Difference between revisions of "Beyond the Gods II"

We're Gonna Fight

"Uh, so... er... Bryce... how've you been?" I laughed nervously.

Bryce ignored me, putting Tatsu on his back, and sat down in my room at Trion.

Ever since we had won our battle for Diacus, we were able to route the power to increase Trion's defenses. By driving Aran's forces off, Aran's cultists were now hesitant to invade Trion. Especially with the fact that John's Outer Shadows had decided to take up lodgings in the city.

But the battle wasn't without major casualties.

It didn't take a genius to know that the people of Millennium City and the Champions Universe were split on their opinion of me. While I did semi-free everybody from the fear of going out there, and the impending doom of Aran and Vala's forces...

I also was the one who made the call to send them all in a front-line battle.

Despite this... a few weeks had passed since the battle had wrapped up, and I had spent those weeks in recovery.

Now that I had woken up, I was greeted with massive festivities and celebrations, celebrating Trion's victory.

And that day would be the day Bryce had appeared from that reality anomaly.

But there was something he had said that left me incredibly concerned.

It's been twenty years.

Bryce...

What happened to you?

Why was Yeling's weapon on your back?

And as I watched the former loose cannon of my squad walk past me, it was clear as day that those twenty years had not been a good experience.

Because the thirty-seven-year-old Bryce that was before me seemed to have lost that same energy he once had.

"Sarina... I clashed with Sarina."

"You did? What happened?" I asked.

Bryce eyed me grimly.

"I lost both fights. And I know what happened to Sarah. I can never forgive Sarina for what she did."

My gaze dropped.

"Bryce... what happened to you? Can you at least answer that? I'm... really concerned for you man."

Bryce propped Tatsu against the wall, lighting a cigarette.

"Is it not already obvious by the fact that Tatsu and the Hinokami are with me? We've lost Yeling, Aaron."

My heart dropped to the ground.

"Yeling... there's no way... what's going to happen with our operation? Does Hakah know?"

Auxiliary Shadow Hellsing shook his head.

"I've been avoiding contact with anyone in the Black Legion for that reason. For twenty years, I've been searching for a way out of the past, after Shiki's technique had sent us hurtling out of the timeline."

I slowly reached out but hesitated.

Bryce wasn't the type of person to appreciate these types of gestures...

And seeing him like this, despite how hardened he seemed to have become, I knew that under all that toughness, was someone in deep pain.

"Bryce, let's just take it easy for a bit. We've just recovered from a battle. I think you should take advantage of that too."

My Auxiliary gazed out the window of our room. I fidgeted nervously.

"Hey man, listen-"

"Aaron... I'm now older than you. I've walked with these two feet for longer than you have. And I've seen... far too much tragedy. Just... too much. I understand that to you, only a few months have passed, but for me, twenty years have gone by. And it has not gotten any better. I cannot continue on my own, I realize that now. But I also need to know. Just how big the gap between me and The Black Legion's greatest Outer Shadow still is. Because judging from what I will see, it will indicate whether or not this crusade should continue."

I heard the sounds of footsteps at my door.

"Aaron? Are you speaking to someone? Who-"

Sigurd froze, her eyes wide, as she stared at Bryce, who turned to her with a deadpan expression.

"Annie..." Bryce muttered.

"Br- Bryce...? Is that really you?"

Bryce got to his feet and approached Sigurd, towering over her.

Annie was pretty tall for a woman's standards, especially for an Asian woman's standards from where she was initially modeled after.

But Bryce had grown so tall that he literally towered over his fellow Auxiliary Shadow, and even me.

If I had to guess... he was almost six foot-five.

"How much of the Omega Upgrade have you installed on your body?"

Sigurd blinked, her uneasiness leaking through. I could tell she was disturbed by the sudden change in Bryce's character.

After all, Bryce was always infatuated with her.

The Bryce in the past would have approached Annie and immediately started flirting with her, only to be shot down in a humiliating way.

But the Bryce now...

The Bryce now merely gazed down at his colleague from the past with cold apathy.

"I... I installed 85% of the upgrade. The remaining 15% is with Aaron. I plan on installing the rest soo-"

"Hmm, no. You cannot handle the upgrade. Your scent and your blood tell me that you don't have the resilience to counteract the Omega Upgrade's cyberpsychosis yet."

Annie stepped back, her face full of discouragement.

"Now Bryce. I don't know what you went through during those twenty years, but that's no way to speak to your colleague," I said.

Bryce glared at me with cruel eyes.

"2300 hours. See me forty klicks Southwest from Trion's central building."

"Huh? What for?"

A wave of realization washed over me, piecing together everything he had said.

Then my mind flashed back to four years ago, in the street of Philadelphia.

Only this time...

This time the roles were reversed.

Bryce made a fist and pointed it at me.

"We're gonna fight. At 2300 hours, you will come at me with everything you got. Or you will die."

I stood before my Auxiliary Shadow, speechless.

"B- Bryce... I..."

Bryce turned around, his cloak fluttering with his movements. The red scarf that used to be around his neck was no longer present.

And I found myself unable to say anything else as I watched Tyrell Jackson Jones disappear in a swarm of Shadows, dissipating into the wind.

"Aaron, Sigurd," A voice said. I glanced behind me to see James Harmon, standing near the entrance of my room. His helmet was off.

"Defender..."

"Can I have a word with you two?"

Sigurd and I walked down the hallway of Trion's Central Building.

"Annie, you alright?" I asked.

"Bryce... my sensors didn't pick up anything."

"What do you mean?"

Sigurd's hand clenched into a fist.

"Whether it was feelings of attraction. Or joy. Or energy. Whenever Bryce would greet us, he always showed that level of enthusiasm, spikes of happiness his body would either directly or indirectly emit. Yet... I couldn't pick up a single thing. I couldn't pick up anything, Aaron."

I looked forward, grimly.

"We'll find out what happened to Bryce tonight."

"Aaron, am I really not equipped to take on the Omega Upgrade?"

I glanced at my Auxiliary Shadow, the sounds of our footsteps echoing in the halls.

"It's better to go into the upgrade prepared but late, than early and have it blow up in our faces catastrophically."

Sigurd gritted her teeth.

"I see. I understand."

The two of us entered the room where Defender was staying. It wasn't any different from the rest of the rooms, which was a little surprising.

"Aaron. Sigurd, glad to see you two here. The heroes who saved Trion."

I sat down on the chair before Defender, while Sigurd stood by my side.

Defender raised an eyebrow.

"I suppose it is a little late to ask, but I assume Sigurd is your Auxiliary Shadow?"

"Yeah."

"And... once this is over..."

"Yes. I will be erasing the memories of each and every single person here in Trion of the Black Legion Organization. We cannot take the risk of exposing you guys to the memories of what has transpired today. You will only see this world as it is. This world will be what you accept to be the world you have always lived in."

Defender sighed, resting his head in his hand.

"Right to business it is with you, just like Shar, huh."

I smiled warmly.

"James, even when you won't remember who I am, I will always remember you guys. The good memories... and I guess the bad."

"Most of the bad was your fault, Aaron."

"I'm gonna fart in your office now."

James got up from his chair, gazing out the window.

"There is also the other matter I wanted to discuss with you. About our future."

"Your future?" I asked.

James turned around, the light of Master Jun's horizon shining against his civilian clothes.

"We want to return to our world. To Millennium City. To rebuild."

"Rebuild? But the Champions Universe is fated to collapse! Aran has-"

"This is our decision. Outer Shadow Dainsleif. Universes are fated to be destroyed either way. I don't want to live the rest of my days in refuge. Even if it is under the care of Inner Shadow Gasket."

I looked at Sigurd, whose expression was blank.

Brilliant poker face, Annie.

But I refuse to play that card.

"This will mean a mass exodus from Master Jun's world. And the complete loss of our protection. Can you accept these terms, Defender?"

Defender nodded.

"From the very beginning, our world has been the responsibility of our superheroes to protect. The Black Legion has an agenda of their own, don't they? Let's go back to the way it was. So you guys can move forward."

Spoken like a true superhero.

I got up from my seat, extending my hand.

"James Harmon IV. Then that will be our terms. I will give you a month to prepare for the exodus. Will that be enough time?"

"I'll run it through with everyone else."

"Okay."

I turned around, my cloak shifting with my movements.

Sigurd bowed to Defender.

"It has been a pleasure working alongside the people of the Champions Universe."

Defender smiled at Annie.

"The pleasure is ours."

The two of us exited the office and made our way across the pavilion, where the celebrations continued, and festive lights colored Master Jun's world in beautiful shades.

"Is it really okay for us to let Defender and the people of Trion go from our protection? What if Aran attacks again?"

"It's their decision to make. Ultimately, it was never our decision... or Master Jun's. They've accepted the fate of their world, and as the sole owners of that reality we gotta respect that."

"Understood."

I reached out to a booth and slipped a hat on Annie's head.

"Lookin' good, Annie-chan."

Sigurd yelped, fumbling with the hat on her head.

"What are you doing?! What if it gets in the way of my combat?"

"Should be fine."

"Define 'should'."

"Means I dunno."

"Then why did you put it on my head?!"

"I guess I just thought you would look cute in it. After all, you've got supermodel looks."

Sigurd looked away, hiding her blush.

"The way you can so casually say something so bold and out of pocket continues to escape my scope of understanding."

I chuckled, the two of us enjoying the festivities together.

But I could tell something was on my Auxiliary Shadow's mind. And I had a good feeling about what it was.

"Wishing it was Sarah who was by my side and not you?" I asked.

Annie scowled.

"It is because of my incompetence that I could not fully install that upgrade... and save Sarah in time for her to appreciate this festival with the man she loves."

"Don't beat yourself up, it is what it is, Annie. Besides, I don't mind spending it with you. You're an important friend to me."

Sigurd looked at me, as fireworks broke through the sky.

"Look, Daddy! Witchcraft and the mages created fireworks!"

"I see them, Lyla. Want me to lift you higher?"

"Yes!"

I reached out my hand and planted the hat firmer on her head.

"Quit it!" Sigurd squeaked, causing me to laugh.

"Annie, you're more than just a tool, and you're more than just an Auxiliary Shadow. What I said to Inner Shadow Reaper was true. You guys are my friends. You, Sarah, Robbie... and June. And Bryce."

Sigurd looked onward at the fireworks.

"There was one thing that my sensors had picked up when I first saw him."

"And what's that?"

"Loneliness... those twenty years he had spent, trying to get back to the present and find us... he must have spent a good portion of that alone."

To the point where seeing us made him unable to react... huh.

"Whatever Bryce is thinking... I still intend to take him on with everything I got."

Sigurd's expression turned grim.

"Whatever outcome this duel has, I will not lose faith in either of you."

I grinned at my Auxiliary Shadow.

"Counting on it, TX7F!"

Sigurd and I hiked to the location, precisely 40 klicks Southwest as Bryce had specified.

The winds of Master Jun's world blew against my cloak.

"I'm here. Bryce!" I shouted.

One of my DS35's unlinked from my belt, transforming into its Crossform.

Sense him.

The movements of the air.

The shadows.

Changes in the environment.

I froze.

The changes in the environment... something was changing.

But there was no shadow...

No.

Get out of the way! Move!

I forced my DS35 to jettison myself forward, narrowly missing Bryce, who landed on the ground from where I was standing.

A shockwave nearly smacked me point blank, but I brought my DS35 up at the last moment.

From the flying debris and the chaos, the face of my Auxiliary Shadow manifested, Bryce's dreadlocks menacingly parting and revealing two glowing red eyes full of malice.

How...

How much did he grow in those twenty years?! To the point where he was capable of positioning his downward fall such that the light of Master Jun's moons would not cast the growing shadow attributed to such a move?

And not only that...

Bryce rose from the crater, his eyes emanating a terrifying pressure that made my chest feel tight and constricted.

The degree of intimidation he had, he wasn't even using any Emission Chakra, yet I felt like I was frozen right on the spot!

Auxiliary Shadow breathed out, his teeth elongated and revealing his fangs.

A primal growl left his mouth, sending chills through my body.

I glanced at Annie, whose face was white as a ghost.

That's... that's right!

Annie didn't know about Bryce's awakening!

The entire time Bryce had explored his vampiric origin, Annie had been in Master Jun's world, trying to seek the Omega Upgrade.

The realization of what Bryce really was must have hit her all at once.

"Bryce... Bryce is a..."

Bryce slowly walked forward, the smoke and dust leaving behind a shadowy trail.

"This duel will show just how big of a gap still remains between you and me, Bossman. If there is any left. You're facing the strongest Hellsing to ever exist."

I pulled a Draugr from a magic circle and took aim.

"Don't get cocky now, Auxiliary Shadow Hellsing. I nearly killed Eliza in my last encounter. Hope those twenty years led to something."

Bryce pulled out Tatsu, releasing a red flame that illuminated the red cracks on his face.

"Don't you worry, Bossman. I've already cleared that bar... fifteen years ago."

SHOOM.

My eyes went wide, as I summoned my electricity magic, replacing the mana cost with my chakra and tapping into its Advanced Variant.

Advanced Electricity Magic: COSMIC AUGMENTUS

TRIGRAMS SIX HANDS COMBINATION: FAST DRAW

I spun around, whipping my handgun and aiming it at Bryce's face the moment he materialized from his supersonic speed, but to my shock, Bryce caught the barrel of the gun, closing his fist and crushing the Destreum in the palm of his hand.

"Wha-?!"

The folds of Bryce's coat revealed the barrel of a familiar-looking submachine gun.

His signature Scarlet Uzi.

A summoning spell and a light magic spell would take similar times to cast.

But a light magic spell would take slightly less time, on the order of microseconds, if optimized to use its weakest form.

However, seeing as Bryce was fast enough to react to my Fast Draw even with the speed boost of Cosmic Augmentus, I didn't have microseconds to spare.

Elementary Light Magic: Flash

A white magic circle appeared in my gun-hand, blinding Bryce as I whipped the butt of my handgun and knocked the Auxiliary Shadow at a pressure point.

But not before Bryce retaliated with Tatsu, barely grazing me.

I skidded backward, clutching my side and feeling a damp spot.

"Damn... your fighting style... you've been practicing, huh," I muttered.

Bryce slowly shuffled back, his head low, and his face shrouded by his dreadlocks.

Shuffling...

No.

He wasn't shuffling...!

I brought my DS35 up as a shield, as Bryce's legs interlocked, pushing the ground and releasing a massive shockwave. The Auxiliary Shadow shot toward me like a comet, breaking the sound barrier.

"Taser Protocol!" I shouted at my DS35, as the protocol updated its internals, releasing several hundred amps of current through its surface.

"HA! Damn, Bryce! After so long, here you are still falling for my tricks!" I taunted when suddenly, my surroundings turned red.

"What-"

SZRAK!

A massive current arced up my body as I roared in agony.

"GRAAAAAAAH!"

I fell to my knees, my vision becoming shrouded by an unusual red mist.

I began coughing and choking, trying to get my respirator on, but the current had temporarily disabled my nervous system.

All my motor skills...

Were shut down!

From the distance, I could make out a red light, which began to get clearer and clearer, until the figure of a towering muscular man took form.

The blade of Tatsu, glowing with the flames of the Hinokami...

Was embedded in Bryce's forearm.

"What the... no way..." I muttered.

Bryce glared at me with a look of contempt.

Hinokami Blood Arts: RED MIST.

The mist that was around me...

Was the vaporized byproduct of Bryce superheating his own blood with the Hinokami that was coming from Tatsu!

"Blood contains salt and electrolytes. Ions. Meaning it's conductive," Bryce said.

A grin appeared on my face.

"Ain't that so? DS35'S! Siphoning Protocol!" I shouted as several Sanctuaries took flight, releasing a vacuum that absorbed Bryce's blood as well as his power.

Bryce fell to one knee.

I took aim with my Draugr, firing, but Bryce managed to slice the bullet with the edge of his sword.

"Seriously? A black swordsmaster?" I grumbled, loading another shell, and firing.

But this time, Bryce didn't slice it like I wanted.

The Auxiliary Shadow went low and charged at me like a bull.

"Jeez, dude! Going straight for an opponent that's ranged? That's low, even for you-"

"THIS IS NO GAME."

My eyes widened as Bryce suddenly appeared in front of me, his red eyes interlocking with mine.

An expression so intense that I instantly froze up.

I tried to move my muscles, but for some reason, I couldn't move.

No.

I could move... but my blood couldn't.

Bryce was controlling my blood!

Bryce's glare pierced right through me as he lifted Tatsu.

"What did I say? If you didn't come at me at full power, you would die."

I gritted my teeth.

"Defibrillator Protocol!"

A DS35 appeared to my side, unleashing a current into my body and electrocuting my muscles, forcing myself out of Bryce's bind before he could slice me in half.

"BRYCE! That's going too far! What would have happened if Aaron didn't dodge that?" Sigurd shouted.

Bryce glared at Annie, causing her to freeze.

"Then he would have died."

The vampire landed on the ground before his fellow Auxiliary Shadow, baring his fangs.

"I never took you for a coward, TX7F. You were always one of the best of us. You are supposed to be Aaron's right-hand woman. Yet here you are being reduced to a bystander. A big crybaby."

"BRYCE! Take that back you assh-"

Bryce clenched his fist as my movements locked up again. Tumbled across the ground, skidding to a stop.

"Holding back... you're still holding back? Why is that, Aaron? I told you to come at me at full power."

"Bryce, you know I can't do that! You're my Auxiliary Shadow!"

Bryce turned to me, his sword reeled back. The edge sliced his left shoulder blade.

Hinokami Blood Arts: DEAD CRESCENT.

I...

I couldn't move!

Embodiment of Wrath: YAKSHA MODE

I roared, breaking through Bryce's control and narrowly dodging the arc.

How the hell was Bryce able to deliver attacks of this magnitude?! This wasn't conventional Hinokami.

That arc was pure blood.

But the physics made no sense. The human body's veins were at most two kilopascals in pressure.

There was no way he could jettison so much.

His technique and his understanding of both Hinokami and his Vampiric powers...

Were beyond anything I had seen from when we were still in Philadelphia.

Bryce approached me with malice, the moonlight illuminating his muscular frame.

"Aaron."

I looked up, to see Bryce lowering Tatsu, red flames surrounding the sword.

"If you do not take this seriously, then I will do much more than kill you. I will kill Annie too."

I stared at Bryce, unable to process what I just heard.

"What did you just say?"

Bryce bared his fangs, snarling.

"If this is what it takes for you to come at me with everything you have, then this is the pact I will make. A pinky promise on my soul. Just as Yeling always says. There's no point in this duel if I cannot see you at your strongest."

Rage began to boil, my Yaksha Mode pumping more and more chakra through my body.

"Bastard. If that's what you want..." I whispered.

I stepped forward.

Advanced Light Magic: TOTAL ECLIPSE

Advanced Sense Magic: REVERSE ASPECTUM

The entire radius encapsulating Bryce and I turned pitch black.

The Sense Magic that I had used completely disabled the remaining four senses, making my presence completely undetectable.

Convocatio: Special Ammunition Summoning - Venom Rounds

I rushed forward, deducing Bryce's movements.

"I don't wanna kill you, but if that's how you wanna act, then I'll just put you in such a bad enough state that you'd BEG me to end you, you vampiric dumbass!" I snarled, aiming my MP7 and firing at the body before me.

THUNK.

THUNK THUNK THUNK THUNK THUNK.

"You would continue lying to yourself? Going all out means to kill me."

Another chill ran down my spine.

Seriously...?!

I shut down the Protocol as well as my Magic Spell, to see the rounds I had just fired splitting the fabric of the cloak that Bryce had long since abandoned.

I spun around to see Bryce above me, blood trailing from his amputated feet.

Blood and red flame ignited, shooting him to me.

Bryce grabbed me by the face and slammed me into the ground, ripping the ground and forming a deep chasm.

"GRRRRARRRR!" I growled, my face dragging for miles on end.

"I watched Yeling give his life for me. While I stood helpless," Bryce snarled, his voice booming in my ears.

"The people who are most equipped to deal with Vala are those who are strong enough to make their lip service a reality. Entrusting the fate of all existence to a nineteen-year-old who can't even carry out his killing intentions is beyond absurd!"

PORTALIS - SWITCH GAMBLE

Bryce and I switched places, as I forced Bryce into the ground, then planted three DS35 plates to his chest.

The modules expanded, revealing their thrusters, and blasted Bryce into the sky.

CONVOCATIO: TURRICALUM

I raised my hand, my face wild with adrenaline.

You'll get everything coming to you, Bryce.

If this is what you want!

GRAND FLEET: EMPIRE OF DESTRUCTION

Thousands upon thousands of DS35's emerged from their magic circles, each with a Caliga Anti-Aircraft rifle barrel mounted on its platforms.

Bryce glared at me from the air, as the legion of DS35's began to glow.

Level 1 Hinokami

I stared at Bryce in disbelief.

No way.

I had my suspicions... I didn't want to believe it.

But this sealed it.

Bryce aimed Tatsu at the horde of DS35 Sanctuaries, red tattoos expanding from the hilt and arcing up his arm and onto the right side of his face.

"BRYCE!" I yelled.

INVERSE TSUNAMI RELEASE.

A gargantuan torrent of red flame engulfed the thousands of DS35's around me, sending electronic components everywhere.

I flew backward, hovering on my DS35 as Bryce ripped DS35 after DS35, leaping from one to another like a wild animal.

Hinokami Blood Arts: DEAD CRESCENT

An arc came flying my way.

I pulled my Caliga out of a magic circle and fired a bullet that pierced right through the arc, but Bryce forced himself forward, letting the bullet smash into his forehead.

But to my shock, the Auxiliary Shadow was not stopping, leaning his head forward until we were face to face.

"No. This match is over."

I quickly switched to my Spitfire AX shotgun, but Bryce ripped the gun out of my hand and grabbed me by the throat.

I began retching, trying to pry his hand off my neck, but to no avail.

"Aaron... twenty years had passed."

"I- I know... I know! But-"

"Aaron. I never did find a way back."

I stared at my Auxiliary Shadow, my eyes wide in shock.

"What... what are you saying?"

Bryce looked at me sadly.

"The only reason I'm here... is because I lived my time out. I never left the past. I grew along with it. Those twenty years, were how far I was whisked back in time. I never jumped forward."

I stopped struggling, my DS35's losing power and falling from the sky.

"Bryce..."

Bryce let go, watching me free fall. Sigurd quickly ran to my side, catching me.

"And now I know. You aren't strong enough."

"Bryce! I haven't lost, you know! I can still fight!"

Bryce shook his head.

"No, you can't. I could have finished you a long time ago, actually. That blow you landed on me with the rear end of your Draugr was intended to be a blow that could knock me out, correct?"

I gritted my teeth, which alone was probably enough for my Auxiliary Shadow to confirm it.

"I have the power to share the damage done to my body with my attacker."

I opened my mouth to say something, but no words came out.

Bryce landed on the ground, sheathing Tatsu.

"Duel is decided. You've lost, Aaron."

BLOOD LINK.

A blow suddenly connected to the back of my head, causing my vision to go blurry. I stumbled forward, losing all the strength in my body.

Bryce...

You...

"Don't you dare... turn your back... on YOUR OUTER SHADOW!" I growled, stomping my foot on the ground.

A massive crack formed around my foot, forcing Bryce's attention to turn back to me.

"Twenty years, thirty years, a hundred years into the future. You will still, report to me, AUXILIARY SHADOW HELLSING."

Bryce's eyes flashed, but his blood control no longer affected me.

I rushed forward.

"I already have you figured out. Tell me why you're putting on that front, Bryce Jones."

Bryce snarled.

"I am putting on no front. This is me at my peak!"

"DAMN LIAR!"

Convocatio: Grenade Summoning

Magic circles surrounded me as Bryce readied Tatsu.

Hinokami Blood Arts: DEAD CRESCENT

RASENSHURYUDAN

Bryce hesitated, withdrawing his sword.

"What the-?!"

I flew into the air, throwing grenade after grenade and emitting a deafening pulse to the vampiric Auxiliary Shadow.

"This entire time, you were able to predict my attack patterns, by reading the scent of my blood. The hormones are attributed to every action I take that my endocrine system produces, and deducing what I would do based on my feelings. You've basically honed your skills to be almost like a vampiric empath, am I right?" I shouted.

"And what good does knowing that do for you?!" Bryce growled, unleashing a wave of Hinokami which blew apart the grenades.

Bryce assumed a stance, a blast of Hinokami flame ripping through his shoulders.

I flipped in the air, embedding several DS35's in the soles of my boots, transforming them into thrusters.

I blasted to Bryce's location, SMG in hand.

I fired a volley of bullets, while Bryce returned with an SMG of his own.

Hinokami Blood Arts: DEATH VOLLEY

I chuckled, as Bryce's Uzi bullets clashed against mine.

"What are you smiling at, you bastard?" Bryce shouted.

"Figure it out yourself, Sherlock! Your bullets... the way you've been able to move so fast, and the way you were able to send such lethal attacks even though they've been blood projections, is because of Hinokami, right?"

Bryce gritted his teeth, his eyes fixated on the yellow cloud that had suddenly begun to expand rapidly in response to the heat of his own blasts.

"Each time you use your Hinokami Blood Arts, you jab Tatsu into your body. Cutting it up, and superheating your own blood to generate that ridiculous amount of pressure. All I did was take advantage of that superheated blood is all," I said as Bryce began to retch.

Special Ammunition Summoning: SULPHUR ROUNDS

The putrid stench propagated everywhere, instantly eliminating Bryce's ability to sense my movements.

I tossed smoke grenade after smoke grenade, mixing the smell of sulphur with the smoke, disorienting my Auxiliary Shadow even further.

I landed on the ground as Bryce swung Tatsu, but I had already quick-switched to my Caliga, firing and ripping the blade out of his hands.

Trigrams Six Hands Combination Style: BULLET TWISTER

I switched my thrusters on again, twisting mid-air and taking aim with my Ironsight Sniper, firing the bullet and adding even more rotation to the projectile.

"Be honest with me, Bryce! What is it that you want?! Because under that tough guy act, you're like an open book!"

Bryce glared at me, ducking and dodging the bullet.

"Strength is all we have, strength without Hope. I refuse to let another person succumb to that false ideal!"

Bryce yelled, summoning his Uzi again and aimed it right at my face, his eyes wild.

"Keep lying to yourself, Bryce. But if you're gonna try to lie to your Outer Shadow, then at least convince yourself first!" I retorted.

Portalis: GUNMAN'S GRUDGE

A portal appeared in front of Bryce's face, redirecting the Ironsight bullet straight into his forehead, snapping his head back.

"GRAAH!" Bryce growled.

I reached out and grabbed Bryce by the neck as Bryce tried to swing his fist at my face, but my Yaksha Mode completely absorbed his impact, his punch glancing off my face.

"Only a man full of guilt and pain would use such a self-destructive fighting style. Cutting yourself up and boiling your own blood with something as dangerous as The Hinokami. TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT! TELL ME WHAT'S BOTHERING YOU, BRYCE!" I shouted.

Bryce began to choke, stumbling back.

"I shall... never... open..."

"Enough! Bryce, I can't possibly understand what you went through in those twenty years. I'm not God! I'm a human! But even so, I can tell a man's suffering when I see one! Despite it all, you're still my Auxiliary Shadow! Bryce!"

"SHUT UP!" Bryce tried to resist my touch, but I continued sending waves of Chakra into him, shutting down every source of power he had. But as I continued sending Chakra his way, something had started snaking up my arm.

The Hinokami.

"What in the-" I said.

Bryce's eyes had rolled into the back of his head, but the Hinokami was coursing through me with as much intensity as I was delivering my vision doubling.

If I let go, Bryce would recover, but if I didn't...

No.

I will not lose this duel, whatever this was...

I was going to see it to the end.

"Damn Hinokami, what the hell do you want to make me see? Out with it already!"

Very well, Outer Shadow Dainsleif.

I gritted my teeth, uneasiness rippling through me, but I held steadfast.

"That voice... I recognize it."

I was sure you would.

My surroundings began to change and warp. But the only thing on my mind was the owner of that voice.

Because I knew who was speaking through Bryce.

The Outer Shadow who had once served Inner Shadow Loyce and had become rogue.

The first rogue Outer Shadow in the history of The Black Legion.

A crazy grin appeared on my face.

"What'cha waiting for? Let's get the conversation going.

"Aelienne Regalia, The First Hinokami."

The Lone Vampire

Throughout history, the Great Akuma ruled mankind through six proxies, essentially six entities who made up her consciousness.

Each entity represented a part of her power and was interpreted by mortals in a certain way.

The Hinokami in particular, represented the Devil's Flames, which represented the Great Akuma's ability to rule through a blazing fortitude and iron heart. A warrior's thirst for battle and passion.

Like ancestry, the power that The Great Akuma bestowed upon the humans through her lieutenant, the Dogma of Equivalent Exchange, had gone through multiple lines of generations.

But the selection of a new holder for The Akuma's power wasn't something that was through any ritual.

The choice to have a new holder always meant two things: either the current holder had died in battle...

I stood before the figure of a woman in a red dress, in a golden-like dimension; with a ground comprised of flowing currents.

... or they betray both the Dogma and the Akuma.

Aelienne Regalia was The First Hinokami, the first mortal who was given the power to harness The Devil's Flames, in exchange for losing the ability to have kids, thus shattering her lifelong dream to become a mother.

It was said that Aelienne was the strongest Hinokami to ever have lived, and this held true for twelve generations.

When Aelienne had betrayed both The Black Legion and The Dogma, the Dogma and The Black Legion bestowed power to other Hinokami candidates, and these candidates, whether through hatred or diligence to the Dogma and The Black Legion's cause, would come after the traitor.

Aelienne would kill them each time.

For thousands of years, Aelienne's power could not be contested, until Yeling stepped into the picture.

And who would have guessed, that with the help of his friends from the Contingency Initiative, that unlucky number thirteen would be the one to kill the First Hinokami.

"Outer Shadow Dainsleif... no. Aaron Hope, I presume?" Aelienne asked me, taking a seat on a chair made of golden ivory.

"This is the so-called Hinokami realm, right?" I asked.

"You are correct," Aelienne spread her hands.

"Here before you lies the afterlife for past Hinokami holders. At least, the ones who failed to do their duty. For we will stay here, living a meaningless existence for all of eternity. A fate worse than death."

"Which explains why the other eleven Hinokami's aren't here, yeah?"

Aelienne inspected my cloak, the emblem of the Black Legion contrasting among the folds of black.

"Master Loyce still continues with his mission of self-destruction, I'm guessing."

"Aelienne, I have many questions to ask you, but let's start with the most obvious. Your consciousness manifested once I started to send chakra through Bryce. This entire time Bryce had been time-displaced, you were with him, weren't you?"

The First Hinokami got up from her chair, holding her teacup elegantly. As she walked, her strides caused the folds in her dress to drag against the ground.

Her dress was kind of mesmerizing, almost like I was being pulled into her.

Or maybe I was just too down bad after nearly getting my ass killed for weeks on end.

"Correct. Do you mind explaining why you came to that conclusion?"

I narrowed my eyes, keeping myself alert.

Aelienne may have been dead, but there was a reason why she was considered the strongest Hinokami for twelve generations straight.

She was an Outer Shadow to Loyce, and was also designated Elite Tier S+ Rank.

To put it in perspective, the only Outer Shadow that had possessed S+ Rank was Shosuke Shiki, who was the first to have a ranking like that, aside from me, in hundreds of years.

"Bryce... he is able to wield the Hinokami, even use Yeling's signature move, but the tattoos that come with the Hinokami Dogma Bargain didn't manifest on his body, they came from Tatsu. The only time he was able to channel the power was through that sword. Not to mention, those red flames... they're the same flames as The Firebird of the Black Legion."

Aelienne raised an eyebrow, before taking a sip from her tea.

"So in this eon, Master Loyce has chosen a death through wits over power."

"Aelienne, if it was true that you were with Bryce for twenty years, what happened to him? What happened to Yeling? Why-"

Aelienne held up her hand to me.

"The things that Jones had been through... I do not have the right to disclose. These are his experiences alone. If you need to know what happened to your Auxiliary Shadow, he must be the one to tell you. I have sworn a pact with the boy to respect his wishes. However... as for what happened to the Thirteenth Hinokami..."

A breeze blew past us, almost on cue.

"The Hinokami Killer has him."

I clenched my teeth. I needed to ask this.

But I was terrified of the answer.

"Inner Shadow Evangelion? So... is it true that... Yeling is dead?"

Aelienne looked at me with curiosity.

"What is your connection to the Last Son of Mahyako?"

"He is my friend. One of the most important people in my life. And... I wish I could have made it more obvious to him... that he was because I don't think he saw it himself."

"Hm."

Wisps of flame circled the body of the First Hinokami, occasionally going out.

It was pretty enticing, and at the same time, intriguing. My experience with Dogma Holders was, for the most part, the furthest from "elegant".

In this line of work, we never really took the time to appreciate the elegance behind things, unless it stood for a tactical advantage.

Even when Yeling chained his version of Hinokami with his Rain Style, which was a style that consisted of elegant movements, "elegant" wasn't exactly the best word to describe the guy.

Yeling's Hinokami was aggressive, beast-like, and hardened, like a well-oiled machine, a trained soldier.

But Aelienne's Hinokami was warm, smooth like velvet.

"Bryce walks a path of vengeance very similar to the Thirteenth Hinokami. He seeks to do what Yeling could not."

A lump formed in my throat.

Bryce...

You can't be serious.

"To fight the Hinokami Killer? Inner Shadow Reaper told me that Evangelion was created off the remains of a Supreme Primordial Demon! That's suicidal!"

Aelienne regarded me.

"And is your mission to destroy my Inner Shadow not suicidal in itself? I spent twenty years acting as Bryce's voice. However, the hatred that Bryce held in his heart was more than an act of self-pity. The Auxiliary Shadow held the guilt of failing Thirteen, leaving him in the hands of the most terrifying Hinokami Holder in existence. The strength he has amassed has been through nothing short of heartache."

"Then what are you suggesting I do?"

The Hinokami shrugged her shoulders.

"At this point, your guess is as good as mine. For years I have tried to speak to Bryce, but the more I spoke to him through Tatsu, the more I realized that there was nothing I could do for him. The Fourteenth Hinokami aims to not just slaughter Yeling, but his goal is to slaughter all unnecessary loose ends. Unbound Akuma Grade Dogma holders who pose a threat to the Great Akuma's revival."

"You never answered my question, at least not directly. Aelienne. You mentioned that Evangelion has Yeling, but you never explicitly said he was killed, did you?"

Aelienne smiled.

"No... I sense Yeling. If he truly died, his spirit would wind up here. After all, he, like me, is an Unbound Dogma Holder. But I do not sense his presence. I suspect... that this entire time, he has been holding off Evangelion."

A rush went through my chest. Almost like relief.

Yeling...!

"Then what are we waiting for?! Tell me where Evangelion is and we'll kick his ass!"

"And you are suggesting going against the Black Legion Organization?"

I paused, startled at my own words.

That was true.

By trying to recover Yeling... wouldn't I be going against the Black Legion?

Yet...

Yet I couldn't just...

"It's just like with Vicki... I'm doing exactly what Vicki did." I muttered.

Bryce.

Your anger and your rage...

It was all because of Yeling, wasn't it?

But we were Shadows to The Black Legion, if it was Lord Ginga's will that Yeling end up like this, then...

We didn't have a choice, did we?

Bryce... you didn't have a choice.

"This is all I can do for you, right now. Dainsleif, no. Aaron Hope. What you choose to do moving forward will be up to you. For I have tried to help Bryce Jones, but my words never reached him. Perhaps yours will."

The reality around me began to melt, taking me out of the Hinokami realm, until I snapped back to reality, my hand against Bryce's throat.

Bryce continued to bash me in the face to no avail.

"Let... GO!"

"Bryce..." I muttered as I slammed my head against his, sending both of us to the ground.

Bryce tried to get to his feet, but his legs buckled.

"He... he needs... I need..."

"Strong allies, right? That was the point of this duel, to gauge out the gap in power between you and me. And Sig's," I deduced.

Bryce glared at me.

"Don't you play detective with me, Aaron. The answer is simple. Either you are strong enough or not."

"Bryce, I know about what's going on with Yeling."

My Auxiliary Shadow froze in his tracks.

"Aelienne... Aelienne spoke to you?"

"Yeah. And she also tells me that you've been blaming yourself for what happened. Because by trying to save Yeling from Inner Shadow Evangelion... it would mean doing the exact same thing Vicki did, right?"

Bryce clenched his teeth.

"And you're saying I should abandon him?"

"No. I'm saying..."

I turned to Sigurd, who had reached our location, the thrusters on her shoulders returning to their compartments.

"Give me some time to think. I need some time to think about what to do."

Bryce regained his position, his hand clasped tightly on Tatsu.

"I've been... trying to figure out the solution myself for so many years, but there was nothing I could do. Every action would mean going against the Black Legion."

"I know."

"Then what the hell are you saying? That you'll 'think about it'?! What's there left to think! I've been thinking all this time and the answer has been in front of me and unchanging. As long as I am an Auxiliary Shadow of The Black Legion, I cannot go against Lord Ginga. But if I try to save Yeling by force, I'd get flattened like a bug! This... this duel..."

Bryce fell to his knees.

"Aaron... I wanted to lose. I wanted you to destroy me so badly that I could have at least a sliver of hope left that maybe... maybe the Outer Shadow that I once looked up to would find a way. An ingenious way to get Yeling out of this predicament."

Bryce planted Tatsu deep into the ground, a tear ran down his face.

"This duel... this duel wasn't one-sided at all. Was it, Bossman."

I sighed.

"No. It wasn't. You've improved so much that I had a lot of trouble fighting you."

My Auxiliary Shadow got up and approached me.

"Then... that means even Dainsleif of the Black Legion cannot help me."

"Bryce, there's still the possibility that I could-"

"WHAT POSSIBILITY?" Bryce shouted, grabbing me by the collar.

"Aaron... your response has cemented the reality of my situation. The reality of what I feared all these years. That what I want and what I can realistically have are so fuckin' far apart not even the smartest Outer Shadow in the most powerful Organization ever can fix!"

"There's still time! I- I don't have an answer right now, but I'll make sure I do. Aelienne says Yeling has been holding Evangelion off this entire time! He still hasn't entered the Hinokami Realm. He's been buying time for us, so let's make use of that!"

"No there isn't. There isn't, Aaron. It's fuckin' hopeless."

Bryce let go, shoving me back.

"I spent... four years with Yeling. When we were whisked back in time. I watched Yeling reconcile with his family in the Contingency Initiative. I watched him spend his birthdays with Squad Four. Did you know that when he smiles, he has dimples on the sides of his mouth? Did you know that his favorite food is Cananite Pork Cutlet? Did you know that he plays Mahjong? Did you know any of that?"

"I-"

"Yeling spent four years, having his smile return to him, only for it to be ripped away from him a fourth time. He lost his first family to the Hinokami. His second family to his best friend. His third family to Loyce. And now his world got pulled from under him by Inner Shadow Evangelion. Yet despite it all, he consoled me when I learned of Sarah's death. He brought me to that pier and brought me back from despair. No one... no one could possibly understand what he went through, because no one took that chance."

Bryce looked up to the sky. No words left my mouth. I had... absolutely nothing left to say.

Bryce...

Don't say it.

I beg you.

"If it means going against the whole Black Legion if it means going against you and committing treason..."

I gritted my teeth, my vision becoming blurry as my eyes began to water.

You vampiric... asshole...

"I will bring Yeling bac-"

SLAP.

Bryce's eyes widened in shock, as did mine.

The sound of the slap echoed across the valley. The sound was so sharp that it jolted the both of us out of our stupor.

"Commit treason...? Going against the Black Legion? Against Aaron? Against me? I never imagined the Bryce Jones I knew would grow up to be such a pathetic mess!" Annie growled.

Bryce stared at Annie with a look of pure surprise.

"You..."

"No one said that we were going to leave Yeling to suffer. No one did. Do not dare force words into our mouths! Bryce, time and time again, whenever we were faced with adversity we overcame it by pushing ourselves. If Yeling had known that no solution existed, then why would he continue to fight Lord Evangelion?"

"If we save Yeling, we're going against The Black Legion! What do you not understan-"

"I don't know... I don't know what you went through. I didn't even know you were a vampire this entire time. But you know what I do know? That you don't understand our Outer Shadow one bit."

"You ignorant cyborg, you-"

"Ever since June died... I've filled that void for Aaron's right-hand man. I saw my existence as nothing but a tool, a weapon. Because I believed Aaron feared forming another bond with his Auxiliary Shadow should a situation arise where another one of his comrades perished in battle. So my entire life I saw myself as nothing. Not a person. Not even a friend. But despite everything, Aaron saw otherwise. To this day... to this day, Aaron would do anything to protect and cherish the people he cares about. Even you. The fact that you would give up on him so easily... after ONE DUEL? Did it not occur to you that maybe Aaron didn't want to win this fight? That he didn't want to hurt the person he cared so much for?"

Annie clasped the folds of Bryce's shirt in her hand, her bottom lip trembling.

"You claim that you were powerless... and that Sarah's death pushed you to the brink of total collapse. Can you imagine what Aaron must have felt seeing the person he loved die in his arms? Can you imagine it? June... Robbie... Sarah... we've lost them all. But to Aaron, it must have felt like all that blood was in his hands. And now... now he has his own Auxiliary Shadow declare war against The Black Legion in front of his very eyes. How can you be such an insufferable ASSHOLE!"

Bryce stared at Annie, his face in shock, but Annie continued.

"Say all you want. But as for me... I know just how useless I am. I boasted of my ability to be compatible with Master Jun's upgrades... yet when it came time for me to accept the completed Omega Upgrade I faltered like a useless little bitch! And now here I am. A complete liability. An A+ Ranked Auxiliary Shadow while you fight at the level of an Elite Tier S+ Rank, bordering SS Rank. I'm surrounded by Shadows who have the momentum built up for them to keep getting stronger yet I have been reduced to a bystander. So tell me, Bryce. If YOU are useless. If AARON is useless. Then WHAT AM I? SAY IT! SAY IT, BRYCE!" Annie screamed, pounding her fists against Bryce's chest as tears ran down her face.

Bryce's arms relaxed to his sides.

"S- Sor..." The Auxiliary Shadow muttered.

"I'm sorry."

Annie buried her face into Bryce's chest, yelling and growling.

"Don't... don't you dare leave The Black Legion. Don't you dare leave us, Bryce. I won't ever forgive you... I'll hate you for the rest of my life."

"I- I won't. I promise. Pinky promise on my soul."

"Right now, we have the final component of the Omega Upgrade, and with it, Sigurd can complete it," I said to Bryce, the three of us huddled in our cramped little room in Trion.

Bryce hunkered down, his huge frame barely fitting in the space.

"But Annie isn't equipped to handle it, I'm guessing."

A blush of embarrassment formed on my Auxiliary Shadow's face, but Annie made an effort to hide it.

"Human nature... that's the secret to getting the final component installed. But... I'm second-guessing myself."

I looked out into the distance.

"With Loyce's specter defeated, either Loyce comes for a rematch, or the Vessels do. Now they know that Inner Shadow Reaper is in no shape to fight, we're even more vulnerable than before. So even if Annie gets her upgrade installed, we have no way of defending ourselves during the process."

Bryce grimaced.

"Sarina is among those guys too, I'm guessing."

I nodded.

"I've been meaning to ask, you clashed with Sarina twice, right?"

"Once, outside Harmon Industries, and the second time, in the past. I clashed with Sarina and she stopped me from getting to Yeling."

So Bryce encountered Sarah's little sis while still an S+ Rank...

The fact that he survived the encounter was nothing short of impressive.

"I'll never forgive Sarina for what she did to Sarah, but even if I wanted her dead, there's no way I can kill her. Even now as I am."

"The Vessels are immortal, from what I know."

"Yeah... but I have a theory."

Annie and I stared at Bryce.

"What do you mean?" Sigurd asked.

"Yeah? Since when did Bryce Jones the Cheesesteak Addict have any good plans?"

Bryce frowned.

"I'm not that stupid! I'm older than both of you now, by the way. Even if I did have any plans, you could at least give me the benefit of the doubt!"

I chuckled.

"Alright then, what is it?"

Bryce inspected the hilt of Tatsu.

"During my travels, I encountered this Kingdom. There, I learned that it was cursed by this Demon King who had the ability to be immortal and undying. He couldn't be killed with weapons or magic alike. But even so, we managed to kill him."

"How?" Annie asked.

"Did you guys use any anti-narrative abilities? Chakra? Reality warping?" I said.

Bryce shook his head.

"The answer was a lot more simple than it seemed."

"What do you mean?"

Bryce's eyes shone in the dark, red blood-eyes that seemed to illuminate the room we were in. It also never occurred to me till now...

But Bryce's eyes had been permanently red the entire time.

The green that he once had, I hadn't seen his eyes revert back to normal.

He must have optimized his vampire form to allow him to retain the transformation constantly with next to zero stamina drain.

"The Demon King was killed by the Hero of that realm."

I blinked.

"A Hero? Was he strong?"

Bryce scoffed.

"Nah. He was the biggest bitch ass I had ever seen. But that was the thing. Only he was able to deliver the killing blow. The way we killed the Demon King was I would be the one to beat him down, and the Hero would deliver the final blow."

"What are you proposing?" Annie asked.

"If Vala is similar to The Great Akuma, if even one of the Vessels dies... then it would delay her return, right?" Bryce asked.

The gears in my head began to turn, as things started to make sense.

"If Sarina is killed, then they've lost. Or at the very least, that would be a huge blow to Lady Vala's forces."

Bryce nodded.

"The key to killing Sarina... is a Hero."

A Hero...

The image of a petite woman in the distance flashed in my mind. Her lavender hair blew in the wind.

Sarah Ultear.

The Hero of the Sword.

"Sarah... but..." I hesitated, and Bryce definitely picked it up from the scent of my blood.

"I know. That would mean Sarah needs to be the one to make that choice."

Annie's face turned grim.

"Even if we bring her back using the Omega Upgrade, do you think Sarah has it in her to make that call?"

The three of us sat in silence.

"Bossman... I know that maybe I am no longer the same Bryce Jones you knew, and maybe the things I am suggesting are cruel. But this is the reality of what we must do. This is no longer an adventure, it's war."

"No. You're right. You're absolutely correct," I said.

"So in times like this, we need to trust in Sarah. Our focus is to find a way to complete that Omega Upgrade and figure out a way to bring Sarah back from the dead."

"The Anti-Narrative won't be enough to bring her back," John said, causing us to jump. Bryce instantly got to his feet, Tatsu in hand, and swung.

"Wait! Bryce, that's-"

SWISH.

Bryce's eyes widened as Tatsu stopped in mid-air, frozen mid-swing before Inner Shadow John Crassman.

Reaper narrowed his eyes.

"A time-displaced Auxiliary Shadow? As I reckon, you were once known as Auxiliary Shadow Uzi, correct?"

Bryce lowered Tatsu, standing before the older seasoned warrior.

"No, I changed my codename to Auxiliary Shadow Hellsing a while back."

"After your mother?"

"How did you know that?"

John tapped his finger against Bryce's chest.

"Your chakra. Child."

Bryce hesitated, taking a step back, but John simply smiled.

"You must have been through a lot."

"Are you reading my Chakra again?" Bryce asked.

"No. Your face reminds me of the many soldiers who would return from war... worn and traumatized from battle. Your reaction was to instantly attack something foreign to you. That is characteristic of a soldier who has been forced to react that way."

Annie looked at Bryce, concern lacing her face.

"Bryce... your weapon."

Bryce returned Tatsu on his back and bowed before John.

"Inner Shadow Reaper of the Black Legion. Please accept my sincerest apologies for this unforgivable act."

"Arise, Auxiliary Shadow Hellsing."

Bryce returned to my side as I stood up.

"John, what did you mean the Anti-Narrative won't bring Sarah back?"

"The Anti-Narrative wielded by Primordial Aran Sol isn't a universal fix-it solution to everything. Its nature is to destroy the narrative and order of the world around it. Destroying the narrative of death may not necessarily bring Auxiliary Shadow Ultear back from the dead. Even if it did, there's no guarantee that it will be done correctly. A Hero who's been brought back through law-breaking means may no longer have the same narrative to carry out her duty."

"Then... what do we do..." I muttered.

John regarded the three of us.

"If it is the death of Sarina Ultear, Bryce Jackson Jones is correct. Only a Hero can slay a Demon. That is the law you must protect."

My face turned downcast.

Of course... it wouldn't be so easy.

Reviving my fiancee... in the end, was pretty much a pipe dream.

"However, there is a workaround."

"Huh?" I asked.

John sat down in front of us.

"My codename in The Black Legion is The Reaper. My powers work on the basis of death. If it is the revival of an unjust death, the person you seek is a man known as Chairon."

I blinked.

"Wait, you're saying all this time, we could have been reviving all our allies and you just kept your mouth shut?! Shit, my man, I guess I can revive Robbie along with-"

My voice cut out abruptly by John's deadpan stare.

"Sorry," I muttered.

"Death, in almost all cases, is absolute. To go against it is taboo. If death were trivialized, we would be at an eternal stalemate. However, as it stands, Death and Hope do not get well with one another. And the taboo practice of Sarina's action against her own elder sister, combined with the fact that she stands for Vala's Hope, should provide enough of a reason to bring Sarah Ultear back."

My heart began to race, as an overwhelming feeling surged through my chest.

Sarah...

Oh god...

"However... the council with Chairon is no easy task. You must defend against Death's Judge, both in strength and in words. I've visited Chairon many times in the past... and each time I was never able to convince him to revive my allies."

"Well ain't that reassuring," I grumbled.

John laughed gently.

"However, this was the Johnny Crassman of The Black Legion at the time. And you have proved yourself to have surpassed that blockhead in many ways more than one. So for what it is worth, you have my faith."

"How will we get to Chairon?" Annie asked.

John beckoned someone in, as a man entered the room, making the room even more cramped than before.

"Dammit guys, this room was initially supposed to be for me!"

"I see Dainsleif of the Black Legion still running his mouth even after a battle that crippled even someone as mighty as Inner Shadow Reaper."

My mouth hung open.

"Galeo!"

Galeo's eye twitched in annoyance.

"Right to real names it is with you..."

"Come on, we're close enough to use real names, right?"

Galeo kneeled before his Inner Shadow.

"Lord Crassman, I understand that my responsibilities are to escort Dainsleif and his Auxiliary Shadows to Tiamar?"

"Huh? Tiamar? That's where Chairon is?!" I yelped.

John nodded.

"The Warworld Tiamar of Outer Shadow Sixshot's reality has the strongest connection to Death there is. It has been at war for many eons."

Galeo got to his feet.

"If it is Chairon you seek, then you will need an escort who is familiar with The Aether. Because Chairon is a psychic... a Witch of Tiamar just like I."

I turned to Bryce and Annie, who nodded at me grimly.

"If it means bringing Sarah back, then we will do whatever is necessary," Annie said.

I reached out my hand and Galeo shook it.

"Alright then, Outer Shadow Sixshot. We will be in your care."

"There is one more person I would like you to journey with," John said.

"Who's that?" I asked.

"A very experienced Shadow."

SMACK.

John suddenly fell forward, his face slamming into the table.

"Hey," A woman's voice said, menacingly.

"Why don't you elaborate more... on what you mean by experienced? Johnny?"

Galeo, Bryce, Annie, and my jaws dropped.

"....."

"Ah, no. I didn't mean it like that. I just meant you had many years under your belt, is all," Inner Shadow Reaper said, nervously, before Tina Hunt.

Tina knelt down, smiling at me.

But it didn't take an SS Rank to tell there was a lot of murderous intent behind that smile.

"So you are the Outer Shadow who, instead of letting Johnny join me in the afterlife where I was young and beautiful, brought me back into an aging fifty-year-old body."

"I- Uh... Well, for what it's worth, I think older women are pretty hot too, you know," I mumbled nervously.

"How so?" Tina raised an eyebrow.

"Um... well. You know, as Aristotle of my version of Amerada, er I mean, Grecca once said, it's not the droopiness of a woman's breasts that makes a man aroused, but... the... level of... aging? Like wine?"

What the hell was I even saying?!?!?!

Tina grunted, crossing her arms.

"I wish to speak to Outer Shadow Dainsleif, alone, please."

I turned around frantically.

Guys.

You can't leave me alone with her, I'm begging you!

Galeo, Bryce, and Annie obliged, much to my disappointment.

Even John had left, giving me a complimentary grin.

"Sit."

"Yes, ma'am."

Why was I calling her "ma'am"? I was the one with seniority over here.

But given the background, I had learned of Auxiliary Shadow Terra, maybe being snarky was not a good idea.

I sat down on the table across from the older Shadow, who laced her fingers together.

For some reason, I felt uneasy.

This was an Auxiliary Shadow who worked for and knew John Crassman for a long time.

If we were talking about seniority in terms of experience... there was a chance that Terra had more experience than me before she had died.

There was also the fact that Tina Hunt was outright one of the scariest women I had ever seen, given how she was probably responsible for more damage done to Inner Shadow Reaper than some of The Black Legion's enemies.

"Aaron Hope."

"Yes, that's me..." I said, awkwardly.

Tina closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

"There is something I want to tell you, but I don't know if you can handle it."

"What? What are you gonna tell me?"

"For years I have known Johnny. Ever since Taylor and I were adopted by our father, on the first day, Johnny was assigned to be our bodyguard. We were seven at the time."

"That's quite some history."

Tina rested her head against her hand.

"Bringing me and my sister back from the dead was a mistake."

My blood ran cold.

"What? But all I did was bring you guys back by the Anti-Narrative. There's nothing wrong with that, right? Plus, you guys were taken away from the Dogma's Exchange through trickery and-"

"Aaron. Listen to yourself. Truly, listen to yourself. Listen to what you are saying."

I caught my tongue, clutching my Dovetail.

"I don't understand..."

"We were meant to die. One way or another. What's done is supposed to be done. That is the order of the world."

"What's the point of that when your lives were taken from you like that, though?"

"Would you revive every single person who has died? Just because of the nature of their death? Would you bring back every soldier who had fought their wars through conscription? That's easily forty-seven million men and women who would be 'exempt' from death."

"But-"

Tina put a hand on the table.

"Reaper and I made a promise. To ensure no more people would end up like Johnny Crassman. Bringing back the lives of people precious to you, by breaking the rules and what is meant to be... is exactly what Johnny did."

My teeth gnashed together in frustration. My heart began throbbing, and I could feel my pulse through the veins around my eyes.

"So you're saying that you're against me bringing Sarah back from the dead."

"The Anti-Narrative was always something that Johnny had questioned even before he became an Outer Shadow. His First Circle Style honed the use of chakra, which, in a way, was a way to disrupt destiny and the esoteric, by remaining true to oneself. But there was a difference between staying true to oneself, and destroying rules and reason for one's benefit."

I was going to say something back, but... was I really in the right?

The power to bring people back from the dead must have been a power that everybody would have wanted at some point in their lives.

Why would I be so special so as to use it just to bring back the girl I loved?

"I wanted to thank you, thank you so much for giving Taylor and me the opportunity to see Johnny again. But even he knows, that our revival was not right. Sooner or later, someone will be here to collect us both."

"Then I'll use the Anti-Narrative again! I'll use it-"

"Again and again? For all eternity? Aaron... you may think that what you are doing is justice, after all, everybody is a main character in their story. But what you are doing is tampering with things recklessly on the basis of one's own sense of morals. And that is dangerous. The world's rules and reason were created in a way that all intricacies would not collapse on one another. A man cannot play the role of God."

I took a shaky breath.

Then... what am I going to do?

"I am not saying you cannot bring Sarah Ultear back from the dead. The possibility of that exists. But you must realize the weight of that decision. When you stand before Chairon, you must make the choice. Chairon is not someone who will accept the wishes of a person that benefits oneself. That is what I am saying."

Tina slowly put a hand on mine.

"Johnny struck a deal with the Devil to bring back the life of Taylor Hunt. Everything made sense to him. My Inner Shadow is not stupid, surely you've already realized this. Everything seemed to line up well for him. He had planned it all the way through. But when it came for the deal to be made, he got what he wanted... but at the same time, he lost something just as important. You cannot stand against Chairon's council... with Death itself, without realizing that nothing is as it seems. The world is convoluted, and is rife with double meanings."

Tina got up from her seat and approached the exit.

"We will be on standby, and Galeo will take you to Tiamar."

I was then left alone, sitting in the darkness of my room.

KNOCK KNOCK.

"Come in."

Bryce stepped into the room, his military boots creaking against the wood.

"Outer Shadow Sixshot's Shadows can muster only one more trip before they succumb to Aran and Vala's influence. If we choose to revive Sarah, it's going to be a final decision."

"I understand."

Bryce sat down across from me.

"The table back at your barracks was much fancier."

A smirk appeared on my face.

"Yeah... it really was. The last time we had our one-on-one at a table was at Millennium City Cheesesteak. Remember?"

"Yes. I remember."

The two of us sat in silence for a few moments.

"Tina is against me bringing Sarah back from the dead. Says it's morally unjustified."

"She is right."

I raised my eyebrows.

"Really? I thought you would be against it."

"I admit that I don't like Tina's stance on this. But she is right. Everything we are doing is unjustified. As with trying to rescue Yeling."

Bryce faced me, grimly.

"But answer me this, Aaron. As a Shadow to The Black Legion Organization, just how many of our decisions have been justified? Everything we have done has been assigned to us, and our missions completed without question. Here stands before you, a killer who has slaughtered thousands. Even Sarah, who stands for being a Hero, has lived a life of bloodshed. If we are talking about morality and ethics, we are just as bad as the folks on Vala's side."

I watched Bryce tie his dreadlocks back, the occasional strand falling to his face. It made me wonder if Bryce ever thought about how much he ended up looking like Tevin, his father.

Or even if the thought had occurred to him once.

"The Black Legion Organization isn't a company of superheroes. For the longest time, we've done whatever was necessary. I may have spent a fair share of my time slacking off but even I understood the implications of being an operative to the Organization. So Tina is right, what we are doing is unconventional, taboo, and potentially even dangerous. But if that is what's needed to stop Vala, then is that not more than enough of a reason to do so? No other group of individuals has taken up the task. The very precept of the Black Legion is outlandish, to begin with. We are exterminating the very concept of Hope herself."

My Auxiliary Shadow reached out and pressed his fist against my chest. It felt weird to be consoled by someone who, just a day ago, would have been younger than me by two years.

"If you fear yourself of doing something selfish and evil, then let us take that burden with you. Let us all be evil together. Isn't that the point of having allies, Aaron?"

A laugh escaped me, startling my Auxiliary.

"What's so funny?" Bryce grumbled.

"No... I just... never expected you of all people to end up consoling me. I... I never expected that at all."

Bryce smirked, reaching out his hand.

"You are still my Outer Shadow. I'll do whatever I can to support you, Bossman. Whatever choice you make, I will always take your side. Rest assured."

I took his hand, got to my feet, and headed to the door.

The two of us made our way out of the building when suddenly, a loud noise shook the ground.

BOOM.

Bryce and I sprung into action, running to the source of the sound. From the distance, I could make out the voices of several people shouting.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? Who are you?" Tina's voice said.

"Lord Crassman!" Troia shouted.

More shouting.

"Bryce, take point," I ordered.

"Affirmative," Bryce said, summoning his powers. Red electricity jolted across his body, propelling him forward at lightning-fast speed.

"Sigurd! On Hellsing's six!"

A blast of blue light zipped past me as the figure of a well-built woman in a black leather suit unveiled her arm blades, running at supersonic speed and trailing Bryce.

Dammit!

How the hell did we get breached?!

I was still not in good enough shape to use any magic or chakra. I had to rely on my abilities as they were.

I rushed past Defender, who had also sprung into action. He was no longer in his usual power armor.

"Aaron! Any idea of what that was?"

"No, the barriers of Trion shouldn't have let anyone from the outside get in!"

Ironclad ran up to me, sword in hand.

"Is it the Demon King? The white-haired man?"

"No... that isn't possible. If Loyce invaded, that would mean he decided to spread his forces even thinner, which wouldn't make sense. He's already lost a third of his power."

"Then who made it into Trion?" Defender said, his voice frantic.

I continued sprinting to the location.

"Sigurd! Bryce! What's going on over there?"

No answer.

"Dammit, Defender, pass me a firearm."

Defender reached behind him and handed me an assault rifle. I inspected the gun with a quick once-over.

"Ehhh??"

An M4A1? Seriously?

So much for a futuristic city.

"You guys sure doubled down on your armory..." I grumbled.

"We ran out of ammo and resources after our battle at Diacus, of course, we wouldn't have a ton of good guns left."

"I swear to god the invader better be at most Psimon level."

"Hey! I may have lost my powers but show some respect to your seniors!" Psimon shouted from the distance, his head bandage falling off.

"Simon! What are you doing out of bed?!" Madeline Poe scolded.

The three of us rushed to the infirmary where the scuffle continued.

But the sounds of the struggle had died down, meaning... either the threat was contained...

I held out a hand, stopping Defender and Ironclad.

"You two, stay on the outskirts. On my signal, Drogen, break the doors open."

Ironclad readied his sword.

Now.

I made the signal, as Drogen busted the door open. Defender and I flew in, aiming our assault rifles.

My eyes darted around, but before I could even process anything, Defender and Ironclad were sent flying out of the room.

"Wha-"

SLICE.

I stared at the barrel of my M4, which had been sliced open.

No way.

Whoever breached Trion was able to send Defender and Ironclad airborne and slice down my assault rifle, despite us being the ones who attacked first.

That meant his reaction speed, and his movements were even faster than my ability to process what was going on!

I shifted my position, but suddenly, a concussive force slammed me into the dirt, smashing my jaw against the ground.

"URK!"

My vision began to unblur. Bryce and Annie were pinned down, along with Troia.

John was still in his recovery bed, along with Taylor, who was clutching on to him for dear life.

There was only one person who was standing in front of the stranger, who was putting distance between him and Crassman.

"Who are you?! Stay back!" Tina snarled.

The man chuckled, as I tried to force myself up, but the force that was on me was overwhelming...

As if I was underwater...

Underwater...

Pressure...

Hydrostatic pressure.

My eyes widened.

"Tina! Stand down! Don't provoke him!"

Tina clenched her fists, but the intruder scoffed.

"Hey, old hag, you heard Dainsleif. Stand the fuck down. Or I won't hesitate to cut you down. John, I thought you had a better leash on your dogs. I see being put in such a condition gave your subordinate Shadows a little spunk."

"Stand down, Terra. This isn't the type of person you want to give backbone to," Reaper ordered. Tina reluctantly put her hands down.

The stranger turned around, assessing the situation and each one of us.

"You maggots, I kind of had an idea of what's going on, but I guess it takes being on the front to see just how screwed you all are. To think you ended up in this state after facing Loyce of all people, you'd almost think the Pretty Boy was going easy on you."

"Impudent bastard! What do you know of what Inner Shadow Reaper's been through?!" Troia growled.

"Everything. I see everything. And that wasn't a taunt. It was a compliment."

The man took off his hood, revealing a heavily tattooed face, and a close crop cut.

"I always love doin' that. Putting on a guise. Havin' ignorant little fucks like you people underestimate me. Takes me back, really, it does. I remember when Yuyan Zheng, the little Chinese Outer Shadow of Hakah's thought he could threaten me with Yama's blade. Damn, it was fun pretending to be real scared, only for him to switch up. Say, Outer Shadow Troia. Auxiliary Shadow Terra. You spoke ill to me, I expect y'all to keep that energy goin'."

Troia's face turned white as a ghost.

"I- In- Inner-"

Inner Shadow Slipstream increased the pressure on all of us.

"Maggots. At attention."

True Soldiers

Jay Hellion walked a circle among all of us like a round-robin, starting with me.

The Inner Shadow knelt in front of me, lifting my chin into the air.

"Outer Shadow Dainsleif, Gasket's Gunman. Why don't you show the rest of these Shadows how a real Outer Shadow greets their superiors?"

"SS Ranked Outer Shadow Dainsleif, at attention, Inner Shadow Slipstream. To exist is to serve The Black Legion," I replied.

Jay then turned to Troia, his head stepping on her head and forcing her chin to slam into the dirt.

"A Ranked Outer Shadow Troia, at attention, Inner Shadow Slipstream. To exist is to serve The Black Legion," Troia said.

Hellion continued.

With Galeo, then Sigurd, until all was left was Bryce and Tina.

A bead of sweat ran down the side of my head. Something felt off, and the way Jay Hellion's body language and posture that was so outwardly obvious displayed itself...

I knew right away that he had caught on.

Jay snapped his fingers, and the Suijin released its pressure against Auxiliary Shadows Hellsing and Terra, the two of them stood still before the Inner Shadow.

Jay leaned in, his face centimeters away from Bryce's.

"Hey. Negro. I didn't like that look on your face earlier."

Bryce's eyes momentarily widened, the fingers on his hand curled into a fist.

No.

Bear it, Bryce. You have to.

No matter how out of line Inner Shadow Slipstream is, you have to bear it!

Jay held his glare on Bryce. Even if he wasn't emitting chakra or using his Dogma's, the pressure from his intimidation was terrifying. It was like being caught stealing food by your sergeant during basic. You felt like you were about to piss yourself because you knew you had fucked up immensely.

"Tyrell Jackson Jones. Intel says you're from a version of Philadelphia America where African Americans were severely and violently discriminated against due to the color of their skin. Confirm my intel. Answer me, maggot."

"Yes, sir."

"Then you must have a history with police and law enforcement. Answer me, maggot."

"Yes, sir."

Jay inspected Bryce's gear and his build.

"I'll let you in on a lil' secret, negro. Before I became a Shadow to The Black Legion Organization, I was a police officer. I had to arrest a ton of your kind. Every day. Someone would either steal from an old lady or an old man. Somebody would recklessly cut up in traffic in their little Dodge Hellcats all day. They all looked the same. When I became a Marine, I had expeditions all over South Africa, and I had to watch a bunch of my boys get gunned down by people who looked just like you. Look me in the eyes, boy."

Bryce made eye contact with the Inner Shadow, trying his hardest to resist the urge to slug him in the face.

Bryce... you gotta hang in there. No matter how out of line and racist Jay was, you gotta hold back!

"You must hate white people, don't you? Cuz here before you stands your senior, a white male who's had a history arrestin' and killin' your 'brothers'."

Bryce began to breathe heavily, but he didn't dare move a muscle in his arms.

"Am I makin' you mad?" Jay asked.

"No sir," Bryce answered.

"Then report."

Bryce clenched his teeth, biting down on his tongue.

"S+ Ranked Auxiliary Shadow Hellsing. At attention. Inner Shadow Slipstream. To exist... is to serve The Black Legion."

Jay narrowed his eyes, before turning away from my Auxiliary and faced Tina.

A rush of relief filled my body.

Bryce...

Tina glared at Jay, and suddenly, the surge of relief was replaced with fear again.

"Bastard..." Tina snarled.

"Terra, that's enough. You need to show respect to-" John said before Jay cut him off.

"Stuff it, Reaper. If you need to intervene, means you didn't discipline your dogs one bit. Let's see here," Jay put a hand to his chin.

ALL SEEING EYE.

The Inner Shadow smirked.

"Oh? Interesting. An Auxiliary Shadow from the 90's huh? You must have been a nice fuckable piece of meat back in the day. Shame your tits are all dried up, huh."

Tina gritted her teeth, but Jay didn't stop.

"You got spunk. More than Hellsing over there. That might fly in the 90's, but it don't fly here. You sound real sexually frustrated, bein' what. Fifty-some? Let's see here... your little sis... jealous that John went for your sis and not you?"

"Mock me again, and I'll-"

SMASH.

My body instinctively rushed forward, but I stopped myself at the last minute.

Tina!

Tina coughed, her eyes widening as the Auxiliary Shadow fell to her knees, retching and clutching her midsection where Jay had kneed her.

"Every Shadow here has bit back their pride and hatred for me to abide by the regulations of The Black Legion. What makes you think you're special to mouth off like that, huh? Bitch?"

KICK. SMASH.

Tina's face smashed into the dirt. Jay continued beating her down. I glanced at John, who grimly watched from the distance.

Jay knelt down and picked Tina up by her hair.

"Did you not listen to a thing that was said? Even Bryce Jones managed to keep it in. Do you think this is some kind of game all day every day? When it's time to show respect to your seniors, you show. Some. Fucking. Respect."

Jay slammed Tina's face back into the dirt.

"Auxiliary Shadow Terra. Report."

Tina clutched the dirt.

"B Rank... Auxiliary... Auxiliary..."

SMASH.

Tina coughed.

"Shadow..."

SMASH.

SMASH. SMASH. SMASH.

I bit back my tongue, resisting the urge to rush to Tina's aid. After everything that had happened... seeing this made my vision turn red.

"Terra... At attention... Inner Shadow Slipstream. To exist... is to serve The Black Legion," Terra coughed.

Jay snapped his fingers, releasing the Suijin's influence on all of us.

"At ease."

Galeo, Troia, and I rushed to Tina's side.

"Tina! Tina, you okay? Can you walk?" I asked.

Tina clutched her side, breathing heavily.

"John... Johnny..." She muttered.

"Sigurd, tend to Tina's wounds," I commanded.

Sigurd ran to Tina's side with several nanobots.

I turned to Jay, who stood before John.

"Missing arm. Missing leg. Missing internal organs. If you gotta use Senkaku to patch yourself up before battle, you're no use to us," Jay said.

Tina glared at the Inner Shadow, but this time, she didn't dare say anything.

John sighed.

"You're right. I'm retiring. I'm no use to The Black Legion like this."

A breeze blew between the two Inner Shadows.

"You were always such a stupid fool. Age doesn't change shit when under all that experience is some trigger-happy monkey who gets a thrill out of fighting a losing battle. Why they made the decision to promote you to Inner Shadow is beyond me. You should have stayed an Outer Shadow."

John smiled, leaning his head back.

Taylor clutched her husband's arm.

"Johnny... Johnny worked really hard. He fought that Demon Lord with all his might. It was because of his choice to hold off the second strongest Inner Shadow in history as he was that his allies remain alive!"

Jay's glare shifted to Taylor, who squeaked in fright.

But she refused to back away.

"Inner Shadow Slipstream, judging from seniority alone and the lesson you gave to my big sister, I can tell you're a man of high standing and experience. But surely you must know how noble Johnny was!"

Jay took a step forward, as all of us tensed up.

Tina's grip on me tightened as if she was going to rip the skin out of my arm.

Taylor closed her eyes, but to all of our surprise, Jay slowly put his hand on her head.

"Strong-willed wife. Lucky bastard John is."

HUH?!

My jaw dropped.

What the hell was this guy on about earlier about respect and duty and-

"I know what you're thinking there, Dainsleif. All Seeing Eye shows everything. Taylor ain't Black Legion. She's a colleague's wife. So obviously she gets a free pass."

Jay sighed.

"John, if this was how you've been treating your Shadows, then you should forget about Tiamar. The only people who are qualified are Dainsleif and Sigurd. The others don't get what it takes to have that Warworld's level of discipline and duty. From one soldier to another."

"Wh- What about Galeo, sir?" I asked.

Jay gave me a disgusted look.

"You think that little Witch would survive the journey to Chairon the Space Marine? The Space Marines are all about fierce dedication to the cause. The elite of the elite genes and the psychologically best can survive in that universe. I thought Outer Shadow Sixshot told you that he's considered the absolute worst scum in his world."

I glanced at the others. Especially Tina.

John wanted Tina to come along for a reason, and if I went alone, Tina definitely wouldn't like that. After all, she was adamant about keeping me from making the same mistakes Johnny did.

"They need to come. They gotta come with me. What's it gonna take for us to be Tiamar ready?" I asked.

Jay crossed his arms. Along the ridges where one of his hands was supposed to be, was a prosthetic from where Hakah had amputated his hand.

"Most of my Outer Shadows are busy holding off Loyce's ridiculous Demon Lord army. But I got a couple of Outer Shadows and their Auxiliaries you can meet. They'll show you what it takes to be a cohesive member of a military faction."

I turned back to my allies, who grimly nodded with approval.

"Alright then. Sigurd, Hellsing, Sixshot and Terra are with me. We'll go with Inner Shadow Slipstream. Troia, I trust the fate of the people of Trion to you and your Auxiliary Shadows."

Troia bowed.

"It will be done, Dainsleif."

Jay walked to the outskirts of Trion, overlooking the distance.

I followed from behind, the wind rippling through Sarah's cloak.

"Inner Shadow Gasket... even if your Auxiliary masters the Omega Upgrade, there is no guarantee of bringing him back to fighting shape. As it stands, we ain't got no one to be our tactician. No one can fill that role but that little brain-child."

Jay's body language and posture had changed again.

It was like I had no idea what he was thinking. One moment, he was a complete scumbag, who enjoyed harassing other people. The next, he had become a military sergeant in the middle of recruit hazing. Now, the body language and his movements were neither of those.

"Lord Hellion, about Tina-"

"John always had a bad habit of going easy on his Shadows. Whether it was his Auxiliary Shadows, to his Outer Shadows now. If you make the same mistake with your Auxiliary Shadows I'mma smack the shit out of you. There's a time and place to be goofin' off. But right now, when we're in the endgame, there's no time for any of that shit. Do I make myself clear, Outer Shadow?"

"Yes, sir."

Jay turned to me.

"Tiamar is a world that is known for its harsh dedication to war and battle. Either you support the cause or you're nothing. The entire universe is ravaged by battle, it's basically a non-stop hellhole of pain and suffering. That kinda behavior ain't gonna fly. But if you are serious about taking those Shadows with you to Tiamar, along with Sixshot, then y'all need to learn what it means to act as a soldier and work in a unit. My Outer Shadows and their Auxiliaries shall provide enough of a crash course."

"I understand."

"All Seeing Eye showed me your convo with John. So you know that my Shadows have been fighting against Loyce this entire time."

From what John had told me, Inner Shadow Slipstream was holding off the entirety of Loyce's Outer Shadows and Subordinate Demon Lords all on his own. But if it was true that Loyce had been a Demon Lord that had conquered realities for eons on end and taken up Subordinate Demon Lords... just how big of an army was Jay up against?

"Billions, kid."

"What?!"

"Loyce has billions of Demon Lords under his wing. And each one of these Demon Lords has their own Generals and Demon Lord army. If you're talking about the number of subordinates, Inner Shadow Empire literally has a military force that dwarfs the entirety of The Black Legion Organization by countless orders of magnitude. Where did you think the Pretty Boy Conquerer got his Black Legion codename Empire from? No one matches Loyce in the sheer amount of followers he has. Smarts. Wit. Power. Combat. Armies. Nations. He has it all. This is the type of enemy who has turned against us.

"An absolute monster."

A lump formed in my throat.

"Then... this entire time, your forces have been holding them off? How many Outer Shadows do you even have?!"

Jay cracked his neck, the tattoos on his face and body were seriously making me feel uneasy. It was like I speaking to a mob boss or something.

"Forty-four."

"Forty-four Outer Shadows?!"

"Put two and two together, Dainsleif. Why do you think I've been summoned here after hearing about John's ridiculous plan to visit Chairon? With this raggedy-ass group of delinquents who can't even keep their composure just cuz some old geezer said something racist and misogynistic?"

I always figured there was more to Jason Hellion than meets the eye. There was no way someone with a Suijin Dogma and an All-Seeing Eye Evo could reach the status of an Inner Shadow. Looking back at it...

I stared at Inner Shadow Slipstream.

I never really knew who this man was.

From the very start, he had me completely fooled. He had all of us completely fooled.

The realization finally set in as Hellion regarded me through his orange-tinted shades.

Everything he had done was an act.

He had put on a guise of a complete asshole. Bullying and hazing Outer and Auxiliary Shadows. He even went as far as to try to put my Auxiliary Shadow, Sarah Ultear into having non-consensual sex, painting the picture of a complete scumbag.

When he was with Outer Shadow Transplant, he had given the impression of a loose cannon, someone who was overconfident with his abilities, enough for Yuyan to try and threaten him.

This man...

This man was far more deceiving and tactical than I would have imagined, and he had played me like a fiddle.

"I wouldn't describe my girls as Outer Shadows, as much as they wanna keep pesterin' me to refer to them as such. They're more like my operatives. Everybody under me works as a cohesive military unit. Frontlines in this war. Numbers alone don't mean jackshit without tactics. I've lived many lifetimes and led many campaigns. Loyce's forces have offset that advantage we have through sheer numbers. But that's all they got. You wanna know what it's like to be in a real war, Dainsleif? Then get to know what it's like. And make sure those fools take the experience to heart."

"Wait, hold up, did you just say girls? Who the hell have you been recruiting, exactly-"

"Dainsleif, we're ready to go," Sigurd said from behind me, as Bryce, Galeo, and Tina followed suit.

I turned back to Slipstream, but he had disappeared, his voice echoing around us.

"I'll be transporting you to one of our proxies. Make good use of your time. Hope you all learn quickly, because in my world? If you don't adapt, you die."

"Wait! You-" I yelped, as a swarm of Shadows began to surround us.

Sigurd ran to me, but several forces split us apart.

"What is this?" Sigurd exclaimed.

"Telekinetic force?" Tina asked.

I readied myself, my surroundings changing.

A cohesive unit.

A military regime.

This was how Inner Shadow Slipstream's company did things. Meaning if I slip up even once...

The consequences would be unimaginable.

I gritted my teeth, falling through reality, until I landed on a tiled ground, everything momentarily turning black.

I slowly regained consciousness, my eyes wandering around the environment and scanning, picking up information.

A chalkboard...

Rows and rows of desks with their chairs up.

Shadows... meaning a light source. On the left. Windows.

Was I in a classroom?

CLACK. JINGLE.

An AK!

I instantly scrambled under one of the desks, taking cover.

CHOOM CHOOM CHOOM CHOOM CHOOM.

Debris and splinters flew everywhere. I crawled to the next desk, keeping my head low.

The shooter was at the front of the classroom. From my position, I could make out...

A pair of shoes and girly socks???

Was I getting shot at by some little girl?

What was a schoolgirl doing with an AK47? What the hell was going on?

I regained my bearings, grabbing the legs of every desk I could find and forming a barrier around the girl.

"Most people who do that form a barricade around themselves, trapping them in. Intriguing."

CHOOM CHOOM CHOOM.

Stupid girl.

You just completely gave away your position by opening your mouth like that.

I didn't just crawl around for nothing. The entire time you were shooting, I had surveyed the entire room.

I was in a traditional Japanese-based classroom, and from the way your voice echoed across the walls of the surroundings, you weren't standing still. You were following me.

I led you to the back of the room for a reason.

I grabbed the leg of another desk and hurled it at the source of the voice, and was briefly able to make out the appearance of my attacker.

Just as I suspected, she had a build of a girl in high school at most. She was short, petite, and was wearing the traditional school uniform, with a blouse and dress, but slung over her shoulders was a bulletproof vest, and an army helmet. Her eyes seemed void of life, but her brown hair sat neatly around the sides of her head like a bob-cut.

And while I watched the desk fly in her direction, the girl darted the other way, going low.

Exactly to plan. Someone who was small like this girl wouldn't even think about going high. She would be the type to instantly duck or go low in response to a heavy object like a desk flying her way.

And at the back of a traditional Japanese-style classroom...

CRASH.

The girl spun around, in surprise.

"Lockers...!" The girl said as the entire row of lockers had been knocked off balance, falling on top of her.

SLAM!

I watched the dust and chaos recede, and slowly approached the girl, still on all fours until I was a few feet away from her.

There was no way she would come after me alone.

I swiped her AK47, spun around, exactly in my blind spot, and fired. I heard the sound of the bullet connecting with a weapon and metal warping.

Another girl yelped, losing balance.

"EEP! HE GOT ME!"

No. Not yet.

It wasn't over yet.

I dove for cover, narrowly missing what I presumed to be a shotgun blast.

I instantly crawled to the location of the first girl, jabbing the barrel of the AK to her throat.

"Drop your weapons and kneel in front of the chalkboard, unless you want to see your ally take an AK shell to the throat!" I snarled.

The shotgun girl slowly made her way to the front, but her shotgun was still in hand. While the girl who I presumed to be a sniper scurried to the front, her hands trembling.

Shotgun girl... her black hair was tied back, and the sniper girl had her hair tied back in pigtails.

I had no idea if this was supposed to be a fashion trend, but in a tactical sense, tying your hair back or shaving it down was standard on a battlefield.

Not to mention both of these girls were equipped head to toe with tactical gear. From camo pants to bulletproof vests, and utility belts.

"74-M, did that creepy man hurt you? Are you okay?!" The sniper girl wailed.

"HEY! SHUT UP! Don't call me a creepy man! Do as I said and kneel in front of the chalkboard!" I growled.

"EEK!!!"

The shotgun girl still didn't put her weapon down, glaring at me, but not before surveying the surroundings.

"He was able to instantly gauge out the layout of the classroom despite it varying slightly from the traditional... and immobilize 74-M without killing her. But even so, you don't deserve to live."

I gritted my teeth, pressing the barrel of the gun closer to 74-M's throat.

"Shotgun. On the ground, now."

"No. Because I know you won't shoot. Your face says you wouldn't want to because you already figured out who we are."

I smiled sinisterly.

"You wanna play that game? How many Outer Shadows have I killed for treason? This is an unsanctioned attack on an Outer Shadow of The Black Legion. You won't beat me in a battle of wits, girlie."

The shotgun girl's eyes widened, as she slowly dropped the shotgun to the ground, falling to her knees.

"Manipulative pervert," She muttered.

"We admit defeat. Please release us," 74-M said, in a deadpan voice.

I slowly let go, watching 74-M regroup with her two allies, and sat on the ground, crisscrossed.

All the while, little Miss Pigtails was still wailing.

"My sniper! He broke my sniper! WAAAAH!"

The shotgun girl never dropped her glare against me.

"You made 75-M cry. You're horrible."

Why the hell was I the horrible one?! You were the ones who shot me first!

74-M looked at me.

"Your weapon is still aimed at me," She remarked.

I tightened my grip on the gun.

"There's more of you here. Try anything and I pop 74-M. Judging from how you guys coordinated she must have been either the leader or a cornerstone to your operations team, given she was the front-line."

The shotgun girl closed her eyes.

"77-M, 78-M. Withdraw. Dainsleif has us in a bind."

Two more girls left their hiding spots inside the walls and dropped their weapons.

Both were semi-automatic. Neither of them had automatic weapons like the AK47 the first girl used.

Perfect for precise and aimed shots, with as little recoil as possible.

These girls...

They weren't for show.

"Master Hellion says you built a rapport hunting and surviving. Even with a five-doll-cell, we couldn't detain you."

I kept my grip on the gun. No way was I trusting anything they were saying.

74-M tilted her head.

"What can I say to make you lower your weapon?"

"Immobilize yourselves. Each one of you. Sitting down there with your weapons dropped means nothing to me unless I know you don't have any other tricks on your sleeves."

The shotgun girl, who I presumed to be 76-M clicked her tongue.

"Tch. He even saw past that too, huh."

"Wowee! Mister Dainsleif! You sure know your stuff!" 75-M said, happily.

"But you know... tactical warfare isn't just about surface-level knowledge. When it comes to tactics, every detail... every nook and cranny is important. And the way you're holding your gun is way too tight."

74-M's eyes flashed as I suddenly realized what I had done.

"Dainsleif of the Black Legion was known for using his firearms to fight tactically against loud opponents. But that leaves you with bad habits, as obscure as they are. In an environment where even the smallest detail can lead to a stealth op turning noisy, that's where you fall short."

I lowered my AK47, and realized exactly what Pigtails Girl meant.

I had boxed myself in by scoping so tightly... I had inadvertently put myself through tunnel vision, and the moment I had lowered my weapon, that was when I saw it.

Lights were all around me, that I never would have noticed if I hadn't lowered my gun.

Flashbangs...!

I leaped into the air, my brain operating on overdrive. 74-M had unleashed a flashbang array on either side, meaning if I kept my vision wide, I would have succumbed to the blinding effects.

But...

I scoped in again, to her surprise, taking aim at the little module that had interfaced with her eyes earlier and fired.

74-M flew backward, her head slamming against the wall. I landed on the ground and rushed forward, but not before 76-M pressed the barrel of her shotgun to my chest.

Their coordination and cohesiveness were ridiculous.

If even one member had screwed up, someone else was there to cover for them.

There was no time for indecision or reorganizing.

It was as if each member was telepathically linked or something to work together as a team.

"SS Ranked Outer Shadow Dainsleif. Immobilized," 76-M said.

I lowered my AK and did as I was told, with 76-M still prodding me in the back with her shotgun.

"Where are you guys taking me?" I asked.

"Chambers," 74-M answered.

We continued walking. All the while, I had inspected the rest of the "five-doll-cell". As far as I could tell, everybody seemed to be middle-high school-aged. Yet despite their appearances, the way they acted and conducted themselves was anything but.

From their habits and their walking patterns to the way they were constantly wary of their environments.

"We captured you today because we identified your pitfalls. In a real-world scenario, if you used Inner Shadow Gasket's weapons, we would realistically not have been able to detain an SS Ranked Outer Shadow. Your pitfalls would have been compensated by the sheer amount of technology in your arsenal," 74-M said.

"What about the others?" I asked.

"They should be wrapping up soon."

I glanced over at 74-M. She was completely devoid of emotion. Everything seemed calculated and planned out.

It kind of hurt to see someone at that age end up like this...

"I don't need your pity, Dainsleif."

"Wha-"

"I know what you are thinking. Because it is the same thinking as every person I have encountered. They pity us because of our circumstances. What could have been. But it was Master Hellion who gave us duty. That is enough."

"HEY HEY HEY!!!" 75-M poked her head into my field of view. Unlike the rest of her cell, 75-M was brimming with enthusiasm and emotion.

"Is it true that you beat an Inner Shadow in combat?"

"Yeah."

"That's so cool! You're great, wanna get married?"

I choked.

"N- No thanks. I have a fiancee..."

Who was at death's door. But I was hoping not for long.

75-M's eyes turned watery.

"Are you rejecting me?! But I'm great wife material! I can cook and I can clean and-"

"You tried shooting me with your sniper rifle a few minutes ago. And you're a teenager. I don't date minors. Sorry Pigtails."

75-M's jaw dropped.

"Don't call me Pigtails! My name is 75-M. A Tactical Doll for Master Hellion's Muon SFA Regiment."

"Tactical Doll?"

I was led into a dark room, sitting on one end of the table. 74-M sat on the other end and was flanked by the rest of the cell.

"Yes. We are the Tactical Doll Muon SFA Regiment, serving Inner Shadow Slipstream. I am 74-M, otherwise known as Outer Shadow M74."

An Outer Shadow...

"Then these girls are your Auxiliaries?"

"Yes. On paper, we are considered a five-doll-cell. We work together to act as a Special Forces Aggression unit. We were tasked by Inner Shadow Slipstream to assess and contain Dainsleif. The other SFA units were tasked each to handle the rest of your allies."

"Any idea how they're doing?"

M74 took out a paper and ran her hand over it. It still felt so weird seeing a little schoolgirl do something so corporate and professional with a straight deadpan expression.

"Sixshot and Sigurd were immobilized using specialized gear. The problem Shadows appear to have been Hellsing, who went after us with no hesitation, even injuring one of our dolls and sending her to the infirmary. Terra was extremely uncooperative, and required six tasers and eighteen sedatives to send to an unconscious state."

"Irk!"

I didn't want to imagine how Tina was going to react to being downed by little children, but seeing Bryce giving zero shits about who his opponents were was kind of refreshing to see.

I watched M74 cross her hands in front of me.

"Did you learn anything from this encounter?"

"Yeah... I guess my skillset wasn't very optimized for something like stealth tactical warfare?"

76-M leaned against the wall.

"Your entire career has been to fight enemies up front. Sometimes you would take unorthodox approaches, but it has always been loud. Judging from how you managed to give us all a run for our money for most of the encounter tells me you did have a background in reconnaissance and special operations that require indirect approaches, but given your history I'm guessing you had to go for a middle ground. Am I wrong?"

She was right. There was a time when I had to go the stealth route... but this was a completely different ball game. Habits that I had from the history of my career wouldn't fly in this line of work.

74-M put her hands on the table.

"Your skillset shines in a solo act. But as an Outer Shadow, you are responsible for your allies. If you cannot lead your subordinates, then you should not have them. That was the underlying philosophy Lord Slipstream made us uphold each and every day. The only reason we, as a company of only forty-four Outer Shadows, have survived this long. And continue to survive even amidst our war against Inner Shadow Empire's Demon Lords and Outer Shadows."

"Then what do you propose I do? The point of my being sent here was because I wanted to infiltrate Tiamar."

74-M shook her head.

"No. You won't infiltrate Tiamar. If the operation goes loud, you will have casualties on your side. One Space Marine is rated A Rank. A Space Marine Cohort contains thousands of Space Marines. If you go loud, Sixshot and Terra will die."

"So I've been sent here to learn how to act more like a soldier."

"Yep, we're gonna learn so much about you!" 75-M clutched my arm, giggling.

"From your habits to your thought processes. To your personality. We will extract as much information about you, information that we cannot possibly access from your file. The same goes for the other Shadows. Only then, will we see if you are fit to enter Tiamar," 74-M said.

BZZT BZZT.

77-M reached into her pocket and pulled out a device, which was beeping red.

"77-M, report," 74-M said.

The Auxiliary leaned in and whispered in her ear. But I could tell from the movements of her lips what she was saying.

"An entire cell was wiped out?" I asked.

76-M's eye twitched in annoyance.

"You sure love eavesdropping, don't you, pervert gunman?"

Pervert gunman?!

"No, I just thought that you guys were handling the situation just fine, is all."

74-M closed her eyes, getting to her feet.

"What cell was this?"

"SFA-L. The whole cell was slaughtered. The mission turned noisy and one of the Generals notified the Demon Lord. He personally saw fit to execute each doll with his bare hands."

"I'm sorry," I said.

74-M headed to the door.

"If we had time to feel sorry for all the people we have lost, we would have since regained our innocence. This is war. SFA-L's destruction along with our sisters was inevitable. As with us. We live each day knowing there is a chance that it will be our last. That is what it means to be a Doll."

"But... they're still your allies, aren't they? If you have time to watch over me, then you have time to-"

SHHK SHHK.

"Another word out of you, and this room will be decorated with your brains!" 76-M growled as 77-M and 78-M held her back.

"Dainsleif, let's head to the main living quarters, kay?" 75-M urged.

"Uh, okay."

I let Pigtails lead me to the living room, which was elegant and decorated with expensive architecture. At the center was a large glass table with numerous sofas surrounding it.

I sat down on one of the sofas, with Pigtails sitting across from me. The two of us were silent, the sounds of 76-M threatening bloody murder from the interrogation room echoed in the background.

"75-M. Watch over our guest. I will report to Inner Shadow Slipstream to discuss the incident."

"Kaaaaaay."

We watched as 74-M opened the door, leaving the safehouse.

There was no way Outer Shadow M74 didn't feel any remorse... that would mean she had become a complete emotionless husk.

I knew she didn't want me to feel any pity, but how could I not? Someone her age should have been playing around with makeup, going out with friends, gossiping, and doing schoolgirl things.

Not dealing with the death of someone her own age with a cold and apathetic demeanor.

"It happens a lot."

I turned to Pigtails with a look of surprise.

"Really? But I thought you guys said you've been fighting Loyce's forces with little to no casualties through tactics and-"

"If that was true, we'd be the best-armed forces in existence! Hehe, how naive of you, Mister Dainsleif! I expected more from the smartest Outer Shadow of the Organization."

"You're making it real difficult for me to not try to yank at your pigtails right now."

Pigtails giggled again, putting her knees to her chin.

"Miss 74-M does have feelings. But she knows better than to let them out at a time like this. After all, we do have history. Each and every one of us. By the way, what are your thoughts on Master Hellion? Be honest with me, Mister Dainsleif. I can tell if you're lying."

I suddenly felt a twinge of caution, noticing that under that cutesy smile, there was something else there.

75-M was reading me like a book the entire time.

If I was being dishonest, I had a feeling she could tell right away.

"I think he's a lolicon. Who recruits a bunch of little girls to do his bidding. If he wasn't a cop I would have 999'd his ass the first chance I got," I admitted.

"PFFTTAHAHAHAHAHA!" Pigtails laughed, kicking the air with her feet.

"You're great! Marry me after this is over."

"In your dreams."

As we were talking, a door opened revealing 76-M, along with the other two operatives.

"74-M has a mission for us. Details uploaded to the secure line. It's going to be a clean-house operation."

"Wait, she has a mission right after being given the news about a whole cell dying?" I asked.

76-M narrowed her eyes to me.

"Did you really think we have the luxury of mourning when we're in the middle of a warzone? 75, 77, 78, and 74 will be doing the clean. I will survey since I specialize in CQC. Dainsleif, you will not be participating."

"I think I've refreshed my special operations skills a bit-"

"No. We do not take shortcuts in the SFA. Mistakes cost lives."

75-M put her elbow on my shoulder.

"Did you wanna be on a mission so badly with me? You dirty boy!"

I got up, ignoring 75 as she slipped and faceplanted on the floor with a noticeable

"URP!"

"When are you deploying?" I asked 76-M.

"Now. 74-M is already on the chopper. You will be with me, and you will watch how we do these missions."

I was going to say something but decided against it. These people knew what they were doing.

I needed to take this opportunity to figure out what I was lacking.

A few moments later, 76-M and I sat in a room full of screens.

"Can you at least tell me where the op is?" I asked.

76 glued her eyes to the screen, unresponsive.

"Isphixis. The clean-house operation involves cutting down the coordinators behind Demon Queen Freya's logistics and planning."

"Freya..."

Outer Shadow Frey...? But...

Frey didn't deserve any of this. She was one of the more benevolent leaders, her whole schtick was putting her people first and-

"Listen here, Ero-Gunman. I may not be as skilled as 75-M in terms of reading people, but even I recognize the look of a soldier who puts emotion before duty. I don't care who Freya is and how nice she was. To lump multiple responsibilities into one building and one cohort means an attack point. That's all this is."

"But-"

76-M turned to me with an annoyed expression.

"Freya chose to side with Loyce. It was her decision to make an enemy out of The Black Legion. Don't tell me the Organization's greatest Outer Shadow cannot see that?"

"76. Muon 1. Entering north gate."

"Acknowledged, Muon 1."

"76. Muon 2. Entering west gate. Six bogeys on the outer perimeter. Estimated four yards. Clear?"

"Acknowledged, Muon 2. Proceed."

I heard the sounds of suppressed firearms, then the sounds of bodies crumpling to the ground.

"Targets disposed of. Confirmation shots fired."

I stared at the bodies of several Greater Furies, who were being dragged by the girls by their necks, their bodies surrounded by Shadows.

Moments before they dissipated, the girls slit their throats one last time.

Confirmed kills.

These Furies... Freya had treated them like family. I remember visiting Frey in the past, and she always treated her people kindly.

To see them being gunned down and their throats slit open like this was beyond difficult to stomach.

But even worse, was the looks on the girls' faces.

None of them were at all fazed.

Even I recognize the look of a soldier who puts emotion before duty.

Was this what Jay wanted me to see?

"Secure the side room. 75," 76-M said.

From the body-camera feed, I could make out 75-M taking aim with her sniper rifle and aiming through an open pocket.

SNIP. SNIP. SNIP.

Three bodies crumpled to the ground, as a pregnant Fury screamed, but her voice wasn't being heard because of the sound-proof netting that Muon 1 had put all around the perimeter of the room.

The Fury fell to the ground, pleading for 74-M to hold her fire.

"Please... please! Don't shoot! Oh god! Please don't shoot!" The woman begged.

"On the ground," I heard 74-M reply through her body camera, but the woman scrambled back, hysterically sobbing.

SNIP SNIP.

The woman crumpled to the ground, lifeless.

74-M had shot her without any hesitation, ending her life.

"If a target refuses to follow orders, they are dropped as if they are an enemy," 76-M said.

"Without question."

I blinked, staring at the feed.

"But... what if they were just panicking and-"

"If they refuse to follow instructions, they are bogies."

I clenched my teeth, watching the camera feed of each person in the operation. The way they were intricately and precisely lining up their movements, setting up traps in a tactical manner.

Even their movements were so well thought out. There was virtually no way the squad could be caught in any blind spots because each person had covered their blindspots perfectly by their team member.

"That look in your eyes. I dislike it," 76-M said.

"Huh?"

76-M didn't turn around, but I could see from the corner of her face a look of irritation.

"I see why Master Hellion had brought you to us. If seeing 74-M shoot that pregnant Fury was enough to make you lose your composure, then even you are not qualified for Tiamar. A warzone requires warzone mentality. This is how we have survived. This is how you will survive."

76 continued watching the feed, interfacing with her squad members in the SFA with cold-hearted efficiency.

These weren't little girls.

They were trained, and highly lethal killers.

"76, visual sighted."

The two of us focused on one screen, which was 78's bodycam.

In front of her, through the hallway, was a large creature with two horns.

"Our weapons are ineffective. Suggest STDP."

"Commence. Going radio silent."

"Huh? Radio silent? Why? What's STDP?" I asked.

76 pushed herself out of the screens and grabbed her shotgun, dragging me by the ear until we were crouched down behind a sofa.

"STDP stands for Shadow Transport Disposal Protocol."

"Shadow..."

A mass of darkness formed at the center of the living room as 76-M tossed an object into the writhing mass. Several magic circles appeared in a hexagonal formation.

An anti-magic barrier.

SHHK SHHK.

76-M took aim, as the monster suddenly manifested from the Shadows, stumbling around and snarling.

"What... what is this? Where am I? Communications... communications are cut?! Where did you take me?" The monster bellowed.

"The Shadows transport enemies that are too resilient to our standard burst and semi automatic rifles here for deletion. Stay out of this, Dainsleif. You are a spectator only."

I watched 76-M leap from behind the sofa, approaching the towering monster with her shotgun cocked back, her oversized jacket dragging across the floor.

"When conventional takedown methods are ineffective, that is where I take over," 76-M said, aiming her weapon at the beast.

BLAM. BLAM. BLAM.

The monster buckled, keeling over and slamming into the ground.

76-M stood above the monster and pressed the barrel to the monster's throat, firing.

"Shadows, dispose of the body."

Understood.

I watched 76-M return to the console, her eyes glued to the screens once more.

It was like watching a well-oiled machine. Everything was systematic. There was no room for error and hesitation. If it had been me, I would have skirted around and used Aspectum or something to verify its weak points and shoot it down with an ACR.

But 76-M didn't take any extra steps, and proceeded with three shotgun blasts that were arbitrarily aimed at varying points of the body, namely the motor units, and the spread of the gun would inevitably hit any weak points. The Auxiliary Shadow then proceeded to take a full shot at the identified weak area, confirming the kill.

I stared at the girl in disbelief.

This was the type of system Inner Shadow Slipstream had at his disposal.

The level of meticulousness and procedure that went into their operations...

These were real soldiers.

True soldiers who were necessary to hold off the overwhelming forces of Loyce Hal.

Tactical War Dolls

"Girls. Let's go," 76-M said, causing everybody to single file at the door.

"Where's everybody going?" I asked.

Another mission? After this one?

There was no way any human could keep up with this work rate.

75-M turned to me with a grim look, which startled me, given how she usually had that cutesy smile on her face 24/7.

"There's a sale at the mall. We will not miss this opportunity like last time."

...

"What the hell happened to being a cohesive unit?" I grumbled.

"It is important for soldiers to have downtime. No one is immune to burnout," 74-M said while continuing to type on her computer display.

"You're not gonna go with them?"

"I am needed here. And I don't care for clothes."

75-M leaned close to me, whispering in my ear.

"She's just insecure about going out when there's a boy in our cohort-"

SMACK.

"Be sure to dispose of any corpses along the way," 74-M said to the rest of the team, who dragged 75-M out of the door.

I leaned against the doorframe, but not before 76 grabbed me by the cuff of my shirt.

"Do anything to 74 and you will answer to the entirety of the SFA-M company," She snarled.

"Yes ma'am, sorry ma'am, nice rack ma'am," I stammered, nervously.

76's face turned murderously dark.

"The only thing protecting your genitals is that lofty SS Rank title above your head."

And on that happy note, I was left sitting on the ground before Outer Shadow M74, who continued typing on the computer.

"Whatcha doing?" I asked.

"Filing hours. Bookkeeping is paramount in the structure of the SFA."

"Oh."

Time seemed to pass like centuries with each second the clock ticked.

Maybe I should have just gone with the rest of the girls and offered to carry all their stuff.

"76-M informed me of your uneasiness when you witnessed me eliminating that pregnant Fury."

My ears turned hot.

"I get it, it was part of the mission. We gotta do what we gotta do."

"And was she correct?"

"Yeah," I admitted, gazing at the far edges of the living room. Outside the windows was a futuristic-looking city, but the sky was dark, with nothing but the lights of the buildings in the distance.

"I know you're against me going to Tiamar, but we don't have a choice. If we need to slay Sarina Ultear, we need a hero, and-"

"There are other heroes, no? Why must it be Auxiliary Shadow Ultear? Romance is dangerous on the battlefield."

I pursed my lips.

"I don't know what you've been through, so I don't think there's any point in trying to explain my reasoning."

74-M closed the lid of her laptop and stood up, her bangs cast a shadow over her eyes.

"I am Tactical Doll 74-M of the SFA-Muon Company. I specialize in rifles and field combat coordination. In the Black Legion, I am rated Elite Tier A+ Rank. Is that enough information for you to-"

"That doesn't explain anything. I already know these things, and could easily figure it out from first glance."

"Then what else is there to know? Logic is all you need. In a battlefield-"

"In a battlefield..." I cut 74-M off, sitting down on an office chair and resting my hand against the headrest.

"...knowing an ally's psychology offers a better way to streamline combat decisions. Wouldn't you agree?"

74-M clenched her teeth.

"You were assigned to me. I was tasked to expose you to the way a soldier thinks so you could prepare for Tiamar."

"Have you thought that maybe Jay's assignment could potentially be two-way?"

74 eyed her helmet and vest, which were neatly hung up by the door.

"What exactly is it that you want to know about me?"

I put a finger to my chin.

"Hmmm, I guess how did you get recruited by Hellion, maybe? Did he stalk you in your school or something? I honestly didn't expect him to be a lolicon of all things."

I watched 74-M run a hand through her hair. I meant it as a joke, but I was genuinely curious.

What could have happened to this girl that would have taken away what she could have been, to turn into this cold-blooded killer?

"My Inner Shadow is not a lolicon."

...

"Umm, yeah. I certainly hope not."

"Sergeant Jason Hellion saved my life. He saved all of our lives. I am aware that some Inner Shadows recruit their Outer Shadows through interdimensional travel. That was how your Inner Shadow recruited his subordinates. However, my Master did not. For all of his Outer Shadows, and consequently, our Auxiliary Shadows came from the same place."

"The same place... so..."

I gazed outside, and 74-M nodded in response.

"Out there... a monster had run loose. For years we did not know how it came about, but one day, a race of monster entities invaded our world and released a deadly toxin that killed all humans above the age of sixteen. The monsters then proceeded to slaughter the remaining children who walked this planet. My battle sisters... we were students of The Azure All-Girls Academy."

I turned back to M74.

"You mean to tell me... that Jay had rescued you guys... not because of his fetishes?"

74-M walked past me, running her hand over her combat vest.

"Lord Hellion not only saved us. He made us strong. It was through him that we were able to survive the first wave. But... ultimately we were not strong enough. No matter how much training he had given us. Each one of us was slaughtered before his very eyes. And it would be the first and last time I ever saw genuine despair in his face. We were like the daughters he never had, and to have us ripped apart by that beast was something that broke the unbreakable man we all looked up to like a father."

I blinked.

"Then how are you talking to me right now? Wouldn't that mean... you guys..."

74-M reached behind her shirt and unbuttoned it, revealing several compartments around her skin.

"We were all rebuilt. Repurposed. No matter how many years go by, our bodies will remain the same. I may look like a middle schooler, Dainsleif, but in reality, I am twenty-four years old."

I stumbled back.

"Holy shit! You're even older than me! You're literally a loli!"

"Call me a loli one more time and we can save 76-M the trouble of severing your genitals."

"Sorry, ma'am."

74-M slowly buttoned back her shirt and sat down at her desk.

"Earlier, you harbored many negative views on my Inner Shadow. I hold little to no regard for any of these views. Because that is further confirmation I have of my Inner Shadow's abilities. It is true. He is harsh and he is strict. But if it was not for his training regime, we would all have succumbed to cyber-psychosis the day we had our bodies rebuilt into tactical machines. No matter what anyone thinks of my Inner Shadow, he will forever be the man who gave us the strength to continue forward, as many of us had our lives destroyed. We were all just children that day, little girls who had the corpses of our mommies and daddies engrained in our minds."

I watched as the Outer Shadow shifted the helmet and her uniform, revealing the Black Legion crest.

"The only time I will ever go against his wishes would be his insistence on us refraining from showing our pride as his Outer Shadows. I am proud to be his Outer Shadow."

I smiled.

"I bet."

"You don't believe me?"

"Do you need 75-M to come over and verify the genuity of what I said?" I asked, approaching 74-M, and getting on one knee.

"I will be in your care, Outer Shadow M74. And thank you, for being genuine with me. I promise to give it my best and to learn as much as I can from you."

74-M was silent for a few moments, before holding out her hand before me.

"Rise, Outer Shadow Dainsleif. We still have a lot of work to do."

I took her hand and got to my feet.

"You mind if I ask you something else?"

M74 raised an eyebrow.

"And what's that?"

"When you shot that Fury... did you really not feel anything?"

The Outer Shadow regarded me with a deadpan expression.

BZZT. BZZT.

74-M pulled out her coms unit.

"An incident has occurred."

"Another one? How long are you gonna be gone? I kinda don't want to spend the rest of my days here being a stay-at-home househusband, thank you very much."

"You are coming with me."

"Huh?"

74-M opened the door, revealing a warp gate.

"Inner Shadow Slipstream's orders."

I was introduced to the other Outer Shadows of Jay Hellion.

"How many boy toys will you drag into this mess, M74?" A girl perched in her seat like a pelican, nibbling on a piece of licorice.

"Introduce yourself, Outer Shadow," 74 said to me.

"SS Ranked Outer Shadow Dainsleif, reporting to Inner Shadow Gasket. I am under the care of Outer Shadow M74."

The licorice dropped from the girl's hand.

Damn right. About time someone paid me some long-due respect. Being the greatest Outer Shadow was no walk in the park.

"Eww! Isn't he that disgusting pervert who took pictures of Outer Shadow Frey's panties?"

WTF.

"Yes, he also made 75-M cry on their first encounter."

You damn bitch!

Several other girls entered the chamber, a large glass table in a dark room with a hologram of the Black Legion crest at the center.

And along with them, were the others.

"Aaron!" Sigurd said.

"Annie, damn does it feel good to see a full-grown woman for once!" I exclaimed.

M74 gave me a death glare, but I ignored her and wrapped my Auxiliary Shadow in a hug.

"Bryce? Where's Bryce?"

"Here. Bossman."

I smirked.

I always wondered how Bryce was with kids. The thought of The Champion of Philadelphia getting jumped by sixteen-year-old schoolgirls had to be as hilarious as what I imagined.

I turned around to see Bryce Jones, with his patron Tactical War Doll sobbing...?

"You didn't have to hit me!" The girl said.

Bryce glared at the doll.

"You shut your goddamn trap, you brat."

"EEP! But... but we contained you! Show Big Sis D43 some much-needed respect!"

"Using a Chiyo Tachibana cosplay to lower my guard and strike me from behind don't count as contained. And I'll never show respect to some four-foot white girl tryna give me orders."

"WHY YOU...! There's still a lot of things you need to learn! I have a whole syllabus for you! Starting with learning how to respect your seniors, and the same basic training Master Hellion made us go through!"

"I cleared Basic yesterday."

Outer Shadow D43 gulped, a blush forming from embarrassment.

"B- But... your temper could... use some improv-"

"Huh? The fuck you just say 'bout my temper?" Bryce leaned in, his red eyes glowing through the shadow his dreadlocks formed on his face.

D43 looked like she was about to swallow a mouse, but before she could, Bryce averted his glare.

"I'm workin' on it," He muttered.

D43 stared at Hellsing, her blush deepening.

Thank god Bryce Jackson Jones was into Asians.

I turned back to M74, who gave me an irritated expression.

"Mouth off to me and you will never use the bathroom the same way again."

Of course, I would be the one with the short end of every stick in the multiverse.

"Sigurd, how was your experience with Slipstream's Shadows?"

Sigurd turned to her patron.

"Outer Shadow A26 taught me the elements of effective combat. However, my deficiencies lie... in more personal aspects. Not so much war-based."

A26 approached Annie's side.

"Of all the Shadows, Auxiliary Shadow Sigurd is the most fit for Tiamar. However, it is my understanding that she wishes to harness an infamously colossal upgrade. As we Tactical Dolls are of a similar make as TX7F, we will do as much as we can for her."

Another doll crossed her arms.

"So as to keep all of us from doing what we need to do. While our sisters are getting killed out there by that Rogue Deicider's Shadows, we must play babysitter?"

"T92, this was an order issued by Master Hellion. Or are you suggesting that his order is unwise?"

T92 pursed her lips.

"At least your guest wasn't a complete problem child."

"MMF! MMF! URF! MMF!" Tina growled from within her binds.

Ah.

Yeah, that makes sense.

But among the group, there was one person missing.

"Where's Outer Shadow Sixshot?" I asked.

74-M poked my shoulder.

"Something happened to him during his scuffle with R68. We suspect he may have suffered from a trauma attack when one of R68's Dolls wielded a fake Bolt Carbide to harness his psychological weaknesses. I fear that of all the Shadows, Galeo Ixian may be the most unfit due to his past in Tiamar."

My eyebrows knit together in concern.

"Galeo..."

M74 pulled me to her seat, forcing me to kneel beside her.

"Your focus should be on your own problems. Ero-Gunman."

"IRK!"

Footsteps echoed across the room which caused the commotion to die down.

From the shadows, a tall man approached the front, flanked by a Doll who was wearing an eyepatch.

"Who's the girl next to Hellion?" I whispered.

"Outer Shadow A0, our ace," 74-M replied.

"Ace...?"

"Yes. Similar to how you are Inner Shadow Gasket's Ace. In our case, Zero-A is the greatest of all of us. She was the first to be recruited by Master Hellion and was the first to be rebuilt. In terms of rating, she is considered High Tier S~ Rank."

I inspected Zero-A, noting down the gear she had on.

Minus the missing eye, it was like she had her loadout honed down for mid-range combat.

"Is she a front-line fighter?" I asked.

"None of us are, but in terms of being on the field, 0-A is responsible for leading her task force on offensives. She's also one of the very few Dolls who are permitted to fight alongside Master Hellion. That's the level of skill and command she has. As you may have guessed, Master Hellion prefers to keep us from fighting aggressively since we aren't equipped to do so."

Zero-A stood by Jay's side and started the meeting.

"Incident brief commencing."

One of the Dolls leaned forward.

"Another cell has been destroyed?"

"Five cells."

I sensed a wave of uneasiness ripple across the assembly.

"Master Hellion, we need to withdraw our level of aggression. Maybe a guerilla approach?" T92 suggested but was cut off by A0 with a glare.

"If we lean on guerilla warfare even further than we have, we are providing Loyce with more of a reason to push his forces even further. What we have is the best we can do."

"Our sisters are being slaughtered out there by those Demon Lords! Five cells?! We're down to thirty-eight units now! We can't keep pushing like this. It hasn't even been two months and we've lost 24 percent of us... even if we are talking about strategy this is killing us!"

Jay slammed his hand against the table, causing T92 to sink back in her chair, her face filled with bewilderment.

"We continue with what we are doing."

T92 stared at the Inner Shadow with disbelief.

"Yes sir," She muttered.

Jay tapped on a console in front of him, bringing up a number of statistics on the hologram in front of us.

"If we go with heavier guerilla tactics, A0 is right. We're givin' Loyce more incentive to push his forces because he knows we're hesitant to fight back. But the recent fatalities haven't been because of Demon Lords. Or Loyce's Outer Shadows."

I clenched my fist, the image of Jekyll appearing in my mind.

"Is it the Vessels?" I asked, causing everybody to turn to me in surprise.

Jay's gaze shifted to me.

"No. They haven't tried anything yet, since attempting to fight Inner Shadow Reaper, they've realized that they aren't anywhere near ready to mount any offensives. The only threat right now is Inner Shadow Empire's forces."

"The issue is more localized than that, Outer Shadow Dainsleif. We are led to believe that we have a mole in our ranks," A0 said.

The air turned tense. Some of the Outer Shadows were sending side eyes to one another.

Even M74 looked uneasy, her grip tightening on the edge of her seat.

"A mole...? But 74, you said that Jay saved all of your lives, who would be stupid enough to betray him?" I asked.

74 didn't respond, her face pale.

Jay got up, reviewing the bodycam footage of his operatives.

The holograms captured one operation - a massive serpent in the sky which was sending waves of fire across a world and demolishing buildings left and right. From the distance, a Tactical Doll waved a signal and unleashed several mortars which damaged the serpent's hide, with several Dolls flanking the creature and shooting restraining webs.

"This was an offensive led by B33. Her Dolls were responsible for subduing Demon Lord Duriel. The process went smoothly, with the task force being able to neutralize the Demon Lord's commanders successively, and sending the chain of command into chaos. The group backed Duriel into a corner and forced him to enter his serpentine mode. We were close to finishing him off, but something went wrong."

Duriel roared into the sky, magic circles appearing in the clouds and sending a strange sludge to the city, swamping all the buildings, the electrical netting, and consequently, half the SFA.

"SFA Beta Unit's strategy failed instantly, and the sludge broke through their contingency. This was suspiciously well-planned for Duriel. 34-B had informed the company that Duriel was not the type to form a strategy that precise," A0 said.

One of the Dolls raised her hand.

"But... how is that enough for us to conclude that it was from our side?"

A0 swiped her hand, revealing the properties of the netting.

"The Restraint Tactical Netting circuit schematic was designed such that the current draw is highly resistant to any outside factors. The way the sludge worked was it formed a parallel circuit with the flesh-net interface, reducing the current draw of the mechanism right down to the small window we had designed it to be. A resistance value that, by natural means, would have been almost impossible to precisely achieve. Yet somehow, this sludge achieved just that."

A0 turned to Jay, who paced back and forth, a hand to his chin. I half expected him to explode and call us all jackasses or something like the typical Jay Hellion we all knew, but that facade was long gone.

What we were looking at was Inner Shadow Slipstream.

"I already know who you are. All Seeing Eye shows all. It isn't too late to speak to me about it, we can discuss it after the meeting in private."

Everybody was silent for a few seconds.

"Was it you, 74?" I blurted out.

Shit on a stick!

"HUH?!" 74 shot to her feet, her face beet red.

"How dare you accuse me of something like that? Can you not read the room?!"

"S- Sorry! I didn't mean to, my condition's worsening, and sometimes I blurt things ou- OW OW OW OW OW!" I yelped as M74 shoved the barrel of her rifle into my mouth.

"After everything, I and SFA-Muon lectured you about and you go and embarrass me in front of not just Master Hellion but Zero-A of all people?! You really are a GPITA you insufferable moron!"

"Wait! 74, calm down! We're in a meeting, you're making things worse!" I said, causing 74-M to freeze, her eyes wide in embarrassment.

My patron Doll slowly turned around to see Zero A eyeing her with a blank look.

From the corner of my vision, I could make out Annie and Bryce doing their best to try to not look like they were affiliated with me.

Thanks for the support, guys.

Jay regarded us with cold dead eyes.

"74-M. Dainsleif. This is your first warning."

74 slid back in her seat, sweating profusely. It was kind of funny seeing her like this, a girl who played all business corporate all shocked like that. Maybe I was a total sadist.

"As of now, I will be freezing operations," Jay said. The tension in the air tightened again.

Even A0 turned to her Inner Shadow with a look of surprise.

"How long will this last?"

"As long as it needs to. There's no point trying to force my operatives on missions if they are not in the right mindset. I could have kept the mole under wraps, but even then suspicion and intrigue would cascade amongst you girls. I'll cover all the missions until each one of you reinforces your ideals. I don't want anyone succumbing to their feelings. The fault of this mole is mine and I will accept that responsibility."

Memories of John Crassman getting his eye slashed out by Loyce appeared in my mind.

"No. Jay, are you for real? Didn't you see what happened to Reaper? You're gonna fight the entirety of Loyce's forces on your own?" I asked.

Jay removed his shades.

"74-M, reprimand your soldier."

74 slammed me into the desk, causing Bryce and Sigurd to react, but Jay held out his hand, pinning the two Auxiliary Shadows in place.

"Now I'm not gonna say this again. In here, you are a soldier, and I am your commander. Talking back to me has consequences. M74, at position."

74 closed her eyes and approached Hellion, bowing before the Inner Shadow.

"At attention, Master Hellion."

"You will be assigned cleaning duty."

I stared at 74-M, who kept her head low, but I could see that she was gritting her teeth.

"Understood. I will assign tasks to my unit according-"

"No. Only you will be doing the cleaning."

What?

"That's not fair! I was the one who spoke up against you, what does M74 have anything to do with-"

"Dainsleif!" 74-M shouted, startling me. Her eyes were bloodshot.

"You keep quiet and know your place in this unit. Do I make myself clear?" She growled.

"Y- Yes, ma'am."

Jay crossed his arms.

"For that little emotional outburst, you will also be assigned wall patrol. Acknowledge."

"Yes, sir."

The rest of the Shadows kept quiet, but many were secretly laughing at 74-M. I could tell from the micro-movements in their faces.

They were laughing at her.

Cleaning duty and wall patrol must have been the lowest of the low.

"Meeting adjourned. Dismissed," A0 said.

And with that, we were all sent back to our respective residences.

I followed Outer Shadow M74 back to her residence, but the entire time, she refused to talk to me.

Or even look at me.

Despite that, I knew exactly what she looked like. All of her movements and her body language, as much as she tried to contain it, was immediately obvious to me.

74-M was devastated.

"Hey, 74, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Shut up. As long as you know what you did wrong, then do not repeat that mistake."

"But still, the blame was put on you! That's not-"

"Fair? Was that what you were going to say?"

74-M turned around me, the wind brushing her bangs across her face.

"In a unit, the mistakes of the subordinates are the responsibility of the commander. When any of the subordinates under my command make a mistake or speak out, it is because I failed to train them properly. The fault falls entirely on me. A0 wouldn't have had her subordinates lash out like that, which was why this incident... has made me fall back to square one..."

74 fiercely wiped her nose with her sleeve.

"Regardless, I will see you back to the residence. 76-M will deal your punishment."

"Huh?! Wait! I know what I did was bad but please, don't make 76-M the one to deal the punishment! I'd rather die!"

"You'd rather someone else do it?"

"Y- Yeah... how about 75-M?" I asked sheepishly.

74-M raised an eyebrow.

"How simple-minded boys are. Your funeral. I will assign 75-M with your punishment."

How was that my funeral...? 75-M was the sweetest girl ever. I seriously couldn't imagine my punishment to be that bad.

The worst I could think of was maybe a forced tea party or something.

Aaron Hope and Seven Four

"Honey, I'm home!" 75-M hummed, skipping around the residence and running her hand over the table.

"Mmf... mmf..." I grumbled, letting 75 sit on top of my back. She was surprisingly light for a War Doll. Considering Robbie's robot form was at least several tons. And when Annie had first introduced her Rev 1 Assault Form, she was several hundred kilograms herself (she wasn't very happy with me pointing that out).

"Mister Horsey, who is the prettiest girl in the world?"

"Mmf, mmfoo mmr," I replied.

"Awww! You're so adorable! KAWAII! Let's get married after your punishment is over, kay?"

Demon Lord Loyce... if you truly are omnipotent... please end my suffering. I'd take some Alogigenesis or Supercosmic Antares Fart Gas if it means saving me the trouble of going through 75's punishment.

SNAP.

"EEEAGHH!" I yelped, and the cloth fell out of my mouth as I stumbled back.

75-M tilted her head, crazily, smacking her hand with the back of a spatula.

"87-F was born in Japan, and apparently, in Japan eating horse meat is a delicacy. You totally ignored my proposal, so a useless horsey means food!"

What the hell.

What the hell?!

This chick was crazy!!!

RING RING RING RING RING.

75-M pulled out her phone, making an annoyed expression.

"Tch! Just when things were about to get fun too. Welp! Looks like your punishment is over!"

You mother-

Embodiment of Wrath: YAKSHA MODE

"DAMN LOLI!" I roared, as 75-M yelped, scurrying back.

"But- But Aaron! It was supposed to be your punishment! I'm sorry!!!"

"GRRRRARRRR you sure don't look sorry!" I growled, the white chakra flowing off my body and illuminating my horns and goblin-like appearance.

"Cute sniper you got there, girlie, wanna take a look at mine?" I asked maliciously.

"Is... Is that a sexual innuendo...?" 75-M smiled nervously.

Convocatio: Gun Summoning: ULTIMATE IRONSIGHT

I pulled my Ironsight Sniper and aimed it at the Tactical War Doll, whose legs began shivering.

"UUUUWAAAAAAH! 74! 74 THE ERO-GUNMAN IS GOING TO SHOOT HIS MASSIVE SNIPER BULLETS INSIDE ME!"

"Don't phrase it like that!"

I put my Ironsight down, my Yaksha Mode dissipating, but the moment it dissipated, I stumbled forward, catching my balance against the counter and setting the sniper to the side.

76-M rushed into the living room and caught me before I could collapse.

"You stupid red-eyed pervert! Why did you push yourself like that? You were starting to recover!"

"Ask... 75... and her... weird fetishes..." I heaved, trying to catch my breath.

76 led me to the sofa and sat me down, but not before shooting 75-M a glare.

"74 has cleaning duty, did you forget?"

75 sniffled, wiping her eyes.

"All because of Aaron-dearest's emotional outburst, though! It's not my fault!"

"Did you really think he wasn't going to get you back for everything you did once the punishment was over? You're about as stupid as you look, you damn pick-me girl."

"AAH! You called me a pick-me girl! You meanie!"

76-M ignored her colleague as she propped her shotgun against the wall of her room.

"I thought Master Hellion froze all our ops?" I asked.

"Yes, but we still do routine practice drills to hone our operations and simulations. 77 and 78 are actually working on target practice if you're interested."

I nervously scooted away from 76-M, taking up defensive measures.

"What's going on here? You're being creepily nice."

"What are you talking about? I am nice, you red-eyed asshole!"

"Ah. There it is. Forget I said anything."

76 rested her arm against the edge of the sofa.

"74-M arrived home and she was not in her right conscience. When I asked her what had happened, she replied by calling you an idiot."

"Like... a baka idiot or just an idiot idiot?"

"What the hell kind of a question is that?"

75 laid on the couch, resting her head against my right leg.

"Miss Seven Four isn't very vocal about her feelings. But yes, she did seem uneasy when she went to do Cleaning. Makes sense though, since Cleaning and Wall Duty are the absolute lowest jobs ever. We usually have boys do it."

Apologize to all the boys in the multiverse for that insult!

I recalled my conversation with 74. I think I had a pretty good idea why she was upset.

"Can you guys tell me more about A0?" I asked.

76 looked at 75, who pursed her lips.

"Mmmm, I don't know if we should talk about that..." 75 said.

"74-M wishes to catch up to her. She's had a crush on 0-A ever since they were in middle school."

"GAH!" 75 stared at her colleague, her jaw opened wide.

"What? Dainsleif wanted to know and I told him!"

"But... but it's embarrassing..."

"He'll be fine. He's SS Ranked-"

"Damn, so it's like girl on gir- I mean Doll on Dol- I mean a romantic incentive! I see. Yes," I stumbled all over my words, and was promptly given the disgusted faces of both 75-M and 76-M.

"How on Earth did some hormonal pervert like you get rated SS Rank?" 76-M muttered.

I got to my feet.

"Shadows. Take me to Lord Hellion. I request a council with Inner Shadow Slipstream."

As you wish. Outer Shadow Dainsleif.

76-M got to her feet.

"What are you doing? Was 74's punishment not enough for you?"

"I'm not gonna ask for her punishment to be rescinded."

"Then what are you going to talk to Master Hellion for? He's a busy man. He doesn't have time for your shenanigans!" 76-M exclaimed.

"Eegh..." 74 froze dead in her tracks, mop in hand, loose strands of hair popped from her head.

"Surprise! Looks like I'm assigned to cleaning duty alongside you! Relax, I've cleaned before, I helped Master Jun build his Demon Roombas when I was like, sixteen. This is gonna be a cakewalk."

"Why are you here? Do you not realize your visit here is unsanct-"

"In response to him showing me his video, titled the Jay Hellion being a borderline pedophile with his teenage female Outer Shadows for sixteen minutes and forty-two seconds that he uploaded onto the Black Legion secure internet, I have assigned the little delinquent to Cleaning Duty alongside his patron," Jay grumbled, crossing his arms.

74 turned back to me.

"You never fail to disappoint, do you, Outer Shadow Dainsleif."

Hellion turned around and left in a mass of Shadows.

"Honestly... for a man who John was so worried about walking the same steps as his younger self... he sure got a ton of shit wrong."

I walked up to 74-M and took the mop from her hands.

"Where do I start, Commander Seven-Four?"

For the next three hours, the two of us scrubbed and cleaned the entirety of the roundtable building.

"Why did you do it?" 74-M asked.

"Cuz I felt like it."

"You know that's not what I meant."

74-M planted the mop firmly in its well.

"I do not need your pity. I thought I made that clear. I continue with my setbacks and march forward. No matter what. I don't have time looking for sympathy."

"Is that what Zero-A would have done?"

74's eyes widened, as I put my hand on her head.

"Relax. I know you don't swing my way. So I'm sure you don't mind me doin' this. Even if you refuse to acknowledge it, you were denied a childhood and a schoolgirl's life. Thrust into warfare so early."

"Do not act like you went through-"

"There's no act here. I know exactly what it's like to be denied the life of a normal person. Deep down, no matter how much you try to deny it, it's still there. Denial is never a solution to anything."

74 continued gritting her teeth while putting her supplies away.

"You were right."

"About what?"

"About the Vessels. The only reason we were able to hold off the forces of Inner Shadow Empire was because his Outer Shadows and Demon Lords were not on the level of SS Rank. Not a single one. But lately... we've had reports from Recon Task Forces of the appearance of individuals with blue markings on their bodies. Many of the Recon Dolls were killed, or were captured and had to self-destruct."

Dammit.

So it was true.

While we had freed the people of Trion and had Inner Shadow Reaper take lodgings in Master Jun's world, the Vessels of Vala had stopped camping in Diacus. Vala had rerouted her forces elsewhere.

Each Vessel was on average, SS Rank at this point. They had to be.

With Achilles awakening of invincibility, no matter how tactical Jay's Outer Shadows were, they stood no chance against an SS Ranked Space Marine.

74 sniffled but hid it instantly, as if I wouldn't notice.

"You know, I can tell when you try to hide it. This SS Rank is not for show."

I watched the Outer Shadow walk past me, trying to hide her face, but I grabbed her wrist, stopping her.

"And I also know you were lying about your age. I went through the files in The Black Legion while 75 was punishing me. You're fifteen. The day the monster had attacked your school, you were only twelve years old, weren't you."

"Please let me go, Dainsleif."

"Not until you be honest with yourself, 74."

74 spun around and tried to smack me in the face, but I anticipated her movements and dodged to the side.

"What do you know?! WHAT DO YOU KNOW? An SS Ranked Outer Shadow like you couldn't possibly understand what it's like to be so powerless! An SS Ranked Outer Shadow like you who has the power to defeat an Inner Shadow! The perfect Dainsleif who had two beautiful girlfriends in his life! The Dainsleif who can accomplish whatever he sets his mind on!"

74 continued swinging, leaping from wall to wall and using every technique in her repertoire to get me, but I had already fully analyzed her movements.

"Reading my attack patterns, I bet you had us all figured out after watching that Clean-House operation!"

"No," I caught 74's leg and slammed her into the ground.

"I had you completely figured out ever since you shot at me with your AK-47. Every movement you make against me is information."

74 growled, wildly twisting in my grip and trying to kick me mid-air, but I took a step back, watching my fellow Outer Shadow hit the ground again.

"74, I know it isn't fair, what you are being forced to do. Watching your fellow classmates get slaughtered like this by an enemy as terrifying as Vala's Vessels and Loyce. It isn't wrong to feel fear. Fear is what keeps us alive."

"SHUT UP!"

"YOU SHUT UP! I'm trying to be nice, here!"

74 screamed and rushed forward, but I stopped her momentum with a loud

SLAP.

The Outer Shadow stumbled forward, clutching her cheek, tears running down the sides of her face.

"Look at you. Completely losing your composure. This is exactly what it means to be human. No matter how much you try to force yourself to be like Zero-A, you're trying to turn a strength into a weakness. Love and compassion, do you really think trying to get to know your own squad members is such a goddamn crime?"

"Master Hellion assigned YOU to ME! Do NOT give me orders!"

"Just because he assigned me to you does not mean I am solely your responsibility. Don't you see why Hellion paired me with you? I told you this once and I guess I'll have to say it again. This assignment isn't a one-way street. The importance of being a leader was something I lacked, but the importance of valuing the human parts of yourself is something you refuse to acknowledge! If you can't even face the reality of your feelings for your team members, how can you possibly lead them? How can you possibly keep your friends alive?!"

Seven Four stumbled forward, unbuckling her assault rifle and taking aim, but I instantly closed in and gripped the barrel with my hand, forcing a burst of chakra into my hand and crushing the metal in my grip.

"Zero A is Zero A, and Seven Four is Seven Four. If I could go back in time and convince Jay which SFA Regiment I wanted to be in, I would still go for you! Because I need your skill of leadership, of what it means to be an efficient soldier, and YOU need to realize the heart that you still have!"

I let go of the rifle and got on my knees, lowering my face until my forehead touched the asphalt.

"Please. Seven Four. I beg you. Stop destroying yourself. You're more than you let yourself on to be. 75, 76, 77, and 78 are all worried about you. You're their leader. Even if you say you don't value them, they value you. Ever since I was twelve years old, I honed my ability to read people. I can tell when someone is genuinely concerned for someone else. And the faces on each one of you Dolls don't lie."

"Spot..." 74-M muttered.

"Spot?"

"Our fight made a mess on one part of the wall. We have to clean this last part, and we can go back to our residence."

"Our residence?"

74 squeaked, dropping her rifle.

"I meant MY residence. Don't get any funny ideas! You may have improved your reputation just a bit, but you are still a disgusting pervert gunman! Stay at least five feet away from my girls, or I'll castrate you!"

I chuckled.

"Noted."

The two of us wrapped up and made our way back to the residence, which was a massive house. The whole base of Inner Shadow Slipstream was almost like a little city in the sky, surrounded by a protective ring from the outside world. Outside the window of the house, the buildings that I had seen in the distance were outside of that protective circle.

"Hey. I have a question."

"What's up?"

74 slowly rubbed her arm.

"When you said you knew exactly what it was like... and you also mentioned the ability to read people when you were twelve... did you really mean it?"

I smirked, looking out into the distance.

"Who knows."

"Jerk."

I slowly reached out and put a hand on 74's shoulder.

"Keep up the good work, commander."

"Wh- Whatever."

We continued walking.

"Is it true that you defeated Inner Shadow Bishamonten in one-on-one combat?"

"Was that what you heard?"

74 turned to me, the barrel of her gun restored at her side. Even when we were walking, she still kept cautious, her gun ready to fire at a moment's notice.

"Bad traits aside, you are still a legend amongst the Outer Shadows. No one in history has ever been granted the SS Rank."

The image of Kon vaporizing a Vala-enhanced Grond in one punch appeared in my mind.

No one that was publically disclosed to the BLO network maybe.

"I didn't do it alone. There would have been no way I could defeat Bishamon as I was. Especially with the fact that he had an entire war in Millennium City powering him up. I barely escaped with my life. If anything, the credits should have gone to Outer Shadow Dagrun and her Auxiliary Shadows for holding him off long enough for my Auxiliary Shadow and me to stop the war."

"Really? I am perplexed by the thought of Dagrun even being able to coordinate her Shadows."

"Well, they only lasted for like five minutes, in those five minutes alone, her Auxiliaries were put out of commission. And Dagrun was moments from losing her life. That was enough time for us to debuff the Inner Shadow and for me to fight him SS Rank against SS Rank."

74 frowned.

"I see."

"Not the reality you wanted to hear?"

"No. I was always suspicious when it came to these rumors. But in my mind, the idea of an Outer Shadow being SS Ranked is absurd. There was also a rumor going around that you held your ground against Vala herself."

"Well, I had the help of-"

"Inner Shadow Hakah, yes?" A man's voice interrupted us.

74 and I drew our firearms and took aim, but two hands came out of nowhere and yanked the guns out of our grips.

"Intruder-" 74 gasped, but was cut out by a kick which slammed into her stomach, sending the Doll flying into the wall of the Roundtable Building.

"74!" I shouted, narrowly dodging a knife slash. I stepped back, reaching for my Draugr that had fallen to the ground, but winced in pain.

Dammit... I used magic to summon that gun... I was not in fight-shape.

I spun around to see 74 digging herself out of the debris, her center of gravity set low as she rushed forward like an arrow, taking aim with her sidearm.

"STOP! Fall back, Seven Four, don't engage!" I shouted.

"Too late," The man said, as he disappeared, materializing behind the Tactical Doll, crossbow in hand.

I took aim and fired, the bullet soaring past 74's face and shattering the sleeve of the weapon.

The man shoved 74 in front of me, causing me to hesitate with my next shot.

Anticipate... Aaron.

I took aim at the roof and fired, raining debris before us and blocking the man's vision.

"Who was that?!" 74 whispered fiercely, picking up her rifle and rushing to cover alongside me.

No...

You've got to be shitting me.

What was he doing here?!

"Inner Shadow Slipstream really went off and did his own thing. That's the price he's got to pay for being so attached to his Outer Shadows. Where Demon Lord Loyce would deal with Hellion, he left the entirety of the Tactical War Doll Regiment to some one-eyed teenage girl. You've got a lot of nerve, Aaron, trying to preach when you yourself are responsible for the deaths of not one, not two, but three Auxiliary Shadows!"

Jekyll...

This was the absolute worst-case scenario I could imagine!

And if I had killed him the first time, that meant...

SLAM!

A shockwave came flying my way, knocking 74 and me back.

"A Vessel...!" 74 clutched her rifle.

"We can't fight that guy, he's way too tough for the both of us. We have to retreat."

74 reached into the back of her jacket and threw a smoke grenade, but Jekyll waved his hand, generating immense wind pressure which not only dissipated the smoke but sent the two of us flying through another wall.

My head slammed against a rock causing my vision to turn blurry.

74 got to her feet and fired at the lights all around us, sending the area covered in darkness.

"74 to SFA-Muon. We've been ambushed by a Vessel. Acknowledge."

"76 to 74, the entire base has been put on lockdown. I have 77 and 78 by my side, but no sign of 75." 76 replied.

On lockdown...

Jekyll chuckled, his footsteps on the asphalt sending chills down my spine.

"As a God of Warfare, I can't deny how impressed I am at how disciplined you Tactical War Dolls are with your preparations. I can see how you guys lasted this long against Demon King Loyce's subordinates. But the moment Slipstream stepped out and entrusted the lives of you girls to Outer Shadow A0 should have been when you guys all tightened your security. It's a shame that everything fell apart because one of you girls got emotional."

74 kept her composure, scoping in with her rifle.

"Do you have night vision?"

"No."

"Equip."

74 handed me a pair of goggles which I slipped over my head.

"We will not engage the Vessel. Can we outmaneuver him in the dark?"

"His senses are augmented."

"Then we need something that will overload his senses, a distraction?"

I inspected my hand.

I had a few grenades that could pull it off, but-

74-M grabbed my wrist.

"No more magic, you're not recovered yet."

"Come out, you two. There's no hiding from me. I have the power to block the Shadows."

The two of us kept quiet.

"74, Dainsleif, we've made contact with a Vessel!"

!

"If the Vessel is holding a crossbow, do not engage! Escape and rendezvous with 74 and I!" I hissed.

"Negative, Dainsleif. The Vessel..." 76 hesitated.

"76, acknowledge," 74 said, sternly.

76 took a shaky breath.

"The Vessel has 75-M hostage. Every tactical escape plan we've used has failed. This Vessel's seeing through everything! She says she wants to see you, Dainsleif."

I clenched my teeth, the gears in my head turning.

That's it!

"76... Suggest STDP."

"On what target?"

"On 74 and I. Take us to you."

74 clutched my arm.

"But that Vessel just said he has the power to block the Shadows!"

"He's capping. He can't inhibit what he can't see. The darkness that you gave us has provided a tactical advantage!"

74's eyes went wide.

"76! Commence!"

Shadows began to form around us when suddenly, a familiar clinking sound filled the air.

"I sense Shadows. Sounds like my prey's trying to get away."

BANG.

The flashbang went off, followed by a molotov as the Shadows began to falter. Jekyll approached us, handgun drawn in one hand, and the mark of Vala glowing around his neck.

"Hurry up!" I shouted at the Shadows, who had begun to slow down significantly.

BANG.

"Dainsleif-" 74-M shouted, shoving me to the side and catching the bullet in her left leg. Blood began to soak through her jeans, dying the faded blue into a deep shade of crimson.

"Nice pain tolerance, kid. Let's see just how tough Hellion made you."

"Jekyll you godly piece of shit! Don't you do it!" I snarled.

BANG. BANG. BANG.

74-M grunted in pain, more bullets thudding into her arms, legs, and shoulders.

"Give me your gun! Now!" I shouted at 74, who tossed me her weapon.

I glared at Jekyll, as I intercepted his bullets with 74's rifle shells.

BANG.

SNIP.

BANG.

SNIP.

M74 stared at me in disbelief, watching as I continued slicing Jekyll's bullets in mid-air.

"How... how are you doing that?!"

"Practice! Stupid amounts of practice!" I shouted.

BANG. SNIP. BANG. SNIP.

"Seven years of fighting gods and stupidly overpowered enemies that a damn teenager should not have been fighting!"

BANG. SNIP. BANG. SNIP.

Jekyll grinned, reaching into his back pocket and revealing an SMG, an AK74-U.

"You can't deflect that many bullets, I'll take as much damage as I can-"

"Who said I was gonna deflect this mofo's SMG's!" I growled, aiming at the side of the gun and firing.

Jekyll opened fire, but the bullet deflected his aim, sending the bullets crashing into the ceiling.

Debris rained down over the Vessel, however, I watched the God of Warfare punch the sky, sending a shockwave that jettisoned everything in the direction of the punch.

"Well. That's enough fun for now. Seeing as M74 is like that. My role is done."

Your role...?!

WOOSH.

The two of us landed in front of 76. 74's head landed on 76's lap, while my head smacked against the wooden tiles.

"Ow! Son of a-"

"Quiet!" 76-M hissed, putting a hand to my mouth.

74 gasped, taking short breaths and forcing herself to the corner behind cover.

"I'm... I'm hit..."

76 ran to her side, inspecting her wounds.

"77 and 78 are on the other side of the room. But I have communications with them," 76 said.

"Come on out, Dolls. Don't you care that I have one of your comrades in captivity?" Loki asked.

76 gritted her teeth, keeping her head down.

74 closed her eyes, trying her hardest not to make any noise.

What game was Nora up to?

She could single-handedly down every SFA Unit if she wanted to, but she didn't.

Something was keeping her from doing so.

I had no idea what, but if she was playing the luring game with 75-M, it meant she didn't want to take the risk of having the building trashed.

Something inside this building was of value to her and the Vessels.

76 pointed to the location of 77 and 78, making a signal.

"Prone," 74 mouthed.

The three of us lay flat on our stomachs, but 74 grimaced, her wounds clearly still torturing her.

"74, your-"

"Do not worry about me. Our objective is to escape Loki. We retrieve 77 and 78, they've already reached the escape lock."

"What about 75?"

76 clenched her fists.

"We leave her."

I stared at the Dolls in utter shock.

"Dainsleif, you told me earlier that what I lacked was a heart, and what you lacked was the efficiency of a soldier at war. Right now, if we go back and save 75, we risk the destruction of our team," 74 said.

76 put a hand on my shoulder.

"We come back for her, but right now is not the time."

"I'm getting impatiennttttt!" Nora said, in a singing voice, before the sound of a knife slicing cut through the background.

I heard 75-M's grunt, but no scream came out of her mouth.

"Lights," 76 said, as 74 equipped a suppressor on her sidearm and fired, sending the whole place dark.

THUD. THUD. THUD. CRASH.

The sounds of Nora beating 75-M could be heard in the entire residence, but not one of us made a sound.

"For a cutesy little girl, you sure know when to shut up when the situation calls for it, huh," Nora taunted, the silhouette of Nora's figure picking up the Doll by the face.

The three of us made it to the grid-lock, regrouping with 77 and 78, but before we could exit the hatch, Nora's laugh caused my blood to go cold.

"It's not a bad strategy. Leaving your comrade like that with the purpose of rescuing her later. That plan was yours, wasn't it, Seven Four?"

74 watched 76 and 78 operate the escape hatch, but her posture had changed.

Her body language had changed, and the horror in her eyes was unavoidable.

"But that's assuming I let your little Doll live."

She wouldn't...

"She's... she's going to kill 75! We can't just let that happen!" 76 whispered fiercely.

74 turned back to where Nora was speaking.

"You would try to beat me through reasoning? I'm the God of Trickery, you little runts. What use is there in me keeping this girl alive? You have no idea what we came here for, and you're making assumptions, right off the bat? Or maybe it's because you're used to abandoning allies. After all, Dainsleif is a real expert in that, wouldn't you agree?"

SLAM.

75 slammed into the ground as Loki towered over her.

"Okay. I guess I'll just kill you then-"

"Zero-A..." 75-M croaked, blood leaking from her mouth and nostrils. The sight of the sweet little 75-M that I knew being completely beaten up and battered made my heart twist tightly.

"Hmm?"

"What happened... to Zero-A..."

I heard 74-M's small gasp, her body jolting in response to the name.

Loki knelt down in front of the Auxiliary Shadow.

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

A tense silence filled the air.

"No..." 74-M muttered.

"74, don't listen to what she's saying! We need to prioritize our escape!" 76 urged.

"You're listening, aren't you? Outer Shadow M74?" Loki said.

74 froze in her tracks, causing 77 and 78 to hesitate.

"74!" I said.

Dammit...

I didn't have a choice.

"We killed her. Sliced off every limb on her body and made her watch her comrades get slaughtered."

75-M glared at the Vessel, tears running down her face, but not uttering a single word.

Loki raised an eyebrow.

"Hm. Didn't think you would resort to that, Aaron."

I breathed heavily, blood running down my nostrils as I shakily kept my hand up. A purple magic circle before me, glowing and revealing our position.

"You idiot! Why did you do that?!" 76 snapped.

74 stared at me, her face white as a ghost, but her lower lip trembling.

"D- Dainsleif..."

"You're lying. There's no way Zero-A would let that happen. Your face is screaming bullshit. But even so, I would never let such painful words reach 74. Vessel or not, God or not, sister or not, there are some words that shouldn't be said, asshole," I snarled, getting to my feet.

Sound Magic: SILENCIO

74 clenched her teeth.

"Mask up, 75."

75 slipped on her gas mask, as 77 and 78 tossed several grenades around Loki, unleashing a toxic nerve gas.

74 ran up to me and put a mask on my face, seconds before I inhaled anything.

I fell to my knees, as I watched Loki cover her mouth. SFA-Muon sprung into action, 77 and 78 aiming their assault rifles and firing at Loki, distracting her while 76 shot forward, scooping 75 up.

Loki chuckled, going low and transforming into a snake.

"Pretty silly of you to waste your mana on such a measly spell. You could have used False Sword. You could have used Augmentus to swipe 75 back. But of all things, you chose to protect the psyche of a girl who's been emotionally broken for three years?"

SNIP SNIP SNIP.

Loki suddenly transformed again, taking the shape of a fly and dodging 74's semi-automatic rifle bullets.

76 leaped into the air, shotgun in hand and took aim, but Loki reappeared in full form, reaching out and slamming the Doll's face into the ceiling.

76-M went limp, dangling from the top, completely unconscious.

This was not good.

This was seriously not good at all.

77 peeked from behind cover, but Loki instantly took aim with her crossbow and fired, cutting through her eye and causing her to scream in agony.

"Corrosion bolts, do you like it?"

78 rushed to 77's side, trying to douse the burning on her face.

"Why did you come here... was it for Dainsleif? Of all the SFA Units, you went for Muon, what are you after?" 74 asked.

Nora knelt, pulling 76's body out of the ceiling. I watched the Doll crumple to the ground, her head conking against the floorboards.

"Say... how much torture should I subject this Doll to before 74 breaks?"

"NORA!" I growled, but 74 held me down.

"Dainsleif, we can't-"

"Listen to that little girl, Aaron. There is nothing you can do. Nothing at all."

Nora reached into one of her thigh straps and pulled out a knife, hovering the blade over 76's skin.

No...

You-

Trigrams Eight Blades Combination Style: FLASHBLADE

"Ooh..." Nora leaned back, a flash of blue light severing the knife in her hands.

"Sigurd...?!" I said, as my Auxiliary Shadow appeared before me.

Blue electricity arced off her body and her hair...

Had a streak of white.

"Nora Angela, you will release 76-M."

"Oh, give me a compelling reason why I should do tha- huh?"

Nora suddenly released 76-M, walking backward.

"What is this... oh... I see. So you've already managed to figure out this much with that partial upgrade of yours, huh."

Annie held out her hand, grimacing.

The modules on her stomach were pulsating blue.

She held Nora in place!

74-M and I rushed forward. I scooped 76's shotgun from the ground while 74 aimed her rifle at Nora's head.

I closed in and pressed the shotgun to her throat, but moments before pressing the trigger, Nora turned to me.

"Go on, Aaron. Entertain the past, would you?"

I hesitated, causing 74's eyes to widen.

"Dainsleif!"

SMASH.

Loki landed a kick to 74's face, sending her flying back.

75 aimed her sniper, but Annie suddenly collapsed, her legs buckling and causing the Vessel to grab me by the neck and hurl me in her direction.

"AAAAH!!! BLEH!" 75-M yelped, as the body of a six foot two hundred pound man landed on top of her.

Loki stumbled backward, staring at her hand which had now gone transparent.

"Snide bitch..." Loki grimaced when suddenly, the room exploded.

"You sure grew up to be a pain in the ass like your Outer Shadow, didn't you... BRYCE JONES!" Jekyll snarled as the figures of two men ripped through the walls.

Jekyll fired a stream of SMG bullets at the man, who blocked the bullets with his forearm.

HINOKAMI BLOOD ARTS: REFLECT BULLETS

Dozens of flaming projectiles returned to Jekyll, one of which grazed his forehead.

"Bryce!" I gasped, narrowly escaping a piece of debris that almost decapitated me, if not for 76 who tackled me to the ground.

Bryce landed on the ground, shielding Sigurd from Jekyll.

Jekyll and Nora... both in the same place, this couldn't get any worse!

I got to my feet, but another Doll stopped me.

"D43! How did you get here?" 74-M asked.

The Doll who I presumed to be 43-D took out her rifle and began firing into the distance.

I could make out several hooded figures, each with markings of Vala.

"I will explain once we repel these forces. We have lost too many sisters, M74."

Bryce's eyes flashed, unleashing a wave of Hinokami at the two Vessels.

"You're gonna fight both of us? Are you stupid or something?" Nora laughed, but Bryce's glare shifted to the Vessel.

SHOOM.

Bryce materialized in front of Nora with blinding speed, Tatsu drawn back.

"You're injured by Annie. I smell blood in the water," Bryce whispered maliciously.

"Like hell I'm gonna let you-"

BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG.

Jekyll skidded back, dodging the bullets that 74-M and 76-M had fired in his direction.

Nora retreated, clutching her hand, which was starting to fade even more.

"Sigurd's wielding Anti-Narrative. I'm falling back," Nora said to Jekyll.

Jekyll turned to Sigurd, who was still lying on the ground, her face pale and panting.

"Then you're my target-"

"If you wanna get to her, you gotta go through me, jawn."

Bryce assumed a stance that I didn't recognize... it wasn't Rain Style... but it wasn't any martial art that I had become accustomed to.

No.

It was. It was a martial art that had existed even before our time.

Even before Shenlong's time.

Firebird Iaido Style: Form 1 - PHOENIX REDLINE

SLASH.

Jekyll deflected Bryce's cut, but the shockwave destroyed the entire residence of SFA-Muon, sending a vortex outward between Auxiliary Shadow and Vessel.

"Bitch ass Warfare God... did you really think I'd let you kill Annie after what you did to June... and what you did to Bossman?"

Jekyll grinned maniacally.

"Ah... So the wannabe gangster who couldn't do a single thing to protect his Outer Shadow wants a second chance. All grown up. Just to get himself humiliated once more. Are you looking forward to letting Aaron down a third time?"

"Bryce! Don't let him get to your head! Our priority is escaping!" I shouted, but D43 put a hand to my shoulder.

"No, Dainsleif. We cannot escape. That Vessel's brought his soldiers. We're boxed in. The only way is either through the soldiers or through the Vessel. We don't have much ammunition left, and I've lost too many soldiers."

"Dainsleif," 74-M said, clutching my hand.

"Our only chance is through that Vessel. You're in no shape to fight after that stunt you pulled. And we're running out of ammo. Our only chance is Auxiliary Shadow Hellsing."

Hellsing lowered Tatsu, sliding back, which became ablaze with a red flame.

A ring of blood circled the Auxiliary Shadow's body, his eyes glowing red, and his mouth baring his fangs.

A low growl rumbled under his breath.

"My brethren feast on blood. And you've got the most blood on your hands than anyone here. I'm not letting you go until you've bled every last drop."

Grudge Match

"C- Cover! Get us to cover! And Sig!" I stammered. 74 and 43 scrambled, trying to get us to safety.

74 rushed to 77 and 78, while D43 waved me off.

"Sigurd will be fine. Tend to your team!"

I ran to 74's location and froze in my tracks.

78 was kneeling in front of 77, who's head was cradled in her lap.

77's eyes were losing their light, half awake, with one that had completely turned black from the corrosion bolt.

"Shit... Holy... shit..." I muttered.

"Hey... hey, 74...? My- My sister is going to be okay, right? My sister is going to be okay. Hey... hey 74... why are you just standing there?" 78 asked, her voice trembling.

All the color had left 74's face, her pupils had constricted into mere dots.

"74... 74, hey..." 78 continued, as 75 wrapped 78 in a hug from behind, ignoring her own injuries.

"77 is in a better place, she gave her life to duty-" 76 tried reasoning, but 78 responded with a scream which made 74 jump.

"NOOOOO! MY SISTER! I DON'T CARE ABOUT DUTY! I DON'T CARE!" 78 wailed, shaking her sister over and over again.

As if she was hoping 77 would wake up, knowing full well that there was no recovering from this.

That Corrosion Bolt had pierced her eye and went through her brain.

Even if by some miracle she survived...

The corrosive properties of the bolt had already propagated, black lines spreading from her skin.

There was no way her brain could have recovered from that.

74 shakily opened her mouth to speak, her voice hoarse.

"Inner Shadow Slip-"

"SHUT UP! I DON'T CARE ABOUT HELLION! I... I just want to see my sister again! I want to see her again!"

"78, 77 is gone!" 76 shouted, grabbing her colleague's shoulders.

"Your sister is gone... I'm sorry..."

I clenched my fist, the hair on my head casting shadows across my eyes.

"77... was always soft spoken..." 74 muttered, tears running down the sides of her face.

"And 78, to make sure her sister didn't feel left out in conversations, chose to only communicate through whispers, even though she herself was extroverted. That was the bond the two had."

74 got to her feet, the dirt and grime staining her jeans and the jacket that was wrapped around her waist.

"We- We need to... to continue the mission. 77's death won't go-"

"SHUT UP!" 78 screamed, slapping 74 in the face.

"You don't know what it's like to lose family! We're just soldiers to you! Of course, 77's death won't be in vain. We're all just numbers to you so you can get close to Zero-A!"

"We're... we're all soldiers to-"

78 screamed, and reeled her hand back to slap her superior in the face, but I suddenly stepped in, letting the slap land on my face.

76 and 75 gasped, and 74 took a step forward, grabbing me by the shoulder.

"D- Dainsleif! What are you doing?!"

"The fault is mine. That Vessel... that Vessel that killed your sister... was my sister. None of this would have happened if Nora hadn't known about my connection with SFA-Muon. If you're looking for someone to slap or hit, or beat up, please. Please let it out on me. But there was nothing 74 could have done. Not against someone like Nora."

78 stared at me, her mouth quivering. Ragged breaths that were torn by her sobs.

The Auxiliary Shadow stepped forward, seemingly appearing to slug me in the face, but her movements shifted last minute, until her body fell forward into my chest.

"WAAAAAAHHHHHH AAAAAHHHHHH!" 78 wailed, burying her face in my robes. I slowly put my hand on the back of her head, holding the kid tightly.

"I lost family too. Trust me... I lost a brother. Then an Auxiliary Shadow who was like a little sister to me. Then a boy who had been so terrified of death, who I wanted to protect like a little brother. Then the girl to whom I proposed. I lost 'em all. It's... the absolute worst feeling. Nothing matters. Being a Shadow doesn't matter. Duty doesn't matter. The war doesn't matter. Our purpose doesn't matter. All that's going through our head is wishing for the power to go back in time and changing even the slightest event to make the outcome different."

78 continued sobbing, holding onto my back so tightly that it felt like my skin was about to tear. Gotta remember these Tactical Dolls were technically superhuman.

But now wasn't the time to complain about her grip, not when something so terrible had happened to quite possibly the only family she had left.

"74, 43, is there a shelter nearby? We gotta take everybody somewhere safe."

"This is our best bet. We must keep ourselves hidden. The clash between Hellsing and that Vessel is producing enormous shockwaves that are keeping them from breaching the radius."

Our only chance was to wait this out.

I needed to wait this out.

BOOM.

"For an Auxiliary Shadow, you sure like being a real pest! Is it because of Aaron? Or is it for an ulterior reason, tell me, Jones!" Jekyll growled, pointing his shotgun and firing.

BLOOD ARTS: EXCEL LINK - X500

Bryce blasted forward, exposing his chest and letting the shotgun shells slam into it. Blood exploded from his chest and his mouth, but Bryce leaned forward, circling in the air.

Jekyll grimaced, doubling over.

"Damage reflection...?!"

HINOKAMI BLOOD ARTS: CRIMSON VORTEX

A ring of red burst before the Vessel, slamming into his body and cutting into all four of his limbs.

Bryce materialized in front of Jekyll, Tatsu at his neck, but Jekyll opened his mouth, revealing a tiny flash bang between his teeth.

Bryce's eyes went wide as the flash went off, blinding him.

"BRYCE! DEFEND YOURSELF!" I shouted, but Jekyll had already pressed the barrel of his AK74-U to the vampire's chest, emptying an entire magazine, and followed up with a shotgun from his other hand.

CHHK CHHK.

BOOM.

Bryce flew backward, slamming into a nearby building and crumpling to the ground, but Jekyll was not letting him get away, landing on the Auxiliary Shadow and delivering a flurry of punches to the back of his head.

"GRRRRRARRRRR..." Bryce snarled, forcing himself back up.

DEVIL'S TYPHOON.

Yeling's move sent Jekyll flying back in a torrent of red flame.

"Little pest...!"

Bryce stomped forward, dual-wielding Tatsu and his SMG, red tattoos arcing up his arm.

The rankings of The Black Legion Organization were not always an indicator as to how a fight between two Shadows would turn out.

An operative in the Organization was given the rating based on their success rate in completing missions.

For instance, take Outer shadow Rollo and Auxiliary Shadow Sigurd.

If the two got in a duel, no doubt Rollo would beat Annie, since Annie didn't have the tools to fight such a sturdy opponent.

But Rollo was rated B+ Rank, while Annie was rated A Rank.

The reason being that Annie had a greater success rate.

When Bryce fought Eliza Hellsing back when we were in Philadelphia, Eliza was rated SS Rank, but Bryce was only B Rank.

Yet despite this, Bryce still held his ground for a time, and the reason being that his powers worked by feeding off blood to become stronger.

And Eliza had the power to control blood constructs.

If a battle was to the advantage of the lower-ranked combatant, there was a chance.

During my mission to secure Jekyll the first time, none of us were equipped to go toe-to-toe with the God of Warfare.

Annie didn't have the durability to withstand his blows, Sarah didn't have the speed to land any attacks, Bryce and Robbie's firepower was eclipsed by his weapons, and I was outclassed in every field.

The only person who ultimately held Jekyll at bay was June, who was able to jam his mark.

In an upfront battle with Jekyll, I stood no chance. From fighting IQ to physical prowess, Jekyll had me completely outclassed.

BOOM.

Jekyll fired his crossbow bolt at Bryce's forehead, but Bryce ripped through it, regenerating with a wild expression of pure murderous intent.

"You reckless lunatic! Dragging your face through something that would have one-shotted Aaron? How little regard do you have for your own health?!"

"I'll break as many bones as I have to as long as some of them are yours, asshole," Bryce retorted, clashing with the Vessel violently and unleashing a vortex of wind pressure and Hinokami flame.

The Bryce Jones now...

The Bryce Jones now stood a chance.

The only way to stop him was through tactics at this point, with his prowess at this level.

"GRARRR!" Jekyll brought his firearms back, equipping his combat knife.

"I'll turn you to fishpaste!"

"Even if I'm fishpaste I'm still comin' for your head, Jekyll."

SLAM.

The two men crashed into each other, exchanging knife and sword slashes at a hypersonic speed.

Red electricity and flames arced off Bryce's sword arm.

Even if Jekyll was landing hits on Bryce, as long as Bryce was regenerating by absorbing Jekyll's life force, there was nothing he could do to put him down.

"Incredible..." D43 muttered, staring at the clash.

"Now I don't feel so bad whenever he hits me."

????

Jekyll shoved Bryce back, but Bryce brought his feet up.

"What the hell are you up to now?!" Jekyll exclaimed.

"Whatever is necessary to bust you up," Bryce said, crazily, as he sliced his feet off, the flames igniting his blood and releasing a red explosion at his ankles.

Firebird Iaido Style: Form 7 - PHOENIX FEATHERS

Bryce brought Tatsu back, a red glow forming at the tip, then unleashed a powerful thrust, bombarding Jekyll with red lines of Hinokami flame.

"GAH!" Jekyll gasped as Bryce re-materialized above him, his eyes wide and murderous.

Bryce raised Tatsu in the air, aimed right at the Vessel's neck.

"For all the pain you've caused... from killing June to kidnapping Saki, to tormenting the man who I've called a brother, I'll be the one to FINISH YOU!" Bryce roared, slicing down, but suddenly the blade stopped mid-air.

PANG.

"What? What did you-"

SPLORCH.

Bryce's head reeled back, blood splurting from his mouth.

"BRYCE!" I shouted.

"I may not be as sharp as Loki, but even I know that your powers work off of your emotions. That's how you've been able to control your blood. Emotions mean hormones. Hormones mean blood. Predicting my movements by smelling the scent of the blood coursing through my muscles, how it circulates, and which muscles would require more blood to contract. That is how your powers work."

Bryce stumbled back, as Jekyll rushed forward, delivering even more slashes with his combat knife, ripping away at the Auxiliary Shadow's tank top until the two men stood at the roof of the Roundtable building.

Bryce was suspended in a standing position, and Jekyll was still in his knife stance.

"I get why you're so confident. All that bad blood. All those grudges you have for me. But answer me this... since when was pure hatred alone able to win fights? Did hatred cause the police to stop harassing your people that day? Did hatred save Yeling in the end? Hm?"

Bryce clenched his teeth, trying to retaliate, but Jekyll kicked Tatsu out of his hands and slashed at the Vampire's throat, causing the Auxiliary to stumble forward past the Vessel and fall to his knees.

Jekyll glanced at Bryce, who continued grasping his neck and stopping the flow of blood that was coming out of his throat.

"I'll be nice enough to give you a hint. Aaron is indeed a mismatch for me. But you aren't any better. In fact, you are an even easier match-up. Because, unlike Aaron, you rush forward with little regard for strategy. Your suicidal and reckless moves make you predictable. You are much stronger and much sturdier than Aaron. If I had to wager a guess, as you are now, your raw combat prowess surpasses Dainsleif and the rest of your fellow Auxiliary Shadows. But that's it. That's all you're worth."

"Don't act like you know me!" Bryce reeled Tatsu back with one hand and unleashed a wide flaming red arc that Jekyll dodged, but Bryce stormed forward, tackling the God of Warfare off the roof.

The two men wrestled, freefalling, but Jekyll won the struggle and grabbed Bryce by the face.

"MMF! MMMMFFF!"

Bryce flew directly into the pole of a flag, the pole piercing him right through the back and sending blood flying everywhere.

"GAH!" My Auxiliary Shadow coughed, choking on his own blood.

The flag pole had completely gone through his back and sprouted from his chest.

"How badly do you want me dead, Jones?"

"I'll destroy everything if it means avenging Aaron!"

"Wrong. I know exactly why you are doing this. It isn't for Aaron, or for Yeling, isn't it?"

Bryce glared at Jekyll, who paced in front of him.

"Where there's a lack of logic, there's always a burst of emotional intelligence that fills the gap. You're doing this... for Sigurd aren't you?"

"GRAAAH!" Bryce roared, slicing the pole with Tatsu and forcing himself out of the position he was in, landing on the ground and rushing Jekyll with wild uncalculated slashes.

Jekyll dodged them all and kneed Bryce in the chin, sending him airborne and crashing into the ground before us.

"Bryce, that's enough! Let me take over-"

Bryce grabbed my wrist, cutting me off.

Jekyll landed on Bryce's back, the shockwave blowing me back.

The Vessel grabbed Bryce by the dreadlocks, forcing his head up.

"Annelise Scarlet... will never love you, Bryce."

Bryce clenched his teeth, as did I.

I... I didn't want to listen to this.

I didn't want to see this at all.

"When Aaron lost June, what were you doing? Absolutely nothing. You hid in your room and played that silly basketball game while Annelise went out of her way to be by Aaron's side. When it came time for Aaron to face Vala alongside Hakah, what were you doing? Hiding and 'looking after Sakura Hope'? When Annelise was struggling to install the Omega Upgrade, where were you? All the way in some faraway kingdom soul-searching for twenty years? Relationships don't form from circumstances, my poor misguided man-child. They form from compatibility. There's no compatibility here. Just a man trying to find an excuse to fuck."

Jekyll slammed Bryce's face into the ground.

I rushed forward, but Jekyll held out his hand.

"Ah. I wouldn't do that if I were you. You're barely able to summon a single magic spell. Rushing me would be suicide."

"Leave Bryce out of this!"

"Alas! Bryce decided to get involved, didn't he? He worked so hard... cut off so many ties. Injured himself so he could get some pity out of TX7F, and all it did was make her even more afraid of him. And now, his one chance to shine and Sigurd is barely conscious. Even if she did wake up, all she is going to see is a thirty-seven-year-old man-child make a complete fool out of himself to impress a girl who will never like him back!"

Bryce grasped Jekyll's wrist, but Jekyll mashed Bryce further into the pavement.

"Bryce, you know in your heart... that Annie has only had eyes for Aaron. Always."

Bryce's eyes widened from within the debris.

"Bryce! Stop listening to him! He's trying to get under your ski-"

BANG.

A bullet whizzed by my face, freezing me instantly as the foot soldiers breached the opening that Bryce had initially blocked from his fight with the Vessel.

We were completely surrounded.

"You know, I'm starting to think this Hinokami is quite a curse. It cursed Yeling into living his life without ever being loved. And now it has cursed you. Bryce Jones, the everlasting flirt. You picked up Tatsu and you saw the reality of your situation, didn't you? After all, even if your contract with the Fire God isn't genuine... the implications you now shoulder."

"Don't make assumptions, there's no way you could tell what Annie is feeling!" I retorted, but Jekyll shook his head.

"Did you really think I would stay the God of Warfare forever?"

A chill ran down my spine.

"What?"

Jekyll grinned crazily, tilting his head.

"Oh.... why didn't you put two and two together, Aaron? All Vessels awaken at some point. Looks like I was number two."

Number two...

Awakening.

Jekyll's awakening didn't enhance his combat prowess...

No.

They enhanced something else.

Jekyll let Bryce go, and Bryce collapsed in defeat.

"I am no longer just the God of Warfare. I am the God of Warfare and Love. Love for another. Love for a country. Love for the people... all of these are the causes of war."

"I... I never did anything for Annie... did I..." Bryce croaked.

"Stop, stop beating yourself up like that Bryce. You have value. Annie cares about you! She-"

"In the end..." Bryce muttered, allowing Jekyll to drag his body off the side to a portal.

"BRYCE! Jekyll, where the hell are you taking my Auxiliary?!" I growled.

"You wanted to go to Tiamar, didn't you?"

74 clutched my arm, trying to stop me from running to save my Auxiliary Shadow.

"Dainsleif, you can't... you can't."

"Bryce! Fight back... please! Please fight back... I'm begging you..." I pleaded, but Bryce's head lulled listlessly.

"It takes a little bit of effort getting used to these powers, post-awakening. I'm glad I was able to test it on the easiest target imaginable. Bryce... in your heart you want this, don't you? You want to feel Sigurd's worry. You won't fight back, you won't resist what I'm about to do."

"STOP! GAAHHH!" I roared, aiming my gun and firing, but Jekyll caught my bullet in mid-air.

"DON'T! STOP IT! STOP!" I shouted, but it was futile.

And too late.

I watched in horror as Jekyll tossed a defeated Bryce Jackson Jones into the portal to Tiamar, the chaos of the Warworld. The portal closed.

"Hm. Looks like time's up. Nice chat, Aaron." Jekyll said, before turning around and leaving me with the Shadows of Jay Hellion.

And the fact that I had lost yet another Auxiliary Shadow to Vala.

"As if... I'd let you... kill me..." A voice said, causing my eyes to dart to the source, frantic.

Jekyll turned around.

"What...?!"

74 pointed at the portal.

"The portal... it's not closing...!"

"I'll... do anything for Annie... even if she doesn't see me that way... she's still a friend. And to give up like that... and put Bossman through the guilt of losing yet another Auxiliary Shadow... IS SOMETHING I REFUSE TO DO."

Hinokami of Aelienne: ULTIMATE PHOENIX COVENANT

The portal began distorting, taking on a red hue.

76 stepped in front of me, shielding me from the scorching flames that were ripping the portal apart.

Two hands ripped open the portal, revealing the wild expression of a man, his dreadlocks taking on a reddish tone.

"VESSEL OF VALA. YOU ARE MY PREY."

Jekyll grimaced, rushing forward with his blade in hand and sliced through Bryce's neck, but Bryce grabbed the knife, jamming it deeper into his neck, startling the god.

"What in the- have you lost your mind?!"

"YES I HAVE. Because I'm no longer standing for just Annie. Or Aaron. I've got two Hinokamis that I gotta live for. And as long as I'm holding Tatsu, the responsibility of saving Yeling and taking down the Hinokami Killer is mine to bear. And I will never throw the towel until that pact is fulfilled!" Bryce growled, forcing the wound to close and trap the knife deep into his neck. Bryce pressed the hilt of Tatsu to Jekyll's chest.

Hinokami of Yeling: INVERSE TSUNAMI RELEASE

WOOSH.

Jekyll flew backward, skidding from the sheer torrent of blue flames that suddenly emerged from the chaos.

Bryce's eyes took a dichromatic hue. The blue from his flames on the right side of his face, and the red from his vampiric blood on the left side.

Jekyll aimed his crossbow and fired a bolt which expanded into a starburst.

"Bryce, he's gone for a spreadshot!" I warned my Auxiliary.

"Was anticipatin' it, Boss."

Bryce took aim with his other hand, in it was a Uzi.

Hinokami of Aelienne: PHOENIX BREATH

SHOOM.

The barrel of his SMG glowed red hot, unleashing a wave of red flame that engulfed Jekyll's bolts.

"Vampiric bastard!" Jekyll snarled. He had run out of options.

Nothing was going to stop Bryce now, nothing in his arsenal.

Even his mind games with his new Love powers were not enough to hinder his movements.

Jekyll always had a weapon to counter me.

I never stood a chance in an exchange of gunplay, because if he could land a blow on me the damage would be immense. And he knew it.

But Bryce was a different story.

I watched as Bryce charged forward, Tatsu in one hand, Uzi in the other, a deranged battle-crazed expression on his face.

"DROP DEAD ALREADY!" Jekyll shouted, throwing his guns aside and slamming his fist into the side of Bryce's head as hard as he could, but Bryce retaliated, jamming Tatsu into his collarbone, then his Uzi to the side of his neck.

"You first, bitch!"

Jekyll toppled backward, overpowered by the Auxiliary as the two of them flew back, blasting through the walls of the building.

"Commander Jekyll! We need to retreat! You've exhausted all of the power Lady Vala has allotted you!"

"SHUT UP!" Jekyll roared, wrestling with Bryce, his strength waning.

This fight had now become a contest of physical natural strength, and Bryce was physically superior to Jekyll.

Bryce roared, swinging his fist wildly and catching the Vessel in the face.

"You motherfucker... FOR KILLING JUNE."

SMASH.

"FOR HURTING AARON."

SMASH. SMASH. SMASH.

"FOR TAKING SAKI AWAY FROM US."

SMASH. SMASH. SMASH. SMASH. SMASH.

"WHAT DID BOSSMAN DO TO YOU? WHAT THE FUCK DID HE DO TO YOU?!"

Bryce grabbed Jekyll by the neck and slammed his head into the pavement so hard the concrete cracked all around, causing buildings to collapse all around us.

"Aaron Hope... is the greatest man I've ever had the pleasure of workin' with. No matter what. His smile. His pranks. His antics."

"Those... pranks... were just his way... of covering up his-"

"SO WHAT?! So WHAT if it was just a cover?! I don't care if his whole personality is fuckin' fake cuz' I know he did it for me. For Annie. For all of us! From day one, Aaron was always someone who continued pushin' through life no matter what life threw at him. Whether it was bein' orphaned. Or having his whole fuckin' foster family taken from him. Whether it was having the whole heavens come after him. He kept living. What can you possibly gain from hurting him like this?!"

Bryce continued swinging, over and over again.

D43 reached her hand out.

"Bryce... Bryce! He's down! He's down, Bryce! Vala's forces are retreating! We need to prioritize regrouping with the-"

"I'M NOT DONE."

Bryce kept his assault, pummeling Jekyll over and over again.

"You must hate Aaron because you don't understand what kind of a person he is. If you're too fuckin' stupid to see it, then take a good look."

Bryce got to his feet, blood leaking from his knuckles and staining his camo pants, his boots, and his torn tank top.

The light of the moon cast shadows all over his muscular frame.

"The type of leader Aaron is. To inspire a fuckin' black gamer nerd from Philly to become the man who has kicked your ass today. Never forget this defeat, Jekyll. Come for Aaron all you want. But if you wanna get to my Outer Shadow..."

Bryce aimed his Uzi at Jekyll's face.

"... You gotta get through his Auxiliary Shadows first."

BANG.

I blinked, staring at my Auxiliary Shadow.

(Two Years Ago)

"Bryce... you're never gonna make Philly proud if you're cooped in your room all day."

"Shut up, Bossman. I'm busy with this match of 2K. If I lose this one I'm gonna cut yo balls off."

I sighed, waiting by the outside of his room.

Twenty minutes passed before Bryce opened the door.

"You done?" I asked, unable to hide the irritation on my face.

"Yee. Wassup?"

I entered his room, sitting on the chair.

"Um, Bossman?"

"What?"

"That's my chair. It's da throne, ya feel me?"

"I don't feel anything right now other than disappointment."

Bryce took a step back.

"Uhhhh you don't look too happy there, Boss."

"Yeah, I wonder where that came from. Definitely not from the fact that I got an Auxiliary Shadow who's been using up all the bandwidth on my Internet plan, has forty-minute-long showers, and does not contribute to any of our missions."

"Bruh, I'm just findin' my stride is all."

I put my face in the palm of my hand.

"Bryce..."

"Besides, I'm still hot shit after what I did in Philly. S'all good. Anything happens I'll just light em up with my Uzi."

"Bryce-"

"If anything, you should be paying me some respect. I saved my brothers in Philly and-"

"BRYCE."

Bryce jumped in his seat, as I slammed my fist against the table.

"How long are you going to keep letting me down? One of these days, I might not come back alive. When that day comes, I don't want you to suddenly be forced to act and be unsure of what to do, and regret being a shut-in your whole life!"

I got to my feet, heading for the door.

"Who am I kidding. It was a mistake taking in more Auxiliary Shadows. I've probably got the worst cohort in-"

"Wait... just a bit longer, Bossman."

I froze at the door, glancing at my Auxiliary Shadow.

"What?"

"I know. I know I'm a failure. Man... I can't even bench the bar at the gym, and my body is like a stick. But gimme some more time. I promise I'll make ya proud."

(One Year Ago)

"Bryce... what are you doing?"

"Learned a new thing."

"A... pinky?"

"Pinky promise, on the soul, bruh."

"Okay... so I'm guessing you got that from a dating sim or something?"

"It ain't no weeb shit!" Bryce snapped, wagging his pinky to my face.

"It's a pinky promise! I learned it from Yeling. It's like a pact. Almost like blood pacts n shit in the hood."

"Okay, what's the promise then?"

"I'll reach SS Rank."

"Pfft."

I turned around, snickering.

"AYO! What'chu laughin' at? You think I'm joking?"

"BAHAHAHA! YOU? SS Rank?! Are you kidding me? Just because you got fangs now? Buddy you've been watching too much anime about that Chiyo Tachianna magical girl, there's no way you can reach SS Rank."

"It's Chiyo Tachibana. Give my waifu the respect she deserves! And I will get SS Rank. What makes you think I won't get it?"

"Well, where do I start? Maybe the fact that you tried to pick a fight with Rya and got your ass beat? You're too egotistical with power. I guarantee you that even if ten years go by you won't reach SS Rank."

Bryce lowered his head.

"Then... help me."

I stopped in my tracks.

"Help me, Bossman. I'm... I'm no good. I'm stupid and I can't learn as fast as Ulti and you. I certainly don't got what it takes to improve as fast as Siggie. I just..."

Bryce clutched his chest.

"I'm just too slow, man. I get that. But I don't wanna be weak, if it means putting you in more trouble like with Rya, or Jekyll... I don't wanna stand there not doin' anything no mo."

I sighed, scratching the back of my head.

"If your forte is brute force... then just hone that down."

"What?"

"If you really can't learn as fast as the others, then just keep at it and be patient. If you're a late bloomer, then keep at it. Whether it's one year or five years. Hell even make it ten. If that's what it takes to make you strong then I'll wait that long."

I turned around with a grin on my face.

"And I'll be sure to see you off as you fulfill that pinky promise."

Bryce planted his hand firmly on the ground with determination.

"Then... I'll keep at it. But you know, you're gonna become an old man by the time I get strong. You okay with that, Bossman?"

"Who the hell are you calling old? You stupid brat!"

(Present Day)

Whether it was one year.

Or five years.

"Or ten. Hell, it took me twenty years. But I finally did it, Bossman," Bryce muttered, his legs buckling as the adrenaline ran out of his body.

D43 rushed forward, catching Bryce before he lost consciousness and conked his head against the asphalt.

"He's... unconscious. Must have been a lot of adrenaline pumping through his blood," Outer Shadow D43, Bryce's patron said.

I slowly brushed the dreadlocks aside from my Auxiliary's face.

"You crazy son of a bitch. I can't believe you actually fulfilled your promise. Twenty years without stopping... you really kept going... all this time-" My voice broke.

Tyrell "Bryce" Jackson Jones.

From Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. of Earth 78-4U.

To his people, he was called the Champion of Philadelphia.

To many, the son of Tevin "The Machine Gun" Jones.

For most of my life, I was haunted by Jekyll.

Even with the help of another Vessel of Vala, I was barely able to beat him the first time and escape with my life.

Jekyll was the bogeyman of my life. The man Vala had designated to be my ultimate counter.

He terrified me, not just of what he could do to me, but also of what he could do to the people I held dear.

He was the man who killed June and took my adopted daughter from me.

The prospect of me ever beating him seemed like an impossible task that for the longest time I always thought would be something I had to do.

No one would have guessed that the one who would finally best that bogeyman of my life...

Would be the same kid who spent his days cooped up in his room playing his Gamestation, and skipping out on missions.

The same kid who would try to pull the race card to avoid doing chores back when we lived in the Barracks.

The same kid who was built like a stick, claiming he could beat Outer Shadow Lavrovsky in an arm wrestle.

The man who defeated Jekyll was not the God Eater.

It was you.

You crazy mofo...

The mofo who was thrust in the past against his will, but brute forced his way out by training relentlessly all those years to become a man who could fight by my side.

Ultimately fulfilling his pinky promise.

Auxiliary Shadow Hellsing, formerly Auxiliary Shadow Uzi of The Black Legion.

SS Rank.

Counterattack

"D43, what is the status of your squad?" M74 asked.

"Only Bryce and I made it out of the ambush. The rest of my squad was taken captive by the enemy soldiers."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Since when did Jekyll have minions?"

"As far as I know, the Vessels never had any subordinates to begin with. These soldiers aren't affiliated with Loyce either. During our missions, we found ourselves fighting enemy soldiers that appeared around the same time the Vessels did," 76-M answered, dressing 75-M's wounds.

"Like us, they have firearms, but they also fight with swords. Their abilities are also superhuman. Whenever we encountered these enemy soldiers we had to keep our distance."

Great.

So another headache on top of whatever we were dealing with now.

"Any idea where they keep the captive Dolls?" I asked.

"Our objective should be to regroup with whoever survived the assault," 43-D responded, pointing at a building at the far side of the base.

"I received a transmission from B44. They're pinned down by those soldiers as we speak," 76-M said.

I put a hand to my chin.

If they had assigned Vessels along with the soldiers... they must have intended that we would have been stopped.

Non-Vessel forces were pinning down the main Tactical Doll regiment in that building... meaning they weren't expecting a pincer assault.

"So you're suggesting we retake the building and establish a sub-base to regroup inventory?" I asked.

"No," 74-M replied, as she continued tending to Sigurd.

"As it stands, no one here has the resources to carry out a pincer assault. 43-D, 76-M, and I are running low on ammunition and tactical grenades. You are still recovering, and that last magic outburst stunted your recovery. Sigurd is out of commission, and Bryce is unconscious. 75-M is still badly injured from Nora's attack and 78 is in no condition to fight."

74 pulled out her phone and displayed a map of the entire headquarters.

"The architecture of Master Hellion's base is essentially a floating ring island. Facilities are concentrated near the center radial, while main offensive units are situated on the outer radial. There is an inlet on one end of the island that transports ammunition crates and other essential necessities. If they have launched an assault, they have likely taken over the supply line to keep us from re-fueling. We have to retake it before we launch any other assaults."

"This... sounds like a trap..." 76-M muttered.

"No. It wouldn't," I said, thinking hard.

"If they dispatched Jekyll and Nora to me, they went hard expecting Muon to be eliminated and the rest of the Regiments outside of those in the Roundtable building. Meaning they are only prepared for us on the basis of a Contingency."

74-M nodded.

"In other words, we need to strike and retake the ammo supply cache. A stealth capture operation. But the problem is, we're lacking on striking power as we are."

I glanced at 74's semi-automatic.

"I can't use magic or chakra, but I can still use firearms. All I need is an overseer and someone to watch and alternate front man."

"I can overseer," 75-M muttered.

"Very funny, Pigtails. There's no way you can snipe like that-"

"Shut up, old man."

Old man?!

Pigtails grabbed her sniper.

"All I took was a slight beating. You did more damage to me when you fell on top of me, and not even in a naughty way! I'll snipe and provide distance support. You're still a newbie in this unit, I have seniority over you."

"Wait, Dainsleif, I know you can still use firearms, but we're running low on ammo," 74 said.

"74, you still have a sidearm with three mags. Your rifle has one mag left. 78's rifle has three mags, and her sidearm has seven mags. 75 has two mags in her sniper, no mags in her sidearm. Everybody else is out of ammo, am I correct?"

D43 and M74 stared at me.

"How the hell did you- wait, did you keep count of all our ammo usage this entire time?!" 76-M choked.

"Yeah."

"That level of micromanaging... is so hot. Let's get marr-"

I put my hand on 75-M's mouth.

"I can retake the ammo supply with 74's rifle. 75 can keep me covered. 74, 43, you guys can focus on scouting the route back to the others and bringing them to the ammo supply to refuel. Then we can launch an assault."

"Wait, Dainsleif, are you seriously going to a stealth op with just a rifle? If you're in a confined space you won't have a sidearm to fall back on!" 43-D reasoned.

Shit.

She was right, but if I took 74's sidearm, she would only have one mag to defend herself with.

"I will help Dainsleif," A girl's voice muttered quietly.

74 turned to 78, who clutched her rifle so tightly her knuckles were white.

"78, you still need time to-"

"We need to keep moving. There's no time to mourn. I... I'll mourn when we get out of this."

78 stood next to me.

"You need a frontman. I will lead. You follow, and 75 provides distance support."

D43 grabbed Bryce and shouldered the guy on her back.

"We will get back to you on the status of the rest of the Dolls. If the route is too dangerous we will be on standby. We can use the Shadows to transport some ammo crates. Are you three ready?"

The entire supply chain was in ruins.

Entire buildings were torn apart, with noticeable holes reflecting the destruction. The pavement and roads were cracked, vehicles strewn everywhere, smoke still billowing in every orifice.

What we were looking at was the remains of a terrifying struggle.

But the destruction wasn't the most messed up thing.

It was clear that there was a struggle, because among the ruins, lay the bodies of numerous Tactical War Dolls who had lost their lives to the horde.

78's eyes widened in horror, staring at the disemboweled corpse of one of her comrades.

A jolt ran through her body as if she was about to heave and vomit, but the Doll instantly pulled out a syringe and plugged her neck.

I watched her face return to its normal color.

"This... this is unreal..." I muttered.

"We had multiple cells patrol the supply line. They were completely slaughtered. It had to be an ambush," 75 replied from her radio, several kilometers away from our position.

"Dainsleif," 78 called me over. I approached her location.

"What is it?"

"Over there. Several of the foot soldiers who had attacked us. Do you recognize them?"

I narrowed my eyes at the figures she was pointing at.

White robes.

And Vala's markings on their arms. In their hands were firearms of unknown design, and on their backs were swords that resembled Tatsu in shape and make.

"No... this is the first time I've seen- wait."

My gaze shifted to their faces... masks...

With a swirl.

"Swirls? They're almost like..."

"Our Shadows."

What could this mean?

"It won't be night until at least four hours from now."

"Do we really have that much time to wait though?" I asked 78.

"No. We don't have time. Look at what they're doing," 75 spoke into our coms.

78 and I brought our binoculars to our faces and turned to where 75 was referring to.

I could hear 78's gasp, though she had tried to suppress it.

I certainly couldn't.

"What the hell... they can't be serious!"

78 breathed heavily.

"Not only did they kill our allies... they've mutilated their bodies and are using their corpses to corrupt the water supply of their entire base. Their depravity knows no bounds!"

Vala.

Is this really the Hope you stand for?

"If they've been doing this for several hours all of our water has been contaminated. We have a protocol to ensure all our drinking water and food supplies are through our emergency rations. But those rations are limited. If we wait until dusk we don't know how long the rest of our comrades can survive. Not to mention your Sigurd is in bad shape. If we're going to take the ammo we have to do it in broad daylight," 75 advised.

78 got to her feet and took out a canister.

"What are you doing?" I asked her.

I watched 78 spray a substance all over her hair, changing its color from her usual blue to a platinum blonde.

"Your hair is already grey. It will blend with the ashes and ruins. We no longer have the luxury of darkness to conceal us. We need camouflage."

"But are we still going stealth-"

"No. No time. We need to go loud. But with restraints."

78 cocked her rifle back.

"Prone."

We got on our bellies and crawled through the blades of grass, approaching our first group of soldiers.

"75, hold fire," 78 whispered in her coms.

The two of us listened in on the conversation.

"Inner Shadow Hellion is a cruel man. Forcing these little girls into a warzone like this. None of them deserved to die."

"Doesn't matter. This is what they've been thrust into, this is what they knew was going to happen."

"Does this not make you sick? Even a little? We're cutting open these little girls and using their bodies to poison the rest of them."

"You know what would make me even more sick? Telling Lady Rem that we got cold feet."

Lady Rem?

These soldiers were not affiliated with Jekyll, but I didn't know of a Vessel called Rem.

Nor did that name ring any bells in The Black Legion.

"78, do any of them have any communications?" 75 asked.

"Not sure. But we're going to need to take a risk. We will dispatch. Dainsleif, stay here. I will get closer to the two on the right. Drop the remaining soldiers once I've eliminated the ones near the console."

I watched 78 sneak behind two soldiers, knife in hand. Her movements were fluid and calculated.

"On your mark," 78 whispered in my coms.

I took aim and rapidly fired four bullets, dropping four soldiers in the span of two seconds.

78 followed up by slitting the throat of one soldier, then jumping on the other, pressing her silenced pistol to his chest, and firing.

I snuck up to the soldiers and took aim with my rifle, but 78 stopped me.

"Conserve ammo. I will confirm."

78 then followed up by stabbing each body with her knife.

And just like that, I heard voices from the background.

"Unit 6-D got taken out, their coms got cut!"

"We know you're there! Come out!"

"It has to be Muon and Dainsleif!"

"78. Dainy. Operation's gone loud. They know you're here."

78 grimaced, strapping her pistol to her thigh and pulling out her rifle.

I put 74's firearm back in its holster and picked up one of the enemy soldier's rifles.

The design was definitely not human.

It had weird spirals on it...

Spirals...

I inspected its mechanism.

An actuator... linear forces...

I dove behind the cover, the sounds of concussive energy ripping through concrete.

From the corner of my vision, I could make out 78 returning fire, shooting down soldier after soldier with phenomenal accuracy, but she was outgunned.

I took aim with the rifle.

If the design was like this, it meant the concussive energy wasn't some kind of traditional firearm actuation method.

I pressed my palm against the pad, using my fingers as leverage, and unleashed a green spiral blast that sent several soldiers flying.

78 blinked.

"How did you do that?!"

"Skills."

78 frowned.

"If you can save 74's ammo, then rely on the enemy's weapons. Until we reach the ammo crates."

"Roger."

78 and I gunned down as many soldiers as we could, chaos spreading. One soldier pushed forward, leaping into the air and bypassing 78's distance, but a shot cracked from the distance.

The soldier crumpled before 78, limp.

I heard the sound of 75's sniper reloading from my coms unit.

"Advance!" 75 shouted at us.

78 and I pushed forward, using whatever debris we could find as cover.

Alternating between firing modes. Whenever the gun I had ran out of ammo, I would pick up the gun of another fallen soldier, returning fire.

"We're almost at the crates. Don't let up!" 75 said.

And as I continued fighting with 78 and having 75 provide cover from the distance, I began to understand what I was lacking.

It was one thing to fight on your own or fight in a mismatched team of wacky allies.

But fighting in a well-structured unit like SFA-Muon provided the structure that made up the flaws my team once had.

The flaws that had caused my battle against Jekyll to go wrong.

There wasn't time to scramble when on the battlefield. The Tactical War Dolls that Jay Hellion commanded weren't particularly strong. But they made up for that by being tactical. It wasn't a trait that was nice to have. It was something that they had to adopt.

Just like how I needed to learn to fight smart, they needed to learn from the best.

And the best was Sergeant Jason Hellion, a military veteran and war hero.

Whether it was following protocol, or executing certain movements.

Or learning to accept that a war would have casualties.

When you're being shot at from different directions, there isn't time to huddle in the corner and cry.

If you wanted to live, you needed to keep moving forward.

And watching 78 prone, crawling forward and returning fire from the blades of grass, using the mutilated corpses of her fellow Tactical Dolls with little to no hesitation, it became immediately obvious.

What I was lacking.

"We're being... pushed back?!" A voice said.

"Sniper! It's a sniper!"

"Focus fire on the sniper!"

My eyes went wide, as I turned around.

"75! They've spotted you-"

78 grabbed me and dragged me behind the ruins of a destroyed truck.

"Idiot! Don't turn your back on your aggressors!"

"75's been spotted!"

"She can handle it. She's a sniper for a reason."

"We've lost the location of the sniper!" One of the soldiers said.

78 grabbed me by the shoulders.

"Focus on the objective, Dainsleif. You need to trust your allies to follow protocol because they are trusting you to do the same. That is how we do things in the SFA Regiment."

78 peeked out, but a bullet grazed her in the face as she recoiled, returning to cover.

"We're pinned down. There are too many of them. 75, can you launch a tactical strike?"

"Those things aren't a luxury, you know! You're going to need to mark the position for the strike. I have to be behind cover to guide the striker."

78 clenched her teeth.

"Dammit-"

"Give me the laser. I'll do it."

78 stared at me.

"Are you sure? That's a LOT of gunfire out there."

"Trust me."

78 handed me the laser. I took it and took a deep breath.

I already memorized the weapons and their patterns.

The enemy had one row of soldiers providing suppressing fire.

The second row of soldiers would react based on the fire. But their reaction time had a fraction of a second delay.

I had already memorized the reload times for the first row.

I had a fraction of a second to aim that laser, but I didn't have the dexterity to properly mark the strike in that time. There wasn't enough.

I had to bank it on chance.

I ran outside, as the enemy spotted me instantly.

"Dainsleif just ran out of cover! Is he crazy?!" One of the soldiers said.

"What's wrong with you?! Are you crazy?!" 75 screamed in my ear.

I grinned at the row of soldiers, who were in the process of reloading.

"His funeral."

Trigrams: Six Hands Combination Style - AERO STRAFE

I flipped in the air, dodging an entire array of gunfire, to the surprise of both the enemy and my allies.

"Are you- what the hell he just dodged all of our shots?!"

"His cloak is hiding his body!"

"Keep firing! One is bound to hit him!"

I landed on the ground, but the momentum allowed me to twist mid-air, and in a split second my cloak revealed my body, I had already aimed the laser at the spot that I had designated mid-flip.

CLICK.

I rolled out of the way, as 75 launched the strike.

A massive explosion leveled the entire field.

"Fifteen bogies down. How in the flipping hell did you dodge all of that?!" 75 squeaked.

"Advance!" 78 shouted, as the two of us continued rushing forward, gunning down every enemy in sight. Whenever 78 needed to reload, I would pick off targets in her place. Whenever I needed to reload, 78 would fire in my stead. Like a well-oiled machine. When we were gunned down, I would use Six Hands to launch a strike.

"Under normal circumstances... we wouldn't even think about doing an operation like this unless we had four other five doll cells alongside us. But with you here, we're able to survive," 78 said.

"Aww, thanks," I grinned.

"Hey! How come she gets a grin when she compliments you but I get ignored?!" 75 protested.

"Tch! My main firearm is out!" 78 muttered as she switched to her sidearm, an Uzi, removing the silencer and taking aim when suddenly, a loud drone filled the air.

"78! Dainy! Take cover!"

78 and I dove out of the way, narrowly avoiding a series of explosions.

"No way is that an aerial unit?!" 78 gasped.

"Guys! Get out of there! They have you surrounded!" 75 said, urgently.

"What do you mean surrounded? We've been moving in a straight line this entire time!" I reasoned.

"No... don't tell me they took over the underground too!" 78 gasped.

I turned around, to see white cladded soldiers emerging from the ground, shooting at us from behind.

78 and I dove for cover, entering a building and narrowly missing the bullets.

"75! Where are you?! Use the Shadows to our position!" 78 said.

"I can't!"

"What? What's going on over there?"

I heard 75 grunt from her coms unit.

"I've... I've been compromised."

My blood ran cold upon hearing her words.

"Compromised...? What do you mean compro-"

"Aaron... leaving a little girl to snipe on her own? After I beat her to a pulp? You sure are taking my kindness for granted," Nora said, through 75-M's coms.

"Nora...?!" I choked, spinning around, but 78 grabbed my head and slammed me into the ground.

"Stay behind cover!"

"Nora's got 75!" I protested.

"There's nothing we can do!"

I thought the Anti-Narrative had gotten her. There was no way...

From the coms unit, I could hear the struggle between Nora and 75.

"Oooh! What's this? A combat knife? How adorable! You're adorable, Pigtails!"

"Don't you dare call me that! Only Aaron is allowed to call me that!"

78 clenched her teeth, as the sounds of footsteps echoed in the building.

It didn't take a genius to know that we were completely boxed in.

We were running out of options.

"I gotta summon my DS35's."

78 grabbed my arm.

"Denied. You'll overstrain yourself."

"Got any better ideas?"

"And what will happen if you lose consciousness? Do I have to drag you to the ammo crates? I leave you here? These soldiers are not the type to assume you are dead. They will do confirmation shots. If you summon your Sanctuaries we will lose our greatest asset."

I heard a loud thud, which I presumed to be 75 landing on the ground.

"Okay. Fun's over," I heard Nora say.

78 closed her eyes.

"There is one solution."

"Fire away, anything's good at this point."

"I use our last bit of the Shadows to teleport you to the ammo cache and bank on the chance that you can clear the spot."

"What about you?"

"Irrelevant."

I glared at 78.

"I refuse."

"My death is just a number in the grand scheme of things! Our objective was to secure the ammo. If 75 and I die then so be it. We were just Auxiliary-"

"Is that what 74 would have made you guys do?"

"So what if it is? We're running out of time. I will commence the Shadows. Shadows, initiate port of Dainsleif to the specified location."

Affirmative, Auxiliary Shadow M78.

Several dark wispy entities emerged from the ground, surrounding me, but I glared at them.

"You're not gonna do SHIT to me."

The Shadows yelped.

O- Outer Shadow Dainsleif! But Auxiliary Shad-

"You gonna accept an order from an Auxiliary over an Outer?"

78-M grabbed me by the shoulders.

"WHAT. ARE. YOU. DOING?! You need to go to the ammo! Forget about us!"

"Like hell am I gonna do that!"

"Did you learn nothing? Duty always comes first-"

"That was nothing like what you said when your sister died!"

78 froze, staring at me.

"I'm not gonna let you throw your life away. No more victims. No more blood on our hands. We'll find another way."

"Like what?!"

I gritted my teeth.

Like what?

The footsteps were getting louder, and I didn't hear anything from 75.

Was this...

Was this going to be our grave?

But I didn't have it in me to make that call to throw my allies away.

Think... Think Aaron!

Think!

THINK!

78 threw my head down as she aimed her Uzi at the door, firing. I could hear the bodies of the soldiers from the other side being gunned down.

"Contact! Contact!"

"Flash out!"

Flash...!

A flashbang landed by 78's feet as it went off, blinding both of us.

I could hear the soldiers closing in.

No...

I couldn't think fast enough.

I couldn't...

Keep my team alive again.

"What do you think you're doing?! You brat?!" A woman's voice shouted as I felt the ground beneath my feet shake violently.

Level 1 Shakujin - Stage Three: Ultimate Gaia's Footsteps

My vision was restored, enough to make out a squad of soldiers emerge from the ground.

Standing before me was a woman in a black leather jacket. Two devilish horns sprouted from the right side of her face, glowing with the green lines of the Shakujin.

KRAK KRAK KRAK KRAK KRAK.

Tina grabbed me by the shoulders and stomped on the ground, unleashing a wave of rocky spikes from the cement, ripping apart the white soldiers before us.

"It's too soon for you to die, kid."

"Tina! How did you even find us?!" I exclaimed.

T92 took aim with her rifle, which was fully automatic, and mowed down an entire legion of soldiers.

"These soldiers... this is going to be a pain. We stand no chance against these guys. We need to fall back. 94-T, 99-T, cover fire. 93-T, watch our flanks. I will front."

The SFA Regiment quickly went into formation.

"Loki's with 75-M! We need to do something about her!" I said.

"Loki won't kill 75-M," T92 replied.

"Huh? What makes you think that?" I protested.

T92 glanced at 78-M, who promptly walloped me over the head.

"I apologize in place of Seven Four for our newbie's attitude," 78 muttered.

T92 pointed her rifle forward.

"Push. 78-M, I'll lend you some of my ammo until we reach the first cache. I take it you, Dainsleif, and 75-M were trying to recover ammo?"

"Yes."

A large helicarrier appeared above us.

The vehicle was unusual looking, with arcane and ancient designs, yet the tech it had was so advanced it made my entire arsenal look like plastic toys.

Something about it felt off.

"Ghost Templars," T92 said, gunning down another row of soldiers.

"Ghost Templars?" I asked.

"I will elaborate once we've pushed past this first offensive. They attack in waves. Tina, can you deal with the carrier?"

Tina swiped her hand, unleashing a monsoon of rocks and dirt at the aircraft, engulfing it in explosions.

I reached behind to take out 74's rifle, but Tina grabbed my wrist.

"We'll handle it from here. You need to take it easy."

"But-"

"Are you going to give me lip, kid?"

"No. But I can still fight!"

Tina slowly let go of my wrist.

"Not right now. You can always fight again once you have recovered. I don't think I need to explain myself."

I pursed my lips, remembering what Tina had said. Of course, she would be so defensive about me pushing myself. It also felt like I had just been scolded by a schoolteacher.

"Old Hag! Focus on the enemy in front of you!" T92 shouted.

"HUH?! You want to climb up another Mount Everest to recover your underwear again?"

T92 grimaced.

"Geh! Master Hellion... how could you do this to me...!"

We continued fighting until the soldiers retreated.

I slumped over against the sides of the ammo cache.

T92 propped her rifle against the side of one of the crates.

"We will set up camp and patrol here. I have some of my Dolls work out the most efficient way to transport the ammo given our current situation with the Shadows."

I felt like asking 92 about who these Ghost Templars were, but it had to wait, because 78 suddenly appeared, sitting beside me.

And the look on the little fifteen-year-old was causing me to sweat bullets.

"Um... you look cute in platinum blonde?" I said, nervously.

"What you did earlier was beyond reckless."

"Sorry."

78 buried her face in her hand.

"75-M is no danger. She is held captive. I spoke to 92 earlier and she agrees. It's a common offensive strategy to try and negotiate with the opposing party. We've encountered this situation many times in the past."

"I don't know if that is supposed to make me feel better."

"That wasn't the intention. Your compulsive behavior ripples amongst your subordinates. Snapping back against Seven Four is one thing, but snapping back against a Regiment Leader from a different company is a problem."

Tina literally threatened to send 92's panties up Mount Everest an hour ago!

Still... I would be lying if I said I didn't do anything that deserved a scolding.

I almost got everybody killed, if not for 92 and Tina's intervention.

And if this was the progress I was at, I could forget about heading to Tiamar to recover Sarah.

My chances of getting any approval from Chairon, hell, my chances of even surviving Tiamar's war-obsessed culture would be no different than Russian Roulette with every bullet in the chamber.

"But that aside..."

78 tucked her knees under her chin.

"The words you said earlier, to comfort me about my sister's death... I really appreciated it."

I looked at the Doll, who buried her face into her knees.

"Not all of us are like Zero-A. I... I'm most certainly not like her. I think it's safe to even say that many of us wish for this nightmare to end. You're right, kids our age shouldn't be doing something like this. At all."

"I meant every word. I know that it's important to keep your emotions in check when you're in battle, but I'm still adamant about the belief that we still gotta hang on to our humanity. After all, we're not on a battlefield 24/7."

I leaned my back against the crate. It wasn't very comfortable, but at least I wasn't getting shot at anymore.

"74 told me you guys were high school girls before the monster attacked your world, right? What was life like?"

78 raised an eyebrow.

"Seven Four actually told you about us?"

"Yeah? I mean, is it really that confidential? If it is I didn't mean to pry."

"No. No... it's just that Seven Four rarely opens up about herself. So I was taken aback."

78 wrapped herself in her jacket.

"I can't speak for the others, but when I was in high school, I had a bet running with my friends that I would snag a man first before we graduate."

"PFOOO!"

I snickered, covering my mouth.

"Seriously?"

78 smirked.

"Whoever found a man last would have to treat everybody to parfaits. None of us won in the end."

"Was 77 part of that bet?"

"I actually... was not on good terms with my sister. Before the monster attacked us. We used to fight a lot."

"Really? I would have thought you two would have been really close."

78 shook her head as if finding my comment hilarious.

"No... my relationship with my sister is not uncommon. You live with them for so long, that you get sick of them eventually. In my case, my sister was always introverted and I guess I found it to be annoying. So I always bullied her. I would steal her necklaces and hide them under my pillow."

"You're horrible."

A chuckle escaped 78's lips.

"War makes you mature fast. Maybe my opinion isn't very well received by what is expected from me, but when you're forced to mature so fast, something always ends up breaking. And that is what's happened to all of us. Something is wrong with us."

I slowly found myself reaching out and wrapping my arm around the kid's shoulders.

"Dainsleif...?"

"There's nothing wrong with you. Or anyone in the Tactical War Doll Regiment. You're all strong. But, if you want my two cents, as someone who's only spent a few days here. I think it's perfectly natural that you have these moments to really be human."

"What do you mean?"

"Earlier, you screamed at Seven Four that you didn't care about your duty. That you wanted to see your sister again. That's enough proof that there's still humanity in you. Even if you were rebuilt, you are not reprogrammed. The 78 who made that bet a long time ago, is still the 78 now, only this time with a few badass tricks up her sleeve."

78 shifted from her spot, visibly uncomfortable.

"That..."

"Yeah, I know. It's unacceptable on the battlefield. But right now, we're not in battle, are we? Maybe it's true that something inside you was broken that day, but during the times when you're resting and recovering from battle, maybe that's an opportunity for you to heal from that brokenness."

78 clutched her arm.

"I don't know if I can accept that. I've been broken and forced to do things I never wanted to do for so long."

I smirked, picking up the remains of a broken firearm that one of the Dolls had used.

"What are you doing?" 78 asked.

"When you see this, what's the first thing that comes to mind?"

"It's... a gun."

"Is it?"

78 raised an eyebrow.

"Of course it is. It's a merciless tool used to take another person's life. Did you expect me to say something otherwise?"

I grabbed the metal and disassembled it, taking tools from my robe and began chipping away at the steel and gaskets. It was a little different than the little hand crafted project of that Swallowtail I had made for Sarah, but I still remembered every technique that I had spent countless hours trying to learn in my spare time.

"The way I see it, it's no longer a gun. It's been reduced to its pieces. Ol' progenitor parts in an assembly. When it's like this, in its barest form, it loses its functionality as a firearm, no amount of restoration will bring it back to the way it was before. But you see, I've never been someone who liked throwing things away."

I held the refashioned metal to 78's eye level.

The look of surprise on her face broke through her usual calm and calculating demeanor that she probably had spent years being forced to wear.

"Whether it's a gun, or a knife, or whatever... it was formed from parts that originally had no purpose. You could look at a heap of metal and materials as a weapon all you want, but that doesn't discredit its potential to be something else. This tool that you thought was merciless before, what does it look like to you now?"

78 took the metal flower in her hands, staring at it. I had refashioned the metal, filing away at its edges and clipping at the pieces, and had attached the chain that once would have been used to either strangle or reinforce its recoil, to one end of it.

"A necklace... what good would a necklace be in the battlefield?"

"Your sister loved necklaces, didn't she?"

A sense of realization appeared in 78's expression, seemingly piecing together what I had said.

And the tear that trickled down the side of her cheek confirmed it.

"I... I always regretted bullying her... all those years. That when we had been rebuilt to become these Dolls I promised I would never leave her side. If she was too scared and refused to speak, then I would do the same. But ultimately I let her die in the most horrific way. We don't get buried, or remembered for our deeds, Aaron. In the end, we are expendable soldiers for a greater cause."

"If you can't give her the necklace, then maybe this will be enough of a confirmation for your sister who's watching you from the other side."

I took the necklace and put it around her neck.

"There's no rule against wearing necklaces right? Keep it inside your shirt when you're in combat."

78 clutched the necklace, the tears streaming down at a greater intensity.

"Maybe I'm not a good soldier like you, 78. But I guess that just means I value other things. You don't need to throw away your ideologies on being a soldier to the Tactical War Doll Regiment. But if you ever need some time to be human again, come see me, and I'll do my best to support you."

I smirked.

"After all, no matter how much military code Seven Four pounds into my head, I am still a pain in the ass to the Black Legion. That will never change."

I got up and left 78 to herself, as she continued clutching the necklace.

I made my way to the other side of the camp when suddenly, a voice called out to me.

"Dainsleif."

I turned around to see 92-T leaning against a crate, her arms crossed.

"Um... what did I do this time?"

"You mentioned you wanted to go to Tiamar, is that correct?"

I slowly nodded.

"Yeah."

"Then you got your wish. I've received intel from Zero-A. I had my suspicions on the Ghost Templars, but I never thought that they would invade Master Hellion's world like this."

"Hold up. What do you mean by I got my wish? Those guys who invaded..."

92-T took a deep breath.

"When we supply the ammo cache, we will use the Shadows to warp them directly to Zero-A and the others. We will be part of the cargo. We've been using the Shadows sparingly this entire time, that is no coincidence given our situation. Because once we get warped with the ammo, we will immediately be teleported into a battlefield. No stealth, no hidden ops. It will be a full blown war with the Ghost Templars"

A lump formed in my throat.

I got my wish alright.

I watched as the rest of T92's squad join her, their weapons prepped and ready.

"You can skip preparing for your visit to the Warworld of Outer Shadow Sixshot. The forces of Tiamar have decided to pay us a visit themselves."

Ghosts vs. Dolls

"75-M is most likely held captive with the rest of the Dolls. Our main forces are currently locked in the Roundtable, at varying circumferential hotspots. Each hotspot is approximately several kilometers away. Other forces and Regiments were scoured all over the rest of Master Hellion's world, and companies that were sent outward to collect supplies were ambushed. As far as I know, the Ghost Templars have decided to launch a full-scale invasion on our planet."

92-T calmly passed a fully stocked firearm to 78-M, seemingly oblivious to the fact that a literal doomsday was among us.

"My Regiment will focus on enhancing the defenses of the largest hotspot and recovering the captive Dolls, including 75-M. 78, Dainsleif, and Terra will act as a specialist group. Turn the tide of each battle on the other hotspots and quickly transition to the next hotspot. Terra will mobilize the three-man cell. Any quest-"

I raised my hand.

"Yeah, isn't-"

WHACK!

"Ow! The hell was that for?!" I snapped.

92-T gripped the handle of her rifle angrily.

"Don't cut me off."

"HUH? What kind of rule is that?"

78 grabbed me by the ear.

"It is standard protocol. And courtesy for a higher ranked soldier."

"Higher rank...? What rank am I supposed to be?"

78 put a hand to her chin.

"Mmmm... a rat maybe?"

You totally just made that up!

"You may ask your question now, Outer Shadow Rat."

I pretended not to look offended at the new Black Legion codename a fifteen-year-old brat assigned me.

"74-M and I were at the Roundtable earlier when we were cleaning the walls. Why are the hotspots so far away from one another?"

92-T loaded her rifle as if she was about to pepper me in the face for asking a question that probably sounded really stupid.

"The Roundtable does not refer to just the building. It refers to a subsector for which higher-ranked Dolls come together to form strategy and battle simulations. It consists of approximately eight buildings, several dozen courtyards, spanning approximately dozens of square yards."

And with that, we were warped right into the warzone, immediately going low.

"Hunt! Go wide!" 92-T instructed.

Tina yelled and unleashed a furious tremor all around us, sending all of the Templars into the area.

92's squad and 78 returned fire, clearing out the enemies and allowing the Dolls to restock their ammo supply. Tina followed up by creating a massive barrier to provide cover.

"Hunt, Hope, 78, we can hold our position here. Continue with clearing the hotspots," 92 said.

Tina held out her hand and summoned a floating rock for 78 and me to embark on.

78 used the scope of her rifle to gauge the battlefield, while I sat next to Tina.

The bird's eye view was something. The entirety of the planet was almost like a massive cathedral, with ancient white and bronze architecture. Statues of what I was guessing were political figures throughout history scoured the cities all around. Courtyards, rivers, fountains, everything felt super bougie.

At least, that was what I presumed it would have looked like if it hadn't been completely ravaged by the war.

Now it was covered in fires, filled with ruin, corpses from both sides.

I could make out lines of gunfire, blue lines from the Ghosts, and orange lines from the Dolls, who were hiding behind cover.

The sounds of explosions rocked the skies as I could make out several mortars that had been resupplied on the Dolls' side, shooting down enemy aircraft that were flying low.

78 stopped scoping in.

"We may have restocked our ammo supply, but as it stands, we are at a severe disadvantage against the forces of Tiamar. They have technology and warfare far greater than us. We will not be able to defeat any S Ranked threats with our gear."

I inspected the loadout T-92 had given me. An M4A1, and a M19 sidearm.

I was given a couple of flashes and frag grenades, as well as an endorphin syringe.

"This'll be enough. I can take out a few S Ranks with this."

Tina looked out into the distance grimly.

"And what would you do if you encountered Jekyll again? Your Auxiliary Shadow won't be there to bail you out this time."

"I'll fight him. Now I know that these Vessels have a time limit, that's an advantage I have over him. And once I do manage to back the a-hole into a corner, I can finally ask him what I've been dying to ask him all this time."

"What's that?"

The sounds of explosions rocked the planet, orange lights painting the clouds.

"Where he's keeping my daughter. Where Sakura Hope is."

The wind blew against 78's bangs, casting shadows across her face. Even Tina looked surprised.

"You have a daughter?!" Tina gasped.

"Yeah. She's adopted... but still my kid, nonetheless. Jekyll has done a ton of messed up shit to me, and his kidnapping of my kid was the absolute last straw. But I was terrified. So terrified of the guy. Every time I encountered him I lost someone. I lost my Auxiliary, then I watched him take Saki away from me."

Tina gripped her knee.

"I see..."

"Why? Was that really such a big shock?"

"Of course. Knowing you had a fiancee was enough of a surprise, now I'm hearing you have a kid?"

I pursed my lips, the winds blowing against my face.

Of course, it would be a surprise, I guess.

After all, even I had a hard time believing it. This entire time, I had been trying to keep it repressed and focusing on my mission, just as I had done for many years. But this was different. When I was younger, all I had to worry about was myself.

Worrying about someone else, especially someone as precious as a daughter was completely, utterly different.

And now that I was once again reminded of all the things I had done wrong in taking care of Saki, everything hit me like a train. The regret. The guilt.

All the repressed feelings smashing into my chest like an anvil.

Whenever Saki wanted to spend more time with me, I would brush her off and tell her to go watch cartoons. I tried to teach her to be less of a homicidal maniac like her predecessor, but...

Who the hell was I fooling?

Even despite all the neglect I had put her through, she still tried to rush to my aid after seeing Jekyll beat me to a pulp.

In fact...

I had been so focused on trying to get to Tiamar to bring Sarah back from the dead, it was almost as if I had...

Emotion welled up in my chest as my body suddenly began to heave. Everything that had accumulated inside me that I had been trying to keep squished down exploded into spasms.

"I'm... a failure of a father... I... I neglected my own kid! Oh god... oh god what have I done...!" I whispered.

Tina closed her eyes, stretching her legs, listening to me try to compose myself, but failing.

"Kind of figured."

"..."

Tina reached out and picked up a piece of debris that was stuck in my hair.

"From what the Black Legion directory said, you were an orphan, right? But there's no details on your past."

I slowly recovered from my fit.

Come to think of it, I never really talked about my past, before the Avara incident.

I don't think I ever told anyone about my life before the orphanages.

Not even Sarah knew.

78 turned around, suddenly taking interest.

I took a deep breath.

"I uh... I don't know if now is a good time."

"We have time," 78 replied, quickly.

...

Please leave it to the teenage girl of the three-man cell to start a gossip sesh.

"I'm an orphan, so my parents are dead."

78 pouted.

"How can you both be so smart, but be so stupid at the same time?"

Even Tina looked unsatisfied.

"Well, if you don't wanna share, no one is forcing you."

If no one is forcing me then what's with these looks, you two?!

My past...

My parents.

I closed my eyes, remembering my mother.

The loving memory of her holding me, and singing me songs as I went to sleep.

Yeah, right.

Anger flowed in my veins as I recalled everything that had happened before meeting Will and Nora.

All those times I had bounced from foster home to foster home.

I wasn't the type to forget things easily.

"My mom had me when she was sixteen. It was an accidental pregnancy. Bitch got herself knocked up by some high school stud who was in his senior year. He ditched her when he found out," I said, trying to control the anger that was suddenly welling up inside me.

The human body sure was a funny little marvel, it could go from sad to a straight-up rage machine in seconds with a single bad memory.

Tina listened intently.

"I'm sorry, kid. I didn't mean to pry into something so sensitive, but I was genuinely curious is all. You don't need to share if you don't feel like it."

"Nah. I see where you were getting with that. I never knew what it was like to be properly raised by my parents, so maybe my perception of raising Sakura was warped and distorted."

78 looked away.

"S- Sorry. I was out of line."

"You're good. But... yeah. I don't know my father. I only ever knew my mother. And even when she had me, for years, she still saw it appropriate to hook up with guys, forcing me to hide in the closet whenever she brought a man home. Whenever she was out, I had to cook my own meals knowing my own mom was getting plowed by some douchebag."

As for how my mother died... she had supposedly been killed by a creep who had found out she was cheating on him with six other guys.

No one showed up to her funeral that day, and I remembered in my first orphanage, the lady took me to my mom's gravestone, only for her to find out about her history.

This was immediately made obvious, by the fact that the words "Cassie the Cock-Wrangler" was written on the gravestone, along with numerous slut jokes.

It was funny then, and funny now. I had zero sympathy for this disgusting excuse of a mother who abandoned me just to have fun getting railed by random guys. When the lady saw me laughing like a psychopath, she threw me out of the orphanage and thus started my whole journey bouncing from orphanage to orphanage. Each time knowledge of my mom's history was discovered, I would get thrown out because of my reaction. Until I ended up in that orphanage with Will and Nora.

It would be Nora who taught me to suppress my hatred for Cassandra Hope, so I wouldn't be thrown out of this orphanage for being so psychologically messed up.

Tina and 78 were silent for a few moments until Tina straightened her back.

"Sis used to always say. If someone ever did something to you, rather than spend your life resenting that person, think about everything he or she did and do it differently."

I turned to Tina, raising an eyebrow.

"To do it differently?"

Tina smirked.

"If Cassie the Cock-Wrangler neglected you so much, to the point where you would laugh at her grave, then do it differently. Has Sakura ever resented you like how you resented your mother?"

I reached into my pocket, pulling out Saki's bracelet. The illustrations she had drawn on each bead looked absolutely ridiculous.

But I could tell from the numerous strokes of pencil crayon that she had spent a ton of time on each drawing.

She had somehow turned the dark memories Avara had and made them into warm, loving memories.

"Johnny always spoke about how he wanted a son. That if he had a son he would make sure he would be the most popular boy in school."

"Oh yeah? What was his reaction when he found out his first kid was a girl?"

Tina chuckled.

"Well, when I talked to the loser after I was brought back from the dead, he definitely was pretty disappointed. He waited for approximately eight hours for Sis to give birth to their kid, and when he found out she was a girl, his smile melted! He wanted to have Sis look after their kid, that was his intention, while he would worry about keeping them safe like a guardian angel. If we're talking about comparing you to that idiot, I would say your concern for Sakura is a step in the right direction by my book."

I picked at my robes. As aggressive and outright scary Tina Hunt was... it definitely felt reassuring hearing these words from someone older.

"Our first hotspot," 78 said, readying herself for combat.

"Four cells are holding the bridge that connects the main island from the rest of the continent. Seems they initially had the bridge under their control but are losing ground. I'm seeing several charges placed on the sides of the bridge, I'm assuming they're planning on using the ammo we supplied them to blow the bridge up. But the aerial units have them pinned down."

I took aim with my AR, causing 78 to turn to me in surprise.

"What are you doing?! Our ammo isn't endless, those aerial units have heavy shielding!"

"I'll shoot through the chinks of their armour and disable their steering mechanism."

"But the aerial units are several kilometers away-"

SNIP. SNIP. SNIP. SNIP. SNIP.

An orange fireball erupted from the side of the helicopter, veering it off course and crashing into the other helicopters.

Templars left and right descended from the skies, landing on the bridge and cracking the concrete.

"How's that?" I grinned.

78 gave me an annoyed expression.

"You could have told me before you started firing."

"The window of opportunity was slim- I shot them when they were already veering to the side to avoid the units from crashing into the bridge directly."

"Why?!"

Tina pointed at the bridge.

"Several Dolls are on the bridge still fiddling with the explosives. Even I didn't see that... and I have 40/20 vision."

We landed before the main cluster of Dolls who had taken up shelter behind a wall of Shakujin rock that Tina had created.

"There's no time for briefing, just shoot whatever you see!" 78 said as she unloaded an entire magazine at a pack of hounds that the Templars had unleashed.

I ran forward, chucking a frag grenade at a pack of hounds, and joined in on the gunfight with the Templars.

Their armor was heavy, but as I expected, the typical areas of exposed flesh for movement were easy points to aim at.

I fired conservatively, shooting down Templar after Templar.

Tina was relentless, unleashing a huge storm of rocks and cement chunks in a tornado and rushing forward. Kind of reminded me of a fidget spinner.

A Templar aimed his Bolt Carbide at one of the Dolls, who had been downed. I rushed forward and hurled a rock at the .75 Caliber, disrupting the soldier's aim.

"The Emperor lives to see me crush you!" The soldier growled.

"Tell the Emperor he's gonna live a disappointing life!" I replied, with a cheeky grin on my face.

The Templar brought his sword down, but I dodged and shifted my weight, causing the big guy to stumble forward.

Big guys sure were predictable to-

SWOOSH.

My eyes widened as I narrowly dodged the Templar's blade, which nearly sliced my sternum open.

How the hell was someone so big and bulky so fast?!

I switched to my sidearm and fired at the space in the Templar's helmet, being greeted with a splash of red, confirming the hit.

But the Templar never stopped his momentum, rushing forward like a bull.

So this was what a typical soldier in Tiamar was like.

I would be lying if I said I had expected this.

This Templar was unlike most of the big guys I had fought, but...

I grinned crazily, running forward.

The keyword was "most".

"Stop!" The Doll called out to me.

"These Templars are both fast and deadly in hand-to-hand combat! You won't win a clash with those things!"

Emperor this, emperor that.

You could be tactical about it, and you may be fast.

But a passionate zealot in battle was in itself a huge flaw because passion often translated to a stalwart style.

The Templar rushed forward, sword in hand, but I chucked a flashbang at the soldier's face, causing him to slice at the grenade mid-air and blinding him.

I went low, ripping the Bolt Carbide out of his hands and pointed the gun at the chink in the Templar's helmet.

If their armor was so advanced, and their biology was so advanced that they could take a headshot from a M19 to the face with minimal damage...

What was there to say about the lethality of their firearms?

I cocked the gun back and fired, unleashing a massive jolt of pain up my arm which sent me flying back.

"GAHHH! WHAT THE HELL?!" I yelped, skidding back and crashing into the Doll behind me.

The Templar fell to the ground, dead, which was great, but the state of my arm was another story.

I stared at the Bolt Carbide I had just fired. The barrel was still smoking, but my arm had been completely dislocated.

The force and recoil of the gun had popped my arm out of its socket?! I had spent years training my body to carry and operate firearms.

Hell, I was strong enough to wield a Caliga Anti-Aircraft rifle one-handed and handle its recoil.

But one shot from the Carbide did this to my arm?

I slowly got to my feet, hiding my arm in my cloak, and turned to the girl, her black hair had been dyed to match the asphalt, but was stained with red from her injuries.

"Don't worry, I've come to save you, little girl. Come with me if you want to live," I said, in a manly voice.

"You dislocated your shoulder."

"..."

The girl popped my arm back in place, despite her injuries.

"Return to the main lines! There are more of these Templars, and not just them, but Guardsoldiers. We've estimated as many as four million have entered the city of Neumann through a reality anomaly. I am as good as dead."

"Uh, you seem pretty alive to me."

The Doll grimaced, staring at her leg, which had been completely blown off.

"A Bolt Carbide ripped my leg off. A soldier without a leg is useless in a mobile fight."

I turned back to the far end of the bridge. From the distance, a sea of green suits and helmets were approaching us, a wave of red emanating from the horde.

"Get down!" The Doll shouted, shoving my head into the ground behind cover. I glanced above me, a sea of red lasers passed by us as I heard bodies hit the ground.

"A mere infantryman's laser carbide takes chunks of flesh away from the sheer heat of its blasts. We're outmatched, outgunned, and outnumbered. We don't have time for casualties," The Doll urged me, but against her wishes, I slung her over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"What are you doing?!" The Doll squeaked.

"Shut up. I'm taking you back."

"What can I do?! I'm dead weight!"

"Dead people don't talk."

I glared at the infantrymen, who rained down another wave of lasers. They were in perfect sync, charging forward as the Dolls gunned them down from the distance. But they relentlessly marched forward, as if they had no regard for their own life.

"Dainsleif! One of my Dolls said she saw a six-foot white-haired moron run in the direction of enemy lines! Where are you?! We're going to prepare the artillery!" 78 shouted in my coms.

"I got wounded here! I'm scouring the area for more."

"You idiot! Come back at once! Anyone out there is good as dead, we don't have time for wounded!"

The Doll on my back grabbed my shoulder. From the corner of my vision, as well as the feeling on my neck, she was in insurmountable excruciating pain, but she was trying to hide it as best she could.

"78-M is right, you need to leave me. My Regiment is gone. The last wave of lasers probably killed the first line of defense we had. Save yourself at the very least."

"Probably? You're just gonna leave your sisters to die?"

Another wave of lasers roared in the sky as I went low. The rumbling of Templar footsteps could be heard from the distance.

I slowly peeked up in the direction of the Dolls. Rows of kids were hiding behind cover, peeking out and returning fire. A bullet would pierce an infantryman, but they would march forward even with fatal wounds. One blast from the Laser Carbide, on the other hand, would send a Doll flying back several feet, killing them instantly.

Seeing these kids get slaughtered before my very eyes by grown-ass men with superior weaponry made me infuriated.

The sounds of the Templars became louder and louder until the hairs on the back of my neck began to stand up.

They were getting dangerously close to breaching my distance.

"Put me down! Idiot! You'll get yourself killed!" The Doll screamed into my ear.

"Shut up! You're so noisy! As long as there are survivors, I'm rescuing 'em. End of question."

"Did 74-M not teach you a damn thing? Anyone injured is dead weight! This is war!"

"With a company of at most 5% the size of the enemy, do you think you can afford the luxury of treating your soldiers as expendable?" I asked, causing the Doll to hesitate.

I scanned the area, making out the corpses of Dolls who had entire chunks of their bodies burned out by the Laser Carbides, or ripped out by the Bolt Carbides of those crazy supersoldiers.

I continued marching forward, amidst the crazy gunfire that was whizzing over and past my head.

"78, is the artillery ready?" I asked.

"Yes, but you need to get out of there-"

"I'm outside its blast range. If it's anything like the strikes 75 had sent, then I'm in the safe zone. Launch it!"

I could hear 78 hesitating before Tina's voice appeared in my coms.

"Kid, you really are a pain in the ass, aren't you?"

"Bet your life on it."

"Four survivors twelve yards at 2 o'clock. Six survivors at 11 o'clock. I can't use my Shakujin at that distance without being exposed to gunfire."

I clenched my teeth. If I ran for it, I could reach the survivors, but I seriously couldn't just drag them all that distance.

I needed...

I gazed at the far edge of the bridge.

"Under the bridge... it's water, right?" I asked the Doll.

"Y- Yeah...? Why?"

"Do you guys have any oxygen masks or something?"

"We do."

"I have a plan. Tina, can you use your Shakujin underwater?" I asked.

"Yes."

I crawled to the first group of survivors, who stared at the Doll on my back, bewildered.

"65-I? Where's SFA-Iota?"

"KIA. This boy dragged me here against my will."

I smacked 65 over the head.

"Have some respect for your elders, one-leg girl!"

"Ouch! Don't call me one-leg girl!"

I turned back to the survivors. They weren't looking too great. But at least they still had some limbs attached to their torsos... which was kind of sad to see that had now become a metric.

"I'm gonna rescue you guys."

One of the girls perked up.

"Really?! Oh god! I thought we were toast!"

The rest of the squad gave her a disapproving look.

"Sorry."

"No. You guys, did you seriously think about giving up?" I asked.

One of the Dolls glared at me.

"We are too injured to use our firearms. We're dead weight and pinned down. Zero-A has made the call to blow the bridge with us on it."

"She can blow the bridge once you guys have evacuated."

I put 65 down and wrapped a nearby cable around the squad.

"You girls like going to the beach?"

"Huh?"

"Have a nice swim!"

I kicked the girls off the bridge, as 65's face turned pale.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" 78 screamed into my coms.

"Tina! Shakujin!"

From the depths of the water, I could make out the shadow of a large arm that grabbed the kids.

"They can't use their lasers in water. The heat of their projectiles will dissipate and the light will refract. And the Templars are busy shooting at the Dolls from the distance," I said.

65 clutched my neck.

"I have no idea what you are saying."

"Refraction? I thought they taught you this stuff in high school."

"I'm fourteen. Optics wasn't covered in Science class."

"Even Dagrun would qualify as an instructor at your school!"

I ran to the next group, 65 locating them using her tracking skills.

I wrapped the cable around them and tossed them into the water.

I continued with squad after squad, until approximately sixteen dolls had been recovered, but the last group was not so lucky.

I was mid-kick when suddenly, a Bolt Carbide blast eviscerated a cable.

"You are not like the Dolls here," A man's heavily distorted voice boomed from behind me.

Shit!

Our distance was breached!

I peeked from cover, as the man raised his hand, calling for a halt in the gunfire around them. And before me, stood the forces of Tiamar, at least the ones that were dispatched in Neumann in its glory.

Millions upon millions of green infantrymen holding their laser carbides, raining laser hell.

And thousands upon thousands of Ghost Templars.

And standing in front of me was a Templar who was much bigger than the rest. On his shoulder plates were the words:

TEMPLAR XIX

65 and the other Dolls gasped.

"Oh god, it's a Templar Captain!"

The Captain slowly took off his helmet, revealing an aging face, but it was a face that was battle-hardened with little to no remorse.

"Foolish you are. They plan on destroying this bridge. Yet they are delayed because of your foolhardiness. Allowing us to cross."

"How the hell can you remain calm after shooting a bunch of little schoolgirls in cold blood like that?" I snapped.

The Captain regarded me with a grim expression.

"There are no morals on the battlefield. Only the Emperor."

I stood in front of the Dolls.

"The hell does Tiamar want with this place? These girls did not do a thing to offend your Emperor! What, is he a lolicon or something?"

The Captain's eyes widened.

"You dare insult the Emperor? I know not of this 'lolicon' you speak of, but it sounds to be an insult! We shall show your planet no mercy. As we speak, the rest of our chapter shall send this planet into peril for such an insult. We had planned to cripple the forces by 50%. But now we shall eradicate it entirely! Your defenders shall fall to the Emperor's wrath!"

...

Oops.

65's jaw hung open.

"You... you moron!"

"Huh? What's going on over there? Outer Shadow I65, report!" 78 said.

"Your stupid boy just doomed us all! He just called the Emperor the Ghost Templars worship a lolicon!"

"Huh? What? Are you... what?" 78 stammered in complete disbelief.

"There is another thing. We were told by the man our Emperor respects, that our top priority is a boy with grey hair and a black cloak. You must be him."

The blood drained in my face as the Captain aimed his glowing sword at my face.

"The God-Eater. SS Ranked Outer Shadow Dainsleif."

The man who the Emperor respects... wouldn't that...

"Aaron! Where are the rest of the survivors? I can't access them with Shakujin!" Tina said.

"Tina... There's this Captain that's claiming I'm a bounty for them," I replied.

"What? Did Tiamar figure out you were going to see Chairon?"

I gritted my teeth.

"Hey, who is this man you're talking about?" I asked.

The Captain gripped his sword.

"The dead do not have the right to question. The man you speak of is of the same standing as our Emperor. A conqueror of worlds, just as he is. An existential deicider."

Existential deicider...

"Loyce... Loyce subjugated Tiamar..." I gasped, taking a step back, staring at the marks of Vala all over the Templar's armor.

The Templars around the Captain made space between the two of us, and the Guardsoldiers ceased fire, causing a moment of silence.

"You, who has the audacity to insult the Emperor, I shall see fit to end your existence myself."

A smile formed on my face.

"Hey, which one of you guys is the least injured?" I whispered.

A girl held up her hand.

"Me?"

"You take over the evacuation. Use the cable and drag them back to the bridge while I take down the Captain."

78 made a frantic noise.

"Don't be stupid! You may be formidable, but a Ghost Templar Captain is a monster in combat! Even the Devil Monk can't beat him in a fight!"

"What rank would this Captain be given?"

The Captain shot forward, forcing me to kick dirt into the air to disrupt his vision. He was so much faster than the Templar I had fought earlier!

I stumbled back and fell on my ass, scurrying away and barely avoiding three shots of the Captain's Bolt Carbide which left massive crater-sized holes in the bridge asphalt.

Forget I asked. I've fought enemies for many years, to the point where I could gauge their combat proficiency at first glance.

And this guy was a monster, the claim that even Shiki couldn't beat him was perfectly valid.

A Templar was ridiculously strong as it was, and after scuffling with a couple of these Templars, I could see right away why Jay was so against me going to Tiamar in the first place.

Because if a single Templar Captain was this strong, an entire legion of these guys, in the trillions, would curbstomp any Outer Shadow dream team the Black Legion had to offer.

I slowly got to my feet, taking out my M4A1.

The Captain reached behind and pulled out his sword, dual-wielding it with the Bolt Carbide that had a recoil strong enough to dislocate my shoulder.

I may have had a history of fighting opponents stronger than me.

But now I wasn't so sure I could get out of this hole I had dug for myself.

Especially when I was still recovering, and had a friggin default assault rifle from Call of Duty as my main clutch gun. I was basically fighting at the level of S+ Rank if we were being optimistic.

This captain was Low Tier SS Ranked.

If I so much as made the slightest mistake, I was absolutely, utterly screwed.

I readied myself, my assault rifle in hand.

Suck it up.

Face all threats with absolute.

Unparalleled.

Good decisions.

I fired at a gas tank of a nearby car and obstructed the view of the Templars, doing a backward sprint like an Olympic athlete in the other direction.

"In you go!" I shouted, kicking the last squad into the water and jumping in myself with 65 on my back.

"Wha- What are you doing?!" 78 said.

I put my oxygen mask on.

"There's no way I can win against that guy. Not with the gear I have on. Not worth wasting resources, right?"

78 made a disapproving sound from the other side of the coms.

"I... half expected you would do something cool."

65 clutched my waist.

"Me too," She grumbled.

Well, sorry ladies.

But I'm not the type to throw away my life all willy-nilly.

There was no point trying to fight this Captain, I'd be wasting ammo. I considered using that duel as a means to obtain information, but from how I had spoken to the Captain, it was as if he had been psychologically molded to be a supersoldier along with his biological enhancements.

That was how hardcore these Templars were.

I continued swimming, whizzing past the bullets of the Bolt Carbides which were missing wildly due to the murkiness of the ocean surrounding us.

I may have been recovering, but swimming this distance was a piece of cake.

"Where do you think you're going, heretic?"

What the-

No way?!

I spun around, to see the Captain grabbing one of the Dolls by the leg, and impaling her with his sword. Red mist exploded from her body as she went limp.

"Tina! Tina use Shakujin now!" I called out frantically.

A hand erupted from the bottom of the sea floor, but the Captain took aim and fired, blasting it to shreds.

"You cannot escape me. I shall see to it that all heretics shall be purged!"

I took aim with my M4A1 and fired at every slit and chink in his armor imaginable, but the Captain suddenly disappeared, shooting away at immense speed.

My firearms were not up to the job.

Damn you, Jay. If I ever get out of this, I'm using my Gasket Goodies to supply your girls with some legitimate firearms!

Templars from the distance were also firing their Bolt Carbides in our direction.

I made a serious mistake assuming these tin suits couldn't fight well underwater!

"Aaron! What's going on down there?!" Tina shouted.

"Dainsleif! Dainsleif!" 78 called out.

Shit...

I glanced at a nearby Templar and swam in his direction, dodging his Bolt Carbide shots with everything I had.

I was taking a crazy risk leaving the Dolls in the open, but I had given 65 my sidearm and several of my flashes, telling her to focus on evacuating the rest of the unit and to prioritize stuns.

As for me...

"So you have chosen me to be your reaper, haven't you, Heretic?" The Templar growled, bracing his hammer in my direction.

Of course.

Because you were using a two-handed weapon, there would realistically be no way you could dual-wield.

Meaning your Bolt Carbide was right in arm's reach.

I dodged his swing and swiped the weapon from his waist, taking aim and firing.

The Templar's armor shattered, leaving behind an unmoving corpse floating in the water.

This time, my arm hadn't dislocated.

I took aim at the rest of the Templars who were closing in and firing at the Dolls.

All positions are memorized.

Now it's time for some target practice.

Trigrams Six Hands Combination Style: DEAD EYES

CHOOM CHOOM CHOOM CHOOM CHOOM CHOOM.

My body went into autopilot, instinctively gunning down the Templars in a swift automatic motion. My muscle memory taking over.

It was one way to fight consciously, aiming and shooting.

However, I had developed a way to shift my shooting and aiming such that it would only rely on muscle memory.

Once my brain had subconsciously memorized the locations of its targets, I would use the Method of Loci to convert it into long-term memory, allowing my muscles to access these placements and react to them as if I were in target practice.

After all, my body wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a firing range and a battlefield.

The Captain turned around.

"Such dexterity with your firearms... you would have been a stellar recruit to join the Space Marines of Tiamar. Yet you would waste such talent to spout heresy."

I used Dead Eyes to fire at the Captain's joints, stopping his movements before he could even react.

"How... how did you do that?! I thought that Bolt Carbide had dislocated your arm!" 65 yelped.

It would have.

But I was now underwater.

The drag of the water and the non-streamlined profile of this literal rectangle of a .75 caliber rifle was to my favor in halting a fraction of its force.

Meaning it was now a little bit over the strain of a Caliga rifle.

I aimed the rifle at the Captain's head.

"Ghost Templars... Space Marines... is there a difference between the two?" I asked.

The Captain grimly made eye contact with me.

"You will get no answers from me, heretic."

"Then you'll die knowing you failed your Emperor."

The Captain gritted his teeth. That comment definitely left a lasting mark.

"If you wanna do right by him, then tell me, tell me what the man your Emperor respects wants. He subjugated your world, didn't he."

"Do not speak of such things as if you knew-"

"You are seconds from dying. Even if I do not shoot you, you will drown to death with your joints all mangled up like this. The least you can do is do something for your chapter! I know Loyce took over your whole world! The Emperor was defeated, wasn't he?"

I watched the Ghost Templar stare at the surface of the water, his body sinking deeper and deeper.

"It will not be long before the Demon King takes over the entirety of Tiamar. Then he will proceed to take over Sannici and the rest of our universe. We were the first Chapter to succumb to his might. The Spirit of Hope took over our Chapter Master. The rest of us fight it. The Demon King requested that we are to invade this planet. As long as we serve, our purpose is fulfilled. But... I can never forgive the disgrace we suffered from this defeat. We have failed the Emperor from the start."

So even in death, this Captain still remained faithful to his cause. That was...

"You can rest easy, Captain. I'll free the Ghost Templars. My objective is to defeat this Demon King. And once the King is down, the Emperor will once again rule. Sound good?"

The Captain grimly closed his eyes.

"What does a restoration in honor worth to a dying man, Outer Shadow?"

"A soul that'll rest in peace?"

The man's oxygen supply began to run out in a release of bubbles.

"The Ghost Templars are a subset of the Space Marines. We reside in Tiamar along with the main Space Marine force. There are many Chapters, across the cosmos. We may have failed the Emperor, but may the other Chapters continue to resist. And not... end up like... us..."

I gritted my teeth, squeezing the trigger and ending the Captain's suffering.

I swam to the location of a new Shakujin hand that Tina had summoned, letting myself be carried to shore.

I found 78 in the ammo cache, restocking.

Her clothes were filthy, covered in black grime, blood, and dirt.

The bow on the back of her head was ripped.

"Oh, dear heavens, not the bow!" I exclaimed.

"Very funny."

One of the Dolls, who I was guessing had the highest seniority was overlooking the edge of the bridge with her binoculars.

"The Guardsoldiers aren't stopping."

"Are you going to blow the bridge?" I asked.

The Doll put her binoculars down.

"It was a gamble that Zero-A wanted to take, to try to kill the Ghost Templars either through explosion or through drowning. Your scuffle with the Templars proved that their armor could withstand the explosions, while also being able to fight in the water. If we had blown the bridge earlier, the Templars would have swam across and overwhelmed us. It was a close call."

"Well, what can I say, I am pretty awesome."

Tina facepalmed.

The Doll walked up to me and looked up at my face. The height difference between me and the Dolls was pretty funny. I was basically double their height.

"Yeah. You are," The Doll smirked.

"What? You're praising this boy for going against orders and protocol?!" Another Doll said.

The Doll shrugged her shoulders.

"What else is there to say? Dainsleif really saved our bacon. He even went above the call and saved our comrades on that bridge too. So I'll give credit where it's due. 47-L, blow the bridge."

47 clicked a button on a remote detonator, and a massive starburst of orange flooded the bridge, sending millions of Guardsoldiers to their demise. The remaining soldiers remained at the far end of the city, secluded from the island.

"Unleash the gas!"

"Rog!"

Green explosions surrounded the soldiers, choking them out and flooding Neumann in a dark green toxic smog.

"Long-distance fighters! Artillery! Flush them out!" The lead Doll shouted as a battle cry erupted from our side. A counterfire of gunfire and explosions slammed into the Guardsoldiers, who had lost their main line of defense, their Ghost Templars.

78 put a hand on my shoulder.

"You managed to turn the tide and save several of our comrades. Not bad. Now we're headed to the next hotspot. I hope you still have many tricks up your sleeve."

I grinned.

"You betcha."

I joined 78 and Tina to get to the next hotspot, but 65 approached me, in crutches.

"Wait! Mr. Hope!"

I turned around.

"What's up?"

65 tightened her grip on her crutches, trying to stabilize herself while also reaching out to me.

"When this attack is over... do you mind teaching me?"

"Teach what?"

"That trick you pulled against those Templars... how were you able to gun them down so fast?"

"Practice, mostly. If you want me to visit sometime for some mentoring, I can show you a few tips."

I stepped on the Shakujin rock as we took to the skies.

78 raised an eyebrow.

"You're making quite a name for yourself."

"Of course, about time my skills got recognized! Wouldn't be surprised if I started gaining a bunch of fangirls after this."

78 snickered.

"You really are something."

"Is that so?"

Tina sat next to me.

"Yeah, I agree. You're able to make people smile on a battlefield. That's something unique to you that I've never seen in an Outer Shadow before."

Monster

"Can I make a what?" Tina asked.

"Glass. And silver, preferentially," I answered.

Tina scowled.

"What do you take the Shakujin for? If the Earth God would have let me summon jewelry I wouldn't have had to try so hard in college and dealing with Johnny's shenanigans."

"The Shakujin works by exchange, right? Since it's a Dogma. The thing I'm proposing isn't jewelry. It's gonna be what's turning the tide of this battle from now on."

Tina looked at the horde of Guardsoldiers who was raining heavy laser carbide fire at the Dolls, pinning them down at the hotspot.

"I can... but I will need a LOT of cover. Those Templars are definitely not going to let me just sit there and summon all those metals and minerals."

"78 and I can deal with those Templars, just do as I say once we reach the drop point."

I turned to 78.

"Can I see your body for a sec?"

SLAP.

"BLEH!" I fell backward, faced with a flushed 78 who looked ready to shoot me in the face if the next words that came out of my mouth were not "sorry".

"What are you saying?! My body? What part?"

"Your legs- er I mean, your arms AND legs. I uh- erm..."

78's finger was getting dangerously close to the trigger!

"Wait wait wait! 74 said you guys had your bodies rebuilt right?"

78 lowered her rifle.

"Yes. We were killed the first time, but Master Hellion rebuilt us through these War Dolls."

"Are your abilities physically augmented?"

"Yeah?"

I reached behind me, unslung the Bolt Carbide, and handed it to her.

"Think you can fire one of these without the recoil snapping your arm off?"

78 inspected the weapon.

"These are from the Ghost Templars, right?"

"Yeah. I can't handle the recoil. But one shot from this .75 will shatter their armor. I'm proposing a divide-and-conquer strategy to take 'em out."

Tina dropped us onto the next hotspot, where the Templars had let loose an entire pack of hounds on the Dolls. The Dolls were holding the line of an old cathedral-like building. Everyone was situated several stories in the air, with the supports of the bridges barely hanging in there.

The hounds charged as a row of laser carbide blasts soared above their heads, cutting through several Dolls and killing them.

As horrific as it was, I focused on the battle, remembering what 74 had taught me about keeping my mental fortitude in battle.

These hounds... were trained to go low whenever the Guardsoldiers fired their carbides.

Very interesting.

Level 1 Shakujin - Gaia's Worldstream

Tina held out her hand, but hesitated, seeing the supports.

"Shit...!"

"Don't. Let the hounds come," I said.

Tina and 78 turned to me, bewildered.

"Let them come?! Are you crazy?"

"Just trust me."

Tina created several shields to protect us from the Carbides of the Templars, who had spotted us in the air.

"Drop me down, I'll distract em. 78, pick em' apart from afar."

Tina dropped me to the ground before the Templars, as I soared toward the supersoldiers, using Sarah's cloak as a cape to control the trajectory of my glide.

I pulled out my sidearm and fired at the Bolt Carbide barrels, jamming them and disabling as many weapons as possible. But it was far easier said than done.

Between the ridiculous amount of wind and drag that the glide had introduced, I had to time each shot well.

"78! Shoot'em!"

I heard the sounds of the .75 carbide from afar, loud explosions from the distance as Templar after Templar fell backward, their armor shattering.

But the shots were so poorly fired... some of them were shot in the leg, some in the shoulder.

Many missing indirectly.

"I thought you said you could handle the recoil!" I shouted in the coms unit.

"The gun is so heavy! My arms feel like they're about to be ripped out of their sockets!"

"Oh no! What a nightmare!" I grumbled, sarcastically.

I positioned Sarah's cloak to allow myself to veer to the side, avoiding an array of laser carbides.

If I had to guestimate, I was approximately several hundred feet in the air, soaring toward the warzone like a flying squirrel.

Once I hit the ground, I needed to ensure the Templars wouldn't be shooting at me, otherwise, I was toast. There was no cover for me to use.

But disabling their weapons with a freaking M19 was such a nightmare!

I found myself closing in on the ground.

"AH! SCREW IT!" I growled, reaching for a flashbang and tossing it at the Templars, going prone.

78 continued firing, killing the rest of the Templars while they were disoriented.

Tina landed on the ground in front of me, creating a Shakujin barrier to shield us.

But the huge surge of lasers was already starting to chip away at the barrier.

"Whatever you're planning on doing, Dainsleif, you better do it now! The hounds are closing in!" 78 shouted at me.

We didn't have much time to pull this off. We needed to time it perfectly.

I glanced at the Dolls on our side. Indecision and anxiety plagued their faces.

Sorry guys...

You guys just gotta hold out a bit longer!

"What do you need me to do?" Tina asked.

"Wall of glass, and have a wall of silver behind it," I replied.

Tina raised an eyebrow.

"A wall of glass and silver?! How is that any better than a stone wall?"

"Just do it, on my mark. Ready?"

Tina nodded, as I peeked out, watching the infantrymen prepare another barrage of lasers.

"NOW!"

Tina held out her hand, creating a massive wall of glass and a wall of silver behind it.

The lasers came raining down toward us, when suddenly, the lasers stopped in their tracks, reflecting and chopping the horde of hounds into smithereens.

"A mirror... that's genius!" A Doll exclaimed from our side.

Tina blinked.

"How did you know that would make a mirror?"

"Saki loved playing with makeup," I replied, remembering all the times Saki would drag me to the makeup section of the store, and get me to set up the mirrors and lighting for her "beauty sessions". I never realized how disastrous makeup would make a lady look when done incorrectly.

The Dolls returned fire at the crippled line of enemies, turning the tide.

78 nodded at me.

"Next!"

We soared, resolving hotspot after hotspot until we finally were called in by 92-T.

"78, Hope, Hunt, return to the Roundtable. We've secured all the captives. Zero-A wants to regroup for a strategy meeting. You've done well. We've successfully fended off Tiamar's forces for now, but we don't know when they will return."

"Aaron!!!" 75 screamed, running in my direction.

Trigrams Six Hands Combination: Loli Evasion Technique

I calmly walked in the other direction, hearing the sound of 75 smashing face-first into the wall of the Roundtable.

"BLEAUGH!!!"

74 approached me.

"Dainsleif."

I reached behind me and handed her the rifle I had borrowed.

"Your gun."

74 took it.

"I heard you turned the tide of our battle against the Ghosts."

"Not really, it was a team effort-"

74 shook her head.

"No. The strategies that you used... were really clever. I know I had tried to pound certain practices into your head, but if it wasn't for your unorthodox ideas we would have been slaughtered. So thank you. And... also..."

I watched M74 put the weapon on her back, glancing nervously at 78.

"Thank you for being with 78. I... I don't think I have the right to even talk to her. Soldier or not, I treated her sister's death like any other casualty. I-"

"If you're feeling that remorseful, why don't you talk to 78 directly?"

"But-"

I reached out and picked a piece of debris from her hair.

"You act like the deaths and this whole war is on your shoulders. That kind of stress should be for adults, not kids. Look at you, your cute little hairstyle is all messed up. Not kawaii at all."

74 swatted my head, her face turning red.

"Don't call me that! I may be younger than you but I am still mature enough to recognize the importance of a situation when it calls for it!"

78 peeked from behind me, fidgeting.

"Hey... Seven Four."

74 looked away.

"78... about your sister..."

"It's okay. I said things that were out of line too. But what matters is we don't let it fester, right? I'm sure 77 would have wanted us to get along."

"AARON! WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME TO YOUR MENTALLY DERANGED SISTER?!" 75 wailed, throwing her arms around my waist.

"GAH! Get off, you annoying little pigtailed brat! I'm tired from all that fighting, I don't got time to deal with you!"

I pried 75 away from me and knelt before her, fixing up the little ribbons on her head that kept her pigtails in place.

"Did Nora hurt you?"

"No. I'm sure you would have liked seeing my clothes in tatter- MMF!"

I quickly put a hand to her mouth.

"Okay there! That's enough talking from you, young lady! Jeez... where do you even learn these dirty words from?"

75 yanked my hand away from her mouth, leaning in close and whispering in my ear.

"I read a lot of BL!"

WTF! Disgusting!

Seriously, what was wrong with all these Black Legion people?!

Was there not a single normal girl in this organization?!

75 smiled, rubbing her face against my arm.

"Quit it! You're being way more clingy than usual today, kid. What are you hiding."

75 quickly perked up, scurrying away from me.

"Uh! Um! Nothing!"

I got to my feet.

"You know when you lie, you have a habit of twisting your pigtails."

75's lower lip quivered as she turned around.

"76! Help!!!"

76 grabbed 75 by the ear and yanked her out of the way.

"Later."

"Huh?" I asked.

76 closed her eyes.

"Later. I'll talk to you about this later. 75... you keep your mouth shut."

"Okie."

I watched 76 drag 75 away from me, but from the corner of my vision, I could make out her expression.

It was full of unease.

Whatever 75 and 76 had learned concerned me and it was alarming enough to make the two act this way.

Good lord I couldn't catch a break.

"Seven Four of SFA-Muon."

The squad stopped goofing off. Everybody went silent, realizing who the owner of that voice was.

Zero-A of SFA-Alpha approached us. They looked even worse for wear than any of the Dolls I had seen so far.

Everybody made way for the ace of the War Doll Regiment, who approached Seven Four with a condescending expression.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Zero-A probably heard that we decided not to go through with a majority of her battle strategy," 76 whispered.

74-M stood face to face with 0-A.

Outer Shadow A0 lowered her gaze.

"The leaders for each Regiment tell me that your company has been responsible for major deviations in my plan. Is this true?"

The color drained from Seven Four's face.

"Y- Yes."

"We deviated from the plan, but we ended up getting more survivors!" One of the Dolls said.

"If it hadn't been for Seven Four's man, we wouldn't have fought off the forces of the Ghost Templars."

A0 held up her hand, causing everybody to go silent. From within the shadows of her white bangs, a pair of magenta eyes glowed fiercely in contrast, reflecting her anger.

"You went against protocol. If a deviation was suggested, why was I not informed? Was Master Hellion not clear when he told you that your man was noncompliant with our procedures? Was cleaning those walls not enough humiliation for you and your squad?"

I wanted to say something, but I knew if I did, Seven Four would be in deeper trouble.

Seven Four opened her mouth to say something but quickly glanced at me.

"Outer Shadow Dainsleif's strategies worked. Indeed, he didn't listen to our orders, but it was because he went with such unorthodox approaches that we were able to repel the Ghost Templars and save our comrades."

"By saving our comrades, we ended up using more resources than before. Unnecessary damage has been sustained to our buildings and infrastructure. Dainsleif's delinquency has spread across our ranks."

Seven Four clenched her fists but lowered her head.

"Still... they're still our comrades..."

"You act like these changes have benefited us in the long run. But by adopting bad habits like going rogue and having this 'hero complex', we've become relaxed. Dainsleif is Dainsleif, but we are not SS Ranked. What works for him will not work for us. Because you have encouraged his behavior, you are to blame for what has happened to the way we do things around here."

A bead of sweat ran down Seven Four's face, as the other Dolls began to mumble amongst themselves, seemingly now unsure of what to think.

I may have helped them win the battle...

But because of my actions, I had influenced some of the Dolls into acting like me, being solo, going rogue, and going for strategies outside of what was assigned.

Delinquency...

What worked for me worked because I was me.

But these Dolls had survived this long in their war against Loyce's Outer Shadows because what worked for them worked.

"Zero-A, I- I didn't mean to do this to the SFA Regiment. I just wanted to..."

"There is no 'want' in war. Your actions have caused the death of your team member. You claim to adhere so much to the way we do things. But one week with Inner Shadow Gasket's gunman has influenced you to this wavering state. How many more lives are going to die because of your half-assed dedication to the cause? 77's death. 75's captivity. Your parents."

Seven Four took a step back, terror struck her face.

74's parents...? What happened?

Regardless, Zero-A had struck something sensitive with 74 and was causing her to react with fright. And I couldn't accept this.

This damn bitch.

74 continued trembling, heartbreak ripping through her in ripples. It wasn't just being berated by Zero-A.

74 was trying so hard to be like Zero-A and gain her approval by adhering to the company's policies, yet here she was, in A0's eyes, failing in every single way.

She was being berated by the girl she was in love with and admired because of mistakes her subordinates... I made.

Regardless of how she felt about Zero-A, I had to clear this up. And her treatment of Seven Four, whether she was aware of her feelings or not, made my blood boil.

I marched forward, yanking 74 behind me, and faced A0, towering over her.

"My actions caused the death of 77-M. Not hers. You seriously don't care about your own allies, do you?"

Zero-A regarded me with a deadpan expression.

"The more you speak, the deeper you dig Seven Four's gra-"

"If you wanna get to Seven Four, you gotta go through me," I said, maliciously.

"Insubordination has cost us the lives of many allies. Do you think acting this way does Seven Four any good?"

I clenched my teeth, feeling Seven Four's hands grab my elbow.

Zero-A walked past us.

"I know of the situation. The entire situation. Tiamar has been subjugated by Inner Shadow Empire, who for whatever reason has decided to turn against The Black Legion. Vala herself has grown so strong that she was able to overwhelm Inner Shadow Hakah, meaning a full frontal Inner Shadow assault is too risky. Gasket and Reaper are now out of commission due to Empire. And now our Master has decided to take it upon himself to hold back Empire's overwhelming army of Outer Shadows and subordinate Demon Lord armies. We are truly on our own."

The Outer Shadow closed her eyes.

"But the main question that stands is how did Vala and Loyce's forces find the location of our base? How did Tiamar manage to breach into this reality? If not only the Ghost Templars invade, but the entirety of Tiamar's Space Marine chapters come after us, we are finished."

"It was me."

I turned around to the source of the voice, surprise plastered over my face. The Dolls followed suit.

56-J stepped forward, her hands trembling.

"I leaked information to Vala."

Several of the Dolls pinned 56 down to the ground, slamming her face into the floorboards so hard that the ground cracked.

More squads drew their rifles, but Zero-A stopped them.

"56. I thought Master Hellion had spoken to you. What can you possibly gain out of betraying us like this?"

56 gritted her teeth, the dust of the cracked floorboards caking her hair.

"So even... revealing what I had done, you still show no concern? Are we really just objects of war to the Black Legion's cause?"

"Are you questioning the role Master Hellion gave us?!" One of the Dolls growled, but 56 cut her off.

"We were never meant to be soldiers! None of us were! Dainsleif wasn't either! All of this has happened to us because of The Black Legion! Who cares if our lives are unfair and unjust, anything is better than being pawns! If Vala rules, she is a being of Hope, what can possibly be that bad about being ruled by a Spirit of Hope?! But all this time, our quest to try to bring back The Great Akuma and stop Vala has led to nothing but bloodshed and death! That monster that invaded that day, you know full well what it was."

"Shut up, 56! Stop talking!" Another Doll shouted at the Outer Shadow, but J56 refused to heed any advice.

"I... I refuse to do this. No more. Vala promised me everything. She promised me the warmth of a family, of parents. The day the monster destroyed our lives and slaughtered everybody we loved, I was eight. I can't do it anymore. Every time I come back from a campaign or a mission I go to my room and vomit. If it wasn't the meal I ate before, I would vomit water. I hate guns, I hate fighting, and I hate killing! I don't want to do this anymore!"

I took a step forward, but 74, 76, and 78 grabbed me and held me back.

75 tried too but stumbled from her injuries.

"Aaron, don't!" 75 said.

"56 is unstable! Zero-A doesn't seem like she understands-"

"She understands. She knows. But you don't understand the full story! 56 has dug her grave by saying these things, there's nothing anyone here can do. Not even Master Hellion," 75 pleaded.

I turned back to Zero-A, who gripped her weapon so hard her knuckles turned white.

"56-J. You need to stop. You know full well what is going to happen if you go on. I'm trying to protect you!"

56 shook her head, tears streaming down her face.

"Shut up! Shut up shut up shut up! I can't do this! I'm finished! Kill me for all I care!"

What...

What was going to happen?

"56! Stop! You're going to trigger it!"

"You need to calm down!"

More and more Dolls tried to call out to Outer Shadow J56, but the little girl clutched her head, her eyes so wide her expression turned creepily desperate.

"No. No more. I... I serve Vala now. I denounce Master Hellion. I denounce the Black Legion. I denounce-"

LITTLE GIRL. I SMELL TREASON.

A wave of silence coursed through everybody. My blood suddenly turned cold.

CLATTER CLATTER CLATTER.

I looked down at my hand, not even realizing my firearm had fallen to the ground. My hand was shaking violently, unable to form any grip.

The sounds of firearms and rifles falling to the ground echoed throughout the assembly as everybody froze in terror.

56 stopped crying and looked around frantically.

"Wha- What? Why... why's everybody walking away from me? Where... where are you all going?"

I glanced at Zero-A, who's fists were also trembling, but clenched with rage.

Her teeth gnashed together, and her face was hung low.

"No... I failed to keep another Doll in line. I've... I've failed again."

A wave of heat slammed into me, knocking the breath out of my lungs.

I tried to take another breath but yelped.

The air was boiling hot.

It hurt to breathe.

"Mask! Put it on, NOW." 74 grabbed my face and shoved the mask against my mouth and nose, allowing me to take the most refreshing breath of my life.

Green flames were surrounding 56, the terror on her face now illuminated for us to see.

The sheer heat was melting everything in our vicinity, the firearms turning into goop on the ground and melting through. We all had to stumble back and watch 56 be at whatever the creature's mercy.

INSUBORDINATION... SHALL THIS BE, YOUR FATE TOO, SISTERS OF SLIPSTREAM?

Zero-A and the others immediately knelt on the ground, including me.

This was no time for tricks.

This entity... was absolute.

He was radiating absolute authority.

Green flames, overwhelming in heat, surpassing any kind of fire I had ever seen.

My eyes were wide in horror, inching upward until the form of a gargantuan monster took form, towering over us.

Black spikes, with arcs of green light patterning its body.

An aura of terror that made me want to crawl into a hole and die.

The monster's abnormally sharp teeth warped into a smile.

I always knew the Black Legion was known for having members of varying races and species.

Jay, for instance, was an augmented human with evo superpowers, and Hakah was a daughter of the Mahyako bloodline.

And Loyce was an Ultimate Primordial Demon.

But even if I had background knowledge of this, nothing prepared the sheer terror that had paralyzed my body.

56 stared at the Inner Shadow, her speech completely lost to the void.

"Sp- Spare... spare.. help me... mommy... daddy..."

NO ONE WILL HELP YOU. NO ONE CAN SAVE YOU.

The Outer Shadow caught on fire, as her screams ripped through my eardrums like a knife.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAUGHHHH! AHHHHHH! AHHHHHHHHH!"

56 tore off her jacket and tried to roll on the ground but to no avail.

"IT'S NOT GOING OUT! IT'S NOT! IT'S AAAAHHHHH!" 56 continued shrieking, causing my stomach to churn. Her body had already been charred and continued to burn until nothing was left but a skull.

Everything else had turned to ash.

The monster that had invaded these girls that day.

The monster that had caused Jay to train these girls into soldiers...

They never killed that monster.

If they did, Jay easily would have done it himself.

But there was a reason, and the reason now became immediately obvious. Even after Jay had taught them to defend themselves and fight, even at the level of S Rank for Zero-A, they were never able to hold off the monster and were killed the first time. Probably for the same reason 56 had.

"Inner Shadow Evangelion is the monster...?" I croaked, my heart having crawled up my throat.

I couldn't even move my body. It was completely frozen.

I glanced at 74 and the others, and they were the same way.

We were on death's door.

Evangelion crawled forward on all fours, his enormous face inches away from Zero-A, who nervously got to her feet and faced the monster, saliva dripped from his teeth and melted the ground before her.

FAILURE.

"L- Lord Evangelion... I- I promise to... to-"

Evangelion... Evangelion was here. But...

My blood turned cold.

Wouldn't that mean Yeling...?!

Evangelion snarled, causing me to jump, but Zero-A held her ground.

I watched the Outer Shadow step forward, seemingly listening to what the Inner Shadow had to say.

Her eyes suddenly widened, turning to me with a look of realization.

What did Evangelion say to her?

Zero-A's hand hovered over her sidearm.

"Lord Evangelion says that both Loyce and Vala have discovered that Auxiliary Shadow Sigurd is in possession of the Anti-Narrative. She's become a high-priority target. When 56 sold us out, that was what she told them. As long as Auxiliary Shadow Sigurd is here, not just Tiamar will invade, but all of the enemy's forces will."

I stared at my fellow Outer Shadow. I was prepared to do anything to protect my subordinates and loved ones.

"Then... what are you proposing."

"Is it not obvious?"

"Annie still hasn't completed her upgrade. Once she harnesses the Anti-Narrative it'll be a huge advantage on our end. We can finally deal with Loyce and have everyone focus on Vala. That was always our game plan, wasn't it?"

"Sigurd cannot complete the upgrade. She used the upgrade's partial abilities and is still comatose as we speak. As long as she is a liability, she is a burden. I will not risk any more of my sisters going through whatever 56 went through. Was it not you who emphasized the importance of valuing one's subordinates?"

Zero-A put a hand on her chest.

"I'm sorry, Dainsleif. But as long as Sigurd lives we will be hunted down. Our enemy will stop at nothing to get Sigurd. And as long as Sigurd is on our side we are ALL victims. Or are you saying you are going against Inner Shadow Evangelion as well?"

June...

Robbie...

Sarah...

If I lost Annie, I didn't know if I could handle it anymore.

If it meant going against everything I ever stood for...

"EVANGELION!"

I snapped back to reality, spinning in the direction of the voice that had cut through the tense silence.

"Bryce?! What are you doing?!" I heard D43 yelp, as the sound of loud footsteps boomed.

Bryce rushed forward, completely unaffected by the petrifying presence Inner Shadow Evangelion was giving off.

Evangelion regarded Bryce with narrowed eyes.

"Bryce... Bryce! Don't!" I gasped, rushing forward to stop Bryce, but my Auxiliary Shadow barged right through, physically overpowering me and shoving me aside like a football player.

74 and 75 caught me.

"Are you okay?" 74 asked.

"No! Stop Bryce!" I answered, but for every Doll that tried to stop Bryce's momentum, Bryce would bulldoze past them and sending them flying.

I SMELL THE HINOKAMI... ON YOU.

I reached out to Bryce, but he had already escaped my grasp, charging forward toward the Inner Shadow with malice.

"Are you crazy?! That's Inner Shadow Evangelion, the Hinokami Killer!" I shouted after him, but Bryce ignored me and drew Tatsu.

"You took Yeling from us, and now you're gonna take Annie as well?!" Bryce snarled.

Evangelion tilted his head, a morbid smile forming on his face as if he were a predator witnessing his prey running toward its death.

Bryce drew Tatsu, igniting a red flame that arced up his arm.

"You don't get to decide the fate of another Inner Shadow's subordinate. As long as Master Jun hasn't given his approval, your decision means jack shit to me!"

Evangelion's flames flickered from his body, seemingly inviting Bryce to strike.

But before I could say anything, Bryce's eye twitched in rage.

"GRAAAAHHH!" Bryce roared, slicing his arm and unleashing an explosion of red mist and flame.

Hinokami Blood Arts: DEAD CRESCENT

A razor-sharp arc of red flaming blood shot toward Evangelion, but before it could even make contact, the flames from the monstrous Hinokami dissipated the attack, the red disappearing in the sea of green.

Evangelion opened his mouth, firing a blast of green flame at Bryce, who braced himself, bringing his arm back.

"GRRRRRARRR! BASTARD!"

First Hinokami: PHOENIX COVENANT

A red sun of flame manifested before Bryce as my Auxiliary launched it at the flame, but the orb immediately froze in place, trembling violently.

The sheer heat of the flames ripped the Roundtable open, causing Dolls and Shadows alike to scatter.

"Bryce! STOP! You can't beat that thing!" I yelled at my Auxiliary Shadow.

"Bryce!!! He's the Hinokami Killer! You have to stop!" D43 exclaimed, but Bryce wasn't listening.

From the chaos, I could make out his glowing red eyes and the arcs all over his face.

That posture, the frenzy, and the lack of control...

Bryce Jackson Jones had given into a mindless rage.

Bryce roared, dropped Tatsu, and unleashed a flash of blue with his other arm.

"You took his life. You took away his happiness. All because he existed! You destroyed the Aelienne of the past! You hunted him down. I'll use that same power to destroy you!"

Thirteenth Hinokami: INVERSE TSUNAMI RELEASE

A torrent of blue flame mixed with the red sun, pushing the beam struggle toward Evangelion, but Evangelion did not look at all fazed.

INSUBORDINATION. LITTLE VAMPIRE. DO YOU THINK YOUR BORROWED POWER CAN MATCH THE STRENGTH OF A SUPREME PRIMORDIAL HINOKAMI VESSEL?

Bryce snarled, baring his fangs at the bogeyman of the Black Legion.

Level 1 Hinokami: Stage Two - Leviathan's Breath

A much larger beam of green flame left Evangelion's mouth, slamming into the beam struggle and completely engulfing both Aelienne and Yeling's Hinokami. Bryce had become encased in a sea of blinding green light.

"BRYCE!" I yelled, rushing forward when suddenly a hand grabbed my shoulder.

"Take another step, and your Auxiliary is gonna die," Jay's voice said from behind me.

"Lord Hellion! You gotta stop Evangelion and Bryce! They're gonna-"

"No. That ain't how it works. Bryce chose to fight this Inner Shadow, he's gonna see it to the end."

The smoke cleared, revealing an unconscious Bryce completely embedded in the side of a building wall. His body and clothes were smoking and his face was barely showing any signs of life.

Evangelion crept closer, steam and flame puffing from his mouth, inspecting Bryce, before turning around.

The monster crawled forward, revealing a spiked tail the size of several school buses. The Dolls looked at the struggle in horror, panning from Evangelion to Bryce, who had been defeated instantly.

This monster's Stage Two Hinokami had completely eliminated an SS Ranked Hinokami user... a user who, by theory, should have been immune to flames by nature of his own powers.

Even Jekyll had substantial difficulty trying to put Bryce down, yet Evangelion defeated him in one shot.

I clenched my teeth, an excruciating pain throbbing in my chest.

Bryce...

CHILDREN OF GASKET, CHILDREN OF SLIPSTREAM. THE CONSEQUENCES OF INSUBORDINATION. NO DOLL, NO HINOKAMI CAN STAND AGAINST THE BLACK LEGION.

Evangelion approached Slipstream, the two Inner Shadows making eye contact.

Jay bowed, but from within the shadows of his face, I could make out the slightest hint of rage.

"Inner Shadow Evangelion, I apologize for the actions of my Outer Shadow."

THRICE YOUR CHILDREN HAVE DEFIED ME, INNER SHADOW SLIPSTREAM. MY PATIENCE WANES.

Jay's teeth gritted together, but he kept his composure.

"Lord Evangelion, I will ensure appropriate actions will be taken to reprimand my Outer Shad-"

NO.

A fresh blast of heat smashed into all of us, sending us to the ground.

No?

What did he mean by no?

Jay stood before the hulking monstrosity.

A man before a monster.

"Evangelion, these girls are trying their best to act as soldiers to the cause. We have a strict policy amongst the Regiment."

NO. IF THESE GIRLS CANNOT FULFILL THEIR DUTY, THEY ARE NOT SUITED FOR THE BLACK LEGION. I WILL KILL HALF OF YOUR GIRLS.

The Dolls froze in terror, and I could feel 74's grip on my arm tighten. 75 was right. 74 and Zero-A were right.

The consequences of insubordination... would mean dealing with Evangelion.

And there was nothing Jay Hellion could do.

Even amongst Inner Shadows, there was a hierarchy. With Hakah at the top. But in terms of seniority of the other Shadows, this interaction was already very obvious.

Jay was no match for Evangelion.

"Why half?" Jay asked.

Evangelion snarled.

A QUARTER, FOR THE LITTLE GIRL'S BETRAYAL. AND ANOTHER QUARTER, FOR AUXILIARY SHADOW HELLSING. THIS IS FAIR GAME.

Fair game...

Jay glared at me but kept to himself.

Never before had I felt like a complete waste of a human being.

Not only did I cause trouble for everybody during the battle against Tiamar...

But I let my Auxiliary Shadow go on a rampage.

Now Jay had to watch this monstrosity of an Inner Shadow kill half of the girls he loved like daughters.

All because of me.

Aaron.

My eyes flew open, darting around for the source of the voice, but I couldn't detect it. It was like it was coming from...

I stared at Evangelion, his flames.

Green...

Yet hints of...

"You... you're alive...!"

Even if I didn't know where the owner of it was, I knew exactly who was speaking.

None of this is your fault. Helping others is never a sin. It never was.

I focused my eyes on the hints of blue, as Evangelion suddenly tensed.

SILENCE, BOY.

I heard a sudden rush of heat from within the Inner Shadow's body.

Yeling's voice became weaker, but I could still hear him, bright as day.

Even when he was within Evangelion's essence, Yeling was still giving his all to help us.

No matter what.

Evangelion... he abides through challenges... if you can beat him in a trial by combat, Sigurd and the girls can be spared.

"Yeling... even if he agrees, there's no way I could beat him. You saw what he did to Bryce! I can't risk any more people to march to their deaths. Even Jay can't stand against him!"

As long as I live... I will NOT let Evangelion kill you. Pinky promise on my soul.

I braced myself, forcing myself to my feet.

"Inner Shadow Evangelion," I shouted to the beast, as the monster turned to me.

My whole body froze in fear again. No matter how much I was trying to force the words out of my mouth, nothing was coming out.

Even if I wanted to do so, my body wouldn't listen to me.

Every instinct was telling me to bow and submit.

It was too petrified to do anything.

It was too human.

But if I didn't do something, Sigurd, 74, 75, 76, 78, everybody...

Everybody was going to die if I didn't do something today!

"I... I..."

"I CHALLENGE YOU TO TRIAL BY COMBAT!" Bryce and I shouted at the same time.

My eyes widened as Bryce limped toward me, clutching his arm. His whole body was bleeding everywhere, but a determined look appeared on his face.

Bryce glared at Evangelion.

"Yeling... Yeling's still alive, somehow. I can detect his scent... in those flames. Right now, it isn't just the two of us. We've got Yeling on our side too. This is our only chance to save her. And save these pipsqueaks. I'll throw my life on the line for this. And I know you will too, won't you, Bossman?"

A rejuvenating burst of adrenaline woke my body up, snapping it out of its trance.

"Yeah. Yeah, you're absolutely right, Bryce. As long as we stand, we'll keep the people we care about alive. No matter what."

I brought my finger up, pointing it at the monstrosity that had terrified me not too long ago.

The Dolls stared at us incredulously. Even Jay had his eyebrows raised.

"Trial by combat, Lord Evangelion. If we win, Sigurd and Jay Hellion's Dolls will be spared."

Trial by Combat

ACES OF BOTH INNER SHADOWS. CHOOSE YOUR SUBORDINATE SHADOW. THE WAGER SET. DAMAGE TO MY BODY IS THE TRIAL.

Bryce and I stood before the mammoth Inner Shadow, surprise cast on our faces.

"Damage to his body? Wouldn't that mean just landing a hit?" I asked.

Bryce grimaced.

"If it was really that easy it wouldn't be a trial."

I glanced at Zero-A, who was still trembling from the encounter.

"A0, you're Jay's ace, right?" I asked.

Zero-A breathed out.

"This is suicidal! We can't stand against an Inner Shadow! And against this particular one, no less!"

Jay crossed his arms.

"If you choose to forfeit, Zero-A, that will mean Dainsleif and Hellsing will fail the trial, and by extension, the deaths of these girls. I understand you are terrified. But if you do not do something, more of our family will be taken away. If it is a trial by combat requiring the aces of two Inner Shadows along with their Auxiliaries, then I will step in for your sake. You don't need to do anything."

I blinked, trying to piece together what Jay had said. My blood suddenly ran cold.

Don't tell me...

Jay was willing to give up his position as an Inner Shadow?!

"The conditions are the two aces and their subordinate Shadows. If the aces are A0 and me, and Bryce is my Auxiliary, we need an Auxiliary or Outer Shadow. Don't tell me you'd-"

Jay took off his shades, revealing a pair of gaunt but alert brown eyes, confirming what I had pieced together.

"Yes, Dainsleif. I will resign my position as an Inner Shadow and give it to one of the Dolls here. And I will demote myself to the position of Outer Shadow."

The Dolls went into an uproar.

"Master Hellion! Please rethink!"

"No! Where would we be without you to lead us!"

Jay slammed his fist against the wall, causing the uproar to silence abruptly.

"No more objections. This is for your survival. All of you. If it means keeping you all safe, a lousy title of Inner Shadow is more than enough of an exchange."

DISGRACEFUL. DEATH SHALL AWAIT YOU ALL.

Jay smirked.

"Bastard Inner Shadow. You don't got shit on me. Before I was chosen by the Water God, I was already superhuman. I wasn't pieced together from the remains of some Primordial bitch and turned into a Hinokami guinea pig like you were. I'll damage you before you can lay a single finger on my girls."

Zero-A's head hung low.

"I've cost the title of my Master... I've... I've caused so many of our sisters pain... I can't... I can't-"

"Master Hellion, let me take part in the trial," Seven Four said.

Everybody turned to 74-M, shocked at what she had just said.

"Seven Four...? Wait, are you sure about this?" I ran up to my patron Doll, who put a hand on her hip.

"I am responsible for you, Dainsleif. That has been my job ever since you came here. Everything you have done up until now, all the messes you caused... and the victorious you have given us. I watched you. I want to keep my sisters safe too. And I want to do right by Seven Seven."

74 glanced at 78, who had her hands over her mouth.

"Zero-A, you're right. The things I've done... I don't deny that it contributed to Evangelion's decision to kill fifty percent of us. So, please. Let me fight by everybody's side. I don't want to see Master Hellion lose his title."

74 got on one knee.

"Call me, Outer Shadow A0."

Zero-A took a deep breath, putting her hands on her cheeks.

"I've made... too many mistakes. Up until now. And now I've realized that I was seconds from making another one. Master Hellion, forgive my cowardice just now. I will no longer run away from this. Come, Outer Shadow M74. We will fight, representing Inner Shadow Slipstream."

Jay slipped his shades back on, and a small smirk appeared on his face.

"Make me proud, girls."

I concentrated.

My body should have recovered enough to call upon my basic magic spells.

I didn't have enough to use any crazy chakra techniques yet... but being able to access Master Jun's arsenal was already a huge game-changer.

"Inner Shadow Slipstream... if we get outta this alive, I'm supplying your girls with some better guns."

Convocatio: Ultimate Draugr, Turricalum Duo

A red magic circle appeared before me, as I pulled out a handgun and two DS35's, which hovered by my sides in their orb forms.

"Come, Auxiliary Shadow Hellsing."

Bryce drew Tatsu, baring his fangs and snarling at the Inner Shadow.

"We'll fight. Representin' Inner Shadow Gasket."

Evangelion's face contorted into a twisted, malicious smile.

Level 1 Hinokami: Leviathan's Dwellings

A shockwave of green light emitted outward.

"Bossman!" Bryce grabbed me by the waist and leaped into the air. From the corner of my vision, I could make out 74-M and 0-A jumping out of the way as well.

Bryce landed on the ground, which had now become charred and blackened, with wisps of green flames patching it.

A coliseum the size of several football fields had replaced what was originally the plaza of the Roundtable City.

The two Dolls landed next to me.

"Dainsleif, what's the plan?" Zero-A asked.

From the way Bryce had clashed against Evangelion earlier, it didn't take a genius to know a full frontal assault was suicide.

His Dead Crescent couldn't even reach his body.

Meaning Evangelion was emitting a ridiculously high temperature through his Hinokami.

But if it was true that Evangelion was a Hinokami user, emitting that fire must have been intentional.

I made a fist.

His weak point was hidden under all those flames.

The terms of the trial were to hit and damage his body. Evangelion definitely knew of the existence of my Anti-Hope Bullets and my Ultimate Caliga Anti-Aircraft Rifle.

So trying to hit him at his body wouldn't make sense, they were most likely intangible, just like Yeling's Level 2 Dogma Bargain.

But where would his weakspot even be???

There was also no telling what shape... or even what form it was.

And if the weakspot happened to be in another plane of existence... there would be an infinite number of universes one would need to search.

All the time in the world wouldn't be enough to find it, and I knew for a fact that we wouldn't last long against this monster's Hinokami.

A roar shook the entire arena, causing all of us to freeze in terror.

I tried to move my body but it wouldn't move... it had become petrified again.

"Dammit... you're really startin' to piss me off. But I swore, all those years, that I would get my revenge. And here it is presented right in front of me. I'm not gonna let this opportunity slip!" Bryce roared, shocking us out of our stupor and charging.

Evangelion opened his mouth and unleashed a green beam of Hinokami fire at Bryce, but Bryce slashed at his elbow, jettisoning himself out of the way mid-air.

Rain Style Kenjutsu - LAMINAR DOWNPOUR

Bryce executed a deadly familiar corkscrew, replicating Yeling's movements and mixing it with blue Hinokami flame at Evangelion's back, but like before, the flame was instantly engulfed by the superior Hinokami's fires.

Evangelion howled, spinning around and slashing at Bryce with his claws.

I watched my Auxiliary Shadow's chest explode in blood and green flames as Hellsing shot toward the other side of the arena at hypersonic speed, blasting through dozens of buildings.

Zero-A and 74 began shooting smoke grenades from their grenade launchers, blinding Evangelion as best they could.

"We'll disorient Evangelion as much as we can, just focus on the plan!" 74 shouted at me.

Evangelion snarled like a beast, unleashing a wave of green flame which somehow dispersed the smoke and sending the Dolls flying back. I watched Zero-A and Seven-Four run for cover, sniping at Evangelion at a distance, but the monster suddenly closed the distance, appearing in front of Zero-A.

The terrifying visage of the beast intensified as Evangelion opened his mouth, revealing multiple rows of spiked teeth. Zero-A froze in terror, unable to react.

Firebird Iaido Style: Form 1 - PHOENIX REDLINE

A red line of Aelienne's Hinokami cut through Evangelion's visage, but the blade passed through the sea of green, as the Inner Shadow spun around and grabbed Bryce by the face.

There!

I aimed with my Draugr, memorizing the location of the monster's claw joints.

Trigrams Six Hands Style - DEAD EYES

BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG.

The Inner Shadow spun around and used Bryce's body as a shield. The bullets embedded themselves into Bryce's chest as Evangelion hurled the Auxiliary Shadow in my direction.

"Shit! Drag me up! Drag me up!" I yelped at my DS35's as they did what they were told.

Bryce smashed into the ground with so much force that a valley formed.

THE VAMPIRE REGENERATES THROUGH THE LIFE ESSENCE AND BLOOD OF THE WORLD'S WILDLIFE. WITH ALL THE ORGANIC MATTER AROUND US INCINERATED, HIS DEFEAT WAS TRIVIAL.

I bit my tongue.

Bryce...

Bryce wasn't moving. He was knocked out cold.

I ordered one of my DS35's to enter hoverboard mode, hitting the air.

It was a similar instance in my first fight with Yeling.

The Intangibility would break whenever he manifested a physical form to execute melee attacks or holds...

74 and 0A were still launching as many vision-disorienting obstacles as possible, unleashing explosion after explosion and remote artillery strikes to try to land something while also creating cover to hide behind. But if Evangelion decided to blast everything in an all-out Hinokami wave, we were all toast.

"Yeling! Could use some help here, buddy!"

I'm already limiting his use of Hinokami.

"You mean to tell me that strike that knocked Bryce out cold was him holding back?!"

Yes.

DO NOT INTERVENE, THIRTEEN.

Yeling ignored the Inner Shadow.

When I fought Evangelion, I was never able to breach past his flames. A battle of attrition didn't work either. But it bothered me that he would resort to melee attacks when he could just incinerate everything.

I narrowed my eyes.

If Evangelion could use Hinokami to this level of mastery, there was no reason for him to use melee.

And from what he had displayed with Bryce earlier, he wasn't a big fan of me shooting his claws, meaning they were tangible.

To take a risk and make himself intangible in this situation... could mean two things.

He had something to protect in close range.

And his Hinokami had a lower temperature in that area preventing him from just pushing enemies away with a blast of flame.

Evangelion unleashed another arc of flame which dispersed the debris that the Dolls were sending to him and turned to me.

A shiver ran down my spine, the momentary period of eye contact freezing me in place.

The Inner Shadow sent a green fireball my way as I tried to evade with my DS35, but it was too fast.

TIME IS RUNNING OUT, OUTER SHADOW.

I wasn't gonna make it!

"Dainsleif!"

Seven Four grabbed me by the arm and yanked me out of the way before the Hinokami could incinerate me alive. The two of us tumbled onto the ground.

"Gah! 74! Thanks, you really saved my-"

74-M seethed, clutching her arm which had suddenly turned a bright red.

"Your arm...!"

74 heaved, taking deep and controlled breaths.

"Sorry, I couldn't save both of us."

Evangelion crawled around the destroyed buildings, trying to search for the two of us like a game of cat and mouse.

"Where's Zero-A?" I asked.

"She's trying to recover Hellsing. Evangelion's flames are beyond comprehension. His Hinokami is even more terrifying than Sergeant Hellion's Suijin."

74-M leaned against the wall of an alleyway, sliding to the ground. Her panting was making my gut wrench.

"Your arm, it's seriously burned. We need medical treatment!" I exclaimed.

74-M ripped a piece of cloth from her skirt and wrapped her arm with it.

"What did you learn from that encounter? Any ideas?"

I tried to ignore the rising guilt that was building up inside me.

"Evangelion seems to be trying to protect something inside him. I suspect he might have a physical form under all those flames. And since he had to resort to melee whenever we breached his distance, I'm guessing his Hinokami isn't as hot when we're at a certain distance away."

74 raised her eyebrows.

"How certain are you of this plan? Are you saying to fight that monster in close range? What if it doesn't work?"

I clenched my teeth.

"There's no way we can confirm it... Right now everything is pure speculation."

M74 grimly glanced at the distance, the two of us hiding under the ruins of a building that had been blown up.

"We need someone to get in close and risk being burnt alive to confirm the existence of his core."

I didn't answer, but 74-M got to her feet.

"I will go."

I grabbed her other arm.

"No."

"Do you have any other ideas? We're running out of time. This is a game of cat and mouse that we cannot win. Evangelion will find us. If there is something we must do we must do it now!"

"And what if I'm wrong?! You'll be incinerated!"

Footsteps boomed in the distance, causing the two of us to run for cover.

If it wasn't for Yeling's intervention, Evangelion would have decimated this entire place already in one big blast. But the best he could do right now was unleash beams of Hinokami.

And as Seven Four and I continued sneaking around and evading the monstrosity, everything became clear. The importance of her training for me.

The art of fighting an enemy indirectly.

"You catch on quick, after just a few days of training with Muon you've learned how to sneak around like us," Seven Four whispered.

"Your arm, it's severe, we gotta get it treated," I replied, ignoring her compliment. I just didn't feel like receiving any praise for anything after what had happened to this girl's arm because of my recklessness.

"The cloth of my skirt has healing properties. We need to decide how we are going to plan this out. The only way we can know for sure is for someone to go in there."

My lips wound together tightly, my memory of June being shot in the head by Jekyll resurfacing.

I couldn't bear the thought of sending yet another teenager to her death.

"Aaron, look at me."

I looked up at the Tactical War Doll. From the shadows cast on her face by the building ruins, we were currently hiding under.

Seven Four's choppy brown hair was matted with grime, and her face was grim. But if it hadn't been plagued with the burden of fighting a war that she never asked for, she would have grown up to be a beautiful young woman.

Seven Four would never be able to experience a life like that.

"I am not June. You are sending no one to their deaths."

"I don't care what you think. I've seen too many people die, 74. I've had three of my Auxiliary Shadows die right in front of my very eyes... There has to be another way. There has to-"

"You of all people should know there isn't."

Seven Four slowly put her hands on my face. Her hands were small and delicate, but calloused from years of holstering firearms.

"I think I know why Master Hellion assigned you to me. And why I was given an Outer Shadow like you. Every soldier must understand the importance of making hard calls. But every soldier should also understand the importance of their humanity in something so inhumane as war. I taught you to fight like a soldier and to think objectively... but it was you who taught not just me, but everybody in SFA Muon the importance of having a heart. Aaron, guilt is so... so very human. I know that feeling more than anyone."

A faint smile appeared on the Outer Shadow's face.

"The day we chose to follow Master Hellion, was the day we abandoned who we were in the past. It is the protocol that we only ever refer to the codenames given to us. To The Black Legion Organization and the Tactical War Doll Regiment, I am known as 74-M. But..."

74 put a hand to her chest.

"My real name is Thalia Atlai. This is my heart, to you. When Inner Shadow Evangelion invaded, I was forced to choose the life of my classmates or my parents. He wanted to mold me into a soldier, and I was so terrified because of my love for both that I could not make that decision. Ultimately, it was because of my fear that caused my parents to be incinerated alive. I've lived with this my whole life, that guilt, that pain. I am not telling you these things for pity, Aaron. And I am not telling you these things to try to trauma dump and compare our pasts. But the decision to serve a righteous cause has always been something I wanted to do ever since I let my parents die.

"When I saw Zero-A lead the charge, and fight against Inner Shadow Evangelion's Shadows, she was like a warrior angel sent from the sky. I was so enthralled, not just by her grace, but also her ability to march forward and pick herself up from that chaos. She led us, from that day onward, and I served under her. But now..."

Thalia's gaze shifted to the small crevice in the collapsed building. The figure of Evangelion howling in the sky and breathing out waves of Hinokami like a dragon illuminated the sky.

"Zero-A cannot bear this burden alone. If we fail this trial, half of our sisters will die, and your Auxiliary Shadow will die. I will regret nothing. And neither should you, Outer Shadow Dainsleif."

I gripped the handle of my Draugr.

"Damn... for a fifteen-year-old... you sure are eloquent."

74-M smirked.

"War makes you grow up fast!"

I slowly got to my feet, making my way out of the ruins with Thalia behind me.

A run straight to Inner Shadow Evangelion would be suicide.

But...

If there was a way to get there, we could take him by surprise.

"On my mark, I want you to jump into the first red magic circle you see in front of you. Got it?"

Thalia nodded.

"Roger."

Evangelion continued rampaging until he detected the two of us, but by then, I had already finished my preparations.

I clenched my teeth, loading in a shell and firing from my Ironsight sniper.

Convocatio - Ammunition Summoning: Flashbullet

The sniper bullet soared, cutting through the flames through its aerodynamic profile and unleashing a blinding light.

Evangelion snarled.

MORE TRICKS.

Seven Four shot forward like a bullet, acrobatically dodging and seeking cover in a continuous motion while trying to be as undetectable as possible.

Evangelion appeared above me and roared, unleashing a torrent of green overwhelming flame to my position, but the illusion of me dissipated.

SPECTRES?

Convocatio - Grenade Summoning: Octagram of Demons

Eight clones of me manifested, each wielding a Caliga rifle.

Ammunition Summoning: Vortex Shells

The clones fired, warping and twisting the flames that Evangelion was sending by aerodynamically manipulating the air around them. I was pulling every trick in the book at this point, but realistically all I was doing was tickling the guy.

My mana was limited, there was a reason why I couldn't go beyond Elementary Magic.

My body was normal, and a normal human body could only manage Elementary Magic. Intermediate Magic was reserved for highly trained mages, and Advanced Magic would be for prodigies and geniuses of the upper caliber.

I had come up with a whole bunch of ways to make my mana use as efficient as possible, but even that had limits.

If I kept this up, I was going to run dry, and our chances of winning this wager would plummet.

Evangelion smiled sadistically.

ONLY A LIAR WILL FIGHT WITH TRICKERY. RED EYED LIAR, HOW FAR WILL YOUR LUCK STRETCH? YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN ANTICIPATE.

Level 1 Hinokami - Stage Five: LEVIATHAN'S ONSLAUGHT

Massive moon-sized orbs appeared in the air, growing bigger by the second.

No...

These weren't orbs!

"SEVEN FOUR! GET OUT OF THERE, HE'S UNLEASHING AN AERIAL STRIKE!" I shouted.

First Hinokami: Great Phoenix Covenant

A red sun suddenly appeared before me, scorching the entire battlefield with heat.

"Wha-"

"Bossman, where's M74?" Bryce asked, limping toward me.

"Bryce! Are you alright? We need to get Seven Four out of there!" I said.

Zero-A shouldered my Auxiliary Shadow, a large gash was on her face, but otherwise, she looked in fighting shape.

"Seven Four is out there? What is she doing? What did you tell her to do?!" Zero-A exclaimed.

I explained to both Zero-A and Bryce about the plan.

"Seven Four... you didn't need to do all this to prove a point. I... I would have believed you all the same," Zero muttered.

Bryce sniffed the air.

"I can sense her blood. She's alive. But she's still running straight toward Evangelion. Nothing we will say will change her mind. The best we can do is make that path for her."

Zero-A turned to me.

"Dainsleif, you can still summon more firearms, yes?"

"Yeah."

"Then hand me the heaviest weapon you have in your arsenal."

I summoned a M134 minigun and handed it to the Doll who wielded it with flawless posture.

Zero-A loaded the gun and holstered it along her shoulders. It looked almost ridiculous the size of the machine gun compared to her tiny frame.

"Bryce and I will focus on obscuring his vision. You find a way to deal with his flames and provide cover fire for Seven Four."

With that, Bryce drew Tatsu and bolted forward, hitting the skies.

Hinokami Blood Arts: RED RAVEN

A massive flaming blood construct erupted from the Auxiliary Shadow's chest, engulfing Evangelion, who retaliated with a blast of Hinokami of his own.

However, the blood reacted violently, unleashing a deafening steam.

Zero-A took aim and fired at every structural vulnerability in sight, collapsing buildings, houses, street lamps, and power lines all over the Inner Shadow.

Evangelion spun in her direction, but Zero-A had already disappeared, scaling another building firing at a nearby power pole, and unleashing a series of explosions that obscured the Inner Shadow's line of sight.

The Inner Shadow redirected his attention to Bryce, who sent multiple Dead Cresents to the monster. Taking advantage of the shift in focus, Zero-A darted across the perimeter of the monster, planting charges left and right.

It was like watching a machine work. Zero-A was able to do something that I could never do in my many years of knowing Bryce.

She was able to somehow adapt to her style to match his wild and unpredictable nature and coordinate with him.

Whether it was decision-making, environmental analysis, or prioritizing certain things in the heat of battle, Zero-A's execution was flawless.

It was abnormal.

From the corner of my vision, I could make out the outline of a female figure darting towards Evangelion. Thalia was now within several yards, and her clothes were already starting to smoke and singe.

Closer... closer...

Now.

I held out my hand, summoning a Convocatio portal.

Portali-

FOUND YOU. LITTLE GIRL.

My blood ran cold as ice. The absolute worst outcome had happened.

Evangelion swatted Bryce aside, bulldozed past Zero-A's barricades, and turned to Seven Four, his monstrous mouth open and elongated, about to summon another blast of flame at Seven Four point blank.

"Shit!" I growled, repositioning my aim.

Light Magic: False Rune

Portalis: Reverse Summoning

The Hinokami blast entered a magic circle that appeared in front of the monster's mouth.

Seven Four hesitated, as the encrypted magic circle illuminated blue, unlike the red that I had instructed her to jump through.

I closed my fist, resummoning the portal and unleashing the flames back at the Inner Shadow, who consumed it like nothing.

"Of course he did..." I muttered.

A PORTAL TO BREACH MY DISTANCE. THIS WAS YOUR SOLUTION.

I clenched my teeth in frustration. Of course, he saw right through me. The ace up my sleeve was now gone.

"Don't stop! Don't let your emotions get the better of you!" Seven Four shouted, through the chaos of the fight and destruction.

I blinked, making out Thalia's figure, rushing forward through the smoke and haze.

Evangelion bared his teeth.

LITTLE GIRL, YOUR FARCE HAS LONG SINCE BEEN EXPOSED.

A blast of flame came flying her way. I tried using the same Portalis trick, but this wave of fire was much more intense than the last, and the portal quickly dissipated, only chopping away a fraction of the heat.

Seven Four braced herself, the torrent slamming into her body and charring her clothes. Her face began to burn, patches of red forming around the exposed regions of her arms and face.

"THALIA!" I yelled, but Seven Four clenched her teeth, growling and marching forward.

"Remember what I taught you, Dainsleif. The moment you lose yourself in the warzone is when you get everybody killed." Seven Four responded, forcing herself forward, but her leg buckled, causing the Outer Shadow to stumble and fall to one knee.

I had to think of something, I had to... but ever since my encounter with June, and losing both Robbie and Sarah...

The concentration that I once was known for was no longer there.

No matter how hard Seven Four tried to bring it out, it refused to come back.

Suddenly, a flash of magenta appeared from the corner of my vision, as Zero-A appeared, holstering a riot shield in front of Seven Four.

"We are falling back! I've armed the charges."

The riot shield shattered from the heat, but Bryce appeared in its place, red circuitry covered his arm.

Thirteenth Hinokami: INVERSE TSUNAMI RELEASE

A flood of cyan smashed into the sea of green flame, momentarily holding the flame back as Zero-A dragged Seven Four back. Bryce roared, activating the charges and allowing us to fall back.

KABOOM.

Flashes of light engulfed the entire battlefield.

"We can't... fall back..." Thalia groaned, clutching Zero-A by the collar.

"Enough! What are you trying to prove, Seven Four? Incinerating yourself alive, is this another thing that Dainsleif rubbed off on you-"

"Yes! Yes, it is!" Seven Four cried out, causing Zero to hesitate.

"Aaron Hope is the biggest idiot in The Black Legion! He's repulsive, gross, perverted, and vulgar! But even so, even when he learned about Evangelion's role in our lives, he still helped us! He easily could have walked away from all this! But he chose to do a trial against the Hinokami Killer for our sake. If he hadn't intervened in our battle against Tiamar, many more of our comrades would have been left to die!"

Thalia coughed out blood, her eyes losing consciousness.

"A life of only duty is not a life worth living... We need the Dainsleif... Zero-A... That burden on your shoulders..."

Seven Four managed a weak smile, as the flames of Evangelion began to overwhelm us.

"Master Hellion wouldn't want to see you like this... he wouldn't want to see half of us die because of insubordination..."

"GAH! You damn monstrosity!" Bryce growled, his body buckling. The blue flame was barely visible from the palm of his hand. We were seconds away from being incinerated alive, our only saving grace being the borrowed power of Bryce's Hinokami.

Zero's eyes drifted toward Inner Shadow Slipstream, who had his shades on in the distance.

"Sergeant Hellion always wears his sunglasses when he doesn't want people to see his eyes," Zero-A muttered.

"Because he doesn't want us, no, you to see the same face that had witnessed us die the first time. Zero-A, you were the only one who was still conscious when Master Hellion arrived after Evangelion burnt our bodies."

Zero-A turned to Seven Four, whose voice was getting weaker by the second.

"Master Hellion didn't demote you because of incompetence... Zero-A... he demoted you because he saw how much stress you were under. We may be soldiers, but ultimately, we are like his daughters. If it means saving half of the girls he loves, then I'd march straight to hell's door if I need to. So... Zero-A... please, let me... let me go against your orders... one last time..."

And with that, Seven Four lost consciousness.

The sound of the Hinokami clash filled the air as Zero-A stared into the distance.

"I thought what I had been doing would ultimately protect Sergeant Hellion," Zero muttered, her hand drifting toward Thalia's face.

"I thought that by playing the villain, I would do whatever was necessary to keep as many Dolls alive. If it meant sacrificing one Doll to save twenty."

"To choose the lesser pain, right?" I asked.

Tears dripped from Zero-A's chin, as the flames around us became more intense.

"The biggest idiot... was me all along. I now understand what makes you the superior Outer Shadow..."

"Aww shucks. But maybe we should save the compliments for when we make it out alive."

"I envy you, Aaron."

I blinked.

"You envy a psychologically scarred pervert who's missing an arm?"

"You can command Auxiliary Shadows who would walk to hell and back for your sake. To become strong and survive for your sake. Auxiliary Shadow Hellsing, I heard, became so strong that he might potentially have achieved SS Rank. Am I wrong?"

"I... I guess you're not wrong."

"I tried to do that too. I tried to make the Dolls strong enough to survive, so Sergeant Hellion wouldn't be hurt again. I tried so hard to make them strong, their hearts closed to the same weakness that had caused our first death, so Sergeant Hellion wouldn't witness our second. Yet... ultimately, I've failed. Yet again. Because I didn't understand what made a Shadow of The Black Legion so strong in the first place."

Zero-A closed her eyes.

"When Seven Four wakes up, I want you to do something for me."

"What's that? What are you talking about? Hey, why are you, wait-" I stammered, reaching out to Zero-A, who got up and faced the clash.

"I want you to help give her the life she was robbed of. To give all the girls the life they were meant to have. A life that they were denied. I took that away from them when I so mercilessly forced them to fight on the battlefield and to abide by the strict policy of the SFA Regiment. I know that what I've done is not forgivable. But I don't want to end it all knowing I didn't do something about it."

Zero-A marched forward, picking up the imaging device that I had given Seven Four, and headed to Evangelion.

"The plan you two had would have been in vain. If Seven Four went to Evangelion, she would be incinerated instantly. I, at the very least, have something that is exclusively only to me, as Sergeant Hellion's ace."

Zero-A dropped her gear and braced herself as teal lines began to arc up her body.

Level 1 Suijin - Stage Four: Neptune's Chariot

A swirl of energy surrounded the Doll, breaking through the Inner Shadow's Hinokami. Bryce turned around in surprise.

"What the...?!"

Evangelion tilted his head.

A DOGMA BARGAIN? AT A TIME LIKE THIS?

Zero-A's magenta eyes flashed teal.

"Dogma, for the power to momentarily withstand Lord Evangelion's flames, I offer to you... my life."

My eyes widened.

"Zero-A, what are you doing?! Your life?! All chances of you surviving this are gone now because you-"

"Aaron, I never intended to come out of this alive. Not someone like me. Either I die and save fifty percent of my sisters... or I fail and die alongside them. Both outcomes will result in the death of the person who had subjected them to such a life in the first place."

"There's still a chance to make amends! I can't just-"

"And who's going to stop me? You? We need information on Evangelion. This is the only way."

Zero-A turned to me, her body started to chip away, and momentarily, the image of June smiling at me flickered in my mind.

"Everyone knows about the tragedy of Auxiliary Shadow Jubilee. But know this, all of the people who gave their lives for you, up until now, would do it again, because we trust in you. But you need to trust in yourself too."

Zero-A

"I will create a path using Suijin. Hellsing, keep the Inner Shadow at bay. Dainsleif, follow suit with me. And we will bulldoze through the wall of flames. You will be my final pillar of defense before I enter his body to confirm the core."

I wouldn't say I liked this plan, but we were running out of time. Bryce had only so much Hinokami left in him before he was going to collapse.

I nodded, as we broke formation.

Zero-A rushed forward in a flash of blue light, while I boarded one of my DS35's and chased after her.

"Destreum Buckler Protocol!" I shouted at the Sanctuaries, which formed a shield in front of us.

Just as I expected, the Sanctuaries instantly vaporized from the flames.

Zero-A reached behind her back and pulled out an expandable device, which grew to the size of a riot shield. The shield began to take on the glow of the Suijin, temporarily shielding through the sea of green flames.

Evangelion roared and began to emit dozens of flaming tendrils in our direction, but I had already pulled out my busted-up grimoire, shooting the tendrils.

THESE BULLETS... THEY ARE NOT NORMAL.

I grinned, forcing myself to face forward alongside Zero-A. The glow of the grimoire that once made me nauseous, reminding me of Robbie had now been replaced with an ironic sense of hope.

The bullets I had fired were remnants of Annie's Anti-Narrative, remnants of the bullets that had stopped Loyce.

Zero-A grimaced as the riot shield exploded, a chunk of the equipment embedding itself into her shoulder, but the Doll extended her hand, took out a grenade launcher, and forced the Suijin through it.

PLUNK.

A glowing blue explosive orb jettisoned through the flames, ripping a path, but the flames were once again overwhelming us.

Another tendril came flying from the side, but I stopped it with my Thompson Contender.

Immediately a jolt of pain ran up my arm.

"Shit!" I grumbled.

Another wisp of flame broke through our distance, catching Zero-A's jacket, but the Doll immediately ripped the article of clothing off her body, revealing an unnaturally toned physique.

"How far?" Zero-A shouted at me, breaking my stunned silence.

"A few more yards!" I estimated.

The Doll clenched her teeth in response to my estimate.

"We're not going to make it at this rate. My body..."

I stared in horror at the lines that had already begun arcing up Zero-A's body.

The kid was practically crumbling away.

Yeling... Yeling's influence on the superior Hinokami user was weakening. The flames felt even more unbearable.

The only thing keeping Evangelion from doing anything else was Bryce at this point, and given all the damage he had sustained trying to fight the Inner Shadow head-on, we were seconds from failing this bout.

Seconds away...

All that time your precious Ultear bought for you, and the only thing you did was watch her get brutalized. Disappointing.

"Sarah...?!" I whispered.

"What was that? Dainsleif?" Zero-A shouted.

I blinked, the hallucination of my late fiancee disappearing.

History was repeating itself once again.

It was Sarah when I had faced Dasc.

Now it was Bryce, Zero-A, and Yeling as I faced Evangelion.

How many more people were going to have to act as my meatshield before I became the God-Eater that I was supposed to be?

No.

Zero-A was already throwing her life away for us. If I didn't do my part, all of this was going to be for nothing.

Evangelion's flames were too much for us. Even with the Suijin, we were seconds away from collapsing and being incinerated alive.

Zero-A trusted me to provide her with the cover necessary to enter the core.

I needed to go beyond what I was at.

Beyond.

The image of John battling Loyce flashed in my mind.

Beyond. Greater.

FALSE HINOKAMI... YOUR STRENGTH WANES. Evangelion taunted.

Bryce responded with a primal roar, red arcs covering his face and fangs. His body had completely been vampirized.

KRA-KOOM.

Zero-A's grenade launcher exploded, sending more shards into her body.

At this point, the Doll was keeping the flames from incinerating with her bare hands, which were turning black.

"I'm... I'm unable to support... you any further..." Zero-A muttered, as one of her limbs suddenly broke off, disintegrating into dust.

I'm unable to support you any further. I'm sorry. Sarah's voice reverberated in my mind, echoing Zero-A's words.

ASURA'S PENALTY

Zero-A glanced at me in surprise as an even brighter blue aura ripped through the flames.

"Shut up... the fight isn't over yet!" I roared, my voice tripling.

"Tear through... this whole damn obstacle!" I yelled, holding all six of my arms in front of me and the War Doll.

PORTALIS: SIXFOLD BACKBITER

Six massive red magic circles formed together in a cyclic pattern, creating a gargantuan portal that engulfed the flames in front of us.

I had no idea what was on the other side.

I really didn't.

But it was all for nothing.

"We're going through!" I growled.

"WHAT?!" Zero-A exclaimed as I grabbed her by the waist, leaping off the DS35, which crumbled to dust from the heat of the Fourteenth Hinokami.

From the far reaches of my vision, I could make out the faint silhouette of Yeling in the flames.

Good luck, Aaron, Yeling seemed to say in my mind.

"GRAAAAH!" I yelled, dragging Zero-A with me into the void.

"Mommy... Daddy... when are they coming to pick us up?"

?

A little girl's voice could be heard. My eyes fluttered open as I looked around, to see Zero-A had also regained consciousness. The two of us were lying on the ground of what appeared to be a gymnasium.

From the distance, I could make out the banner containing the words:

AZURE ALL GIRLS ACADEMY

"Where...?"

"Dainsleif! You- You're..."

"What?"

Zero-A was staring at me in disbelief. Was there something on my face?

I put my hands to my cheeks and tried to wipe whatever was on it when suddenly, the realization hit me.

Hands.

Not hand.

I quickly examined both my hands. They were calloused as usual... but then several ragged pieces of cloth came into view.

What the hell was I wearing?

I got to my feet and turned to a broken piece of glass, my reflection in full view.

"I'm... a kid again?" I whispered.

Zero-A stood next to me. We were the same height now.

A fifteen-year-old God-Eater stood next to the fifteen-year-old Tactical War Doll in the darkness.

"These clothes... these were the clothes I wore when I was running from them," I muttered.

"Them?"

I gazed at my reflection with a grim expression. The same grim and scary look that had earned me that stupid name.

The "God-Eater".

It was always funny how the red eyes that made me so infamous in the Black Legion would make me look so intimidating, all because of my extremely unkempt long hair and the torn, dirty rags for clothes I had on.

"Farrah's right! Our parents will come to save us, right?" Another girl said.

More and more voices of little kids filled the gymnasium.

"Shut up!" One girl snapped, causing everybody to fall silent.

"Our parents won't come looking for us... they're not coming back for us..." The girl said, as she walked past Zero-A, who stood frozen, stunned at what she was looking at.

The younger version of Zero-A reached in and confiscated the phone of her classmate, smashing it to bits using a depleted fire extinguisher.

"NO! ALICE WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" The girl screamed.

Zero-A/Alice ignored the girl's protests and turned to the rest of the kids, who were huddled in the corner.

"We can't alert them. Those things can sense our phones! We need to keep quiet. We need to."

The girls were quiet, terrified beyond belief, and huddled in the corner. Footsteps had interrupted the argument, forcing even Alice to kneel under a pile of desks.

"I'm scared..." One of the girls whispered.

"SHHH!"

"Let Alice handle it... Alice can handle it."

Alice gripped the edge of the desk, her eyes closed shut.

"The- The broom...! Alice, the broom!" One of the girls gasped.

To the horror of the kids, the barely stable broom that was used to barricade the door was starting to splinter and crack.

BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.

Alice watched on in terror, but from the shadows of the dark room, no one could see the petrified look of the girl everyone was looking to for support.

"Alice what do we do?! What do we DO?!"

BOOM. BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM.

"Alice?"

"Alice!"

BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM.

"ALICE WHAT DO WE DO!?"

BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM.

"ALICE!"

Alice fell to her knees, hyperventilating.

"I can't... I'm scared too..." The girl whispered in a small voice, but no one could hear her.

The voice of the one person everyone was turning to for help was drowned by the voices of the same people who were depending on her.

SNAP! CRUNCH!

The doors flew open, as one of the pieces of the broom flew right into Alice's face, slicing it open. Alice flew backward, her head conked on the ground.

All the girls watched, frozen in fright at both the barely conscious Zero-A, whose eye was now replaced by a bloody gash, and the figure that had appeared in the door.

The figure of a man who was burning with a green flame.

"D- Daddy...?" Alice said, her voice hoarse.

"My dear baby girl... I'm... I'm here... so please... let me take you back... yes..." Alice's father's voice was hysterical. His movements were erratic, and as the man took a few more steps, his behavior made sense.

A huge hole appeared in his head, which was burning with a green glow.

And from the entrance of the destroyed door, more grown-ups appeared, surrounding the girls.

Their deranged voices filled the air.

"There were survivors..."

"More survivors."

"Our girls..."

Alice looked up at what was once her father, tears leaking down the one eye she had left.

"You're not Daddy... are you?"

The reanimated corpse smiled eerily, the flesh around his mouth tearing. The smile was so unnaturally large.

"Join us... the flames will set you free... just like how it set us free...! We can't feel anything anymore! Because we let it burn! WE LET IT BURN! I LET IT BURN!" The man screamed at Alice's face, whose eye was wide in fear.

The flames had completely burnt this man's nervous system. The reason why he couldn't feel anything was because he had no more nerves left in his body to even feel the pain.

Alice looked around at the rest of the adults, who had formed a circle around the girls.

"We... we need to stick together..." Alice whispered.

"Stick together?! Are you crazy?!"

"They're not doing anything to us... we just need to hold out until help arrives. We just need to," Alice reasoned, but no one was listening to her.

Alice turned back to her father, who tilted his head. His eyes were so wide the eyeballs looked like they were about to pop out of his burnt skull.

"You will burn, I don't mind if the other girls don't burn. I don't care about them. All I care about is my baby Alice."

Alice gulped, the gears in her head turning.

"So you're saying... you'll let the other girls go if I stay?"

"What?! What are you saying, Alice?!"

"What are we going to do without you?!"

"You were always the smartest out of all of us!"

"Vanny's right! You're the chosen valedictorian! We can't-"

Alice stomped her foot on the ground, her hands shaking.

"Daddy... Daddy was the head of the board at our school. He... He's always been a leader. These adults are following him. That means... as long as I stay, they will stay. I don't want any of you to die."

"We can't just leave you here to die! None of this is your fault-"

"Yes it is," Alice said, turning to the rest of the girls, who stared at their leader in disbelief.

"What?"

"All of this is my fault. I am the reason we're being attacked. That beast that killed Mrs. Neumann was because of me. I summoned it here."

...?!

I turned to Zero-A, who watched silently. Her head was downcast.

"Zero-A... what is the past you saying?"

"..."

"You're joking... you're joking, right? Alice? Alice, you're just kidding."

The girls shook Alice by the shoulders, relentlessly.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU SUMMONED THE MONSTER HERE?!"

"I... I wanted disorder... we were all so perfect. We were all expected to be perfect here. This All-Girls academy... Do you think I wanted to be perfect my whole life? To be well mannered, to be the Alice Azure Mom and Dad wanted to show off with? I'm not a trophy! I'm not an object! I'm not a prize... You girls... you girls keep looking up to me... I HATE IT! I hated it... so much that when I learned of the ability to change that, I had to take it."

Alice slowly looked up at her father.

"A Primordial Demon... the only being who could break through the borders of our planet. That was the only way."

The girls slowly backed away. The adults didn't even try to stop them as the girls instantly made a break for it, running toward the exit, except one.

"Alice... why did you make a lie like that..." The girl said to her, but Alice kept her eyes fixated on what was left of her father.

"They wouldn't believe me otherwise, Thalia."

Seven Four's past self sniffled, tears running down her face.

"I'll never forgive you... I'll never forgive you for this, Alice."

"I was never looking for it, Thalia."

Thalia gritted her teeth and bolted in the other direction, covering her face as the adults closed in on the past Zero-A, pinning her to the ground. One grown-up began drawing a strange ritualistic circle as Alice's father put his flaming hands on her legs, setting it on fire.

Alice began screaming in agony, her screams echoing across the gymnasium. No doubt all the girls heard this.

But no one gave her any sympathy, just as Alice had intended.

What would have been feelings of guilt and regret... Alice had instantly turned to satisfaction.

All except one.

"AAAAGH!" Alice screamed, her skin turning red and black from the severe burns that were being inflicted on her. Her father laughed crazily as did the rest of the grownups, watching in satisfaction as the child before them was being incinerated alive with an inextinguishable supernatural flame.

"AAAH! Ha... HA! URGHH!" Alice breathed heavily, trying to keep conscious as the grownups dragged her body and tied her to a cross, crucifying the girl and lifting her into the air.

"Why... why is this happening..." Alice muttered, staring at her father.

"Every time... I try to do something good... nothing good comes back to me in return. Self-sacrifice... selflessness... I've been selfless all my life... and for what... FOR WHAT?!" Alice screamed at the man who took out a saw and placed it against her burning thigh, laughing maniacally.

"Don't... please don't..." Alice whimpered, gnashing her teeth.

"Why does everybody think I'm some fearless leader... I never wanted to be valedictorian... I just liked working hard... that was all! Yet everybody put me into a leadership role because my parents were leaders... why was my life determined before I was even born?!"

SHHK. SHHK. SHHK.

Alice's face turned downcast, her eyes losing their shine as she stared at her father, who continued to saw. The flames had already burnt the nerves in her legs.

"Someone... save me..." Alice muttered.

SHHK. SHHK. SHHK.

"I'm scared too... I'm just as scared as the others..."

SHHK. SHHK. SHHK.

CRUNCH. CRUMBLE.

The roof of the gymnasium ripped away, revealing the terrifying visage of the creature that was responsible for it all.

The monster that was mentioned this entire time.

ALICE AZURE.

A jolt ran through the little girl, forcing her to face the monstrosity with a renewed sense of horror.

Alice began to hyperventilate, struggling against her bonds, but her own father was holding her down as Evangelion leaned in close, his enormous face inches away from hers. Saliva steaming from his unnaturally sharp teeth.