A/N: Hello...is it me you're waiting foooorrrr!

Welcome one and all to Chapter 30 of The End of Hope's Peak Academy. We have once again reached a milestone chapter, and this one is quite lengthy. There is a lot to digest in this chapter, along with some funny stuff that happens every so often. I'm having fun writing for Class 77A, these characters have definitely grown on me over the last day or so, especially Keiko and Emma, they are my favorites out of this batch of people. I hope you like this chapter, sadly the end of it will be in the next one, the battle just got too freaking long for it to be a single chapter. I exceeded my limit by nine pages, which is an insane amount of writing.

So if you didn't guess, this is another paintball chapter, the competition between 77A and 77B. Who will come out on top, and who will get to brag for the next few days before they select the next event? You'll all just have to wait and see. So without further adoo, here is Chapter 30 of The End of Hope's Peak Academy!

As always, guess the references if you can spot them!

The End of Hope's Peak Academy

Zetsubou-Hen

Chapter 30

Paintball Redux

Daisuke groaned as he was woken up. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, his focus on the alarm clock on his bedside table. Sonia sat up, glaring at the door with unfocused eyes. The knocking grew louder as he stood up, making his way toward the door. He fumbled with the lock, throwing the door open. Standing on the other side was Kyoko Kirigiri, looking rather posh in her outfit. He blinked a few times, glancing at the clock.

"It's 4 in the morning." he said.

"I understand this, but I have made some headway in my investigation. Information that I felt you should know." she said. He instantly woke up, opening the door to let her in. Sonia stretched her arms, brushing her hands to flatten a bit of her bedhead.

"Good morning Kyoko." she greet, voice sounding tired.

"Likewise your majesty. Sorry for disturbing your slumber."

"No no, it's alright...I wake up at five all the time." she said, trailing off a bit. She leaned against the wall, trying her hardest to stay awake. Daisuke gestured to the computer chair, and Kyoko sat down, pulling a file from inside her coat.

"So, I spent the last three days at your fathers company." she started, causing him to go wide eyed.

"Three days? Jesus where did you sleep?" he asked.

"That doesn't matter. The fool doesn't have security anywhere in his office building, making it rather easy to get in. He also left a lot of sensitive files unlocked, making it easy to photo copy it all." she said, handing him the file. He opened it, reading the paper inside.

"Plans to drive A-2 Publishing into Bankruptcy." was on the paper. His eyes widened.

"A-2 Publishing is the place I sent my novel too...no wonder they haven't replied back, they're trying to stay away from bankruptcy." he said.

"Not only that, they filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy not long ago. They are trying to reorganize and let go some of their partners, your father's company happens to be one of them." Kyoko said firmly. Daisuke grit his teeth in anger, squeezing the file in his hands.

"Daisuke sweetheart, what exactly does your father do?" Sonia asked curiously. His anger diminished, replaced with curiosity.

"I...never told you?" he asked.

"Not that I know of, you don't like talking about your father a lot." she admitted. He hummed to himself, looking at the darkened ceiling. Kyoko had at least turned on their lamp, providing a bit of light into the room.

"He's a stock trader and shareholder. He buys and sells stocks to millions of people, so he has partnerships with different businesses. If he's driving A-2 Publishing to bankruptcy, that means he must have done something to their stocks to make them plummet, causing stockholders to pull out." he said.

"That is correct. He's using his knowledge of the stock market to fool his partners to sell when they're high. He reaps the benefits while they end up loosing their stocks. Then he sells it back to them at their peak just before they plummet, making the company go bankrupt. He has apparently been doing this for the last twenty years without much of an issue." Kyoko said firmly.

"Oh god, how many companies have declared bankruptcy since then?" Sonia cried out.

"Hundreds...thousands maybe. I remember, before Ryuji passed away, he was talking about buying stocks from a technological company." he said.

"Worse yet, I have reason to believe he's going to bring down Hope's Peak Academy as well. Since this is a government funded institution, it also has stocks and shares. It is part of a bigger operation, with schools in America, Canada, Europe and Russia. If even one of these academies fall, it will spell disaster for the entire world." the detective said, making the two teenagers go wide eyed.

"He wants revenge...he couldn't get into Hope's Peak when he was my age...but I was let in with my Story Telling. He wants to bring the academy down because he views my talent as useless." Daisuke said, shivering a bit at the thought.

"That isn't possible. He can't be planning this, Sylvia is an alumni now...do you actually think he would do that?" Sonia asked curiously.

"Sylvia being part of the alumni means nothing. He has money to throw around, meaning he can do whatever he wants. He doesn't care about Sylvia or her mother. They're just a means to an end. He wants to bring Hope's Peak Academy down, by any means necessary."

"Well, I have good news. With all of this information, I not only have enough to open an investigation with the authorities, but I have evidence that would put him in jail for life. I have a recording of a phone call he had with the hitman, the one that killed Takao Morita. He confessed to murder." she said, holding a violet recorder in her hands. His eyes widened.

"You know, I am never underestimating an Ultimate student again. Thank you so much Kyoko." he said happily.

"No problem, I have already made contact with the Ex-Ultimate Lawyer, she's taking our case Pro-Bono. Don't worry, we will have his ass tossed in jail faster than you can blink." she said confidently. She took the file back, standing up from the chair.

"Anyway, sorry to have disturbed you. I merely wished to convey the news with you first...I wish you luck on your paintball game with Class 77A, I still have nightmares from our game." she said, shuddering a bit.

"Thanks, but we totally got them beat. Not even the Ultimate Paintballer can defeat us. Besides we get to decide the rules for the tournament too, so that'll surely aid us in battle." he said with a smile.

"Don't get to confident, we wouldn't want you to eat those words would we now?" she asked.

She bid them farewell, heading to her own dorm for some rest. Three days of sleeping inside an air vent really did a lot to a persons back. Now the fully awake Daisuke and Sonia had nothing to do. They lay in the darkness of their room, staring at the ceiling above them. Daisuke licked his lips, a smirk on his face.

"Wanna have sex?"

"No, goodnight!" Sonia replied turning over to face the wall. He sighed.

"Hiyoko is much more fun at this than you." he said, earning a growl from the girl. He zipped his lip, the last thing he wanted was a pissed off Sonia that early in the morning.

xxx

Oliver smiled contently to himself. He was standing in front of a wall length mirror inside the Boys locker room. He had been decked out in the armor he had been provided. A Kevlar vest, with a red paint attached to the inside. He was wearing a long sleeved shirt with some padding on it, along with long legs, also with padding. He wore a pair of protective boots, and fingerless leather gloves. Attached to his leg was his side arm, his Beretta 92fs. Inside the pockets of his vest were several loaded magazines, reach one having neon green paint, the color they had chosen for their class.

"You look good in that." Rika said, standing next to him. She was dressed in similar armor, holding her Knight Series AR 10 in her hands. He gave her a confident smile.

"Thank you...you ready?" he said, earning a nod from her. She lead him back toward the main area of the locker room where the rest of his classmates were, sitting on the benches or standing against the locker. The only one who seemed sad was Emma, since she had been forced to wear boots, something she absolutely detested. He stood at the front of the class, clearing his throat.

"Men, women...we have come along way since we were challenged. We've been practicing like hell and have had every possible scenario against us. All of us know our guns inside and out. There is no reason for us to lose...but in the off chance that we do, I would like to say that I am damn proud of you all." he said firmly.

"Aw, it's nothing man. We all wanna be here!" Toshiro said. Mike had been tied up, as he had been trying to run. He had put on his cloak over his paintball armor, the hood being over his head.

"Can I take my boots off yet?" Emma asked, earning a no from Ryoutaro. Keiko stood up from the bench, putting the finishing touches on the doll she had been sowing. She placed it at the top of her armor, the head peeking out over it. She grabbed her shotgun, pumping it loudly.,

"Gentlemen, tonight we dine in hell!" she said, earning cheers from the entire class. The sound of a canister filled their ears, as a black can rolled into the room. They all looked at it oddly, pink mist pouring from it. They all looked at it, backing away from it.

"What the hell is that?" Rika cried out.

"Oh no...sleep gas...just like...class 78." Shinji said, slowly falling asleep. One by one, all of the teenagers started falling to the floor. Oliver groaned, his eyes dropping closed. He didn't know what he would be put through when he woke up again, but he would give it his all.

Xxx

At the same time, Class 77B was putting the finishing touches on their equipment, checking everything out. They had all gotten used to their weapons by now, so they were confident in their abilities with them. Daisuke placed a magazine into the receiver of his gun, pushing it until it clicked. He slung it over his shoulder, checking his side arm.

"Well guys, this is it. All of us have been practicing for this day, and now it is here. Are we going to let 77A beat us?" Nekumaru cried.

"Hell no!" they all cried.

"Are we gonna win?"

"Hell Yeah!"

Daisuke grinned as they all started clapping and cheering loudly, banging their fists against the lockers. Hina looked a bit odd standing with them, as it had only been her second game. She was wearing armor just like the rest of them, but her firearm had been a little different than the others. She had been the only one to pick two handguns instead of a rifle. She said she didn't feel comfortable using anything else. The two handguns at her legs were Tokarev's, otherwise known as a Black Star Type 54. It was a 9mm handgun of Russian origin, a very reliable gun. She had tons of magazines in her pockets. Since they were handguns, the magazines were smaller, meaning she could carry more of them. Daisuke gave her a nod, and she smiled back.

"Alright everyone, Class 77A was hitting the targets had for the last three days. I'm not gonna say we didn't hit them hard either, but they aren't going easy on us. This isn't a dodge-ball game against the Council, this is a Paintball game against our fellow classmates. We have done this twice already, we can pull off a win easily." Daisuke said.

"We have full confidence that we will win. Let's just hope the field plays to our advantage." Kazuichi said, loading a fresh magazine into his P90.

A canister flew into the room, one that Nekumaru easily caught. The all smirked as the smoke started filling the room. It wasn't long until all of them had passed out, confident smiles on their faces.

Xxx

Daisuke groaned as his eyes fluttered open. He was greeted by nothing but sky. Bright and blue and filled with clouds. All around him were tall trees, pine trees by the look of it. Underneath him was a bed of pine needles and dry leaves, the ground was surprisingly dry. He sat up, brushing some of the leaves off of himself. He noticed he was completely alone, that meant their plan of breaking into teams had gone out the window. He scrambled to pick up his rifle, hiding behind the trunk of a tree. He was wearing a see through face mask, the goggles would protect his eyes, while the rest of his mask mimicked his face, making it easier to recognize who was who. He he noticed a blue band tied around his arm. His team had gotten hot pink paint, a choice made by Ibuki.

Immediately, he checked his pocket, pulling out the cellphone he had been given. There was a flashing message on it. He pressed it, opening the screen.

"Daisuke Del Rio, this is your commander. You have been taken to an unspecified field in enemy territory. You're objective is to reach the Red Team's base and take out the bomb they are currently guarding. The enemy territory is filled with soldiers. Take them down at all costs. If you take damage to your limbs, your armament will lock for ten minutes. If you take heavy damage, your blood bag will burst, ending in your death. Protect yourself at all costs. Care packages shall be dropped every half hour. Good luck, and Godspeed."

"Damn it Ozzy, we gave you one fucking mission...no matter, I gotta make my way to the enemy base." he muttered to himself, loading a round in the chamber. He looked around, and slowly started moving toward a nearby tree. He hoped the others were okay, if they weren't fighting already.

Oliver looked around the abandoned shack he had woken up in. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary inside. It was just an empty shack with nothing inside it, aside from a few tools. He wondered briefly where he had been taken, but knew that worrying about it would be futile. The message he had listened too was still playing in his mind.

"Oliver Martin, this is your commanding officer. You have been tasked with defending a high grade explosive. The enemies are already on the ground and convening in your location. You must do everything in your power to defend that explosive. Taking a hit on a limb will lock your weapons for ten minutes. If you take heavy damage or a kill shot, the blood bag behind your vest will explode, ending in your death. Take down the enemy, before they take you down. Good Luck, and Godspeed."

He had to admit, it was a slightly different way to begin a paintball game. He was used to a whistle being blown and the firefight starting, but he was dumped in the middle of the woods, with two firearms and no connection to his friends. He was wearing a red arm band, meaning he was on the red team. He would have to work fast and work quietly if he wanted to find the rest of his friends. The first thing he was trying to do was locate the spot where the explosive was so he could protect it. He was sure two of his classmates had woken up there to guard it, finding the location would be even harder.

He slowly moved toward the door, rifle at his shoulder, waiting for something to move. He passed through the open door, taking a sweep of the area before dashing toward one of the trees. He pressed himself against it, steadying his breathing. He noticed an abandoned car not far from where he was and dashed toward it.

"Alright, gotta focus...where would I hide if I was on the enemy team?" he thought to himself. He noticed a large boulder not far from where he was. He was about to dash toward it when he heard a gunshot. The car mirror exploded as a hot pink round struck it. He quickly opened the door, using it as a shield from the incoming rounds.

"Fuck." he muttered, trying to peek around the edge.

He couldn't see who it was, and he had no clear shot. He glanced inside the car, smirking a bit. It was parked on a hill, which meant he could use it to his advantage. He climbed into it, hanging onto the door as he reached for the clutch. He put it in neutral, and it started to move. He hastily lowered the window, balancing his rifle on it. He pulled the trigger opening fire, the quiet forest was filled with gunfire as the paint splattered on the boulder. He heard a feminine scream behind the rock, confirming the gender of the shooter. He rolled out of the car just as it crashed into the boulder.

"You aren't getting away from me." he said, racing around the boulder. He rose his rifle, opening fire at the person running away. They dove behind a tree, pressing themselves against a tree. He opened fire on it, paint splattering on the trunk. His gun clicked empty and he ducked behind the boulder, tossing the empty magazine to the floor.

"My turn!" the girl cried, shooting her twin pistols. Oliver rolled his eyes, already knowing who it was just by the voice. The bullets whizzed by his ear, all of them missing their mark. As soon as they clicked empty, he ran forward, opening fire on the tree.

"Sorry Hina, this is gonna hurt like shit." he muttered to himself. The Ultimate Swimmer was trying to run away, but she instead left herself open. Her back was peppered with neon green grounds, her blood back exploded, sending red paint in all directions. Just like that, the Blue team had their first casualty.

"Aoi Asahina has been eliminated!"

Daisuke grit his teeth, hearing the announcement. He had quickly gotten his bearings and found out where the main battle was going to be taking place. They had all been dumped in the woods behind an abandoned shopping mall. He didn't know the layout of the building itself, but he knew it was going to be total hell when he got inside. He was laying on the ground, looking at the building. He had seen some Red team members crossing the parking lot from the other side of the mall. He heard someone behind him and quickly stood up, rising his rifle to his shoulder.

"Whoa man, don't shoot, it's me."

Daisuke sighed, lowering his gun as Kazuichi made his way out of the woods. Takane was behind him, holding onto her grenade launcher. He glanced behind them, making sure they were alone.

"Did you find anyone else?" he asked after a few seconds.

"No, but we saw the red team moving toward this place, so we decided to check it out. Hina was taken out first, that means we need to try hard in order to win." Takane said, earning a nod from Kazuichi.

"Yeah, so let's get in there already." he said. Daisuke nodded, looking around the area.

"I'll go first and check out. When I whistle, you move your asses, until then drop to the ground, don't be seen." he said.

The two of them nodded, instantly dropping to the ground, almost blending in with the ground. Daisuke quickly made his way out of the woods, and onto the pavement. He looked around, spinning around in a circle to cover his field of view. He ran toward the two doors facing them, peeking into the glass. He whistled loudly, and a few seconds later Kazuichi and Takane joined him. With a nod they opened the doors, walking into the mall.

Rika was smiling, for the first time in a long time. When she had woken up, she thought she was going to be playing paintball in the woods, but upon seeing the abandoned mall, she was ecstatic. In the woods, there were plenty of hiding spots, but inside a building, it made it even harder to be spotted. The mall was three floors filled with department stores, fountains, giant plants, sky lights and hundreds of other things. It gave plenty of room to hide, and plenty of vantage spots. She remembered visiting this mall when she was a little girl, but now it had been abandoned for seven years, so much so that the basement floor had been entirely flooded.

She made her way up the West escalator, going up to the third floor. She looked around every store and every walk way. She had heard voices and gunshots as she had been walking around, it was only a matter of time before an all out brawl started, and she needed a good vantage point. A paint bullet whizzed by her ear and she quickly dropped to the ground, ducking behind a large pot. She grabbed her Glock 18 and pulled the slide back, swallowing hard.

"You can't hide from me Rika, I saw you!" Mahiru cried out.

The green haired girl grinned, as she peeked over the plant. Mahiru was hiding behind a large glass sign, a poster advertising some movie in the theater downstairs. She could see the muzzle of her Uzi, sticking just slightly from the side. She stood opening fire at the sign, neon green ammunition striking the glass. She quickly ducked toward another pot, that was a bit closer to the sign. Mahiru smirked, already having seen her. She walked from around her cover, opening fire. Rika's eyes widened as she hugged her legs tightly.

"Shit, I wasn't expecting two Uzis!" she cried out.

She grit her teeth from the noise as the Ultimate Photographer unloaded all one hundred rounds on her. She ducked behind a door that lead to a service hallway, taking the time to replace her magazines. Rika rapidly stood up, grabbing her AR 10 from her shoulder. She pulled the slide back and rose it to her shoulder, peeking through the scope. She smirked to herself, seeing the keyhole on the door. Mahiru was firmly pressed against it, breathing erratically from the adrenaline. Rika licked her lips and pulled the trigger.

"Ow!" Mahiru cried. A beep filled the area as her weapons locked. She glanced at the door, seeing the oozing green paint from the keyhole. She quickly took off up the hall, dodging all of the paint bullets she could, disappearing into another hallway. Rika hissed angrily.

"The metal sheered the casing, but the paint at least hit her. She got lucky." she muttered dryly.

Shinji was chuckling to himself as he ran through the halls of the empty mall. A few members of the Blue team had tried and failed to hit him. His Ultimate Talent was just too much for them. He had easily climbed onto the railing, jumping down from the third to the second floor with ease. He slid behind a sign, just as a volley of gunfire opened, all aimed toward him. He pulled an R12U from his back, pulling the slide back. He opened fire, running toward his shooter who ducked behind a door.

"Gotcha now!" he said, as his gun clicked empty. Ibuki walked out from around the door, punching the boy in the face, causing him to fall to the ground. She rose her Winchester rifle, taking aim at his chest.

"Ibuki sends her regards!" she said.

"Huh?" he muttered, to stunned to formulate an answer. A gunshot filled his ears, only he didn't feel any paint. He looked up, seeing Ibuki clutching her shoulder in pain. She ducked behind the door, closing it behind her.

"Shinji, you need to pay attention." the emotionless voice of Emma said, as she helped him to his feet. He noticed she had taken off most of her protective gear, leaving only her face mask, goggles, and vest. She had even taken her boots off, and had been walking around barefoot.

"Dude, there's broken glass all over the place." he said. She shrugged her shoulders.

"I've been walking barefoot since I was three. Broken glass and sharp objects don't bother me. I am going to find Ryoutaro, find yourself a hiding place." she said, walking toward the escalator.

"Hey, let's stick together!" Shinji cried.

"I work better alone...of course if you agree to pose nude for me, I shall allow you to follow me." she said, her dark golden eyes looking into his own.

"Hell no, the only woman I'll get naked for is my girlfriend." he said firmly.

"Fine, I'll be your girlfriend for two hours if you get naked for me." she said firmly.

"Does that include kissing?" he asked, a blush on his face.

"If I can get a good portrait, I suppose so." she said.

"Two hours that's it." he said firmly. She gave him a thumbs up, as she continued walking down the metallic stairs, not at all bothered by the cold metal. He followed close behind, the thought of his first girlfriend clouding his mind.

"Nekumaru Nidai!" the Ultimate Team Manager shouted, as he started shooting three members from the Red Team.

He was laughing loudly as his Mini-Gun kept pumping out hot pink ammunition, practically bathing their hiding spot in paint. Yuto snuck behind the behemoth of a man, hoping to take him out, only for a hot pink bullet to strike his chest, taking him out of the game. Sonia smirked as she ejected the spent magazine, quickly taking aim at her second target.

"Yuta Kamishiro has been eliminated." the announcer said.

"Akane, hurry up and take them out!" Nekumaru cried, as he jumped behind a large sign. He grabbed a new strip of ammunition, loading it into his overheated mini-gun. It would be a little while until he was able to use it again.

Akane smirked as she ran forward, sliding around the paint as if it was ice. She spun on her heel, pulling the trigger of her AR 15, sending paint in all directions. Sohara cried as she tried to avoid the paint flying past her. Aquamarine rapidly stood up, rising her AA-12 shotgun to her shoulder. She pulled the trigger, nailing the Ultimate Gymnast in the leg. She howled in pain, dropping to the ground, her weapons locking up.

"Shit, Old man I need help!" she cried. She tried standing up, only to see the barrel of Carly's Desert Eagle aimed at her forehead. She gave her a grin, pulling the trigger. She pulled it again, but nothing happened.

"Shit, my guns jammed." she said, pulling the slide back.

"No, take the safety off!" Aquamarine cried, loading another magazine into her gun. They all suddenly froze as the doors in front of them were kicked open.

Mikan Tsumiki walked out, decked in her armor, holding her .45 Smith and Wesson in her hands. She gave the three a smirk, all of them too stunned to do anything.

"Hey guys, how's your health plan?" she asked curiously.

"What?" Sohara cried out. Mikan opened fire, the loud booming shots filling the air.

"Apparently it's Great!" she howled, laughing a little as she pulled the trigger. Aquamarine had jumped out of the way, as hard Sohara, but poor Carly hadn't been lucky. She took three rounds to the chest, the final one to the head was what took her out of the game. Mikan smirked, licking the barrel of her gun as she dropped her magazine.

"Carly Shay has been eliminated!"

"You know, they say the first kill is always the hardest. But I disagree with them, I think its rather fun." she said, slamming the new magazine into place. She flicked the switch, the slide locking back as she opened fire on Carly again, causing her to cry in pain.

"I'm already out!" she cried.

"Remind me never to mess with Mikan when she's like this." Akane said, earning a nod from Nekumaru. Aquamarine and Sohara had run off, saying silent prayers for their friend.

Back on the first floor, Oliver was calmly moving through the empty theater. He remembered this place when it was still opened. He had always wanted to see a movie on the big screen, but every time he asked his father, the man never agreed. He would always promise him they would go, but never kept his word. It had made him immensely jealous as a kid, especially when he saw classmates seeing movies with their friends or family. He swallowed hard, pushing those bitter memories out of his mind.

He pressed himself against the rising wall, noticing just how high the ceiling was. The movie theater had fourteen showrooms, with enough seats for at least six hundred people. That gave his opponents more than enough room to hide. It also made it hard to pinpoint the explosive. He had already lost two team members to the blue team. He hated to admit it, but even his talent wouldn't be enough against the swiftness of Class 77B.

He looked around, finding the area empty. He saw the door leading to the back room of the theater was open. He crouched down and started moving toward it. Four gunshots popped inside the room, striking the bottom of the white screen, smearing pink paint onto it. He rapidly stood up, flicking his gun to Fully Automatic. He opened fire, nailing all of the seats in front of him, sweeping his rifle in a horizontal arc to cover more ground. He ducked to the floor, dropping the empty magazine. He heard movement nearby as he popped a new mag in.

"This whole place is dark, without light I can't see shit. Maybe I should have gone with the infrared sight." Oliver said. He glanced over the seat, seeing two glowing red eyes moving through the darkness. The footsteps were heavy and they were panting.

"Mitarai...I wasn't expecting him to be wearing something like that." he thought to himself. He opened fire in front of him, causing the Animator to duck down, only he wasn't acting as the Ultimate Animator, he was instead acting as the Ultimate Affluent Progeny, Byakuya Togami. He stood up confidently, aiming his M-16A1 at the Ultimate Paintballer, peppering the ground with glowing pink paint.

"Give it up Martin, I will defeat you here and now." he said firmly, mimicking the voice of the Togami heir. That seriously threw off Oliver, who scrambled toward the open door. He leaned against the wall, grabbing one of his smoke grenades. He pulled the pin with his teeth and threw it through the door, a loud explosion of smoke filled the room. He stood at the door, opening fire, the only light being the flashes of the muzzle. Three loud beeps filled the room, signaling a weapons lock.

"I got him, this is it." Oliver muttered as he dove through the smoke. He slid on his knees, spinning around in a circle while firing his gun, sending paint in all directions. His gun clicked empty and he drew his side arm, emptying his magazine as well. He lay down on the ground, panting as he silently replaced his magazine.

He held his breath, watching the two red eyes coming closer to where he was. He licked his lips, raising his gun the glowing sights locked onto his target. At the same time, the Ultimate Impostor took aim, pulling the trigger of his gun, only to realized his magazine was empty. He let out a loud cry of pain as a single bullet struck his forehead, ending his time in the game. He fell to the ground with a thud, arms spread out to the side.

"Ryouta Mitarai has been eliminated!"

Oliver let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He stood up, replacing the empty magazine in his rifle as he walked toward the door. He remained there for a few seconds, looking at Ryouta who was laying on the ground, pretending to be dead, yet eating a bag of chips. He chuckled, shaking his head.

"You were a worthy opponent Mitarai...you had me confused with that voice though." he said.

"I try." the boy said, sounding like his shy normal self. Oliver walked through the theater, happy to have taken down another enemy.

Hiyoko was trying her hardest not to scream. She had been unlucky enough to find herself with Tanaka, who had been muttering enchantments the entire time they had been at the mall. She honestly wanted to take off, but she knew safety in numbers was an overall better strategy. While her friends were in the front of the mall, taking out the enemy, she and Tanaka were walking through the employee only areas, hoping to find the bomb.

The boy's choice in weaponry had been rather interesting. She had been expecting something completely powerful or common like a shotgun, but he had instead chosen a Crossbow. It was a military grade one, with a camouflage finish on it. Attached to his back were glowing paint arrows, which were hot pink in color. At his hip was a .38 Smith and Wesson Air Weight. It was the same model that the Police in Japan used. She didn't like revolvers, mostly because it took too long to reload. She loved shooting her shotgun anyway.

"Stick close to me She-Devil, my enchantments are powerful enough to protect us both." the teen said, causing her to stop.

"Alright, will you stop calling me that? Do it again and I will take you out my damn self!" she cried angrily.

"As if your dark powers can go up against my might. I am the terror of the night, the Dark Lord of Ice! Tanaka the Forbidden One!" he shouted, the lights above them sparked loudly, several sparks fizzled out around them.

"Christ, someday you'll have to realize magic isn't real!" she hissed.

"Well look what we have here...two tasty morsels prime and ready for the taking. What a beautiful young dame, I'm sure your blood tastes divine." a new voice said, causing the two to aim their weapons all over the hallway. They looked around, pressed back to back trying to find the person.

"Where the fuck are they?" Hiyoko cried, her hands shaking a bit as she steadied her shotgun.

"Invisibility magic? This one is quite versatile...stay on your guard, my darkness shall shroud us both." Tanaka said firmly.

"You dare speak of darkness when you yourself are nothing more than a dog? You think you live in the dark, I was born in it, molded by it, I didn't see the light of day until I was a man and by then, it was nothing more to me than blinding." the boy said, laughing as an organ started playing. The disk skipped a few times, causing him to hit it hard. Hiyoko looked up seeing their enemy literally hanging from the ceiling.

"What the fuck?" she cried out.

"Blonde dame, become my mistress of the night! I promise, the euphoria you'll feel from me sucking your blood will make you tingle with pleasure." Mike said, dropping to the ground.

He landed in a crouch, his cloak, falling around him. Hiyoko pulled the trigger of her gun, the 12 gauge round slammed into the ground, but missed the boy entirely. She took aim at him again, only to miss the next three shorts. He hissed loudly, bearing his fangs as he tried to bite her neck. Tanaka however grabbed the boy by his shoulder, pulling him away from the girl.

"Run She-Devil, while you have the chance. I shall use my dark powers to bring this vampire to his knees. Go now!" Tanaka said, aiming his crossbow at Mike, who was hissing loudly. He was holding a double barrel sawed off shotgun in his hands. Hiyoko grit her teeth in anger.

"You goddamn occult freaks, fuck all y'all!" she cried, breaking into a sprint. Mike opened fire, somehow managing to shoot the gun one armed, though he missed horribly. Tanaka stood in his way, his crossbow aimed and ready to go.

"Let us dance creature of the night. You who gave up your humanity shall face the dark powers of Tartaros itself. I am Tanaka, the Forbidden One!" he shouted, laughing maniacally as he fired his arrow.

Fuyuhiko and Peko stood back to back, glaring at their opponents. They had been through hell already, having been struck twice. Thankfully they had managed to hide for twenty minutes until their weapons game back on line. Now they were facing off against Toshiro and Chizu, the two men were relentless.

Peko was doing her best to deflect all of the paint she could, but she was starting to grow tired. Fuyuhiko popped open the cylinder to his revolver, using his speed loader to reload his gun. In a fraction of a second, he was already shooting. He had been trained to use guns young, so this to him was nothing. He hissed in pain as a bullet whizzed by his ear, striking Peko in the side. She groaned in pain, and he quickly pulled her behind cover.

"Peko, are you alright?" he asked, worry on his face.

"I'm fine, this is nothing." she said, clutching her now useless Shinai in her hand.

"We gotta get outta here. Quickly, let's go to that store right there." he said, pointing at a nearby store.

She nodded and hurried toward it, while he provided cover fire. Once inside the store, they blocked the entrance, quickly running away from the large windows. They made it to the back, in an employee lounge. There was another door that lead to the back of the mall, giving them an escape route. He closed the door, leaning against it.

"Man, this game is hell. Forty-five minutes have passed and only four people have been taken out. There's too many places to hide." he said, ejecting his spent rounds. If they kept on like this, he would run out of ammunition soon. Peko had yet to fire a single round, in case it came down to that.

He looked up, seeing his childhood friend sitting on a table. She had taken her vest off, checking her side. She had a new welt underneath her left breast, which hurt quite a bit. She fixed her shirt, sighing with relief.

"I hate Kevlar." she muttered.

"I agree, you don't look good in it. You can't move as fast either...if it were up to me, I would tell you to ditch it." he said.

"But we can't." she replied, taking her glasses off. She glanced away from her Young Master, biting her lip as she cleaned her glasses. He had been busy counting his ammunition.

"Are...you having fun?" he asked suddenly, causing her to look at him. She gave him a nod.

"Of course, any time I am with you or our friends, I have fun. No matter how mundane the activity." she replied.

"That's good...you were always quiet as a child. I just want you to socialize more...maybe find yourself a good man." he said. She shook her head.

"My apologies, I am merely a tool...I don't deserve to love anyone." she said. He slammed his fist against the metal door, startling her a bit.

"Goddamn it, I told you to stop fucking saying that shit!" he shouted.

"I'm sorry Young Master, I will stop posthaste."

"Stop calling me that too. I'm Fuyuhiko, not your master...you are free to do whatever you want in life...that's an order." he said firmly. Her eyes widened in shock.

Was he, seriously giving her freedom? She had never in her life thought something like that would happen. She had been trained in the way of the sword, seeing it as her only lifeline. She had been taught to be a silent killer, to feel no remorse for who her master had her kill. But she had never once in her life thought he would let her go. She gave him a smile, a few stray tears running down her cheek.

"Thank you Fuyuhiko...but even if I am free, my place in this world is next to you." she said firmly. He blushed brightly, glancing away from her.

"Aw shit, don't say that. You can do whatever you want now, so enjoy yourself, you'll always be my friend." he said firmly. She stood up from the table, walking toward the young gangster. She knelt down to his eye level placing her hands on his shoulders.

"I'm sorry, but I do not wish to be friends. Now that I have freedom, I am free to express myself in this way, and I hope you accept me for who I am." she said, pressing her lips against his own.

Alarm bells started ringing in his head. He didn't know what to do, sure he had seen his friends do it countless times, but he never once thought it would happen to him. He just closed his eyes, kissing the girl back. After a few seconds, they pulled away, both blushing brightly. He shook his head, giving her a deadpanned look.

"Don't expect none of that goo goo shit from me." he said, fixing his tie.

"I love you too Fuyuhiko." she said simply.

Xxx

"What do we do now?" Ryoutaro asked, pressing himself against the wall. Yasuke Matsuda shook his head, not really having an answer.

"I don't even know man, I don't wanna be here." he said, sweeping his hair behind his head.

"Well we need to do something. My freaking boobs are numb!" Haley cried, clutching her MP5SFK tightly in her hands.

Ryoutaro sighed, glancing outside of the hall. There was a savage firefight going on, Nekumaru and Akane were waging war on Sona and Keiko, the two girls having taken several tables from the food court and made a wall. The worse thing was that there was a care package next to the two students from Class 77B, meaning they had unlimited ammo for quite awhile. He could tell his friends were starting to grow low on ammunition, and he needed to help them. He tested the door a bit, seeing it was made of wood. He grinned, glancing at Yasuke.

"Give me something flat, anything." he said.

"Huh...okay." the man said, digging into his pocket. He pulled out his crucifix, which he had pocketed as soon as he got to the mall. Ryoutaro nodded to himself and started unscrewing the door hinges.

"We're going to use this door as cover. It won't last against a mini-gun but it will do fine against a rifle. We go when Nekumaru runs out of ammo, Haley we'll need cover fire. Yasuke, we need you to take out Nekumaru while he's reloading." the Carpenter said.

"Dude are you insane? That man is huge, and he has a fucking RPG as a side arm. Hell no, I am not taking that gamble."

"Pussy, I'll do it. I'm flexible enough to get past Akane. You focus on getting to the girls." Haley said, earning a chuckle from Ryoutaro.

"Flexible? I'm sorry but I have never seen you do any cheer routines, how can you be flexible?" he asked. The girl smirked, doing a split without breaking a sweat. She grabbed a hold of her leg, placing it behind her back, giving the boy a wink.

"What do you think?" she asked.

"Bounce on my dick, please." he said, earning a disgusted look from the cheerleader.

"You people are weird." Yasuke said.

"What do you mean you people?" Haley asked, glancing at the taller boy. He cringed, biting his lip.

"Uh...I mean...what I meant to say was..."

"I'm breaking your balls man, chillax." she replied, rolling her eyes. She stood back up, cracking her spine and arms. Ryoutaro handed Yasuke his chain back, pulling the door free.

"At the count of three...one...two...three." he said, leaving the hall as soon as Nekumaru ran out of ammo. Yasuke hid behind him, firing at Akane while Haley ran forward, doing flips to avoid being hit.

"Old Man, we got a problem!" Akane cried, seeing the Ultimate Cheer Squad Captain running at her.

She opened fire, but the girl jumped off the wall, doing a series of handsprings to dodge the paint bullets. She did a perfect cart wheel, landed in a split, gun aimed at Nekumaru. She opened fire on him, riddling him full of paint. He fell to he ground, defeated. Akane grit her teeth, taking aim at the girl, who threw a grenade at her. It slammed into her forehead, exploding on contact, bathing her in paint.

"Nekumaru Nidai and Akane Owari have been eliminated!"

"Fuck yeah, don't mess with my spanky pants!" Haley cried, slapping her ass as she walked off, holding her gun high in the air, letting out the last of her magazine.

"Nice job Haley, woo!" Ryoutaro cried.

Haley grinned, happy to have been able to take down two people. She didn't even notice the person behind her until it was too late. Ryoutaro rose his gun, causing her to quickly turn around, only for her to be struck in the chest with a hot pink round. She fell to the ground, blood bag bursting around her. Just as quick as she appeared, the Ultimate Princess disappeared.

"Haley Pilastri has been eliminated!"

"Damn she's good. You okay Hale?" Yasuke asked.

"She got me in the titty!" the girl cried out, pulling the vest off herself, tears in her eyes.

xxx

"Fuck, we just lost our heavy hitters!" Daisuke cried, leaning against a sign. Maps and directories littered the ground around him, all of them smeared with hot pink paint. Mahiru stood next to him, snapping pictures of the entire area.

"We need to focus on the here and now man. Aquamarine and Sohara are freaking unstoppable." she said, resting her guns under her arms to retrieve some new magazines.

"Not for long, I've been saving this for awhile now." he said, reaching behind his back for the backpack he had snagged from the care package. He pulled out an RCXD and placed it on the ground, pulling out the attached tablet. He turned the small car on, and started driving it, looking at the feed coming from its camera.

"RCXD inbound." he muttered, almost like the announcer from Call of Duty. The girls hadn't even noticed it yet.

"Keep shooting, distract them!" he said. Mahiru nodded, opening fire on the two girls across the mall from them. A hail of gunfire assaulted the sign as they returned fire, hoping to hit either of them.

Daisuke smirked as he returned his attention to the tablet in his hand. He kept driving the car, literally hitting Aquamarine's leg. The girl looked down, giving the car an odd look. She picked it up off the ground, looking into the camera. Sohara looked at it oddly, suddenly seeing the package on it. Daisuke detonated it before they even had the chance to throw it. A funnel of hot pink paint exploded in all directions, bathing the two girls in it.

"Aquamarine Yuuki and Sohara Takagi have been eliminated."

"Hell yeah." Mahiru said, high fiving Daisuke.

The two of them walked out from behind the sign, proud to have taken out two more enemies. As they walked toward the escalators, they didn't notice the flash of a scope not far from where they stood. Mahiru looked up from her camera, eyes widening. She quickly pushed Daisuke to the ground, taking three rounds to the chest. She fell to the ground, groaning in pain.

"Mahiru!" he cried, noticing the oozing red paint.

"Mahiru Koizumi has been eliminated!"

"You motherfuckers never learn!" Daisuke shouted, opening fire at the bridge across from him. Rika dove to the ground, the paint striking all of the glass. He dropped behind the railing himself, replacing his spent magazine.

"Come and get me Del Rio, you ain't shit!" Rika shouted. He stood up, only for Mahiru to pull him down.

"That's what she wants, don't listen to her...meet up with Kazuichi and Takane in the food court. Strength in numbers." she said. He grit his teeth, giving her a nod.

"You will be avenged, don't you worry." he said, racing down the stairs.

"Bring me back an iced tea would you?"

"This mall doesn't operate anymore!" he reminded her, making her groan.

xxx

"So they used dolls to call upon rain?" Sona asked, looking at the silver haired girl. She gave her a nod, tugging on the thread.

"Indeed, this one is called a teru teru bozu...it's supposed to attract rain, but it never has." Keiko replied. The door suddenly snapped open, a cloud of steam coming out of it, carrying the scent of fresh food. The Ultimate Chef walked out, licking his chops.

"Did somebody call me? Ah, two fine ladies...how about I take you out, and then I go down on you?" he said, causing Sona to go wided eyed. Keiko reached behind her back, throwing one of her dolls at the boy. It squeaked as it struck his belly, causing him to laugh.

"Is that it? I'm supposed to fear this doll?" he asked, picking it up from the floor. He looked at it, seeing it was a small doll in the likeness of himself. Keiko smirked, pressing the button on the small remote she was holding. It exploded, bathing the boy in neon green paint. Teruteru just stood there, paint falling to the ground.

"Huh...whatchu do to me?" he cried out, reverting to his old dialect.

"Teruteru Hanamura has been eliminated."

"You have got to be without a doubt the worst paintballer I have ever heard of." Keiko said, earning a smirk from Teruteru.

"But you have heard of me."

Sona shot him in the forehead, causing him to cry out in pain. She grabbed Keiko's hand, pulling her out of the food court. They heard a loud pop, coming to a stop. A canister slammed into the ground in front of them, smearing pink paint all over the place. The two girls jumped back, avoiding another canister. Sona suddenly cried in pain as she was gunned down, red paint flew in all directions.

"Sona Cadenza has been eliminated!"

Keiko broke into a sprint, diving over one of the restaurant counters. She pulled a Desert Eagle from behind her back, flicking the safety off.

"Fire in the hole." Kazuichi cried, earning a smirk from Takane. She pulled the trigger, launching three canisters into the restaurant. Keiko dove into the cupboard, each one exploding on contact with the floor.

She dug her hand into her breasts, pulling out two more dolls, in the likeness of Kazuichi and Takane. She waited for them to get closer to her and opened the door, tossing the two dolls out.

"Whoa back up." Kazuichi said, staring at the two dolls that squeaked as they bounced. He swallowed hard, looking at them closely.

"Aw, look at that. It looks just like you, it's so adowabble!" she said, taking the Kazuichi doll, squeezing its tiny nose.

"Don't touch that! And don't say adorable like that." he said flushing a bit. Takane shook her head, glancing at her boyfriend.

"It's just a doll, what could possibly go wrong?" she asked. The doll exploded a second later, bathing her in paint. When the smoke cleared, she was glaring at Kazuichi, the doll in her hand had no head, the top of it was singed, oozing green paint.

"If you say something, I'm not showing you my boobs after we win." she said sternly. He remained silent, not wanting to risk saying anything. Daisuke walked into the food court, slowing down a bit when he saw one of his friends drenched in paint.

"What the hell happened to you?" he asked.

"Keiko rigged her dolls to explode." Kazuichi said. Daisuke hummed to himself, quickly reaching for his gun. He let out two swift shorts, hitting the Ultimate Doll Maker in the chest, taking her out of the game.

"Keiko Hikari has been eliminated!"

"Damn, that was fucking quick!" Kazuichi said.

"We gotta move, sorry Takane but you'll have to wait here." Daisuke said, pushing his friend away. She pouted, wiping her face. Kazuichi came back, giving her a kiss on the lips, before being pulled away by Daisuke. The girl smiled brightly, noticing her doll on the ground. She knelt down and picked it up, smiling to herself, only for the doll to explode in her face.

Xxx

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" Shinji asked, glancing at Emma who was busy inside the abandoned Art store.

She had found a lot of unopened bottles of paint, along with a blank wall. She had quickly gotten herself an easel and started to paint what was on her mind. Shinji didn't know how to describe it, there was a lot of color splattered everywhere, but he could tell it was the mall they were currently in. neon green and hot pink was splattered all over the place, and she was silently drawing her classmates.

Shinji had also noticed, as soon as the girl had started painting, she had slowly taken her armor off, all except the vest. She had tied her hair back into a ponytail, her golden eyes focused on the wall in front of her. She also had paint smeared on her chin, which happened whenever she had lost herself in thought.

"You may leave if you want...you are useless to me in this endeavor." she replied, her focus solely on the painting.

"Goddamn, you didn't have to say it like that." he said. She turned to face him, blinking slowly.

"My apologies. What I meant to say was, you are useless to me when I am painting. You're talent is different than mine." she said. She returned to her painting a second later.

"Oh...well what about Ryoutaro? He's a carpenter, his talent isn't anywhere near yours." he said. She shrugged, dabbing her brush into the neon green paint.

"Carpentry and art are not that far off from each other. I make art with paint, he makes art with wood. We get alone rather easily." she replied.

"Interesting...I guess I wouldn't have thought of it that way." he admitted, standing up from the shelf he was leaning against. He stood next to the Artist, as she continued painting the wall in front of her.

The door behind them opened and he immediately turned around, taking two bullets to the chest. He roared in pain, falling to the ground in a heap.

"Fuck!" he cried.

"Shinji Narukami has been eliminated!"

Daisuke and Kazuichi walked into the art store, eyes widening a bit at the painting Emma was working on. She glanced over her shoulder, an emotionless mask on her face.

"I forfeit." she said simply.

"Is...forfeitting even a thing?" the mechanic asked.

"I dunno...just shoot her vest or something." Daisuke said, glancing at the discarded body armor. Kazuichi nodded, firing a round at the vest, which exploded a second later.

"Emily Elizabeth Howard has been eliminated!"

Emma sighed, having heard her full name. She honestly didn't like it, however when she saw the crimson paint on the floor, she smiled, kneeling down before it. She grabbed a glob of it, placing it on her pallet.

"Will you be fine here Emma?" Daisuke asked.

"Mhmm, I work better when I'm alone. Shinji makes for bad company." she said.

"Thanks Emma, I thought we were dating now." he said.

"Your times up. Daisuke, would you mind posing nude for me? I'm working on a painting and I believe you are a good subject for it." she said.

"Uh..I gotta run that by my ladies first...maybe we could all pose naked for you?" he asked.

"Dude." Kazuichi said, shaking his head. She handed him a glossy card with her information on it.

"Text me if you do...run along now." she said. The two boys shrugged and walked away, heading toward the front entrance of the store. Shinji sighed, shaking his head.

"Well...better to have loved and lost than to not have loved at all." the boy said, feeling rather disappointed. Emma knelt down, grabbing a roll of silver duct tape. She pulled a large piece of it, placing it over Shinji's mouth, much to his confusion. She sighed contently, returning to her painting.

Oliver grit his teeth as he made it to the north side of the abandoned mall. He passed by a broken fountain, his eyes were focused on his iron sights, hoping to find a target. A scream filled his ears as someone burst through a glass window, falling to the ground. He pressed himself against a large sign, eyes on the abandoned pet store. Mike was scrambling to get to his feet, until Tanaka jumped out from the broken window, aiming his gun at him.

"It is now that I bid thee farewell. You were an admirable opponent, child of the night...but now I shall drive a stake through your heart." he said, shooting the boy a single time in the chest. Mike let out a loud cry, hissing loudly as if his body had turned to ash. In fact, he started throwing silver glitter in all directions, making the annoyed Tanaka just walk away. He smirked to himself, shaking his head.

"Foolish demi humans, thinking they can go up against the Dark Lord of Ice." he said. Oliver took aim at the young man, shooting him twice in the chest. Tanaka just stood there, crimson blood exploding from within his vest. He glanced at Oliver, shaking his head.

"It seems I grew careless, congratulations Mortal, I was out of ammunition anyways. I still needed time to recharge my dark powers." he said, taking a seat on the floor.

"Mike Malkolkski and Tanaka the Forbidden One have been eliminated! Six Players remain on the Red Team, Eight Remain on the Blue Team!"

"Shit, you have got to be kidding me, how are we loosing?" Oliver said. Tanaka smirked, laughing darkly as he did so.

"You are messing with powers you don't understand mortal. Daisuke of the Seventh Circle is a powerful man to mess with. He himself has enough power to take down your puny squad, without as much as a thought. Tread lightly, for if he falls, you shall have the She-Devil to answer too." he said, laughing loudly, the lightbulbs around him exploding into a wide array of sparks.

Xxx

Daisuke made it back to the South side of the mall, almost being shot by Fuyuhiko who was standing near the exit doors. There was a care package behind them, already open. Ibuki and Mikan were there, along with Sonia, who was loading more rounds into her empty magazines. Peko was keeping watch. Hiyoko was leaning against the back wall, eating some gummies she had brought along. They had taken a bunch of crates and tables, stacking them to make a sort of barrier against the enemy. It was a fort, their last stand and stronghold. It had been four hours since the beginning of the game, way past noon in fact. Daisuke fell to the ground, happy to be taking a break.

"Good of you to show up...I take it everything was good on your end?" Fuyuhiko said, adopting a Mob boss speech pattern. The boy chuckled, giving him a nod.

"We took out over half the class. They got six to our nine, but that can change in an instant. We need to make a plan, draw them out so we can take them out." Daisuke said. He placed all of his empty magazines on the floor around him, grabbing the appropriate ammunition from the care box. He grabbed a water bottle and tossed it to Kazuichi, who downed it in a single go.

"How the hell will we do that? They got their best out there, Rika Otonashi and Oliver Martin, he's been silently skulking around taking some of us out." Fuyuhiko said.

"He shot me twice, but never took me out." Kazuichi said.

"Ibuki was shot once by Rika, it hurt like hell!" the musician cried, rubbing her arm.

"I haven't been hit at all, it's a miracle." Daisuke said.

"I got hit, right here." Mikan said, lifting up her skirt. There was a huge welt near her butt cheek, which was a dark purple. They all cringed.

"Well...I guess we all have to work together to bring them out, what do you think Sonia?" Hiyoko asked, glancing at the spot where the Princess had been.

"She's gone." Peko said, completely surprised at the girl's speed.

"Huh...she must be working on something big if she's going solo." Daisuke said, his lips pressed into a thin line. Just what was Sonia cooking up? The remainder of Class 77B would just have to wait and see.