The battle of Inkopolis continues on all fronts, from the western front of Akane's battle with Indy to the eastern front with Joseph Galloway and others fending against Root and his forces. On the central front where mayhem still reigns in favor of the octarian forces, a fatigued Verde and his squad do their best to defend against the rejuvenated octarians. Thousands of soldiers came in as reinforcements and made it quite difficult for even Verde to focus on the opponent in front of him, forcing him to have to come to their rescue and relieve them of some of the numbers. A strenuous task for General Royale, he knew every soldier personally as a practice to improve his relationship with them; due to his commitment of treating them more than just an average soldier, everyone under the command of Verde loved him dearly and respected him far greater, seeing him as a stern older brother who never showed his soft side, but was still capable of making them feel like they were family despite how far away from home they might be. It was because of this that it was so difficult for him to watch them struggle in staying alive-he knew them all by name, and watching them fall one by one only broke his heart as he remembered the families he'd have to give the news to, to a family who were unaware that these people made the choice to follow him in any circumstance. This fight is more than just protecting a home for his little siblings, but also for all his subordinates who had lives of their own to live. A bittersweet revelation that could only be reached in battle, Verde understood the magnitude of what he got himself into, and why Cap'n Cuttlefish was careful in allowing him to bring his forces. Witnessing his precious comrades perish for a cause that was still up to chance, how devastating. He can't spend too much time helping them however, as hot on his tail is Blanco who had no regard for the lives of both sides and was dedicated to simply pursuing Verde in battle. If he continued to stall the one armed wild octoling, he'd risk dragging more lives into his battle, but that explosion took so much out of him that if he confronted Blanco, there was a likelihood he might not survive with all the vulnerabilities.
"There's no other choice…!" Verde resolves, stopping his retreat and instead heading for Blanco; Verde still had his gun but the exposed armor of Blanco meant the probability of them having an effect must be slim since he still moved around like he was fresh. Verde does a jump and fires, creating a smokescreen and emerging from it with a right uppercut aiming for Blanco's chin; Blanco dodges the punch by using his hands as a shield, but Verde isn't done. After missing on the initial strike, Verde brought down his right elbow on the shielding Blanco. Blanco brings up his left knee to strike Verde, but Verde's right leg is quick for the block. Verde's shining gun in the left hand is locked and loaded with its target, but the gun goes flying with a swift right straight from Blanco. Under normal circumstances, Verde wouldn't have let that happen, but the previous explosion took so much out of him that even predictable moves like that hurt him. Without his gun, he had no killing blow, and it was clear that Blanco had the intent of finishing this on fisticuffs. Without his gun, Verde shifts his style swiftly just like his parents taught him. His body twists and bends using the speed of his right hand to palm strike Blanco and make his lose balance, then using his left fist to throw a straight aimed at his face. Blanco's impressed by his speed but had no intention of letting the loss of his arm stop him from proving effective in battle as a Wild Card. Using his only arm as support with his to keep him from falling on his back, he narrowly avoids Verde's left straight and goes on the rebound launching his head into Verde's chest. The wind gets knocked out of Verde and he staggers before falling to his knees, which gives Blanco the few seconds needed to enable a spinning jump heel kick that he connects to the jaw of Verde and sends him flying with a twist. Scraping the ground with a skid Verde's skin burns, but he isn't out of it just yet. Blanco sneers, looking over to the gun Verde dropped and picking it up with sinister intentions. Verde gets back up to his feet, but to any experienced fighter, it's clear that he's taken too much damage to live up to the expectations.
"Quite a shame you had to get caught in the blast earlier, you might've been far more of a challenge if you didn't take the brunt of that explosion. No matter, I came to the surface for conquest. If it means I can rid myself of a dangerous opponent who threatens her majesty, then by all means, I will exploit it." he said pointing the gun at Verde giving the injured inkling his finals moments to stare at the sky for a last time and at the ground before he'll be buried; "You've earned my respect."
The shots are fired and Verde drops to his knees as a resignation. It all looks bleak for Verde as his mind went into hyper speed and tracked the trajectory of the bullets the moment they fired. His head was still sharp but his body dulled from the damage; he couldn't move his body anymore, or more that so much had gotten taken out of him that he needed time to recover, time Blanco wouldn't allow. Resigned to bitter defeat, he turned to processing his life and memories he made up to this point. The childhood of endurance, of fighting wars, of growing up and understanding what it meant to fall in love and keep it repressed all the same, to remember what warmth felt like when he held his little siblings in his arms. Enough to bring him to tears, he felt regret that he didn't go all out at the right moment and possibly avoid all of this happening. Now, he was about to be nothing more than a memory-a failure that stained the family name.
The seven bullets miss their mark.
It wasn't Blanco's fault, but his jaw dropped like it did. In surprise by the individual who dared to jump in the way of the killer shot, he's met by a man dressed in flashy red and white with quite the smug grin. "The great child soldier can't even perform his own role?" the man asked looking over to Verde sharply, as if disgusted that the great Royale allowed some stranger to get the better of him.
Verde's shameful eyes avert his intense glare with lowering eyelids, "John…?"
"John?" Blanco repeats, confused by the sudden appearance of someone who seemed to be incredibly strong; "Why have you chosen to step into a battlefield, and most importantly, interfere with my kill? Got a death wish?"
"Of the Tower Bridge Unit, to you." he finishes with an arrogant look. "I could ask you the same question. What idiot tries to kill Verde Royale? Do you got a death wish?" John looks over to Verde with another smug grin, "Get up off your lazy ass. Lance would smite you if he learned of what happened here. No need to worry, I'll keep it between us."
Verde slowly rises to his feet, "Why...are you...here? Aren't you-"
"Working for the sleazeball Liandt? I was, but there's been a change of plans."
"Change of...plans?"
John wouldn't elaborate and only gave a huge smirk.
Over in the east, Root closes in on attacking the defenses of the Galloway family and their squad. In the distance, they all could sense his presence, but none of them stood a chance against him. A feeling of hopelessness and frustration overcome them, after having fought so hard to defend the front they way they have, here comes an unfair addition to the fight to spoil their already futile efforts. They remembered what was said over the communicators a while back about their odds: for every one of their soldiers, there were a thousand of the enemy, and they are greatly outnumbered at this rate with the way their people have fallen and the enemy hasn't been all that much affected by their loss. In a situation where they desperately needed a serum that could rejuvenate them in the wake of a disaster arriving, a red and white streak of light brushed past them and looked to be on collision with the powerful presence storming towards them. Root could see the light too, and feeling all the alarms go off in his head, he braced himself for the attack. As expected, someone's foot is pressed against his forearms with such power that he could feel the heat transferring from their body into the pressure of her kicks. He analyzes his attacker, following her as she does a back handspring back flip. She wore a red and white outfit with a confident expression that differs from John's arrogance, elated that she could fight to protect her country rather than engage in shady missions.
"Eliza of the Tower Bridge Unit is at your service!" she salutes with a huge smile, one that sparked a sense of relief in the hearts of all the soldiers fighting for Inkopolis, especially the Galloway family, who felt like they had a fighting chance. Calling everyone to action, Joseph Galloway placed his trust in the newcomer and chose to believe in her strength, entrusting her to handling Root.
Back at the final front before the parliament building, the defense force guarding the building can feel the rumbles of enemy forces approaching. Several massive blockades of cars and trucks stacked on top of each other, paired with a similar setup to what Verde had, this defensive front possessed everything all the other defensive units had: A mass majority of the infantry, a good selection of heavy weapons to combat their forces, the defensive support of the blockades that should slow down the enemy, and the overhead shooters. The march is steady but apparent, as the closer they get, the more the ground starts to move; the responsibilities of the forces up on the rooftops were to snipe down as many as possible before they breach the walls. The whispers and murmurs from prior ceased as everyone listened to the sounds of their city, melancholy expressions on their faces as they remembered the other soldiers who were also in battle, and those who already bit the dust. As the last defense, they had a duty to make sure their comrade's efforts weren't in vain. All heads raised and shoulders straightened standing behind their ready leader at the helm, they wait for the big moment. Someone alarms them from up top, but not with the news they expected.
"Someone is here from the rear!" they yell.
Lime turns around still maintaining that same vicious glare while clutching her weapon, sensing a heavy pressure approach her quickly. She raises her hand and orders everyone to hold their fire the moment the pressure she felt was identified by a familiar rival. In the blink of an eye, a lady in red and white appeared before Lime with her twin daggers pressed against Lime's throat, and everyone locked and loaded on her, ready to kill her if she dare drew blood from their Head General; Lime didn't flinch and kept her glare on her, and as Victoria looked down, she saw a gun pressed against her abdomen. Victoria withdrew her weapons and smirked, "Still as sharp as ever."
Lime slams her flag pole on the ground, steam escaping her nose as she kept her glare on Veronica; everyone lowered their weapons. "What brings you here."
"I'm here on orders." Victoria responds casually shrugging her shoulders.
"Of that scum?" Lime scoffs, disgusted by the sight of one of the people who targeted her family.
"Yes, It's his last wish before accepting his punishment. He's agreed to turn himself in for his crimes if the remaining members of the Tower Bridge Unit here can hold their end of the deal and help defend the country from these invaders, he'll keep our names out of his testimony."
"Up to the very last, you only care about yourselves...Is this supposed to be redemption after what your crew attempted?"
"Attempted? Your little brother isn't safe by any means." she chuckles; "And that last tidbit about keeping our names a secret is more for me than the others since they really care about this situation. But in my eyes, I'd do whatever it takes to see our leader at the top and keep my name out of trouble at the same time. Even if it meant spilling your little brother's blood, I'd gladly do it."
In the blink of an eye, Victoria was staring at the barrel of a gun. There's a click, and behind the gun sits a pair of unforgiving eyes of an enraged sibling, who could already picture the horrific sight of her baby brother. "Say that again and your head will be in chunks." Lime warns, her blood boiling.
"Easy there, you need me." she said pushing the gun away with a confident look.
Lime furrows her brows and clicks her tongue, "Full of yourself, aren't you?"
"Just a single Tower Bridge Unit member is enough to handle a hundred of their soldiers. Besides, we don't need to overwhelm them if they have someone leading, right? All we need to do is cut off the snake's head and the rest will squirm. Your strength and mine are more than enough for whoever is in command."
Gunshots are heard overhead, the man on the rooftops unloading their cannons and rockets and other heavy artillery. One person sends word to Lime with a signal from above that the enemy is about to approach the first of several little blockades placed to slow them down. On each blockade, they set up plenty of explosives to slow them down that also doubled as a smokescreen. With the objective being to unload as much damage and buy as much time as possible, Lime gambled that this was the only option left. If she could buy enough time for this so-called aerial team to arrive, then all would be well. Several minutes pass and there is no new updates from up high for Lime and Victoria, who wait patiently at the front; there isn't much for a conversation desired on both sides. Her arms crossed and attention focused on the sounds of battle far away, Victoria notices some strange little dots flying around silently. Her hand flicks in less than a second, steam surrounding her fist as she caught Lime's attention. She mentions that the bug she caught wasn't organic, which Lime took a closer look at to confirm they were manufactured. Lime's eyes widen with a terrible realization that these must be the devices used to spy on them, which would explain how they've fared so well against her aggressive tactics.
"If they know what we're up to, then that means…"
"They're coming." Lime concludes, hearing the explosions getting nearer and nearer along with warnings from up above that the enemy forces were close to breaching the final wall.
In a mere matter of moments, their prediction comes true. Everyone is called to arms as the high team furiously unload their ammo-some getting picked off and plummeting to their deaths. The blockade's smashed, and in pours hundreds of soldiers swarming at Lime and her squad; entering immediately into this huge pocket that serves as the final battle for Inkopolis, Leone searches far and wide for the powerful commander responsible for being such a thorn-locating a female holding a flag with quite the intense aura. In a moment's notice, she's right before the pair and throws a right straight that Lime, blocks with the flag pole, the pulsating sensation runs through her body as her full force punch didn't hit its designated target. Leone pulls back and laughs, excited that her expectations are met, and that there was even another powerful foe.
"Lady with the green hair, I believe you are the one in control of this operation?" Leone shouts over the commotion as her soldiers pour in for a fight.
Lime grips the flagpole, "You must be the one in charge of these invaders?"
Leone smirks, "I'm not big on talking before battle, but you're interesting. Please surrender the building behind you and your lives will be spared."
Victoria sneers, "Wow, taken a liking to Lime over here? You like the plump and aggressive types?"
"So your name is Lime? Hm, must be fate. My name is Leone. I'm the lioness octoling, and proud Elite of the Royal Guardsmen unit."
Lime's face darkens, "My family is fighting with their lives on the line, and my soldiers are putting their lives on the line as well. Here you are acting as if this is all some sort of game. This isn't funny!"
"I wasn't trying to be funny, I'm serious about sparing your life." she said with a plain look that then transformed to something similar; "You'd make a fine prize for after this war is over. A chain and shackles on you would fit my tastes..."
Victoria no longer finds amusement as a vein sprouts on her forehead, offended by the octoling's disturbing comment, "You're overstepping, octo. Watch your damn mouth!"
"Come again, inky?" Leone sneered.
"Don't entertain her, Victoria."
"Buzz off! I'd rather your brother here right now than you anyways-always acting so fake with that mommy persona of yours."
"Brother? You mean the one who failed to protect the blockade a while ago? Hm, might be dead…" In the blink of an eye, a massive shadow sits overhead of Leone. When Leone lifts her head, she saw a brutal hue in Lime's eyes with her reflection in the sharp irises. The flag that she carried was supposed to be shown as a nothing more than a cosmetic that had paper-weight, or at least that's what Leone thought. But as she takes a step back and avoids the impact of her attack, the cracks in the asphalt from the swing of the pole told her that thing had to weigh a considerable amount. Marveled by her strength, Leone doesn't have enough time to admire her strength, for there is someone in her blindside ready to pounce on her vulnerability. It's a narrow window for her but she avoids a critical strike Victoria had lined up, acrobatically, doing a few handspring flips to create some distance. "Alright! I like that, I like that. Two on one? Interesting. I guess I have some time to spare while my people make quick work of your measly defenses." she bragged with hungry eyes.
"Don't doubt the tenacity of inklings, especially Inkopolis' own." Lime proudly states while planting her flag into the ground with a slam; "You are surely mistaken to believe I'd let you do as you please on my turf!"
Aside from their battle, the final front has the densest amount of participants out of all the current battles with the majority of Inkopolis' forces serving as the last defense armed with the greatest number of weapons and infantry available. They did well in holding off the downpour of octolings despite their limited numbers, but for the invaders it was only a matter of time before they broke the camel's back. Even though the inklings were tenacious in their defense and coordinated in neutralizing the enemy attacks, it was apparent that the overwhelming numbers of the octarians were effective. Every time they looked to have a tiny victory or create a little breathing space, there were more octarians to fill in the hole left behind by their comrades and keep it an endless task, which greatly drained the morale and energy of the inkling troops alike. There isn't much that they do in depending on Lime and Victoria either, as their two strongest available units were still engaged in a high tempo battle against the enemy's commander, and it looked to be getting faster by the second. Inkopolis needed guidance, they needed rejuvenation. They needed a rally, someone-anyone, who had enough valor to lead them, who could designate all their strength to commanding them rather than being preoccupied with one lone soldier, though they understood that if those two didn't take down Leone, their chances of defense were probably impossible. Leone notices the enemy soldiers are starting to lack the sharpness and decides to start toying with them instead in hopes that everyone could get back to an efficient production. She finally arrived to the surface and met powerful opponents, at the very least she'd like so see everyone maintain that same energy. Lime and Victoria pick up the pace, preventing her from striking a small platoon; Victoria keeps Leone at bay for a moment while Lime snaps them out of it, demanding them to keep up the fight no matter how difficult. Easier said than done.
"They had some spirit at first but they lost it the moment they realized the uphill battle they must face." Leone taunts deflecting every punch and kick thrown by Victoria. The inkling ignores her however and continues to dish out as many attacks, although Leone starts to notice that even though she is beginning to dull, she can still put up a fight; "Tired already? Don't you want to rest?"
"Shut up!" Victoria shouts, taking out a gun from a holster in her leg just before throwing out a high kick and firing a shot in her blind spot; the bullet catches Leone, but it didn't hit a vital spot nor did the octoling seem fazed. Victoria isn't unnerved either, continuing to apply as much pressure to her, realizing she had her on the defense.
"Even in my land, very few people match me in raw strength and toughness-"
"Are you hard ears?" Lime shouts, joining in with a hop in her step. "She said shut up!"
Leone does a double arm block on the two of them from opposing sides before overpowering them with the strength of her forearms alone; Lime and Victoria look at one another and nod in agreement to a new strategy. Rather than what they've tried so far, they needed to synchronize their attacks for twice the power. Leone reads their line of sight and adjusts her stance, putting more weight in the bending of her knees and lifting her heels a little bit with her back hunched forward a little with clawed palms much like a lion. Ducking her head, she avoids the flying kick from Victoria, but the inkling is on the rebound as she lands on Lime's flagpole and gets launched back to her; Victoria, headbutts her in a backwards motion, but it isn't enough. Leone, knees her in the back with left knee and then punches her squarely in the face to send her fly a few skips; Lime unleashes a powerful underhand swing, which Leone struggles to block with the flag flapping in her face. Impressed that the inkling would rather fight with an entire flagpole rather than a traditional weapon, she's blindside as a gun goes off. There's a hole in the flag, and in Leone's face as a hole occupies where her left eye used to be. It was only a breath of a moment, but Leone already knew the tone this would set for the battle and quickly knocked Lime away, holding her face to stop the blood from leaking out. Victoria returns noticing the new scar and high fives Lime, praising her for finally showing her true colors in the fight; Leone curses them, promising to return the favor tenfold but before she can pile on the imaginary atrocities she'll bring to reality, a voice calls from the distance.
"Your efforts have been rewarded!"
Everyone-from the trio to both armies fighting at the front-stopped and looked up at a lone airship that soon hovered over them like a helicopter; three individuals emerge. Both sides wear confused expressions, mesmerized by the appearance of this strange craft for very different reasons. For Inkopolis, no airships should be in this war space and based on the design, it resembled a certain island nation to the far east. For Octaria, they never saw an airship in their lives, so this was quite the debut. The three bodies jump out of the ship and drop to where the trio stood, falling like missiles. Lime, Victoria, and Leone alike all move away from the landing spot; a thunderous landing that rocks the place, the trio brought everyone to a stunned silence. Two figures were dressed in gi outfits, with the crest of a certain family decorating the upper right chest and backs, and the third person with them, had a blade in her hand carrying an aura of wisdom. Leone didn't know who they were, but she's pissed off from losing her eye and she'll take it out on them. Victoria's indifferent to their appearance, but she found amusement in seeing Lime's reaction, who looked like her head was about to burst from seeing them.
Initially stunned from the shock of the familiar faces-her face turned red, "That emblem and orange hair…! That blade…!" she forces out, unable to put her sentence together.
Victoria chuckles in response, "Well, well, this is quite a reunion. To think the day would come that the Citra couple and Hanazami would be on the battlefield again. What timeline is this?"
"Th-this is no time to be joking!" Lime shouts clenching her fist, "Uncle Renji, Aunt Cara, Mrs. Hanazami, what are you people doing here? That airship!" she points, her voice growing louder with irritation.
"It's Ikayumu." the Citra couple respond casually, showing not a hint of awareness to her agitated tone.
"I KNOW!" Lime shouts angrily, cupping her hands together in a fist to keep herself from popping a blood vessel.
"Why is Ikayumu getting involved?" Victoria shouts, giving them more of her attention than to her opponent, turning her back to Leone.
Hanazami looks over to Lime with the same emotionless expression she always had, "I'm aware of what we're doing by coming here, but a certain mother needed some assistance and another mother answered that call."
Lime pulls at her hair in distress with a pale face, "Trespassing. You all just trespassed on Inkopolis soil. And you're telling me my mother is behind this!?" She puts her hand up to her face and begins massaging her forehead, "I understand what Aunt Marie meant now. My mother is a handful."
"Call it trespassing, but we're here to save you." Renji laughs, pointing to the massive aerial fleet descending on Inkopolis at that very moment; thousands upon thousands of fighter planes and carrier planes approaching, and he also said that a naval fleet were coming to their aid as well to surround Octaria from the rear.
"You've met your match." Cara said looking over to Leone, "Care to surrender? As we speak, you're about to be surrounded."
Leone's eyes widen with surprise at the gall this lady had, "Surrender? Hah! No matter how much you bring, it won't be enough to stop us. This is only the beginning!"
Lime and Victoria narrow their eyes with concern, "The beginning…"
Hanazami gives an annoyed sigh, "I guess you are aware that your nation is also under attack right now as well? Have you tried communicating with them? You forces look a little lackluster if this is all you brought to attack."
Hanazami was calling a bluff and Leone thought as much, but the thought started to creep in her mind that there might be some truth. She hasn't had contact with the Grand Elites for quite a while now, and indeed this wave wasn't enough to account for the intervention of Ikayumu, who brought enough firepower to combat their entire army if they came onto the surface. It didn't help that they had the sky to their advantage, as it would quickly put them to sleep despite the powerful weapons they had. Leone looks worried, which Cara smiles and drops the remark that she'll tend to her wound if she agrees to cease the fighting. However, Leone had her pride as the leader of the first wave-the first one to strike down the legacy of Inkopolis-and if she couldn't even do that, then how could she face her superiors, and especially the queen? How would she answer for such shortcomings? Aware that though it wasn't a wise move, all that she and her comrades could do was stick to the plan of taking the capital and trust in the others to pull through. Leone bellows loud enough for every octoling on the surface to hear-even the ones already defeated in battle-and gives one final command to attack with all that they got; Following orders, the octolings bring the fight, and Leone charges at Cara Citra threatening to make her pay for her comments. Cara closes her eyes and shakes her head, Leone rushes in. Cara dodges the first strike and blocks the next, dancing around every attack of Leone's; Lime and Victoria are stunned that the opponent they'd been fighting evenly with was getting humiliated so easily, and it didn't help that Renji was cracking jokes while Hanazami looked disinterested-just how strong was Cara Citra? Leone asked herself the same question as she struggles to land her first hit, noticing the blocked attacks were soon becoming misses too.
"You possess too much arrogance a mere underling…" she remarks, swiftly chopping her on the head with her right hand so quickly it could be seen, then doing a quick high jump left kick to send her away that not even her husband saw clearly; Leone crashes into the ground but sticks the landing, showing her bloodied face that resulted from the powerful kick as a steamed print of the kick marked her face. "Ah, you can take a hit I suppose."
"Don't screw with me!" she yells angrily, provoked that someone could be so strong.
"I have no reason to, I'm happily married." she beamed innocently.
Leone lunges at Cara, but before she could ever reach her, there's a fist wedged in her gut that sends her flying backwards into the blockade; the punch belonged to Renji Citra, whose comedic aura was replaced with a serious look. "Don't aim your bloodlust at my wife." he said in an upset tone, returning to his cheerful self once Cara called his name.
"Th-they're just like I remembered them, and they still look pretty young. Amazing…" Victoria marveled.
Hanazami's gaze is distant, "We'll leave the cub to the two of you. The three of us will do something about all these soldiers. All clear?"
The pair nod in understanding and Hanazami makes her move, calling Cara and Renji to her side; they bulldoze their way through the horde of enemies and leave the other two behind to handle the enraged Leone, who still had some fight left in her. Amazed at the power of the Citra couple, both ladies now had a fire lit under them as they had their pride as soldiers to fight with their all, and on the other side, Leone's blind rage dissipated as she quickly got humbled by Cara. Instead of focusing on retaliation, she turned her sights to the Parliament building, pointing towards it and declaring that after she beats the two of them, she's burning it down. Meanwhile to the west, the battle continues as Indy's forces hold off the press of the Inklings. On the last of her strength, Akane's resolve was unwavering in the wake of her possible death. She believed in her family despite the several footsteps she heard of octolings giving out commands on how to kill her. Unafraid of death nor the torture they might have planned for her before then, she blocked her senses and continued to reassure herself that her family would come for her, that their bonds were unbreakable and that she'd be saved. Indeed, conflict arrived out of nowhere, as the octoling's attention went from Akane to the attacker who came out of nowhere, their shrieks of horror could be heard just before they're silenced. At first Akane believed it to be her loyal guards Takui and Yuuya, but after hearing the petrified tones of the octolings, she realized that whoever was killing them wasn't doing so with mercy, just short of butchering even. Her heart thumps with anxiety. Who is there? She doesn't have the strength to even put up a fight and much less open her eyes.
"At ease, child. I'm here…" a lady's soft and comforting tone assured, placing her hand on one of the bullet wounds.
"Who are you…?" Akane murmurs, like a lost child; her legs felt light, and desperately did she want to open her eyes now that a strange light seemed to be piercing her eyelids.
"Simone. Simone Tokugawa." she smiled warmly, as the girl opened her eyes.
Akane sits up abruptly, "Huh? I-I can't see!" she panics, showing her reddened eyes and feeling her face, the moisture of her blood still present.
"Shhh…" Simone hushed gently placing her hands on the girl's chest and back, "Calm down, I'll take care of you. Please rest for now."
"What about my family! They're all battling right now."
"Don't worry, my comrades are assisting them. Now Rest..." she advises, continuing her specialty of healing.
It was a miracle that the Yoshikara men couldn't believe as hundreds upon thousands of people fell from aircraft carriers and came to their aid, helping them drive back the octolings. In this lineup of what felt like angels were none other than some of Akane's most reliable allies: Lori Kotari led this group that consisted of Diante, Jengai and Arokei as leaders. Lori and Diante rallied the Inkopolis troops in addition to hers, and opposite of her storming in from the other side was the group led by Jengai. Arokei turned to attacking the main formation of the octolings and ordered the others to join him once they secured the west. Takui and Yuuya are shocked that Ikayumu came to their assistance, but old Harley knew right away that the involvement of Ikayumu meant that indeed, the events that have occurred here will indeed rock the world to its core as Ikayumu rarely ever used their military, only doing so in the great turf wars. To the east, Root and Eliza are locked in battle. A perfect interception on the part of Eliza, not only did she spark a resurgence with her appearance for Inkopolis, but she also sparked terror for the octolings by opening up her fight with Root with a bang. Dishing out an onslaught of attacks that Root struggled to find an answer for, she kept the momentum rolling on her side by picking up the pace. A decent amount of damage done to Root in a matter of seconds, Eliza continues to overwhelm him by doing a helicopter kick followed by a downwards axe kick at the apex of her first attack; Root's able to block the helicopter kicks, but when she delivered the axe kick, he felt an incredible pain course through his body on the impact, instinctively retreating for a moment. Eliza isn't so generous however, doing a leap and using their momentum of her body to perform a forward somersault kick; right away Root realizes that he's dealing with a specialist in martial arts, and one who had deadly kicks based on her crane stance after the landing. At this rate, she'd wear him down before he stood a chance at showing his strength; there's only one thing he can do…
"Bring it!" he shouts, accepting yet another powerful kick to the chest and returning the pain with a solid strike to her jaw that stuns her for a moment. Root hacks away in response to the opening given, using arms and legs to overpower the defenses of Eliza.
In addition to Eliza battling Root, on the opposite side of the marching Galloway led forces, the team of Moriko, Beverly, Miyamoto as well as representatives of the Dojinomi clan all made their arrival with a strong impact, dealing a critical blow to the octarian forces. A tactic that trapped Root in between to crushing walls, it was only a matter of time before Inkopolis stopped the invasion. Over by Verde, John and Blanco were also in battle, but unlike Eliza and Root's contest which saw both sides trade blows, this one was one sided. Out of left field, Blanco's rejuvenation proved stronger than John's freshness. Verde's stunned by the development, realizing that not even John of the Tower Bridge Unit couldn't prove a difference. A crushing pressure makes its presence known, the overwhelming number of octarians dwindling at a rapid rate. Several soldiers cried for help before meeting their end, which only struck fear in Blanco's heart as he sensed the culprits approach him. A sight beyond his wildest imagination, three people brought down the legion and a look in the other direction where John and Verde stood, thousands of carriers approach overhead. Blanco's knees go weak with despair, understanding that indeed everything was falling apart at the seams: He's about to be defeated, which meant the main force were in trouble, Leone was likely taken down, which meant the strongest leader among them was gone, and based on the atmosphere of battle, it was likely his comrades also fell, which left the following waves as his only hope, and their lack of appearance only piled onto the worry. From the east to the west, all squads came together simultaneously and launched their attack on Octaria, overpowering them in no time from up high and on the ground. In just a few minutes, the might of Octaria is crumbled. All the collective forces gathered in one place, they've got the octolings on the ropes with their infantry defeated and their heavy weapons seized or totaled. Watching in horror as her soldiers drop in defeat, Leone finally understood that something with awry in Octaria or else this result wouldn't have occurred. Her instincts told her the best course of action was to live and fight another day, but then when she remembered that everything gambled on this very moment, despair set in that she had to live with the decision she made. Indy, Root, and Blanco have all been defeated and so have their forces. They've been cornered with no reinforcements, and in a worst case scenario the queen might've fallen. There's nowhere to run as a helicopter arrives blasting the base beat for the special that's been prepared for this occasion, the spinning blades similar to the bells that toll before death, and the people within the helicopter serving as nothing short of the grim reaper, prepared to bring an end to this invasion. Dressed in matching black outfits, the Squid Sisters and Off the Hook have a massive killer wail set before Pearl. A final performance for the octoling army, and a treat for the soldiers of Inkopolis, they combined to play the anthem of Inkopolis, a groove and melody so addictive and hypnotic that even the defeated octolings couldn't help but tap their feet and bob their heads to the beat. The chants of the crowd grew louder as the song continues, the reaction of the crowd giving unique responses as Pearl opened up the song spitting a fiery verse, followed by Callie and Marina performing a harmonized verse, then Marie closing out the song. Almost at the conclusion, Pearl's hair lit up and she prepared for a killer wail attack unprecedented. Wave upon wave disrupt the ears of all the octolings on a special frequency that could only affect them; Marina luckily came prepared with special earplugs. An attack so loud that it had the earth shaking, all of the octolings fell to their knees in defeat holding their ears to prevent their eardrums from further rupture.
"I surrender..." Leone declares with a whimper on her knees before Lime and Victoria, calling an end to this invasion after the overwhelming rally.
A victorious defense for Team Inkopolis, Rapture is over for them.