Falcom felt her paranoia crawling down her spine as she traversed through the poorly lit cavern by herself. The only strong light source being the flare that IF had given to her before they had separated to widen their search for the missing Compa. Falcom had no disagreement with IF's decision; it made sense to split up so they could increase their chances of finding Compa alive. But there was no denying the fear in Falcom's heart when it came to the prospect of fighting on her own. Back in the Virtua Forest, Falcom handled herself well against the Dogoos, Tulips, and Boxer-X because she knew IF was fighting alongside her. Now that she was alone, it was another story altogether.
"Huh?"
The redhead stopped walking and looked down to see what she just stepped on. The object underneath her was the crushed remains of what might have been a headband. Falcom knelt down to inspect the accessory and the floor around it. There seemed to be some sort of large impression on the ground that surrounded the headband, meaning the headband hadn't been destroyed by Falcom's foot just now, but something else much bigger than a human. This evidence only further proved that Falcom's assumption was right; They weren't the only ones down here in this cave.
"I just hope we're not too late..."
Falcom stood back up and continued walking, taking care to listen very close to any noise that wasn't caused by her. Whatever made those large impressions on the ground had to still be here, prowling in the darkness like a predator.
And Falcom couldn't help feeling like their prey.
Neptune arrived at the southwest settlement and rallied Division Four under her command. The siege cannons that Division Four had as defensive weapons lacked ammunition, but Neptune assisted the technicians with a rather unorthodox way to use the cannons. Neptune had suggested channeling the energy core inside the cannon that kept the weapon itself running and overloading its threshold; enough to the point where another explosive such as a grenade or C-4 can spark an explosion. Neptune would worry about the costs of building them again another time because credits did not take precedent over the lives of her soldiers.
Other companies from the nearby outposts joined Division Four, increasing their chances of reduced causalities because a few of them were sharpshooters. Despite Planeptune being hailed as the 'Land of Purple Progress', they were still somewhat stuck in their old ways of using swords and engaging in straight melee combat. Thankfully, Iris had already been in the process of training their soldiers to also use ranged weapons such as firearms, cannons, and artillery. Neptune considered undergoing firearm training herself just so that the soldiers can see that their goddess was willing to change with the times as well. Although if Neptune was completely honest, that wasn't her only reason for wanting to use a sidearm alongside her sword. Truthfully, the thought of running around the battlefield cutting down monsters and shooting a pistol at the same time sounded kind of bad-ass.
Currently, Neptune was posted on the wall above the gate with her soldiers. The rest of her melee infantry was waiting below and Neptune could see the anticipation in their movements. Neptune herself would have felt even more if Iris wasn't handling the other battlefield with Division Two.
"My Lady, I have Plutia on the line. Patch her through?" A soldier spoke from their laptop.
"Visual feed as well."
A screen appeared in front of Neptune showing Plutia writing on a paper attached to her clipboard before she looked up.
"Back up from your nap already?" Neptune tilted her head at Plutia. "I imagine you'll probably fall asleep again in the next two hours."
"Hee hee...You know me so well now, Lady Purple Heart." Plutia laughed, pleased at this fact.
"I have to, since you're my Oracle and all." Neptune shrugged her arms. "What's the situation so far with Division Two?"
"Iris is pushing the monsters out of the town, but some of them made it through the defensive line." Plutia answered, looking up to grab a folder that was given to her. She glanced into its content before putting the file down. "She sent several squads to pursue them along with Nisa and B-Sha."
Before Neptune could respond, another screen popped up alongside Plutia's. On it was one of Neptune's officers. In the background, several soldiers could be seen moving the cannons they had rigged.
"My Lady, all the cannons are in place." The officer reported, saluting Neptune. "They're set to overload as you've instructed and we've placed remote controlled explosives inside them."
"Good, then find somewhere to hide and wait for the wave of monsters to come by." Neptune said as she crossed her arms. "Once you detonate the explosives, make your way back here. Don't try to flank the monsters, regroup with us."
"Understood."
The screen disappeared and Neptune looked back at Plutia. The Oracle had been looking into the folder during the time that Neptune was speaking to her officer, stamping the papers inside. When Plutia was finished, she looked back up to see Neptune staring at her.
"Anything else to report, Plutia?"
"Um..." Plutia grabbed her clipboard to look at it. "There's apparently a report of a female civilian that ran back into the danger zone."
"Do we have an identity for this woman?"
"Rei Ryghts is her name."
Neptune recognized the name immediately. Rei was the first citizen of her nation that she talked to upon her return to Gamindustri. If Rei ran back into a place filled with potentially dangerous monsters, then it had to be related to her daughter Peashy. Neptune hoped Rei lived up to her words on being a capable fighter.
"Plutia, were all of the citizens evacuated out of the town safely after Iris arrived?"
"No, not everyone. That's also another objective that Iris gave to the squads she sent after the monsters that broke through. Some children have been reported missing or separated from their parents."
Plutia's answer did not comfort Neptune. She remembered meeting Peashy and the little girl was upbeat and cheerful despite losing her parents at a young age. Neptune offered a small, silent prayer that Peashy would be unharmed and that Rei would reach Peashy. The sounds of explosion threw all of Neptune's thoughts out her head as she looked into the distance. Pieces of debris which Neptune assumed to be parts of their siege cannons flew up into the sky and back into the ground. Neptune looked at Plutia who only nodded her head before the screen disappeared.
"Brave soldiers of Planeptune!"
Neptune took to the skies and landed in front of her army. She summoned her blade and pointed its tip forward. It wasn't long before a line of monsters started to make themselves visible.
"Give me the strength I need to protect you, your livelihood, your loved ones, and everything we stand for as a nation!"
"Our strength is your strength, Lady Purple Heart!" Her soldiers shouted in unison.
"For Planeptune and all of Gamindustri-Charge!"
"Mommy! Daddy!"
"I wanna go home!"
"Go away, meanie! Leave us alone!"
These were the cries of a group of children were cornered against a building by a single wolf. Too afraid to split up and legs paralyzed with fear, they were all hugging one another. But out of all the kids, there was one youngster that stood in front of the group with their arms spread wide open, acting as a shield to the other kids. It was Peashy, who was teary-eyed and her legs wobbly, but she held her ground even as the monster moved closer with each step.
"I...I won't let you hurt my friends!" Peashy shouted. "If you get closer, I'm going to beat you up!"
As if responding to Peashy's declaration, the wolf snarled menacingly as Peashy faltered. It leaped into the air, diving at Peashy with its claws out. Peashy cried out, shutting her eyes as she ran forward, jumping up at the right moment and delivered an uppercut right into the wolf's jaw. The wolf yelped, flying back and rolling along the ground as Peashy landed back on her feet. The children behind Peashy who had just witnessed her bravery broke out into cheer.
"Peashy, that was awesome!"
"You were like One Hit Dogoo-man! Ka-pow!"
"Teach me, Master Peashy!"
Despite all these cheers, Peashy was crying as she held the hand that punched the wolf.
"Owie! That really hurts!" Peashy bawled out. "Mommy makes it look so easy..."
The wolf got back up on its feet and ran straight for Peashy, its sharp teeth bared out for all the children to see. Peashy stumbled back, falling on the ground as the wolf pounced on her. But before it could deliver a fatal bite, it was tackled by a fast moving figure. One that Peashy quickly recognized as a smile graced her face.
"Mommy!"
"Don't look, Peashy! And you kids too!" Rei shouted out, grappling with the wolf that was attempting to break free from Rei's tight grasp.
Peashy was quick to close her eyes and cover her ears. As soon as the rest of the children did the same, Rei squeezed her arms tightly around the wolf's neck until she heard a snap. The monster sagged lifelessly into Rei's arm and she tossed the dead creature's body aside. Rei panted heavily as she got back up on her feet, sweat dripping down her face. Peashy eventually opened her eyes and ran to her mother. Rei knelt down and caught her daughter in her arms as they hugged each other.
"I'm so glad I found you in time..." Rei pulled back from their hug and noticed her daughter's injured hand. "Peashy, what happened?"
"I...I wanted to protect my friends." Peashy answered as her lips quivered. "I punched it and now my hand hurts..."
Rei stared at Peashy for a moment before sighing, but a smile appeared on Rei's face. She patted Peashy on the head, who giggled at the affection.
"You were very brave, Peashy." Rei told Peashy, who blushed at the praise. "Mommy is proud of you. You protected your friends like a real hero."
"Hey, is everyone all right?"
The pair looked to the new voice to find a girl wearing a mask over her eyes and a bazooka mounted behind her back. This girl couldn't have been apart of the Planeptune military, so Rei guessed she was a mercenary hired to help Planeptune's army.
"We're fine, but who are you?" Rei answered and asked in return.
"I'm Presto Mask and I've been sent to help find any civilians and bring them somewhere safe."
Rei couldn't help but stare in bafflement at Presto Mask. Planeptune's military really allowed people with aliases to help them? If Rei had to be honest, their choice of mercenaries were certainly unique. But now wasn't the time to be thinking about such matters; what was really important right now was getting Peashy and the other kids away from all the roaming monsters in the town. A howl caused Rei and Presto Mask to look in the direction it came from and saw an approaching pack of wolves charging at them.
"Oh boy, this looks like more than I can handle..." Presto Mask said before reaching for the flare gun that was holstered on her leg. She aimed at the sky and fired as a bright light flew into the sky. "Nisa, I sure hope you can get here in time..."
"Presto Mask, was it?" Rei directed Presto Mask's gaze back to her. "I'll hold off these wolves, but I need you to get these kids to safety."
"Hey, hold on just a-"
"This isn't the time to argue!" Rei quickly interrupted Presto Mask. "We're a long way from the safe zone, but you have a weapon that can take out any monsters before they get close. I'm betting you don't have a lot of ammo for it either, do you?"
"Uh...well, I guess you got me there..."
"Then please use the ammo you do have left to protect the children and get them back to their parents." Rei pleaded to Presto Mask. "You said someone named Nisa is coming this way, right? I'll hold out until then."
Presto Mask stared at Rei, who really did not want the girl to be thinking about a decision like this when several younger lives were at stake here. Rei sighed with relief as Presto Mask nodded her head.
"You're right, I've gotta protect the children." Presto Mask said before pointing her finger at Rei. "But that doesn't mean you get to go dying off like some martyr! You need to stay alive for your own daughter, you got that?"
Rei chuckled and nodded her head; she had no plans on dying here. She had a promise to keep to Peashy and her parents which involved staying alive. Rei looked to Peashy, whose face had confusion and worry written all over it, but Rei assured her daughter with a smile.
"Honey, I need you to stay with Presto Mask and the other kids." Rei told Peashy, standing back up.
"Aren't you coming with us?" Peashy looked ready to burst into tears at the thought of being separated from her mother again.
"Of course I am, I'll be coming with you guys after I deal with those bad monsters." Rei gave Peashy a thumbs up. "Mommy needs you to protect Presto Mask and the other kids too, okay?"
"Okay...Go beat them up, Mommy!"
Presto Mask moved to speak to the other kids and she must have had a way with words because they all seemed to ease up and relax afterward. It didn't take long for them to follow Presto Mask and Peashy joined them. As for Rei, she turned her attention back to the monster pack closing in and ran to meet them. Rei kicked a wolf in the face once she was close enough, knocking it to the side as she crouched down when another leaped at her. She grabbed the wolf while it was still flying through the air and tossed it at a group of three of its brethren. Rei started jogging backwards to avoid having the wolves surround her. She was a competent fighter, but Rei knew trying to defend herself from all angles would be an impossible feat.
"Argh! My arm!"
However, Rei did not account for the initial wolf she had knocked to the side that managed to sneak up on her and clamp down its teeth on her left arm. Rei found herself getting pulled down to her knee, but she refused to give into the pain as she grabbed the top of its mouth as she pushed forward until she heard a snap and the wolf's grip loosened on her arm. Pulling her arm free from its teeth, Rei groaned as she clutched the arm that was bleeding with teeth marks that pierced through her suit's sleeve. Rei turned back to the approaching group of wolves that had recovered from Rei's attacks.
"Hit the deck, citizen!"
Rei acted on the order without hesitation as she dropped to the floor.
"Justice Kick!"
A yelp from a wolf followed as Rei looked back up to see a girl in a body suit in front of her now. Rei had a feeling this was Nisa, the one Presto Mask summoned through her flare gun. They shared similar themes of costumes with each other, so the two might be partners. Nisa pulled what looked to be a penguin shaped gun and fired at the advancing wolves. When one wolf got within biting distance of Nisa, she easily dodged the attack and pulled out a hilt which shot out a small beam of energy in the shape of a dagger. Nisa drove the knife into the wolf's head, killing it instantly. Nisa looked around to make sure there were no more monsters before turning to Rei and kneeling down to help her up.
"I'm glad that I made it in time." Nisa spoke as she looked over Rei's injury. "Good, the wounds aren't that deep, but you still need a professional to look it over in case of infection."
"T-thank you for saving me...You're Nisa, right? Presto Mask said you would be coming..."
"Yes, that's me. So did B-Sha leave you behind? If that's so, I'm going to have a long lecture to her about-"
"No, she didn't. I chose to stay behind." Rei interrupted Nisa before she could continue. At least she knew Presto Mask's real name now out of their conversation. "I told her to get the kids to safety while I held off the wolves."
"Ah, I see. B-Sha always did have a soft spot for kids." Nisa smiled as she shook her head. "Very well then, let's catch up to them. Can you walk on your own?"
"Yeah...I'm tougher than I look." Rei responded, though she didn't intend to sound so indignant.
"I know you are, citizen. That was very brave of you to stand your ground to protect the children." Nisa nodded her head, who didn't perceive Rei's response the way Rei imagined it to sound like. "Stay close to me, nevertheless; we're not out of danger yet. We'll catch up to B-Sha and get you and the kids back to the safe zone."
Nisa proceeded to walk in one direction before stopping. She then looked back at Rei, who remained where she was.
"Er...You wouldn't happen to know which direction they went, do you?"
Rei laughed despite the pain in her arm, earning a flustered expression from Nisa.
"Compa? Compa, please respond if you're here! "
IF called out for the missing girl as she walked through the cave. So far, IF hadn't found any more of Compa's belonging on the ground since the pouch. IF would not believe Compa was dead until she found a body or a dry trail of human blood stained on the ground. She needed a confirmation of a body, at the very least. Sure, IF had proof with the pouch containing Compa's identification card, but she wasn't going to settle for that and head on back to the Basilicom as proof that Compa was dead.
"I'm here to bring you back home, Compa! Your family and friends miss you!"
Only silence was the response to IF's calling. IF continued on, curious as to where this path would lead her. Falcom had yet to text her, so IF so no reason to turn back now. It seemed as if the road was getting more narrow and enclosed the further she continued. IF started to feel like she was going through a tunnel. Soon enough, IF found herself standing in an open clearing now with a large platform ahead connected by an old bridge.
It seemed to be the end of the road, but there was something in the middle of the large platform. A glowing light sitting on a pedestal piqued IF's interest as she crossed the bridge to get a closer look. As she approached the pedestal, the light seemed to fade away, allowing IF to see what was on the pedestal.
"Is that a...disc?"
"Who's there!?"
Falcom drew her sword and pointed it at a crevice in the wall. She wouldn't have paid any attention to it if some rocks hadn't mysteriously fallen out. In fact, it looked big enough for a person to fit in there. Falcom took slow steps toward the hole and moved her flare in front of her to see what was inside. When she got close enough, Falcom saw a girl sleeping inside; the very same girl that she saw on the ID of the pouch they found!
"Compa!"
Holstering her sword and dropping the flare on the ground, Falcom reached in to pull Compa out of the whole. When Falcom got a full view of Compa's body in her arms, Falcom saw minor scrapes on her skin and small tears in her clothing. Compa also had some shades of dark circles underneath her eyes, telling Falcom that this was probably one of the few times Compa found rest. Falcom couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief that her first mission was success; they found their missing girl alive.
"Compa, please wake up." Falcom urged the sleeping girl softly, giving her a slight shake every few seconds.
In response, Compa's eyes started to twitch before slowly opening. When Falcom looked into Compa's eyes, she saw multiple emotions going through them: relief, happiness, and hope. Compa immediately hugged Falcom like her life depended on it. Falcom had been shocked at first, but soon enough reciprocate the gesture as she heard Compa release a small audible sob every few minutes.
"There, there...It's okay, Compa." Falcom cooed into the girl's ear. "I'm here to get you back home."
"Home...that sounds nice." Compa answered, the exhaustion showing in her voice.
"Can you stand? Want me to carry you?" Falcom asked, not wanting to push the girl's health if Compa couldn't.
"I-I think I can."
"Okay then, just take it nice and slow."
Falcom and Compa eventually released each other from their hug. Compa wobbled as she got back up on her feet, but she managed to stand up straight on her own.
"So who are you?" Compa asked as she tilted her head at Falcom. "Are you from the Basilicom?"
"Not exactly, I'm working for them as a Gamindustri Guild member." Falcom explained to the girl. "My name is Falcom and my mission was to find you, Compa. Your family sent in a search and rescue request when they couldn't find you in your apartment. You've been gone for several days...Could you tell me how you ended up in here?"
"Well, it sounds kind of silly, but I think I saw a shooting star one night and tried to find out what it was." Compa answered, laughing weakly. "Next thing you know, the ground collapses underneath me and I'm stuck in a dark cave and chased by a large monster. I've had a few close calls, but I managed to hide from it..."
"Let's get out of here before it shows up then." Falcom said as she picked up the flare she had dropped on the ground. "Stay close to me, Compa. I'll protect you."
The two started walking with Compa keeping very close to Falcom's back.
"So what did the monster look like? Can you describe it?" Falcom asked, wanting to know just what kind of threat it was to her.
"It's like a big spider, but it has a fat human-like body on its head that uses a really big sword." Compa told Falcom a brief description of the predator. "Even though it's so huge, the spider barely makes any noise when moving...It caught me by surprise a few times. I lost my pouch and headband..."
Falcom knew the name of this creature. It was none other than a Guard Vermin that had been hunting down Compa, an arachnid-type monsters with rock skin and the power of thunder magic to boost the power of its great-sword. A strong monster of that strength and aptitude shouldn't be anywhere near the Virtua Forest.
So then what was it doing here in this cave?
"I'm not the only one that came looking for you, Compa." Falcom said. " Another girl was with me before we split up. Her name's IF and she has your pouch. As for your headband...I'm afraid it's destroyed beyond all repair."
"Aw...My mother gave me that headband." Compa frowned at the loss of her prized accessory.
When Falcom and Compa reached the area where IF had dropped the other flare, Falcom pulled out the phone IF had given Falcom. She had almost forgotten to send IF a text message that she found Compa.
"Give me a few seconds, Compa. I need to tell IF to come back here."
Compa nodded her head before a small smile spread across her face.
"IF, huh...Sounds like someone I want to be friends with." Compa murmured to herself.
IF had no idea what purpose the disc served just floating there. She took a picture, having the strangest feeling that it might be important later. After taking a photo, her camera switched over to the inbox where she received a text message from her other phone.
"I found Compa. We're waiting at the split path for you." She read it aloud before smiling to herself. "At least one of us had some luck."
After sending a reply back to Falcom, IF put her phone away before returning her attention back to the disc. She had no idea what it was and why it was in the middle of this room, but IF wasn't going back to Falcom empty-handed. As IF reached for the disc, the CD began to shine brightly, causing IF to take a few steps back. When the light faded, IF's eyes widened as she summoned her weapons.
A Guard Vermin stood before her along with several viral monsters from the Virtua Forest. IF may have just found the reason why monsters were spawning out of nowhere. These discs were spawning monsters! And not just any kind either, but the viral variants of the monsters that were already native to Gamindustri.
IF had to destroy that disc!
"Out of my way-"
Before IF could even finish her sentence, she felt something hit her back. IF had no control of her body and came to the conclusion she had just been hit with a paralyze spell. She collapsed forward, only able to look in front of her as the Guard Vermin and viral monsters made their way towards her.
"What have we here...An unlucky adventurer wandering into something they shouldn't have."
A pair of heels made their way in front of her, stopping the viral monsters in their place. IF still had control of her head, so she was able to look up. A woman with the most unhealthiest pale skin looked down at her with an arrogant smirk on her face and cold red eyes of a killer. She knelt down to cup IF's cheek in her hands.
"We can't have you spilling the truth about the monsters now, can we?"
"Falcom-Look out behind you!"
The redhead turned around raising her shield up just in time to block the giant sword of a Guard Vermin. Although Falcom defended herself, the sheer strength from the swing itself sent Falcom flying over into the railings. But the ancient rails could not withstand the sudden force and broke, sending Falcom over the edge.
"Falcom!"
Compa cried out and was about to run towards the edge where Falcom had fallen, but the Guard Vermin slid to a stop in front of her. Eyes widening in fear, Compa turned around and ran, screaming at the top of her lungs.
But she wasn't fast enough to get away.
"Guh...!"
Hot searing pain burned itself into Compa's back as she fell face-first into the ground. Compa cried out in pain, but coughed up blood at the same time. She wasn't a doctor, but the deep gash she felt on her back? Compa knew better than any doctor that this was the end. Compa turned herself around as she looked at the Guard Vermin, which raised up its sword to deliver the final blow to her.
"...I wish I had never seen that star." Compa muttered out before slowly closing her eyes.
"No!"
At the shout, Compa found herself opening her eyes again. Appearing in front of Compa was Falcom who blocked the blow with her shield. But the strength of the strike sent Falcom down on one knee. Despite that, Falcom screamed at the top of her lungs.
"From the depths of my soul, I call forth the potential of humanity within...Awakening!"
Falcom became enveloped in glowing flames as she started to get back up on her feet, pushing back against the strength of a larger monster with more mass than her. Knocking the creature's sword off her shield, Falcom slashed and sliced the monster's weapon holding hand clean off. Not stopping there, Falcom sprinted forward as she cut off its two front legs before reaching its head and decapitated both its spider head and humanoid head. The body of the Guard Vermin slumped on the floor with a thud and the glow around Falcom's body disappears.
"I...I didn't think it would actually work..." Falcom spoke aloud, panting heavily as she dropped her sword and shield on the ground. "So that's the hidden potential IF saw in me, huh...wait...Compa!"
Turning around, Falcom ran back and knelt down to cradle Compa in her arms. Compa's eyes were barely staying opened, yet when she looked at Falcom, Compa still managed to give the redhead a small smile.
"Compa, just hang in there. We'll get you to the hospital and everything will be fine." Falcom said as tears ran down her eyes. " Just don't close your eyes...please..."
"Sorry, Falcom..." Compa managed to reply, even if it was just a whisper. "I don't think...I can do that..."
"It was my job to protect you..." Falcom gritted her teeth, shutting her eyes. "I'm sorry...I'm so, so sorry..."
"No...It was your job to take me home..." Compa told Falcom, lifting her hand up to wipe the tears from the redhead's eyes. "You can still do that...just...please...take me home..."
Compa's hand dropped from Falcom's face as she slowly closed her eyes, never to open them again. And for a while, Falcom stayed there, holding onto the girl she failed to protect. But she stood back up on her feet, letting go of Compa briefly to pick up her weapons. Looking down at Compa's face, Falcom clenched her fists tightly before carrying Compa in her arms.
"...Let's get you home, Compa."
IF had always imagined her death to go two ways: In retirement or in a blaze of glory. What was going to happen to her now was neither of them and that scared her immensely. IF couldn't help but feel immense regret at the goals she had yet to accomplish in life. One of her dreams was to become an actual registered resident of a nation, more specifically, a citizen of Leanbox where her favorite goddess ruled: Green Heart. IF had hoped to meet her one day, maybe even become friends with her somehow through some stroke of luck if Green Heart ever returned from Celestia.
"If you're going to kill me, then get it over with."
The woman seemed impressed with how ready IF was to die judging by the look on her face, letting go of IF's cheeks as she stood up and took a step back. It was a brave front IF was putting up, but she sure wouldn't give this killer the pleasure of enjoying IF's demise. As IF watched the woman lift up her spear that was going to be driven into her back, IF closed her eyes, deciding it would be better off for her to not see her end coming. She'd still feel it, that was for sure, but it was better than looking at the weapon that would kill her.
"I don't think so, Arfoire."
A blurry figure bashed into Arfoire, who in turn, collided into the Guard Vermin and the other monsters. Standing in front of IF was a girl with long dark hair worn in pigtails. Her outfit consisted of dark colors of pale gray and indigo. But the striking part about the girl were her dark blue eyes eyes; they looked so lifeless...apathetic. In her hand, the mystery girl held a beam sword with a bone-chilling purple aura surrounding the energy blade. Arfoire stared at weapon in the girl's hand, shock and fear on her face.
"That's the Gehaburn! That weapon was supposed to be a myth!" Arfoire narrowed her eyes at IF's savior. "Who are you!?"
"What are you saying, Arfoire? You know me..." The girl chuckled ominously.
The girl stopped talking to look at IF and pulled out a syringe from her pocket. She stabbed the needle into IF's back and IF grunted in pain, but she could feel her limbs again. Getting back up on her feet, IF picked up her katars and dropped into her battle stance. IF had no idea who this girl was, but it was clear she was no friend of this Arfoire. So for IF, she was an ally.
After all, the enemy of an enemy is a friend...right?
"But I suppose I'll grace you with the fake name I've come to accept."
In the other girl's free hand, she summoned a megaphone.
"I am Kurome Ankokuboshi...and I will show you why you feared me. My timeline or not."