Ice Chronicles
Chapter 66: The Assault Pt. 3
"How will our heroes make it through this trial? Will the leader perish, or will the third lieutenant make to him in time? Is the second lieutenant dead, what will become of the forth lieutenant, and will the fifth lieutenant complete his mission? So many questions to be answered, yet at the moment, they're leaning towards the wrong answer."
I rubbed my chin with a big grin tugging at my lips. I watched the Ashikabi of the North's attack on the Ashikabi of the East from the comfort of my own office. The battle proved to be quite the spectacle, seeing both sides giving it everything they have. At first, the North was in the lead, but the East managed a good comeback. Within a couple of hours or so, the East took the second lieutenant out with a single strike from his own lieutenant. He pitted the forth lieutenant against his second lieutenant, and is dealing the finishing blow to the captain as I speak. It's quite the battle, but I fear it's coming to an end.
"I was expecting a lot more to happen, but if that's all you have to show me North, then you won't get that far in the finals."
I switched the channel and saw the third lieutenant, Kai, rushing through the hall with Yahan in his arms. He ran with incredible speed, dodging and leaping over the guards the East set in place. He didn't let up and made it up just three floors in ten seconds; however, that left a total of fifteen floors left to traverse. Question is; how long does the North have left to live?
I switched channels again and found one of my favorites, the Jason Channel. I leaned back in my chair and took a handful of popcorn.
"Now Jason, show me that burning spirit of yours."
P.O.V Change Jason
To say I am in pain is an understatement. Everything was in pain, especially my face. I remember Jacob telling me and my group to set the prisoners free and then this ashikabi and sekirei blocking our path, the latter suddenly vanishing from our sights and decking me in the face, the overwhelming power sending me flying many feet back into a wall. After that, I just heard my sekirei screaming my name and then nothing except darkness.
I wasn't sure how long I was out, and my body was still screaming in pain. My face from being punched and my body from slamming into the wall. I slowly opened my eyes with an audible grunt escaping my mouth, noticing the bright lights, which forced me to close my eyes to block them. I turned over on my stomach and tried to push myself up, but my arms wobbled and couldn't hold me up for a long. I fell back on my stomach, groaning irritably at the same time.
"Ugh, dammit," I cursed under my breath. "How much power did he pack into that punch?"
I tried to stand again, using the wall the time to give me a hand. My arms still wobbled, but my legs remained strong. After I managed to stand, I felt a pounding headache striking my head. I faced forward and proceeded where my girls were. My vision readjusted finally and showed me the scenery. I saw the walls cracked and destroyed, large dents covered the place, most likely due to the sekirei who sucker punched me. I could also see the bodies of many different guards scattered all over the floor, which was soaked in blood, the intoxicating smell entering my nostrils. I stepped in puddles of the crimson pigment, the colors staining my shoes, and waves rippling from my steps. My pounding headache continued to irritate me as I traversed through the now blood soaked floors. I could hear a lot of commotion echoing in the background, but I could also feel a sense of dread rising within me.
An intense electric shock passed through my mind, freezing me in place. I gasped softly and remained frozen in place, feeling something start pressuring down on me.
Ba-thump! Ba-thump! I felt my heart beating faster and pound louder. The heavy weight intensified and left me struggling to stay up again. My arms began shaking vehemently, in which I raised my right hand to see it trembling as well. I gripped my wrist with my other hand, but couldn't stop the trembling. Sweat began rolling down my face as my breathing quickened.
"What's happening to me?" I questioned aloud. I picked myself up and continued walking; however, I could not shake these feelings swelling up inside me. My breathing wouldn't slow down one bit, which caused me great worry. I was being pulled towards the commotion at this point, my legs refusing to stop for anything. As I trudged down the hall, the swelled up feelings became even worse.
I have a really bad feeling about something. But what is it exactly? I pondered. My legs picked up speed and I soon found myself running down the halls where the commotion echoed louder. I found where everyone was; however, my feet froze in place as a sharp gasp escaped my lips. My mouth opened wide as short, choppy breathes rushed out of the cavern. The place was even more destroyed than the area I regained consciousness. For one thing, blood was splattered all over the floors and walls, many big craters filled said walls and floors, even showing up on the ceilings. Huge gaping holes appeared on the walls and debris covered the floors; however, the one thing I've noticed above the rest is the amount of bodies that filled the floor.
"Oh no," I whispered full of fright. I looked around and shook my head at the squad I traveled with before Ryan and his two sekirei departed. Everyone else except Ikki and Midorino remained standing, but in terrible condition. Both have sustained a ton of damage, the rips and tears in their bodies and clothing being evident of that. Their legs wobbled and blood oozed from their wounds.
"Ikki!" I yelled. She tensed up and slowly turned towards me.
"Jason, you're okay!" She responded. I rushed to her and gave her a tight hug, but she squirmed and pushed me away. "Not so hard; I'm in too much pain right now."
"My bad; you alright?" I asked back. Ikki let out a sigh and avoided my gaze.
"I would be lying if I said yes. A lot of stuff went down after you got sucker punched and everything fell apart."
"What happened?" I inquired. Ikki remained quiet, refusing to respond. I looked at Midorino and saw the same aloof stare on her face. "Midorino? What happened here?"
She turned her back towards me in response.
"We beat the enemy sekirei," Ikki spoke up. "However, you should really take a good look around."
I didn't know how to respond nor question it any more. Ikki pointed towards the left wall and I followed the instruction. It was then that I felt my heart drop. My legs pushed me forward and brought me closer to her expressionless face. Her eyes revealed only a solid hue, no gleam what so ever. Blood covered her entire body, staining her ripped apart blouse. My hands trembled again as I lifted my right one to touch the side of her face, feeling her skin rather cold and pale looking. I turned her head to make her look at me, but she didn't respond and just remained lifeless, her darkened eyes lying on me. Then I saw the situation, which I can't believe I actually missed. Lodged deep in her chest was a very familiar spear, which showed a tiny trace of electricity coursing around the top of the shaft. I could recognize the spear from anywhere, but it only made my heart sink faster at the realization. I gritted my teeth and softly slid her eyelids down, giving her a soft embrace. I stood up and grabbed the shaft of the spear; there was no use in being gentle so I carefully dislodged the spear from her heart and stared at her dead body for a little bit while gripping the pole of the spear tightly.
I felt Ikki press against my back as I looked around again. I found the rest scattered around; Kaho, Kuno, and Nanami. Yashima is already gone, but I hoped the other three survived. Homura was with another group, but it would pain me to tell her and Kuu about it. I soon found the rest of Ryan's group, whom all seemed to be waking up, except Mei-Mei. Midorino approached her while I went to my group. I started with Kaho and shook her awake. When our eyes met, I didn't give her a chance to respond and enveloped her in a tight embrace.
"Jason; I'm…I'm," she tried to get out.
"Shh," I hushed her. "I know."
Kaho didn't finish her sentence and wrapped her arms around me, gripping the back of my shirt. Ikki helped her stand as I went to Kuno next, but she was already awake and crying silently. I reached for her but she slapped my hand away.
"Kuno."
"You were all right; I am just a weakling," she sobbed. "The entire time, I couldn't do anything to provide support; I just got in everyone's way. I got them killed."
I let out a muffled sigh and placed a hand on her shoulder, making her tremble.
"Kuno, it's going to be okay," I reassured her. She showed me her tear filled face.
"How? Tell me how this is going to be okay! Tell me! That enemy sekirei knocked you out with a single punch, he picked most of us apart, killed Yashima and Nanami, and we still have a long way to go. So tell me what makes you think everything is still okay."
She stared at me with tears still pouring from her eyes. By this time, everyone still alive was standing.
"We knew something like would happen Kuno; we knew that lives would be lost, including our own groups, but did we back down? No, we didn't; we knew we had the disadvantage, but did that stop us? No, it didn't; we can still win this. The enemy may have us outnumbered, but we still have them outclassed. Ren and Matsu didn't spend all that time planning just to have us back down at the last minute. Whether you like it or not, we're seeing this through to the end; you can either sit here, cry about it, or you can stand up and keep fighting. It's your choice," I told her.
"Jason," Ikki said, but I gave her a side glare to shut up. I rose to my feet and left Kuno to think about my words.
"If she wants to sit around and mope, that's fine; but I am not going to do the same," I walked over to Nanami and did the same with her as I did with Yashima. If Yashima was pierced by Nanami's spear, then Nanami must've been smashed by the former's hammer. I lifted her up and carried her to my now dead hammer wielder, setting her beside her best friend. I let out a sigh and scratched my head.
"Ideas anyone?"
No one volunteered, and Kuno remained sitting on the floor with her legs drawn up to her chest and face covered.
"We'll have to stick with the plan then and free the captives. Ryan said they should be close by, but we'll have to move quickly."
"What about these three? We can't just leave them," Oshino pointed out. "I'll stay with them if you want."
"Yeah, you do that; we'll free the prisoners and be back in a flash," I nodded. I then faced Kuno. "Kuno you stay here and look after the three with Oshino."
All she did was nod. The rest of us left them behind and proceeded forward.
"You okay Jason?" Kaho asked. I just nodded with an affirmative grunt.
P.O.V Change Ren
I found it getting hard to breathe now, as though the air in the hallway was being sucked away. If that wasn't bad enough, I still couldn't move my limbs, hear a thing, or see anything. I was basically a vegetable. I did get the feelings back in my limbs, but I couldn't even move my fingers an inch. As it got harder to breathe, I had to force myself to take shorter and shorter intakes. I couldn't alert anyone because it would waste what little air I had left and I wouldn't even be able to respond since I can't hear. My situation looked grim; and the sad part is that everyone, if they stuck to the plan, is equally spaced apart and won't be able to rescue me. Not even Kai is fast enough to reach me in however long I have left.
All I could do was pray Matsu can think of some way to get me out of this mess. I had to leave the thinking to her in the meantime.
P.O.V Change Matsu
I paced back in forth in my room, still trying to improve Kai's chances of success and Ren's survival, but nothing could form in my head. This just kept getting worse and worse. First, I receive notifications of Yashima, Nanami, and Mei-Mei's termination, and now I still can't think of a way to save Ren. I feared Kai wouldn't get to him in time, even with Yahan's teleportation ability at his disposal. With all the lights on again, Yahan can barely use her powers, but if the electricity was disabled, the lights would go out again.
That's when it clicked in my head, a loud gasp escaping my lips.
"Electricity! Matsu is a genius!" I exclaimed. I quickly searched for his channel and waited for him to respond.
"Matsu, what's up?" Seo questioned.
"Seo; I need you to tell Hibiki and Hikari to electrocute the place so the power goes out," I ordered.
"What?" He responded.
"I need the twins to blast the place with electricity so all the power will shut down. Don't question anything just do it," I stated.
"Okay, okay, jeez; I'll let them know," Seo responded. I switched channels again to speak to Kai.
"Kai; I hate to bother you but I think I have a way to help you out. A few moments ago, I had Seo use his sekirei to drain the electricity of the place so when the lights go out, you and Yahan have to move. Remember, Ren is on the thirtieth floor."
"Yeah I got it; don't worry. I'll try my best," the speed demon reassured me. I watched him run with Yahan in his arms; he passed through a horde of guards in no time, even jumping on their heads to quicken the pace. He was getting much closer than before. Thankfully, some of the floors were flickering with lights, giving Yahan easy access to her teleportation powers. I really believed they could do this; they can rescue my darling Ren and get him to safety. I just had to keep calm and guide the teams to the best of my abilities. I checked up on Akira's group and saw them fighting through even more guards and dodging explosions. Kazehana used her wind to absorb most of the explosion, giving the group a chance to escape the blows. They progressed as Ren instructed, but I knew Kazehana was greatly worried about him. I could contact them since the explosion most likely damaged Akira's earpiece. They were on their own I'm afraid.
I switched to Ryan's view and saw him still fighting Kakizaki, who continued to toy with his opponent. Ryan couldn't even land a single hit on him, but Kakizaki delivered all of his. From the look on Ryan's face, he was not the least bit pleased. I could tell what was going on through his head as I watched the two go at it; Kakizaki's style was actually more accurate and precise. He didn't dare waste any movements and countered only when he found an opening. I could also tell that his main goal was to infuriate Ryan, and it was working accordingly.
After checking up on Ryan, I checked on the lightning twins' progress with the power. They were still blasting away, trying to hit the main ports.
"Come on you two, try to pick up the pace," I said. Suddenly, there was a knock at my door.
"Matsu? How are mom and dad doing?" Chiho asked walking into my room. I quickly shut off Ren's monitor and tried to ease down.
"Chiho; what are you doing up? I thought you were still sleeping."
She rubbed her eyes and yawned.
"I was sleeping, but I started to worry about everyone. Do you know how they're doing?"
"Uhh, they're doing great. The enemy took them by surprise, but nothing they can't handle. Now they've split into their groups to tackle the other objectives," I told her, trying not to give away the truth.
"Okay then, can I stay and watch with you?" She asked back. It took everything I had not to panic, but I managed a straight face; and the fact that she used those baby eyes of hers made it even harder.
"Uhh, s-sure, just don't distract me from giving instructions, okay?"
"Okay," she agreed with a bright and cheerful smile. I laughed nervously and went back to my monitors.
Come on guys; don't make me a liar. I begged in my mind. I switched to Akira's screen and watched his group continue their excavation up the building. They fought through hordes and hordes of guards while at the same time, dodging the tons of traps Higa set for them.
However, things soon darkened, which sent thrills through my spine, as I smiled wide.
"Yes! They did it; now go and rescue our leader!"
I froze in place and slowly turned my head towards the little daughter of my ashikabi. She looked at me with wide eyes, dumbfounded by my sudden outburst. I laughed very nervously and took my seat.
"Uhh, disregard what you heard Chiho; I was just too excited."
She only nodded while I rubbed the back of my head. I faced the monitors and checked the progression of the team. Things were still dark and Kai was nowhere to be seen, which was wondrous. I couldn't keep up with his movements again, even trying to use my Access Search proved useless, but I didn't care. I just wanted them to save my Ren, who I prayed for in hopes of his safe retrieval.
P.O.V Change Ryan
Never in my life did I expect to fight Kakizaki. When I first saw the man, I didn't see any real manly qualities. I just considered him one of Higa's subordinates; and while I was right about that, I never expected him to be so strong. I made the mistake of underestimating him, thinking I could end the fight quickly, but damn it I've been proven wrong. Every time I strike, Kakizaki capitalizes on it, delivering fierce counterattacks. I was pushed back too far, but couldn't figure out a way to turn the tables.
I blocked everything out, even the fight between my sekirei and the enemy sekirei. I focused solely on beating Kakizaki, whose smug, confident grin continued to taunt me. Kakizaki never acted first and only waited for me to strike. All the punches and kicks I threw were either deflected or blocked and no matter how good my defense was, Kakizaki managed to break through every time. It didn't make sense though, just how well did Kakizaki studied my movements, or better yet, how much experience does Kakizaki possess?
He continued to smile at me, his taunting grin causing me to grit my teeth. I know his game is to throw me off by infuriating me; and it was working. Kakizaki just stood in front me without a care in the world, smiling at me, as though he's proclaiming his victory. He extended his arm and motioned me to bring it on.
"Having trouble? Did you really think it would be that easy to take me down? You're a fool if that's so."
I wiped the corner of my lips. "For someone like you, I will admit that you are surprisingly well adept in fighting. You would never strike someone as a fighter, let alone actually proving to be such a strong one. I don't know what kind of experience you have, but I'll find some way to take you down."
"Oh really? I'd love to see you try," Kakizaki smiled wider and egged me forward. I charged at him like a bull and tried to confuse him with my movements, but he followed me and knocked me away with a firm backhand. As I stumbled back, I attempted to trip my opponent off his feet, but his roundhouse kick slammed me into the ground. I landed on my back and arched up, as Kakizaki planted his foot on my face. "Well that didn't last too long; and here I thought you wanted to save Kochou. I don't know where you got that idea, but it doesn't really matter now does it?"
His foot stayed on the side of my face, keeping me in place. In this position, he could easily see everything I could do before I could even execute them. I grunted and squirmed, trying to shake him off, but he just grinded his foot in my face and stayed dominate.
"Just stop trying already Ryan; you've lost this fight, just like the North," Kakizaki informed me. I heard the North and thought of Ren.
"What? What happened to Ren?" I questioned. Kakizaki chuckled at my inquiry.
"You have been kept in the dark so I'll fill you in on the situation," he responded. His smile grew even wider, filling me with a sense of dread. "Ren Zonin is dead; you're fearless leader has perished at the hands of my master! He's dead!"
I let out a gasp, as Kakizaki simply laughs some more.
"That's right, you're so called leader is no more. He had a good run, but all good things must come to an end; sadly, he was too young. But who cares?"
"I care you bastard!" I raged.
"Oh, that's right; you and his entire legion care. My, I wonder how his family will respond to this news; I bet they'll be heartbroken. Not just them, but his group of sekirei should have perished by now. Shame, they were very capable and would have made fine additions to Higa's power."
"That's what you think," I responded. "Ren can't be dead; he'll get through."
"Oh please; stop living in this wild fantasy. This is reality; the Ashikabi of the North may be strong but nowhere near invincible. He's dead now, no ands, ifs, or buts about it; just shut up and face facts. It was his permanent fate."
Kakizaki started putting pressure down on his foot.
"Just like him, all of you will die in this tower. Your fates were sealed the moment you challenged Higa, no, even entered this so called game."
"Ugh, did you forget that it was Higa who entered me in this game? As I recall, it was all him who created this path for me," I pointed out.
"That may be so, but now that you've betrayed Higa, your fate is just the same as the North's fate," he replied. "I'd say it's been nice knowing you, but then I'd be lying."
He moved his foot down towards my neck; however, he froze in place as darkness consumed the place. The lights suddenly turned off, darkening the surroundings.
"What the? What's going on?" Kakizaki questioned. This was my chance. I knew I couldn't beat Kakizaki, that much is certain, but I can still try to separate us. With the last of my strength, I grabbed Kakizaki's leg and twisted it to where he stumbled backwards. Then, I quickly rose to my feet and charged at him like a raging bull. With the rest of my stamina, I tackled Kakizaki and slammed us into the closest wall, breaking right through and into another, going right through it as well. We crashed through two walls, most likely weakened from the chaos and frequent quakes. On the third wall, I slammed Kakizaki right into it and left him there to fall. I quickly ran back through the huge walls we made and found my sekirei just now defeating the enemies. The lights came right back on, allowing me to see my girls still standing, just barely standing. They sustained a lot of damage and had to use whatever strength they had left to stand.
"Hey, are you two all right?" I asked. The girls turned to face me, showing me the blood staining their bodies.
"We're fine, in pain, but fine all the same," Kaie responded.
"Think you two can make it until we reach Kochou's room?" I asked. They frowned in response.
"We'll manage," Narashino answered.
"You sure?" I clarified.
"Yes we're fine!" Kaie yelled, making me jump in surprise. "Let's just go already!"
She and Narashino walked on ahead, leaving me behind to wonder.
"Hey! Ryan!" Someone called out. We all turned to see Yomi and Toyotama making their way towards us.
"Yomi and Toyotama? What are you two doing here?" I questioned. They panted from exhaustion.
"We got…separated from our group," Yomi answered.
"Do you have any idea how many explosions we've been through?" Toyotama inquired. "It was just us, Uzume, and Homura when like the tenth explosion went off and separated us. Since then, we haven't found anyone else, and this entire place is filled with guards. We fought through like six hordes of them."
"Do you have any news on how Ren is doing?" Yomi asked. I almost panicked when she asked that; however, I then realized that they were Ren's sekirei, who just so happened to be alive. That means Ren is still alive as well!
"I don't know how he's doing, but I'll check with Matsu," I responded. I contacted Ren's brain-type. "Matsu, can you tell us how Ren and his group are doing?"
"YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!" I heard her scream. I threw the earpiece out my ear and into my hands.
"Ryan? What did she say?" Toyotama asked. I grunted in pain, Matsu's scream hurting my ear.
"Ah! She nearly made me go deaf! Hold on," I slowly put the earpiece back on and heard Matsu's rant.
"YES! Chiho cover your ears," she said. "Take that Higa you little fucker! Don't you ever try to take my ashikabi down you rotten son of a bitch! You thought you won, but oh no, you are in for a big surprise. Time to take you down!"
"Matsu!" I screamed. She screamed in surprise.
"Huh? Ryan? Why did you do that?" She questioned.
"Because you were having too much fun screaming. Yomi and Toyotama want to know how Ren and his team are doing," I repeated.
"Oh! They're doing great," she announced. "Ren got separated from his team but met up with Kai and Yahan. They're all right."
"Great, I'll relay the news," I responded. "Ren's okay; he got separated from his team but with Kai and Yahan as we speak."
"Great, then let's try to meet up with them," Yomi suggested.
"You two can, but I have somewhere else to go," I told them. "I need to meet someone and can't wait around any longer."
I took off before explaining further. The place shook violently, throwing us off our feet. We picked ourselves back up and continued running through the hallways, where we had to fend off a group of guards while dodging the multiple traps. Along with us, the horde was thrown off their feet at the explosions, which gave us the opening we needed, provided we could actually capitalize on it.
It took a long while, dodging the never-ending explosions and taking on hordes of guards, but we finally arrived at the correct hall where Kochou was residing. I guided the girls towards the room, thinking we finally made it; however, that bubble burst instantly when a familiar enemy appeared before us. Kakizaki intercepted us and blocked our path; he smiled smugly and stuck a hand in his pocket.
"Come now, did you really expect some last resort tackle to work? While I commend you on using the sudden darkness to your advantage, you were still too slow to complete your task," he taunted. Kakizaki straightened his glasses and glared at me. "If you want Kochou Ryan, you're gonna have to get past me. I don't see why you're set in getting her, but you should know that I don't take too kindly to people taking what belongs to me."
I panted vigorously. My strength was still weak from our last round and I've basically ran out of stamina. Fighting Kakizaki now would only lead to my defeat. I doubt the girls could keep going with all the nonstop fighting they've been through as well.
"Why are you so insistent with this endeavor? I don't get it; why are you going so far out of your way just to rescue Kochou? Why are you so persistent?"
He still didn't get it, but then again, I didn't expect him to understand. I found it amusing, hilarious actually. So hilarious that I couldn't help but laugh aloud. Everyone stared at me as if I was an idiot, but it only made me laugh harder. I wiped the tears from my eyes and calmed down.
"You know something Kakizaki; I don't think you'll ever understand why I'm so determined to do this. But let me tell you why I'm doing this; I feel like I should at least explain that," I responded. I let out a heavy breath and chuckled again for a few moments. "Well it's simple Kakizaki; your sekirei has smitten me and I feel that if she stays here with you or Higa, she's only going to end up dead. I can't let that happen; and she may be mad at me in the end, but I can mend that."
It was Kakizaki's turn to laugh. The girls gave each of us a confused stare.
"You can't be serious," Kakizaki stated.
"Oh I'm one hundred percent serious," I declared. Kakizaki continued to laugh.
"You mean to tell me that you went through all of this, all this hard work and fighting just because you've fallen in love with Kochou."
I just shrugged my shoulders.
"You know what they say; love makes a person do crazy things."
"You're a fool," Kakizaki stated. "An idiotic fool; who would risk their life at this caliber just to save someone who wouldn't even give them the time of day? Are you seriously risking your life and all your sekirei's just for one person?"
"That's not the only reason why we're here you know. Getting Kochou is my mission; my sekirei have other plans. Even Ren's group has different objectives," I explained.
"Ah yes, trying to free those Higa has enlisted to serve him, free the girl he brought in, and take him down; while that is some achievement, I'm afraid you won't live long enough to relish in it," Kakizaki responded. "Higa is close to obtaining victory; even if the North's team is closing in on him, he won't let them get any closer; and there are still plenty of traps and explosives ready to blow them to smithereens."
He smiled wider and looked down.
"Take for instance, where you're standing."
Hesitantly, we all looked down at our feet; however, we didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Was he trying to distract us?
"There's nothing there; is this some kind of joke?" Toyotama questioned. Kakizaki took the hand still in his pocket out and revealed a detonator
"See you next fall," he answered and pressed the button. Before we could even move, another explosion erupted and destroyed the floor underneath us; Kakizaki was blown away a bit and watched us descend. I quickly grabbed onto the ledge and grabbed Kaie's hand as she caught Narashino's and so forth. I had to use every bit of my strength to keep us up; however, climbing back up was a whole other story. The girls screamed at me not to let go, but it didn't help any, as Kakizaki approached us and stomped on my hand. I yelled out in pain as he grinded his foot over my fingers.
"You're like a cockroach, keep coming back no matter how many times you get squashed. I wonder if you'll survive this fall then; if you do, then even more punishment awaits you. Your end is finally here."
Kakizaki slammed his foot in my face and made me lose my grip, sending us plummeting down the building. The girls screamed as Yomi fired wave vacuums to weaken the floors. We all crashed through and landed two floors below where we were; however, upon crash, everyone else's screams were tuned out by own, as my leg produced agonizing sensations coursing through my body. I was in so much pain, my screams echoing through the hall. I flipped over on my back and reached for my hurt leg, only to end up in even more pain and realize I couldn't actually feel it. My leg was broken; and from the excruciating pain, it was broken very badly. I rolled on the floor, huffing and puffing, trying to hold back my screams of agony.
"Ryan!" Kaie and Narashino screamed.
"My leg; my leg is broken," I told them. I opened one eye and saw the two hovering above me with terror in their eyes. "I'm sorry you two; I got you into this mess."
"Don't talk like that," Kaie responded. "Just relax; we'll think of something, just relax and hold on."
I shut my eyes tightly at the pain and hissed.
"Damn it; he got me again."
P.O.V Change Akira
We were getting closer to the main floor where Higa was residing. Along the way, we had to tackle a large number of guards and escape the multitude of traps waiting for us. I couldn't help but wonder how Ren was doing, if he was okay or not. We lost contact with him a long time ago and haven't been able to reach him since; I could tell he was still heavy on Kazehana's mind, but she managed to keep going ahead and fight. After the first explosion that sent Ren plummeting down the building, my earpiece was damaged as well, this is why we haven't been able to contact anyone else, or Matsu to see how he was doing.
I know Ren is a tough person, but he might not have been able to survive such a fall. I hoped he survived and that our allies found him. Without anyone to communicate with, it was just the group I initially started out with, Kazehana, and myself. The five of us progressed higher and higher up the building, but had to deal with even more traps and guards blocking our paths. It was tiresome work and we won't be able to keep going like this forever; we were reaching our limits, especially me. Trained or not, I've reached my limit a little while ago, but had to keep fighting. She was waiting for me, and so was that bastard who kidnapped her. I still haven't figured out why he did it; but it didn't matter at this point. Higa is going down, or die trying.
I don't even know what floor we were on, about floor a hundred and something; we lost track after seventy. Either way, we kept pushing through, but I fell behind due to exhaustion and couldn't keep up with the girls any longer. Kuruse grabbed my hand and dragged me back towards the group.
"Come on Akira; we know you're exhausted but hopefully we're getting closer to Higa. We just have to tough it out in the meantime. You're exhausted, we're exhausted, our entire team is definitely exhausted; but we knew it wasn't going to be a walk in the park."
"Sorry, but you have to agree that we came a long way. What floor did we start on before splitting up?" I asked.
"I don't even remember," Natsu answered. "But we can't think about that now; we have someone to beat."
We were definitely getting closer; the increase of guards and traps increased a lot in the span of fifteen minutes and even the traps became much more complicated.
"How many traps did guy plant; you can train a military squad in this building," Kuruse commented.
"Less complaining more running," Saki stated. We made it up another floor; however, it was a doozy getting through it. By the time we made it to the entrance to next floor, Saki and I almost collapsed on the ground. "We need to rest; I'm too exhausted to keep going."
"We can't rest now," Natsu stated. "Who knows what's waiting for us; the moment we're all vulnerable, we're finished."
"Too late," someone stated. We didn't even get a chance to see who spoke before a huge explosion erupted and blew us all away, throwing us into walls and falling on the floor. The entire place shook like a huge earthquake, the lights flickering on and off, the walls crumbing and breaking apart, and the floors cracking even more. It's a wonder the place hasn't completely fallen apart yet, but it was a great thing it hasn't. However, while I say that, I found myself to be in great pain. My arm was in tremendous agony, keeping it hard to hold back a scream. I grunted and gripped my right shoulder.
"Ah! Fuck!"
"Akira, you okay?" Kuruse asked with worriedness in her tone.
"No, I think my arm is broken; the explosion knocked me right into the wall," I explained. It was in so much pain and I could only squirm on the floor. Kuruse helped me by breaking off two of her tridents and then using one of Saki's cloths to tie a split around my broken arm. She helped me stand and walked me over to where everyone else was standing, showing me a huge ass gap separating us from the rest of the building. We were cut off with no other way to cross.
A/N: That will end this part; the next one will be the finale of this operation. I hope you all are enjoying it, because I certainly am. Ren has been left immobile basically, Jason is heartbroken, Ryan and Akira have broken limbs, but Kai is still good to go, as are Seo and Sanada. I wonder how things will turn out next chapter. Let me know what you think of this chapter in a review or pm please; I finally reached 200 reviews, thank you guys so very much it really means a lot. This has been MalevolentDarkness16 and I will see you all in the next chapter; thanks for reading, hope you liked it, and take care.