Finally finished the Picture and the fic. As usual, picture's link in my profile. I didn't color it the same way I did with Kira and Lacus because Athrun is a secondary protagonist. And coloring that armor is just a total pain and I'm just too lazy right now.

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Not long after the Wardens returned to their prison empty handed, Ashemar went back to the ruins of the Zala Manor. Inside, as expected, his severely wounded but alive colleague had already finished picking themselves up, patching the many severe but non life threatening injuries Athrun had given them with exact calculated strength. Athrun's attack all missed their vital points, not one of them is in danger.

With no one around and they're quite certain no one can hear them, they can at last cast aside their thuglike nature. "So, Ashemar…" The Water Knight had his arm in an ice cast sling. "I take it that boy understands his position quite well?"

"He's grown." The Earth Knight stated, though his crushed ribs still hurt him when he talks. "And my God how strong he has become."

"It's just like what Lord Yuki said." The Wood Knight smiled, the hole in his chest regenerate rather slow, thanks to the flaming spearhead. "If it weren't for that stupid conviction, we should be calling him My Lord by now."

"But… he'll be okay." Ashemar smiled proudly. "Lord Yuki can be at peace. His successor inherited his spirit as a true defender of Zaft." Ashemar turned to his peers and none of them showed any bitterness. Only pride that their sacrifice has been worth it. Pretending to be a thug, playing the role of a disgruntled dishonorable knight… all for this one conclusion… and it was worth it.

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A day after the Chariot chase, Ray Yuki summoned all five of his disgraced Honor Guards. They came before him, humbled and shamed, but ready to accept whatever judgment Ray will pass upon them for their folly.

Silence followed for a time Ashemar could not determine, but while he kept his gaze down to the floor, he can feel Ray's thoughtful gaze upon them, perhaps weighing what punishment he will bestow upon them.

"Ashemar, you've been in my service the longest." Ray finally spoke. "Customarily, what did I usually do to Knights who had failed me?"

Ashemar resigned himself and answered truthfully. "In the case of this magnitude, My Lord, death."

"Death. Indeed." Ray nodded.

Ashemar and his colleague winced. But, then, the subsequent silence from their lord tells him that there's something different. Ashemar peeked and saw Ray's questioning look. "M… My Lord?"

"Death… and…?" Yuki motioned him to go on.

And that was when Ashemar understood the punishment his master had in mind. "…exile, my Lord?"

In this era of bloody war, there is no shortage of warzone so intense and hellish, places that are so contested, so well defended by the Alliance, a great number of bodybags had to be sent home just to secure a small foothold, and an even greater number of bodybags demanded at daily basis just to defend it. Every now and then, a frustrated senior Knight would purposefully send some of their most troublesome junior, disobedient subordinates, or in this case, disgraced Knights, to this disaster area rather than kill them outright. In the case of the former two, the hellish crusade of war will either straighten them up to glory, or send them to an early grave. In the latter case, Disgraced Knight would often go willingly to such warzone in a hope to cleanse their dishonor and return with glory, or they do not return at all. Either way, Zaft mightiest heroes were often born in such warzones. Ashemar was one such hero.

Ashemar looked somewhat confused at his master's decision. While this decision is hardly merciful, Ashemar felt something amiss with this… clemency. And then he finally noticed that something else is troubling Ray's thoughts. "My Lord… something vexes you?"

Ray turned to his men, and it seems he can no longer contain his concerns. "…yes. My Students worries me."

"You mean… the Young Lord Zala… and that Squire?"

"Yes." Ray finally decided to get to the point. "I think, based on what we saw yesterday, we can safely assume that, as soon as they came of age, they'll be drafted to the military school. In fact… I won't be surprised if Patrick bent some rules a bit and had his son inducted much earlier."

"You mean… what Young Lord Zala did to the Meteor?"

"Do you know how he designed that thing?" Ray handed them the blueprint he had confiscated from Athrun's lab. It showed, with great detail, of how Athrun designed the control mechanism so that the Meteor can be piloted by one man. But above all else, they also saw that these mechanism also referenced various years and campaigns. "I gave an abridged version of my military campaign in Afghanistan to those children as a case study. If you recall, during that campaign, we used Meteor, did we not? And if you recall correctly, there are several situations which the Meteor cannot handle, and such situations stems from our inability to properly control it, and at such, it nearly cost us the battle, yes?"

The Honor Guards remembered it well. It was the raid on Kandahar Palace where they worked together with the Britannian knights. The plan was to use a frontal assault using Ray's Chariot at the forefront as a distraction while the Britannian Knights will attack from behind. But the sands of Afghanistan were softer than expected, and the heavy chariot half sank into the ground. Worse still, the sands get into the mechanism, jamming some of the weapons. The Alliance used guerilla attack tactics, playing hide and seek, culling their army at a rapid rate. In the end, they had to abandon the half buried Meteor and continue on foot… and without the support of heavy armaments; the death toll would've been catastrophic if the Britannian Knight order didn't destroy the palace so swiftly.

"I know you all remembered that disastrous campaign as if it were yesterday. It was one of those rare days where even I can miscalculate. I gave them that scenario as a case study. I told them to solve it, and I gave them what I thought to be an impossible mission parameters. I gave them that test with the full expectation that they will fail as I had." Yuki sighed. He wanted to use that campaign as an example to those two children to show that even the most brilliant of mind can make mistakes. So that they'll be careful in the future. But to his surprise, the two children exceeded his expectations. "Would you believe me, if I tell you that… if those two were in command… we won't even have that debacle?"

The Honor Guards turned to their lord with gawking jaw.

"As I said, I gave them an abridged version of the Campaign… I didn't tell them about a great many and important detail so they'll trip… and fail… But no. They STUDIED my military records very, VERY thoroughly. Kira was able fill in the missing pieces by sheer deduction. And I'm not just talking about army deployments." Ray continued. "Weather. Wind Direction. Even the Sand Density that gave us so much trouble. Kira was able to deduce all that with exacting accuracy as if he was there in person. Using that data as a reference, Athrun designed the control mechanism on the Meteor, the one he used yesterday. It made the Meteor light enough that it won't sink into the sand as it did then. And then with that, the two created a counter strategy that would see us destroy those damned guerillas so quickly that the Britannians wouldn't even have time to destroy the bloody castle."

The Honor Guards looked at each other in disbelief. If this statement didn't come from the lips of their own true lord and master, they would dismiss such claim as mockery and lies. Ashemar was the first to recover from this surprise. "I… suppose congratulation is in order? You finally raised two students that are worthy to be named your successor?"

Ray chuckled. But his chuckle was a mixture of pride, and uneasiness. "There's an expression… raise no more devil than you can put down."

"My Lord? I'm afraid I don't understand."

"I've taught these two children everything I know. I taught them on how to become like me. More than me. Even if I'm to stop teaching them now, they've learned all they need to continue to grow on their own. At this rate it won't be long before even I can't keep up with them anymore." A proud smile formed in Ray's lips. "As their teacher I couldn't be happier, and prouder, of the great men they will become. Dare I say, I have forged two of the finest blades I've ever made… But in retrospect, I've also forged the most dangerous of all doubled edged swords."

"My lord?"

"If they chose to use what they've learned to defend the Empire, our people will prosper like never before. We might be even one step closer to end the war in our victory." Ray voiced his greatest hope. But then, his greatest fear also came to light. "But What if one, or, God Forbid, BOTH of them, decided to turn against the Empire? Who on this earth can stop them?"

Ashemar, still utterly confused with his master's fears, pondered out loud. "But my Lord… what reason would they have to turn against the empire? I mean… Young Zala had nothing but love for his country, as taught by his mother. And the young squire friendship with the young lord would ensure his loyalty. And even if that wasn't the case, we all know how fond he is of you, and you of him."

A grim faced Ray Yuki tightened his grip on his sword handle. "That's the problem right there, Ashemar. They may not have a reason to hate the Empire… but they'll have one soon enough."

"Eh?"

Ray closed his eyes.

The Honor Guards looked at their master's dejected expression and suddenly, they realized what their master was thinking. "My Lord." Ashemar begged. "Tell us you're NOT returning to that God Forsaken continent?"

Ray shook his head and his eyes grew heavy with lifelessness. "We've always planned to come back there, eventually."

"But why?" The Honor Guards knew their Master had lost something behind in Junius. Others would not notice it, but the Honor Guards had spent almost a lifetime at his side… When their Lord was a changed man they would know before everyone else. And this Lord that returned from that hell was… a hollow shell of the great man they once knew. His decision to finally retire from active duty soon after was a surprise to all but them.

"If I think about it… I never left that place." Ray never could let go the horror he went through in Junius. The nightmare haunted him night and day. When one start seeing living breathing human as corpses, one need not to see a therapist to know one's mind had issues. "I'm a changed man now. This much I know. The things I saw there, the things I've done, the things that I came to learn in that place… it left me… marked, scarred beyond healing… and that scar made me a danger… not just to myself, but everyone around me. I have to come back there. Make my peace… or I won't come back at all."

Suddenly, Ashemar can feel his cheek flooded by tears. "My Lord… please… this time, let us come with you! Or, no. Better yet, exile us there in your place!"

"I didn't take you all with me the first time, because… if I'm gone, who would defend the empire in my place?"

"But now, you have two successors who had surpassed you, surely you can-"

"Kira criticized me out in the open." Ray stated. "To be more precise, he criticized the flaws of the whole nobility system of the empire in public."

"Uhh…?"

"I'm not saying I don't agree with what's he's saying. But the fact that he showed no fear of doing it in front of others that really caught me by surprise." Ray rubbed his forehead. "Both Kira, and Athrun, was always critical of our society… with the former was more so than the latter. And as you all well know, from my experience, change isn't exactly something quite popular in our society. So most people stay quiet about it… except the Radical Wing in our ministry."

An uneasy smile formed on Ray's face, mirthfully sympathizing with the political predicament of the current Prime Minister, Siegel Clyne. On one side they have the Radical Faction; those who are vocally critical of Zaft's current state of society. Earnestly, Siegel is a supporter of the Radical Faction who wished the change of Zaft society for the better, but unlike said faction, he believed that change has to come slowly, a belief that the Radical doesn't share. And in opposition, the dominant Conservative Faction. Siegel had to juggle between these two factions, appeasing the Conservative to maintain his position as Prime Minister so that he can actually do some good while also keeping the Radicals to calm the hell down and keep their heads down, lest they get axed off, figuratively and literally. With reason: The conservatives had the backings of the Church, holding monopoly over Zaft's political direction for almost over 400 years of this nation's history.

Ray Yuki and Lennore used to be prominent members of the radicals. The most vocal of the hotheaded youths of their generation… Lennore learned the value of subtlety a little late, and Ray barely managed to avoid the fall. When Lennore was forced to end her path of Knighthood into becoming a Priestess, Ray's friendship with Lennore made him inherit the torch to continue where she had left off. He did manage to stay under the Conservatives' attention, who thought that with Lennore's example, none would be foolish enough to challenge them. But by the time they realized it, the whole of Zaft's military might had looked up to him as the 'Father of Zaft's Modern Warfare', at which point Ray's political influence, and thus that of the Radicals, are anything but small. Indeed, the political battle between the Radicals and the Conservatives are slowly, yet steadily reaching its crescendo, and with this quantum leap he gave them, the Conservatives are losing. And yet their grip remained strong, and with it, they managed to halt, or perhaps decelerate, the Radicals rise to prominence. When Lennore took the fall, Ray's steadfast love and friendship with the Zala Matriarch made him took the fall with her. Look what becomes of them now: While they've physically survived the ordeal, they're more mentally dead than alive.

The breaking of his will and that of Lennore's did not have the effect the Conservative was hoping. Instead, it canonized the two as Martyrs, and if anything, it emboldened the radicals. The Radicals became even more vocal, and their numbers are growing. As expected, the Conservatives grew more desperate to hold on to their power, and there has been talk of using military strength to suppress and 'prevent' this second coming. But Ray and the other Hakutenkun declared their neutrality in this political warfare and they unanimously voted against such ridiculous notion, and even the Faith guard thought the same. This vote showed the weakening of the Conservatives' grip on Zaft's political stage, but it also showed just how desperate they've become to keep their rule.

Either way, Ray wanted so badly to prevent this fate for Kira and Athrun. After his return, he knew that the Conservatives are watching his every move. And he'll be surprised if they haven't noticed the fact that Ray and Lennore are grooming two children who had clearly inherited their will. He need not worry of Athrun, the boy knew when to keep his mouth shut and when to be vocal. Unfortunately, Kira's greatest asset, his courage, the courage to voice the clear uncompromising division of black and white regardless of its consequences, may well be his undoing. Complicating the matter, is the strength of these two likeminded children's friendship. If one is to take the fall, he knew for certain that the other will continue to fight the good fight. At this rate, Ray may well be looking at a history repeating itself. And given the fact that things are currently heating up to dangerous levels, this has the potential of boiling up into a catastrophe.

"Kira and Athrun… both children are equally brilliant, with the potential to reach revolutionary levels. With their critical mind holding on to the ideal of a better Zaft, they are the best hope for this nation's prosperous future. But their beliefs aren't exactly popular opinion. That… unpopularity and the rising political tension lately put them both at risk. Especially Kira. Athrun has the protection of his nobility, Kira has none of that. But I have a plan to do something about it later, so let's move on to the main problem." Ray balled his fist as he looked sorrowfully at his Honor Guards. "As you say, right now, Lennore and I are doing everything we can to instill love of the Empire into their hearts. Their ideals provide them with the motivation to maintain that love. But given the way our society still is, there will come a time when those ideals will betray them. Right now… these two are under my watch. None would dare to touch them while Lennore and I are still around… But… when we are gone, it is only a matter of time before someone, anyone… do something incredibly stupid… and one of them, or both, will suffer because of their ideals, as I have. Their morals will be tested, resolve questioned, and their conscience twisted like never before. I fear by the time they suffered through the ordeals that will befall them there won't be much left for them to love of this country. Will they still consider this country worth defending then?"

Ashemar began to understand his lord's concerns… and what he would ask of them. But still he asked anyway: "What would you have us do, My lord?"

"What they need right now… is time." Ray explained. "The Radicals are gaining momentum and strength. I recently heard the young Clyne sisters are poised to join their ranks. The most admirable girls, I'm told. Especially the elder one, wise beyond her years, or so I've heard from Veia. With this growing influence, the Conservative will have no choice but to focus on the Radicals, diverting their attention from them. I can only hope that… with the little time I had left, I can teach Kira and Athrun to better align their ideals with reality. So when that reality finally crushed them… they can cope with it… but still…" Ray shook his head mournfully. "They're just children. Brilliant and wise beyond their years, but, they're just… children."

And his Honor Guards understand what the Lord will ask of them.

"I had no right, to ask this of you… but I'm asking."

To Ashemar and his peers, there's no questioning of their answer to this call. "My Lord… your wish is our command. We will keep your legacy safe."

Ray smiled sadly seeing the loyalty they displayed… even in the face of this horrid order he will gave them. "Alright… This is what we're going to do."

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And on the next day after that final meeting, Ray's Master plan was executed. In public, he exiled the disgraced knight with full dishonor. In public, his disbanded knights cursed him, spit on his name and even swore vengeance. To the public eye, the once honorable knights had reduced themselves to bitter, spiteful thugs who spend their days drinking and brawling and pretty much making trouble wherever they went. At its zenith, the dishonored knights resorted to a terrible act of terrorism to take their vengeance against the Lord who banished them…

And the carefully orchestrated charade worked like a charm. The act failed as it should be, and they were arrested by Lord Ray himself, who slated them for execution. But in less than 3 days after their arrest, the Conservatives petitioned their release, and even recruited them to their cause, believing their hatred for Ray will ensure their loyalty to the said Faction.

But the truth was far from it. Now that they are where they should be, Ashemar and his peers continues to work quietly behind the backs of their new 'masters' keeping their unwanted attention AWAY from Ray's progenies, thereby ensuring his work on them will go on without disturbance. The former Honor Guard disperse themselves, infiltrating the various nobles they knew to have vendetta with ether Ray or/and Lennore Zala. None suspect anything, and they faithfully maintained their charade, no matter how much insult and abuse they had to swallow.

In the end, their campaign of distraction was a resounding success… until the eventual demise of their beloved Lord and Master. It took every ounce of their effort to put a smile and declared their happiness of Ray's passing when in truth; all they wanted was to tear their heart out to be spared of the pain and grief.

The Water Knight tucked his head down in sorrow.

"Will?"

"…he entrusted him to us… and I failed him. I failed him." Will the Water Knight fell on his knees, balling his fist in anger.

The other knights shared his sorrow for their only failure. They've only partially succeeded their mission. At the passing of the their lord, Will, the youngest of the Honor Guard, was swallowed up by his sadness that he momentarily neglected his duties of watching over the two children while the other knights are on other errand. That was around the time Patrick sold his estate and fired all his workers… Kira included.

When Will get his act together, the house had been sold… and the children are missing. The knights panicked and they quickly picked up the pace to find them. They breathe again when they discovered about Athrun has been enlisted on the Military Academy of the Forge Corps… but they've all but lost track of Kira. The boy seemingly vanished from the face of the earth… until, a year later; they caught wind that the boy was sent to Terminal. They know not for what reason, but that was when they realized… they've failed. Ray's other successor is as good as dead.

Hence, all their hopes were placed on Athrun. The only one remains to continue their master's legacy. With redoubled fervor, they continued their work as if their master's whip is behind them. Fortunately, Athrun didn't seem to be aware of the fate that has befallen his closest friend. Perhaps that is just well… lord knows if Athrun finds out about it, the sorrow of losing his beloved family will be amplified into hatred, and all their work, all their effort to prevent Ray's greatest fears would be undone.

8 years of effort, 8 years of enduring all the hardship… at last it was all vindicated with what they've witnessed today. Athrun, the prodigal son returned a stout and honorable defender of Zaft. The Honor Guards were relieved to tears. Their master can finally rest in peace. Though his circumstances are hardly appropriate, Ray Yuki's last hope has been rekindled. Albeit a slim one.

"You do realize, eventually we'll have to tell Athrun about that butler boy?"

"We'll burn that bridge when it comes down to it." And Ashemar also felt more at ease… if not for this nagging feeling he had… regarding the true fate of a certain brown haired boy. 'We never did chase that thread a bit further…'

Kira… did he really died?

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Kira and Athrun's first duel:

Current stats:

Kira:

Strength: B-

Accuracy: S (Which means it's high Critical Rate, around 90%, damage doubled most of the time)

Agility: A

Endurance: D-

Luck: C-

Magical Power: Ninjutsu: A+

Athrun:

Offense: A+

Accuracy: C+

Agility: D-

Endurance: SS+

Luck: B

Magical Power: Alchemy: C-

Both:

Intelligence: Off the chart.

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Chapter 51

Athrun's side: My enemy

Present day…

When a still very much alive and kicking Kira opened his eyes again, the first he saw was darkness. A streak of light pierced through the prison bars, showing what little he can see in that dark cell. He wanted to get up to bask in the sun for a minute, but then the sound of chains clanking reminded him that he was shackled to the ground.

And now that the last of his drowsiness drifted away, pain once again assaulted his senses, coming from his unhealed injuries. Granted, it's not as painful as when he first received them. But he also noticed a few other things… chief among them; he's still in his Kage attire. His clothing, his garments, even some of his equipments remained in place. 'Interesting…'

Torii!

Kira tilted and saw Torii at the barred windows, peeking at him. And now Kira wanted to undo this chain and reached out for his friend, but he can't. Not yet. Torii understood and instead, he flew to his master's welcoming fingers. "Torii…" Kira smiled.

Torii!

Kira observed Torii's body. Normally, he does look a lot like a living bird. Enough that even Kira would mistake him for one. And that's really saying something. But when he strained his detail observation talent to its limits, he can almost saw past his feathers and flesh… see shards of broken bones… and like a flood of memories, Kira remembered what woke him up from his slumber. The flood of dreams of a past long forgotten. "Athrun… Athrun killed you."

Torii didn't chirp, but he merely tilted his head.

"It's… weird. In Junius… I didn't remember… But… after that… I…"

"Kira." Torii chirped. "Do you remember what I told you back in Junius? About the state of your mind?"

"You told me my state of mind was… anything but sane?"

"Kira… you just endured a loss of someone important. Someone irreplaceable. Lady Lennore. But then… you saw a death. An actual death, MY death. Right in front of your 9 year old eyes."

"And I forget the death of my best and most loyal friend?" Kira shook his head. "Was my head really that messed up!?"

"Kira, you were 9 years old!" Torii explained. "A child so young, at a very unstable state of mind after losing someone important, and then you lose another in rapid succession… how could a young child, Advanced or not, cope with that? The answer is… you couldn't. So when I eventually came back as a Shikigami; you rationalized it by forgetting my death altogether. That I simply… stayed with you for as long as you can remember." The bird pecked Kira's hand kindly. "But you're starting to remember, don't you? After Junius… you've made your peace with lady Lennore's death… and now you're starting to piece it together… you're starting to remember what really happened… I guess only now you get the whole picture."

Kira snorted. "You've been reading Lacus' medical books a little too much."

"It's a good habit to get into." Torii let loose his approximation to a snort. "How does Lily put it? I need to keep watch because my master had a habit of getting himself torn apart. I feed on your spiritual energy, Kira. I'll exist only for as long as you do. So please… quoting your mortal enemy… look after yourself before you look after others. It's not just your survival we're talking about here."

Kira snorted as well as he gently caressed the bird. He remembered it all so clearly now. He remembered when he saw Athrun's grip crushed those furs into a bloody rag. And when he recalled that image, his blood boils with anger. It's an emotion he usually reserved to people whose death he would be happy to ensure… but this one person… is the one person he doesn't want to harm much less kill, no matter what. "…damn… now I regret I remembered it."

Torii?

"…" Still, as he languished in this dark and thankfully quiet prison cell, Kira had the time to do some planning. And thinking. If he think about it now, all the Advanced he had killed… and hadn't killed… he never did saw Athrun… not face to face. And yet…

The two pronged siege where he fought Fuji, and then Archangel Naval Showdown… during those two operations, he felt his presence. His influence from afar, affecting the course of the battle… but not directly. He suspected that some of the officers commanding the enemy forces on said battles had been taking lessons from Athrun. Raww did mention that his former young master does have a strong follower of students.

It was during the later stages of the Archangel Siege crisis he began to feel more than an influence. And it all started… right after he fought… him.

That mysterious Halberd wielding Steel Knight whom he nearly killed.

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In Japan… (During the Rise of the Shadows Arc…)

The sound of metal meeting metal reverberated across the woods as Kira's Shiki grinded against Athrun's Halberd. Kira's men knew their job and leave their boss on his personal duel. In that single exchange, Kira realized the opponent is a much stronger opponent than he. Nothing new there. Athrun also came to understand he won't have time to worry about anyone else. A blacklist captain is not someone he can deal with while dividing his attention. He can only pray Lord Ignis can last until he can think of a way to get out of this mess.

Kira somersaulted whilst keeping the weapons interlocked and sent a series of kicks at Athrun's face. Athrun lifted his shield and blocked the incoming multitude of kicks. Using said shield as a platform, Kira jumped back to open up a distance between them. Athrun grunted and charged forward, closing the distance, his gear halberd whirring forward. Kira jumped back to dodge the attack, but another two furious and powerful swings followed. The masked ninja jumped away to avoid an earth crushing blow from the Knight's halberd by the millimeters… The whole ground capsized upon impact, and the sheer air shockwave from the swing hammered a shocked Kira off his feet.

'What the…' Recovering from his surprise in an instant, Kira instead used the shockwave to his advantage to lift him up above the destruction and then descend down from up-top, blade swinging to the Knight's head. The Knight didn't expect this kind of maneuver, and barely tilted his head. The blade was aimed at one of his eye sockets; it nicked his plated cheek instead.

'Holy…' Athrun was somewhat horrified that someone can accurately strike the only opening his armor posses, the eye visor, in that situation. The Dark Shinobi stepped on his disoriented shoulder and jumped away, leaving him momentarily off balance. Athrun quickly recovered as he looked angrily at Kage, who returned the favor as he landed nimbly on his feet.

'The hell is that strength?' Kira also frowned. 'He's a zoan? I've never seen anyone this strong before… and that armor… what's it made of…?' Kira narrowed his eyes, steeling his murderous intent.

Athrun growled. 'What a flexible way of fighting… and murderous too… he aimed straight towards my openings…' Tightening his grip on his halberd with renewed resolve, Athrun stood resolute and ready.

'I definitely can't let him live beyond today!' Both came up with the same conclusion.

Athrun swing his halberd and the main spear head burst into flames. Trampling forward, the fully armored knight quickly closed the distance, his blazing weapon slashing. The air pressure caused the flaming spear to erupt, generating combustive wave with every swing. Kage moved here and fro, avoiding both the flame and the blade at carefully measured margin.

At one moment, he saw an opening, and Kira throw three Kunais at Athrun's neck as he avoided a horizontal slash. Athrun saw the attack, but neither his shield nor his halberd can stop them in time. Not that it was necessary, his full body armor will take care of that. The three kunas found its mark and sank on Athrun's muscle like neck armor, but the wearer suffered no damage… until Athrun noticed this hissing and burning talisman tied to each Kunai.

BTOOOM!

The Explosive tag on the Knight's neck exploded, engulfing his entire upper half. Athrun's ears were ringing and his eardrum is unmistakably torn. The blinding light of explosion blurred his eyesight. 'I didn't expect that…' Athrun knew an attack is coming, but he can do little with his head is still spinning. It didn't do any damage per se, but until his regenerative power kicked in, he's blind and deaf… for half a second. His senses quickly regenerated, but in that half a second, he was face to face… with Kage, pointing the tip of a green arrow straight to his eye socket.

"Block this."

'How did he…' Before Athrun could barely comprehend the speed of Kage's onslaught, the arrow had already pierced his green eye and punctured through the back of his helmet as the small projectile carried him flying off the ground. The short flight stopped when the arrow stabbed through a tree, nailing the Knight's head unto it. Athrun had thought of pulling out the projectile when the sword arrow bursts in green flames… and exploded full force inside his helmet.

Kage winced when he saw the Knight jerked when the violent burst of green fire explosion spilled out of what little opening the helmet had. Surprisingly, the helmet, and the armor, remained intact, which showed said armor are made of sterner stuff… but that also means that Midori Shiki's explosion are funneled and compressed in that small space. 'Poor bastard probably died without a pain…' As if to support this conclusion, the armor, still smoking inside out from its seams, slid lifelessly down the tree and fell on its knees, hissing in dead finality, a small monument for the fallen master within it. Kage thought that's that, and he turned away to attend to the other errand… until he heard a small twitch from his back.

Athrun's armored fingers twitched. As his regeneration quickly rebuilt his charred lungs, one of his eyes regenerated first, allowing him to catch sight of Kage cancelling his intention to just walk away. It seems he noticed his restoration process and that their fight is far from over. Athrun can guess how. Never before he felt his anger and bloodlust rose up to this level. He'd be surprised if Kage didn't felt it.

"…a Regenerator…" Kage commented in his whispery voice. "And yet you wear an insanely tough armor…" Kage shirked. 'He's a monster alright…'

By that time, 60% of the damage inflicted on his damaged body had recovered, including his capacity to talk back. "I can't remember the last time I had to completely regenerate almost my entire upper half…" His distorted voice echoed beneath his helmet.

Neither Kira nor Athrun could recognize each other's voice, so distorted by either purposeful altercation of the speaker or the unintended side effects of one's armor.

Athrun growled. 'His movements. I had to seal his movements!' Athrun lifted his kite shield and slammed it down until its entire lower half sank into the ground. The four chain swords that formed its bottom sprang out and burrowed deep. The ground beneath Kira rumbled, and the shinobi managed to jump away just in time as four snaking chain swords burst out of his feet, seeking to entangle his legs. But that was just the start, the chain swords whirred as they drilled in and out in rapid successions, denying him a firm footing. Already some of these attacks produce a multitude of scratches and torn on his legs. In that moment of instability, it was fortunate that Kira catch sight of Athrun's hammer moments away before the swing was completed.

Kira ducked just in time, and the hammer swing scraped but a strand of his hair. The gust of wind from the whirring gears knocked him off balance. Kira noticed that the Knight had left his shield behind as its chain swords autonomously performed their duty of making the ground beneath his feet anything but safe. His armored opponent however, has no such troubles as he plunged straight into the spiking field, his halberd hammer swinging in zooming wide arcs amidst the rising of drilling blades. Arcs that Kira knew he cannot block, and yet, between these spiking chain swords and the enemy's relentlessness, he could barely avoid these attacks. 'Space… I have to close the space! Go inside the minimal range of his weapon!' And so, Kira dared himself to stand his ground as the Knight sent an overhead hammerfall. Kira winced, knowing he will pay dearly for his resolution to block this one attack. When the hammer stroke finally came, Kira had to collapse down to his one knee, and the ground beneath him cracks under the pressure. And yet, somehow, his bones miraculously hold.

"Gr… Grrrrhhh!" Kage tilted his blade, letting Athrun's halberd slide to the side. And before he can recover, Kage jumped up, once again using the Knight's being as his stepping stone. But this time, Athrun won't let him jump around as he pleases. Calculating his possible trajectory, Athrun swing the butt of his halberd blindly behind him, accurately swatting Kage by the stomach. Though he did sent him flying, crashing into the woods out of his sight, something he must not allow. His shield magnetically flew back to his right arm as he charged into the woods, chasing his target.

Kira felt something from his stomach had just been forced out of his mouth. The Knight sent him flying through several trees that happened to be in the way. When he landed, he's in more pain than he had ever felt in his life. Coughing out his bloody vomit, Kira nevertheless struggled to get up as he heard the sound of trees snapping and crashing that grew louder. With that full suit of heavy armor he's not exactly subtle in announcing his coming, bulldozing everything in his way. But one loud foot stomp, the trampling stopped, and Kira knew what it meant. He looked up and saw the Knight up in the sky, his weaponized mechanical shield coming in first to pulverize him, descending fast. But not that fast. Kira had enough time to form a series of handseals, and slapped the ground. A massive pillar of stone erupted and stabbed straight towards the Knight.

Athrun didn't expect this, but he pushed through anyway. He swings his halberd and sent his hammer, and the earthen construct shattered to pieces. Amidst the floating pieces, Athrun continue to descend, albeit at a significantly slower pace. Nonetheless, his eyes desperately struggled to catch sight of that black clad demon. He saw him briefly kneeling and jumped towards him, hopping from rock piece to rock piece, big enough to hold the Ninja's light weight for half a second, because that was all it take for him to jump to the next piece. The distance between them are closing, Athrun's first thought would be to protect his eyes… which is probably what the ninja would've wanted. No. If he's aiming for his eyes, he's free to go and get it. After which he'll obliterate him through that opening.

Kira saw the Knight didn't even bother protecting his eyes anymore. And yet earlier, he would tilt to avoid his blade. Which means, he caught him off guard the first time, and his avoidance was an instinctive reaction. But now he didn't even bother protecting it even though he should've known better by now… this just screams: trap, over and over. Fine. Spring the trap. One last jump, and Kira rushed straight towards the Knight, blade swinging to his eyes.

As expected, he aimed to his eyes. Athrun glared and noticed an opening by his chest. 'Got you!' Athrun punched his shield towards said opening. For a moment, it looked as if the Dark Captain won't have the time to block, but moments before the attack hit, Kage acrobatically changed his move and grabbed the shield instead. Using it at his stepping stone, the ninja jumped over Athrun and he still had time to jab his sword in and punctured one of Athrun's eye. Again. 'Sonnova…!' Athrun's falling with blood trailing out of one of his visor, but he refused to just fall.

The Knight is going to fall, for certain, but he had one last trick up his sleeve. He swished his cloak, and they break off into a horde of swords shot out towards him! "Oh shit!" Kira swing Shiki wildly around him, desperately trying to block as many swords as possible. But blocking just one made his fingers numb, and the damn knight sent 10. When he blocked 8 of them, his fingers hadn't recovered enough to stop the last two puncturing his shoulder and sliced a bit of his waist.

The two combatants fell on the ground, both equally injured. But Athrun had the advantage. When he get back on his feet, his eye had regenerated. Kira is still grunting as blood trickled down the spot where the sword punctured him. Athrun noticed he finally gained an advantage… or did he?

Kage looked at the sword on his shoulder. Then he looked at the Knight in front of him, still ready to fight, the injury he gave him nowhere in sight. Damn these Regenerator types… And that armor… this sword was made of the cloak that formed his back. He noted that the cloak size noticeably decreased. '…so… this sword, that armor, that cloak, everything he wears… it's composed of the same material… but it's not like he has limitless amount of it… it's no ordinary armor… more like, no ordinary steel…' Kira may lack restoration, but he makes it up with something else entirely. Gritting his teeth and without so much as a squeal, Kage pulled out the sword.

"Eh?" Athrun blinked.

At first, the sword weighed Kira's hand that it fell, and the blade sank. But Kira refused to let go of his grip. Gritting his teeth, he sensed a will within that steel. A will that, rather than going against his wish, it's testing him, butting its will against his and see who will come out triumphant. Grunting, Kira steeled his mind and reinforce his will. If it's going to test him, it's about to learn that it's in over its head. 'LISTEN TO ME YOU PIECE OF SCRAP!' Kira's mind roared, and the will that test him went silent. And with it, the magenta color of the sword turned black, signing its obedience. And all the sudden, the sword no longer felt so heavy. 'Yosh.'

And to Athrun's shock, Kage wielded said sword as his secondary weapon, swinging it as lightly as one swing a wooden twig. "Are you kidding me?" Kokuyou shared Athrun's disbelief. "My child… how can he bend the will of my child so easily…?"

Kira looked at the blood flowing down his open wound. If he didn't close his wounds now, he'll die of blood loss. Against an enemy like this, he had no time to wait for his obviously slower regenerative power to kick in. Making a quick handseal, Kira unleashed a plume of flame that quickly superheated the sword until its edges are molten. And without a pause, Kira placed the superheated sword on his open wound.

Athrun's eyes widened when the sound of hiss reached his ears and his nose caught the smell of burnt flesh. 'He just… without any hesitation…!' Barely recovering from his horrid shock, Kage had already closed the distance.

The Knight lifted his shield and Kira began his twin sword tirade. A relentless assault without pause or delays. The Knight bashed his shield to break up the attack, just as the gears on his halberd spin furiously before he swung the massive weapon around in a wide arc, unleashing a small wave of fire, earth and water. Kira had to move acrobatically and dodge not only the weapon, but the elements unleashed as well. Jumping over a half of stones while bending his body to avoid the icicles and slide past the wave of fire, all at an overly skintight margin where the weapon's whirring gears are but a few centimeters above Kira's nose. But that was the opening Kira's waiting for. He quickly flanked the Knight from the side. The superheated Black Kokuyou sword swings in.

Athrun grunted when he felt his armor was sliced open. His blood trailed in a crescent arc behind the black sword his opponent wields. Athrun quickly understood. This is the contradiction of the Ultimate Shield and spear paradox. A shield made by the hardest material can't defend against itself. "Shi-" The pain of his sliced belly barely receded, another sharp pain burst when Kage sank Shiki into the open wound, just before the armor can close in. The blade pierced his armor from the inside. "A… ArgH!"

"Slice the Heaven-"

"Huh?"

"AOIRO SHIKI!" And in an instant, Shiki transformed into its oversized energy blade mode… inside Athrun's belly.

"HOLY SM-" Athrun didn't get the chance to finish his scream; he was ripped in half by the gigantic energy blade exploded inside his stomach. Athrun fell with a thud, bathed in his blood, literally. As he vomit blood through the seams of his helmet, he can actually see his shredded intestines hanging from the gaping hole of his torn belly. The last time he lost his entire lower half was when that Steam Sphere incident… Fortunately, his regeneration power is much stronger than it was then. Already the pain died out, the start of the regeneration process. It'll take a couple of minutes though… "GRH!" And he just knew his opponent will not give him that time. He quickly formulated a plan. 'King… can I ask you something?'

Kira can already the Knight's spine reforming. Regenerators. Annoying in that they can't even die right. Growling, Kira dragged the two swords, quickly but cautiously approached the bisected Knight. Soon, Kira looms over the Knight, as helpless as he is miserable. Regenerator or not, losing half of your body is a painful experience. Better die quickly and be spared the pain. Kira lifted the dark Kokuyou sword, preparing to tear the armor open and rip its insides to shreds… until Kira noticed there's something wrong with the way the Knight's blood sprayed out… they're forming… runic circle… no… Transmutation Circle!?

Athrun saw the pause and the recognition in the Shinobi's eyes, and he realized time is short. Kage looked back to the other half of his body and realized too late of the same transmutation circle forming around Athrun's lower half, the two circles interconnected with his blood. "Oh no." He can hear him cursing. But too late. Moving faster than he thought possible, Athrun slapped his palms together and placed them on his chest. The Human Transmutation circles shone up. Athrun saw his lower half and the armor that enclosed them deconstructed into energy bolts. The energy bolts jumped from the dissipating stumps into the gaping maw of his upper body half. Athrun roared in pain when he felt lighting coursed through his every synapses, all the way to his spine and then his brain. But the pain was a sign that it's working.

The Knight is an ALCHEMIST!? Why didn't he see this a mile away!? Kira cursed his stupidity as he witnessed the said knight transmutated a new set of legs using the severed lower half of his old one as raw material. The torn armor also reformed instantly around his legs. But the Knight didn't move yet. The restoration is not yet complete. Kira quickly rushed in for the kill, the dark Kokuyou cleaved the Knight's chest. It was then Kira realized the mistake he made in his haste.

"I'll take my boy back if you don't mind." A fully restored Athrun grabbed hold of Kage's left arm with his right as the dark Kokuyou sword that was plunged into his chest regained the original magenta hue before being absorbed back into the said armor. And the best part? "I got you now you jumpy slippery bastard!" Athrun grinned wide in triumph as his armored fingers tightened his grip on Kage's wrist. And to really make sure he won't get away, the Scylla Shield chains sword sprang out and wrapped around the Ninja's entire body, binding him tight. Kage had just enough time to put Shiki between the whirring chain sword and his frontal body part. The Chain Sword tentacles tightened around the shinobi's back, grinding his body slowly. Athrun flicked his left arm and brought out one of his switchblade. It trembled in a high pitch as Athrun swing it to the trapped Kage, attempting to gut the now immobile target.

Kira think quickly and quickly instead welcomed the stab with his free right leg boot stomp. As expected, the blade went through his foot quite easily. It hurts like death, but at the very least, it bought him time. Angrily glaring at these damn chain swords constraining him, Kira switched Shiki into her blue form once again, generating the Aoiro shiki's massive energy blade. "RAAAAAAAAGH!"

Much to Athrun's surprise, the massive blue energy blade actually cut through his chain swords. "How did he…!?" Athrun had enough time to jump away as Kage angrily swing his blade around, attempting to tear him a new one. Granted, the blade didn't reach him, and it seems Kage also deigned to stop for a minute… to deal with this hole on his bleeding leg, and to study the facts before him, just like what Athrun's doing right now.

An awkward silence followed as the two warriors analyzed the situation in their mind.

Kira looked at the shredded pieces of the Chain Sword. 'Now this is awkward… the chain sword is part of that armor… ergo, it's made of that same liquid metal material…'

'And yet… just now, the energy blade can sever it?' Athrun blinked. As he willed it, the shredded pieces melded back into liquid metal circuitry, flowing back to his shield. 'Kokuyou… what is this?'

'Shiki.'

'Eh?'

'My returned child told me… That is her name… Shiki.' Kokuyou replied. 'My sister.'

'Sister… a Hatori Hanzou steel like you?'

'Kokuyou.' By that same token, Shiki also explained what she could to her master. 'That is his name. My Brother.'

'Your brother… the liquid metal that composed the entirety of that armor and those weapons too…?'

'Her power blazes like a beacon of light shrouded in darkness.' Kokuyou's words were a mixture of awe and anger. 'That being said… given this much power in her… she's not one to easily bend knees before anyone.'

'You're trying to say her master is that much of a monster huh?' Athrun had no complaints. So this is Blacklist Captains, the Alliance counterparts to Hakutenkun. Naturals so strong it made one wonder if they are human at all.

'He was able to subdue my child with sheer force of will in seconds. I expect nothing less.'

'That armor is dense. And tough. And yet, the energy blade can sever it?' Kira looked back at the pieces of the chain swords.

'My Azure form produces a blade of compressed energy. Energy Blades are not like physical swords.'

'To put it crudely, Physical swords like my constructs are like a bludgeon that butt head to head with the object. Mine is sharpness that cannot be matched by any other steel in the world. Such is my pride as a Hatori Hanzo steel. Granted… she can boast that same pride, being my sister. It's just… the way she manifests that strength is different.'

'Remember the Tetsuga Tenshou? Aoiro Shiki turned that same energy, condense and suspend that energy into an energy blade. Aoiro Shiki's energy blade is a mass of condensed energy particles that can sever things at molecular level. No defense can block that.'

Athrun gulped. So that Giant Blade didn't just cut through… when that giant blade hit him, it's like a mass of particle needles that sever the molecular bond between individual particles that composed his armor. Molecules are the building blocks of all matter. Athrun's armor can survive a volcano explosion up close… but if the power is concentrated to sever molecular bond of particles that composed an object… It's not that the enemy's blade is harder… it's just… denser. 'Okay… that's dangerous…'

It took Kira a bit longer to understand Shiki's point. To put it bluntly, that armor can withstand a lot of punishment from physical attacks… but an immaterial energy blade can cut through it, with some effort.

'Still… that means he'll have to use that gigantic unwieldy blade…' Athrun smirked nervously. 'He won't be able to move so fast carrying around a blade as tall as skyscrapers like that one…'

Kira inwardly reached the same conclusion. Besides, based on his observation, Aoiro Shiki can't grind its way through that alloy fast enough.

"Hmmm… then we need to make the energy blade sharper…"

"No… not sharper." Kira smirked. "Denser."

And just when Athrun think things couldn't get any worse…

"Soar in your throne between Heaven and Hell…" Kira dropped the upside down Shiki gently. And when it touches the ground like a drop of dew, the dark captain was engulfed in a whirlwind of crimson feathers. And when the storm subsided; the Shinobi is clad in a red and black cloth, seemingly made of wings, with four extensions extending down his long red coat.

Athrun had heard many times that red is synonymous with danger… and in this case that principle is vindicated over and over. He only blinked once… and when he opened them again, the red clad ninja is gone from his sight; his halberd wielding left arm has been shredded to pieces.

Kira generated a solid katana made of pure energy. Significantly smaller than Aoiro Shiki's Skyscraper blade… and yet it emanates the same level of energy. All that power, packed and condensed into that small form… which means… it's destructive power just got skyrocketed by the magnitudes of a few hundredfold.

That was just a test slice, and Athrun can see his armor just got carved open like a tin foil. "Oh… crap…" And he didn't even see him moving. Athrun turned around to face his enemy, and he's gone again, and so is his left leg.

Regenerators aren't immortals. That's what Kira learned in his experience with Veia. Rapidly regenerating your body is a highly exhausting process, the bigger the damage, the more it burns the stamina. One can't do it over and over unless one had external spare parts, like using the elements at a constant rate, such was the case with Veia. But this guy is different. He's not Logia, he didn't absorb any additional element from the environment. At some point, his stamina will be pushed to its absolute limits, and after that, he'll be just as vulnerable as the rest. Which means he had to attack. Attack, attack, attack until he reached that limit. This is a battle of attrition.

'He called me a Regenerator…' He regenerated his left arm, his right arm gets it. 'Zaft Slang words for Advanced with highly developed healing factor… like me…' His right leg regenerated, his waist shredded to pieces. 'And now he's trying to slice me off as fast as he could, trying to push me to my limits…' Athrun thought was momentarily cut when his head was split in half. When it reknit itself back, his body had been mutilated and regenerated itself over and over at least a dozen times. 'He's right… but this is a battle of attrition… I'm pretty confident with mine, but… he's a blacklist… I'm not taking any chances… King?'

Yes?

'Upgrade blueprint… anti beam coating… in my head! QUICKLY!' And now the damn ninja is moving to his chest.

'This guy is a monster!' By his count, Kira had already inflicted enough lethal damage to over-kill this Knight a dozen times over in the last 1 minute and still he keeps getting back up. At this rate, it's HIS stamina's that is in danger. 'I'll have to finish this now!' He swing his beam blade to what he thinks will be the final strike…

CLASH!

Sparks lit up as the Red Beam Blade grinds… with the new and improved, dark purple colored Scylla Shield. King couldn't manage to envelop the entire armor with the new anti beam coating just yet, but he can at least apply that defensive feature to defense dedicated equipment. 'Be a gent and apply that to my halberd too please?'

I just did.

Athrun raised his shield to block a multitude of slashes that would've cleaved him to shreds for the nth time. Meanwhile, the rest of his body regenerated as he picked up his also dark and purple Halberd. Now he got something to defend himself with.

When Kira jumped back, he knew he just missed his chance and things just got a lot more complicated. No. Not Exactly. Only his shield and halberd gets coated by that dark purple matter. He'll just have to get through or around those obstacles to pierce his armor.

Athrun stood ready when Kira generated a second beam sword and the one already in his hand turned into a mass of concentrated red energy.

Athrun pre-empt the attack by launching a rain of swords at Kira, who welcomes it by throwing a razor sharp stream of red light that cut through them all with ease. Athrun lifted his shield and he can feel his shield groans as the incredibly dense stream of energy grinds through layers of his protector. With a grunt, Athrun bashed the shield aside, and the red energy was finally slammed away. But by then, Kira had closed the distance, his energy blade thrusting in. Athrun tilted and the blade only tore off a bit of his side stomach. But he ignored said injury and swings his halberd at Kira. The hammer is only inches away from his head when the adversary disappeared from his sight. Kira flew above Athrun, and when his green glowing eyes are on him again, his hands had already finished a series of handseals. "Katon, Goukyaku no Jutsu!" A giant fireball fell and consumed Athrun where he stands. But as the sea of fire beneath him subsided, a streak of purple erupted. Roaring murder and anger, a smoking but intact Athrun jumped out and plunged body first to an unprepared Kira. A caught off guard Kira was pushed to the ground. When he came to, Athrun is right on top of him, Halberd lifted, hammer set to pulverize his chest, his feet stepping on the black of his red coat. Thinking quickly, Kira momentarily deactivated Kurenai Shiki, loosened his shoulder and slide out of his captain's coat just as Athrun's hammer hit nothing but the empty ground. Rolling and twisting, Kira instantly reformed the red shiki as he acrobatically slithered around in-between Athrun's leg before quickly climbing his back. Before he knew it, Athrun had Kira's Shiki red beam sword stabbed into his neck, the blade had punctured all the way to his lungs. Roaring angrily, Athrun's cloak erupted into a mass of swords, but Kira had already left his back with a jump, his sword yanked out of his armor, transformed into the Green Bow, and Kira let loose a shot whilst Athrun let loose a horde of swords. Kira used the Midori Shiki bow blades to block some of the blades and dodged the rest, Athrun blocked the Agni Kai explosion with his shield. Both survived the ordeal and charged towards one another, clashing once again.

But with each blow traded, these two warriors began to realize something. When they first started, both sides had no idea what to expect of their mysterious opponent, and therefore, each side was able to inflict damage using the element of shock and awe. The balance of power had shifted back and forth throughout this duel, but neither side gave out ground or openings, adapting their strategies and tactics constantly to newfound knowledge about their enemy. Both sides had their strength and weakness. By chance or fate, these strengths and weaknesses complement one another quite well. Athrun is stronger and sturdier thanks to his armor and heritage, but slower because of it, where Kira is faster and nimbler but more fragile for forgoing armor to achieve his speed. As for the capacity to inflict damage, they're at an impasse. If they're not limited by the eventual depletion of stamina or the passing of time, they can go on fighting like this forever. Unless one of them give or make some major breakthrough right then and there, then indeed, that would be the case.

Ducking beneath another slash that sliced a bit of his pommel, Athrun realized he needs a boost to cease this stalemate. 'King, get ready for a Silver Over-'

But before Athrun can finish his word of thought, something he did not expect happened. His knee collapsed on him. 'What?' That collapsing knee caused him to miserably fail to dodge another slash to his eyeslits. One of his eyes paid the price. In a feral angry swing, Athrun swing his halberd and missed his target horribly. He tried to get up but then as his eye regenerate… he finally began to feel the cause of that incident.

'Am I… getting… tired?' The fact is, his eye regenerated a lot slower than it should, his feet buckling beneath him to the point… he actually had to use his halberd to help him stand up straight. Even any halfwit can easily perceive… he finally reached his limits.

"Finally." Kage nodded seeing the way his enemy faltered, recognizing his victory in this battle of attrition. "About damn time."

Athrun growled. 'But… I don't understand… I kept track of my stamina since Aprillus! I always have! I should still be able to go on much further than this… how…!?' He also kept track of the amount of damage he had received from Kage. And indeed they are anything but light and regenerating them were no easy task, normally even after all that he can answer the challenge of attrition with confidence of more to spare. So… how come he's already out of breath all the sudden? And then, to make things worse, the coloration of his dark purple armor waned into dull grey. They became brittle, yet their weight seems to increase hundredfold. A weight that Athrun, in his tired state, could barely bear. 'W… What…!?'

The confusion of this untimely exhaustion of power distracted Athrun, he failed to notice Kage had disappeared. When Athrun recovered briefly, he couldn't see his opponent anywhere… he doesn't realize until too late his opponent is right behind him…

Until Kage's sword stabbed his heart from his back, much to his shock. "GAH!" His armor, that should've easily blocked that attack, was as brittle as thoroughly rusted steel. Kage roared and pushed him to the ground face first, and his katana nailed him to the ground.

"You regenerators are all the same!" Kage growled. "Just because you can regenerate again over and over, you all think you'll live forever!"

"What have you done~… gahkk!" Athrun screamed and gasped for breath as Kage ruthlessly jammed the sword ever deeper and deeper… 'What is he doing…?' And then it hit him.

Kage twisted his sword and obliterated Athrun's heart. The body tried to regenerate it, of course… but…

"Let's see you regenerate your heart with my sword still stuck in where it should be!"

And Athrun knew at last… he's in serious trouble. Call him monster or whatever; he's still just a flesh and blood human who needs his heart to pump blood to his veins to stay alive! And with that Katana in the way, his body won't be able to regenerate his mangled heart, and without his heart to pump blood and oxygen to the rest of his body, his bodily functions will steadily shut down, one by one. Out of the strength needed to break free, Athrun's fingers desperately clawed the ground for help… he began to feel cold, and then numb… his brain screamed for oxygen that won't come, and his lungs stop pumping… 'No… this… this can't be… happening… I really am… going to… die… here…!?'

His breath finally stopped. Kage watched as the knight stopped twitching, and his fingers fell flat. And yet, Kage dared not to remove the blade sticking out of his mangled heart. Not yet anyway. As he looked at the back of the Knight's head, he saw a mane of his dark raven colored hair sticking out beneath his phased out helmet. And then it hit him… had he not seen that hair color before? A pinch of fear and panic wormed its way to his heart, and almost hastily, Kage's fingers reached to that helmet. He slowly began to pluck it open… until…

WHACK!

Igniz somehow returned on the scene and managed to land a hit on a completely distraught Kage's head, holding his now shattered long sword in reverse, using the hand protector of his sword as a hammer to bash his head off silly. Caught off guard by the sudden attack, Kage was knocked unconscious almost instantly.

Igniz couldn't believe his luck. There he was, engaging a running and losing battle with 4 of the 7th division most powerful warriors at his heel as they move away from the two fighters' intense duel. Athrun Zala, matching a blacklist Captain blow for blow. It was a sight to behold. And then, some of his surviving knights found him, lend him aid, giving him a chance to break off the pursuit and returned to lend whatever aid he can to that incredible young knight. Imagine his horror when he returned only to find the Captain had just sadistically nailed the young boy's lifeless body to the ground, and it seems he's going to finish the job. Well, not on his watch. Igniz didn't expect that he would be able to land a hit so easily too, and yet, he did it. The Dark Captain seems to be so distracted by something, he didn't even notice him blindsiding him. He had no time to ponder what it was that distracted him; he needs to work quickly if he's to help Athrun.

Igniz pulled Shiki out of Athrun's chest, but the boy didn't react. His regeneration had yet to kick in… "Zala! Get up! ZALA!" The Fire Knight looked at Athrun's lifeless body, that crater on his back… he had to close it first… Igniz quickly turned his hand into a solid magma. 'This is going to hurt, but I had to close that wound, no matter what. Don't die on me, Athrun!' The hissing sound of burning flesh filled the area as Igniz cauterized that hole, stopping the massive bleeding. 'Alright… now… he need some energy to jumpstart his regeneration again. Right… where's that thing…'

Some little over six years ago, a certain pink haired princess went on a healing spree, healing the sick and injured wherever she went for one full year. After which she was unfortunately forced into retirement, but not before leaving numerous notes pertaining various medical procedures and medicinal recipes. Some of those notes pertains a recipe for a ration for a famished Zoan to quickly regain their lost calories. Turning the boy's body around, he quickly opened his helmet and then his mouth and poured some paste looking substance into his mouth. One of her invention is this paste. Supposedly, one tablespoon of this paste had enough calories in it to fill a stomach of a full grown man. The only problem is, the manufacturers couldn't get the recipe right, producing inferior products. The inventor also refuses to push this invention further for one reason.

It tastes like crap. Literally.

Athrun body began to jerk and his mouth gargled. But it's working. The wound in his chest began to close, albeit at a very slow rate. Now… he'll just have to ensure the healing process went undisturbed…

"Urgh…"

Perhaps that was too much to ask. The human shaped black demon had just regained consciousness.

"That… hurts…" Blood trailed down Kage's temple. Using the handle of a sword as an impromptu hammer is a technique often used by Knights… usually to bust open armors. The reason his head wasn't cracked open is because his forehead protector prevented the worst of the damages and Igniz wasn't exactly in the best of condition. Still hurts though. "SHIKI!"

The master called, and the blade flew back to her master's welcoming hand. Igniz quickly lifted his shattered sword, but just as he entered a fighting stance, the enemy disappeared from his sight. At that moment, Igniz somehow knew what's happening and where the enemy's blade was pointed. And then, propelled by that instinct, Igniz did the one thing he can do with his wounded and aging body.

STAB!

Kage's eyes widened in surprise. His Shiki disappeared into Igniz's stomach when the man jumped and stood between his blade and its intended recipient, the still regenerating Knight.

"You…" Kage was somewhat surprised of Igniz willingness to sacrifice his own life, though he was less surprised as to why.

"Haha… As expected…" Igniz coughed lava in place of blood. "You targeted him… did you deem him a bigger danger than me?" He grinned in satisfaction. "You thought right. And it's my thoughts exactly. Which is why, I'd gladly give my life to ensure his survival beyond today."

"Stupid old man…" Kage shrugged, but he smiled in respect. "But… it's a commendable stupidity." Kage twisted his katana, and with a yank, he split the Knight's stomach open. However, the lava spraying out along with the content of his disemboweled guts made sure that Kage had to jump back a distance lest he'll get melted.

Igniz grinned as he fell on his knees, exhausted but content when he felt another blood thirst rose up behind him, coming from a somewhat healed but completely enraged Athrun. Athrun regained the strength needed to get back on his feet, and yet, his armor remained grey. "You bastard!" But Athrun still wanted to fight to the final bitter end, and he would've, if Igniz dying hand didn't get in his way. "Lord Igniz?"

"No… you can't beat him. Not yet, boy."

Igniz split stomach and his dying words brought rationality that dampened Athrun's rage. And so he saw the reality of the situation and understands that this battle is lost. They have to live to fight another day. Squeezing whatever strength he had left, Athrun grabbed his halberd, charging whatever mana he had to the earthen transmutation circle. Kage knew something's bad is about to happen and charged to meet him head on… But he was too late. Athrun slammed the hammer to the ground with a roar. The whole halberd shattered to pieces, but a mass of earthen wall suddenly erupted in his way. Growling, Kage bring out the Green Arrow of the Midori Shiki. With a shot, the fragile construct were immediately blasted away.

But as Kage walked past the rubble, the two Knights had all but disappeared. "…damn."

Carrying the dying Igniz on his back, Athrun ran as fast as his feet can carry him, meanwhile his armor began to shed, bit by bit. But he kept running anyway, not caring what's in front of him, only hoping, beyond hope, that no one is following him. When he finally stopped for breath and reached a clearing, there's nothing left. And that was when Athrun finally allowed himself the luxury of finally collapsing on his knees. He looked back, and saw no one was following him. Somehow he managed to outrun his enemies.

And finally, his heart had a chance to beat a little slower. But as he rests on all fours, Athrun reviewed the events that had transpired, and how it all boils down to one simple fact: He lost. He's completely and thoroughly lost. For the first time in his life, he was beaten so badly that he actually had to run with his tails between his legs…

"…there's… no shame in this." As if reading where his mind going, Igniz choked what little word he can spare.

"Lord Igniz…" Athrun looked at the elderly Fire Knight. It was clear he didn't have long to live.

"Young Lord Zala, winning and losing is a normal part of war. It happens to everyone."

Athrun chuckled bitterly. "I know. I've had my fair share of losses in chess games with my Mother. But… this is probably the first time I lost in a fistfight."

Despite the pain, Igniz can still find it in him to laugh at Athrun's plight. "I can imagine. Given the raw strength of your bloodline limit and all, finding a suitable match must be hard. I pity your future bride when the time comes."

Even while watching Igniz bleed his guts out, Athrun still find it in him to snort. The two knights chuckled, but Igniz immediately stopped when the pain prove too much. Athrun also stopped laughing and he wanted to do something… but there's nothing he can do.

Igniz knew his time has come. "You're a smart boy, you knew why I let that demon rip my guts out, yes?"

"But… you saw it. He beat me to the inch of my life."

"And you managed to throw some of your punches right back at him as well; which is much more than any other non Hakutenkun Knight has ever done to him." Igniz coughed again. "You'll beat him in the end. I know you will. I… know… you… will…" And his lips stopped, along with his breath.

It took a few seconds for Athrun to notice his passing. But when he realized it, Athrun couldn't say anything. The boy stayed still for a while, though his mind is hardly idle. Ignited by Igniz sacrifice, his brain raced ahead of his tired body. Analyzing the situation with as much clarity as he could spare.

Kage attempted to capture Igniz alive. Which means Igniz held an intel that he needs. The question is, what intel? Igniz held no secret information… other than perhaps military details. Did he knew something others don't? No. If Kage really needed him alive that badly, he would not purposefully rip his guts out in such manner. No. He needed Igniz for his tactical position in Raww's army. Kage infiltrated his ranks by disguising his men as Igniz' knights. Given what he had learned so far, with Archangel being under attack and all, Kage planned to repeat the process, this time by disguising as Igniz to infiltrate Lord Raww's inner circle. That's why he needed Igniz alive. To interrogate the knight, question him for details so as to perfect the impersonation. Athrun's attempt to foil that plot has been partially successful. While he managed to deal a blow to Kage, the Dark Captain still managed to deal a mortal blow to Igniz. Kage knew Igniz did not have long to live after such injury. At which point, there are two options: one, he abandoned the plan and disguise himself as someone else, or two, he took the chance and disguise himself as Igniz anyway.

In which case, there's only one way for Athrun to foil such ploy. First, Athrun knelt in respect for the fallen Knight. "Lord Igniz… I'm sorry. After everything, I had no right to ask more help from you… but I'm asking." After uttering a quick and silent prayer for the departed, Athrun get to work immediately.

00000000000000

The Guards of Raww's camp gaped when they saw Igniz arrived before the gate, bloodied and battered, but alive. "Where's Raww?" He asked shortly.

The Guards brought him to the main camp where the army leaders are arguing. Based on the yells, the council is divided between retreating or keep on fighting.

"I've sent Brother Ignis and 2000 knights to intercept Kage. With luck, the Bladebanes would've battered Kage enough that Ignis can delay him long enough."

"Delay him? Brother Raww… how could you look down upon me?" The council looked at Ignis who just entered the tent, bloodied and bruised. "Although… I had to admit Kage do live up to his name." And the fire knight collapsed to his knees to the shock of everyone in the council.

"Brother Ignis!" the knights scurried to their fallen brother's aid. Ignis regale his tale. "The battle was ferocious. Kage, aided by Mwu La Flagga proved as terrifying as thousands of enemies. But in the end, when his defeat is inevitable, Kage stood his ground and allowed Mwu and what's left of his men to escape. We fought to see whom the fate favors… and the fate favors me."

"By the Gods, Ignis. You should be in the infirmary!" One of the Fire Knights gulped at the horrendous injuries that Ignis suffered; it would've killed a normal knight outright.

"Yes. I think I should… but… Brother Raww… Here… here… take this." Ignis passed over a package. Raww looked at it and a smile formed, he looked at Ignis as if asking if this is real. Ignis merely apologize. "Unfortunately, it has been mutilated beyond recognition."

"And Mwu La Flagga? What of him?"

"He escaped. Along with some of the soldiers. I sent a squad to look for them, but…" Ignis coughed some more blood.

"Alright, say no more. To the infirmary with you."

"Brother Raww… make it good." As soon as Ignis was out of sight, Raww grimaced.

His brothers, who were rejoicing, were particularly confused at this. "What's wrong Brother Raww? You should be rejoicing, our enemy is now officially leaderless!"

"Mourn with me brothers. Brother Ignis is dead. That man was an impostor." Raww simply stated, to the shock of his brethren.

"How did you know? He was carrying Ignis' sword."

"His blood. Ignis Von Vulkensang. The bloodline limit of the Vulkensang family is that their blood is lava. And it'll combust upon exposure to the air. If he's truly bleeding, he should be in flames, not bloodbathed. And that sword is indeed Ignis's which is why I knew right away that Ignis is dead."

"THEN-!" The knights were particularly shocked. If Raww knew that man was an impostor, why did he…?

"Because I will use their own traps against them." Raww stated simply. "I knew not of what their end goal… not yet… We do know now that there's a possibility that Kage is still alive, but I will not let them make a fool of me any further. Send a scout and find out what REALLY happened to Ignis' men. Nichol." The young Wood knight appeared out of his invisibility. "Keep a watch on that… 'Ignis'. Don't let him knew that I knew. And tell him that he's discharged from this battle due to severe injuries." Nichol nodded and then quickly conceal himself again.

As he left the council, Athrun can already smell the scent of Nichol, tailing him. He smiled. His plan worked. Athrun knew for certain that Lord Klueze had seen through his poor disguise. And as expected, he had set Nichol to watch over him. None of these are moot. What's important is that Athrun had pre-empted Kage's attempt to impersonate a member of the inner circle and that Lord Klueze has been tipped off regarding the demise of Igniz and that of his men. He knew that Kage was fond of infiltration tactics, and now the camp had increased its vigilance, everyone more wary of intruders in disguise hiding amongst them.

The only problem is, this strategy is a little too successful. Everyone is now focused on him, thinking he's the intruder. In some ways, they're not wrong. That being said, Athrun is not ready to reveal himself just yet. For now, he'll just use this chance to rest and recuperate in the given space and time.

Meanwhile, Athrun watched as the battle against Archangel unfold on the next day. The Zaft Knights gave everything they got to assault that fortress. And he must say, he was mighty impressed with the way the enemy defend their foothold. Collapsing a fake wooden wall, reverse whack-a-mole, but what impressed Athrun the most, is that through it all, not a single shell flew from their cannons. Either that means stubborn pride, which is highly unlikely, or they've ran out of ammunition. Either way, they mounted a strong resistance. No matter what the Knights do, they were barely able to so much as gain ground or set foot into the fortress. Eventually, the climax occurred when one of the Fire Knight, Ragnos Aurochia, fed up with the lack of progress, took matters into his own hands.

"I AM RAGNOS AUROCHIA! FIRE KNIGHT OF THE HOUSE OF AUROCH! FACE ME AND KNOW THE MEANING OF DESPAIR!"

His effort produced some results. He managed to tear open a sizable hole in Archangel's impregnable walls… but it was a short lived victory. A Soldier bearing a samurai Sword killed the Knight in a one on one duel. Morale instantly plummets and today's attack is a resounding failure yet again. Or, Athrun would say so if Ragnos did not left behind a legacy in form of a giant hole on the wall. His mind began to race to think of a way he can use this… But the problem is, this latest batch of defeat had really put their morale rock bottom. 'Well, this is problematic. At this rate, even if I managed to find a strategy and convinced them that I'm on their side… they'll be too disheartened to fight.'

But thankfully, hope was rekindled with the arrival of a long awaited friend.

"Forge Corps Legion." Raww declared and bowed down. "Always a pleasure to welcome the forge masters of the Corps."

"Courtney Hieronymus. Forge Corps Centurion. At your service, Lord Raww." Introducing himself, Courtney bowed down.

Finally. The Funeral days had ended, and Courtney had finally managed to catch up with them. His brethren of the corps are very well suited for this kind of warfare. NOW this is starting to looks more like a proper siege.

Athrun was also tempted to reveal himself prematurely to Raww and Courtney, but his gut instinct told him not yet. With his presence, Lord Raww had increased the security around the camp. He didn't do anything so far, so Raww assumed there are others, and he's been searching the camp inside out for any other parties that may be part of Athrun's 'schemes'. Which is precisely what Athrun wanted him to do. If he reveals himself now, the security will grew laxer, opening a door for Kage and his ilk to infiltrate. So no. It's better he keep his anonymity. Hopefully, Courtney won't say too much or ask too much. Doubtlessly, Raww had told him about his circumstances, but Courtney also knew that Athrun is supposed to be around here, but he can't be sure of Igniz' 'true' identity, so he wisely keep it quiet.

All this gave Athrun some solitude (relative solitude, as the only person keeping watch is the invisible Nichol) so he can spend his time performing real improvements on his armor. As well as figuring out what went wrong in the field.

'So… mind explaining what the hell that was the other day?'

'Stupid pup. There's no such thing as a free lunch.' Kokuyou snapped. 'Did you think that my power comes without a cost? And you used them in such a brazen way!'

'Brazen…?' Athrun frowned. And then he understands. It was something he learned in his alchemy class: the law of equal trade. You can't create something from nothing. Kokuyou, without a doubt, possess great power in his ability to transform into any shape he desires… his only limit is his imagination… and yet there are limits.

Firstly: there's only a limited amount of Kokuyou. Let's say, for the sake of calculation, he'll use sword as units. By his count, if he didn't use Kokuyou to construct the Aegis Armor, then Kokuyou can create 1 million swords… give or take a few tens of thousands, or hundreds.

Second: The complexity and fortitude of his constructs escalates the amount of swords needed to shape that construct. The more complex the construct, the amount needed increases exponentially. Aegis armor and its overcharge system is about as complex as it can get. Over half of the available swords were expended to construct the armor. Another few hundred thousand spent to construct the weapons. The anti beam coating will cost him even more.

Thirdly: Kokuyou can transform his molecular structure into whatever substance he desires: he can be liquid, solid, even gaseous. He can be as light as a feather or as heavy as a rock. As hard as diamonds or as elastic as a rubber band. He can be transparent, he can be impermeable, he can turn into any color as needed (though he has a fondness for purple and magenta in every shade). What he CAN'T do, is become any other substance other than his own self. In layman's term, Athrun can't transmute him into gold, nor can he molecularly bond him with any other molecules to form some kind of composite substance. His master told him before that Kokuyou's substance doesn't respond to anything in the periodic table. He's unique. And that arrogant King wishes he remained that way.

Fourthly… and this is the reason he lost: Kokuyou's capacity to transform, his strength, his flexibility… they all came at a price. They are his special powers so to speak, and to use them, to maintain them, require him to contribute no small amount of stamina, his lifeforce to fuel it. And he's one expensive of a king with an appetite, even for someone like him.

'I refuse to share all the blame. You're the imbecile who let himself getting shred to pieces.'

Athrun blinked. If he thinks about it, the King has a point. With his brute strength, he saw little need to increase his already prodigious offensive power. He never considers evasion either, seeing he can regenerate from any damage he suffered. But he also understands it's better if he didn't get injured at all. So he focused more on defense. Because he also knew there are attacks that could hurt him. He donned armor to further increase his survivability… but in doing so made him even slower. Alas… it's going to take a while to readjust his combat strategy after it worked so well for almost his whole life. But there's little to no choice.

But then, as Athrun continued his meditation, he sensed Nichol's presence leaving the room, and he also hear the sound of large marching. Raww and Courtney's army returned. And given by how battered they are, they've just been served the new 7th division under Kage in full course and now they're questioning themselves if they want seconds.

Just the same, they have no intention on leaving. Raww knew this better than most. The cannons of Archangel that has been silent since day one of this siege finally roared. Enough that they managed to push today's offensive back… but not enough to send a few more extra salvoes as warning as they retreated. Which means either they don't want to, or they don't have any left for the luxury.

Athrun saw Raww calling another meeting under his tent. Athrun couldn't exactly hear what they're talking about… but he can guess. The 7th division has either run out of ammo, or, Kage had ordered them to keep that one last shot for one grand finale. His money is on the latter. Why? Because Athrun began to try to understand Kage's thoughts. How he thinks. How he plans.

He had yet to know enough to go around… but based on what he get so far, he's not just some warrior with skill… but also cunning and planning. There's meaning to everything he does. '…alright… just to be safe… let's imagine that he's as smart as me. If I were in Kage's position what would I do in this situation? I'd… probably try to do something rather desperate… but given the difference in numbers… any desperate action I'll take would be to buy time… maybe… time to arrange an escape, perhaps? Shore up defenses, prepare distractions…' Athrun stopped at that line of thought. '…distractions?'

As this idea brew up in his head, Athrun began to embrace an idea… a terrible and inhumane idea. He knew one person who once came up with such scenario.

"Kira, that's a sick strategy." Athrun gaped in horror. "I tell you, that is one sick and demented idea. And I really mean this in a bad way!"

"You said it." Kira mourned with a bitter smile on his lips. "And I'm the guy who thought it up. So what does that make me?"

"I don't mean-"

"No, no, no. You're right Athrun. It's sick. It's brutal, inhumane, and just plain wrong. It's madness." Kira looked utterly disgusted that he thought of such a method to answer this war scenario Ray Yuki gave them. "I'll do it when Hell freezes over!"

Athrun shook his head, banishing that ridiculous notion along with that memory for now. 'Naah. No way.' "No friggin… way?"

What stopped Athrun was the sound of roars and yells. Torches lit up from the dark of the forest. Hundreds of torches, heralding a rain of flaming arrows and the cry of charging soldiers. "What?"

The 7th division is attacking. They went full frontal offense, throwing everything they got at them! They attacked from every direction, and they do it with style… being led by not one or two… but around a dozen Kages at the same time.

'…well, well, well… I knew he'll pull this one trick out eventually.' That's the whole point of a mask. Anonymity means it doesn't have to be you under the mask. When one had already command fear with one's own presence, others can easily borrow a portion of that fear by assuming that same mask.

And that's what makes this night raid so brutally effective despite the fact the attackers are numerically outmatched. Between the horror of Kage's reputation, the chaos resulting from this conflicting information… the raiding squadron managed to pierce deep into their encampment and kill quite a few, doing some damage. But then, the Knights began to fall in line and they were about to retaliate… and they retreated.

Athrun blinked in thought. '…no… they're not retreating. It can't be that simple! This is just the first wave!"

And indeed it was. The second wave arrived a heartbeat later in different locations, different targets. Athrun noted that the Knights had begun to calm down, and so this second wave pierced less deep. But that's hardly the issue here.

'There will be a third wave.' Athrun frowned. 'The third wave is the all important wave. By now, Kage should know this third surprise night raid will not yield maximum damage…' Athrun looked at the environment around them. '…unless he burn this forest to the ground.'

Athrun pulled out his sword, and when the third wave finally arrived, he assumed the attackers are going to give it everything they got. They don't need to do much, they just need to start one spark of fire and with this foliage that'll be enough. He pinpointed a single group of attackers carrying torches, led by a Kage carrying a Katana. He didn't knew if that's the real one or not but… he had to start somewhere. "Oh no, you don't!" Athrun rushed towards that group as the attackers killed a few people…

He barely get halfway when the first arrow was loosed by the knights towards the attackers… and they quickly retreated almost in an instant. By the time he get there, the attackers had vanished back into the shadows of the forest.

And now, Athrun arrived in one of those rare occasion… where he's utterly confused. '…what is the meaning of this? They didn't… even… touch… the forest… at all?' Athrun began to rethink the situation. He thought he can understand Kage by putting him on the same level of thinking as he is… assuming that he'll do actions he'll take, based on what he did during the Naval Showdown earlier. Clearly that was not the case. This either means Kage's probably were not as smart as he thought…

…or he might be smarter.

Athrun was so preoccupied with attempting to understand the tactical wisdom of his masked enemy, that he didn't realize the 7th division had launched their fourth and final wave. And this one, in comparison to the previous scattered attacks, was more focused. They've consolidated all their men and soldiers to a single piercing assault that enabled them to stab deep into the encampment and even set some of the supply storages on fire.

But by then, the Knights had recovered and they're all ready and waiting. The battle was ferocious and the 7th division didn't retreat as easily as before. They really intend to do as much damage as possible. An arrow snapped on Athrun's armor brought him back to the reality of the situation. Just in time to see Nichol being knocked to the ground blocking an arrow the size of a spear. One of the Kage copycats, bearing a twin Lancesword was about to slash down his disoriented friend.

Not on his watch.

Athrun hurled himself forward and stretched Igniz's long sword. He managed to stop the blade in time.

"YOU? What…"

"REFORM THE LINE! REFORM THE LINE!" Athrun shouted amidst the chaos. The knights weren't aware about the whole fake Ignis ordeal, so when they saw a Fire Knight giving orders, they instinctively followed. Athrun swing his sword and smashed the Lancesword away. The Knight in disguise glared at the Shadowguard. The masked warrior seems unnerved at the glare as he quickly shouted. "PULL BACK! PULL BAAACK!"

And within moments the ambushers retreated into the darkness. Just then, the archers again fired another salvo to cover for the fleeing soldiers. The soldiers are fleeing. Ignis stared at the downed Nichol and offered his helping hand.

Nichol looked at Ignis skeptically and finally took that hand and get back to his feet. Nichol blinked at the sensation. It felt warm… and… kind? He quickly shook his head. Get a grip Nichol! This man is a spy. He'll try to earn your trust! Nichol's train of thoughts was cut off as a tide of angry roar began to rise.

Athrun saw Etious, one of Raww's hot headed lieutenants angrily decided to chase their attackers in retaliation for what he perceive as an insult to their pride. He led a sizable contingent of Knights into the forest to chase after the retreating attackers. Athrun didn't try to stop them. His mind was preoccupied with something else. Like what exactly is the point of what had transpired tonight? A strategist of Kage's caliber would know that this night raid would not inflict damage big enough to hamper their army in any way? He thought he'll use fire attack for maximum damage, but as the fact shows, it didn't happen. So what-

His line of thought was cut short when a distant explosion thunders from deep within the forest, accompanying a red flash of fire. A massive explosion. And somehow, he knew… Etious had just paid the price for his lack of patience.

The next morning, Raww surprisingly took him to inspect the bodies of those who had fallen last night being carried back to the encampment. The knights took off the fallens' armor, the damaged ones to be sent back to the smithy to be fixed for later use, the relatively intact ones will be given to either the next of kin or those who needs it.

"I don't understand… how… how can he do this to us so easily? To make us sent thousands of our brothers to their deaths…" Courtney mourned in shock and wonder.

Raww was wondering about that as well. Quite frankly, his first guess was this 'Igniz' was a spy. But, Nichol had confirmed that Igniz didn't try to contact anyone. He remained in isolation… heck, he chose to isolate himself, never get out, and only yesterday he fought for them! Now Raww purposefully brought the man along to see if he can extract the man's true color.

Athrun saw the carnage with horror, but in particular, he pays attention to the knights carrying the dead back to camp. There are only a few dozen corpses left now and they've been lined up, ready to be moved. 'No… it can't be…! This strategy is…!?'

"Horrifying isn't it? Brother Ignis?" Raww started.

Athrun didn't answer. Instead, to the surprise of everyone, he got down from his mount and approached a corpse.

"Ignis?" Raww was somewhat alarmed, but he kept his silence.

Athrun studied a corpse, and then asked for a dagger from a knight. Carefully, Athrun pricked a small wound at the corpse' body. The blood was black and dirty. Athrun suddenly stood upright, his suspicion confirmed. "Oh no… Brother Raww… we have to burn these bodies!"

"What?" Now Raww was a bit surprised. "Why?"

"These bodies are diseased!"

"I… beg… your pardon…?"

Leaving Raww to ruminate on his statement, Athrun turned back to these mangled and diseased corpses. He seriously had to reassess his judgment on Kage's mindset. When he first started, he assumed Kage wants to defend. He wants to buy time, to survive. Athrun couldn't be more wrong. Kage doesn't want to win… he wants to kill them all! He wants to destroy his enemies so completely and thoroughly, making it impossible for them to retaliate, ever again! And this strategy… this disgustingly sadistic strategy… It screams Kira allover. To use even the dead as a weapon is something he once thought up. According to Ray, Kira and Athrun were both evenly matched in terms of their ability to strategize. But Kira always possess that certain amount of brutality in his strategies. A certain amount of ruthlessness coming from someone who grew up on the streets. Steps that someone who was raised in privilege like Athrun would not take.

'But it can't be!' When Athrun thought of Kira, he thought of that happy waiter in that ramen bar. He thought of that kindhearted crybaby boy who would put the welfare of others over himself. 'Unless…'

"We must hurry!" Raww's words cut Athrun's line of thought. His men had placed the remaining bodies in a crude pyre and Raww had lit up. "We must return to the encampment and warn the others!"

But Athrun and Raww knew, at this point, it's already far too late.

When they finally returned back to the camp, it is just as they feared. Hundreds of the infected armor set has been disseminated all across the encampment, infecting thousands. And those thousands had been in contact with lord knows how many more, infecting tens of thousands. Already the symptoms began to show. Coughing. Vomiting. Even the army doctors did not escape infection. Given the rate of dispersion, Athrun projected they'll be lucky if they can save at least half of their existing forces.

"…"

"You're the strangest spy I've ever met." Nichol blatantly stated. Once again drawing Athrun's attention.

"Spy? Me? After all I've done for you guys?" Athrun smirked beneath his helmet.

"We know who you are." Nichol replied. No more need to play hide and seek. Just go at it clean.

"Very poor choice of words. Knowing implies knowledge of names and status. Just because you know my job description doesn't make you know who I am."

"So you admit that you're a spy?"

"I admit I'm not who I claimed to be." 'Ignis' came clean. "But you've been following me for the last few days, tracing my every step. If I've done anything, you would be the first to know."

Nichol blinked and looked at the fake knight. So he knew he was following him even when he's invisible? For a moment, he wanted to ask who are you. But the question that flowed out of his lips was: "Why did you saved me last night?"

"Maybe because I wanted to earn your trust?"

Textbook answer. Of course. But the boy felt the spy was lying. Before Nichol can explore any further, Raww burst into the tent. He looked at Nichol and then to 'Ignis.'

"So he confessed?"

"In a way." Nichol nodded.

Athrun didn't say anything.

"So. What are you after Mr. Impostor?"

What he want? Well… time to swing the final hammer. "Imagine a firecracker. You placed it at the open palm of your hand. You set it off, it explodes, and you get burned." The fake Ignis began to talk in gibberish. Nichol was a bit taken back and thought of beating some sense into the man but Raww, peculiarly interested, motioned the Fake Ignis to go on. "Now you place that same firecracker in your hand, you wrapped your fingers around it, closed it in your fist, you set it off. What happened next?" Athrun chuckled at the obvious answer. "Your wife will be opening your ketchup bottles for the rest of her life."

Raww glanced meaningfully at the Fake Ignis before him, trying to figure this man out. His gaze flew towards the damaged and battered Archangel fortress. The gaping hole left behind by Ragnos' breach is visible even from this distance. Wait. A gaping hole?

Raww quickly turned to the Fake Ignis. His frown of realization turned into a curious smile at this mysterious helper. "So. You've warned us of the disease… and then you gave us the door to Archangel. What do you hope to gain from all this?"

The Fake Ignis merely stated coldly: "Only to bring that damn fortress down." What's more, Athrun now has a very strong reason to win.

This brutal strategy is something only Kira could come up with. Given the circumstances and the events that had transpired, he would assume that Kira must've had a hand in creating this strategy. All this gave Athrun the conclusion that Kira's in Archangel right now. Whether he willingly gave the Alliance his aid or they forced him to it, Athrun would feel a lot more at ease when Kira is here, right in front of him in the flesh and told him his reasons with his own mouth.

And God help anyone who'll stand in his way.

0000000000000000

"This… is bad, isn't it?" Asahina gulped. "It's full mobilization out there. Half of them go home, but the remaining half is still enough to overwhelm our base defenders!"

"We can do this."

"It's a miracle we managed to get this far…" Canard groaned.

"Not miracle… with the plague I gave them rampaging among their ranks, their security is pretty lax." Kage calmly stated. "Now, let's keep calm and watch."

"Watch as they tear our base apart?"

"That's the plan." Kage smirked. 'In fact… I may need to give them a hand…'

0000000000000000

On the next day, the next offensive started. Sheer dumb luck of an archer foiled what supposed to be a surprise attack, resulting in an open all out assault on the damaged fortress. Throughout the assault the cannon was silent even as the knights climbed up the walls. Which means the 7th division had really ran out of ammunition, as predicted. But the Archangel defenders knew their weakness better than anyone. They concentrated their forces on the damaged section of the wall, used everything they got in this final last stand. Meanwhile, the Knights managed to load the explosives unto the breach. Supposedly an exorcist would lit it up in a blaze of glory. Alas, the same archer who foiled their surprise attack once again foiled the explosion.

And yet the explosion still happened anyway.

Athrun gazed at the torn walls of the Angelic Fortress in shock. As do everyone in the battlefield. The roaring explosion silenced the battlefield for a brief instant. Soon, the roars of war filled the air one more, cheers from the Knights and battle cries of the Soldiers collided as the battle continues to its crescendo. And yet Athrun render himself completely deaf to this noise as he entered his world of thought.

'That… that was no miracle nor is it some dumb luck… no… someone blew it up. Someone helped us tear that wall down. Someone who wants to see that base destroyed. But who? Why?' Athrun's mind began to wander further and further as he expanded the possibilities of the whys and whats. Soon, his mind began to reach out to other events, interconnect the things that are, were, and will be, to create the full story: the beginning, the middle, and the end. The story as Kage envisioned it. And when he finally read the script to its finality, the envisioned ending horrified Athrun to the core. 'Good… god…'

Athrun knew right then and there that he was too late. He was far too late. The Samurai Army he saw earlier was not a coincidence. They were summoned here. Just like how Kage summoned Raww's army here to be butchered. All this… ALL this… just for some brutal training program for his men. A training program that will succeed, no matter whether they win or lose this battle.

Knowing the incoming horror, suddenly, nothing else mattered to Athrun. Not even Kira. In a breath, Athrun turned away from the battle unfolding before his very eyes and run as fast his feet can carry him. He didn't even hear or care that Courtney is screaming for him to stop. He rmount the first Horse he laid eyes on and quickly bolted. But a black blur quickly caught up with him on foot, and he even managed to grab him.

He could've stopped him, but then they made eye contact. Nichol saw his green eyes, and all the sudden, recognition dawned. '…Athrun!?' So shocked at this revelation, Nichol involuntarily let him go. And he fell rolling to the ground several times, bewildered and shocked. "…uh… ah?"

Nichol gasped and looked at Ignis speeding back while Courtney ran to him, barking angrily. "What's the matter with you? You let him get away!"

"I… I…" Nichol didn't know what to say.

Courtney grabbed another horse and chased after the fake Igniz into the forest. But after a while, he lost him. "Damn it… but… that Igniz… could he actually be…"

THUNK!

Something hard hit him right at the back of his head and knocked him off his mount. "Argh!" Courtney rolled on the ground, his world spinning and blurred. "Wh… What…" The Forge Corps Centurion didn't even know what hit him. Only a dark shadow covered his vision before darkness took him.

0000000000000000

Tens of massive submersible troop carrier and hundreds of Orb's Sachi destroyer ships landed and disgorged the troops in their bowels. Their numbers and equipments were enough to level armies. Leading them is one of the High General, Barry Ho.

"Alright gentlemen, you know why we're here, you know what to do and how we do it. Our time is short so let's move out!"

"But sir, who are we going after? Zaft? Alliance? Or this Kage impostor?"

"I couldn't care less, Warrior. Nor does it matter. Enough blood of our people has been spilled on our own lands because the Alliance and Zaft had brought their conflict here to our shores. No more. Today we end this."

"Yes, my Lord."

The samurai army marched forth at speed. It took 2 days for them to sail from the nearest harbor base to this location, another day spent waiting in the ocean, waiting for intel from the ground. Now, it should only take a day ride on horseback to reach the Archangel from where they've landed.

It should be.

In half a day, the Samurai army arrived at the outskirts of the forest that encapsulated the Archangel. Even from this distance they can hear the sound of battle roaring in that fortress. Judging by the amount of screams, they can tell it was bad… for both sides. "…" Barry frowned and he signaled his army to stop for the moment.

His men looked to their master, questioning this pause. "My lord?"

The reason for this pause is because Barry sensed something his men had yet to sense. "…who is that?"

The samurais turned and saw what their master saw. A knight. A lone Fire Knight stood before them.

"One knight? Against all of us?"

"Could he be a scout?"

Barry didn't answer. For one thing, he didn't sense hostility. But at the same time… he also sensed he's not exactly friendly.

Athrun closed his eyes. 'King… prepare for an overcharge. This time… go straight to Gold.' The final product of the Aegis armor emerged on his being. The form is more solid, colored mostly in Purple, Dark Purple, black and Silver trimmings. Neon green gems glowed in various parts of the armor. A massive cloth made of the anti beam red Magenta stretched out beneath his shoulder armor, and a long pommel of the same color extended behind his helmet protrusion as well as his waist skirt armor. Five Overcharge Dials held on his shoulders, waist armors and belt buckle, with gems colored in Bronze, Silver and Gold on each of them.

'What exactly are these Overcharge Gems you had me integrated into my being?'

Athrun rubbed the dial on his belt. "…King… I'm… terrible with magic. I took a school in the Magia Academica and no matter how hard I tried, I always scored average in Alchemy, my chosen major. They say… it has nothing to do with my skills. They say I had not enough Magical Circuit in my being to manipulate the required Ether Mana to craft my alchemy. Basically… as far as magic concerned, I don't have enough power." Athrun rubbed the bronze gem. "Which why I created these things. In Alchemy, the prevailing law is the law of equity: you can't create something out of nothing. You need raw material. And there's this thing called Philosopher's stone. In layman's term, it's a giant tank of raw energy that will allow Alchemists to twist that law around. The problem is, Philosopher's Stone is forbidden by law. They were made using human lives. And not just one or two. We're talking hundreds."

'That sounds convenient and horrifying.' Kokuyou looked at a piece of the Bronze Gem. 'So I'm guessing these Gems contain some poor bastard's life force?'

Athrun smirked. "Yes. THIS poor bastard, actually." He jerked at himself. "So this is more of a Pseudo Philosopher Stones. My regenerative power gave me some huge reserves of lifeforce. I shaved bits of myself, turned them into raw energy and stored them in those gems at daily basis. Like a giant piggy bank of lifeforce to be used when I need it. The Bronze contains a week's worth of energy. Silver contains a month."

Kokuyou quickly understood the color grading of the gems. With the assumption that Gold is the most powerful of the three, the sacrifice demanded is also highest. And considering this the one they're going to use… "And this gold one?"

Athrun grabbed the Gold gem dial on his belt and spin it to active position. "About one full year off my lifespan, at least." And the button was pressed, the Gem inserted and consumed.

And in an instant, a burst of highly concentrated energy exploded at full force. A towering maelstrom of golden particles erupted where Athrun stood. The Neon Green Gems across his armor turned gold. All the internal circuitry within the Armor was completely overloaded with golden energy to the point even Kokuyou felt the burgeoning energy was about to rip him apart inside out.

Athrun stretch out and his Halberd extended out of the palm of his hand. As with his armor, his weapon had also made some improvements on the Halberd. The pole is still composed of four sections. The main weapon head is composed of four weapons: a kris short sword, a Chinese blade, a hammerhead, and a lance with a four pronged subspikes on the surface. The four weapons head are attached on a set of gears, they're intricately interconnected with one another, forming the shape of a Halberd Head. What differentiate with the previous version is that now, covering these interconnected gearworks are a pair of what looked like an oversized blade that cover the polehead's sides.

"…Let's do this." Athrun lifted his halberd up. And then he start spinning the halberd on the top of his head, forming a pentagon star on the top of his head, made of five elements: Fire, Water, Earth, Steel and Wood. An adaptation of Ray Yuki's signature technique. "Pentagon… Labyrinth!"

Athrun rammed the butt of his halberd to the ground. And in an instant, the four section pole vanished, and the interconnected gear weapons broke apart to individual pieces: A Kris Sword burst into flames, the Blade swallowed by water, the Hammer encircled by earthen rocks, the Lance carried aloft by a whirlwind of leaf, and the two oversized blade merged together surface to surface… and they extended up, turning into a Zweihander with a hollow center.

The five elemental weapons spread out to five directions and landed in five different location in a pentagram formation. Upon landing, the earth momentarily capsized and gigantic structure rise up, and in an instant, the whole landscape changed. A towering construct suddenly barred the Samurai's way. If one to look at it from above, it looked like a labyrinth, shaped like a star… with each point of different color.

"W… What the…?" The Samurais gaped seeing this new barricade. There's also a giant gate on the wall from where they're standing.

"It's a maze." Barry quickly surmised.

"Maze!?" The Samurais growled. "Does he think our way we'll be barred by a simple maze!?"

"Knock it down!" The Samurais took the initiative while Barry silently watched.

As one, the Samurais pulled out one of their katanas and then connected them to the other katana still sheathed on the waist. When they pulled out the now connected blades, and the blades of the double headed weapons glowed into beam swords of green color. They held it up as one who holds a bow. And then they draw an arrow, also made of pure chakra beams.

The Green Kusanagi Samurais eschew firearms, and they've trained their warriors to cover long range using their arrows. They apply the concept of Zantetsuken and use it to create arrows of solid chakra mass. A single projectile was powerful enough to penetrate solid steel… shoot a whole mass of them and they can topple fortresses.

"Take aim… FIRE!"

The sky was soon filled with a shower of 80,000 slithering green laser beam arrows. The chakra beams landed the gigantic structure… and upon contact, they were completely swallowed whole as if it just sank into a puddle.

"…huh?" Barry was the only one not so surprised.

And a moment later, the 80,000 arrows were shot back to their sender with equal force.

The Samurais gaped, but Barry merely shrugged. He jumped down the plank and marched fearlessly towards the rain of beam arrows. And his only response is a single swipe of his hand. It seemingly looked like a simple hand swipe… but a gigantic gust of wind blasted away from that simple swipe, and the wind wiped out the arrows in a single blast, dissipating some and spraying the rest harmlessly to the ground. Upon impact, the beam arrows cratered whatever they've struck upon, as if a meteor rain just landed there.

"…alright then. Stay here." Leaving behind his army, Barry proceeded alone into the gateway of the Labyrinth. It seems the only way past this maze… is to go through it and meet the maker.

The first thing that welcomed him was a… volcanic cavern of a wasteland. Left and right is walled by a giant wall with lava flowing in rivers that formed a path that he must follow. The heat was almost unbearable, even breathing seems to sear his lungs. Normal people would falter, but Barry easily took it in his stride. Before long, he had adapted to the heat. He walked and walked… until he meet a three way intersection. He took a turn, walk some more… and he returned back to where he started, or so it seems. "Right. This confirms it, a maze. Now… how do we get out of here?" His first idea to smash out of this cavern and get an overhead view of the maze… but… if he's in a heart of manmade volcano, he'd rather not take the chance of getting swallowed by lava. "Alright then." Barry smashed the ground, creating an imprint of his fist. It serve as a mark for the place he had passed. In a span of few hours, Barry had passed several intersection, leaving behind thousands of fist imprints, and he already grasped and mapped around 80% of the maze' structure in his head. And personally speaking… it was quite complex. The maze didn't just go left and right, it also went up and down, sometimes even spiraling. Still… he's nowhere closer of finding the exit. He began to have a feeling that this maze keeps readjusting itself to prevent him finding the exit.

'Or… have I been looking at this in the wrong way? The key is not finding the exit…' Barry tried to remember what happened earlier. The Knight unleashed 5 objects filled with elemental power corresponds to the five elements. He's in a volcano cavern, so this is fire. 'Maybe the key is not getting out… I need to find the power source of this maze. The core… is that flaming object. Now, if I'm not mistaken, it's a short sword. Which means I'm not supposed to follow the path… I need to find the place with the highest ether energy concentration.'

And so, Barry took the trip to a different direction. Instead of trying to get out, he went deeper, and deeper still. He closed his eyes and trusts his senses. Feeling the shift of energy in this place, searching for the largest, highest energy concentration. And it's in the heart of this maze. But as he went deeper, and closer to the energy source, the heat grew more and more unbearable. He can even feel every follicle on his skin burnt off with every step, even his sweat vaporized the moment they exit his pores. Soon, he's reaching the point where Barry knew normal human cannot survive. His fortitude as a Samurai and a high general is the reason he lasted this long. 'Still, I can't fight this forever… I don't think I'm supposed to fight this…' Barry stopped for a moment and sat on the scalding hot floor. 'Don't fight it. Don't… fight it. Become one with it.' Barry took a deep breath… and soon, the heat faded… no, it didn't fade, he simply adapted to the heat. "Alright… let's continue. I'm getting close. I knew it." And indeed he is.

Soon, the heat reached its peak. The temperature was so hot, Barry even felt his blood began to boil. And so he knew he had arrived at the core. And there he saw it. Beating at the heart of a miniature sun, is that Fiery Short Sword. "I can't touch this… I just had to destroy, I suppose?" He cracked his knuckles. With a roar, he punched his fist forward to the air. It does nothing… except sending an absurdly powerful column of air pressure that literally stab through the miniature sun and blew a hole right at the center of the Kris Sword.

As soon as the power core was damaged beyond repair, the whole structure rumbled in an earth shattering force. The lava flow stopped and the temperature dropped almost instantly, leaving behind a smoking, steaming Barry Ho. Alive, unscarred and unbowed. And then, as if rewarding his victory over taming this burning hell of a maze, the wall collapsed and a new gateway waits before him. Barry knew what it meant. It's not the end of the journey, it's the start of the next phase. "So… what's next?"

Barry opened the gate and entered the door…

And the next instant he's suddenly at the bottom of an endless ocean.

'What…!?' Barry could barely had the time to comprehend what happened to him, less than a second to hold his breath and conserve what little air he had before he was swallowed by a whirlpool. For a moment, Barry could not control his body as he was tossed and turned around mercilessly by the raging current. After he adjusted to the streams, he was bombarded with something even worse than the current… the freezing cold temperature of the supercooled water at -40 degrees. It stabs through his bones straight to his synapses. His body just adapted to extreme heat and without a pause he just jumped into a mass of icy waters.

'First it's burning wasteland, now a frozen hell?' These two temperature extremes… What was superheated was forced to super cool, what had expanded is now being forced to contract… its' ripping him to shreds! As disciplined as Barry could be… he had to withstand the sudden explosion of reactive energy in his frames, resulting in an abominable amount of pain and if he wasn't underwater, he'll probably let loose an audible grunt. 'So… that's how it is… the point of this maze is not to break it up… it forces us to adapt to our surroundings and then it'll force us into a completely opposing environment!?' In the elemental system, Water kills fire. 'Impressive…' Holding back the pain and adapting to this new environment as quickly as he can, Barry studied his surroundings. He's in yet another maze. This time it's made of crystals. Freezing cold Ice crystals, with icicles protruding on the surface, jabbing from every direction. He had to stay in the middle or he'll get sliced and stabbed. 'Still… this is the same routine as before… find the energy source, destroy it and move on to the next.'

And indeed, it was. Discounting the many new dangers that besets him, and the fact he had to hold his breath for the many hours of this underwater journey (again, it is something only someone of his caliber can do), it is still a maze. Same level of complexity, same way to solve. It just steadily grew colder and colder the closer he gets to his goal. Finally, he reached the location of absolute zero temperature of -273 degrees, the coldest temperature imaginable. Suspended in an iceberg, is the water Blade. Barry pondered for a moment. He knew what will happen the moment he undo this one. 'The next after water… what kills water is…' Barry made up his mind and performed a quick slicing. And then water, the iceberg, and the Water Blade, all sliced in half in an instant.

As soon as that happened, everything was sucked down into a maelstrom, Barry included.

When he regained his vision yet again, Barry found himself in a room surrounded with earthen rocks from every direction, and now he was able to absorb as much air as his oxygen deprived and almost frozen lungs can have, but he was immediately forced to fell on his knees as if his whole body was suddenly being crushed downward by an unseen weight from above. 'This is Earth… and by the looks of it… I'm being bombarded by a 20G environment!' And considering the fact his body was almost partially frozen, the cracks he's hearing from his body is tantamount to trouble. 'Still… I need to find the core…' Barry took his first step forward, and the ground sank under his sheer amplified weight. 'And I'm guessing… the closer I get… the heavier the gravitational pull will be. Fine. This is easy. Besides… once I get past this… the next one will be…'

Meanwhile, outside the Labyrinth, Barry's Samurai warriors waited with a slight concern. Why, the sun had actually gone down and their master had yet to return. To think it would take this long for a high general to dismantle an arcane construct… Just what kind of maze is this? And more importantly, just what kind of person who can create such a maze…?

Inside the Labyrinth… at the last section, the Maze of Steel…

Athrun sat calmly in front of the core of the Steel Maze. The massive Zweihander stabbed to the steel floor. His body is still covered in the Aegis armor, bar his head and he's also missing his magenta cape. His Scylla Shield was also nowhere to be found. For some reason, unlike the other elemental section, this particular section has no maze. Why, if anything, it better resemble a giant coliseum arena made of steel, with Athrun sitting, meditating at the center of the arena, calmly waiting in silence.

But then, his wait was finally ended when a wide slab of steel extended out of the ground before turning into a steel gate. The gate opened, and as expected, a virtually unscathed Barry walked triumphantly out of the conquered and dying Wood Maze. "That-" he started. "-was an impressive maze. It's been educational. Still… this maze of yours could use an improvement." To make his point, Barry showed what's in his hand: the greyed out and cracked core of the Forest maze: the Wood Lance. With a slight squeeze, the lance shattered to dust in his hand. "The Forest is my natural element. Once I've overcome the earthen maze, I was able to stroll through the forest with ease… even heal all the injuries inflicted from the previous three mazes."

"You knew who I am, Barry Ho-dono?"

"Our reputation precedes us." Barry Ho nodded. "And it is well deserved, Athrun Zala."

"As are yours." Athrun looked at the dust that is all that remained of the Wood lance. "I designed Pentagon Labyrinth to counter a Hakutenkun. I guess I still have a long way to go."

"For someone so young… creating something like this is clearly not easy." Barry looked at Athrun's being. He may look all calm, but one can see the paling of his complexion. 'How much ether mana did he use…? No… the energy needed to create that sort of complexity… I think we're talking about his very own lifeforce here…'

"Barry Ho-dono… will you not speak with me?"

Barry nodded and sat in a seiza before Athrun. "I'm listening."

"…you're being deceived." Athrun started. "We all have."

"Will you explain?"

"This whole thing… this whole incident, starting from the destruction of Konoha, the massacre of the Bladebanes, and then quite possibly, the calling of Lord Raww's army, and finally, the calling of you and your army, gathering all of you, all of us… in this very specific location… it was all orchestrated by this… Kage."

"To what end?"

"Training. He wanted to place his men in an extreme situation in order to improve their skills and abilities explosively. So he tipped Lord Raww regarding the renegade Bladebanes. He knew Lord Raww will take this chance to attack his base while he was away. And so he's using this second invasion as training for his men. But that training is reaching its end. And so, he summoned you. He tipped you to come here… and to finish off what remained of Lord Raww's army." Barry was somewhat startled hearing Athrun's explanation and he closed his eyes, apparently in deep thought. Athrun didn't blame him. He himself is still trying to get his head around this large scale ploy. "I know it sounds farfetched and I don't have the proof, but believe me, it's the truth!"

"I see the truth of it." Barry quickly replied. "And I have your proof in my hand." Barry showed Athrun a piece of paper. "An anonymous tip telling us of Zaft's invasion forces, their location, as well as where they're heading. Slipped into the pocket of one the refugees who escaped from the ransacking of Konoha."

Athrun looked at that letter, and indeed, that was all the proof he needed, written in ink. "Then-"

"Athrun Zala." Barry Ho suddenly interjected. "I remember I saw you in Amaterasu, did I not?"

"…yes. You did."

"If I'm not mistaken, shortly after, your knights were beaten by a fire attack by one of the Alliance Captain. And then, in retaliation, another army of Knights came and burn the place to the ground."

Athrun felt a tightening on his chest, knowing where this is going.

"Now… correct me if I'm wrong… but this Kage… this impostor who suddenly became the eye of the storm in the last few weeks… I believed he started to appear right after the Amaterasu incident, did he not?"

"Now that you mentioned it…"

"This brutality from your knights… the same brutality that created this creature you insultingly called Black Devil. I wonder… is this the same brutality that saw so many of my people slaughtered in their own lands?"

"Lord Barry Ho." Athrun get straight to the point as he bowed his head down. "The fault is mine. This was all started by my mission." And then Athrun began explaining in summary of the missions regarding their acquisition of the Hatori Hanzo weapons.

"Hoo…" Surprisingly, Barry Ho took the fact that Zaft held four out of five Hattori Hanzo steel in his stride.

"When we tried to get the fifth, the Alliance took it to Orb… to Amaterasu. We chased after it… but somewhere along the line, the whole army got mixed up in it… and thus… things just… spiral out of control." Athrun bowed his head. "But it all started there. The day I came to Amaterasu. If you wish to punish someone… My Lord, please… just punish me."

Barry kept his eyes closed, apparently measuring the weight of Athrun's admission. "Young Knight… you came to me asking to weight a punishment unto you… You, who, like me, have your orders from on high. We're just puppets at the mercy of the wirepuller. You're asking me… to weigh the life of a single child against the sin of a nation. How could I do that? What's more-" Barry opened his eyes and looked at Athrun straight in the eye. "I can tell from the way you speak… the way you spite yourself… you yourself had already carried a burden of a past sin. Whatever happened in you past… whatever wrong you have done… I don't know, and I don't care. But to take the fall for someone else's fault, that is not redemption, that's making new mistakes altogether by letting the guilty free. That's not justice. That's just the satisfaction of your ego."

Athrun felt like he just been given a hard slap of reality to the face.

"I respect your sincerity. I truly do." Barry bowed in respect. "But one cannot blame the puppet for the sins of the puppeteer."

"Puppet… huh." Athrun chuckled, laughing at himself for his overblown naivety. In this world, sincerity and honesty can only get one so far. "You understand of course… I had to try."

"And I don't blame you for trying."

"Alright." Athrun grabbed his Zweihander and stood up.

Barry knew the time of verbal negotiation is past. Still, he seems to have grown a soft spot for this admirable young knight. "I pray you step aside unharmed and leave this matter to me."

Athrun shook his head and smiled bitterly. "Even a puppet has his pride too." And with that, the Aegis helmet slides in and enclosed Athrun's head. The neon green gems and lines glowed and the red magenta pommel extended out once it detected its wearer is ready to fight. Athrun held his Zweihander before him. "Salamander, Undine and Celsius, Gnomes, and Dryads. The names of the Ether Mana that govern each element, the building blocks of all Arcane Magic. Not dissimilar with how Chakra formed the foundation of Jutsus."

Barry also stood up and cracked his knuckles. "I suppose that is why this place is a coliseum rather than a Maze."

"Legion." Athrun's eyes glowed silvery green. "That is the Ether Mana that formed the basis of Steel Magics. MY element."

"High General of The Kusanagi Green Dragon Samurai Chapter…" Barry realized the boy is clearly resolute. And so he must answer that resolution in kind. "Defender of Orb… Barry Ho."

"Knight of Steel, in service of his highness the Crimson Emperor and his court…" Athrun readied himself. "…defender of my people… Athrun Zala."

"HERE!"

"COMING!"

Barry put his guard up as Athrun entered range. Athrun started by sending a furious tirade of slashes. Barry calmly parried some and dodged the rest with ease. Despite having a hollow core, the Zweihander was obviously heavy, but not as heavy as the whole set of the Tetra Halberd. Thus Athrun was able to swing the giant sword with incredible ease and flexibility with one hand. His sword attacks are faster, quicker and still heavy enough to deal significant damage on the target… if they hit.

Barry kept dodging around Athrun's sword tirade gracefully by a hairbreadth. Until at one moment, the General welcomed an incoming overhead slash with a parrying fist. To the surprise of the attacker, his metallic sword slides his bare skin harmlessly. In fact, it generate sparks of fire as it grate across the skins surface, as if the metallic sword is grating against another metallic surface.

This fact caught Athrun off guard, exposing an opening, which Barry immediately used. Barry's figure suddenly blurred and the next instant, his foot bludgeoned Athrun's face in full, sending him rolling backward several times. When Athrun regained his focus, he found the slit of his helmet visor is out of alignment with his eyes. 'What?' And then he realized the faceplate was brutally dented into his face. Athrun grabbed the mashed up face plate and rip it off just in time to see the Samurai general closing in.

"HAH!" Athrun had enough time to move his Zweihander to his stomach just as Barry sent a punch that bent his Zweihander out of shape in an instant. It prevented actual physical contact, but the shockwave punches through the blade and hit his chest in full like a point blank cannon fire. "Aghk!" Athrun gaped, unbowed but momentarily paralyzed, which gave Barry a chance to send in a few more absurdly powerful punches in, each impact unleash a small shockwave, each blow left an imprint on Athrun's armor. The fist fighter continued with a somersault that shattered Athrun's lower jaw and the boy across the arena before he crash-landed violently on the floor which capsized under both his weight and the momentum's force.

Barry stopped his onslaught for a moment to catch his breath. This gave Athrun enough time to register a sensation he hadn't felt in a very long time: pain. No, this was nothing like when Kage sliced him up. His was instant, near painless and smooth. Easily forgettable if not for the devastating effect that usually followed. This is the brutalized black and blue sort of pain. The sort of damage he actually had to feel for quite some time before they heal. Why, he counted of the 200 bones in his body, fully a quarter of them had turned to dust! 'So this is God of Fist Barry Ho.' To call him devastating in close combat would be an understatement. 'I had to change strategy…'

Nevertheless, Barry quickly noticed that it doesn't take long for Athrun to regenerate the damage he's given him, his armor reshaped itself, his weapon renewed in an instant. He's still in tip top shape to continue this fight. 'This is going to take a while.'

This time, Athrun started by swinging his zweihander upward. But his one Zweihander is not the only thing swinging. Dark silver particles converged on the hollow part of the blade. Magenta colored hexagon circuitry suddenly appeared They quickly formed magenta colored hexagonal pieces that quickly converged into a mass of swords, swinging in concord with the Zweihander as the core of a gargantuan pillar of weapons. Athrun quickly dropped the whole mass right on top of Barry. Barry cracked a knuckle and punched it upward, sending a massive fist shaped shockwave straight at the falling swords. The air punch collided with the mass of blades, and the impact sent a massive shockwave that instantly dent the steel floor and shattered the mass, sending the blades to every direction in a shower of blades. Soon, the whole arena is filled with swords.

For someone like Barry who deprived himself of any armor on his bare upper body, this arena is anything but safe. But Athrun can easily plow through the field of swords with his full body armor. In fact, the swords go out of their way to stay out of his way, allowing Athrun to quickly closed the distance, filling Barry's vision with the bulk of his being. But just as Athrun entered Barry's attack range, the Knight suddenly jumped backward to sky and widen the gap once again.

Just as Barry thought of chasing, he caught sight a horde of spears and swords… each of them the size of a building, appearing in a flash of lightning right out of thin air, and they flew towards Barry in their entire enormity. Barry instinctively jumped a good distance off the ground to avoid these oversized arsenals as they crashed in to where he stood a moment ago. Whilst the High general is still hanging midair, Athrun, standing firmly on a floating platform of hexagonal steel plate, swing his Zweihander in a vertical roundhouse arc, unleashing a rain of gigantic swords from the swing. The downpour of blades fell upon a caught off guard Barry. 6 maces, 7 axes and 5 morning stars bludgeoned the General back to the ground, sending him right into the narrow spaces of two gigantic swords that walled his flanks and prevent his escape. To make things worse, the ground where he's supposed to land was suddenly filled with swords pointing upward to welcome his landing. Correction, they didn't wait, the field of swords immediately shot up a barrage of razor sharp projectiles towards the still falling Barry. The General steadied himself and start punchi9ng and parrying any weapons flying his way. But Athrun was far from done. A whole horde of arsenals once again forming from the thin air behind the Knight, and soon Athrun sent them flying towards the still midair Barry. The two streams of swords from the sky and the ground collided all around the General, and still the Knight didn't let up. The two gigantic swords on both of Barry's sides suddenly unraveled themselves and turned into thousands and thousands of bladed weaponry and all quickly concentrated their fire on Barry. A 360 degree barrage of weapons from every direction.

When Athrun was finally through and the stream of sword ended, the spot where Barry was hanging a few minutes ago is now a ball of weapons crisscrossing into a single mass of steel. For some reason, Athrun began to think this might be a little bit of overkill…

C… Crack…

Or not.

With one loud explosion, the ball of arsenal exploded, sending every weapon that composed it to every direction with the force of a meteor, destroying everything in their path. The gigantic coliseum was soon filled with holes.

As for Athrun, for some reason, he was virtually unscathed even while everything around him was destroyed down to the smallest pieces. All this debris filling the air is hindering his vision though. He looked around, searching for his absurdly powerful opponent… completely unaware that Barry just appeared right behind him, using the pieces of steel to jump around and close his distance to Athrun's unprotected back…

"Got you." So says Athrun who left that opening on purpose. Two swirling mass of weapons suddenly appeared and literally squeezed the General right in the middle. Athrun turned around to see the General hanging in the air in-between two masses of weapons. Normal people would ground meat by now… and yet the General get away still alive and squirming with just a few scratches after being squeezed by a few tons of edged weapons from both sides. 'Overkill is underrated. Seriously.' "Are you alright?"

"Interesting place… this… steel section." Incredibly, Barry can still speak so casually even with his circumstances.

"Normally it's a maze too. Like the rest." Athrun sighed. "But just for this occasion, I undo all that, all the energy and ether mana to construct that maze were rechanneled into… this. It creates a… Legion Ether Rich environment which I can control at will. I can generate mana made weapons… anywhere, anytime."

"I see." Barry nodded. "We Samurais aren't exactly a fan of your Zaft Knight's… Arcane Magics." The General looked at Athrun. "So… what happens now?"

"I think… I'm going to keep you that way. Temporarily of course. Just a few days, and after that I'll let you go."

Barry rolled his eyes. "Now, we certainly can't have that." He took a deep breath… and…

BANG!

To Athrun's disbelief, the two pillars of arsenal that lock Barry in place began to budge and a few pieces of the weapons fell off when the General shifted in his entrapment. The General is trying to break free of this steel bondage with sheer. Brute. Force! BANG! BANG! BANG! The frequency of this banging sound increases, and the two towering pillar of weapon mass began to crack and pieces fell off more rapidly. Pretty soon they're going to shatter.

"Fine." Athrun batted his sword to the arsenal filled ground, and answering his mental command, thousands upon thousands of weapons flew up and merge together, forming a whirring gigantic serpentine tornado of blades, bigger than the previous two combined by significant margin. Athrun quickly directed the whirlwind of blades straight towards Barry, who's just seconds away from breaking free. But in that instant, Barry welcomed the incoming Arsenal Whirlwind with a barrage of punches, each blow produced a massive halo of shockwave against the mass of whirring weapons, blowing away pieces of the mass. Upon first collision, the arsenal Whirlwind quickly hammered and pushed the General far back. But then, Barry intensify his punches, and before long, to Athrun's shock, his arsenal Whirlwind is losing.

Athrun closed his eyes in bitterness. "…why must you force my hand?" Athrun made a motion with his free hand…

And suddenly, Barry felt breathing is the most painful thing he had ever done. 'Wha…!?' His confusion had yet ended, blood burst out of every opening in his face. That pain halted his attack midway, and the Arsenal Whirlwind gave one final push. Unabated, the whirlwind hammered Barry down and slammed him to the floor below with earth shattering meteorite. The effect can even be felt all the way out of the maze; with the Kusanagi Samurai army felt it as a brief but powerful earthquake.

"Lord Ho has been in that building for an awfully long time… the sun is almost up!" They've waited all night; they didn't even bother getting off their horses to set up camp or light fire to prepare food. Regardless, they maintain combat readiness and vigilance at all time, waiting for their master to return. Their enhanced constitution and disciplined mentality ensured this will not hinder them by the slightest when the time comes to join the inevitable battle. Nonetheless… one had to wonder… why the need for this long wait? What's happening in there?

Inside the Labyrinth…

"I told you I can create anything anywhere in this place. The Legion Ether Mana is everywhere. Even in the very air we breathe." Athrun calmly approached the spot where he knew Barry Ho was buried beneath tons of steel. "…which means I can even create something inside your lungs, your insides, if I want to. Tearing you apart from the inside." The young knight mourned. "…and the reason I didn't do this from the start is because I don't want to! The last thing I want to do is to kill one of Orb's crucial pillars of defense."

No sooner than Athrun said that, he saw something glimmer beneath the crevices of the piling weapons. "Huh?'

That glimmer instantly turned into a blinding flash of light, and by the time Athrun had regained his sight, there's a fist sized smoking hole on said pile… and there's a same hole on his shoulder. Athrun didn't even feel the pain. He looked at the wound and saw it glowing red hot. One thing for certain… he just got punched. The question is… what kind of punch can do… this? And just Athrun wondered the answer to this question, his body finally began to register the pain. And it was excruciating enough that it even forced him to fell on his knees.

Still, he remained painfully awake and conscious… conscious enough to see the pillar of weapons burying Barry began to shake violently from its foundations. The shaking grew ever stronger and louder, and Athrun's injury was too severe that he can do nothing to stop what's coming.

Sure enough, with another thunderous cracking, Barry tear the metallic obstruction apart and break free once more from yet another one of Athrun's attempt to imprison him in some metallic construct. Other than the blood still streaming through the corner of his lips and his nostrils, the High general didn't seem injured. At all. After all that. Oh, and his arms are glowing. It's like said arms are made of light instead of flesh.

And at this rate, Athrun is quite close from falling into total despair. "Seriously… My Lord… you just gave a whole new meaning of the word iron lung." '…and they call me a Monster…' "…and those arms… are those…"

"Do not ask further, Young Knight. Do not think further of it as well." Barry flexed his arms and the beam arms turned back to normal flesh and blood. "If I tell you, I have to kill you. And like you, I really don't want to."

By now, Athrun's shoulder had regenerated completely. "Yeah… sometimes we don't always get what we want." And his eyes twitched… before his green human eyes turned to slits.

Something that did not escape Barry's attention. "Young Master Zala… I know all about your bloodline limit… you can just step aside right now, and this won't be necessary!"

Athrun gave one last sad smile… before the beastly visage of his full beast form took over.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWRGGHHHH!"

Barry gritted his teeth and balled his fists. "This is such a pity!"

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At noon, the Samurai warriors had grown restless enough; some had even begun to consider sending in a search and rescue team to scour the accursed building. Their master had entered that building for almost 24 hours now and there's no sign of him coming out…

Cra…

A single crack appeared on the walls of the structure. And then, the crack spread further and further… and finally, the whole structure just… crumble to pieces from top to bottom. The Samurai's cheer for their master's obvious success was swallowed by the roaring sound of the structure collapsing into ruin. Soon, the irksome construct that barred their way was no more, only a landscape of devastation and carnage lay testament that such structure once exists.

Some the Samurais, unable to wait anymore, dismounted and rushed towards the ruin before the dust settles. After a brief search, they found him. Alive and well. "Lord Barry! Thank the Emperor, you're… alright?" When the dust did indeed settle, they had a full view of just how 'alright' their master is.

Barry sat on top of rock, alive but visibly exhausted… His initially unblemished body is now marred with giant scars, still fresh and bleeding, some of which won't be disappearing any time soon… if ever. And lying unconscious in defeat, was an unconscious Athrun, half buried in the ruin with his armor greyed and shattered.

"You little runt!" One of the Samurai pulled out his katana. "I'll have your head on a pike for this!"

"Leave him alone!" Barry scolded the over eager Samurai to his place. "Unless you want YOUR head on a pike when we told Lady Cagalli what you did to her friend's head, I suggest you stay that sword and leave the boy's head where it supposed to be."

"He's…!" The Samurai could barely finish his sentence when some memory of a past terror caught his tongue. They're talking about the girl who once chased and whacked the entire military might of Orb silly with a broomstick when she was 10.

"An eye for an eye. You once risked your life to rescue our lady…" Barry had heard everything that happened in Indonesia from his young apprentice. "Now we'll spare yours… and I've given your people their chance." If he wanted to, he could've ended that battle as soon as it started, but Barry decided to prolong it anyway, giving the Zaft troops a day. "Consider us even."

Barry struggled to get up. "Now… let's go."

"Yes My Lord… but perhaps you wish to see a Medic Nin first?"

Barry looked at his condition and rolled his eyes. "They have one hour."

And in one hour, the Medic Nin worked their magic, and Barry was as good as new, ready and able to lead his army in their assigned mission. And it's good thing they make haste too. The latest report from the Shinobi revealed the troubling development that took place while the Samurai was delayed. Kage delayed the Zaft Knight army with a maze of his own. To penetrate it, Hakutenkun Raww Le Klueze had no choice but to burn the whole forest to the ground. It finally culminates in a duel between the two masked warriors, where Kage was beaten to an inch of his life. Even with Mwu la Flagga's interference, the 7th division captain barely survived this ordeal by the skin of his teeth.

"Kage's playing with us. He's using us to finish what he had started." Upon hearing the poor condition of the Zaft knights, Barry quickly understood what's happening, this is exactly as how Athrun explained it to him. "He must've engineered this second invasion, making use of the Bladebane invasion for a purpose of his making. And now… these Zaft Knights, having outlived their usefulness, were used as sacrificial pawns… the scapegoat for our wrath."

"Should we strike at Kage instead, Barry-dono?" One of the Samurai suggested.

Barry contemplated and replied. "No. As it is, despite this being Kage's scheme, fact is, his men had merely defended their position and had not occupied a single spot of our land. The only exception to that was when they quelled the Bladebane invasion in Konohagakure. But beyond the massive property destruction left behind in the wake of that battle, he had not lay claim to any territory beyond the walls and the forest of Archangel. It is currently the Zaft knights who ran rampant in our lands. And there is one more thing…" Barry added. "Kage has been helping the refugees from our country. From a political point of view, and my personal opinion… we owe him a debt."

The Samurais rustled uneasily beneath their armor. Owing a debt to what could possibly be the worst mass murderer in history?

"A debt that must be repaid immediately." Barry concluded. "Ready yourself. For today, we will make the sons of George of Glenn pay the blood of our countrymen with theirs."

And the samurai charged in and fell upon the hapless Zaft Knights with the full force of their wrath and might. Of what's left of the Zaft army, a full half was slaughtered right on the spot. Some chose to surrender and was captured. What little remained managed to escape, along with the commanding officers of the Zaft Armies. In particular, Raww Le Klueze stayed behind the longest to buy time for what's left of his army to escape. They managed to push him into the corner, and yet he managed to slip past their fingers by a hairbreadth. Granted, even for an army of Samurai, a Hakutenkun of his caliber is no easy prey. But everyone knew that the biggest reason of this failure… is Barry Ho's inability to fully participate in this punitive battle.

Outwardly, the High general looks fine. But several bouts of coughing that are coupled with blood spitted out made his Medical officers convinced him to minimize his field combat participation. Athrun had inflicted a far worse damage than they expected.

In the end, Raww escaped with what little remained of his army, only to be arrested by Courtney. Kage escapes into the Ocean aboard an Orb Super Dreadnought, Archangel.

And the rest is, as they say, history.

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"That… was… amazing, Athrun-san." Nichol rolled his eyes in awe as Athrun finished his story as he helped him aboard the Nazca. "I mean… wow… you go toe to toe with Barry Ho, Orb's God of Fist!"

"He beat me to a pulp and he wasn't even taking me seriously!" Athrun groaned as he checked the Ship's condition with a glance. As if on cue, Fatum, still in his two headed monster hound form, came out roaring from below the deck, sensing the smell of someone he did not recognize. The Monster hound snarled at the unnerved Nichol, but Athrun quickly get in the way. "Fatum! Down boy! Nichol's a friend! Down!"

Fatum looked at Athrun, then to Nichol and fro. If his master called this one a friend… then a friend he is. The two headed hound shrank back to his normal dog form. And Nichol can breathe again.

"In the end…" Athrun surmised. "Events in the last few days has been… I was gonna say fruitful… but I suppose humbling is more appropriate." Two straight up one on one duels, and Athrun lost in both occasions. He'd be lying if his confidence didn't take a big blow. "Alliance Blacklist Captains… Orb's High Generals… this war has no shortage on monsters. Monsters that are even more powerful than I am."

"What are you going to do?"

Athrun frowned. "…I think… I'm gonna need some help."

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Epilogue…:

Back to the present day…

As Kage finished reminiscing about that mysterious Purple armored Knight and pondered his possible connection to Athrun, he twisted the chains choking an assassin that, until a moment ago, tried to kill him in his sleep. A sickening crack told him he just snapped the assassin's neck clean off.

Kage sighed as he let the lifeless body down to join the rest of the dead assassins littering his cell floor. "Right…" The Shinobi began to fiddle with his thumb, and an unnerving crack can be heard from his thumb. He folded the thumb after it was dislocated off its joints and he easily slid the shackles off his wrist. As for the cell door… well, one of the assassins was kind enough to bring a toothpick in his mouth.

A few seconds later, the cell door was opened.

Kage walked calmly across the corridor as Torii flew in and landed gently on his shoulder. When he arrived at the exit, the two wardens were just discussing about something when they noticed their top priority prisoner is out of his cell and not on shackles. "What the f-"

Rena had just finished pouring some tea when the door was blasted off its hinges with the wardens nailed on that door by at least a dozen kunais. And yet the General Captain didn't even cringe nor surprised by this event. Kage walked out of the blasted door and he was also not so surprised seeing the one who put him in this cell is waiting for him with some tea at ready. Xing Ke was also there, standing as nervous as he can be.

"You send for me?"

"I have no idea-"

"I was napping." Kage growled. "I was having a nice nap, and then you let those incompetents you call Assassin get past you and wake me up. You send for me, don't deny it."

"Do you hear me denying it?" Rena smirked. "Come sit. The tea's getting cold. You take sugar?" Rena offered.

"No."

"Neither do I." She chuckled. She took a cup, Kage took a cup. "Kanpei!"

"Kanpei." And the two Blacklist Captains calmly drank their tea after the salute. Kage let the warm liquid went past his throat and beat down whatever drowsiness he had left. "So… how's the preparation's coming up?"

"We're doing just fine." Rena nodded. "Thanks to you, Shanghai is much more secure. My men are now moving in to further fortify the place."

"Word of advice. If I hear word of your men mistreated mine, in ANY way… I will find them, and I will kill them, and then I'm gonna do the same to you."

"Oh please." Rena laughed. "Spare me your death threats. Your men are free to kill every last one of mine if they annoy you that much and if they can. Provided your men can then take over the job left vacant by the predecessor's… 'absence' with equal level of competence or more. Fail that, and I will kill them, and then you."

Kage rolled his eyes. "Keep this up and you'll ran out of Troopers before this war is over."

"You wish." Rena shook her head. She's really having fun with this conversation. "Speaking of which… how exactly did Simca suddenly turned to your side in a heartbeat?"

"You tell me, ma'am." Kage rolled his eyes. "I'm as lost as you are."

Rena sighed.

"Speaking of which… how long have Karren been under your command?"

"Well… she's Simca's generation. She's been with me for as long as I can remember. She left a few years back for family reason. I try not to delve to deep when it comes to that."

Xingke frowned seeing the two Black List Captains conversing so lightly. Insofar, the two talk about nothing but trivia and gossips. But in the end, it was Kage who finally jump straight to the main point.

"Well… let's cut to the chase… and give me the list."

"What list?" Rena asked.

Kage took a sip and after he put his cup down, he answered with a flat calm tone:

"The list of all Logos Ministers you want me to KILL."

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