Difference between revisions of "Contingency Initiative Squad 4"

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I was one messed up bitch.
 
I was one messed up bitch.
  
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"Listen. Starting today, we might actually have a higher influx of recruits. Nagumo isn't going to be the first to join the Contingency Initiative. Since ''that'' happened."
 
"Listen. Starting today, we might actually have a higher influx of recruits. Nagumo isn't going to be the first to join the Contingency Initiative. Since ''that'' happened."
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Logan chuckled, as a swarm of Orcus monsters surrounded us.
 
Logan chuckled, as a swarm of Orcus monsters surrounded us.
  
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"I'm gonna eliminate you all. And once I'm finished with Stormwatch, you three execs are next!" I growled, charging forward.
 
"I'm gonna eliminate you all. And once I'm finished with Stormwatch, you three execs are next!" I growled, charging forward.
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==Poverty and Nepotism (Lewis)==
 +
RUMBLE. RUMBLE. RUMBLE.
 +
 +
A shockwave was inching towards me from afar. I could literally feel the windows shaking around the little shack that had once served as my home.
 +
 +
Whatever Mom could afford.
 +
 +
But that literally did not matter anymore.
 +
 +
Nothing mattered anymore.
 +
 +
 +
I was waiting for her to come back, and each time I waited, I was always full of anxiety.
 +
 +
''Lewis, honey. You don't need to worry about good ol' Mom! I'll take care of the two of us! Your mom is the best there is at her job!''
 +
 +
But I knew.
 +
 +
I knew the work she did was dangerous. There was nothing else she could do though, because no one else took her in.
 +
 +
No one would take in someone like Mom because she was half Spanian. And unlike Arcantian, racism over the Spanians wasn't as hard pressed.
 +
 +
I already lost Mandy and Elsa. They had sold themselves as slaves when I was born. I could only remember their faces vaguely.
 +
 +
Dad had abandoned us early on in life. He would move on to become a Software Engineer at Amazar. Earning 700k a year and claiming he never had a wife or kids.
 +
 +
Mom was all I had left, and she knew that too. Which was why she always pretended everything was "a-okay".
 +
 +
 +
When Mom had returned home one night missing three fingers on her hand, I knew right away that nothing was "a-okay" at all.
 +
 +
 +
So you could kind of guess the level of anxiety I had when she never returned home.
 +
 +
And when I opened up the busted computer that I had managed to put together out of scraps, the email that was plastered over the screen filled me with a rage unlike any other.
 +
 +
 +
''To INSERT NAME HERE.''
 +
 +
''We regret to inform you that NATALIAR GREER will no longer be working with the CAPITAL organization effective today. We were informed of her unfortunate passing and are saddened. As a company, our customer first vision is our number one priority. While we will not be providing you any financial assistance during this time of grieving, we will be praying for your family that EMPLOYEE NATALIE GREER will recover from his illness.''
 +
 +
''Customer First, and Always.''
 +
 +
''The CAPITAL Human Resources Team''
 +
 +
 +
My mouth quivered. Breaths came as ragged gasps. I was hyperventilating and I hadn't blinked for almost two minutes.
 +
 +
"Mom... mom..." I muttered, putting my hand on the screen.
 +
 +
My breaths were becoming more and more laborious.
 +
 +
 +
Mom...
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 +
''You don't need to worry about good ol' Mom!''
 +
 +
Mom...
 +
 +
''Mom will take care of the two of us!''
 +
 +
Please tell me this isn't real...
 +
 +
''Mom is the best there is at her job!''
 +
 +
You can't go... you can't leave me here alone.
 +
 +
 +
SHOOM.
 +
 +
The windows to our house shattered, ripping and tearing at the curtains as energy flooded the entire living room. My eyes, which were still wide and bloodshot, took the full blast and intensity head on.
 +
 +
I flew backwards, my body smashing through the wooden walls of our house, my mind flooded with thoughts.
 +
 +
 +
How...
 +
 +
How come my Mom had to suffer? She did nothing wrong.
 +
 +
She loved my sisters and I with everything she had even when Dad had left us.
 +
 +
She worked so hard to keep us alive. She put up with everything, she went through so much.
 +
 +
From being injured to doing whatever it took to earn enough to have a roof over my head.
 +
 +
Yet despite everything she had to endure she still put on such a brave face and smile in front of me to make sure I was okay.
 +
 +
Elsa and Mandy...
 +
 +
They would throw their lives away just so Mom wouldn't have to feed three mouths with the little income that she had.
 +
 +
 +
Yet...
 +
 +
Yet these... corporate giants didn't care. This email was proof enough.
 +
 +
From spelling my mother's name wrong...
 +
 +
To getting her gender wrong...
 +
 +
To straight up getting the wrong copy and paste email and the bullshit "praying for my family".
 +
 +
They abused my mother and made her do such dangerous things for pennies. They did nothing for her when she had three of her fingers sliced off at work. She had to force her hand into antiseptic and had to cauterize herself, forcing her screams back to avoid waking me up in the middle of the night.
 +
 +
Why did my mother have to go through so much...
 +
 +
 +
Yet assholes like my Dad got to live so lavishly, working in one of the biggest firms in New Ulysses... even after all the abuse he had thrown at my Mom and even abandoning her.
 +
 +
This...
 +
 +
This unfairness...
 +
 +
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I slammed into the ground. Rage filling my body.
 +
 +
Why was this world so unfair?!
 +
 +
"GRRRAAAAAAAAAAH!" I screamed at the ground, my tears peppering it.
 +
 +
 +
''Lewis!'' I remember Mom grabbing my shoulders frantically.
 +
 +
''No matter how bad it is, promise me. Please promise me. Promise you will never break the law for my sake. Please promise me!''
 +
 +
I clenched my fists so hard blood leaked out.
 +
 +
 +
I'm sorry Mom.
 +
 +
I know you were only telling me this to protect me.
 +
 +
But I can't keep this promise.
 +
 +
Because I've already made up my mind.
 +
 +
 +
I screamed into the sky, energy ripping through my corneas and smashing through the roof.
 +
 +
Yet for some reason, I wasn't surprised. Or shocked.
 +
 +
This felt right.
 +
 +
This power...
 +
 +
This power came at the right time.
 +
 +
Almost like there was a god out there that wanted me to start my conquest.
 +
 +
Fate wanted me to take back what was mine.
 +
 +
 +
I breathed heavily, getting to my feet and stumbled out of the door, to be greeted with sheer chaos. The entire street that I had walked on for fifteen years was now cracked and destroyed.
 +
 +
Tons of people panicking and running for their lives.
 +
 +
And from the corner of my vision, was one familiar couple getting into their expensive luxury car trying to get away. They were running over other civilians trying to escape the apocalyptic New Ulysses.
 +
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Dennis and Lisa Costa.
 +
 +
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I stood in front of them, blocking their path.
 +
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"Who the fuck is that?" Lisa screamed.
 +
 +
"Probably one of those sewer rats living across the street. Hang tight. I'm gonna floor it. He's not worth anything anyway."
 +
 +
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That energy...
 +
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I had to call it again. It probably responded to my emotions.
 +
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And I sure as hell had enough of those.
 +
 +
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I let my rage boil over, channeling it into my vision until everything went red.
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CHOOM.
 +
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A massive energy blast slammed into the car, causing it to flip over. Dennis and Lisa screamed as the car fell right on the hood, the windows smashing open.
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I bent over and knelt in front of the two.
 +
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Dennis was barely conscious, while Lisa's face was bloodied and full of terror.
 +
 +
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I leaned in.
 +
 +
"Who the fuck are you calling a sewer rat?" I said, coldly.
 +
 +
"Get away from me!" Lisa screamed.
 +
 +
"How do you feel? Powerless? Huh?"
 +
 +
"Go away!"
 +
 +
"Your face is white as a ghost. That terror you feel right now? That anxiety and beating of your heart? That's what we have to go through every single day. Yet you only have to go through it for a few minutes."
 +
 +
"What are you talking about-" Lisa paused, her eyes widening.
 +
 +
"Yeah. Only for a few minutes. I'm a nice guy. So I'll only let you experience this fear for a few minutes. After all, it's your husband who I want to torment. Not you. You're just a bitch that rode the bandwagon. Sure you didn't deserve your wealth, but at least you're not some rich prick who got a job because of the colour of his god damn skin."
 +
 +
"You can't be serious.... LET ME GO!" Lisa shouted at me. The sounds of explosions and screaming filling the street.
 +
 +
"Oh no. I'm dead serious. After all, does it look like I'm joking? You guys literally tried to run me over with your fancy five hundred thousand dollar car. If anything you should be thanking me that I'm sending you to hell quickly. Unlike that rich prick over there."
 +
 +
"You're not gonna get away with this! Someone will catch you. Someone will end you for good!"
 +
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I smirk appeared on my face. This felt so satisfying.
 +
 +
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It felt so good.
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"So kind of like what's happening to you right now then. Well, it's a good exchange if you ask me. See you in hell, bitch. After I've added a few more sins to my resume."
 +
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Energy blasted from my eyes again, incinerating Lisa's face and leaving behind a burning skull.
 +
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I got up and approached the other side, slapping Dennis in the face and forcing him to stare at Lisa's corpse.
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Dennis vomited all over himself.
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"What the- No... NO! LISA!"
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"Bauxite... at the temps my Optic Beams produce, I could melt it."
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"What the HELL are you talking about, sewer rat!"
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"You don't know? I thought you were an engineer at Micron. Oh wait. Didn't you get in through a recommendation?"
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"Why are you bringing this up now?! Don't you feel any remorse at what you just did?!"
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"Remorse?" I cackled, ripping Dennis out of his seat, forcing him to look at the carnage all around him. The buildings and houses which were in flames.
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"This chaos. This is where society is truly fair. Don't you think? I certainly think so. Because when all hell breaks loose, no one cares about status and cars. No one cares about the colour of your skin. Or the fact that you're half Spanian. Or Chinese. Or Japanese. Hell doesn't care about that bullshit double standards 'diversity' that your company sure loves to stress about."
 +
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"How can you spout all this nonsense about our society?! You killed my fucking wife you monster!" Dennis screamed.
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"AND YOUR PRECIOUS SOCIETY KILLED MY MOM." I roared, slamming Dennis' skull against the pavement.
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Dennis coughed, blood leaking from his forehead.
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"Your way of thinking... is messed up. You're blaming an entire society over one dead person. Just because she died doesn't mean everything has to burn. Your thinking makes you no different than a terrorist."
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A terrorist.
 +
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So me hating the very people who had bullied and killed the only person in this entire planet who ever loved me makes me a terrorist?
 +
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If that is the case...
 +
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"Then I guess I might as well be one." I replied, turning to our reflection.
 +
 +
My hair was wild and my clothes were full of holes. I looked like a rabid animal who had gotten his hands on its first prey in months.
 +
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"Go to hell, rat. I'm not scared of you. After what you did to Lisa, I'll never give you the satisfaction of-"
 +
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SZRAK.
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Dennis opened his mouth wide, a scream of agony escaping him as his severed foot disintegrated before his very eyes.
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"Don't you worry, Dennis. Once you're dead, I'm going to hunt down every single one of these corporate giants. You gave me a real great idea. I'm a terrorist, right? Then maybe I should start terrorizing. I'll destroy every single person at Amazar. Hell. That's not thinking big enough. I'll destroy EVERY SINGLE CORPORATION in New Ulysses. And guess what? You're gonna die knowing you helped kickstart this conquest. Have fun in hell. Asshole."
 +
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Dennis' face was white with terror, staring at the optic beam that incinerated him into dust.
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I slowly got to my feet, looking up at the sky. At the chaos.
 +
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I only obtained this power for a bit over two hours. If I wanted to really carry this out, I had to be careful. I had to know what I was doing.
 +
 +
There was no way I was the only one affected by that power inducing shockwave. Meaning there could potentially be others out there with abilities like me. They might not necessarily be able to use Optic Blasts. But they sure weren't human abilities.
 +
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Right now, I was standing at Level 1.
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If I wanted to see this through, I had to level up.
 +
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I glanced to the distance. There were a bunch of figures moving. But it didn't look human.
 +
 +
Were those things people affected by the explosion?
 +
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Suddenly, my vision elongated, zooming in like a telescope lens. And soon the appearance of the monsters became much clearer.
 +
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A smile appeared on my face. Looks like Optic Blasts wasn't the only thing I had. I was likely given more than one optic ability. If I honed down my powers, I might be able to unlock even more.
 +
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I fired an Optic Blast at the side of Dennis' car, flipping it over.
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Mom never had the money to afford driving lessons. And yes, I did do a few side gigs to try to earn money in secret despite my Mom telling me to let her handle the moneymaking. Yet despite that, I was never able to afford driver's ed. So instead, I searched up a bunch of online resources to teach myself as best I could, even building a makeshift car setup in secret from scrap parts.
 +
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I ripped the door open and started the car. Dennis may have been a piece of shit, but at least his car was nice. It wasn't 500k for nothing.
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Now... put the car in drive...
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SHUNK, SHUNK, SHUNK.
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Turn the steering wheel and... accelerate...
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VROOM.
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My head snapped back.
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Since when was the gas pedal so damn sensitive?!
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"AAAAAH!" I screamed, nearly slamming into a telephone pole. I readjusted frantically, until I was moving in a straight line. This was way too different than my setup at home!
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I made a beeline to the distance.
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To the location of the monsters.
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I was at Level 1 with my Optic Powers. But not for long.
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And once I mastered my powers...
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I floored the accelerator, zooming down the road out of my old street where I used to live in all my life.
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I would tear New Ulysses apart.
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So assholes like Dennis and Dad can finally face penance for all the riches New Ulysses had given to them, despite everything they did and didn't deserve.
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<div align="center">* * *</div>
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Gurgle gurgle.
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My stomach had shrunk to the size of a grape.
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I was so damn hungry.
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I know I had gone on a huge speel about taking back what was mine and the whole conquest thing, but my plan had gone out the window the moment the car had run out of gas.
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"Where am I?" I muttered, tapping on the GPS of the car. The screen was cracked and one of the doors had been ripped off (oops), which caused me to be freezing cold the entire time.
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I was cold and hungry.
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And my nose was starting to get runny.

Latest revision as of 10:23, 31 December 2022

Author Note: This storyline is a precursor to the Yeling Mah storyline, but depending on the direction of this, I might end up purging the canon following this regarding Yeling's character as well as his comrades after the Danny arc. The main reason is because I am still new to writing stories and in my opinion the Yeling Mah story had a good concept, but poor execution. The purpose of this storyline is to flesh out some of the characters, including the members of Squad Four before Yeling joined the gang, in particular the relationship between Maika and Matt, the first members of Squad Four.

Contingency Initiative Squad 4 focuses on the formation of Contingency Initiative's legendary Elimination Squad Four, starting with Squad Leader Matthew "Mirage" Lam, the one man army who initially aimed to reach for the top rank in the Contingency Initiative. However, after the Pax Incident, where an influx of meta humans with extraordinary superpowers known as "evos" began popping up all over New Ulysses, Matt's goals to become the strongest Contingency Initiative operative were shattered. Taking in more and more recruits, whether he wanted to or not, Matt's Squad Four was no longer the one man army he had envisioned it to be. Through trials and hardships, Matt begins to learn to open up again, accepting that not all things can be done alone.

This story walks down Matt's journey to becoming not just Contingency Initiative's number one Operative, but also the leader of Contingency Initiative's number one Squad.

"What does it mean to be at the top? To be alone? To be the strongest there is? Is this really what you want, Vistara?'"

- Rafel Lodgenaught


Prologue (Matt)

This isn't the life anyone would have asked for.

It certainly wasn't the type of life I would have imagined I would be living four years ago.

But it also wasn't the type of life I would not have expected. Considering I had already predicted it.

Level 1 Dogma: Prophecy. The ability to predict the future through cryptic subconscious visions. Even if I didn't know it myself, my Dogma had already predicted that this was the type of life I was destined to live.


"Contingency Initiative, Squad Four Mirage reporting." I pressed my hand against my coms unit.

"Contingency Initiative, Squad Two Eagle acknowledging. What is the status of the targets?"


I slowly turned around, assessing the trail of blood and entrails that had decorated the walls of the highly esteemed Ito Family.

"Only one target remains. The last son of the Ito Family that lives, Ito Kintaro."

"Do you have the information on his location?"

"Yes. I will be finishing this Elimination Operation very soon."

I heard the sound of the phone shifting across fabric, the faraway voice of Eagle cursing to his Squad Members.


"This fucker actually finished an Elim Op all on his own again. What in the actual hell."

"Is it Mirage?"

"Yeah, him. The only person in Squad Four."

"He won't last long, being a lone wolf like that. It's called a squad for a reason."

"I swear to god, this guy thinks he's all that. The nerve of him to decline joining any other squads."


I small smirk creeped up on my face.

"I won't work for any squads that can't even keep their shit talking under wraps. Instead of bitching about why a single one man Squad is outperforming you, why don't you take a minute to hold a team meeting to figure out why."

"You little shit!" A member of Squad Two shouted into the phone. I gently pulled the unit away from my hear.

"Don't get a big head! You're still in your probationary period, ranked sixth in the entire Contingency Initiative. We outrank you."

"Not yet." I replied.

"Are you stupid? Are you saying you're going to climb up the ranks all by yourself?"

"Judging from the way you're overreacting, I can imagine it's not going to be that hard to climb past you."

"HUH?!"

More scuffling across the coms link. I switched the unit off and turned to the bodies. One of them was still breathing.


"So why don't you tell me, Ito Haruki, why you're so eager to give me the location of your son, Kintaro."

Haruki breathed heavily, blood sputtering from his mouth, but his eyes were glued to mine, a fierce and desperate look.


"Are you... Japanese, Mirage?"

"No. I'm Half Chinese."

"I see... China, Japan. Despite our differing political stances... we still abide by similar principles."

"And what's that?"


Haruki coughed again.

"Honour..."

"Honour?"

Haruki shifted his weight. His body was still leaking blood intensely from where I had impaled him with Senkaku.

"Kintaro... that disgrace of an Ito, he got one of our kunoichi from the Scarlet Rose pregnant. After finding out his wife was one of our assassins, he tried to give her a miscarriage."


Shift shift.

"Great warrior Mirage... you bested all of us and the main Scarlet Rose assassination group singlehandedly. Even if you have... shattered our bloodline... our honour must never be broken. What Kintaro had done, he cannot continue soiling our name. Kill him... eradicate us. I would rather he die, than letting him go and ruining our reputation..."

I knelt before the head of the Ito Family.


My assignment was to eradicate the Ito Family and their business, taking the Kira drug and allowing CI to control the production for internal use. I had already killed all of the Ito Family, Ito Kintaro was all that remained.

And soon once I had finished this assignment and reported it to Master Taras, I would receive a promotion for Squad Four. Climbing up the rank once more.

And once I've surpassed the current top ranked Squad, Squad One, I can finally prove everyone wrong.


That even a stupid, naive, Stormwatch member, could have what it took to become the top killer in New Ulysses as long as they worked hard enough.


SLICE.


Several attackers within the building that Haruki had directed me to crumpled to the ground.

"An attacker? That mark..."

"It's the Contingency Initiative symbol!"

"Call for back-"

SMASH.

"How did he-"


I spun around, planting my foot against one of the assassin's hand, preventing them from calling backup.

"Where is Kintaro." I asked.

The henchmen ignored me and attacked, but within seconds I had dispatched them all.


Where would Kintaro be located? There was really only two options. Down or up. If he was up high, he would have risked an aerial assault or a sniper. If he was downstairs, not only would he be safe from long distance attacks, but escape could have been much easier through underground.

However, before I could continue formulating, my vision flashed.


A wolf, stalking its prey. It was alone, and from behind, a predator had jumped from the trees.

I gritted my teeth.

Level 3 Senkaku

My left arm exploded into darkness, summoning a black blade which impaled a kunoichi who had tried to ambush me from behind.

I cursed. I had been saved by my Level 1 Dogma again. I swore to never use it willingly, but nothing stopped it from manifesting on its own.


I turned around and glared at the kunoichi, ripping her mask from her face.

"Where is Kintaro." I snarled.

The kunoichi returned with a sneer.

"As if I would tell you, Mirage."

I brought her closer until we were face to face, my glare becoming so sinister that her face began to tighten up in discomfort.

"You made my Level 1 Dogma manifest. I swore to never use it again. Because of that, you've done what your dead comrades haven't been able to do thus far. And that was to get on my bad side."


I slowly lifted her body into the air, watching as she kicked her feet in agony. Her breaths became laborious, attempting to keep herself from passing out.

"This was what happened to your colleagues while I was in a good mood. But now I'm pissed. You wanna keep up your little brave act?" I asked.

The kunoichi took a deep breath.

"He's in the cellar. With his wife. Chances are, he's about to kill her. I heard she had escaped her cell and also started killing a bunch of us before you even got here. If anything, she's a bigger target for Kintaro than you are."


A bigger target?


I dropped the kunoichi head first. She wouldn't survive the amount of lost blood anyway. I had to hurry and get Kintaro eliminated before the other Squads could take my prize.

I ran down the steps, when suddenly, my coms buzzed in my ear.


"Squad Four, this is Squad Two."

My eye twitched in irritation.

"What do you want, Eagle."

"I overheard your conversation with that kunoichi. Kintaro has a hostage?"

"Kintaro is the target."

"I know that, but what are you going to do about his wife? Apparently she killed a lot of the Scarlet Rose assassins. I'd be careful if I was you."

"Her involvement means nothing to me. This is an assassination, not a rescue operation. Also, I know about Kintaro's wife from the briefing file. If she gets in my way, I'll kill her too."

"Jesus, Matt. You do realize she's a girl right?"


I slashed down a door and decapitated a shinobi with Senkaku.

"She's a potential threat. Man or woman. I don't discriminate."


According to the file, the wife of Kintaro was a kunoichi herself. Trained at the age of 14, she had learned to kill, assassinate, manipulate, and deceive, fighting to pay back her younger sister's debt. She had been working in this industry for seven years, meaning she was at least 21 now.

If she had the power to take down several of her colleagues like that, it meant she was dangerous, but at the same time, there was Kintaro after her as well.

I'd have to formulate a strategy once I got down.


"Well, whether or not she lives, it's not up to you to decide, anyway." Eagle said.

"What?" I choked.

"Coming down!"

"What the hell do you mean coming-"


SMASH.

Several assassins collapsed from the roof before me. On top of them, was Harrison "Eagle" Wyatt of Squad Two, along with two other operatives.

"Thanks for giving away Kintaro's location. We're going to finish this mission now. You can be Squad Two's accomplice."

"Huh?!" I growled, grabbing Eagle.

"This is my operation!"

"It's a free for all. After all, you basically don't even count as a Squad. It's just you. We're going to be the ones to kill Kintaro."

"Like hell you will."


One of Eagle's operatives kicked a door down.

"Found him."

Before the operative could say anything else, he was suddenly swarmed by assassins left and right.

From the distance, I could make out a man with a katana, about to strike down a woman who was sprawled on the ground. She looked horrible, and bleeding in multiple places.

But the one thing that stood out, was the region that was bleeding the most... was between her thighs.


"What the hell..." Eagle muttered.


I stared at the woman.

Kintaro... that disgrace of an Ito, he got one of our kunoichi from the Scarlet Rose pregnant. After finding out his wife was one of our assassins, he tried to give her a miscarriage.

Just how long ago was her pregnancy? What kind of stamina and endurance did she have, to go into labor and fight all of those Scarlet Rose agents right after?


Suddenly, my body moved on its own. Kintaro was my prey.

Mine.

Not Squad Two's.

Level 3 Senkaku - Switch Teleportation.

My body warped, focusing on the space where the katana once was, and swapped places with it, to the surprise and horror of Kintaro, who stumbled back.

"What the-?!" Kintaro shouted.


I spun around and summoned a Senkaku tendril, which latched onto the katana that had pierced Eagle's collarbone.

"Mirage you PIECE OF SHI-" Eagle growled, as I ripped the sword out of his body, while simultaneously locking Ito into a death hold and slamming him into the ground.


"Who the hell- Contingency Initiative! Why are you here?!" Kintaro gasped, panicking for his life. The blade of his own katana was an inch away from his artery.

"Wait!" The girl gasped, her hand outstretched to me. Blood was pouring from one side of her face.

"Please... just let me kill him. I have to..."

I slowly got to my feet, lifting Kintaro into the air with one hand.


"No." I replied, as I decapitated the last member of the Ito bloodline, blood spraying all over the ground.

"MIRAGE! YOU BASTARD!!!" Eagle shouted, as the other operatives moaned, covering their faces with their hands.

"He got the kill! Oh my god!"


I turned to Squad Two.

"Kintaro is MINE. This Elimination Op is MINE." I slammed the katana onto the ground, lodging it into the cement.

"He was mine to kill. If you continue to get in my way, I'll add you all onto the list as well."


Eagle glared at me and gave me the finger.

"Whatever. Have fun doing the paperwork all on your own, Squad Leader Mirage."


Squad Two left, until it was just me and the woman, who slowly got to her feet.

"Y- You.... who are you...." She muttered.


I ignored her and picked up the head, sifting through my belongings and wrapping it into a cloth for proof of kill.

"Wait..." The woman said, her voice trailing away.

I walked off.

"I said stop!"


Suddenly, a wall of spikes appeared before me, approaching me fast. My eyes widened.

I leapt out of the way, but from every direction, swords and spikes came flying.

What in the world?

Since when did the files mention that the wife had an evo?!


"I just killed 90% of the members in your Scarlet Rose assassination group. Then the entire Ito Family Household. Do you think you can beat me?" I asked.

The girl continued creating more and more spikes in my direction.

I couldn't tell if this was her evo, but if she had the ability to manifest weapons, then I could see how she could have defeated-


"I have nothing to lose." Her voice appeared behind me. I spun around.

Did she just teleport?

"Kintaro was supposed to be my kill." Her voice appeared again from the other direction.

She was duplicating herself. Every direction, even my blind spots. She was attacking me from every direction.

"After everything he did to my sister... my child... I should have been the one to kill him! You asshole!"


I switch teleported with a pebble on the ground, escaping her narrowly. The girl landed on the ground, but I could tell she was fatigued. She was barely able to stand.

I regarded her from a distance.

Her stamina was ridiculous. To have gone through childbirth would have been laborious enough. Judging from what Haruki had told me, she also must have had a stillborn. The psychological burden on herself, then the physical beating she had taken, and being on the edge of death... yet despite all of that, she was still trying to kill me.


"I have nothing to lose... everything I have is gone." She muttered, putting a hand on her face and clutching her blonde hair.

"I... I know I can't beat you. As a kunoichi, one of the first things we learn is to assess the combat prowess of our targets... and I know yours is magnitudes higher than mine. But even more reason.... even more reason to..."

Her hand began shimmering.


I see.

So that was her evo.


The girl outstretched her hands, summoning hundreds upon hundreds of katanas in the air, which flew to my direction.

But I continued standing my ground. The wife's face became irritated.

"Why aren't you-"

"Because I know they won't hurt me." I replied, causing her to gasp.

I blasted forward, grabbing her face and smashing her into the ground. All the strength left her body, along with the illusions.


"K- kill... me...."

"Is that really what you want? Because I'm not like the men out there who like to put on a fake persona in front of a lady. If you ask me to kill you now, I will really do it."


My arm transformed into a blade.

The girl began tearing up.


"I just want to start over... that's all I want. But there's no going back. I've lost everything. I don't even know if I can trust anyone ever again."


My Senkaku blade hovered over her neck.

I said nothing.

"But you... your power... even with vengeance I couldn't beat Kintaro in the end. If not by dying.... please.... please just take me with you." She begged.


I let go and got to my feet.

"What is your name?"

"M- Maika. Maika Nagumo."


Looking at her again, she was gorgeous. She was tall and had a figure like a model. Her face gave off feminine yet mature vibes.

She was attractive.

I knew what the answer was.


"Absolutely not."

Maika stared at me.

"Heh?!"


The last thing I needed, was to have my Level 1 Dogma Bargain affecting me. Its very presence inside my body was unbearable, reminding me every day of what I used to be.

I really was not a fan to have my Level 1 Bargain Tradeoff to start tormenting me too with someone like Maika living with me.

But there was also another reason.


"What do you expect is going to happen if I took you along with me?" I asked.

Maika's eyes trailed the ground.

"A new... life... anything... anything to save me from the hell that I lived-"

"You're expecting me to change your life?"

Maika's face turned red.


"N- No... that's not what I meant. I just... just wanted..."

Suddenly, I heard a stomp, as Maika walked forward with new strength, grabbing my arm.


"Please, Mirage. I'm begging you. If you knew what I had been through... please. Show some mercy. I promise you... I promise you! I promise I can be useful to you. I've been an assassin since I was 14. I was born in Fukuoka and can speak Japanese. I'm... I just... you can't leave me like this! My past... my past..."

I glared at her and shoved her away.

"I know about your past. You were a kunoichi in Fukuoka trying to pay your younger sister's debt. You were married to a man called Ito Kintaro who you trusted for eight years, until he betrayed both you and your sister and had her killed for spare change. And now you can't trust men ever again. It's a sad story, but if you joined my Squad hoping for something different, then you're sorely mistaken. Stop waiting for your Prince Charming to enter your life and hoping it would turn around miraculously. If you want things to change it's up to you to change it. Not others. And certainly not me."


Maika slowly let go, her hands dropping.

There was no way I could let her into my Squad. At any cost.

I would rise to the top on my own.

With my own strength.

Because that time...

My mind flashed back to three familiar faces. Faces that I used to look up to. Faces that I used to smile with. But now they were faces that I resented.


That time...

I will become Squad Leader! At any cost! Just watch me, Logan!

That time will be the last time I ever worked in a Squad.


Maika Joins Squad Four (Maika)

"Ummm.... so your name is Matt? That's a pretty cute name. It's a... um pleasure to join your Squad!" I commented, nervously.

Matt made a sound that was between a grunt and an even angrier grunt as he steered aggressively, swerving past traffic. His car was really nice. Soft cushiony seats. I wasn't wearing anything other than a tattered dress, but the fabric was soft on my skin, giving me a sense of tranquility. He didn't seem like the type of guy, but the fragrance of the car was similar to the Garden after the Mist scent from Febreeze. And he purposely made the A/C warmer, knowing I barely had any clothes on.

It was almost funny how his sweet side contrasted from his extremely irritated expression on his face and his angry driving.

I suppose I couldn't blame him.

If I made a long speech about how I wouldn't take someone under my wing, then suddenly have my boss forcefully recruit that person into my team, I wouldn't be too thrilled either.


"I... umm... I promise I'll be of good help for you. I'll clean the place and do the dishes. I'll also do the laundry and cook-"

"We already have a guy for that." Matt replied.

"Oh." I said, awkwardly, voice small.


My mind rewinded to a few hours earlier. After Matt had rejected me.

"We are not the type to turn down those with great potential, are we, Mirage?"


Matt's eyes widened. I watched as a tall man emerged from the corner of Kintaro's cellar. He wore a top hat, and his hands were covered in numerous tattoos.

But from within the shadows that covered his face, I could tell right away.

His combat prowess was beyond even Matt's.


"Lord Taras, you didn't have to come here in person." Matt said. Judging from the surprise in his voice, I could tell that this Taras person wasn't someone to be messed with.

Taras approached me, kneeling on one knee.

His face looked solemn and kind. Gentle almost.

It was hard to believe he would be someone from the Contingency Initiative. A mass criminal.

I trembled, clutching the folds of my dress that was now tattered and torn from where Kintaro and the rest of the Scarlet Rose had brutalized me. The bangs of my hair were covering my face. It was a mulling discomfort that was persistent. But I was just too tired and traumatized to even care.


"Your stillborn." Taras opened his hand, energy swirling around it. And before me, the corpse of a baby manifested.

My baby.

A sob escaped me as I reached out desperately for my child. Taras let me take it, but he kept a hand on my baby. I frantically tried to shield it from him, but Taras held his grip firmly.

"You don't have the strength to carry him."

"Him?"

My heart suddenly ached. Everything had happened so fast. When the child came out of me, lifeless and bloody, in the presence of my dead sister, I didn't even have the time or emotional strength to even check its gender.

I felt like a failure of a mother right off the bat.

A wail escaped from my mouth, as a hysterical cry shook my body. I slammed my head against the ground so hard that I felt a conk. Blood pooling on the hard cement of the cellar. The entire place was silent, save for my crying. Crying that should have belonged to my son.


"Your son may not have lived long, but even in death, his very existence was truly a blessing." Taras said, gently, running his hand on my face and wiping the blood off of it.

"I... I don't even deserve to hold him." I gritted my teeth. Blood was pouring from my body and staining the ground red.


Level 2 Shakujin - Gaia's Rejuvenation

Silver streams of energy surrounded me, causing a rush of vitality to surge through my body. I felt my wounds close.

"What did you-"

Taras smiled.

"I am a Dogma Holder. Just like Mirage. Although the power of the Earth God can heal those, it is not within his rights to bring back the dead. For your son is destined to return to the Earth."

I panted, emotion still ripping my heart to shreds.


"I'm... a failure of a human being. I let my sister die. Then my son, to my husband. And now I don't even have the power to avenge them."

"But you wanted the power to change your life, is that not correct?"

I closed my eyes.

"Of course I do! Of course! But... but I don't... I don't know if I can. I don't know if I can trust the people in this world. Never again."


From the distance, Mirage regarded the two of us. His mask covered one of his eyes, giving him an extremely threatening appearance.

"Mirage..." I muttered.

"I know it's up to me to change my life around. But I'm not strong. Not like you, or Taras. I'm weak and pathetic. In this world of lies and deceit."


I looked at my hands, which were distorting the space around them, probably responding to my emotions.

"And now even my very existence passively distorts the truth around me. I'm..."

Taras flicked his hand.

"Mirage."


SLICE.

My eyes widened.

"Wha-"

The blade of Kintaro's katana suddenly appeared before me, lodged into the cement. A wave of darkness rolled off of it, returning to Mirage's arm...

No.

I stared at the mass of darkness that was once Mirage's left arm.


"What happened to your arm?"

Taras chuckled.

"He gave it away. For power. And that wasn't all that he sacrificed. Is it, Squad Leader Mirage?"

Mirage slowly undid his mask, taking it off, revealing an empty black eye socket. My heart skipped a beat. So he had been covering his right side the entire time...


"I will tell you the truth, Miss Nagumo. Formerly Mrs. Ito. The world is dark and cruel. As you have realized so tragically, it is full of deceit. And for some of us, we cannot accept that. There was a time when the world wasn't like this. And that was when the Great Akuma reigned. And so, to those who wish for the power to change this world, we must have sacrifice. Just as you did."

Mirage slowly walked forward, the shadows forming an arm, but decorating it was a series of black tattoos, lettering that arced up his arm and circled back down. But something about it seemed off. The letters...

They weren't English, I knew that much. But they weren't Kanji either.

They looked...

Demonic.

"My Level 2 Dogma granted me the power to amplify my physical abilities. In exchange for my right eye. And my Level 3 Dogma granted me the power to manipulate darkness. In exchange for my left arm. Nothing in this world comes for free. To be granted power, good, wealth, and fortune, one must sacrifice. That's the way of the Dogma of Equivalent Exchange."

"What... what was your Level 1 Dogma?" I asked.

Mirage's face flashed murderously, causing me to yelp.


"Miss Nagumo." Taras interrupted me, his hand vibrated with green energy. Wind swirled and ripped the katana into the air until he held the hilt before me.


"You truly are an incredible woman. If his life had been allowed to continue, your son would have grown to become a very proud young man to be nurtured and mentored by one such as you."

I clenched my fists.

"You're just saying that. I'm not incredible by any means. My entire skillset is lies and deceit, and now my powers are that too! What's to be proud of in a person who's just as bad as the world around her!" I screamed.

I tried to get to my feet, but collapsed. I was exhausted, now that the threat was gone.

"Is that so bad, Maika?" Taras asked.

"What?"

"You say who you are blends in well with the world. Your past as a kunoichi, your ability to fight with stealth. In a world of mirrors and illusions. A mistress of illusions would find the world her advantage, is that wrong? Rather than thinking about it as a curse, I think you have quite the blessing. You have two choices."

Kintaro's katana was still held out before me.


"If you choose to walk away from us, we won't hold you any regard. As the leader of the Contingency Initiative, I will order all Squads and Infantry to leave you be. But moving forward, you will continue being haunted by your past. The government of New Ulysses holds very little regard to the Japanese, as you already know."

My teeth clenched. I knew that. Of course I did...

Of course...

"But if you come with me, you will see yourself not only mended from the things this world has burdened you with. But you will see yourself grow in ways unimaginable."


Mirage blinked.

"Wait, Lord Taras, what are you saying? Which Squad will she end up in-"

Taras smiled.

"Why, Mirage, that would have to be yours."


Mirage dropped his mask on the ground, his mouth wide open.

"I- You- She- No! I don't need a Squad Member-"

"Maika is a gorgeous young lady. 23 years old, she is only two years older than you. Perhaps Rui was not meant to be!"

"The fuck?! My Level 1 Dogma won't let me! You know this, Taras! I-"


Taras got up and placed Kintaro's katana in my hands.

"You despise this weapon, don't you."

My knuckles turned white.

"Of course I do. What kind of... of..."

Taras closed my grip.

"Then use this as a reminder. As a member of Squad Four. The world's darkness and deceit. We of the Contingency Initiative will destroy this world, and that includes those just like Kintaro. Your sister. Your son. Your parents. No one will have to go through this path like you did ever again."


No one.

I remembered the pain and resentment my sister had on her face. My parents were out of country and I was forced to raise her all on my own. A 14 year old girl was in no place to raise a household all on her own, but we had no choice. The government of New Ulysses wouldn't let our parents immigrate as refugees. And with Japan being at war with Illia, and an overflowed backlog of Japanese refugees to Yon, we had no choice but to escape to New Ulysses.

But for us, me and my sister, we were allowed entry.

The system...

The system took everything from us, from me.


I glared at the katana with an inciting rage.

If my powers were fated to be like my past, as a liar. A deceiver. In a world full of lies.

Then that was what I would be.

To destroy this world.

So people like my sister and family would no longer have to suffer.


And here I was, sitting shotgun in Matt's Mercedes, customized, according to him, for stealth and retrieval of Contingency Initiative operatives.

I looked over my shoulder to see Kintaro's katana, gleaming from the light of the lamps on the roadway. I knew I had accepted the sword from Taras, and that it would be a part of me, but that didn't make it any easier knowing that a part of Kintaro would be with me for as long as I held that blade.

"We have a storage vault." Matt's voice suddenly breaking through the silence of the car engine, causing me to jump.

"A storage vault?" I asked.

"Contingency Initiative policy. Every operative is assigned a room with a storage vault to each room. And a common storage vault in the shared living space of each Squad, password coded."


Matt looked over his shoulder, but not before glancing at me.

"If you don't feel ready to call the katana your own, you can keep it there."

I blinked. Matt had his missing eye kept in a black eyepatch, but his other eye, the one that was exposed, glowed a fierce red. Paired with his wild hair, seeing him act so kind, even for a second, seemed so out of place.

"Th- thanks." A rush of heat went across my body.

Matt blinked, his face looked startled. He was staring at me. More precisely, my cheeks.

Did I just blush?! Oh my god. Please kill me now.

But before I could wallow in my self embarrassment, a red jolt of electricity arced across Matt's arm, causing him to seeth in pain.


"Shit!" Matt growled, as a stray black cat appeared in the roadway, causing Matt to swerve to the side.

"Matt!"

The car skidded violently before entering a sudden stop.


We breathed heavily, the cat meowed at Matt angrily and ran off, but not before Matt gave it a few angry scoldings.

"You furry shitheap! You wanna get killed?! Try that again and I'll kill both you and your owner!"

The kitty hissed, almost like it was cursing Matt back in cat-talk, before narrowly dodging an empty Lysol container that Matt had chucked at it.

"What was that?!" I cried out, frantically eyeing his arm, which was now smoking. Red tattoo lines similar to his missing left arm had now appeared on his right, occasional red sparks coming out.

However, before I could make any more comments, Matt quickly reached behind, pulling out a cloak, and covered himself in it, hiding the tattoos from my sight.


"Nothing." Matt said, dismissively, as he pulled out of the driveway and continued driving.

"But-"

"I said. It is nothing. Maika." Matt glared at me murderously. I zipped my lips.


For the next few minutes, the drive was quiet and awkward. Save for Matt's occasional rants under his breath.

"What was Lord Taras thinking." He muttered.

"I never asked for Squad members." He muttered again.

"I swear to god if I have to give a bathroom meeting..."

I guess it didn't take a genius to know that Matt wasn't too thrilled about having me live with him.


We arrived at the residence. It looked like an apartment complex, but I knew better than to believe things at first glance. I got out slowly, but not before hesitating.

Matt turned around, his face irritated.

"What's wrong?"

More heat rushed into my face.

"My clothes..."

"Huh?"


Matt looked at my exposed body from my tattered dress, which made me feel like I was about to vaporize on the spot from embarrassment.

SPACK. SIZZLE.

Matt's arm burst into sparks again, as a piece of the parkade ceiling hit him on the head.

"Mother! FUCK!" Matt growled, swatting away at the fragments, before ripping the car door open.

"Here. Just wear my damn cloak. As for the katana and your son's urn..." Matt's voice trailed away, before glancing at me. His expression softened.


"It's fine. I can take the urn." I said, gently.

"I'll hold the katana then." Matt replied.

We went up the elevator. Thankfully no one was around to see us.


BZZT. BZZT.

Matt pulled out his phone.

"Who's calling at a time like this?" He muttered, narrowing his eyes.

"Geh." He grumbled, before reluctantly accepting the call and putting the phone to his ear.


"What the hell do you want, Wyatt."

Wyatt's voice rung from the muffled phone.

"BAHAHAHA. Bro. I heard you took in Kintaro's wife! Naughty boy."

Matt's eye twitched in annoyance.

"SHUT UP! This was not my decision to make!"

Wyatt began laughing hysterically. I could only guess from the sounds of ruffling fabric that he moved the phone to his colleagues, who were all laughing at Matt.

"I will reach the top with my own strength!" Wyatt mimicked Matt, in a mocking tone.

"Hey man. Don't deny it. Anybody would wish they were in your shoes, Squad Leader Matt. You literally have a MILF living with you and reporting under you. I wouldn't mind having a 10 call me Master every day."


At that point, my blood was boiling as much as Matt's was.

Matt took a deep breath.

"Okay. The fun is over. Why did you call, Wyatt. I figured you wouldn't use this line to call me just to laugh at my predicament."

Wyatt suddenly switched to a serious tone. Which surprised me.


I had to remind myself that the people I was surrounded by were all operatives to the Contingency Initiative. One of the most feared terrorist groups in all of New Ulysses. Under normal circumstances, I would have been terrified. But considering I had spent almost all my life as a kunoichi to the Scarlet Rose, I guess this wasn't anything new.

I was one messed up bitch.


"Listen. Starting today, we might actually have a higher influx of recruits. Nagumo isn't going to be the first to join the Contingency Initiative. Since that happened."

That?

Matt pursed his lips.

"Yeah. I can imagine New Ulysses is definitely going to go into the shitter with the Incident happening."

"Squad Two is already looking to recruit three more people. Whether you like it or not, your Squad Four is going to be getting some newbies as well. We need everything to fight back against Realmwatch, otherwise the newbies will be headhunted by them. That's the last thing we need."

The Incident? Did that have anything to do with what happened to me the night I awakened my illusionary powers? I wanted to ask Matt more about it, but I knew better than to get myself involved with something like this. I had a feeling that this was confidential to the highest degree in this organization.


Matt sighed, and hung up.

"Matt?" I asked.

DING.

The elevator doors opened, as Matt stepped out. I was still standing in the elevator, staring at Matt.

No.

Squad Leader Matt.

It hadn't hit me until now, but this man was going to be my boss, moving forward. I would be reporting to him as his subordinate.

Yet despite the mean aura he was giving me, he was holding Kintaro's katana was extreme care. Making sure it wasn't getting nicked or damaged.


"Hey. Maika." Matt said, startling me.

"Are you going to stay in that elevator forever? I'd rather spend the night in my flat, thank you very much."

"C- Coming!" I replied, running after my new boss.

To start my new life.


One Man Squad (Matt)

Four years ago


"Vis, how are you holding up?"

I breathed heavily, but a smirk was still plastered all over my face.

"What do you think? I'd just give up and let you move up ahead of me, Greasy Joe?"

Joe returned the smirk.

"Whatever man. Don't cry for help when you realize you can't take down a Orcus without any combat powers."

"Huh?! Who do you think I am?! I'm gonna be the Squad Leader!" I got up in Joe's face, forcing Rui to grab us both by the ears.


"You two! Now is not the time to be arguing!"

"Sorry, Rui." The two of us muttered in unison.

Logan chuckled, as a swarm of Orcus monsters surrounded us.


Joe glowed blue, while Logan's eyes glowed white, and Rui's body glowed green with her bat. Me on the other hand, slowly raised my shotgun, since...

I didn't have any powers, other than Prophecy, which only manifested itself randomly.


We battled viciously, and while I did the absolute best I could, Joe was right. There was a limit to how far a regular human could do against the monsters that the Contingency Initiative had launched at the city.

Multiple times, I had to get myself saved by other Stormwatch operatives.

"Vis! Get down!" Logan shouted, forcing me to the ground.

"I had him!" I complained.

"No. You didn't. There would have been no way you could have seen it coming. I had to use Vala's Eyes to catch that last attack. Just stay at a distance and lay out suppressing fire with that shotgun."


I grumbled, glancing at Joe and Rui, who were fighting side by side. Joe's Spirit of Vala was allowing him to fight for hours on end, while Rui's Rejuvenation Evo increased her endurance to superhuman levels.

"Vis... don't get distracted now." Logan chided.

"I know I know. It's just..."


I looked away.

"It should be me over there with Rui." I said, quietly.


KABOOM.

An explosion shook the corner of my vision, as to my horror, Rui came flying my way.

"Rui!" I cried out, trying to catch her, but her momentum was too much for my body, causing the two of us to crumple to the ground. Logan rushed in behind and caught us before I could crack my skull on the crushed remains of Dennan, New Ulysses.

"Are you two okay?" Logan asked us.

I nodded, but Rui gasped.

"Joe!"


I turned to Rui's direction, to find Joe being overpowered by one unusually tall Orcus.

Joe swung with all his might, but the Orcus chuckled, absorbing the punch with his midsection.

"No way!" Joe gasped, the blue electricity of his Vala Form sparked uselessly against the hide of the Orcus.

Logan put us down and rushed forward.


"Rui, protect Vis. Joe can't handle that Orcus alone. Not yet."

Rui tried to run after Logan.

"But Logan! Your heart-"

"Rui! I won't repeat myself. You stay here. If we all went, Vis can't keep up with us and will get hurt."


I clenched my fist angrily, watching Logan rush in to help Joe, who had his face smashed into the ground by the Orcus.

"Get away from Guardian, Jemiah."

Jemiah lifted Joe's partly unconscious body from the ground. Blood was pouring down his face.


Rui's face was pale and full of shock, just like mine.

Joseph Greziak. The Guardian.

Realmwatch's Strongest Operative, was bleeding profusely.


Jemiah laughed, his voice full of malice.

"Old Man Metron. You don't possess the strength to defeat me. Not anymore. Perhaps if you had not betrayed Lord Pax, you would have had a chance. But now..."

Jemiah squeezed, causing Joe's eyes to bulge out.

"No! Joe!" Rui cried out.

"... You are soft. Weak. Kindness has ruined you, Metron Woodley. And now you will watch as I kill Vala's Great Spirit Vessel and delay her return. There is no place for the Spirit of Hope. The Great Akuma shall return this world to the way it should have always been."


Logan rushed forward, dodging a swipe from Jemiah mid air.

"Tch." Jemiah grumbled, retreating and narrowly dodging an axe kick from Logan, delivered at hypersonic speed and unleashing a powerful shockwave outwards. I couldn't possibly imagine what Logan must have been in his prime, if he was able to move so fast at his age.

Jemiah threw Joe to the side and fought Logan hand to hand, who's eyes glowed a brighter white. Logan began retaliating and exchanging blows, but his eyes were slowly turning bloodshot as I realized he was overexerting himself, operating at 100% efficiency while Jemiah barely looked like he was trying.


"Joe!" Rui grabbed Guardian, who shrugged her off.

"Let go. I have to help Logan!"

"You can't! Jemiah is the Legendary Orcus! I have no idea how he ended up serving Taras but if you fight him, you'll get flattened like a bug! Let Logan handle-"

"Does it look like he's handling him?! Look at him! He's using everything he has and Jemiah isn't even trying! Any moment now he's going to flatten the old man and it's gonna be all our fault!"


Jemiah launched a backhand, which Logan blocked, but he slid backwards, gritting his teeth. His eyes were starting to smoke.

"Dammit!" I shouted, aiming my shotgun, when suddenly, a voice appeared before me.


"Is this some kind of a joke?"

My eyes widened, as Jemiah materialized before me, grabbing the barrel and lifting me into the air. I began kicking frantically.

"Let me go!"

Joe and Rui rushed forward, but were instantly overpowered. Jemiah punched Joe in the face with his other arm, sending him flying into a building, then kneed Rui in the stomach, stepping on the back of her head and smashing her into the ground before Logan could recover.

Jemiah then brought me closer until we were face to face.


"An unpowered human? Attempting to strike me? You dare disgrace my name with your disgusting presence, little bug?!"

I tried to pull the trigger, but my finger wasn't listening to me. In fact, it was like my body decided to betray me, going in survival mode.

It was afraid.

So afraid that it would rather listen to instinct than my desire to prove myself.


"Your face is white as a ghost. At least your body knows its place. Your mind, however, is still riddled with delusion."

A hand began to cover my face.

"H- Help... HELP!" I yelled, as Jemiah turned around, blocking a strike from Logan.


"Get out of there, Vis!" Logan shouted at me. Jemiah dropped me and struck Logan across the head, causing blood to explode from his mouth.

"Logan! You bastard!" Joe growled, followed by Rui, who both charged in.

Logan regained his footing.

"Everybody charge!" He shouted.


I landed on the ground, watching as Logan, Rui, and Joe charged Jemiah three on one, who began overpowering them.

I was sprawled, slowly aiming my shotgun, but there was nothing I could do.

If even Logan and Joe's attacks couldn't dent him...

What the hell was a shotgun going to do?


I...

I was too weak...

I forced myself out on the field for once, but here I was being a complete burden.

Yet... why did I have the drive to become...


SMASH.

Logan and Joe hit the ground, as Jemiah slammed his fist into Rui's face, but Rui held her ground, her Rejuvenation Evo rapidly undoing the Orcus' force.

"Regeneration? A coward's power." Jemiah spat, but Rui forced herself to face the monster.

"I'm not afraid of you." Rui growled.

Jemiah chuckled.

"In my home world, the females never stepped foot in the battlefield. They were always expected to remain in the nest and care for our young. Yet you humans... so peculiar. How backwards. For here before me, stands a woman who does not fear a warrior's presence, bares her fangs in the face of danger. Yet the man behind her fears for his life."


My hands trembled. I didn't know if it was from rage or frustration.

Or both.


I slammed my fist against the ground, causing my knuckles to bleed.

"No." I said, forcing myself to my feet.

"I'm not afraid. For Rui. For my Squad. I am going to be the future Squad Leader." I walked forward and stood next to Rui, who stared at me.

"N- No... Vis, you need to run! You can't-"

"WHAT KIND OF SQUAD LEADER ABANDONS HIS TEAM MEMBERS?!" I screamed at Jemiah, aiming the barrel of my gun at his face.

"If... if I do that..."


My finger hovered over the trigger, as Jemiah tilted his head.

"Little Bug. I will commemorate your courage. But courage without strength to back it up, is simply stupidity."

"SHUT UP." I snapped, my gun hand trembling violently. A smile appeared on my terrified face.

In the face of overwhelming danger.

A Squad Leader must never lose their cool.

Otherwise the whole team will lose their morale.

I had to smile through it, no matter what. To tell everybody everything was going to be okay.

"I will become the Squad Leader of Stormwatch. No matter what. And no Squad Leader will watch his own Squad die. I will defeat you. I will find a way! I will-"


SLAM.

I felt my body fly in the air, Rui's screams after me as everything went blurry.

"Foolish little bug. You dare smile in my presence?" Jemiah's voice rung in my head.


"Never show your pathetic face in the battlefield ever again."


Present Day


I reached out to nothing, the sound of the alarm blaring through my ears. I woke up at 4am every morning. I went to bed at 1am, sometimes in the flat. Sometimes in my car. And sometimes in the battlefield.

When it was just me in the Squad, I had to cover my own ass in every regard. And while it was tough, I knew better than to question the workload I had requested from Lord Taras himself. This was all to climb the ranks, because I had something to prove.

I shifted out of the bed and did a morning workout, which consisted of weighted pushups, weighted dips, weighted pull-ups, then barbell sit-ups. It wasn't a very demanding workout, it was just mostly just to get the blood moving in my system to progress with the day and wake myself up.


I walked out of the shower, when suddenly, a stack of papers greeted me in the main living room.

"Geh." I grumbled.

Extra paperwork, in addition to the ones I had to complete every morning. Since Maika was now part of my Squad, I had a bunch of forms to fill out which had absolutely nothing to do with my progression to the top.

Squad Leader.

What a god damn pain in the ass.


I threw the towel across the room into the laundry basket and reached to the papers, filling them out.

"Name, Maika Nagumo... Age..."

I thought back to what Taras had said, that completely unnecessary and inappropriate remark about Maika when he announced my new Squad Member.

"Twenty three..." I muttered, scribbling on the paper.

So far so good...

But the moment I finished the obvious fields, I quickly realized the task would be much more complicated than I thought it would be.


"Birth place? What?"

I knew Maika came from Japan, it said that much on the case file. But there was no details on where in Japan.

Who the hell wrote the case file?

I dropped my pen.

Wyatt.

That piece of shit!


"Fukuoka." A female voice appeared behind me, causing me to nearly jump out of my seat. My instincts took over and darkness rippled out of my left side, nearly slicing my new subordinate in two.

The illusion dissipated, revealing Maika standing in the corner of the room. Her blonde hair was wet and tumbled to her back, gently wrapping around her waist.

I quickly looked away before my Level 1 Dogma could trigger.


"Jesus Christ, don't sneak up on me like that!" I snapped.

Maika wrapped herself in her towel.

"S- Sorry! I just wanted to try out my new illusion powers. I'm sorry." She replied, nervously.

"I oughta..." I got up from my seat and approached my subordinate, who's face turned pale.


"I'm sorry! Please don't hurt me! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Maika stumbled back, tripping on the ground and falling on her back.

"Wha-" I slowly lowered my hand, as Maika went into a fit of heaving.

"Don't hurt me... don't hurt her Kintaro-san... please..." Maika whispered, clutching her midsection.

"He- Hey, Maika, I didn't mean to- I-" I stammered, as Maika's eyes widened, realizing what she was doing. She quickly got to her feet, her head hung low.


"S- Sorry. I'm still..."

I sighed, getting on my knees and picking up the towel which had fallen on the ground. I gently wrapped it around her.

What the hell was wrong with me. She was clearly still traumatized from what had happened the other night. Her kid died, her sister died, and she herself nearly died. It was only the next day, and I had approached her with aggression that obviously resembled Ito Kintaro.

I wanted to climb the ranks of the Contingency Initiative, but there would be no way I could climb it if I couldn't even respect my own Squad members.


"No, I should be the one who is sorry." I replied.

Maika and I made eye contact which lasted a little longer than either of us wanted.

When suddenly it hit me.

Maika was in a bathroom towel... and she fell backwards.

Her towel had fallen on the ground. Meaning... my hands were on her...


"Young'uns these days. Pretty lady's been living with us for barely a day and you already have your hands on her honkers, eh, Vistara?" A grizzly voice shook the silence.

"Rafel, you damn geezer, how long have you been-" I spun around angrily, when suddenly, my right arm sizzled, red tattoos glowing. I froze mid-spin, a bead of sweat ran down the side of my face.


No way.

You've gotta be shitting me.

Sparks ripped through the air as the papers that I had been filling out caught on fire.


"Fucksake!" I growled, scrambling to pat the papers and blow out the fire, but it was too late. Before I knew it, the papers I was supposed to fill out and submit before the day started had turned to ash.

"Mornin, you two." Rafel saluted calmly, as if nothing had happened.


Like hell it didn't.


"YOU OLD FART!" I roared, grabbing the old soldier by the collar and shaking him back and forth.

"MY PAPERWORK IS ALL RUINED AND YOU HAVE THE DAMN NERVE TO SAY 'GOOD MORNING'?!"

"That wasn't my fault, Vistara. You did that yourself." Rafel replied.

"What did I say about calling me that?"


Maika slowly raised her hand.

"I'm... I'm fine. It's no big deal. I'm sor-"

"Little lady. You apologize way too much." Rafel replied, heading to the coffee machine and preparing a cup. He then approached Maika and handed the cup.

"We haven't met yet, have we. The name's Rafel Lodgenaught. I'm the caretaker of the residence, serving under Vis- I mean, Mr. Lam over here."


Maika smiled and took the cup.

"Thank you so much. I'm Maika."

Maika glanced at Rafel's chest, more precisely, the silver plates dangling around his neck.

"Are those...?"

"Dog tags? Yeah. You're looking at a former Sergeant to the New Ulyssian army."


Maika blinked.

"But... why-"

"Why am I working for a terrorist organization as a janitor? You could say I got discharged. I live a shameful life. I suppose being a janitor to Contingency Initiative's grumpiest operative is a life befitting someone such as me."

"Don't say that, Rafel. I'm sure you are a good person." Maika said, gently, causing Rafel to raise his eyebrows.

"What a sweetheart you are! You make me want to pour out my life story!"

"Don't egg him on." I interrupted the conversation, sweeping up the ashes and tossing them into the garbage. I then turned around.


"The longer you stay here, and the longer you get to know us, Maika, you will realize each and every single person in the Contingency Initiative joined for a reason. Lord Taras Pax doesn't make mistakes in who he wants to join our cause. From operatives, to man maids like Rafel over here."

"Hey! Don't call me a man maid!" Rafel protested. I ignored him, and grabbed my Darkwear cloak.

"Going out to mission briefing?" Rafel asked.

"Yeah."

"Are you not going to bring your new member?"


I glanced at Maika, who regarded me with an expression which was chalk full of indecision.

"She isn't going anywhere. Besides, she needs to go through training first before she's officially recognized as CI."

Maika wanted to say something, but turned to the katana which was sitting in the corner of the living room.


"I... I could still help you. I have powers now, and I spent the entire night practicing it."

Now that I focused a little closer, Maika had bags under her eyes, and her posture was a lot less composed than it was earlier. Did she not get any sleep last night? That could explain why she was awake at 4am while everybody else (just Rafel) was asleep.

"Now Miss, I know I am not in the right to say this, but this flat has beds for a reason." Rafel chided, causing Maika's face to flush red.


"I... I just wanted to be useful to you, Matt. I didn't mean to cause you trouble."

"Go back to your room and sleep." I dismissed her.

"But Matt, I can help! I-"

The more Maika tried to persuade me, the more irritated I got.


"What did I just say, Maika? Go to your room and sleep. You don't have the strength to walk all day today. The moment you sit down in my car you'll fall asleep anyway."

I turned around and headed angrily for the door.

I never asked for Maika to be in my Squad. And right on day one she was already causing me trouble and headaches.


But most importantly...

My mind flashed back to when she had undergone a panic attack earlier.

She was still hurting from what happened with her son and sister. As well as her parents and Kintaro.

She just wasn't emotionally ready to go back out into the field. She had to mourn and recover.

Yet despite all this, she spent all night trying to master her powers.

If she continued like this she would run herself into the ground.


I'll become Squad Leader. Whatever the cost. Whatever it takes. Squad Leader Vision will become a thing!

I clenched my fist.

She would end up like I did.


I stepped out of the flat and closed the door, heading out.


The Battle for Okan (Matt)

I always kept my profile low, driving while the skies were dark, early in the morning. But since the Pax Incident, the skies were nothing but dark. Screams and cries filled the air in the distance.

Lord Taras Pax had unleashed a powerful explosion, which emanated throughout the entire city. The explosion was labelled an accidental nuclear blast by the government of New Ulysses.

This was a lie.

The culmination of beings with extraordinary abilities, dubbed evos, would be used by the Contingency Initiative to add onto their ranks. Because we were aware of it before Realmwatch, we would be the first to take action in the chaos.

Or so we had thought.

I grimly sat down on the table. Before me were two other Squads. We were on Anassis Island, a remote landform far from New Ulysses where our meetings and HQ held our mission briefings. Only ever accessible if Pax permitted it.

In HQ, this was where all the CI soldiers resided. Training every day, relentlessly. Either to become foot soldiers or to be promoted to joining the New Ulysses special forces Squad Task Force. There were eight Squads. Each Squad required tremendous performance to get in.


Once Maika had recovered, to be formally accepted into Squad Four, she would have to be sent to Anassis Island and go through the rigorous training.

If she passed, then she would officially be my subordinate.

And if she failed.

She would be sent back to New Ulysses, to try and get her life back together on her own in a city that discriminated her Japanese ethnicity.


Squad Two. Led by S Class Squad Leader Henry Wyatt, The Eagle. Possessing the natural superhuman ability of Eagle Vision. There wasn't a single target Wyatt couldn't see. He was the eyes of this operation. Sitting around him were two of his representatives. Deputy Squad Leaders Mason "Dragon" Hackman, and Val "Sixshot" Sanchez. Both rated A+ Class.

Wyatt grimly nodded at me.

Under normal circumstances, I would have given him the finger. But now was not the time for that.

Because the presence of the other Squad Leader made the importance of this operation a lot more serious than my elimination op with the Ito Household.

"Chaos erupts in New Ulysses. Yet Realmwatch remains steadfast."

A young girl's voice said. Before her were three of her Squad Members. One of them was wearing a long white coat, and a mask which covered half of his face. His sharp narrow eyes were intimidating, which complimented who he was as an operative to the Contingency Initiative's Strongest Squad.

SS Class "Kronos" Shin. Squad One's strongest Deputy Squad Leader. The only person who currently surpassed his power was his Squad Captain.

I glared at the girl.

SS+ Class Kyokou Hibiki "The Dismantler".

At the Contingency Initiative, an Operative's ability is given a class, based on their combat proficiency, and ability to carry out operations successfully. The average operative is rated B Class.

For Elimination Squads, all members are expected to be at least B+ Class.

For reference, I was rated S+ Class.


To reach the top, I had to surpass these guys.

Contingency Initiative Squad One. The one Squad that was rarely ever called out to do Operations, unless it was under extreme circumstances.

The average rating for their Squad was S. And their executives were all rated SS.

And beyond that... the former leader...


Was designated Omega Class. The strongest Contingency Initiative Operative in history.

I had a long ways to go.


"The operation briefing, will now commence." Taras entered the room, tipping his hat. We all bowed before his presence.

"Lord Taras." We said in unison.

The operation, if you could even call it that, involved breaching the outer walls of the Realmwatch facility. This would involve extremely heavy firepower, hence the involvement of Elimination Squad One, as well as visuals to ensure the operation was carried out efficiently. This was where Scouting Squad Two would come in play.

As for Elimination Squad Four, my responsibility would be to ensure as many of Realmwatch's Recruitment Officers were eliminated as much as possible. With my ability to use Level 3 Senkaku, I could enter the facility while Squad One wrecked havoc outside, and destroy the recruiters from the inside, as well as any potential world leaders who were probably held in their custody for their safety amidst the panic and chaos generated by the Pax Incident.


The focus was to cut down Realmwatch's recruitment ability, lowering their morale, and destroying their reputation. When the Pax Incident meta humans would be headhunted by either Realmwatch or CI, they would go for CI. Out of either hopelessness, or belief that Realmwatch was incapable.


It all came down to this mission.

But above all else...


"Remember. Eagle. Mirage. Dismantler. This mission is not a war. There will be a small battle between Dismanter's Squad and the members of the Lightwatch, Groundwatch, and Skywatch Brigades. But if any other Brigades join, you will retreat." Taras said, before turning to me.

"Especially Stormwatch. Do I make myself clear?"

I nodded darkly. Even though both Taras and I knew that was a lie.


Stormwatch Brigade.

I will destroy you all.

Even if hell freezes over and Taras orders me to retreat.


I clenched my fist, Joe's face appearing before me.

I will never run from you, Guardian.


We stepped out, bowing before Taras as he vanished into mist. Ahead of us, was the Contingency Initiative aerial fleet unit. We stepped into one of the helicopter crafts, while dozens of Contingency Initiative soldiers entered the other crafts.

"Dude." Wyatt said to me.

I groaned.

"What do you want."

"Don't give me that shit. We all know what you're thinking. And we're not going to let it slide. If I so much as see a lightning bolt symbol we're getting the fuck out of there. We don't have the resources to fight Realmwatch if Guardian Greziak is around."

"You don't know that."

"No. I do. If even Kyokou isn't enough-"


SWIFF.

The robes of Dismantler ruffled past us, alongside Shin and the other two Operatives.

Shin gave me a slight glance, his face was devoid of any emotion.

But I returned his glance with an angry glare.


"Matt. You're really still not over the whole Squad One thing?"

"I'll surpass them."

"Their executives are higher rank than you. There's no way you can even catch up to Shin, let alone Kyokou. Please don't let your personal issues get in the way of this Op. I'm begging you, man."

We flew over the skies of Realmwatch HQ. Okan, New Ulysses.


Just as Taras had predicted, the entire region of Okan was in shambles. It wasn't just filled with rioting civilians with evo superpowers, but also those without, who feared for their safety as some civilians now had the power to do whatever they want. With little to none of the police being able to stop them.

And that wasn't all.

Wyatt narrowed his eyes at one of the buildings, which was covered in creatures who were ripping and tearing it apart.


"I figured this would happen. Not all the humans who were flooded with the Pax Energy would become meta humans. Some turn into monsters. Remember the Orcus?"

I nodded.

Orcus.

They were a species of warriors who were sent by the Contingency Initiative long before I joined. The only difference between those monsters and the ones who were now ravaging New Ulysses, were that Taras had recruited them from a faraway place. While these...


These were regular citizens.

Kyokou's slender frame walked past us.

"Detonate." She said, as the building exploded in a violent blast.

Dozens of figures began flooding the region. Realmwatch Soldiers.

And as soon as the forces of Realmwatch had dispersed, I watched, the dozens of hooded operatives of CI bursting from the helicopter crafts, assisting Kyokou and Squad One.

The Top Elimination Squad of Contingency Initiative descended from the skies in an ordered and disciplined fashion, soaring to the roof of Realmwatch.


"CONTINGENCY INITIATIVE!" I heard a loud voice shout from a speaker, causing numerous soldiers to arm their turrets. Shooting relentlessly at the Squad.

"Breakdown. Bullets." Kyokou ordered.

"Acknowledged, Hibiki-sama." Breakdown replied, holding up his hands and emitting a gargantuan blast of green energy. The energy swamped the entire building and the bullets raining to our location with a green glow, disintegrating before my very eyes.

"Kronos."

"Yes, Hibiki-sama." Kronos said, unsheathing a sword. His eyes flashed white.

Time Manipulation: Sudden Strikes


Within the blink of an eye, hundreds of Realmwatch's rooftop guards were sliced into a million pieces, disintegrating into a red mist.

Squad One landed before the entrance of Realmwatch HQ, as multiple Brigades rushed down to greet them. CI Soldiers fighting Realmwatch Soldiers in an all out brawl under the night sky. Gunfire filled the air from both sides.


Wyatt's Squad had already branched out, each member scouting the perimeter of the building and directing where the soldiers should be stationed and where they should attack.

"Hear me good, Mirage?" Wyatt spoke in my coms.

"Confirmed."

"Good. I have created an opening for you at that window. Use it."

"Acknowledged."


I stood before the edge of the helicopter, thousands of feet in the air. So high up that I could still see the clouds underneath me. The hair was blasting in my face and rippling against my Darkwear mask.

There would be no way Maika could come along with me. Even if she passed the training.

This was a Tier 1 Mission. The nerves would wreck her.


Just as I did for the past four years...

I will do this alone.

SZRAK.

Level 2 Amplification

Energy coursed through my body, red electricity sparking from my legs as I shot from the ledge, firing myself to the trajectory of the window that was outlined in the HUD of my mask.

Slingshot Comet


"What the- that's the Mirage!" A Realmwatch soldier shouted.

"Squad Four AND Squad One?!"


"Tch." I grumbled, putting a hand to my coms unit.

"Wyatt, you little shit. You said that there was no one at that window!"

"I never said that. All I said was go to that window. There's less guards, so you won't have to use as much stamina to eliminate them. Lidar also says it's the fastest way to get to the main recruitment offices."


The guards aimed their guns at me.

I closed my eyes and concentrated.

Level 3 Senkaku - Legion of Mirrors

Dozens of copies of myself manifested outwards as I switch teleported consistently with each one. Bullets whizzed by me.

"I can't hit him!"

"Which one is the real one?!"


I concentrated at one of the men and switch teleported with him, causing the guard to fall thousands of feet to his death.

"Wha-" The other guard gasped, as I leaned back on one hand, taking him out with a scissor kick, then reaching for his handgun and shooting him in the head twice.

Kill confirmed.


I ran forward, killing anyone who I encountered and making my way to the grand atrium, following Lidar's instructions.

"Light him up!"

I spun around viciously, my red eye glowing.

Level 2 Amplification - Ultra Battle Senses

My body burst into sudden movements, dodging the onslaught of bullets as I rushed forward aggressively.

"What kind of movements are those?! He's not human!"

I closed the distance with one of the operatives, grabbing her and used her as a shield for the rest of the gunfire. I grabbed the firearm from her thigh and used it to shoot the guards down, then dropped her to the ground, aiming the barrel to her forehead.


"You won't... get away with this Mirage... once Stormwatch gets here... the tide will turn." The guard coughed.

I smiled underneath my mask.

If any other Brigades join, you will retreat. Especially Stormwatch. Do I make myself clear?

"Let them come. I'll take them all on."

I fired, watching the Realmwatch soldier's body convulse violently.

Kill confirmed.


Before I could relish in my small victory, my mind flashed.

A pain, and a vision hit my brain, before my Level 2 Dogma automatically evaded a blast of electricity.

"Mirage!" Squad Leader Livewire of the Flamewatch Brigade shouted at me as more of the Brigade members entered from every direction.


I looked around me. I was surrounded.

"You won't get away with this. What are you trying to achieve?" Livewire growled.

My coms lit up.

"Mirage, you there? The recruitment officials are headed up the ninety seventh floor to an escape chopper. Squad One has their hands full with the three Brigades."

"A little preoccupied with Flamewatch. Be there in a minute." I muttered.

"What? Flamewatch? That means there's more than three Brigades here. We need to retreat-"

"No." I cut off Lidar, causing her to choke.

"Huh?! Now isn't the time for theatrics! You can't beat an entire Brigade on your own!"

"I am the entirety of Squad Four. If a CI Squad can't beat a Realmwatch Brigade, then our company's reputation will go to shit."

"What are you- Eagle! Mirage is gonna fight an entire Brigade on his own!" Lidar shouted behind the coms.

"What the fuck?! Mirage are you fuckin kidding me-"


I turned off the coms, my eye glowing a murderous red.

"Sorry about that." I said, slowly putting the coms in my pocket and turning around slowly until I was face to face with the seven people who made up Flamewatch.

Livewire scowled.

"Are you stupid? You better not take this lightly. Considering you've committed mass First Degree Murder just now. You're lucky you're gonna get an early execution."

Level 3 Senkaku

My left side burst into darkness, red electricity ripping out and forming a black blade for an arm.


"Flamewatch! Let's take him down." Livewire shouted, as the Brigade charged.

I stepped forward and switch teleported with one of the members, my blade held back.


"Gatling! Above Christa!"

"Got him!" Gatling aimed his wrist, firing a barrage of orange explosions my way.


I switch teleported with Gatling, causing the explosions to bombard Christa instead. I appeared before one of the operatives, my eye wide with adrenaline.

"Bastard! He's on me!" The operative gasped. But it was too late. Level 2 Amplification not only amplified my physical motor abilities.

But also my instincts as well.

As long as Amplification was coursing through my body, it was like I knew exactly what to do. When to do it. This was my ultimate counter against Metron Woodley's fighting style. There would be no way it would lose to a mere Flamewatch Operative.

I dodged a strike from his claws and grappled his arms.


Opening found.

Level 2 Amplification...

I rotated my body mid-air, heavily disorienting the operative.

"No way, is he gonna-"

TWISTING BONEBREAKER

I spun, ripping the operative off the ground and breaking his spine, before slamming his body into the floor below and creating a hole that spanned both floors.


"Eris!" Livewire shouted and glared at me.

"You'll pay for that!"

Two more operatives rushed me from the sides.

Legion of Mirrors


I walked forward, the attacks of both operatives missing me wildly. Livewire backed up.

"You piece of shit... you piece of..."

I tilted my head, and raised my fists, knocking both operatives out cold.

Four of the seven Flamewatch members were down.

And Livewire was next.


Livewire shouted, attempting to electrocute me, but I had switch teleported behind her. Then in front of her. Then to the side. The continuous teleporting confusing the operative who became panicked.

"He's too fast! Stunner! Slow him down!"

A man ran forward, his flame branded Realmwatch logo on his suit turning translucent with ice as he blasted me with a wave of frost.


I switch teleported away, but suddenly, my foot got caught on something.

"Wha-"

I tried to move, but the momentum of my body carried forward while my foot remained planted on the ground.

SNAP.

"GRR!" I growled in pain. My ankle flared up.

I had sprained it. No amount of teleportation would have been enough to keep me from evading this guy's wide frost attack.


But before I could do anything, Livewire appeared before me and electrocuted me with a surge of energy.

"GAAAAH!" I yelled, my eyes widened as I watched Christa, who had recovered from Gatling's barrage rush forward with her fists covered in a steel like coating.

Level 1 Hardening - Repeated Onslaught Turrets


Christa bombarded my body with punches, each one causing my stomach to flare up in pain as if someone had lit it on fire from the inside.

I spat out blood.

Dammit, I was losing my advantage.

More punches connected. But I had to keep my composure. I couldn't lose consciousness now.


Because if I lost to Flamewatch...

There would be no way I could beat Stormwatch.

There was no way.

None...


Another strike connected with my midsection. The blood that was erupting from my mouth was slowly forcing the mask off my face.

"Keep at it Christa." Livewire commanded, as Christa continued her onslaught.

A Dogma Holder... was serving the Realmwatch Collective...

The Dogma who had given him power on behalf of the Great Akuma was betrayed by this bitch. To use her power against her by helping Vala.

"Look! His mask is about to come off!" A Flamewatch operative pointed at me. One of my straps had become undone.


"I wonder what he looks like!" Another said.

"Maybe he's super ugly underneath. I wouldn't be surprised."


Suddenly, something inside me snapped.

If they found out what I looked like under my mask...

My identity as the Mirage would be shattered.

And my face would be plastered all over their Organization.


My face.

My mind flashed back to when I had walked down a graveyard. It was late at night and I had used Senkaku to get past security. It was this stretch of the graveyard which was heavily guarded because the corpses who were honoured there were of high esteem.

And of the many gravestones which occupied that space, one stood out.


In loving memory, to one of the kindest, most passionate member of the Realmwatch Collective

Matthew "Vis" Vistara

STORMWATCH BRIGADE : The Vision

1997 - 2018


"Once you don that mask, you will no longer be known as Matthew Vistara. That last shred of you that is alive, will die. Along with your memories. To them, to Stormwatch and Realmwatch, you had died that day trying to save Rui Patcher Iwatani and Joseph Guardian Greziak. But once you accept this mask, you will truly die. And moving forward, you must ensure that you stay dead." Taras' voice rung in my head.


If they unmasked me, my greatest secret would be known to all of Realmwatch.

To all of Stormwatch.

That secret...


BOOM.

Another hardened fist slammed me across the face, the mask becoming even more loose and revealing part of my mouth.

"Hit him harder, Christa!"

"You don't have to tell me twice!"


BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.

Would be that...

BOOM. BOOM.

Blood sprayed everywhere. From my nostrils and the corner of my mouth, to the side of my head.


"He's finished. Look at him. He can't even get up. Livewire. You can do the honours."

Livewire knelt before me.

"Let's see who you are underneath that mask, Mirage. What little secret are you hiding?"


Matthew Vistara was still alive.

Amplification and Senkaku - ULTIMATE LEGION


"RAAAAAAAAAAGHHHH" I roared, my body exploding in darkness and blasting everyone back.

"He's getting away! Stunner!"

Stunner rushed forward and blasted me with a wide conical shot of frost. But all my mirages had also been enhanced with Amplification. Each one, evading with the same monstrous agility that I always had.

Stunner stumbled backward, his eyes wide.


"I can't... I can't hit him!"

"Are you kidding?! You're the only one with AoE!"

"All of his clones are too fast! They're too-"


Two of my clones hoisted me on their shoulders. Red electricity violently surging through my body.

Stunner stared at us.

"They're... they're tangible... no way..."


I blasted into the air, my right side manifesting a shadow tendril which wrapped around Stunner's body, hurling him into the air. To my direction.

My eye flashed.

Level 3 Senkaku - Switch Teleport

The two of us switched places, causing Stunner to begin free falling hundreds of feet in the air, while my momentum was replaced by his, shooting to his location.

I summoned two more clones, which propelled me before switch teleporting with him again.

And again.

And again.

And again.


Stunner's mouth bulged, vomit escaping him from the sheer nauseating speed of our rapidly increasing switch teleports, moving further and further into the sky, until I performed the last switch teleport, grabbing Stunner and hurling him with a massive arc.


"RRAAAAAGHHHH!!!! AAAAAH!!!" Stunner yelled, as he hurtled to the ground in supersonic speed.

And waiting for him, was me and my two clones, our Senkaku arms ready.


"Did you enjoy your little moment of glory? Flamewatch?" I snarled, reeling my arm back.

Amplification and Senkaku...

"No... NOOO!!! HELP ME! GUYS! GUYS HELP!" Stunner screamed. But it was too late. Because while I was preparing this attack, Ultimate Legion never went away. And despite the massive speed at which Stunner was shooting to the ground, he could see it too.


Each member of the Flamewatch Brigade was being overwhelmed by my clones. None of them could tell which one was me. Because each was enhanced with Amplification like I was. Each was moving like I was.

And each had Senkaku like I did.


The downside of my clones were that the slightest concussive force would cause them to shatter.

But that wasn't a problem when none of them could get hit in the first place because of my Senkaku Style.


"You're finished!" I growled.

SLINGSHOT BACKBREAKER


SNAP! CRUNCH!

Stunner screamed in agony, his spine completely shattered into hundreds of pieces.


Firewatch managed to turn to our direction, but it was too late.

Livewire stared at us.

"What.... what have you done, MIRAGE?!"

I sprinted forward, dodging all of Livewire's attacks, switch teleporting with my mirage clones.


I appeared before her, my fist inches from her face. Livewire brought her arms up to shield herself, but suddenly, her face turned to shock.

She realized too late.

That I was not aiming for her.

But rather the bitch who beat me up.


"The Great Akuma bestowed upon you the power to harden your skin cells. That power. Achieved through sacrifice and gratefulness to those who were deemed unlucky by the world..." I said to Christa, who was frozen in terror.

"...and you have the damn fuckin nerve to use it to serve her greatest enemy, Vala the Spirit of Hope?!"


I slashed as hard as I could, the blade going right through her neck and decapitating her.

I landed on the ground, blood spraying from Christa's headless corpse.


"Enjoy hell. Traitor. The new world has no place for someone like you." I said, coldly.

One of the Flamewatch operatives vomited all over the floor, as Livewire stumbled forward, her face white as a ghost.

"How could you... how could... you..."


"Livewire! We need to retreat! If this continues, Mirage will kill all of us! We have to run! We're no match for him!"

Livewire reluctantly took her subordinate's advice and retreated, her face was still heavily traumatized.

I gazed at the Flamewatch Brigade, what was left of them, as they burst out of the windows and retreated, calling for reinforcements.


I slowly turned around and kicked the door to the stairs open. Glaring at the guards who aimed their guns at me.

My mission was to eliminate the recruitment officials.

Flamewatch was just an obstacle. I needed to remember why I was here.

What I was here for.

To complete my operation.


Level 3 Senkaku - Chained Switch Teleport

I began swapping places with whatever soldier I could find, throwing them off the ledges to their deaths, and climbing higher and higher.

Higher and higher.

From the fifth floor, to the seventeenth floor, to the thirty sixth floor, to the fifty second...

All the way up.

Each teleport sending me higher.

Until I appeared at the top floor.


The ninety seventh floor.

SMASH.

The door flew outwards, wedging itself against the concrete ledge of the rooftop. Three men in business suits spun around frantically in my direction, as numerous guards aimed their guns at me. From the distance I could make out a black chopper which was heading to our location rapidly.


"This is Mirage of Squad Four. Elimination Targets identified. Jim Damian. Constantine Taylor. Ken Sall. Beginning assassination."

Level 3 Senkaku - Monarch's Executioner

A massive blade gained shape from my left side. Red electricity and flames dancing on the edge.

I will become the best.

With my own strength.

That time...

That time I put on that Stormwatch uniform would be the very last time I ever had to rely on anyone else to make up for my weaknesses.


And this Elimination Op was one step further to achieving my goal.

The chopper closed in.

There would be no way I was going to let these three recruiting officials get away alive.


Level 2 Amplification

My body jolted with speed. I blasted forward, my vision fixated on ending the lives of the three businessmen, when suddenly...


SLAM.

I leapt to the side, narrowly dodging a downward punch which emitted a powerful shockwave.

I blocked the blast with my blade, but it was still enough to send me flying back and smashing against a wall, cracking it.


I regained my senses as fast as I could to dodge yet another punch which shattered the wall behind me.

That speed...

I was barely able to keep up!


"So. You're the Mirage I've been hearing about." A familiar voice said.

SMASH.

I dodged again, this time, it was a kick from another Realmwatch operative. A little slower than the first one. But just as deadly.

I had a bad feeling that I should know who these two attackers were. And if the third attacker that was coming was wielding what I predicted she would be wielding, then all of my suspicions would be confirmed.


Amplification caused me to react, raising my blade and deflecting the blunt edge of a very familiar baseball bat. Glowing green.

Green from a certain, familiar, regeneration evo.


Another blue energy blast nearly caught me, as I leapt back, until I was standing before Realmwatch's Top Brigade.

As if on queue, a rumble shook the sky.

The sound of thunder and lightning, illuminating the three figures of Guardian, Patcher, and Metron.


The original members of the Stormwatch Brigade.

"You've done more than enough. Got the call from Livewire." Joe said, his body crackling with white and blue electricity. The power of Vala.


I clenched my right fist.

Retreat from Stormwatch?

I was willing to do anything for Taras. For the man who took me in and helped make me strong. To destroy whatever bits of Vision that remained in me.

I would follow him to the ends of the Earth. And do whatever he asked of me without question.


Rui levelled her bat to my face.

"You're not getting away from us. After what you did to Christa."


I glared at Rui.

But when it comes to Stormwatch.

Unfortunately...


I smiled maniacally from under my cracked mask.

"What are you gonna do about it, Stormwatch?" I asked.


Rui, Logan, and Joe powered up, as I forced more of Amplification to courses through my body, shunting as much power into myself as possible until my body's red electrical aura became as bright as Joe's.

"Right here. Right now." I muttered, approaching the three members of the strongest Brigade in the Realmwatch Collective.


"I'm gonna eliminate you all. And once I'm finished with Stormwatch, you three execs are next!" I growled, charging forward.


Poverty and Nepotism (Lewis)

RUMBLE. RUMBLE. RUMBLE.

A shockwave was inching towards me from afar. I could literally feel the windows shaking around the little shack that had once served as my home.

Whatever Mom could afford.

But that literally did not matter anymore.

Nothing mattered anymore.


I was waiting for her to come back, and each time I waited, I was always full of anxiety.

Lewis, honey. You don't need to worry about good ol' Mom! I'll take care of the two of us! Your mom is the best there is at her job!

But I knew.

I knew the work she did was dangerous. There was nothing else she could do though, because no one else took her in.

No one would take in someone like Mom because she was half Spanian. And unlike Arcantian, racism over the Spanians wasn't as hard pressed.

I already lost Mandy and Elsa. They had sold themselves as slaves when I was born. I could only remember their faces vaguely.

Dad had abandoned us early on in life. He would move on to become a Software Engineer at Amazar. Earning 700k a year and claiming he never had a wife or kids.

Mom was all I had left, and she knew that too. Which was why she always pretended everything was "a-okay".


When Mom had returned home one night missing three fingers on her hand, I knew right away that nothing was "a-okay" at all.


So you could kind of guess the level of anxiety I had when she never returned home.

And when I opened up the busted computer that I had managed to put together out of scraps, the email that was plastered over the screen filled me with a rage unlike any other.


To INSERT NAME HERE.

We regret to inform you that NATALIAR GREER will no longer be working with the CAPITAL organization effective today. We were informed of her unfortunate passing and are saddened. As a company, our customer first vision is our number one priority. While we will not be providing you any financial assistance during this time of grieving, we will be praying for your family that EMPLOYEE NATALIE GREER will recover from his illness.

Customer First, and Always.

The CAPITAL Human Resources Team


My mouth quivered. Breaths came as ragged gasps. I was hyperventilating and I hadn't blinked for almost two minutes.

"Mom... mom..." I muttered, putting my hand on the screen.

My breaths were becoming more and more laborious.


Mom...

You don't need to worry about good ol' Mom!

Mom...

Mom will take care of the two of us!

Please tell me this isn't real...

Mom is the best there is at her job!

You can't go... you can't leave me here alone.


SHOOM.

The windows to our house shattered, ripping and tearing at the curtains as energy flooded the entire living room. My eyes, which were still wide and bloodshot, took the full blast and intensity head on.

I flew backwards, my body smashing through the wooden walls of our house, my mind flooded with thoughts.


How...

How come my Mom had to suffer? She did nothing wrong.

She loved my sisters and I with everything she had even when Dad had left us.

She worked so hard to keep us alive. She put up with everything, she went through so much.

From being injured to doing whatever it took to earn enough to have a roof over my head.

Yet despite everything she had to endure she still put on such a brave face and smile in front of me to make sure I was okay.

Elsa and Mandy...

They would throw their lives away just so Mom wouldn't have to feed three mouths with the little income that she had.


Yet...

Yet these... corporate giants didn't care. This email was proof enough.

From spelling my mother's name wrong...

To getting her gender wrong...

To straight up getting the wrong copy and paste email and the bullshit "praying for my family".

They abused my mother and made her do such dangerous things for pennies. They did nothing for her when she had three of her fingers sliced off at work. She had to force her hand into antiseptic and had to cauterize herself, forcing her screams back to avoid waking me up in the middle of the night.

Why did my mother have to go through so much...


Yet assholes like my Dad got to live so lavishly, working in one of the biggest firms in New Ulysses... even after all the abuse he had thrown at my Mom and even abandoning her.

This...

This unfairness...


I slammed into the ground. Rage filling my body.

Why was this world so unfair?!

"GRRRAAAAAAAAAAH!" I screamed at the ground, my tears peppering it.


Lewis! I remember Mom grabbing my shoulders frantically.

No matter how bad it is, promise me. Please promise me. Promise you will never break the law for my sake. Please promise me!

I clenched my fists so hard blood leaked out.


I'm sorry Mom.

I know you were only telling me this to protect me.

But I can't keep this promise.

Because I've already made up my mind.


I screamed into the sky, energy ripping through my corneas and smashing through the roof.

Yet for some reason, I wasn't surprised. Or shocked.

This felt right.

This power...

This power came at the right time.

Almost like there was a god out there that wanted me to start my conquest.

Fate wanted me to take back what was mine.


I breathed heavily, getting to my feet and stumbled out of the door, to be greeted with sheer chaos. The entire street that I had walked on for fifteen years was now cracked and destroyed.

Tons of people panicking and running for their lives.

And from the corner of my vision, was one familiar couple getting into their expensive luxury car trying to get away. They were running over other civilians trying to escape the apocalyptic New Ulysses.

Dennis and Lisa Costa.


I stood in front of them, blocking their path.

"Who the fuck is that?" Lisa screamed.

"Probably one of those sewer rats living across the street. Hang tight. I'm gonna floor it. He's not worth anything anyway."


That energy...

I had to call it again. It probably responded to my emotions.

And I sure as hell had enough of those.


I let my rage boil over, channeling it into my vision until everything went red.

CHOOM.

A massive energy blast slammed into the car, causing it to flip over. Dennis and Lisa screamed as the car fell right on the hood, the windows smashing open.

I bent over and knelt in front of the two.

Dennis was barely conscious, while Lisa's face was bloodied and full of terror.


I leaned in.

"Who the fuck are you calling a sewer rat?" I said, coldly.

"Get away from me!" Lisa screamed.

"How do you feel? Powerless? Huh?"

"Go away!"

"Your face is white as a ghost. That terror you feel right now? That anxiety and beating of your heart? That's what we have to go through every single day. Yet you only have to go through it for a few minutes."

"What are you talking about-" Lisa paused, her eyes widening.

"Yeah. Only for a few minutes. I'm a nice guy. So I'll only let you experience this fear for a few minutes. After all, it's your husband who I want to torment. Not you. You're just a bitch that rode the bandwagon. Sure you didn't deserve your wealth, but at least you're not some rich prick who got a job because of the colour of his god damn skin."

"You can't be serious.... LET ME GO!" Lisa shouted at me. The sounds of explosions and screaming filling the street.

"Oh no. I'm dead serious. After all, does it look like I'm joking? You guys literally tried to run me over with your fancy five hundred thousand dollar car. If anything you should be thanking me that I'm sending you to hell quickly. Unlike that rich prick over there."

"You're not gonna get away with this! Someone will catch you. Someone will end you for good!"

I smirk appeared on my face. This felt so satisfying.


It felt so good.


"So kind of like what's happening to you right now then. Well, it's a good exchange if you ask me. See you in hell, bitch. After I've added a few more sins to my resume."

Energy blasted from my eyes again, incinerating Lisa's face and leaving behind a burning skull.

I got up and approached the other side, slapping Dennis in the face and forcing him to stare at Lisa's corpse.

Dennis vomited all over himself.


"What the- No... NO! LISA!"

"Bauxite... at the temps my Optic Beams produce, I could melt it."

"What the HELL are you talking about, sewer rat!"

"You don't know? I thought you were an engineer at Micron. Oh wait. Didn't you get in through a recommendation?"

"Why are you bringing this up now?! Don't you feel any remorse at what you just did?!"

"Remorse?" I cackled, ripping Dennis out of his seat, forcing him to look at the carnage all around him. The buildings and houses which were in flames.


"This chaos. This is where society is truly fair. Don't you think? I certainly think so. Because when all hell breaks loose, no one cares about status and cars. No one cares about the colour of your skin. Or the fact that you're half Spanian. Or Chinese. Or Japanese. Hell doesn't care about that bullshit double standards 'diversity' that your company sure loves to stress about."

"How can you spout all this nonsense about our society?! You killed my fucking wife you monster!" Dennis screamed.

"AND YOUR PRECIOUS SOCIETY KILLED MY MOM." I roared, slamming Dennis' skull against the pavement.

Dennis coughed, blood leaking from his forehead.

"Your way of thinking... is messed up. You're blaming an entire society over one dead person. Just because she died doesn't mean everything has to burn. Your thinking makes you no different than a terrorist."


A terrorist.

So me hating the very people who had bullied and killed the only person in this entire planet who ever loved me makes me a terrorist?

If that is the case...


"Then I guess I might as well be one." I replied, turning to our reflection.

My hair was wild and my clothes were full of holes. I looked like a rabid animal who had gotten his hands on its first prey in months.

"Go to hell, rat. I'm not scared of you. After what you did to Lisa, I'll never give you the satisfaction of-"

SZRAK.

Dennis opened his mouth wide, a scream of agony escaping him as his severed foot disintegrated before his very eyes.


"Don't you worry, Dennis. Once you're dead, I'm going to hunt down every single one of these corporate giants. You gave me a real great idea. I'm a terrorist, right? Then maybe I should start terrorizing. I'll destroy every single person at Amazar. Hell. That's not thinking big enough. I'll destroy EVERY SINGLE CORPORATION in New Ulysses. And guess what? You're gonna die knowing you helped kickstart this conquest. Have fun in hell. Asshole."

Dennis' face was white with terror, staring at the optic beam that incinerated him into dust.


I slowly got to my feet, looking up at the sky. At the chaos.

I only obtained this power for a bit over two hours. If I wanted to really carry this out, I had to be careful. I had to know what I was doing.

There was no way I was the only one affected by that power inducing shockwave. Meaning there could potentially be others out there with abilities like me. They might not necessarily be able to use Optic Blasts. But they sure weren't human abilities.

Right now, I was standing at Level 1.

If I wanted to see this through, I had to level up.


I glanced to the distance. There were a bunch of figures moving. But it didn't look human.

Were those things people affected by the explosion?

Suddenly, my vision elongated, zooming in like a telescope lens. And soon the appearance of the monsters became much clearer.

A smile appeared on my face. Looks like Optic Blasts wasn't the only thing I had. I was likely given more than one optic ability. If I honed down my powers, I might be able to unlock even more.


I fired an Optic Blast at the side of Dennis' car, flipping it over.

Mom never had the money to afford driving lessons. And yes, I did do a few side gigs to try to earn money in secret despite my Mom telling me to let her handle the moneymaking. Yet despite that, I was never able to afford driver's ed. So instead, I searched up a bunch of online resources to teach myself as best I could, even building a makeshift car setup in secret from scrap parts.

I ripped the door open and started the car. Dennis may have been a piece of shit, but at least his car was nice. It wasn't 500k for nothing.


Now... put the car in drive...

SHUNK, SHUNK, SHUNK.

Turn the steering wheel and... accelerate...


VROOM.

My head snapped back.

Since when was the gas pedal so damn sensitive?!


"AAAAAH!" I screamed, nearly slamming into a telephone pole. I readjusted frantically, until I was moving in a straight line. This was way too different than my setup at home!

I made a beeline to the distance.

To the location of the monsters.

I was at Level 1 with my Optic Powers. But not for long.

And once I mastered my powers...


I floored the accelerator, zooming down the road out of my old street where I used to live in all my life.

I would tear New Ulysses apart.

So assholes like Dennis and Dad can finally face penance for all the riches New Ulysses had given to them, despite everything they did and didn't deserve.


* * *

Gurgle gurgle.


My stomach had shrunk to the size of a grape.

I was so damn hungry.


I know I had gone on a huge speel about taking back what was mine and the whole conquest thing, but my plan had gone out the window the moment the car had run out of gas.

"Where am I?" I muttered, tapping on the GPS of the car. The screen was cracked and one of the doors had been ripped off (oops), which caused me to be freezing cold the entire time.


I was cold and hungry.

And my nose was starting to get runny.

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