endless void dotted the sights. It was like someone was trying to solve a Rubiks Cube. Everything was in a constant state of movement with no clear beginning or end. He couldn¡¯t even understand what was up or down as it even existed under him. ¡°Where are you, Yumi¡­¡± Chapter 382 - Labyrinth of the Subconscious Yori¡¯s voice echoed into the vast complex maze that stretched out before him. But it echoed in a strange way heightening the impossible nature of the place. The volume of his voice increased with each repeat and repeated at irregular patterns. Then it completely closed off in silence only to leap back in behind him near his ear. It sounded almost as if someone whispered it in his ear with seductive tickling. Chills went down his neck and back. As if he wasn¡¯t already on edge enough, the place itself easily assaulted his mind with impossible shapes and dimensions that he couldn¡¯t hope to comprehend with any sort of words or reference from his reality. He struggled to not allow it to completely break him. Yori wondered how long he could last and remain sane in such a place. ¡®The mind is truly a place we don¡¯t belong. I must find Yumi quickly before I end up like Athene and Nerine before me¡­¡¯ A step forward caused the entire ground he stood upon to shift into an entire new form. Once stone with an oddly medieval almost Western architecture became completely covered in grass and trees. Unchanged was the endless moving and transforming of the space out in the distance. Which unfortunately also meant all of the previous paths he used to have changed. No longer was there a way forward and to the left. The gate behind him now was the only path. Yori turned his body to match his head. There was only one course for him now. ¡°Is this Yumi telling me how to find her?¡± It was his only hope. He might have had mental abilities, but they were completely foreign to him. He had no practice with them and had no idea how they even functioned. So any sort of help from her would be welcome. As much as his determination hardened his resolve, a strange doubt grew like roots in stone creating cracks in his heart. Any bit of hope that Yori held onto quickly disappeared when his only path transformed into a fork. ¡°¡­Yumi? Are you doubting me?¡± The space that he existed in was a part of her mind. He could only guess that any change happened because of her. But it was only a guess. Chapter 382 ¨C Labyrinth of the Subconscious He could only follow one path as much as he would have liked to have some ability to clone himself. Having only a flip of a coin chance of being right made his mind ache. He only hoped that even a wrong path could become the right path if he did things right. But he had no basis for such hope. It wasn¡¯t long before more choices came to him. Hesitation did him no favors he knew. If he delayed it would only hurt his chances of finding his sister. Each second inside her mind chipped away at his own sanity. The mere presence of the place threatened him, he could only imagine how existing inside her had on his long term mental state. He still ran forward making choices merely on the feeling of his gut needing to find her quickly. If he was making progress he couldn¡¯t tell. There was no signal of her or an end to the maze. He had no clue how long he had been running, but he never tired, just as the maze never tired of changes. It was random and constant in a way that was impossible for him to find a pattern. He saw the same thing multiple times, but it didn¡¯t make it any easier for him to know which was the correct path to take. Then the other shoe dropped, in that the ground fell out from underneath Yori. Dirt crumbled to his step and quickly spread out, preventing him from even running away. Into the darkness he fell until crashing into hard stone. Groaning, it didn¡¯t feel as painful as he thought it would be, though it still hurt. ¡°Ugh¡­traps now?¡± Yori started to look around to get his bearings on the room. Fitting with the transitory nature of the maze, he couldn¡¯t find where he fell through. There was a ceiling acting as though it had always been there. As he stood up, there was only a single path for him. ¡°At least I know where to go¡­¡± He took it as a positive sign. Though he wasn¡¯t sure if he should have done that. The single hall quickly became forks once more and he returned to the same state as before. He rushed through each hall picking anything that made sense to him. Endless twists and turns piled up on him. A routine started to develop with it, even despite it being completely random. ¡®I think I¡¯m starting to figure this out¡­ Somehow this chaos makes a little bit of sense. I don¡¯t know how, but it does¡­¡¯ Suddenly the path came to an end. No wall saying it was a dead end, just no wall literally. The ground stopped and out beyond him was the rest of the maze twisting and churning about. Worst was that he couldn¡¯t see the path. ¡°Where am I supposed to go now?¡± He looked behind him and the path he took disappeared. It already completely changed and locked him away. This was the only way to go. ¡°I¡¯m supposed to just jump? But to where?¡± Kneeling down to the ground, he poked at the emptiness. He kept poking around at the air hoping for a sign, but came up short. ¡°So it¡¯s not one of those leaps of faith sorts of things where the path is just invisible. It¡¯s just not there at all.¡± Yori stepped back to take stock of things once more. He really only had one option and he knew it. ¡°I¡¯ve been running blind this whole time believing that Yumi is just in reach. No time to stop now.¡± It was the only path that he could take. That much he knew and understood. So he just had to push out the doubt and charge forward. A running leap, a leap into the void he expected. Everything was connected. He would end up somewhere. That much he could be certain of. He just didn¡¯t know where he would be. With nothing underneath him and the distance too far, it was only inevitable that he would fall into the darkness. But even that shifted to become something else. Nothing remained static and the void followed the same rules, if there could even be considered rules within such a place. He fell into a field of flowers. Multi-colored daisies and tulips filled the rolling hills that grew out before him. ¡°No more maze?¡± It was as confusing as anything else in this space. He couldn¡¯t make any more sense of it than anything else he found. Nothing he found really seemed to feel like it fit his sister. He expected things that might represent her, but all that ended at the guards of the gate. Inside, he could make nothing out of any of it. It was just a mess in the least logical way.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. But the colorful sight gave him a bit of a change of pace from narrow passages. Despite being in an open field it somehow felt just as tightly packed and claustrophobic as the hallways. And worse, he had even less guidance on his path. He could only pick a direction and keep running. Unlike in the walled areas of the maze, he could actually see the sun and clouds. A sense of time and progression actually seemed to hold meaning. Which only made it worse when it became night and he still kept running. The field never ended and never changed. ¡°I almost wish I could have the hallways back. I sort of felt like I was making progress even though it was still just as endless as this field of flowers.¡± But his wish wouldn¡¯t be granted. Time continued to pass only making the sense of eternity worse. Without the time he had no idea how long he had been searching. In his mind he could still rationalize reality and perception as to different things. It might have felt like hours, but it was only minutes. Now he knew it was wrong. He had been running in the field for four days without stopping. That itself seemed impossible to him. But he never fatigued or wished to stop to catch his breath. Which meant he could continually search for her even without sleep as well. But the same sight began to sour on him even more. Seeing no change at all ended up being worse for him. ¡°I just want anything different now. Even the black void would be welcome right now¡­ I feel like I¡¯m going to go insane just from seeing flowers¡­¡± Which seemed like a very real possibility for Yori after a week. ¡°¡­Yumi¡­¡± he muttered as even her name started to lose any sort of meaning to him. ¡°Yumi? Who is that? I keep saying it, but why?¡± Yori shook his head as the flashes of forgetfulness threatened him. ¡°No, I must find her. I will. You can¡¯t stop me!¡± Finally, the fields came to an end. He reached the point where there was nothing more. ¡°We meet again,¡± he said to the void. ¡°How long has it been now? Weeks?¡± Without even hesitation anymore, he stepped into the void for it to consume him. Flat on his back, he didn¡¯t even feel the pain of the fall. He didn¡¯t remember if there was pain. Just a different and welcome ceiling. ¡°I remember you¡­¡± It returned to him. The labyrinth that he thought he had escaped. Yet now there was something wrong with the place. Walls stopped being a thing. There were only surfaces in an endless tessellation. And out there was himself. ¡°Why is there more than one of me?¡± There were countless other Yoris running everywhere. Each one shouting out for someone called Yumi. ¡°So I¡¯m searching for Yumi as well then?¡± He began to run like the others did. It only made sense. If they ran it must be because it was important. They had somewhere to be, to find. They had to find Yumi. ¡°I must find Yumi too.¡± That was his purpose. Right? Time held no meaning anymore. He just kept running along the path. The sense of the warped space didn¡¯t even unnerve him anymore. It just made sense. It was natural. This was the way things should be. Direction was an empty word for him in such a space. Run. Run. ¡°¡­Yumi¡­¡± Another Yori passed by. They always passed by. Each one had a path and course. Their paths intersected regularly. It was easier to cover more ground with them. They would find Yumi this way for sure. The goal would be found. However, as the running continued few of them crossed paths as regularly. It seemed time started to mean something. There looked to be fewer Yoris. None of them found what they sought, yet there were fewer with each passing course. ¡°¡­tired¡­I¡­Yori¡­is tired¡­¡± Those that still held strong no longer ran. It became a sprint, even though a sprint was short it was just an endless short sprint. But they started to jog and then walk. Eventually, they could only crawl. Collapsed on the ceiling, they couldn¡¯t move anymore. Fatigue finally struck and it wasn¡¯t the same sort of push through fatigue that normally existed. It was completely empty and drained, no reserves, no extra will of fortitude or determination to draw upon fatigue. An immovable fatigue that glued them to the wall. ¡°¡­can¡¯t¡­move¡­Yumi¡­must¡­find¡­¡± It was the end. They wanted to keep searching, but it was impossible. Nothing would move their bodies anymore. They could only lay and it wasn¡¯t even a rest. The fatigue and heavy breathing never ended. It continued no matter how still they remained. It couldn¡¯t be escaped or eased. They were finished. ¡°¡­I must¡­¡± They paused suddenly, not remembering. ¡°What¡­was¡­I¡­?¡± Lying on the floor was their purpose. That must be it. That was what they could only conclude. They never moved. It was something that they had never done before. It only made sense. ¡°¡­here¡­¡± A voice echoed through the chamber. It called out to them. Something familiar about it alerted them. They didn¡¯t know why it was familiar. But it had their attention. ¡°You must find her! Find your sister, Yumi!¡± ¡°¡­sister? Yumi? I¡­was?¡± It made no sense to them. That couldn¡¯t be right. ¡°¡­bas¡­tard¡­¡± It felt familiar to him. He seemed to remember something. Yori lifted his head knowing that voice. ¡°Hayashi¡­you don¡¯t have to remind me. I will find her! I will find YUMI!!¡± He stood up on his feet once more as he shouted into the void. All around him the others disappeared into dust. Then the surfaces disappeared with shattering. The space created within the subconscious broke and all that remained was a familiar room of comfort. ¡°Yumi¡¯s room¡­¡± He walked over to her bed seeing her sleeping peacefully without any concern or worry. It made him smile a little to see that she could be safe and unaware of everything. His sister had been protected. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, he reached out for her hand. ¡°Yumi¡­it¡¯s time to wake up now¡­¡± ¡°Yori!¡± shouted another familiar and annoying voice from a distance. It pulled him away from her room, but it was fine now. He didn¡¯t have to worry anymore. ¡°Yori! Can you hear me?!¡± He groaned in pain as his body and mind ached like nothing he had ever known before. It felt like he had stayed awake for a whole month studying without any sleep or break. Nothing more could be crammed into his brain. And he already forgot everything he had learned. He was useless. ¡°Yes¡­I can hear your annoying voice¡­where are you?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t scare us like that man!¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°You stopped breathing for a moment. We thought you died!¡± ¡°¡­oh¡­¡± ¡°Is that all you can say?!¡± Yori didn¡¯t really have much more he could say to Seiji. He couldn¡¯t even see him. His eyes wouldn¡¯t open. ¡°I just exhausted myself a little. I¡¯m too tired to even open my eyes.¡± ¡°What are you talking about, your eyes are open and completely red.¡± ¡°Open? But I see nothing¡­¡± He suddenly thought back to Athene and what happened to her while she was in his mind. It robbed her of her sight. The reason for it never made any sense to him. He could only speculate that the experience destroyed her mind in a unique way that it no longer could make a connection. ¡°This is my price then¡­¡± ¡°Price?¡± ¡°Never mind that, Yumi? Is she awake?¡± ¡°I am¡­¡± Yumi said softly to everyone¡¯s surprise. Chapter 383 - Awakened Mind ¡°Yumi!¡± shouted Yori before anyone else got to it. He fumbled around with his hands to reach her in his blindness. ¡°You¡¯re back!¡± She held a slight bit of hesitation until she answered, ¡°I am¡­thank you.¡± Relief spread through Yori''s body so far it nearly made him faint. ¡®I succeeded! I did it!¡¯ It didn¡¯t matter to him that he couldn¡¯t see her. Just knowing the fact that she was awake and saved was all he needed. All the stress and tension disappeared from his body almost instantly at that point. He fell backwards completely losing all of his strength followed by consciousness. ¡°Yori?! Hey man!¡± Yuki walked around and placed a hand on Seiji¡¯s shoulder to stop him from trying to shake him too hard. ¡°He¡¯s just exhausted. Going through all of that had to be mentally draining. Let him rest.¡± Seiji gave him a slow nod as it made sense to him. ¡°Right¡­he¡¯ll be all better once he wakes up.¡± Watching Seiji carry Yori over to one of the beds, Yuki couldn¡¯t help but feel a little sadness for Seiji¡¯s hopefulness. He knew what he referred to and doubted it was going to be so simple. ¡®It¡¯s just like what happened with Athene, though I thought with Yori being enhanced such things could have been avoided. I guess even for him it was a painful experience¡­ How am I going to explain this to Yumi? She¡¯s going to blame herself for it.¡¯ The scene back around Yumi held a positive and cheerful mood. Not the sort of atmosphere to step on with bad news. Though Yuki suspected the others were acutely aware of the situation. It was just easier to be swept up with the cheer, something they did finally succeeded. A hard win, but it finally felt like a win. Even though it came at a price. One thing at a time, he told himself. Yuki returned with a smile. ¡°You must be starved, Yumi. You haven¡¯t eaten for more than a week!¡± Yumi thought about it and found it surprising that she wasn¡¯t nearly as hungry as she thought. Then remembered an odd memory that wasn¡¯t her own. ¡®I guess they took care of me¡­¡¯ She still nodded in agreement though, food sounded good. Chapter 383 ¨C Awakened Mind ¡°What happened with Hiroshi and Takako?¡± Yumi asked from the seat at the table. They only had simple things for her prepared, but she could munch away while getting caught up to speed on events. ¡°I feel like a lot of time has passed.¡± It was the first sort of thing that everyone wondered. If she remembered the terrible events that she played party to, even while under Takako¡¯s control. Saki and Yuki exchanged glances with each other to figure out what details to give and what to withhold. They both knew things weren¡¯t going to be easy. ¡°What¡¯s the last thing you remember?¡± opened Yuki, staving off for a moment dark tales. Drinking on her water, she tried to recall what happened. ¡®There¡¯s large blanks in my mind that I can¡¯t seem to recall even though I get a strange feeling that I wasn¡¯t knocked out then. What happened?¡¯ Once she set down the cup, she looked over at Yuki. ¡°I remember being forced to fight against Katsumi and Kaede. The woman with Hiroshi showed up, but things get blurry at that point.¡± ¡®She doesn¡¯t remember any of the time while she was under Takako¡¯s control then,¡¯ Saki thought, recalling some of the things that happened while under Yumi¡¯s orders. ¡®For now I¡¯ll keep what I know a secret. It¡¯s not really anything that will do her any good. No point ruining her first day as herself again.¡¯ Leaving out details, Saki knew that she had to be a little creatively selective with the details that she gave. ¡°Takako¡¯s dead now.¡± Starting out simply made the most sense. ¡°She¡¯s dead?! What happened?¡± She looked over at Yuki, almost pleading with him for it not to be true. ¡°We wanted to save her, right?¡± Yuki hung his head low, reminded of how he had failed Takako. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Yumi. It¡¯s the truth. I was unable to save her. She refused to accept my offer.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Hiroshi did it,¡± interjected Saki to correct what Yumi was assuming from Yuki¡¯s misleading self-pity. ¡°Yuki refused to kill her like she wanted. He tried to save her to the very end, but she had already caused too many deaths and ruined too many lives to be allowed to live.¡± Hearing such heartless words from Saki left Yumi in a momentary state of shock. Her hand pressed against the table trying to keep herself together. She couldn¡¯t believe what she was hearing from her friend. ¡°Takako was your friend, Saki. How can you be so cold?¡±Stolen story; please report. ¡°The Takako I knew was long gone by the time I met her. It was a mercy for her.¡± ¡°Saki!¡± ¡°Or would you have preferred to let Yuki find a cure for her and force her to remember all of the atrocities that she ordered while she was driven completely insane by her powers?¡± Saki became a little distant as her mind started to wander to dark thoughts. ¡°She was never going to be the same. She¡¯s at least has peace now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s so sad¡­¡± Yumi stood up from the table and walked her empty plate over to the sink. Running the water over the leftover food, she tried to think of other things, but her mind kept imagining how things had played out. The last moments of Takako¡¯s life hung in her mind. She wasn¡¯t even there, but she couldn¡¯t help but feel for her. Internally, she tried to get rid of these dark dreams. It was the past now and she could do nothing about it. She turned around to look at the table and then the room. It wasn¡¯t as filled as she expected. ¡°What about everyone else?¡± Yuki looked around the room to put together everyone that was missing from their group. ¡°Fumiko disappeared not too long after she fully recovered, but she¡¯s alive. Haruo is being himself and just hanging around downstairs. He¡¯s helping out with those still recovering. Chiharu is still doing her own thing and we haven¡¯t heard from her. Nerine has joined us and she¡¯s sleeping off her fatigue right now. We lost a lot of people, but we at least saved more than we lost. It¡¯s the only consolation right now¡­¡± ¡°Hey, look at the bright side,¡± Seiji shouted with full energy, ¡°We got Yumi back! There might be a lot of bad things right now, but this can start our winning streak!¡± ¡°Always annoyingly positive¡­¡± ¡°Hey Saki, it¡¯s not healthy to be so negative and serious all the time.¡± ¡°And it¡¯s not realistic to think everything¡¯s just going to work out because we try.¡± ¡°What the hell!? Yumi just woke up, she doesn¡¯t need to be feeling your soreness! Be happy for a moment! Something good happened!¡± Amongst the arguing, Yumi felt a little awkward. She wanted to step in and stop them, but it was difficult. Though in a way, it made her happy to see that they seemed more like themselves. ¡®I don¡¯t remember Saki being so cynical, but it¡¯s still her. They never really saw eye to eye, but it at least doesn¡¯t feel as oppressively heavy anymore¡­ But I¡¯m going to have to ruin that mood¡­¡¯ Yumi sat back down at the table. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for my comments, Saki.¡± She brushed off any more happy remarks from Seiji by sitting back down at the table. The look in Yumi¡¯s eyes told her enough. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I know my opinion is the unpopular one in our group. You don¡¯t have to feel as though you¡¯re wrong for the way you¡¯re thinking.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°You are who you are and I¡¯m who I am. We can disagree and still get along because we¡¯re friends, Yumi. So don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°Thank you, Saki¡­¡± It was a bit of relief off her shoulders. Despite being dark about the reality, she kept pragmatism about as well. ¡®Saki¡¯s really different¡­ She¡¯s changed so much since this all started¡­and yet here I am the same as before¡­ Helpless and having to be rescued¡­¡¯ After Atlantis things were supposed to be different for her. That was the plan, but it didn¡¯t turn out like that. She just ended up back where she was before. It made her shoulders bend down under the weight of her expectations. Saki leaned forward and sat Seiji back down at the table to keep him from flailing about endlessly on his happiness tirade. ¡°So what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got something on your mind. Something that¡¯s not about Takako.¡± Yumi pulled back a little in surprise. She didn¡¯t think that she was being so transparent. ¡°You knew?¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s having to do with your missing time?¡± She was right on target. Saki kept surprising her with the accuracy of her points. Nodding her head, Yumi began to fidget a little with her hands. It wasn¡¯t an easy subject for her. However, they already risked much to rescue her. So she couldn¡¯t keep it to herself anymore. ¡°This isn¡¯t the first time that I¡¯ve lost control of myself.¡± ¡°You remember the other times?¡± ¡°Not fully. When they take over, it¡¯s like I¡¯m asleep and awake. I¡¯m a passive viewer of what happens, but can¡¯t do anything to stop it. But this time it didn¡¯t feel the same as the others.¡± Yuki nodded in agreement. They didn¡¯t have Yumi¡¯s perspective of matters, but it was clear that something had changed. He chalked much of it up to Takako, since they were protecting Yumi from Takako. But it wasn¡¯t the same as before. ¡°They only surfaced while you were in combat, right?¡± ¡°Yes, in desperate moments they protected me. I¡¯m still alive because of them, but they¡¯ve done terrible things while in control. The longer that I was in Atlantis the stronger and more frequently their connection to me seemed to become.¡± ¡°Connection?¡± ¡°One of them spoke to me without taking over. They¡¯re growing stronger and now¡­how long did they have control?¡± ¡°A few days¡­¡± ¡°I fear what might happen the next time. Yori, my brother, had to nearly kill himself just to free me from their control. What if I¡¯m lost completely next time and it¡¯s just them¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ll save you again!¡± asserted Seiji on boundless optimism. ¡°Seiji¡­¡± ¡°She¡¯s right,¡± Saki agreed, ¡°What are you thinking? Do you have an idea for countering their control?¡± Yumi sank back in her chair. ¡°Sadly, no¡­ That¡¯s why I felt I should bring it up now. You¡¯ve become involved in this already. So there¡¯s no use in me hiding it from you anymore.¡± She stared at her hand knowing what it had to do to keep her alive. It wasn¡¯t always her hand. This wasn¡¯t the way that she wanted to live. ¡°You want to be able to control them, right?¡± Yuki noted, already seeing the patterns. ¡°Yes, they keep taking me over without any sort of regard for what I want. Do you have some ideas?¡± ¡°If anyone would, it''s Yuki. All those books of yours got to mean something, right?¡± Yuki gave Seiji a slightly annoyed expression for him, relying on his genre knowledge to be used to help Yumi. Unfortunately, Yuki couldn¡¯t really be that upset with him. He wasn¡¯t wrong. ¡°As much as it doesn¡¯t feel like a compliment, I do have an idea. But it¡¯s not going to be easy.¡± Seiji jumped up with excitement to hear a new plan. ¡°Nothing worth doing is easy!¡± A sigh came from Saki having to listen to Seiji eagerness once more. But she stood up ready for a plan. Yumi had a very real worry with her split personalities taking over. They needed to be under control. This most recent incident made that clear. ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to need to borrow Phoibe¡¯s business!¡± Chapter 384 - Custom Reality Seiji looked a little confused at Yuki''s declaration as did Yumi. She tried to run it through her head, what Yuki might be thinking of doing. ¡®Phoibe¡¯s business? She just has those holographic machines. But how will that help us?¡¯ Yumi couldn¡¯t fight her curiosity now that he brought it up. The only guess she had was those machines, but they only act on programmed data. ¡°What can those machines do?¡± ¡°Machines?¡± ¡®Oh right, Seiji wasn¡¯t there for it,¡¯ Yumi remembered. Yuki already started to head down taking the lead. They had to quickly follow if they didn¡¯t want to miss out on what he had planned. ¡°Phoibe¡¯s business that she runs is a virtual reality bar. Think karaoke, but replace it with virtual reality.¡± They made it down a flight while Seiji listened before questioning back. ¡°That stuff you put on your head?¡± ¡°No, her¡¯s a lot more complicated and advanced. It¡¯s closer to science fiction than reality.¡± ¡°How the hell can she run a fake business!? Won¡¯t it expose her powers?¡± ¡°Her place is pretty private and a selective clientele.¡± ¡°But anyone could just talk about any of this!¡± Yuki opened the door to the ground floor. ¡°Considering what she runs here, I suspect she¡¯s put measures into place. Phoibe is a very cautious woman.¡± He still grumbled to himself. ¡°And they call me stupid¡­¡± But he quickly silenced himself as Phoibe popped up in the lobby. In the rear keeping watch over the desk was Hanabira, she kept a casual eye out for them at the edge of her vision while still holding the door and desk in her sights. Staring at Yuki¡¯s back with curiosity, she approached alongside as Phoibe stepped forward. There appeared to be a slight smirk on the woman¡¯s face. Yumi doubted that she knew what Yuki wanted, not that Phoibe didn¡¯t play it like she knew everything. She was a mysterious, yet confident woman. It was something that she couldn¡¯t help but have some admiration for watching her work. ¡®I wonder if that comes with age or something inherent¡­¡¯ ¡°What are you needing?¡± Seeing how quickly Phoibe picked up on things made it easy for him. Yuki grinned a little and looked for a moment to his right at Yumi. ¡°I¡¯m wanting to borrow one of your rooms for a while.¡± ¡°They¡¯re not cheap if you recall.¡± ¡°I think I can find some suitable compensation.¡± ¡°Is that so? My rooms are meant for entertainment, not what you have in mind.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t sell yourself short.¡± ¡°Yuki? What¡¯s going on?¡± Yumi still hadn¡¯t pieced things together. She felt like she had a bit of it figured out. Yet the whole picture remained unseen. ¡°I don¡¯t think creating copies of them is going to get the results you¡¯re wanting.¡± He broke away from Phoibe to face Yumi directly. ¡°We aren¡¯t going to be making copies. We¡¯re going to be hooking the device straight up to your mind and projecting it through the holographic projectors.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not possible, it doesn¡¯t work like that.¡± A smirk came across his face that Yumi didn¡¯t follow. He looked away from her and back to Phoibe. ¡°That¡¯s not accurate. Your machines read surface level conscious thoughts as a way to customize the simulation.¡± ¡°Yuki?¡± ¡°Remember the first time we were here? When Jun recreated our neighborhood and¡­¡± Yuki choked on his words suddenly. She could tell that his memories still easily affected him. It wasn¡¯t something he would get over any time soon. ¡°What we saw wasn¡¯t something pre-programmed. It was too specific to actually be there even with Jun punching it in. It wasn¡¯t until later that I realized it had to be reading our minds. In that case, Jun knew what he wanted and it created¡­it¡­¡± ¡°Is this true?¡± Phoibe clapped her hands together at Yuki¡¯s deduction. ¡°I¡¯m impressed you figured it out. Though given the time to think about it after the fact, it¡¯s not that surprising you¡¯d eventually put it together.¡± There was a biting tone of condescension in her voice that broke Yuki out of his fog. It almost seemed deliberate on her part to cut to the heart of things. Sobered up, Yuki could focus on her clear minded. ¡°So how about it? The thrill of the unknown and taboo payment enough for you?¡± ¡°You know how to package up a gift, boy.¡± She snapped a finger summoning Ha to her side. ¡°Get the room prepped.¡± ¡°Yes, Mistress.¡± The normally spiteful and contrary child immediately snapped to attention and marched on her orders without a single question. She disappeared down the hall quickly before anyone could even follow or question what was happening. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. The Atlantean woman gave a playful smile to the group. ¡°I¡¯ve got just the room for your needs. But I¡¯ll need some time to make adjustments. And this girl.¡± Chapter 384 ¨C Custom Reality Following Phoibe alone, Yumi still had a little bit of unease around the woman. She knew it would be fine, but she didn¡¯t know what she had planned. The adjustments required her. It surprised her to find that the room was just a normal room. ¡®The way that she talked, I sort of imagined that she had something else in mind. Some secret room that we hadn¡¯t seen before.¡¯ Without Phoibe taking action, the door opened on its own only to reveal Ha inside the standard VR room. ¡°It¡¯s been prepared, Mistress.¡± ¡°Good. Make sure to grab the out of order sign for the room.¡± Phoibe stepped into the room inviting Yumi inside as well. In a bit of caution, Yumi poked her head inside first. The room looked no different from what she remembered before. She searched for differences, but couldn¡¯t find any. ¡®What does she have planned? I feel like I¡¯m missing something¡­¡¯ ¡°C¡¯mon in, I don¡¯t bite¡­much,¡± she added with a grin. Phoibe went around to the back of the couch stretching her arm down. If it weren¡¯t for the out of place device in the center and the lack of a TV it would very easily pass for a karaoke room. Yumi didn¡¯t really have much choice. She wanted to control what existed inside her and if Yuki thought this was the best chance at it, she couldn¡¯t turn away. It wasn¡¯t as though Phoibe would do anything bad. There just remained reservations about the whole effort. Regardless, she stepped into the room, which on cue suddenly dropped a few centimeters under her foot. Not enough to actually throw her off balance, but she still braced herself against the wall to find balance. After the initial drop, it evened out and steadily moved down. The entire room moved as the elevator. Yumi had trouble holding back her surprise. ¡°A secret elevator?!¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t think I did all of my work up there did you?¡± She slowly turned around to see if there was anything she missed. It merely existed as a transport, a completely inconspicuous one. ¡®There¡¯s more that we haven¡¯t seen¡­what secrets are down here?¡¯ Yumi had little time to wonder about what Phoibe kept out of prying eyes. The room came to an eased stop and a new hall opened up for them. Phoibe took the lead guiding her to their destination. The notion that everything that she wanted to keep private was hidden down here made Yumi more than a little curious. She wanted to know what sort of things she might have. Despite her helping them out and providing so much she kept everything surrounding her past a secret. Yumi knew it had to be for reasons, but she felt a strong urge to know what they were. However, the hall gave away very little to reveal anything about the woman. It held a simple, very Japanese design that felt a little out of place given the underground tunnel aspect of the hall. Even the doors looked like rice paper doors rather than heavy steel ones. ¡®She really likes Japanese aesthetics¡­¡¯ While they walked Phoibe closed a door that had been left open before Yumi got to it. The slightly hurried way she went about it while trying to look casual seemed a little suspicious. Her curiosity grew again wanting to know more. Yumi found herself stalled staring at it weighing her options with the consequences. ¡°There¡¯s nothing of interest to you inside that room. Yuki would find it more appealing.¡± ¡°Yuki would¡­¡± she repeated making her even more curious. There were a lot of different things that came to mind when Yuki was brought up. She didn¡¯t seem to be exactly hiding it, but she also didn¡¯t want her going in. But knowing what Yuki would like about it made it an irresistible compulsion to know. She stretched out her hand to the handle. Any restraint she had couldn¡¯t hold her back. She wanted to know. It was too hard to tease and not show. ¡®Yuki¡­¡¯ A hand appeared out of nowhere and grabbed her wrist stopping her before she could even make a crack. Yumi yelped in surprise and looked at the hand, a disembodied hand that stopped just half way up the forearm. It had a feminine shape and delicate touch, she thought it was Phoibe. However, as she looked down the hall the woman still kept walking away from her. ¡®Her powers are active?¡¯ It was a question that she didn¡¯t really get a good answer for, other than one. She wasn¡¯t allowed inside. Secrets were meant to remain is what she was being told. Yumi hurried along to catch up to Phoibe to reach the end of the hall and their destination finally. A room not too unlike the size and shape of the one that they rode down. It just lacked any of the comfort and homeliness the other provided. With solid gray metal walls and a pile of strange looking parts that Yumi could only assume to be spare machine pieces, it had the atmosphere of a workshop. A place of work rather than play exuded through the air. ¡°Welcome to the source of my business.¡± ¡°The source?¡± That seemed like a strange way of stating it since Yumi knew that the source of her business was her power, not some machine. She used her power like Yuki would to craft the machines. And like him, when he wanted to make something real, she used real materials to do it. ¡°But you made the machines.¡± Phoibe placed a hand on the wall as a panel slid away to reveal a digital display. It had a familiar look to the ones in the rooms above that controlled the simulation program. ¡°I designed and perfected the machines I made in this room. And all of my failures.¡± ¡®¡­failures¡­¡¯ Yumi thought, as her mind pictured the corner she saw. However, she didn¡¯t get much time to react as the ceiling opened up to reveal a large machine. With cables running through the ceiling and orbs decorating with some unknown intent, it started to look a little more like the inside of some alien ship rather than a workshop. At the center a circular hole appeared in the floor allowing a chair access up. Phoibe walked over to the back of the chair with a holographic display appearing for her to interface with the machine. ¡°This is the completed prototype I made based on my original design. After some play testing I changed my design realizing that this was both inconvenient and significantly more than I needed for a business.¡± The chair was offered to Yumi. She slowly approached trying to figure it all out still, as she was getting information overload. This wasn¡¯t the same sort of machine from above. She didn¡¯t have the technical knowledge to understand any of it, though she wondered if someone like Phoibe even did either, given her homeland. Even without that knowledge, she could tell this was on a completely different scale and scope than the others. It felt powerful and overbearing in an uncomfortable way. ¡®I can understand why she changed her design¡­¡¯ ¡°Sit, I need to get the machine adjusted to your brain waves. This isn¡¯t just going to be a surface level venture, so it¡¯s going to need to be calibrated for you.¡± ¡°What about the others?¡± ¡°Once I¡¯m finished with the prep work, I¡¯ll call them down. I won¡¯t start the program until they are present.¡± ¡®Walking through my mind thanks to virtual reality¡­it makes sense. How come Yuki didn¡¯t think of that to rescue me? Wouldn¡¯t it be safer on Yori than what he had to suffer?¡¯ She didn¡¯t have much opportunity to think about the what ifs. The past was behind her and she couldn¡¯t change it. Phoibe waited for her to get into the chair. Tapping away at the air, Phoibe kept focused on the machine that hadn¡¯t seen work in more than a decade. ¡°Just relax, it¡¯ll make the process faster,¡± she commanded once Yumi fit herself into the slightly oversized chair. As she tried to start the program an error flashed in front of it. ¡°Relax, the machine can¡¯t get a read on you.¡± ¡°I am¡­as best as I can¡­¡± ¡°¡­hmm¡­¡± Phoibe typed away looking into the situation before stopping again. ¡°Looks like I don¡¯t have enough computing power to even peek into your brain.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s a dead end?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have enough right now. Who do you think you¡¯re talking to?¡± The Atlantean immediately started work on correcting the problem created by the unique superhuman abilities that Yumi presented. It wasn¡¯t long before the entire room was filled with blinking lights that looked like they might be doing something. Ready to try again, Phoibe activated the machine and a display of Yumi¡¯s brain appeared floating in the air. Using the holographic projections, it looked to finally start connecting and mapping her mental pathways, but with a worrisome low percentage. ¡°.001%...this is going to take longer than I expected.¡± Suddenly, a flash of light filled the room, blinding them. ¡°Miss Phoibe? Is this normal?¡± she asked, not really sure what to be expecting. The light faded away giving Phoibe a view of the monitor once more to see the results. ¡°Something¡¯s wrong¡­there¡¯s feedback¡­¡± She looked around the large chair to see a woman standing before them in tattered armor looking like a variant on fourteenth century samurai armor. ¡°I¡¯m losing control of the system¡­¡± Chapter 385 - Seized Heart ¡°Miss Phoibe?!¡± Yumi shouted from the chair with panic starting to set into her mind. She wasn¡¯t certain what was happening anymore or even if what she was seeing was real or fake. Within her mind, she wanted to believe it was fake, but it appeared so real. The woman before her suddenly locked eyes with Yumi drawing attention towards her. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± A surprising amount of hesitation surfaced within Phoibe''s voice as she replied, ¡°An external force is trying to take over the system. I can¡¯t lock down the source¡­¡± Her fingers rapidly tapped through the control panels trying to wrestle with the unknown intruder. However, the system was never designed to do such a thing. Phoibe reactively altered her powers to adapt to the attack and change the machine, yet even that didn¡¯t seem to be slowing it down. ¡°¡­damn¡­ It¡¯s faster than I can block it off.¡± Left without any recourse, she turned away from the chair and rushed to the wall panel. Her finger slammed into the large raised button acting as the cut off switch for the whole system. In moments, everything came to a grinding halt devoid of any light. Emergency lights flickered on seconds later returning the room to some semblance of safety. Though the bright white lights left unease in the air that couldn¡¯t be dispelled so easily. Yumi sank into the chair as much as she could with some relief. The pounding in her heart finally started to slow down a bit. Once she felt recovered enough, she turned around to look back at Phoibe. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure myself. It happened shortly after I started mapping your mind.¡± Materializing a semi-transparent slab, it began to light up with data. She ran her fingers over the surface examining the readings of her machines. ¡°If I was to take a guess, it was your mental defense. Given how you¡¯ve all changed I didn¡¯t take into account the vastly different scale at which you sit. The strange aspect is that if I¡¯m theorizing accurately, your mind was trying to take control of the system. The materialization of that woman seemed to be the first step.¡± She jumped out of the chair out of caution, it might have been shut down, but she still had no clear understanding of how her powers functioned. The fact that it did whatever it wanted without her command was frightening. She wasn¡¯t going to risk it doing something even with it powered off. ¡°So it¡¯s a dead end¡­¡± Yumi tried not to sound so disheartened after she had hoped to control her powers, but she was out of options now. Phoibe shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m just going to need a little more time to tweak the system. The benefit of this machine is that it easily adapts to my power. So I just have to make it more powerful and account for the needed security to keep your mental defenses from entering.¡± She tapped on the wall exposing the walls and floor to the vast machine that she constructed. Yumi only had a narrow path out of the room. The sight before her made her realize why this was more than needed for her business. It was a complicated network twisted and spun around in ways that she could never hope to understand. She questioned if even the Atlantean could understand the mess. ¡®¡­she sounds confident¡­is there still a chance?¡¯ ¡°In the meantime, you can return to your friends. I¡¯ll summon you all once I¡¯m ready. The company of your friends should also help to find a stable and safe environment for you.¡± Chapter 385 ¨C Seized Heart Back up on the third floor, Yumi¡¯s return came with the explanation. Once she finished, everyone stood still taking it all in before Seiji interjected. ¡°So we¡¯ve still got a chance!¡± He appeared to be ignoring the potentially negative aspects that came along with it. Saki wanted to hit him for his blind optimism, but she noticed what he was doing. All she had was a pessimistic view of the situation comparatively. ¡°Do you still want to go through with it, Yumi?¡± ¡°I think so. We can shut the power off again if it doesn¡¯t work out. The benefits outweigh the risks in my mind.¡± Yuki placed a reassuring hand on Yumi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Miss Phoibe knows what she¡¯s doing. You¡¯ll be fine.¡± He then looked over to the beds where Yori rested. ¡°We might have a harder time convincing him of that though, given what happened.¡± ¡°Then we won¡¯t tell him.¡± ¡°Yumi?!¡± Saki and Yuki said in unison with equal amounts of shock. Neither of them could believe that she would suggest lying to her own brother. They stared over the table at each other trying to silently discuss things between them. However, Yumi stood up interrupting them before they tried to find something to sway her from the course. ¡°This is my power and body. My life, not his. If I want to risk this then it¡¯s not for him to tell me I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Well¡­yes, it¡¯s your decision, but are you really wanting to leave your brother in the dark on this?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve made the decision. Speak about none of this to him. All he needs to know is that this will give me the chance to finally control my powers. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to be risking my life doing this. He doesn¡¯t need this holding him back.¡± Stepping away from the table, Seiji isolated himself from the group. His arms came up crossed against his chest. ¡°I don¡¯t like it, but I understand how you¡¯re feeling¡­¡± He became a little distant as something recalled to him. Yuki ran his hand through his hair roughing it up a little as he seemed to be struggling with it. A sigh eventually came from his lips with a resolution. ¡°Fine¡­you¡¯re right it¡¯s not a huge risk since we can just turn off the power.¡± He turned to face the door already in motion. ¡°I¡¯m going to see if she needs some assistance. Plus, I doubt he¡¯s going to be thrilled to hear this plan coming from me.¡± This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Sensing something was a little off with the way Yuki moved, she turned to go after him. ¡°Won¡¯t your powers cancel out Miss Phoibe due to your strength?¡± ¡°Miss Phoibe is quite skilled. As long as I don¡¯t go full power it¡¯ll be fine.¡± He seemed set on helping out Phoibe. There wasn¡¯t going to be anything that she could do to convince him away from it. ¡®I¡¯d go with him if it actually meant something, but I¡¯d just be in the way¡­¡¯ She would have to let him go on his own. ¡°Just make sure to stay on the path,¡± she warned, remembering what Phoibe told her about the underground. He gave her a confused nod before he disappeared from the room. They were left waiting for both Yori and Phoibe. None of them had a clue how long it would take for Phoibe to finish even if Yuki helped. Their powers could make anything happen. So it could be fast. Which meant that they were mostly waiting for Yori to wake. Awaiting Yori left things fairly empty. Hiroshi paid a visit which ran smoothly thanks to the absence of Yuki to mount the tension. Saki and him discussed matters in private before he left once more. Yumi hadn¡¯t really been brought up to speed on everything happening as she realized from watching them. Something was clearly going on between them that she missed from being out. She only picked up that they had to be making plans of some sort. However, bad ideas came up while waiting and bored. Bad ideas that were ignorant and stumbled upon. Yumi looked over at Saki in all of the things that she still didn¡¯t know about. In all the personal dilemmas she had forgotten something very important. ¡°Saki, this might not be a good time to ask, but what happened to Katsumi and Kaede?¡± She was so caught up in her own things that she couldn¡¯t believe she forgot about her friends. They were so important to her and yet she just forgot about them. Unexpectedly to Yumi, the room suddenly chilled rapidly. The subject that they knew would be coming up eventually had finally been presented. They had no good answers for her. Not saying anything to her wasn¡¯t the same thing as lying, that was what they convinced themselves. Yet, they couldn¡¯t ignore it any longer. Saki slowly stood up in silence. She wasn¡¯t about to be able to tell her. Even when she looked around at Seiji and Nerine they turned away. They had no more answers for her than she did. It was about what she expected. No one wanted the undesirable task. When she finally managed to say something, Saki remained terse. ¡°Follow me.¡± ¡®So they¡¯re alive!¡¯ It was an awkward reply, one that Yumi looked to be ignoring. She just wanted to see her friends once more and free from Takako¡¯s control now. ¡®I wonder if they remember the fight. Have they not come to see me because they feel bad about attacking me?¡¯ The real reason unfortunately was far worse than Yumi could have dreamed up in any countless number of scenarios. She could only cry streams of tears unable to react in any other way upon seeing her best friend in such pain. Kaede held on to Yumi in a feeble effort to provide empty comfort that she couldn¡¯t offer. Her friend was hollowed by the whole experience together; they seemed to be sharing the futility of their lives. She just didn¡¯t have the courage or strength to do what she felt was the right choice. ¡°We should probably go Yumi¡­¡± offered Saki as an out. She could tell it wasn¡¯t something that Yumi could deal with now. It was why they hesitated telling her immediately. This wasn¡¯t the sort of thing that could be easily shown in any situation, but Yumi was still emotionally weakened by everything. But they decided to leave it up to Yumi to ask them and they would just face the consequences. It wasn¡¯t the sort of lie that could hold or should be. Yumi couldn¡¯t even react to Saki. She didn¡¯t even hear what she said to her. Her mind barely acknowledged that something was said. Beyond that, there was nothing inside Yumi. She couldn¡¯t think or feel. It had all just poured out of her. No further reaction could come out. Time held no meaning for her with such a state. She didn¡¯t even know what happened to her after a while. It wasn¡¯t until she snapped back to reality suddenly that she understood how much time had passed. ¡®I¡¯m back in the room¡­¡¯ Yumi could hear voices nearby her. They still had a slightly distant sound to them that slowly came into clarity. The reason for the noise was because Yori had woken up. She lifted herself out of the bed to look over at her brother, who stared off in an absent direction with no sense of space. It immediately called to her what he had given up just to rescue her from her mind. Those that took her from everyone demanded a terrible price. Even in her trauma-filled fear that rested just below the surface of what she fought, it couldn¡¯t hold anything over her guilt for what she did to him. Seiji noticed Yumi awake off the side and poked his head up announcing it to the room. ¡°Hey you¡¯re back, Yumi!¡± ¡°..yes¡­¡± ¡°Back? What¡¯s going on?¡± Yori asked immediately, picking out the difference in tone that Seiji used. His defenses immediately went up. Everyone struggled to say anything about what happened out of fear of putting Yumi into a relapse. They didn¡¯t want to remind her of what she saw. She only just recovered. Yet Yumi stepped forward to do it herself. ¡°I saw Katsumi¡­¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not your fault¡­¡± Suddenly snapping the atmosphere in half, Yuki burst through the door shouting to everyone. ¡°It¡¯s finished! We¡¯re ready to try again!¡± He couldn¡¯t see the mood with it being disguised in part around them gathered around Yori. ¡°Oh hey, you¡¯re awake! We¡¯ve got a new plan ready to help Yumi.¡± ¡°Help Yumi? What¡¯s wrong with her?¡± Yuki paused for a moment recognizing that defensive tone coming out of his voice. He was hardly surprised by it. ¡°You didn¡¯t tell him?¡± An eye darted over to Yumi, who stared at him to keep the secret. He swallowed roughly, not really looking forward to when this lie blew up in their faces, as he expected it would at some point even if it wasn¡¯t today. ¡°It¡¯s nothing to worry about. Seiji, help him to his feet. We¡¯ll fill you in as we make it downstairs.¡± Turning away the help, Yori walked away from the bed initially looking like he could see. ¡°I can walk myself.¡± However, that only lasted as far as him tripping into the table. His sight hadn¡¯t returned after the rest. Seiji quickly caught up behind him and directed him out of the room despite his pride in wanting to do it alone. ¡°Hell! This is insane!¡± shouted Seiji while everyone else had trouble even getting a sound of their mouths. Smiling and nodding to him, Yuki agreed wholeheartedly with Seiji. ¡°Isn¡¯t it?!¡± Saki turned her head around to take the whole thing in before spotting Yuki''s pride-filled face. She could tell that he was happy about the whole thing and none of it mattered to him if he made it or not. She would never know how much he helped, but she recognized the look in his eyes. The look that says he was living out a dream. ¡°A little overkill?¡± Only Yumi had seen it before the change could really react on how different it appeared. The room had ballooned in size, no longer being a small and cozy space that suited one or two people. It was now nearly bigger than the entire building that Miss Phoibe owned above ground. No longer in the center, she moved the chair to the wall and multiple more joined them, enough to account for all of them. Even beyond that, the twists and turns of the machine that packed the walls crawled on in the distance until there was too much in the way. It felt like it went on forever. ¡®Just how much extra did she have to build to account for my change?¡¯ ¡°This is the place that will help Yumi control her power?¡± Yori asked, unable to see anything and only feel out the sense of the room from everyone else¡¯s reactions. He hung nearby to the door, the only confirmed surface he had to map the room so far. Phoibe stepped forward with slate in hand to control the device. ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯ve made significant upgrades to it to handle not just Yumi¡¯s potential, but everyone involved. Since this is going to be a virtual space it¡¯s going to need to project everyone¡¯s minds into the realm and I had to make changes to adapt to that difference. The intent is to project Yumi¡¯s mindscape in virtual space so that you can understand the personalities. Though everything that you will see is digital and fake, it will feel real. I can¡¯t answer what you¡¯ll find inside, but you will be Yumi¡¯s anchor to remain in control while she is confronting the other personalities buried inside. Remember your roles.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ready!¡± Yori declared with no regard to the fact that he just woke up and probably could do with some more rest. But everyone else was not going to stop him and they followed suit with him. ¡°Very well then, take your places in the chairs. Once you¡¯re ready I¡¯ll start the simulation.¡± Phoibe began running the final checks on the chairs awaiting the activation. All systems held green and she looked over at Yuki in silent agreement. ¡°Simulation start! Good luck!¡± Chapter 386 - Captured Reality For a moment, the room remained unchanged to Yumi¡¯s eye. Then all of the exposed walls flipped to become flat. A well polished shine reflected across their surface as the chairs disappeared and she found herself standing on her own. ¡®This isn¡¯t like before at all¡­ Yuki and her really must have made drastic changes¡­¡¯ Yumi stepped out from her corner to look around at the room. Even though it was the room that they were in before Phoibe was missing, even more of a sign of the change in reality. ¡°Is everyone feeling okay?¡± ¡°I thought we were going into your mind,¡± complained Seiji, noting the lack of change, ¡°This is just the same room.¡± Projecting into the room as a hologram, Phoibe appeared before them. ¡°That¡¯s not accurate. This is just the staging room while Yumi¡¯s mind is being scanned.¡± ¡°You¡¯re here too?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m monitoring all of you from the terminal. This is just a projection from my voice altered into a digital avatar.¡± ¡°¡­err¡­right¡­ So the real shit is happening soon then?¡± Seiji jumped straight to the part that he had better grasp on rather than dwelling. ¡°That¡¯s right. The space you¡¯re in should alter based on feedback from Yumi¡¯s mental state. From there, you should be able to find and interact with the personalities that exist in her mind.¡± ¡°Hope it¡¯s not a repeat of last time¡­¡± A nod came from Yumi as she agreed with Seiji. The whole thing presented a risk to her. Being this close could allow them more control over her, but she had to take it. ¡®I haven¡¯t truly been face to face with them before. Maybe not being suppressed by them will give me more control.¡¯ It was mere theory and hope for her more than anything. She didn¡¯t want to endanger everyone, but she had already passed that up. Now all Yumi could do was take an active stance against them. Phoibe wasn¡¯t wrong either. In moments, the room altered itself once more, however it expanded and disappeared into a white void. Any sense of ground reality evaporated away. An endless blank space lacking any detail stretched out before them. ¡°Is this your mind, Yumi?¡± ¡°It¡¯s similar to a place I saw,¡± commented Yori. ¡°Hey man, you can see?!¡± ¡°Would appear that while in this virtual space I¡¯m not using my eyes to see.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m still not seeing anyone else other than us,¡± Yumi noted as she started to walk around. The sense of being in a confined space previously left her a little apprehensive about wondering too far. Despite that, the void had no boundaries that she could find. She explored beyond what she felt was the limits of the room and nothing stopped her. ¡°So we¡¯re in my mind now¡­¡± In the distance, a new scene approached, rapidly rewriting the space. They found themselves within a city, not one that they found familiar. It could easily be any Japanese city as vaguely non-descript as it was. ¡®A city?¡¯ ¡°Hey, what the hell?!¡± Yumi turned around to Seiji, alerted. She hadn¡¯t noticed everyone being dragged away from her by some invisible force. ¡°Everyone!¡± Her feet pushed herself as fast as she could, but she was used to her superhuman body. Within the virtual world she didn¡¯t seem to have that power. Once more she was just a normal girl. Out of her reach, a house sucked everyone up through the front door. When she arrived it was already closed behind them. Pounding and kicking on the door did nothing once she discovered that it would not open. It was locked and firmly shut. Her friends were locked away from her. ¡°Are they coming?¡± An uneasy feeling overcame her heart. Something told her that she should be on edge. Yumi stepped away from the house in the direction of the feeling she got. There was nothing she could do for her friends. It seemed like she had to face her demons alone. That was what she thought it was telling her. And she might have been right. Before her, down the street appeared three figures masked in shadows. Their entire forms were black barely even reflecting light. She knew nothing about them, but inside her heart it told her that they were the ones that she sought. ¡°So you¡¯ve come for me¡­¡± Chapter 386 ¨C Captured RealityThis story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Yet to Yumi¡¯s surprise Yuki and Yori suddenly popped up in the street in front of her. ¡°Yuki? Yori? What are you doing here?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Yuki looked over at the house that he had been in a moment before. ¡°We were inside just before trying to find a way out and then I got sucked out through a black portal.¡± ¡°Yeah...it¡¯s them!¡± Yori immediately seemed to pick up on the three figures staring them down across the street. He went into a defensive stance ready for a fight. Yumi expected to run out ahead of them and try to ease the rising tensions, but something stopped her. A force pulled her away, dragging her up into the sky. Green light wrapped around her, sealing her away behind a barrier. She pounded her fists against the unmoving field unable to break through. ¡°I thought they wanted me! This is supposed to be my fight!¡± It wasn¡¯t until he saw the black figures start moving towards them in an aggressive charge that Yuki took to defense as well. ¡°I think they¡¯ve got it in for the two of us¡­¡± Grinding his teeth together, not looking forward to having to fight three at once when one was hard enough. ¡°You seem to be right¡­ One of them I know already has it out for me. Perhaps they see us as a threat to them.¡± ¡°You might be right about that!¡± Drawing up his Field, mist appeared around him as he received the charging blade of one of them. The force of the swing was enough to blow away all of his mist completely exposing him. Only the bit he could keep around his hand to grab the sword managed to keep him from losing a hand. Calling out his two dark energy blades, Yori roughly blocked the spearhead of a jumonji yari. He fought with the cross blades near the base of the spear as they desperately wanted his flesh. However, he wasn¡¯t prepared for a focused beam of energy to shoot him through the shoulder. ¡°Behind?!¡± he growled in pain as he tried to figure out where the third had gone. Yuki tried to summon back his mist, but the swings of the person came too fast. Each blow blasted away his mist with effortless ease and drew up blood. He could barely manage the Field around him to keep himself protected. ¡®I can barely even hold my own against one of them¡­¡¯ There were three and two of them were attacking Yori directly with him being unable to help. Up in the sky, Yumi clawed her fingers in frustration over the barrier. ¡°This is my fault¡­ I brought them here¡­¡± A spark jumped down her arm quickly disappearing. Thinking that he started to get some sort of pace against the swordsman, Yuki suddenly sensed a disturbance in his mist, the bulk of which was cast off him. He couldn¡¯t even look behind himself feeling that he should. If he did, the blade he struggled to keep from cleaving him in two would succeed. And because of that it wasn¡¯t until the figure disappeared into thin air that he could look behind him. It was clearly for a reason and one he could do nothing to avoid or stop. ¡°Crap!¡± he yelled as a stampede of women crashed into him. The force of them picked him off his feet dragging him away from Yori and likely the swordsman as well fighting him. ¡°What the hell is this?!¡± he managed once he got some sense of himself back. And what¡¯s more, he felt something off about it. They didn¡¯t just look like a random crowd running through out of nowhere. Each of them looked at him with unsettling eyes. They all wanted him. They started to paw and claw at him. There were too many for him to fight back against. ¡°Get off me!¡± No matter what he did they had his arms locked down along with his legs. He was helpless. Then through the women came the black blade cleaving nearly a dozen of them in half, spraying blood all over him while also cutting a horizontal wound into his chest. The force blasted him out of the women and in the air. A full minute of tumbling and flying passed before he recovered. Once under his own control again, he could check the depth of the wound he took. ¡°It wasn¡¯t as deep as I feared, but I can¡¯t let another like that through. Those women were taking away my barrier piece by piece so that the swordsman could land a decisive blow on me. This is really dangerous¡­¡± Blocking the spear blade again, Yori kept having to play specifically to their pace. ¡°They¡¯re extremely skilled¡­¡± The exact position that they forced him to block set him up for the range attack again. He was slightly better prepared for it with his barrier, but even that wasn¡¯t enough. They knew exactly how much force was needed to penetrate his barrier. Another wound carved out in his arm. ¡°They¡¯re slowly picking me apart¡­¡± From Yumi¡¯s view, she could only watch as the two were being cut up and dragged out. She knew that they couldn¡¯t win. The outcome had already been determined from the start. Neither was a match. And she sat up locked away. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­¡± Another spark jumped over her fingers. Before long Yuki crashed into the street next to Yori a bloody mess. The Field around him disappeared. Yuki was exhausted. Yori slipped up in his attempt to anticipate and took the spear blade to his gut. It dropped him to the ground almost immediately as he began to bleed out. Both were defeated. ¡°NO!!¡± Yumi shouted seeing them go down and their foes going in for the killing strikes. She rammed her fingers into the barrier wanting out now. ¡°I won¡¯t¡­let you¡­! NO!!!¡± Sparks suddenly jumped all over Yumi¡¯s body erupting into a mass of light exploding and destroying the barrier. As she fell out of the sky, white energy rapidly materialized around her. Growing out of her back like wings, Yumi drew back her arm as a spear of white energy amassed rapidly. Flung at all three figures, everything was obliterated into white light. Yumi charged into the light going after Yuki and Yori. ¡°I won¡¯t let you kill them!¡± She grabbed a hold of someone¡¯s arm completely blind in the light and searched out for the other. There wasn¡¯t going to be anyone that would take them away from her. Energy erupted rapidly from Yumi fueling the white void in strength as the space quaked. All of reality shook under Yumi until it shattered. An empty sightless void filled her vision now. From outside the simulation, Phoibe scrambled around to keep up with the overflowing data. ¡°Damn, her mental capacity is insane. This is far exceeding any of our plans.¡± She began to lose control of the system like before and all of the countermeasures in place meant nothing. It was just an inevitability now. ¡°Looks like you were right after all. Quite the typical outcome, but we¡¯re playing with reality. Things won¡¯t be as perfect as a book. It¡¯s all on you now. Yumi¡¯s mind has completely taken control of the system and now you¡¯re stuck in there at her whims¡­¡± ¡°Ugh¡­it hurts¡­¡± Yumi muttered as she suddenly came to forgetting what happened. Her mind still hung in a fog about the events. She then jerked up off the ground as she remembered everything. ¡°Yuki! Yori!¡± Turning her head rapidly, she sought them out hoping that they would be next to her, but only found Yuki. ¡°Yuki!¡± At least one of them was with her, she smiled a little with relief. ¡°Can you hear me, Yuki? Are you alright?¡± She poked and pushed on him trying to see if he was alive. Everything seemed to indicate with the way his body reacted that he was. He was just slow in moving. A groan came from his lips as he woke up. ¡°¡­yeah¡­but I¡¯m injured¡­¡± he said without thinking, but popped up quickly with a strange blink in his eyes. He examined his arm and then his chest. ¡°It¡¯s gone! I¡¯m not hurt at all¡­¡± Yumi immediately wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly so happy that he was alive and even unharmed now. ¡°Yuki¡­¡± ¡°Ouch, ow, ow! You¡¯re hurting me, Yumi! You¡¯re stronger than me!¡± ¡°Sorry! I¡¯m sorry!¡± She jumped away getting embarrassed as she saw what she was doing as well. A moment after she jumped to her feet needed some space and air from him. It was only supposed to be a moment away from him, but her eyes stopped on her surroundings. ¡°Umm¡­Yuki¡­¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Taking a long moment to get caught up on things, Yuki slowly looked over to Yumi and then scene. ¡°¡­this is¡­¡± Yumi took a step back away from the villagers that were pointing their farming tools at them, scared at their sudden arrival. The modern city they were in was gone, replaced with an ancient era Japan out of paintings and myth. And their friends were nowhere in sight. ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡± Chapter 387 - Trapped from Reality It took her a moment more to get her surroundings. The threat of attack made for a good distraction. But the initial confusion and panic started to wear off Yumi¡¯s mind. Once she could start seeing clearly, she got a better sense of where she was. Out in the distance, she could see primitive houses of wood with rocks on the grass roof keeping them in place. Everything looked straight out of old pictures. However, just at her feet was a dirt, slightly muddy path between rice patches. The two of them had lucked out in missing being soaked. Lucking out just meant that their luck was spent on something else and left them potentially none to deal with the current issue. They had a mob of frightened or angry villagers all wanting answers and maybe to kill them. It was hard for her to really know. She was bad at reading faces. Yumi turned around to help Yuki up to his feet only to get the uncomfortable sounds of farming tools being rattled as they pushed closer to them. ¡®Any movement¡¯s being judged a threat!¡¯ She looked down at Yuki hoping he had an idea to get them out of the situation. This wasn¡¯t something she had prepared for. ¡®I thought I was going to be meeting my personalities! What is all of this about?¡¯ Unfortunately for her, Yuki remained silent and just looked at her. She recoiled a bit as he seemed to be insisting on her handling the problem. ¡®Yuki?!¡¯ Movement from her got their attention and threat again. Yumi stared down the length of a scythe. ¡®You¡¯re making me do this alone?! Why?¡¯ Her mind spun around ideas on what to do. This wasn¡¯t the sort of thing that she was used to dealing with. Though she felt a little hard pressed to say that she would have prepared for such a thing as being threatened by villagers in an ancient Japanese setting. The only thing working in her favor was that they didn¡¯t attack straight away. Though it felt as though they might, if given the right provocation. Something that she wished to avoid. ¡°U-um¡­we mean no harm?¡± She knew how badly that came out the moment she finished. Though Yuki said nothing, she felt like she could hear him laughing in his little corner. ¡®We¡¯re going to die¡­¡¯ Chapter 387 ¨C Trapped from Reality Then she remembered that she was still in her mind and that this was all just a simulation. It wasn¡¯t real. Such things were easy to forget when nothing about it looked like it was some video game or movie where you could see how fake things looked. Phoibe¡¯s machine crafted a flawless reality. Once Yumi reminded herself that the whole thing wasn¡¯t real and it was all just digital information funneled into her mind she stepped forward without thinking about the consequences. This immediately set the villagers on edge that one of them lost their composure attacking Yumi. Clearly the young man that attacked out of fear expected something to happen. Hoe in hand, his swing was poor and wide, not meant as a weapon and he had no training to fight. It was purely improvised. To his dismay and the others fear, the wood pole that the snapped. The metal flew back away from the villagers as they scattered a bit in fear. He really didn¡¯t stand a chance against Yumi, but he tried anyway again. The wood only splintered and he lost what little strength in his legs to stand. He fell on his butt in the pool of water the rice remained submerged in. ¡°D-demon?!¡± The others quickly joined in with the man shouting the same thing at Yumi. Abandoned by the others, the man sweated heavily as he turned white filled only with terror at the end of his life in sight. Yumi didn¡¯t fully expect such a reaction, though it sort of played out the way she hoped it would. They stopped threatening her and Yuki. So they were safe again. ¡°Run,¡± she ordered to the man still trying to figure out if he would live to see his family. She turned away and picked Yuki up from the muddy earth with them finally having peace. However, while he tried to remove some of the clumps of dirt, Yuki asked, ¡°Was that such a good idea?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Scaring them all like that with your power?¡± ¡°Hardly showed them anything I can do. I merely used a piece of my barrier as protection making it look like my body was stronger than it actually was.¡± ¡°But now they¡¯re afraid of you, us.¡± Yumi started to walk away not really sure why Yuki was being bothered by it so much. She planned on getting away from the village anyway. A shrug of her shoulders opened her response to him. ¡°This isn¡¯t even real. This is just some simulation, it doesn¡¯t matter what happens here.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s your choice¡­¡± ¡°Yes, for now let¡¯s just get away from here. I¡¯ve got no idea what they might try in such fear and I¡¯d rather not mess around with them any longer.¡± Yumi set the pace for Yuki to follow as she marched herself out of the fields. ¡°There¡¯s gotta be a road somewhere around here¡­¡± That was her hope at least. The fake reality that they were inside wasn¡¯t something that she had much historical understanding of outside of what school taught her. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The farmlands stretched for quite some distance in all directions. At their back, the village slowly shrank a little in sight, but nothing more seemed to change. Yumi¡¯s current goal was the ridge she saw where the farm seemed to end, if only for a moment. If she could use her speed, she would have been there in an instant, but Yuki didn¡¯t have the ability. So she had to take time walking. It felt like it would be an hour at such a distance, though she had no watch or cell on her to tell time. Only the sun above and she couldn¡¯t read that. So it took however long it did to get to the ridge. Which was overgrown in grass and weeds from the wilderness of the open expanse of an untamed Japan countryside. It took a little to work through it all, but they found themselves in a break and back on dirt. She looked up and down the length. ¡°A road!¡± she declared with some forced pride. ¡°That might be overselling it. It looks more like a place well traveled than designed.¡± Putting her hands on her hips and taking in the entire stretch of land on all sides, she didn¡¯t mind it that much. ¡°Either way, it¡¯s an open and clear path we can take, even if it is not what we¡¯d call a road.¡± Yuki poked around the area, but it was just a fruitless effort for him. ¡°Any signs of the others?¡± ¡°None¡­it¡¯s just us here.¡± Yumi stared down at the village. She couldn¡¯t make out the details, but she saw them scrambling around. ¡®They¡¯re probably thinking I¡¯m going to attack them. Wonder how long they¡¯re going to be running around panicking thinking I¡¯m coming.¡¯ Yumi didn¡¯t entertain the thought for long as she turned back to the road. ¡°I know this is a long shot, but got a clue where in Japan we might be?¡± He stared at her for a few moments in silence with a slightly indignant look on his face. ¡°I¡¯m not a walking computer of random knowledge.¡± Which was about what she expected. Yumi started walking along the road in the current direction she faced. It was away from the village, though the other road looked like it also went away. It went somewhere and eventually they would find it. She just worried how long that would be at their pace. Yuki didn¡¯t seem to argue about the direction that she set. He just followed her closely without saying too much. It made for an awkward silence on the hours that they walked. The village was already behind some hills with open wilds before them. Around them the scene did little to change in any meaningful way. It was all very green and mountains set in the distance. Japan ended up looking big when it was on foot rather than by car. Worst for them was that this fake reality had too many things that were unnecessary. A low growl came from Yuki¡¯s stomach. ¡®Hunger¡­but this isn¡¯t even real. Why are we getting hungry? What would happen if we didn¡¯t eat? Will we have to sleep as well?¡¯ Yumi started having a lot of worrisome questions popping up in her mind. This wasn¡¯t the sort of reality that she expected to have. It was too real for being false. A large rock alongside the road gave them a good place to stop. Yumi pulled over and jumped up to the top. It was only three meters or so tall, but it gave her more of a view than ground level. While she looked around, Yuki sat on one of the stretched out pieces. ¡°Still nothing¡­ No signs of life, not even smoke.¡± She jumped down to the ground and leaned against the stone face. ¡°I wonder when we¡¯ll run across anyone.¡± ¡°If this is feudal Japan or even earlier, villages are going to be spread out. It might be days¡­¡± ¡°Looking at the situation, we¡¯re going to need to find food and shelter. This isn¡¯t the sort of world I expected to find myself in.¡± It made her think about Phoibe and where they actually were. ¡°On that subject, shouldn¡¯t Phoibe have contacted us or gotten us out of this? This can¡¯t be what was supposed to happen, right?¡± ¡°She¡¯s been silent since the three strangers showed up. So it¡¯s possible that she¡¯s lost control of the system again.¡± Yumi leaned forward a little to look directly at Yuki. It was something that she had considered, but it didn¡¯t make any sense to her. ¡°But if that was the case she would have just shut down the power and we¡¯d be out of this.¡± ¡°Maybe she got completely locked out. I don¡¯t know, but the reality we face is the one before us.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s just fake. So why are we getting hungry and tired while in here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not so sure we can think of this as a normal virtual world. We don¡¯t know the rules that govern it. We¡¯ll have to figure it out as we wait for Phoibe to rescue us.¡± A sigh came from Yumi¡¯s lips thinking about that. ¡°Waiting¡­so you think we¡¯re trapped in here as some creation of my mind, a personality inside me. And they¡¯re god of this reality.¡± ¡°Just a guess right now. We¡¯ve only been here for less than a day.¡± Slumping against the rock at the thought of being trapped within the fake world for days or weeks hurt her optimistic expectations of being rid of all her problems in a few hours. ¡°This wasn¡¯t supposed to be the plan.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll just adapt and figure things out.¡± ¡°Figure things out¡­¡± Yumi jumped out from the rock and stood in front of Yuki. She stared down at his seated position. ¡°Speaking about that, what was that back there? You did nothing to help us get out of the situation and just left it to me!¡± ¡°Of course I did,¡± he answered and stood up looking to the rock. Slowly climbing up to the top that Yumi used to scope out the area. At the top he looked back down at Yumi. ¡°This is your world in your mind. While we don¡¯t understand the personalities that exist apart from you, they come from inside you. I didn¡¯t make them for you with my power. You made them for some purpose. And this world is for you. It¡¯s not done without reason.¡± ¡°How can you be so certain? More of your clich¨¦ story beats?¡± ¡°Reality doesn¡¯t flow like a story. I¡¯m not fitting this into a story. But generalizations can be made and organized like that. But no, the one controlling you before didn¡¯t leave me with the impression that what they did was random. They had some intent, a plan. This might be part of their plan as well. I don¡¯t know what they have in store. But if this is your world then it¡¯s for you to be making the choices within it, not me.¡± Yuki jumped down absorbing the fall with his legs before standing in front of Yumi. He fixed her with a very serious gaze that she knew he had in him. It was easy to forget how serious he could be when he wanted for how often he was silly and nonsensical. ¡°You¡¯re the main character of your story, Yumi. I¡¯m not taking the reins in your story. I will follow you and advise you, but this is your path to walk.¡± He stepped out in front of her with the road stretched out inviting her. She stared at him looking away from the road. ¡°And what if I make mistakes?¡± ¡°Make mistakes, that¡¯s part of life. Hell knows how many mistakes I¡¯ve made. You just have to learn from them, that¡¯s what mistakes exist for Yumi.¡± ¡°You make it sound so easy¡­¡± ¡°Compared to what we¡¯re about to face, it is!¡± Yuki shouted as he backed away from Yumi. In all of the arguing and debating, she had become completely distracted. It wasn¡¯t until Yuki pointed it out that she noticed the ground vibrating. There was a subtle change, but something came behind her and it was big. She looked over her shoulder at what Yuki saw. A giant snake with the upper body of a human armed with a large hammer came upon them. Yumi took a step back not expecting to see such a creature in the world. This world she was in quickly became far more dangerous and fantastical than she predicted. ¡®What sort of world is this?!¡¯ Chapter 388 - Land of Demons She didn¡¯t get much time to answer her own question as she had to immediately go on the defensive. Picking up Yuki, she dodged away just in time as the massive hammer pulverized the rock they rested on. In the slowed down time of her high reactions, she saw the side effect of the rock being destroyed. Tiny and large chunks of shrapnel shot out in all directions. Whether the creature meant for it or not, it had created a nasty attack that even missed would kill or maim its target. Yumi looked over at Yuki, still reacting to the creature with an oddly calm expression of wonder if she had to place it. Unlike reading other¡¯s faces, she knew most of the expressions of Yuki very well. This one was very familiar, also misplaced for such a time. The bigger concern for her was Yuki¡¯s safety. He wasn¡¯t using his power as far as she knew. ¡®I can survive this, but he¡¯ll be killed by such an attack. I¡¯m going to have to protect him until he can defend himself.¡¯ White barrier shards appeared in front of Yumi deflecting the debris at angles, but it wasn¡¯t enough for all of them. ¡®I miscalculated¡­should have used a full barrier¡­¡¯ She turned around in the air moving Yuki behind her while she took a large chunk of rock in her shoulder. Thrown off her planned course, the two crashed into the ground with Yumi losing hold of Yuki. Pain jumped through her shoulder, though duller than she was expecting. Despite that, she could feel blood starting to stream down her arm. But she wasn¡¯t going to get much time to worry about that. Through her mess of hair she could see the creature slithering towards them. Yumi pushed herself up with her hands feeling new sorts of pain in her wounded shoulder. It wasn¡¯t moving the way she wanted. It felt blocked. She raised her hand to the front of her shoulder and pushed with her power. The shard of rock shot out of her wound trailing blood giving back her freedom of movement. She turned around to face the snake creature only able to erect a barrier before it was upon them. The hammer slammed with a quaking ring on her barrier. Pulses of energy rippled through the barrier reacting to the hammer. ¡®It held¡­¡¯ Yumi sighed in relief. She only hoped it worked, she wasn¡¯t sure the barrier would have been strong enough. A cracking noise sounded off from above Yumi. She snapped her eyes up to see lines forming in her barrier. ¡®It¡¯s not going to hold!¡¯ Across from her was Yuki, something that she kept in her mind. ¡®He can¡¯t take hits like this¡­¡¯ Knowing that the shield wouldn¡¯t hold for long, she pushed Yuki away from her with telekinesis and jumped from the center where the hammer would land in moments. Her timing on the barrier breaking turned out to be more than a little off as the hammer broke through just as she jumped. The hunk of carved metal and leather narrowly missed her before the blast impact kicked up a thick cloud and pelted her with dirt. Yumi panted a little from surprise rather than exhaustion. She quickly caught her breath and stood on her feet once more as the snake burst through the clouds swinging in motion. Immediately before it could get any closer, Yumi stretched out her hand as the air around the snake distorted with pressure. It slowed down struggling with the weight pressed upon it now. Relief didn¡¯t come this time for her. She already felt that it wouldn¡¯t be enough. The snake could still move despite the immense pressure that she applied to it. ¡®It¡¯s not normal¡­¡¯ It seemed like an obvious statement, but Yumi still felt some surprise seeing how strong it was. Even the creatures that roamed their home didn¡¯t possess such strength. This was far beyond what she was used to seeing. ¡®What is this monster?¡¯ Chapter 388 ¨C Land of Demons Her mind tried to work through strategies of dealing with the creature, but it was nothing like she had ever dealt with before. She was used to fighting humans, as terrible as that sounded in her head. Monsters were a completely different sort of fight both in size and tactics. All she could do was use her telekinesis to knock it away before it slipped out of the gravity field. The snake creature didn¡¯t advance as fast as before. It recovered quickly, but became very cautious seeing that Yumi was no simple prey. It started to encircle her in a wide loop. ¡°What are you?¡± the man part of the snake asked in a deep and gravel tone. ¡°You¡¯re no human.¡± ¡®It can talk?¡¯ She paused, realizing that it had a human part of it. ¡®I guess it sort of makes sense. I was expecting it to be mindless. Can I make it retreat then? Make the fight undesirable for it to continue?¡¯ Now wasn¡¯t really a time that she wanted to be fighting with some strange monster. She was getting hungry and Yuki was tired. It was the worst possible time and she was stuck in some strange world within her own mind. A worried thought popped up in her head. This wasn¡¯t the sort of battle she was used to fighting. All of her fights had been to survive against people that wanted her dead. They gave her no choice, but to fight. What if this monster didn¡¯t want to fight something that would be a challenge. She never really talked someone out of a fight before. Yumi only hoped she could steer the course correctly.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°I¡¯m more than you want to deal with right now,¡± she opened without changing her weak stance. The first response to Yumi was a thump of its tail that made the ground shake and kicked up a cloud of dirt. It didn¡¯t seem to be buying it as she watched. ¡°You think you can beat a demon? I¡¯m not some grunt oni.¡± ¡®A demon? Is that what this monster is? Am I going to find more demons roaming this world? Why is this in my mind? I''ve never even seen something like this before!¡¯ When she agreed to go into her mind to control her personalities, Yumi had some expectations. She thought that it would be things that would be familiar to her, things that would make sense. Something that she could understand and relate to on some level, but this made no sense. In fact, it made more sense to be from Yuki¡¯s mind rather than her. It wasn¡¯t her that dreamed of or knew about any of these things. Only from TV or some literature she might have read in class. That was the extent of her knowledge on demons. They barely even came as a thought in her mind. So this shouldn¡¯t even exist. In her hesitation, the snake demon saw weakness and struck out at Yumi. Lashing out with its large tail, easily as thick as a several century old tree trunk, it clashed into Yumi¡¯s barrier. She barely had the chance to raise it before the strike. A weak construct made it easy for the demon to shatter it almost immediately and tossed her back. The human part roared at Yumi taunting her as she dropped roughly from the hit. ¡°A barrier, I¡¯ve never seen a priest or demon hunter cast a barrier without at least a staff. But you¡¯re weak! I¡¯ve seen apprentices with stronger barriers than yours!¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± coughed Yumi, getting back to her feet. Little physical harm came from the attack. Tears in her simple tunic were about all that she took. ¡®Demon hunters? Priests? Is it that sort of world?¡¯ Thanks to the little bits of information the demon dropped she started to piece together the world setting. It really was outside of her comfort. This felt like it would be more of a game or something she would see airing on TV the more she learned. The demon didn¡¯t wait long to resume attacking her. Any bit of hesitation that it might have had about what Yumi could be had been resolved. It already ruled her as something that wouldn¡¯t be much trouble to kill. Slithering over the ground with surprising speed, it bore down with even greater force behind the hammer than before. It took a double layered barrier and her jumping back to mitigate the damage as much as she did. Despite her efforts, the attack still left a modest sized crater in the ground and multiple minor wounds on her body from the debris and force. Yumi was still in the fight despite appearances. Blood dripped down her forehead and over her right eye making it annoying to see. But she came to her own resolution with the last attack. ¡®There¡¯s no chance for a peaceful end to this. It wants to kill me. That part is familiar. I know this feeling well enough.¡¯ Such a feeling wasn¡¯t one that she liked knowing well, but it was her new life following Yuki. There was no avoiding it. ¡®I just have to deal with what¡¯s in front of me and move forward. Just like before¡­¡¯ Not noticing the difference in Yumi¡¯s eyes, the snake demon charged in for the finishing blow seeing Yumi just standing there. The final blow came in with the hammer parting the cloud of earth hanging in the air coming for Yumi. However, Yumi lifted her hand up towards the hammer. Multiple barrier shards materialized rapidly creating a cushion that slowed the hammer down until all she had to do was stop it with her bare hand. The dispersed energy from the attack kicked up smoke around Yumi and the snake blew outward. ¡°Impossible?!¡± ¡°You really should have left me alone when I gave you the chance.¡± ¡°A lowly little girl like you can¡¯t kill me!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s test that theory of yours.¡± Yumi pushed back on the hammer and then clinched her hand into a fist. The head of the hammer suddenly distorted and shrank in size. The air around it twisted and warped until all that remained of the hammer end was a large sized marble of metal that sank into the earth from the high density. ¡°What?!¡± the snake man recoiled in surprise. He only held the handle of a useless weapon completely impotent now. It stared at the ruined handle for a few seconds in disbelief of what happened. Then it looked down at Yumi. It could see confidence in her eyes that hadn¡¯t been there before. ¡°What are you?!¡± Yumi stepped forward ready to finish things. ¡°Someone not to be trifled with.¡± The demon chucked the handle at Yumi like a spear, but it only was reduced to a small ball as well. Clutching its head, it didn¡¯t understand anymore. ¡°I¡¯m a demon! The superior race, I can¡¯t be killed by a little girl!¡± Lowering its body to the ground, the human part of the snake suddenly morphed almost completely into a snake. Very little of it remained recognizable as human. The head took on a distinctly snake-like mouth lined with multiple rows of fangs and horns jutted out of its head. It unhinged its jaw, expanding its mouth further as a purple light grew in its mouth. ¡®A new attack?¡¯ Yumi could feel the difference just from the vibrations in the air. ¡®This is much stronger than anything he used with the hammer¡­ Is this its true power?¡¯ ¡°Die!¡± the demon shouted as the purple light transformed rapidly into a ball of energy and then a massive beam. Shot out of its mouth, the purple light completely engulfed the area around Yumi. Behind her a hill exploded into a tall pillar of clouds and earth. As the beam dissipated, all that remained of the hill was raining chunks of earth and no sign of Yumi. The demon raised itself pleased with the results. ¡°You were nothing before a true demon!¡± ¡°Somehow I doubt you¡¯re truly that great,¡± Yumi replied. ¡°No¡­¡± The snake turned around towards the voice to find Yumi completely unscathed by the attack. ¡°How?!¡± ¡°You telegraphed your attack so early I had plenty of time to dodge. Such a thing is worthless against my speed.¡± Yumi then clinched both of her hands together. Suddenly multiple distortions appeared all around the demon¡¯s body ripping its flesh apart into dense orbs. The demon collapsed to the earth with a heavy thud as it bled out from the holes carved into it. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­die here.¡± Yumi stepped forward towards the head of the snake to stare at it. There was a cold and distant look in her eyes as she looked upon it. ¡°Be glad that this isn¡¯t reality. You won¡¯t suffer in pain for long. I can have no reservations about killing, especially just a demon like you.¡± Throwing her hand down an arc of white light appeared and carved through the head of the demon. It slumped over dead. She clutched her arm keeping the shaking down. ¡°I just have to think of it like a game and not reality¡­ No matter how real it feels¡­ It¡¯s just a game¡­¡± Chapter 389 - Settling Yumi repeated it in her mind to no avail. Her mind could attempt to rationalize everything that she saw as something that wasn¡¯t real. It was like a game, since this was all a reality created by her mind. But nothing felt fake about it. Perhaps if Yuki hadn¡¯t changed Japan into a place of fiction, she could have an easier time not already being accustomed to the strange and impossible. Though she had her doubts about that. Part of what made Phoibe¡¯s business so good was that it felt real. It was exactly what people needed. Her body could feel everything. The pain from her wounds stung as the wind brushed at her exposed flesh. An almost curdling stench of the demon hung through the air, even before she killed it. And the hot unbearable heat cooked her flesh from the late summer heat of Japan. This was reality. As far as her body understood it. And that was why it hurt. Yumi turned away from the demon, hoping not seeing it might help her forget about it all. Her mind kept working to feed her with everything that she needed to justify it. Only time would tell her if such things worked. The only thing that worked for her to keep moving was that if she hadn¡¯t killed it, it would have killed her and Yuki next. ¡®Besides I¡¯ve done far worse things already and I was ignorant of them¡­¡¯ While her mind focused on damage control, she tried to put the pieces back together of what she had been doing. ¡°Yuki!?¡± She finally remembered that she needed to find him. Once the fighting intensified she had forgotten about him. He was supposed to be out of harm¡¯s way. But now she didn¡¯t know where she had tossed him. ¡°I hope he¡¯s still alive! I can¡¯t believe I forgot about him!¡± It didn¡¯t take long for her to pick up the sound of his groans of pain and follow them. She leapt over some scattered debris to find him away from the direct site of her fight. Blood dripped from his arm and forehead, while also soaking into his tunic. ¡°Yuki?! Yuki!¡± Her mind immediately went into a panic seeing that he wasn¡¯t moving. She went to grab him, but stopped when he spoke. ¡°I¡¯m still alive¡­just hurting a lot. I¡¯m trying not to move.¡± ¡°Yuki! I¡¯m so sorry!¡± Yumi touched his arm, but recoiled the moment she saw how strong of a reaction he had to her. ¡°You¡¯re¡­¡± ¡°Yeah¡­I¡¯m pretty messed up. This might be¡­unbearable if not¡­for my recent fights.¡± Tears started to drip down Yumi¡¯s face. ¡°This is all my fault! I shouldn¡¯t have¡­¡± Yuki touched his fingers to Yumi¡¯s hand nearby resting on the ground. He wanted her attention. ¡°I¡¯m still alive¡­as are you because¡­of you.¡± ¡°But! You¡¯re like this because you can¡¯t use your powers! I should have done better!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­about that. I haven¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°What?! Why?¡± ¡°Because I was¡­uncertain how it might affect¡­this simulation. I didn¡¯t want to¡­risk ruining your¡­chance. Guess I don¡¯t¡­have a choice¡­now.¡± The thought that Yuki might not be forced to endure all of this pain gave Yumi some hope. ¡°I don¡¯t care about what it does to this. I don¡¯t want you to be suffering!¡± ¡°I understand¡­¡± Yuki went silent for a moment as he began to concentrate. For a while Yumi thought nothing had happened as he remained very still and then he looked back up at her. ¡°Just remember¡­if this works¡­I can¡¯t instantly fix everything with me.¡± He made her heart skip a beat thinking that it didn¡¯t work. ¡°What are you going to do then?¡± She focused on what she could. It was more important right now. ¡°Something I did before¡­make some medicine¡­¡± Once he finished a ripple came out from his body as the sign of his powers activating. They worked as Yumi hoped. And to some of her disappointment, it didn¡¯t have any negative effects on the world. They just worked as she expected them to do. Next to Yuki a machine materialized like when he created things before that needed to be real. Inside the chamber a bottle of a clear liquid formed containing whatever medicine that Yuki came up with in his mind. Yuki stared at it with some curiosity as to what he might have come up with that would help him.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. In pained efforts, he pulled out the bottle and drank the contents quickly while the machine disappeared. Only moments after he finished, Yumi could already see that he didn¡¯t look to be shaking from the pain. He no longer had to hold himself back from the intensity that he faced. ¡°It worked?¡± ¡°Yes, the pain¡¯s much more manageable now.¡± ¡°Can you stand?¡± ¡°That might be asking a little much right now. I don¡¯t know how bad it is right now.¡± Yumi leaned down to help him up. ¡°Then I¡¯ll support you¡­ugh¡­¡± She pressed her hand to the earth, suddenly feeling lightheaded. ¡°Something¡¯s wrong with my body¡­¡± Before she could get anything more out she collapsed next to Yuki falling unconscious. Chapter 389 ¨C Settling ¡°Yuki?!¡± shouted Yumi, as she flung herself up right. Seeing him in pain was the last thing that she remembered. He had been next to her, but now the view was different. And things were out of place. And it was dark. ¡®Why is it dark?¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m over here, Yumi. I¡¯m fine.¡± Locating his voice, he had propped himself up against a chunk of rock that remained from her fight. He hadn¡¯t moved too far, but looked more comfortable than before. And most certainly, he seemed to be able to move a little better. She started to move and felt a little lightheaded still. Her hand had to brace the ground to get her from falling out. ¡°I feel strange¡­¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t move too fast right now. I fixed up your wounds, but you lost a lot of blood.¡± ¡°Blood?¡± ¡°Yeah, your shoulder, whatever made that wound you had you removed it didn¡¯t you?¡± Yumi stretched her hand around to touch where the wound should have been. ¡®It¡¯s gone¡­¡¯ She glanced over at Yuki and then around at the rest of her body. They were all gone. ¡°You healed me?¡± ¡°Yeah, I also gave you a boost to blood generation too. You should remember in the future, it¡¯s not wise to remove objects from you that are that large. You were bleeding out badly. Typically, leaving them in keeps the loss to a minimum.¡± She rubbed her hand over the flawless skin on her shoulder, thanks to Yuki. ¡®He can do all that, so why do the others keep their scars?¡¯ The most obvious was Seiji, who now had massive scars up his arm because of his fight in Atlantis. Yet Yuki could remove them for him. However, she didn¡¯t allow herself to dwell on it for long. She stood up slowly feeling the lightheadedness fight with her. It wasn¡¯t enough to slow her down though. ¡°I didn¡¯t think about that. It was just slowing me down.¡± ¡°The instinct is to remove it and it¡¯s easy to forget in the midst of fighting.¡± Then suddenly Yumi¡¯s stomach rumbled, reminding her why they had stopped to begin with. She covered up her stomach with her hands as though that would do anything. ¡°I made some food. It¡¯s pretty bland, but it does the job until we can find a proper place.¡± He handed over something that looked a bit like a chocolate bar lacking that texture. It had something closer to a cracker surface when she touched it. And it was dense from the weight. ¡®I guess you went for practicality than enjoyment.¡¯ Yumi bit a piece of it off with little worries over the taste thanks to her stomach yelling at her. ¡°It¡¯s sort of like¡­milk¡­¡± ¡°Watered down milk, yeah¡­ But it¡¯ll keep you going.¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± She took another bite and started looking around at the area. ¡°It¡¯s night¡­how long was I out?¡± ¡°Not sure¡­I don¡¯t have a watch. But it¡¯s been night for a while with where the moon is, I''m guessing midnight maybe.¡± Above them the moon hung an unusually closer distance to them. It felt a little unnatural seeing it so big in the sky. ¡®Is this really Japan?¡¯ She couldn¡¯t worry about it too much. There were worse things on her mind. Behind her, Yumi heard quiet sounds of movements. She wasn¡¯t used to using her senses fully so it gave her no meaningful sense of distance. ¡®It¡¯s so dead¡­I can hear so much more than in the city.¡¯ Processing the sound presented a challenge for her. Yumi hoped to figure out if it was human or not. But it wasn¡¯t something she could figure out. ¡®I¡¯m just going to have to assume it¡¯s either an animal or another demon. If I assume the worst, it¡¯s a demon and we¡¯re not really in the right state to be dealing with another attack.¡¯ ¡°What¡¯s wrong Yumi? You¡¯ve been staring for a while.¡± Snapped out of her trance, she looked down at Yuki. ¡°I heard something, could be another one of those snake things or just an animal.¡± ¡°I made sure not to do anything to give away our position. So it probably hasn¡¯t noticed us, but it¡¯s probably best not to stay.¡± ¡°Can you move?¡± ¡°Not well, but if you help then I should be able to make it.¡± Yumi quickly moved to provide him the support he needed to stand. Listening for the sound, she plotted a course in the opposite direction. She gave him her shoulder to lean on as they started a slow walk away. It would mean not following the road they found, but for now she didn¡¯t care about it. ¡°Still behind us?¡± ¡°For now¡­¡± She kept her ears focused on the sound not wanting to lose it for a moment. The way it felt was if she missed it she wouldn¡¯t be able to find it again amongst their walking. ¡®I¡¯m not going to allow a repeat of what happened. I will protect Yuki correctly!¡¯ Determination carved slowly into Yumi''s face as she told herself how things would be for now on. She couldn¡¯t allow for another mistake. He was nearly dead because of her error. That wouldn¡¯t happen again. As time passed and they put more distance between the sound and themselves, Yumi lost it. It became too soft for her to hear anymore. Some bit of relief could fall over her now as she relaxed her shoulders a little. ¡°I think we¡¯re safe now.¡± ¡°But where is the road?¡± He was right. She had no interest in following it before, but now that they had escaped safely they needed the road again. Without the road, they would just be stumbling through the wilderness looking for a village. The road gave them some certainty that they would eventually find civilization again. ¡°I think we¡¯re lost¡­¡± Chapter 390 - A Lost Path They were lost. That was a fact. Though it also felt a little pointless since they were in an unknown place already. Yumi didn¡¯t know the land anymore than Yuki. Before the demon attack they had only been following the road in the hopes of finding another village. So saying they were lost felt like it might be a little redundant, seeing as they never knew where they were going before. Yumi held on to Yuki while staring around the open fields of rolling grass. The only landmarks were distant mountains. But it was also night, so there wasn¡¯t going to be a lot that she was going to see anyway. Between the two of them she knew she had the best vision, so there was no chance of Yuki spotting anything if she couldn¡¯t. Their situation left her pondering her options. ¡®What should we do? We can¡¯t be roaming aimlessly through this land.¡¯ While Yuki was out of danger from his injuries, he still needed time to rest. She wanted him to have somewhere nice to recover that wasn¡¯t out in the middle of the naked wilderness. The threat of another demon attacking alone was enough concern for her. She looked over at Yuki. ¡®It¡¯s hard to tell what he¡¯s thinking right now. Does he have a plan? I don¡¯t really have any experience in this sort of thing.¡¯ The back of her mind wanted her to rely on him for the answer. He had been through so much already and lived a very different sort of life from her. Yumi just assumed he would have a solution. He always had a way out of everything. It was always happening. An idea always came to him. ¡°Yuki¡­¡± she started out slowly. Tilting his head over to her, he didn¡¯t seem to present a face of one with an idea. It just looked like his normal face. That disheartened Yumi some that he also lacked an answer. ¡°Got a plan, Yumi?¡± He looked at her for an answer. Yumi would have stepped back a little surprised if she could. She didn¡¯t expect to see him relying on her for a plan. ¡®He can¡¯t help me? I¡¯m going to have to do this alone?¡¯ Everything weighed on her coming up with a solution now. Now she felt truly lost. ¡®What do I do?¡¯ A bit of panic rose up in her body. It hadn¡¯t quite made it to her head, but it did start her heart beating faster. ¡®I can fight a demon, but I get tripped up by being relied on for direction? What¡¯s wrong with me?!¡¯ Though chastising herself did nothing to find her solution. ¡®I have to just think about the problem¡­¡¯ She tried to control her breathing to calm her heart, but that didn¡¯t help much. It really didn¡¯t want to calm down. Yumi would just have to live with not being able to control herself. She just had to think of her situation and a way out. Yumi tried to put the pieces out in front of her. ¡®We¡¯re lost¡­ We don¡¯t know the land or how far we are from the road. We just need to find some sort of village or town. Any sort of sign of life.¡¯ Finding any of those was difficult though. A search around the field showed off why that would be hard for her. It might just be fields of grass around them, any sign of a forest wasn¡¯t even a hint of a presence. But hills blocked their view from going too far. ¡®This must be a very mountainous area of Japan with all of these tall hills. It¡¯d be possible if we were on top of one to see farther¡­¡¯ Then it came to her. A hit that made her nearly fall off her feet. She couldn¡¯t believe how simple it was. The solution was in front of them. Yumi focused so much on the result rather than the problem that she couldn¡¯t even see what was so easy. ¡®I just need to get to high ground.¡¯ Looking over at Yuki, she tried to see how he was doing. ¡°Can you stand on your own for a little bit?¡± He looked down at his legs for the answer. ¡°Probably, why?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to go take a peek at our surroundings. I should be able to at least find the road.¡± ¡°Alright¡­¡± Yumi released him from her support and took a step back. Watching how Yuki managed on her own, she hesitated to take action until she knew that he would be fine. Once she could get that, she looked up to the skies. ¡®This should be the fastest way of doing things. I just hope the night doesn¡¯t make it too difficult to see¡­¡¯ Initially, Yumi began to hover off the ground with only a few centimeters between her and the earth. Her body bobbed slowly up and down as she got used to the flight and then she pushed herself into the sky. Well past the peaks of the hills, Yumi came to stop with a full view of the region around her. She could see the ocean to her right and forests hugging the edges of hills and mountains. Still nowhere near the height to see past the mountains, she did at least have a view of the land. ¡®Now where is the road?¡¯ Retracing her steps from where they currently stood to where she thought they came from, she managed to see what amounted to the path that they took. At night, it wasn¡¯t even visible as a road. Like Yuki had said, calling it a road overstated its design greatly. It was merely a worn out path that the grass couldn¡¯t grow in very well. Such a lack of design made it very hard to notice. But she had found it at last.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Fortunately, she could see how far they were from the road and it wasn¡¯t as far as she feared. They were actually pretty close. A hill blocked them from seeing it. So it wouldn¡¯t be much effort to return to some sort of guide. ¡®Now that I have the road, what about civilization. Is there anything that I can see from here?¡¯ Nothing. Whether they were really out in the middle of nowhere from people or it was just hidden well, she could not find anything. ¡®I wonder if we¡¯ll eventually find something following the road. There¡¯s nothing I can see on it, not even the hint of farms or signs of people working. Though it is night, maybe I¡¯ll see something more during the day¡­¡¯ Continuing forward was going to be their only option. She had no other choice. They had to find something eventually, the road didn¡¯t exist as something naturally created by the land. People traveled it and often enough to make this into something of a road. Yumi landed on the ground next to Yuki, waiting the whole time. He welcomed Yumi¡¯s support once more as she pulled his arm over her shoulder. ¡°You find the road?¡± ¡°Yup, we¡¯ve just got to get around that hill and we¡¯ll be back on track.¡± ¡°Always just under our nose.¡± ¡°But I couldn¡¯t find any village. There¡¯s no sign of life at all.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll find something eventually.¡± She agreed with him. This was the only path that they could take right now. She had no clue about what was going on. Following what was the only thing in front of her would hopefully lead her to something. At least, she hoped it would lead to something. She reserved some fear that this was just a pointless effort that they made. A tiny bit though, she still believed more strongly in finding something at the end of the road. ¡°Right!¡± Chapter 390 ¨C A Lost Path Day finally arrived while they were on the road marking the end of their first full day within the digital world of Yumi¡¯s mind. It wasn¡¯t the sort of thing that she expected. She thought it would be over soon. Not still stuck without purpose or aim inside her own mind. It made her think with a pensive expression about their situation and what it could mean for them. On a break to eat one of Yuki¡¯s watered down milk flavor food bars and to rest for Yuki, she became more reflective on the situation. Yumi looked over at Yuki, who spent the time with his eyes closed and stretched out in the grass. She leaned up against the cliff side watching the clouds pass by. ¡°Think our real bodies are alright?¡± ¡°Why you ask?¡± he replied with a long delay in his answer. ¡°It¡¯s already been a day in here now. How much time has passed out there?¡± ¡°If this was a normal VR world, I¡¯d say it was a day as well. But this isn¡¯t a normal world.¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s in my mind?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s just my guess but I doubt time in here is moving at the same speed out there.¡± That answer made her think about the situation even more. ¡®If time is moving differently like he thinks then¡­¡¯ Such a difference made everything change with the way she thought about their situation. ¡°So even though we¡¯ve experienced a day an hour could have only passed for Phoibe?¡± ¡°Or even a second maybe. Mind can do a lot of amazing things.¡± ¡°¡­a second¡­ Then for Phoibe, she could still be only starting trying to save us from here?¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± Yumi felt the weight of that reply. It put things into a different perspective for her. And not one that she was expecting. ¡®I just sort of figured that we would have to wait only for Phoibe rescuing us from here. Especially since this seemed to serve no purpose right now. But if time isn¡¯t passing normally, we could be stuck in here for weeks or months while little time passes for Phoibe outside.¡¯ The changes in time made her head hurt a little trying to put it all together. It made sense, but imagining what that was like for Phoibe was weird. They moved quickly, while she was going slowly depending on their points of view. Which still left her with some unanswered questions. Even with Yuki¡¯s thoughts nothing was certain for them. They knew nothing about why or how they were trapped inside a virtual world created by another part of her mind that she couldn¡¯t control. And anything that they came up with for answers was only just guess work. Not even Yuki knew the truth. None of them did. ¡°What¡¯ll happen to our bodies if it¡¯s not seconds or hours? Could we die here because of our real bodies being locked away?¡± ¡°Phoibe wouldn¡¯t let that happen. She would find a way to keep us safe.¡± Yuki lifted himself up off the grass to look at Yumi directly. ¡°Just focus on what you can affect. What¡¯s happening here. This is happening for a reason and it is for you.¡± ¡°You keep saying that this is for me, but how can you be so certain about that? Maybe they just want to kill me off so that they can take over my body for their own. They plan to make me some vegetable, destroying my mind or something.¡± ¡°That still wouldn¡¯t change that it¡¯s about you. If they want to kill you or something else, this is happening because of you, Yumi. This is your mind and only you understand yourself. I can¡¯t give you the answers you¡¯re looking for.¡± A sigh escaped Yumi¡¯s lips. He was right. ¡®I just don¡¯t understand any of this! This doesn¡¯t make any sense to me! If I understood myself I would know why this was happening and how it connects to me, but I don¡¯t! I don¡¯t understand anything! That much is clear!¡¯ Yumi just wanted it to all make sense. If she at least knew why it was happening she could make some sort of action. But she was going around blind. ¡®They¡¯re laughing at me,¡¯ she thought almost certain that they were doing this on purpose to screw with her. Yumi couldn¡¯t do much with her situation. Yuki had no answers for her and she had none either no matter how many times he told her this was on her. Nothing was going to be figured out. She stepped out away from the cliff and stared at the path once more. ¡°We should start moving again. You¡¯re going to need to sleep at some point and maybe there¡¯s a village nearby for you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible. There could be something hidden out in the forest.¡± ¡°Forest? I don¡¯t see one nearby.¡± She looked around to see if there was something that he saw that she missed. But there was nothing. And then he just smiled at her like he had some internal joke that he chuckled about to himself. He motioned with his hand for her to carry on as he leaned on her for support still. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Yumi really felt like she was on the outside of whatever was going on inside his head. Which really was nothing new for her. Most of the things he went on about that got focused on his interests she couldn¡¯t follow. But that was what made him Yuki. And nothing fortunately was all they found for two days of travel. Yumi feared that they might have to fight another demon and if she could protect Yuki from it, but that was nothing that she had to worry about. Which left them in the late afternoon staring down from one of the hills at a beautiful sight. ¡°A village¡­¡± Yumi said with a surprising lack of emotion after wanting one for so long and spending three days traveling partially blind. But they finally arrived at what she hoped was a place that they could rest and maybe understand what was going on. What was the point of all of this? Chapter 391 - Village of Silence A village was in sight. It nearly made her cry to see such a welcome sight. She didn¡¯t think it would make her so emotional to see something that should be expected, but she couldn¡¯t help herself. Three days of being stuck in a virtual world without any sort of hope of life brought this on. After so long of being on the road, she had begun to doubt if there was actually anything to be found. To know that there was and she wasn¡¯t wrong for following it was a strange sort of emotion that she didn¡¯t know. Yumi looked back at Yuki and his injuries. They weren¡¯t healing very quickly. He was able to walk mostly on his own, but slowly. Which probably affected why it took them so long to find the village. But it wasn¡¯t really something that Yumi dwelled on. It bothered her more that he still needed time to recover. It was slow for being aided. ¡®I hope nothing¡¯s wrong with him and this digital world. If another demon attacks he won¡¯t be able to help. I¡¯m going to have to protect him still.¡¯ Other thoughts came to her as she looked back at the village. Where they came from. She didn¡¯t want a repeat of what happened before. ¡°We should try to keep a low profile. Neither of us should use our powers.¡± ¡°That¡¯s probably for the best.¡± ¡°This might still be a fake world, but we have to deal with it until Phoibe frees us.¡± Internally, she kept telling herself that it was fake. So she shouldn¡¯t care about what happens, but the reality was she had to care to some degree if they were going to have a smooth experience. There was no avoiding the world forced upon her. ¡°I¡¯m not planning on developing a reputation as a demon.¡± ¡°Just have to be careful.¡± ¡°I know. I¡¯m just not used to games like you are.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really play games, Yumi. I¡¯m just used to being in a different world than others.¡± ¡®Maybe that¡¯s it then¡­ever since he¡¯s been here he hasn¡¯t really been bothered by any of it. And it¡¯s not even because he enjoys stuff like this and this is like a dream come true for him. It goes beyond that, that sort of thing wears off after a while. But he¡¯s relaxed and comfortable here like he has no worries despite having no better understanding of what¡¯s happening or why than me. I don¡¯t know how he can be so calm about it all. So maybe that¡¯s it¡­¡¯ It was a thought anyway. Yumi still didn¡¯t understand it. She thought when it came to Yuki she knew some of how he worked and thought, but there was still plenty as she was finding that she didn¡¯t understand. There was always going to be more for her to learn about him. But that excited her. Yumi took a step forward to resume their trek. The village remained at least an hour away still, since it was only her that could see it and not Yuki. But they had a defined end point to their destination finally and she welcomed that. ¡°We¡¯re almost there. Let¡¯s go and see if we can finally get somewhere nice to sleep for a night.¡± ¡°There were a few nights in Atlantis we had to sleep out in the middle of nowhere.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean I want to do it if I can avoid it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure we¡¯re always going to have such luxury with the way our lives are going.¡± ¡°You planning on fighting your whole life?¡± ¡°No, but our current situation isn¡¯t going away any time soon and Japan¡¯s pretty screwed up. That¡¯s not a simple fix. I doubt that our future is going to be easy.¡± ¡°I guess you¡¯re right about that¡­¡± Chapter 391 ¨C Village of Silence Did it take an hour? Or was it two? Yumi had no idea. She did question her original assessment. She really had no good experience judging distance based off her new vision. So it was very likely that she got it wrong. Because it really didn¡¯t feel like an hour. The lack of that watch consistently came back to hurt her. She couldn¡¯t really get a grasp of time without one. The sun did only so much to tell her in the passing of time. But she felt certain it was like half a day of walking before they arrived. At the village entrance, which was really hard to even call an entrance. It was merely a point that she made in her mind when she crossed a line that matched up with the first house. The village was wildly spread out over the area with no real sense of planning or organization done. It just sort of felt like everyone just built their homes where they wanted and if it took a little walking to get around then that was what it took. She had trouble seeing it as a community since there was barely even the notion of neighbors with such a layout. She looked around at people loosely spread around. Since it was already late in the day, it looked like they stopped farming for the day. ¡®I don¡¯t even know where to start. I can¡¯t tell who might be the one in charge. What am I supposed to even say? I need them to help us, but we¡¯ve got no money or skills to offer them.¡¯ Yumi started to curse to herself that she had no forethought to plan ahead for this inevitability. She knew it was going to happen. She took the two of them to the village with the intent to find help and rest. But that was as far as she took the thought. Now she was kicking herself for not having continued the thought. ¡®I need a plan¡­¡¯ Their approach was met with some stares and silent judging. Though she didn¡¯t know what they judged them on. They had nothing out of the ordinary about them apart from Yuki¡¯s injured condition, which was less apparent now. It didn¡¯t feel as bad as the last group of people that they faced. Given that they appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the farms, it only made sense that they would be treated harsher. Now though, Yumi struggled to understand their distrust.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡®Hesitating isn¡¯t going to get us anywhere though. I¡¯ve got to just start talking. They should be friendly, right? They¡¯re just villagers.¡¯ That was what she hoped anyway. She took the first step and approached the next person that came near them. It was a middle aged woman that looked tired from a long day of work and with harsh lines around her face from a less than ideal life. Her face had rough scowl carved into it, which never really seemed to change. ¡°Excuse me, I¡¯m looking for some help.¡± The woman passed Yumi without even giving her a glance. Yumi tried calling out to the woman again, but it proved completely pointless. She no doubt heard Yumi¡¯s pleas, but didn¡¯t care to even give her an acknowledgement that she even existed. ¡®Why did she ignore me? What¡¯s wrong? Was it something I did?¡¯ Yumi turned back to move forward to the next person. A younger man walking with someone older. She guessed it was a son and father. No doubt in this sort of life, the family stuck closely together. ¡°Excuse me! Can you help us? I need¡­¡± They ignored her again. She did get a momentary bit of eye contact from the father, but that was lost the moment she opened her mouth. She stared as they walked away without even missing a beat. ¡®It¡¯s almost like I¡¯m invisible to them. Though I know they can see me. I¡¯m getting a reaction from them. But what¡¯s going on? Why are they unwilling to talk to me?¡¯ Nothing made sense about it. ¡®Thought they would be friendly. They¡¯re just villagers right? Aren¡¯t they supposed to be welcoming and closely knit?¡¯ A few more failures left Yumi standing out in the village completely lost and dejected. ¡®No one¡¯s listened to me. I can¡¯t even get them to reply to me. Why? No one is even willing to listen to me. Almost no one will even look at me. What¡¯s wrong with these people?¡¯ None of it made any sense to Yumi. She saw them walking about helping out each other and talking between others, but completely ignoring them. There wasn¡¯t even a sign of them gossiping or being suspicious about their words because she tried to talk to them. They just completely wiped their presence from the village. It really was like they were invisible to everyone. ¡®This is more than just strange. There is something going on here¡­¡¯ The longer that she stared around at the village the more she became convinced of it. ¡®This isn¡¯t right. They aren¡¯t acting normal in any way. If they just distrusted me, then they should be acting in a way that seemed like they were suspicious of me. They would be looking at me. Or running away something that would make it seem like they wanted me away. But it¡¯s not even that. This isn¡¯t distrust at all. This is just non-existence.¡¯ Finding a mystery in the first village that they ran across after arriving in this world wasn¡¯t what she expected. But she had completely different expectations for the whole thing. And the more she thought about it, if it was a game this sort of made sense. She didn¡¯t like it. But there might be some strange point to the whole thing. ¡®Yuki seems to believe there¡¯s a reason for this. Maybe he¡¯s right¡­ But I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s the point of it.¡¯ She looked around the village again trying to get a read on the place. When she arrived she didn¡¯t try to dig in too closely to what was happening. None of it was really that important to her. She expected to find help, not be ignored. Now she was having to dig for clues. Reasons for things happening and being the way they were. This meant she needed to watch and read people, something she was already admitted to being bad at. So she struggled in finding anything of note. All she could see was people going about their daily lives as they might in a village that was so far back in time that their lives were very simple. It was the short cycle of work, eat and sleep. There didn¡¯t really seem to be room for much more in their lives from what she could observe. Though part of that was just an assumption on her part. She had only been watching them for a few minutes. That was hardly enough time to learn all of that. But they did very little that she could see. ¡®There¡¯s not a lot I¡¯m going to learn from just watching them. I need to find something more useful¡­¡¯ Yumi started wandering around the village looking for clues. It sort of felt like she was a detective investigating a murder. Though if she had been doing that she felt there would have been more clues to find. What hurt the most was her lack of knowing what she was looking for. There was something wrong in the village, but none of it stood out to her as being out of place. All the people ignored her, but they otherwise went about normal lives. Their homes and what they did seem to fit into that. There was really nothing out of place with the village. It was completely normal as far as she could tell. Though her knowledge of what might be normal for a village was skewed as this wasn¡¯t her sort of life. She grew up in a city and even villages in the modern era of Japan didn¡¯t really fit this sort of vision. Yumi parked herself out on a rock that rested near the edge of the village. Only two other houses were close by, and by close she guessed that they were at least a hundred meters apart from each other. It was also getting late and the villagers were starting to wrap up the last bits of whatever they were doing to turn in for the night. She was running out of time for them to get a place to sleep that wasn¡¯t the ground once more. She rested her chin on her hand and looked over at Yuki, who sat on the ground trying to keep off his legs she imagined. ¡°Got any ideas you¡¯re willing to share?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just as confusing to me,¡± he replied with his current trend of being less than helpful to her. She expected so much more from him and he suddenly started completely lacking any sort of guesses or speculations. He had a wealth of experience from his reading that he always relied on for his theories. And they regularly paid off for him. She expected to be able to rely on his surprisingly useful set of knowledge to make things easier. ¡®I¡¯m really starting to wonder if he¡¯s doing this intentionally. He has a theory, but he¡¯s keeping it to himself because this is supposed to be about me. But I don¡¯t care. I just want answers!¡¯ She really didn¡¯t want to be stuck going in circles because she didn¡¯t understand anything and he held all of the answers. Unfortunately, she was running out of time as she already knew. She needed to make a move. Sitting on the rock doing nothing but bemoaning her troubles got her nowhere. So Yumi jumped off the rock and rushed out to the first person she could find. ¡®I¡¯m done being passive¡­¡¯ She stepped directly in front of them, a middle aged man. In a village of so few people, she already started to recognize faces. They seemed to be alone from what she saw from the different interactions. The man kept to himself the entire time she watched. He seemed to do very little other than eat his dinner and then walk out of the village. Since she didn¡¯t follow him, she didn¡¯t know what he did outside, but none of it really mattered. She planned to get something more than being ignored from him, from anyone. ¡°Excuse me, sir! I wanted to talk to you for a moment!¡± Yumi took a wide stance so that she could react to whichever way he moved. Since they were all just ignoring her, she expected him to just walk around her. Which he did as she foresaw. He tried to go left, but she got in his way. A flicker of annoyance seemed to dig into the wrinkles of his face as she refused to make it easy for him. However, he kept pushing on by ignoring her completely. They fought over ground for a minute before he just pushed straight through, giving up on trying to just be polite and go around, since she stopped being polite a while ago. ¡®No you don¡¯t! I¡¯m not letting you go that easy!¡¯ As he brushed past her, she grabbed his arm to keep him from leaving now that it had come to this. ¡°I said I wanted to talk to you! Stop ignoring me!¡± She got a reaction from the man, just not the one that she expected. A deep hatred carved through every wrinkle in his face creating a menacing aura for her to witness. ¡°I want nothing to do with your kind.¡± He then snapped his arm free from her loosened grip taken back by the completely unfiltered hate directed at her. ¡®Kind? What¡¯s going on?!¡¯ Unfortunately, Yumi didn¡¯t have much time to ponder the new mystery as she heard something behind her hit the ground with an awkward thud. She turned back to see Yuki on the ground breathing heavily for some reason. ¡°Yuki?!¡± Yumi ran to his side, turning him over trying to understand what happened to him. ¡°Yuki?! What happened? Are you hurt? Did something attack you? Yuki?!¡± He quickly became unresponsive as he passed out in her arms. ¡°Someone help me!¡± Chapter 392 - Trust Issues It was dark. Darker than she wished, but she couldn¡¯t pick her time. She had no choice in the matter now. This was the only time she could have. Yumi was just going to have to get used to the darkness. She was going to have to find a friend within it if she was to survive the night. Thankfully, she at least had the moonlight to give her something. With her enhanced vision, it actually worked out better than she imagined. What didn¡¯t work with her was the forest. A thick canopy over head did everything it could to make it impossible for the moon to aid her. She would get little breaks through the trees for direct light. But it was still hard as hell to see anything. This wasn¡¯t the sort of situation she would have liked. She had to keep on the move, but still listen. They were close and she knew it. She just hadn¡¯t figured out how close. Her judgment slowly improved, but it was a far way from being something that she could rely on implicitly. But it was all she had to trust at the moment with her eyes nearly useless to her. Her mind wandered briefly back to Yuki. He was left in the village, which was the best call. This wasn¡¯t something that she could bring him to with his injuries. ¡®I hope he can get some rest¡­¡¯ She wished it all hadn¡¯t been so hasty. Suddenly, a loud crack ripped through the forest to her left as a tree came falling down. She had enough time in her reflexes for it not to be an issue and it finally got her what she was searching around the forest blindly for. Her target, the enemy she had to slay. ¡°I found you,¡± she spoke, ¡°Or perhaps you found me. But regardless, this will be over soon.¡± Before her stood a giant humanoid shaped monster, a demon. Very different from the one that she saw before. The snake demon was certainly smaller for one, but Yumi had a feeling that this one wasn¡¯t as powerful. That was why she could be so confident. She wouldn¡¯t have been so bold in her declaration otherwise. A giant demon with a single horn still the size of her body jutted off its forehead. It had a burned red char color for skin and wielded a massive axe that easily could cleave through every tree around it in a single swing without slowing down. Such a sight should easily put fear into Yumi¡¯s entire body. Yet she charged forward brimming with confidence in her step. She manifested her barrier with three fold layers to intercept the axe, but that was only enough to slow it down. The first layer was smashed immediately followed by the second a moment later. Enough time to dodge before the third broke into white particles, left Yumi skating around the left side of the giant demon to get behind it. A slash from her arm unleashed an arc of energy that dug into the demon¡¯s leg making it howl loudly through the forest shaking the leaves. But it wasn¡¯t enough to cleave through it. She managed to draw up a fountain of blood from the attack and otherwise only make it angry with her. She jumped back and into the trees to get a better view on her target. It had some trouble turning with the wound in its leg, but remained determined to find and kill her. Yumi kept barrier shards prepared for any off chance ability the demon had that wasn¡¯t physical. But so far she judged it not to have anything else, not like the snake demon. It swung the axe in hand wide aiming blindly for Yumi. It wasn¡¯t even close, but did open the canopy up of the forest to grant her the first good look at the demon she was sent to slay. ¡®So this is an oni¡­ Looks almost exactly like what I¡¯ve seen depicted in museums. It¡¯s quite a bit different from the other demon. I¡¯m not sure it even has intelligent thoughts¡­¡¯ Her moment of contemplation ended with the demon finally locating her. She remembered hearing that it had a good nose and her not showering for three days likely made her very noticeable, especially after her fight with the previous demon. Leaving a couple of quick arc slashes in her wake, she dodged before the axe had a chance to get close. Since there wasn¡¯t as much power put into the attack, she only managed to make shallow wounds in the demon¡¯s enormous chest. Despite not having the same sort of threat as the snake demon, Yumi found that its size was making it harder for her to kill than the other demon. She dodged again with ease leaving crunched earth behind where the axe missed her. ¡®I¡¯m only building up some bits of damage against it. I¡¯m far stronger than it, but I can¡¯t get a clean kill with how little power I¡¯m using. I¡¯m going to need something stronger that I can use quickly. It might be slow, but I¡¯m not getting enough time to gather up enough power to bring it down in a single attack¡­¡¯ Yumi dodged and kept up her minor attacks against the demon. She was making slow progress against it, but it felt like it was going to take an hour the way she was going. It was built so large that it easily absorbed much of the damage. ¡®I need to think up something better than the way I¡¯m going about this now¡­¡¯ Her mind drew back thinking about her brother. And remembered what he did with his power. ¡®I think it¡¯s similar to mine from what I¡¯ve seen. So it should work for me too¡­¡¯ Drawing out her right hand, white particles gathered up in her hand and stretched out forming into a blade. A simple appearance was all she asked for as she needed to dodge once more. But this time she swung at the weapon arm of the oni in a counterattack. It didn¡¯t go through the arm like she hoped, but it did draw up blood and a shallow wound. She jumped around evading grabs and the axe from a violently angry oni now. Her counters tacked on more wounds, but it wasn¡¯t making the progress she hoped for. ¡®I need more power¡­¡¯ While she dodged the sword grew brighter as more particles drew into the blade. Yumi could keep the effect going as she moved around. Each strike sank a little deeper into the oni as her power increased. ¡®It¡¯s working! This will do it¡­¡¯ Once she knew that she had enough power gathered up in her sword she ceased to feel the need to dodge. She watched the axe roar as it sped towards her. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. A large dust cloud exploded from the impact, completely obscuring Yumi from the demon. The oni roared into the cloud sounding a little confused by what happened. As it pulled its axe free all it found was the handle with the blade missing. Staring at the destroyed weapon, the oni roared again wanting answers. ¡°I think you¡¯re looking for this,¡± Yumi spoke out of the cloud as it started to clear. She held the huge chunk of metal that was the axe in her tiny hands by comparison. The oni charged at Yumi furious only for it to be flung back as Yumi threw the weapon. Pinned to a larger tree by the axe blade, though the tree wasn¡¯t lasting from the impact, the oni couldn¡¯t immediately move free. It tore at the tree breaking it into splinters quickly. But Yumi had all the time she needed as she sailed through the air removing the head from its shoulders in a clean strike. ¡°It¡¯s finished¡­¡± Yumi stood up from the spot she landed to look back at the demon. ¡°I thought with them being the weakest demon that I could get away with a lot less power against them, but even the weakest demon is no small effort. I¡¯m going to have to take them more seriously or I¡¯m going to get injured.¡± Leaping up to the top of the canopy, Yumi rested on the nearest branch and stared out into the forest. From above, she could get the moon to aid her efforts. ¡°So I was right, this wasn¡¯t the only one in the forest¡­ Those other sounds are getting closer¡­¡± Yumi formed another blade in her left hand letting both start to glow brighter. ¡°It¡¯s going to be a long night¡­¡± Chapter 392 ¨C Trust Issues Morning rose before Yumi managed to return. It was something that she welcomed greatly over the moon. While her directions in the region improved greatly over the night, she still preferred being able to see as much as she could to be certain. ¡°It¡¯s not too far away now¡­¡± she remarked on seeing the village. With all of the demons in the forest slain she only had to return to the village. ¡®I¡¯m looking forward to some rest. Never imagined fighting all night would exhaust me so¡­¡¯ She adjusted the weight on her shoulders and kept marching on to the entrance. Without Yuki the time to the village was much faster. As she stepped inside, she started receiving many looks in her direction. She tried to avoid most of them and focus on her task. It wasn¡¯t too far to the village elder¡¯s hut and she hoped that he was out waiting for her. The thought of having to hunt him down made her feel even more tired. Fortunately, he was waiting for her. ¡°I¡¯ve returned.¡± ¡°I can see that, you certainly are more formidable than you appear, young woman.¡± Yumi gave the old man a bit of a grin and she hefted the massive oni horn that she carried over her shoulder. Dropping it to the earth gave a small cloud of smoke and shook through their legs. ¡°I¡¯ve brought back proof as you requested, though you weren¡¯t very clear on what proof I should bring with me.¡± The elder stared at the horn that was nearly twice his height with silent awe as he tried hard not to show weakness before Yumi. ¡°You¡¯re correct, I was rather¡­vague about the proof.¡± The size distracted him a little as he measured it, likely trying to figure out what they would do with such a thing. ¡°It must have been a hard fight for you.¡± ¡°This guy?¡± she questioned, looking at the horn a little and remembering it. ¡°He gave me a little trouble at first.¡± ¡°Bravado doesn¡¯t suit someone so wounded and bruised from fighting all night a single oni.¡± ¡°Single oni?¡± Yumi looked up to the sky for a moment before meeting the elder directly. ¡°I finished your request very early, elder.¡± ¡°What do you mean? If you finished it early, why have you not returned until now?¡± ¡°Because when I killed this one, all of his friends were alerted.¡± Suddenly, another horn came out of the sky dropping behind Yumi followed by another and another. The rain of trophies ended with a count of fifteen, leaving the elder completely unable to hold back his shock anymore. He started to look around at the pile of horns, which now began to gather a small crowd from the village. Yumi¡¯s efforts left everyone completely stunned. ¡°You killed all of these oni?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Once I got their patterns down they weren¡¯t too bad until they started to team up against me.¡± Yumi moved the horn she held onto back into the pile with the rest. ¡°I don¡¯t have fifteen hands, so I had to carry the rest up in the air with my power. Is this enough proof?¡± Silence gripped the man having difficulty with words at what he witnessed. It clearly exceeded any of his expectations. Yumi guessed that he had little expectations for her since he asked her to find just a single oni and kill it. Though she hadn¡¯t planned on appearing like an overachiever in killing so many, it was just the circumstances. But it seemed to be what she needed. Once he managed to find words, the elder started barking out orders to those standing around to find something drag the horns away. Much of the crowd dispersed at his words and he turned back to Yumi. ¡°Yes, this is more than enough to prove your claim. I¡¯m sorry for doubting you.¡± She waved her hand to dismiss that he had disrespected her. ¡°I get it a lot as you can imagine from my frail appearance. But it helps as they underestimate me.¡± ¡°Whatever you want as a reward we will strive to give as recompense for our insults towards you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not angry about it¡­anymore. I just want you to do as I asked of you.¡± ¡°Yes, my home is your home for as long as you stay in our humble village, Master Yumi.¡± ¡°Master?¡± ¡°Is your ranking higher?¡± ¡°N-no, I have no ranking.¡± ¡°No ranking? Someone as powerful as you?¡± ¡°Like I said, I¡¯m underestimated a lot. So please if you must call me anything, just Yumi.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t show such disrespect to one of your kind. We are mere ants.¡± ¡®He really changed his tune fast. Yesterday all I got was scoffs and passive aggressive insults, now he¡¯s practically at my feet. This is a little uncomfortable¡­¡¯ Yumi backed away towards the old man¡¯s home. She had something else that she needed to do. ¡°Please don¡¯t lower yourself so much. We¡¯re both just human.¡± ¡°You¡¯re very modest, Master Yumi.¡± Yumi winced hearing it again. She wasn¡¯t going to escape it, it really seemed burned into their habits. ¡°How is he doing?¡± Redirecting the conversation seemed to be the only thing that she could really do now. Stopping the old man from repeating such awkward words came as her first priority. The elder rushed up ahead of Yumi pulling back the weaving of dried straw that acted as a door. ¡°Your husband is looking a lot better once he laid down.¡± Fighting the embarrassment in her face, she pushed through the threshold. ¡°He¡¯s not. He¡¯s just my traveling companion, a very good friend.¡± ¡°Selling me a little short aren¡¯t you, Yumi?¡± Yuki teased appearing to be awake, though unmoved from the pile of leaves being used for a pillow. ¡°So you are married!¡± ¡°Yuki! Don¡¯t create misunderstandings!¡± ¡°No, she¡¯s right, we¡¯re not married. But she is a very dear friend to me.¡± Yumi turned away from Yuki hiding everything that she had thought she managed to bury in her after Atlantis. It came back so easily it made it seem like all of her efforts were pointless and empty. It made her sigh trying to get her heart under control. ¡°I see, well I will leave you to see your friend, Master Yumi.¡± The elder pulled out of the single room home and stood in the threshold pausing. ¡°As elder of the village, I thank you on behalf of everyone. You¡¯ve given us peace once more. Thank you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome, I¡¯m glad to help.¡± Once the elder disappeared outside to give out more orders to the villages, Yuki leaned forward a little not lost on the things that happened. ¡°Master? That was fast for a single night, Yumi.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that!¡± ¡°What did you tell them?¡± ¡°That I¡¯m a Demon Hunter.¡± Chapter 393 - Confidence Blooming ¡°A Demon Hunter?!¡± Yuki yelped in surprise as he rose quickly only to regret it from the pain that spiked through his chest. He quickly fell back to the thin thatching used as his bedding. Yumi leapt to his side worried over his injuries. ¡°Yuki?! I thought you said you were feeling better!¡± She started to look for blood if he might have reopened a wound from the way he responded. Slowly pushing her hand back, Yuki denied her fears. He shook his head and the pain eased out of his face. Recovery came quickly for him as he looked normal again. ¡°I am, it was just as a surprise and my body wasn¡¯t ready for me to make such movements. You don¡¯t need to worry.¡± ¡°¡­but, Yuki¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. More importantly, I can¡¯t believe that you went and said that.¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t think of anything else to say and we needed their help. And it provides a good excuse for my abilities that wouldn¡¯t make them think I¡¯m a demon again.¡± ¡°But we don¡¯t know enough about this world and what the rules are here. We don¡¯t know what sort of expectations they have.¡± Yumi stood up, relieved to see that Yuki no longer seemed to be in pain. The danger had passed. She felt more secure now. ¡°What possible expectations could there be beyond killing demons? And so far there hasn¡¯t been any demon that I can¡¯t handle.¡± ¡°So far¡­ There¡¯s always someone stronger, Yumi.¡± She smiled back at him confidently. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, Yuki. I can handle whatever comes. It¡¯s not even real anyway.¡± Chapter 393 ¨C Confidence Blooming Outside the elder¡¯s hut, Yumi watched as the villagers in a rather humorous effort tried to haul off the horns she brought back. ¡®I wonder what they¡¯ll do with them? Maybe they¡¯re worth something?¡¯ There had been no plan in what she did after killing the demons. It was merely the easiest thing she found as proof of her achievement, since they weren¡¯t going to just take her word for it. It probably would have been easier for them if they did. She stepped forward unwilling to watch them keep flailing about in their awkwardness. It wasn¡¯t the sort of thing that any of them expected to be doing when they woke up. That much she could be certain about. Neither did she imagine that she would be pretending to be a Demon Hunter. It felt very out of character for her, but it was something that she could pull off thanks to what Yuki granted her. So while it was a lie that she spread to the villagers, she could at least look like a genuine liar. ¡®Not sure if being genuine for a con-artist makes this any better or not¡­ But it¡¯s fake anyway, so I shouldn¡¯t have to worry too much once Phoibe rescues us from this world.¡¯ The elder had every single young male in the village struggling to pull a single horn away. They had managed to tie it up to get a grip and shared several ropes coming off of it. With the power of twenty men they made it only about half of the way out of the village with it and carved quite the trough through the dirt road that ran through their village. ¡®I know I¡¯m a bad judge of normalcy, but I didn¡¯t think a demon horn was that heavy.¡¯ Part of the problem was that the horn was larger than a human just in length. And then the circumference around at the base made it impossible to get an arm around it. But that wasn¡¯t the only thing. Yumi used her powers to levitate the entire pile into the air. This naturally drew everyone¡¯s attention away from the men. Until she acted, her presence remained completely unnoticed. Once they saw everything moving, they stopped what they were doing and turned to Yumi. She hadn¡¯t planned on making such a scene from just helping them. ¡°Where are you taking them?¡± ¡°Master Yumi?!¡± exclaimed the elder, rushing over to her side. ¡°You need not dirty your hands helping us.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the one that troubled you by bringing something so unwieldy for you. I should help fix that.¡± There was definitely a part of her that enjoyed relishing in the payback that she got from all of the cold shoulders she got from everyone. But any of that had already been spent. She had no plans to dwell on it now. Yumi could see that men pulling their own horn stared at her with slightly different eyes than the rest. It seemed to be a matter of pride for them. They had some face to save, even if it was already fairly meaningless, since they couldn¡¯t compare to her. This much they knew, but they still insisted. So she released the one they hauled to allow them to keep what little remained of their pride as men. She walked around the elder insisting still on helping them. ¡°Please lead the way.¡± ¡°Y-yes¡­¡± There was some hesitation still, but he could tell that she had no intention of stopping. He was just going to have to deal with her help. Stacked up just outside the village, a surprisingly far distance away, Yumi looked back at where they had come. ¡°Are you sure you want them this far away? Someone might try to steal them.¡± She still didn¡¯t know their value. ¡°A single thief could not steal them. Nor could a band hope to take them away.¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Sure, it takes a lot of strength to haul these, but still¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s the demon¡¯s power as you already know.¡± It sounded confusing to Yumi. This world still had plenty of things that she didn¡¯t understand. ¡°I¡¯m self taught. So I have no formalized training.¡± ¡°But everyone knows.¡± Yumi rubbed the side of her cheek, having to keep her lie going even further. It was starting to feel like she was digging herself a hole rather than finding a tunnel. ¡°I had a very sheltered life up until demons killed everyone I knew. So I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m very new to this whole thing still.¡± ¡°That means you¡¯re seeking your own way to join them.¡± She tilted her head not sure what he was going on about. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s not my place to pry into your matters. Still amazing, you¡¯re so powerful and yet¡­¡± The elder hesitated to say what he actually meant to say. Yumi picked up easily enough on that. He was fairly transparent with his actions, which made it easier for Yumi. ¡°Simply put, a demon¡¯s power still persists for days after it is slain within its body. What that means is that no normal human can even touch it without being overcome by the effects.¡± ¡°Effects? A dead demon can still do things?¡± ¡°Yes, a demon¡¯s power is a negative force in our world. It warps and distorts the natural world, acting like a disease.¡± ¡°A disease?!¡± Yumi looked back at the village where she had brought so many demon horns just to rest. The elder nodded continuing his explanation. ¡°Even the weakest of demons, the oni has the power to sap the strength and life from anything around it.¡± ¡°And I brought all of them that I killed into your village! I¡¯m so sorry, I never would have¡ª¡° ¡°Short exposure is not enough to cause permanent harm to us, but in such a large quantity we can¡¯t keep it around the village.¡± ¡°I can reduce their size and send them far away from here if that would be best.¡± ¡°After three days the power will have fully been leached and be completely inert. Then we will be able to break it down for sale. Though with such a large amount of material it will take away while to sell, but you¡¯ve given us quite the fortune.¡± Yumi nodded, starting to piece things together from everything that the elder said. What she saw started to make sense now. ¡®For a fake world, this is surprisingly deeply crafted in terms of rules. I hadn¡¯t even considered the dead could still have some negative impact on the living. That would make truly powerful demons extremely lethal even dead¡­¡¯ The notion of such a thing left Yumi to ponder how that managed. She had no doubt that there were more powerful demons than the snake that she fought. ¡®How powerful are the other demon hunters?¡¯ Images of a much bigger world began to be conjured up in her mind. A bit of curiosity welled up in her chest. She wondered what else this world had to offer. Since it was a fantasy it had none of the same limits as the real world. So it could go on far beyond what she was used to experiencing. It was a compelling notion to her. She kind of wanted to see more. ¡®I am stuck here in this world until Phoibe gets us out. Maybe after Yuki fully recovers we can see what this world has to offer.¡¯ ¡°Master Yumi, may I ask a question?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Do you possess healing abilities as well?¡± ¡°Healing? No, why do you ask?¡± She gave them an honest look of confusion for such a random question. While she waited for an answer, her mind turned around thoughts. ¡®Is that normal for demon hunters? Is that going to out me? Am I going to have to come up with another lie?¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s just that all of your injuries have healed themselves.¡± ¡°All my injuries¡­¡± Yumi stared down at her arms and checked out her body. Any of the pain that she had before was gone. It wasn¡¯t life threatening even before, just dull spikes poking annoyingly at her in her sides. So she never noticed when it disappeared. She looked back at the village towards the elder¡¯s hut putting it together quickly enough. ¡®Yuki, it was his doing. He didn¡¯t even tell me. I never noticed¡­ Even though he disagrees with the way I¡¯m handling things¡­ Yuki¡­¡¯ While she stared off in the distance, the elder looked confused as he had been left out of something. ¡°Master Yumi?¡± Shaking her head free from her thoughts, she looked back at the elder. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just took some medicine that I picked up on my journey.¡± ¡°I see, I had no idea such medicine existed.¡± ¡°The world is a vast and mysterious place.¡± ¡°Yes, so it would seem.¡± The elder turned and motioned the villagers back to their normal work. He began slowly walking back. ¡°You¡¯re welcome to stay as long as you wish, Master Yumi.¡± She hurried up alongside the elder. ¡°I really wish you would stop calling me Master. I¡¯m not that important.¡± ¡°It¡¯s only right as a Demon Hunter, the least amount of respect we can show is such.¡± Yumi sighed, finding their customs tiring and impossible to break. She was just going to have to live with them. ¡°I¡¯m not convincing you otherwise, am I?¡± ¡°No.¡± The old man tilted his head back at Yumi with a smile. ¡°You are truly not like any other Demon Hunter, Master Yumi.¡± ¡°How many others have you met?¡± ¡°Three.¡± ¡°Were they all similar?¡± ¡°More or less. Each was different, but not like you.¡± ¡°What were they like?¡± The elder didn¡¯t have a chance to reply when a loud roar pierced the air. Yumi came to an immediate halt as she turned towards the direction of the noise. ¡®It came from the forest¡­¡¯ It was far, but she could see slight movement from the trees. She already had a good idea of what was coming. The elder turned pale as he seemed to have an idea of what it was behind the roar. All of the other villagers came to a stop rushing to him as though given orders. A heavy and dreadful atmosphere fell over the village instantly. It was as though the roar itself had sucked out any of the happiness that Yumi brought to them. Yumi could guess well enough to what it was, but as she looked over at the others they seemed to know even more. ¡°Do you know that roar? What demon is it?¡± ¡°Yes¡­it belongs to a powerful and well known demon. We¡¯ve been haunted by its soldiers, the oni you fought. I¡¯ve only heard its roar once before when I was a child, but it¡¯s not something one could ever forget. That is the Demon Tokaromaru, leader of the demons of Kurohana Forest.¡± ¡°Tokaromaru¡­¡± Yumi stepped forward not instilled with fear like the villagers. ¡®I didn¡¯t imagine that I would have another fight so soon and against something much more powerful¡­¡¯ ¡°Tokaromaru is known as the Reaper among Demon Hunters. Most Demon Hunters that come into these lands are seeking him.¡± ¡°They wanted to kill him?¡± ¡°No, they seek their own death.¡± ¡°Huh? But why? That doesn¡¯t make any sense! Well I¡¯m not a death seeker! It¡¯s only here because of me killing the oni, so I can¡¯t turn my back. I must go!¡± The elder talked up the demon, but Yumi still had her doubts about the strength of the demon. She knew that she could handle it without trouble like the previous ones. ¡®I¡¯ll prove my strength to them!¡¯ Chapter 394 - Demon of the Forest The elder became visibly shaken by Yumi¡¯s insistence on fighting the demon. He grabbed her by the shoulders to stop her from going to her inevitable death. ¡°You can¡¯t! You don¡¯t know the sort of demon he is! He doesn¡¯t just kill humans, he rips them apart while they¡¯re still alive and cruelly draws out as much pain and suffering from them before they die! He¡¯s not a demon that can be killed!¡± ¡®He¡¯s really frightened¡­¡¯ She knew how much a normal human would find demons scary and terrifying to face, but this was so much different than what she thought. It was more than just a simple fear. It was like a disease. Everyone around her, all of the villagers had become infected. And the more he spoke the worst they all became. Some already ran away just completely abandoning their homes and lives for the selfish need to live on in cowering fear. If she hadn¡¯t already faced horrible acts by just humans, she might have become ill with the same cancer. But it couldn¡¯t turn her away. In fact, it actually gave her more strength. ¡®These people are expecting to die. They already believe that nothing will stop the demon.¡¯ Her mind drew up terrible memories at the thought. Unavoidable destinies that she had to face. ¡®Their lives aren¡¯t determined yet, not while I¡¯m here. I can actually change things here! I¡¯m in control.¡¯ Yumi pulled free from the elder¡¯s hands and turned away towards the forest rising in the distance. ¡°This is something I created and I will fix it. I know I¡¯m not someone that you can easily trust, so if you run away I understand. But those that do stay, believe in me. That I will put a stop to this fear that has gripped you! I promise!¡± Chapter 394 ¨C Demon of the Forest Pleas and cries called out to her back as she walked out of the village. There was nothing that they could do to stop her from marching out into the forest. She didn¡¯t know how many would actually stay behind after what she said. They had no good reason to trust her in killing the demon. Though Yumi knew that everything would be fine, they had nothing to go on. She could understand that. They knew how powerful the demon was, but they could only make assumptions about her. A simple mistake that anyone would make. She would make sure that her mistake wouldn¡¯t make others suffer. This wasn¡¯t something that she counted on happening. ¡®I sort of thought that demons were individuals without any sort of structure or command. So I didn¡¯t give it much thought to clearing out the forest of the oni. Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have gotten greedy and only killed one of them. But even after that, I might have still reached this point. There¡¯s no telling really how things could have played out differently if I made some other choice.¡¯ Second guessing her actions was a pointless exercise she knew, despite doing it anyway. It was in her nature. She couldn¡¯t help it. Now she just had to face the makings of her choice. ¡®It¡¯s just the leader of the band of demons in this forest. The snake demon sounded more important than this one, so I should be able to kill it with little effort.¡¯ Leaping to the top of the trees at the edge of the forest, Yumi scanned the canopy. She heard the roar before, but it was only the once. Ever since it had been quiet. Since, she saw no movement in the forest and heard nothing, not even with her heightened senses. It was almost like the demon didn¡¯t even exist. It was merely a phantom stirred up by the villagers. But she heard it, she knew it was real. She just needed a direction. Getting a direction proved difficult for her though. She could only remember that the sound came from the forest, but nothing more specific. ¡°I need something, anything of a hint.¡± Unfortunately, nothing came to help her with that hint. Yumi leapt deeper into the forest jumping from tree to tree trying to conserve her strength. It had barely been even a few hours since she slew the last oni in the forest. She hadn¡¯t fully recovered her strength. ¡®I¡¯m looking forward to sleeping after this¡­¡¯ The deeper she went into the forest the less she felt like there was going to be anything. It had been too quiet for too long. ¡®Where is this demon? I can¡¯t find it anywhere!¡¯ Yumi leapt up to the top of the forest to get another view of everything. She looked back at the village covered up by the trees from her sight. ¡®It didn¡¯t pass me unnoticed and attack the village?¡¯ Nothing at the village seemed out of place from what she could see. There would have been something happening she felt if things were bad. ¡®I can¡¯t hear anything. They¡¯re still safe¡­ But where¡¯s the demon?¡¯ Nothing came to answer her question. ¡°What am I going to do? I can¡¯t find the demon like this. I¡¯ve got no clues¡­¡± ¡°Slayer of my kin, I¡¯ve found you.¡± Yumi¡¯s eyes widened suddenly in surprise. A deep and hoarse voice came from below her in the forest. ¡®Is that the demon? How did he find me?¡¯ So many questions ran through her mind as she stared down. The only certainty she felt was that it belonged to the same demon that roared. Focusing in her eyes, she could see through the leaves and branches to a shape of the demon, but not a very clear image. It clearly knew where she was and came searching for her. ¡®I guess a surprise attack is out of the question now. But it¡¯s intelligent like the snake demon. Definitely different from the oni.¡¯Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Jumping down from the top of the tree, Yumi landed sharply and suddenly in front of the demon without so much as a flinch from the fall. She finally got her first good look at the demon that she was to fight. However, to her surprise, it wasn¡¯t really what she was expecting. ¡®He doesn¡¯t really look that demon-like at all¡­¡¯ Before her stood what appeared to be the shape of a human, though she felt certain it was the demon. He looked like a normal human from everything that she saw though. It was strange. She expected to find something frightening or terror inducing and all she found was a really hot guy out in the forest. ¡°You¡¯re Tokaromaru?¡± The fact that what she saw before her was hardly anything like a demon she really had to check. Deep inside, she was already certain, but she felt like she had to be sure. The young man stared down at her with only a few red marks of paint, maybe, to really change him from being an average human. There appeared to be no real strength in his form. She couldn¡¯t judge too much, since her body hid a shocking amount of power for her frame. But viewing from his body only, she really questioned how powerful he could be. ¡°And you¡¯re the one killing my soldiers. A little girl¡­¡± The hatred in his voice ruined his otherwise handsome face. She knew without a doubt now that this was the demon that she sought. ¡°And a little girl is going to kill you as well,¡± she boasted before she even saw what the demon could do. Yumi packed her confidence thick before him. ¡®With his size, it¡¯ll be much easier to fight than an oni. Being the leader, I was expecting him to be some massive demon that just his tooth was the size of me. But this is going to be better. I can manage this.¡¯ ¡°The little girl has a bark,¡± he mocked, completely underestimating Yumi. He leaned in towards her to intimidate her, but it did nothing. Like Yumi, he bore a significant amount of confidence with him. Neither side felt that the fight was going to be much of a challenge. Someone was going to be rudely awakened. Yumi found his condescending tone annoying and saw no further need to drag out the conversation. She had a single job to do and it stood before her. It was quite easy. Spinning around, she launched her open palm into the stomach of the demon matching it with some of her telekinesis for extra force. The power behind the hit sent the demon backwards with his feet carving up the ground for a few meters before lifted off his feet. The full force of the power Yumi attacked with finally kicked in at that moment. He went flying like a bullet through the forest tearing up trees and earth as he went. ¡°Boss!¡± shouted all of the oni around him before he disappeared. Yumi hadn¡¯t even noticed them until they spoke up. She found herself completely surrounded by demons, oni, towering over her. Though for the moment they all had shock in their eyes rather than blood for her. Staring at the area carved up by Tokaromaru, Yumi felt a little disappointed by it all. ¡®That was a bit anti-climatic to just end like that. He was weaker than I was even giving him credit for.¡¯ Recovered from their shock quickly, the oni all glared at Yumi with murderous intent. Despite the death of their boss, they didn¡¯t seem fazed by the power that Yumi displayed. ¡°You all want to die here?¡± ¡°So you¡¯re more than just a bark, little girl,¡± a familiar voice bellowed from the distance. Walking out of the carved earth Tokaromaru appeared completely unscathed by Yumi¡¯s strike. ¡°But you¡¯re going to need a lot more than that to harm me.¡± The oni all spread out to give their leader and Yumi room for their fight. Yumi¡¯s eyes narrowed, realizing that things were far from over. ¡®He survived and doesn¡¯t even look like he¡¯s hurt by it. I guess I misjudged him¡­ He¡¯s actually strong¡­¡¯ She prepared herself for the real fight to come. This wasn¡¯t going to be like the other fights she had with the demons. Tokaromaru stood before Yumi with a pleased look on his face. He likely looked forward to having a real fight, a challenge. His underestimation of Yumi didn¡¯t seem to worry him at all. No movement came from him, though it was clear that he took things seriously now. Before he had no guard up and let the hit take him. He was caught unaware, that was no longer the case. Yumi could tell that whatever she did now would be countered or dodged. ¡®He¡¯s completely different from before¡­¡¯ She wasn¡¯t sure how she wanted to approach him. It wasn¡¯t going to be a simple fight anymore and she would have to deal with his minions as well. ¡®Walked into the lion¡¯s den it seems¡­this might tire me out¡­¡¯ ¡°If you won¡¯t attack.¡± The standoff came to an end as the demon struck out with a punch of his own to return the favor. Yumi saw the swing coming and stepped around it with little effort. He spun around and converted the swing into new energy and redirected. This time she couldn¡¯t just simply dodge as she wasn¡¯t expecting it so fast. It struck her square in the chest. Knocked back, Yumi jumped into the air to take control of her fall. Even with more control, she still crashed into a tree and knocked it over as she came to a rest on top of the trunk. A hand rubbed with a sting came up from the hit. ¡°So you¡¯re more than just a pretty face, demon.¡± ¡°You¡¯d do well to learn to fear me.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got no reason to fear something I¡¯m going to be killing soon.¡± A smirk came across his lips at her boasting. ¡°Still got that confidence. We¡¯ll see how long it lasts! No demon hunter has ever been able to so much as make me break a sweat. A little girl like you will fare no better against me!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not the only one with confidence to spare.¡± Yumi¡¯s movements blurred to the demon for a moment as she appeared behind him striking him in the back of the neck only for the demon to grab her arm and throw her into the earth with a foot. She coughed as the air was kicked out of her. But it wasn¡¯t enough to stun her. While still holding on to her, she gripped his arm and through her telekinesis and strength threw him into the air. Broken branches and leaves fell down from where Tokaromaru crashed through the forest. The silence lasted only as long as the demon was away. He dropped back down in front of Yumi as she stood back up. ¡°You¡¯re amateur,¡± he said with some disappointment in his voice. ¡°You¡¯ve got no skill in combat whatsoever.¡± ¡°And your point?¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to die to me before I even get warmed up!¡± The demon then punched Yumi in the face so quickly that it actually was a blur for her, a first for her. She couldn¡¯t react in time as she went flying backwards. Then the demon appeared above her and kicked her into the earth. A crater ripped through the forest digging Yumi into the dirt. Followed up quickly, a red glow of energy formed in his hand blasting out as a beam engulfing Yumi in red light. Once finished, he landed on the edge of the crater and stared down. ¡°You have too many openings in your attacks and do nothing to follow up afterward. You are very straightforward, making you easy to read.¡± He turned away from the crater and sighed. ¡°You were very disappointing. I thought you might have been something interesting having killed so many of my soldiers. But you weren¡¯t anything special.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true that I¡¯m not special,¡± replied Yumi out of the smoke in the crater. The demon froze and tilted his head over his shoulder at Yumi floating out of the crater. His eyes narrowed slightly with some peaked curiosity. ¡°You lived¡­¡± ¡°However, that¡¯s what I get for trying something different.¡± A thin line of blood dripped down the side of her face as the only mark of damage from everything he did. ¡°That¡¯s on me trying to conserve myself. But I see that¡¯s not going to work on you.¡± Barrier shards materialized in the air around her as she began to summon up her true power. Chapter 395 - Black Ash Demon An annoyed thin line drew through his lips at Yumi¡¯s remark. Thinning his eyes to a piercing stare, he looked insulted by her action. ¡°You would hold back thinking you could beat me without your full power?¡± The ground suddenly began to shake and cracks ran out from under his feet tearing apart from the release of his demonic energy. ¡°The arrogance, to think you could stand anywhere as my equal with such half hearted attempts!¡± ¡®Seems I¡¯ve angered him¡­¡¯ she remarked, feeling the air changing. It became heavy and poisonous. Like the elder had described to her before, the demonic energy killed life. Just the exertion of his power was enough to bring the forest to its knees. Leaves turned black and rained like a dark ash around them. Soon the trunks would twist and dry out if it went on for much longer. Yumi watched the demon powering himself up in anger for being underestimated. ¡®This isn¡¯t going to be like the other fights I¡¯ve had. If I don¡¯t actually pay attention and fight for real, I could actually die here¡­¡¯ She understood this feeling very well, the real feeling of death in the air and not from the demon energy. No, she could feel the demon wanting to kill her. Though that hadn¡¯t really changed from the moment they met. But she felt it finally that he could actually do it. He was no pushover for her. He was a real threat to her. This was familiar to her. She knew that feeling better than she would have liked. It wasn¡¯t something she should know so well. Her life before meeting Yuki would have found it all scary and terrifying. She would have run away from it all. It would have left her completely consumed in fear that she wouldn¡¯t even be able to move. Yet not anymore. She actually looked forward to it a little, what the demon could offer. Fighting wasn¡¯t something she enjoyed, but she felt a little secure within the digital world to be freer. It made her wonder what he did have to challenge her. ¡°I will tear you apart and split your body in two! And the last things from your lips will be cries of agony begging for your life!¡± Yumi grinned a little, finding herself oddly amused. ¡°It¡¯s like those shows on TV. Yuki probably feels like this, doesn¡¯t he?¡± It felt like such a terribly classic villain line that she couldn¡¯t help but have trouble taking it very seriously. Though terrible threats aside, his power was no threat. ¡®I can¡¯t sense power, wish I could. I might have an idea how we compare¡­¡¯ Her question wouldn¡¯t go unanswered for long. Chapter 395 ¨C Black Ash Demon The demon disappeared completely from her sight. For a moment before he disappeared, she could see a blur in his movement. She turned around trying to figure out where he was coming from. ¡®He¡¯s really fast¡­ As fast as Saki?¡¯ The few times she had watched Saki move, she never could see her when she put effort into it. She had no idea how fast Saki could be never being able to follow her movements. Caught in her own thoughts, she couldn¡¯t see Tokaromaru coming when he did strike. All she felt was pain across her face as she went flying backwards unprepared. Her head broke through trees clearing the forest of its well protected canopy. ¡°Where is this power you claim to be holding in reserve?¡± taunted the demon. He then disappeared again, appearing above Yumi as she still flew. A spin kick to her ribs sent her into the forest bed carving out another crater deeper than the last one. Blasts of red energy flew out of his hands engulfing the entire crater in a glow. The light stained his skin in a soft red highlight as he watched. A distortion in the space around him appeared suddenly. He felt it increase quickly, but had enough time to escape before it claimed his arm. He adjusted his arm trying to figure out what happened. ¡°It felt thick and heavy¡­ what strange power does this little girl possess?¡± ¡°So you escaped. You¡¯re the first that wasn¡¯t caught up in that attack.¡± Yumi stood up through the waves of clouds left behind from the attacks. She stared up at the demon. ¡°I¡¯m still getting the hang of it, but I¡¯ve managed to make it lethal compared to where it was only a month ago.¡± ¡°Taking this seriously now.¡± Yumi wiped away the blood from her face left by the last attacks. They left her head ringing something awful. She thought she might have a headache with her head splitting trees. But she couldn¡¯t give it much attention, not with the demon before her. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t do you well to underestimate me either, demon.¡± ¡°Prove to me that I shouldn¡¯t, then perhaps I won¡¯t.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s arrogant now?¡± Yumi jumped up into the air as she began to charge white particles to her hands. However, the demon didn¡¯t wait to let her charge up for her attack. He dove straight in striking her in the stomach with his foot. As she bent over his foot, he grabbed her head and spun her around. He returned her back to the crater. ¡°That¡¯s not going to be enough against me!¡± Coughing through the clouds, Yumi rose once more. ¡°We¡¯ll see about that¡­¡± She began to gather up her energy again, but Tokaromaru disappeared from her sight again. Before she could even react, he was behind her with his hand stuck through her stomach.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. It surprised her how little it actually hurt. She couldn¡¯t even feel it. It didn¡¯t even feel real to her. Had she actually been struck? Then she coughed up blood and she knew it was real. The pain spiked through her body sharply as it all rushed forward at once. Her legs felt weak as she could have collapsed if it weren¡¯t for the hand inside her still holding her up. Tokaromaru kicked her off his hand and blasted her with a red orb where she laid. ¡°You¡¯re no threat to me. Your boasts are empty.¡± He stepped forward with his hand soaked in her blood. Lifting his bloody hand, he tasted her blood. ¡°Surprisingly sweet for such a pathetic human.¡± Standing over her, he pressed his feet against her arm while staring at her. ¡°Left or right, first?¡± he grinned sadistically. Gritting her teeth together, Yumi fought with the pain and blood loss that started to make her feel lightheaded. ¡®He¡¯s too fast for me to see¡­¡¯ A distortion appeared in the air once more, but it wasn¡¯t fast enough to capture him. She failed to get anything more than him off her. Struggling to keep her body moving, she leaned forward needing to be on her feet. ¡®I¡¯m not losing here¡­ I can win¡­ I must or else I can¡¯t follow him¡­¡¯ Blasts of energy flew at Yumi suddenly through the haze of the forest. ¡°You can¡¯t catch me with such slow attacks.¡± She had enough time to get her barrier in place, but it shattered immediately, only deflecting the attacks away from her. He appeared in front of her, launching Yumi into the air with a blinding kick. Following her ascent, he punched her through the forest carving out another line of destruction. He slowly marched after her at the end of the line. ¡°Seems you still had some energy left in you. Resisting will do you no good. Just accept your death.¡± Yumi coughed up blood again with her vision becoming blurred. She could only trust her ears to hear him coming. ¡°You sound like a clich¨¦ villain¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to die, what does that matter?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not dead yet¡­¡± She tried to stand up to face him once again, but her legs were failing her. And to make things worse, he was already in front of her. Yumi could hardly see him, but swung out at the air with her right hand. It completely missed, but the demon grabbed her arm. ¡°Right it is then.¡± He pinned her down to the ground with his feet as he gripped on her arm tightly. ¡°I prefer taking my time slowly cutting through the bone and severing tendons from flesh. But I¡¯m not going to grant you such pleasure for your insults.¡± As he began to pull on her arm, Yumi screamed in pain becoming overwhelmed. ¡®He¡¯s really going to rip off my arm! How am I supposed to kill something I can¡¯t see?!¡¯ Panic started to build in her mind. That fear she dismissed before crept forward. ¡®This is supposed to be just a game. Why is it so real?!¡¯ Yumi struggled trying to get her arm free, but the demon kept her pinned. She couldn¡¯t even form her energy. Her mind was too erratic for anything to focus. Nothing was going to save her. Then she heard the pop of her joint as he dislocated her arm from her shoulder. It sounded even worse than she imagined and felt like someone had sliced through her chest. The pain spiked as tears poured down her face. Nothing but her muscle and skin held her arm in place now and that wasn¡¯t lasting for long. Her muscles tore and ripped apart under the strain. Her skin stretched and snapped. Blood gushed out of her as she could no longer feel her right arm. The demon lifted her up as she hung there unable to do anything. ¡°I¡¯ve got three left to go. Most will pass out after one and the strong can only make it to two. You have to be just right about it keep someone alive for all four. I¡¯ve no interested in seeing that with you anymore.¡± He slapped her with her own arm and kicked her into the earth prepping for the next arm. ¡®He¡¯s going to kill me if I do nothing! I have to do anything! I¡¯m not dying in my own mind!¡¯ The earth suddenly shattered around Yumi as a storm of debris shot up away from her at the demon. It was enough to get it off her and him to take some distance. She rolled over clutching her shoulder as blood poured out. Forming up a barrier, she broke it into shards and buried one of the hexagon shards into her shoulder cutting off the blood. ¡°Gah!¡± she screamed in pain, ¡°Dammit, that hurts¡­¡± Tokaromaru smiled, actually impressed by the boldness of Yumi¡¯s action. ¡°Such pain. You¡¯re surprisingly stubborn for a weakling.¡± Yumi struggled to keep her breathing under control, but still panted heavily as sweat covered her entire body. Part of her felt unusually cold, but she focused on the demon. ¡°I might be weak¡­but I¡¯ll still kill you¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s that arrogance again.¡± ¡®How do I do it?¡¯ Yumi stared at the demon, gaining back some of her sight. It was still hard for her to see him, but it was enough for her to work with. She just had to accept it. Her body was completely trashed from the beating. She was fortunate that she could still strike back. ¡®He¡¯s too fast for me to actually get an attack off, even when I was healthy. I need a way to know where he is going to be. If I knew that I could kill him with my gravity power¡­¡¯ Unfortunately, she knew that she wasn¡¯t going to be fast enough to catch him for something like that. Distortions in the air appeared, forcing Tokaromaru to dodge. They were smaller than before, making them even easier for him to dodge. He moved closer to Yumi with each step. Nothing that she did was slowing him down or even reaching him. ¡°Still struggling with futility. You¡¯ll die soon enough. Just accept it.¡± ¡®I need to hold him down somehow. So he can¡¯t use his speed¡­¡¯ Then it came to Yumi. She found a solution to the fight that had been evading her the entire time. She fought with her body to get her back up, but she fell over again. Collapsed in the dirt, Tokaromaru approached to take her next arm as promised. She stopped moving. ¡°Looks like you finally are accepting things.¡± Fierce determination exploded in her eyes as she focused on him. Suddenly her white barrier came up around the two of them. Another and another barrier rolled up, sealing them inside under a fivefold field. ¡°I finally got you.¡± He looked around at the barrier as it shrank in around them restricting his ability to his speed. ¡°You can¡¯t beat me. I can just kill you before you make any action.¡± A distortion appeared around his hand with him no longer able to evade it. ¡°You think that is enough? Pathetic!¡± He squeezed his hand down as a red glow exploded out tearing apart the gravity sphere. A wet sound appeared from nowhere to his surprise. ¡°What?!¡± He looked down to see a white blade pierced through his heart. It pushed through, exploding out his back as the energy blew out his chest ripping a hole through him. He staggered back against the barrier, shocked at the reversal. Bloodied and unable to move, Yumi smirked weakly at him. ¡°You toyed with me, because you underestimated me. But you showed me something important. I have to be swift and strike without regard for fairness. A fight to the death is never fair or honorable. And now you¡¯re dead.¡± Yumi shot out an arc of energy beheading the demon swiftly. As the barrier fell, she saw oni gathering around with bloodlust in their eyes. A dark expression covered her face as she hovered into the air to save her body. ¡°No more toying around. Taste my full power!¡± Large white spheres rapidly appeared around her in the forest tearing apart the demons under the pressure of the gravity. Leaving nothing standing around her. ¡°No mercy,¡± she spoke menacingly as she turned away from the massacre. Chapter 396 - The Empty Forest A long morning slowly gave way to a painful afternoon as Yumi walked back to the village. Most of it was just automatic as she marched. Little of the forest or the plains registered to her as she passed them. Only the goal of the village in the distance remained clear in her sight. And even that had started to shrink smaller for her in her vision. By the time she made it back to the village most of her vision was completely gone. She couldn¡¯t see the villagers running up to her. None of their voices reached her. Everything was in silence. Nothing but the void of emptiness awaited her. It was uncomfortably familiar. Chapter 396 ¨C The Empty Forest Gasping for air, Yumi threw herself up from her spot. She didn¡¯t immediately recognize where she was. ¡®This is¡­¡¯ Looking to her side, she saw Yuki lying down. ¡°¡­Yuki¡­¡± Rubbing her face with her right hand, she wiped away the sweat that stuck to her forehead. Then paused, to see that her arm was restored. She looked down at him realizing that happened. ¡®He¡¯s healing me despite his own injuries¡­¡¯ Everything in her body felt better. The pain and heaviness disappeared. It felt normal, the way it should be. Yet, in her mind, she could still feel the pain and remember what happened against the demon. ¡®I can¡¯t keep relying on Yuki to patch me up. If we¡¯re going to be stuck in this land of demons for days until Phoibe rescues us, I¡¯m going to have to improve myself. I¡¯m the only one of us that can fight right now. I can¡¯t always be leaning on Yuki.¡¯ Standing up, Yumi stepped out of the elder¡¯s hut to leave Yuki to keep resting. ¡®I hope he¡¯ll be fully recovered soon. Though I don¡¯t know what we¡¯re going to do afterward. Just wait, I guess¡­and survive.¡¯ Outside in the village, she caught the sun in her eyes. It felt like more time passed than she believed. But the village was saved, there appeared to be no further demon attacks while she was asleep. ¡°Master Yumi!¡± called the elder, noticing her walking down to the center of the village. The old man hurried along to reach others as several other villagers joined him. ¡°Are you healed?¡± A bit of weakness in her leg made her buckle briefly, but she caught herself from it. ¡®I feel a little off balance¡­I must still be a little low on blood from the fight¡­¡¯ She kept herself together in front of the elder. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine.¡± Yumi looked out at the village trying to see what life looked like after she defeated the leader of the demons. Everything continued as normal, which shouldn¡¯t really be much of a surprise to her, but it still gave her pause. ¡®They were panicking and fleeing before, now they¡¯re acting like nothing happened¡­¡¯ The elder stared at Yumi for a while as she ran through her thoughts. When she snapped back, she noticed him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± There was a strange look on his face when he looked at her. ¡°Your arm is fully healed, Master Yumi. When you returned to the village yesterday you were covered in blood and nearly dead. Yet you stand now completely unaffected.¡± ¡®Unaffected might be overstating it right now, but Yuki¡¯s ability is certainly going to surprise people.¡¯ She grabbed onto her right arm a little self-conscious with the staring. ¡°My friend¡¯s special in his own way.¡± ¡°He can heal fatal injuries?¡± ¡°He can¡¯t resurrect the dead, but he does have powerful healing powers.¡± ¡°So the two of you are Hunters?¡± ¡°Not quite, he¡¯s a little different.¡± She looked around at the villagers. It was something that she had avoided calling out before, but saying she had medicine wasn¡¯t really going to be a valid answer anymore. They wouldn¡¯t have believed her. An arm didn¡¯t come back just with medicine. ¡°After he recovers, he would be willing to help. It does exhaust him and he needs his rest right now.¡± ¡°Yes, of course. We didn¡¯t mean¡­¡± She lifted up her hand to stop him. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I understand, being this far away it¡¯s hard on everyone.¡± There was some relief in the faces of the people. She could only imagine how challenging it was living in this village or even this world. A place where demons could attack at any moment and being isolated out in the middle of nowhere. She didn¡¯t know how they managed to do it. She turned the attention to a more pressing matter. ¡°Has the forest calmed down?¡± ¡°Yes, there¡¯s been no sign of activity that anyone has seen. Thank you, Master Yumi for driving off all the demons!¡± The elder bowed deeply before her as did everyone else in turn. They hung their heads low before her. ¡°We¡¯re sorry for doubting you. Our fears overcame any reason we possessed. Forgive our insults toward you.¡± Yumi tried to get them to rise back up, but they were stubborn in seeking forgiveness from her. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m just happy that the village was spared any harm because of a mistake I made.¡± She kept trying to get them to rise until she relented to them. Off in the distance, she saw the forest rising up. The massive holes that marked up the previously pristine nature reminded her of what happened. It was going to be a while before it recovered from her fight. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for destroying so much of the forest.¡± The old man shook his head, apparently not bothered by it. Though Yumi imagined that he probably held himself back on her account. ¡°It was unavoidable and you did end the terror of the Reaper. So we can¡¯t be anything more than grateful to you.¡±This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. It was difficult for her to accept that as a fact. ¡®If I had been more direct at the start I might have been able to prevent the damage. I need to be able to control my powers better and learn more about them. I¡¯ve been going off instinct this whole time and I managed to get this far, but it¡¯s not going to keep working. I was almost killed because of that¡­¡¯ Once they were finished with apologies, the villagers started to disperse. Yumi took it as her opportunity as well. She had things she needed to do. She walked out of the village and returned to the forest where it had all happened. There were a couple of things she wanted to see for herself. She walked through the craters and fallen trees. All around her was destruction left behind. The lingering demon¡¯s power tingled on her skin. She had killed something even stronger than the oni¡¯s. A quick check back to the village reminded her it was quite far away. Though the forest was probably dead, for a while at least. Around her, she eyed the shattered forest and earth. Though there was less debris than she remembered their being. Scattered around were hunks of trees and earth making the terrain even more rough. Yumi stopped before a tree that was cleanly cut at a curve. As she ran her hand over the perfectly smooth surface, she started to remember the rest of the events. The rest of the picture came back to her as she recalled what happened to the oni left behind after she killed Tokaromaru. ¡®All of these holes in the forest were from me. I let my power run out of control without concern for limiting it. It was pure destructive power.¡¯ It made her sit down for a moment to take it all in. ¡®I normally can keep things under control. The last time I lost control¡­¡¯ Yumi thought back to the attack on the Capital of Atlantis and her charging in after Ayumi after learning what she planned. ¡®I promised myself I¡¯d keep myself in check. It was fortunate here that it was only demons and in the middle of the forest. But that¡¯s no excuse. I need to get better¡­¡¯ The other reason she traveled out into the forest, training. Yumi summoned up her barrier and created a triple thick field with it as practice. ¡®Ever since I unlocked these powers, I never really bothered to give them much focus. I practiced lightly so that I could summon them, but that was it. Which hurt me while following Yuki to Atlantis. My other personalities took control of me because of my failures. And now I¡¯m relying on Yuki for my failures. I can¡¯t do that if I plan to follow him.¡¯ She manipulated the thickness of the barrier and added another field. ¡®This is my only real defense that I possess, but it gets shattered so easily. I don¡¯t have enough control over it to make it successful. I need to learn this inside and out. Unless I understand this I won¡¯t prevent further harm from coming to me¡­¡¯ For hours of sweating and shortness of breath, Yumi practiced her barrier. The summoning of it became just as important to her as the strength. She tested out different methods and power fueling it. None of it was under real combat. So she didn¡¯t know how it would do then, but if she understood it better she could use it correctly. She also wanted it to be stronger for less effort. The demons she fought were powerful and in ways that her basic knowledge wouldn¡¯t be enough. Lying on her back and staring up through the hole in the forest, she could see the clouds moving quickly through the sky. Not much had changed. It was hard to expect a lot to change. But she knew more about her powers limitations. And that was victory enough for now. ¡®I¡¯m going to be facing more and more powerful demons from here on out. Tokaromaru wasn¡¯t the most powerful demon, that much I feel certain about. And if he showed up when I killed his soldiers, there¡¯s no doubt more will come after me for killing Tokaromaru. I just need to be ready for the next time¡­¡¯ Drained of power from summoning her barriers so much, Yumi considered going back to the village to rest. ¡°I can¡¯t do much as I am now. And I can¡¯t stay drained of power for the next attack¡­¡± Yumi lifted herself up feeling lightheaded still. She pressed her hand to the ground for support. ¡°I¡¯m still not fully recovered¡­¡± However, before she could start walking back, she heard a noise in the forest behind her. She immediately turned sharply in the direction and armed herself quickly with a blade of white. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± Yumi worried what sort of fight she could put up with her powers being drained from use. ¡®If it¡¯s only an oni, I can manage¡­¡¯ Yet, to her surprise, it was just a child that came nervously out of the side of the tree. It was a young boy no older than Yuki¡¯s brothers. ¡®What¡¯s a child doing out in the forest? They get lost?¡¯ They had a scared look in the eyes looking at her. She realized that it was because of her weapon that she bore at them. Dropping the energy, it faded into particles, as she lowered her guard. ¡°Are you lost, little boy?¡± ¡°I was¡­out picking fruit¡­¡± He hovered around the tree still hesitating around Yumi. She sat down at her spot to try not to look that intimidating. However, they still had reservations about her. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. I won¡¯t harm you.¡± Yumi tried to get the boy to come to her, but he refused. ¡°You can stay there until you feel safe. Why don¡¯t you sit at least? We can talk.¡± He wasn¡¯t entirely sure what to make of Yumi, but he hopped up on a broken trunk as a chair. She thought it might have made him feel like he was safer behind higher up than her. ¡°What were you doing?¡± he asked. Yumi looked around at the forest. ¡®Does he think I did this? He wouldn¡¯t be wrong¡­but I can¡¯t really tell him that. He already looks scared enough.¡¯ But she needed an answer for him. For now it was going to be easier to start with little bits of the truth. ¡°I was training.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because I want to be stronger.¡± ¡°Are you weak?¡± She had to think about it. The demon called her weak and ordinary, which she easily admitted to him being right. Though given what she could do, it seemed a little weird to say she was weak. It was a difficult question to answer. ¡°I guess that depends on your point of view.¡± ¡°Point of¡­view?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. There¡¯s always those around you that are stronger or weaker compared to you. So it¡¯s not simply one side.¡± She stopped herself becoming pensive over what she was telling him. It just sort of had come out. She didn¡¯t give it much thought until she said it. ¡®I guess that really is true¡­but I still needed to be stronger or else the next demon could kill me. I need to keep training myself¡­¡¯ ¡°Com¡­pared?¡± Watching the boy tilt his head, he didn¡¯t really seem to understand everything that she told him. Though she couldn¡¯t really blame him. She was talking in very broad and vague terms now. It might have been big for him to follow with straightforward logic. ¡°Let¡¯s just say for simplicity''s sake, I am weak.¡± ¡°And you want to be strong?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the goal. But it¡¯s still far away. I need to keep training.¡± Yumi looked back up at the sky, noticing the sun was further down than she thought. ¡®Not quite night, but it¡¯s going to be a long walk back with the boy.¡¯ She stood up and extended out a hand for the boy to take. ¡°Let¡¯s go back. If we don¡¯t start now, it¡¯s going to be night before long and your parents will be worried.¡± The boy still hesitated, but at least jumped off the tree to approach her a little. He kept a wide distance of five meters between, but if he felt safe that way. ¡°Just follow me.¡± It ended up being nearly night before she did return to the village with the boy in tow. ¡°We¡¯re finally back. Which one is your house?¡± She asked, pointing out to the village. There was no reply from the boy, who still must haven¡¯t trusted her despite following her back the whole way. Though, while the boy said nothing, one of the villagers stopped in front of them. It was a young man, one that she remembered helping in hauling away the oni horns she brought back. He paused and then quickly approached Yumi. ¡°Master Yumi, what are you doing leading a demon back to the village?!¡± ¡°Demon? Where?¡± she turned around immediately summoning her white blade ready for an attack. She couldn¡¯t believe that she missed it the whole time. ¡®I didn¡¯t hear anything! Where is it?¡¯ The young man tapped on her and pointed down. ¡°The child¡¯s a demon, Master Yumi! Send it away immediately!¡± ¡°The boy? But he¡¯s just a child¡­right?¡± She stared down at the boy trying to figure out what was happening. She wondered if the villager was so paranoid that they were seeing demons everywhere. The boy pulled back looking scared. And the shouting from the villager at the boy only got more people coming out. ¡°You¡¯re mistaken, it¡¯s just¡­¡± ¡°Demon! We¡¯re protected by Master Yumi the Demon Hunter, your boldness will no longer be tolerated!¡± The villagers started to get violent as they approached the boy with confidence that Yumi would protect them. Her head continued to spin trying to figure it all out. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?!¡± Chapter 397 - Mark of the Demon The situation developing fortunately didn¡¯t begin to escalate as badly as Yumi feared it might with the way that the villagers were looking. She recognized the look in their eyes well enough. They had boldness and bravery that came lacking before. Though she knew it was empty. Any of the confidence and assurance came born from their certainty that Yumi would act in their interest. She still didn¡¯t understand what was going on. Yumi stepped between the villagers and the boy wanting some answers. Everyone was keeping secrets from her. ¡°Master Yumi? You¡¯re protecting the demon?¡± one of them said in shock. ¡°I want some answers! I found this boy lost in the forest.¡± The young man threw out a hand to point at the boy. ¡°He¡¯s a demon! You found him in the forest is proof enough!¡± ¡®Are they that paranoid? Do they believe everything in the forest is a demon? Is this what¡¯s become of them living in this state?¡¯ Yumi tried to get a read on the villagers in a futile attempt to sense their emotions. She wanted to know what they believed, but all she got was surface level feelings from their faces. It all seemed straightforward to her. They were scared. But she knew she couldn¡¯t trust her eyes. It wasn¡¯t her strength, she knew. ¡®What am I supposed to do? He¡¯s just a boy. I can¡¯t kill him because they¡¯re paranoid. Though I fear if I do nothing, the villagers might do it instead¡­¡¯ A voice from the back of the small crowd broke through. It began to divide the villagers as they knew the voice well. Yumi did too. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± barked the elder. Turning around, the young man faced him speaking for everyone. ¡°It¡¯s a demon, elder! They¡¯re using their usual tricks!¡± ¡°You know what I¡¯ve said about what to do, Osamu.¡± He turned to look around at all of the gathered villagers, which amounted to about half of the populace from what Yumi had estimated. ¡°I¡¯ve given all of you orders. Just because Master Yumi is present shouldn¡¯t change my orders.¡± Yumi watched as the fight started to disappear from some of the villagers. She was still left in the dark on what was happening. But she tilted her head back at the boy. ¡®He is a human, right?¡¯ The way the elder acted made her doubt her eyes. ¡®The leader I killed looked more human than demon, maybe this is the same?¡¯ She approached the elder, who had a better head on his shoulders than the rest. A few answers would hopefully clear things up. ¡°You seem to understand what¡¯s happening. I found this boy lost and everyone¡¯s treating him like a demon.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because he likely is one.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re not certain? Why do you believe him to be a demon?¡± ¡°A child that age lost? He¡¯s not from our village and there is no other village nearby for more than a three day walk. It¡¯s unlikely that he is who he claims.¡± Glancing back at the boy, there was no change. He continued to look scared and frightened from all of the accusations. ¡®I¡¯m going to need more answers. They seem to have a history with demons that I¡¯m not aware of yet. The elder has orders on how to deal with them. I wonder what they are¡­¡¯ She looked back at the elder still trying to sort things out in her mind. ¡®How do I know for certain? I¡¯m not killing the boy on the likelihood he¡¯s a demon, while there¡¯s still a chance he could be a human.¡¯ ¡°And what would you have me do?¡± She already guessed what the elder was going to say. It only made sense. But she still didn¡¯t know if she could follow through. ¡°Kill the demon!¡± shouted Osamu, finding his voice once more, but not before the elder glared at him for speaking out of turn. A strange voice that Yumi didn¡¯t recognize came from behind her. ¡°So you¡¯re the Demon Hunter that killed Tomaromaru.¡± It sent a cold chill down her back that a demon was so close to her. She hadn¡¯t felt anything like with the other demons. This boy wasn¡¯t like the others. ¡°So they¡¯re right. You¡¯re a demon.¡± The boy laughed in agreement that her foolishness allowed him so close. Yumi whipped around with her hand moving swiftly, generating a white arc of energy that beheaded the child without a second thought. ¡®There¡¯s still much I need to learn about these demons¡­¡¯This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. The laughing continued even with the head lifted from its shoulders. Yumi stared down in surprise at the boy¡¯s face carrying a wicked expression. ¡°You¡¯ve been marked, Demon Hunter. Never shall you know peace while you still draw breath.¡± The demon continued to laugh maniacally at Yumi until it finally expired. Chapter 397 ¨C Mark of the Demon Casting the body back towards the forest with her powers, Yumi turned back to face the villagers. Who were probably pleased that she did end up killing the demon for them. ¡°You¡¯re safe¡ª¡° ¡°What did you do?!¡± yelled the elder, to her surprise. As he leaned in, she backed a step away, not certain why he was so angry with her for killing a demon. ¡°I killed a demon. Why¡¯s that an issue? I¡¯ve killed plenty for you already, what¡¯s one more?¡± She couldn¡¯t understand why he was getting even more angered about it. Behind him the villagers murmured and whispered the praise of Yumi for slaying the demon. Unlike the elder, they were on her side. But he quickly turned around and faced those that remained. ¡°Leave. Return to your homes,¡± he commanded with a sudden presence of authority that couldn¡¯t be questioned. None of the villagers questioned the elder further. They backed away slowly beginning to disperse. Yumi got the feeling that it was a rare sight for the old man to get so angry. Many seemed shocked to see the reaction. They didn¡¯t fully know how to deal with it other than just leaving as ordered. Yumi stayed because she wanted answers. Though it seemed that the elder wasn¡¯t finished with her either. Once the entrance of the village emptied out, he took a deep breath to calm his nerves. It took a few to get him back to normal levels, but he started to look like his usual self soon. Ready to confront her, he faced her direction, still empowered by the presence that fueled his anger. ¡°Forgive my outburst. That was uncalled for before yourself.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not worried about that. I want answers.¡± He nodded to her in agreement. ¡°Right, I forget as you have said, that you¡¯re less knowledgeable about demons than you are about killing them.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re going to finally explain what all this was about?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± he spoke with his calm fully restored. Even the presence had faded away. He started walking back up to his hut. ¡°Our village is unique compared to others in that we have a close proximity to demons. Once they moved into the forest, we had to find a way to live without inciting their wrath.¡± ¡°But you¡¯ve had me kill one for proof of my skill.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Our lives aren¡¯t always peaceful, despite the relationship we have with them. When the forest grows thick with demons we¡¯re subject to their terror and violence. That moment had been building recently. Thanks to your efforts, the more violent blood thirsty demons have been culled.¡± She took an extra step forward to get a little ahead of his pace. ¡°Are you saying there are peaceful demons?¡± ¡°Peaceful might be a little hopeful. But there are many that have no interest in us.¡± Yumi had a little trouble believing that from those that she had already faced. They all had a superiority about them and looked upon humans as inferior. She had yet to find one that didn¡¯t wish to kill her. ¡®Aren¡¯t demons supposed to be evil and hate humans? Isn¡¯t that the way they are?¡¯ He paused as they rounded the road that led up to his hut. Looking back at the forest above the village, he started to fall away from reality. ¡°There are many different sorts of demons. It¡¯s something we¡¯ve learned living so close. And they enjoy testing themselves against us.¡± ¡°Testing? You¡¯re not talking about fighting.¡± ¡°No.¡± The world that surrounded her continued to become more complex. It was something that she already noted. Yet it still surprised her every time that she learned something new. There was always something else for her to learn. And yet, she wondered the purpose of all of it. ¡®I¡¯m inside my mind right now. What does any of this have to do with what¡¯s happening? Am I just dreaming to pass the time? This can¡¯t be what I¡¯m actually like subconsciously¡­¡¯ It was a confusing world with strange rules. Demons that she could kill and ones that she apparently should not. How was she supposed to keep track of it all? She wasn¡¯t even going to be staying in the world for long. It was all going to be left behind. ¡®Should I even care really? Why am I bothering so much for a false world?¡¯ She kept coming back to the open debate that she never fully closed. If this was something that she actually wished to follow. She only went along with any of it because it was easier for their survival. Though she questioned if it was even worth it, if she was to survive with all of the unnecessary complexity. Despite any of that though, she still lacked the answers. He hadn¡¯t gotten to them. And she needed to understand what was going on. ¡°So what is it?¡± ¡°Demons have powers, not unlike those that hunt them. And they like to flaunt that power before others. They can be surprisingly childish about it.¡± ¡®He¡¯s still not getting to the point.¡¯ Yumi didn¡¯t like how indirect that he suddenly got with his explanation. She wanted answers and not a history lesson on demons. If she was just supposed to kill them, it was unnecessary. ¡°So?¡± ¡°Demons don¡¯t view us humans very highly. Even those that don¡¯t care about us, still view us as nothing more than animals.¡± ¡°Where is this going?¡± ¡°As humans, we like to play games and tricks on animals for sport. We find amusement in it. And we think that the animals like it as well. Though because animals are different from us, we never really know.¡± ¡°Are you saying that demons treat you like pets in fetching a stick?¡± ¡°Something like that. In particular for us, they like to practice their illusion powers on us pretending to be human. They win when they get one of us to believe that they are human and try to help them. And then they leave. It¡¯s just a game to them.¡± ¡°That was a game? That boy was a demon playing a game?¡± The elder turned to face Yumi. His face turned severe as he spoke. ¡°No, in your case I think that was a messenger and warning.¡± ¡°Then why did you not want me to kill the demon?¡± ¡°I mostly am trying to keep my people sane. While I welcome your presence and am grateful for your achievements. A Hunter in our parts is rare already and one that survived as long as you more so. It¡¯s emboldened my people to confront demons, despite being no Hunter. To keep my village safe, it¡¯s our law not to acknowledge any demon that steps into our village. Pretend that they don¡¯t exist and we can keep our peace.¡± ¡°You lost that the moment you asked for my help.¡± Chapter 398 - Calling of the Mark ¡°You lost that the moment you asked for my help,¡± Yumi delivered with a surprisingly cold tone. It was the truth, though. She couldn¡¯t see it any other way. Fighting for them had brought the wrath of demons closer to their village. They were after her because she was asked to kill them. ¡®They¡¯re just picking and choosing things. Kill the violent ones and ignore the others. I¡¯m surprised that sort of life lasted even this long¡­¡¯ ¡°Do you intend to leave or refuse to help?¡± Even with her poor sense for subtext, she could read the tone of his voice very clearly. It probably helped that he made no attempt to mask his intent. While he didn¡¯t say it yet, his tone implied heavily that he planned to leverage the shelter and good will against Yumi if she threatened him. Such a sight churned her stomach a little. It actually surprised her to see that surface. ¡®He¡¯s really going to try to strong arm me with Yuki?¡¯ The elder turned out to be far more complex of a character than she expected. Being just a game essentially made her underestimate what she expected to see from this fake world. But it was just a game and that was why she could move forward. ¡°Hypocrites, you might be. I¡¯m already too involved now. Even if I left they¡¯d still follow me. So it makes no difference where I go.¡± Yumi looked back at the hut with Yuki resting inside. He hadn¡¯t had very long to rest, but he should be getting better quickly. At least, that was what she thought. ¡®The elder might be a bit two-faced, but it doesn¡¯t really make things any different than before. I just know now that he can be shrewd when he wants to be.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m pleased to hear that, Master Yumi.¡± The sound of voice felt a little hollow compared to before, in which he had reverence in his voice saying her name. He seemed to feel like he had the upper hand on her. ¡®If I had some actual purpose or objective, I¡¯d probably have left at this point. But it¡¯s just survival. And I¡¯d rather do that in civilization rather than in the wild. It¡¯s easier to protect Yuki like this and keep him out of harm¡¯s way.¡¯ Chapter 398 ¨C Calling of the Mark Swinging her energy blade down, demon blood sprayed in an arc over the ground. At her feet, the head of a wolf-like demon rolled up to her. Yumi leapt out into the forest in search of any more that had come for her. She could hear the sounds of one, but still was getting used to being able to use her hearing to seek out a target. In the forest, where sounds got messed up and misdirected easily, she had trouble figuring it out. A crashing of a new demon came off her flank. She picked up on it quickly once it became impossible to ignore. Yumi disappeared before the spear touched her. The tree behind her took the full force of the strength from the demon. It split in two before exploding outward into splinters. ¡°Where¡¯d she go?!¡± yelled the demon. ¡®It can talk,¡¯ she thought, starting to notice the differences. She could finally tell between the oni, the foot soldier type and others. Though with so many different types of demons, she doubted that she would ever remember the names of any of their species. Not that there was anyone around that could tell her the names. With claws as thick as her fingers and hands that could wrap around her waist with ease, this demon looked more suited to a savage fight, despite its use of a weapon. It looked more animal than humanoid, something that the oni differed with, yet lacked the meaningful ability to speak intelligently. White light pierced through the demon¡¯s head and out its jaw. An instant later, the light split the head, similarly to the tree. Yumi landed on its shoulders riding it down as it fell to the earth. ¡°Behind you.¡± She jumped off as the body hit with a thud against the earth. She tilted her head back to look at the dead demon. ¡°Fifth today already.¡± Checking her hearing once more, the forest finally felt empty again. It was a little unnerving not hearing even animals, but the demons had long since scattered them. An empty forest was safe for now. She turned back to the village without having to jump to the canopy. ¡°They trying to wear me out like this?¡± Darting between trees she quickly made it back to the village. With life a little more stable thanks to her protection, the late mornings found the village empty again. Only a few people stayed behind. One was the elder, who hovered around most days, like due to the occupancy. He spotted her quick return. ¡°Less demons today, Master Yumi?¡± Part of his formality disappeared that day with her. His words still outwardly carried respect for her, though there was an undercurrent to his words. She only noticed it because of talking to him so many times. ¡°No, there was more and they came in a group today. I think they¡¯re realizing that sending just one at a time was a waste.¡± ¡°Your lethality is advancing.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°I¡¯ve no choice, but to kill them quickly.¡± She continued past the elder without breaking her stride. The old man was merely a checkpoint, not her stop. And she had no meaningful words for him. She had no questions for him. However, he turned partly around looking at her back. ¡°Certain the forest is cleared?¡± ¡°You can go double check my work, if you¡¯re feeling uneasy.¡± Yumi stepped inside the hut and dropped down next to Yuki with a sigh. ¡®He¡¯s getting on my nerves¡­ Opening his eyes, Yuki looked up at Yumi from his straw bed. ¡°That was a heavy sigh.¡± ¡°Long morning¡­¡± ¡°Tell me.¡± Yumi knocked her head against the wall of the hut pondering it. ¡°You¡¯re still recovering. I don¡¯t want to bother you.¡± He shifted around pulling himself up to meet her at eye level. ¡°I¡¯m stuck inside this hut with nothing more than my imagination to entertain me. Anything you have to say will make my day better.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got a pretty active imagination though, can¡¯t imagine you getting bored easily.¡± ¡°Do my ears deceive me, is Yumi teasing me?¡± Her face immediately lit up red with embarrassment and forced her to look away. A few sounds staggered out of her lips with great difficulty as she locked up. It took her a full minute to loosen up her muscles to even limit the shaking. And still longer to get out a full word. ¡°I-I¡¯m so sorry, Yuki! I didn¡¯t mean¡ªIt¡¯s been a¡­ I-I¡­¡± Laughing with some relief to see that Yumi was still there, Yuki sighed to himself. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s not a bad thing. Between friends a little teasing is natural.¡± Yumi looked back at Yuki slowly. ¡®¡­friends¡­just friends?¡¯ She shook her head to lose the thoughts that started to gather. ¡°Yumi?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing!¡± ¡°Alright¡­¡± He straightened up waiting for Yumi to turn back to him. Once she could look at him straight in the eye again, he resumed his questioning. ¡°So what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I might be stuck in here, but I¡¯m not blind Yumi. I know what you¡¯re doing. I¡¯m not telling you to stop, just keep me in the loop.¡± Hesitation still gripped her words tightly. ¡®I took this path for you. Because it was necessary. I don¡¯t want to drag you any further into things.¡¯ Her mind replayed what happened with the snake demon again. It always ran in the back of her mind while she saw Yuki. Pushing it out as far as possible only did so much for her. And struggling only kept it returning. ¡°Yumi, you come back injured and I can only guess what has happened. You aren¡¯t alone here.¡± She looked back at him closely. The worry was clear on his face. ¡®It¡¯s hard to remember that this is not reality sometimes. I don¡¯t even know what happens if we die here. Despite things being fake, everything feels real. Pain is real and everything hurts.¡¯ Yuki knew this as well she assumed, but with pain being real that was more than enough. She knew that much. ¡°At the very least, I¡¯ll listen to anything you want to rant about.¡± ¡°Th-thanks, I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± She stood up and walked back towards the entrance. ¡°But I¡¯m fine. If I do have something I¡¯ll be sure to tell you.¡± Yumi poked her hand through the threshold pushing out before Yuki stopped her. ¡°Yumi. Remember, I¡¯m here for you. You don¡¯t have to take everything on by yourself.¡± ¡°I know.¡± She pushed through back into the village and stared out at the forest. Her hearing had picked up another demon in the distance. ¡®But I must. This is the way things are, Yuki¡­¡¯ A few more days passed as their lives in the virtual world started to be more routine. Yumi found an awkward pattern dealing with the demons. Though surprised that nothing more than grunts seemed to be coming after her. She expected someone bigger to reveal themselves with how many she had already killed. Though with so many dead, she wondered how long the forest would survive. Walking back from the forest, she took a little bit of a detour. She had walked past it so many times, but never really took time to actually appreciate it. The mountains rose in the distance partially hugged by the green fields of grass. Wind painted waves into the grass. ¡°The wilderness actually looks pretty. I¡¯ve been so focused on either surviving or ignoring it, that I hadn¡¯t really looked to see that this is actually a beautiful place.¡± She stared at it for a while letting the wind wash over her. Just staring out at it, she forgot where she was. It felt like she was home in a way. This was supposed to be Japan as best as they guessed. If she ignored the demons that roamed around, it looked almost normal. More so than the world that she lived in now. Then Yumi turned away and faced the village. ¡°It¡¯s all fake. What am I thinking¡­¡± She began the walk back to the village. ¡®Hope Yuki¡¯s doing better. He¡¯s been stuck healing for more than a week now. It shouldn¡¯t be that long to be back on his feet, right?¡¯ Yumi had no clue about the time it would take. She knew his injuries were bad, but she just assumed that he had fixed up a lot of it thanks to his powers. Yet he remained bedridden still. ¡®It¡¯s not something worse is it? Or the virtual world is preventing him from getting better¡­¡¯ It wasn¡¯t the first time she had such thoughts. She tried to keep them away from the front of her mind, but in solitude it was hard not to think about it. Yumi wanted to see him back on his feet. As she entered the village, she saw familiar faces and waved politely to them. She would have bowed, but they had dropped formalities a while ago now. ¡®I wonder what will happen to them when we leave?¡¯ Though she had no clue when that would be. She still hadn¡¯t seen a map of the area or even a clue of another village. That seemed almost intentional, knowing the old man. However, said individual didn¡¯t seem to be hovering in his usual spot today. She didn¡¯t see him anywhere while she walked in. It left her wondering where he had gone, but not enough to give her pause. She made her way back to the hut as was her pattern now. Though she had no injuries for Yuki to heal. She really had nothing to do if she wasn¡¯t killing demons. ¡°I¡¯m back, Yuki,¡± she sounded off as she entered. Despite him often appearing like he was sleeping, he tended to be awake most times she entered. It was something she picked up on after a while. He really had to be bored. But there was no reply. She looked down to see the straw bed empty and the fur blanket tossed aside. ¡°Yuki?!¡± Yumi jumped out of the hut quickly to look around on the off chance he finally found his legs. But he was nowhere in sight. ¡°Yuki?! Where are you?¡± Chapter 399 - Red Direction Yumi rushed down the dirt path to find the first villager that she could. A middle-aged woman that stayed back to raise her five-year old. She was just out repairing a hole in the hut with their child hovering around them. ¡°Excuse me, Mrs. Nakae!¡± She turned towards Yumi, hearing her voice as she approached. ¡°Master Yumi, what is it? You look out of breath.¡± ¡°Have you seen Yuki?¡± She only got a confused look out of the woman. Yumi forgot that no one even knew Yuki, by name anyway. He kept inside the hut recovering. So people only knew he was there, but nothing more. ¡°My friend! Have you seen him outside?¡± ¡°Outside?¡± The question apparently seemed strange to the woman. Yumi didn¡¯t understand it. But she didn¡¯t want to try either. She just wanted an answer. ¡°Yes, have you seen him?¡± As the woman thought more on the question, something seemed to come to her. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right! I saw some stranger with the elder. Maybe that was him?¡± Yumi quickly turned and started running off again. ¡°Thanks!¡± she shouted remembering her manners a little late. ¡®Yuki and the elder together? Why was Yuki out walking? Is he feeling better now? And why was he with the elder?¡¯ More questions just seemed to be popping up for her. And she wanted answers now. Chapter 399 ¨C Red Direction Seated atop one of the huts, Yumi sat with a pensive expression as she went over her information. She hoped keeping the high ground might let her see Yuki when he arrived. And everything was just a mistake of her overreacting. She would take that over anything. ¡®No one¡¯s seen him in the village. But several did see him walking on his own. And Yuki was spotted with the elder as well. But no one¡¯s seen the elder either lately. What happened to the two of them?¡¯ She still had pieces missing to the puzzle. The worst being the most obvious one, their location. No one knew where they had gone, just had seen them walking. Having no clues to work from meant she could only search aimlessly. Though something about the whole thing bothered her. ¡®Why was Yuki with the elder? The old man¡¯s only talked to me and requested things from me. Why change now? Unless¡­¡¯ It was something in the back of her mind for a while. Something that she really didn¡¯t want to entertain. Yet she already admitted to herself it was a possibility. And given things, it almost seemed more possible. ¡®That two-faced old man isn¡¯t trying to get more leverage on me, is he? Making sure I stick around to keep their village safe by holding Yuki hostage. Would he do that?¡¯ She didn¡¯t want to really take such a negative thought. Yet with the old man, he was so driven to protect his people, she wondered if it might make him do anything dirty to keep that certainty. ¡®He¡¯s expecting me not to be willing to do anything against him, because I wouldn¡¯t do anything bad.¡¯ Such dark thoughts did make her hesitate in her resolve, if it turned out to be true. ¡®This is still just a fake world. I¡¯m only going along with the rules to make things easier on myself. So I shouldn¡¯t need to worry about feeling bad about anything I do here. None of them are real and it¡¯ll all disappear once Phoibe rescues us.¡¯ Yumi stood up on the roof looking out at the horizon. The unknown before her that might hold Yuki. ¡°I just need to stop hesitating and do what must be done.¡± Resolved or not, she still lacked any information to act on. Without any sort of clue to go by, she was hunting around in the dark. ¡°Should I just start searching?¡± Yumi was out of options in her mind. It seemed like the only thing that she could do. ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll stumble across him by accident¡­¡± An empty hope to pin things on, that much she knew. But she ran out of ideas and she couldn¡¯t stand and do nothing waiting for bad news. It was the only thing to do. Which quickly settled it for Yumi. She leapt off the roof and jumped over the fields to dash into the forest. Given that the forest was the most dangerous place for Yuki to be, she felt it was best to rule that out before anywhere else. Even if she had been keeping the demon population in the forest low, she could have missed one. She couldn¡¯t sense energy, only listen. ¡®There might have been one I missed. It would have been easy if they didn¡¯t move.¡¯ Even placing some hope on a demon capturing Yuki felt a little bit of a stretch to her. They were after her and not him for one. She had been doing all of the killing. ¡®Even injured as he is, Yuki can still use his powers to defend himself. He wouldn¡¯t be that easy to take. Unless they surprised him¡­¡¯ Every point and a counter and she hated that she was getting nowhere with any of it. It was useless. An hour in the forest, Yumi finished slaying a random oni she found roaming the forest. It had nothing to do with Yuki or her. It just seemed to have picked up on her going through the forest and insisted on a fight that it lost immediately. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. But it was about how she felt about the forest when she left it before. ¡®It¡¯s empty. I¡¯m not going to find anything here. Yuki could be anywhere¡­¡¯ Anywhere, and the land vast enough to leave her searching for days. Yumi jumped to a new direction breaking free of the forest to begin her search anew with more unfamiliar areas. She moved with more caution and took care to watch her orientation. Unlike with the forest, she didn¡¯t know any of the directions as well from just looking at the land. Even keeping the village at her back couldn¡¯t be kept for long. She turned and stopped for a moment. Leaping high into the air and pushing herself up to float, she could still see the village. Though it was getting to be just a dot in the region. ¡°I can¡¯t let it out of my sight. For now, I¡¯ll keep my search radius to this. I don¡¯t know how far Yuki could have gone.¡± Even with a defined limit, it still left her with too much ground to cover. Returning to the ground, she hovered over the rolling hills with the openness proving easier travel for her. ¡°I need to find him quickly. The more time I waste searching, the further away he could be getting¡­¡± Despite her speed and the need, nothing ever came from the searching. Day changed to night and day once more. And despite that, she still hadn¡¯t finished searching the entire area. More remained that she could search. That much she knew, though if she didn¡¯t find him in that, there was still plenty more beyond. ¡°Am I going to have to search all of Japan to find him?¡± That potential reality worried her, since she didn¡¯t know what was going on. And for all she knew, he was in an area that she had already searched. So many unknowns existed that she couldn¡¯t control or understand. ¡®Give me even one piece to base my search on¡­ Anything!¡¯ A crunch from underfoot of the earth spiked through her ear. It wasn¡¯t the sort of clue that she sought. Yumi turned around, finding that she was being approached by five demons, none of which were oni. She only recognized one of them as a wolf sort of demon she killed previously. The rest all looked unlike any other demon that she had fought yet, which surprised her giving the amount she had already. But she was reminded of the vast nature of the Japanese lore with demons and spirits. ¡®I don¡¯t have time for this¡­¡¯ Yumi leapt forward disappearing from the sight of the demons. In their confusion, they didn¡¯t see her slice the head off the lead demon while the two adjacent ones met deaths by crushing pressure left with smoothly curved cross sections of their lower bodies falling to the ground. The two demons that escaped immediate death only managed by reflex as wounds sprayed up from their chests. They leapt back, going to heightened attention against Yumi¡¯s ruthless assault. Staring at each other for signs of Yumi, they slipped out of sight as well. However, one was found by Yumi¡¯s blade as demon blood sprayed everywhere. Last of his group, the final demon caught sight of Yumi¡¯s movements from the blood spray painting her path. It unleashed flames from its mouth over the area that Yumi ran into. However, Yumi sliced through, splitting it with her blade. Appearing directly in front of the demon, she came to a stop before the demon. Looking down at Yumi, it didn¡¯t notice the blade sticking through its chest until death already swept down to claim its life as the last in the set. It grabbed out for Yumi¡¯s head only for her to slice off its hand before it came anywhere close. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me.¡± She spun around slicing off the head as she walked away. ¡°Nothing still¡­¡± She began walking towards the village left with her thoughts. ¡°I doubted they would have any clues on them, but it¡¯s still disappointing to be right.¡± Yumi leapt into the air once more hovering in flight. A day without any signs left her feeling dejected and empty. She hoped, expected, something to pop up. Yet she was still in the same place as before. Lost. Completely lost. ¡°Maybe Yuki¡¯s returned and I was overreacting¡­¡± she muttered with a thin hope to tie it all together. It was the only thing she could pin something to now. The village might have answers. ¡®If this is all the elder¡¯s doing, maybe he¡¯s back and I can wring some information out of him¡­¡¯ The village still remained more than an hour away from her at her normal speed. Which left her with other concerns. The demons she just killed hadn¡¯t been the only ones out of the forest that she killed. Which left her with some worries. ¡®I¡¯m moving around so much, how are they still finding me so easily? It¡¯s like they can track my every movement¡­¡¯ It was something that she never understood. In the forest, there was something that always felt off about it that she assumed it was a territory of the demons. But outside of it they could still track her with ease. ¡®Could they also be tracking Yuki?¡¯ she wondered, ¡®Or is it only me? Is it this mark that they warned me about? Is it more than just having a bounty on my head?¡¯ For all her questions, none were new ones for her. She never really figured it out and it always bothered her. Though it made it easier killing them since they came to her instead. But she didn¡¯t need another interruption at the moment. Which fortunately panned out for Yumi by the time she reached the village. No further demons harassed her and the village seemed to be safe as well, not that was on her mind in priorities at the moment. But since she left the village, it didn¡¯t surprise her. They wanted her right now rather than the village. Yumi landed in front of the entrance and ran the rest of the way into the village keeping her eyes open for any signs. ¡®Yuki be here, please! Just let this be an overreaction. I don¡¯t know where to look for you if it isn¡¯t¡­¡¯ Her hope disappeared at the sight of the unchanged bed. No one had been back since she left. ¡®Damn¡­what¡¯s going on?¡¯ She poked her head back out looking for her next target. ¡®There he is!¡¯ The elder was back now. ¡°You¡¯ve got some answers to give up, old man¡­¡± Turning away from the hut sharply, she hastened her step. There was no chance that she was going to allow him to get away. She needed him to give up what he knew. ¡°Old man!¡± she shouted, dropping any sort of formalities, as he had done to her. ¡°Master Yumi?¡± he questioned, as he came to face her on her approach. Some confusion found their way into his voice at her change in tone with him. ¡°Where¡¯s my friend?¡± she demanded standing very close to him, building up her presence. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Yumi leaned in a little not taking his ignorance at face value. ¡°I know you were with him. Where is he?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± Her blood started to boil as she was losing her patience with him. It made her legs shake with anger that she barely kept in check. ¡°Don¡¯t play dumb with me, old man. You were the last person to see him. I know you know something!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re trying to imply, but your friend left on his own yesterday. He only told me that he was leaving and nothing more.¡± Yumi had enough of his lying and grabbed him by his tunic. ¡°Enough with the lies! I know you¡¯re involved! Tell me what you know!¡± ¡°Master Yumi?! What are you doing? You¡ª¡° ¡°Don¡¯t think I won¡¯t level your entire village if you¡¯ve done anything to him! I care nothing for the consequences of a fake world! Answer me now before you regret it!¡± Chapter 400 - Rewind 4 A cold room devoid of any warmth, it was contrary to the rest of the labs. Sure other offices were serious and uninviting in their presence. Those in them were no-nonsense and focused strictly on a single goal. They were cold too, but they lacked something that could be found within this room. This room had a purity to it that was unmatched and ruthless. It was truly frigid. Isamu didn¡¯t know why he had been called to the CEO¡¯s office. It was the first time that he had ever been asked to stand before the man. He might have run the company, but there was a detached sort of presence the man had with his employees. Most people he would eventually see just through the halls, even if he never spoke to them or even knew their names. Yet, this man was never around, at least in the sense of being a visible head of the company. He was a busy man for sure and still made all of the decisions on any projects that they carried out. For being so distant, he was more involved than even the managers and upper management types that were supposed to be running things for him. An odd contradiction for sure, Isamu didn¡¯t know what to make of him entirely. And he still hadn¡¯t seen the man. A tall executive chair blocked the view of the man offering a strangely ominous presence. But that quickly changed as it turned to reveal a surprisingly young man buried within the leather. Isamu had to be honest, he knew about the man, but never actually looked too much into him. It wasn¡¯t something that really bothered him. Knowing or not, the one in charge didn¡¯t really change his work. So he had a different image in mind before meeting the man. ¡°Mr. Hayashi,¡± the young man spoke in soft words that made him seem even younger. It made him question which of the two of them were the oldest. ¡°I¡¯ve heard nothing, but remarkable things about you.¡± ¡°Overstated I¡¯d imagine, sir.¡± The CEO stepped out of his chair and walked around his desk offering Isamu a seat. ¡°Modest too. But it¡¯s not overstating how much you¡¯ve advanced our work since you¡¯ve joined us.¡± Once Isamu sat down, he walked over to the window letting the sun wash over his face. ¡°In fact, you¡¯ve become a bit of an annoyance to my daily routine.¡± Now he was lost, not sure where the man was going. ¡®Is he firing me for being too good at my job?¡¯ Isamu wasn¡¯t blind to the numbers that were jealous of his achievements. He had a target on his back at all times that he was careful to keep to a wall, though not always successful. This might have been his time. ¡°Sir?¡± Smiling back at Isamu, he dismissed the possible fears. ¡°Most of the teams want you on their project. It¡¯s gotten to the point that I have a separate folder for all of the requests for you.¡± ¡®I haven¡¯t heard anything about requests. In fact, I¡¯ve probably have the least amount of transfers. Why would he keep me on a specific project?¡¯ Clapping his hands together, he interrupted Isamu¡¯s thoughts. ¡°Enough about my personnel issues, you¡¯re no doubt wondering why I¡¯ve called you here.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± He retrieved a sealed folder from behind his desk and slid it over to Isamu. ¡°You¡¯ve impressed me and I¡¯m rarely impressed.¡± The folder itself was completely normal and non-descript. In fact, Isamu had no clue what it contained as there was no text on it at all. Even the seal was completely clean. ¡°What is this, sir?¡± ¡°My hand.¡± ¡°Hand, sir?¡± ¡°In simple terms, it¡¯s a promotion, but it¡¯s much more than that.¡± Tilting his head back to the window, he looked out at the city stretched out before them. ¡°Mr. Hayashi, why did you pick neurological research as your field?¡± It wasn¡¯t something that he had thought about since he entered university really. Even joining Toyama Labs was just something that happened because professors recommended him, he didn¡¯t start because it was his goal. ¡°Part of it was me not thinking. I wanted to be able to help people. The other part of me saw the mind as something we still know so little about. If I could use what I had been fortunate to be born with to advance our understanding, maybe it could save people or improve their lives.¡± ¡°A typical answer. Do you still feel that way now?¡± ¡°Some days I do, some days the challenge is reward enough.¡± ¡°Then my offer to you is this. The ultimate challenge with the greatest reward. The success of this project will completely alter the field as you know it. Medical science will advance by decades or centuries and you¡¯ll be able to save every life in our country.¡± Isamu stared down at the folder suddenly feeling a strange weight from something so light. A lot of it didn¡¯t make much sense, but there was sincerity in the words that couldn¡¯t be mistaken. He believed it whole-heartedly and was completely set on the path. This must have been what made him such a focused and driven man to be a CEO already. It was strange. ¡°Sounds like a dream.¡± ¡°A worthwhile dream. Think about it, the offer. If you wish to seek a higher challenge and truly test that which you were born with, this is your path. Think it over with your wife, this concerns her too.¡± ¡°Tomiko?¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t the only one making a name for themselves in my company. This is an offer to the both of you.¡± Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Then shouldn¡¯t she be here too?¡± ¡°Your wife declined our meeting.¡± ¡®She did? Why? Without even knowing what it was about.¡¯ ¡°Your wife¡¯s a strong and proud woman. But she¡¯s also talented as well. Tell her I don¡¯t make such an offer lightly or without merit. I want both of you.¡± Chapter 400 ¨C Rewind 4 ¡°How come you didn¡¯t want to meet Mazawa?¡± Isamu asked Tomiko when he entered the car. He waited until they were out of the building and alone. It wasn¡¯t something that he wanted to discuss publicly knowing how the others were about him. ¡°He wasn¡¯t firing me, so I didn¡¯t have an interest in what he had to say.¡± He had doubts about that. Not even because of what the CEO said, he wasn¡¯t blind to how she felt. There were times he wondered if she purposely requested a different team from him just to prove herself. She was the more positive and upbeat half to him, but Mazawa wasn¡¯t wrong in saying that she was prideful as well. ¡°He wants both of us, not because you¡¯re my wife. Haven¡¯t you spent long enough in self isolation?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t understand how hard I work to just prove I¡¯m not getting special treatment. Any offer I take from him will undo everything I¡¯ve built and worked on up until now!¡± Isamu paused, having to take it all in for a moment. He knew she had been holding it in for a while. It just wasn¡¯t something that could be easily approached. He could only let her continue on the path that she set determined to show everyone how wrong they were about her. ¡°But everything you¡¯ve done has bore fruit. This offer is proof of that! You earned this, it¡¯s not just given to you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not how the others will see it.¡± ¡°When have you ever cared about how others see you or what they say behind your back? You¡¯re stronger than that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not always as strong as you think.¡± He reached out over the gap to hold onto her. ¡°Of course you are. It¡¯s one of the many reasons I love you so much. Don¡¯t hold yourself back on the account of others. Take this if you want it.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t even know what the project is.¡± Suddenly, Isamu felt like there was something more about her refusing to see the boss. ¡®Is she worried about the work? Even I don¡¯t know what it is, he never explained it. He only talked in flowery words about dreams.¡¯ Isamu looked over at the sealed folder that he carried with him tempted to open it, but feeling opening it would commit him to an unknown path. ¡°Do you know something about this secret project?¡± She shook her head, being as blind about things as him. ¡°Nothing more than the tiniest of rumors. Most know there is work going on in secret, but even that has never been confirmed until now. The most elite in the company work on it, people that no one ever sees anymore.¡± ¡°Hey now, you make it sound nefarious. Sure it¡¯s extremely well hidden, but it¡¯s not uncommon to protect research. And the way Mazawa spoke sounded earnest.¡± ¡°Dear, everyone sounds earnest to you. You¡¯re terrible at reading people.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I have you to tell me when I¡¯m wrong,¡± he teased. He pulled the folder out from the back of the car and showed it to Tomiko. ¡°If you think this is a bad idea I¡¯ll tear it up right here and refuse him. I¡¯ll trust your decision.¡± ¡°But you want to do this. You''ll regret it if I tell you not to.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather regret not taking a chance, if it meant ignoring you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not being fair.¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious. Don¡¯t worry about me and let that cloud your judgment. I said before you¡¯re here to tell me when I¡¯m going wrong. If this is the wrong path I won¡¯t take it.¡± ¡°But we don¡¯t even know what it is. It¡¯s just a feeling I have that something¡¯s not right about it.¡± Isamu immediately ripped the folder in half before she could even stop him. ¡°What are you doing?!¡± ¡°I already said I¡¯d listen to what you decide. You¡¯re not feeling right about it, we won¡¯t do it. It¡¯s simple.¡± ¡°But I could be wrong¡­¡± ¡°Do you believe you are?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Tomiko fell silent with no more words for her husband. She remained withdrawn during the entire car ride back to their house. Even though he acted as he said he would, she still found it shocking, even if it was normal for what he would do. She didn¡¯t think he would close off a career path so quickly. The night left her pensive and unable to function. Even though he made the decision based off her gut, she still thought about it. The whole thing felt off to her, but she didn¡¯t know why. It confused her and worried her. She wanted to know what it was that left her feeling so ill at ease about the secret in the company. It always lingered in the shadows as the dark part of the company. Any company had secrets, so this shouldn¡¯t have been any different, but she never felt right about it. But it was never something that she could put a finger on. So she never acted on it. She wanted to know. That much she felt certain about. The next morning, Isamu walked through the waiting room of the CEO¡¯s office. He already had his words prepared for him, but they all flew out of his mouth when he opened the door to find Tomiko in there. ¡°Tomiko?! What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Mr. Hayashi. I was just talking to your wife about some of the details of the assignment.¡± He quickly closed the gap trying to get over and understand what was happening. ¡°Details? Assignment?¡± Isamu looked down at Tomiko in the chair wanting to know what she was doing. ¡°That¡¯s right. I was pleasantly surprised when she asked to speak with me in accepting my offer.¡± ¡°Accepting?¡± His eyes widened looking down at Tomiko in confusion. Something about things didn¡¯t feel right to him. He couldn¡¯t understand what would change her mind in just a night. ¡°She said that you talked it over and agreed to accept the offer. So I¡¯ve been filling her in a little on the project goals until you arrived. But now that you¡¯ve come, there¡¯s someone that I want you to meet.¡± Things moved faster than he expected. ¡®Someone to meet? The project lead?¡¯ Isamu couldn¡¯t find his curiosity as he worried over what a rash and out of character decision Tomiko made for the both of them. He could only stare at her wanting answers. ¡°Isamu, you should be looking forward. We¡¯re about to meet the man that¡¯s been aiding their research.¡± ¡°What is their research?¡± ¡°Mapping and recreating neural pathways.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a fairly mundane subject for a top secret project.¡± ¡°I assure you, nothing about it is mundane,¡± a new voice spoke coming out from a side door into the office. It wasn¡¯t a voice that either of them knew, but it spoke with a deep respect and command as though used to leading. The CEO opened the door letting the stranger into the room. ¡°Good timing, Mr. Atlas. These are the two I was telling you about.¡± Pointed at the couple, the foreigner tilted his head to look over at the Hayashi¡¯s. He smiled warmly at them, extending them both a hand of greeting. ¡°Welcome, you can call me Atlas. I¡¯m going to show you to a new world that you¡¯ve never seen before.¡± ¡°What world is that?¡± ¡°The world of the impossible. The place I call home.¡± Both of them found the foreigner¡¯s words confusing and strange. For being a scientific pursuit, this man before him seemed the least scientific. He almost didn¡¯t seem to belong in the group. They both wondered what was going on and if the CEO might be getting conned here by the foreigner. ¡°I can see you¡¯re both suspicious. It¡¯s not the sort of thing you can understand without seeing. Behold what it is that you will be trying to find the answer to that has eluded my people for millennia. What is the source of our power, the power of the Atlanteans.¡± Suddenly the entire world warped and shifted, taking them to a vast open plain of green. ¡°Welcome to Atlantis. I look forward to working with you in finding all of the secrets lost to us. Chapter 401 - Reality Lies The elder stuttered, beginning to actually feel fear from Yumi for the first time. He saw the grave words she spoke weren¡¯t merely empty threats. ¡°Fake world?¡± As confused as he was about what she was talking about in part, he knew that she was serious now. No doubt for him existed anymore that she would do as she stated. ¡°Stop stalling and just answer me!¡± She shook him roughly trying to get him to focus on her rather than the confusion. While not wholly successful in the attempt, it did get some attention directed back on her. ¡°Why were you with Yuki and what did you do to him?¡± ¡°I-it¡¯s as I said! I don¡¯t know anything!¡± Baring her anger through her teeth, Yumi fought against her uncontrollable rage. ¡°Still insisting you did nothing. Then you won¡¯t mind while I wipe out your village just to be sure you¡¯re telling the truth!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be serious, Master Yumi! We¡¯ve done nothing!¡± ¡°You¡¯ve done plenty, you manipulative old man!¡± Fear firmly rooted into the old man¡¯s body as he shook for what Yumi would do. Any sort of control that he thought he might have had on the situation with her burned up before his eyes. He had pushed things too far. ¡°You can¡¯t do this! You promised to protect us!¡± ¡°Maybe in your next life you¡¯ll think about not trampling on good will!¡± Yumi threw him back to the ground behind her as she stepped forward. The elder hurried to his feet grabbing at Yumi¡¯s arm to stop her from attacking his village. ¡°It doesn¡¯t make any sense!¡± ¡°You¡¯ve pissed me off and someone I love is missing. You¡¯ll have to forgive me for not thinking right now!¡± White particles began to gather up quickly into a series of orbs around Yumi. Horror filled his eyes seeing that she showed no signs of stopping. He jumped out in front of her trying to keep her from firing. But nothing that he could do would be enough to stop her. Even that much he knew. All efforts were futile, Yumi¡¯s powers couldn¡¯t be stopped by him. ¡°You¡¯re going to kill them!¡± Yumi glared down at the old man as he shrank before her towering rage. ¡°They aren¡¯t even real.¡± Chapter 401 ¨C Reality Lies Back on the road, Yumi left the village behind, keeping it out of her sight. ¡°He knew nothing,¡± she cursed the man¡¯s uselessness to her. She had almost nothing to go on now other than a direction. And nothing more to release her anger upon other than the land itself. ¡°I will find Yuki. I swear it!¡± But even making that promise was an empty one. She had no clues and no tips. It was as though he had simply vanished from the world. ¡°It¡¯s not because Phoibe pulled him out, is it? But I¡¯m still stuck in here.¡± Accepted as a possibility, she dismissed it quickly as unlikely. If Phoibe had been able to rescue them, she would have been pulled out as well or at least notified. She was still trapped within a virtual world of her mind¡¯s creation. Hours of searching turned into days quickly. To her surprise, the entire search had been quiet. Not even a demon appeared before her. She actually would have welcomed it if only as a change from finding nothing. She wasn¡¯t even sure she was on the right path. Finding a demon would have felt like something was right. But she still didn¡¯t know where the elder had put Yuki and he was too stubborn or afraid to reveal that detail despite what happened. Despite not finding any signs, she couldn¡¯t stop moving. It felt like if she did Yuki would be lost. He would be out of her hands. Believing that he would be found if she didn¡¯t stop was the only thing keeping her going despite fatigue that set into her body. ¡®I¡¯ll be able to find you. It¡¯ll be just like before. I¡¯ll find you and stop whatever is happening!¡¯ However, that determination started to wear on her body. She refused to stop and allow herself even a moment of a break. Yet it caught up to her. There was nothing that could be done about it. All of the emotions wouldn¡¯t get her to move forward another step. She needed a break. Yumi was naturally against the thought of pausing even for a second. Not that her body listened to her anymore. She collapsed into the dirt tasting grass in her mouth as she panted heavily, unable to stop breathing hard. Even trying to spit it out was too much effort for her, rolling over as well. ¡°Dammit! I can¡¯t¡­¡±Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Struggling to get back to her feet, Yumi couldn¡¯t make any sort of movement. Resting didn¡¯t seem to be recovering anything for her. She was stuck until she gave her body rest. And for an hour that seemed to be the case. While her body refused her commands, her hearing hadn¡¯t worsened by any means. She heard familiar sounds in the distance. Though they were closer than they should have been. ¡®How come I didn¡¯t notice them before¡­¡¯ It was too heavy in sound to be human, that much she knew. ¡®Demons¡­and I can¡¯t move¡­¡¯ It almost felt like they waited for the moment when she couldn¡¯t move to strike. They had to be out for her blood, all of them were of course. She killed too many of them for them not to want to kill her. ¡®I wonder what happens if I die in my mind? Is that like real death?¡¯ It was something not even Yuki really knew the answer to. They just tried to avoid it. In this world pain still felt real like everything else and death would be no different at the very least. Yumi had enough strength to drag herself up towards a rock, not that it gave much in the way of protection for her. Out in the middle of a field, there wasn¡¯t going to be any meaningful cover for her. She could only watch as the demons approached her. They came in a pair with one not looking like the other. In blue skin and white wings with a twisted horn, the demon stood well over her with a halberd in hand. While the other had pale green skin and a large belly and heavily defined muscles covered its upper body. They appeared strong, though she knew if she was at her peak, they would be no match for her. She summoned up her power into an orb of white energy as all she could muster in defense. ¡°Step any closer and I¡¯ll take your head where you stand!¡± she bluffed knowing that she barely had enough to even snuff out a candle. ¡°Demon Hunter Yumi?¡± the blue one asked. This wasn¡¯t what she expected. Neither actually appeared interested in attacking her. If she didn¡¯t know any better they were only here to talk. ¡®What¡¯s going on? Did my bluff work?¡¯ Not likely that her bluff worked, but the demons did act strangely before her. She could only really answer them and hope to understand the meaning behind their presence. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°We bear a message for you then,¡± replied the green demon. ¡®Message? What¡¯s this all about? Demons trying to be civil now?¡¯ Confused settled into her body now that she felt at a complete loss to what was happening. She wanted answers and it seemed that she might be getting one from them. ¡°What message?¡± ¡°Our Lord has requested your presence.¡± ¡°Requested?¡± Things only got stranger for her. She hoped things would start making sense soon. ¡®Why does a demon want to see me? This is a very strange way to get a fight out of me.¡¯ But since it was a demon she had no interest in obeying anything that they asked of her. ¡°Tell your Lord that I decline. I¡¯m not interested and I have more important matters right now.¡± ¡°The request is not negotiable, Hunter.¡± ¡°You think you can threaten me?¡± The blue demon spoke up in turn, now taking over. ¡°You will see our Lord. You will want to come.¡± ¡°And why is that?¡± ¡°Because we hold the only human that you care about.¡± Suddenly energy flew back into Yumi¡¯s body and she leapt to her feet and beheaded the green demon instantly without pause. The blue demon leveled its spear at her, but it twisted into a lump of metal before her telekinetic powers. Yumi pinned the demon to the grass with a white blade in her hand threatening him. ¡°You have Yuki?!¡± She finally had the clue that she needed. Yuki was somewhere. She just needed to drag out the information from the demon. ¡°Tell me where he is! Before you¡¯re no longer able to walk!¡± ¡°You¡¯re as violent and merciless as the rumors say, Hunter.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about rumors. Answer my question or suffer until you do!¡± ¡°Killing me won¡¯t get you the answers you want.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t plan on killing you, not until you answer me. But that doesn¡¯t mean I won¡¯t make your life hell until you do!¡± She dug her sword into the demon¡¯s leg without any hesitation. It quickly made her point to the demon. Though to her surprise, the demon handed over a scroll to her. ¡°Had you not been so violent you would have already had your answer. It was always our intent on telling you where you can find him.¡± Yumi backed off as she didn¡¯t really know what to make of it. The scroll before her seemed to have what she sought, yet it shouldn¡¯t be so easy. ¡®What sort of catch is it? Is this just a lie? They got a trap waiting for me where this scroll leads me?¡¯ She snatched the scroll away from the demon with her power. If nothing else, it would give her a way to search for Yuki unlike before. Even if it was a trap, she could go in knowing that and get more answers. ¡°Believe me?¡± the demon asked, watching her read. Glancing up from the scroll, Yumi coldly killed the demon with her gravity power without a second thought. ¡°No, I don¡¯t, but I¡¯ll still check to see what is at this location.¡± Upon the scroll was a map, one that she assumed was where the trap set for her was supposed to be. She hoped for something a little more useful than what she got though. It could hardly be considered a map. But perhaps her modern sensibilities skewed her expectations. All that the paper held was a few lines and rough landmarks that really didn¡¯t give her enough to go on. She rolled up the scroll and put it under her arm while she looked out at the horizon. There was at least one landmark on it that she recognized. The strangely shaped mountain in the distance with what appeared to be a crack down the middle splitting it in two. It was something that could be seen from all around, even from the Forest of Demons. She never had a reason to go to the mountain since it was too far away for her to travel. A reason surfaced for her now though. Yuki might be there, it was a long shot for her. That much she knew all too well. It was most definitely a trap that they set out for her. All the demons in the area wanted her dead for what she had been doing. She trusted none of them. But if they invoked his name, then she might get some answers on his true location. That was her only hope at this point. Recharged with determination suddenly, Yumi found that she could move again. The fatigue was gone. A clue to the whereabouts of Yuki finally came. She could find him at last. ¡°I¡¯m coming, Yuki!¡± Chapter 402 - Foots of the Cleaved Mountain Travel to the split mountain turned out to be surprisingly far. It was something that Yumi already sort of knew, but now that she had a clue to find Yuki, potentially, she expected to get there immediately. Yet that turned out to be further from the truth than she wished to admit. She had always seen the strange mountain, but had no real sense of the distance about it. In fact, it never really was something other than a landmark for her. It served no other interest for her. Yumi flew over the plains and forests toward it and ran when she couldn¡¯t fly. Walking when she could not run, she refused to stop for a break. Even time failed to have any real sense of meaning to her. So focused on the mountain, none of the other things around her did anything. But eventually, the mountain had to give into the chase and allow her to reach the foothills. She didn¡¯t know when it finally gave up the game, but it was the closest to her that she had even known. However, that came with its own problems for her. ¡°Demons¡­¡± she muttered, staring for the first time in a while at something that wasn¡¯t the landscape. They had her completely surrounded and well armed for a fight. ¡°Trap it is then¡­¡± Chapter 402 ¨C Foots of the Cleaved Mountain Slightly bruised and cut, Yumi managed to come out of the ambush with all of the demons dead around her. It left her a little short of breath. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t be feeling this tired from just fighting a bunch of nameless demons¡­¡¯ She began resuming her march towards the mountain. Though it looked like it was going to turn into a gauntlet for her as she found another band of demons only minutes from the last. ¡°You¡¯re dead, Hunter!¡± roared a demon before an axe split it down the middle. The other demons turned away from Yumi in a little surprise not knowing her reputation for even using an axe let alone a weapon as big as the one that she threw. Two more were dead before they split up to try to attack her individually. From her flanks two tried to catch her unable to defend against the well timed attack. But one was pinned to a tree that was nearly split in two by the four meter long spear and the other dropped its head at her feet as a massive bastard sword swept through the air. It took three more before the smarter ones figured it out. All of the chaos of the fighting left them unfocused and unable to evaluate the situation. ¡°She¡¯s using our weapons against us!¡± One wolf demon looked up in the air to see the array of weapons floating still unused and waiting. ¡°She¡¯s holding them all at the same time!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve no energy to waste on you weaklings,¡± she boasted as several more demons dropped to their own weapons. Every weapon wielded by the past band and those she had killed now became her weapons. Cutting a lethal arc of swings through the remaining demons, they all fell to pieces without being able to do anything to prove themselves or show off their strength. Yumi continued her hike towards the mountain and the gauntlet of demons trying to stop her. After the fourth set that she slaughtered, she looked back the way that she came. ¡®What¡¯s the point of all of this? They can¡¯t beat me. Given the reputation I hold among the demons in the area, I would think that they all know this. So why die?¡¯ Yumi paused in the questions trying to figure out what was happening. ¡®I still don¡¯t even know if Yuki¡¯s actually here or not¡­¡¯ Little of it mattered at the moment, since her fight wasn¡¯t over. Something she had to snap out of quickly as a fireball nearly scorched her face. She turned to find what demon that she somehow forgot to kill, but they weren¡¯t present. ¡°Fire doesn¡¯t come out of nowhere¡­¡± Yet another did come from nowhere. She dodged away from the attack and jumped again from the follow up. Wherever the attacks came from, it wasn¡¯t letting her have a moment to breathe. They kept her moving around, unable to pause or be struck. Yumi tried to figure out the direction that the demon shot at her from, but they came from different directions. ¡°Damn, they¡¯re able to snipe me from out of my sight. And I can¡¯t even tell the direction. It¡¯s like they¡¯ve got me surrounded¡­¡± The attacks continued with her doing everything to try to get any sort of clue to the location of the demon. ¡°Even the origins of the attacks are different. Could there really be different demons?¡± She leapt into the air trying to get the better vantage on the land, but caught a massive storm of fireballs coming down at her. They forced her back down to the ground without a moment¡¯s thought. She deflected away some of the attacks with her barrier, but found it oddly lacked in strength. Yumi took cover in a part of the cratered ground left over from her previous fight. It gave her a focused point to throw up her barrier with a thicker wall. It was enough, for now.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°What the hell is going on here? This is completely different from all of the other groups that they sent after me. They were just dumb and blindly charging me. Yet now, there¡¯s actual tactics.¡± She tried to get her breathing under control, but still found herself worked up. Blasts of red light flashed over her barrier as she stared out into the falling sun. It was going to be night soon and the fight would only get worse for her. ¡°I¡¯m not going to be able to find the demons if they¡¯re keeping still. I need to make a move before I lose my light. But how?¡± Yumi tried to go over everything that she knew about the attacks. But she still kept hitting walls. As the ground shook from the attacks, her mind wasn¡¯t getting anywhere with her information. ¡°I don¡¯t know if it is one or many. They attack from all sides, so it¡¯s more likely to be a group. But if it was group I feel like they would have attacked me already. But if it was only one they¡¯d have to be able to use their power over a wide area to make it look like there were multiple demons. But which is it? I don¡¯t even know where they are. If it¡¯s one they could be anywhere and if it¡¯s multiples I have so many to kill. Any sort of advantage I try to take, they see through and stop me.¡± Yumi continued to question herself on the situation. Her mind had trouble trying to piece everything together. Nothing was coming together for her clearly. There were just too many unknowns for her. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do. They¡¯ve always been so upfront that I just charge through and kill them as they come for me. But now they¡¯re hiding. I can¡¯t find them and they can easily hit me¡­ What should I do in this situation? What would Yuki do?¡± She hoped taking it from a different perspective would help. ¡°He¡¯s always got a plan and knows what to do in every situation.¡± Not even that helped her. She couldn¡¯t put herself in his spot. He would have already finished the job. Dropping the barrier and running out of the cover, she took the next best thing that she could think to do. Which was possibly the worst thing to do. She wasn¡¯t entirely certain yet if it was smart. But she charged forward at the first orb of fire that she saw. ¡°I¡¯ll just find one of the sources! That¡¯s all I can do!¡± However, the attacks became stronger and increased in number as she moved. They tried to push through, but they forced her to evade away from the way that she wanted. She stubbornly tried to go further than she should have and ended up with a new cut across her forehead for the effort. Yumi fell on her back in the forced dodge she made. She stared up at the sky, suddenly seeing even more fireballs coming at her. ¡°Damn it!¡± Throwing a blast into the ground, she shot herself away from the incoming attacks just in time. It did mean that she slid roughly through the earth from the poor dodge. Dirt rubbed over her face from the fall. Yumi ripped her head out of the earth jumping immediately needing to stay ahead of the attacks. It continued to only get worse for her as she could only dodge. ¡°The closer I try to get the more they press the attack. They¡¯re really afraid of me getting close. If I can find them, I can end this immediately! They can¡¯t be very strong if they¡¯re attacking so cowardly like this.¡± Yet that still meant finding a way to get close enough, something that she still lacked. ¡°I tried charging forward and that failed¡­¡± She leapt through the air evading attacks and watching for the next. Even cornered, she could at least keep up with the attacks. It wasn¡¯t the end. ¡°When I try to think it through I fail as well¡­ What am I left with? Thinking doesn¡¯t work and not thinking doesn¡¯t work¡­¡± Yumi cursed her situation that she was in. The endless running did nothing to improve her dilemma. She was completely out of her element. Though none of it really felt like something that she belonged in. She merely adapted to the way things were. ¡°They¡¯ve got me playing exactly to their own beat. I need to do something to change the pace!¡± As she tried to think of something, she got struck in the back by another attack. Blasted to the earth, Yumi groaned in annoyance and jumped into the air, flying up. ¡°I¡¯ve had it with these attacks!¡± As the quick counterattack came to her ascent, she formed her swords splitting the fire in half and letting it detonate now unstable behind her. She left her barrier to deflect the rest as they shattered under the attack. But it gave her enough time to charge towards the location of one of the attacks. As she expected another one of the counters came up, but she threw out of her barrier ahead of her to dampen the damage as she charged through raining particles and embers. Straight through the fires Yumi broke the line that the demons created. ¡°Now where the hell are you hiding?!¡± she screamed, launching arcs of energy through the entire area in front of her. She tried to listen for any signs of a demon scrambling, but none came. ¡°Is it dead?¡± A bit of disappointment came in her voice. However, that didn¡¯t last for long as more attacks continued to come from all around her. ¡°They¡¯re still out there!¡± As she charged for the next location, the attacks continued unabated from her pressure. Whoever it was that attacked her from the shadows tried to keep up the line around her. But she brute forced her way through the attacks, no longer caring anymore. More wounds came out of the careless charge as Yumi sought the enemy. She couldn¡¯t find them no matter how many times she searched. ¡°They¡¯re nowhere! Come out, coward!¡± Panting a little, Yumi blindly charged forward with no regard for the field anymore. She just followed the red glow wherever she went. It continued to follow her leaving burns and wounds appearing on her skin the longer that she went. Yet she still continued despite the injuries. ¡°Stop hiding!¡± Nothing was helping her. Yumi stopped for a moment trying to catch her breath as all of the running around started to catch up to her. ¡°Damnit! Wherever I go it¡¯s never close enough.¡± She split another fireball coming with ease, exploding on the ground to her left side. ¡°I¡¯ve got the timing down, but I¡¯m not finding the demon. It¡¯s got to be only one.¡± The more she ran around she became convinced of it. What she found or didn¡¯t find, made it more likely that it was only one and not a group. ¡°I would have seen something or someone by now. I just need to find that one damn demon!¡± Unfortunately, that was harder than she thought. Running around blindly gave her nothing but less energy and more injuries. Her annoyance continued to rise. ¡°It¡¯s like they¡¯re following me! Always behind me!¡± The ranting of her frustrations suddenly made her pause in thought. ¡°Can¡¯t be¡­always tracking me with ease¡­¡± A white glow covered Yumi¡¯s body suddenly as the pressure in the air rapidly spiked. Distortions appeared around her as the energy build up grew towards critical mass. An explosion of energy ripped through the earth and all the surrounding area destroying everything it touched. Her head turned sharply at the sound of something different in the noise of destruction. She disappeared and appeared at the sound swinging down her sword at the air, hitting something. Out of the shadows popped the demon hunting her. ¡°This game is over.¡± Chapter 403 - A Demons Smile It was different from the others she normally saw and killed. This demon had more in common with Tokaromaru. They had a more human like appearance, though there were definitely aspects that were inhuman. A bit heavy on the eye liner that drew out their more feline features and pointed nose. She wondered which sort of cat-like demon he might be. Not that it was going to matter for long. Yumi swung again to bring an end to the demon, finally closing out the long battle. A white flash was all she saw, because the demon somehow escaped her attack. She flipped her head around tracking the demon¡¯s movements now that she could hear him. ¡®I never heard him before because he was disguising his movements under mine¡­ This one¡¯s smart¡­and dangerous¡­¡¯ Dangerous was the key word as Yumi found a fist in her face only moments after she started to hear him dancing about. Lifted up, Yumi shot backwards over the ground, but not before leaving a counter buried in the demon¡¯s chest with her foot. Flying backwards, Yumi focused her vision on her direction, finding a tree coming up to her quickly. She grabbed out her hand letting her spin around the tree a few times to get her control back only to see the demon appear in front of her kicking her in the stomach. Rocks poked into her back as she laid in the earth from the hit. ¡®Damn, he¡¯s fast¡­¡¯ The sniping left her feeling a little dulled by her senses. It was repetitive and she had gotten the rhythm of it to a degree. However, the pace of the fight completely changed, especially to one that she was a little more used to dealing with against demons. She could thank the two hits for restarting her focus and attention. As the demon tried to connect his combo together, she flipped back out of the way with her power. His fist dug into the earth letting her spin around and grab his ankle to throw him into the ground. Even on his back, he countered with a knee to her arm fully negating the force. She exchanged repeated blows with her trying to crack his defense. Nothing could breach his wall. Flipping forward out of the small crater they battled in, the feline-like demon struck back with a grab hitting between strikes by Yumi when her offense had the most openings. Grasping her wrist, he flung her into the tree, breaking it half. Yumi pushed back on the air with her telekinesis, getting enough control back from the throw to grab his arm with her free hand. She pulled back holding onto the air to fling him into the earth, but he stopped landing on his feet. They landed together grappling and repositioning their stances trying to get the needed leverage for a throw. What Yumi lacked in finesse, the demon clearly had over her, she made up for with her superior physical abilities. They hit a stalemate unable to finish anything that they wanted to achieve. Each repositioning was fought tightly with their free arms. Heavy blows clashed together blocking their movements. Yumi played counter to his actions, watching closely. Unable to break the deadlock, the demon kicked off Yumi¡¯s leg and separated them. He landed from a flip on his feet gracefully as she stepped back one foot. The demon grinned with excitement. ¡°You¡¯re definitely not like the rest of the Hunters that foolishly stepped into our territory.¡± ¡®Not like the rest¡­¡¯ Yumi grimaced as she had to settle into the idea that this wasn¡¯t going to be a quickly won fight like the rest. ¡°It was you that invited me here.¡± ¡°Indeed your quickly acquired reputation has made quite the impression on our ranks.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I should be pleased by that or not.¡± ¡°My Lord is very pleased. We do enjoy a challenge when killing humans.¡± ¡°And what about dying to a human?¡± ¡°Never happens.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t say never, it has a habit of proving itself falsely used.¡± ¡°A superstitious one, oh?¡± ¡°Just a fact that I¡¯ll be proving soon.¡± Baring sharp teeth, the demon deepened their grin. They looked excited, almost happy about Yumi¡¯s boasting. ¡°A woman with guts. This will be fun!¡± Chapter 403 ¨C A Demon¡¯s Smile The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. The fight resumed with the same intensity as the demon jumped in with a flying kick. Digging through the earth a little with his attack, Yumi was able to sidestep the attack and counter. Her counter stopped short with a block by his hand. He flipped Yumi on her back as his foot rose up out of the earth to strike her spine. Rapidly summoning part of her barrier, she saved her back and slid off with her hand braced against it. Tossing a white blast of energy at her feet into the earth, she increased her speed in her spin forcing her leg through his defenses and kicking off his feet. He shot into the air still barely feeling the damage from the strike, while Yumi blasted towards him with her telekinesis. She quickly caught up to him in the air hoping to have the advantage against him. That advantage she should have never revealed itself to her as he could counter her attacks just as well as on the ground. Blocks and deflects sparked off in rapid succession as she tried to get in as many blows as possible before he recovered. Yet, it became quickly clear to her that he had already recovered long before she even made the first strike. Worse still, they were still flying through the air long after the momentum that she gave him ran out. He flew under his own power. Yumi blasted him with her telekinesis away from her to get a moment to breathe. She hovered in the air a few meters away from him as he landed safely. ¡®He¡¯s easily matching me with everything that I¡¯m throwing at him. I thought him being a sniper meant that he couldn¡¯t handle himself in a melee fight. But he¡¯s just as good, why did he even start sniping me from a distance if he was this skilled? It seems pointless¡­¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s rare to find a Hunter with flight. But don¡¯t stop surprising me now! I want to see more of what you can do!¡± He charged in after Yumi resuming the battle in the sky. His attacks came in faster than before as though he had been holding back on her. She struggled to keep up with each blow. Previously, Yumi managed to keep him on more on the defensive with her leading the attack. Now with the tables turned, she started to see how different in ability he was from her. Knocked back, her body flew down towards the earth. ¡®Damn, he¡¯s getting better the longer the fight drags out¡­ He¡¯s even tougher than Tokaromaru!¡¯ The ground came up rapidly on her back. Her head tilted back from the hit seeing it coming. She still had enough control to stop it from happening. Though she had to fly back up to direct her speed away, unable to stop. ¡®I can¡¯t make a swift kill, he¡¯s too fast for that¡­¡¯ While she cursed the battle she was forced to fight, the demon flew over to her. The distance closed in an instant as he disappeared from her sight. She turned around expecting a rear attack only to get flanked. A partial deflection protected her and knocked her back as he appeared below grabbing her leg and throwing her down to the earth. A crater carved out her landing spot followed by him charging down at her. It was fortunately not enough to slow her down, leaving her only momentarily stunned. Yumi rolled out of the way of the flying punch as the demon dug through the hard stone beneath the earth. She grabbed the demon¡¯s leg and threw him across the crater. Her follow up failed to connect as he already recovered from the throw. Floating upside down in the air, the demon stared back at Yumi still grinning with excitement. Annoyed, she threw a punch at his face which he blocked. He returned a punch that she dodged and countered. Their stalemate began to approach again with him fighting her upside down with the same level of skill as before. The stalemate didn¡¯t last for long though as the demon had the advantage over Yumi. He pushed her back in the exchange step by step with her losing ground. She couldn¡¯t keep up her defenses as she lost her offense. Blocking with her arms wasn¡¯t fast enough. A powerful punch smashed through her crumbling defenses, throwing her across the crater into the earth. Clouds of debris coughed up around her impact. It wasn¡¯t working. Everything she tried could only barely keep up with him. Yet he showed no signs of weakening. ¡®Just how strong is this demon? I thought that Tokaromaru was one of the most powerful, but I¡¯m really starting to question what that even means anymore.¡¯ She pulled herself out of the impression her body created. ¡®He¡¯s not even using his fire attacks anymore, it¡¯s purely a melee. Something that I have clearly less experience at than him. After this is all over, I need Yuki to train me.¡¯ Yumi stepped out of the smoke and disappeared into the air with trails of smoke following her for as long as it could before she fully lost her wake. She smashed into the crater next to the demon blasting out smoke in all directions. Listening to his movements, she immediately moved to counter the demon. She struck hard against him. He could only partially disperse the force of her punch. Waves of force rang out from her blows as she jumped around in the gray veil that hung over them. ¡®Glad I¡¯ve gotten used to listening for the demons in the dark. I¡¯m so used to them getting the jump on me with them knowing where I am, that my hearing¡¯s gotten better¡­ Still this won¡¯t last¡­¡¯ The screen already began to fade away. Wind played only a small role in it. Yumi¡¯s fierce attacks swept it away faster than the wind. And she was getting back to the same spot where she began. Unable to land a fully decisive blow to end things. He managed to stand up to her blows and began to even out the fight with the penalty for him gone. He pinched her forearm between his elbow and knee, halting her assault. Unable to pull out, she twisted her body around, throwing up her leg, which blocked with his forearm. It wasn¡¯t enough though to stop her telekinesis shooting the demon back into the crater. Catching her breath, she found her body feeling the fatigue, something that she hadn¡¯t noticed before. ¡®I didn¡¯t realize how tired I am¡­ I need to find a way to end this now!¡¯ The demon laughed, amused by the situation. Yumi brought him continued entertainment in the fight. ¡°So you¡¯re someone used to fighting in the dark. Is that a talent honed while hunting?¡± ¡°You¡¯re enjoying this.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a good fight, why shouldn¡¯t I enjoy it! A worthy foe is the ultimate reward for a warrior.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve no interest in providing you with any reward. I¡¯m just trying to kill you and move on!¡± ¡°A fight to the death brings out the best. Nothing is more fun than seeing everything put on the line and pushed to the edge. Knowing how far those limits can be pushed.¡± Yumi didn¡¯t understand such things. She couldn¡¯t find that sort of joy in fighting. Not like Seiji, who enjoyed the fair fight on equal grounds to see who was the best. All of her fights had death on the line. There was nothing fun to find in a battle to live. It was meaningless to her. She just hoped that she could win before she completely ran out of energy. This wasn¡¯t even the last demon she had to face. ¡°Judging by the smile on your face, you know what I¡¯m talking about.¡± She recoiled back. ¡°What are you talking about? I¡¯m not!¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been grinning ear to ear for the last few minutes.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t!¡± yelled Yumi, trying to deny it. Yet she sadly felt it in her face. There was something about what the demon said was right. She was smiling, but she didn¡¯t know why. ¡®I can¡¯t be¡­ Why? How? When¡­¡¯ Screaming to the sky, a white glow surrounded Yumi as she regained her composure. She couldn¡¯t let it go on any longer. That much was certain now. Particles in the air began to gather around her hands. ¡°I¡¯m ending this now!¡± As her anger increased, the strength of her attack rapidly grew with the light completely whiting out her form. A beam of energy shot out from her position casting a thick white light over the demon as he wasn¡¯t left with much time to react. Chapter 404 - Reality of True Power A pillar of dirt and debris shot into the air as her blast exploded upon impact. The explosion ripped through the foothills of the mountain shooting out shockwaves. Gusts blew out from the center throwing debris and rock everywhere. Yumi stared at the destruction, pleased to finally have it over. ¡®Now I can move on¡­ I wasted too much time already on this!¡¯ She turned away from the wall of broiling inferno created by her attack. Fire shot over her catching her shoulder and back nearly burning out her left eye from the heat. Yumi¡¯s entire left side of her body boiled from the flames turning red and raw. She ground her teeth together as she tilted back her head in the direction. The feline demon stood naked in the crater next to the hellfire¡¯s of her attack. Swiping his arm through the blast, a force cut the white flames in half and instantly snuffed them out. ¡°You should never have turned your back. This is not over by a long shot!¡± ¡°¡­damn¡­¡± She clenched her hands together seeing how much power the demon still held back. ¡®He really is a monster¡­ Can I even compete with that?¡¯ Doubt started to grow inside Yumi as she watched things go even worse for her. Apparently, the demon had enough of holding his power back and began to physically grow in size. ¡°Now that you¡¯re getting serious, I can show my true form! I hope you remain long enough to make this worth my time.¡± Black fur grew out over his skin as he continued to increase in height. Soon, he bent over taking on more feline qualities. In moments, any of his human appearances disappeared completely. Before Yumi stood a giant easily surpassing twenty meters. Even with the feline attributes, it didn¡¯t look like any sort of animal that she knew. Though it sounded redundant, it really did look like a demonic cat. He had three thick tails covered in black fur ending in white tips matching white paws and belly. Though there were glowing patterns all over the demons¡¯ fur that looked similar to what Fumiko did with her magic, not that Yumi recognized any of the forms created. All she knew from staring at the behemoth of a demon, it radiated power like nothing she had seen before. She never felt power before, not like what was a common clich¨¦ in anime, but she believed that this was almost like that. It had such a presence in aura that it convinced her senses that she could actually feel it. ¡®How can I beat something like this? This is a true demon?!¡¯ Chapter 404 ¨C Reality of True Power ¡°Now show me your true power, Hunter!¡± spoke the demon through the very air as though his words came through his power. Bruised, bloodied and burned, Yumi already felt her body¡¯s poor shape and now demanded to fight at her peak. ¡®Can I even bring enough against such a foe?¡¯ Despite the doubt that she harbored within herself, the demon gave her no mercy to such weakness. Immediately, a flame breath unleashed upon her that she tried to block with her barrier. Shattered. Effortlessly. Yumi fell down smoking to the earth in a crash. Her body scraped against the torn up stone ripping into her tunic. The demon leapt into the air swiftly and landed with a paw on her to pin her down. ¡°Don¡¯t waste my time, Hunter! I know you have more to offer me than this weak resistance!¡± Groaning in pain, her body tightened and twisted from the weight of the demon on her. It wasn¡¯t enough to crush her, though he did push her into the earth as her body held up. Yumi struggled trying to get free from the demon. ¡®I can¡¯t be stopped here¡­ I still haven¡¯t found Yuki¡­ I don¡¯t want to die in some stupid game!¡¯ Summoning up her weapons, white blades stabbed into the paw of the demon. Blood sprayed up from the wounds coating the black fur thickly and painting Yumi even darker shades of crimson. The wounds were enough to be released. Blasting herself out of the vice, Yumi spun over the ground before throwing herself into the air to recover. Panting heavily from the pain and exhaustion, Yumi tried to get her focus back together. ¡®I don¡¯t have any choice. I¡¯ve been holding back knowing that this isn¡¯t the last fight I have, but I can¡¯t anymore!¡¯ White blades appeared around her body floating prepared to strike. Layers of barriers unfolded out for defense. Yumi reached out and grabbed a hold of two of the blades from her arsenal. ¡°You want my true power, fine! Don¡¯t go regretting it when you¡¯re dying!¡± The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. The demon laughed amused by her puffed up bravado. Bravado or no, he welcomed the better effort that Yumi put into the fight. Unleashing another fire breath, this time hitting a reinforced barrier followed by Yumi¡¯s white blades to divert the blast as she charged through cutting through the flames to unleash a large white arc of energy. Covering the front with its three tails, the energy exploded harmlessly away from the demon. It jumped forward, spinning around to whack her with its tail. Yumi flew through the air away from the demon as it leapt towards her quickly building up speed. Yumi stabbed her swords into the air, breaking with her power, while concentrating forward on the charged beast. Summoning gravity orbs around the demon¡¯s feet, she managed to slow it down, though not deal any damage. It was too fast and powerful to be truly harmed by such simple attacks. But it did give her enough time to press forward disappearing from the demon¡¯s sight. Appearing overhead, she unleashed multiple arcs of energy at the demon. Unfortunately, her sneak attack did nothing. The demon blocked them with its tail again and whipped around quickly to strike her down. Crashed into a hole away from the demon, Yumi coughed up blood. The heightened battle grew worse for her body. ¡°Damn¡­how long can I survive like this? I¡¯m already so worn out from fighting this monster, not to mention all of the previous fights and running for days¡­ If only I had been fully rested¡­¡± Several orbs of flame appeared around the spot that Yumi laid. She looked wide-eyed at the attacks just staring at her. They had manifested from nowhere. Across the field, the demon still walked towards her. But his attack had already started and she couldn¡¯t dodge it. Explosions of flame went off all around Yumi burying her screams of pain. Multiple large craters grew out from the blast. Debris rained down from the area pelting the ground. No signs of Yumi revealed themselves in the thinning destruction. The demon walked around the crater watching the site for any sort of moment. He could tell that she was still in the crater, but it was hard to pinpoint anything more than that for him. He had to wait for her, if she was still alive. Then he heard movement, rocks tumbling. His eyes immediately focused on the location in the rubble. Light exploded out from the pile vaporizing the rocks as they revealed Yumi. ¡°You¡¯re a tough one,¡± he remarked, pleased with her survival. Covered in blood, any wound on Yumi became nearly invisible. The injuries couldn¡¯t be picked out from all of the blood, even the burns over the left half of her body disappeared. She breathed shallowly trying to keep herself together. ¡®Even more than I believed¡­¡¯ thought Yumi, even assuming that she was dead at that point. Though her body still seemed to be in one piece, somehow. ¡®Have I been underestimating my limits?¡¯ Such thoughts made her question if she had more power to give than she currently wielded. Though figuring that out wasn¡¯t really something that she could afford in the middle of a battle for her life. She stared up at the demon. ¡°I¡¯ve got enough to still put you down!¡± ¡°Please show me!¡± Gravity orbs appeared around Yumi as she floated up into the air. She doubted that her body had much left to give itself. The rest would have to be done with her powers alone. Aiming with her hand, she directed the points of attack for her orbs. The demon leapt out of the dodging each of the attacks as her gravity orbs carved out hunks of the earth as they touched anything. Following the movements of the demon, Yumi tracked them with her orbs. She kept spawning more after she used them. The land quickly became dotted with craters until it was completely unrecognizable as even the fields of grass hugging the mountain. ¡°Stop dodging!¡± she yelled in frustration as she rapidly charged up a larger sphere of gravity. Summoning up her swords again in twofold count, she sent them out first attacking from different angles knowing that the demon was going to dodge them. She kept up throwing out more swords trying to pin down the demon into a spot for her attack. While it was focused on the swords, she materialized several smaller gravity orbs at the feet of the demon destroying the ground on it. It jumped out of the crumbling ground as Yumi disappeared carrying her attack with her. ¡°DIE!!¡± screamed Yumi hitting the monster directly above it unleashing the enhanced gravity energy. In an instant, the orb converted from an explosion outward to a micro gravity well that began pulling in everything including even Yumi herself. ¡°Damn!¡± Surprised, Yumi didn¡¯t expect to be caught by her own attack. She fought against the increasingly growing strength of gravity. The longer it survived the more it seemed to grow taking on a life of its own eating everything that I could drag into its void. The demon struggled just as much against the power of the gravity that Yumi unleashed. It latched onto the earth with its claws shattering the earth as it dug in. Gusts of wind sucked around the gravity churning up the clouds sparking a violent reaction as lightning strikes jumped about and micro tornadoes spun around the epicenter. She managed to pull away from the immediate vicinity, but it still dragged on her body, tugging her in if she didn¡¯t keep fully concentrated on her power. However, her power seemed to have taken on a life of its own now. She no longer controlled the growth rate of it. It rapidly expanded with the gravity becoming more than she could keep a safe distance. Yumi realized it too late and it jumped in size and began to drag both of them in. Nothing the demon did to dig into the earth could hold it back anymore. It fought with its own flight to stay out of the gravity sphere. Yumi struggled just as hard finding her power lacking. ¡°It¡¯s too strong¡­¡± Watching the demon, it was further out than she was from the sphere. And she had no idea what sort of effort her powers would have on her. Knowing what they did to physical matter, she really didn¡¯t believe the way it was dragging in everything that she would be any more immune than the rocks and trees it sucked up. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­¡± Yumi had to make a decision quickly. ¡®It¡¯s going to have me before the demon¡­damn it. I can¡¯t keep this up much longer¡­¡¯ Quickly gathering up another gravity orb, Yumi shot it into the massive white and black distortion. The orb she shot in disappeared quickly and nothing happened. Yumi groaned in annoyance as she tried to keep her balance as it grew. A flash of light jumped out of the void suddenly followed by a shockwave that ripped through the earth. ¡°I¡¯m free!¡± she commented, noticing the gravity had disappeared. However, it wasn¡¯t over. The distortion destabilized, as she planned, though it was rapidly expanding, now that it wasn¡¯t being held back by the gravity. Everything it touched was vaporized instantly. Yumi flew out of the range as it chased her. Before she could even get to a safe distance the whole thing exploded, no longer able to keep its mass together. Everything it absorbed converted into violent energy blasting the entire region up to the mountain still far in the distance. Blasts of smoke rose up in columns signaling the impacts. Though the ground beneath fared far worse. A massive crater blasted through the earth until the only thing left was a roasted sheet of glass from the heat. The fates of Yumi and the demon remained unknown, clouded in a vast thick cloud of ominous black. Nothing survived it seemed. Chapter 405 - Stalemates End Smoke plumes grew into the sky gathering together into a gray mass of clouds. Countless craters left behind from the unstable blast altered the terrain far more than anything Yumi had done before with her attacks. Any hints of nature were ripped away. Only the smoldering craters remained dotting the foothills. Silence otherwise reigned through the field. No hints of the demons that made the mountain their home or the fighting of Yumi and the demon. All seemed dead. And anything that might have survived waited to know if it was finally safe again. Safety however had stopped being part of either of their concerns. The destruction saw to that. Out of the smoke at the epicenter of the blast a large shadow appeared. It was the demon, however it came out of the explosion far worse. Two of its tails were merely bloody stumps now with dark red thickly coating the fur. Along its back, large sections of its black fur were stuck together from bleeding. Even its head was scarred with part of its ear missing and completely burned away fur on the left side. A roar of pain unleashed from its maw dripping blood. Pain clung desperately to the demon refusing to release it. It staggered forward to Yumi. ¡°You can¡¯t hide from me! Drenched as you are in our blood, I can easily find you, Hunter!¡± Yumi surfaced from the smoke standing before the demon. ¡°I¡¯ve no intention of hiding from you, demon,¡± she mustered through all of the pain. She didn¡¯t know how much pain the demon was in, the sight only gave her a sense. ¡®I can¡¯t believe he¡¯s still standing¡­ What does it take to kill him?!¡¯ Questions about the demon did nothing to stop her own pain, which she was certain was worse than whatever he might have been suffering. ¡°You¡¯ve used up all your power.¡± ¡°Is that what you think?¡± She slowly walked a few steps closer to the demon to prove him wrong. ¡®I have something else, but I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s enough to finish this¡­ He looks like he still has plenty left in him¡­¡¯ Laughter filled the air from the demon. ¡°All you have left is an act.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see how much of it is an act when you¡¯re dead!¡± She kept pushing her front, which amused the demon. But Yumi gave a good enough performance that there was some hesitation. He stared down at her, continuing to read her face. ¡°Your bluff won¡¯t work on me. A ruthless killer like you wouldn¡¯t hesitate for the kill if you could take it.¡± A smirk appeared through the blood on her face. ¡°You¡¯re right. I can just kill you on the spot. But I¡¯m growing tired of this gauntlet you¡¯ve laid out for me. The only reason I¡¯m here is to confirm that you¡¯re lying, on the remotest chance you aren¡¯t.¡± ¡°Oh we weren¡¯t lying.¡± ¡°You¡¯d like me to believe that. I¡¯ve no reason to trust anything a demon says.¡± ¡°Yet you¡¯re still here hanging onto your last breath before I kill you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re talking pretty big for someone acting. I already said I¡¯m only here because I can¡¯t afford to assume.¡± ¡°Then you¡¯ve come to die.¡± White blades appeared around Yumi displaying her power for the demon. ¡°I¡¯m ready to kill you at any time!¡± ¡°Empty threats!¡± The fur along the back of the demon glistened with a red hue. It seemed to be backing its threats for Yumi as well. They stared across at each other with barely more than a meter between them. Chapter 405 ¨C Stalemate¡¯s End One minute passed. Two minutes, three and silence broke. ¡°This isn¡¯t going to work,¡± Yumi remarked. Neither of them had moved. The longer that they stayed still the more it became clear. They had become like statues, unwilling, not wanting to move. If it continued anymore they could turn to stone. The tension completely shattered. He nodded to her with the red glow disappearing along with her weapons. ¡°Neither of us have enough power left.¡± Dropping to the ground, finally able to have peace, Yumi¡¯s legs could rest. A small chuckle came out of her as she found their situation strange. ¡°I¡¯ve been killing your kind since I got here. It feels a little odd not to want to do it.¡± ¡°Yes, I agree. It¡¯s rare to find a human as powerful as you, even among Hunters.¡± She looked up at the still intimidating presence of the demon. ¡°So you gonna transform back into a human?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve spent too much energy to do that. This is my real form, my human form is merely a disguise and requires a lot of energy and focus to maintain.¡± He looked about at the destruction wrought by their fighting. Given his height, he had a better view of it than her. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen our land so ravaged before.¡±This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Yumi could only focus on the crater that she sat in, which easily fit the demon with plenty of room to spare. ¡°Yeah, sorry about that. Though you were trying to kill me.¡± She gave a slightly sheepish grin to the demon. ¡®Why am I apologizing to a demon?!¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s the sign of a good fight. Nothing wrong with that.¡± ¡®He¡¯s got a way of looking at things like Seiji. I¡¯m not sure I¡¯ll ever understand it¡­¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s the same for you, is it not?¡± Standing back on her feet, she pushed herself forward to look out over the crater. ¡°What happens now? Neither of us are in any shape for a fight, but nothing¡¯s resolved.¡± The demon walked out of the crater, having a better view of the land than Yumi. He looked down to Yumi after seemingly confirming something. ¡°You¡¯ve proven your worth in my eyes.¡± ¡°And what does that mean to me?¡± All any of this mattered for her was finding out if Yuki was actually here or not. If she could get some real truth out of the demon, she could leave now and resume her search without being forced down the distraction. ¡°It means that I¡¯ll take you to my Lord.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not interested in meeting your Lord. Only¡ª¡° ¡°Yes, finding your friend. You¡¯re quite focused. Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯s there as well. My Lord did send out the invitation for this meeting.¡± Staring at the demon, it was even harder to get any sort of read on him. It might have been worth something if he was in human form, though Yumi knew even that would have been mostly fruitless for her effort. As a real demon in beast form, she had no hope of knowing anything about his intent behind those words. She couldn¡¯t even tell if there were facial muscles with enough fine control to craft any sort of subtlety or deception. Which simply left her in the same position as before. ¡°I¡¯ll see this to the end to find the truth.¡± ¡°Still untrusting.¡± ¡°Do I have a reason to be anything else?¡± ¡°For what reason would I have to lie? If I just wanted you dead, I could have done that at any point while you were fighting your way up here.¡± ¡°If you were only interested in a fight and not killing me, you wouldn¡¯t have sent your pawns at me first.¡± ¡°Make no mistake, I want to kill you, but I don¡¯t just fight anyone. Reputation is just words until I see proof.¡± ¡°You sent demons you knew were going to die just to see if I was worth killing?¡± ¡°Low level demons like that are like grass, bountiful and thick, but ultimately only fill up space.¡± Yumi stared in silence for a moment absorbing his reply. It took her a bit to fully take it in. For some reason, she thought that he might have been different from the rest. Yet it just proved he was the same as the others that she already killed. It felt like a contradiction. He looked down at her, finding her lack of reply a bit curious. Unlike her, he figured her out quickly. ¡°Horrified that I would sacrifice demons for an empty reason?¡± None of it really came out in his face, but she got the feeling he was mocking her. It was enough to snap her out of her internal nest of knots. ¡°Just reinforcing what I already knew.¡± Yumi pushed herself up with what little power she still held to hover. Though it strained her mind tapping into the thin threads of her power, the relief it gave her legs and body made it a suitable trade off in pain. ¡°Let¡¯s get going.¡± He followed with ease in his long strides over the warped wastelands of the hills. ¡°For a ruthless Hunter, you¡¯ve got a strange bit of optimism in you. Almost like you didn''t grow up in this world.¡± Keeping the direction that the demon pointed out, she didn¡¯t try to look over to her traveling partner. Even knowing that they were both drained of power and will to fight, she still felt like at any moment he would jump to kill her off. Unlike her, even without powers to wield with ease, he still had a massive body that would tear her apart. She didn¡¯t know why he would just stop at such an advantage. This demon made less sense the more she thought about it. ¡°Unwilling to make conversation?¡± ¡°Tch¡­I¡¯m not in the habit of sharing words with someone trying to kill me.¡± ¡°That seems untrue, given our conversation already.¡± Yumi gave him a cold shoulder for his troubles of poking holes in her words. ¡°Is there a subject that you would prefer to discuss?¡± The demon handed the conversation over to her. Having it in her court wasn¡¯t something that she was prepared for considering the company. If she could, she would have already ended it. But with the usual option gone, she was left having to listen to him. Given how much they had been out to kill her and they never really gave her a good reason at the start. A demon just attacked her as though it was the most natural thing for them to do. Any sort of time in the village with the people forced to live in such close proximity to them made it clear the human perspective. The media that she knew was largely commonplace as well. Just something that she easily accepted. So it came off jarring and awkward when one just wanted to have a conversation. Everything within her just wanted to kill it and move on. It was only going to kill her eventually. He even said as much. He just hadn¡¯t right now on a whim, because of some convoluted sense of personal honor or code or something that she didn¡¯t understand, or wish. Yumi found herself thinking more about the other topics than whatever the demon asked her about. ¡®I¡¯m not sure why I¡¯m even acting like I¡¯m supposed to be questioning this. It¡¯s all just fake anyway. I shouldn¡¯t be thinking about this like it actually matters. We¡¯re just stuck here until Phoibe rescues us.¡¯ ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to stump you with such an intellectually challenging question.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t kill me, so you¡¯re tossing insults now?¡± ¡°Just checking if you were even listening. You seemed distracted.¡± ¡°Why does it even matter to you?¡± ¡°Still hostile toward me I see.¡± ¡°You want to kill me.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t be cordial.¡± ¡°Yes, yes it does!¡± Yumi shouted, stopping for the first time and touching the ground. She glared up at the demon unable to see anything that might be humanity, despite his previous form he could hold. ¡°Just because of that? Sure it¡¯s not something else?¡± ¡°What are you trying to imply?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯m not like you.¡± ¡°Are you getting hurt over empty feelings because you think you¡¯re being discriminated against?¡± ¡°And you haven¡¯t killed just because of what you saw?¡± ¡°Never!¡± ¡°The two demons we sent to you were only messengers. Some of the weakest we had with express orders not to attack, yet you killed them without even a second to see what they wanted. Are you really so noble?¡± ¡°What?!¡± She took a step back trying to figure out how he even knew that happened. ¡®Has he been following me this whole time? Watching what I do?¡¯ Though she still found it insulting to be lectured by a demon. ¡°They were demons!¡± ¡°And that¡¯s justification enough? We¡¯re demons so we must die, no questions asked? We¡¯re living, intelligent beings like humans, yet you unquestionably have determined all of us are worth killing. And you wonder why we demons kill humans to begin with.¡± Chapter 406 - On the Side of Darkness This wasn¡¯t the sort of argument that Yumi expected to be having with a demon. It left her far more defensive than she expected, unable to remind herself of the reality of her fake world. ¡°You kill humans, your very blood is lethal to humans! You¡¯ve given no reason to see you as anything more than the enemy.¡± ¡°A singular focus as a Hunter would be.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still alive because I can¡¯t be anything else. It was you demons that taught me to be ruthless, as ruthless as you.¡± ¡°As a warrior should be. Doubt is a waste.¡± ¡°Then what¡¯s the point you¡¯re trying to make?¡± ¡°That things are never perfectly binary like you seem to believe, but also that you can¡¯t let that distract you when you fight.¡± Now it seemed that he was giving her advice. One moment he sounded like he was trying to slap her for not even thinking about what she was doing and now telling her to do it. She really wished any of this would make sense. ¡°Where is any of this going? You¡¯re not making a lot of sense anymore.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want you distracted the next time we fight.¡± ¡°Saying I¡¯m killing innocent demons isn¡¯t really making that point.¡± ¡°You seem to have the assumption we¡¯re all evil and want only to kill humans.¡± ¡°Is that an inaccurate assessment?¡± ¡°If it was true, we could have easily wiped out the entire island of humans centuries ago and the Hunters would not have been able to do anything about it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a bold claim.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the truth. It¡¯s not arrogance. The weakest demon is stronger than any human. A small band of demons can easily wipe out a village and there are too few Hunters to stop it.¡± Yumi was reminded suddenly of the demon¡¯s pretending to be human to play games on the villagers. They just ignored them. They didn¡¯t always just go around killing. Most did seem to stick to their own business. ¡°So what is this then?¡± ¡°It¡¯s war.¡± ¡°War? That seems a little too simple of an answer.¡± ¡°It¡¯s an accurate one. Most demons don¡¯t fight humans. Those that do are just as unique as humans. The ones that humans are more familiar with are the bloodthirsty ones. The rest however are merely fighting a very old war.¡± Chapter 406 ¨C On the Side of Darkness The conversation started to draw in Yumi as she lost herself to her curiosity. She felt like she was seeing a side that ran in contrast with that of what she felt from the villagers. While they weren¡¯t blood craved for the death of the demons, she still could feel the fear and resentment in them. Even if they didn¡¯t say it, they wanted all of the demons dead as well. The elder might not have wanted a war with the demons at the risk of the cost of his people, but he was no less pleased with Yumi¡¯s killings. She felt certain of that, though she had no more proof than she did of what the demon told her now. But even if she didn¡¯t plan on believing the demon, knowing what story they told on their side might give her some insight in how to deal with them in the future. If nothing else, the demon wouldn¡¯t attack her for now. He seemed too engrossed within the explanation that he told. ¡°There¡¯s a war between the humans and demons?¡± ¡°Most of this is common knowledge, why do you act like you are ignorant of history?¡± ¡°I tended to fall asleep in history class,¡± she joked, tired of trying to explain why she didn¡¯t understand the way the world worked. Yumi also worried how the demon would take advantage of her lack of basic information. She couldn¡¯t lie her way through it. ¡®I¡¯ll just have to be ready to fight with what little strength I have.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯ll humor you and explain. Most humans have forgotten the origins anyway and don¡¯t tell it like it happened.¡± ¡°And I can trust a story that can¡¯t be backed up?¡±The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°You going to listen or fall asleep?¡± Yumi turned away and started walking again, though did nothing to tell him to stop. He resumed the march to his Lord. ¡°What you do with the knowledge is up to you. I¡¯m not telling you to trust anything.¡± ¡°Fine, get on with it before I do fall asleep.¡± ¡°Humans only remember demons killing them and that¡¯s how it has always been. Ask any of them and you¡¯ll get the same story. But the reality is more complicated than they wish to accept. It was not always the same killing each other as it is now.¡± ¡°How was it different? Did you actually get along at one point?¡± ¡°Not so clich¨¦ as that. There¡¯s never been peace between our two races, that much was clear from the start.¡± ¡°So who started it then?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not quite what you¡¯re thinking either. We demons don¡¯t come from this land or world. The world of the demons is our old homeland.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s that sort of story,¡± she muttered to herself. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Yumi shook her head dismissing anything that he might have heard her say. She said nothing more to stop him from continuing. ¡°We are explorers. There¡¯s a multitude of worlds to travel and we¡¯ve finished learning everything about our world.¡± ¡°Then you¡¯re invaders?¡± ¡°That¡¯s how the humans saw us. Our original intent was to figure out how this world functioned. As we learned from our travels, each world has vastly different rules. So understanding those is important. But we didn¡¯t have the chance before we were discovered.¡± Fighting her wounds, she crossed her arms left to think on what he relayed to her. ¡®This isn¡¯t quite the story I was expecting. Demons that are explorers? Who¡¯s ever heard of that in any story? Did Yuki figure that out? No, this is too unlikely for even him to have seen it in one of his stories. Though can I even believe such a wild story? It seems more likely that they were just coming to conquer, not explore. Demon explorers¡­¡¯ The demon paused in his story, noticing the change in Yumi. ¡°You doubt what I¡¯m telling you.¡± ¡°Of course, it seems too far-fetched to actually be real.¡± ¡°Given our history in this world, that is no surprise. But I¡¯ve no point lying to you about this.¡± ¡°As a Demon Hunter, I kill demons. You want me to stop.¡± ¡°I want to fight you again, making you lose your desire to fight me because of guilt would not serve me.¡± ¡°Even though such a story could do just that.¡± ¡°I can make a story up that makes it easier for you to hate us.¡± She sighed, still holding doubt about the whole thing. ¡°Just continue. I¡¯ll decide at the end of the story.¡± ¡°Very well. When we arrived in this world, it was already well populated with humans. So it didn¡¯t take us long to run across them. But they found our real forms far more frightening than we expected. They tried to scare us off thinking we were animals. We left to figure out more about the world before our next interaction.¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing that didn¡¯t go well.¡± ¡°They sought us out. Giant animals running about on their land, they wanted to kill us. They couldn¡¯t really do that much to us, but that didn¡¯t stop those among us from taking advantage of it. In the end, the humans were wiped out and the first blood was spilled. We thought that they were weak and nothing to worry about, but that turned out to be our mistake.¡± Now the story went to where she expected finally and just as she expected he placed the blame on the humans rather than the demons. ¡®If he¡¯s trying to claim them to be something more than beasts they wouldn¡¯t have killed anyone. They couldn¡¯t harm them anyway, they could just ignore the humans and went about their business.¡¯ ¡°The humans had more power than we imagined and they slaughtered our entire group.¡± This caught Yumi by surprise. She didn¡¯t see that coming. ¡°If they were so powerful to do that, why is there even any sort of conflict now?¡± ¡°A couple of reasons. One, the explorers were not warriors. They would have been as powerful as any of those demons you slew today. But more than that, the humans of that period were more powerful than those today.¡± ¡°They got weaker?¡± ¡°No, we killed the powerful humans, leaving weaker bloodlines to continue. Meaning overall, humans would get weaker.¡± ¡°You¡¯re skipping ahead of things.¡± ¡°Yes. After the explorers were killed, it sparked trouble in our world. Many wanted to avenge their deaths, while others said that it was our fault for going to their world. The resulting conflict splintered us and a group angry over their death invaded this world.¡± ¡°Which is when the war began?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Those that invaded this time were warriors and it became a battle of attrition. Despite what you might be thinking. The humans back then were very powerful, even for us. The heaviest fighting ended centuries ago when they sealed off their world from ours. After that it became difficult to send more to this world, it takes a vast amount of energy to open portals between the worlds now. As a result, we¡¯ve become stranded in this world.¡± ¡°And which are you?¡± ¡°I was just following my Lord in the battle on the promise of a good fight. And I found plenty while I was here, though with the peak of the war over, it¡¯s been boring.¡± ¡°Boring¡­¡± ¡°Once the campaigns ended, most of us just settled down into the territories that we took from the humans. We can¡¯t get back and we¡¯ve lost our interest in continuing the war as well. Not that the humans see it the same way.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s a war that will never end.¡± ¡°Not necessarily, you just have to kill all of us and then the war is over.¡± ¡°You make it sound like I¡¯m the villain here.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t really have much desire anymore to fight. Any sort of revenge we might have been seeking is lost or fulfilled, depending on who you ask. But we also can¡¯t leave either, so you¡¯re just going to have to share or kill us.¡± Yumi shrank a bit in thought. It was a stranger tale than she was expecting from the demon. He had been quite chatty about the whole thing. She found herself more willing to accept it than just dismiss it. Though she had trouble trusting a demon, she didn¡¯t feel like that was lying to her. Which certainly left her in a troublesome position. He might no longer have what he wanted from her. ¡°But enough talking, we¡¯ve arrived,¡± the demon spoke, revealing a large structure that had a vaguely Japanese design to it. If she had to guess it was what passed for demon architecture, as it looked like a home or in this case a mansion. The Lord likely had it built to fit his ego. But it still remained impressive, detailed out of stone and wood in something that likely took craftsman years to complete. It felt like a status symbol to show off more than anything. Worse though, Yumi wasn¡¯t prepared for meeting the one that was behind all of this just yet. She didn¡¯t know where all the time went in their walk. But now she had to face the last threat and find out if Yuki truly was being held by them. Chapter 407 - A Demons Wish The demon transformed himself back into a human, as the mansion itself was clearly not designed with massive cat-like demon monsters in mind. Which given that it was made by them specifically, seemed like a strange oversight to have. But it wasn¡¯t something that worried Yumi at the moment. That was elsewhere. If someone asked her to tell them how to get to the main chamber of the Demon Lord, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to answer. She knew that she followed the demon, but that was about it. Most of her attention wasn¡¯t on the way out. And before she really had time to figure out what was going to happen next, she was before the Lord. Before her was a large man seated on a very ornate bench, given his air she expected it to be a throne. The chamber itself had to take up a significant part of the mansion as she couldn¡¯t easily see the walls through the countless columns. She thought it might have made up the entire floor, but her memory of the walk didn¡¯t match that. Unlike the demon she fought to a stalemate, this demon didn¡¯t look anything like one. He had a fully human appearance with no extra characteristics about him. If she had to pick anything, he seemed oddly muscular, like out of one of Yuki''s manga, but that was about it. The man even looked young, younger than the cat-like human form demon. No good way to start the conversation appeared. She knew that she had no real power on hand to actually fight the demon with and worse it seemed the one she fought had regained much of his if he could hold human form once again. ¡®Is this the part where I die? I still don¡¯t know what death in this weird virtual world will mean to me. Is it just a game and I come back or do I return to the real world or do I die¡­¡¯ Those questions had to be put on hold, for Yumi had a new one the moment that the demon spoke. ¡°Yo!¡± he said. ¡°Yo.¡± Chapter 407 ¨C A Demon¡¯s Wish ¡°Eh?!¡± she yelled after she caught herself casually replying to the demon. So many new questions flew through her mind trying to figure things out. This wasn¡¯t the way she imagined it playing out. Not even for an opening greeting. ¡®Why is a demon using modern Japanese slang to greet me? Is it because my mind created this? But no one else has done anything like that. This doesn¡¯t make any sense! What¡¯s going on here?!¡¯ ¡°It would seem that you were correct about her reaction,¡± the Lord said to someone unseen, ¡°This certainly is more interesting.¡± ¡°More interesting?! What¡¯s going on here?!¡± she shouted, somehow running a little short on breath. Her lungs pounded against her chest as she tried to recover from the exploded stress that had built up. ¡°I want some answers, dammit!¡± ¡°Minus the swearing, it¡¯s on mark. You¡¯re surprisingly good at your predictions.¡± Yumi didn¡¯t like the way things felt. There was no seriousness in the room when there should be. The demon was talking to someone off screen that seemed to have foreseen everything. And they were all getting a good laugh out of her expense. ¡°Stop laughing at me!¡± In her shouting, she released her power, shaking the mansion, but it suddenly cut out, dropping her to the floor as she felt helpless. The demon rested his head on his hand with a bit of a smirk on his lips. ¡°Still had plenty of power left in you, despite claims to the contrary.¡± He looked over at the one that guided her to him. ¡°With you as well, too.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Yumi yelped shocked that the demon lied about being out of power. She pulled herself back up to her feet despite the blood now streaming down her body, no longer held together because of her power. Everything felt weak to her as she slipped on her own blood. He shrugged to her with a grin. ¡°You weren¡¯t being honest either.¡± ¡°But I didn¡¯t¡­¡± Things started to get dark in her vision. She could no longer see the Lord on his seat. ¡°You should tend to her before she fades.¡± ¡°Already handling it,¡± said a familiar voice. It made Yumi pull her head up trying to confirm who it was that she was hearing. But she couldn¡¯t see them. They were nowhere in sight, though that wasn¡¯t helpful for her at the moment. ¡°Yuki¡­?¡± Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°You are a very calculating man.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a learned skill.¡± ¡°Indeed¡­¡± ¡®That¡¯s Yuki¡¯s voice! I know it is. So he actually was here, they were telling the truth.¡¯ Suddenly, the pain and fog started to fade away for Yumi. Her body no longer screamed at her to stop moving. Though it did still want her to take it easy, not that she was about to listen as she pushed herself to stand. Yumi fought with her eyes to get them back to clarity. Those in the chamber started to come into focus when she found Yuki seated on the left of the Demon Lord. ¡®What¡¯s Yuki doing here looking like he belongs there?¡¯ The Demon Lord crossed his arms impressed with Yumi¡¯s recovery and determination. ¡°Still bleeding out and forcing yourself back to your feet. You certainly earn your title.¡± ¡°I want some answers!¡± she demanded, which would have felt more impressive in her mind if her powers were working. She had tried to use them to emphasize her demands, but nothing came to her. Not that it stopped her from having a serviceable presence all the same. Such a sight made the demon smile. ¡°A look that could kill better than any sword.¡± ¡°That one¡¯s new for me as well,¡± remarked Yuki, suddenly looking a little blue in the face at the sight of Yumi. She glanced over at Yuki still not understanding what was going on, but she had enough time to figure it out. ¡°Why did you seal my power?¡± ¡°You were making the house shake and considering what I¡¯m seeing right now, I think I made the right call.¡± ¡°I thought you were captured by these demons, so why does it look like they¡¯re your new best friends?¡± Yuki recoiled, seeing the anger in Yumi''s face. Though it wasn¡¯t him that gave her an answer. ¡°Your lover is my prisoner.¡± A tick went through Yumi¡¯s eyebrow as she narrowed her focus on Yuki, who shook his head knowing keenly what she was staring at him for. Then she looked back at the demon. ¡°That¡¯s not the way it looks from my position.¡± ¡°He¡¯s proved amusing enough that I¡¯ve kept him at my side while I waited for you to arrive.¡± ¡®Why does nothing make any sense?¡¯ It seemed everyone was in concert together to just screw with her the whole way. Perhaps it was the stupid personalities doing, since this was all their fault to begin with trapping her inside her mind for no reason. But at least it was consistent at this point, but unpredictable for her. She sighed to herself as she began to put things together. ¡°Of course¡­you¡¯re bored too aren¡¯t you.¡± ¡°Loose lips.¡± The cat demon gave another shrug, even to his Lord. ¡°I had time to pass.¡± ¡°And all the fun too.¡± ¡°She is very remarkable,¡± he praised, while looking over at Yumi. ¡°That¡¯s what I hoped for. The Hunters lately have been disappointing.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because my Lord keeps his presence away from the humans. Their attention is on the flasher clans.¡± ¡°Such a disappointing vulgar display for those of our kin.¡± ¡°Not everyone handles peace as well as you do, my Lord.¡± ¡°That¡¯s certainly the truth.¡± And now they seemed to have completely forgotten or ignored her. Yumi didn¡¯t really have that much interest in whatever unclear demon politics that they were complaining about. Her eyes focused on Yuki and thanks to his efforts, she noticed that his healing of her body seemed to be almost completed. Her body could move with ease finally, though fatigue was still apparently a thing. It felt tired even though it was fine, a very unsettling feeling to have. But she couldn¡¯t let it bother her. Yumi slid her feet over the well polished wood planks of the chamber to get over to Yuki¡¯s side. ¡®Just keep arguing or debating or chatting, whatever it is that you call that. Don¡¯t look at me. I wish Yuki made me invisible with his power so we could easily escape. Or even just give me back my power¡­ Why is he being so stubborn? We need to escape¡­¡¯ Tension returned to her body as she hoped that they didn¡¯t notice her. And so far as she slowly scooted over she remained undetected. She wouldn¡¯t have a better chance than now. As each second passed she prayed that they didn¡¯t see her move further. She felt it was almost too easy. They were so blas¨¦ about her and the real threat she could present to them if she had her powers. It was like they knew that she could do nothing. But Yuki was supposedly their prisoner. ¡®Why aren¡¯t they worried about me taking away their leverage? Is it because I¡¯m already here? So his value is gone? Or is there something that I¡¯m not seeing? A trap? Is Yuki trapped? Does Yuki know? If he did, he would tell me right? Or can¡¯t he?¡¯ Doubt rose up with the tension. Though she kept moving forward because if she did nothing she would be left to the devices of the demons. She wouldn¡¯t allow that to ever be the case. All Yuki needed to do was release her power and any trap that they could have set she could deal with. That much she was certain about. But he still hadn¡¯t done it. She felt nothing flowing through her. Her body was still normal. Why? Yet she stood next to Yuki now and nothing changed. She still was powerless, yet there was no reaction from the demons. And Yuki seemed to be doing nothing as well. Nothing triggered either. Was it just that simple? ¡®I¡¯m here¡­I can just touch him¡­¡¯ Yumi stretched out her arm with plans to run with him as quickly as possible out of here. If anything, she would knock him out so she could get her powers back and she would fight every demon that tried to stop her. That was the plan anyway, very simple. However, complications arrived quickly in her simple plan. She couldn¡¯t touch Yuki, something stood between them. An invisible barrier halted her hand from reaching him. ¡®¡­damn¡­¡¯ ¡°I did mention that he was a prisoner, Hunter,¡± reminded the Demon Lord suddenly caring about Yumi again as though he knew the whole time what she was doing and just simply waited for that interesting moment to occur. Grinding her teeth together, they had her stuck now. And thanks to Yuki¡¯s Field, she couldn¡¯t even fight her way out at the moment. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± She looked over at Yuki trying to understand what his reasoning was. ¡°Why are you still sealing my powers and why haven¡¯t you already freed yourself? What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°So many questions.¡± ¡°They want something,¡± Yuki answered for the demon playing hard to get. Though he still seemed to be not giving her enough information as well. ¡°And what is that? What¡¯s been the point of this whole thing, since you don¡¯t seem that eager to kill me like so many of the other demons?¡± ¡°They want you to grant their wish. They want to die.¡± Chapter 408 - A Demons Reality ¡°Release me and I¡¯ll grant their wish right now!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that simple.¡± ¡°Yes, it is, Yuki. I take their heads and we¡¯re finished here.¡± ¡°¡­Yumi¡­¡± She stared down at Yuki in his cage. ¡°What you going to do? Preach to me about the good in something that isn¡¯t even real? This is nothing more than a game, there is no morality here.¡± Yuki held silent, apparently unable to find an argument to take against Yumi. ¡®I¡¯m surprised he¡¯s still playing the pacifist even in here.¡¯ However, even if Yuki had nothing to say to her, that didn¡¯t mean the demons remained silent. The Lord seemed to step in to fill in the blanks that Yumi kept Yuki from filling in for her. ¡°He¡¯s not speaking to any sort of reservation about killing, but the nature of my clan.¡± This suddenly didn¡¯t sound like something that she wanted to hear. She hadn¡¯t even heard them yet and already had the feeling. Yumi held back a sigh, preparing to listen as they wouldn¡¯t be stopped. ¡°What he speaks of is our wish to die in battle, not simply die. If we just wanted to commit suicide, we could have done that a long time ago. But our clan is made up of warriors and every one of us seeks one great battlefield after another.¡± Things definitely became more complicated. That sigh came out now. ¡°There are plenty of Hunters in the world, no doubt more powerful than me. Find one of them that can slaughter you.¡± ¡°What did you think this invitation was about? We¡¯ve been seeking for more than two hundred years.¡± ¡°I doubt you¡¯ve been trying that hard. I can¡¯t imagine there being no one in this world that can kill you.¡± A rumbling erupted through the floors turning Yumi¡¯s eyes down. She took a half step back, not very clear what was happening. The longer that it persisted the more of an unsettled feeling grew in her stomach. ¡®I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to like this¡­¡¯ Wood planks warped and split under an unseen pressure. Rings of stress and damage spread out from the center. ¡°Yuki¡­give me my powers, NOW!¡± ¡°I already turned off my Field.¡± The seat that the Demon Lord had been casually seated upon disappeared into particles, not as though he summoned them, but ripped apart elementary particle by particle. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a destructive force like this before!¡± Yumi rapidly summoned her barriers all around her. Layers upon layers folded together interlocking tightly as the destructive wave expanded. Her power was nothing near what it should be and she had no clue if it could even hold up against it. She just kept adding more intricate layers on her barrier, thickening it for the assault to come. But even that wasn¡¯t enough to prepare for the wave. In what had been a slow moving disintegration of the floor explosively shot out. Everything around her was gone in an instant. The beautiful crafted house was gone. Below her floating barrier was a crater that grew out of the expanding destruction. And at first, she thought she had gotten through the worst of it. Yet waves of power crashed upon her barrier ripping apart pieces with ease. There wasn¡¯t enough of a struggle on its part. It was like a torch to butter, effortless and lethal. The only struggle was from Yumi trying to strengthen what remained of her barrier, but even that wasn¡¯t enough. Holes quickly appeared unable to be patched up. The raw destructive force leaked through assaulting her body directly. Her bones cracked and muscles ripped apart at the very presence. ¡®It¡­feels like¡­I¡¯m being crushed, pulled apart and exploded¡­I can¡¯t¡­¡¯ A shadow appeared in front of her suddenly blocking the lethal energy bringing her relief. She could breathe and witness the annihilation below. All that remained untouched was Yuki, the Demon Lord and the two of them. It stopped. Suddenly, an absolute stillness came over the region. All destruction ceased and then everything began reconstructing itself. The crater grew back somehow, filling in quickly with the dirt and then trees and mountain. Seconds passed resorting everything back to the original state. Yumi dropped to the ground in pain once more. Chapter 408 ¨C A Demon¡¯s Reality Recovered again thanks to Yuki, he was released to stand next to Yumi as they stood before the Demon Lord. Yumi could feel her body still shaking from witnessing the power. ¡®Even at full strength I wouldn¡¯t even be able to dent something like that! And he wants me to kill him in combat?!¡¯ She still didn¡¯t even understand what happened. It was as if he was a god, bringing destruction and rebirth in two separate hands. ¡°What did you do?¡±Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°I exerted my power.¡± ¡°Exerted? Are you saying you can destroy things by breathing?¡± The Lord leaned back a little in his seat taking a full moment to gather himself for Yumi. ¡°What I did was a crass unfiltered demonstration of my power.¡± ¡°Huh? Yuki stepped in for the explanation in place of the demon. ¡°What he¡¯s saying is that he did an uncontrolled power up. Meaning he was freely allowing his power to just release pure and raw with no concentration or focus to what it did. Which became a pure destruction wave.¡± ¡°Are you trying to show off?¡± She still didn¡¯t fully understand it. Yuki made it easier to process, but there were still a lot of missing pieces to the whole point. She hoped that they would be filling them in soon. ¡°My Lord was making a point. Actions are easier to trust than words, which can lie. You didn¡¯t believe in the power my Lord possesses, so feeling it first hand was the easiest way for you to understand the gulf.¡± ¡°Even with all that power, a sneak attack in an unguarded moment can just easily kill you still.¡± He shook his head at Yumi, as she clearly didn¡¯t realize the difference. ¡°You suggested before that you could just kill us and be done with it. While that might be true of myself, you would not be able to kill my Lord even like that.¡± ¡°Now who¡¯s lying with words.¡± A bold and arrogant claim such as that almost seemed fitting from a demon, especially the Lord of all demons. She crossed her arms in doubt as the demon wanted to interject, but was stopped. To her surprise, she got an invitation from the Lord himself. ¡°Are you telling me to kill you?¡± ¡°If you think you can.¡± Yumi tilted her head to the right trying to figure him out. He taunted her to kill him even though he wanted to die as a warrior. ¡®He¡¯s really that confident of his power? That he is unkillable by me?¡¯ Staring at the demon, she tried to get any sort of read on him. But he was an intimidating stonewall that wouldn¡¯t move. The piercing cold stare of him that egged her on to do it, also instilled hesitation and doubt. It told her that she couldn¡¯t do it, but toyed with her to try anyway. She couldn¡¯t move. Her body still couldn''t stop shaking. It remembered the power that he used too well. It didn¡¯t matter what words she used, none of them could convince her body that she had any hope. And not even the slightest sliver of hope. It was a completely zero percent chance, if values could be negative, they would be. ¡°I¡¯m not at full strength right now, thanks to your friend.¡± ¡°While true, all you might be able to do is scratch me. For a reference that might help you, if I¡¯m a ten, he is a one.¡± While she didn¡¯t want to believe such boasts, it almost felt like an underestimation of his power. It worried her that she didn¡¯t even see his peak. ¡®There¡¯s nothing I can do about this. What¡¯s the point of any of this then?¡¯ She looked over at Yuki, reminded that her goal of finding him was satisfied. In the end, that was really all that mattered to her. She could just leave. ¡°Why did you even bother then if you knew there was no one that could compete with you? You know I¡¯m not in your league.¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t know until you fought. We heard rumors about you, but needed to find out the true depth of your power.¡± ¡°Well you found out and now I¡¯m leaving.¡± Yumi turned around waving to them wishing to just put it all behind them. She didn¡¯t want to see them again. However, the doors to the exit of the chamber closed. The Lord didn¡¯t seem to be done with them. Yumi looked over her shoulder back to him. She felt a new unsettling feeling developing. ¡°You have potential though, so I will train you.¡± ¡°Eh?!¡± croaked Yumi, unable to stand straight up listening to him. She turned to face him directly. ¡°I¡¯m not interested.¡± ¡°I can make you the most powerful Hunter in the world!¡± ¡°Still don¡¯t care. I don¡¯t have any desire to be the strongest. I have enough for what I need.¡± Then the cat demon stepped out in front, standing between them. He looked far more recovered than Yumi felt. ¡°I know that¡¯s not true. While fighting a truth that can¡¯t be expressed through words is revealed. And I could see it in your attacks. You seek power. You desperately crave it.¡± Yumi glared at the demon, narrowing her eyes. ¡°Stop there before I actually get back that urge to kill you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re running.¡± ¡°Silence! You don¡¯t know me and your babble about truth in fighting is nonsense. You¡¯re seeing what you want to see because you want that stupid warrior¡¯s death. I¡¯m not the one you¡¯re looking for. So stop before you make me angry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the truth, Hunter. You will have to face that one day.¡± She heard enough of his ramblings and turned away again. A closed door wasn¡¯t going to be enough to stop her. If they wanted to keep her they would need to use force. That much she made clear in her walk as she pulled along Yuki. ¡°We¡¯re leaving, Yuki.¡± Throwing out her hand, she pushed open the heavy doors with her power. In the halls of the mansion, they reminded her that she had no clue where she was going. It felt like they were almost mocking her like even the house wanted to keep her from leaving. But that wasn¡¯t going to be enough either to stop her. Generating a gravity orb in front of her, she ripped a hole in the wall crushed under the pressure and presented her with a door out. ¡°I¡¯m going to be glad to have this place far behind me.¡± She hovered in the air picking up Yuki to take with her. While being carried out, he looked back at the house. ¡°You know I knew the way out. You didn¡¯t have to wreck their house.¡± ¡°The demon can create things from nothing, a hole like that is meaningless to him.¡± ¡°It¡¯s still bad manners,¡± said the cat demon from Yumi¡¯s right. Jumping in the air away from the demon, she tried to keep her shock to a minimum. ¡®I didn¡¯t even notice him there¡­¡¯ She ground her teeth getting a feeling that things weren¡¯t as over as she would have liked them to be. He wanted another fight she assumed, one that would end with her death she knew. Yumi looked around cautiously for an escape. ¡°I have no good manners to give for those that want to kill me.¡± He gave a small chuckle to Yumi¡¯s empty bravado. It still seemed to amuse him. Though he wasn¡¯t giving her any signs that he would leave her alone either. ¡°I guess that is fair. I have a promise to keep.¡± Yumi summoned up her barrier as best as she could manage in her state. ¡°I thought you wanted a fair fight. No honor after all?¡± ¡°No, I do have honor and it¡¯s not what you think. I shall be traveling with you. I¡¯m not going to miss my chance to finish our battle once you¡¯ve recovered your strength.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Chapter 409 - A Carefree Life With Yumi gaining an unwanted rival and an unexpected course set, the rest of her friends faced different troubles and complications. They were adjusting to their new surroundings in their own way. And finding a different means to survive. Putting his back into it, he pulled up with his legs fighting against nature¡¯s wish to remain still. It wouldn¡¯t be enough to stop him though. He would win in the end. That much was certain. Nothing could change that. Even it knew that much to be sure. All it could do was delay the inevitable. Eventually, it would fail and he would come out on top. He just kept up the pressure. A tear erupted from below. He smiled. He knew the sound well. It finally gave up the struggle. Only a little more and he would pull out a victory. Digging in more, he gave the finishing blow and the coming victory. Out of the earth came an almost unhealthy sound as the tree roots snapped painfully or stripped clean from the earth. Seiji gave a deep triumphant roar as the cut trunk finally rose above his head raining down clumps of dirt into the pit. Seiji dropped the hunk of tree to the ground next to him and sat down on it. He took a long breath to recover himself from the job. It left him a little winded and sweaty from the hot sun. A slightly dirty cloth, from some tunic likely, appeared in front of his face. Seiji looked up seeing Mr. Horri appear before him, the old man that opened his door for him. ¡°Thanks!¡± Wiping the sweat from his forehead and then bare chest, Seiji glanced over Mr. Horri¡¯s shoulder. The job wasn¡¯t completed yet. He threw the makeshift towel over his shoulder and lifted the tree stump off the ground. Though his seat, it was also destined for other things. It would make for good wood to be used by the village. And now they could expand their farms. Seiji carried the heavy chunk of wood on his other shoulder walking back with the old man. ¡°Hmm?¡± asked Seiji, noticing the repeated glances his way. ¡°Just reminding myself how strong you are.¡± ¡®Oh yeah, Nerine keeps telling me not to overdo it¡­¡¯ ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not a Hunter, son?¡± ¡°Oh definitely! I¡¯m just your average teenager!¡± he declared, while effortlessly wielding the tree that likely weighed close to the same as the old man. Mr. Horri gave a small laugh at Seiji¡¯s reply. ¡°I see!¡± ¡°If anyone could be one of those Demon Hunters, it¡¯d be Nerine. Though if they¡¯re as strong as you¡¯ve mentioned it might be fun to go a round.¡± ¡°You speak very highly of the young miss.¡± ¡°She¡¯s saved my life more than once and she¡¯s helluva lot smarter than me.¡± The village started to come up for them. It was still early in the day, so it remained fairly empty. Though opposite of them, Nerine came walking back with two rabbits tied and slung over her shoulder. ¡°She is remarkably skilled at hunting.¡± Seiji waved across the village center to her. She slowly approached the two of them, while passing off the catch. Wringing her hands out from the day¡¯s work, Nerine stopped near to Seiji. ¡°Finished your battle with nature?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! I finally won!¡± He gave her an eager grin ignoring the few strange looks that he got for still hauling around the stump. ¡°I¡¯ve got to drop damn this off to Mr. Tamura, but I¡¯ll be free after that.¡± ¡°Very well, I¡¯ll meet you back when you¡¯ve finished.¡± Chapter 409 ¨C A Carefree Life Mr. Horri waved to Seiji, departing for the fields to help with the care of the crop. It wasn¡¯t something that Seiji was needed for, though he did wish to help out more. But that was an argument he lost already. Behind Mr. Horri¡¯s small hut at the very edge of the forest, which had the game Nerine found, she waited for him. Their usual spot out of the away from the others. He came up behind her leaning over the wood fence with baked food in hand. ¡°From Mrs. Tamura.¡± A slight wrinkle came through her forehead looking at the sweets. Nerine took it with some reluctance. ¡°She¡¯s nosy.¡± ¡°She¡¯s nice.¡± ¡°She says I¡¯m too skinny.¡± Nerine squeezed her hand not carefully minding the sweet as it crumbled a little. ¡°I¡¯m a soldier! I have a routine.¡± Seiji chuckled a little watching Nerine get frustrated over something so small. He leapt over the fence and sat down next to her, staring out into the thick line of trees. ¡°You¡¯re not going to find the same as shit routine around here.¡± She finished the gift and dropped her guard allowing her Field to fade. ¡°It¡¯s less advanced, but it¡¯s not too unlike working the border patrol.¡± ¡°Is that why you¡¯re good at camping?¡± ¡°They¡¯re survival skills, don¡¯t make it sound like a vacation.¡± She leaned a little at him trying to get her point across when she had no arms to make any sort of gesture. But she slipped and fell into him.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. He quickly grabbed her and helped her back up right. ¡°Are you feeling alright?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine,¡± she answered curtly. An unconvinced look came over his face looking at Nerine. He could see her breathing still hadn¡¯t recovered. There were slight beads of sweat along her face and a shaking in her body. ¡°I¡¯ve been noticing it¡¯s been getting worse as shit each day. Maybe you should stop, you don¡¯t have to keep it up.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine! I''m a soldier, this effort is not a problem.¡± ¡°Nerine¡­¡± Seiji stared at her trying to see if she was improving. ¡®I know how much you¡¯re struggling, but you don¡¯t have to do it alone¡­ Wish you¡¯d at least talk to me¡­¡¯ Watching her was all he could do and he hated it. It wasn¡¯t the first day she rebuffed his help. Staying in Japan, he thought that she started to trust him more, but she still put him at a distance on specific things. She was difficult to read for him. ¡°I just want to help, dammit!¡± ¡°Your idea of help only causes more troubles.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true!¡± he protested. Turning her head back towards the village behind them, she disagreed with that assertion. ¡°Your helping is making them suspicious. They don¡¯t know what to make of you.¡± ¡°I tell them that I¡¯m just naturally strong.¡± ¡°No normal human is that strong, even naturally. This is going to come to a head eventually.¡± ¡°It was your idea to stay here rather than look for Yumi and the others. I sure as shit can¡¯t do nothing!¡± ¡°We¡¯re staying still because we have less of a chance of finding the others if we¡¯re all moving. Besides, it¡¯s not as if I¡¯m doing nothing.¡± Seiji perked up, remembering the reason that Nerine chose to be a hunter for the village. ¡°Did you hear anything?¡± She shook her head and looked back at the forest once more. Her back pressed harder against the wood beam of the fence. ¡°No, the traveling merchants had no rumors that fit with your friends.¡± ¡°Our friends, Nerine.¡± ¡°Of course¡­depending on the way the rest are living in this virtual space, we should eventually hear something. They no doubt have more of your leanings, which I¡¯m counting on. We won¡¯t be staying here forever.¡± It was something that Seiji hoped for as well. He understood why she had them stay still, though it wasn¡¯t his choice. She made a convincing enough argument for him. Sticking around this village unable to find his friends wasn¡¯t what he planned to do forever. They would reunite again and help Yumi with her personalities. The sun began to set in the back, signaling to them that it was time to move. Everyone¡¯s day was over now and they would be returning to their homes. It meant that dinner would begin and extra hands were already welcome. Seiji stood up from the log they used as a bench and stretched out from being in the same position for hours. It gave him some comfort to know that Nerine looked to be doing better. Though with her arms back, he could already see all of that rest starting to melt away once more. She was never going to be convinced against it. ¡°You can take the day off tomorrow. They¡¯ve got a crap ton of food now and there¡¯s not supposed to be any merchants in the area.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, I told you. More than me, you should take the day off. The less they see you doing things that aren¡¯t normal the shorter our time here will become.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not even using my true strength, Nerine! I¡¯m holding back.¡± ¡°Your idea of holding back leaves much to be desired.¡± Seiji crossed his arms looking proud of his progress so far. It had been a lot of work to get where he was now. ¡°Unlike you, I wasn¡¯t born with this. And until now, I haven¡¯t needed to restrain myself. I¡¯m still not used to only using a tiny ass bit. But I¡¯m getting better!¡± ¡°It¡¯s unnecessary. Just let me do it.¡± She remained unconvinced of Seiji¡¯s insistence. Everything was well planned in her mind and he kept risking the plan. She hoped that they would find someone soon. The thought of having to deal with the meltdown and what sort of world this was stressed her out. Not that it was anything less than what she normally dealt with when she was paired with him. ¡°It¡¯s training!¡± he repeated, as he told her every day before. Seiji clenched his fist for her as though it was going to prove anything. His strength was already impressive and nearly unrivaled by anyone. It really did nothing to reassure anything. ¡°Point that training at dinner for now.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am¡­¡± Even if he was a little deflated by Nerine lack of enthusiasm for his efforts, that didn¡¯t change his energy for helping. While he wasn¡¯t perfect in the kitchen, he helped in what ways that he could. And night fell upon the sleepy little village. A normal and uneventful day ended like each one before it, but not to be replaced with the same. There had been a new card shuffled into the deck in the morning. After breakfast and the start of the villagers going about their daily routine, Seiji and Nerine¡¯s original plans were halted. They didn¡¯t even make it out of the door before they noticed something was off. It was Seiji that noticed it first. A sound that wasn¡¯t normal, it was out of place amongst everything else that he knew from the village. ¡°Shit! Do you hear that?¡± ¡°Huh? What?¡± she asked, not having the sensitivity that Seiji gained. The look on his face was enough for her to know that something was wrong. ¡°It¡¯s not an animal?¡± ¡°No, it sounds too damn heavy for that. Whatever it is, it¡¯s big.¡± ¡°A demon that they talked about?¡± ¡°Shit if I know, I¡¯ve never seen one. But I don¡¯t like the sound of it.¡± Nerine turned back to catch Mr. Horri as he stepped out, all prepared for the fields. She stopped him quickly before he got out of their sight. ¡°You need to warn the others. There¡¯s a strange wind in the air, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s safe.¡± That immediately caught his attention as his eyes widened in shock. He knew what she was implying, even though she remained uncertain. His hands clamped tightly onto his hoe nearly turning white. ¡°Is it¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I¡¯m going to go check it out. If it is, I¡¯ll try to draw it away from your village.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re not a Hunter! You won¡¯t stand a chance against¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s better than the village being attacked. Now go and warn the others!¡± Nerine stepped back next to Seiji. She whispered to him to keep it out of the ears of their patron. ¡°Is it coming this way?¡± ¡°Hard to tell. I¡¯m not really used to this damn thing. I just know it doesn¡¯t sound right and I¡¯m pretty sure they aren¡¯t alone.¡± ¡°Then we need to go, just remember if we fight, keep it out of sight of the villagers.¡± They both ran off with Seiji taking the lead. ¡°Got to give me a challenge,¡± he teased. His ears listened carefully for the sounds letting it guide him to the source. ¡°This is taking too damn long.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t. We have to keep our secret.¡± ¡°I know! But what if someone is hurt or killed because we took too long getting there!¡± ¡°This is a fake world, remember. Nothing is being harmed.¡± Seiji clinched his hands together. ¡°This shit is too real! I can¡¯t see it as anything but real!¡± But their debate on their situation had to stop. They finally made it to the top of the hill that the farms were built into. Down at the bottom, they could both see a large figure. What Nerine couldn¡¯t see that Seiji did was the second person, smaller than the monster. ¡°They¡¯re in danger!¡± Without even thinking, Seiji disappeared from the hill. Nerine couldn¡¯t track his movements, only felt the wake of his burst. While not necessarily as impressive as Saki in speed, he still reached the strange monster in moments to save the one being attacked. Seiji¡¯s fist stretched out connecting with the creature, sending it tumbling backwards as saliva and blood sprayed through the air. ¡°Pick on someone your own damn size!¡± Seiji taunted, wanting it to focus on him. ¡°I didn¡¯t need your help, idiot.¡± Suddenly, an arm appeared around the wide neck of the hairy beast as it brought it down to its knees under tremendous strength. An audible snap popped out of it as the arm broke the neck. The dead creature fell down in the grass as the one behind it revealed themselves. A smile quickly grew over Seiji¡¯s face as he saw them. ¡°Saki!¡± Chapter 410 - Time to Waste Before she could even react, Seiji was hugging her tightly, pleased to see her once more. He had finally found a friend after the days being stuck in Yumi¡¯s mindscape. ¡°Seiji, you need to calm down.¡± Despite what Nerine wanted, Seiji didn¡¯t let go of Saki or release his hold. His enthusiasm couldn¡¯t be so easily reigned in. ¡°Calm¡­what? But we finally found Saki!¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t seem as happy about it as you, however¡­¡± But he didn¡¯t get a chance to fully hear out or react to Nerine before he took a sharp elbow to the face. There was enough behind it to knock him free of her and stagger him to the ground. ¡°But guess you know that now¡­¡± Only slightly fazed by it, he rubbed his cheek from the hit, but otherwise brushed it off. ¡°So where the hell were you Saki?¡± Fixing the fine silk of her athletic blend of a traditional kimono, which gave her legs freedom, Saki looked down at Seiji. ¡°Looking for everyone.¡± ¡°Hey, it¡¯s like you thought, Nerine.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± she agreed, while examining Saki thoroughly. There were clear differences between them. While Seiji and her traded their attire in for simple clothes the villagers could offer, Saki looked like she might have been from royalty. Nerine hadn¡¯t seen any sort of fabric in the village or even on merchants passing by. ¡°And what have you been doing specifically, when not searching for us?¡± The subtext didn¡¯t hit Saki immediately until she picked up on the gaze. ¡°Oh my clothes. I have a rather well off sponsor.¡± ¡°Sponsor? Doing what?¡± Seiji jumped up and closed the distance quickly. There was a bit of a glow in his eyes suddenly. ¡°Sounds like an interesting story! Want to come back to the village and rest? You can tell us about it!¡± ¡°How about no. I don¡¯t really have time to waste on that.¡± Chapter 410 ¨C Time to Waste Expecting to wake up alongside everyone else, Saki looked about to her left and right, finding nothing. She stared for minutes trying to process everything, and half expecting someone else to show up. But she was alone and without any clue to what was going on. All she had was the expectation that this somehow dealt with Yumi, but she wasn¡¯t even here. Which left her wondering why she was even alone. It didn¡¯t serve any point. Once she started to accept reality as it was now, she pulled herself up to a seated position. Before her was a tall white wall that stretched in both directions before curving out of sight. If she hadn¡¯t already seen Atlantis, it would have been impressive to her, but she had already seen grander. Not that size was really the point on her mind. Something else was on her mind. She looked up to the sky and shouted, ¡°What the hell am I doing?! I already told you I¡¯m not telling the story! And how did you already set a scene when I haven¡¯t even said anything yet!¡± Seiji¡¯s voice came booming down, ¡°C¡¯mon! It¡¯ll be great! Knowing you, you¡¯ve got a lot of ass kicking and great fight scenes!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not doing this, end it now! And with the absence of Yuki have you devolved even further?¡± Popped back to reality, Saki glanced over at Nerine, as they all still stood in the middle of the field with the demon slain. ¡°Thought you had him under better control.¡± Nothing needed to be said, Nerine just looked back at Saki with a look too easy to read as ¡®You try controlling that.¡¯ Saki sighed and looked back at Seiji. ¡°Fair point. A better question right now, why are you here?¡± ¡°Oh I can answer that!¡± Seiji announced proudly. He seemed to have gotten off his disappointment of story time quickly. ¡°You?¡± The glare from her did little to stop his energy. ¡°Yes, of course I know what the hell¡¯s going on. We¡¯re following Nerine¡¯s plan to stay still. She felt it was better than wandering around and might have missed you.¡± He looked over at Nerine with pride in his eyes. ¡°Which turned out to be the right decision, since we found you!¡± She crossed her arms and looked over at the village and Nerine. ¡°More luck than a good plan. This world is huge, easily a to scale version of Japan. We¡¯re just as likely to run into someone walking.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t been doing nothing!¡± Nerine looked a little ruffled by Saki¡¯s comment. ¡°I¡¯ve been following up and hunting down rumors. We can¡¯t aimlessly wander in the hopes of stumbling across everyone.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Catching the rising tension from a defensive Nerine, Seiji stepped in between them. He redirected the conversation quickly to something that still bothered him. ¡°So what¡¯s that?¡± he asked, pointing at the dead creature behind them. ¡°A demon, went by the name Gono. No bounty on him, but he had been attacking villages in the area. So I dealt with him while in the area after finishing my main job.¡± ¡°Main job?¡± asked Seiji, becoming curious again about the backstory surrounding her arrival. Though Saki refused to indulge in his childish excitement over fighting. Even if she did refuse, that didn¡¯t stop her from providing a more visual explanation of what she had been doing in the days since their arrival in Yumi¡¯s ancient demon filled vision of Japan. She took them back to her camp, which hardly had any real signs of being a camp. It looked merely like the place that she stopped with a recognizable enough rock formation to be a land marker for her. ¡°What the hell is this giant thing?!¡± shouted Seiji, the moment he saw that it wasn¡¯t some strange rock or hill, but an actual living thing. Or rather, a former living thing, as Saki killed it some time ago. Saki pointed them out to the front, revealing the large shape to be as they already figured out, a head. A severed head of a demon with an awful smell in fact sat before them almost looking like it might be asleep rather than dead. With massive horns and teeth along with oily black hair and a weird steel-like skin, all they could really do was accept that it had to be a demon. It had everything to belong to a classic giant red oni from wood paintings. Patting the hard skin, Saki claimed her kill. ¡°This was my job. Some weird variant of an oni that made his home in the mountains around here and found people to be more filling than other things. Apparently, he had been dormant for a while and only recently started feeding again.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re what they call a Demon Hunter?¡± Nerine checked, already assuming it from what she had seen. ¡°Not so much, I¡¯m a bounty hunter, you have to get some license and go through tests to be a Demon Hunter apparently. But the pay is no different. And the connections are better, since I can hear rumors from the underground about suddenly appearing super humans.¡± ¡°Does that mean this was part of your plan as well?¡± ¡°No, I haven¡¯t heard any rumors about you two at all. You have to stand out for rumors to be created.¡± Seiji looked back at Nerine with a look almost like a question of why. Seeing even Seiji retracting support for her, she lost any strength to her defense of her plan. It hurt far more than either of them could see. She turned away from them after her sound defeat and acceptance. Not that it stopped Seiji from continuing. ¡°Have you heard any rumors about the others?¡± ¡°A few, though they all have been dead ends. Knowing Yori¡¯s tendency lately with his focus on Yumi, finding him should only be a matter of time. Finding Yumi and Yuki has been more of my priority, though I worry about finding Yuki given his nature. He may blend in the best.¡± ¡°This does seem like something he would enjoy.¡± ¡°Which could also make him the easiest, which is why I haven¡¯t ruled out any rumors.¡± ¡°Now that you¡¯ve found us, we¡¯ll join you and help in the search!¡± Saki sat down next to the demon head staring out at the horizon ahead with her mind already advancing. ¡°It¡¯ll definitely be helpful having someone that can heal me. I¡¯ve been careful about not taking high risk bounties, so that I can keep searching. But with Nerine I can be bolder.¡± The thought of being used like an item in a game, something that she would have no understanding of the reference to, but still found it indignant, turned around quickly. ¡°I¡¯m not a tool to be carried around!¡± ¡°Having some flashbacks right now¡­¡± None of it lasted for long as she narrowed her sights on Nerine. ¡°Having two more at my back is more important.¡± Saki stood up and hefted the demon head into the air before starting to march away with the expectation that they would follow her. Seiji quickly chased after her without a second thought. His mind was focused on the new adventures and fights that he could get into. The thought of fighting the blue oni that partnered the one Saki killed colored his visions. A good fight from something titanic made him grin slightly. Left behind for a moment still not fully convinced, Nerine had to rush to catch up. She wasn¡¯t about to be left behind. ¡°You still have an image of me in your mind to pull me out when you need healing.¡± ¡°Maybe a little,¡± she teased. Nerine sighed at her fate. ¡°Where are you my King?¡± As short trip back to the village, Nerine explained things to Mr. Horri. While a little sad to see them leave, their short time was understood. The walk back to the city that Saki treated as her temporary base only took half a day to reach, though it did leave Nerine completely exhausted. She laid on Saki¡¯s bed in the mansion of her sponsor while Saki and Seiji went together to collect on the giant head. Seiji looked back in the direction of the large pile that they left other demon parts all stacked together. ¡°Don¡¯t you need proof? Couldn¡¯t someone else try to claim they killed the damn thing?¡± It wasn¡¯t the only demon carcass and out in the open for anyone to poke through it. He found it surprising that there wasn¡¯t even someone there to watch over it. ¡°Nope,¡± she replied quickly. Her hand stretched out to slide open the door as things quickly became dark and shady fast. Seiji followed behind her. ¡°No picking fights, they¡¯re all strong and I know you.¡± ¡°¡­yes¡­¡± She could feel the disappointment in his voice. All of the bounty hunters that filled the room were skilled in different ways and worst of all most of them didn¡¯t share the same noble fairness of a fight that Seiji did. Despite his strength and power, she doubted that he would actually win any of them. Ahead of them was the counter with a young woman behind the slightly poor appearing wood counter and wall. Though as many foolish dead idiots learned, it was anything but. Saki stepped forward laying down a rolled parchment in front of the woman. ¡°Got my reward?¡± ¡°Your kill¡¯s been confirmed,¡± the woman spoke with polite and well measured words. She turned around and pulled out a drawer from the wall. Returning to the counter, the drawer glowed with gold coins. Saki quickly pocketed the entirety of the reward and nodded to the woman. ¡°Thank you.¡± She then faced Seiji with the look of leaving. But her eye picked up someone in the corner. They were making subtle movements at her. She grabbed Seiji¡¯s arm and pulled him in close. ¡°No talking.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Promise me.¡± ¡°Alright, fine. What¡¯s this shit all about?¡± She glared up at him to shut him up and then pulled him along with her. Weaving through the tables, she sat down at the corner table with a well worn man. ¡°You don¡¯t call me over. Got some trouble?¡± ¡°On the contrary, I¡¯ve got something you want.¡± Leaning back in the chair, Saki played her hand defensively. ¡°I¡¯m in no rush for a bounty. We don¡¯t owe each other anything.¡± ¡°Oh, but I know you¡¯ve been making inquiries, a lot. And I happen to have some that might interest you.¡± Saki tried to hide her annoyance, seeing that he had the stronger hand. ¡°What are you asking?¡± ¡°One hundred.¡± ¡°Not interested.¡± ¡°Even if I told you there¡¯s a fake Demon Hunter making a name for themselves?¡± She saw Seiji¡¯s eyes start to light up. He picked up on it as much as she did. ¡®That could be Yumi!¡¯ Chapter 411 - Sparks of War Saki fought with Seiji trying to keep him from ruining the deal by saying anything. She managed to stop him from doing much more than muttering random words. Though the information broker took amusement from the scene. A swift elbow silenced him long enough for Saki to get back to the matter at hand. ¡°If there¡¯s truth to this rumor I can find it elsewhere with someone willing to be reasonable.¡± A sly smirk came across the man¡¯s face to see Saki still willing to play. She hadn¡¯t left the table yet. ¡°Oh I am being reasonable. I know the worth of what I have.¡± He shuffled around his empty glass between his hands measuring out his negotiation. ¡°But can you find someone that knows the exact location they were last spotted?¡± ¡°You know where he is?!¡± shouted Seiji before Saki could shut him up. She focused back on the shady man. ¡°Fifty or I walk.¡± The man laughed a bit as though he heard a joke. ¡°Now, now, a hundred or you¡¯ll be getting some exercise. I know the bounty you just turned in, you¡¯re more than good for it.¡± Grinding her teeth together, Saki hated the feeling of being strung up and played. ¡®I know with enough time I can find clues on my own. But it could be out of date by the time I find them. And this is a world that is hostile to all of us, especially Yumi. We don¡¯t know what those personalities have in store for her. I can¡¯t waste time¡­damnit!¡¯ Saki pulled coins from her bag and dropped them on the table. ¡°Seventy-five. If the rumor actually is accurate, I¡¯ll give the same when I return.¡± She could see the bit of glow in the eyes of the man as he put together the increase to his profits. It was enough to get him loosening the gears on his lips. Though she had to wait as he weighed the options. ¡°I can make your life hell if you double cross me.¡± ¡°Oh trust me, like you said. I¡¯m good for it. You just better hope your information is good or else I¡¯ll be making your life hell. I don¡¯t like cheats.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve had a very good arrangement, you can trust me.¡± ¡°I also don¡¯t like nosy people that like to play me.¡± She pushed over the coins to his side of the table. ¡°Don¡¯t forget I¡¯m the only bounty hunter that likes killing demons. I¡¯m not to be trifled with.¡± He gave an oily smirk to Saki knowing her power, but understanding there was more than strength. As he fingered over the coins mentally counting, he began to spill his information. ¡°The rumor is that a stranger appeared in the Chemana region claiming to be a Demon Hunter.¡± ¡°Chemana¡­why does that sound familiar?¡± ¡°It¡¯s part of Chigo Ward, otherwise known as the Occupied Ward, it''s where the demons first appeared centuries ago and the stronghold for most of the demonic armies. Only those seeking death go through. The Hunter Association strictly forbids their order from entering. We only have this type of peace because we don¡¯t stir up the nest.¡± ¡°So no true Hunter would actually be there.¡± ¡°Only Ronin go there looking for meaningless honor in death.¡± ¡°A Hunter in the demon lands, what sort of reputation do they have?¡± ¡°For mercilessly killing every demon that they come across.¡± Saki clenched her hands together. ¡®Damn, Yumi you¡¯re making too big of a scene. This is going to be bad¡­¡¯ She stood up sharply from the table and dragged out Seiji, but not before the man¡¯s hand came across the table. He whispered to her out of notice of the others in the room. ¡°This bit is free. Word is the Association is on the move.¡± She ground her teeth together with a low growl. ¡°Why tell me this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just good for business if you resolve it and not them.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± With the last bit, Saki pulled on Seiji to get him moving towards the exit. She wasn¡¯t liking the feeling that she was getting from the whole setup. Things rapidly turned south faster than she imagined. ¡°C¡¯mon, Yumi¡¯s about to start a new war.¡± Chapter 411 ¨C Sparks of War This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Saki said nothing more to Seiji until they returned to her room. Inside, Nerine still rested, but quickly sat up with Saki throwing around a few things from her chest on the floor. She pulled out quite a few things for someone taking a long trip. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Nerine asked, immediately becoming concerned by the atmosphere that Saki brought. Frustrated and annoyed, he sat down in the chair next to the door. ¡°The hell if I know, Saki refuses to tell me. All I got was that she¡¯s convinced we¡¯ve got a location for Yumi. Though, I think it¡¯s more likely that it¡¯s Yuki.¡± Sighing aloud, Saki stopped grabbing things out. She looked between the two of them. It had to be something they both heard anyway. ¡°It¡¯s Yumi. Not Yuki.¡± ¡°How the hell can you be sure of that?¡± ¡°Because Yuki¡¯s not going to do something so reckless as killing tons of demons and pretending to be a Demon Hunter. He¡¯s got too much awareness to make that mistake. Knowing him, he knows more about what¡¯s going on than any of us. No, it¡¯s Yumi. She¡¯s not used to anything of this and apart from Yori, the most likely right now not to be thinking about what her actions could be doing to the wider world at large. Yuki knows this is a fake world, but that this also has rules to follow and he¡¯ll play within those rules. You think Yumi would consider the same thing?¡± Seiji stood up in defense of her. ¡°I think you¡¯re selling Yumi a little short. She might not be a fighter like us, but she¡¯s smart.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wrong there. She is a fighter and that¡¯s something you¡¯re forgetting. Besides, Nerine, what was Seiji¡¯s first reaction when he heard about demons?¡± ¡°He wanted to fight them.¡± He quickly recoiled with the target turned on him. ¡°That¡¯s my point. You didn¡¯t think of this as a real world with rules to follow.¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s not, it¡¯s just a thing in Yumi¡¯s mind. We¡¯re here to help her figure out what¡¯s up with her weird ass personalities.¡± ¡°But you can¡¯t think of this as a fake world or something that¡¯ll just go away. It¡¯s real enough for us right now and so we need to follow the rules. If we don¡¯t we will have a harder time when it does come to facing Yumi¡¯s true demons.¡± Saki finished packing everything that she had stored away and loaded it up on her back. ¡°We don¡¯t have time to waste anymore. Sorry, Nerine, you''ll have to recover on the road.¡± ¡°Is it that bad?¡± she asked, standing sensing the dread in her voice. Seiji still wasn¡¯t entirely convinced. He still followed Saki out the door, not planning on getting left behind. Saki didn¡¯t wait for either of them to linger around. ¡°I don¡¯t know, Saki¡¯s saying things about war and stuff. I don¡¯t know a damn thing that''s going on.¡± A war sounded worse than she expected for just Yumi being reckless. There was more going on that she didn¡¯t see. Nerine had only a small picture of what the world was like from her time in the village. Merchants didn¡¯t give up much to her to help her get a clear sense of things. Thankfully, Saki seemed to have more time to be filled in on all of the details. Ignoring the fatigue, Nerine hurried up along Saki¡¯s side as they walked through the crowded main streets. ¡°What¡¯s this about a war?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll explain on the road. We can¡¯t talk here.¡± Outside the city and with it far to their back, none of them expected it to be such a short visit. And worse, the tension ran thick as Saki left things vague and ominous. Something that only frustrated Seiji more not knowing anything. He eventually exploded on Saki, no longer able to hold back. ¡°When the hell are you going to start making sense now?¡± Saki slowed her pace and glanced back at the city. Far out of sight now for anyone else, she felt more comfortable getting into details. ¡°This world is in an uneasy truce with the major demon clans to the west. So I didn¡¯t want to bring up war for any passing ears to hear. The Association has been doing everything to keep the fa?ade of peace.¡± ¡°How the hell do you know all of this?¡± complained Seiji, glancing over at Nerine who ended up learning none of this. And they all had been in the world for the same amount of time. Which was hardly very long, a little more than two weeks and Saki looked like she fit into the world. ¡°I got lucky and was dumped off near that city. Which is more or less the capital of this version of Japan. So I was able to get a lot of questions answered by being there.¡± ¡°So what¡¯s this about a damn war?¡± ¡°Like I said, the Association, the Demon Hunter Association, is trying to keep up the illusion of peace.¡± ¡°They¡¯re just people that fight demons right? They¡¯re not the damn government, but you make it sound like they¡¯re running the damn place.¡± ¡°Which is more or less true. Yes, there is a Lord, but he¡¯s pretty much useless. I mean this is a world of demons with the only ones that can fight them being the Demon Hunters. They hold nearly all of the power and the Lord just goes along with it.¡± ¡°There¡¯s people that fight demons, where the hell¡¯s problem?¡± ¡°They are both too few and too weak. And they know it. It¡¯s why where we¡¯re going is forbidden, they don¡¯t want to risk losing what few numbers they have.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s that bad, why aren¡¯t demons all over the damn place?¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t something I was able to find out. At least, an answer that I felt was true. The reality is that most of the demons seem to be sticking to the western half of Japan. There are few that are around here and they are mostly controlled by one the Demon Lord of the East. He¡¯s kept things quiet, but there are regular tributes that they pay to the demons to keep them happy.¡± Pointing out the pile that was smoke rising up from the city, Saki called their attention to the dead demons. ¡°Those are the rogue demons that follow no Lord and do whatever they want. Since they don¡¯t follow the truce, the Association is able to issue bounties for them.¡± Nerine turned back around in the direction that Saki led them. Things finally started to fall into place for her. ¡°That means, if this is Yumi killing demons within their controlled territory, it could stir up a new conflict, because she¡¯s claiming to be part of the group that agreed to follow the peace agreements.¡± ¡°Yes, without her knowing it, she could be plunging this entire country into a war that it can¡¯t win. But even worse, is that the Association I doubt will sit and do nothing about this.¡± Now she understood the urgency that Saki had. A ripple spread out from her feet as a horse and cart materialized next to them. ¡°We can travel faster this way without drawing attention.¡± They all hopped up to the cart with Seiji sitting in the back. Even as the horse started to move, Seiji leaned his head back towards the two girls. ¡°Are you okay, Nerine? You¡¯ve been using your powers almost without rest for two damn weeks now.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have a choice in the matter. We need to hurry and we don¡¯t have any other option.¡± ¡°Saki¡¯s pretty loaded. She could have just bought one for us.¡± Staring over at Saki, she silently questioned her if she had made a mistake and they let her do it. But Saki waved her hand at Nerine. ¡°I¡¯m not that well off. My bounty money went to collecting enough for everyone to survive once I found everyone. So I¡¯m actually short on cash.¡± ¡°What about the sketchy man?¡± ¡°I planned on picking up some side jobs on the way back to pay him.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t piss off the yakuza did you?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t pissed anyone off yet and he¡¯s nothing like that. Just a well connected man.¡± Saki looked out ahead of them on the road. A new journey hurriedly came together for them and still some of their friends remained unknown out there. ¡°We¡¯ve got bigger problems for now. Stopping Yumi from triggering a war that¡¯ll kill every human in the country!¡± If things could only get worse. ¡®Where the hell are you Yuki?¡¯ Chapter 412 - Demons Gate About an hour passed on the road for them in relative silence. Seiji did his job in keeping topics flowing with inane conversation, as Saki viewed it. But it made the trip easier to manage. So there weren¡¯t any complaints. But eventually Seiji turned the conversation to something more worthwhile. Saki felt it was a little surprising that he hadn¡¯t reached it already. ¡°So, I¡¯ve been wondering. Do you have a map of the country or something?¡± ¡°No, why? I know where we¡¯re going.¡± ¡°But how the hell? You said it¡¯s like Japan, but not Japan, right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s close enough that you just need a slight translation of things. The physical land is definitely Japan. I¡¯ve seen a map back in the capital and there¡¯s no mistaking it.¡± Saki paused thinking back to when she rushed around to understand the new world they were dropped within. ¡°Given that this is created from within Yumi¡¯s mind, it makes sense that she would use something familiar.¡± The idea of something familiar gave Seiji pause. He looked around at the environment questioning such a notion. ¡°You sure as hell this is actually Yumi? You don¡¯t think some of Yuki didn¡¯t leak in?¡± It was something that came across Saki¡¯s thoughts as well. In fact, the longer that she looked at the world she became almost convinced that somehow Yuki had interfered in some way to alter the world. Or the time he spent aiding Phoibe was the cause of such a strange world. But Saki became less convinced of it the more she gave it serious thought. ¡°This is definitely all Yumi.¡± ¡°How the hell are you so certain?¡± ¡°Because as much as we would want to believe that this is something that Yuki would be happy to live, he¡¯s also not like that. That¡¯s not who he is. You know that very well.¡± ¡°But what other damn explanation is there? This can¡¯t be Yumi.¡± Nodding in agreement with Seiji, she couldn¡¯t argue with the thought either. None of them would believe that this is Yumi. ¡°It¡¯s the truth though. We don¡¯t know the deepest secrets that she keeps from all of us. However, the more likely case is that this is caused by those personalities, which are bigger unknowns for us. Being inside Yumi, they have as much to do with what the machine generates as she does. Given that Phoibe¡¯s lost control of the system, it¡¯s probably more accurate to say that they control everything and what we have here is what they want us to see.¡± All of the information made it no easier for Seiji to accept. His hand ran through his hair, roughing it up in his frustration. ¡°All you¡¯re saying is that we know jack shit.¡± ¡°Pretty much. There¡¯s some point to this world. Whether it is that they just wanted to kill us or make us suffer here, it¡¯s not done without reason. Which means playing along with the rules of the world. If they do fully control the world, they can make things a living hell for us if they want.¡± He looked back to Nerine and their time in the village. ¡°You think that they can really do that? Change the world on some crappy whim?¡± ¡°We can¡¯t be sure of anything. But I do see it as a possibility. It¡¯s why I¡¯ve been careful about keeping a low profile.¡± ¡°But that still doesn''t explain why you know where the hell we¡¯re supposed to be going. You don¡¯t know every little damn prefecture here do you?¡± ¡°No, but if you focused for a moment on the details you¡¯d see it as well. I don¡¯t need to know everything, because it¡¯s close enough to what we already know. Do you remember where we¡¯re going?¡± It was a while ago and it all happened pretty quickly. So Seiji had to take some time to think about the answer. He remembered it being mentioned, but since it was some foreign word to him he didn¡¯t recall it. Crossing his arms in thought made it seem like he was thinking hard about it, but coming up with a lot of blanks. All he was getting from a piece. ¡°Chu? Chi?¡± ¡°Chemana,¡± Saki filled in with the answer. She could see that he wasn¡¯t going to get there any time soon, but had something. ¡°That¡¯s it! But that¡¯s just a shitty ass made up name. I know all of the prefectures and that hella ain¡¯t one of them.¡± Saki gave him a nod of agreement. ¡°That¡¯s right. As it is, it wouldn¡¯t be one. Change it slightly and you have Shimane.¡± ¡°In Chugoku? But that¡¯s not what he said.¡± ¡°Right, he said Chigo. There were slight alterations to the characters, but it¡¯s one in the same.¡± Bringing up an image of the map of Japan in his mind, he placed the location of Shimane for his reference. ¡°But Shimane is clear on the other damn side of Japan! You don¡¯t get much more west than that.¡±Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Which is why we¡¯re in a hurry. Being north of Tokyo, we have a long trip on our hands.¡± ¡°Is that where we are?¡± ¡°Roughly, we¡¯re in the north part of Gunma.¡± ¡°That¡¯s like a full ass day drive if we had a car.¡± ¡°Which we don¡¯t, so it¡¯ll be a few days before we get to where the rumors are coming from.¡± The horse suddenly changed into four horses, giving them more speed. Nerine understood the pressure of time that they were under. Probably more than Seiji considered. She leaned herself up against the cart trying to keep her mental strength together. ¡°How did you come by such rumors? It¡¯s not like the humans would be freely traveling in and out of the demon lands.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the part that worries me the most. We may already be too late. I didn¡¯t ask for the source, not likely to get it anyway. But you¡¯re right. If rumors are coming out of West Japan, then it means the demons are talking and that¡¯s not good for any of us. We still don¡¯t even know how real this world is and what effect it is having on our bodies or minds back in the real world.¡± ¡°You think we could be hurt in the real world if we¡¯re hurt in here?¡± asked Seiji, suddenly having more of his world opened up to him with each passing moment. ¡°Like that one movie?¡± ¡°Anything¡¯s possible with the way the real world has been turned upside down. Athena and Yori both have been blinded by just making attempts of going inside their minds. Don¡¯t rule out anything for now and think of this like the real world. It¡¯s all we can do if we want to survive to escape.¡± Chapter 412 ¨C Demon¡¯s Gate Thanks to the efforts of Nerine, they made better time than they planned on before. Even with the four horses and the late start in the day, it wasn¡¯t until late into the night that they reached the borders. At that point, they stopped. Hiding out in the bushes on the edge of the forest, the border wasn¡¯t as literal as they thought it might be. While they all had different versions of it in their minds before arriving, it all still came down to imagining it as some wall that stretched across all of Japan splitting in the middle. Certainly, the border did split the country in half. And there indeed was the construction of a wall. It just wasn¡¯t the sort of wall that they imagined. One that made their lives a little more challenging. ¡°What the hell sort of border is that?¡± commented Seiji, as it defied his expectations. There wasn¡¯t a wall of stone or rock, even wood. Not even maybe a raised mountain. None of that stopped them. It was a far simpler and reliable wall. A red barrier stretched over the land culling the nation away from the humans. The only entry point held demons guarding them from anyone. It wasn¡¯t the sort that an army could just march into. All of West Japan was closed. ¡°They likely patrol the barrier itself as well to maintain and check for breaches,¡± Nerine spoke, coming from a place of experience. ¡°But any barrier of this size should have some weakness.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have the time to search for it though.¡± Saki leaned forward a little, monitoring the movements of the demons closely. ¡®It¡¯s doubtful that they really get any sort of trade in and out. And it¡¯s also something we don¡¯t have time to wait on¡­¡¯ Other worries came to Saki though, as she looked at Nerine. ¡®If I could, I¡¯d give her the night to rest. But we really don¡¯t have that option right now. The time we lose waiting could be the time we need to stop this world from spiraling into hell¡­¡¯ ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I can keep going still.¡± Saki stepped away from their cover and walked deeper into the forest they found. The options they had were limited. She knew as much and they only had one thing to do. ¡°Sorry. I¡¯ll make sure you get to rest once we find Yumi.¡± Sensing the change, Seiji pulled back from spying and followed after Saki. Though he couldn¡¯t wait in silence for long before wanting to know the plan. ¡°What are you thinking, Saki?¡± ¡°We¡¯re sneaking past their patrols and barrier and entering.¡± ¡°I figured that much out already. How the hell you doing it?¡± ¡°Nerine?¡± She deferred the answer over to the expert. All Saki knew was that Nerine would be able to do it. None of the how would make any sense to her other than the most basic of explanation. ¡®Still wielding me like a tool¡­¡¯ Deflecting her frustration with her status, Nerine focused on the barrier to their left. They still had a distance to go before getting out of the range of the demons and any possible patrol. ¡°The simple answer is that I¡¯m going to negate the barrier.¡± ¡°Shit, you can do that?¡± ¡°¡­Seiji, she can do anything she wants. You have to stop thinking about what she uses to fight as the limit of her power.¡± About all he could do was nod a bit and marvel. Though carrying on a stunned reaction couldn¡¯t last for long. He recovered quickly to get back into the conversation. ¡°Right, sorry Nerine.¡± His sincerity turned her head forward to not focus on him. ¡°It¡¯s still not going to be easy if there is any sort of twist on their power. Negating it requires me understanding what it is well enough to craft something accurate.¡± ¡°I¡¯m less worried about that and more about keeping out of sight of the demons. What are the chances that they¡¯ll detect you messing with their barrier?¡± ¡°Depends if someone keeps it running or if it is passive. Given the level of sophistication we¡¯re dealing with I doubt they have an alarm or alert. I¡¯ll keep us invisible.¡± Saki stopped them as she came to a spot that she felt good about. There were no patrols for as far as she could see. The risks would be minimized as much as they could manage. Worse in her mind was that they still weren¡¯t even close to where Yumi was rumored to be currently. Or how old that information might even be now. ¡°Be completely thorough, Nerine. No sound, smell, ultraviolet range, nothing. We can¡¯t predict what sort of detection or senses the demons might have. I don¡¯t want to be slowed down here.¡± ¡°Understood. Just stay within my bubble.¡± They all walked out of cover into the open. Tension mounted for them all even with nothing in sight. Everything should be fine for them, but the uncertainty and complications still made each step feel heavy and sluggish. At the edge of the barrier, Nerine stood staring at it. She focused intently on the red glow, while Saki and Seiji stayed behind her, though close. Seiji looked over to Saki as they waited. ¡°You know, we¡¯ve all just been assuming that the rumor could be Yumi or Yuki, one of our friends. What the hell happens if it¡¯s not any of them?¡± ¡°We deal with that if it happens. But I doubt that¡¯ll happen.¡± ¡°And if a damn war breaks out, what then?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Seiji I don¡¯t have all of the answers. I¡¯m winging this as much as anyone else. So don¡¯t look to me for such things.¡± ¡°And what about¡ª¡° ¡°Seiji, I said I don¡¯t have your answers!¡± she snapped. However, Seiji quickly tapped on her and pointed out ahead of them even as Nerine tested the barrier. ¡°No, what about that damn thing?¡± Standing at the barrier staring straight at them was a human, or more likely a demon that appeared like a human. They shouldn¡¯t be able to see them yet both Saki and Seiji could see the look of their eyes fixed on them. They weren¡¯t searching or confused. They knew exactly where they were. Saki ground her teeth together. They hadn¡¯t even made it through the barrier and somehow were spotted. ¡°Dammit! We fight¡­¡± Chapter 413 - Demons Blood Confusion and questions spun about in Saki¡¯s mind about how they were detected. Though as she could see the demon didn¡¯t seem to be attacking them either. ¡®It knows where we are, but can¡¯t see us. So they¡¯ve got some other way to find us¡­¡¯ For all of the planning that Saki or Nerine calculated, they really should have put a couple moments into what Saki had said by a slip of words. Because it was exactly what Seiji needed to hear. He burst out of the bubble of invisibility that kept them hidden. Even knowing that they were there, the demon still looked surprised as Seiji blasted out with his fist wound up. Taking Seiji¡¯s fist straight to the face, the demon flew backwards across the field. Expecting the fight not to be over yet, he charged in after the demon disappearing into the cloak of night. Saki groaned in annoyance. ¡°Should have seen that¡­¡± Then she remembered something important. ¡°Dammit, Seiji! You can¡¯t fight demons!¡± Nerine finished walking through the barrier, closing them off to the human side. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°There¡¯s something I haven¡¯t told him about demons and knowing him, he¡¯s going to ruin our chances of a simple infiltration.¡± ¡°That might already be over¡­¡± she commented, noting that the noise Seiji made from starting a fight would likely not go unnoticed by the other demons. Saki picked up Nerine and sprinted away with her not taking to her full speed. ¡°We can outrun a few demons. It¡¯s not like the whole place is packed with them. We just need to end this quickly so that we can slip into the shadows. And I need Seiji not to make a stupid mistake.¡± Chapter 413 ¨C Demon¡¯s Blood Following the punching, Saki quickly found the two deeper into the territory of the demons. ¡°At least he¡¯s not completely stupid. This far out, we may avoid detection still.¡± Placing Nerine to the side, she charged in, disappearing from sight. ¡°I¡¯ve got to reach him before he does something we can¡¯t undo!¡± Narrowed focus, the demon that Seiji fought wasn¡¯t looking very good. In its human form, it didn¡¯t seem to be able to stand up to the brutal force that Seiji could wield. This made things even worse, Saki knew. She caught sight of Seiji landing another blow as blood sprayed up from the opened wound. ¡°Dammit!¡± Seiji dove in to finish off the demon, but Saki grabbed him and pulled him back just in time. It allowed her to breathe for once. ¡°I made it.¡± ¡°What the hell, Saki?!¡± She sharply whacked him in the head to get him to be quiet for a moment. ¡°Shut up and listen for a second! You can¡¯t let the blood of a demon get on you! They¡¯ll be able to track us and it can¡¯t be removed!¡± ¡°Wait, what?! Why the hell did you wait until now to tell me?¡± He revealed his fist painted lightly in the blood of the demon he had been pummeling into the ground. ¡°Because I planned on handling the demon fighting, since I can¡¯t trust you to fight carefully!¡± He threw up his fist at her frustrated with her lack of faith in him. ¡°I¡¯m getting tired as hell of you thinking I¡¯m stupid!¡± Before Saki could come in with a retort, Nerine stepped between them, finally reaching them after Saki left her behind. Using her gauntlets, she grabbed the two to get some distance between them. ¡°You can fight with each other after we deal with the bigger problem.¡± Seiji leaned backwards in surprise at seeing an actual demon standing before him and not just one in human skin. ¡°Where the hell did that come from?!¡± ¡°While you two were arguing, it gave the demon time to transform. Apparently, their human form is not their normal appearance.¡± ¡°No¡­¡± muttered Saki, as she ground her teeth to see that the problem became significantly more challenging to keep quiet. ¡®This was exactly what I wanted to avoid¡­¡¯ Their options narrowed to only one now. Admittedly, she knew it had always only ever been one. Just in different conditions. Now in the current situation, she had only one thing to say. ¡°Seiji, full power!¡± He grinned with the encouragement from Saki. His leg slid back a little, anchoring into the ground as the earth cracked and pressed down. Light pulsed down his scar signaling the increasing power building within Seiji. In moments, he built up enough to blast off the ground at the demon, but with the increased size of the demon into a large snake and spider-like hybrid also came power of its own. Unlike before when Seiji effortlessly pummeled the creature, an array appeared in front of its hand this time halting Seiji¡¯s fist.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. While he held up the demon¡¯s right arm, the left came around hitting him in the flank shooting him back with equal speed. ¡°Dammit, it¡¯s far more powerful than I expected!¡± Saki disappeared, going over where Seiji flew, landing on him, then kicking off from him to charge at the demon. ¡°Dammit, Saki!¡± Seiji yelled as he flew back towards Nerine. Crashing into earth, Seiji wasted no time hopping back to his feet, not looking slowed down by the attack. He brushed off his damaged tunic and charged back into the fight. However, neither of them had any success in breaking through the barrier that it put up. It had enough mobility and power to keep up with both of them despite their speed. Additional arrays appeared in the air generating demonic energy rapidly to engulf Seiji for counterattack. The beams of energy pushed him back into the ground as he tried to protect his body with his arms. Eventually, the energy dissipated leaving a mostly unharmed Seiji behind with burning ashes falling down around him. Free to attack once more, Seiji went in blindly without any plan. Little changed from the resumed attack. Neither of them could make it very far with their attacks. Nothing could get through the defense and time drained away fast. Saki paused in the attack to watch the situation with Seiji and the demon. ¡°We need to finish this, but nothing is harming it¡­ But it also seems unable to hurt Seiji either. It has vast power, yet Seiji is going head on.¡± While she watched him fight, she noticed what was happening. Since she had never been in a real fight with him, she never noticed it before. In the middle of the fight, she couldn¡¯t pay attention to the tiny details. None of that mattered before to her. ¡°Dammit, Seiji! I can¡¯t believe you!¡± Jumping out in front of Seiji as a new attack came in, she snatched away something from him as the attack came through. She landed safely away from them and stared at it. ¡°A talisman, figures. We knew as much, I¡¯ve just never seen him use it in a fight before.¡± Saki jumped forward to the demon in her theory. The barrier came up around the demon and she used the talisman on the barrier trying to push through the defense. Her hand almost made it through before being repelled by it. The talisman burned up from the intense demonic energy present. ¡°It had some effect, but it¡¯s lacking power¡­¡± She looked up at Seiji¡¯s continuing failing attempts. ¡°It¡¯s gotta be him,¡± she concluded quickly. All she needed was the right moment to strike. She had to watch as the two clashed in futility. The demon seemed to be as annoyed about being unable to kill him as Seiji was about doing anything to harm it. They had equally perfect defenses with neither understanding the other. The moment the demon figured it out, which Saki assumed was smart enough to do so, Seiji would lose. It hadn¡¯t figured it out already because Seiji''s distinctive use of his power made it harder to notice. But she had her moment finally. She disappeared as she saw the attack building up from the demon. Which was enough of a sign for Seiji¡¯s power to subconsciously manifest. With the conditions finally met, she pulled Seiji out of the line of the fire. ¡°We¡¯re finishing this now, Seiji!¡± ¡°Hey? What the hell?!¡± ¡°Just follow my lead!¡± She grabbed a bunch of the talismans gathered around Seiji to protect him and threw themselves at the demon. In the moments before hitting the barrier, she shoved the talismans into Seiji¡¯s hand. ¡°Put all of your power in the attack!¡± She guided him into the spot. Seiji still didn¡¯t understand what was going on. It was a straightforward enough command that he could follow. Screaming deep from his lungs, his scars glowed bright channeling it into his hand making the talisman respond. The demonic energy began to vibrate and weaken under the influence of Seiji¡¯s power. Backed with strength, Seiji finally shattered the barrier protecting the demon and Saki leapt through the hole quickly landing a kick to the head of the demon. Downed, though not killed yet, Saki landed on the earth next to the fallen demon. ¡°Nerine!¡± she called with the final stage of the plan. Grabbing the weird thorax like body of the demon, Saki tossed it into the air with the barrier fully down as a beam split the sky. A burning hole remained in the demon left from Nerine¡¯s attack. Saki sighed with relief to have the threat finally over. ¡°We need to get out of here immediately!¡± It was a miracle they had no one else come after them or possibly arrogance. Either way, she would take either. ¡°What the hell was that?!¡± shouted Seiji looking at his hand. ¡°Move now! Explain later!¡± Saki jumped off getting her a burst of speed to pick up Nerine before turning back around once more. Seiji watched the two disappear into the forest nearby leaving him alone with potential more demons coming. ¡°Dammit! I want some answers!¡± He charged after them following the sounds of Saki running through the forest trying to get as much distance as possible. After ten minutes of running they finally came to a stop deep in a thick forest. Saki stopped on a large branch meters above the ground. She waited for Seiji to catch up. ¡°I¡¯m going to need your help, Nerine. You¡¯re going to be the only one that can salvage this.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to need some answers about what¡¯s going on.¡± ¡°I¡¯m wanting some as well,¡± snapped Seiji landing on the branch near to the two women. ¡°What the hell was that back there?¡± ¡°Can we really not? There¡¯s more important matters right now!¡± ¡°This is pretty damn important to me!¡± Seiji threw out his open hand to Saki. ¡°What did you do? Answer me!¡± He was still stuck on an unimportant matter, but Saki couldn¡¯t stir him otherwise. He was going to keep pressing it until she answered. ¡°Fine, if it¡¯ll get you to the more important issue faster. I didn¡¯t do anything. I just correctly used your power.¡± ¡°My power?¡± ¡°You really aren¡¯t going to be this blind to what¡¯s been going on to you this whole time?¡± ¡°That shit ain¡¯t mine!¡± ¡°Yes, it is, Seiji. It¡¯s a part of you.¡± ¡°The hell it is! I refuse to accept it!¡± Saki crossed her arms feeling like she was suddenly getting to a different matter entirely. It wasn¡¯t something that she expected to hear from him. In fact, even more surprising was the look on his face. He knew what she did. And because he knew that was what made him angry. She didn¡¯t expect that from him. ¡°What? You¡¯re bothered that everything you have isn¡¯t all muscle and that you actually have something else helping you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s wrong! And you didn¡¯t have the right!¡± She stepped back as he leapt over to stand in front of her. ¡®He¡¯s really bothered by this¡­ Now I¡¯m really confused. What¡¯s his problem? He¡¯s taking this too seriously to just be one of his usual muscle headed issues.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t the sort of face that she ever thought that she would see on Seiji. He was genuinely bothered and angry with her. ¡°We killed the demon. And would have done so faster if you actually used that Shinto ability of yours rather than focusing solely on strength!¡± Seiji punched Saki in the face for her remark, which stunned both Nerine and Saki. Saki never saw it coming, something so out of character for him. ¡°Seiji¡­¡± ¡°You look at me like I¡¯m a joke and an idiot, but there are lines you don¡¯t cross. That isn¡¯t Shinto! That damn power isn¡¯t!¡± Chapter 414 - Demons Secret That wasn¡¯t the answer that Saki expected from him. It only gave her more questions. And it didn¡¯t align with what she knew about Seiji. ¡°Why are you bringing that up now? You distance yourself from all of that.¡± ¡°I tolerate it, nothing more. It¡¯s been bastardized and a part of me, but that doesn¡¯t give you the right to use it. Never do that again, Saki! Only I use it.¡± He stepped toward her making his stand. Still feeling the sting of Seiji¡¯s punch, Saki paused for a moment to stare at him. She found a side of him that he never expected. ¡®There¡¯s more going on with him and his power than I gave him credit for. It¡¯s not that he doesn¡¯t know about the power, he¡¯s actively avoiding them. He¡¯s been intentionally fighting with his arm tied because they insult his personal view? I never would have guessed that he cared that much. We all thought he hated everything about the Shinto practices and training his grandfather shoved down his throat. Does this mean he actually wants to be like the man he can¡¯t get along with?¡¯ Saki had trouble stopping all the questions that this raised for her. Though with Seiji before her she wasn¡¯t going to be getting any of those answers. Worse, there were more troubling matters than dealing with this surprising revelation about Seiji¡¯s personal beliefs. ¡°Fine. I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t know that it meant so much to you. I won¡¯t do it again.¡± ¡°Good, remember that.¡± He backed off quickly with that seemingly resolving his immediate issues. Saki twitched, hearing the troubling sounds of demons reacting. They had been lucky that the demon was alone, but all of the delays gave them more than enough time to get the rest of the garrison moving on them. ¡°Now that we¡¯re settled these matters, can we leave? We¡¯re already overstayed and have new problems to deal with, like demons able to track our every movement¡­¡± Chapter 414 ¨C Demon¡¯s Secret Hidden in the bushes Seiji and Nerine thought that they stayed out of sight, but a shift in the foliage made them turn as Saki broke the neck of a small demon that found them. At her feet, three more corpses sought the recently deceased¡¯s company. ¡°Keep moving, we haven¡¯t out run them yet and it¡¯s only made easier for them.¡± They jumped out sprinting over the plains deeper into demon territory and even more that could find them. It was only made worse with the night cloaking most of the terrain. They couldn¡¯t make any clear plans for an escape other than keep running. Seiji looked behind them hearing the sounds of angry demons chasing after them. Way back they gave up letting Nerine run with them. Though she didn¡¯t fully appreciate that Seiji hauled her around, it might have been slightly more desirable for it to be Saki. ¡°Damn, they¡¯re persistent bastards!¡± ¡°They¡¯re tracking you. I told you before about that.¡± ¡°Yeah, but I thought you meant just the damn demon we killed.¡± ¡°No, any demon can track us now. That¡¯s why we need to get out of their range. That¡¯s the only chance we have right now, since we don¡¯t have enough time to try to fix the problem.¡± ¡°But we¡ª¡° Interrupted, Seiji spotted a disruption in the sky coming quickly towards them. ¡°Above you Saki, there¡¯s two!¡± She disappeared with an afterimage left behind of her for the demons to strike in confusion. Dropping in from the air, she landed a deadly kick into the back of one demon while grabbing the tail of the other and swinging them into the earth next to the paralyzed demon. A swift double kill ended both of their lives and she sped up to her friends. ¡°The way we¡¯re going, that damn war may happen anyway¡­¡± a frustrated Seiji replied, unable to do anything. His acceptance to pass off the fighting to Saki for this revealed how much he understood their crisis. ¡°As long as we don¡¯t boast about being Demon Hunters, there still might be a chance.¡± ¡°Think that shit¡¯ll convince any of them?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I said might.¡± ¡°Sorry, Saki.¡± An eyebrow raised for Saki seeing the back of Seiji running ahead of her. ¡°It¡¯s partly my fault as well. I was being a little self-centered. I guess running solo has been affecting me¡­¡± It felt a little weird having such a conversation with Seiji. She jumped ahead of the two to break the moment. ¡°Speed up, we need to lose them.¡± Then she disappeared, taking advantage of her speed in full.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Dammit, Saki,¡± he groaned knowing that he couldn¡¯t keep up with the pace she set. They were nowhere comparable, no one was up against Saki. And she expected him to keep up. He could only try his best. It took a little bit, but it seemed to work actually. While none of them could actually sense demons in a way that would be convenient, there was also no indication of sounds. But that only gave them so much range, one that Saki felt was certain of being less than the demon¡¯s tracking ability. But it seemed to be enough for now. No one came for more than ten minutes. Saki loosened up a little feeling better about their odds. ¡°Maybe this cave will make it harder for them to track us.¡± It was a small hope. With Nerine resting to gather her strength, Seiji watched the tunnel opening. He remained deep inside given Saki¡¯s insistence on it. ¡°So you going to explain in more detail what the hell¡¯s going on with these demons and their shitty ability to track us?¡± ¡°It¡¯s something I learned while being a bounty hunter. The first time I hunted a demon, I made the same mistake, leaving me indebted to them. Those bastards are the reason I ended up becoming a bounty hunter. Though it did have its advantages, I intended to be more independent, something I couldn¡¯t avoid.¡± Saki started to get to the point as she stretched out her hand to target the demon blood on Seiji. ¡°There¡¯s something unique about a demon¡¯s blood. I don¡¯t know what it is and I¡¯m not fully inclined to believe the Association at their word. But whether it''s the smell or power, they can track that. And I guess since all demons have the same blood, somehow, they can all detect it. Even washing it off won¡¯t remove the effects. Even if you can¡¯t see it, it¡¯s still working, hidden.¡± Holding up his hand that had the blood on it, Seiji stared with wrinkles appearing in his brow as he got the bigger picture. ¡°But there¡¯s a way to remove this shit, correctly, right?¡± ¡°Yes, but only the Association knows how to do it. It¡¯s why bounty hunters don¡¯t fight demons. If you get blood on you, the Association will exile you from the city unless they purify you.¡± ¡°There some catch?¡± ¡°They charge high prices for it, in essence making it unprofitable fighting demons unless you¡¯re highly skilled. They aren¡¯t exactly my biggest fans.¡± A grimace came over his lips as he realized what that meant. ¡°So they didn¡¯t tell you shit on how to purify demon¡¯s blood.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s a closely held secret that they use to help hold their power. As if they needed more reasons.¡± Then he looked over at Nerine, remembering her talents. ¡°But we¡¯ve got Nerine. She can do it!¡± Saki nodded to Seiji. ¡°That¡¯s my hope. But we don¡¯t know what it is. So I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s going to be enough.¡± Both turned to the resting Nerine for hopeful confidence. She ended up being their only chance for escaping the demon¡¯s cleanly and getting back on the trail of Yumi¡¯s rumors. ¡°Saki¡¯s right. I don¡¯t know much, but if I analyze it, I might be able to know. Knowing how it works is going to be the most important, the rest my power can manage.¡± There was little more that Saki could do other than provide guard over the cave while Nerine worked. Unlike Seiji, she didn¡¯t have anything the demon¡¯s could track. So she could stand outside the cave looking for any change in their security. Still, cover was important, there was a lot that she still didn¡¯t know about the demons. She couldn¡¯t take any chances of being spotted. ¡®This hasn¡¯t turned out as well as I hoped¡­ Still demons and an ancient Japan, what exactly are these personalities of Yumi¡¯s playing at? This isn¡¯t for no reason and it seems like there would be better ways if they wanted to break her spirit or mind.¡¯ After being dropped into the new virtual world, she didn¡¯t end up with much time to remain thinking about matters. She focused more on survival and finding her friends. It felt like the first time she actually had a break from all of that. Thinking about the bigger problems at hand had to be sidelined. Though after seeing more of the world and complexity it had to offer, she began to have doubts about her original theory. ¡®When I first arrived I wrote most of this off as some program that Phoibe had stored away. Given the setting it made more sense that it came from Yuki, not Yumi. But I know that¡¯s not true. The longer I¡¯m here the more convinced I am that Yumi is definitely the source of all of this in whatever strange way that makes any sense. And worse, I know she¡¯s not going to have any answers for us when we find her. She¡¯s likely just as confused by all of this. ¡®But what is the goal of her personalities? They help her, but they also take her over as well. Something about all of this doesn¡¯t fit. I know we¡¯re missing pieces, but this feels like a lot more than one bit of information. There is something more complicated. I just wish I knew how this world fit into it, then we¡¯d know how to escape at least.¡¯ Her view probably sat close to the conclusion Yuki arrived at as well, in her mind anyway. Yuki was smart enough to figure pieces out. And she felt there was a goal in this world and he likely had the same feeling. ¡®I just hope that Yuki knows more about what¡¯s going on. We¡¯re going to need everyone to solve the riddle of its purpose.¡¯ Unfortunately, Saki didn¡¯t have any more time to think about what was happening. She had picked up a distant patrol on the move. ¡®They haven¡¯t given up. Figures, they know they just have to get in range to detect Seiji¡­ I can¡¯t let them get any closer¡­¡¯ A few pebbles rolled away from Saki¡¯s cover as she disappeared. Seiji detected the familiar movement of Saki approaching the cave. He tilted his head over while Nerine continued her work. ¡°Trouble?¡± ¡°Not anymore. Any luck?¡± ¡°She¡¯s been silent as hell since she started.¡± With good timing, Nerine¡¯s head raised from its hung position over the metal mess of a machine she created to do the job. ¡°This is rather complex,¡± she spoke suddenly. ¡°But can you do it?¡± Nerine stood up letting the machine fade away into the ground. ¡°I can try, but the problem we face is that I don¡¯t have a demon¡¯s body to analyze as well. Then I might be certain what it is that they are tracking in the blood.¡± ¡°I would have brought back one if I had known.¡± ¡°I was hoping that it would be more obvious and straightforward, but it¡¯s not. I found several possibilities.¡± ¡°Then just do them all and we should be good.¡± ¡°That¡¯s my plan, I just fear there is something I might have overlooked.¡± Saki leaned back against the edge of the cave looking out cautiously. ¡°How long do you need?¡± ¡°It¡¯s already done.¡± ¡°Then we only need to test it?¡± Standing with confidence, Seiji felt ready to charge out once more. ¡°Then let¡¯s start looking for Yumi once more! She¡¯s probably dealing with the same shitty issue and being hunted by demons wherever she goes. She needs help!¡± Chapter 415 - Chasing Rumors After a day of searching around for clues about Yumi, they all came to the conclusion that whatever Nerine did succeeded. However, the problem was none of them knew which of the things she tried was the correct one. So they were no closer to having an easy fix if it happened again, just that Nerine could fix it. But dropping their tail proved to be the simpler case. Trying to find Yumi was harder than they imagined given her rapidly expanding reputation in the region. They were in no short supply of rumors and tips, the problem was there were too many. Gathered up around a local tavern, they all finished their investigations. With food paid for by way of Nerine¡¯s ability, they sat to collect themselves again. The area known to them as Shimane wasn¡¯t by any means small and searching on foot with nothing but luck would take forever. Though it sort of felt like it still might take that long the way things were going. Saki pulled apart the bread into pieces to eat. ¡°Anything useful we can use?¡± ¡°Plenty of people were willing to talk, but each story is different from the last. One says they cut a mountain in half, another claims there¡¯s a mountain of demon corpses. The only consistency seems to be the exaggerations of the stories.¡± ¡°Considering this is demon territory, any human forced to live here probably wishes for someone that can slay all of the demons.¡± Nodding in agreement with Saki, Nerine felt the same thing while talking to the villagers. There was a worrisome atmosphere about it though. ¡°We may already be too late though.¡± ¡°You think the damn war¡¯s going to happen either way?¡± Seiji asked. ¡°You can see it in their eyes. They¡¯ve got hope. Depending on how the demons that run this area feel about that, they could see a rebellious attitude appear. I fear conflict¡¯s going to happen regardless of what we do now.¡± ¡°Either way, we still need to find our friends, even if we are going to be sucked in a damn war.¡± Finishing off his bowl of soup, Seiji took a pause as they commiserated about the likelihood of a war breaking out. Once they looked like they had stopped, he threw in what he learned. ¡°There¡¯s some really powerful woman spotted in the next village over.¡± Both of the women stopped and stared at him. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you start with that?¡± Saki complained. ¡°It may not be Yumi and is about as trustworthy as anything of the other shit you¡¯ve been tossing out.¡± Saki had to pause, accepting that he was right. However, it was also the only thing that they had that was actionable as well. ¡°Everything else we¡¯ve got is too vague to work with. A rumor in another village we can at least track down.¡± ¡°Anything else about the rumor?¡± asked Nerine. ¡°They said she saved the village, but left sure as shit without accepting any reward.¡± ¡°Yumi wouldn¡¯t have much need for a reward, that¡¯s not why she¡¯s here. It¡¯s worth a shot.¡± ¡°Yes, I agree. If nothing else, there may be better leads there as well.¡± ¡°We¡¯re hitting the road!¡± cheered Seiji, looking ready to leave immediately. However, unlike the two women, he finished his meal already while they were talking. They still had their lunch that they wanted to eat. A little dejected, he sat back down. ¡°We wait¡­¡± Chapter 415 ¨C Chasing Rumors Thanks to Nerine¡¯s self made cart and horse, they made good time getting to the next village where Seiji¡¯s rumor pointed them. Only about an hour of hard riding spent with horses that never tired. However, as to be expected, they arrived too late. Getting new clues was their only course of action. So they split up, taking the village quickly for any bit of talk, since they had directly met the woman in question. Nerine shouted out to the two when she discovered something more than the general bits that they were all getting. ¡°Can you repeat what you told me?¡± she asked, with the others gathered. ¡°Y-yes? Umm¡­I saw the woman you¡¯re asking about. She killed the bandits that suddenly moved in with the death of the Reaper. She moved too fast, it all just looked like a white blur.¡± ¡°A white blur?¡± Saki noted, she knew it wasn¡¯t much to work with, but it had some promise. ¡°Yumi¡¯s powers are white and to a normal human, it¡¯d be a blur. Was there anyone else with the woman?¡± ¡°Not that I saw, but it all happened so fast. She was gone before we could even thank her.¡± ¡°What direction did she leave in?¡± The villager turned and pointed down the dirt road out towards a large mountain in the distance. It had a strangely cleaved look to split it in two. It looked nothing natural. ¡°Towards the Cleaved Mountain.¡± ¡°Is that where the bandits are?¡± ¡°No, there¡¯s some stories that say some really old demon lives there, but no one¡¯s seen them.¡± ¡°Is it strong?¡± Stolen story; please report. ¡°If you believe the stories, they¡¯re one of the original demons.¡± Nerine, Seiji and Saki all looked at each other with the same conclusion reached. It sounded powerful and if it was Yumi, then she could be going up against something impossible. They quickly bowed and thanked the woman for the help rushing out of the village. At a safe distance, Nerine summoned their ride and they sped off. Unfortunately for them, the mountain appeared to be further away than it looked. They could all see it, even Nerine could make it out, though to a lesser degree of fidelity than the others. Yet driving into the night didn¡¯t get them to the mountain. It did however lead them into a forest. Saki halted Nerine suddenly as she looked out ahead of them through the trees. Seiji looked over at her with the same sort of feeling to confirm it for her. She jumped down and put a hand to the earth. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Nerine asked, not liking the looks on either of their faces. ¡°There¡¯s something serious ahead. I can feel the ground shaking from all the way over here, but I can¡¯t even hear the fighting.¡± ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s some weird shit in the air.¡± While Seiji didn¡¯t have the same sensitivity that Saki practiced, through his own senses he could feel something amiss. The power being thrown about was enough to make his skin crawl. ¡°I¡¯m not sure this is Yumi¡­this feels different.¡± Pulling the horses up alongside them, Nerine tried to get them back on board. ¡°We won¡¯t know for certain until we actually see who this woman is.¡± ¡°We¡¯re walking the rest of the way.¡± ¡°Saki?¡± ¡°I agree with Saki, Nerine. It¡¯s all shitty up there and I don¡¯t want you getting hurt if we go charging into the middle of the battle.¡± ¡°I can fend for myself just fine.¡± ¡°Do it, please!¡± Her power disappeared, reverting back to a normal human. ¡®Seiji actually looks unnerved, maybe even scared. What is it that they¡¯re sensing?¡¯ Just looking at them was enough for Nerine to feel sick. She didn''t even know what it was that they were picking up, but it unsettled her. ¡®Could it be something more than they can handle?¡¯ That was the worst fear she had. If they couldn¡¯t handle it, then it would be up to her, but if she prepared poorly she would be dead so fast. Her mind spun with possible strategies, yet with nothing good to work with she had no possible countermeasures to create. She needed to see the threat first. Before they found the threat, they had a different story to solve. Dead demons littered the area around the foothills of the mountain. They looked around for any signs of Yumi or their friends. Unfortunately, nothing really made anything clear. Nerine, the expert of the group, managed to get a little bit of analysis from what happened. ¡°It happened fast and ruthlessly. Looks like they didn¡¯t stand a chance.¡± ¡°Anything that might indicate it was Yumi?¡± ¡°Everything was killed with a blade, but if it was a metal or energy one I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°We continue,¡± urged Saki looking at the mountain. It stood with an ominous message for them. A dark invitation from it pulled them towards it. Yet at the same time, a thick miasma of dread filled the air. A warning perhaps, only the strong should approach. They didn¡¯t have any choice, strong or not, they needed answers more than anything. They needed to know if their searching finally was over or if it was a shadow of someone else that they chased. The next site of death turned out more grim than the previous. Weapons of unnatural size used to slay the demons quickly. Nerine wasn¡¯t needed for understanding how they died. The evidence was before them. ¡°Answers where the weapons were,¡± she noted from the scene. A dark shadow fell over Saki¡¯s eyes looking at the scene, as though it came from a horror film. ¡°I¡¯m with Seiji, this doesn¡¯t look like Yumi¡¯s doing. I can¡¯t imagine her doing this.¡± ¡°Yori maybe?¡± Seiji suggested, even knowing that they were following a woman, not a man. ¡°Raged fueled to find his sister, I could believe he might, but we¡¯re following a woman.¡± Nerine watched the two trying to deny something even darker. She guessed that they knew it as well as her, just wanted to avoid such a thought. ¡®If Yumi has been taken over by one of her personalities¡­if it was a brutal and lethal personality, maybe¡­¡¯ However, Nerine kept the thought merely to herself. There was just too much unknown still. Whatever happened, they all seemed to agree that Yumi in normal circumstances wouldn''t do anything like this. ¡°We are already here. And they could also be the cause for all the rumors and the spark of war.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Saki reluctantly agreed, ¡°Even if it¡¯s not Yumi, we probably should know who it is. Good or bad, we may have to face them at some point. We are stuck in this world until a resolution is found. I don¡¯t want to face a world completely overrun by demons¡­¡± They marched on in agreement, even if they hesitated on wanting that knowledge. Part of them feared it could still actually be Yumi and didn¡¯t want that confirmation. And still they hoped it was someone else. Yet regardless of who it turned out to be, they faced a troubling future with the way things turned. Then they reached the worst yet, while also the most mysterious. No dead demons, but also nearly nothing in the entire area. Massive craters filled the scene before them. A destructive battle had taken place and worse even Nerine could feel the earth shaking now. Ahead of them, a deadly light show hinted out the power being welded. Yet at such a distance, they shouldn¡¯t have even been able to see it. Nerine could feel the sweat sticking to her body just seeing it. ¡°Is this what you¡¯ve been feeling the whole time?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­and this shit¡¯s getting even worse this close,¡± moaned Seiji looking actually a little ill. ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve actually not wanted to fight whatever that is.¡± ¡°Agreed¡­¡± Roughly swallowing, Nerine turned away from the lights trying to focus on what was before them rather than the bouncing ground. As she tried to figure it out, she noticed that it eventually stopped. ¡°Unless they moved locations, this wasn¡¯t caused by what¡¯s happening ahead.¡± Still distracted, Saki had trouble focusing on what Nerine saw. She eventually snapped herself together to look at it. ¡°Craters¡­the damage here is on a completely different scale than back there.¡± They all knew that nothing they saw could rule out Yumi. The destructive power that she used during the battle of Atlantis proved enough how strong she could be. This easily matched and exceeded that. The answer to it all lay ahead. Resolving themselves to push on, they marched. Though as they got closer to the site of the battle things seemed to be quieting down. The destructive forces they felt earlier seemed to be nearly gone. And that could only mean one thing. They rushed hurriedly to find out if they were too late to see who it was. Before them a completely destroyed mansion laid in ruins along with deep cleaved marks through the earth. The scale of the damage appeared less than before, but they knew the power being thrown around easily out classed them. Nerine looked in awe at the damage and expected to see more. ¡®Such power, yet their control is this precise. The damage could have been far worse. I don¡¯t believe this is Yumi either, she doesn¡¯t have this sort of skill yet¡­¡¯ Leaving them to focus on a dark figure that stood amongst the ruins with something massive behind them. Carved up and taken apart, it was hard to know what it used to be other than likely a demon. To have slain something of size and power, they all feared what sort of person this woman was. A deep voice came out of the ruins having noticed them. ¡°Who goes there? Demon servants?¡± ¡°Not us!¡± Saki yelped, surprised by her own panic. She stepped forward along with the others not wanting to present an aggressive or suspicious aura, anymore than sneaking about already caused. ¡°We were just following some rumors.¡± ¡°Rumors?¡± Turning to face them, their face was completely blacked out in the night with only pure bright blue eyes piercing the dark. Blood soaked into their armor or what remained of it after the battle. And in their hand, a bloody katana that hummed power. She stood tall with a fierce presence matching the ominous power they felt. ¡°Of me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. We¡¯re seeking our friends.¡± ¡°I do not know you.¡± ¡°Y-yes, it seems they aren¡¯t here.¡± ¡°If that is all, then I shall leave.¡± The woman turned away, already walking without even waiting on another response. To Saki¡¯s surprise and worry, Seiji stepped forward. So much for not wanting to fight it seemed. He stared at the woman for a moment and then asked, ¡°You seem somehow similar.¡± ¡°As I said, I don¡¯t know you.¡± ¡°What is your name?¡± The woman paused and tilted her blood drenched face towards him, peeling away the darkness. Her eyes narrowed, examining him in silence. The tension mounted as Saki and Nerine were not sure if he had just picked a fight with the wrong person. Then to their relief, she answered Seiji. ¡°I¡¯m called Masa.¡± Chapter 416 - On Friendly Steps ¡°Just Masa?¡± asked Seiji, sort of hoping for a little more from the mysterious woman. ¡°That¡¯s right. And who are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Seiji Tsuji, that¡¯s Saki Furukawa and Nerine.¡± With introductions out of the way, Seiji boldly pushed forward as though he already made friends with the woman. Saki and Nerine remained cautious and watchful on the situation, though also a little relieved that Seiji seemed to be having luck with her. ¡°We¡¯re looking for our friends. You wouldn¡¯t happen to have seen anyone that was especially powerful or anything would you?¡± ¡°I only recently arrived in this land. So I can¡¯t say that I have met anyone else that was strong. Though perhaps the ones you¡¯re looking for are the ones that came through here before me.¡± ¡°You weren¡¯t the only one here?¡± ¡°No, most of the demons in the area were already killed before I came. This is the only one that I killed.¡± He looked back at the others for their thoughts. It gave them hope that they might have found them or a clue at least, since they were not present. ¡°I wonder how long it might have been¡­¡± ¡°Roughly a day based on the corpses.¡± Seiji turned back around to thank the woman, but she already started to depart, having sensed her need to answer questions ended. He found it a little strange that she didn¡¯t give any sort of further notice. ¡°Thank you, Miss Masa!¡± he shouted out to her as she faded away into the shadows. Saki held her arms crossed thinking about what they learned. ¡°So there were two different people, but they left already¡­¡± She tried to put the images of the battle sites in her mind, but they were a little foggy. It all seemed too vague to make any certainty that it was Yumi. Nothing further was going to be gained from here. ¡°We should look for another village nearby. The two we already went to knew nothing, so whoever was the other mystery person didn¡¯t visit those.¡± Nerine looked around the horizon with any idea of a new course to take. Unfortunately, they had no new directions to take from. Kicking around the dirt, Seiji looked about as lost as them on where they should go next. None of them knew the area and even if they did it would be no guarantee that it lined up with any reasonable degree with the real world. ¡°It¡¯s a damn shame none of us are trackers. We could try to find their footprints or something¡­¡± The idea drew Nerine¡¯s attention and then a heavy sigh. Her mind had been too focused on rumors and clues rather than something practical. ¡°We can. I can use my power to scan for tracks. Though it could take a while to find something that could be them.¡± ¡°Yumi can also fly,¡± added Saki. She got a slightly annoyed look from Seiji as though she was trying to rain on their parade. Passing a shrug off, Saki deferred to Nerine. ¡°I¡¯m just saying. Hopefully, they walked away from here.¡± Chapter 416 ¨C On Friendly Steps For more than an hour they searched. Nerine pushed her Field out to the limit that she could manage, already fatigued. Spread out, they realized that tracking would be harder than they thought. The area was home to a powerful demon and a vast group of low class demons. There were more than a few footprints to find. Add on top that there was fighting that destroyed much of the area, they had their work cut out for them. Seiji moved around through the rumble and trees that remained. Another flag popped up for him between a few trees. Thanks to the way Nerine created the Field, it projected like a holographic augmented reality in the world to anything of interest. It did all of the work for them just leaving them to search, sort of becoming like a game. A line stuck up in the air alerting him to the clue. ¡°Too heavy¡­¡± The read out gave the size of the feet, estimated height and weight based on what it found. It was enough to work from, considering they were looking for someone human it made it easy to quickly scan the data and move on to the next. Further ahead though he found another that went alongside the tracks. This came with a pair this time with something within the range of being human. ¡°This could be them! It¡¯s all about right!¡± Pulling out a flare that Nerine made for them, he tossed it into the air to ignite with a trail of smoke down to him. Almost immediately, he felt a displacement of air as Saki appeared at his side. It nearly made him jump, still not used to how quick she could be when she wanted. She looked over at the marks that he found. ¡°This would fit with being Yuki from what I could guess. We might have found their trail finally!¡± ¡°But there¡¯s one thing.¡± He pointed to the other footprints that followed after theirs. ¡°It looks human, but seems a little too damn heavy.¡± ¡°Demons can shift forms into a human figure. They could have a demon tracking them, but given it''s just one of them to the rest of the demons and the area I¡¯m not sure we have too much to be concerned about.¡±Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°If they don¡¯t get their shit jumped.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± Sound of leaves brushing together came from behind them. Nerine finally caught up to them to join them with the clue. ¡°Found them?¡± ¡°We think so. It goes off this way to the northeast.¡± They quickly discussed the possibility and agreed to follow the tracks. Nerine gave them a path to follow for a bit before she needed a rest from her powers. It was enough though to get them out of the demon¡¯s domain. The one thing that worried them all was the time behind them. If the woman they met was correct, they were a day behind them. It was a lot of time to make up. Seated around a hastily crafted fire, they munched on some packed food. Nerine was nearly asleep having only eaten a little and looking the worst out of them. Saki felt bad about how much they relied on her and pushed her. If they weren¡¯t under such a time sensitive mission they could take it easy. And even before they met up it sounded like from Seiji that she kept herself very busy just keeping a normal appearance. She looked down the hill they sat on at the road, a dirt path, they discovered. Likely Yumi or Yuki took that to the end. Without knowing where another village would be it made the most sense. ¡°We¡¯ve got a chance at least since they¡¯re on foot still.¡± ¡°Yeah, if Yuki¡¯s with them he could have made a damn vehicle of some sort shit.¡± ¡°Knowing him, he prefers the leisurely walk.¡± ¡°Yeah, he¡¯d probably want to see the area.¡± Seiji finished up his small bit of food from what Saki threw together for their trip. It wouldn¡¯t last for too many more days, but they would be able to get to a village or town to find something. ¡°What the hell do you think they''re trying to do?¡± ¡°Survive if I had to guess. This isn¡¯t like some game where there is a defined goal laid out for us or some story that¡¯s just going to drag us along a path.¡± ¡°Maybe we missed it or some shit?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not wise to think of it like that.¡± ¡°But you believe there¡¯s a purpose to all this shit.¡± ¡°Yes, but that purpose doesn¡¯t mean there is a destination we need to reach or a goal to win.¡± ¡°I guess so¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ll catch up to them soon enough and we can find out in person.¡± An hour of rest was all Nerine gave herself before she stood up. She stubbornly insisted on moving out while they still had a track to follow. Employing her tracking Field combined with the horse and cart, they made good time in tracking the three sets of footprints. There didn¡¯t seem to be any change with them. They continued uninterrupted down the road. It only took them a few hours to catch up with what they guessed was where they stopped, a new village. Though given what they found, it might be more like a town than a village. It didn¡¯t have the dense and wide population that they might have expected from a town, but there were too many huts and homes to be just a small village. Falling into that middle ground between didn¡¯t mean too much for naming purposes, it did however mean a lot to find them. There were a lot of humans and the tracks they made stopped being consistently straight. It only left them with one thing, searching the entire space until they found them. ¡°We should just yell, if it¡¯s Yumi she¡¯ll sure as shit hear us,¡± suggested Seiji. ¡°I¡¯d prefer to avoid making too much attention. It might be slower, but I don¡¯t want to put a big sign on our back.¡± ¡°Alright¡­¡± A bit of a disappointed sigh came from him. With them being so close already to their friends possibly, he didn¡¯t want to have to wait any longer. But he agreed to split up and began their search through the village in the hopes that they were still somewhere inside. And finding out if there was a demon tracking them. It was somewhere in the village as well. Knowing that something dangerous potentially lurked around any of the corners made their search a little desperate. They knew nothing about the intent of the demon. If it planned to attack the village or just wanted Yumi. It may want revenge for all of the demons she killed. There were a lot of unknowns and they needed to find them quickly. Nerine immediately went in search of any place that travelers might gather. She fortunately came across something like a tavern and inn. It seemed that the village was large enough to support trade and business. ¡°Excuse me, I¡¯m looking for someone. Have there been any new faces today?¡± The old woman behind the bar rubbed down a mug as she thought. It took her a moment and then snapped to attention. ¡°Yes, there was a young man that sat in the corner for a while. He left though.¡± ¡°No one else?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡®His Majesty maybe?¡¯ It wasn¡¯t a lot for her to work from. She had to keep searching in the hopes of finding more. She walked back out into the street searching around for something more to call to her. Before she could do that though, she heard some raised voices to her right. There looked to be a small little gathering. ¡®A fight?¡¯ Then she realized who she was traveling with and hurried over praying that he didn¡¯t let his eagerness overcome his senses. And then she remembered who she was talking about. ¡®Please don¡¯t be him¡­someone else¡­please¡­¡¯ Nerine pushed around the few people in the back to break through the gathering. It felt like most of the village was all around them. And then she popped out into the opening, finding two men staring each other down. ¡°Of course it is¡­¡± she moaned, recognizing Seiji as one of them. Pulling herself together, she marched out to Seiji grabbing his arm. ¡°What are you doing? We¡¯re looking for Yumi you idiot!¡± ¡°Yeah, but he asked me if I was strong.¡± Seiji pointed over to the man that found some interest in him. She looked up at the stranger, finding him a little odd, if not a very attractive man. There was just something that she couldn¡¯t put her finger on that made him seem just not quite human, even though he was completely so. The man politely nodded in agreement with Seiji. ¡°That¡¯s right, young miss. I happened to feel a curious energy in the air that seemed to come from this young man. So I was simply making an inquiry.¡± ¡°A simple inquiry¡­¡± Nerine looked around at the crowd that gathered. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s very simple when you have this much attention.¡± ¡°The young man did offer to give me a demonstration. He¡¯s been very accommodating.¡± ¡°Yes, I would imagine so¡­¡± she said glaring at him. Seiji recoiled slightly with a slightly blue sheepish expression coming across his face. ¡°What?! It was him asking!¡± ¡°And you didn¡¯t say no.¡± Suddenly, dropping in from the air a shadow appeared whacking the tall gentleman in the head hard enough to bend him over a little, though he seemed unfazed by it all the same. ¡°What the hell do you think you¡¯re doing?! What happened to low profile? Geez, I can¡¯t leave you for one minute on your own! Come on, we¡¯re going!¡± They started to drag the man away. ¡°Yumi?!¡± Seiji managed to utter in shock, not really sure what the scene was that they just saw play out. Chapter 417 - Complicated Companions Pausing, having heard her name called, she looked back around the demon to Seiji and Nerine. ¡°Seiji?!¡± It took a moment for it all to fully click with them. The processing almost seemed to appear visibly before she ran over to him, dragging her demon companion with her. ¡°Seiji!¡± She quickly grabbed him to see that he was real and then hugged him tightly happy finally to find more of her friends. Nerine cleared her throat as the two hugged out their reunion trying to get them to pay attention to the surroundings. Though they didn¡¯t seem to do anything to stop them or even alert them. After a minute she managed to get their notice enough to have them separate. ¡°Is it just you Yumi?¡± she asked first. Wiping away some tears, Yumi looked over at Nerine. ¡°Nerine!¡± She then proceeded to hug her tightly, completely disregarding the question. Seeing the crowd around looking at everything happening only made her face turn red. She looked at Seiji for help, who only encouraged it with a look like why she wasn¡¯t hugging Yumi back. Looking over at Yumi¡¯s traveling companion he merely shrugged to her looking rather amused by the scene. Another minute had to pass before she got free from Yumi and could get an answer from her. ¡°Oh right, you asked that before didn¡¯t you! Yuki¡¯s with us as well. He¡¯s resting right now.¡± Yumi poked around the two of them looking for anyone else that might be with them. ¡°Is it just you two?¡± Seiji popped in for the answer. ¡°No, Saki¡¯s with us too! Though I¡¯m not really sure where the hell she is right now¡­¡± ¡°Behind you all,¡± she muttered, having managed to keep out of the excitement by not entering the crowd. Though that didn¡¯t stop Yumi from charging after her to give her a hug as well happy to see more friends. Saki embarrassingly gave her a pat on the head. ¡°Is my brother with you as well?¡± ¡°No, we haven¡¯t seen him yet.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Suddenly, very cheerful, a bit of a contrast from what they remembered the last time they saw her almost like she was channeling a little Yuki, she casually pointed over to her tall companion. ¡°This is Manekamaru, he¡¯s a demon.¡± Chapter 417 ¨C Complicated Companions ¡°Wha?!¡± the three yelled, not really sure how she was dropping that so simply. Though she didn¡¯t even seem fazed by it. The rest of the villagers that gathered just started to disperse for some reason losing any interest in what was happening. Seiji slid in on Yumi¡¯s free left side to whisper to her in the least discrete looking manner possible. ¡°Are you being serious, Yumi?¡± ¡°Yup,¡± she replied flatly with the energy she had starting to drain. ¡°I¡¯m stuck with him for now until one of us kills the other.¡± Slipping back around, Seiji checked with the so-called demon. ¡°She¡¯s correct, young man.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Seiji,¡± he corrected as though that was the thing wrong with what came out of either of them. Pushing Seiji down out of frame, Saki jumped up trying to get something straight, since he failed to do so. ¡°This man¡¯s a demon and you¡¯re planning to kill each other and you¡¯re fine with that?¡± ¡°Fine might be overstating it.¡± Now that the crowd left fully, Manekamaru stepped to the side with an invitation. ¡°Might we move this to a different, more private location?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Saki still had trouble following it all. Nothing really made much sense at the moment and she just hoped that she was dreaming it all. Though none of that would happen. She could only agree and follow with great curiosity to what was going on now. ¡°You¡¯re going to need to fill things in Yumi.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Back at the far end of the village, Yumi directed them inside an empty house that looked about ready to fall apart. Likely abandoned a while ago, which probably made it easy for them to just move in for a break. Back in the corner, Yuki laid propped up against the wall. ¡°Hey everyone! Welcome to our little nest egg!¡± ¡°Yuki!¡± complained Yumi at his teasing. Ever since he noticed her taking it better he had been toying with her more frequently. She started picking up on it lately with this attitude change. ¡°Well don¡¯t sound excited to see us or anything,¡± Saki threw back at his less than enthusiastic reaction to them finally finding each other after being apart for about two weeks.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°I¡¯d stand up and hug you, Saki, if I wasn¡¯t sore from all of the walking.¡± ¡°Sore from a little walk? We walked all of Atlantis, what¡¯s a little walk for you?¡± ¡°Yuki¡¯s recovering from some injuries,¡± Yumi quietly inserted. Nerine quickly rushed over to his side to check on him. ¡°Are you in need of healing, Majesty?¡± ¡°Nerine, titles¡­¡± ¡°Sorry¡­Y-yuki¡­¡± Pulling up a seat next to Yuki, Saki settled in for what she expected to be a very long story. Their new demon companion needed an explanation among other things. ¡°So who¡¯s doing the talking?¡± ¡°I will explain things,¡± Yumi offered as she sat down opposite of her. Everyone slowly pulled in around Yuki with the story time starting up. She went over their arrival as well as the village next to the demon forest. The battles she went through and the gauntlet up to the Cleaved Mountain. It ended on their journey away with Manekamaru in tow. ¡°And so he¡¯s tied to me.¡± ¡°Sounds rough.¡± ¡°You have no idea¡­ He keeps bugging me to fight him. And I tried to get him to leave, but he refuses. So I¡¯ve just sort of accepted him now because it¡¯s just easier for me now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure any of us here could knock your shit around for you,¡± Seiji bluntly stated to the demon. ¡°No, he¡¯s really strong. We fought to a tie, he¡¯s not a pushover.¡± ¡°So I¡¯m waiting for our next fight,¡± he affirmed with eagerness that looked familiar to Saki. Not knowing when to stop, Seiji pointed out the obvious fact to him. ¡°Well Yuki or Nerine could sure as hell do it.¡± That seemed to ruffle his pride a little at the thought that either of them could be a challenge for him. He crossed his arms covering up much of his indignant reaction to Seiji. ¡°I don¡¯t fight the injured or normal humans.¡± ¡°They aren¡¯t¡ª¡° ¡°Seiji, it¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry about it. Besides, I wouldn¡¯t be able to give him the sort of fight he wants. You understand what he¡¯s wanting.¡± Reluctantly, Seiji folded on trying to defend his friend further. Even though he knew that Yuki could definitely beat the demon even as he was now. ¡°If you say so¡­¡± Their exchange however left Manekamaru even more curious and insulted. The implication that either of them could be a real challenge to him would have turned up his feathers, if he had them. ¡°The way you act makes it seem like you¡¯re hiding a vast amount of power. All you¡¯ve displayed is the ability to heal.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not the sort of fight you want. You won¡¯t be satisfied.¡± ¡°Let me be the judge of that!¡± He reached out and grabbed Yuki by his collar, seeing him making light of his strength. An insult of power wouldn¡¯t be ignored by him. Yumi and Saki rose up in aid of Yuki, but he lifted his hand to stop them. A ripple spread out from behind him and he touched the demon¡¯s forearm. He then squeezed tightly as a snap and pop came from within in a grossly painful sound. Manekamaru recoiled his hand freeing Yuki and groaning in pain as he clutched his shattered arm. His eyes widened in surprise to see that Yuki managed to effortlessly crush bone. ¡°What did you do?! You¡¯re not that strong.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my power. Like I said, it¡¯s not suited to give you the fight that you want, an honest brawl of strength against strength.¡± He quickly dropped the Field and changed it out, healing his forearm quickly. Yuki then leaned back, sighing, wishing to have avoided the whole scene. ¡°I¡¯m a normal human, but I also have powers that make me an impossibly broken character as well.¡± Smiling to the demon, there was a bit of darkness behind his eyes shown to him. ¡°You should be glad that I¡¯m an honorable man or I could be very cruel.¡± The sight of the presence that Yuki managed to push forth with merely that mask with a smile unnerved even Manekamaru. He swallowed his pride and didn¡¯t push the subject further. Crossing his arms, he pushed the subject back to a new topic. ¡°I see you finally purified the demon blood on you.¡± ¡°Demon blood?¡± Yumi asked, not really certain what that was about. ¡°I took care of that,¡± inserted Nerine, guessing that she didn¡¯t know about it. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°You two are interesting¡­¡± ¡°Going to explain things?¡± Seiji jumped in for that answer, since the others were slow. ¡°I can answer that. Apparent demon blood allows any demon to pick that shit up on you within a radius and it can¡¯t be removed without purifying it. Or you have Nerine do her thing.¡± ¡°I see¡­that does explain some things.¡± Saki stood up and went through her bag to find a few coins. She walked back to Yumi and handed them over. ¡°Do you mind getting us some food? We¡¯ve been going non-stop since we found a trail for you and Nerine¡¯s exhaust.¡± Running her hand through her hair and sighing heavily for more effect. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m a little tired myself.¡± ¡°Sure! Coming all the way from the east can¡¯t have been easy.¡± She skipped out of the house leaving everyone behind. Confused by Saki¡¯s action, Seiji looked up at her. ¡°You¡¯re sure as shit not tired. You hardly even managed to work up a slight increase in your heartbeat.¡± She sat back down and stared directly at Yuki. ¡°Yes, but I had to get her out of the room with a reasonable excuse.¡± There was one thing that she needed to confirm from him. It bothered her since she listened to him. ¡°No lying, Yuki. You¡¯re not injured still are you?¡± ¡°What the hell are you talking about, Saki? He got messed up by that demon he said.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been faking your injuries for a while now, right?¡± A sigh came out of his lips as an opening omission to her question. ¡°I am sore from the walk.¡± ¡°Yuki?¡± ¡°Saki¡¯s right, Seiji. I¡¯m fully healed. Have been since I took that walk to see the Demon Lord.¡± Manekamaru raised an eyebrow to the revelation as well. He never really heard why or how they came by Yuki. They just captured him and brought him to his Lord one day. His Lord seemed to greatly enjoy his company so he didn¡¯t question it too much. ¡°What¡¯s your goal?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve already figured it all out haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Now you give me too much credit, Saki. No, nothing like that.¡± Yuki looked over at the door where Yumi left. His mind thought back to seeing her in the village. He could see the path that she was proceeding now. ¡°Yumi needs independence, this is her problem and I don¡¯t want her relying on me to solve her problems or any one of you. This is her problem and she needs to stumble and fall down to find it. We just need to make sure to keep her in the general right direction. So I¡¯m asking you now all to yield decision making to Yumi, no taking command now that you¡¯ve joined us. This is Yumi¡¯s fight.¡± Chapter 418 - Painful Past ¡°And that¡¯s why you walked into our territory?¡± Manekamaru asked, starting to see it all come together. Yuki had an odd mystery about him and acted nothing like any of the other humans that he knew. The most surprising aspect was that he seemed to have almost no fear or prejudice against them, unlike Yumi. He didn¡¯t really seem to fit into the world. Something that he felt his Lord likely saw in him. Nodding to the demon, Yuki folded his legs up, taking a more natural posture that didn¡¯t make him look like he was an invalid. ¡°Seeing Yumi come back from killing demons, I grew worried about how the world was affecting her growth. She¡¯s become too comfortable killing, which is never a good thing. Even if that doesn¡¯t carry with her directly out of her, it¡¯s still going to influence her.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t approve,¡± Saki noted. She didn¡¯t say it aloud, but it came out pretty clear that she referred back to Hiroshi. Yuki¡¯s unwillingness to kill Takako even though she had gone too far beyond saving. And his speech to Chiharu about killing out of revenge. If it had been the younger Yuki, she wondered if he would still feel the same way about it. She agreed it wasn¡¯t a good thing to do, but when it was necessary there didn¡¯t need to be hesitation either, a difference between the two of them. ¡°It¡¯s a little more complicated than that. I understand the necessity for it sometimes, but it doesn¡¯t make it any easier for me to approve of it either. I¡¯m still going to disapprove of it, even though I know it¡¯s going to happen. I will try to stop it though, we can resolve things other ways. With Yumi, it¡¯s less me being bothered by her killing and more bothered about the look I see in her while talking about it. There¡¯s coldness in her eyes that worries me like she¡¯s getting caught up in the fighting and violence. I think she¡¯s starting to enjoy the thrill.¡± ¡°I can definitely confirm that,¡± the demon added, from his own experience in fighting her. ¡°However, if you don¡¯t wish her to, you still seem to have time. When I confronted her about her enjoyment in our fight, she denied it quite strongly. She¡¯s still in conflict with herself and refuses to accept herself enjoying battle.¡± Saki stared at Yuki seeing how much he worried and watched over Yumi. ¡®He¡¯s worried that she¡¯s going to walk down the road he did. He¡¯s trying to make sure she doesn¡¯t make the same mistakes as him.¡¯ ¡°But didn¡¯t you say you wanted Yumi to make her own damn mistakes and do things on her own?¡± asked Seiji, calling Yuki out on its contradiction. ¡°You want her to do things her own damn way, but you''re trying to control how she goes about it.¡± ¡°I just don¡¯t want her to fall into darkness.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the hell for her to decide though. Besides, do you really believe that¡¯s a risk? Do you believe so little in Yumi?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not about believing in her. She¡¯s a good person and kind. She¡¯s also not used to the world that she¡¯s stepped into by following us. I know where the path can lead. I¡¯d rather she avoid them.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that the damn mistakes that she needs to learn though as you said?¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Saki could see how much it was affecting Yuki. She knew what he wanted to say and couldn¡¯t. Watching his arms shake and him trying to hide it made it clear enough for her how it bothered him. ¡°Seiji, you don¡¯t understand what he¡¯s saying.¡± ¡°No, Saki, I do understand. And Yuki said before that this is about her, dammit, and we should let her stumble. Either commit to that shit or don¡¯t at all. If you want her to be free to take a damn path, you shouldn¡¯t be covering up some of them. She needs to see them as well. We are her friends and we support her. So if she makes a mistake we¡¯re here to point that out, but if you want her to see this on her own don¡¯t interfere. We pick her up and let her keep going forward, but we can¡¯t be damn selective.¡± Yuki looked over at Saki after his berating. His hands closed up tightly over the thought. Memories of his past continued to pop up for him. Everything that he did he hoped to have her avoid. It seemed like the right thing to do. Protect her from the worst parts of things. ¡°Maybe Seiji¡¯s right. Maybe I¡¯m being too protective of her. I know how dangerous the path she¡¯s walking is and I want to hide her from the awful parts of it.¡± ¡°If she keeps following us, she¡¯s going to see that anyway. Didn¡¯t this all start because her personalities were trying to protect her from the same thing?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Yuki stared over at the door that Yumi would eventually come back through. Dropping his head back against the wall, it was a painful thing for him to accept. But Seiji was right in what he said. He couldn¡¯t be half hearted about it. There was going to be pain and trouble, he had to accept that. It wasn¡¯t going to be easy. ¡°Seiji¡¯s right. I wasn¡¯t being a real friend to Yumi. I¡¯ll stop interfering. This is Yumi¡¯s story.¡± Chapter 418 ¨C Painful Past With their decision agreed upon by everyone, they sat around and waited for Yumi to return. Food in tow, she handed out what she picked up from the tavern, easy carrying food. And then she sat down and looked over at Yuki. ¡°Did Nerine fix you up already?¡±This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Yes, she did. I¡¯m feeling much better now. Sorry for slowing you down the whole time.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just glad you¡¯re feeling better.¡± Everyone looked around at each other with restrained expressions. However, Seiji didn¡¯t keep that going for long. He recalled the reason for all of the excitement to begin with as they hadn¡¯t even got to the most important thing. ¡°Dammit, we¡¯re forgetting to tell Yumi, Saki!¡± ¡°Oh right! With everything that happened, it slipped my mind.¡± ¡°Tell me what?¡± ¡°How and why we found you.¡± ¡°What do you mean? Is something wrong?¡± I stared at Saki and Seiji with some confusion. They got really serious quickly about what they had to tell her. It remained a question in the back of her mind as well. She didn¡¯t expect to run into them so randomly. ¡°Nothing that we can confirm with certainty, but have reasonable fears.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll start from the beginning. I picked up a rumor about you in the East, which is why we went looking for you.¡± Manekamaru rubbed his chin, curious about this little bit of news. ¡°She¡¯s made it outside of the West? That is surprising and significant. I can see why you¡¯re concerned.¡± Yumi looked back and forth between the two as though they were exchanging words in secret underneath their spoken words. A conversation that only they could hear and follow. She needed to know what was happening. She leaned into the group more, making her presence pronounced. ¡°What¡¯s significant about it? What aren¡¯t you telling me?¡± ¡°So that¡¯s why you¡¯re here then.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Saki got a very annoyed pouting glare from Yumi that made her pull back a little. A bit of sweat dripped down before she focused to give a proper explanation. ¡°There¡¯s a couple of details you need to know about this country. First is, it is divided in half. The demons control the West and humans control the East. Humans and demons still live in both, but it¡¯s sort of the agreement that they came to, I¡¯m guessing.¡± She looked over at Manekamaru, since she really didn¡¯t know anything about the peace treaty between the two. ¡°You¡¯re not mistaken. The end of the war centuries ago gave territorial ownership of the West to the numerous clans. Both sides agree to uphold it regardless of the side that they make their home. Though what happens within the territory isn¡¯t well governed. It¡¯s more than a little one sided. The humans don¡¯t engage in conflicts that would violate the peace, while the demons mostly just do whatever they want within their territory so long as they follow the treaty outside of the West.¡± Yumi dropped her hand on the floor looking over at the demon. ¡°Are you telling me that they agreed to a peace that just sold off half of the human population to the demons to do whatever they wanted?!¡± ¡°It likely would have meant utter defeat otherwise. It¡¯s hard to say, the only reason the treaty came to exist was that many of the clans lost interest in the war. So they were looking for any reason to just stop. We can¡¯t go home and most of the warriors that wanted a good fight lost that with the last of the strong humans. So while the humans within the West are subject to the whims of the demons, most still live.¡± ¡°They live in fear of dying. What sort of life is that?¡± Saki pressed her hand over Yumi¡¯s hand, getting her attention. ¡°I think we¡¯re leaving out the important subject.¡± ¡°What?! Saki?¡± ¡°She¡¯s not wrong.¡± ¡°Of course you¡¯d say that.¡± Yumi pulled back seeing that it wasn¡¯t a topic anyone wanted to continue. ¡°What is it then?¡± ¡°As we¡¯re explaining, there¡¯s a treaty in place. However disadvantageous it might be to humans, it keeps the peace. The problem however is your appearance.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°She¡¯s saying that Demon Hunters are in essence the peacekeepers in the East and upholders of the treaty. The few that do come into our territory have been disavowed by their organization and looking for death. There are no active members working in the territory. That¡¯s basically having enemy soldiers in your territory.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not a Demon Hunter,¡± she stated flatly. ¡°What?! You¡¯re not a Hunter?¡± Yumi looked at the demon with some surprise. He looked more than a little taken back by that slip she casually dropped. She figured there was no good reason to keep up the lie around her friends or the demon. He was the least of her concern, since he knew her power. Yumi just didn¡¯t expect to see him reacting so poorly about it. Manekamaru looked over at Saki with an even greater understanding. ¡°Now I see why you¡¯re here. This is even worse than I thought.¡± ¡°You going to fill in the gaps?¡± she muttered with annoyance over being left out of the conversation. ¡°He¡¯s talking about a war, Yumi. And a dangerous one. The Demon Hunter Association knows you¡¯re not a Demon Hunter, they would be aware of it. There¡¯s probably a few people that make such claims, but they probably get killed or not believed. However, the problem is that your power is very real and very much a threat. The Association can¡¯t allow you to keep claiming that you¡¯re Hunter as it would give any demon that wants to fight a reason to break the treaty, since it would appear the humans broke it first. And as we said, humans aren¡¯t treated well in the West, only demons travel freely, not humans. This means the rumors come from demons and not humans. So demons already know about you and your achievements.¡± All of it started to fall into place for Yumi. She could see the picture that the others already had in their mind. Yumi leaned back, nearly stumbling over her own arm. The weight of what she had been doing finally started to be felt. Sweat started to bead up on her skin as her body warmed up. ¡°Are you saying I¡¯ve triggered a war between the demons and humans?¡± ¡°Not yet, we don¡¯t know the situation here. But the risk is very real.¡± ¡°If I just stop fighting it¡¯ll be fine though, right?¡± No one gave her an answer and the looks on their faces didn¡¯t give her any hope. Things might have gone past the point of no return. She never imagined that she would have been the cause of a war. Yumi sank in her spot. However, she didn¡¯t get a moment to dwell with noises coming from outside. Panic and screams erupted from the streets. Everyone jumped up and bolted for the door to find out what was wrong. Yumi was too slow to react as Saki rushed out to grab one of the locals. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the demons! They¡¯re attacking!¡± ¡°What?! Why now?¡± ¡°They¡¯re looking for a woman!¡± The man then yelped as an explosion ripped away a house in the distance. He ran away as fast as he could from the chaos. Yumi started shell shocked at the destruction. Screams and cries poured in around her as flames burned everything. It all rushed towards her. ¡°They¡¯re here for me. This is my fault...¡± Chapter 419 - Power Spike The weight of her actions crashed upon her shoulders watching the flames. Around her the deadly howls of the villagers dying burned into her ears. They didn¡¯t even know why they were being attacked. It was merely a coincidence for them. Shocked and paralyzed under an all too familiar weight, Saki watched Yumi¡¯s back to see how she would move. ¡®This is going to be the turning point for her. Will it break her or harden her?¡¯ She knew it wasn¡¯t the first time that Yumi carried terrible weights on her back. But she managed to avoid much of it from never having witnessed the actual results of her actions. Now it was before her, she couldn¡¯t turn away anymore or hide. She had no personalities to protect her. She had to do it alone. At her side, Yuki appeared putting a hand on her shoulder to reach out to her strained mental state. ¡°Yumi.¡± Initially, his call to her didn¡¯t go noticed. There was a thick wall between her and the world. But the connection he established with her through his hand, something foreign yet comforting. It pulled on her mind, dragging her slowly back to reality. Yumi slowly turned to her head to look at him. ¡°Yuki¡­¡± Her face twisted with emotions as she tried to parse everything. ¡°What do you want to do Yumi?¡± She seized up seeing once again what Yuki was doing. Her teeth ground together as he looked to her for an answer. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± With all of the destruction around her fading away into the background, she could barely even see Yuki anymore within her mind. ¡®I screwed up and he¡¯s still putting everything on me?! This is all my fault that people are dying. The demons are after me because of all of the killings.¡¯ Suddenly a slap in the back came from nowhere. It threw everything in Yumi¡¯s head out and splattered over the ground. The sting of the hand still throbbed as she tilted back to see who did it. ¡°Seiji?¡± She said with some surprise, though coming from him it seemed pretty normal. Though more confusing for her was that he didn¡¯t seem to have any of the same sort of confusion that she had. He just seemed to know. A clear view was in front of him. It didn¡¯t make any sense to her. ¡°I think Yuki¡¯s being a little too damn indirect with this.¡± Shoving Yuki a little with a smirk slightly peeking out of his lips. ¡°I think you¡¯re being a little hands off.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Saki begrudgingly walked out next to Seiji with her hands crossed, but agreed with him still. ¡°What they¡¯re trying to say is, try not to think too hard about what¡¯s going wrong right now and just focus on what you can do for what¡¯s happening now.¡± ¡°Yeah, what Saki said, just with not so many damn words.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t even get any words out.¡± ¡°And aren¡¯t you being a little damn direct?¡± ¡°It¡¯s what you were trying to do.¡± Yumi started laughing watching the two bicker like she remembered and had forgotten. It had been a while since she had really seen her friends together. Things felt like they did before everything went wrong in Atlantis. A time when it was easier to still be carefree about it all, even with people hunting them. Nothing seemed to be good anymore. Seeing something not change despite everything changing was refreshing. Saki and Seiji broke with their debate over the semantics of their approaches and looked back at Yumi. Welcoming smiles encourage her to keep moving forward greeting her. They nodded to her to take that step. ¡°We¡¯re behind you, Yumi,¡± Yuki added. ¡°Especially you,¡± teased Seiji. ¡°Hey, I can fight too! I¡¯m not useless!¡± ¡°You sure as hell are now that you gave up your main character status to Yumi.¡± ¡°What are you doing stealing my fourth wall breaking dialogue?!¡± ¡°Better watch out Yuki, he¡¯s been getting more than a little comfortable with the setup.¡± Yumi took a few steps out towards the chaos. It all felt so distant and far from her now. The weight wasn¡¯t so crushing anymore. She might be able to stand up straight. ¡°Thank you, everyone.¡± Chapter 419 ¨C Power Spike Seiji broke rank with the comedy bit to step forward alongside Yumi. ¡°So what¡¯s the plan you got in mind, Yumi?¡± She stared at all of the people running around terrified and the lights of explosions highlighting the demons that came marching. ¡°First priority is protecting the village. If they came looking for me, then I¡¯ll give them what they want.¡±This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Saki and Yuki came hurriedly up to her side worried about what she might be planning. ¡°Yumi, you aren¡¯t¡ª¡° ¡°I¡¯m not going out there alone,¡± she interrupted quickly before they started to worry about her recklessness. ¡°I have to be out there to get their attention, they¡¯re looking for me. But I¡¯m going to want your help as well. Saki and Seiji with me dealing with the demons and then Yuki and Nerine. I want you to protect the villagers and get them to safety.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fully healed now, Yumi. I can help out on the front too.¡± ¡°Getting sidelined already!¡± laughed Seiji, enjoying the teasing. ¡°I know you can, but we don¡¯t know how the fighting will go with the demons or even if we can get their full attention. People are still going to be in danger and I know you¡¯ll be able to keep them all safe.¡± Seeing that she thought about it, Yuki didn¡¯t try to press it any further. It was as she said, the first priority for her was keeping the village safe. He could understand that. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll make sure they get out alive.¡± ¡°Hey, what about Mr. Demon back here, who¡¯s been silent as hell this whole time?¡± ¡°Mr. Demon has a name,¡± he reminded, actually looking a little bothered by Seiji¡¯s more casual attitude towards him. Yuki wasn¡¯t the only strange one in the group. They all lacked the same sort of fear or hatred towards him that he came to expect from humans. None of them seemed like they belonged, even the one that had the hatred burning within her. Yumi dismissed him immediately however. ¡°He¡¯s not going to fight his own people. He only had one goal and that¡¯s a rematch with me. This doesn¡¯t have an interest for him.¡± Getting an annoyed glare from Seiji that he wouldn¡¯t be helping only produced a shrug back. ¡°She¡¯s not wrong. I¡¯m only interested in fighting strong opponents.¡± ¡°Then go find that scary ass swordswoman!¡± Seiji tossed out halfheartedly before turning back to the group. They ignored the curiosity that seemed to be peaked by that remark in Manekamaru. Seiji saw that Yumi and Saki were already eying up the horizon to figure out their plan of attack. ¡°You come up with something?¡± ¡°No,¡± Yumi replied. ¡°The problem is getting the full attention of the demons who are already focused on wholesale slaughter.¡± ¡°Yeah, we need something that can¡¯t be missed by them.¡± Crossing his arms, he nodded understanding the dilemma. Though it didn¡¯t seem to be that big of an issue to him. He looked up quickly without a second thought. ¡°I¡¯ve got an idea.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m afraid of¡­¡± ¡°Hey, you haven¡¯t even heard the damn plan.¡± ¡°It¡¯s your idea.¡± ¡°Saki! It¡¯ll work!¡± ¡°Only in your mind.¡± Stepping in between them, Yumi was willing to take anything, especially if they could act quickly. The fighting was getting closer and they needed to do something quickly. ¡°Let¡¯s hear him out, Saki. What¡¯s your idea, Seiji?¡± Yuki looked over at Nerine, who stared at him like she awaited his order. He motioned her over to him, knowing that she would obediently agree. ¡°Stop acting so stiff around me. This may be a fake world, but no need stirring up unnecessary weirdness.¡± ¡°But Your¡ª¡° She stopped herself before she went too far with her natural tendency. The look in his eyes told her enough as well. It proved a difficult habit to break, even if he had only started being her King recently. Order and discipline were important to her. She couldn¡¯t stop it so easily as he wanted her. ¡°It¡¯s not easy¡­¡± He saw that she wanted to say more, but stopped herself. She couldn¡¯t actually get it out. ¡°Still stumbling on my name, Nerine. You¡¯re going to have to get over it, it¡¯s going to be even weirder if you never say my name. People will notice.¡± ¡°I know¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s focus on the immediate problem.¡± Giving her relief from the pressure seemed like the best way to handle her for now. It wasn¡¯t going to be a simple thing to overwrite years of training. Yuki quickly surveyed the town, he hadn¡¯t looked too much at it when they arrived earlier. ¡°Getting up a barrier is going to be the most important for any strays. Focus on size, not power. Anything we make should be able to hold, just don¡¯t make it invulnerable as tempting as it might be. We can¡¯t make ourselves stand out too much.¡± ¡°I understand. But I¡¯m not as practiced on pushing my Field.¡± ¡°Just release any Folds you have and do what you can. I¡¯ll make up for the difference.¡± ¡°But you may overrun my Field.¡± ¡°I know. I¡¯m going to be sticking more to the front. Once they break the assault, I¡¯ll be funneling people towards you. So protect the rear guard.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡± ¡°Are you stupid?!¡± snapped Saki, finished listening to Seiji¡¯s plan. It even grabbed Yuki and Nerine¡¯s attention from their planning. She shook her head heavily though also not surprised. ¡°We aren¡¯t doing that! Yumi, I¡¯ll go and break the line.¡± ¡°No, I like Seiji¡¯s idea.¡± ¡°What?! Are you feeling alright, Yumi? You did hear what he suggested, right?¡± She nodded to him and faced Seiji ready to accept his plan. ¡°Yes, I think it will work for what we want. It¡¯s bold and dynamic. And best of all, it¡¯ll be something that¡¯ll be hard to ignore.¡± ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s insane! Only someone like him, who wasn¡¯t even thinking, would think up such a plan!¡± There was pride beaming from Seiji¡¯s eyes as he looked at Saki with his plan getting Yumi¡¯s approval. He had one up on her. Though Yumi didn¡¯t let either dwell on it for too long. ¡°Sometimes being a little insane isn¡¯t bad. I¡¯m going with his plan. You two follow up after the initial shock.¡± She could see that she only got Saki¡¯s agreement begrudgingly. Insane or not, they had no other plans and they needed to act. Even Yumi could agree with her on it, but she wasn¡¯t wanting to delay anymore. Too many suffered for her hesitating. ¡°Yuki and Nerine, we¡¯re going now. Protect the town!¡± ¡°We will Yumi! You can fight without worry!¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± Yumi patted Seiji on the arm letting her know that she was ready. A thick barrier rolled out around her tightly keeping mere centimeters from her in a perfect sphere. Each piece of the shards snapped in interlocking fashion. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Seiji! Saki!¡± Seiji bent down lifting up Yumi by her barrier. He quickly balanced her in his right hand and looked over at Saki. ¡°C¡¯mon, you¡¯re part of this too.¡± A reluctant sigh came from Saki as she really didn¡¯t want anything to do with this plan of his. ¡°I know, Yumi agreed to it so I¡¯ll play my part.¡± With his left hand extended out for her, she leapt up resting her feet closely on his hand. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m doing it¡­don¡¯t tell anyone about this¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯ll be my second secret!¡± ¡°What? Second SECRET?!¡± she yelled as Seiji didn¡¯t even give a countdown before throwing her into the air. ¡°Damn you, Seiji! I¡¯ll pay you back for this!¡± Saki had little time to formulate revenge against him as Yumi quickly came rising through the air after her. The plan had already started and she had to play her part. ¡°I hate you so much right now¡­¡± Yumi encased in her barrier rose up to her height coming to a slowing hover while Saki¡¯s own height started to peak. ¡°I¡¯ve never even played volleyball, so don¡¯t blame me for my aim!¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, Saki,¡± Yumi said with confidence. She believed in her. Seeing Yumi staring at her knowing that everything would be fine snapped Saki to attention. There wouldn¡¯t be any error. She would make this stupid plan work. ¡°Give them hell, Yumi!¡± With the wind up complete, Saki slammed her hand into the barrier spiking Yumi straight down at the amassing demon horde. Chapter 420 - Killing Impact Moments later a blast of dirt and debris exploded from deep within the ranks of the demons. A heavy cloud of dirt spread rapidly through the field and into the town blotting out everything. Everyone paused, staring towards the impact in confusion. Demons turned around trying to figure out what attacked them. ¡°Hunters?¡± ¡°Of course not, you idiot. There¡¯s no Hunters on this side.¡± ¡°None that want to live anyway.¡± ¡°It¡¯s that woman!¡± ¡°The one that killed the Lord!¡± Back within the town, Yuki and Nerine stared at the blast wave of dirt coming into the street. A bit of sweat dripped as he looked at Seiji¡¯s plan. ¡°I guess that¡¯s a way to get their attention¡­¡± he muttered. Moments later, the clouds surrounded them, cutting off any sort of sight that they might have on the coming battle. Yuki could only make his move as promised. ¡°Get into your position, Nerine! It¡¯s begun!¡± Chapter 420 ¨C Killing Impact Amidst the confusion and storm of clouds a white light flashed from within shooting out streams of narrow beams. Several demons went down in an instant while others lost limbs. Roars of anger directed at their clouded foe sent several blindly charging in. Yet before they could even reach their target a couple of demons flew haphazardly in their way, cutting off their path suddenly. The demons turned in even more confusion towards the direction of the town where the demons came from. Out of the thick clouds two lines of light glowed brightly to announce the presence of another enemy for them. Splitting their attention between the two, they flung several weapons at the target. However, to their unsettling discovery the weapons all came to a stop suddenly gathered up together. They stepped out of the thinning clouds first, before Saki revealed herself to them. The oversized weapons of the demons casually slung over her shoulder. ¡°Reckless charge as always,¡± she shot back with Seiji stepping forward. ¡°It got their damn attention didn¡¯t it?¡± he replied, grinding his hand into his palm excited for a fight. ¡°I think Yumi did that, not you.¡± ¡°That was sort of the point.¡± Then a blast of wind carved away all of the dispersing dust from around Yumi as she revealed herself to the demon mass. White blades hovered around her along with sparkling shards of her barrier. Gone from her face was the confusion and doubt. Focused and deadly, she only had a single thought to be read on her face. Death. ¡°There¡¯s two of them.¡± ¡°Which one is the one we¡¯re after?¡± ¡°No one said anything about two women.¡± Seiji walked up alongside Yumi with Saki following, as they monitored the movements of demons trying to decide what they were going to do. ¡°Looks like they¡¯re fighting over which of you two to kill.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t really matter, they¡¯re all dead anyway.¡± ¡®I never thought I¡¯d hear such cold words from Yumi,¡¯ Saki commented to herself. She was glad that the doubt and hesitation disappeared for Yumi. Yumi gained enough focus in protecting the innocent that she could push past her dilemma, though Saki didn¡¯t expect to see such a different sort of Yumi. ¡®I understand why Yuki¡¯s worried. This is a more dramatic shift than I was expecting as well.¡¯ It made her remember the path of corpses she left behind for them to follow. That had been Yumi as well. However, Saki knew that she had to focus on the immediate problem for now rather than the one with Yumi. They had demons fully surrounding them and not even the worst had arrived yet. These were merely the grunts. ¡°Just be on your guard, we don¡¯t know the strength of these demons.¡± Yumi walked out in front of them with her blades quickly shifting into an offensive stance. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve learned how to fight with these sorts of odds.¡±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Let¡¯s just kill them all to be certain!¡± The demons seemed to have reached a consensus that they could agree to in the end. None of them had a problem with the proposal. Though it was just as likely that they planned to kill every human anyway. ¡°I¡¯m not a damn woman!¡± Seiji protested. ¡°I thought you wanted to fight them.¡± ¡°Of course! But this shit is different.¡± ¡°The human¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Maybe we just ignore him then?¡± Saki staggered a little feeling like Seiji¡¯s stupidity was contagious. She had trouble believing what she was hearing. Rubbing her hand against her face, she just wanted to end this farce. Then a large half bird and humanoid looking demon pushed through the ranks. They stood significantly taller than all of the other demons in the group. From Yumi¡¯s experience it still was smaller than Manekamaru, but the other demons roughly were only about a half to twice their height. Somewhat small for the demons that she had been slaying for weeks now. An oddly soft woman¡¯s face came from the demon looking down at the others fighting over what they were going to do rather than killing. Her presence seemed to halt debates going on as they all went silent. ¡°Cease this prattle. We¡¯re here to exact revenge, kill them all. The one that still lives is the one we¡¯re seeking.¡± ¡°The Commander¡¯s right!¡± All of the demons refocused their attention with a unified goal now. Their weapons came to bear on the three friends along with the glow of demonic energy in the air. The air quickly became ignited with thick pressure of murderous intent. Saki prepared herself for the fight to come. ¡°Seems your stupidity wore off.¡± ¡°Whatever, I¡¯m ready for this shit!¡± Behind them a barrier suddenly grew up around the town with a simple, but elegant flare. Saki glanced over her shoulder at the Field that rose. He kept it appearance wise to fit within the bounds of the setting for the world. She could tell he was being careful to keep attention off his powers. ¡®He¡¯s being smart about it or getting caught up in the world, not completely sure which. But this works¡­¡¯ Immediately jumping before the demons resumed their attack, Yumi grabbed one of her blades at her side and in a flash beheaded the Demon Commander. The demons stood in shock at Yumi¡¯s lethal opening move, not expecting her to go straight for the kill and pre-emptive attack. Equally shocked were her friends. They saw a completely different side of Yumi that seemed almost alien to the friend that they knew before. ¡°Commander?!¡± ¡°What the hell are you doing, Yumi?¡± Seiji yelled with uncontrolled shock. He tried to charge forward to reach her, but she immediately continued her assault on the demons, wiping out more than a dozen with little effort. It stunned him watching Yumi mercilessly slaughtering demons that couldn¡¯t even manage to fight back from her swift movements. A barely uttered word came from him watching her. Saki kicked a demon out of the way that came flying at Seiji, tossed carelessly by Yumi. It was already dead by the time it reached them. Most of the demons that had been surrounding them weren¡¯t even paying attention to them anymore. Yumi had completely stolen their gaze. ¡°Seiji. Seiji!¡± He absentmindedly looked back at her, not fully recovered. ¡°¡­Saki¡­¡± ¡°You need to get your head in the fight.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°I know it¡¯s surprising to see, but she¡¯s out there alone right now. Considering the numbers she won¡¯t survive once the shock of her attack wears off.¡± Like with Saki before, Seiji started to see where Yuki came from during their conversation about Yumi. He had trouble believing that things had changed this much. Seiji wanted to know where his friend had gone. To their surprise, the Demon Commander that Yumi slew in the opening attack rose back up in front of the two. It burst in the flames along with the head darkening the field beyond the source of the light. Even Yumi paused out of curiosity at what was happening, evaluating the threat. ¡°What the hell¡¯s going on now?! Yumi killed that thing!¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s going to self-destruct?¡± ¡°It wants to win that bad that¡¯ll kill us all with that shit?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m just guessing¡­¡± However, the flames didn¡¯t seem to be burning the demon or growing. Rather the flames seemed to have some sort of life of their own transforming into a hand. Stretching out through the air, the flames called out to each other. ¡°Is it searching for its head?¡± ¡°Is that even possible?! How the hell is it alive still?¡± Alerted to the danger, Yumi snapped back on the attack. ¡®I don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening, but I guess this sort of demon doesn¡¯t die so easily. I¡¯ll need to be more thorough with it¡­¡¯ Demons stepped in the way trying to slow her down, but she used her gravity orbs to pull open a path. All her struggling was in vain however as the demon found its head before she could reach it. Throwing her blades in a futility attempt did nothing to slow it down. Connected with its head through the flame, the head quickly returned back to the demon with the flame disappearing. Once more the giant Demon Commander stood staring down at Yumi only coming up to its knees. ¡°I¡¯ve missed seeing such a ruthless human, it¡¯s been too long!¡± Yumi ground her teeth, annoyed that she couldn¡¯t prevent the revival. The reason didn¡¯t matter to her, only that she had to kill the demon once more. Her blades returned to her side preparing for the next fight. ¡®If it can come back from that, I¡¯m not sure how much it¡¯ll take to actually kill the demon¡­¡¯ On the opposite side of the demon, Saki and Seiji tried to get closer to Yumi, but the revived demon gave a bolstering effect to the demon army. They fought back stronger than before keeping them separated. ¡°Shit, we¡¯ve got to do something! Yumi¡¯s completely surrounded!¡± It surprised Saki a little how quickly he dropped the other issue that previously chained him down. But he wasn¡¯t wrong. Priorities in their survival came before everything, no matter the personal moral crisis before them. ¡°Then we just need to go around them!¡± ¡°What?¡± She leapt over the demons landing sharply behind Yumi watching her back for the demons that wanted as much of a piece of her as their Commander. This was all she could do right now. The immediate problem needed to be solved first before anything. Crashing through the demons in the way, Seiji arrived with the group kicking a few off that were still in tow. He looked around at their completely surrounded position. It somehow looked worse than when they first dropped in at the start. But he found his fighting spirit. ¡°We¡¯ll keep this shit off your back!¡± ¡°Focus on the big one!¡± ¡°I will!¡± Yumi charged at the Commander while her friends split the demon horde between them. The struggle to protect the town hit a new wall, but they would keep punching through. Chapter 421 - Three Way Struggle Instinctively, Seiji and Saki split off from Saki in their directions without further need for coordination. Saki plunged deep into the mass grabbing up a wolf looking demon and flinging it into the mob to create an opening. It gave her enough room to work with as the rallied demons charged in around her. Dodging around the first wave of demons, she disappeared to the second wave taking two down with a swift kick and threw the third behind her into the confused first wave. Dancing around the field, she skillfully evaded weapons and demonic spells, the low level grunts were barely a match for Saki¡¯s speed. Only their numbers worked against her, she couldn¡¯t stay still or end up being cornered quickly. For Seiji, it went a little more straightforward as to be expected from him. His fists went first and nothing more to add. Strength alone for him kept the demons off him completely. But he quickly became surrounded, having to elbow and head butt where he could just to keep them off him. They made more progress against him than Saki, but still fell into a stalemate that wouldn¡¯t push further. Deeper still, Yumi faced down with the strange reviving demon. As a leader of the demons it certainly presented the necessary aura of one and strength. The ability to not die from having its head removed definitely put it up there. Though she worried if it was possible to actually kill it. With such an ability, Yumi didn¡¯t know what it was going to take to kill the thing. Not knowing the extent of its powers couldn¡¯t stop her. She had to bring an end to the fight over her. Whatever it took to kill the demon, even if she had to be more thorough than normal in killing. She jumped towards the giant demon with blades in her hand and gravity orbs tracking in her wake. Swinging down both blades, she sought for another clean win. As she had been taught with fighting demons, a fast kill was the best. The number that surrounded her and wanted her blood couldn¡¯t allow for anything else. Yet, that didn¡¯t happen. Maybe it was because the demon didn¡¯t see it coming before. Or it was unprepared and had its defenses down. But it didn¡¯t happen so easily as last time. Her blade stopped, unable to pierce the skin of the demon. It didn¡¯t quite repel, but resisted in a hardened state. The white blades of energy groaned against the demon¡¯s skin, unable to make even a scratch. In her moment of surprise, the demon took the time to deliver some retribution for the beheading. Unleashing a wound up arm, long claws that looked more like blades themselves glowed in the light of the sun as they came for Yumi. Smashed into her barrier, the claws pierced through the gaps in her protection digging in towards her head. She struggled to re-enforce the barrier even with the demon closing dangerously close to her. The prick of the point of the claw broke skin on the side of her temple drawing up blood. She had lost the opening round in the fight. That became clear from the way things turned against her. Summoning her orbs in front of her, she threw them at the front of the barrier as her sword sliced through the spheres. Cleaved and destabilized, it only took moments for the energy delicately gathered to violently explode. White and purple light coughed up, completing over taking Yumi and the front of the demon. Shards of the barrier exploded outward forcing the demon¡¯s hand back and recoiled the body a little from the force of the blast. Out of the blast Yumi flew backwards accelerated by her explosion trailing smoke off her clothes. Eager demons lined up on her predicted fall wanting a piece of her for those already dead. However, Yumi remained in control of her fall and watched carefully her surroundings. Before hitting the ground her barrier went up once more followed by her array of blades taking up sides along the equator of the barrier. They spun around quickly slicing through any demon that dared to approach her. Yumi stared up at the giant demon coming towards her. Their fight would continue despite her wishes. ¡°Dammit¡­ This isn¡¯t going to be easy¡­¡± Chapter 421 ¨C Three Way Struggle Surrounded on all sides by fearless demons, she ground her teeth together. Towering in the distance was their commander. She failed her first attempt and now her second as well. Yumi tried to figure out a method that would kill the demon. ¡®My swords aren¡¯t enough to cut through anymore¡­ What changed?¡¯ While she kept her thoughts busily fixed on figuring out a solution, her body had to deal with the demons around her. Leaping out of her barrier, she landed further away from the commander. Even with the demon numbers, she bought time to face down the real target. Yumi grabbed a hold of one of the blades floating at her side and stabbed the demon coming up to her in the head. Throwing the demon back, she leapt on its falling body directing the remaining blades behind her to keep her flanks free. As the demon collapsed, she tossed the blade forward, dropping the charging bird-like thing. Her hands materialized another blade in each hand blocking weapons that swung down on her. A giant hammer and axe increased the pressure on her, magic sparking under the collision. Several nearby demons saw the opportunity with her tied up with defense to strike. Crushing the head of the hammer with her psychic power, the shaft remained behind with a rough point. Yumi grabbed the middle of the metal rod and pulled against the off balance demon. Directing the point into the demon on her right, she freed herself from defense to quickly slice the heads off the approaching demons. With even more dead demons at her feet, she had no further advances in her plan to kill the leader. The giant demon marched towards her, getting annoyed with her continued slaughter of their ranks. It seemed to become clear enough to it that the rank and file wouldn¡¯t do anything against her. ¡°Enough! This is between us!¡± commanded the demon. A gap cleaved through the swarmed ranks. Broken and heavily trodden earth unveiled from the cloaked forms it wore as demons. Yumi could remember how it used to be grass, tall and blowing freely in the winds undisturbed by nothing unnatural. Only chaos remained painted within the dirt now. That which she commissioned by her own actions. The clear path to the demon, her target, was welcome. Though she remained no further to an answer on killing it. With the lack of a meaningful answer, it sadly came down to the only remaining option available to her. It hardly seemed any more trustworthy for her, but it should get results. She just needed to apply enough to it. Which became the more important question for her. How much power she needed to actually kill it. Yumi focused her blades forward at the demon preparing for her charge. Before she could make a move though, the demon struck first. Channeling the flame seen before it stretched out like whips wrapping around her ankle and wrist. Before anymore managed to grab a hold of her, she cut down the flames. But the two still attached burned at her skin slowly fighting her natural resistance.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. She tried to use her strength alone to pull free, but the demon¡¯s power held together better than the ones she sliced up. ¡®Damn¡­I can¡¯t break free¡­ I¡¯m going to lose my hand at this rate¡­¡¯ Yumi tried with her blades and gravity orbs. Nothing worked on them this time. The power used changed significantly as though the demon channeled everything into them. The demon commander marched closer to Yumi, likely looking to bring an end to her struggle. ¡°You¡¯re certainly tougher than the death seekers. My flames can melt a normal human in minutes to nothing but ash.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll find I don¡¯t burn that easily.¡± ¡°Yes, I can see that.¡± Pulling out a metal rod from behind its back, flames came out from the demon¡¯s hand filling the metal from the inside with a hot white glow. The metal however didn¡¯t seem to be melting from the intense heat. Despite appearances, the white glow didn¡¯t actually seem to be coming from the flame at all. Rather a different mechanism completely was at work. The white turned blue and decreased in intensity becoming simple lines over the surface, but with concentrated strength. It was hard for Yumi to watch without feeling her eyes hurting from the light gathered. Then to her surprise, the rod changed shape. New extrusions of metal came out of the rod expanding into a deep curved blade like a scimitar. The part of the rod that remained in the demon¡¯s hand became the hilt and the blue glow sank through the metal. Air around the blade warped from the heat contained within. ¡°Let¡¯s see how that toughness fairs against this!¡± Yumi ground her teeth together, witnessing the murderous intent surface stronger than ever before. It was thick and suffocating bleeding off the demon with life of its own. If she hadn¡¯t faced down countless demons before it might have paralyzed her. But she could still feel the strength through their desire to kill her. It completely eclipsed what she felt from it before at the start. They had gotten serious, as it were. More than anything the flames themselves could do to her, Yumi worried about the sword that appeared. With a length that easily matched her height, the force behind the weapon already augmented with their power made it the most deadly demon weapon she had faced. ¡®Can my barrier hold that back? With my range limited, it¡¯s going to make sure I can¡¯t move¡­¡¯ Some of her movement still remained, but the demon was no doubt skilled in finding the exact angle of attack that she wouldn¡¯t be able to dodge. Tied up, she could only rely on her barrier to hold. Her own power wouldn¡¯t be enough to bare hand it like she had done to demons in the past. The test of power began quickly for her. Any preparation that she made with her barrier didn¡¯t feel like it would be enough at the start. The impact alone destroyed three layers to her barrier with three more vaporized under the sheer power. ¡®A ten-fold barrier nearly destroyed this easily¡­¡¯ Yumi struggled with trying to rebuild her barrier under the weight and pressure. She pushed everything that she had to create the barrier. If she had more time, it might have been stronger, but she had so little time to react. Sparks flew off with vibrations through the interlocked tiles. Quakes rippled through the barrier buckling under the pressure. The demon had more than just power and heat working against her, but physical strength as well. ¡®This feels so much differently than with Manekamaru¡­ I don¡¯t feel¡ª¡® She cut her thought off before she could finish it. Focusing on the power of her barrier, she tried to keep it from destroying her defense. Defense alone wasn¡¯t going to be enough to win though. The longer that it went on she understood that. ¡®I need a different answer¡­ I can¡¯t move the way I want tied up like this and pinned down by the weapon¡­ I needed a free moment to attack¡­¡¯ Crushing under the sword wasn¡¯t an option for Yumi. She stared intensely at the weapon looming over her. ¡®This won¡¯t hold¡­ No matter how much I strengthen it, the demon¡¯s winning¡­ It¡¯s stronger¡­ I¡¯m going to have to do something¡­¡¯ Yumi gritted her teeth as she came to a conclusion. The only way out of the spot made her tense up her body. She locked her determined glare at the demon for what she decided. ¡®It should at least give me the opening I need¡­¡¯ Yumi acted quickly knowing that any hesitation from her would only make it harder. Cracks quickly spread out over the barrier as she siphoned away power. It wouldn¡¯t be long before the large sword sliced through the defense with ease. She summoned up her blades at her side with a side step. The demon made a slight turn in its arm seeing how she moved. Everything was in place. Shattered instantly as she gave up the fight, the weapon sliced through at a blinding speed. But she moved just so to finally free herself. With a deep roar of pain Yumi appeared in front of the demon¡¯s face, caught off guard from the counterattack. She swung her white blade at the neck of the demon once more, but it did nothing. The blade shattered on the skin as she grabbed another with her one hand. Blades shattered quickly on the demon. ¡®Stronger! I need a stronger sword!¡¯ Two swords forged into one with an intense light from them. It was still not enough. She needed more. Another blade sacrificed itself to power it up more as the blade transformed shape into a bastard sword. Blades smashed into her sword giving it more power until the light blinded them both. Yumi appeared behind the demon hefting a massive energy sword over her shoulder. She hovered close to the ground, no longer able to stand. However, the demon¡¯s head only remained separated for a brief time. The flames restored it once more to health. Turning around to face her, it looked down at Yumi¡¯s state. ¡°Sacrificing limbs for victory. You¡¯re a very dangerous woman.¡± Blood slowly dripped from her wounds with her powers trying to keep things held back from passing out. Blood loss was her battle now. ¡®Fortunately I was able to use my barrier shards to stop the bleeding, but the demon¡¯s still alive¡­ I counted on it being dead and only dealing with the trash¡­¡¯ Flames burst out from the demon lighting the sword on fire as well as its body. ¡°I can no longer hold back my power it seems. I will crush you with everything I have!¡± ¡°Damn¡­¡± Across the battlefield in the town, Yuki yelled out orders to the surviving townspeople. He watched as the last remains of the town fled towards Nerine. The barrier kept the demons out, though Yumi and the others were doing a fine job getting their attention. However, he saw a large red flame explode into the air towards their fight. ¡°I don¡¯t like the looks of that¡­ Please be safe¡­¡± With his Field providing a passive scan of the area, he no longer found any alive humans still in the town. He slowly moved towards the fighting with things suddenly becoming very still. ¡°Nerine, I¡¯m going to check out the battle,¡± he communicated to her through a small earpiece he crafted, ¡°Something¡¯s wrong.¡± ¡°But the plan¡ª¡° ¡°We finished our job. It¡¯s too quiet and I¡¯m seeing too many demons still for it to be our win.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll come too!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take point, watch my back.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Yuki switched over to the second Law set in his Field, one he prepared for on the off chance he would need to fight. It was his simple traditional mist form. He didn¡¯t need more attention. ¡°Yumi¡­guys¡­¡± As he stepped through the ravaged outskirts of the town, he came to the field of dead demons left behind from his friend¡¯s fighting. The silence became more unbearable the closer he came to the source of most of the fighting. Alive demons formed a wall between him and his friends. He stepped closer as their attention remained away from him. None of them seemed to care about him. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± complained a demon, which like him couldn¡¯t see what was happening. But the silence from the fighting made them all want answers. ¡°Is the Hunter dead?¡± ¡°She stopped moving!¡± a demon from further up reported. ¡°The Hunter¡¯s dead!¡± cheered the demons, breaking the silence. ¡°Yumi¡­no. No!¡± Yuki released all of his mist in every direction knocking demons carelessly aside to make room for him. He charged forward casting any demon away that found it unfortunately in his way. He didn¡¯t want to believe it, even though his mind had already gone to that place. He burst through the wall of demons into the clearing where he saw Yumi laying face down in the dirt surrounded by blood. ¡°Yumi!¡± Running over to her side, he looked around and found Saki collapsed on her back breathing shallow along with Seiji. A cough from Yumi gave him the relief to know that she was still alive. ¡°Yumi!¡± ¡°Sorry¡­Yuki¡­I lost¡­¡± Chapter 422 - A True Blade Yuki quickly pulled Yumi up from the dirt. He didn¡¯t know how badly she was injured or the others. ¡®I never imagined that they would all be defeated. Will things end here? Do Yumi¡¯s personalities win their bet?¡¯ Regardless of their fate, Yuki could only focus on one thing. Missing a hand and lower half of her leg, Yumi was in the worst shape. He picked up Yumi and carried her over to Saki and Seiji. ¡®How are they doing? I need to heal them¡­¡¯ Unfortunately, the demons already began to recover from his initial intrusion. And worse of all the demon commander led the charge. She wanted their blood. Casting out this mist once more, he weakened the earth below the demons. Turning it into almost the consistency of quicksand, the first rank collapsed. It wasn¡¯t enough to trick the commander though. The demon had a large enough stance and height that it provided only an inconvenience to her. Even slowed down, that was enough for him to redirect the remainder of his mist at the demon to topple it. ¡°That¡¯ll buy enough time.¡± His Field went down and quickly, his mind ordered together a new Law necessary for their survival. As the demon commander recovered, flames burst from it in anger for being denied the kill. Hurriedly, Yuki finished his new Field. A barrier quickly locked into place around them in a small dome. Flames washed over in waves on the barrier unable to make it budge. Frustrated, the demon smashed the giant sword into his barrier with no better results. Alongside their leader, more of the demons arrived to try to crack through. Nothing they did could break it though. Pausing in her attack, the demon stared down at Yuki. She stared at him as though trying to remember him. ¡°There¡¯s no human alive with this sort of power. Who are you?¡± Yuki finished confirming all he needed from the demons and turned his eyes towards his friends. The healing effects of the array already began re-growing Yumi¡¯s lost limbs. Small wounds were already disappearing to their audience¡¯s surprise. Enough of the wounds that kept them unable to move disappeared. Saki and Seiji rose first looking with surprise to see Yuki kneeling next to them. ¡°What happened?¡± she asked with the last minute hazy. ¡°I found you all collapsed with the demons closing in. I¡¯m holding them off for now, but we¡¯re completely surrounded.¡± ¡°¡­dammit¡­¡± Seiji muttered to himself, keeping oddly silent. Yumi pulled herself up and to her feet quickly once she could move her body. Even with her body weakened, she ignored the imbalance that fought her to remain upright. The dull pounding of the demons barely a few meters away reminded her that the situation remained unchanged. ¡®It wasn¡¯t enough¡­ I need to be stronger¡­ I¡¯m still too weak¡­¡¯ Caught up in her thoughts, it was a while before she noticed Yuki grabbing her hand. ¡°You¡¯re still mending. Please don¡¯t think about going back out to fight, Yumi.¡± She hesitated seeing the look in his eyes, the worry and concern for her life. However, if she did nothing, how would they get out of the situation? Yumi glanced around the barrier seeing all of the hungry demons wanting a piece of her. ¡°If you keep healing my wounds, I can fight.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a healthy way to fight, you¡¯re going to still lose blood!¡± ¡°But what choice do we have?!¡± ¡°It may be our only option, Yuki,¡± Saki agreed with some reluctance, ¡°It¡¯s not like it¡¯s the only time you¡¯ve done it.¡± ¡°The lethality is different!¡± Suddenly a loud roar ripped through the battle. A roar that came from no demon or beast. It even startled the demons that started to turn towards the sound. Another roar came out worse than the last. An unearthly sound came from the north that couldn¡¯t be produced from any mouth or throat. It had no likeness to compare for any familiarity. They were left with the unsatisfactory simplification of a roar. It crawled through the ranks with a deep penetrating echo that twisted and shifted pitch the more it went. Arriving closer with fewer obstructions, a flash of light and cries went with each. Demons were dying in mass to the unknown sound and it came closer. Then it struck the barrier Yuki constructed. Within an instant a tear ripped through his barrier fully exposing them to the dangers. An act that shocked Yuki more than rest, as he knew the strength necessary to do such a thing with ease.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Through the raining blood of demons, a figure appeared. Pained whispers from the demons that witnessed the carnage first hand passed along eerie echoes. ¡°The woman. Demonslayer.¡± As the figure came more clearly in view Saki recalled their name. ¡°Masa¡­¡± Chapter 422 ¨C A True Blade Not looking as keenly at the battle as Saki, Seiji looked over at her to confirm it. ¡°That scary ass woman from before?!¡± ¡°I¡¯d never forget a face like that.¡± ¡°That explains the power¡­¡± Yumi remained out of the loop and stared out at the figure barely getting any sort of sense of them. There was too much demon blood covering them up. They carved an even more bloody path of destruction than her. While she wanted answers, the demons completely gave up on them. The commander redirected the army to the woman. They lost interest in their group. And the way the leader reacted, treated the single woman as a far greater threat. All of the bloodlust for her death faded away. Tossed aside almost made her feel annoyed that after everything, she was no longer even worth the time. Yet at the same time, considering what she saw the woman do it was clear that they were in a completely different league than Yumi or any of her friends. None of them could even compare. It was actually a bit awe inspiring that there was someone so vastly out classing them that she couldn¡¯t even see where the mountain began to even start the climb. It felt similar to that Demon Lord she met, but very different. It took her almost a minute to be pulled away from carnage that the woman wrought upon the demons. She looked back at her friends seeing different reactions from them. Yumi remembered that they seemed like they knew her. ¡°Do you know them? Someone that you met?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, we didn¡¯t get around to all the details yet.¡± ¡°Yeah, we shit ourselves finding her, while looking for you.¡± ¡°So she¡¯s an ally?¡± Saki looked over at the vast sea of death the woman left in her wake. The battle nearly came to an end already. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. All we know is that she¡¯s not an enemy at least, for now.¡± Yuki lowered his Field, having finished healing everyone. Staring down the field, he couldn¡¯t see much of anything but flashes of lights. He knew nothing about what was happening with any clarity. He could only make guesses, but given what he witnessed so far, it was pretty to him. ¡°Someone with that sort of power is not one we want as an enemy¡­¡± Ease of killing all of the demons and cracking his barrier left his body sweating. The power difference felt nothing like what he had seen before. Even the seemingly impossible heights that he scraped to reach to beat Demosthenes, Eudokia and even Takako felt like hills in comparison to what he saw unfold. There was a gulf he wondered if any of them could even attempt to cross. ¡°Maybe because it¡¯s not real¡­¡± ¡°What the hell do you want to do?¡± Seiji asked, getting a real sense of everyone¡¯s hesitancy. He already felt the woman¡¯s power before and this was calm in comparison. He wasn¡¯t interested in that again. ¡°If I had to guess, they were the ones the demons were after, not Yumi.¡± Yuki nodded in agreement. ¡°You might be right. They were just looking for a woman, we merely assumed it had to be Yumi because of her actions. But what did she do to get their wraith?¡± ¡°I heard something about a Demon Lord, but it¡¯s only a guess that it could be related to what we saw.¡± ¡°And her name is Masa?¡± Yumi checked to confirm correctly. She found herself tilting her head to stare at the woman more. A small compulsion drew her sight back towards the woman. ¡°That¡¯s the name Seiji got out of her before she left.¡± ¡°Masa¡­¡± Yumi turned to walk away from them with the mysterious swordswoman in her sights. ¡°Where are you going, Yumi?¡± ¡®There¡¯s something familiar about it. I feel like I know that name from somewhere. But where? Why does it seem like something I know? Something that I heard¡­ But I don¡¯t know it¡­¡¯ Questions mounted for Yumi the longer she tried to solve the identity of the woman. She was a complete stranger to her. That much she could be certain. There was nothing about her that was familiar to her, physically. She never saw her before. She was certain. And yet was not. She couldn¡¯t be certain. Something tugged on her. She felt compelled to keep walking. She had questions and even more that she wanted from the woman. Keeping her distance from the stranger wasn¡¯t an option. Suddenly, Saki grabbed her arm trying to stop her. ¡°What are you doing, Yumi? We know nothing about her and possibly by luck or capriciousness were spared in our last encounter.¡± The shaking in Saki¡¯s hands made it clear, though it also surprised Yumi to discover. She looked back at Seiji, finding the same thing. ¡®They¡¯re afraid of the woman. I¡¯ve never seen Saki scared before¡­ But why? I don¡¯t see any reason.¡¯ Roars of the last demon to fall brought a finality to the silence. A violent peace was achieved for the town. Yumi turned away from Saki, not willing to accept the same sort of fear that they grew. She pulled her arm free and walked into a hurried pace. Even before the blade could return its sheath the woman started to walk away. Yumi would miss her chance if she delayed. Disappearing from the spot, she used a burst of speed to get around to the woman before she disappeared. It was almost like a natural disaster. Completely merciless to all and fade away as if nothing even happened. ¡°Excuse me! You¡¯re named Masa, right?¡± The woman paused with a new interruption before her. Still holding her bloodied blade, she flicked the blood to the ground. ¡°And who are you?¡± ¡°I saw you fighting. You were able to kill them all so effortlessly while I struggled.¡± Saki and the others caught up to Yumi finally trying to pull her away before she made another mistake like Seiji. ¡°I thought I told you that we needed to go check on the townspeople,¡± she made up trying to get Yumi away safely. However, Yumi immediately protested and broke free again. ¡°What are you doing?!¡± ¡°You¡¯re strong, very strong. I want to learn your technique!¡± Chapter 423 - Cant Say No ¡°Yumi!?¡± shouted Saki and Yuki. They tried together to pull Yumi away from the mysterious woman. Yuki could tell just from the aura that she cast how dangerous the woman was without needing to ask the others. ¡°What are you thinking, Yumi?¡± asked Saki trying to keep her voice down. She still had no idea of the temperament of the woman. ¡°This woman killed a demon of unimaginable power alone and wiped out that army of demons.¡± Yumi stared at Saki for a moment in confusion. She already knew that her friend was scared of the woman, but she was surprised that Saki couldn¡¯t see it. It was pretty natural. ¡°That¡¯s the point. She¡¯s powerful and I want to know how she got that way.¡± ¡°But she could just as easily kill you. We don¡¯t know if she¡¯s an ally.¡± ¡°She¡¯s killing demons, there much else to question?¡± ¡°Yes! Killing demons doesn¡¯t mean she¡¯s on our side.¡± ¡°You¡¯re being a little narrow minded.¡± ¡°You¡¯re being reckless and na?ve, Yumi!¡± Turning away from the arguing, the woman sheathed her sword and began to depart the battlefield. Like before, she left as quickly as she arrived with nothing keeping her tied down. She managed to make it a short distance away before Yumi broke free from Saki to catch up to her. The blood soaked woman stared down at Yumi. There was a silent order for Yumi to move, but she refused. ¡°I want you to teach me!¡± Despite the order, Yumi remained in her path. Rather than give an answer, she pushed on through bumping Yumi out of the way. Yet Yumi refused to accept that as an answer. She moved to get in the woman¡¯s way again. It was hard to tell if this was irritating the woman or not, her face remained like stone. Actions repeated between the two as it became a little hard to watch. More force continued to be applied with each failure to understand intent. Yumi fell to the ground coughing up the dirt from the latest of her refusals. Crashing into the earth covered her in dirt and caked into her clothes. She pushed up off the ground getting back to her feet even with her legs rattling. ¡°I¡¯m not stopping until you speak!¡± She stood in the woman¡¯s way again as she had so many times before. Masa stared at her with a slight flicker of emotion surfacing in her eyes before fading swiftly. Both¡¯s determination clashed in their refusal to accept the other. However, the clash sent Yumi to the ground still. Yet that wasn¡¯t enough. Her friends only watched, knowing that they could no longer interfere. It was a path that she determined, even if it was difficult to watch. Blood dripped out of her mouth from the impact of the last hit. The power with each definitely increased. She no longer held back on her strength, even though it was clear that it remained hardly a percentage of her true power. Yumi couldn¡¯t be swayed by the injury and climbed back into position. ¡°I will make you say something!¡± It almost seemed like she forgot the entire purpose. It became about something different. Wills battled each other in a pointless struggle that had only meaning to them. Bruised and beaten, Yumi continued to get up again and again, finding strength. Something deep inside her fueled her body to move. She just kept standing. A little bit of emotion slipped through Masa from the last hit. Panting and struggling to breath, Yumi stood staring at the woman with blood down her face. ¡°Got anything to say?¡± Silence. Unable to refrain further, Yuki ran out behind Masa shouting over her shoulder at Yumi. ¡°Stop, Yumi, you''re going to die at this rate!¡± ¡°No! I will see her acknowledge me!¡± ¡°Yumi¡­¡± Glancing briefly over her shoulder at Yuki, Masa stared at him for a moment before looking at Yumi. Displaying a brief moment of her real power, Masa disappeared from everyone¡¯s sight. A wet and ugly sound ripped through the air with none of them able to react before it was long over. Blood sprayed through the air as Yumi¡¯s mouth forcibly coughed up blood. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Leaving Yumi behind, Masa began walking away from the stubborn woman. Yuki ran over to Yumi shouting out to her. Her entire body was completely broken. Blood poured out from her mouth and the hole in her stomach. She looked lifeless in his eyes. Glaring down the field at the back of Masa walking away like it didn¡¯t affect her, he felt his control slipping. Rings quickly started to expel from him as the earth rumbled ominously. Saki quickly appeared at his side, interrupting him. ¡°She¡¯s still alive, Yuki! I can hear her heart. She needs your attention now!¡± ¡°Yumi?!¡± ¡°She¡¯s still fighting, Yuki.¡± The Field shattered and quickly a new ripple washed out from him. ¡°Dammit¡­I never knew she could be so stubborn¡­¡± His healing effect already started to have an effect on Yumi as she coughed up blood clearing her throat. ¡°Yumi!¡± Chapter 423 ¨C Can¡¯t Say No Fully recovered, Yumi stood back up testing out every part of her body. Things were sluggish for her since she lost even more blood from the encounter with Masa. Once she felt everything was functional, she stared off in the direction that the swordswoman disappeared. Her hands tightened up with frustration. ¡®She¡¯s out there¡­¡¯ ¡°You¡¯re doing some stupid as hell thing like going after her again are you, Yumi?¡± asked Seiji. It was a strange thing for Yumi to hear him not feeling confident. Even against the seemingly worst and most powerful enemies that they faced down, he still had the confidence and certainty to win. All of his losses never seemed to get him down, only made him more resolute in winning the next time. Yet now, she could tell that he really didn¡¯t want to see Masa again. She turned away and looked back at the town. Half destroyed from the demon''s opening attack and the entire field outside wrecked for years likely. The demon essence would be lethal to everything. Yumi looked back at Yuki as she realized the words of that old man. ¡°We need to get back to the town. It¡¯s not healthy for Yuki to stand around here.¡± ¡°Healthy?¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing the demon¡¯s body is poisonous or something?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. It takes days for it to become inert, but with this much something worse might happen.¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably for the best then that we keep Yuki and Nerine away from this.¡± A ring came out from his feet responding quickly to the potential threat. ¡°I¡¯ll keep a Field up then until it¡¯s all clear. ¡°Good idea. We need to find Nerine.¡± ¡°I told her to follow up when I left to find you all. But she should have arrived a long time ago.¡± Yuki hurried his pace becoming worried when he thought about the fact that they still hadn¡¯t seen her. The amount of time passed should have had them run across her. ¡°Nerine!¡± he called out with the communication device. A pause filled the air as they kept running towards the town. Each passing second made the uncertainty mount. It seemed unlikely that she would have died with the way things turned out, but the silence made no sense. Nothing still. They made it out of the land of death and into the town. Though with all of their walking, they hadn¡¯t found Nerine yet. Yuki looked around hoping that he might spot her somewhere. There was no one still. Dropping his Field, he changed to search. It didn¡¯t take long for him to locate a signal. ¡°I think I found her! She¡¯s out in the middle of the dead demons.¡± Seiji leapt out in front of Yuki scanning the horizon. ¡°You think she passed out or some shit?¡± He kept on the hopeful side of things. But he quickly demanded directions from Yuki. ¡°Where?¡± ¡°To your left a little and about half a kilometer.¡± He disappeared quickly from Yuki¡¯s sight. Trusting him with the rescue, everyone turned back to town. A wreck from what they saw, though half of it remained salvageable for the people that used to live in it. Taking up point, Saki marched out ahead of the others. ¡°We should let them know it¡¯s safe again, for now¡­¡± Yumi nodded quietly while vaguely keeping her eyes focused on the road. While she followed them, her mind remained distracted. Everything that happened ran through her thoughts. Parts replayed for her as she saw the battles with the demons. Her mind sorted out what happened trying to find what happened. Despite facing someone powerful, they didn¡¯t feel anywhere as powerful as her pet demon. Yet she still lost to the demon. Before she knew it, they had guided her to the forest where they hid the townspeople. As Yuki and Saki explained things to them, she faintly paid attention. She picked through the conversation. It was clear that the townspeople didn¡¯t want to go back to their homes, not after the demons completely wrecked their lives. None of them felt safe anymore. It was certainly an understandable sort of feeling. Though Yumi wondered where they would go if they didn¡¯t return home. They had nothing left if they didn¡¯t. She stared down at the town through the trees and rolling hills. The perch they had from the forest gave a clear view of the destruction wrought upon the town. It wasn¡¯t going to be easy to rebuild. The worst part was the vast amounts of demon blood and bodies that tainted the land. Nothing would grow for them in their lifetimes most likely. And that wasn¡¯t even a certainty with the demons stirred up. This didn¡¯t feel like it was going to be the end. That woman out there would likely continue to draw the demon''s attention. ¡®Where was someone so powerful? If she was around she could have freed all of these people with that power. Why is she here only now? What¡¯s going on?¡¯ While Yumi pondered the endless questions, Seiji returned from his rescue with Nerine in his arms. She was unconscious, likely from poisoning by the demons. Yumi stared disconnected from it all just watching Yuki struggle to figure it out. None of it felt real to her anymore. Her thoughts went elsewhere for her. But he managed to save her life before the demon poison claimed her. Things were calm once more. Yumi stood up and stepped out of the forest staring out at the horizon. The beckoning light of the sun spoke to her. She knew what it was telling her. It was what she already felt before. Yuki came up behind her touching her shoulder to get her attention. ¡°You alright? You¡¯ve been really distant ever since¡­¡± ¡°Yeah¡­fine¡­¡± ¡°Yumi?¡± He seemed to be sensing it in her. Yumi saw it in his eyes. She looked away from him even though it was pointless. There was no running from it. They were just going to have to understand. She already made her choice. ¡°Once everything is settled here, we¡¯re going after that woman. I must find Masa again.¡± Chapter 424 - Empty Trails ¡°The woman nearly killed you last time.¡± ¡°But she didn¡¯t. She could have, but didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Well yeah, but what about next time?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll face that when I come to it. I have to see her again.¡± ¡°Is there a reason you feel so strongly about it?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t really explain it, but something about her seems familiar. Ever since I heard her name, it¡¯s like something inside me knows her. I don¡¯t know why. I¡¯ve never seen her before, but there has to be a reason for it. I want to know why.¡± ¡°You sure part of it isn¡¯t because she¡¯s strong?¡± ¡°Maybe a little.¡± Yuki grinned seeing an improved look on her face. She turned back away from the view to look at the gathering. ¡®I¡¯m going to lose time, but I can¡¯t leave things unfinished here¡­¡¯ Chapter 424 ¨C Empty Trails Two days after the battle, Yumi and her friends could finally leave. Yuki and Nerine helped with the reconstruction in discrete methods that went unnoticed by the townspeople, thanks to some clever distractions by Saki. Life improved quickly for them, though the fear of another demon attack still loomed over their heads. However, the fact that the demons were after Masa helped to give them some relief. It was nothing that they did. Not that it was a certainty. Small things to give comfort. Yumi knew things could get worse if the greatest of their fears came to pass. Nothing would save them then. The only comfort she had was knowing it wasn¡¯t real. Something that slipped from her mind more often lately than she cared to admit. Yumi led the group on the search for the mysterious woman known as Masa. Two days behind, she had a lot of ground to cover and nothing to go by. The demon attack on the town shutdown any trade. Everyone turned around once they saw the carnage. Getting any rumors to what might be happening beyond proved impossible. They were going to need to get to a new village or town for any hopes of a rumor. The only thing working in their favor would be that she likely would have left an easy trail to follow. Just needed to find dead demons. She got up to speed on Masa from Saki, learning that she had started to make a sudden name for herself in the West. Her mysterious and convenient appearance left Yumi with a lot of questions. There were things that she still didn¡¯t understand. However, the most important thing wasn¡¯t the questions, but getting stronger. She had to survive in this demon world until Phoibe rescued them and it seemed Masa¡¯s actions were making things worse. If an army was stirred up by her slaying of a Demon Lord, there was no telling how much worse the world would be to live in with a war between demons and humans raging once more. She had to find Masa quickly. Unfortunately, the first village that they found on their trip had nothing to work from. The only rumors that they had were from the battle that they were part of. Though thanks to no eye witnesses to the battle, the tales of the battle drastically exploded out of control. The tale of a merciless demon slaying woman killing thousands of demons in a single swing of her sword spread quickly. There seemed to be a hint of excitement and hope in the people that they spoke to about the stories. They all became more worried about the state of Japan after visiting a few more villages. The acceptance that Yumi saw before of the beaten down and defeatist attitude no longer seemed to be present. A bold and dangerous air started to circulate. Saki flipped Yumi on her back after another failed attempt at an attack. It was a rest time for Yuki and Nerine after going all day and night on their power. Yuki hadn¡¯t recovered enough yet from his first shift. So at Yumi¡¯s insistence, she sparred with Saki. Rolling over, Yumi got back to her feet. Nothing had changed for an hour. She focused back on Saki trying to formulate a plan of attack. Everything she tried before failed. ¡®I just can¡¯t see her movements¡­ She¡¯s too fast¡­¡¯ The constant rock, Saki accepted any attack Yumi prepared. ¡°Remember to watch everything, Yumi. The slightest movement or flinch can give away your opponent¡¯s action. You¡¯ve been fighting only on instinct, but if you want to improve you¡¯re going to need to start seeing and observing.¡± Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Yumi already knew it, Saki just continued to repeat it as though she hadn¡¯t heard it ten times before. ¡®Her left foot¡­but also her right side¡­and her eyes are looking to my left¡­¡¯ She saw different possibilities, they all could be an attack or even a feint. But none of that mattered as Saki disappeared from her sight and appeared behind her. Her arms quickly got her in a submission hold and then threw her to the ground in a pin. ¡°You also can¡¯t over think the problem. A skilled opponent will give off false moves as tricks and leave their real action hidden.¡± Sighing, she surrendered the round to Saki again. ¡°I¡¯m never going to get this¡­¡± ¡°It takes time. You¡¯ve been fighting on instinct for months and never had any formal training. Undoing instinct is not easy. You just need practice.¡± ¡°Hey don¡¯t talk shit about instinct!¡± shouted Seiji, not ignoring all of the advice Saki handed out, almost like a passive aggressive attack on him. ¡°And don¡¯t pay attention to him.¡± ¡°The hell?!¡± ¡°Seiji¡¯s a special case. Years of street fights have given an inherent second sense for fighting that you don¡¯t have the luxury of earning.¡± Manekamaru kept his usual soft smile watching their antics play out. He kept Seiji company watching the two women fight it out. ¡°You two have an amusing relationship.¡± ¡°She¡¯s a pain in the ass and makes no sense,¡± he replied, crossing his arms to look away. ¡°The best things are never easy.¡± ¡°Is that why you¡¯re letting Yumi get stronger? Once Saki¡¯s finished with her, she might just end up completely kicking your ass.¡± The demon lightly chuckled at Seiji¡¯s suggestion. ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound too bad.¡± ¡°You really just want her to kill you. I don¡¯t get that shit.¡± ¡°Live for centuries with no way home and no purpose, let me know if what you desire makes sense at that point.¡± ¡°So even you admit it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just not something I worry about. Besides, I haven¡¯t felt this alive in a long time. I¡¯m not missing our rematch.¡± Seiji nodded, getting that part well enough. ¡°That¡¯s some shit I can understand.¡± He glanced over at Yuki in thought before looking back at the demon. ¡°Things are getting a little scary now.¡± The last village they visited still fell within eyeshot of them. He saw it over Manekamaru¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Yes, this is an unexpected turn of events.¡± ¡°Who the hell is that woman though? You sure you don¡¯t know her?¡± ¡°As I¡¯ve said before, I¡¯m not the best one to ask. Being isolated from the rest of the humans, we only take notice when they do something. We don¡¯t monitor them. A different clan might know something more.¡± ¡°But how does someone that insanely powerful just magically appear one day. She could have wiped out half of you guys the way shit¡¯s going.¡± ¡°Which is worrisome, but in the end it may be for the best.¡± ¡°Still on about dying. I¡¯ll never understand you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s probably for the best.¡± Grumbling a little, Seiji pressed against the rock, cracking it a little from his strength. He really wasn¡¯t getting anywhere with the demon. His way of thinking didn¡¯t make any sense for Seiji. Wanting to fight just to die seemed backwards, he couldn¡¯t fight anymore if he did. Yet that didn¡¯t seem to be a concern for him. After a few more hours of rest, Yuki finished recovering to be able to start back up on the road along with Nerine. She actually seemed to bounce back sooner than him with them both ready. But he still took the first shift and eventually swapped out with Nerine later. Days trickled out for them in their traveling over all of West Japan in hunting down the rumors of Masa. They managed to get far enough away from the battle they were part of that it hadn¡¯t reached the villages that they visited. It did mean that the rumors started to disappear. Though not all of them were misses. Masa caused just enough of a scene in the places that she traveled to leave spotty rumors. They had just enough to track to the next point, but not enough to actually be getting close. The rumors were a day old most times, putting them further back than they wished. All they hoped for was the time between the rumors shortening. Yumi worried more than anything that it would take too long to catch up to Masa. She moved quickly and didn¡¯t stick around for long. The rate at which the situation in West Japan continued to boil increased at an alarming pace. It didn¡¯t seem like it would be long before something happened. And she was afraid of what that might be. ¡°Are you the Demon Hunter?¡± a random boy asked, coming up to Yumi suddenly during their visit. They had been in the town for an hour or so asking around for rumors. She looked down at the boy, likely only eight or nine, not sure how he might have heard about her. Yumi knelt down to meet with the boy at eye level. ¡°There¡¯s no Demon Hunters out here,¡± she replied, knowing better about the situation. She couldn¡¯t keep the mistakes going that she started. No additional fire needed to be added. ¡°But you¡¯re one.¡± ¡°Why do you think that?¡± He seemed oddly insistent about it being true. Yumi¡¯s face twisted a little in confusion, not sure why he pressed the issue. The boy jumped up excitedly for her. ¡°Because you kill demons!¡± ¡°I kill demons? Did someone tell you that?¡± ¡°You do, don¡¯t you?¡± He almost seemed to be pleading with her through his eyes. The desperation for something to believe in something that would save him was almost tangible for her. ¡®Is this what¡¯s happened to them now? Given a little bit of hope, they need that reassurance that their lives could be better? But I can¡¯t do anything about it.¡¯ The boy stared at her not understanding the greater forces at play. His world was a simple one that just needed someone to look up to. Yumi sighed, relenting to the boy finally. ¡°I do.¡± The boy¡¯s eyes lit up with excitement and energy. ¡°I knew it! You¡¯re the hero that¡¯s going to save all of us!¡± He ran off carrying the enthusiasm in his step disappearing out of sight. Yumi smiled softly watching him. She didn¡¯t think about keeping her presence down. Seeing his happiness was enough for the risk of it. Turning away, Yumi began walking back to the square to meet with her friends. However, she found herself stopped before reaching the next street. Two hooded figures cut off her paths. They didn¡¯t have the same sort of presence of a demon, but they were looking for trouble. ¡°What do you want?¡± A third figure came out of the shadows from the side drawing Yumi¡¯s attention immediately. Rolling the hood off their head, they revealed themselves to a mid-aged man with scars all over his face, likely having seen plenty of battles. He had a commanding presence just from the stare he fixed on her. ¡°By order of the Demon Hunter Association, you¡¯re under arrest for impersonating one of our Order.¡± Chapter 424 - Locked Hunter Yumi immediately went on guard, her eyes focused on their movements. ¡®They actually came into demon control lands just to find me!¡¯ She scanned the exits again trying to see if there were any openings. Like what Saki taught her, she could see hints of what she talked about. The experience of fighting and killing, the disguise and feints. They were ready for her. Only one question remained for her, could they actually stop her? Did they have the power to do it? Chapter 425 ¨C Locked Hunter Staring at the leader, she refrained from taking action. Being in a town gave her pause to do anything dramatic. ¡®They¡¯re using the town against me, aren¡¯t they?¡¯ Yumi glanced around the road past her pursuers. ¡®I¡¯d feel better if Saki or anyone was nearby.¡¯ Her mind kept trying to find out. She had several ideas for an escape, but it came down to the biggest uncertainty that she had. ¡®Manekamaru said all of the humans are weaker than they used to be. Masa seems an exception to that. If they¡¯re that weak, but still battle demons, they must have other ways of doing that. They wouldn¡¯t knowingly face down someone that they couldn¡¯t beat.¡¯ It worried her about what sort of tricks that they had for fighting demons. She knew nothing about how the real Demon Hunters fought. Any sort of speculation that she had previously came from her ideas dreamed up from media. She imagined them being like herself or the demons, possessing special abilities or powers to battle the demons. ¡°I didn¡¯t know saving people was a crime,¡± she replied finally, starting to stall. Yumi just needed one of her friends to find her to give her the opening that she needed. ¡°Falsely claimed to be a Demon Hunter is however.¡± ¡®He¡¯s not really taking the bait. I¡¯m not going to be able to delay this for long.¡¯ She had to keep things going though for as long as possible. Getting captured at this point would only waste her time. ¡°Do you even have proof of your claim? Not to mention, I¡¯m supposed to just take the word of a stranger that they¡¯re an actual Demon Hunter?¡± ¡°You would dare to mock our sacred Order?¡± Yumi kept her grin hidden, seeing that touched a nerve with him. Poking into the man¡¯s pride worked well in her favor. But she had to keep it up. ¡°I¡¯ll leave right now since you have nothing but words.¡± Her stalling however ended as she forced the man to show his hand before he wanted. Pulling out his hand from under his cloak, the scarred man opened his palm flat to Yumi. ¡°I¡¯ve got proof spoken directly from you.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Yumi leaned back a bit, caught off guard by the man. She was only trying to stall him, she didn¡¯t expect for him to show evidence. All she thought that they had on her was rumors. ¡®What did they find?¡¯ Light formed in the man¡¯s hand becoming an orb of semi-transparent energy. Yumi had yet to see anything like it in this world. She had no idea what it did. ¡°Are you the Demon Hunter?¡± a voice asked. Yumi immediately recognized the question. ¡®The boy from earlier!¡¯ ¡°There¡¯s no Demon Hunters out here.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re one.¡± ¡°Why do you think that?¡± ¡°Because you kill demons!¡± She stared over at the man brimming with confidence. The entire conversation she had with the boy was recorded. Her hands clenched up. ¡®They used that boy to get a confession out of me! Of all of the low things to sink to¡­¡¯ ¡°I kill demons? Did someone tell you that?¡± ¡°You do, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I do.¡± A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. The man closed his hand and returned it back under his cloak. ¡°That¡¯s all the proof we need.¡± A bit of relief came out of Yumi. She couldn¡¯t remember the exact phrasing of the conversation. She just remembered letting the boy know that she did what he believed her to do. ¡°All you¡¯ve got is proof of me saying I kill demons, not claiming to be a Demon Hunter, which I¡¯m not. And unless you¡¯ve got a problem with that, you might want to take it up with the few bounty hunters that kill demons too.¡± He no longer seemed willing to entertain Yumi. A look from his eyes seemed to be the signal for his men to start moving in on her. ¡°Killing bounties isn¡¯t the same as slaughtering countless demons. There is an order to this world and those that refuse to follow it will be punished.¡± ¡°And letting innocent humans live in fear of death, torture and worse? I¡¯m content with the side of order I¡¯m on.¡± Suddenly, there were mumblings from the two cloaked figures that stalked her. Yumi went fully into a defensive stance prepared for whatever attack they were chanting. ¡®It can¡¯t be too powerful, I doubt they want any attention. I¡¯ll be able to break it and escape in the shock.¡¯ However, rather than an attack, gold chains leapt out of the ground all around her. They wrapped quickly around her legs and arms pinning stakes into the earth. More chains wrapped around her waist and neck as they pulled her towards the ground. Yumi fought against the power with all her strength. ¡®These are more powerful than they look¡­ I don¡¯t know if I can break these¡­¡¯ ¡°Your strength is impressive, but these can restrain even a Lord class demon. You will be coming with us.¡± ¡°Dammit¡­¡± Yumi dropped to one knee unable to keep her legs from buckling under the power. Across the town, Saki and Seiji met back up, returning to the meet up. ¡°Anything?¡± ¡°Just the same shit we¡¯ve already heard. Slayings in the east. She moves quickly.¡± ¡°Yeah, we might never catch up to her.¡± They passed by a few houses making it back to the center. Saki sat down against the well waiting for the others to return. ¡°Though I think there might be something more going on.¡± Seiji stood next to her watching the road for their friends. ¡°The swordswoman? She does feel off.¡± ¡°If we assume the world has a purpose to Yumi, she might be it. Though for all we know that purpose is to kill Yumi.¡± ¡°We sure as hell can¡¯t stop her if it comes to that. Other than Nerine or Yuki.¡± ¡°Yes and I¡¯m not sure that¡¯ll work. They do control this world probably. We may be doing something futile.¡± Seiji crossed his arms, not happy with the suggestion. ¡°We¡¯ll make this shit work somehow. This isn¡¯t the first time the odds were against us.¡± ¡°Yes, but this is the first time someone literally controls those odds.¡± ¡°Yeah, but we¡ª¡° A clearly suspicious looking figure appeared in the middle of the street. Seiji didn¡¯t need them to tell him that as they started to stare at him. His battle sense told him enough. Looking over at Saki to give her the warning, he saw that she already went on alert. ¡°Think it¡¯s another demon?¡± Tilting her head back in the other direction of the road, Saki found another similarly appearing individual. ¡°Maybe, but I doubt it. They haven¡¯t been ones for subtlety.¡± ¡°So who¡¯d you think we pissed off to get this attention?¡± ¡°Likely the Association.¡± ¡°How the hell did they manage to get inside?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not really going to be the matter right now¡­¡± Appearing out of the shadows a third figure stepped out walking towards Saki. They walked up to Saki keeping cloaked, while stared down at her. ¡°Saki Furukawa, how surprising to find you out here. I don¡¯t believe bounties are put on demons in the West.¡± Her eyes narrowed immediately as they knew more about her than she expected. Then it all clicked for her as she recognized the shadowy voice. ¡°Shuichi Raikatuji, should have known the Association would send you.¡± Seiji stepped next to Saki trying to figure out what was going on. ¡°Someone you know, Saki?¡± ¡°Unfortunately. We had run-ins when I first arrived.¡± ¡°Order and laws are there to protect the citizens.¡± ¡°Except for when it allows you to shun innocent lives.¡± ¡°Everything we do is an absolute necessity for peace. Sacrifice is needed in times like this.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just interested in maintaining your power, peace and sacrifice are just gold painted shit, it¡¯s still shit.¡± It surprised Seiji how much the man seemed to get under her skin. Seeing Saki so emotional was a rare sight. ¡®What sort of history do they have? What happened before we met?¡¯ However, there was no room to ask questions. Saki threw barbed words out of character for her while the man kept an oily nature almost completely unaffected by her assault. Eventually, in what was definitely the most hostile way to catch up, Saki crossed her arms and stepped straight into his personal space nearly inside his cloak. It was enough to get the attention of the two with him, though Shuichi motioned them down. ¡°You¡¯re not here to rub your self-righteous ego in my face, so what do you want?¡± ¡°I would have thought you would have figured it out. I¡¯m working, like in all of our encounters.¡± ¡°You have such an admirable work ethic. No, why is your stench in my nose today?¡± Finally removing the hood revealing the countless scars on his face, he looked over at the figure to his left. ¡°I¡¯ve come to request that you join me in my return to the Capital.¡± He motioned with an open hand in the direction of the cloaked figure and out of the town. ¡°Now I know you¡¯ll have plenty of well chosen words for me. But bounty hunting is illegal in the West. But you already know that. So I¡¯ll make it even easier for you. I¡¯ve got that lying Demon Hunter in custody already as well as her lover. And if you¡¯re considering your other two traveling companions, the man and woman are also in our hands as well. They came along quietly, as I imagine you will too.¡± A dark smirk came over his lips as he towered over Saki with his presence and arrogance. He held every card against her. ¡®Dammit¡­he¡¯s got everyone as a hostage. I¡¯ve heard how skilled he is at capturing¡­ I¡¯m not sure I could break them free that easily. Worse, Yuki just gave himself up.¡¯ She knew well enough from his powers, that he could have easily defeated them all. And they didn¡¯t know that they would need to knock him out. Which only left her with one conclusion. ¡®He must be doing this because he¡¯s either got a plan or retaining his support role in leaving things up to Yumi¡­ I can¡¯t imagine that she¡¯s going to be willing to sit this out.¡¯ Regardless of the future though, Saki saw she had no options at the moment. She could only follow along with things as they progressed. It was just hard to swallow knowing that it was Shuichi that tracked them down. ¡®At worst, we can break out later with Yuki¡¯s power if needed. Though I doubt Yumi will be happy about losing any trace of Masa.¡¯ Lowering her arms to her said, she relinquished her defense. ¡°Fine, since you were so gracious to send me an invitation.¡± ¡°Good. I¡¯ll be sure to give you the best accommodations.¡± Chapter 426 - Undesired Return In complete darkness and almost no room to move, there were no hints of what was happening. Not even the signs of a bumpy road from travel or shifting weight from turning. The acceleration inertia didn¡¯t exist. A complete void lacking any sort of connection to reality. ¡°At least we¡¯re on our backs,¡± Yuki said optimistically, ¡°The way he threatened I thought it¡¯d be worse.¡± All six of them laid on their backs side by side with no range of movement. They could lift their arms only a few centimeters making it impossible to even cross arms. Whatever container that held them rigidly held them in place at their chest making even breathing a little difficult. It was uncomfortable and not healthy to breathe so shallowly, likely meant to weaken the prisoner. Due to the transportation method, they didn¡¯t even know how the group would cross the demon wall. That part still remained a mystery for them. Though it was more of a concern for what their future would be rather than what they did to cross the border. ¡°We can¡¯t move and are completely isolated from any other space,¡± bemoaned Saki, ¡°I¡¯m not really interested in the bright side.¡± ¡°It does save us the trouble though. If any war is going to happen, it¡¯ll probably be easier to do something about it on the human side.¡± ¡°Speaking of that,¡± Seiji interrupted, ¡°Why the hell are you here with us, Manekamaru? You¡¯re a demon.¡± ¡°If my rival is going to the East I will too.¡± ¡°That simple, huh?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I can understand that shit. Just didn¡¯t think you¡¯d let yourself be arrested with the rest of us.¡± ¡°Oh I don¡¯t believe this is the end. I look forward to seeing how things turn out.¡± ¡°You sound like you¡¯re having fun ass time.¡± Seiji turned his head and pressed more than the rest, having a larger frame than the others. At his left was Saki while on the right was the demon, further down next the demon was Nerine and then Yuki and Yumi on the other side of Saki. ¡°So what¡¯s your story, Saki?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°That old man that you were getting into a pissing contest with.¡± ¡°Pissing contest?¡± asked Yuki, a little surprised to hear that Saki had someone that ticked her off. One of the valued qualities that Saki possessed was being composed. ¡°What he do to get on your bad side?¡± Saki remained silent, keeping an immediate answer hidden. She tried to find the best way to explain it without getting into unnecessary amounts of details. ¡°It¡¯s less about him specifically and more the Association itself. He¡¯s just the one I dealt with.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s still not really an answer.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­fine¡­¡± Chapter 426 ¨C Undesired Return ¡°Shuichi Raikatuji, a respected Demon Hunter, if you ask anyone in the Association that is.¡± She in truth knew little about the man that wasn¡¯t more than rumors. After their first encounter, she tried to keep out of his influence. Though that didn¡¯t always prove successful. ¡°They¡¯re really on your shit list,¡± noted Seiji, remembering that she didn¡¯t speak very well of them in almost any time she had to talk about them. The way she sounded made it seem like they were worse than the demons, the true villains in this world. But she never fully explained it. Seiji got enough of a picture from her that they were assholes at least. She barely acknowledged Seiji¡¯s comment as she continued, ¡°He is the leader of a special group within the Association known as the Reverse Eyes.¡± ¡°That man¡¯s their head,¡± Manekamaru jumped in, having heard things about them. ¡°Most demons don¡¯t know or care to pay much attention to the Demon Hunters, but the Reverse Eyes are well known. Their exploits certainly show the darker aspects of humans.¡± ¡°So he¡¯s a shitty bad guy.¡± Saki clinched her hand tightly together. ¡°I wish I could say he is. The problem with him is that he¡¯s sanctioned by the government in all his actions and the actions he takes are always in the best interests of the survival of the country.¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°But doing what¡¯s needed is not always good or moral.¡± Yuki could see where Saki took it. An all too common sort of tale to spin a dark sort of justice where the results justify the action. Inhuman actions for the sake of a better future. The world within Yumi constantly reminded him of how complex it wove its world and people. A certainly surprising trait. ¡°Yes, the man¡¯s a bastard that will accept any job no matter what because it is deemed necessary by the Association and government to be for the survival of humanity. He¡¯s not someone that takes enjoyment in the things he does, but holds the pride of the Association in the highest position. There is no greater cause or justice, but that of the Association. He believes it wholly, no matter the price it pays.¡± ¡°So how¡¯d you meet then?¡± ¡°I was trying to help someone. They were being exiled because they had become tainted with demon blood. It put me on their bad side and I became a target for them. In the end, I had to get support from someone wealthy to get them off my back.¡± It became an annoying reminder for Saki how there were too many things that fists couldn¡¯t solve. There was a time for people with position, money and power to be of use more than what she could do. ¡°I got caught up in more things than I care to talk about. So now I have a target on my back, not too unlike Yumi.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re able to move freely and take bounties. You even kill demons and shit, what they got a problem with.¡± ¡°There¡¯s more going on than killing demons, Seiji. Maintaining their power and authority is more important to them than demons.¡± ¡°The hell?! People are dying and they only care about their positions?¡± ¡°They care but they need the respect and order of the citizens. They need the citizens to trust and believe that what they are doing is going to keep them safe. So having someone disrupting that shows weakness and casts doubts on their authority. They haven¡¯t made a bigger deal about it because they managed to cover up the incident and I don¡¯t stick my nose into their matters. Not that they would ignore a free opportunity to capture me.¡± Up until meeting up with Seiji, they had nothing they could do against her. Since she had no ties to anyone outside of her sponsor, who they couldn¡¯t touch. It left them with no actions to blackmail her. But with her friends, they could bend her to their will much easier. ¡°So what¡¯s the plan?¡± Seiji had already tried making an exit on his own and failed. Getting any sort of leverage or position to get any force proved impossible and even then it was uncertain if he had the power to break out. Yuki remained silent until it seemed that everyone expected him to say something. ¡°I¡¯ve just been enjoying the free ride that I don¡¯t have to provide.¡± ¡°C¡¯mon man, you took turns with Nerine.¡± ¡°It¡¯s still exhausting keeping the exact same mental image for half a day.¡± ¡°You did all that shit for the boat ride.¡± ¡°And I got tired out then too.¡± ¡°But not as quickly and you bounced right the hell back.¡± ¡°Either way, I¡¯m just resting.¡± ¡°Yumi, got any ideas?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°The situation, got any ideas for what the hell we do next?¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± She came back to reality. Ever since her capture, she kept silent and distracted. Her mind fixed on the situation outside. It seemed more clear that Masa¡¯s actions would end up having a greater effect on the humans and demons than her. Though, that didn¡¯t seem to be an issue anymore. The Demon Hunters focused on her, either because they thought she was Masa or actually believed she was root. Everything she did was going to be weighed against her. It shouldn¡¯t matter to her in a fake world, but it gnawed on her what was happening. Perhaps because it all seemed too real to ignore. Unlike with Atlantis, she didn¡¯t have Yuki to pardon them. They had no one to fix things for them. Those with the real power would judge her and she would have to take the responsibility this time. Fairness in the world was gone. Back to Seiji¡¯s question, Yumi had no answer for him anymore than she did for her personal crisis. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything right now. As we are right now, we¡¯re stuck. Once they let us out, maybe we can escape.¡± ¡°In the middle of the damn city?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know Seiji. I¡¯m not used to this. I don¡¯t have a plan. I just make it up as I go.¡± ¡°Well just give me a damn signal then. I¡¯m ready to act.¡± ¡°I doubt he¡¯ll make that easy for us. Shuichi isn¡¯t a fool. You may be required to act, Yuki.¡± It wasn¡¯t missed on him. He would keep to their agreement for as long as he could. However, letting Yumi die wasn¡¯t part of it. ¡°I know. If it comes to it I¡¯ll step in. But let¡¯s try to find a solution that limits my exposure.¡± Silent resumed in the black room. Small idle talk kept them from going completely insane. But it wasn¡¯t until the lack of food and water started to wear on them. In silence, they could hear each other starting to hit that point of wanting food. Yet it remained unattended by their captors. Their prison made no signs of changing. The lack of any sense of time made it even hard to know how long they had been inside the void. Once the hunger started hitting they guessed it had been half a day. But now that it had gone unanswered even longer, it might have been a day or two, maybe three. Though it wouldn¡¯t be much longer, especially without water. They wouldn¡¯t last, Yuki and Nerine at the very least. When it seemed that they might have the threat of death, the void broke down. For the first time in who knew how long, they had light. And it was blinding, having been trapped in darkness for so long. Their bodies weakened from lack of food and poor conditions, none of them could move. ¡°Where are we?¡± Yumi asked, trying to see through the light. She couldn¡¯t even hear their captors. It seemed like they were all alone. But as she fumbled about her hand hit something solid. She expected a wall or bar, some sort of physical prison that they were dumped in, but it didn¡¯t have that feeling. The light started to fade for her, giving her a first glimpse of the prison. A transparent soft white glow hugged the barrier that locked them into their cell. Talismans of some sort lined every part of the stone walls and floor. It seemed that they were the part of the barrier keeping them in. She tried to peel one off, but it refused her. Some powerful energy sealed it. Attacking the stone did the same thing. No escape, not a simple one at least. Recovered fully, they all gathered up at the center of the cell. It had been more than an hour without seeing the sign of any one. They didn¡¯t know where their captor would return about the arrest and charges. ¡°We need to come to an agreement on what we¡¯re doing,¡± Yumi started. For whatever responsibility that she felt, she couldn¡¯t die in a cell or whatever they had planned. She would take responsibility, but differently. It was all she could do for now. Not that she knew anything about what that would mean. She only decided that she couldn¡¯t stay inside. However before they could get too far into their plans, a creaking from the door silenced them. Distant footsteps echoed through the underground before the individual could reveal themselves. It seemed most likely that it would be Raikatuji finally coming to give them their sentence or to bring them to be judged. It was unclear the order that they went through. Against their expectations, it wasn¡¯t him that appeared. To their surprise and relief, it was Yori, wearing a Demon Hunter uniform. ¡°Yumi! You¡¯re safe!¡± He came running to the cell with his hands up against the barrier. ¡°I finally found you!¡± Chapter 427 - Edge of War ¡°Yori?!¡± they all shouted, minus the demon, he said nothing naturally. Though it was his sister that leapt up to meet him as his hands stopped on the barrier that kept them imprisoned. She slammed a hand into the barrier as it sparked yellow light resisting her. ¡°What are you doing here? How? Why?¡± So many questions barrage Yori along with the emotions of finding his sister that he couldn¡¯t answer her. He just stared almost in tears, happy. However, Saki broke the mood with a sharp question. ¡°Why are you working for the Association?¡± ¡°What the hell? Yori¡¯s an actual Demon Hunter?¡± Seiji asked in surprise. ¡°He¡¯s wearing their uniform.¡± ¡°Shit¡­ Maybe he¡¯s undercover.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to hear an answer from him, Seiji.¡± Snapped out of his emotions by her glare, Yori looked at all of his friends now rather than just seeing his sister. He stepped back looking to compose him. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m a member of this organization.¡± ¡°What?! You know they¡¯re a bunch of bastards that locked us up!¡± ¡°I know that they¡¯re talking about war because of what you¡¯ve been doing in the West. And a lot of people are going to die as a result.¡± Seiji slammed his hands into the barrier next to Yumi staring at Yori. ¡°The hell?! Are you siding with them?! I thought we were friends!¡± Yori crossed his arms looking back towards the stairs. ¡°No, I honestly don¡¯t care that much about what¡¯s happening here since it¡¯s not even real anyway. I¡¯m more interested in finding that annoying woman and stopping her from controlling my sister.¡± He stepped around in the hall going over to a wall around the corner. ¡°That is now that I¡¯ve found you, Yumi. I¡¯ve been looking everywhere for you.¡± The barrier suddenly disappeared from around the cell letting them free. Yori stepped back out holding a green jewel that he pulled from the array that controlled the energy flow. He crushed it in his hand and dusted off the powder ready to leave. ¡°They were always only a temporary position until I could reach you.¡± Chapter 427 ¨C Edge of War Walking over to the end of the hall in the dungeon, Yori put a hand on the wall. ¡°I¡¯d suggest we leave in a more discrete method than the front door. There¡¯s too many risks.¡± He looked back at Yuki with expectations. Yuki looked over at Yori¡¯s sister who nodded to him. A small sigh came from him before a ring expanded out from his feet. He stepped forward as the wall transformed into a tunnel with fully furnished lighting. The first step was his as their guide. ¡°What are my directions?¡± he asked, not knowing anything about the Capital or even where in the city they were located. Following up behind him, Yori gave him instructions. Their exit came out near the edge of the city, but still within the walls. Everyone stepped back out in the light welcoming it. With the last one out, he shutdown his Field and wiped his forehead of sweat. ¡°Now where?¡± ¡°I¡¯d suggest we return back to my sponsor. It¡¯ll be the easiest way to gain information about what¡¯s happening without getting too much attention.¡± Yori¡¯s sister stared at the wall. It reminded her a little of Atlantis. While not nearly as impressive as that wall, it still was daunting. It was clearly the reason that the Capital still stood despite the age of demons that they lived in. ¡®Beyond that wall is Masa somewhere. Behind the demon barrier and killing demons¡­ I need to get back¡­¡¯ ¡°Yumi?¡± called Yuki, trying to get her attention back to them. She snapped back, breaking her concentration. Besides Yori, they all looked at her for a decision. Yori seemed a little puzzled by any sort of reluctance to just act. He didn¡¯t know anything about what happened. Their escape she kept quiet and to herself. She stepped out in front of the group motioning to Saki. ¡°We can¡¯t stay on the streets. And you probably want to ditch the uniform, Yori. It¡¯ll probably cause more problems.¡± ¡°Oh, y-yes, you¡¯re probably right about that.¡± He stared at her a little confused while the others started to move around him following her. Yori didn¡¯t know what he was looking at. It shouldn¡¯t have seemed strange, but it wasn¡¯t something he had seen before. ¡®Why is Yumi in charge and not Yuki? Everyone¡¯s deferring to her rather than waiting on him or just acting on their own. What¡¯s going on?¡¯ If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. While Yori didn¡¯t get much of an answer, she kept things moving. ¡°Where is this sponsor of yours located?¡± ¡°He¡¯s in the noble district. I¡¯ll be able to get us in.¡± For Nerine and Seiji it wasn¡¯t the first time going into the noble district making it an easier trip. But the area of the Capital with the most influential people in the country was walled off and guarded. Specially trained and hired guards watched over the area. Saki directed Yori¡¯s sister to a different path than Seiji and Nerine remembered. They still got through the gate with ease. Only a couple of stares for the larger scale of their group. But Seiji spoke up once they passed out of sight. ¡°Isn¡¯t there a faster way through that other gate?¡± ¡°Not if we don¡¯t want to be spotted by the Association. This is the place where those that run the government or affect it live. Meaning, the Association is also here. Some of the guards are actually Demon Hunters. And we need all the time we can get before they come knocking.¡± Yori¡¯s sister watched as Saki made the introductions for them at the gates to the mansion. She had to spend a few words to get the servants to accept them. The size of the group seemed to be giving them trouble. They likely were trying to protect their master from any sort of trouble that Saki might be trying to bring into the grounds. But they gave in and let them enter. They almost made it to the hall with her room without interruption. But a middle-aged man appeared from a side room. ¡°Miss Furukawa, I see you¡¯ve returned. Though it would appear that you had quite the adventure, for one such as yourself.¡± ¡°Lord Konjo, I didn¡¯t mean to disturb you,¡± Saki replied walking back to the main chamber. Keeping her distance with the rest, Yori¡¯s sister watched Saki curious if there would be any problem with them. Saki reassured that everything would be fine coming back, though she had her doubts. Given how things were in the world, as she began to learn, it seemed hard not to expect him not to want anything to do with them. She was prepped for it. In the end, they didn¡¯t need the shelter. ¡°Not at all, I was not meeting with anyone. Did you just return?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Though it would seem that things are more complicated in my return.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard the talk.¡± ¡°Then I don¡¯t need to go into details. We won¡¯t be staying long, I can¡¯t imagine they¡¯ll give up.¡± ¡°I should be able to protect you for a bit. I¡¯ve only heard stories about how they deal with criminals. You probably could use some rest.¡± ¡°They¡¯re probably exaggerated. But I won¡¯t over stay.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been giving you shelter this entire time. It¡¯s no more of a risk for me than it was before. Stay until you¡¯re ready, no need to rush.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll keep that in mind. One thing that I¡¯d like to ask of you is information about the situation. We¡¯ve been isolated for a while now.¡± ¡°Of course, send for me once you¡¯re ready and we can talk. I¡¯ll let you get back to your friends.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Saki returned to the group, guiding them to her room. ¡°So you gonna explain for the non-super human of us?¡± Yuki asked. ¡°He¡¯ll be able to answer our questions about the situation.¡± Saki opened the door to the room that she made her temporary home. With the whole group gathered in it, what used to be a fairly spacious room, larger than what she was used to having, became very tight. She closed the door. Yori¡¯s sister looked about the room, not sure what she was expecting entirely. It looked well furnished and decorated, though with nothing that she imagined Saki having selected or even owned. She thought it didn¡¯t look in character for her. But none of that really mattered in the end, it was just a stop for them. She went over to the window wishing that there was a better view. Being a flat mansion, it stretched out with a large estate, but had nothing for a second floor. Everything was locked behind the wall that partitioned the grounds from the rest of the district. Leaning against the wall, she looked back into the room. It wasn¡¯t long before the door opened shortly after Saki closed it. A female servant glided into the room providing a stack of clothing for their group. While varied in pattern, they all had a similar stylistic choice of what Saki had been wearing before their capture. Saki took the clothes and dismissed the servant. ¡°Best to clean up, then we can start figuring things out,¡± Saki opened, handing over the top of the stack to his sister. She went around handing out the rest. Yori¡¯s sister unfolded the kimono, finding it to be too traditional and restrictive. But Saki insisted that she put it on. Moving the men out into a different room, Saki didn¡¯t hesitate to get out of their prison clothes, a simple tunic. Nerine just stared at the wall trying not to look around, apparently embarrassed even though they were all women. Yumi still had her doubts about the clothes, but it was better than looking like a prisoner. It hadn¡¯t been the first time she wore a kimono, though she didn¡¯t have the practice of putting it on without help. She had to get aid from Saki to put on the layers and tie the obi. But she noticed that the kimono didn¡¯t actually have a full length like she expected. It seemed to be like the one that Saki had where it was shorter up to her knees and loose enough to allow movement. After finishing up for Yumi, Saki went over and started forcing Nerine into it as well. She had even more reluctance to do it than Yumi thought. It was like she was being attacked. Though as she thought about it, Nerine probably had never even worn anything close to traditional Japanese clothes before. She might not have even known the name. Yuki and the others re-entered the room in a split of pants and shorts with a kimono. Yuki wore pants along with Manekamaru while Seiji and Yori went for the shorts. They all gathered around the bed as the room lacked any sort of place to really sit. Seiji sat on the ground while Yori and the demon leaned against the wall. Yuki sat on the end of the bed as Yori¡¯s sister took the middle. Saki stood with Nerine taking to the shadows. ¡°Before Saki¡¯s sponsor comes, has anything big happened Yori?¡± she asked, she sort of hoped that there might be some rumors about Masa given everything that she had done by now. It should have started making its way across Japan. ¡°The fake Demon Hunter rumors have been what they¡¯ve mostly been talking about. Though there is also the worry about the movements of the demons. But I was never able to get anything useful out of them being so lowly ranked.¡± ¡°Given what Masa¡¯s been doing on her own, things have to be getting worse.¡± A knock came to the door. ¡°Miss Furukawa, I heard you were all finished cleaning up.¡± ¡°He¡¯s here.¡± Saki swiftly moved to the door, letting in Lord Konjo. ¡°Thank you for coming, Lord Konjo.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll answer what I can, though I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m short on time.¡± ¡°A meeting?¡± ¡°Yes, an emergency meeting has been called for an hour from now.¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°Early reports say that the demon barrier in the West is down. Demons across the country seem to be waking up.¡± Chapter 428 - Missing Lines Even if it might have been something that they saw coming, it still surprised them all. It was the final sign that they needed to know that things were coming to a head. The country faced a dark hour and they didn¡¯t know how they would prevent it. They lost against the demons already and if even more hidden ones came out of slumber they stood absolutely no chance in winning. A hopeless battle faced them. Saki recovered from the news the fastest and asked the immediate question. ¡°How long do we have?¡± Lord Konjo remained silent for a moment. He seemed to be pondering his answer. It was unclear if he was scared or reluctant, or perhaps something else completely. He wasn¡¯t an easy read. ¡°The reports still have to be verified. But if we treat it as accurate, then it¡¯ll be less than a week.¡± ¡°A week?! Shit! That¡¯s not very long to prepare!¡± complained Seiji. It surprised Yori¡¯s sister a little to see that he didn¡¯t seem all that bothered by an impending demon attack. She had to believe he knew it was going to be worse than what they faced before and lost against. And with Masa in the West still, there was no chance of a rescue. Though if all of the demons in the country came marching it seemed impossible for even Masa to do anything. But even with that woman out in the country, she couldn¡¯t rely on her. Yori¡¯s sister tightened her hands facing the situation. ¡®I¡¯ve got to do something. But I can¡¯t fight an army. None of us can¡­¡¯ She paused with the thought as she saw Yuki and Nerine in the back. They both appeared to be trying to keep almost invisible with the current conversation. ¡®Will he continue to rely on me and do nothing even now?¡¯ ¡°Why are you even thinking about preparing? Are you that hungry for a fight?¡± ask Yori. He stepped forward into the conversation already having reached his own conclusion. His eyes looked at his sister keeping his goal in sight. ¡°We¡¯re not staying here.¡± ¡°What the hell, man?! We can¡¯t just leave and let everyone die to the demons!¡± A hand stretched out to grab Seiji. Yori drove his piercing gaze straight into him. ¡°Have you forgotten already that none of this is even real?!¡± And yet Seiji stared back at him with the same look as before. For him the reality or digital nature of the world didn¡¯t matter to him. His hand tightened up, holding onto Seiji¡¯s shoulder. He couldn¡¯t believe that Seiji would be willing to risk his life for something that didn¡¯t even exist. ¡°All that matters is surviving! What happens here doesn¡¯t concern us!¡± Seiji pulled Yori¡¯s hand free from him slowly and deliberately. He exercised his strength with surprising control and grace. ¡°Can you really say that having seen this shit? Do you have no sympathy in your heart regardless of reality?¡± ¡®I can¡¯t believe he¡¯s making me look like the bad guy here for not caring about something that is just a bunch of code. It doesn¡¯t matter how well crafted their appearance and personality is, they¡¯re still not real! This will all disappear once we¡¯re out.¡¯ This sort of reaction from Seiji still was within what he expected, even if he thought that even Seiji would tell the difference. Being the most driven by emotions of the group, it made sense. However, when he looked over at Saki expecting to see support, even she didn¡¯t agree with him. Though there seemed to be something else conflicting with Saki that he couldn¡¯t place. ¡°Even you too, Saki?!¡± She looked over at his sister, not giving him a definitive answer. ¡°What do you want to do Yumi? It¡¯s your decision. Stay or leave?¡± ¡®Again looking to Yumi?! Why are they forcing everything on her?!¡¯ He pushed through to her. The worry and concern on her face was apparent, yet they ignored all of it. Just seeing what they were doing as supposed friends to her made his stomach churn. ¡°What the hell are you all doing?! Why are you placing all of this on Yumi? Can¡¯t you see this is too much for her? Yumi¡¯s not like the rest of you! Stop thinking that she is! Come on, Yumi, I¡¯ll get you out of here.¡± He grabbed her hand pulling her towards the door, but met resistance. She resisted him. Yori looked back at her. ¡°What are you doing Yumi? Come on! We¡¯re leaving right now. This isn¡¯t where you belong. I should have listened to myself rather than thinking that this would work out.¡± Yumi pulled her hand free from Yori and stepped away from him. His eyes looked possessed as they stared at her. Something was wrong with him. ¡°No, I¡¯m staying.¡± Chapter 428 ¨C Missing Lines Stunned to hear such words from Yumi, Yori froze. He stared at her, not certain that he had heard what he did from her. With his mind slowly starting back up, he managed to speak. ¡°What are you saying, Yumi?¡± ¡°I said I¡¯m staying,¡± she reaffirmed for him, since he seemed to have missed it the first time. The confusion and doubt that she had disappeared. Thanks to him, it cleared up her mind. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. She said it again. Yori couldn¡¯t believe what she was hearing from her. Everything in this fake world must have been mixing her up. He felt certain of that. Marching over to her, he grabbed her hand once more, this time so that she couldn¡¯t escape. ¡°I said we¡¯re going, Yumi. I¡¯m your brother. You just have to listen to what I say. I know what¡¯s best.¡± ¡°Hey man, I think you¡ª¡° Throwing his hand out to stop Seiji, Yori glared at all those that interfered. ¡°Don¡¯t touch her!¡± ¡°What the hell¡¯s gotten into you?¡± ¡°Me?! I should be asking all of you! What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± He stepped in front of his sister blocking her from everyone¡¯s view. ¡°I¡¯ve watched you dumping all the decisions on Yumi. Forcing her to be in charge when she doesn¡¯t even want to do it!¡± ¡°Yori, this isn¡¯t the time,¡± Saki inserted, noting that they had an outsider in the room. She tried to make subtle motions to the present of Lord Konjo. However, none of that mattered to Yori. He snapped immediately on Saki next. ¡°No! I¡¯ve been letting things slide and gone too long! Yumi¡¯s only in the mess because all of you! I¡¯m not letting you make my sister do anything like this!¡± ¡°What the hell do you even know about me?!¡± yelled Yumi from behind him, finally snapping. Veins of anger appeared on her forehead as she fixed him with a dark piercing stare that he was unfamiliar with seeing. Taking up her position, she quickly disarmed Yori with a move that she learned from Saki. Almost frightened by what he saw in his sister, Yori staggered back, almost tripping over the wall as she walked through him nearly. ¡®What have they done to her?! My sister¡­¡¯ Yumi stood amongst her friends staring at Yori with unmoving determination now. Her path was set and firmly built. She knew now it was what she wanted. ¡°You¡¯re stuck in the past. The Yumi you think I am isn¡¯t here anymore! I¡¯m not the person that you think I am. I fight and kill. I¡¯ve slaughtered demons. I¡¯ve killed people that weren¡¯t even part of the fight. I used the secrets of my friend to twist them. I¡¯m stained and dirty and ugly, but that¡¯s who I am! I¡¯m standing right here. Go look somewhere else if you¡¯re looking for your sister.¡± ¡°Y-yumi¡­¡± ¡°If you can¡¯t accept the reality then leave!¡± Seiji leaned over to Yumi worried about what she just declared. ¡°Are you sure about this Yumi? He¡¯s just a little shaken and hot on emotions. But he¡¯s still your brother.¡± ¡°If he¡¯s just going to keep trying to dictate my life, then he should leave.¡± ¡°Do you really mean this Yumi?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m my own person and I¡¯m going to make my own decisions on my life from now on.¡± The echoes of that annoying woman that he fought during the school battle came back to Yori. ¡°On the contrary, you¡¯re more in the dark about your own sister than you seem to think me to be.¡± She whispered the words in his ear making it impossible for him to mute it. He couldn¡¯t make it stop. It churned his stomach having to hear her voice and knowing that it was in his sister¡¯s voice that it was spoken. He stared in silence at all of them. A wall presented itself to him. His hands clenched up seeing how things were now. There was nothing he could do. His sister stubbornly refused to see things his way. Yori turned away from him with the door ahead. ¡®I need to come up with a new plan... I¡¯m not going to let that woman win! I know what¡¯s best for Yumi.¡¯ Upon his determination, he walked out of the room leaving everyone behind. ¡°You sure about this Yumi?¡± Seiji asked, still shocked that the siblings had a falling out. ¡°He needs to understand. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°He hasn¡¯t been his usual self since facing one of Yumi¡¯s persona. He¡¯s been getting more unstable and erratic,¡± noted Saki recalling how single minded he was with Yumi¡¯s unconscious condition before this latest situation. It seemed time away from her had done nothing to cool his emotions. ¡°Sure he¡¯s been batshit crazy, but it¡¯s only because he¡¯s worried about her.¡± ¡°What he¡¯s been showing has been unhealthy. This might be exactly what he needs right now to wake up.¡± ¡°But he¡¯s still our friend. We need to help him if he¡¯s going through shit.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve seen him lately. He¡¯s a wall right now. We¡¯re not getting through that no matter what we do. He needs to cool off.¡± ¡°He¡¯s had a month.¡± Yumi stepped forward, breaking the line of sight with Saki and Seiji. ¡°Enough about him. We¡¯ve got bigger issues right now.¡± Now that she resolved to stay and confront the situation, she jumped in ready. However, they still lacked enough information. ¡°Sorry for that scene, Lord Konjo.¡± ¡°Y-yes, it¡¯s alright.¡± ¡°What can you tell us about this report on the demons?¡± The Lord straightened up, returning to the original matter in which he came. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen the report yet, since that¡¯s part of the meeting. I¡¯ve only been slipped little details of it. Given the nature of it, they¡¯re trying to keep it secret. But the other pieces that I¡¯ve been told is that there is a Demon Lord leading on the frontlines and the clans are supposedly all gathering under this Lord.¡± The thought of a Demon Lord leading the army made Yumi¡¯s body run cold. It still clearly remembered what it was like feeling the power of the one she met, a power beyond imagining for her that she could never hope to defeat. Such a power led the demons. ¡®What can I do against something like that? Is everyone doomed?¡¯ Yuki touched her shoulder, breaking her out of the cold prison of her memories. ¡°We still don¡¯t know the certainty of the report. Lord Konjo mentioned it needing to be verified, right?¡± It seemed like a small hope in Yumi¡¯s mind to pin their hopes on. That there wasn¡¯t really a Demon Lord leading the demon army. Even without a Demon Lord an army of demons still wasn¡¯t something that they could defeat. ¡°That¡¯s true. We¡¯re waiting for confirmation from other teams, but we¡¯ll be making plans based on it being true.¡± ¡°That¡¯s wise to do,¡± agreed Saki, ¡°The city¡¯s defenses are going to need to be strengthened to deal with a demon attack.¡± Nodding in agreement, Lord Konjo walked over to the window of the room looking out at the city. ¡°It¡¯s been more than a century since any demon has attacked the city and several more since any real assault. Even with a month we might not have enough time.¡± Thanks to Yuki, she could remember the resolve that she found. She couldn¡¯t ignore or be frightened by the things she could not see. Taking action was all she could do for now. ¡°Lord Konjo, I want to go out to verify the report.¡± Chapter 429 - Longing Desires ¡°Yumi?¡± everyone shouted in surprise. None of them expected her to jump in that direction. They figured that working on the city would be what she wanted to do. Whatever that could be done to protect the citizens. She turned to face all of her friends. ¡°We need an accurate read of the situation if we¡¯re going to prepare a defense. And I doubt, no offense Lord Konjo, that they have anyone as fast as us.¡± ¡°Not all of us,¡± commented Yuki, referring to him and Nerine. ¡°That¡¯s why you two are staying behind.¡± ¡°What?!¡± ¡°Yumi¡¯s right about this, Yuki.¡± Saki stepped out alongside Yumi for the plan that seemed to be coming together. ¡°We can move quickly and get back before the end of the day with a report. If we only have a week, speed is going to be paramount.¡± ¡°And if you get into trouble?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a scouting mission, Yuki. We¡¯ll be fine.¡± Yumi approached Yuki lifting up his hands. ¡°Thank you for your worry, but you can do more here.¡± She looked over at Nerine and then back at the Lord. Even without them in the city, they still had a defense to raise. ¡°They can help with the defense of the city, Lord Konjo.¡± ¡°Is that true? We would greatly welcome anything that you can offer.¡± A hopeful look in the Lord¡¯s eyes appeared. While he clearly kept it hidden very well. The offer of something that might give them survival nearly broke him, a man that already accepted death. Yuki leaned in to whisper to Yumi a little concerned about what she might be suggesting. ¡°I can¡¯t be using my powers, Yumi.¡± ¡°Just be creative. I trust you.¡± Yumi pulled away from him and motioned for the others to move to the door. She looked over her shoulder at her rival in the silent corner he kept. ¡°You¡¯re coming with us too.¡± The demon quickly obeyed without question. ¡°Lord Konjo, if you give us the location to investigate.¡± ¡°Oh yes, thank you. I¡¯ll inform the Council of this as well. They¡¯ll be very pleased.¡± ¡°The Association¡¯s going to have a fit,¡± Saki commented as they walked out of them. ¡°Like I care about them,¡± Yumi replied. Yuki watched them depart the hall leaving him with Nerine in the room. He crossed his arms weighing on everything that happened. The turn of events wasn¡¯t anything like he expected. Extra complications added to the situation, surviving the demon invasion wouldn¡¯t be the last thing that they had to deal with now. But the way Yumi handled everything impressed him. ¡°She¡¯s changed and gotten stronger. Shame that Yori can¡¯t see it.¡± ¡°She¡¯s become skilled in manipulating too.¡± ¡°Noticed that as well. Yeah, pretty clever calling me out knowing that I¡¯m not going to want people to be killed, even if they¡¯re just digital projections. We don¡¯t have an easy task, Nerine.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°Nerine.¡± ¡°Sorry, I slipped.¡± Chapter 429 ¨C Longing Desires Outside the mansion, Yumi looked up into the sky. They had a map on them along with the information from the Lord about their destination. All they had to do was scout out the developments and report back, but it still made her nervous knowing that they were going into an army with a Demon Lord. Saki gave her a comforting pat on the back letting her know that they were all ready. She had a course, she had to keep her resolve. The future was still undecided. They still had time to figure out a way. Hovering off the ground, she picked up the others with her power before flying into the air. They agreed going out the front would only be more problematic for them given their current situation with the Association. And they also had no time to waste walking out of the city. Taking to the air would be the fastest way for them to move. Yumi kept them all nearby her as she increased her speed getting more used to flying. It was still something a little new for her. She had flown many times before, but it was always while fighting and her mind wasn¡¯t focused on the ins and outs of the whole thing. The comfort of flight was unfamiliar. At her right side, she had Saki with the map out keeping an eye on their route. They could quickly make corrections based off anything she saw. While Seiji above her kept an eye out for any trouble. There was no certainty that there were no demons out ahead of the main force. Then taking the left side was Manekamaru, who acted like he enjoyed the free ride. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. She glanced over at the demon. ¡°How many Demon Lords are there?¡± The report hadn¡¯t been fully revealed, so they had no idea on who the Demon Lord might be. And that was relying on the scouts that made the report actually being able to identify which of the Demon Lords it could be. ¡°Each of the major clans is led by a Lord, but there are many smaller clans. When we arrived we came with five major households. So long as our intelligence remains accurate, they are all still alive.¡± ¡°Given how powerful yours is I guess I shouldn¡¯t be surprised. Any thoughts on which it might be leading the demons?¡± The question left him in thought for a while as he considered an answer. Weighing the different personalities and realities made it difficult for him to make a clear answer. ¡°If I had a guess, then it would likely be Lord Guri. He was the one that opposed the end of the fighting and is the only still active Lord.¡± Yumi nodded with the sound logic. Though it was merely a guess, she had to see it for herself to find out what was really happening. ¡°How does Guri compare to your Lord?¡± ¡°He is weaker in power, but he¡¯s a Lord still.¡± ¡®Meaning that he¡¯s still very powerful and I can¡¯t even beat Manekamaru straight out. So I¡¯m not going to stand a chance at all against this Guri demon. My only hope is getting a sneak attack, but that didn¡¯t even have a chance against the other Demon Lord¡­¡¯ Her body still clearly remembered that power. It wasn¡¯t something that she wanted to feel again. Yet no matter what happened, she knew she would. Such a day made her body cold. She tried to focus away from the memories. ¡°What sort of demon is Guri?¡± ¡°Young by comparison to the other Lords. He joined the war looking for honor and now is filled with nothing, but hate and regret. Unlike the others, he never found any sort of comfort in this world. He¡¯s rash and quick to act, but still a skilled warrior able to leverage the aggressive fighting style to his strength.¡± Facing down a Demon Lord no matter how much weaker than Manekamaru¡¯s Lord wasn¡¯t going to be something Yumi could do. She understood that much. And to make it worse, this one was aggressive meaning it would be even harder for her to sneak up on. He was probably always on edge and ready for an attack. ¡®We¡¯re going to need something that can turn this battle around¡­¡¯ Yumi didn¡¯t like the direction things headed in this world. It felt like she would lose no matter what she did. As they approached the last reported area from the scouts, Yumi landed on the ground releasing everyone. They took cover within a forest as the mountains rose in all directions. Nothing from the sky was visible of a marching demon army. It gave her a bit of hope that maybe the reports were exaggerated or false. Quietly, they began their march through the forest. According to the little bit that they got from Lord Konjo, the scouts came from this area in their search. Which was just as likely that the demons might have left. But a large enough force would be easy to track. They just needed to find any evidence if they had left. Yumi wished that she stuck around long enough to get the full details of the report, but they could not waste time. She needed to act. The forest remained still, oddly still. A familiar feeling for Yumi in her time fighting demons. ¡®Even if I can¡¯t hear a demon, I can¡¯t hear anything. They¡¯ve been here or nearby still¡­¡¯ Her mind remained in conflict to which she wanted to be true. A bit of excitement snuck into her muscles as she approached closer. She wanted to know what she would see once she exited the forest. Would it be the demons waiting for her? Would they attack now? Any question that she had for their mission came to an end quickly. The forest edge came up and the peak of the mountain revealed itself once more. It rose up higher into the sky surrounded by thick white clouds. Snow might be falling, but it would do nothing to lighten the darkness being cast over the mountain. ¡°Dammit, I can¡¯t see anything from here.¡± They had a poor angle on the mountain in their position. Yumi didn¡¯t want to risk the air with what she felt in the atmosphere. She didn¡¯t know what sort of demons were in the army or what abilities that they possessed. Secrecy was more important. But because they couldn¡¯t see anything they needed to get closer. All that was visible was a haze over the mountain that distorted the air. ¡°What is that?¡± Her first reaction was torches, but it didn¡¯t have the same sort of color and left her stomach with a sick feeling that she only felt once before, against the demon army. ¡°The mass of demonic energy. What you¡¯re seeing is the effect that power has on nature. This only happens when either someone of immense power is present or a large number of demons.¡± Manekamaru stared deeply into the distance. A longing expression seemed to appear as though he felt some nostalgia. It looked to be drawing him forward. ¡°This isn¡¯t anything like before,¡± Yumi groaned, feeling how her body reacted. It wasn¡¯t nearly as strong of a feeling as with the Demon Lord, but she didn¡¯t like the feeling and the near comparable sensation it gave. Something that rivaled that power. Manekamaru nodded, distracted by the sight. ¡°Not since the start of the war have I seen a sight like this.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a positive image,¡± muttered Saki. She already felt the doom of inevitability that permeated the world. Everything she saw only enforced that feeling she had. Doubt changed to certainty. It made her body shake. Her hands clenched together unsettled by the weakening nerves she felt. Yumi marched out of the forest taking the lead. Their demon companion followed willingly as Saki and Seiji went cautiously with some reluctance. Each step they made the mountain lowered the veil on the demon army. Before they realized it, they were at the ridge of the valley looking down into a deep basin between mountains. Far below them rested the amassed demon army. Yumi¡¯s mouth fell open with a gasp as the others stared in shock. What they saw before them was even more than their minds could prepare them for. It paled in comparison. They had been calling it an army what they fought, but it felt inaccurate a word now. What they saw in the valley truly was an army, while they had only fought a company or battalion. The numbers were beyond counting. Minutes passed staring in silence, not even aware of their own risk or danger. Yumi snapped back to reality and began searching around the demon camp. There were so many different types that she had never seen before. They all looked unique and she couldn¡¯t pick out the strong from the weak. She really wished for an ability to sense power. Looking over at the distracted Manekamaru, she grabbed his shoulder to get his attention. ¡°Where¡¯s this Lord Guri?¡± ¡°He¡¯s by that circle of demons shouting out orders.¡± Yumi changed her sight, fixing her view. A commanding demon barked out orders to the demons looking pissed off at something. They were too far away to hear anything, but she could see he didn¡¯t look pleased. At their distance, she could remember his appearance, the one that she would be facing in the future. A human appearing demon, like Manekamaru and the Lord she met before. He had a skilled appearance that looked flawless. There was no hint of him seeming like a demon. Though he had a tall and muscular presence. She assumed that their form was something that they crafted. It made it very clear he valued the intimidation factor. Easily two and half meters tall, it was the first sign that he wasn¡¯t human. An inhuman height, though he had a wild red mane of hair that flowed back to stand up on end as the longer strains draped over his shoulders. Through his kimono styled clothes his thick chest bulged out with the tips of his tight abs appearing. The height of martial and masculinity, if physical appearance was the judge. A dangerous foe. Then a gasp came from Manekamaru that surprised Yumi. While he looked longingly at the presence and seemed to want to go down to join his kin, nothing about it did much to stir any other reaction. Everything seemed to fit within his expectations. Yet something had shocked him, for a demon that had seen it all. Yumi didn¡¯t think that she would find anything that caught him off guard. ¡°What is it? What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Lord Hokuren! The General of our army, the oldest of the Demon Lords. He¡¯s returned!¡± Chapter 430 - The Strongest Demon A startling amount of emotion found its way into the demon¡¯s normally carefully measured features. While she had barely known him, it shocked her still to see it. The only time she remembered seeing any sort of emotion out of him was while he fought her. Only in the thrill of battle did he seem alive. More on her mind than his sudden outburst of emotions was what he said. Just the words made her stomach sink to her feet and every hair on her body stood up electrified. Nothing he said was something that she wanted to hear. Their situation was already bad enough with one Demon Lord, the weakest of them present. They didn¡¯t need the extra complication. Yumi leaned forward trying to find this demon he talked about. ¡°Are you sure it is him and it¡¯s not someone else?¡± She still held out some minor bit of hope, despite knowing it was a futile effort. ¡°I¡¯d never forget our Lord. It is most assuredly him.¡± She groaned a little louder than she wished and snapped back to cover. On her back, her eyes glared up at the stars as though they might offer her advice. ¡®Two Demon Lords¡­the only way this gets worse is if the rest show up now¡­¡¯ The moment she thought that, Yumi feared that she would hear Manekamaru say just that. Fortunately for her, no word came from him on the sighting of more Demon Lords. She really didn¡¯t need more of them. Two made their situation impossible. She didn¡¯t know how they had any chance of winning. Staring over at Seiji and Saki, Yumi could see their apprehension mirroring her own. This all amounted to something far beyond their capabilities. ¡®I know that we were disadvantaged, overwhelmed in the past with those that we faced, but this feels completely unlike anything we¡¯ve dealt with before. To make it even worse, it¡¯s not even real. We don¡¯t know what happens if we die in here and we can¡¯t afford to test it.¡¯ It was Saki that woke her from her churning maelstrom of worries and fears. A hand was enough to ground her. She had to remember her resolve. ¡°Saki¡­¡± She tilted her head back towards the edge of their cover. Behind it the massive sickening swirl of demonic energy warned them of their future. A future that showed the end of the human race. ¡°We¡¯ve got to head back and report to them about this. Things are even worse than anyone imagined.¡± Chapter 430 ¨C The Strongest Demon ¡°Are you sure, Yumi?¡± asked Saki, she understood like all of them what she felt. It was an awful and nearly vomit inducing feeling that she hated. Despite not being sick, it presented so many of the symptoms of a nasty cold. She just wanted to leave immediately and feel better. But they couldn¡¯t do that, she knew until they had finished the job. Her hand pressed up against her face trying to keep things together as best as she could in the face of the pressure. ¡°It¡¯s already pretty much the worst case scenario. How much more do we need to scout that will change that?¡± ¡°If we¡¯re to make accurate plans, we should know their strength. As much as I¡¯m loathed to consider them an ally, we do have the Association. They have spells and wards that might still give us a chance.¡± Given Saki¡¯s circumstances with the group, it surprised Yumi to hear her even suggesting using them. Everything that she had seen them do so far only made them seem like an evil and corrupt group only worried about themselves. A group not worth saving in her mind. Letting the demons kill them seemed like a fair price for them to pay. ¡®Maybe Saki¡¯s right¡­I¡¯m already on the course¡­¡¯ Yumi leaned forward to peek out of the cover. The army of demons camped out remained as intimidating as the first time. However, she tried to keep her focus this time. They needed an understanding of the forces. Anything that could be used against them. ¡°What can you tell us about the demons, Manekamaru?¡± A poke by her had to snap him out of his distraction. His eyes held a long gaze at the Lord Hokuren. The sight alone left him completely entranced. He nearly forgot his own goals while staring so far away at his Lord. ¡°The demons¡­¡± ¡°Yes, we need to finish this recon.¡± ¡°Every single race of our species is down there. There isn¡¯t a single one missing. You¡¯re going to be facing every available power that we demons possess. Fire, water, creation, death, everything that we can do.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t really narrow shit down,¡± complained Seiji, hearing his answer. ¡°You¡¯re seeing the amassing of all demons. It¡¯s to be expected.¡± Staring carefully at the demons gathered, Yumi saw plenty that she had never fought before. There was something that looked a bit like a dragon or maybe a snake, a crow looking tengu, massive demons dwarfed the oni she got so used to killing. ¡°Do demons have one specialty or does it vary?¡± Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°It¡¯s not based on their race. All demons are born with abilities that are not tied to their race. Though some do have more commonality. But you can¡¯t count on the same two using the same powers.¡± ¡°Any sort of plan we have is going to have to be broad and adaptive.¡± Seiji leaned in to see what Yumi might be staring at. ¡°Got some shit that you¡¯re thinking?¡± ¡°Unfortunately no. No plans are coming to mind.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a shame that battle planning persona of yours isn¡¯t here, they¡¯d come up with some shit.¡± ¡°Seiji!¡± ¡°Oh hell, I¡¯m sorry, Yumi I didn¡¯t mean to say that.¡± Yumi pulled back to rest from her watching. She shook her head for him. ¡°No, you¡¯re right, Seiji. All of the personas within me are clearly more talented than I am.¡± It was because they were better than her that she had to face them. The whole point of what she was doing was gaining control over them. She would finally be able to reach what she wanted once she beat them. That was a certainty in her mind. Stuff within this world where the personas had locked them felt like she had lost her way. The goal that she locked away from her where she couldn¡¯t even find the door. She didn''t even know if she would be able to find the door again. Their labyrinth setup to kill them might be where she remained for the rest of her life. Hooked up to a machine as it drained her of life might be her end. Such an ignominious end to her life felt like a taunt by them. Proof to her that they controlled her life and nothing she did could allow her to break free of their control. ¡°They aren¡¯t here though. We can only rely on ourselves.¡± She didn¡¯t want to rely on them anyway. Every time that they took over, she regretted it. They did terrible and awful things whether to her friends and loved ones or to the enemy, that didn¡¯t deserve such treatment. They made the wrong choice, even if it did solve things. She had to find a better one than them. She couldn¡¯t rely on them for help. She had trouble processing it all though. An army of demons that had a wide range of powers. It wasn¡¯t going to be something that they could power through and smash the army. They tried that before and lost. It wouldn¡¯t work on an even larger army. ¡°Manekamaru, are the other Demon Lords present?¡± It wasn¡¯t something that she wanted answered in truth, but she needed to know now. The way things were going, she expected the worst possible outcome. It truly felt like they had grown tired of Yumi still living within the prison that dropped her. The personas wanted her dead finally and this was their move to do so. So it only made sense that they threw everything at her. This was their plan. Something that she couldn¡¯t even out run. ¡°Not right now, but as you¡¯re suspecting. It¡¯s very likely that they are part of the army. If Lord Hokuren is present, then it should be expected that the rest are as well.¡± A deep weight of depression fell through Yumi. She already knew it, but having someone confirm it made it all the more real for her. They still hadn¡¯t found the others, but it was a foregone conclusion now. ¡°And about the army itself. How does it compare to the original force you came with?¡± ¡°It¡¯s definitely smaller than what we had at the start. The standard soldiers are easily replaced, but we lost many higher ranked soldiers and officers both during the war and over the years. There¡¯s less overall experience in fighting a war now than there was.¡± ¡°Does this make up every demon in Japan you think? The report estimated we have a week, even though the travel is not that long.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe this accounts for all clans still alive. There were many dormant clans in the East that are down there now. The report is correct in that all the demons are gathering. Though I find it a little strange that they picked now to do it. Even using what you or that woman has been doing as an excuse, most of the demons don¡¯t have the desire for war anymore. I¡¯m not sure why that has suddenly changed.¡± ¡°I remember you saying that before. If they want to fight now, something has to have changed with them to get all of the bored demons back to fight.¡± ¡°But I haven¡¯t a clue what it might be. Even with the death caused, not nearly this many would have been motivated to answer the call to war.¡± The way her rival spoke about the demons did nothing to ease her concerns about the situation. He only made the feelings on the matter worse. ¡®If they¡¯re this strongly motivated to fight, then it¡¯s not going to be like before. They have a purpose and reason for the war. They¡¯re going to fight even harder than before. What chance do we stand against such a force?¡¯ Her mind turned back trying to imagine how those in the past managed to fight the demons on a level playing field. The world was very different back then. Though even with all of their power, it was still not enough to defeat the demons. In the end, an uneasy peace was brokered between the two. Yumi pulled away from the edge and slid down far out of the way. ¡°We¡¯ve learned enough. Staying any longer is going to risk being found. We need to get this back to the council.¡± The rest agreed following up behind her. Though she looked back at Manekamaru. ¡°Did you want to stay?¡± ¡°Thank you for your kindness, but I¡¯ve made my choice. I will follow you until our rematch.¡± ¡°I might die before that happens.¡± ¡°I doubt it.¡± ¡°Well we can get it out of the way now if you wanted.¡± ¡°Save your strength for the battle to come.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a strange one.¡± Even traveling with him for the time that she did, he still didn¡¯t make a lot of sense. He valued a fight with her over everything else. It didn¡¯t make any sort of sense. Even more than returning to his people, he wanted that fight. She sighed. ¡°Fine, let¡¯s get going then.¡± Back to the landing spot, Yumi pulled into the air with everyone around her. Their flight from the Capital managed to not meet any trouble. She only hoped that the entire flight would be safe. She looked over at the demon. ¡°So this Hokuren, what can you tell us about him, since he¡¯s going to be leading the demons I assume.¡± ¡°He is the head of the entire war theatre here in Japan. Originally, he felt as passionately as the rest about getting revenge for the death of our kin against the humans. He disapproved of the passive approach the others had in dealing with the matter. His charismatic speeches earned many loyal followers to the war. Even on the battlefield he was the most skilled warrior we have. Trained for centuries before becoming a General, there is none better. He fights on the frontline leading by example rallying the troops with his bravery and courage.¡± Nothing that he said made her feel any better. Not that she really expected anything he said to do that. It was information that she needed to figure out any sort of weakness or plan against such a powerful enemy. ¡°And how does he compare to your Lord?¡± ¡°All the Lords are in his shadow. He towers over them completely unrivaled or contested for his strength or position. It is a completely separate class.¡± ¡®How am I supposed to kill someone that powerful? What am I going to do to win?¡¯ Chapter 431 - Defense of the Wall The flight back to the Capital left too much stirring around in Yumi¡¯s brain to allow her a moment¡¯s rest or relief. They made it back into the sight of the city while dusk started to fall. From their vantage point above, there were already signs of people out on the wall working. In front of the wall soldiers dug up the earth. It was hard to tell what their purpose was from the height and the early stage of their work. As they flew over the wall, keeping out of common sight of the guards far in the sky, they could narrowly see people moving supplies around. The activity of the city changed quickly from when they left. Apparently, the council didn¡¯t waste time in taking action to prepare for the attack. Though they could still see citizens going about as though nothing was out of the ordinary. Contrasting normalcy and panic left Yumi with complicated feelings on their approach. However, she knew less on the best strategy to take. All she could focus on was fighting. That was the only talent she had been granted by the powers from Yuki. There was nothing more that she could do. She would leave the more complex matters to others better suited to them. Focusing on her strength had to be her only goal now, Yumi decided. Chapter 431 ¨C Defense of the Wall Safely landed in the courtyard of Lord Konjo¡¯s estate, Yumi set down everyone, relaxing her power finally after the long flight. While she got her new bearings back, servants of the Lord arrived quickly. Two women in formal and strict kimonos bowed to them, before speaking. ¡°Mistress Yumi and your companions, welcome back. We¡¯ve been instructed to take you to Lord Konjo upon your return.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯d imagine he wants to know immediately what we¡¯ve learned.¡± ¡°Doubt he¡¯ll be thrilled about this shit,¡± bemoaned Seiji having recovered from his fear and bothered by his inability to do anything meaningful. He wasn¡¯t the only one affected about the overwhelming pressure of the demons, but that didn¡¯t change his feelings. Saki nodded in agreement. ¡°This is the worst case scenario. No amount of planning is going to change things now.¡± Nothing they could do would hold back the grim mood that their recon brought back with them. Hopelessness and futility were terrible things to carry, but their weights made it impossible to throw off. Guided through the courtyard into the mansion, the servants brought them to the door of the Lord¡¯s office. One of the women knocked politely, calling their Master¡¯s attention to them. ¡°Have they arrived?¡± ¡°Yes, my Lord.¡± ¡°Let them in.¡± The door slid open from the inside as another female servant appeared allowing them entry into the man¡¯s office. Yumi walked in first with her friends behind her. The appearance of the room was different than she imagined. Less flaunting his power and wealth, it had a more practical atmosphere. There was almost nothing in the room apart from his desk and seating for clients or guests. Even the walls remained largely bare with only two simple traditional paintings. Lord Konjo stood up from his knelt position behind his desk to greet his guests. ¡°You must be tired from your mission. Please sit.¡± He motioned with his hand toward the cushions on the floor. ¡°We have important information that can¡¯t wait!¡± Yumi threw out without accepting the Lord¡¯s hospitality. ¡°Yes, I expect you do. Please sit though. The tension does no one any good.¡± ¡°But Lord Konjo, you should be tense! Take this seriously!¡± Konjo sat down taking the first initiative over the others to start things moving forward. ¡°I am quite serious. However, things don¡¯t change because you¡¯re more tense about it. Now sit and let¡¯s hear what you have found out.¡± He clearly wanted her to follow some sort of procedure for it. The adamant look in his eyes bothered her a little that he wanted to be so hung up on formality when the matter was so important. ¡®Sitting won¡¯t change anything¡­¡¯ She gave up her ground and relented to his request. Yumi roughly sat down not thinking about the grace of her posture. Matters more pressing than formal sitting won out. The rest joined her taking up positions around them. Once he saw everyone finally seated, he told the servant to close the door and leave. They had the freedom of their words now. ¡°So what have you learned? Judging from the dire looks in your eyes, nothing to build hope on.¡± ¡°Unfortunately not, Lord,¡± Saki answered before Yumi started. ¡°We can confirm the previous report that the demons are gathering a massive force,¡± Yumi started with the easy part. ¡°More arrived while we were investigating. It does appear that all demons in the land are gathering.¡± ¡°So the legendary wars of the past return.¡± Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. However, Yumi knew the reality of the situation, much like she expected Lord Konjo did. This battle, war, wouldn¡¯t be like the previous. The Demon Hunters wouldn¡¯t be enough to push the battle into a stalemate. Not even their power would succeed in doing that. ¡°Except it won¡¯t turn out the same way.¡± ¡°All of the old blood is gone,¡± he commented, understanding Yumi¡¯s fear. Though Konjo still seemed to lack the same sort of impending doom that the others felt on their shoulders. ¡°But our fate isn¡¯t predetermined.¡± ¡°We also confirmed two Demon Lords present, one being the leader of all the demons.¡± ¡°The Demon Hokuren¡­¡± ¡°Yes, we saw him at the center of the demons.¡± Closing his eyes and going silent, Lord Konjo turned inward with his reflection. The others didn¡¯t know if he was now actually worried about it or not. His expression remained largely unchanged by the news. Something that shocked them nearly as much as the presence of the demons. But their questions would not go unanswered for long. ¡°That¡¯s roughly what we expected. We planned for the worst case scenario and it made sense for the Demon Lords to be leading them.¡± ¡®They planned for the Demon Lords?¡¯ Yumi thought, still trying to deal with it herself, ¡®I mean that makes sense that they would be planning for the worst to happen, but what sort of plans could they even have to make that seem even a slightly realistic idea of being a success.¡¯ ¡°But it¡¯s great that you were able to confirm two of them. Now there can be no doubt about the lengths of the defense we¡¯re going.¡± ¡°Doubts?¡± asked Saki. ¡°The Demon Hunters have been reluctant to render their full support in defense of the city.¡± ¡°What?!¡± snapped Yumi, ¡°They¡¯re supposed to be protecting the city! This is their whole job!¡± ¡°Yes and it¡¯s not the first time we¡¯ve had reports of demon movements in the country. So they¡¯re skeptical of the reports.¡± Saki crossed her arms with a twist in her bow forming at the answer he gave. ¡°Then they aren¡¯t going to be convinced with our report.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t the council guys just order their asses?¡± asked Seiji. ¡°Did you forget that the real power in the Capital is the Association, not the Council? ¡°Damn those bastards.¡± ¡°Now don¡¯t lose hope yet.¡± ¡°Lord Konjo?¡± Yumi¡¯s head tilted, becoming impressed at the steel will the man had. Perhaps it was age that granted him such will and resolve. He stood up and walked over to the desk. Before continuing, he quickly started to write something down. The mystery only dragged out as he ordered a servant from outside back in. Handing over the letter that he wrote, he whispered to the woman quickly and sent her on her way. Konjo rejoined them back on the floor with matters resolved, apparently. His face looked no different than before, not a little smug from whatever it was that he just did. ¡°Don¡¯t forget that we still have some power to wield as well.¡± ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°The Demon Hunters only need a report from one of the other scout teams that went out. They¡¯ve been holding up full action until then. But there¡¯s nothing to say that the second report must come from you.¡± Saki grinned a little as she figured out what he was getting at. She quite liked the idea. ¡°You¡¯re playing a dangerous game though, if they find out you won¡¯t be safe anymore.¡± ¡°A small price for the safety of the people.¡± It took Yumi a little longer to understand what was happening, but she followed it soon enough. Only Seiji remained in the dark and Saki refused to explain it to him. ¡®Lord Konjo genuinely seems to care about the people. He¡¯s not trying to save himself. He¡¯s different than what I imagined the wealthy elite to be like. I can see why people follow him.¡¯ His courage and resolve were things she could admire. Yumi looked over to the door that went back out to the hall and eventually the city beyond. The countless lives that depended on them without knowing what was coming weighed heavily on her. She focused back on the Lord once more. ¡°So what¡¯s the plan then?¡± ¡°With the aid of the Demon Hunters, we¡¯ll increase the wards and defense of the walls to resist the assault. That was the original plan, at least.¡± ¡°Original?¡± ¡°Your companion¡¯s have some interesting and unique ideas.¡± She realized that Yuki and Nerine weren¡¯t present for their meeting. They left them to aid with the protection of the city. So Yumi didn¡¯t know what he was doing at the moment. ¡®I¡¯m not surprised that Yuki came up with something.¡¯ ¡°So what did Yuki come up with?¡± asked Saki, skipping straight to the point for everyone¡¯s sake. ¡°I think he called it guerilla warfare? He didn¡¯t go into the details with me, but he went out beyond the walls with some of the soldiers. He¡¯ll be back before nightfall, he said.¡± ¡°And what about the citizens?¡± It bothered Yumi that they hadn¡¯t done anything to evacuate the people out of the city, especially knowing that there was a very real threat to the Capital. She wanted to follow a different path than the one she took before, even if it wasn¡¯t intentional. This would be a warzone soon and they didn¡¯t belong here. A brief twitch in Konjo¡¯s eye broke his previously well controlled fa?ade. ¡°The Demon Hunters have refused to allow the citizens to be evacuated.¡± ¡°What?! What the hell?¡± Seiji¡¯s foot pounded on the floor making the wood bow and warp from the pressure. It was an impressive amount of control given his outburst. He looked like he was ready to attack the Lord, even though he was directing his rage at a party that he couldn¡¯t even see. ¡°What the hell are those bastard¡¯s thinking?!¡± Appearing surprisingly not rattled by Seiji¡¯s forceful display, the Lord restored the crack in his armor of calm to address the teenagers. ¡°It¡¯s a case of maintaining their image. If they allow the citizens to evacuate they¡¯ll lose their position. Their entire purpose is to protect the country from the demons and if they can¡¯t keep the Capital safe, then all of their power and stature is just for show.¡± ¡°But it is all just for show! They¡¯re all cowards.¡± ¡°Seiji, it¡¯s just the reality of things. They are still the strongest force against the demons.¡± ¡°There¡¯s us!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t overestimate our value in this battle.¡± ¡°Saki¡­¡± ¡°My hope is that the defenses and new strategies being employed will keep the citizens safe.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s not enough to hope on,¡± Yumi reminded, even though they all knew that already. She looked around at the others to see if they had any thoughts. But there was nothing to offer. Saki tried to keep Seiji in control, while he fumed. Given the way the Demon Hunters treated them thus far, she really didn¡¯t want to listen to anything that had to say. ¡°Can we just ignore them?¡± ¡°Yumi? Evacuating the city is a little different than just falsifying reports. They¡¯re going to notice.¡± ¡°Then we just wait until the last moment. I don¡¯t want the citizens being hurt because of something as meaningless as their pride.¡± A few different ideas came to her mind while she allowed the thought to grow within her. It created a bit of a smirk on her face. The notion of tricking the Demon Hunters alone made the idea worth trying. And in the end, she really didn¡¯t care what happened to them or her. ¡°What do you have in mind?¡± Lord Konjo asked. The smirk turned a little more into a grin as she accepted the plan within her mind. ¡°I know someone that can make it happen.¡± Chapter 432 - A Strategy for Impossible Explaining the plan that she had in mind to Lord Konjo took some convincing on her part. But she succeeded at least and he left to the council. He called for another emergency meeting to rally all that he learned. For them their hope was that they could get the Demon Hunters to agree to take action. While Yumi still had her doubts about what they could do, Saki seemed convinced enough that they could help. Self-centered and egotistical individuals were the last sort she wanted help from, but they were at a point that she couldn¡¯t really argue with anyone over the matter. The help had to come from everywhere if they were to survive. It was an easy enough thing for Yumi to understand. With one plan in motion, they set out to prepare for the coming day. Though before they could do anything, Yuki and Nerine returned from their work. Both wore heavily robed outfits that disguised their appearance. ¡®Doesn¡¯t that make them stand out more?¡¯ she questioned, as he drew back the hood only to find that it wasn¡¯t actually Yuki. Rather it was some slightly disfigured and scarred looking man far older than Yuki. Next to the man who she assumed to be Nerine was a young man with a simple and uninteresting face that no one would even bother to take a second to look at before moving on. ¡®Who are these two? Servants or soldiers of the Lord?¡¯ New guesses came to her mind as she tried to figure out their purpose. While she sought to understand it on her own, Saki stepped forward boldly. ¡°What have you been doing out there Yuki?¡± ¡°Yuki? Saki, I think you¡¯re mistaken. Take a closer look!¡± Not fazed, Saki stood next to the worn man and looked over at Yumi with an inviting stare. ¡°No, Yumi, this is Yuki. He¡¯s in disguise. Come on, drop your Field already.¡± Suddenly, the sight of the weathered man faded away revealing the youthful and bright visage of Yuki to her. He smiled at her sheepishly. ¡°Sorry about that Yumi, I forgot about my power. Woah¡­¡± The color in Yuki¡¯s face drained out immediately turning him white as a ghost. Yumi rushed quickly to his side with Saki turning around to catch him. They kept him from crashing to the floor and helped Yuki over to a neighboring room. Placed on a cushion on the floor, everyone gathered around with concern for his health. ¡°You feeling okay, Yuki?¡± ¡°Yeah, just a little lightheaded, Yumi. It¡¯s fine.¡± He tried to motion with his hand to his friend on his health, but they weren¡¯t completely buying it. ¡°He¡¯s been maintaining his power since you left hours ago,¡± Nerine defended quickly, ¡°He¡¯s just worn out.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. No need to worry. Nerine¡¯s right. I¡¯ve just been using my power a lot lately and for extended periods. I haven¡¯t had much time to recover my stamina.¡± ¡°But Nerine doesn¡¯t look that bad off,¡± Yumi noticed. She remembered seeing how rough it was for Nerine during their week-long hunt for the woman known as Masa. Like Yuki now, she got exhausted and spent the same as him. Though despite having to deal with similar conditions, she looked to still be able to function normally unlike him. ¡°Nerine has been in training and practiced with our power for far longer than I.¡± That seemed to be enough to convince them. Their posture relaxed and eased with the reasoning he presented. It certainly wasn¡¯t the first time he nearly collapsed from overuse of his power. They didn¡¯t need too much convincing, thankfully. Chapter 432 ¨C A Strategy for Impossible Subjects changed quickly as Yumi accepted Yuki¡¯s answer. ¡°What sort of plan have you enacted? Lord Konjo wasn¡¯t too specific on the details.¡± Taking the redirect, Nerine stepped in to answer for Yuki, giving him rest. ¡°It¡¯s not complete and relies on help from the Demon Hunter to succeed.¡± Hearing the name immediately ruffled Yumi and Saki to the notion of relying on them again. Saki took it in a better stride than Yumi, fixated on the emotions that remain hot within her. It hadn¡¯t even been a day since they were taken into the jail of the dungeon of the Association and an untold amount of time since their capture and transport. ¡°You as well¡­¡± Yumi had trouble finishing her own thoughts. ¡°As well?¡± asked Yuki, interjecting briefly. ¡°The council and Lord Konjo seem to be relying on aid from the Demon Hunters to win the battle,¡± answered Saki. She still had more of her composure than Yumi when talking about them. It impressed her a little how quickly Yumi grew to hate them having only briefly met them. Not that such intensity was a healthy thing for her. It was also not something she could deny. It only felt natural anyway. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Continuing her analytical approach of the situation, Nerine didn¡¯t share the same sort of feelings about the group that everyone else largely labeled as an enemy. ¡°They¡¯re a powerful organization with knowledge that exceeds our own in fighting demons. Even if we are stronger than them, they have more experience than us.¡± ¡°Do you believe that we have a chance to win with their aid?¡± ¡°A low chance, but better than fighting alone. The important key to the plan will be the defense of the city. The longer that we keep the demons out of the city the better our chances are.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re anticipating the walls failing?¡± ¡°With such a force, it is only a matter of time. Only by luck can we survive with the wall still intact.¡± ¡°Or you use those powers of yours,¡± inserted Yumi, recovered from her choking emotions. She pointed at the obvious fact in the plan. They continued to intentionally ignore such a possibility despite how it completely changed matters. ¡°We¡¯re not abusing them, Yumi.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t even a real world. What¡¯s there to be worried about breaking the rules here? My persona are already trying to kill me and are engineering the whole thing. We¡¯ve gone past playing fair.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t be certain of that. They set this up, but they haven¡¯t appeared since.¡± ¡°It¡¯s pretty convenient that the worst case scenario is happening. What else are we supposed to think?¡± Saki dropped her hand on the table, breaking up the pointless debate. ¡°It doesn¡¯t really matter if they¡¯re the cause or not. We have a war on our hands and we have to face it. It¡¯s going to be more productive to focus on means of surviving and defeating this army.¡± There remained some reluctance from Yumi, but she pushed forward still wanting to know what they had planned for the defense. ¡°So what are these guerilla tactics you¡¯ve got planned?¡± ¡°We laid out traps in the field surrounding the city.¡± ¡°Lying down mines in the field for your enemy to cross is a standard tactic,¡± joined the demon. ¡°That¡¯s not going to fool them. We already know the city is riddled with traps for demons.¡± It wasn¡¯t the first time he took part in the assault of a human city. In fact, the humans of the past were far more ruthless and cunning than the relaxed and complacent ones of the present. While some of the demons might be caught a little off guard by such types of humans that they have been seeing lately resorting to such tactics it wouldn¡¯t last. It wouldn¡¯t be enough to break the lines. Yuki however disagreed with Manekamaru¡¯s assessment of the plan. A dark smirk came across his face as he looked at the demon. ¡°I¡¯m counting on that expectation.¡± He began to go into the expanded details of their plan. The more he explained the strategy the more of the warmth disappeared from the room. By the time that he finished it nearly felt like the arctic inside with everyone stunned. Even Manekamaru looked deeply disturbed by Yuki¡¯s plan. ¡°Such a frighteningly bold plan. I¡¯ve never seen any human with such ideas. If you succeed¡­¡± ¡°If you succeed it¡¯ll change everything,¡± Yumi muttered in half constrained shock. Hearing his plan in detail froze her spine. She knew that Yuki, when motivated, was smart, but it exceeded any of her possible expectations. The effects of what it would mean still left her struggling to keep it together. Saki leaned forward keeping her unease in control compared to the others. ¡°Are you sure about this Yuki? Things won¡¯t be the same anymore if you go through with that plan.¡± ¡°Yumi asked me to find a solution and that¡¯s what I did. This is my answer for the impossible scenario we face. It¡¯s not something that we have to do, but you wanted a plan and this is going to be the best I can come up with.¡± ¡®Putting this on me,¡¯ she thought to herself. The stare that she got from Yuki told her as much. He wasn¡¯t being cruel or vindictive about her ordering him to find a way to save the humans even if it meant using his powers as much as he wanted to avoid it. ¡®He¡¯s found a way that keeps to his intent to minimize the use of his powers, if he did use his power he could solve this whole thing so quickly. He¡¯s so determined to not use them in this world¡­which has him with this deadly strategy against the demons.¡¯ Processing it still, Yumi tried to think of it only as demons being killed. However, the scope of the plan still presented risks to the Capital as well. As minimized as they were, they had to still keep it factor. ¡®Yuki¡¯s weighed the odds and differences. This is the plan he has even if it does mean a risk.¡¯ She knew that she had no other plan in mind. When they saw the demon army, she felt the despair from the overwhelming process of the demons. Her resolve wavered forcing her to reconfirm it. Despite all of that, she still didn¡¯t know how they would win in the end. It seemed like a foregone conclusion that they would end up dead or they would be unable to save to the Capital. Neither option sounded good for their survival in the death game her persona setup for her. Yuki gave her a choice. There was no avoiding it. She had a reality to face. Yuki gave her a solution to the war. The cost was just going to have to be something that would be accepted in the end. ¡®I told him to do it¡­ It¡¯s like he¡¯s been telling me. This is my problem and I have to be the one taking the responsibility for the choices.¡¯ The more that she remained in the world the more she understood how much her actions could not just be ignored. ¡°Then it¡¯s decided. We¡¯ll go with Yuki¡¯s plan.¡± ¡°Yumi, are you sure about it? There¡¯s nothing clean about this plan.¡± She nodded as the acceptance slowly took her over. ¡°Without it we won¡¯t be able to stand a chance. This is going to be our best option right now.¡± ¡°Nothing is simple with you,¡± Saki commented to Yuki about the plan. ¡°Sometimes simple isn¡¯t enough.¡± Her methods were something that Yuki understood well enough to know why it bothered her. But he focused more on their bigger problem at the moment. While he came up with a plan, it wasn¡¯t actually put into action. Apart from the fact that he wanted to make sure that Yumi agreed to it before progressing, since it wasn¡¯t his place to act out of turn, he still needed one critical piece to actually get the plan into motion. He needed the aid of the Demon Hunter Association. Their aid he brought up before, but it still remained unclear if they would fall in line with the rest of the council with the falsified report that Lord Konjo took to them. They remained stubborn in their commitment to the defense let alone the offense. They seemed unwilling to be convinced of a real threat from the demons on top of their pride in their status as the protectors of humanity. ¡°But we still need those bastards,¡± complained Seiji, picking up on the reserved look that Yuki shared. It was clear from the beginning that Yuki needed them for his plan. And Seiji didn¡¯t look forward to sharing sides with them almost as much as Saki. His sense of justice made him hate them more despite the limited interactions and Saki¡¯s greater cause for hatred towards them. Yuki looked over at Nerine, having already spoken for her efforts in the matter. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with them. We can disguise ourselves so they don¡¯t know who we are. You just focus on everything else.¡± ¡°You sure about doing it all alone?¡± Yumi asked. ¡°We¡¯ll be fine. There¡¯s plenty to go around for us to do.¡± Yumi stood up, managing to put herself in a more positive mindset. She looked over to Saki. With Yuki handling those matters, it left her time to try to work on improving herself. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I want you to train me more Saki with what little time we have.¡± Chapter 433 - Another Drop ¡°It¡¯s only going to be a week at best, it¡¯s not a lot of time.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to need everything that I can to fight against them. Even with Yuki¡¯s plan, this is still going to leave us with more than our share of demons to fight.¡± She couldn''t say how much the training she got from Saki in their tracking of Masa improved her skills, but it gave her a sense of development. Nothing that she learned from Saki had been put to use yet. The Demon Hunters didn''t give her a real chance at it. So the demons would be her first time learning if anything that Saki hammered into her actually worked for her. More than anything though, what worried her the most was that she never had any formal training like Saki and Yuki did in a dojo. Fighting wasn¡¯t in her blood like it was with them. Everything that she did and used now was learned through fighting. She focused on instinct rather than careful planning like them. Saki tried to get her to undo that nature of her, but it hadn''t really been culled out of her yet. She didn''t know if it would ever truly leave her. She needed more time being used to such a different way of fighting. In the middle of the fight, she felt like she would forget all about it. She felt certain she would fall into her usual habits no matter what Saki pounded into her. Yumi knew what she did before wouldn''t succeed. She already lost her way. She needed what Saki knew to even stand a chance against them. This was a fight she had to survive. This couldn''t be the end for her. They were still out there. She wouldn''t die until she found them and reclaimed her body and mind for herself. Saki could see the determination in her eyes. Such a look couldn¡¯t be turned down. ¡®Yumi¡¯s changed so much. I remember when she was so meek and afraid of nearly everyone. Now she¡¯s diving straight into the fires of war.¡¯ She still didn''t have the same sort of confidence or assurance that Yuki did in fighting. But that was only natural for her. She wasn''t used to this sort of thing. The confidence that Yuki built up over years of fighting wouldn''t be something that she gained in a few months. ¡°Very well, but I¡¯m going to be harder on you. Unlike before, we don¡¯t have any time to waste.¡± The look in Saki¡¯s stern eyes gave Yumi a momentary pause. She had always been serious with her, but this was a different sort of feeling than before. ¡®Do I need to worry?¡¯ Sweat dripped down the side of her head trying to figure out what would happen to her in the next moment. While Yumi worked on recovering from the shocking scare that Saki gave her, she turned back to Seiji. Yuki and Nerine already had their plans, while she didn''t really care too much about the demon¡¯s plans. ¡°What about you, Seiji? What will you do?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got my own plans,¡± he reassured her. A crooked pursed stretch of her lips noted her less than convinced reaction to his answer. She crossed her arms, staring at him seriously. ¡°You could use it to train as well.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, Saki. It¡¯s not natural for you to be worried about my ass.¡± ¡°Just remember this battle will be nothing like anything we¡¯ve faced before. More than anything before the odds are against us. So use your time well.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah I¡¯m aware.¡± Chapter 433 ¨C Another Drop Due to the risk of being discovered by the demon hunters, Yumi took Saki¡¯s advice and left the Capital for their training. The fact that Saki wanted them out of the city unnerved Yumi even more than before. Their previous training had just been with the rest of the group. Nothing about them presented any risk to the camp they made. ¡®Just what does Saki have in mind for training this time?¡¯ She landed far away from the Capital, leaving it as a backdrop to their grounds. Yumi found a rough bit of unused land that rose up to the mountains near them. Nothing seemed to be growing in the area making it well suited for them to fight. ¡°This should suit our needs,¡± Yumi said, working up a confident smirk to hide her uncertainty about Saki¡¯s plans. ¡°It means you won¡¯t be able to run from me,¡± spoke Saki in an ominous tone. ¡®We are training, right?¡¯ Yuki woke up from his sleep to a strange and uneven noise crawling through the mansion. ¡°Is Saki back?¡± he asked himself with a heavy grog of sleep slowing him down. Through half open eyes, he made it over to the door by the time the sound reached outside. A little nervous, he prepared his Field just in case it was an attack, even though it would be a terrible one if they were going for stealth. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Firmly gripping the handle on the door, he paused for a moment as the noise ceased. Everything went still only making the atmosphere worse. An ominous feeling seeped into his body, not clear what was happening anymore. It almost seemed like he was dreaming or maybe having a nightmare. But he felt that he still needed to see what lay beyond his door. ¡®If it¡¯s a nightmare I die and wake up. If it¡¯s real¡­it¡¯s pretty much not an assassin.¡¯ Giving himself reassurance, he slid open the door to get two bloody corpses falling on top of him once they had enough room to fall. ¡°Nightmare it is!¡± he yelped, really not expecting such a gruesome surprise on his door. ¡°Yuki¡­¡± ¡°Zombies!¡± he muttered with a mixture of delight and fear. However, he didn¡¯t really have a chance to fight back as they grabbed a hold of him and pinned him down. Blood dripped off their darkened faces turning his face blue. Any sort of excitement drained away. He tried to find his Field, but his brain was not correctly focusing. ¡°¡­Yuki¡­¡± ¡°The zombies know my name!¡± One of them raised up a hand reaching out to claw out his eyes and crack open his brain. He winced trying to prepare himself for it and the breaking of the nightmare. Caught in his dream, he would escape it soon. It grabbed his face, squeezing his cheeks tightly pulling him towards them. ¡°I¡¯m not a zombie, dammit, Yuki! Get your fantasies out of your head!¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± He blinked and worked out the sleep from his eyes only to see that it was Saki looking a complete and utter mess. ¡°Saki!? Yumi!?!¡± Next to her was Yumi looking nearly unconscious and even worse off than Saki. ¡°What the hell is going on, Saki?!¡± ¡°Heal first, questions second.¡± ¡°R-right!¡± Now that he knew it was reality, or virtual at least, he sat up properly getting his focus back. Ripples passed over the ground as green glows engulfed the two women. All of their countless wounds closed up and he cleaned their clothes and mended them as well. A few minutes of healing had the two back on their feet, though still completely exhausted. Yuki looked out the window to remind him what time it was. The sun hadn¡¯t quite started to rise. The city wall prevented him from seeing anything other than a red glow that hinted at the sun. ¡°Damn, you two were out all night fighting?!¡± ¡°We sorta got caught up and lost track of time,¡± Yumi replied sheepishly, not really affected by Yuki¡¯s parental yelling. ¡°Lost track of time?¡± He stared down at the two of them. The sight that they were in when they dropped on him was terrible. It looked like they had been through hell in their training. Yuki tried to imagine what Saki might have been doing for their training. ¡°What sort of training were you doing, Saki? It nearly killed Yumi by the looks of it!¡± ¡°I stopped before that point,¡± she answered with little interest in Yuki¡¯s worries. Saki dusted off her attire showing her disinterest despite Yuki¡¯s cleaning having already done the work. ¡°You stopped? You can¡¯t just be fighting until you¡¯re almost dead and just coming back to me like I¡¯m some magic bean to use whenever you¡¯re injured! What if you died on the way back?¡± ¡°I was careful.¡± ¡°Careful, come on, Saki!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, Yuki.¡± Yumi stepped in between the two trying to calm down Yuki¡¯s mounting concerns for their training methods. She was happy with the results and the way Saki treated her. Once they started she understood what Saki was doing. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry. Just heal us like you have before. We need to be the strongest possible for the battle.¡± Yuki took a step back. ¡°¡­Yumi¡­¡± He didn''t expect to see her so demanding of him. The way she stared at him said that she didn''t want him to question anything that they were doing. She only wanted his cooperation, or rather his powers to heal her. Their training seemed to have completely consumed her interests. ¡°There you have it, Yuki. Straight from Yumi¡¯s mouth. You¡¯re not going to complain now are you?¡± He ground his teeth being bullied into helping by the two of them. ¡®Saki¡¯s using the fact that we put Yumi¡¯s in charge against me. She¡¯s telling me to just fall in line since it¡¯s Yumi¡¯s orders.¡¯ It felt like an abuse of Yumi¡¯s position in their group, but at the same time it was her decision. Saki might be leveraging it against him, but Yumi made the order. If it was going to be Yumi, he couldn¡¯t really do anything. He wanted her to make the choice and deal with the responsibilities of those choices. Which meant also living with whatever became of this choice. Yuki crossed his arms tightly, not pleased with what this meant for them. ¡°If that¡¯s your choice, I can¡¯t stop you. Just try not to come back dying again. I don¡¯t think my heart can take it.¡± ¡°No promises!¡± Yumi teased with a wide smile on her face as she turned back to the door. She walked out of the room heading off to a place to sleep off her fatigue. Disbelief stuck around on Yuki¡¯s face, still witnessing Yumi¡¯s transformation. ¡°What sort of training did you do? She¡¯s not acting anything like she has before.¡± Saki rubbed the back of her head nodding in agreement with Yuki on the matter of Yumi¡¯s personality shift. Though it wasn''t the first time they noticed her being different. ¡°She¡¯s been going through a lot in here. But seemed to be genuinely enjoying the sparring and training with me, continuing to push herself despite fatigue or injuries. I don¡¯t know if she¡¯s noticed it herself, considering what Manekamaru said about her trying to deny it. I haven¡¯t mentioned it yet since I don¡¯t know how she¡¯ll react.¡± ¡°Still I didn¡¯t really expect this much of a change from her so quickly. Gives me hope that she might be moving past her bloodlust phase she had going on.¡± ¡°Whatever it is, I¡¯m not going to mess with it for now. We need her in a good mindset for the battle. She can¡¯t be doubting herself at a time like this.¡± ¡°Just be careful.¡± ¡°I am. She¡¯s not going to beat me in martial arts anytime soon.¡± ¡°She¡¯s a fast learner.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve noticed. Was she always like that or that a benefit of the changes to our bodies?¡± ¡°Not sure.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s the idiot?¡± Saki asked, noticing that he wasn¡¯t present in the boy¡¯s room with Yuki. Unlike the two of them, he hadn''t gone out to train. And it was still early enough that she doubted that he went out to work or something. ¡°Seiji left not long after you two did. Said he had something to do. Wasn¡¯t very clear about it.¡± ¡°What¡¯s he got turning in his head?¡± Within a dark room, a faint aura wrapped around Seiji. Sweat dripped over his bare chest as he focused intently on within. ¡®I will conquer this¡­¡¯ Chapter 434 - Blind Light Within a dark room completely shut off from reality, measured stillness reigned. A carefully controlled exhale released into the room. The breath created the rhythm that governed the room. Everything ran off the tempo without fail. Nothing was allowed to be anything else. Yet it was a fragile balance constructed. Even with an order to things, it was ever so easy to break everything down. The slightest of mistakes shattered the precise build. Like removing a brick from the foundation, the whole structure collapsed with little effort. This was Seiji¡¯s battle that he fought. Sweat soaked and coated his skin from the hours of meditation. Contrary to expectations, what Seiji wanted to focus his training on wasn¡¯t fighting or improving his strength. There was a different sort of strength that he wanted, needed to be able to keep fighting the way that he wanted. This would be his only way of doing it. A faint glow of white light surrounded Seiji as the sweat built up heavier. Veins along his neck and arms appeared as he struggled. The intensity of the light grew blurring out part of his body as it became partially opaque. The rhythm skipped for a moment. That was all that it took for him. Seiji¡¯s eyes opened as everything broke. His hand slammed against the wood floor splintering it from the pressure, matching many similar marks around the floor. The light disappeared quickly as he released a pant with the sweat build up twice of what it had been before. His body¡¯s fatigue showed clearly. With more measured control, Seiji¡¯s hand hit the floor, but as a fist. It rattled the dust, but only shook the wood rather than compressing it. ¡°I will conquer this, dammit! It won¡¯t beat me!¡± Chapter 434 ¨C Blind Light When afternoon came and Yumi woke up with Saki next to her on the floor, she no longer felt the exhaustion from before. She stared at her hand, which had been almost completely covered in blood and bruises. Every muscle and bone felt normal. The dull distant pain that she felt through the surge of adrenaline telling her that something might be wrong, but that she could ignore it was gone. It wasn¡¯t the first time for her. Having been in the world, she experienced it many times now. Yet it still felt a bit amazing, his power. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t be surprised at this point, but changing reality is still an unnerving thing. Even though after a few months we¡¯ve all become so used to it that we rely on him for everything. We just accept it as normal, even with the things he does. At this point, what used to be normal almost feels weird now¡­¡± Yumi stood up after folding the sheets and blanket trying to not think too hard about what she just said a minute before. It felt a little odd feeling through her body the acceptance of what reality meant now. She walked over to the window and pushed back the shutters letting her see the afternoon sun baking the porch of the courtyard. A calm pond and whispering tree, two birds danced about with excitement in the shallow end of the pond. Two servants slid gracefully through on the far side, maybe on orders. Further in the distance, the crowds of the Capital sang a soft melody of energy, a human song. ¡°Hard to believe in a week this will all be in flames of war. Demons won¡¯t have a care about any of this.¡± ¡°On the contrary, we have songs, emotions and culture. Your narrow-mindedness of your enemy isn¡¯t letting you see them as another person.¡± She leaned back from the window, slightly unable to completely control her surprise at Manekamaru¡¯s appearance. Once she saw him in the shadows of the tree, her flat expression with him surfaced. ¡°Still trying to win me over.¡± ¡°Nothing of the sort. I¡¯m still only interested in our rematch.¡± ¡°And yet you continue to remind me that you demons aren¡¯t like what I think you are.¡± She had to admit that the heavy prejudice she carried about demons didn¡¯t come from this world that she stood upon, but the real world. It wouldn¡¯t be something that he would understand. Not that they kept a positive reputation within this world either. He smiled pleasantly at her. Despite everything she had said and the extreme prejudice she showed to his people and him, none of it seemed to bother him. The way none of her words ruffled him was so unnatural. ¡°Just a reminder. We may want to kill each other, but no reason to not take the time to correct mistakes when we¡¯re not.¡± ¡°Right¡­I still don¡¯t understand you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s only been a couple of weeks at most. Hardly enough time to truly know someone.¡± ¡°If I had ten lifetimes I don¡¯t think I still understand you any better.¡± ¡°It¡¯s truly a shame you don¡¯t, I¡¯d very much enjoy many more rematches.¡± ¡°You seem to be under the impression you won¡¯t be dead the next time.¡± ¡°Naturally there is that possibility as well.¡± A sigh came from Yumi¡¯s lips resigning herself to the fate she had with this confusing demon. There was never any winning with words. ¡°I¡¯m done.¡± Throwing up her hands, she washed herself of the situation and pulled back from the window. She tended to herself, cleaning up and acquiring a new set of clothes from the servants. By the time she reached the table for a meal, Saki appeared at her side looking ready for the day. ¡®When did she wake up? Did I miss her while talking with Manekamaru?¡¯ Either way, there was little time to dwell on the matter. Their meals laid before them only delayed more training. The two departed the mansion not too long after on their way back to their training grounds. Yumi looked back towards the mansion as she flew up into the air. Everyone but the servants was gone. Only the demon remained. He consistently kept his neutral stance in matters. However, she wondered how long that would last with the demon attack. His loyalties were never something she thought too hard about. He was just another enemy, a talkative one. But she always had her guard up around him, not sure if he would just attack. He never did, though she wasn¡¯t sure if it was because of her watching him or something else. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°How long do you think we¡¯ll be stuck in here?¡± Yumi asked, starting idle chatter on their flight. ¡®She¡¯s thinking more positively¡­¡¯ Saki thought before answering her. ¡°It¡¯s hard to say, given that we still don¡¯t understand the purpose of this. But it¡¯s already been a month since we¡¯ve been stuck here. That¡¯s a worrying sign.¡± ¡°You think much time has passed in the real world?¡± ¡°I hope a month hasn¡¯t passed. Since if we¡¯re here for any longer there¡¯s a risk of unrelated incidents disrupting everything.¡± ¡°I hadn¡¯t even thought about something from out of the world happening¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯re well hidden and secure, so it¡¯s unlikely, but we can¡¯t rule out anything. But I¡¯m less likely to believe time is passing at the same rate out there.¡± ¡°Any reason you think that?¡± ¡°Nothing that I can give to convince you. Just a feeling I have.¡± Saki felt certain despite any of his claims to not knowing what was the truth behind everything, that he really did know. At the very least, she knew he had a better guess than any of them. Nothing that she came up with really made a lot of sense yet. Given the situation that they were in, there were far better ways they could engineer their deaths in a world that they controlled. This abstract way of doing it wouldn''t be needed. Yuki had answers that much she could be certain about. Yuki sneezed, breaking his focus for a moment. He took a pause in his work, his Field still intact for his work. Nearby him Nerine steadily continued her work without question. He saw the reluctance that she had about their plan. Even for being a fake world, she still felt the moral pangs from their actions. She ignored them for the sake of her King, that much he knew. It was obvious to him. If this was the real world, he would be having significantly more reservations about such a plan. He wasn''t even sure if he would have even entertained such an idea for even a moment. The situation would have to be far more desperate for him to even consider such a plan. Yuki didn¡¯t like the disassociated feeling that came from knowing nothing really mattered about it. It was a dangerous path to take, one he warned Yumi about. However, he had to keep his attention on their new support that joined them today. The Demon Hunters finally accepted the reality. They spread out taking direction from him. It surprised him a little bit that they accepted such orders from the Council so readily. Yuki felt certain that they had a plan or scheme in play, the peace was only a ploy by them. He walked over to Nerine, not having conferred since the mansion. ¡°What have you seen?¡± ¡°Nothing out of the ordinary. So far none of them have made any sort of suspicious moves.¡± ¡°Yeah, they just seem to be doing the work without any questions.¡± He kept an eye on them the same as he ordered Nerine to do. Yuki just trusted her to be better at it than him. Her Atlantean military training as a MP made her far superior to him in noticing minor details. Her life depended on such skills being highly refined. So if she wasn¡¯t finding any tricks or deception, then it was likely fine, for now. ¡°It just doesn¡¯t sit right with me.¡± ¡°They¡¯re planning something,¡± she agreed. ¡°Yes, but we can¡¯t do anything about a gut feeling. They¡¯re not the sort of organization that would just allow themselves to be cowed under the Council¡¯s hand after their long history of holding the reins.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense. They have a plan.¡± ¡°My worry is about what lengths they¡¯re willing to go. They have the survival of humanity in mind, but have a very pragmatic way of looking at their situations. They are willing to let a few die for the end goal of surviving, which makes any plan that they think up a very dangerous combination for us.¡± ¡°Yet, we¡¯re reliant on their resources for this plan.¡± ¡°I know. If we didn¡¯t have them out here we never would have been able to execute the plan, at least not without me severely breaking the rules.¡± There was nothing stopping him from using his power to do anything that they wanted. But he limited himself so that Yumi didn¡¯t rely on his powers for every answer. She needed to do things without him as a crutch. ¡°I¡¯ll keep a watch on them. If they make any moves I¡¯ll step in.¡± ¡°Just be careful.¡± ¡°¡­I will.¡± He noticed the slight hesitation that slipped in for her. Habits remained difficult for her to break, but she did better. A day passed followed by another before Yuki saw any of his friends return to the mansion. Late into the evening Yumi and Saki returned in nearly a similar state as the previous night that they dropped on him. They had managed to avoid the servants last time, but there was nothing they could do to sneak in this time. The state of Saki this time was terrible. Yumi clearly had flown her back in a panic, not certain if she would survive the flight. She made it in time for Yuki to tend to the two of them, but they failed to be careful like he requested of them. ¡°Dammit you two, again!¡± he cursed while immediately using his healing Field on the two of them. Blood from Saki poured everywhere on the floor. She had a grievous wound stretching from her shoulder down to her waist. He could see bone through some of the torn and cut muscle and flesh. ¡°It¡¯s only thanks to your more resilient bodies that Saki¡¯s not dead! What do you think you¡¯re doing, Yumi?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Yuki! I-I¡­¡± A bloody hand jumped up grabbing Yuki¡¯s forearm pulling him down to the floor nearly as Saki awoke back to consciousness. She stared directly into Yuki¡¯s eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t yell at Yumi,¡± she managed clearly despite all of the pain and injuries. ¡°She did exactly what I told her.¡± The fierce stare made Yuki pause in his already prepared rant for Yumi. He had no idea what they did and found it difficult to believe that this was exactly what Saki wanted. A few moments gave him enough time to recover and redirect his attention to Saki at her insistence. ¡°What the hell are you thinking? Are you trying to die? If you keep this up one time you¡¯re not going to make it back and I won¡¯t be able to heal you and you¡¯ll just be dead. We don¡¯t know what happens to us in the real world, you¡¯re taking too many risks assuming you¡¯ll be fine! You¡¯re smarter than this!¡± ¡°Just finish healing me. Don¡¯t question my methods!¡± ¡°S-saki¡­¡± Yumi muttered, some of her previous shy personality bleeding through, having been shaken by the results of their training. ¡®Dammit Saki, what are you thinking? You¡¯re being far too reckless.¡¯ Once Yumi finished up, Saki sent her on her way to get rest. The injuries that she sustained took longer for Yuki to heal. While Saki tested out her fully restored body the servants brought food for her, already having delivered it to Yumi. She tore through the food quickly despite having taken rations with them on their training. Alone now, Saki leaned back against the wall seeing the moon just barely through the window. Across from her in the room, Yuki stared at her with a disapproving glare for the last thirty minutes. He hadn¡¯t said a word after she yelled back at him. He seemed to have understood a little bit. Yet questions remained that he wanted her to answer. ¡°You¡¯re not leaving until I give you an explanation.¡± ¡°If you saw me doing something stupid and reckless that was completely contradictory to my norm you would too.¡± ¡°Have some trust. I know what I¡¯m doing.¡± She had trouble denying what he said. ¡®I¡¯d be reacting the same¡­¡¯ ¡°Which is why I¡¯m being calm now. But don¡¯t work in the dark. What is it that has you doing this?¡± Saki looked away from him as she pulled on her thoughts. A low sigh came from her lips. It wasn¡¯t really something that she wanted to talk about just yet. ¡°Fine. It¡¯s still something that I¡¯m confirming though.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s about Yumi. Since I¡¯ve been sparring with her seriously these last three days, I saw something.¡± ¡°What did you see?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not entirely certain. It¡¯s why I¡¯ve been pushing her. It surfaces once and a while, rare instances of power and intelligence. Maybe it¡¯s why that demon¡¯s so fixated on fighting her again. He¡¯s been the only one that has fought at her level.¡± Yuki suddenly stood up having a little trouble with what she was implying. ¡°Saki, you¡¯re making it sound like she¡¯s stronger than you.¡± ¡°She is.¡± ¡°That can¡¯t be right, she¡¯s still got a long way to go before she should be outclassing you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m being serious, Yuki. I¡¯ve fought with her. I know what I saw. Yumi has passed all of us.¡± Chapter 435 - The Well It took a lot for Yuki to digest what Saki told him. He sat down working through it in his mind. The power that Yumi possessed was never something in question. They all knew she possessed significant strength in her granted powers. In moments, they could seem vastly more powerful than normal, but he never imagined her becoming even Saki¡¯s equal so quickly. He figured it would be possible in time and training, but this went beyond his expectations. He leaned his head back against the wall as it sank in for him. ¡°I knew she¡¯d get more powerful, she had the drive, but this is far faster than even I could imagine. I feel like I¡¯m reading a battle manga.¡± ¡°You¡¯re living one,¡± Saki commented, ¡°You made it one.¡± ¡°I guess I did. I sort of still expected some dose of reality.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to have to get used to the reality you have now. I¡¯m still testing her, but I think we have to accept the reality that Yumi¡¯s potential is significantly greater than we imagined and possibly exceeds any one of us. She¡¯s been picking up what I¡¯m teaching quickly despite her insecurities chaining her to the ground. It¡¯s a little unsettling, but it feels like she¡¯s always known how to do it, but forgot and through sparring she¡¯s remembering.¡± ¡°Are you thinking that¡¯s part of what my power did to alter her body?¡± ¡°But that sort of thing would be in her mind, not her body.¡± Yuki nodded in agreement with her. ¡°While I still don¡¯t understand what I did back at school, so that means I might have also messed with people¡¯s minds, nothing that we¡¯ve seen thus far from the others points to any sort of altering of their mind. If that was the case, I think there would have been more instinctual and a better understanding of the powers people were granted, rather than the need for self discovery and exploration.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not saying it makes any sense. And I don¡¯t really think you did anything to our minds. But the uncanny talents she¡¯s starting to display now don¡¯t have an explanation.¡± She wanted to understand it better. Saki didn¡¯t know how far Yumi would take things or if she would even be able to control her power if reached her peak. ¡°I wonder how the demon will take to this news.¡± ¡°He¡¯ll probably be ecstatic.¡± ¡°You¡¯re probably right.¡± Saki stood up stretching more as though a massive weight disappeared from her shoulders. She stared over at Yuki once more with a serious look. ¡°Go talk to her before she gets to sleep.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Chapter 435 ¨C The Well Yuki walked down the hall from where he left Saki. It was all still a lot for him to process. Her development seemed too fast. The world here seemed to be fostering it for her. As Saki said, he would just have to come to accept it. He wasn¡¯t angry about it, just had trouble seeing it happening at such an accelerated rate. He knocked on the door to the girls¡¯ room. Nerine remained up still, so it should only be Yumi in the room. ¡°Yumi, it¡¯s Yuki.¡± ¡°Yuki? Is something wrong?¡± ¡°Did you have some time to talk?¡± ¡°Y-yes?¡± The uncertainty in her voice didn¡¯t dampen any less through the door. He knew it was sudden for her, but Saki was right about it. Yuki slid the door aside feeling that slight unwelcome greeting one gets for intruding into a room they aren¡¯t normally meant to enter. He could calm his nerves as much as he wanted knowing that it was simply a bare room only meant to give them a place to sleep, but that only worked so well. ¡°Yuki?¡± ¡®I need to calm her unease first. She doesn¡¯t really know what I¡¯m doing here and it is not exactly planned. This only happened because of the outcome from their sparring.¡¯ He had no doubt that Saki talked to her as well, but that wasn¡¯t going to be enough to ease Yumi. ¡°I just wanted to talk to you. You were looking pretty rough when you came back tonight.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Yumi shifted under her sheets of her futon having hoped no one noticed. ¡®I guess I shouldn¡¯t be surprised that he noticed. I wasn¡¯t doing a very good job hiding it either¡­¡¯ Seeing Saki in the state that she was still burned in her eyes. Trying to sleep did nothing but recall it for her. She wasn¡¯t certain if it would ever go away. Saki was her friend and she nearly killed her. Yuki took a seat next to Yumi on the floor. ¡°It¡¯s fine Yumi.¡± ¡°What?¡± She looked into his eyes seeing what he was trying to do for her. But she shook her head at him. There was nothing fine about it and she knew it. ¡°No! You¡¯re wrong! I went too far. I shouldn¡¯t have¡ª¡° ¡°Yumi,¡± he interrupted her thought quickly, seeing the self-destructive chain that she had already created. It ran through her head with ease, as a completely natural thing. Nothing he could do would stop its flow. But he could at least help to steer it. ¡°You only made a mistake. These things happen when you¡¯re training.¡± ¡°No! Not killing your friend, those things don¡¯t just happen!¡± He reached out to place a hand on her arm through the blanket. The feeling she had going through her right now was a familiar one. ¡°Yumi, you make mistakes, that¡¯s part of being human. But also being human is learning from them and being able to make them again. Facing it rather than closing yourself off so you can¡¯t hurt anyone again.¡± ¡°But I could have¡­¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t though, Yumi. You can¡¯t focus on the what ifs and might have beens. Look to what you want to be for the future.¡± ¡°The future?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, the future. Imagine how you want to see yourself.¡± She stared at him confused by his words. A dart of his eyes to the side flipped through different approaches. He realized that he was being too abstract with his intent. ¡°What sort of person do you want to be in the future? Someone that hurts your friends?¡± ¡°No! Of course not! I want to protect them!¡± ¡°There you are. That¡¯s your answer.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± She tilted her head at Yuki as he made it all seem so simple. Yumi didn¡¯t get how he could be so binary about it. ¡°You change your mistake from a fear to a goal. If your goal is to protect your friends, then you need to be strong. Strong enough to control your power and to protect them.¡± ¡°But I might¡ª¡° ¡°That¡¯s doubt in your heart, Yumi. Don¡¯t listen to it. If you allow it to grow it will weaken you and you¡¯ll lose control to fear. You¡¯ll freeze your time, unable to see anything but the past and become trapped by it. You won¡¯t be able to move on. You¡¯ll become defined by it rather than defining yourself.¡± Hearing his words softened her heart a little. The tension that built up started to release and the shaking slowly began to subside away. Small thorns still rested in her side, irritating her. ¡°How do I do that? Whenever I think about it I can¡¯t help the feeling.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not something that will go away in an instant. It takes work, which is why you look to your goal. You have to define what you want to become and look to that goal. When you feel that doubt creeping up on you think about how you would feel if you failed to reach your goal.¡± ¡°My goal? Protecting my friends?¡± Her mind quickly imagined not being strong enough to save them. Visions of demons killing them and unknown foes beyond. What she could have done to help them if she had just been stronger. ¡°NO!¡± she shouted as the whole room quaked for a moment. Yuki nearly fell on his back. ¡®I didn¡¯t expect such a strong reaction out of her. Saki¡¯s right about her.¡¯ He braced his hand to the floor so that Yumi didn¡¯t pick up everything. Once the shaking disappeared, he wiped away the sweat, not really having wanted to be at the ground zero of someone triggering a power release. All the fantasy didn¡¯t justify the reality he faced, he wasn¡¯t built for such an experience. ¡°Use that as your resolve. Power itself is not bad, it¡¯s only bad when you wield it that way. So don¡¯t fear it. You need it to protect those that are dear to you.¡± Yumi slowly nodded to him, starting to come around to his side. ¡°Focus on the goal?¡± ¡°Yes. You¡¯ll do fine.¡± He moved his hand to where he felt her hand was under the blanket giving her a comforting hold. ¡°Trust and believe in yourself. The power you have is for you to wield how you wish, if it is not doing what you want, understand it. You¡¯ll find the right path.¡± An at ease smile came over her face. She had managed to come through to the other side. Yuki sighed internally with relief. He stood up to allow her time to sleep and focus on herself. ¡°Yuki!¡± Pausing, he looked over his shoulder to her. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I¡­thank you.¡± ¡°I believe in you. You just believe in yourself.¡± ¡°I will.¡± ¡®That¡¯s some good resolve I see¡­¡¯ He slid the door closed behind him, finding Saki down the hall waiting on his exit. Raising his eyebrow a little at her presence, he walked over to her and leaned up against her wall. ¡°It¡¯s done.¡± ¡°Coming from you it¡¯ll mean more.¡± ¡°Yeah I know,¡± he said, getting the extra meaning that she layered into her words. His words rang heavy with his understanding. It didn¡¯t have to be said, not yet at least. ¡°Don¡¯t blame me though.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re right, which I think you are, you just had me tell her to push forward to gain even greater power. You¡¯re the one sparring with her.¡± Saki crossed her arms showing off a fa?ade of strength to cover over the uncertainty that he poked into her. ¡°I¡¯ll be able to handle it. She might be stronger than me, but I still got tricks. It just means I don¡¯t have to be as soft on her.¡± ¡°Just come back in one piece.¡± ¡°I will. You should focus on the internal issues.¡± A grimace came over his face when she mentioned that. ¡°You heard about that huh?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t let them win. We can¡¯t defeat the demons only to be faced with a new threat the moment we let our guard down.¡± She only heard a few scattered details from the servants talking in the halls, not aware that her enhanced hearing was picking them up. Rumors of secret meetings being held by the Demon Hunters spread quickly from a troubled Lord who cared a little too much for the safety of his people. Yuki nodded, troubled by the course of events. None of them had picked up on their plans yet and he grew troubled by it more and more. ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye on them. I¡¯ll take care of any sort of plans they are putting in place.¡± Chapter 436 - In Plain Sight Crossing through a busy street in the Capital, a man in his early thirties covered in a dark cloak approached two men with shadowed faces. Only grim piercing eyes made it through their dark features veiled behind hoods. They stopped the man only for him to pull up his cloak¡¯s sleeve just enough to reveal the Hunter¡¯s seal upon the badge tied to his forearm. The guards granted him access to the building as he stepped inside. Pulling the cloak¡¯s hood down, the worn expression of the man stared deeper into the hall. He pressed ahead with a strong stride. Out of the right door came an older harsher appearing man. A dark stare met him bringing him to an immediate stop. ¡°I don¡¯t recognize you.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t suppose you would. My missions take me north. It¡¯s my first time back in more than four years. And not under the circumstances that I would have liked.¡± He stared at the man for a little longer, taking read of his explanation. Tension tightened up in the silence without a measure of the older man¡¯s reaction. It then quickly relaxed. ¡°I¡¯d imagine not. Miyake.¡± ¡°Terakado, sir. I¡¯ve been sent because of a mission you have for me?¡± ¡°Terakado! So you¡¯re the one headquarters sent to me. Come in then.¡± He motioned the man into the side room filled with documents and crates. As Terakado started in, Miyake motioned over to the plain appearing woman in the corner with a servile stature. ¡°Tamiko, get the door.¡± ¡°Yes, Master Miyake,¡± she quietly replied, gliding over the floor to the door. By the time that she arrived at the door, Terakado had already entered. She slid it closed behind him before making her presence small in the corner. Another in the room besides just the mission commander made him glance with concern. However Miyake took his attention back. ¡°No need to be bothered. Tamiko¡¯s trustworthy, she¡¯s been at my side since my rookie years.¡± ¡°Yes, sir. I understand.¡± He put his focus back to the orders of his mission. ¡°I wasn¡¯t given any details of my mission.¡± ¡°This mission is rank SS,¡± Miyake answered, going behind his desk and pulling out a key. Unlocking the partition in his desk, he revealed a secret pocket holding only the highest of ranked missions executed by the Demon Hunters. A scroll came out of the black pocket and passed to Terakado. ¡°Your contact will go by the name of Morioka.¡± In silence, the man read through the scroll and wrapped it back up. He returned it to Miyake, who tightened his hand over the scroll as it burst into flames completely destroying any evidence of the mission. ¡°I understand. The threat is real then.¡± ¡°Yes, I expect you to carry out the mission with your usual efficiency.¡± ¡°You will have results, sir.¡± ¡°Glad to hear it, Terakado. Dismissed.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± He motioned over to Tamiko for the door to be opened for their guest. She quietly moved over to the door sliding it open for him to leave. Once their guest left, he returned to work ignoring the woman to her own matters. She resumed sorting documents in the back side of the room opposite of him. Nothing changed in her duties. The arrival of Terakado made the first big shift for the day in an otherwise boring and unproductive day. Fortunately, his appearance corrected all of it and made it worthwhile. ¡®A troubling mission¡­¡¯ Yuki thought, while using Miyake¡¯s servant as a decoy. Chapter 436 ¨C In Plain Sight While the two discreetly made their plans for the secret mission, Yuki looked over their shoulder completely invisible to either of them. He used the servant as his disguise while he watched, but left it behind for investigations. There could be no risk allowed for slipping his hand. However, now that he had the mission, matters became troubling. He returned back to his disguise while monitoring the actions of Miyake. All of the room that he could manage had been investigated with the exception of the man¡¯s desk and private safe-like chamber. ¡®He¡¯s kept to the desk the whole time, even when he leaves he orders me to follow. Despite what he says, he¡¯s not trusting of her. A cautious man¡­¡¯ Yuki cursed his poor planning. He thought that he had figured out a set that would allow for all of the espionage that he needed, but it was still lacking. He still had room for improvement. After an entire day of spying on the man, Yuki¡¯s job came to an end. He slipped out of the small home that belonged to such an important figure within the Association. Such humble residence belied the darkness contained within. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Under another cover, he slipped into the night crowds and made his way to the rendezvous. Set up in advance by the two of them and keeping his cover going at the work site for the defense, Nerine waited for his return. In a subtle and completely contrasting appearance of a short and large figured middle-aged man, she sat in a quiet corner of a slightly up-scale restaurant. It gave them privacy and a shady location to meet up was too clich¨¦ for Yuki. Yuki sat down at the table that gave a rather intimate setting, given his appearance as a mid-twenties woman dressed nicely for an evening dinner. A bit of a frustrated expression slipped through Nerine¡¯s control. An internal smile went through Yuki watching her. ¡®She really was against this. I wonder which part is bothering her more, that she¡¯s pretending to be on a date with her King or that she¡¯s spending time with me when she believes that it should be Yumi here rather than her.¡¯ Seeing the suffering look on Nerine really brought out his sadist urges to tease her further. She was a straight laced up standing soldier and citizen, she did poorly with such situations. But he relented in her torment and moved the conversation forward. ¡°The rumors turned out to be accurate.¡± The serious tone from Yuki snapped her back to reality, letting her focus on the important matters. ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡± All they had heard were rumors of the Association making secret moves behind their apparent helpful service in defense of the Capital. None of the rumors said any more than that. ¡°About as sinister as you can get. They really are the villains of this story, not the demons.¡± The flipping of the script was something that Yuki could appreciate. For a story, having the demons being the villains was expected and obvious. And even given everything happening and the way that they treated the humans, an easy case could be made to still be classified as a villain. However, their behaviors ended up being background to the more secretive story happening with the Association. ¡°They¡¯re making plans to kill everyone on the Council.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a very aggressive move.¡± ¡°It just shows how much they hate losing their power.¡± ¡°They¡¯d kill all of the Council members over something like that¡­¡± ¡°When those that you control stop following your commands you seek out new puppets.¡± Nerine crossed her arms with a pensive expression digging into her chubby disguise. ¡°The Council barely even did much. And after the battle, if the Capital survives things will be back to the way they were most likely.¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing the Association doesn¡¯t want to risk it. The loss of the Council will create a power vacuum for them to exploit fully and the public will have only them. Even though the Association holds the power right now, it¡¯s only really known by those at the top. The common people still look to the Council for their daily lives and the Association for slaying demons. This will completely change the social and political structure.¡± ¡°When is it happening?¡± ¡°While the attack is underway.¡± ¡°Naturally, they plan to make the deaths look like an accident caused by the demons.¡± It was pretty obvious that they would make their move then. The timing made it difficult for them as well. If the attack occurred during the fighting, they would be unable to stop them. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to do something about them before the day of the battle.¡± Yuki became a little less confident suddenly with her response. He leaned back some as there remained more that he hadn¡¯t explained. ¡°They¡¯re being thorough and cautious. It¡¯s not just a single attack. They have four assassins in play completely unknown to each other.¡± ¡°Four?! Damn¡­they really are determined to make this happen. They¡¯re being that cautious because timing an assassination in the middle of a large scale battle anything could happen.¡± Even Nerine didn¡¯t think that they would be so committed to the mission that they would use so many resources. ¡°They really don¡¯t care about the fate of the Capital so long as they¡¯re still alive and in control.¡± ¡°They¡¯re everything that Saki said they were. The ugliness of humans.¡± ¡°Do you have a plan already?¡± It seemed unlikely that he wouldn¡¯t have already put into play something. Unfortunately, the reaction that he gave her wasn¡¯t what she was hoping for. He buried his arms into a deep cross position. ¡°I¡¯ve had a few ideas, but I¡¯m not sure how successful any of them will be.¡± Ideas weren''t something that he was short on at least. But too many variables that he didn¡¯t understand fit into the situation. ¡°What¡¯s the problem? They¡¯re not very advanced, we can make up any number of fakes that they¡¯ll never be able to detect.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s the problem. The abilities that the Demon Hunters possess are more versatile than they seem on the surface. Just take what I¡¯m doing with them in our defense. We need a plan that is certain of success. We don¡¯t know enough about our targets to know how thorough they¡¯ll be in their confirmation of their kill.¡± ¡°I see what you mean.¡± She could see that he gave it plenty of thought, no surprise. Four different assassins with completely different plans for killing the Council presented trouble enough for protecting them. But it also meant different thought patterns, methods, awareness, covering all of them wouldn¡¯t be easy. ¡°There¡¯s only one way to be certain then.¡± Yuki glanced back over the table at Nerine already knowing the conclusion that she came to. It was the only plan that he had with complete success in protecting the Council. No risk involved in accounting for anything. ¡°Kill the assassins. I considered that option as well. Knowing that they¡¯re only digital doesn¡¯t give me as much hesitation in that course.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still hesitating though.¡± ¡°Yes, because even as certain as we can be about stopping the assassins by killing them, there¡¯s still a flaw in it.¡± A flaw that changed the certainty of that plan from being a hundred percent to any other value. It didn¡¯t have as much to do with his reluctance to kill and more with the unknown. ¡°The day I worked there was only a single arrival the entire day. I wasn¡¯t so lucky to have actually seen all of the assassins. So I don¡¯t know what they look like, for one. But there¡¯s a bigger risk involved. I only was able to uncover four assassins, there¡¯s nothing to say that they made those the easy ones to find. They might have set them up as the decoys and the real one is another that we don¡¯t know about.¡± ¡°You¡¯re being quite paranoid about this.¡± ¡°It just felt a little off. Despite knowing that they never noticed my presence, it felt like they seemed to know someone was watching them. I can¡¯t shake the feeling that it¡¯s all just a trap.¡± ¡°Sure it¡¯s not just paranoia?¡± ¡°Could be, but it¡¯s a possibility all the same.¡± Nerine¡¯s face twisted a little as she thought about what he said. She knew that he wasn¡¯t wrong about the possibility of it all just being an elaborate ploy to discover a spy. If they were already being cautious enough to have four assassins for a job, it is possible that they are all just fakes. Such things didn¡¯t seem impossible for the Association. They absolutely wanted power. They wouldn¡¯t want anything to come in their way. ¡°No other plans?¡± ¡°Nothing at the moment. I need time to think about the problem.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t really have time on our side though.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Then why don¡¯t we just kill the Council ourselves? It¡¯s the only way to be certain.¡± Chapter 437 - The Even of Cloud Break Yuki frowned with the answer that Nerine came to for their dilemma. It did seem like the most likely answer. A simple solution that he had managed to dance around. ¡°That could work for us. But we¡¯ll need to be thorough enough so that they can be fooled if they want to confirm the kill.¡± ¡°Suggesting doing it in front of them so that they have less doubt about it?¡± ¡°These people are paranoid and meticulous about their plans. It¡¯s going to be the only way.¡± There was one issue though as he let the plan slowly come together for him. Something that made it more complicated than the normal situation in which this happens. ¡°What do we do after the battle? The Council would still be alive and the Association will know at that point. It¡¯s hard to say how the Association will react. The most likely case will be they will act like nothing happened, but will still plot. So we¡¯ll only be delaying things.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t remove the Association because they¡¯re the only power against the demons. Without any meaningful evidence they can¡¯t be arrested either.¡± The ideas that Yuki came up with were undesirable solutions to say the least. Their situation within the world at least gave him some partial insulation from the problem, but like with what he told Yumi it created a dangerous pattern. ¡°Apart from leaving it up to the demons to kill them, which still leaves the Capital unprotected, there¡¯s always the option of doing nothing.¡± ¡°You mean putting everything on getting out before they can advance another plot?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s certainly not ideal, but I don¡¯t really think we can waste time getting deeply involved in matters here. We still have to figure out the clear conditions for this situation.¡± ¡°Have you not already figured out the conditions for clearing?¡± ¡°You¡¯re like Saki and believe I¡¯ve figured it all out already?¡± ¡°Well given your history, it¡¯d make sense.¡± ¡°Sorry to inform you, like I said before I don¡¯t have all the answers. This is going to be on Yumi to resolve.¡± Chapter 437 ¨C The Eve of Cloud Break Even if the conclusion remained on Yumi, they still had to make sure they all reached that point. While over their dinner meeting the plan for dealing with the Demon Hunter¡¯s conspiracy came together. They resolved to beat them to their assassination targets. Planning around all of the problems rising from their situation made it nearly impossible to manage. They carefully worked late into the night refining the details. Their return to the estate transitioned them back to their usual schedule. While Yuki played spy, they had fallen a little behind on work with Nerine unable to fully keep up the same pace to replace an extra set of hands. A dangerous game advanced forward into the next day. Watching out for any trouble from the Demon Hunters hadn¡¯t changed. They already knew of their schemes for the Council, which cast even more shadow on their supposedly honest work for the defense. Yuki and Nerine watched all of the help that they got from the Association. Yet, just like before, even knowing that they were likely crafting more trouble nothing appeared. All their suspicions did was make them more distracted than normal in their work. It took twice as long to finish their job and still with no more answers about what the scheme was for the Demon Hunters. Everything seemed completely on the level for once. Yet it seemed too good to be true. He knew that they had to be doing something. It only made sense that they had a scheme going on. ¡®I¡¯m tempted to go undercover again. But I fear that there¡¯s no paper trail like before. This plan is already in motion, whatever it is.¡¯ The Hunters weren¡¯t being noble in their efforts. Yuki just didn¡¯t know what their play was. ¡®I fear what they might do and the lengths they¡¯ll go to keep their power. But what is going on here?¡¯ Nothing came from any of it. Yuki could only let time pass for them. The work became more important as they needed to finish it before the arrival of the demon army. Reports from the Lord told them the army started to make a move. The time ran down. Two more deadly visits from Saki and Yumi occurred until it came to the final night. Upon the eve of battle, Yuki waited in the main chamber off the hall for them to arrive. Like previous returns by them, he anticipated a near death experience again. He sighed deeply to himself. ¡®They only come back when one of them is dying. Though, regardless of their sparring, they have to return.¡¯ Since they had returned yesterday, he wondered if they would be so badly hurt this time. ¡°They¡¯ve had less than a day to try to kill each other. They probably aren¡¯t even worn out.¡± He thought more about the situation. It was the final day before the battle. Those two knew what was at stake. ¡°They probably went all out from the start¡­they probably killed themselves¡­¡± Another sigh came from him as he realized how much this wasn¡¯t like the Yumi he knew from school. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. He just hoped that they would show up soon. The night only dragged on longer and they still needed to rest. An hour more passed as he waited without so much as a sound from them. Yuki stood up and walked to the hall pondering his options for sleep. Just as much as they needed, he was short of his sleep from the late night wake ups and long days. ¡°I can¡¯t believe they haven¡¯t shown up yet. They normally just wake me up in my sleep treating me like a Cure spell. If I just go to sleep they¡¯ll show up.¡± Pacing around the hall, he weighed around his options. Coming to an answer left him thinking about the risk of being a moment too late for them. They had so little regard for their safety counting on him as their healer to fix everything. It only worked if they made it in time though. They became unnervingly cavalier about their life within the digital world. Perhaps they started to accept reality more like a game rather than life, but they couldn¡¯t trust that to be true. And they had no way of knowing, because none of the rules were explained to them. Yuki walked over to the front door sort of hoping that they would conveniently just show up when he wanted them. Naturally, something that lucky would never happen. He still tried it nonetheless on the off chance it might actually happen. Nothing. He slid open the balcony door trying his luck further expecting to see the two stumbling through the gate covered in blood. Yet that wasn¡¯t the case. He looked around to the sky if they might be arriving soon. An empty sky. All the luck wouldn¡¯t make them appear if they weren¡¯t returning. He started to give up the wait and turned his gaze to the ground for the first time. There near his feet he found the two of them soaked in blood and shallow breathing. They never made it to the door. ¡°Dammit you two! How long have you been here?!¡± Immediately, the Field spread out bringing life back into their bodies. The short results allowed them to move once more and enter the mansion, no longer spilling their blood for the neighbors to see. Yuki kept up the process as they moved inside and cleaned up the blood, something he found a habit as of late for him. Yumi laid back against the wall, the cushions on the floor not enough for her. The pain returned for her now that her conscious state improved, but thanks to Yuki¡¯s work that even started to fade now. She struggled with her breathing for a little more before it became more comfortable for her. The number of times she had been near to death made such pain less intense than she remembered. It was almost easier to fight through it. ¡°Thanks!¡± ¡°What the hell were you thinking?!¡± shouted Yuki, likely waking up the whole mansion. He leaned down glaring at the two of them not even seeming to care about how close they came to death this time. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t looked outside you would have died out there!¡± ¡°But you didn¡¯t,¡± she answered plainly. She hadn¡¯t really planned for that to happen, but she couldn¡¯t tell Yuki that. He was already worried enough about their safety. Another lecture on top of the one he already gave before would have shortened how much sleep she would get. Saki sighed knowing already everything that he was going to say. It was hardly the first or second time. ¡°We don¡¯t need another round of lecturing from you. The matter¡¯s over and you got to us in time. You also can¡¯t be acting surprised when you knew this is the result.¡± A grumble came from him as Saki pointed out the obvious. He knew that she was right about it. They already had this argument before and he resolved himself that this was just how it was going to be for now. ¡°Fine¡­but I gave my protest.¡± ¡°And now that you¡¯ve satisfied your need to keep your conscious clear, we¡¯re going to bed now.¡± ¡°Saki¡­¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t that a little too harsh, Saki?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just tired of repeating myself. He knew this would be happening.¡± Yuki watched in silence as Saki walked away from him. He had nothing more he could say to her. She appeared to be in a worse mood than he expected. ¡®I feel like she¡¯s bothered by something more than just me being a repetitive nag about their recklessness.¡¯ Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t have the chance to ask her, not that she would be willing to talk about it. Yumi looked back at Yuki feeling like she was watching their friendship at the breaking point. She watched him argue with her often, but not with the same sort of tone that she had with him now. No words came to her to give him. She only rushed to meet up with Saki hoping that she could find something to smooth things out. A stonewall of silence erected between them. Saki really wasn¡¯t interested in a conversation. That much Yumi could tell just from the way she walked. There was no eye contact and her posture in her silence read clearly to Yumi. In their sparring together, she got a better sense of reading her than before. Secrets and feints still laid well guarded beneath it all that Yumi hadn¡¯t managed to penetrate. Silence held while they entered the room with Nerine missing from the girl¡¯s room. Saki quickly changed while Yumi dragged behind her. She already looked ready to sleep. ¡®If she goes to bed I¡¯ll lose my last chance.¡¯ Building up the courage to face down Saki, she stopped what she was doing and met her straight. ¡°Yuki¡¯s your best friend. Did you really want to end things with him like that?¡± The futon was in reach for Saki. She acted like she ignored Yumi and kept going in silence to prepare to sleep. However, Yumi didn¡¯t stop with the cold shoulder presented to her. Repeating her name, she wanted a response. Saki laid down on her back looking over to Yumi to satisfy her worries. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Yumi. The two of us have been through far worse that this won¡¯t break us. Nothing this tiny would be able to do it.¡± Yumi¡¯s forehead pinched and wrinkled hearing Saki phrase it in such a casual way while dropping something even more ominous about their history that she knew nothing about. The implications made her want to know, but Saki already concluded the conversation at that point. She tried to work on sleep while Yumi stood around in her underwear. ¡®Is that how it is?¡¯ Morning of the battle finally came. Everyone gathered in the main hall as the Lord finished his thanks for their hard work. ¡®He¡¯s acting like it¡¯s already a certainty that we¡¯re going to win¡­¡¯ Yumi thought. She didn¡¯t nearly have the confidence in their success that the Lord seemed to have in them. Though it might have just been the only way he could cope as well. He had to believe they would win, since failure would only mean the death of every human in Japan. Though everyone was mentioned, Yumi saw that they were actually missing someone. ¡°Where¡¯s Seiji? I haven¡¯t seen him since he left to train himself.¡± He never appeared in the middle of the night, like she expected him. ¡°He¡¯ll show up,¡± Saki replied with certainty, something that Yumi didn¡¯t really expect given their more conflict driven relationship. ¡°You¡¯re sure? Maybe we should go find him.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not something he¡¯s going to miss, even if he shows up late.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s late?¡± answered Seiji from the threshold of the mansion. A fresh look in his eyes that had a renewed resolve spread out confidence in just his presence. Something had changed for Seiji, Yumi couldn¡¯t figure it out exactly. She only knew this wasn¡¯t the same Seiji that left. It made her wonder how anyone could change so much in only a week. It seemed impossible, but Seiji managed to do it. Chapter 438 - The Capital Battle Begins Yuki bounced over to get his friend as Yumi still tried to figure out how Seiji changed himself. ¡°Since when did you try to start making dramatic entrances?¡± he teased. ¡°What sort of training did you do?¡± Saki asked, noting as clearly as Yumi did in the change of his stature. She stared at him as she walked up in front in a commanding presence. It appeared that she wanted to know if he would be someone that she could count on in the battle to come. They had all failed in the end to win before. So she wanted to be sure things would be different most likely. However, the longer that she stared at Seiji with no further words between them, Yumi detected tension developing in the air. There was something else going on unsaid in the words she asked him. She demanded a different sort of answer from him, one that only conveyed through subtext. ¡®What¡¯s gotten into Saki? Seiji¡¯s plenty strong, stronger than any of us. He¡¯ll be fine in the battle, what¡¯s she worried about?¡¯ They did have Yuki¡¯s plan that would turn the tide of the battle for them. ¡°Exactly the shit I needed to fight.¡± ¡®That¡¯s oddly vague coming from him¡­¡¯ Saki seemed to have a better understanding of what he meant by his words, though she didn¡¯t reveal it to the rest of the group. Yumi only picked up on it through the subtle changes in her face as she stared at Seiji. The week sparring with her gave her at least some better insight into Saki as a person. Though she still remained difficult to crack. But regardless of training or not, they needed to be moving. Yumi stepped into the silent battle that seemed to be waged between the two. Their conflict driven relationship hadn¡¯t disappeared as Saki¡¯s previous statement seemed to imply. She patted her hands on their shoulders to get everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°If everyone¡¯s ready we¡¯ve got an army of demons arriving at the Capital today looking for their hosts.¡± ¡°Yumi¡¯s right,¡± Yuki added, jumping into the fires as well now. ¡°Our energies are needed elsewhere.¡± ¡°They¡¯re right,¡± agreed Seiji, backing away from Saki. ¡°Yes, we do have a battle to fight.¡± Yumi got everyone to move towards the door. It didn¡¯t have the same sort of feeling that she hoped it would. Everyone was committed to the battle. She could sense the determination, there was no doubt to that. Yet, the tension from Saki¡¯s confrontation with Seiji spoiled the atmosphere. It no longer had the same feeling she wanted. Reluctant as she was about things, Yumi tried to focus on the present and what stood in front of her. Surviving to the end of the day. Her goal remained out of reach, but she had to live to even move towards it. Today was important. ¡°It¡¯s time for war!¡± Chapter 438 ¨C The Capital Battle Begins The Capital had a dead feeling to it, despite the numbers of soldiers and Hunters running around. Final preparations for the siege by the demons kept some life still in the otherwise empty streets. Most moved to the wall, the direction where the smoke from the demon army¡¯s advance called out. From far away, the wall kept much of it out of sight, only an upper piece of the smoke, hiding the true scope. As they made their way to the wall, they came in front of a road block, a familiar roadblock that they had hoped never to see again. Yumi had to keep telling herself that they were technically on the same side. Though she could see the look in Saki¡¯s eyes. The risk of a fight breaking out seemed almost a foregone conclusion with the way she looked. Yumi stepped forward as the leader and met with the Demon Hunters. ¡°Good morning! Out to kill some demons?¡± She pretended like it was her first time meeting them. ¡°Yes, today does seem like a good day for such activities,¡± answered Shuichi Raikatuji, leader of the Reverse Eyes, those that hunted Yumi down, even going so far as to cross demon territory, twice. She still wondered how they managed such a feat. Keeping her mask up, she held her posture unflinching. ¡°I was on my way in that direction as well.¡± ¡°Is that right? You fight demons too?¡± ¡°The Guild is paying well for heads.¡± ¡°A bounty hunter, eh? They are trying to get as many hands out in the defense of the Capital.¡± The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°We¡¯re about the only ones willing to stay in the Capital voluntarily.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s quite quiet today. I find myself missing the noise of the morning business.¡± ¡°Indeed, it is weird, but I can¡¯t blame them for wanting to leave.¡± She stepped another step forward towards him. ¡°But I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t speak with you further, there are demons with bounties out there.¡± Yumi resumed her walk past them with confidence, not revealing her nerves to the enemy. It seemed like she would get out without any further harassment, but he spoke up, not meeting eyes with her. ¡°You should be careful out there. There are some very dangerous criminals in the Capital that escaped from our dungeon.¡± ¡°That does sound bad. I¡¯m glad you told us. I hope you¡¯re able to catch them soon.¡± ¡°Indeed, I believe they¡¯re close.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be sure to remain watchful while fighting the demons.¡± Yumi resumed her walk away from the Hunters. They fortunately didn¡¯t seem to have any plans for them at the moment. The threat of the demons that they faced likely made them curb any of their plans to arrest her and her friends. Once they were far beyond their sight, everyone became more chatty reacting to the awkward scene. ¡°I¡¯m impressed Yumi,¡± Yuki commented on how she managed the conversation and even slightly toying with the man. ¡°Since when did you have such ways with your words?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been with you for the last three months facing down one enemy after another, some of it was bound to rub off.¡± Seiji gave her a hearty pat on the back for her bravery. ¡°Think they know that it¡¯s us or rather Nerine that evacuated all of the people from the damn city?¡± ¡°They probably have their suspicions, but they aren¡¯t certain,¡± answered Saki, ¡°But they¡¯re clearly bothered about it happening while on their watch. You could tell from his words.¡± ¡°Man, I would have loved to see that bastard¡¯s face when he learned about it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m more just glad that they didn¡¯t try to arrest us again.¡± It was the main and only thing really going through Yumi¡¯s mind during the whole conversation. Since he hadn¡¯t made any sort of mention of it the whole time until the end, her nerves remained on edge. Each word out of his mouth had the chance of being another threat. The false amiability only heighted it and yet she could only respond in kind to it. ¡°We have been out for a week and they made no move on us. We made every effort to stay hidden from their eyes, but they never acted.¡± ¡°Likely because they couldn¡¯t act.¡± Saki likely always seemed to have a clear picture of the man, better than Yumi ever did and more than she wished. ¡°He¡¯s a bastard, but he does only act when ordered. The higher ups probably kept him in check. The threat of the demons is just as real to them. They probably hope for us to be killed fighting demons and use us to thin out the ranks before they take all of the glory in the end.¡± ¡°Self-centered bastards!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t plan on giving them that satisfaction.¡± She continued to the wall with her friends until the soldiers began to crowd out the street. They all jumped up to the roof of a nearby building getting a view of the organization. Yumi saw the soldiers hurrying about nervous about their chances against the demon army. At a glance, it could easily be mistaken for randomness, people far out of their depths frightened and scared. Yet, Yumi could see there was order to it all. They had goals and took final measures. All things moved from plans that Yuki put into place. ¡®I¡¯m not smart enough to have come up with something like this. Yuki might be making me the leader, but that doesn¡¯t mean as the leader I do everything. I still have everyone here to provide their skills.¡¯ A lesson that she recently learned, something that he had been trying to explain to her since they arrived. ¡®I¡¯m just a little slow on the pickup. But Yuki has a lot of faith in me figuring it out without explaining it to me¡­¡¯ She focused back on the wall and the sounds she could start faintly hearing. The distant echoes of the demon army created an ominous and dark symphony of chaos and death. Even without seeing them, she felt the overwhelming pressure it created. Though it did help that she scouted out their camp and saw them, it fueled her imagination well enough to add to that tension. ¡°Hey, when the hell¡¯s Nerine going to show up? She should have finished already right?¡± ¡°Something new came up while you were off training. She¡¯ll join us when the battle is already in progress.¡± ¡°What shit did you send her off to do, Yuki?¡± ¡°She¡¯s far safer than we¡¯ll be here.¡± ¡°As long as she¡¯s safe.¡± ¡°She is. We¡¯re more likely to die than her.¡± Saki stepped up next to Yuki and knocked him in the back of the head. ¡°No pessimism before the battle.¡± ¡°Just being realistic. My plan will only make our chances not zero, not give us a certain victory. The demon lords are still going to be the threat.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just show off the proof of my training then,¡± Yumi answered with confidence. Most of it contained bravado rather than real confidence. She felt the power of a demon lord and battled someone that was as close as could be to one while still being unfathomably far away from that goal. More than the rest, she understood what that threat meant. Even with all of the training with Saki, she was scared to her core. But she couldn¡¯t show it to the group. She had to be strong. Seiji bounced up hearing such words. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen what shit you two have been working on! How much stronger did you get?¡± He jumped over to get more out of Yumi on her personal lessons with Saki. A genuine child-like interest overtook him. It almost appeared like he wanted to fight her just to find out. She couldn¡¯t give him the fight that he seemed to be itching for, they had a battle coming. ¡°It was only a week. So I¡¯m not going to make all that much progress. I never did win a match against her.¡± Yuki leaned forward looking over at Saki remembering a different picture. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I remember healing a nearly dead Saki.¡± ¡°Oh that wasn¡¯t from sparring!¡± she replied denying any claim to have beaten Saki. Seiji looked over at Saki as well, having not been present for any of the time that they returned. He had a shocked look on his face, he seemed to be trying to picture a fatally wounded Saki. ¡°What the hell sort of lessons got you nearly killed?!¡± ¡°We really don¡¯t have the time for this.¡± Saki jumped forward to land on the wall ending any sort of discussion that they might want about her training methods. ¡°Saki¡¯s running away,¡± teased Seiji with a grin, ¡°You know I¡¯m not letting go of this shit, right?¡± He jumped after her, not letting her escape. ¡°After this battle then if you¡¯re so persistent.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a little disappointing as hell, I was hoping for a little more fight out of you.¡± ¡°Then you should look over the wall.¡± Just coming into their sights was the black mass that covered the horizon. It looked like most were already in their demon form skipping their human disguise. The demons were serious about this battle from the start. This would be the final battle that determined all. Chapter 439 - Total Destruction Yumi and the others leapt up to the wall joining Saki at the edge. All around them soldiers stared out to an empty horizon on an uneasy edge for the battle to come. ¡®They can¡¯t see them yet¡­¡¯ She easily forgot that they had better eyesight. Yuki pulled out some binoculars so that he could get a better picture of what the others saw. ¡°Damn, that¡¯s as impressive as I imagined it to be. Not sure this plan will be able to handle enough of that.¡± ¡°We can handle the rest of the shit!¡± Seiji answered enthusiastically. He stared off at the dark sea, approaching completely focused for the fight. All of the joking shook off quickly with his resolve strengthening. The sight before them presented an image worse than anything that they had faced before. Nothing could deny that to Yumi. As though it had to best themselves. But she had hardly been present for their last battle back in the real world. In her mind, Atlantis remained the bar to top, which it exceeded far more than she wished. ¡®We can only count on Yuki¡¯s plan evening the odds up for us¡­¡¯ A plan that hinged greatly on the cooperation of the Hunters sounded like a terrible plan. She had to accept the fact that they couldn¡¯t do it without them, even though Yuki could have alone. His hesitation to use his powers the way he normally would in the real world bothered her. He wouldn¡¯t be normally trying to keep from disrupting the natural order. Why was he so concerned about this world? It wasn¡¯t even real. He would be fine using them. ¡°When does it start?¡± Saki asked, watching the horizon carefully. ¡°A while still¡­they have to get closer.¡± ¡°Ain¡¯t they gonna be able to hit our asses?¡± ¡°It won¡¯t be that close. I can¡¯t even see them, remember. If they got too close it¡¯d damage the city.¡± He stared through the binoculars again making distance judgments of the advancing army. It hadn¡¯t even started to spread out yet for a siege or assault. They were on march, not ready for what would be happening soon. Chapter 439 ¨C Total Destruction As the army slowly marched to its unsuspecting doom, more of the soldiers joined the wall. They already had their orders. The tension didn¡¯t make that change at all. Every one of them had the slightly glazed look of fear, knowing beyond their sight that a terrible death awaited to come charging at them. Each attempted to hide such fears behind courage and steely resolve. The success varied. They needed a rallying moment to turn their doubt into hardened determination and the belief that they would win. Even with all of their plans and promises to fight, they all had the look of death. They felt that it would be the last stand of humanity. All they could do was allow their families to survive. It would be the end. ¡°I think it¡¯s about time, Yuki.¡± ¡°Yes, they look to be in the best position now. Anymore and they¡¯ll start surrounding us.¡± Saki turned away from the army to check in with Yuki as well. ¡°I can see the Lords making some sort of motions, like to separate their forces for the assault.¡± ¡°Then we can¡¯t wait any longer then.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s show them not to underestimate humans.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t actually think that they do,¡± he remarked casually as he stepped forward to the edge of the wall. Yuki paced a hand on the top of the wall. ¡°Time to become a demon myself¡­¡± Sliding a finger down, he lifted up a talisman attached to the wall. Unlike many seen before, this one was large overflowing in his hand. Taking the left half in his other hand, he lifted it up in front of them before tearing it in half. An otherworldly spark erupted from the talisman for a brief moment that startled the soldiers. They knew the plan in a broad sense, but not what the actual details of it meant. None of them had any idea of what would happen next. The air ran still. Nothing seemed to happen after he released the talisman¡¯s power. Everyone not clued in looked around waiting for something to happen. They expected something dramatic. Yet it still defied their expectations all the same. Lord Hokuren paused as the demons marched around him. The appearance of an elderly and frail man, yet with an oddly soft and kind presence. It countered the stature he held as the most powerful demon in Japan. He barely seemed to have the ability to run, let alone fight. Yet under it all, there was a font of power that didn¡¯t weaken. ¡°Something¡¯s wrong,¡± he commented, searching the sky. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. He couldn¡¯t understand what bothered him until he felt the ground rumble suddenly. ¡°An earthquake? No¡­this is different and not nearly as deep behind the earth¡­still¡­¡± Quickly the earth liquefied under his feet acting more like a wave. Then explosions of earth erupted. Everything collapsed quickly with that release. A massive cloud of dirt spread out from the collapse. It blanketed everything instantly and expanded out to the city wall. The force behind the cloud blasted against the stone and knocked over soldiers gasping in shock. Shards of Yumi¡¯s barrier danced around the air deflecting away stray chunks of rock. She made little effort and watched out for the results. All of the dirt in the air made it impossible to see anything. ¡°Lord Hokuren!¡± shouted Lord Guri through the thick veil of dirt. Barely fazed by the fall, Hokuren stared up into the clouds unable to see anything. He wanted a perspective of their fall, there was only a guess based on his feelings. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Lord Guri. This was merely a trap, nothing that would harm us.¡± ¡°The humans know this won¡¯t stop us,¡± Lord Anumera replied. She stared around at the ground analyzing everything about the situation. It surprised her, like it did everyone. ¡°This is different from the way they¡¯ve fought us before. They aren¡¯t ones to fight at this scale and I still don¡¯t fully understand how they managed to carve out the earth to make this trap.¡± ¡°It troubles me as well, Lord Anumera. Seems we aren¡¯t facing the same humans we¡¯ve fought in the past.¡± ¡°A new human that might give us a challenge like the old days,¡± mused Guri with a slightly excited laugh. ¡°They killed one of us. The threat is real,¡± Lord Kokonemu replied. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of this hole then and greet this human!¡± Anumera¡¯s gaze turned sharply up, though still masked. She sensed the pressure difference. ¡°So that was their play.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°They¡¯ve put up a barrier over the opening. Our soldiers can¡¯t escape.¡± Guri stepped towards her voice, not convinced, though the sounds around him of the soldiers complaining about their failures started to give him a taste. ¡°They don¡¯t have a barrier strong enough to stop us.¡± ¡°There¡¯s something else going on here. They¡¯ve got something planned, this is only the setup.¡± ¡°We can just break through and keep the march going.¡± ¡°And fall into another one of their traps.¡± ¡°They can¡¯t stop us! It¡¯s just a stalling tactic while they escape.¡± ¡°Perhaps¡­¡± ¡°Lord Guri, give Lord Anumera a moment to think.¡± Hokuren stilled Guri¡¯s restlessness for the time. He would listen to him, however charged with revenge he wouldn¡¯t try to turn against him. Anumera was their strategist and someone he trusted as an advisor. She had the skill to turn battles they were losing around. Yet it felt strange to see her so perplexed by the human¡¯s tactics. It wasn¡¯t normal for her. Though the humans organizing their forces in the Capital didn¡¯t fight like any they faced before. So her having trouble getting a read on it gave him some concern. Rapidly analyzing the situation, Anumera ran through different scenarios trying to make a conclusion. Each second lost, she knew they fell closer to whatever their enemy had planned. She needed to be faster in making a decision, yet it was a confounding tactic. ¡®This must all be done by the Hunters. They¡¯re the only remaining vestiges of the humans we fought centuries ago. Yet they¡¯ve never shown this degree of abstraction. For all of their smoke and mirrors tactics, they remained very straightforward in plans. This doesn¡¯t fall within their methods.¡¯ The use of their powers troubled her even more. She had never seen them use any of their abilities in such a fashion. She didn''t even know such things were even possible by them. ¡®They had to have used some sort of ability that carves or erodes away the earth, yet also supported it until our army came. They released that support in time with us trapping us deep inside. Yet if they only wanted to delay us they had other methods of doing and would have done more than one trap. The scale of this is meant to be for something different.¡¯ Several conclusions came to mind, but one bothered her the most. ¡°We need to get out immediately! The scale at which they¡¯re using their powers is completely eclipsing anything they¡¯ve demonstrated before. Whatever they have next is planned to be their killing blow.¡± She wasn¡¯t absolutely convinced that what she said was true. It was only a possibility that it was. Yet, she couldn¡¯t allow that one to happen if it was true. The others she could plan for still. ¡°All I needed to know,¡± Lord Guri smirked with pleasure, ¡°Destroy the barrier now! Focus your attacks!¡± ¡°Lord Guri!¡± shouted the army in acknowledgement. The demons paused their random attacks bringing their focus together. Flashes of light lit up around the massive pit as a concentrated effort began to generate a gale of wind. The clouds that had hung around the pit started to clear, finally giving a true sense to the scale of the trap. ¡°Impressive,¡± gave Hokuren in approval with the others taken back. A sheer cliff rose up from the collapsed pit that forced them to tilt their heads back to even see the sky. Rough guesses of their fall had to be corrected now that they saw how far it was. Even the largest of their demon soldiers in their true form were dwarfed in comparison. It was a monumental feat accomplished. ¡°Our enemy is more resourceful than we expected,¡± Kokonemu remarked, suddenly feeling a new odd sensation under her feet. Unlike before, this definitely felt more like an earthquake. Anumera ground her teeth together realizing the truth. ¡°We were too late¡­¡± ¡°Defensive positions now!¡± ¡°It won¡¯t be enough¡­¡± A dark expression came over her face as she looked at the other Lords. She knew more than the rest and understood the depths of the meaning. ¡°They¡¯re a frightening opponent.¡± ¡°Lord Anumera! What is it?¡± Kokonemu demanded, feeling a surprising amount of ill pressure from seeing the complete overwhelming darkness that consumed Anumera¡¯s features. It was a look that a Lord should never make and one that she never saw from Anumera before. The look of having been completely played, but worse than that realizing that the one that played her was so seeped into the depth of immorality that it made the Dark Gods themselves weep in joy. No further questions could be asked. Time had ended and the answer came. The quiet and soft rumbling under the earth stopped, but it merely acted as a tease. A prelude to something far worse taunted the unknown and unsuspecting. Brief relief ended and a deathly roar came up from the earth like nature itself became stained in the black unfeeling coldness of the reaper. A merciless and violent execution devoid of any heart. Outside of the pit from the view of the Capital, the soldiers watched in complete horror as the mountain they saw as home and a waypoint to guide them exploded. It started as a small burst with red veins of death appearing rapidly venting immense pressure. Then the peak let out a roar of a thousand hells being unleashed stealing the souls of men. Lava flew into the air with chunks of stone and rock from the mountain the size of estates or even villages being flung effortlessly into the air. Even with the top thrown off it wasn¡¯t enough. The pressure built up still needed to escape. Cracks ran down the mountain and the neighboring mountains in the range triggered with them. The entire field, forest, grass, roads everything disappeared suddenly as the earth for kilometers leapt into the air. Death came quickly. Chapter 440 - A Wounded Land Columns and waves of lava sprayed into the air as the entire demon army disappeared into the fiery torrent. It was a violent excess of power that dwarfed the army. Land far beyond that of the army disappeared. Everything ripped and tore away as the ground continued its maddening throws. All of the soldiers on the wall dropped to the stone floor. The very blocks of stone that made up the wall rattled under the intense force. Heavy belches of lava from the earth made everything leap and quake. Many of the soldiers fled at the sight having just seen what hell looks like in their mind. Even Yumi looked on with shock at what happened. ¡°This is¡­¡± She turned her eyes over to Yuki seeing how he reacted to the results of their plan. Shocking her was one thing, but he planned it. So she knew that he had to have seen this coming. It was part of what he had in mind. However, she took a step back seeing a grim look carved into his face. ¡®Yuki didn¡¯t plan for this?¡¯ ¡°What the hell is this Yuki?¡± shouted Seiji, the first to the important question thrown. He turned and grabbed Yuki by the collar of his kimono demanding an explanation for the excessive destruction. ¡°This isn¡¯t what we had in mind at all! You completely destroyed the mountain!¡± Yuki shook his head. ¡°The plans I set didn¡¯t have this level of destruction either! It wouldn¡¯t be possible!¡± ¡°Well this shit is happening! You miscalculated and now everything is going up!¡± ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be¡­¡± Then Yuki went silent as though a thought came to him. His pensive expression didn¡¯t do any favors for giving Seiji an answer. It only made him more frustrated. ¡°What the hell did you do?!¡± Yumi quickly covered the distance grabbing Seiji¡¯s arm to stop him. ¡°Calm down, Seiji. This isn¡¯t his fault. It was just a mistake, we have to accept that.¡± ¡°This is more than just a shitty mistake!¡± He threw his hand out to the fiery horizon that vented lava without end, only becoming more dangerous by the second. ¡°Half of Japan is going to be destroyed!¡± ¡°You¡¯re blowing this out of proportion, Seiji,¡± corrected Saki, ¡°Though this is definitely an unsettling turn of events. It seems like every one of the demons was killed by it too.¡± ¡°The power of you humans can surprise me even now,¡± Manekamaru remarked, still watching the sight completely entranced by the flames. He seemed to have an almost disconnected reaction to seeing his own kin dying. Then Yuki snapped out of his internal turmoil. ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± ¡°You figure something out Yuki?¡± Saki asked, everyone gathering around him. ¡°It bugged me that the Hunters did nothing the entire time during the setup. We watched them closely the whole time, but they tricked us. They were following the instructions, but altered the strength of the talismans.¡± ¡°What the hell are you saying?¡± asked Seiji, still having trouble with what he was hearing from Yuki. ¡°Are you saying that they planned for this to happen?!¡± Suddenly a new burst of lava erupted from the ground near the Capital. Cracks formed from the damage warping the earth. Chunks of the ground lifted up and raised the wall in a section. Within moments, the wall that had stood for a millennia crumbled with effortless ease. A hole was breached with the Capital threatened. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m saying that¡¯s exactly what they want,¡± Yuki declared to them all. Chapter 440 ¨C A Wounded Land Seiji stared in horror at nature¡¯s wrath being unleashed for daring to harness it for selfish reasons. The houses of the Capital crumbled quickly to the quakes ripping through the earth. It seemed that the violent awakening by Yuki¡¯s trap had still not finished. The intensity of the power triggered deep within the veins of the earth only seemed to get stronger with each moment. All of the citizens had been evacuated, but Seiji knew if it had not been for them many would have died. ¡°They would go so far¡­¡± Anger boiled up inside him seeing what they were truly willing to do. ¡°This is the reality with them, Seiji.¡± Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Bastards!¡± A new roar bellowed from the earth as the chunks of the earth thrown into the sky from the explosion of the mountain finally started to fall. Smashing the ground like meteors from space, massive craters blasted through the earth destroying everything not already touched by the upheaval. It looked like bombs going off all over the horizon from the rending destruction of the mountain. Thick clouds of smoke kicked up into the air blanketing Japan for kilometers beyond even the sight of Yumi and her enhanced friends. Untold death and destruction laid out before them from the manipulating of the Hunters. Villages and towns all around were likely being assaulted or completely obliterated by the falling debris. Even the Capital fell under the assault as explosions ripped through the business district and then the noble district. A massive chunk of road smashed into the area of the Council building wiping the entire place out and sending out shockwaves that tore up the wood construct of the buildings. ¡°The Council!¡± shouted Seiji. ¡°They remained behind with the soldiers and Hunters as a show of faith!¡± Yumi gasped to know they were instantly wiped out. Yuki stared up at the falling debris threatening them. Much of the Capital was being destroyed without even the demons attacking. There would be nearly nothing left to protect thanks to the Hunters meddling. ¡°We¡¯ve got bigger issues right now!¡± Yumi lifted her hand up and clenched it in a fist as the earth suddenly shrank to a small orb and fell short of the wall. ¡°It¡¯ll handle the defense,¡± she answered, floating up into the air. Multiple more incoming chunks disappeared as quickly. Out from her back white energy swords flew through the air towards further out earth chunks slicing through them. As she made simple work of the indiscriminate attacks, Seiji stared up in useless frustration. ¡°Dammit!¡± He pounded his fists together generating vibrating shockwaves that shook the already weakened wall that they stood on. ¡°Seiji! Leave it to Yumi and control yourself.¡± ¡°Yeah I know, Saki. I just have more anger than I know what to do with.¡± He clenched up his hands as veins along his arms surfaced along his skin. ¡°I never thought I would have this feeling again. It¡¯s¡­¡± Seiji struggled with the rage inside him. The roaring beast that wanted to be unleashed again. He already battled and won against it, yet it returned. Another round to fight it started up as he dealt with the emotions that filled him. ¡®The reality of the Hunters is hitting him harder than I imagined. I knew he was always honor bound and fair play, but he might be the most innocent one among us¡­¡¯ Saki didn¡¯t imagine that she would be thinking such things in the company that they had. Yet it was something that tore at Seiji deeper than the others. ¡®Everyone¡¯s already had to face the darkness of the world, thought he had as well¡­¡¯ While Seiji battled his personal demons, Yumi finished clearing the sky of any current threats against the Capital. She turned around to look down at the city below her. Smoke rose up from numerous craters around the city from impacts that she couldn¡¯t prevent. ¡°The only positive is that the city is evacuated. Rebuilding is going to be another thing entirely¡­¡± More rumblings from the former mountain stole her attention. It seemed unwilling to stop. ¡°I don¡¯t know what they did to alter the talismans, but I have to stop it now!¡± Yumi flew over to the mountain with the massive pools of lava pouring through cracks and gaping holes. Barely any of the mountain remained. All life disappeared from the slopes that remained still intact blasted away by the force of the initial explosion. Just seeing the vast devastation looked like a nuclear blast went off. The level of destruction was beyond anything that she wanted. It was far beyond her means, but it was out of control. ¡°I need to stop this¡­¡± She stared around trying to figure out how she would calm the raging nature. Suddenly, a new intense column of lava blasted out of the earth from a place far away from the mountain. It was a weakened part of the ground, but hadn¡¯t looked at risk. The triggered blast set off a chain of destruction that ripped straight through the Capital. Yumi turned back, seeing the whole thing becoming engulfed in flames. ¡°NO!¡± Her vision then snapped back and everything was normal. Yumi shook her head at the vivid vision and then her eyes widened in realization. She pushed her speed darting like a streak through the air with her barrier up crushing the earth before her as she dug down into the ground. ¡°Yumi?!¡± shouted Saki as lava shot up from the hole that she created. Yuki jumped forward leaning against the wall trying to see what happened. ¡°What¡¯s going on Saki?¡± ¡°She just dove into the ground!¡± ¡°Where the lava is?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Yumi!¡± Lava shot high into the sky breaking through the clouds as the earth cratered and sank. A pool formed where the earth dropped. From the sky molten material rained down over the whole field. It looked like for a moment it would threaten the Capital, but it calmed down. The intensity of the pillar of lava eased back, but still sprayed out magma. Despite lacking the sight of the others, he tried to look around for signs of Yumi, ignoring his binoculars. Thick black smoke and lava spewing into the air made it difficult to see much of anything. Though with his eyes, that far away wouldn¡¯t have made much of a difference for him. ¡°Yumi! Yumi!¡± He gave up trying to find her with his eyes, though calling to her made only a little bit of feel better. ¡°What the hell was she thinking?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. We just have to hope her powers are enough to protect her from the lava¡­¡± Yuki snapped his eyes back to Saki and Seiji. They knew nothing more than him. ¡°Even with the barrier, the heat¡¯ll get through. She won¡¯t last!¡± ¡°I know that, Yuki, but there¡¯s nothing we can do!¡± He moved back to the wall grabbing the stone as he started to lift himself up. ¡°Maybe not you, but the same isn''t for me.¡± A ripple ran out from his feet as the Field he prepared activated. Reacting immediately, Saki appeared next to him grabbing his wrist before he went off recklessly. ¡°You don¡¯t even know where to look for her! She could be anywhere down there! You just have to trust that Yumi knew what she was doing!¡± Yuki pulled on his arm, still not ready to settle on waiting for Yumi like Saki. He understood what Saki was saying, but he wanted to look for her anyway. ¡°I won¡¯t be going in blind with my powers. I can find her!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to find her,¡± reported Seiji pointing to the return of Yumi. She hovered in the air covered in sweat and looked a little rough for wear from the exercise. Yumi dropped her barrier and wiped her face clean. ¡°Much cooler¡­¡± The hole she punched in the ground started to calm down. It looked to be a while before it had finished relieving the pressure fully, but it no longer presented the same sort of danger. Yumi looked back to the Capital to see it still standing. ¡°I made it!¡± However, a gust from behind her suddenly kicked up alerting her to something changing. She tilted her head back towards the destroyed land worried that it still didn¡¯t have enough destruction. The heavy smoke that filled the area around their trap blasted away from a strong force as the pit came into clear sight. ¡°Impossible¡­¡± She barely managed a word in her shock to see that several demons rose up from the hole alive after all of the lethal treatment from nature. The Capital battle hadn¡¯t ended, only just started.