Ice Chronicles
Chapter 65: The Assault Pt. 2
Ren's P.O.V
After Kai and Yahan left my group to shut down the alarms, my and Akira's group continued to press onward. Seo and Sanada's group held back to give us some openings, but also because the latter's three that are more aggressive couldn't handle anymore dodging. As we progressed forward, I noticed a burning fire exploding within Akira's eyes. He ran so fast that the rest of us needed to increase our speed just to keep up. He didn't say anything and just kept going forward with amazing speed and dexterity.
Hmmm, the closer we get, the more intense his fire ignites. What exactly is Akira trying to accomplish? I pondered. More and more guards blocked our path, but the girls took care of them with their skills and cleared the path. Akira didn't waste any time and took off once it was clear. The rest of us quickly followed while I guided them using Matsu's knowledge. I still couldn't believe she would do something with my semen. Even if Matsu is a huge pervert, this was taking it too far. As she guided us, she would sometimes whisper how delicious her "juice" tasted, making me blush fiercely, and causing Kazehana to giggle at my embarrassment.
There was a terminal Matsu informed us of and guided us to its location; however, the paths were blocked with more and more guards. They attacked us with ferocity, but we managed to out maneuver them and counterattack. As we passed through the horde, the lights suddenly switched on and brightened the entire building. All of us, including the guards, stopped dead in our tracks. There could only be one reason why the lights turned on; Higa was aware of our presence now.
"The big man is on to us now" I spoke up.
"Should we keep going with the plan?" Akira questioned. I nodded back in response.
"Yeah, go with the plan, but keep your guard up. Now that he knows we're here, he's going to send more at us. We have to hurry before we're overwhelmed."
"Right," the girls nodded. Kuruse resumed her attack, creating a multitude of tridents, arranging them in a circular pattern. She launched the tridents, which crashed into the ground, knocking the guards away effortlessly. All the tridents disappeared until the one in her hands remained.
"Cost is clear now," Kuruse pointed out. "Let's go."
Following her words, we all proceeded upward through the building. Akira managed to run past us again and keep ahead. I still pondered what his target was, because I know it can't be Higa. If Akira wanted to apprehend Higa, he would've brought some tools along; however, he came empty-handed.
If he came empty-handed, then he must be after something else. Akira wouldn't risk capturing Higa without something to defend and attack with, so then Higa must not be his main target. What am I missing though? I pondered. Suddenly, my thoughts were broken when the intercom made a loud sound and a voice spoke on the other end.
"Well if it isn't the Ashikabi of the North and his subordinates," Higa stated. We didn't stop running but listened to what he had to say. "I must say I'm surprised you managed to make it this far."
"Well what can I say? You may have the number advantage, but that doesn't matter. Your numbers can't beat our class, which is far better than your groups'," I responded. We rounded a corner and met even more guards.
"Is that so? Then let's see you say that when you're blown to bits," the Ashikabi of the East stated. That caught all of our attention.
"What did he say?" Natsu questioned.
"Crap! Ren, you better get out of there!" Matsu yelled. "He's got the halls lined with…"
Before she could finish her sentence, a sudden explosion occurred and caused the ground to rumble vigorously. Everyone was blown away as the earth began to crumple away, the explosion causing plethora and plethora of cracks to fill the ground. The explosion separated all of us and the ground began collapsing.
"Uh-oh, we have to move!" I ordered, but I was the more unfortunate one, as the spot I was standing over collapsed and sent me plummeting down. I reached to grab the ledge, but it crumbled under my weight and resumed my descent. "SHIIIIIIT!"
The floor was getting smaller and the ground was still crumbling. I slammed into the floor underneath and landed on my back; however, I could feel my leg hurting vehemently. It wasn't broken, but sprung very badly. I opened my eyes and could see the hole I fell through and the broken scattered all over the floor. I grunted in the pain and couldn't find a way to get up without hurting myself even more. It seems majority of the guards suffered the same fate, as I could see their bodies lying on the floor with glass stuck in their bodies and their blood oozing to the floor. Thankfully, I had protective gear to cushion my landing a bit and block the glass from piercing through me as well. I wish I could say the same for my leg though. It wasn't stabbed or anything after the crash, but it was in so much pain.
"Ren! Re! Ren dar…are…ight?" Kazehana questioned through the earpiece, but there was a lot of static that cut off her syllables.
"Kazehana, can you hear me?" I asked back.
"I an…ere…you?" She responded.
"I fell to the floor below. I'm okay, but I hurt my leg really badly," I responded.
"Don't worr…I'm…you," my wind sekirei responded. I shook my head no.
"Don't Kazehana; just continue with the plan. I'll think of way to regroup with you."
"But,"
"No buts just go. You know me; I'm not one to get bent out of shape for my miscalculations. I can still walk, but it will take me a while to find another way up the building," I told her. I didn't wait for her to talk back and changed channels. "Matsu; I'm gonna need your help. Tell me, what am I looking at in this hallway?"
"Hold on, let me drink my juice," she replied. I groaned.
"Worry about the juice later; I need information."
"Which is why I'm drinking my juice to give you said information. But on a more serious note, ARE YOU ALL RIGHT?!" Her voice screamed into my ears, practically making me deaf now.
"Geez, you didn't have to yell. Yes, I'm fine, just sprung my leg pretty bad," I trudged through the hallway, keeping close to the walls. I could hear Matsu swallowing and moaning in bliss.
"You have no idea how good this is," she said.
"Just tell me what I want to know already," I demanded.
"Okay, okay geez; let's see. Oooh," she said quiet enough for me to hear.
"What?" I asked as I placed my hand on the wall.
"DON'T TOUCH THE WALLS!"
Too late. KA-BOOM! Another huge explosion erupted and blew me away into the wall across. I crashed face first and then slid to my stomach. A serious ringing echoed in my ear and my vision was dark. I couldn't see or hear anything. I could barely feel my arms, let alone my legs. The blast knocked away my best senses and left me lying flat on the ground with nothing to use. Thankfully, my gear absorbed most of the explosion, but it was still too powerful to withstand. I lost feeling in both arms and legs now and my senses were still thrown out of proportion.
"Well this is a fine mess you've got yourself into Ren," I told no one. "Now how are you going to get out of this one?"
P.O.V Change Ryan
I didn't expect to fight Kakizaki of all people, but it was fine with me as long as I get to punch his face in; and while it may seem we're fighting over Kochou, our reasoning is completely different. If that wasn't all, Kakizaki had to other sekirei with him to fight off Narashino and Kaie. He on the other hand, didn't hesitate in stepping towards me.
"So now it's time for us to fight. I'm surprised really; I didn't expect it to be so soon," the bespectacled man said to me.
"So you knew we were bound to fight. Hmm, can't say I'm complaining though; we've crossed paths multiple times during our alliance," I responded.
"But now I'm afraid that alliance is at an end. Time to accept your fate," Kakizaki grinned, but didn't enter a fighting stance. I grinned and entered mine. We stared at each for a bit until I made the first move. I rushed Kakizaki while being careful not to go overboard. I didn't know what he was capable of so it would be disastrous to stay close for so long. My first punch went straight for his face, but the bespectacled man easily dodged it. He smirked and retaliated with a fierce high-kick. I raised my hands up to defend and caught his foot, but I could feel a lot of power packed into the strike. I moved back to get out of his range, but he wore a big smug smile on his face.
"What's the matter Ryan? The fight has just begun and you're already losing your will. Are you really that surprised?"
I frowned at his interrogation.
"I will admit that it's highly surprising that you're a fighter. Usually, you just sit back and watch stuff go down; and when things get too rough, you hightail it and run like a coward. If anything, you don't deserve to be called a martial artist. You need to have a great sense of honor, not relish in causing grief and mischief."
"So you're saying I don't have honor," Kakizaki responded, his smug smile growing. "I can't wait to take you down a few pegs."
"Just try it," I rushed the man and tried to fake him out; however, he appeared right in front of me and delivered a quick punch to my face. I stumbled back and shook my head. When I regained focus, Kakizaki was right in my face.
"You tried to feint me, but I read your movement."
Another punch slammed into my jaw and knocked me back. Kakizaki threw another punch, but I managed to block it and retaliate with a swift right hook. My opponent ducked and came back up with an uppercut, in which I leaned my head back, the punch just grazing my chin. While he was open, I went for a leg sweep and bashed him off his feet. I then went for mid-kick, but Kakizaki managed to recover fast enough to dodge it. He did a couple of backflips and charged me again. I met him head on and our exchange of fists resumed. His attacks were more precise and to the point; he didn't use any unnecessary movements. His speed was on par with mine, which kept us at a standstill. Thing is, he could read my movements flawlessly while it was difficult to read his. He launched a couple of jabs and I blocked them off; however, he was much closer in my space and hit me in the stomach with a vehement straight. The attack extracted the breath out of my lungs and forced me to my knees. To finish the attack, Kakizaki landed a kick to my face and slammed me to the ground.
I quickly got back up, only to dodge a left hook. Kakizaki pivoted and threw another kick. This time, I grabbed his leg, but he hopped off the other one and tried to hit me again. I blocked it with my arm and then threw him away. He landed on his feet and I took the opportunity to attack once more. We exchanged more blows, but I soon found myself unable to counter. All of my attacks were swatted away likes flies and my defenses were completely shattered. Kakizaki found a way to bypass them and turn the tables. I needed to get away and rethink my strategy. As I felt short of breath, Kakizaki was still composed and proper. The way he shrugged off my attacks like they were nothing told me that he's been in the fighting business for a long time.
"Tired already are we? This is only the first round too," he taunted. I gritted my teeth and shot daggers at the bespectacled man.
"Shut your trap; don't think you've won just because you have the upper hand."
"Ryan; I've already won the moment we began fighting," Kakizaki stated. "Try as you want; you cannot top me. Not only do I have much more experience than you do, but I've also taken the liberty to study all your techniques and fighting styles. I know your every movement and strategy. Face it, you can't defeat me."
I tightened my fists and narrowed my eyes, feeling an even stronger urge to slam said fists into that face.
"I would tell you to surrender, but I know that's not possible at this point."
"You damn right," I replied. "We've come a long way and you're beyond insane if you think I'm going to just give it up. There's still a beautiful maiden waiting for me; and it's rude to keep a lady waiting."
"Hm, my thoughts exactly. Your ringleader won't save you this time. You don't know this, but Master Higa has already won this war. He brought your captain down and is finishing him off as we speak," my opponent informed me.
"Your tricks won't work on me. I doubt Ren would fall for one of Higa's tricks," I stated confidently. Kakizaki simply shook his head.
"You are so naïve. Master didn't need to trick him; he fell for it on his own. While he was progressing further up the building, Master already planned for this and took the necessary actions to keep him back. The passageway they took was filled with explosives, which sent the North Ashikabi plummeting to another floor, also lined with explosives. One wrong move and BOOM, that's all she wrote. And I doubt any of you have to skill to save him in time."
"Oh really?" I questioned. Kakizaki nodded and held up one finger.
"One minute, that's how long your precious captain has left to live. Right now, Master Higa is stealing whatever oxygen he has left. The explosion really messed him up and now he's just a helpless corpse."
"Oh no, crap!" I exclaimed. "We don't have any time."
"Precisely," Kakizaki soon appeared before me again. "And your time especially, is up."
P.O.V Change Matsu
I was panicking, trying to communicate with Ren, but he just stopped responding all of a sudden. All I heard was an explosion and then quietness. Oh man, this wasn't good. I tried calling out to him, but he just wouldn't respond. I scanned through the building using my Access Search, but I found Ren lying on the floor with a huge hole in the wall across from him. I could still see some rising quickly into the air.
"You won't," I heard someone state. It was Higa's voice speaking, and I can only deduce it was towards Ren. "I've got you where I want you. Now that your group is too far away from you, no one can come to your rescue."
I frowned and began typing away on my keyboard.
We'll see about that you bastard. No one messes with my ashikabi and gets away with it. I used my Access Search again and tried to locate the closest person to Ren, but they were pretty equally apart from the way it looked. Damn it guys you're too wide apart. How can I get any of you to save him? Even with Kai's speed, it will take him a while to get there; and with the lights back on, Yahan have little shadows to move. Ugh! Dammit! What else can there be?
I tried to calm and think, but I couldn't grasp anything yet. An enemy sekirei knocked Jason unconscious, Higa managed to separate Ren from his group and fall a floor, and now he's able to do as he please. What else can go wrong? I had to think; my ashikabi's life is on the line. But how?
Shit! SHIT! I banged on my keyboard. What can I do?
"In one minute, you'll say goodbye to your friends; but I wouldn't worry about your sekirei. I'll take good care of them," Higa stated. I gasped and used Access Search once more. I still found Ren on the ground; he wasn't moving, but he wasn't dead either. I could tell by the way that he breathed. It was slow, much slower than normal, as if he's trying to…
Oh no, no, no, no, no, this can't be happening. Dammit, he's trying to suffocate him! I have to move; but I doubt they can get there in time. I quickly went to Kai's channel and got his attention.
"Kai! Ren, thirtieth floor, go, there, NOW!"
"What? But I have to tend to the prisoners," he talked back. I gritted my teeth and stood up.
"I don't care! My ashikabi's life is at stake! Your sekirei can handle them, but Ren only has one minute of air left and you're the only one quick enough to get to him. Now I suggest you get your ass moving or so help me I will be the one who kicks your ass!"
"Now wait just a minute," someone else interrupted. "Who do the hell do you think you're talking to?"
It was Kuruse's voice on the channel. "You better not be speaking to Kai like that; you have no right ordering my ashikabi around like he's some slave."
"I'm sorry, but how do you expect me to act when my ashikabiis about to die? That minute you just said; that's how long Ren has before Higa suffocates him to death. How do you expect to speak right now?"
"That doesn't give you the right to order Kai around like he's your servant," Kuruse responded.
"Enough you two," the guy in question stated. Kuruse and I remained quiet as Kai interrupted our argument. "Floor thirty is that right? I'm on it; however, I can't guarantee I'll make it in time. I'll see what I can do though; and Matsu, never, talk to me like that again."
I heeded his words carefully. It didn't take a genius to figure out Kai is not someone to trifle with; he means what he says. I released a soft breath and sat back down.
"Got it."
I took a drink and reused my Access Search. Finding Kai proved to be difficult, but that's what I hoped for with him. I wanted him to move at full speed, no beyond his full speed. I wanted him to rescue Ren and then go punch that son of a bitch Higa in the face. I just had to hope Kai could get to him in time before time ran out. I found Ren still lying on the ground and tons of debris scattered everywhere. Some rested against the walls and floors while others caused holes through the wall. Ren happened to be lying beside the wall the explosion knocked him into, which means it's going to be difficult to retrieve him with the rocks blocking a straight path. I let out a heavy sigh and estimated how long Ren had left.
"Thirty seconds; that's all Ren has left."
A/N: And that ends yet another chapter. I got this one quicker than expected, but I know you all will love that. Man, are things intense. First Jason is sucker punched into a wall, Ryan is having difficulty with fighting Kakizaki, and now Ren is on the verge of death. Can Kai get to him in time? You'll just have to find out next time. Let me know what you think of the chapter in a review or pm please, and I will see you all in the next update. Also, another warning, we are almost done with Ice Chronicles. After this chapter, there should be another ten to finish it completely. We've come a long way; and we'll see the end together. This has been MalevolentDarkness16; thanks for reading, take care, and thanks for your support.