In a battle that was thought to be in its death throes, one bald asshole had woken it back up.
The Assassins had been whittled down to six; the Heroes eight. At a time when the situation was at its most dire, and swift execution was needed... he had come, as was the case many times this week, to throw a wrench in the workings. With his crew of nine strong, Mr. Big now had a very good chance of turning the tides of this battle to his favor.
"GO!" He cheered, swinging his stick wildly. "GO GO GO GO GO GO GOOOOO! THIS IS FOR ALL THE TIMES YOU WERE STEPPED ON! SPAT ON! ALL THE TIMES YOU LOST TO THE TERRIES AND RYOS AND KYOS! THIS IS OUR MOMENT, BOYS! THIS IS OUR TIME!"
Big's Crew ran through them like a stampede, his underlings all finding favorable targets to attack, regardless of who they were. They were in a fully amped up state: inspired by the persuasion of their articulate leader, and perhaps influenced by alcohol.
"These sons of bitches are for real!" Seth grimaced, as he was intercepted by Chang's huge frame attempting to belly flop on him, iron ball-first. He quickly rolled, but was tackled by Choi a second later, who scissored his legs around Seth's neck and tried to drag him down.
Lien tried to swing at Raiden, but his momentum was too great, and the woman found herself scooped up, being carried into the nearest wall. He smashed her against concrete with a great impact, enough to make Lien audibly grunt in pain, and the blonde woman's fight with Seth was officially interrupted.
Jack Turner swung his arms, working up a head of steam, before charging at Ralf with a Knuckle of Fury... Ralf ducked it, and drilled the fat man with a hefty punch to the stomach. Jack didn't go down from the first one, a testament to his gut... but Ralf nailed him with a second punch, and Jack finally collapsed on his knees, before crashing to the ground with a large impact.
Mickey Rogers showed his superior reach advantage, popping Clark with three stiff jabs to the face. Clark had no chance of getting in with those long arms... that is, until Mickey got cocky and rotated his arm rapidly, gathering up an orange fist of chi, to go for a knockout blow. Clark ducked the haymaker and shot in deep with a double leg, scooping up Mickey and hoisting him on his back like he was carrying a ladder. He got a running start... and he dived forward, slamming Mickey HARD into the ground.
John Crawley whiffed with a backfist, then tried to step in with a lunging kick on Leona. Both missed, and he attempted a straight left, only for Leona to grab his arm and sling him away.
John stumbled for some yards... but he grinned, as he rebounded in the other direction with his Flying Attack. Leona met him in the skies with X Calibur, and their attacks cancelled each other out, each landing opposite of the other.
John spun around with another backfist; Leona parried it, as well as the left kick, followed by the right... John attempted a straight right, and Leona bounced it off her forearm, before countering with straightened fingers to his lower esophagus. John seized up immediately, in a coughing fit, and Leona leaped into his body with a jumping knee to the exact same spot, reducing John to a writing mess on the ground.
She swung around, hands raised, to locate the leader... there he was!
She ran at Big...
SWOOOOSH!
...Only to find herself, forcefully, violently slung in the opposite direction, too fast for her to see.
Leona was jarred for a second, but it became apparent who the perp was, when he stood before her... hand in his pocket, the other hand playfully flexing in the air, as he grinned maniacally.
For certain reasons that didn't need saying, Leona had a personal distaste for this man.
Leona charged at Yamazaki with a yell. The man just casually stood there, lazily swaying his head as Leona threw the first slash. She spun around with another slash, and Yamazaki swayed back just enough to miss it by an inch... and he slingshotted back forward, leading with his head, cracking Leona square between the eyes.
"Unghh..!" Leona was knocked into a backwards stumble, not enough to fall down, but enough to get her blinking, trying to restore the world around her to a still state. By the time she cleared her senses and looked around...the two of them had already moved on.
Now she was getting mad.
The three-way battle had turned to absolute pandemonium. Raiden had Jack the Ripper in a bear hug. Hwa Jai was throwing kicks at Raiga, but the beefy man repelled them well. Choi was atop Ralf's head, just like last time, and he threw the short guy off of him just in time for Mickey Rogers to punch him in the face. Clark took him out at the legs with a dropkick, but Chang flew in out of nowhere, once again leading with the iron ball, and the resulting shockwave knocked them all down.
Jack Turner and Earthquake slammed into each other, and the monumental impact of two fat guys colliding shook the entire square. Jack nailed him with a sharp punch to the body, but he tried to follow up, and missed, causing Earthquake to get behind him and seize his neck with the chain. He dragged him down, and the two big whales crashed into the concrete.
"Don't waste time with the small fry!" Heidern ordered. "Focus on Big! If he falls, they'll surrender!"
"Roger that!" Seth acknowledged. "This fight just got a whole lot hairier..."
Getting to Mr. Big was one thing... to defeat him was another. The man had an insufferable swagger about him, as he slowly tried to make his way to Rose. Sinclair tried to walk up on him, twirling her scimitar, spinning around and throwing a wild swing; Big just chuckled as he crossed his sticks and caught her blade between them, before flinging it into the distance. He brought his sticks back in the other direction, clocking her in the face two-fold.
Jack the Ripper was the next to fail, as he slashed left and right, but Big parried them both, before smacking him in the face, going to the body, dipping low and slamming his stick into his left knee... finally he again went mid, jamming his sticks into the killer's stomach like a glorified forklift, and flinging him behind his head. He kept walking forward, not looking back to see the body land.
"Heeeere Rosy Rosy Rosy Rosy...!"
Rose, sensing that the danger was getting closer and she was running out of places to run, clung closer to her only bodyguard left. "Hein, don't let him get close to me!"
Hein, despite the extra stress, stayed cool with a hand on his glasses. "I assure you, you'll be safe with me."
"Thanks... also... your canapes are very delicious."
Back on the front, the three forces were in a deadlock.
'WE'RE TOO FAR OUT!" Heidern barked. "BRING EM BACK THIS WAY!"
Ralf was sent backwards by a jab from Mickey. "T-Towards the VIP? Are you serious, sir?!"
"Rose's best chance of survival is for all of them to get caught up in the chaos!" Heidern reiterated. "Just make sure nobody loses sight of her!"
Hwa Jai was giving Mary some slight trouble, her injuries slowing her down. He drilled her left side with a body kick; she winced hard, but stayed standing. His next kick went low, hobbling her leg for a moment. Thankfully, he missed her mangled thigh. His third kick came; Mary caught this one, and threw a spinning back kick into his crotch, effectively knocking the fight out of Hwa Jai with one blow, as he fell to the ground in a whimpering mess.
She turned around... and her face widened when she noticed that, coincidentally, Mr. Big was right behind her!
Big didn't notice either, as he had just finished conking someone on top of the head with his stick. It wasn't until he too turned, that he noticed, and he seemed just as unprepared.
"C-crap..?!"
Praising her fortunes, Mary raised her fist and prepared to deck him; Mr. Big immediately shelled up.
...However, her swing completely missed the mark, as a huge weight plowed into her from behind, sending her into an uncontrollable stumble. With an angry hiss, she regained her feet, spun around, fist cocked...
...Only to see the grinning mug of Yamazaki, smiling sheepishly at her.
Her face narrowed; she didn't swing, but she didn't put her fist down either.
SWOOSH!
She felt it; the blur of his hand, enough to blow her hair awry. She was jarred... but she didn't FEEL a hit. Suspicious, she turned around... that's when she saw where it landed: the body of Basara, laid out flat.
She turned back around at Yamazaki, whose grin widened.
..With a roll of her eyes, Mary shoved his chest and walked away.
"This is hopeless." Heidern grunted. "We'll never get to Big, as long as Yamazaki's watching his back. Someone's gonna have to draw him away, and isolate the bald bastard!"
"Let us do it!' Ralf proclaimed. "We owe Yamazaki a beatdown!"
"Roger that, partner." Clark agreed.
Heidern shook his head. "No, I need you two and Leona on the front! Without you, our lines will crumble! Dammit... we need more men."
It was starting to look like the battle was hopeless... the intervention of Big's Crew had proven to be an overwhelming snowflake that caused an inescapable avalanche. The Heroes simply had too few assets to move around, and, in the end... they all ended up being bogged down by their own respective obstacles.
Earthquake still had Jack Turner on the ground, strangling him with his chain. Mickey Rogers had Seth in a headlock, raining punches into his stomach. Clark and Raiden were currently in a grappling stalemate, and Ralf was enacting his revenge on Chang's face, while resting his knee on Choi's tiny body. Nakoruru and Sinclair were crossing swords. Mary was fighting John Crawley.
Heidern watched everything unravel around him, and the commander, who had long prided himself on his strategy and ability to overcome any battlefield... felt his morale start to falter.
Leona joined at his side, and he asked the tough question straight up. "Leona... can we win this fight?"
Leona's face intensified. "I've reviewed our strength... it's not looking good. For us to win at this point would require a timely interventi-"
Her words ceased. Her body tensed up. Her head shot in another direction, staring far into the distance.
"What is it?" Heidern asked.
"...Two contacts, entering the square."
Heidern joined suit. "Friendlies?!"
"Can't say."
Mary's fight against John Crawley started to take a turn for the worse. She threw a body kick, only for John to check it and fire back with a huge stomp kick to her stomach, sapping her already-precious wind. She nearly buckled, bringing her arms up just enough to block a right hand from John, but he spun around with a kick that nailed her in the chest...
...And he finished her off by drawing his hands back, and unleashing his yellow chi. "MEGA SMASH!"
Mary lay panting, her exhausted lungs heaving pained breaths... John approached, until he was standing over her, looking down, a shimmer in his aviator glasses.
He raised his fist. She winced, preparing for the impact...
"UNGGGF!"
The impact never came, as a blue flash came out of nowhere and blasted John in the chest, sending him flying into the distance.
"Good shot, Yuki~!"
"Did you even see it? You got your nose stuck in that damn game. You do realize we're at the battlefield now?"
"O-okay, okay! Hmph, I nearly beat it this time..."
The sound of playful banter entered the square, and this combination proved that the two newcomers came in with noble intentions. Heidern himself was overjoyed to see them, as his face brightened in a way that almost led to a hopeful smile.
"That's...!"
The two Japanese Agents entered the square, striking a very anime-like heroic pose. "YUKI AND AI, ON THE SCENE!"
Ralf and Clark also noticed, and their faces lit up like it was the best news they could have ever gotten. "NO WAY!"
"That's freaking awesome!" Clark beamed.
As for where they came from... a smiling Rose had the answer. "Heh. My brother's not the only one who knows how to call in help~"
The two Agents, already aware of what was at stake, sprang into action. "Alright Ai, stop gaming for a moment and commence aerial assault!"
Ai gave a goofy salute. "Roger that partner! JOY JOY BALLOON!"
Yuki's intervention proved favorable, as he wasted no time rocketing himself forward, launching his supercharged fist into Raiden's body and flattening the fat wrestler. He then turned to Hwa Jai, who was the recipient of his "classic" attack...
"SUBMARINE SCREW!" an uppercut borrowed from some old beat-em-up, Yuki launched Hwa Jai sky high, and the Thai fighter came back down to Earth the hard way.
Ai, meanwhile, had activated her special gadgetry that granted her sky mobility, in the form of a hot air balloon. The gamer girl floated above the square, a mischievous look on her face.
"Commencing bombing run! DANGER CLOSE~!"
Just like that... there was hope again.
"Those two have revitalized our front line!" Heidern exclaimed. "Leona! You know what to do!"
Leona was already on her way. "Roger that! Time to end this fight!"
Meanwhile, a very pissed off customer had woken back up. With a flash of green and an angry hiss, she slammed her gauntlet into the nearby wall, shattering it to rubble. Lien marched forward, her eyes purely on 12 o' clock. As she stormed in, she snatched the shirt of nearby Mickey Rogers, rammed her fist into his face three times, and let go, causing the tree-like man to collapse with a whimper and a probably-broken nose.
At this point, even a cold-blooded assassin like her was running hot. She was tired of this job, tired of the constant interventions... and she was especially tired of Seth.
Lien seemed to be on the path to her rematch, when her eyes cut to the side; she swung around, fist cocked, prepared to intercept an ambush... only to see it was just the enigmatic Yamazaki. He looked passive enough: one hand in his pocket, the other hand not even raised. Still, she stayed on the defensive.
"You're Lien Neville, aint ya?" he asked, the usual grin on his face.
Lien wasn't smiling back. "So what if I am? Care to make a statement about it?"
Yamazaki's grin widened, his eyes growing to insane proportions. "Yeah. I'd like to make a 'Maximum Impact' right in your-"
He never finished the sentence, as he was brought to his knees by a devastating liver punch, courtesy of Lien's gauntlet hand. Strangely enough, he laughed as he collapsed to the ground.
Lien walked away, not looking back.
"Here comes the boom boom!" Ai cheerily exclaimed from atop her balloon, as she readied a bomb in her hand, and rained it down onto the ground below
BOOM!
Another followed. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
"Wheeeee hee hee hee~!"
Ai was chucking them with glee and reckless abandon, kicking up clouds upon clouds of smoke and dust, until, from her bird's eye view... the entire ground was a dark, gritty haze.
Ralf and Clark grunted, as they were forced to dive just out of the way of the next explosion. "DAMN! That crazy girl's gonna kill us all!"
"As long as she hits them too!" Clark grunts.
Even Yuki wasn't entirely safe from Ai's friendly fire... he laughed nervously as he was forced to conjure his forcefield, as the shockwave of the next bomb would have blown him away. "We gotta have a talk about discretion when we get done with this..."
Within the chaos of the bombing run, Mr. Big had nearly completely snuck past the lines. He chuckled as he reached his stick up to adjust his glasses. "Hehehehe... this is easier than lying to a kindergarten class!"
Mr. Big finally saw her: at the far end of the square, Rose was taking cover from the bombs, Hein and the fallen Silber close by. "Bingo."
"STOP!"
An annoyed sigh; Mr. Big readied his fighting stance, as the next obstacle to his conquest made itself known, in the form of Nakoruru. The bold girl positioned herself between him and his objective, her sword raised. "I can't let you go any further!"
Big smiled. "You again... bird girl. You know, I gotta thank you; if you hadn't told me what was going down here tonight, I would never have found the courage to wage one final battle against the oppressive establishment! Thanks a lot!"
Nakoruru's grip tightened. "Your judgement is incredibly clouded. Surely you must realize what the cost will be if you continue this endeavor. You're not just putting a few lives at risk... we're talking the cosmic balance of the WORLD! There are powers in play that you should be very wary... and AFRAID of!"
Big shrugged. "See girlie, here's the thing about the average human being, working-class people like myself: we don't have time to worry about the big picture, or what's going on 'out there'. I'm trying to make my living right here, right now, day-to-day. So you can talk alllll you want about how I'm 'putting the world in danger' and stuff... but right now, in this moment, I need this job to succeed. This payday could be my big break, and launch me all the way to the top! THAT'S what's happening right now!"
Big started slowly encroaching; this caused Nakoruru to take a step forward in turn, brandishing her blade. "Very well then! All I can do is what I believe in too...!"
Mr. Big cackled as he Cross Dived forward; but it was only a short one, just enough for him to barrel roll right in front of Nakoruru, and surprise her with a quick combination. His left stick struck her sword, followed by the right, and he spun around with the left again. Nakoruru parried the third strike, and flicked her wrist to send his hand off-track, and came across his neck with a reverse horizontal strike. Big swayed his head just in time, and kept his sticks ready to parry her next flurry of strikes. Nako tried to find an opening, but Big was as natural with the sticks as eating utensils, and he parried her steel with ease.
Nako swung hard, and Big's next parry knocked her off-balance, but she rolled to the side to control her footing, and tried to lunge at Big with a thrust; Big caught her blade between his sticks, leaving the two in a stalemate... but it was quickly broken, as Big dived into a roll, and took Nakoruru's tiny body for a rough ride, not only disarming her, but putting her on the ground with several precious seconds to get up. By the time she was on her feet... Big's shoe crashed into her chest and sent her skidding on her butt.
"Ooof...!"
The kick sent Nako back a considerable distance... but in a strange twist, she landed right next to her fallen sword, and was able to scoop it back up and keep fighting. She charged back at Big and spun around with a WILD backhanded slash; this proved a mistake, as Big parried her at the wrist with his right stick, and socked her in the stomach with the flat of his left, knocking the wind from the small warrior.
Nako tried to recover with another grandiose attack, leaping into a somersault and trying to come down on Big with a monumental slash; Big was ready once again, as he combined his sticks into one large staff and stopped her stiff with it, raised horizontal in defense.
Big juked his staff left, and sent Nako plummeting to the ground hard. She groaned weakly as she tried to get on her hands and knees... Big helped her up, planting his stick under her stomach and using leverage to flip her in the air like a pancake. He timed her descent... with a twirl and a perfect, spiking blow, knocking Nakoruru to the ground for good.
"Ngh... nghh.. no... I must..." Nakoruru tried vainly to reach for her sword... but just as her hand reached it, Big's foot came down on her fingers, and she retracted the hand in rushing pain. Big stepped over her and walked on, leaving Nako curled up on the ground, airing out her stinging hand, and her fresh bruises.
"Hehehehe! Now then... onto the big enchilada."
Meanwhile, back in the sky, Ai was still thoroughly enjoying dropping explosive ordinance on the bad guys below.
"Boom boom, kaboomity boom! HA! This is more fun than Metal Slu-"
...But her bombing run was short-lived. After one final explosion, from the dust clouds below emerged a flying object... in the form of Basara's giant shuriken, coming at her fast!
"AHHH!"
Ai had no way to avoid it, and the bladed projectile struck her balloon, reducing it to digital particles and sending the gamer girl on a one-way trip to the ground.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...!"
...But before she could hit the ground with a splat, she felt herself landing softly. She opened her eyes, and saw that she was in the arms of her partner, who had caught her with haste.
"Thanks Yuki! Mmmwah~!" she showed her gratitude with a smooch on the lips.
Basara approached, determined to finish the job. Yuki aimed his wrist guns and fired off a volley of blue blasts; Basara held the chain of his weapon, and twirled his shuriken in a rapid clockwise motion, creating a spinning radius so intense, it stopped the bullets as they hit.
Once Yuki realized his offense failed, he ceased fire; this gave Basara an opening to charge forward, and unleash his shuriken at range.
"Ah!" Yuki tensed up, preparing to intercept the bladed weapon...
...But Ai stepped in front of him, activating her forcefield, surrounding them in a blue, crystal-shaped bubble. The shuriken struck, just powerful enough to obliterate the forcefield, but left them unharmed.
"Thanks Ai!" Yuki flashed a thumbs up. "I'll buy you a new game later."
"Oooh goodie!" Ai clapped.
Seth rushed to where Mary had went down. Though he was exhausted, he still had the strength to lift her up. "Mary, cmon... Mary..!"
Mary stirred, still half-conscious. "Unhh..."
"Cmon, help me out here."
The blonde woman thankfully had her wits about her enough to use her feet, and their combined strength allowed Seth to help her up and start to march her away from the danger.
"Mary, for god's sake." Seth spoke, without a harsh tone. "Will you just stay down already?"
"Sorry, Seth..." Mary mumbled weakly. "I just... wanted to try and protect everyone. After what went down with Freeman... earlier this week... I've seen enough blood."
"You've done your part. Leave the rest to us."
Mary smiled weakly. "Seth... LOOK OUT!"
Without warning, Mary flung Seth out of the way, just in time to receive a hard kick to her face: one that put her out of commission for good.
"MARY!" Seth reached out for her, but the intruder prevented him from getting close, as she fired another kick into his arm and forced him to turn his attention.
It took all of a second to see the influx of yellow and black... among other things... to see who was standing in his way, once again.
"You know, Seth, I'm starting to get a little agitated." Lien spoke with a voice that slightly teased heat. "I'm trying to get a job done, as a professional, and yet... you're getting in the way. I'm finding this strange inclination to want you writhing in pain, and I don't understand why."
Seth clenched his fists. "Could it be that maybe your icy heart has a few cracks? Maybe you're not the perfect killing machine you thought you were? Maybe I got under your skin a little, with a few truths you didn't wanna hear?"
Lien scowled. "Your truth will become obsolete when you stop breathing!"
The reality that she was standing here, fighting for her life, had trickled away from the mind of Rose Bernstein. As soon as her brother had wandered off god-knows-where, the moment had become lost to her. She no longer saw this as some great struggle; it was a mere inconvenience, getting in the way of her going out to find him. The lives of those around her? Meaningless. All she could think about was HIS well-being. The fate of the world? He WAS her world.
"Hein..." Rose called out to her only remaining protector. "Perhaps you should go join them. They'll win faster with your strength."
Hein shook his head. "My apologies, Miss Rose, but that's simply not an option."
"Hein!" Rose grumbled. "I appreciate you wanting to protect me, but this battle has officially become a waste of time! I need to go find...!"
The conversation could have gone deeper, manifesting into a full-blown argument... but one stranger stepped in, to distract both of them from their current woes:
"Boo."
Rose gasped, jumping nearly off the ground. Hein turned with a fierce look, and his gloved hand flew up just in time to catch the soaring Eskrima stick of Mr. Big. He flung his arm to the left, sending Big into a stumble, but the kingpin recovered and spun around, dipping his sticks low. "BLASTER!"
The chi projectile sailed along the ground, at Hein's feet... but the butler dipped his own hand low, sending a dark-red burst of chi out, and the two sailed into each other with a cancelling explosion.
Big charged in again, stick drawn back, and Hein met him with a cocked fist:
"WAIT!"
Rose's outcry stopped them, mid-attack. The two turned to look at her... and she approached Big boldly, not showing a hint of falter.
"What are you doing this for, anyway? You just want money, right?"
At the mention of his trigger word, Big lowered his stick. "Duhhh. It makes the world go 'round. So what now, you gonna try and preach your little sermon about how I'm putting the world in danger and-"
Rose cut him off. "If money is all a simpleton like you is after, then I'll just pay you to HELP me!"
"...Huh?"
Hein actually showed the rare moment of emotion at those words. Big himself was at full attention now, his sticks lowered.
"You mean you... you would...?" Big struggled to find words.
Rose grunted, annoyed. "I'll pay you 2.5 million to defeat those assassins! I don't have time for this crap anymore! My brother's in danger out there!"
Seconds and seconds of silence passed, that Big just stood there... dumbfounded. He raised his stick once more, but only to gently massage the top of his chrome dome, as he tried to process this strange bargain.
"So... you're gonna... pay me... the tournament prize money... to just go squash those few nerds?"
"YES!" Rose growled. "Now go get your ass out there and do it already, before I change my mind!"
Like a dog that just received a command, Big's simple brain changed completely. "YES, MA'AM!"
Big ran off with a newfound zeal, swinging his sticks wildly, cackling about his inevitable payday. Meanwhile, Hein was left there, more than just a little shocked.
"M...Miss Rose..." he struggled. "What did you just...?!"
"That, Hein," Rose boasted with a smile. "is how you win a battle."
"MEN! MENNNN! CHANGE OF PLANS! EVERYBODY LISTEN UP! SHUT UP FOR A MINUTE AND LISTEN!"
The command was at least enough to stop the heroes, and the members of Big's Crew, and when those two ceased, the assassins temporarily halted their attack out of curiosity.
All eyes were now on Big, awaiting whatever it was he felt the need to interrupt them all with.
He cleared his throat. "A-ha-ha-HEM! ATTENTION! OUR NEW TARGET IS THE UGLY DUDES! TAKE OUT THE UGLY DUDES! PROTECT THE HOSTESS AT ALL COSTS! HELP THE GOOD GUYS SQUASH THESE F***WADS! IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO ROSE BERNSTEIN, I'LL PUT YOU IN A PERSONAL MINI-VERSE OF HURT!"
"Wha-WHAT?" Raiden complained. "He can't just change the rules out of the blue!"
Hwa Jai scoffed. "As long as we get paid for this, he can tickle my asshole for all I care! LET'S JUST DO IT!"
Ralf was about to rain another punch of Chang... but when he saw no aggression from the Korean, he lowered his fist. Chang stared him down for only a second... before shoving him aside at the last second, and brandishing his iron ball, to stop the shuriken of Basara!
"Wha?!"
Basara's steel struck his iron and fell to the ground. Chang wound up his ball and chucked it, sending the massive weapon sailing at Basara, plowing into his stomach and sending him for a rough ride into the nearest wall with a CRASH!
Clark helped Ralf up, and the Ikari Warriors had to take in the moment.
"What just happened?"
"...I think Big's Crew just turned face."
Heidern could barely believe his eye, as he watched from a distance, as his men and Big's Crew suddenly worked in conjunction, laying out the remainder of the assassins with swiftness.
This was it. The battle was officially over!
"HAH!" Raiden blasted Jack the Ripper with a forearm chop, sending him stumbling into Hwa Jai, who ping-ponged him back the other way with a push kick. He stumbled back into Raiden, who gave him another forearm chop..
"BATTER UP!" and Jack the Ripper stumbled into Ai, who swung her baseball bat and knocked him out with a home run swing.
"Four targets remaining!" Leona reported, as she parried the sword of Sinclair, and flicked her wrist upwards, sending Sinclair's sword spiraling into the air. She planted a heavy leaping foot into the woman's stomach, sending her staggering backwards... and Jack Turner scooped her up with a single hand, and slammed her into the pavement.
The next thing Sinclair felt was Jack Turner's giant butt coming down on her, and it was safe to say she went to sleep and would probably have nightmares for a while.
Earthquake twirled his kusarigama like a madman, trying to repel all of the bodies coming near him. He was doing a decent job, keeping them all at bay... nobody dared step into the kill zone of the chained weapon.
...That is, until one lucky guy got through. "KEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
Earthquake found himself blinded a second later, as Choi had leaped atop his head and covered his eyes. The giant man spun around uncontrollably, his liberty of sight gone, and his ability to fight along with it.
Yuki delivered the kill shot, as he rocketed into Earthquake's gut with his supercharged fist, doubling the giant man over... and John Crawley came flying in with his Flying Attack, tearing through Earthquake with a tornado of chi that laid him out for good.
"Two targets remaining!" Heidern reported. "TAKE EM OUT!"
Mr. Big took it upon himself to try and defeat the most dangerous target still remaining: the bounty hunter Raiga.
"Ha! HAHAHAHA! My payday is here, bitch!" Big laughed as he parried a gigantic downwards slash from Raiga's carving knife, the blade nearly touching Big's bald head. Big disengaged and combat rolled to the side, avoiding another huge slash, and he spun around with a wide swing, but Raiga raised his knife in defense at the last second.
...But Big still had one free stick, and he gleefully brought it smashing into Raiga's kneecap.
"Ugh!" Raiga grunted as he buckled, giving Big the opening he wanted.
"NOW YOU'RE MINE! BLASTERRRRR WAAAAAAAAAAAA..?!"
...But Big found something strangely awry as he jammed his sticks into Raiga and tried to fry him with an electrical attack.
...Raiga was just standing there. Taking it. His body quivered, as his veins protruded... electricity coursing through him, into his very eyes.
"...Oh god, not this shit again." Big immediately knew he messed up, as he put two and two together, and realized Raiga was a thunder elemental.
Having just given him a steroid boost, Raiga raised his supercharged fist and cracked Big in the jaw, laying the bald kingpin out flat. With his newfound burst of lightning chi, Raiga drew his knife back, and chucked it into the air!
The knife descended back down to Earth with a spiral... and landed, blade-first, in the concrete.
Heidern's eagle eye sensed the danger quickly, as lightning began to course through the weapon. "IT'S A LIGHTNING ROD! EVERYBODY TAKE COV-
CRRRRACKLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
It was too late. Raiga's super attack rained down like an orbital strike, effectively blowing away everybody in the vicinity.
Throughout the smoke and debris... the explosion woke Ramon up. The luchador sprang to his feet instinctively but his mind wasn't there.
"W..whu...b-battle... gotta... protect... V...!"
Ramon was delirious, probably suffering concussive effects from the earlier explosive fire attack. He unwittingly wandered into the haze of the lightning attack, feeling around, his vision a complete blur.
Heidern peered through the fog... when he saw Ramon up, and wandering aimlessly, he tensed up. "Oh crap.. Ramon! RAMON! GET OUT OF THERE!"
It was no use; Ramon wasn't lucid enough to respond to commands. He had no idea he was slowly shambling towards the still-standing Raiga.
The bounty hunter turned and faced him; with an angry scowl, he raised his knife and prepared to swing.
"RAMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!"
..What happened next was almost indiscernible to his hazy eyes. Ramon saw a blob coming at him... but the blob stopped, and was being scribbled over by a black Sharpie. The two conflicting colors bounced around a bit, and the colorful blob was suddenly out of sight. There was nothing but a black blotch... with some hints of white...
Ramon rubbed his eyes... and saw two sapphires staring back at him.
He immediately cried out, his own voice muffled. "AN..gu...Ahhgu...!"
The sapphires disappeared.
"NO!" he reached his hand out, and it felt like being underwater. "Come.. bahhgk... I'm sor...suuhryy... for everythigg... come back...c-come...back..."
Ramon went dark and hit the floor.
"Sir, what just happened?" Leona questioned. "That was..."
Heidern put a hand on her shoulder. "Best not to question it. Let's count our blessings and tend to our wounded. This battle is over."
"Not yet it's not." Leona corrected him, pointing into the distance. "We still have her."
Lien was officially the last woman standing. Both she and Seth were unaware the battle had ended, as the two were still trading blows, knocking each other back. Both were exhausted.
"Huff...huff...huff... you just don't go down." Lien panted, her heaving body riddled with sweat, as the droplets drizzled down and disappeared into a valley of cleavage.
Seth too was panting with labored breaths, struggling to keep his fists up. "Hehe... I only go down.. for one woman..."
Lien frowned. "You disgust me. You've ruined everything. Everything! This was my one big shot, and you...!"
"...It's not about the money, is it?"
This attempt at delving into her made Lien get even angrier. "What'd you say?!"
Silence, between them, for only a moment. They exchanged pants, each trying to regain the breath to stand their ground.
Seth continued. "You don't have me fooled, Lien. This isn't about the money... it's about Duke."
The utterance of his name sent a tingle through Lien's spine. She was compelled to shoot forward, like an electrical jolt, and silence his jaw for good.
"YOU...! she rushed in and swung, but Seth dodged it and shoved her away.
"This is your first big job without him... isn't it?"
"You're ignorant!" Lien cursed as she spun around with a back kick, that bounced off of Seth's shoulder and sent him backwards.
Seth didn't let up. "You're just here to prove you can do it, without Duke holding your leash. To prove you have your own life. To prove you're worth a damn!"
Lien rained a brutal punch into Seth's gut; the large man was forced to shoot on a single-leg in defense, and he toppled her to the ground, landing in her guard.
"All your life it's been Duke, huh?" Seth preached. "He tells you what to do! When to eat, when to kill, when to wipe your ass! You're a product of his brainwashing... his grooming-"
"Don't you EVER called me 'groomed' you motherFUCKER!" Lien cracked his jaw and threw him aside. The two scrambled to their feet, and Lien threw a body kick... Seth caught it, spun her around, and kicked her in the back of the knee, bringing her down... and he seized her from behind in a headlock.
"You wanna prove you have a life of your own?! You're your own woman?!" Seth yelled in her ear. "Why don't you do something different then?! Fight to PROTECT the world, not destroy it! Be a guardian angel... not the angel of death!"
"Hnngh...nngh! Don't be... naive..." Lien grunted with struggled gasps. "Killing... is all... I am..."
"That's Duke talking. You may not be with him anymore... but you're still carrying on the same damn work. He's still blowing the dog whistle, and he's not even here!"
"Nngh! Let GO OF ME!" Lien wheezed, her vision starting to blur. She rained elbows into Seth's side... but they were too weak to stop him.
"Duke made you what you are." Seth's voice softened. "You think you're trapped in it. That this is all you can ever be. As long as you feel that way... you'll never be free from Duke."
The body flailed and struggled a few more times, lashing out with final reserves of strength... before ceasing.
A few loose, raspy words came out. "But it's... so damn... easyyyyyyyy..."
Seth shook her limbs a few times; she was out. He checked her pulse; still breathing. With a sigh, he laid Lien down on the ground gently, rising back to his feet.
"Sucks that so often, the easy way is the wrong way."
At long last, the most blissful respite was shared among the heroes and Big's Crew alike. Wounded were tended to, bad guys were restrained, and a general sense of relief washed over them all.
"Ramon. Wake up. RAMON!" Vanessa slapped Ramon awake, and the one-eyed luchador stirred.
"Unngh... ANGEL! I'M SORRY! COME BACK!"
He leaped up, looking all around... only to see nothing there. Vanessa put an arm around him.
"What the hell are you talking about, dude? Just chillax a moment."
"N-no, I saw her! She was here!" Ramon repeated.
"You didn't see anything, dude." Mary patted his back. "We were all conked out."
"No, I...!"
Meanwhile, Rose's posse was back together. Nakoruru was back up, as was Iroha, who had a concealing blanket placed around her to cover her burnt clothing. Hyena finally came back out of hiding... and the first thing he got was a slap for his cowardice.
The only one still down was Silber.
"Silber... can you move at all?" Rose knelt down, concern in her voice.
Silber shook his head. "I can't... I just can't."
"Oh, you're useless."
"You little...!"
"The Hizoku venom is extremely potent," Lin explained. "However, if the recipient is an exceptionally strong individual... their body should be able to metabolize it in some hours."
Rose stood back up, swishing her dress. "We don't have that long. Commander Heidern, sir! I implore you: we need all able-bodied men to go on a search and rescue! We MUST get my brother back!"
Heidern nodded. "Just give a moment to take a head count, and check everybody out. We're not exactly fresh as daisies right now."
"Hein is healthy!" Rose urged. "He'll go! And you! Mr. Big! You and your cronies will go too!"
"N-now wait just a minute!" Big argued. "I'm not doing anything 'til I get paid what I'm owed! I helped you squash those buffoons, like promised!"
Rose's face grew fierce. "I am altering the deal... for your sake, don't make me alter it further."
"...You really are a tall glass of Vitamin Bitch!" Big turned to his partner. "Ryuji, do something!"
Yamazaki shrugged. "The hell you want me to do? I was on the ground puking when you made that deal."
"Ugh!"
Vanessa finally noticed Big's Crew... and the hotheaded women was entirely unhappy with their presence. "Wait just a MINUTE! WHAT ARE THOSE SONS OF BITCHES DOING HERE?!"
She rushed at them in a flash; it was only Seth's timely save that stopped Square War II. "Easy Vanessa, stand down! Big's crew helped us out!"
"That doesn't excuse them for jumping me in a f***ing restaurant!"
"Vanessa's right!" Ramon agreed. "I'm pretty angry about that myself!"
"Okay, so do you two fools wanna go over there and fight em then? Restart what we just ended?!" Seth barked some sense into them.
"...No..." their voices grew passive, as logic prevailed.
"Okay then." Seth patted their shoulders. "Go check yourselves out and then..."
...His sentence trailed off. Something in the distance caught his attention, as his eyes looked beyond his colleagues, and outward.
"...Who the hell's that?"
The Agents were the first to notice, but slowly, everyone started to turn their attention to the far end of the square... which was no longer empty. The assassins were all apprehended, thus there shouldn't have been anyone still standing...
...Yet there was. ONE.
"Contact. Far end of the square." Leona whispered.
"You mean we're not done yet?" Ralf complained. "Shit! I really wanted to get drunk..."
The man standing there, was, as he had been this entire time, idle. There wasn't a bead of sweat on his bare torso, nor a speck of dirt on his midnight hakama, nor a drop of blood staining his sandals... or the steel at his hip.
This man had yet to taste a second of battle, while the rest of them were thoroughly worn out. Judging from his frigid face, and his stance- like a mountain- this man didn't appear ready to walk away.
"OHMYGOD." Ai called out to them. "I know who that is!"
The wind gently blew his red ponytail, as the man's hand crept to his scabbard... and fingers gently tapped across the handle.
"It's Genjuro!" Yuki answered.
"Genjuro?" Ralf and Clark asked in unison.
"It's THE Genjuro! OHMYGOD!" Ai squeaked. "He's Haohmaru's deadliest rival! Oh wow... is it hot in here, or~"
Nakoruru and Iroha also seemed to recognize the man.
"Gasp! G-Genjuro-san is here?!" Iroha fretted.
"That's not good..." Nako echoed. "Not good at all..."
"What are you guys whinin' about?" Big mocked. "He's just standing there, like a vegetable."
"Genjuro-san can cut us all down, if he has a mind to it." Nakoruru corrected. "The man is hard to read... but if he's here, it can't be for a good reason."
Rose didn't take the threat seriously. "Well, what are you all standing around for! There's more than 20 of us, and only one of him! Go take him into custody!"
While unappreciative of her tone... she did have a point. On that note, Heidern looked at Leona and slightly nodded; the blue-haired soldier nodded in response, and she gestured to Ralf and Clark to go with her.
"Cmon Ai, we better go too." Yuki urged.
Ai's face grew red. "YOU MEAN... I h-have to meet him now?! Ohh god, I'm not ready~"
As the five of them headed out there to intercept him, Rose shot a look at her business partner. "Big, you're not getting a cent until that guy goes down. That was the deal."
Big sneered. "Oh you little cunt-muffin... cmon boys! Let's go teach this fool what happens when you get in the way of Mr. Big makin' that motherf***ing money!"
Pretty soon, it was an entire mob that had formed to go out there and confront Genjuro, the last remaining assassin who had answered the call of the Orochi cultists. Why he was here, why he didn't join in with the rest of them... so many questions remained unanswered.
But at this point, nobody felt like asking. This guy was getting in the way of progress; until he went down... they were still trapped in this square, unable to retreat.
All bodies finally congregated before the man, everyone with a combination of fatigue and pissed-off, that silently begged for this to be a quick affair.
Despite being VASTLY outnumbered... Genjuro showed no change in demeanor. His eyes remained as cold as ever, as he stood tall and firm, his fingers still riddling the handle of his katana.
Leona led the show, stepping forward to issue commands. "Listen carefully, and do as I say. Untie your weapon, drop it on the ground, then turn around and put your hands behind your back."
...Nothing happened. A tense silence filled the square, as Genjuro refused to comply, his gaze remaining cold.
"This is your last warning!" Leona yelled. "Weapon on the ground, NOW!"
"He's not complying." Ralf didn't wait, stepping forward and cracking his knuckles. "Cmon Clark, we should be able to take down one ma-"
SLASH! SLASH!
Nobody was able to witness the uncanny speed of his quickdraw... they only saw the horrifying results, as Genjuro's katana now stood at full length, the tip drizzling red...
...Ralf looked at Clark.
...Clark looked at Ralf.
Both shared the same look of absolute shock, as a single, weak whimper, was traded between them.
They hit the floor, in front of dozens of astonished eyes, blood pooling from the fresh cuts on their torsos.
Leona's eyes went crazy, and her hair turned half-red. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
NEXT CHAPTER: The Battle of Odeonsplatz was thought to be over, but one opponent still remains: the most dangerous enemy of them all! Will the Heroes be able to stop Genjuro and finally put and end to this hellish night? And where did Adelheid run off to? Could he be on a one-way trip to a final battle with Those From the Past?
Actually, you can find that out by looking below, at this BONUS SCENE!
He kept a steady pace, running in the general direction he knew she was heading. It was strange... every time he lost her, that purple ninja appeared, as if to throw him back on the right track. For a woman who didn't seek battle with him, she was determined to make sure he stayed on her trail.
Adelheid headed down the street, stopping to take his breath... he looked around, and saw nothing of note. The only thing close in the area was a parking garage.
Could that be...?
"Hnf?!" Adelheid's theory was answered a second later, as the purple ninja leaped out of nowhere and plowed into his arms with a flying kick. He disengaged, and Adelheid tried to counter with a roundhouse, into a spinning kick... but the ninja backflipped safely out of range, and sprinted...
...Sure enough. Into that parking garage. A trap if ever there was one.
Adelheid didn't care; he felt more than qualified to handle any type of ambush thrown at him. Right now, his anger fueled his strength... he would see these villains punished before he ever lowered his fists.
Without fear, Adelheid traversed into the parking garage. He entered a tunnel, and the open world behind him was replaced by tight-knit quarters, walls surrounding him, with open faint openings all around to tease a hint of freedom. There were plenty of overnight vehicles left here, for various reasons... providing plenty of places for her to hide.
He ventured deeper and deeper, until even the moonlight above stopped being an ally. Darkness shrouded the premises, and it took precious moments for his eyesight to adjust.
"Botan!" he called out, his voice echoing in the closed-in space. Show yourself!"
He reached a room, with the back wall being a strange, web-like pattern, bits of moonlight showing through all the orifices... where could they be?
...Suddenly, a voice called out, showing the first signs of life.
"Finally, you're here. We can begin."
A pair of headlights turned on to his left; Adelheid spun around, but a set of headlights from a few cars away also ignited. A third pair... a fourth!
...All four beams of light seemed to focus at one pivotal point: a grand stage, perfect for an encounter of the violent kind.
That's exactly what Shion had in mind, as the Chinese fighter emerged from the shadows.. his spear hoisted on his back. His eyes fell on Adelheid's... and he smiled deviously.
Adelheid was all-serious, as he took his fighting stance. His eyes flickered a brighter red for a moment.