Treachery...


Aya sat by Mizel's side, cleaning some armor parts as he tuned her LBX. Lillia decided to pick a table slightly far away from them, however, her eyes were fixed on the green head Mizel could have sworn he was probably on fire by now from the glares she was giving him.

Mizel: " you know..."

Aya looked up when he spoke up, slightly surprised for she had seen him go hours without uttering a word.

Mizel: " I was wondering why you seem to trust me."

Aya: " huh?"

Mizel's eyes finally locked with her brown ones.

Mizel: " frankly speaking no one would trust the person who tried to claim the world. However, you seem cool with me around. Why?"

Aya blinked and a sigh escaped from her pink CCM.

Kämpfer: " that's her nature..."

The young woman chuckled sheepishly and then turned to Mizel.

Aya: " well, everyone deserves a second chance don't they."

She smiled softly as she returned to cleaning.

Aya: " you may think I'm naive, literally everyone else does, but I really can't stand it. When people can't trust each other, when they doubt each other and only expect harm from them, it becomes suffocating. I don't want to live a life reigned by doubt and mistrust, it only makes you see the worst in people. I can't even call it life. So I'm trying to give them a chance. It goes for you too."

Mizel's brow rose at her wide smile and returned back to his work.

Mizel: " you won't live long with those naive believes of yours."

Aya cackled with a sweat drop.

Aya: " as I thought..."

Yet, her smile didn't waver.

Aya: " but sometimes, it's all what it takes, for some people to change, they only need one person to trust them."

Mizel's eyes flicked back to her momentarily before looking at the LBX. He didn't know why, but he felt like he could relate to that.

Kirito: " here you are."

The blond walked into the hall with a frown and headed towards Mizel and Aya's table.

Kirito: " Aya, Lillia, we need to head to Takuya's office. Mizel, go wake Eva."

Mizel's eyebrow quirked up at his stern tone.

Kirito: " it's really serious."

Mizel nodded as he passed a finished Kämpfer to Aya whose eyes shot wide.

Aya: ' eh! He finished it up that quickly!'

The green head left to fetch Eva while Aya and Lillia stood up to follow Kirito...


The Killer Droids they had faced afterward weren't that much trouble given that they had been older models they delt with once. However, it was quite bothersome that they were in large numbers. But they managed to pull through.

Currently, Ruri squatted on the ground, fixing the LBXs which retained the most damage after their last fight.

Ruri: " thankfully I've brought my kit and some extra parts. Else we would have been obliged to pull back."

She said tightening Minerva's shoulder joint.

Ken: " I've to admit, we should have brought Hell Fire."

Touko: " true, we didn't expect them to put much of a fight. And we thought the others may need it."

Ruri: " Aquarius Lazer and Great Bomber were a great help against the older models of the Killer Droids, but they couldn't do much against the newer ones. Their armors were coated against them. Done."

She stood up after finishing with Minerva Kai, the last LBX to repair. The pink unit flew up as her AI was back.

Minerva: " thank you Ruri."

Ruri: " any time."

She put away her kit before facing the next door.

Ruri: " you think another Killer Droid is waiting in there?"

Jennifer: " hopefully not."

She said strapping Zeon's arm pad back. So far neither her nor Ryan allowed her or anyone else to help them with repairing their LBXs, keeping it to just themselves.

One of the SP Fixers was already by the door side, trying to force it open. It soon paid off as the door slid with a swoosh sound.

Peeking inside, they all found themselves in a dark hallway, not the slightest light at all.

" Touko-san, please be careful."

One of her men warned her as she moved ahead as usual, her CCM in hand to illuminate her way.

Touko: " don't you worry, stick close behind me."

She said stepping ahead though the dark room. Careful inspecting everyone notch, ever cranny for any hidden traps.

It was then that Queen flew ahead of her, halting her. Touko was confused at that but Queen told her to keep silence for a moment. Whatever that she had noticed, the other LBXs did as well seeing them carefully scanning the area.

When it was all quiet, Elie could hear it as well.

Elie: " this sound..."

She whispered apprehensively as she figured it out.

Ban: " LBXs..."

Everyone strained their ears so they could barely hear them moving. Though Touko tried to locate them, she couldn't. They were fast to run from the light spot she was casting around.

Ken: " tsk, we can't battle if we can't see them!"

Despite his tries too, he couldn't land his light on any of them, leaving them unaware of the identity of their enemy.

Ran inhaled deeply at that before turning to the rest.

Ran: " everyone, mind shutting down your lights."

They almost shocked on her demand.

Ran: " I won't be able to focus like that."

Touko: " focus... Focus on what?"

Ryan's eyes slightly widened as he got what she was thinking.

Ryan: " right... The Hanasaki style's secret move."

He whispered to himself though Jennifer heard him.

Jennifer: " the what now?"

As she turned to question him, she saw him taking off his goggles and resetting them.

Ran: " I've been training on it for a while now, should be able to employ it on my LBX fighting style by now."

She cracked her fingers and whipped out her CCM.

Ran: " just, trust me on this. You too Minerva."

Minerva had already taken her stance.

Minerva : " I always trust you."

Ryan: " wait! Ran-san!"

The red haired woman whirled back her head to the blond who held his goggles up at her.

Ryan: " use this."

Ran: " eh? But..."

One look at his shimmering eyes made her set her mind. She put away her CCM and reacher for his goggles, fastening them against her eyes.

Ran: " how do I use it?"

Ryan waited until the goggles were activated before he spoke again.

Ryan: " easy, just imagine the way you want your LBX to move and focus on it. The goggles will do the rest and convert them to orders. If it's any help, you can perform the move yourself so you can focus on it more."

Ran: " Roger that."

She said taking her usual fighting pose and so did Minerva.

Ran: " everyone, stay close by."

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, straining the rest of her senses.

Elie: " what's she trying to do?"

Ryan: " it's a secret move the Hanasaki style have."

Ken&Ruri: " eh! That one no one managed to master in generations?!"

Jin: " do you know something about this?"

Ruri: " yeah, quite a lot. Our family and their have been friends for so long and used each other's knowledge to get stronger."

Ken: " however, there was one move in the Hanasaki style that was said to be impossible to master. It's..."

Ryan: " ' Mingjing Zhi Shui '... Also known as ' Clear Mirror'."

Ran steadied her breath as she slowly let her conscious fade away to the back of her mind.

Everyone could sense a movement from the shadow, but could not tell which way it was coming. However, Ran's body quickly reacted on its own. Minerva followed her as she directed a kick to her right, and they could hear her hitting something.

Ken: " that now..."

Minerva sprinted forward and stepped on another LBX before jumping up high and punching another one then directing a drop kick at the one beneath her.

The rest held their breath in awe as they watched the player and LBX synchronized moves. Everyone of Minerva's kicks and punches were perfectly timed with Ran's.

Ran: ' amazing, I was worried of using it through CCM. But now...'

As Minerva zoomed ahead again, Ran could swear she was feeling the air gently caressing her face.

Ran: '... Everything that Minerva feels, I feel it too! With this, I can do it!"

She kicked up this time and Minerva did the same, sending her assaulter up in the air.

Touko: " how on earth..."

Ryan: " the Clear Mirror is to banish one's mind, letting his body react to the threats around him on its own."

Jennifer quickly caught on with him.

Jennifer: " I see! That's why you lend her your goggles! It will allow her to experience Minerva's surrounding better!"

Everyone swapped amazed looks among each other. Well, most of them. Sayaka glared sharply at the two while Ken and Ruri were feeling uneasy.

However, they were soon startled by Minerva as she kicked near their faces, defecting an onslaught.

Odin: " they're aiming for Ban and the others again! Everyone, stay on guard!"

While Ran and Minerva continued on with clearing the area, the rest of the LBXs circled the humans tightly like a defensive wall, fending against attacks.

Astray: " Bring it on! We're participating in the action too!"

Not before long, explosions started to erupt around them as Minerva overpowered the LBXs surrounding them, taking them down one after another.

Minerva: " last one, Ran!"

Ran: " hya!"

She span around and kicked back as hard as she could, so did Minerva. Before they knew it, an Assassin was thrown by the players' feet before it exploded.

Ran breathed out as she performed her salut and her eyes blinked open once more.

Minerva : " enemy is taken care of."

She saluted as well.

Ran: " man! That was awesome! This thing is really amazing! It felt like Minerva and I were one!"

This made Jin's eyes sharpen slightly.

Ran: " hope you don't mind me borrowing it some other time!"

She said returning the device to Ryan.

Ryan: " not at all."

Touko left the group and went to inspect the rest of the destroyed LBXs.

Touko: " all of them are Assassins. And equiped with close range weapons as well."

She held a light sword in her hand.

Beargguy: " if they had used rifles, we could have been dead by now."

His metallic armor clinked against each other at the mere though.

Ranger: " not in this small area, it will be a disadvantage. And the bullets could bounce off for all they know and possibly damaging some wires or pipes."

Ban: " makes sense."

Touko stood up and faced the rest.

Touko: " for now, we have to proceed forward. Be careful, we can't yet let our guard down."

She stated leading the group again. At the back, Ryan was once more synchronizing his goggles with his LBX.

Jennifer: " bright of an idea as it may have been, however, you were reckless back then Ryan. What if Ran-san wasn't adaptable with the goggles?"

She whispered furiously.

Ryan: " come on, don't sweat it off Jen."

He slid his goggles again around his neck.

Ryan: " there is a reason only Ran-san managed to master this move in generations. It isn't hard to tell why."

Jennifer though about it for a second then her eyes shot wide open.

Jennifer: " don't tell me it's..."

Ryan: " yep, years later, it will be acknowledged as another form of overload. That's why I knew she will be able to use the goggles."

Zeon: " sometimes, you surprise me when you already have thought that far."

Jennifer: " you and me both."

Astray: " that makes the three of us."

Ryan: " everyone..."

He flicked his eyes through the trio with disappointment and hurt as though he was offended by their words, not noticing the many suspicious look some of the players were giving them. And certainly not the dark glares send by a certain blonde.

Touko: " here we're."

They were again, standing by another door. On cue, the man with the tablet went to open it.

Ruri: " oh please no more Killer Droids, please let it be no more Killer Droids."

Valkyrie sweat dropped at her player.

Ruri: " well, it's the only thing we can do right now isn't it? Just hoping."

As the doors opened this time, everyone were on guard for any sign of threat. Yet, what met their eyes wasn't an LBX or a Killer Droid. The man pivoted on his chair and stood up, smothering his suit and walking next to the slim man.

Garshield: " I see you've really reached this far."

Jennifer seemed shocked at his sight.

Jennifer: " he really, didn't run away."

Hearing her, also coupled with the looks of uncertainty from the rest of the players, he cleared his throat.

Garshield: " well, you've proven to me that my security is so weak, seeing that a bunch of kids managed to get past it."

Tow vines twitched on Touko's forehead at being called a kid again.

Touko: " who are the kids! Plus, Leviathan and the World Savers would have no trouble passing that security, were you seriously thinking it could have held them back!"

Seeing that she had lost her nerves, she quickly composed herself and glared back at the man.

Touko: " nevertheless, we're here to make sure they don't reach to you. Would you please follow us outside."

Her men walked over to him from both sides and he flicked his eyes between them.

Garshield: " not as a prisoner. I will let you know that all of my records are clean."

He insisted sharply. Touko rolled her eyes, peeved at the man's way of thinking. While they were there, Leviathan and the World Savers would be possibly outside, waiting for them to walk out to get him. And he was still bargaining with them.

Touko: " yeah yeah, you did a great job covering all your dirty deeds. We have nothing against you. Happy now. We can't actually capture you without proof. But still, we're not giving the World Savers a shot at trying to murder you. So either you come with us willingly, or we will have to resort to other ways."

His large nose wrinkled slightly at her manner of speaking. However, after they had reached that far, it was clear he wasn't safe there. Not that he didn't doubt it from the start. Isn't that why he stayed there in the first place and not escaped.

Garshield: " very well then. I will follow you, as long as you keep me safe."

Touko: " good."

She then flung her head toward the bluish green haired man.

Touko: " and this here?"

Garshield: " this is my right hand, Ryuuichi."

Touko eyed him carefully as he bowed slightly.

Ryuuichi: " pleased to meet the leader of the SP Fixers."

Touko hummed to herself.

Touko: " I see. You, keep an eye on him. Garshield, you walk in the front."

She pointed at one of her men then at the purple head. The bodyguard walked next to Ryuuichi, who, now by his side, seemed even smaller and weaker.

Garshield: " huh?"

He was bewildered at her act before he was pushed to go ahead.

Touko: " we can't let the World Savers reach you at any cost. Besides, we don't know what your right hand may do to get you away of our hands."

Garshield snorted tauntingly.

Garshield: " you're not implying that my right hand would double cross me."

Ban: " for all we know, he could. It happened before, and can happen any time again."

Garshield shook his head with a sneer.

Garshield: " kids this day have wild imagination."

Touko was about to yell something at him when a chortle was heard from the other end of the small room, and it soon grew to a loud laughter. All of them stood stupefied at the slim man who was laughing on his own, his body writhing with mirth.

Ryuuichi: " forgive me. But they really do have brains, those kids."

Touko: " you! Who are you calling kids!"

Ran was hardly restricting the pinkette whose eyes went all white and sharp at that.

He straightened himself and cleared his through, still smirking gleefully as if he wasn't surrounded.

Ryuuichi: " in the end, they did really outsmart you."

Garshield had all colors drained from his face at those words.

Garshield: " Ryuuichi... It can't be..."

Ryuuichi sighed in disappointment.

Ryuuichi: " it's a shame my bright moment didn't come. I wanted to finish you quickly and quietly in the right time. However, these kids had to interfere."

Touko managed to jerk herself away from Ran's grapple.

Touko: " fin ! Those kids are about to show you what they're capable of!"

She said bringing ou her CCM, and so did everyone else. However a thud made them look backwards.

There on the ground laid a certain pink CCM, with its owner kneeling down and holding her chest tightly, struggling to breath.

" Elie!"

" Elie-san!"

They chorused. Seeing their disturbance, Ryuuichi hurried to the other end of the room and placed his hand on the wall. A part of it slid open, revealing a secret path.

Ryuuichi: " Leviathan will be happy. For I won't just get rid of the head of CIS, but also the chosen players."

He took something that seemed like a joystick from him pocket.

Ryuuichi: " no harsh feeling there."

He pressed the red button on it end and dove through the tunnel. No sooner than he had done so, they could hear explosions erupting from the other end of the hall they came through.

" Quick! We need to follow after him! Before this area blows up!"

Ban propped Elie as he tried to induce her to walk.

Ban: " there Elie, you can do it!"

They made for the entrance, Garshiled and another SP Fixer rushed through, but as everyone was about to do so, a chunk of the ceiling fell upon them, separating them.

Touko: " Everyone!"

Touko was near the exit, while the rest were on the other side. Their path blocked.

Ruri: " we can't get through!"

The whole area shook vigorously and the lights started to blink. Touko bit her lip as she made an attempt to climb the rubble to reach for her friends. However, she was soon lifted from the waist by one of the bodyguards and he ran the opposite way, securing her LBX in his other hand on the way.

Touko: " let got of me!"

She screamed, wringling for freedom.

" Protecting you is my duty, Touko-sama! I can't let go of you!"

His grip of her tightening. It wasn't until the entrance of the escape path crumbled down that Touko stopped her useless wrestle against her bodyguard. Her face pale with fear of what might have happened on the other side.

Meanwhile, the LBXs tried their best to keep away the falling debris from their players, but it wasn't enough. Another part of the ceiling came tumbling over them, the impact made Ban let go of his sister.

Ban: " Elie!"

More chunks fell down, separating them further. Ban desperately tried to get to his sister but was pulled back by Jin just before he was crushed under a huge lump of concrete.

Ban: " let go! Elie!"

He screamed out when he saw her motionless body thrown on the ground. Seeing more debris falling down, Jennifer dove towards her.

Jennifer: " Mama!"

Ryan: " Jen!"

And in a matter of seconds, the ground beneath them gave up, and all that was left were darkness and dust...