It has only been a matter of hours since the city of Niigata went to s**t. The Devilish Rockers, Kanato, and Hibiki, have assembled their newly corrupted followers, and the 7 new corrupted warriors that they managed to get a hold and have already started to spread their corruption, practically waging war against the city's police force, and the Ikari Warriors who chose to stay behind in order to fight with the Constabulary. However, holding off the punk rock forces of evil wasn't working out as well as anyone hoped. The corrupted punks were vicious and full of destructive behavior, leaving the Ikari and their line of police units pinned to where they stood as the Rockers' forces advanced. Something Leona's team began to understand while they were hiding behind some overturned cars as the street they were on was nothing short of a warzone...if the explosions were any sort of giveaway, one of which managed to send a police officer flying as Leona and her team...and Whip, huddled together.
Ralf:"I hate to say it...but this isn't going well."
Clark:"We've been through all matters of urban warfare, and yet, this is where we get pinned down?"
Suddenly, the overturned car they were hiding behind was blown to the sky they took cover before looking to see the horde of punks coming their way, some of them even had live weapons, and nobody even knew where they got those from. Far behind the army of heavy metal anarchists were the ones behind all this, Kanato and Hibiki, the former still having his demonic guitar in hand and still playing as each of the strings was glowing and even steaming from how long and how fast the guitar rift he has been playing for so long. Seeing that there was nowhere else to withdraw from, the Ikari Warriors had no choice but to commit a frontal attack as they advanced upon the crowd themselves and started to fight back with their own natural skills.
Clark fought with CQC skills, wrestling and slamming each punk he saw to the ground, same with Ralf, who also brought in some explosives to have their numbers disperse. Whip focused on her Soubenjutsu to keep them at a distance, fairing quite well against the horde. The only one who wasn't doing so well was Leona, despite how well she was doing against each punk that stood in her way, she could feel the raw energy of the corruption expelling from each of the thugs she was up against, and it messed with her head. As well as fighting back against Kanato and Hibiki's army, she was also fighting the urge to let out the beast inside and turn wild. Whip was one to catch sight of this, seeing as Leona blasted another punk away from her, the Silent Solider held her head in frustration as her hair flashed red for a second. And that left the Queen of the Battlefield concerned.
Whip:"Ralf, Clark! We need to get Leona out of here! The corrupted energy's infecting her!"
Clark:"As if we didn't have enough to worry about!"
Leona:"Uggh! I can still fight!"
Ralf:"Forget it, Leona. I already called Commander Heidern! A rendezvous has been set, we're getting you home now!"
Hibiki:"I don't think so!"
And then, the Ikari Warriors were ambushed by Hibiki, flipping in front of them and generating dark energy from her hands.
Hibiki:"You ballerinas ain't going anywhere."
Clark:"Don't think you can intimidate us! We fought worse than you!"
Hibiki:"I bet you have, soldier boy. But seeing as she...(points to Leona struggling)...holds some deliciously corrupted power in her, I don't suppose you losers can hand her over. I promise we'll treat her well, and she'll fit right in!"
Ralf:"Fat chance! Guys, get her out of-(gets blasted)-UGGGHH!"
Kanato:"(holds guitar) Hahahahahaha! Should've taken our offer when you had the chance!"
The rest of the Ikari Team were shocked to see Ralf engulfed with the corrupted energy, as he was soon turned into a punk himself. His skin was paler than before, and no longer wearing his bandana, his hair had been cut to a short mohawk. He was now wearing a tight yellow shirt with a harness, a bandolier of grenades, and two pipe bombs strapped to his left bicep. He also had on black gloves and camouflage cargo pants with armored, spiked boots, and around his waist was a tactical belt with pouches and holsters for many destructive weapons and a buckle that had a skull and crossbones on it. When he was fully corrupted, he looked over to his former teammates with a sinister smile that showed he now had a gap between his teeth.
Ralf:"Well now...that wasn't so bad! I'm feelin' much better already!"
Clark:"Ralf, get a hold of yourself!"
Ralf:"Actually, I think I oughta get a hold on THIS!"
And that is when the corrupted Ralf threw a grenade at the Ikari, forcing them to disperse as the explosion managed to knock them off their feet. Clark struggled to recover, being the closest to the blast as Ralf was now looking down on him with that same evil smile on his face.
Ralf:"I'm playing for the winning team now. And demolition is my mission!"
Grabbing a hold of Clark, he brought up to his feet, forcing the two to get back into combat as the rest of the punks advanced upon Whip and Leona. Specifically, they continued to target Leona in the hopes of unleashing her more bestial side so that it could become much easier for them to corrupt her. But Whip caught up on this plan and took it upon herself to protect her ally, using her whip as a protective circle against the minions that
Whip:"Leona, get out of here!"
Leona:"(straining) And leave you...another man down? No chance in hell!"
Whip:"They're after you! Listen to reason!"
Clark:"GRRAAAAGGH!"
The two female soldiers had to watch as Clark was practically thrown away by Ralf, surprisingly with streams of smoke coming from the opposite sides of his head as Ralf must've used another explosive to do it. Ol' "Tough & Cool" slid against the pavement, right where he was in position for Kanato to get a clear shot.
Kanato:"What say you that we reunite these bozos together?"
Hibiki:"I think they'll be very happy to be partners again."
And without a second thought, did the Rocker sent a beam of corrupted energy toward the downed Clark, and it was too late for either Whip or Leona to get him out of the way. Engulfed by the blast, Clark was now revealed in his punk form, having skin as pale as Ralf's now, his hat turned backward on his head, his sunglasses now having a crimson tint; no longer wearing a shirt, Clark had a black tactical vest with a bandolier of grenades over that. Like Ralf, he also had on black gloves and camouflage cargo pants with armored, spiked boots a tactical belt with weapon pouches, and a skull-n-crossbones buckle. With his corruption complete, Clark lowered his shades to reveal red glowing eyes, glaring toward the horrified Whip and Leona with silent fury, as then out of nowhere, he pulled out a pair of Heavy Machine Guns.
Kanato:"Take them down!"
The last two Ikari Warriors were forced to fall back from this losing battle while they dodged the hail of gunfire that was brought upon them by their now former ally. And as of right now, Leona was starting to agree with Whip about needing to get out of here herself, as all this fighting and exposure to the corrupted energies were leaving her feeling like a nervous wreck, barely able to keep out the wild side of her as she squeezed her forearm and ground her teeth. Whip was forced to be on the defensive all by herself with Leona barely in a condition to fight anymore. She was barely able to hold back any of the punks that just kept coming their way like rabid dogs...
Whip:"Ugh! Leona, go!"
Leona:"I...I can't..."
Whip:"Just go! (gets blasted) AAAAGGGGGHHH!"
Leona:"NO...!"
The Queen of the Battlefield was unprepared to be sniped by Kanato and Hibiki, who smiled to get another one down so easily after the first two. Like Ralf or Clark, it didn't take long for Whip to be revealed in her new form, a full black punk outfit replacing her military uniform; A sleeveless top, mini skirt, a cropped hooded jacket, floral tight stockings, black winter boots, studded gloves and her signature leather whip being replaced by a metal bladed one. Whip turned back to Leona, revealing her paled skin and corrupted eyes painted with black eye shadow as she had a devilish smile on her face.
Whip:"On second thought, Leona...this ain't as bad as any of us thought..."
Leona:"(growling) No...Whip, Ralf, Clark..."
Ralf:"You can't fight back against this, Leona! Let the beast out!"
Clark:"Bring out the wild side. It's already clawing inside you."
Whip:"Join us, Leona. And we'll be wild together!"
But before she could be further tempted, Leona heard something flying overhead and they looked up to see that it was a military helicopter, belonging to Heidern of all. The Commander himself opened the side and pulled out a grenade launcher, shooting rounds of tear gas into the horde of punks, who were stunned by this as Leona used it as a chance to get away.
Heidern:"(via com link) Leona, rendezvous to the Bandajima Building in the Prefecture! We need to retreat and regroup with more allies!"
Leona never liked the idea of retreating, but at times like this, it was definitely necessary. What had hurt even more was that she had to leave her friends behind, now that some of the greatest soldiers of the Ikari Warriors had been corrupted. But there was nothing she could do for them now; she could only hope that there was something she could do later as she ran like heck to the rendezvous point.
Meanwhile, some of the fighters who have been scattered all over the city after the incident that took place at the Big Swan Stadium were slowly reforming somewhere else in the city that is unseemingly unbothered by the corruption that is taking over. A reclusive area in Old Port Town at the edge of the city, how they managed to get there so quickly is a discussion for another time. But what was important was that they were all safe and had managed to survive this so sudden of an outbreak. However, a lot of them were looking down since they lost seven of their friends (now unknowingly having lost three more), and were pondering as to how they were going to try and fix this. Terry was with the remainder of his crew, along with Kyo, his friends, and Chizuru and also Kula, as they were cooling down and recovering from what they had been through. They could see the rest of the city at a distance, a dark cloud hanging over it as the sound of explosions, the flashing of demonic red lights came and went all around Niigata from their perspective.
Blue Mary:"So...now what do we do?"
Joe:"We exactly can't stay here forever. We need to find some other place, maybe regroup with some of the other fighters."
Souji:"I've seen much darkness and corruption in my day. But this is something else entirely. That instrument those evil performers had..."
Aoi:"It was definitely unlike Orochi or the Hakkesshu. I've never seen anything like it."
Kula:"(sniffing) What they did to K'...how he acted like a...(forms ice at her hands) I'll rip them to pieces! ...(then breaks down)...I want my K' back..."
Chizuru:"(tries her best to comfort Kula) There, there, Kula. I have sensed this corrupted magic. The effects can be reversed. But we cannot get near the two evil musicians at the moment. And we'll need to get a hold of that instrument."
Kyo:"Are we gonna need to find Yagami? Find a way to seal off their corrupted power?"
Chizuru:"I'm not sure. It is like your cousins say; the energies seem different than that of Orochi. If we can get our hands on the instrument, then an alternate solution may be necessary."
Shingo:"Great. Guess we're not solving this, old school style, then."
While Terry was looking over the ongoing chaos happening around Niigata, his attention was turned to Mai, who was looking most upset amongst the fighters. She was hugging her knees, fighting back tears, and tried not to choke as the Leader of the American Team walked over and kneeled down to see her.
Terry:"Still, thinking about Andy?"
Mai:"...The moment I saw what he had become, I realized that he had become everything I hate in a man. I want to say that it's now an excuse to meet him head-on in combat, but...(sobbing) I can't seriously fight the man I love!"
Terry:"We will find a way to restore him, Mai. But if we see him again, you leave him to me. Okay?"
Mai:"...Okay."
Terry:"Good...(thinks about something)...you know, I'm not sure if it were my eyes playing with me. But I'm pretty sure I also saw you get shot by that psycho guitarist."
Yuri:"Yeah. Now that you mentioned it, I saw it too. But...you don't look corrupted at all, Mai."
Mai:"No...(examines herself) I guess I don't."
Kyo:"How can that be explained?"
Terry:"I'm not sure. But I'm gonna go on a limb here and say that Mai has some immunity to the corruption those two Devilish Rock Stars are spreading."
Shun'ei:"Great. She gets a pass, while the rest of us are sitting ducks in the situation?"
And then, Shingo elbows Shun'ei.
Kyo:"We could use this to our advantage. If there is any reason to explain Mai's immunity, we will find it."
The rest of them agreed as they looked over to see the city, knowing that they would have to move soon if they wanted to the bottom of this situation.
Meanwhile, somewhere else in Niigata, Rock Howard was still walking alongside the mysterious Miruka, who's explained much about the situation they were in, and about who she is. Apparently, Miruka was some kind of spirit warrior, sent from the Celestial Realm to help deal with the two Corrupted Rock Stars, Kanato and Hibiki, who Rock learned had sold their souls to the Devil to become who they are now. The Wolf's Pedigree just listened, quietly, wondering as to how he fits into all of this. That's when Miruka explained that he had an immunity to their corruption, due to having certain attributes that only a few others carry.
Rock:"So, you're saying that these people are immune like me?"
Miruka:"Yes. You all share similarities that not only makeup who you are but apparently grant you an immunity to the corruptive and hellish energies that course throughout the instrument those two...pawns have."
Rock:"...Alright then. What do you want me to do about it?"
Miruka:"Find them. You must work with them. You may be this world's only hope if none of the other warriors are able to withstand the corruption that is spreading."
Rock:"I don't know. I'm not good with...people."
Miruka:"You may not have a choice. The more their energies course through this world, the more evil it brings out and the more power they gain."
To prove her point, thunder can be heard as the clouds that shadowed over Niigata were beginning to turn red in a demonic shade...
Kanato and Hibiki were having a fun time. Their army was growing, their chaos was rising, Niigata was all but theirs now. And any fighters that they managed to find were no match for them. Thanks to those that they'd already gotten a hold of, taking any other fighters that were scattered across the city had been easy.
May Lee was more than happy to get her old friends back. However, Kim had somehow managed to avoid them.
And many of the girls, aside from Sylvie Paula Paula, weren't so lucky either.
Something strange did happen, however, when Kensou and his team ended up getting hunted by the punks, the Young Rising Dragon himself was barely about to escape, forced to leave his crew behind. He, unfortunately, managed to take a shot from Kanato's guitar, and his white hoodie, blue vest, and shorts were replaced with a black and red leather jacket over a mesh shirt and tight black jeans, and his hair had been shaved by the left side. Yet, what was strange was that while his appearance changed, his mind remained intact. Kanato and Hibiki were surprised by this, the moment they saw Kensou running.
Kanato:"Looks like we got more problems to deal with."
Hibiki:"We'll find him and break him if we have to. He WILL be loyal to us, just like all others will be."
?:"You won't get too far."
The two evil rockers turn their heads to someone appearing out of the shadows. A woman by the looks of it, wearing a traditional-looking, white and red Japanese attire, a red bandana over her head, and having elongated nails on her hands that held a flute with white tassels on it. This being carried a sinister aura that craved destruction and bloodshed. She was Mizuki Rashojin, an evil spirit that was long thought to have been dead. And yet, here she is, alive, breathing and in physical form of all things; and that was bad enough. Though, Kanato and Hibiki didn't seem to have the faintest idea as to who she was.
Kanato:"Who the hell...?"
Mizuki:"The events that have transpired today have revealed many great things to me. Chaos is what brought me here, I can feel how it consumed all those that you two have come across."
The two rockers were looking at each other, dumbfounded, same with the rest of their punk horde.
Hibiki:"So...what do you want?"
Mizuki:"I propose an alliance."
While the two didn't know who this person was, or what she was capable of, they could sense that she had great power within her. Demonic power, different from theirs, but it felt intoxicating nonetheless. Maybe they wouldn't have to corrupt her, but they'll humor her and hear her out if she really is as powerful as she is letting off to be.
Kanato:"Let's talk then."
Mizuki:"Good..."
