Kill la Kill: Spiral Saga

by Griffin Hunter 02

A girl who wants to avenge her father. A boy who wants to seek out the truth of his own fate. When these two sets of hope collide, they form a double helix that can pierce through despair. This is the story of two individuals dead set on finding out the answers to their lives. Their destination? Honnouji Academy.

12. Before Lights Out

STUDENT COUNCIL ROOM

"Hmm..."

She was reflecting something, her mind delves deep into her very thoughts...

Her favourite teacup, containing Soroi's bitter tea was resting in the palms of her hands. Whiffs of white smoke float above, she hadn't even taken a single sip on the black tea of her loyal butler.

Her subordinates had taken a seat on their respective chairs, waiting for their leader's take on the new information at hand.

The Blonde Beastman, who was sipping on his own cup of tea after a lengthy explanation, was also the same as them. Waiting for what she had to say on this.

"...It seems a reassessment of our approach needs to be done, considering if what Viral had said to us... regarding Takiyo is said to be true."

What Viral had told them all was indeed an eye-opener. She then finally had taken a sip of the dark tea in her hands, relishing the bitter taste of it.

Like the bitter truth that had been spilt to her just now, she was now reassessing her plans that were formerly planned out for her assistant.

"Viral, I can assure you... your concern about your position as a teacher in Honnouji Academy is something that you do not need to worry about for a while, given the fact that you had proven yourself reliable by recent actions that I must acknowledge," she stated to the sitting Beastmen in front of her as she continued.

"Your identity would be kept safe from prying eyes. For now, I will allow you to continue your business here in this institute."

She then frowns at the Beastman for the next words she would say to him.

"However... do not take this as a token of my appreciation. I'm merely returning the favour for the past actions that you have done towards our youngest member of the board. The medical ward, however, was more of a necessity that needs to be done."

"It is the fact that you had infiltrated this island in the first place that proves to me you are not as trustworthy as you may think to us all."

"Consider this meeting as your first and final warning from the Student Council, Viral. We will be keeping a close eye on you after this..."

Viral returned the frown with his own, he was on a tighter leash now by Kiryuin.

Aikuro's identity as a Nudist Beach Operative was still intact, nonetheless. The man had covered his tracks on the forgery he did for Viral. A backup plan in case thing goes awry if The Beastman's identity were to say, exposed...

A spy's main priority is saving your own skin first before anyone.

"...I'll keep that in mind, then. Anyways, now that we're done here... I'd like to take my leave. Got a class to handle in about 10 minutes or so."

"You may."

With a slight courteous bow from Viral, The Beastman had left the room. He was off the hook, for now.

Nevertheless, he had to tread his next moves very carefully. One wrong, suspicious move and Honnouji along with the transfer students are out of the picture.

Entering the elevator, he clicked the LG button and descended towards his next class. The elevator next to Viral was ascending instead, someone was coming back from his time in the docks.

Back in the Student Council Room:

"...It seems that we have a lot of work to do, Lady Satsuki." Inumuta finally voiced out his opinion regarding what they had listened to so far.

"Indeed..."

(Play: Gurren Lagann OST: Someone Blames Someone)

The Black Hand...

A private military company, or a band of mercenaries in Satsuki's words, that had bested and possibly purged the majority of Mirai's kind from existence,

The Spiral Warriors, as Viral had called these certain people that can use Spiral Energy today...

Nero is amongst the ranks who were hunting them down.

A massive target was put behind Mirai's back by this.

Behind it was an unknown motive, only known by an individual who founded the PMC, along with two of her Lieutenants.

The Three Rakshasas...

Betelgeuse, The Spiral Executioner.

Sirius, The Elegent Berserker.

And finally, the ringleader herself that Viral had never even met yet...

Vega.

Satsuki had no idea of the existence of this PMC that Viral had told them. They were practically phantoms, hiding in plain sight.

Nero was supposed to be one of the footsoldiers of this unknown enemy. A Corporal First Class, to be precise by Viral. Honestly, it made her worried...

If Nero alone could manage to cause this much chaos by himself, who's to say what would happen if she manages to meet The Boss herself?

No one knows the answer, and Satsuki intends to keep it that way...

The elevator had dinged. Emerging from the iron doors was none other than the Disciplinary Chair Committee himself.

"Apologies, Lady Satsuki. I was handling the aforementioned traitor in my ranks..." he reported back to the sitting President.

"Do not worry, Gamagori. You simply have to take care of the problem, I can understand that." She waved it off to him, as The Toad went to his respective seat.

"Satsuki-Sama, can we even trust him? He might be lying to us to save his own skin if you ask me..." Nonon voiced out her concerns regarding what Viral had told them all. She was still suspicious of the Blonde Beastman.

"He also didn't tell us what that white jacket he was wearing? For all we know, it could be a Goku Uniform that we haven't know off like Matoi's," she adds this notion as well.

"It's highly unlikely that he would be lying to us in this situation, Jazukure. Viral knows that all of us has a common enemy that we have almost no information of at the moment. To lie to us is simply not the best course of action, for both parties." Inumuta said to the paranoid girl, as she retorts back to him.

"That's true... but I still don't like it. If he managed to slip here unnoticed by all of us, that's enough reason for me to be suspicious of him, even though he helped Taki-chan from dying... again." she grimaced on her junior's shit luck in Honnouji Academy so far.

Gamagori was listening in by the three of them, as he slowly picks up to the conversation that he missed just now. Seems like more players need to be handled, judging by the tension of the room he felt.

"Heh, I doubt that he can take us all at once after yesterday's shitfest. But still, I wanna see how I fare against that voice copycat, other than Matoi." Sanageyama brushes off the concerns regarding Viral.

"...what happened to your enthusiasm for Takiyo there, Monkey? Thought you want to battle him so much other than those two." she snarked at the green-haired teen, asking why the sudden disinterest of battling with the driller.

"He's not ready yet." He merely stated out loud, crossing his arms and humming in thought. This cause Nonon to quirk an eyebrow at Sanageyama as she tilts her head to the side, confused by what the Monkey had meant.

"Don't get me wrong, Takiyo is powerful on his own along with his Kamui. But, he lacks... technique. It's like watching an amateur boxer fighting against the professionals." Sanageyama explained why he didn't want to fight Takiyo, yet.

"His moves are predictable, I can see what's his next moves is going to be and that's actually not surprising. You said that he doesn't get into fights much if I remember our last talk, Snake."

Nonon only grumbled at the Monkey, however, she had to agree with the point that he had dished out to her.

"A very astute observation you had made, Sanageyama. Takiyo is indeed powerful on his own, but I fear that it is the only reliability that he has at his disposal." Satsuki commended Sanageyama's deduction towards their youngest member.

"If one of you were to exploit his limited battle experience, I would not be surprised that he will lose." she continues to sip on her tea.

"However... all of you had also noticed something about him if I'm not mistaken."

The four of them nodded. They notice it as well.

"It's not the Kamui that he's wearing, no..."

"It's his own sheer determination to survive and win, to the point that one may consider..."

"Inhumane."

The way he had risen back up from multiple near-death experiences, his ability to adapt to any situation he faces on a frightening level, to a certain extent of setting himself on fire for a small boost of adrenaline.

Him piercing the black creatures now known to them as Muganns at all sides with thin, sharp drills in the span of mere seconds.

And finally, manifesting a giant drill out of thin air to pierce through Nero's trump card of the day with the power that they all finally knew what it's called by The Beastman.

Spiral Energy.

Something that only Mirai can do if the rumours told by Viral of him being the last of his kind were true.

After listening, Gamagori finally decided to speak up concerning his colleague at the slums.

"Satsuki-sama, if I may ask?"

"You may, Gamagori."

"I believe that you had given Takiyo a task for his first day with us, and that is aiding Obunaga along with the No-Stars through No-Late Day Phase Two, is that correct Milady?"

"Indeed, I did. Is there a problem with that?" her hands clasp together, inquiring The Toad on the question that's revolving around his mind.

"None, Satsuki-sama. It's just that I was wondering... why send him into a hopeless battle? Isn't it much better if we just train him from the very beginning on how things worked here?"

"By now, he would know the results of... Phase Two would accumulate, leaving a bad representation of him towards us all."

Gamagori asked out his concerns about the task that was given to Takiyo by Satsuki. To him, it seems that the cons outweigh the pros in his opinion.

It is for sure that with his assistance, Gamagori can safely say the mortality rates would be slightly lowered, making more abled-bodied soldiers for the upcoming battle.

But at the same time, The Disciplinary Chair Committee fears that this event would make Takiyo more doubtful and hesitant if joining the Student Council was the right choice for him.

Losing him as an asset would greatly diminish their chances for victory, he assumed so...

The others in the room were also curious about her decision to send the youngest of The Council to the slums in the first place.

A long silence persists between them all. Finally, she had spoken to the man...

"...A chance, Gamagori."

"What I see down there is a chance that all of us can greatly benefit if he manages to do it." Satsuki merely stated to the hulking man, who was now listening to her reasoning.

"True to your words, this may develop some doubts onto Takiyo's mind whether or not his decision to join us is beneficial or in fact the contrary..."

"However, I believe that Takiyo has the capability to see the bigger picture than Matoi does." The President reasoned to the man.

"He is not a fool. Far from it. Instead, he is what's called a diamond in the rough, so to speak."

"With enough polishing and conviction, he could surpass every one of us here... even Matoi and including myself, If I'm being truly honest." this had earned a surprised look from The Elite Four. Satsuki is putting a lot of expectations on Takiyo here.

"Of course, there isn't exist a benefit without facing minor shortcomings in the process. Shortcomings that I am willing to take for his progression here as our reserved trump card."

An ace up in her sleeve, should anything out of the ordinary would jeopardize her grand schemes.

"One cannot achieve anything in life if they're not willing to gamble something on the line."

"At this moment, I'm wagering my chances here to bolster our forces and at the same time, to see how our trust would turn out in the end."

Her blue eyes steeled themselves on the next words she was about to say. A hint of remorse can be heard if one was perceptive enough to notice underneath the regal tone she ever so often uses...

"And if the wages involves human lives... then so be it. I would do anything in my power for the greater good, in the end."

A sacrifice she had to make... a sacrifice that would possibly haunt her years as a person...

Like mother, like daughter as much she hated to admit it. Everyone must make one for the greater good of their goals...

She will make sure that the deaths in this particular event will not be in vain. It is the very least she could do for them...

The No-Stars of Phase Two had signed up for this. They are aware of the terms of the bout and they had the option to back out and still live. However, those who chose to partake in it, Satsuki had a small amount of respect towards them.

Whether they make it out alive or not for her to see that, it is up in the air.

It is not the same for those who managed to get to school on time or any other student who does not partake in Phase Two. If trouble arises at the scene, then Satsuki would not hesitate to protect the innocent.

Phase Two was the only time she allows herself for this to happen, although she despises it if you ask her personally. It is where true human nature comes alive for a person.

A phase to see whether they truly become the pigs in human clothing as she saw initially, or they would prove her wrong and rise as great warriors that mankind had ever seen in the face of death and despair.

This was a gamble that she was willing to take to ensure her chances against the impending doom in the future.

Satsuki had answered Gamagori's questions about her decision. Now, she deflects it back towards him this time.

"The question is, are you willing to wager yours, Gamagori? Your fort and that wall are what stands before Takiyo and the No-stars."

Gamagori ponders on for a moment, his arms crossing against his giant frame before letting off a sigh as he answered back.

"If that is what you wish, then I'll accept it nonetheless. If the destruction of my greatest testaments would yield benefit to our cause, then so be it."

Satsuki then closes her eyes as she lets off a small smile from hearing Gamagori's answer. Seems like the man had understood what she was trying to do.

"They do say in ancient times... in order to rebuild something, one must destroy the core foundations first."

A wise analogy she had spoken out to them, having read the particular quote somewhere in a book a long time ago, in the Kiryuin Manor.

She then proceeds to sip on her tea, relishing more of the bitter taste that she has grown accustomed to since childhood.

However...

"Satsuki-sama, about what Viral told us about Taki-chan..."

Nonon was fumbling her hands about what she was about to ask.

"Should we... tell him about this?"

This had stopped her in her tracks.

A haunting thought had dawned onto Satsuki when she recalled Nero's words on their first meeting, regarding the boy.

Mark my words, Kiryuin...

If he knew too much about himself...

It may as well be the end of the world as we know it...

She didn't know what he had meant by this, nor does Viral when the former asked the latter. But she couldn't help but feel something was offputting by Nero's statement.

What could he mean behind those very words, against a person like Takiyo?

This inquisitive mystery had clouded her mind, preventing Satsuki from answering Nonon's question.

"...Satsuki-sama?"

Nonon's insistence had cut Satsuki's train of thought to a halt.

After a few seconds of recomposing herself, she stated to them all.

"...I will personally tell him..."

"...when the time is right."

(Music stops)

Everyone didn't say a word about it. However, a chill had crept up behind their spine as she stated that for some reason. As if a bad omen had occurred.

Suddenly, Gamagori's phone was buzzing, a notification was on the call, with the message 'urgent' from one of his directors back in the Disciplinary HQ.

He picks up the phone and answered the call.

"This is Gamagori speaking."

"Gamagori-sama! We have terrible news!"

"Fort Adamantine has been compromised!"

---

YOMU BOULEVARD

"Any sign of it, Takiyo?"

"None so far... Keep your eyes peeled, Lisa."

"Don't have to tell me that twice."

The Class Rep of Class K along with her assistant were scouting the slums for any signs of the Mugann on the loose. Telltale signs of it were visible, as it had left a scarce amount of black goop in the dark corners of the alleyways.

Lisa had commanded the rest of the Squad Leaders to continue with The Third Impact while she and Mirai would find and exterminate the unprecedented threat that had made itself visible on the battlefield.

The sounds of their motorcycle choppers were the only thing that was audible throughout the war-torn slums they knew.

Sweat was dripping down from their foreheads from the scorching, rising sun above. Anything could happen in these dark paths they were taking.

An ambush by the Mugann was one of them and each faceless being they meet has a different calibre than the other.

Lisa's revolver was at the ready by her hand, Mirai's mini drills were also manifested at his fingertips too.

Caution is absolute and they are not about to get jumped by the enemy at this point.

Then, a bristle of a noise creaked at the corner. The Mugann was making a mad dash towards somewhere near the upper regions of the slums.

The black abomination was in Lisa's sights, as the girl aimed her revolver before firing off a shot.

(Play: Gurren Lagann OST: How Great is My Trumpet, Yeah!)

"There, it's heading towards Yomu Boulevard!"

"I see it!"

Lisa called out to her blue friend as Mirai then twisted the handles of his bike, the blue and gold duo give chase towards the small, runaway Mugann in the streets of the barren slums.

Speeding across burning debris and broken machines, they were gaining with the Mugann of the hunt.

Another two bullets were shot off by Lisa towards the broken wooden legs of a water tower at the mile distance.

The wooden beams break off, causing the water tower to fall off in front of the pathway the Mugann was making its escape.

However, due to its small stature than average, the Mugann managed to slip past through the creaks of the rubble, continuing its dash towards the upper regions to escape from them.

"Slimy little shit..." Lisa clicked her tongue by this. This Mugann was beginning to become a pain in the ass for her.

Upon seeing the failed blockade by his blonde friend, Mirai took inspiration from Lisa's idea as he then shot off one of his drills on the stalls of the slums.

It blew one of the sides of the stall, as the zinc roof falls onto one side, making it a makeshift ramp to pass through the fallen water tower that was barring their path.

"Takiyo, you go high and cut the damn thing off. I'll stay hot on its tail!"

"Now that's a plan I like to hear!" Mirai and Lisa then ride up to the ramp as they soar through the blockade. Lisa was still on her bike, proceeding to give chase on the Mugann's trail on the streets while Mirai had ditched his in the rooftops with a crash.

The Driller then proceeds to free run on the rooftops, cutting across corners as he intends to flank the Mugann from above.

"Gurren, ready for Lagann Form?"

"Ready!" His Kamui gives off a feral grin by this notion. Hearing the eagerness of his Kamui, Mirai jammed the core drill into the slot of his vambrace, initiating a half transformation.

The Spiral Gauge glows bright green, spiralling outwards in clockwork motion as the hoodie he was wearing glimmers in brilliant bright green, shifting into his base Drill Mode.

Mirai makes a giant leap across the slums, using his hookgun to swing towards another row of buildings that the Mugann had turned to its right.

Once landing on another roof, he continues his pursuit from above. Burning, green flames were left behind in his wake, as he dashes towards a certain intersection ahead to block off the Mugann's escape routes.

Back at the streets, the Mugann noticed the incoming blonde behind its trail. The small, faceless being began to weave through multiple debris, all the while hurling rubble at behind to stop Lisa from trailing it.

Lisa however manoeuvred her bike away from the speeding debris.

"Argh... Why you-" Some debris had managed to scratch her but she didn't let up. Lisa then gives off another shot towards one of the abomination's tendrils that kept flinging rubble at her.

"SKREEEE!"

A direct hit she had made, as one of the tendrils, had been blasted off by the hand cannon of Lisa's revolver.

The faceless being screeches in pain by the loss of one of its black tendrils, dropping the rubble it was carrying to the ground and proceeds to pick up its pace, away from the predator behind it.

At the rooftops, Mirai was assessing the situation as he follows them both. Lisa had blown off one of its tendrils with her revolver, implying that this Mugann isn't as sturdy as the others he had faced.

However, due to this setback it faced, Mirai deduced the Mugann might stop attacking and focus more on running away instead, making it harder for both of them to eliminate it now as it has a clear plan for this.

"Thing's smarter than the ones we faced before. Focussing on speed and drawing us away from its parent host hidden somewhere right up our noses, huh?"

"Well, two can play at that game!" Gurren remarks on the Mugann's plans.

This Mugann was actually the fifth one they had marked in the slums. The four before it were the same as the current, small and fragile but it was fast.

Since Lisa had taken note the area they scour were near District Maria, both of them assume that the main Mugann had splitten off several parts of itself to draw attention away from it.

Viral had told them that for some reason in this time, the Mugann had been devolved into this liquidy goop form that they were seeing. He merely said that back in his 'time', they were way more dangerous.

Robotic, faceless lifeforms that would tear down cities as it had a solid form and was more durable. The Beastman made a theory that something might have happened before his 'hibernation' that had caused them to revert into a more weak form of their former selves.

However, with the appearance of Nero summoning Muganns in the form of Thymilph Beastmen's Gunmens, a possible hypothesis was made by Viral.

They were slowly evolving themselves back into their prime state, taking on past lifeforms that were considered a threat in the past, under Nero's control at that time.

Viral, in his own words, had described these being to four of his students back in the infirmary yesterday.

"The Muganns lack originality."

"The people in my time called them that because they lack a face, to begin with."

"Seems like some things never change, I suppose..."

He only mentions a small part of it, leaving the details behind it as that's all they need to know for now.

Details such as the Anti-Spiral had produced them in order to purge the Spiral Beings from creating the catastrophic phenomenon known as The Spiral Nemesis.

The reason why he was being vague about it was simple, really...

If a grown adult like Aikuro had lost his shit upon hearing this, he couldn't imagine what would happen if he said this to four still growing, teenagers...

They weren't ready for it yet...

Time and experience will tell Viral if they were ready to face this unknown enemy's true origins. If the time comes, of course...

As the Mugann had taken another potshot at Lisa, Mirai had shot the rubble with one of his mini drills, exploding upon impact and covering Lisa.

"I gotcha covered! Find a way to stop it from running again, Lisa!" he called out to the blonde on the bike, as she gave a quick thumbs-up to him before looking at her surroundings for another opportunity.

Seems like the Mugann had noticed Lisa devising a plan, as it now tries to distract her thought process by deliberately pulling down some stalls onto her path.

Lisa had swiftly reloaded her chambers of bullets into explosive rounds that she had in her ammo pouch, spinning the gun chamber before firing off one towards the obstacle of her path.

It had detonated the broken wooden beams that were blocking the dirt path, leaving behind thick smoke from the blast.

Coughing from the smoke that whizzed into her lungs, Lisa cursed to herself as the thing managed to distract her for a moment.

"Now the damn thing can predict what I was about to do? Just how smart can these things could get?!" The Muganns were slowly becoming more dangerous towards the people of Honnouji Academy. She needs to think fast to get rid of this Mugann that was putting them both on a wild goose chase.

"Come on, Lisa! Get creative!"

Spontaneous is the major key element for defeating these things.

As Lady Luck had decided to smile upon The Captain, she saw something big in front of her. An idea had popped up in her head, letting off a smirk at the sight of a giant keg in the middle of the road.

"Sorry, old geezers. Looks like moonshine is out of the menu for a week."

Pulling the trigger, she fires off three explosive rounds towards a truck filled with moonshine kegs at the back in the middle of the road, right in front of the Mugann. Another two rounds had made their way towards the two vehicles at the intersection.

The bullets exploded, causing massive spillage of alcohol in the middle of the road that doused the black goop abomination. Two vehicles also had detonated, tumbling in the air before wedging themselves on the tight corners of the intersection.

Due to the Mugann's goop state is denser than alcohol, it was having a hard time running away. A golden opportunity had been laid out by The Golden Eagle herself towards The Driller.

"Now, Takiyo!"

Mirai had leapt off from the roof he was on, directly underneath the trapped Mugann that Lisa had cornered.

"Bottoms up!"

He then had shot off two mini drills that exploded upon impact at the Mugann.

"SKREAAAHHHH!"

The blast had left off a burning green aftermath as the Mugann writhes in pain before sizzling into oblivion by the emerald flames of Mirai's drills.

(Music stops)

The Captain had skidded to a stop while The Driller had used his hookgun to rappel down near her. The duo makes their way towards the burning Mugann to confirm its death.

A glow of green had shone upon Gurren's armour, as Mirai reverted into the Kamui's dormant form.

"...and that makes slimy here number five. Nice shooting there, Lisa. It was a good idea dousing the Mugann with Moonshine." he applauds the clever idea Lisa had on the spot.

"Well, I see you having green flames on your cute, magic drills and there's alcohol. So I put the two together and voila! One roasted Mugann on the house." she brushes off the compliment he gave, it was not a big deal for her.

"Not to mention the complaints I'll be getting by the old townsfolk later on..." She internally sweatdrops on the future naggings she'll be getting from the elderly for ruining their booze night stock.

"Still, couldn't make the shot without you covering me back there. You did well too, Takiyo." he scratched his head at the compliment Lisa returned to him.

"Well, it is my job to keep you safe while you handle all the heavy lifting, man."

"Heh, cut some slack for yourself... being someone's second in command is also important in any situation. That means they trust you a lot." Lisa told the boy as he constantly brushes off any compliments he gets from people.

"Also, no wonder Ryuko likes you. You're awfully peachy to almost everyone you meet. Even Satsuki is affected by you." a mischievous smile was adorned on her face, a slight tease she gave to her assistant for a semblance of joy in this grim situation they were in.

This had got Mirai worked up a bit as he stutters to the teasing blonde.

"S-seriously, Lisa?! At this time?!" steam was protruding from his ears as he huffs away at her embarrassed. Mentioning about Ryuko to him like that persist to make The Driller flustered to this day...

"What?! It's true. So far, you managed to get yourself on with everyone's good side in this academy, except for a certain few people that we know of." she shrugged her shoulders at the stammering airhead.

It was true, Mirai has friends at high places here in the span of just a few days.

From his first friend, Ryuko, to the Queen Bee herself, Satsuki.

"Not that I'm surprised though, you're essentially becoming this Island's guardian from the Muganns. It's a no brainer that everyone here has a semblance of respect towards you, Takiyo-Kun..."

"Even if it's just a teeny tiny bit." she made a pinch gesture with her fingers at him.

"If anyone were to attack you, like let's say... Satsuki's Club Presidents towards Ryuko, they're shooting themselves on the foot by eliminating the only person that keeps the Mugann at bay," Lisa told the boy his status in Honnouji Academy.

"...You got a point there." He was starting to see how quickly important he was becoming in this institute.

"Of course, not everything is perfect. You got someone who almost defies physics hunting you down. Not to mention the death-defying stunts that you pulled out from your ass at the very last second." she points out another factor on the table regarding him.

"...Gee, thanks for reminding me that." Mirai only deadpanned at his blonde friend. His back injuries were starting to annoy him, as he rubs his back from this notion.

"Anyways, now that we're done here... Let's get back to the others. Seems like Satou's chopper isn't cut out for you, ditching it at the roof and all?"

Mirai merely mimics what Lisa had done just now, shrugging his shoulders as he made a face about it.

"Harley Davidson's just isn't my style... I'm more of a Kawasaki Ninja bike guy."

"Sports bikes, huh? So you are a motorhead..." Lisa comments on Mirai's interests in motorcycles.

"That's actually quite surprising, coming from a small guy like you," she said while her assistant gets on behind the chopper she was on.

"Yeah, well... You can blame my best friend, Kaz for getting me hooked into these kinds of things. He's practically a wizard in mechanics and engineering."

"You don't say... Ryuko mentions the guy too since yesterday. Kinda wanna meet him now, if I'm being honest."

"Oh, you'll definitely like him. If you think Mako's eccentric, then Kaz would be her elderly, unhinged brother without a filter."

"Interesting... I'll be the judge of that, then." she proceeds to twist the handles of the motorcycle, revving the engines with a burst of flames from the exhaust pipes.

"Better hold those buttcheeks tight, ass rep. Cause this gal has the need for speed," she told him as the boy was now holding to her for dear life.

"Haha... you're joking... right?" a bitter laugh he let off, a deadpanned stare was his answer.

"Up to your interpretations, man. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Mirai had gulped down some saliva that was stuck in his throat, beads of sweat dripping from his forehead as the gospel of the throttle had taken ahold of Lisa.

Before they could take off, however...

"Hold up a sec. Lisa... Who's that walking on the street?"

Mirai points a finger towards a shambling figure in the distance.

A No-Star was walking aimlessly as she shambles around with no sense of direction.

Dishevelled spectacles were on her complexion as she had no idea what to do now with her life.

Lisa squinted her garnet eyes as she tries to identify who's this person was.

Steel garnet eyes meet the same shades as hers, albeit the latter had lifeless ones instead.

After a few moments, The Captain had slightly widened her eyes as she recognized who's she and her assistant had stumbled upon in front of them.

"...Ogure-san?"

---

DISTRICT MARIA

"Ivan danchou, this is bad. We lost half the fleet from... that death machine in front of us."

"I know, my comrade... блять, I should have known that this was too easy for us..."

Subaru and Ivan have currently pinned down at the centre of District Maria. They had taken the initiative to charge forward to secure frontal ground so the cavalry could move forward.

They were welcomed with a hailstorm of bullets, of course. Railguns bombardments were also expected by them as well.

The good news is, they managed to conquer half of the district from the initial charge that they have done beforehand. A solid foreground was at least established in The Third Impact...

Smoke grenades had been thrown ahead to cover their tracks and hinder the turrets aim, along with a lob of EMP grenades to jam some of the turrets' signals.

The bad news is, what they didn't take account for...

Is that the Fort itself had been overrun by the black creatures Mirai had faced yesterday.

"How the hell did those fuckers get themselves into the fort in the first place?!" Subaru roars out loud in frustration.

Ivan, deciding to take another glance at the situation they were in, had poked his head out from cover for a moment. A whizzing bullet nearly hit the strands of his blonde hair, as he quickly ducked for a bit before continuing to stick his head out once more.

The situation at hand is pretty grim, so to speak. Satou was now hunkered down on the right side of the district.

A critical hit from the railguns had demolished most of the motorcycles troops they have, as he was now holding his stomach from the shrapnel wound that he suffered from his crash.

As he looked at the corner of his eyes, Tokiko and the GD infantry were having a hard time with the howitzers of the flank brigade.

They were whizzing in the air, dodging artillery shells at the go while sending their Dyna spears at them. Some were taken out, some were missed by them.

The Life Fibre Squadron was split up into two. Some of them are here to relay support for the Vanguard Squad and the No-Stars here.

The other split up in the lower regions to stand guard there if any of the black creatures decide to attack from below.

At the fort itself, the black goop was now ensnaring its tendrils at the railguns of the fort. The colour hue changes from lightning blue to a dark shade of purple, a sign of corruption by the black creatures they see.

Those black tendrils... glitched themselves, like a chameleon camouflaging with the environment. They glitched in and out into existence, making Ivan have a clear hunch on how they managed to sneak past the turrets.

LOGIA CREARE

CORRUPTED AEGIS OF HONNOUJI

(Bold purple letters glitched into existence, as black tendrils ensnared the letters, giving off an indigo hue glow)

After reassessing the situation, Ivan ducks back into cover as he told Subaru what they were dealing with.

"If you take a look at the creatures we see in front of us, I fear you might find your question be answered there, Subaru."

The former Paladin then takes a swift gander at the fort, widening his eyes by realising what Ivan meant as he muttered out a curse word underneath his breath which was barely audible.

Somewhere along the lines were "stupid, camouflage tech ware", Ivan had heard.

Then, the former Paladin look towards the Vanguard Captain as he was asking the man what's their next move should be.

"Ivan-danchou, got any ideas for this FUBAR situation we're stuck in?"

Ivan was concocting a plan at the moment. His boys were holding the frontlines for them all, so they were busy at the moment.

The blast of the railguns just now had almost taken a quarter of their numbers by surprise from the sheer power that black creature is augmenting the railguns.

The rest of the Silver Hawks were relaying suppressing fire at the turrets, chipping them down one by one. However, time and luck were not on their side as their numbers were slowly depleting from the incoming fire they were holding up with.

Bodies were piling up quickly before he could count to ten in 8 seconds...

Then, Ivan had radioed in Eyes of Heaven for something he had in mind.

"My beloved Tenko-chan, can you hear my cries in the slums, no?"

"...It's Kisabe-danchou, you nitwit. What is it?" a small blush she had given out from hearing Ivan's pet name. Ryuko who was beside Tenko simply raised an amused eyebrow at the flustered girl.

Mako and Guts, who were beside Ryuko, can be seen eating some croquettes from her bento lunch box. This was starting to become an action flick for them, as gloomy as it may be...

"Guts boy, what do you think of Tenko-chan right now?"

"Guts!"

"I know right?! Here, have another croquette." she hands her canine pug another delight of Sukuyo's mystery croquette, the pug chewing it with a face full of glee.

Senketsu merely sweatdrops at the Mankanashoku duo on their banter, as they forgot that this was actually a grim situation, not an actual movie sequence.

"I swear, I honestly thought that Mankanshoku's odd habit for forgetting things was exaggerated. But, they weren't actually lying Ryuko."

A weary sigh his wearer had let off as she merely replied to her Kamui.

"Yeah, but well... I wouldn't blame Mako if she wants to forget these kinds of things. I've done some things in the past six months that I'm not especially proud of, but this... this is just too much for anyone."

"Indeed..."

Back with Tenko and Ivan, the half Russian continued explaining to his beloved about something.

"I need you to find me a weakness on the fort since it is being overrun by the black creatures Takiyo-Kun eats for breakfast." he relayed the idea that he had in his mind.

The Mugann was firing without aim, akin to a berserking minigun wielder that was blinded by the red curtains of rage.

"Surely those bastards must have tampered with something in the defence system." perhaps a loophole can be found by them behind this intractable situation they were stuck in.

"Hold on, give me one minute... Jojo! You have surveillance close to the railguns in Fort Adamantine?"

"Let me scroll through the footage- ah! We got one with sector F12, Danchou!"

"Good, run another full-scan on the fort. Find any anomalies in the system that these dirtbags could have tampered with."

"If more firepower is being showcased here, then maybe we could find something faulty in the system. We can use it to our advantage."

The Law of Equivalent Exchange is viable at every process. You can't have two things at the same time.

One benefit has got to go, according to one rule of that principle and Tenko was finding the weakness behind the Mugann's overwhelming firepower of the railguns.

After a rundown scan was completed, Jojo had found something interesting.

"Danchou! We found something in the subsidiary power grid! There seems to be an irregular reading on this section of the power system."

Jojo then zooms in the power grid system with a copy of Fort Adamantine's schematics that the Silver Hawk's spies had managed to recover from the Archives.

They only managed to recover certain details of it, but with a full scan without the interference from the Student Council's Disciplinary Tech Branch by the Mugaan overrun, they managed to decipher the whole schematic in a few minutes.

A three-way tug of war in the battle of information, the Silver Hawks were at an advantage. But on the playing field, they were at the disadvantage. The irony was clearly visible by all of them.

"Readings shows that there is a slight gap in between the power circulating throughout the system. That's how those black things managed to get this much firepower throwing at us."

"I see... These things are getting smarter. It's actually terrifying seeing it now." Tenko mused on the common enemy both Silver Hawks and the Student Council are facing.

"Uh... Kisabe. I don't follow with what's going on?" Ryuko was still in the dark about this. She is not a tech wiz like the majority lot of the room, as well as Mako who only stared with a question popping off from her head.

Tenko ushered both girls to the screen they were seeing, as she explained to them how the Mugann managed to get past the Fort Adamantine defence system along with augmenting the firepower they were currently hijacking.

"It's like this, Matoi... Imagine a couple of barnyard animals are near a faulty electric fence that sometimes breaks down and starts up. Said barnyard animals now develop a piece of knowledge on the timing when the fence has no electric running."

Hearing this had made some senses in Ryuko's head, as she continues Tenko's explanation.

"And when they do learn, they took advantage of the shitty system that fort has, slipping right past through with their camouflage to boost their odds, is that what you're trying to say?"

"Bingo. And these damn things had found the generator of the whole fort, making it run overdrive so it can dish out double the damage to us."

"And since these sons of bitches are hell-bent destroying on everything they see, everyone in this island is going to get bombarded by those artillery shells."

"Sooner or later, the evacuated town folks would be forced to get out for supplies. And the first thing they're going to see..."

"Are those black bastards themselves." Ryuko finished out to the green beret braniac. Her faced morphs into fright as she realized the result of this.

"...Holy shit, these Muganns are something else." A bead of sweat rolled down from Ryuko's forehead. No wonder Satsuki wants Mirai in her ranks.

He was one of their most reliable ways to stop Nero's Muganns from running rampant in the school. They were too dangerous, and they were simply starting to evolve more as the day goes by...

"Mugann? Is that what you and Takiyo call them?"

Ryuko nodded her head at the green beret girl as she now radios in Ivan on the information she had found.

"Ivan, we may have found a weakness on the fort. Although it's a bit of a stretch to call it that, but at least it's better than nothing..."

"We'll take any chances we have, darling. Besides, it's the only option we have." Ivan merely said this to her. They were running out of options, to begin with...

Tenko then briefly explained the weakness of the fort to Ivan, stating that there is a time interval that would make the charge possible due to the turrets and railguns will overheat themselves from constant firing.

However, this does not fully convince the Russian as they have still one problem that they have right now.

"I like the sound of the idea, rushing in when they are at their reloading stage. However, there is one problem I fear..."

"We do not have enough man to make the charge possible."

"We were all taken down by surprise with the overwhelming power of the Mugann's turrets, as Matoi called them just now."

However, Tenko had an idea where to get enough men for the job.

Lisa had told her beforehand, to use it as a last resort if things should have come this way.

The thing is... it's practically a big gamble if they do it.

"No, Ivan-Kun. You have more than enough men to do it."

The man quirked an eyebrow upon hearing this, knowing who she had meant by this.

"...But will they listen?"

"That's entirely debatable, at best."

Ivan ponders on for a moment, before facing Subaru for this one job he had in mind.

"My comrade, I have a favour to ask."

"What is it, danchou?"

He takes a deep breath, before saying this sentence to him.

"...I need you to go to the Pseudo Classroom zone..."

"...and convince them to join us in this fight..."

---

"...you alright, Ogure-san?"

"..."

"...Lisa, how far is the Pseudo Classroom again?"

"Not far, Takiyo. Just a couple of minutes away and we'll be there."

(Play: Dark Souls 2 OST: Remains)

After the surprising encounter of one of their classmates, Lisa and Mirai had taken upon themselves to escort the No-Star student known as Maiko Ogure to the Pseudo Classroom as it is the only safe place that was near the One Star Condo and away from the firefight.

Before that, they went to one of the automobiles shop for a vehicle that could carry Maiko or another bike for Mirai. Lisa's chopper could only carry two people at a time.

However, what they found instead is a sidecar in one of the workshops that could be connected to the chopper Lisa was riding.

And so, the three students of Second-Year Class K made their way towards safety with Maiko inside the sidecar, Lisa riding the chopper while Mirai was holding onto Lisa at the back.

While they were at the automobile shop, The Driller found some sort of a cloak inside one of the cabinets of the shop in the search of spare parts and oil fuel, should the chopper Lisa was riding was running out of fuel or break down in the middle of the road.

He took the cloak from the cabinet and seeing the sorry state that Maiko was in, he covered the No-Star with the cloak, noticing there were bruises visible from some parts of her body.

Maiko didn't say a word at all, only taking the cloak wrapping herself with it with a slight nod of her head to him.

The assistant class rep could only wonder, what could happen to her that made her like this. Something horrible, he supposed to himself...

"...This is why I don't like fighting in the first place." He muttered to himself, looking at Maiko who could only sit down with garnet eyes devoided of life.

Hearing the comment her blue-haired friend let off, Lisa adds her two cents on it with her own opinion.

"Conflict is an awful thing, don't you think so Takiyo?" she beckons the question to her assistant.

"It's always has been... Conflict breeds violence, and violence often leads to despair. As much as I hate to admit it, that's a part of how this world works..." Mirai gave his view on the conflict they were all in.

"Can't argue with that... some people that I knew before were all nice, genuine people. A touch of misunderstandings along with greed and all of that would come tumbling down, whether in an instant or slowly like venom..." a grim tone she had used, as she recalled the past that had led the Obunagas to their own downfall.

Mirai, noticing the tone that she used had put some pieces together.

"...You've been through a lot, haven't you? You and your family..." A sad stare he gave at the blonde he was holding on to.

"...Not just us, Mirai. Everyone in this island did." She lamented on the past, as Mirai listened to her.

"The Obunagas... we're used to be advocates towards the progression of medical science in Japan. My dad was the Patriarch of the Obunaga Family and he did a lot of good things during his time." she briefly described how the Obunagas were one of the pioneers that had helped shape the world as a whole.

"Humanitarian works in Third World Countries, investments in biological medicine and stuff like that, Takiyo. You can guess where my caring attitude comes from."

A slight chuckle she had gotten from him as he replied. "Guess, huh... that's a bit of an understatement you're putting there."

"Heh... maybe it is." she also lets out a small laugh at her choice of words just now. Afterwards, she continued telling him her past.

"But... not all of us share the same intention..."

"My uh... uncle and my dad... They didn't see an eye to eye about where should the Obunagas be heading. He berated his own younger brother for having such a naive goal, saying that he would lead the Obunagas towards ruins if he continued further on. Dad though... he just wanted to help out the world with what he could do."

They passed through another section of the slums, a doll can be seen on the dirt floor as the motorcycle went past it. It was dirty, a child had dropped it by accident from the evacuation that had transpired in the morning.

"Both sides have their own reasons... and their own faults, that I was able to see and understand after thinking about it. My uncle may be harsh, but he wouldn't disagree with my dad without a solid reason to do so..."

Mirai kept quiet about it, not picking a side until he knows the full story behind it. Maiko was also listening in at the sidecar, but not that much since she was having an episode of existential crisis at the moment.

"The argument they had was about this Island... My dad's dream was to make this island a utopia of medical research, where doctors and scientists all around the globe would gather here and combine their intellectual minds to create innovations of the medical field for the greater good."

"Creating new vaccines, artificial ligaments for the handicapped, and much, much more... He wanted it to become a reality so people could have better lives." a wistful smile she lets off, his dreams pure as they can be.

Mirai can't help but also lets off a smile from hearing this. Lisa's dad sounds like a very cheery person.

"Of course, building the foundations were high as to be expected. Despite that, The Obunagas had the fundings, just enough to build the groundworks. However, because of that factor alone..." the smile fades on both teens faces. The Driller already knows where this is going.

"That's where your dad and uncle had a disagreement, isn't it?" Mirai finished the sentence for her, a slight nod from Lisa was his answer from it.

"...Some people didn't really put their trust in him, saying that his project would only fail at the very least the next few months. It's all because of the inflation rates of tax prices, created by the rise of the Kiryuin Conglomerate's sales in the market with Revocs as their leading brand name."

"Their total rise in monopolising the economy had made major drawbacks to every single business in Japan, including the Obunagas unfortunately..."

"And my uncle fears that my dad wouldn't take the hint and continued his dreams, even if it means making an enemy out of a giant corporation. He was as stubborn as a mule, my uncle would say."

"It's... funny that you don't inherit that trait from him, considering you always bid your time with your plannings and whatnot... don't mean to insult you there, Lisa," Mirai noted about Lisa's attitude was a bit different from her father's.

Surprisingly, instead of a grumble of annoyance or a growl that he had expected, Lisa merely laughs it off as she replied to him.

"Hah... you're actually the first one to notice this. People normally would say some things along the lines like, 'you reminded me of your father, always ambitious' yada-yada-yada and all. This is the first time I heard someone told this to me."

Lisa looks back on him, garnet eyes staring at emeralds with genuine relief and gratitude, before looking back at the road in front.

"He did say I resembled my mom a lot... more than him."

She then continued the banter with her own quip on another person.

"You know who else reminded me of my dad's own stubbornness?"

"Yep."

Mirai merely said it, with the 'p's popping.

"Ryuko / Matoi-san."

Both of them lets out her name at the same time with a small smile.

Maiko, who heard the name of that fiendish transfer student, only shivered beneath the cloak she was wearing. The blue-gold duo beside her was didn't noticed Maiko's reaction to it.

"So... you're fighting this battle to retake the island from The Kiryuin Conglomerate, aren't you?" Mirai asked his friend what she was fighting for.

"Not only that, but I'm fighting for the dreams that had been crushed down by them ever since they repossessed the rights of this Island," she stated her reasons to him.

"The Obunagas and The Kiryuins are a part of an organizational alliance called 'The Tojo Clan'."

"Sounds like Yakuza to me, Lisa."

"...It is."

Mirai tensed up by her grim tone, mentioning her family's relations with the underworld crime syndicate. She then continued explaining how The Obunagas came to be.

"The Matriarch of the Kiryuin Family managed to win the majority vote within the 12 sub-clans under the alliance with evidence that my uncle had committed treason against the alliance."

"Evidence?" Mirai queried her on how her uncle got caught red-handed in the organization.

"Photo pics, documental copies between my uncle and rival alliances, and many more I could talk about. They have dirt on him and from that, the rumours and scandals spread like wildfire in the clan."

"Of course, we were shocked by this as well. But my uncle said that he only did it so The Kiryuins would back off from us, to the point where a quarter of The Obunagas shares is converted to them as a sign of 'goodwill'." she spat this fact with unbridled fury hidden underneath her tone of speech.

"The Matriarch didn't stop there. She fans the flames even further by bribing the rival alliance to cause havoc in The Obunagas business in Kabukicho, Tokyo. Sales plummet, and we're not making any more money than we should be by the end of the month."

"We did have contingencies plans for these kinds of situations, but it seems there were moles inside the family that works for The Kiryuins."

"Long story short, we were compromised on all sides and the Tojo Clan is none the wiser on knowing who the real culprit is..."

"...Who's this Matriarch?" he beckons the question.

"...Supposed to be Satsuki's father, Soichiro Kiryuin, but he wasn't interested in this kind of business and went for a more scientific approached career. However, a few years ago, he was reported to have passed away from an assassination attempt by someone unknown..."

"Her mother, a scientist herself as well, decided to take upon herself as the Head of the family..."

"Ragyo Kiryuin is The Matriarch of The Kiryuin Family."

Hearing Satsuki's mother's name out loud gave Mirai some chills on his spine for some reason.

"...I don't like the sound of that woman." Gurren chimes in her opinion on Mirai's head. The name itself gives ominous vibes to her.

"You tell me, Gurren..." Mirai agreed with the feeling that Gurren had. She sounds like a ruthless, merciless woman in their ears.

Lisa then continued, giving her view on the situation they were all in.

"Conflict is one of the reasons why my family had been reduced to nothing. Rumours, scandals, smoking mirrors fabricated by liars. I hate them with every fibre of my body, Takiyo..."

Mirai kept quiet about this. The first time he had ever seen Lisa losing her cool for a brief moment.

"...But I don't blame Satsuki for all of this. She might as well be the same as you and me both." Lisa said to her assistant, as he was growing confused by what she had meant as Lisa continued.

"Thrown in a circumstance that we do not know off nor we fear, humans are forced to make difficult decisions in the heat of the moment."

"Decisions that would sometimes lead to something better... or something far worse."

"I don't know the outcome, nor does Satsuki or everyone else."

"But I do know this..."

"We try our best to make the decisions that we don't regret."

(Music stops)

The three students drove on towards the Pseudo Classroom, to drop off Maiko before heading towards where the fray is at.

Little did Lisa knew, she was about to make a big decision concerning the success of The Third Impact that may challenge her ideals as a person.

---

YOKOHAMA, KANAGAWA PREFECTURE

"PLEASE, THAT'S ALL I KNOW ABOUT THE GIRL! I BEG YOU, LET ME GO!"

"...You sure you ain't shitting me, my friend?"

"I SWEAR BY ALL THE GODS, SHE'S NOT HERE! WE LOST HER AND SHE'S ON THE RUN TOWARDS HONNOUJI ACADEMY!"

"...well then, considering you just soiled your pants, I guess you might be telling the truth after all..."

He walked around him, toying with the cowering man that had witnessed a massacre of his gang members by this monster in human skin.

"But~"

'CRACK'

"GRAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!"

The sound of bone-cracking noise vertebrates the bloody room they were in. Bodies of mangled corpses painted the room in crimson blood, as he preferred to show no mercy towards his adversaries. Some of them had their head split into two by him.

The cowering man screamed out in agony as the jaded man with dark green highlights had snapped his arm in two.

He writhes in pain, rolling on the floor as his left arm was bent in a horrible position. His humerus bone jutting out from his skin.

"Nice doing business with you, crewcut. The Black Hand sends their humble regards to The Tojo Clan..." He then walks off from the room, a wicked smirk still adorned on his face.

"Oh, by the way. If it turns out you're making some shit up on the fly, I'd highly recommend that you have insurance for your right arm the next time I see ya." he waves goodbye at him, closing the door on the way out.

The cowering man, called 'crewcut', only lets out tears of despair from this encounter. He was the only survivor of this office. It's all because that girl managed to slip under their radar by her stupid powers that can manifest things out of thin air.

Back with the jaded man, he pulled up his cellphone and called someone he had in mind, Typing the number designated by his squad members, he put the burner phone on his ear.

A static noise played out before the call was finally connected.

"Hey, hey~ Boss..."

A groan was audible at the other side of the line, he pulled a cheeky smile from this, successfully annoying her.

"...Status report, Betelgeuse."

"I found a lead on our runaway girl other than the kid."

"...go on."

"Well... a little birdie told me that she's heading towards Honnouji Academy as we speak right now. Right with our little runt that you decided to spare 12 years ago..."

"...you can't be serious? This is too much of a coincidence for both targets to be aligned next to each other."

"Well... fate is a wondrous thing to think about. You said it yourself, who knew that one of them might have the dummy gene to draw out the big man himself."

"...I already send Sirius to take care of Nero's mess. You're not needed until I say you are..."

"Okay, okay... I'll play nice for now."

The call was then hung up by her. He then walks out from the office building via the stairs that lead to the back alleys of the city.

He then walks off towards the streets of the city, taking out a lighter and a cigar as he huffs in the smoke of the burning tobacco, resting on his fingertips.

Nearby the man named Betelgeuse was near to a high school that had rang the first bell period. A group of high school students suddenly rushes from behind, as they were late to school on this fine morning.

A young girl had accidentally bumped into him, as she slumps down to the ground with her toast in her mouth. Betelgeuse wasn't even budged by this bumping, as he looks back on what had bumped into him.

"You alright, little missy?" he lent her his hand to help her up. She took his hand and began to profusely apologise to him. Betelgeuse merely lets off a sweatdrop by the girl.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry 'bout that, Mister! I was at the corner and I didn't see you-" as she continued to blabber, Betelgeuse merely lets out a guffaw by her uncanny antics.

"Hahaha... it's okay. 'Sides, I think you're forgetting something important right now." He did a motion as in checking the time with his wrist, prompting the girl to skedaddle from the area and joined her friends at the school gates of Rinne-Dou High School.

"Subaki, what took you so long?"

"I accidentally bumped into a guy just now, gimme a break Himeko!"

And so, they the two girls entered the gates of the school, leaving Betelgeuse alone in his thoughts. He takes out the cigarette in his mouth and huffs out a thick smoke into the air.

"So, she's heading to the same school as him, huh... Things had gotten more interesting."

Another one had finally made her move...

The designated one, Child Zero.

"Miki Makimura."

---

HONNOUJI ACADEMY

SECOND-YEAR CLASSROOM K

"...I just hope you don't do something insane like Takiyo always does, Lisa."

Those are the words that were let out by a splendid Nudist Beach Officer and acting Leader of the rebel organization, Aikuro Mikisugi.

He was watching it all happened like a bystander that could only observe.

He wanted to help them, lend them his strength and numbers so that they could have a greater chance of making it out alive.

Alas... he was forced not to make that call, for understandable reasons and in doing so could jeopardize his position and Nudist Beach goals as a whole.

If he were to give aid to Lisa with his DTR's that were funded by Kaneo Takarada, Heir of the Takarada Conglomerate, then he would risk exposing the Nudist Beach influence that he had in this institute towards the Student Council.

This would risk his cover here and stopping Isshin Matoi's goal of ending the Life-Fiber Threat from the Kiryuins.

In essence, this was not his fight. This was Lisa's very own war...

Two of his students were conversing with one of Lisa's trusted lieutenants at the moment, observing it all just like him.

Ryuko was hearing what Tenko had to say in the plan and guarding Honnouji Academy should any Mugann managed to make their way into school while Mako was eating croquettes with her pet, Guts.

It genuinely felt strange for Aikuro.

During his prime, youthful years, he would jump straight into the action at a moment notice.

Hot blooded he was, along with his knowledge and fascination towards the beings known as the Life Fibers, many of his comrades would call him a crazy, stuck-up, arrogant scientist that anyone would have a hard time dealing with him.

With the exception of the late Isshin Matoi, working as his assistant in researching the Life Fibers.

That was what he believed in his life as a member of Nudist Beach until he had met her...

He looked at the ring on his right hand. A tale that he had not told anyone, save for a few trusted comrades and her little brother himself.

"...Kinue. Am I doing the right thing? By letting those two fight for themselves?"

He whispered to himself, calling out to his past lover who shared the same passion and dreams with him for guidance and reassurance. It wasn't every day where Aikuro had doubted himself on the decisions that he made for the survival of the human race.

Kinue Kinagase was the woman who had managed to make Aikuro more light-hearted with any situation they were in.

Back when he was with Ryuko and Mirai in the room, where the girl demanded answers from the man himself after Hakodate's match, he couldn't help but see the similarities shared between Ryuko and Kinue in terms of appearance-wise.

The same facial structure, hair and all that jazz. Well, aside from that Ryuko had a prominent red bang on her hair along with her blue, geared shaped iris, which Kinue does not possess.

Granted, the daughter of his late superior reminded Aikuro of his past self, which was the hot-bloodedness that always take action without a moment notice.

Meanwhile, Mirai here reminded Aikuro a lot of Kinue. She was observant, patient, resourceful and most importantly, kind. All these traits were shared with Mirai as it all fit to a T for Aikuro.

It was incredibly surreal as if he was seeing a reincarnation of Kinue inside of Mirai or something like that.

In hindsight, both transfer students reminded Aikuro of his past self with his fiance, Kinue Kinagase...

With Ryuko being Aikuro and Mirai being Kinue.

Lisa however was a special case for Aikuro. He knew her father personally, given the fact that Isshin Matoi and Kinichi Obunaga were close friends even before the latter met Ragyo and marrying her.

Both men were dreamers, idealists that wanted to make a better world. Kinichi regarded Isshin as a splendid, brilliant scientist that had so much potential while Isshin regarded Kinichi as the most selfless man he had met in all his years.

They respected each other greatly, where both men would sometimes settle down and have a cup of coffee and have a chat.

Even after the scientist faked his own death and made a new identity, he still trusted Kinichi to keep the secret to the grave.

He recalled the time when he and his partner had met Lisa for the very first time.

Isshin would always invite both of his assistants, Aikuro and Kinue to join them both while Kinichi would always bring along little Lisa since no one is at home to look after her after the passing of his wife when she gave birth to the girl.

While the men converse about their lives, Kinue would humour and play with Lisa while sitting beside Aikuro.

She took a liking to the girl, seeing her like she would see her little brother who was busy working the laboratories with the other scientists.

Occasionally in a drunken state from drinking sake by Isshin, the gifted scientist would make fun out of Aikuro and Kinue as if they had tied the knot and Lisa was their daughter. Both young adults were, of course, flustered by this accusation Isshin had made in his drunken stupor.

This caused a hearty laugh by the scientist himself as well as a chuckle by Kinichi, seeing both of them being teased by Isshin, all the while a young Lisa was looking at both flustered adults in the wonder of what was going on.

At the same time though, they were not wrong about some certain aspects. Aikuro did like the company of the little blonde that made Kinue happy, considering that she always looked up to the man himself and the woman in times when she has troubles concerning her life.

It was solidified even further after the tragic downfall of the Obunagas towards Honnouji Island and the tragic death of Kinichi Obunaga along with Kinue.

Lisa would confide her sorrows to the only person she knew in her life since childhood, which was Aikuro.

He already considered her as his own daughter by the time of that tragedy had befallen upon both of them, in honour of Kinichi and his past beloved.

Right now, Takiyo is holding the responsibility indirectly by Aikuro to keep Lisa safe out of harm's way while she leads the charge to school grounds in Phase Two.

He could only hope that the boy who reminded so much of Kinue to himself would keep his promise with Ryuko and Mako that he overheard.

The promise to bring Lisa as well as himself back in one piece.

However, by the corner of his eye, he had spotted something that might churn his stomach in multiple ways...

A large horde of No-Stars was heading straight towards the fort, towards the Wall Infragilis.

They were screaming out in a bloody warcry, directly towards the railguns and turrets that were charging up.

Leading the horde was none other than The Golden Eagle herself.

Mirai was nowhere to be seen...

"Lisa, Takiyo..."

His voice was filled with dread.

"What in the world are you two doing?"

Among the screens of the classroom:

"...no way..."

If one were to describe the atmosphere that was felt by all of them in the room, was the sole emotional feeling of gloom.

Standing in front of a TV screen was Ryuko Matoi, as she could not believe her eyes on what she was seeing right now in the slums beneath her.

A friend of her's was leading a No-Star suicide charge, directly under the barrel of a railgun powered Mugann that would release catastrophic damage to a human being.

To add to the horror and disbelief, the boy who had promised her that he will get himself and her blonde friend out in one piece, was nowhere to be seen in the slums.

"Mirai... where on earth are you right now?!" dread was veiled in between those words of her. He promised her...

"Ryuko..." Senketsu could feel her blood turned watery. The Kamui wasn't liking it at all, seeing his wearer in distress...

Mako who was behind Ryuko was also shell shocked by what was happening right now. She stopped eating her croquettes, brown eyes widening in horror at what she was looking at on the screen.

Aikuro, who was at the windows, only tightens his fists in frustration by all of this. This was not supposed to happen at all...

Meanwhile in the Student Council Room:

"...To think those two would actually resort to... this."

Gamagori muttered out in disbelief at what he was seeing right now. The Silver Hawks was about to be wiped out in the face of the earth.

This feeling was also the same as the other members of the Student Council.

Sanageyama was averting his eyes away from the screen, not wanting to see the mangled bodies that were about to be one.

Jazukure was rendered speechless, as she didn't have the heart to say anything regarding the loss of lives in the hands of their common enemy.

Inumuta had stopped typing on his laptop, pursing his lips tight by the tragic deaths that were about to pile up.

Even though The Elite Four had done things that may be morally questionable from time to time, they were not heartless and every action they took had a reason behind them...

They were like any human as you see. They sympathise with them. Pitied those below right now on the cruel fate that was heading straight to their way.

Alas, there was nothing they could do...

No one knows what Satsuki was feeling right now. She remained sitting in her throne, unmoving as her hands clasp together.

She hadn't even touched her cup of Soroi's tea...

The decision had been made them, circumstances that she had set up but had spiralled out of control by the hands of their common foe.

She knew what the two of them were planning to do. She knew that this was the only option they had at their disposal...

To think that a mere Mugann could seize a fort in a matter of minutes. Satsuki had severely underestimated the new enemy she was now facing.

The price of her ignorance was the loss of possibly more abled bodied soldiers in her ranks...

But the main drawback was even greater; she had costed the mental psyche of her assistant that was slowly dwindling ever since he had set foot inside this institute.

No one had expected this to happen. The Mugann may be unoriginal, but they were unpredictable too...

Not even therapy could fix this mess she had inadvertently given to them...

Today marks the day of one of their bloodiest times in Phase Two. An unforeseen disaster, she deemed...

"Forgive me... both of you."

She could only seek forgiveness from them at this moment...

---

5 minutes prior...

THE SLUMS

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY'RE AIMING HERE?!"

"Look, we don't have much time for this. Sooner or later, those turrets are going to level the slums up if we don't act now. Please, we need your he-"

"FUCK THIS SHIT! WE LOST ENOUGH ALREADY! HOW MUCH MORE DO THEY WANT TO TAKE AWAY FROM US?!"

A riot had ensued in the Pseudo Classroom zone. Subaru had come to this place as an envoy of the Silver Hawks, at the behest favour of Ivan.

He had arrived here and spoken to the de-facto leader of this big squatter group in the hopes that they will aid the rest of the No-Stars in the charge that was needed to happen to make it through Phase Two.

The results were had been expected as one might assume. Total denial and mass panic.

"...we're gonna be dead. I can't believe it..."

"I DON'T WANNA DIE, I DON'T WANNA DIE!"

"Mom... dad... I'm sorry I ran away..."

"...Is this the end? I... I haven't even called my little brother if he's okay..."

These were the murmurs and screamings of the No-Stars in the Pseudo classroom. A large amount of them all were filled with dread after Subaru had given out the grave news of the Mugann aiming their turrets all around the slums that had life signatures on their scanners.

Then, turrets of the fort had decided to aim their barrels towards the areas of the Pseudo classroom, firing a salvo of artillery shells near them.

Explosions ring around them, causing widespread panic and distress to the crestfallen students as they ducked for cover. They shivered in fear and pure anguish by the falling debris that had landed upon themselves on their temporary haven.

Some of them had been fallen victim to the debris, a blood splat underneath a boulder was what was left behind in the aftermath. The shells of death massacring some students in the area, giving bodily grave wounds that would leave a mark for the rest of their lives.

Subaru didn't even have the time to get to the part of the plan yet, the first piece of information alone was enough to tip the breaking point of the crestfallen, followed by the cruel showcase of the reality that had befallen upon them all.

It was an utterly hopeless scenario like Gamagori had predicted, but with the appearance of the Mugann taking control of Fort Adamantine and changing it into the Logia Creare, this situation was far worse than he had originally expected.

One of the Silver Hawks recruits didn't know what to do, so he had looked towards the main envoy of the messenger himself on what they should do.

"Kanzai-Kun... What should we do? They won't listen to us."

Subaru was not a man with many words, truth be told as he tightens his lips on the pressure building up in him. He didn't know a single idea on how to rally these bunch of hopeless No-Stars without making it worse than it should be.

To say they would die no matter what they do, even if it means going down fighting is not the best course of action, he had thought...

He didn't have the stomach to tell them that actually. To lay the cold, harsh truth to them all.

Suddenly, one of the Pseudo No-Stars remembered something that the Silver Hawks had done prior to the evacuation.

"Ah! w-we should all go to the evacuation shelters underneath! We should be safe from the bombardments if we hide below the earth!"

Subaru's blood along with the rest of the Silver Hawks in the area had run cold upon hearing this.

A horrible, idiotic idea it is... Due to the desperation in that man's voice, however... The Pseudo No-Stars beg to differ, thinking it was a good one instead.

"Absolutely not! The shelters are nearly filled to the brim and you want to risk women and children in the mess that we're all in?!" Subaru feverishly declines this madness that was going on in the Pseudo Classroom zone. It fell upon deaf ears, unfortunately as no one paid no mind to it at all...

"I don't care! If I have to fight tooth and nail to survive in this hellhole, the least I deserve is to not die shredded by shrapnel!" One of them yelled out in protest.

It had garnered an uprising for the shelters underneath, a dog-eat-dog world, it had become their mindset.

"You fucking bastards..." The Paladin grumbled beneath his breath.

The slums really lived up to their name. A place filled with scumbags and thugs that had lost their sense of honour since setting afoot here. The President may have a point there, calling them all swine in human clothing.

Things were growing bleaker for Subaru and the others. They need someone who could change their desperate pleas, someone who could even give a sense of rationality within the minds of these low lives.

Someone-

'BANG'

The sound of a loud gunshot had rung around the air, causing dead silence among the crowd.

A smoking revolver was the cause of this, held by stone-faced Lisa Obunaga

Tenko had radioed her personally about what was happening in District Maria.

She had heard it all...

"I would like to speak with Kanzai for a moment. I appreciate it if all of you could keep quiet for the time being... "

She asked, eerily calm in a situation where tension might spike out of control in any second.

Every single person's blood in the area, sans for Mirai and Maiko, had run cold by this. She decided to copy the eerie tone that her blue friend had used in the bunker. It worked splendidly as she had thought.

Silence persists between them all, for no one had the audacity to speak out against an enraged marksman with a gun.

Mirai, in the background, was escorting Maiko to a safer place in the Pseudo Classroom, away from the firefight.

"...Thanks, Takiyo-Kun," Maiko mumbled out, still holding the cloak around her. Mirai only nodded at her response as he went towards a water fountain nearby to fill his canteen.

He then called out to two of the Life Fibre Squadron he had previously teamed up with on the Supply Depot. They were here under Ivan's order to come here with Kanzai and chose to stay back with The Captain.

"Kosei, Hana. Get everyone under control with the other Silver Hawks recruits. We don't want any riots happening."

"Right away, Takiyo-danchou." Both of them then regroup with the rest of the Silver Hawks, gathering the No-Stars of the Pseudo Classroom and establishing order.

Back with Lisa as she sees the silence around her, The Golden Eagle ushered Subaru to a spot in a corner for a brief description of what has happened in here before her arrival.

"Taichou, Ivan and Kisabe danchou had asked me to go to the Pseudo Classroom and... convince them to join our fight."

"Kisabe proposes that the numbers in here are more than enough to make the charge possible since the vanguard squadron had been reduced to half by the Mugann's interference." he gave the brief description on his reason being here with several Silver Hawks members.

"So I've heard... I'll take care of this. Regroup with Ivan and hold the line for a while."

"But-"

"Kanzai, that is an order." Lisa's patience was beginning to grow thinner by the second. A migraine was attacking her head ever so slightly.

Subaru was reluctant at first, noticing her hand holding her head from a migraine she had suffered. However, with a stern gaze by Lisa, he gives in and does what she says by returning to the frontlines with Ivan.

Subaru calls in a few of the Silver Hawks members to follow him back, leaving a few behind with Lisa and Mira to contain the Pseudo Classroom that was in turmoil.

Noticing Subaru had retreated towards the frontlines, Mirai made his way towards Lisa with a water canteen in his hands.

"Here, you need this." he handed the canteen to her. Lisa takes it with a nod and takes a couple of gulps from the cold liquid inside.

She finished the whole canteen by the time she gave it back to Mirai, who could only stare at the lid in his hands with a monotonous droning.

"Um..."

He was thirsty too, but he gave it to Lisa since he saw that she was having a headache.

"Ah... sorry, Taki-Kun. I may have uh... drank a lot of your-"

"N-no, no. It's alright... You need it more than I do. How's your head though?" Mirai waved it off, as he asked her how she's holding up.

"...A bit better now. Thanks for this picker-upper, man." a smile was thrown towards him, causing The Driller to return it with his own.

"Heh... Don't mention it, Lisa."

Both of them stared at the fort which was near them, visibly overrun with black tendrils of the Mugann as they could see.

Nearby the turrets, they could see Tokiko and the rest of the GD infantry are struggling with taking out the howitzers on the walls as they whizzed through the rooftops to have a clear shot with their Dyna Spears.

The railguns and the turrets had yet again released another salvo of artillery shells at the slums, hitting the wooden buildings and students who hide within them. Screams of the No-Stars can be heard by the impact.

Lisa and Mirai only look on, unfazed by all of this. Both individuals had grown used to it by now.

"Looks like the Mugann has a good idea on where we're at. This place's gonna be a squashed honeycomb soon if this goes on." Mirai commented on the situation they were in.

The Driller then looks towards his friend beside him.

"I heard what Kisabe and Ivan were planning, and I think these guys are not too keen on being human meat shields like the rest of the Vanguard Squad..."

Mirai then took a deep breath as he was proposing something ridiculous and yet possible if he were to be extra careful in this

"I think it's best if I were to go there and deal it by myself-"

"I won't allow it."

Lisa cut him off, not keen on the idea of Mirai sacrificing himself by going there and taking the Mugann alone.

"Your spine hasn't recovered yet from your fight with Nero yesterday. Going there by yourself is a guarantee that you wouldn't make it out alive," she explained to him.

"You promised Ryuko to get us both out of this, didn't you?"

Mirai had kept quiet. She had a point as The Captain continued.

"But it seems that promised might be a bit too hard to fulfil since misery loves to follow us wherever we go..." She commented on the bad luck streak that they were having.

"You're too valuable to the whole school for this. They need you, Takiyo."

Mirai didn't like what she was saying right now. Their options are running thin by the second.

"...What about you? You're valuable as much as I am, too," he argued back with her, trying to convince her that her leadership is equally as important as he is.

"...I can always be replaced, Mirai-"

"Bullshit!"

This time, Mirai had cut her off with a curse word, showing how unhappy he was hearing Lisa saying this.

"Listen to me! Please..." Lisa held both of his shoulders with her hands, shaking the boy a bit and asking him to listen to what she has to say first. She took a deep breath before continuing.

"...One competent leader isn't good enough to win a whole war. It could only get you so far..." she lets go of him.

Lisa then lets out a heavy breath. A breath that was filled with fatigue.

"...so what should we do, Lisa?" Mirai had once again asked her about what they should do to get out of this situation. A faint spiral pattern had appeared behind his emerald eyes as he continued.

"The No-Stars here won't listen to us. Ivan, Tokiko and Kanzai can't hold out much longer, and the Mugann in Fort Adamantine is possibly making its way to school if we linger on much longer," he listed out the problems that they were having.

"I can't take out the Mugann by myself because of Nero's interference. We lost half of our forces by the railguns alone, and losing you is not an option for me in this scenario."

"We don't have any options left, other than retreating which is the worst thing we could do right now." They could not afford to lose the frontlines. It's the only thing that prevents the Mugann from making its next move.

"...We have one. And obviously, you and I are not gonna like it at all."

Lisa said this to her. A dark idea that could work out by a slim chance.

"...you don't mean-"

"What other options do we have left? The only way to get past through Phase Two is through that wall."

"And if it goes well, You can- no..."

"You will take down that wall for all of us."

"In the cost of some of the No-Stars' lives here..."

"Including myself by a chance."

A suicide charge...

Another salvo of artillery was dished out to their direction, more screamings can be heard by them all. It was utterly hopeless.

"Either way, most of us will die if we don't do a single thing about it."

"No... it's almost guaranteed that the Silver Hawks will be wiped out from the face of the earth."

Lisa then walks towards a box to sit on, her golden bangs overshadowing her garnet eyes.

It hid the tiredness she had bottled up over the past years living in this hell.

"In which case, we can stake our 'heroic deaths' on this sliver of hope that we have left in our cards."

She then explained this dark planned that she had concocted at the last minute.

Lisa was getting desperate at this moment. A feeling that Mirai knew too well.

"For all of this to work... To ask all of them to die... It would take one hell of a liar, along with a whole slew of deception."

"If I don't lead this charge, Mirai. Then, no one will follow through till the bitter end."

"It's highly probable that I would be the first one to die before anyone else, even with this Goku uniform that I'm wearing right now..."

Silence persist between the both of them, as the wind blew some of their hair, revealing sorrowful, tearful eyes behind those garnet orbs of hers.

"And all of my dreams... to see the truth that my father had been finding all this time, underneath this island will be all in vain."

...

That.

...

Had stopped Mirai from his tracks.

"...huh?"

What did Lisa say right now? The truth?

She clasps her hands together, shaking. Some tears dropping to the ground below them both, only noticed by the boy with his Kamui who was also surprised by what she had heard.

After Mirai had unintentionally torn down their options by the circumstances they were facing which were near impossible to overcome, he had accidentally broken down Lisa in the process...

This was her breaking point.

She was having a mental breakdown after all these years...

If this was her supposedly final moments in her life, then at the very least Mirai, one of her closest friends deserves to know what she was actually fighting for.

"...I..."

"...I'm tired with all of this, Mirai..."

"I just... wanted to find out what was the point of my father fighting for this island, that he would risk everything for it."

She told him, breath hitching now and then as the ugly truth had finally been unveiled.

"Everything I've done till now... was because I believe that day would come..."

"That someday... I could check if it was worth it all along..."

She raised her shaky hands, quivering as she continued.

"So many times... I wonder to myself..."

"Why am I still here?"

"Just to suffer? For a truth that I do not know off? The truth that took away my dad's life?"

"Leaving me here all by myself, what am I supposed to do?"

"The sweet release from life is all too easy for me to do it, just a simple push of trigger and it will be all over."

She holds the revolver in her hand, a bullet is left on the cylindrical chamber...

"But, Mirai..."

She then looks to the dirt floor beneath her, garnet eyes yet again overshadowed by her bangs.

"Can't you see them?"

"The souls of the dead, staring at us both?"

Multiple figures had surrounded Lisa and Mirai in her head, the boy's eyes were too overshadowed, hiding his emotion from us all.

Past Silver Hawks members who gave their lives for her, Suzuki who was Ryuko's former desk owner, and much more...

One of them was Kinichi Obunaga, standing behind her.

Lisa's dad himself.

A sorrowful gaze he gave to his only daughter. He had not meant to put her on this dystopian island had become.

"They want to know what became of their lives they willingly gave for this fight."

She lamented to him.

"Because the fighting is not over yet, it never has and it never will be..."

Another salvo of destruction had befallen them. Both individuals didn't even heed the screams and cries of the No-Stars near them.

"Is it just... all in my head?"

"Nothing more than a broken girl's delusions?"

Mirai didn't know what to say...

A bitter laugh she had given out from the silence. She expected this to happen, she felt as if that he was revolted by looking at her for finally knowing the truth.

"You must be thinking... I'm a horrible person, aren't you?"

"You're not wrong. I am one."

"Just a big hypocrite. An idiotic girl who spew lies to herself, even though she hated those things in the first place."

...

...

...

"I should just go-"

"No."

"...what?"

She looked up at him. She didn't expect this at all.

"I don't think you're a horrible person at all."

He finally understood now...

As he recalls the experience he had faced before this.

Satsuki's words...

"He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all of its ranks! For you to become stronger, you must master the ways to become a leader!"

"You may resent me for what I am about to do and I will not blame you in the slightest for it. Although rest assured, there's a valid reason behind everything I do."

Lisa's words just then...

"Thrown in a circumstance that we do not know off nor we fear, humans are forced to make difficult decisions in the heat of the moment."

"Decisions that would sometimes lead to something better... or something far worse."

"I don't know the outcome, nor does Satsuki or everyone else."

"But I do know this..."

"We try our best to make the decisions that we don't regret."

Nero's words...

"Rule Number One: Never in any circumstances, drop your guard down."

"You failed that spectacularly..."

"Rule Number Two: Always have a solid game plan, cause anything can and will happen."

"Rule Number Three:"

"Follow through your goal till the bitter end..."

And finally...

The voice in the void...

"You're lying to yourself."

"That is the only part of what you wish. A reasonable and noble reason that hides the ugly truth of the whole thing you wanted."

"We are all a slave to something. No matter who you are, or where you've come from, there is always something that you will strive for."

"Each and every one of us has a desire that makes us who we are."

"What is yours?"

He finally understood the meaning behind those words...

A spiral pattern was visible in both of his eyes, giving off a green, spirally glow...

Lisa had noticed them, as she shakily asked him.

"Mirai, y-your eyes... They-"

"Because we are the same, Lisa."

Mirai knelt in front of her, holding her shaking hand with both of his gently, providing comfort at her lowest times.

This had truly shocked her. But she didn't understand what he had meant by that.

"Both of us already have blood spilt in our hands, whether unintentionally or not."

"Both of us had to carry this heavy burden, whether we like it or not."

"All this time, you had to carry all of this weight on your shoulders..."

"All by yourself..."

He said to her, lowering his head as he was about to do something horrible.

"You've fought well..."

"It's all thanks to you, that they've come this far..."

His grip turned firm, something that he had resolved to himself.

A goal, a resolution...

A sacrifice he had to make for this one moment...

"I'm making this choice..."

Spirally emeralds then look towards concerned garnets, as he declared to her.

"Give up on that dream..."

"Lead them all into hell..."

"And I will take down Wall Infragillis."

No words could have described the feeling that was felt between the both of them.

A faithful friend that was willing to shoulder together with the sin she had committed...

Or take it all over altogether, so she wouldn't have to suffer anymore.

Unbeknownst to them, the Spiral energy had flown into the girl...

Awakening a small fraction of the dormant power which dwells within everyone, locked behind by a primordial being's existence.

A mixture of feelings ran through the blonde, before settling down the words that she could only let out to her loyal assistant...

"...Thank you, Mirai."

Lisa then stood up from her box, as she and Mirai make their way to the cowering No-Stars.

With newfound resolution, both Devils of the Island had finally decided what to do to win this hopeless situation they were in.

"The stage is all yours..."

It is time for one final announcement for the Silver Hawks...

---

"A plan to retake District Maria?!"

"You're fucking with me... As if we have the manpower nor the technology to do that in the first place!"

"What are those two thinking? Isn't entering that place alone is just considered suicide at this point?!"

Those were the murmurs of the Pseudo Classroom No-Stars as they took in the rumours that had spread in between them. Someone had tattled that they were about to go in on something big and this was it.

A massive gathering of them who are stuck here with nowhere else to go. From a bird's eye view from above, one could see hundreds of grey coloured uniforms gathered in one place.

Some were doubtful, wanting to flee from the place. Some were rethinking the life choices they had made that had led them here in the first place. The majority had no opinion, too even tired to even care about as they surrendered to their fate.

"But all they can do is to hold the line since those black tendrils had taken over Gamagori's fort. It basically wiped half of the Vanguard Squad..."

"Damnit, are they really that starved for glory, even on these conditions?!"

Maiko, in the corner somewhere, had overheard the mumblings of the dreaded. Honestly, she too wanted to flee but after what had happened just now with Matoi, she didn't have the strength in her to move her body.

If she were to die here, at the very least she was near to the boy she had a crush on upon seeing him during the first day of school. It's a shame that he was with Matoi of all people, she thought to herself...

Said boy was kneeling to his blonde friend which was her class rep. She couldn't hear what he was saying to her as they were far away out of their earshot.

Some Silver Hawks members were nearby in the Pseudo Classroom, to prevent the cowardly No-Stars from doing something unnecessary. Guns at the ready if a commotion were to be started.

Then, a shady looking No-Star had mumbled to himself. His eyes frantically darting around the area, visibly quivering as if he had gone mad by all of this.

"I'm going to that hellhole again, am I..?"

Gritting his teeth in frustration, the shady No-Star had finally lost it.

"No, no, no, NO, NO, NO! I DON'T WANNA GO BACK THERE! I DON'T WANNA DIE LIKE THIS!"

Shaky hands grasping his messy hair, he yelled out in anguish on this helpless state they were all in.

"LET ME SEE MY FAMILY, DAMMIT!"

The shady No-Star had made a break for the exit. Luckily, his No-Star friends who were still sane and rational hold him back from causing a scene.

"O-oi, Taro! You're being too loud!"

A Silver Hawk recruit had heard this. He decided to take action against this rebellious state he was trying to incite.

"You there! I heard that!"

The Silver Hawk recruit then walked to the shady man who held down by his friends, demanding to know what are his attentions.

"Are you going to abandon everyone here and give away our location?!"

"Yes, that's right!" fear and desperation were clearly noticed by the tone the shady No-Star had used. His eyes were akin to a rabid dog.

"There's nothing to be gained from this mass suicide mission!"

The Silver Hawk recruit narrowed his gaze at this fool. He was about to get them all killed by this rebellious act. He then pointed his gun towards him in the hopes to intimidate him down.

An unwise move, if a veteran would see this. Alas, he was still a recruit...

Hana, one of the Life Fibre Squadron tried to make her way to the scuffle that was about to be ignited but the crowd she was handling was proving much the same as Kosei was having a hard time de-escalate.

"You bastard... You dare to mock our efforts? After everything, we've done for you?! I'll have you know that I have the authority to exterminate people like you on the spot who will endanger our goals!"

Hearing this, the other No-Stars tried to calm both of them down. There was no need for this at all...

"H-hey... P-Please, calm down! The two of you..."

Suddenly, the shady No-Star had pulled out a shank in his pocket, brandishing it behind his back out of his view.

"...Fine by me, asshole. That's much better than to be turned into mincemeat by artillery shells like your buddies there in the field..."

Everyone had heard that...

"Taro! The fuck are you saying?! Stop it!" his friend holds him in place, stopping from fanning the flames of revolt in the group.

"GET OFF ME! DON'T YOU EVEN DARE TOUCH ME, BASTARD! I'M NOT GOING BACK THERE!"

Things were spiralling out of control in the Pseudo Classroom zone, tension once again had risen. People are starting to think that Taro had a point.

"Hey, you heard that?"

"Yeah... not surprised he broke from this. Anyone would..."

Then, two girls of the No-Stars had mumbled something out...

"...Hey, I wonder if someone will rebel here too."

The girl beside her agreed on her wonderings, as she mumbled out her own take on this as well.

"I think so... If I want to die, I want to end my life on my own terms than facing that..."

"Hey, you two."

Someone had heard both of them. They panicked by this as they feverishly denied to him about.

"I-I-I was just joking, Hinori, please! It's just a-"

"Do it." The No-Star student, known as Hinori, simply said to her as she was taken aback by this.

"Huh?!"

"Make a scene... as many people as you could with it."

Maiko, who was nearby them three, widen her eyes as she heard what Hinori said to both girls.

"Many of us here just came to the Pseudo Classroom to stay away from the firefight. We didn't expect to be pulled by in the drafts for this."

"We'll take advantage of the chaos and run away."

Maiko, having heard enough of it, asked the teen albeit with a weak voice.

"...but where would you go then?"

"...To see my little sister, if this is the last time I have," he stated his reason to Maiko before continuing.

"The Silver Hawks can't hold out much longer, after all."

Back with Taro and the Silver Hawk, they were having a full-on brawl in the middle of the Pseudo Classroom. A crowd had gathered around them.

"Stay down, you fucking idiot!"

"I thought you were going to kill me with that gun of yours, tough guy?! Just shoot me already?!"

"Like hell, I'll let you get off so easily!"

The crowd around them talked amongst themselves. Whispers of doubts filled the area as they took in on what was happening.

"You know, as crazy as I might be... Maybe that shady guy has a point."

They all agreed to him. At this point, it's a winner takes all situation. And the winner gets to live longer than the losers.

The Silver Hawks members other than the brawling one had sweat dripping on their foreheads by the escalation of the foregoing situation that was about to happen.

They were in deep hot water now...

Kosei and Hana were busy with the majority of the unrest and it's quickly becoming a slugfest by the second.

Someone had to take control of this situation.

Someone had to stop this from getting worse.

Someone had to play the devil's advocate in this grim situation they were all in.

Someone-

"ATTTTEENNNTIONNNNN!"

She had commanded their awareness. All actions in the Pseudo Classroom zone had ceased to a full halt by her order...

Only silence filled the air around them all, everyone's attention is now being directed to Lisa Obunaga.

The girl stood firm near them, with her blue friend standing beside her stone-faced as well as she is...

"...I will now elaborate on the plan to recapture District Maria!"

"The objective of this plan is to break through Wall Infragillis..."

"And make haste to the school courtyard at all cost!"

...

...

...

They could not believe what they had heard just now...

"...huh?"

"...has she finally lost it?"

"Break... through?"

"Is that even... possible?"

Those were the murmurs of the doubtful... The whispers of the fearful ones...

However, their train of thought was halted again as she continued.

"I will now explain how we intend to break through the wall!"

"As you all might know by now, standing here beside me is the man known as Mirai Takiyo!"

She motions her hand towards him, the boy proceeded to give a salute to the Silver Hawks.

A hand behind his back and a fist to his heart.

"He is the individual who single-handedly stopped the terrorist attack in the school that was led by the unknown assailant otherwise known as Nero!"

"I solemnly believe that he is capable of generating a drill sturdy enough to break through The Wall that divides us between Heaven and Hell on Earth."

"And I believe that all of you will find that true, considering the past events he had showcased in the school!"

More whispers had garnered around the crowd. This time, hope was prevalent between them.

"That's true... I mean, did you see how he took down all those black creatures yesterday?"

"Yeah... even The Elite Four- hell... Even Kiryuin was having a hard time dealing with them."

"Maybe there's still hope for us."

The Silver Hawks might make it through here.

"However, he cannot get near to it with the appearance of the railguns and turrets standing in his way!"

"That is where we come in..."

"We will become the cavalry charge, even greater than the Vanguard Squad!"

"Our goal: Rush to the gates of Wall Infragillis!"

"Of course, we'll be making ourselves ideal targets to the railguns!"

"So we'll wait until they had jammed themselves for a moment."

"With that opportunity, we'll fire off all the flares and the smoke grenades that the Life Squadron had bring to us together."

"That should reduce their accuracy somewhat and increase our chances of survival by utilising the district buildings as cover!"

"While we're acting as a decoy, Takiyo will sneak his way to the railguns and turrets!"

"Utilising his armoured form known as Gurren Lagann, and will manifest a giant drill like the one you see several times to pierce through the gate of the wall!"

"Standing and waiting here is a guarantee that we will be showered by more debris."

"That is our plan!"

...

...

...

Then, someone had called out to her out loud in a shaky voice.

"Are... we all heading..."

"...To our deaths?"

"...Yes."

The No-Stars had wavered upon hearing this, along with the Silver Hawks recruits in the area.

Lisa literally just told him that they were going to die.

The No-Star then continued...

"If we're gonna die anyway, you're saying it's better..."

His eyes contracted with fear, tears spilling out as his emotions were not kept uncheck.

"...if we die fighting?"

"Yes."

The No-Star then had taken a step back from this, his hands quivering visibly by everyone as he continued.

Lisa and Mirai merely just look at him, with no emotions whatsoever on their face like a blank canvas.

"Wait... if we're gonna die anyway, no matter how we die, even if it's disobeying orders..."

"Even if we spend the last of our times with our loved ones..."

"It all means nothing, right?"

"You're precisely right."

After hearing this, the No-Star named Taro had yelled out to both of them.

"Y-You can't be serious?! Then, what's the point of all of this then?!"

"We're not disposable, dammit! All of us here deserve better than this!"

Taro then points a finger at Mirai, as he angrily yelled at him.

"We can't just put all of our hopes on a single person who had no idea of what we've been through!"

The Driller did not flinch at all, his spirally emerald eyes bore deep into Taro's fearful ones.

It unnerved Taro, even more, thinking that Mirai wasn't even human at all.

More mumbles had erupted. Taro was questioning the blue-gold duo upon the reason for being alive in this world.

"I'm out of here! Stop me if you want, I'll be glad to die here other than there!"

Taro can now be seen leaving the premises, several others decided to join him on tow.

One of them was Hinori. He was glad to be finally meet his little sister for the last time.

Meanwhile, Kosei, Hana and the rest of the Silver Hawks had now adopted worried looks.

Things are getting ugly, morale was dropping down immensely.

"This is bad... At this rate, order will fall and we can't retake the district..."

Then, the Silver Hawk recruit had decided to take upon action himself to be a 'loyal' soldier, pointing his gun at them all along with several of his recruit friends.

"You traitor! Everyone who leaves here will be cut down this instant-"

"HEED MY WORDS, YOU SWINES IN HUMAN CLOTHING!"

"THOSE WHO DESERT US WILL BE PARDONED AND ESCORTED TO THE SHELTERS UNDERNEATH!"

Mirai had cut the recruit of with his words, calling them pigs in human clothing.

Perhaps Satsuki's accusation to these scums was right after all, as he thought to himself...

"Takiyo... danchou?"

Kosei, Hana and the Silver Hawks were absolutely confounded by what he had just said.

What was he thinking?

Lisa didn't respond. She knew what he was about to do next.

It's only a matter of time before he had enough of these cowards...

After a deep breath, he resumed...

"Once a man surrenders to their fear of the black creature known as the Mugann, they are no longer unfit for battle!"

"Those who had experienced that fear are free to leave..."

"I am well aware that the shelters issued out by Kisabe are at full capacity. As a countermeasure, shovels, pickaxes and even drills will be supplied to all of you."

"Dig for more room, just enough for your bodies alone."

Behind this sentence...

Was an insult to them...

Mirai was practically telling them to dig their own graves...

They all stopped at their tracks. He was being cruel to them all-

"Furthermore, those of you who want your parents, siblings, and loved ones to experience that same fear for themselves...

"All of you may also leave!"

"And never set foot on this Island ever again!"

No...

He merely says what needs to be said.

The final nail had been put on the coffin by him.

They all stood from their tracks, rethinking their decisions.

Hinori specifically, was taking Mirai's words in, hard...

"Oni-san, where are we going?"

He was holding her hand as they wander somewhere unknown...

Homeless, poverty...

He gave his little sister a fate worse than death.

"I... I can't let that happen."

The sun had shined upon Hinori's back.

He, along with several others had returned from the brink of despair.

"My little sister..."

Their faces hardened, their souls were unwavering...

They marched back with a burning resolution in mind.

"She's all I have left in this godforsaken world!"

This was not the Mirai Takiyo that would be kind to others...

This was not the Mirai Takiyo who would be the hero one would expect to be in a fairy tale.

No...

Like The Golden Eagle herself...

This was one of the personas that he had adopted after spending his days in Honnouji Academy.

This was The Vice President of The Student Council.

Satsuki's successor.

However, his efforts alone were not enough...

Taro continues to be defiant until the very end. He continues walking away...

Until Lisa had decided to say something to all of them.

"I was not finished with what I said just now..."

All attention had now been redirected towards Lisa again. Mirai was the opening act...

Lisa was the closing one that would seal the deal between these two devils...

"It is undeniably true that life would lose all meaning if we die here..."

Garnet, steeled eyes staring at all of them.

She was being honest with them all...

"No matter what dreams you may have..."

"No matter what hopes you had dreamed off ever since we were born..."

...

"No matter how blessed a life you've lived before all of this..."

"It will all be meaningless... if we would be shredded by artillery shells at the end..."

Another incoming bombardment had wrecked more of the Pseudo Classroom.

But no one screamed out of fear, not an ounce of noise can be heard...

They were all listening to her...

"Everyone will die someday... That is the truth we all know."

"Does that mean life is meaningless as we speak off?"

"Does that mean we were born here just to suffer till the bitter end?"

"Was there even any meaning behind the lives that we were gifted?"

...

No one answered her, for no one knows how to...

"...Would you say that to the fallen ones?"

"Their lives..."

The souls of the dead stood behind Lisa and Mirai, looking at them all...

Their hopes... dreams...

Their legacy...

"Were they meaningless as well?"

...

...

...

(Play: Before Lights Out)

Her eyes...

They gave off a faint spiral pattern behind those garnet orbs...

She was enranged, the spiral inside her had awoken for the very first time.

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!"

"IT IS US WHO GIVES MEANING TO THEIR LIVES!"

"THE COURAGEOUS FALLEN! THE ANGUISHED FALLEN!"

"THE RELUCTANT HEROES OF THE FORGOTTEN ONES!"

"THEIR LIVES HAVE MEANING BECAUSE WE, THE LIVING, REFUSED TO FORGET THEM!"

"AND AS WE RIDE INTO HELL, WE TRUST OUR SUCCESSORS TO DO THE SAME FOR US!"

"AS MY FINAL ACT FROM THE SILVER HAWKS!"

"AS THE GOLDEN EAGLE OF HONNOUJI!"

"WE IMPLORE ALL OF YOU!"

"TO TAKE A STAND AGAINST THIS CRUEL WORLD THAT WE LIVE IN!"

---

"SUSUME!"

"ARRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!"

The screaming of the No-Stars was audible within the slums. They roared out with all of their might as they run and charge, straight into the fray.

Lisa gave out her war cry that was accompanied by their screams.

They stampede across the district. The Vanguard Squad had joined in the charge, readying their shields to provide ample cover for the stray bullets that were flying all around.

Satou, after bandaging himself, joins in the charge with his boys as they rode on with their choppers.

Flames spewing out from their exhaust pipes, roaring inferno to the streets.

"She did it..."

Subaru lets off this sentence at the charging cavalry he was seeing behind them. Lisa managed to convince them to join in the fight.

Upon noticing this, Ivan had yelled out a command. It is time to resume the charge.

"EVERYONE! MAKE WAY FOR THE NO-STARS!"

"IT"S TIME TO GO TO SCHOOL!"

Up above the rooftops:

"They've started! Everyone, get your game face on! Provide support for The Golden Eagle!"

"Ryoukai!"

Tokiko ordered out her men to take out the turrets that were near them. Dyna Spears launched from their wrists, along with lobs of smoke and EMP grenades in the vicinity to provide covering fire.

They destroyed a good number of turrets, enabling them to push forward.

However, the Mugann was not letting up. They fired a volley at the charging No-Stars in front that had caused a wide blast radius.

Lisa barely dodged the flying artillery with a quick turn of her bike, scraping off some of Goku Uniform by it.

She aimed her revolver that was filled with explosive rounds as she fires off at the turrets she could see. Some turrets were managed to be destroyed by her, hitting their inner wireframes and exploding upon impact.

Another volley was coming.

"FIRE!"

A row of flares and smokes filled the sky above, as they fired off their flares and grenades for cover.

Underneath them, ride The Driller in dark tunnels of the forgotten.

He was recalling how circumstances came to be...

...

...

"What?"

Mirai recalled back on the plan Lisa had told him beforehand.

"You want me to sneak my way to the wall with just on a bike?"

"The fort is standing in an empty area away from the buildings. Mines are underneath so I can't dig my way to it. The best chance I have is to sneak among the calvary and take it by surprise-"

"Wrong..."

"You don't have to dig your way to it actually..."

"...what do you mean by that?"

"Remember when I said we used tunnels to sneak past the wall over the past years?"

Mirai widens his eyes, he was getting what Lisa was talking about.

"Of course, those death machines are equipped with heat tracking signature modules, but the mines underneath gives off a large radiation, along with our cavalry that will act as cover for the underground."

"They can't detect a single person underneath it all..."

"Sneak past using the tunnels until you find a red coloured mine. That's where the gate will be..."

"Use them to your advantage and lead everyone to their liberation..."

Use the darkness to search the light at the end of the tunnel.

"Because you're our only hope now..."

Freedom... Freedom...

Forgive me...

Underneath them all, he rode his bike through the dark tunnels away from the mines, making his way to the designated point of his entry.

The only light guiding his way in the dark was the lamp of his bike.

He could hear them screaming out in bloody cries. Gritting his teeth in frustration, he seethes out to himself in remorse...

"I'm sorry, everyone..."

Retake Maria!

Victorious, Triumphant!

"IVAN! SATOU!"

"YES MA'AM!"

A formation had been formed by her command. EMP grenades at the ready as they were launched at the turrets and railguns in front with a volley.

Tower shields at the ready, sustaining heavy fire as they marched on.

"Like we let a mere Mugann finish off our Captain!"

"OVER OUR DEAD BODIES!"

The two men screamed out to the Mugann infested fort.

At the rooftops beside them all, the GD infantry was making quick work with the turrets that stood in their way.

Tokiko decided to get a little creative, using some C4's she had stashed beforehand from the Black Market.

She tosses them onto the turrets and marked them with a makeshift beacon that was attached to the C4, blinking red ever so slightly.

"Hold on~"

More Dyna Spears were bombarded at the howitzers she was seeing.

Running through the rooftops and dodging gunfire from the turrets, she leapt off and whizzed through another set of buildings tossing more C4s at the flanking howitzers.

"Just a bit more~"

She then runs back to regroup with her squadron. A trigger button she was holding as she had finally dished out all of her demolition packs at the turrets.

It seems they were glowing bright red, firing non-stop from the Mugann's influence in the power system.

"NOW!"

She pushed the trigger, sending a row of explosions around the District.

The detonations on the turrets had caused a power surge at the grid, causing the railguns to stop charging another volley at the oncoming cavalry for a brief moment.

No need for a big EMP bomb, they just need timing and exploitations of the battlefield around them by the enemy's mishaps.

Tokiko's gamble had finally paid off...

A golden opportunity for Lisa and Mirai to make their way to the Gates of Wall Infragillis.

Back underground, he could see blue mines and wooden brackets that hold the tunnels together.

The mines radiating heat and blinking of their red diodes. These mines are highly sensitive to touch.

Akin to finding a needle in a haystack, Mirai was searching the red mine that signifies where he should be...

Where he should transform at the moment.

His Kamui called out to him.

"Mirai..."

"Yeah, I know..."

He still wants to keep his promise to them both.

It's the only thing that kept him sane till now.

He reflects upon the situation he was in.

A revelation he had learned from today...

"People who can't sacrifice anything... can never hope to change anything in their lives..."

Gurren did not hear these thoughts that were ringing in his head.

He had mentally blocked Gurren from hearing them, something he realized he could do ever since he tried to imagine a wall in his head.

What was becoming of Mirai at this point?

No one knows...

Passing through several mines... he had found it.

The red mine.

"I don't have time to think about whether what's right or not..."

"Just keep moving forward... Don't get caught up with ideals..."

He jammed the core drill into his vambrace, preparing to spin the core drill as he manifests a drill on his other hand to dig his way up.

SPIRAL ENERGY LEVELS:

100%

SPIRAL OVERRIDE: STANDING BY

"Gurren Lagann! Spin-on!"

After a green burst of light and fire inside the tunnels, The Driller had launched himself up towards the surface.

His drill spinning towards the light at the end of the dark tunnel.

"Didn't you vow to yourself?"

"You swore to protect them all, no matter what happens!?"

"To get stronger, no matter what the cost?!"

All of my kingdom for your return!

I let it all burn!

I let it all burn!

Dear departed...

The calvary above was nearing the wall...

Lisa lets out a war cry.

Her eyes, the same as Mirai's, had the same spiral pattern behind them.

"HEISHI WO IKKEI!"

[ MARCH MY SOLDIERS ]

I cry for you in a dream...

Now I must rise to be Queen...

"If we win, we'll live."

The ground beneath trembles before them. Something was coming.

"HEISHI WO SAKEBE!"

[ SCREAM MY SOLDIERS ]

Be worthy...

"If we lose, we'll die."

The earthquake had turned into an eruption. An armoured figure was the cause of it, with a giant drill on his hand.

He was soaring straight to the gates of the wall.

Everyone was watching them both...

Ryuko, Mako, Aikuro...

The Student Council...

Everyone...

They realized where The Driller was now.

The two of them screamed out their resolution out loud.

Their eyes glowed in garnet and emerald hue...

"HEISHI WO..."

[ MY SOLDIERS... ]

"To live, we must..."

Be worthy...

"TATAKAEEEEEEE! / TATAKAEEEEEEE!"

...

[ FIGHT ]

...

Thus, he pierced his drill into the gates of Heaven... The gates had been breached...

He had done it...

Mirai had paved a way for them all.

However, this victory...

Doesn't come without a sacrifice.

The Mugann had managed to fire a stray volley at the front of the calvary.

Ivan and Satou had managed to shield Lisa from the blast with their shields and body.

Alas...

It was a critical hit.

Someone had screamed out in horror.

"LISAAAAAAAAAAAA TAICHOOUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

The fate of Lisa Obunaga hangs between the thin line...

of life and death...

---

Chapter 4.3: Complete

Next Chapter: 4.4

Sins of the Father

---

A.N:

"..."

"Shit... has finally gone dark, huh..."

"...By the way, though... I got something that I had in mind for the past week."

He gave her a list.

It said:

Spiral Saga cast VA list

"These are the voices on how I imagined them sounded like. So, feel free to imagine them sounding like the respective VA's."

She then looks on the list with several voice actors he had in mind for them.

Mirai Takiyo - VA: Nobunaga Shimazaki

Gurren - VA: Fujita Saki

Lisa Obunaga - VA: Yui Ishikawa

Ichiban Kazuma - VA: Shimono Hiro

Miki Makimura - VA: Sora Amamiya

Nero - VA: Kouki Ichiyama

Vega - VA: Aya Hisakawa

Sirius - VA: Michiko Neiya

Betelgeuse - VA: Hidenari Ugaki

After she had read the list, the hooded teen continued...

"Oh, if you're wondering about the Aikuro fiance thingy, that's actually cannon..."

"The main writer himself said so in the Kill la Kill complete Script Book Event, back in 2014..."

"Along with Ryuko's favourite food... Uzu's brother and Konyaku family business...Gamagori's past time when he waited two years for Satsuki to build Honnouji... and much, much more..."

"So... be prepared to face some facts that had not made in the anime because of timing and budget."

"We're going full world building with Nazuki Nakashima, the main writer for the anime had in store but didn't make the cut."

"Yeah, I think that's all I got for now. Run along to the infirmary, now."

He then looks towards somewhere in the distance, talking to himself...

"As usual, a disclaimer. I don't own Kill la Kill nor Gurren Lagann because both of them belongs to Hiroyuki Imaishi, Head of Studio Trigger."

"Leave a follow and a review if you like it. Criticism is also accepted. And with that, see you in the next chapter."