Ice Chronicles

Chapter 74: War of Change

"Ren! You and Matsu stay back!" My uncle screamed and fired a round of bullets down the corridor. Hundreds of gun fire filled our ears as we hid in the control room. As we hid, Kai, Natsuo, and my uncle fended off the soldiers that managed to infiltrate the base. We were not expecting enemy forces to flank us so they managed to get the drop on us, but Kai isn't the fastest human for nothing. He cleared a huge wave by himself, and a couple of clones, and bring back firearms and ammo for us to use. Despite my brain, I've never used a gun before, but I'm about to find out how sooner or later. Matsu grabbed one of the guns, much to my surprise, and threw a grenade down the corridor. She took cover behind the wall and waited until the explosion before firing a round and falling twelve solders with ease. She reloaded and saw all of us, even Minaka, Kai, and Natsuo staring at her in shock.

"I'm more than just brains you know; you have to know where to aim and when to pull the trigger. Now stop staring and grab a weapon. Ren, I'll show you how to shoot in a bit, just stay back and keep hidden. Kai, Natsuo, and Clyde, you know what to do. Let's move!"

We all followed her orders, the same question lingering in our heads, What the hell just happened? Even I didn't see that coming and I know Matsu better than anybody. But I will say this, just in case I might never be able to again, that was so hot.

History is not one my more knowledgeable aspects. However, that doesn't mean I don't know what war can lead to. As my uncle told me before he joined the battlefield, "There is no such thing as a good war."

To that, I have to agree. There really is no such thing as a good war. Many lives will be taken, including my own, and many of my loved ones may perish too. The fact that I'm here helping my team fight the enemy, which grew in numbers significantly since we first started, is highly unlikely. I knew I'd be fighting big things, but this? I'm still trying to process that fact; what's even worse is that the stakes are a whole lot higher, which is a huge weight on my shoulders now. Now my guidance is much more important; we're really playing for keeps now.

"Ren, you okay?" Matsu broke my thoughts. She placed a hand on my shoulder while holding the assault rifle in the other. I nodded back wordlessly and focused on the monitors. We haven't received any casualties, but that may change at this rate. I can't say the same for the enemy. Our biggest advantage is the island's safety function that weakens humans when they first arrive, but Minaka adjusted it to where enemy copters malfunction upon arrival and crash to their doom. However, at the same time, it causes more problems for every human. Because of that, Uncle Clyde, Kai, and Natsuo had to come back to the observation center to recuperate. They made with just a few bruises and got used to the new addition, I included. Again though, Minaka had no troubles moving around like the sekirei, which were still attacking strong. We were still shocked by Matsu's change of character.

Our elemental sekirei made short work of the copters that flew ahead and stopped them from reaching the base. The ground units stayed in formation and finished the troops off as quickly as they arrived, but the numbers were still overwhelming.

"More helicopters are approaching!" I warned the team.

"Ren, time to become even more of a man," Matsu declared. I stared at her in confusion and blushed deeply as I saw her dressed in combat gear, but she really knows how to show off her figure, and I really wished she wouldn't display so much cleavage. She had several smaller guns strapped to her gear with her assault rifle as her main weapon. Multiple clips stuck to her for easy access and the air about her told me that shit is about to go down.

"Um, Matsu?" I said kind of nervously. She frowned at me and grabbed my collar, forcibly yanking me forward and smashing my lips into hers in a passionate kiss, tongue and all. She then pushed me, an even more shock and stupefied ashikabi, back, and tossed me a masculine version of her protective gear.

"Ogle me after we kick ass; we have a war to win and there isn't time for any lovey-dovey stuff. There's plenty of time when we return home. Now get dressed and make it quick; we don't have much time," she returned to her post and opened fire on the enemy. She was protecting the corridors very nicely; she was even a better shot than my uncle. I quickly donned the protective gear and awaited further instructions.

"Grab some weapons Ren; two side arms, one primary, one special, and some projectiles. Make sure you grab plenty of clips with some ammo and strap them in areas you can easily reach without wasting time. The more efficient you are the better," Matsu stated next. I didn't dare try questioning her so I got to work. I did as she instructed, but my lack of gun knowledge kind of made her mad.

"Ugh! Keep your side arms on your sides, your primary and special should go on your back in case you're not using them, and your grenades and such go around your belts," she yelled at me. Matsu helped me get outfitted and did a final analysis. "Okay, your primary is your best friend; don't forget that, but if you ever need to reload said friend, switch to a side arm. It's faster than reloading."

I nodded and then watched her go over the basic gun functions. She just kept it simple, which I was thankful for, but she kind of lost me at explaining how to aim properly.

"Alright, you should be set. Stay close to me, do as I say, and STAY DOWN," she ordered. I nodded back and stared at my weapons; it was already coming to me.

"Hold on, I have an idea," I grabbed a flashback and one of my pistols. I threw the flashbang down the corridor and quickly shot it to explode faster. During the blindness, I threw a grenade but couldn't fire due to the bright light covering the field.

"Don't do that again," Matsu dragged me through the corridor and we opened fire on the blinded enemies. Kai and my uncle followed us while Natsuo remained behinds to protect Minaka. Kai didn't stray too far since he wanted to keep his cousin safe as well, but that wasn't a problem since we were pinned down by the enemy. I had trouble shooting, because the recoil on my primary made me miss multiple times. I thought it was strange since I hit that flashbang perfectly, but then I remembered that it was a gun with less recoil that made me hit perfectly. Now I'm using something more powerful.

"Ren, use your sights!" my uncle pointed out. "Use your sights or you'll just spread bullets all over the place."

"Roger!" I responded and took his advice. He was indeed correct. Using the sights made my accuracy more pinpoint, but the recoil is still a hassle.

We managed to hold back the enemy, but we were getting low on ammo. Going back to the control room, we held out there for as long as we could but things were getting close. My uncle and Matsu are the only ones with ammo and they were tasked with guarding the door. I in the meantime, checked out the situation on the battle front. The girls were still fending off the enemies, but they had to split to take care of the flank. The best we can do is hope they clear enough and manage to save us.

"Some of our units are engaging the flanking enemies," I informed the group.

"We can't hold out much longer," Matsu stated. "Ugh! And I'm out of ammo!"

"So am I!" My uncle exclaimed irritably. The two closed the door; it's a strong door so it can tank a lot of hits and explosions, but even it has a limit. Before it goes down, we have to think of a plan to counterattack, but I got nothing.

"Any ideas guys?" I asked. Everyone adopted a thinking pose.

"About how long should it take to fire a widespread from the MBI satellite? And factor in the amount of power it will take to break apart the island shore." Kai stated. We all looked at Kai in confusion, but Minaka nodded and cracked his knuckles.

"At most, it should take about twenty-five minutes to reach that level of power, but that's at a constant charge. If it's disturbed then it will take longer," he started typing away at the keyboards. Kai did a short nod and take a deep breath.

"So all I need to do is keep it charging without any disturbance for twenty-five minutes," he repeated.

"No," Natsuo suddenly stated with a stern tone. "You are not doing what I think you're thinking."

"Natsuo that door is about to give," his cousin pointed out. The door has suffered a lot of damage and is about to fall. There was no telling how much longer it could endure. "When it does, we'll be blasted and killed."

"If you go out there you'll be blasted and killed. There has to be some other way, even though we are at war, I am not letting you go on some suicide mission," the ashikabi of the Discipline Squad declared. "Not only will you die, but your sekirei will as well."

"I'll be fine," Kai grabbed his sword and drew it. He tossed the sheath away and grabbed the hilt with both hands. "I still have my speed and abilities; they can't kill what they can't touch."

"Wait a minute Kai," I spoke up. "The corridors are too narrow for any advance movements and if you hit a dead end, you'll be trapped with no way out."

"All that fancy stuff means nothing to me," he shook his head. "I don't waste time with all those unnecessary movements."

P.O.V Change Kai

I grabbed a couple of flashbangs and approached the almost breached door. I had everyone move away from the line of fire and focused my power into my blade, Firestorm, a pretty strange name for a sword, but she always get the job done. A weapon doesn't make the person, but the person holding the weapon. I spun Storm around and closed my eyes.

"Black as day, and dark as night; I use this power to assist my fights. Those who face my strength and might, beware this power; Raiden's Light," I started to chant. I could feel the electricity surged through my blade, as the sound of birds chirping began to cry. A couple of practice swings later, I gave the command to open the door. Time seemed to slow down as bullets soared straight at me, but I was already moving my sword to protect me and send a wave of lightning down the corridor. I gave everyone one last look before taking off and having them shut the door, leaving me locked in battle. The wave I sent paralyzed the enemies, giving me time to manifest one clone to help clean up. We moved in sync, cleaving the enemy in two and spilling blood everywhere. We stayed close and dashed at fast speeds to keep the opposing forced confused. Then, we launch our attacks before they know what hit them. The downside is that narrow corridors, I could barely dodge like I want to, making it easy to strike me, but at the same time, it makes it easier to hit the enemy; and since I'm a lot faster than them, the advantage goes to me. Also, they need to reload. I on the other hand, can attack all I want.

My clone and I managed to clear out multiple waves, but because my clone took a good hit, he was dispersed. I suffered a shot to the shoulder and couldn't use that arm. Unfortunately, that was my dominate hand, and I'm not ambidextrous. I had to keep pushing though and give Minaka enough time to fire the satellite. It's strange though; I was ready to face Minaka. Now I'm fighting this war alongside him, but the question on everyone's mind if we win this will most likely be what to do next. I somewhat doubt Minaka would end his game after this.

More soldiers kept coming and I was getting severely outnumbered. I paced myself as efficiently as possible to keep up the heat, but I was close to my limit. My lightning was doing most of the work at this point, but Storm can keep us going. My blade has never failed me and she won't now. I continued to fight, my trusty blade zooming through the air and slicing people to ribbons. The areas were painted in blood and comprised of dead bodies. Heavy pants escaped my lips while my own blood and majority of the soldiers stained me; it was hard to tell which blood was mine and which one wasn't. I could barely walk now, as my right leg was shot and dispelling blood at a steady rate. I could barely stand up and had to use the walls to support me. Things should've been taken care of a long time ago, but I chose to keep going forward. If I die, it'll be with Storm swinging; I won't go down without a fight and I'll make sure it's to the very end. My sekirei would be screaming at me right now if they saw me, but there's a war going on right now and everything is about to change. In war, worlds collide and hearts get broken; it can creep in like a thief in the night and make people experience horrible things, but it's actually a lot more than I can take.

"Everything's about to change," I sung a little jingle. I was on my last leg, literally, and felt every part of me burning. My vision was starting to get blurry. Soon, I crashed to the ground but held onto my trusty Storm. One rule of using weapons, never let go. Storm has been with me for a very long time and I'll be damned if I ever let her go.

"Ugh, come on Kai," I tried to stand up. "Just because you got shot in the leg and shoulder doesn't mean you can dillydally. You have to hold a little bit longer."

The pain in my right leg was unbearable. I used the walls again to support me, but a stampede of footsteps caught up and the sounds of guns clicking made me sigh.

"And now they're here."

I turned and readied my blade. A dozen soldiers screamed at me in an incoherent language. I didn't know what they said and it damn sure wasn't English or Japanese. I managed to summon more lightning, but it was taking my strength away. My eyes scanned them and my hands waved through the air.

"I will not bow!" I launched multiple waves of lightning. "I will not break!"

I charged in and decapitated two of the soldiers, spinning my sword and stabbing it through another's chest. Drawing it out and using the momentum, I sliced the next person in half and then finished with Omni-directional wave strikes. All soldiers fell to the floor and blood splattered everywhere, painting everything that wasn't already painted. I soon hit the ground, exhaustion finally catching up to me, causing ripples to spread over this sea of blood. I panted vigorously as my body ached in intense pain; it wouldn't respond but it still held onto Storm for me. I couldn't move at all. The rest of my strength slowly vanished and I just lie flat on the floor, hearing more footsteps rushing towards me, but I couldn't hold out anymore. In this sea of crimson liquid, I passed out.

P.O.V Change Ren

Minaka managed to launch the satellite and fired a widespread barrage of lasers. The attack worked and finished off the soldiers in that section of the island. Now all that we have to worry about are the ones from before, and if more try to flank us, the group that headed out will take care of it. Takehito and Takami are still providing covering fire, but there has been reports of possible compromise on their end. It may make things a little harder but I had a few of the girls to race to that position and provide backup. It would take them some time but they should get there in time.

"I don't like this," Natsuo bit his finger. "We've fired the laser a long time ago, but he's still not back. You can't be serious."

He covered his face with his palm. "I knew he'd do something like this, dumbass."

"Natsuo; I hate to butt in with your family problems, but Kai is only doing what a warrior would do; he's fighting until his last breath is drawn and he can't fight anymore," I stated.

"That may be so, but that doesn't exclude the fact that he's trying to fight an army by himself," he responded. "He's probably on his last leg about to pass out."

"He's making sure we live in case we have to avenge him," Matsu spoke up. She then focused on her earpiece. I think she was receiving a call. "Wait Kuruse, speak up. Kuruse? Kuruse! Ah, damn it!"

"Matsu what's up?" I questioned and made my way over.

"It's Kuruse; she contacted me with something urgent, but our call was interrupted. There's some sort of interference," she explained.

"That's just Kai's communicator," Minaka spoke up next. "We didn't give the sekirei any earpieces since they'd most likely get destroyed in battle anyway, but Kai has one and if Natsuo is right, his communicator is on the fritz."

I looked where Natsuo stood, or more like where he once stood. The ashikabi was already gone, making me face palm.

"I knew he would do that."

"Go after him Ren," my uncle ordered. "You still have a speed advantage so you should be able to find him in no time."

"Or just follow the path of dead bodies scattered all over the floor," I pointed out.

"Yeah that'll lead you to him," Clyde chuckled.

"Or Karasuba," I joked back and took off with my ability activated. I rushed through the corridors, stepping through the sea of blood. Natsuo is definitely fast; I haven't found him at all. "Damn Natsuo, how fast are you?"

"Faster than you apparently," he suddenly appeared in front of me. I stopped and looked around for his cousin, but there was no sign of him.

"Where's Kai?" I asked the obvious question. Natsuo sighed and shook his head.

"I don't know. I followed the trail but he wasn't there. If Kuruse did find him, she must've brought him somewhere secluded so they wouldn't be engaged by the enemy."

"Matsu, we're going to need your help. Guide us to Kuruse; she took Kai with her," I told my brain-type.

"I'm already on it," she guided Natsuo and me through the corridors. The further we traveled, the more blood and bodies we encountered. Kai did a great job making a mess, but he seemed to have cleared out the infiltrated guards, making it easier to travel without being compromised. The smell of the blood was intoxicating, and for a shark it would be like the ultimate smell. Luckily, Karasuba is on the other side of the island or she would be here a lot faster than any shark. Karasuba is the human version of a ferocious shark, but a lot more aggressive and definitely stronger; and if she caught even a whiff of blood, I bet she'll be on the scene faster than Kai can even run. Now that I think about it, how the hell can Natsuo and my uncle be so calm around Karasuba? Granted she can't kill Natsuo and my uncle somehow managed to get her to tolerate him likable enough. Kai trained under her and Natsuo while Musubi considers the Black Sekirei a good friend; I commend them all, especially my uncle.

When we finally found where the trident wielding sekirei was hiding, we found the rest of Kai's sekirei guarding the area; however, they looked completely exhausted and about to collapse. Kai definitely looked exhausted and injured, but from the clothes around his limbs, his sekirei must've patched him up the best they could.

"Is everyone all right?" Natsuo questioned.

"We're… fine," Kuruse panted exhaustingly. "Kai though, needs help."

"I bet," the Discipline Squad's ashikabi responded. He placed one of Kai's arms around his shoulder and lifted him up. "Let's head back to the control room. Can the rest of you fight?"

They all gave a nod and stood up with their weapons ready. Before we traversed on, I did a quick scout to make sure the paths were clear. When I was on my way back, I received a call from Takehito.

"Yeah Takehito?" I answered, but there was crying on the other end. I raised an eyebrow and wondered why is there crying. "Takehito?"

"R-Ren," it was Musubi, and the crying was coming from her. "I'm sorry."

She was choking up bad.

"I'm so sorry."

"Musubi, please calm down and tell me what's wrong. What happened to Takehito and Takami? Can you calm down long enough to tell me?"

She continued to sniffle, but managed to stop sobbing.

"We... sniffle…we didn't… sniffle… make it in time," she said and I could feel my chest tightening. "Takehito and… sniffle… Takami are d-dead."