Difference between revisions of "Muon and Dainsleif"

01

Several weeks have passed since Inner Shadow Slipstream threw me into SFA-Muon.

In these weeks alone, I learned a myriad of skills from squad coordination, disguise, and standard combat protocol and stances.

I learned of the things I lacked.

And the things that set me apart from others.

But among these things, was one thing that I would never forget.

"So how big are Sigurd's things?" Seven Five asked.

I spat out my oatmeal before my breakfast could even make it to the back of my throat.

"WHAT?!" I turned to the young Auxiliary Shadow of SFA-Muon.

Tactical War Doll 75-M of SFA-Muon was considered the strike force's greatest long-range marksman.

Based on her file, she was the daughter of a wealthy businessman named Alistair Winchester, and went by the name Charlotte Winchester. This connection alone would classify her as a noblewoman, or a young girl of noble status. According to the laws of her world, Charlotte would have learned the manners of a noble and carry herself with elegance.

Not that any of this mattered. Because from the first day till current, my impression of 75-M was anything but that.

In practice, the "noblewoman" in front of me, was probably the most chaotic little fifteen-year-old I had ever met. But then again, the only other teenaged girl I ever lived with and knew was June, who conducted herself far more properly.

If anything, if someone were to put June and Charlotte in one room, anyone with a brain would think that June was the daughter of House Winchester, and Charlotte the crazy fanatic of the yaoi Killing Stalking (don't ask me what yaoi means, because if you do not know, do NOT Google it. I had it explained by 75-M against my will).

"Wh- What do you mean by things? Haha, I'm gonna go take a dump now..." I muttered.

"Oh poppycock. Everybody knows you have your bowel movements at 0600 every morning, give or take ten minutes. It's 0700."

There is no way anybody except you would know that!

75 poked me on my arm.

"Spill the tea, Aaron-dearest! How big are her jugs? How big did Lord Gasket design them?"

"Why the hell do you need to know?!"

The War Doll leaned back and crossed her arms, pouting.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm an A-cup. And thanks to certain circumstances, I can't ever grow in this body ever again. My chest will forever remain the same."

"I didn't need to know that, thanks."

"Besides..." 75-M continued, completely ignoring my comment.

"...I heard on the first day of her assignment to your squad, you popped one! Is that true?"

"OKAY I am not having this conversation with you first thing in the morning," I exclaimed, getting up and tossing the cereal into the garbage.

Guess it turned out that War Dolls were also capable of assassinating appetites too. Good to know!

"AWWWW! Don't leave! Come back! Please please please please PLEASE!!!!" 75-M grabbed my waist and began wailing like a hysterical puppy.

"Let go of me, you moron! My god! Shouldn't a soldier be more prim and proper? You're a noble yet you're the most vulgar little girl I've ever met in my entire life!"

75 suddenly let go, as I turned around. Surprise crept into my face.

The War Doll's body language had changed.

Her facial expression had momentarily flashed with... hurt?

"Ah- Pigtails, I didn't mean-"

"Huh? What? What are you talking about? Hahaha!" 75-M quickly reverted back to her usual cutesy demeanour, forcing a laugh and twirling her pigtails.

"Was it my comment on your noble status? I didn't mean to-" we "No! No no no. It's fine. Totally fine."

"Are you sure? You know we're both interrogator types. We can't really lie to each other."

Charlotte looked away.

"Can we just drop it?" She whispered.

Concern laced my face. This was completely out of character for her, but if bringing this up made her uncomfortable, then it was best to drop it. Despite her teasing, Pigtails knew that I didn't really mind. As she herself was an interrogator as well, she could tell that her teasing only really just irritated me but never bothered me. If there was anything that crossed the line, she would know. Which was why of all the things she could tease me about, she never once brought up June.

And I had to take up my part of the bargain.

"Alright," I said gently, kneeling before the War Doll.

"But if there's anything bothering you, you can let me know. We're BFF's, remember?"

75-M slowly looked at me, surprise on her face, which transitioned into a big smile.

"BFF's... yeah... YEAH! Then once we're BFF's we can move onto the next stage and get marr-"

"Yeah, no."

"BLEH!"

The door behind us creaked open, revealing a red-haired girl with a relatively muscular tomboyish frame.

"The hell are you idiots doing speaking so loud in the morning? This isn't Basic, you're givin' me damn flashbacks again!" 76-M growled.

"Hey, it's Spitfire Spice," I replied.

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

"BAHAHAHA!" Pigtails laughed, kicking her feet in the air and giggling like an idiot.

"STOP LAUGHING!" 76-M snarled, trying to reach out to her fellow squad member, but 75-M darted away with superhuman speed. I had to remember that these girls were all technically super soldiers. Whenever I was with Pigtails, I tended to forget that since she was always so outgoing.

But when I was with 76-M, the realization returned just as quickly as it left.

"Her face is turning the same colour as her hair! Lighten up, Ginger Giggles,"

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

SMASH.

75-M and I stopped teasing 76-M as the War Doll smashed the edge of the counter with her fist, shattering it.

"Imma rip your balls off!"

"Wait! Don't do that!" I yelped, scurrying away and bumping into another War Doll who squeaked in surprise, tackling me and pinning me to the ground with a complex judo throw.

76-M and 75-M peered at us curiously with raised eyebrows.

"GAH! My liver! My spleen! My liver and spleen! You're gonna kill me!" I gasped as 78-M quickly let go, her face bright red.

"S- Sorry..."

I narrowed my eyes at the War Doll.

Was it just me... or that body language... was that lov-

"Another morning, another headache. I am once again reminded that I have not just 75-M, but the Black Legion's greatest PITA to babysit now," 74-M grumbled from the corner of my vision.

"Good morning Tali," I said.

"Do not ever call me that again."

"Come on, lighten up! We're not on the battlefield. Let's just loosen up a bit."

"Who taught you this?"

I pointed at 78, who yelped in surprise. Her black hair covered her face like Samara from The Ring.

"I meant that it was fine to be relaxed when we were safe is all, safe with... Aaron..."

"Safe with Aaron?" 74-M's eyebrows scrunched together.

"Safe with Dainsleif! Dainsleif! I mean, safe from the battlefield! I'm... I'm going to take a shower now."

78-M tripped over herself and scurried to the bathroom.

I wonder what 75-M was thinking at a time like this-

"That little bitch...!" Pigtails muttered under her breath. I turned to her and her face quickly flashed back to a smile.

"Huh? What? Oh would you look at that, it's time to get dressed!"

76, 74, and I watched as 75-M quickly ran to her room and slammed the door so hard the wall around it cracked.

"So is nobody gonna comment on the fact that I have a legit minor crushing on me?" I asked.

"Ugh..." Thalia buried her face in her hand.

76 continued peering at the bathroom door.

"Love is dangerous on the battlefield."

"Yeah, but it isn't something that you can stop, you know?" I replied.

"I know. Believe me, I know. But it still doesn't make it any better. Added with the fact that you're old as fuck and Seven Eight is sixteen, it'll never work out."

"Hey! I'm not that old! I'm nineteen!"

"Can we not talk about dating minors for just a minute?" 74-M said.

"Sorry."

76-M and I watched as 74-M walked forward and put a stack of papers on the desk.

"We have another deployment."

"Another one? How many campaigns have you guys gone on at this point?" I exclaimed.

"75-M has been on 282, 77-M and 78-M have been on 291, 76-M has been on 395, and I've been on 467."

"You're joking."

"Nope. This is just the nature of interdimensional travel and having to kill the enemy as fast as possible. Sometimes War Dolls are placed on other strike teams, sometimes strike teams are mixed and mingled to confuse the enemy."

"I'm basically looking at a 100-year-old war vet in the body of a fifteen-year-old girl..."

Thalia suddenly perked up, her back straightening.

"Well, I am quite mature for my age...!"

76-M rolled her eyes.

"Says the other girl with a crush."

74-M and 76-M locked glares, tension filling the air.

"Um... can we start the briefing and fill in the others later?" I asked.

"The others kind of have an idea of what the mission is going to be. The only person who doesn't know is you, actually," 74-M said, breaking the glare.

"What? Did you girls really leave me out again?"

"No, you testosterone-filled idiot. You were there when the mission was announced!" 76-M replied.

"Wait, really?"

BONK.

Thalia buried her head into the table.

"Yes. Dainsleif. You were there. But instead of listening and scribing like I had ordered you to, you decided to fill my iPad with loli jokes. Do you seriously not remember?"

"Did you like them?"

"No, I did not like them! Why would I like them?!"

74-M sighed.

"Okay. Well. The gist of the mission is to take down a group of specialist soldiers currently tasked with guarding the Demon King Jinn."

"Specialist soldiers? In what way?"

"They are essentially the upper echelon. The best of the best. Hyper-lethal combatants and the most terrifying soldiers. They fight like us, tactically. Intelligence suggests they were contracted off of an interdimensional contact. Since another strike team is involved with taking down the nation itself, we need to divide the resources. SFA-Muon has been tasked with crippling their contracted forces. The other SFA company will take down the Demon King army."

74 slid a piece of paper in front of me.

"You will take up a sniper role for this deployment."

I raised my eyebrows.

"Me? Isn't Pigtails the sniper?"

"Ordinarily... but this deployment is a little different. Because we have identified one of the soldiers on the enemy lines, look at this photo."

I assessed the image.

Green hair... bright blue eyes.

His posture... was akin to that of a nobleman.

Of House Winchester.

"No way... is this... is this Alistair? I thought Evangelion had killed all your parents!"

"No. It wouldn't have made sense unless something transcended the Great Akuma's Hinokami. But this is not 75-M's father," 76-M took the picture and put it back into the binder, a grim look on her face.

"This is Richard Winchester. The last surviving son of the Winchester bloodline."

My eyes widened.

I should have seen it coming. After all, from what Thalia had told me, Evangelion had killed all of their parents. But she never mentioned siblings.

For all we knew, there was no knowledge of what had happened to the brothers and sisters of the girls in the SFA Regiment.

To know that Pigtails' brother was the enemy...

"So you're saying that 75-M might be influenced by the fact that her enemy is family?" I asked.

"Seven Five was always unusual in the SFA Regiment. Because she is one of the best interrogators in the company," 74 explained, putting the binder away.

"She is more sensitive than the other members of Muon, and even the company. This in itself is required for an interrogator to figure out her targets. But because she is so sensitive, stuff like this tends to overload her. The enemy knows about Muon through Charlotte Winchester, even if 75-M destroyed that part of herself. And Lord Hellion knows this. This is your opportunity to learn about long-range sharpshooter training. Learn by filling in where 75 lacks."

"..."

I didn't like the idea of 75-M going through something like this. The events that had transpired earlier this morning came back to my mind.

"Dainsleif," 74 said.

"?"

"75-M will be fine. You're underestimating us again."

"I know, but how can I not?"

"Being in a squad, leading your comrades also means you need to trust them and accept that they will always be in danger. This is the nature of having your subordinates. And by extension, the nature of your job as an Outer Shadow."

She had a point.

That night, during dinner, I found myself glancing at 75-M. I didn't want to, but the thought of her being uncomfortable kept replaying in my mind. And I knew for a fact that she was aware of this, because after everybody left the mess hall, I felt her grab my arm.

"Hey."

"Hi."

"Wanna come over to my room tonight?"

"Could you have phrased that in any other way..."

75-M giggled as the two of us entered her room. There wasn't anything out of the ordinary, and was pretty much what I expected from someone like her. Stuffed animals and squishmellows all over the place. But something did catch my attention, from the corner of my eye.

"Hey is that a collar-"

BANG.

A bullet whizzed past my face and blasted the BDSM toy to smithereens. The barrel of 75-M's rifle was still smoking from where she had fired with superhuman dexterity.

"I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Yes, of course," I replied nervously.

I sat down on the ground while 75-M lay on the bed, crossing her legs and resting her chin on her hands.

"So I take it you know that Dick Douche is one of the specialists in our mission?"

"Dick Douche?" I asked.

"Yeah. Because he's a douche."

I held back the urge to laugh.

"Yeah. I'm not saying this is too much for you, but it doesn't make me any less worried, to be honest."

"Aww... you're really sweet. I mean it. But you don't have to worry. I always knew DD would have survived something like Lord Evangelion's attack. I mean he was always such a tryhard trying to win over Dad's affection."

"Was he like, one of those guys who was proud of his family name?"

"Oh yeah. One hundred percent! Winchester this. Winchester that. He loved to mock me because I always hung out with girls who were less popular in Azure Academy. He hated it. So it isn't a surprise that he became a Dark Hound."

I glanced at the books in Charlotte's room.

"Thalia wants me to accompany you during sniping."

75 was silent for a few seconds. I was expecting her to say something like "Wow what a dream come true, let's get married!" But this was unexpected.

"Is this why you were so uneasy during dinner?"

"Sorta? I mean, I would have thought all the War Dolls were emotionless husks."

"If that was the case, everybody but Miss 74 would be binned! Trust me, Aaron, we're human too. At least a part of us, anyway."

75 slid off the bed and approached her mirror, undoing her pigtails and letting her minty green hair down.

"How many times have you sniped?"

"Several? I mean there was a time where I had to fight a bunch of gods at a distance since I didn't have the tech from Master Jun to fight them up front."

"How many times have you had to disguise yourself?"

I raised my eyebrow.

"Disguise? Why would I need to disguise myself when I'm hidden away at a distance?"

"Hmmm. Yep. This makes sense now. Why Miss 74 has assigned to me. You've never had to blend in before, have you?"

"..."

A huge grin appeared on 75's face.

"Tomorrow morning. 0400. We're going to Millennium City. Greer & Harlick! I'm going to turn you into a nobleman worthy of such a princess like me!"

Oh god.

So this was what 74 meant by me filling in what 75 was lacking.

What kind of sick divine joke was this?!

75 continued laughing, but I could tell.

From deep under that smile of hers.

No matter how much machine Lord Slipstream and Master Jun had supplanted her body with...

Charlotte Winchester was still under there. Under all that cold hard metal and death.

And the thought of being forced to back to her roots as a noblewoman was bothering her. Just like this morning.

78-M had once told me that she believed that when someone was forced to mature fast, something would always end up breaking. One way or another, a War Doll had an inherent flaw that forced them to transition from innocent little teenage schoolgirls to hardened killers.

Whether it is through trial or tribulation that part never dies.

And now Tactical War Doll 75-M of SFA-Muon had to face hers.

"Miss Winchester! Pleasure seeing you here again! Where are the rest of the girls?" The tailor greeted 75 and me happily.

"Hello, Meredith. We'd like to see your selection for my fiancee here. We're getting M A R R I E D!!!!"

Hey.

"Oh! Wonderful! Let's see what we're working with here!" Meredith said, clasping her hands together.

Hey. Hold up.

Meredith called her coworker over, an old pudgy man, who inspected me.

"May we take your measurements, son? A man's marriage is one of the most important events of his life."

I'm not getting married, you half-wit!

"Charlotte you conniving little..." I grumbled while the man continued to take measurements.

"Ah."

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

The man looked up at me.

"Hangman? Is that you?"

"Ah fuck- I mean yeah. Yes. The things you heard are all a lie, by the way, I didn't fondle the Millennium Medusa's tits or anything."

The man chuckled.

"Son. I meant to say that I am grateful for the things you have done."

"The things...?"

The man leaned forward and put a hand on my knee.

"My name is Rudolph McIntyre."

My heart skipped a beat.

"McIntyre... as in..."

"Yes. My father... Martin McIntyre used to run a weapons shop down in Downtown. I heard he went out a hero."

"I... I'm sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't protect your father, Rudolph."

"It wasn't your fault. I know you did your best to protect him. But my father was always someone who would never listen to what people would say. He would jump into a tank of alligators if it meant saving a little girl. That was just the person he was. I know because I lived with him most of my life. And from the stories he would tell after the events of Doctor Destroyer's second invasion, we always wondered. If the rumours of the Hangman were really true."

Rudolph smiled warmly.

"You bringing me back from that Demon's destruction through the Maiden's power... it cemented it. You have nothing to be ashamed of. It is an honour for me to do this for you."

My chest welled up in emotion, and we sat in silence for a few minutes while Rudolph continued taking measurements with several tools and papers.

Now it felt weird to tell him I wasn't actually getting married to that idiot!

"Your body... those scars, I reckon you didn't get them from falling off a bike or anything?"

"No."

"I figured. From everything Pop used to tell us about you... it always pains me seeing young people go through stuff like that."

I glanced at Charlotte/75-M, who was happily trying on dresses and giggling with Meredith.

"We fight for the smiles of the people."

Rudolph smiled, and for a brief second, I saw Marty, almost like a small hallucination.

The old man lived on, through his son.

Even if Rudolph wasn't a marksman like his father, there was still a bit of Marty's legacy that lived on.

"Now up and at 'em. We will have your suit prepared promptly for your wonderful marriage."

"Oh, I'm not getting married."

"..."

We stood there for a good thirty seconds before Rudolph slowly scratched the back of his head.

"Well... that's a huge relief."

"You really thought I was getting engaged to a minor! So my reputation really is still shit!!!"

"Hey now! Don't go assuming these things! I just thought your fiancee looked a little young is all!"

"There's no way I would get engaged to that little brat!!!"

Rudolph threw his head back and laughed, just like Marty used to do.

"Well. It was a pleasure speaking to you. And thank you again, for everything you've done."

I nodded, heading off, but not before Rudolph stopped me.

"Aaron."

I stopped, slowly turning around to see Rudolph saluting me.

"Keep up the good work, kid."

A grin appeared on my face.

"Always."

I returned to see 75-M pressing a turtleneck against 74-M.

"Aaron?! How are you finished so fast?!" Thalia stumbled back, upon seeing me, her face flushed red like a tomato.

"What? You've never gone to a tailor with a guy before? We do these things pretty quickly," I answered as I looked Thalia up and down.

"Lookin' good, Chief!"

Thalia looked like she was about to swallow a mouse.

"I... You... Don't you dare tell anyone outside of Muon about this!"

"I won't."

That was most definitely a lie.

Charlotte skipped next to me.

"I wonder what would suit that turtleneck. Thoughts, partner?"

"Hmm..." I put a hand to my chin, turning on my analysis eyes.

All the while, Thalia pursed her lips in embarrassment. It wasn't often that I got to mess with Seven Four like this, what with her being so uptight about everything all the time.

"Let's go for a skirt, Miss Winchester."

"Absolutely, Mister Hope. Let's make it extra short to really bring out those slender legs."

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!" 74 exclaimed, putting the turtleneck back and covering her face with her hands.

A few minutes later, 74 left the tailor with a bunch of new clothes.

"75. Dainsleif. Return to the barracks by 1600 for practice drills and PT. You may take time off right now."

"Roger."

I glanced at 75 and noticed she didn't buy anything.

"Uh, are you sure you don't wanna get anything?" I asked.

"Nope! Because you will feel obligated to carry it and I don't wanna get you to do that."

I raised my eyebrows. 75 was surprisingly considerate.

"Hey. Wanna go to the range?"

I turned to the War Doll.

"The range?"

Charlotte leaned closer to me, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Let's have a match. A sniping match. Let's see if your reputation precedes you, God-Eater! Loser pays for sundaes."

(One hour later)

"OH MAN! This Mega Sundae sure is GREAT when I'm not paying for it!" I gleamed, resting my face an inch away from the chilly bowl of sugary goodness.

"..." 75-M pouted from the other side.

I propped my feet against the bench across from me next to Charlotte, who continued pouting.

"Oh come on, it's not like you got demolished that badly. I'm actually quite surprised at your marksmanship skills; we were tied for the first half. You weren't relying on your cybernetics, were you? I could tell from the slight deviations in the bullet holes. Your shooting was human."

75-M looked up.

"Wow, you were able to tell from that distance? What's your eyesight? 40/20?"

"Apparently the doctor told me it was 80/20."

"80/20?!"

Charlotte shot to her feet.

"That's every marksman's dream! I remember when I used to grow up Dad always said someone with 60/20 vision was considered the cream of the crop for a Winchester. To know that someone exists with that level of acuity... that's superhuman! Did you train for it?"

"Sort of... By the way, were the Winchesters famed marksmen? You don't need to answer if you don't feel comfortable."

"No no. I don't mind. And yes. House Winchester is known for their marksmen. Originally, we were considered a long lineage of gold medallists in Shooting during the Olympics. That was what made us so wealthy in the first place. Dad was also a gold medallist but learned to capitalize on this by centring a business over our family name."

75-M stirred her parfait with her spoon, which had started to melt.

"My brother, Richard, hated how business-centric the Winchesters had become. And so did I. For a time, we were kinda on the same side. But the more we grew closer the more we grew apart. DD hated Winchester's business model, while I hated being a prim and proper lady. For my brother, being a Winchester meant being the best shooter possible, and so he left House Winchester and tried to revive the name on his own, while I left House Winchester by disgracing the title."

"Sorry to hear that. Was this why he joined the Dark Hounds?"

"Could be. But if DD knows I'm coming for Demon Lord Jinn, I will become a top priority for him. Because not only did I abandon the Winchesters in terms of being an Olympic class markswoman, but I also disgraced the name. The enemy now has a countermeasure for the Tactical Dolls sniper unit. Which was probably one reason why Miss 74 assigned you to me. My brother hates me."

I bit the edge of the spoon.

"I don't believe siblings truly hate each other. But then again, foster siblings probably don't count."

"Aww don't say that. I know you mean well. But DD really truly despises me. To the point of spite."

I looked out into the horizon at the flying cars in Millennium City.

"My own douchebag brother is out there. Hope I get to see 'em soon."

75 smiled at me, tilting her head.

"Then how about this? You help me with my douchebag brother, and I'll help you with yours!"

"You got a deal!"

02

A few days had passed, and with the clothes prepared for me, the day arrived for us to head to the world of Jinn.

I regrouped with SFA-Muon.

"Heya Aaron!" 75 waved at me happily, reaching for something on a bench when suddenly, 78 rushed forward and snatched it.

"GAH?!"

78 ran up to me and nervously handed me an object. I took it, realizing it was an M4A1 rifle, standard issue.

"Your rifle. We've issued you a standard one while you are still recovering from chakra and magic overuse."

"Do I need to speak some pledge or something?"

78 held back a laugh.

"No! We're not the Marine Corps. You've also already proven yourself back in our battle against the Ghosts of Tiamar. I think you're more than qualified."

"Aw, thanks. I appreciate it."

78-M brought her hands behind her back.

"Hey... I was wondering... after this deployment if you wanna go to the range with me too. Alone. You know..."

Yeah... this kid was definitely trying to ask me out.

And while I respected her efforts I had to turn her down before things got out of hand.

"Hey listen... Seven Eight, you're a wonderful girl, but-"

"HEY! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" 75-M squeaked, putting distance between me and her comrade.

"You got to go to the range with Aaron, why can't I?"

"It's SO OBVIOUS why you want to go. Besides, I've already set the bar. There's no way you can beat my score at the range."

78-M's face turned murderously dark.

"We are both cybernetically enhanced, but you chose to shoot without your upgrades. All I could do is use Stance 67 and I'd blow your score out of the water."

"Oh? Then maybe I should go again and show you-"

"That's enough!" 74 walked forward and split the two apart.

"What in the world are you two doing? We're about to deploy and you're arguing over this red-eyed idiot?"

"Wow, thanks, Thalia."

"Need I remind you both, Tactical War Dolls 75-M and 78-M, that while you two are Charlotte Winchester and Riho Shinohara in Millennium City, everywhere else you are still soldiers. I will not tolerate this behaviour."

75 and 78 looked away.

Now I just felt weird. Plus I lost my chance to clear things up with 78-M before I could deploy.

"78, you will be with me and 76. 75-M and Dainsleif will establish their infiltration mission."

78's face flashed with indignation, but she hid it pretty well from 74-M.

"Yes, ma'am."

75 and I sat in our deployment zone away from the rest of Muon.

We were quiet for a bit, which was kinda awkward, but since we were already alone I might as well clarify things up with Charlotte first.

"You know... I thought I made it clear that I have no interest in dating any of you. You're all kids."

75-M pursed her lips.

"But we won't be kids forever. Three more years, and-"

"Even if you're eighteen my eyes are for Sarah only. She's coming back once we visit Chairon, and she was, and will be my fiancee."

75 looked like she wanted to say something, but she stopped herself.

"I... sorry. I lost composure a bit. What's gotten into me... we used to be all focused and everything but now look at what I'm doing. Arguing with my cell units..."

"It's fine. As long as we're clear on this."

75-M crossed her legs as the Shadows surrounded us.

Preparing to transport Auxiliary Shadow M75 and Outer Shadow Dainsleif to the deployment zone. Stand by.

"Love is dangerous for people like us. I know that more than anyone."

"..."

"But even so... I can't accept this. I will forever be loyal to both Sergeant Hellion and the Black Legion Organization, but even just for a little bit... I would endure wall cleaning for months if I could even experience it just a bit."

"Millennium City... you could live your life still there."

"But it isn't enough. I'm so sorry for sounding ungrateful, after everything you did for us, Aaron. But... once you're exposed to a little bit of a life that you were denied, you're naturally going to want to experience more. It's the nature of deprivation. I already have to put up with the fact that I will never age in this body. And that I'm not even human. And that I am basically half machine. In a way..."

75-M leaned back, smiling at me.

"I think this mission is almost like a treat for me. Even if it is just pretend, I can experience a life where I have a man. Just for a bit, Aaron, can you play along? For me? Please?"

The plan that we had devised involved infiltrating the kingdom of Trellis under the guise of a nobleman and noblewoman couple. Through the infiltration, 75-M could acquire the necessary information to plan her assassinations. This was the main thing she was trying to show me, and one of the biggest things I had neglected to acknowledge in my history of sniping.

As a sniper, it was important to understand the environment and the behaviour of one's target. Especially if everything banks on the success of a single shot.

This was the way that it was taught by Inner Shadow Slipstream, which was then passed on to me through Tactical War Doll 75-M.

"Sir Chestershire and Lady Chestershire, we look forward to you both at the Grand Ball of Jinn!" A Demon welcomed us into the entrance of the ball.

???

What the hell was I supposed to say?

"It is our pleasure to attend such a gathering. House Chestershire is greatly honoured to make Lord Jinn's acquaintance," 75-M bowed, her dress shimmering in the light.

For a split second, I found myself mesmerized by how elegant and graceful this BL freak was. It was almost completely out of character, and that was because it was.

The level of disguise Charlotte was able to achieve was incredible. And for the first time in my life, it was like I was seeing a full-on Winchester in 75-M.

"Smile and back straight," 75 instructed me.

I did as I was told while 75 led me by the arm. We had a prosthetic attached to my missing right side to avoid suspicion from the Demon King Army.

"Have you analyzed the behaviours of the nobles around you?" Charlotte whispered.

"Yeah. I'll mimic them."

"Good. But mimicking isn't enough. Most, if not all of the nobles here, are trained to uphold manners since birth. If you make even the slightest mistake, they will know."

"You know, I kinda like you like this."

"Oh, can it!"

We continued to socialize, and through this, we were able to extract crucial intel on the scheduling and movement patterns of the guests. But by the fifth hour, I could feel my jaw hurt from all the talking, and 75 noticed.

"Let's go outside."

I followed Winchester out the balcony, overlooking the expanse of medieval fantasy buildings.

"Damn! Never thought this would end!" I stretched my arm.

Charlotte smiled gently.

"I had fun! Though you could probably tell I was lying if I said I enjoyed being a noble again."

I scratched the back of my head.

"So do you do this every single time? Like espionage and blending in?"

75 shrugged her shoulders.

"Not all the time. But it doesn't hurt to witness their behavioral patterns firsthand even if a file has information. It is easier to retain information through experience than through some words on a page. No matter how much fanfictions I read it will never trump seeing a guy kabedon another guy."

Where the hell did the last part come from?!

I glanced at 75's hair, which had been dyed blonde and braided in almost like a circle around her head.

She really did look like a noble.

"I catch you looking...!"

"Geh!"

"Let's head back. Miss 74 has provided us with the rest of the evening before curfew. Let's try to make the best use of it."

"Sounds good."

We were about to head back when suddenly something caught the corner of my vision.

"Aaron? What is it?"

I paused.

Something in the distance. I thought I saw movement in the distance.

"I can't make it out, but... I thought I saw someone."

75 quickly approached my position.

"Initiating Stance 82 - "Bloodhound Protocol."

"Blood-what?"

Suddenly, 75-M's eyes turned red, glowing as her body started to steam. The War Doll got on her knees as if she was tracking something like a hunter.

"Elevated heart rate, adrenaline. Metabolic processes indicate distress and injuries. What you just saw was likely a prisoner being attacked. I think it might be an Elven species."

"What in the flipping ducks was that?!"

Charlotte stood up, her eyes reverting back to normal.

"Huh? Have you never seen us use our Stance Protocols before?"

"Umm... no? You looked like a damn Terminator! Do all the Dolls have this?"

"Yep! But we don't use it often. Sometimes our Protocols can leave behind cybernetic trails for tactical fighters to locate us. Anyway, I think what's going on is they're trading slaves."

I clenched my teeth.

"I kinda want to rescue them."

"This isn't in our protocol."

"What difference does it make if we're gonna end up blowing this whole Demon King nation to kingdom come anyway? Let's try to at least do some good. When the Demon Lord army is destroyed these prisoners will end up in the crossfire."

75-M contemplated for a bit.

"Okay. Fine. But only because it's you, Aaron-dearest."

"I don't think I'll ever get used to that nickname."

As the two of us sneaked down the slope entering the forest, we could hear the sounds of several voices.

"These slaves are usually worthy 10 juons apiece. If we can bid the females at the ball we can earn even more."

"Chief, do you think we can keep some for ourselves?"

"What? The slaves?"

"Yeah. Whole lotta messed up shit I got in mind for those honeys!"

"Tone it down! They got us listen' here. Don't need you being all down bad for everyone to hear."

I could hear the sounds of whimpering from within the cage as one of the male elves made a disgusted grunt.

"You people are worse than trash!"

"What was that? Say that again, long ears."

Scuffles ensued as 75 and I managed to sneak behind a bush, witnessing the slave boy who had spoken against the captors get beaten viciously. All of the elves looked severely malnourished and dirty. The males were wearing rags, but the females...

The females were barely wearing anything. Their bodies were covered in cuts and bruises and were exposed intentionally.

Rage filled my chest as I reached for my rifle.

"Dainsleif, you need to calm yourself. Irrationality is not the way to approach these things," 75 said, putting a hand on mine.

"Doesn't this piss you off? I say we take down the slave trader on the far side with a suppression shot, masking it with the pattern of their footsteps. Then the both of us can dispatch the others in sequence so we can avoid alerting-"

"We won't kill anyone."

"What?!"

75-M turned to me with a serious expression.

"Not yet."

"This plan is sound."

"That isn't the point. If the rest of Muon were here, we would probably have done something very similar to what you suggested. Your plan is solid, but that was if we aimed to go for the kill right away. What do you think would happen if we killed those traders and let those elves go loose? Would that alert other guards? What if this was a peace offering between nations? This will put the nation on high alert and screw over the plans of the other SFA Task Force. We need to think about how our actions will ripple amongst the enemy and how it affects the environment."

I watched the elven boy get beaten, clenching my fist so hard that blood began to leak.

"I can't bear to watch this."

75-M ignored me, as we continued huddling behind cover.

"Hey. Garen. Here's your chance."

To my surprise, another boy emerged from the darkness. Unlike the other human slave traders... his ears were pointy.

"G- Garen..." The boy muttered.

Garen approached the fellow elf with a bow in his hand. His eyes were absolutely terrified.

"Come on, Garen. You were gonna be a Hero, were you not? Now's your chance to use your bow, after complaining all your life for not being able to use it!"

Garen clenched his teeth.

"B- But... but they're innocent. They're-"

"What was that? Just because they've got fucked up ears like yours doesn't mean jack shit to us. They're property and merchandise. Remember. It was YOU who chose to defect from the elves. Who was the little runt who was begging for a job after barely starving to death? You're gonna bite back the hand that fed you? Is that it?"

"No! I... I can't... I just can't murder them. I resent them but-"

A larger man grabbed Garen by the throat and wrist and forced him to cock the bow.

"Do it. DO IT."

"DO IT YOU LITTLE BITCH!"

"KILL HIM!"

Shouting ensued, as Garen began shaking in fear, pointing the bow to the boy.

I turned to 75-M.

"Garen is gonna kill that kid! Are we really not gonna do anything?"

"I never said that."

"Huh?!"

75-M smirked, putting her hand to her throat.

"Initiating Stance 19 - 'Chameleon Protocol'."

GRRRR.... ROAAAAR...

What.

The.

Fuc-

"What was that?!"

"Was that a Death Boar?"

"It sounded like a big one. We need to get out of there!"

"What about the elves?"

"Screw them! No amount of money is worth getting trampled by one of those monsters!"

I could hear the rest of the men run away, but Garen fell to his knees, his face pale and eyes wide in fear.

From between his feet, a puddle of liquid had formed.

All the while, 75-M continued making growling noises with her cybernetic upgrade until the traders were gone.

The two of us emerged from the bushes.

"Hiya!" 75-M said.

"Hey, wonderful weather for a stroll huh," I muttered.

Garen blinked.

"What... who... what's going on..."

75 and I helped the slave up.

"Hey man, do you guys need anything immediately? You're all in terrible shape," I said.

The boy glared at Garen, who remained petrified.

"How about you kill that traitor for us?"

Garen looked away, clenching his teeth, but 75-M ignored him and reached for the bars.

"Hmm. Magically reinforced. Oh well."

RIP.

Everybody stared at the War Doll as she tore the steel bars with her bare hands.

"We're from the Chestershires. You're all safe now."

Yeah, real covert there, 75.

I sat the slave down, but before we could do anything, another slave from within the cart ran up to Garen and slapped him in the face.

"Traitor."

Garen remained motionless, as the rest of the slaves remained in the cage. They were too petrified to come out.

"You guys... this is your chance to escape," I told the slaves, but one of the captives shook her head.

"No. We cannot escape. He will find us. The Kingdom of Jinn has some of the best trackers in the world. No matter how many times someone breaks us out of the traders we will just wind up in here again. Only our torment will worsen."

I glared at Garen, my hand inching toward my handgun which was still concealed in my suit pocket.

"You would join the scumbags who caused your own people this much suffering? I've never seen such a spineless little shit in my life."

Garen turned around and ran away, but before I could pull out my firearm, 75 grabbed my shoulder.

"Don't."

"But-"

"We've meddled enough. This is as far as we can do."

I watched the War Doll face the horizon from where the captors had fled.

"The captors were low rank. These flunkies were tasked with moving these slaves, therefore the slaves here were likely of little to no value by the organization they were working for."

"Then what do we do?"

"Leave us. The captors will return," one of the elves said, dejectedly.

"What?!" I replied.

"Aaron. We will come for them another time but now is not the time. You're being too brash again," 75 said.

I clenched my teeth, as I followed 75 back to the castle.

I understood why 75 wanted me to withdraw, but a part of me refused to accept it. If there was someone that needed help, I felt compelled to take action. Who wouldn't? But after living with the War Dolls for so long, things that I originally thought were second nature or common sense had become attributed to irrationality.

To make calls like this in the future...

Recognizing emotion from morals...

Was this what it took to be a true soldier fit for Tiamar?

The next morning, 75 and I visited a nearby town, where we stopped by a pub-like restaurant.

"Pop quiz time!" Charlotte said, cheerfully.

"How could you still be so cheerful after what happened last night?!"

75 put her fork on the table.

"Last night, how many surveillance spells could you detect?"

I stared at the War Doll from the other side of the table.

"What?"

75 rested her head against the palm of her hand.

"How many of those captors were bugged?"

I thought back to our encounter last night. The captors were too busy speaking misogynistic crap so ordinarily it would have been easy to completely forget about analyzing them. After all, they pissed me off to the point where I wanted to bust their caps with my weapons.

However, analyzing my environment was always second nature.

"Six of them had some complex communications unit that was embedded in their gear. I could see it from the folds of their leather hide."

"Mmhm. Second question."

75-M leaned forward.

"What kind of coms unit do you think they were? Visual or audio?"

My eyebrows raised.

"I... I couldn't tell."

The War Doll leaned back in her seat, with a smug look on her face.

"Hehe! I gotcha! It was a trick question - I wouldn't have been able to tell either."

"I'm gonna yank at your pigtails when we get back."

"Meanie! But you know... I didn't need to. Because I already knew. It was an audio-type communications unit embedded with coms magic. Visual magic branches from the Aspectum Tree and is one of the harder branches. Remember how I said that these guys were low-class flunkies? The way that one guy shut the other guy up when he went on his disgusting rant about those female elves?"

"Wow. I... I never thought of it like that. I've always had to do inference in the past, but this is to a whole other level."

"When you're sniping, the first thing you need to do is make inferences. Then from those inferences, you need to be able to support those claims with evidence. This was why I was able to bend those bars without any hesitation. Even if someone were to call me out, either the elves or the flunkies would not be taken seriously."

75-M giggled, getting up.

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom. Make sure no one steals my handbag!"

"Okay."

I watched 75-M leave, as I was left alone in the pub. My brain had already started analyzing and assessing the environment. From the exits to the entrances. Escape routes, and potential attack points if an assault or assassination were to take place.

"So. You're who they sent to try to cover her ass, I presume."

I spun around in surprise to see a man sitting across from me.

"Uh, that seat's taken."

"So?"

My hand inched toward my handgun.

"Can I ask you to find another seat?"

"I don't see the problem. After all, that seat was reserved for a Winchester, right? I'm sure I can fill that role."

My eyes widened as I pulled out my handgun, but to my shock, the barrel of another was pointed straight at me from within the folds of the man's clothes.

"I know you. The God-Eater. The legend of the Black Legion Organization who is only ever useful when he isn't recovering or injured. But judging from how none of your fabled weapons are on you, I take it you are exactly that. Recovering and injured. For a hitman of the gods, you sure are... amateurish."

Richard Winchester leaned closer, his eyes were as cold as ice and his green hair illuminated from the lights of the pub in a manner that was the complete opposite of his sister's.

"You don't have chakra. You don't have magic. All you are is a man who's a little bit talented. But you know what they say? When everybody's got something special, no one is. Your appeal was being able to fight at a prowess rivalling that of a Special Forces Operative since age twelve. Well, what do you know? So could I. And so could my disgrace of a sister despite abandoning the Winchester name."

I gritted my teeth.

"If you wanna fight, then let's do it outside. If you're so confident that you can beat me as I am now, then let's settle it here and now."

The Dark Hound operative smiled, revealing several shark-like teeth. Even his teeth were modified to be killing tools. This kid... was hardcore to the bone.

"No. There's no reason to fight. I'm a little curious too. After all, I'm someone who has quite a morbid curiosity. They dispatched Char despite knowing her connection with me and the definite possibility of us having knowledge of their sniper unit. This means the organization that sent you guys is specifically trying to test you. If this mission is a game to them, then it is a game to me. Let's see who can play it better, Outer Shadow Dainsleif."

I examined the brother of 75-M. He definitely wasn't bluffing. Judging from the way he moved and the way he was constantly alert, it really did feel like he had been trained since a young age, which was consistent with what 75 had told me.

Added to the fact that he kept going on and on about how his sister was a disgrace, I guess he probably already deduced that I did care about Charlotte.

He was trying to use this against me to rile me up and make me lose focus.

But...

When it came to stuff like this, I also knew a few things about him.

He didn't want to start a fight early, but he overstepped with his attempt at verbal warfare. The more he tried to lash at his sister, the more he was revealing something that maybe he didn't want to admit.

"If you're trying to play mind games on me, don't bother. I'm already used to it, from your sister. Who's way better at it than you, by the way."

Irritation flashed on Richard's face.

"Are you trying to antagonize a Dark Hound?"

"You're irritated."

"I am not. I couldn't care less. Not you, nor that disgrace."

"I didn't bring her up."

I gently placed my handgun on the table, spinning it as the metal slid against the wooden surface.

"You don't wanna fight me? That's fine. But just so you know, when we first met, Charlotte was expected to try to take me down, and she did it without hesitation. Using the mission and playing the narrative that you 'don't care' is a sorry excuse for getting cold feet."

SLAM.

Richard rushed forward, foot on the table as he aimed the barrel of his gun to my head, but I had already grabbed it and brought my face close to his.

"The Winchesters you're so proud of was in the past. I'd rather be with the Winchester who's into freaky BL novels than some insecure little prick like you."

"You have no idea who you're messing with. This multiverse is vast. There's plenty of people just like you."

"Then that's a lot of people who can kick your ass, yet you're still here trying to fan your ego?"

Richard tried to yank his gun out of my grip but froze in realization.

"What... what is this strength?"

"You also made another mistake. I don't have magic. But I still have access to a little bit of chakra."

I closed my grip, white cracks appearing on his handgun as the barrel warped. I pushed the Hound back and reached for my handgun, but stopped myself.

If I started a scene now...

I'd mess up the operations of the SFA Company. I had to keep a cool head.

Richard stumbled back, hatred plastered all over his face.

"Trust me. When we meet again... under different circumstances, not only is Charlotte's head on the plate. So is yours."

Winchester turned around and was about to leave, but stopped for a few more seconds.

"One more thing."

I glared at the Dark Hound.

"What?"

"I wouldn't go assuming I'm just any other 'Special Forces Operative'. You said it yourself from the expression on your face. You know I'm the real deal. After all..."

Richard flashed his shark teeth once more.

"You didn't even see me coming when Sis left, did you?"

My heart skipped a beat.

He noticed.

Normally, I wouldn't have been able to have someone infiltrate my concentration like that. Earlier, when Richard had taken 75's seat, it was like he had appeared out of thin air. I completely didn't notice him at all.

To be able to conceal himself in public already spoke volumes to his abilities.

But to be able to conceal himself from me of all people despite being in my general field of view...

"I'm looking forward to our showdown. I'll show you what a true Winchester is capable of... God-Eater."

I sat in silence, glaring at the crowd as Richard had slipped out of my vision once more.

Completely leaving without a trace.

He had evaded me again.

75 and I left the pub and walked down the street.

As I looked around, all I could see were innocent civilians. Even if they were Demon and Monsterkind in nature, they still tended to their business like normal people. A part of me was starting to feel regret for what we were going to do to their nation.

"Hey! That's the kid who shattered our windows and stole from our shops! Someone stop him!" A voice shouted from afar.

I could hear the sounds of frantic footsteps from what I could guess to be a young child.

"Huh. I could have sworn I heard these types of footsteps before..." I muttered.

"A thief stealing when it isn't even dark yet? Makes me think they don't do this often!" 75-M remarked when suddenly, the kid rounded the corner and just about plowed into 75.

Unfortunately, the outcome of this would not be the classic bumping into your childhood crush rom-com style scene, because the moment the kid was about to make contact with 75, the War Doll immediately shifted her weight, knocking the boy off balance and sending him into the pavement.

"Ouch!" The kid gasped as he stared at 75, who had her hands in her pockets with a nonchalant look on her face.

75-M smiled, causing the kid to get to his feet frantically, but I stepped in his way.

"Move!"

"Then make me, thief."

The kid growled and tried to swing at me with his knife, but in one motion, I had already drawn my handgun.

Trigrams Six Hands Combination Style: QUICKDRAW

SNIP.

The knife flew out of his hands. The boy quickly reached behind his back and took aim, but the hood on his head had already slipped off, revealing a familiar-looking elf boy.

"Garen? Garen! You son of a- after the humiliation of yesterday you still didn't learn your lesson?!" I snarled, stepping forward, but 75-M made a squeaking sound.

"No! Why would you say that?!"

"Huh?! What do you mean?!"

Garen stared at the two of us.

"Are you... the Chestershires?"

Oh.

I forgot we were out of our disguises.

Oops.

Garen continued staring until 75-M stepped in front of him and ripped the bow out of his hands.

"If you're going to hesitate, you shouldn't be in this line of work."

Garen's nose scrunched up in frustration.

"I don't need to hear that from you. You're the same age as me, what could you possibly know about taking lives?"

75-M tilted her head.

"And did you? Did you take any lives?"

"..."

I closed my eyes.

"Why are you doing this, Garen? Your own people. You backstabbed them and had the audacity to look upon them while they were in their cages. Now you're trying for petty crime. I've never seen such a failure of a kid before. Where even are your parents?"

"THEY'RE DEAD," Garen snapped, catching me by surprise. 75-M looked at the elven boy with an expressionless face.

"Do you think I wanted to do this? To do ANY of this? I never asked to be a criminal! But... but if it means being whatever it takes to survive, then I'll do it. A traitor if I need to be. What do any of you know? What do you know? Huh?"

Garen clenched his fists, breathing frantically.

"I never asked for any of this. I'm supposed to... to... to have the time of my life at this age, and that's been ripped away from me. NO ONE is allowed to judge me for my choices. NOBODY. I've been thrust into a life that I didn't ask-"

SLAP.

Time seemed to slow to a halt, as Garen stumbled back, the sound of 75-M's slap still reverberating in the air.

The green bangs on 75-M's hair cast a shadow across her eyes, nearly concealing them, but the lower part of her face said it all.

I had never seen 75-M act so seriously before... aside from when she was sniping, or teaching. This... this was different. It was like witnessing a side of her I had never seen.

"Ask this. Ask that. Boo hoo. You were forced to grow a little faster than other people. And? That's your justification for being a criminal?"

Garen clutched his cheek in complete shock.

"You-"

"You're coming back with us."

"HUH?!" Garen and I said at the same time.

75-M narrowed her eyes, her face flashing with murderous intent.

"For one thing, it isn't safe when you have a bunch of angry shopkeepers after you. Secondly, you sound like nobody has given you a reality check, considering that slap has gotten you all rubbery. And thirdly, there's something about you that REALLY ticks me off. I'm going to use that to my advantage."

The War Doll approached the Elven Boy.

"You're going to tell me everything you know about the Dark Hounds. After all. The criminal organization you're working under... it's run by him, isn't it?

"You're working for Richard Winchester."

03

"Let me go! You two have nothing to do with the Elven people! Do you have any idea how much trouble you'll be in if House Chestershire finds out you're involved in the Dark Hound underground?!"

Garen continued struggling in his binds, but 75-M paid him no attention, dragging a stool and sitting in front of him with menacing eyes.

"The captors you worked with, are you all assigned into individual platoons?"

Garen glared at Charlotte.

"I'll tell you NOTHING."

I watched nervously as 75-M narrowed her eyes.

"You will tell me everything. Because whether you want to say it out loud or not, I will get my information one way or another. You've never fired a bow before, and when asked to execute one of your own kind, you froze. The more experienced a criminal is, the more they can fake their fear. But you have little to no veil in yours. Turn back and do the right thing before it's too late."

Garen struggled again.

"Turn back... and go where? I have nowhere to go home to. This is the life I have to live."

"If that is so, then so be it. But crime isn't something you can do half-assed. Besides, you getting captured is already enough for your platoon to have abandoned you. Regardless of what you think, these people have already forgotten about you."

"BULLSHIT! They will come looking for me. I swear to you-"

"They will come looking for you, and they will kill you."

Garen's teeth clenched tightly, and beads of sweat ran down his face.

"What... what makes you so sure..."

75-M got up and reached behind her handbag, pulling out a small box.

Upon opening it in front of Garen, the kid's eyes widened in terror.

"What in the... what is THAT?!"

"You know what these are. They are exactly what you think they are."

Garen heaved, a gag surfacing from his throat as he lurched forward, but nothing came out.

Even I was unnerved.

Inside that box...

Were severed fingers.

"The previous owner of these appendages was let go with a 'slight warning'. All he did was let himself be captured for three minutes. Each minute was one finger cut off. The boy didn't once spill a single ounce of information, but just being held captive was enough for his higher-ups to make the call to make sure he would never dare get captured again. How long do you think it has been since you've been caught by us?"

75-M flipped open a military knife and inched the blade closer to Garen's fingers.

"One minute. Five minutes. Ten minutes. That scuffle alone the other night with the elves. That would have been enough to sever every single finger on your hands if your captors were merciful. Assuming you had the willpower to keep your trap shut."

Garen continued sweating.

"Winchester... I've never once seen him. He's a higher-up so high up that some lowly grunt like me would have thought he was an urban legend. He's the one orchestrating the whole slave trade. I... I'm just trying to survive is all. That's all there is."

"And your platoon?"

"Twenty-six of us... we're tasked with one group of slaves. If we lose them, we get a guy to track them down for us. We all get flogged but that's it. I... I've told you all I know. So please... please let me go."

75-M raised an eyebrow.

"Let you go... where exactly?"

"Just let me go free! I'm begging you! I won't do crime ever again but I need to be let-"

SMASH.

75-M slammed her fist against the stone slab, cracking it.

Garen's face turned white as a ghost.

"What... what in the world are you..."

"You're still hiding something from me. Where exactly do you need to be such that you want to rush this?"

"I... I can't say."

75-M's hands inched toward her knife. That posture... it was a knife-throwing stance.

Before anyone could even register what had happened, the blade of the knife suddenly appeared on the other side of the room. Embedded within it, was a communications device.

"Now you can."

"It... it doesn't concern you-"

SCUFF. RUFFLE.

75-M shot to her feet and lifted Garen into the air with one arm, slamming him onto the surface of the table. With her other hand outstretched, the handle of the combat blade returned to its user.

"If you want so badly to be dissociated from the elven people, I can help with that. The ears are what gives it away, right?"

"No... NO! PLEASE! DON'T!"

Garen began struggling, but 75-M's enhanced cybernetic strength overpowered the boy, pinning him down.

The combat blade was getting closer to the root of his ear.

"75, stop! What are you doing?!" I exclaimed, completely taken aback by Charlotte's sudden demeanour.

The killing wasn't anything new to the War Dolls. After all, on my first day, I had witnessed 74 shoot a pregnant Fury without any hesitation.

But for some reason...

Seeing 75-M do it felt even worse.

I had never seen 75-M do interrogations before. She had once interrogated me, but it was always in a joking cutesy way. It was one of those things that you would be aware of on paper, but in practice, it may well have been something I had seen for the first time.

The extents that 75 would go to, to acquire information...

The coldheartedness of someone like this...

"NO! NO!!! PLEASE!"

"TELL ME WHERE YOU'RE GOING," 75-M growled, her voice changing into something demonic. Evil. I assumed her Chameleon Protocol was initiated, but it didn't make it any less disturbing.

"I can't... I CAN'T! HE'LL KILL THEM!"

EITHER HE WILL KILL THEM, OR I WILL, GAREN.

"S- Stop... STOP! Don't cut! Don't cut!"

GAREN OF HOUSE TREVYALEN, WHO DESERTED HIS PEOPLE. YOU HAVE THE FACE OF A BOY WHOSE LOVED ONES ARE HELD HOSTAGE. FORCED TO COMMIT CRIME YOU DID NOT WANT. THE EXCHANGE WAS FOR YOURSELF TO BE CAUGHT ON PURPOSE. BUT WHAT WAS THE EXCHANGE FOR.

Garen screamed, sobbing and flailing until it all came out.

"YOU'RE RIGHT! You're right! I... I was forced to commit those crimes. To steal. To be caught. They needed to send a message to the people. As a warning that we existed! I was just a precursor. The exchange was to let half of the slaves in our platoon go in exchange for me being executed. The people in that half... I was promised would include my brother."

75-M let Garen go, who sprawled on the ground, his face dejectedly lowered.

"I know I'm probably one of the most pathetic guys you've ever met. All my life I wanted to be a Hero. That was what my mother had told me, stories of the great Elf Hero Kadan. But I could never fill that role. I'm... I'm just a failure. And ever since the Demons, led by Richard Winchester raided our village, I was forced to do something so horrible. I can never be redeemed. I know that much. Forget being like Kadan, I can never consider myself an Elf. The... the best I can do is let myself get crucified in front of everyone, in the most horrible, gruesome death possible to atone and let even half of the people go free."

Several seconds passed. Silence ensued until 75-M turned around and left the room, leaving just me and Garen alone.

I took a deep breath.

"So they got you to do all that. I'm guessing for their entertainment, to force a guy to turn on his people and be spit on."

Garen's dejected face confirmed it.

I glanced at the door where 75-M had entered.

"The person behind all this is Winchester, right? If I take him down, the elves go free?"

"There is no guarantee of that. Even if we go free, someone else would probably try to take us. Of all the races, the elven are known to be the most physically weak. After all, you've never seen us use anything but bows before."

"..."

I got up and reached for the door, but Garen stopped me.

"Mister... you're not seriously thinking about going against a Dark Hound right? Those guys... they're monsters."

I thought back to what 75-M had lectured me about. If I killed Richard Winchester, family matters aside and the awkwardness with 75-M aside, would that really end the suffering of the elven?

Propagation and ripple effects... this was something I had neglected to realize in the past and was something Charlotte was trying to get me to understand.

The solution had to be more permanent. What was the point of killing Winchester if someone else took his place?

"I'll think about it," I replied, opening the door.

I found 75-M by the balcony, staring into the distance.

"So... I guess Garen's going to start having nightmares about you from now on," I joked.

No response.

"Um... Charlotte?"

75-M turned around, a blank look on her face.

"Did that unsettle you?"

"Any more than Seven Six's raging episodes? Not really... I guess."

"You know you can't lie to someone like me."

I gritted my teeth.

"Yeah. That was... messed up. I know Tactical Dolls do what they need to do to complete the mission, but what would have happened if Garen had not spilled the info? Would you really have cut off his ears and killed his family?"

I watched as 75-M took out a can of hairspray and sprayed it all over her head, turning its natural green to a platinum blonde, the same colour as the one she had used to disguise herself as Charlotte Chestershire.

"Sometimes I really hate being a sniper. I always considered myself a free spirit... but as you can see, sniping isn't just learning to sit in the distance and shoot the enemy at long range. That's the fun part. But every job has an unfun part. The interrogations... the lying... the blending in. This is all stuff they don't tell you in war movies."

"You're not normally this aggressive, are you? Something about Garen made you act beyond how you usually act in interrogations. You uh... can tell me to stop if you want."

75-M put the can away, gazing at her reflection in the mirror.

"Yep... Garen... really pissed me off. From the beginning, seeing him freeze up with that bow, I found myself feeling quite riled up. But I didn't really understand why, until he uttered something that made me snap."

I watched the War Doll approach the mirror, running her hands across her hair and braiding it like a princess.

"When you were in Lord Evangelion's core... you faced it, didn't you?"

"Faced it?"

"Your past demons. Avara... and June."

"..."

75-M tilted her head to the side, inspecting her braided hairstyle from the mirror. She looked so much like royalty... it was like I was looking at a completely different person.

"Your earlier suspicions and worries were correct, Aaron. I am, truly, utterly, terrified of facing my brother."

"Charlotte..."

"Stepping back into the shoes of a noble. Interrogations as a noble. Lying as a noble. Killing as a noble. It was easy to do all these things when I was anything else, but no one is born a killer. Every person needs a trigger to put them in that headspace."

75-M reached for her knife and inspected the blade.

"When Inner Shadow Evangelion interrogated each and every one of us, you probably heard from Miss 74 that every Doll had to face the death of their parents. Every Doll had to be forced to kill. To accept that mindset. And each and every Doll ultimately froze on the spot, leading to their original bodies being destroyed."

"Yeah."

75-M smiled, staring at the ceiling as she plopped onto the bed.

"I was the only person in Muon to have passed the test."

A chill ran down my spine.

"So you're saying... you're saying that..."

"I was a killer, from day one. There was no reason for me to be tested. I already had what it took to be a murderer. Because that was how I was raised. House Winchester wasn't just a family line of Olympians. We were a lineage of assassins."

75-M was the best interrogator in all of the SFA Regiment. I had my suspicions, but for the longest time, I always wondered why she was such an oddball.

Even if there were some girls who were a cut above the rest, they all received the same training. It didn't make sense for 75-M to be this far of an outlier from the rest of the War Dolls.

"I can interrogate and snipe. I can kill and fight. But as long as I was not doing this as a Winchester, then that was fine. To lie as a Winchester, by being prim and proper, I essentially would be accepting the side of me that I despised. When Evangelion forced me to kill, I shot Daddy right in the head. Without hesitation. But only right then and there, did I realize what I had done. What I always was. The horror behind this realization was what made me fail that day, despite passing the first part."

75-M laughed gently.

"Seeing Garen... you probably thought I was mad because it reminded me of myself. But no. It reminded me... of what I wished I could have been. It reminded me of the others. My classmates... my friends... my sisters in the SFA. They were never killers. They were innocent little girls. But I am not. Garen is everything that I wanted, but can never be. No matter how much I yearn for it."

I watched as 75's knife hand began to tremble.

"DD is proud of his Winchester name. He's proud of being messed up. But I hate it... so much. I don't know if I can complete this operation, because I will be completing it, not as Tactical War Doll 75-M, but as Lady Charlotte of House Winchester."

Pat.

"Huh?" 75-M said, startled, as I put my hand on hers.

"But that's why I'm here, right?"

The War Doll faced me, surprise on her face. I continued.

"74 assigned me to you. She knew all along, what you were going through. After all, she's the Chief War Doll of SFA-M, right? This job isn't for just you. It's for the two of us. Us BFF's gotta stick together, ya know?"

I reached out and flicked 75 on the forehead.

"Owie!"

"Stupid girl. There's also one more thing you got wrong. You never once did this as a Winchester. You're on a mission for SFA, are you not? We're here together, fighting as Muon and Dainsleif. Not Winchester and Hope. Defeating Dick Douche, if anything, is an indicator that you are above what you set yourself out to be."

75 put her hands to her forehead, pouting.

But a smile slowly formed on her face.

"You know what? You're right! I'm Tactical War Doll 75-M!"

"Hell yeah!"

"The best interrogator and sniper of SFA Muon!"

"Yeah!"

"And the fiancee of the best Outer Shadow of the Black Legion Organization!"

"Yeah- wait what?"

75 threw her arms around me as I tried to pry her off.

"Thanks, Aaron-dearest. I can see why Auxiliary Shadow Ultear was so attached to you. You're a good man. Once I find a boy around my age, I'll treat him like a prince, just like you!"

"Move it, long ears."

"Ouch! You don't need to kick me in the backside..." Garen grumbled.

"Shut it. I did not permit you to speak."

What was all that about treating a boy your age like a prince? What kind of prince was this?

75-M crossed her arms, overlooking the distance.

"So where are these so-called captors?"

"We're supposed to meet at the plaza before sunrise."

"Any idea what we're dealing with?"

Garen pursed his lips.

"A large berserker and a tactical sniper. They're a pair, known as the Spear and Shield. They're not on the level of a Dark Hound... but these guys... rumour has it that they once fought an entire fortress full of human soldiers and slaughtered them."

I loaded up my rifle with a magazine.

"I can take the berserker. Charlotte can take the sniper."

75-M gripped her rifle and eyed the plaza.

"They will be wary. We need to make them suspicious of at most, one mid-range fighter. This plan is sound. I've performed this strategy hundreds of times without fail."

I didn't doubt that at all, given her history as both an assassin and a Tactical War Doll.

However... there was just one problem.

One VERY big problem. In the form of a fifteen-year-old elven boy.

Garen slowly raised his hand.

"Umm... what about me?"

"You're the bait."

"Gods no!" Garen shot to his feet, his face incredulous.

75-M stared at the boy with a look I didn't think she ever made since I met her.

"Huh?"

"Why do I have to be bait? We're going to take the fight to them, right? I should at least be able to join the fight too. Let me use my bow!"

"No way!"

"Why?!"

75-M angrily grabbed Garen's bow.

"You're a liability! You'll just mess with the plan!"

"Give it back! It's mine! Stop thinking I'll screw everything up. I'd rather take orders from Aaron than you!"

"EXCUSE ME?!" 75-M squeaked, her face bright red in frustration.

"This is why I hate working with boys! You're all just a bunch of egotistical maniacs! You'd throw the whole squad under the bus if it means looking cool!"

Garen and 75-M brought their faces close to each other, seething and growling like feral animals.

"Guys..." I said.

"And what's with those braids anyway? Do you change your hairstyle every single day or something?"

"It's my disguise! I need it for my mission!"

"It looks silly. The Elven do better braids than whatever sorry excuse that is."

"WHAT?! I don't need to hear that from someone like you! A boy of all people."

"Well, it's the truth. If you think that would fly by Elven standards, I should introduce you to the rest of my people. You'd be a bigger laughing stock than me, and that's saying a lot considering who I am!"

"You must have a death wish coming if you think I'm just going to let that fly!"

...

I grabbed 75-M and Garen by their heads using my arm and artificial arm.

"Owowowowow!" 75-M and Garen squealed.

"Are you two done flirting? The enemy is here."

"WE ARE NOT FLIRTING!" 75 and Garen growled at the same time. Both of them were red as tomatoes.

"The boy... is not here," A gruff man's voice said from the corner of my vision.

"Ah," I muttered.

75-M grabbed Garen by the collar and shook him so hard his head wobbled like a bobblehead.

"LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE! Get in position! Say you showed up late!"

Garen took off running, waving his hands frantically at the Shield.

"Sorry! I- I got distracted by someone. I'm here now."

The Shield examined Garen.

"What were you doing?"

"I... I had some weirdo hit on me. She was so clingy, and wouldn't shut up about how good her braids were when in reality it looked like she had gone through it with a weedwacker. Total bitch by the way."

I nervously looked at 75, who clenched her teeth.

"Why that little...! He needs to act more desperate. Why isn't he acting desperate?!"

The Shield leaned closer to Garen.

"You smell of overconfidence, Elf. You are hiding something from me."

Garen's face paled, as 75-M nearly dropped her rifle out of exasperation.

"Garen! Garen! Your face!" 75-M mouthed from within cover.

Garen glanced at 75-M, who was making gestures to show a defeated expression.

"Ah! No! I'm not at all confident. It's not like I have you know, powerful allies or anything."

"That idiot!" 75-M cried out.

My finger drew closer to my rifle's trigger.

The plan was to lure them in, both the Shield and the Spear. We located the Shield easily enough, but we still had no idea where the Spear was.

Garen having the P Hub level of acting was seriously not doing us any favours here, and I could tell 75-M was about to explode from frustration.

"You are planning something, aren't you, Elf? Then I wonder... if your plan accounts for your death here and now!"

Garen yelped, as the Shield lifted his greatsword above his head.

"Forget the plan! Garen's going to die!" I snarled, taking aim with my rifle and shooting the Shield square in the face.

PING.

"Ping?"

The bullet ricochet'd off the captor's flesh, causing the Shield to stop mid-swing.

"I WAS CORRECT. YOU ARE CONSPIRING WITH ANOTHER."

"Formation! Formation!" 75-M yelped, as the two of us tried to scurry to retrieve Garen, but Garen had already broken into a run, crashing into 75-M and landing on top of her.

"Gah!" Garen yelped as the two of them slammed on the ground, but before the two could make contact, 75-M had already grabbed Garen into a chokehold out of reflex.

"Ouch! Charlotte! You're gonna twist my neck off!"

The Shield narrowed his eyes.

"Charlotte...? As in the Chestershire?"

75-M made a frustrated grunt, which was kind of funny considering her high-pitched girly voice.

"GRRRRRARRRR!!!!"

I took aim with my rifle again but fired at the Shield's joints causing him to drop his weapon.

"Shield's immobilized! Charlotte... Charlotte?"

I glanced behind me to see Garen still tangled up with 75-M.

"Get off of me you daft twit!" 75 yelled.

"You get off of me! Of all the girls I would fall on top of in my fantasies, why was the first one some crazy chick like you?"

"Why in the hell would you be thinking about fantasies at a time like this?!?!?!"

The Shield charged forward, picking up his greatsword before I could stop laughing and charged the two.

75 shoved Garen out of the way as the Shield swung, but the greatsword was caught by the War Doll, who stopped its momentum.

75's eyes were fierce, as the Shield raised his eyebrows.

"For a little girl, you are surprisingly strong. However... strength and weight... do not correlate."

The captor suddenly raised his sword, with 75 still holding on.

War Doll and sword went airborne as the Shield was about to throw 75 off when suddenly, the War Doll let go, running up the Shield's arm with a combat blade in her hand with superhuman agility.

"Aaron! Pincer formation!"

"Roger!"

Pincer Formation. One person charges forward in melee while another flanks the enemy from behind through ranged.

I took aim, but the sound of a crack in the distance cut my concentration.

Suddenly, 75 stopped running, and a starburst of red appeared on her back as the War Doll fell face forward.

"Charlotte!" Garen shouted, rushing forward, but 75 held out her hand.

"Don't! The Spear... it's the Spear! Aaron!"

I took aim, but the Shield appeared in front of me, his fists raised to do a double overhand.

This whole operation had turned into a complete mess!

I rolled out of the way, trying to memorize and triangulate the location of the Spear.

If he had fired from that distance... with the size of 75's blood splatter...

But 75 was a War Doll, her biology could have been altered from a normal human.

Dammit, my calculations were all off!

"Aaron! What's wrong?" Garen shouted.

"I'm trying to figure out the location of that sniper, but I can't. I'm missing some variables."

"Variables?"

"Yeah. Like Charlotte's blood when she was hit. It could give me an idea of how far away the Spear is. But I have no idea what the properties of it are."

Garen turned to 75-M, who was fending off the Shield.

"Properties... I see! You want to know if she had her menstruation!"

I stared at the Elf.

"Wait what-"

"CHARLOTTE! WHEN DID YOU LAST GET YOUR PERIOD?" Garen shouted, causing both the Shield and 75-M to stop fighting.

The War Doll suddenly turned to Garen, completely ignoring the Shield, and marched up to the Elf with murderous intent.

"Take. Over." 75-M whispered to me.

"Take over? Like... with the Shield? But the Spear is still-"

"TAKE BOTH OF THEM OVER! NOW!"

"Y- Yes ma'am!"

Garen raised his hands, nervously.

"Umm, Charlotte? Why are you so mad? Hey, isn't the barrel of your funny weapon supposed to be pointed at the enemy? Charlotte?"

The Shield towered over me.

There was no time to worry about the Spear. If I was going to deal with both of them, I had to dispatch the enemy in front of me, otherwise there would be no way I could take on the other guy with my concentration split like this.

I took aim with my rifle, concentrating chakra on the barrel.

"Foolish human. Was the last shot from your strange-looking crossbow not enough of a hint that you cannot harm me?"

Trigrams Six Hands Combination Style - TRUE DEAD EYE

CHOOM.

A white beam of light engulfed the Shield, whose eyes were wide in surprise.

"What... was that..."

I quickly dove for cover, narrowly dodging another shot from the Spear.

I still didn't have enough information to triangulate his position, but I had an idea of where he was going.

"Charlotte!" I shouted at 75, who had pinned Garen to the ground and was trying to shove her rifle into his mouth.

The War Doll turned to me, as I pointed to the distance.

"7 o'clock!"

I watched 75-M get to her feet, her eyes glowing blue.

"Spear located. Initiating Stance 48 - Azrael Protocol."

"Azrael... Protocol...?"

A blue reticle appeared in front of her eye as the War Doll ripped the bow from Garen's hands.

"Hey!" Garen protested.

75 drew an arrow and brought the bow back, taking aim, and fired like an expert archer.

SWIFF.

I couldn't tell if the arrow had landed or not, but 75's expression confirmed it.

"Target eliminated."

Garen stared at 75, his jaw hung open.

"You... how... with my bow..."

75-M turned to Garen, her expression still filled with murderous rage.

"In my defence, it was Aaron who wanted to know about your menstruation cycle."

75 spun to me viciously.

Why the hell would you say something like that?!

"78 and I have eliminated three Dark Hounds," 76-M reported, taking out several articles of clothing, which I presumed belonged to each of the targets.

"Any injuries, you two?" 74-M asked from behind the desk of our makeshift office.

"No. But the prowess of each Hound was unusual," 78-M answered, putting a hand to her chin.

"It was as if they were fighting with technology very similar to our own. There is also the matter of one particular Hound, who we were unable to take down."

74 raised an eyebrow.

"Which one?"

"Winchester."

The air turned cold.

76 and 78 had made contact with Richard, but even they were incapable of taking him down despite full intention to.

"Permission to speak," I raised my hand.

74 gave me a nod. Her face momentarily flashed with approval.

Hell yes.

Wait...

Hell no, why was I scoring brownie points with these kids?

"Is something the matter, Dainsleif?" 74 asked.

"Winchester..." I tried to hide the irritation in my face from my realization.

"I've encountered him once. He came to try to provoke me, but he failed. He somehow slipped past my radar, completely undetected until he spoke to me. If we're going for another assault, we might need to engage him at a distance."

74 pursed her lips, as the rest of the squad turned to 75-M, who looked like she was about to fall asleep.

"75-M... can we hear your thoughts on this?"

"Huh? What?" 75-M suddenly snapped awake, clutching her head.

"..." Thalia's face flashed with annoyance.

"First, the incident with the Elves, and now this. If you are incapable of completing your end of the mission, you need to let me know."

"I'm fine, ma'am."

76-M crossed her arms.

"Could you make your case any less convincing?"

75-M shot to her feet.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm completely fine."

74-M got up from behind her desk and walked past me, approaching the boy sitting next to 75. A dark shadow cast over her figure, sending chills down my spine.

"Then care to explain why you have this boy sitting next to you?"

Garen looked up at Thalia, his face turning even more pale than before.

"H- Hi... I'm Gar-"

"Purpose and function."

"I'm sorry?"

74's eyes flashed murderously. This wasn't like with 75-M, who naturally looked adorable to offset her treatment on Garen.

74 had nothing holding her back.

"Then your visit is unsanctioned. Do you realize you are stepping into highly confidential territory? I have clearance to eliminate you."

"Wait! I didn't do anything wrong!"

SHHK KLIK!

The barrel of 74's handgun suddenly manifested, pointed straight at Garen's forehead.

"You are the reason behind 75-M's recent performance. I did my research on your background, you are not the type to keep secrets."

The air turned tense.

Depending on what Garen was going to say, his life was on the line.

Thalia was definitely not the type to spare people out of her own feelings. If she had a reason to take a life, she would do it without hesitation.

74-M's eyes glinted with murderous intent.

"Answer, Elf."

Garen clenched his teeth, glancing at 75-M.

"I'm... here to learn from Miss Charlotte... and marry her, ma'am!"

Surprise flashed on Thalia's face, as did 75.

"Huh?"

What?

What did he just...

What?

Garen cleared his throat.

"That day... when Charlotte used my bow, I realized if there was one person in the world who could help me realize my dream of becoming a Hero like Kadan, it would be Charlotte. In the Elven tribe, at least mine in particular, sharing weapons is a rite of passage toward marriage. I'm not really a big fan of it either since she's super weird, but we have our customs."

75 slowly turned to Garen, her jaw hung open so wide that it looked like it was about to fall out of her mouth.

"MARRIAGE?! You're thinking about MARRYING me after everything you've done?! Are you stupid in the head or something?!" 75-M screamed.

"Hey! I don't make the rules here! I kept telling you not to touch my bow, but what did you do?"

"You didn't tell me that would mean marrying me you fool!"

"ENOUGH!" Thalia growled, shutting both War Doll and Elf Boy up.

I watched 74 return to her desk, rubbing her temples with her hands.

"What's done is done. This boy now knows about our operations. I take it he was also aware of your codename?"

Garen laughed weakly.

"What? Like 'Seven Five M'? I kind of overheard it from Aaron."

I watched 74 slam her head into her desk.

"Hey... Thalia... you're gonna get brain damage if you keep this up..." I said, nervously.

"And just why do you think that is?" 74-M muttered.

"Sorry, ma'am. I'll make it up to you with some loli jokes."

"I'm going to kill you."

74 turned to 75, who looked like she was trying to swallow a mouse. Her bangs hid her eyes and her lower lip was trembling with rage.

"I hate to say this, but the Elf now works under you. For the duration of this mission, he will be your responsibility. Meeting adjourned while I try to find my headache stimpack..."

Poor Chief.

"Welp. I guess you go by Seven Five. Can I just call you Seven? Since we're going to be working together? Charlotte? Are you there? Yoohoo!" Garen began waving his hand in front of 75-M's face, but it looked like she had undergone some shutdown sequence because all she was doing was trembling with her little fists curled up like a girl about to throw a tantrum.

78 approached 75, her arms crossed and a condescending look on her face.

"Isn't this swell, 75? You found yourself a man. Now you can stop fawning over Dainsleif."

"..."

"What have you got to say for yourself?"

"...Wa..."

"Wa?"

"WAAAAAAAH!" 75-M wailed, running out of the room and throwing the door open so hard the damn thing nearly ripped out of its hinges.

78, Garen and I watched as 75-M ran out into the night like some runaway princess from a fairy tale.

"C- Cute..." Garen muttered.

"I'll go after her," I said.

"Me too," Garen followed up.

"You two morons will do no such thing," 76-M stepped in front of us.

"But-" I protested, but 76-M put her hand up.

"No buts. Between the love rival, the moron, and the moron with pointy ears, I'm the only one best to talk to 75 right now. You three get out of here."

The rest of us obliged, splitting up.

"Dainsleif, a word?" 74-M said before I could hit the hay.

"Can this wait until tomorrow? I was going to play Genshi-"

74-M lowered her face, a glare forming.

"Yes, ma'am."

I followed the Chief War Doll to her office. It always amazed me how fast 74, well actually, the War Dolls in general were at setting up base or camp. Where we were stationed, was in a very secluded area within the forest which was covered in camouflage and anti-magic to keep us from being tracked.

From the inside of the base, it was like we never left Hellion's barracks.

"I never got the chance to thank you for everything you've done for us, from helping me see the flaws in my ways, to showing me my strengths," 74-M said, gesturing to the chair in front of her desk.

"Sit, please."

I took a seat, as Thalia sat across from me.

"You know, if you ever need anything from me, I'm always obliged to help as a friend. There's no reason to feel like you owe me or anything," I said.

74 smiled, lacing her fingers together.

"You may be a pain in the ass... but you're the only person allowed to call me by my old name. I trust in your skills and your character. Which is why I wanted to call you in, regarding 75-M. Did she tell you anything... about her past?"

I felt uneasy.

"Y- Yeah. She told me she came from a lineage as a noble to House Winchester. But I promise you it wasn't like she was super open to telling me it off the bat. She did it to clear up any misunderstandings to help the mission progress forward."

"No no. That wasn't the intention of me asking. The reason I ask is because 76-M and 78-M have already dispatched a number of the Dark Hounds. I am currently planning a solo assassination of the remaining Hounds. The only one left that we are having trouble with is Winchester. And Winchester is not the type of opponent that can be easily defeated simply by increasing our numbers. Your previous suggestion of engaging at a distance is the best course of action, and on paper, 75-M is the best of all of us to take this on. But... I worry that she might not be in the right headspace."

"Man and here you were saying not to worry about her..."

74-M let loose a slight laugh.

"You caught me making a mistake! The thing is, I wasn't expecting the appearance of that Elf. The Elf's influence on 75 has changed things."

"How so?"

"I'm sure you already know."

A nervous smile crept on my face.

"I've never seen 75-M be so aggravated in my life. It's kind of amusing to see, in a sadistic sense. She's always so used to teasing the rest of us and being the ditzy one, but ever since Garen showed up in the picture it's like I'm seeing a totally different Seven Five."

74-M ran her hand through her choppy brown hair.

"I'm not against War Dolls having relationships... but I can tell 75 is not used to something like this. According to her resource log, she activated her Stance Protocols. This is concerning."

I raised my eyebrows.

"Is something wrong with your Stance Protocols? Come to think of it, I don't think I've seen you guys use your protocols at all since I met you. 75 was the first."

74-M nodded.

"There isn't anything functionally wrong with the Stance Protocols, after all, Sergeant Hellion had them implemented for a reason. It lets us gain a tactical advantage inherent to our cybernetic nature. But the problem is... these Stance Protocols tax our internal battery. The resource consumption of each Protocol is tremendous as a result of Inner Shadow Gasket rerouting his technology around our bodies. So while we are superhuman, we aren't immortal."

I watched Thalia pull a piece of paper from within a folder.

"I've used Stance Protocols in the past, but using a Protocol, even once a week is considered not recommended. We are trained to fight without them by using the skills taught to us by Sergeant Hellion. According to 75's log, she used three Protocols in the span of two days. At this rate, 75 will deplete her internal battery."

My blood ran cold.

"Thalia... what happens if a War Doll depletes her battery?"

74-M closed her eyes.

"Have you ever encountered a starving dog, before?"

"Y- Yes... they become extremely feral. They'd eat anything and anyone."

"A War Doll will desperately try to save herself since their internal battery is their source of power, they will enter a state of berserk rage to try to consume anything. Everything. To try to stay alive, everything goes. We've had one instance of a War Doll expending her battery, and she was executed by Sergeant Hellion, instantly. Without any chance of reasoning or hesitation. This was what prompted the one Protocol a week limit."

74-M put 75's log in my hands.

"Aaron, I've already lost 77-M. I can't lose 75-M. I want to be able to talk to her myself, but 75-M is fond of you and there is no time with the situation of the Hounds. If she continues at this rate...

"Tactical War Doll 75-M will die."

04

"Garen. Dainsleif. I've located where all the captives are," 75-M voice resonated from the other side of the door.

"Wait, 75, don't open the door!" Garen yelped.

"I couldn't care less what you want, fool!" 75 snarled, ripping the door off its lock to be greeted with a fully naked Garen.

"YEEEEEEEEEE AAHHHH!!!!" 75-M screamed, covering her eyes as she lurched backward.

"I told you not to open it, Tin Girl! Why did you do it?!"

"You didn't tell me you were changing, you imbecile!"

Garen got up and put a towel around his waist.

"Huh, so you can pull off the noble look when you try. Minus the disgrace of a braid job on your head," Garen said as he stepped forward and approached 75.

75's face turned bright red.

"I am a noble! Just... put some bloody clothes on!"

(Ten Minutes Later)

"I scoped out the slave trader by connecting with another noble who had done business with the Elven trade. They appear to be travelling underground. I propose we shatter the underground slave trafficking network, by sending it into chaos, we can lure Winchester out," 75-M reasoned.

"Is there anything we should prepare before going in? Underground is definitely to their advantage if we don't have the right tools for it," I said.

75-M assembled her rifle and tested her scope.

"I will be accompanying you two. Underground is a bad place for a sniper, and I assume Winchester knows that. If push comes to shove and everyone attempts to fight with stealth, I can always use the Bloodhound Protocol to-"

"No Protocols," I said quickly, cutting 75 off.

75-M paused, momentarily fixing her gaze at me.

"Fine. I will use conventional tracking. Regardless, we will need someone to act as a mediator for the prisoners. Unfortunately, this will mean Garen has to come along."

"Why is that unfortunate?!" Garen yelped.

I watched the War Doll sling her rifle over her back as she reached out to a cabinet and pulled out her tactical hairspray, changing her braided blonde hair into a dirt-brown. Paired with darker brown camouflage cargo pants and a bulletproof vest.

"Follow my lead. No one does something unless they ask me for permission. Do I make myself clear, you two?"

"What is wrong with you people?!" 75-M screamed at us as we continued running from our pursuers.

Enemies were coming in like hordes, but I had already figured out the network of tunnels.

"Should I cave it in?" I asked.

"We might risk blocking access points to the prisoners," 75 responded.

Garen notched an arrow into his bow and took aim, but the arrow went flying sideways and knocked over a lamp, causing a fire to spread.

"Whoops... missed again..." He muttered.

"HEY!" A group of large men shouted, intercepting the three of us.

I took aim with my rifle and took them down with Dead Eyes before they could give away any more of our position.

"In here!" 75-M pointed at an expanse.

"There?! We're gonna jump to our deaths!" Garen yelped.

I narrowed my eyes.

"No. There's water down there. The echo of our voices is more responsive than if it were empty space. We gotta jump."

"No!" Garen exclaimed, his face clammed up.

I gritted my teeth, turning around to see the horde of captors who were approaching us with bows and arrows. A couple of arrows were already flying our way, but I loaded another magazine and split the arrows mid-air.

"Garen! You gotta jump, man!"

"I can't... I can't!"

75 grabbed Garen by the shoulders and forced him into a hug, causing Garen's face to flush.

"We're going."

I continued splitting the arrows and firing around the perimeter of the cave ceiling, raining dust all over the captors as they scurried back.

"That guy's no ordinary marksman!"

I turned and jumped into the water, my vision blurring as I made my way to the rest of the group.

Tactical War Doll 75-M will die.

Those were 74's words. I couldn't let that happen, but what was causing 75 to use her Protocols so recklessly? Once during the ball made sense... but the other two times, could it have been from her influence with Garen?

Regardless of what the circumstances were, I couldn't just let 75 use her Protocols again. I had to find a way to convince her.

Or better yet, get to the root of the problem.

I reached the shore, to find 75-M and Garen on the other side.

I could tell from their body language that they had another argument.

"Guys. I know you two don't like each other, but we need to learn to get along. We won't finish this mission at this rate."

75-M wrung her clothes dry.

"We would have finished this mission... this entire assassination if Garen wasn't involved!"

"Garen is our lead to Winchester, though."

75-M marched up to Garen, jabbing her finger against his chest.

"What is wrong with you? I told you to follow everything I said. I told you to never fire that bow again. Yet what did you do? Because you wanted to be like Kadan you decided to fire that bow at the first enemy you saw?"

Garen clenched his fists.

"What's the point of having a bow if I'm not gonna use it?"

"Like hell do I care! This is about the mission. Not you. Quite frankly, I couldn't care less that you want to marry me, if you stuck around, you'd be dead anyway!"

"Guys," I said, but was completely ignored by the two teenagers.

"I've had it with you! Maybe if you properly trained me on how to use the bow, this wouldn't have happened! You drag me into your mess, and now you're just telling me to shut up and do what you say? I'm the only person who can calm those prisoners down and-"

"Calm them down? How?"

Garen's face was indignant.

"I'm one of their kind."

"No. You are not."

75-M threw her rifle into the dirt, the barrel embedding itself deep into the ground. The War Doll walked forward and grabbed Garen by the collar with astonishing strength causing the Elf to be pulled onto his tiptoes.

"YOU. WILL. NEVER. BE ACCEPTED BY THE ELVES. You said it yourself. You were a traitor. YOU abandoned your people. YOU DID. You will never be an Elf. And you most certainly will never be Kadan."

Garen's hands began trembling.

"75, that's enough! You're going too far," I protested, but 75-M continued.

"I've been on HUNDREDS of military campaigns. I've worked with and fought alongside THOUSANDS of different types of soldiers. Men. Women. Anyone on and off the spectrum. Each time I have been able to complete these campaigns without any major setback. I don't care how many years of experience the Elven people have, because no amount of experience they have can ever match a War Doll's. The Tactical Dolls are known to be the greatest soldiers on the front BECAUSE we are able to fight and win no matter our circumstances. We were literally CREATED to be the main military force for our organization against enemies TOO STRONG AND TOO VAST for our conventional fighters and operatives.

"Yet despite all this. ALL OF THIS. How in God's green Earth am I having so much trouble this time?"

"Earth? This is Alladia-"

SHHK SHHK.

75-M lifted her pistol to Garen's forehead and knocked the Elf's bow onto the ground.

"This. Is. Where. You. SHUT IT. Can't you see what I am saying? Can your testosterone-filled brain even comprehend where I'm getting at? Or am I being too convoluted for a peasant as primitive and STUPID as you? I'm saying that I've never met someone SO UNDESERVING, SO UNWORTHY, SO HOPELESS AS YOU. And I wish you would just BUGGER OFF and die alone, but it's one of God's best jokes that Miss 74 has forced you to be with me!"

Garen clenched his teeth, but 75-M kept her gun raised.

"Well? What have you got to say for yourself? What ridiculous comeback are you going to say?"

Time seemed to slow, as Garen knelt down and picked up the bow.

75-M's scowled persisted but hesitated upon seeing Garen face the other way.

"I don't have any comeback. You're right. I can never be like Kadan. I don't even see myself as an Elf anymore. All I wanted was to have you teach me how to be a bow. I wouldn't ask anyone else."

The Elf walked to the edge of the shore and threw the bow into the water.

"Garen-!" I gasped but stopped myself.

"I'm not someone who would ask a person to be their teacher so easily. I have a shitty ego. That day you wielded my bow and fired at The Spear, you looked so elegant and graceful. Like a real noble. Not those nobles who would act like jerks to the Elven and to people like me. But real. True. Powerful nobles. You inspired me, Charlotte. But all I can see from our interactions is that I've been doing nothing but annoy you, and you have no space for someone like me."

The Elf walked off into the darkness, leaving 75 and me alone.

75-M gritted her teeth, lowering her gun.

"G- Good riddance..." She muttered.

A lump formed in my throat.

"Are we going to continue with the mission?"

The War Doll faced the distance.

"Yes. We don't have to free the elves, but we can destroy their confines. The plan is still to lure DD out. We can do this regardless of the well-being of those prisoners. They don't matter to me anymore. Garen can go die in a ditch for all I care."

Anymore?

I inspected 75's face a little closer and noticed a slight blush.

"Hey... could it be that all the lashing out was on pur-"

"Where are those three? We can't make the boss any more annoyed than he already is," A man's voice said from the tunnels.

75 and I snuck behind several rocks.

"Got a plan?" I asked.

75 put a finger to her lips.

"While you were regrouping with us, I had already predicted they would come."

I narrowed my eyes and realized what she meant. Embedded in the rocks were several sentries.

CLICK.

"Click?" A captor asked, before a sudden wave of mechanical clanking ensued as the sentries activated, unleashing a horde of gunfire.

"What the- what kind of arrows are these?!"

"It's like they have a mind of their own!"

In a fluid motion, 75 spun around and took advantage of the chaos, calmly aiming with her sniper and shooting down the captors who were trying to call for backup.

I followed suit, aiming with my rifle.

Using the sound and chaos of the gunfire, we had drowned the shots of our own longer-ranged weapons and thus hid our positions.

"Ceasefire," 75 said, as the sentries packed up into their little modules.

I could hear the sounds of footsteps coming our way.

"We will do the Cat and Mouse formation," 75 said, pointing at a map she had drawn on a piece of paper.

"Lure the enemy away from the prisoners. We'll start small and slowly increase the pressure. That way, the captors won't feel inclined to kill the prisoners right away."

I raised my eyebrow.

"I thought you said you didn't care about the wellbeing of the elves?"

"I- I didn't! I meant... that it was a strategic advantage keeping them alive! Yes!" 75 stumbled all over her words, trying to straighten her back and force a grin on her face.

I sat down, propping my rifle up. We were waiting on the next wave.

"There has to be another way of convincing Garen to live a normal life away from the violence. I'm guessing this is the reason why you went through all that."

75-M looked away.

"Why's it matter... I did what needed to be done. He hates me and I broke his spirit. Now he won't... end up like Miss 74 and the rest of our kind."

"And what about you?"

"That is irrelevant. Besides, I was broken from day one. Garen has nothing to do with all of this. Once we have all the Elves free he can live his life without worrying about-"

"You know, for someone who had gone on that speel about how she hated being forced to do things, you sure are forcing a lot of things in your relationship."

"It's not a relationship!"

75-M stood up quickly.

"I do NOT have a crush on that idiot! You saw how he annoyed me!"

I rested my hand against my cheek.

"As far as I know, it seems he's been the only boy who has been able to make you this annoyed!"

75's mouth trembled as she fumbled with her words.

"I DO NOT have a crush! Besides, it doesn't matter anymore. The mission comes first."

We continued with our strategy, circling around the tunnel and luring the captors, until we finally reached the prisoners.

"Who the hell are you?" The captor exclaimed as I dispatched him with a timely placed rifle shot.

75 ran forward and ripped the bars open with her superhuman strength.

"Get out of here," 75-M said, but the prisoners, as I expected, froze in terror.

75-M lowered her head, shadows cast all over her face. All the while, the Elves spoke amongst themselves.

"Oh god... a demon..."

"She's a monster!"

"She just killed those men, terrible...!"

"Look at her clothes, they're covered in dirt!"

75 remained silent, while the Elves continued to speak amongst themselves. Even if 75 couldn't hear them, she could tell from their body language.

The prisoners were terrified of her.

And I could tell from her body language...

This affected her.

"Get out of here, you're free now," 75 repeated herself, but the Elven remained shellshocked.

The War Doll gritted her teeth.

"DO YOU PEOPLE NOT UNDERSTAND A WORD COMING OUT OF MY MOUTH? GET OUT! RUN!" 75 shouted.

"Charlotte! Calm down, you're scaring them even more!" I exclaimed.

75 reached for her rifle and fired at the edges of the cage, causing the female prisoners to scream in terror.

"Get out. Run. Do SOMETHING. Something that will make me believe freeing you ignorant peasants is worthwhile! You people... who without hesitation ostracized Garen despite him choosing to sacrifice himself for half of your freedom! Give me a reason to free you people other than having Garen see his brother again!"

75 marched forward, but one of the children, who I could probably guess was only six years old at most screamed at Charlotte.

"Stay away from us! Murderer! You're just like Garen!"

75 froze.

The little girl ran forward and held out her arms.

"No one who kills people so easily would be kind enough to help us! You're a monster just like them! We don't want someone like you to save us!"

"N- No... I'm... I'm really here to try to help you, but-"

"Murderer! Monster!"

75-M looked like she was at a loss for words.

If Garen was here...

"I really am... a monster..." 75-M muttered, her voice breaking.

Could I use a sedative or sleep dart to sedate them?

At this point, Winchester must have already been lured out. We were running out of time.

My hand inched toward my belt, when suddenly...

"No, she's not," a boy's voice said, silencing the Elves.

I slowly turned around, to see a familiar-looking elven boy. On his back was a bow which was so filthy it was dripping with brown water.

"You take back everything you said about Charlotte! All of you!" Garen growled.

One of the prisoners stepped forward.

"B- But Garen, you saw what she did to the captors-"

"You shut up! She killed those captors for you! If you wanna call someone a monster, then call me one. I don't care what you all think about me. A monster. A traitor. A scumbag. A failure. An annoyance. I'll take it all! But I will NOT let you people call this girl a monster! After everything she did to get here, all the tracking and research and investigating. HOW DARE YOU treat her the same way you treat me!"

75 turned to Garen, surprise plastered on her face.

"You...! Why are you here? You're not supposed to-"

"To what? To give up and leave you to deal with my judgemental people? You're out of your mind, Tin Girl."

"GAH! Tin Girl?! How dare you call me that after everything I've done! I'm freeing these people for you, you twit!"

Garen approached the prisoners.

"I know. I knew. I also knew why you were being so distant, after I walked off, I had a lot of time to think. You people. Every time someone tries to help you, you just close up and let yourselves be captured again. What's the point in living if you're just going to WILLINGLY let yourselves be slaves? Huh? Why does it have to always be SOMEONE ELSE helping us? And when they do, we always push them away?"

I watched Garen pull out his bow.

"It may be true that I'm considered a traitor, but I've shot this bow more times ever since I left the tribe than when I was still in the tribe. You people idolized Kadan. You always say 'we need more people like Kadan'. Why aren't any of you saying 'we need to BE like Kadan'?"

Another prisoner spoke up.

"You of all people have no right to criticize us! You left us. You joined our very captors!"

"I did not join. I was forced to. I was tricked into believing I could wield my bow for a higher purpose. Even if I could go back in time, I would still do it all over again the same way, Tross. I may be a complete klutz, and maybe I really am just a hindrance to Charlotte. But just being able to wield my bow and fight, even if I'm not good at it, is better than sitting on my ass and feeling sorry for myself."

The Elves were silent, as the air turned cold and damp.

Garen's breathing was the only thing occasionally breaking the silence.

Even 75 was at a loss for words.

"Forget it. Forget all of this. Charlotte. Aaron. You don't need to free my people. They don't deserve freedom... you can't help someone if they refuse to help themselves. The main objective of this raid was to lure out Winchester, right? Then let's continue with that. I can handle finding my brother when this is over," Garen said.

"Wait. Garen... are you sure about this?" I asked.

Garen nodded.

"Yeah. Yeah, I am. So let's-"

BANG.

My eyes widened, as Garen suddenly stumbled forward. Just above his armpit, near his shoulder, was an increasingly growing patch of red.

"Garen!" I shouted, but before I could catch him, 75-M bolted forward and scooped the elf into her arms.

"No... No! You're fine. You'll be okay," 75-M said, her voice shaky.

"GRRRK. You're... supposed to be crying all over me... Tin Girl..."

"Shut up! Do not crack jokes at a time like this!" 75 reached into her pockets, but another bullet whizzed by the two.

Well well well. We sure are at the endgame, aren't we, sis?

75 growled as she dragged Garen to cover. I followed suit, trying to triangulate Richard's position, but it was like he was constantly changing position with each shot.

It reminded me of my Gunman's Roulette, where I constantly used Aspectum to teleport all over the place to hide my presence.

I took aim with my rifle, but a bullet came out of nowhere and knocked the gun out of my hands.

I quickly switched to my handgun.

Found you, bitch.

BANG BANG BANG.

?

I didn't feel like they connected.

It doesn't matter how skilled a marksman is, a bullet can only travel so fast. I'm surprised you couldn't figure that out. I thought we were one of the same kind, Dainsleif.

More bullets whizzed past me, occasionally grazing me.

Winchester was right. As long as he moved faster than a bullet, there was no way I could hit him...

That was if I intended for my bullet to hit him.

Prediction.

Control.

Continuity.

Getting cold feet now?

"I wish you would talk less, you're not even witty with your taunts!" I said, as I fired.

Like I said, there's no way you could GAH!

I heard the sound of a thud and a crash.

I rushed forward to the sound, scooping up my rifle and taking aim at Winchester.

But before I could pull my trigger, the Dark Hound knocked over a bunch of storage containers, blocking my sight.

I switched to my sidearm, momentarily catching him in my sight from within the debris. A small opening from the pieces of the containers that had shattered.

It was a millisecond of an interval, but a millisecond was plenty.

BANG.

Winchester grunted again as he returned fire, but the window of opportunity had long since closed, and the bullets embedded themselves into the wooden crate shards.

I took aim again and fired at a nearby shard that was airborne, which ricocheted and embedded itself into Winchester's leg causing him to snarl.

"How are you catching me... my speed is superhuman!"

Dumbass.

Just because you were faster than my bullets didn't mean shit to me.

Do you have any idea how many gods I've had to kill who were faster than me?

From Hermes, to Savitar.

I had to learn to predict their movement patterns.

The faster you were...

The harder I technically hit.

Every movement you make that I predict means I could bend the path of my bullets such that you would run into them, every single time.

BANG BANG BANG.

"ENOUGH!" Winchester roared, unleashing a shockwave that blew me back.

But as I flew backward, I unleashed a barrage of gunfire from my M4A1 at the ground before the Dark Hound, spraying dust into his eyes.

"75!" I shouted as the War Doll took aim with her sniper.

Game over.

...

Um...

"75? Where's the bang?" I asked.

I turned around, to see 75 suddenly go limp, falling face-first into the ground. Her eyes were rolled into the back of her head.

"Charlotte!" Garen and I shouted at the same time.

What...

What just happened?

Richard continued growling and snarling, clawing at his eyes.

I quickly took aim with my handgun, but my arm suddenly felt a rush of fatigue.

"I can't believe I have to rely on borrowed power... but I don't have a choice. Give me more power, Demon King Jinn."

A blast of dark energy emanated from the Hound.

"GRRRK!" I slid backward, trying to return fire with my bullets, but my head felt like it was about to burst.

"What the hell is this?!" I clutched my temples out of instinct, dropping my weapons as Winchester held out his hand.

"Too bad. I admit, you had me outgunned for a second there. But I will NOT lose to somebody like you, Dainsleif. Blessing or not, I cannot fall. As for the disgrace of the Winchesters..."

Richard glared at Charlotte, who had started convulsing.

"She's embarrassed herself enough. Maybe I will do what I should have done a long time ago."

"Richard you little shit! Don't you do it!" I tried to pick up my gun, but another wave of nausea and aches flooded my mind.

"Stay out of this. You've already lost. This is just a matter of family now..."

I panted, closing my eyes.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

Count to ten.

Winchester took aim, but his gun suddenly flew out of his hand.

"What?!"

I got to my feet.

"You've gotta be one ignorant little prick to think a little nausea is enough to stop me."

I fired several bullets at the ground before me, blinding Winchester as I dove for cover. The enhanced operative followed suit, trying to track me down, but was incapable of doing so.

I grasped a rock and threw it behind cover, then another in quick succession in the other direction.

BANG.

Now.

I rushed forward like an arrow, throwing the crate that I was hiding behind over my head with a chakra-infused shunt.

"You know, just because we both had trauma growing up, doesn't mean we're the same," I said.

Winchester frantically took aim with his rifle, but nothing came out.

"I had the chance in a lifetime to become a god... I thought everything pointed toward it. But even then, I still held true to myself. Because the more power one gets, the more sloppy they become. What normally would have been careful attention to detail and caution had become substituted with some cheat power. Superhuman strength. Superhuman speed. That's something my sister always taught me, and that's something 74 reinforced. I bet you didn't even realize you ran out of bullets in your magazine when you were trying to shoot down my decoys, did you, Hound?"

"Shut up!" Winchester snarled, unleashing another wave of energy, but I had already predicted he would do that and chucked a third projectile at him.

The flashbang went off, blinding him as I blasted right through the energy, my chakra aura taking form into a sharp streamlined profile before me.

Trigrams

Six Hands Combination Style

I grabbed my rifle in one hand, and my handgun in my artificial one, and leaned forward, crossing the two guns before me.

ULTRA DEAD EYES

Weak points identified.

Twice the hands.

Twice the firepower.

BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG.

"ARGGHHHAHHH!!!" Winchester vomited blood, collapsing on the ground before me.

I slowly lowered my guns, which were still smoking.

"Is... is it over?" Garen muttered.

"No... can't be for sure," I said.

This guy... called for Demon King Jinn for power.

There was a chance that vertigo wasn't all Jinn had given him. Added to the fact that earlier when I fought him, he had displayed superhuman speed and dexterity, there was no way someone of his calibre would be defeated so easily.

Without my weapons, chakra, or magic, I was fighting at High Tier S Rank at best.

At this level, I couldn't afford any mistakes.

But was this really what I wanted?

This was Charlotte's brother, even if he was a scumbag, he was still her family.

Did I really have the right to make this call?

I aimed my handgun at the body and was about to pull the trigger, but a sharp twinge of pain erupted from my side.

"GRRK!"

Damn you, Outer Shadow. Forcing me to resort to this.

?!

I spun around, catching Garen trying to shoulder a barely conscious 75 on his back.

"Get out of here! I have no idea what Winchester did, but he's too much for me-"

CHOOM CHOOM CHOOM CHOOM CHOOM.

Lances of pain shot up my joints as I collapsed to one knee.

"GAH!!!" I roared in agony as a swarm of shadowy energy surrounded me.

I was warned about this. The attack of Inner Shadow Slipstream's Shadows. I welcomed the challenge with open arms, but the fun has its place. I cannot afford to disgrace myself. Not to the Winchester name. Not to Lord Jinn...

And certainly not Master Loyce.

"What...?!"

I slowly looked up at Winchester, who smiled sinisterly at me.

Oh, so this has evaded even the fabled God-Eater himself? Certainly you, or even my bonehead sister MUST have pieced it together by now. It's almost ironic that not one, but two Winchesters ended up in the Black Legion. Didn't I tell you? You aren't anything special, especially not to someone like me.

Outer Shadow Winchester of Loyce Hal, High Tier S+ Rank.

BANG.

Winchester's head snapped back, but the bullet didn't penetrate, instead being lodged within the shadowy flesh of the Outer Shadow.

What was that? A love tap, sis?

75 shakily loaded another round in her sniper, taking aim.

"Being proud... of whatever disgusting atrocity you've become... of course you would serve someone like Inner Shadow Empire."

You would know about becoming an atrocity, after all, I may have replaced my flesh with Shadow, but you replaced yours with steel.

"Charlotte, don't push yourself!" I shouted, but 75 fired again, this time the bullet whizzed past Winchester and caught the side of something metallic.

Richard hesitated, turning around to see what she had hit was a water pipe. Water exploded outwards violently.

You little bitch...! AFTER THEM. MY AUXILIARY SHADOWS.

The sounds of footsteps erupted from the distance, and they were getting dangerously louder.

I forced myself to stand, channelling the remaining chakra into my injuries as I rushed to Garen and 75.

"We need to go! At this rate I'll be at a severe disadvantage. 75, get on my bac-"

"I'll carry her," Garen grimaced.

"No. You're injured, dude. Let me-"

"It's the least I can do. We need someone to cover us, right? I can't shoot my bow... I can't fight. The best I can do is carry her to safety. 75 is my priority."

75 coughed, her body trembling. Something was seriously wrong with her, and I had a damn good guess as to what it was.

"Elf... don't push yourself..."

"You're one to talk, Tin Girl! Just shut up. And let me take care of you, just this once."

I turned back to Winchester, who glared at me from the other side of the flood which had blocked him from reaching us.

So water was his weakness.

This is not over, Outer Shadow Dainsleif.

We retreated, and all the while, 75-M grasped onto Garen tightly.

Every taunt that Winchester was sending our way, I could tell was affecting Charlotte.

Yes. Run. Run away again, little Charlie. From your heritage. From your responsibilities. But you cannot run from who you are; you are an anomaly. A living contradiction. Both a killer and a coward. To run from your destiny as a killer, yet to end up being the one to finish off Dad. And now, a killer as a War Doll.

You cannot run from me forever.

"Don't listen to him, Charlotte," Garen gasped, as his legs buckled.

"Garen, you can't keep this up. I think we've lost them," I said, but Garen shook his head, marching forward relentlessly.

The Elf would carry 75 for several more kilometres until we both collapsed, reaching the exit of the cave and bunking out in a secluded forest location.

"Let's set up camp here," I instructed.

Garen set 75-M down and gently laid her onto a stack of broken twigs and branches, weaving together an intricate pattern as if it were a basket.

"That's some nice craftsmanship," I commented.

"It's nothing. All Elves are expected to know how to do this."

We sat in silence, overlooking the night sky.

It would be around twenty minutes before Garen finally said something.

"How can I become strong like you two?"

I raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not strong. Charlotte's the strong one. I'm just crafty."

"You know what I mean. You're both so reliable."

I rested my head on my palm, eyeing Garen curiously.

"Trying to be strong for Charlotte, eh?"

"What? No! I never said that."

"...you do the same thing as her. I just noticed."

Garen fidgeted, his hands fumbling all over.

"What are you talking about?"

"When you're hiding something, or denying something, you twirl your hair around your fingers. Just like Charlotte does."

Garen stopped fidgeting and stood up, grabbing his bow and loading an arrow. But once he fired, the arrow went lopsided, tilting to the side and slamming into the ground.

"Fuck."

The Elf tried again, only to fail.

And fail and fail over and over again.

Garen noticed me watching.

"Pretty pathetic, aren't I? You can laugh."

"Why would I do that?" I asked

Garen put his bow on the ground.

"Did you know, according to legend, Kadan once saved this world from Jinn?"

"Really?"

"Yup. All he used was a bow. Yet a bow alone was enough for him to defeat Jinn's generals and Jinn himself. Kadan was literally the only person in the Elven to fight back against the Demons. He was the source of inspiration for all. But one day, he up and disappeared. Since then, the Elven had lost all hope that we would ever be protected and have our freedom again."

"You brought this up before... but you mentioned that you guys needed more people to step up to the task like Kadan did."

Garen examined his bow.

"The path Kadan chose to walk is a hard one because it meant throwing away what life he had for something most likely more miserable. We may have been slaves, but we had each other. I had my brother. It wasn't like life was all that bad. But once you choose to walk the life of Kadan, what we Elven refer to as The Calling, that's it. You choose to walk the path of a Hero, you will abandon everything. Because no one in their right mind would accompany a Hero."

The life of a Hero... huh?

"You kinda remind me of my fiancee," I commented.

"I'm not gay."

"That's not what I meant," I said, quickly.

"Garen, I have to ask. But what exactly is the reason you've wanted to pursue this life?"

"Do you even have to ask? For our freedom, of course."

"But you said your life already wasn't all that bad."

Garen gripped the edge of his bow tightly.

"I... I guess... have you ever hated how mediocre your life was? To be born out of a cookie-cutter template and to be someone you never asked for?"

"Like a predestined path?"

"Yes. Because this is the way of the Elven, from the first day we are born, we are given expectations to live by. To be high class, high mannered, no matter our circumstances. We are led to believe we are the best and finest race. Our elegance is superior to all. So even if we end up as slaves, we are still considered beautiful. That is the way of the Elven. But I don't wanna be like that. I wanna live my life the way I want it.

"So even if I did idolize Kadan, it wasn't just his heroics that made me so awestruck. It was... the freedom. The freedom of it."

"And I suppose the realization that Kadan's life is also one that is filled with trauma and bloodshed, was only after you left your tribe?"

Garen turned to me. Shadows were cast all over his face, and his blonde hair glowed from the crackles of the fire. His braids were elegantly tied. I could see how he could critique Charlotte's braids when his were to this level of meticulousness. Likely from many years of training too.

"When I was forced and coerced by the Underground, I really really regretted my decision to leave the tribe. I was gullible... and stupid. But you see? When I saw Charlotte use that bow... to me, it was like I was looking at someone who had realized the dream I so wanted. Charlotte, a girl who was barely older than me, somehow managed to get so strong. This was what I saw when she led that assault. With my own tools and resources, I couldn't grasp Kadan's dreams alone. But... Charlotte... Charlotte reawakened that dream for me."

Garen got up and picked up his bow, practicing his shots again.

"If I can't be good enough to fight right now, I'll do whatever I can, the best I can, at things that can help her. If it means carrying her a thousand kilometres, then I'll do it without a heartbeat. If it means practicing for a thousand hours, I'll do just that. I know I'm weak, so I'll do everything I can to become strong.

"I don't wanna see Charlotte overexert herself like that because her ally was too weak. Not ever again."

I left Garen alone to practice and lied on a set of leaves next to Charlotte, who was pretending to be asleep.

"You suck at pretending to sleep, by the way."

"GEH!"

I smiled, turning to the War Doll, who was hiding her face.

"So. You heard everything he just said. Do you still wanna crush his dreams to be by your side?"

"..."

I faced the other side, staring at the stars in the night sky.

"He's... not holding his bow right. That idiot," 75-M muttered, as I heard the sounds of leaves rustling and footsteps.

05

"From here on out, we are in the endgame. We're going to take down my stupid brother," 75-M said, spreading a huge sheet of paper across a desk.

The Shadows had supplemented us with the equipment we needed.

"In our last assault, we had seen that he had contracted some otherworldly power that invokes a state change that is vulnerable to water. So the crux of the strategy is to flood the entire base with the town's water supply to lure DD out. He won't come out himself - I suspect he's going to get his Auxiliaries to act as decoys. This will be where our sentry guns come in. We'll gun down all exit points save three. Then I'll track down DD and shoot the bastard down."

Garen nodded attentively.

"I see. I don't get it."

"Eugh..." 75 muttered.

I put my hand on the elf's shoulder.

"Use your bow to shooty shoot any enemies that come out of the hole."

"I'm not that stupid!"

75 examined the paper.

"Our last assault caused the elves to be transported out of the underground, but they haven't finished evacuating all their operations yet. So we need to launch our attack as soon as possible."

I walked to my area and did an inventory check.

Other than my rifle, I had requested a number of other equipment. More grenades. A shotgun. A submachine gun for a sidearm.

And most importantly...

My hand ran over a cylindrical syringe-like piece of equipment.

A mana stim.

Charlotte's plan made sense, but as with most plans, there was always a chance that things would go off the rails. If that ever happened, I needed to resort to bringing out the old God-Eater back. My fight with Richard showed that as he was, I couldn't possibly hope to beat him with the equipment I had now. I could... if I could lure him into an environment where I could maximize the opportunity to use traps.

But time was of the essence. We couldn't afford to let him escape again.

When it came to taking on tactical fighters, each fight is information.

I had already made a stupid blunder letting him go the first time, now he had an idea of the type of combatant I was.

This time, we had to finish him off for good. 75 had already made it clear she had no qualms about eliminating her brother...

Even if the thought didn't sit right with me, this was what was expected of us in this mission.

Close your heart to this, Aaron.

Thalia had always tried to drill into my head the importance of upholding one's sense of duty. Sometimes humanity came first, but in war, the most important part was to differentiate when humanity was important...

And when being a soldier was.

This was the time when you needed to have a hardened heart.

"The rest of Muon has finished their assassinations. The only Hound left is Winchester. While Winchester is around, the other strike team can't perform the purge on Jinn. So we have to hurry and-"

75 suddenly irked, clutching her head.

My heart skipped a beat.

Aaron, I've already lost 77-M. I can't lose 75-M.

"We need to take a breather," I said, standing up.

"No. The more time we spend on this the more we delay the strike."

"Those Protocols... I spoke to 74 about them. The limit was once a week, yet you initiated three in the span of a few days. You can't keep going like this!"

75 lowered her head.

"I'm... I'm fine... I'm-"

"You're not," Garen said, grabbing her shoulders, and causing her to yelp.

"EEK! Wha- What are you doing, you pervert Elf?!"

"Those Protocols that you were using. They were because you didn't have a choice, right? Before we launch the attack on Winchester, we should at least be able to make sure each person in our group can carry their weight. I know I can't carry mine yet. So... I guess what I'm saying is, can you show me how to fight?"

75-M pursed her lips.

"..."

"Come on, Pigtails. This'll be a good opportunity for you guys to know each other!" I joked.

"Don't phrase it like that!"

Garen gripped his bow tightly, as 75 began twirling her hair, her face becoming redder by the minute.

"F- Fine! But I'm only doing this for the mission. Do I make myself clear, Elf? Not for any other reason. None. Absolutely none!"

I pointed at 75.

"Tsundere."

"I'm not a tsundere!"

"That's exactly what a tsundere would say!"

75 got up and ripped open the door.

"Both of you can go die in a ditch!"

SLAM.

BANG. BANG. BANG.

"Starting today, there is no such thing as race. No such thing as an Elf. No such thing as a War Doll. No such thing as a husband, no such thing as a wife. Starting today, everything is a target. A fast-moving target. A stationary target. Everything is either an ally or an enemy. A resource or a threat. I will drill in everything Sergeant Hellion taught me and my battle sisters onto you, Elf."

Garen crawled through an intricate set of trenches, all the while, 75 continued firing rubber rounds from above.

"Shooting a bow is easy. An amateur can fire at a target when that target isn't firing back. Anyone can destroy a target when there's nothing on the line. But as a marksman in battle, EVERYTHING is on the line."

Garen stopped crawling and looked up.

"But I thought being a sniper meant being concealed-"

SMACK. A rubber bullet landed on Garen square in the jaw.

"GOW!!! What was that for?!"

75-M kneeled in front of Garen, her rifle pointed below his chin.

"Every time you're called into action, you freeze. This is pretty common among those who have never had their life in danger before. Their body isn't used to it, so they don't know what to do. Subconsciously, they panic. If I had someone like that watching my back, I might as well shoot myself in the head to prevent the embarrassment."

"That's a little extreme, isn't it, Tin Girl?"

BANG BANG BANG.

"BLEAGH!" Garen flew backwards back into the trench, his feet sticking up and his nose swollen to twice its size.

The next part of Garen's crash course was situated deep in a forest.

"Sniping isn't just about accuracy. It's about being used to being uncomfortable and maintaining your composure. If it means concealing yourself, 99% of the time, you will always be forced to put yourself in a position that is the least natural. Because the more natural your body is, the easier it is to detect."

Garen knelt down in a pile of leaves beside 75.

"It itches! I can't even hold my bow right. Why's it so uncomfortable in here?"

"Did you not listen to a thing I said?!"

Garen leaned in closer, causing 75 to fluster.

"Wh- Wha- What are you doing?"

"There's something on your face."

Garen reached out and wiped a smudge off Charlotte's cheek.

"EEP! Stop that! Of course, there would be something on my face, you fool! That's the whole point of the exercise!"

"Sounds like someone lost their composure!" Garen chuckled.

"GAH!"

The training continued, and I watched from the distance as Garen slowly showed improvement.

But...

"The Elf won't improve in time to fight on 75's level. Being familiar with our battle protocols requires many years of training," 74 said, crossing her arms.

"I have faith in him."

"Hmm..."

74 sat next to me as we watched 75 continue training Garen.

Well...

More so arguing instead of training.

"Back straight, angle your arm like this, so the drawstring doesn't whip your forearm when you fire."

"Hmm... I see..."

"Hey! What are you- Stop that!"

"I can't see your form when you're concealing yourself with that massive jacket."

"Of course, I would conceal myself when you're around! You're probably enjoying this, you pervert."

"What kind of a demonstration is this if you're just gonna cover up?!"

74 put a hand to her mouth and held back a laugh.

"I've never seen 75 so flustered before. It's kind of satisfying to see, considering all those years of us having to put up with her."

"Yeah, it's like she's having a taste of her own medicine with someone even more chaotic."

74 gazed at the town.

"Accompany me for a drink?"

I followed Thalia to the town. Her disguise was more of a civilian, lower class. Her semi-ragged shirt and pants made it seem like she was a labourer. I take it the Hounds she was assigned to fight were likely situated in the more civvie side. In other words, the Hounds were not some extravagant title or nobles who had their names well known.

They were all over the place, from the highest of high to the lowest of low.

74 sat across from me at a table.

"It's funny. We've completed countless campaigns in settings such as this."

"What? Like isekai?"

"No... what I mean is civilizations akin to a more primitive and less technologically advanced structure. Evidenced from their reliance on magic."

"So basically, an isekai."

"Ugh..."

I chuckled, taking a sip from my drink.

"So what's so funny about it?"

"Well... for me at least, I never really put much thought into it. A campaign is a campaign. A target is a target. But lately, each campaign seems to ignite something in me. Intrigue. Interest."

Thalia ran her finger across her glass.

"Excitement. Since you joined, it seems my life has had more colour in it."

"Glad to know my brain rot has finally reached the legendary Outer Shadow M74 of the Black Legion Organization."

"I don't mind it. I... kind of like it. But that's not all."

74 put her drink down.

"Simply put, I am under the suspicion that the enemy has learned about us and the way we work. Our abilities, our strategies, and our formations. Loyce's subordinates and subsequently their subordinates are slowly showing signs of adaptation to our methods."

"I see... so is this why you were surprisingly accepting of Garen's affiliation with 75?"

"Yes and no. I think Garen's naivety should have limits. I hope 75-M can limit his silliness to some degree, but the converse is also true. We have learned to become far too rigid. As you know, and have tried to show me multiple times, rigidity is itself a flaw in the battlefield."

74 rested her arms on the table, overlooking the crowd who had become more wild.

"First it was Richard Winchester. I'd be a fool if I was not expecting a trend from this. Lord Hellion's assignments are formed in response to Loyce's actions. I think... for subsequent assignments, we might each need to face something of our past. The enemy has learned about each one of us."

I made a fist.

"Let them. Let them try. But if they think they could do us in just because they knew a little about our upbringing, then they're wasting that intel they're so proud of."

Thalia smiled.

"Glad to hear it."

For the next few days, I continued to watch over Garen's training. 75 would push Garen harder and harder, but Garen soldiered through it all.

And soon, it was time for us to launch the assault.

"Dainsleif, Garen, in position."

"Roger," I said, turning to Garen.

"Oh shit. I mean, Roger, Charlie."

"..."

The training was worth it... right?

I glanced at Garen, who was whispering something into the coms device, but since it was a multi-way device, I could hear every word he was saying.

"Charlie, my bow's stuck! I think it got caught in my fly. Oh. Nevermind, I got it out."

"I didn't need to know that you moron!"

...Right?

"On my count, bring down Structures Alpha, Beta, and Gamma, Dainsleif."

"Roger."

I pulled out a bolt action rifle from my case and quickly assembled it, placing it in position.

"Scoping in..."

I took a deep breath.

Structural vulnerabilities located. A structural concentration was only 2 millimetres in diameter, which was even smaller than my bullet itself.

Wind speed estimated.

Distance calculated. Bullet drop calculated.

Angle calculated.

Deflection estimated.

My finger wrapped around the trigger.

The scope was positioned so that the target was aligned with the correct notch on the crosshairs.

Fire.

Fire.

Fire.

"Wait. Aaron, something's wrong," Garen said.

"BLAGHHH What the hell?!" I jumped, nearly shooting the bullet into the sky.

"What do you mean?"

"Mana spike... a really big one. I can feel it coming out from within those tunnels."

I grimaced. This wasn't good.

"75, we have a problem. Garen's picking up a huge mana spike from within the underground system. I think it might be a new enemy."

The enemy has learned about each one of us.

Shit.

A loud rumbling ensued, shaking the entire ground from under us.

"Wha- What is that?!" I yelped.

"No way..." Garen muttered.

"No way... as in no way a hot tall blonde is gonna emerge from that tunnel?"

"What? No! That's the sound of a Black Leviathan, and it's pissed."

"A Leviathan?"

RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE.

KRA-KOOM.

A massive serpent ripped out of the ground, sending debris flying everywhere. Massive fireworks of water and fire ripped apart the underground system.

"That's... not that bad..."

The serpent continued emerging, longer and longer.

"Not bad at all..."

Longer and longer and longer...

What the hell is wrong with this isekai?!

"The Black Leviathan is one of Alladia's Great Beasts. Legend has it that the Leviathan could not be defeated by this world's mightiest nations. The only people who could slay it were the Chosen Heroes and Demon King Jinn himself."

"The hell did Winchester offer that thing to help him? A fucking Milkbone?!"

I took aim with my sniper, but I might as well have been aiming a toothpick at a skyscraper.

"Behind you!" Garen shouted, as I narrowly dodged the edge of a sharp blade.

"Master Jinn and Lord Winchester has sent me to take you, Dainsleif," a young, petite woman said, as she walked toward me.

For a moment, she reminded me of Sarah, as her black hair was combed into the shape of a bob, and several white straps contrasted with her black leggings.

But those cruel, blue, eyes were definitely not that of a Hero's.

They were the same as Winchester's.

If I had to guess...

I was facing one of Winchester's Auxiliary Shadows. He was trying to probe me for more of my abilities on the possibility that this woman would escape alive.

If I was going to fight this girl...

I had to defeat her to the point where returning was not an option.

This meant death.

"Sorry, I'm already engaged."

"..."

The girl shot forward, but I aimed my rifle and fired at the hilt of her sword, knocking the weapon out of her hands.

"Tch!"

From her other hand, a knife emerged, unsheathed from one of the straps that were attached to her thigh.

The girl swung, but I smiled crazily, bringing my foot back and drawing my submachine gun.

I fired, catching the girl in the stomach as her eyes went wide.

"White straps on black leggings? I mean, that's hot and all, but contrasting colours is a really stupid tactical choice."

I grabbed the girl by the head and, in one swift motion, quickly switched to my shotgun and jammed the barrel to her stomach, firing twice.

"RRK!" The girl cried out in pain as she flew backward.

Trigrams Six Hands Combination Style

I sprinted forward, dual-wielding my shotgun and rifle side by side.

GOBLIN'S DANCE

The assassin's body flopped around in response to the numerous shots and gunfire that were being inflicted. It was kind of funny using Goblin's Dance, and a reason why I had named it like that. In response to how the target's body would flop around like a ragdoll.

Or a Goblin Dancing.

I watched Jinn's hitwoman hit (get it?) the ground, her body and clothes in tatters.

"Time of elimination, eight seconds."

ROAAAAR.

"We need to find a way to stop that Leviathan. Any ideas?" I asked Garen.

"You're asking me?!"

"You're the most familiar with this world. Charlotte and I are practically foreigners here. Do you know if Kadan ever fought this thing?"

"No. But, I do remember the first time the Leviathan was defeated..."

I leaned in.

"And? How was he defeated?"

"A Hero clobbered him to death. With brute force."

You're fucking useless!

I looked around. Need resources.

Resources.

I glanced at the hitwoman. The only people who could defeat the Leviathan were Heroes or the Demon King himself.

I ran up to her and shook her collar.

"Wish dot com Sarah Ultear! I need your help. What is your connection with Jinn?"

The girl coughed.

"I... shall... not speak... about Lord Jinn... for I am his most loyal asset..."

"Garen! Help me lift her up!"

"Umm, okay."

Garen did as he was told. We hoisted the girl in front of the Leviathan.

"Do you know sound magic?" I asked.

"Yeah? Why?"

"I want you to amplify your voice and repeat after me."

"It sounds like you've got a plan."

"Foolproof. Are you ready?"

Garen nodded grimly.

I braced myself.

"Black Leviathan, I have Jinn's wife hostage. Leave at once or we will fondle her chest."

Garen froze, as if he had just been hit with a Windows Update.

"WHAT?!"

"Do as I say!"

"I'm not saying something so stupid!"

"Say it or I'll fondle YOUR chest!"

Garen closed his eyes.

"Gods of Alladia... please do not let Charlie find out about this... BLACK LEVIATHAN, I HAVE DEMON KING JINN'S WIFE HOSTAGE. LEAVE OR WE WILL FONDLE HER BREASTS!"

The Leviathan stopped circling the sky as it faced us. A snarl shook the ground.

"GRRRR..."

"LEVIATHAN! The two lie! I am not the wife of Lord Jinn! My name is Yvir! I am his-"

"Double Moon Groping Manouvre Sixty-Nine..." I said, calmly, reaching for the globes before me.

"EEEK!" Yvir screamed.

"She's a tsundere! She's madly in love with Jinn!" I shouted in return, completely confusing the Leviathan.

I looked around. It might be a long shot... but because the Leviathan had burst out of the ground and unleashed so much damage... there was no longer any need to take down every statue in sight.

One should be more than enough.

The Leviathan was killed through Brute Force.

Slashing and piercing wouldn't work on his hide. The only way to kill it and breach its defenses were through concussive forces.

I took out my handgun. The bullet drop was going to be insane. At this distance... I had to be even more vigilant with how accurate my shooting was.

A distance of over 5 kilometres.

A hit target of less than 2 millimetres.

I positioned the gun to my hip, hip fire style.

Didn't really have a choice... I had to land this. I couldn't talk shit and do this at the same time.

"Garen! I need you to confuse that Leviathan. Convince him that Yvir is Jinn's wife."

"How am I supposed to do that?!"

"Just say... that you saw her undressing in front of him or something! I don't know! We're running out of time."

I concentrated.

BANG.

I watched the bullet soar, following the trajectory I had predicted.

The bullet caught the target, causing a crack to propagate along the side of the statue.

The Leviathan continued circling around, when suddenly, the statue lurched forward, falling on top of the beast and slamming the monster into the ground.

Right onto the Underground system.

Water began pouring in, as cracks ripped across the ground. I yanked Garen out of the way, watching the cracks turn into massive chasms.

From the corner of my vision, I could make out Yvir struggling to escape, only to be pulled into the wreckage.

"Dainsleif to 75, Leviathan eliminated, proceed with the plan," I said.

No response.

Garen ran up to me, worry on his face.

"Charlotte?"

My blood ran cold.

"We need to find Charlotte. And I'm guessing... Richard. Come on."

"Oh. We won't let you do that, honey."

I spun around, aiming my rifle at the source of the voice, but a black blur came out of nowhere, knocking Garen airborne.

Multiple enemies.

Some were positioned in my peripheral vision.

"Garen!" I shouted, but a chill ran through my spine.

I looked down, seeing ice crystals forming at my foot and keeping me from assuming any stances.

I ducked, narrowly dodging an energy blast that damn well might have decapitated me right there and then.

"You little shits... I'm guessing you guys are Winchester's Auxiliary Shadows."

"You're correct. I am known as Auxiliary Shadow Auril of the Forbidden Winter. But... you, my beautiful, handsome bundle of warmth may call me Auril Marcia. For I have come to make you mine."

I narrowed my eyes.

She was tall I guess...

And had a huge rack.

But she wasn't blonde.

And most importantly, she wasn't Sarah Ultear.

"In your dreams, witch. Besides, judging from the body language of the little prick who's camouflaged in that tree over there, doesn't seem like you guys are all on the same page. You're just here to keep me distracted while your boss deals with 75."

"Tch..." The man muttered, as he leaped from the tree and landed on the ground beside Auril. He had a bandanna which covered his eyes like some edgy ninja.

"Return, Umbral."

The same black blur that had taken Garen returned to the Auxiliary, dumping the Elf onto the ground.

"Garen!" I rushed forward, but ice surrounded Garen in some kind of ball, lifting him into the air.

A growl resonated from under the rocks, as I dashed back, dodging a massive minotaur-like beast the size of a massive semi-truck.

The beast stomped forward and swung his axe, but I slipped past his strike and ran up his arm, dragging the barrel of my submachine gun along the surface and emptying an entire magazine of bullets.

As I expected, the bullets deflected off of his skin... save one part, where the Minotaur's facial expressions momentarily changed.

Weakspot detection. A trick that I had picked up from Tactical War Doll 76-M.

I grinned crazily and pulled out an object from within the folds of Sarah's cloak.

"Make any sudden moves, and I impale your little friend, Dainsleif! I know you are far too sweet of a man to let this boy die from your decisions!" Auril called out.

Yeah, no shit.

Auril narrowed her eyes at me.

"What are you doing... what are you hiding in that cloak of yours?"

"Why don't you squint and find out, Witch Bitch?"

BANG.

Auril cried out as I quickly aimed with my handgun, firing and catching the Auxiliary Shadow in the hand before the Ninja could even make a move.

Then I repositioned my sights on the Minotaur, firing another bullet right at his weak spot.

The Minotaur roared in agony as I landed on the ground, taking out my shotgun and blasting the ice cage to bits.

"Go! Garen! I gotta take out these Auxiliaries ASAP so we can get to Charlotte."

Garen gritted his teeth, looking around.

"I... I've trained for this... but..."

I sighed, glancing behind me.

The kid was petrified.

So Charlotte never really did find a way to help him break out of his funk.

"Garen... no one is asking you to perform your best on day one. Let me handle this. There's going to be plenty of opportunities to apply yourself. But if you rush things, you'll get killed in this line of work."

Garen reluctantly obliged, but before he could say anything else, the Ninja appeared in front of us.

"Hmm... your shadow... reeks of hesitation."

My eyes widened as the Ninja brought his blade back and sliced Garen in the chest, sending the boy flying into the sky.

"GAREN!" I screamed as I aimed my SMG, but the Ninja kicked me in the chest with superhuman speed.

I flew backward, only to find myself encased with a prison of ice that kept me from using any of my guns.

I had become completely immobilized.

The Ninja tilted his head, leaning backward.

"SS Rank. Outer Shadow Dainsleif. The legendary hitman for the gods. Why is someone so esteemed, so feared, even amongst those in the Black Legion, willingly letting himself go soft for this traitor of his own people?"

I breathed heavily, trying to force myself out with chakra, but I suddenly remembered...

I had no more chakra!

I expended everything to heal my wounds in my battle against Winchester in our last fight!

"Mmmm... you sure are... delicious when you aren't aiming your repulsive firearms at me. You may be SS Rate... but you are still just a human boy. Without your weapons, without Inner Shadow Reaper's techniques, without magic... you are defenseless."

Auril leaned in and licked my face. Her tongue felt ice cold to the touch.

Disgusting!

My eyes instinctively went for her chest, which... had surprisingly more jiggle physics than I was expecting.

Disgusting... yeah. Disgusting! Yep.

Totally...

Disgusting...

But it didn't matter how sexually appealing this woman was. My rage was still at an all-time high.

Garen...

"You two... just signed the biggest motherfucking death contract in your entire career."

The Ninja tilted his head back and laughed hysterically.

"HAHAHA! You've lost, Dainsleif. What can you possibly do? I really am, just doing you a service disposing of that boy."

I growled, struggling from the ice binds, but it was like my body had been frozen to the bone. I couldn't tell if my blood was frozen or anything, but I couldn't feel anything.

I had major frostbite everywhere.

The Ninja knelt in front of me, slowly taking off his mask and revealing a pair of pointy elf ears.

"Garen Trevyalen, the biggest disgrace of the Elven people. You see, even I know about the fool who wanted to be like Kadan. But like every other fool who wanted to be like the Hero, he up and ended up dead."

"The hell do you even know about Garen?!"

"Oh. I know quite a lot actually. More than you possibly will know. After all, I even know that the boy had been lying to you this entire time. Only telling you part truths."

I continued struggling, but I was losing strength.

I was seriously in trouble!

Keep that rage at an all-time high. I had no other choice. The increased metabolism in response to my anger was the only thing keeping me from passing out.

"Part truths? You have no right to talk about the Elven when you joined the Black Legion as a killer. Who do you even think you are-"

The Auxiliary Shadow of Winchester got to his feet, taking out a bow. A dark shadow cast across his body.

"Garen Trevyalen... of House Trevyalen. Born on the fourth of the eighth month after the Solstice Gloriana. For I watched his birth, delivered by my wife, shortly after her death to the Elven. I will tell you this, there's no other person here who knows Garen's nature better. I have known the boy since he was born. Who wouldn't know about his own nephew... after what his father, the so-called Hero of the Elven had done to my wife?"

My blood ran cold.

"The fuck are you saying..."

"No Elf would go to the extreme of walking in the footsteps of my brother so easily. You would have to be a maniac to do so! But alas... Garen did. Garen would follow in the footsteps of Kadan Trevyalen without hesitation. In hopes of one day avenging the man who killed him."

The Auxiliary Shadow pointed his bow to my face.

"Auril already introduced herself. I suppose I should too. Since you may well be dead by now. You may call me...

"Auxiliary Shadow Venan. Of House Trevyalen. And the one who has finally destroyed all traces of that despicable 'Hero' of a brother of mine."

SHINK.

"GRAH!" I coughed out blood as a large ice spike sprouted from my chest.

What little strength I had left took a nosedive into the gutter.

"Oops! Was that far too aggressive? It looks like I broke him, Venan! What a shame!" Auril laughed coyly.

No...

I fucked up!

Blood began rushing out of my mouth, gushing and overflowing as I began to choke.

My vision was turning blurry, all the while, I kept hearing this aging hag go on and on about how penetrating me was making her wet.

Fuck...

You've gotta be shitting me...

Was this how it ends?

I...

I still didn't get to save Sarah, my fiancee, from the clutches of death.

Didn't get to bring Bryce and Annie to Tiamar...

Didn't get to save Master Jun, after everything he had done for me.

I was going to throw a party with Sarah and marry her.

I was going to help Yeling...

So many things...

FWOOMP.

A strange-looking bolt appeared on the ice in front of me.

Tick. Tick. Ding!

"Wha-" Auril said, as a rune suddenly appeared from the point of contact. A rejuvenating feeling rushed into me, melting the ice.

I lurched forward as Venan growled, trying to finish me off with his blade, but another crossbow bolt flew his way. Venan caught it.

"The hell is this? Some kind of-"

The bolt expanded, unleashing a toxic black gas. I instantly held my breath, but Venan breathed it in, stumbling and clutching his throat.

I fell to the ground, slowly looking up to see the silhouette of an elf.

"How... how is he... shooting so accurately...?! Lord Winchester told us that he... couldn't aim..." Auril choked.

"Charlie told me to save this in case of emergency because she wanted me to keep this as an element for surprise against her brother. But... screw that," Garen's voice said, from the shadows of the nerve gas.

"You're right. I am a failure of a marksman. And I am a liar. Because what kind of jerkoff would tell people he was the son of a Bow Hero when he couldn't even use a bow himself? But Charlie figured it out in day one. She figured out everything. She knew I was lying to your face... and I'm so sorry for that, Aaron."

Auril screeched, holding out her hand and unleashing a wave of ice at Garen, but Garen lifted his weapon and fired another bolt which expanded, returning with a powerful shockwave which blew the ice apart.

The Auxiliary Shadow skidded backward, as did Venan, who continued choking violently.

"You... WHAT KIND OF WEAPON IS THAT?!" Venan snarled.

Garen aimed with his weapon.

Black tactical metal...

No way.

"A bow isn't my style. And I'm not Dad. Only someone with exceptional sniping skills could figure out the type of weapon that suited me best. This was what amounted to my training with 75-M. A style that suits a coward. A fool who can't even rely on his own competency."

The smoke cleared, revealing the weapon in all its glory.

A modern tactical compound crossbow of War Doll design, glowing with the runes of the Elven.

"I may be a fucking mess, but I will do whatever it takes to stand by her side. Take whatever weaknesses I have, and build around them! If I can't do it the Elven way, then I'll do it the Tactical War Doll way. If I can't aim, then I'll use a scope! If I'm not strong enough to draw an arrow back, then I'll have a machine do it for me! If I don't have enough mana to use any combat spells, then I'll use a medium!

"Starting today, there's no Elf. There's no son of Kadan. There's just a man who's going to kick your ass!"

06

(75-M's POV)

Lady Charlotte.

Lady Winchester.

First Lady of House Winchester.

Was a life worth living, if 99% of the time you spent it being moulded for the benefit of another?

SMACK.

I vomited all over the floor.

Nutrients from last night mixed in with bile. Hints of stomach acid.

Yes.

I never referred to it as food. We never called it that.

Everything was either "intake" or "nutrients".

"Calories", or "macronutrients".

Where there was "sleep", we referred to it as "recovery".

Where there was "eating", we referred to it as "refuelling".

Where there was "downtime", we referred to it as an "inefficiency".

Judging from the taste of it, I could deduce the percentage composition of the components. I barely digested the nutrients from last night.

Uncle was going to kill me for this.

I slowly looked up at Uncle, who still had the bar that he had used to hit me raised.

"The regurgitant tells me you did not digest last night's intake."

"Yes sir."

"Do you revel at the idea of being a disgrace to House Winchester? On your feet, child. Stance."

I stood up, assuming the first stance. Today would have been physical training.

Every morning, at 0300, I would present myself to my Uncle, who oversaw my training. There, I would undergo rigorous cardiovascular training, strength training, explosiveness training, and endurance training.

This would persist all the way to 0700, where I would be given my "intakes", which consisted of me eating various raw foods. The rest of the day would be either study of anatomy, techniques, or practical training.

Everything had a purpose and reason.

Everything had a reason to optimize and train my body.

Everything was designed to turn me into a Winchester.

My eyes fluttered awake. A bright light greeted me, and a wave of nausea was what woke me up. That nausea must have been what triggered that memory from so long ago.

The cybernetics within me awoke, jogging my memory.

I heard the sounds of footsteps in the distance, then weakly glanced at my body. It was torn and shredded. Ripped up.

Surges of pain signals were flooding my mind, showing that the effects of the endorphins had run out.

Pain was essential for a soldier. Pain was an evolutionary advantage some species had over others to alert them to danger.

This was something Sergeant Hellion had requested to Lord Gasket upon having our bodies rebuilt...

We needed to feel pain.

No matter how dangerous we would now subject our bodies to... we needed pain to keep us from diving headfirst into danger without caution.

I needed to move.

My internal heads-up display alerted me with a flashing message in the corner.

ST-REC46 DEPLOYABLE

Stimpack Recovery Compound 46.

"De- Deploy..." I croaked, feeling a compartment open from my thigh, sending a stimulant which metabolized instantly, forcing a surge of adrenaline into me.

I jolted upright, clutching my head.

"Owie... what a headache...!" I muttered.

Do you enjoy acting so feminine, Charlie? Does it bring you great pleasure to disgrace our family name?

"It sure does, Dick Douche," I growled, sprinting to cover and narrowly dodging several bullets.

Entering prone position.

Initiate tactical gear swap.

I dove to the ground, the baggy clothes around me tightening and conforming to my skin. Each set of clothes we were issued was capable of adapting to its size and shape depending on the situation. When I was ambushed by DD and his Auxiliary Shadows, I had already assessed the situation.

I was outnumbered and outgunned. I had no idea how many Auxiliary Shadows DD had, but it would seem as if he had deployed at least four to come after me.

I could only hope Aaron and Garen were okay.

The Winchesters are the greatest House of assassins in our world. Each member of the bloodline is expected to carry out their duty. But father had gone soft, so it was the responsibility of our Uncle to take over our training. You reject your nature, but deep down, you are still a Winchester. Killing our worthless father was enough proof, don't you think?

I peeked out from behind cover, but a bullet grazed the side of my face, leaving small mechanical components that were embedded into the synthetic flesh exposed.

Ouch!

I returned with a grenade, tossing it within the vicinity of the attacker.

Just like Protocol.

I sprinted forward like an arrow, body low as more bullets whizzed above me.

The voices of Sergeant Hellion's teachings resonated in my head.

Vision obstructed. The attacker will fire desperately in hopes of catching his target. He will almost always assume the target keeps upright. A subconscious psychological response.

Then Uncle's.

Psychology. Every living being is controlled by compounds that dictate their response to stimuli. A reduction in vision, a spike in adrenaline. Desperate heed. A warrior is honed to kill. A human is honed to live. Combined, the enemy seeks the elimination of their enemy through wild, uncontrolled shots.

Do not just remember this, little girl. Imprint it into your mind. Make it your subconscious response. For you are no warrior, and you are no human. You are a Winchester.

I flicked open a switchblade from my leggings, slicing wildly at the Auxiliary Shadow in front of me and slitting his throat. Wrapping my legs around his neck, I leaned backward, throwing him over, using the body as a shield.

Several knives embedded themselves into his body.

I had one Auxiliary Shadow hostage, but there were three more.

There was too much light. I needed to shroud this place in darkness.

I aimed my handgun and fired at every light in sight, sending a wave of pitch black all around.

I knew where I was. I was in the Underground...

DD had separated me from my strike team to try to take me out with select Auxiliary Shadows based on what skills he had surmised from our last encounter.

From the way Aaron had fought wildly against my brother, I could tell he knew this too. He fought with the desire to kill despite his feelings of consideration.

Each time we let the enemy get away, we let him get away with more information about ourselves which they would use against us.

Aaron...

I sat in silence, assessing my injuries.

The stimulant had long run out, leaving me in immense pain. But I had been trained to tolerate it as a Winchester, and had been trained to accept it as a War Doll.

COUGH. COUGH.

I stared at the sky, panting as sweat and blood ran down my head. My hair was let down, which was a severe disadvantage as it limited my mobility, but I was in too critical of a condition to even tie it back up.

I hated silence. Truly.

Because it always leaves me alone with my thoughts.

And lately...

It left me replaying past events and conversations in my mind.

Hey, I heard one of us passed Sergeant Hellion's interrogations course with flying colours!

Who was it?

I think it was Win- er I mean 75.

The pick-me girl? Seriously?

I heard 75... had done this stuff before. I heard it from Sergeant Hellion from his All Seeing Eye.

Oh my god... so she's got a head start against us? We should pick up the slack.

My hand curled up into a fist.

More memories.

More...

That 75... sure is a beast. To be able to smile and act all cutesy after everything she's gone through. If any one of us gets tortured, I bet she would be the last one to break.

I remembered shooting them a death glare, but because we were all War Dolls, death glares were practically commonplace.

Why are you so offended? We're complimenting you, girl!

These... these were not compliments.

They're not.

I know they mean well...

But...

But it isn't so simple.

The truth is far from simple.

Consider me a pick-me girl. Call me a feminine princess-complex. I would rather it be that way. It is so much easier to consider me as that. So much easier to explain it and chalk it up to some blanket term.

Because the reality is that I'm about as complicated as it can get.

I will be assigning you interrogation duty, Tactical War Doll 75-M, 74-M said, putting her hands on the desk.

As you are our greatest asset, from your ability to assess our enemy, to your ability to retain your composure being greater than all of us in this cell. Do you have any objections?

A surge of frustration rose from inside me, but I had been trained by Uncle to hide it. I had been trained to hide my feelings even more than anyone in this Regiment, to the point where it could fool even Miss 74.

No, ma'am. I will be the interrogator of Muon.

"What is the use of a sniper if your distance is breached, little girl?!" A man snarled, ripping through the cover I had built. My eyes momentarily widened in surprise and in shock.

I aimed my sidearm at the Auxiliary Shadow, but the man sliced with his sword, severing my arm and unleashing lances of pain that arced up to my shoulder.

I dove out of the way, blocking a second slice with my shin. The blade went right through, blood gushing from the point of contact.

If I continued losing blood at this rate...

Added with the fact that I had overused my Protocols...

I closed my eyes.

Concentrate... 75.

You are a War Doll.

You don't even get the "free innocent girl" pass like the others did. Everybody else started off a normal girl...

But I was killer since birth.

There are no excuses to being scared.

I spat in the Shadow's eye, causing him to recoil.

I set my sniper to auto and fired from its auxiliary ammunition supply, ripping into the Shadow's chest and sending him back.

Retreat...

Retreat!

You're on your last legs, sis.

KRAK!

My leg suddenly lost all of its strength, an explosion of metal components and blood erupted before me as I collapsed.

Two Auxiliary Shadows were closing in.

I had traps set up earlier... I wish I didn't have to use it on them, but I didn't have a choice.

Charges will be primed. Proceed? My interface said from within my head.

"Proceed..." I choked out, blood leaking from the corner of my mouth.

BOOM.

The two Auxiliary Shadows who were in pursuit were engulfed with an orange flame, ripping them apart.

If it wasn't the concussive disintegration of the explosives, it would be the high-spec shrapnel that would.

I dragged my body to the nearest trench I had dug myself and hid, my black tights blending in with the darkness.

Terrain change. Adjusting TacHAR tint.

My brown hair switched to black.

If only there was a way to change the colour of my blood...

Back in House Winchester, Uncle had once force-fed me this compound which could actually change the colour of my blood, but because I was only six at the time, I ended up throwing it all up. I was beaten with staves shortly afterward.

"Is this the style of the War Dolls? Hiding? Being cowardly?!" Another man shouted from the distance. Judging from the way his voice had resonated, the body it belonged to could not have been human.

He must have been an Elemental, crystalline in formation.

My weapons had no firepower to breach that kind of defence...

Either I pinpoint the weaknesses of his armor through a snapshot, or I use the Eye of Azrael... which would mean using yet another Protocol.

Idiot Auxiliary. The moment you step in range, she will shoot you down. Think before you embarrass yourself.

"Forgive me, Lord Winchester."

I clutched my chest.

No Protocols, Aaron's voice resonated in my mind.

Aaron...

From the first day I met you, I admired you.

After all, like everybody else in the SFA Regiment, we all knew about the legend of The God Eater.

In fact...

Everybody actually used you as a psychological and emotional anchor in trying to survive Lord Hellion's training. After all, if there was anyone out there who understood what it was like to be thrust into warfare at a young age, it was you.

A young boy who was forced to fight a god, and even after winning, was forced to make this a norm to survive...

You were the reason the girls could keep moving forward.

But to me...

It wasn't any of that.

I admired you because you were unlike anyone else I had encountered in the Legion. Or even the SFA.

When we were rebuilt as War Dolls, many of us lost our innocence. The desire to kill had to come to the other girls through a body-swap.

We were all put into the crucible and came out murderers...

But you...

On the first day I saw you fighting back Miss 74, I could tell from your facial expressions, you were someone who could still crack jokes and play pranks.

A part of you was broken, but not broken all the way like us.

I admire you.

But the truth was... I could never accept you.

The ground underneath me rumbled, as spikes ripped from below and pierced me in multiple places. I was sent airborne, my mouth open to scream.

But I was trained to not let it out.

"Gotcha, you little bitch!" Another Auxiliary snarled at me, as I struggled to escape, but it was over.

There was only so much running I could do against seven B Rank Auxiliary Shadows.

And an S+ Rank Outer Shadow.

"Well well well. You sure look worse for wear, Charlie."

I glared at DD, who approached me. He was wearing combat gear streamlined with the society of Alladia, but there were subtleties which showed that he had modified them for his style.

"Your Auxiliary Shadows... showed a bunch of inefficiencies... Uncle would have beat you up for that!" I managed to muster one witty joke, but one of the Shadows stepped forward and slapped me in the face.

Another Auxiliary punched me in the gut, causing blood to eject from my wounds and mouth.

This time, my body refused to listen to me, as I let out a cry in pain.

"That's enough, you guys. She's still my sister... I want to be able to savour her execution."

Dick grabbed my chin and forced me to face him.

Those same disgusting cold blue eyes...

That minty green hair...

I hated those traits... just as much as I hated those same blue eyes and green hair I would be greeted every morning in the mirror.

"You should be thanking me. You, who hate everything that our glorious House Winchester had given you. And Inner Shadow Slipstream had given you. You ran away from House Winchester, yet you ended up a Tactical War Doll in the Black Legion Organization. That alone tells you that you can't run away from who you are. Yet you would continue acting all girlish. It really is disgusting, at least to me. But if escape is what you want, you and I both know what the only option is."

DD pointed the barrel of his gun to my forehead.

"To Lord Hal, this would just be another mission. But to me... I think this is a great honour. You took away my chance to kill that loser of a father. So you can make it up, by being the one I get to kill."

I closed my eyes.

"Don't have any last words? I would have expected you to have some. Chances are, they're probably a lie anyway. You've lied since day one, after all. Lying to everyone around you, lying about what kind of person you are. Even lying to yourself no less."

"..."

DD smacked my face with his gun.

"For fucks sake... GET MAD. This isn't any fun when you're being so empty about it! Be scared! Do something! Are you not even at all scared about the fact that you're going to die, leaving Dainsleif and Garen all on their own?"

I clenched my teeth.

"They're better off without me."

DD raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? So for once, you're telling the truth! Yes... perfect old Dainsleif. And that goodie two shoes Garen. Both don't even know that you secretly hate them, do they?"

My eyes widened.

"I do not hate them!"

"HAHA! Look at you... looks like I found the weak spot of the SFA's greatest prober!"

I struggled, but each movement was causing more pain.

I don't hate them...

I don't...

DD paced back and forth.

"Garen I could believe... but why Dainsleif? After all... he did nothing wrong. He was your 'BFF'. Your rock. He was nothing but nice to you. He respects you. Yet... in the end... he wasn't it. Was he? Because you're one messed up little bitch."

I continued gritting my teeth, my chest pounding.

I could still feel the touch of his hands when he was fixing up the ribbons in my hair during the invasion of the Ghosts.

The way he would act so kind and delicate with me.

Every other girl would have found it a dream come true.

A tall man. Good looking. Rugged. Kind. Caring.

Strong.

They told me that the God-Eater was a man of immense intellect. That was what I wanted to believe too.

But...

Even the smartest Outer Shadow in the Black Legion couldn't expose me for who I was.

And him treating me like I was some broken little girl was what confirmed it.

An Auxiliary Shadow approached Winchester and spoke into his ear.

"Yvir is dead?"

"Yes, Master Winchester. She was slain by Dainsleif. Her sacrifice has aided us with more intel on his fighting style."

"Good."

DD turned back to me, smiling evilly.

"Most captives would be repulsed at how little I care for my subordinates. But you aren't. Are, you Winchester?"

I met his smile with a glare, causing DD to laugh.

"How amusing you are! No matter how many people I've messed with and killed, my anticipation of getting to kill YOU always trumped all of that. I'm so glad I'm headed in the right direction."

"Killing me changes nothing. Dainsleif will hunt you down. You thinking you can defeat an SS Rank is beyond delusional."

"I don't care if I die to Dainsleif. All that matters is breaking you. And I have already figured it out. Before I die to Dainsleif, I will let him AND Garen know how much you hate them."

DD pointed his gun at my chest, poking at my wounds and causing me to wince in pain and my consciousness to momentarily blank out.

All the while, frustration plagued me.

I didn't hate them...

I really didn't.

And it wasn't their fault.

The fault was entirely mine for being so complicated.

To Aaron, he must have thought that his appeal to my human side would make me feel better about my circumstances. After all, it worked on Miss 74, why wouldn't it work on 75, right?

But...

What I was looking for wasn't that. It was the opposite.

Each and every single time someone had commented on how I seemed so different this mission ticked me off.

Because it was confirmation that to you... my true self was that of some kind of girly princess-like girl who somehow retained her humanity even after going through Hellion's training.

I hate every single compliment that comes my way.

I hate every single attempt at being kind to me as if I were someone innocent in the past.

I hate every single person who tried to say that I was still human and had a heart.

I hate...

I hate people who try to be kind.

And there would be no way anyone would ever-

When I saw Charlotte use that bow... to me, it was like I was looking at someone who had realized the dream I so wanted. Charlotte, a girl who was barely older than me, somehow managed to get so strong.

Garen suddenly appeared in front of me, surrounded by a bright white light.

If I can't be good enough to fight right now, I'll do whatever I can, the best I can, at things that can help her. If it means carrying her a thousand kilometres, then I'll do it without a heartbeat. If it means practicing for a thousand hours, I'll do just that. I know I'm weak, so I'll do everything I can to become strong.

Garen...

Could it just be because he was such an idiot?

Or that he lacked in tact?

No...

My vision suddenly opened up, revealing the two of us at the top of a hill in the night sky. It was after a day of his training before our assault.

"You're... really friggin strong, Charlie."

"Compliments won't earn you brownie points, Elf."

"It's not a compliment. It's an observation. And I also made another observation..."

Garen leaned back.

"You really hate it when people try to appeal to your human side, do you?"

A gasp nearly escaped me, but I held it in.

"What makes you think that?"

Garen shrugged.

"If I was raised a killer since birth... and became this... metallic thing, no offence, but if someone went up to me and said 'hey, you got a heart under there!' I'd probably be pissed. It just makes me think they don't understand the full story. For someone who had to accept this line of work since the beginning, it's almost insulting to be treated the same as other people who probably were raised in a loving environment. Like... me I guess."

I watched the Elf put more pieces of wood into the fire, but he overstretched, causing him to clumsily fall back.

"GOW! Why is fire so hot!"

"No one told you to put your whole arm over the flame, you idiot!" I snapped, pulling the Elf back.

Garen chuckled.

"I dunno about Aaron, but I just can't see myself saying something like 'wow, Charlotte's actually a nice kind girl!' I just haven't earned it yet. I'm just a klutz after all. To me... I think you're a badass girl. Strong as all hell. Sure... a little weird, but... I admire that. Truthfully. You're strong. You're refined and honed. But not perfect.

"You may have been raised as a machine, but even machines can be loved."

The Elf boy suddenly froze, waving his hands frantically.

"ER, I mean not by me! Of course! I mean... like... we are gonna get married and stuff. But that's just customs. I don't... er..."

"Pfft."

"?"

"Hahahaha!" I laughed, genuinely for the first time in my life.

"You! You are such a terrible liar! It's almost nauseating!"

"Why am I being roasted?!"

Garen... was such a klutz.

Such a moron.

An idiot.

But so unlike everybody around me. Because he was so stupid and so incompetent...

A boy who abandoned his tribe to become a hero just to fail...

Yet determined to become strong despite it all.

I was surrounded by the best of the best.

Tactical War Dolls, honed soldiers with experience far excelling even the greatest warriors of other universes.

Outer Shadows who could destroy worlds with their bare hands.

God Killers.

Demon King Slayers.

Yet... here before me, the one guy who could see past my facade.

An absolute moron who stumbled to the solution through sheer accident... just by being himself.

Even a machine could be loved...

No one had ever said that to me before.

Not even Aaron.

"Tell me... who do you have to live for, Winchester?" DD asked as he continued prodding at my wounds.

At this point, the pain was too much for me. I was practically screaming in agony.

I was phasing in and out of consciousness. Even my cybernetics could barely keep me awake.

"Who could possibly see you for who you are, and accept you, CHARLOTTE WINCHESTER?"

I clenched my teeth, tears finally forming in my eyes.

No...

I...

I couldn't...

He's waiting for me.

He's looking for me.

"I can't die like this... I can't...!" I whispered.

"HEY!"

My eyes snapped open, as DD spun around in shock.

"What?! Auxiliaries!"

DD froze, his gun hand still hovering above my wounds, but no longer aimed at anything.

"Lord Winchester...! We... we can't hold him off! He's too much for us!" DD's coms unit buzzed.

"What?! Who's he?! Who's left here? How did we get breached? There's twenty-six of you! How can all twenty-six of you Auxiliary Shadows be overwhelmed?!"

"We're ALL trying to hold him off, my lord! All of us are trying to hold him off... but Outer Shadow Dainsleif is too strong! His... his magic has returned!"

"MAGIC?! I WAS TOLD DAINSLEIF HAD RUN OUT OF MANA AND CHAKRA!"

My eyes widened.

That mana syringe he had requested from our Shadows... he used it!

"That unbelievable guy... taking on seven Auxiliary Shadows at once and BEATING THEIR ASS! That crazy guy really WAS holding out on us, Charlie! Did you know he uses magic?! I didn't either!"

DD's face contorted into a scowl.

"Seven?! There's TWENTY SIX of them, you TWIT! How could your counting be that bad?!"

"Oh. I must have not seen the other eighteen then."

"Twenty-six minus seven is NINETEEN!"

"Oh, is it? I don't care."

Garen pointed the crossbow I had designed together with him at DD.

"You hurt my wife. I'm going to rip you a new asshole next to the one you already are."

Outer Shadow Winchester tilted his head, a small laugh leaving his mouth.

"This... THIS?! This idiot is the man you chose to pass on the Winchester name?! I... I have no words, really. Charlotte. Of all the men you could have chosen. I could have just assigned you one of my Auxiliaries to carry on the bloodline, but you chose this... Elven OUTCAST?!"

Winchester stepped forward, ripping the crossbow out of Garen's hands and grabbing him by the throat, lifting him up.

"GAREN!" I gasped, not even realizing that the training Uncle and Sergeant Hellion had pounded into my brain was no longer concealing my true nature.

My cry... was oozing with fear and desperation for the Elf's safety.

"GRRK!" Garen choked, as Winchester brought his face close to the Elf's.

"A part of me was worried that it would be Dainsleif who would come to save Charlotte. A part of me felt like I had to rush her execution. But I don't know whether to be relieved or INSULTED that the man who would try to take her away... is this JAG-OFF excuse of an Elf! An Elf who can't even wield a bow! An Elf who isn't even considered a part of his tribe anymore no-less!"

Winchester threw Garen as I watched the Elf slam into a rock-face, sliding to the ground.

"This... is this some kind of sick joke?! For an S+ Ranked Outer Shadow like me... on what grounds? In what universe? In what REALITY do you think YOU could stand up to me, Garen Trevyalen?!"

"Hey... don't go... turning your back now... you douche!"

Garen flicked his finger, and the crossbow lifted itself into the air, firing a bolt that Winchester caught with his bare hand.

The bolt expanded, unleashing a current which electrocuted the Outer Shadow.

"WHA-"

DD turned fluid, shadows leaking from the point of contact, but Garen held out his hand, his eyes glowing the same color as the runes that appeared on the side of the floating crossbow.

Elementary Water Magic - AQUA LANCE

A blast of water slammed into the side of DD, knocking him back into human form as Garen rushed forward, catching the bow.

DD brought his weapon up.

"You think I can't dodge your projectiles at this distance?!"

Garen yelled a battle cry and swung the crossbow like a bat, nailing DD right in the head, to his utter disbelief.

"Who said I was competent enough to fire my bow at this range?!"

"WHAT?! What kind of technique is that?!" Winchester roared in indignation, stumbling back as Garen swung again, catching the Outer Shadow and sending him through a rock.

Garen ran up to me and helped me up.

"That's enough... you've done enough, Garen. I need you to get out of here. Unpredictability is volatile, he will soon learn of your fighting patterns."

"If he learns to fight like an idiot, then that's on him! Let me help you. I'll just become more of an idiot!"

"No! What kind of logic is that?!"

Garen grabbed me by my shoulders, causing some strange feeling to rush into my whole body.

"And what are you going to do?! Look at you! You may be a cyborg but you have one arm and one leg in pieces! I have healing magic. Just stay close."

"Close? As in-"

Garen closed my eyes, sending a healing wave of energy into me.

A warm...

Kind...

And...

Why was the healing magic going into my chest?

"This is just a hug, you horny bastard!" I growled as I walloped the idiot Elf over the head.

"GAH! No! It's healing magic, I swear."

"You were trying to feel me up! How could you be so daft at a time like this?!"

"ARE YOU TWO IDIOTS HAVING A LOVER'S SPAT IN FROM OF ME?! YOU DAFT TWITS?!" DD roared from the wreckage.

I got to my feet, noticing that my appendages had indeed been restored.

My face felt hot.

"Th- Thanks for the healing magic," I mumbled.

"Don't mention it. Now let's take this guy on! Let's see him try to take our heads!"

"Careful what you wish for, FOOL."

DD materialized in front of Garen, who yelped and fired his crossbow in full automatic all over the place.

Winchester scowled, aiming his pistol right at Garen's forehead, but I aimed my sniper and fired right through the weapon, completely destroying it.

I switched my sights, firing a bullet that laced DD's cheek, but the Outer Shadow retaliated with submachine gun fire.

AUX Ligaments Activated: CYBER LEAP

A surge of power contracted the servos in my legs, sending me back.

I needed to find a way to keep him stabilized so I could line up my bullet.

One shot should kill him, but Winchester wasn't the type of person to let his weak spot be exposed so easily, especially with the movements he was using.

The movement set of House Winchester was designed from many years of tried and true warfare to keep an assassin as impervious to gunfire as possible.

Garen held out his hand and redirected the bullets that he had fired wildly earlier back to Winchester, who dodged them all with preternatural agility.

"That trick will not work on me," Winchester growled, as he reached out, but I fired a second shot from my sniper, causing the Outer Shadow to recoil and redirect his attacks on me.

I switched to my sidearm, firing at DD, but DD weaved through every bullet and grabbed me by the throat.

"You wish to die this way? Then so be it!"

A propulsive force blasted the two of us into the sky. I felt my body smash through rock face after rock face, until the two of us ripped through the ground and into the sky.

"CHARLOTTE!" Garen shouted after me, trying to use his Wind Magic to chase us down.

DD threw me into the air, bombarding me with gunfire as my body rag-dolled violently in response.

Critical Damage Sustained.

I needed to escape...

But DD had me trapped.

"You dare try to stand up to me? An S+ Rank Outer Shadow? I outclass you in every way. Judging from the way you fought, you're High Tier B+ Rank at best! I've always been superior to you. Back in House Winchester, and now in The Black Legion. You're just some silly Auxiliary Shadow, what can you possibly leverage that would make you delusional enough to face me?"

DD took aim.

"Stole my kill on father. I will reap that right, BY KILLING YOU."

I watched the Winchester squeeze the trigger, but suddenly, a white flash of light appeared, slicing his arms clean off.

"Damn! That really worked!" Aaron's voice buzzed in my coms.

"D- Dainsleif?!" DD choked, as the two of us turned to the source of the sniper, except...

There was no source.

Another bullet came out of nowhere, slicing DD in the leg, then his other leg, and finally his chest.

"WHERE ARE THE BULLETS COMING FROM?!" Winchester roared.

I grimaced, a smile appearing from the corner of my mouth.

That unbelievable guy...

He found a way to snipe in the most perfect conditions possible.

He found a way to perfectly conceal himself.

"Aaron, do you mind creating a Convactio portal for me? Direct it at my line of sight."

"Sure, but you're wide open."

"That won't be a problem."

I turned to Garen, who had his crossbow front and center.

"Are you ready... Garen?"

Garen grinned.

"Always!"

"Good. Because you're going to channel something a little more than just Elementary Magic."

"Portal!" I signalled.

Aaron obliged, creating a red portal before me.

DD transformed into a writhing mass of darkness, but there was no point. I had already caught his weak spot, but judging from his facial expression, I knew he didn't know.

A portal?! Doesn't matter where you shoot, you need to see your target. To know its trajectory.

My HUD lit up, a notification plastered before me.

Initiating Hellion's Blessing requires Stage 1 Clearance. Confirm identification.

Identification confirmed: Auxiliary Shadow M75.

Activating Blessing. Selecting mode.

Ready to deploy.

Dogma of Equivalent Exchange: Level 1 Suijin of Jason Hellion

PROTECTION OF THE WATER GOD

I concentrated, allowing the power to reroute into Garen's crossbow.

"Do it! Fire!" I shouted as Garen unleashed the bullet.

I fired into the portal, causing Winchester to react, shielding his face with a mass of shadows. Completely oblivious to the impending doom that had taken manifestation in a crossbow bolt.

Primed with the Suijin of Sergent Hellion.

Foolish girl. There is no way I would let-

SPLORCH.

Winchester's form became undone, revealing his human body, with a red hole dead center in his forehead.

"Wh- What...?!"

I watched DD try to take form again, but was unable to, as the crossbow bolt refused to conform to DD's shapeshifting, still shielded with the impenetrable defense of the Suijin.

"Finish him off. Aaron!" I shouted.

Convocatio - Ultimate Caliga

A massive red magic circle appeared from the distance, as my heightened vision picked up the Outer Shadow entering a prone stance, the same stance I and 74 had taught him.

"Time of elimination... 64 seconds. I could have done it better, but-"

"Shut up and just take the shot!" Garen and I snapped at the same time.

"Jeez! Temper temper. You two lovebirds are already thinking on the same wavelength!"

"Don't call us that!" Garen and I retorted.

Winchester's body began to crumble away.

"Charlie... your big brother is going to die... why don't you... disgrace us one more time... go ahead and cry those repulsive tears..."

I turned to Richard.

"Tears are unbecoming of a Winchester. And a War Doll."

"Yet you would shed tears for that... fool of an Elf."

A shadow cast across us, as the sun began to rise.

"Yes. Because when I am with Garen... I don't have an obligation to put on a facade. Garen accepted me for who I am. As Charlotte, something neither you nor anyone in House Winchester could do."

Winchester scowled.

"Good. Because I have no regrets either, my hatred for you and for Alistair will stay with me all the way to death."

DD raised an eyebrow, as more pieces of himself crumbled away.

"No... you lie. You still haven't let yourself go yet. If you did... you would be the one to kill me. You are still terrified of me, of our name. Of your nature."

A cackle escaped my accursed brother's mouth.

"HAHAHA! I may have lost, but SO HAVE YOU. That look on your face. That quiver in your bottom lip... you... you still can't accept how filthy you are! Take this to your grave. A killer as a Winchester, AND as 75-M of the Black Legion! I may have lost today to an Auxiliary and her loser boyfriend, but nothing compares to the joke of an existence that you are! The greatest, most twisted sense of irony! YOU. ARE. A. MONS-"

"Yep. There we go," Garen said, putting a piece of tape to Richard's mouth.

"MMF! MMF MMR MMM!" Richard squirmed, trying to remove the tape.

But I could tell what he was saying.

"What are you doing, you stupid elf?!"

Garen went up to me.

"Charlie. Look me in the eye. Don't look at Dick Douche. Just look at me."

I let Garen put his hands on my face, redirecting me to look at him alone.

"Man... even I could tell you're trying to hold back tears. Just let it all out."

"No... I... I'm sorry, Garen... but he's right. You're trying to be with a killer... you don't know what you're getting yourself into!"

Garen shrugged.

"Well. Can you see me trying to go back home? My family is dead. Everybody is dead. Except for my brother. But I can deal with this when the time comes."

"My body... I don't age... I could live potentially to the thousands-"

FLICK.

"Owie! What the hell is-"

"Dumbass. Look who you're talking to. I'm a freaking ELF. If you're talking thousands of years... that's the same lifespan as us. You won't outlive me. Ever. And don't worry about anything else. I'm an idiot. I can take it."

Garen reached into his back and pulled out an adult novel.

One of my novels.

"NO!!!" I screamed, trying to reach out, but Garen zipped away with a Wind Magic spell.

"You're into this stuff? Well so am I! Well, in the other direction anyway."

"That's not something I wanted you to see!"

"Huh? But Aaron says you're always so open about it."

"NOT TO YOU!"

Someone kill me!

Someone, please kill me!

"You... you..." Richard muttered as he let out a large sigh.

"Forget it. I've totally... completely lost. Finish it... Outer Shadow Dainsleif."

"Rich-"

Garen grabbed me into an embrace as I heard the crack of a powerful, anti-tank rifle from a distance, followed by an explosion.

But all I could see were the folds of Garen's shirt.

"Family isn't just blood. Charlie. Starting today... I will be part of the family you deserve."

"Then... let me help you too. We'll find your brother. Together."

07

(Aaron's POV)

Greatest wingman ever.

Add that to my resume, folks.

"In today's mission, I groped an Auxiliary Shadow's chest. And got impaled by a cougar. I stole lots of food from Demon King Jinn's castle reception. I also got 75 hitched. To an Elf," 74 mumbled, reading from my report before glancing at me with a pair of disappointed eyes.

"What the hell did I just read?"

I straightened my back.

"A report on a mission success, ma'am."

"That's your report."

"Absolutely, ma'am."

74 put the paper down and leaned back in her chair, putting a hand to her face.

"Are you all right, ma'am?" I asked.

Thalia ignored me and opened the window to our hideout.

"We've completed the mission and crippled the Dark Hounds protecting Jinn. The other Cell will deal with Jinn's army. As strange as it is... I'm glad. Very glad that you were able to help 75 do this. I was not expecting a Hound on the level of S+ Rank. If we had known about this earlier, it would have taken all of us in Muon to beat Winchester. A major miscalculation on my part..."

"Come on, don't beat yourself up like that. The only reason why Winchester even got that strong was because of Jinn."

Thalia shook her head.

"No. Jinn isn't that powerful. Jinn may be a subordinate Demon Lord to Inner Shadow Empire, but almost every single Demon Lord we have conquered has been at worst S~ Rank. To be able to supplement an ally and boost their power to that of S+ Rank... that would imply the existence of a subordinate Demon Lord on the level of The Devil Monk."

"Then..."

My blood went cold.

Thalia noticed my expression and nodded.

"Yes. Your suspicions may well be true, Dainsleif. Great Demon Lord Loyce Hal appears to have made the decision to intervene, at least to some small degree. But... given it's Empire himself, even a 'small' intervention from him could well turn the tide of a battle, as was evidenced from today."

"Shit..." I grumbled.

"There's also one more thing," 74-M turned to me.

"About... 75. I knew that she was nobility through her original name, but I was never informed about her past. Raised an assassin all her life... she never told me about this."

"Would you have treated her any differently if she did?"

Thalia ran her hand across the makeshift door.

"To me... 75-M is 75-M. Regardless of who she was in the past, I look at the soldiers before me as they are. This was, and always is my philosophy. Whether it is 75-M or anyone in the SFA Regiment. Or even you, Aaron Hope. Circumstances exist to help mould the individual into who they are today, but these circumstances cannot be used to define them. Who they are, to me, is dictated by what they do in the present."

The Chief War Doll paused.

"Hm."

I watched as Thalia kicked the door open, followed by a grunt and the sound of a 15-year-old elven boy hitting the ground with a noticeable

"BLEAGH!"

"Hey! Watch where you're kicking!" Garen the Eavesdropper shouted.

"..." Thalia's eyes glinted with murderous intent.

"S- Sorry boss! It won't happen again, I promise! Hide me, Charlie!" Garen yelped, hiding behind 75 like a scared little puppy.

Thalia's gaze redirected to Charlotte, who straightened her back. A bead of sweat ran down the side of her head.

"Umm... hiya... Miss 74... fancy seeing you here!"

"This is my office."

"Ah...yes... um..."

"Hey! Don't pick on my wife, you wench!" Garen taunted from behind 75's back.

"GEH! Are you trying to get the two of us killed?!" 75 yelped.

Garen put his hands on his hips proudly.

"I will die for your sake, Lady Charlie!"

"Don't die from something so stupid!"

74-M smirked as she walked past the two, causing a wave of confusion to ripple amongst the couple.

I gave Garen a thumbs-up, before following Thalia to the main room.

And just like that, we had returned to the barracks of Inner Shadow Slipstream.

"I'm BEAT," I muttered, plopping myself on the sofa.

"Enjoy your time while you still can. We have another deployment in two days," 76 said, reaching for the fridge and pulling out a protein shake.

"ANOTHER deployment?! I feel like I just got back from a hundred-year war and we're going on another one?!"

78-M sat down next to me. It was kind of funny seeing the two of us in the reflection of the mirror. A proper girl sitting with good posture and manners, while my lazy ass looking like the world's largest starfish sprawled and taking up three seats.

"The Marines in our world would have killed to have this opportunity. Most soldiers of our world spend their days cleaning the floor instead of actually fighting wars."

76-M scoffed.

"Learning to love to fight... what a stupid notion."

I raised my eyebrow, turning toward the War Doll.

"That's weird, coming from the biggest muscle mommy on the team."

76-M spat out her drink, her eyes wide as she choked.

"D- DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

"But I thought you liked it when people call you strong and chunky and-"

76 walked up to me, a deadly aura emitting from her body.

"I'm not. I'm a normal-sized girl. Repeat after me. Or I will cut your head off and tell 74 that you got your head stuck in the girl's toilets."

"You are a normal-sized girl," I quickly replied.

76 sat on the chair in front of me, crossing her legs. Come to think of it...

She wasn't so much chunky and muscular, maybe it was due to the fact that most of the time she was threatening bloody murder and threatening to cut off my balls.

If anything...

She was actually quite well-built. With the body of an athlete.

"Why are you eyeing me with that look... it's creepy."

"Nah. I was just thinking... you're not really as jacked as I thought. You have the body of a fighter. Maybe it's your personality."

76-M's eyes narrowed.

"HUH? What about my personality would make you think I'm some steroid freak?"

"I dunno. Ask the protein shake in your hand."

76 glanced at her drink, then quickly downed the whole thing in four seconds flat.

All 80 grams of protein...

Just down the hatch.

I leaned back, glancing around the apartment.

"Where's 75?"

76 bit back her lip.

"Last I saw, she was having a talk with 74. Judging from the way 74 called her in, I don't think it looked good."

I had a pretty good idea of what it was about.

"Have you guys... ever encountered any Dolls who overused their Protocols?" I asked.

78-M turned to me, surprised.

"Did 75-M use her Protocols?"

"Yeah. She used... the Bloodhound, Chameleon, and Azrael Protocols in our last deployment."

76-M raised her eyebrows.

"Was this because of Garen?"

"No. She used Bloodhound and Chameleon before she met Garen... The Azrael Protocol was in an attempt to finish off a captor quickly."

76 got up, rubbing the back of her head.

"Ugh... that stupid girl... why would she do something so reckless? She definitely was affected by Winchester on a psychological level."

I gripped the edges of my shorts, a sense of concern was building up.

"What's gonna happen now?"

76 ran her hand against the counter.

"The last time we had someone act out of line, it was 78, who disobeyed 74's orders and killed a suspect that was vital to Intel Ops. She ended up getting a 2-week suspension."

"It was an accident!" 78-M protested.

"Like hell it was! I saw you eyeing that man after he called you Riho-chan. You had 'murder' plastered all over your face."

78 looked away.

"He was going to get done in at some point anyway, with his obnoxious attitude."

"Besides the point..." 76 continued, crossing her arms.

"...Usage of the Tactical War Doll Stances requires logging and filing. The SFA is very strict on the usage of the Protocols. As for those who overused their Protocols... aside from that one incident with SFA Gamma, I don't recall anyone immediately. If anyone overused their Protocols it is almost an instant execution sentence."

Good to know. La dee fuckin' da.

"If Trevyalen is the cause for 75's conduct... I have a hunch that 74 will set him in her sights," 76 said.

"What? Surely not," I exclaimed.

"No. The idea isn't far-fetched in the slightest..." 78 replied, bringing her knees to her chin.

"Think about it, Aaron. War Dolls are expected to perform at maximum potential and optimal efficiency. We're expected to be the Black Legion's greatest guerilla fighters against Loyce's army. There's no room for any of us to underperform... unless we want a repeat of what happened last time."

My mind replayed the events of Evangelion's bout,

Then of Thalia being incinerated to near death.

I clutched my chest.

"Do you understand now, Aaron? Why I said love is dangerous on the battlefield," 76 scooted closer to me.

"Love will almost always get in the way of how we act. We may be cybernetic supersoldiers, but we are still teenagers going through puberty. Being all lovey-dovey just isn't it for us because of our purpose."

My grip tightened until my knuckles turned white.

76 sighed, resting her head against the headrest of the sofa.

"I'm... sorry if that's not the answer you wanted to hear. Seems every time I talk to you I'm adding to the list of reasons to hate me."

"Why would I hate you?"

76-M sat upright, startled at my response.

"You... don't...?"

"Every team needs that one person to tell people how it is. I kind of already figured it out since the first day of living here. You chose to be that person."

78-M narrowed her eyes at 76-M, who's face had taken on a pinkish hue.

"You're blushing."

"I AM NOT," 76 snapped.

78 sat up, flaring her arms and repeating 76's words in a mocking tone.

"LoVe iS dAnGeRoUs oN tHe BaTtLeFiElD! Sono kuso o watashi ni kureru na."

"Did you just insult me in Japanese?! You bitch!" 76 growled.

78 waved her hand dismissively.

"I am just pointing out your hypocrisy is all."

"GRRRRR!"

I glanced at 76-M, who continued scowling.

Normally, if someone scowled that much, they would develop wrinkles on their face.

I couldn't tell if it was the cybernetics or maybe she was naturally youthful, but hers didn't seem...

"Permanent".

The next morning, I followed the group out to Millennium City, where Thalia had administrative-related tasks to attend to.

"Mind if I tag along?" I asked.

"Absolutely not," Thalia replied.

"Why? My reputation precedes me! I can win over these guys in a second."

74-M poked me on the forehead.

"The last thing I need is to have the Lecher of Millennium City interfering with negotiations. Our partnership with UNTIL provides us with the necessary raw materials to go into the production of some of our military equipment. This is an important conference, and all the Chief War Dolls are to attend."

"So basically you don't want me to embarrass you in front of 0-A."

"NO! THAT'S NOT IT!" Thalia yelped, as I watched the Chief War Doll of SFA-M give the most spectacular jazz hands performance of the month.

76, 78, 75, and even Garen's facial expressions all said the same thing.

That was exactly it.

"I'm going to go to the hair cosmetics section," Garen and 75 said at the same time, causing them to yelp and stare at each other.

"Cute," I snickered.

I watched the couple move along until it was just 78, 76, and me.

"So uh... you girls want me to tag alon-"

"Greer and Harlick. See ya," 78 waved us off dismissively, as she shouldered her handbag and disappeared.

It took me a whole ten seconds to realize I was left alone with the resident rage machine.

"Um..." I said nervously.

"You interested in going anywhere? Like... a boxing ring or a nearby Sportcheck... what's Millennium City's version of Sportcheck?"

"Parfaits..." 76-M mumbled.

"What? Free weights?"

"I said I wanna get parfaits!" 76 growled, a blush forming. It almost looked like she was about to shoot steam from her ears.

"That's hella unexpected. What, they have protein powder in them or something?"

"NO! It's just... normal parfaits... why? Is that weird for someone like me?!"

My gaze sharpened on 76-M. It didn't occur to me, but...

She wasn't so much as mad.

She was embarrassed!

I didn't think I would see 76-M flustered in my life. Considering her two emotions since meeting her had always been: apathetic, or angry.

I followed 76-M down the street of Millennium City.

Maybe it was because I had only ever seen her in military gear, or in a tank top, but today, she looked extra different.

She was wearing a white sleeveless shirt and a black skirt and had her red hair let down, making her look like some high schooler who was going out on a weekend. Which she was.

But still...

It didn't make it any less trippy.

"You know, when you're not threatening blood murder and wearing your instruments of death, you look pretty lady-like," I commented.

76 glanced at me.

I could probably think of a dozen things she could say. All of which would circle back to severing my genitals.

I was fully prepared for a barrage of threats coming my way.

"I wasn't always like this. In fact, these clothes used to be what I always wore back in Azure Academy."

"No way. I refuse to believe that."

76's fists clenched as I found myself continuing to dig a deeper grave for myself.

"You're like, the LEAST feminine girl I ever met in my life. And I've met a whole slew of people. I mean, Outer Shadow Troia is an Amazon who considered getting surgery to remove one of her breasts to fire her bow better in battle. But even Troia acts more feminine than you. HAHA! Damn... I think you might as well compare yourself to Outer Shadow Rollo or something. I've met a lot of Viking-themed Outer and Auxiliary Shadows you could be affiliated with. You've also got that weird ruby-like hair of yours too. Maybe I could introduce you to-"

"GOD! YOU'RE SO ANNOYING!" 76 snarled.

The two of us left the parfait shop. I didn't really get anything, but I offered to buy 76 a to-go parfait as a make-up present after dissing her femininity.

"Are you still mad?" I asked.

"..."

More silence ensued until 76 finally said something.

"Th- Thanks for the parfait."

"No problem. I didn't know you were into sweets."

76 took small bites from her ice cream. For a second, I totally forgot that the girl next to me was technically a B Rank Tactical War Doll, who in theory, could achieve world domination all on her own if she wanted to.

"I... like the raspberry-flavoured ones. I used to get them all the time in this dessert shop across the street. How did you know? Did you use some kind of psychological technique or something?"

"I just chose that one 'cause it matched the colour of your hair."

"...of course you did."

I chuckled.

"You into donuts?"

"Yes!" 76-M's eyes lit up, as an expression I never would have imagined her to have appeared on her face.

"I love donuts! My favourite are the Boston Creams!"

"What about the raspberry ones?"

"Do you mean the raspberry glaze? Those are great too! If you want to get the tastier donuts, go for the cake donuts! The yeast ones are lighter but they use yeast fermentation to-"

76 stopped herself, putting a hand on her mouth.

"F-Forget you knew this about me."

"Why? This is the first time I've ever seen you so full of life before. I kinda like it, and I'm sure lots of people would too."

76-M looked away, silently nibbling at the fruits in her parfait cup.

"No. This... This side of me... Forget it. I don't feel comfortable talking about it."

"Sorry. Didn't mean to overstep."

"It's okay."

The two of us made our way back to Renaissance Centre, where we were supposed to regroup with the rest of the gang. But from the looks of it, it looked like everybody was still busy with their agendas.

"Hey! Hey!" A voice said.

"Hm?" I looked around to see where the voice was coming from and noticed the most questionable-looking man waving at us.

"Over here, you two!"

Was he a scammer or something?

76 raised an eyebrow.

"Juryrig. Gadgeteering Hero, and part of Project Mongoose."

"That has to be a made-up name."

"Nope. It's a superhero team assembled by Nighthawk. They're supposed to take down the VIPER organization."

Juryrig hobbled up to us.

"Hey! Keep that under wraps, cyborg girl! We're supposed to be a secret superhero organization!"

"It took me, like, ten seconds tops to uncover your 'secret' organization."

"How did you know my friend here is a cyborg?" I asked, trying to steer the subject to something else before we had Nighthawk come out of nowhere and try to give us the Men in Black treatment.

Juryrig reached out to try to touch 76, but the War Doll swatted his hand and caused the limb to snap right off with a loud

SCREECH-CRACK!

"Whoa! That's some impressive engineering that went into your prosthetics, girl!"

"Dude, your arm got ripped off..." I said.

"I'm a cyborg myself, as you can see. I was an engineering whiz back in the day and had to learn to patch myself up. I've been developing a whole bunch of equipment since then, supporting ol' Nighthawk in his operations. So I do have quite the keen eye, you see."

Did you not listen to a thing I said?!

Juryrig bent over and picked up his arm, slotting it back in place.

"Hmm, gonna need a few welds here n' there. But shouldn't be that bad."

"Well. It was nice meeting you, Mister Juryrig. I hope you haven't been inhaling too much machine oil fumes. Have a nice day," I said, putting my hands on 76's shoulders and steering her in the opposite direction.

"Wait! Don't go! I might have a very special mission for you two."

"We're not here to do any missions, Gearhead Gramps. We literally just got back from having parfaits and we need to get going."

"Come on! Don't be like that. I know about you, by the way, white hair boy. You're The Hangman, the one who defeated Doctor Destroyer last year! Don't go acting all humble now, boy!"

76 glanced at me.

"You worked for the people of this world?"

"I got fired."

"Fired...? What did you do?"

"I tried to kill Doctor Destroyer alongside Sigurd."

Juryrig chuckled.

"Sigurd... oh that young lass! Seems every time I've seen you, you've been with some cybernetic female! This one is definitely more bulked up compared to Sigurd. Perfect for the mission I have!"

76-M's eyes flashed murderously as her hand hovered over her handgun which was strapped to her skirt belt.

"Old man. Explain what you mean by bulked up compared to Sigurd."

"Wh-What's the mission, gramps?" I interrupted 76 before she could commit yet another war crime.

"The records in UNTIL say that you are a subpar superhero, but no subpar superhero has ever fought and defeated Destroyer. That fact has been kept confidential even amongst those who work in the organization. You are the real deal. And if your companion there is anything like Sigurd, then I'm looking at two of the strongest fighters this world's ever seen."

"Huh? What do they mean 'subpar'? Who's the dingus that wrote my profile?!"

"We have a lot of operations going on in Mongoose, but there is one villain who has been getting in our way. He goes by the name Ripper. We don't have the firepower or strength to take him down, and he's a berserker type. It would be great if you two could..."

Juryrig put his finger to his neck and made a slitting gesture.

"That's assassination, you know," 76-M said, approaching the superhero and leaning against his shoulder.

"Are you sure a goodie-two-shoes superhero like you is okay with that?"

76's green eyes glinted evilly, causing a sense of unease to wash over Juryrig.

"L- Look. I wouldn't be contacting you two if I wasn't aware of the consequences. We're in a pinch here. VIPER is an extremely ruthless organization, and superheroes are hard to come by ever since our kerfuffle with Trion. We just need Ripper out of the picture. What can I do in exchange for this task? I'm quite renowned in the superhero scene. I can grant you practically anything. Globals? Questionite?"

I put a hand to my chin.

"Hmm... you got an Inborn Tenacity Device?"

"Ummm... well, we don't actually... have that readily available anymore."

"No Inborns? What about a Therakiel's Sword cosmetic? A Brilliance protection trinket?"

Juryrig's face paled.

"Th- That's... That can only be obtained from Therakiel's Temple on a less than 1% chance! You're asking too much of me!"

"Literally any well-balanced team can go in there and raid that temple. I can raid that temple while drunk. What about a Dark Speed device?"

"Dark Speed...?"

"Okay. So you're useless then. You just said you could grant anything!"

"Well, not when anything is something like that! Okay. I'll correct myself. I'm a subpar superhero who can grant subpar rewards. How's that?"

"Are you even listening to what you're saying?"

76 leaned closer to me.

"Hey. What's a cosmetic?"

"It's like a fashion thing. It changes the appearance of your weapons through illusion. The one I'm asking for changes any swords into that of the Nephillim's weapon."

"But you don't have any swords."

"Who cares? The damn thing is like, worth twenty newborns. It's practically a steal to get it from kicking this Ripper's ass."

76 scratched her chin.

"Anything... huh? Do you have a file on Ripper? Let me see it."

"Y- Yes! Yes, I do. But please don't demand anything that's out of the realm of reason... please."

Juryrig handed a folder to 76, who flipped through the pages, her green eyes scanning the contents at a superhuman speed.

76's expression soured.

"This is the so-called Ripper these guys are having trouble with? Garen could take him down with the training 75's given him."

"The people in this world are a lot weaker than the people you're used to fighting, though."

76 closed the folder and handed it to Juryrig.

"We will eliminate Ripper before 1800 hours. In exchange, I want..."

Juryrig and I tensed.

What could a Tactical War Doll like 76-M want that would warrant her conducting an assassination for someone other than Inner Shadow Slipstream?

"..."

?

76 fidgeted nervously.

"Crepes."

Huh?

"What?" Juryrig and I said simultaneously.

"Aaron's ridiculous requests I can understand. But don't you dare tell me my request is too much for you to handle," 76 glowered over Juryrig, her eyes taking on a devilish glow.

"No! Nope! Not at all! Consider it done!"

"Yay!!!" 76 squealed, jumping into the air before suddenly stopping, and clearing her throat.

"You forgot you saw this. Speak about this to no one."

"Yes, ma'am," Juryrig and I responded as quickly as possible.

"Are you sure this was a good idea? We have to regroup with 74 and the others soon," I said.

"It's not like we're taking on a last-minute deployment. We do this all the time, actually. Last-minute assassinations and requests for other SFA Platoons. They usually just take a few hours at most."

"You know, when you phrase it like that, you guys take 'just another Tuesday' to a whole other level."

"Well... the reward is worth my time. So I will do it."

I put my hands behind the back of my head as we made our way to the helicopter that would transport us to Monster Island, supposedly where the VIPER headquarters would be.

...

Juryrig...

"By the way, just so I can confirm, you already know that this is a trap, right?" 76 said.

08

"Yeah," I replied, grimly looking out into the distance.

That guy was definitely up to something.

He told us that Mongoose was a secret organization, yet he would so blatantly blurt out their operations to the two of us. Me, maybe. But he had absolutely no way of verifying 76-M's identity. For all he knew, 76 could have been a spy unbeknownst to me working for VIPER.

The fact that he was so willing to request a kill op on Ripper was also a huge red flag.

But amongst all of the red flags...

There was one that stood out the most.

I had lied earlier, when I said I didn't know about Juryrig.

I knew everything there was about the guy. I worked as a superhero for UNITY, however short it was when I went by the name "Hangman", I did a background check on the details of the people working in the organization.

My victory over Doctor Destroyer was also extremely confidential information. There was no way someone like Juryrig would have access to this.

When 76 was skimming the file, I took a quick glance from the side. Juryrig was taking careful precautions to make sure only 76 could see the papers before handing it back.

From his facial expressions and his body language, he really didn't want me to see the folder in detail.

"That man wasn't Juryrig. He knows full well who we are. We can continue the assassination of Ripper, we will risk exposing some information about ourselves. But it can provide insight as to who the enemy currently is," 76-M said, as she pulled out a modular device from her belt.

The device began to swirl with the Shadows of Jay Hellion, porting her weapons and gear.

A shotgun and a rifle.

A combat knife.

And a military vest.

76 strapped her weapons to her body.

"Someone is trying to figure us out. How we work. How we tick. If we continue letting them do this without gaining some intel for ourselves, we'll be done in. This is a good opportunity to know a little about our opponent."

The two of us were dropped off at Monster Island, where 76 and I hiked toward the location that Juryrig had pinpointed for us.

"Place is crawling with VIPER men," I muttered.

"I don't see Ripper anywhere. According to his file, he once worked in the VIPER nest - but the organization has had a history at not being able to restrain the supervillain."

"Great. So he's Bane, then."

76 leaned over the edge, where her clothes took on the tint of the building.

"Do you think maybe I could get a pair of those nifty clothes?" I asked.

76 gave me a weird look.

"You want a skirt."

"No! Not the skirt. I meant like, the jacket and stuff. They take on the colour patterns of the environment. It's pretty cool."

"It's standard issue and was designed by your Inner Shadow to interface with our bodies... so I doubt it would be useful for you. It reacts to the environment and interfaces with our cybernetics, that's how the camo works."

"Awww! What a bummer."

"You've been hanging out with 75 way too much!"

I looked around.

"There's a lot of structural vulnerabilities in this base. I could maybe shoot down one of the control boxes and make it malfunction... send the troops out as a distraction and maybe we could segregate them out?"

"Hmm... no. We can't risk having them call in reinforcements. I'd rather not call in any Tactical Strikes. This is an off-the-books mission, so 33-K of SFA-Kappa has limited my ammunition use. I wanna save my ammo for Ripper himself."

"Good point. But if we're gonna conserve ammo, would it be better if we just locate Ripper and do a single-target hit?"

76 left the edge of the railing and pulled out something from the folds of her skirt.

"Nope. We're going to do it the old-fashioned way."

"Old-fashioned way?"

"Mmhm. CQC."

76 jumped off the ledge and landed on top of one of the VIPER men like a diver, timed exactly right where the cameras were panned away from her.

I watched as the War Doll twisted his neck and dragged the body into the shadows.

"I left behind something for you to use. Have you ever used a blowgun before?"

"Blowgun?!"

"Yep. They're real fun to use. You blow through them and it shoots out a dart."

"Haha real funny. I didn't think you guys would use something so primitive."

"Surprisingly, this was actually something Sergeant Hellion taught us, one of the first weapons he taught us to use. They're versatile since their ammunition is cheap and quick to make. Perfect for hunting."

I stood at a distance, surveying the backdoor entrance while 76 dispatched enemy after enemy through stealth takedowns.

"If 75 taught you anything in your last deployment, now's a good opportunity to put it to good use, Red Eyes. I can only do so much in melee. I'll need someone to take down any enemies at a distance in quick succession to avoid alerting the guards."

I inspected the area.

Several VIPER guards were casually chatting...

My last deployment, huh? So what lesson from our resident BL freak could be applicable in this situation?

When you're sniping, the first thing you need to do is make inferences. Then from those inferences, you need to be able to support those claims with evidence.

Judging from their posture and their physical builds... they didn't seem to be highly trained.

If someone were to be taken out, they didn't have the experience to act upon it before panic took a hit.

In other words...

The ones who would react first would be the ones who had a coms device. These were our top priority targets.

"We gotta take out the guys who have communications," I surmised.

"Good. I've already located the communications targets in my proximity. Can you locate the ones in the outer perimeter?"

I focused, making my inferences.

Now I had to find evidence to back it up.

I aimed my blowgun and positioned it at a nearby pebble.

Six Hands Modified Combination Style

DEAD EYE

FWOO.

A dart flew and knocked the pebble into the air, causing several of the guards to hesitate.

Two of them reached for the walkie-talkies, while the others yelped.

"What the fuck was that?!"

"I swear this place is haunted after what that brown-haired demon girl did to Freon!"

Two communications guards.

Twelve rookies.

"Priority targets obtained. By the way, what was that guy talking about? Brown-haired... as in Thalia?"

"Yeah. A few weeks ago Freon threatened to freeze over Greer and Harlick. 74 took that personally and raided his base all on her own. Apparently, the supervillain died from 'mysterious circumstances'."

"That's terrifying!"

"You're the idiot who keeps giving her headaches every morning!"

I slowly moved to the other side of the base, slipping past the field of view of a security cam and crouching behind one coms guard, and two rookies. I peeked over and got a glimpse of the entire area.

Visual memorized.

Movement patterns of bogies identified and memorized.

"Do you have a visual on the layout of the area?" 76 asked via. coms.

"Yeah. The whole place."

"Guess we won't need any HUD tech with you around, huh."

"Hell yeah. Praise me more, 76!"

"Just tell me if the movement I'm going to execute will keep our cover," 76 said, as I peeked at her location, reading her hand gestures.

"Yeah. All good. I'll dispatch on my end, and we'll coordinate."

"Roger."

I snuck up to the coms guard and waited before blowing into the blowgun, firing three darts successively at the three bogies.

Bodies thudded on the ground as I crawled forward, reaching behind me and holding up an SFA-Muon all-purpose tactical audio device to the receiver.

AI Audio Splice Software Complete. Activate conversation bot?

"Activate," I whispered.

I mounted the device to the receiver, listening in on the conversation and ensuring the device was responding accordingly based on the conversations it had recorded while I was sneaking up on the guards.

I slowly stood up, taking one of the guard's pistols and inspecting it.

I still had a little bit of mana left from my last deployment. I couldn't use it to the level of SS Rank like with Winchester's Auxiliary Shadows... but I could still use the small-scale elementary spells.

"76, I'm gonna use their weapons to hide my firearm signature. I can tag the enemies at long range too."

"Okay. Just wait for me to finish up this floor and we can move up."

I sat in waiting while watching Tactical War Doll 76-M stalk the darkness like a predator, approaching each bogie and eliminating them with terrifying efficiency.

I had lived with these guys for a while now, and by now I had become so familiar with their operations, that I could recognize the movement patterns they would use before they would even execute them.

But it still never failed to amaze me how fluid and how well coordinated these War Dolls were.

As I watched 76-M chain assault after assault, taking down each enemy successfully and lining up her attacks after one another, I could see how each member was at least B Rank.

76-M would take down a guard, which would line her next enemy up for a perfect strike. Swapping between weapons she could pick up from defeated targets would hide her signature. It was kind of like watching a professional snooker player line up their next shots.

Despite her outward appearance as a gruff close-quarters combatant, 76-M was anything but a brawler.

Even her wild strikes were highly calculated from years of training in high-stress environments. Paired with her cybernetics, it was like watching a hitwoman perform stealth takedowns at superhuman speed.

One blink, and you would miss it because, by the time your eyes opened again, four enemies would have been taken out, kill confirmed, and hidden from view.

A guard turned around, not realizing 76-M had fully blended into the darkness.

"Guys...?"

SHUNK!

The last remaining guard stood frozen, his eyes wide as a throwing knife sprouted from his forehead.

I watched him crumple to the ground, revealing 76-M, who pointed one of the pistols she had taken from a guard and fired several silenced confirmation shots.

There were sixty-two guards stationed in this area of the VIPER base, and Tactical War Doll 76-M had killed every single one without being detected.

In the span of seventeen seconds.

"Are you going to keep gawking at me, or are you going to finish the guards on your floor?"

"Oh. Right," I stammered, turning toward the guards on my level and finishing them off using the techniques taught to me by SFA-Muon.

The two of us continued our infiltration until we reached a hallway, where 76 held out her arm.

"Shh. No."

"?"

I watched 76 get down on her stomach, entering a prone position, similar to the Bloodhound Protocol, but her eyes stayed the same colour.

"Ummm why are you sniffing the ground? Do you have any idea how much bacteria is on-"

"Zip it, moron!"

"Sorry."

76-M continued sniffing. Normally I would have found that hilarious... but the way 76 was doing it made her look more like a demonic predator than a dog.

Like...

A hunter.

"Found him. Ripper. Probably went to the lab area. Judging from the hormones in the scent, he went to the lab in a frantic to inject something. I suspect it's the omicron compound that fuels his super strength."

"How in the what? You got all that from sniffing the ground?"

"I didn't sniff the ground. Don't make it sound so weird! I was using the tracking skills taught by Sergeant Hellion."

"Tracking skills huh... that stance you were in, it's awfully similar to the Bloodhound Protocol."

"Yep. You'll notice a lot of these Protocols, we can essentially replicate with our own skills. Whether it is using Bloodhound to track enemies, or using Azrael to pinpoint weak spots, even the Chameleon Protocol we use to change our voices, Sergeant Hellion personally had us learn to replicate these without our cybernetics. The Protocols exist as an emergency panic button in case we don't have time to use our human skills."

"Like an express method to achieving the same result?"

"Yes. There's always a price for shortcuts... in our case, the price is a heightened use of our internal batteries. One Protocol is equivalent to several days' worth of energy, and several days' worth of calories. This was why we were so surprised when we heard 75 used not one, not two, but four protocols in the span of two days. If she had gone for a fifth..."

76 bit back her lip.

"I don't even wanna think about it. That stupid little bimbo... I'll never live with myself knowing we had to execute our comrade because we weren't there for her."

I gave 76 a grin.

"Don't you worry. I'm sure Garen will be there for her."

"That just makes me worry even more!"

The two of us made our way to the main area, to find a huge hulking... thing hunched over.

I didn't need to read into anything to know he was on his last legs of sanity.

From the way he kept fumbling, to the way he was smashing practically every piece of equipment he could find.

"There's the target," I whispered.

76-M looked around.

"Careful. We shouldn't rush in blindly."

"Got a plan?"

76-M looked at her shotgun, then at Ripper.

"From first inspection, I don't think my shotgun will pierce his skin. Nor our rifles. We'll need to either shoot his orifices or go with a non-physical approach."

I looked around.

"You think we could use the tech around him to electrocute the guy?"

"It's not a bad idea... but we might risk alerting VIPER and having to fight off their reinforcements. There are still cameras around here, so we need to make it so that his death was an accident in case anyone catches us before we escape the base. Similar to how 74 killed Freon, except better since VIPER will actually believe it. Also, I'd like to wrap this up soon so I can visit Millennium City Pastries before we meet up with the others."

"That's your reasoning..." I muttered.

I peeked over the edge.

"What about that stuff he's feeding off of? Omicron?"

"Yep. It's a biotech that grants him superhuman strength. Supposedly it makes him feral if used in higher doses."

"If we can get him to overdose and enter a rampage, we could take him out and make them believe he OD'd and died."

"Hmm. We could pull that off. I can pull Ripper, you figure out the dosage levels and how to increase it."

"Maaaaan I always get the boring jobs."

"Shut up! Most of the boys we've ever had in Muon were tasked with cleaning the floor. You're lucky you get to even be on our missions!"

Most of the boys...?

Did Muon have boys in their cohort before me and Garen?

76-M broke cover, leaping on the guardrail.

"By the way... we should really wrap this up soon. That EMP I had set off will be deactivated. We need to defeat Ripper by then."

I snuck over to the console, inspecting the setup.

Numerous tubes and compounds...

This had to be illegal super soldier experimentation. There was no other way to describe this.

Back when Sig and I were still employed at UNITY, we had encountered something similar. Draysha.

But instead of Omicron, Draysha had the effect of swelling up the muscles of its recipients. It seemed like VIPER had found a way to bypass the drawbacks of Draysha through Omicron.

Yet...

I glanced at 76, who had engaged Ripper in combat. The hulking beast was swinging in a feral rage, but 76 was far too nimble, leaping acrobatically from cover to cover, forcing the supervillain to hurl rocks all over the place.

Destruction shook the entire base.

"Man... what would Nora do at a time like this?" I muttered.

Remember, Aaron. If you ever encounter a crossroads where you have no idea what direction to take...

...

...steal whatever you see!

You useless older sis!

My hand hovered over the Omicron solution. Even the mere fumes of it were making me feel increasingly aggressive.

Fumes.

SMASH. KRAKOOM.

Ripper roared, swinging and punching the air.

"WHY ARE YOU HIDING, LITTLE GIRL?! FACE ME!"

Ripper bellowed, pounding his chest, when suddenly, 76-M appeared out of the shadows like an arrow, sliding between the monster's legs and climbing up his back with superhuman agility.

In her hands was a frag grenade.

"Down!" 76-M commanded as I did what I was told.

I watched the War Doll shove the grenade into Ripper's mouth and leap out of the way.

A bright light ignited from inside Ripper's body. A jet of red steam shot out of every orifice in his body as the monster fell to his knees.

76-M pulled out her shotgun and fired at Ripper's chest point blank, causing a starburst of blood to explode out of his body.

It was the same as the last time I had seen her use that shotgun...

It all came together like solving a math equation.

76 had weakened the skin of Ripper by decimating a layer from within his body, then followed it up with a shotgun blast in quick succession, keeping Ripper from recovering.

It was similar to my Six Hands Combination style in that everything was in one continuous fluid motion, but in 76's case, there was no need to think in between steps.

All rehearsed, all routine.

There were virtually no kinks in her fighting style whatsoever.

76 grabbed a nearby beam and walloped Ripper over the head as the monster lurched backward.

"Uuuuuh..."

The War Doll spun around, revealing a SIG Sauer M17 in her free hand aimed right at Ripper's forehead.

BANG.

Ripper fell backward, his body slamming onto the ground like an earthquake.

"Ripper's down. I didn't kill him. Did you figure out the Omicron overdose?" 76 asked.

...Are you sure you didn't kill him?

He sure looked dead to me.

"N... No... no more..." Ripper muttered, causing 76-M to peer at the villain.

"No more... mommy."

"Pfft," I said, before quickly covering my mouth.

76 glared at me.

"That better not be a laugh."

"It's not. I swear to GA-AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! OH MY GOD! HE CALLED YOU MOMMY! HAHAHA!" I howled in laughter, nearly doubling over.

All the while, 76 continued glaring at me, a vein popping out from her forehead.

"IT'S NOT FUNNY!"

"Mommy... I surrender..."

"BAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"QUIT IT! The cameras can still record audio! We-"

76 froze, slowly turning around to see a group of VIPER reinforcements standing at the entrance of the destroyed lab.

"No..."

"What am I looking at," a guard said, as another raised his rifle and fired in our direction.

76 and I dove for cover, pinned down by the horde of VIPER troops who began firing at us relentlessly.

"This is YOUR fault! YOUR FAULT!" 76 growled.

"You're the one he was calling mommy though," I protested.

"HOW DOES THAT EVEN HELP YOUR CASE?!"

"We've been found anyway. Besides, what were we gonna do with all those bodies you had moved into the shadows?"

"I moved them in a way that it would look like they were hurled and had their bones broken by Ripper due to his rampage, you buffoon!"

I gripped my rifle.

"Well, we might as well finish the rest of these guys. Come on, it'll be fun!"

"I hate you."

"Aww, love you too, bestie!"

"GRRRRRARRRRR!" 76-M roared, grabbing her rifle and returning fire at all the enemies, gunning them down in quick succession.

I joined in our return fire, shooting them down with high accuracy.

When it came to firefights, the person with better detection was always at an advantage.

Unfortunately, there was no point in detection if you were up against a literal aimbot of a teenager and the biggest gigachad in existence.

Within the span of 45 seconds, we had completely eliminated all of the VIPER reinforcements in the base, a total of 226 soldiers.

76 breathed heavily, strapping her rifle to her back. Since she didn't ever run out of stamina, I could probably guess the heavy breathing was mostly out of rage.

"Umm... so..." I mumbled, scratching the back of my head.

"Wanna get pastries?"

76-M glared at me.

"F-Fine... but you're paying."

"Alrighty," I chuckled.

On the bright side, I had discovered the ultimate hack to calming the angriest Tactical War Doll in the entire regiment.

The bad news...

...was that VIPER now had two War Dolls on their radar.

A brown-haired demon girl.

And a muscle mommy.

In the end, we didn't learn jack shit from the encounter with Ripper.

"As requested, a box of pastries," Juryrig handed out a box to 76, who was already munching on the ones I had bought for her.

"WHA- you already have some on hand!" The superhero exclaimed.

76 grabbed the box from Juryrig's hands.

"Ripper has been eliminated. But we ended up having VIPER discover about us. Sorry about that."

Juryrig's face paled.

"Wh- What do you mean, discover? How many of them were notified?"

"All of them!" I laughed nervously.

I watched as the old gearhead slumped on his chair and closed the door in front of us.

"Th- Thanks anyway. I'll be sure to notify Nighthawk. And so ends our-"

CREAK. CRANK!

"Huh?"

"We're not done here," 76-M said, stopping the hydraulics with her one free hand.

The doors continued creaking and trembling, unable to close in response to 76-M's ridiculous cybernetic strength.

"You heard the lady, pal. Don't think I didn't catch that last-minute slip in your dialect, Juryrig. That is if Juryrig is even your real name."

Juryrig's surprised face melted, revealing a stone-cold expression.

"Oh dear, looks like I gave myself away after all. Unfortunate."

76-M quickly drew her firearm, but "Juryrig" swatted his hand, causing the weapon to fly out of her hand.

I drew mine as well, this time shoving it into a Convocatio portal and having it emerge from Juryrig's blind spot, but Juryrig chuckled, reaching behind and catching my bullet between two fingers.

"Nice trick. I guess my lord was right after all. This is the right strike force. As ridiculous as you two seem, your ability to discern, and your ability to use the tools you have in such an unorthodox mann-"

"Quit glazing. Show us your true form," I cut Juryrig off.

The supervillain grinned as his disguise melted, revealing a man with white hair.

For some reason, looking at him made me instantly feel uneasy.

"What the..." I muttered, taking a step back.

76 glanced at me.

"What's wrong?"

The man spread his hands, causing reality to shift around him. It was like... he was generating black holes in the palms of his hands.

"The Outer Shadow gets it. How long will it take for you to fathom, little Doll?"

76 clenched her teeth as she ripped the hydraulic doors out.

"76-M to Muon. We have a-"

"That won't work."

"What?"

The man laughed sinisterly, as I fired over and over again, the bullets refusing to bypass his aura.

It reminded me so much like Inner Shadow Reaper's... but it wasn't the same.

While Reaper's powers were from his chakra, it was like this man...

Was stopping the bullets through authority.

"In fact, no communication to the outside will work. Let's have a nice chat, while I take you two out."

Chat...

I glanced at 76-M, who slid something into my hand.

A mana syringe!

That brief moment of eye contact confirmed it.

We weren't gonna walk out of this without a fight.

"And so shall begin your execution-"

Convocatio - Grenade Summoning: FLASHBANG, Gun Summoning: Dual ACR Black Dot Sights

BANG.

The man reeled backward in response to the flash of light as I slipped backward.

Portalis and Augmentus: GUNMAN'S ROULETTE

I slipped in and out of reality, firing my assault rifle all around at strange angles.

A storm of bullets surrounded the man, while 76-M darted forward, catching the ACR that I had thrown behind me.

I watched the man raise his hand, stopping my bullets with a telekinetic shield, but 76-M snuck up from the shadows, seemingly out of nowhere and fired a series of bullets from behind, catching him in the back.

"These aren't normal bullets! Fascinating!"

"Stop getting a hard-on in battle, you weirdo!" I snarled, teleporting to a nearby railing several yards away and quickly switching to my Ironsight. I made a signal to 76-M, a slight facial expression. 76-M acknowledged, slipping on a mask.

Elementary Fire Magic: Ignis Pila

Convocatio Ammunition Summoning: Death Smoke Rounds

I loaded a bullet into my sniper, and ignited the barrel of the gun, firing a round that flew straight into the man's blind spot.

The man spun around, just as I expected, but the bullet ignited, unleashing a toxic gas.

"Nerve... toxins?"

76-M glanced at the side of my gun and flipped a switch instantly, setting it to shotgun mode and ran up behind the target.

The War Doll took aim and fired at the man, sending him flying forward.

Turricalum Duo

Two DS35's manifested from red magic circles, hovering before the man and changing form into floating circular disks.

"Gravity Protocol"

WHOOM.

The man faceplanted so hard that several cracks formed all around him.

76-M rushed forward and jabbed a syringe into the man's neck. An inhibitor.

Special grade.

"Shock procedure, Red Eyes!"

I blipped in front of the War Doll, my finger primed with a blue magic circle.

Elementary Lightning Magic: Augmentus

Blue electricity concentrated into my finger as I quickly jabbed the current into the syringe, priming every single molecule and increasing the potency of the solution.

The man slumped forward.

"Well... that didn't go as planned..." He muttered as he glanced at the two of us.

"This might be... a little awkward, but do you mind letting me go?"

76-M gave a cute smile, which, given her reputation, was utterly terrifying.

"Of course!"

"Really?"

"What do you think, dipshit?"

76 brought her combat boot back and stomped on the man's face, sending him unconscious.

76 dumped the man before the rest of the Dolls.

"We found the little crapchute who's been spying on us. Claims he was sent specifically to target Muon and Dainsleif."

"Hey!" The man said, nervously, but his smile soon melted as 74-M approached him coldly.

"White hair. The same colour as the Primordials... yet you were easily defeated by Dainsleif and 76-M. You're using borrowed power."

"Damn. Surely you must be the legendary and fabled Chief of the Muon Strike Force. The most mature of the War Dolls."

74-M's eye twitched in response to the glaze, but the Chief War Doll kept her composure. Unfortunately, it didn't go unnoticed.

"You've gotta be shitting me," 76 grumbled.

74 stepped forward, bringing her face close to the man's.

"These restraints use state-in-the-art binding technology that inhibits the use of metahuman powers on the metabolic level. From here on out, you will not be able to escape and are at the direct mercy of the highest-ranking operative in this room, which is me. You will answer every question I ask to the best of your ability."

A small crack of a smile appeared on the man's face, as I watched him throw his head back and laugh.

Garen jumped, clutching onto 75, much to her annoyance.

"What a pansy-ass," I snorted.

"You're one to talk!" 76 replied, trying to yank me off. For some reason, 78-M was shooting 76-M threatening looks.

The man leaned forward until he was face to face with the Chief War Doll.

"So you are Outer Shadow M74. The girls around you are your Auxiliary Shadows, and Outer Shadow Dainsleif is with you. I see. So the reports were true, the SS Ranked Joker is here with the Tactical War Dolls for training purposes."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Reports?"

The man glanced at me, before making eye contact with 74-M once more.

"Thalia Atlai... you hold your chest out high as you lead your Auxiliary Shadows. But I can sense it, deep in your movements. Deep in your words. Guilt. Inadequacy. Fear. Terror."

74-M narrowed her eyes, her hand inching closer to her handgun.

"What are you implying?"

"You act strong, but you are terrified. Deep down, you know..."

The man pushed forward, despite the bindings chaining him down.

"If I ever break out of these restraints, there's a chance I could slaughter each and every single War Doll in this room. By the time Dainsleif bails you out... it will be too late. More blood on your hands."

I nervously peered at 74-M's hand, which was starting to shake.

"Thalia... don't let him get to-"

"From 77-M's death."

78-M's face tensed.

"To the 56-J's desertion of the post. To abandoning Alice Azure. You sure are confident in your ability to lead for someone who's chickened out so many times."

76-M stepped forward, her fist raised.

"You sure have a lot of yap in that mouth of yours, shithead. Was your last ass-kicking not enough for you?"

"And? How do you know I didn't just let it happen?"

78-M pulled out her rifle and got in position, aiming it right at the man's forehead.

"I know who you are."

"Do you, now?"

74 spun around.

"Yield, 78-M! He's our source of intel!"

"Come on, 78. Listen to your incredibly flawed Chief. Listen to the girl who got your sister killed."

78-M's rifle began to tremble.

"Your ability to cause strife... the white hair...

"You're Susanoo-no-Mikoto. The God of Trickery and Storms."

Mikoto laughed cruelly, leaning forward and pressing his forehead against the barrel of 78-M's rifle.

"And what will you do with this knowledge? Will you execute me? Is this something 77... no. Risa Shinohara would have wanted?"

78's hand began to shake, and her body started to develop a tremble.

"You keep her name out of your damn mouth..." The War Doll whispered.

"Poor Risa-chan. Died so young. Died too early. The same way your mother had died. Peeking out to see something she was never meant to see."

78's lip continued to tremble.

"Enough, Mikoto!" 74 growled as she rushed forward, but Mikoto rolled his head and let loose a devilish cackle that froze everyone in place. I tried to summon something, but it was like my mana circuits had also become blocked in response to whatever Mikoto had done.

"Riho Shinohara... you may have ascended to a supersoldier, but to a god, a human is still a human. And a defenceless crying little girl is still a defenceless crying little girl, under all of that military training Hellion-san has put on you."

78's finger began to close in on the trigger.

"Do not call me by that name," 78 whispered threateningly.

"Does that make you mad? Calling you out like this? A god's understanding of life is so much different than a human's. I couldn't care less if you executed me here and now. After all, he who sent me would just send another. And another. And another. But by all means, if you want to shut me up for good, go ahead. Pull the trigger... Shinohara Riho-chan."

A bead of sweat ran down 78's head, as Mikoto continued his onslaught of taunts. Each taunt was becoming more and more aggressive.

"Do it. DO IT. DO IT!"

"78... 78 focus on me! Do not listen to him!" 74 yelled out.

"Come on... HAYAKU RIHO-CHAN! HAYAKU."

"78! Don't shoot!" I shouted.

78 clenched her teeth, her eyes wide in rage.

"SHOOT ME! SHOOT ME RIGHT NOW, YOU PATHETIC LITTLE GIRL! HAHAHA!"

"78! 78!" The rest of us shouted, which was probably not a good idea, since at this point I could tell she was near her breaking point.

And the trigger was starting to close.

"GRAAAAAAAH!" A feral roar ripped through the tension as everybody suddenly fell forward.

"Wha-" Mikoto exclaimed, as 76 rushed forward.

Initiating Stance 55: TAURUS PROTOCOL

The War Doll blasted forward in a frenzy, grabbing Mikoto by the collar and lifting him into the air, then proceeded to headbutt him right out of his restraints.

"FORMATION!" 74-M shouted, as the rest of the girls drew their rifles and aimed right at Mikoto, who scrambled back.

"You're not going anywhere, Mokoko!" Garen said, firing his crossbow and entangling the god in a strange runic mesh.

"My magic...!" The god gasped as the girls unloaded their magazines, bombarding Mikoto with a barrage of concussive non-lethal bullets.

"GAH!"

I took aim with my handgun, but suddenly, the god stood up, his eyes glowing.

Enough. That's enough information for me.

The War Dolls paused, a sense of unease washing over them as the god picked himself up, seemingly revealing no damage whatsoever.

I see. So the target wasn't Riho Shinohara after all. The one I was looking for.

"Was me, right?" I growled.

No.

"Huh?"

I had no idea if I should have felt relieved or offended, but suddenly, Mikoto appeared in front of 76-M, grabbing her by the throat and slamming her into the wall.

"RRK!" 76 grunted in pain, as the others rushed forward, but with his free hand, Mikoto stopped everyone's movements once more. This time with the same authoritative wave that he had displayed earlier.

My suspicions...

My gut instinct from when I had seen him the first time...

It was true.

Mikoto was on a completely different level compared to everyone we had fought.

Even Winchester.

My target... is you. Vinci Blake.

76-M's eyes widened as Mikoto put his finger on her forehead.

In the name of Susanoo-no-Mikoto... may you be marked... by the curse of The God of Mischief.

BANG.

Mikoto paused, turning around to see a bloody patch starting to form in his weak spot.

The Protocols are dangerous for the War Dolls... are you sure this reckless move of yours was a wise choice, Chief?

74-M lowered her weapon, as her eyes still retained the glow and crosshair of the Azrael Protocol.

"Leave at once... I have already identified your weak point."

Mikoto smiled, dropping 76-M, who gasped for air.

"Alright alright! It was fun... but I'm out of time."

"HEY! Just where do you think you're going you divine asshole!" I growled, firing my handgun at Mikoto's position, but the god disappeared, leaving behind a bunch of bullet holes on the floor of our base.

"76!" The others rushed toward the War Doll, who slumped over, her eyes barely open.

"I'm... fine..." 76 muttered, struggling to her feet.

"No, whatever Mikoto did to you, we don't know if it was lethal or not. We need to get this checked out before we deploy," 74 said.

74 reached out, but 76 swatted her hand.

"I just said I'm fine. We cannot cancel on Sergeant Hellion because one Doll got careless. We do not have the luxury of forcing a double deployment on another Task Force. Do your duty, Chief."

"But-"

"DID I STUTTER?" 76 growled, grabbing Thalia by the shirt and bringing her closer.

"You are the leader of this team. Or did that fuckface excuse of a trickster god get under your skin? You keep telling Dainsleif to not underestimate us, yet here you are having so little faith in me. We've been through worse. Together. One little curse isn't enough to take me out."

74-M gritted her teeth, locking glares with her fellow War Doll.

"Even so... if we lose you..."

"You will NOT lose me. We will deploy. Together."

74 took a deep breath, getting to her feet.

"Very well. Tomorrow... we will deploy to our next mission. Take the rest of the day to recover, and begin filing for any equipment that must be requested beforehand. See you at 0500 hours."

I watched as Thalia turned around and left the room.

78-M clenched her fists.

"Don't you dare die on us, 76."

"I won't."

"The enemy won't care how much conviction you have. Loki certainly didn't when she killed 77-M."

75 got up and stood before 76.

"The hell do you want, Princess?" 76 snarled.

"..."

75 tilted her head, darkness shrouding her body, with just the glow of her cybernetic eyes illuminating her face.

"I'm not against you deploying, but don't go at it alone. In case that Curse takes effect... I want at least Aaron to be by your side."

76 gritted her teeth, her bangs covering her face.

"I get it. So leave me alone. Please."

75, Garen, and 78 obliged, heading for the door, but I stood where I was, glancing behind me. 76 slid back on the ground, covering her face with her hand.

"Did you not hear a damn thing I said, Red Eyes?" 76 snapped.

"Oh, I heard. I just don't feel like doing what you say."

76 glared at me.

"This is not the time to piss me off."

"You're upset."

"I'm always upset, dumbass."

"No."

I sat in front of the War Doll, who was trying to hide her clenched teeth by lowering her head.

"You're always mad. But not ever upset. This time is different."

"So what... so what if I'm upset? The mission comes first."

"What good will you do for Muon when you're like this?"

"..."

I reached behind me and pulled out one of the pastries I had stolen from the box Juryrig/Mikoto had bought for 76.

"Mmmm. Pastries!" I wiggled the pastry in front of the War Doll.

"Stop it! I'm not a dog."

"Jelly filled!"

76 let loose a half laugh and half sob, but tried to pass it off as a sigh as she let down her hair.

I watched the red tumble down her shoulders.

"I fucked up. And now 74's gonna have to deal with yet another War Doll who's on death's door. How many more people is she gonna blame herself for?"

"You'll be fine. You said it yourself-"

"I'M LYING!" 76 screamed, her hands balling up into fists.

"I'm... I'm lying. I lied about being fine. I'm... I'm..."

I took out a tissue and placed the pastry in front of 76/Vinci.

"When Jubilee was killed the first time... back when she went by the name June Lee Sung, how did you feel, Aaron?"

My heart wrenched in pain.

"I..."

"You blamed yourself, didn't you? And again... when it came to X8. And then when it came to Ultear. No matter how much your subordinates tried to convince you, deep down... the guilt. The pain. It was all there. It didn't make it any less painful. They died. And it felt like it was your fault."

I took a deep breath, leaning back.

"Can I call you Vinci?"

"Absolutely the fuck not."

"Alright, Vinci."

"..."

I chuckled, taking out another pastry and munching on it.

"Every leader is going to feel responsible for their subordinates. Always. No matter what you tell them, it's in their nature to worry. That's what makes them a good leader. I'd be more concerned about a leader who didn't care."

"I can't... afford to put any more strain on her. I knew her before we were War Dolls. Way before meeting Sergeant Hellion. Back when she went by Thalia Atlai. The first time we met, she had found me after Evangelion had destroyed our world and sent the place into complete anarchist collapse. I was leading a counteroffensive against the grown-ups who had been turned into zombies by the Fourteenth Hinokami. I was one of the first to kill in Azure Academy. To watch someone die."

76 brushed her hair back, revealing a pair of bloodshot eyes.

"So many times, we've clashed over who would be the Chief War Doll. The girls in the other squads always commented on our dynamic. Everyone had a very clear leader of the group, but when it came to Muon, no one really had an idea who would actually lead. 74 may have been more composed, but I had more experience leading because I had been the first to unite the girls on our counteroffensive to survive. I think we actually had a poll going on in the SFA over who would be the Chief War Doll in Muon. 74 and I were practically neck and neck."

"74... did she want to become Chief because of Zero-A?"

"Yep. And it was because of that, that I feel opposed to the idea of her leading. To lead means to have the mindset for it. But every day, it was 'I want to catch up to 0-A', or 'I'm not good enough for 0-A unless I do this'. 0-A this. 0-A that. Never was it ever anything about us. So yes. I may have been less composed, and I may have had a penchant for swinging first and asking questions later. But my focus was always on Muon."

76 looked at me.

"But that wasn't the only reason."

I thought back to Vinci's argument with Thalia.

"You didn't want 74 to go through with the stress of having subordinates die... because you've seen the horror of it, you've experienced it. And you understood the pain of losing those under your command."

A small crack of a smile appeared from the corner of 76's mouth.

"You sure are annoyingly perceptive."

"Thanks. It really gets the girls going."

"Pfft."

76 reached out and held the pastry in her hands.

"Of all the members of Muon... 74 has known me the longest. There were three more before us... before you showed up. As you can guess, the way we are named in the SFA is numerical."

"Tactical War Dolls 70-M to 73-M..."

"Were killed in action. Succumbed to their wounds under my decision to stay with Thalia to fight off a group of adults who were harbouring supplies. Died by my command."

"I'm sorry."

"No worries. But... I wish I could say I was able to push through 77-M's death. But the truth was, her death shocked all of us. And for me... it was a reminder of the burdens of being Chief. That day, when 78 slapped 74, I felt the urge to beat that Jappy down."

"Calling 78-M a Jappy is wild."

"Haha."

76 leaned back, staring at the ceiling.

"I lost to 74-M in an attempt to try to protect her from the guilt by trying to be Chief War Doll. And I lost again when 77-M was killed. Now... there's a chance that my service is going to be cut short because of something beyond our control. You saw it yourself. Mikoto... is on a level far beyond comprehension. If I had to guess, his ability to manipulate reality around him steps into the realm of causality. We don't have the tools or devices to deal with this curse."

"We won't know if we don't try."

"And we won't know if I'll live either... What I'm trying to say is..."

76's hand slowly inched closer to my sleeve, tugging on it.

"I don't wanna die... Aaron. When this curse hits... I want you to save me."

09

"Um... why are you here?"

"Greetings your lordship! I am here on behalf of my bestie to request your help on a certain curse!"

Inner Shadow Reaper froze, his teacup still mid-air and freezing over in response to his confusion. Emily the waitress began to panic, waving her hands frantically.

"L- Lord Reaper sir! Your tea! Your tea!"

"You do realize that while I am retired, I am still an Inner Shadow, Aaron."

"Which is precisely why I have come to seek your wise council!"

"...Why does that sound so sarcastic?"

I put my hands on my hips.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Mister (one limb) Reaper! Come on, say something, 76!"

"Hey. You added something just now!" John snapped.

76's face was still shellshocked, probably still trying to process what was going on.

"Why... why are you on speaking terms with an INNER SHADOW....?!"

"What do you mean? This is John."

Crassman slowly raised his hand.

"Erm... can you please show some professionalism? I'd rather you call me-"

"A BIG IDIOT! Daddy, a big idiot is here!"

"Now pumpkin, that is not how your mother taught you to address strangers!"

Jennifer Crassman, the daughter of John Crassman giggled, jumping on her father's lap and rocking back and forth.

"Where is your mother?" John asked.

"Jenny! Come back here!" Taylor exclaimed, jogging up to the family.

"I'm so sorry, Aaron! You must have urgent business with Johnny. We'll be on our way. Jenny, come here!" Taylor said.

"Awwwww!" Jennifer pouted.

John patted his daughter's head, smiling as he watched his wife and kid leave the tea shop. His face crinkled around his smile, sending waves of wholesomeness my way.

"Please excuse my family. So you must be Auxiliary Shadow M76. It is my pleasure to be at your acquaintance."

76-M yelped, straightening her back.

"Elite Tier B+ Ranked Auxiliary Shadow M76, at attention, Inner Shadow Reaper. To exist is to serve The Black Legion."

John waved his hand, laughing gently.

"No need for the formalities, my dear. I am not Inner Shadow Slipstream. Dainsleif tells me of a certain curse that was afflicted on you... among other things. But I would like to hear from you. Can you elaborate in more detail on your encounter with Susanoo-no-Mikoto? You'll have to excuse my chakra... I apologize if it is causing you discomfort."

76-M bit back her tongue as she interfaced with something on her thigh.

A strange compartment unlocked within her jeans, as I noticed her body language simmer down.

"I received a curse. The god did not elaborate. But he said it was by his name... I suspect it is some kind of curse of misfortune, but I cannot be sure. No one in the SFA Regiment has been able to identify it."

Crassman put a hand to his chin.

"Hellion did not use his All-Seeing Eye?"

"It would be a waste of his time to use his Evo on a single Tactical Doll, sir."

"Hmm, I would disagree. Inner Shadow Slipstream treats you all like his daughters. I would bring this up with him, however, I am aware that he is still extremely preoccupied with fighting off Empire's forces. I am not one to criticize his method of handling his Shadows... as I have resigned myself to guard duty for Inner Shadow Gasket's world."

"Can't you do something with your chakra? Like blast a hole into the curse or something?" I asked.

"Unfortunately, chakra is only a means to retain your sense of self. To higher degrees of mastery, one can wield it like a weapon to execute offensives, but to break a rule that transcends causality and is narrative protected to the point of a godly curse would be next to improbable."

"You're kidding me... but I thought you were able to break the order of the world with some of your attacks, why is Mikoto's curse any different?" I replied.

"I cannot answer for sure... I have glanced at your curse, M76. And the only way I can imagine you can break it is to dig deep into what it's feeding off of. I suspect it is the type of curse that can be broken through understanding. This is also an additional drawback of esoteric abilities, not limited to just chakra. You must be able to understand and comprehend your situation before you can dismantle it. If you cannot comprehend, you cannot direct your narrative bending to counteract it."

76-M bowed.

"I appreciate your time, Lord Crassman."

"No worries, young lady."

"HOY! This is a HUGE worry, dude! 76 is gonna die!" I squeaked, waving my arms all around the Inner Shadow.

John's eye twitched in irritation.

"I believe 76-M has the resolve to fight back the curse. Rather than seeking a shortcut, why don't you follow her example and seek solutions?"

"GRRRRR!"

John chuckled, putting his teacup down.

"Susanoo-no-Mikoto... I remember hearing of this name, back when I visited Japan with Taylor and Tina. The God of Storms and Trickery, he will be a very difficult opponent. Especially for you, Aaron."

"Why?"

"Because he fights the same way as you. Through trickery. Illusion. Deception. But he can do it better, as he has achieved godhood through this route."

"Hey. I'm more than just tricks. I have guns and military training too."

"Then all the more reason to rely on your comrades, Dainsleif. Lord Slipstream made a very smart call... stopping me from sending you to Tiamar hastily. I can see where I went wrong. You still have much to learn. I am very curious to see your development alongside this wonderful young lady, and her comrades."

76-M looked down.

Was...

Was that a blush...?

Oh my god, 76. You're into older men?

"Hey. Why do I have an urge to punch you right now?" 76 muttered.

"What are you, a mind reader?!"

"If I may, I can offer some assistance," John said, waving his hand.

"Assistance?" I asked, focusing my vision on the entrance. A man walked into the building, a rather lanky one. He was wearing a pair of aviator pants and a green sleeveless shirt, but a hood and a pair of goggles which concealed his eyes, which I knew would reveal his identity to his homeworld.

On his arms were numerous tattoos, one of which read

WITCH OF TIAMAR.

"Ayyy! Galeo! My man!" I exclaimed, reaching out and putting my arm around the Outer Shadow.

"Right to first names with you... again," Galeo Ixian, a.k.a., Outer Shadow Sixshot muttered.

"I know you two must deploy with the rest of your unit to your next mission. However, if curses plague you, my Outer Shadow may help. Sixshot shall accompany you on your mission."

Galeo blinked.

"I am doing what?!"

John turned around, giving his Outer Shadow a thumbs up.

"I trust in your abilities to deal with curses. You are, after all, a Witch."

"Umm... I'm a Psiker actually-"

"I have the utmost faith in my Outer Shadows. If this is any consolation for my inability to help you directly, then please. As long as Sixshot is okay with it," John said.

Was it just me, but Reaper was a little on the idiotic side?

I guess a little bit of Johnny Crassman never did leave the fabled God Reaper after all.

Galeo sighed, smiling as he lowered his head.

"May the Emperor strike me down."

Awfully pessimistic, Galeo!

"As you wish, Lord Crassman. I cannot imagine any mission with the Black Legion GPITA would ever go smoothly for you, Young Miss. As stated earlier, I am Outer Shadow Sixshot. I will be in your care."

"Who the hell are you calling a GPITA?!"

76-M bowed.

"No no. The pleasure is mine. Thank you for your assistance, Sixshot. I will be sure to inform my Chief about your participation in this mission. Your help is greatly appreciated."

Our next deployment was a little different from the last one.

"Full frontal assault. We will be taking down Demon King Porta and his nation," Thalia said.

"Is that seriously his name...?" I asked.

"78, you will conduct Operation Chokehold. With the world's supply chain in disarray, 75 and Garen will initiate a long-range offensive on the nation's Garrison, sending their military into chaos. 76, Sixshot, Dainsleif and I will raid the castle."

And with that, we were sent onto the battlefield. 76, 74, Galeo and I sat stationed in the ruins of an abandoned building, overlooking 78, who was sitting in a carriage that was headed straight for the Demon King city.

"Commence operation, 78. We will survey."

"Affirmative," 78 said.

I watched 78-M through a vision device.

She was sitting elegantly in a black dress, her hair tied back and tinted orange. The War Doll boasted a posture and an aura similar to that of a supermodel. Despite being only sixteen, 78-M had somehow made herself look several times more mature and professional.

Tactical makeup was what the girls referred to it as.

Imagine how hardcore you had to be to turn makeup tactical...

According to 74, 78 was to pose as a diplomat for the Demon King army and was to attend an annual conference that was held amongst a bunch of other diplomats and world leaders in a fancy-ass ball in Porta's castle. Upon receiving the signal, 78 would assassinate every single world leader there. From royalty to prime ministers and presidents to wealthy businessmen.

From the file we were each given to review, that would be 188 heads of state and government and 26 business moguls that made up The United Nations of Braede.

The very concept of it was insanity.

One world leader alone would warrant a tremendous amount of security. Secret service and the best operatives in the country would be dispatched to protect the leader. The idea of having every single world leader gather in one room... I couldn't even begin to imagine the many layers of security that would have.

What would that even be? 214 highly protected targets?

78 began patrolling the outskirts of the castle, presenting her badge to the guards and entering inside. From the way she was looking around, someone oblivious would think she was simply admiring the view, but in reality, I could tell she was absorbing everything.

From where the cameras were placed, to potential strike zones, enemy movement patterns, security vulnerabilities, areas to hide...

She was scoping the place out.

"You're kidding me... is she really going to assassinate every single politician and royal in that ball? All by herself?!" Garen exclaimed through our secure radio connection.

"Yes," Thalia answered. I was half expecting her to chew Garen out but was pleasantly surprised to hear her explaining it to the Elf.

"Each War Doll has their own talents, even though we are trained in the same fashion. We all have the same underlying training from Sergeant Hellion, but some of us have better affinities than others. For instance, your girlfriend specializes in long-ranged sniper combat and intelligence acquisition..."

"EEK!" 75 squeaked in the radio.

74 continued, suppressing the urge to laugh.

"76 specializes in close-quarters combat, I specialize in general large-scale warfare, infantry rifle handling, and coordination. As for 78..."

I watched as 78 walked past two businessmen, her orange bangs fluttering along with her movements.

"Damn... check out that one... do you think I have a chance?"

"You never know unless you know, man!"

"First target detected," 78 said.

"...Tactical War Doll 78-M is considered the greatest hitman in all of SFA-Muon."

78 smiled coyly at the man, who immediately blushed.

"Can I help you, sir?"

"Y- Yeah..."

"Then why don't we take it somewhere private?"

Several bodyguards approached 78.

"We will accompany Sir Peterson, for his safety."

"I understand."

I watched from the device as 78 led Peterson to an empty hallway. The War Doll glanced at a very small camera that was discretely mounted on the side and slipped to one end, using the bodyguards as a shield and blocking the camera's view of her.

Her repositioning was so subtle... it almost fooled me.

And it definitely fooled the bodyguards.

78 led Peterson to a bathroom, to the hesitation of the bodyguards. The businessman was the first to enter, then 78 followed, but before her foot stepped into the room, her body suddenly twitched.

A line of red slowly formed on the necks of all six bodyguards as 78 slit their throats with a single slice of her knife.

Before Peterson could even react, 78 spun around and snapped the businessman's neck, killing him instantly. The bodyguards stayed in position, slumping forward. But to the camera, it was as if the guards were still waiting for Peterson to come out of the bathroom.

78 pulled out a vial from her necklace, and activated it, changing the colour of her orange hair to purple. I watched the War Doll approach the mirror and change her hairstyle, tying it back into a braid.

The War Doll slipped out of the window of the bathroom, climbed to the roof and silently stalked two guards who were overlooking the outside.

I watched as 78 approached the female one and snapped her neck, dragging her away from the male guard. Then proceeded to pull out a silenced pistol, tag the second guard and drag his body onto a chair, sitting him down to make it look like he had passed out.

It was like watching a professional gamer speedrun a level from Hitman. 78 was taking out every target with flawless precision and strategy as if she had rehearsed every movement down to its finest detail, despite knowing full well this would be her first time playing it. I thought 76-M was a beast, hell, I even witnessed 75-M's fighting style in the past too as a Winchester, but...

78-M was on another level.

She killed her enemies with so much finesse and precision. Her movements were so damn subtle you needed to do a double take to catch it if you even could...

The idea of her being able to kill all 200+ politicians suddenly didn't feel so far-fetched after all.

Her next target was a politician who was chatting with a prince from what I presumed to be another country.

Guards were stationed all around them in a room. 78 walked down the hall like a supermodel on a runway, and aimed with her pistol, taking out the main electrical guy who collapsed on a console, sending the entire room into darkness.

I watched as the War Doll slipped into the room, locked the door and proceeded to eliminate every single body in sight at supersonic speed.

Two politicians and fourteen guards were killed in the span of 2 seconds from the time she had fired that silencer.

78 continued her killing spree.

Every single kill showcased her creativity. Whether it was explicit kills through her firearm or her knives, or disguises, or even through traps made with harmless objects...

It was as if she had neutralized every single target in a way that it could easily have been passed off as a freak accident.

"78, you've neutralized 75% of the targets. The remaining targets and security are starting to get suspicious. It'll be a matter of time before they realize a hitman has been sent to Porta's castle," 74 warned.

"Acknowledged. Requesting total blackout."

"You got it," 75 said as I heard the sound of a sniper being loaded.

Three shots were fired from 75's sniper rifle, each landing perfectly against the magic generators in the castle and sending the whole building into darkness.

Screams and shouts erupted from the whole area, as I heard the sounds of shuffling.

Emergency lights turned on, but by the time they were deployed, it was too late, because 78 had darted all around the castle with her cybernetic speed, planting dozens of smoke grenades that flooded the whole building with a haze.

"Commencing final elimination," 78 said as she loaded her pistol with a fresh magazine, the smoke parting revealing the figure of the War Doll, dual-wielding her gun with her knife.

FWOOSH.

78 zipped around, slitting and cutting, and disappearing back into the smoke. If she had done this at the start, the mission would have gone loud.

"All 214 targets neutralized. Begin Phase 2."

Hordes of reinforcements had already entered the castle; demons armed with numerous staves and weapons, as well as soldiers with an array of swords.

78 slowly got to her feet, the smoke swirling around her black dress. The War Doll slowly brought up a wire she had ripped out of a nearby communications box during her last assault, and wrapped it around a Demon, decapitating it before the army.

"SCREEEEEEE!!!!" A large demon hissed, as the horde charged the War Doll, who dropped the wire and retaliated, taking down soldier after soldier using whatever objects she could find.

A large minotaur-like creature bellowed from behind 78, but the crack of a sniper pierced his skull, followed by dozens of arrows which cut down another crowd of monsters.

75 and Garen had launched their counterattack.

"Sixshot, 76, Dainsleif, advance," 74 commanded us. Our group rushed forward through a mass of Shadows, warping us to the inside of the castle away from the battle.

"Hey! What are you doing here?" Two monster guards braced themselves to call for reinforcements, but 74 took aim with her rifle, shooting both guards down in a fraction of a second before they could even react.

"Barricade the door," the Chief War Doll said. 76 obliged, slamming the gate shut and applying a hardening compound around the edges and in a truss-like structure.

Galeo and I advanced, the two of us taking down any guards we encountered with gunshots and Aether strikes alike.

74 led the way, surveying the area, while 76 held the rear, swapping to her M4.

The deeper into the castle we traversed, the greater the concentration of the enemy. By the time we reached the final main room before the King, our weapons were smoking and glowing red hot.

"Allow me to take point," Galeo said.

74 turned to the Outer Shadow.

"Are you sure? I've read your profile, overuse of your powers may lead to catastrophic consequences."

"It won't come to that. Besides, you were going to continue this raid with your melee weapons to conserve ammunition, am I wrong? I can channel the Aether indefinitely as long as I don't channel it continuously for too long."

"Come on, Thalia. Have some faith in your fellow Outer Shadow. He's A Rank, you know. You both have a battle background. And all three of us Outer Shadows are traumatized weirdos!" I said.

"Speak for yourself!" 74 and Sixshot growled in unison.

"Oh."

I glanced behind me and noticed 76's posture was a lot more guarded than usual.

"Hey. Don't worry about it. We got your back, Vinci!"

76 clenched her teeth, forcing her original posture.

"I- I don't need pity! I'm fine! Focus on the mission, you Red-Eyed Pervert!"

"Huh. I was wondering when I was gonna be called a pervert again, and I had a whole four-day streak going."

"If anything, you're giving me more of a migraine than the curse..."

More monsters and soldiers piled into the room, facing us down.

"They're here! Do not falter, comrades. We will serve King Porta to the end."

74, 76, and I stepped aside until it was just Outer Shadow Sixshot facing the remaining reinforcements that had put distance between us and the Demon King.

Come to think of it, I never really saw Galeo at his best. Aside from my last attack on Diacus, I had seen Galeo fight... but a lot of it involved me trying to survive the onslaught of the Vessels of Vala.

The only thing I knew about the guy was that he was A Rank.

And he had briefly survived an encounter with the Vessel Achilles.

"My Inner Shadow once said, that one's martyrdom to a tyrant would be no different than a fool's death in vain. I see nothing but fools ahead of me."

The horde charged as Galeo unstrapped the staff behind his back, channelling a bright cyan flame.

A blinding flash of light illuminated the entire room, forcing me to avert my gaze. Despite being at a distance away from the Outer Shadow, I could practically feel the aftereffects of the attack.

"It's over."

What?

Already?

I slowly opened my eyes, to see the charred remains of the soldiers. Galeo had practically incinerated every single enemy in front of us, practically an entire platoon of soldiers in the blink of an eye.

"Holy crap..." I muttered.

Galeo walked forward, his boots scrunching on the ashes of the enemies. The staff in his hand was still blazing with a blue flame.

"Forward. Four percent should be enough for now."

Four percent...?!

Why didn't you fight like this back when we were getting our asses kicked in Diacus?

Galeo continued leading the offensive, blasting enemies with huge Aether strikes, electricity storms, and infernos.

"You must be having fun," I grumbled.

"Not necessarily. I do not enjoy killing."

"Really?"

The Outer Shadow nodded.

"Even without being labelled a Witch, I would have been considered an outcast regardless. In Tiamar, we are brainwashed into believing we are to either serve the Emperor through blood and strife or be subjected to eternal ridicule since birth. The reveal of my genetic mutation would only compound my ostracization."

74 raised an eyebrow.

"You do not enjoy killing, yet you do it anyway. Out of duty?"

"Yes. While I abhor the idea of taking a life, I understand that it is necessary at times. Back then, it was for my survival from those who sought to purge heretics like me. Now, it is in the name of the Inner Shadow who had saved my life and given me a second purpose."

A snarling demon appeared out of nowhere, but Galeo glanced to the side and parried the beast's claws with his knife.

The tattoos on his arms began to glow as the Outer Shadow pushed the demon back and followed up with a stream of bioelectricity which blew it into smithereens.

"The Aether speaks."

"Huh? Are you going crazy already, dude?" I asked.

"Very funny. But no. When I channel its powers, I can hear its voice. The voice of the Dimension of Chaos. It speaks to all who wield it, sometimes it speaks of cryptic tongue, sometimes it is decipherable."

"Was that time decipherable?"

"Yes. It warns of the nature of Porta. It also is saying the red-eyed fool beside me should shut up once in a while."

"That second part was totally made up!"

Galeo smirked, as the Outer Shadow stomped his foot on a Greater Demon, his cyan eyes flashing as the Demon's head exploded from a Brain Burst.

"Sixshot, what did the Aether say about Porta?" 74 asked.

The Outer Shadow pursed his lips and cast a brief look at 76.

"'Tread with care, to those branded with the heretical mark. Tainted shall be a target, sent far away.' I presume Porta is the type to use spatial magic."

A shadow cast upon the War Doll's face, as her head lowered slightly.

"So be it."

74's eyebrows scrunched up with concern.

"76, take extra caution. I still want you by my side when we face the Demon King. I need at least one War Doll to coordinate with."

"You don't need to ask twice, Chief."

We proceeded until we reached a massive towering set of black and gold doors.

"Ahead is the King," Galeo said.

74, 76, and I braced our weapons as the door slowly opened.

"What in the hell... is this..." My voice trailed away. Ahead of us, was what appeared to be a flood of blue light. Layers upon layers of dots pulsated.

It was as if I was looking at a vast tesseract, like a kaleidoscope of strange fractals that expanded to infinity.

What kind of a throneroom was this?

74 and 76 treaded carefully, their rifles raised.

"The platform ahead looks to be tangible, but it branches out. Deploying Spiderbot," Thalia said, as a compartment opened from her earrings, revealing a strange-looking drone that skittered across the path. Occasionally, it would scan its surroundings, choosing the safest path.

"We'll follow the bot's direction. Do not stray from the path of the bot."

I peered to the edge of our trail.

I picked up a stone and tossed it, watching the stone pass through what looked like a branch pathway into open space.

"Holy crap, that's terrifying. If we so much as slip we're done for!"

Galeo put a finger to his temple.

"I cannot sense an end to the expanse."

"Hey! Anyone scared of heights here?" I asked the group.

"Just shut up and walk, idiot," 76 growled, prodding me in the back with the butt of her rifle.

We continued advancing when suddenly, 74 held out her hand.

"Stop. Do not move. Do not make a sound."

"Why?" I asked.

HISSSSSSSS.

Oops.

I spun around to see a shimmering blue object darting to my position.

KRAK KRAK KRAK.

I covered myself with my prosthetic arm, fully prepared to have it damaged, but the object dissipated.

76 lowered her rifle, which was smoking.

"Thanks!" I whispered.

The four of us knelt, going low.

More and more objects surrounded us.

Ahead of us, the orbs had already surrounded the spiderbot. We watched as the bot disintegrated within the presence of the orbs.

"Spoteaters..." Thalia muttered.

"Spoteaters?" I whispered.

"They're creatures that are surrounded by an enzyme that catabolizes matter, doesn't matter if it is organic or inorganic, flesh or steel," 76 replied, squatting next to me.

"Further enhanced by magic. They're extremely sensitive to sound, the spiderbot was making too much noise from its legs clattering against the ground. We can't risk alerting them otherwise we will expend all our ammunition."

A lump formed in my throat.

"Then what do we do? Can we still sneak past them?"

"We need to wait for them to disperse on their own accord," 74 answered.

"Do we even have that much time? The others are still holding off the reinforcements."

"No, it isn't a matter of whether or not they can hold out. I'm more worried about them finishing too quickly and meeting up with us. The moment they enter this area of the castle, if we can even call it an area, they will alert all of the Spoteaters here. Seems our communications have also been cut. The others have been radio silent. We'll need to brace ourselves for a full-fledged firefight if the others regroup before the Spoteaters leave."

The gears in my brain began to turn.

If the Spoteaters became active, we would risk using up the rest of our ammo.

74 and 76 would essentially be at a disadvantage when fighting Porta. The only people who could put up a fight would be me and Galeo. We had no idea how strong Porta really was, especially after what the Aether had said.

And I really couldn't risk another mana syringe while my body was still recovering.

We had to find a way to get the Spoteaters out of here... or at the very least, incapacitated.

A lightbulb went up in my head.

"That look on your face, do you have a strategy, Dainsleif?" 74 asked.

"Yeah. Let's make the loudest sound imaginable."

The War Dolls and Sixshot gave me a look of disbelief.

"What."

"They're sensitive to sound, right? The spiderbot got swarmed because it made sound, but not a loud enough one. If we let loose a loud sonic boom, we might be able to flood their senses. Galeo could dispatch them with his hacky Aether powers."

76 sifted through the pouches of her tactical bulletproof vest.

"You're suggesting a soundmaker. I might have something that does the trick."

The War Doll pulled out a device from her vest, followed by several earplugs.

"When I activate it, Sixshot can proceed with eliminating the Spoteaters. Everybody plug up."

The rest of us obliged, as 76 pressed the button, unleashing a deafening sound that caused the orbs around us to vibrate uncontrollably.

Galeo shot up, extending his hand.

SZRAK!

A flood of purple lightning left his arm, branching across every single Spoteater and illuminating the entire place with a bright purple hue.

"Well that was easy," I said cheerfully.

74 removed her earplugs, looking onward.

"My spiderbot has been destroyed. We don't have a spare."

"76, do you have a spare?" I asked.

76 put her soundmaker away.

"Hm? No. I do not."

"Really? I thought those spider bots came out of you."

"ACK-PFFT!"

"?"

76 nearly tripped all over herself.

"They do NOT come out of us! What the hell do you take us Tactical War Dolls for?!"

"Ummm... sorry? I just thought you guys were robots and stuff. That weird stimpack came out of your leg."

"That's different."

"How?"

"IT JUST IS!" 76 snapped.

"Look. All that matters is we do not have the means to navigate the rest of this freaking maze. We will need to find another way."

74 looked around. The whole place had turned into a massive expanse of fractals, the droning trance of the dots pulsating was the only thing that could be heard.

Come to think of it...

Where was the entrance?!

"This is bad. It must be the spatial magic the Aether had spoken of. We've completely lost bearings of our position," 74 said.

"Please tell me you're joking," I grumbled.

Galeo walked forward.

"Aether. Guide us."

So we were relying upon a cocaine-addicted Socrates for directions now?!

"Is that even gonna work? You're practically using the Aether as a GPS."

"Do you have any other ideas?"

I thought long and hard.

"Yeah. I do."

"You do?" 76 asked.

"Yep," I replied, getting to my feet and taking off my shirt.

"What the hell are you doing..." 74 muttered, unamused.

"Chill out ladies! You can admire my chiselled abs later."

"In your dreams!" 76-M growled.

Galeo gazed at the edge of the expanse as if he were contemplating jumping off the side.

"Galeo, your knife," I said.

"Gods, no! What are you planning to do with the weapon blessed to me by the Aether?!"

"Just trust me!"

"I'd trust the voices from Warpspace before a shirtless idiot who would strip in front of minors!"

"Huh, I'm surprised you even know that term- hey! Look. Just give me it. I'm gonna cut my shirt into pieces and use it to replace the spider bot."

"We have no idea how far this trail expands. What will you do if you run out of clothes?" Thalia asked.

"How do you feel about strip-"

SMACK.

"GAH! Fuck! It was just a joke! Just a joke!" I stammered, trying to protect myself from 74's onslaught and murderous expression.

"Put your shirt back on, Pervert Red-Eyes."

"Yes ma'am."

I put my shirt on, fixing up my buckles to avoid dropping anything down the expanse.

76-M looked over the distance.

"We have no means of even knowing the condition outside of this space. Time could be accelerated or dilated. We have no way of verifying."

Galeo closed his eyes.

"I cannot communicate with the Shadows either. We're trapped."

Yes. Quite fitting, for those foolish enough to challenge me.

The four of us spun around, wielding our weapons.

Before us, a throne had suddenly appeared, revealing an immensely tall figure who was wearing a dark red cloak.

His face was replaced with a swirling vortex, distorting reality all around it.

"Demon Lord Swirly! Release us at once!" I shouted.

Two girls merged with steel. A sorcerer. And a cloaked fool. Admittedly, this is a rather strange party...

Why was everybody calling me an idiot these days?!

"A party that will kick your ass. We're here to destroy you. By orders of the Black Legion Organization," I taunted.

Porta tilted his head, causing the points in space to distort in response to his movements.

You cannot destroy me. For I am this space itself. Can one destroy something as abstract as this space with firearms? If even the Aetherwalker hesitates to strike first... that alone should tell you that I cannot be stopped with physical bullets.

A blast of force smashed into us, sending us flying backward.

"Shit!!!!" I yelped, reaching out and grabbing at whatever I could find and latched onto a branch.

I turned and called out to the rest.

"GUYS!"

"We're fine!" Thalia responded. They were also grabbing onto whatever they could find.

Understand that you all could have perished from this attack alone. There are no branches tangible in this space. The moment I will it to be so, all four of you will fall to your deaths.

No...

No way.

This meant that... if Porta wanted to, he could choose to make the only thing keeping us alive intangible... and we would be done for.

I glared wildly at the monster before us.

Our lives were completely in the hands of Demon Lord Porta.

10

Think.

How do I get out of this mess...

My mind went back to my first fight with Yeling, back when he had his narrative reset by Loyce, and how I had managed to wound him despite his ability to go Intangible.

That's it!

"Guys! The platform he's standing on, it's tangible no matter what!"

"76! Flash and Spearhead Manoeuvre!" 74 shouted as 76 reached into her vest and flung a flash grenade at Porta, which set off.

Porta stumbled back, the sounds of two spearguns going off in the distance.

Two ropes and spears impaled themselves into the Demon King, causing Porta to howl in pain.

I watched as 74 and 76 were ziplined to Porta's position. 74 grabbed Galeo by the waist, while 76 grabbed mine. The four of us flew onto the platform causing Porta to snarl.

Outer Shadow Dainsleif, how dare you force me to expend my power in combat!

"Too bad so sad. Looks like your dictatorship's going capitalist."

Galeo charged forward, drawing a Force Sword from his back and clashing against the King.

"The Aether is not under your authority. Where I channel my power, you have no voice!"

Accursed Witch!

76 darted around the platform at supersonic speed, occasionally blinking into view to aim and fire with tracer rounds. Porta became bombarded with gunfire from a bunch of unorthodox angles, the glowing bullets illuminating the King's figure. However, the King was incapable of discerning the War Doll's next movements due to Galeo distracting him with his Aether-coated sword strikes.

"Dainsleif, Eagles Eyes," 74 said, as the Chief War Doll tossed a smoke grenade, obscuring the King's vision by flooding the entire place with smoke. However, because 76 had been using glowing bullets, the outline of Porta shone through the smoke, giving us a visual.

I took aim, based on the traced gunfire 76 was giving off, and listened intently to the King's grunts. Some grunts were louder than others... some grunts were different based on whether it was from Porta exchanging blows with Galeo, or taking hits from 76's gunfire.

"Weakspots identified!" I shouted, firing and catching Porta in his vulnerabilities.

The Demon Lord fell to one knee as 76 reloaded, falling back. Just as quickly as 76 stopped her assault, 74 had taken her place like a well-oiled machine.

There was practically no slack in their movement patterns.

These two were fighting and executing these manoeuvres with a mastery that could only be obtained from hours and hours of practice.

I continued aiming and firing, but 76 grabbed me by the shoulder and yanked me to the side before Porta could materialize before me.

"He's caught on to our strategy. I'll take point," 76-M advised.

I darted backward, swapping to my sidearm and firing at Porta, having already analyzed his moveset.

The King fought by creating spatial anomalies at certain areas in my proximity, in hopes of distorting my body. But because I had been watching him fight Galeo, I already knew where he would summon these anomalies.

Dodging and countering had become as natural as breathing.

I am becoming impatient!

Porta summoned another surge of energy.

"He's gonna do the whammy thing!" I shouted.

76 took aim with her rifle and fired, catching Porta at his joint and setting his force blast off center.

Galeo rushed forward, unleashing a surge of bioelectricity and locking the King to the ground while Thalia rushed in with a frag grenade in her hand. Her eyes locked with mine.

I pulled a grenade out of my cloak.

We were gonna deal the final blow when suddenly, the suppression fire from 76's weapon ceased.

"Dammit! My gun is jammed!" 76 snarled, switching to her sidearm, but the King glanced at the War Doll, sending another concussive field of energy that knocked the pistol out of her hand.

How fortune favours those over others...

74's eyes widened.

"The curse...!"

Porta snarled, the vortex in his face intensifying as several anomalies appeared in front of Thalia, catching her in the side and one of her legs.

I watched blood and spare parts fly out of the War Doll's body, but before Porta could continue his assault, Galeo intensified his bioelectricity, pinning the King down.

Galeo continued unleashing his lightning, locking Porta in place, but several veins had already started bulging from his forehead.

"Dainsleif... M74... I cannot hold out much longer."

74 grimaced. Her body had sustained major damage.

"I don't have a choice. We need to push forward. Initiating Stance 15: CHEETAH PROTOCOL."

Thalia's legs suddenly powered up. White circuitry began to shine through her black cargo pants.

FWOOM.

The Tactical War Doll disappeared in a blast of wind, leaving behind a white electrical discharge in her wake.

Thalia materialized above Porta, who growled and turned in the War Doll's direction, opening him up for a strike.

I closed in, my grenade hand reeled back.

Time seemed to slow as the adrenaline pumped into my veins.

My tunnel vision had seemingly blurred my surroundings.

Had to get this charge planted on Porta. 74 had taken a huge risk and expended a second Stance Protocol.

Didn't I tell you, Vinci? That you were my target? Mikoto's voice suddenly resonated in my mind.

A chill ran down my spine as I hesitated, glancing to my side. A patch of blood had formed near my ribcage.

Then my sight was directed toward 76, who stared at her rifle in shock.

The weapon had dislodged the jammed bullet casing... but the casing had shattered, and a fragment had flown in my direction, piercing me in my side.

"FUC-"

I slammed into the ground, dropping the grenade.

No...

We messed up!

74 clenched her teeth, her eyes wild.

"DO NOT LET UP. WE COVER EACH OTHER'S MISTAKES."

Thalia's roar of defiance shook me out of my stupor.

Damn right.

I took aim with my handgun.

Six Hands Combination Style: DEAD EYE

BANG.

I fired a bullet which glanced at the side of the grenade like a snooker ball, sending the projectile hurtling toward Porta's face.

Thalia yelled, jamming her charge in the same place.

"SIXSHOT! DAINSLEIF! FALL BACK."

Porta screamed, trying to rip the charges out of his body, but Thalia landed on the ground before the Demon King, her choppy shoulder-length brown hair fluttering wildly from the white electricity being discharged from her Protocol.

"By order of Sergeant Hellion and The Black Legion Organization, we brand you, subordinate of Inner Shadow Empire, a traitor. Your sentence is DEATH."

Outer Shadow M74 switched to her sidearm, firing at one of the sticky bombs and igniting it.

An explosion sent the War Doll flying back.

Right into me.

"AYO WHAT-"

SLAM.

The two of us tumbled backward as I began scrambling for something to grab onto, my prosthetic arm latching onto the edge of the platform.

Galeo rushed forward and caught the two of us.

"Pull us up!"

"You're... too heavy! Both of you!" Galeo gasped.

"Dammit dude do Psikers not lift?!"

"Now is not the time to be racist you mongrel!"

76 appeared from behind Galeo and growled, yanking the three of us onto the ledge.

"Is it over?" I panted.

My patience wanes. I shall not be humiliated. One so divine such as I.

Of course not.

"How the hell do we damage someone who's basically just space?" I exclaimed.

74 got to her feet.

"76-M."

"..."

"Whether or not the curse affects us, we work together to pull each other's weight. No one is blaming you. So continue to do what you have been trained to do. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes... ma'am."

The four of us huddled together.

"The platform... it's still here," 74 observed.

If Porta wanted, he could have just dissolved the platform, and we would have fallen to our deaths.

There had to be a reason. A reason why we were spared...

Spared...

No.

More like he wanted us to believe we were spared.

My eyes widened.

"Guys. What if the platform is here... because Porta doesn't want us to fall?"

Galeo turned to me.

"That is a bold claim."

"No. Dainsleif might be on to something," 74 whispered, her eyes darting around.

More and more anomalies were coming our way.

This shall be your grave. Today, I shall claim the subordinates of not just one, not two, but THREE Inner Shadows! Master Loyce... see my deeds today. For I shall show you the might of Demon Lord Porta. And- wait, what are you doing?!

"See ya," I said, leaping off the edge.

"That reckless little..." 74 muttered, as the others followed suit.

The four of us dove down the dotted domain, as the dots quickly elongated into millions upon millions of bright blue lines.

Did you seriously think I would let you fools just descend without resistance?!

A wall of matter formed in front of us, but Galeo took out his staff and blasted it into smithereens with an Aether strike.

"Sixshot, keep blasting away! The rest of us will provide cover fire!" Thalia shouted.

Galeo fired another Aether blast, but the blast suddenly disappeared, warped away from an anomaly.

"Anomalies!" 76 growled.

I spun around, glancing at the dozens of distortions that began to manifest around me.

Newton's Third Law, do you remember it, Aaron? Nora's voice rang in my head.

I pulled my submachine gun from my cloak and took aim, firing as the reaction force propelled me away from the anomalies.

"Guys! Newton's Third Law!"

74 and 76 blinked.

"Huh?"

"What's that?"

You girls knew how to disassemble an M4 carbine but didn't know high school physics?!

"Firing your guns will give you propulsion!" I clarified.

74 and 76 obliged, taking aim and dodging the anomalies.

"We're going to run out of ammunition at this rate. We need to reach the bottom fast!" 74 shouted at me.

I glanced at Galeo, who continued blasting wall after wall.

"Galeo! Can you use something more concussive? Shatter the walls into pieces. We'll use the pieces as footholds to accelerate our descent!"

Galeo nodded, modifying his Aether strikes as chunks of debris surrounded us to use.

We were getting closer and closer to the end, and from the distance, I could make out what looked to be a white orb.

"Is that... his heart?" I asked.

"OPEN FIRE," 74 commanded. The three of us took aim with our rifles when suddenly, a sense of nausea washed over me.

This will not be my grave.

Space distorted around us, elongating until four walls boxed us in.

Galeo's staff flew out of his hand, caught in one of the walls and disappeared.

"Those walls are dangerous! Huddle closer!" 74 said.

74, Galeo and I huddled, but something felt wrong.

"76...?" My voice trailed away.

My heart skipped a beat.

76 was frozen, and her combat knife was pressed against her throat. And behind her...

Was a familiar prick with white hair.

"Did I not tell you that I would be back, Muon and Dainsleif?" Mikoto said.

I aimed my handgun, but Mikoto waved his finger at me.

"Nuh-uh. Not this time, God-Eater. Do something I don't like, and Blake-chan becomes a blood fountain."

74's eyes widened in fury, but now our attention was split between the God of Trickery and the Demon Lord.

"How the hell are you even here?!" I growled.

"The mark resonated with me. And it was just... bad luck that this happened to be the type of Demon Lord the War Dolls were tasked to eliminate."

"Huh?!"

Mikoto smiled.

"Dots. Orbs. Space. Did you... connect the dots yet, God-Eater?"

"The hell are you on about? Let my friend go!"

76 struggled, but Mikoto made a clicking noise with his tongue.

"Tsk tsk tsk. Don't struggle now, little lady. You'll only make it worse for yourself. After all, you are the key to all of this. The key to dismantling this entire team."

Key?

How was 76-M the key to ending the team?

"Your fear of 74-M's safety, of upholding the horrible burden of Chief that you witnessed firsthand. That fear has made you psychologically weaker than the other War Dolls."

"Do not listen to Mikoto, 76!" 74 said, but Mikoto cut her off.

"They do not know the real 76. Or rather, they don't know the real Vinci Blake... but he did."

Mikoto slowly raised his finger at me.

"Aaron Hope. His very nature unravelled a part of you that you thought you destroyed. Many think gaining more allies makes you harder to kill, Dainsleif. But to me, and to you, we both know that is far from the case. You would put your life on the line for the people you care about. And you care very dearly for this broken little Doll. I can tell, from the way your hand trembles."

More and more anomalies began to take form. This time, we were so boxed in by the strange walls we had no way of evading them.

76 clenched her fist.

"Any last words, my lovely Blake-chan?" Mikoto whispered in the War Doll's ear.

"I'm sorry, Chief. But there is some truth behind Mikoto's words. I am terrified of hurting you. And I know that what I will do next will hurt you indefinitely."

76 smiled grimly at 74 and me.

"It was an honour serving Muon. And an honour to fight alongside the greatest Outer Shadow in the Black Legion. But if it is my final stand, I will not go out a damsel in distress. I'm taking this little prick with me to the grave."

Thalia's eyes widened.

"76... no! Don't!"

From her boot pocket, the War Doll slid another knife into her hands and jabbed behind her, stabbing the God of Trickery in the abdomen.

"GAH! What?!"

76 spun around, tackling Mikoto and sending them both through the energy wall.

Sparks flew everywhere.

Everything suddenly felt extremely quiet, only the sound of the drone of the expanse and the flowing of energy resonated as we continued free falling.

Galeo looked solemnly ahead, while 74's face went pale, in shock.

"I lost... I lost another one..."

76...

No...

Aaron, I've already lost 77-M.

My heart began pounding in my chest.

BA DUMP.

BA DUMP.

BA DUMP.

I don't wanna die... Aaron. When this curse hits... I want you to save me.

No.

I refuse to let this happen.

I made a promise.

I grabbed Thalia by the shoulders.

"I'm bringing Vinci back."

Thalia blinked, staring at me.

"You'll do what?! I can't lose you too! You were sent here to learn from me and Muon! What's the point if I just let you-"

"I will not die. I'm an SS Rate. Vinci may not be my Auxiliary Shadow, but I've already lost plenty. 76-M still has a lot of work to do in Muon and a whole life ahead of her. She will NOT have it cut short by some god."

"..."

"Look at me, Thalia."

74 made eye contact with me, her grey eyes were bloodshot and on the verge of tears.

So typical for a teenage girl.

Just the way it should have been. For the girl named Thalia Atlai, who should have been enjoying her childhood, but ended up becoming responsible for a group of soldiers.

"Mikoto is the God of Trickery, but he is still a god. And I am the God-Eater. Once I've brought 76-M back, I'm coming for his head. One more to the collection."

I turned to Galeo.

"Outer Shadow Sixshot. Outer Shadow M74. I trust Porta to you guys. I've got a god to kill."

For once, Galeo nodded in respect.

"Then so be it. Do your duty. Outer Shadow Dainsleif."

I faced the walls, sticking my prosthetic into it. Immediately I felt a tugging sensation as I let myself be pulled in.

Reality distorted all around me. Almost as if I was being pulled into a black hole.

But it didn't bother me, because my tunnel vision returned.

All that mattered was 76.

"Aaron."

I paused, peering at 74, whose grim composure had returned. Black grime and torn servo motors lined up her face like a Terminator.

"Sixshot and I will eliminate Porta. I entrust the life of my precious subordinate to you. Bring my soldier home."

In Amerada, I once went on a ride called "The Slingshot".

This was back when I was still dating Jessie.

None of the kids in our class wanted to go on it, but Jessie, being the lunatic that she was, was the only person to be all gung-ho about riding on the infamous "vomit-upchucker".

I remember sitting on the seat next to my late girlfriend and being flung into the air by g-forces.

It felt like I had all my innards being pushed against my mouth, and if I even so much as breathed out all my guts would spill out. So I held my breath the entire time.

Being thrust into the expanse of Porta's presence felt exactly like that.

The acceleration was so intense that it felt like I was about to vomit out all of my guts.

The points in the space had elongated far beyond lines at this point. Everything was just streaks of white as I free-fell at speeds far surpassing terminal velocity.

Something was accelerating me, and it didn't feel like I was accelerating downward.

Something was veering me off course as I let out an audible yell, trying to find some semblance of control in my trajectory.

"What are you doing?!" A girl's voice reverberated in my mind. I spun around, trying to pinpoint the source of the voice. It sounded just like Thalia's, only it sounded a little younger.

Almost like it came from a 13-year-old 74.

"What does it look like? I'm restocking."

Another voice. This time, it sounded like it came from a 13-year-old 76.

"She's dead! Isn't that already bad enough? We're robbing her!"

"And what good would this can of beans do for a corpse? The rest of the girls need food."

"That Demon's already made all the grownups crazy. If we become crazy ourselves, then this city is done for," Thalia retaliated.

"YOU'RE the crazy one for thinking what I'm doing is crossing the line. And let me tell you if it means cutting our dead classmates into pieces so we could use them as bait, then so be it. This is survival. This is what it takes to survive in this city now. Do you know what's going to happen to goody two-shoes girls like you? You'll end up like them!"

I heard the sounds of a struggle, and what sounded like Thalia hitting the ground with an audible grunt.

"You wanna end up with a crow pecking away at your intestines because you wanted to be a good girl, Thalia?"

The voices slowly disappeared as I continued being thrust around in the dot world.

Dots...

Points.

Points in one's life.

Dots. Orbs. Space. Did you... connect the dots yet, God-Eater?

This world was more than just an infinite expanse of visual points.

Each point... was reminiscent of a point in one's life.

What I was looking at...

Were the numerous points of Vinci's life, arranged in a complex fractal.

"I don't wanna live knowing I murdered my own little girl. Become strong... not because you were forced to. But because the sun will eventually rise up, and you will become strong enough to smile again for me."

Colours started to form as I found the space around me distorted into my surroundings.

I free-fell and nearly landed on the surface of a building, but at the last second, someone yanked at me by the collar of my cloak.

"ACK!"

I collapsed, rolling into the shadows of a cement room. I conked my head against the wall, scrambling to the corner with my gun raised at the person who had yanked at me.

"State your purpose and lunch!" I stuttered, trying to repeat what Thalia always said when encountered by an unknown bogie.

"It's purpose and function moron," A familiar voice said.

"...Vinci?"

"It's 76-M! How many times do I have to- GAH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! GET OFF OF ME!" 76 yelped as I ran forward and enveloped the kid in a hug.

"Holy crap! I thought you were actually gonna die! You actually survived...!"

"What do you take me for?! I'm not weak enough to just die from falling!"

76 pried me off her and propped her rifle against the cement ground.

"Why did you come here? You were supposed to be assisting our Chief."

"You told me to save you when the curse came, remember?"

"I- I don't remember saying something so stupid...!" 76 flustered, taking a step back.

"My business with Mikoto and my mark is my own. I separated myself from the group to deal with it without having it affect the performance of the team. My parting words were just a precaution. It didn't warrant the team's greatest asset to go out of his way to annoy me and ditch the Chief!"

"Aww, you called me a greatest asset. Thanks!"

"GRRRR!"

I looked out the window, scanning the environment.

"This place... isn't this Lord Hellion's base?"

"It is. It is my home city. Praetes. But something's wrong."

"What is it? The fact that it isn't burning with green flames?"

"Real hilarious. I mean... it's Praetes... but it's not at the same time. The buildings are similar but not the same. I think it might be an aftereffect from when you decided to jump in alongside me."

"How long have you been here?" I asked.

76 sat down on the pavement.

"Two days."

"Two days?!"

"Yeah. I already figured out the nature of Porta's abilities. His spatial magic works by interacting with different points in a person's relative time continuum. Different points in someone's life. When I was dragged here, I guess I got transported to a past point in my life. But... now you're here... our realities have merged."

"So you're saying this is a combination of Praetes and Amerada?"

"Maybe. But I wanna keep myself covert. I've restricted myself to handguns and concealed everything. I recommend you do the same."

I obliged, taking off Sarah's cloak and wrapping it up, putting it in a hidey hole.

"Kinda feel grateful to Thalia for telling me to keep my shirt."

"Hm."

76 walked past me and approached the door, where the sunlight shone across her outfit. A black tank top which accentuated her musculature and baggy black cargo pants.

Just how covert were we talking about???

The two of us cautiously exited the building. Immediately, a blast of heat smashed me in the face.

"Holy crap how hot are the summers here?!"

"95 Fahrenheit. Why?"

We continued walking.

"Did you exit the building during those two days? Or were you bunking out here?"

"I scoped the surroundings, but I never left beyond a 5-yard radius. I didn't want to take any risks until you arrived."

"So you were anticipating I would come!"

"Yeah. You're not exactly very obscure when it comes to wanting to help your allies out. I guess I kind of had a feeling you would come despite the situation."

76 suddenly, stopping, yanking me behind a pillar.

"What is it? Enemies?" I gasped.

76 knelt down, aiming her handgun in the distance.

"Not sure. But it could be Mikoto. I don't stand a chance against him on my own with limited ammunition. So if there's a chance of an ambush, I steer clear from it."

"Screw that! We should be kicking his ass after what he did to you!"

"You really are the definition of shoot first ask questions later, aren't you!"

If this was really a world dictated by 76's past, then it could mean that it was against her. After all, Mikoto had come and ambushed us at Porta's castle with the intention of making Vinci his target.

It only made sense to assume everything was hostile to her.

"Other way. There are no openings I can take to eliminate the bogey," 76 whispered.

I followed the War Doll, but suddenly, more voices could be heard in the distance.

"We're boxed in!" I exclaimed.

"Shit," 76 grumbled, looking around.

"Up there. To the roof."

I watched as the War Doll acrobatically leaped up a railing and climbed to the roof.

"Are you coming?"

I stared at 76.

"Yeah. Let me just get a freaking jet pack! I can't get up there!"

"Hold out your hand."

I did what I was told, and 76 yanked me up the roof with ridiculous strength.

I collapsed on the roof, my body almost warping the aluminum.

"D- Dainsleif..." 76 muttered.

"What? Are you shocked you borderline gave me a back injury?"

"Look."

I turned to where 76 was pointing and nearly choked.

"Is that... is that a giant floating skull?!"

In the distance, a massive skull made up the horizon. Thousands of strange-looking black monoliths orbited it as if it had replaced the sunrise. A green and purple hue illuminated the entire sky, giving the entire city an occultist vibe.

"Looks more like Vibora Bay than either Praetes or Amerada..."

"We need to find a way out," 76 said but was interrupted by several voices.

"Found em!"

"Hey!"

76 and I spun around weapons at the ready.

One of the members of the group, who looked to be the commander stepped forward. She was wearing a cap on her head which partially covered her face, hiding her eyes.

"Hey! Relax! We're not gonna kill you! Unless you say anything bad about BDSM anyway."

???

I hesitated, glancing at 76.

76 kept her handgun aimed square at the commander of the group that had intercepted us.

A cold look on her face.

"Your commander looks to be an important person. Turn back, or I will put a bullet through her skull and send this entire squad into disarray."

The commander smirked.

"Damn! Am I really getting threatened by a military loli here?"

"Pfft," I snickered but held my breath as 76 shot me a death glare.

"Do not take another step."

"Okay! I won't. But I have a feeling you and I both want the same thing."

"What's that?" I asked.

The commander grinned. For some reason, the grin sent a strange current down my spine.

It was laced with mischief... but that shouldn't have...

"We're all trying to get out of here, aren't we?"

"I've seen tech supports asking me for my credit card number less fishy than what you're proposing, lady!"

"A sense of humour I see! That's definitely a breath of fresh air. Means I oughta apply the Jessie effect on one less person!"

My eyes widened.

"Wait... what did you just say...?"

76 continued gripping her pistol at the group, who were also aiming their weapons back at us.

"Dainsleif! Do not advance!" 76 whispered at me fiercely, but I felt myself compelled to walk forward.

"Huh?" The commander said.

"Did I say something weird again? Hey! Men! Did I say something weird?"

One of the soldiers gave the commander a confused expression.

"Ummm, no?"

"What you just said... say it again..." I muttered, reaching out my hand to the commander.

"Say it again. One more time."

The commander scratched her head, slowly taking her hat off.

"Geez, what's with you? You sound like I just asked you to marry me or something!"

Large eyes... blonde hair tied back in a ponytail.

Blonde hair...

That I knew was dyed.

Because this girl never had blonde hair in the first place. It was brown.

I was wrong.

There was no way we were thrust here based on 76-M. This girl being here in front of me confirmed it.

Jessie continued giving me a confused expression.

"Umm, I don't think we've met before. But you two should really come with us. It's not safe out there."

11

"So you two are looking for a way out after getting into a kerfuffle with the god who controls this place... huh? That's not too far off from what happened to each one of us," Jessie said, putting a hand to her chin.

"By the way, I never got your names."

76-M crossed her arms.

"Blake."

Jessie grinned.

"Pleasure to meet you, Blake! My name's Jessie Lane, the commander of this troop. And you?"

My first girlfriend... who was supposed to be dead turned to me, causing my already busted brain cells to be resuscitated briefly enough for one barely functioning thought.

My mouth slowly moved.

"For... Forgot."

76's jaw dropped, while the air turned silent.

Only the sound of the fire crackling broke the awkward silence.

"Oh. Well! We'll figure something out!" Jessie said, happily.

76 had kept many things secret, as it was clear that we were to be at our highest caution. She left out details about who we were, and what we came to do, and only mentioned that we were trying to get out of here.

"When I was scouting the area, it was as if everything out there was hostile. Judging from the size and equipment of this team, I take it you all are part of a resistance?" 76 asked.

"You bet," Jessie said, slapping one of her subordinates on the back of the head, much to his surprise.

"Our classmates, we're all trying to get out of this messed up place. The day this god came and took over our world, lots of us were slaughtered. It was... tough. To say the least. But we were able to band together and try to save what little of the place was left. Eventually, we realized that all that mattered was each other. We've been trying to hold out. Occasionally, small strike teams would go out to try to survey the world, but we never went out too far."

"Why's that?" 76 asked.

"As you said... there's things out there. None of us have been able to find a way to fight it effectively. Guns work... to some extent. But they're far too nimble. We just don't have the agility to fight them up close."

"I see."

"Say..." Jessie leaned closer until she was a few inches away from the War Doll. But instead of smacking her like she did with Juryrig, 76 kept her stone-cold composure.

"You seem real good in a fight. How long have you been in the game?"

"A while. Why?"

"Well... we're actually thinking about runnin' another expedition. We got some intel that someone in an Academy might have knowledge about reaching The Skull. Supposedly, that's our ticket outta here."

"The Academy? So you think the Skull is where the exit is?" 76 asked.

"Yeah. And likely... where he is. The god that sent us here."

"..."

"By the way," Jessie said, breaking the tension.

"Does your friend here talk? He's just been starin' at me for like, the past twenty minutes with his mouth open. Is there something on my face?"

"GAH! Ah, shit. No. Nah. Just didn't get any sleep is all," I stammered, peeling my eyes away from Jessie.

"Hmmm? You hidin' something from me, Red?"

"Red?"

"Yeah. 'Cuz you got red eyes!"

Jessie inched closer to me, as I leaned back.

"Whoa whoa whoa, lady. Uh... You're... um..."

"What? Am I makin' you nervous, Red?" A whimsical grin appeared on Jessie's face.

"N- No..." I muttered, trying to look the other way.

"Hey hey. Don't be nervous here. I may not act like it, but I'm still a lady. You can't be goin' off treating me like I'm the plague or some BLEAH!"

Jessie suddenly face-planted in front of me. She had leaned too far forward, but I had caught her at the last second, our eyes making brief eye contact.

All of a sudden...

The Jessie in front of me flashed before my very eyes. To the same Jessie Lane, I had met when I was fifteen...

Back when we were fifteen.

"You... you should... fall less often..." I mumbled.

"You should... work out less often..." Jessie said.

"How the hell does that make any sense?!" I exclaimed.

"I have no clue!" Jessie laughed, scratching the back of her head. Her men seemed more embarrassed than confused as if they were used to their commander acting like a total klutz.

I let go of Jessie, watching the commander brush the twigs off her cargo pants.

"Well, it ain't much. But this is the Ameradan Resistance! We represent what's left of Amerada! Don't go expectin' much, because if there's something you want, we probably don't have it!"

I glanced at 76, who's eyebrows scrunched together.

Amerada.

Not Praetes.

This meant that these people had come from Amerada, my home country.

Yet...

"Say. Your group... this Academy... who exactly are you looking for?" 76 asked.

"We're not sure what his name was, but we have his picture if you want to take a look."

"Show me."

Jessie handed 76 a beat-up piece of photographic paper.

76 scanned the paper.

"I see. I am not opposed to accompanying you on the expedition, on two conditions."

76 held out her hand.

"One. Any information we disclose is up to our discretion.

"And two. Red and I can choose to abandon this group any time we want, without being pursued. Do I make these terms clear?"

Several of the men looked uneasy, glancing at Jessie, whose expression remained cheery.

"No problem on our end. We could use all the help we can get."

Jessie led 76 and me into an empty bunker.

"This is where you'll be staying. I assume you two are siblings."

76's expression momentarily soured.

"What makes you think that?"

"Uhhh you have red hair, and he has red eyes?"

What kind of outlandish reasoning was that?!

The two of us bunkered down. There were no beds...

No chairs...

Just a floor and a light.

"Welp! Make yourselves at home!" Jessie said.

"..." I gave Jessie a slightly disgusted look.

"Aww come on, Red. It isn't that bad. You survived this long, don't tell me your little sister was the reason you were alive!"

"That does not make sleeping on the floor sound any less unpleasant... Can't I at least have a pillow or something?"

"Picky picky, you sure are. My ex would have roasted you till heaven come for being so ungrateful!"

"Your ex?"

Jessie's smile momentarily melted.

Her ex...

"Yeah. He... didn't make it. At least, that's what everybody's been telling me. AWOL. But he's the reason we were all inspired to live and continue fighting. The most incredible guy I have ever met... he spent many years homeless but fought hard to survive. I kid you not, fought gods ever since he was twelve. Can you imagine that? And here we are struggling with just one..."

"He sounds hardcore."

"Oh, you bet. You're lucky it's me and not him you're complaining to. If my ex-boyfriend were to ever hear you complaining about sleeping on the floor he would have kicked your ass!"

Your ex-boyfriend was me!

Jessie waved her hand.

"Anyway! Make yourselves at home. Don't hesitate to ask for anything, other than sleeping arrangements through that radio over there. I gotta go back to the planning room! See ya!"

And with that, Jessie left 76 and me alone in the bunker.

I watched the War Doll disassemble her handgun, cleaning the components out.

Her face was covered in grime and dirt, and her eyes were grim.

I wasn't always like this. In fact, these clothes used to be what I always wore back in Azure Academy.

What was 76-M like when she used to go by Vinci?

"Quit ogling me. It's embarrassing."

"Sorry."

76-M put her handgun to the side and rested her head against the wall, staring at the ceiling.

"For all we know, none of this could even be real. In fact, we might as well could have walked into a trap."

I wish I could say I agreed...

But how could I just brush off Jessie as not real?

After everything that had happened to her.

Here she was before me, in the flesh.

Almost like I had a second chance.

Yet...

"Aaron. Love is dangerous on the-"

"I know. I know. Love is dangerous on the battlefield. But... ugh. You wouldn't get it, would you?"

76 examined me with those jewel-like green eyes.

"I think I know why I was targeted by Mikoto."

"Why?"

"Our backgrounds... there's sufficient overlap to form this reality. A reality that could drag the both of us in. By trapping me here, Mikoto would inevitably drag you here too. And by eliminating Dainsleif and M76, the rest of Muon will fall apart. At least... that was what he had in mind. But he made one miscalculation."

"Galeo."

"Yeah."

I clenched my teeth, opening and closing my fist.

My hand had become more and more shaky ever since seeing Jessie. All the emotions that had been bottled up since that fateful day... they were coming back through anxiety.

I knew I had to keep my guard up.

But knowing and having the conviction to follow through were two completely different things.

A part of me wished 76-M could understand, more than just rationally... but emotionally.

This was a call that was beyond hard to make.

Because subconsciously, my heart wanted this to be real. Even if my brain knew it probably wasn't.

"Jessie Lane. Can you tell me a bit more about her?" 76 asked.

I raised my eyebrows.

"Will it help with planning our next move?"

"No."

76 rested her hands on her lap.

"We need to rest anyway, and whether or not this is a trick, we need to recover one way or another. Since we're recovering... maybe you could tell me more about Jessie?"

"So this is gossip, basically."

"N- No! No. I... I just figured it wouldn't hurt to... you know, know you more. After all, you figured out my whole sweets thing."

I smirked, lowering my head.

"What did the Black Legion files say about Jessie? If at all? I haven't read my file in like, forever."

"It covered your background, and it mentioned how Jessie was the first girl you ever dated. 74 and I were shocked when we found out you even had a girlfriend, to begin with."

"What?! What makes you think that?!"

"Well... the person who wrote your file was your Inner Shadow, Lord Gasket himself, and he wrote, verbatim: 'Contrary to popular belief, Hope was involved in a relationship.'"

Contrary to popular belief?!

What the hell, Jun!

"Well. Yeah. Jessie was my first girlfriend. In fact... she's the reason why I was able to smile again and crack jokes. Before I met Jessie, I was probably as close to an edgelord as you could possibly imagine."

"Really?" 76 sat up, intrigue washed over her face.

That sure perked her up.

"Yeah. I wonder if I have an old photo of what I used to look like when I was your age..."

I fished through my pockets and took out my wallet.

I was never really one to own stuff like wallets, credit cards, or anything else.

After all, when I was homeless if I ever needed something, I often either threatened someone at gunpoint or robbed stores.

The wallet I had was a gift from Jessie. Even if it didn't store anything like credit cards or money or even an ID...

In it were memories worth more than any of that.

I flipped through some flaps in the wallet and ran my hand over an old photo of me and Jessie. We were probably fifteen at the time. I remembered when the photo was taken. It was probably one of the first dates we had ever been on. A shopping mall and an arcade, which consisted of Jessie dragging me along by the wrist.

This is a photo booth! Make sure you ain't squinting when the light flashes!

Jessie was smiling and making a peace sign, but I remembered that I wasn't smiling in the photo because I had forgotten how.

76 leaned closer and peeked at the photo.

I heard the War Doll gasp.

"What?! That's you?!"

"Yeah."

"You weren't kidding when you said you were an edge lord... my god. Did you ever cut your hair? It's almost as long as the Chief's!"

"Didn't have time to cut my hair when I was too busy running," I laughed gently.

"So your hair wasn't always grey! This is unreal! I never imagined an Aaron Hope with black hair before!"

76's expression suddenly changed.

"So... you weren't always a troublemaker."

"What makes you think that?"

76 took the photo and examined it. Her eyebrows were furrowed together, meaning she was deep in thought, a habit that I had noticed since living with her.

"Your eyes were so stern... so focused. But... so void of life, as if it was like the only thing on your mind was to survive. I always... thought you were a jokester from day one."

"Sorry to disappoint."

"No no... no. Quite the opposite, really. I kind of figured... there was a time in your life when you had to adjust. The other girls blindly believed that you always had a smile on your face since Day One. But it wasn't. You were human, just like us."

76 positioned the photo next to my face and made an inquisitive look as if she were trying to compare the two versions of me side-by-side.

"BLEH!!!" I made a goofy expression, sticking my tongue out and causing 76 to jump.

"GAH! Why you little... you know, I think I'd rather be doing this mission with a fifteen-year-old you than a nineteen-year-old you!"

"HAHA!"

76 handed the photo back to me.

"So... Jessie was the reason."

"The reason for what?"

"That you became... so full of life again. Even your habits and sense of humor are the same. You're both complete morons."

"I like to think that we're both comedically proficient."

"Yeah, right."

76 stared at the ground, fiddling with the little pebbles on the cement.

"Do you... feel comfortable telling me what happened to her?"

I clenched my teeth.

"She..."

The memory of Jessie pressing the gun to the side of her head resurfaced in my mind.

The tears streaming down her face, and my desperate pleas. The begging.

And the ultimate pull of the trigger.

For a gunman, it was almost ironic that my greatest phobia was the sound of a gunshot.

"She-"

"SO!!! REMEMBER HOW I SAID MAKE YOURSELVES AT HOME?!" Jessie sang, swinging the door open and cutting me off.

"GAH WHAT IN THE FLIPPING FUCK?!" I yelped, nearly toppling backward into 76.

"Haha! Sorry... I know I said to enjoy yourselves, but we actually are kind of in a bind right now... and could use your help..." Jessie scratched the back of her head.

"We literally just sat down!" I snapped.

"Aww come on! Don't be like that! Think of it as a volunteer activity to earn brownie points with the Ameradan Resistance! What kind of reward do you want? Lots of girls are in this resistance, you know."

"Any tall blondes with a big ass?" I blurted out.

"We got... tall blondes... can't testify the size of their ass though."

"Come on, I'm sure you girls have measurements for that."

"Yeah. The hips, I guess. I wonder if guys have measurements. What would they be?" Jessie put a hand to her chin, thinking intently.

"Very intellectual question, my fellow comrade in culture! The most important measurement for a guy would have to be the length and size of their coc-"

"ANYWAY!" 76-M got up, yanking me to the side, and approached Jessie with her firearm strapped to her side.

"We will assist the best we can. Brief us on the way to rendezvous, Commander Lane."

Jessie and I pouted.

"Yes yes. I'm sorry for interrupting your very important discussion. You two can yak it all up once the task is done," the War Doll grumbled, dragging the two of us by the ears.

The three of us made our way to the outside of the base.

And...

I guess the situation spoke for itself.

The groan of a massive mechanical monstrosity roared in the distance. Swarms of monsters polluted the skies like a locust cloud, turning it into a blackish-green hue.

"Commander Lane!" A soldier approached us, saluting.

"Jake, any progress on that Bulwark?"

"No Commander. Our ordnance didn't even leave a scratch. Its defenses are impenetrable. We've sent two squads to scout for weaknesses and neither of them has come back. There's too much of an enemy concentration over there."

As Jake continued with the fantastic news, I could hear the sounds of despair amongst the ranks.

"We're screwed... we're screwed!"

"My god... I've never seen something like this before."

"Get a hold of yourself! Do you think Aaron would have cowered like you are right now?!"

76 narrowed her eyes at the beast.

"It's reanimated with the power of Mikoto. I recognize that energy signature anywhere. The monsters are coming from its essence."

Jake nodded.

"We're completely overwhelmed. To make matters worse, one of our guys has reason to believe that the Bulwark is slowly inching toward our base camp. He estimates... six hours before we're completely overrun. We can go for another ordnance... but..."

Jessie slowly turned to us.

"Umm... any ideas?"

You're asking us?!

"Ordnance won't do anything on that bulwark's hide. It's magically reinforced," 76 said, eyeing the monstrosity as her red hair danced wildly in the air. The shockwaves of the monster's footsteps were so gargantuan that we were hit by typhoon after typhoon degrees of wind.

"We need to find a way to disable whatever is reinforcing the hide. Most of the time, monsters of that size receive magic through an adapter or an organ. Determine a way to destroy the organ to lower the magic barrier. If possible, find a way to reduce the bulwark's defenses, and only then will we be able to shoot it down with ordnances."

Jessie raised an eyebrow.

"Damn, girl! You sound like you've fought enemies that size before!"

76 turned to the soldiers. Her eyes tracked each one of them, from their physical build to their gear, to their weapons, and even their facial expressions.

"The woman with the bob cut and the man with the beard in a braid. Bring them here."

Jake blinked.

"Grace and Mitch... they're our top soldiers! How did you discern them so easily?"

"They're the only ones with fighting faces and have the most damaged gear. Yet they're still alive. The rest of your soldiers are wimps."

"Ehhh...." Jake muttered as Jessie laughed.

"Well, you're not wrong. We're all scared shitless!"

Was that even something a Commander could say?!

"This is madness! Are we sending our top soldiers to their deaths? We should keep them here, Commander!" A man shouted at Jessie.

Jessie glanced in the man's direction.

"Yeah."

The man marched up to 76, towering over the teenager. He was even taller than me, making him almost double 76's height.

"Under the command of this little girl? You've lost your mind! You all have! Did this world send you guys into madness?! Without Grace and Mitch, this camp is doomed."

"If we sit here and let the bulwark reach our camp, we will be doomed for sure," Jessie said.

The man loomed over 76, his menacing eyes glaring dagger at the War Doll, but 76 returned his glare with a sinister look.

"A commander's purpose is to lead and make decisions. A grunt's purpose is to follow these decisions," 76 said.

"I don't need to hear that from someone who's probably never fought a day in her life. Go back and play dress-up, little girl. This isn't a place for you to have your make-believe fantasies."

"And you think you are in a place to make any calls?"

"I've seen more action than you ever have-"

"If that is so..."

76 stepped closer until her face was an inch away from the man's.

"Then enlighten me, Private Swaffem of the 2nd Reservist Regiment of Amerada."

A shred of hesitation flashed on Swaffem's face.

"How did you figure out my name-"

"You claim to have seen action. Then enlighten me. Can you tell the difference between a knife cutting through flesh or bone? Have you ever crawled in mud and feces, and was forced to keep quiet to avoid alerting the enemy? Have you ever gone weeks without sleep, observing the enemy's patterns and having to deduce reality from hallucination? Have you marched upon enemy lines, fully prepared to be shot in the head knowing there was no other option?"

"No... but-"

"Have you ever gone toe to toe with a devout enemy soldier, who would do anything and everything, who would endure anything to see his loved ones again? To the point where you had to carve out his very intestines, because no matter how deep you cut, no matter how many bullets you put in him, he would never go down? Have you ever fought against someone who had just as much of a conviction to live as you did? No?"

76 grabbed Swaffem by the collar and yanked him so hard, that the soldier lurched forward, momentarily losing his balance.

"Don't lecture me about something you know nothing about. A Private who's never been deployed is no different than a construction worker who's never held a wrench in his life. Your title as a member of the Ameradan Reserves means nothing now. If you wanna be useful to these guys, then shut up and learn from those who are."

The entire base had suddenly gone silent, staring at 76 and Swaffem.

Even Jessie was staring at 76 with a surprised look on her face.

"Grace and Mitch. On me," 76 said, in a commanding voice. The way she had delivered it instantly made me want to shape up.

And it wasn't just me.

The bob-haired girl and the bearded man ran up to our flank, weapons in their hands.

"Specialization and background," 76 commanded.

"Yes ma'am. Grace Middleton. Ex-Special Forces. Specialization in suppression combat."

"Sergeant Mitch Wong. Specialization in guerilla warfare."

76 turned around, taking a rifle that Jake had handed to her and me.

"My name is Blake. I will be taking command of our unit. I have a background in general warfare. Specialization in CQC. My brother here is Red. His specialization is in combat engineering. He has an extensive background in firearms and general diversion combat. We will be raiding the bulwark's proximity. I will provide more details upon deployment."

Grace and Mitch saluted, but I could tell they were a little uneasy taking orders from a fifteen-year-old girl.

Jessie walked up to my side.

"I will command another squadron alongside you guys. We will work to distract the bulwark and try to lower the enemy concentration that is coming to your side."

I raised an eyebrow.

"You can fight?"

Jessie put a hand to her chest.

"ACK! I am offended! What do you take me for?!"

"Ummm, honestly you've done more to ruin your reputation as a Commander than support it."

Jessie approached me and looked me in the eyes.

Suddenly, my body felt uneasy.

As if all the danger signals inside my subconscious were all going off at once.

I was being...

Analyzed?

Was this really the same Jessie Lane that I knew?

"Hey. You have a really similar skillset as my ex..."

The blood drained from my face.

"Well, I mean. Lots of fish in the sea, you know?"

"I don't think I've met any other human being on Earth who's ever fought a deity and lived to tell the tale. Much less dozens."

The tension continued until Jessie looked away, rubbing her eyes.

"Sorry. I guess, you remind me a lot of my ex is all. As much as I want him to be alive... I gotta face reality. Not even he could have survived something of this magnitude. I'll group up with my squad. Blake and Red. We will depart on your call."

"This place is even more messed up than I thought..." Mitch muttered.

"Blake. The way you spoke about your plan to cripple the bulwark tells me you have a history in warfare against monstrosities. Care to share a bit more about your past so we could get to know you better?" Grace said.

"Focus on the mission, Middleton."

"Understood."

The four of us assembled near a hill, far from the outskirts of the base.

"Red, have you analyzed the movement patterns of the offshoot entities?" 76 asked.

"Yeah. They're sprouting from several pores around the perimeter of what looks like a massive floating gate that's physically shielding the body of the bulwark from the outside. I'm guessing that was also why the ordnance had trouble penetrating its defenses."

76 knelt down, peeking from over the hill.

"The pores open cyclically similar to an autonomous system. We can't guarantee we can breach the pores since each one has an egress of enemies. I want to propose an explosive approach.

"Plant bombs at select points to structurally weaken the pores the moment they open. The bulwark will open up more pores and send its monsters after the explosions in response to the threat. We can use the rerouted spawn pattern to our advantage and raid the gate through the pores that are not deploying as many monsters."

Wong pointed at each bomb drawing in the dirt.

"How will we plant the bombs without invoking a full-fledged deployment of enemies?"

"The bulwark more than likely believes we lack the firepower. Blake's strategy of using the explosives against a vulnerable area is unorthodox from the ways the Resistance has been using them. So it'll surprise the bulwark for sure. If we raid the pores and plant explosives, the bulwark will think we're just another strike team sent to die. They will send enemies at a normal density," I answered, glancing at 76.

"Do I sound awesome or what?!" I said, through facial expressions to the War Doll.

76 covertly rolled her eyes.

And with that, the four of us made our way to the first bomb site.

"Enemy swarms located," Grace said.

"Red and Wong will engage," 76 replied, prompting us to aim with our rifles.

The two of us gunned down the swarm, prompting several enemies to take notice and counter with projectiles of their own.

I grabbed my handgun with my prosthetic and aimed, shooting down the projectiles mid-air with perfect precision.

Mitch blinked, staring at me, but before he could form another sentence, 76 rushed forward, kicking a monster before it could take Mitch out and firing her rifle at its maw.

"Blank out again, and I can't guarantee I can save you in time."

"Sorry, ma'am."

Grace pointed at a spot.

"There. Mitch, can you plant the bomb?"

Mitch nodded, rushing forward. Grace provided cover fire, while 76 and I fought off the monsters starting to spawn from the pores.

I reached for a grenade, but 76 grabbed my wrist.

"No. No explosives yet."

ROAAAAAAAR.

A massive bellow interrupted our group as a large tyrant emerged from one of the pores, much bigger than the rest.

"Oh god... a Knight!" Grace exclaimed.

Mitch and Grace backtracked, trying to evade and fight the Knight simultaneously, but the monster was too much for them.

If a single Knight overpowered them...

I couldn't imagine just how hard the other guys who weren't as experienced as these two had it.

Especially if they were dealing with swarms of these guys.

"Continue planting the bomb," 76 shouted.

"But Blake... that Knight-"

"Red and I will deal with the Knight. Grace, continue holding off the forces."

Grace blinked.

"Y- Yes, ma'am."

76 and I sprinted to the knight's location.

76 aimed with her rifle and fired at the Knight. The bullet ricocheted off his hide as the Knight turned to us and roared.

76 fired again, this time in its maw, causing the Knight to buckle. I rushed forward, shooting at both of its legs, and dodged a swing from one of its appendages, grabbing the monster by the head and flinging myself onto its back. I examined the structure of the monster's hide, deducing its weak spots. It was impossible for something to be both mobile and invulnerable at the same time.

To have a degree of freedom meant to have something soft enough to enable the movement.

Meaning...

The Knight began to flail, trying to shake me off. 76 dodged a feral swipe and aimed with her rifle, disabling the other two limbs.

"Blake, its weakness is the neck!" I shouted at the War Doll, who acknowledged it and sprinted forward, leaping into the air.

I watched 76 clutch the monster by the horn, jamming her fingers into the hide and sending green blood all over the place.

"GRRRRRAHHHHH!"

The War Doll ripped the monster's head off, spine, skull, and all, then proceeded to fire confirmation shots with her handgun into the corpse, confirming the kill.

76 landed in front of Mitch and Grace, whose jaws hung open in disbelief.

"W- Wow..." Mitch muttered.

76 picked up a gun that had dropped on the ground and handed it to the Sergeant.

"Do not lose focus again. This squad is small enough as it is. We cannot afford injuries."

"Yes ma'am."

Whatever doubts these two had of 76 leading were probably shattered from this encounter alone.

We continued, gunning down enemies and planting bombs, until we reached the final site, where a man knelt in the center of a strange cathedral.

Several troops had been slaughtered, evidenced by the splatter of red.

"No..." Grace muttered.

"That was Phil's strike team... Mitch, that was Phil's squad!"

"That bastard!" Mitch growled.

"That's... not a monster, is it?" I asked.

The man slowly got to his feet. His hair was so long it pretty much covered his entire face, but his whole posture, even the way he was standing was giving me the chills.

But it wasn't just his posture.

There was something more.

I glanced at 76. Her face was pale.

Something that would even startle a War Doll...

"The red... I wanna see more red. Tell me... tell me where I can find more red."

Grace irked.

"That man... that man's been corrupted."

The man suddenly spun in Grace's direction, appearing in front of her with a knife in his hand. His eyes were wide in a frenzy, and an unnaturally large grin appeared on his face.

"GIVE ME RED!"

BANG.

I fired at the man, who dodged with frightening agility.

And for a brief second, I could see it.

His bangs had parted, revealing a set of green eyes.

Eerily green...

Almost like...

"Evangelion!" 76 gasped, narrowly dodging another swipe.

Mitch took aim with his gun, but the man spun around and laughed eerily, throwing his knife at Mitch's chest.

I took aim and deflected the knife, but the man appeared in front of me again with that insane speed.

"Sacrifices to the God of Fire!"

"GEEEH!" I snarled, throwing a punch that missed.

The man countered, catching me in the stomach and sending me into a pile of rocks.

My vision became blurry.

"Sacrifices... sacrifices... SACRIFICES TO THE FIRE GOD!"

The man redirected his attention toward, 76, flying in and stabbing his dagger right into her shoulder.

"Blake!" Grace shouted, as 76 tried to pry the man off, but the man continued sawing. The horrific sounds of servos ripping from the War Doll's arm filled the air.

"No... get away from her!" Mitch screamed, firing his rifle erratically at the man.

"Fear...! FEAR!"

The man spun around and jumped on Mitch, his knife raised, but Grace had fired several rounds from her rifle, causing the man to deflect them with his knife.

Agility, strength, speed, and durability.

This man was beyond superhuman.

If I had to estimate...

"Elite Tier A+ Rank. Bordering... bordering S Rank," 76 spat out a patch of blood from her mouth. Blood was pouring from her arm, which was now partially sawed off and emitting bioelectrical discharge.

I got to my feet but doubled over, the last hit from the man had knocked the wind out of me. Right in my liver.

"Stay away!" Grace exclaimed as the man marched forward, deflecting every bullet she was firing his way.

76 attempted to close distance by jumping to his position, but the man turned at the last second, grabbing the War Doll by the face and lifting her into the air.

"Little girl, you look just like the girls our god has assigned us to kill."

76's eyes widened, realizing exactly what the man was saying.

"The little girls of Azure Academy. Tell me. I want to know. Tell me where I can find more of you. Tell me more. TELL ME!"

The man slammed the War Doll into the ground so hard that a shockwave blew me back, crashing into Grace and Mitch, who was so winded they were barely able to stand.

"Our god seeks their blood. We shall slaughter them. Starting with you."

76 struggled to get up, but the man pinned her to the ground. Something felt horrifically off. 76-M wasn't always like this.

The look on her face...

It wasn't just rage. It wasn't just fury.

"You... I won't let you... I won't let you ruin their lives... I can't... can't bear witness to this again..."

It was trauma. Pure, terrifying trauma.

The man cackled, mashing 76 deeper into the ground.

"BEAR WITNESS?! No... I will kill you. You may witness our offerings once you are devoured by our lord!"

I had no idea what Vinci was like before she became a War Doll. But I imagined that, based on what I had surmised, she was just like her classmates. A regular teenage girl who lived her life. When Evangelion had descended to her world, the Inner Shadow had lobotomized and turned every single adult crazy. The adults invaded Azure Academy and sacrificed as many of the girls as they could find.

The Tactical War Dolls each had some kind of traumatic event that psychologically changed them from innocent little girls into cold-hearted killers.

The fact that 76 was forced to bear witness to this again... yet being so powerless to do anything about it-

"I thought I made myself clear..." 76 growled, forcing herself up, much to the man's surprise.

"What... what is this...?!"

76 pushed the man off of her, snarling like a wild beast.

"I'm not someone who enjoys jokes. YOU ARE NOT LAYING A SINGLE FINGER ON THOSE GIRLS."

The man stumbled back, as 76 took aim with her handgun and fired several rounds. The man deflected the rounds, but a bullet caught him square in the side.

76 lowered the rifle that she was wielding with her barely functional arm, smoking at the barrel.

"You... you are not like the ones our god wants. I must retreat. I must-"

SWOOSH.

76-M closed the distance, her eyes wide as she jammed her handgun into the man's side, firing. The man recoiled, slicing his knife which caught 76 in the face.

"Foolish girl! You may be different, but you are still prey for our god. Once I kill you, I will kill your friends. And then I shall- huh? My knife... is stuck?"

76 leaned forward, the blade lodged between two parts of her metallic jaw which had now become completely exposed. Black metal components had revealed themselves from where the man had sliced up 76's skin.

An animalistic glare appeared on her face that terrified everybody. I realized I was completely frozen, unable to move or process what was going on.

"You dare threaten my subordinates? Then I hope you're fully prepared to suffer the consequences!"

The man stared at 76, who ripped the knife from her face and impaled the man right in his forehead, sending shrieks into the sky.

"MITCH! TRIGGER THE CHARGES!" 76 roared.

"But- but Blake-"

"TRIGGER IT! NOW!"

Mitch scrambled to the remote that had been knocked out of his hands, his finger on the button.

Grace clenched her fists, trembling from the adrenaline.

"You're in the blast radius... you won't make it!"

The man shrieked, grabbing at 76, who kept stabbing over and over again.

A wild, hysterical battlecry filled the air.

"I will survive," 76 glared at Mitch and Grace, her metallic endoskeleton in full view.

"I'm not human anymore. Just like this monster. Prime the charges. THAT IS AN ORDER."

Mitch and Grace turned to me, their faces gaunt from panic.

"Do it," I said.

Mitch reluctantly pressed the button, sending the entire area in a flood of orange flame.

War Doll and monster were engulfed as I grabbed the two troopers and yanked them out of the chaos.

The three of us panted, catching our breath. Several minutes had passed until the smoke finally cleared.

Grace peeked from cover, and a gasp escaped her breath.

"Oh god... she... she survived...!"

76 limped toward us, her body had suffered tremendous damage, but in her hand, was the head of the man.

I watched the War Doll toss the head aside, a scowl on her face.

12

The four of us sat in silence, recovering from our encounter.

And just as awkward as I predicted this would be, just as it was.

"So you're a cyborg," Mitch said.

76 stopped patching herself and looked up.

"Yes."

"How... how did that happen?"

"None of your concern."

Mitch wrapped a bandage around himself, glancing at Grace.

Grace was still extremely pale. I knew she was Special Forces, but I guess the idea of having a yandere threaten your life and nearly kill the one person you were relying on probably was not a morale booster.

"Who was that man? You mentioned the name 'Evangelion'. Is that another god? Besides Mikoto?" Grace asked.

"We move ahead and locate the core after we have rested," 76 said, tossing an empty syringe aside and walking past the group.

"Blake. We can't proceed with this mission unless you tell us more. It's obvious you and Red are connected with these monsters, and I suspect you're also connected with the god that sent our world into ruin," Grace protested.

"If you can't even handle that cutthroat, what makes you think you can contribute to this mission when your mind is in disarray from playing detective?"

Mitch got up.

"We're the best soldiers the Ameradan Resistance has. We need to work together! But we can't do that if you're withholding information from us!"

76-M gripped her rifle, eyeing the two.

"Work together? Just what did you two do, when Red and I were fighting that cutthroat? Cowering? Multiple times we had to save you, instead of focusing our firepower on the enemy. A tactical task force is meant to work in tandem with one another to launch assaults. There was no coordination, no composure, nothing. For two ex-soldiers, you are both beyond disappointing."

"What did you realistically think we normal humans could do against that guy?!" Mitch snapped, stepping forward and facing off 76-M, who looked like she was seconds away from pulling the trigger T-800 style.

"We're not superhuman. We're regular-ass human beings expected to fight against a god. There's only so much we can do. I've lost enough brothers and sisters on the battlefield to know the limits of the human body. You're expecting too much!"

"If expecting you to keep your cool when Red and I are taking the heat of the enemy is too much to ask of you, then perhaps it would have been better if we did this operation ourselves."

76 jabbed her finger in Mitch's chest.

"At the moment, I have zero trust in either you or Middleton. Both of you have been liabilities. It took Red to convince you to detonate those explosives while I was holding back the cutthroat. That alone is enough for me to abandon the two of you."

Grace threw her rifle on the ground and marched up to the two.

"That's enough! What kind of commander are you?"

"The type that's needed," 76 snarled.

"No! I'll tell you the type of commander you are. You're the worst kind. And I've both led and fought for a large number of officers, Sergeants, you name it. A commander is responsible for their subordinates, just as much as their subordinates are responsible for not dragging the commander down. But there's only so much we can do with the skills and abilities that we have! If you can't mold your strategies and tactics to the skillset of your team, then what's the point of commanding them?"

76's fist clenched, and I could tell she was near her breaking point.

"Guys..." I said, cutting the conversation short.

"We got company."

We aimed our rifles at the source of the footsteps coming from the entrance where we had blown a hole through the gate.

If we had another ambush... we were screwed.

76-M was still damaged and recovering.

As for Mitch and Grace...

I glanced at their trembling hands.

Joseph, and doggystyle Mary.

We were fucked.

I had to channel chakra... it was the only way.

But my body wasn't ready for it yet. If I channeled it right away, I'd risk blowing my arms off or something like I did when I fought against Vala "Grond Style" back in Millennium City.

I couldn't find any openings unless we completely boxed ourselves in.

Tension continued to rise, as 76 stood in front of me, pistol in hand.

...

"Hello? Hello!" A girl's voice called out.

Grace narrowed her eyes at the source of the voice.

"Commander Lane...?!"

Jessie poked her head through the entrance, causing me to nearly shoot my ex... ex(?)-girlfriend point-blank in the head.

"WHOA! Calm down there, Red! I ain't the enemy!"

"Verify your identity!"

"What?! How do I do that?"

"Favourite pornsite!"

76, Grace, and Mitch stared at me.

"Huh?" They said, in collective unison.

Jessie put a hand to her chin.

"Erm... Probably Brazz-"

"It's her! I'll vouch for it!" Grace quickly said, cutting Jessie off before she could namedrop some highly cultured knowledge upon us mortal souls.

I lowered my rifle.

"Jessie, you made it! What's your status?"

"We made it in one piece. You guys really reduced the enemy forces. We were able to locate the organ... but we couldn't do any damage to it. We were completely outgunned and outnumbered there. The moment the explosives went off, the bulwark didn't just send hordes of enemies to the location of the explosion, but I'm guessing there was an increase in defenses around the organ. So we made the decision to regroup with you guys and try to bring 'em down together!"

I did a once-over on Jessie's squad.

Other than a few winded soldiers... none of them had suffered any injuries.

Even their gear didn't look any different than the ones they had in base.

"How the heck did you walk away from that without any injuries?" I asked.

"Ummm, I dunno. I just... commanded them I guess? Mitch and Grace! What happened? You two look like you just faced Mikoto himself!"

Mitch glared at 76.

"We certainly faced something."

...

Jessie looked around, seemingly assessing the situation.

"Hmmm. Okay. I think I have an idea of what happened here. Mitch and Grace, you two are assigned to me. Any objections?"

"None, Commander Lane."

76 looked like she wanted to say something, but turned around, hiding the pout on her face.

Adorable.

Jessie pointed down the path.

"I've already traced the entire network of pathways in that bulwark. The core is this way. Red and Blake, I want you guys to come with us."

"Wait, you already traced the network?!" I exclaimed.

"Yeah. It was pretty easy," Jessie shrugged.

What...

What was I looking at?

This airhead of a woman who I thought I knew was actually a genius?!

We made our way to the core, all the while, I stayed by 76's side.

"That scowl is going to give you wrinkles when you get older, you know."

76's scowl deepened.

"We don't age, moron."

"Temper temper!"

"UGH! What do you want me to say?! Our allies are worthless! This whole thing was such a mess. I want us to ditch this entire group and raid the skull ourselves."

"Having more numbers is still a safer option. You know this. Especially when we're out of supplies."

76 gritted her teeth.

"Why... why am I having so much difficulty commanding these guys? What am I doing differently from the Chief? I remained strict and stoic. I enforced everything Sergeant Hellion had taught me. Yet..."

The War Doll gazed at the group. Jessie put her arm around Grace's shoulders, and the two were laughing. The pale that was on her face was long gone.

"None of this would have happened if I had more competent subordinates. None of it."

"..."

"Oh god... what is that...?!" A soldier whispered.

"Is that a body?"

"Oh god... oh god...!" Another soldier panicked, as I heard the sound of her vomiting.

76 and I made our way through the crowd.

"A corpse? Here? That makes no sense. I thought the Resistance didn't make it this far," I muttered.

Jessie beckoned 76 and me closer.

"Do you two recognize her? She looks your age, Blake."

"My age?" 76 asked, surprise in her voice.

The two of us waded through until the body was in full view.

And a chill ran down my spine.

Aside from the disemboweled entrails... and broken limbs...

Something inside that body wasn't right.

Because from where the body was ripped open...

There were several servo motors and biomechanical components.

Characteristics of a cyborg.

"What the fuck...?!" 76 muttered.

Wtf was right.

What was someone like her doing in here? Not just the inside of a bulwark...

But in this reality?

76 sprinted forward, grabbing the deceased War Doll by the shoulders and trying to sift through her gear.

"A young soldier... just like Blake..." Grace muttered.

"How is this possible? How...?!" 76 whispered fiercely, turning to me with shocked eyes.

What did this mean?

A Tactical War Doll was in this reality.

But this made no sense.

I thought this reality was created by merging Vinci and my pasts together.

If a War Doll was here before us, that meant this reality had been formed before we even deployed to Demon King Porta's world.

And not to mention...

There realistically could have been no way a War Doll would be killed in a place like this.

She had all her gear with her, unlike 76 and me.

That meant something was here that was strong enough to kill a Tactical War Doll.

"63-F. Of SFA-Fusil. I thought Fusil went MIA when they were deployed to a Twin World. Why is this Doll here of all places?" 76 said, running her hands through the corpse's clothes and pulling out a bloodied knife.

"She went down fighting. If she had to resort to a knife, it meant whatever killed her was impervious to our weapons..."

I glanced at the Resistance members, who either looked petrified or were throwing up.

Jessie had told the members to camp out away from us, where they couldn't see the body.

"I hate this," Jessie muttered.

"I'd be very concerned if anyone found this funny, to be honest," I said.

"No," Jessie replied, a look of anger flashed on her face which startled me.

The Commander walked forward and put her hands on 63's face.

"Poor girl... so young... yet forced to do something like this. The idea of little kids fighting a war... even the sight of a little girl in military clothes pisses me off!"

76 was silent. I could tell she was no exception from Jessie's statement.

"Jessie, it's not like these girls had a choice," I said.

"I know. And that's what makes me so mad, because... my boyfriend... my boyfriend was the same."

My ears felt hot.

"My boyfriend was just the same. Forced to use a weapon so early, forced to kill. I don't care if little kids like to play pretend to fight with toy swords. It's pretend. It's not the real thing. What kind of sick PRICK would even try to do something so terrible to a child? What kind of sick sense of humor would a god have to force kids to fight for their lives?!" Jessie snarled, her hands trembling.

"Jessie..." I put my hand on her shoulder.

"What's done is done."

Jessie gritted her teeth, closing her eyes fiercely.

"I know. I know... Sorry. Sorry, I didn't mean to lose my cool like that. 'Specially in front of my men. I like to joke about a lot of things. I like to do a lot of outlandish shit. But... this is a line I will never cross. Killing a kid. Aaron would never forgive me if I ever did something so cruel."

I scratched the back of my head.

"I'm sure Aaron would never expect that from you!"

It felt weird referring to myself in the third person.

76 pulled out several items from 63's body, including some stimpacks and a communications device...?!

"AYO! That's a-"

76 kneed me in the groin.

"GACK! MY BALLS! ME BALLSACK!" I gasped for air. 76 kicked me in the balls so hard that I turned Scottish!

"Zip it, moron! We can't risk the others knowing I'm-"

"What is that? A coms device?" Jessie asked.

76 gave me a look of pure annoyance.

I laughed nervously.

"Yeah..."

76 inspected the device and fiddled with the controls, but a big "no signal" symbol flashed on the screen.

"The thing needs a signal booster," 76 said, holding the device in the air.

"A signal booster? Here? Is there even anything that could amplify the signal without alerting every single enemy?"

"No idea. But if I could use the device to transmit a signal to Muon... we might be able to get some reinforcements. We need to let the Chief and the others know we're still alive."

Jessie was listening intently to our conversation.

"And I assume you want me to keep this information confidential from the others... I take it, Blake?"

76 nodded grimly.

"Yes. If you can."

Jessie took a deep breath.

"I will. But... one thing. Can you tell me who you two really are? I hear from Mitch that you're a cyborg, Blake. I can already tell from you, Red, with that arm of yours."

I glanced nervously at 76, who nodded.

"Go ahead," She seemed to say.

"We're time travelers," I said, proudly.

76's mouth hung open as a wave of silence washed over us.

"That's..." Jessie muttered.

"AWESOME!"

"I know right?" I said as the two of us indulged in absolute brain rot.

"So I'm basically like, living in the movie scene of T2!"

"Except Judgement Day already happened."

"That's insane!"

"Yeah!"

BONK.

Jessie and I crouched, rubbing the tops of our heads from where 76 bonked us.

"Are you two morons finished losing brain cells? There's still much to do. We need to take care of the organ. Now that we know there's something out there that can kill people like me... this makes any further expeditions exponentially more dangerous. We need to be extra vigilant."

Our group continued the raid, shooting down enemies left right, and center.

And as we fought, I began to see why Jessie had become a commander.

When I knew Jessie back when we used to date, she was always extroverted and outgoing. She was the type of person who would always reach out to those who needed it. And this is a skill many people think they have but don't.

There are two types of non-extroverts.

Those who choose to be alone, and those who need the company of others, but either didn't realize it or don't know how.

Oftentimes, if an extrovert were to approach someone, they may find that the person had chosen to be segregated on their own accord. And as such, the extrovert may come off as annoying.

But there were those who genuinely sought friendships... yet didn't know how. Because they had spent so long being alone.

To have the ability to differentiate between these two types was rare. And it was a quality Jessie had.

The ability to lead your squadron wasn't all just skill. You needed to understand them.

Jessie's way with people was what allowed her to have her subordinates not just work with her, but have the desire to succeed under her command.

But in Vinci's case...

I watched 76 shoot down enemy after enemy with masterful precision and speed.

In fact... she was shooting down enemies before they even appeared like an aimbot. None of us could even register what had happened, as the moment we would turn around, a slew of corpses would have appeared out of nowhere.

"She's killing them before we can even react..." One of the freedom fighters muttered.

"Give me your magazine," 76 said to one of the soldiers, who was trying to shoot down a group of monsters in the distance but failing.

"But-"

76 glared at the man with a terrifying expression.

The man obliged, handing 76 his magazine as the War Doll reloaded, and picked off the enemies with the same level of precision.

Within minutes, 76 had killed 98% of the enemies who had appeared. The 2% was me. She stole practically every single kill, leaving none for the Resistance fighters.

Several of the soldiers were shooting 76 dirty looks, but Jessie disregarded it, putting an arm around Blake with a huge grin on her face.

"Well, I sure am glad you're on our side!"

76 shrugged Jessie off and approached the organ, running her hand along its side.

"Red, come here. What do you think?"

I approached the organ and felt the material.

"No. Our guns won't work against something like this. Its ballistic hardness is too high for our firearms or even our grenades."

Jessie looked around.

"If we can't shoot it... do you think we could use something else?"

"Something else... like the environment?" I asked.

Jessie pointed around the innards of the bulwark.

"The place looks like a cave. What if we level it and have the falling debris crush the organ?"

76 turned to the environment, her eyes scanning all around.

"Red, can you guesstimate where we can plant explosives to cause the most destruction?"

"I can. But we're gonna need a lot of cover fire. I'm not gonna be planting bombs while some monster shoots its disgusting quills into my backside."

"Then stand by. I'll collect mags from these losers and-"

"Let us fight!" One of the freedom fighters shouted.

76 glowered at the fighter menacingly.

"Huh?"

More and more of the Resistance joined the protest.

"Yeah! What's the point if Blake does everything?"

"There's no way she can cover an area so big."

"We all came here to defend our home. This is OUR fight!"

76's hands trembled in rage.

"Idiots... all you're doing is holding me back!"

"LET US FIGHT. LET US FIGHT. LET US FIGHT!"

76 stepped forward, but Jessie put a hand on her shoulder.

"Blake. Do you really not trust us?"

"Is that even a question? Did you see how damaged I was when we fought that cut-"

"Yes, I did. But I also heard everything from both Mitchell and Grace. You were expecting those two to fight in close proximity to the monster as if they could keep up with your agility. We're not like you or Red. We need to fight safer and smarter because we can't afford to cover our mistakes through skill."

Jessie raised her hand, calming the riot, then turned back to 76 and me.

"You've launched coordinated formations before, right?"

Technically, I did. But I never really knew what they were called.

Before I met Jay's Outer Shadows / War Dolls, I always did everything either by myself or with my raggedy ass group of Auxiliaries. We had a penchant of just figuring shit out on the fly and never really rehearsed or did any practice exercises.

I learned many formations during my time with SFA-Muon.

Thalia would lecture me about the formations, classroom style, in the living room. I remember she would intentionally wear a pair of glasses to look smart, which I found both hilarious and endearing.

Even more endearing would be the look of annoyance whenever I would fall asleep during her lessons. 74 would assign 78 to sit next to me with a squeaky hammer in her hand to bonk me in the head whenever I nodded off.

If we were to hold this area... chances were we would need a Perimeter Defense Formation with fallback positions and layered defenses.

"I want to propose a Perimeter Defense Formation with fallback positions and layered defenses," Jessie said, drawing the formation on the ground.

My jaw dropped.

How in the hell did she know that?!

Even 76's eyebrows raised in surprise.

"I... concur. But your soldiers are both inexperienced and have bad reflexes."

"The boulders all around, let's move them in a radial to provide natural cover. Layer the outer ring of soldiers with a backup. Each ring will have a trench and a fallback route to an inner ring if overwhelmed. Blake, given that you're one of our best assets, you should be providing distance support for the outer rings."

76 pursed her lips as if thinking "damn that's actually a good plan".

"F- Fine. We need to hold this position for as long as we can while Red plants those charges. We'll also need an escape route out of here."

I pointed at an area of exposed flesh.

"I can use my arm to tear open the bulwark and escape."

76 looked onward grimly.

"Sounds like a plan."

76 and I stood at a distance, watching Jessie coordinate her soldiers to dig and set up the defensive rings.

"Fellas! We will be initiating Formation Code My Wife Left Me for a Software Developer. Be sure you guys have hashed out your fallback plans and route strategies beforehand! Time is of the essence, so let's get to it!" Jessie called out.

What kind of a Code was that?!

Several of the Resistance members were already digging and setting up, with a look on their faces similar to mine.

"She's a good commander... but next time we should get someone else to come up with codenames..."

Your poor men!

"Tch," 76 grimaced, glaring at the entry points that Jessie and I had designed our barricade to provide. The monsters had no choice but to pool from the points all around to concentrate them better.

"They're too relaxed... this assault is going to have casualties. For sure."

"We don't know for certain," I said.

"No. I've led... I've led assaults before... I did..." 76's voice trailed away as she inspected her hand, which still had bits of bone and black metal sticking out.

"We fought the enemy while it had their forces diverted. The bulwark knows we are at the core. It will send everything it has to try to flush us out like pathogens. I should have been the one to conduct the counterattack."

"Was this something 74 would have done?"

"No. But it would be something she would have done if it meant preventing unnecessary deaths."

76 looked at me.

"I know I was being unnecessarily hard on these guys. But this is what's needed now. This is what's needed out of soldiers who are expected to fight against an enemy no man should be fighting. I know... because I've already lived it once. When my classmates were cornered by the grown-ups in Praetes... we learned the hard way. These psychopaths would even kill their own children. Monsters are no different.

"I've watched my own comrades die from my command. So many times. Too many times. Every time I knew... if I had done something differently I could have prevented it. By shouldering it myself."

Jessie and the Resistance continued digging. Several of the soldiers started to sing, and everybody followed suit.

"Patriotism and happiness are a recipe for disaster. We were happy once. Once."

A breeze from the bulwark's respiration blew against 76's face, parting her bangs and revealing a pair of cruel eyes.

"I've lived through over three hundred military campaigns. Each had its own challenges. Each had its own hurdles. But all of them had one thing in common. These men and women must be fully prepared for what's about to happen next because this campaign is no different. Loved ones will be taken. And grief will ensue."

"They're coming. I hear them through the walls," Mitch muttered, his eyes wide in terror.

The jovial atmosphere had suddenly been replaced with a weight of tense silence as everyone braced themselves.

"The fellas need some encouragement," Jessie said, getting up, but I stopped her.

"No. Let Blake do it."

I turned to 76, who looked away, a blush forming.

"I... I'll do it."

Jessie and I watched 76 get up from her position and approach the ring of soldiers, her hair dancing in the wind.

"S- Soldiers...!"

The freedom fighters momentarily turned to 76, a look of fright on their faces, but with a determination to live.

76 closed her eyes.

"Remember his teachings. Remember Lord Hellion's teachings... What would 74 do... What would... No."

The War Doll slowly opened her eyes.

"What would I do?"

76 stomped on the ground so hard the rock cracked.

"Jessie's words require no additional inspiration. So I'll provide you with something more practical. Something true to me. I've fought countless wars. I've fought through countless campaigns. Where I'm from, I am known as a Tactical War Doll. It is true that there is a gap between us, I will neither deny that nor will I sugarcoat it for you. However, it was my lapse in judgment to dismiss you so quickly. You are not deadweight to me. As long as a human has a firearm, they have worth."

More and more fighters turned to 76, listening intently to her words.

"Do not let panic set in. Panic and fear exist to keep you alive. Use the fear to enhance your instincts. Steady your aim, and take deep breaths before firing. And fire in burst shots. Do NOT set your firearms to fully automatic. Do NOT reload a magazine while there's still ammunition in it. If you feel that you are starting to fatigue, swap with your backup. Rehearse fallback options as many times as you need. Because you WILL need it."

The sounds of the monsters began to intensify, but this time, the freedom fighters were neither terrified nor distracted.

76 had instilled in them something that was different from what she had done before, and from what Jessie had done.

"You chose this fight. You will see it to the end. No matter what. This is YOUR world you are taking back, THIS IS YOUR MOMENT. There is no greater honour than going down knowing you struck back. And you WILL strike back with ALL YOU GOT. RESISTANCE OF AMERADA, SHOW THESE MONSTERS YOUR DETERMINATION."

The Ameradans roared in defiance, a battle cry that caused the monsters to begin piling through the entrances in hordes.

"OUR DETERMINATION!"

A horde of gunfire greeted the monsters in straight-up carnage as the Ameradans continued yelling, shooting every monster in sight. A sea of orange bullets flooded the entire battlefield.

Jessie and I stared at the War Doll, who continued shouting, standing at the top of the hill, firing left and right. 76 overlooking upon the soldiers of the Ameradan Freedom Fighters like a true commander.

"WHO'S WORLD ARE YOU TAKING BACK?!" Vinci roared.

"OURS!"

"WILL YOU FALTER IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY?!"

"NO!"

"THEN SHOW ME YOUR DETERMINATION, SOLDIERS OF AMERADA. DEFEND YOUR HOME. DIE FOR IT."

"FOR OUR HOME!"

Soldiers began to take hits left and right, starbursts of red exploding from the ranks, but rather than freezing up in fear, the battlecries became louder and defiant.

Jessie yanked me by the collar.

"Red! Let's go!"

The two of us booked it to the bomb sites as I glanced at 76 one last time.

The look of complete defiance on her face, the winds of battle blowing against her as she fired relentlessly and leading the platoon of soldiers.

More than just a commander...

But a War Hero.

What am I doing differently from the Chief? 76 had said.

Everything. Vinci.

Because you're not like Thalia. That is not who you are.

Thalia Atlai was Thalia Atlai, and Vinci Blake was Vinci Blake.

But that doesn't discount your worth as a commander.

You led the girls that day. If you hadn't taken up a position of leadership, those scared little girls would all have died without someone to take the initiative to fight back. None of them would have become Tactical War Dolls.

None of them would ultimately have been part of the war against Loyce's Demon Lords, and the Black Legion would have been overwhelmed.

You've contributed a lot more than you think.

"First bombsite," Jessie said over the sounds of fighting and gunshots.

There was so much chaos going on, I was surprised she even knew what was happening anymore.

My hands fiddled with the explosives, rigging them up to the sides of the bulwark's innards.

It didn't even feel like I was handling with organ hide...

I knew it was some form of mechanical monstrosity, but the crystalline structure had to be influenced by something supernatural.

"How long have you been doing this?" Jessie asked, nearly causing me to hesitate.

"Uhh, fourteen seconds?"

"That's not what I meant."

I finished up, as we sprinted to our next bombsite. Jessie was keeping up.

It was like I was seeing a partial reflection of myself. The combat knowledge. The conditioning.

Jessie was still waiting for my answer.

The focus.

"Several years now," I replied.

"Hmm...?"

The two of us continued rigging up the explosives until we reached the final site.

And a bad feeling welled up in my chest.

"Stop. No," I said, reaching out my arm and stopping Jessie.

"Huh? What's wrong?"

My eyes went wide, and a feeling of anxiety surged through my chest.

What was this feeling?

It was...

It was similar to...

The image of the dead War Doll flashed in my mind.

Now that we know there's something out there that can kill people like me.

A threat even greater than a War Doll.

I looked around, anxiety entering my pulse as I could feel even my own heartbeat through my chest.

"Red? Red. What do you see?" Jessie asked.

I slowly closed my eyes, breathing out.

Trust my gut.

Trust my senses.

What do you feel? Which senses are contributing to this?

Touch?

Hearing?

Smell?

Ambush.

Where would they come from?

I slowly opened my eyes, tracing the area where Jessie and my blindspots overlapped.

And I took aim with my handgun, firing and sending dirt flying in the air, moments before a blade penetrated it, skewed offset and narrowly missing Jessie by an inch.

"WHAT THE-"

"BEHIND ME," I growled, yanking Jessie behind me and aiming my gun at a man in the distance, firing.

The man drew his sword and deflected my fire.

Jessie stared at the spear that the man had thrown at us.

"Spears...? No. No... this can't be."

I clenched my teeth, taking a step back.

First the War Doll.

Now this.

"Answer me, Jessie," The man said, as Jessie stood frozen, terror on her face.

"Why do gods not feel remorse... when they take the lives of our young? Why do they not feel remorse... when they tear apart a family."

The man walked forward, momentarily glancing at the freedom fighters who were holding back the horde.

"The bulwark was meant to end your suffering. I authorized it."

"What are you talking about?! This monster is going to destroy what's left of us!" Jessie shouted.

The man was wearing a strange black cloak with silver embellishments.

And on his face was a mask covering almost all his facial features, but his long, black hair reached his shoulders.

The man held out his hand, and the spear flew back.

"Defiance to the very end. I can understand your reasons. But it will be an eternal shame that you cannot understand mine."

SPLAT.

My eyes blinked, as before me in the distance, a dozen freedom fighters suddenly had their heads decapitated.

It took a split second to realize the man had just killed a dozen of our guys using the spear before I could even register what had happened.

"No... NO! HOW?! How could you do this?!" Jessie screamed, pointing her handgun at the man. But the man spun around and closed the distance, sword raised.

BANG BANG BANG.

The man slid back, staring at the bulletholes in his sword.

"What-"

"Surely you killed our guys knowing full well we'd do the same to you, asshole," I snarled. The barrel of my handgun still smoking.

The man examined me, lowering his sword and summoning another one.

"Jessie. Come back to my side. This man is not who you think he is."

Jessie blinked.

"Why would I... trust you..."

"Because you know who I am. Deep down."

I turned to Jessie, whose face was so pale it was almost the same color as the bulwark core.

"Jessie, what's this lunatic on about?"

Jessie's lower lip quivered.

"We thought you were AWOL. What... what happened to you..."

...

The man stepped forward as I took aim with my handgun again, but he had disappeared, swerving through my gunshots as if they were coming to him in slow-mo.

His agility... was enough to dodge bullets...

My eyes widened as the man appeared in front of me, dagger in hand.

"Take my sword. And I shall take yours."

SLASH.

I blocked his strike just in time but stared in disbelief at the handgun he had sliced in half. Components and pieces flying everywhere.

Jessie rushed forward, causing the man to hesitate.

I took advantage and fired at his mask with my rifle, splitting it, but the man returned with a knife throw that sliced my jacket open, spilling the contents of my wallet onto the ground.

I fell backward, still firing at the man's face.

The man covered up, stumbling back, as Jessie growled, aiming her rifle at the man.

"Why are you doing this... WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?!"

The man lowered his hand slowly.

"I don't understand... I don't get it... how is this possible..."

Jessie's eyes widened.

"You don't understand?! I don't understand!"

You two don't understand?! What do you think is going on in my head?!

I watched the man face us, then at the wallet contents.

It was like looking at a reflection in the mirror because that might as well have been it.

"That picture on the ground... why do you have it? Why... How did you take that picture... of me and Jessie..." The man muttered.

Jessie spun around, her eyes also fixed on the picture, and a look of horror flashed on her face.

Jessie's stare then redirected to me.

A look of disbelief, betrayal, hurt, and shock flashed on her face as the battle continued in the background.

"Aaron...?"

13

"Come to me, Jessie. This man is an imposter. He's using you," Aaron reached out his hand, but Jessie remained motionless, staring at the two of us.

"I... I don't... I don't understand..." Jessie muttered.

I slowly put my hands up.

"Erm... congrats on the harem?"

Jessie blinked, but Aaron's face contorted in rage.

"This clown can never be me. That obnoxious remark alone should tell you that he is the fake one!"

Aaron blasted forward, grabbing Jessie by the wrist and bringing her closer to him.

"You are my girlfriend. Not his. Not that clown's. Everything that has transpired may seem out of your understanding, but once you are truly by my side, I will explain everything. You were able to process the fact that I was the God-Eater, how is it that you cannot process this?"

CLICK CLICK.

I pressed the barrel to the back of Aaron's head.

"That's REAL rich, coming from the guy who's forcing his so-called 'girlfriend' to do what he wants without even hearing her input. I get Jessie's into BDSM, but BDSM isn't the same as gaslighting, dicks for brains. Did Jessie not introduce you to the Urban Dictionary yet?"

Aaron snarled, swinging his sword and slicing the twig that I had disguised as a gun in two.

"Whoa there! Temper temper! Sounds like someone's still a Jessie Effect virgin!"

"KEEP MY GIRLFRIEND'S NAME OUT OF YOUR DAMN MOUTH!"

"JESSIE JESSIE JESSIE! HERE COMES OL' JESSIE! HAHA!"

I danced around, firing all over the ground and sending dirt everywhere.

"What's the matter, Aaron?! Pissed off? Come on. Catch me if you can, you damn freak. Or was your version of Avara weaker than mine?"

Aaron roared, spinning his spear at lightning-fast speed and sucking all the dirt particles away, pulling me toward him.

"Oh shit," I muttered as I was blown off my feet, flying toward myself.

But instead of turning me into a six-foot shish kebab, Aaron grabbed me by the collar and forced me to face him.

"Every joke you crack is an insult to me."

I grinned, as I grabbed Aaron back and slammed my forehead into his. The two of us glared at each other.

One scowling.

One smiling like a lunatic.

"Wielding firearms... there is no way you are me. Neither Will nor Nora taught me to use guns. Will always taught me to fight with melee."

Aaron lifted me into the air.

Holy shit was this strength even possible?!

"The strength of my brother. The intelligence of my sister. THAT IS AARON HOPE. NOT SOME CLOWN LIKE YOU."

Aaron hurled me straight into the ground as I slid, scrambling away from another spear strike.

Aaron turned to Jessie.

"Come with me. NOW. I will dispose of this-"

"The Jessie Effect... Avara... this man knows about the Jessie effect... even his humour is like mine. How can I just dismiss him as an imposter?" Jessie said.

Aaron scowled, stepping forward.

"Jessie. That's enough. The war has made you tired. This was never meant for a human like you. I promise you that I will clear your mind-"

SMACK.

Jessie smacked his hand away, much to Aaron's surprise.

Jessie recoiled away, her teeth clenched.

"The Aaron I knew... the Aaron I knew was always reserved. Scared to meet new people. Scared to form loved ones because he knew they would be in danger. Day by day, I always wondered what you would be like when you would finally open up and live again. To smile through my influence. I ain't lookin' for any jokes, or for any humour, I never expected that from you because I knew you were hurt and needed to heal. But at the very least... the Aaron I knew would NEVER force me to do something I didn't want!"

Jessie turned to me, a tear running down her face.

"Answer me... please... if you are really Aaron Hope... Answer my question with honesty."

"Fire away."

"What was my wish when we were at Jaos? My New Year's Wish?"

I grimaced, a breeze parting my hair.

"Your wish... was for my wish to come true. Jessie. Because you always put me first. Just as I would for you."

A sob escaped Jessie as she placed a hand to her mouth.

"No way... no way..."

"YOU WOULD THROW ME AWAY LIKE ALL THE OTHERS?!" Aaron roared, charging with his sword in hand, but I figured he would blow a fuse.

I would have done the same if I got NTR'd by some alternate version of me.

I ran in front of Jessie and fired my rifle, catching Aaron in the chest.

"TOO BAD SO SAD! Maybe it's true that you knew Jessie at some point in the past, but I know in my heart that I dated a girl named Jessie Lane. And she taught me a bunch of things. How to live again! What a dominatrix was! What cuckoldy was!"

"DO. NOT. STEAL. THE ONLY... PERSON I HAVE LEFT IN MY LIFE!" Aaron roared, clutching the cuff of my jacket and facing me, seemingly ignoring the bullet wounds in his chest.

A knife came out of nowhere.

No way...

I couldn't dodge at this distance...!

BANG.

Aaron recoiled backward, a fountain of blood leaving his forehead as his eyes were wide in shock.

"Jessie... how could you..."

The barrel of Jessie's gun was still smoking. She was trembling from rage, but a look of determination still showed on her face.

"A lesson you taught me, Aaron. I taught you to live. And you taught me to fight. That was how it was. We were a couple once. But if this is what you have turned into, then that's what our relationship has become! An ex-relationship!"

Aaron snarled, taking a step forward, but Jessie and I aimed our guns at him.

"One more thing, Aaron," I growled.

"Will may have taught me to fight, and Nora may have taught me to think. But those two knuckleheads taught me something else. That their lessons were not just two separate entities. They were meant to be learned together. The biggest lesson those two taught me... was to adapt. Fighting with melee when you're just a regular human being... sounds to me like you never learned that lesson. Because only a complete MORON would try to fight a god with a sword!"

"BAST-"

I raised my remote control. The charges were fully planted.

"Guns. Explosives. Wedgies. Panty shots of my enemies. Blackmail. Sex tapes. Old tax fraud receipts! This is the skillset that I have that sets me apart from you, bitch boy. A skill that I could only learn from the biggest prankster I ever met."

CLICK.

I turned to Jessie, a huge smile on my face.

"Why don't we make our FANTASTIC exit, partner?"

A grin slowly formed on Jessie's face.

A familiar one.

The same one that Jessie had when she first met me.

Heya! You look like you could use some friends. The name's Jessie Lane, and one of these days, I'll make you a victim of the Jessie Effect!

"You bet... my number one Jessie Effect victim!"

"JESSIE! DO NOT TURN YOUR BACK ON ME. JESSIE! JESSIE LANE! JES-"

KRA-KOOM.

The two of us high-tailed it, but the shockwave of the explosions sent us airborne.

"Aaron! What's the plan for our escape?!" Jessie shouted.

"Out the exit orifice!"

"Did it account for us being airborne?"

"Hell no! I'm winging it at this point!"

"HAHAHA! SO WE'RE SCREWED THEN!"

"YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY CORRECT! HAHA!"

"HAHAHA!"

"Why the hell are you two mouthbreathers laughing while in this predicament?!" 76 shouted at us, having bounded to our position with her Cyber Leap.

"Blake! What's good, girl?" Jessie exclaimed.

"HOW COULD YOU EVEN BE ASKING THAT?!" 76 snapped, grabbing me by the arm as I grabbed Jessie by hers.

"Hold on! The others have evacuated. The ones who survived anyway."

Jessie and I turned around, gazing at Aaron Hope who was engulfed in flames.

"His body... isn't even burning. He's not human anymore..." Jessie muttered.

Aaron Hope...

Maybe it was true that this version of Jessie felt more comfortable with me at the moment...

But deep down, I knew.

"Jessie, do you still love him?" I asked.

Jessie pursed her lips.

"He's... my version of Aaron."

"Figured. I know I wouldn't have wanted to be cucked either. Now we know the mofo is superhuman, we have a chance of saving him again."

Jessie stared at me.

"You would do that? But... I was your-"

"Was. Jessie. In my timeline... in my world... I am engaged to someone else."

"WHAT?! YOU MOVED ON FROM ME?!"

"What? No! I mean... you're kinda... well..."

"I died, didn't I."

"Uhhh..."

"Did I at least die with dignity? Like a total badass?"

"Oh would you look at that, we're out of the bulwark already GOOD JOB BLAKE!" I said, changing the subject.

76 glanced at the two of us.

"If you two represent this Resistance's last bastion humanity is DOOMED."

With our mission to damage the core of the bulwark a success, Jessie had ordered her troops to launch artillery fire. Apparently, while 76, Mitch, Grace, and I were redirecting enemy forces, Jessie took the liberty of reclaiming artillery supplies that had been taken by the bulwark's presence, sending an auxiliary unit to return to the camp with the gunnery shells.

We weren't really greeted like heroes on the way back, but several people had complimented 76, but the War Doll paid the compliments no attention.

"Your speech gave us goosebumps, Blake."

"Are you sure you're a teenager?"

"Masterful command."

"Incredible!"

Some time was placed in providing send-offs to those who had perished in the defence.

"20 percent of our men were killed in that onslaught," 76 said, lowering her head to the Resistance.

"I'm sorry."

Jessie put a hand on 76's shoulder.

"Blake. If you hadn't taken command, the casualties would have been far worse."

"I understand. But 20% is still 20%. Regardless of the number, people died. Lives were lost."

76 raised her head and approached the War Table, where we began our briefing.

Jessie took a deep breath.

"Okay. First things first. Aaron is back."

"Thanks!"

"Our Aaron. Not you, dummy."

"Aww."

Jessie smirked, but the smirk was laced with a bit of sadness.

"I... don't know what happened to him, but it had to be Mikoto. There's no other way. I was so shocked by his sudden change in demeanour... he's also become far more stronger. As of now, I think what killed Blake's friend might have been him."

Several members of the War Table began to mutter amongst themselves.

"The God-Eater is back?"

"He's alive!"

"But he's not on our side..."

"What are we going to do?!"

"Fortunately... we have our own God-Eater! Right here!" Jessie spread her hands in my direction.

"Ta-da!" I said.

"..." The congregation gave each other strange looks, then gave me strange looks.

"Regardless of what you think, I can attest that this bumbling idiot is far stronger than what he leads on," 76 said, approaching my side.

"As for your Aaron Hope, he doesn't stand a chance against ours."

Several skeptical looks arose in the assembly.

"What makes you think that?" Someone asked.

76 crossed her arms, glancing at the firearm that was strapped to my belt.

"From what Red had briefed me, Aaron fights with melee weapons. He is automatically at a strict disadvantage since Red fights at range and knows how to gain distances against opponents who are stronger and faster than him. Aaron's fighting style suggests he has not learned numerous techniques that Red currently has, which implies that though the two come from similar pasts, they are not representative on a one-to-one timeline comparison."

"What do you mean?" Jessie asked.

76 glanced at me, giving a slight nod.

I guess the secret was out, anyway.

"In my world, Jessie Lane died."

A series of gasps ensued, followed by a tense silence.

"I tried to save Jessie by praying to the God of Hope, but the god didn't answer my prayers. Ghosted. This drove me to fight the gods in the first place."

Jessie raised her eyebrows.

"But didn't you fight gods when you were the God-Eater? You fought the goddess Hanako didn't you?"

"Yeah. But the gods that I fought and killed were not because I wanted to. It was because they were hunting me. It often involved me running and setting up traps. Occasionally I would have to brawl it out. But it wasn't a conquest. It was running. But... after my version of you died, my philosophy changed."

I made a fist.

"I wanted to kill them. I didn't wanna just run away anymore. And from there, I pushed myself. Harder and harder while keeping a smile on my face for her sake. I didn't start smiling during my time dating Jessie. It was after she had died did I decided to truly live for her sake. The smiles... the humour... one thing led to another, and I learned to open up to others. I made allies. Friends..."

Jun, Bryce, Sarah, June, Robbie, and Annie flashed in my mind.

"I learned from my friends. And some of the things I learned wouldn't have been possible if it wasn't for them."

Jun helped me make weapons, but he gave me a purpose.

Bryce showed me the importance of brotherhood and allies.

June showed me what it was like to be compassionate and to have a heart despite my past.

Robbie showed me the importance of confidence in oneself and courage.

Annie showed me the importance of humanity.

And Sarah...

If it wasn't for Sarah, I would never have learned magic.

If it wasn't for Sarah, I would never have learned chakra.

And it wasn't just these guys. Yeling. Shiki. John. Hakah. Galeo. So many more.

Thalia and SFA-Muon.

This was what set apart Outer Shadow Dainsleif from The God Eater.

"The strength you see, the strength that surpasses the Aaron Hope of this world is the culmination of some of the most amazing people I ever had the pleasure of working with. If I hadn't learned to open up from hanging out with Jessie, I would never have had such incredible allies to help me get this far. The Aaron Hope I see seems to be a version of me that would have existed if I never met my friends and never learned from them. I would have gone through a completely different path. An incomplete one."

I approached the table and stabbed the picture of myself with a knife.

"This Aaron threw away his friends and his dignity for strength. I will NEVER lose to this version of myself."

I looked at Jessie.

"If we are gonna take him back, we have a fighting chance."

Jessie returned with a smile.

"I know."

"Aaron notwithstanding, we still have our objective. The bulwark was just a setback," 76 said, bringing up back to the war table discussion.

"Our next raid is here," The War Doll put a pin on a building.

I hesitated, startled for a second.

There?

But wasn't this...

"Azure All Girls Academy? Why would the bogie be there?" Jessie asked.

76 took a breath.

"Because the man we are looking for is Joseph Blake. His daughter goes to this school. Me."

The assembly went silent again.

"Holy crap you two are just full of surprises aren't you?!" Jessie exclaimed.

76 sighed.

"A monster will, no. Has already come for this world. He will send all the adults of the academy and the city of Praetes into complete anarchist collapse in an attempt to psychologically destroy my classmates. But the man you are looking for, we can still obtain his research by capturing him. The research you're looking for concerns Wormhole Technology. And it is only accessible through my late father's USB drive."

Jessie approached 76 and knelt in front of her.

"Blake, will you be okay with this mission? There might be a chance we might be encountering an alternative version of you. If she is anything like Aaron-"

"You need not worry about me. Because I have left all that behind," 76 said, grimly, as she took out the picture that Jessie had given her on our first night here in the Resistance, putting it on the table.

On it was a relatively middle-aged man with long shoulder-length red hair and green eyes, just like Vinci.

"Joseph Blake would be located in Praetes, in particular, a certain building in Azure Academy where he conducts his research. We will have to send a small strike team to raid the area and capture him. Chances are, he's probably already lost it and has gone paranoid trying to hunt his daughter down. We will take opportunity of the chaos and capture him and the USB drive. Then we will fall back."

Grace blinked.

"But Blake, what about the rest of the girls?"

"Leave them."

Everybody stared at 76.

"Are you serious? Blake! Those are your classmates!"

"We can't just abandon these little girls!"

76 gritted her teeth, staring at the table contents with a dark, solemn expression.

She and I both knew there was no stopping what was about to happen to those girls.

Especially knowing who was behind the attack.

"There is nothing we can do."

"Vinci..." I muttered.

"What will we do once we have access to the drive contents?" Mitch asked.

"I can probably piece together how to get it to work," 76 answered.

"Get what to work?"

76 looked up, her bangs almost covering her grim expression.

"I'm going to use the tech to send a signal to my squad. The rest of the War Dolls on my team will receive the signal and will know that Red and I are still alive. And hopefully, we get some backup from my sisters-in-arms."

!

"Blake, are you sure? This will detract from the rest of our team's mission," I said.

"It will, and it was the reason why I was putting off sending the signal. But as it is, there's no chance we can defeat the Aaron Hope of this world."

"What?! You just went on a speech about how I could kick his ass!" I yelped.

76 narrowed her eyes.

"And how are you going to do that with the equipment you have? Aaron has all the specialized melee weapons he needs to fight at maximum potential. You do not. You lack mana and chakra."

"I... have the Tactical War Doll arm though?"

"Yeah, that totally evens out the playing field."

Jessie put a hand to her chin and examined the map intently.

"A whole squad of military lolis..."

A vein bulged from 76's forehead.

"I am not a loli!"

"Aw come on, Blake! Don't be like that! You're such a cutie, you still got a lot of years before you end up like me!"

"I do NOT want to end up like you, you crazy bitch!" 76 growled.

"And a tsundere too!" Jessie laughed.

"BAHAHAHA!" I pointed at Vinci and busted out laughing, all the while, the War Doll's little fists began shaking in annoyance.

"OH MY GOD it feels like I'm dealing with two Red Eyed Idiots!" 76 exclaimed.

As the meeting adjourned, I followed 76 back to our quarters, where the War Doll stopped me before I could enter the room.

"Stay out."

"Why?"

"Just do it!"

"Now you're giving me a reason to come in."

"Stay out! I'll kill you!"

"Only if you give me a reason why. I left my Genshin comics in there. I haven't had my fix yet."

76's pout intensified.

"I... I NEED TO CHANGE! THERE! ARE YOU HAPPY NOW, PERVERT?!"

"Oh."

I scratched the back of my head.

"I honestly wasn't expecting you to be all bashful about it. I thought you were the type to just take off your shirt in front of guys because you didn't care."

76 put her arms around her chest, her face starting to become the same colour as her hair.

"What do you take me as?! Of course, I care!"

76 stepped inside and handed me a comic book.

"Here. Your weeb book. Now let me change, I am covered in sweat and ick."

"I already read that issue, I need Issue 4."

"Then re-read this one!" 76 snarled, slamming the door in my face.

"Oh wow, she really is like a little girl when she ain't got her war face on!" Jessie said while I was still reading my comic.

"SON OF AN AMERADAN WHORE how long have you been here?!" I yelped.

"Uh, the whole time, actually."

"Damn! You should teach me how to do that."

Jessie leaned forward and brought her face close to the comic in my hand.

"Huh. Didn't know you were into comics."

"Actually, I was a huge fan of MMO's. Even back then. I'm sure your Aaron was too."

"Really? What's this one about? Does it have romance?"

"Yeah. The main character, Momo falls in love with this 74-year-old neckbeard and she cheats on her boyfriend."

Jessie gagged.

"What in the- What?!"

"Bahahaha, nah I'm playin'. It's just a fantasy manga about a twin trying to find his other twin after the two got separated. Takes place in different nations. It's a pretty cool story."

"Man, I sure am a sucker for adventure. How many chapters does it have?"

"Quite a lot."

Jessie and I sat together as I explained the premise of the story to her. Occasionally we would joke about how the main character would end up in certain predicaments because of a stupid decision. We would take turns roasting the character left and right.

"Hey. Do you think my Aaron would turn out to be like you?"

"I can't say for certain. I mean, I never imagined I would end up an edge lord even at nineteen."

Jessie scoffed.

"I never once thought of you as an edge lord. A lil' standoffish, sure. But never an edge lord."

"You should get your eyes checked out."

Jessie brought a knee to her chin.

"I know I ain't your Jessie, and you ain't my Aaron. But if she could see you as you are now, she'd probably have the same reaction as me. Proud. Happy."

"You're proud I'm missing an arm?!"

"Well, besides that I guess."

I looked out into the distance.

"Sorry, you gotta put up with that version of me even at this age. Must've been a handful. But never feel like any of this is your fault. If I could go back in time and tell my Jessie that, I would remind her every single day."

Jessie looked at me intently, listening.

"I chose to live my life to be the way it was. It was never because I felt pressured to do anything. And to me... you've always been more than enough for me because you were you. Don't ever think of yourself in terms of worth."

I suddenly realized I was speaking directly to Jessie herself, as a smile formed on her face.

"Well, you certainly are a LOT more talkative. Seeing you like this... makes me feel like my dream came true a little early. Like a sneak peek."

"Sneak peek?"

Jessie ran her hand through my hair.

"Clean cut, none of that mop top. Full of life. Full of brainrot. Just like me."

"Oh yeah, 'cause being a complete moron is DEFINITELY a dream come true."

"You bet it is! No one in school would EVER join in my pranks! Tell me, Aaron, how many pranks did you pull in your timeline?"

"Oh shit, probably in the hundreds!"

"For real? Tell me!"

I recounted back to my days in the Black Legion and told her as many stories as I could.

From setting up a camera filming Frey playing with her stuffed animals, to starting a completely fake martial arts school to steal Shiki's students away, to organizing tactical heists to steal from my fellow Outer Shadows to use as ransom.

And with each story that came out of my mouth, Jessie's smile became wider and wider, until a tear ran down her face.

"Oh god... I'm... I'm so happy. To... to finally see you like this. Thank you. Thank you so much, Aaron."

"Ditto."

Jessie wiped her eyes.

"One day... one day I'll make sure my Aaron can see life the way you do. One day."

I held out my hand.

"To Aaron. In hopes that he becomes just as stupid as us!"

"HAHA! Bet. My fellow troublemaker partner in crime!" Jessie took my hand and shook it, exchanging troublemaker grins.

The night before the raid, I had trouble falling asleep.

As I lay on the mattress, staring at the ceiling, I couldn't help but replay my conversation with Jessie in my head over and over again.

If only...

If only she were my timeline's version of Jessie Lane. There were so many things I wanted to say to her.

But not enough time.

"Hey."

I rolled in my bed and faced 76, who was sitting at the edge of the room.

"What? Do you not sleep?" I grumbled.

"You look like you could use the window side."

"Do I really look like I have that bad of a heartache?"

"Yeah."

I scooted to the window side, as 76 shifted her position.

"I'm sorry I've been so insensitive."

"What brought that on? You on your period or something?"

"No, idiot. I just thought it was probably worth saying it now. That conversation you had with Jessie... I heard it all."

Damn, how thin were these walls?

"Vinci, you sure are a weirdo fuckup of a girl."

"WHA- I'm trying to be nice here, asshole!"

"But. You are also, deep down, a really wholesome person. I'm honoured that you feel comfortable sharing this side of you with me. Honest."

76 pursed her lips, gazing out the window.

"I can see why 78 likes you."

"Wow, just gonna do 78 dirty like that, huh?"

"Pfft. Everybody in Muon knows. Even if she tries to deny it."

"When you leave for Tiamar... I want to come with you."

"Huh?"

I stared at 76, who retained her gaze.

"Day after day, my life has been campaign after campaign. And I understand it is because of my duty. But down to the very core, the precept of a Tactical War Doll is to serve. Sergeant Hellion owes you a debt for saving us. I... I know it's selfish but I want you to use that debt by keeping us around."

I sat up, as Vinci closed her eyes, smiling. A genuine smile.

"74's said it before. But ever since you joined, I feel like there's been more and more colour in our lives. Day-to-day operations no longer feel black and white. Whether it's the annoyance of your antics... or things like this. None of these things we would ever have experienced if we continued being War Dolls for the Special Forces Aggression Regiment. So... you wanted Vinci Blake. Then here she is."

Vinci turned to me, the moonlight casting a shine on her red hair.

"I want to keep going on adventures with you, Aaron. Muon and Dainsleif. Even when your training with us is over... I want to fight by your side. Every day. Because it's fun. I look forward to each day now... So, please. Please don't leave us."

I grinned.

"Who said I was gonna leave you guys? Hell yeah, you guys can come."

76 perked up, surprise on her face.

"Really?"

"Of course. I've gotten so used to living with you guys, fighting with you guys. My team needs coordination. And you girls will always hold a special place in my heart. I can't imagine fighting my enemies without one of you little lolis by my side."

"You're so lucky I'm not 74 right now."

"HA! But yeah. I have absolutely no intention of casting you girls away. You're part of the Hope Household now. Get used to it!"

76 relaxed, sliding down the wall and slumping on the ground.

"Then... I'm looking forward to it, Red Eyes."

"Red and I will lead the capture mission for Blake. We will need some reinforcements," 76 said.

Jessie raised her hand.

"Can I come?"

"Absolutely not," 76 replied bluntly.

"WHYYYYY?"

"GOD you're so annoying! Aren't you the commander of this platoon?!"

"Aww."

76 clenched her fist.

"I understand that, aside from Jessie, some of you are hesitant to fight by my side. After everything that has transpired. From the way I've conducted myself and the lives that were lost in our last assault. But-"

"Stupid girl," Grace cut 76 off, propping her rifle up.

"No one was expecting you to be Little Miss Perfect, Blake. We all make mistakes. And for your second point, NO ONE thinks that. Isn't that right, Mitch?"

"Yes. I concur," Mitchell said, standing up.

"You've apologized already. We, as adults, have a responsibility to accept that and move forward as allies. You reinforced the importance of allies that day."

76 regarded the two.

"I appreciate the both of you. Truly."

Mitch and Grace nodded.

"But I will not be selecting the two of you for this mission," 76 said.

Grace raised her eyebrows.

"You're not?"

"No. I want you to concentrate your efforts here. You need to recover. During our defence, I noticed both you and Mitch were contributing the most. I am not having my soldiers overwork themselves, because no one is immune to burnout."

No one is immune to burnout, eh?

Thalia once said those same exact words.

"Then... who's going to come with you and Red?" Mitch asked.

"I'm..."

"I will."

Everybody slowly made way for a tall man with a military haircut, taller than the rest.

"Private Swaffem. I owe you a debt, kid. For giving me a wake-up call. I didn't do jack shit in our defence. I... froze up. And I know you knew. If you were able to micromanage checking up on Mitch and Grace."

76 examined Swaffem with critical eyes.

"This raid to capture my father is not going to be an easy one, with Aaron and Mikoto out there. It will be several orders of magnitude harder than the defensive. Do you think you can keep up with an alternate Aaron Hope and a Tactical War Doll?"

Swaffem grimaced with determination.

"If I can't, then I will do my best to pull my weight. I will do my best to learn."

I glanced nervously at 76, a part of me expecting her to shut him down, but to my surprise, 76 smirked.

"And you're not at all bothered by the fact that you will be taking orders from a 15-year-old?"

Swaffem scoffed.

"You're no 15-year-old. I judge only on ability."

"Then this will be a good opportunity to develop yours, Private."

"Yes, ma'am."

Jessie led the three of us to an old armoured truck.

"This fella is gonna take you to Azure Academy. Sorry, we ain't got no dropship. We'll be taking gunfire left and right, but Hartwood will do her best to drop you off in a place with cover and will assist in clearing out any local hostiles before leavin'."

The three of us sat in the back of the truck, shrouded by the cover while Hartwood drove. The guy sitting next to her was manning the guns.

"You three just sit and relax while the two of us handle the enemies!" The man shouted.

Swaffem, 76, and I sat quietly, listening to the sound of occasional clunking from the combat outside.

76 inspected her firearms and her gear.

A bulletproof vest on top of dark grey camouflage shrouded the War Doll with the environment of the ruined city.

Swaffem watched 76 disassemble and reassemble her firearms at lightning-fast speed, almost as if she had been doing it her whole life.

"How long have you been using your guns that you're able to do all that in half a second?"

"Only a few years."

"Really?"

"It's not so much the quantity, but the quality of your experience. I've had to put together destroyed weaponry on the battlefield whenever my weapons were damaged beyond repair. Being mechanically proficient is a prerequisite in surviving tense battlefield situations."

76 picked at one of the components in her rifle when suddenly, she winced in pain. One of the pieces had nicked the little bits of bone that were still protruding from her still-recovering hands.

"Holy crap, that looks like it hurt," I commented.

"Hold up, Blake, you're able to feel pain?" Swaffem asked.

"Yes. It was a requirement for us when we had our bodies cybernetically rebuilt. Pain is the body's natural defence mechanism for survival."

"But... I heard from Mitch and Grace that you were so damaged that your whole jaw was ripped open... wouldn't that mean..."

76 smirked.

"Oh yeah. It hurt so much that a part of me was screaming at me to just shoot myself to end the suffering. But this is typical, and expected. The body is not meant to be that damaged, and the pain was a good reminder of that."

Swaffem's face paled as if the realization of how hardcore the kid in front of him really was.

I leaned forward.

"Come to think of it, your body must have enhanced immune responses, right? The inflammation must have been intense to keep yourself from succumbing to any bacterial infections. Did you guys get any vaccines to make antibodies or anything?"

76 raised an eyebrow.

"What's that?"

"Huh?"

Swaffem and I stared at 76.

"Huh?"

"What?" 76 asked.

"Did I say something weird?"

"Wait, hold up, Blake. Do you really not know what a vaccine is?"

"No?"

...

"Do you know what an antibody is?" I asked.

"No? My Sergeant just told me, 'take this shot'. We didn't ask what it was. We just followed orders and took the shot."

"Then again, when I brought up Newton's Third Law, you were also clueless. So you really do have a middle schooler's education...!" I muttered.

"I have a sudden urge to kick you in the genitals right now."

Swaffem scratched his chin.

"Hey. Do you know what the quadratic formula is?"

A vein bulged from 76's forehead.

"No! I don't! Why the hell would I need to know all this biology quadricept formula nonsense?!"

LOL. She really thought the quadratic formula was a Biology term!

"Quit laughing, it's not funny! There was no reason for us War Dolls to know any of this garbage unless it provided us with tactical advantages on the battlefield!" 76 snarled, trying to intimidate Swaffem and me, but it was not working.

The more pissed she got, the more adorable her little rage bursts became, which incentivized the need to tease her more.

"Guys! We got a problem! We can't shake the enemies off!" Hartwood shouted from the driver seat.

Swaffem peeked out the little window, and to his horror, a swarm of floating entities had completely surrounded the truck, keeping us from moving.

"That's too many enemies! How are we gonna clear them all with the ammo we have?!"

76 glanced at the swarm. Within her irises, I could see her cybernetic computer calculating a bunch of numbers.

"Over eighty-three bogies out there. They look like they're trying to crawl their way into the truck."

"How do we kill that many monsters?" Swaffem asked.

76 put her hand to her chin.

"Judging from how coordinated they move... there must be a hive mind. If we kill the hive mind, we could disperse the swarm. We don't need to focus on killing them."

The War Doll breathed out.

"Initiating Stance 14: Synapse Protocol"

Swaffem was speechless as 76's cybernetic eyes glowed a demonic red. Steam began discharging from her body.

"There," 76 pointed at the distance.

"There?! There's no way we could hit it with the rifles we have! That's several kilometers away at least!"

"You're right. I don't think I can land that shot either. Not even my Chief could, and rifles are her specialty."

"Then what do we do?"

I slowly got up, drawing my handgun.

"I'll hit it."

Swaffem scoffed.

"There's no way. How are you gonna determine wind speed and bullet drop? You can't be certain what the wind is like the entire trajectory of the shot."

Actually, I could.

How do I make estimates if I can't stick my finger up and feel the wind?

The same way one could determine there was wind in the first place.

Wind cannot be seen.

Its presence is what confirms it's there. The way it influences the environment.

From how the leaves move in response to the wind.

To how the little flaps on the monsters move.

The smallest detail can give away the biggest factors.

I took aim, closing one eye and drawing a breath.

Six Hands...

76 immediately sprung into action, kicking open the window and sending the monsters back, before jamming her rifle at one of the nearest monsters that recovered and firing.

"Private, we're providing Red with cover fire!"

Swaffem took aim, assisting in the defence as I continued concentrating.

"What if he doesn't make the shot?" Swaffem asked.

"He will," 76 replied.

Combination Style...

DEAD SHOT.

I pulled the trigger. The crack of the handgun shook the mass, and the bullet soared, the trajectory began to change as a result of the wind.

"It... it's not gonna make it!" Swaffem said.

"It will. It's going to snake back," 76 replied.

"Snake back?"

"Yes. Like a para... parabulus... parab..."

"Parabola," I corrected 76, causing her to pout.

"The bullet follows a parabolic arc. Forces, drag forces, gravitational forces, and wind forces, are all forces that concern acceleration by Newton's Second Law. Acceleration is a squared relationship to position," I said, watching my bullet hit dead center on the target.

The Hive Mind screeched, causing the monsters to disperse.

I slid my pistol back into its strap.

"You guys are monsters..." Swaffem said, his voice trailing away.

"Enough gawking. Our stop is here," 76 popped open the back of our truck and leaped out, beckoning us to follow.

"Hartwood. Forsen. Our gratitude for the ride. Take care on your way back," 76 said to the drivers, who saluted.

The three of us shouldered our gear. Before us... was the place where it all began for 76.

What started it all.

From the massacre to the conscription.

The place where kids turned into soldiers.

Azure Academy.

14

The whole campus was in absolute chaos.

Between the scorching green flames and the hysterical screaming of the grownups who had gone crazy from the flames, it was hard to imagine there were any survivors.

Entire buildings were in ruins, all the while, we had several adults who were stumbling around, looking around and mumbling to themselves.

But among these details, one in particular was the most disturbing.

I clenched my teeth, staring at one of the men who was dragging the body of a child. One of the Azure kids.

His eyes.

They were so unnaturally wide, that it looked like it was about to bulge out of their sockets.

"My dear Tina... Tina... be a good girl and be Daddy's sacrifice for the Demon!"

"No..." Tina croaked, her limbs were all bent at unnatural angles, but she was so terrified, she was still able to muster one last croak for help.

"Someone..."

Swaffem rushed forward, but 76 stopped him.

"What are you doing?! We need to help her!"

"We can't risk giving away our position."

"BLAKE. THESE ARE YOUR CLASSMATES-"

"And what do you think is going to happen if that man alerts the others that there are enemies that can fight back? The Demon will come for us, and I guarantee you we have NO chance of fighting him. Even if Aaron is at full strength."

"But-"

Swaffem glared at the man. The man had drawn a knife, causing the girl to scream. The scream was so hysterical it didn't even sound human.

I couldn't watch as I looked away. I could hear the girl choke from her own blood.

All the while, 76 looked at the massacre with dead eyes.

"We advance."

Swaffem, Blake, and I continued our advance, keeping a low cover.

"Private. You need to keep your composure," 76 said.

"I know. But, does this not disturb you?" Swaffem whispered. The sounds of the adults mumbling their jibberish along with the screams of some captive Azure kids filled the air.

"..."

76 stopped, gripping her rifle.

"Of course it does. We may be cyborgs, but we were once human. Every time I recount these memories, rage fills me to unimaginable levels. I said, earlier, that this mission is going to be harder than the defence. Are you starting to understand now, why I said that?"

My heart filled with pain with each scream that ripped through the sounds of the chaos.

This mission was difficult.

It wasn't just hard in the sense that Aaron and Mikoto were out there targeting us.

Or the fact that we had to conceal ourselves.

This mission was difficult because we were forced to let these kids be slaughtered.

We had to tell the human part of ourselves to ignore everything that was happening around us.

76 seemed to notice our unease, as she put a hand on Swaffem's shoulder.

"I know it's hard. It was that way when I started too. But we have a duty to carry out. This is part of the many burdens normal people... civvies as soldiers like you would say... will never truly understand. Duty and morals... sometimes don't go hand in hand. Can you accept this part of your job as a Private?"

Swaffem nodded grimly.

"I do, Commander Blake."

"Good. I promise you, that monster will get what he deserves. He did in my timeline. And he will in yours."

"Yes, Commander."

A huge explosion rocked the entire campus, followed by a building collapsing on a man.

I instinctively raised my arm to shield myself, peeking through to see the man completely impaled by a beam.

His innards had spilled out, but rather than scream in pain, the man...

The man...

"HAHAHA! BLOOD! GUTS! GUTS FOR OUR GOD! OUR GOD OF FIRE... I HAVE SPILLED MY INTESTINES FOR YOU... FOR I HAVE NO CHILDREN TO SACRIFICE!"

Swaffem held back the urge to vomit as we made our way to the outskirts of the building.

76 raised her hand, signalling us to halt.

"My father always kept several security guards to protect his research. We need to determine the appropriate window of approach."

76 reached behind her and pulled out a shard of glass, positioning it to the edge of the window.

"I'll take point, then signal when it's clear."

Swaffem and I waited outside, while 76 slipped in.

"Clear."

The two of us followed suit, taking aim with our suppressed firearms.

"Up head," 76 whispered, placing an EMP charge against an area in the kitchen. The blast fried the nearby cameras.

I took aim with my firearm and fired at a nearby guard. The guard collapsed on his chair.

76 advanced, picking off two more guards and dragging their bodies to the kitchen area.

"We continue-"

76 suddenly clutched her head.

"Blake?" Swaffem asked. I rushed forward, catching 76.

"Hey! Hang in there. Do you need a few moments to collect yourself? Was it because of the Protocols? You popped two earlier," I asked.

76 rubbed her temples.

"No. It wasn't because of the Protocols... my internal computer didn't warn me when I used Synapse. I think it's just some psychological reaction to being back here again. Forget it. We move on."

"Some psychological reaction? That sounds really bad. Maybe Swaffem and I can take point."

"No. Just... give me a few moments..."

76 leaned against the stairwell. Her face was pale and it looked like she was on the verge of throwing up. The War Doll pulled out a knife and cut into her cargo pants, slicing one side open. On the side of her now exposed thigh, a compartment opened, revealing a syringe.

The syringe was injected into 76, and I watched as the War Doll seemingly regained her composure.

"Forward."

I had to ignore that feeling in my chest. But it was hard to.

This was clearly invoking really severe forms of PTSD in Vinci, as much as she was trying to let on that it wasn't bothering her.

But I knew that she would probably be pissed if I tried to stop the mission over something like this.

After all...

Silencing thoughts of trauma and fear was part of her job.

"The gate... the gate... the gate is here! The gate..."

I glanced nervously at 76, who looked onward with deadpan eyes, loading up her shotgun with shells and handing it to Swaffem.

"Father is across the door. On my count, Swaffem will breach the door. Red, deal with any backup Blake has. I will be responsible for immobilizing him."

We nodded.

This was it.

"Three... two... one-"

"Hey, who- who are you three?" A voice said.

"SWEET BUTTERY JEEZUS!" I yelped silently.

76 spun around and pressed the barrel of her handgun right against the girl's forehead.

"Make any noise, and I WILL silence you myself!"

The girl put her hands to her mouth.

"No! Pl- Please... please don't kill me...!"

I narrowed my eyes at the girl.

She looked absolutely terrified and had ribbons in her hair. A sleeveless white blouse and a black skirt...

Wait.

Why was this outfit so familiar?

I wasn't always like this. In fact, these clothes used to be what I always wore back in Azure Academy.

"No way..." I muttered.

"You have got to be fuckin' shitting me!" 76 growled under her breath.

The girl's eyes began to water.

Vinci Blake was on the verge of tears trying to hold it in.

"Blake! I thought you said it was just Joseph here!" I whispered.

"I did. I could have sworn I would have been at the Academy that day at this hour! Classes normally start at..."

Dribble dribble dribble.

"Eek...!" Vinci yelped, as an object dropped on the floor.

The three of us peered at the object.

A...

Round... object with a hole in it?

"T- Today... was the grand debut... of the Pumpkin Glaze Donut... I skipped class to get it..."

Swaffem blinked.

"You skipped class for a donut?"

Vinci meekly nodded.

"Mmmhm... sorry... so sorry! I didn't mean to skip class... please don't punish me!"

76 tilted her head in a murderous rage.

"You little bitch! You have cost us our mission because of your donut obsession!"

A sob escaped Vinci, as she began to tremble. The water fountain tears were seriously making their debut!

"Blake! Stop pushing... Blake any further! You're gonna make yourself cry!"

"Do NOT call that me!"

"But... she is though."

"NO SHE IS NOT!"

"Uuuu... uuuu..." Vinci shuddered.

"Ah!! There there. You're okay. You're okay! Don't cry!" I said, putting my hands on her shoulders.

"Look! I'm not scary!"

Vinci gulped, her face was flushed.

"Those things... are those guns?"

"Uhhh, nope. They're... water guns..."

Vinci blinked.

"Oh. Okie."

Damn 76, you never told me you were so gullible!

"Vinci, honey? Is that you?" Joseph called out from behind the door.

"Shit!" 76 snarled, holstering her gun.

"We need to take your father back with us. Step aside." 76 said to her alternate self.

"Why do you want Daddy?" Vinci asked.

"None of your fuckin' business."

Vinci pouted.

"No. I won't let you. You're mean."

"GAH! YOU ARE SUCH A PAIN IN THE ASS!" 76 growled.

"Vinc- huh? Who are you three?" Joseph asked, opening the door.

...

A tense silence filled the air.

"We're friends," Swaffem said.

Joseph narrowed his eyes at us, then at me. I still had my hands on Vinci's shoulders.

"Friends...? Why are three of you armed?"

"P- Paintball..." Swaffem muttered.

Good save, Swaffem!

"My friend here, Aaron, is Vinci's boyfriend."

Swaffem, what the fuck?!

Vinci's eyes widened as her face's blush deepened.

"A boyfriend...!"

76 grabbed Swaffem by the collar.

"What the hell do you think you're saying?!"

"But Commander, you just said she wasn't you!"

"She IS me, but NOT ME."

"How does that make any sense?!"

Joseph's jaw hung open.

"My research... oh god... my research was a success!"

76 glared at her father and whipped out her handgun.

"Come with us. Or I will kill you."

?!

"Whoa! Blake, what are you doing? Joseph isn't hostile!" I exclaimed.

76's eyes were glinting with murderous intent, but Joseph's expression warmed in response.

"Vinci... is that you?"

A flash of shock momentarily appeared on 76's face.

"Do not play mind games with me, professor. Hands in the air. I will detain you myself. You will return with us under custody. Your compliance is not a factor."

Joseph obliged, while the rest of us sat in silence.

"Of course, I will come with you, baby. But can you at least tell me what's going on?"

My version of Vinci cuffed her father and forced him to walk.

"That gate you were mumbling deliriously about has released a monstrosity that is currently running amok. Your world is in catastrophe. We will be escorting you to our headquarters."

"I see... I see... so my research... my life's work... it has finally seen fruition!"

76 clenched her teeth. For some reason, what Joseph had said struck a nerve and I could tell.

From the brief look of intense hatred in her eyes.

"Daddy... where are you going? I want to come too!" Vinci said, but 76 stood in her way.

"You're staying right here. One liability is plenty."

"But-"

"Did I stutter?"

Vinci pursed her lips.

"But... my boyfriend..."

Boyfriend?

76 gave me and Swaffem a death glare.

Oh.

"Come on, what's the harm? If Vinci comes with us, maybe ol' Pops will be more cooperative!" I reasoned.

Vinci's eyes suddenly lit up, as she clutched my arm, startling me.

"Yay!!! I get to come along!"

Swaffem looked out the window, as more chaos ensued.

Green flames were starting to creep toward the house.

"We need to move. While we're still in the clear."

"Too late. I'm seeing bogies coming our way," 76 snarled, loading her rifle and kicking the door open.

"Swaffem, escort the two to our rendezvous spot. Red and I will provide cover."

"Understood."

Swaffem reached out his hand to Vinci.

"Come."

"..."

GRIP.

"Huh?" I glanced at my arm. Vinci was clinging onto it for dear life, burying her face into the folds of my jacket.

"Red! What are you doing? I need some backup fire!" 76 shouted.

"Uhhh, we have a problem."

"What's the problem?"

"You. Technically."

"Excuse me?"

76 turned around, taking in the situation.

Her reaction was about the same as I expected.

"HEY, YOU LITTLE SHIT! Get your hands off of him!"

"..."

"Are you listening to me?!"

A flock of monsters came flying our way. 76 dodged to the side, ripping an entire panel out of the side of the building and using it as a riot shield, advancing forward and shooting with her sidearm.

I grabbed my rifle with my other hand and took aim, aiding in the defence.

"Forward! Spartan Formation, Red!" 76 growled.

I rushed behind 76, dragging Vinci and Joseph behind me while Swaffem tailed us, covering the back.

"Are we gonna make it at this rate?" Swaffem asked.

76-M gritted her teeth, shooting down monster after monster.

"No choice. Unless I knock out the Princess over there. Which I am tempted to do."

Vinci squeaked, tightening her grip on my arm.

"Owowowowowow! Hey! I can't aim my rifle when you're trying to tear my skin off!!! Please let go of me."

"S- Sorry..." Vinci muttered, burying her face deeper into my arm.

That's the opposite of what I just told you to do!

How was Joseph doing?

I glanced behind me.

"This is incredible! Incredible! My research was a success... and my daughter is so strong! This is an amazing day!"

Forget I asked.

This mf was crazy from the start.

"Blake! Do you see a hive mind anywhere?" I shouted over the chaos.

"No!"