A/N: I'm back from vacation and have fixed the issues with the last chapter. I'll probably be uploading the fixed chapter as you read this. There were a couple of minor ones but all the [STATS] were completely out of whack, no idea how that happened but I fixed it. I think, hehe.
I got a lot of recommendations for magic use, my thanks for that. Magic should be soon, relatively speaking. I plan for it to be a rather major part of the fourth arc. Give his use of IS some time to shine first.
Got a lot of comments on the last chapter that I haven't read/responded to yet. I will get to them, but gotta finish this chapter first.
Oh and I don't know why the cover keeps disappearing. It should be the pic of Chifuyu running and little Ichika chasing her but it keeps going back to the "No Cover" cover. Idk.
But on to what we've all been waiting for, and this is a spicy one.
~Enjoy~
[Text] - The Game.
"Text" - Dialogue.
Text - Thinking.
"Text" - SIS talking telepathically to Ichika.
Text or Text - Sounds/Emphasis
The Third Mondo Grosso
Cheers erupted from the colossal stadium, over which no other form of sound could hope to be heard.
Massive didn't even come close to describing the size of the stadium. It's length and width made one side of the packed stands look like mere specs to the other. It's height towered over the surrounding buildings as it stretched into the sky.
The audience sat in rows upon rows of seats, which encircled the arena in the center of the stadium. Protected by ray shields from any stray attacks or debris, the fights could very easily and very quickly get up close and personal with the stands. Of course, the closer the fights got, and the more in danger the crowd seemed to be, the harder and harder they would cheer.
A set of IS whizzed by the crowd at speeds so fast they were merely a blur to the human eye, one amalgamation of color chasing another.
The blue that was being chased shot into the sky, leveling out to reveal an IS of sleek design. It was a second generation, clearly made to be a mix of long and close quarters combat. A decent amount of shielding of metal, adding extra defense beyond the IS Shield for CQC, but the frame was also thin enough for some serious speed to gain distance.
The pilot of the Swedish IS had dismissed the longsword she had been fighting with, opting instead to exchange it for a grenade launcher as she flew to the sky. Having turned the game of cat and mouse on its head, she leveled her weapon, mercilessly firing round after round at her unexpecting opponent.
Her opponent stopped her pursuit as she saw the Swedish pilot exchange weapons, but if it was too late, the grenades were already upon her, and her IS was sent crashing to the ground.
The crowd all stood in hushed silence as the dust from the crash settled. The pilot could be seen climbing out of a still smoking crater, her IS having been deactivated. As the screens around the arena flashed an image of the Swedish pilot with the title "Victor," in various languages, the crowd was split between roaring in celebration and hissing in defeat.
"There you have it folks! With their third representative out of the competition, Brazil is officially out of The Third Mondo Grosso."
Ichika smiled from his private viewing room.
Like many sports in the world, the Mondo Grosso cost a lot to host, meaning the hosting country would do everything in their power to squeeze every ounce of money out of the competition. That meant expensive tickets, merchandise, amenities, and perks.
There were many sections of seating, but most were two fold. The seats for women were the front rows, further back were for mixed sexes. You could forget about a male section, it was the Mondo Grosso. Even if they allowed it, few men could or would spend such money on a seat. Even the cheapest ones were in the millions of Yen.
After that was merchandise, the fan favorite. The only merchandise that was not technically allowed to be sold was merchandise of his sister. She hadn't ever allowed her likeness to be used, her pride was far too great to sell her likeness for a quick buck, even if it was a lot of quick bucks. Alas, there was far too much money to be made pedaling merchandise of her, so it would happen even if the companies only got away with it by using digitally created look-alikes that weren't technically her.
What Ichika was sitting in right now was an amenity, a private viewing room. Really it looked like a five star hotel, just with a random large living room with a massive glass wall.
It wasn't something either Orimura would ever spend money on-well, he might, far into the future-but it certainly wasn't something he cared about enough to purchase now.
No, this room was one of, if not the most, luxurious private viewing "rooms" in the entire stadium. It was one of the many amenities given to those who currently held the title of Brunhilde; a room in which they, or anyone they granted entrance, could watch the competition.
Though, his sister was still the only one to ever hold the title, which he giddily hoped would continue.
"Two seconds." Speaking of the devil, she sat across from him, in a rather fancy yet uncomfortable looking chair. In between them was a table of rich wood. To their right was the glass pane, out of which they could see the entire arena.
Chifuyu you shook her head, her silk black hair falling perfectly down her sides, even as she sat.
"Her opponent slowed whilst switching weapons. It's obvious she intended to turn on her. With that amount of time she should have easily been able to pull back." She criticized with narrowed eyes as the IS pilots of the previous match began exiting the arena.
Ichika merely chuckled.
"You don't think you're being harsh?" She met his gaze with a raised eyebrow.
"This is their chosen profession. I expect them to have the skill of a professional." Her face morphed into a scowl. "This?" She gestured to the arena as the next combatants initiated their duel, her face morphine by back into a scowl.
"It's...pathetic."
Ichika laughed, immediately gaining a slight glare from her.
"Unyieldingly critical...but to you, I suppose it would appear pathetic. I expect nothing less from The Strongest Under the Heavens." Chifuyu gave a slight groan at one of the many names the populace gave her.
"You should go, Chifuyu-nee." She looked at him with what he assumed to be an annoyed expression. With her stoicism, it was sometimes a little hard to tell, even for him.
"Fine." She sighed as she got up, stretching her arms before being blindsided by Ichika hugging her.
"Good luck! You'll do great." He could see her eyes soften a bit at his encouragement. She awkwardly returned his hug, though lightly.
The ringing of his phone brought Ichika out of his focus on his sister's semi-final match. She was piloting exemplary, as usual, and he expected the match to last mere minutes with her superior skill and strength.
Sighing in slight annoyance that his viewing had been interrupted, he brought the phone to his ear without taking his eyes off the match and accepted the call.
"ICHIKA!" Natasha's voice shouted from the phone, making him cringe. He could hear the whirring of wind in the background of the call.
"What?" He skipped pleasantries in response to her clear desperation.
"You're at the Mondo Grosso, right?!"
"Well, yeah, but-"
"Phantom Task is planning to attack the Mondo Grosso! We've contacted the governments but no one can send units to assist as most are competitors. I scrambled together a group of units, we're on our way right now but I need you to find the agents before they attack. If we can detain them before they strike, we can decrease casualties."
[QUEST - "The Attack"]
[Description: Stop Phantom Task's attack on The Third Mondo Grosso.]
[Rewards: Many new allies. Unknowns. 10,000,000 Yen. 100,000 XP.]
[Penalties: Unknowns.]
[...]
[ACCEPT]
[YES] [NO]
He accepted the Quest without hesitation, only for a ten minute timer to pop up in the corner of his vision.
"Why not evacuate the place?" He cursed himself as the timer began remorselessly ticking.
[9:59]
"Panic. If the populous knew something was wrong things would go into chaos. It's a gamble, but if we can stop this attack before it happens we can eliminate all chances of casualties. Plus, it's the Mondo Grosso, if IS do attack, there will be hundreds to battle them."
But they would know that too. Why attack if they know they would lose in whatever goal they have?
"How do you know all this?" He said as he began dashing through the room.
"You know that agent, from the train attack, the one I turned into the American government?"
"Information extraction?"
"So I'm told. Why they couldn't get it sooner is beyond me, but that doesn't matter anymore."
"How much do you know? Anything I can look out for, I mean there are at least a dozen millions people here."
"No, sorry. We just know there is an attack." Great. I'll have to push [Observe] to its max to get this done.
"No offense, no one would believe you about an attack by terrorists, if you can convince your sister she can warn the other pilots to prepare for the attack."
"Why the hell haven't the countries contacted their competitors?"
"We just got this information minutes ago, the information is spreading but it will take a while. Me and the few others with me are going on our own authority, technically we don't even have permission for an official mission yet."
Shit. "Can't you contact your own competitors?"
"The President said someone was on it, if you can find our competitors you should be able to help each other. I know this is a bit of a weird thing to ask of someone who is technically a civilian, but I trust you, Ichika."
"Thanks."
He looked up, swerving his head in every direction around the massive hallway, looking at the various flags hung along above various rooms. Not catching any sight of the American flag, or seeing any of the many people he continually [Observed] connecting to Phantom Task, he returned to a dash through the corridor.
"Sorry!" He yelled back after bumping into someone, sending them to the ground with his surprising strength. The woman used very colorful language to describe where he should put his apologies, but he was already running out of earshot.
Finally catching the sight of the flowing flag above one of the many doors, he flitted his way through the crowd of people, before a woman moved in his way of entering the door.
[7:32]
What!?
[Gamer's Mind] has been automatically activated.
"I need to speak with the American Cadets. It is a matter of life and death." He spoke in as serious a voice he could muster.
Hopefully, there would only be the Cadets competing. Technically, a country was allowed to have as many representative candidates as they pleased. After all, the financial backing of said candidates came from the country's own pockets. However, when it came to The Mondo Grosso, they could only have three actually compete in the competition. Enough to allow each country a few chances at the championship, without overshadowing the smaller countries that couldn't afford to financially back dozens of candidates. With only the competing cadets instead of all of America's representative candidates, he would have a much easier time communicating.
"Mhmm." The bodyguard was clearly not convinced, not that Ichika could blame her, though he still scowled in response.
"Ma'am. There is going to be an attack on this competition. I need to get to the American Cadets to assist them."
"Sure…" Her voice dripped with sarcasm. "Look kid, assuming you are telling the truth, why would they need your help? What could you do?" Dammit. I don't have time for this.
"Look, can you please go inside and tell them that an ally is outside that can assist them in finding the attackers on The Mondo Grosso?"
The bodyguard sighed, but shrugged. "Fine, kid. I'll humor you. You're lucky I'm the one on duty today or else this wouldn't work. I'm a sucker for kids."
Ichika refused to simply wait as the bodyguard nonchalantly entered the room behind her. He used the time to scour the crowd for the Phantom Task agents. Surely the IS users would be hiding among the crowd, it would provide for excellent cover. Perhaps they were double agents and were some of the competitors in the competition, that would make them far harder to get to and spread confusion.
Unfortunately, it was difficult to both think of a plan and continually mentally spam [Observe]. It only worked on a single person per use, which had actually been helpful so far, now it was infuriating.
After agonizing minutes of waiting for the bodyguard to return, the shutting of the door behind him caught his attention, halting his use of [Observe] as he turned back to the guard.
[5:47]
"Well?!" He tried not to let the desperation get into his voice, that would only make him look like more of a fanboy.
"Sorry kid, you're shit out of luck. Nothing about your ah...attack thing."
"Nothing?"
"Nothing."
"They weren't panicking or preparing for something? They didn't hastily shoo you out?"
The bodyguard was clearly becoming nervous with his behavior, not that he could blame her. He likely sounded insane, especially to someone outside the loop. "Ah...one was preparing for her next match...I think." She shrugged.
He tried to be gentle as he shoved her out of the way and burst into the room.
It was far less fancy than his sister's viewing room, but it was still up to par with the best of hotels. There were many American Cadets, and what he assumed were friends and family members, walking about; eating, making conversation, and sitting and watching the matches. Out of their viewing window, he could see it was currently the last semi-final match between the Italian Runner-Up Brunhilde and an American pilot. He could only catch a glimpse of the pilots whizzing around the arena, but it was clear the Italian pilot was winning.
He expected to gain the attention of the room from bursting in, but the loud chatter was too loud to make his presence known.
"HEY!" Ichika wasted no time garnering their attention, yelling so loud he took damage. The room turned towards him. Dozens of annoyed looking women all burrowing holes in his head with their eyes, it was times like these he really missed Dan.
"Life or death people! Who are the American Cadets?!"
[100XP - 200XP due to Title: Pubescent gained in "Leadership"]
"That...would be us." A woman spoke up while gesturing to the colleague she had been conversing with. He was fairly sure the only reason no one was either calling for security or insulting him was due to the absurdity of the situation.
"Phantom Task's attack, why aren't you preparing?!" The pair looked doubtful at each other.
"What?" Dammit.
"Does the name Phantom Task mean anything to you?"
"Should it?" They don't even know who they are. Something is seriously wrong here.
"Natasha." He spoke into his phone. "They don't even know who Phantom Task is. They have no idea about the attack, and I'm fairly sure they think I'm insane, can you convince them?"
The American Cadet sighed, before calling for security. He began resisting, struggling to stay in the room.
"They haven't gotten their orders?" He heard Natasha's voice come from the phone, but he was in no position to answer.
"Natasha Fairs needs to speak with you!" He yelled as he tried to resist the security, but it was clear the Cadets didn't recognize the name. His luck had run out as he yielded to the security and let them drag him back out into the corridor.
[3:03]
He didn't even waste time cursing himself.
"Natasha, they threw me out. The Cadets had no orders of attack, nor did they know who Phantom Task was or who you were."
"What!? Myself I can understand, I'm not a very high ranking pilot yet. Even Phantom Task is on a need-to-know basis, but they certainly should have received their orders by now."
"What do you suggest I do?"
"Find your sister. If you can convince her, she can convince the other pilots."
Before he could even attempt to do just that, a glance at the television and the now nearly empty corridor told him that the final match had begun, and his sister would be competing.
"The finals just began. The only way to contact her is her IS intercom." He could hear Natasha's sigh through the phone as he walked away from the bodyguards, who were still giving him the stink eye.
"...wait until we get there. You're a clever kid, maybe look out for anyone that appears suspicious or out of place… other than that… there isn't much we can do other than wait till our squad arrives or the cadets are informed. No idea why they haven't already. I'll have to tell the president whoever she trusted might not be trustworthy if they can't even relay info."
Ideas. Ideas. Ideas. Ideas. Come on, Ichika. Think! No Chifuyu. No Cadets. No Natasha, not yet at least. Things are out of place. I can't rely on Natasha and her team getting here in time. We have no knowledge of when the attack is to take place, and I have to make moves to stop it now. Could I try to find an IS? No. Even if I did, I have no experience piloting one.
He opted to lean into [Gamer's Mind], retaining a calm appearance on the outside so as to not freak even more people out. He turned and jogged in a general direction, spamming [Observe] once again. Sure it was essentially useless, but he supposed if he could have a slim chance of finding the agents, he would take it. Not like he had a better plan at the moment.
If they are sending an attack, they would need to send IS Units, especially if it's the Mondo Grosso. He shook his head. No, no matter how many units they sent they would be severely outnumbered. They would certainly lose. Why? Why attack if you know you will lose? Why set yourself up for failure. They aren't idiots. They must have another goal. There just has to be another layer to this plan.
He held his phone to his ear and calmly talked into it so as to not stand out. "Natasha, how far out are you?"
"Thirty minutes at least."
He cringed.
"I know-I know. We're coming as fast as we can, but from DC to Moscow isn't a quick flight. IS or not." He growled. Why the hell did The Third Mondo Grosso have to be so far away?
[1:59]
...I don't know what to do. Shivers went through his body as a sense of hopelessness attempted to overwhelm him.
[1:53]
He darted his head around, his demeanor broken. He could feel the mental calm of [Gamer's Mind] fighting against his own body's flight or fight response.
[1:47]
He caught a glimpse of red on the wall of the corridor across from him. A fire alarm.
Who gives a shit about panic if none of the agents are even informed of the attack.
He pushed his body to the limit and pulled the alarm, the sound blaring through the massive building and stadium. The action had caught the attention of the few people around him, but at this point, he no longer cared. He ran, as fast and as far away from them as he could, shoving people towards the exits, yelling for people to evacuate, desperate to spread word as fast as his legs could carry him.
The first vomitorium he found, he ran into to warn the endless crowd inside. Before he could even see the light at the exit to the arena, a blinding wave of light, heat, and sound overwhelmed his senses. His vision tunneled, and unconsciousness consumed him.
[QUEST - "The Attack"]
[/Specifications/]
[...]
[Progress: Failed]
[...]
[-PENALTIES-]
[6,329,600 Civilian Casualties]
[953 Military Casualties]
[32 Cadet Casualties]
[Slightly increased reputation with Natasha Fairs]
[...]
The neon light from the quest was harsh on his eyes as Ichika blinked them open with a groan.
He attempted and failed to move his legs, before opting to pull his body up to sit. He cringed, trying his best not to bite down on his own teeth as he looked at his own wounds. His clothes were singed, and his left arm especially was severely burned. He couldn't feel his legs, and a few ribs were most definitely broken. His right arm was pinned beneath a piece of the crumbled vomitorium. A deep cut bled from the side of his neck.
His health bar was plummeting, and he saw screen upon screen of statuses flashing to get his attention. The smoke was hot, very hot, and it was getting hard to breathe.
He covered his mouth with the collar of his shirt as he looked at the wreckage surrounding him.
Horrendous was the most apt description, though it still fell short.
The stands appeared to be scrap metal, what little remained completely unrecognizable. Red hot fire burned bright around him, burning the many pieces of bodies around him. Limbs, heads, and far too much unrecognizable flesh was burning, the blood cauterizing instantly, the putrid smell and smoke engulfing the air.
Many IS units were flying around the air, scanning the ground for survivors. Their shields almost, if not completely, having protected the IS unit and it's pilot from whatever the attack had been. He was fairly sure he could see a handful of units fighting, perhaps Phantom Task had sent units after all.
He heard a distant voice, but as he stared at the gore in front of him, it sounded like little more than a whisper that he couldn't make out.
Why did it seem to mean so much more this time? Death. He had killed before, both directly and indirectly. Was it because the majority of the time it was only monsters in the dungeons? No. That couldn't be it, he had still killed real people. It was because the corpses surrounding him had been innocent, relatively speaking. They had not attacked him or signed their morals away for a fat paycheck. They were just people, who were living their everyday lives, when tragedy struck.
He could feel his eyes getting wet, whether it was out of emotion or from the smoke he couldn't tell.
[Gamer's Mind] has been automatically activated.
…
The calming effect of the skill was pleasant, if anything about the situation could be. It was cold, psychopathic, and relieving to not be able to feel anything as so much death surrounded him.
There was a noise, he was fairly sure. He blinked, hard, and forced his head in it's direction. The rising smoke obscured his vision.
Another noise. It didn't sound like anything, just the feeling that his ears had picked up sound, or tried too. Another hard blink before he was able to make out the silhouette of Chifuyu's IS flying towards him.
He tried to say her name, but if any noise came out, he couldn't make it out.
More IS units approached him as his vision was beginning to blur from the burning of the smoke.
The last thing he felt before passing out from smoke inhalation was Chifuyu landing in front of him and gently grabbing his body with her IS, before hastily taking flight.
Ichika fell in and out of consciousness multiple times, but never for long.
He finally awoke to a cushy plane of white. He had expected to be in pain, but instead was welcomed with a feeling of lethargies, which he would gladly welcome over the immense pain he had blacked out to.
"That hurt." A recognizable giggle enveloped the room, drawing his attention as he sat up.
He had expected a hospital room, but was instead met with a large bedroom with a theme of pink and purple. He was on the largest lilac bed he had ever seen with more than a dozen pink pillows. The walls were patterned with a deep purple and pink, and the carpet was a rich violet. The only thing that ruined the theme were a few splotches of dark red dotting the floor and bed cover. The bed sheets were almost completely red.
He had felt a weight on his legs, which he could easily identify with the striking black hair that seemed to absorb the plethora of color around it.
Here's hoping I don't wake up like this a third time.
Tabane sat cross legged on a comfy looking chair she had clearly pulled up beside the bed. She wore a nurse's outfit that left little to the imagination, leaving him to quickly thank [Gamer's Mind] for keeping him from blushing too much. He swore the [Pubescent] title was worth it, but still a pain in the ass sometimes. He had more important things to be thinking about at the moment.
"Where..." His voice trailed off before he connected the dots. "Why am I in your bedroom, Tabane-nee?" The slight grin on her face from his comment was replaced with a serious look, her eyes radiated pain.
"You were hurt very-very badly, Ikkun." Her voice was heavy with emotion. He could hear the sting of pain in her voice, catching as she spoke. But there was a clear underlying anger that she couldn't hide, a rage just beneath the surface. Her face was angled down at her lap as she avoided eye contact with him.
"Chi-chan said you had been hit by a bomb? Suicide bombers, she said they were in the audience. It was bad, Ikkun. Your legs were shattered. Your right arm was covered in third degree burns. Your left arm was crushed beyond recognition. Six broken ribs, one of which punctured a lung. Extreme smoke inhalation, severe burning in the upper airway with chemical burns in the upper and lower. Very little oxygen was getting into your blood." Her eyes were tearing up as she spoke, he could feel the concern in her voice. He was pretty sure the only thing keeping her emotion from overwhelming him on his own was [Gamer's Mind].
"We...I-I thought you were going to die, Ichika…" He could see tears dripping from her tilted head. He shifted himself out from under Chifuyu and slipped out of the covers, barely noticing the ache in his legs as he dashed to Tabane and enveloped her shuddering form in a hug. She wrapped her arms around him, welcoming the hug and holding him so tight he could hardly breath.
"Please, Ichika. I...I can't lose you...you're all I have." It sounded like she was begging, but to whom he wasn't quite sure. If anything could kill him, the pain in her voice would be it.
"You won't." He tried to make his voice sound confident, but failed, before letting out something he hated himself for saying.
"I promise."
That seemed to sober her up, if only a little. Her crying and sniffling became quiet as she leaned into him. They were almost the same size now, and he almost matched her in height, so it was far more comfortable for her when snuggling into his chest.
"I guess I owe you a bed." She let out a laugh, filling him with warm pride that he was able to lift her spirits, if only for a moment.
Whether they sat there for a minute or hours he couldn't tell, time seemed to lose all meaning as they embraced one another. Soon her breathing leveled, and he knew she had fallen asleep.
The door to the bedroom slammed open, with a messy looking Natasha taking its place. Her hair was disheveled and her IS uniform was caked in a mixture of sweat, blood and dirt. Clearly she had been busy with the aftermath of the attack.
Neither Tabane nor Chifuyu had even stirred from their slumbers when the door had slammed open.
"You need to see this." Natasha sternly told him before turning on her heels and running down the hallway she had come from.
Why the hell is Nat here? He thought as he hastily but delicately set Tabane back into her chair before running out of the room.
The hallway had several doors, all of which he knew led to various laboratory rooms. The hall itself exited into Tabane's living room.
Tabane's living room was modest, especially for the world's richest person.
It was a large rectangular room, carpeted in light pink. It was far more European than a typical Japanese living room would be, but then again, most of Tabane's laboratory was that way. On the left wall of the room next to a door there was a cut out of the wall, making a window of sorts, into the kitchen. On the right side there were a pair of couches across from each other with a pair of chairs in the middle end of them. They were all angled towards a holo-TV that was above a large stone fireplace. In the middle of the chairs and couches was a large coffee table. Above the entire set of furniture was a fancy chandelier, which added a tasteful reprieve from the onslaught of pink and purple.
The holo-TV was playing an emergency news broadcast. He could see the image of a reporter standing in front of what appeared to be the American's White House, or at least what was left of it. Behind the reporter was a set of gates, in front of which were several women in military uniform. There were two IS units standing by the crowd. Many civilians seemed to be scrambling about, making it difficult to hear the reporter.
Natasha turned up the volume.
"-leaving the White House in flames. It is currently unknown just how many staff members were killed in the attack, but it had been confirmed that the president was among the victims. An investigation has-"
"What?!" Ichika turned to Natasha, who looked grim.
"I got the report a few minutes ago, apparently the White House burnt down and the President was one of the victims. Bullshit. The President is one of the most protected people on the planet."
"Foul play?" She nodded.
"Clearly they haven't had any time to investigate anything, but I would put my money on it. The President suddenly dying in an accident the same day the Mondo Grosso was attacked? Please."
Phantom Task assassinated President Lucretia? A chill went down his spine as he remembered his thoughts before the attack.
Why attack if they know they would lose in whatever goal they have?
"A diversion." His statement caused Natasha to raise an eyebrow.
"What?"
"A diversion. Phantom Task didn't have a goal in attacking the Mondo Grosso. The attack was the goal."
Her eyes widened in surprise. "Chaos. They knew if they attacked something so important people would not be paying attention and they could slip in and assassinate the president."
He nodded. "The majority of IS users were already competing in the Mondo Grosso, and attacking it would draw in what little IS security the President would've had."
"Goddamnit! I'm such an idiot." She scolded herself.
Ichika shook his head. "You were ordered to come assist. This isn't on you." He defended her actions.
She gave him a slight smile. "Thanks."
The American pilot turned back to the television. "I really have to go, I've already been ignoring orders to stay with you. Besides, I'm fairly sure Ms. Shinonono only allowed me in because she knows we're friends. It was nice seeing you, Ichika, I'm glad you're alright." She said before running out of the building, he could hear her IS flying off from inside.
He turned back to the holovision, his eyebrows creasing his disappointment. Snatching up the remote from where Natasha had set in down on the coffee table, he flipped through the channels. Each one was either covering the wreckage of the Mondo Grosso attack or the President's death.
With a heavy sigh he shut the holovision off, tossing the remote onto a couch.
In downtown Kyoto, above the bustling traffic and city lights, far into the sky, deep inside one of the fanciest penthouses in all of Japan, Ichika stood in front of a large desk. The room he was in appeared to have been a living room in the apartment, but it was now a makeshift laboratory.
The question of whether or not the [Shop] sold IS parts was one of the most important to his future, of which the answer was no. He could see no parts on display, no repairs offered, no nothing. Perhaps the parts would appear in time, or maybe the repairs would appear when he was in need of them, he wasn't sure.
Bringing an object out of his [Inventory], he set it down on the desk. It looked like half of a human heart, a half of a lopsided sphere, with the other half having been destroyed. It was made of metal, or at least he thought it was, it was hard to discern exactly what it was made of. The half-sphere appeared to be… moving, as if whatever it was made of was liquid, but when he touched it the sphere felt solid. A sporadic glow radiated from the hunk of metal, like a damaged set of LED lights, except the light was so bright Ichika had to shield his eyes whenever it flashed.
Ichika squinted his eyes when the flashing died down once more, picking up the object and lifting it into the air, turning it over and over and going over every nook and cranny of it. He placed it back down.
Ichika gave a heavy sigh as he looked at the floating words above the hunk of "metal."
[IS Core 055]
[Status: Broken]
This is going to take a while.
"I must say I am impressed. I did not expect your strategy to pay off."
The buttery feminine voice belonged to Victoria Burns, an American woman of lanky build dressed in formal business attire. Long blond hair and deep blue eyes, even if she certainly didn't have an hourglass figure, she was easy on the eyes.
She was sitting at a circular table, reading from an open file whilst taking glances at a holovision playing in the middle of the table. As all holo-TVs, it was only slightly opaque, so she could still make out her colleagues that sat behind it. Her colleagues, of which there were many, sat around the table. All were young women, most of which were in their twenties or thirties, though there was a notable outlier. Their heritage was mostly of Asian descent, with a few others dotted about.
"No one asked for an opinion, Burns." She gave her attention to the woman who had called her out and tried not to gag. Okada Susumu, one of the many Japanese women in the room. Exceptionally long black hair that reached her knees, with light brown eyes. She was quite tall for a Japanese woman, and had a modest bust to accommodate her height, she was also a prick as far as Victoria was concerned.
"We kept our end of the deal, president. Keep yours. Just keep our financial affairs in order, we have more than enough military prowess already." Susumu continued her pestering.
"President." Another woman said sarcastically. Victoria had to keep herself from scoffing as she turned to Higa Amaya, one of the most selfish and particularly annoying women she had ever met. A skinny, short woman with black hair and dark brown eyes. Victoria had to force a smile, but with her experience with the mask of kindness, it was all too easy.
"She hasn't even been sworn in yet." Amaya shook her head before continuing. "This is why I voted against Operation Kennedy, how are we supposed to know that she will fulfill her end of the bargain?"
Victoria merely held her forced smile, though with her skill it was flawless. "I assure you our deal will be kept. With a nudge here and a few executive orders there, I will be able to secure benefactors for your…our… cause." She waved off their concerns.
"As much as I love hearing you talk, we have more pressing concerns." This voice belonged to a short, bespectacled Latina woman. Carla Ros. Not many that sat at the table cared for interacting with people, but with a respectable amount of charisma and a manipulative mind, Ros was more than adept at running their small Human Resource and Relations department. Even if they were labeled "terrorists," they needed someone focusing on recruiting members and keeping up an image.
Ros lifted her hand and clicked a remote, an image flashed onto the holovision.
It was clearly security footage from The Third Mondo Grosso. The massive building's interior filled with bustling people was recognizable almost anywhere. The screen froze, zooming in on a group of people and a blurred figure before clearing up, revealing a running boy with raven black hair and almost glowing brown eyes.
"The boy is Ichika Orimura." The last name caught the attention of the few women who weren't already listening.
"He was listed as the only person to be allowed into The Brunhilde's private viewing room, bar The Devil herself."
"The point, please." A woman who Victoria had yet to be introduced to interrupted Ros.
The bespectacled woman raised an eyebrow and sighed, before clicking a few more buttons. The image of Ichika running shrunk before flying to the corner of the screen. An image of Ichika sitting in an ambulance, talking to Natsaha, appeared on the opposite corner. The last image was a far away shot of him on the scarred battlefield in the Sarakishi territory.
"Mr. Orimura has been sighted at the three locations linked with Operation Iscariot, Operation Ryazan, and Operation Kennedy." She clicked the remote and the image of Ichika on the ambulance enlarged.
"Operation Iscariot was not entirely a failure, as James Alcott was brought back to our organization, however our agents and Olivia Alcott were killed in the train crash." Another click, and the image of Ichika on the battlefield enlarged.
"Operation Ryazan was a complete failure. We lost three IS units along with dozens of agents." Another click, and the recent image of Ichika running was enlarged.
"Though it was a complete success, there have been some reports filed that Mr. Orimura caused severe disruption before the payloads detonated. It is said that he attempted to warn of our attack, though he did not know the details of it." Ros gave a final click of the remote, and the images disappeared from the holovision.
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Thrice is enemy action." Her conclusive statement was met with reactions of doubt.
"You believe the...child… boy... is attempting to combat us?" Ros nodded at Victoria's question.
"I assume you all remember the failure of Operation Granada?" Her question was met with nods from all of the women.
"Not a particularly pleasant memory, but yes." This voice belonged to Victoria's fellow American. With curly blond hair, striking red eyes and a curvy figure that lent itself to her beauty, if Victoria was ever jealous of one of her comrade's appearances, it would have been Squall Meusel's, not that she would ever let her know that.
"I believe Mr. Orimura is attempting to gain some kind of vengeance in return for our kidnapping of him." Ros continued her explanation, only to gain scoffs and laughs in response.
"No offense, Carla, we all trust your expertise. However…" Another woman, who's name Victoria frankly couldn't remember, spoke up before awkwardly trailing off.
"I realize how it sounds. However, since the failure of his kidnapping, Mr. Orimura has demonstrated...a disturbingly quick rate of growth. His school's records state that he has gone through years of education in merely one. He has recently claimed two titles in his school's competitions, making him both Japan's Kendo Champion and Japan's Shogi Champion. In the "Teams" category, but I believe these actions still deserve our attention….I propose we begin Phase Two early." The head of public relations stated.
The surprise was evident on her colleagues' faces.
"I disagree." Squall stated sternly, garnering the attention of her colleagues. "We should strike now, while the boy is still young. Get rid of a threat before it grows. As for The Brunhilde, we have more than enough resources to deal with her. She may be strong but she isn't a god."
Victoria swore she could see Squall's military mind at work. Even though manipulating people to do as she pleased was something Victoria held pride in, Squall could be quite convincing when she desired to be. Her strategy made more sense to her than beginning Phase Two. Getting rid of a threat before it grows. However, she was the newest member to the council, and knew that no matter how convincing she was, her opinions would hold little sway.
"I agree." Ah, perhaps her opinion would be spoken regardless of her hesitance to do so herself. The woman who had given her support was of notable height with silk crimson hair. The most striking features were a missing right eye and right arm. Alicia Jiosestaf. The runner up of two-now three-Mondo Grossos. Her exceptional strength and skill gave her opinion weight, with some luck, Victoria's opinion would be agreed upon.
One of the heads of their scientific department, Jin Meihui, a Chinese woman who Victoria only knew from a single interaction was a textbook narcissist and annoyingly intelligent, shook her head at Alicia's comment. "Of course you would say that, you battle hungry maniac."
"I am not battle hungry. I am competitive." Alicia defended herself, but unfortunately for Victoria, it seemed few of their colleagues were convinced despite Alicia's reputation.
Jin laughed. "Oh, yeah. Kill the kid to get your precious Brunhilde's blood boiling. Then what, get your ass kicked a fourth time?"
Victoria inwardly cringed, she knew a low blow when she heard one, but to her surprise, Alicia seemed indifferent. Alicia's reputation was of a patient woman, but Victoria sadistically wondered just how far the Italian woman could be pushed before she snapped.
"My loss today was premeditated, I am confident in my ability to pose a legitimate rival to Chifuyu, should the situation arise." Alicia calmly defended.
"Right, because-" "Regardless of whether your loss yesterday was predetermined or not, the fact that you 'fought' against the IS Units we sent will prove key in Phase Five." Ros interrupted Jin before she could make another snarky comment. "You have truly proven a valued member of this council, Ms. Jiosestaf." Ros finished, to which Alicia nodded in thanks.
"No, Squall." Ros continued. "Your strategy is sound but you forget the boy's relations with The Inventor. Through his sister he has an ally in her. That woman can get into anywhere, get past any security, find anything. We cannot risk the wrath of both The Brunhilde and The Inventor at once. The death of the boy now would cause a cascade and lead to our hands being forced into beginning Phase Four and Five extremely early." The woman shook her head and continued.
"We should begin Phase Two early. Lay low for a while. Fear and anticipation will mount in the people's minds while our resources, influence, and power will amass. That will create the perfect base on which Phase Three can begin."
The suggestion was met with varied reactions, though most seemed to be in agreement, there were others that made their disagreement clear.
"Shall we hold a vote?" Victoria spoke up. She had to bite her cheek when she saw a handful of them roll their eyes, clearly annoyed that their newest member seemed to be attempting to take the lead.
"Very well." Again, Victoria was thankful that her and Alicia's opinions currently matched. The Runner-Up Brunhilde held much respect with the council. Perhaps too much respect, she would have to tread carefully. There was a statistical certainty that they would eventually butt heads.
Alicia continued, "Those in favor of attacking the boy, and subsequently both The Brunhilde and The Inventor?" Many hands rose, most of which belonged to those with military prowess in the council. Victoria's smile became far less forced. There was a lot of support, but not enough for the vote to pass.
Alicia sighed in disappointment. "Very well then, those in favor of the early beginning of Phase Two?" The vast majority of hands rose, and Victoria's smile widened. The vote passed with more than enough majority.
"The vote has passed." Alicia, having abstained from the vote herself, was clearly disappointed in the outcome.
With an early Phase Two, they would solidify their strength for the following Phases. If they had attacked, there would have been a massive amount of pressure on her shoulders to gain financial backing exceptionally quickly, and as of now, that amount of influence was just out of her reach. There were a few interested parties, and the extra time would suffice to convince them.
"Begin Phase Two."
CHAPTER END
[STATS]
[Ichika Orimura]
Age: 13
Title(s):
The Gamer/Player One - [Grants: Gamer's Body & Mind]
The Negotiator - [Grants: 5% increase to base LUK and INT.]
Blade Wielder (Advanced) - [Grants: 5% increase to base AGI and END.]
Culinary Master - [Grants: 7% increase to base END.]
Gunslinger (Intermediate) - [Grants: 3% increase to base AGI]
Kendo Champion - [Grants: 7% increase to base STR, END, and AGI]
Martial Artist (Intermediate) - [Grants: 3% increase to base STR, END, and AGI]
Shogi Champion - [Grants: 7% increase to base INT and WIS]
Silent Warrior (Intermediate)- [Grants: 3% increase to base STR, AGI, and WIS.]
Pubescent - [Grants: 2x EXP gained on quests, enemies, etc. 2x to ability points gained. Slowly increases bodily maturity (Height, Weight, Sexual Organs, etc).]
Magical Items:
[Omamori - Prayer of Luck] - [Effect: 10% increase to LUK]
[Omamori - Prayer of Strength] - [Effect: 10% increase to STR]
Level: 19
Exp: 223,000/250,000
HP: 1515/1515 (END *5)
RGN: 1505/hour (AGI*5)
MP: 1370/1370 (INT *5)
RGN: 1325/hour (WIS *5)
STR: 249 (*1.23) = 306
END: 248 (*1.22) = 303
AGI: 249 (*1.21) = 301
INT: 245 (*1.12) = 274
WIS: 241 (*1.10) = 265
LUK: 47 (*1.15) = 54
Points: 100
Money: [105,050,100 ¥ / 953,895.25 $]
Beta read by AnUbIs-Bahumut. Author of TBT:IF
A/N:
Can you say, tonal shift?
This chapter demonstrates how Ichika had become a bit numb to the real world, and a bit overconfident. The power he has been given makes it hard to draw a line in the dirt between what is real and what isn't. It makes it hard to take consequences seriously. This chapter is the loss he needed, the jolt awake into the real world.
I really do have to thank MM007 again. He helped me some in the first arc but this arc just wouldn't've been the same without him. Like I said before, I've only watched the anime, so I had little to no idea what would be happening with "the girls" before season one, he helped me with that big time. He's also given me lots of ideas for the next arc. So yeah, big thanks to him.
So, Phantom Task is stronger than in the anime. A legitimate threat. Mainly because, rule #1 of Fanfiction, if you make the protagonist stronger you have to make the enemies stronger. At least for a compelling story. I like OP protagonists shrugging off every antagonist and no real loss/deaths/sacrifice as much as the next guy, but that just isn't fun to read for too long.
I like real antagonists with solid motivations over the ones that are evil for the sake of it. Those are fine too, but they do feel a bit hollow to me.
Oh, and Chifuyu brought Ichika to Tabane since she obviously has such superior tech for medical purposes. They both now know of the extreme healing factor he has. I mean, with his powers he can regenerate his entire health in little more than an hour. Their knowledge of this will come into play, but I didn't feel the need to bring it up as it would've ruined the flow of the chapter.
I was gone for a good while, with no internet, so I couldn't respond to a lot of comments. Hopefully I can get back to all of you without missing anyone, but if not, you have my thanks for reading and commenting.
Lastly, I'd like to say that this is the last chapter I made a priority for now. I still want to get the third arc done by the end of this year, but my Black Belt test is July 31st, so I really have to dedicate most of my time to that. Also, the next chapter premieres the third arc, and while I have Point A to Point B thought out for the arc, I need to figure out the details. We'll see what happens, but I wouldn't be expecting the next chapter for a good while.
Thank you all so much for the support, and thank all of you for commenting and inspiring parts of this story. I love this hobby.
Personal Reply:
Jack: Houki will get better in time. She isn't going to be one of the main protagonists, but she will be an important side character. Though, I agree, of all "the girls" I think she would've made a great deuteragonist.
HouldSlow: I thought about making MP tech based, still might, not completely sure. Maybe not solely tech based by half and half. I like technopathy though, it sounds really cool.