The smoke dispersed and another volley of arrows slammed into his position.
Shirou responded with his own volley. The enemy crossbowmen were using steel bolts. Though each one packed significantly more punch than a simple arrow, Shirou's reinforced arrows were enough to deflect them midair. Once it was clear that the attempt was thwarted, the smokescreen rushed back in. Shirou stepped sideways to dodge the dagger thrown at him, catching the projectile and flinging it back to intercept the second one.
It was slow progress, but he was drawing the Reunion further away from the docks.
From what Shirou could see, the snipers were maneuvering to surround him. They could only use the streets on the ground to move around which hampered their movement. Each time Shirou relocated, so would his pursuers.
Speaking of which…
Shirou tensed his legs to prepare for the surge of pain as he pumped them full of contaminated energy. He sprinted to the other side of the rooftop and leapt. Once he was halfway over the gap, the smokescreen broke and Shirou took the opportunity to gulp down as much oxygen as he could. The Reunion fighter behind him switched their approach once it was obvious that fighting was not optimal. So, they resorted to using the smokescreen to suffocate him.
The red-haired assassin burst out the smoke cloud as she chased after him. A few knives flew his way but Shirou sidestepped the projectiles and headed for the next building. He leapt over another gap and rolled to soften his landing. This time, there were Reunion soldiers on the roof. They were supposed to be part of the encirclement, but unfortunately for them, Shirou intended to break through.
Shouts erupted as they engaged him. Shirou parried two swords with his steel bow and kicked one of the fighters in the knee to drop him. He twisted his bow to disengage the two weapons before spinning the longbow and smacked the bow's edges into their faces. He spun around in a circle to trip the rest of the attackers using his weapon. They bowled over each other and Shirou sprinted past them just as his red-haired pursuer arrived.
"You're going have to try harder than that." Shirou stated as if it was a fact.
The girl behind him only glared harder in response. The archer she had been chasing kept conversing with her almost as if she wasn't after his life.
"I'm going to kill you harder the more you talk."
"That's the spirit."
A dagger flew past his head.
Shirou wasn't the kind of person to antagonize others. But maybe there was some merit to Archer's style of emotional damage.
.
.
.
Faust clutched the crossbow in his hands.
Despite his men's best attempts to pump their target full of steel, all were rebuffed with ease. Crownslayer was also similarly ineffective. The assassin was left alone to impede his movement, which she was finding difficult.
"I need more support! I can't stop him at all!" Crownslayer's voice hissed on the radio.
Faust looked at his fellow commander.
"Don't look at me. I'm not allowed to turn Reunion into my mutants unless they're nearly dead." Mephisto shrugged. "And Patriot is here. I can't turn prisoners either. He'd hang me before Talulah could even stop him."
"I was only going to ask if you had turned any dying people into your herd." Faust mumbled. "Yeah, Mephisto can't do anything. Do we have anyone else nearby?" He replied on the radio.
"W, where are you? You should be helping Crownslayer and Faust." Patriot called on the Sarkaz mercenary.
"Coming~ I just ran into some interesting parties near the docks." W's voice answered after a few moments.
Interesting Parties?
Faust blinked. Behind him, Mephisto perked up.
"What interesting parties?"
"Oh, I don't know…the Rhodes Island team you were tracking?" W's smug expression was palpable.
"Focus on the bigger objective. Stop wasting time." Patriot interrupted their conversation.
"Yes, yes. I'm already heading over to Crownslayer's position." W drawled.
Faust noticed the pout on Mephisto's expression when Patriot ignored Rhodes Island.
"Patriot, asking permission to go chase Rhodes Island."
"Permission denied. Stay with Faust and possess the soldiers severely injured from the fighting."
"I can't! The stupid archer is being careful. He knows I'm around and isn't harming our fighters! I can only coordinate the contingent under me and they can't do much either." Mephisto grumbled.
"You leaving will only give the archer more opportunities. Remain at your position and support Faust. That's final." Patriot's firmly ordered. "Just delay a little longer. I am nearly there."
Faust wished Patriot and W had arrived already.
.
.
.
Talulah lowered the radio.
"Ma'am?" The Reunion captain under her asked.
"Show me where you saw the red flare."
He lifted his arm and pointed to the last known location.
Sparks of flame erupted from his leader. The captain hesitantly backed off as flames grew and coalesced around her form. The fire crawled up her hand before hovering above her. The fireball slowly grew into a large burning sphere the longer Talulah charged it.
The contingent under him started retreating in the face of intense heat.
"Ma'am?"
"All of you should stay back." Was the only reply he received.
He scrambled behind cover along with the others as the Dragon of the Reunion continued to load more power into her attack. The sphere of inferno grew to the size shy that of a building before Talulah hurled it forwards.
The attack tore through the first building and continued to plow through the ones after. Cement turned into paste and steel turned into slag where the fireball passed. Talulah calmly walked into the scorching path left behind by the attack. The men behind her trembling in awe at the sheer power their leader just showed.
Talulah stopped walking and shot him a sideways glance.
"Captain? Are you following or not?"
The officer behind her gulped.
"M-men! Let's support!" He called upon the rest. The intense pressure on his shoulders decreased when the Reunion leader stopped staring. He didn't dare release a sigh of relief and simply started to follow behind her.
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.
.
The second VTOL ship was in the middle of landing when chaos erupted.
Amiya and the operators saw the intense light in the distance grow stronger until its release. Explosions shook the ground when entire segments of buildings were flattened once it moved.
"I-Incoming!" Amiya shouted.
"It's coming this way!" Ace warned. The operators scrambled to cover outside of the approaching danger's path.
"UP! FLY UP!" Dobermann shrieked into her comms unit to warn the pilot.
The aircraft jerked upwards just in time as the last building exploded. A glowing sphere of flame burst through the structure, bombarding the area with concrete and steel debris. It kept going, narrowly missing the airship and smashing into the building on the other side of the avenue and disappearing from the area.
"Is everyone okay?" Amiya clutched her comms device after the devastation of the passing fireball. A chorus of confirmations returned, drawing a sigh of relief from the Rhodes Island leader.
"Miss Amiya? T-that attack…" One scared operator asked through the channel.
"She's here. The Dragon of the Reunion." Dobermann swallowed the weight growing on her throat.
"That attack just demolished several buildings in a row…" Nearl noted with apprehension as she looked down the molten alley formed by the fireball's passing. Half a dozen medium-rise buildings had been pierced through, not including the smaller buildings completely eradicated in its path.
"We have to get out. Now." Ace pressed the issue.
"We don't know if we can evacuate fast enough to avoid the next one! Did you see how fast she charged that one?!" Dobermann hissed. "It took less than 30 seconds."
The dark atmosphere only turned heavier when the other operators caught on to what Dobermann was alluding to.
They couldn't board the VTOL. They couldn't hide either. The Dragon knew exactly where they were, judging from how she shot her attack directly in their direction. Worst of all, they couldn't fight. None of them could match the firepower just shown by the Reunion's leader.
The situation was nigh hopeless.
"There is one option."
Dobermann frowned.
"Explain."
Ace took a deep breath while he reorganized his thoughts.
"A distraction. Someone can draw the Reunion away."
Amiya's eyes widened.
"A-Ace! You can't mean-"
"I'm not asking you to order us to fight. I'm asking you all to leave now."
Nearl gripped her weapons tighter.
"We're not leaving you. We can find another way!" The Pegasus gritted her teeth. They were already leaving Archer to fight alone. She wouldn't abandon another ally if she could.
"Would you risk everyone here? We still have children with us!" Ace roared. His loud voice froze Nearl. "I can buy time. I just need to ambush and delay their leader for a few minutes. It should be enough time for you all to evacuate."
"A-Ace…you can't-" Amiya whimpered.
Nearl was of the same mind. Her code of honor was in shambles. She had taken the mantle of a Rhodes Island operator for the sake of helping the infected. Nearl was the shield, the protector of the people behind her. Yet here she was, frozen when confronted with life-threatening danger.
"It's…definitely an option." Dobermann surrendered. She had considered the idea of sacrificing a team, but doubted anyone- even her- would go.
The skies glowed red as the borders of the Catastrophe reached the city. The far side of the city became engulfed in disaster as the rain of destruction arrived.
"The Catastrophe has arrived. There's not much time!" Ace urged.
"Does anyone remember the Reunion channel's frequency?"
One voice interrupted the chaos.
"H-huh?" Amiya answered with a confused tone.
"Archer has the Reunion radio from earlier. He should hear us if we call for help." The Doctor recalled. "I think he can slow down the Reunion with his bombs. Then we can all escape."
Nearl's eyes widened. She wasn't the only one. The others all paused as the idea settled on their minds. They had seen how strong he was. The city blocks wiped, the docks bombarded, it was all him.
Dobermann didn't waste any time and configured her comms unit to the frequency she remembered from earlier. She knew the risks of using the enemy frequency. Every team on that channel would hear her call on the archer.
She just hoped he would too.
"Archer? If you can hear us, we need your help! We can't evacuate, The Dragon has arrived!" Dobermann clutched the comms unit.
"What the-? Who are you?"
"How'd you get on this channel?!"
The comms device picked up the replies from the active Reunion units on the frequency.
But one voice stood out.
"Coming."
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.
.
Faust blinked.
He must've been hearing things. For a second there it almost sounded like Shirou was on the radio.
I really need to get some rest after this.
Faust rubbed his head absentmindedly. Even considering the idea that Rhodes Island themselves would request assistance over the Reunion comms channel was simply absurd.
Bzzt. His radio buzzed as one of the captains under his contingent jumped on the frequency.
"Sir! The archer disengaged from Crownslayer and escaped!"
What?
Faust whirled back to the fight. He had only taken his eyes off the battle for a few seconds. The archer should've still been engulfed in Crownslayer's smoke!
His eyes caught the red blur leaping across the buildings heading away from them at speeds the Reunion couldn't match. Faust's mind blanked at the scene.
Huh?
How was he going so fa-
"Does it mean we succeeded if he's running?" Crownslayer's voice came through the radio.
"No."
Faust quickly connected the clues. The weird transmission over the Reunion frequency. The archer's superiority over the Reunion and sudden disengagement. Rhodes Island spotted by W near the docks.
…and the unusual distress signal over the Reunions comms.
Maybe he wasn't hearing things.
"W! Where is Rhodes Island?!" Faust gripped the radio tightly.
"Eh? They're on the northeast tip of the docks, why?" W replied.
"Archer's heading for Rhodes Island! We need to capture them!"
"Are you saying the archer has been working with Rhodes?" Mephisto perked excitedly on the frequency. "So we get to go after Rhodes?!"
"No! He's protecting them by distracting us for them to escape!" Faust gritted his teeth. It made sense. Archer was working to help Rhodes Island escape. They were good people. Shirou would've helped them.
"Then we let them go. Archer leaves the city then. If not, Talulah and I are here." Patriot insinuated that the two of them could deal with the threat.
"Don't kill him! He's-" Faust realized that it would be far-fetched to suddenly claim that the archer was their objective.
"Look, if we capture Rhodes Island, we can use them as leverage to find out if he's working for them."
"Oho! I like this kid!" W approved excitedly.
"We shall change our plans then." Patriot took control of the situation.
.
.
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"Patriot to the Reunion, all contingents near the north docks are to capture Rhodes Island. I repeat…"
Shirou inwardly cursed. His limbs were straining under the constant Originium corrosion on his body. Worse, the situation had deteriorated to the worst outcome possible. The Reunion had caught Rhodes Island despite his best efforts to distract them. It made no sense. Why was the Reunion's leader here? She should've been busy commanding the rebel group from the city center.
That wasn't the only problem he had to deal with.
The famed Patriot, Reunion's greatest general and fighter, was nearby.
Shirou had eavesdropped on the Reunion camps to collect information on the leadership. He heard about the old exploits of the Kazdelian-turned-Ursus war hero. They were no small feats. Shirou decided early on to avoid the general.
It took him a few minutes to traverse the rooftops heading towards the devastation he saw in the distance. A path of carnage, carving through several buildings and leaving behind destruction in its wake.
It was comparable to a C class noble phantasm.
Shirou grimaced at the thought of facing such a powerful opponent at his current state. HIs body was nearing its limits and he doubted he could keep up his combat capability for an hour or two longer without damaging it for an extended period of time. The traced Avalon's passive regeneration could keep Oripathy at bay, but its weakened state would be ineffective should Shirou continue to recklessly cast spells.
It didn't help that he was already on little more than fumes.
.
.
.
Talulah kept track of the conversation from her radio as she moved in on Rhodes Island's position.
"Captain, secure the flanks."
The officer behind her quickly divided the teams and sent them on their way. Talulah scanned the group in front of her as they huddled behind some cover pathetically. A few brave operators stood ahead of the rest, at their very front- a blonde Pegasi with a shield.
"Rhodes Island." She greeted the paramilitary team of the pharmaceutical organization. None of the operators responded. Talulah knew that they were tense, intimidated by the power she casually threw around.
"What brings you to Chernobog?"
"Miss Talulah…" The young leader of the organization stepped forwards. "We were originally just rescuing a member of our company." Amiya told the truth. She didn;t want to aggravate the situation further. "As you can see…we have had a number of additions. None dangerous, just children we wish to rescue."
Talulah's gaze moved from each of the operators in front of her.
"You understand that I cannot let you go. Your organization is against the Reunion's goals."
"That's not true! We are both on the same side! We fight for the Infected!" Amiya responded.
"Be as it may, Rhodes Island hinders our progress. Stopping you here helps us."
The operators shuffled nervously. Shirou hadn't arrived and it sounded like Talulah was about to wipe them out. The leader of the Reunion held her arm above her head and a blaze sparked into existence.
And shot the lead group instantly.
Amiya reacts just as quickly, firing arts to intercept the attack midair.
Then all hell explodes.
Talulah wills several fireballs into existence and fires them at a rapid pace. The vanguard group jerks back in response while Amiya fends off the attacks with her own. Blazing red and ominous black explode into flickers as the two magical energies blitzed at each other.
Amiya grunted as she struggled to keep up with the intense barrage from the Reunion's leader. She tried her best, but the exchange was heavily going in the Draco's favor. One fireball slipped through her desperate defense and flew into their group.
Nearl stepped forward to meet the challenge.
She braced her shield and blocked the attack. The fireball exploded on her shield and pushed her back from the unexpected force.
Her attacks are this powerful?!
Nearl realized that they didn't stand a chance of defending once Amiya got tired. As it was, the young girl was already slowing down from the initial barrage. The Dragon of the Reunion was more powerful, more experienced, and more stamina than she did.
Nearl made up her mind.
She dashed to the side of the duel and sped towards Talulah. The Draco frowned slightly at the blonde Kuranta's bold maneuver and diverted a couple of shots her way. Nearl navigated her way through the attacks, blocking one she couldn't dodge with her shield. She burst through the attack, noting the critical status of her equipment. After two attacks, the composite shield's front had become glazed. If she were to estimate, then the shield could only last a dozen more before it gave out. Luckily, her speed was fast enough to quickly flank the enemy leader.
Talulah angled her form to receive the crash as the Rhodes Island operator smashed into her. She released an exhale of surprise as she slightly lost her footing. Nearl had positioned her shield for maximum impact in a way that would destabilize the Draco's balance. The former knight of House Nearl capitalized on her experience in duels to instantly put pressure on the Yanese dragon and launched a barrage of fast-paced attacks on her. Talulah was forced to divert more of her attention on her new challenger.
Thus began the fight between pegasus and dragon.
Talulah unsheathed her sword just in time to parry the operator's wide horizontal swing. Nearl put a lot of power behind the attack. From her standpoint, it was going to be an uphill battle. The leader of the Reunion was a Draco. Dragonic species like hers had immense physical strength and stamina. Nearl was a Pegasus. Her abilities leaned more towards speed, which she would make use of. The knight followed it up with a quick jab of her shield, shoving Talulah back a few steps.
Just like that, the pressure on Amiya was relieved completely. The panting Cautus commander gulped in deep breaths as the fiery barrage on their group stopped.
"Nearl's went and engaged her in combat!" One of the operators gaped at their comrade's boldness.
"She's also pushing her back!" Another noticed as the duel continued.
Everyone was aware of Nearl's immense talent in combat. She was commonly found in Rhodes Island's training facilities and would happily help train other operators if they asked. But seeing her go all out was something else. Despite the Draco's physical advantage, enough to put them as a worthy challenge for the Sarkaz race, Nearl controlled the flow of the fight.
Talulah's frown deepened. The operator in front of her was powerful. She was showing skill leagues beyond her own, not that they were impressive in the first place. Talulah prided herself in the strength of her arts. Her swordsmanship was only a product of survival on the battlefield. It was not built on a solid foundation, but one of necessity.
Then, she'd have to use other tools available to her.
A fireball willed into existence and shot at the blonde from another direction. Nearl reacted quickly, twisting her shield around to face the attack. The explosion rocked her, but it didn't deter her from restarting her assault on the Draco. Talulah distanced herself from the operator and launched a few more fireballs. This time, Nearl dodged all but one. The barrage was meant to position her right into the last projectile's path. She grunted as another strong explosion rocked her.
Talulah noticed the heavily damaged state of the shield and caught on to the Kuranta's approach. As long as her shield was able to tank her arts, then she'd be able to keep Talulah from attacking the others.
Clever girl.
Talulah hummed. This one deserved praise. Her courage and skill was impressive.
But, there was a weakness- and she would exploit it.
Nearl's assault quickly shifted against her as Talulah figured out her plan. A barrage of fireballs pushed her back and all she could do was dodge and block. Amiya tried to intercept the attacks, but a few broke through the screen and landed on Nearl.
We can't last much longer!
Nearl's gut twisted as another fireball slammed into her equipment. The composite shield was almost at the end of its endurance, the flimsy material only able to last one or two more attacks.
"Ace! Toss me your shield!" Nearl shouted.
Ace unbuckled his own and threw it to the Kuranta, only for the shield to be intercepted midair by a fireball. Ace cursed as it flew far away from the fight.
"A valiant attempt." Talulah praised the blonde operator. "What is your name?"
Nearl paused for a moment before she decided to answer.
"Nearl. Margaret Nearl." She answered.
The name sounded familiar, Talulah idly noted. Where had she heard such a name before?
"You are a strong warrior."
A larger fireball blazed into existence within her hands. Nearl stepped back. There was no cover between them, nor can her shield tank such an attack.
She swung her hand.
"Nearl!" Amiya shouted and shot her arts to intercept the attack.
Her arts didn't intercept anything. Time slowed down as Amiya realized that the fireball wasn't aimed for Nearl, but was used to bait her. Instantly, Talulah fired it towards her and the vanguard.
Nearl's stomach dropped below her.
They knew the risks of coming to Chernobog. Prepare all you want, but when death strikes, nothing could be changed.
The world slowed down as the fireball flew straight for the young rabbit leader of Rhodes Island. Her vision turned white as the explosion engulfed the team. Nearl lost all feeling in her legs, combined with the sudden surge of pressure released- blew the Kuranta backwards.
Nearl's vision shook after slamming into the ground. Training pushed her to get back on her feet, but that didn't stop the heavy weight on her chest.
No! You can't be sure they're dead until you have visual confirmation!
Nearl clamped down on her emotions and pushed herself to her knees. She looked up to a cloud of smoke dispersing after the explosion. One deep breath later and Nearl was back to scrambling for her equipment.
She picked up her tattered shield and axe, drawing them before the Reunion's leader. If Amiya and the others were dead, then all hope was lost. The Reunion wouldn't let the rest live. They were seen as enemies for siding with the governments.
Nearl would fight to her last breath.
"That's enough. You have bigger problems to worry about other than Rhodes Island."
That voice…
Nearl jerked to the direction the voice came from. At the same time, Talulah slowly turned her head to meet the newcomer standing on the rooftop nearby. A red figure stood on top, holding a bow off to his side calmly.
"The Archer." Talulah observed the new arrival.
The smoke slowly dispersed and Nearl caught sight of her team. They were ruffled from the blast, but all were safe. Their nameless saviour had helped them once again.
…
Shirou looked down at the leader of the Reunion. Fighting was the last of his options. He'd try to stabilize the situation and convince both sides to back off.
"Catastrophe approaches. Won't you have the Reunion retreat? Rhodes Island are harmless."
"The Reunion is well capable of surviving the Catastrophe. You and Rhodes Island are far bigger threats to us." The grey-haired Draco replied while turning to face him.
Shirou understood why. Rhodes Island was the opposite of the Reunion. Where one sought to push their agenda by revolution, the other used a peaceful approach. Of the two, obviously Rhodes Island was what the governments would prefer. The majority of infected were of the same mind. The Reunion was only seen as their last option.
"You have won. Chernobog is yours, along with everything within it. There is no one left to fight you. The Reunion is better off focusing on the coming Catastrophe over chasing an organization who helps the infected. Do you really think the Reunion wins with Rhodes Island gone? Without them, cure for Oripathy would be pushed back decades."
Shirou's reinforced sight watched as the Reunion fighters in the vicinity started shuffling in place while talking to each other. His message had caught on. Some of the Reunion would understand the value Rhodes Island had.
A few kilometers away, the Catastrophe's thunderous approach could be heard. Red lightning, falling rocks, and powerful wind tore the city center. Soon, it would arrive at their location.
"Let them go. You should begin preparations to evacuate."
Shirou would have to bunker down somewhere underground until the Catastrophe was over. The hospitals and civilian bunkers were designed to hold against the disaster. His first plan of action was to quickly locate them once the Catastrophe had passed.
"The Reunion never runs. The Catastrophe is but a small hindrance." Talulah ignored his words. "...as for you, Archer. You value Rhodes Island highly for someone who doesn't wear their badge."
Shirou paused. Was he being that obvious? Then again, it was clear from his actions that he intended to help them this much. Shirou silently clicked his tongue as several fireballs blazed to life above the Draco.
"Is it wrong to defend something that will help me in the future?"
Technically it was the truth because Shirou did contract Oripathy. He used too much energy and now he was paying the price. The corrupted ambient energy had flooded his system and visible signs of the dark mineral had grown on his body.
He'd have to clean his system in secret later. First, he would have to deal with the rampaging Reunion leader below him.
Talulah was about to shoot the archer when her radio interrupted her.
"Talulah, is the red archer with you?" Came a hurried voice she didn't expect.
"FrostNova, you are supposed to be securing the Fuyuki Clinic doctor." Talulah narrowed her eyes.
"We have information that might secure two objectives if correct."
Talulah narrowed her eyes.
"...go on."
"We need to use Rhodes Island as hostages."
Talulah's gaze slowly moved to the closest Rhodes operator near her. Nearl tensed as the Draco's attention slid back to her.
"Done. What else?" Talulah continued. Nearl's proximity to the Reunion leader allowed her to hear the conversation between the two.
"Let me talk to him. Directly." FrostNova requested.
Nearl didn't like where this was going. The heavy feeling inside her only worsened when the grey-haired Draco looked at her headset.
"Give me Rhodes Island's channel."
It was an order.
"He doesn't have ours. He's on the Reunion's." Nearl surrendered her headset and tossed the device to the ground in front of Talulah. She picked up the headset and held the device to her ear.
"Tell me…what lengths do you think he will go to protect all of you?"
Nobody answered. With Nearl's headset in Talulah's hands, any important messages would be intercepted unless spoken manually.
"We don't need Rhodes to tell us. Faust has his channel. I just need your permission." FrostNova insisted.
"Granted."
Among the Reunion, FrostNova and Faust had the most contact with the illusive man. If they had a plan, then Talulah saw no reason to deny it. FrostNova gave her the frequency and Talulah switched over to listen.
.
.
.
Shirou readied his arrow when the Reunion leader summoned more fireballs. No matter which direction she fired, he would intercept them. At the same time, he was calculating how to create distance between her and Nearl.
The vibration on his belt alerted him of the call before Shirou heard it.
"We know you can hear us." A familiar voice came through.
Shirou inwardly frowned. They must've known. The chances of hearing his voice was low, but not zero. Only two people in the Reunion would've recognized him when he used one of their frequencies. One of which was currently on the line.
"If you really want to help Chernobog and Rhodes…then surrender yourself."
Shirou glanced in the direction of the closest hospital before returning his gaze to the scattered operators below him.
"Chernobog is too big for me to help. Why should I surrender for Rhodes?"
"Because there is no more time. The Catastrophe is here. This is their last chance to leave. Stay, and we capture them."
The thundering echoes in the distance only proved to heighten the danger Rhodes Island was in. The Catastrophe had been silently plaguing at the back of Shirou's mind. He could probably delay Talulah with the last of his magic, but that didn't guarantee the rest of the Reunion.
Shirou was trapped between a rock and a hard wall. He was running on little more than fumes, and he still hadn't managed to find a way to evacuate them. The option offered was one that could solve his current dilemma. It would deescalate the situation and help him more so than any plan he could draw up in the short term.
But it was dangerous.
Surrendering himself to the rebel movement was one of the worst scenarios Shirou considered after they held the hospitals hostage. He discarded the plan earlier, but its return was his failure to find a solution.
Weighing the risks, he made his choice.
Rin and Sakura will punish him later, but that's for another problem he'd face for the future.
"Let Rhodes Island go. Only then I will surrender."
"...that is not within my power. Only Talulah or Patriot can make such decisions."
"Then we have no deal."
The other end of the line stayed silent for a couple moments.
"I shall contact our leader first."
"There is no need." The Reunion's leader interrupted on the channel. "Surrender yourself and I shall release Rhodes Island."
Shirou met the grey-haired Draco's penetrating gaze. She watched him, looking if he would continue being a thorn in their side. He didn't trust a rebel movement, but the concept of an agreement was possible. Shirou trusted them to want him gone. That, he could plan against. Escaping should be simple once he recovered, but planning for Rhodes Island's escape at this time? Not likely.
Shirou spent a short moment reconsidering his options. The seconds ticked by, increasing the tension of the moment.
"Make your decision quickly- or I will kill them now." Talulah threatened. The fireballs around her congested together, forming into a large blaze floating above her.
"Let them go. I surrender."
.
.
.
Nearl winced while slowly moving back a few steps from the heat. She didn't dare move too far. Any sudden movements at this stage could mean her end. The blonde Kuranta couldn't believe what she was hearing. Their strange helper was going this far to help them escape. Somebody they didn't even know much about.
From her position, Nearl watched with wide eyes as the man on the rooftop tossed his bow and quiver to the side. Instantly, Reunion teams from the other rooftops closed in. The same heavy feeling from earlier threatened to collapse her legs from under her as they escorted the man down the building.
How did things get this bad?
They were Rhodes Island. They were supposed to help those who couldn't help themselves. Yet here they were, powerless against the Reunion.
The crunching of debris silenced when the archer stopped in front of the grey-haired Draco.
Talulah looked up and down her disarmed opponent, a masked figure shrouded in a dark red cloak. It was impressive, she acknowledged. The burning city around them helped smoothen his red outline on the rooftop while also keeping its dark hue effective in the shadows. There was no doubt to his capability after all the problems he caused for them.
"Tell me. What is your name?" She demanded.
"Release Rhodes Island, then we'll talk."
Shirou motioned his head upwards at the humongous fireball above her.
"A precaution. I cannot trust Rhodes Island not to attack me while I deal with you." Talulah answered.
"Rhodes Island does not have the ability to be a threat to you."
"Wrong. Operator Margaret Nearl behind me is more than enough." The Draco admitted while she glanced at the blonde Kuranta. Their short exchange was more than enough to solidify that the Pegasi was the better fighter between the two. Without her arts, Talulah would've been overwhelmed by Nearl.
"We have no intention of attacking anyone." Amiya responded from her position with the vanguards. "Mr. Archer, you didn't have to go this far…"
"Just go. Call your ship." His tone was final. Amiya recoiled after the sharp retort. A few minutes later, the VTOL aircraft landed to evacuate the remaining operators and the children left behind.
Nearl was the furthest from the aircraft, so she was the last to board. It all seemed so miraculously tragic to her. A miracle, because they were leaving surrounded by the Reunion. A tragedy, because she was taking it at someone else's cost. Deep inside her, a dirty truth simmered. Despite her background, despite her ideals, despite everything she fought for. All of it was for naught when her life was at risk. The blonde Kuranta bit her lips in disgust at herself.
Margaret of House Nearl? One of the legendary houses of Kazimierz? She didn't deserve such honor. Her exile was comforting in that way. It opened her eyes to the world…and to herself.
She slammed her fist on the bay's wall in outrage, angered at herself.
Margaret Nearl. Former Knight Primus Candidate of House Nearl. A weakling who couldn't stand for her beliefs.
A coward.
Heavy darkness bubbled inside her…the opposite of the world growing brighter outside.
Brighter?
Nearl twisted around just like the rest of the Rhodes Island embarking on the ship. The glowing fireball Talulah held hadn't shrunk in the slightest. Instead, it strengthened in power in the air above her.
"Rhodes Island. From today onwards, our paths shall no longer cross." The Draco's eyes glowed underneath the bright inferno of her arts. "Begone from this world."
Nearl's stomach dropped below her as she lost all feelings in her legs. Shouts erupted behind her as Dobermann barked at the cockpit to take the ship into the air.
The ship shook under her, but Nearl knew it was too late. They didn't have the means to stop the attack. It was large, as large as the blazing sun that destroyed everything in its path from before. Not even the ship could make it out from the attack's radius.
How ironic. The Radiant Knight goes out in a radiant blaze.
Nearl blinked as her breath was taken away. Maybe her final sight doesn't look so bad. An ethereal flower of purple, glowing magnificently in the night, Blazing flame washing aside as it showered over the nebulous petals.
Her footing slipped as the ship jerked upwards, flooring most of the crew. Nearl's forehead banged against the floor and her mind jumpstarted.
We're not dead.
The feeling of sudden pain jerked her back to reality. Margaret looked up to see the burning sphere dispersing into the space around the glowing flower that had appeared out of nowhere. Between them and the attack, stood a shaking figure with his hand outstretched behind the otherworldly shield.
…Archer?
More fireballs exploded on the glistening petals but none broke through. The flower was massive, large enough to block half the street's width and more than enough to completely block the ship as it rose into the air.
The scene grew more intense as Nearl suddenly noticed the Catastrophe's arrival. Meteors were cascading directly above them, lightning thundered on the next avenue over, and previous fires turned into large infernos as the Catastrophe rolled over their area.
A large bang was heard and the aircraft tilted sideways when the lightning struck their side.
Her world changed from the grey interior of the ship as gravity pulled her down into the red below her.
I'm falling.
The thought slowly registered on her mind once she flipped back around to see Amiya screaming from the bay doors while reaching out to her.
If she wasn't a couple meters away, then maybe Amiya would've caught her.
Nearl's mind blanked as the situation clicked. The wind slammed into her, bringing the scorching stench of smoke and ruin. She flipped over erratically as her body was dragged down without her control.
A large grey figure blurred below her in an attempt to catch the falling operator.
And her world blacked as she crashed.
.
.
.
Shirou's body shook. His bleary eyesight was starting to cause the woman in front of him to multiply. He could barely keep up the shield he conjured as his mind flashed with pain. The corrupted energy burned his magic system as he kept up Rho Aias. Of the three layers, only the last remained. Pain surged from the backlash of the shield's effect on his body, combined with the malevolent Originium particles flooding his body- it was tearing apart the little focus he had left.
Then, the last petal collapsed.
Shirou's legs gave out underneath him. He crashed into the unforgiving earth as his body finally gave out under him. The weakened copy of Avalon lacked the strength to match the passive healing it originally had- and could only limit a portion of the damage Shirou was experiencing from the destruction of Rho Aias and the Originium invading his body. He tried to cling on to his consciousness, but succumbed to his injuries as the pain from his corrupted magical system completely registered on him.
A pair of eyes from a certain Draco carefully regarded the fallen figure in front of her while grabbing her radio.
"FrostNova, the archer has been captured." She informed the Cautus commander.
A meteor crashed over her position but was melted away by the blazing sphere she conjured above her. More of the Catastrophe rained around her, the Reunion withdrawing into the buildings to wait out the rampaging disaster.
Except for her and the unmoving body she stood over.
His arts…
Talulah could count the number of times she had faced opponents just as- if not more powerful than her. On the top of that list were the Emperor's Blades, of which only withdrew upon meeting their match in Patriot. Today, she had met two offenders- a young Cautus girl who matched her arts for a brief exchange…
And this intriguing archer before her.
The Catastrophe continued to rain down on the city for the next hour until its departure. When the disaster passed, the night sky returned- illuminated by the blazing city underneath.
Author's Notes
To Mo Eazy, I appreciate the long review. I'm VERY tempted to go crazy just like some of the Fate fanfics out there. I kind of did in my first work (need to get back to it later), I want to put a limiter on Shirou here because there's so much lore in Arknights we don't know. They could show the real power level somewhere down the line later and then I can raise the cap on him in the future if we require it.
For now, keeping him this way makes all the fights more interesting from both sides.
P.s. This chapter was actually connected to the previous one but once I reached 9k words I had to break them into two. So technically it was 50% finished. The chapter quality really dropped on this one. I just couldn't make it flow smoothly, felt like too much was forced.