This chapter is rated from PG-13 to R due to the ensuing violence. Some scenes depicted here may be based on some war movies.
Opening
Tenkai continued his approach to Japan when he heard a loud noise. He turned around to see the Harusame facing him. He didn't notice the Maya behind it. "Hmph! Those wretches still found me." He just focused on his new target which is now the Harusame. "Hah! Humans and their pathetic little machines! I guess it won't hurt to play with them a little longer." and he started to charge his energy.
"Battlestations!" Ichiro shouted and the men scrambled to get the Harusame's armaments up and running. Sailors got themselves ready and their fingers on the trigger. Nervousness, rage and will power flooded them simultaneously.
The two giants are now face to face in a showdown at the sea.
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Chapter 5: Clash of the Titans
"Ok." Ichiro spoke as he surveyed the situation. "When he starts moving, turn 40 degrees to starboard side and reduce speed to 15 knots. This should put him in perfect range of all our deck guns on the bow and stern. We will try a strafing run at him."
"Aye, taichou... All sailors, prepare to engage!"
Tenkai waited for his opponent to make the first move but the Harusame didn't move. "Ah, being stubborn are we? Well, I guess I'll just have to make my move first." Tenkai fired some blasts on the ship.
"Now!" Ichiro shouted and the ship started to move to the right, its deck guns rotating to face Tenkai. The shots fired by Tenkai hit various parts of the ship but the damage is nothing more than a few controllable fires.
"These humans are tough! This will be a somewhat long battle." Tenkai smiled and continued to fire at the Harusame while the Harusame fired back. Water splashed around Tenkai as some shells missed. Two of the shells hit Tenkai and the Kouma held its chest in pain. "What! Impossible! How can these weapons be effective? No matter. We'll finish them nicely, slow and painful." Tenkai moved forward, closer to the Harusame.
"Good! We hurt him even if it's just a little. Continue firing!" The calm sea was rocked with defeaning explosions and water splashes.
Tenkai started to charge his power again. Two sailors inside a deck gun are removing the empty shell from the cannon while the other one carried the new shell. They closed the chamber and fired, causing the shell to hit the Kouma's head. It winced a little but continued it's approach. "Not bad," Tenkai remarked.
"He got that one, right in the kisser!" Kayama commented, watching as smoke puffed from the Kouma's head. He ran to the storage room to get some weapons ready.
Tenkai fired rapid, continuous beams at the Harusame, resulting in lots of holes and minor explosions. "You humans are all beaten up! Why won't you give up? Your efforts are in vain."
"As long as one of us is still standing and as long as we have something to fight for, we'll fight!" Ichiro replied and more shots were fired.
"Well then, let's see how long your pathetic machine can hold on, shall we?" and he fired a strong blast at the deck.
"Hit the deck!" Kayama screamed as the other men ducked for cover. The resulting explosion created a hole leading to the captain's quarters. Shrapnel flew in all directions and it hit a sailor's arm, piercing it.
Ichiro spoke to the first mate for another order. "All stop, aim at his head then fire. Move full speed around him while reloading. Stop, then fire. Got that? We'll go with that maneuver."
The first mate nodded. "All right you guys, you heard what the captain said, get on with it!" Ichiro ran outside to survey the ship's situation. Medics ran around the deck, looking for injured men. An explosion was heard and he saw more cannon rounds hit Tenkai. Tenkai stopped to charge a lot more energy. Ichiro frantically screamed, "RELOAD! RELOAD! THAT BLAST'S GONNA KILL US ALL!" the tensed gunners immediately loaded the cannons and fired without hesitation, hitting Tenkai just when he was about to fire his beam.
The hit distorted Tenkai's aim and the blast completely destroyed one of the steam exhaust pipes, causing a huge chunk of metal to fall on a running medic who was responding to a man's plea for help. The medic instantly died, blood splattering around the chunk of metal and his body.
Ichiro ran to the stern of the ship. He could hear a gunner asking his partner to get more ammo a few moments later a man ran towards the storage room to procure more ammo. Ichiro went nearer to the gunner. At the corner of his eye, he could see three sailors dousing a fire. Another explosion was heard and he saw that the three men were tossed in the air. Their bodies dropped back down but their souls didn't. "What's your situation sailor?" Ichiro asked the gunner who was looking for shells while his partner is gone.
"The shells are pretty good demo, they're still not strong enough to cut him deep sir." Then, his partner came with a box of shells and they loaded it on the gun.
"You're doing great. He seems to be hurt a lot by those. Keep it up."
"Arigatou, taichou." The gunners then fired at Tenkai.
"You wretches don't deserve to live!" Tenkai charged his power more as his last salvo of energy was used. He fired a pretty strong blast and it cut through a deck gun to its gunners and out to the other side of the ship. The beam, including the power of the shells in the gun created a massive explosion, engulfing the unlucky men who are near it in flames.
Kayama ran out of the storage room with his bazooka when blood from the unlucky men splattered on his body. Kayama didn't care about the red stains on his uniform and took aim and fired at Tenkai. He took a rocket and inserted it at the hollow chamber at the back of the bazooka and took aim.
Ichiro saw Kayama firing a rocket at Tenkai and he ran to him. "Kayama! Tell some of the others to man the machine gun nests and rain Tenkai with bullets!"
"Will do Shinguuji-taichou!" Kayama left and called some men to man the machine gun nests.
Tenkai fired another shot and fire broke out in the kitchen, near some gasoline. Two sailors quickly ran to the kitchen and extinguished the fire.
A sailor ran down the steps of the bridge when Tenkai fired multiple blasts. A blast hit the sailor and penetrated through his body. It caused him to roll down the steps...dead.
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"Come on, hurry up!" Akagi impatiently watched as the Kanzaki engineers powered up the Spirit Cannon. He looked at the huge figure ahead of them, firing shells and being pelted with energy beams.
"Just a while longer, and we'll get it ready!" The chief engineer spoke.
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"AAAAAAAAAAA!!!!" a man screamed as a beam pierced his elbow and decapitated his lower arm. Kayama ran to his side and covered the open wound with a piece of cloth. Kayama brought the man to sick bay where the other injured men are moaning with pain.
Ichiro ran to the bridge, "How much longer before the Spirit Cannon is up and running!?"
"We don't know sir, it will probably take a long time!"
"Okay, we'll retreat behind that rock for now. That should give us some cover while we fire."
"Aye, sir."
The ship turned and headed towards the rock formation which is protruding from the ocean. It never stopped firing as it retreated.
"You won't get away from me!" Tenkai pursuited the Harusame while returning fire with a few of his own.
The ship reached the rock and hid behind it as the crew hoped that it provides sufficient cover. "Damage report!" Ichiro asked,
"Our engines are fully operational, the deck is badly damaged sir, deck four has lots of holes in it, there is a leak in boiler room two which is now controlled and we lost an exhaust pipe and a deck gun."
"Casualties?"
"Fourteen dead, times two wounded."
"Okay, we will continue fighting. Don't ever give up! It's now or never!"
Shots continued to go off on both sides.
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"We got it!" the Kanzaki engineers exclaimed triumphantly as the soft humm of the generators indicated that the Spirit Cannon is now operational.
"Contact the Harusame and ask them when they'll knock him out so we have time to charge and fire the cannon." Akagi spoke, turning to his first mate.
The man just nodded and headed to the bridge.
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"We're in business!" the first mate exclaimed when he got the news of the Spirit Cannon's operational status.
"Good! We shall knock Tenkai out!" Kayama replied as he ran to Ichiro. "Orders, Shinguuji-Taichou?"
"Continue firing at him and get some men on those machinegun nests!"
The rock is starting to deteriorate due to Tenkai's attacks. Both he and the Harusame are weakened but not badly. In one last blow, Tenkai destroyed the rock only to be greeted by a barrage of bullets from the machinegun nests hidden behind the rock. Tenkai screamed in pain as bullets and exploding shells rained on him.
"He's weakening! Don't stop firing!" Ichiro commanded as empty bullet shells littered the deck.
Tenkai was too weak to gather all his power into one devastating blow but he was still strong enough to destroy the Harusame. "I can't be defeated with this...this pathetic machine and these humans!" with that, the gateway on his belly swirled and sixteen Koumas came out of it.
The captain on both ships just stared in awe as the Koumas came flying to the Harusame.
"Concentrate fire on the Koumas! Don't let them get on board!" Ichiro ran to the gunners of the deck guns. "Give some fire discipline on his belly while it's open. It should delay, if not stop the Koumas from coming!" The gunners then fired at the gateway, effectively delaying the arrival of more Koumas. The machine gun nests were able to knock out eight Koumas but the other eight made it.
As soon as they dropped down, all hell broke loose. Unarmed men ran to the storage room, getting weapons to fend them off.
The Koumas advanced slowly, slashing those unlucky enough to cross their path. The screams of dying men and the smell of blood filled the ocean.
The deck gun fired at the group and instantly took out three Koumas.
At the storage room, Kayama and some men took their weapon of choice. "Let's lock and load, boys." They cocked their weapons and ran out, guns blazing.
Ichiro took a grenade and lobbed it at a Kouma's mouth just as it was about to growl. The blast ripped the Kouma's head in pieces and it vaporized. Ichiro took out a rifle and started running towards another and firing at it. As soon as his clip ran out, he hid behind the stairway.
Kayama met Ichiro taking cover behind the stairway. Kayama rolled beside him and unloaded the empty magazine from his submachine gun. "I'm out!"
Ichiro saw a magazine round on the floor beside him. He picked it up and gave it to Kayama then he loaded the remaining bullets in his rifle.
Kayama then ran to the storage room. Two Koumas landed behind him and started to go after him. Ichiro saw the Koumas about to backstab Kayama and frantically called their attention. He fired some bullets at the Koumas and they turned and went to him instead. Ichiro fired at them but after two shots, his rifle clicked. "Oh, boy." then, he fumbled in his pockets for another round.
Kayama saw what his friend did and threw a lit plastic explosive at the Koumas before they could get near him. As the explosive dropped in front of the Koumas, they stared at it.
Ichiro ran back for cover as the explosive killed the two Koumas. Then, he ran to the storage room to get some more ammo. He caught Kayama looking for magazines.
"Shinguuji-taichou, if your mother saw you do that, she'd be really upset!"
"I thought you were my mother."
"Hardy-har-har. Truly, Shinguuji, did you forget basic training? They keep telling us to be always careful with your ammo."
"Thanks for reminding me..." he then loaded a round and put four more in his pocket. "...mom." he smiled at Kayama and left.
Kayama sighed. He got more magazines and followed Ichiro, smiling.
Tenkai was so amused at the humans' reactions to his minions creating havoc that he began releasing more Koumas.
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Sakura was taking a stroll at the harbor, on the same place where Ichiro left. She sat on a bench and stared at the ocean, wondering when he will return. Then, the bench reminded her of the nightmare she had before he left. She remembered the blood and his smiling face. She started to worry. "Could it mean... could it mean... death?" she thought, trying to forget about it. Ever since he left, that nightmare always came to haunt her memory. "No, what's wrong with you, Sakura? Remember that he promised to come back. Disregard that nightmare. It's just fooling with you because you think of him too much." Sakura continued to watch the ocean and waited for him to come. "I hope you're fine."
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More Koumas came out of Tenkai's chest and went onboard.
"They just keep on coming and coming!" Kayama commented as he and Ichiro watched each other's backs, emptying clips on Koumas.
Gunshots continue to crackle as Koumas killed more and more men. Kayama took a shotgun from a dead man's hand and fired at the Kouma, instantly engraving eight holes on the Kouma's chest and it vaporized.
"Five down, lots more to go." Ichiro murmured. He fired more rounds at the Kouma closest to him.
"Shinguuji-taichou, I'll go to the stern and help battle some Koumas there. You go to the bow and battle the Koumas there." Kayama handed Ichiro some rifle rounds.
Ichiro eagerly took them and nodded in agreement. The two clenched each other's hands, "Good luck."
"Same here."
They broke and went their separate ways.
A sailor firing at a Kouma got his weapon jammed and the Kouma took the opportunity to stab him with its claw. The man screamed, followed by a gurgling noise as blood rushed out of his mouth.
Tenkai summoned more Koumas to fight. A Kouma landed behind a sailor and slashed him from behind, blood stained in its claws.
Three Koumas dropped down on the stern, giving Kayama and some sailors more to battle. "Ah, having fun, are we?"
At the bow, two sailors followed Ichiro as they battled the other Koumas. A Kouma landed on top of one of the men following Ichiro and killed him. It then swept the other one just as he was about to face the Kouma and fire. He let out a scream as he flew off the ship, a trail of blood following behind him.
Ichiro heard the scream and the Kouma's growl. He turned around and at the same time, smashed the Kouma's face with the butt of his rifle. The Kouma held its face due to the pain. Ichiro kept butting the Kouma with the butt of his rifle until it broke. The Kouma then vanished. Another Kouma hit him but he used his rifle and blocked the attack. The rifle broke but it gave him enough time to run towards the storage room and toss a grenade at it. The Kouma vanished and Ichiro breathed rapidly. He rested in a corner and calmed himself from the pure adrenaline rush.
Kayama ran out of ammo and he took out his sidearm and fired at a Kouma. He ran back while reloading another clip only to be caught by another Kouma. The Kouma lunged at him and slashed him but Kayama was too quick and got nothing more than a scratch. The Kouma's chest then ripped opened and exploded and the Kouma vanished. Kayama saw a sailor holding a bazooka which still had smoke coming out of it from firing a rocket. "I owe you one." was all he could say and he ran to the storage room to get more ammo.
After Ichiro settled down, he took a new rifle and ran to the bridge. "Contact Akagi-taichou and have him charge the spirit cannon." Ichiro commanded, as the first mate fumbled for the radio.
The first mate started to speak to Akagi on the radio while Ichiro took a couple of potshots on a Kouma's head.
Another ear-splitting scream was heard as a Kouma bit a sailor and tossed his bleeding body into the water.
The first mate then spoke, "Taichou, they have acknowledged the command."
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From the Maya's point of view, the men could see the Harusame's crew running about while fire broke out all over the ship. They could see tall black figures walking and slashing on the deck while more came out of Tenkai.
They could here growling, screaming and crackling gunfire... lots of it. They would hear rifle fire or machinegun fire followed by screams of men and growls of Koumas.
They would see flashes of light made by machineguns, puffs of smoke made by rifles or explosions made by grenades and bazookas. They would see men fall off the ship. They too, could see Koumas vaporizing in thin air. Akagi watched helplessly as the brave men of the Harusame desperately fight with their lives on the line, "They're losing." he thought.
The sailors of the Maya didn't do anything but pray and hope for the best. They could not help fight Tenkai for it might blow their cover.
"Please hold on just a while longer." Akagi thought, as he started to pray with the others.
The sound of the generators of the Spirit cannon was gradually getting louder as it continued to gather energy.
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"MEDIC!!!" Ichiro screamed. Their first mate was caught in an explosion and he was bleeding badly. Kayama was there, helping Ichiro bandage his wound.
"Ugh... I'm all used up, sir." the first mate managed to speak.
"You're fine. You will make it." Ichiro reassured him.
"Come on, hang in there" Kayama spoke.
The medic finally came in and took the burden off Ichiro and Kayama's shoulders.
"Let's go back there and fight back, Kayama."
"Hai."
The fighting grew fiercer as two Koumas ripped a man into two.
A sailor saw his friend ripped in two by the Kouma. He ran to the storage, took a plastic explosive, lit it then ran towards the two Koumas. There were frantic screams of 'no's and 'don't do it's but they could only watch in horror as the man exploded in pieces, taking along the two Koumas with him.
Two Koumas surrounded Ichiro on his front and back. As he fired at both of them, they came dangerously close to him. Before they could have time to react, Ichirou dropped his rifle, unsheathed one of his katanas and slashed the Kouma in front of him. Next, he unsheathed his other katana and he stabbed the other one backwards.
"AAAAH! OH MY GOD!!! I'M GONNA DIE! I'M GONNA DIE! OH MY GOD IT HURTS!" a man screamed as two medics try to disinfect a deep scratch mark from his chest. His hysterical screams can be heard in the background as the fighting ensued.
"You'll be fine, you'll be fine. You're not gonna die! Don't look at it! Don't look at it! You're not gonna die, you're fine! Don't look at it!" the medics tried calming him down as they did their job but still, he screamed his lungs out.
As Kayama ran, he tripped on something soft. He looked at it and saw a dead man. His face is drenched in blood and scratches covered his body. Beside it, corpses of more dead men who fought for their country lay on the ground with the satisfaction on their faces telling him that they've done their lives' worth and this is their fate for defending their country.
Kayama killed another Kouma when he saw more arrive on the bow. He ran to the bow to help Ichirou fight the reinforcements. He saw Ichiro pick up his rifle when a Kouma pounced on him from behind and sent him flying onto the wall and sliding back down. The Kouma charged at him, ready for the kill when Kayama riddled it full of holes with his sub-machinegun until it vanished. "You all right, Shinguuji-taichou?"
"I'm fine, I'm fine." It took a while before Ichirou finally regained consciousness.
Tenkai fired another blast to where Ichiro and Kayama are standing. "Incoming!" Kayama excalaimed and the two ran for cover but the blast hit the wall behind them, tossing Ichiro in the air and engulfing Kayama in smoke.
Ichiro quickly looked at his arms and legs. "For a second there, I thought my limbs flew off!" he thought, feeling somewhat relieved. "Kayama, where are you?" The smoke cleared and he saw Kayama crushed under a piece of debris. "Kayama!" Ichiro hastily ran to his side, limping. "Kayama!" Ichiro called as he pushed the debris aside with all his might. "Kayama, come on, answer me!" he then slapped Kayama's face. "Kayama!"
The brown haired first officer slowly opened his eyes. His blurry vision seeing Ichiro. Wait,... two Ichiros? Another slap from Ichiro awakened his eye sight. "Much better." he thought as the two Ichiros merged into one and cleared up.
"Ah, great! I thought I lost you back there Kayama!"
"Nah, I just got the wind knocked out of me." Kayama drowsily spoke as Ichiro helped him up. "For a moment there, my life flashed right in front of my eyes." he added.
A sailor threw his pistol at a Kouma as it ran out of ammo and he ran. Unfortunately, the Kouma was faster and it caught up to the man. It pounced on his back, continually scratching it with both claws as pieces of flesh, muscle, gut and some bone flew. The helpless man couldn't do anything but scream until his mouth was left open as he died. The Kouma, aware of its prey's motionless state, looked up to see a rocket flying at top speed straight to its face. You know what happened next...
Blood flowed on the deck as more and more men died. Tenkai had his power charged and ready. He fired when the crew of the Harusame were completely off guard.
Thanks to the quick thinking of the ensign on the bridge, he grabbed the throttle and kicked it in reverse but it was still too late. The blast caught the tip of the bow of the ship and pieces of metal flew as it ripped through it. Ichiro covered his head with his arms to protect it from the blast. The blast tore pieces of his uniform away and left him reeking, blood dripped from various cuts on his body. The glass on the bridge shattered and pieces of it blinded an officer. Blood instantly dripped from his eyes. The remaining Koumas on deck vanished.
The Harusame lost one-eight of its bow. "We can still fight! Let's go beat Tenkai now!" Ichiro screamed. "This battle isn't over yet!" and he walked towards one of the deck guns, blood trailing in his wake. he aimed the cannon and fired at the gateway which was still open. Tenkai closed it and clutched it in pain. He was in too much pain for him to move.
The Spirit Cannon is now charged up and ready. Akagi saw this opportunity and ordered the firing of the Spirit cannon. A ray of blinding white beam shot out of it.
Tenkai saw the ray coming nearer to him. As it hit the ocean, the Soul beam turned into a dome and the water around it moved away from it, creating a crater. The shockwave created by the blast short-circuited the control room of the Harusame, making some systems inoperational.
"Did we... do it?" Ichiro asked.
"I... think so." Kayama replied, starting to smile. The other sailors started to cheer in victory.
"Don't be celebrating just yet, wretches! I will destroy you if it's the last thing I do!" Everyone gasped as they saw Tenkai a mile away from the epicenter of the blast. His eyes, hands and mouth were brimming with energy.
"Uh, I think we made him mad." Kayama commented.
"H-how could he move that fast?" Akagi asked, a puzzled look on his face.
"You fools can't even hit a target!" he bellowed then started firing beams at the Maya, aware of its presence. Small explosions were seen on the ship's deck. Fires started to blaze on the ship from the continuous salvo of beams hitting it.
"Let's go! The Maya mustn't be destroyed! It's our only weapon!" Ichiro exclaimed, looking at the bridge. The Harusame fired at Tenkai with every weapon they got even the small arms.
Tenkai irritatingly turned to the Harusame after the Maya took sufficient damage. "Now, I will finish you off!"
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"What's the battle report?" Yoneda asked Akagi as he was looking at the blips on the steam radar. There were three blips. Two blips are near each other while one blip is far from the others.
"We sustained heavy damage. Fortunately the Spirit cannon is still intact. We don't know about the Harusame, sir. She's pretty beat up. They said they lost their long range communications. We can only contact them at this range."
"Are there any casualties?"
"We got a few injuries and some guys who are knocked out but aside from that, we're fine."
"Do you know the casualties of the Harusame?"
"Iie demo, judging by the looks of it, there are pretty much a lot."
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"Kayama! You're hit! I'll take you to a medic." Ichiro ran to his friend's side.
"You should take a look at yourself. You need a medic." He replied, cluthing his side. "I can still manage."
"Okay, take care of yourself." he patted Kayama's back and took off, a rifle strapped on his back.
"Won't you go see a medic?"
Ichiro stopped and turned to face him, "I too, can manage." he continued to run, despite his numerous wounds
"*sigh* Shinguuji, stubborn as ever."
Sailors dropped down one by one as beams hit them. The Harusame was burning badly. Some sailors ran inside the superstructure to control the fire. Another beam hit the ship and another explosion was heard. The brave men who ran inside and controlled the fire ran back outside burning like human torches. Other men went to their side and doused the fire but another beam hit the ship and an explosion ensued near them. They were tossed in the ocean. Some small chunks of meat flew around the deck.
A sailor took a heavy machinegun and positioned it on the railing. He fired at Tenkai, bullets hissing as they missed their target. Clangs were heard as empty shells hit the floor. A beam unfortunately hit the floor he was in. The railing gave way from the blast and the man fell into the sea.
More explosions rocked the ship. More bodies were tossed in the air and more death was seen everywhere.
The Harusame fired back with all it has. Bazookas were deployed to help in firing at Tenkai.
The numerous hits Tenkai took finally rendered him unconscious.
"Cease fire! Cease fire!" Ichiro screamed as they saw Tenkai's unconscious form.
"Now we can hit him directly!" Kayama exclaimed. "I'll contact Akagi-taichou." with that, he left for the bridge.
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Akagi acknowledged the command and the Spirit cannon started to charge. About one-fourth through, Tenkai started to get his consciousness back.
"Oh no!" Kayama whispered. "Shinguuji-taichou, this is our last chance. We can't withstand another blow! Tenkai is waking up! If the cannon misses, we won't be able to stop him! This is our last chance!"
Ichiro then commanded, "Resume firing positions! Tenkai must not escape!"
"Taichou! Taichou! We're out! We don't have ammo!"
"The deck guns?"
"Out of shells sir,"
"Machinegun nests?"
"Same thing."
"How about the weapons?"
"A few shotgun shells. Two sub-machinegun magazines and that's it."
"What about the plastic explosives? Grenades?"
"They're gone. The storage room is completely blocked from the last explosion."
"Then, all we got are our sidearms."
"What now, Shinguuji-taichou? Our sidearms are not enough to render him back unconscious..." Kayama asked while the remaining survivors watched Tenkai slowly awake. "...the Spirit cannon is still being charged."
"Then, we have no other choice."
"What will we do then?"
Ichiro took out the picture of the Hanagumi from his polo and stared at it, drenched in blood; his blood. He kissed the picture and placed it back in his pocket.
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Fifth chapter finished. Please R&R.
Opening
Tenkai continued his approach to Japan when he heard a loud noise. He turned around to see the Harusame facing him. He didn't notice the Maya behind it. "Hmph! Those wretches still found me." He just focused on his new target which is now the Harusame. "Hah! Humans and their pathetic little machines! I guess it won't hurt to play with them a little longer." and he started to charge his energy.
"Battlestations!" Ichiro shouted and the men scrambled to get the Harusame's armaments up and running. Sailors got themselves ready and their fingers on the trigger. Nervousness, rage and will power flooded them simultaneously.
The two giants are now face to face in a showdown at the sea.
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Chapter 5: Clash of the Titans
"Ok." Ichiro spoke as he surveyed the situation. "When he starts moving, turn 40 degrees to starboard side and reduce speed to 15 knots. This should put him in perfect range of all our deck guns on the bow and stern. We will try a strafing run at him."
"Aye, taichou... All sailors, prepare to engage!"
Tenkai waited for his opponent to make the first move but the Harusame didn't move. "Ah, being stubborn are we? Well, I guess I'll just have to make my move first." Tenkai fired some blasts on the ship.
"Now!" Ichiro shouted and the ship started to move to the right, its deck guns rotating to face Tenkai. The shots fired by Tenkai hit various parts of the ship but the damage is nothing more than a few controllable fires.
"These humans are tough! This will be a somewhat long battle." Tenkai smiled and continued to fire at the Harusame while the Harusame fired back. Water splashed around Tenkai as some shells missed. Two of the shells hit Tenkai and the Kouma held its chest in pain. "What! Impossible! How can these weapons be effective? No matter. We'll finish them nicely, slow and painful." Tenkai moved forward, closer to the Harusame.
"Good! We hurt him even if it's just a little. Continue firing!" The calm sea was rocked with defeaning explosions and water splashes.
Tenkai started to charge his power again. Two sailors inside a deck gun are removing the empty shell from the cannon while the other one carried the new shell. They closed the chamber and fired, causing the shell to hit the Kouma's head. It winced a little but continued it's approach. "Not bad," Tenkai remarked.
"He got that one, right in the kisser!" Kayama commented, watching as smoke puffed from the Kouma's head. He ran to the storage room to get some weapons ready.
Tenkai fired rapid, continuous beams at the Harusame, resulting in lots of holes and minor explosions. "You humans are all beaten up! Why won't you give up? Your efforts are in vain."
"As long as one of us is still standing and as long as we have something to fight for, we'll fight!" Ichiro replied and more shots were fired.
"Well then, let's see how long your pathetic machine can hold on, shall we?" and he fired a strong blast at the deck.
"Hit the deck!" Kayama screamed as the other men ducked for cover. The resulting explosion created a hole leading to the captain's quarters. Shrapnel flew in all directions and it hit a sailor's arm, piercing it.
Ichiro spoke to the first mate for another order. "All stop, aim at his head then fire. Move full speed around him while reloading. Stop, then fire. Got that? We'll go with that maneuver."
The first mate nodded. "All right you guys, you heard what the captain said, get on with it!" Ichiro ran outside to survey the ship's situation. Medics ran around the deck, looking for injured men. An explosion was heard and he saw more cannon rounds hit Tenkai. Tenkai stopped to charge a lot more energy. Ichiro frantically screamed, "RELOAD! RELOAD! THAT BLAST'S GONNA KILL US ALL!" the tensed gunners immediately loaded the cannons and fired without hesitation, hitting Tenkai just when he was about to fire his beam.
The hit distorted Tenkai's aim and the blast completely destroyed one of the steam exhaust pipes, causing a huge chunk of metal to fall on a running medic who was responding to a man's plea for help. The medic instantly died, blood splattering around the chunk of metal and his body.
Ichiro ran to the stern of the ship. He could hear a gunner asking his partner to get more ammo a few moments later a man ran towards the storage room to procure more ammo. Ichiro went nearer to the gunner. At the corner of his eye, he could see three sailors dousing a fire. Another explosion was heard and he saw that the three men were tossed in the air. Their bodies dropped back down but their souls didn't. "What's your situation sailor?" Ichiro asked the gunner who was looking for shells while his partner is gone.
"The shells are pretty good demo, they're still not strong enough to cut him deep sir." Then, his partner came with a box of shells and they loaded it on the gun.
"You're doing great. He seems to be hurt a lot by those. Keep it up."
"Arigatou, taichou." The gunners then fired at Tenkai.
"You wretches don't deserve to live!" Tenkai charged his power more as his last salvo of energy was used. He fired a pretty strong blast and it cut through a deck gun to its gunners and out to the other side of the ship. The beam, including the power of the shells in the gun created a massive explosion, engulfing the unlucky men who are near it in flames.
Kayama ran out of the storage room with his bazooka when blood from the unlucky men splattered on his body. Kayama didn't care about the red stains on his uniform and took aim and fired at Tenkai. He took a rocket and inserted it at the hollow chamber at the back of the bazooka and took aim.
Ichiro saw Kayama firing a rocket at Tenkai and he ran to him. "Kayama! Tell some of the others to man the machine gun nests and rain Tenkai with bullets!"
"Will do Shinguuji-taichou!" Kayama left and called some men to man the machine gun nests.
Tenkai fired another shot and fire broke out in the kitchen, near some gasoline. Two sailors quickly ran to the kitchen and extinguished the fire.
A sailor ran down the steps of the bridge when Tenkai fired multiple blasts. A blast hit the sailor and penetrated through his body. It caused him to roll down the steps...dead.
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"Come on, hurry up!" Akagi impatiently watched as the Kanzaki engineers powered up the Spirit Cannon. He looked at the huge figure ahead of them, firing shells and being pelted with energy beams.
"Just a while longer, and we'll get it ready!" The chief engineer spoke.
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"AAAAAAAAAAA!!!!" a man screamed as a beam pierced his elbow and decapitated his lower arm. Kayama ran to his side and covered the open wound with a piece of cloth. Kayama brought the man to sick bay where the other injured men are moaning with pain.
Ichiro ran to the bridge, "How much longer before the Spirit Cannon is up and running!?"
"We don't know sir, it will probably take a long time!"
"Okay, we'll retreat behind that rock for now. That should give us some cover while we fire."
"Aye, sir."
The ship turned and headed towards the rock formation which is protruding from the ocean. It never stopped firing as it retreated.
"You won't get away from me!" Tenkai pursuited the Harusame while returning fire with a few of his own.
The ship reached the rock and hid behind it as the crew hoped that it provides sufficient cover. "Damage report!" Ichiro asked,
"Our engines are fully operational, the deck is badly damaged sir, deck four has lots of holes in it, there is a leak in boiler room two which is now controlled and we lost an exhaust pipe and a deck gun."
"Casualties?"
"Fourteen dead, times two wounded."
"Okay, we will continue fighting. Don't ever give up! It's now or never!"
Shots continued to go off on both sides.
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"We got it!" the Kanzaki engineers exclaimed triumphantly as the soft humm of the generators indicated that the Spirit Cannon is now operational.
"Contact the Harusame and ask them when they'll knock him out so we have time to charge and fire the cannon." Akagi spoke, turning to his first mate.
The man just nodded and headed to the bridge.
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"We're in business!" the first mate exclaimed when he got the news of the Spirit Cannon's operational status.
"Good! We shall knock Tenkai out!" Kayama replied as he ran to Ichiro. "Orders, Shinguuji-Taichou?"
"Continue firing at him and get some men on those machinegun nests!"
The rock is starting to deteriorate due to Tenkai's attacks. Both he and the Harusame are weakened but not badly. In one last blow, Tenkai destroyed the rock only to be greeted by a barrage of bullets from the machinegun nests hidden behind the rock. Tenkai screamed in pain as bullets and exploding shells rained on him.
"He's weakening! Don't stop firing!" Ichiro commanded as empty bullet shells littered the deck.
Tenkai was too weak to gather all his power into one devastating blow but he was still strong enough to destroy the Harusame. "I can't be defeated with this...this pathetic machine and these humans!" with that, the gateway on his belly swirled and sixteen Koumas came out of it.
The captain on both ships just stared in awe as the Koumas came flying to the Harusame.
"Concentrate fire on the Koumas! Don't let them get on board!" Ichiro ran to the gunners of the deck guns. "Give some fire discipline on his belly while it's open. It should delay, if not stop the Koumas from coming!" The gunners then fired at the gateway, effectively delaying the arrival of more Koumas. The machine gun nests were able to knock out eight Koumas but the other eight made it.
As soon as they dropped down, all hell broke loose. Unarmed men ran to the storage room, getting weapons to fend them off.
The Koumas advanced slowly, slashing those unlucky enough to cross their path. The screams of dying men and the smell of blood filled the ocean.
The deck gun fired at the group and instantly took out three Koumas.
At the storage room, Kayama and some men took their weapon of choice. "Let's lock and load, boys." They cocked their weapons and ran out, guns blazing.
Ichiro took a grenade and lobbed it at a Kouma's mouth just as it was about to growl. The blast ripped the Kouma's head in pieces and it vaporized. Ichiro took out a rifle and started running towards another and firing at it. As soon as his clip ran out, he hid behind the stairway.
Kayama met Ichiro taking cover behind the stairway. Kayama rolled beside him and unloaded the empty magazine from his submachine gun. "I'm out!"
Ichiro saw a magazine round on the floor beside him. He picked it up and gave it to Kayama then he loaded the remaining bullets in his rifle.
Kayama then ran to the storage room. Two Koumas landed behind him and started to go after him. Ichiro saw the Koumas about to backstab Kayama and frantically called their attention. He fired some bullets at the Koumas and they turned and went to him instead. Ichiro fired at them but after two shots, his rifle clicked. "Oh, boy." then, he fumbled in his pockets for another round.
Kayama saw what his friend did and threw a lit plastic explosive at the Koumas before they could get near him. As the explosive dropped in front of the Koumas, they stared at it.
Ichiro ran back for cover as the explosive killed the two Koumas. Then, he ran to the storage room to get some more ammo. He caught Kayama looking for magazines.
"Shinguuji-taichou, if your mother saw you do that, she'd be really upset!"
"I thought you were my mother."
"Hardy-har-har. Truly, Shinguuji, did you forget basic training? They keep telling us to be always careful with your ammo."
"Thanks for reminding me..." he then loaded a round and put four more in his pocket. "...mom." he smiled at Kayama and left.
Kayama sighed. He got more magazines and followed Ichiro, smiling.
Tenkai was so amused at the humans' reactions to his minions creating havoc that he began releasing more Koumas.
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Sakura was taking a stroll at the harbor, on the same place where Ichiro left. She sat on a bench and stared at the ocean, wondering when he will return. Then, the bench reminded her of the nightmare she had before he left. She remembered the blood and his smiling face. She started to worry. "Could it mean... could it mean... death?" she thought, trying to forget about it. Ever since he left, that nightmare always came to haunt her memory. "No, what's wrong with you, Sakura? Remember that he promised to come back. Disregard that nightmare. It's just fooling with you because you think of him too much." Sakura continued to watch the ocean and waited for him to come. "I hope you're fine."
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More Koumas came out of Tenkai's chest and went onboard.
"They just keep on coming and coming!" Kayama commented as he and Ichiro watched each other's backs, emptying clips on Koumas.
Gunshots continue to crackle as Koumas killed more and more men. Kayama took a shotgun from a dead man's hand and fired at the Kouma, instantly engraving eight holes on the Kouma's chest and it vaporized.
"Five down, lots more to go." Ichiro murmured. He fired more rounds at the Kouma closest to him.
"Shinguuji-taichou, I'll go to the stern and help battle some Koumas there. You go to the bow and battle the Koumas there." Kayama handed Ichiro some rifle rounds.
Ichiro eagerly took them and nodded in agreement. The two clenched each other's hands, "Good luck."
"Same here."
They broke and went their separate ways.
A sailor firing at a Kouma got his weapon jammed and the Kouma took the opportunity to stab him with its claw. The man screamed, followed by a gurgling noise as blood rushed out of his mouth.
Tenkai summoned more Koumas to fight. A Kouma landed behind a sailor and slashed him from behind, blood stained in its claws.
Three Koumas dropped down on the stern, giving Kayama and some sailors more to battle. "Ah, having fun, are we?"
At the bow, two sailors followed Ichiro as they battled the other Koumas. A Kouma landed on top of one of the men following Ichiro and killed him. It then swept the other one just as he was about to face the Kouma and fire. He let out a scream as he flew off the ship, a trail of blood following behind him.
Ichiro heard the scream and the Kouma's growl. He turned around and at the same time, smashed the Kouma's face with the butt of his rifle. The Kouma held its face due to the pain. Ichiro kept butting the Kouma with the butt of his rifle until it broke. The Kouma then vanished. Another Kouma hit him but he used his rifle and blocked the attack. The rifle broke but it gave him enough time to run towards the storage room and toss a grenade at it. The Kouma vanished and Ichiro breathed rapidly. He rested in a corner and calmed himself from the pure adrenaline rush.
Kayama ran out of ammo and he took out his sidearm and fired at a Kouma. He ran back while reloading another clip only to be caught by another Kouma. The Kouma lunged at him and slashed him but Kayama was too quick and got nothing more than a scratch. The Kouma's chest then ripped opened and exploded and the Kouma vanished. Kayama saw a sailor holding a bazooka which still had smoke coming out of it from firing a rocket. "I owe you one." was all he could say and he ran to the storage room to get more ammo.
After Ichiro settled down, he took a new rifle and ran to the bridge. "Contact Akagi-taichou and have him charge the spirit cannon." Ichiro commanded, as the first mate fumbled for the radio.
The first mate started to speak to Akagi on the radio while Ichiro took a couple of potshots on a Kouma's head.
Another ear-splitting scream was heard as a Kouma bit a sailor and tossed his bleeding body into the water.
The first mate then spoke, "Taichou, they have acknowledged the command."
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From the Maya's point of view, the men could see the Harusame's crew running about while fire broke out all over the ship. They could see tall black figures walking and slashing on the deck while more came out of Tenkai.
They could here growling, screaming and crackling gunfire... lots of it. They would hear rifle fire or machinegun fire followed by screams of men and growls of Koumas.
They would see flashes of light made by machineguns, puffs of smoke made by rifles or explosions made by grenades and bazookas. They would see men fall off the ship. They too, could see Koumas vaporizing in thin air. Akagi watched helplessly as the brave men of the Harusame desperately fight with their lives on the line, "They're losing." he thought.
The sailors of the Maya didn't do anything but pray and hope for the best. They could not help fight Tenkai for it might blow their cover.
"Please hold on just a while longer." Akagi thought, as he started to pray with the others.
The sound of the generators of the Spirit cannon was gradually getting louder as it continued to gather energy.
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"MEDIC!!!" Ichiro screamed. Their first mate was caught in an explosion and he was bleeding badly. Kayama was there, helping Ichiro bandage his wound.
"Ugh... I'm all used up, sir." the first mate managed to speak.
"You're fine. You will make it." Ichiro reassured him.
"Come on, hang in there" Kayama spoke.
The medic finally came in and took the burden off Ichiro and Kayama's shoulders.
"Let's go back there and fight back, Kayama."
"Hai."
The fighting grew fiercer as two Koumas ripped a man into two.
A sailor saw his friend ripped in two by the Kouma. He ran to the storage, took a plastic explosive, lit it then ran towards the two Koumas. There were frantic screams of 'no's and 'don't do it's but they could only watch in horror as the man exploded in pieces, taking along the two Koumas with him.
Two Koumas surrounded Ichiro on his front and back. As he fired at both of them, they came dangerously close to him. Before they could have time to react, Ichirou dropped his rifle, unsheathed one of his katanas and slashed the Kouma in front of him. Next, he unsheathed his other katana and he stabbed the other one backwards.
"AAAAH! OH MY GOD!!! I'M GONNA DIE! I'M GONNA DIE! OH MY GOD IT HURTS!" a man screamed as two medics try to disinfect a deep scratch mark from his chest. His hysterical screams can be heard in the background as the fighting ensued.
"You'll be fine, you'll be fine. You're not gonna die! Don't look at it! Don't look at it! You're not gonna die, you're fine! Don't look at it!" the medics tried calming him down as they did their job but still, he screamed his lungs out.
As Kayama ran, he tripped on something soft. He looked at it and saw a dead man. His face is drenched in blood and scratches covered his body. Beside it, corpses of more dead men who fought for their country lay on the ground with the satisfaction on their faces telling him that they've done their lives' worth and this is their fate for defending their country.
Kayama killed another Kouma when he saw more arrive on the bow. He ran to the bow to help Ichirou fight the reinforcements. He saw Ichiro pick up his rifle when a Kouma pounced on him from behind and sent him flying onto the wall and sliding back down. The Kouma charged at him, ready for the kill when Kayama riddled it full of holes with his sub-machinegun until it vanished. "You all right, Shinguuji-taichou?"
"I'm fine, I'm fine." It took a while before Ichirou finally regained consciousness.
Tenkai fired another blast to where Ichiro and Kayama are standing. "Incoming!" Kayama excalaimed and the two ran for cover but the blast hit the wall behind them, tossing Ichiro in the air and engulfing Kayama in smoke.
Ichiro quickly looked at his arms and legs. "For a second there, I thought my limbs flew off!" he thought, feeling somewhat relieved. "Kayama, where are you?" The smoke cleared and he saw Kayama crushed under a piece of debris. "Kayama!" Ichiro hastily ran to his side, limping. "Kayama!" Ichiro called as he pushed the debris aside with all his might. "Kayama, come on, answer me!" he then slapped Kayama's face. "Kayama!"
The brown haired first officer slowly opened his eyes. His blurry vision seeing Ichiro. Wait,... two Ichiros? Another slap from Ichiro awakened his eye sight. "Much better." he thought as the two Ichiros merged into one and cleared up.
"Ah, great! I thought I lost you back there Kayama!"
"Nah, I just got the wind knocked out of me." Kayama drowsily spoke as Ichiro helped him up. "For a moment there, my life flashed right in front of my eyes." he added.
A sailor threw his pistol at a Kouma as it ran out of ammo and he ran. Unfortunately, the Kouma was faster and it caught up to the man. It pounced on his back, continually scratching it with both claws as pieces of flesh, muscle, gut and some bone flew. The helpless man couldn't do anything but scream until his mouth was left open as he died. The Kouma, aware of its prey's motionless state, looked up to see a rocket flying at top speed straight to its face. You know what happened next...
Blood flowed on the deck as more and more men died. Tenkai had his power charged and ready. He fired when the crew of the Harusame were completely off guard.
Thanks to the quick thinking of the ensign on the bridge, he grabbed the throttle and kicked it in reverse but it was still too late. The blast caught the tip of the bow of the ship and pieces of metal flew as it ripped through it. Ichiro covered his head with his arms to protect it from the blast. The blast tore pieces of his uniform away and left him reeking, blood dripped from various cuts on his body. The glass on the bridge shattered and pieces of it blinded an officer. Blood instantly dripped from his eyes. The remaining Koumas on deck vanished.
The Harusame lost one-eight of its bow. "We can still fight! Let's go beat Tenkai now!" Ichiro screamed. "This battle isn't over yet!" and he walked towards one of the deck guns, blood trailing in his wake. he aimed the cannon and fired at the gateway which was still open. Tenkai closed it and clutched it in pain. He was in too much pain for him to move.
The Spirit Cannon is now charged up and ready. Akagi saw this opportunity and ordered the firing of the Spirit cannon. A ray of blinding white beam shot out of it.
Tenkai saw the ray coming nearer to him. As it hit the ocean, the Soul beam turned into a dome and the water around it moved away from it, creating a crater. The shockwave created by the blast short-circuited the control room of the Harusame, making some systems inoperational.
"Did we... do it?" Ichiro asked.
"I... think so." Kayama replied, starting to smile. The other sailors started to cheer in victory.
"Don't be celebrating just yet, wretches! I will destroy you if it's the last thing I do!" Everyone gasped as they saw Tenkai a mile away from the epicenter of the blast. His eyes, hands and mouth were brimming with energy.
"Uh, I think we made him mad." Kayama commented.
"H-how could he move that fast?" Akagi asked, a puzzled look on his face.
"You fools can't even hit a target!" he bellowed then started firing beams at the Maya, aware of its presence. Small explosions were seen on the ship's deck. Fires started to blaze on the ship from the continuous salvo of beams hitting it.
"Let's go! The Maya mustn't be destroyed! It's our only weapon!" Ichiro exclaimed, looking at the bridge. The Harusame fired at Tenkai with every weapon they got even the small arms.
Tenkai irritatingly turned to the Harusame after the Maya took sufficient damage. "Now, I will finish you off!"
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"What's the battle report?" Yoneda asked Akagi as he was looking at the blips on the steam radar. There were three blips. Two blips are near each other while one blip is far from the others.
"We sustained heavy damage. Fortunately the Spirit cannon is still intact. We don't know about the Harusame, sir. She's pretty beat up. They said they lost their long range communications. We can only contact them at this range."
"Are there any casualties?"
"We got a few injuries and some guys who are knocked out but aside from that, we're fine."
"Do you know the casualties of the Harusame?"
"Iie demo, judging by the looks of it, there are pretty much a lot."
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"Kayama! You're hit! I'll take you to a medic." Ichiro ran to his friend's side.
"You should take a look at yourself. You need a medic." He replied, cluthing his side. "I can still manage."
"Okay, take care of yourself." he patted Kayama's back and took off, a rifle strapped on his back.
"Won't you go see a medic?"
Ichiro stopped and turned to face him, "I too, can manage." he continued to run, despite his numerous wounds
"*sigh* Shinguuji, stubborn as ever."
Sailors dropped down one by one as beams hit them. The Harusame was burning badly. Some sailors ran inside the superstructure to control the fire. Another beam hit the ship and another explosion was heard. The brave men who ran inside and controlled the fire ran back outside burning like human torches. Other men went to their side and doused the fire but another beam hit the ship and an explosion ensued near them. They were tossed in the ocean. Some small chunks of meat flew around the deck.
A sailor took a heavy machinegun and positioned it on the railing. He fired at Tenkai, bullets hissing as they missed their target. Clangs were heard as empty shells hit the floor. A beam unfortunately hit the floor he was in. The railing gave way from the blast and the man fell into the sea.
More explosions rocked the ship. More bodies were tossed in the air and more death was seen everywhere.
The Harusame fired back with all it has. Bazookas were deployed to help in firing at Tenkai.
The numerous hits Tenkai took finally rendered him unconscious.
"Cease fire! Cease fire!" Ichiro screamed as they saw Tenkai's unconscious form.
"Now we can hit him directly!" Kayama exclaimed. "I'll contact Akagi-taichou." with that, he left for the bridge.
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Akagi acknowledged the command and the Spirit cannon started to charge. About one-fourth through, Tenkai started to get his consciousness back.
"Oh no!" Kayama whispered. "Shinguuji-taichou, this is our last chance. We can't withstand another blow! Tenkai is waking up! If the cannon misses, we won't be able to stop him! This is our last chance!"
Ichiro then commanded, "Resume firing positions! Tenkai must not escape!"
"Taichou! Taichou! We're out! We don't have ammo!"
"The deck guns?"
"Out of shells sir,"
"Machinegun nests?"
"Same thing."
"How about the weapons?"
"A few shotgun shells. Two sub-machinegun magazines and that's it."
"What about the plastic explosives? Grenades?"
"They're gone. The storage room is completely blocked from the last explosion."
"Then, all we got are our sidearms."
"What now, Shinguuji-taichou? Our sidearms are not enough to render him back unconscious..." Kayama asked while the remaining survivors watched Tenkai slowly awake. "...the Spirit cannon is still being charged."
"Then, we have no other choice."
"What will we do then?"
Ichiro took out the picture of the Hanagumi from his polo and stared at it, drenched in blood; his blood. He kissed the picture and placed it back in his pocket.
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Fifth chapter finished. Please R&R.
