A/N: Here is another unedited version yet edited by me I suppose, I did my best to clear up some of the mistakes I may have made in the past of course and I hope you do enjoy the chapter.
Life is crazy man, all I can say is things change and things happen in the last place you expect it...
With my work/job being not too great and slightly dodgy with the pay, I have recently found a new job that will be quite long for me but also very beneficial as I can build a better life and writing environment as I feel so burnt out... Not on writing but people change... things change, the heart ultimately changes.
I have so many ideas whether it is bringing the [SAIS] back into the loop, having a side fic where Ichika's kids come back from the future, a lemon fic for lemons, however, I believe the way I am now, isn't going to truly cut it when writing.
I almost feel I'm getting worse :(
Hopefully, with me working consistently, it can bring a bit of normality I had once when starting up, I feel like I've lost my mind multiple times and became a very disconnected person as I have never been a lazy person except the last 9 months.
Anyway... I'll see you on the other side of things...
Chapter 210: A New Age Part three: Lurking
With Aila Argyros
Location: Osaka
In the home of the Tachibana Clan.
Aila Argyros, the pilot of the IS [Athena], the new IS developed by Norway and Greece had a dark blue colour to the IS with heavy armour, the armour resembled that of spartan armour as it was much bulkier than normal IS'.
This particular IS utilises heavy weaponry against those it comes across in battle, Aila knew that using her heavy weaponry against multiple unmanned IS' would allow her to utilise its best traits flawlessly. [Athena] has a high energy thruster on her back.
Not only that but the helmet of the IS largely resembled a spartan helmet with a high particle mega cannon mounted on the centre of the helmet.
Aila's IS had been tweaked by one Tabane Shinonono in the past also.
FSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSH!
Aila Argyros quickly soared through the air as she dodged multiple high powered lasers as they chased after her relentlessly. The girl with short dark blue hair remained motionless under the spartan helmet.
The sixteen-year-old girl used one of her many weapons at her disposal, her weapon of choice was [Athena]'s [Gaia Spear], a large spear with light blue beam blades at the spear point on the edge, her hand tightly wrapped around the close quarter weapon, Aila quickly changed the course of direction she was heading in as she noticed the several [Jackal]'s who aimed their the constant superheated laser at her as she had no issues dodging and weaving.
Aila could hear the sound of the wind being shifted as she approached closer to the group of [Jackal]'s below her, readjusting her spear for combat any moment.
There was a group of eight [Jackal]'s below Aila that all used the same weapon, [Razor Strahl], an industrial mining laser that had been made into a firearm for the unmanned IS to use.
Aila and her IS were too quick for the [Jackal]'s to land their firearm onto [Athena].
Aila took a small window of time as her opportunity to move closer to the automated IS.
Getting ever so closer, Aila pointed her spear in front of her as it glowed dark blue, her eyes set to rip straight into the core which lay in their torso's.
SLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICE! SLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICE!
Aila's speed combined with the power was enough to rip into the translucent black gel of the [Jackal] and slice the upper body of the unmanned IS.
Two down and six to go.
Aila quickly landed to her feet and began to spin around as she used her long spear to disarm any oncoming attacks and slice into the armour with efficient strength behind the hit.
Pulling her spear back, Aila quickly used the bottom of her spear to get an effective hit towards the third [Jackal] from behind as Aila stunned the IS.
Spinning her spear around once more, the speed behind her attack was enough to slice open the neck of the third [Jackal].
In the corner of her eye, Aila spotted the fourth IS and changed her attention towards the fourth [Jackal] as she aimed for the arm of the IS.
Wanting to get rid of the firearm that lay on the [Jackal]'s right arm.
Aila quickly used her shield to bash the fourth unmanned IS in the face before stabbing her spear into the arm of the [Jackal], sparks flying out of the arm of the IS unit before the girl with short hair sliced the armoured neck of the automated IS.
Aila quickly raised the spear above her head and used her thrusters on the back of her IS to charge towards the more armoured version of the IS unit's she had fought prior.
Falling to the ground, Aila quickly turned to her next opponent as she locked eyes.
Putting her beam like a spear in her hands, the girl threw her weapon with all the power she could muster into the fifth [Jackal] as it flew through the air.
FSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSH!
Aila reacted quick enough in time to dodge the attack coming from the sixth [Jackal] who had it's sight on her.
The laser aimed for her head as she moved out of the way and charged forward with her shield in hand, her intention to stun and attack the next [Jackal] before she dealt with the previous unmanned IS.
Her shield quickly dismantling the oncoming laser from the sixth [Jackal].
Smashing through the translucent gel that was used to protect its armour as Aila's shield forced the automated IS to back off slightly.
Its claws coming out to play as the IS unit quickly recovered in a moment or so.
Slaaash! Slaaaaash! Slaaaash!
Scratch marks appearing on the shield of [Athena] as Aila tried to block each attack coming from the [Jackal] whilst waiting for the time to counter-attack.
The immense pressure forced Aila to use her strength to back the unmanned IS off.
Each claw getting closer and closer past the shield as she waited patiently, avoiding the attacks as the majority of hits landed on the shield.
The relentless pressure made Aila grit her teeth.
Backing off Aila gripped her shield with both of her hands as she watched the [Jackal] approach her with its claws activated on its feet and hands, jumping up towards her as it launched itself in the air.
Her eyes widening surprise.
The claws of the [Jackal] were aimed directly at her, the translucent black gel that was surrounding the [Jackal] was the only thing Aila had to worry about destroying first.
Gripping the spear, the girl with dark blue hair used her speed to minimalize the damage coming her way.
[Damage sustained:]
The side of IS unit was scratched with damage as Aila managed to use her speed to move to the side, although she was never as quick as others, she found herself barely scraping by her opponent.
Her spear danced around her fingers as she quickly stabbed the back of the IS units shoulder, pushing it forward as they fought in the air, the end of her spear driving through the black gel protecting its armour.
Penetrating its armour, Aila used her strength to stab through the plated armour underneath the translucent gel.
Aila Argyros made no attempt at holding back as the girl began to grit her teeth intensely, the spear broke through the armour of the IS unit and stayed lodged in its chest as Aila pushed the spear deeper.
Her eyes showed a glimpse of something that wasn't seen by other's before, the different emotions that ran through her was leaving her overwhelmed to some degree, although the girl remained in control.
"..."
Staring the [Jackal] in the eye, Aila held nothing back as she mercilessly pulled the spear out, allowing the unmanned IS to fall to the ground whilst Aila stared coldly.
Aila found herself taking immense pleasure in destroying those who oppose her and the comrades she fought alongside.
FSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSH!
Her attention was quickly drawn to the sound of an IS unit waltzing out the air behind her.
Her eyes widened in shock as she noticed a more armoured version of the [Jackal]'s she had fought previously, flying at her with dark grey thrusters on its back, her instinct was to quickly move out of the way and dodge the attack before springing into action herself.
Its claws like the other's were ready to destroy her and she IS unit [Athena] if it could catch Aila.
However, Aila was able to dodge the [Jackal] in the nick of time, just before its claws could reach Aila's padded armour on her IS unit.
Sidestepping, the unmanned IS created a distance between it and Aila as the automated IS put all of its strength and speed into a big attack that led to Aila dodging it before the hit could land.
Her spear aiming for the back of the [Jackal Alpha] as it was thrown off by Aila's sudden movements.
However, before Aila could land the spear into the back of the [Jackal Alpha], the automated IS unit quickly turned around and ejected its claws as it used it as a way to block the oncoming attack from Aila Argyros.
However, Aila predicted this and quickly went for another part of the body, stabbing her spear into the exposed belly of the [Jackal Alpha], stabbing straight through the translucent gel and into the padded armour, allowing the unmanned IS to be held up by her weapon.
With her spear and her IS intact, Aila was just about able to keep the IS unit in the air.
However much Aila wanted to analyse and stare at the IS she had destroyed, watching it deactivate and turn off before using it as a shield as she charged down towards the many [Jackal]'s shooting their gauntlet laser at her.
The [Razor Strahl] was their main weapon that the [Jackal]'s used.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Many of the [Jackal]'s that Aila was fighting had been slammed into the ground from their alpha being rammed into them.
Aila quickly flipped and began using her spear to stab those who were standing from a distance, slicing off the arm of the unmanned IS right next to her as she kicked it down onto the ground with the rest.
Using her thrusters to move quickly, Aila used her spear to stab through the translucent gel and into the stomach of her victim.
Before her thruster's stopped and the next [Jackal] was thrown off of the tip of the spear.
However, Aila Argyros was far from done.
Turning her attention to the next [Jackal], Aila quickly spun her spear around in circles before dodging an oncoming attack by the unmanned IS.
Getting closer to it and eliminating the distance entirely.
"..."
Her eyes solely focused on her next target, Aila swept the enemy off of its feet and stabbed it directly into the core of the system.
Destroying it entirely.
Two down in quick succession, Aila knew she had many more to go before she could consider resting.
FSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSH!
Narrowly avoiding an oncoming laser, Aila quickly shifted herself to become airborne as she began to dodge the many lasers attempting to hit her.
Looking down below, Aila began to count how many there were below her.
It had to of been multiple [Jackal]'s below her as Aila quickly lowered herself down with her spear, the girl's intention to make it a close quarter combat fight to eliminate the chances of her being hurt by the lasers.
Her face scrunched up this time as she held gently onto her shield.
The shield is known as [Aegis Shield] from her IS [Athena], Aila went head to head with one of the [Jackal]'s in-front of her as she hovered next to the ground, using her speed, shield and spear to her advantage.
Slaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaash!
Aila quickly knocked the unmanned IS in front of her down with quick speed before landing on her two feet.
The girl used her shield to bash the next victim to her brutal attack as she stunned the enemy with relative ease, before then following her bash with multiple spears stabs in quick succession.
Leaving the second victim to fall to the ground as Aila turned around and dealt with the remaining.
However, Aila used her speed to close the distance down amidst the smoke beginning to surround them due to the [Jackal Alpha] smashing the majority of the [Jackal]'s into the ground.
Again using her thrusters to her advantage, Aila quickly slashed one of the arms of the [Jackal]'s in front of her, rendering it useless when it came to its laser's it used on her previously.
Her second attack stabbed through the translucent gel and turned the [Jackal]'s around towards the remaining one left.
Pushing forward quickly, the claws of the only one left began scurrying towards Aila as she used the one she stabbed as an IS unit shield, her teeth gritted, Aila used her strength to push her spear with as much force she possibly could.
"..."
Letting out a breath, Aila's eyes watched for the movements as the remaining enemy began to slow down.
Many moments passed by...
The attacks got slower and slower and eventually stopped moving although the IS unit looked down towards the ground.
Aila began to feel relief wash over her system, her body ached for rest, however, the girl with dark blue hair knew that there was always more to be done, especially with her friends also fighting their own battle.
Although she had not long ago split into their separate routes to fight their enemies, Aila knew that she had just only begun her own battle.
Ichika came to a stop after walking away from his friends, spotting the next enemy that dared to stand in front of him, the twisted eyes of his opponent staring down at him as it loomed tall.
Ichika pulled at his attire as he knew he would shortly be in a fight against his opponent.
Unbuttoning his shield as he got closer, revealing a grey IS a uniform which was laying under his smart attire, his clothes falling onto the ground with relative ease as he knew.
The footsteps of his friends were no longer hearable.
"[Byakushiki]."
Ichika let out a breath as he narrowed his eyebrows towards the true and tall IS that dated to stand in front of him, letting out a gulp, Ichika wasn't too sure what he was facing yet.
At first glance, Ichika noticed the IS looked more 'humanoid' than anything he had come across so far.
Demonic aura oozed out from the IS, the black and grey plates added to its terrifying nature alongside the glowing blood-red crystal from its chest.
"[Yukihira]."
Ichika jumped up and tried to slash at the woman piloting the IS, her aura grew in power as it became significantly stronger over time.
The woman piloting the IS had no problem diverting the attack away from herself.
Instead, Ichika was sent tumbling past her, his mind knew his enemy was the elusive type after all.
Managing to put a stop, Ichika turned around to face the IS pilot, her relentless attacks on him reminded the teenager of a wild animal, it was unlike anything he had fought up until yet.
"What the hell even are you..? No... who the hell even are you?"
"[Shadow Dancer]."
"What...?
Before Ichika could get an answer, an attack towards himself was quickly launched as he saw the pilot of [Shadow Dancer] deploy a usual blade that he hadn't seen before.
The pilot of [Shadow Dancer] wasted no time as she quickly attacked Ichika with relentless force.
However, Ichika knew that she had summoned it with the intention to hurt him.
With the [Ignis Dogma] aimed at Ichika, a ball of white light quickly dispatched the end of the weapon and began to glow and change colours repeatedly.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Ichika's first instinct was to quickly evade the attack.
Barely being able to escape the sudden attack from [Shadow Dancer], Ichika knew he had no choice but to evade her at all costs until the teenager could find an opening.
Smoke from where Ichika was previously stood began forming behind the two as Ichika used the air to his advantage.
The woman piloting [Shadow Dancer] nodded disapprovingly as she spotted Ichika Orimura launching himself towards her in an attempt to catch her off guard.
"..." Quickly switching the blades/weapons to different hands, their swords collided.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The blade of [Yukihira Nigata] collided with the [Shadow Dancer]'s own [Ignis Dogma], one of her few weapons she could use.
A special set of swords that she was going to use to get up close to the only male IS pilot.
The aura of [Shadow Dancer] emitted, felt all too similar to Ichika as he realised he had felt something similar before.
"You... you possess something all too familiar, who are you supposed to be exactly?"
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The two continued their dance as their swords continued to collide with each other.
The two showed no signs of letting up anytime soon.
Piloting [Shadow Dancer] the woman had no trouble using her two swords to her advantage as she began to back Ichika into a corner with her relentless attacks.
Backing up slightly, Ichika jumped multiple feet into the air with [Shadow Dancer] hot on his tail.
[Shadow Dancer] showing no signs of giving Ichika a moment of composure.
The teenager gritted his teeth and knew he had to bare with it for now.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
"You know... I cannot allow you... to win!"
Ichika said as he gritted his teeth and used any strength he could muster using his [Jusunia Reiki] unconsciously without intending to.
The pilot of [Shadow Dancer] could feel the raw power of his [Jusunia Reiki] and [Byakushiki] working together In harmony as they had one common goal.
Throwing everything he had, a soft white aura began to crowd around the frame of Ichika and [Byakushiki].
The pilot of [Byakushiki] soon quickly tumbled back into the ground, taking damage as she was sent further away from Ichika Orimura.
Having no choice, she stabbed her [Ignis Dogma]. Into the ground to stop herself.
"I'm sure you have your own reasons for wanting to win this battle... however! I must disappoint you as I am much different to the man I used to be."
Ichika's feet touched the ground once more as his eyes landed on the [Shadow Dancer].
"I know you were not going all out..."
A small smile appeared on the face of the woman piloting [Shadow Dancer], a part of her was looking towards her past as her mind recollected the memories she held with the man in front of her.
'He's everything we want and he can be more...'
Shivers sent up her spine, standing on her two feet, a small smile remained on her face as she saw the growth of Ichika Orimura for herself.
Her eyes watching the pure energy oozing out of [Byakushiki].
"[Hakuren] activate."
The wings thrusters of the [Byakushiki] began to expand greatly.
The energy of [Hakuren], causing ripples around him. The energy oozing from the Hakuren began to strengthen the outer glow of the [Reiraku Byakaka],making the haunting presence known as it sent shivers down Ichika Orimura's spine.
Ichika couldn't help but realize that things were much different than he had thought, although the teenager didn't show it, he kept that thought in the back of his mind as he faced his enemy.
"This fight is far from done, isn't it?"
"..."
Ichika shook his head, the simple white flame of energy gathering around him stood tall as it became noticeable to those around him. Tightening the grip on [Yukihira]. Ichika knew he had to expect an attack any moment as they stared each other down, waiting for the first move to be made.
WOOOOOOOOSH!
Ichika quickly flew up into the air as he avoided a narrow attack from the [shadow dancer] pilot, her intentions to fight on the front foot came across as she struck with intent, time was at the essence... before Ichika knew it, his opponent stood in-front of him as they collided once more.
Both were reasonably high in the air as they continuously pushed each other to the next level.
Unknowingly, Ichika's own [Jusunia Reiki] clashed with a familiar aura that seemed to add to her demeanour, like a thin layer of coat, similar to Ichika's but of a lesser degree, a grey aura beginning to surround the pilot of the [Shadow Dancer].
Ichika picked up on the familiar aura.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Sent flying backwards into the ground, Ichika Orimura couldn't help but let out a groan as he tried to refocus his mind on the fight at hand.
The ground below him sank a little as the damage lingered as Ichika stood up.
"You are freakishly strong... and yet you seem to be very familiar, with that aura that I can see, I mean!"
Ichika wasted no time as he quickly regained his composure and set his sight on the one who caused him and [Byakushiki] to be sent tumbling backwards, in the first place.
The blade of Ichika's [Yukihira] crossed [Ignis Dogma]'s blades as the battle raged on, neither side giving up on their dance as they seemingly battled in the sky, their aura's clashing and their swords doing all the talking for them.
The pure white blade of [Yukihira] crossing the dark grey aura of the [Ignis Dogma] as the battle for dominance raged on into the dying light.
Swinging endlessly every time the two counteracted attacks from each other, moments later the two would collide and dodge each other's attacks, trying to land the hit to change the fight into their scale.
Clang! Clang!
Every hit of intent that Ichika threw, got blocked.
The malice of [Shadow Dancer]'s attacks got discarded as Ichika fired back with his own.
The two came closer to each other as the blades and their aura's clashed, Ichika began gritting his teeth as his eyes began glowing a pure white as it ran through his eyes like electricity.
Pulling back, the two collided once more as their aura's and the sword's clashed, causing a wave of power to send the two flyings backwards unexpectedly.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM!
Catching hold of himself, the teenage boy quickly turned his attention to his enemy as he saw the pilot quickly recover as she set her eyes on him as the aura behind her began to set.
Strengthening her armour with a lace of [Reiki].
Before Ichika could realize it, a very powerful gust of wind built up as the pilot of the [Shadow Dancer] disappeared for a moment, appearing in front of him just in the nick of time.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Pushing her relentless attacks off of him, Ichika backed away a little as the two continued their battle, their surprises for one another being revealed slowly but surely.
"You have [Reiki]!?"
Ichika exclaimed as he dodged the [Shadow Dancer]'s attack.
Attempting multiple times to stab the Orimura, her blades were never able to reach Ichika or [Byakushiki] as the teenager seemingly figured out more about her as the battle continued.
In a moment of frustration, [Shadow Dancer] leapt backwards as she played off of her relentless attacks.
"No.." uttering a few words the that Ichika had became used to the unmanned IS.
'I need to end this fight as quickly as I can... if I don't hurry up it could end up costing me.'
Without hesitation, Ichika made use of his time as he quickly approached the [Shadow Dancer] once more, his blade burning bright with the white aura surrounding the sword, giving it an ominous glowing effect that could be seen by all.
Letting out a breath, Ichika threw his power behind his attack.
The force between Ichika's raw strength and his [Jusunia Reiki] was enough to start leaving small cracks in the [Shadow Dancer]'s armour.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Blood red aura began glowing out of the cracks of the [Shadow Dancer] as the unmanned IS seemingly was left with damage to its system. Leaving Ichika and the [Shadow Dancer] to be a distance apart due to the ferociousness of Ichika Orimura's hit.
Dust began to settle as Ichika sensed the presence in front of him, quickly lunging for the [Shadow Dancer] before the unmanned IS can even imagine.
"The hell?"
Ichika was surprised to find himself swinging at nothing, it was like the [Shadow Dancer] unmanned IS had quickly evaded his attack.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
Within a few mere milliseconds, Ichika felt the presence of [Reiki] coming from the unmanned IS, Ichika was able to evade the attack just about, although the teenager was left with a few cuts.
Holding his breath, Ichika quickly clashed with [Shadow Dancer]'s [Ignis Dogma] as the adrenaline and willpower to win the fight began to kick in.
The aura around Ichika grew stronger as his teeth clenched together, making a chattering noise as he stared down the unmanned IS with an intention to win.
Ichika's [Yukihira] quickly began to push the two swords from [Shadow Dancer]'s arsenal back.
...
Unbeknownst to Ichika and the unmanned IS, a figure hiding watched them from a distance.
"That aura... that isn't normal... nothing like I have ever witness or seen before."
A shocked teenager stood in awe and in anger, feeling a myriad of emotions as he watched Ichika Orimura battle it out with an IS as the two seemingly danced through the air during their attacks.
His heart dropped, it made the boy feel worthless as he watched someone like Ichika battle, it was like everything he had up until now had been shattered as the boy knew he could never reach the heights that Ichika Orimura was destined for.
"How the hell am I supposed to combat that...? I can feel it... it's too powerful now... Goddamit..."
Dropping his head and looking towards the ground, the anger in his heart almost became unbearable, the feeling of someone being better than him made him want to consume his negative emotions and give in.
The immense aura that Ichika Orimura gave off was enough to leave a mark wherever he met, the teenager was left to his own thoughts as all he could do was watch as Ichika continued his dance with the unmanned IS.
His heart beating unusually fast, the boy didn't allow himself to give in quite yet.
The hard work he put into boot camp and into military training felt completely useless when seeing someone with such a gift, his thoughts could only imagine what it could have been like to be in Ichika Orimura's shoes.
"Ah so here he is? well, I guess I caught him in mid-battle."
With Shinobu Kirigakure
Location: France
In battle...
Shinobu carelessly danced through the air as she used the air to advantage, the girl using her IS which was coloured white and green, the IS she had resembled that of a Japanese Ninja as the colours were used as inspiration, although unlike any other IS Shinobu's [Fujin] has black iron wings with black feathers made out of iron lined with the thrusters.
The dense teenage girl carried two katana's on her back as danced through the air, avoiding the laser beams sent towards her by the [Jackal]'s in a group below her.
The girl had two green gauntlets that were used for combat on her arms, to go with that, the girl with green hair had razor-sharp claws shaped like hands.
Although [Fujin] hard dark green greaves on her legs which resembled eagle legs and a sharp talon to go on top of that.
Of course, being a ninja girl she was, Shinobu had hidden weapons like a hidden energy blade stored in her heels and a sharp spike on her knee's to finish any opponents off at close range.
"Be careful Rin-done!"
Shinobu quickly changed her pace and quickly pulled out her two katana's, [Shippu] and [Reppu] which was stored on the back skirt of Shinobu's.
Getting closer to the ground, the girl quickly closed the distance between her and the several [Jackal]'s that were near her, using the two of her katana's to swipe the first unmanned IS off of its feet before turning to the others.
Without hesitation, the girl dodged the laser beaming heading towards her and closed the distance between her and the second [Jackal], with the beam following her as she narrowly avoided it due to how quick she was.
Moving forward, the girl quickly went to the opposite side of the [Jackal] as she was in the cutting distance, aiming for the core of the unmanned IS before using all of her strength to slice it.
Effectively cutting it in half as she quickly threw [Reppu] at the third unmanned IS, aiming for the armour before getting close enough to ram her secondary katana into the chest of the third [Jackal] quickly.
The fourth [Jackal] to the right of her quickly deployed [Seeker Darts] on Shinobu in the small window of time that she did not pay attention to it.
Turning quickly, Shinobu's good eyesight was just able to make out small discs with a red line connecting them together.
SLAAAASH! SLASH! SLASH!
Using her training, Shinobu quickly dismantled the [Seeker Darts] just before they could reach her and her IS [Fujin].
Closing the gap once more, Shinobu avoided any [Seeker Darts] that were sent by the fourth [Jackal] as she quickly used the spike on her knee to break the armour through.
Shattering the chest piece entirely.
WOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!
Instead of just [Reppu], Shinobu quickly turned around and threw both of her katana's and the fourth and fifth unmanned [Jackal].
Using her combat gauntlet [Senpu], the girl quickly deployed green beam shuriken's as she aimed for the open torso in the fourth unmanned IS, the system of the fourth enemy began to malfunction.
Without hesitation, Shinobu pulled [Reppu] out of the fifth [Jackal] and used her katana to slice the fifth unmanned IS in half with no mercy.
The sixth [Jackal] deployed its [Razor Starhl] once more as the unmanned IS aimed for [Fujin].
"Better luck next time!"
Within a seconds Shinobu closed the distance and rammed [Shippu] deeper into the system with [Reppu] slicing through its armour like it was butter.
The sixth IS falling to the ground, Shinobu quickly became airborne as she used the few seconds to check on her friends.
Seeing her friends participating in their own battles made her want to quickly finish her own battle and go and support the others in their own, although Shinobu's attention was quickly diverted from her friend and onto the oncoming [Jackal]'s heading towards her.
Unlike the other [Jackal] she had faced previously, a specific unmanned IS stood out to her as the armour surrounding its physique was much bulkier than the others surrounding it.
The physique was much different as on the back there dark grey thruster pack that allowed the unmanned IS to fight toe to toe with Shinobu.
FSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSH!
A very powerful shot towards Shinobu caught the green girl off guard as the girl quickly used her sword to block the impact of the highly powerful shot from the unmanned IS' shot.
The rifle Shinobu was shot by, used a railgun mechanism to launch shots at an extremely fast shot towards the enemy.
Feeling the damage of it, the girl gritted her teeth as she noticed the stronger version of the [Jackal] had to reload the weapon due to it being a bolt action weapon.
With the small window of time, the girl moved at electric speed with her two katana's as she aimed to destroy the heavily plated armour.
'This unmanned IS feel's like an alpha version of the ones I fought!'
Although this time, Shinobu noticed that the armour of the [Jackal Alpha] was significantly stronger as the damage that occurred by her was much weaker than she expected.
The armour of this unmanned IS seemed to be much stronger than the latter which were crowding the stronger variation.
BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM!
Without any hesitation, the girl with green hair threw down a smoke bomb as she disappeared from the naked eye.
The [Jackal Alpha] and the [Jackal]'s surrounding it were thrown off by the increasing smoke blinding their vision, their target completely disappeared from their sights as they remained focused on finding Shinobu.
The sound of destruction lurked around the [Jackal Alpha] as the unmanned IS continued to scan the area for any signs of the girl piloting [Fujin]
An unknown weapon quickly made its way through the mist of smoke as it hit one of the many [Jackal]'s, going through the armour and into the core of the IS system.
"Hahahahah!"
The unmanned IS quickly its attention to its right as it was the direction the giggle was coming from, picking up the sound of the dark-haired girl.
The dense girl lurked within the mids of the smoke, taking out the many [Jackal] lingering around the alpha.
One by one, Shinobu used her ninja weapons to dismantle and destroy the unmanned IS.
The numbers continued to drop as the [Jackal Alpha] continued to fire its [Razor Strahl] into the midst of the smoke, wherever the noise was, the unmanned IS used its hearing to aim its industrial mining laser in Shinobu's direction.
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!
Before the unmanned IS expected it, it was hit by Shinobu's very own caltrops into different parts of its body, one in the upper torso as it broke into the frame of the [Jackal Alpha].
One of the caltrops that Shinobu threw had landed in the barrel of the laser that the [Jackal Alpha] equipped, firing from its gauntlet, the laser was stopped temporarily.
The third caltrop she had thrown landed in the shoulder of the [Jackal Alpha] barely getting through its armour.
Shinobu Kirigakure had plenty of experience within the art of combat, one of the many things she had been taught since a child was to be elusive in front of her opponents, leaving them with little to zero chance to be able to get an accurate shot on her.
With the smoke around her staring to clear, the girl with dark green hair quickly rushed forward with one last attack as she wielded [Shippu] and [Reppu] against the alpha of the pack.
With a small smirk on her face, the girl used her speed to accelerate herself into the air slightly as she aimed for the [Jackal Alpha].
SLAAAASH! SLAAAAAAAAAASH! SLAAAASH!
Holding nothing back, the girl quickly used her speed to her advantage to destroy the outer armour of the IS.
Using her one katana [Shippu] to drive into the heart of the core.
Destroying the [Jackal Alpha] as the system began to malfunction and twitch slightly, causing Shinobu to pull out her saber and backing up and allowing the IS to fall to the ground.
Destroyed and broken.
Watching the unmanned fall to the ground, Shinobu couldn't help but feel satisfied as she felt like she was helping out her friend Sakura Tachibana and her quest to protect her family who was attacked at their headquarters.
A relieved and happy smile across her face as she turned her attention towards the other battles being partaken in.
Ichika Orimura, her friend, was fighting a battle in the air against an elusive IS as the two continued to fight for dominance against each other, the aura's between Ichika and his IS, and his enemy and aura gathered around it clashed against each other, causing the ground to shake slightly.
"Ichika-dono is so strong..."
The girl with black eyes admired her older friend as she watched from a distance, amazed.
"Watch out Shinobu! more incoming!"
Houki Shinonono, one of Shinobu's other friends called out to her.
More [Jackal]'s in a group stormed through onto the battlefield, as the girl with green hair quickly pulled more of her weapons out as she prepared to fight once more.
Using her Caltrops as her first weapons she used from a distance before shooting herself up into the air.
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!
The girl piloting the IS [Fujin] was left with a single thought as had came to the realisation.
'When will this end?!'
The caltrops landing in many of the [Jackal]'s below her as they began firing their industrial mining lasers towards her as she soared through the sky, narrowly dodging each laser-like an acrobatic act.
It was something to be marvelled at, the girl pulled off some acrobatic moves as performed moves that were impossible to normal people.
Her moves were pulled off so flawlessly that anybody that had been around to see them would have been left with their jaw hanging, a small smirk growing on her face, Shinobu quickly threw another smoke bomb down.
Creating a diversion to allow her to flawlessly move around and take out the many that lingered within a ten-metre distance of her.
The many [Jackal]'s around her were left without a target as they used their hearing once more to get a distinct location on the ninja girl as she lurked around the smoke, taking out each unmanned IS.
One by one at a time.
Shinobu being an experienced fighter due to her heritage gave her the advantage in battles like these due to being used to being in the shadows, somewhere in the midst of the smoke, Shinbou wore a smirk as she began to feel like her older self.
Someone who was taught to linger in the midst of the smoke to ambush her enemies.
In the midst of the smoke surrounding the many [Jackal]'s as the signal between each unmanned IS struggled to communicate with each other, Shinobu's infamous caltrops were sent flying through the air and into many of the [Jackal]'s.
Stunning them and giving the girl a chance to use her two katana's to quickly take them out.
"Haaaaaaaaaaah!"
The two beam swords she used from earlier were reequipped as she threw [Reppu] to one of the automated IS whilst dealing with the other's surrounding her.
Shinobu made light work as she slashed the first [Jackal]'s arm off.
Turning around, the girl moved out of the way before a beam could hit her point-blank in the face.
Slaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaash! Slaaaaaaaaaaash!
"..."
Although the result isn't what Shinobu wanted, the girl was able to tear a hole through the translucent black gel that protected its body underneath it.
Her beam coming through the other end, the girl made sure to use her small window of time to take a chunk out of its body.
Shortly after, Shinobu threw her knee towards the lower torso of the [Jackal].
The spikes on Shinobu's IS [Fujin] quickly pierced the gel and the armour underneath, before breaking the armour underneath and leaving the core of the IS system exposed.
The automated IS quickly fell to its knee's before activating its claws on its hands and legs.
Shinobu stood over the unmanned IS, ready to strike the IS unit down without any sympathy or empathy behind her final blow.
"You must suffer the same consequences the other's did alongside you!"
Before Shinobu could realise, the IS unit in one last attack jumped up towards her in attempts to destroy the armour that protected her and [Fujin].
However, Shinobu and her IS were able to react in the nick of time before the claws hit her.
Slaaaaaaaaash!
...
...
A few days before.
The night was over looming the IS academy, all of the students had seemingly had headed to their bedroom's or were lingering around the hallways of the academy. Daryl Casey had her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed as she walked towards her room, her mind completely blank as she focused on the conversations happening between students around her.
"..."
"Have you heard Orimura Kun has been apparently been having midnight affairs with a mystery girl?"
"No way! Orimu would never do that! right?"
Nodding her head disapprovingly, Daryl knew that they were just gossiping about rumours, especially about Ichika Orimura who she had talked to ever so slightly.
For Daryl, he had always been an interesting person that she could never quite figure out.
'Hmmm... It seems like Ichika Orimura has been the topic of gossip lately, he must of done something which spread throughout the classes like a firestorm, I wonder what his family would think about this?'
Daryl Casey, known as Rain Meusel, is the niece of the [Phantom Task] member named Squall Meusel.
Her curvy figure swayed as she walked ever so closer towards her room, her large breasts almost spilt out of her IS uniform as the colour of her bra became apparent to anyone paying attention.
Rain Meusel made no effort to hide the colour of her bra.
Her dark stocking's made her legs look all the better as her slender legs were made to look glorious in the lights surrounding her.
Her long and messy blonde hair was tied up in a ponytail as her diamond-like blue eyes glowed.
Turning to her right, Rain reached her door handle as she twisted it and allowed herself into her room, the girl turned to her right for a few moments as she noticed a few fellow students looking at her for a few moments, giving her wide-eyed looks.
Shrugging her shoulder's, the other students turned away as Rain walked into her dark brown wooden room.
Her bed was a clear white colour with her white sheets draping over the edge, the teenage girl had multiple pillows to rest her head on at night as they were stacked next to each other, a wooden drawer full of her clothes was to the right-hand side of the bed.
Closing the door behind her, Rain Meusel used the latches to lock the door completely before using the back of her foot to take her shoes off.
One by one the girl took off her shoes before walking over towards her bed.
"This is so boring..."
Flopping onto the bed with her hair becoming slightly messy, the girl stared up to the ceiling as she let in a few breaths, taking everything she could see on the ceiling in, the odd patterns was the only thing she could see as her mind ran wild.
Rain couldn't help but think about everything that had led her to this exact moment.
Biting her lip, she remembered the countless memories she had made with her friends at the IS academy so far, whether it be with Forte or the other girls she had come to know over her time in the IS Academy.
Even the [Phantom Task]'s main star boy they always made sure to watch, she had spoken to him a few times now and he always seemingly left an impression on whoever he talked to, Rain knew she couldn't figure him out, but what she could tell was that he was something different than she had ever dealt with before.
At first Rain Meusel thought nothing of the Orimura student.
Over the last year of monitoring him and watching him grow in potential with his IS [Byakushiki] and that aura that surrounded him, it was almost enough to make Rain be in both shock and envy of the fellow student.
'I cannot figure you out Ichika Orimura, what is it about you that leaves such an impression? Your potential is growing every time you pass me... every time we talk, everything about you is not normal.'
Rain thought to herself as she remembered one of the several occasions where she had walked past the young man.
His aura grew with him and the people around him also became significantly stronger with that too, it made Rain wince at the thought of a toe to toe fight with Ichika Orimura, the only male IS user, the one that [Phantom Task] leader's want so deeply.
Rain did not want to admit it but her thoughts told her that Ichika Orimura was levels above what she could ever achieve.
"This is getting me nowhere..."
The girl with bright blonde hair sat up and let out a gulp as her mind raked for any idea's what to do with her free time from now.
For Rain there was so much she could do.
Workout to make sure she was in the best physical conditions for any future battles that she may be a part of.
Read and study those useless textbooks placed on her desk that Rain had gone over a hundred different times, for the eighteen-year-old it almost felt more than that when thinking about it.
There was also the idea of grabbing some food from the lunch hall before it closed for the night.
"I'm so bored!"
Rain Meusel messed with her hair as she began to feel slightly agitated by everything, although she could go and get something to eat or workout to make sure she was in pinnacle shape for any future endeavours, the girl knew she was doing almost perfect for her hunger sake and her fitness.
Leaving her with the daunting reality that left her bored to death.
Rain felt like she could fall into a position where she loses her mind due to not being able to make her mind up, nothing peaked her interest, relaxing and lazing around for the time being was not in her DNA.
'Sometimes being here in this stupid IS academy is the worst thing I have ever signed up for! I mean at least when I was at the [Phantom Task] headquarters', I was allowed to roam and cause as much destruction as I wanted, goddamit...'
Rubbing the frustration on her face, the girl forced herself back into her mask she wore.
Bzzzzzzt! Bzzzzzzzzzzzzt! Bzzzzzzzzzzt!
"Hmmm?"
Rain reached for the buzzing smartphone in her pocket and turned on the screen, someone was calling her as it became night, the number unknown to her as she took a few moments to think on who could possibly be calling her.
"Could this be?"
Swiping her thumb left, Rain answered the call and put the smartphone to her ears as she crossed her legs, her breasts spilling out of her jacket in the process.
"Hello?"
Rain greeted with narrowed eyes as she watched the outside world.
[Hello niece, no need to get your panties in a twist, It's me, Squall, you probably thought it was some random call right?]
Recognising the voice, the younger girl began to feel the temptation of hanging up the call and doing something else, however, the idea creeping into her head that her aunt was calling her for an important reason crept in.
"Yeah yeah, whatever, I'm sure you aren't just calling for a check-in appointment right...?"
A snort could be heard over the phone as Rain rolled her eyes, her aunt finding her funny from mere words annoyed Rain.
[Of course, I am not, I'm calling to say that your presence is needed back at [Phantom Task], let us just say that all of the battles we have fought against Ichika Orimura and friends are beginning to pay off as we get a better understanding of who he and his friends truly are.]
Squall responded with a serious expression, Rain letting out a sigh as she nodded, understanding but also thinking about everything so far.
"But I believe it would be better if I stayed here and monitored from the inside? I mean I get to witness the changes our foes go through after every battle they face, after every training lesson they partake in..."
The line between Rain and Squall went silent for a moment.
[Don't tell me you are getting attached to our enemies there are you? This isn't just about keeping tabs on them, the Orimura clan are taking specific measures to bring their son back to the clan once and for all.]
Closing her eyes Rain thought deeply for a few seconds.
"Have you been informed how that is even going to take place? I can tell you that watching him that it's no easy task."
[I was informed in the last meeting I attended, their intentions are to use a specific method to draw out their son once more, how they will do it? I have not been informed of their 'true' methods yet.]
Squall responded as she let her niece know of all the important information that she needed to know.
"What will be the point of me even returning? I will be forced to wait around until the 'perfect' moment strikes once in every blue moon..." Rain crossed her arms as she put up a fight to not return to [Phantom Task] yet.
[Because you are now a piece of the puzzle that knows a lot about the son of the matriarch, your knowledge of how he is currently will be key to create the perfect scenario to bring him back to his family, I'm saying you play a vital part in a game you don't even know yet...]
Rain could hear her aunt sigh as she began to sound annoyed.
Her mind running, her thoughts ran over the friendship she had made since arriving at the academy, her classmates, Forte, and even Ichika Orimura who she had a good connection with over the few times they had spoke.
Remembering there was always something inviting about his presence...
"Say aunt, can I bring a friend along? I believe I have a person in mind that is particularly good at everything Ichika Orimura based..." Rain spoke out loud as her mind remembered her close friend Forte Sapphire.
Her dark blue hair and her small figure stuck out as it was her first friend she had made in the IS academy since she went 'undercover.
[Oh? have you made a friend whilst you have been there? how do we know she wouldn't betray us in the long run?]
Rain could tell her aunt was unsure.
"Because I know her very well since we first met, If I can persuade her to join then she could be a good asset to learn more on Ichika Orimura as she has watched him closely since he had arrived."
A long pause existed for a few seconds as the two did not dare to break it.
[You have three days to explore your options and to convince your little friend to join us and if she does not you will be forced to return to us...]
Before Rain could reply, her aunt suddenly hung the phone as the screen went back to the lock screen.
"..."
Closing her eyes, the girl with blonde hair thought over her predicament for a few moments, devising a plan to let her friend know about her true identity and convince her to join her in returning to [Phantom Task].
Alongside herself, Rain knew Forte would be the perfect candidate to extract information about Ichika Orimura and his friends.
She had always been curious to see what the only male IS pilot was all about, hence her research on Ichika Orimura began quite a while ago, although Rain ignored her friend's obsessed nature to watch him and his friends, it all seemingly played into their hands.
Things were seemingly falling into place for Rain.
"Well then, I can only hope she decides to join her friend in the boring hell hole known as [Phantom Task]..."
If you liked this chapter please leave a review!
I will see you in quite some time to come I suppose.
-Kano
